My Birthday Boy

Yesterday was Nephi's actual birthday. Can I just say how sweet this guy is? Everyone loves him. I cannot express enough how great it is to marry a sweet, kind man. Long story short- nice guys finish FIRST.

The day started off great for Nephi with his sweet sister posting a video that you can find here. She is the cutest! Then, she even did a special blog post about Nephi that you can find here. Then, they gave Nephi a call before we went to dinner.

Thank you Cannon family for making Nephi feel so special! He was GLOWING the rest of the night. :)

This picture turned out weird but it's the only one we got of us.

We went to Applebee's for dinner and ate really good. I haven't been there in forever but we loved it! We came home and it wasn't even 8 PM and we were so happy that we had the rest of the night to relax.

Before we ate cake, Nephi opened a few of his presents. Because he was so anxious (aka-me) on Sunday after his party, I gave him one of his presents that night, which was...

Oh yeah, Hot Rod. Both Nephi and I were happy about this gift. We haven't been able to find it ANYWHERE in stores so I ordered it online.

Then, he opened his other presents...

Waiting in the birthday boy chair!

Cute purple polo. He looks SO cute in purple.

Sweats! He has needed some for a while and it's even better that BYU-Idaho is blasted across the leg, right?

And the last gift....Can you guess what it was?

Nephi launching towards me to tackle me after giving him this special gift....

Modern Warefare 3. Yep. I caved. He deserves it.

My feelings about it.

I just have to say that only growing up with one boy in the family, I am still getting used to the whole video game thing. Nephi is amazing and has only played literally twice since we have been married. I knew getting him this would allow him to play more but I think it's worth it because he really has proven to me that he has such great self-control unlike other boys I know. So when I say 'he deserves it', he does.

And then we ate cake! You can find the recipe here. If you need a good chocolate cake fix, seriously, this is the BEST!

Let the boy eat cake, right?

It had raspberry filling--Nephi's favorite.

So that was his birthday! It was really fun and we look forward to endless birthday's together.

He's A Quarter of a Century

On Sunday, we threw a little birthday bash for Phe-Phi (fee-fi). I decided to make the theme "Quarter of a Century". A hour before the party started, my oven literally exploded! I was throwing in some dinner for Nephi and I and his parents so we could eat before the party and I had water boiling and the oven on and then I heard this huge noise. It was almost like a radio frequency sound but very very loud and it kept going. I was standing at the counter, right in front of the oven, so I looked to the side and then turned around and saw the oven and it was NEON orange!!! I screamed and it started sparking so I ran out of the kitchen and started yelling Nephi's name and he was vacuuming so he threw down the vacuum and ran over. He turned off the oven, avoiding the sparks, and opened the oven. Smoke came out as he opened it but it was not on fire. The element inside of the oven exploded! Here is what it looked like...

I was freaking out because I was running behind and I have to use the oven to cook the brownie's, apple crisp and meatballs! I called our landlord, who is awesome, and she reminded us that we could use the upstairs oven because it is currently vacant. So, I used upstairs oven which was awesome because I didn't have to cook in our apartment and make it smell. It put me a little behind and but we ended up getting everything done just in time, thanks to my good friends Jordan and J who saved me! They are amazing.

So, here are some pictures from the party! (They are not edited and I took them with my simple point and shoot camera so they aren't the best.)

Appetizers: Turkey Meatballs, Cheesy Bean Dip with Tortilla Chips, Veggies and Dip and Wheat Tortilla Roll-ups (chive cream cheese and swiss cheese).

Desserts: Homemade Hot Chocolate and dipping sticks, Apple Crisp, Cream Puffs, Brownie Bites with whipped cream and raspberries and cookies that a friend brought.

I made this cute sign and put it next to our piggy bank! Notice all the nasty dishes in the sink? Tacky? Nah. 

These turkey meatballs were a hit! They went so fast...I should have made more!

We don't have a lot of space to sit so we set up chairs around the room and put a football game on and that kept people entertained. 

We ended up having a lot of people show up! It was really fun.

We got a little ghetto with the hanging quarters and used dental floss. It was creative, right?

So that was the party! I am really glad we did it on a Sunday and basically our apartment still looks the same because we haven't cleaned a thing since. Good thing I am done with classes this afternoon!

Tonight for Nephi's birthday we are going to dinner (after I take and 'pass' my econ exam) and then coming home and eating cake, opening presents and then the greatest gift, sleeping in Wednesday morning :)

Writing a dang paper

I can't focus right now. I have a paper due tomorrow and an econ exam and I am surfing the net, blogs and facebook. Seriously kill me.

I am going to spend 20 more minutes writing this dang editorial on going green and then I am turning it in.

PS-Nephi's birthday is tomorrow and I can't wait! Today kind of blew (just one of those everything is bad and I wish I had a magic wand sort of days) so I am  just hoping that tomorrow will be great and that our Thanksgiving vacation will finally start.

First job offer

So, I got my first job offer...and guess what I said??

NO.

Yeah, I know. It's weird. But, turns out it is not what I thought it was going to be. Nephi and I calculated how much I would need to make in order to make it worth it for me to commute to Idaho Falls for work. There were a lot of factors we considered and felt like we had adequately weighed all our options. So, we decided 'our number' and fasted, prayed, cried (well, I cried, he listened) and went forward with faith.

