getting into the Spirit - Easter style...

found this little gem and it me me smile {slash} tear.

i had almost forgotten why this fun holiday exists.

then i was making this {not so} little print at my mother's request and it took on new life.

i love having a way to create really cheap decor to put up in my little temporary home.

and i love when it is bright and sunshiny too.

downloadable 16x20 print

i HEART conference

watching conference was inspiring {as always}

but when cc came home from priesthood meeting 

with a great quote from pres. monson's talk, 

i just wanted to make something. 

get it out of my system, if you will.

"choose your love, 

love your choice."

i listened to his great talk and notice's that a handful of others talked about love too.

it is fun when a different phase of life causes you to hear new things...

we heard a lot about marriage and love, but a lot about being parents.

it made for a happy day at the clifford house.

you can listen to all of the talks here.

so, in honor of my future bedroom redo,

and a current trend that i happen to enjoy,

gray + yellow subway art for our love room.

and i love it.

hurry future,

we need a house!

TLC's extreme couponing - WTF? {why the flack?}

image from TLC

so i am sure if you saw the ad for this show you were as intrigued as the rest of us: "how the heck do these families save over 90 percent of their grocery bill every time!"

we watched the show {that premiered last night}, and we were very impressed.  yes, some of these ladies have taken this skill to an extreme {thus the name of the show} but they have basically made a job for themselves.  and they have figured out how to beat the system and save money- who doesn't love doing that? while we watched, we looked up various coupon sites and tried to figure out how they do it and where they get all of the coupons!!

one of the women featured, also has a website called the Krazy Coupon Lady {KCL}. and she teaches beginners how to become a KCL by going to the right sites, doubling up, getting extra sunday papers...etc. sounds like a decent plan. if you can make the time to do it. and quite frankly, if you have no other way to make an extra income for your family.

while i was surfing, i kept reading all of these nasty articles about the show, and how some are saying that these women are greedy, selfish, or "spending too much money to save money..."

to that i say, "why the flack?" these women have found something that they are good at. yes, it feeds into our need to watch crazy extreme behaviors on tv nowadays {i.e. strange addictions, intervention, hoarding...etc} but they are moms that simply found a way to help out and yes, now they are extreme about it. some possibly even OCD.

a lot of them are LDS women that most likely started collecting their year-supply of extra goods and created a stock-pile and when they realized what it could save and how it would help the family financially- they went for it!  that is called, using your talents for good! so again, why the flack?!!

most women that stay-at-home now have a way to bring an extra income. women are starting more home-based business and make up more of the business owners than men do now.  you probably took up photography, or you sell your talented craftiness on etsy, either way, you have found something you enjoy doing that also brings in more income. 

they say that is the key to happiness- find a way to make money doing what you enjoy! so lets say that this is a full-time job for the KCLs and leave it at that- it is fun to watch and we can take a page out of their book without getting all mean and antsy.

but check out her site for the best coupon-clipping sites. 
i think i will be getting into it {though on a much lower end of the spectrum....}

who said mormons don't know how to party!

this may be the most fun thing i have seen in a while.

i can get lost watching TLC shows about weddings and think of all the things people can do to make weddings rock, but i love love that this wedding, which is also a day-long partyfest of joy and color, 

is an adorable LDS couple, married in the Los Angeles temple!

and featured on Martha Stewart's site!

please please give your monday a smile and look through the pictures... 

it is brilliant, from the picnic to the bike brigade and all the way down to the toast and hand-made mini golf course...

fotos stolen graciously from a new fave: rachel thurston

brilliance never looked so lovely.

can i get married again please?

one of my favorite things on tv

along with being the first day of fall

(cause august still sounds too summery... 

AND it rained today!)

this weekend is for conference

8 hours of wisdom and goodness.

already, i have been given a swift kick in the spiritual pants

and i am excited for more.

"Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down. It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is accepting weaknesses and shortcomings. It is accepting people as they truly are. It is looking beyond physical appearances to attributes that will not dim through time. It is resisting the impulse to categorize others.

...In a hundred small ways, all of you wear the mantle of charity. Life is perfect for none of us. Rather than being judgmental and critical of each other, may we have the pure love of Christ for our fellow travelers in this journey through life. May we recognize that each one is doing her best to deal with the challenges which come her way, and may we strive to do our best to help out.

