Valentine's Day

Lucy and I spent the day making pictures, decorating, and baking for Daddy. I didn't plan ahead for Valentine's Day and I also didn't have a car that day. Everything we did had to be what we already had lying around the house.

We painted Lucy's hands and tried to stamp them on paper to look like a heart. This was our lame attempt. The cupcakes we pink even on the inside!! We had the conversation hearts because grandma gave a box to Lucy that she wasn't really fond of.

We made Ben a card, used candles from Lucy's room, and a cross-stitched gift from our wedding that says "Two Hearts, One Love, Kelsey and Benjamin"

Lucy colored around this picture and glued sequins on. It was her first time using glue.

We had left-over Jello powder from a salad I made last summer. I thought they'd look cute in martini glasses. We also stuck several little hearts that said "I love you!" all over the house: on doorknobs, lamps, mirrors and his Jello cup.

 Lucy and I made pink ice cubes for dinner that night. We made poppyseed chicken to surprise daddy with but he surprised us with PIZZA!!! Even better.

We hung streamers around the house that were left over from my 2007 birthday that Ben celebrated with me. We also made a paper chain with all of the reasons why we love Daddy! And the cool thing about the paper chain is that I thought of it all myself and didn't steal the idea from Pinterest.

 Ben came home with a balloon for Lucy! She was so excited. He gave me a HUGE bag of conversation hearts (that are all gone already). He brought home pizza and flowers. And if you know Ben, flowers are a HUGE deal. He never buys flowers because he thinks they are a waste of money. Which, from a practical side, it's completely true. But it makes me happy so he did it. I was yelping and woo-hooing when he came through the door with these gorgeous flowers.

I love my flowers. And I love my husband.

Alumni Hockey Game

Ben had his alumni game yesterday in Provo. It makes me happy to see him doing something that he loves. It makes me sad that there isn't a rink close to us in Grantsville. Before the game started Lucy and Ben skated. It was her first time ice skating. She had mixed emotions about it but she was so cute in little skates. By the time she had finished she was able to walk around in the skates with little help.

 When the game started Lucy was so excited that "Daddy-io" was out on ice. She cheered and clapped. She kept looking for him in the tunnel and was thrilled when he walked by.

The actual game was really good. Ben made two goals, one of which was really far from the net and was amazing. He won his face-offs also. He's in such good shape and was one of the better players out there. The alumni team actually ended up beating the current team! Ben was number 20 in the white jersey.

I'm glad that Ben got to enjoy playing hockey again. The last time he played was last year at the alumni game. Maybe when our basement is finished and we get a family car we can budget to have him on the Salt Lake Men's League.

New Year's Resolutions

*Disclaimer: I didn't proofread this blog. Lucy woke up from her nap so I'll have to edit it later.

2011 was another good year. We made it to the temple every month. We reached our goal of saving up for and purchasing a home. Ben met his goal of exercising more by joining a softball team, doing ultimate Frisbee, and he went jogging with Lucy. He lost 15 pounds. I met my goal of reading more. I focused on the Top 100 Novels list that I found online. I read 24 books off of it (some on the list were part of a series), 1 self-help book, and for scripture study I read the Doctrine and Covenants. All of that reading really helped me with Jeopardy!

I wrote a book journal for all the books off of the Top 100 list that I read. It included the plot and whether I liked it or not. I copied the journal onto here (excluding the plot summary). I put stars next to the ones that were my absolute favorite.


*Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (January 2010)
Likes and dislikes: Loved this book! It was humorous to read all the little situations the boys would get themselves into and to read the way little boys think. It was adventurous and suspenseful. The author of the book wrote it for little kids but the writing is sophisticated enough for an adult. There is one curse word near the end of the book but it may have been a term they used in a different way back then. Worth the read.
1. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (January 2011)
Likes and dislikes: This story was good. However, it was a disappointment after reading Tom Sawyer. It wasn’t as adventurous or captivating. It took me a long time to read because it seemed too similar to Tom Sawyer. I don’t like book series because of that. For people who like series, it’s a good book. I don’t recall any swearing in this one.
2. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (February 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: I liked the story enough to read it once. It uses some profane language. The ending was a little unclear to me and I had to read it twice. It teaches about human dignity and how all men are created equal.
3. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (February 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: This novel was all about adultery, and selfish people who just cared about money. Most of the people were dishonest and fake. The ending was an exciting twist but other than that it wasn’t very good. There was swearing and crude language throughout.
4. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis (February 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: It was okay. It was an easy read and its worth it to read at least once.
5. Siddartha by Hermann Hesse (February 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: Siddartha thinks way too hard about things. He tries to make everything an “ah-ha” moment. I really didn’t like the book in the section where he was living a carnal lifestyle. It was a little inappropriate. Once he gets past that it’s not horrible. He does share some insight that makes a little sense. It’s a quick read and only 150 pages. It’s probably not the greatest book for kids.
6. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (February 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: The book wasn’t worth reading. Most of it was swearing. It was crude and disrespectful. The ending didn’t even conclude any of the story. He never learned his lesson. There was one page worth reading. It was when he visited an old teacher who gave him advice. The advice was really profound but Holden didn’t even take it.
7. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (March 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: It was a quick read and very entertaining. It felt very familiar to me because of all of the religious references. I liked it more than the first book in the series.
8. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey (March 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: It curses and is crude at moments. For the most part it isn’t that bad of a read. It’s a little longer than I would like and the chapters are really long too.
9. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy (March 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: See below.
10. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (April 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: I do not like books that are part of a series. Even though all of these stories are very different from one another I am starting to get bored reading about the same characters and location. It’s a good read though and full of fantasy.
11. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (April 2011)
Likes and dislikes: I like the story a lot. However, it’s too long (616 pages). I do not like the last chapter. It leaves the reader hanging and it is a terrible chapter.
12. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (April 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: The ideas are too extreme and are creepy. There is a lot of sex and drugs. I did not even understand what happened in the end.
*13. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (May 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: I loved this story. It was a romance novel but very thrilling and suspenseful. It was full of twists and turns. There is not any cursing in it or inappropriate innuendos.
*14. Animal Farm by George Orwell (May 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: I liked it. It was very short, less than a hundred pages. It is a quick, easy read. It was very interesting and presented thought-provoking theories about the human race. I would read it again.
15. 1984 by George Orwell (June 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: I did not enjoy this book. I have read it twice so far and both times it was a struggle to get through. The ideas are outrageous and the topic does not interest me.
16. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (June 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: It is a good book. Easy read. Same as the other Narnia books.
*17. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (July 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: I LOVED this book. The writing was so powerful and elegant. I loved all of the characters. It was very adventurous, suspenseful, romantic, and action-packed. It was long, 511 pages, but it was totally worth it. Language was clean.
18. Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis (August 2011).
Likes and Dislikes: I actually liked this Narnia book more than I liked the others. It was a quick read and better plot.
19. Sense and Sensibility: Jane Austen (August 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: The book was written very well with beautiful language. It’s pretty difficult to understand at first with the different language and the many different characters. I had to reread online summaries in order to keep the characters straight. I liked the story.
20. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis (September 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: This had a slow start, okay middle, and slow ending. It was my least favorite of the Narnia books. Easy read.
*21. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (October 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: Loved the eloquent language and romantic story. Austen is becoming one of my favorite authors. The story is very complicated with several characters and social circles to keep straight but it’s a great read!
22. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (November 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: It was a short book and a quick read. The story was good. There were a lot of swear words and a few sexual innuendos. It’s for a more mature audience.
23. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (November 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: I understood the story okay. It was kind of boring. It’s a short read, only 72 pages. The story itself wasn’t very good but I know that it is supposed to be one big metaphor for something. I never did get what the metaphor was supposed to be.
24. Emma by Jane Austen (December 2011)
Likes and Dislikes: It is very long. It has a good plot but it seemed to be slow. I would read again.



2012 Goals
This year I set A LOT of goals but I am confident that it is possible.

1. We want to save up for a family car.
2. We want to be more fit and toned so that means I have to exercise (Boo!). But I have been doing okay so far. I've been working out to Jillian Micheals videos. I quit because it was too hard (haha) and then started up again yesterday.
3.We want to put in our front lawn and build our utilities room. We are going to try to finish the utility room this Winter.
4. We want to go on more dates, at least once a month. We scheduled out our dates for the year and figured out how much those dates would cost so we can put the money aside. I learned from a fellow Grantsville-an that babysitting is only $2/hour per kid. Not too shabby. I'm sure we can afford that.
5. I want to completely stop complaining/criticizing. This one's a toughy. I'm pretty good at keeping my glass half empty. I've been reading talks on the topic, listening to devotionals and praying every night to stay positive.
6. I want to continue to read like I did last year and continue going to the temple every month. I'm currently reading Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Christmas 2011

The week before Christmas Lucy got Croup. She was fine when she went to bed but she woke up sounding like a barking seal. I thought it was Croup, but when I called the nurse she said that it was probably nothing and we should wait. Lucy then got a fever a little over 101 and so I took her in to the doctor. The receptionist said it was probably nothing so we left without seeing the doctor. On the way home, Ben and I both felt like we should turn around and go back. We did and found out Lucy had Croup and would have to be under house arrest for the next five days. I wish I had listened to my instincts the first time I had them. She loved the medicine that the doctor said she would loath. She cried when there was no more “num nums,” as she called it. Thankfully she was fully recovered by the time Christmas came around.

