loves it

a few things i've been loving:

1. the valentine banner i made at jamie & kelli's {burlap inspired} "b-chic" class at ETC.
seriously talented friends i have. ♥
2. the heart quilt my grandma dixon HAND STITCHED me...one of my treasures. ♥
3. the glorious weather....i've been doing mass amounts of yardwork this week & it's pure heaven out there...definite proof that heavenly father loves me. ♥

sleep

i need more of it.

myron's a legit senior citizen these days.
he goes to bed at a firm 9pm every night.
{because he wakes up for work at 5am}
*he deserves those 8 hours, btw.....
he went nearly three years without
any sort of consistent sleep schedule.

i think i'm ready to implement an early bedtime for myself, too.

6am comes way too early.

i like boring

i'm blogging a picture of my lunch yesterday,
because that is how chill my life is these days.

not much on the calendar as of late.

in efforts to [focus] in 2012,
i've been spending more time relaxing, being at home,
letting go,
and learning to say no to things that stress me out.

i've been trying to do things because i want to do them,
instead of doing things because i [should] do them,
or because [i think] people think i should do them.

i've been working on being more spontaneous, c'est la vie-style.

this does not mean that every moment of the past couple weeks has been all grins and giggles.
i've still had my "special" moments when i revert back to my old anxious ways.

however, i am seeing progress.

i'm finding that i like my life simple.
call it boring.
*whatever it is....i like it.

toothless

my first born lost her first tooth today.
milestone/tender moments.

her permanent tooth is pretty much already grown in
& her other bottom tooth is loose.

the first thing she said when she got off the bus today was,
"can i go to sleep now, so the tooth fairy can come?"
♥

meanest mom ever!

we are implementing a new system at our house.

it's called: mom is mean & is sick of messes.

every toy, dress up & coloring book we own
is being held hostage in this closet.

with the new rule:
one mess at a time.

believe it or not,
i tricked the kids into helping me sort,
donate toys that never get used,
and to be excited about our new little plan.

{evil cackle}

a thoughtful surprise

the other day, i opened my mailbox
& there was a package from my sweet sister.

she sent me this print,
[knowing that focus is my one little word this year]
along with a matching 4x6 size.

*isn't that the most thoughtful thing ever?

i'm loving that tony robbins quote.
{tony robbins is my favorite}
and lovelovelove that i have this cute reminder hanging up in my little abode.

thanks heidi!
i ♥ you!

ps:
"Imagine, if you will, a pair of powerful binoculars. Two separate optical systems are joined together with a gear to focus two independent images into one three-dimensional view. To apply this analogy, let the scene on the left side of your binoculars represent your perception of your task. Let the picture on the right side represent the Lord’s perspective of your task—the portion of His plan He has entrusted to you. Now, connect your system to His. By mental adjustment, fuse your focus. Something wonderful happens. Your vision and His are now the same. You have developed an “eye single to the glory of God”. With that perspective, look upward—above and beyond mundane things about you. The Lord said, “Look unto me in every thought”. That special vision will also help clarify your wishes when they may be a bit fuzzy and out of focus with God’s hopes for your divine destiny. Indeed, the precise challenge you regard now as “impossible” may be the very refinement you need, in His eye."
-Nelson

falling in love again

on sunday, i felt like getting crafty, just for fun.
we were home, sick-as-dogs & i was {desperate} for some stimulation...

so i decided to scrapbook, just for me, just for fun.
i counted, & from all the scrapbook classes @ ETC i have done over the years,
i have about 20 albums & over 600 layouts without pictures!

so i started scrapping & journaling our honeymoon
+ a few favorites from our engagement & wedding.

i slapped those pictures down on my pre-done pages,
[the blue layout was from the first class i ever taught!]

& added a few embellishments & sentiments & new title-age here & there.

i fell in love again.
i love this hobby.
there's just something about recording stories that makes me so, so happy.
makes me aware of my blessings.

reminiscing of our earlier days & putting my memories down on paper has been so therapeutic.
i am even more in love and feel even more secure than i did back on that happy day in 2003.
how far we've come. [SO] many lessons we've learned in the past 9 years.
through the good times & the bad....so blessed {and deeply thankful} to be married to my very best friend. ♥

"mrtin loofer king jooyr day"

chloe brought me this note this morning
with a list of plans for her day off.

it reads:
martin luther king junior day [mrtin loofer king jooyr day]
paint toes and fingers [pant tos and fegrs]
camp in the living room [camp in the living room]
make lemonade [makce lemined]
and have a party [and have a prdey]





we did our best to get everything checked off the list.

