Women's Conference

Women's Conference was GREAT!!! I want to go every single year!!! The first talk was by Sheri L. Dew and it was the perfect talk to begin the two days. She talked about the need to Awake, Arise and Come Unto Christ. Whenever I have had the opportunity to listen to her speak I have been amazed at the power of her talks.
Points of her talk that stood out to me:
*Embedded in our spirits is the need to be something more, we as women of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are sleeping Giants, we need to AWAKE
*We all have more influence than we think, righteous influence is a gift
*If we would unleash our full potential the Kingdom of God would be changed
*Motherhood is the greatest potential influence in life
*Women are the Lord's secret weapon
*Are we talking of Christ on a daily Basis?
*Think of life as a ministry - the influence to lift others comes from following the influence of Christ
*It is time to stop being led by the women of the World and Start leading them
*Do something to walk away from the world and Come Unto Christ
We also went to classes on gifts of the spirit, self reliance, raising daughters, cheerfulness and on not having fear. The talks on Lay hold upon Every Good Gift were so good and helped me realize and more fully understand that all good gifts and talents are gifts of the spirit. For example I would have never catergorized my ability to never take naps, run after my children all day, and do all the things necessary to take care of our home as the gift of energy. Sister Ricks who gave one of the talks also discussed that we need to do three things 1st discover our gifts, 2nd develop them and 3rd Honor them. It has been good for me to contemplate this and I am grateful for a Heavenly Father that will bless us with gifts and talents to bless our lives and the lives of others.
On Friday Morning the opening speaker was Sister Beck the General Relief Society President. She spoke on Faith and Fortifying our homes. She challenged us to think of our home as a fort or place of refuge that has a draw bridge and not let anything into our homes that will lower the bridge or break down the walls. She also said "where you are the weakest put your most effort." One other thing that stuck out to me in her talk was when she talked about raising our children: she told us it was our job to fortify the schools they attend. There is no such thing as "they will do it." There is only you. We need to be there for our children and pointing them in the direction of the temple. I loved listening to her speak and could truly feel of her love as she did, she is an amazing women!
John Bytheway spoke on not having fear and he is not only spiritually uplifting but had us laughing most of the time:)
A few things from his talk:
*Fear stands for False
Expectations
Appearing
Real
*It doesn't matter what "IT is... FAITH in Christ is the answer
*#1 on our agenda should always be Faith in Christ
*There is nothing to fear because we are bound to Christ and Christ has conquered all
*Having Faith in Christ means having faith in his timing
The last breakout session we went to was on raising daughters. I was really looking forward to this one and was not dissappointed!
Sister Morrison was one of the ladies that talked and had several good thoughts on raising girls.
*When you teach a boy you teach an individual. When you teach a girl you teach a generation
*Are our examples worth emulating? We are an open book in the eyes of our daughters
*It doesn't matter who we AREN'T when we know who we ARE, the spirit can show us who we are
*skills in the home are being lost it is our responsibility to teach our daughters homemaking skills
*Motherhood will fill your memory with treasured experiences
*Don't tell God how big the storm is, Tell the storm how big your God is
*Heavenly Father trusts you as a mother
*We as mothers set the tone of our homes
*Children deserve to be enveloped in light before they are confronted with darkness
*It is our job as parents to be in the front seat in teaching and nurturing our children
*We can't teach what we aren't willing to live
*Good things to provide your children: Personal time with each child, Praise and encouragement, a clean home, show love for spouse and the gospel (be a good example), fun family time, set expectations and guidelines
The last speaker at the conference was President Monson. It is always an amazing experience to be in the presence of a prophet (even though it seemed like we were about a mile away:) I could still feel of his love very strongly. I am grateful that we have a prophet on the earth today, Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God.
President Monson talked about the common threads woven into the tapestries of our lives.
*The first thread: Finding Joy in the Journey. Don't let the important things pass us by. Everyday in your life is a special occasion! Don't postpone those things which could bring joy into your life. Never let a problem become more important than a person. Pile up a lot of tomorrows and you will find a a lot of empty yesterdays. Always express your thanks.
*The second thread: In adversity look to examples of faith. When you get to the end of your rope tie a knot and hang on. A jeweler once explained that to reveal the true beauty of precious stones one must put them in a abrasive solution and shake them up, we are like precious stones and can become more beautiful through challenges and trials.
*The third thread: Threads of Service. The love we show to others when we serve them can never be fully measured.
I love the Prophet!
I had such a great time at Women's Conference and am grateful to have been spiritually fed by such amazing people!
I am also grateful for the time spent with my sister and mom... Great memories!
Here are a few photos from the weekend...
Olivia thought it was funny I forgot my toothbrush until she discovered she had left hers home as well:) We had a good laugh!

