So We Have This Idea....

So we have this idea.........And this totally awesome idea starts here.......

but we need your help: )

(I know this post is huge, but bear with me and follow it through. You could be part of something BIG!) : )

When I was in high school our young women's group had a really neat project in which we collected new jammies and made teddy bears to take to a place called Christmas Box International (CBI). There are three different Christmas Box Houses that are a part of the CBI and our young women were able to go to the House in Salt Lake City. This Christmas Box House is a "half way" safe house where kids who need to be quickly removed from a violent, abusive, or neglectful situation are able to go while they are waiting to be placed into better circumstances.

I remember the whole experience vividly. As soon as I walked through the doors with the other girls I knew it was a special place. It just had that feeling; that peaceful, loving, happy feeling that comes when you know a big difference is being made. We watched as the children excitedly chose their own jammies and teddy bears out of the overflowing boxes that we brought. I loved seeing that. After some of the staff talked to us about what the Christmas Box House was all about, we were each able to read a child a bed time story before they went to sleep. As I watched and listened and got to be a part of it all, I wondered where these kids had come from, what they had seen, what they had gone without, what they had endured. The feelings that accompanied that night were some of the first moments of many that lead me to go into Social Work.

So needless to say, the Christmas Box House is awesome! And as Chad and I were brainstorming on something neat we could do for someone else this year, this memory pressed itself forward and I started to get all sorts of excited: ) So I looked up CBI's website and found this little beauty...

The Christmas Box House Wishlist (A list of items that CBI is in need of)

(I'd post the entire list here, but it end up making my post enormous, so I'll let you click the link to check it out) : )

It was from here this whole idea started taking shape. It started with us thinking we could find some of these items and donate them ourselves. Then our picture started expanding and our eyes widened as we imagined what it would be like if we could enlist the help of friends and family and classmates and coworkers, even strangers!

So here's our big idea.

We have a goal to enlist the help from you and as many people as we can to collect as many of these needed items possible from whoever can lend a helping hand so that we can personally deliver them to the SLC Christmas Box House on December 29th!

So what do you think? You want in? There is so much power in numbers! Together we can make a BIG difference. That concept is incredible and exciting and powerful. If we are on our own we could only donate a few items, but think of how much could be donated if 20 people gave a few items or 50 or 100! Awesome huh! : )

So all you need to do, if you're able and interested, is.....

1. Ask yourself, "Do I live in SV, Rexburg, or Salt Lake/Ogden area?" : ) If the answer is Yes, then you're set! : ) Chad and I plan on coming to pick up these items from you and even though we'd love to come see you in Texas (pmb) or Minnesota (Brit) or North Carolina (Mel) I don't think we'll be able to stop by : ) You could always ship something, but that'd probably cost you an arm and a leg. So, yeah... : )

2. Next Look over the list. See if there is something you could afford to give right now or something you already have that you no longer use and could give. Some of the things are really cheap; a box of fruit snacks, pudding snacks, applesauce, printer paper, wrapping paper, bows & ribbon, stools, suave shampoo and conditioner, etc. A lot of these things can even be found at the dollar store.

3. So if you want to be a part and find something you want to give all you have to do next is Write me a comment telling me just what you plan on giving and what day you'll have it by. After you leave a comment I'll be in touch with you and set up a time and means we can stop by and get it from you. (facebookers can comment to me through fb if they'd like: )

4. Then the next time you're out shopping for groceries or at Walmart, pick up one or two of these extra items and we'll come get it from you: ).

5. And this is the step where the real magic can happen! You can post about this on your own blogs or through facebook and get your family and friends and neighbors, etc. to also pick up a few items on their next shopping trip that you can collect from them that in turn I will collect from you! Can you see the magic! Honestly this could end up being such a HUGE AWESOME thing with just a few simple steps: ) I can't help but get excited!

*So if you decide to also post this and see if you can round up donations from friends, leave me a little message in your comment telling me how you plan on spreading the word along with what you plan on donating yourself: )

Here are some other simple ideas about how to get the word out.

*Chad is going to print off some copies of the "Wishlist" and take them to a couple of his classes, get permission from his teachers to take a minute to share the idea, and see if anyone is interested in brining him some donations the next time they meet for class.

*I'm going to ask the Social Work department on campus if they don't mind me leaving a box in their office with a copy of the "Wishlist" attached to see if we could get donations that way. I know our department often sends out mass emails to all that are in the program, so I'm going to ask Karri, the secretary, if she would send out an email for me explaining the idea and the box in the office.

*If your work allows it you could also mention it to coworkers and see if anyone would want to bring you some donations that way.

