Socks, Chocolate, and a Good Book.

Christmas Rocked!
I wish I could put pictures up, but my computer has a pornographic virus! I know!! Gross huh? So I have to use my husbands work computer so as not to send my soul down to hell.

Anyway, For Christmas I got socks, chocolate, and a book (amongst a few other things), but I ask you is there anything better than those three things? I think not.

I put on a pair of my cute striped socks, grabbed a chocolate, propped my feet up, and started to read my book. Then to my shock and horror my book had a lesbian love scene in it, and I will be taking that book back to Barnes and Noble ASAP!

Is everyone a pervert? I swear.

Don't worry though I found another book and then proceeded to eat my chocolate.

I just finished, "These is my words", by Nancy Turner.

I LOVE that book with a passion! Lesbian love scene book I loathe with a passion, but "These is my words", is so amazingly good.

You have to read it! I laughed out loud on many occasions and cried as well.

The boys had a great Christmas and so did Preston.
We hope all of you had a wonderful one as well.

Breast Cancer Awareness!

This video rocks!

Books I just finished...

So I just finished "Dear John", by Nicholas Sparks. I never considered myself a Nicholas Sparks reader. I know many who loathe him. I never thought to read it, but I saw the movie trailer and was intrigued.

I surprisingly liked it. It ends kind of depressing as most of his books do (so I've heard), but if you want an easy read that is sweet and romantic. This is the book for you.

Although there is ONE part. People always say that huh.

My mom would always say, "Well, then you won't mind a little poop in your brownies then will you?"

So beware of the poop.

I also just finished another book, I read the first three chapters and then skipped to the last page. "The lovely bones." Never, ever, ever, read this book. This is like taking the brownie mix completely out and just eating the poop!

It was terrible! Just so gross! I hated it.
I could go on forever.

I was at Target and saw the book and wanted to rip all the pages out right then and there and burn them...sorry, that's a little scary, but that's how bad it is.

Anyway, I am now moving onto "A Christmas Carol", by Charles Dickens. I read it every year.
Are you reading any awesome books? I love a new book!

Long Overdue Post about New Moon

New Moon was sooo amazing! It was so much better than the first one!

Once or twice I caught myself with my mouth open and drooling.

No, it wasn't Jacob's rippling pectorals. Although, Holy Cow! Who is his trainer? I want his number!

Even though I have read the book, I find myself rooting for Jacob and sad when I know the inevitable will happen.

My mom and I were both talking about it, and in the books you LOVE Edward. You just love the person or uh vampire that he is.

But in the movies we are totally cheering on Jacob! He is the best!

Here we are waiting in line. Oh the joy! These movies seem to bring out the vampire in all of us.

Waiting for the movie to start was so much fun! I love the women that I went with! They are hilarious!

I don't know why they didn't cast me as Bella. Look at Edward, Jacob and I. There is so much chemistry there! It's so obvious.

Here is the whole group! We had a blast and ate Ice cream afterwards.

It's every woman's dream! Ice cream and New Moon.

Life couldn't get better!

Once a Girl, Now a Woman

I once was young and reckless, immature and naive.

This is not that girl, the one you see in the picture, wearing a Moby Wrap, a Bandanna (because she didn't fix her hair today, and sporting the apron she just finished with a friend the night before.

(I ran over to my neighbors house so she could take a picture of this momentous occasion. Thanks Tiffany. :)

No, that immature, reckless, vain, young girl is gone.

A real woman is left in her place.

A woman that budgets and realizes that it's a must and not just another dirty word.

A woman that cans her own food and knows what a Blancher is (Ok, so I actually just looked that up, but now I know what it is).

A woman who enjoys knitting and sewing. Even though buying it would be cheaper and faster.

Yes, a real live woman has been awoken. On the day of her 26th birthday a week and a half ago, she realized that she had entered the World of Womanhood.

Ok, so for real.

All of the sudden I feel that I am grown up, and that probably sounds funny to those of you who are older than I am.

I still find myself, being silly, gossipy on occasion (I'm trying to quit), hot headed, and self absorbed, but I felt that when I turned 26 I had come a long way.

