General Conference

I just think its so cool how conference can be viewed all over the world on TV, internet, radio, satelite, etc. Its just awesome! I thought this conference was great and really enjoyed the messages on not being envious/judgmental, teaching kids so they understand, all the parenting tips, and of course Elder Ballards awesome talk on the family! It pretty much summed up the family studies major. I'm excited to listen to it again on my ipod and to get it in the ensign!

Whats the cost of media?

So I was talking with a friend and she was teling me how this movie she watched was 'sooo goood'. I know the gist of what the movie is about and know it has a lot of violence and other content in it. It just made me wonder, what is 'good' media? What is the cost we pay for being entertained? Why is watching/listening to media that does not agree with our standards become so appealing when its for the sake of being entertained? Is what I am watching worth the effects? If you ask yourself that, is standing up for it worth the cost of offending someone? Possibly offending your family? Whats the balance and how do you not offend? Just some food for thought!

LDS Philanthropies

So for our Relief Society meeting tonight, they had a guy come from LDS Philanthropies to talk to us about the humanitarian aid the church gives. Known as 'LDS Charities' around the world, it gives 100% of all its proceeds to humanitarian aid. I just think this is awesome!
He said that $9 pays for someone to have drinking water, like $86 paid for a wheelchair, and then a bunch of other stuff in between those ranges.
The church has really helped out a lot throughout the world and it just makes me grateful to be a member!!!
Here is a link to their website if you want to learn more about what they've done, how to help, and to just have another awesome reason for being LDS!!!!

http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/

Thebump.com

Just so y'all know... according to 'thebump.com' my baby is the size of a banana! Each week I say I'm going to make some recipe w/ the fruit in it that the website says the baby is the size of. My hubby says it sounds cannibalistic...regardless, some banana bread sounds great!

Here is the link to it:

http://pregnant.thebump.com/pregnancy-week-by-week/21-weeks-pregnant.aspx

Mexican Advertisements

My hubby and I took a little trip together this week down to Mexico. I was really surprised when we got down there at the types of ads! Most of them were blonde hair blue eyed models. I just thought this was funny since no one down there naturally has those features. They also had ads that said 'almost free beer...$7.99' and 'buy a beer, get a free tequila'...no wonder this is a hot spot for spring break! It was super fun being there though!

Photography

So I graduated from the Washington D.C. School of Photography last June and have been doing photography for about 4 years now. What I find interesting about it is that a big portion of actually selling my business is not as much about how well my pictures are, but of how well I know how to market my photography online. I haven't been focused on marketing since I've been in school but I'm excited to get back into it after I'm done with school. Anywho, photography is still fun and I love it!

Am I really listening to the lyrics?

So for our study in class we are seeing how music today impacts romantic relationships. We have been listening to a lot of songs and coding them and it has made me be a lot more aware of what the words actually say and more importantly what messages they are sending. A lot of songs that I have liked because of the fun/happy beat are actually pretty horrible. I'm sure you can think of a few off your head, but it has just made me be a lot more aware of what I am actually listening to. I think especially since I know my lil baby girl can hear now in my belly, I am more cautious of it. Obviously, I don't know how much she actually comprehends right now in that sense, but I still think the principle of monitoring music is important for me to be aware of. What has been even more shocking is the music videos! Yikes...one of them was pretty much a rape scene but it is a really popular song that is on the radio all the time. Anywho...just some food for though...listen more intently to the lyrics and think about the pro or anti-family messages they are sending!!

Babies R Us Registry

So Steele and I went to register at Babies R Us on Friday night. He got pretty overwhelmed with all the prices and had to sit down and rock himself in the rockers toward the end, haha. The next day, he went onto Craigslist.com and found pretty much all of the big things (cribs, strollers, etc.) that people were selling for like at least 1/2 the price! I myself don't really care if someones baby was in the crib for a year. So..moral of the story...before you buy the big items on any registry, check if people have it on craigslist!

We are having a baby girl!

