#Project a day

I decided to look around the house today and find something un-useful and make it useful. 

Although I found many things of this sort I decided to go with a garter that I've had sitting in my closet for too long.

I scrounged up some fabric, a hot glue stick and scissors, came up with a cute little idea annnnd..

Wallah!

A cute headband for me little lady.

Look what she can do!

Yesterday Haddie overcame yet another milestone. IS there anything this kid CAN'T do?! Ok, I kid, of course there is. But man, she surprises us with something new every week! 

Here she is in all her adorable glory with her surprise, "Look what I can do!" of the week.

She was already almost there by the time I got the camera on but at least I got the tail end of it right?

Sunday mornings we like to lounge around the house taking our sweet time getting ready since now, thankfully, it's at 11am instead of 9am.
Well, Emmett was 'sleeping' on he couch, (no not because he was in trouble, (heh heh) while I was slowing getting ready for church. Hads was laying on her back on the floor with her blanket.
I came into the room and she was on her belly. Emmett then looked at me and asked if I had came and flipped her over. UMM..NO!! She rolled over all on her own!

She's got the belly to back roll own pat now and I'm starting to think she has the back to belly down as well now. The first 2 times she did it we missed it. But I finally got it on camera. I had to have proof, even for myself, to know she was actually doing it.

Callings callings CALLINGS

In our church we have a term used very frequently. A calling. Basically, it's your role, or your 'duty' or 'responsibility' in the church, in your ward/stake. If you have questions on what a ward or stake is please just ask. I want to stick to the topic at hand because for some reason I always go off topic and have to find my way back to the beginning. Like this one time I was talking about...oh well there I go again.

ANYWAYS...

back to callings!

I recently (maybe 3-4 weeks ago) was 'called' or given the responsibility to be a Relief Society Committee member. The RS is the woman's group in the church. We do lots of service projects, help out families etc. So with my my new calling I get to meet lots of new women in my ward and do lots of different kinds of projects!
Tomorrow night we have a woman coming to speak to us on budgeting, cooking and food storage. Excited! (Old lady much?)

Usually a person has one calling at a time. Sometimes they have some BIG responsibilities. But sometimes some people get more than one.  Like me. As of last Sunday I am now in the RS committee but also....

A PRIMARY TEACHER!!!

I teach the 4 year olds. Last week was my first time with these kids and they are an exceptional little bunch. On the first day they taught ME new things and really surprised me to how much they already know. I was excited but now I'm also very nervous because I feel like I probably know as much or less about what I will be teaching than they do!
But that's the thing about callings. I'm almost positive they are given to you because Heavenly Father knows your wants, needs and talents and even wants, needs and talents you don't even know you have!

I'm happy to be serving in my ward. I always wanted to be an elementary educator and never had the chance to be in a primary class growing up so I feel this is God's way of helping my fulfill my dreams of those things and probably (hopefully) giving me opportunities to help others.
Now this means Emmett has Haddie for two straight hours of church without me.
Last week I found them roaming the halls together because Haddie was breaking her daddy into his new role quick! Luckily for us all, he is a great father and Haddie sure does love her Daddy <3

Adventures is WA

For the holidays my little family went on a trip to Washington state to visit Emmett's family for 

two whole weeks.

We had so much fun and I had many firsts while there. 

For instance, I have never been on a ferry before. 

Maybe the smallish one at Disneyland but that doesn't even begin to compare.

Let me tell you!

It was huge! Cars fit on this thing and it's like 3 stories big.

We met a character named Patrick Stewart who was from Germany. He wore a green poncho and played card games with us for the majority of the trip and even told us about green colored beer.

CHARACTER. 

It was also freezing outside but so pretty when we started coming up to the city of Seattle so we had to take some pictures.

Haddie tends to have this habit of sleeping through everything fun we do. Like her first ferry ride.

 She also slept through The Rootbeer Store experience, Archie Mcfee's, the Christmas program the Fletcher's put on every year, opening of presents her first Christmas and I'm sure there were a couple other times as well. 

Silly girl but I can't complain. She makes travel easy.

And lets be honest, it's not like she will remember these things anyways.

This rootbeer store I mentioned had over 100 flavors of rootbeer. Any rootbeer lovers dream I'm sure. I've never really liked the stuff but I'll admit it was a super cool place and we got a couple flavors I liked.

Some flavors they carried were not 'rootbeer' but other sodas. Like Orange (my fav).  And bacon!

Orange you glad I DIDN'T try bacon!? (We did buy it though)

Archie Mcfee's is like a gag gift store. Some seriously funny things in there. 

To name a few: 

- butter favored lollipops

- a GIANT box of mac n' cheese

- A HAMBURGER PHONE! (Always wanted one)

- A giant ear?

It was a fun place to meander through.

We also toured The Air and Space Museum.

It was really cool  to walk through different airplanes and read up on the world wars but after a couple hours of it I think we were all ready for a snoozie.

FUNNY STORY!