It's amazing to me that the people you surround yourself with can change you, make you better, make you look at your life and realize that you want to be better, different.

I feel that I have become more of a homemaker in this last year, than I ever have in my other 5 "adult years".

It's a good feeling. I hope that I will inspire and help others who were much like myself enter the World of Womanhood.

Trust me the World of Womanhood is not for the faint of heart.

Thank you, to all those who helped me. :)

The World's Largest Potato and Things I've made...

One of our friends is doing the Spud Harvest and he brought over this big beast.



Step right up folks and see the World's Largest Potato!
Seriously, is it not a monster?
The thing I'm really wondering is how awesome is this bad boy going to taste. Only one way to find out.
I'm just going to need lots and lots of sour cream.




Well, enough potato business for one day. Potatoes come and go, but Halloween bags lasts forever.

Especially when it's reversible!

Plenty of room for lots of goodies.

Do you know how much framed photo collages cost??? Too much!!

So, I decided to make my own, and the best part is Everett can hang his art work. It has come in very handy.

After 3 1/2 hours and blisters I finally finished this. It is a wreath for our front door.

The best part is it's made out of REAL candy. It's cute because that's what all the little kids say that come to our door.

They really want to EAT the REAL candy, but I told them they have to wait until after Halloween. :)

Finished Project. Funny enough the bow was the most annoying part of the project and it took 10 minutes.

Oh, how I love this time of year.

Lots of baking, lots of fun craft projects, lots of walks, and lots of time with the ones you love!

I hope you're enjoying it too.

While I was away...

Ha, Ha, you all are sooo funny, especially you Ben. Here is a little recap of what happened this summer.

Dolly grew from puppy to beautiful dog.


Sent my baby sister on a mission (I cry every time I read one of her letters. I miss her so much).



Helped with the local neighborhood lemonade stand.
The best part about it was I didn't have to pay for lemonade or cookies. It was great!




Made a little table and chairs for these cute boys to enjoy their breakfast on.



Had a lot of fun at splash park!

I seemed to get wet more than I would have liked.

(You can't really tell in this picture, but I am drenched in the front and completely dry in the back. Katie Smith, who was with me couldn't stop laughing. It was pretty funny).

Grew our very own grass!

Let me tell you it was hard work!

Played outside a TON with friends!

That was a lot of fun!

Landscaped our yard.
I LOVED this! I designed it and everything. I was so proud of myself. I'll take more pictures for anyone who is interested to see the rest. I could go on forever about it. I LOVE landscaping. I think I finally found my calling in life. :)

Learned how to rock climb and entered and climbed in a Rock Climbing Competition!

That was awesome!

(Preston's brother showing off his awesome muscles after the comp.).

Went to the local Farmers market and ate too much fudge and spent $4 to get this awesome face painting done. The 4 dollars were sooooo worth it!

And the happiest and saddest part of summer was watching my little boys turn into little men. Summer seems to do that. :)

But life always has it's new adventures!

I'm glad to be back! I missed you all!

Turker and Seeker

We have two new pets. Turker is a fly who we just can't seem to catch. And Seeker is a ladybug. We found them today in our house when we came back from church. Everett decided to keep them. We'll see how long they last.

Who am I kidding?

Really, with summer here and my camera broken I am just not up to blogging. So, I decided that instead of feeling guilty about not posting things I am taking the summer off.
So I bid you farewell until the summer is over. And since I live in Rexburg I'll see you in two weeks! :)

Wow

Has it really been over a month since I last blogged?
So many great things have been going on, and I wish I could post pictures of all the wonderful things happening in our lives right now but...
my camera broke! Again! What is it with me and cameras?

So I will just have to tell you and unfortunately you will be bored because there are no pictures.

Everett started preschool. It is soooo weird. Lincoln and I miss him and we always go early to pick him up because we just can't take it any longer. :) Everett loves it. He has made lots of friends and his teachers really like him.

We went on our vacation to North Carolina and had a blast. Preston and I didn't want to go home, but isn't that how vacations are supposed to be. That way you always want to go back.

