Earth's Angels

Two things you need to know about this post:

1. This is not a post about The Penguins' song Earth Angel (and I am sorry if it is now stuck in your  head).

2. This is a long post but, please, stick with me and read to the end. I promise you won't regret it. 

Who They Are and Why They Are Important

Have you ever met someone that you just instantly like? Not because they are trying to be likable, even though they are very likable, but because there is a certain spirit about them? No malice. Just humility, love, kindness and a touch of gumption. That's how I felt when I met Neil's cousin Jaiden and later, the girl who would become his wife, Beckah. But let's start with Jaiden. Neil had told me story after story about the two of them growing up. Neil would always say how much more of a brother Jaiden was than a cousin. Naturally, I was excited to meet Jaiden and have been grateful for the opportunity to know him ever since. Jaiden is the kind of man who can roll with the punches, he is quick witted but never unkind and he has one of the purest hearts I have ever known. He respects his mother and his wife and all women and isn't afraid of showing tough love when it's needed. But what makes me admire him even more is the fact that my husband does. My husband loves his cousin and has said time and time again how grateful he has been to have Jaiden there in his darkest moments even when Jaiden didn't know it was. Neil has said how much he hopes to be like Jaiden because of his genuine goodness and much more. On top of everything else good about Jaiden, how can I not love someone who my husband looks up to in that way? It would be impossible.

Then there is Beckah. Words cannot describe the purity of this wonderful woman. I don't remember exactly when we met, unfortunately, but I do remember what I thought of her. I remember thinking, "How is it possible that someone that good exists? No wonder she and Jaiden hit it off!"

We've been asked by numerous people if we are sisters and someone once even asked if we were twins. It tickles me every time it happens and every time I want to shout, "YUP! And she's a darn good sister, too!" Every single time I am flattered beyond words. I would absolutely claim her! I want to be as closely connected to someone that pure of heart, that righteous, that patient, that genuinely kind, that good as I possibly can. I still do because it rubs off. Not in a magical, stand-next-to-me-and-I'll-become-like-you kind of way but in the way that when you surround yourself with people like her, and you want to stay surrounded by them, you have to choose to become better. And you have their example right there, smack dab in front of you to teach you how. 

These are two of earth's angels. Flesh and blood angels. And I am beyond blessed to have them in my life. I mean, look at them! They radiate the love of God. They carry Christ's countenance with them and share His light with anyone and everyone who they encounter.  They are supremely, genuinely good. It is with their permission that I share the story that follows a bit later in this post. 

The Tale of Two Babies

 Back in May, when Neil and I found out that we pregnant, we couldn't wait to share the news with Jaiden and Beckah. Beckah and I had talked a few times about my worries that it might never happen for us. Two years is nothing in comparison to so many others' stories of infertility but for me and Neil, it was hard. Really, really, hard. Beckah listened every time I needed to talk about it and never disregarded my feelings. So, naturally, I wanted them to be some of the very first people we told but I wanted to do it in person. Jaiden's sister Anna was getting married soon and so Neil and I decided to tell them then. When we did, the amount of pure joy they had for us was off the charts. We could feel that they were excited for us, genuinely and perfectly. It was amazing to feel that and share that with them. Little did we know that a few weeks later, they would be calling us and sharing the good news that they too were pregnant! 

 It was soon discovered that our due dates were 9 days apart. I was over the moon because I knew that our babies would grow up together. We all talked about the excitement we had and then they told us they would be having a boy!! The anticipation for us to find out the gender of our baby was too much to handle and soon enough we were making that call to them. There was never a moment's thought of jealousy either direction. There was never a day that I didn't pray for them and their little family. Our joy for them was full and real and I was grateful for them. It's a feeling I can't really explain. 

Our joy is still full however, due to circumstances no one could've seen coming, it is full in a much different way. 

The Tale of an Angel

Just last week, early Monday morning, Jaiden called Neil. Beckah's water had broken and they were at the hospital. 

Neil drove to where I work, and when I saw his face, my heart dropped. Then he told me what had happened and together we cried for our cousins and their baby boy. 

We cried and prayed. It was all we could do. 

