Goodbye 2008 & Bring On 2009....

Wow I can't believe that tonight we will be bringing in the 2009 year already! 2008 has been great for our family but has flown by quickly. Like everyone else so many things happened in 2008 and I will briefly try to summarize it....

1. I began blogging this time last year and have loved it ever since!


2. We moved again but just about 1.5 miles so we were able to stay in the same ward which we love and we absolutely love our new beautiful home.
3. Both Calvin and McKenna are learning to play the piano and all of us benefit from that.
4. We had some great times with our ALL of family members and loved the 3-4 visits from Grammy & Aunt Brandy here in Arizona this year. We enjoyed a family reunion also.
5. I went back to work first at a Charter School but that only lasted one month and then I quit and a very short time later I got hired on at the school district here in town as a Payroll specialist and am still there. Although it can be very stressful I'm very thankful to have a job and enjoy most everyone I work with. I served in the Relief Society Presidency as the Secretary for about 10 months and am now in the Nursery truly love both callings.

6. Will is still doing real estate luckily he has been blessed with business and health as his diabetes is still under control and we so appreciate the insulin my Mom sends him! Will is a wonderful Dad and Husband always thinking of us and how to better our lives. We appreciate & love him so! Will is in the Young Men's Presidency at church and loves it. I think he has been in the YM's program for the past 10 or so years no matter what ward we are in that seems to be his calling. Will still loves to hunt and fish, he prefers using a bow n arrow as you can see below.
7. McKenna is in 5th grade and doing well...still shy but coming out of her shell more and more. She is growing so fast and is such a pretty girl. She has gotten very involved in 4H and loves sewing and cooking. McKenna donated two 13 inch braids when she cut her hair to Wigs for Kids in July. She has been so responsible the past 6 months that we can now trust Calvin in her care for a few hours here and there. She is 5 feet talland weights 94 lbs very tall for a 10 yr old. She loves hanging out with her best friend Sierra and listening to radio Disney and has a crush this year on Conner Scoresby and he has one on her luckily they are both super shy and won't even look at one another. She's constantly roller blading around the house and outside, loves to sing and really likes basketball & hopes to play softball this year. She is looking forward to middle school next year also.

8. Calvin graduated kindergarten this year and moved on to 1st grade. He loves school and zips through his homework quickly as he excels in every subject. He has a great sense of humor and keeps us laughing on a daily basis. He is a very talented little boy and we love to hear him sing and watch his shake it up when he is getting his groove on dancing...the boy has rhythm! Calvin loves playing with his good friends William & Thomas Barker along with Matthew Lines from our ward. He absolutely loves electronics and really wanted to get a Nintendo DS for Christmas this year. (Santa at our ward party pinky swore that he would get one but the real Santa had already got his gifts and a DS wasn't one of them so he is just going to keep asking Santa until he gets one and wasn't disappointed luckily) He too loves listening to radio Disney and his mp3 player. He has a crush already on a little girl in his class named Maritzza and talks about her almost daily...scary! He is about 3ft 9 inches I think and weights 44 lbs so he is a bit skinny. Everyone he meets he talks to and isn't shy very outgoing fun kiddo. Oh yeah he still has his pet Praying Mantis she is alive and well. 9. We've had some very sad times this year also first our friend and Will's broker, Kent Adams was hit and killed by a drunk while riding his bike training for a marathon on the Indian reservation in late September. My Grandpa Charlie Devine passed away at Good Sam's Hospital here in Phoenix in October. I didn't want to post any pictures of funeral services or pictures that reminded us of the sadness, so I hope it doesn't seem mean to not post a picture of my Grandpa or of Kent.


10. My Mom scared us with a major surgery on her neck in late September but luckily everything worked out well. We went to Utah and surprised her for her birthday which was just a couple of days after her surgery so we were there for both. Brandy my sister had set up an early surprise birthday party and hired Elvis to sing to her and everything it was awesome!
11. We were so proud of my sister Brandy for being an anchor on TV and being able to see her pretty face on the tube Mon - Fridays this year!

12. We got a new Prophet Thomas S. Monson in 2008.


13. We voted for a new President of the United States in 2008 and although the candidate that we voted for didn't win we are grateful for the freedoms we have to go and vote.

14. Marriage between one man and one woman was upheld thanks to all of the great Americans that voted. This is a Divine and sacred union established by God the Eternal Father and his son Jesus Christ.

