My Album Cover

This is a little fun activity I borrowed from a friends blog. It's called make your own band album cover. Here is my band album cover- and I actually dig it so much!!!! Give it a try!

The instructions/rules are as follows:
First, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random. The first article on the page will be your band name.
Then go to http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3. The last four words of the last quote on the page will be the name of your album.
Finally, go to http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/?, where the third picture will be your album cover.

Here is a little band album cover generator too- for you to check out.

http://www.thurstonco.com/BandName.html

POP Goes the Balloon

Our kids brought balloons home from a birthday party yesterday and this morning E's balloon popped! He was so sad- just beside himself from woe. He could barely talk he was crying so hard. He kept asking- "Why do balloons pop? What made my balloon pop?" A-felt bad for him and gave her balloon to him. Then he was so happy- throwing it around, bouncing it here and there. It was very sweet. Well 10 minutes later- POP! He was honestly devastated- crying, sobbing- so sad. Well it was his turn to pray at family prayer and these are a few of the things he said: "Please bless my balloon that popped- Thank you for the balloons that popped." Then right in the middle of the prayer he gets really happy and opens his eyes and says to A- "When the balloon popped it looked like fireworks" laughs- then right back to crying- "Bless my balloons..." It was the funniest thing!!!

Routines

One thing that I have tried to work on in my life is creating a routine. I feel out of control and there is a lot more chaos when I don't have a routine- yet some how I could never get it to work for me. Super Nanny tells you to have one, all of the organizing sites I love say to get in the groove of one, the FLY Lady is my routine hero- so I have begun to create one for our family. I spent Monday typing it out and going over it- Monday night I followed the routine and I have never felt better. I went to bed when I said I would and even made time for what is really important to me. That is the best part of a routine is "scheduling time with yourself". We make doctors appointments, etc. but how often do we set aside time to take care of the things we need to do for ourselves? After all isn't your family and yourself the most important client we have? Well then Tuesday through me a curve and we spent the whole day at the ER for a kidney stone I got- :(. This was an important learning experience that showed me that if your routine is flexible, you can pick up right where you left off when something major interupts your life. My posts will now be fewer too- since I've scheduled them into the routine, so they won't allow me to become an internet junkie. I'll let you know how I do :)

Hannah Montana

I took my girls to see the Hannah Montana Best of Both Worlds Concert Movie in 3D today and it was the best $50 I have ever spent. The picture was unbelievable- They put you right on the stage. It almost made me cry it was so wonderful!! I love Miley Cyrus (AKA Hannah Montana). I think she is a wonderful role model for young girls. She dresses modestly and her dance moves are not the least bit provacative or offensive. Neither are her lyrics. She is adorable!! My girls love her music. We are HUGE Hannah fans- so this was perfect for us. We loved every minute!! Here are a few pictures:

Refinement

There is a wonderful article that I have read many times. It is called "Our Refined Heavenly Home". http://magazine.byu.edu/?act=view&a=1964 It talks about how we need to learn to live if we are to feel at home in heaven. This is something that I feel to be of great importance. This is something that I would like to learn and to embrace. I often allow worldy influences to enter my mind, to take over my heart and spirit and it leaves me feeling troubled and distraught. I re-read this today and I feel so much peace in the message that it presents. I am going to strive to be more like this.

Valentines Tag

My friend Stacy did this about her hubbie and tagged everyone who read it so here goes:

