jonesin'

When did I get so bad at this?

2012-02-04T21:58:00.000-07:00

A few things has happened since I last posted. We made alot of final decisions and we're so very excited about all of them.

1. We are completely for sure that we'll be moving to MO after graduation and before BOLC. We've already got a house all we have to pay for is utilities (which is a huge burden off our shoulders) and we'll even get to do a few renovations which I'm totally excited about.

2. I've changed my major to Web Design with a cluster in business (since I'm taking 3 business classes already and I don't want to waste them) and a cluster in family (since I only have 2 more of those classes left).

3. I just became a Pampered Chef independent consultant and I pretty much love it. I've only done one show and I didnt sell anything, but it was a fun learning experience. They got to be my guinea pigs and I was grateful for that. So now you know rexburg and utah friends. If you're in need of some awesome kitchen supplies Im your girl. Seriously.

4. Lorelei cut her hair. I finally just gave up and decided that Lorelei would probably like having her hair done if it wasn't a huge rats nest everyday, so we gave her a cute little bob hair cut. Super cute when it's straight and even cuter when it's curly. I'm learning people.. slowly but surely I'll get a hang of this curly hair thing.

Looks like it will be a long night.
Here's to an awesome week.

Urkel-ing it up for you

2012-01-05T22:16:00.000-07:00

oh my. my brain and eyes hurt muy mucho. like my geekiness. those earphones are uh-mazing.

How has your week been? mine, slow and fast at the same time. so much school work. so much laundry. so much paper being printed off.

I was super overwhelmed on wednesday and decided to drop a class, it was giving me major anxiety. (must talk to kellie about this).

It's a good thing I don't drink because I'd be turning to one right now. I'll just have a coke instead.

I've found that now that I've got two children, working on homework while they are awake is nearly impossible. When one whines, the other one decides that he/she wants to whine to. Or spencer just attacks me so that he can play with my calculator (while i need it), he doesn't like it when i push him away (gently... on the couch) and keep the calculator all to myself. 5 mins of that and I usually give up and just give him the calculator.

Today I had a little wrestling match with spencer, finally i gave up and said, lets go to the gym. I ran off my frustration for the first time ever. Normally when I'm running I'm bored out my mind, but this time it was good.Theraputic even.

also. something that has made me deliriously happy for the last 2 hours.. Pandoras Incubus Radio station. ZOMG ( i don't even know what that means) it's the bomb diggity (<--- i know what that means).

I should end this before people start to think i've lost my marbles... because i kind of already did.

This weekend will just be full of reading, and maybe a few blog updates :) like a picture of my two children who are growing way to fast.

Did i mention that Lorelei is a Sunbeam and Spencer is in Nursery now? What did Austin and I do last sunday? We walked around the church because we literally didn't know what to do with ourselves. haha it was Grrrrreat.

Dear 2011

2011-12-31T19:06:00.000-07:00

Source: cdryan.com via Aspa on Pinterest

It's been a good year, but I'm hoping that 2012 will be so much better.

this year I've:

Planned a birthday party for Lorelei (all thanks to Pintrest)

gained control of my anxiety

lost 11 lbs

ran a 5k

Been away from my children for more than 24 hours (for the first time EVER)

turned 24

celebrated a 4 year anniversary

started school again

moved

cried

laughed

got a dog

went camping overnight in the teton dam

went camping in the boise mountains

Source: typeverything.com via Wojciech on Pinterest

In 2012 I hope to:

go to florida for christmas!

celebrate 5 years with my love

move out of idaho!!

visit friends in missouri (maybe even temporarily live there for a bit)

go to disneyland

go to harry potter land!!!

go paddle boarding

go snowboarding

Mostly... i just want to be happier than happy this year.
Here's to an optimistic and fun year!

New Years Resolutions

2011-12-31T10:39:00.000-07:00

It's a new year (well tomorrow anyways) and I've got some goals. Hopefully, this year I wont be a huge flake an I'll actually stick to my goals.

This year I really hope to focus on my family and my personal well-being. It's so important for me to foster love and encouragement into our home this year. I want my children to know that I'll love them no matter what and that they have the ability to do anything. I'm also hoping that this year we can really be in tune with the Lord. We've been really bad at this this year and I want to be able to feel the spirit in my home at all times. I want my house to be serene this year, a place where you can walk into the door and just feel all burdens lifted from your shoulders.

okay here we go:
Goals for the Family:
+ daily scripture reading
+ daily prayers
+ Family dinners
+ family home evenings: it doesn't always have to be stuffy a structured, just a time where we have no obligations and are focusing on each other and having fun.
+ cleanliness is next to godliness: a clean house makes for a happy family.
+ No tempers will be raised in the house
+No more yelling, it's scary and makes people sad

Goals for me:
+ 5 x a week I've got a date with the gym
+keep a planner, I used to be so good at this, but lately i've been slacking hard core and with school this semester I've got to write these things down or i'll lose my mind.
+ Make myself look presentable most of the time, I pride myself in not having to wear makeup, but seriously i need to start attempting to look fresh faced and peachy instead of tired and grey.
+ stop hoarding purses and papers
+document our family this year! I've never done this, I really need to start taking daily pictures and documenting things that happen to us.
+cook more meals and menu plan. boy I've really let myself go the last half of year.

I need to write these out and post them on the wall so that I have to read these everyday.
I hope that this year I can be more productive with my time and not fall off the wagon. I just gave up after july.. so this is my motivation to get back on track.

Christmas in Utah 2011

2011-12-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

Seriously. It never fails. EVERYTIME we go to utah a few of us get sick. This year it was mine and Austin's turn. We got there on friday evening, I ate like a little bird and then we went to bed fairly early. Saturday we went to Ikea and I was feeling a little gross and hot but I ignored it and thought that it would just go away, the kids were hungry so we went to Mcdonalds and let them play around and I was feeling like crap, so we drove home. I was feeling sooo gross so I laid around for a while. 5 O'clock rolled around and I threw up for the first time, i felt better for a bit and ate a few bananas and then threw those up, basically this is what happened everytime I drank or ate something. I did this 6 times in a matter of 2.5 hours. What finally cured me? Key lime pie. haha. just kidding, but it was the last thing i was able to keep down. I felt so sick the rest of the time we were down there.

So that was my Christmas Eve.

Lorelei played alot with my cousins and my parents new puppy (don't even get me started on that) and spencer just had fun being loved on by my mom and aunt.

Christmas was fun and low key, the kids got alot of fun stuff and we, again, enjoyed just watching them unwrap the presents. Austin and I bought my parents a framed picture of O Jerusalem and they loved it. Thank you Deseret Book and Porters craft store for making our gift look so fancy but be nice to our wallets.

Christmas night we all went to Temple square to see the lights and afterwards we went to Dennys. Lots of fun, nothing I love more than my mom's family. Guaranteed to always be laughing when you spend time with my mom's family.

dude... why don't i wear makeup again? and when did my face get so round?

Monday we just hung around the house, ran a few errands and Tuesday we were off and austin was sick, he's a champ though and was able to keep it together for most of the trip, just one pit stop.

It seriously feels so nice to be home.

Christmas at home 2011

2011-12-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

This christmas was a quiet one (my favorite), but we also pretty much had two Christmases.

We hung around Rexburg for most of the break this year, we were in Utah for about 4 days ( the 23rd -27th) and now we're back (and it feels so good!)

Anyways, we celebrated our Christmas on Friday morning (right before we left for Utah), Austin and I didn't get very much for each other, and that's okay because we're finding out that it's so much more fun watching the kids open presents than actually getting presents ourselves.

We started the morning off by waking Lorelei up (this girl loves to sleep, she so wanted to just keep sleeping, but I made her look around to see her presents)

Look at all the presents! Merry christmas to me?

Oh my boy is getting to big :(

Here's roxy and all her glory. Remind me to blog about her acting like a cat.... all the time.

This was her face for pretty much all her gifts, I love it. Cue warm fuzzy feelings :)

And of course Austin trying to act surprised haha. He was pretty excited to get a dremel for Christmas though.

Seriously though our Christmas was pretty boring, and frankly I wouldn't have had it any other way. I"m totally game for opening presents, watching a couple of Christmas movies and vegging out all day and then ordering chinese for dinner.

We bought a real Christmas tree this year and it was the worst decision we've made this year, haha. It lasted about 2 weeks and we were all done(i didn't even take a picture). From now on it's fake, pre-lit Christmas trees(and shatterproof ornaments)

2011 ROTC Ball

2011-12-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

I don't think I even blogged about the ball last year, but I was a newbie at the whole ball thing and didn't think it was a big deal (I mean it's not a HUGE deal, but it's kinda big... for the girls at least)
This year I really went out with a bang. I don't know why I was so focused on being a hot momma this year, but it was a priority.
Nikki and I had been looking at dresses since mid October, I gotta say, having a friend to do all this girly stuff with is so much fun.

Anyways, I picked up my dress Friday afternoon and shortly thereafter I got my hair done. I had both kids with me, at the salon. I was kind of stressed out, luckily Spencer conked out and slept THE ENTIRE TIME I was getting my hair done! (this is how my hair was done btw)

Lorelei did a pretty good job at watching the lady do my hair whilst eating marshmallows and nilla wafers (when you need your children to be pre-occupied while you're doing something just pump them full of sugar, it's all good).

After that I had about an hour to get the kids things ready for the babysitter before I had to go to another friends house to get my makeup done. It was a ton of fun.
I was running kind of late after that AND I had to find things for Austin AND get the kids ready and in the car WHILE being in a really pouffy dress and 4 inch heels but I did it AND i didn't break my neck haha.

We thought we were going to be late, but luckily we got there at 6:00 exactly and realized that from 6:00-6:45 it was a "social hour"

anywho.. here are the picture I took, we left RIGHT as they started dancing :( but it's okay, a short date night with my hubs is better than no date night.

I"m here, we're alive.

2011-12-04T22:27:00.000-07:00

hey all.
nothing too exciting happening over at the jones house for the last few weeks (cough, or months).
we celebrated Thanksgiving in the 'burg with some friends and it was so much fun, and laid back. Best Thanksgiving yet! hah.

I'm not on the Gluten free diet anymore. We've found out that my stomach issues are not triggered by gluten, so they did a couple gallbladder tests and those turned out normal, so now i'm going to be going in for a consultation for a colonoscopy and this is what I have to look forward to:

That's the fun i have to look forward too (but seriously this clip is hilarious!)

also.
Did you guys watch the devotional tonight? Yes?
DID YOU SEE MY FACE?
no?
Here watch this video of Gabriel fortelling Mary of Christ's birth

and look at these pictures

okay, i'm done gloating now.
it's kind of embarassing watching myself, but how cool is that?!

Dawn is now gluten free

2011-11-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

It's true. After many consistent stomach aches, barfing and pooing sessions I went to my dr and said "I think i might be allergic to wheat" it was a thought that had been nagging me in the back of my mind for a few years. This last weekend was the straw that broke the camels back. I was sick from sunday to wednesday with nausea and constant crumminess. So on Wednesday I went all day gluten free and I couldn't complain! I had no stomach pangs or rumbles. Although I did feel like i was starving to death because I literally had nothing to eat in the house. I was pro gluten, love that beast like no other (it just doesn't love me back).
Thursday I was so good all day until dinner. We had just bough gluten free soy sauce, but i still had a huge thing of Kikoman soy sauce and i thought "i can't NOT use this!! i'm sure it wont hurt my stomach too bad" so i made homemade teriyaki sauce with soy sauce that had been fermented with wheat. I ate my dinner, and what do you know? 10 min later I was moaning and groaning about how my stomach hurt.

So that's that. I'm officially off gluten forever. Getting started with gluten free things is hard and fa-reaking expensive, but I've felt better, fuller and no stomach aches!
I am sad though because now when we go out I have to make things difficult and I can no longer have my favorite maple bar donuts or cake donuts from Paradise bakery and i can't have my beloved cocoa bean cupcakes (but word is they are working on GF cupcakes... and if that's the case... i'll be there at least every other day haha)

I'm nervous about having to RE-LEARN how to cook, but at least now I wont get sick all the time.

cleaning... what's the point anymore.

2011-10-20T15:52:00.000-06:00

I clean everyday. Seriously EVERYDAY. and it's fine, but I generally like to do it when Spencer takes his one.. measly nap. Sometimes I don't very much done, but I try.

But seriously. Now a days I don't even see a point to cleaning because I'll clean and then an hour later it looks like a disaster again.

Source: etsy.com via Emily on Pinterest

I wish that I could say I completely 100% agreed with this sign, but dang it! I just want a clean house!!!

last night I cleaned, this morning I cleaned and this.. is my house.

oh my gosh, the kitchen THE KITCHEN. I strive as hard as i can not to live like my parents ( you should see their kitchen) but my huber-ness is coming to get me.

This makes me want to cry and throw things and curse very loudly.

I don't know why she likes to be shirtless all the time.. but we need to break her of this habit before she gets boobs. seriously.

see this list? It will get done, but will i have anything to show for it?

