Only for the Foxy Ladies!

November 30, 2012
It's Friday! Thought I'd come up with a new outfit today! I absolutely LOVE the fox ring! What do you think?

Only for the Foxy Lady



I love the Russian Hat! They especially look cute on babies! Be looking for that post within the next week AND on my Etsy shop! Exciting, right?
This up and coming week is going to be pretty awesome/amazing/crazy! Andrew's aunt asked us to house/children-sit while they're gone on a cruise this week so Andrew and I will be living there while they're gone. I've got to make sure I take plenty of crafts and stuff to do with the kids so that none of us get bored. Bored = mischief. Mischief = trouble. Trouble = unhappy and when Mama aint happy, aint nobody happy!
Anyway, so this week will be very interesting, to say the least, but I look forward to it! I'm going to bring a book to read as well to pass the time. I'm thinking about bringing Stephanie Meyer's The Hose, I mean, The Host. I read it my senior year of high school and now that the movie's coming out, I want a little refresher. What's your opinion of the book?
Chelsea said ma ma the other day! Not that she knows what it means, but it's certainly a start! Here's a vid.


And Chelsea helped me with the laundry yesterday!


Have a great weekend!
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I'm thankful for...

November 29, 2012
You know, it just occurred to me that I never wrote what I am thankful for. Not even once! The last couple of weeks have been so busy that I completely forgot to share on my blog! My apologies! Here's what I'm grateful for:

  • Elbows that are not bruised. Have you ever had bruised elbows? You never know how much you use those elbows until you bruise one. By extension of that, I'm grateful for a healthy body.
  • Dirty dishes. If you don't believe me, check last week's post on Wednesday.
  • Vacuum cleaner. I'm thankful for the tools that keep my home clean, but mostly I'm grateful to have a home!
  • Working 7-6. They're really long hours for Andrew, I'm sure, and that means he only gets to see Chelsea for a little bit after work, but we certainly are grateful he has one and that he enjoys it!
  • Messy bathroom. I'm just grateful that I have hair to lose that makes my bathroom messy!
Homework.
I'm grateful for my education. Not only do I feel more prepared to work with my children as they grow up because of my education, but I've learned how to improve my mind and work really hard! Not to mention I got a sewing machine out of it! Check out the About tab at the top of my blog to read how.

Lotion. I miss the summer, but winter is not so bad as long as you have lotion to soften you up!
By-the-way, this stuff smells AMAZING!

  • Molasses. Where would I be without my favorite, famous Gingersnaps? I'm grateful for my kitchen and appliances.
  • Grandma Dodds. I have been learning a lot about my ancestors recently and I am grateful for the proud heritage and legacy they have left me.

My rockin' chair.
That's right. you heard me correctly. it's a rockin' chair that rocks! It's like a throne, but 10 times as comfy and it rocks! It has been a source of so many happy moments thus far. It's what I get to spend precious moments with Chelsea in. I'm grateful for my daughter Chelsea.

  • Red Vines. Family reunions don't happen often for me, my siblings, and parents because there are so many of us, but when we get together, Red Vines are a must! I'm grateful for my family.

This one I'll write plain and straight out. I'm grateful for the mornings when Andrew will crawl back in bed with me for just a couple more minutes of cuddle time. I am grateful for my loving husband.
 Hubba hubba!

Most of all, I am grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ.
Everything that is truly good in my life stems from Him and His atonement. Because of Him, I can be forgiven of my mistakes and wrongdoings (as long as I am humble and repent of them) and can live with my family forever.

Looking back at my list makes me realize how blessed I really am! And I didn't even mention hot chocolate and scrambled eggs (Christmas breakfast=Yummmmm)!
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Edelweiss

November 28, 2012
Every night and just before nap time, I like to sing to Chelsea. Yesterday, I sang "Silent Night" for Chelsea at one nap time, "I am a Child of God" at another, and have even done "Popcorn Popping," although that one is a little upbeat for nap time and I mostly try to avoid it. No matter what song comes first, I always end with Edelweiss. Not that I've always been a crazy Sound of Music fan, in fact, I was in the play once and hated it more than any play I've ever participated in, but that's probably because I was a nun and I didn't like our director at all.
Anyway, the reason I picked this song as our ending melody together is because it is such a beautiful tune and I feel very calming. I think Chelsea can agree because most times she falls asleep to it and the times she doesn't, she goes to bed with hardly even a whimper!
Well, yesterday as I was singing and rocking my little one to sleep, the words of this lovely song took on a whole new meaning to me.

