Our Christmas Traditions

First of all Merry Christmas!

For those of you I said I would send an ecard I started one... but it didn't turn out so hot.

Blogging is much better :) I figured it was pretty easy to see what we are up to via old posts.

 

This Christmas we were blessed to have both sides of the family together!

The only person we were missing was Garett but we got to skype him on Christmas day.

 

I thought I would share what a typical Christmas looks like in our neck of the woods.

 

It isn't Christmas without some gingerbread houses. Mum has actually bought a mold to make it that much easier.

I can remember her having a pattern that she made up and she had to cut up every little piece.

When its time for Christmas at my home I will also be buying a mold!

 

So glad that Mum and Dad Hassell could join in, we all had a lot of fun!

 

Adam building his axe yard. I forgot to get finish product pictures... got to busy with my own gingerbread house.

Christmas Eve...

Instead of reading Luke 2 (think about toddler attention span)

we acted it out with puppets my mum made when we were kids.

Thayne more interested in the camera than the puppet show.

She had an inn-keeper, Joseph, Mary, Mary with baby...

angel...

sheperds with sheep...

...oh ya and of course being pregnant i got nominated to be Mary...

...wise men...

 

everyone gets to participate! During our little program we sing songs. Someday (when Garett and Lauren

start having children) I hope to act out the nativity with the little cuties!

 

Usually after this we get to open one gift but this year we opted out. (I think we were afraid Thayne would open all the gifts!)

 

 

 

Christmas morn!

After eating a yummy breakfast, and skyping Elder Griffith we opened our stockings

and got everyone together to open gifts.

 

Thayne was the center of attention. He wanted to help everyone else open their gifts and this is the only one

of his that he actually opened!

Mama Hassell made us all aprons! The boys have matching ones! Now I will get lots of help right?

Thayne's favorite gift was tinsel. He didn't even care about anything else. He is such a easy going guy!

 

The best part about Christmas is a tradition my mum started.

She keeps a box wrapped in gift wrap empty with a hole on the top. The hole is just

big enough to slide pieces of paper through. The gift is marked To Jesus. Every year she encourages us

to think of something we can give to the Savior.

This year she made it like a new years resolution gift. She had us all write down gifts to the Savior

then next year she is going to give it back to us for us to do a self evaluation.

She had us put our "gifts" in seperate envelopes (don't worry she wont ever know what we put!)

 

I hope you had a great Christmas! We sure did!

Its a....

Today we had an ultra sound what we learned at the ultra sound...

I am 19 weeks along but measure 17 weeks

I measured small with Thayne so this isn't really surprising.

We learned that baby is very flexible and is practically bent in half.

We learned the gender...

Get your dresses ready! Cause its a GIRL!!!!!

We are very excited. She doesn't move around a whole lot 

(which I'm hoping will carry over to after birth)

We haven't thought of any names yet but we figure we have plenty of time to figure all that out.

Due date is still April 8th at this point in time.

Meeting an Apostle of The Lord

Ok so you might think because I live in Utah that we run into general authorities all the time. But it's not common at all.

I have to tell you the story!
So mum and I were at Costco. When we see Cody, a new member of the church. We talk to him and all the sudden he says, "is that Uchtdorf?". Shocked I look over to the aisle next to us and say, "if that's not him it's someone who looks just like him." Luckily Cody was brave enough to approach him. Cody says,"excuse me sir will you say your name?" The man smiles and with a very heavy German accent says, "Deter Uchtdorf" I wish you could have seen the excitement on Cody's face. "I knew it was you!" Cody got to talk to him while president Uchtdorf's wife talked to mum and I. They both were so nice. Mum and I just turned red and speechless. I could feel the Spirit so strong surrounding them. It was incredible. We didn't even think to get a picture with them. It was so encouraging to meet them and talk to them. We had goosebumps for so long after. It was a great experience they even got to meet Thayne! It was funny once we got in the car because both of us kept thinking of all the things we wanted to say but couldn't. Definitely added to my testimony.

