An amazing HusBanD!!

So that last few weeks I've really been trying to count some of my many blessings.  I've been reminded over and over how great of a guy I was lucky enough to marry.

Like I had said, I've been thinking for several weeks, but just last Thursday, we got news that was the icing on the cake.

Chad passed his NAVLE or nation board exam for Veterinarian, and also the WSU CPE test!!! Now Chad was really nervous about both of these.  More for the CPE test, since he was told that only 40% of the class passes the first time.
Chad took the NAVLE on December 6th and then got a call from Idaho State on last Thursday January 14th, telling him that he passed his board exam.  And only the evening before did he hear about passing the CPE!!  What a relief for him.  He told me he had been praying and praying about it.  Which I find so endearing.  I had said a few prayers before he took them, but I knew that our Heavenly Father would bless him.  Chad has been so diligent during Vet school.  I'm sure even longer than the last 4 years, but I didn't know him then.  But I've been impressed with his study habits.  He never slacks off in anything really.  That is one the things that I most admire in him.  But because he has always studied hard I knew that the Lord would bless him to do well.

Okay so I wrote that at the end of January before we even went home for Chad's rotations.  Well now I have even more to say.  This last weekend was Craft Fair, and I was pretty ambition this year and came up/stole from Stacie lots of ideas.  Thanks Stace couldn't do it without ya. But we did really well and that's all because Chad has been painting things for weeks.  And then even during the craft fair he was helping me weed more vinyl to put the finishing touches on things.  He basically had 14 days in a row of no rest, between 1 week of overnights and then rotations and coming home to paint all night.  What an Angel!!  I love you CHAD!!

Craft Fair, WSU Mom's weekends April 3-4th

So here are a few of the pictures from our Mom's Weekend Craft Fair that Camille Rupp, My sister-in-law, Stacie, and I did. With all out hard work we at least broke even and did make a little money. We're in the middle of trying to get taxes in to see really how much we made. So was it worth it????

Well in some ways it was a screaming sucess. I got an offer to sell my picture plaques in a little craft shop in Ephrata WA. I think that's how you spell it. And also got approached about doing a booth at the Big Red Barn events this year in Colton. If I decide to do these, it is still to be determined. We also got approached to sell these adorable birch wood scrapbooks, because "they go perfect with our baby things and cute dresses." I also have had people call me for some custom orders too. It's been exciting to see people so excited about things that we made.

It was incredible to hear all the positive comments as people looked through our booth. And our booth was almost always full all day Saturday. I was just glad that we were positioned where we were, cause we kind of overflowed into the booth next to us. Thanks to the Wolfe's that were selling the beautiful wood cutting boards next to us that were kind enough to let us let us crowd them all day. We also had many people comment on how cheap our things were priced. Which I realized after I went and visited the Now & Then store in Moscow and also when we compared ourselves to the other craft booths there at the Fair.

Here's a picture of the baby section that I made. I had tons of people comment on them, but most of the ladies were not far enough along to know whether they were having a boy or a girl. So most of this is all still available, or I could make you the set of blocks with colors of your choice.

So I didn't quite get all my Vinyl lettering on time cause of mail difficulty, so I have some cute windows, tiles, cards, and crafts that are still looking for a home. So if you're interested let me know.

I will have more up close pictures of things I still have available, but I'm feeling the need to catch up to date with what is going on now.  

To be creative or not to be creative? That is the question.

So this excerpt was taken from Dieter F. Uchdorf's talk from the women's broadcast session in November 2008. I still remember the feelings I had as I sat in the Stake Center in Moscow, ID, watching this with the other sisters from the Stake around me....I was inspired or felt an answer to a prayer that I had been praying about for a while and just hadn't had the gumption or bravery to do. But after hearing this and with all the thoughts that I've had, I decided that I needed to try to sell some of the home decor things that I make to see if I could bring in some addition funds. I first got thinking about this, because friend would come into my home and comment on some of the things I've made. They have been requesting that I make them one. So I thought maybe I really could sell these? But then thoughts of doubt enter and I think I'm crazy.
Now I'm thinking I need this more after I become a mom this late summer(Another great blessing of creation in my life). I've been trying to come up with ways, that I might be able to spend more time at home with my little girl and less at work away from her, and still meet all the bills that we have coming in.
The timing of this talk was perfect. I had just talked with my friend Camille Rupp a few weeks before about maybe getting a booth at the Beasley Coliseum Craft Fair in the Spring. So this is some of the things that I had in my mind, but after hearing specifically this section of his talk (although it was all great) I realized we really needed to do it. So Camille and I have our paperwork and money submitted and we just found out that we've been accepted. So I've been busy making things to sell. So here are some of things that I've been making in preparation for the Craft show on April 3-4th!!! If anyone has a request, I'm willing to make custom orders!! Let me know.

So here are 2 sets of cards that I made.

And here is the clock I made at Enrichment(below) and one that I made at Christmas time(above). It's just waiting for a name and lettering to go with it.
I'll keep posting more pictures as they come!!