Edelweiss, Edelweiss.
Every Morning you greet me.
Small and white, clean and bright
You look happy to meet me.

Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow,
Bloom and grow forever.

Edelweiss, Edelweiss.
Bless my home land forever.

For me, this song isn't about a beautiful flower commonly found in the eastern part of Western Europe. It's about my child. Every morning I wake up, I'm greeted by my Chelsea who is small, clean, and the brightest ray of sunshine in my life. And no matter what happened yesterday, or even an hour ago, she is always happy to meet me.
Although I love her and want her to stay my little girl forever, my true wish is that she will continue to bloom and grow, learn and progress, forever.
My daughter, My daughter. Bless our home forever. What a joy she is and a true blessing to our family.

This week, as with every week, I feel that Chelsea has grown and learned so many new things! I think she's already growing out of her 6-9 month clothes because she's so tall and I know she's getting close to crawling although she still doesn't have much interest in rolling over (although I KNOW she can do it and has done it before). Anyway, here's a list version...


  • Growing very rapidly
  • Fully fitting into her 6-9 month clothing at 7 months
  • Getting very close to crawling
  • I literally was just about to write "sitting up very well" when she completely fell over
  • Starting to talk in more consonants
  • HATES to have her clothes changed, particularly the clothes that have to go over her head
  • Temperament: Very happy
  • Likes it when you clap your hands
  • Growing more hair *woo hoo!*
  • Hates having lotion applied to her face, which is a real bummer since it's dry here, especially in the wintertime and lotion is a necessity
  • Sleeps well, but had a rough week last week because we were in a new place.
  • Eats well: Doesn't like green beans or avocado, but LOVES sweet potatoes
  • Likes to grab Daddy's face and laughs at him most
  • Loves her soft, knitted, pink and white blanket best
  • Has figured out how to take things like bows, headbands, and cute  hats off her head *sneak peak*


  • Likes to hang out with Mommy
  • Has really discovered herself in the mirror
  • Has started doing this thing where she kind of laughs through her nose. She scrunches it all up, smiles, and breathes heavily in and out of her nose, sometimes snorting.

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Oh my goodness...

November 26, 2012
This past week has been ca-RA-zay! But it's been super fun and I would take the waking-up-every-hour-three-nights-in-a-row for the chance to be with my family any day! But that story is for later. I want to write about how Andrew proposed and stuff. So here it is. Our proposal story. That happened on April 2, 2010. K. Here I go.

I was still at BYU Provo and Andrew and I were still doing the long-distance thing. Andrew was coming for the weekend and we were going to spend it together at his Grandma's in Salt Lake. Andrew left around 1 or 2 from Rexburg and as soon as he got to Salt Lake, he let his friend, Travis know so that Travis and I could carpool up there from Provo. I had set Travis up on a date with my cousin Katie and we were going to double. The traffic was AWFUL for some reason on the way (I've said it before, and I'll say it again... driving in Utah Valley SUCKS) but we finally made it there in one piece. Then the three of us picked up Katie and we went to dinner at this small Asian restaurant (can't remember if it was Chinese, Japanese, whatever).
I can't remember exactly what happened after that. I think we did something super cool and EXTREMELY creative (probably sat around and stared at each other) then drove to Park City because something cool was supposed to be going on and wasn't so we left, but not before Andrew gave me the low-down on what makes a good-lookin' behind a good-lookin' behind. Don't ask.
Travis took Katie home while we drove back to Grandma's. By then it was probably about 1 AM. Andrew asked me if I wanted to go for a drive. I'm pretty sure I just said, "Uhhh... Sure" and we got in the car. He took me up the hill a way towards the Bountiful temple to a look out point. It was foggy and slightly snowy. We could barely see any of the city lights, but I decided that it was kind of neat anyway from inside the car where it was warm. Andrew must have disagreed because he asked me if I would like to get out. Back then, I was totally game for whatever Andrew suggested so I said, "Are you crazy? It's freezing out there and you don't have a coat!" We got out of the car anyway and hugged each other to stay warm. When the "view" started turning into old news, Andrew asked me if I was cold. The following is the conversation that then ensued.

