Hi friends.
Sorry its been so long!
I wish I could say I haven't written because life has been so busy,
but it really hasn't.
The real reason I guess, would be I haven't really known what to say.
So many of us were shocked by what happened in Boston and my heart goes out to all of the people hurt by the attack.
It just seemed so wrong to start talking about fashion, interior decorating, crocheting, etc. in the wake of such a tragedy.
But, to be honest, that isn't so much what has been on my mind.
I'm a little worried people will be offended by what I have to say.
But I feel the need to say it.
What happened in Boston was horrible.
But how many of us really stopped to think that this happens on a daily basis in so many countries around the world?
And I mean REALLY THINK about it.
There are so many mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, sons, daughters, who never get to see justice carried out against their loved one's attacker.
I think we are so shocked by what happened because we live in a country where this is not common place.
But we forget just how often this goes on in our world.
Why aren't we doing something about it?
It seems as if, because the people these things happen to aren't our family or friends, we don't need to care.
These are still human beings whose basic, natural rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are being taken from them.
Before we start feeling sorry for ourselves or becoming really angry at the people who did this, lets think about the people who live in fear every day.
Who will never see their attacker face justice.
Lets stop thinking of only ourselves, and think of others in this world.
I know that I don't personally think about it every day, and perhaps others share my same problem:
I have no idea where to start, or even HOW, to help.
I think the first step is beginning to think outside ourselves and our own country by being informed about world events and actually caring about them.
Ok, I've said what I had to say and I'll leave it at that.
I try not to get terribly political on here mostly because, while that is a passion of mine, it just isn't really the direction I've taken this blog in. But there are times when I feel the need to voice my opinion. However mild it may seem.
Anyway, that is all I have for the moment.
I may not be writing again this week because I'm leaving my husband home with the dog to help my lovely sister in law drive home from school!
Hopefully we have some epic adventures!
(Psh! Hopefully? No. We DEFINITELY will!)
Till next time...
Less Than Three,
Sarah
(Picture source here)
That puppy is getting big!!
She's growing like a weed!
So...remember that time I posted something about maybe doing an outfit post later this week?
Well, it might be more like Saturday...and it might be a different outfit...
See my sweet, patient, kind husband came home from work only to have me drag him out to go try a take a picture of me.
Neither of us had ANY idea what we were doing! Which resulted in some awkward, albeit hilariously awkward, pictures. So, we'll try round two a little later and see if we have any better luck!
Yesterday I made a pie.
Not just any pie, mind you.
You may or may not have seen the recipe floating around for a Hot Fudge Peanut Butter Pie?
Did you know, I'm actually not a huge fan of peanut butter...well on anything other than a pb&j sandwich and other assorted breads?
I don't really like peanut butter in baked goods! I used to LOVE (I mean, "L" is for the way you look at me, LOVE) Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, but recently I'm just not a fan!
So I decided to try and make the recipe my own and omitted the peanut butter and substituted Nutella.
Best decision of my life!
Well...other than marrying Larry, OBVIOUSLY...
Anyway,
I had to put in an entire CUP of Nutella.
While I knew it was going to a good cause, I think my heart broke a little...
So of course I take a picture of it.
In memoriam of the Nutella...
Sad, isn't it? All that hazelnut chocolaty goodness...
Now, the recipe says to beat the cream cheese, peanut butter *cough* Nutella *cough* and sugar together till creamy.
Here's the problem with that: we don't have a beater or a mixer of any kind. We have whisks! (I personally have a strange love for whisks...possibly because we didn't really have them when I was growing up. So our whisks hold a special place in my heart. I'm not crazy, I swear)
Have you ever tried to blend something together without the proper equipment? It's tons of fun...
Actually, here's what it looks like
But, never fear, it came alright in the end!
I was a little sad we ran out of whipped cream, so I didn't have any for the top but it was still rather tasty!
Other than being something fairly close to a heart attack on a plate, it was soooo worth the effort!
I think if I ever make this again, I'll actually omit the hot fudge part and just put whipped cream on the top so it isn't quite so heavy.
Well, the week has gone by FAST!
I hope you have a lovely Thursday!
Till next time...
