Bronco

This is my 1000th post. I had planned to do a fun giveaway to celebrate but that is going to have to wait because right now, I don't feel much like celebrating. 2013 continues to be a rough year for my little family. On June 1, we found out that Quin's father has Stage 4 lung cancer. Devastating news that came out of the blue.

Less than a week later, on June 7, I put Quin on an airplane to go see his dad in Utah, and on the way home from the airport I stopped at the vet because Bronco had this lingering cough that seemed to be getting worse. At the vet, I found out that our sweet doggie had cancer. It had metastasized from somewhere in his body and was now in his lungs, which was causing the coughing. I had to call my poor husband and tell him, as he was preparing to go visit his ill father, that not only would we lose his dad--but that we would also lose his beloved Bronco-doggie. That was terrible.

Quin was gone for a week. I didn't tell the kids about the dog because I wanted to wait until The Mister got home. The first night I found out about Bronco, I laid on the floor next to him and sobbed and begged him to last until Quin came home, so that he could say good-bye.

After a very emotionally difficult week for both us us, Quin came home last Friday night, the 14th. Bronco had been doing sorta okay the week previous, but on Saturday he quit eating and we knew that meant that he didn't have long. Each day he got worse and worse--I am still surprised at how quickly he turned. I truly believe that Bronco did what I asked--he waited until Quin came home, but that was all he had left.

Partners in crime

On Sunday afternoon, we had a photographer friend come over and take a few last pictures of us with our doggie and once she left, we broke the news to the kids. It was something I'd been dreading and it really was a heartwrenching as I had feared it would be.

Yesterday we had to make the difficult decision to let our sweet Bronco doggie go. We both know that we did the right thing, as he was suffering, but it was still the most difficult thing I've yet to do. It was horrible. Waking up to an empty house this morning has been heartbreaking.

Meeting a newborn Maren

Bronco came to live with us in January, 2005. I was very pregnant with Maren and we wanted to get a dog before she was born so that we didn't have to deal with a brand-new dog and a brand-new baby at the same time. We found him through a local lab rescue and I do not exaggerate when I say that the minute we met him, we knew he was ours.  Labs as a breed are known for being good with kids but Bronco was exceptionally patient and kind and loving with our children. He truly loved being around kids and was so happy when he got to go outside and play with all the neighbor children. He was THE BEST DOG EVER and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise. Our hearts are broken to lose him.

And yet, the heartbreak is not over for us. Sometime before too long, we will have to say good-bye to Quin's father. We're headed to Utah this weekend because we need to spend time with him while we can. We have many difficult times ahead of us, not the least of which will be telling our kids about their Papa.

My one consolation in all of this: Bronco and Quin's dad loved each other.

I believe that the death of our mortal bodies is not the end. I believe that our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to be happy. I believe that we can be with our families for eternity. I believe that a loving Father in Heaven would not give us stewardship of animals, let us love them and make them part of our families, and then never let us see them again. I just don't think a loving God will operate that way. I truly believe that we will see Bronco again. And I like to believe that when Quin's dad leaves this mortal life, there will be Bronco's furry head and  waggy tail waiting for him, to make the transition easier. I know they can take care of each other and that is a comfort for me.

Making stuff with junk: The Yardstick Table

My garage is somewhat of a furniture project graveyard. Well, not so much a graveyard as a waiting room, really.

My plans are big, but my motivation? Not so big. I am happy to report that I finally finished one of the projects waiting for me. And it only took about 3 years!

I found this little table at the thrift store many moons ago. I knew immediately what I wanted to do with it: the top is recessed just about the same thickness as a yardstick. I knew that I wanted to use some of my yardstick collection to inlay the top of the table.

And would you look at the price!

I brought it home and put it in the garage, where it sat. And sat. And sat. See, where I get hung up on my refinishing projects is always the sanding phase. I HATE sanding furniture. I hate it oh SO very, very much. I am also somehow completely inept when it comes to using furniture stripper, so I usually just lose my motivation before I really get started.

Not long ago on some blog I read about a product called Howard Restor-A-Finish that piqued my interest. I happened upon a big display of the Howard products at a store that opened recently, and I remembered my little table waiting so patiently in the garage.

