Christmas Celebrations!

Baking with my boys is a yearly holiday tradition! We LOVE to get in the kitchen and whip up something super yummy! Luke thought it was so manly to hold on to the BOSH mixer while it was turning our cookie dough! .....I just love him!...and Luke too. ;)

I think in every picture we take Luke has some freaky look on his face, Gage looks overly excited and kyle is just plain adorable! They are my little buddies and they're growing to be such wonderful people.

Right at this moment Kyle was saying "look at the cookies, they go round n round n round...its looks yummy"....he's speaking SO well it almost feels like I don't have a baby anymore....but his snuggles and kisses say otherwise! :)





The one thing I wanted for Christmas this year was to see everyone around me happy and healthy! ...and I got my wish! I am so blessed to have a family that I can love and adore, and even on those crazy days I can look at them and feel blessed.

Waffle Wonderment

Watcha got in the toaster daddy? Look at that! There's waffles in there!

They're gonna pop up any second! I can't wait! Any SECOND!

Ah Ha! YES!
Ha ha ha, that was so awesome! They popped up all by themselves!

YES! We did it!

This is the coolest thing EVER! They're all done!

Oh man, this bite over here looks like the biggest one! So AWESOME!

NOM NOM NOM NOM!

Just a fun reminder to find joy in the simple things of life. Stop stressing about all the stuff that doesn't make you happy and start enjoying the fun people and little things that make you smile!

My Guide to Surviving Sickness

The last few days I've felt like someone injected play dough up my sinus cavity. Then it will suddenly decide to transform from dough to wd-40 at random times (and by random I mean when I am talking to someone). It can feel impossible to survive the flu or common cold with any sense of optimism, but I've always been known for having a great attitude while being sick.
Here is my guide to surviving sickness:

Rule #1: Whenever someone wants to take a picture of you an you don't feel like it, just roll your eyes up and to the left. Add more to the effect by gaping your mouth wide open (an essential technique for proper breathing while thinking really hard). This is important because if anyone looks at the picture years later they will immediately know that you were clearly sick and not looking your normal handsome self. It also sends a clear message to the photographer that you are not in the best mood for picture taking.





Rule #2: When you were a child you ran careless and free in the most comfortable clothes you have. Nobody was judgmental about fashion sense because when you are four years old nobody cares. As an adult you have the unique opportunity to resume this careless approach in your dress without being laughed at. I highly recommend gym shorts without pockets and a t-shirt with stains and/or rips. The lack of pockets prevents you from carrying such things as wallets and keys and thereby keeps you from doing something stupid like going shopping.










Rule #3: Always make sure you choose the correct medicine for the symptoms you have. This step is absolutely critical! A wrong choice here can double your condition from spraying out of one end to spraying out of ends you didn't know you had.










Rule #4: If your head feels feverish and you feel gross and grubby. Shave all your hair off. This is especially important for women. If you stop for a second and think about it, if you haven't cut your hair in the last nine years then you have stuff on your head that's been around since Nickelback had the number one hit song! That's just gross.








Rule #5: Do something productive! I don't want to brag here, but while being sick with the worst of colds I've still managed to slay dragons, win the Super Bowl, and prevent eminent nuclear world war! Don't be lazy. Just because you don't feel good doesn't mean you can't get stuff done.









Those are my top five rules to staying positive while sick. With the cold and flu season just getting started I hope you all found something useful from this guide. Do you have any rules that you follow? I'd love to hear what you do!

Going Somewhere

We've had this blog for long time now and it's always been a place to just post things we want to remember, funny moments, and random goings on. YouTube has become the place where we upload videos about what we do each day.
So recently we have been talking about why we are doing all this. What are we doing? Why do we put in all this time? What are we getting out of it? Are we really providing anything for the thousands of people who watch and read?
Then some really interesting questions starting surfacing from the midst of these simpler puzzles. Where are WE going? Where do WE want to end up? What do WE want to do with the rest of our lives? Where do WE want to end up? What will WE be doing when we get there?
WHAT IS OUR DIRECTION?
It is easy to start asking these tough questions and look at things like money, time, possessions, dreams unfulfilled and feel like it's just a big waste. That we'd be better off just getting a second job and increase our income so we can get the house on the hill with the fat mortgage to hack away at for the rest of our lives.
I think a lot of people, maybe even you, are constantly wondering what direction you are headed and why. Maybe we are all asking the wrong questions!
Our conversation suddenly shifted over the last few days. We began to embrace the adventure. We look back on our "directionless" lives and see a long list of totally awesome things we've experienced and accomplished. Things that cannot be planned!
So where do we go from here? Where we go is forward. With unwavering optimism and wild dreams. Our ultimate goal is happiness. Happiness in family, marriage, home, friends, finances, and future.
Most importantly we want YOU to come along with us. We may not provide the best advice on how to cook a thanksgiving turkey, but I promise that you'll learn something watching us try. We will be posting on this blog consistently every week. With a fun blend of long term and short term projects, goals, and adventures we want everyone to feel welcome to come along and take something useful from it.

