Wordless Wednesday

No news could mean....

good news...
in a really really righteous and very slim, very lucky, probably a different, universe. But we won't find out till later today.

{We are still hoping}

Since we lost the camera over the weekend, hence the reason we had to wait till monday, and there was a duck game on the weekend, they have not logged all of the lost and found items yet. Aparently there is a whole box full of stuff.
We should have said..."GO LOOK IN THE STUPID BOX! it is probably the only thing in there that costs over $500. I am sure you will be able to spot it." But we didn't, we will just wait FAITHFULLY for this afternoon.

Please pray for us. I know a lot of you already are, and we are so grateful for that.

Sad but Blessed

:(

I would like to start this post off by saying that Jared is the most wonderful husband. He is SO good to me, he is a fantastic father, he is a worthy preisthood holder and a righteous presider over our family. He is THE most organized person I have ever known {that is not an exageration,} he is frugal and so good to the things he has. He makes sure that everything that we own lasts as long as it can and that he gets his moneys worth out of it.

That being said, you should know that what I am about to post was an honest mistake and that he was not being careless, it was a total accident...

Jared lost my camera!!!
my fancy, expensive, christmas, birthday, graduation leap year, present.

He is taking a photo class (at my prodding) and the teacher encouraged them to take the camera everywhere with them. He has been riding the bus to school so we can save a little money (like I said, he is frugal) and he was trying to do some homework while on the bus, he didnt realize that his stop was coming and he was talking to my mom (she was watching Kroten while I slept cause I worked last night) and he just had so much going on that he left the camera sitting on the seat. He feels horrible.

LONG story shorter, we called the bus station and they said they wont know if it got turned in to lost and found till Monday. WHAT? MONDAY? That is three days away. YOU WANT US TO WAIT THREE DAYS!!!

So we went to wal-mart, bought a new swiffer (mine broke) and a new fish (Jared's died) and some oil for the car. {exciting I know!} Then went to Dairy Queen and ate way to much ice cream, all of this trying to drown our sorrows.

So Now what?
We knelt down and prayed very hard that Heavenly Father would 1. help us find our camera and 2. comfort us and let us continue to do what needs to be done (school, making Kroten happy, work etc.) because for the time being this was all that was occupying our minds.

Now I am just trying to think... okay, what does the Lord want us to learn from this.

I know this is prolly silly to most of you and it doesn't seem like a big trial, but this is a big deal to us, it was expensive, and I was just starting to get good and sorta confident at this photography thing. What am I going to do now, I have a few jobs lined up!!!

I think what I can learn and what I am TRYING (desperately) to learn is to trust my Father in Heaven. He knows what I am going through. He knows I was enjoying developing this talent and taking pictures of my family, he knows this hurts my feelings, and he knows how badly this makes Jared feel. I know that he will either help us find our camera, help us get a new one or give us peace that is OK. Maybe I need to learn to appreciate the things I already have, maybe I need to recognize how blessed we are, maybe I just need to acknowledge that with out Devine help, I wouldn't even have a fancy shmancy camera, or a car, an apartment, a job, opportunities, friends and family, the church, a fantastic hubby (who is going to school) and an awsome, cute, sometimes overbearingly annoying, red head son, A SON. I am truly so grateful for all my blessings.
To be perfectly honest with myself, in the long long long run, my camera won't matter. *sniff sniff*

OK now that I have learned those lessons, can I have my camera back? {Just kidding}

ashley rose - maternity

I hope everyone LOVES to see my attempts at photography, cause I am going to keep posting them. I am LOVING the experience, so that is all the matters.

I recently took pictures of one of my best friends from elementary school, we were like peas in a pod, tied at the hip, nothing could stop us. That was 5th grade, and look at us now, wifes, and mommies, and WOW life goes too fast. I think I just had what may be classified as a midlife moment, you know when you realize that life is short and your not 10 anymore. It kida takes your breath away, and makes you tear up a bit. {yes tear up a bit, dont laugh.}

It was so fun to take pics of her, and she looks SO good. Pregnancy fits you ash, but then again you always look great, so I am not too surprised. Thanks for humoring my photo bug and letting me take some pics.

I had the hardest time choosing my FAV, so you get to see lots of samples.

NO!

I was already having a bad day; then I went into my room and found this...