I don't even know what to do with this place. The dining area can hardly be called a dining area. it's so dang small. We have to push the door all the way against the wall or we can't open the back door.

I don't know what to do. I just want to throw a bunch of junk away and I'm constantly organizing. But i hate touching austin's army stuff, because that's just too much pressure for me. If he loses it, it's his fault.
I know that I should have some sort of cleaning schedule and that might help a bit, but i just don't have the "time" to sit down and write it out... maybe i'll do that now. augh. chores.

Firt 5k.. I did it!

2011-10-17T12:25:00.001-06:00

Im such an idiot. The whole time Nikki took pictures my thumbs were in the air. I felt like Ricky Bobby " I don't know what to do with my hands"

We didn't realize that we were going to be doing hills the entire race :| I wanted to die, and I walked alot. Maybe next time I should be a little more diverse in where I train.

One last picture before it was time to start running. I was getting really nervous. Nikki... not so much. she's chill like that.

at the trophy station (before we realize that we were going to get trophies!)

do you see that? 3rd place in my age! haha.. don't be too impressed people. I think there were maybe 100 people there. and probably only three in our age group.

so proud of these itty bitty trophies

Our first 5k was memorable at best. It was a ton of fun and I'm so glad that I was able to do it with my running buddy. She's the best, and she's really good at motivating and keeping me running. It was a fun little getaway for us to have, we left our husbands and kids and drove down to salt lake and stayed at a hotel. We actually went to bed at a somewhat decent hour but much to our dismay didn't get alot of sleep. It's noisy in downtown Salt Lake. We woke up and had a banana per Austin's advice... and let me tell you something, I think I might eat more than a banana next time before my race. I was cramping while running because I was so hungry.

We got to the race and I'm pretty sure we were the first people there. haha It was great. I was still super nervous about running. I think it's a serious mental thing with me because when I was on the swim team at my high school I'd get the crazy butterflies in my stomach. We waited there at the starting line (in the back because... i like the back?) and finally the gun went off. There were crazy people who were sprinting this entire thing. I told myself that all I wanted to do was finish the race, I wasn't going to care how I did, I was just going to be proud that I actually went out there and ran 3.1 miles (for the first time ever).

While I was running I was trying my hardest to keep my form, but I just couldn't. I had so much going on in my head like "there are so many hills!" " my throat is so dry, I should have brought some hard candies" " I'm so hot!! I want to take my long sleeve shirt off" that I was running and landing on my heel. So.. today my shins hurt like crazy.
But seriously, there were so many hills, at one point there was a hill with a serious 70 degree incline, it was hard enough walking up that hill, I can't imagine running up that bad boy. Going down was just as bad, I wasn't even going to try to run down that thing! If you know me, you know I would have tripped and fallen rolling down that hill or I would have majorly rolled my ankle. Or both. Because I'm that awesome.

What we ran in Salt Lake ( i miss being at sea level.. i hate high elevation)

What we're used to running. Flat lands (at 3,865 ft, but still).

Coming back seemed alot longer than going out, but we made it. I made myself run and hard as I could (as if it really mattered) to the finish line. Nikki pulled ahead of me (which is fine be me) and beat me by a tenth of a second. haha.

It was fun, and I'm definitely addicted to doing races and even running.
I'm so glad that I actually finished the couch to 5k program, and I"m so glad that I had a running buddy to do it with. Without her, I probably wouldn't have stuck with the program and I'd still be sitting on my butt on the couch wishing I could run. But now I know that I can run.

It's exciting really. Being able to do something that I've never done before.

See Dawn Fit- October 10th & shop update

2011-10-10T20:29:00.000-06:00

Running has been good. I was going to do P90X this morning but couldn't find a door to put my pull up bar on so I just didn't (nice huh?).
The 5k is this weekend and my friend and I are going to make it a girls weekend. I've never been on a girls weekend before. I've never left my children overnight anywhere in a loooong time. uhm.. pretty much since birth. I'm super nervous.

I'm pretty sure I"m not taking measurements this week because my dearest auntie flo is here... and she likes to make me bloaty and fat.

hah. But my runs have consistently been getting better. almost to a 10 min mile (which is an accomplishment for me)

Not much going on in the Jones house except for the fact that winter is fast approaching. We got our week of fall in and now Idaho thinks it's time to snow. :|

Tomorrow will be super busy as I have lots of "fun" appointments happening, but I will manage to do my P90X workout and run!

Also. I've put up a link to my etsy shop on the sidebar. I have to go buy more elastic and as soon as I do that and sew up some more headbands I'll be fully stocked! So check out the shop soon!

October 2nd- See Dawn Fit

2011-10-02T14:28:00.000-06:00

Okay, true to my word (which is a first in blogland) I said that I would take measurements and weigh myself. I didn't take a picture, maybe tomorrow?

Austin and I (austin has it worse than I do) have a fun case of food poisoning caused by the lovely Red Lobsters Lobster rolls (DO NO GET).

I measured myself this morning and weight myself last night (which was a no no.. full stomach= more weight)

Measurements are as follows
Bust: 37
Waist 31
Hips:39
Thighs:22
Arms: 11
Weight: 158.6

I didn't run yesterday, instead we went to costco and walk around getting samples (and of course grocery shopping), I was going to run today but I didn't want to make messes anywhere on the road ;)
Tomorrow will be a different story. I will go to the gym, lift and run( with nikki)
and maybe track what i eat, but i doubts it.
Tuesday... is my birthday and I will do nothing.. haha i'll probably run a little bit. but after that. nothing.

my name is dawn.. and i'm a sailor.. or at least i talk like one.

2011-09-28T22:48:00.000-06:00

Tonight was crazy hard for me mentally.
My friend couldn't make it to our run and I was already at the school so I wasn't going to turn around and go home.
I rented a shirt and went down the the hot hot gym and started my run.
5 min warm up took forever I thought, but then I started running and my brain started back talking me. 1 min in.. 2 min in.. 3 min in.. My brain just did not want to run. But I kept at it. I closed my mouth for a good half mile, focusing on my breathing. slowly in through my nose, out through my nose. I don't know if I'm supposed to be doing that, but it sure does help me not hyperventilate.
10 min in and I'm still running... astounded that I'm still running.
15 min in and I feel like I'm done done done.. but I push myself, while my brain is cursing me like a sailor, " don't be a P, c'mon.. keep on going. Don't be freaking lazy!!! this is good for you!! stop being a pansy A" I'm telling you.. I'm a sailor. haha (some of you probably aren't laughing, but i think it's hilarious)
20 min in and I keep saying "okay.. only 5 more min.. this shouldn't be too hard"
holy.crap. those last 5 minutes lasted AN ETERNITY!! are you kidding me. That's when I became the most colorful.
BUt you know what? for not having any music playing, or a magazine to read or people to look at, i did pretty well.
I tried to follow the advice of a girl i admire by thinking of other things, but seriously this is what i thought " Man.. okay i have to think about other things than running......... nope.. still thinking about running" haha. I could not focus on anything else BUT running.

but i'm super proud of myself!! I ran 25 min without feeling like my lungs were gonig to burst into flames!! that is such a feat for me. my breathing was steady from start to finish!!

but man. i think i'm going to be sore tomorrow.

p.s. i think i love running

2011-09-26T21:41:00.000-06:00

I have hit a wall.. tonight during my run i wasn't even 5 min in and i thought i was going to die. My friend and I were running, but we just weren't feeling it. We felt as though we were running worse than when we started. eventually we got a good pace down, but still took walking breaks. This was supposed to be 25 min straight and we're struggling. We've been doing this for 7 weeks. What the heck is up?

Maybe i'll run tomorrow to make myself feel better.. is that a good idea?

Birthday Wishlist

2011-09-26T15:25:00.000-06:00

My birthday is coming up soon..... really soon... like... 8 days.

so you know.. if anyone wants to get me a gift, but has NO IDEA what to get me.. let me help you:

Nine West Vermillion Boot

Madden Girl Ravia (over the knee) boots


Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS and Heart Rate watch


An Ipad, since my Iphone decided to keel over and die


Arm Sleeves from Runningskirts.com


Heartstooth SubZero skirt Runningskirts.com

and a season pass to Kelly Canyon for Snowboarding.

I'm not a cheap person anymore. There are things i need/want and can't afford. oh woe is me ;)

sometimes... I don't know what i'm doing.

2011-09-26T12:36:00.000-06:00

When it comes to fitness and weightloss. I feel clueless, I read runners magazine, Shape, Women's Health. I read them over an over and over again.
I think that my excuse of "not understanding" is more or less fear. I'm afraid to go to the gym, do these exercises and make a fool of myself. I'm also afraid that when I get under that 45 lb bar to do squat I will fall over and not be able to get up.

Is this a common fear? I'm seriously such a doof about it. But I know that I want to lose weight, and get toned up. I'm tired of having days fat days (and i know that I'm going to still have "fat days" ... but you know what I mean"

Also. As much as I'd love to diet. I'm too much of a slave to food to just go on a low carb diet plan. Besides. I don't plan on eating low carbs for the rest of my life. I like bread, cake, cookies and fruit. So maybe I'll just count calories and portion control. We don't eat alot of red meat, so I don't think this will be a hard feat.
A friend of ours suggested that we get rid of all processed foods and although we don't eat alot of processed foods I'm going to take that as a challenege.
For the month of October (with the exemption of my birthday and anniversary) we will only eat from scratch. That means alot of cooking on my end, but we'll see if we feel any better.
Also. For the month of October I resolve to lift heavy weights every other day, but that I mean I'm going to go to the gym, do my squats, dead lifts, bench press and all that good stuff. I've done it before and I know I can do it, I just need to get my pansy butt back in there and stop being so self conscious.
I always blame the fact that I have kids, but dog gone it.... there are plenty of moms who have kids who look AH-mazing.

So here are my goals for October
Meals: Make from Scratch
Eat: 1800 calories a day with a few exceptions of birthdays and holidays (i'm being realistic)
Move: 30 min or more runs every other day with heavy weights on the days that I don't run. Also Abs EVERYDAY
Documentation: Starting October 1st I will measure and weigh myself (take pictures.. .... :|) on November first I will measure and weigh myself again and take another set of pictures. And Maybe I'll blog my workout stats every wednesday?

Please please please friends and blalkers... help me out here. Call me out when I'm being a flake (i'm so good at being a flake)

2011-09-23T18:08:00.000-06:00

tonight i have to:
make enough pizza lunchables to feed at least 10 kids
make fruity pebbles marshmallow treats
make a cake
ice that cake
blow up balloons
make thank you gift bags
fold laundry
clean the kitchen
clean the living room
wash lorelei's carpet
wash family room carpet
mop the floor

what i want to do is:
sit in a corner rocking back and forth crying my eyes out

after a failed attempt at the frosting and a failed attempt at the rainbow cake i made my no brainer buttercream and am going to get a strawberry BOXED cake mix... those never fail me... or make me cry... or feel inferior(they are my friend)

tomorrow i get to:
hang out with a lot of 3 year olds
hope that said 3 year olds will want to color and play with tissue paper
entertain parents (easy enough)
feed said parents
clean up club house
have a yard sale before all of these shennanigans

what i want to do tomorrow:
hide under the covers and not come out for week.

i'm stressed... can you tell?

Source: flickr.com via Audrey on Pinterest

Lorelei is 3!

2011-09-22T08:24:00.000-06:00

What does Lorelei love at the age of 3?

She loves all things Princess and Disney
She loves Scooby Doo and Rio
She loves "playing with the kids" and going to nursery
She loves Jesus and being a good girl
She still loves screaming and running
She loves her new dog Roxy
She loves her brother Spencer
She loves dresses and playing dress up (but says she's naked when she's not wearing pants?)

What can Lorelei do at the age of 3?
She can put on her own coat, socks and shoes
Dress herself
Go pee and poo in the Potty
Sing her ABC's, I Am the Child of God, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and anything Lady Gaga.
She's a champ at coloring
She can help me cook sweet treats

I can't believe that she's already three. Where has the time gone? I love that shes growing and developing into the smart girl she is!

Happy Birthday my sweet baby girl! tonight we dine on cupcakes and pizza!

blogging.. and why I haven't done much of it.

2011-09-20T22:53:00.000-06:00

Source: icanrelate.info via Lisa on Pinterest

I've been on an unofficial blog hiatus, and have only updated a few times. I haven't taken a lot of picture this summer, because , well... my summer kind of sucked. We didn't really do anything fun, a lot of our friends were gone, Austin had school and worked a lot. I have also felt super overwhelmed.
And when I feel overwhelmed I don't want to do or say much. Because most of the time I'll just complain about everyone and everything. It's just who I am. When things get tough, I put on a fake smile and stay quiet. My mood hasn't quite changed, but I'm hoping that as soon as I get my scattered brain together and finally form a schedule for myself life will be much easier and happier.

