Why Utah?

I feel that I am finally recovered from a ton of driving, little sleep and lots of fun with my oldest two girls.

Kate and Julia and I and a good friend of ours all went to Utah last week. Why? I will tell you!

About two years ago my friend Cindy showed up at church suddenly looking smokin! Not that she looked bad before, but she didn't stand out, does that make sense?

When I asked her what caused the changed she said, "Dressing your truth.com". I said, "huh."

So I went home looked it up, saw that you had to pay for something or other, and kind of forgot about it.

But a year went by, and EVERY TIME I saw Cindy, she looked amazing. No joke. Hair perfect, jewelry on, perfect colors, everything. So I asked her again to tell me about it. And this time, I listened.

And what I discovered in a nutshell is that Dressing Your Truth was life changing for me and my girls. Yes, LIFE CHANGING. I exaggerate not.

Dressing Your Truth is based on the research of a woman name Carol Tuttle. She found that there are 4 distinct personalities. We all have all 4 in us, but we lead with one. It's similar to the red, yellow, white personality thing. And there are other variations of it as well.

She found that each type had certain shared characteristics. Things that were a distinct part of who we are.

And she made it easy to remember. The Types are Type 1, Type2, Type 3 and Type 4.

Type 1 is bright and animated  (That's me, and Julia and Nora and Jeff).

Type 2 is  soft and subtle (that's Kate and Henry)

Type 3 is rich and dynamic . (that's charlie)

Type 4 is  bold and striking  (that's Anne Marie)

She calls them Energy types because of the energy, so to speak, that each emits.

Type 1's have the highest amount of energy and are fun to be around (aren't I fun?) and they are the talkers of the 4 types . You all know that's true about me!

Type 2's are still and soft and subtle. They are the types that everyone likes to be around because they keep us all connected and getting along.

Type 3's are the go for it, get it done types. They have a high amount of energy as well.

Type 4's are the perfecters, they can look at things and see how it will be better. They have the stillest quality to them. Not much loudness and jumping around with this folks. They are very reflective by nature.

I am a Type 1 with a secondary 4. So I lead with those Type 1 tendencies but I have enough type 4 that it becomes a major part of who I am as well. We discovered what Types we were by reading Carol's book, "It's just my nature." I could probably tell people what type they are, but it's best when people discover it for themselves.

So that's an overview. How does the dressing part come in? Well, Carol found that certain colors and fabrication and design lines worked better with different types. Types 1 were so buoyant and light and animated that certain colors or fabrics were too heavy on us. The clothing contradicted the nature of the person.

And this same principle applies to the other types. Type 2's are so soft and love comfort. They even talk quietly and hate conflict more than any other type. So a type 2 wearing something really stiff and scratchy would not match who they are.

Type 3's are so dynamic and make such a presence that if you put them in muted colors that were flowy and soft, it confuses you when they open their mouth and are not muted or soft.

Type 4's are naturally so structured in their nature, always on time, stick to schedules better than any other type, that if you throw pastels or a lot of animation(visual movement) in their clothing, you would expect them to talk more, act more bubbly. But when they stick to the bold colors, and structured clothing, then you are not surprised when they sit so still and say such bold things.

Again just an overview, there is so much info that it's hard to explain it all. So let me show you.

In Utah there is an actual Dressing Your Truth store. They sell makeup, jewelry clothes and they have a salon. It is also where they film club nights and other events that help you learn more about your type.

The girls and I have been wanting to go down there since we bought our courses. We wanted to get our hair done and meet Carol Tuttle and get to attend an event. So we went! And it was so fun. The gal who did our hair is an expert in different "types" and we've seen so many of her before and afters that we knew she would do a good job.

Now, we've all been dressing our truth for some time, so we already knew how to do our hair and makeup and what clothes to wear. But to make it fun, Nicole the stylist, had us put on the "wrong" clothes so to speak, and take off our jewelry so that she could get a before picture. Plus, we all had funky hair from traveling and not doing it that day since we knew we were going to get our hair done.

So the before pictures are a little set up, but it's not much different then before we knew about Dressing Your Truth.

So here is Kate's before picture. She is wearing a Type 3 shirt. Type 3 colors have a fall colors quality to them, some look as if they've been dipped in a tea bath. But on Kate, it makes it so that you don't notice her, you just notice the shirt.




here is Kate's after. See how flowing and soft she looks? Her personality is the same. She is flowing and soft and gentle. Her clothes and hair reflect that about her.



