Food, Fun, and Fotos

Hey everyone! It's time to announce our new Date!

This week, I would like to introduce you to Adena from, "Food, Fun, and Fotos", which can be found under the "Food Blogs" tab!

Here's what Adena has to say about her blog:

I am a SAHM to 5 kids, homeschooling the whole way thru. I also help do bookkeeping for hubby's job, part time college student, serious hobbyist photographer, cake decorator, blogger, and crafter when I can find time. Whew. Just thinking about it all makes me tired :) I blog about life, and whatever hits my fancy at the time.

And...the "interview":

1. When you were a teenager, what was the worst trouble you got into?

OH NO!!! Seriously? This is going to be confession time for me because although I never really did bad stuff as a teen, when I did, I just never got caught. So is it considered "trouble" if you're not caught doing it? The worse thing that I did (that I would flip if my kids ever did!!), was skip school. (Hmmmm, maybe that's why I homeschool?!) I didn't just skip class either. I'll tell you all about it. I was in ninth grade and it was the last day of school. As everyone knows, nothing is accomplished on the last day. Now, our school was not exactly in the best area of town and it was right on the bus line. And it just so happened that the bus went to the mall. Seriously? Who would even put a public bus in front of a high school that went to the mall?? They were just begging for it to happen. So..... a few friends and I decided we could get much more accomplished at the mall than we could at school. We jumped on a bus, went to the mall for a few hours, got back on and made it back in time for catching the school bus back home. Shhh....don't tell on me, my mom still doesn't know. And it's been years ago!!!

2. Are you a glass half empty, or a glass half full kind of person?

Definitely a glass half full kind of person. Don't sweat the small stuff. Pick your battles. I just think life is too short to be miserable. Besides, there are usually other people around that wouldn't mind trying to make you miserable, so why would you do that to yourself too?? Worrying about things does not change the situation. I believe you have to be proactive. Look at problems as a challenge and remember, you can't have a testimony, without a test. In the end, things will workout exactly how they should, so just sit back and enjoy the ride.

3. Tell us about your family.

I got married when I was only 19 and had our first child when I was 20. (Don't really recommend that to anyone, but it worked out. Should've gone to college first, instead of going now.) We were best friends and had been dating for 3 years. I love that he can make me laugh to get my mind off things. Like when I am in labor. But then he can also read my expressions well enough to know when to stop cracking jokes and just hold my hand. Like when I am in labor.
Together, we have five kids. Yup. Five. I had always planned on three, three years apart but God had other plans for me. And turns out, I like His plan better.
Our oldest daughter is Megan, who is 21. She is an aspiring pastry chef. She has gone through some culinary training already and is currently in charge of all baking at a local college but she still wants to further her training. Meanwhile, she has been having alot of fun lately traveling. Last fall she went to Ireland and then just this month, she went on a Disney cruise to the Bahamas. She is very determined and opinionated. I always tease that I never want her to get into politics because if she liked it, there would be no stopping her in taking over the whole world.
Next daughter is Tara, 18. We have always called her our flower child. She is a little hippie at heart. Very artistic and dreamy without a care in the world. A friend of mine nicknamed her Oblivia. She has super long natural curly hair that went every which way when she was a toddler. She loves anything Japanese and draws constantly. If there is a blank white space, watch out. Just ask the toaster. Yep, she drew a mural on the side of it. When she was younger, she would draw with both hands at the same time, ambidextrous. Now she prints better with her left hand but cursive better with her right. I love that she could care less what people think of her and dresses to whatever is her whim at the time....even if it sometimes embarrasses me.
(Then there was a miscarriage that is a whole other story in itself but life changing. Also, the reason why I don't trust doctors. Ugh. And that's how my 3 kids 3 yrs apart plan changed.)
There were complications and I wasn't even supposed to be able to have anymore kids. Then a miracle happened. Literally. And I got pregnant with our first son who I refer to as my man-child. Connor is 14 going on 20. He just recently turned 14 and for his birthday I told him I would finally admit that he is now taller than me. And his voice is deeper than his dad's and he shoe size is already bigger too. His siblings call him the golden boy. Seems no matter what he tries to do, he can do, and do well. He loves to play football and hang out with his friends. He is wanting to take up electric guitar and don't tell him, but I am thinking of buying him one this month if he promises to keep up with his schoolwork/chores. He is a great big brother to Jeremiah...not so much to Jared. They are at that age right now where there is a huge difference between being 11 and being 14. Please pray for me. LOL.
Now if we thought Connor was a miracle, Jared really is. First, Jared did not talk until he was almost 4 yrs old. No one ever figured out why. (Had some breathing problems when he was a baby too, no diagnoses there either). But when he started talking, well, let's just say he has more than made up for any lost time. And then several months after finally start talking, he was diagnosed with lymphoma. I cannot tell you how scary that was. I remember it too clearly but it would take a book to go over it all. Long story short, God healed him miraculously and I thank God for it continually. Jared is the sweetest boy and very sensitive. He has a great imagination and wants to be a chef and a construction worker when he grows up because he wants to build me a big new house and fix me fancy meals. What a great kid! He is now 11.
Then there's the big surprise - Jeremiah. While we were all comfortable with our family size, and had been for 8 years, we hit a bump in the road. Yup. Surprise pregnancy. (FYI- as you get older, when you ovulate can change. Drastically. Like instead of the middle of the cycle, try immediately at the beginning!) I will tell you raising another baby after most of your other ones are older is totally different. You stop and enjoy everything. I suggest everyone do this. I am thoroughly savoring every aspect of his life. He is so funny too. He is all boy, loves trucks and dinosaurs. He plays video games with his older brothers (something btw, that I do not like!) and has beaten people online that are MUCH older and cannot believe that they just got beaten by a toddler. He also loves to dance. Always has. I keep trying to video him but when he says me with the camera, he stops. He will watch a video and mimic whatever they are doing. We recently watched Step Up 3 and so now he is doing the robot. Cool little kid. And he gives the best kisses in the world. And I know because he is still in that wonderful stage where the only girl he loves is mommy and he wants to marry me when he grows up. LOL.

