Spring has sprung

I love this time of year!  It starts to warm up outside, you see more of the sun, the world starts to come back to life... although, in this sunny state things don't really do a whole lot of dying.  I love that I get to plant my garden super early, although I got kind of a late start this year.  The past two weekends have been spent planting seeds and getting our garden all ready again.

Jared got mad at the tomato cage because it wasn't going into the dirt right, haha

So this is our little garden!  Jared built the trellis for me and I painted it white :)

 Our seeds are already sprouting!  Here's our carrots, zuccini, and green beans.

We also planted roma/beefsteak tomatoes, red/green peppers, jalepenos, peas, cucumber, white/red onions, and corn.

When my parents were visiting they were super awesome and helped dig out a bunch of grass to make this little garden area. :)  We have our berry plants to the left and we planted corn and green beans on the right.

 Yum! Blueberries :)

 Raspberries! :)

 Our raspberries are starting to spread!!! :)

We also have a blackberry bush and purple grapes that are on a pretty arbor that Jared built for me... I just neglected to take pictures of those.

 This is my buckets of herbs.  So far I've planted Cilantro, Lavender and Chives.  I still need to plant Rosemary, Basil and Parsley.  I flattened and stamped this old fork for a little decoration for my pot.  I messed it up a little but really like how it looks.  I want to make more!

 I planted Strawberries in the front and I can't wait until they come in!  I'm almost out of my strawberry jam!

 Jared had to take some breaks from the hard work.

I'm so excited that our garden is finally all planted! :)  And I can't wait until I start getting some fruits and veggies.



Sushi, Disneyland and the Beach

So my parents and youngest sister Alyssa just came out to Cali this past week. :)  It's my brothers and sisters spring break and Rachael went to Italy and Brandon went to Florida, so Alyssa got treated to ME.  They came in super duper late on Friday night and what's the first thing we did?  We hit up In N Out.

Saturday we mostly relaxed and hung out and then my parents took us out for sushi.  Mmmmmmmmmmm.  It's been too long since I had sushi.  I wish Jared liked it! 

So THEN my dad bought me some new fishies for my fish tank.  We have a 75 gallon fish tank that has been sitting empty for like 2 months.  Jared wanted to get rid of it, but it still has water in it so too bad for him!  We got a blue fish and named him Nicodemus, an Orange fish that we named Orange Fish, and orange fish that we named Nemo, a tiny little fish we named Buddy, and a white fish that has a black spot that we named Spot.  Nicodemus and Buddy died within a few days so we got another blue one and named him Sparticus and a black fish that we named Toothless.  We also bought 4 ghost shrimp, they are freaking awesome because they are transparent so you can see all the food they eat. :)  I love our new fish and even Jared likes them.

On Sunday and Monday we went to DISNEYLAND!!!  It rained all day on Sunday, but we had ponchos so it was still super fun.  Monday it rained a tiny bit in the morning and then cleared up for the rest of the day.  It was so much fun to hang out with my 13 year old sister at the happiest place in the world.  Everybody was tired around 9:00 so they all went back to the hotel and Alyssa and I stayed until the park closed. 

Tuesday we went to Huntington Beach and had lunch at Ruby's at the end of the pier.

My sister is so dang cute!  It was so much fun having my parents and her here.  They left on Wednesday and I was sad to see them go... but I get to see them again in just a few days for Kristin's wedding! :)

Oh yeah, I got my dad and Alyssa hooked to Jalapeno cheetos while they were here, haha YUM!!!

And Alyssa may as well have had an IV pumping red bull in her she drank so much.

Day 30: My Favorite Song

Okay, I have different favorite songs for different things.

For Example:

Favorite song with Jared

More Than Words - Extreme

OR

I'd Rather Be With You - Joshua Radin

Favorite song for Jason and Kristin

Eternal Flame - The Bangles

OR 

Walk Like An Egyption - The Bangles

OR

Rock this town - Stray Cats

OR

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot - Buster Poindexter

Favorite song when I was a kid

Bad Medicine - Bon Jovi

I don't have an all out bottom line all time favorite song.  There's just too much good stuff out there!