Here is Julia's before. She is wearing black-a type 4 color, which is a no no for type 1's. See how it kind of washes her out? It's too still, and heavy on her. It contradicts her light, happy nature.



and here is Julia's after. Again, her own clothes and jewelry that she put together, she did her own makeup. See how her clothes and jewelry support her animated face? do you see it? Say you see it. Please?



And here is my before. I'm wearing a type 2 shirt, which is just too flowy for me and the color makes me look a little drab. Plus, I think it makes me look frumpy.



and here is my after. I went a little dark in my hair for fall, but I'm thinking I will add a little more blond next time.  Notice how my highlights are random? That is a signature thing for Type 1's. We say random things, and are happiest when we allow for some randomness in our lives. So my hair supports that. I think I look like I instantly lost 10 pounds as well wearing the right shirt. See how much brighter my face is? Even my makeup shows up better.




This has been so good for me and my girls, my whole family in fact. We feel good about ourselves every day, plus I have learned to understand things about my family members that baffled me before. Like, why is Charlie so persistent in whatever he wants? Translation: why does he not stop asking once I say no? It's because he is a type 3 and will work very hard for whatever he wants in life, and not likely take no for an answer. We all know people like that right? They get things done.

And why does Anne Marie seemingly ignore me? It's because she is a Type 4 and is her own authority. She already knows what she is supposed to do. It still frustrates me, but at least I know why she does it.

And the other great thing? Kate told me that so many girls at school complain about their hair, and clothes and how fat they are, etc, etc. And Kate said, "I don't have to complain. I like the way I look." Hallelujah!! What parent doesn't want to hear that from their teenage daughter?

I could go on and on, but I won't. Check out the button on my sidebar and see for yourself. It's really one of the greatest things I've ever learned about.

And on Monday I will share some other highlights of our trip. I got to meet someone famous to us! You probably won't know who he is, but you should!!!

Have a great weekend!

P.S. I don't wander around looking to see who is dressing wrong. I promise. Dressing Your Truth is about you becoming your own beauty expert. So I worry about myself. I'm not judging the rest of you!

Mommy's home!

I was pretty excited to get home on Sunday. I missed all of my children so much. Nora missed having someone to sleep with, so I happily obliged her yesterday afternoon, and we napped on the couch.

And wonderful Jeff documented it!

Why is it that I sleep so soundly with a little one snuggled in my arms?

It's good to be back.

I miss you Jeff.

We'll be home soon.

Silly baby

I miss this phase as well. When everything is so funny. When they laugh so easily. Well, I guess she's still in this phase to some degree, simply because she has a laughing-type disposition.

But I still miss it.

Sometimes drool is ok

I'm out of town this week, visiting a favorite place of mine. But I thought we'd go down memory lane a bit.

Nora was in the 4-6 month range in this photo. Where does the time go? I miss the little drool spots she would leave on my bed, and me, when she slept.

14

Kate.

Kate is beautiful.



Kate is grateful.



Kate is easy to please with a slightly lopsided, but completely homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting!


Kate is loved by her family.



Kate is loved by her awesome friends.



Kate is fortunate to have friends who know what she likes.



Kate loves her new beach cruiser that her Grandma and Grandpa Allen and her Grandma and Grandpa Granger gave her.



Kate is fun. Proving this by having a at home, live action Clue game for her birthday party.



Kate's best friend is her sister.



And if you haven't guessed by now, Kate is a fabulous dresser!

And... Kate is 14!



Happy Birthday Kate! We love and adore you!

Good things

I received an email folks. An email that I initially thought was a hoax. And then I read it more carefully.


But first, a back story.


Last April, my mom and sister and I attended an event in Seattle called Time Out For Women. Basically it's the most boss conference around. Speakers who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints travel to different cities encouraging women and telling us how awesome we are, what a great job we're doing, and why our Heavenly Father loves us so much.


We spend two days listening to speakers, hearing uplifting music, and basically laughing a lot staying up late.


I went feeling down in the dumps and discouraged about what my role in life was, and I left feeling renewed as a mother and like a million dollar woman.


So imagine my utter shock when the email I received was from the folks over at Time Out For Women, or TOFW.com asking me, ME!, to be a featured blogger on their website!!!!!!!!


They had come across a certain post of mine and felt it fit with the ideals of Time Out For Women. I was so completely overwhelmed and said yes immediately of course!


And guess what? That is happening....today!!!! So although you've hopefully read it here on my blog, will you head on over to TOFW.com and read it again? I'm in the featured blog section, yay me!


I feel so fortunate to be asked to be part of something I really believe in, even if only for the week that my blog is featured.