-President Monson 

(RS Broadcast Sept. 2010)

Thanks Tommy,

I needed that.

things that make me shimmy...

at the beginning of may, on a friday, i met with one of the peeps that i manage.
this kid has been dating a cute girl for a while....

as part of our one-on-one,
i asked about his thoughts on the topic of wife-having.
turns out he's for it.

so we set a goal to get him married this year,
which meant, engaged quite soon.

the following monday he told me he had a ring and a "blessing-giving" apppointment!
(ok, so we can deduct that the 1:1 was effective...)

turns out he wanted to propose on a beach in cali
near some relatives of mine.
he needed help, and i needed some vitamin D.

thanks, B-rendan,
for such a fun reminder of what it was like to be there
almost exactly 1 year ago...

and for letting me paparazzi a sec

after that adventure, i went straight to girl's camp.

now, i myself, like camping.
this here:

(though, i must say, a fantastic decor job)

NOT CAMPING!!

this is way too posh to be called camping.
lights in cabins and a full kitchen and showers?!!

so much fun to spend time with these cute chicks

and to spend some time with Niko (my camera)
in the great outdoors


miniature break from reality:

check.

"Step it up" conference/my mother-in-law is awesome dot com

perhaps you remember last year,
as i was getting to know my future mom-in-law...

she put on this mini-conference.

we giggled and talked about possible decor
because we weren't yet engaged, but getting there.

this year,
she outdid herself.

the decor was essentially my wedding
(plus the "foot fotos)

the program and classes and food were great too...

this food right here,
may or may not have been the demise of my diet endeavors last week...

good news: men will help with anything when food is involved...

kelly's classroom.
she taught about motivating children to learn.
that is a creative passionate teacher.

darlene + posse

what a day.
i felt inspired.

we could also talk about how that day jayme's car was broken into
and bombed/torched,
or how aunt linda got a lung (after waiting 2 years)...

the Big Guy who is ever watching,
yet again,
reminds me I am so blessed.

highlights

dear blog,
i wanted to repent for being neglectful....

here are some weekly highlights:


· had a meltdown because of my suspicious recent weight gain
and my inability to make it stop last week,
then listened to a talk on saturday morning that reminded me not to care.
and i cried:

"He loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God not because of our résumé but because we are His children. He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God’s love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked."
-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

· spent the night playing house and watchin the niece so another one could come.
i like playing mom.

· baby Chantelle Lorraine Moffat was born at 5:11 on 10.5.2009.
7 pounds, 9 ounces of adorable joy.


· yesterday i was listening to my talk radio podcasts on my phone,
cause i have culture,
and heard that obamanation won himself a nobel "piece"
for "capturing the world's attention" and "inspiring hope"
where is michael jackson's piece then?
ironically, i just lost hope in the nobel peace prize...
11 days? you gave the man 11 days to be in office
before nominating the man for changing the world?!
...don't get me started...

· my coworker who never does anything for anyone else,
helped a student at 5:05.... (after his shift!).
he declared, "today will go down in history!"
a breakthrough that makes me smile.

· after not feeling so awesome for the past few days,
and coming home a groggy hot mess everyday,
i got into the car after work yesterday,
rolled the windows down,
blasted some tunes,
and sang along.
smiling the whole way.
a surge of happiness for no reason except that God loves me.

· then we played with some cute friends
long overdue!
ate good food,
laughed a lot,
and went home with smiles on our faces.

today?

today i have 2 years of homework to do...
and i have about 100 blogs left to read...
and groceries to purchase....
and a gym i should visit...
a baby i need to play with...
and a husband to spend ample time with slash go make breakfast for like now...


so far, i'm O for 6.

happy easter

yesterday, as i hung up the phone with a student that was going through some tough times,
he thanked me for comforting him and then said,
"have a good weekend. happy resurrection sunday."

i shed a few in my cube.
the closer 42 days is, the more i am grateful that i know

He Lives!

{•Happy Easter•}

play by play from tonight's episode of BL

i doubt you will make it through all of this, but nevertheless:

biggest losers: ron and mike...