Less Than Three,
Sarah
Oh! And, in case you wanted it, here's where to find the recipe!
http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/341201556/hot-fudge-peanut-butter-pie/
Although, I think I personally found it on Mom's Pantry, her website here:
http://momskitchenpantry.blogspot.com/
Hi Friends!
So, I've been wanting to do outfit posts but I lack the camera/photo taking/modeling skills to do it. Not to mention the newest thing in my closet is...well...a black v-neck tee and my wedding dress...tells you how devoted I am to shopping...aka not at all.
But I figured, despite these set backs, I'd give it a shot! So, here's a preview of what I hope to give you a full picture of later this week! Stay tuned for that.
Today my life consists of yet another crochet project...my husband humored me and let me start a new one with the nonnegotiable promise that I'd finish all my other projects before I bought yarn again.
We'll see how that goes :/
I just couldn't wait to get working on that chevron baby blanket idea!
I'm really excited to see how it turns out.
So I'm switching between that, reading-
(It's good so far! I'm almost done with it!)
And, of course, playing with the puppy...who is sound asleep and softly snoring at the moment...
She has finally succeeded in beginning to rip her toy apart! I knew it would happen one day, I just didn't expect it this soon!
She's seriously growing fast!
Yesterday, the wind was BLOWING LIKE MAD and it scared the living daylights out of the poor thing, so she wouldn't go to do her business outside. It made for a fun day
...because I love picking poop up off my kitchen floor...
(did you pick up on the sarcasm there? Good.)
Larry and I went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner since he had NEVER been.
And boy, let me tell you, it was so good!
Anyway, that's about it for today.
I hope your week is a little less windblown!
Till next time!
Less Than Three,
Sarah
So, I have been looking forward to this day for..well, a little short of a year!
You know what makes today so special for me?
It is the day I met my husband.
Yup! One year ago today I met the man I married.
And we haven't had a day apart since.
I know I will probably not be able to say that in a year from now since he'll probably have either gone through basic training or be in basic training or even tech school.
So I'm reveling in the joy it brings me to know that we met, and have been together every day since.
If things had moved as quickly with anyone else as they did with him, I would have run in the other direction! But with Larry, it was right, even from the very beginning.
We met on a Sunday, by Wednesday he put his arm around me and held my hand.
Thursday he kissed me for the first time.
Saturday he told me he loved me and asked me to be his girlfriend.
About a week or two later, we went ring shopping.
A month later we were engaged.
A little more than four months after we met, we got married.
I always wanted to end up with someone who knew what they wanted and went after it, I just didn't quite expect that extreme! But I'm grateful for it!
The last year has been the best I've had and I'm thrilled to get to spend so many more beautiful years with the love of my life.
And after that, bring on eternity!
I loved this quote because it means a lot to me.
For the rest of the world 24 is pretty young, especially to get married! But in Mormon culture, it's a little older. People really do start to look at you funny when you've been home from your mission for a few years and you still aren't married or dating anyone. They wonder what's wrong with you, and YOU start wondering what's wrong with you! There are girls who are older than me who have been off their missions for longer and I feel for them! I felt like I would have to wait forever! But I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I wouldn't settle, and I'm glad I kept that promise. Because, once we met, Larry wanted me and only me. That feeling, that I was his first choice and not a candidate in a long line of girls, feels so dang good.
I think every girl deserves that.
Anyway, another week has begun and it's bound to be a great one!
Filled with love and sunshine!
Less Than Three,
Sarah
So, this is something that has been on my mind ever since, well, my mission.
You fairly often hear it when you go on a mission, that you are going to be prepared to be a better wife and mother/ husband and father.
So when I went on my mission, I tried to pay attention to how it could possibly make me a better wife and mother.
Here are a few things I found.
1. Companionship Inventory
It may seem strange to sit down and ask your spouse: "Ok, tell me what I'm doing wrong" but it's actually rather healthy. Something Preach My Gospel has you do is ASK for your companion's input on how you can improve. You aren't just supposed to sit down and say let me tell you everything that is wrong with you, you have to ask for the criticism, so you have to be a little ready to be humbled. Because having someone tell you how you can improve is VERY humbling. Marriage is about improving together, growing together. But, there is also a good way and a bad way to do that. When we are helping each other improve, it shouldn't be done meanly, it MUST be done with love, kindness, humility, and understanding. Another important part about companionship inventory is that you ALWAYS always go over what your companion is doing RIGHT. The Lord doesn't let us think "I'm doing everything wrong so why even try", he builds us up too, so it makes sense that we should follow that pattern. Not only do we help each other to grow, but we have to praise one another for our accomplishments. We should always build each other up.
