My mailman came today...

...and so did the UPS guy!

The mailman brought THESE for the giveaway:

And I am LOVING the music!  Simply beautiful. It's been on all afternoon.
Click HERE for the giveaway that closes Wednesday night at midnight (MST)!!!

***Did you know that Jenny Phillips' music will no longer be sold in stores?!  You can still download her songs from her site.  She is planning on spending more time with her sweet family.  You can read more about her decision and her plans at her site:  www.jennyphillips.com.***

__________

And the UPS guy brought THESE as a product review!!!  (remember THIS post?)  Here's a sneak peek.  Review to come shortly!

I have three excited little boys.  That's all I'm gonna say till they're peacefully sleeping and I can do 'said' review. 

__________

on that note, here's another teaser.  Something I finished for a friend of mine.  Super excited to share!!!

  

{6 Months}

Six. Months. Old.  

"Give," said the Little Stream {giveaway!!! you really want to read the whole post!}

Every Sunday morning, as my sisters and I would be curling each other's hair and zipping up each other's dresses, spiritual, reverent, and beautiful music could be heard throughout our home. Often times it was hymns sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, or the inspiring music of Jon Schmit, Paul Cardell, Kenneth Cope, & Jenny Oaks Baker.  

One of our favorite musicians is Jenny Phillips.  

The CD "Steadfast and Immovable"  is at the TOP of our list. 

Jenny Phillips (and her crew) contacted me and said they'd give me 

TWO EXTRA  

2011 Primary Theme CD's:

{I know the Scriptures are True} 

to give away!  

So, I thought this would be a great way to 'give' like the Little Stream suggests.

The track list includes:

1. If I Listen with My Heart 

2. I Will Follow God’s Plan 

3. Stand for the Right 

4. Praise to the Man 

5. I Love to See The Temple 

6. The Lord Gave Me a Temple 

7. Search, Ponder, and Pray

I am so excited to be able to offer these to YOU!  Jenny is an amazing artist, who portray's our Savior's Love for us through heart-warming and reverent music on all of her CD's.

These quiet and uplifting songs are great for soft listening, bedtime, for quiet time, or to sing along with (so your little ones, and maybe even you!) can learn the words for a wonderful Sacrament Meeting program in the fall. There's even a Children's Choir so your little ones don't feel like it's a grown-up CD.

Check out Jenny Phillips' facebook page HERE to see how you can get ONE or TWO CD's, but if you'd like even more (like one for your kids, one for you, one for the car, or to give away), you're welcome to enter this giveaway!  (It's super easy to enter HER giveaway, by-the-way!)

***You will have TWO chances to win.***

Let me outline a few rules.

{FIRST ENTRY}  Leave me a comment.  In it, tell me what your favorite Jenny Phillips song is. If you have COMPLETELY MISSED OUT and never had a chance to hear this beautiful artist, check out her website HERE, where you can listen to some of her music (and even buy it!) and 'find' a favorite.  Come back here to leave your comment about your favorite Jenny Phillips song.


{SECOND ENTRY}  For an additional entry, tell me what your favorite Primary song is (or gospel-related song if you're not familiar with the Children's Songbook) and WHY it's your favorite.

Giveaway will close at midnight 

on Wednesday, January 19th.  

***That's the day my little sister reports to the Missionary Training Center in Provo!***

I will randomly pick TWO winners, 

and each of you will receive one of Jenny's 

{2011 Primary Theme: 

I Know the Scriptures are True} CD.  

Be sure to leave your name and email address in your comment so I can get a hold of you. 

Good luck!  And happy listening!!!

Jenny Phillips CD...for FREE!

Check out what I found!!!

If any of you are struggling to get your kiddos to learn the songs for the primary theme this year (or you're wanting a new 'version' of the song they're driving you nuts with) you can get a free copy of Jenny Phillips' version!!!

Check out her facebook page HERE to find out how!  That link is to her facebook page, which you'll need to know WHAT to do to get your free CD.   :)

Or you can go to http://www.jennyphillips.com/ to her site, for more fun music.

I've already 'ordered' mine and am so excited!

She is one of my favorite LDS musicians, and I love her work!!!

Dream a little...

Have you recently acquired a little bit of extra cash from the holidays?  Or are you wondering what to do with an upcoming tax return?  We don't have a lot of extra moo-lah floating around, but it's fun to dream!

I recently came across a website that has been fun to browse; CSN Stores has over 200 online stores where you can find everything from modern dining room furniture to kids' toys and baby furniture!  Talk about the jack-pot!  

While I am more of a traditional decorator in my home, I'm finding myself leaning towards more clean lines with a touch of modern.  It makes it feel a little less cluttered, if you know what I mean!

I've had my eye on a few things, and while I don't have time to post about it right now, stay tuned for a little review of what I found!!!

Item #1:  Wouldn't THIS be fun for a little boys' bedroom with LOTS of airplalnes?!  Maybe it'd help keep those hundreds of books in check!   ohhhh, but THIS is even more fun! The colors match the boys' new quilts, PERFECTLY!