So I am pretty excited because we are having a baby girl! We are going to name her Sage McKinsee. I really love Sister Dalton's talk even more so now because it talks all about having baby girls, here is the link:

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/love-her-mother?lang=eng&format=general-conference&view=sessions&media=video

According the thebump.com, she is the size of a mango! Pretty exciting! Thebump.com sends us weekly updates about what is going on with her development and normal things for pregnant woman to be feeling. Its right on the ball for me, backaches, leg cramps, headaches, woohoo!! It is so worth it though, can't wait!

The Pioneer Woman

This lady is my favorite in regards to cooking blogs. She also does homeschooling, photography, home/garden, and a few other things. Heres a few reasons why I love her

1. She used to be a city girl but turned country when she met 'the marlbro man' (this is my proof that being from the south is good for the soul)

2. Everything she cooks is phenomenal. Does that word even breech how good it all is??

3. My husband has loved me more since I started making her recipes

4. She has pictures for every step, making something daunting look easy to cook

5. 1-4 should be enough....

So...my challenge to all of you is to check out her website then post on my blog and tell me which recipe you plan on making after seeing her array of yumminess. I myself have made a few of her recipes, including:

Sausage, potato, kale soup (like Olive Garden's Zuppa Tuscano)
Barbeque Chicken
French Silk Pie (looks intense but its Steele's favorite and he has me make it for his birthday)
Brisket

and more....

I am tempted to be like the gal in Julia & Julia with the pioneer woman. See for yourself!

Awesome Site for 72 Hour Kit

Hey gang, my cute hubby (who I talk about on almost every post, you would understand why if you met him...he is just great) sent me a link to this awesome site for emergency preparedness. Maybe this would be a good FHE for you to do or a good link to send to your family/friends. Its pretty simple and user friendly. Here is the link:

http://72hours.org/

Pinterest Pinnings: Which Hairstyle to Pick??

I guess the most drastic haircuts happen when you are pregnant...well I've become a victim then. I am ready to go chop chop to these locks! I've had the same hairstyle since I was in 7th grade, same hair stylist, she came to my wedding and everything. I think I'm going to cut my hair based off of some hairstyles I saw on pinterest (thats my connection to media). Which of these hairstyles do you like best? My mom told me she would give me $1000 to not cut it, which I want in writing, but until that actually happens I think I'm going forward with this! Let me know which you think would look good!!

Downton Abbey

My mother in law told us about this show on BBC called 'Downton Abbey'. I already posted how I have a hard time staying awake during movies but this one kept me up till like 1am!! Thats huge for me, which I know probably sounds pretty lame. But regardless, this is a fun British series. Its basically the life of the servants and owners of this manor/abbey. I was highly entertained. Shout out!

Queen in Exile

So my favorite book currently is 'Queen in Exile'. Its written by Donna Hatch. My family and I really just love romance novels. Not the smutty ones. We read like Marcia Lynn McClure and other Christian novelists. Anywho, this book is awesome, go read it!

Why I can't watch 6 hour movies...

Our family came over last night for movie night and we decided to watch Pride and Prejudice....the 6 hour one. I can hardly stay awake for a regular movie better yet a 6 hour one. Opening credits is about my limit typically. Steele will be laughing at a movie and looks over and I'm just conked out. Anyways, great movie I'm sure, I will just need to take 30 minute increments over the next few months to actually finish it. Kudoes to those of you who can stay up though!

Serve All Year

Shout out for my hubby, he is starting this really neat project. Its called 'serve all year' and basically is a way to keep the Christmas spirit going throughout the year. People who want to do it are assigned a month and to do some sort of service project and then post it on the blog. He has more information on the blog but I'm proud of him!

Here is the link, check it out!

serveallyear.blogspot.com

Class Comment Correction

So I was talking to my hubby about our discussion on Monday about the messages on alcohol/cigarette labels. I know I said that I think government should stay out of businesses but I don't agree with what I said after thinking about it more. I think that government should regulate for the safety of the people and I think putting the regulatory/warning messages on the labels is a good way for government to help. So therefore...scratch what I said...balance in government control is good!