"Uhh, yeah!"
"Are your hands cold?"
"Yes."
*Susan thinks: That's a dumb question.
"Why don't you put them in my pockets?"
*Susan thinks: Ooooo-kaaaayyyy... Hope they're actually warm and that this isn't super awkward... Oh. Okay... There they are... Mmm... Warm... Wait. A. Second...

And that's when I felt the ring. I took a step back and Andrew knelt on one knee amongst the small flakes of snow coming down with the view of nothing in the background. He took my right hand and asked me if I would marry him. I pulled my hand away *GASP*
"Wrong hand, Sweetie."
and gave him my left hand. He began to slide the ring on my finger and I said yes, followed by a big hug and kisses.

There ya have it! Andrew and I got engaged and only had a couple weeks left until we would be reunited at BYU-I. Later, Andrew told me that he had considered proposing to me on Easter, a couple of days later, and putting the ring inside one of those fake eggs and making sure that I find it, but he changed his mind for a couple of reasons.
1. That would mean that his family would all be there to witness the proposal
2. He was too excited to wait that long
I know I haven't written much about my husband, but here's one thing about him to help you get to know him a little better. Andrew is like a blank slate. He doesn't wear his emotions on his sleeves, but that does not mean that he doesn't have them or feel them like everyone else. Every once in a while, Andrew surprises me by revealing his thoughts and that's when I realize that Andrew really isn't that plain or "boring" as others might think. He is every bit as complex as any human being and that is one of the things that draws me to him. That, and this bad boy!



Seriously, though. I sure do love him and am glad that I was able to keep my stomach throughout the emotional roller coaster that was our pre-engagement experience. Of all the decisions I have made in my life, Andrew is the best because it was completely my decision and although I love my daughter Chelsea more than anything, Andrew is my one and only companion and will always be the most important person in my life. He is my other half.
Have a great day!
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Happy Thanksgiving!

November 22, 2012
I will be posting about the day's frivolities tomorrow! Happy Thanksgiving one and all!

Here's a taste!

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Dirty Dishes

November 21, 2012
Remember a week ago when I wrote about how Chelsea is growing up and I included the picture with the poem? I mentioned another poem that my mom had hanging in our house. This is my other favorite poem and is a huge contributor in my love for writing poetry.

Dirty Dishes

Thank God for dirty dishes,
For they've a tale to tell.
While other folks go hungry,
We're eating very well!

With home, and health, and happiness,
We shouldn't ought to fuss.
For by this stack of evidence,
God's very good to us!
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Always

November 20, 2012
A few days ago, I decided to call up my wonderful Grandmother. When I was living at home with my parents on my off track (off semester), almost every Sunday after church, I would stop at Grandma's house and just chat with her. Grandpa died a few years ago and Grandma has been pretty lonely since, but she is a trooper!
I don't know why I decided to call her, exactly. It just entered into my mind that I ought to call her and see how she is doing. She answered the phone in her sweet, old voice with the same enthusiasm she's had her entire life. Not the kind of enthusiasm that you hear when you call an old acquaintance/friend that's fake, but the kind that is genuine and sweet.
I asked her how she was feeling and of course she said she was feeling well. Grandma's not one to complain. She asked how my family was and what we were up to. Asked if I was excited for the family reunion over Thanksgiving and expressed her delight that my siblings and I would be reunited and told me she would be spending Thanksgiving with some of her other grandchildren. What a blessing it is to have family nearby!
As we continued our conversation, it turned, as it so often does, to the topic of family and how blessed we are to have such a big, wonderful family, especially since we are all still faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. This is very important in my family because it means that we all get to be together again.
As we pursued this topic of discussion, it came into my mind to ask Grandma what her mother and daddy (that's what she calls her mom and dad) thought when Grandma decided to marry Grandpa, a man who was not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. I was then blessed to hear my dear, sweet Grandma tell me about how Grandpa, although he wasn't a member of the same church, upheld the same standards and was a good man and her parents knew it. They simply asked her if she was sure and when she said yes, they gave their permission.
Grandpa asked Grandma to marry him in a very simple way. They already knew that they wanted to get married, so all he needed was to give her a ring. When he proposed, he didn't give a long speech or ask her in some elaborate method. He simply asked her to marry him and Grandma said yes. Shortly thereafter they were married.
Grandma's story reminded me how close and connected we really are to those who have gone before us, particularly our ancestors. I could imagine my grandpa traveling from the air base in Mountain Home, ID to Boise, ID where Grandma lived more often than was convenient just so that he could be with her. I could imagine Grandma's excitement as she anticipated his arrival and her anxiety as she watched him leave to deliver food and provisions during the war, praying that he would return home in safety.
In many ways, Grandma's story is just like so many others we hear about today. The year, music, styles, and even language may be different, but the stories somehow manage to be unique and yet stay the same.
To honor their love, I have decided that today's tune is Grandma and Grandpa's song, "Always" by Frank Sinatra.

