Look who's ONE

I know it's said over & over again, but honestly, how did one year pass so quickly? 

Here are a few pictures from this last year with our little Jae Bird.

60 hours of being hooked up to an IV during labor gave us one water logged little meatball!  At 36 hours old she had already lost a pound of fluid & was more to what our Pediatrician figured was her true birth weight.

Two weeks old ~ picture was taken in the cradle my dad made for my dolls when I was a little girl.

 

3 months old

4 months old

5 months old ~ Celebrating with Grandpa after he finished the  Coeur d'Alene Ironman race.

6 months old ~ Grandma's Little Firecracker (4th of  July in Idaho)

7 months old ~ I love watching my Uncle Reggie play football!

8 months old ~ Hanging out with my uncles!

9 months old

10 months old ~ my first picture with Santa

11 months old ~ My first Christmas

BIRTHDAY GIRL!!

Christmas Dress

Ainsley was such a good sport & smiled lots during her photo session a few days ago!

As always a HUGE THANK YOU to our friend Bethany Shaver for taking the time to capture such sweet moments with our little girlie! Here's a link to Bethany's blog, so you can check out her work & get her contact information! 

9 months

well almost 10 now! How does it all go by so quickly? There were more than a few 24 hour periods where I was sure I would not survive, but then the months have just flown by. I've not made much time for blogging, but I  do need to make more of an effort. Here are a few pictures from Ainsley's 9 month photo shoot with Bethany Shaver. Bethany has an AMAZING talent for capturing little ones & families! Check out her blog if you are in need of photos for your family or little ones.

SEW . create . CHANGE

In an attempt to keep this blog mostly centered on our family, I've started a new blog SEW . create . CHANGE to chronicle my crafting successes and missteps. I've posted a few things already and have a few more in the works, including a tutorial for the headband I made for Ainsley out of one Gap knee high sock. I am also going to start a Monthly Project Challenge on June 1st, all details will be available on SEW . create . CHANGE, so you can join in on the fun. I have several goals that lead me to the monthly project idea & I'm excited to have 7 completed projects by the end of the year. 

Linking Up ... Idiosyncrasies

I've been working on some new posts with plenty of pictures of the cutest member of our family, but to get me going I'm linking up with Laugh Until Your Cheeks Hurt and posting a few of my idiosyncrasies...

Idiosyncrasy-from Ancient Greek ἰδιοσυγκρασία, idiosynkrasía, "a peculiar temperament", "habit of body" is defined as an individualizing quality or characteristic of a person or group, and is often used to express eccentricity or peculiarity.

~As a girl I used to take weekend trips to Caldwell, Idaho from our home in Moscow, Idaho (about a 6 hour drive) with my Grandma to visit my Great-Grandma. Those trips began when I was just starting grade school and as a school teacher my Grandma would take those opportunities we had to teach me lots of things like math facts and the Counties and their Seats for the entire state; many things I have now pushed to the depths of my brain. But there is one thing I learned that I will never forget and that is how to spell the word CONSTRUCTION. There was always a ton of construction on Hwy 95, so needles to say I saw that word a lot. Even to this day if I need to write or type the word CONSTRUCTION I spell it out in my head, just to prove that I know how...

~I LOVE patterns & will usually jump through an irrational set of hoops to continue a pattern or to avoid making a pattern all together. It took me over 4 years of trying, to carry a baby full term & during that 4 years I created every pattern imaginable with the list of names we had agreed on. Had our first initials not spelled a word (T+A+G), it may have never become a concern, but since they do, here are the hoops I jumped through... 1st boy starts with T, 1st girl A & then the middle name starts with the other parent's middle initial. The 1st hoop was no biggie, but now... Do all boys start with T, all girls with A? Do we swap the rules & give the next girl a name that starts with T? Our 1st son will have a middle name that is also a town in Idaho; so do we give all boys  a middle name that is a town in Idaho? Are you thoroughly confused yet?  

~I get totally irritated when I find the toilet lid left up; we're not even talking about the seat folks, the lid is enough to make me crazy. ***I am only this critical and irrational at my house, so don't feel like I am going to go crazy at your house***

~I've mentioned this before, but it's worth mentioning again... I almost always sort my french fries by length before eating them in even number groupings. I group them according to length, because it makes for even, less messy dipping - especially on that not so kosher double dip that I do if the sauce has my name written all over it!