I am currently reading 3 books, working on 3 craft projects, and am slowly but surely decorating our very bare home on a very tight budget. I did however manage to buy the bunk bed Everett just had to have so that is a step in the right direction.

Everett and I are also going to doggy preschool. Yep, it's that time for little Dolly to get some schooling of her own. Preston is just excited he doesn't have to be a part of it.

Mister Lincoln got 3 more teeth. A total of 7 teeth! Now he can easily eat all the stuff he was already eating. Can you imagine eating chips with only four teeth? I tried it, it's awkward. :)

Dreams

We took Dolly to the Vet yesterday. Dolly is 100 % healthy and the Vet just thought she was great. He told me I couldn't have asked for a better temperament in a dog/puppy. He said she was so patient, tolerant, forgiving and friendly.

I was so happy that he thought she was wonderful, and to top it off he said she had such pretty coloring.

So needless to say I was very pleased.

Everett also had the time of his life at the Veterinarian Clinic. I didn't even think of what a momentous occasion it would be for him.

The vet assistants were so nice and immediately realized Everett's love for animals.

They took him on a tour and he got to meet all the animals that were there. He even got to go in the "back room", where all the medicine and supplies are and where the surgery's take place.

The Vet showed him pictures of animal bones and muscles in his vet book, and Everett loved every moment.

While the Vet was examining Dolly Everett said, "Don't traumatize her." The Vet looked at me and said, "Did he just say traumatize? How old is he? He is one smart kid."

Everett amazes me every day!

The best part about being a mother is watching and helping your child fulfill their dreams. I don't know if Everett will work with animals when he gets older, but watching him learn and grow and be in his "element" was so rewarding.

I asked him after we left, "Everett are you going to be a Veterinarian and help animals?".

He looked up with surprise and said, "No mom, I'm going to BE an animal."

Well, we all have to have a dream right?

Conference

I love Conference! Everything about Conference. The talks were amazing.
I feel so strong and empowered after Conference.

My mother instilled a love of Conference in both my siblings and myself.
We never missed Conference. Never.
Our family attended every session together.

I remember when I was in High school, and my track team had a meet on the Saturday of Conference. I wanted to go to that meet so bad, but knew that not only would I disappoint my mother, but I would be disappointing myself and my Heavenly Father.

I feel such a strong need and desire to instill that love of Conference in my own children's hearts.
I don't think you can ever realize how hard something is until you are actually the one doing it.
Sometimes I look at my mother and think, "How did she do that? How are all her children righteous good people?"
None of us are perfect, but we all try so hard to do what's right.

This past week has been so overwhelming on so many different levels. But the amazing thing is that just when I start to feel like I have hit my limit, the Lord sends me so many blessings. Like watching my little sister open her mission call.

I've watched Rose struggle with this decision over and over again. But when she opened that letter and read aloud that she would be serving the people of Winnipeg Canada, I knew that the Lord had been guiding her. That he had been watching her and cheering her on.

Just like he guides us all.

I'm so thankful that Conference helps remind me of who I am, and what my purpose is. Where my strengths lie and my weaknesses.

I hope that everyone had a great Conference weekend!

You like it, you love it. Say it with me.

Preston= DOG Hater!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It wasn't too long ago that my husband stood in the doorway of our new home, one hand raised, finger pointing as if to emphasize his point, declaring, and I quote..."Never, ever, ever, in a million years will a dog set foot in this house. I hate dogs, I hate dogs, I hate doooooooooogs!!!!"

Who would have thought that an animal lover would marry an animal hater. That's just not something you bring up when dating..."So do you love animals? You don't, oh sorry this won't work out."

So the door of animal owning was closed. Well, so "the animal hater" thought.

Persistence my friends pays off, and unbeknownst to Preston. "The animal hater" is turning into an "animal tolerator".

How did I do it? Oh just a little thing I like to call..."How to get an animal hater to be an animal lover."

Lousy title, I know, but when I write my book I'll think of something better.

