Raise the Roof... She's back! I love this gal...

Patrona

( sorry, inside joke, only few will get)

Oh, and I love these gals too! Cecer's and Monmon's! O.K. that would be Cecily and Armanie, two very cute nieces of mine, and that hotty in the middle would be Tex, the Patrona's adoring, intelligent, well-behaved, well balanced son!

Sorry I stole your pic, Chal, it was too cute to pass up!

I love my fam:)

A Heart Like His... try this!

My mother-in-law, Carole, and an amazing women she is, shared this idea... The Hawthorn Effect, at our Women's Conference on Saturday. I had read this book, A Heart Like His, about a year ago and found the authors thought's and ideas simple, genuine, and realistic... not one of those "Church Books" that leave you feeling riddled with guilt and despair. I loved it! In this book, Sis. Pierce shares the concept of the Hawthorn Effect and how it is possible for us in a simple way to change negative behavior in ourselves. After Carole challenged all the women in our stake to give it a try, I thought surely I could do it. So here it goes... I've got my pocket all ready full of pennies, and since it's Noelle's Birthday today, it shouldn't be too hard to offer a lot of "Positive Language" to her and my other children. I'm really excited to do this... I guess it's by small and simple things that great things come to pass! I'm going to try it for the whole week!

Read below:

THE HAWTHORNE EFFECT

The “Hawthorne Effect” is a term used to describe the tendency of subjects in experiments to increase sought-after behavior or decrease negative behavior, simply because they are being studied. It was first observed among the employees at the Hawthorne Plant who were being studied by researchers from Harvard Business School. The researchers were studying worker productivity. But they encountered a problem. When the researchers gave attention to the employees, the workers’ productivity didn’t remain static, it increased. This change in productivity was produced simply by an awareness that they were being studied, and it skewed the study.
Obviously, the Hawthorne Effect drives researchers crazy, but for those who wish to change behavior it is quite encouraging. It means that all I have to do to increase the frequency of a desired behavior, or decrease the frequency of a negative behavior is to notice it! Just my awareness of it will change the results……
For instance, if a mother is concerned about how often she speaks in habitually negative language to her children, she can decide to count all the negative statements she makes. Without any apparent self-discipline, as she becomes aware of how many times a day she responds to a child negatively, she will instinctively improve. Being aware enough to count and report our experiences is a dynamic and positive process.
[One method of doing this is to] fill one pocket with pennies at the beginning of the day. Each time [a mother] responds with positive language to her children rather than negative language, she takes one penny and transfers it to the other pocket. At the end of the day, she writes down the number of pennies in the second pocket. I have done this to self-monitor all sorts of behaviors, and the Hawthorne Effect always holds true. As I continue to count and record, the positive behaviors increase and the negative behaviors decrease.

(Virginia Pearce, A Heart Like His, pg. 88-91)

If all else fails, go for Carns!

I was asked to create some small centerpieces for a baby shower last weekend and thought, Oh, that's easy... small centerpiece with white flowers, no problem. Unfortunately, white flowers of my liking were not to be found in Prescott. AHHHH So stressing out at the last minute I begged the Costco lady to let me into the cooler. Lucky me there were four bunches of white carns waiting to made into something just lovely. Well "lovely" might not have been my initial response to carns ( I know, I know SKL, you wouldn't even consider a carn!) Unable to find any greens I resorted to limes and some lily grass and some other filler, both from bushes in my yard. I thought the final arrangement was quite lovely~

This is how I wrapped the lily grass together.

Some might wonder what my children do while I work on a project. I thought these photos illustrated perfectly how children can learn to adapt and make things happen on their own. We mother's can't do everything for them! This morning, Taft was doing his usually morning graze and kept insisting on a snack. I told him to go make himself some lunch, and that's exactly what he did! Not just something for himself, but a "delicious" mustard sandwich for all of us. I know, disgusting, but he and Camille love em'!

I love this kid!!!!!

I found this chair at Habitat for $10 and knew instantly that it had great potential. Despite it smelling like it came out of the Riv in Vegas, it had good bones and just needed a makeover. Unable to choose a fabric, Adrienne urged me to try something funky like this Amy Butler pattern. This is probably my all time favorite fabric of Amy's and thought my style could use some "funk." I'm not sure about the pleated skirt... I always tend to over embellish, but I really like the femininity of the skirt... The skirt also hides the chair's ghastly brass legs. It would be a little bit of work, but I could take the skirt off. Let me know what you think!
I've decided I'm going to put it in the corner of my kitchen as a time out chair. Little do my children know how fortunate they are to experience their punishment in such a sassy chair:)

Impossibly Good!

So last night I was off to Target for some "Mom time," ( thanks to recent GC comments by Elder Ballard) and as I aimlessly strolled around the store I stumbled upon these "fruit crisps". I was in the mood for a treat, but not something that would blow a good day of exercising and healthy eating. So since the chips were 2 for 5 I thought I'd give them a try. Of course the chips were packaged to look organic and super healthy, and as I read the calorie content they surely would be better than say, a bag of Cheetos. Anyway, on my way home I broke open a bag and what a delight! They were like fruit... like a chip... like DELICIOUS... and very satisfying. I ate the 14 chips allotted for the 140 calories and 4 grams of fat and was almost too full :) to finish the final fourteenth. I compared them to the Cheetos I had at home and for the same serving Cheetos had 160 calories and 10! grams of fat. So I've concluded that not only were the berry crisps surprisingly yummy, but more satisfying and healthier than some other form of junk food!
I think on my next road trip to the Motherland I'll grab me a DC and bag of these baked fruit crisps and settle in for a nice drive! Give em' a try and let me know what you think... I think there are about 5-6 different varieties.

I came across this pattern tonight and burst out laughing! This pattern is from 1951 and you will notice that it was designed for "chubbies." What the ...? Please no one take offense... I can laugh at this because I am a chubby. What I find especially crazy is that these girls on the front look anorexic. Would Dave Wright have yelled at them to "Get out of the pop, chubby?" No one else might find this funny, but I guarantee I've got some sissy's who will LOL!

More Durango Fun!

I couldn't help but post a few more pics of our fun in the snow! I got these pictures off Noelle's camera, and I have to say I'm impressed with her photography skills (O.K. I did crop them a bit) but maybe we have "Megan" in the making!

The Hostess herself, Ms. Belle. I love the pageant wave in the Uhgs!

Grandpa Dave relishing in his grandchildren. I'm amazed at the patience our parents have for their Grandchildren...

Mr. Rockwell, Amb's youngest son, is the sweetest, and I mean the sweetest, baby I've ever met! You just look at him and he smiles.

"Maybe if my Mom would get me out of this girly coat, and buy me a real boy's coat, my Uncle's would stop calling me such a wuss."

-Taft



These girls just think they're sooooo COOL! They just need a couple more babies under their belts...