Courageous...New Top Ten Favorite

My family called me and told me that we had to rent this DVD from redbox called 'Courageous'. Steele and I rented it this last week and loved it!!! It was so good and wholesome! Its about these cops and basically how they stand for whats right, try to be better dad's and husbands, and protect their community. The cover says "honor begins at home" which I just love. We definitely are going to be owning it, if you haven't seen it...go see it now...get off the computer, get in your car, and find the nearest redbox. Wow.

CommonSense.org

So I think Dr. Coyne sent the email out about the website commonsense.org. I just have to say that I love it! It gives great descriptions about all types of media and has been really helpful. I think this will be great while Steele and I are building up our movie/book collection so we know upfront what material is in it and then can choose if we even want it. A lot of movies I used to like I am realizing have stuff in it that I didn't quite catch and now I do, so this is a great resource. Yay, thanks Dr. Coyne!

Babysitting Blunder

So I've been a babysitter for quite sometime now. I think I started when I was 12, that should give somewhat credibility in being able to come up with something to do with the kids right? At one point in time I actually had kids requesting I come over just so I could tell them bedtime stories about 'Princess Lily' in Candyland. Well, I'm sad to say this, but I have realized that I am no longer the fun babysitter....I have been replaced by the media. I have suggested playing games, drawing, and pretty much turning off anything that had an on/off button! However, I found that the majority of my time babysitting more recently has been entrenched in the media. Maybe I am just old school but I feel like I didn't do that as much when I was growing up. I ran outside and made 'potions' from the dirt/weeds/whatever, made forts, played street hockey/tag/basketball, went to the park, made jewelry, did crafts, played games, and just did a lot more that was not so media saturated. I think I turned out ok...I'll let you be the judge of that. I'm just really surprised that its hard to think of a way to have fun together without it involving the tv, videogames, ipods, etc. Granted, sometimes the weather is bad like it has been lately, it was but I still think there are ways to have time better spent. Any suggestions for next time or thoughts of how I can balance keeping up with 'modern' kids interests while not being glued to a screen?

South Carolina Republican Debate

So my husband and I have been married for 2 years. For the first year and a half, we lived about ten minutes outside of Washington D.C. and really got a taste of the D.C. political culture. A lot of people in our ward worked in the pentagon, were government workers, etc. One of the ladies in my ward offered me a job to work with her as a campaign fundraiser. Basically we worked on different congressional, senatorial, and presidential campaigns, and the NGA and raised money for them. A lot of times I would be on the phone with something and they would ask me my thoughts on a recent political news something or other and I had NO idea about who the politician was or what the issue was. Needless to say, I started getting involved with CNN, Fox, etc. to be caught up on the political news. I just stopped doing the fundraising last month to do school full time, but my hubby and I still try to keep up with the political arena. Therefore, many of our date nights the past few months has been watching the republican debates together. We watched it last night (he is in Oregon so we just texted our thoughts back and forth) and it was pretty interesting. I myself am pro-Romney, but I thought it was a good debate for Santorum as well last night. I also liked some aspects of what Ron Paul talked about with the budget cuts with military defense. Anywho, I know that politics can be a touchy subject and I've learned from experience that it is a topic to never bring up over Christmas dinner, but I feel like I'm filling my civic duty by watching the debates. Its one of those 'bonding' things with Steele and I and I'm able to have more conversations with my parents and grandparents and kind of link the generation gap more by being updated on what is going on. I don't think I would have gotten into it if we hadn't gone to DC but I think its good to stay involved. I'm not going to get into a political debate via blogging...soo...thats a wrap!

