Concrete- finally!!!

Yay!!! We finally are getting a concrete driveway in our back yard leading up to the shop. I am SO happy!!! It drove me crazy to just have the gravel driveway because no matter what we did there were always weeds. Seriously... no matter how often we pulled and no matter what we sprayed the weeds were ALWAYS there! This was Ed prepping the ground getting ready for the concrete.

 Tess thought it would be so fun to ride with Ed... until she actually got in with Ed, then she was NOT  a happy girl!

 They had to do a partial pour and had to come back a couple of days later to do the rest

Of course I forgot to get a picture of the completed driveway... darn it, but we sure love it!!! It is SO nice not to have the weeds anymore and the concrete looks SO nice!

So proud of my brother Kris!

I am so proud of my little brother! He was a task force hero of the month for all of North Iraq! What a serious accomplishment! Even though we miss him more than words can say and we pray daily for his safety we are SO proud of him and his willingness to serve our country. Way to go little bro!

I saw this on my friend SueAnn's blog. I thought this was fun. There are less than 1,527 Amberlee's in the U.S. and there are less than 27,487 Murdock's. Give this a try and see how many there are of you....

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 1 or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Fast for our Soldiers

I happened to be blog hopping (or stalking if you'd rather) and I saw this. Thanks Missy! It means a lot to me know that other people think and pray for our soldiers too!

NATIONAL FAST FOR OUR SOLDIERS AND THEIR FAMILIES - August 3rd (which is also International Friendship Day....interesting!!!)


I know our Heavenly Father loves us, and he is watching over our soldiers. I know that the power of fasting can bring great results. I have faith that if we just trust in the Lord, he will provide a way. I know it's unrealistic to think our soldiers are all going to be safe and sound, and that all of them will return home, but I do know that we can pray for the strength and courage to face the heartaches of war. I know we can heal the heart of the soldiers who come home who have seen more than we could ever imagine. I know we can restore the faith and happiness in ALL of us who stress and worry about our soldiers.

I know that regardless of religion or creed, God loves ALL of us, and wants us to live happy lives. We are all brothers and sisters. Let's reach out to those that have less than us, those who have lost more than us, and those who fight for our rights, even at the cost of their lives.

........WILL YOU JOIN ME?

The Girl in a Whirl

I may be the only mother who feels like this, but I have a feeling that I'm not! I sometimes feel as though I am required to do so many things, be in so many places and generally just be perfect. Unfortunately, I'm not! My sister-in-law Meisha sent me this poem and I feel like it explains exactly what we go through every day...

The Girl in a Whirl by 'Dr. Sue' (a.k.a. Vickie Gunther)
Look at me, look at me, look at me now!
You could do what I do if you only knew how.
I study the scriptures one hour each day;
I bake, I upholster, I scrub, and I pray.
I always keep all the commandments completely;
I speak to my little ones gently and sweetly.
I help in their classrooms! I sew all they wear!
I drive them to practice! I cut all their hair!
I memorize names of the General Authorities;
I focus on things to be done by priorities.
I play the piano! I bless with my talents!
My toilets all sparkle! My checkbooks all balance!
Each week every child gets a one-on-one date;
I attend all my meetings (on time! never late!)
I'm taking a class on the teachings of Paul,
But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all,
I track my bad habits 'til each is abolished;
Our t-shirts are ironed! My toenails are polished!
Our family home evenings are always delightful;
The lessons I give are both fun and insightful.
I do genealogy faithfully, too.It's easy to do all the things that I do!
I rise each day early, refreshed and awake;
I know all the names of each youth in my stake!
I read to my children! I help all my neighbors!
I bless the community, too, with my labors.
I exercise and I cook menus gourmet;
My visiting teaching is done the first day!(I also go do it for someone who missed hers.
It's the least I can do for my cherished ward sisters.)
I chart resolutions and check off each goal;
I seek each 'lost lamb' on my Primary roll.
I can home-grow produce each summer and fall.
But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all,
I write in my journal! I sing in the choir!
Each day, I write 'thank you's' to those I admire.
My sons were all Eagles when they were fourteen!
My kids get straight A's! And their bedrooms are clean!
I have a home business to help make some money;
I always look beautifully groomed for my honey.
I go to the temple at least once a week;
I change the car's tires! I fix the sink's leak!
I grind my own wheat and I bake all our bread;
I have all our meals planned out six months ahead.
I make sure I rotate our two-years' supply;
My shopping for Christmas is done by July!
These things are not hard; 'tis good if you do them;
You can if you try! Just set goals and pursue them!
It's easy to do all the things that I do!
If you plan and work smart, you can do them all, too!

