Blessings to All, June 8, 1978

i'm so late on this post...i got my dates mixed up! I thought today, july 28 was when the blessing of the priesthood was restored to all. i'm a little disappointed that i missed all the talks on the BYU channel but i will watch them online.

today, i'm feeling extra grateful for modern day revelation, and for the power of the priesthood in my life. i remember the day i gained a testimony of the priesthood, and the restoration of it to all worthy members of an african decent. it was at that moment that i promised myself that (being the only member of the church in my family at the time) i would have the power of the priesthood in my family someday, and NOTHING would keep me from my promised eternal blessings.

I remember being a missionary and meeting people on TS (temple square) who would ask me "were you raised in the church?", and i would always reply "NO". The conversation would pretty much end there or the subject would change to something else. One day a TS guest ask me the same question, and i said, yes (just to see what his response would be). this man called his family over to meet me, he gave me a history listen on blacks and the priesthood, and what it was like for men being a young missionary serving in the south...he had tears in his eyes while we were talking to each other. this man taught me a lesson! i'm grateful that i get to share these and other stories with my children. i hope my faith and testimony will be a strength to them.

little stinker

we went out to dinner tonight, and every time our server came to wait on us sadie would tell him to "go away". It was funny the first couple of times, but after the fifth time hubby and i would just look at each other in embarrassment. all that sassy cuteness isn't so cute anymore! hubby thinks it's about time for me to lay the hammer down in the discipline department (and i think he's right) or we are going to have a big problem on our hands.

welcome to mommy boot camp, sadie (it's for your own good)!

summer skirts update

a couple of weeks ago i said i was going to make summer skirts for sadie here. this one looks more like a winter skirt but we still love it, and it looks cute on.

instead of making another skirt I decided to make a dress (inspired by Dana at MADE).

AND

i'm wearing my hair natural this summer. this is a new look for me, and i wasn't really sure about it at first. i have been styling my hair like this for two weeks now. it's super easy, fun for the summer, and the people around here don't know what to think. they think i'm some kind of a star/someone special or something (it's kinda funny and flattering at the same time).

picture of the day

sadie's closet

a BIG thank you to everyone who left supportive comments and e-mails on our "kitchen makeover" post. we are happy with how everything came together, and who knew i had a little home improvement/designer bug living inside of me (i didn't!)? now, i'm excited to get started on my bedroom.

ANYWAY, heres some more cuteness from our bright star!

on our way to our "third world country" camping trip in california.

shirt & shoes: target

jeans: old navy

cup: baby's r us

smile: priceless

Today:

shirt: i made it!

shorts: target

toes & nails: O.P.I's vodka & caviar

i almost forgot to tell you that sadie is reading know. she is so amazing! hubby and i are surprised with the new things we learn about her. we are learning something new about sadie almost daily now! here are some of the words she has read to us without any help:

hair, toe, rock, hi, yes, book, lion, cup, eye, tongue, elbow...i think that's it! if she can't say the word she will make the sound or point to something that represents the word to show us that she knows it. isn't that awesome? we have also started teaching her about Christ, and she knows who Jesus is. she likes to give Jesus a "night, night kiss" every night (she kisses the picture of Christ we have in her room)..isn't that so cool? we are so excited for her, and that little brain of hers.

kitchen facelift

my kitchen is finally picture worthy.

BEFORE

AFTER

open face cabinets, and i painted all the doors in the kitchen to match our cabinets.

our memory wall, and a chalk board for sadie (i still need to plaint our back door).

curtains i made

what do you think? should i give myself a pat on the back and a gold star?

more cuteness from

sadie's closet

dress & shoes: target

one of my $2.00 d.i frames.

before:

what do you think? this was my hubbies idea, and it was a great one so i have to give him credit. i got the letter from hobby lobby for $5.00. i was going to hang the letter on one of the doors in my kitchen but hubby had something better in mind.

after:

sadie and her grandma, who we love and will miss.

this picture is just to show off how cute sadie was today. i love this outfit on her...more to come from sadie's closet!

HAPPY 4th!

this year is on a fast track! i start my first semester at A.U.S in 6 weeks...my summer break is almost over ;0(.

i have been wanting to make one of these for a long time but i had to find a mirror with the right frame first. i found this mirror at T.J. Maxx for $10.00.

Before

After

this was super easy to make. please feel free to use any ideas for your own home.

how is what you will need:

What To Do:

first: prime your frame and mirror or glass

second: lightly spray your chalk board paint on your glass(it's ok if you get some paint on the wood).

third: cover your sprayed chalk board area with newspaper(making sure you slide paper under the wood were the glass meets so that you cover all of your board.), tape down all loose areas of paper on your board.

finally: lightly spray on your glossy paint (two or three coats depending on color).

P.S. i might rough the frame up a bit, just so i can see the pretty design on it.

enjoy!

BEFORE:

nothing special! the gray in the middle of the cabinets was something the previous owner did. we got all new appliances about two years ago, and we put indian slate tile on our floors a year ago.

after pictures will be posted this weekend, so get ready for it! i got the fabric to make my curtains tonight and i still have a lot to do, but i will get it done this weekend. it will be nice to have our kitchen in operating condition again. our kitchen won't be 100% complete, since we are waiting for new counter tops, kitchen sink, and we're looking for an island, but with the pictures i will post it's still a complete makeover. stay tuned!

remodel update

so i finished painting my kitchen walls today, and i thought i was painting them gray. but the lighting in my kitchen, and the natural light from outside make my walls look baby blue. (note to self...buy testing paint before painting an entire kitchen or room because the lighting in your home makes a big difference) so what did i do? i went out and got new paint. I can not live with light gray/baby blue kitchen walls. (don't tell my hubby because he doesn't know that he will be coming home to a yellow kitchen tomorrow) i hope it looks nice this time around because I didn't test the new colors. i was out with some friends tonight, and one of my girlies is an amazing designer/decorator. she came to pick me up and also noticed that my walls were blue. so we randomly went to home depot to look at paint that i ended up buying ( i know...crazy!). but what is life if you can't be spontaneous sometimes? I feel good about what we selected. if it doesn't workout this time i guess i will be painting my kitchen walls until i find a color that fits. my plan is to get up around 5:00 - 5:30 tomorrow morning so I can get it done, and move on to my next project over the holiday weekend. i thought i was "ms. home improvement" over there but i guess not!

side note: i saw the new twilight movie tonight, and yesterday night (two different groups of friends invited me to their twilight parties). it was really good ...go see it!