Day 29: What I've learned this past month

I have learned that I am worth something. 

I am a unique individual even though I sometimes think that means I'm weird. 

I am a good wife and friend, sister and daughter.

I am still just a kid at heart, even though I have to act like a grown up most of the time.

I have come to realize that I am more and more like my mother every day... and I'm proud of that.

And I've learned that there are never enough hours in the day to accomplish everything I want, but I do the best I can.

I've come to love me for who I am and not for who I want to be.

Day 28: A year ago & now.. how I've changed

This is me a year ago.

Since this picture I have...

lost weight

gained more self confidence

changed jobs

changed wards

become the YW Pres.

remembered how to act like a kid

discovered my love for crafting

AND I've

Strengthened my relationship with

my awesome husband

my siblings

my parents on both sides

and my Heavenly Father

I have come to realize what things in life really matter and I think that has made me be a better person.

What life?

This past month has by probably been the craziest, most busiest month of my life so far.  Between making 300 wedding announcements, my job, and being the YW Pres. I barely have any time for myself.  The wedding announcements are now mailed off, New Beginnings is mostly planned for, I still don't have a 2nd counselor, secretary or a room for the Young Women and last weekend was Youth Conference.  

We skipped it.  

Jared and I were finally like 

ENOUGH!!!  

We need a minute for us to do our own stuff!  

I had two baskets and a dryer full of clean clothes that needed folded and put away (and one basket that I thought was clean... only to find out that, no, I didn't wash those clothes yet), 

a kitchen that was a complete disaster, 

a kitchen table that was covered end to end with papers from everything that you could think of, 

shoes were everywhere... 

Leftover wedding announcement stuff.... 

I think you get the picture.  

Wait... I think I'm making it sound worse than it really was.

At least it didn't look like this.

We also needed to plant our garden and rip out a bunch of grass.  

So that's what we did.

We slept in on Saturday morning and it was glorious.  We went to Home Depot and bought a bunch of dirt, two pairs of gloves and a flat of marigolds to plant throughout our garden (they are a natural bug deterrent).  

When we came back I made a yummy breakfast of over easy egg sandwiches with cheese :) YUM!!! And then we went to work.  I planted 33 strawberry plants in the front while Jared ripped out grass.  

We helped the in-laws for awhile with their yard and I mowed a lawn for the first time in my life.  I'm allergic to grass so I took some allergy medicine before and wore goggles.  

I'll admit it, I looked pretty hot.  

Then we planted most of our garden, showered, went to Men's Warehouse and ordered Jared's tux for the wedding and I got some gold pumps to go with my dress.

 

It felt so good to get all of that stuff done!  

The house didn't get cleaned until last night and I still need to tackle the office, but I'm proud of us for all that we accomplished over the weekend.

We are awesome.

Day 27: Why i'm doing this challenge...

I am doing this blog challenge because I want to complete it.  I have this problem where I see something that I think would be super fun... I start it... and never finish.  I haven't done this blog challenge in exactly 30 days, but I WILL finish it, and that's what matters to me.

Day 26: What I think about my friends

I think that my friends are the BEST ever!!!!!  I don't live near most of them so that super sucks.  But there is a couple that Jared and I hang out with that are super duper fun and we really love their kids too. :)  All of my siblings I consider to be my best friends ever and I get to live with my bestest friend in the entire world.  So that's pretty cool.

One of my favorite things is to make new friends and I never take any of my friends for granted.

BUT, if I feel like one of my friends is using me I tend to drop them pretty quick.  I don't like and won't stand for that.  

If you're my friend it's because you want to be my friend.  

Period.