"i am probably the most straight upstanding guy,
but i will probably lie to you this whole game."
-Ron

ron, we hate you.
and yes, kristin, he is the most manipulative player we've ever seen....
and yes, my cousin Bryce is correct: that makes for intense television. i still hate him.

temptation:
whatever they open they have to eat and if they find it (the golden ticket),
they get the one and only vote for the week!

good. hope they get rid of ron. i am sick of hearing him speak.
WHAT?! Ron keeps getting gum and money?!!! i am ready to rip his head off!!!

--i am in love with my blue boys, and tara is at 4000 calories.
she could have just eaten a small child...

--trainers whip their trash for eating so much crap.

challenge:
--they are going to make these kids climb the rose bowl stadium?!!!
YES, ron is out for sure!

round two of challenge:
sione vs. tara?
always sione.

"and then i realized, i'm a deep-fried chicken wrapped in a burrito of love!"
-jake, mocking the self-absorbed tara

"he's the one who's controlling this damn game!"
-sione about ron

deciding who should go:
"we had your back, and you didn't have ours, and we hate your mom, and you stole my lunch.... and you can't be my friend anymore!"
grow up, dramafaces.

bob makes some shameless, truman show plug for popcorn...

last chance workout:
"no, jill, i'm not a quitter, i don't ever stop, don't you get that?"
no, tara, you are the best...

--sione loses 5 pounds in pure sweat...

weigh in:
damn. ron is at the top already.
tara lost 3 pounds.

...still mad about ron...

ooh... we could still get rid of mike, that might be good enough for me...

laura has to choose between between sending helen or sione home
"i wish it was ron..."
-laura's inner monologue...

filipe and sione do the haka....
pretty much the coolest thing we've seen in weeks.

Sione--gone.
i hate this show.

sione looks amazing. lost 137 pounds.



"i'll be honest, i wanna see him with his shirt off!"
-Chris, my man.

still gunnin for filipe.

in fact, for those who are really into the stories and the gossip and all that jazz...

when we listened to filipe talk about his blow up with the lesbian (jillian), he told us about the real story of why he blew up at her.

jillian made her team drink coffee before they worked out. she demanded it. filipe, of course, said no. "i am god, while you are here," she said...

he poured it out in front of her and replied, "this is what i think of your religion!" so of course she wouldn't work him out, and of course they edited anything that made jillian look bad...

she apparently apologized later that week saying that she was sorry she made him question his character....


oh, and i met dane last night too... its amazing how starstruck i get to meet biggest losers. i would rather meet one of them than any movie star!

non-american idols...

i couldn't wait to hear his experiences and fun behind-the-scenes stories, and i have to admit, i was pleasantly surprised that he spent the hour talking about how blessed he is to have a body and to now be better capable to serve the Lord.

this is one inspiring guy.

not only can he loose tons of poundage,

he can come home, the same spiritual giant...

so fun.

and yes, he is going to fly out to michigan

to baptize kristin in a few months.

he told some great stories tha mostly involved his obsession with his wife, the gospel, and being positive.

when i grow up, i want to be like filipe.

the end.

and did anyone else cry when cathy left?

we did.

new calling in life:

7-8yr-olds.

today as i was getting to know my new crew, amid the crazy name game,
i would ask them a question that they all answered so i could get to know them...

one was simply:
what would be your all-time favoritist candy in the whole wide world?

ryan (cute little girl): milk duds... and sweettarts
nathan: m&ms. plain.
hunter: me too.
me: you too, what?
hunter: plain m&ms. i like em, but they aren't my favorite.
me: what IS your favorite:
hunter: can you give me a minute?

me: k, kyler, what would your all-time favorite candy in the whole wide world be?
kyler: [dead-pan face] i don't like candy.
me: any candy? like nothing at all? hmm.... what would be your favorite food?
kyler: dunno.
me: so say, its your birthday and mom could make anything... what would it be?
kyler: nothing. i would ask for $20.
me: ok, what would you do with the $20, then?
kyler: invest it...... in microsoft..... that's what i do.

what is wrong with the world?

2009 just might be fine.

remember these goals from last year?

lets see how i did:
(gee, it's good have someone to report to!)