The mission of Time Out For Women is such a fantastic one. (from the email I received)It is "to create a place, whether at our events or on our website, that women can feel the unity and strength that they as women have to become and do good in the world. It’s a place where women can reconnect and recharge. The 2011 Theme for Time Out For Women is Choose to Become. We are inviting women everywhere to choose one thing they want to do, change, or learn to become a little closer to the woman they are meant to be. TOFW.com features blogs where women share something about their process of becoming."


Seriously, I'm on cloud nine today. 


Won't you join me over at TOFW.com? Please, pretty please? And then will you come back here and tell me what you thought? 


You know I love all of you so much-my family and friends and those I have come to know through blogging, and those that read my blog quietly, but I know you're there! Thank you so much!


I love having a place to share who I am, who we are as a family, and all the little joys that add up to be Amy's Spoonful of Sugar. Thanks for going on the journey with me!

Approachable

This is my facebook photo. It's deceptively warm and inviting. Don't be fooled!



Whilst at the grocery store yesterday, I realized that I look friendly. And that means that random people say things to me because I look approachable.

One woman, who was there with her husband and son, looked at Nora and asked me why she wasn't in school. I told her, "Oh, she's only three." Cuz I was thinking that she thought Nora looked old enough to be in school. No.

"Oh, she's old enough!" She then pointed to her son and said, "He's only two, but the moment he turns three he's going to school! There has to be a preschool somewhere nearby me, and when I find it, he's going!" She said this in that exacerbated sigh-like way that says her son is a handful.

I personally was so confused by this since I'm already feeling anxious about Nora and Henry being gone from me. So I just gave a half smile and kept going. Wondering why people talk to me in the store, and offer me their opinions about what my child should be doing

As we turned a corner, Henry was playing a game with me that is slightly embarrassing in public. He runs at me from behind, and then I stopped suddenly and he slams his little fists into my backside. He finds it hilarious, I don't think it's quite as funny, but I let him do it anyway cuz it keeps him happy while we're shopping.

Well, a woman saw us doing this, and figured it meant I was laid back enough to talk to, and she scampered to turn her cart around and catch up with me. She then proceeded to tell me that even though the economy was not doing well, her company was thriving during it and would I be interested in being in her down line? I had to ask her what company. Melaleuca.  First of all, if you're trying to tell me that you're doing well at your business, you should attempt to portray yourself as doing well. Hair done, tidy clothes. Otherwise you just look desperate. Which she probably was, and my heart went out to her. So trying to be nice, I said, "You know, I have 6 kids, I'm pretty busy and don't have time." She replied with, "Well would you at least be a customer? The products could ship right to your house!"

This is all standing in the aisle at the grocery store. I politely declined, and she walked away dejected. It honestly took guts to do that. I could NEVER do that. Selling things is not my strong point. I can't stand rejection.

But I decided that I need to scowl a lot when I go to the grocery store. I need to look unapproachable. In the past I have had more comments than I can count about my kids, I've been approached about selling Mary Kay twice and some other at home business another time. And while I appreciate people's rudeness  thoughts about my children, and their efforts to expand their at home business, I'm just not interested.

Grocery shopping is already a less than serene event for me, and to have my focus and thoughts interrupted by advice and business opportunities is not ideal.

Now if you want to stop me and tell me how lovely and adorable my children are, or how great I look, or that I have toilet paper stuck to my shoe, be my guest.

Otherwise, I'm too busy, too grumpy, too mean and definitely NOT approachable!

(who am I kidding? I will always smile and nod politely. It's just who I am. How about you?)

Kate is so nonchalant while I practice karate moves around her!

Ok, I don't know karate, or really any moves of any type. Well, except some outdated dance moves. Can you say Roger Rabbit? Running man? If you know those moves, you're either into the 80's/90's or you're as old as me.

What was the point of my post? Oh,right, I didn't have one.

Except that maybe I really love caffeine free diet coke? and my daughter? and talking with my hands?
Or is it that I need my roots done? or that I should wear makeup in public?

Wait, I remember, today is October 3rd! 28 more days til Halloween!

 No, that wasn't it either.

I can't remember, which is pretty much my life these days. But you love me anyway, right?

Turn that frown upside down

On days when you feel like this:


Or this:



What do you do to change it to this?




And this:



For me it helps when the sun is shining, and I have a splendid walk with kiddies in tow. And being able to enjoy the day at home without anywhere to go is helpful as well.

Other things that help:

 1. diet coke
 2. chocolate
 3. being down a few pounds
 4. date night
 5. other people's babies
 6. a clean kitchen
 7. all the laundry done
 8. money in the bank
 9. fresh homemade bread
10. sleeping in
11. new clothes
12. shopping
13. redecorating
14. warm chocolate chip cookies
15. a great book
16. a great church meeting
17. a bubble bath with candles and a good book...alone!
18. family movie parties
19. my kids telling me they love me
20. my husband's arms around me

What does your list look like?

