Personal Happiness project: week 26

Last challenge! Crazy that I made it. Anyway, this will be a short one so I can get back to family fun!

This week's challenge is the letter Z for "Zap negativity." This is on a similar vein as last week's challenge to yell less. So I will try to look on the bright side of things, think well of others, and be positive. This will be tricky though. In the words of Matthias Matthijs, "I am a pessimist. It's much more interesting." But I will try to be positive. Good luck, have a great week! And Merry Christmas!

previous week's challenge

P.S. Best picture from this vacation:

My mom is the cutest!

Personal Happiness project: week 25

One week left! We are getting ready to go out of town and I am just not ready for it. This trip has totally snuck up on me! So we'll make this one fast so I can finish getting presents done and the house cleaned and our suitcase packed. Ahh, so much to do!

The challenge is "Yell less. Yield to your thoughts." Well the first one is easy since I don't yell, but I will try to focus on not even getting upset at things that happen or people. As for the second bit, I will try to be closer to Heavenly Father so I can listen better to what the Holy Ghost is prompting me to do or say. This part will end up being a lifelong challenge. Hopefully I can try to expedite the process by starting to work on it now. Anyway, I have to run (so much for all that slowing down I did last week!). Have a great week! Merry Christmas!

Oh and Happy 2 1/2 years of marriage to the best husband! Muah!

previous week's challenge

Personal Happiness project: week 24

Oh my goodness, only 2 weeks left! I had a hard weekend, but we get to go home soon, which will be awesome. On to the challenge!

This week is brought to you by the letter X for "Xerox your smiling face." This one will be a challenge, no doubt, but I will try. Except a more literal translation will actually be pretty easy :) Anyway, seems pretty straightforward. Be happy and smile so others can be happy too. I actually did this once on my way home from work one day. I was riding my bike and when I would come to a driver who was waiting for me to pass so they could get on the road, I smiled at them. And almost everyone smiled back, which made me feel better. So, there. Case and point. Have a great week!

previous week's challenge

Personal Happiness project: week 23

 I can't believe it's December already! Last night we went to a live nativity. It was really cool but absolutely freezing and crowded. It took us 3 hours to get through it! But we got to pet camels (surprisingly soft!), donkeys (also soft), sheep, and llamas. It was fun and would have been better during the summer with about a thousand less people.

This week's challenge is to "Walk. Write. Watch the sun set." I think the underlying goal is to slow down and reflect on life. I am going to have a hard time doing this one because it is the last week of classes before finals at BYU, and while I already graduated, the two people I am tutoring still have to finish this class. I am stressed for them! I think they will do fine though. I will try to do my best and slow down. But it will be difficult! Christmas is coming, I can't even believe it. This year has flown by. I am so not ready for this! Anyway, have a great week! Slow down and love life; Heavenly Father makes beautiful sunsets!

previous week's challenge

Personal Happiness project: week 22

So Thanksgiving was a hit, Christmas decorations are up, and Christmas music has been playing almost nonstop. Things have been good lately!

On to this week's challenge: V for "Vent. Visualize your dreams." Kay, so while venting isn't super productive for me since it just sort of builds on itself instead of making me feel better I'm going to just learn to let things go instead. Just take a deep breath, keep things in perspective, and let it go. I'm sure things will still bother me but learning to move past them or deal with them will be more productive than keeping them bottled up inside. 

Then for the next part, I guess my dreams are having kids and Kyle getting accepted to a program he will enjoy. I think the best way to do this one will be to live our lives as if these dreams were coming true. Like faith. If you only hope for things to happen then you only have half of faith. The other part is acting on that hope as if it were true. So to have faith in Jesus Christ means to believe that he is the Savior of the world and then live your life in accordance with His commandments. Because if He's the Savior you're going to listen to what he says, right? To visualize my dreams I will prepare my life so I can be ready for children when they come. I guess there isn't much I can do regarding Kyle's acceptance, but I can be happy for him when we do finally find out where we could be going in the next few months. And I can try to be happy with my life now and the great place we are living to make this interim period as enjoyable as possible. So challenge on to you too! Have a great week!

previous week's challenge

Thanksgiving and recipes!

