The S.I.P. Project (Service Is Painless)

Carrots, Apples, Bananas; Share Your Good Intentions

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 17:22:00 +0000

What do you do with bananas when they start to go bad? Make banana bread right?! What do you do with apples and carrots when they start to turn a bit south? Uh...drawing a blank? Don't let all those good intentions go to waste, I'm talking about your good intentions to eat all those healthy apples and carrots you bought haha! Am I resonating with anyone here? Well I haven't had a go to recipe for how to use up carrots and apples, now I do, and I want to share these recipes with you. Of course when I make goodies I figure if I'm already going to be making them I might as well make a double batch. I love to share goodies and it makes the time I used baking feel super useful.

We had a snow day so I had a little helper in the kitchen. I wasn't planning on baking or making breakfast, but the snow day quickly threw out all my best laid plans. Since I'm sharing recipes I might as well share what we had for breakfast. Well it was just pancakes, but I doubled the batch and used half of them in a pancake casserole that has to be refrigerated overnight. I love using my time to kill two birds with one stone and I think from now on when I make pancakes I will do this. Did I mention yet how yummy it was??? It was a hit at my house! (I didn't add the streusel, and added almond meal to the pancakes). How great right, making breakfast for two days at once?! Well, I didn't get up early enough the next day to put them in the oven for 50mins, but that night we had it for dinner with bacon since the baby was fussy and only wanted to be held because she got some shots. So it worked out great!
I'm all about trying to be efficient with my time, any tips you have and want to share would be awesome! Who knows who could be helped by reading your tip! The more efficient we are with our time the more time we have to reach out to others. So how do you make the most use of your time?

Here is the recipe for the Apple Carrot bread which is one of the yummy breads found on this pinboard. It turned out super yummy, I was worried because it was a lot of grated carrot and apple which now that I know it tastes sooo good makes me even happier because it's plum full of goodness, and a little sugar ;) I printed out a copy of this recipe and will keep it next to my banana bread recipe. Also I love buying these little boxes to share treats in. I buy them at either Marshall's or Homegoods.

Last, but not least is my ALL time FAVORITE Banana Bread recipe!
Which is found in the Recipe Hall of Fame Cook Book.

  Best Ever Banana Bread

1 cup butter 3 Cups sugar
6 eggs 3 cups sour cream (I use plain yogurt)
4tsp baking soda 2tsp vanilla
4-5 bananas,mashed 1tsp salt
5 cups flour

Cream together butter, sugar, and eggs. Mix sour cream and baking soda together in separate bowl and let stand until foamy. Add the rest of the ingredients or the above mixtures and mix well. Place into 4 greased and floured 9x5 inch bread pans and bake at 350 degrees or until tooth-pick inserted comes out clean.

Scatter Sunshine!

-DeAnn :)

Kindness Elves Not Just A December Thing!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 20:20:00 +0000

The kindness elves are just what we needed in this house right now! After sicktober and the Holidays that were busy and not filled with much service, which isn't how I would want them, but that's how it played out this year. I just couldn't seem to get back on track after the month that shall not be named.

However even though they didn't go as planned I learned a valuable lesson in December. Which is that no matter how crazy busy I am I can still feel the Christmas spirit. I kept thinking I had to have lots of down time for some reason. I learned that's not true instead I utilized those in between moments and would do something that would help me focus on my Savior and it made all the difference. Simple things often do make the all the difference. It turned out that it was one of my best Decembers.

The kids just got their elves and are putting them on the tree so they have a good spot to watch them from. If they didn't behave until January they would leave.

I really wanted to do the Kindness Elves thing in December, but realistically I knew it wouldn't happen and I didn't want to start this unless I knew I could follow through with it. The idea came to me that I could do it in January and just say that Santa wants them to start their year off right with lots of service. Help their chances of staying on the nice list. I actually made the list of what they were going to do each day in October, but as things go for me, I picked up the list in late November and didn't like it anymore. I have to use my lists like this ASAP cause if they sit around too long I just don't like them anymore...anyone else have this weird problem?!
Make the list as simple or as involved as you want, I plan on mixing the two. I have a calendar going with everything we have going on week to week so I am really just winging it and coming up with things that will suite what we will be doing each day. If I don't have plans to be anywhere I don't want to drive somewhere just to do service because it's not just a one time thing, this is a month long thing, one day would be no big deal, but not planning it according to our schedules will just be inefficient and burn us out.

What we have done so far -
The elves came in the mail and I sent the kids outside to get wood, I opened the package and lit some matches and got rid of the evidence and when the kids came inside I said the note exploded, umm you can smell it hehe (you know like it does with spies) and this it what it said..insert whatever you want it to be. The kids thought this was super cool and were crazy excited and I didn't have to spend time writing up some elaborate note. The elves leave our house for good if the kids are super naughty by the way.

Day 1 the elves made the kids chocolate chip cookies and left some extras for them to give to someone else.
~~Day 2 nothing happened and the kids didn't notice~~
Day 3 the elves were in the hall on scooter with a note (written on construction paper, in cursive so the kids don't recognize my writing) it told them how important family was and we often times forget to tell them how much we love them. The elves said to write a note to each family member in Albuquerque cousins house and to ask their mom for the supplies they'll need. We were already going to be there so this makes it convenient. I had one card for each person and we each took turns writing in it.

Since I don't have a list all made up for you to see and since I didn't post about this like I wanted to much earlier so you could do it too in January and really I don't see why you couldn't do it in February with elves with the same reasoning I used or putting a Valentines love theme spin on it. Would anyone be interested in me posting on The SIP project Facebook page what the elves do each day so you can get ideas. You could also just do some here and there and not even bring elves into until next December, if you wanted to.

Now for some links! Get ideas on Pinterest just by search terms. My Pinterest boards. The original idea for this came from a friend posting this bloggers idea to my time line in 2013. I bought elves here. And if you want to follow along and see what we do each day go here!

It's funny after having a baby I find myself keeping things to essentials, so if you are looking for cute printables just type in Kindness Elves on Pinterest and you'll find all kinds of stuff. I hope you'll follow along on Facebook hopefully find a way to spin it in a way that works for you and yours.

Looking for a legit way to help somone...
A friend of mine Amber is trying to help a local family get ramps for their house to make life easier for them and their handicapped son. Every dollar counts! Please help spread the word! GoFundMe

My uber talented card making friend is selling super cute Valentines day cards for $3 and $6 dollars each buy them here. All the money she raises goes to helping Tommy get ramps for his house. To make an order e-mail her at mistrav@yahoo.com

Scatter sunshine!

-DeAnn

Potted Love, Mums the Word!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 12:39:00 +0000

As I walked into Wal-Mart to do my grocery shopping a few days ago the first thing I saw were a big stand of these pretty mums. And then I saw the price, 96cents! So I bought 10 I would have gotten more, but I still needed to fit groceries in my cart. You could maybe buy two bokeh of flowers for $10.

I asked people on The SIP Project Facebook page if we should take them to strangers in some parking lot or to people we know, the consensus was strangers. After school my daughter had piano lessons and then we headed out to give away the flowers...uh, we didn't get far haha, we know the lady across the street so I waited in the van with babycakes and they took them to her, but she wasn't home though her husband was. I told them there was an elderly couple who lives here (house in the pic below) and they were adamant about giving them flowers too. They stayed outside the door and chatted for about 10mins until I called them back because the baby was getting fussy. Then we went to the Smith's parking lot and what do you know one of the first people we saw was the lady who wasn't home, and her husband had already called her, she gave the kids hugs and seemed touched; I include this because see what 96cents can do :) We were there about 15mins just outside the doors. I told my kids what to say, something like "this is a random act of kindness, here are some flowers for you." It'as always interesting what peoples response is, some try and avoid eye contact because they think you are selling something and just try and get past you. One lady did and I kinda laughed that she was trying really hard to not look at someone who was really close to her, but once I said "this is a random act of kindness here you go" you could tell she was shocked and she happily took the flowers. It was neat to have a few people we gave flowers to stop and chat for a minute about it, or just stand a little stunned, but clearly in a state of surprise and shock at what just happened. I didn't take any pictures of the kids at Smiths I wish I had, but I was trying to coral them and hold a baby.