20 pink fingers, 20 blue toes
& a pitcher of fresh squeezed lemonade before i went to work...

then a pizza party/movie night with dad while i was at work....

and i just came home to two sleeping beauties
on their mattresses parked in my living room.

...and {this} photo on the camera card...



makes me smile.
♥

responsibility

with all the illness
{and it threatening to never leave us}
i failed to post about what we did
for our little fhe last week.

our activities were centered around {responsibility}
& how each of us contributes to our family in a special way:
[click on links to see details]

song: when we’re helping we’re happy

lesson: train analogy

discuss: how can each of us contribute more to our family?

activity: house puzzle

we reviewed our january theme
& discussed ways we could make our home happier.

i'm looking forward to feeling 100% better & having the energy to practice what was preached at that family home evening. ha! ♥

humbling lessons from sickdom

the little devil on my left shoulder has been
telling me all along that it was inevitable:

i officially caught the bug.

it's a drag. i'm coughing, fever, the whole nine.

i [despise] coughing & even more, i [hate] asking people to work for me. probably my least favorite thing, ever.

nevertheless, it happened, and here i am,
wishing i were sleeping...
but blogging from the comfort of my couch
& flannel blankets a-plenty....
cuddling with an even sicker,
more high-maintenance [very awake] blondie.

luckily i have amazing family, friends & extremely supportive co-workers...and everything is going to be just fine.

our dunn family has had a rough year with sickness. seems like every few weeks, despite my best efforts of staying sanitized, we cycle through another strain of something.

there's a crazy thing about being sick though, that makes me think about how much i truly appreciate being well and healthy. and how extremely grateful i am for this body heavenly father created for me. and that it's able to fight off germs. kinda a miracle if you think about it! modern medicine is amazing & we are so blessed to have natural resources available too.

i have a handful of friends and family that are battling very serious health issues right now, and i can't help but think about them...with my most heartfelt compassion, as i lie on this couch. they have such courage & are the strongest people i know.

makes me want to move more, and eat well. and to use this body of mine to accomplish great things, instead of just being obsessed with the way it [does or doesn't] look, or how much it weighs. makes me want to get up and run and jump, and do cartwheels with my girls, in honor of those who aren't able. *k, let's get real: makes me want to get in-shape enough to DO a stinkin' cartwheel. :)

it all causes me to realize that health is a blessing i continually take for granted.
and it just takes a minor bacterial infection to remind me that i am so crazy-fortunate,
to have the opportunity to get better,
and to [live] better.
♥

right this minute

bookworm chloe readin' her junie b. jones
all by her little old self in the corner.
*so happy she loves to read. ♥



trooper olivia, freshly diagnosed with pnemonia, smiling about her cute little tent that daddy got her at walmart.
*there should be perks to feeling so crummy! ♥

around my neck

i got my cute little custom OLW necklace in the mail!
{via chickadee beadart on etsy}

i [very] rarely purchase anything for myself,
so this happy little spontaneous splurge was a fun little reward.

and if it reminds me to stick to my goal,
it was worth every penny.

lovin' it. ♥

this little girlfriend

my sweet livy is on the mend.
it's been a doozy of a week with a double ear infection and the most wicked cough she's probably ever had....but i'm just grateful it's little stuff & she can heal soon & be better.

night times have been the most challenging....
there hasn't been a lot of sleeping going on.

but there has been {lots} of popsicles consumed,
curious george episodes watched,
essential oils applied,
breathing treatments administered,
and medicine being spit upon my face. [rude!]

i feel a little tickle in the back of my throat tonight,
but i'm having faith it'll be gone by morning.
{please?}

on a monday

the view from the treadmill. [my motivation]



time to retire these socks...ghetto much?



mama & baby panda....chloe is obsessed.
& our sprouting pumpkin seeds that need desperately to be planted in deeper soil.



apples are cute.



proof of a very sick babe.
please pray for her cute little lungs....she's so tired of coughing.
♥

forget me not

{handout via}

it was an awesome day of rest.
love me some sunday to give me that "okay, i can do this" attitude.

our lesson in young womens was on our heavenly father's love.
we watched clips of THIS, which, let's get real, is perhaps my favorite talk of all time.
such.powerful.stuff. for women of any faith.

and tonight i attended a giant gathering of young people from all over mesa...
kicking off the dancentennial.
the message shared there was completely inspirational
& left me excited about trusting god & living to my fullest potential.

one thing i have learned about life, is that, it goes on.
might as well endure it well, right?

