One more reason I don't want or need a cat!

When you've got a daughter that will:

lay across the back of the couch right where you are sitting

paw at your head

slide down the back of the couch onto your shoulder

and....let her stink waft into your face

We are saying the old Alger adage: "PEEEWW! STINKY FEET!"

you don't need a stinky ol' nasty cat.

(I know I look pregnant in these pictures, but....I'm not.)

Mom? Do I have something on my face?

These are little post-it type book marks that I got with a fridge magnet notepad.

Marley put the tabs on her eyes and I helped with the rest.

She felt pretty special with fancy stuff on her face.

Vogue.

I can see you!

I can see my finger!

What's in a Mood?

Does life ever overwhelm you?
What do you do about it?

Nothing? Go shopping? Go to bed?
Buckle down and do what cha gotta do?
Eat? Watch TV? Exercise (heaven forbid)?

I feel like a very inconsistent person because I don't know exactly what I "do." Well, maybe the problem is I do all of these...but not all at the same time.

Is that normal?

Do I have multiple mood personality disorder? (MMPD)

I feel like I shuffled through a number of moods today, minus the emotion, if that's possible and at the end of the day I was left overwhelmed.

What if I became a hermit?
Would you still come visit me?

Last night...

We had a BIG OL' rain storm. Two out of the three windows we have were open. It was a wonderful sound....hard constant down pour for most of the night. And the thunder....well, I only actually heard one big, huge, long, scary, yet amazing rumble. In my half awake - half asleep stupor I thought, "That is AWESOME!!! Honk sheeeww....."

I told Nathan about it this afternoon when we picked him up from school and he just laughed at me and said, "Ha ha ha ha! Someone didn't sleep well last night!" He heard nothing. Never will...until the resurrection. He missed the point though....I liked it.

There was more tonight. It has already died down though. Too bad. I love rain, thunder and lightening storms!

Do you like them?

Graduate School

It's true, I didn't post yesterday. I only mention it for those keeping track (probably no one).

I have a really good excuse though....Nathan's final project and paper where due yesterday.

This is a really good illustration of how Nathan has looked and felt recently.

You can find this image too! Here!

I was helping him edit, proof-read and make revisions yesterday. Actually, I have been doing that for the past two weeks! I'm so glad that paper is in! It's a HUGE load off my back...HA HA HA!! Okay, so maybe it's really a HUGE load off of Nathan's back.

In February I blogged about how crazy his oral exams were and now with this last project and paper turned in AND already graded! He is one more giant step closer to graduating!

Last thing to accomplish: pass his classes...NO PROBLEM!

Nathan has his own office cubicle in Hardin Hall on the UNL East campus. He will miss that little home away from home! (probably not!) Anyway, one of his office mates put this comic up and we liked it! Nathan could relate to most of it.
You can find this comic too! Here!

He bought his cap, gown and hood yesterday!

He tried it on and he looks SO good!

We have loved our time in graduate school!

We are SO excited that it is almost over!

He will continue The Worst job in the world:

Job Hunting!

More about the calendar....

Since two out the three people that commented want to know where I got the Amy Knapp's Family Organizer here you go....

The first year I found it at Walmart, but since then I haven't been able to find it there. The past two years I have purchased it at Calendar Corner in the mall. It is a seasonal store only open through part of the fall and the first part of January.

You can order it on Amy's website and right now it looks like it's only $5.oo but then you gotta pay shipping. Still that's less than the full price calendar.

The site suggests "Want to save shipping? Check your local Barnes and Noble, Borders or Books A Million. Call ahead and have them search by ISBN number 1932751297. My goal is to save you money, whenever I can." Awesome!

I also saw on her website that she has different versions of the calendar: "Expecting Family Organizer" for families expecting a child, and a "Christian Family Organizer." COOL!

They also offer each version in spiral bound, which is what I always get, but if you have a planner you can also get it with 7 hole punches.

One funny thing, you can get a frosted cover...it's the same tacky cover just less abrasive, I guess.