The New 'For the Strength of the Youth' Pamphlet

Hi guys....so my hubby and I are Sunday School teachers in our ward for the 12-13 year olds. In December we saw that we had covered all the lessons and had an extra day to do whatever pretty much (not that it said to do 'whatever' in the lesson manual, haha). So...we found out on the youth.lds.org website that there is a NEW For the Strength of the Youth pamphlet! And guess what...it is AWESOME! We went through the new parts of it with them. Here is the link to it:

https://lds.org/youth/for-the-strength-of-youth?lang=eng

Here are some things that I saw that stuck out to me as pretty awesome:

-Always be kind and respectful when you ask for a date or when you accept or decline one. While on a date, be courteous as you listen to others and express your own feelings.

-As you enter your adult years, make dating and marriage a high priority

-The whole section on media/entertainment (very pertinent to our class if I do say so myself): https://lds.org/youth/for-the-strength-of-youth/entertainment-and-media?lang=eng

-Seek to be a peacemaker rather than to tease, fight, and quarrel.

-Do not participate in any form of bullying. Make a special effort to be a friend to those who are shy or lonely, have special needs, or do not feel included. (This has Dr. Coyne's lectures from last semester written all over it)

-Speak kindly and positively about others. Choose not to insult others or put them down, even in joking. Avoid gossip of any kind, and avoid speaking in anger. When you are tempted to say harsh or hurtful things, leave them unsaid.

-Keep your music at a reasonable volume, and remove your earphones when others are talking to you or want you to be part of their activities

-Attend only those dances where dress, grooming, lighting, lyrics, music, and entertainment contribute to a wholesome atmosphere where the Spirit may be present. (whoa...that definitely would have ruled out my high school prom/homecoming)

-Disappointment and occasional sadness are part of this mortal life. However, if you have prolonged feelings of sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, or depression, talk with your parents and your bishop and seek help.

-Avoid situations that invite increased temptation, such as late-night or overnight activities away from home or activities where there is a lack of adult supervision.

-Victims of sexual abuse are not guilty of sin and do not need to repent

There is a lot more that they added to it that approach topics like eating disorders, gambling, pornography, bullying, and a bunch of other stuff. It is really awesome. Which of these stand out to you or what are other things you picked up on when you looked at it?


Yay for Latter-day prophets!!!!!!!

Puss in Boots

So for date night, Steele and I went to go see Puss in Boots at the dollar movie. I was super excited, thought it'd be another great pixar, heard a lot of good things about it, etc. However....I was pretty disappointed! The reason being...all the sexual innuendoes. The beginning scene is him (Puss) waking up and putting his clothes back on and leaving this girl cat in the room then riding off. Then the last scene said something like 'and I'm good with women, really good, with a lot of women'. Afterward I looked in the theater and it was packed with kids. This frustrated me because this is supposed to be a kids movie but its highlighting, encouraging, and promoting sexual promiscuity. Urg. The cat he has a fling with in the movie doesn't even get together with him, he just concludes it by saying he's good with a lot of women. What message is that sending?? I read Dr. Linder's blog post about the rating system and how it is more and more lax about content and I completely agree. This frustrates me because I can't trust a kids movie and will need to be like extra cautious with my kids, make sure I see the movies they watch, explain the innuendoes in the gospel perspective, and just pray for some of the film media majors at BYU to go make some wholesome movies! Won't be owning that movie unfortunately. Anyways...I'm off my soap box for now...expect more to come!

Why I love GROUPON!

Ok so my hubby and I are still newlyweds right? We just had our 2 year anniversary and so I still consider us newlyweds. Anywho...we have been on a pretty tight budget, especially when we lived in DC and everything was so expensive. Well, Steele (my husband), isn't one for shopping...like at all. However...through the wonderful, amazing, and brilliant emails from Groupon, he has given in to his shopping side. He's gotten restaurant coupons, pedi/manis, random activities, and pretty much a bunch of stuff that we would NEVER buy! However...the ads work well with him and thus the $20 for $50 worth of Old Navy or whatever else it has been has made me a bit more spoiled, you could say, than before. Would he buy $20 worth of shirts at Old Navy if we walked in...heavens no...but if we got a Groupon for it, bring it on! All hail Groupon!!!