I've read a few blog posts today about change and reorganizing for saner life and I think that I'll partake.
Ealier this summer my friend Nikki and I started training for a 5k ( who trains for a 5k? people who are really REALLY bad at running... like can't even go 90 seconds without stopping) we're on week 6 I think and we're still going strong. It's exciting really. Today we ran 8-5-8 with 3 min walking breaks. The last 8 minuets were starting to get hard, but I knew that that was when we should be pushing ourselves harder. So we did, and I even kicked my speed up. We ran 2.43 miles in 32 min. Pretty good for girls who only ran for sports and not for leisure.
Along with starting a new habit of running, I'm trying to start a habit of lifting weights, I really want to do crossfit, but every time I mention something about crossfit on Facebook people ask me silly questions or just thing it's something weird.
Google, people, use it, it's a magical tool.
anyways... the school gym is hot as hades, so i hate working out there, that and it's a crazy meat market because school has started up again and people still have goals to meet their spouse. You think I'm kidding? You've OBVIOUSLY never met a young, fresh of the mission (or freshman) mormon person before. It's awkward to watch.
So i've been thinking about joining Worlds Gym, they have daycare, lots of equipment and classes that I can take, and I have a few friends that go there. we shall see.

also in other new (this is was scatterbrained... i don't make these things up.) I've started going back to school to finish my degree. Not by my parents bugging me, but because I felt like I needed to. I felt small compared to my friends who had degrees ( and I shouldn't, "i had a family, i have children to nurture" blah blah blah , it still doesn't make me feel better. It's not enough) and I want to finish something that I started. I want something I can actually use in the future. These university studies degrees and associates is worth about as much as a high school diploma ( and don't say, that still means something... because in reality, when you're looking for a job, it doesn't)

in other words, this blog post isn't a cry for sympathy, it's just an outlet for me to say what's on my mind.
and that's what's on it... most of it at least. I'll spare you the "i want to poke my eyes out, but can't stop reading" stories. :)

End of Summer craziness

2011-09-09T22:13:00.000-06:00

These last two weeks might have been the craziest we've ever experienced. We went down to Utah because Austin had a boys trip planned and I had a job filming a movie for a few days. Two days into our trip down to Utah Austin got news that his trip was cancelled :( I felt so bad for him because he was really looking forward to it, a chance to relax and forget all responsibilities for a few days. I worked Thursday and get a call back asking if I could work more days later the next week. Thursday was insane and so much fun and I met a lot of amazing people ( oh how i miss the people that I met). So we stayed 5 extra days that we didn't plan, but I made more money in 3 days than Austin makes in 2 weeks, so we stayed. So many experiences that I wish I could tell you all about, but i must keep it under wraps until the movie comes out because I could get fined.. and that costs more than I made :)
But I will tell you... that you will see my face in this movie. haha

School starts on Monday and I'm kind of excited to be busy (the good/stressful kind). I've also decided to go back to school. I thought that I was done after having Spencer, but as time has gone by I've realized that I don't feel like I've done enough. So I'm going back. Online through BYU-I, but back to school no less.

etsy and the newbie

2011-08-26T23:22:00.000-06:00

TangoJuliet Designs

it's true. I (along with my friend Nikki) have started an etsy store. It's a daunting task to say the least. A lot of uncertainty looming over our heads, but it was a fun risk that we were willing to make. It should be a fun adventure.
We specialize in making headbands that don't slip off while your clean your house or go for a run or workout, heck you could just wear one for the heck of it! I don't know about you, maybe i have an oblong shaped head, but those darn elastic headbands are always falling off or slipping off my head and i have to use like 4 bobby pins to make them stay in place and even then it's hit or miss.

We've put a few on etsy to see how they do, and if everything goes well then we'll be able to do more and have a bigger variety. I'm hoping they do well because there are so many cute headbands that I want to make. If any of you blog readers want one email me, find me on facebook or just comment and i can for sure set you up.

You can go to the link to see what we have so far, but if you're feeling a bit lazy i'll give you a sneak peek!!

My personal favorite. I mean what girl doesn't love glitter. PLUS! this is fancy enough to wear out on a date, but still casual enough to wear to the gym.

conversations with lorelei: part 1

2011-08-18T12:54:00.000-06:00

lorelei: mom, are those your buttons
me: yes lorelei those are my buttons
lorelei: (playing with my buttons), mom is there a baby in your belly?
me: (looking at my chub), no lorelei there is no baby in my belly.
lorelei: I have a baby in my belly
me: no, you don't have a baby in your belly
lorelei: no, i don't have a baby in my belly, i ate a baby and now it in my belly
me: oh yeah?
lorelei: yeah, and now it's coming out my butt, hi baby, are you okay? awww it's okay

my child is hysterical and disgusting at the same time.

Did day 2 of couch to 5k AND signed up for my first ever 5k race with Nikki.
Holy junk are we nervous, we thought about getting Army Wives shirts made and talked about running skirts. We're excited!!

10 days?! 10 DAYS?!

2011-08-17T13:13:00.000-06:00

what is wrong with me, why have i not been blogging? basically life is pretty boring right now because austin is working and i'm just being a stay at home mom. Although with the lack of blogging going on I've been getting alot of cleaning done. I think I'm a man because i cannot successfully blog and be a housewife.. bahahaha

but here are a few things that have happened in the last 10 days.

1. We went to Jackson Hole for a little day trip and it was really fun! We just walked around the town square and did some window shopping and of course had to go to the fudge/candy store to stock up on our favorites.

2. we got a dog!! her name is roxy and she's the sweetest dog ever. She's 3 years old, housetrained and as chill as a cumcumber. She was malnourished when we got her, but we're fattening her up! She's a Lab/boxer mix and pretty much the prettiest dog ever.

3. I finally bought myself some jeans with the help of my friend Nikki (thanks for watching my kids and making sure i actually buy things for myself) 2 pairs of old navy jeans and 2 pairs of AE jeans. Can I just say that American Eagle is good for the girls soul?! thank you for making me feel skinny! I'm officially in the same size pant i wore all through high school! WOOT WOOT!

4. I'm officially addicted to shopping again. It feels so nice to have clothes that you love. Now i just need money for shoes.

5. I've started exercising again, 30 day shred and C25K. Nikki and I are hoping to maybe do a 5-k, even though it will be frigid outside when we are done probably.

fun fun! but seriously.. that's all we've been doing this summer.
This weekend is the Madison Co Fair and we are suuuuper excited to be going.. or at least i am :)

2011-08-06T12:11:00.000-06:00

all i have to say is that people who eat only 1,200 calories are crazy.
how do you not murder people and eat them for sustenance at the end of the day?
I can't do it. Austin would probably shove food into my mouth to improve my mood because i would be so mean!

not much going on here... it's summer and during the summer we're MIA.
Austin is working, i'm cleaning the house (all the time) and the kids are loving the outdoors.

tonight, we camp.

I"m boring. so sorry. and bits of ramble here and there

2011-07-16T22:39:00.000-06:00

Source: what-ish.blogspot.com via Meg on Pinterest

p.s. my family is not boring.. it's just me.

Life in the Jones house as of late has been boring to say the least.

With moving and the end of the semester we haven't been doing much.

Especially because we're on a budget crunch.

But i promise that as soon as the semester ends and I go down to utah for that movie

nothing fancy, just an extra

I'm sure that we'll have lots of fun activities to blog about.

but this summer, i fear i might have to get a job. I figure that it's easier for me to get a job than it is for austin because I'm trained in a specified field, whereas Austin is just looking for general work (which can be hard to find out here)

although, while i was at the mall today (burning childrens energy) I saw that American Eagle and Old Navy were hiring.

I bet i could get a job at American Eagle because I worked there in high school.

p.s. If i have to get a job, who's willing to help a sister out and watch my kiddos?

p.p.s: i was going to put something snarky here but i wont.

but in all reality.... if you say something like "mail em' down here" or "I would if i weren't in california or mexico or mars " expect me to loudly groan, say an explitive and roll my eyes.

you know i love ya... (or do i)

I'm feeling very antisocial and antagonistic if you can't tell.

I think i'll go to bed and watch secret life... because i'm that bored.. and then i throw up a couple of times because of how awful the acting is

and whilst watching the show i might make some lists that i wont keep and/or fulfill.

wah wah.. debbie downer.

Family pictures 2011

2011-07-12T09:18:00.000-06:00

just a few of my favorites.
Tara Nearents is seriously the bomb diggity! Love her.. and my kids love her!

blogging will resume as normal.... tomorrow.. maybe. hah. i'm such a blog flake. this needs to stop.

Warning: photo dump. we've been busy bees

2011-07-07T20:35:00.000-06:00

The last week of June we were invited by our good friends to go camping with them up in the Boise mountains. We couldn't say no, so we packed up and drove 6 hours into the mountains.
long drive, but we had tons of fun.. except for mosquito bites that stay with you for a couple of weeks and lorelei barfing on our way down from the mountain.

The 4th of July was disappointing. We really need to live in a town where they go all out for Independence day.Instead we got hot and jipped out on candy.. seriously people? only ONE PIECE OF CANDY PER THROW?

and lastly..
Spencer turned one yesterday! After falling down the stairs we had a pretty good day. Spaghetti and Meatballs for dinner and delicious chocolate cake with some pretty awesome icing ( and i do not like frosting!!)

moving is the pits

2011-07-01T09:47:00.000-06:00

phew! what a long, exhausting week! seriously!!
I've not been posting lately because i've been moving, and cleaning and organizing and oy i'm so tired! And we're not even done yet. The upstairs is pretty much a mess and we have a little itty bitty path to get to the important places, like the bed or the bathroom or the closet. The closet.. OH THE CLOTHES! I have so many clothes and SHOES!! that i don't wear but can't bear to part with.

Anyways. As soon as i get the house put together and clean (at the same time) i'll take pictures. I think you'll like our new digs.
Outfit post coming today beause I"m a slacker and i'm pretty sure that the 30X30 is almost half over, but that's okay because i'm pacing myself.

So... we're starting a new diet today.... and I'm going to be working out everyday since i know have a gym like 2 mins away and it has an area where i can drop off the kids . so no excuses!

8/30: it's getting hot hot hot

2011-06-23T09:22:00.000-06:00

Summer is upon us in Idaho. Have I said that yet? I'm half excited because of all the fun in the sun, but dreading it because I don't like to sweat unless it's for a reason like working out or..... yeah that's it.
This weekend we got invited to go camping over in Boise and let me tell you, i am uber UBER excited. I haven't been camping since before austin and I got married (so like over 4 years ago!!) AND it's supposed to be hot in Boise!

a couple of days ago the kids and I went to the spray park with a couple of friends and lorelei could not get enough of the water! Spencer was loving the water too despite his feet turning a lovely shade of purple.

Today it's supposed to be hot, so I"m thinking another trip to the splash park with maybe a visit to Snoasis.

Skirt: walmart, Shoes: AE, Shirt: Old Navy
don't you love my crazy weird hand position? I think it adds to my pose.

7/30: summa summa summa time!

2011-06-21T09:40:00.000-06:00

it's summer! that means starting today we'll be making almost daily trips to the splash park and getting snoasis with bike rides and long walks to boot. i'm excited for this summer.. i'm actually not pregnant for this one haha and by golly I WILL GET A TAN

anyways. i didn't take an outfit picture on sunday, so we wont count it.

skirt: jcpenney, shirt: forever 21, shoes: payless

5/30 and 6/30: busy busy

2011-06-18T15:45:00.000-06:00

summer break is almost upon us and the weather is the beginnings of turning into summer so that means we'll be busy busy busy!

Yesterday we went to the hotsprings and swam with the kids, it was so much fun and we got a little sun that day too.

today was somewhat of a lazy day that consisted of hosting a garage sale with some of our friends. It was a little slow, but we had alot of fun keeping each other company.

now we're just being lazy and we wait for 6:00 to roll around so that we can get some dinner with some friends over at famous daves. YUM.

i realize that my clothes are super baggy and that i kind of look like a bum, but seriously i don't see a point in buying new clothes until i'm at the size that i'm aiming for (and i realize that might be a while).

onto the pictures.

Jeans: dkny, shirt: AE, shoes: AE

yes my eyes are closed, but for the record, it was really stinking bright that day.. and i didn't feel like taking anymore pictures.

skirt: ross, shirt: target, shoes: payless

4/30: the day of husband!

2011-06-16T12:44:00.000-06:00

I get my husband allll day! i love thursdays!

I'm taking my computer into the shop today so i might be a few days without it :( oh well.. that just means i'll actually get some cleaning done right?
Yesterday we went to the park and it was glorious, oh and last night.. last night was glorious too, spencer didn't wake up once! woot woot.

anyways.. my computer may be out of commission, but i'll keep taking the 30x30 pictures

shorts: walmart, blouse: old navy, shoes: payless

and a special treat today.. pictures of my huge kids.. why do they have to grow up?