Item #2:  Three boys in one room with ONE place for all their clothes...ahhhh!  THIS would be perfect for the oldest little boy...he could also put all his treasures up high, away from younger siblings! 

Item #3:  And a little something for a curious, learning, and studious boy to study???  Check THIS out!  

Item #4:  I can see three little guys having a hay-day in THIS...and wanting to have a camp-out every night in the summer.  Oh, let the good times roll! 

So there's a 'sneak-peek' of a little something I have been dreaming about...I'll keep you posted! 


***UPDATE!!!  I am SO stinkin' excited for what should arrive at my doorstep in a few days!!!  Like REALLY excited.  It's a tad bit different that one of the items above, but something I've saved for ...  for about three years!!!  Don't worry.  It's not TOO expensive.  LOL!  ***  

Note to Self

I haven't digitally 'scrapbooked' for a loooooong time.  I don't count my blog backgrounds and headers...  So when I found a fun freebie kit, I decided to 'challenge' myself with an OSCRAPS challenge; this is what I finally compiled.  And now I remember why I don't scrapbook anymore...WAY too time consuming!!! 

***if you can't read what it says, you can click on the image, 

and it will open in a new window for your viewing pleasure.***

Theme:  note to self

On tag:  No need for toys when you have toes.

Additional text: At times we tend to focus on what we {lack}, the newest gizmos or the most brain-stimulating gadgets.  When all the while, we should focus on what we are {blessed} with.  As I was taking your five-month-old pictures, you found your toes; your chubby, wiggly, {perfect} toes.  I will always {cherish} the concentration and excitement you showed as you discovered something new about {yourself}, by yourself.

Our neat bodies

Tanner:  "Oh, my gosh mom!!! *squeal* !!!"

Mom:  "What, Tanner?!" I tried to meet his enthusiasm by the pitch of my voice, but failed miserably.
T:  "I felt Taylor's BONES!  His BACK bones!!! The ones that hold him up!!!"
M:  "Wow!  That's pretty neat, son.  Maybe you two should eat some dinner."

Tanner is obsessed with muscles, bones, skin, eyeballs, teeth, toes, joints, and his CTR ring.  He is one smart little boy, who is curious, intelligent, and loves learning, especially his body and the amazing things it can do...unfortunately he doesn't believe me when I say his body can FLOAT.

He was beyond thrilled when I showed him my patella...

T:  "That's cool, mom!" (wiggling my knee-cap) "So now when we die and our skin falls off and we're cooked like a chicken..."
M:  "WHAT!?  Sweetheart, Heavenly Father has commanded us to not eat other people.  We only eat meat from animals, not people.  That's called Cannibalism."   (A can of worms was unintentionally opened, and a lengthy discussion about cannibalism ensued...for like five whole minutes,  I'm serious.  I was trying so hard not to laugh.)

He got this book for Christmas, and has looked at it every day that I've not had to use it as collateral for bad behavior:

T:  "Well, I don't want to taste like chicken anyways.  I want to taste like mac-haroni and cheese."
M:  "You probably will, since that's all you eat." *sigh*

I pray I make it through his teenage years.  

Grant me

patience

to deal with my

blessings.

A New Year {2011}, a new me

Making Changes....

...to be a better me.
A better wife.
A better mother.
A better daughter and sister.
A better person, one moment at a time.

This morning Ryan asked me what my New Year's Resolutions were.

My reply, which I have thought about for a few weeks now, was "To be a better person". That's it. I think he was expecting me to outline some complicated list a mile long, which is something I do every year...then tape it to the bedroom wall, where it reminds me where I'm falling short.

Yes, I want to lose weight, exercise every day, read my scriptures and to my kids every day, have a spotless home and dinner on the table when Ryan get's home from work, complete a million different projects, some important, some selfish. But ultimately, I want to be a better me.

I want to be the daughter of God that I know He knows I am. I know I cannot be perfect every day. I know that every moment won't be ideal. But I know that I want to make the effort to be a better me.

I still have a 'list' of sorts, but it's more of a routine I hope to follow to accomplish my goal of being a better person.

I liked this short clip that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has, and the simple message of moving forward.  Not dwelling on the 'past', but looking forward to the future.  I am grateful for the knowledge of the Atonement in my life, so that for those moments that are imperfect, I can repent, and move onward, and focus on enjoying life, not just enduring it.

I'm excited to talk to Tanner's Joy School friends on Tuesday about goal making and accomplishing those goals.  I've been thinking about what kind of goals I can help my children set.  Like learning to tie their own shoes, trying one new food a week (this will most likely consist of vegetables and fruits we regularly offer, but they haven't touched!), saying "I Love You", or "I'm Sorry", or "How can I help you?" more.

I am excited to feel uplifted by regular scripture study, gratitude during my prayers, peace in my heart even if a situation I find myself in less than ideal.

So, here's to a brand new year, with wonderful and cherished memories in 2010, and exciting and learning experiences in 2011.

Happy New Year!