The Restor-A-Finish couldn't be easier to use--you simply wipe it onto the wood using 0000-grade steel wool, and then wipe off the excess with a clean rag. Here's what the company says about the product:

"Restor-A-Finish is a unique finish-penetrating formula that restores the original color and luster to your finish while blending out the blemishes and minor scratches. Restor-A-Finish restores the finish in one step - without removing any of the existing finish."

The Restor-A-Finish worked great on my table! Previously, there were some minor scratches and the finish was faded and the wood looked very dry.

I only used one coat of the Restor-A-Finish. There are still a few scratches and marks that aren't completely covered up but they don't bother me. I have two kids and a dog so the idea of having a perfect finish on anything in this house is just silly.

The brass casters also needed some attention. I used some of The Mister's Brasso and more of the steel wool and managed to remove some of the tarnish.

After that, the yardstick inlay was easy! I used a Dremel tool with a saw blade to cut each yardstick to the correct length. I got lucky and the space was a perfect fit for 11 yardsticks so I didn't have to cut any of the sticks in half lengthwise.

I used Gorilla Glue to adhere the yardsticks to the top of the table, then covered the top with foil and weighted the whole thing down with cinderblocks to make sure it all stayed flat while the glue dried. The yardsticks truly are the exact thickness as the table inset so the top of the table is flush--it's like it was meant to be!

I love everything about this project: I love that I was able to use some of my yardstick stash and now I don't feel like such a hoarder. I love that I have some extra storage space because of the shelf on the bottom. I love that it adds an interesting element to my living room. I love that the Restor-A-Finish was such an EASY, instantly gratifying product to use. I love that the top of my table is a fun background for junk photos like these. And most of all, I love that I was finally able to finish a project from the garage!

(PS--Howard Restor-A-Finish did not pay me to say any of these things or provide me with product. Ijust want to share a product of which I'm now a big fan!) 

I'm linking up with The Nifty Thrifty at A Living Space and Thrift Share Monday at Apron Thrift Girl.

Weekend Junk finds: Goodwill Outlet again

Just a few finds this week. Still trying to get rid of stuff--it's an ongoing process, one that will probably never be truly 'done' for me. What can I say? I like STUFF! Took another large load to the consignment store last week and another bag for charity is sitting in the car, waiting to be delivered.

On Saturday morning I went to the Sweet William Market, which was the first craft/vintage market that I did last year. I had a great experience last year and Friday's market seemed to be very busy with shoppers. I'm so, SO tempted to sign up for the June 29th market but it really just isn't very realistic for me, which is disappointing. I already have an idea for my booth and have been collecting vintage goodies but I just don't think I'd have time to totally devote to it in June. I'm still mulling it over, but I think I'm leaning towards a 'it's just not practical at this time' answer. Darn.

What I'd really be better served doing is taking all the time I would have spent making stuff to sell at the market and using to list stuff in my Etsy shop! Etsy just isn't appealing to me right now, as evidenced by my very neglected shop--it just seems like so much work to photograph, edit, find a box, and list the item. I wish I had a permanent place set up to do the photos but the way my house is set up, there is just not a lot of natural light available and that's frustrating because on Etsy, the quality of the photography really goes a long way toward selling the item. It honestly feels like it would be less work to pack all my stuff in boxes, haul it across town, unpack it all and display it on tables and hopefully sell it, then pack it all up at the rest of the day and take what's left back home!

After the market, I was not far from the Goodwill Outlet so I decided to swing by again. I didn't find much this week but that's really okay (see the first sentence of this post!).

I like these crocheted covered wooden hangers. These may be headed for Etsy. Or a market.

Another set, this time with yarn. Cute colors!

The Snoopy ornament set will go on Etsy or Ebay later this year. To its right is a vintage ornament--the kind with the little fan inside that spins when the air is heated by the Christmas tree lights.

And a pretty shabby platter, destined for the consignment store, where antiques and vintage stuff actually sell pretty well. It's a 50% split on profits and their prices are very reasonable so you can't make a ton of money flipping vintage there, but when I can buy something this cheap it makes it worth it (plus I always look for antiques/vintage I can buy with my consignment credit that I can resell for more). Total spent for all of the above items was only $2.13!

There's yet another vintage/craft market this weekend. It's a market I don't think I've ever visited, but I want to go check it out to explore it as a possible vendor opportunity. We'll see!

I'm linking up with Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday!