~I love love love IKEA, which if you have ever been to my house and know IKEA you would figure out right away. Twice a year I am allowed to go to IKEA with a decent chunk of change and purchase items that Travis and I pick out together for the rooms that need the most work. This works because it forces me to think outside the box and really use what we get and make odd things work to create the best house on a less than you would think budget. That twice a year does a lot for me, but then there are 363 IKEALESS days left for me to suffer through; so to get me by I came up with this game... I am allowed to go to IKEA anytime as long as I follow the rule of the day. That rule must be communicated to Travis beforehand and approved by him. The rule of the day changes based on our budget & my mood, but here are some rules I have used: $25.00 limit & no single item can cost more than $5.00, $20.00 limit & you can only purchase items that begin with whatever letter you pick, $50.00 limit & you can only buy things that are a specific color... I turn most everything in to a competition with myself... 

~My name is Alicia and I'm an Excel Spreadsheet Junkie... If it can be organized via spreadsheet, it has been at my house. Our movies, food storage, cleaning supplies, addresses, schedules and many more items have fallen victim to my crazy need for organization.

~ 1.9.2011 ~

Ainsley Jae born at 4:28 pm
9 lbs ~ 20.5 inches

Mom & Dad call me their "Little Triangle Baby".  I rarely spent any of my "womb time" in the correct position, so why start after being born. I rarely default to the standard "fetal position" instead I opt for a more comfy sprawled out position.

1.12.2011 ~ Here I am all ready to go home from the hospital.


I have accounted for the events that led up to her arrival, but at this point all of the hours & discomfort pail in comparison to that moment when Travis announced to the surgery suite that the fruit I had been carrying for all those weeks was a healthy baby girl. My tears began not too long after that & didn't really stop for a few days after we got home. Some of those tears were irrational hormonal tears, but most of them were my "Spirit Tears". I am not typically a crier, so really early on I learned that tears were the physical manifestation that Heavenly Father provided, so that I would pay more attention & REALIZE that I was feeling The Spirit.
What an AMAZING experience this has been thus far! We are truly grateful for this opportunity to be parents. Ainsley has been such a joy to have in our home! Since it took me so long to do this post, I hope to have another up for you real soon, but alas me & my one free hand are still getting up to speed.

~ 6 Weeks ~

I hope this surprises some of you as much as it surprises me; I cannot believe we will have a baby of our own in such a short time. I've had a few aches and pains in the last few weeks, but overall I cannot complain about this experience. We've wanted to be parents for so long & I think that has really helped me keep a positive outlook on this experience as a whole & avoid some frustration over the things about being pregnant that are inconvenient. I get asked almost daily if I have a "feeling" about the gender of this baby & I honestly must report that I do not have a feeling one way or the other. My little sister just had her baby this last week & now it seems everyone is even more excited for our little ? to arrive. I am excited as well, but I am feeling a bit overwhelmed at all the ways my/our life will change once the baby comes. We've had 6 Thanksgivings & will soon celebrate our 5th Anniversary & 6th Christmas together just the two of us & as much as we have prayed for little ones to join our family, I'm just not sure I am ready to share Travis yet. Travis is an AMAZING partner in life & he will be an AMAZING dad! I am excited to watch him teach our children the principles & values he governs his life with. 

Growing Fruit

This experience growing fruit has proved to be much easier and much more fun than my previous 3 attempts. We are looking forward to our harvest sometime mid January. My official due date is January 21st. We got to hear a nice strong heart beat today & then we go back next Thursday for the first ultrasound at 18 weeks. So glad our secret fruit growing operation is finally out in the open for us to enjoy with all our friends and family.

Saturday ~ 2.27.2010

Visit our blog to see the other vendors that will be there!

http://www.shes-so-bazaar.blogspot.com/

There will be plenty of great things to see! I am so excited to be part of a group of such amazingly talented ladies!

Come check out the debut sale for my new business, as well as all the new things Scentsy has to offer!

Thought I'd Share...

I know I sat and heard this talk back in 2008, but I was reminded of it the other day as I was reading a friend's blog.  She had the following quote on her sidebar and I was instantly grateful for the reminder!


"The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come. Sisters, trust and rely on the Spirit. As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you."


Here is the link to the talk, so you can enjoy it again or for the very first time! 


Happiness, Your Heritage



Another item I have been reading recently is the book, Change Your Questions, Change Your Life.  Many of you may have already heard me talk about this book, but if you haven't, click on the title and you will be able to read an excerpt from the book. I would definitely recommend this book, in many ways it is an easy read, but if you are anything like me you'll have a notebook at your side, so it'll take you a bit longer.


I've had a rough couple days, but I am so grateful for resources like these that remind me of all that I am capable of.  I never thought I would be grateful for hard things, but I am humbled that Heavenly Father trusts me enough to go through hard things & come out on the other side stronger and more ready to yield to the Spirit, becoming just a little more of who He knows me to be.  This week I so appreciate the simple words Stephanie posted "MIRACLES ARE MADE FROM ADVERSITY", and hope that for every adversity we face, we will see the miracles that are all around us.

