My Families' Pictures

My mom is always on the ball. Always. She gets her Christmas shopping done in August, and her Christmas cards sent and scheduled to arrive exactly on December 1st. I'm not sure how she does it. And I don't usually like making my Christmas List before school starts, but, at least she is a go-getter. This year...we were a little late on the family picture taking. It was my fault since I lived in Rexburg so we did them the only time I could, Thanksgiving break. I think they turned out nicely.

That same break I took my other "family pictures".

The joy. The laughter. The wood cabin background. The Christmas sweaters. The comradeship. It really couldn't have turned out better. I'm still waiting on the rest of the prints. But, I think I might hang this one above my fireplace. It's just too good.

Christmas break is a dream. No school. No -10 degree weather. No ruminating girls. No nasty bathrooms. No cleaning and throwing out my back. No smelly dishes. Instead, I have my sister holding my hand, my dad's arm around me and my ward leaders giving me kisses on the cheek every five minutes. It's great to feel loved :) I even had a welcome home surprise. I came down to my old room with it clean (a miracle in itself) and a CD playing. The CD's title was "For Shelby". I unpacked and listened to the CD and realized Jenessa filled it with songs that reminded her of me. Yellow. Say Hey (I Love You). Free Fallin'. Spotlight. Baby, Your a Firework. The Best I Ever Had. Today My Life Begins. Dream a Little Dream of Me. Kiss Me. Memories of You. Well, call me silly, but I was tearing up a bit as "BABY YOUR A FIREWORK" was blasting in my ear. It's good to come home to my family...

....(ies)

Yes, both of them. :)

When In An About-To-Be-Demolished House

Rip the VELVET vintage wallpaper off the walls.

Man! I Feel Like A Woman

You got it, Shania. Basically, this song described my first semester of college with exactness. So, what else to do on a Friday night than make a music video with your roomies? Thanks for the great semester girls ;)

Thrifty Thursday

Alright. So it's been a month or two... I didn't anticipate only having $1.48 for half of college. That's right. I haven't bought anything. It's a new saving plan I like to call "Food Frugality". I mean, I've been able to survive alright. I've just eaten fiber bars, soup, and cereal everyday for a while. It gets bland after 48 days. But I've managed. Who knew I'd be more broke in college than I was as a 4 year-old! It's kind of adventurous in a way; trying to do everything without spending any money. You know, if I live like this forever and actually get a job, I'll be rich from saving so much! It's a great.
This past week I've been trying to get college boys to hire me as a maid for "white glove" cleaning to earn a little cash. Everyone has to do it and I figure some people don't want to and wouldn't mind paying me to do it for them! It is intense cleaning. I'm pruny from so much pine sol. So, today I had my first job as a maid. I had the experience of......college boys' bathroom.
Ew.
Probably the nastiest thing I've ever seen. Now I know why men need women. There were seriously things growing across the entire floor. How do they live?!?!?! After I left and felt mold growing on my hands and in my nose and I threw out my back from cleaning I realized I should have charged a lot more. Sometimes I am so thankful I am a girl and have a natural tendency for cleanliness.
I digress.
The point is, I haven't really gotten any thrifty things. Because, even though thrifty things are cheap, (that's the point of being thrifty) I still don't have enough money for something! Plus, with finals and school and the flu and a cold, I seem to have had less time to blog. And I'm starting to wonder if school zaps your creativity... It certainly seems to.
I did buy one thrifty thing that I absolutely LOVE. This was about two months ago, but, I finally have time to sit down and show you my awesome find. I've been searching for something like this for ages.
Behold:

Alas, I've used it so much it tore a little and I had to get Hannah to sew it for me. But, I love it. It was 20$ (imagine how long I could survive on that... probably 6 months if I'm careful ;). Pretty good for a leather satchel.
Maybe, when I move to Florida I will have some Thrifty finds for you.
But, that's all for now!

Happy Thrifting!

P.S. SCHOOL IS DONE! I don't have to have a class for four months! Can you believe it?! Woo. Straight A's, Baby. This college thing...not so bad :D

A BYU-Idaho Christmas

Ever heard of Brain Stokes Mitchell? Anyone? Prince of Egypt: voice of Jethro? Well...I didn't know who he was until these past couple weeks. But, in Women's Choir we had the opportunity to put on a Christmas Program with him, the Men's choir, and the BYU-Idaho Orchestra! It was incredible. I love Christmas music and the spirit and love it brings.

This is a song we did with Brian Stokes Mitchell but with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir:

Friendly Beasts



Interesting, huh? That's definitely a unique song. But, we did Sleigh Ride and a bunch of classic too. It was such a fun experience. Poinsettias, lights, bells, Christmas trees, thousands of listeners, and the magic of music about Christ. Plus, we warmed up with some hot chocolate afterwards :) Priceless.

A Day in the Life of a College Student

You know, every day I learn something new here in Rexburg, Idaho. Today for instance, I asked my roommate out on a Breakfast Date (The lack of boys calls for desperate measures). We made waffles and homemade syrup and pulled out all the yummy toppings we have. We decided to top the meal off with some scrambled eggs.

Never put your eggs at the very back of a cold fridge.

Home for the Holidays

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Tuesday night I drove into Utah Valley. Oh, how I miss the mountains. It's definitely 15 degrees warmer here than in Rexburg. But, the thing that makes home magical is the familiarity of family and friends.

You know that saying "Absence makes the heart grow fonder". Well, I think that's usually true. Sometimes, it "fonder" can be substituted with "more forgetful". But, the people who really matter in your life, you love more and more when you can't be with them. I love my family. They are the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm so grateful for the way I was raised and the values and spirit that are ever-present in my home. It's so interesting to meet people who grew up in different homes across the world who have such a different view on life! I am SO grateful for mine. I missed listening to classic rock and Disney while making pies and rolls with my siblings and having a dance party in the kitchen. I missed hearing Asia show off her "piano skills" and Jenessa giving me big hugs and Devin laughing with me. I missed raking leaves together and jumping in them and being attacked. I miss wrestling on the floor. I missed family chores. I missed watching movies together in the basement with the heat-dish on full blast and everyone falling asleep. I missed goofy family pictures where it's almost impossible to get everyone to have a normal smile. I missed waking up in the mornings to music and cleaning noises going on upstairs. I missed sleeping in my bed. I missed the love that's always in the house...even when it's loud and chaotic. I missed my family.

They are so wonderful.

My friend Kelsey came home with me for Thanksgiving break. It was a blast to share this week with her. Of course, after Thanksgiving dinner everyone fell asleep then watched movies the rest of the day. I literally couldn't move I was so full. Ah, lazy days. So nice. The next day Christmas decorations went up. Ha. Funny how that works.

But, I'm already counting down the days till Christmas break...

I'll get to see my family again :)