Missing Home

I've really been missing California lately. My family, the weather, and the food. That probably just labeled me a fat kid for life, but I'll admit it.


In honor of that, I found a recipe for pizookies from BJ'S Brewery. They were so good! Super easy and super delicious! A little taste of home!

I also made a buttermilk caramel sauce to go on top and it was kind of amazing!


The recipes can be found here and here.

blahhh. . .

I'm irritated. I find myself snapping at people more easily, rolling my eyes more often, and dramatically sighing frequently. I always seem to be on my guard, perpetually tired. I lack motivation. I miss my mom and dad. I miss my big bed. I miss how simple life seemed when I was 10. How do I explain it?

How do you end a week on a high only to crash and burn at the start of the next week? I just feel like nothing's ever going to happen. It's like I'm just spinning my wheels going nowhere. I need to make a change. I need to let light into my life, there are too many dark areas.

How do you choose to be happy? Is there a special way of looking at things that keeps the bad away? I go through phases. Sometimes I feel really happy. I feel like everything in my life is as it should be.

I'm going to school and learning a lot. I'm hanging out with friends and laughing. I'm magnifying my church calling, working hard for the Lord.

But then sometimes I feel like it's not enough. Not enough in the sense that there has to be more in my life, not that I'm not working hard enough.

I'm going to use this long weekend coming up to organize my life, and overall my attitude. Because there is no way I can make it through the rest of the semester feeling like this, I won't survive.

UPDATE: It's amazing what skipping a couple of classes will do for your disposition. I highly recommend it!

Development

Katie and I may or may not be speaking this Sunday in sacrament meeting. We're currently tentative speakers because of the possible combining of wards this week due to the long weekend.

It's kind of funny, the last time both of us spoke it was together. I guess they just can't bear to break up a set. Haha!

Remembering

Sometimes I think about the past. Not like last week, or last year even. But the real past. I think about those that have come before us. Those that built this country for us, those that made our families who we are today. I think about those saints that crossed the plains and buried loves ones.

Each one of them was a person. They weren't abstract beings. They had concrete personalities. They laughed at jokes and cried when they were sad. I had great,great,great etc. grandparents that didn't like venison, or far removed cousins that hated the rain.

All these people were characters. They lived. They walked. They fought. They triumphed. Their history provides the foundation for our future. We are who we are because of them. Does that not astound anyone else?

I am so grateful for those that have come before me. For their sacrifices and for their spirits. I feel a connection with them. They've done so much for me, and I want to do all that I can for the generations that come after me. It's a daunting task when one thinks about the backwards world we're living in today, but an important one.

I don't know if I'm adequately getting across the way I'm feeling right now. I just think all of our stories are amazing. These amazing stories we wouldn't have without them.

I'm blessed.

Binder Bling

I designed this cover for the front of my Relief Society binder. I also made one for the rest of the presidency. What can I say, I like cute things.

Craftin fool!

This semester I've really been into crafting and making things. I love to see things come together into something amazing!
I bought this tunic top on clearance Saturday on a break from the market, but it needed a little somethin', somethin'. I saw a tutorial online about making a flower belt, so I did! I made one! What do you think? That's one of our Petal Pushers flowers clipped there if you were wondering.. isn't it cute?

A couple weeks ago, I saw this cute earring holder online and wanted to recreate it. Since my walls are white, I chose to go with a contrasting frame color. I think it turned out pretty great. I just need a bigger frame, because I have way too many earrings to fit on this teeny one!

Lastly, I saw this online and have been wanting to take it for a spin as well. I found a cheapo shirt at old navy and bought some lace trim for like a dollar at Walmart and went to it! While I was pinning the lace around the collar my roommate, Stacy, walked in and said, "If that turns out cute, I'll let you do that to some of my shirts too." Oh, she's so good to me! Look at what she's going to let me do!
After a few hiccups, I think it turned out super cute!! I'm kind of loving it! I just want to craft everything now!! I have so many projects bookmarked to try out someday. Maybe over the 7 week break since I didn't get hired on to be an EFY counselor this summer. See how I slipped that in there at the last second? Ripping the band aid off and all...

Have a great day!

Mom's Day

What could I possibly say about my mother that I haven't said before? She's always been so good to me, even when I went through that angsty phase during my teen years when I always had to have the last word and thought that no one could possibly understand the way I was feeling.

A girl who spoke in my ward today said that she thought her and her mom had been best friends in the preexistence. I know that my mom and I were best friends. I know that we worked a deal that allowed us to be together in this life and forever.

I love her. She has taught me so much. Everyday I see a little bit more of how privileged I am to have been raised by her.

Despite our differences, I have never once felt unloved. I know the sentiment is passe, but I really do want to be like her when I grow up. She's supported me, loved me, chastised me, inspired me, and made me laugh.

Looking back, I can say that I've never wanted anyone else to be my mother. She's it. I love her and reap the benefits of her being such a wonderful woman.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I love you forever, ever.

PP Steps Up!

Last Saturday. May 1st, was the first day that our company, Petal Pushers, was selling at the farmers market in Idaho Falls. It was also the windiest day on record in a long time. I mean like really windy. Like knock people over windy. It was so bad!

It was chilly too, and all of us froze. There also wasn't a huge turn out. I mean, if I didn't need to be there, I would be inside too! We only managed to sell two flowers. $10 profit, that ended up not being a profit because we had to pay the market manager people $10 for something. So we basically paid them so we could freeze and be miserable all day.

The set up

The people that were there loved our flowers. They just didn't love them enough to buy them. "Oh, they're so pretty!' "Look at that one mom!" "These are so different than the others we've seen today!" We also got a lot of parents dragging away their daughters that had fallen in love with one of our buds. Those were the ones we were the most sad about. Their eyes would light up, their hands would reach, and then their heads jerked as their mom tugged them onward.

Stacy suggested we make a sign to hang in front of our booth that says,

"Compliments don't fly,
you have to buy"

I like it. Despite the high general suckiness of the day, we had some good moments together, and are making friends with the people in the booths around us.

We actually turned a profit this week. $34!! That's about 7 flowers. Logically we know that it takes a little while to get established and for people to know that we're out there and for business to pick up, but we just want everyone to have a flower now. We built it, and now they need to come!

Yikes!!

Has it really almost been 2 weeks since I posted last!?!? That's madness! Sorry, peeps. Things have been a little crazy here! I'm going to try and do a little back-posting, so I can kind of catch you up on what's up in my life lately.

I'll leave you with this collage of pics that I discovered after turning on my camera. Aren't they so photogenic?

Katie and our roommate, Stacy.

P.S. This only like 1/3 of the pics I found. They got a little shutter happy!!