As always, I asked Adena to send me her three favorite posts...here they are!

Tutorial: Making Vanilla Extract...I don't know about anyone else, but when I see a vanilla bean, I want to lick out all those little beans. Do you think they taste good?

Frugal Recipe: How to Make Homemade Laundry Detergent...amazing! I am now tempted to try to make my own detergent...just to see if it works as well as my good ol' standby: Tide! Incredibly impressed, Adena.

2010 Reflections and 2011 Resolutions...a great post that looks at progress of the previous years resolutions and the new ones for this year!

Alright everyone...will you head on over to "Food, Fun, and Fotos" to pay Adena a visit? Oh, and tell her Mama sent you! ;)

Not So Crafty Crafts

Hey everyone! Thanks for the feedback...the more I think about this site, I see more and more that we could do with it!

Stay tuned for more info...feel free to toss out ideas about what you'd like to see/not see for content!

Okay, so...without further ado, I'd like to annouce this week's Date as Tonia from "Not So Crafty", which is located in our (get ready for this) Craft category!

Here what Tonia has to say about her blog:

Hi, I'm Tonia, and I am a not so crafty crafter. I take ideas from other craft blogs and tweak them to make them my own. Every once in a while I come up with my own ideas. Those usually come to me while I'm laying in bed or in the shower. Come take a look around, if you like what you see feel free to stay a while.

Next up, the interview portion of our Date!

If you were handed an open ended airline ticket...anywhere, any number of people, for any amount of time...where would you go, who would you bring, how long would you stay?

I would go to Hawaii and take my husband and the kids and a person to watch the kids when Mike and I need a little alone time :). We would stay a week maybe 2. I'm not a big fan of being away from home for too long. I kind of like my stuff.

What was the best job you’ve ever had?

The one I currently hold. Wife to my amazing husband and mommy to my 3 crazy kids. Although I did like the job I had before my youngest was born. I was an ad rep for our local newspaper and I was pretty darn good at it if I do say so myself. I didn't like missing out on my kids growing up though so when Kaia was born I quit and took them on full time. I'm probably not as good at this mom thing as I was the ad rep thing, but I'm doing the best I can with what I got :)

What has been the greatest moment of your life so far?

That's a tough one. The day I married my awesome hubby, the births of my children or the day we were sealed together for eternity. You see we're LDS and just recently went through the temple to be an Eternal Family. I'm gonna go with the last one.

And, last, but not least, here are Tonia's three favorite "Not So Crafty" posts:

Headband and Bow...you should see the headband and bow that she made for her "greatest moment"! Really impressive!

Skulls and Pumpkins...super cute idea for candy bowls for Halloween!! (And she says they're easy, too!)

My Project Monday-Cabinet Refurb...crafty people make me so envious! Here is a post about a cabinet she refurb'ed for her living room! So cute!

And that, my friends, is Tonia from "Not So Crafty"! Head on over there...and tell her Mama sent you!

Phew!

Hey everyone!! I just wanted to let you all know, that I finally (I'm so sorry!!) got around to updating the Personals and adding a slew of new listings!

So, if you've been waiting for me to get off my duff already and list your blog...check it out! It should be there!

Also...just want to touch base to see if you have anything you'd like to see...more posts in between our Dates? Blog related posts...i.e tips, suggestions, etc? Or, is it fine just the way it is?