We had a really fun Thanksgiving this year. I mean, we've had really fun Thanksgivings the last two years, but this one super stressed me out and the payoff of having good friends come together around delicious food was worth it. I was stressed this year because I was given the responsibility to cook the turkey. My Youtube research paid off, and the turkey was delicious! And the stuffing (which I also made) was really good! And the gravy (which I made up) was super good! Don't worry, I'll divulge my delicious secrets below.

But first some pictures!

Delicious and cute veggie platter

Valerie and Kristine playing Mancala

Our first turkey!

Lookin' good! (yes, me and the turkey)

Kyle did a great job carving the turkey

Valerie, Kristine, and Bridget

Charlie

Playing jumbling towers

Happy Thanksgiving!

We all had a really good time and are sad this is our last year to have Thanksgiving with Bridget and Charlie. And we are glad Valerie and Kristine got to come too. Can I share my cooking secrets now? Yes! Watch these and you will make delicious turkey:

Good luck! I didn't have all the spices these two had so the brine I made was a gallon of chicken broth (way cheaper than vegetable broth), 1/2 cup of table salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon each of rosemary and thyme. Boiled, then chilled in the fridge, then put in a 5 gallon bucket with a gallon of ice water. After we put the turkey in, we put the bucket in Kyle's car to keep it cold.

Oh, and to make the stuffing I used my mom's stuffing recipe (to be put up later) and Mrs. Cubbison's(r) Corn Bread Stuffing. Sooo good! And the gravy was 2 Tablespoons butter, 2 Tablespoons flour, and a cup of the brine. The brine can probably be recreated with a cup of chicken broth and like a teaspoon of rosemary and a teaspoon of thyme. It was fantastic. I'm excited for next year!

Personal Happiness project: week 21

Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow! I have a lot to get done between now and then, namely learn how to cook a turkey. {yikes!} I knew I should have bought turkey pot pies for backup!

This week should go along nicely with the festivities. "Unleash you inner strengths." Maybe hidden inside I have a strength for cooking turkey? I can only hope. Ugh this is stressing me out. But I just watched a bunch of turkey cooking videos on Youtube (thanks Alton Brown!) and I think I can do it! I think what I'll also do to do this challenge is try to keep focused on the positive things going on right now. I think that will help my strengths come out instead of being focused on my weaknesses. Anyway, there is probably a lot more I could say about this, but I have to go brine a turkey!

Oh! Speaking of good things going on, Kyle finished turning in grad school applications yesterday! And Christmas is coming! Have a great Thanksgiving!

previous week's challenge

Halloween pumpkin carving

This is weeks late in coming but whatever. So...here they are!

I made cupcakes. And the plate thing they're on :)

They're mummies!

Carving pumpkins and separating seeds

Kermit!

Self portrait?

We have a tradition of carving a watermelon every year. It started because on our first Halloween Kyle went out to buy a pumpkin to carve for a date with some friends. Lo and behold, no pumpkins anywhere! So he bought a watermelon and a cantaloupe. And that was the beginning.

Christmas thoughts and traditions

Christmas is almost here and I can hardly contain myself! I am really looking forward to decorating for it and I have even allowed Christmas music in the house before Thanksgiving. I love the spirit and the joy that fills the world when we think about the true meaning of the holiday and not the commercialized version. And I am really excited to see my family in a few weeks and spend some quality time with my dear. Anyway, I was talking to my mom on the phone last night and we started talking about Santa Claus. I tried telling her this story I found from another blog {Bringing Lady Back}, but I really didn't do it justice. In case something happens to the other blog, I want this story here so I can remember it when the time comes for me because I love it so much.

-----------

"My husband and I have discussed that we don't want to lie straight out to our kids, but we do want to create special memories for them. Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, etc, all inclusive. Where do we draw the line?

A friend of ours was so devastated when she learned the truth about Santa Claus, she swore she would never lead her children to believe in something that didn't exist. I truly can't say that I blame her. I remember when I found out about Santa, I just felt stupid. As in, really, really gullible. And very irritated at myself that I had fallen for it so long.

So, after hearing my friend's story {which was truly heartbreaking. The whole story left me with a hole in my heart}, and thinking back to my own experience, I began to fret. I started thinking, "I don't want to lie to my kids! I want them to know that they can ask me anything and I will tell them the truth and I will never lead them astray."

But we were already into it with Hailey! She believed, and she was adorable. Spotting Rudolph in the sky, waking to the treats the elves would leave her during the week leading up to Christmas, and she just plain loved the idea of Santa Claus.
 