Here are the printables I made. You can cut them to whatever size you want. I used double sided tape to put them on the pots.

Print this

Print here I also hope you'll take a second and share this post on Pinterest or Facebook.

It's true that you'll never know the majority of the time what effect your acts of service have on others and really it doesn't matter, you start the ripple and that's the important part. The effect could go something like this, you give flowers to a mother who then doesn't yell at her son, the son then isn't grumpy from being yelled at and he helps littler brother with his homework and on and on. So go throw a few rocks in your pond and start some ripples in your community.

Scatter Sunshine!

- DeAnn :)

Dish Out Some Lunch Box Note Love!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 27 Aug 2014 11:00:00 +0000

My little man just started kindergarten and so now I have two kids in school. I miss them, but it's also nice to have lots of quite time with baby cakes. I saw lunch box notes on Pinterest and thought what a great and simple way to show these little turkeys I love them mid way through their day. Not sure if I am going to give them one everyday or just do give them one about two times a week. I will also just print enough out for the year, cut them out and have them ready to go. After looking at lots of lunch box notes I created two, to fill the gap I saw and put them in categories. Also don't you think some lunch box note love is in line for your spouse?! Interested in a post like that?

Make them laugh!

Print these here. You can find more here and here don't forget here while you're at it here.

Yep you need more of these here and here are a slew too.
........................................................................................................................................................

Encourage & Uplift!

Print these here. Below is one I made. I didn't see any blank ones, I suppose you could just use a post it note or something, but what's more important is the idea of sharing something uplifting and encouraging. I plan on sharing scriptures and quotes using the blank one here.

..............................................................................................................................................................
Play on Words!

Uh... here and don't forget this one

Find the above here. And some here...
................................................................................................................................................................

Fill in the Blank & Writing Prompts!

Find these here, here

I also felt there was a gap here. Who doesn't love a heart felt message?! Silliness is fun, but heart felt is needed too. Find the above here. I would also suggest using the blank notes to come up with your own writing prompts.

..........................................................................................................................................................

Uh...Misc? ;)

I told my kids I put a magic spell on their banana's hehe, may as well do things like this when they are young. If you want to skip the notes all together chalk board paint is a fun solution!

Don't forget the holidays! This Valentines day printable prints all on one sheet.

I love this idea! Though buying prints isn't very economical for me, I think I will just try printing photos out and writing on them. I think this will be my daughters favorite and the writing prompt "When you were a baby you..." Which one do you think your kids will enjoy most???

Hope you print them out and I hope to be making a habit of doing this real soon!

Scatter Sunshine!

-DeAnn :)

Do You Want to get to Know Your Kids Teachers Better? Then Use This Fun Teacher Survey!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 11:00:00 +0000

I don't know why I didn't think of this before! It would have been so nice to know this stuff when we brought stuff for my daughters teachers in the past. Live and learn I suppose. Service Beans is going to continue at the school (though I have passed the torch onto someone else who is pretty darn terrific I might add) I think this sheet will be a fun way for ~~my daughter~~ wait I have two kiddos in school now, still getting used to that! Anyway, it will be a good way for them (and me) to get ideas on how they can earn some Service Beans. Armed with good information we'll be able to do some thoughtful and fun things for them through out the year. Anyone have a Pinterest board dedicated to teacher gifts? If you do let me know so I can follow it!

I hope you find this sheet helpful and while you're here I also hope you'll take a sec and pin it or share it on Face Book or somsing :)

Scatter Sunshine!

-DeAnn

Go here to print the Teacher Survey

Our Favorite Summer Drink a Fun Twist on Sharing Goodies!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 11:00:00 +0000

We have been loving stirring up yummy combinations for our drinking delight this summer. Creamy raspberry lemonade has been our favorite though and the one we choose to share with someone nearby and the one I want most especially to share with you too. I started a Pinterest board with non-alcoholic summer drinks. It's so much fun to create fun drinks and a fun spin on taking someone goodies! Short on time, but have someone on your mind?! Well taking someone a summery drink is the perfect thing I think! It's much quicker to make a drink then to bake or cook something, but still has the same effect of bringing food. I bought the pitcher at Wally World and then wrapped the ribbon around the pitcher with the paper straws. I just put plastic wrap on the top and we didn't have any spills transporting it.

Creamy Raspberry Lemonade Recipe

1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice or from concentrate
1½ cups sugar
1½ cups half n half (half n half makes everything better)
5 cups water
1 small package of raspberries
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Instructions: Puree raspberries and 5 cups water using a blender. Strain the puree through a strainer and into pitcher. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. I wouldn't keep it in the fridge for over a week, but chances are it will be gone shortly after you make it haha. Make it like this once and see how you can tweak it to your taste.

Summer is quickly fleeting and I hope you will take the time to mix this drink up for yourself and someone else!

Scatter sunshine my friends!

-DeAnn :)

Overcoming Rejection

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 11:00:00 +0000

"Are you okay?" Jake asked me several times in varying ways within about 15 minutes. The truth was I had felt rejected, but I knew it was probably just me overreacting. I don't feel like I have had a handle on my emotions like I normally do, so I figured I should just say, "Yeah, I'm fine" and then try and get a handle on it. I have a hard time burying my emotions or pretending they don't exist, really I just can't do those things. If I feel rejected or upset I want to discuss it, but don't always know how to get the process started. Yes, we've been married nearly 10 years and even though I know he can't read my mind, I kinda want him to occasionally, but expecting him to just leads to more frustration, uh duh.

I felt like I was going to cry so to keep the tears in I went out in the front yard. As I looked at some tender young plants to see how they were fairing, it suddenly dawned on me as I stood there in the yard. Actually I wouldn't have reached the coming conclusion by myself. I'm too dense, lol. I needed a little whisper of a tender mercy from my Heavenly Father. "Look around. You are surrounded by things your husband has done for you, just you, because he loves you. These are not projects he did for himself, but you." It softened my heart and a realized as I looked around the yard it was true! How could I be mad or doubt for one second this mans' love for me?! It's evident that anyone willing to spend so much time doing things for someone else's projects that they don't want done for themselves must really love that someone...me :)

It started with the chicken coop, when the heavy wood crate it was started from was loaded in our truck at my parents house and taken home. To the chain link fence now surrounding the coop. A solution he came up with himself after the coop pen (which he made) was broken into by dogs on several occasions and which he fixed each time until this solution was come to and is now dog proof. Ha! Take that stupid neighbor dogs! To the countless times he has asked me " have you fed the chickens today?" and the countless times I have answered back "no" and he then feeds them without out whining or fuss. Chickens he doesn't even really want, he just knows I want them.

Then there's the chairs on the porch. I told him I wanted nice chairs to put on the porch for Mother's day. It was one of the ideas I threw out, the others had to do with photography...go figure. He took the sad but neat metal chairs already there and spent several hours sanding them down and painting them as well as bought cute outdoor cushions for them. I am glad he chose this gift to give because I have enjoyed the hours spent on the porch with him in the evenings.

I bought 6 plants and asked him to dig holes and plant them for me, cause I was feeling huge and preggers and not up to digging holes and sitting on the ground trying to plant them. It'll take 15 minutes she said. Nope! More like 45 minutes or more. He did it and now they are all doing well minus one which promptly died the next day. Pssh! I didn't want you anyway cilantro!

What the heck are the straw bales all about?! Well, one is for the chicken hutch, the other four were for trying out straw bale gardening which would have happened if my body hadn't decided to flip out and have a baby 4 weeks early. He went and bought them and brought them home; another thing I couldn't do. Yeah he wouldn't mind having a garden, but he knows it's what I wanted. His ideal garden is one made up solely of corn, lol. You don't need straw bales for that.

Last, but not least is the wood pathway, a project also interrupted by baby coming early. The pathway that was there was made of brick but was really narrow and bland. I asked him to cut down some dead trees on the property and make this pathway which he started and is going to look fantastic when done.

