DI Finds

I absolutely LOVE when I find something at DI that I can bring back to life:) Recently I went there in hopes of finding a nightstand for Austin's room. I thought this one had great "bones", just needed some new paint and hardware. I was able to complete this project for around $20. BEFORE

AFTER


Looking good in Austin's room:)

Merry Christmas from the Craig's!

Conversations

Me: Austin get out of the pantry, I'm making dinner.

Austin: But I'm hungry!

Me: You can eat in a minute when I'm done.

Austin: Fine, I'm not going to marry you then!!!


*Thanks Kachiri for inspiring me to write down the cute things our children say:)

My food storage "ah ha" moment

I'm sure many of you are like me and struggle with your food storage. The idea of being unable to feed my children because of something like a natural disaster is frightening. Until a few months ago my food storage consisted of: 10 ketchup bottles, 20 cans of chicken broth, oatmeal, a few cereal boxes, and noodles. What am I supposed to make with that in case of a disaster?

My good friend, Elise, introduced me to shelf reliance (aka Thrive). Thrive is a collection of food that is freeze dried and comes in #10 cans that last 25 years. The genius part is that there are recipes to follow so that you can actually make meals out of these cans of food. Because they are freeze dried vs. dehydrated they taste really good:)

This is what my family is going to be eating in case of emergency. All I will need is my #10 cans, water, and a propane oven & stove:

~Breakfast~
6 grain pancakes
blueberry muffins
apple puff pancakes
oatmeal
yogurt with granola
scrammbled eggs
sausage

~Lunch/Dinner~
beef stroganoff
chili
creamy and cheesy potato soup
sweet and sour meatballs
beef enchilada bake
shepherds pie
chicken vegetable casserole

~Desserts~
peach cobbler cakes
brownies
apple crisp
choc chip cookies

You may think why would you care about desserts during a time of disaster? Think how much those comfort foods could lift you and your children's spirits during a difficult time.

So I found a few recipes that I thought my family would eat, I wrote down all the cans that I would need for the ingredients, and each month I order $50 worth of cans.

This is on my Christmas wishlist....a Camp Chef propane oven and stove.

The Power of Prayer

Yesterday I decided to pick up the Ensign Magazine and chose a talk to read from this last conference. I read "The Privilege of Prayer" by Elder J. Devn Cornish. What really stood out in that talk to me was that Heavenly Father loves us so much that the little things that are important to us become important to him. He is just waiting to help us and since he doesn't want to infringe on our agency he is waiting for us to ask him. I know that he won't always answer our prayers in the way that we want him to, but he does answer them in his time and his own way. Today I was fortunate enough to have an answered prayer.........

Today I drove to my neighbors which is 3 houses down to pick up a child for preschool. Since it was only 3 houses down I rationalized that it was ok that I didn't buckle Kyler in until I pick up this child. Well in the 2 min. it took me to run to the front door and back Kyler, being the only child in the car, managed to push the lock button. There he was sitting in the front seat of my car with the keys in the ignition and heat running on high. I'm an idiot and don't have a spare key to my car. Thoughts flooded my mind: How long is going to be before he starts crying? With the heat on high it's going to get really hot in there really fast? What if he puts the vehicle into drive? How long will it take a locksmith to get to my house? With my mind racing and fear setting in I decided to turn to my Heavenly Father in prayer asking for help. I humbly prayed that he would some how guide little Kyler's finger to push the unlock button so I could get him out............within in a minute Kyler pushed the unlock button! My neighbor, Lacie, and I stood there in complete shock at what we had just witnessed. A 15 month old unlocked the car!

I've definitely learned some lessons today:
1. Don't leave a child in the car alone even for minute.
2. I'm buying a spare key TODAY.
3. The Lord is there to help us.

Some may think this was just a crazy coincidence but I know that God heard my prayer and answered it. I hope you all remember that God loves us and is always there for us, even when he lets bad things happen to us it's only for our own spiritual growth. As Thanksgiving approaches I can't help but feel grateful for my Heavenly Father and the power of prayer.

Homeade Toys

I can't claim this idea as my own, I've seen a few of my friends make these for their one year olds and decided this morning to make one. Super easy, all you need are some milk lids and a container. Kyler has been playing with this all morning. Having him preoccupied for a few hours was definitely worth the 2 min it took to make this.

My latest obsession....

I wasn't the biggest Oprah show follower; however, I'm obsessed with her new show that just started last month on OWN (the Oprah Winfrey Network). I look forward to watching her show each night after the kids have gone to sleep. After watching Oprah's Lifeclass I feel the same as when I hear a moving talk at church. It rejuvenates me and helps me to take the time to self reflect. We all have the power to shape our lives into exactly what we want.