Day 25: What you will find in my bag

You will find my...

wallet

a gagillion receipts

calender book

address book

mini journal

mini lotion

mini hand sanitizer

lip gloss

my glasses

car keys

extra hairbands and bobbi pins

mints

gum

loose coins

mini calculator

chapstick

tissues

more chapstick (the kind Jared likes)

mini perfume

pen

highlighter

different lipgloss

concealer

tide to go pen

and FINALLY

you will occasionally find my make up bag 
(depending on how rushed my morning is) 
or a camera

Day 24: Last 5 facebook status'

Don't take life too seriously... we aren't getting out of it alive.

Note to self. Never volunteer to do someone's wedding announcements.

It's National Procrastination week! But I don't have time to procrastinate anything :( I'll have to celebrate next month.

It's so awkward when you can't tell if the person you are talking to is a man or woman.

LOVE How to Train Your Dragon

Day 23: Something I crave a lot

In N Out.

No kidding.

It is one of my most favorite places to eat.

They have THE best burgers,

and they're fries are so so delicious.

I love that they have a simple menu.

I love that they are inexpensive.

And I love they they use fresh ingredients.

I love In N Out.

I shouldn't have blogged about this so closely to lunch time because now I REALLY want to go and have this!

Day 22: What makes me different

How am I different?  

Well, I kind of live in my own little world.  

People that REALLY know me know that I'm just a five year old at heart.  

I love cartoons and animated movies.  

I just saw How To Train Your Dragon this weekend and it has to be one of the best I've seen lately. :) 

I don't try to keep up with all the fashion trends, I just wear what I like and what I think looks good on me.  

I really wish I was a better sewer and had a sewing machine because I totally want to make my own clothes... but I have a feeling it would be a tragic failure.

I care about my family and friends more than anything.
I want everyone to like me.  Over the past couple of years I've learned that this is impossible, but I still have a hard time accepting that.  I wish I didn't care but I do.

I have a garden and I love it.  

I feel so proud when I pull those carrots out of the ground or that ear of corn off the stalk knowing that I'm the one that helped them grow.  And they just taste so much better when you're the one that grew them. 

I love to craft things and make things look cute but I hate scrap booking.  I wish I loved it but I don't.  I decorated my entire house and love it when people comment on how nice it is.  
I have a piano that is over 100 years old.
One of my favorite things ever is when I meet someone that wants to be my friend.  I love all my friends and try not to take any of them for granted. 

I think that's good for now. :)

Day 21: Something that makes me happy

Riding sea doos in Lake Powell while staying on a houseboat.  This is definately something that makes me happy. :)

 

This was probably one of the most fun trips Jared and I have been on.  Hopefully we'll get to do it again!

Day 20: Someone I love

I absolutely with all of my heart love my best friend in the whole wide world whom I was lucky enough to marry.

  

"He's my Honeybunch, Sugarplum
Pumpy-umpy-umpkin, He's my Sweetie Pie

He's my Cuppycake, Gumdrop
Snoogums-Boogums, 

He's the Apple of my Eye"

I'm so lucky to be married to someone who doesn't always take life so seriously.  Jared is really just a big kid.  He loves to play and have a good time.  He's such a happy person and he is so generous and giving of all of his talents and time.  He's the hardest worker I know and takes pride in everything he does.  He almost always has a smile on his face and doesn't take anything in his life for granted.  I love everything about this man.  He is my best friend and I love that I am sealed to him for eternity.

Day 19: My Nicknames and how I got them

My name is Jessica so I have the obvious nicknames of 

Jess and Jessie.  

Only people that knew me as a child get to call me this.  

Growing up I was also called Pope and Popey.  

For a little while I was called shorty since I'm so short.

My dad has called me his princess and 'pumpkin butt'.

At my old job they called me Sunshine and Goldilocks because of my blonde hair and sunny personality (lol)

Jared calls me sweetie.

Weekend Getaway

Last weekend Jared and I really needed to get away from it all.  So we did.  We left Thursday night and headed off to Glamis for a blissful weekend of riding four-wheelers.  As we got farther and farther from home we could feel ourselves letting go of all the stress we had been carrying around with us for weeks.  That night we slept on an air mattress in the bed of his truck and it was the best nights sleep I've had in two weeks.  I think that's saying something.  Friday was a perfect day for riding and it was so much fun just being with each other.  Just the two of us in a big desert.  Well... there were other people of course but Glamis is so big that you don't really run into other people that much.