So I know this post is huge. Sorry. Hopefully there are a few of you that actually followed me to the end! : ) But I'm just excited and think it'll be neat to see what happens when people come together. Hopefully we can make this difficult Christmas for these kids a little more exciting and peaceful! I love you all and thank you for your help! You're awesome!

love, vandi

p.s. if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment and I'll try and answer it for you: )

One Last Hooray for Thanksgiving: )

Chad and I watched this last night. It was really good and a great way to end a month of thankfulness: )

And just so you know.......

I'm thankful for the opportunity of my life and all that I've experienced the good and the bad, the happy and the sad, the simple and the complicated, the funny and the awkward, all of it. I'm thankful that I get to share this experience of life with all of you, that we get to do this together. And I'm thankful to know that I am never alone, that I have a Heavenly Father and Savior who are right there to teach and guide and love me. Life is an incredible experience and I want to make the most of every moment I get to live in it.

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had an awesome thanksgiving and stuffed themselves full of good food and good company: )

Cute huh?

Today I am thankful for......

Giveaways at Dang Gina!

The giveaway that is up for this week is a pair of cute shoes at Wee Squeak. They're are so many fun little shoes on their site. My favorite would have to be the Brown Tennis shoes with pink trim and the Taylor Brown Baby Shoes pictured up top. If you're chosen for the giveaway, you get to choose a pair of shoes for free from their regular line. How fun is that! So go check it out: ) Just hit the button on the side!

Mass Hysteria at Home + = ???

(read on to find out!) : )

I know, I know.....I'm a little behind on my "Thankful" posts. Which is one of the reasons why I am thankful I'm not being graded on them: ) We had a busy fun weekend which I am also thankful for. But I didn't have much time to even get on the computer. You all know how it goes: ) But today as I've been pondering and thinking I felt like I should share this experience. So take it or leave it....here it is: )

Today I Am Thankful For......God's lessons tailored just for me: )

A couple months ago I came across a blog post in which the lady posed the question, "Why do we say, 'I know when I read my scriptures my day goes so much better' when in reality there are days that we read our scriptures that end up being a terrible day? Does reading our scriptures really make a difference?"

Her question and entire post really got me thinking about it all. Does it really make a difference? Will our day really be blessed and better? Because of my prior experiences with the scriptures and literally seeing the difference they have made throughout my life, I knew that reading our scriptures did make a difference, but I decided to be more observative ( I know....not a word, but you get what I'm saying) for the next few days and see just how my day really went after making the effort to read my scriptures in the morning.

Day One: I woke up, put the girls in the front room with a cartoon to watch and toys to occupy them, then went in my room and spent the next half hour pondering and studying my scriptures. It was a good study too. I felt enlightened and motivated and strengthened and figured the peaceful feelings would linger all day long. But then life happened. And the serenity was quickly chased away by the crazy mayhem of toddler tantrums, a screamy fussy baby, too many dishes to do, clutter, impatience, flustered plans, and a constant frustrated overwhelmed feeling that didn't leave until my exhausted mind, emotions, and body slumped into bed and shut off with sleep.

WHAT THE?! Wasn't my day supposed to "go better". Weren't things supposed to run smoothly? Based on these observations alone I could easily conclude that the "myth was busted", that reading your scripture really doesn't constitute a better day.

But I know Heavenly Father and I know that He keeps His promises. I knew there was something more for me to learn.

When I woke up the next morning I realized I had a choice to make. I could take the results of the previous day and conclude that reading scriptures wasn't worth it. In essence....I could give up and call it quits, after all it took honest effort to get the girls to stay in the front room and play while I put my heart and soul into studying for half an hour, or.......

I could demonstrate my faith and trust in Heavenly Father and say that even though I didn't see the blessings yet, that I trusted Him and knew they were coming in His way and His time. It really struck me that I had before me an opportunity to act in faith. Right there and then I could choose to demonstrate my faith by taking the effort to put Him first and take time to study His words and seek to understand His will and what I should do in my life.

So, I chose faith and decided to tell Heavenly Father by my actions that I trust Him and believe in His promises and blessings. So....

Day Two: I got the toys and cartoons out once again, got the girls situated and happy, and went into my room again for another half hour of scripture study. It was a good scripture study too in which I felt the Spirit, felt more understanding of how to be the mom and wife and person I wanted to be. I was glad I could offer that small effort to Heavenly Father to show Him I cared about Him and loved Him. And I was excited to see how the rest of the day ended up.

Well the day was far from perfect. Things were still frustrating and plans still fell apart. The toddler still threw tantrums and the baby was still fussy....maybe even more fussy than before, but.....then it happened.