3/30: sunny, shiny, windy day

2011-06-15T18:06:00.000-06:00

it's true. the wind is crazy out there today. my hair is a tangled hot mess.
It was a day filled with bubble blowing and playing in the park AND i got to spend most of the day with my husband (and i love spending time with my husband.. it's kind of annoying.. actually).

I'm starting to love idaho again (dno't worry, it will pass in 2 more months)
We finally found people to fill out place!! woo hoo.. no more stress on who is going to get the place.
now i just have to pack up and clean

my day is boring.
here is my outfit

Jeans: Aero, Shirt: NY&Co, Tie as belt: Husbands , Shoes: BP Nordstroms, Sunnies: Target

i love my shoes.. and today, while at the store i stepped on gum! C'mon people.. don't throw your gum on the ground.
also. i think this is my go-to pose.. it makes me not look fat.

2/30: sunny days

2011-06-14T14:36:00.000-06:00

So this day is so much better than yesterday already! The sun is shining, it's warm, my children are in better moods AND my cell phone miraculously started working again. I still don't have numbers though, so if you have my number and you read my blog would you be a dear and text me?

I've started packing up the house today and I'm worry that well need more than 45 boxes, haha I hope that I'm wrong.

Onto today's outfit, I realize that I look like a rollie pollie, don't judge me okay, I'm working on it. Tonight( yes on a Tuesday in the middle of the month) I'm starting insanity. The diet will probably have to start next month because I have this month all planned out.

Source: Uploaded by user via Dawn on Pinterest

Anyways, my outfit was inspired by an outfit Alexa Chung wore for madewell. You might have seen it floating around on pintrest. I for sure know that I have it pinned on my clothing board.
p.s. my glasses are real... no hipsters here.. just a girl with poor eyesight
p.s.s. the pose was a total accident. it was windy. i have bangs, do the math

day 1/30: pretty crappy day i'd say

2011-06-13T16:00:00.001-06:00

so..... today has been getting progressively worse.
i'm so mad that i could cry and spit and curse and throw something... at a homeless person... or a baby. That's how mad i am.
my stupid stupid STUPID MUY STUPIDO phone is broken and i have no warranty or insurance or nada..
dear iphone,
you suck, you are officially on my poop list
dawn.

my phone works okay... most of the time. i just can't hear anything, or use my phone as an ipod without earphones or hear someone calling me... but whatevs.. as long as it works.
oh yeah. and i lost all my contacts on my phone.. SWEET!
so if i answer the phone in a confused tone it's because I HAVE NO IDEA WHO'S calling me.

oh i so wanna cry right now and eat a pint of ice cream

anyways.. the weather is half raining half sunny and i wish it would make up it's mind.
so my picture was taken inside and i cut my head off because i'm sleepy, i have dark circles under my eyes and i haven't even brushed my hair today.
be happy i even got dresssed.

jeans: AE, shoes: payless, shirt: shade. sweater: forever 21, pudge: courtesey of 2 child births and being a food whore.

i'm sorry this is such a crappy post, but austin is with his other woman (BYU-I testing center) and i have no one else to vent to.

bandwagon.

2011-06-13T13:03:00.001-06:00

I'm on the 30x30 bandwagon again. DETERMINED to finish it this time. please help me not flake out.

Here are my items

3 Jeans
4 Skirts
3 Button downs
2 Pull-over blouses
5 Short Sleeve shirts
3 Long sleeve shirts
2 Sweaters
2 Shorts
1Dress
1 Coat
and
4 Pair of shoes

1 sweater and 1 pair of shoes will be shown in todays outfit pictures. They were down stairs while I was taking pictures.

We're moving to a new apartment in a couple of weeks, so it will be nice that I can move all my other clothes to our new apartment and I only have to worry about 30 items.

off to stress myself out and take an outfit picture.

Energy. a post about running... or rather my run

2011-06-08T16:09:00.000-06:00

Source: tysridiculouslife.blogspot.com via Dawn on Pinterest

I busted my chops today and took Spencer out for a run at 6:00 a.m. this morning. I was just going to go by myself, but by the time that I finally rolled out of bed Spencer was up and at 'em .
Before I got out of bed Austin woke up briefly and said 'do you want to get spencer for me before you go" and i replied "no, i'll just take both kids out for run instead of going this morning." But then I just laid there and thought to myself... You know Austin is probably going to give you a hard time about not running this morning. You ALWAYS do this, say you going to run and then don't because you're "TOO TIRED". Just get off your duff and go outside already.

That was seriously my thought process.
So I did, and I suck. but that's okay because at least I got up and tried.

I will say though that I took the long way home (which includes a slight uphill incline) and I thought "Ugh.... i hate hills" and then proceeded to make myself run it. I thought "Just run until the stop sign" so I did, and then i wanted to keel over because my legs hurt.

Source: ourtimetochange.tumblr.com via Dawn on Pinterest

When I got home I was exhausted. I took a shower and did some chores and what do you know, I didn't crave a nap at all today. NOT ONE.. woo hoo for having more energy.
This might become a habit.. but don't take my word for it because I'm ALL talk.

On Fitness and how to keep up with it (or rather how i can't keep up with it)

2011-06-06T13:26:00.000-06:00

I don't get it, I used to be so active and athletic. And then I had kids and all of a sudden I have no time to do anything (because I DO NOT, WILL NOT sacrifice my sleep). I'm not overweight. I'm in my healthy weight range. I'm just not happy with the way I look. I want to be toned ALL OVER.. not just in my arms from carrying babies around everywhere.

My diet has been alright, although I indulge more than once a week. I'm drinking soda more than I have been in the last 3 months (boo!!!). Everyone I've started working out with has quit because I'm lazy, or they are lazy or we just have different goals and different definitions of what our goals mean.

I'm just frustrated I guess. I'd ask Austin to workout with me, but he's too fast for me and he's a good husband and feels bad when I'm lagging behind so he hinders his workout just to stay with me. He's a great motivator though and he makes me want to push myself.
Running with a 50 lb stroller and 50-55 lb children (together) SUCKS beyond compare.

I want to start running but i beat myself up about it everytime i do it. " I hate running, this sucks, I can't go any further, If i run any further i'll drop dead".

bah. how do you fitness junkies do it? and does anyone want to workout with me and make me work out?

wah wah, it's whine week for me

proud

2011-06-03T14:08:00.000-06:00

one thing that my mother taught me that I'm super proud of is the fact that I can feel confident in not wearing any make up.
In fact, when I wear makeup I feel like i'm being judged, like it's on too think. I loose all confidence.

I'm not confident in alot of things, but I am confident that I know i look fine without makeup.
Now i'm not dogging people who wear makeup, because alot of girls look gorgeous in make up! But.... i'm a dude in the makeup department, so when i put it on.. boy-oh-boy do i look awkward.

Here's to the au naturale ladies. Long live the days with no makeup!!

where have i been?

2011-06-03T11:04:00.000-06:00

dying from a lack of sleep. wah wah.
that week in utah totally threw Spencer off, so now he loves to wake up in the middle of the night.
This morning i went down stairs with him at 5:00 a.m... lorelei shows up a little later and all three of us are asleep on the couch.

the weather has been beautiful lately, so if i'm not updating very often, it's because i'm enjoying the weather rather than being stuck inside. I mean idaho is only beautiful in the summer, so i've got to take advantage of it.

not much new to talk about other than the fact that it's already midterms, so that means in 7 more week my husband is mine ALL MINE!!!
which means roadtrips, camping, memories, pictures.... hopefully lots of pictures.

sorry this is a lame-o post, but i'm kind of lame-o this week :)

worn out

2011-05-25T23:04:00.000-06:00

oooo eeee it's been a long week.. and it's only wednesday :(
Helping family move is sooooo very tiring, especially when you're the primary mover because your mom works all day and your dad is old and decrepit. So i've been moving boxes to and fro the old house to the new house.
I feel like i'll never be done.. EVER.
and it doesn't help that i have to entertain my children while i move and unpack things.

I also miss my husband. LUCKILY, we have skype and i get to see his handsome face every night.

also.. my emotions are still so raw right now.
My best friends finally made it up to Joplin and they say it's worse than the pictures :(
it seriously breaks me heart. A guy that I used to talk to every day (and want to punch in the mouth everyday) is in the hospital and can't feel his legs due to an injury inflicted by the tornado.
I can't EVEN begine to express house awful i feel for him.

I also had to break the news to my mom that one of her and my aunts good friends died in the tornado. it was sad.

One of these days my mind wont be so constantly on Joplin.
But!! I did my part and I bought a shirt for Joplin. I"m excited for it to come in the mail and for me to wear it around. (see!! i can be happy)

2011-05-24T23:45:00.000-06:00

Sorry to bombared everyone with all of the Joplin business, but my mind has been on this since Sunday and this is so important to me.

The video below is of my stake president back home. The daughter he's talking about was in my home ward, on my swim team and a student at my high school (JHS), she also happens to be engaged to one of Austin's best friends. It's truly a miracle that they all survived ESPECIALLY Lynelle and Alayna.

Its times like this that make you count your blessing and put everything into perspective.

i'm here, but my mind is somewhere else

2011-05-23T17:49:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to thank everyone for their kind words. I'm still in shock about everything that has happened.
So many of my friends back home have lost their homes and have no where to go. I feel so helpless being all the way out here, I wish I could just hop on a plane or jump in my car and go back to Joplin to help everyone.

Meghan was found! She was helping get patients out of the hospital and then went to help people who were hurt.

I woke up this morning and watched the news. You know it's not a lie that everyone wants their town to be famous, but not because of something so devastating. I couldn't help but burst into tears several times during the day, while driving. I never thought that this would affect me so much. All I can do is count my blessings and thank Heavenly Father for protecting my friends and family.

Our stake center is gone, flattened to the ground. I couldn't help but look at my old photos of my friends and I goofing off inside the church. It was nice to remember, but left me with a pang in my heart.

The death toll is up to 119 people, and I'm hoping, PRAYING that I don't know anyone of those 119 people.

but once again, thank you so much for thinking of me and leaving me your sympathies. It really means alot to me.

tonight, my heart is broken: Joplin, MO

2011-05-22T22:25:00.000-06:00

Today was such a wonderful day. Awesome weather. I actually enjoyed church this Sunday. The kids were happy. We had people over for dinner and then I get a text from my best friend Sarah; it said:
Tornado hit Joplin. My family is all okay but the house is demolished and they had to get people to get my mom out but she is okay. As far as i know they are at a church (wildwood baptist church). The high school and church are gone.

For those of you who don't know I was raised in Joplin Missouri. I graduated from high school there, i met my husband in Joplin. My fondest memories are in Joplin.

I instantly started making phone calls, yelling at austin to call his parents to make sure that everyone is okay.
Almost all of my friends have been accounted for except for one person. She was working at st. johns when the tornado hit. I'm praying that she's okay. I've never been so emotional about natural disasters, but this one was personal.

75% of Joplin is gone.. my hometown, the place where my heart resides

it looks like a third world country. a war scene.

The path that the tornado took, straight through the heart of Joplin

My High School, ruined, unfixable

St. Johns, where the girl who we've not heard from works. She was working there tonight when the tornado hit.

St. Johns and their helicopter.

I don't normally say things like this, but if you could, please keep the people of Joplin, MO in your prayers. I know of 8 people already who have lost their homes. I wish that there was more that we could do, but prayers seem to be the only thing.

Re-fashion friday: too small maxi dress into shirt dress

2011-05-20T10:45:00.000-06:00

I wish i had taken a picture of the Maxi dress before I ripped it apart, but I ripped that dress up like 6 months ago... yeah i'm just not getting to it.
anyways. The purple shirt used to be a long sleeve old navy shirt. I hate this fabric as a shirt because it stretches out and i think it's totally unflattering, but I don't really mind it as a shirt dress.
The maxi dress used to be down to my ankles and austin hated, HATED that dress.

I'm not really a long dress kind of person.. I've worn four long dresses in my lifetime. 1 & 2 for Austin's Jr and Sr prom, my senior prom and one for my wedding.

so here's what i did to the dress:

cut off the triangle top of the maxidress (that was the too small part)
cut about 8 inches off the bottom of the shirt
cut about 20 inches from the sleeves
cut about 18 inches from the bottom, hemmed it and used the leftover fabric to make a tie for the back.

I spent almost all day yesterday sewing. I made 4 articles of clothing and still have two more to go.
but I think i'm officially addicted to refashioning clothes! this might be a weekly thing.
Im most excited for tomorrows outfit.
think about madras + blue oxford = the most awesome preptastic outfit.
stay tuned!!

p.s. this is lorelei throwing a fit while i try to take outfit pictures

Thursday tunes: Coin Laundry

2011-05-19T10:19:00.001-06:00

I love this song. This girl won idol in New Zeland and she's uber young.