Jaiden shared the following just a few days later:

"Samuel Olsen came into and left this world yesterday. Beckah's water broke early Monday morning. Almost 50 heartbreaking hours later, we welcomed our perfect tiny baby boy. He weighs a shocking 15.1 oz and is 11.25" long (for only being 21 weeks he was a big boy). We are so lucky to be the parents of such a perfect little boy who only needed a body to finish his work here on earth. It is comforting to know that we have an angel in heaven watching over us and giving us a little extra motivation to be a little better. We are so blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful family and friends. We thank each of you for your love, prayers, and support. We miss you Samuel." 

The Rest of the Story

Honestly, there isn't an end to this story yet. Jaiden and Beckah laid their son to rest and continue to be genuinely at peace with the Lord's plan for them. They continue to embrace and have faith in the Lord's Plan of Salvation. They continue to walk in righteousness before the Lord and they continue to inspire me. They have expressed to me and Neil that they are still excited for our baby boy. They want to be involved and see our son grow up as they would have seen Samuel. They are still cheering us on even though it would be so easy for them not to. But there is no malice. Just humility, love, kindness and a touch of gumption. There is an army of angels carrying them, I am sure, but most importantly there is an angel waiting for them, watching for them and loving them from afar. His name is Samuel. 

I am grateful for two earth angels who, despite this heartbreaking and what could be faith shaking experience, have remained by the Lord's side and shown me what the true meaning of faith is. My admiration of them and my love for my Heavenly Father has grown over this last week. I know that Christ lives. I know that because He lives, we can live with Him again and Jaiden and Beckah will be reunited with their precious Samuel.

A Baby for the Olsens

I realize that the majority of the people who read my blog follow me on other social media outlets however, that won't stop me from sharing this story (which in all reality should have been written up a couple months ago). 

You may remember, though it has been some time, the day I posted about going on a hike with my best friend, Erin. On that hike we had talked about a plethora of things as we always do. 

One of those things was our hopes and dreams regarding our future family lives.

That particular topic took up a good portion of our hike and later that day, after I was home, I felt like I should take a pregnancy test. 

I actually kept telling myself that I didn't need to and that it would be the same result as the last million times I'd done it in the last two years. Negative. So, why? I kept a few tests at home but I didn't feel pregnant, and my cycle, which ranged anywhere from 60 to 80 days in length on average, hadn't even hit the 45 day mark. 

I finally decided to take the chance. Usually, as per the instructions for the pee-on-a-stick tests, you have to wait for 3 minutes before an accurate reading can be read. For me though, a faint, a very very faint but still very much THERE, line appeared on the test. 

I counted and recounted.
Two lines=pregnant. 

But that couldn't be real. It was probably a false positive. 

I cleaned up, left the stick on the sink counter, and headed to CVS to buy some more tests. Different brands this time because I had a store brand and surely a brand name test would give me a more accurate result. 

On my way home, I called Neil. I asked him, "Do you want me to tell you now or wait until you get home?" Of course he said to tell him then, it's rather hard to judge when you want to hear some news when you don't know what that news is! So I said, "I think, I THINK, I might be pregnant. I just went and bought another test to try again." He was cautiously excited and told me to wait until he got home to take it. And so I did. 

But wouldn't you know it? The darn test I bought was faulty. It gave me an error reading. 

I was out of tests and out of pee. 

We decided to trek to Target to pick up a variety of pregnancy tests (because they were having a sale...go figure) and by the time we got back home, I had a full, non-watered down bladder and an army of pregnancy tests. 

Test #2 (okay, #3) was, again, positive. That second little line showed up pretty rapidly, however faintly. 

Over the course of the next few weeks, I took a test every few days. All positive. However, that didn't stop me from being skeptical. I called my OBGYN and set up an appointment for a few weeks down the road. 

Those few weeks were torture but finally the day came and we went into the office cautiously excited. 

After the nurse called us back and took all the notes she needed from me, she sent in the doctor. He was so nice and asked all the same questions and then some. Finally, it was time to look for proof of a baby via the ultrasound machine. 

