Just another cleaning tip!

Hello again. Today marks another semester "first day of school" today.

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What I thought would be an easy 6 credit-load, has turned into a moderately time-consuming 10. Oh well! I'm excited about my classes and happy to be back in the Snow building.

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Alright, here's my spring cleaning tip.

When I clean houses, probably 90% of the time this part of a kitchen appliance is disgustingly dirty. I even forget to clean it in my own kitchen and notice it when I do a deep clean.

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Here it is:

It's the very top of the dishwasher where this nice lady's right hand (well, thumb) is touching.

So hurry and grab a dishcloth with dishsoap and wipe it off really fast. Check the entire door and inside the dishwasher and wipe it down if it's looking scary, also. If it's covered in yellow (which is VERY common), a magic eraser will take it off the easiest.

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There you go! Happy Spring Cleaning (if there is such a thing).

Oh, the blessings!

So, for all of you that have known Dustin and I the past 6 years have known that things haven't been super easy. Dustin has had 7 jobs in 6 years and we have lived in 5 different States. Just when things were starting to get good, another company would go out of business or would lay off 1/2 of their employees. For 6 years we have wondered when we were going to get our "lucky break" only to realize that nobody really ever has a lucky break. There will ALWAYS be something--medical bills, unemployment, moving, or disappointment. That is one thing that the entire human race shares- trials. They sure make you appreciate what you have.

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So here is the good news: We are negotiating our final price for our new house! Hopefully everything will go through smoothly. We thought it was a long shot to get it, but as of yesterday, Fannie Mae just lowered the price by a whopping $20,000. As long as there are no other offers, it should be ours soon! We feel so fortunate to have found this foreclosed home in a good neighborhood right in our frugal price range. After saving up for a house 4 separate times, we finally have something to show for it.

On top of that, I completed my 17 credit load this past semester with a 4.0 and received my letter from the Dean congratulating me. They were all generals and were very time consuming and difficult. I have learned so much, though. This hopefully will help me get a couple more scholarships for Fall semester. I have 7 more days off until Spring semester begins. I've lightened my load to only 7 credits though. Lillie will be attending the highly-accredited preschool up on campus and Jack will go to his "preschool" (daycare) for just 6 hours a week.

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Dustin finished inspecting all 580 rental units and houses in just 3 weeks (on top of his regular 40-hour-per-week workload) and earned his bonus of new tires for his truck. Apparently those rubber wheels for trucks are a tad pricey, so it was very much appreciated! He has been working between 65-75 hours each week. His boss even let him have today off and told us to go out and do something as a family to make up for lost time. We went up to the foothills to go shooting and then took the kids to Leo's Place. It was a perfect day to go, they just had the playland power washed and sanitized last night. We had a wonderful day relaxing. Dustin polished the night off by going on a long bike ride.

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Tonight is my last day at work. I put in my 2 week notice 2 weeks ago (obviously...) and am very emotional about this change. I've worked there for just over one year and have really grown close with the other ladies there. It has been a very peaceful job and I know I sound like a broken record, but the spiritual strength I've gained has far outweighed the monetary benefits. I will miss vacuuming the Celestial Room at 1AM by myself. I will miss being around coworkers who lift my testimony and are in the same situation as me.

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Our tulips are about to bloom, our grass is turning green, our children are beautiful, and life is just good! I know there will always being some sort of adversary in my life- but with the strength of the Lord, my Savior, I can cast those burdens aside and get through it. I love my family, and feel so blessed to have married Dustin. It has been wonderful sharing all these things together and learning together. We've spent years on our knees crying and asking why, and now we're starting to understand.

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"Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; Where thou diest, will I die" (Ruth 1:16-17).

Time spent with David Archuleta=bliss

Okay, so we had no idea that he had been singing in the MTC choir at the Saturday Afternoon Session of Conference until we got home at midnight, but Dana made the point that at least we can now say that we've seen him sing!
Saturday was so nice! Dana and Leah picked me up early in the morning and we all drove down to Salt Lake City to watch Conference. Leah turned 8 last week, so she was pretty excited to be old enough to go. We were a tad late, and were seated during the opening prayer, but it was still wonderful to be there. I always get much more out of conference when I'm there in person. This was my third time going, and it was another neat experience. I have a list of talks I want to watch again and again.

