Sisters

"If you don't understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, you were probably an only child." I saw this quote tonight and thought of my sisters, not because I want to wring their necks, but because sometimes I wonder if they would like to wring mine. :)

Honestly though, I have been so blessed with wonderful sisters, both by blood and by marriage. So I thought I would share with everyone why my sisters are so wonderful by sharing a little bit about each one...

Cyndi Brannen

Cyndi is my oldest sister, about 20 years older. Cyndi is the reader. She is one of the few people I know (other than my friend Kaylee) that can read a book in a few hours. Cyndi is always reading....always! She will read anything, I have seen her reading mystery, romance, church literature, etc. It has always amazed me at how quickly she can read a book by one of our general authorities...I mean come on, it takes me an hour just to get through a 2 page talk. :) I think Cyndi learned early on that "we are able to progress as we increase in KNOWLEDGE and experience." I am grateful for her example to try to immerse myself in more books, who knows, maybe it was her example that made me the reader I am today.

Becky HewardBecky is a HARD WORKer, one of the hardest workers I know. She is always working, at home, at work, at play. Sometimes I get tired just hearing how much she does in one day, but it is amazing to me. For example, she wakes up early to help get the kids ready for school and then get to work by 7. She works a full day, leaving at 3 to pick up her 3 children, all of which go to different schools (elementary, jr. high and high school). Sometimes she will return to work to finish up loose ends, but even if she doesn't, her work is not done when she gets home. Once she is home she almost always makes a home-cooked meal for her family, (a definite feat in my mind). She then cleans up, goes to mutual/visiting teaching/dance classes/etc. After that she often works out, cleans around her house, spends some time with her husband, gets her kids ready for bed, probably only falling asleep herself close to midnight...then she starts G. Scott that says, "they became outstanding servants of God because of their discipline, hard work, and trust in the Lord."

Tina Washburn

Tina has a talent that I have been working on for the last 26 years, and that is creativity. She always has unique ideas for parties, for food at our gatherings, she comes upover again the next day. Becky is an amazing example to me of the quote by Richard with some of the cutest costumes for her children and is always helping them learn in CREATIVE ways. Brigham Young once said, "There is a great work for the Saints to do. Progress, and improve upon and make beautiful everything around you. Cultivate the earth, and cultivate your minds. Build cities, adorn your habitations, make gardens, orchard and vinyards, and render the earth so pleasant that when you look upon your labors you may do so with pleasure, and the angels may delight to come and visit your beautiful locations. In the mean time continually seek to adorn your mind with all the graces of the Spirit of Christ." Tina has surely accomplished this task. She has created a beautiful home where the Spirit of Christ dwells.

Michelle WashburnMichelle is a bit of sunshine on a cloudy day. She brings humor to our sometimes dull family and I am so grateful for it! I remember one of the first times I got to hang out with Michelle. She took me shopping for a new dress when I was about 13. I was excited to go shopping with her partly because she had this rad green truck and also because she was always so HAPPY. I was not disappointed on this trip. As we were driving to the mall a song came on the radio that she liked, she then cranked up the volume and started dancing and grooving in the car...I can honestly say that was a first for me. I remember her telling me to join in with her and thinking to myself, "she is SO cool, I wish I could be as fun as her." I suppose I have been lucky enough to get a piece of Michelle's fun attitude, because occasionally, when a really awesome song comes on the radio, you can see me doing my own little dance moves on the US60.

Karla WashburnKarla is amazing! She is the first person I have ever met who was a doctor at the age of 24. I am only beginning to realize how much work it was for her to accomplish such a task in so little time. What amazes me even more is she is continuing on with her schooling. She is a great example to me of endurance. There have been so many times when I have wanted to quit nursing school because I was overwhelmed, but knowing how much Karla had to SACRIFICE to get to where she is today, reminded me that it takes hard work to accomplish great tasks. Along with that is also her sacrifice to give up her home and family to come to the U.S. to marry my brother. I cannot imagine having to leave so much behind, but once again Karla is a wonderful example of how important the virtues of sacrifice and compromise are when you love someone.

