Relief Society Meeting 2012

Today was the LDS Relief Society General Meeting. The broadcast occurs semiannually where religious leaders share a special message for women over 18. I have gone for many years but this year I was quite excited. It probably has a lot to do with becoming a Mom this year.

The Relief Society General Presidency

I am so excited to be a Mom, it is what I always wanted to be when I grew up. Even through my excitement I am a little nervous, hoping that I can be the Mom that I need to be for my precious gifts. I thought this conference would help me understand more of what my Heavenly Father expects of me and how to start but nope, He is full of surprises.

Here are some things that I learned.

• Awaken in my duties - Sometimes  I find that I am doing what I feel is right but not really excelling or pushing myself to achieve what I am fully capable of. I have so many opportunities to serve those that surround me and to make a difference in a variety of ways.  I need to strengthen myself so I can be an example to my family. I have to improve myself in order to accomplish what is needed of me.

• Never Alone - I come from a large family, I have never physically been alone but I have been alone. I learned that there are people around me that may be feeling alone and that I can help them by small and simple things. I know that my Savior, Jesus Christ, is always there for me for the good times and the bad times. I have seen and felt his presence in my own life I have the opportunity to bring that same comfort and joy into others lives.

• Purpose of Family - Henry B. Eyring, spoke about what the purpose of Relief Society is but it my mind it came across as what is the purpose of family. Cherish, Watch, Comfort, Learn and Teach each other. That was really powerful to me, gave me more of an understanding of what I am expected to do in my own home. Not exactly sure how I am going to accomplish that yet but it will come. I think that it might come down to doing what needs to be done, especially when opportunities comes at inconvenient times. This shall be interesting as time unfolds.....

I have alot to do, no surprise there. If only I knew where to start. I guess the best way to start is to just put one foot out and see what happens from there. A little leap of faith goes a long way.

If you would like you can watch the broadcast at this link here........
http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/archive/general-relief-society-meeting/2012/09?lang=eng

Wedding bells

My younger brother got married September 22 to a beautiful young lady. I am so happy for them and the opportunity to get to know Joanna better.

They Kiss.....

They Dance....

 They are going to be a great couple and I am excited to watch their lives unfold.

I am still in shock that Timothy is married. Of course I knew he would eventually but I'm just not ready to admit to it yet. Somehow him getting married makes me old....

Here is my cousin, Jessica, and I. Our due dates are just a couple weeks between each other.

My newest cousin, second cousin maybe... I don't know how that works. Her name is Penny, she is two weeks old and cute as a button! I wish they lived closer so I could steal her every now and then.

More Dancing..... So much fun!

My parents have always loved to dance together. I am glad that I managed to finally get a picture of them. ;)

30 weeks

I can't believe that we are already 30 weeks along. The time sure has flown by and rumor has it that the last bit goes even faster. I am so excited for our baby bee to join our home.

Not really excited for the day that he arrives but the following day is just going to be wonderful.

He is such a squirmer, I'm not sure when he sleeps since he is always moving. There are times when he really starts to move. Jason has been reading everynight to him, as soon as he starts he gives a couple huge kicks then rolls around. I think that he loves it!! I just hope that when we read him stories for bedtime he settles down instead of waking up more......

I think he is going to be a night owl. He rarely lets me sleep before 1:00. I guess I better get used to staying up late and running on lack of sleep.

Let the Adventures Begin!!

We have been busy planning what renovations we are going to do when we get possession of our house. We have so much to do, in order to be able to suite the basement. Lucky for us there is a small two piece bathroom for us to start with. We are going to have to move walls and put a bath/shower in. Also a kitchen is a must!! Nothing started for that. Not even plumbing or electrical..... EEK! This is going to be quite a task especially since I will be 7 1/2 months prego when we move in. First job will be to get a bit settled so we actually can be a bit organized for when baby bee arrives. I am hoping that bee will be a good sleeper and not need alot for a couple of months so we can focus on the basement..... Cross your fingers for us.

We went on a reno adventure date. We went out for dinner before our adventure. Hmmm poutines. Delis! Then we found ourselves at Home Depot. I swear they have everything there. We darted between isles, searched high and low for deals and gathered clues to make the perfect suite. We wrote down a million numbers so that we can compare prices with other places to get the best deal. It was actually quite alot of fun. Buying a home, renovating it and having a baby is alot at one time so we are definitely taking our time before we make any purchases.

Can't wait for our next reno date.
Location: Totem

Spa Night

Jason was out the other day with the boys so I thought I would take advantage of that and have a spa night myself. I might as well enjoy these nights because I am sure that once our baby bee arrives I won't have much time to relax. I found all my favorite products and spent the whole night relaxing. I thought that I would share my favorites with you.

First off hands and feet. Scrub and lotion. Time to get rid of my flip flop heels.

Face is all about artistry for me. Cleanse, mask, toner, moisturizer, eye creme and a blemish creme. My face feels so smooth and refreshed!!!

 

The summer always drys out my hair so it needed a bit of help from my trusty hair repair serum.

Last of all body lotion!!! Gotta smell good and I love the fresh apples.

I settled down on the couch to paint my toes, normally an easy feat but 6 months prego I don't think so. It sure was comedic. I also watched the Cosby show, always good for a laugh!!!
What a great night it turned out to be. If only we had ice cream too....

For more product information check out:
http://www.amway.ca/ranger-unlimited

Thinking smarter not harder....

We BOUGHT a house!!! I can't believe it! I am sooo excited!  This was definitely not an easy thing for us to do, but with determination anything is possible. A while ago we read the book "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey. I would highly suggest this book for whatever stage of life you are in or whatever condition your finances are in. Dave has 7 baby steps to help you achieve your financial goals. For the most part I agree with his system however we felt that once we had our emergency fund (1) in place and no debt on our credit card (2) that we needed a house. Renting is a bad deal so we worked at making home ownership an option. Dave talks about gazelle intensity. AKA saving fast and hard, not a little here and a little there. This helped immensely. We got creative, looked at where we were wasting money, what did we have that we didn't have a use for, what could we do to be more profitable with our business and if there was any options to increase our hours with our day jobs. I think what made the biggest difference was our mindset. I used to think oh its only 5 dollars but then I switched and went its 5 dollars!!! Do I really want this frosty or would I like a house?!?! We definitely surprised ourselves with the money that we "found." It almost became a game for us.

Let's Get Started!

Well lets get everything out on the table for starters.
My name is Lindsey. I married my best friend, Jason,  last summer and that was the best choice that I have ever made in my life. We are expecting our first child this December. A BOY!! I'm just a little excited can you tell? We are currently house hunting. Fingers crossed..... Hoping to find a great place and then I can show you all of the wonderful changes that we will make. I'm quite crafty and can't wait to do some reno's to our place. We both come from medium/largish sized families so there are lots of people around that we absolutely love. It is such a blessing to be close to family. It also makes for some pretty hilarious stories. We have some of the best friends in the world. I like to think of them as the family that I chose. For some reason they mostly live hours and hours away. Good thing technology is available or I would have no idea what anyone is up to. Jason and I own an on-line business; Ranger Unlimited. Which we love. I love helping people reach their personal financial goals and we also have a customer basis that specializes in Home and Health products. I will most definitely keep you updated on that. We belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am so grateful for the gospel, it has truly helped me to see the miracles all around me. It is hard to love everything but with the right perspective you can catch a glimpse into the purposes behind some of the challenges of life. Life is full and a little bit crazy but we are doing our best to find joy in every step of our journey.