I had stepped outside to calm down and when he joined me a few minutes later he finally pushed me to tell him what was bothering me and all was well in just a few short minutes. Clearly I'm not great at hiding my feelings and he knows sometimes I need to be pushed a little to start talking. When I let it out I kept telling him, "I'm sorry your wife is a hormonal mess." He kept saying stuff like, "It's okay to be a little crazy. You just had a baby" and other loving and encouraging words. At the time, the idea of being surrounded by his apparent love for me was just enough for me to take my craziness down a few notches. To know if we didn't end up talking about it, I would be okay not saying anything because how can I doubt his love? I can't! It's everywhere I look. As I have taken time to ponder this lesson, I am truly grateful for it. I know we are constantly surrounded by Gods obvious love for us. This world is beautiful, but does it have to be? No, I am sure it would still serve the same purpose if it were dull looking, but He made it beautiful and diverse for our enjoyment and as a manifestation of His love for us. How often am I so caught up in me that I stop seeing His love all around me. From this beautiful world to a body that recovered from HELLP syndrome, priesthood blessings that have given so much comfort and guidance, to healthy happy kids, to little things, if I look around me I can't help but see a continuous onslaught of His love for me. It got me wondering, if my husband were to look around our house, would he see manifestations of my love for him? This question applies to everyone we love. I am humbled by my husbands love for me, and wanted to write this to show him I am grateful for him, to say I am sorry I take you for granted at times and just want more and more from you and don't always take the time to show you my love. You are amazing and I am grateful I have you by my side for the the rest of forever.

I don't want my loved ones to have to look hard and really think about the ways I show them my love, I want it to be in their face obvious, undeniable really and if they do some how not see it, it should be obvious enough that gently pointing it out is enough to bring them around. Serving others, putting others needs first, is one of the best ways to show our love.

At times when I feel pushed or away or rejected for whatever reason valid or not (the workings of a crazy hormonal mind) I want to be calmed down and reeled back in by just taking a second to breathe and look around at manifestations of love which rekindle an attitude of gratitude and love which is undeniably key to happiness. Yeah that's a crazy run on sentence, but who knows how much time I have before I am summoned by the cries of my wee one.

Scatter sunshine friends!

-DeAnn

10 Ideas to Get You Started!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 11:00:00 +0000

Who doesn't like lists?! For Service Beans (I will be doing posts detailing the program soon) for the past few months I have been putting a list of new service ideas on the back of the record sheets every month. At a committee meeting we were brainstorming easy ways to give students and families service ideas. One of the committee members threw out this genius idea and I have been putting a list on the back of the record sheets every month. Having a solid committee is pure awesomeness. Why it took me months to share it on here I don't know, but it finally hit me and so here ya go!

To print this page go here and don't forget to Pin it!

What I do when I print up a new record sheet is sit down with my family and we go over the list of ideas and choose what we want to do when, and put it on the calendar. Doing as part of Family Home Evening on Monday's would be great or during Family Council would be great too (check out this amazing post on family councils). It works really great to sit down and plan out what we are going to do which means most of it actually happens. It's also super fun to see what your kids want to do and their enthusiasm is contagious. If nothing else print it out and put it on your fridge. I also hope that if you like it you'll share it with others so they can catch the service bug.

One last note...The SIP Project was featured on Christi Madrid she is a vivacious and bright women (I don't think I have ever felt the need to describe someone as vivacious, but that's how I see her). I have been following her site for sometime and was honored she thought of me. She started a fantastic new series called "Light It Up". Need some sunshine?! Head on over then!

Alright my friends,

Scatter sunshine!

Simple Act of Service That Will STICK!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 21 Mar 2014 11:30:00 +0000

I hope you will take a second and pin this. Let's inspire the world!

Once you start generating ideas on serving you can't really turn it off. Why would I want to do that anyway right?! So I got a $10 Target gift card for a something and then I didn't need it anymore so I thought "what am I going to do with it now?" I realized it would make a great random act of kindness and oh, so simple! So I took a piece of card stock wrote "Randon Act of Kindness" and used washi tape to put it on the card stock and the shelve at the store.

Don't you just love this mugshot?!

This was my kids nearly screaming that there was a gift card and to come and get it! I quickly quieted them, but I had to do it a few times, little stinkers! They were just so excited for someone to get it they didn't want to wait! Luckily I choose a quite isle to put it on since I knew I would be snapping a few pictures so they didn't actually get anyone to come over...phew!

So just like buying flowers every time you grocery shop to take to someone this is actually even simpler, but the flower routine is still quite simple also. These are both meant to fit into your routine without making you have to go out of your way. I suggest buying the gift card on one shopping trip and making up a few cards that say "random act of kindness" to put them on and then stick them in your bag as well as some washi tape and then next time you grocery shop leave it on one of the isles you go down. Simple, simple!

Also as a follow-up I have been doing the flower routine with my kids since I did that post. It's become habit :) There are times I get the flowers put them in a vase at home and then don't deliver them to anyone. However the goal of these kinds of service ideas isn't perfection just ways of doing service that fit into life fairly effortlessly because those are the things that tend to with stand the test of time. Though I will say most of the time they do get delivered. A simple fix would be to just deliver them on my way home and not even take them home, which would then be even simpler then the gift card idea haha battle of the service routine!

Scatter sunshine my friends!

-DeAnn

Valentine's Day Inspired Ding-Dong-Ditch!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 20:58:00 +0000

Hello my lovelies! No I haven't forgotten about The SIP project, have you Lol? I have ideas for posts all the time, I just don't have enough time, especially lately. My wonderful committee and I have been hard at work keeping Service Beans going. As I was putting together a list of service ideas which goes on the back of the service record sheets, it being February I am going with a Valentines theme of service ideas. During Christmas sometimes someone starts up a You've Been Grinched ding-dong-ditch or something similar and I thought why not do one for Valentines day?! I tried to find one online, but couldn't so I decided to make one and enlist the skills of my sister Amy for the poem. Can I just say she is awesome, she has a ton on her plate, but is always happy to help me with whatever.

All you do is make some goodies, print out this sheet and leave it with your goodies at someones house. They then make copy of it and put one on their door so if someone sees the sheet they know to go to someone else's house. Then they make goodies and leave one of these sheets at someone else's house. The process continues and continues. It would be fun to hear how many people do this so if you do it let me know :)

download here

Well my friends get out there and do some ding-dong-ditching! I am going to go eat a bowl of Lucky Charms because it's been one of those ~~weeks~~ two weeks. I need some magically delicious in my life right about now ;) And I know getting out there with my kids and doing some ding-dong-ditching and thinking of others will help.

Oh and in case you want some fun ideas for Valentine's day traditions that any women will love check out this post I did a few years back.

Alrighty, have a good one!

Marler Family Photos In the Bosque & Service Project

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 12:30:00 +0000

I am just going to let you jump in here! Meet Tess a rad chick who rocked her service project!

In her words...

"My experience with the SIP project has been great! I initially wanted to team up with DeAnn because I thought it would be an easy and free way to get my family pictures done. I didn't realize how much fun I would have doing the service and how badly I would want to do it again.

I chose my service project based off my own talents and interests. I love to sew and I thought it would be fun if I could teach someone else the same skill. Maybe even get them to love it and appreciate it the way I do.

I asked around to find someone who I could serve and found two girls, ages 14 and 17, that really wanted to learn. We lined out the projects they wanted to complete and I had to figure out what I would teach them. Before I was even able to begin teaching I had to do some research on sewing for beginners. I thought I would have such a hard time filling all the hours required. But in reality, they flew by very quickly. I had such a great time hanging out with these girls and just talking to them that by the time our projects were finished I had clocked 15 hours of "service".

Together we sewed a tote bag for each of them and a skirt. I really hope that they continue to sew and they continue to love and appreciate it! I look forward to my next family portrait so that I can do this all over again. Thanks SIP Project!"

-Tess Marler

I just loved working with Tess and David they were super fun and willing to do anything! We had grand plans for pictures in the Santa Fe National Forest. Nature had other ideas with an early freeze which decimated our chance for pictures under the tall aspens in full fall glory.

Can you tell he doesn't get soda much Lol (which is a good thing in my book)! Chug, chug, chug!

Yeah I had super hard time deciding which pictures to include in this post.

One of my fave photos from their session at the Bosque.

Meet Maxton the serious! There is something neat about kids who are little thinkers, not silly and crazy, but just chillin, thinkin, and enjoying the ride. I like variety, heck all kids are neat. This little dude did capture my heart though.

You guys play swords while mommy and daddy drift off into la la love land.