• graduate. check.

• run a marathon (right...)

• direct a show. check and check. (i know, i got nothin on landon and dave ;)

• move out of Utah. check.

• read the BoM twice. um... once. half check.

• find the tact I lost somewhere on the way. (apparently not)

• be more grateful. check and check and check... to name a few...

• go to the gym 3x a week... right. (i did do that during the summer months though, and most of the fall in DC... so about 80%?)

• make more life-long friends. (i have lost a few maybe, the the ones i made may be too many to name... most are in the east. one is in the oregon. miss you all!)

• be a better aunt and visit and spoil lots. i only wish. :( 

• help to expand my family. it only takes nine months though, ya know...

• go to my first concert. check, check, and check. (not blogged due to lack of timely fotos was the legwarmers concert. brilliant 80s cover-band in dc.)

• travel out of the country for the first time. nope!

• tell my family I love them more

• read more books. check

• serve more

• smile more

• live more

• and love more

• • • • 2009 • • • •

my self-imposed theme for this year:

• JOY in the JOURNEY •

"my sincere prayer is that we may adapt to the changes in our lives, that we may realize what is most important, that we may express our gratitude always and thus find joy in the journey."
-Pres. Monson November 2008

my english teacher once asked u to write:
"are you more about the journey or the destination?"
i wanted to get the answer right so i remember thinking about it
long and hard and eventually turned in my mission statement
with these words on the bottom:
"i am all about the journey...
...the destination is my ultimate goal."

this year I hope to:


• journal weekly
• buy myself a new computer/phone
• run a half marathon
• visit UT to see my family
• record an album
• go to the temple
• read the BoM
• go to at least two concerts
• move permanently to the east
• get my first salary job... very soon
• get out of the country for the first time
• try my hand at patience (giving up on tact-finding)
• take a photography class
• be more grateful
• laugh so hard my stomach hurts
• go to nyc to shoot fotos
• buy a car
• call an old friend once a week
• let go of the past
• enjoy every day & find something to smile about


good luck to you and yours for 2009
as scary as it is to be unemployed,
unattached,
completely broke,
temporarily at home,
and about to make some of the largest decisions of my 23 years,
this west coast girl, like 2009,
just might be fine...

{happy new year!}

i will buy you a big house, where your garden can bloom

searching for housing has been a joke...
i really shouldn't even be looking until i have a job, i know parentals...
(who are so trying to get me to stay)

all i have to say is that some of these girls could be psychos...
so maybe i should wait until i can meet them in person!


on one of the posts:
"three other roommates who hold regular book club meetings.
we like authors like jane austin...etc."

...whoah... done.
not that I am against reading, or jane austin for that matter,
but when it must be advertised that you meet and discuss her in depth,
that most certainly means that you are also deciding why all men are gay and you hate them...
(thanks, but no for me...)

another great one:
"three other roommates are endowed,
so we will be looking for another roommate who is also endowed."

really? really?
do you make us flash our undies at the door...?
the recommend?
i can't even imagine the other judging that goes on in that house!


I am looking for one that looks kind of
like this:

• close to the city and metro
• 2-3 bedroom townhouse
• furnished & wood floors
• in-house washer/dryer
• back porch with grill
• fairly large kitchen
• master bedroom includes a man and a ring

... i don't think that's asking for too much do you?

grateful

in no particular order...

...fall leaves...

...swings...

...words of inspiration...

"This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."
-President Thomas S. Monson

...moms...

...old couples...

...music...

...sunglasses...

...art...

...beaches...

...bicycles...

...great movies...
(most recent uplift flick)


...funny brothers...

...black people...

...cameras...

...ethnic food...

...christmas...

...dear friends...

...cowgirl boots...

...scarves...

...swigs...

...rain...

...love letters...

...shows...

...boats...

...pretty flowers...

...dads...

...small dogs...

...green things...

...sisters...

...painted toes...

...semi-sweet chocolate chips...

...road trips...

...benches...

...fountains...

...temples...

...accomplishment...

...little girls...

...natural frozen yogurt...

...warm coats...
(dear future: provide.)

...knowing who i am...

...and many more...

{• have a happy thanksgiving •}