4th of July Oreo Pops

I LOVE July, and it is basically here!!! I get to put out my patriotic decorations all month for Independence Day and Pioneer Day. (What is more American than pioneers!?) Plus it is the month of barbecues and cookouts!! Jordan and I live to grill and play outside. We have plans to go camping, and I can't wait to take Madison to the parade. Pretty sure this is my favorite month and time of year.

I saw these cute little patriotic Oreo Pops on Pinterest and they looked like the perfect little project to make, eat, and deliver to the ladies that I Visit Teach. I followed this tutorial. I am not going to make my own tutorial. It would be a waste of pictures and time. The tutorial I followed was perfect and her pictures are cuter then mine. :)

Here are how mine turned out.

Best Visiting Teacher (me) EVER!!!

I just cut a tiny hole in a bag to drizzle the chocolate.

Aren't these SOOOO ADORABLE!!??

P.S. Follow the tutorial. They are really simple and fast and when you look at them they look self-explanatory. However, there are little hints and steps that could ruin the Pops if you don't follow them.

Hill Aerospace Museum

Along with our trip to Welfare Square, we decided to make the most of the day and visit a museum in Clearfield, called the Hill Aerospace Museum.  Every time we drive to Idaho, we see the museum and Jordan expresses his desire to stop someday. We finally did! We loved it! It is a pretty big museum with a ton of planes and displays. And guess what.... It is FREE!

First, however, we stopped for a picnic at a park called, The International Peace Gardens. We are guessing the majority of this park was built for the Olympics. It was kind of cool to walk through. Different areas represented different countries around the world. I wish I had more pictures, but it was so hot and very little shade along the walkways. I did get a few pictures of our lazy little picnic though.

Exploring the International Peace Gardens. (You can see a part of the Chinese Garden in the background)

Madi can get on her knees and rock... but still can't move forwards.

She wishes she could eat this!

So happy to be in the great outdoors.

 Now on to the Museum! I was amazed that Jordan knew most of the fighter planes by number and even their nicknames. He informed me that he used to be OBSESSED as a child. He said he carried around a book about planes like my brother, Fielding, carries around a book on elements.

This is the first half of the museum.

Looking in an old helicopter

The A-10.... aka: "The Warthog" One of his favorite planes!

Most planes have this little "pole" (forgot the actual name) on the front nose. We weren't quite sure what the point of it was. (I guessed it was for 'poking' or 'jousting' in the air.... :) ) However, we were informed it is to measure the speed of the aircraft by measuring how fast air is flowing through it.

Our happy little explorer!

Welfare Square

This past Friday, Jordan and I decided to take an outing. Before we leave Utah, we have a few things that we need to see and cross off our list. This week we took a tour of Welfare Square in Salt Lake City.

We took the hour tour given to us by some Sister Missionaries. It was fun to learn little fun facts about our church's welfare system.

The Bakery! 4,000 loaves of bread can be made a day!

Jordan and Madison chilling with the storage to stock the Bishop's Storehouse

 The Bishop's Storehouse is like a little store with no price tags. If someone is in need the bishop of their ward is primarily responsible for accessing the individual's or family's specific needs. After careful accessing the bishop and individual feel out an order request form and the person can then take it to the storehouse and receive the food that he or she needs. In return the storehouse may ask them to help stock shelves or provide some sort of volunteer service
 to keep the storehouse running.

From I-15, the photo below shows the most prominent building on the square. This building is pure cement and only took 8 days to build. Inside there is 16 million tons of grain stored for rainy days. In 4-5 years the grain is switched out to keep the storage fresh.

Grain Storehouse

Along with bread, the LDS church makes and manufactures a lot of their own food. They make their own cheese, peanut butter, milk, grow and can own fruit, spaghetti sauce, and even more. They even have a lab to make sure that the food is good quality tastes good. All food that the church produces independently has the brand label of Deseret.

Where they process cheese

At the end of the tour, we were given the chance to taste a small cube of cheese, some chocolate milk, and even make a peanut butter and Jelly sandwich using all Deseret products.

Enjoying our chocolate milk!

The LDS Welfare system is amazing and designed to help all people in need. Whether it be a family that the provider has lost his or her job momentarily, or for people in an area after a natural disaster, the church's welfare system is there to help all. In this post I have only described a fraction of what the welfare system entails. In short: employment services are offered, Deseret Industries (another version of Goodwill), and addiction recovery and marriage counseling programs are also available. After Loving God (which we do by keeping His commandments), the second great commandment is loving thy neighbor.

Matthew 25: 34-40 states:

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Link: For more videos on the specifics of the welfare system as well as service.
  