I just love this song. It's so light and fun.

i'm sewing like a mad woman because i've caught the refasioning bug.

we'll see how this turns out.
so far i've not wanted to kill myself.. but ask me that in a couple of hours.

p.s. I'm linking up to Goodnight Moon's What your song

Workout Wednesday: i'm dyinnnnnng

2011-05-18T22:38:00.000-06:00

I just finished a cycling workout today at the school gym.
holy moly.. my legs are jello.. and my finger and my arms.
my whole body = jello

that's all i have to say.

Tasty Tuesday: Who doesn't love smores?

2011-05-17T10:23:00.000-06:00

S’Mores Cookies

3/4 cup butter — softened

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate

1 cup (more or less) of marshmallows (not large style)

2 Hershey Bars, broken into pieces

Beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Blend in egg and vanilla. Add combined flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and (if using) other stuff.

Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets about 3 inches apart.

Bake in pre-heated oven 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 8 minutes. Remove and quickly press marshmallows and chocolate into cookies. Return to oven and cook until done (about 3 or 4 more minutes)

Makes about 3 dozen

Recipe and image via: Just Cook Already

i think i've ignored my blog long enough

2011-05-16T12:32:00.002-06:00

Not much has been happening for the last week.
We, the Joneses got sick all last week. And I had a mean visitor which prevented me from workout out all week.

I did have some good times with our friends. I seriously love hanging out with them... for hours on end a couple of times a week.

Last night some drama ensued, but what can you do?

We ate yummy roast and had cake and ice cream and played nerts and ticket to ride until we were all drunk from the lack of sleep we had received that weekend.
The girls almost got gassed to death by our lovely husbands. I guess we got to be a part of drill weekend last night ;)

The weather was fabulous this weekend! and now it's windy and cold and rainy. Dear Rexburg, for once in my lifetime, why can't you have warm rain? No one likes cold rain. not so much love- Dawn

I did a bit of shopping for our family pictures and I bought swim suits for Austin and I for our upcoming memorial day trip (pray that it's warm that weekend)

I'm going down to utah for a week to help with my moms bum foot, but at least i'll be in civilization, with real stores other than walmart and broulims.

and since Austin and I decided that we're probably not going to move, i've slowly begun decorating the house a little more. I mean we'll be here for another year and a half (SOB!!!) so i might as well make the most of it.

I also have to start planning birthday parties!! EEEK!!

i guess i am alot busier than i thought haha.

p.s. spring has officially sprung in rexburg.

click on the pictures for better quality.
all of them were taken and edited by me.
yay I"M LEARNING I"M LEARNING!!!

Thursday tunes: Yeah yeah yeahs

2011-05-05T10:10:00.000-06:00

This song is an old favorite. A song that I will never get tired of. It's got good memories associated with it. Reminds me of my college days at Southern Virginia, the best friends, the late night blasting music, the roadtrips. They were all good memories and we were always listening to the Yeah, yeah, yeahs..

Workout Wednesday: The smoking of a lifetime.

2011-05-04T21:09:00.000-06:00

I don't know. Maybe I"m a huge wuss, but I invited my military fitness, national guard husband to workout with me. He's huge into running and I'm trying to get into running, but he's super hardcore.

We worked out outside as opposed to me being in the gym on a treadmill with weights afterwards.

We started out with
2 sets of lunges
1 set of butt kicks
1 set of high knees

we then did 100 yd sprints on 100 yds rest (walking) for 400 yds.
then we did stairs... stadium seating.
He did 2 sets, I did one because i thought my lungs were literally going to explode. couldn't catch my breath to save me life (not true, but you know what i mean)
Then we did body dips for 30 ( as many as possible)
after the dreaded stairs we did abs
60 ( one-two- three ONE, one-two-three TWO) scissor kicks
1 minute worth of v ups (which by the way are crazy hard, i was grunting like a woman giving birth)
the plank for 30 seconds with both elbows on the ground and then 2 sets of side planks.

after that we jogged 100 yds sprinted 100 yds for 400 yards
after that Austin did stairs while i jogged around the track because I'm A HUGE WUSS
and then I stopped and he ran another 400 yds (see he's crazy sauce)

and now my shins hurts like chiz and i'm all sorts of sore haha.

gotta love my husband for pushing me, but I don't think I'll ever workout with him again. haha

Tasty Tuesday a little late: Chicken Katsu

2011-05-03T22:20:00.001-06:00

I made this the other day and I gotta say that the homemade teriyaki sauce is the bomb diggity!

Chicken Katsu
recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated
Chicken:
1 cup cornstarch
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1-2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Teriyaki Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons mirin
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, set large heatproof plate on rack, and preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Place the cornstarch in a shallow baking dish; the beaten eggs in another shallow baking dish; and the panko breadcrumbs in a third shallow baking dish.

Prepare the chicken by cutting each breast in half and pound to 1/2-1/4-inch thickness. Blot the pounded chicken dry with paper towels and season the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Dredge each chicken piece in cornstarch, then dip in the beaten egg, and finally coat with panko breadcrumbs. Place breaded chops in single layer on wire rack set over baking sheet and allow coating to dry about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cup oil in heavy-bottomed 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 1/2 minutes. Lay the coated chicken pieces in a skillet; fry until deep golden brown and crisp on first side, gently pressing down on cutlets with wide metal spatula to help ensure even browning and checking browning partway through, about 2 1/2 minutes. Using tongs, flip chops, reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook until meat feels firm when pressed gently and second side is deep golden brown and crisp, again checking browning partway through, about 2 1/2 minutes longer. Line warmed plate with double layer of paper towels and set chicken pieces on top; return plate to oven.

When ready to serve, remove from oven. Serve with the teriyaki sauce drizzled on top or on the side.

Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, sugar, ginger and garlic in a saucepan over medium high heat. Stir together the mirin and cornstarch until no lumps remain and then whisk it into the sauce in the saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil, whisking frequently. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until reduced to 3/4 cup or takes on the texture of a glaze. Cover and remove from heat. Drizzle sauce over chicken or serve on the side.

Recipe and Picture Via: What's Cookin' Chicago ( this girl has got it goin' on in the kitchen!!!!) Seriously check out her blog because she has a TON of yummy recipes

My heart is full!! HOOAH

2011-05-01T22:06:00.000-06:00

Today was a good day

tonight was even better!

My heart did leaps and bounds when we heard that Osama was dead.

That piece of trash got what he deserved.

So proud of our men (and women) who had fought long and hard for this day.

The war isn't over yet, but this is a HUGE milestone!!

now if only we had fireworks!

May Menu Plan (this time I got the month right)

2011-05-01T12:20:00.000-06:00

a few of these meals are from last month that we never got to because of family outings and going over to peoples places for dinner.

In no particular order (i'll do that later for myself):

Filipino food (pancit, pork adobo, lumpia)

Spinach Stuffed Shells

Breakfast for Dinner

Grown up Chicken Fingers

Crispy Basil Chicken with Lemon Rotini

3 chili chicken tacos

Chicken Stuffed Potatoes

Pan seared Chicken with cherry tarragon sauce

Hearty Boys Cilantro Garlic Ribs

Turkey, Apple, and Bacon Club Sandwiches

Grilled Pork tenderloin with pineapple and papaya salsa

Mozzarella, Plum Tomatoes and Basil pesto grilled cheese sammies

Garlic lemon chicken kabobs (with homemade pitas and gyro sauce)

Chicken and Cheese Lasagna Rolls

Calzones

French Dips Sammies

Glazed Salmon with Spiced Carrots

Spice rubbed pork with quinoa

Chicken dumpling soup

pesto chicken stuffed shells

Parmesan and Spinach Tilapia

Sweet and Sour chicken

Teriyaki Burgers (with homemade teriyaki sauce)

Chicken Pot Pie

Crispy Chicken Sammies

Panko and Parmesan crusted Tilapia

Enchiladas

Roasted Salmon with Balsamic honey mustard glaze

Crouton Chicken Bake

Tuna Casserole (don't judge me.. comfort food here)

Shredded pork and black bean soft tacos (none of that cafe rio junk. gag)

Wedding of a Lifetime (my lifetime at least): The Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T10:21:00.000-06:00

I'll admit it. I got up at 2 A.M. MST to watch the Royal wedding. I wasn't going to at first, but Spencer got up and I had an excuse. I was good for the first 45 min, when the people were arriving, but by 3:15 I was getting sleepy. I fell asleep waiting for the Queen! I woke up just in time to watch Kate and Will exchange vows, say a prayer, exchange rings, and sing a song and say another prayer ( was it me or was the ceremony crazy long? haha.. Maybe I'm just used to 15 min weddings).

I immediately loved Kate's dress. Why didn't I think of that when I was getting married?

Pippa's dress was so pretty too!!

I love that it's considered PROPER to be modest. More girls need to catch on to that concept.

I then fell asleep again, but after they went to Buckingham Palace and exchanged a kiss or two.

The whole time I was watching this I was just so excited, I don't know why, it's not like I'm English or anything. I guess maybe it's because Kate is living a fairytale. A commoner marrying a prince *SWOON* haha I"m letting my inner girl come out. Excuse me :)

but seriously.. how many time will you get to witness a royal wedding in your lifetime? I couldn't help but watch!

Tasty Tuesday on Thursday: Baked Toasted Ravioli

2011-04-28T08:58:00.000-06:00

Toasted Ravioli with Marinara Sauce
recipe adapted from AllRecipes

and What's Cooking Chicago

1 egg

3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
salt & pepper to taste

1/2 (25 ounce) package frozen cheese ravioli, thawed

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Marinara sauce for dipping (recipe follows)

Preheat Oven to 375

Put egg in a small bowl. Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese in a shallow bowl. Dip ravioli in egg mixture, and coat with breadcrumbs.

In a large saucepan, heat marinara sauce over medium heat until bubbling. Reduce the heat to simmer.

Place Ravioli on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven at 375 for 10-15 min, or until the breadcrumbs are a golden brown.

Marinara Sauce

recipe adapted from AllRecipes

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup finely diced onion

1/2 cup white wine

In a food processor place Italian tomatoes, tomato paste, chopped parsley, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.

In a large skillet over medium heat saute the finely chopped onion in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the blended tomato sauce and white wine.

Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Leftovers are great to use over pasta and can also be frozen.

What's your song link up: week 10

2011-04-27T23:22:00.002-06:00

I've not heard much of Band of Horses, but the first time I heard this song I fell in love. I recently watched a movie called Teenage Dirtbag (not to be confused with the awesome song) and it was super duper sad and this was the main song. Anyways. I get kind of sad when I heard this song, but I love it nonetheless.

Head on over to Goodnight Moon to Link up

Workout Wednesday: Nike Training Club

2011-04-27T11:51:00.000-06:00

I just got this App on my phone and it is kicking my butt left and right all over the gym. I did the arms yesterday and my arms/chest are killing me, but you better believe that I feel stronger. So if you need a personal trainer but don't want to pay for one, head on over to the App store and get Nike Training Club. It's free so it's not like your losing anything (besides memory space on your phone)

oh and i weighed myself like last thursday or friday and was up like... 4-6 lbs and then monday morning i got on the scale and was like 150. I don't know my weight fluctuation is super annoying.
So I think I"m going to start "eating clean" and see how that helps in the weight dept.

Want to have your picture taken by an awesome art major?

2011-04-27T11:37:00.000-06:00

love this blog! and the cute girl who writes it is going to be doing a little photo shoot for willing volunteers. Does it make me super conceited if I want to do this? I mean who doesn't like having their pictures taken.
Head on over to her blog to leave a message saying you want to take part.

Military Monday: What I'm excited for and Not excited for about going Active Duty

2011-04-25T10:48:00.000-06:00

Excited for:

Free healthcare

B.A.H.

The opportunity to travel

Meeting new people, it's a small world when you're in the military. It's even small when your Mormon AND in the military.

Austin NEVER being out of a job (unless he gets hurt)

Discounts.. come on, it's nice getting a discount because your husband is military. don't act like it's not

Growing closer to Austin because of the constant separation ( for some people it tears them apart, for me and austin, it brings us closer together)

Not excited for:

Deployments

Packing up and moving every 4 or so years

Unpacking

Transitioning the children

culture differences

culture shock

My friend and I were talking about this last night and how excited we are for everything. There are some girls who want nothing to do with the military and give their husbands a hard time and it makes me sad. How could I not support Austin and his dream to become an American Soldier? How could I not grow to love the United States Army? The Government makes me crazy sometimes, but I love it regardless.

maybe i'm an overly excited milspouse.. but at least i'm a supportive one.

Goals for April 24-April 30

2011-04-25T10:39:00.000-06:00

Craft these Projects:

Source: marthastewart.com via Dawn on Pinterest

Source: elleapparel.blogspot.com via Dawn on Pinterest

Source: bluecricketdesign.net via Dawn on Pinterest

Source: sweethomestyle.tumblr.com via Dawn on Pinterest

Source: meohmymama.blogspot.com via Dawn on Pinterest

The weekend's haps: Daybook party and hanging with my homies

2011-04-25T10:23:00.000-06:00

This weekend was the best weekend I think we've had in Rexburg in the almost 4 years that we've been here.

