Motherhood

This article struck a huge cord in me upon reading it. It's something I feel very passionate about and want to share. We had a lesson in our church meeting for women on the role women play and how important our role is. It's been lost in today's society just how important it is by telling women to work and be successful elsewhere outside the home. It saddens me. I felt the Spirit so strongly when reading this that I actually cried. Might also be that my hormones are going crazy right now being pregnant:)

Well the advice given in this article is given by Dave Ramsey. I knew I liked that man. He's incredibly smart when it comes to budgeting and saving money. Well turns out he's also smart when it comes to the home and structure of it.

Dave Says: Why Can't She Get Another Job?

March 08, 2011

When a family is broke, and the woman is at home raising one child, why can’t the wife get a “second job?”

Dear Dave,

I listen to you often and enjoy your radio show, but why don’t you ever ask women to go to work? When a family is broke, and the woman is at home raising one child who is already in the fifth grade, why can’t the wife get a “second job?”

George

Dear George,

I think far too many ladies, in the name of paying for stuff they don’t need, have left the household and the children for the workplace. Many of them didn’t even want to do this; they just felt obligated to do it by people like you. There are a lot of ladies who have sacrificed their ability to be full-time moms on the altar of the car payment.

Now, sometimes ladies have to go to work. There’s a time and a place for that kind of thing. But if there’s any way I can financially and budget-wise figure out how mom can be waiting at home with a big hug and a plate full of cookies when that fifth grader walks in the house – and if that’s what she wants to do – then you’re going to find me fighting for her opportunity to do that. There’s no higher calling on the planet than motherhood. We’ve lost that in our culture, and we’re suffering dearly for it.

I’m no Neanderthal jerk. I don’t say every mother has to be at home or they’re a bad person. But these days we’ve got very few people who defend full-time, in-the-home motherhood. The inference you’re making is that she’s not helping, or worse, lazy. Why don’t you go take over her job for a week? I think you’ll find out in a hurry there’s not a lazy bone in her body!

—Dave

To view the actual article click here.

TWINS!!!

Yep, you just read that right. Not only am I pregnant, I'm having TWINS!! AAAHHHH!! I still can't believe it. I've mentioned before that we have struggled for almost a year trying to get pregnant, and to first get the positive test finally was soooo exciting. And THEN to find out that we're not only getting one but TWO is just out of this world. I'm both excited and scared. I know it's going to be a rough road ahead, but I also know it's going to be filled with more blessings that I can ever imagine.

 Here's to the number TWO!!!!

True Love

"...Respect comes of recognition that each of us is a son or daughter of God, endowed with something of his divine nature, that each is an individual entitled to expression and cultivation of individual talents and deserving of forbearance, of patience, of understanding, of courtesy, of thoughtful consideration. True love is not so much a matter of romance as it is a matter of anxious concern for the well being of one’s companion."

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

Skinny Jean Controversy

I am trying to calm myself down over this incredibly ridiculous controversy right now. My friend just told me to have a Chicago dog (they're our favorite from Sonic) and a coke to make it all better. Well I have my coke in hand and am seriously working on it.

Why am I so worked up about this? Well you see, I graduated from BYU-Idaho and absolutely loved my college experience. So much my husband decided he wanted to go to school there and is going to graduate come April. He runs the Student Health Center on campus and is very involved in the every day campus activity. We both very much appreciate our college experience and it hurts us to see both the school and our beloved church get so bombarded with all this negative publicity. All because of an incident at the Testing Center where an employee's pride took precedence over what was right in the situation. And then to see comments in all these articles from students attending the school stating the dress code is "ridiculous" is incredibly frustrating as well. You have to sign the honor code in order to attend the school, so you KNOW beforehand what the rules are and what your getting yourself into. So if your not grateful for your experience there and the rules that go along with going to school, DON'T GO TO SCHOOL THERE! And then tell the world that you don't agree with the school's honor code that you signed? Gosh. There are tons of people who don't get into BYU-I that I know would be more grateful for their EDUCATION than so many of these ungrateful people complaining about silly dress codes. Sure I murmured once or twice about not being able to wear certain clothing items, but I enjoyed my college experience more than I missed flip flops or Capri's. Perspective people.

I feel sorry for the girl that got turned away. She got caught in the middle of a change in rules and didn't deserve the way she was treated. I hope she receives an apology from that guy, she deserves one. Here is the article of the ACTUAL story of what happened. I believe in honest and factual journalism, which seems to be lacking nowadays:

On November 8^th the Testing Center began a campaign to remind students of the CES Dress and Grooming Standards. The campaign has gained the attention and criticism of many students.

Some students have encountered resistance from Testing Center officials when attempting to enter the facility because of excessively tight pants.