Weekend Junk Finds: Mother's Day edition

I usually like to post my junk finds on Mondays but this week I'm a bit behind. Well, actually I'm about a week and a half behind, since these things were found the day before Mother's Day. The Saturday before Mother's Day, I was able to go out by myself to do some shopping. Is it wrong that for Mother's Day I want to celebrate by getting away from those I Mother?

That particular day happened to be the May edition of the Horseshoe Market, which long-time readers might remember was the craft/vintage market that I did last October that was ruined because of freezing temperatures and rain. Even though it's been 7 months, I'm still not completely over the disappointment of that day. I had some PTSD walking back into the market, remembering how cold and wet and miserable that day last October was for me. This time, it was warm and although rain clouds threatened, there were crowds and crowds of people--the biggest number they've had yet. I couldn't help but feel a little bitter at how different those vendors' experiences were from mine--I'm sure they were selling loads of stuff, with all those shoppers! That should have been my market experience too. Nope, still not over it. Sigh.

I only bought a few things at the market.

The Pepsi bottle will go with a pair of other vintage red and white soda bottles that I use to decorate---and a trio looks better than a pair, right? The floral pillowcase is really, really sweet with just the best colors of red and pink and yellow and mint--very Cath Kidston. Too bad that when I washed it, it developed some pretty huge holes in one side. :( I'll have to think of something creative to do with what's left.

The aqua bowls are a funny story--after I got home, I realized that I actually SOLD those during my market last October! I bought them from a vendor who was at the Oct. market, and I think I actually remember her buying them from me now. The good thing is that I don't think I paid more for them than I sold them for initially, so at least I didn't lose any money! I bought them for reselling but now I'm wondering if I'm meant to just keep them if they came back to me like that!

After the market my junk itch still hadn't been scratched, so I stopped by a new Goodwill Outlet that I had seen from the freeway on the way over.

I found quite a few goodies! This old-style shoe is going to be reinvented into a witch's shoe for Halloween. Pity I could only find half of the pair! I bought the old Scrabble game for the letters and although I already have several of that plastic vintage tree-toppers, I couldn't leave it behind.

This silverplate pitcher was wrapped in tissue and then in multiple plastic bags, which is the only thing that saved it from being dinged and scratched beyond recognition AND made sure it was still there for me! I wait until the crazies toss through the bins first before I go looking and I know this would have been snapped up if it had been easily identifiable. It's in great shape and very pretty but I need another pitcher like I need a hole in the head, so this one will be for sale.

When I first walked in, I spotted these two treasures and I knew it was going to be a worthwhile trip! The Fisher Price airport is in great shape, and although I looked in the bin, the Little People were all missing. The Fisher Price firetruck pull toy was an especially sweet find, since I'm the mother to a 3-year-old who is still obsessed with firefighters and their vehicles. It's also in great condition. Now I'm on a mission to find some Little People and maybe even the airplane to go with the airport since it will sell better that way.

I bought a few other things at the outlet--a Clue game for Maren, some cute printed paper sacks, and it seems like there was something else but I can't remember so it must not have been that photogenic. There was an awesome *pink* vintage suitcase in one bin but it was in too bad of shape to bring home, darn it!

Have you ever been to a Goodwill Outlet? What's the best thing you've found there? I'll be linking up with The Nifty Thrifty at A Living Space.

10 Things That Make Me Really Happy

One of the blogs I read has been blogging every day this month, following these prompts over at Story of My Life. Since I've totally become a blogging flunky over the past few months, I might try a few to get back in the habit of posting more frequently. I can't guarantee I'll blog every single day for the rest of the month, but this might at least give me a push in the right direction!