When a little boy turns 5

When you are a 5 year old boy, what do you want for your birthday more than anything else?

You want.....a bike!




And not just any bike, a GREEN, HOT WHEELS bike. Yes, he specifically asked for this bike. And I found an awesome dragon helmet at Good Will for 5 Bucks!! It looks brand new. So don't tell Henry!

And for his cake? Perry the Platypus, courtesy of mom's baking and dad's decorating skills.


Henry shared the day with his cousin Joel, who though 5 years older, also like Phineas and Ferb. My sister(in law) Amy made a lava cake. Um, yum? Seriously. Lucky boy to have a lava cake.


I love how excited little kids get about other children's presents. It never bothers me. Everyone wants to see what the birthday boy gets, don't they?

And despite how we look, Kate and I really were excited about being there. But getting our picture taken? Not so much.



So Henry is 5 now. 5? Really? It was just yesterday that he was a little jaundice baby in his bili box, too sleepy to nurse, and in need of constant holdin'. Oh how we love him.

~Henry is sweet and cuddly and goofy all at the same time.
~He loves his family so much, but I swear the kid loves his friends in a way I have rarely seen.
~His daddy is his favorite person in the whole world. And I'm not just saying that. He got hurt last night and I rushed to him, and you could see him eyeing his dad. I told him, "I know you want your dad, but I'm going to comfort you, ok?" He snuggled into me, but I know it wasn't the same for him. And don't think for a second Jeff doesn't know this. Oh, he knows.
~Henry missed the cut off for kindergarten. So all of his friends went this year. He's already bigger than everyone, so next year? They're going to wonder who the giant kid going to kindergarten is.
~Henry blesses our family in so many ways, from his sweet little prayers, to his random temper tantrums, to the way he won't kiss anyone, to the way he snuggles when he's sad or tired, everything about him just melts your heart.

And why wouldn't it, I mean, just look at that face!



Happy Birthday Henry!

One more reason being 8 is great!

Our weekend was wonderful and busy! Anne Marie was baptized with her cousin Layla on Saturday and it was Henry's birthday on Sunday. I laid around all day yesterday recovering and it was awesome!

It was sweet to see how supportive Anne Marie's brothers and sisters were. Kate, Julia and I sang a song for the baptism and I had to look down the whole time to keep from crying. Which, if you've ever performed, YOU DON'T LOOK DOWN! You look at your audience. But I just couldn't.

Anne Marie and her cousin are only 18 days apart in age. So it worked out perfectly to have them baptized the same day. What a great memory for both of them.





If you're curious as to why we baptize our children when they turn 8, go here for a better explanation than I could ever give:)

I love my sweet daughters and sons. It is such a wonderful thing to watch them choose the waters of baptism and to see their inner glow.

I'm so happy my family is forever!

Balloon Battle

It is super hot here today!! Summer is here, yay! Oh wait, it's September. Hmm, that's fine. I'll take whatever we can get!

We're off to celebrate birthdays and baptisms this weekend. But I wanted to leave you with a little video by our very own Julia. Starring Henry and Nora. It cracks me up every time I watch it.

Enjoy!

Running/playing on the trail

Because I'm so devoted to exercise....ok, seriously, because I attempt to try and occasionally do something exercise-ish, I decided today that we would run/walk a trail that goes through Maple Valley. If you're really awesome you can run about 16 miles, maybe more, without leaving this one trail.

We did 4. And I didn't run it all. I haven't done a ton since Ragnar, and I'm totally happy with that. And because I was low key, I let Henry and Nora get out and run whenever they wanted on the way back.

So they would sit for a while...

And then run for a while....

and then sit for a while.....
You get the point. It was soo much fun though. I really enjoyed letting them just do what they wanted. I would run while they were in the stroller, and then I walked while they ran. And you know what? I am TIRED. My legs are tired and the kids ate more lunch than I've seen them eat in a long time.

Now hopefully this means we will ALL fall asleep really easily as well. If that happens, we may just walk/run/play 4 miles every day!

Reason #435 why I love having you around!!

You help with math homework that I have forgotten how to do!!

You help with homework that I know how to do, but you're especially needed when they're just plain tired of hearing my voice all the time!!

y'all ready for this redo?

So I promised a picture of the awesome mirror that Frances gave me. And months ago it seems, I promised to tell you about the curtains I made and the master bedroom redo. Well, today is your lucky day. (or not your lucky day if you hate long posts) I'm doing all three!

First the mirror.