Well...today I went for my final interview with the company and let's just say, it was a joke. They offered me HALF of our minimum that we could live at AND, she said multiple times, "I don't want to promise you anything..." What kind of job!? --I realize that sounds harsh. I don't mean it. I was just shocked, kinda. But, grateful for a strong answer. I didn't say no on the spot. I told her I could call her tomorrow like a professional would.

It may seem crazy that we turned down a job, but, I know it's not for me if that is the pay and it's not even going to be stable. In 4 weeks, I will have a stinken college degree, an amazing internship and experience like no other--I couldn't settle. And the only reason I say that is because I have some other possible options that I know will not only pay more, but be a better springboard to my future career and financial goals.


We're in Idaho and we don't need much but we do need to be reasonable people.

I covet hobbies

Last night Nephi went to a bachelor party and I...went to the library. I had some homework to do and I thought I would try and finish a project for the home that I started a few weeks ago. I am trying to finish up a few details in our place before I feel like I can post pictures and feel confident in our place. We have had a few get togethers with friends and so I am obviously fine with our place but I just want to fill in all the blanks! Ladies, you know what that is like. Nephi thinks I am a crazy person but in the end, he always admits he is grateful that I care so much about our home.

So, I am obsessed with typography. I could sit on adobe illustrator for hours arranging type and cool quotes if my life would allow me. I seriously covet those with time to do those things! One day I will be able to set aside a few hours a week to it and that will be the day that I develop carpal tunnel. I am sure I will.

Here are a few things I put together last night!

Festive, right? I've had those decorations up for about a month and will have to switch it out soon but at least I decorated for the holidays. Nephi committed me to decorating our place for Christmas. I will be working on those projects soon :)

I know, I know, it's super cliche to have the whole "Keep Calm..." paraphernalia. But, it worked really well and I love that it has the temple on it. On the left is the scripture in D&C 76:22. I love that scripture. It always reminds me of my testimony. The quote on the right is part of the 13th Article of Faith. Great words to live by.  I chose the pink/peach color because I have a few pillows that color and our rug has that color and I am trying to bring it out more. It looks really good actually. Who would have thought? Pink? Me? Yup.

 

And this is where I put the frame, temporarily. Once I get that bookshelf organized, it will go there and be more legible.

So, there are a few crafts that I have encountered. I will have a few more done by the end of Thanksgiving! What I love about typography is that for me, it is free. If you want any of these prints, let me know. I will send you the file and you can print it off yourself. Also, here is a cool blog that I follow that gives out free images that I use every once in a while.

Saturday was crazy. Nephi went to school and work and I was at school all day studying and doing homework. I had to take a test but I forgot my I-Card and so I ran home and got back on campus right before the test closed. I literally got in the door at 4 PM when they give out the last test on Saturday's and stood in line again to wait for a computer to take an online test.

Right when I got to the front, they yelled that anyone there for an online test needs to go home. Seriously. Ugh. I was just about to walkaway and then this girl brought a number over and said there was one computer available. Yeeeesssssss. She started writing on my sheet and then the girl behind me started whimpering, "Please no, I have to take this test. It's for nursing. Please." The test center nazi-lady was like, "I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do about."

I quickly thought about how I had till Monday to take my test but I didn't want to wait but that this girl needed it more than me. I turned around, put my hand on her should and said, "You can have my computer. I can take this test on Monday," and walked away...I don't think she even realized what I said. A girl in the line grabbed my arm and said, "That was so nice." I smiled and kept walking.

I went to the grocery store and picked up a few things and ran home so I could make dinner and straighten up. I made this for Nephi. We LOVED it! I didn't follow it exactly but if your hubby or you loves perogie's, this is a quick alternative to making homemade one's.Yum. I made it in a small dish and we ate the whole thing! We hadn't eaten since breakfast and we were so hungry.

Needless to say, we went into a food-comma after eating so much. We were in heaven but still had a lot to do. We decided to not do it and lounge around until we had to make a quick stop at a birthday party. It was a party for one of the elders from my mission. A few mission friends were there and it was nice to catch up but there was a strobe light and loud music and I almost passed out. ha. We can't do that scene anymore and we are totally fine with it.

We went to Red Box and rented 'Unknown'. I made some sugar free hot chocolate (Nephi actually liked it) with marshmellows and we cuddled in bed and watched the movie. We fell asleep but we finished it on Sunday and it was great!

It was a good weekend and I was so happy to have Nephi home!

Today, Miracles Happened!

Today, miracles happened.

After 3 months, our financial aid came in. It could not have come at a greater time! Seriously. I was in shock. I still am in shock. My life feels so much better!

Currently, for one of my classes we are working on budgeting. My assignment for Monday is to create a budget for November based on the money that I was tracking that we spent throughout the whole month of October. It is crazy to see how much money you spend and what you spend it on. Lesson, learned! (I am sure this will not be the last.)

First, fill out this net worth statement to find out how much you are worth. (Download it and fill it out.)

Then, keep track of your expenses each week for the next month to find out how much money you are spending in a month. (Download it and fill it out. Erase the existing items. They are just filler examples.)

And finally, complete a monthly budget from the information that you learned about your monthly spending. 

Try it out.

Oh yeah, this blog...

Lately I have been blogging more on my other blog because it is a school assignment. I am suppose to blog there twice a week! It's going to be more business related content but I will mix it up and I need readers to help me know what people want to read!

So, check out my last few posts and tell me what you think! (Be sure to follow me there as well.)

Thankkkkks. :)

Marketing Miss Mallory