She posed! This girl was confident in striking a pose, it was pretty stinkin cute. This was her striking a pose with the tree and me capturing it from above.

One of those moments where I catch them off guard and say"hey look over here!" and bam cute picture ta boot.

I am in love with this one too. The vibrant back ground really, really makes me miss my favorite season.

I love it when kids or anyone really looks into the camera like this.

"Look Mommy!"

I was really happy I captured this sweet little moment.

This just can't help but make you smile :)

Cute family! I love what I do! The end result of someone enjoying their service project and serving with their talents and fantastic photos they will cherish for a lifetime makes all the not so fun stressful parts of The SIP project worth it.

Thank you Marler family for your participation in The SIP Project!

Before It's Gone...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 12:30:00 +0000

How many of us have promised ourselves that we would have all our Christmas shopping done before December so we could focus on the spirit of the season or other similar promises? This has been my goal for 3 years now and I have failed 3 years in a row. The more Christmas's I have the quicker they go by, I know you can relate.

How do we focus on the reason for the season...The Savior? I don't have that figured out. If there were some special formula to be able do it all I would share it with you, promise. What I do know is that if you feel like you fail because you try things and they don't stick, don't despair. I have tried so many different things the past few years and truthfully not many really stick. I have found that the things that really stick are the ones that are built into my normal routine. I have to go grocery shopping and so it's easy to buy a bouquet of flowers and then give it to someone, this has stuck.
Back to Christmas, the thing is Christmas is a here it comes, enjoy it if you can, if not too bad so sad try again next year kinda deal. Having Christmas traditions that are focused on the Savior and serving our fellow brothers and sisters are huge in helping us feel the CHRISTmas spirit. Here are a few things I have tried over the years I will tell you what has stuck and what hasn't. What doesn't work for us may work great in your life and vice versa.

12 days of Christmas service....didn't stick. I think this will work great when I have older kids that can take more initiative on their own. It can be hard to do if you're not the greatest planner like me.

Kindness Elves...this is what I am dying to try! I love the idea of the Elf on the Shelf, but never got one. This has my kind of spin on it though! I also think it will be easier because it doesn't have to be a daily project. If we did 6 decent size service projects (as in making cookies for a neighbor size project) between today and Christmas I would feel successful. The Elves or whatever you choose to use can encourage kids to do other stuff between the bigger stuff. Miss Anna the fabulous creator of this idea (I could just hug her for this great idea) blogs at The Imagination Tree. She has started an Instagram hashtag so people can post what they have done which means you can get ideas :)
Thanks Janalee for sending me a link to this post!

The Giving Jar...yeah, were floundering on this one. We still have it on our counter, but it's hard to do if you don't use cash much. For those people like my dad who feel up a ridiculously huge container full of coins every year this is for you!

How is Christ Supposed to Compete With Santa? Giving a gift to our kids that focuses on the Savior...
This has stuck! The first year I found the biggest box (symbolizing that Christ is the greatest gift) I could and put pictures we had of the Saviors life in it and they opened it on Christmas Eve and we sat down and talked about the pictures. The second year I found a snow globe with the nativity in it and the kids opened it on Christmas Eve and then we all took turns bearing our testimony's about the savior. Excited to keep this tradition alive!

Good deeds paper chain...we did this for one year. I think it would be fun to do again, but since Zaya is already doing Service Beans it would be redundant. It's fun, simple and festive! This would be good to do for Russel though. He is always talking about Service Beans when he does something good...hum maybe we will have to revive this tradition!

What traditions of service do you and your family do this Christmas season?

Well, all we can do is try and let stick what sticks and not be upset when something doesn't. I don't want to be overwhelmed with keeping up with traditions, I want there to be balance in it all and we all know balance is elusive. Let's KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) and we'll all have it figured out by the time were 90 right?! Ha!

Merry Christmas :)

Who has time for gratitude anyway!?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Being grateful seems more important then ever. Without it what you have is never ever enough, ever! How do you teach your little ones gratitude? Chances are, like me you pretty much feel you have failed at this. The reason I feel this way is because I have young kids (7, 4, and one on the way) and the thing we all have to remember is our kids sometimes take a while to start doing what were doing. Be patient, if you do it and they see you do it often they will most likely do it too. So the question is how do WE as parents model our gratitude?! THANKSgiving day is good enough right Lol!?

Let's brain storm here and I think you will see that you do more then you think, but there is ALWAYS room for improvement always, never room for berating yourself and saying "I have failed at this, why bother." As a parent I can think of few things that bother me as much as ingratitude, can you imagine how our Heavenly Father must feel?! Okay let's brain storm now, I teach my children gratitude through my example of...

1. Having family prayer - verbally pray with your family and be very specific about what you are grateful for. Be sure to mention what you are grateful for in each family member present.
2. By writing notes of gratitude (most of the time) when people do nice things for you and you encourage your kids to do the same. Setting up a Thankful Station and giving them access to it is huge.
3. By reinforcing good habits.When your 7 year old shares their favorite coveted toy with their 4 year old sibling you are sure to give them thanks and praise for doing so. Also encouraging the child on the receiving end to express gratitude, "that is your sisters favorite toy, that's pretty nice of her to share it with you, how can you show your gratitude to her?" Or something like that anyway.

I don't want to make a huge list, I just want to trigger in you that you do teach your children gratitude, now, what are some other ways you teach your kids to be grateful??????????????????? Comment I want to hear!

It's easy to get sensory overload, we have access to so much information and ideas not to mention our never ending to-do list! It can make our brains short circuit and shut down. So let's keep it simple! I know Thanksgiving is right around the corner, I know! Don't check out on me! We have time to set some simple goals together. The whole point of the post is we do have time, it will really only take you 15mins or so to set your goals and gather all the supplies assuming you don't have to make a trip to the store. The problem can be that we don't set out looking for specific crafts we get overwhelmed because were being to general. What do you want to accomplish and what crafts & ideas will get you there. Now let's set some specific goals together!

One craft you can do with your kids on Thanksgiving that encourages gratitude. I am going to do the Thanksgiving Time Capsule again. Kids love burying stuff and making a map to find it again next year. It's also SUPER simple!

One way you can encourage your family to be more grateful through out the year. I am going to start a daily gratitude notebook with my kids & hubs and we will write in it during dinner.

Added bonus points goal - Finding a way to show my kids on Thanksgiving how grateful we are by serving someone else. Looking for an eye-opening experience here. Why lounge around all day when you can do some good for someone else! I'll let you know what we end up doing.

What are your goals?

Need A Little Spark In Your Romance?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 15:06:00 +0000

Hello all! I am new to posting on SIP blog, but not a new reader. My name is Emilee and DeAnn is my SIL, and we were happy to help her out with this! D puts a lot of time and energy into these posts and I always feel that they have a great spiritual aspect to them even if she doesn’t feel that they do. Well they do for me!

I woke up from a Sunday nap to a full candle lit dinner! He went all out and decorated the table and everything, it was really sweet!

One aspect of service that many of us may overlook is Serving Our Spouse. We tend to be with this person a lot and the time we spend with our spouse is generally taking care of household things such as cleaning and cooking, if you have children the majority of that time is spent taking care of them along with the household chores. But in order to keep your marriage and friendship alive you need to take time out of your schedule to serve your spouse. It doesn’t have to be every single day, but it should be often! It doesn’t have to be big, but it should be heartfelt. My husband Chip and I did this as sort of a back and forth conversation about serving your spouse, I hope you enjoy!

Chip-When it comes to service I really try to do something for Emilee every day, but life happens and you still have to go to work, and some still have school going on also (that would be us haha) so it doesn’t always happen as often as I would like, but there are still ways to make it happen.

Emilee-Chip is really awesome about surprising me with things, like flowers, or a note. Sometimes I come home from class and the dishes are done and the stove is clean. Not every woman would agree, but I think him helping around the house is sexy! Serving your spouse is a way to keep the romance lively in our house, it shows he is thinking about me and that he cares. He knows I get stressed and frazzled when the house isn’t clean, so him doing things to make sure that doesn’t happen is a great service for me.

Chip - Emilee is a gift giver, and so she really pays attention to what I need and when I need it. She is awesome with the follow through, even if it’s day to day things she gets them for me because I often forget to put things that I need on a list. She just remembers and does it! It shows that she cares about me and is constantly thinking about what I need.