We really laughed when we had packed matching pjs without planning it.

I was so glad that we were in town to go to Eliza's Birthday party! Happy 1st Birthday!!!

I love my sister!! We had so much fun running from class to class! (We had to leave my mom behind a couple of times but she did pretty well keeping up despite the fact she is still using a cane from hip surgery.)

This next picture is not clear at all but it shows just how many people were there. It was good to be surrounded by women who are all trying to come closer to Christ and be better... It also didn't hurt that there was not a single child or baby there. Such a great Idea, It really helped the focus of the Conference. (I missed my girls SO SO much but feel that I will be a better mom because of the growth that came from this conference!)

My Entryway

I love to watch a show on HGTV called Freestyle. On the show a designer comes into the home and finds things around the house to redecorate an area. So the other day I needed a break from the Laundry and decided to do my own freestyle...
Now before you are too critical, remember I did this without the designer I just had the help of Gracee. I would like to hang the mirror on the wall but it is really heavy so we haven't decided how we could safely hang it. Anyway I had fun gathering things from around the house and changing things up a bit! I am glad to finally use the mirror... Ruffin made the frame for it about 3 years ago and I have only ever had it on the floor because it was so heavy.

Spring?

Gracee and I have finally started coming out of the house to play outside and I am sad to report that she saw her shadow... I hope this doesn't mean that Spring isn't coming soon... We are ready for warmer weather, the past three days we have gone for walks and loved being outside enjoying the sun!!!!

Ruffin

Since 99% of what I write about is all about Gracee and Emme I thought I would let you know about Ruffin.
1. What is his name? Robert Ruffin, he goes by Ruffin. When I first met him I couldn't remember his name so my roommate helped me out by referring to him as the muffin man:) It helped:) He is named after a Great Great Grandpa.
2. How long have you been married? Almost 5 years... Wow it seems like yesterday I met him and (couldn't remember his name) but thought he was thee cutest guy I had EVER seen:) You can say it was love at first sight:)

3. How long did you date for? Before we got married we dated 9 months (give or take a few months in there)

4. Who eats more sweets? That's tough to say while I can out eat him with the RIce Krispies he definitely can eat more ice cream.

5. Who said "I love you" first? He did... I still remember the exact spot and it makes my heart skip a beat just thinking about it:) It was one of those moments I will never forget!!!

6. Who is taller? Ruffin is 6'1" tall and its a good thing because I have a lot of high (well some extremely high:) shoes in my closet I would have hated to get rid of:)

7. Who can sing better? Ruffin is one of 13 and all of them sing... They even sang to me at my wedding dinner... I on the other hand can not carry a tune and even Emme covers her ears. (Ok I dramatized that a little but I really can't sing!)

8. Who is smarter? Ruffin is SO smart!!! I can't even explain how smart, he really amazes me with all the stuff he knows and can figure anything in his head in seconds flat!

9. Who does the laundry? Ruffin does the laundry when I am sick and that is it, I actually like doing the laundry so he is off the hook with helping.

10. Who pays the bills? Ruffin does... He likes working with money.

11. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Ruffin usually sleeps on the right side but if we move the bed around he always lets me sleep to the side closest to the bathroom.

12. Who makes dinner? Ruffin is a great cook and if he is home during dinner hours he is cooking.

13. Who drives? Ruffin always drives. (Well with the exception of when we have to drive in a blizzard, he is from sunny St. George and sometimes I just feel a little safer behind the wheel in the snow) he is getting more experience though now that he has lived where it is winter for 9 months out the year for almost 6 years.

14. Who is more stubborn? Ruffin won't budge on those things he truly believes in or is passionate about but overall he is a pretty easy going person. So I hate to admit that I am probably more stubborn.

15. Who kissed who first? Ruffin kissed me first (sparks flew) haha THey really did!

16. Who asked who out first? Ruffin (very nervously) asked me out first. I still remember him coming to my door, he stumbled over his words and I just stood there beaming (and thinking finally!!!!!!)