Saturday I went to the Daybook blog party over at Panache with my friend Rachel.
I met a ton of cute blogger girls like Ashley and Elise and of course my super cute and enthusiastic friend Lauren from Peace, Love Lauren was there ( i love her, she's too much!) (PHEW! so much linking!)

stolen from rachel

Anyways I met Sydney and was quiet the whole time and then got a case of word vomit. OH the joys of being an introvert. haha.
I met Sydneys husband Tyson (who is from Kansas City HOLLA!).

Oh and they had yumm-o pizza from Pizza Pie Cafe (or craigos for your local rexburgians) and cupcakes from Cocoa Bean (YUMMMMMMMM)

But I had tons of fun at the party with Rachel, and being the friends we are, we both convinced each other to buy clothes from Panache, Girls of rexburg, go to this store, it's super cute and clothes are cheap cheap cheap! cheap in price that is!
I would have pictures up, but my phone is dead and i lost my charger, so i have to go to walmart and get a new one.

Sunday Austin and I had to give talks in Sacrament meeting and let me tell you... When I should have been paying attention to what I was saying I kept thinking " Does this make sense? I hope my talk makes sense. Am I talking really loud? I FEEL LIKE I"M TALKING REALLY LOUD!!! make eye contact! STOP STARING AT THE BISHOPS WIFE!!!!" haha.. yeah. .. i'm super awkward.
After Sacrament we did the normal meetings. Austin and I hadn't been to church in a long time due to road trips to Utah, and him being gone, i'm bad and don't go by myself when he's gone.

After Church we had the Trickey's over for dinner and then had tons of our ROTC friends over for Ice Cream cake (homemade btw) and it was so much fun. The Trickeys brought their Xbox Kinect over and I let my inner white girl out (by dancing ) got schooled by a Korean in the dancing department ( curse those asians that can dance), taught my friends that if you stand and move your hand like Daria (in the volleyball scene) you will catch every soccer ball in the goalie games and we laughed out butts off until 12:00 a.m.

I want more days like that!

p.s. when I get more pictures from the daybook party i will update this post

Workout Wednesday

2011-04-20T11:00:00.000-06:00

I am craaaaaaaazy sore. It hurts to laugh, sneeze, sit up from laying down. But I kind of like it.

Monday I worked out with Cat (which I will be doing again because her knowledge of fitness is unbelievable) and we worked our core and arms.

Core workout:

1. Get a yoga mat (this is optional really), a yoga ball and a 6 lb( or whatever weight you want) medicine ball. Lay on your back, put the yoga ball in between your knees and hold the yoga ball in the air I'd say right above your chest. Bringing your feet into the air while holding the yoga ball in between your legs bring your arms down the length of your torso and touch the medicine ball to the yoga ball.

this move kicked my trash, I could only do 5 but i did it 3 times and let me tell you that I am so sore.

2. Going to a bench that is at a 45 degree angle, so that we can do vertical sit-ups. Grab your medicine ball and hold it at your chest. Don't lay all the way down on the bench, sit up at like a 110 degree angle and then crunch up.

Again I could only to like 6-8 of these so I did 3 sets.

Our arms we just did our shoulders, bicep curls and tricep dips with push-ups in between each set. And we usually did 2 sets of 15.

After we were done with the weights we did 30 mins of cardio.
I'm doing C25k (Couch to 5k) and I just started so I'm only on Week 1 Day 2, but I ran 2 miles in 20 min, which is pretty good for me considering that in high school i walked (slowly walked/ran) the mile in like... 12 min. I'm so not a runner, but I want to be.

And I weighed myself this morning after avoiding the scale for 2 weeks and was pleasantly surprised that I'm miraculously down 2 lbs. I was totally not expecting that because I've been making treats and we've had company over.

Woo hoo!

P.s. I'm totally addicted to Pintrest.com If you need an invite let me know.

Tasty Tuesday: Chicken Parmesan Burgers

2011-04-19T15:45:00.000-06:00

I crave the burgers.... weekly if not daily. They are sooooo good and probably alot healthier than eating a regular burger (which i also crave on a daily basis). When I make these I usually make them with roasted potatoes wedges. I'm totally roaster vs a fryer girl. Anyways, these burgers are super duper easy to make. They have a bit of a kick to them, but I love them none-the-less.

Chicken Parmesan Burgers

from Elly Says Opa!

Ingredients:

Burgers:
1 lb. ground chicken
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 cup chopped flatleaf parsley
1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed
1 shallot, finely diced
salt and pepper
1/2 cup pasta sauce
4 slices mozzarella or provolone (or 1/2 cup shredded)
4 buns (brushed with a little garlic butter, they are even better)

Directions:

Lightly mix together all the ingredients for the burgers. Form into 4 patties. I like to make them about 30-40 minutes ahead of time, to let the flavors meld a little bit.
Preheat & spray the broiler with a little oil (or use the grill, or a pan). Broil the burgers for about 4 minutes on the first side, then flip and broil for 3 minutes. Top each chicken burger with 2 Tbsp. pasta sauce and a slice (or about 2T) of cheese. Place back under the broiler for 30-60 seconds, until cheese in melted and burger is cooked through. Place the buns in the broiler for about 10 seconds, just until toasted.

Recipe and picture via: Erin's Food Files ( she also has my favorite red velvet cheesecake yuumm)

Military Monday: My relationship with the Military

2011-04-18T22:37:00.001-06:00

I've kind of grown up with the Military surrounding me, although I'm technically not an Army Brat I'd still like to think of me self as a quasi-Army Brat.
My dad was (is now retired) a Chief Warrant Officer for the United States Army. He primarily worked with intelligence, but before that he was in the signal corp for the Navy, after finding out that he's color blind and was severely sea sick, he switched branches and commissioned with the Army.
My dad retired from the military a little after I was born, but for some reason we traveled to the Philippines, China, Korea and Guam with the military, but I don't remember why.

My dad has always treated me like a soldier (minus smoking me to death) and so I guess that's why I've got a soft spot for the Military (i mean any person should anyways..). Although when I was probably 15 I was in a "Make Love Not War" phase, but I think it could have been that my dad and I don't get along as so I'd do or say anything to get his back up.. and that's a different topic.

Now when Austin and I were dating he talked to me about either going on a mission or going off to the Marines and I flat out told him to go on a mission. I was scared beyond compare. So Austin when on his mission and then came home, but still wanted to serve his country, I was still a little wary because again, I was too scared to even think about what could happen. We got married and moved so that we could go to school. A few months into the semester Austin came up to me and asked if he could join the National Guard, the recruiter came by and tried to calm my fears and I obliged. How could I not? This is what Austin has wanted to do for a really long time. How could I be the one to crush his dreams?
After two years of just being in the guard, we decided that he should join ROTC and eventually go Active Duty!

I'm anxious, excited, and nervous about our upcoming adventures, but i'm mostly happy that my husband will be able to do something that he LOVES.
So here I am, an Army Wife and dang proud of it. It only seems fit

p.s. i was 27 weeks preggo with Lorelei HUUUUUUGE

Goals for april 17- april 23

2011-04-17T15:07:00.000-06:00

Workout Monday, Wednesday and Friday
Run for 20 min each day
Do yoga or pilates on the off days
Clean the entire house
craft and document the crafts
Have FHE
play in the park with the kids everyday (if the weather permits)
take a picture everyday
Start Reading The Girl Who Played with Fire
Finish reading Matched
Making tanning appointments ( don't tell me how i don't need to tan

I hope I'm not expecting too much out of myself.
I think I can do it all, I"m just UBER lazy.

Its sunday sunday sunday...

2011-04-17T14:53:00.000-06:00

I think Austin listend to Rebecca Black's song Friday 5 times in a row today and now I want to shoot myself. What an annoying song to have stuck in your head.

Anyways. This weekend was good. My parents came up to drop off a daybed and mattress for Lorelei (she's a big girl now) and then Austin came home a day earlier than planned (WOO HOOO!) and Nathan dropped his sister off at school for the Semester so we got to hang out with them for a couple of days.

The weather was mostly nice , the sun in shining out behind the clouds more and more. Can't wait for the weather to be warmer.

ANYWAYS.

I'm starting something new with the blog, so that I'll actually blog and have topics to talk about

Sunday is going to be the day where I set goals for the week
Monday is Military Monday where I'll talk about Austin's past drill, our hopes, anxieties and fears about Austin going Active Duty
Tuesday is Tasty Tuesday- Where I'll share one of my favorite recipes
Wednesday will be Workout Wednesdays where I'll talk about my workouts, how far I ran, my weight, how the diet is going yadda yadda yadda
Thursdays are Thankful days- because by Thursday I'm spent and am having a hard time remembering what I'm thankful for.
Fridays are Fashion Friday where I can attempt being fashionable.
On the first day of every month, I'll have my Menu plan up.
and you know every month wouldn't be complete with a meltdown post or two.

New favorite song

2011-04-16T23:47:00.001-06:00

While driving in the car the other day I heard this song and it just screamed Austin.
I love that this song reminds me so much of him :)

Can Bruno Mars do any wrong? I think not.
It doesn't hurt that he's Filipino too. :)

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;werwer er&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

project love

2011-04-15T10:46:00.000-06:00

I don't think I ever posted the picture that was taken of us for a school project.
The project was called Project Love (duh)

anyways. we loved what she did so much that we're going back to have our annual family pictures taken.

These are the same pictures just one is in black and white.

A day in the life when Austin is gone

2011-04-14T23:02:00.000-06:00

It starts out like this.
He wakes up super early and quietly gets ready.
He kisses me goodbye and closes the door softly.
I stay asleep for a few more hours, I wake up, go downstairs and make a bottle for spencer
Get spencer quietly and let lorelei sleep for a little longer.
Both children are awake and we make a trip into Idaho Falls or Rexburg super early, as to avoid crowds.
We either get lunch at a fast food place or we eat mac and cheese or pizza at home.
I let lorelei watch all the tv she wants and spencer crawl around the whole house.
I watch army wives for hours and get some cleaning in here and there.
I make a super cheap dinner or go get something from somewhere.
I eat sweets or make sweets. nevertheless sweet will find its way into my belly.
I rent a chick flick and bring my computer to bed and watch it until i fall asleep.
Or watch the movie until its over and watch netflix until i fall asleep.
Sometimes i get a phone call from austin, but most of the time he's sleeping outside in the sticks.

Army Wives drained me today. I can't help but think of Austin when something tragic happens and then i just cry and cry and cry. But at least i'm crying while austin is gone right (because he'd be making fun of me like no other!!)

a list...

2011-04-13T21:08:00.000-06:00

My mind is all over the place these days. I don't even know where to begin.
So let me just lay it all on here. As a sort of brain dump if you will:

1. cleaning has been giving me major anxiety. Earlier this month I went through the living room, hall closet and kitchen and threw away about 6 bags of crap, and for some reason I look around the house and just see mess and clutter. Cleaning will never get better, I will never not have a mess to clean up and that infuriates me.

2. the children... and their wacky,drive me mad and make me hateful sleep schedules are driving me nuts.
for two days in a row spencer and lorelei both refuse to go to sleep at their normal bedtimes and then wake up in the middle of the night crying.... and austin is in a deep zombie sleep and doesn't hear them.
God has a sick sense of humor because every man i know can just "sleep" through their children making a ruckus in the middle of the night.

3. Aunt flow is here visiting here and i hate her because she makes me feel super fat, gives me low self confidence and makes me bloat into a ginormous blimp. hate you. there is no point to you anymore.

4. I got my new glasses today, i look like a nerd and i looooooooove it.

5. I'm so over being a poor college student, I'm so over being in a bubble, I'm so over living in deeply condensed religious beliefs. it's really putting a strain on my testimony. I need diversity people, and not just different races.

6. I'm sick of rainy/windy/so cold your nerps fall off weather. I'm craving sunshine and warmth and the feel of sweat dripping from my brow. seriously. Missouri weather I.NEED.YOU

7. Austin is leaving tomorrow for Boise and it's going to be lonely around the house.

8. Army wives gets me all excited about our life that is going to start in 3 semesters... 3 joyous semesters.

9. I've been making bread , hot dog buns, tortillas and it feels amazing. I love the way kneading a loaf of bread takes all my stress away. I should have been a wife of the 40's. seriously.

10. I'm a terrible blogger. I"m good for a couple of months, bad for twice as many months. although, i'm thinking of things i can do. like.. miliatry monday, tactless tuesday,... etc you get the gist.

11. i'm going to start making monthly resolutions like my homegirl jessica

12. I"m done.. thanks for laughing, rolling your eyes and most of all... letting me vent

meh

2011-04-10T22:07:00.001-06:00

There isn't much going on in the Jones household.
Austin is finally finished with the Winter 2010 semester and is on "break", but really he's working in the ROTC office before he goes to boise for 4 days for Annual Training, so it isn't really much of a break. Then he starts the Spring semester (only 3 more semesters!!)