10 Things That Make Me Really Happy

1. Chocolate layer cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. Seriously, it's my favorite! I rarely make one because I would probably eat the whole darn thing by myself. My birthday cake of choice will always and forever be a chocolate cake of some kind.
2. Hanging out with my immediate family (parents, brothers & their spouses). They are a really FUN bunch and I love being with them. Unfortunately we live 600 miles apart so this doesn't happen often but when it does, I love it!
3. Finding REALLY GOOD vintage junk. Cheap. This should come as no surprise if you read this blog.
4. Target clearance. Specifically, the 50% and 70% off variety. Look, I never said this list was going to be profound! But man, I love those red endcaps. Last week I found a pair of shoes that were 70% off--they were marked down to $5.08. I had a $5.00 off coupon, so my shoes cost 8¢!
5. Going on dates with my husband. I think he's dreamy, he's fun to be with, and I love getting away and hanging out with him without the kids (notwithstanding #9 down below). My husband just in general makes me Really Happy.
6. Making pretty things. I derive SO much pleasure and personal satisfaction from creating, whether the medium is paper or paint or even food. I love that my daughter loves to create, too.
7. Summer. Spring in Colorado is pathetic and winter is long. Autumn is beautiful, but right now (at the end of a long, snowy spring) the heat and freedom of summer is on the horizon and I couldn't be happier!
8. Reading good books. I just discovered a new series that I am head over heels IN LOVE with--more on that in a later post. I also really love Goodreads, as a way to catalogue what I've read and a source for finding new books. My new beloved series was discovered when a friend reviewed it on Goodreads, otherwise I never would have found it on my own.
9. My kids. They drive me nuts on a daily basis but much more than that, they bring me so much joy and laughter. Last night, Porter fell out of his bed--and never even woke up! Awesome. Maren is helpful and kind and sweet and such a good helper to me. I am so lucky to be their mom.
10. Freshly cleaned percale sheets. Mine are in the wash right now. I already look forward to getting in them tonight.

Weekend Junk Finds: 1960s Estate sale edition

I really do love shopping at estate sales, but I rarely get to go because 1) I have a rambunctious 3-year-old in tow and 2) most of the sales are FAR away from my house. A few weeks ago there were two sales that were relatively close as far as estate sales are concerned (about a 25-30 min. drive as opposed to 45 min. or more) and the 3-year-old seems to be doing a little better lately, so I decided to chance it. We were flying out that afternoon for my brother's graduation so we only had a little bit of time but I got all of my packing and errands done the day before so I could go shop with a clear conscience!

The first sale was in a neighborhood that backs to a golf course, absolutely FULL of really fantastic 1960s ramblers. The homes are set on huge lots with wide, green yards--what looks like it would be kid heaven. The houses themselves are low-slung, excellent examples of classic suburban 1960s architecture and the interior of the house was the same. We got there a bit after opening to miss the initial mad rush in the doors so I know we missed some goodies, but I was happy with the things I did find.

 A pair of old sparkler boxes, with sparklers still inside. These will go with my 4th of July decorations.

A pair of WWII-era letters to Daisy, who I assume is the woman who owned the house. There was a whole box full and I picked out just two, although I wish I could have sat down and read them all.

More WWII stuff--a pair of 8x10 glossy photos that look like they were taken by somebody maybe for professional purposes? There was a whole stack and they seemed much nicer than an average serviceman's snapshots.

Loved this one of the couple dancing! It reminded me of the 1940s Ball I attended last year.

And going along with the WWII theme--at the sale, there were some glossy large group photos of Navy sailors in boot camp at Camp Farragut, Idaho in about 1943. Now, landlocked, mountainous Idaho seems like just about the last place where you'd expect to find a Naval training base, but apparently there was one. In the photos were large canvas flags with each group, and those very same flags were at the sale. They are good-sized and each is made of canvas with dark green felt letters stitched onto both sides. I bought all five of them--they seem like something cool to hang in a boy's bedroom. They're a bit dirty so I've got one soaking in Biz right now to see if I can get them cleaner. I think I'll keep one, and the others will eventually be for sale.

Onto the next sale. Also in a 1960s house, though not as neat as the first one.

Why did I buy these? I've certainly never been to any of these locations! I have a weakness for old postcard folders like these, especially the type where the location is written in large letters with scenes inside like the White Mountains on top left. I actually bought 2 more of these but they're for a gift so I can't show them.

Vintage Christmas. I'm selective in the single color ornaments I buy now--this time I bought pink and one orange, since I rarely find that color.

And a whole bunch of babies, including a handful of the ones that are about the size of a marble. They're teeny tiny.

Two bags of buttons. I haven't bought buttons in a while, because usually they're priced sky-high I forgot that I bought these until I pulled them out to photograph yesterday, so I'm looking forward to sorting them all today.

Did you get to go junking over Mother's Day weekend? I'm linking up with the Nifty Thrifty over at A Living Space!