17. Who proposed? Ruffin did at Mesa Falls, it was a beautiful day!!!

18. Who wears the pants? Well Mmm I am going to say I do since like I said Ruffin is pretty easy going... I couldn't have married a better man!!! Love LovE LoVE LOVE him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some other fun facts about Ruffin:
He works with World Financial Group and loves teaching people how to make and save money... It is a really great company that does great things for families. Although he works with World financial group he owns his own company (if that makes sense). He has been building his business for the past two years. He is doing great things and I have loved watching him become a great businessman. The other thing I love about what Ruffin does is that he works with a lot of great people and we have made a lot of good friends. It is just a good environment where they are constantly building each other up!
When Ruffin is not working guaranteed he has one of his little girls in his arms or by his side. Gracee and Emme both ADORE their daddy. Ruffin loves to spoil his girls... Gracee has him wrapped around her little finger:) Everytime we go to Wal-mart Gracee takes him back to the bikes and he pulls the princess one down from the highest rack and lets her ride it around the store:) One of these days they just might get kicked out:):) Anyway Ruffin is just letting her practice so that she is a pro when we buy her a bike this summer. My point is that he is just a cute father and I love to see him with our girls!
Ruffin loves snakes, wants to own a dog some day and wants to practice his golfing skills this summer.
I love Ruffin because he is my best FRIEND! We are so glad to have him HOME from California!!!!

First Snow!

Saturday morning we woke up to a blizzard! The flakes were so big we had so much fun watching the snow fall. The only downfall to the snow was that our satellite could not get a signal and the radio was breaking in and out when we did have power. We lost power a bit before 11 a.m. and it didn't come back on until just before 4 p.m. We got tired of just sitting and missing General Conference so we got in the car and drove until we could get a good reception on the radio. The drive was good because the girls fell asleep and I actually could listen without interruption.


I took this picture after it stopped snowing around 4 p.m.

4 things

This was harder than I thought it would be... 100 random things were easier than 4 specific things about something. Anyway here you have it...

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. mom
2. waitress at frostop
3. cook at Mcdonalds
4. server atOutback Steakhouse

Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. Besides Cinderella I really can't think of a movie I have watched over & over in a long time

Four Places you Have Lived:
1. Terreton, ID
2. Ashton, ID
3. Rexburg, ID
4. Maybe #4 will be out of Idaho sometime in the future

Four TV Shows that I watch:
1. Oprah occasionally
2. Doodlebops when I am doing Gracee's hair
3. Ace of Cakes
4. Rachael Ray

Four places I have been:
1. old faithful (a couple of times)
2. Stood underneath the Jolly Green Giant (Somewhere in Minnesota I think)
3. Ikea (three times now)
4. The chocolate factory in Phoenix, AZ

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Mac and Cheese at Noodles & Co.
2. Salad and Breadsticks at Olive Garden
3. Fresh Peaches
4. fruit smoothies

I would rather be right now:
1. On a date with Ruffin
2. In the Temple
3. At the Spa getting pampered
4. At a resort laying in the sun by the pool

Four friends I think will respond
1. Bethany for sure
2. Olivia if she has time after conference
3. Erin
4. Holly

Things I am looking forward to in the next year?
1. Christmas Holiday/spending time with family!
2. Disneyland/convention in march!!!
3. Starting Ballet class


4. Ruffin getting his QMD promotion

Sunday Treat

For our sunday treat yesterday we made yummy cinnamon rolls! I found a really easy recipe so I thought I would share it... Easy Cinnamon Rolls Rolls: 2 1/4 Cups very warm water, 1 envelope (0.25 ounces) or 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast, 1 yellow or white cake mix, 5 cups flour Filling: 1/2 cup butter or margarine (softened), 1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed), 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional), 1/4 cup raisins (optional) Topping: 1 can (16 ounces) cream cheese frosting. Mix water and yeast together with a whisk in a large bowl. Whisk cake mix into yeast water. Stir in flour one cup at a time. Let dough stand in a draft-free place 45 minutes. Knead enough to punch down and roll to an 18x10-inch rectangle. Add small amount of flour if needed during process.

Mix butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Heat in microwave 15 seconds. Spread over rolled-out dough. Sprinkle nuts or raisins over brown sugar mixture if desired. Starting with widest end, roll dough into a tight log. Cut into 15 rolls and place in a greased 9x13-inch pan. Allow rolls to rise 25 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees 19-23 minutes. Drizzle desired amount of frosting over baked rolls. Makes 15 cinnamon rolls.