Here are the official steps for free. Your Welcome.

Step 1. Repeat in your "animal haters" ear while they are sleeping, "You like dogs, you love dogs, you can't live without dogs." Over and over again for a good 30 min.

Step 2. Leave a gift for your "animal hater" and sign it with love from your dog. Not only will they be flattered, but also impressed.

And lastly,

Step 3. This one is a little tricky, but is the real sealer of the deal. Light your house on fire and then right before your "animal hater" gets home make it look like it was the dog who saved you and your children's life. Works every time!

*Author of "How to get an animal hater to be an animal lover", does not take responsibility if death occurs in Step 3.

March! The month of Madness!

So there have been a lot of life changes lately in the Lees household.
Baby Lincoln had his birthday on March 9! 1 year older and wiser too! He was in such a bad mood, but every time I took a picture he made this face. He is so my son.



We got a new puppy! We love her! Her name is Dolly. She is such a sweetheart!



Rose loves her so much she's going to take Dolly on her mission with her. Seriously Rose LOVES her, or so she always tells me. Rose is a sucker for small fluffy dogs.



My poor boys have been soooo sick! But little Dolly brings them comfort.

Today is also Everett's Birthday. How sad to be sick on your Birthday, but his party is on Friday and we are looking forward to celebrating his wonderful 4 years of life with friends and family.

In other news

1. We have made plans and bought tickets to vacation in North Carolina! Hooray!

2. Rose is going on a mission and has sent in her papers and is waiting for "the call". I'm so nervous and excited!

3. Preston's little brother is going on a mission and will soon be set apart as an elder!

4. I sang and danced in a show for BYU-Idaho and was amazing along with my partner!

5. We got a toad. Yep, a lumpy old toad, who doesn't eat so I think he might die, but I hope not.

Anyway, the list could really go on forever! I don't mind being busy, but I have missed blogging and that is always the first thing to go with me when life is crazy. It's more of an indulgence than a necessity.

I'm so glad to be back!

Samuel the Lamanite the PIRATE!

So Everett has become quite the sciptorian. His favorite stories are, Daniel and the Lions Dentist. Yep, dentist. I have told him it is den and he says, "I know...dentist." In his version of Daniel and the lions den, Daniel takes the lions home, after he gets out of the den, and they live happily ever after. To tell you the truth I really like Everett's version.

He also loves to be Samuel the Lamanite. Did you know that Samuel the Lamanite was a pirate? Neither did I, but according to Everett he was one, and a good one at that. :) He runs through the house with his arm stretched high yelling, "Samuel the Lamanite the PIRATE!!!" I love it! What a kid!

Felt, Felt, Felt!

I am slowly ridding the world of felt.

Felt and pinking shears are my best friends! You can make anything with them. All you need is imagination...oh and Martha Stewart.com.

These are the party favors I made for my friend Marsha's baby shower. They were so much fun to make.


We made this cool alligator puppet for preschool. Everett loves it! He takes it everywhere. It was talking to strangers at the grocery store and the best part is his name is "Alligator", go figure. :)



I showed Everett the joy of putting cheese on top of a Ritz cracker, he decided that a grape would also be ideal.


Surprisingly it was very tasty!



Preschool has been really fun, challenging, but fun. One of the great things about it is all the really awesome books we have found. Everett and I have really liked a few:

The pig who ran a red light, by Paul Brett Johnson. So good!!
And, Piggie Pie, by Margie Palatini. This one is hilarious! A must read!

Valentines Day Weekend

Valentines was spent with lots and lots of people that I love! It was a full house. All of Preston's family was here, and we went skiing!
Well, Preston, Everett, Grandpa and I went skiing and the rest went snowboarding.

Everett is a natural and I'm not too bad myself. Preston biffed it twice which was really funny, but he is a lot more daring than I am, plus he is a snowboarder at heart.

I hear he is amazing. That's what his brothers always tell me, I've never actually seen him snowboard. The sweet thing is that Preston took up skiing so he and I could be on the same level. He always stays with me and goes down the bunny slope a million times.