What is his name? Jeffrey Thomas Shaw- Jeffer, JTS, Shaw, Jeff
How long have you been married? 9 years and 6 months
How old is he? 31
Who eats more? Oh Jeff by far- he isn't the least bit picky either. But you would never know it- we are known as the skinny couple.
Who said I love you first? Jeff
Who sings better? He was a madrigal- but won't admit it- I love his voice.
Who is smarter? Jeff - no contest- have you ever seen so many A's on a report card? I kind of live up to the whole blond thing.
Who does the laundry? He did for the first 5 years of our marriage and now I do.
Who does the dishes? I do usually- he rinses the dishes a lot though.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does- he doesn't like to switch sides either.
Who pays the bills? He does- again the whole blond- count on my fingers- what's a bill thing going on (although when I was working I usually paid them- but don't know how I did)
Who mows the lawn? Definately him- he is a master at mowing it on an angle- the whole neighborhood is envious and comments on our perfect straight lines- in the summer I'll post a picture. He won't let me or anyone else do it (although I hurried and did once just to feel what a self propelled mower feels like and it was super fun- almost a little too powerful for my puny arms)
Who cooks dinner? I do- he claims he doesn't know how- yet I hear about all the yummy food he made on his mission.
Who drives when you are together? He does- I drive like an 80 year old woman and he hates it.
Who is more stubborn? Probably me- I have a little temper.
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Him- he won't ever let me stay mad at him- he is super sweet that way.
Whose parents do you see the most? His- My dad lives in Maryland and let's just say we both try to avoid my family when possible.
Who proposed? He did- so awesome- he did an Easter Egg hunt and in the last egg was the ring- then he got down on one knee and popped the question.
Who is more sensitive? Me Me Me- It's not his nature, but he is when it really counts.
Who has more friends? He has a huge group of friends called the Buds from highschool- who always get together- but he is content to just be friends with me and doesn't mind if he sees them- so I will say me- because I love them and I also still keep in touch with most of my friends from high school too.
Who has more siblings? Me- I have 4- He has 3
Who wears the pants in the family? Him- I prefer dresses- Ha Ha (But I like to think I am the Queen of the house ;)
Now all of you who read this- tag you are it!

Valentines Day

This is a wonderful day! I can't get enough of love- The romance, the flowers, the nostalgia and candy. I adore Valentines Day! These are some of the lovely things this day brought.

Valentines Day

These paintings are a series I did called
"A Study in Love"

There are ten of them and they represent
the ten years that I have loved my husband.

They represent the changes we have gone through, the

things we have experienced and how our love has grown

to the state it is at right now.


1. This is a large heart representing how full of love you are
when you first get married and realize that you have found
the one person that will give their heart to you.

2. This is a circle that represents the never ending eternal
love that I have found.

3. This is a pair of hearts-

It represents the way we work as a team- no one better

than the other- both are needed equally- yet we are not
the same.

4. This is represents our uniqueness- He is stronger and larger
physically, I am smaller. Both beautiful.

5. This is a single heart and shows that we are one heart-
We are of the same mind- what once was two is now one is
soul.

6. This is four hearts, the same size to represent the
constant love that I have for him. It is unending and
unchanging- It can vary in intensity and beautiy- but it
only gets better.

7. This large heart above a smaller heart- represents the love of
God in our marriage. God's love is much bigger in comparison- but with
it our love becomes much larger as well. We need his heart to fill up where
we lack- we need it as a source to look to improve our own love.

8. These three hearts are the hearts that we have taken part in creating.
Our three children- who are a combination of both our hearts and the
reason our hearts beat. They are the love of our lives and their hearts can either be broken or grow larger because of how we
treat them. They have truly taught us what love means.

9. These are mirrored hearts- to me this represents our
relationship- I heard once that a true soul mate is a mirror- that brings us to our own attention and shows us what we can become and how to do it- they show us our weaknesses, yet they also show us how to overcome them. When I look at him I see myself.

10. This is where are love is today- you will see the small blue
heart inside the larger heart. This shows all of the love we

have given and the love we recieve. Our love lies within
eachother.

E

A was hitting a golf ball into our putter practice cup and E comes in and says

"Oh you are so not good at golfing" :)

Simplify 101

I found a great new website today called www.simplify101.com. It has great ideas on organizing and simplifying your life. Check it out.

E

My little guy and I have really cute conversations here are a couple:

E hands me a card he made me.
I say "Oh thank you honey"
E says " It's not that wonderful"

Today I was posting on the blog and he is in my lap-
E says "This is really taking a very long time"
He is amazing on the computer- I just hope he doesn't grow up to be some nerdy techy type.