I love this recipe because it is almost fail proof! The other reason I think it is a winner is because I took one down to my mom and she said they were delicious! Now if you know my mom, you know that she is a great cook and is not easily pleased when it comes to food... That is a good enough reason to recommend it :)Gracee couldn't resist trying the dough. I made her do it again for the picture and I am pretty sure she didn't like the taste of the first bite!
I don't know what I would do without my good little helper!

Gracee had so much fun touching the rolls and moving them... We had planned on giving some away, but with all the sampling and touching we decided we had better just keep them for ourselves.
The finished product! Perfect with a glass of milk!

100

The other day I was looking at some blogs and there were a few who had written one hundred things about themselves... I wondered if I could write 100 things about myself so I thought I would give it a try...
1. I am married to my best friend Ruffin
2. I have two beautiful girls
3. I love to workout (I know its crazy... I would probably be a gym junkie if I had all the time in the world, but for now dvds are working great.
4. I graduated from college (8 months pregnant)
5. I love to decorate
6. My favorite kitchen tool (besides all my RED kitchenAid things) is my VIta Mix... Love it!
7. I love to shop (Kohls being at the top of my list right now of favorite stores)
8. My favorite craft stores are tai pan and real deals
9. My sister is one of my best friends
10. The last movie I watched (while changing a couple diapers, cleaning the kitchen and rotating the laundry) was We Are Marshal... I had to rewatch a couple of parts but it was a good movie. I don't remember the last movie I saw in the theater, its been awhile.
11. I can't stand clutter (I think I'm allergic)
12. Pink and Red are my favorite colors
13. Macaroni and cheese is my favorite meal (Homemade, not the blue box)
14. My favorite holiday is Christmas and I wish I could leave my nativity out all year long!
15. My biggest goal/dream right now is to become a photographer
16. I love crawling into clean sheets
17. I like to use my bath towel only once and then wash it... ridiculous I know
18. I love the smell of baby lotion
19. I like to sew and have the hope of one day finishing the quilts my sister and I started this summer
20. The project I am working on right now is making a wedding bouquet for Lisa for her reception in Ashton
21. I love it when my house is clean
22. My favorite scent is Cranberry oil from the body shop (Annie got me hooked!)
23. I am going to be an aunt for the second time any minute (I can't wait to meet Lily, she's due sept 30th)
24. I like making lists and I love checking things off
25. I love being a mom even though it presents some big challenges it is rewarding beyond words...
26. I like to eat green apples with peanut butter
27. I don't like to chew gum (however I must thank Olivia who bought me some to stay awake for my drive home from Utah last weekend, it worked great)
28. I love World Financial Group... (For 2 reasons, #1Ruffin loves it and #2Ruffin loves it and it is a Great company) I do enjoy learning more and more about what He is doing and also we are making some great friends... love it!
29. On the top of my wish list is a Digital SLR (my first step to becoming a photographer) after that I want to take some classes maybe online or at the college... I want to photograph babies, children and maybe do some family pictures... I can't wait!
30. When I first met Ruffin I had a hard time remembering his name so my friend Kristin helped me think of him as muffin with an R
31. I love Cotton Candy and Rice Krispy treats. They top my list of things to eat made of pure sugar
32. I don't particularly love to cook and as most of you know I am not very good at it when I do.
33. I love dancing. On my list of classes I would like to take is a dancing class with Ruffin so we could brush up on our walz steps:)
34. When ordering food at a restaurant I have a hard time trying something new, I usually stick with something I know I will like
35. I like making double and triple batches of sugar cookies with Olivia (especially late at night because we laugh ourselves silly)
36. My favorite sound is Emme Laughing
37. I LOVE going to the Temple
38. It makes me smile when Gracee sings Book of Mormon Stories
39. The person I miss the most is my Grandma Clark
40. I dislike Mcdonalds and will only eat a fruit and yogurt parfait when I go there
41. My favorite TV show is Ace of Cakes (Duff is hilarious and the cakes they make are amazing!)
42. I have never been to the ocean (can you believe it... A trip to Hawaii is high on my list of things I will do soon!
43. I used to love Mexican food but after my first pregnancy I don't really like it... My food choice these days is Italian, I like the Olive Garden, and Johnny Carinos
44. I hate scarry movies (I prefer happily ever after)
45. The last book I read cover to cover was the latest Harry Potter book
