My Skirt

I just finished this skirt and I love it! I can't believe how easy it was. All the ones I have seen go to the knee, but I wanted mine a little longer! Now I can't wait to make more. I had stitched along all the pockets and added rhinestone buttons on the back pockets and I love it!!! I can't wait to wear it.

Update!

Nothing too new and exciting is happening with us! Bruce is doing awesome with his sales, and I am so proud of him! I am also so grateful for the dedication he has to go out and knock doors 6 days a week for hours... It's a hard job. We are excited for Brookie and Dalan to come out here {they should be here tomorrow} and they are bringing our dog Auggie! I have been going CRAZY without Auggie the past two weeks... He entertains me all day, so it has been boring without him. Bruce is even excited, when we were laying in bed the other night he was like, "hey sweety, I am actually excited to have our child back!" haha.

I have been trying to keep myself busy by watching lots and lots of movies and making some crafts! I made a patchwork quilt about a week ago, and I love the way it turned out! I just did a solid red flannel on the other side and it turned out really cute. I also made a couple hot pads {for cooking} out of some of the left over fabric. I have wanted a white board calendar forever... every time I go to a store I think might have one I look, but I haven't found one I liked enough to buy. The other day I thought I would try to make one on my own! I went and bought a 16x20 frame and put some fabric behind it, and I love how it turned out! Its fun cause I can switch out the fabric whenever I want. I picked a neutral color for right now, but I think I might put red or gold in it when I get home. It took awhile to figure out how to draw the lines, and actually make the calendar...But I am happy with how it turned out! I am sure I will have many more little projects to pass the time while we are here!

Yesterday I went with some of the girls to Mobile. {for the first time} We decided we would go to the mall... We didn't have a navigation, and after driving for an hour and fifteen minutes and seeing a sign that said Welcome to Mississippi we realized we passed the mall. haha. We turned around and the mall ended up being pretty close to our apartments, {about 25 minutes} So I'm excited to go back now that we know how to get there!

Sweet Home Alabama (well just for the summer)

I keep forgetting to post about our apartments! They are the nicest apartments we have had during summer sales, and we love them! We have a 1 bedroom this year but its huge and brand new. The apartments have never been lived in so its really nice.

It is gorgeous here!

To pass the time I have been making jewelry! A few days before I came out here I went to the Temple with my whole family... My sister-in-law Katrina had on the cutest bracelet with a little clip on it to hold paper, and it made everything so much easier... So I had to make one for myself! I love how they turned out! (the one on the left is yours mom) If anyone wants one, let me know and I can make one for you! I also made some earrings too!

I bought these two sewing books yesterday and I am really excited about them! They both have some really cute projects, so hopefully I will have some cute stuff sewn by the end of the summer!

Gator Alley

Yesterday Bruce and I drove down to Gator Alley (its like a mile away from our apartment) and these are all the lovely Alligators we saw! There is a bridge that you can walk on that takes you through this little bay area and they are always here. One day Bruce went and saw a 15 foot alligator, but all the ones we saw yesterday were like 5-7 foot. While we were there was saw at least 10 alligators. The even crazier thing about it is some of the guys in the office went down there one day and there was an old man fishing and he was standing in the water up to his knees! I'm shocked he still has legs. But, it was fun to be able to go down there with Bruce!

Mother's Day

As I sit here and think about all the amazing mother's that I know in my life I am overcome with gratitude. Mom's play such a special role in every person's life. They are there to put a band-aide on a scratch, hold you when your scared, they are there in the good times and the bad times. I am so grateful for our moms, grandmas, aunts, and friends that are all such loving mothers!

I have the most incredible Mother in the world. I love her with all my heart, and I am so grateful for her. I honestly would not be the person I am today without my mom. She was there for me when I was down and needed someone the most and she was there for me even if she wanted to pull my hair out at the time. I feel so lucky to be blessed with a mother that is not only my mom, but my very best friend. Words can not express the love and appreciation I have for her, and I thank Heavenly Father daily for blessing me with such an incredible Mom. I pray that when I have my own children I can be just like her.

I have also been lucky enough to be blessed with such an amazing Mother-In-Law. My mother in law is so talented, and I love spending time with her. She has welcomed me into her family with open arms and she has raised an incredible son. She is so dedicated to her family and you can tell how much she loves each and every one of us. I feel so grateful to have her in my life and she has so many qualities that I pray I have when I am a mother.

Happy Mothers Day we love you both and are so grateful for you both! Thank you for being the best Mom's in the world, and for all you do for us!

Together at Last!!!

After a very early morning (5am flight, so I had to wake up at 3) I finally arrived in Alabama yesterday!!! Can I just say it was soooo good to see Bruce, and today I had a hard time letting him go to work. The saying "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" is so true! It amazes me that still to this day, I wake up and love my husband even more than I did when i fell asleep.

On top of seeing my husband when I got here, I got to see some of my friends from last year too! I am so excited for this summer and all the fun things us girls are gonna do! Christanie, Lindsay and I were hoping to go to the pool, but we woke up to pouring rain!

When I was told we were coming to Alabama for the summer I was kinda dreading it...Alabama just sounds so boring! But honestly, I love it here! It is GORGEOUS, and there are tons of places to shop and things to do. I was able to see my very first "wild" alligator too! They are everywhere here!

Although it is so good to be here in Alabama with my husband and friends, it was so hard to say goodbye to my little brother. He reports to the MTC on Wednesday, and he will be such an incredible missionary. I am so proud of him!