Self-described as “curvy,” Rachel Vermillion, a senior studying psychology, took a test in the afternoon of the day that the new rule was implemented.

Afterwards she attended another class, studied for her second test of the day and attended a leadership meeting with her bishop as a member of her ward’s Relief Society presidency. From there she went directly to the Testing Center.

At 8:30 p.m., 30 minutes before the Testing Center was scheduled to close, Vermillion entered the facility prepared to take her test and was told by an employee there that she would not be permitted to enter.

“I got in line and the guy said that I couldn’t take a test because my pants were too tight,” Vermillion said. “I thought he was joking at first.”

Vermillion wasn’t given a warning, despite the Testing Center’s history of issuing warnings to students for similar violations of the CES Dress and Grooming Standards.

“I thought it was going to be like, ‘Next time, wear a different pair of pants,’” Vermillion said. “I’d never gotten a warning. I pointed out to him girls around me who had gotten in who were wearing jeans much tighter than my pants, but he just said, ‘It’s at the discretion of the Testing Center employees.’ He got very angry and was very rude.”

“When I told him that I lived 20 minutes away from Rexburg and that if I went home to change and came back the Testing Center would be closed, he just said, ‘That’s not my problem.’”

Even when a fellow employee attempted to persuade him to allow Vermillion to take her test, he did not relent.

“Another girl who worked there told him that the pants I was wearing were looser than hers,” Vermillion said. “It was really frustrating because there were skinny girls who were wearing tight pants who were getting admitted, but I’m curvy so my regular-fitting pants were a little bit tighter on me and he wouldn’t let me in. It was offensive and humiliating.”

John Dexter, manager of the Testing Center, acknowledged that some staff members have been more zealous than others in enforcing the dress code.

“I do have a couple of staff who have inadvertently sent people away on their own,” Dexter said. “That isn’t something we enforce. That’s because of poor communication. We’ve struggled with this and figuring out how to do it without embarrassing people unduly.”

Last month a sign was posted at the Testing Center that read, “If your pants are tight enough to see the shape of your leg, your pants are too tight. The CES Dress and Grooming Standards state that: ‘Clothing is inappropriate when it is . . . formfitting.’ Skin tight clothing is NOT appropriate attire.”

Concluding this notice was a short paragraph that read, “If your clothing or attitude does not meet the commitments you have made to live the Honor Code, will you please go home and prayerfully visit with your Father in Heaven and recommit yourself to be a true disciple and abide by the Honor Code that defines your commitment to be a disciple.” The sign was replaced three days later.

“I decided after a couple weeks of prayerful consideration and some discussions here in our staff that something had to be done. I put out one sign; I tend to be a little bit rash, but we modified it so that it’s not too harsh,” Dexter said.

Today there stands a similar sign, but with the concluding paragraph reading, “If you don’t understand the Dress and Grooming standards, we invite you to go to the Lord ‘and ask in faith, nothing wavering’ for approval of the clothing you wear. The Spirit will tell you whether what you are wearing is appropriate or not.”

In response to students who feel that formfitting jeans are appropriate, Dexter said, “If a student prays and they think that the tight ‘formfitting’ clothing is accepted by the Lord, they have not asked, or have not asked the right question, or they have chosen an answer for their own gratification. I don’t believe the Lord would give approval to anyone to be disobedient to the CES Dress and Grooming Standards.”

The Testing Center has not made any policy changes. They are reminding students of the Dress and Grooming Standards against formfitting clothing.

“This has been a CES standard for as long as I’ve been here,” Dexter said. “All we’re doing is quoting the CES policy.”

The Testing Center has been criticized for not communicating the stricter enforcement of BYU-Idaho’s formfitting clothing policy.

“I don’t care if they require me to wear a burqa,” Vermillion said, “but they should really let you know beforehand. I had just come from a meeting with my bishop, but I couldn’t get into the Testing Center.”

To view the actual article go here.

UPDATE: Its hard to avoid all the controversy surrounding this matter. I stumbled upon this comment from someone who said it better than I am trying to:

David Mihok

They didn't actually overrule a school policy...It was just testing center employees letting power get to their heads. You will find no official pronouncement that skinny jeans are not allowed, nor any statement by an official suggesting it.

Instead, you can look here: https://www.facebook.com/BYUID at the most recent statement, and in fact, the only statement by the school.

There are a number of articles starting to pop up by the school that make it abundantly clear that the testing center was not acting with official sanction

My Sign

I had a post all typed up to share, but it didn't feel quite right. I didn't feel like I was expressing myself quite right. So I saved it to get back to later. Then I read my friend's wife's blog, and everything that I have been feeling and wanting to say was laid out so perfectly right there. So perfectly in fact I won't say much except send you over to her blog to read what needs to be said for all women who are going through what I am.