46. When I think of relaxation I think of: scalp massages at Paul Mitchells, bubble baths, reading a good book in a comfy oversized chair, and sitting by the camp fire
47. I love camping with my family
48. I hate buying meat at the grocery store and I don't like cooking meat either. Ruffin is so sweet to cook all the hamburger and freeze it so when I do cook I don't have to touch the raw meat.
49. I should be cleaning my kitchen right now instead of writing this...
50. I take awhile to make decisions, I like to think things over
51. I have a fear of the doors at Broulims closing on me, they don't work right I promise, they have nearly gotten me a couple of times I am sure of it.
52. I hate riding escalators (this is new simply because Gracee loves to ride them and she makes me nervous because she doesn't hold very still when we ride them)
53. I wish I was more organized... I am trying I really am
54. I don't like being home alone in the dark
55. I love playing in the toy section of stores with Gracee but I hate dragging her away from the dolls
56. I love to go for walks
57. I love traveling and love staying in hotels
58. I love disneyland especially that magical feeling when they sing right before they open:)
59. I don't like snakes and cannot watch them eat, it makes me sick!
60. I have never had a drink of alcohol or smoked a cigarette (I might be running out of things, I better take a break)
61. I like getting Pedicures
62. I haven't had fake nails in years but I do like them
63. I love going to the beauty salon to get my hair cut and have cried after at least 3 haircuts that I can remember, not because they did a bad job but because I miss my long hair when it is gone
64. I am grateful that my husband is so good with money and takes such good care of me and our girls
65. I love microwave popcorn
66. When I was pregnant with G I ate Lipton noodle soup and sprite for three months straight
67. I love reading about my ancestors and I think it will be really neat to meet them someday (not soon:)
68. I love the smell of fresh peaches
69. Also I like eating a big bowl of fresh peaches
70. I used to hate milk but now I love it, well I better not say love, I like it cold and very fresh
71. I do not like the wind, if there were somewhere that it NEVER blew I would probably move there
72. I like arranging flowers
73. My favorite flower is a pink ranucula (I have no idea if I spelled it right)
74. My girls make me laugh every single day
75. My husband goes shopping with me even though he absolutely hates it (He is GREAT)
76. I think it is absolutely hilarious that Grace calls me her "new mommy" I would like to know where the old mommy went?
77. I like watching home decorating shows on HGTV
78. I like to rearrange my furniture
79. My closet is full of clothes but I often feel like I have nothing to wear
80. I love shoes
81. I feel a little quilty that I have already passed on my shopping and shoe addiction on to Grace
82. I don't feel quilty enough to shop less or not to take Gracee to shoe stores:)
83. Sometimes when Grace throws a fit, I can't help but laugh (I know I probably shouldn't but occasionally Grace will stop throwing the fit and laugh with me
84. I love Honey Sesame Seed Almonds from Trader Joes
85. my favorite kid clothing stores are OshKosh and Carters
86. I don't know what I would do on car trips without a dvd player
87. I am not happy that Miss M has discovered the stairs (time to get out the gate!!!)
88. I like to do embroidery work (its relaxing for me)
89. I love clorox wipes
90. I am really wanting to bleach my hair, my hair grows so fast though and I hate having dark roots
91. I worry about things I shouldn't
92. I hate it when I am in public and people give me dirty looks when my kids are acting up, being loud or just being kids
93. When I was little I wanted to be a country music singer
94. Also when I was little I used to play that I was a McDonalds worker, after getting a job there the fun wore off the first day
95. I wish Annie and Jonathan lived closer I am glad that they are only a four hour car ride plus an hour plane ride... I can't wait to visit them in October!
96. I make m's baby food
97. I love going to the library and reading to my girls
98. I switch diaper bags often (I have found one I love however and it is getting a little worn out)
99. I love blogging (It is the perfect way for me to photo journal)
100. I love the Gospel, I love life and what makes me the happiest is my FAMILY!

Whew! That was exhausting! around number 50 I nearly gave up... although some things are silly and random there you have it... 100 things about me
And now if you made it through reading mine I am tagging you, I would love to read them:)

HUrRAy!!

The big excitement around our house today was Ruffin had a little time to start clearing the weeds!! Those who have been to our house know that the weeds have gotten out of control... Well we are hopefully going to get the dirt all leveled out and in the right place and maybe even plant a little seed so that when winter is over some grass might come up.
P.S. Isn't the tractor great...(It was so loud it shook the whole house) My dad was nice enough to let Ruffin use it.