Two years ago, Hailey asked for a teddy bear. She wanted a teddy bear because she'd lost her other one. That was all she wanted. An 8 year old girl asking for a teddy bear. Does that even happen anymore? Moms from her school were naming off their children's lists, and I listened to the desires of all of these kids. I was shocked! Cell phones? iPods? BMWs? {okay. exaggeration.} Really though? 8 YEAR OLDS???

In the middle of the insane wants of her peers, Hailey was unashamed to ask for a teddy bear. And I love her so much for it. I can't describe the amount of love that swelled in my heart for my humble little girl when she made that request.
 

On Christmas morning, she got her teddy bear. She hugged that thing for what seemed like forever before moving on to anything else. When she did get around to emptying her stocking, she found a note from Santa. He told her that he was so proud of her for what a good girl she had been throughout the year. She had been such a big helper for mommy and daddy. She helped out so much with David & Nora, without even being asked. She was obedient, kind, friendly, and loving to everyone she knew. He was also amazed that she was happy to ask for only a teddy bear. He told her that she of course earned her teddy bear, but that He thought she deserved a bit more. He told her she had a surprise waiting for her on the back patio, and that she should go look right then.

Waiting for her was a brand-spankin' new, pink, beautiful bike (and helmet). The look on her face was priceless. To see the humility in her expression as she read the letter, then the excitement light up her eyes when she peeked through the blinds of the back door... Magic happens on Christmas Day, I tell you. She was so happy, and so thrilled to have had her good deeds recognized, without ever expecting them to be.

The awesome thing? She loved and still loves that teddy bear just as much as the bike. She leaves me in awe.

A few days after Christmas, Hailey asked, "Mom, is Santa real?"

Hm.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, in my stocking at Daddy's house, there was some lip gloss that had a sticker on it from the store."

Ah. Nice.

"Let's sit down and talk about it."

We sat and cuddled on the couch. I said a silent prayer for guidance. I started.

"Santa is real, but he doesn't live at the North Pole, he doesn't have elves that make his toys, and he doesn't have a sleigh with flying reindeer. Santa is a tradition that lives in the hearts of parents all over the world.

The tradition of Santa Claus allows parents the opportunity to create magic for their kids anonymously. {"What's anonymously?" "Without them knowing. Like, when we bake cookies and drop them off at our neighbors and you run away? That's anonymous." "Oh."}

Didn't you feel the magic when you came out every morning and found the treats the elves left in your shoes? "Yes!"

And when you found your sweet teddy bear?

And then, when you read that note you found in your stocking?

And, most of all, when you found that you had a bike waiting for you in the back?

"Yes!"

And do you remember how good it made you feel to leave cookies on people's doorsteps?

"Yes!"

It makes parents feel good to see their children so happy.

That is what the tradition of Santa Claus is all about. It's another way for parents to show children they love them, and add a bit of magic into the mix."

We discussed that it is not up to her to tell anyone else about this tradition; it is for the parents to decide when they tell their kids. {I still feel badly about ruining it for my dear friend Amy!}

We also discussed how the magic of the tradition is the same with the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. Parents are performing acts from the heart.

At that point, Hailey looked up at me, smiled her sweet smile and said, "You must have the biggest heart in the whole wide world."

Um. I love her.

Then, we discussed that she can ask me anything and everything and I will always tell her the truth.


To be safe I told her Jesus Christ is real, that He lived on Earth and that He will come again. I told her He truly performed miracles and does to this day.

I told her I love her and I am so proud to be her mother.

And I told her since she now knew, she would be able to help create magic for her younger siblings. She was ecstatic!

I was so happy it went so well, and she was so receptive to the message I was trying to convey. I hope it goes as smoothly with the others when it's time. I hope I can help our other children understand the tradition of Santa. We may need to go about it differently with each. It will be interesting to see things unfold as they get older.

In the meantime, I'm all for magic. "

Personal Happiness project: week 20

Whew, we had a busy weekend! We went to Ikea and got a bookshelf for the bedroom, a different furniture shop to get more screws for a toy chest we bought months ago, and H&M to get Kyle some new clothes (sadly, we left with nothing, but that's okay. I know now that he looks good in maroon pants!). Obama won the election. We spoke in church on Sunday about gratitude, giving thanks in all things. I thought it went really well. I made people laugh a lot, especially when I said we need to be working toward eternal life and immorality. Oops! I had a good time though. And Kyle did really well too. I just hope we were able to make people feel the Spirit and feel more gratitude for our many blessings and the wonderful lives we've been given.

