Better Homes and Gardens Magazine Deal

Does anyone like Better Homes and Gardens magazine? Well if so, you can get a year's subscription for $5. Here's the website www.tanga.com/products/better-homes-gardens-magazine-subcription--26 and you enter the coupon code SAVING at checkout. I got this from the moneysavingmom.com website (http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/03/taste-of-home-better-homes-and-gardens-and-family-fun-magazines-for-3-99-per-year.html) and there are a couple of other ones if you're interested. Yay for a good deal! :)

(sorry about the copy and paste you'll have to do to get there - couldn't get my hyperlink to work at the moment)

BYU Basketball and the Honor Code

My Dad sent out an email to all of us kids today, expressing his disappointment over last night's loss for BYU. But he was also talking about how much he liked the positive things people have had to say about BYU's honor code and the positive publicity the Church is getting over it all. This was my response... I felt it was blog-worthy as it's something i feel really strongly about and may be a small insight into "mormondom" and why we do what we do:

good thoughts, dad - hooray for church standards and the honor code! same with being missionaries - people didn't understand the standards we held ourselves to but respected them nonetheless (although they may have thought we were crazy). i italicize that because many misunderstood both the honor code and the missionary rules as being something we were forced into living, but not only do you make the choice to follow the rules and honor code back when you decide to go to a church school or to go on a mission, i really feel that there is a power that comes when you are truly holding yourself to the rules/honor code.

i guess you could take it a step further and say the same for the church standards that apply to all members of the church. because you choose to live the law of chastity and the word of wisdom and pay tithing and follow the prophet, etc, you never see it as a burden (which is a blessing in and of itself), and therefore can receive greater blessings. goes back to that quote from elder maxwell about the difference between being honorable and valiant...

and that's my 2 cents worth - because you know i've always got at least 2 cents to say about everything!

ser

Stratton's Primary Talk

Another behind post. He did this about a month ago. This is his re-enactment at Keely's bday party for Grandpas and Grandma. Cute kid! He did a good job. His notes were mostly pictures. :)

Happy Birthday, Keelian!

Keelian Belle turned one on February 28th. We celebrated her birthday with our adopted family the day before (chocolate cake with pink frosting!) and then on her birthday we had our families over for 'cakes and shakes. Keely loved the cake, cupcake, and shake! She's never had that much sugar - turns out it makes her pretty loopy, well that and that we kept her up late to celebrate. So fun! We love our little Keelian! Thank you to all of our extended and adopted family members who were able to celebrate with us! :)

Too Funny To Not Post

My sister just posted this gem on her blog and I stole it so that you can also enjoy the ridiculousness that pervades at Stratton family gatherings! (As this pushed my morning sickness over the edge, I never did get to see the end results of this competition. I was outside throwing up.)