There was a moment in the day when I was at a point of breaking. It was after a string of resistance and struggle and time outs with the toddler and I could feel myself getting to the point of a melt down when suddenly I felt a small strength and power beyond my own that calmed me and enabled me to take a breath. Suddenly I had the perspective I needed in that moment and I sat down and quietly said told emyri that I needed a minute to think. After a quiet second emyri and I sat down and had a good heart to heart talk in which I asked her for forgiveness for being so grumpy and she told me she was sorry for screaming and throwing a fit. I explained to her how hard it is sometimes to be a mommy. She probably didn't understand much, but there was a completely different spirit in the room. One I know she felt and one I was so thankful for.

I can recall three other times throughout the day when I felt strengthened and received help beyond my own ability to be the mom I wanted to be rather than the mom I was being. More patience while trying to calm the fussy baby, more strength and endurance for the task of cleaning, cooking, and laundry that felt so completely overwhelming moments before, more wisdom of how to handle and understand emyri's emotions and be able to see what she needed in the moment, etc.

I just wanted to share this simple little story, because it's the little tender mercies or experiences like this that let me know Heavenly Father is right there in my life, that He knows me perfectly, knows what I'm struggling with, and knows how to help.

I also share this story because I want you to know that Heavenly Father blesses us when we make the effort to bring Him into our lives and when we make the effort to come to know Him more. I also know that as we really study the scriptures, not just quickly read over the pages, but when we really study them and ponder them and pray for understanding of them that we truly can come to know our Heavenly Father and Savior in a way that makes a difference in our lives. I'm so grateful for the scriptures and the power I receive from them. It's not always an immediate blessing, it doesn't always make my day perfect, but I know it makes a difference.

HaLlOwEeN!!!

I know I'm posting like crazy right now....but I just wanted to share these pics from our fun halloween party. We definitely partied it up this halloween with about a total of 5 halloween parties between the lot of us: ) Let's just say it was a SUPER fun halloween! : )

All the couples: )

The entire Justice Confederation in one rad apartment turned cave (aka Mt. Super)...

-plus a tiny baby super hero named brinley who cried for 45 minutes straight when left with the baby sitter so we ran home and got her. Sorry again Chels: ) Brin just knew she didn't want to miss out on all the fun: )

The awesome cake Kristen made....

It was tons of fun!

Today I Am Thankful For.....

-a phone call from a good friend (good for the soul: )

-The awesome Browns bringing over their razzle berry pie to share.

-headphones

-recipes from mom ( thanks again mom)

-time to play volleyball together outside with a bouncy plastic super hero ball.

-the way Brinley poked her head around the corner to look at me then came panting like a little puupy when I called her: )

-and these little conversations sprinkled throughout the day...

Me: "Emyri, do you know how much I love you?"

Emyri: "Ummm....like a thousand?"

Me: "Like a thousand times infinity!"

Dada:"Emyri, how much do you love daddy?"

Emyri:"Ummm....like five....no four!"

Today while driving in town Chad said to Emyri: "Look at the Grandpa." and when Emyri saw him she said, "No, i think he's a skeleton."

Then while in the store this cute little old man in a wheel chair stopped to talk to brinley. He said something like, "Hey little cutie!" We talked briefly and upon leaving his side, Emyri giggled and said very loudly, "He talks like a duck!" Oh brother!

And just now I heard Emyri talking to Chad while he's laying by her in bed...

Emyri: "Dad, I don't love mama."

Dad chuckling: "Yes you do."

Emyri: "I don't love her because I just love you." : )

Today I am Thankful For....

-a much better day than yesterday: )

-a body that can run.

-that the fire I started in our microwave wasn't any bigger.....my bad. Twisty ties, microwave, burning plastic frozen fruit bag.....not good. At least I was able to blow it out: )

-shaycarl and his funny little family and all their hilariousness (new find...kinda fun...check it out)

-infant tylenol

-cold cereal

-this picture taken with my heart of my two little girls and their daddy bundled up and playing outside our back door.

-bedtime

Emyri's Thankful Fors...

-a daddy who teaches her how to play soccer and cast her princess fishing pole.

-her uncle dylan (she talked to him on the phone tonight)

-being able to talk to Grandma Nette

-the cookies mommy brought home for her

-sleep overs (this consists of us putting blankets on her floor by her bed and laying by her ALL NIGHT! She loves it and gets very excited for sleep overs: )

-playing outside

Brinley's Thankful Fors...

-infant tylenol : )

-her favorite little piglet toy (she kept carrying it around with her all morning: )

-playing outside too

-being held in mommy and daddy's arms

-oatmeal (finally! she likes baby food: )