Based on our baby's size, baby was 6 weeks 5 days, not 8 weeks 1 day as we had thought. Apparently this is common for women with PCOS. We don't ovulate with the same kind of reliability as those without PCOS so I had just ovulated later than the "normal time". Because of this, we couldn't hear the heartbeat but we sure could see it! That little bean shaped nugget in my uterus was showing off as best it could and it made us both so excited. About a month later we were able to hear our little baby's heartbeat and I fell to pieces. My midwife was tickled that I cried and said it is her favorite part of the job.

I've made it safely and soundly through the first trimester and a good way into the second. Our baby is doing well, growing, kicking, moving limbs and having a good ol' time inside of me. 

I treasure this child, I pray for this child everyday, as I did before this baby was even growing inside of me. I cherish every little movement I can feel and every picture we can get at our checkups. I am grateful because I am blessed with a husband who will be a fantastic father and who is excited to be one.

February 1st, take your time getting here but not too much time, okay? We really can't wait to meet this little baby face to face. 

My Tea and Me

Okay, honestly, this post has very little to do with tea and much more to do with organizing my kitchen but it all starts with my tea! 

I only drink herbal tea but I have enough variety at home that it definitely takes up space. 

And that thought, that very dangerous thought is where this all began. 

With a baby on the way, (um, I should maybe make a post about that...) and with the tiny apartment we live in, I have been in FULL ON de-junk, de-clutter and organization mode. Which is saying something because this is a regular thing for me. So, really, I'm in beast mode with this right now.

In addition to wanting to organize my house (and de-junk etc.) my husband and I are gearing up to start the Whole30 on October 1st. I know, I know, that seems far enough away that you may think I don't need to go crazy just now. But, preparation is the key to success. I'm clearing out my kitchen of things that we don't need, things that aren't good for us (on a non-Whole30 scale) and we're preparing bit by bit so that come October 1, we are ready to go!

So, back to the tea organizing... 

I started with my tea shelf because I had so much of it and it is taking up so much space that I was, and am, convinced that there is a better way to store my tea. I also started with the tea because I felt like what I needed to organize it already resided in my house...somewhere. 

And I was right!

After a few minutes (give or take a couple hours) on Pinterest, a light bulb sprang to life in my brain. 

I used the following items:

Ball jars-left over from canning

Ikea spice racks- that I bought a couple years ago and never used!!

small plastic storage container (from Target)- I bought 10 of these on sale for $1 about a year ago and didn't end up using all of them

paint- a sample size for $3 from Home Depot. Color: Irish Folklore

card stock- from my craft supply 

a glue stick-I wanted the labels to stick but not be super hard to remove if I needed to

scissors

and

THESE labels from Limeshot Design. They're free! 

So, I got to work moving the loose-leaf teas from their bags to mason jars. Anything that needed an airtight container went into a mason jar. Any of the teas that were in their own bags (like the Bigelow Teas) went into the small plastic container.

After all the teas were settled in their new homes, I painted the Ikea spice racks. As they were drying I printed the mason jar lid labels on my card stock.  I couldn't figure out a way to print the names directly on the labels (I didn't try that hard) so I just wrote them on free-hand. Then I glued them on my jars.

Once the shelves were completely dry, I hung them on my kitchen wall (which was harder than I anticipated but I did it!), placed the jars on the racks and voila!

Then, because I had some frames floating around, I decided to add some art!

All The Hikes

It dawned on me recently that I live in an awesome state filled with so many natural wonders to explore. My last post was about a visit Neil and I made to Arches National Park and I think that's what spurred all of this. I decided that I wanted to get out more, hike more and just enjoy all of the amazing scenery so close to me. 

Last week, my best friend and I went on a hike up Little Cottonwood Canyon in Sandy, UT. 

It was so much fun and aside from that, it was GORGEOUS. Everything here is Utah has been so green lately due to all the rain. Here are some pictures from our adventures. 

Sneaking Away

This past weekend, I surprised Neil with a weekend getaway trip to Moab/Arched National Park. 

It all started at the beginning of the month when he was feeling overwhelmed with all of the responsibilities he has. I decided that I would step in and make a relaxing vacation happen.