It's easy!' she said and then she dropped dead.

I thought that I would share this cute poem. Sometimes life can feel overwhelming when I think about all the things that need to be done each day. I am certainly not perfect, but thankfully we were never asked to be perfect... just to try our hardest. I know that many of you are so special and sometimes we just need to remember that we are special! We don't need to do EVERYTHING!!! Yea right... try telling that to someone who is OCD. I think that I need to remember to put limits on myself. My house can't always be perfect, my kids will fight sometimes, I may have to miss some time volunteering in the classroom, it's okay to eat pizza for dinner once in while, it's okay to relax and enjoy some time for me! To those of you who do accomplish all of this... lucky you! For the rest of... Keep Trying!!!

Bloglines...

I have been talking to people lately and realized that not everybody knows about bloglines.com. It makes blogging SO much easier! You subscribe to your favorite blogs and they will notify you when anyone has updated their blog. It brings up their new post and you can click on it and it will take you straight to their blog so you can leave a comment. I must say bloglines has made blogging a piece of cake- no more checking every one's blogs every day!

Happy Mothers Day!

This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms,wiping up throw up laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying,'It's okay honey, Mommy's here.

For all the mothers who run carpools, make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.

This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.

For all the mothers who read 'Goodnight,Moon' twice a night for a year. And then read it again, 'Just one more time.'

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls 'Mom?' in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are not there.

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache she feels when she watches her son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time? The jolt that takes her from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put her hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when she just wants to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in her home? The emotions of motherhood are universal!

This is for mature mothers learning to let go. For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers. Mothers with money, mothers without. This is for you all. For all of us... Hang in there. In the end we can only do the best we can. Tell them every day that we love them. And pray and never stop being a mother....

I hope you all had a wonderful Mothers Day! I am grateful for all of the women in my life who remind me what kind of a mom I want to be. I love you Moms!

Personalized Magazine Covers

I heard about this fun website that lets you create your own fake magazine covers called magmypic.com.

It is really easy and free. The top picture is one that we took of Tegen riding his dirt bike last summer (he can catch some major air for such a little rider). The bottom picture is of Tray (he was barely 5 when this was taken). My kids certainly did not learn their balance from me! They definitely got it from their dad. I know that my kids will love to see themselves on the front of a magazine cover. Fun! Fun! Thanks Charity....

Baby in a Tree...

Can you see the baby in the tree? Nature is so amazing. I have often seen some of the most beautiful pictures that have been taken outdoors. I love it!

Cool New Photo Editing!

Holli posted about this website that offers free photo editing and I love it! Thanks Holli! This website called picnik is amazing. It lets you do a million different things to your pictures so I posted a couple different ones of the same picture just to show the difference. The top picture is night vision - not sure when you'll ever need a night vision picture, but it is awesome anyway! The bottom one I didn't do that much to, but softened the edges and brightened the colors just a bit. There are many fun ideas to do to pictures! I love to find new things like this- and the best part is that it is free and very simple (which is a necessity for us technologically challenged people!)

Baby who can read

Sheesh... and I thought that my kids were smart. This baby is amazing and I thought this was pretty cool. If you click on the link you will just have to bear with the commercial for a minute or so! But check this baby out!

17-month-old who can readMarch 10: Can’t believe it? Watch baby Elizabeth read and say words live on TODAY.