Finished Product

Last December I started a project.

Yes...that's right. December. As in 8 months ago...

And tonight I FINALLY finished it. Yay!

First off, I need to give credit for my little project to an AMAZINGLY cute and TOTALLY crafty girl named Angie. You can find her here. And see her version of the project here.

She's awesome. I swear.

Anyway...this project is called a vision board. Basically a cute, scrapbooked board that you put up on the wall with dreams and goals and what not.

Well, I started this project before I was even engaged so a lot has changed. Some things were fixable...others I just left. But all the same, I still love it. Totally and completely.

And now I present...Britney's Vision Board 2009.

















P.S. Angie's is much cuter than mine. And I pretty much copied one page of hers exactly. Because it was the cutest thing I've ever seen and I couldn't get it out of my head. Hope you don't mind Angie!

I'm a Slacker...

School started this week.

I'm behind in house cleaning.

Still have a bunch of work to do on my house.

I have a million little projects I want to do.

I'm behind.

Which means blogging has gone on the back burner for a bit.

But...

I'm serious about this book club thing...if other people are serious about it also.

So let me know if you are FOR SURE in...

I'm thinking Thursday nights around 7:00? Let me know if that works for you.

First one at my house (I'll provide yummy treats). And then we can alternate houses, if you want.

Book #1: A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Sound good?

Great.

:)

Book Club

I want to start a book club.

I'm totally serious. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it all day. All week for that matter. I think it'd be fun to get together with a small group of girls once a month and eat yummy cookies or brownies and discuss a good book.

Who's in?

I'm thinking perhaps...



The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf
The Sunflower by Richard Paul Evans
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner
True Colors by Kristin Hannah

These are just some books I've quickly looked at summaries of online and want to check out but I'm open to ideas and opinions. Or shut downs if you've read these and it's not worth my time.

But....

the important question is...who's in?

We can pick a good time for everyone during the last week of every month starting in September.

You know you want to join...

New Blog

Yes, that's right.

I just started a new blog.

You can visit it here.

Basically, this will be my writing blog.

I'll share things I learn about writing, things I write and things I read.

Writing is my passion.

So is blogging.

Combine the two and it's pretty much amazing.

:)

Britney...the Extended Version

Warning: Long post coming up.

I figured I would tell everyone a little bit more about me.






My all-time favorite things

Pineapple
Cuddling
Scriptures
Scrapbooking
Swinging in parks late at night
Puppies
Black and White Photographs
Kid food (chocolate milk, vanilla wafers, fruit snacks, string cheese, applesauce)
Fun books
Music
Writing
The simple things in life
Children's comments
Dance
Reading
Learning
Trials
Deep conversations
Bright colors
Smiles
The sound of laughter
Orange blossoms
Dancing in the rain
High heels
Babies and toddlers
Gerber daisies
Hiking
Water
Shopping
Disneyland
Contentment
Paradise Bakery
Cooking
Waterfalls
Being thrifty
Fashion
Dolphins
Rollercoasters
Do-it-yourself projects
Baking
The gospel
Public Speaking
Laughing at myself
Going to lunch with girls
Random acts of kindness
Africa (the children, flamingos, zebras, hippos, giraffes)
Memories
Making my husband smile
Being in love
Jewelry
Getting my eyebrows waxed
Driving alone in my car
Lists
A great pair of jeans
The temple
Penguins
Playing hymns on the piano
My family
Brushing my teeth
Getting organized
Animated movies
Water fights
Shooting start
Blogging
Golden Spoon
The Beach
Bubbles
Catching up with close friends
The butterflies I get when my husband kisses me or holds me (yes, I still get them)
Life

Things I Don't Like

Scorpions
Dirty socks
Watching lots of television
Mopping
Cockiness
Spiders
Messy counters
Shaving
Stairs
Dishonesty
Waking up really early
Sweating
Traffic
Blow-drying my hair
Ironing
Homework
Vulgarity
People being judgmental
Long lines
Zits
Driving others in my car