We spent the day walking around the new City Creek (incredible, and huge) and waited in line to go to the Deseret Book Ladies' Night. We got our free gift, lots of free chocolate and cookies, and entered the drawing to win one of 10 ipads (I'm not getting my hopes up). We also met some "celebrities" like John Bytheway, Gerald Lund, and got to hear Mercy River singing. There had to have been thousands there--I can only imagine the revenue they get from that 2 hour time frame.

We walked around temple square, sat on the grass for a while, and enjoyed being in 75 degree sunshine. The flowers are full grown and beautiful. Leah loved all the fountains and kept asking for more and more pictures by all the flowers. It was a perfect day!

We ended the night by eating at Olive Garden (of course) and got to Idaho Falls just after midnight. It was nice to be able to spend the day with my sister and niece. She's always been like a mother to me. Even though I despise Idaho's weather, climate, roads, public schools, and overall scenery (no offense...) it's worth it to live here because of her and other close family members. It was a wonderful way to end the semester and was a very relaxing, uplifting day.

DECISIONS!!

I'm tired of being grown-up.

We have 3 more houses to look at today and Thursday, then we're DONE. For serious. D.O.N.E. We like all of them, but need to decide which one we can envision ourselves living in and raising kids for a long time. One of Dustin's cousin's (Suzie) advised me to not buy a house with 3 bedrooms because we'll outgrow it too quickly. After researching the market, it appears as though things won't be getting better here in Eastern Idaho for at least another 7-10 years, so when we find our house, it needs to last that long.

I, in no way, expect to find a perfect house, especially in our price range. But this is what I do want:
1. Quiet neighborhood and quiet street
2. Backyard, but not too big to need a riding lawn-mower
3. 4 bedrooms, or potential for at least 4 bedrooms (unfinished basement, etc.)
4. Neighborhood full of kids to play with
5. Somewhat centrally located in Idaho Falls

My favorite memories growing up were spent outside playing with Elise and Renee, our neighbors that lived 3 houses away. We spent all day outside with our friends and it was a wonderful childhood.

With that in mind, I'm hoping we can decide which house we love the most soon.

On another note, I'm debating on taking Spring semester off from school. Or maybe quitting work at the Temple. With buying a house and moving, the thought of also working at night, taking 15 credits, and driving to Rexburg every day seems overwhelming. It's like I'm setting myself up for a mental breakdown. I'm registered for classes already, but I'll need to decide soon what would be the best for our family. Sometimes I feel like I'm to blame for our family's chaotic lifestyle and high stress level. But hey, what's 14 more weeks?

So for now, I'll leave you with this fabulous quote I heard from my Teachings of the Living Prophet's class:

"Faith in the future is demonstrated by a couple sealed in the temple. They understand that by obedience to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the plan of happiness of our Father in Heaven, they can have a joyous life together. They recognize that when the challenges intended to be growth opportunities come, they will find ways, as prompted by the Holy Ghost, to overcome them in ways that are productive and character building."
-Elder Scott, November 2010

Searching for a cheap/cute 4 bedroom house.

Well, apparently Dustin and I can buy a house. HORRAAAY!! We went to a mortgage loan officer a couple months ago to see what steps we needed to take to buy a house, and shockingly got approved about 8 minutes later. We had no idea we had already had enough saved and good credit scores (Let's be honest. Mine sucked, Dustin's was great.).

So, we got our search on.

What I thought would be fun, and exciting just like on "House Hunters," has turned into stressful, emotional, and exhausting. I'm considering just renting our little house for another year because it's not like things economy-wise are getting better anytime soon, and I feel worn out. After falling in-love with a cute house from the 1940's with built-in storage cabinets and original crowne molding a few weeks ago and being outbid (really? You offered $6,000 above the asking price? Loser.) we haven't found anything yet as close to as cute... or as afforable.

There's some great quote from President Hinckely that says to buy a modest house that you can afford because those mortgage payments never get easier (if you find it, let me know). So, that's what we're doing. However, with our desired price-range, it's hard to find a house that doesn't have baseboard heaters and wood-panaling through-out or that isn't located on 17th Street. Oh well, I'm sure we'll find something. If not, maybe we'll keep renting our cheap/cute 2 bedroom place. Or maybe we'll stop being cheapskates and up our price range a tad. We'll see how desperate we get.