They had a bar type place inside the museum and I was walking around alone a little ahead of our group when I stopped in front of it not even thinking it would be a bar. I waited for the family so we could go inside thinking it was just a room with more things to look at. Then this man came up to me from behind and told me I could go inside instead of waiting out front. I told him I would after my family catches up. Before finishing my sentence he looks me up and down and laughed and said, "Oh never mind you have to be 21 to go in here!" I looked and read the sign above the door and realized then that it was a bar. HAHA. I told him I was almost 24 and he laughed again and just said something like, "Uh huh, sure you are kid!"

Needless to say, that made this old mamma feel pretty good :)

We took a couple trips into Seattle, Emmett and I celebrated our 1 yr anniversary there by going to the temple and out to dinner, we spent lots of time with the family and we are so grateful that they got to get to know Hads a little bit better. I HAD to visit Pike's Place Market and in case you don't me too well, I LOVE places like that and it just so happened I hated it there. JUST KIDDING. I didn't want to leave!!

We played lots of games, watched lots of movies and a lot of Bewitched. 

Ate yummy meals, snacked on maybe too much pepperoni, lounged in jammies for outrageous amounts of time, welcomed in the new year (which Haddie was actually awake for!), I saw a troll under a bridge, celebrated a new family coming together and overall made some really great memories.

Cupcake intervention

I just may need a cupcake intervention.

The first step is admitting you have a problem, right?

I mean, for reals. Everyday I wake up and I think, "What cupcake should I make today?"

I've even started thinking of different concoctions that could be good in a cupcake. 

Apricots, jelly, pizza cupcake, meatloaf cupcake with mashed potaters on top...

I just want to bake cupcakes all day everyday!!

Is that too much to ask?

Here's how it started. 

First, Have you ever seen the TLC show, "DC Cupcakes"? 

Well, it's a lot like the show, "Cake Boss." Just with cupcakes instead of cakes.

I saw it on netflix one day and probably watched a whole season in one sitting.

I'm telling you my deepest darkest secrets here so don't go judging me.

Next, my mother-in-law gave me a cupcake book chalk full of 50 recipes inside.

OOoooo the excitement I got when I saw that book!!!

I'm sure Emmett was very pleased as well knowing how much I have talked about cupcakes in recent weeks.

Want to know something strange? Well sure you do! Growing up I never really even liked cupcakes all that much.

WHAT!? Yeah.

While in Washington over Christmas break I was dying to make some. 

Come New Years Eve the family had planned to go to another family's house to celebrate. 

We said we would bring food.

BINGO.

Prime opportunity for some divine cupcake making.

I decided to go for the apple crisp caramel cupcake. 

Finished product:  drum roll please....

TA DAA!!

I thought it was pretty darn yummy, but even more fun to make. Though it felt like it took a bajillion steps.

Since then I have been trying to find any reason to make cupcakes.

Which I have found many. 

My bday for one. 

I didn't want anyone to make me a cake because I wanted to make my own 

Ultimate birthday cake cupcakes!

Which I did.

 I don't have a picture because they are long gone now but they were pretty darn amazing.

On friday we are having some family over to watch a movie the Fletcher's all loved when they were small tots. 

Road to Rio. 

Never seen it myself. 

But ANYWAYS...back to cupcakes.

I think I have decided to make a pineapple upside down cupcake for the movie night.

I think it has become a secret New Years resolution to make all the cupcakes in my book this year.

Well a secret until now hehe.

Looks like I will need more guinea pigs to test them all out before I turn myself and my Husby into cupcakes!

Any takers?

Ps, Have you ever seen so many "cupcake(s)" in one blog post? Yikes.

Twelve years ago I was twelve.

Twelve years ago I was twelve. 

WOW.

Now that is something to think about! 

What was important to me back when I was that young? 

Maybe puppies, mall trips, movie trips with friends, who was going to chauffeur us around.

All that was important back then. 

But now, now I am 24 years old young and I would say that my priorities have changed a bit. Err, more like drastically. 

I have a HUSBAND, a DAUGHTER, BILLS to be paid, HOUSEWORK to be done. 

I have more RESPONSIBILITIES. 

But that doesn't mean I can't still have fun!

We are taking it easy on our budget this year so I decided to just have some close friends and family over to celebrate my oldness youngness on the Sat before since school started back up on my bday.

We played games and ate cupcakes. Chatted it up. It wasn't a huge party but I am grateful for those who wanted to come and hang out with us anyways. Love you all!

As I'm sure you can clearly see there are only 23 cupcakes instead of the 24. There were supposed ot be 24 cupcakes and candles.

When the time came to sing me happy bday a cupcake was missing. Emmett still won't admit to it but I KNOW he took it!!

What I thought was going to be a laid back, quiet and boring day (on my actual bday) turned out to be quiet the opposite!

I was surprised numerous times throughout the day. 

First, I got a package from my dear ol' Mamma that I wasn't expecting. It had lots of things I love in it and things for Haddie, of course. There was a charm bracelet with everything 'mom' and 'daughter' on it. 

Looove. 

Then I get a text from my sweet friend, Larissa about coming over. 

I received a very, very tasty cupcake from the sweet tooth fairy cupcake shop.

Nutella, dark chocolate and strawberries. D-E-LISH! Thanks, Larisstopher.

While catching up with Larissa my lovely mother in law, mommy :], texts me to tell me someone will be coming over and asked if I would be home. 