Fears

Losing someone I love
Having a child with a fatal or life-changing disease
Disappointing someone
Not living up to my dreams
Motivations

Being a good wife to my husband
Making my parents proud
Trying to be the kind of person others can't say something bad about
Feeling accomplished at the end of each day
Making my Father in Heaven proud of me
Reaching my ultimate goal

Goals

Write and publish a book
Raise a family in the gospel
Start a fun, little business
Learn to do something worthwhile that I don't know how to do
Graduate
Be a fun, crafty wife and mother
Inspire others for the better


Words of Wisdom

You haven't lived until you have learned to laugh at yourself
It's the simple things that really matter
Actions speak louder than words
Everything happens for a reason
Always be true to yourself


Now...you can ask me ANY question about myself and one week from today I will do a post answering all the questions.

:)

Thanks.

Thanks for all the ideas! I will try to use all the ideas. Now I just got to decide what order to blog about them. So for tonight...I will tell you about my wonderful Saturday experiences.

Today Jess and I went to Toys R Us.

Yes. We seriously did.

And no...we weren't going shopping for our nieces and nephews.

We went for ourselves.

We even had a sword fight in the aisles, almost bought them to bring home, decided against it and then regretted that decision later.

sword fights = pure awesomeness.

I'm not even kidding.

You should try it sometime.

What did we walk out with?

Well...Jess got a book called "The Diary of the Wimpy Kid" or something like that.

As for me...I got a Strawberry Shortcake coloring book.

400 pages of pure bliss.

I created three masterpieces tonight.








Oh yes...I LOVE coloring.

:)

And so should you.

I may act like a child sometimes -- and that's okay.

It's soooo worth it.

What kid-like things do YOU still like to do?

Roadblock

I have NO idea what to blog about. I have come to a standstill. Well...actually I have a couple of ideas but they can't come for awhile. So here's the game plan:

YOU give me ideas on what to blog on.

And also tell me what you would like to see more of:

**Recipes
**Crafts
**Decor
**Fashion
**Ninjas
**Boys
**Writing
**Spotlights
**Something else

Okay...now go!

Cooking and Baking Week

I don't know why but I have recently become obsessed with cooking and baking.

Thus...I decided to do a lot of it this week.

Tonight: Homemade broccoli cheese soup with Swedish rolls.

Tomorrow night: YUMMY spinach chicken salad with the most AMAZING homemade dressing ever. and probably peanut butter kiss cookies. (i should bring cookies to my neighbors...)

Wednesday: Dinner (idk yet.) But it's gotta be something good. The parents are coming over for dinner for the first time. I must impress them with my cooking skills! Dessert: homemade banana cream pie. Also, I'm making these yummy strawberry streusel bars for a luncheon!

Thursday: I'm going to a baby shower so I probably won't cook dinner. But I will be bringing something to the shower. I don't know my assignment yet tho.

Friday: Date night.

Saturday: Homemade AMAZING recipe lasagna

Saturday or Sunday: Homemade bread and jam.

Sunday: Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Any ideas for what to cook on Wednesday or next week? I love ideas!!!

I win.

Why do I win you might ask?

Well...i have the most amazing husband in the world.

Therefore, I win.

(And I'm sure all of you married girls out there are thinking, "No. I have the most amazing husband in the world." But you're wrong. Because my husband is the most amazing husband in the world...to me. And I'm the most amazing girl in the world...to him. That's just how it works. So we all win.)

Anywho...

Yesterday morning, he got out bed early. When I went down stairs awhile later he exclaimed, "NO! You weren't supposed to come down yet. I was gonna bring you this in bed..." And then he handed me this. Mr. Banana Pancake Face.