[sweet is the peace] the gospel brings, folks.
no lie. ♥

this week's take away message

{via}

despite my {very} best efforts,
2012 has started out a little bit rough.

i've been nursing a sick toddler &
a pesky dark cloud that randomly
shows up to linger over my head from time-to-time.

never fear,
things turned around yesterday afternoon.

just so happens, i have an amazing mom
who encouraged me so much with her
thoughtful support & offers of service.

and the night ended among customers & friends at work who {through just being themselves} reminded me that my life is full of kind & generous people who have my best interest at heart.

i came home to a house of sleeping people {of whom i adore.}
*the redhead had even built the sick blondie a giant fort, complete with 2 humidifiers, 6 pillow pets & the softest blankies in the house.

it's never too late to start fresh.
i really believe that. ♥

"When words cannot provide the solace we need or express the joy we feel, when it is simply futile to attempt to explain that which is unexplainable, when logic and reason cannot yield adequate understanding about the injustices and inequities of life, when mortal experience and evaluation are insufficient to produce a desired outcome, and when it seems that perhaps we are so totally alone, truly we are blessed by the tender mercies of the Lord and made mighty even unto the power of deliverance." -david a. bednar

around the house

christmas gift from rachel & david's family...
cutest wreath ever, made out of {quoting dave} "a bunch of really ugly sweaters"....
it coordinates so happy with my colorfully random home, and i smile every time i see it.



bookworm chloe doing her AR reading after school.
i ♥ arthur as well. "A-A-R-D-V-A-R-K"-remember that episode?



livy & her random obsession.
girlfriend isn't potty trained & still drinks from a bottle,
*but* she does have a large bowl of leafy greens daily.
do we get points for that? haha :)



the love note i came home to after mutual.
makes me want to be a hermit & never leave my babies...
...even more than i already desire to be a hermit & never leave my babies. :)
*i miss you too, chlo'.



'vaeh building a castle.
and her cute sparkly toms.
such a cutiepie.



my grandma's?/mom's? vintage juicer that we busted out this week.
i have big plans for juicing random concoctions in my future.
i was allergic to milk as a baby, so my mom spent lots of time using this hog to juice me carrot juice back in the 80's.
she suggested i try juicing some carrots & see if it tastes familiar!
i'm totally gonna!
makes me happy.
♥

3 bears in a bed & the little one said, "roll over"

wednesdays are our nevaeh day.
cousin "bay bay" {livy's nickname for her} comes to play!

this photo was taken last week,
but pretty much every week
they all chill together in the hammock
at one point or another. :)
cracks me up.
♥

my babies...

...in plant & human form. :)
each beautiful, colorful, & make me soSOso happy.
♥

january :: prepare

one of the things on my 28 before 29 bucket list,
and items of {focus} this year,
is to hold a simple & sweet family home evening every week.

my kids LOVE family home evening,
and though it's usually super-duper simple & a wee-bit crazy with the toddler...
i know that it is something that strengthens us as a family {when} we do it. ♥

we often have to get creative with the day & time we hold fhe
[because of work schedules]
but i hope to share little weekly recaps of what we've done each time...
as a record of the things we've learned.

this afternoon, we had our first fhe of the year, kicking off our january theme, PREPARE.

we learned about the sermon on the mount & the parable of the wise man/the foolish man. we finished by recording goals in our newly chloe-created {dunn family goal book.}



it was happy. ♥

song: i will follow god's plan for me
lesson: the sermon on the mount/the wise man & the foolish man parable
discuss: how can we build our house upon a rock/have jesus be our foundation?
activity: set goals as a family in our goal book