I set to work making phone calls to a couple people including his sister Anna. (We stayed at their lovely home in Monticello.) I made packing lists, made sure that our laundry was done, house was clean, etc. I planned and carefully avoided bringing it up. 

It. Was. Hard. 

When I'm excited about something, Neil is who I tell first! It was hard not to turn and be like, "I'm so excited to surprise you!" 

But I kept it a secret. When I finally revealed the secret, he was ecstatic. It was so much fun to see his reaction and to feel his relief that he didn't have to plan any of it. 

We headed to Monticello Friday night and spent almost all day Saturday hiking the various trails at Arches. It was so much fun that I'm thinking another surprise is due again soon. 

Sniffles and Sneezes

Last week I woke up and it was like I'd been hit by a truck. 

My head was pounding, my throat was experiencing that horrible combination of dry, sore and mucus-y. My eyes were watery and my nose was runny. 

To be honest, I think it was a mixture of a cold and allergies. I had a slight fever and chills for a day but the next day it was your typical allergy attack. Thankfully, however, I didn't have itchy eyes or an itchy throat. I can deal with the rest just fine but itchy eyes? No. And an itchy throat just makes me miserable. 

Anyway, I have learned that some things work for me and some things don't. Most nasal sprays don't work for me. And with this bout of sickness, I didn't know if it was a cold or allergies or both so I treated for both. Which in the end wasn't much different than if I treated for one or the other. 

Things that work for me:

 Just a note, I'm not getting paid to promote these brands I simply like them and they work for me. 

1-Water! Because water is good for everyone ALL the time. Drink it. Love it. Be cleansed. 

2-Nasacort Allergy 24: I don't actually love this one but I do use it on day one of my sick days. Just day one. 

3-Smith's (Kroger) brand Nose Vapor Inhaler: Honestly, it sounds disgusting but I like this because it's not liquid. It's like breathing in the Vicks vapor but more direct. And it loosens up my congestion pretty well. 

4-Puffs Plus with Lotion AND Vicks: Apparently, these aren't sold in stores anymore. Why? No idea, but you can buy them online. I bought mine on Amazon.com in bulk.

5-Tylenol Sinus:This little beauty saves my bacon. Every. Time. I like it for a couple different reasons. It works, the caplets are coated in some kind of minty stuff that makes them easier to swallow, AND it treats both allergy and cold symptoms. So, YAY! 

6-Burts Bees Lip Balm: My lips get very dry when I take decongestants so I make sure to keep this lovely lip balm close by. 

7-Vicks Vapor Rub: I actually use this and the Breathe oil to help me, you know, breathe. And I love it. 

8-Vitamin D: I have a Vitamin D deficiency so I take 10,000IU every day but I make sure I get enough when I'm sick. I've been told that Vitamin D is the boat that takes the medicine to your cells so without boats, medicines and other supplements don't really do much. 

9-Traditional Medicinals Seasonal Sampler: You get four bags of each flavor. It doesn't cost as much as buying all four flavors.

10- Essential Oils: There are a bunch of brands out there but I use doTERRA. I diffuse and topically use different oils all the time but I like to diffuse Breathe when I'm sick (along with a couple others). 

Anyway, those are my top ten "go-tos" for when I'm sick and they definitely helped me heal quickly so I could carry out my surprise out-of-town trip! That's coming on Thursday.

The oils I use when I'm sick.

My Oils "Bible". It helps you learn which oils to use for different ailments AND how to use them (Topically, Aromatically, Ingestion...yeah)

The mixtures of teas I drink in addition to the Seasonal Sampler.

Antique Window Painting

You might think that there are a million pins of Pinterest detailing the absolute best way to paint words on glass. In this case, an antique window. However, I was quite surprised when after an hour and a half of searching, I couldn't find even one! There were some pins that came close and others that said they were painted on but were really vinyl cut. It wasn't frustrating, simply baffling. 

Then I realized that all those talented people who have all the tricks for painting on windows are probably Etsy shop owners so no way would they "sell their secrets". I can't really blame them, I mean, they probably make a good amount of money off those things. Even so, I simply could not find a tutorial that helped me do what I wanted to do. 

So, I improvised and here is what I did. 