This week is brought to you by the letter T and is for "Take power naps. Talk wisely." What's with all the sleep encouragement lately?? So, I guess I'll do that. Talk wisely would have been a good challenge for last week too! I think the most important thing about talking wisely is to actually be wise and know stuff. I think it is also important to know when you don't know stuff and admit it instead of talking like you know something when you really have no idea. I hope I can take time this week to focus and learn about things around me so I can be wise. Good luck and have a great week!

I've had this song stuck in my head the last few days. I love this version and these guys!

Oh and this is my absolutely favorite piano song! It just makes me feel so happy when I hear it.

previous week's challenge

Personal Happiness project: week 19

Halloween was alright. Kyle had his woodshop class so he missed our first trick-or-treaters! We got three: our neighbors (1 child) and our neighbor's sister's family (2 children). I had a good time. I stayed at home and frosted sugar cookies we made the day before. There are a billion! I don't know how we're going to get rid of them all. But now it's November, so Thanksgiving is coming! And then Christmas is coming! Excited for a break.

Anyway, this week is the letter S and the challenge is "Smile. Sleep. Simplify." Sleeping I have down! I'm good at that one. Smiling is pretty good too, maybe work on being more friendly and positive. Simplify...hmmm...well, I think I want to take this the direction of cleaning my house. I have lots of piles in my bedroom and everywhere of papers and things that need to be sorted that I'm going to go through this week. Maybe I should go through my clothes too? Nah! :) I've tried but I justify keeping everything. Any tips?

Oh, and today is election day. I'm so nervous! I am really excited to see who wins because either will make the next four years interesting. Have a great week and go vote!

previous week's challenge

Personal Happiness project: week 18

Mmm-kay. The challenge for this week is "Read. Relax. Reinvent yourself." Sounds pretty good. I don't really have much to say about this one. It seems pretty straightforward. I read on the bus to and from work. I guess I relax sometimes. And I've been trying to reinvent myself the last few weeks anyway by doing these challenges. I guess the challenge now is to make them part of me instead of just things I do. So, yep. Here it goes!

Halloween is this week. I still don't know what we're going to dress up as. Our pumpkin/melon aren't looking so good. Kermit is getting really scary looking. I think we'll throw them out soon. Oh well. But! I have a really cute decorating idea for our dirt patch! Stay tuned!

previous week's challenge

Personal Happiness project: week 17

Such a fun week! We (not in any particular order) ushered for "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" at BYU, went to the BYU Political Affairs Society Oktoberfest, celebrated a neighbor's birthday, and carved pumpkins with our neighbors. The holidays are upon us and I am loving it! Pictures to follow!

Okay, so this week's challenge is "Quit a bad habit. Quiet your mind." Yikes! Well, seems pretty self-explanatory. I have lots of bad habits, which I won't air out here. It will take awhile to quit them but with the help of President Uchtdorf's words from General Conference a few months ago I may be able to do it. Simply put, his advice is to "Stop it!" He was talking about gossiping mainly but it can apply to anything we are doing that we shouldn't be. The thing I've heard about bad habits though is that instead of just trying to stop cold turkey, you need to replace the habit with something else. Haha, watch the video below. Actually just the first joke will do, but the rest is really funny too.



Anyway, to accomplish both of these challenges, I really just have to put my mind to it and do it. And that's that. Hopefully by the end of the year I will be free of bad habits! (or have developed new ones :) ) Have a great week!

previous week's challenge

Personal Happiness project: week 16

Oh man, last week was crazy. There were good times and difficult times. Just glad that it's over! Highlight of the week was going to my friend's baby shower and it basically being a reunion of my last ward. It was so much fun! It was cool to see how we've all grown up since most of us have kids now or are expecting soon. Anyway, on to the challenge!