Spencer went in for his 9 month check up and he is a super chunk! 20 lbs and 29 inches tall. No shots this time, but he'll get them the day after his birthday :(

Lorelei is.. well Lorelei. She minds so much better now than she did before. She's a really good talker and can clearly tell you what she wants or doesn't want.

I am.... just being me, trying to be a better housewife. Trying to be a hott housewife by dieting and working out.
So far since Janauary 1st i've lost 11-13 lbs (it really depends on the day). I've started running and I actually ran with Austin on Saturday. We didn't run that far ( poor austin.. i'm slowing him down) and my breathing was awful. Austin told me that I needed to get my inhaler if I was going to keep running.. SO.. Inhaler I'm getting. I seriously sound like a fat man when I run.

This summer is hopefully going to be a relaxed, fun, summer. Now that I'm not pregnant this summer (what what!!) we're going to be doing ALOT of outdoor stuff.
First and foremost; we're going CAMPING!
then we'll be off to Missouri for a wedding (yay!)
and we'll see what else we can do.

I need your help

2011-04-06T14:35:00.001-06:00

I'm getting new glasses and I'm ordering them through WarbyParker.com. You get glasses (lenses included!!!) for $95.00, free shipping and everything. They even send you 5 pairs that you want to try on at home for free. SO... this is where you come in.

help me pick my glasses.

I kind of love these.. They remind me of wayfarer

these come in second

these are ridonkulous

but i also like that these are round

these just make me look like a nerd.. now all i need is tape in the middle.

Conference weekend

2011-04-04T20:30:00.001-06:00

Conference weekend was so much fun for Austin and I.
We got to spend the weekend with Austin's parents who flew in from Missouri just to go to conference. I"m so glad that they did though because I miss seeing them so often.

We got to go to the first session of general conference on Saturday. I was so excited to say the least. In the (almost 4 years) that we've lived out here I've never been able to go to conference (because they don't give tickets out to members who live so close which makes me sad). So Austin's parents were able to help us out and got us tickets in Missouri.

Austin and his momma! We saw a couple of families that we hadn't seen in a few years. It was so exciting.

After the first session we went out to Red Iguana in Salt Lake City (on north temple), SO GOOD.. seriously.. I hate onions, and this dish was packed with onions and for some reason i didn't seem to mind. It was delicious. Austin and I shared a Beef chimichanga.

After we ate we went to see my parents and the girls (and austin) headed up to Park City to do some retail therapy.

Sunday was "relaxing" I was too busy cooking lunch (which i don't mind) and I couldn't pay attention to conference.
I know that watching conference is nice and convienient to watch at home, but... how many of you fall asleep while watching conference? I'd rather be in a chapel watching it from the satellite, but of course that's nearly impossible with a 2 year old and a 9 month old.

Oh! Friday night we were able to go to Austin's mission reunion and then afterwards we went out to nicolalita pizza down in provo. YUM. I love me some pizza, but their margheritta pizza was to die for.

that's my brain dump..

April Menu

2011-04-04T08:59:00.001-06:00

Here we go. Why does this take me so long to compile?

Paninis
Kentucky Hot Browns
Manicotti with meat sauce
chunky beef chili
ck pot pie soup
glazed salmon filets
out to eat?
pizza
mac and cheese
tv dinners
hot dogs (getting glam here ;) )
tacos/burritos
ck sandwiches
grilled Chz
out to eat
tv dinner ( husband is going to be gone for a week gimme a break)
teriyaki cranberry chicken
barcelona burgers
ck pasta salad
tilapia
homemade corndogs
taco pizza
spiced rubbed pork with quinoa
ck fried steak
ck katsu
burritos
marinara sauce and mozzerella stuffed meat balls
roast turkey with glazed vegs
ck pot pie penne
french dips

I also plan to be making bread like hamburger buns, hoagie buns.

soo boring

2011-03-27T22:26:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry.
I'm so boring. Sometimes I get into these slumps where I'd rather stay inside and be with the kids and not deal with anyone. I'm not sad or anything, but sometimes I just feel like I need my space.
Eventually my space becomes too suffocating and I have to start doing things again. Like go outside.

Here's to regular blogging. With pictures and lots of em'

anyways. I feeling lazy so here are some goals that I MUST achieve this week

running Monday-Saturday ( at least 1 mile)
30 day shred monday-Saturday
Clean the fridge
laundry... everyday that it needs to be done (most likely M W F)
Biking around town instead of driving
NO SODA!!
NO REFINED SUGAR (candies, cookies, cakes, brownies, drinks :( )
Eats veggies, and LOTS OF THEM
drink 2 bottles of water (a day... this is CRAZY hard for me people)

Ask me about this so that I'm obligated.

For those who waited for their missionary

2011-03-21T13:38:00.002-06:00

I wish I thought of doing this while Austin was gone on his mission.
This is the coolest thing ever.

Happy Birthday from Haugen Creative on Vimeo.

p.s. who wants to teach me how to do videography?

I try not to be negative

2011-03-20T20:55:00.000-06:00

but.... lately I've been reading blogs (that will not be named so don't ask) and I want to punch the author in the face and ask her/him if she/he thinks before he/she hits publish post.
I know it's your blog... but be considerate of your readers. Jerk.

on another note.
i seem to have hit a plataeu and am at a steady 150 lbs.. C'MON!
so i'm cutting out sugar :( which makes me uber sad because i seemed to have developed a sweet tooth.
and i'm adding more workouts. So i'll be hitting the gym/track to run MWF and 30 Day shred T/TH.
and hopefully my metabolism will cooperate because how can you lose 11 lbs and then just STOP LOSING WEIGHT?

AND Austin and I got our pictures taken by Tara Nearents.. and she is so cute and i'm pretty sure i'm going to have our family pictures taken by her this summer...

Are you in Love? Get your pictures taken!

2011-03-15T14:08:00.000-06:00

This cute girl (Tara) has a really fun blog. I love her photography and she's asking for your help!
I don't know about you but I kind of love getting pictures taken, family or not (call me vain).

Anyways. Here's her information

SOLD: Contours Options Tandem II Stroller

2011-03-09T13:25:00.002-07:00

We've had this stroller for about 8 months and have used it maybe 10 times. This is a great stroller for anyone who has an infant and a toddler! We're selling this to get a jogger/bike trailer and just don't need it anymore. I seriously love this thing and hope that you can enjoy this stoller too.
~~We're selling this for $175 . This is pretty fair seeing as how we've only had it for 8 months. This retails brand new for $224 at walmart and $239 at sears. So you're getting a huge discount!~~

SOLD

If you have any more questions just email me at dawn(dot)jones1004(at)gmail(dot)com

This is with the infant carseat attachment. Will take any carseat.

Both seats facing forward

Seats back to back

Seats facing each other if the children ever want to play or just see one another

without the backseat for ample amount of storage

without the seats

Folded up without the seats.

Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate chip cookies

2011-03-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

These cookies foiled my diet yesterday...
They are about 10 points according to weight watchers and I may or may not have eaten 2.5 :|

they are just so good, especially after you get them out of the oven.

adapted from Giada De Laurentis

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1 (4-ounce) 60 percent cacao bittersweet chocolate bar (recommended: Ghirardelli), chopped into 1/4-inch chunks ( I used mini chocolate chips because I didn't have this)
Special equipment: a 4-ounce (1/2 cup) ice cream or cookie scoop

Directions

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. With the machine running, gradually add the flour mixture. Add the oats, cranberries and chocolate chunks. Mix until just incorporated (dough will be stiff). Using a 4-ounce cookie scoop, scoop slightly rounded mounds of the dough into 12 (2-inch-diameter) balls ( I used a 1/4 cup and didn't form them into balls, just plopped them down on to the cookie sheet). Arrange 6 balls of dough, spaced evenly apart, on each baking sheet. Using the back of a spoon, flatten the tops slightly and bake until the cookies are slightly golden on the edges, about 13 to 15 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes before serving.

dresses these days

2011-03-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

Dresses these days shouldn't be called dresses.. Long tunics sound more appropriate, because you were these without leggings or pants and you're booty will get cold my friends.

dress: f21, leggins: f21, shoes: f21 (huh look at that. i'm a walking forever 21 billboard)

I mean, look at this length
that's crazy short folks, but i like it nonetheless
one of my 6 purchases from forever 21.
see those shoes on my feet? kind of obsessed

onto other news

this little man is doing really good with his sleep training, only cried for 30 min last night and put himself to sleep for his nap.
my my what i good boy i have.

insert witty title here

2011-03-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

top: F21, Jeans: Aeropostale, Shoes: F21

I find that if I wake up at 5:00 a.m. I am more liable to do the necessary housework that helps our house not look like a hoarders/bachelors house.

But normally the only time I'm up at 5:00 in the morning it's against my will.

Take last night for example; Spencer my loving (almost 8 month old son... holy cow) boy likes to wake up at 1:00-3:00 a.m., eats and then goes back to bed. Well.. I'm tired of getting up during these times. So Austin and I decided to start sleep training him (which makes me apprehensive because he and Lorelei share a bedroom) and we're using the Ferber's Method (which involves him crying himself to sleep so that he'll learn how to self soothe himself). Last night he went to bed at 8:00 p.m. like normal and he was out like a light (that's what happens when you only take one nap and a short one at that), he slept like an angel until 3:00 where he woke up and cried. I waited 3 min and then went in and assured him that we were here and that he was safe, and left (which ticked him off). He cried on and off for about and hour and then I think he fell asleep (but i don't know because i fell asleep, with my head under a pillow i'm sure) and then he was all bloody murder scream/crying until 5:00 where I finally got up for the day.

He woke Lorelei and Austin up in the process (austin said that lorelei was just sitting up in her crib with a look that said "really spencer *looks at watch* it's 4:00 in the morning! SOMEONE GET HIM OUT OF HERE" and she was up for the day (against our will) at 5:00 in the morning.

So I fed spencer and played and gave him a bath until 8:00 where he is now taking a nap (that he put himself to sleep for in his crib all by himself) and he's still asleep at 10:30.

Needless to say, I'm suuuuuuper sleeepy

Lorelei my love wanted to get in on the outfit pictures.

Maybe we'll just take outfit pictures together everyday.

I think I'm going to watch Greek while I wait for laundry and dishes to be done... (Greek is my new current obsession besides Psych and Prison Break)

happy hump day !

2011-03-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

I don't really care that it's wednesday. I think thursdays are my favorite day of the week...... random... anyways.

I took an outfit pic today and it goes like this :

my jeans are humongous on me, my shoes are a fancy shade of coral. my grey shirt finally fits properly and i'm sporting one of my 6 purchases from forever 21 courtsey of kimmie from blue paper lanterns.
I need to go jeans shopping. We're doing our monthly grocery shopping today.. and that's about as exciting as i get today.

the children. well you haven't seen the children in a while.
he's more than you wanted to see today.

these moves are all lorelei.. no coaching of telling her what to do. she's a natural. haha.. she's funny

wanna see what a meltdown is like at my house? here it is.. now imagine screaming. loud. ear piercing screaming

feeding spencer ham and apple blueberries. he wasn't feeling it too much

this is a classic "dawn and austin " look and lorelei did it all by herself. proof once again that she's really ours.

rollercoaster... because that's what my emotions do

2011-03-01T22:39:00.000-07:00

the last two day have been night and day (literally and figuratively)
Yesterday was pretty good, actually it was really good. At the end of the day I was still smiles (and that doesn't happen very often). I went running with my new Vibrams at the gym that day (be prepared to laugh your butt off) after I did weights and I'm listening to Kesha( judge me, but her music gets me going... and she sets the pace for my run), arms doing the running motion that they do when you run. My hands catches my earphone , rips the cord off my iphone and my iphone falls.. Me, BEING THE IDIOT THAT I CAN BE .stopped. while the treadmill was on. My first thought was.. "oh no, this isn't going to be good" and proceeded to get a floor burn from the treadmill on my shins :| And there were people behind me using weights. They were laughing. I pushed emergency stop, laughed at myself a little and then got back on and started running again.
seriously... I watch those stupid movies on AFV and think how can that happen.. well it happened. to me. whomp whomp.

Anyways. Running with Vibrams is genius. I"m telling you. My shins never ONCE hurt me and i literally felt like i was floating. My lungs didn't hurt, my heart didn't feel like it was going to burst out of my chest. It was great. I think I might love running.

Today was harder than yesterday because Lorelei was in an awful mood pretty much all day. She was making me crazy, livid. But then austin came home and he said the right things and comforted me and helped me parent better (we're helping each other. Teamwork.) and it's pretty much been smooth sailing. It probably helped that I asked the Lord for help last night... except I asked Him for patience (mistake number 1. Never ask the Lord for patience unless you want a trial for patience to manifest)
And then we got a new table. a brand new (to us) table. It's beautiful.