I gathered my materials:

Antique window from a local antique shop

Paint pens-I used the Tree House studio brand from Hobby Lobby but have also seen DecoColor and Craftstudio brand paint pens and they look like they would work also. 

Fabric

Teapot and Teacup designs

Scissors

Elmer's glue spray adhesive
a single edged razor blade

After I made sure I had everything I needed, I went to work. 

The first thing I did was find free graphics for the teapot and and teacup. Of course, I went to Pinterest for this. And I found a pin and it took me to these free graphics courtesy of Vintage Glam Studio.

I downloaded the document and printed an enlarged version so that my cutouts weren't tiny.
After printing a larger version of the graphics, I cut them out and traced the outline onto my fabric. Then I cut the fabric.

It was about this point that I stopped taking pictures because the project started to become very involved. (Erm, I forgot.)

Then I flipped the fabric over to the "wrong side" (is there a technical term for this?), laid it on a piece of paper and sprayed it down with the adhesive spray. Then, of course, I had to move it to the glass. I already knew where I wanted it to go so I gently placed it on the glass then smoothed it out. It dried pretty quickly so I only had a short window (yuk, yuk) of time to work with.

After the fabric teapot and teacup were secured on the glass, I went to work on the painting.

This was trickier and I went through 3 different techniques before finally just free handing everything.

Something to keep in mind: I printed a design from word so that I could copy from that to the glass. What I should have done was print a large version of the design and tape it to the back of the window so I could "trace" the letters with the paint markers. But that didn't happen because I didn't think about that until it was too late. I won't go into detail about how I did it because it's complicated and took way too much time. Do what I should've done! It'll save you time and energy.

Even though I spent more time than I needed to on this project, I enjoyed the process because I can share with you the things I learned. Like, how to cut out 3 hours by printing a design and taping it to the backside. Let me know what you think! AND if you would like one made for you or someone you know, let me know in the comments and we can work something out!

My Post-Graduation Plans

I don't have any. 

Not really, anyway. 

The funny thing is, I don't even mind. I really don't. I am happy to be at home every day cleaning, cooking and just being free! I'm sure the feeling will wear off at some point but for now, for the summer, I only have plans to enjoy my summer working on my Family History, taking vacations, helping my parents move across the country, spending time with friends, really getting a handle on my health, reading books (of my own choosing) outside in my new lawn chair and sleeping. 

I suppose that is a plan. It's just not the plan I think people expect to hear when they ask, "So, what now"? And I'm not offended by the question, I just don't think I have the typical answer and for the silliest reason, I have been having a hard time answering when people ask.

Why? Why not be proud of my decision? It's a temporary thing and even if it wasn't it would still be a good decision for me. I want one summer to myself without school or work. I want one summer that I can pamper my hardworking husband and welcome him home every day to a clean house and a nice, hard earned meal! What is so weird about that?

I think nowadays it's odd for a woman who doesn't have any children (and isn't pregnant) to want to be a homemaker. Women with kids already have a lot of opposition facing them that it seems bizarre that someone without kids would subject themselves to staying at home to be a homemaker, right?

I don't think that I'm being judged and I have never heard anyone say that I'm less of a person for wanting this, I have simply felt this attitude expressed by others. Truly, I don't think it's a conscious attitude but I do think it exists. What I'm trying to say is typically if you aren't employed as a woman in the culture I'm surrounded by (Provo...a love/hate relationship for me) you are one of the following: a mother or a student. At times, it feels as though you are qualified to be unemployed because of those two things. But choice? That doesn't seem to be a good enough qualifier, it only makes you "lazy".

Now, I know that the culture I'm surrounded by is not the best example of the real world. Let's be honest. Provo is a bubble for many reasons and in many ways. It's not a fair sampling but it's still the culture that I'm exposed to the most at the moment. That being said, I'm learning to move beyond it.

I will not live here forever, thank goodness, and I fully intend on being employed full-time come the end of the summer but if I didn't plan on that, that would be okay too! I'm not ashamed to say that this summer is "my" summer. My summer to share with my husband. My summer to explore, relax and focus on my health.