Maren's baptism lunch: the food

Figuring out what kind of food to have for our Baptism lunch was a little tricky. Everything I served had to be prepared in advance, because we left the house at 9:30 a.m. and wouldn't return until after the Baptism service. We knew our guests would be right on our heels, so everything had to be just about ready to go before we left for the church that morning.

I knew right away that I wanted to serve funeral sandwiches again. I made these for my Duck Dynasty party back in February and they were a huge hit, so I wanted to try them again. This time, I used Honey Wheat King's Hawaiian Rolls and did a batch of ham/Swiss and also turkey/provolone. I made them the day before and let them marinate. We set the oven timer to turn on so that the oven would be preheated when we walked in the door, then we just removed the foil and popped them in the oven so that they could be cooking while the guests arrived.

For punch, I used a recipe similar to this one that I found on Pinterest, though the amount of water & Sprite in mine was a little different. I chose this recipe because I had a can of pineapple juice in my pantry that I wanted to use up. I made up the base of the punch before we left the house, and while the sandwiches were cooking, I just added it to my drink dispenser along with the cans of soda, lemon slices and ice cubes. I forgot to get a photo, but I will say that I probably won't make that particular recipe again. It was okay, but not great.

Another thing in my pantry that I wanted to use up were a pair of cake pop kits that make pops that look like chocolate-dipped strawberries. My sweet mom worked on them forever--so many different steps! They looked really cute, though, and they were delicious so I'm so glad she was willing to go to the trouble to make them! I also had a large cake plate full of beautiful real strawberries in the center of the table. I'm afraid I didn't get a photo of those either. The only photos I got were taken before we left for the church in the morning. When we came home, I was much too busy trying to get sandwiches cooked, punch made, and the plastic wrap off of everything to take any beauty shots of the rest of the food.

This is really one of my all-time favorite Pinterest ideas: individual veggie cups with the dip already inside. You can double-dip to your heart's content! LOL To make these a little more fancy, we skewered the tomatoes and cauliflower with some really pretty beaded toothpicks that I found at T.J. Maxx years ago and had been hanging onto for a really special occasion. They added a bit of sparkle to the table and had the bonus of making it so you didn't have to dig your fingers down into the ranch dressing to find the tomato!

One of my favorite things on the table was this jar of pretzels. They're yogurt-dipped pretzels in the prettiest soft shades of blue (blueberry) and pale purple (raspberry_--perfect for my party color scheme! Who knew they'd actually turn out to be delicious? I found these at my local Sprouts. I served them in my all-time favorite antique coffee jar with some pretty vintage seam binding tied around the top.

I have enough thrift store silver forks that I don't even need to buy plastic utensils anymore, and I don't even mind sending it through the dishwasher! I displayed the forks in an antique green depression glass measuring cup. The gray straws were decorated with pretty washi tape flags and displayed in an antique canning jar that has been turned a lovely shade of purple by the sun.

I love to have fresh flowers for a party! I bought the gorgeous iris and white ranunculus at Costco the day before. The iris were all closed tightly, but I forced them to open by putting the vase in the very warm sunshine for a while on Friday afternoon and by Saturday morning they were all opened up and looking beautiful! I also bought a bunch of blue hydrangea that I put in a vase with the rest of the white ranunculus--but for some reason, they all wilted and looked completely horrible by the next day. :( I'm not sure what I did wrong but that was disappointing because they were the perfect shade of blue. Oh well.

For the lunch, we also served crackers (from my pantry) and homemade hummus, tortilla chips and Costco's Artichoke & Jalapeno dip (my favorite!), peanut butter blossom cookies (I had bags of Hershey's Kisses in my pantry so that was an easy decision) and at Maren's request, mini powdered sugar donuts. I think she must have eaten two dozen of those by herself--she had a permanent ring of white dust around her mouth for the whole weekend! I was pleased with myself for being able to use so many things that I already had in my food storage to keep the costs down a bit so I could splurge on the pretty fresh flowers that we're still enjoying days later!

The whole event was just lovely! I was pleased with how everything looked and tasted--pleasing to the eye as well as to the palate! Celebrating my beautiful daughter's baptism with loved friends and family only made everything sweeter!

