Fun Stuff - Layouts, Sofa Beds and Cute sayings.

Well, we just had another bout of stomach flu at our home - this time it hit me first and hardest. Seeing as I'm a "silver-lining" kinda gal, I discovered that vomitting is a GREAT ab workout. My abs ached for days afterward. It's nice knowing that I not only lost weight, but did a little strength training at the same time. YES!

I've only done 2 layouts this week - but I really love them. I wanted to do a layout about our new place and I knew that a collage work work well - showcasing a lot of photos in less space. I used a page kit I had lying around from Lisa Bearson, but really changed it up! The journaling was especially fun because I wrote it TO the house. I created a text box in Word, filled it with black, then cut it into strips. I love this technique - easy AND I can fit journaling in odd places and configurations this way.

FOr the opposite page I wanted to record some of the memories we've already created here. I was SO glad for this brainstorm because I was able to use a few photos that didn't kind of belong anywhere in particular - they were just kind of there with no photos friends to play with :( This way I could scrapbook them and they BELONGED! They really belong! Okay - moving on...

We finally got our sofa bed for the guest room (slash scrapbooking room). We bought one - and to our surprise, it didn't FIT in the room. I suppose MEASURING would have been a good idea. DUH. ANyway - thankfully we were able to exchange for an even nicer one (which DID fit) so we are officially ready for guests. YAY! I like this sofa even better than the last one. I'm SO excited that this room is pretty much complete. In the closet there is a built in organizer, so I've put fresh towels and face cloths on the shelves, and a fun basket filled with soap, small shampoos, hand lotions, etc. all ready for our guests to use them. Are we expecting guests soon? YES! My oldest is getting baptized in a couple of months!

Speaking of which, she had her baptismal interview with the bishop yesterday, and I was so pleased with her. The bishop said he's never talked with a young lady who is more prepared, more ready, and more excited to be baptized. She was beaming from ear to ear. She truly is a girl who has a deep desire to learn about the gospel and has an understanding that I admire. She (and all my girls) really are a shining example of the "chosen generation" the prophets tell us about. I doubt that I was asking so many deep questions at that age, and I'm SURE I wasn't as courageous a missionary as my daughters are. "T" (who is the one getting baptized) has already informed me that she has invited some friends from school to come to her baptism and she does not hesitate to tell everyone she meets about Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. I wish so badly I could be like that. Missionary work is an area that I know I am weak in. Perhaps my children were sent to be my example. I look forward to the day I see her enter into the waters of baptism - as she says to me often, "This will be the most important day of my whole life! I wish I didn't have to wait!".

I have to tell you something cute my Bayboo (age 3) said to me this morning, driving to school. "Mommy, I love Jesus - but I don't like monsters." Um...okay, thanks for that. LOL! SHe is always saying such funny things - trying so hard to sound grown up at times. While shopping for things for our fondue night tonight, she says she wanted some carrots to dip. I said "Well, I'm not sure carrots will taste good with a chocolate fondue." She pursed her little lips and says "Yep, mom, you're so right!" She is so funny sometimes - her little personality really shining through lately. I have made it a goal to make more time together - letting her help me cook and clean, working in her preschool book together, just talking. I want to record her thoughts as quickly as I can before they leave my mind. I want to do that with all my kids, they are changing every day. Since I've been using this blog as a journal at times, I think I'll try to record them here as much as possible (hope you don't mind).

One last thing before going - my baby J after a hard day at church (her first week in Nursery - halleluiah!)