celebrate the little things (freebie)

Almost 6 years ago, a leader of my church, President Eyring, gave a talk about gratitude. He tells about how he was inspired to write about one way he had seen the hand of the Lord in his hand everyday in his journal. Not long after this talk was given, I started writing about one thing I was grateful for everyday that I wrote in my journal. He talks about how by doing this, he would come to recognize blessings that had occurred throughout the day that he hadn't noticed in the moment. I noticed the same thing. This simple thing compelled my to have more gratitude in my heart as I tried hard to think about something wonderful that had happened each and every day. It also caused me to recognize more blessings as I went throughout my day. President Eyring talks about how he wrote something down every single day, no matter how tired he was. Though I did quite well for a couple of years, I haven't had quite the same success. As this August will be the last full month before I head to the Missionary Training Center, I want to start writing down specific blessings from everyday again. Though I notice plenty of tender mercies, I rarely write them down anymore and they are quickly forgotten. I created a handy printable to help me be deliberate about recognizing my many blessings this month. You can download the PDF here.

when dad leaves...

Every time my dad goes out of town, someone gets sick or Owen does something dumb. When he went to Atlanta, my mom got pancreatitis. When we went to Australia, we pretty much all fell apart. (Strep, ear infection, broken arm) About 2 hours after my dad left for Japan, Owen invented a new magic trick. He's really into magic lately. The trick involved putting the back of Finley's earring in one ear and pulling it out the other. Too bad his brain got in the way. A pair of tweezers and my mom's steady hand narrowly prevented a visit to the emergency room. My dad left for scout camp today and this time Owen did something dumb and someone got hurt. Owen was watching a movie on the computer and raised the chair up as high as it would go. He scooted the chair back and then leaned forward. The chair slid out from underneath him and he hit the desk hard. I was sitting on the floor 4 feet away and thought he crunched his nose. Really he got the strangest x-shaped cut near his mouth. At first we thought he would need some stitches, but thankfully it isn't that deep. Dad, you're never allowed to leave again, for our sake. Also whenever my dad leaves, my mom tries to complete a project around the house. While he was in Japan a couple of weeks ago, the project was this wall. We don't have a fireplace so we don't have a mantle and we really don't have any shelves. That means we don't have anywhere that is easy to decorate. This wall has a little shelf on top that will hold pictures, decorations, and stockings.

It is actually painted and decorated now, but I haven't taken a picture yet.

giveaway winner and more freebies

First of all, the winner of the giveaway from last week has been emailed. Congrats to Zulma! We had such a crazy busy weekend. I saw my extended family more than I have all year! I can't wait to share the pictures.

To wrap up the celebrating from last week, here are 2 printable cards.

You can download the hello card here.

You can download the thank you card here.

it's great to be 8

Miss Fin turned 8 the end of June. 8 is a big deal in our church. 8 is when you are eligible to be baptized. We had kind of a crazy day, but it was pretty awesome. We all got ready and drove 45 minutes to a cousin's baptism. Afterwards, we went to their clubhouse to snack and chat with my dad's side of the family. We dropped some kiddos off at home and then went to find some white shoes for Finley to wear with her dress. We were unsuccessful. She wore the Tangled shoes she got for her birthday. She was more than pleased. Everyone got dressed up again and we went over to our church. Their were 5 other kiddos that got baptized with Finley. After she was baptized by my dad, we headed into another room where she was confirmed and given the gift of the Holy Ghost. Everyone is capable of being prompted by the Holy Ghost at times in their lives, but being confirmed gives you the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, as long as you are making the right choices. When a confirmation takes place, worthy priesthood holders are invited to participate. The circle of righteous priesthood holders that placed their hands on Finley's head was quite large. It was really special 1) because those men work hard to be worthy to carry out priesthood duties and 2) because so many family members and friends gave up so much of their time this week to support my family. We bought Finley's dress last year because my mom knew it was the perfect one for her. She looked so pretty in her dress with her hair braided.

After the baptism, we all went to a pizza buffet for dinner. I had visions of a dreamy backyard party filled with decorations, but we chose a simpler route because 1) we were afraid it would be too hot (actually it ended up pouring rain right after we started eating) and 2) we knew had a lot on our plate this weekend. We brought over a bunch of balloons (including a number 8 that was 3 feet tall) and it was great. We weren't stressed out and we had plenty of time to talk to everyone. We had the whole upstairs section to ourselves and everyone had a great time. Since we have another family event in the morning (a baby blessing), 2 of my cousins that are close to Ainsley and Finley's ages are sleeping over. They are spread all over the family room in sleeping bags. I was worried about them keeping my grandparents awake (they are staying at our house since they live 5 hours away) but my grandma said "they are so giggly you just want to giggle with them." I have spent more time with my extended family this week than I have all year and it has been so fun. Everyone has really sacrificed in order to be there and support each other.

life happened

So I realize there should be 2 more days of fun freebies and celebrations. This week is just getting to be too crazy. The good news is that I will extend the celebrating to next week. This will include announcing the giveaway winner and other fun things. Enjoy the holiday!