14 Diff. ways to save $ on groceries

I saw this article on yahoo and think that it is share-worthy.  

It has 14 different ways to save money on groceries.

1. Line the bottom of your refrigerator’s crisper drawer with paper towels. They’ll absorb the excess moisture that causes vegetables to rot.

2. To keep herbs tasting fresh for up to a month, store whole bunches, washed and sealed in plastic bags, in the freezer. When you need them, they’ll be easier to chop, and they’ll defrost the minute they hit a hot pan.

3. A bay leaf slipped into a container of flour, pasta, or rice will help repel bugs.

4. Stop cheese from drying out by spreading butter or margarine on the cut sides to seal in moisture. This is most effective with hard cheeses sealed in wax.

5. When radishes, celery, or carrots have lost their crunch, simply pop them in a bowl of iced water along with a slice of raw potato and watch the limp vegetables freshen up right before your eyes.

6. Avoid separating bananas until you plan to eat them – they spoil less quickly in a bunch.

7. Put rice in your saltshaker to stop the salt from hardening. The rice absorbs condensation that can cause clumps.

8. Stock up on butter when it’s on sale – you can store it in the freezer for up to six months. Pack the butter in an airtight container, so it doesn’t take on the flavor of whatever else you’re freezing.

9. In order to make cottage cheese or sour cream last longer, place the container upside down in the fridge. Inverting the tub creates a vacuum that inhibits the growth of bacteria that causes food to spoil.

10. Believe it or not, honey is the only nonperishable food substance, so don’t get rid of the stuff if it crystallizes or becomes cloudy. Microwave on medium heat, in 30-second increments, to make honey clear again.

11. Prevent extra cooked pasta from hardening by stashing it in a sealed plastic bag and refrigerating. When you’re ready to serve, throw the pasta in boiling water for a few seconds to heat and restore moisture.

12. Keeping brown sugar in the freezer will stop it from hardening. But if you already have hardened sugar on your shelf, soften it by sealing in a bag with a slice of bread – or by microwaving on high for 30 seconds.

13. If you only need a few drops of lemon juice, avoid cutting the lemon in half – it will dry out quickly. Instead, puncture the fruit with a metal skewer and squeeze out exactly what you require.

14. If you’re unsure of an egg’s freshness, see how it behaves in a cup of water: Fresh eggs sink; bad ones float.

Day 18: Plans, Dreams, and Goals of mine

It is no secret that one of my biggest plans, dreams AND goals is to be a mother.  I cannot WAIT for that experience.  :)  I feel like this is my purpose in life.  To bring little souls into this world to nurture and guide into being these wonderful people that will have such an impact on those around them.  I love seeing little newborn babies and I LOVE seeing pregnant women.  They have this glow about them that is absolutely stunning.  And their bellies are just so cute!  One day it will be my turn and I have a feeling that day is fast approaching.  I don't know if it will happen this year or next or five years from now.  But I am going to be a mother to some pretty amazing children.

A short term goal of mine is to lose this last bit of weight that is still clinging onto me.  I just purchased my bridesmaid dress for my sisters wedding and it is the same size that my wedding dress was.   I plan to lose 5 lbs. more before her wedding so I can look fabulous in it and then the last 10 will hopefully follow quickly after.  :)

A long term goal that I have is to get rid of all the debt that we have.  I plan to have everything paid off 18 months from now.  One and a half years.  The truck, the four wheeler, the credit card, the fridge.  All paid off.  It's going to happen.  And while I'm at it I think I'll bulk up my saving acct too.

MIA

Sorry I've been MIA for about a week.  I'm helping my sister with her wedding by doing her wedding announcements.  

All of them.  

By myself.  

There is a lot to the assembly process and I'm pulling my hair out b/c I still don't have her eng. pics.  AhhhH!!!  But I will get it done and then life will be normal again... I hope.