15. Both Calvin & McKenna continue to be healthy and over all very happy. We are so blessed that their blood sugar levels have remained in the normal range this entire year and know that Heavenly Father has blessed us so very much! I'd have to write for days to list all of the many wonderful blessings He has given us this year...we are truly truly blessed. I'm so thankful for the gospel and for Jesus Christ our Saviour and Redeemer. We have great families and friends too so thank you all for blessing our lives in 2008!

We look forward to a fantastic 2009! We are going to go party it up at our friends who are also in our ward tonight...playing rock band and games until the stroke of midnight when Will lays a big-ol-kiss on my lips and we get served a yummy breakfast! Have a fun, safe, happy New Year's Eve! We wish you the very best in 2009...much love, joy, happiness, health and financial bliss! Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas...fa la la la

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Are you Kidding ME???

There are 2233 sq ft homes in Maricopa selling for $75,000 are you kidding me??? This is a 4 bedroom 3 bath home listed at $75k.

That is $33.59 a sq ft...granite alone costs more than that and you get a house! It's not gutted either! I was on Will's website tonight looking at houses for fun, I know I'm weird but holy cow these houses are cheap!!! The monthly payment is less than MOST car payments!!!

Now seriously is the time to invest some money in these houses if anyone has any these days. :o) I certainly wish we could buy a few of these puppies right now! You could rent it out for $600 a month which is a steal and still make money!!! No wonder my real estate hubby never wants to talk shop with me...it makes me sick because the original prices were about 3 times more when everyone bought...but I guess it also makes me glad in a way because I know Will is going to continue to have a future in real estate selling homes. :o)

We're NOT perfect...

And no one except for ourselves expects us to be. Why are we women so hard on ourselves? It's crazy because for some reason we seem to be our own worst critics in every single aspect of our lives. It's sometimes so hard to see the good that we do because we focus so much on the things that we either didn't get done, wanted to do or meant to do or plain did wrong.

Unfortunately it's not just me that feels this way from time to time....it is every single woman I talk to. We need to all just stop listening to that negative nagging voice inside our heads telling us we're not good enough and realize that we are truly daughters of God and he loves us and doesn't expect us to be perfect. Instead of focusing on the things we didn't finish today or don't think we are doing well or don't like about ourselves; even if it is Mothering we need to acknowledge the things we are doing well as well the things we are TRYING to do well. Look for the good in ourselves every single day and every single time we look into the mirror don't look for a new wrinkle, notice your pretty smile or eyes.

You are beautiful! You are a wonderful aspiring chef! You are super talented! You are so sweet and compassionate! You are an excellent house keeper and decorator! You are so patient and quick to help! You are such a great wife! You are a Superior Mother who loves her children and is doing the absolute best you possibly can! Please don't beat yourself up, give yourself some credit for doing all that you do and most importantly remember that Heavenly Father loves YOU! So do I...have a great day and this truly is my Christmas Wish and prayer for every woman I know.

Painted Nails & Martha's in the HOUSE

So this morning we were getting ready, McKenna is brushing her hair and I'm finishing my makeup in our bathroom and in walks Calvin with his shoes and socks. He sits down on the floor to start putting them on and he is talking to us etc...all of the sudden he says very excitedly, "Wow Mom nice nail paint!" I say, "what?". He repeats himself. I say, "what I don't know what you are talking about buddy?". He says very animated, "I didn't KNOW your work LET you wear painted nails to work they are SO NICE! Wow and you did a really good job, they look very pretty! Wow, your work is so nice, they don't let anyone wear painted nails at my school." I say laughing, what about the teachers and he says well maybe they let them but probably only if they ask first. It totally cracked me up because I work for the school district, anyways it was funny this morning the way he said it and how astonished he was with how nice my work was to let me polish my own finger nails. He notices things most 6 year old boys wouldn't...polish, makeup, hair, clothes, necklaces, shoes etc and is always so positive and sincere when complimenting them.

McKenna is going to be the next Martha...she's sewing her own apron in 4H and made her own hair scrunchy. Wants to start the cake decorating class in 4H also. She's been baking cookies and doing such a great job! Wanting to help in the kitchen all of the time. She sorted some laundry this past weekend too. Since she was about 8 she's designed modest dresses and wants to make her own clothes line. She's very crafty and loves doing anything related to art. :o) For over a year now she has said she wants to own a restaurant and ice cream shop when she grows up and she'll be a Vet on the side and own lots of dogs. (is that Martha Stewart or what?) Anyways, she has her life planned out; she wants a VW bug car old fashioned one that's hot pink, she wants to take some college classes in high school, graduate high school, move to Utah and live with Grammy while she attends BYU so Grammy can cook for her and make her all time favorite Banana Choc Chip Muffins, get married in the temple when she is 25 and I already mentioned she wants to become a Vet and own the ice cream restaurant. :o) Last Sunday they had the primary children sing a song and McKenna was about a foot taller than the tallest kids...some friends in our row who happen to be in the YW's program said, "McKenna is 12 right or will be soon?". :o) NOPE she's only 10!