The only other complaint I have, besides that tacky cover, is that it starts in July and goes through the December of the following year. So, it covers 18 months, which is nice. I just wish it started in January and went through July of the following year. I like to buy a fresh calendar in January...not July. Oh, well.

I hope you find it and find it useful. And if you decide to recover it with your favorite scrap booking paper...I WANT TO SEE!!!

My Turn To Be Creative (Part 4 - Recovered My Calendar Book)

HA! I didn't blog yesterday! APRIL FOOL!!!!
(Haven't you heard, April 18 is the new April Fool's Day?)

N-E-WAAAAYZ.

Remember the series I started back in December called,
"My Turn To Be Creative."
Well, here is our next installment.

For the past three years I have purchased the same calendar book:
Amy Knapp's Family Organizer.
I really like it because it has every section you could possibly want in one book.
Month at a glance, Week at a glance, a Menu section, a Shopping List section, and a To Do List section. There is even room for post-it notes!
I love post-it notes!
Convenient Right?

The only problem.
They never change what this calendar looks like.
(maybe it's to keep the calendar's price low? $14.99)
Same ugly cover every year.
Same fonts and colors inside.
EVEN THE SAME INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES ON THE SAME PAGES!

I seriously considered buying a different calendar just for variety, but couldn't because all of that awesome stuff wasn't included in any other calendar book I could find.

There are some seriously beautiful calendars out there...this cover is hideous...especially after looking at it for 3 years!

I'm already sold on it, so I don't need the instructions on the back either.
Maybe if the front and back covers were removable and underneath was a beautiful cover...
THAT would be awesome!

This is what I look like when I'm trying to be creative.
That's my favorite battery.

(I have no idea why I'm holding a battery?)

Soooo......
I decided to buy the calendar book I know and love and....

Recover it!

This is the cover now...well, for some reason I didn't take a picture of the FINAL. But, the only difference is I added a picture of us at the Omaha zoo looking like a family of gorillas.

Beautiful right?

Here is the back!

(I also waited until after Jan. 1 and got the calender at half price!)

Other "My Turn To Be Creative" posts:
Part 3 - Photography
Part 2 - I made cute Angel Ornaments
Part 1 - I made a cute quilt

Stake Conference

I love it! Almost as much as I love General Conference.

In the past we have taken Marley with us to the Saturday evening adult session because she was so young and barely made a peep. Now she's two so we planned ahead and asked a sweet young woman to watch her. I am so grateful that we could leave Marley and go be uplifted and edified with no distractions. I LOVE my girl....but, it was so nice to be able to sit and listen and take some notes and listen and look up scriptures, and not just hear but listen, etc.

I love how a member of the Quorum of The Seventy, Elder Terrance C. Smith, could come all the way from Alberta Canada and by the inspiration of the Spirit speak directly to my soul. He taught us how to sort dirty laundry. You understand that I could relate, since you know that I am a homemaker and a major part of my job is laundry. But also, I am a child of God living in this telestial world. I am so grateful for the Atonement of Christ. I know that He not only made it possible for us to overcome sin but He also uplifts us in a our adversities. Elder Smith said, "He is closer than we think and kinder than we imagine." I believe it and I am comforted in knowing that.

We also got to hear from President and Sister Oaks, the Winter Quarters Temple President and Matron. Sister Oaks reminded us what Nephi said, "I will go" not "I will try." and not, "I'll put it on my to do list and if I don't get to it this week, I'll get to it next week." She told us to not put the temple on our to do list but to put it on our calendar. Very good instructions! We definitely need to be better at scheduling and going!

President Oaks pointed out that we are told exactly what time to go to church but we are not told what time to go to the temple. He said that going to the temple is too personal to be given by assignment. It is so special that we choose when we go.

We also heard from a member of the Stake Presidency, President Bischoff (he's my favorite speaker, don't tell the other members of the Presidency). He counted 31 talks in our last General Conference and according to his notes, 15 of those talks had something to do with Strengthening the Family. Going along with that "theme" he gave us just two ways to do this, 1. Be peacemakers. 2. Establish habits that encourage righteous living: family home evening, family prayer and scripture study.