DeAnn - Hey, how's it goin?! Just going to interject her for a second...we all know the statement below is true, we just forget sometimes, learn your love language and your spouses love language.

Chip eats graham crackers and milk every night before bed, so I made him the mug to go with it. And Grumpy Cat is for me.
Like I mentioned…Chip really loves graham crackers and milk, so I bought some specifically for him one day, and made him go on a scavenger hunt to find all the ingredients all over the house! Chip came home from work to cookies last week!

Emilee - Boys don’t generally like flowers so I will make him treats, or make sure we have his favorites for dinner pretty often. To him, these are a treat, and to me I put extra effort into meals that I feel he might like. It isn’t big and extravagant…but it doesn’t have to be.

Chip - Service can sometimes be me coming out of my comfort zone to do things that Emilee likes that aren’t necessarily my favorite. I hate shopping, but I know Em loves it so I will go with her cause I know she likes me being there. Sometimes Em will do sporty man things that aren’t always her favorite but she will do/watch them with me and I really appreciate that. *(Emilee-Don’t take this the wrong way, I like sports…I don’t like football however.)

Chip brought these flowers home to me randomly one day, they are my favorite!

The lamps that Chip made for me after my weekend away…he’s quite the artist and I didn’t even know!

Emilee - We like leaving notes to one another quite frequently, they aren’t long, but they go a long way. We have a notebook that we hide around the house for each other to find. We call it “The Love Notebook”, only happy positive things go in the notebook…basically it’s just love notes to each other compiled all in one place. I would consider this service because it builds each other up and usually is the highlight of my day when I finally find it! Realistically speaking we don’t write in it every day but we try to get to it at least once a week each.

Chip - One thing that is really important to remember is that you need to REALLY know your spouse to serve them in a meaningful way. Being in tune with what they need, and how to give it to them in a loving way is really vital. Making your spouse a first priority is key, and follow through is easier to do when you have your priorities straight.

Emilee - I love that you just said that, because service is awesome but it won’t have the meaning behind it if you don’t really know your spouse. For instance, if I were allergic to lilies, and Chip brought home lilies…it wouldn’t have the same affect because I would feel like he wasn’t really paying attention to me. I don’t mean to be ungrateful, but I would suggest that the service you give to your spouse is something that they enjoy and would be meaningful to them. For instance if your spouse doesn’t like chocolate, and you bring home a huge box of chocolates as a gift…it might miss the mark.

Emilee - Also, when either Chip or I is out of town and the other is home often we will take the opportunity of them being gone to do something big. Chip made some cute lamps for me last time I was out of town because he knew we didn’t have the money for new ones and he knew how much I hated the ones we had (they were from his grandpa…which he got from a church auction…from like the 70’s…need I say more???). Chip redid the lamps with some craft supplies I had around the house and I was floored! He did a really great job and it meant a lot to me, and it didn’t cost anything!

Chip - We were in the middle of moving and I had to go out of town for 3 weeks. Em packed everything in our house by herself! She was overwhelmed but she made it happen and it meant a lot.

Emilee - Service can be a cute thing to put in your house too, for all you crafty ladies! I have recently started writing notes on paint swatches. I put them on the fridge and they are also a reminder for me to continue doing service when I see them. I love that they are constantly a reminder to Chip that I love him. Service can be cute and functional!

All in all, serving can be big or small, a quick note or an extravagant gift. As long as we continue to show love and support to our spouses, serving will be easy and joyful to do.

If the format of the post is a little wonky you'll have to forgive me, blogger was whacked out with some serious glitches when I put this together. Hope you enjoyed the post! I asked these two to do this post because they are very much in love and anyone who is around them can clearly see it. Also they posted most of these pictures on Instagram or Facebook and it's just cute okay! Who better to talk about this stuff then a couple madly in love and who regularly serve each other. They have been married almost 3 years fyi :) Me and Jake will be married 9 years in November, it just goes by faster and faster!

Emilee blogs over at Pinstrosity, have you heard of it? They have been on Dr. Oz and lot's of other stuff head on over and check it out...

I would love to hear how you keep the spark of love and service alive in your marriage, it is really helpful to hear what others do so get typing in the comments!

How Old Were You When You Lost Your Imagination?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 09 Sep 2013 13:21:00 +0000

How old were you when you stopped playing with dolls? I was 12. The choice was a conscious one, I do remember that I didn't simply grow out of it. I just remember thinking I was getting too old for it. This thought was never followed up with, "okay now that that's behind me how will I continue to us my imagination?" You may be thinking "I never played with dolls!" my older sister didn't. That's okay my point still applies. When I was a kid I had a very active imagination, I loved to play house and create an imaginary life for myself and friends. Imagination seems to be the word we use for kids and creativity is the word we use when we get older. I know far too many people who don't think their creative. Well I am here to tell you that just isn't true. My SIL shared this quote on Face Book the other day and I think it fits perfectly here..“Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” –Albert Einstein

Are you a fish trying to climb a tree? Or haven't even attempted to be the fish climbing the tree because the dominating thought is "I'm not creative." If your a fish you just need to find water and stop wandering through the coyote's domain in the arid South West where there is little water to be found. My point is this, when you dropped the imaginative play when you were a kid and left it for the tiny bopper faze did you then start your life of creativity? Or when we abruptly leave our imaginations because their keeping us tethered down to being a child did you instantly find your creative voice? Or are you still looking? As I pondered this point I realized my daughter is 7 and enjoys playing school (more then house), she loves drawing and making books. Do I do enough to help her explore her imagination and when she transitions out of the imaginative play will I be there to help her transition from that to identifying her creative voice? In putting this all together, what I am saying is I am going to pay attention to the process my kids will naturally go through and be there to help them, not push and prod, just lovingly help since I know them well. Just as our Father in Heaven knows us well and can help us in finding our creative voice, if we let Him and if we go to Him. Just trust Him and the path He is leading you on, it may seem a strange way to get to where you want to be, but in hindsight it will all make sense. And you'll be glad His ways aren't our ways.

When we label ourselves un-creative we tend to hold back from sooo many things without even realizing it. It took me from about age 15-28 to allow myself to be called "creative" or "photographer." That's a chunk of time! I'm not gonna say I didn't try new things, I have always LOVED trying new things. However, when I was 12 I went from imagination to purely seeing myself as athletic, I lived for basketball, track, longboarding and bike riding, as I got older, soccer, and mountain biking. It's true I started my love of taking pictures at age 12ish and it got a bump at 15, the problem is I never allowed myself to think of myself as anything relating to creative and it really stunted my creative growth. Then I had kids and it changed my body A LOT and then I had to go through this whole thing of accepting my body and well that's a whole other post. I bring this up because when I didn't feel like I could identify myself as "athletic" anymore I started to develop my creative side in leaps and bounds mostly by allowing myself to, and stopping the negative self-talk. It may seem too simple a point to consider, but how you talk to yourself is everything! If my body had never went through changes and I had two kids and was constantly active like I was before then I am confident I would never have developed my creative side.Things like the Self-Reliance Fair and THE SIP PROJECT and Service Beans would never have come into being and who can imagine their lives with out The SIP project Lol;)

It's not good to hold our worth only when we can identify ourselves as athletic, creative, book smart, etc. Even without any of that we are children of God and because of that we all have inherent worth. On the other side of the coin as children of God we naturally want to create and when we don't we become frustrated whether you realize it or not. We are happy when we are learning, growing, and creating. Did you get lost like I did? If so it's never to late to find your creative voice. I found mine, and when you do find it it doesn't mean you don't have to hone it in and work hard, you just enjoy it, it awakens a part of your being to the point of not being able to imagine your life any other way. Above all though, without my knowledge that I am a daughter of God I would always be looking for something to fill that void and I don't have to, knowledge brings completeness.

As I read it and re-read it I think of points to add on or ways to clarify and well here it is, my hope is that the point I am trying to make well written or not comes across and gives you something meaningful to ponder. I'm not a fish in water when it comes to writing, but it is from my heart. Love you all.

Be kind to yourselves.

Jessica's Belly Bump...pretty sure you haven't seen anything like it..