In the picture you can barely see him but I promise it's him!

Halloween!

Halloween may not be my favorite holiday 

BUT it was super fun to dress up Thayne!

I have to admit the actual Halloween night wasn't that exciting. Adam had class till 8.

The most exciting was the weekend before.

We took Thayne to a trunk or treat and checked out the spooktacular (which was SO crowded!)

Thayne couldn't get over Adam's fake teeth

The best part was seeing Heather. 

Both Heathers! Except we didn't get a picture with Kerr!

I think after hanging out with us Heather will never want to have children.

Another family shot! Can you spot the baby bump? 

I was a pregnant witch, Adam a black mulleted red neck. Thayne a tiger. (Thank you costco for making it easy.)

We did carve a pumpkin and it was pretty cute it was an owl perched in a tree. Before I could get a picture Thayne ripped the owl off the perch and then proceeded to break the branch.

Leaving the pumpkin looking like we just left a big hole. 

I'm sure glad Halloween is over I'm excited to focus on my favorite holidays!

Downsizing while nesting

We are moving... again.

I'm hoping the next post like this wont be for another 2-3 years.

We have been very spoiled/blessed with an open concept basement 

although its had its own challenges (like you can see ALL Thayne's toys)

we have been able to fit everything comfortably and have lots of storage space.

Something we wont have when we move. 

We are facing a few choices as we look for housing.

Obvious choice close to campus! That one was easy.

Not so easy choice 2 or 3 bedroom?

townhouse or flat? 

Newer (meaning more expensive) or older (cheaper but NO storage room)?

Don't worry we have a month and half to figure it out. 

 Ok so thats not much time. I believe we take up about 1,000 square feet at the moment

BUT I really feel like we don't need to (remember we have a pool table taking up space as well that

isn't ours)

I really feel like we could fit into a 2 bedroom that had excellent closet space (we have done it before)

but the city we are moving to is an older city and most apartments were built in the 60s. 

Mum has offered to let us leave things that we don't need to take with us in the basement.

I am so grateful for this because otherwise I'm afraid we would have to get rid of a lot.

We had to downsize after moving from a 3 bedroom house to a basement and now possibly a 2 bedroom apartment. 

Lots of decisions in the next month. Our hopeful move date is around December 15th then we can enjoy Christmas and have our own place to retire to when all the holidays are over. 

Its so hard to decide what baby things to save and which ones to let go of (seeing as little one #2 is making their debut in April) I guess I could leave the baby stuff with Mum then I can share with siblings someday and use what I need at the time. 

UGH! So many decisions so little time. 

Anyone else ever moved in the winter?

This is a BIG deal!

Well you already know we are crazy.
And broke.
And very crazy but people are starting to realize just how crazy we are.
If you can't tell from the picture I've gained a bit if weight... And it's showing.



We are PREGNANT! I am 4 months along!

Questions you might have

Have you gone to the doctor?
I haven't been to the doctor yet... I'm thinking I'll just wait till the appointment when we find out what we are having.

How many weeks exactly? 17 as of yesterday

Cravings?
My usually Mac and cheese
And lots if soups I can't get enough
Anything processed. (Yuck)

How long have you known?
Since I was three weeks along. I was feeling sick and wondering what was up. I hadn't even realized I missed my period.

Due date?
According to a doctors preg calendar April 8th 2013 (close to my moms due date when she was pregnant with me)

Have you felt the baby?
I have for sure. Just teeny tiny movements. Adam even claims he felt it once!

Now you know why I haven't been a very good blogger/ morning person/ not fitting in my clothes.

Homemade Cleaners I Love

Homemade Cleaners I Love

You've seen them on pinterest...

you pin them...

you NEVER try them...

WHAT IS YOUR DEAL?!?!!

Apparently you aren't in a penny pinch like me or you are too scared.

I know its Halloween month but don't fear some of them are super good.