Family Photo Shoot

Just a week and a half ago we went up to Rexburg to attend my brother's mission farewell. My aunt wanted to do a little photo shoot, however, after church, Madison was not in a smiling mood. (who can blame her, church is hard for a baby!) We had to quickly get a family photo in before she became completely unraveled. We failed at getting Madison to smile, and Jordan forgot to take off his glasses, however, we got an accurate representation of our little family. To see the picture check out my 'Happily Ever After Tab'. From now on I plan to keep up to date family photos and future children that come into our family in that page. They are ALL part of my Happily Ever After.

This next bunch of photos are just Madison being.... well..... Madi! We barely got a hint of grin. She decided to be the somber model.    ..... And yes, Kirsten, I know they all 'look the same'.  My baby sure is beautiful though!

Why I Will Continue To Say "I KNOW"

I decided to dedicate some study time to pondering and writing out my response to a recent trending blog post titled: Why I Don't Say "I Know" Anymore. In order to completely understand my points, I would click on the link to the post and quickly skim through. Don't worry, it's not long and definitely worth the read.

This article got me thinking. I grew up in the very center of Mormon culture. When someone is insulting a 'silly' Mormon tradition, they are insulting my way of life in a sense. I usually don't take too much offense, and honestly take each little jab seriously for a few moments in order to evaluate what I could have "mindlessly" been doing. I try to keep an open mind and am always looking for ways to improve in every way of life. While I agree that some customs in Mormon culture can seem ridiculous, most come from a sincere desire to do what is right. To me, it isn't a problem with the traditions, but a problem with how we portray the customs and don't always teach WHY (or how to seek the why) we do them, but only TO do them. Questioning and doubting is a good thing, and if done through the correct spiritual channels can lead to a 'knowledge' of why we do things. Because of this, I would like to thank this writer for allowing me to question and then come to a greater understanding of why I will continue to say that " I KNOW that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true!"

The ideas in this piece are MY opinion. Please nobody take it as doctrine. I only want to spike thinking as the blog post I am responding to did. 

I agree with a lot of the points that this writer's opinion piece has brought to life. I believe that sometimes people (not just Mormons/ LDS) say things that they don't understand the meaning to. I also believe that a testimony is not a one time thing, but it is a life long journey with ups and downs. However, I also believe that the writer did not quite define the word 'know' in the way that I can claim that "I Know" something. It all comes down to that.... What does the word "know" mean? or What does it mean to have knowledge of something?

The writer brings up the scripture in Alma 32: 21

...Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

 The key words in this verse are 'perfect knowledge'. The post referred to these two words as inseparable. However, I can have knowledge, but it does not necessarily mean that it has to be perfect. To me, perfect knowledge means that I have experienced the truth in a spiritual sense as well as a physical sense. To me, getting this perfect knowledge would be a miracle from God. Our Heavenly Father is an absolutely perfect being with a perspective that 'us' mortals can only seek to understand. He is trying to reveal 'perfect' truth to his imperfect, and fallen children. He has promised that when we are resurrected and become truly united as body and spirit that we will come to have a 'perfect knowledge'. This is promised in 2 Nephi 9: 13 which says:

Oh how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible and immortal, and they are living souls, have a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect.

However, luckily, our Heavenly Father didn't leave us high and dry in our imperfect mortal state. He sent the Holy Ghost! The third member of the Godhead. At the close of our Savior's mortal life he promised his disciples that the Father [God] will give them another comforter. John 13:16 says:

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

Later the Comforter is made known as the Holy Ghost stating in a few verses later, John 13: 26:

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. 

I believe that the author of the blog post I am discussing demeaned the power and purpose of the Holy Ghost. In the True to the Faith reference (which has the Church's stamp of approval = doctrine) it says:

He [Holy Ghost]  "witnesses of the Father and the Son" (2 Nephi 31:18) and reveals and teaches "the truth of all things" (Moroni 10:5).  You can receive a sure testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ only by the power of the Holy Ghost. His communication to your spirit carries far more certainty then any communication you can receive through your natural senses.

Moroni 10:5 :

By the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may KNOW the truth of all things.

This above scripture is one of the most profound and ESSENTIAL promises that we are given to walk through this earth life. Notice it does not say perfect knowledge, but it does promise that you may KNOW the truth.
  
Please do not demean that purpose of the Holy Ghost. He can actually give us knowledge of truth and not just hope or belief of it.

Later the blog post says: "If we truly KNEW, in every sense of the word, why would we need to strengthen that knowledge?"        

Now she could be referring to knowing with a 'perfect knowledge,' but when I stand to the pulpit and say "I know" I am not claiming a perfect knowledge. (though some people could, and who are we to question that, or the witness they have perhaps received.)  I do believe that my next argument accounts for both. She gives an analogy of the sky being blue, I don't even think it is comparable to the type of 'deeply spiritual' truth we are talking about. I am going to give another analogy.