I love these two and just wished I got to hang out with them more often to learn from them and see the world through their eyes more often. This post is for me I've learned that I forget these funny things way too fast.

BUSY BUSY BUSY

We are all super busy this time of the year but this year I'm so far behind for Christmas that it is causing me to loose sleep at night literally. Usually I'm ready for Christmas no later than October but this year I've not gotten anything yet!!! I'm gonna have to say it's working full time that has prevented me from accomplishing all that I normally do. Of course all my kids want are things like: the Wii, Nintendo DS's, IPod's, Cell phones, Game Boys, Guitar's with amps and a hot pink & purple type writter! What ever happened to a foot ball, skateboard, roller blades or a baby doll??? :o)

Last week I worked almost 50 hours! It's hard to come home pick up the house, cook dinner, help with any homework, get kids in the shower, manage the finances, do the grocery shopping and all of that stuff. Saturdays are my cleaning, laundry and shopping days but since Will started sitting the Liberty Model homes I help go do BPO's for him on Saturdays so I've not had any time to go Christmas shopping.

This week I've had two 3.5 hour dentist visits to squeeze into work and I was supposed to go on a field trip to Shamrock Farms with Calvin's 1st grade class tomorrow but it got cancelled due to rain and the farm being too muddy for us to walk around. Shamrock Farms is only 20-25 minutes from us and there are many other huge dairy farms around hence the lovely odor here. :o) Friday I have a payroll training class to go to in Glendale which is about 1 - 1.5 hours from here from 8am til 5pm so that will be a long day then Friday evening we have a family Christmas party in East East Mesa again about 1 - 1.5 hours from here one way. I might have to work Saturday because payroll needs to be done no later than Monday at 8am due to Christmas and not having the Governing Board available to sign our voucher so when will I get to shop on Christmas EVE?????

See why I can't sleep??? :o)

Want to go to the Temple Lights tonight?

We are going to the Mesa LDS Temple Lights tonight Saturday arriving there at 6:30pm if anyone was interested in going also or meeting there just call me on my cell #480-216-6880 and let me know. :O)

I absolutely LOVE this picture......

I've always tried to imagine what Heavenly Father looks like

My Sweet Grandma Glenna

My beautiful Grandma Glenna just lost her husband of 27 years, my step Grandpa Charlie a little over a month ago. Of course she is heart broken and doesn't know what to do with all of her free time since she was used to taking care of him 24/7....but now she is left with a huge financial burden too. I feel so bad for her. She has gotten in excess of $93,000 worth of hospital bills, had to charge my Grandpa's funeral expenses and is only getting $3000 from his insurance towards that, needs new glasses, has skin cancer that is growing rapidly that will require radiation and will only have a thousand bucks to live on a month not to mention any other bills such as utilities etc. I don't share this to embarrass her by anymeans.

Below is a picture taken with her 5 daughters the day after Grandpa's funeral. Back row from left to right: Diane, Toni, Debbie and my Mom Sherri. Front row: Grandma and Shirley. She has 5 yes FIVE sons as well. She has 56 Grandchildren. 62 Great Grandchildren and one due...and she has 1 Great Great Grandchild with another due soon. What a large family! :o)

So I'm trying to get all of the able family members to contribute some money for her for Christmas for some of her burdens like a cheap car. I figured if everyone contributed a minimum of $25 that she could get a used sedan and if each of us contributed even $5-10 per month to her every month that she could afford to get new glasses and pay some necessities. I know she would be so embarrassed if she even knew I was asking but I can't help but ask I guess I'm taking my chances. I also don't want any family members to feel bad if they aren't able to contribute times are tough and money is tight. I wish I were rich and I could just take care of her. I might have to resort to a fund raiser of some kind like bake sale or something....any ideas???

Here she is the day of Grandpa's Arizona funeral...yes there were two because he was cremated and he is from New Mexico and his brother passed away and so they did a double funeral and burial. She is an angel in my eyes, she is a shining example to me and one day I hope to be half the lady she is. I love her very much and want to do whatever I can to help her, so if you have any good idea's for a fund raiser please let me know.