My friend Frances gave me this beautiful mirror that had been in her home. I was stunned when she gave it to me, because it is so gorgeous. It was gold, which I loved, and I didn't want to change it.

Here is a before picture I snaked off of her blog:


As you can see, bee-yu-ti-ful!!!!

So I brought it home and put it in my bedroom, and there it sat for a month. Why? Because I could not figure out where to put it that the gold would look ok with the rest of my house. But I didn't want to paint it. However, it could not be denied any longer. I had to make it match the rest of my house, otherwise the gift would be wasted sitting in a closet somewhere unused.

I wanted to preserve the integrity of it, I didn't just want to spray paint it silver and have that be good enough.

So I used this 10 dollar bottle of paint. It's called Sophisticated Finishes. It's a metallic surfacer in Pewter. It took two coats, and careful painting of a pretty detailed surface. But the end result? See for yourself. (Frances-I REALLY hope you like it!!!)

To die for? Yes? Everytime I walk into my bedroom, I get excited looking at the mirror. It somehow brought the whole room together.

That tall dresser/lingerie chest? I bought it off of Craigslist for Nora when she was born. We did some rearranging and it ended up in our room. It was cream colored with gold drawer pulls. Well, I fixed that, on accident. When I was trying to hang the mirror by myself, I accidentally knocked over a little can of mint green paint that I had been using to improve my night stands. Luckily it didn't go onto the carpet, just all over my dresser. So I scooped up as much as I could, and not wanting any to go to waste, I just dipped my paint brush in the puddle on the dresser and started painted the lingerie chest. Then I used left over pewter metal surfacer, thank you very much, and painted the drawer pulls.

Oh, and the ruffled lampshade? I just used the same instructions that I did for the curtains I'm going to show you, and then hot glued it on. Don't worry, I'll link you to where I found the smarty pants who figured out how to make these bad boys!!

It's not a good picture I'm sorry. And you can tell that I did the one on the left first because it is not as good. Oh well. Here is a close up.

So I saw these fabulous waterfall ruffle curtains on A Beach Cottage(her bedroom is also the inspiration for mine). I looked them up on Urban Outfitters, and they were $80. A panel!!! That was not working for me, so I started googling ruffle waterfall curtains and found this gal.

I followed her directions exactly, EXCEPT, I didn't want each ruffle as wide as she made hers, so I cut them in half which kept the length of the curtain the same, but meant twice as much sewing. I ain't gonna lie. I spent about 16 hours on these babies. Admittedly, it would have been less if I had kept the ruffles wider, but I love them this way. And they only cost 10 dollars a panel. A lot less than 80, and I like them better!

And for the lamp shade, I used a sheer material thinking it would be all light and pretty. Which it is, but when you turn the light on, everything shows. All the mistakes,everything. So I would use a heavier weight material next time.

The rest of the bedroom has some together slowly. Some finds from goodwill and "junk" stores. Moving around things I already had, and yard sales. Seriously folks. I spend soo little money. I don't have a decorating budget. I have a 12 dollars here, 20 dollars a paycheck there, budget. You can do this. You just have to be patient.

Here is our little reading nook. I know that not everyone has such a stupidly oversized master bedroom. (it came this way. I would never design such a large bedroom. Although I love it now.) So you might not have room for a bigger area. But if you can squeeze a comfy chair in anywhere, I highly recommend it.

Don't you love that girl reading? It's a giclee that I found at Goodwill of all places. It's by Jean-Honore Fragonard and it's appropriately named "A Young Girl Reading".

I did splurge on lamps for our nightstands. They are from TJ Maxx and they were $30 each. But that included the shades. I thought it was a good deal. Oh, and a few clearance pillows I was fortunate to find. And the "iron" bed is from Ikea. It was 99 dollars. I sold something to pay for it. And the yellow crocheted throw was made by my great grandmother. It alternates between the ottoman and our bed.

And lastly, some windows from a 1920's beach house that I found at a garage sale. Jeff is going to hang them on the wall for me, and I have a picture of the temple to put between them. But for the picture, they're just propped up there. I love them!!!

My whole inspiration for our room was wanting it to look like a bedroom in a beach cottage. I feel like it ended up looking more like a beach cottage on the coast of France. And I seriously could spend waaay more time than I should just hanging out here.

Anyway, there it is. Oh, and I left the room grey from my previous bedroom makeover. (I'm a little embarrassed by that one now. But it truly is a work in progress)It just seemed to work somehow. And it saved me 100 dollars in paint, and A LOT of work.

There you have it. I love my bedroom. Let me know if you have any questions about anything. And I'll try my best to answer! Have a great day!