I'll let you know which ones I love 

and which ones didn't turn out so hot.

Dishwasher soap

Amazing! I use a splash of vinegar every time.

I even put some super dirty dishes in and they came clean highly recommend. Easy to make, easy to use. 

Recipe here

"Febreeze"

Smells so good! I diluted it a bit more than she said the only bummer part is 

I have to shake it up every time other than that totally worth it.

Recipe here

 Liquid laundry soap

I finally found a recipe that I love for laundry.

The first recipe I tried was WAY too thick. This one is just right. 

Recipe found here

Makes 4 gallons of laundry soap and the cost is a penny a load. How about them apples?

Cloth baby wipes work great! I only use them for pee-pee diapers for obvious reasons but it says a lot of wipes.

Recipe/ how to make them here

For the deep cleaning right before moving out of an apartment I used this recipe here

It cleaned the stove burners amazingly! Squeaky clean just remember you have to let them sit for at least 12 hours. So don't wait for it to be the last thing to do if you are about to move...

yes that is experience speaking. 

Homemade things that didn't turn out so hot

homemade "shout" 

it didn't even compare to the real thing.

Thats all I gotta say

Sink declogger

I had Draino before and ran out so I tried a homemade remedy that was baking soda and vinegar

it worked a bit but not anything like the real stuff. 

If you've got a big problem buy the big stuff.

So far I have had much better luck with things turning out than not. Have you tried any homemade cleaners?

Ariana and Jared's Wedding (Weekend in Cali)

Since we've moved to Utah our days in California have been very limited.

This past weekend we were able to go visit for Ariana and Jared's wedding! 

They were married in the L.A. LDS temple.

We got to see so much family and if you can't tell by my lack of pictures we all just wanted to talk.

For once mum had to remind me to take pictures (usually its the other way around.)

Here we are waiting for the newly weds to come out of the temple.

the boy cousins found rocks to play with. This is Thayne and Jose.

Jose taught Thayne how to throw rocks and Thayne showed Jose that rocks are 

actually pretty yummy to suck on.

Shauny climbing a tree. They had so much fun with the landscape. 

What I needed to get a picture of was how good Shaun was to Thayne. He helped keep Thayne in safe areas and made sure he was always in sight. I appreciated it so much!

Here is the beautiful couple! 

Thayne and mum

Grandpa (Thayne's great-grandpa) feeding Thayne an orange. I think

Grandpa couldn't believe how much Thayne could eat.

The wedding cake.

Table decor

The reception room. Can't even tell its in a church cultural hall!! Go Mandy!

Because a lot of their family couldn't go in the temple they exchanged rings at the reception. 

I thought it was a wonderful idea. They just told each other how much they meant to the other 

and gave the ring. It was simple, it was sweet, it was perfect.

Congrats you two! Thanks for letting us share your sweet uniting!

Labor Day

This is not your ordinary Labor Day post.

We are crazy remember? 

My mum, sister, and husband decided to do a sprint triathlon in the morning.

Thayne and I went and supported and took pictures. 

While at the race I met a guy from ebay who bought a sweater from me and

asked if he could come and pick it up.

So I met him there at the race. (I felt confident to do that because I was in a 

very public area.) And he bought an abercrombie "S" I could probably take him down

if all else failed. 

Luckily he seemed like a nice honest guy.

Anyway... so family runs the race does amazing!

Thayne saw the camera and immediately wanted a picture of him taken.

Shortly after this picture I had a guy yelling at me telling me that Thayne was rolling away!

(A nightmare that I have quite often) we weren't on a hill or anything we were actually in a parking lot so I don't think he would have gotten very far but it was enough to make my heart skip a beat.

Adam on the run part of the race!

Mom and Lauren sprinting to the finish line.

Everybody is an Olympian.

Then afterwards we all head back home. 

Adam starts doing some homework then after a while suggests that we play catch.

We get our gloves and ball and head outside and start playing just the two of us...