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Mama Proud Monday

November 19, 2012
Good morning friends! Remember last week when I talked about how Chelsea has been growling a lot lately? Well, I got camera happy and shot this:


I also shot this. Like I said, I got camera happy. Sorry her head is nearly chopped off the whole time.


Here are a couple more things I forgot to mention about Chelsea's development from Monday.

Chelsea:
Likes seeing snapping fingers and hands rubbing together
Blinks when you clap your hands, but smiles
Shows her relief in a smile and laugh every time she sneezes
Sleeps throughout the entire night, only waking up at around 3 AM to eat (which is a habit I would LOVE to break!)
For some reason gets the giggles when she lies down on Mommy and Daddy's bed and looks at the ceiling
Gets really tired from shots. She slept in until 9:00 AM the morning after those nasty, but necessary 6-month shots
Is getting soooo close to saying da-da. She's learned how to stick her tongue out and move her mouth open and closed. Now she just needs to add noise!
Loves her blankie and touching anything else that is soft



Isn't she the cutest thing? Every week she learns something new and I can't believe she's growing so fast! I love my little Chelsea!
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January 22, 2010

November 18, 2012
Sadly, I got out of the habit of writing in my journal after January 2, 2010, but here's what I remember.



Andrew went back to BYU-I a few days later, and we both started school. We kept in contact after that meeting, but I still felt like I didn't want a long-distance relationship so we kept it to phone calls.
I made a few new friends at BYU and thought there might be a couple of prospective guys, but still none of them I found as interesting (or handsome for that matter!) as Andrew. The nights we would talk (which was practically every night), we would discuss our days, the interesting and mundane.
A few weeks after the beginning of school, Andrew came back to visit me. It was another joyous reunion, even if the reunion had to be in Provo, UT (it sucks to drive in Utah Valley, by-the-way), which is why we decided to get away to Andrew's grandparents in Salt Lake, but only after going to a BYU basketball game and dinner at Macaroni grill with Andrew's friend, Travis and his date, my friend, Jasmine. For the rest of the weekend, we just spent time together and took a trip to temple square in Salt Lake.
When Andrew left, we were not happy. Our goodbye was long and laborious and when he finally got in the car and drove away, I didn't leave the parking lot. Cheesy, I know, but I guess I'll admit, I've always been dramatic about goodbyes. I'm pretty sure it was just a day or two later that Andrew and I got on the phone and I finally decided that we would try long-distance. The funny part is that the very next day was when I finally got asked on a date by a guy in my ward. Of course I said no. Ironic?

Here's a picture of us at the Joseph Smith Building. Sorry it's not a very good one! My camera at the time sucked.

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Harry, Nilly, and Freddy

November 16, 2012
Friday Fashion! Like I said, Polyvore is fun because it's like shopping, but you find everything you need for a perfect outfit in one store and you don't have to pay anything! Of course, you also don't get to take anything home, either... Oh well!
I'm liking the nautical today, but I've gotta have my little POP of color.


Nautical with a POP



LOVE that high-waisted pants are coming back in to style and I seriously would love to have some shoes like those, except I'm not a huge fan of heels. Maybe once in a while would be fun, though...

