The Giveaway

If you know me at all, you know that I can't resist a giveaway...or sales, or coupons. If I lived in the US I would probably devote a lot of time to coupon-ing and hunting for sales. Well there's this giveaway that I can't resist for a FABULOUS clothing company...did I mention they look vintage and are...MODEST! Darling, dresses, and skirts you just can't wait until Sunday to wear! Check it out!

 Shabby Apple Giveaway



A favorite I found while getting lost in the miriad uniquely
named dresses...this one's West Coast Swing



The RS Dream

 I know that today's St. Patty's Day, and I admit, I'm not wearing green. I think it's the holiday I like the least. Just because I forgot to wear green, that gives people the right to PINCH me! Actually, growing up I was the one to wear green socks, or some random green thing so that if someone were to pinch me I could say "Nice try...I'm wearing this tiny green thing!" I did buy a Shamrock plant. I love those things. I was so sad when they didn't have any last year and jumped on the opportunity when I saw them sold this year. That makes 2 shamrock plants I own. I have one with pink flowers and one with white flowers. I recently found out that the species name is Oxalis Regnelli, so if we ever have a girl named Nellie, that will be her plant!

What I love about March 17, is that it's the birthday of the oldest and largest women's organization in the world, Relief Society! We're celebrating 169 years today! Last month while talking to sisters in my ward, I realized how amazing Relief Society is! It can improve every facet of our lives from homemaking to spirituality. I guess in a way I learned everything in Relief Society because I learned everything from my mother, and she learned everything as a new mother from attending Relief Society meetings.

What really got me thinking of this was sitting down at the piano and playing some of my favorite songs. Most of them are from my Women of Destiny songbook, which has songs that highlight the Relief Society declaration. I've had the dream for a while of organizing a stake fireside where sisters sang these songs and then spoke on the the RS declaration. I think this would really be a perfect way to celebrate the birthday of Relief Society! As I think of the RS declaration, I get the same feelings as when I recite the Young Women's theme. I know that both organizations were divinely inspired of God and teach strong values to women of all ages.

For those of you who didn't know, the following is the Relief Society declaration:

We are beloved spirit daughters of God,
and our lives have meaning, purpose, and direction.
As a worldwide sisterhood, we are united in our devotion
to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Exemplar.
We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who:

Increase our testimonies of Jesus Christ
through prayer and scripture study.

Seek spiritual strength by following the
promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Dedicate ourselves to strengthening
marriages, families, and homes.

Find nobility in motherhood
and joy in womanhood.

Delight in service and good works.

Love life and learning.

Stand for truth and righteousness.

Sustain the priesthood
as the authority of God on earth.

Rejoice in the blessings of the temple,
understand our divine destiny,
and strive for exaltation.

The Future Fix-it Man

I've got a little boy who LOVES tools! He "helps" his daddy with projects and loves to try out/chew his tools. Mark brings his tools inside the house after work and if ever the house is TOO quiet, we usually discover Isaac taking out all of his daddy's tools from his tote. He especially loves zip-ties. He'll bypass all the other screwdrivers/flashlights/wire snippers and pull out the whole pile of zip-ties.

A couple days ago Isaac was playing at Grandma Jana's house while I was doing my taxes and it was so cute to hear him playing with her little plastic tool set (and not have to get upset at him for playing with them). We really need to buy him a plastic tool set, maybe earlier than his birthday!

The cutest thing by far is his little Carhart overalls! We got them from a family at church, they also came with a matching jacket. When Mark and I tile in our bathroom, we dress up Isaac in his Carharts to match his daddy and let him assist, or rather play in the vicinity while preventing him from eating the tile spacers or thinset.

Isaac and Daddy wearing their Carharts.

I'm sure Isaac will become a great assistant when he grows up, until then, we'll just try to keep him out of trouble!

The Ode to Isaac

I love my little boy! It's been over a year and he's grown and developed so much! Could you imagine if we developed at the same rate a baby does for our whole lives? We'd be huge! Here are a couple things I love about my Sir Isaac:

• his huge bright blue eyes
• how he smiles and bounces a little when you say "NO" (well, maybe I don't like it, but it's sure cute)
• he is such a great cuddler!
• his little bum chin
• his never ending curiousity
• he's strong and can climb anything
• how he takes off the heat vents and sticks his legs down
• he's a stair master!
• how he took a while to really start walking because he had to know he could run to get to places fast
• how he makes noises with his tongue
• his puffy face and curly hair after a nap
• his hugs
• how he plays with his or my hair

The Hair Affair

Unlike many children his age, Isaac doesn't have a blankie or a deeply cherished stuffy. He doesn't suck his thumb or fingers either.

To relax and soothe himself, Isaac plays with his HAIR..or the hair of his momma or dada whichever is most accessible. I think this began when I would hold and nurse him, and I'd brush my hair on his face to soothe him. Since then, whenever he's tired he immediately begins playing with his hair. Several months ago, I told this to my mom - she was kind of skeptical, but a couple hours later, he did it! She was pretty amazed! When we lay him down in his crib to go to sleep, he rolls over on his tummy and puts his hands up to play with his hair. It's so cute to watch, it's just like clockworks.

When we hold him in our arms, he also wraps his arms around our necks and plays with our hair at the nape of our neck, with his head on our shoulder. (He gets a little frustrated when I have my hair in a ponytail.) I guess it's a great thing to be attached to. It doesn't have any long lasting physical problems or result in any tantrums if lost. I guess the only drawback would be no buzz-cuts in the summer.

So there you have it. If ever he's cranky and puts his hands to his hair, you know he's tired.