Marianne Washburn

Marianne is my bosom buddy in a lot of ways. She and I have a lot in common and have endured similar trials in life and those trials have allowed us to bond in a special way. One of the things I have learned from Marianne is to set GOALs. I know a lot of us set goals for ourselves. I do all the time, but most of the time it seems that we forget our goals or give up when things get rough. Marianne on the other hand, not only sets goals, but makes a PLAN to acheive that goal. I have seen these characteristics in her when she planned her wedding, graduated from college, prepared her home for a new baby, lost weight after her first baby, started working as a teacher, started working out at the gym, I have even seen them in the simple daily tasks she has to do. Elder Wirthlin has said, "I have known many great men and women. Although they have different backgrounds, talents and perspectives, they all have this in common: they work diligently and persistantly towards acheiving their goals." I really believe that Marianne is one of these great women.

Becky Filhart

Becky Filhart is my sister from the Filhart side. I am so lucky to have Becky as a sister. I remember praying Dave would just propose to her so that she would officially be a part of our family. Becky is the epitome of FRUGALity. First of all she practically made it through college debt free because she knew how to budget and be frugal with her money. Second, she always has the cutest decorations and furnishings in her home, almost all of which were not only inexpensive, but also high quality. Becky has taught me that cheap is not always better, but that you can always find a good deal if you are patient and creative. In fact, although she may not realize it, Becky has taught me most of what I know about decorating on a budget. Becky definitely exemplifies the teachings of the church to be wise, frugal and provident.

Sarah UlrichSarah. It's pretty amazing that all I have to do is write her name and tears start streaming down my face. I could say a lot of wonderful things about Sarah, but I think the one thing I would like to share is that Sarah is the GREATEST example to me of what a SISTER should be. I can say this because she has not only been a wonderful sister to me, but she is a wonderful sister to every person she comes in contact with. She is able to see beyond the flesh and blood and really connect with people on a spiritual level. Sarah not only knows that we are all Spirit brothers and sisters, but she lives her life and treats others like they are all part of her own family. Because if this I think Sarah has been lucky enough to have a little bit of heaven in her life. I love the quote by President Hinckley that says, "love is like the Polar Star. In a changing world, it is constant. It is the very essance of the gospel. Without love...there is little else to commend the gospel to us as a way of life." Sarah is like a Polar Star, I know her love for me is constant and not dependent on what I do, and for this I am eternally grateful.

This post has been a week in the making and I'm glad it has taken me so long, because now it is Thanksgiving and I can close this post by giving thanks to all of my sisters, whether they are sisters by blood, marriage, church, or friendship. Thank you for your guidance, support and love in my life, I am so blessed to know each and every one of you.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Opening a Restaurant

For those of you who don't know- Wes and I have been making his Mom's famous eggrolls every other week since May. Surprisingly we have done very well with them and I'm beginning to rethink my stand-point on how I felt about opening up a restaurant.
For as long as I can remember, Wes has wanted to be his "own boss" by opening a restaurant and selling his Mom's excellent food. However, I kept telling him things like -it's not a good idea, that it probably would not work out the way he thought it would, that we could never afford it, it would be a lot of work, etc. Then this summer we started selling egg rolls to Wes's friends work. The first week we had an order for about 20 dozen and I thought, "this will never happen again." Then two weeks later we got an order from the same office for 32 dozen! Two weeks after that they ordered some more and I thought, "let's see how this will go over with some of our Facebook friends." So I posted on Facebook that we were selling egg rolls and the response has been overwhelming. We sold over 300 dozen in about 2 and half months and we continue to get requests all the time. In fact, we're making some more for Labor Day and instead of people ordering 1 or 2 dozen they are ordering 3 or 4 dozen.
So back to my original thought. Wes and I are seriously contemplating opening a restaurant that serves vietnamese cuisine with a focus on egg rolls. It would definitely be risky and very scary and I'm not quite sure how we would gather the money to do it, but at the same time it is exciting to think about. Who knows maybe it wouldn't go over the way we think it would, but the fact that we are selling so many egg rolls to our friends alone, makes me think that we might have a good chance at this restaurant thing.

Living on a Budget

I thought I would share some pictures of things we have done around our house in the last 18 months since we have lived here. I love looking at pictures and watching shows about interior design and I imagine if I had all the money in the world I would spend a lot of it on decorating, but since I'm in school and my husband is a teacher I have found ways to work around our small budget and try to create my own HGTV-type house. Here are some of our savings...

These first two pictures I have already posted on my Blog, but I just wanted to post them again to show some of the savings in this room.

Paint = free!