I am in love with my husband. I can honestly say that at this moment in time, I know that without a shadow of a doubt that I LOVE my husband. I don't see the love or even explain it very well, but I know it because I can feel it. I could get up before a large crowd today and confidently (not arrogantly!!!) say that I love my husband. Now.. I cannot guarantee that I will be able to say that in the future. I do believe that people can 'fall out of love' but if they do, it does not mean that the love wasn't absolutely real to begin with. It was a lack of action and work that caused the 'falling out of love'. Staying in love takes dedication and everyday purposeful efforts AS DOES OUR KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT IS TRUE! 

To me, saying "I Know" is not only a claim of true knowledge made known to you by the Holy Ghost, but also a commitment to keep working on that knowledge and progressing so we do not lose that knowledge that was revealed to us. Not saying "I Know" when the power of the Holy Ghost has made it known unto you is as simple as a commitment issue.



 For further excellent reference and reading refer to this broadcast by Lynn G. Robbins of the Seventy.  This is an excellent article of how to receive this knowledge from the Holy Ghost. It even brings up some different points about "perfect knowledge". 

For more click:  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints



 

  

A Day in the Park

 Madi and I were bored. We spent some time in the park. The swings were too hot. Shade was a must. Good thing this little girl is so darling in photos.

Enjoy!

Mommy and Madi selfi

Don't mind the grass that she is apparently trying to eat

As beautiful as her eyes are.... I LOVE these sunglasses

This baby loves the outdoors and extremely dislikes coming back home...

Her freckly, ginger momma can only take the heat for so long.

I Bought A . . .

Food seems to be a huge expense, and if not planned carefully, is an expense that one can spend to much money on. (me included!)  Now that I do the majority of the meal planning, cooking, and grocery shopping, I am always looking for ways to save money.Of course I have seen that TLC show 'Extreme Couponing' and wish that I could become that organized, know where to get coupons, and be familiar with the stores that actually allow one to save that much money. However, I wouldn't know where to start, and momentarily am to lazy to research it. Plus, I don't have that much room in my house to 'stockpile' as the extremists on the show do. Madison already shares half her room with our minor food storage. It seems that you have to be willing to 'stockpile' to save that much money anyways.

However, my sister introduced me to an app called ibotta . (Yes, the post title is a tad misleading)  Ibotta doesn't give you coupons, but actually rebates you cash. You can download ibotta as an app as I have for a smartphone, or it can easily be accessed as a computer program.

The ibotta app icon

 Oh... did I mention the app is Free!!

 From what I have earned so far, it is easy and even saved me some money. All you need are the redeemable items that you have bought as well as the receipt. This is how it works.

When you first go into the app, it gives you a list of topics/categories. I have only used groceries so far, it seems to have the best selection of everyday items that I purchase.

Once you have clicked on a category, it takes you to a list of stores. As you can see, it is only the major chain stores. So far, I have only used Walmart, but my family uses Winco, and I am thinking of switching my weekly grocery story to Smiths. There are more stores then shown here such as: Sam's Club, Sprouts, Kmart, Ridley's, Costco, and even more.

When I click on Walmart, I get a list of redeemable items for purchase and then below them the amount that they are redeemable for. All I have to do is click on the item and watch a short advertisement to unlock it. Below I have shown some of the items that are up for rebates. Of course there are a few others, and some are name brand and specific. These are just a few of the everyday items that I can redeem almost weekly. Every few days new rebates are put up and I just try to stay up on them to check if any items that I am going to buy will be on there. 

'Any brand' food and items that are available, even including the generic brand.

More.. Milk is also just one row beneath.

Once I have unlocked the rebate, all I need is the items I purchased and the receipt. Here is an example of one that I just did today.

Before I ran a quick errand to Walmart, I looked over the rebates and saw that Beech-Nut little squeezable snack things had a rebate for $1.00 if I bought three. I saw that on my list I put that I needed to buy a few of these squeezable fruits for Madison, (and yes, I was going to buy at least 3). In the past I have bought the generic brand because they were 4 cents cheaper. However, after a little bit of math, I found that with the rebate I actually saved 88 cents on buying the name brand baby food using the ibotta rebate.

Go ahead and check my Math!

All you need to earn the rebate is the items bought and the receipt.

If you bought multiple items on the same receipt, it is easiest to redeem all the items and then just scan the one receipt for the whole purchase instead of multiple times. The app comes with a scanner for the receipt and also a scanner for the item purchased.


This seems like such a little thing, and I won't be rich or save millions of bucks using it in the minimal fashion that do. However, my sister, who still lives at home, just saves my parents receipts from Winco, and actually makes a little bit of money. If only we could all be so lucky.