This week has been CRAY CRAY! Normally I'm a "start one project and work like a madman until it's done" kind of gal, but I decided to try a different route this time. I tried to be a "come up with at least four different projects and work on them all at the same time" gal and let me tell you, I prefer the former!
I decided to work on a dress shirt (INSANELY hard, by-the-way), a crib set (intricate, but so worth it), and a little somethin' somethin' for the little one (not telling you what it is yet!) all at once and my little craft/storage room is a MESS! My rotary cutter, tape measure, and scrap pieces of fabric are scattered Harry scary all over the floor along with baby toys and thread lying Willy nilly with them! Not to mention the rest of my house went to trash. Okay, it hasn't been THAT bad, but I'm a pretty tidy person and... Let's just say I NEVER want to do that again! Hopefully I can get all these projects cleaned up and done soon!
On the brighter side, I'm really excited with how my projects have/are turning out! The only one I actually finished was the crib set. Get ready Freddy for some pictures!





 One thing I would have done differently was to sew the circles on BEFORE I sewed the huge long tube together. Would have saved a LOT of time!

This crib set was SO much fun to make and, as is usual with most of my projects, I had to get creative because I decided I didn't want to buy more fabric. Originally the inside was going to be minky fabric, but have you SEEN the price tag on that stuff? Re-di-q-lus! So, without going into a ton of detail, I managed to come up with matchy fabric from the leftovers of the other fabric I already had cut out and ended up with a 2x5" piece of that brown, striped fabric. Seriously. 2x5" was all I had left. Crazy, huh? Allow me my "I'm feeling cool" moment. I think we all deserve those every once in a while... *sigh*... Happy Friday everyone!
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Thrifty Thursday: Wearable Blanket

November 15, 2012
Heeeeeyyyyyy. It's Thrifty Thursdayyyyyyyy! Remember last week on Saturday when I gave you a thneak peak? Well, as promised, here she is!

Presenting the wearable blanket! Made from an actual blanket! I know. Thrifty, right? Here's the story morning glory:
I had a lot of wonderfully kind people give me gifts in celebration of my daughter's birth and with these gifts came a fantastic blanket with the keee-utest owl. Well, Chelsea has a lot of blankets. And when I say a lot of blankets, I mean a LOT! So I decided to turn this particular blanket into a wearable one since it's getting colder (although it doesn't appear so in the photos).
Ready for the tutorial? Wait for it....

SHA-BAM!
You will need:
1 blanket
Bias tape (optional)
Scissors, thread, tape measure etc.
20-22" invisible zipper
1. You're going to cut out three pieces. One big piece for the back, and two smaller half-pieces for the front. Decide how big/long you want the wearable blanket and cut it to the correct dimensions with at least 1 extra inch for seam allowance.. Just be sure to angle it in a little (about two inches in at the top). My blanket was 16" and then I laid Chelsea down to see how long I needed to make it. Make sure you cut the front pieces to angle in as well.
2. Zig zag stitch the edges of your fabric piece.
3. Lay your back piece flat and pin on your front piece. Because I cut my front piece out of the fabric on the edge, I had a bias already in place (recommended) so all I had to do was pin it on top of the back piece then sew on the same seam line as the bias. If that's not your situation, sew the front to the back, right sides together, then leave it (since you've already done a zig zag stitch) or sew a bias over the inside seam. That way, if you have a blanket that sheds (like mine) you won't have a shedding problem.

4. Find a onesie or something with sleeves to decide where you need to cut the sleeves. Cut a half-oval for where the arm is going to be right where you pinned or a teeny tiny bit below because you're going to be folding the fabric back for the hem, or using a bias (recommended).
5. Then cut the neck! Same story as number 4.
6. Hem the arms and the neck.
7. Install invisible zipper. Instructions are in the package with the zipper or you can look on youtube and there are plenty of video tutorials. This one's pretty good, but you don't necessarily need an invisible zipper foot. I didn't use one.
Make sure you line up your zipper correctly with the fabric. You don't want to end up with a crooked bottom or top!
8. And the last step is to sew up the bottom, just like you did the sides.
And now you're finished!

It keeps your baby SO warm and cute and cuddly all at the SAME time!

 Christmas-time is coming soon!



 Ooooo! It's chilly! But not too chilly! Not with my super-duper wearable blanket!

  
 I tried EVERYTHING to get her to look at the camera and smile.

 This was the best I got.

 Aaannnnd...

 TIIIIMBERRRRRRR!

 What are you lookin' at?

 You think this is funny?

You whoooo! See you tomorrow!
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