Maren's Baptism Lunch: handmade decorations

 Maren's baptism was held at 10:00 a.m. so we planned to hold a lunch at our home afterwards for our friends and family to help us celebrate. When I started thinking about what colors and theme I wanted for the party, I immediately decided on a butterfly motif. Butterflies are a symbol of change and rebirth--perfect for a baptism, where there is a very physical representation of rebirth, with the person coming up out of the water cleansed from their old life. Plus they're pretty and feminine and perfect for the Spring--and I just so happened to have a butterfly die for my Big Shot machine that I'd been itching to use.

For the color scheme I knew that I wanted to use periwinkle blue, shades of purple, and a bright green to set it all off with touches of kraft as the neutral. I found the perfect patterned paper at Michael's that incorporated all of those colors, and supplemented with various other patterned papers from my stash. I started out by cutting about 100 butterflies in various sizes with my Big Shot and then waited for inspiration to strike!

Pack-rattery pays off, yet again! I made this brown paper sack ruffle wreath WAY back in August 2010, but it has sat in my closet, naked, for lo these many years. I saw it in the basement recently and remembered that the original that I copied actually had butterflies going up the side, so I grabbed it and adorned it with a few of my butterflies, with tiny lines of pearls adorning the bodies.

Next, I knew that I wanted to hang a banner in the doorway between the front room and kitchen. I used kraft cardstock for the base, embossed with my cool new hexagon embossing folder from Stampin' Up.

To add some movement, I layered the butterflies in different colors and patterns.

I crumpled and then smoothed some of the butterflies to add dimension. On others, I used my fingers to
bend and shape the wings so they curved in and out. I used hot glue to attach everything.

Then I punched holes in the tops of the banner pieces and strung them all on some beautiful periwinkle vintage seam binding. It was tricky to see the dimension and the embossing in the photos, but in real life it looks really pretty!

At Target I found a set of three small tissue fans in my color scheme, so I couldn't resist! I added more layered butterflies to the centers of each side of the medallions (since they would be seen from front and back) and hung them from my light fixture using vintage seam binding. These hung right over the food table. Target also had a cool garland made of strips of paper in purple, blue and green sewn together. I don't have a photo of this one but it hung over a different door.

After all of this, I still had some butterflies leftover, and I was determined to use them all! I bought some cool twine at Paper Source a while back--it is natural twine color, twisted with metallic thread. I used the natural/silver twine and sandwiched it between pairs of butterflies to make a garland.

This photo is sideways, but darn Blogger won't load it the right direction! I used this garland to decorate a little table display I put together of photos of Maren. I just used washi tape to attach it to the wall and the picture frame above the table.

I love how it all turned out and the butterflies were just the way I had pictured them in my head. It's so gratifying when a craft turns out just like you hoped it would!

Maren's Baptism

Saturday was a happy, joyful day for our family! In our church, a person can choose to be baptized starting at age 8, which we believe is the age of accountability. Maren decided that she wanted to be baptized, and we've been looking forward to the event for months!

Here is a bit more about what my church teaches about baptism:

"One of the purposes of baptism is to symbolically wash away our sins, but even Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life, was baptized. Jesus was baptized because it is a commandment and he wanted to provide a perfect example of obedience to Heavenly Father’s divine guidance.

The ordinances of baptism and confirmation are a way for us to show that we are willing to take the name of Jesus Christ upon us, which means to become Christians and do our best to always live accordingly. First, we are baptized by being lowered under water and raised back up by a person who has authority from God to do so. This action symbolizes Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, and it also represents the end of our old lives and beginning a new life as His disciples. After we are baptized, a person with authority puts his hands on our heads, gives us the right to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and confirms us members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." (source)

Maren was baptized by her daddy. They both dressed in awesome white jumpsuits.

When the time came, they both entered the font (like an oversized, sunken bathtub in the church) and he held her just like John is holding Jesus in the painting above. He said a brief prayer, and then immersed her under the water completely before bringing her back up again.

Next, I helped Maren get dried off and into her pretty dress so that she could be confirmed as an official member of the church.

We believe that baptism is the first step on the path to following our Savior, Jesus Christ. As He was baptized, we must also be baptized to show obedience and love for our Heavenly Father. It's a huge step and a decision of the utmost importance, and I'm so happy and proud that it was something that Maren wanted to do!

I believe that if we keep the covenants and promises that we've made to God about how we will behave and make the right choices, my family can be together forever, and I want nothing less than that! I love them so much--my family brings me JOY!

Up next: the lunch party!