Camping With a Baby - Goblin Valley State Park-

Before I went camping with my little 6 month old Madison, I did some research. I was terrified to take my baby camping for fear it would ruin a sleep schedule, she would be cold and miserable all night, thus making her parents miserable, and honestly just ruin my good memories and memories to come that I have with camping. I searched Pinterest thoroughly for blog posts and lists that could be helpful in making a camping trip successful with a baby. Although most of these articles and ideas were very helpful, I decided to add my own wisdom to the list. My wisdom is down to earth and for the average/poor family. A lot of the posts made it seem that you need to bring every single little toy, have the coolest bed for them, and bring every imaginable baby product to make the trip a success! I am a witness (from my one time :) ) that this isn't necessarily true. Madi is the happiest of campers and her Dad and I brought the bare minimum.

Location

This past weekend, we decided to travel with some friends to Goblin Valley State Park in Utah. We were going to camp overnight and then do some hiking and site seeing the next morning. Our destination is about 3 hours from Provo. I am lucky that traveling with my baby is fairly easy. We made one little pit stop at a gas station where the building was inside a rock! Madi got the chance to get out of the car for a few minutes while we bought firewood and ice. Jordan hates to buy firewood, he would rather just chop his own, but when you live/camp in a vast desert, lumber is hard to come by!

My little happy traveler!

Hanksville, Utah

We found the coolest of campsites on BLM land so we didn't even have to pay a fee. Madi was so happy to sit on a blanket in the warm night air and watch us set up camp, cook dinner, and play frisbee. For the camp trip we decided to invest in a tarp. Not only to put our tent on, but for Madison to have somewhere to lay her blanket and play. This tarp wasn't necessarily an essential item, but if you have blankets you would like to keep as clean as possible it definitely helps.Plus I feel it keeps cool air from coming in the tent through the ground.

Madi enjoying the view

My happy little camper

Our cool little campsite

For a first camping trip, it was a must that we needed to go somewhere we wouldn't freeze at night. (Although it was somewhat chilly) I would prefer somewhere closer to home, but Provo is still a bit cold at this time of year.

Sleeping

Sleeping! This was definitely my largest fear going into the trip. A lot of my research pointed toward little compact camping beds for children that can fit into a backpack. These seemed ideal, but they were so expensive! I thought a pack n' play would be the best bet, however, we ran into a few problems with this for this particular trip. Our tent is a little small for that, we don't have one yet, and there was a lack of room in the car for such a bulky object. Although a play pen is a must for Madi as she gets older, this trip we decided to camp with a plastic tub. My mother came up with this great idea and it worked fantastically. Because Madison isn't quite mobile yet, it provided a great sleeping space for her and for me to pack her stuff in and save room in the car. I put her to bed just like I do at home. She laid awake for a few moments staring at the tent and listening to the crickets, and then fell asleep. She didn't wake up at all that night, even when Jordan and I came into the tent later that night. She had a blanket underneath her acting like a pad and a blanket on top for covering. She wore fleece pajamas, and then wore one of those fleece wearable blankets. She stayed warm enough to sleep soundly and woke up very happy the next morning.

Hiking

A baby hiking carrier is a must and probably where Jordan and I spent the most money for a specific object. We tried a cheaper one for a few days, but opted out when we found a deal for a much better one for just 15 extra dollars. In all we spent $115 on this hiking carrier. My only wish is that it had a canopy on top.

This carrier was awesome. It has some space for storage for her diapers and baby supplies, and even places for grown-up snacks and a camel back. I LOVE this carrier. I not only use it for hiking, but also around the house. Madison seems to want to be packed around at the times of day when I need to cook dinner or do chores. She is on my back daily as I vacuum, cook dinner, or even dig in my garden. This carrier is not only for babies, but can be worn until the child is over 40 pounds. Amazing investment! Because of the lack of a canopy, she had to have her hat on at all times, and I made sure she had a fresh coat of sunscreen every hour or so. One little trinket I think I want to add next time is a little spray bottle to spray her face to keep her cool. She loves when we flick her with water. (Except when my fingers accidentally flicked her in the nose)

My poor baby can't see

We hiked through Little Wild Horse and Bell Canyon. The hike we went on was through a slot canyon. We were so excited to do one of these hikes before we left Utah. We had the option to do one of the canyons then turn around. But by the time we realized we could turn around we had already gone about halfway. We ended up doing two canyons (one of which had knee deep water) and hiking about 8 miles. I took a break about halfway and nursed Madison.This hike was a little to long for a 6 month old. She slept in her carrier, but started to get tired and ornery around mile 7. I would probably recommend a 5 mile hike as a 'challenging' but 'doable' hike for a baby. However, we were so thankful for our nice carrier and loved this hike.

Fast asleep on Dad's back

At the start of the slot canyon

After a little picnic lunch we entered the park to see the hoodoos. We walked around for about an hour exploring the strange towering rocks and took some pictures. The park is extremely small, and although the rock formations were pretty cool, once you've seen one, you've seen them all. Plus after our 8 mile hike, we were pretty tired.

Looking out over Goblin Valley