What about dream shopping?

So, a pass time of mine is dream shopping. I usually spend literally five minutes a week looking at something I think is beautiful, elegant and usually expensive. Like this brand new Jeep....its so beautiful! I really would NEVER pay that amount of money for a car at this point in my life, but the dream that I will easy afford it in the future keeps me focused and renews my motivation to be successful in anything I do.
I don't always look at cars and trucks, sometimes its just an expensive pair of jeans....and just the same...I'm always thrifty and find sales or consignment stores to shop in, I don't really purchase expensive clothing.

I've been asked a lot why I am this way, and I'll tell you. I was raised in a very large family where we typically wore used clothing, and we wore them until they were VERY worn out...basically their life stopped with my family....once we got them...they had no chance of seeing another soul again. :) To some this is very sad, but I see it as a positive thing in my life. As an adult I have the ability to have cold hard cash in my pocket, and walk right out of a store without purchasing something I really want even though I have the money.

Having the ability to do this is rare, and I'm finding that as I get older and more experienced with finances, and how money works...I know this is a good thing. I look at bank accounts all day at my job, and the people who have the most money DO NOT look like they do.

So, instead of actually buying something...I dream shop! I love to feel like I"m working for something that I might someday have. I'm a dreamer, what can I say?

How about you? Do you dream shop?

Idaho Life...fo realz

Last weekend we visited my home town, and luckily for us...it was FAIR WEEK! The Gooding County Fair is a huge event for the small town folks that live there. I took my boys to their first fair ever! They thought it was fun to eat snow cones, see the fun rides and carnival activities, but sadly Buster and Gickos weren't really interested in the rodeo, so we cut out early and headed to Pappy's farm.


We arrived to the farm near sundown, and the view was breathtaking. The temperature was perfect for exploring and enjoying our time with Granny while she was doing evening chores.
Taloopi's favorite thing to do next to eating Icecream is feeding the chickens and gathering eggs. He thinks it is SO SO funny to watch the chickens walk around pecking the ground, and the noises they make. Granny is the best! She loves to help Taloopi experience EVERYTHING as she does it.


This concerning look was Taloopi's impression of the messy food area where the chickens eat....he thought the food on the ground was pretty nasty! Kinda funny considering I have to remind him not to eat food he finds in less than sanitary places.


Pappy's sweet corn was ripe and perfect for picking!...so we picked some!
Granny escorted us to the field not far from the house to pick as much as we like, and Taloopi LOVED IT! I'm beginning to think he's a farmer at heart!....that gives me the warm and fuzzies.

This road...I mean dirt road?...I mean grass road?...yeah we'll go with grass road....is where I walk all growing up to move irrigation pipe twice a day. Our farm was kind of split into two sections, and this was the section I typically spent my time working on....I think it's because my brothers always wanted to ride motorcycles and four wheelers, and therefore I found myself walking!...I've got the the nicest legs out of everyone, so who's laughing now??? HA!



After picking corn and feeding chickens it was time for a garden inspection. I would like to say that I have a green thumb, hereditary from my mother, but it's not true....nor did I inherit her domestic talents. I was way to busy riding horses, climbing trees, shooting guns, and playing cowboys with my brothers....I do have to give it to her though...she tried. Sorry to fail you mom. hahaha!

Goals...I always set them.

Hey!

I just thought I would post a blurb on what my plans are. I love to set goals, and work towards them during the week. I feel like I achieve so much more when I set the bar high, it pushes me daily and keeps me focused on my long-term goals.

Goal #1:
I am going to workout Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of this week. That will be three days more than I worked out last week! :) I will be doing P90x in the mornings because Carl will be at the gym, and I can do that while the boys are sleeping.

Goal #2:

Blog for the first time at www.jingerrific.com I finally got the site to go live this weekend, and I will be putting a lot of work into that website this week. I want to share more intimate details about the things I want to accomplish and address any questions anyone has about different topics. This website will be more focused on women accomplishing great things besides their #1 responsibilities, and encouraging women to find fulfillment in their everyday life outside of being a wife and/or mother, student, employee, or anyone looking for some inspiration....including me! :) I want to establish a strong group of ladies that will encourage one another to be their own version of awesome!...whatever that may be.

Goal #3:

Find an extra special thing to do for Carl this week. He is my very best friend, and I want to let him know how much I love him. I don't know what it is yet, but I'll know when I see it or think of it. :)

Don't forget! YOU make your day awesome!...do not let negativity in!

What are your goals this week? Are you doing anything exciting before the summer is over??