2. How to Live With Someone You Love
This might seem like a very simple thing, but it's not. Even when we are living with our best friends, life can be challenging because not everyone does everything the same way. It's funny just how very different each and every family does even the smallest things!
The point is, you have to take the good with the bad. My favorite mission companion, Jen, and I got along really well, but it was still difficult. We both had days where, I'm sure, we didn't like each other so much. But, then, we'd have days where we were the best of friends and had a wonderful time working together. I still consider her to be one of my absolute BEST friends. When you're living with someone, even a best friend or someone you love, life is just not always going to be paradise. And sometimes it can be difficult to learn to deal with that.
3. How to Live With Someone You Don't Like So Much
Again, there are going to be days that you aren't so happy with each other. But you have to stick it out and get through it. On your mission, you end up with companions you love, and some that are just a little harder to love. But you have to work through it. You don't give up on a mission companion you have a hard time getting along with, you work to find a way to get along.
You have to put some effort in.
4. Never EVER Speak Badly About Your Companion
This one is hard! We all like to vent, just to get it off our chests, there's no harm in that right? WRONG. This one is difficult I think, because we grow up doing it. We speak poorly of our friends, our family, teachers, classmates, roommates, just anyone and everyone that annoys us. But here's the problem with that, when you speak poorly about someone to someone else, you are putting that negative image in the other person's mind. They aren't going to see that person the same way again, and you aren't going to just get all that venom out and then forget it as you think you intend to. No, you hold on to it, you go over it in your head and that poison spreads till all you can see is how terrible someone is. Also, that other person doesn't get to see the person you're talking about at their best. All they hear is you talking about them at their worst. It opens the door for contention to enter your home. Even if the other person doesn't know that you talked about them, the Spirit will flee from you and contention will take root. But it's hard to hold in. Sometimes we just want sympathy, or justification. We want someone else to be on our side, to tell us we're right and they're wrong because we want to feel better about ourselves.
But there is nothing wrong with being wrong.
It's hard an it hurts to find out that we were wrong because we so often seek to "win". For some reason it has become so important to us to always "win" when compared to everyone else. Even a spouse. But, why does there have to be a winner and a loser? There doesn't! Sometimes, it's not just one person who is wrong, sometimes we both are. Sometimes we're both right! But we have a hard time admitting when we are wrong and someone else is right. You know what that is? It's pride. Talking bad about someone else is just sowing those seeds. A marriage, friendship, family, companionship, etc. cannot survive and flourish when pride is involved.
5. Change Your Motivation
Why do you do the chores around your house? Because they need to be done, right? What if we did the chores around the house because we wanted to do something for the people we love? Not out of a responsibility or to check something off a list, but because we want to show the people we care about that we love them. What if every member of your family took that attitude and approach? I often wonder if our homes would be much more peaceful places. It's about service. Which brings me to my next point:
6. Serve Your Companion Every Day
In Preach My Gospel it tells you to put your companion first and to serve them. Even the smallest thing can be service. What counts as service? Anything and everything you can do to make their life a little easier, or to show them you love them. Jen and I would almost end up having note competitions, seeing who could leave notes in the random-est of places for the other to read. As strange as it is, Jen would hide my bed while I was getting ready in the morning or getting ready for bed at night.
Literally, my BED.
I'd have to go running around the apartment trying to find the missing pieces! Pillows, my bed frame, my mattress, my blankets, it was insanity! But, for some strange reason, I kinda saw this as service. I'd have gotten so serious during the day, focusing on all the things I was doing wrong, and having to go run around my apartment finding my bed made me come out of that fog and cheer up a little. So, really, even the strangest things can be service and work miracles!