To also help, I read another friends blog and she referenced a blog she came across about trials we go through and if only we had signs to share with everyone so we would know and be more sensitive towards one another. If we only knew what each other are going through. You can read the inspiring story HERE. What would my sign be?

"I want so badly to be a mother and am struggling to get pregnant"

Is Ignorance Bliss?

My blood is seriously boiling right now. I just don't understand people these days and how they live with their consciences. My favorite blogger is Kendi and thought I would Google her to see what additional info I could find on her. Well lo and behold I find this website that dedicates a post to bashing her. I couldn't believe what I was reading! And there were tons of comments that continue the bashing and hating. Well I'm curious as to what this website was all about and turns out it is solely for the purpose of making fun of people, "Get Off My Internets is a blog providing commentary – and offering opportunities to discuss – the stupid things people do online." Really? So people sit around all day researching peoples blogs and websites to find things to make fun about them. Wow. Seriously pathetic. I understand freedom of speech is a wonderful thing, but for it to be used to only degrade someone is just wrong. I was so outraged I wrote the website's authors and email:

"Wow. You guys seriously spend your days making fun of people? You don't have ANYTHING better to do than make fun of people?!? Whats sad is that there are people out there as ignorant as you that read your blog. Its seriously pathetic. What ever happened to being decent? This world is going to crap because of people like you. Filling people with animosity and hatred towards one another is whats causing all these epidemics of bullying and suicides. Can you honestly say you sleep at night knowing your apart of that? Or are you THAT oblivious to what you are doing? Like I said...ignorant. "

They'll probably just laugh it off and send some snide reply back. I just wanted them to know that there's at least one person out there that does not approve of what they are doing.

A Foreign Reaction

I have found myself in a new situation I've never been in before. We just received what should be exciting news from Jame's best friend, but instead of my normal elated reaction, a foreign one came to me. Madness. Anger. Sadness. And then guilt. I should be happy for them. Why can't I just be happy for them? They're good people. They deserve all the blessings they can get. But I do also, right? So why can't I get them as well?

This is all new to me, and am learning along the way how to process it all. I know Heavenly Father loves me and has great many things in store, I'm just having a hard time with the patience aspect of it all. In the mean time, I'm gonna go make some brownies and play with Doccers. He's good for my soul.

Outfit Inspirations and More...

So, I take a million pictures and then don't do anything with them. Shame on me. Well I finally kicked my butt in gear and put a couple together for this neglected blog of mine. Its a random layout of things that I felt would be cool to share.

This is an organizing idea I originally had at our old apartment in Idaho Falls, which ended up being needed at our new place in Rexburg. With no drawers, I made a make-shift shelf using a tall shower shelf. It works awesome!

We finally got some tomatoes this summer! Mind you we only got about 5 of them and they were tiny, nonetheless we had some. They tasted amazing, I am for sure going to be growing more next year. In a real plot of land, no more buckets.

This is a head wrap I made using a scarf. I found the instructions on how to do it via my beloved Pinterest, you can find it here.

This was supposed to be "The Best Chocolate Cake" and I have to report that it was not. It was pretty good, but I would certainly wouldn't classify it as "The Best". Especially the icing, yuck! It was also classified as the "Best Buttercream Frosting Ever", and it completely fell short. Instead of butter it called for shortening, and the inexperienced baker that I am didn't think about it. Until I tasted it, eww! It tasted like sweet chalk. I understand it's supposed to be less fattening, but your eating cake! Its supposed to be fattening! Never again. Next time I'm making it with good old butter. Im so sorry Julia Child for letting you down. I will never turn my back on butter again.

So now onto outfits. On the sidebar of my blog you should notice a button that says "I'm a thriftoholic." These outfits are proof of that. This first one is a thrifted outfit in its entirety. Shirt, skirt and shoes. Total cost, $10! I loved the final 50's vibe I ended up getting from it.

So this outfit just might be a new favorite. The first picture is from a website I just started using called Polyvore. It's so much fun! Im using it to help me with putting outfits together with items that I already have. I've been able to get a quite of few items on there that are pretty dang close to what I have already have, so I can imagine the actual outfit, like this one! The only thrifted item in the outfit is my purse, which is actually a COACH! And I bought it for only $5! Granted its older and a little out of date, but I LOVE it. Its so convenient for running around town and its real true leather. Plus its a Coach! (P.S. I love how Doc is looking at me as if to say, "uh, what are you doing? take me outside already!")