We got to spend the end of the year with my sister and her family and my parents. I love when my sister comes. I wish we lived closer than we do. We ate a lot of yummy food and opened lots of presents. Christmas morning and afternoon was just us. It was so relaxing to wake up when we wanted, eat what/when we wanted, go to church, and then come home and open presents as we pleased. Lucy even got in a nap before my family came.

Grandma and Grandpa Shugart Come to Visit!

Ben's parents came down last weekend for a short visit. They arrived on Thursday afternoon. We had three full days with them. We did a lot of shopping that they do not have access to in Canada: Joann's, Cabela's, Distribution Center, Seagull Book, etc. They finished their Christmas shopping and spent one afternoon wrapping presents and mailing them to their proper destinations. They went on a tour of Ben's work and got to see what he does everyday.


My favorite activity was going to Cabela's. It is the greatest store ever! Ben got a new semi-auto shotgun for bird hunting in Saskatchewan.

While he was looking at guns, Lucy, Ronna and I walked around the store. We saw the aquarium. Lucy fed the fish.

We looked at all of the dead animal displays. There was a waterfall in the store!

 We pressed a penny for keepsakes. Then we ate lunch at the restaurant inside the store. It was very reasonably priced and delicious. The trip to Cabela's was, by far, my favorite thing we did while they were here.

We spent all of our extra time playing board games. We love playing board games and it's fun when we can play games with more than two people. Chuck and Ronna were so good with Lucy. Lucy loved them, gave them kisses, and talked a lot to them. It was great that they got to know her a little better in her normal environment. We had such a good visit with them. They are always so generous and kind to us. I cannot think of more selfless people than Grandma and Grandpa.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I love Thanksgiving because it is such a great time to reflect on all of our blessings, especially the wonderful blessing of families. I am so grateful for my family. I think about what an amazing husband I have and wonder how I ever got so lucky. I tell him all the time that I must have tricked him into marrying me. ;) He has so much patience and loves me for who I am. I am also grateful for my beautiful daughter. I remember how I sincerely wanted to be a mother and how dreadful it was that I didn't have her as soon as I wanted. I'll never forget the feeling of holding her in my arms for the first time. I was mesmorized by her. She is truly my little miracle. And I love her with all of my heart.

This Thanksgiving was great. It was relaxing to not have to travel and to spend the day at home. My mom and dad came over. We cooked, watched football, looked at Black Friday ads, played board games and then ate yummy food. My mom bought us ornaments that I am so excited to hang up tomorrow. We celebrated my birthday with brownies, ice cream, and pie. I got a lovely purse and lovely sweater. By 7:30 tonight my parents left and both Ben and Lucy crashed immediately. What a great day!

 

Fall Festivities and We Moved!

Halloween this year was a little chaotic with the move. We weren't able to enjoy the ward Trunk or Treat or go Trick or Treating on Halloween but we still managed to enjoy the holiday with a few festivities. Lucy was a monkey this year. She's very wiggly and by the third picture she was done. Plus I am not a good photographer. But here's our little monkey!...

We had a mutual activity with a massive pumpkin so we sat Lucy on it to admire how cute she is.

 We also went to the Pumpkin Walk at Benson Gristmill. We were not sure what to expect but Lucy got to play in some hay which is always fun. Once again, I'm a bad photographer.

I have a group of amazing friends that get together every month to play Bunco. For Halloween we decided to dress up. I was Raggedy Ann....again. Plus I totally stole these pictures from Tatiana's blog so it's probably a repeat for some of you. :)

The actual move was Halloween day. It went very smoothly mainly because we dumped Lucy on three different neighbors during the process. We had a lot of help from people at church and work to load the truck and trailer that we borrowed. Our townhome was a little crowded with boxes the week of the move.

We settled into our home as much as possible and then the next weekend Ben went to Wisconsin for a week long training for work. Lucy and I missed him very much. But he got to see Lake Michigan. Woot! And he got to work on some big machine that he was excited about. In one video he showed me of the machining, I could hear guys in the background laughing out of excitement and saying how awesome it was. I tried to look excited while watching it but I failed...must be a guy thing. Or engineer thing.

There are no decorations in our home yet and probably won't be for a while. But we feel so blessed to live here. We love it. We've saved EVERY penny over the last four years and now we've spoiled ourselves with the home of our dreams. And as a request I have an updated video of our home. Feel free to skip over it if you wish. It's kind of long.