7. Work Hard Together
This is where division of the work is so important. Each of you has to be doing your part. One person can't be doing more than the other because then you both fail. I first learned the term for this from my mom, it's called being equally yolked. Like oxen pulling a wagon, you both have to be pulling your own weight. And this also means not pulling the majority of it either! I'm not just talking about house work or chores. I mean Spiritual weight, the weight of raising kids, money weight. You have to work together in all areas of your life. One person can't just budget and have the only idea of where finances are at, you have to council together. One person can't be just responsible for raising the kids. You both have to talk about it. You can't rely on just one of the two of you to be "the spiritual one" you BOTH have to be equally dedicated to the Lord. Or else things fall apart.
8. Above All, Respect Your Companion
I don't really know how to better explain this one. Respect their space, respect their feelings, just do everything with love. Understand that life isn't easy for either of you. Find that as your common ground when it seems that there is nothing else. Support each other.
I don't have kids yet, but from what I've observed: here's the thing about becoming a better spouse, I believe it makes you a better parent. We all know that we learn by example. When we can set a proper example, or at least an example of striving to be better for our spouse and for our children, they will see it and want to be better too.
9. Life is about being even just a little better today than you were yesterday.
I'm grateful for my mission because, above all, that was the greatest lesson I could learn.
Anyway, I think I'm done ranting now! There are a million other valuable things that I learned on my mission, but I think that about covers it for the moment.
I hope I don't come across "preachy" because that is the last thing I want. I'm the first person to admit that I forget these lessons far more often than I should. But hopefully by writing them here I won't forget them as much. I'm newly married still. I know I have so much more to learn. I can only imagine the lessons my kids will teach me someday! Hopefully, not too many of them will be terribly painful!
Well, we're almost to the end of the week! It's amazing how quickly the time flies!
Till tomorrow:
Less Than Three,
Sarah
(Picture here)
I have a confession to make.
It may be shocking, and it may upset you, but I can no longer keep it inside.
Yes, it's true
I hate Tinkerbell.
Not where you thought I was going with that, is it?
Haha! Well, the truth is out!
Some of you, family and friends, may already have been privy to my distaste for the little tart. But now, the world knows!
Ok, ok, I'm done now I swear!
I'll stop being dramatic!
But seriously, the girl is barely wearing any clothes, she sells her friends out at the drop of a hat, she conspires to kill an poor innocent child!
And THIS is the character we want our kids to grow up idolizing?
Psh!
Wendy is SOOO unappreciated!
She's so much cooler than Tinkerbell!
Anyway, that's it for today I'm afraid.
I hope you are having an excellent week!
(Hopefully Tinkerbell free...)
Less Than Three,
Sarah
(Picture here)
Oh! And reason #523 why I like cats:
I have never made a cake from scratch.
Ever.
Considering I didn't even know I liked to cook till a few months ago, that's probably pretty believable!
But, last Friday, I wanted to make something.
I could have made my chocolate chip cookies, which seem to be my go-to sweet treat, but I wanted something different!
We got this great cook book for our wedding and it has everything under the sun you could ever want to know if you're just starting out on your cooking adventures.
Down to how to set the table for different occasions.
I love it!
It's Better Homes and Gardens
"New Cookbook Bridal Edition"
So I flopped it open and found something I could make!
Chocolate cake!
I didn't feel like making any icing so I just used whipped cream and put some strawberries on the top.
It was a great combination for a hot day!
Since we have some left...I might just have to go grab myself a piece!
I hope you enjoy your day and are having a brilliant week!
Less Than Three,
Sarah
This is pretty much what I'm doing today.
Add in some house chores, chasing after a rambunctious puppy, and you have a pretty good picture of my Monday!
As usual, I'm working on a few things...the crochet project still isn't done, neither is the cross stitch, and we STILL aren't completely unpacked!
So what do I do?
I pick up a book.
Because that is the only thing that makes any logical sense!
In case you didn't know (and were actually believing that youtube is no longer going to allow uploads)
It's April Fool's Day!
I'm just not going to even bother trying to come up with some hoax to play on my poor husband or my more likely victim, my parents (My dad's a little gullible...in an endearing way! LOVE YOU DAD!)
Instead I'm going to enjoy my air conditioned house (yes, we already have it on), my book, my puppy, and be astounded that it's actually April! Can you believe the year is going by so fast??
But I wish you luck in your pranking endeavors and I hope I'll hear of some wickedly delicious schemes, come tomorrow!
In the mean time, I hope you have a lovely spring day and I'll see you all soon!
Less Than Three,
Sarah
(Picture here)