Flower arrangements = free! (Thanks Becky)

Couches = no cost after selling all the other stuff we bought with them

George Washington picture = $80 saved $520

Red curtains = free!

Dresser for TV (not shown) = $100

Floral Accent Chair (not shown) = free!

I sat down one day and figured out it only cost me about $300 to decorate and furnish my entire front room and although it's not exactly what I would pick, the price is well worth it.

The Boy's Room

Here are some of Gideon's Birthday presents that we got on clearance at Target saving us $40.

Palm leaves, bug night lights and bedding = $10 saved about $140

(I really wanted these palm leaves from Ikea but I didn't want to spend $15 each, then one day while I was walking a lady was selling them at her garage sale for $5 each. I told her I would buy them and she said okay, then told me I could have the leaves, the two sets of matching twin bedding, two twin headboards, the two bug night lights and some other stuff all for $10 if I would just take it home...I said OKAY and now I have matching bedding for my boys.)

Dresser = Wes's old dresser from before we were married (I love reusing things)

Kids love sac = free! (somone left it on the sidewalk outside with a big sign saying free, we picked it up on our way to church one Sunday...I love the saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure)

Mirror and pictures = free!

Plant = $5 saved $20

Bamboo shade = $30 saved about $30

Bunk bed = $50 saved $175

Bamboo rug = $25 saved $75
Paint = $11

Guest Bath Before

Guest Bathroom Now and Our Savings

Mirror = free!

New door = $25 saved $60

Light fixture= $30, I didn't save anything on this, but it was definitely in my budget.

Candle holder on toilet = $0.50

Paint to update vanity instead of replacing it = $10 saved over $100 easy

New hardware for vanity = free! saved $10 - $20

Paint for walls = free! (not my favorite, but hey who can beat free)

New 18 inch tile = free! (Thanks James) saved about $75

New towel hanger = $15

Red shower curtain - $7 saved $7

Dining Room/Office Savings

Dining room curtains and rod = $90 saved about $200
(I could have saved another $30 if I knew how to sew...next time maybe.)

Collage on top of the desk = $3 saved $20

Dining room wall = $40 for everything, saved approximately $300

(The picture of Christ was free, they were going to through it away because the glass broke.)

Dining Room/Office Before

Dining Room/Office Now

Paint = $35 saved $20

Desk = $100 saved $300

Collage and table in the corner = free!

Table, benches and chairs = $250 saved $1250

Wood floors for entire house = $650 saved $900 (We bought them from Ikea when they were having a huge sale, long before we knew we were buying a house.)

Savings = $4200 +

I hope to have pictures of our new bedroom set soon. We first saw it at Oasis Bedrooms and I LOVED it! However it was WAY out of budget. I figured I would try to watch for something similar on Craigslist and to my surprise a week after we had gone into Oasis I found the exact bed for $300, saving us $1300 and then a few days after that someone else was selling the exact dresser and nightstands. I took some slight bargining, but I got the girl to agree on $700 for the dresser and nightstands saving me another $1300. Who knew being patient could have such EXCELLENT rewards!

Happily Ever After

So at the request of my sister Sarah, I have decided to update my blog. I have never been very good at journaling, except for when I was on my mission when I wrote every day, but now I have 3 kids to feed, bathe, read scriptures with, pray and put to bed- needless to say journaling has fallen to the bottom of my to do list. Yet when Sarah and I were talking a couple of days ago she reminded me that blogging is like a journal and that I should do it more often.
Often times I feel like I don't have much to say that is worth reading, but who knows, maybe it will be worth it to my kids later on in life. So here's what I have to say today. I'll start with part of a talk from President Utchdorf that he gave in May this year to the Young Women of the church.
He talks about the fairy tale stories we all grew up hearing as a child, in which we often hear the phrase, "once upon a time." He says, "Aren't those wonderful words to begin a story ? 'Once upon a time' promises something: a story of adventure and romance, a story of princes and princesses. It may include tales of courage, hope and everlasting love. In many of these stories, nice overcomes mean and good overcomes evil. But perhaps most of all, I love it when we turn to the last page and our eyes reach the final lines and we see the enchanting words, 'And they lived happily ever after.'"
Elder Utchdorf continues by saying, "Isn't that what we all desire: to be heroes and heroines of our own stories; to triumph over adversity; to experience life in all its beauty; and, in the end, live happily ever after?"
He then reminds us that we are daughters of a Heavenly Father who loves us and has given us our own fairy tale. We have been given a "once upon a time" complete with adventure, trials, heartache and love. Yet the best part is the fact that we have the chance to truly live "happily ever after."
I love these words. I love the fact that this life does not end here. I love that although I am not perfect I can continue to perfect myself in hopes of one day spending eternity with those I love most. I can't think of anything greater than knowing that I am a princess and that I really can have a fairy tale ending.
I know that my Heavenly Father loves me SO much. I am reassured of this every time my husband lays his hands on my head to give me a blessing, every time I go to the temple and every time I get on my knees to pray. How grateful I am for this knowledge, because not only has it blessed and comforted me, it has also helped me to try harder to raise my kids with love and gentleness.
I guess that's about it for today. And yes Sarah- I will try to do better at keeping up with my "journaling", thanks for the reminder. :)