Yes, my husband made me banana pancakes with strawberry facial features and whipped cream hair. Sew much good. :)


Then a while later when I began to be a total girl and felt less than perfect and not talented...he said all the right things to make me feel better. No...he didn't tell me that I'm PERFECT at everything I try. But he told me the plain and simple truth. There's thing i'm AMAZING at. Better than most. There's things I'm simply good at and do for fun. And there are things that I'm not that great at and probably shouldn't pursue unless I'm ready and willing to put in the time to improve. And that's OKAY. That's normal.

Yup. He's the best.

I win.

The Mysteries of the Male Species Unfold

There are a few things that have always boggled my mind about men (or should I say boys...when do they become men anyway?) I'm sure that these same questions have entered some of your minds before as well because I have had many discussions with various girls on the subject.

Question 1: Why do guys have this obsession with calling us their "wifey"? Not "wife" or "babe" or simply our name...but "wifey". Jess started calling me this before we were even married because he couldn't wait to do so. And I know other guys who were the same way. I mean I'm not complaining...I like being called "wifey", I just don't understand the obsession.

Question 2: What is with guy's constantly calling other guys "tools"? I just don't get it...

Question 3: What is a tool anyway? Because it's used so much and for so many different types of guys that I'm a little lost...

Anyone with me on these mind-boggling mysteries?

Well...here are the answers:

On the drive home from Oceanside, I decided to have a little heart-to-heart/enter-the-mind-of-the-male-species conversation with my husband.

Here is what I found:

Answer 1: We are just trying to be cute. Plain and simple.

***My commentary: Okay...acceptable. I like it. :)

Answer 2: It is the best way to put another guy down.

***My commentary: Hmmm....still don't get it. Why put someone else down?

Answer 3:

Jess: A tool is a guy who thinks he is really cool and lots of girls think he's really cool...but every guy just knows that he is a fag.
Britney: But the guys you call tools are so obviously not gay...
Jess: NOOOOO. In this case fag isn't referring to being gay. Just an idiot.
Britney: Right **Thinks to herself: So how am I supposed to know when fag means gay and when it means tool?**

*** My commentary: This actually helped.

Jess continued to make a list for me of the "tools", the real "fags" and the "scumbags".

Tools: Brody Jenner, Spencer Pratt, Jason Mesnick, Mr. Darcy and ***gasp** Edward (oh no he didn't!!!)


Real Fags: Zac Efron (so NOT true...), Ryan Seacrest (duh) and Simon Cowell (who even cares...?)


Scumbags: Ed Swiderski (The Bachelorette) and Jon Gosselin (Jon and Kate Plus 8)


I then informed him that his lists were pretty short to which he replied...name some guys that girls are obsessed with and i'll tell you which list they belong in. So I named Adam Brody, Chris Pine and Rob Pattinson. He didn't know any of them and finally said, "I don't know. I need to open one of those US magazines to get some ideas."

Aha. Caught him. He KNOWS what US is...and he really doesn't even know who to place on the lists. Gotcha.

Oh...and he did say that athletes don't count because guys "accept" them as cool. And reality show stars are more often termed as "tools", "fags" and "scumbags" because they are famous for nothing more than being famous.

The Mystery is SOMEWHAT explained...I'll try to get more later...

L.O.V.E.

Two months from today I stepped foot into the most amazing structure here on earth and married my best friend.

Two months from today I promised to love him forever and he promised the same in return.

Two months from today I looked Jess in the eye as he went from "fiance" to "husband".

Two months from today was undoubtedly the best day of my life.

Two months ago from today I was sealed to my lover and friend for time and all eternity, never to part.


Two months from today marks the greatest decision I've ever made.

I will never be able to express in words how much I love this boy.

He listens to me when I have something to say...no matter how seemingly unimportant it is.

He knows my dreams and goals and REALLY wants to help me achieve them.

He lets me cry and have complete meltdowns and then he seems to make everything better.






He can make me smile with a single look.

He holds me like he's never going to let go.

He makes me a better person.

He loves that I'm a total and complete girl.






He is willing to make compromises so that both of us are happy.