My dad (who is aprox. 16 at heart and head) wants to jump in. the only problem is he is on the upstairs patio. He finally convinces us to throw the ball up to him clear up there.

Here is a picture of how high up it is. 

So Dad throws the ball to Adam and in my parents backyard there is a little ledge. Like 1ft high.

And Adam wanted to catch the ball so bad he went OFF the ledge into the neighbors yard. which is actually a bit of a drop. Enough that he was very lucky the only damage he got was this...

His toes were a bit bloody and he has a huge bruise on his back. 

Oh and a scraped up leg. 

Luckily Adam knows how to do flips because he said he was head first towards a rock when he thought to tumble. 

Crazy kid he was pretty shaken up.

Did he catch the ball? YES

Did he scare the crap out of me? YES

this is also another nightmare I have that someone will fall off that ledge and go into the neighbors yard.

Reenactment. This is where Adam falls off our ledge and goes into the neighbors yard.

After Adam calms down and realizes the consequences could have been a lot worse we all decide to play a nice game of croquet. 

While playing croquet I realize that I now know where Thayne gets his recklessness from.

His DAD!

Then I realize that from stories from Adam's Dads younger days were also pretty 

reckless. It must be a Hassell thing!

Somehow Russ and Adam survived so I can sleep a little better at night I guess. 

Thats our Labor Day. It got a little scary and luckily no serious injuries occurred.

Learning things from minimalism

Disclamier: I don't profess myself to be a minimalist in anyway

 

I think it is so awesome we can share things so quick via internet, radio, TV, and ect.

A trend right now is minimalism. But really is it a trend?

I wouldn't call those who migrated over to America long, long ago hoarders.

They traveled with just a carry on bag long before we ever did!

We are designed to live on less.

It seems like my generation and the generation before mine just got spoiled by lazyiness.

Why make something when you can just buy it?

And if you can just buy it, why not have 10?!?!?!

 

That seems to be what started the problem.

Now we have a recession (mini great depression?)

People are learning that living with less is not only ok but it feels great.

Bringing us back to our senses.

 

Any true minimalist that came to my basement apartment would probably freak.

"Look at all those jackets! I could fit everything I own into that coat closet!"

Might be something they would say.

Something I've realized for minimalism (I'm talking about extreme)

is that it isn't "kid" friendly.

Teeny Tiny Cars that fit 1 person. 

Houses that are 1sqmeter

Those wont fit a family.

 

Back to our long, long ago ancestors...

Have you ever been inside a replica of a log cabin that was used when people came out west?

Tiny!!! I think my living room and kitchen have twice as much sqft.
Not only that but then the tour guide said, "this house was probably for a family of ten"

Where the heck did they sleep?

Super simple times total family minimalists.

I'm not saying I want to live like that but I think its important to remember what matter most to them.

They were outside probably 90% of the time.

Worked together, Ate together, played together, and slept all in the same room!

And they were happy.

 

I give props to these ancestors I consider true minimalists.

What I take from them is the less the merrier as far as things.

They cooked awesome meals without 5x as much stuff we have.

You can be happy without a bunch of technology and all the latest stuff.

Simplicity is great.

 

Here are a few things I have learned from minimalism:

Minimalist don't get attached to things.

Stuff is just stuff. It seems like they let go of items easier.

I love this idea i don't want to be someone who holds on to something just to hold on to it.

That doesn't mean that I don't have sentimental things I just have less and ones that

mean more. Like I don't have my favorite sea world shirt from when I was a kid.

But I do have pictures of me having fun wearing it.

 

Something else I have been thinking about is my favorite cartoons as a kid.

One thing every cartoon show had in common is that each character wore the SAME outfit every time that character was on.

And it never bothered me. It was part of the characters trademark.

I definitely could not wear the same thing everyday but I do think we have our favorites and we could wear

that at least one a week maybe if our closet is big once every 2 weeks.

What if we could have less shoes?

Maybe less jackets (I am working on it!)