Young Mothers

Sister Hinckley has said this about motherhood:

“It is the mothers of young children I would like to address first. These are golden years for you. These are years when you will probably do the most important work of your lives. Don’t wish away your years of caring for small children. Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans. This is a time of great opportunity for you to build the kingdom. When you teach children to love their Heavenly Father, you have done one of the greatest things you will ever do. If you can be a full-time homemaker, be grateful. If not, you must do what is best for you. I for one have never felt a need to apologize for my role as a full-time homemaker.

“These are busy, busy days for you. I have seen women in all kinds of circumstances—Chinese women working on road repairs, European women working in the fields, Asian women sweeping streets—but it is my opinion that … Mormon women are among the hardest working women in the world. They plant gardens and they bottle the produce; they sew and bargain shop. They go on the heart fund drive. They take dinners to new mothers and the sick in their neighborhoods. They take care of aged parents. They climb Mount Timpanogos with Cub Scouts, go to Little League games, sit on the piano bench while Jennie practices, do temple work, and worry about getting their journals up-to-date. My heart bursts with pride when I see them come into church on Sunday, some as early as 8:30 in the morning, their children all clean and shiny, their arms loaded with supplies, as they head for classes where they teach other women’s children. They scrub their houses with little or no domestic help and then try to be the glamour girl in their husband’s life when he arrives home at night. But remember, my dear young friends, that you are now doing the work that God intended you to do. Be grateful for the opportunity”

You win... you always do.

I didn't think it would really work, so I did it prove it wrong.
Well, I was wrong.

We bought the book entitled The 17 Day Diet. It promises you that in just 17 days, you will lose between 10-15 pounds. So we bought the e-book on our Kindle App, and went grocery shopping to buy lots of chicken, tilapia, salmon, turkey, lunch meat, yogurt (lots), eggs, and a hefty amount of fruits and vegetables. You can eat an unlimited amount of lean meats (chicken, turkey, salmon, etc.) and an unlimited amount of vegetables. You can have fruit (besides bananas) until 2pm and need to eat 2 probiotics per day--we chose yogurt. Oh, and tons of water. It's not a terrible diet. If anything, it's incredibly healthy. Here's a sample of what I would eat:

Morning: Omelet with mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, red/green peppers. Yogurt. Strawberries. 100% juice.

Snack: Orange

Lunch: Spicy Grilled Chicken salad with steamed vegetables on the side and a few sprays of Wishbone Ranch. Delicious.

Snack: Carrots and cucumbers

Dinner: Grilled Salmon with lemon and dill weed served with garlic green beans and steamed carrots. And a diet Dr. Pepper.

Dessert: New and awesome Dessert Yogurt Parfait- Grasshopper (it even comes in a clear parfait cup). They're about 50cents each if you buy in bulk at Sams.

*If you're on your you-know-what, you can have 1 oz. of dark chocolate. that's almost a 1/4 cup of dark chocolate M&M's. Or dark Chocolate Dove squares.

Now I'll admit, my first 4 days made me angry. I have never taken sugar out of my diet before. Apparently I had a bit of an addiction. But after that, I was fine. And really, today it doesn't even sound good. It's also very "cleansing" with the yogurt and vegetables and water... which is an objective of the diet.

So what are my results?
Now keep in mind I'm only 5"1. I started this diet weighing 132 (which according to the book puts me about 27 pounds overweight. yeah right. I'm not 11 anymore.), I ended it 17 days later weighing 122. Yep, my pre-marriage weight. First time in 6 years.
10 pounds!!!!!!! or 8%!!

And you're probably right, it's probably all water weight or something and I'll probably gain it all back almost instantly. But... it has been 4 days since I went off the diet, and so far so good. I'm definitely being more cautious at my portions now though.
Traditionally, in this diet there are 4 phases, 17 days each. With phase 2, you slowly add in brown rice and whole grains, and so on and so forth. If you don't get to your desired weight, after completing phase 2, you go back to phase 1 and continue on your journey. You really should do all 4 phases. However, because I feel absolutely fine at where I was before, I'm only doing 1 phase. It was really just an experiment.

Oh and did I mention... there was no exercise involved? Just a strict diet! Boo-Ya!!