He looks at me like I'm the only girl in the world.






He loves my body and makes me feel like it's perfect even though I know it's not.

He tells me I'm beautiful every single day.






He loves my family.

He has such a strong testimony.







He is the greatest friend in the whole world.

He is my other half and without him, I couldn't go on.







I love you so much babe! Thanks for making me so happy!

The Perfect Combination

Jess

+

Nash

+

Cuddling in bed

+

A really great book

= the perfect combination and my current obsession.
Life doesn't get much better than this.

What's your perfect combination of things?



P.S. -- I leave for Oceanside tomorrow with the in-laws. I don't think I'll have internet service...so I'll report back on Thursday or Friday!

Beginning...

I'm beginning the brainstorming process of my very first novel...

tonight.







Yes, Jess and I are each going to write a novel. It's something both of us have always wanted to do. So we're setting aside at least one hour each night before bed to this endeavor. And we're motivating each other.

Of course we know that the odds of our novels getting published are slim to none, but we'll still try. We're not writing them to be published necessarily. We're writing them for the satisfaction of knowing we did it. We stuck through long enough to finish.

I love that my husband shares my same goals and desires.

And I love that he supports me.

Wish us luck!

:)

Puppy Love

Yes, Mr. Nash is probably the cutest thing to ever walk this planet.

Jess and I had been talking about getting a puppy for a while. I mean c'mon...I get a little lonely while Jess is at work and let's face it...I grew up with the most AMAZING dog ever (gotta love my Pete) so it's only normal to miss him. I just HAD to get a puppy to help ease my loneliness. Jess was more than willing to fulfill my wishes.

We began researching types of dogs with our list of criteria in hand (good with kids, smart, semi-easy to train, doesn't shed, cuddly, not overly energetic etc.) That's when I discovered the maltipoo. EXACTLY what we wanted and SOOO adorable.

It was then that I consulted good ol' azcentral.com and looked at the classifieds. I began looking at all the pictures of the different puppies. I found a TON that I thought were so adorable and I was getting really excited. That's when I found the ad with Nash in it. I pulled up the picture of the four puppies from his litter and immediately spotted him. I instantly knew that THAT was my puppy. Here's how it went:

Me: "OH MY GOSH, JESS."
Jess: "What?!"
Me: "I found my puppy."
Jess: "Where? Let me see."
Me: points to cute puppy "That one."
Jess: "Why not that one with the black ear?"
Me: "No I want THAT one. THAT is my puppy. I'm telling you. I feel it."
Jess: "Okay. He's cute. Let's look at him."
Me: "I was planning on it."

The next morning I called and found out they only had one of the puppies left. We went to look at him and sure enough...it was THAT one. My puppy. It was love at first sight. We bought him that night.

He was so sweet and cuddly. A tad bit scared....but that's to be expected. He's now all settled in to his new home. I think he's really happy. He's a total mama's boy and follows me around EVERYWHERE. If I move away too fast for him to keep up he cries or if I ever move out of his line of sight her freaks out. But he loves his daddy also. In fact, I walked into our room earlier this afternoon to find the two of them fast asleep, cuddled up together. My two boys. So presh. Anyway, we LOVE our puppy. He's starting to get a hang of going to the bathroom when we take him outside but still has some accidents. He even peed on our bed earlier today. But that's okay. He'll learn and I'm ready to teach him. He's so much fun!




(Nash loves his little bed and his cute little toys)





(Nash likes the kitty? Hmmm...)




(I love my boy...)





(He's so precious when he sleeps!)




(Trying to get him to pee...unsuccessfully...)




(He did this on his own. He crawled behind me and poked his head between my legs, then crawled through. Cutest thing ever. He's so tiny!)




(When I asked him to go "potty", he instead decided to BURROW himself in this bush and take a nap. It was so cute I ran to get my camera and capture the moment. But of course, the second I ran back out...he had sat up. Oh well...still cute.)




(Our new little family)