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 14:43:00 +0000

Click on the pic to make it bigger so you can read it!

This session done through Payneless Photography was a BLAST! I had so much fun with these two! Don't you think John did a perfect job of acting like he got punched in the face and belly bumped!? They were the perfect combo of silliness and ooey gooey love. I love people and I love taking pictures of people. I also love finding locations and coming up with ideas that match peoples personalities. Thanks to my sis for turning my idea into a comic like I wanted I just didn't know how to, but she did :) Come on ask me to take your pictures, ask me to come up with some original ideas, because I will, just for you!

Thank you Jessica and John!

So do you want to know who won the give away??? The winner is Nina McCracken! Hope you enjoy your goodies Nina!

10 Minute Service Project! And a Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 11:30:00 +0000

I am super excited about this post because this really is a way to do service in 10 minutes. Further more it's SIMPLE and GRAND! I love it when those two meet! Fresh flowers really do go a long way in brightening up a place. So I have been buying flowers when I go grocery shopping for years now, not every time, but pretty close to it. I was thinking about ways we could do more service and it dawned on me, why not buy extra flowers for someone else or give them away instead of keep them for myself. It fits right in with our routine I just need to add a few more steps.

It took my daughter about 5 minutes to decorate the vase above, this step could even be skipped, or how long does it take to tie a ribbon around a jar? 30 seconds?! I moved things around in my cupboard and starting storing our old jelly jars etc. so there easy to grab when I need them. Also at Wal-Mart or wherever you fancy you can pick up a simple glass vase for cheap ($2 or so), they don't have to be big and fancy, the flowers are the star here.

Alstroemeria's are inexpensive and last more then a week.

I buy the flowers and then in the next day or two I take them to someone when we are already running around, no need to make a special trip to give them away. Also if you buy the right kind of flowers you can even enjoy them for 3 or so days before taking them to someone. Be prepared with a note to leave with it, which you could write on an index card, remember K.I.S.S! Also be mindful about what door someone uses to go into their house if you leave them when no ones home, they may park in their garage and not find your flowers for a day or more.

Onto the giveaway! It has nothing to do with flowers, but you could use them to serve others, I did have that in mind when I bought them.

The Giveaway includes - baking stamp that says "Made with love," adorable 2 cup measuring pitcher and a side of the mug heart shaped cookie cutter.

What you need to do...
1) Pin one of the first two pictures on Pinterest
2) Check out a page on my blog that you haven't looked at before or in while and leave a comment.

The contest will run from August 21st - August 28th at 9pm. When the winner is announced they will have 48hrs to claim their prize (simply e-mailing me their address). US residents only.

Good luck!

I Love Big Families and I Cannot Lie...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 11:30:00 +0000

I was toying with the idea of starting up a Payneless Photography site, which is what my photography business was called before I started The SIP project. So paying shoots will be under Payneless Photography and and service photo shoots will still be done through The SIP project. I will just make some changes to the blog soon to make it easier to differentiate. I started this site thinking I would be kept really busy with service photo shoots and since that hasn't happened I may as well do both. I also never envisioned how much 'other' service posts I would do or that it would lead to Service Beans a program I am helping to start at my daughters school. It's been quite the ride! Hope you have enjoyed it as much as me :)

Here is my first official Payneless Photography post on the blog.

Hello my friends let me introduce you to the Pearce family, first up their 5 beautiful kids...

Smokin momma Pearce...

Happy mom and dad Pearce... Sassy momma...

Some life style shots...

Care free and beautiful momma Pearce...

Back and front of the Pearce family, there's two sides to every coin after all...

You've seen this done before but not like this! The kids faces crack me up, I LOVE it!

What?! There's rough housing in a home with 5 boys?!

Momma Pearce is also a killer business woman for Thrive Life.

Their beautiful neighborhood...

I dig this one a lot...

Awww...

Sun and sky...

They look like newly weds here...

More sun, sky and boys...

"Firey" said in my best Scottish accent! I love portraits if you can't tell! Every woman should have a good one, or few taken at least every 10 years!

Off the top rope...

The end starts with the beginning in mind or something like that Lol...

What are you waiting for?! Get your pictures taken too!

Oh, did I mention I am going to do a giveaway next week? I found some super cute stuff at World Market that I know you'll love!

I heart Faces Photo Challenge "Jump"

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 11:30:00 +0000

My entry for the i heart faces

photo challenge - JUMP!

My kids have been loving all the rain and LOVE to play in the mud. So now I tell them to get their bathing suits on so they don't ruin anymore clothes.

"I'm Bored."

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 11:30:00 +0000

I'm not ready to say goodbye to summer, really I feel like saying what summer? The count down to school starting is even more of a presence since in just a few weeks on meet the teacher night at my daughters school Service Beans will launch. I have enjoyed being on the PTO and it's inspiring to see how hard these people work to make the school better. It really is all about the kids for them. When I start to feel overwhelmed with the "to-do" list for Service Beans or anything else I am doing I have to take a step back and remind myself why I am doing it and it puts everything back into perspective. I put together a short list of some of my favorite inspiration sources. I hope you will take some time to follow these links and be inspired. Start a service board on Pinterest, pin them if you can't look at them all now. Maybe let your kids take a look at the sites put it on them to figure out a way for your family to serve using these sites as inspiration. Next time you hear the word bored come out of their cute little mouths set them to work on planning a service project for your family. I broke the sites down into 3 categories...

I have more time then money right now...

I love Sevenly :) The idea is genius! Get cute clothes, support a cause, it's a win win!

I have time to listen...

Pay It Forward Radio hosted by Kathy Bacon out of Denver. Maybe you don't feel like reading to get inspired or need something to listen to in the car or while you clean house? Here ya go! It's really a great way to see how their are many people trying to make a difference in the world with what ever resources they have.

I need doable ideas and I need them now!

Pennies of Time. Sheila and her boys do much service, she really presents service in fun and doable ways. She also just put together a post with lots of great links to sites like ours.

Please share your ideas or sites you consider your "go to" for inspiration.

Monday's Letters...Nurture, Destroy.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 11:30:00 +0000

I have been thinking a lot about what matters in my life since my first post like this two weeks ago, if nothing else these posts have helped me in that capacity. Hopefully they have helped you too?! Hopefully you started a private personal blog and are uploading pictures you take of your family and writing down your memories and thoughts. It's okay if you haven't yet, hopefully you will soon :) It took me a long while to commit to keeping a family journal. If it didn't include pictures I wouldn't do it, pictures are worth a thousand words each so I really don't do a ton of writing. I upload pictures and then come back later and write in each post. I will say the one thing I want to improve is throwing in posts without pictures. Posts that are just my thoughts on life and learning like these posts here. We may not realize all we are learning and going through until we put our fingers to the keyboard and let it out. To go back and read from a post from a month ( or year etc.) ago may just be the advice you were looking for. What seems profound one week may be a lost to you a month later, not that it has lost profundity (spell check didn't say this word is wrong so I am going with it) we just can't keep it all in the fore front of our minds, there is only so much space there.

What I have noticed about life...we learn by Repetition for a reason, we can't absorb all that we need to know about a subject in one instance thus the need for repetition. I like you have known this a long while, but on occasion get a good reminder why that is. This happened to me a few weeks ago, and had a huge impact on me as I am still thinking about it. It was a moment when things clicked into place in my mind and heart at the same time. It left me with a greater understanding, one which surpasses what I thought I knew. I was sitting on the couch my husbands head in my lap as I pulled his hair and rubbed his head, the good kind of hair pulling! (try it sometime, grab a handful of hair as close to the roots as you can and gently pull = heaven) As I pull his hair I swear I can see the stress evaporating, I am glad he's not a stress eater or we would be in trouble! As he lay there telling me his troubles, I was also holding in my heart my kids and there different needs and it suddenly hit me, yes, like a ton of bricks. I know these moments where things coalesce in my heart and mind are by the power of the Holy Ghost. It's a sudden knowledge and understanding of something we have heard about or thought about a hundred million times and now "get it' in a new way. In one instance I realized the role of wife and mother, we are the keeper of the flame, without us things deteriorate and fall into chaos. Without a caring and nurturing touch to keep a pulse on how everyone is doing things fall apart.

The emotion of the mother sums up the joy of motherhood.