CHAMPION OF THE WORLD

Saints are the SuperBowl Champs! We had so much fun watching the game with friends & it was so great to see the boys win the big game for a city that deserves some celebration. Did you hear that over 800,000 people showed up to the celebratory parade for the team?

It was so fun to see his little face all over the T.V.  On Tuesday this little clip aired on The Ellen Degeneres  Show... into the clip a bit Reggie is the player in the team locker room leading the Who Dat cheer for some Who Dat spankies.  I love that he almost knocks the lady over giving her a chest bump!!

Reggie on the Ellen Show


We are so excited for you boys and the great city of New Orleans.
We are so excited for the wedding in 2 weeks, what a GREAT celebration it will be!

NFC CHAMPS ~ SUPERBOWL BOUND!

I love football, but this season has been so much more with my soon to be brother-in-law playing for the New Orleans Saints. Honestly the Saints had never been on my radar until he signed with them, but that aside we are lovin' our Saints right now! We can't wait until we can travel more and watch more games LIVE. We are so excited for next season as he is injured this season, although we've actually been able to see his face more since he is on the sidelines without a helmet on. What an amazing experience for him and the team as they head to their 1st SUPERBOWL appearance ever! LOVE to you and although we will miss the Miami experience we will be shoutin' and cheerin' from our Superbowl Party & looking forward to the wedding at the end of February.

Only one GOAL for 2010!!

I currently have many goals in the works, but they are for the 12 month period for which I chose to be "purposefully unemployed".  For the traditional New Year goal (Jan. 1st to Dec. 31st) I have just one.  I want to be slim enough to wear these pants.  These pictures were taken 3 months before Travis and I got engaged and 9 months before we were married.  I did so well not to gain weight when we first got married, but 4 years, 2 miscarriages and a desk job later my favorite orange pants don't fit.  I really love them and have cared for them by sealing them in a dry cleaner bag and folded them in a Rubbermaid Tote.

*I have left myself one out for not completing this goal, but that would would be far from failure in my book!

1.30.2010

Save the Date!!

I will be hosting a Cookie Lee Jewelry Show at my home on January 30th from 2-4pm. Put it on your calendar and plan to come have an afternoon of FUN with the ladies!! The catalog is available online if you want a sneak peek, but Barbara will have many pieces on display at the show. I LOVE Cookie Lee!! Currently there are over 100 items in the catalog that are under $30!! Nothing is over $48!!

Come and See!!

I will be one of the vendors at this Boutique! Come and see all the fun stuff Scentsy has for the holidays. Place your order before December 15th & you will have it in time for Christmas! I'm really excited to see some of the other product that will be available, as I have not seen most of these vendors before. I know one of the ladies makes custom purses and quilts... (I had better leave the credit card at home)... If you are interested in ordering any Scentsy but cannot make it Saturday let me know, I have 3 parties that will be closing in time for the holidays that I can place your order with!!

29 things...

I want to CHALLENGE MYSELF TO DO BEFORE I TURN 30...

Today is my 29th birthday! I can't believe I have been at this crazy game of LIFE for nearly THREE DECADES! While I have enjoyed much of this journey, there are a few things I seem to be missing that could be most helpful in the next THREE Decades ( I cannot say 30 years, because Tim McGraw sang a little ditty about them )...

1... DO INSPIRATION... You have received inspiration, you have been inspired, but often you don't DO much with it or you get it at an inconvenient time (like laying in bed, lights out, no pencil) and forget it or ignore it.

2... "It is better to SHINE than it is to reflect" & you're done reflecting... time to SHINE on!

3... Use the schedule you work so hard to create. You spend lots of time organizing your time with Excel spreadsheets & calendars, just to cast them aside to appear more like the "fly by the seat of your pants" girl you once were... Your heart needs to embrace the schedule your mind has been wanting for a while now!

4... LOVE exercising again... exercising has become increasingly difficult since getting married... You are a sport playing girl, not a run miles girl & getting married has limited team sport opportunities for you, since they are rarely co-ed & often for the boys only. Time to get moving even if it is running by yourself!

5... Finish the UNFINISHED... You are not the only one with unfinished projects cast aside for a variety of reasons, but the time is here to FINISH each one of them. Forget about the intimidating patterns, forget about perfection & just love creating!

6... READ... for fun and for knowledge...

7... more QUIET TIME ~ free yourself from useless "NOISE".

8... Write that BOOK, you know the one! Just get it done!!

9... Do at least 1 thing each week that makes you uncomfortable & write about it!

10... CREATE... it doesn't matter what!