 

Another minimalist idea I want to adapt is IN N' OUT's menu

Its our favorite! Why?

There are like 3 choices.

Hardly any thinking, good quality, and good price!

That is something I think we all could implement more of.

What if my menu was like that?

It would make my life a lot easier!

We didn't narrow it down to 3 things but we did find out our favorites and usually once a week I try a new recipe (just to

spice it up a bit)

And sometimes the new recipe becomes a favorite and replaces something similar.

I have started a "pinterest" cookbook at home where I print out our favorite online recipes. why even buy a

cookbook anymore?

 

 

 

 

This is a room upstairs in my parents domain.

I love it because the decorations are simple yet impactful because there is less.

There is color but not too much. Comfy couches that invite but aren't overbearing.

Everything flows for whatever reason when I think of my minimalism I think of this room.

 

 

Have you adapted any minimalist ideas into your life?

 



How to make your kitchen stuff apartment friendly

I have a small kitchen and a small budget.

But every time we move it feels like I could fill a whole room full of kitchen labeled boxes.

But every move I feel like I get rid of a ton of stuff!

I used to complain about my small kitchen (especially when dining space is small)

but now I'm not only learning to cope, I'm learning to love my small kitchens. 

This is our kitchen we have right now... Super open and at first glance seems pretty spacious. 

Which really it is for a second kitchen in a house. 

How we made it work. Right by the stove was the microwave.

Now we have the kitchen aid. It added a lot more counter space.

Now microwave is right by the table. It uses up counter space that was hard to use anyway.

Now there are a lot of cabinets in this kitchen but only 4 drawers. Compared to our last place that felt like it was all drawers.

Now that you see the space this is what I have and don't have to help make it work.

I bought this restaurant style shelving unit to help with even more storage. 

Its right next to the fridge.

I realize that not every space can fit something like this but get creative. On the top I have gifting stuff. The next one down games, extra heavy food, 72 hours worth of water, more kitchen stuff, camping, ect.  

Storing/cooking/freezing food. These glass snap wares do it all. 

Very multifunctional, very good looking. I can use them for serving

as well and store sauces in the small bowls. 

What I don't have: tupperware, plastic containers. 

They always melt in the microwave and get nasty. 

Pyrex mixing/measuring bowl 

I love this for so many reasons. Its pourable, It has a lid for storing. What isn't there to like?

What I don't have: seperate serving bowls (note this isn't the only mixing bowl I have)

I used to have some very nice big fancy bowls for serving food. If I mixed in them the bowl would 

damage. So I quickly got rid of those and now stick to mixing/serving bowls. 

Dish ware for year round. 

In this picture I'm trying to show you a chip in these dishes. When they chip its really not that bad. 

Which was actually why I bought them. The dishes I had before when they chipped it was so obvious.

These ones almost seem like chips are ok.

They work all year around and are nice enough for everyday and special occasions.

Cute storage.

I love these containers and at $1.00 a piece I couldn't pass it up. These act as decoration and store my sugar.

Also important is this little nook. I use it to store dry beans, pasta, brown and white rice. And Fruit!

Also important to apartment kitchens is child safety. I like these clamps because you don't instal anything and can move around with us.

This is the pantry. You can have a ton of food and live in an apartment. You just need less kitchen tools.

More of a list of dos and don'ts

Do have: cast iron pan

Don't have: Tons of cheap pans 

Do have: A blender

Don't have: bullet, and all those other things they say you need to chop and grind

Do have: enough mugs for a week (I like my hot chocolate)

Don't have: A mug for every plate I own (yuck)

Do have: manual can opener

Don't have: electric (just takes up space and constantly breaks)

Do have: Crock Pot, Rice Cooker

Don't have: unnecessary appliances (think about what you cook the most)

I hope this is helpful. I feel like you get a lot of kitchen stuff when you go to college and get married. 

If you are thinking about downsizing its great. Much easier to find things 

and keep track of everything. More important though is multifunctional. 

Small spaces need multifunctional.