I don't want to be so busy with what I have going on that I pull my focus away from my family. Using an example from this last week...like not taking the time to offer up a sincere prayer in my husbands behalf. My testimony of prayer was strengthened as I truly prayed for my husband as he has a lot of stress at work and he came home that night and said he started feeling much better around noon, I had prayed for him in the late morning. He tells me to pray for him often and I usually utter a few words for him, but sadly not often enough do I pray for him with real intent. In all my quick prayers for him he has never come home saying anything close to "my whole outlook and feeling changed". He leaves weary and usually comes home that way (during trial, regular work stuff is usually not near as rough). Though I may not be able to take the stress from him myself, I can't go to work with him and help him, but the Lord can. I can serve him by praying for him which creates real tangible results. Lesson learned, until I need another reminder that is, oh repetition, whenever will I keep this stuff in my thick skull?!

Don't even think for a minute however that I think taking care of the family is solely my job, he has his role and he does a good job. He works hard to provide for our family, he listens to me, he's good tempered, he supports me in my endeavors and is never domineering. I didn't plan on writing a book on this matter, heck I didn't know what was going to come out as I sat down to write I just wanted to be open and honest like I would be if I were writing in my private journal.

I have two kids I know many families with more and I feel like I can barely keep up with two kids needs. A year or so before I started The SIP project I felt like I really needed to focus on serving my family and naturally the circle of serving would grow outwards from there. Makes perfect sense right?! Me being the big idea person that I am I didn't fully do this, I wanted to do something bigger. It made perfect sense, but I didn't fully embrace it. Now I am in the throws of The SIP project and Service Beans and many other good things ,but if I had fully embraced those promptings I would have an easier time always putting my family first. I know I have some room to grow here, I want my husband to feel loved, cherished and supported. I want my kids to be ready for life when they leave our home. I don't want them to go out into the world at 18 and spend 10 years "finding themselves" I want them to leave knowing exactly who they are and feeling such confidence that they step right into making a positive impact in the world. For our family I know this will require me staying home with my kids, manning the back door so to speak with my husband at the front door. We won't keep our kids and marriage safe if were both consumed only with ourselves. I have thought about finding a job, after weighing it all out in my mind I think I will just work on getting paying photography gigs. Not everyone is willing to do service for pictures I may as well let them pay me if they won't do a service project. All of this has started rolling around in my heart because my son will be in school in a year and I never thought I would find myself in this position so early. My daughter will be 7 next month, I don't know where time has gone! If life keeps speeding up from here then it would stand to reason the next 7 years will go by even faster. We really don't have much time to raise our kids. This life is all about choosing our priorities, we can't do it all, we weren't meant to, so choose wisely and prayerfully.

one more note...

Recently it's been a great joy to take these two beautiful women's maternity photos at such a pivotal time in their lives. I have known one for about 9 years and the other about 5 years. I had my daughter when I was 23 and I am sure people looked at me with this tiny baby and thought "she's so young!" Now I am 30 and see mothers in their early 20's and think "she's so young." I know I'm not much older then them but it's amazing how much you can learn in 7 years, and how much my eyes have been opened to how much more I need to grow. I dedicate this letter to all moms and moms to be :) There is no greater job on earth then being a mom. It can be hard to let go of what we want to do in this life and focus on our kids, but here again when we lose ourselves find ourselves, I am still working on the losing part ha ha!

Now go write your letter...

Guess I'll just spill my guts to you?!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 01 Jul 2013 11:30:00 +0000

I have to admit sometimes I don't know how much of me I should share on here. My focus is service and pictures of course, but sometimes I don't know if what I post about is what people want to see generated from The SIP project. What do you want me to post about/work on? I guess I have never really asked that, know why?! Cause I am really good at assuming!

I am thinking it could be fun to do a weekly post that's really more of a letter called Monday Reflections, (what else should I call it? I'm not sold on Monday Reflections.) One that you could use as a weekly prompt to write a letter along with me. You could go as far as starting a private personal blog that you use for journaling, using this writing prompt and print it out once a year. I would also encourage you to create other posts for your journaling blog and add pictures to go along with them. I have really been into my private family blog and I guess that type of journaling is spilling into The SIP project.

What I've Noticed About My Life...I was talking to my SIL Carla about this as I was packing up her pantry for her. I recently organized a Self-Reliance Fair for our community for the second year in a row. It takes 5 months of planning start to finish. Here is what I noticed; If I have cereal in my cupboard I am stressed, think Golden Grahms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Marshmallow Mattie's. It may seem silly to put this on here, but when I recognize these type of things it can better help me plan and snap out of it. We do things like buy cereal and don't make the connection that stress is affecting our health. It's not like I am unconsciously buying cereal, but the next time I am at the store and have the urge to buy cereal I can step back and see what is stressing me enough to make me want to buy comfort food. Then hopefully it won't make it into my cart.

So the fair was two weeks ago and I have been trying to catch up on everything else I was putting off to work on the fair. I wanted to just get away, but I can't, such is life, right?! So my SIL and her family of 7 (well in Sept. they will be) have to move suddenly and so I of course want to help them, but I also just want to get away. I have had the kids stay the night a few nights and went over another day and helped pack all day long. What I noticed is even though I feel like I have a ton I need to catch up on, I didn't feel like helping put me behind. It was a busy week last week and as I reflect on it, I was the happiest when I was willing to lay aside what I wanted to do and help someone else instead. It's kinda seems like an oxymoron to lose yourself to find yourself, but it works, try it.

Summer Time...Last summer I started SIP Summer Camp as a way to do service with my kids over summer break it ended up being 9 weeks total. It was a lot to do, I had to organize the service project, document it and then blog about it in a week time frame. It just felt a little rushed, though we had a great time and included friends and family I felt like I couldn't spend the time to focus on the 'why' because I had to hurry on to next weeks plans. I am sure my kids learned and grew from last years experiences I just think it will be good to change this years approach. This year I would like to focus on doing service just with my kids. I am hoping it will give me more time to talk to them about what we are doing and why. I still haven't figured it all out and the summer is flying by. I wish I could be more like Sheila from Pennies of Time, she's so on top of it!

What inspires me...My SIL Keri watching my SIL Carla's [Carla: a women with one of the most tender hearts known to man.] kids for 5 hours in the house across the street (her mom's house) so Carla could get some packing done.

The picture is from a post I did a while back.

My SIL Keri who I sat down with last week to go over my idea for the large collection container for Service Beans. A program I came up with and will be heading up on the PTO in August. It's a way to raise money for local needs through the kids at the school doing service, more on that later. We drew up the plans and when I mean we, I drew up what I was thinking and I saw the look on her face, it didn't help her understand what I wanted at all Lol. Luckily she is awesome and we got it all figured out and she drew up the plans. We loaded up 6 kids and headed to Hobby Lobby and then to Lowe's. Then back to her house to start building it. We, (again her, I just assisted when I could, since I know next to nothing about wood working) worked in the HOT garage for about 3 hours. I know just like any of us she has a list of things she could have been doing instead of helping me with a program that won't even effect her kids...well maybe next year when she starts Service Beans at her kids school :)

My sister Amy was telling me about her cousin Misty and how one of her 3 little boys had to be in the hospital for heart problems. While she was at the hospital she heard about 150 women and children most of which have AIDS. They're coming here from Congo I believe to live in Berkeley and get the medical care they need. Well of course they are moving into unfurnished apartments and have like 2 pairs of clothes each. Misty heard this and while she had plenty of reason to dismiss it and focus solely on her little boy she immediately wanted to organize a way to help them get the basics, furniture, clothes, toys etc. I am sure they are just glad to be in the states, but wouldn't it be grand to have people welcome you into a foreign country by loving kindness. I will keep you posted on how we can help. I was telling Zaya about these people and I think it really had an impact on her, she even wanted to send them some of her toys. I know it impacted me!
Until I wrote this out I hadn't realized those who inspired me so much this past week are all women in my family. I am blessed to be influenced by these giving women and I know their biggest influence is the Savior.

This is inspirational to the hilt! It's one thing to stick your toes into the waters of service, but it's a whole other thing to jump in 100%! If this isn't jumping in I don't know what is. Listen to Marcus Mitchell's interview. He gives away half of his income! I was interviewed on the Pay It Forward Radio show last year, if you need a pick-me-up listen to one of these interviews especially his!