11... EXPLORE... spend more time in places you've not been, instead of going to the same places time and again...

12... Use the daily goal sheets you worked so hard to make, they will make your days more full, but you know joy will be found in accomplishing so much!! As a side benefit you will have a mini journal of how you spent your time!!

13... be more GREEN!! waste less, conserve more... you know what to do...

14... GET INVOLVED... You've always wanted to run for an elected office, so get to work... find out where you fit...

15... more ACTING... less reacting...

16... Look for what is GOOD & you will find it!!

17... "A good life is not lived by chance but by CHOICE"!! ~Kobi Yamada

18... work out your ideas... they are good, people will benefit from them!

19... "SEW MAKE A DIFFERENCE" will be your reality, just make it sooner rather than later!

20... Use Jeffrey R. Holland's Conference talk "To Young Women" to inspire you now as it has in the past.

21... "Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence" ... another Jeffrey R. Holland favorite!!

22... sort the mail everyday! You know how much you hate that pile on the counter!!

23... document your journey... take pictures & write about it...

24... get that FAMILY TREE in order! You love working on it, so put it on that schedule you are going to start using and make time for it.

25... Learn new things... take classes offered by local businesses & remember that the internet is a useful tool for much more than "Facebook".

26... don't make me put a neck sign on you! Just ask for help when you really need it...

27... show people that you appreciate them! Let them know that they are important... You love to hear that from people, so they probably love it too!!

28... stop doing what is easier! In the end you are usually unhappy with the result and then end up working twice as hard once you finish the harder option too.

29... You are you & that's important! Keep working to make yourself the best you can be!

~ Work hard and the next year will be one of the best so far, you'll be able to look back and love all that you've accomplished!

~ LOVE YOUR GUTS

My new FAVORITE place & things...

I'm not sure I have any readers left after not posting in forever, but here it goes anyway...

Travis bought me a great drafting/drawing/light table the other day, since much of my time will be spent drawing during my time at ASU.  After a full weekend of sitting at said table on one of our usually comfy dining chairs, I bought myself this AWESOME cushy chair!!

My friend Jen reminded me awhile back via her blog post about a place I have been meaning to check out... SAS Fabrics by the Pound... I finally got around to going over there the other day while Trav was in class.  I didn't give myself nearly enough time, but I did find a few great things while there.

Not sure what I'm going to do with this Amy Butler gem I found, but I got about 4 yards for $4.00...
This BEAUTY cost me a whopping $9.00, but it was well worth it.  What you can't see is that there is enough fabric here to make me and my 20 closest girlfriends Maxi Dresses.  I'm planning on making myself a Maxi Dress as a cover-up for my hopefully much smaller body to wear to the pool next summer.
And last but not least is this great pattern in thin t-shirty material that I'm going to make myself a great top with.  The color is a little off, but the yellowy color is actually lime green.  It was $2.50.

My grand total was $15.50, but if I'd had more time I probably would have spent a bunch more. They have home decor fabric and tons of trim options... I've got to measure the new place for curtains and then I'm headed back for all the stuff to make some awesome ones.

I'm selling SCENTSY

www.scentsy.com/scentimentalmoments

I am selling Scentsy!

If you are interested in purchasing any products or having a party let me know.  

There are 10 new warmers and 19 new Scentsy smells.

If you are not familiar with Scentsy, you can go to my website - listed above - and learn more about the product... 

Here are a few reasons why I chose Scentsy...

• no flame, wax is melted by a 25 watt lightbulb
• traditional glass jar candles are easily $20 or more and in the end all the jars end up in the landfill, with Scentsy all you dispose of is the wax after it has lost it's strong smell.
• the variety of scents is second to none, and you can sit down in your own home or the home of a friend and smell all the testers.
• scented wax bars are $5 each or 3 for $14 which allows you to change scents without a HUGE dent in your budget.

I am obviously a huge fan and I am hoping that many of you will enjoy a Scentsational day with Scentsy and create some Scentimental moments!

~ Alicia

I heart New Orleans Saints...

We are so excited to announce that we will be screamin' and cheerin' for the New Orleans Saints for at least the next 3 seasons!  We are so PROUD of you Reggie!  I have always wanted to visit New Orleans, so once they get settled in I am sure one of my duties as a big sister will be to go check it out and help them settle in!  What a LUCKY city and community, to have you guys there making a positive difference!  Lets go SAINTS!   

It's Girls' Night at My Place...

I am having a Scentsy Party on Wednesday night (January 28th) from 6 - 8 pm at my house.
I know many of you have never heard of this product, so please check out their website or plan on stopping in to the party for a few minutes to learn and see all this great product has to offer!

https://www.scentsy.com/15448