I never fall, but that's because I play it safe, I almost went through the trees, but I am so glad that I didn't. Rose got a little brave, went through the trees, and smacked right into one. She's crazy!

My little sister Rose is amazing! I didn't know she was so skilled!

She was giving all the boys a run for their money, well minus the whole tree incident.

It is so much fun learning a new sport, and skiing is just so cool, literally! We had a blast! I guess that there are things to be grateful for during the winter after all. :)

Save the Polar Bears...or the birds.

Have you ever seen Planet Earth? It is amazing and Everett and I LOVE watching it together. Have you ever seen the Polar Bear excerpt?
I am actually not allowed to watch it.
I ball like a baby every time, and then vow to save the Polar Bears if it's the last thing I do.

Well, I decided that the Polar Bears my be out of my hands, but there are other ways I can help improve the beautiful earth we live on.


Everett and I decided that using reusable bags would help save animals, and it's actually kind of fun.

Here we are helping local wildlife.

Everett and I are animal lovers on a mission!

What was it Muffasa off the Lion King said?

"We are all connected in the great circle of life."

This is for all the Polar Bears out there! :)

Never Give Up, Never Surrendor!

So I think I have been in a funk lately because of the life changes we have recently made.

1. The Spending fast:

The spending fast is more challenging and annoying than I thought it would be, but it has been really good for me and my family. I have been able to distinguish between my wants and my needs where as before that was somewhat of a blurr.

It is challenging because I have to give up buying things on a whim, and if you looked at what you bought I'm sure you would be surprised on how much you bought on a whim.

Spending money is a habit, and if the way you spend your money is a bad habit, it is painful to break.

I would recommend the spending fast to anyone. It requires a lot of self discipline, creativity and patience. It's good for the soul, but anything good for the soul is hard work, so be prepared!

2. Home school Preschool:

I started a Preschool for Everett. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 10-12. It has been sooooooo time consuming, but soooooo worth it!

I feel like a better mom because of the quality time we spend together, but boy have I had to stay on my toes.

3.The weather:

Yuck, Yuck, Yuck! This snow would drive anyone mad!! The solution to my problem is two words. Fake and Bake...ok is that technically three? I know, I know, I'm going to have wrinkly eyelids and cancer, but I'm only doing it until the sun shines again and that's it! I promise!

4. Working out:

Could I just be fat, please? I have to get up at the butt crack of dawn to work out. 6:15 am. I took the last week off, I was exhausted and in a really bad mood, hence the no blogging. I can't seem to motivate myself to get up! I know I have to. Any tips?

Anyway, I realized while writing this that my life lately has been full of hard work! Work to save money, work to better my family, work to help keep myself sane, work to look like Cindy Crawford, work, work, work.

Life is work! Plain and simple, the question we must ask ourselves is, if what we are working on matters? And if it does, you work until you can't work anymore, and if what you have done is lacking, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ make up the rest. I trust in that with every bone in my body. It's what gets me through.

I hope that all my blogging friends know that their time spent at home with their children and their time working till late hours of the morning on whatever it may be matter. Don't give up my friends. Someone is watching, and someone cares. :)

So sweet, Everett and Preston reading. I love how I have a family that loves to read. So cute!

There is a fungus among us...and I'm the fungus.

OK, to actually have time to post I just poured froot loops on the rug and am letting the boys have at it. How pathetic is that?
Life has been so busy/weird lately. How's that for an update.

Because I am at a loss of what to post and feel that a post is long over due here are a few funny pictures.

Lincoln loves food! He really wants what is in those cans and has stopped at nothing to get to them. We couldn't find him one day. All we had to do was look in the right spot. He got in there all by himself. He just couldn't figure how to get out...can and all.



Everett, the animal lover/photographer. I think this picture is thought provoking. Don't you?



Another one of Everett's passions is reading. Why not add your two passions to make one...taking pictures of books that you happen to be reading, and that have animals in it. Wow, that's three passions in one. The kid is good.



Well my faithful, fellow blog readers, forgive the funk I find myself in. I'm sure future readings will be much more entertaining.