So, if you wanted to know what my post-graduation plans are, now you know.

Crock Pot Freezer Meals

I'm trying to be healthier both physically and financially. 

In most of the health and fitness plans I've come across, I've noticed that all of them suggest to plan your meals and prep your meals ahead of time. The purpose is so that you are able to just grab a meal or throw one together easily when you're hungry instead of having to sit and ponder about it and then end up going out and grabbing a pizza because it's easier and quicker to do that than to make something healthy.

I've never done this before because the idea of prepping a million meals all in one day just didn't sound exciting. However, I decided to stop dragging my feet and just do it! I hopped on Pinterest and found this website (through a pin) that was truly a game changer. I am kind of a picky eater so I went through all of the recipes and picked out recipes that I knew I'd like and recipes that would limit the variety of what I had to buy. She also has a meal label you can print off and I did that too! Anyway, I picked the following meals:

1. Garden Veggie Soup

I made two batches and added chicken.

2. Chicken Teriyaki

3. Honey Dijon Chicken 

I made two batches of this as well. She made hers with pork but I'm trying to not eat pork so I swapped it for chicken.

4. Shredded BBQ Chicken

but I also wanted to make a couple other meals that she didn't have recipes for:

5. Beef & Broccoli 

6. Taco Soup

(Two batches)

7. Dr. Pepper Pot Roast

I add in potatoes and carrots the last couple of hours

My meals, ready to go!

I also made some meals for breakfast including:

1. Egg Muffins

I made 24 of these and could've easily made more.

2.  Refrigerator Oatmeal

I used Greek God's Vanilla and Honey Greek Yogurt and Almond Milk and I made 12 jars.

3. Fruit and Spinach Smoothies

I could've also made more of these but only made 8

Smoothies. I'll be making more.

So, I've got breakfast and dinner covered for the rest of the month and will be working on the lunches soon. These batches are perfect for two people and will leave a good amount of left overs so that they'll last for a couple meals rather than just one.

 I went to Costco and Smith's and spent about $175 total (I know, it seems like A LOT...and it is) on groceries and items needed for making my meals.

I ended up buying:

(From Costco)

Raspberries

Blueberries

Strawberries

Oranges

Organic, hormone free Chicken Breasts (12 lbs)

Carrots

Black Beans

Corn (canned)

Frozen Veggies

2 Dozen Large Eggs

Babybel Cheese

Bananas

Avacados

Quinoa

Lettuce

Spinach

Rotisserie Chicken Breast Meat

(From Smith's)

Low Sodium Teriyaki sauce

Low Sodium Soy Sauce

Zucchini (x2)

Yellow Squash (x2)

Onion (x1)

4 lb Chuck Roast

Beef Stew Pieces 

Chicken Broth

Beef Broth

Beef and Onion Soup Mix

BBQ Sauce

Gallon Size Freezer Bags

Quart Size Freezer Bags

I think I'm forgetting a few things but you get the idea. 

Anyway, I followed her advice and printed my recipes and labels before putting everything together.

All in all it really did take me almost all day to make the meals but I'm grateful that I did it. I've loving only having to clean up the rice maker and crock pot after dinner that I've decided to raid my freezer and see what else I have for freezer meals. I haven't found anything for the shrimp but I do have some things planned for the Salmon and the left over chicken that didn't get used this time around. (About 4 lbs.) I'll post about that round of freezer meals once I've done them. 

In the mean time, I'm going to enjoy the fact that I don't have to buy groceries or worry about dinner or breakfast for the next month.

Graduation

I graduated. 

College. 

Or University, whichever you prefer. 

Anyway, the point is that after 6 and 1/2 years, I have finally graduated from a post-secondary educational institution! With relatively good grades and zero job prospects on the horizon, I'd say I'm pretty much caught up with the other graduates out there.

Anyway, I'm enjoying this new part of life and all of the fun things I have for this summer are keeping me exited for what the future holds! 

My best friend, Erin!

Julie, Erin and Me

So many graduates!

I'm so lucky that Emily came and supported me!

Selfie. Because my make-up, hair and general look was just WORKIN!

Best friends since '05. Graduated High School and College together! I really love this girl!