March Menu Plan

2011-03-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

that's right kids..

all of march is planned.. and it only took me all of february

sweet and sour pork
top shelf fajitas
cheesy garlic chicken
lemon garlic tilapia
pizza
kalua pork
tuna cakes
tacos/burritos
cheesesteaks
chicken pizza
Orange beef
scallops
apple cinnamon meatloaf
pasta ai quattro formaggi
balsamic chicken sandwiches
steaks
pizza
slow cooker brisket sandwiches
cheesy baked tortellini
sloppy joe pot pies
lo mein
jucy lucy
Braciole
herb crusted salmon
chicken fried steak
three cheese stuffed shells with meat sauce
oven fried chicken

i know that there is only 27 days listed here, but we're going to be in utah 3 of the four weeks in march. ugh... not my favorite road trip

enjoy

nothing new to report wah-wah

2011-02-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

except that maybe i've found a new blog to obsess over!!

this girl is the bee's knees man. she refashions alot of her clothes! she's inspiring me as we speak, but we all know that i'm just talk and i'll say that i want to refashion my clothes, but when it comes down to it I don't do it because I'm either A. too afraid or B. too lazy. Most of the time it's because I'm too lazy.

I had to order a new wireless remote for my camera because it's lost or in the trash or stashed away somewhere that only Lorelei knows.

This has been the longest week of my life I swear. Austin has been studying his brains out and taking tests like it's going out of style and I just stay home and mope because I'm bored and miss my husband. BUT I get him back (sort of) on Tuesday!! until Finals week that is :(
I'm proud of him though, he's becoming more and more studious as we speak.

anyways.
I've been thinking about starting another blog, a style blog (because i have style right?... or maybe this is an excuse to get some style). Make me get dressed in the morning and do my hair and makeup.. because i'm vain like that and only like to have pictures taken of myself when I'm fully put on. what do you think? We shall see. I'm excited about clothes now that I'm dropping weight... it feels good not to have rolls everywhere.. and don't say that i didn't, because you obviously haven't seen me naked (THANK GOODNESS.. that would be awkward wouldn't it?)

my momma & a taste of my heritage ( you thought i was mexican didn't you? WRONG)

2011-02-24T21:59:00.000-07:00

I don't talk much about my parents. It's complicated and very exhausting, but I love them. Especially my mom. She's the bee's knees yo. Growing up it was hard because we had a language barrier, a generation gap and she was my mom.
But tell you what, she's the coolest person I've ever met. She's got stories from her day back in the Philippines that would knock your socks off seriously.

this lady (Imelda Marcos, first lady of the Philippines) had a reputation for having TONS of shoes(we're talking 2700 pairs of shoes!!)... and of course you know that the Marcos' were removed from office. WELL... my mom and her friends were at the palace that night, and the crazy kids that they were went inside the palace and stole shoes from Imelda Marcos.

see the lady with the yellow pants? well that's not my mom, but my mom is the one on the left holding something red in her hand

Some of you might be like.. what the heck?! but seriously, if you knew my mom, you wouldn't think this was possible because she's so saintly and goody two shoes. Little surprises like that make me love my mom ten fold more.

Fitness, Children and the Obesity epidemic

2011-02-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I was contacted by a lady from Primrose Schools about blogging on fitness and childhood obesity. They are trying to raise awarness as well as raise money for children battling many various forms of illnesses.

Primrose Schools host an annual family dance off! How fun is that ( a great FHE activity)? It's a great way to connect together as a family and be silly, but also to show your children how important it is to be active and get those bodies movin'.

Here's what Emily from Primrose Schools has to say:

Get Up and Dance with Primrose Preschools!

Submitted by Emily Patterson on behalf of Primrose Preschools

Dance can be a fun, easy way to introduce physical activity into your family's daily routine. As a provider of early childhood education, Primrose Schools (with child care locations nationwide) has recognized and is actively fighting against the childhood obesity epidemic.

The Family Dance-off supports Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, a non-profit organization that raises funds for more than 170 children's hospitals, which collectively treat 17 million children annually for every illness and injury imaginable.

Families are encouraged to record and submit a 30 second video of themselves dancing to promote fitness and strengthen family ties.

Participating in the Family Dance-off is easy:

1. Record a 30-second video of your family's best dance moves. Don't be afraid to let loose and be silly!

2. Visit The Family Dance-off site and upload your best take by March 19.

3. Share your video with your friends via email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

4. View and vote daily (you can place five votes per day) for your favorite family dance video!

Now for the prizes:

Not only does your family win, but the whole community wins, with $65,000 in donations to local Children's Miracle Network Hospitals:

· Grand Prize: $5,000 and Primrose will make a $30,000 donation to a local Children's Miracle Network Hospital

· 2nd Prize: $3,000 and Primrose will make a $20,000 donation to a local Children's Miracle Network Hospital

· 3rd Prize: $1,500 and Primrose will make a $15,000 donation to a local Children's Miracle Network Hospital

· All 14 Finalists will also receive a FLIP camcorder

Visit The Family Dance-off site for details on how to take part in the fight against childhood obesity, participate in the competition, and view past competitiors!

I'm not a fitness buff nor am I a nutritionist. I'm barely there I think, but I strive to be active and eat healthier to maintain my lifestyle. I also strive to be active to show my children how important it is.

little surprise in the mail.

2011-02-22T16:11:00.001-07:00

i love snail mail.
more than you'll probably ever know
one perk about waiting for austin on his mission and on basic training.. LETTERS!!
i love mailing letter and i love getting letter.

i got a little giftie from Kimmie over at Blue Paper Lanterns (love her blog) in the mail today.
and i did a happy jig all the way back to the house... whilst being pelted with snow (do you know how bad that hurts?) from the crazy wind outside.

i've been scouring forever 21 trying to decide what i'm going to spend my gift card on... because you know it's already burning a hole in my pocket :)

p.s. her handwriting looks JUST LIKE my best friend sarah's handwriting.

day 18: nope, not doin' it..

2011-02-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

I am not posting a picture of myself today.
i look awful, tired, tired.. and more tired.
I was wearing my grey skirt, black sweater and black tights.. i felt very wednesday adams.

I will post pictures of the kiddies because i know it's been a long time since any of you have seen them.
Spencer is a teeth making machine and has 5 teeth now.. say what now?
he's absolutely miserable.

As for lorelei, well.. she's a boat load of energy and I'm going to be enrolling her in gymnastics to get some of this energy out. Because her energy and my lack of energy is wearing me out..
Winter is wearing me out.

Lorelei looks like a 6 year old in this picture... make time stop.

look at hubs studying. He makes me so proud... a few semesters ago it was not like this. I love that he's buckled down and studies hard... because it's showing. He's got a brain on him that boyfriend of mine.

Monday Menu Plan (on tuesday) 2/21-2/27

2011-02-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

Monday:Mock Lasagna
Tuesday:Fiesta Lime Chicken
Wednesday:Leftovers (or naan pizza's)
Thursday:Garlic chicken with Lemon butter sauce
Friday:Korean BBQ
Saturday:Easy Mac & scallops
Sunday: Kahlua Pork

day 15, 16, and 17: hi my name is dawn, and i'm a slacker (hi dawn!)

2011-02-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

Where have i been for the last two days(as if any of you were really worried... or read that frequently.. i digress) Rexburg was beautiful for two days, with temperatures in the 45-50's. Yes... springtime weather. it was bliss.. therefore i was out playing and enjoying the warm weather instead of outfit picture taking.
BUT i did wear cothes from my 30x30.
We celebrated austin's 25th birthday but i didn't take any pictures because i'm an awful family historian. *sigh*

Last night the power went out because we had crazy crazy winds and austin got locked out of the house by our lovely 2 year old.. and i ignored his phone calls while i was out at the gym with a trainer because i thought he needed help with dinner (wife fail.)

Spencer is having troubles with his teethers and i feel bad. We slept downstairs last night.. i miss sleeping in my bed.

anyways.... here a few pictures

top: charlotte russe, skirt: old navy, shoes: payless.

todays outfit is my least favorite. I'm losing weight and this outfit still makes me look fat (you can say it, i know it) speaking of clothing.. who wants to take this shirt off my hands. because i know i'll never wear it.

here's your daily dose of lorelei. she's a sassy pants, but don't tell her, it makes her angry

austin and i just got our new running/outdoor shoes. we love them. so .much. we're weirdos

Monday Menu Plan: 2/15-2/19

2011-02-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

Monday: Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Tuesday: Famous Daves, Austin's 25th Birthday!!

Wednesday: Herb Crusted Pork Chops

Thursday: Chicken Spiedies

Friday: Pizza Paninis

Saturday: Utah (momma is cooking for me/us)

Day 14: the day of valentines

2011-02-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

top: kmart, sweater: shade, jeans: aeropostale, Shoes: naturalizer, belt: walmart, sunglasses: a kiosk in the mall.

We bought retro shades saturday. I love mine. Tonight, Austin and I aren't doing anything for valentines day. I bought him a new headseat for his xbox (i'm the best wife ever) and he's getting me new workout pants (he's the best husband ever), you see we're not about the romantics, it's a little (okay alot) cheeseball to us. When it comes to gifts that we give each other EVER, we get each other things that we can use, all the time. I'm sure he'd get me jewelry, but he knows that if it's not a diamond ring or stud earrings i probably wont wear it, because i don't wear much jewelry.

Tonight I"m making chicken gnocchi soup.
yum-o

Day 12 & 13: I cheated... I couldn't resist

2011-02-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

It's true.
I cheated, but it was totally worth it.
To justify myself (because I'm so good at it), I sold two of my 30x30 pieces, my husband bought me a shirt for valentines day/date night and i added my black pumps because i missed them, oh and I also added the shirt my husband got me to me 30x30, because i will wear it.. ALL.THE.TIME.

I absolutely love this shirt. I"m telling you, i don't want to take it off. EVER.
I also love the skirt that I'm wearing(that I also wore to church today), i also, don't want to take this off.EVER.
Don't you love it when you find clothes that make you feel absolutely fabulous?
I told Austin last night that if I lose the weight that I said I would by Spencers 1st birthday, he doesn't have to take me to Florida, I'll just go shopping instead (because really, my shopping trip will be a fraction of the cost of what it would cost to take 4 people to Florida. I think he agreed to the change in our wager, I'll have to ask just in case.
anyways.. ONTO the outfits.

top: Oldnavy, Jeans: Nordstroms Rack, Shoes: F21

I wore this last night on our date to see the group 4Troops. We went out to a local Thai place. It was pretty good, but I didn't order anything scary.. Just chow mein. Thai chow mein is kind of different to chinese chow mein. Afterward the concert i spoiled myself to a mini blizzard midnight truffle. Can I say yum?! I would totally ruin my diet for another blizzard (did you know that a small blizzard in that flavor is 18 points? that would leave me with 9 points leftover to eat with.. *sigh*

and then this is what I wore to church today

Top: Old Navy, Skirt: JcPenney, Shoes: Calvin Klein, Tight: Betsey Johnson

It's a warm 32 degrees outside. Seriously. that's warm. for rexburg. I didn't even wear a coat outside. And all of us at church were talking about how warm it was outside. Hilarity. Don't you LOVE this skirt? i sure do. I would be okay with wearing this skirt everyday. but alas, i wont... *sigh*

day 11: I WON!!

2011-02-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

Yep. That's me! For once in my life I won something!! EEEEP I'm so excited!

a $30 gift card to forever21? Yes please AND THANK YOU!!

Blue Paper Laterns is such a cute blog and Kimmie is so cute. Proof that you can have kids and look fashionable!

alas i'm making excuses for my lack of posting an outfit picture today. It would have been 11/30, but I've been wearing workout clothes all day. I WAS going to work out today at 1:00 but Austin had to do something at school and he takes priority. So. I"ll work out tonight. Read, Listen to music and walk or powerwalk, I dunno.

now i'm off to fantasize about what i'm going to get with my gift card :)

day 10: overschedule much?

2011-02-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

I actually wore this last night to meet THIS cute girl at her housewarming party and today. I had to change out of what I was wearing because austin was begging me to change. I can see your underwear through those leggings. PLEASE CHANGE... so i did, but i was so comfortable.

today is crazy busy. I'm babysitting till 2:00, appointment at 2:30, gotta make a pound cake, gotta clean house for book club, workout from 6-7, make dinner, book club!

eeek!!
what was i thinking? jam packing my day. on Thursday of all days.

Day 9: sore= lazy/tired

2011-02-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

Leggings: F21, Shirt: Shade. Sweater: American Eagle, Shoes: Walmart

this is my.. i'm tired, sore, just got done with a workout please don't make me go anywhere look.
I know you're probably thinking EGH! put your dang pants on woman.. but i don't wanna.. i just want to lay on the couch and sleep.
I've started working out with a friend and we are definitely pushing each other to work out hard.
I'm going to be so sore tomorrow, i can already feel it.
tomorrow will be different, I will get dressed and I will put on my face and do my hair.. promise
p.s. I cut off my head because i was making one of the awfully stupid kissy faces.. you know the ones we all did in high school.. yeah.. that one.