Gelato

My cousin and I found a wonderful little italien cafe that serves amazing Gelato and Sorbeto. They had flavors like white chocolate, watermelon, raspberry lemon, melon, pistachio, chocolate and wild strawberry- just to name a few. It was wonderful. I would love to visit Italy some day and try it there. It's so smooth and creamy- Gelato is milk based and Sorbeto is water based. MMMMMM

Let Them Be Little

This is sweet- and a great reminder to not blink or you'll miss it.

The Five People You Meet In Heaven

J gave me this book and I finished reading it in one day. It was the most wonderful book and full of great ideas. I am already rereading it. It is so inspiring. I love the authors view of heaven. I love all of the lessons that there are to be learned. It is one of my favorite books and I would recommend it to anyone. Check it out! If you have read it I would love to hear your take on it, leave me a post :)

Happy Birthday Ryan

I wanted to tell my little nephew Ryan- Happy Birthday! He has made a huge impact on my life and my view of love. He is the most precious boy and even though I don't get to see him- I know that I will some day. I dream about the kind of boy he is. He is four years old today. I can see his beautiful dark hair. He has adorable dimples. He loves to laugh and has the cutest voice. He loves sports, especially basketball asnd baseball. And boy does he love his daddy. He wants to be just like him in everyway. I can't wait to get to hold him and kiss him and tell him how much we love him and missed him. We'll see you very soon big boy!!! XXXXX OOOOO Love JAAWES

My Birthday Party

I can't believe that I have posted so much about my birthday- I was a little depressed to turn 30- but my wonderful husband made this one of my best birthdays ever.

When I woke up on Saturday he had little quotes hanging all over the house. They were each about how wonderful it is to age or be 30, etc. Here are all of them:

"To me, old age is always fifteen years older than I am." -Bernard M. Baruch

"Time and Tide wait for no man, but time always stands still for a woman of thirty."-Robert Frost

"Everything I know I learned after I was thirty."-Georges Clemenceau

"Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young."-Benjamin Franklin

"Who soweth good seed shall surely reep; The year grows rich as it groweth old, And life's latest sands are its sands of gold!"-Julia C. R. Dorr

"You can only preceive real beauty in a person as they get older."-Anouk Aimee

"You're only young once, but you can me immature forever."-John Greier

"You're not getting older, you're getting better."

"Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."-Jack Benny

"Age does not make us childish, as some say; it finds us true children."-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

"Age is something that doesn't matter, unless you are a cheese."-Billie Burke

"30 never looked so good."

It was so sweet!

I went to breakfast with my wonderful friend Jen. Then when I got home I walked into the house to find the most wonderful surprise. My kids and husband had the whole front room decorated like a beach party! They had heaters blowing to make it warm. There were beach towels and mats. There was a beach backdrop and everyone was in their swim suits. It was so cute and adorable! I absolutely love the beach and it was so nice because the weather was so horrible that day and cold. I love my family so much!! They are the best! Here are the pictures:

Bubble Gum Ice Cream

In my husbands family you get to choose your favorite dessert to have at the family dinner. Last night I was laying in bed and couldn't sleep. So my mind started to wander and I started to think about what dessert I would choose for my birthday next time we have dinner and I really wanted to choose donuts- I adore donuts- love them- my mouth was watering thinking about them. Then I remembered that donuts are only good if they are fresh and not a day old- and since we don't shop on Sunday, they would be almost two days old when we ate them- because donuts are baked in the morning, so even if whoever had dessert bought them on Saturday- by Sunday night they would no longer be good.

OK so yes this is a weird thing to be contemplating in the middle of the night, but I just get so much pleasure from pastries :). Anyways, I was feeling so sad- then I remembered how much I also love bubblegum ice cream- with all my heart and delicious sugar cones- mmmmm- so I am going to pick that. It will be wonderful, especially because not too many people like that flavor- so there will be lots to savor.

I remember getting this ice cream every time when I was a little girl and we got to go to 31 Flavors. Sometimes it is pink, sometimes blue- both great! Breyers just came out with the bubble gum flavor and I am so excited. Isn't that wonderful? Then I was able to sleep peacefully knowing that there was a perfect dessert out there for me to have.