Now here's an awesome thrifted shirt I got for $1. Super comfy and I love the printed detail. I have to say another big reason Im posting this pic is cause I was really happy with my hair that day. Its getting long and Im having few and far between good hair days, so I have to document it while it is long and looking good! Its getting chopped off soon. I just cant handle long hair. I was born to have short locks.

And last but not least, my cute little Doccers snuggled up in my dresses and shoes.

He knows good fashion when he see's it.

Miracles

Well I made it back from California safely, thanks so much for the well wishes! I am truly blessed with wonderful people in my life:)

Well this post is really about some thoughts I am having right now and felt impressed to document and share. An old high school friend and his wife just recently adopted a beautiful baby boy. I am so happy for them in this time in their life. In some of the comments they received on Facebook, people mention the word "miracle". I got to thinking about that, being that this baby came from someone who could not keep him, who knew they could not raise him and had to give him to someone else who could. The dictionary describes a miracle as:

* such an effect or event manifesting or considered as a work of God.

* a wonder; marvel.

I was having conflicting feelings about this event being described as a "miracle". In my religion, we believe in chastity, saving relations between a man and woman until marriage. That children should be brought into a family, with a husband and wife. So how could an unwed woman have a child and then give it up for adoption be considered a miracle? Well, after pondering a lot on this, I really, truly feel that everything happens for a reason. My friend and his wife would not be able to raise children in this life if it not were for this woman's sacrifice. Yes, it is unfortunate circumstances, but in the end it is a miracle. How else were they to raise a child if it not were for this woman? This was no accident. This was part of Heavenly Father's plan. So many times great things come out of unfortunate circumstances, this being the greatest of them all. James and I very much want to adopt, we have talked about it a lot. I don't know if I'll be able to bear my own children, but I have a peace of mind that if not, there are children out there waiting for good homes and loving parents. And even if not in this life, we will in the next. Because this life isn't just it, there are still so many great things to come. 

Nerve Wracking

Im sitting here all sorts of nervous...why? In a couple hours I'm getting on a plane headed for CALFORNIA! Why? Because I got a job with Google and they're flying me out to their headquarters for training! Training for what? Driving a car that they're giving me to drive back from California with around Idaho Falls and the surrounding area mapping out the are for Google Maps! All this is true information, I'm not making it up. It took me a while to believe it myself. The story: one of James friends works at Verizon and told him there was a job opening that I should apply for. I went in to the store, interviewed, and walked out not planning on taking the position due to the a) the hours b) having to stand on my feet all day (the position was for a store greeter.) The pay was great, but I liked my current temp job (the hours were great, 5:30-2, I LOVED having the afternoons.) Well a week later the temp agency that had offered the job for Verizon called me to let me know there was a recent job position that had the hours I was looking for. I was the first person they called for this job! So naturally when she's telling me everything about the job, that they're gonna be flying me out to California, all expenses paid, then gonna be driving a car around town all day for my job, of course I said yes! And I didn't even have to interview or anything, since Verizon had offered me the previous position I was an automatic shoe in since Verizon has the same strict hiring standards as Google. Oh, and the pay is outstanding. Pretty much I am the luckiest girl, I am SO grateful for my blessings.

Really the most nerve wracking thing of it all is having to drive this car from California back to Idaho, having never been to California before and never driven that long by myself before. They set me up in a hotel in Winnemucca, Nevada which is half way in between so I don't have to drive straight through which is nice. But still, Im nervous. And flying. I HATE flying, with a passion. Any and all prayers will be very much appreciated, thank you:)

So, this is where I will be spending my free time when I'm not in training...which is tomorrow 9-5, so I have all evening tonight and tomorrow night to myself!

Aaah, can't wait.

Pinterific!

I finally got on to Pinterest, FINALLY! You have to get invited in order to get on, so if you've been dying to get on let me know, or are just curious, I just might be nice enough to send you one:) All I need is an email address to send it to.

I've been having so much fun with it, and getting so many AWESOME ideas. I love how creative people are, and being able to use they're ideas is even better! 

(this is the first idea I got from Pinterest, it was so easy!

  I was a little sloppy my first time, but next time i'll be much more careful, 

and think I might try images in the paper as well.)

(I totally forgot to add this one when I initially posted this. 

I want to do it over again, the lighting isn't quite right for my liking.)

Wanna see what its all about? Check out my account HERE. I promise you'll love it. But WARNING: it does tend to be a time sucker, I've spent so much time on there! I have to give myself time limits now, otherwise I could seriously spend all day looking at other peoples pins. Its just that much fun!

This was an AMAZING movie, an incredible inspiring story. I give it two thumbs way up, 5 stars, and all the credit it deserves. I highly recommend watching it, a great family movie.