 This week is "Pray. Paint. Play an instrument." I really need to get better at praying, so this will be a good reminder to work on that. I've been thinking lately that I also need to learn how better to pray and ask for things from Heavenly Father. I can't remember if it was in church or a stake conference a few weeks ago but I really liked what one woman said. She said that when we are going through a trial, instead of praying for our circumstances to change we should pray to change to fit our circumstances. For example, instead of praying for a test or a paper to get cancelled at school, we should ask for our minds to learn the material better and be inspired, or something. Basically, we shouldn't be upset about things we can't change but should find joy in them instead. Easier said than done, but do it anyway!

As for the other challenges, it'll be a busy week, so they may need to wait until I have more time. I still have the materials from my last painting class and a few months ago I bought some online piano lessons that I have yet to do. So these parts of the challenge are doable once I can prioritize them. Good luck! I hope you are having a great week!

previous week's challenge

Personal Happiness project: week 15

This week is brought to you by the letter "O" and the challenge is "Own a pet. Observe beauty." Well, this challenge is going to need to be adjusted because we're not allowed to have pets in our apartment. But we are allowed to have plants! Same thing right? So, we will own plants and take care of them and love them and not get kicked out of our apartment.

In the morning on my way to work I try to take notice of the sunrise. They are really cool in this area because the mountains cast shadows on the sky; it looks really cool. This week I will try to focus more on the beauty around me. We live in such a beautiful world; we can't just take it for granted because we'd be super ungrateful. And I just realized that I've only been thinking about observing beauty in nature, but really I should look for beauty in other people and things too. Looks like this one will be a nice excuse to slow down and take in the world around me, looking for the positive, beautiful things instead of focusing on the negative. Well, sounds good. I'll just need to make sure I actually slow down! Anyway, have a great week!

I've probably already shared this one already, but it's a good one :)

previous week's challenge

Personal Happiness project: week 14

Things have been busy! My parents were in town for a convention and I went to a conference at BYU about Europe. One of my goals is to get more involved in politics/world affairs so I don't create a bubble around myself and drift into ignorance. Anyway, on to this week's challenge!

This week is "Never give up on what you want." Well, I'm not sure what I want. Life is still super fluid at this point. Our plans aren't made very far in advance because they could change at any moment. Before I give away all the secrets of my life, I just want to say that it is good to have the reminder to not give up. So, if you're thinking about quitting remember to keep your sights on the end goal even though the every day drudge is bogging you down. I thought about just stopping writing and doing this weekly challenge thing. It's a self-inflicted project that only three or four people read (thanks Megan, Jenn, and Kyle!). But the end goal is happiness and greater satisfaction with myself. So I'm going to keep doing it even though I don't have much time and I feel like I'm talking to myself sometimes. I won't give up, so you shouldn't too!

General Conference is this weekend and it will be good to listen to the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They frequently answer questions that we have in our hearts and say what we need to hear (even if we may not want to hear it). We are blessed to have the true Gospel of Jesus Christ restored to the earth and living prophets who guide us. It will be fantastic. Have a great week!

previous week's challenge

Personal Happiness project: week 13

This week is brought to you by the letter M for "Meditate daily. Make goals." I have a hard time stopping in the middle of my day to sit and meditate, so this will be a challenge. Luckily this is somewhat alleviated by my chiropractor who is making me lay down to fix my neck for 40 minutes a day. That's so long! Not sure how I'm going to do it or where the time will come from. I'm working up to it and my arms start to hurt from holding my book up to read! I think it is really good to just sit and think, without books or music or anything. It allows us to reconnect with ourselves and slow down to listen to what Heavenly Father is trying to tell us. If we constantly fill our lives with noise and distractions, we don't get to hear the still small voice of God to guide us and answer our questions.

During this meditation time, I can also think about goals that I want to work toward. This personal happiness project is a good start because I have goals I have to meet every week. But I don't have many long term goals. I know we want to have kids but they'll come when they come. There isn't much we can do to work toward that. I want to be a better homemaker which I think I can do if I focus more and manage my time better. So, goal 1: I will write my goals down after I meditate today. Well, I'm off to get my day started. Have a good week!

previous week's challenge

Hike to Squaw Peak

This past weekend Kyle and I took a hike up Squaw Peak. It is Kyle's favorite hike in the area so we decided to do it before it got too cold and while the fall colors were around. It was so beautiful! I took 103 pictures and they all look fabulous. Here are just a few:

 The Provo temple with Squaw Peak to the left. We're going to the tip!

 The valley that is behind Y-Mountain.

The flag at the top. We made it!

 Provo!