Like I said at the beginning of the post I haven't really asked what kind of posts you would like me to generate for The SIP project. Please take a minute and tell me the one type of post that would interest you the most. For example, serving with kids, creating a service project from scratch, using your talents, see these are the lines I think along so I really need your input, I want to post about what interests you. Thank You! :)

What's The SIP Project Doing In The San Francisco Bay Area???

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:30:00 +0000

Ever feel like a total flake?! Well that's how I have felt about getting this post up, it's not that I haven't wanted to, in fact I am THRILLED to post this! I have been BUSY(now that the fair is over there should be a lot less busyness and more posting happening)...a word I try to avoid, but don't always know how to. Alright enough about me. Let's talk about Rosie, Rosie with a heart full of goldsie! She is a photographer friend of my sister both living it up in the East Bay area of San Fran! My sis told her about The SIP project and how I want to get more photogs involved in The SIP project and she contacted me and this is the result...

Could there be any more personality packed into this photo?! I think not!

She took pictures of these four characters for their Mom.

Melisa hugging one of her sons :)

Let's see what Rosie had to say about their mom... "My friend Melisa is an amazing example of service in our community. She is someone who's life hasn't been easy and has faced her share of personal, financial, and health challenges. Although, she has every reason to, she never has used the excuse "I'll Help when I have more time or more resources , she jumps in whenever she hears of someone in need - whether or not she has extra time or money she gives what she has."

Meet Johnny, the little boy in the gray t-shirt...

Johnny was originally admitted to the hospital with what was diagnosed with Kawasaki Syndrome. This is "a potentially fatal inflammatory disease that affects several organ systems in the body, including heart, circulatory system, mucous membranes, skin, and immune system. Johnny has endured temperatures of 108 degrees. He has suffered peeling skin, and undergone 3 very taxing treatments. He seemed to be improving, and was sent home, only to be re-admitted early Saturday morning where he underwent emergency surgery on his small intestine. He currently is holding his own. They are watching his enlarged liver very closely for it is taking up much of his stomach area. Can you imagine enduring this?! I can't!

To make matters worse...

"The father was recently laid off from his job at Comcast. The mother recently got a nursing job with Contra Costa County. She was unable to work as she was spending 24/7 with her son at the hospital while her husband tried to keep things normal for the other 2 kids at home. On Monday, the mother was notified she was terminated from her job due attendance."

Melissa saw a need and jumped in...

"Organizing this fundraiser took considerable time. Her family spent evenings at baseball games selling tickets and making posters to make community members aware of Johnny and his needs." -Rosie

The dinner Melisa organized sold 300 plates and raised $2,000. People also donated $600 cash at the dinner. Through www.fundrazr.com she raised almost $400. As someone who has organized events 5 months in the making I can attest to the fact that it's a lot of work, but well worth the outcome!

One of the things I love about all this is that Rosie saw so many examples of Melissa's serving her community and used her talent in photography to give back to Melisa. Melisa didn't ask for it, Rosie asked her. I love that one big-hearted person blessed another big-hearted person :)

Doesn't Rosie do an awesome job capturing personality?!

Enjoying a peaceful moment without her brothers...

Personality much?!

Lady killer!

The happy chaos of siblings!

"This isn't the first time Melisa's helped on this scale and I am sure it won't be the last. A few years ago our dear friends lost their daughter to cancer. While helping in their home we ran into Melisa. I asked how she knew the family, she said she didn't know them but heard their story and wanted to help. That is the kind of person she is, see a need - fill a need! Personally, I have been taught and inspired by her example. Our community is stronger and has been brought closer as she has inspired others to step up and help each other. Being able to photograph her children who are so full of love and positive energy brought me joy. I hope that each of us can become a little bit more like Melisa and spread the seeds of service in our communities! Kindness is contagious!" - Rosie

If you want to help Johhny you can e-mail Rosie at rosiefowlerphotography@gmail.com

I also hope that if you are, or know someone who is in the Bay
area that you will go to, or refer them to Rosie for photos. Her
heart and photography speaks for itself.

Thanks Rosie and Melisa for sharing this and inspiring us!

What needs do you see in your community? If you don't "see" any why is that? What are your biggest reasons for doing something or not? I bet there are a lot of people who have done similar things in their community! Share your thoughts in the comments section, everyone who reads will benefit :)

XoxxOxxOOo (<--who knows the movie reference?)

-DeAnn

Mini Carrot Cakes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

I'm back! Having a baby is an amazing experience, but it took me a while to feel normal and capable again. Baby Thomas is almost 3 months old now and he seems so big already. I love him so much!

Born February 27, 2013 at 8:08 pm

Our family of 3! James, Cami, and Thomas

Okay now to get to the point... a Dish & Serve post! Courtney from baxtronlife.com is behind this wonderful experience. Check out her blog, she is very down to earth and blogs about a variety of things. Courtney, thank you for finding a way to do a Dish & Serve and for taking so many great photos, too! Courtney's words:

Our little family loves to spend time cooking and baking together in the kitchen. When DeAnn from the S.I.P. Project asked me to share a recipe for her Dish & Serve series on her blog, I was delighted. Now, since we've been away on an extended business trip in Alaska, it wasn't a matter of finding a great recipe to share, it was figuring out who to give the treats to once they were made. Luckily we've become friends with two other business travelers who work for my husband's company. Since one of them isn't big on sweets, we decided to find out what kind of things the other one would like --- carrot cake was her choice, and Zion loves cooking cupcakes, so it was easy to decide on making mini carrot cakes!

After we got our cupcakes cooking in the oven, it was time to make a delicious cream cheese frosting. Now, anyone who makes frosting from scratch will tell you that it is no easy task to do by hand. Since we don't have a hand mixer up here where we are staying, I used the next best thing --- my strong husband! After much elbow grease and a slight variation on the ingredients to make it easier, we finished our delicious frosting.

We taste tested a few of the cupcakes to make sure we weren't going to be sending over any disasters to our friend, and then packed up several to bring to her. We knew she'd love them and couldn't wait to see her reaction!

She was thrilled to receive some home made goodies, especially since she has been away from home much longer than we have been! I loved seeing Zion proudly hand over the cupcakes she had made.

I loved the pictures, but loved Courtney's adorable little girl helping her daddy make the cupcakes even more. That is just too sweet. Courtney, great job capturing the surprise on the face of the cupcake recipient! I am wishing I had a carrot cupcake now! Please email me if you have a Dish & Serve experience you would like to share, I would love to post it! Cami at dish.n.serve@gmail.com

Mini Carrot Cakes (Variation of recipe from paleomg.com)

Prep- 10 min, Cook- 20 min, Serves- 10-12

Ingredients
For the carrot cupcakes

3 large carrots, shredded (about 1.5 cups worth)
1 cup almond flour/meal
2 eggs, whisked
¼ cup Virgin Coconut Oil, melted
1 tablespoon raw honey
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
¼ cup raisins (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Put your shredded carrots in a bowl, mix in almond flour, follow with remaining dry ingredients except for raisins and walnuts.

Whisk your eggs in a small bowl, add honey and vanilla and stir until mixed.

Add egg mixture to other ingredients and mix together.

Fold in raisins & walnuts if using.

Place cupcake ingredients into a muffin tin lined with paper liners . Should fill 10-12 muffins depending on size.

Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Easy Mixer-free Cream Cheese Frosting (Recipe from spinachtiger.com)

12 ounces whipped cream cheese (1 1/2 containers)

5 tablespoons pastured butter, softened

5 1/2 - 6 cups confectioner’s sugar

3 tablespoons of heavy cream

2 teaspoons real vanilla extract

Cream butter and cream cheese together.

Add in confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time until about 5 cups have been added.

Add in heavy cream and vanilla.

Add an additional 1/2 to 1 cup of confectioners' sugar

Beat until fluffy.

Iheartfaces Photo Challenge "play"

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:44:00 +0000

Play

What little hands can resist the strong magnetic pull of playing with the window controls or any buttons, knobs, or lights in a vehicle when they aren't strapped in and allowed free range?!

He sure can't!

iheartfaces photo challenge "play."