So when time came that this mystery person would soon arrive I frantically ran around my house picking odds n ends of things off the ground and changing from my sweat pants. I get a knock on the door and find a nice young man holding a bouquet of beautiful flowers.

First thought? "Well this is nice, but my husband is going to hunt you down and kill you for this." 

Then I realized he was just the delivery boy.

The flowers were from my in laws and little in law brother in Washington!

Never have I ever had flowers delivered to me and I sure felt special. So that was super nice :)

Most the day was spent playing with this cute gal and she was trying to teach me how to baby break dance. She's getting really good at it! ;)

My hunny came home early and surprised me and then our friends Larissa and Josh came over and played a game with us. 

It turned out to be a great day. 

Oh by the way, I highly recommend these two games. Check em out, buy them, play them, share them, play them. 

Worth it.

Just don't ask what my mother in law thinks of them haha

Resolutions: #1

 Being out of town, errr out of state rather, was a BLAST  and I Can't wait to tell you all about it. But for this post, I need to quickly jot down my resolutions for this newly new year. Yes, I do realize I am 8 days late. Eventually, I will be checking these off and maybe even adding a few others. 

But for now...

() Find something to be grateful for everyday of this next year.

()Read the Book Of Mormon everyday and all the way through

()Blog at least once a week (aren't we all just so excited!?)

()Do my pinterest crafts/recipes 

()Learn to play guitar and/or piano. (This will most likely be guitar since I have no piano near by or a teacher)

()Read a book a month. ( My initial goal was 100 for the year. Let's be real here people, I'm a new mom so THAT goal..probably not happening this year so a book a month will suffice)

()Yogasize (Yoga as excersie, of course)

() Be optimistic and positive

()Remember to see myself as Christ does

() Find the guts to apply for college

and the big one....

NO CHIPS FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR!

HAHAHA ya right!

And now to start, and catch up on, my list of things I am grateful for this year.

1. My darling man of a husband. Never have I met a man who didn't throw things of my past back in my face. Even things I had no control over happening to me.  I never trusted someone so quickly, never fell for someone so fast. Never felt more safe in someone's arms. 

Getting cheesy yet?

GOOD.

He doesn't always get on my back for not eating my crust from, well any crust, he accepts that I like Taylor Swift, my socks never match, I get really competitive when it comes to card games and everything just tastes better coming from his plate or cup. Not to forget he also gave me my beautiful daughter, Haddie Dawn. Which brings me to numero dos.

2. My little love buggy. She brings me so much joy. I was certainly blessed with an easy child.  I knew that much as soon as she was born. Labor was easy, I actually ENJOYED it, she goes to bed when we put her down, she doesn't need to be constantly held, she cries only when she needs something and on average she sleeps 7-8 hrs a night. Maybe not everyyy night but for the most part. :) Haddie picks up on sounds, faces and routines quickly and even at 4 am when I'm beat, grumpy and can barely stand up, I can't help but smile when she smiles at me. Every mother always thinks they have the smartest baby ever. I know that can't be true. Only one baby can be the smartest ever and well, that's mine :)

3. The sun/warm weather. I LOVE being warm. Even if it's a million degrees I still have to sleep with at least a sheet on me to feel snuggly. Unless I'm pregnant. This is one of many reasons I love my home of Sunny San Diego. But not just to be warm do I love the sun. I'm grateful for it because it helps grow vegetation that we need to survive, it gives us Vitamin D and come on, it gives us some beautiful sunrises and sunsets that make me grateful for each and every new day.

4. Technology. I miss my family a lot since moving away over 2 yrs ago. So I'm grateful for the different kinds of technology we have to stay in touch and even SEE each other even from 800 miles away. And when I have the time of course..

5. Life's ups n' downs. I may not have said this years ago but since being baptized into the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints I sure know how to count my blessings each day. What I've learned from doing this is that most of my blessings, people in my life and so on have come from these trials I have had at some point or another in my life. For example, one ex boyfriend I probably cried way too many tears over led me to the next ex boyfriend who I'm sure I probably cried too many tears over as well and so on and so forth and they all led me to my now husband who gave me our daughter and, you get it...Sooo, thanks exs! And thanks life and Heavenly Father for my trials and lessons learned!

6. Missionaries. I could talk about them for hours but I'll spare you. Through revelation and through prayer missionaries were brought to me and taught me the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for that I am extremely grateful. I know they saved my life by teaching me how Christ saved it first. A couple of my best friends are on a mission right now and I know they are doing the same for others. I'm grateful for you Elder Ladroga, Elder Jones, Elder Kang, Sister Neal, Sister Bell and Elder Hayes and all those others that have served, are serving and will serve.

7. Showers. I've been spit up on, peed on, drooled on...you name it. Showers are warm, showers make me clean and showers give me 15 minutes of quiet time. It's the littlest of things sometimes.

8. Education. I may not have a college degree yet, but we are all blessed in this country to be able to go to school at all. Some countries don't have an education system or a good one at least, some places certain people can't go even if they wanted to. I'm grateful for being able to read and write and for the opportunities we have in our schools that others don't.