I wasn't sure what reaction I should have. I couldn't stop laughing, but inside I was furious. How do you punish a toddler when you are laughing? Everything we laugh about, he thinks is hilarious too, therefore, he thought this was pretty funny. I am big on showing my kids (even toddlers) consequences, so I had to do something to show him that "this is not okay. "

So first I made him pose with his art work. He hates getting his picture taken and he hates standing in one place, so it was sufficient to make him regret his actions.

Then we made him clean it up. As you can see here, he {HATED} it. And by hate, I mean, thought it was the coolest thing he had done all day.


At least I know he will enjoy helping me clean.

Wordless Wednesday

Pure Talent

He figured this out all by himself. Playing with your food is out, the new generation plays with heir utensils.

Food Storage

Jared has brought this thought up and it has come across my mind a few times as well, so I thought I would address it with a post! Maybe I just need to justify it for myself.

I am afraid that my posting about my food storage experience might come across to some people as arrogant, boastful, prideful, BRAGGING, audacious, egocentric, conceited, or what ever you want to call it. But it is not meant to be that way at all. I have very good reasons for posting my {very little} experience with food storage on the blog.

1. One of the major things that has motivated me thus far to get in gear with storage (besides the prodding from a prophet of God and my current bishop) is reading food storage blogs. After reading other peoples real life experiences, I think "hey this is something that I could really do." So this is my #1 intention is posting my experience here is that maybe you can be motivated by reading my experience as well.

2. I have said this before and I will say it again and again. The blog is my primary form of journaling, so if I want to remember it or if I want my posterity to know it about me, this is how it is going to happen. {that reminds me, I need to back it up, another project, another day.}

3. I have a blog to keep everyone updated on our family (and sometimes my) ongoings. This is what I am up to, this is what I am doing and this is what I am currently passionate about. If you read this blog, then I assume you are interested in what I am doing, so I am going to assume that you are interested in my food storage.

4. The last reason and probably the least important, but still very important, when I feel I have accomplished something, I like posting about it, because it is my way of giving myself a pat on the back. when I post about it, I feel good about what I have accomplished and it makes me want to do it again (warm fuzzy stuff). Thus posting about things (and reading your feedback) gives me confidence and motivation.

For those of you who dont know why in the heck (that is right I say heck, Jared makes fun of me) we collect food and store it, it is not becuase I am so in love with food that I am afraid it will run out one day. Allthough I know you think that is the reason, here is the real one. Family Home Storage.


So with that said...

This week for food storage my mom and I canned some fruit coctail and GRAPES. Yes I said grapes. Maybe you already know that you can can grapes, but I didnt and I thought it was the coolest idea EVER. Who ever tried that one is a GENIUS!! It was tons of fun, and I think I will do some more. Grapes are on sale for 98 cents/LB at albertsons right now, and they are big and beautiful ones. I LOVE IT.

Rory alexis

I have been meaning to post these pictures for a long time, but I have the hardest time choosing which ones I like the best. But I figure it is about time I get these posted.

If you follow my blog regularly, you should remember reading about Amanda and her exciting news, and you saw the maternity pictures I took of her, well now you get to see Rory. I took some (ok, 300) pictures of her when she was five weeks old. She is so precious, and she has already grown so much. She is so alert and beautiful now. But here are some new born pics of the lovley. You will agree she is perfect.

Fall cleaning

A few weeks ago I decided that we needed a cleaning day. Just a day to organize and revamp. So I marked the calendar (September 14, Jared had no school) and scheduled a babysitter (grandma) and we cleaned. It was so nice. You can even see the day scheduled in orange on the calendar in this picture.


Jared cleaning the floor. What a man!! Thanks babe for helping.


Me and my yucky rag and cleaner. (It is really amonia, we don't have money for 409.)


A few funny side notes...
Jared had an eye appointment that morning, and had his eyes dilated. He thought he was off the hook for cleaning, but I was perfectly O-K with cleaning in the dark.

Kroten had a poopy blow out at the grocery store with grandma. HAHAHA he hasn't had one of those in a long time, I am glad he picked a day with grandma to do it. Good job buddy, she has been asking for it for years. Just remember you wanted grand kids.

All she had was a pair of overalls and no shirt, she had a doctor appointment that she was going to take Kroten to, so he went hillbilly style.

Funny day, but my House is clean!