If you don't see your blog...shoot me an email and let me know, so I can look into why it's not there!

Have a fabulous weekend...and stay tuned for this week's Date!

Jessie Lynn Smith

Happy New Year, everyone! I wish you all the very best in 2011...may your health be grand, your heart full, and may all your wildest dreams come true!

I would like to introduce our very first Date of the Week for 2011...Jessie Lynn Smith! Jessie's blog is found in the "Life" category and here is what she has to say about her blog...

My name is Jessie and I am a 24 year old girl just trying to live life to the fullest one day at a time. I got married to the love of my life on May 5, 2007. We haven't had children yet, but we have two awesome fur-babies: Sam, our pup, and Lexi, our ornery little cat. God and family are the two biggest things in my life and I hold onto them dearly. One thing is for sure: I love who I love. Everything else in between is pretty much here - LOL - so Welcome to my world :)

Here is my "interview" with Jamie:

1. What would you say your 'passion' is?

Wow it's actually hard to put a finger on one particular passion that I have. I would say that my passion is life in general. I love a lot of things: photography, love, my husband, my family, dogs, the way the air smells before the snow falls, fall, wrapping presents during Christmas. I mean hey, I'm a 25 year old girl and there is a really big world out there with tons of things to see - all of them just waiting for me to either capture their beauty in a photograph or enjoy them as they are.

2. How did you meet your spouse?

I met my husband while I was a sophomore in high school in our hometown, after his family returned from Saudi Arabia after living there for four years on an Air Force Base. It was love at first sight for me, but not so much for my husband. We remained friends and talked often after that. Then, when we were Seniors in high school he suddenly moved to Virginia, and I was broken hearted. We emailed a few times, but I moved on with my life realizing the possibility of us ever being more than friends was probably slim to none. After his family returned to our hometown for a visit with more of their family, my husband and I met up along with his brother and my brother, and went to go see some movies. My husband admitted that after that visit he started seeing me more than just a friend. However, after he returned back to Virginia we still emailed occasionally. Fast forward, after not talking to him for a couple of years, I find his phone number in my brother's cell phone, so I decide to give it a try. Sure enough it still worked. After text messaging wasn't enough, we soon began to chat on the phone daily on my breaks at work and on my way home. But there was a problem, I had a boyfriend at the time and he had a girlfriend. So I quickly broke off communication with my husband because I didn't feel right talking to him with a boyfriend. Come to find out I broke his heart, and he was actually going to send me a note that said "I love you" on Valentine's Day.

My boyfriend at the time started acting like a total douche, and suddenly disappeared. We hadn't officially broken up, but you might as well say we had considering I had no clue where he went. So I contacted my husband again. He actually had a similar situation with the girl he was seeing as well. The daily conversations resumed and since there was really nothing in our way this time, we decided to talk on an entirely new level and it felt awesome. And on one random night he drove up on a surprise trip to see me, and that was the beginning of it all. Things just felt right, and for the first time in my entire life I understood what people meant by "you just know". Three short months later he had an engagement ring for me, and in May of 2007 we were married.

He is the love of my life.

3. When you were a teenager, what was the worst trouble you got into?

Oh yikes, this is toughy. We all remember what it was like being a teenager - always trying to find our place in the world and trying to find people of like mind to hang out. As a preacher's daughter, it's actually pretty tough. You see, you want to fit in with people period, and there is this automatic idea with young people that as a preacher's daughter I would be a Hellian. Well to fit in, of course I attempted to fit that mold. To the adults, I was an angel, which pretty much worked to my benefit because I could get away with more stuff.

The worst trouble I got into was when I ran away from home and stayed gone for quite a while. I had intertwined myself with a 'lovely' (sarcasm) little group of friends and soon found myself in a heap of mess with all the wrong people, and seemingly no way out. When it got too rough to live my double life, I tucked tail and ran far far from home. I'm not proud of this fact. In fact it's something I'm ashamed of. The details will always stay wrapped up in my mind, and I've figured that this is best. However there is a good that comes from all things bad, even if the one good thing you receive is learning. And trust me, the learning I received from that time in my life, is something I will always carry with me, and has helped me become the person i am today.

And, Jessie's favorite "Jessie Lynn Smith" posts...

Once Upon a Time...a fable about joy, heartache, and back to joy!

What it's Like for Someone with PCOS...a very raw, emotional, transparent post on the reality of infertility.

Meet Samson...the (ohmigosh!!!) adorable addition to their family! Such a cute puppy!!

Okay friends...head on over to Jessie Lynn Smith...check out her 2nd Annual Blog Hop Extravaganza (with 2 weeks of prizes!!) that starts...MONDAY!! Oh, and tell her Mama sent you!