Happy Birthday Brecken!

Yesterday was Brecken's Birthday. She is always so fun to hang out with, and has the best personality...and she is so gorgeous! It is so much fun to watch her grown up, and I think everyone in the family is becoming very protective of her! Bruce is having a hard time with the fact that she is growing up and turning into such a beautiful girl! I love hanging out with her because she is like the little sister I never had!!! Here are some things we love about Brecken.

1. She is hilarious and is always making us laugh.
2. She is so sweet and is always looking for a way to make everyone feel better about themselves.
3. She has a special bond with everyone in the family.

4. She has a strong testimony and is always trying to do the right thing.

5. Bruce says she is always in a good mood and smiling!

We hope you had a good day Brecken, you mean so much to us! I hope you know if you ever need anything Bruce and I will be there in a heart beat. Thanks for all you do and Happy Birthday... We love you!

This was 2 years ago at our wedding!

Gone Once Again...

Well my husband is now in Alabama. He left a week ago and I miss him so much! We both talked about it and decided I needed to stay behind since my little brother is leaving on his mission (in a week)... so here I am! I feel like I finally got him back and he's gone again. When I told Bruce that his reply was "Sweetie, I'm just sneaky!" I have been really into genealogy lately. Any little story I can get about my ancestors I just cherish. While reading all their stories I am just amazed at how strong and amazing they are. Their husband had to leave for years to serve a mission, and here I'm having a hard time and my husband has only been gone for a week!

These are some pictures from my little brother's open house...This is the whole family (except Bruce, he left right after the farewell for Alabama) I can't believe my baby brother is leaving in a week for his mission, he will do awesome!

Chaddy loves picking on me...still!

Happy Birthday Justin!

Yesterday was my brother Justin's Birthday. Growing up we have always called Justin "Mr. Mom" Cause he always got things done and we didn't have to worry. After he got married it was such a big change for the family because we all had to start doing the things he took care of. Justin has turned into such an awesome guy, and a wonderful Husband and Father. Here are some things we love about Justin.
1. He will do anything for anyone... And you know it will get done.
2. He does everything he can to live is life in a good way and he is very Spiritual.
3. He picked a pretty amazing girl.. She has become one of my very best friends.
4. He is smart and really fun to hang out with.
5. He is someone you can talk to about anything.
6. He has always been such a good example to me.

Happy Birthday Justy we love you!!!

Happy Easter!

I love Easter. It is one of my favorite holidays! It is such a perfect time to reflect on the life and works of our Savior, and to give thanks for the sacrifice he made for us so many years ago, so that we can live with him again! We were able to go to the Easter Pageant with my family this year and I am so grateful for that experience. The spirit was so strong as we sat and watched a play on the life of the Savior. I am so grateful to him for all he has done so that I can live him again. My love for my Savior grows everyday, and I am so grateful we have a day to reflect and remember the amazing things he did on this earth so many years ago.

Happy Birthday Benny Boo!

Yesterday Benson turned 17. I can't believe how old he is getting! When I first came into the family Benson was only 12 almost 13, and now he is 17 and a junior in high school... So crazy! Benson is an awesome football player, Bruce and I love watching him play and he is a lot of fun to be around. Here are some things we love about Benson!

1. He has a strong testimony in the gospel.
2. He is really fun to hang out with.
3. He is very thoughtful and is always looking out for his family.
4. Bruce loves playing basketball with him!
5. He will do anything for anyone.

Happy Birthday Benson, we hope you had an awesome day! We love you.

Projects Galore!!!

The past few days I have been going crazy with sewing! My mother-in-law taught me how to make some baby blankets, so I have been making tons of blankets! There are a couple I have fallen in love with, so I am going to keep them for our future kids...But the rest I will be giving away! I have also been making matching burp clothes which are so much fun!

The blankets...

This is my favorite boy blanket... I am in love with all the little nursery rhymes on it! This is a keeper.

I gave this blanket to my niece Kylie. She loved it!

This is my favorite girl blanket... It's also a keeper!

Kylie loved the bright colors and kept playing peek-a-boo with the blanket, and loved the ties! She was so cute with it.

These are the burp clothes I made, the edges are frayed.

While Bruce was watching tv I decided to try something different, I crochet stitched the edge in different colors!

Last night I was able to take a fun class with my Mother-in-Law! Minnie was the teacher and she is so talented, I am so glad I was able to meet her! Isn't this the cutest craft apron??? I love it!

The Hoover Dam

On the way home from Las Vegas we had to drive through the Hoover Dam. I had always heard about it, but it was so cool to see it in person! Here it is...

Happy Birthday Colton!

Yesterday was my little brother's 19th Birthday! Bruce and I drove home from Vegas to surprise him! I am so grateful to have Colton in my life. We have always been so close, I remember when we were little we couldn't do anything without each other. Colton has always been the person I could go to with all my problems and he would help me through them and lift my self esteem. If I am ever having a bad day I can always go to him, and he instantly makes everything better! Here are a few reasons why I love Colton!

1. He has a heart of gold. He will do anything for anyone.
2. He has such a strong testimony and it totally shows. You look at him and he is glowing!
3. I always tell him, he will be the best husband in the world. Seriously... The girl he marries is so lucky!
4. He is really funny!
5. He is so easy yo talk to.

Happy Birthday Colty! I love you so much, and I am so lucky to have you in my life!