I was going to add a few family pictures from our summer trips and adventures, but blogger won't let me upload them right now so I will try doing it tomorrow.

A Snip-It

So I'll be honest- I really should not be spending time adding to my blog, but I couldn't help put a couple pictures up real quick and giving a little update on our family.
Wes just signed his contract to teach a third year out on the reservation. It is not exactly his first choice, but the pay and benefits are outstanding and it's a job so we can't complain. We've been talking more and more about what he is going to do once I finish school and he is really leaning toward getting his PhD. (Will we ever finish school? :)) Once school is out this year he plans on helping me with some unfinished projects on the house and "hanging out". I can't wait!!!
I'm almost done with Block I and I couldn't be happier about it! Don't get me wrong I love what I am doing, but if I had known how difficult nursing school would be, I don't think I would have done it. However, with that said, I can't wait for Block II when I can start working in the hospitals. Once I'm done with Block I, I plan on getting my hair done (it's been 4 months, way too long), getting a pedicure and going to Taylor to visit my favorite family!!
As for the kids- Steele will be 4 next month. He amazes me everyday with the things he knows. He loves his babysitter, loves to play games and can't wait to go to school "like mommy".
Gideon is my sweetheart. He is learning some new signs (considering we can't get him to talk) and he LOVES to make you laugh. His facial expressions are the BEST! Wes really wants to potty train him, but I think we have a while to go before we hit that stepping stone.
Lily is growing so fast. She is standing by herself already, I can't believe it! She loves to wrestle and although I dress her in bows and flowers she is looking more and more like Steele everyday.
So that gives you a little snip-it on the Filhart's.

Wes and me at TeHaru's Sushi (they serve sushi on a conveyer belt....EXCELLENT!)
Lily Mae....isn't she adorable!

Ode to Elizabeth

So this is a picture of me and one of my very best friends Elizabeth that was taken back in March of 2007. Elizabeth, or Liz, as I typically call her, got married last weekend to a wonderful guy named Joe. She looked gorgeous and the wedding reception was amazing!

To give a little bit of background on Liz and I, we first met on Institute Council back in 2003. We hit things off as friends later in the school year and started hanging out all the time the following summer. Then in 2005 we both served in the same mission in North Carolina.

Ever since we have been home we have had our share of galavanting and fun! I'm so excited that she found an awesome guy and look forward to going out on dates with our hubbies.

Congrats Elizabeth!!!!

Nursing School

For those of you who don't know I start the nursing program at MCC on the 19th. I'm so excited, but a little anxious about leaving my babies in the hands of someone else for part of the day. However, Wes gave all of us blessings last night and I have to tell you that the peace I feel now is wonderful! In his blessing he reminded me of some wonderful promises that will come to me and my family as I receive my education. He also gave me the reassurance I needed to know that my children will be in okay.
Then today as I was eating watermelon with the boys, the thought crossed my mind- Thank goodness for nursing school because I have been making the most of the little moments.
I know that sounds silly, but ever since I found out I got in the program I have been letting the less important things fall by the wayside and allowing myself to do things I wouldn't normally do, like watch a movie with Steele in the afternoon when I should be preparing for dinner or having foam sword fights with the boys when they should be in bed. Even just eating lunch with my boys or holding Lily has become more special.
Let's just say our home has been filled with lots of random dancing, tickling, running in the halls and laughing. I love it and although I will be a very busy lady, I still plan on focusing more on the little moments in my life which in my opinion are the most important moments.