Sister Weber, the 1st Counselor in the Stake Primary Presidency spoke of the blessings of the temple. I love her! She has such great energy and enthusiasm for the gospel. I have learned so much from her leadership and have been privileged to rub shoulders with her at other activities and I just love her! (She runs a fun thing at the church on Tuesdays, called Music Makers. Maybe I'll post about that next week!)

Well, maybe you are thinking...WHY did Becky just give us a run down of her Stake Conference? I'll tell you why! Because I love it! And I like to share about things that I love! Also, sharing what I learn, helps me to learn it better. I cannot do the actual talks and stories justice, or even the spirit which I felt, so I'll just leave it at what I've already shared. And let you know that I LOVE the Gospel of Jesus Christ! I know it has been restored in its fullness! I know that the Savior lives and loves me. I know he loves you too!

Being Weaned From Onsies

I have a confession: I love white onsies!

Let me just tell you that in by book (whatever that means) onsies are the best invention EVER. It's like baby underwear! When a shirt gets tucked into a neck or an arm pit, or it gets bunched up in the back, onsies keep the sensitive baby belly from being exposed. Maybe that's over the top modesty but, teaching modesty can never start too young.

Onsies also protect a baby's skin from abrasive cold snaps. They protect from scratchy tags. They are a great layer for the cold winter and a wonderful single layer for the hot summer.

They look like a much smaller version of Marley's parents' undies. And when we are all walking around in our undies...we look like we belong together.

I know weaning usually involves withdrawing the supply of mother's milk...but, still. This is just as hard for this family. Two years we've been loving the onsie!

Yesterday, after two attempts at having Marley wear little girl undies and me asking every 10 minutes if she needed to go potty and her ultimately peeing on the floor, twice. I thought, maybe we should start out small and just wean ourselves off the onsies. The rest of the day she wore a diaper with no onsie, but lifted her shirt every 10 minutes and said, "Oh! Onsie!?!" I would reply, "You are trying to be a big girl, remember? Big girls don't wear onsies."

I'm going to miss the onsies...but, I know potty training will never happen if we don't get rid of the onsies!

Last post about Marley's 2nd Birthday...

Marley got two really cute outfits from Grandma Nette (Nate's mom). She has worn them already this week and if I had been smart, I would have taken a picture of her with the outfits on and then included them in this post. Wouldn't that have been cute!

I didn't take pictures...but, the next time she wears them I will!

As soon as Marley could see fabric she was saying,

"Ooooo! Cute! Oh! Cute!"

She LOVES these outfits!

Grandma Nette also sent a new Vegetales DVD!!! Josh and the Big Wall.

We had never seen it before...but, we've seen it plenty now!

She also got a really cute pink tutu from Grandma Nette but, she got it early because it was only partially wrapped.

SHE LOVES IT!

(picture will be in future post, promise!)

Marley loves to draw on paper and we are almost out of scratch paper so...

She got a magnadoodle!

And she loves it!

It was and will be especially nice in church.
I love her lips in this one.

And she got a Sesame Street Farm! We were supposed to give this too her for Christmas but, we forgot. She has seen in the garage a couple of times...ooops!

Now it's hers!

Now for the CAKE!!!

It was a white vanilla cake with vanilla pudding filling. The frosting is a cream cheese frosting I found online. Usually, cream cheese frosting is not good for decorating but I found one that would crust...so it worked.

She couldn't resist...I don't blame her!

Forgot to get candles. Hee hee!

Nathan was in charge of the pyrotechnics.

He did not disappoint.

Cutting he cake.

Mmm...I can't wait to get this cake goodness into my mouth!

Maneuver the fork.

Mmmmmm.....

SO GOOD!!!!

CAKE!!!

And Marley got to play with daddy and the farm just before bed.

And Aunt Kathy was right she is really thinking,

"I have the best dad in the world. I love to play with my dad!"

We love you all!