Hogle Zoo

On Wednesday, P1 and I went to Hogle Zoo with some friends. 

Here's P1 saying "hi" to his friend:

P1 didn't really notice most of the animals, especially the ones behind glass. The lemurs were the first ones he really noticed. We watched them for a few minutes, and then I picked up P1 so we could move on, and he screamed. So we watched the lemurs for a while longer (really only a few more minutes):

 

They have some neat LEGO structures around the park. The polar bear made of LEGOs was the most impressive. The Rocky Shores exhibit is really neat. We had fun watching the otters, seals, and sea lions. And the polar bear was super interactive! She was swimming and would come out of the water right up to the glass, and back away and swim up to another section of glass. And she kept doing this over and over. All the kids loved seeing her so close. P1 got really excited every time she came up to the glass.

 This is P1 looking at the giraffes. Really, he's just focused on his bottle and didn't see the giraffes at all.

We were able to ride the carousel! P1 wasn't sure about it at first, but once it started going up and down, he got really excited. He kept looking at the pole trying to figure out how it was moving.

 

Then we got to see a gorilla sleeping under a sheet. He woke up and looked at us, then rolled over and pulled the sheet over his head.

P1 and I enjoyed our adventure at the Zoo! Many thanks to our friends that invited us!

Frugality vs Honesty & Generosity

I've been pondering lately about the balance between being frugal and being honest and generous. As a member of the LDS Church, I have always been taught to stay out of debt and to live within your means. As a Latter-Day Saint, I have also been taught to be honest in all my dealings with men and to be kind and generous.

I believe that sometimes frugality, when taken to the extreme, comes at the cost of honesty and generosity. I think that getting something for nothing can be dishonest, and it is definitely not being generous. I believe in paying for what something is worth. If you're not paying for it, then who is? The cost has to be paid by someone.

I don't think sales or coupons are bad. I think it's great to get good deals and to compare prices. But I'm also familiar with the "rush" that you get when you get an amazing deal; and honestly, I think it can be addicting. And in my personal opinion, if something is addicting in any way, that is a red flag. Addiction is not how the Lord works, it is how Satan works.

I believe that peace and satisfaction come from living a lifestyle that isn't dependent on borrowing money or on coupons and sales. Satisfaction in knowing that we pay for what we use with the money we earn. Peace from knowing we are living a life that is not dependent on others.

Just because you can drive a hard bargain and get something for cheap doesn't mean you should. I remember being on the beach in Roatan and having locals try to sell us necklaces and hammocks. Do they take advantage of foreigners who don't speak their language? Yes. Is it good to barter with them to get a lower price? It can be. Most of the time they expect you to barter so they start out high. But if you can afford their asking price, why not be generous? Why not be generous to the person selling their wares on the street to provide for their family? Being willing to pay for what something is worth, and be sure to take into account the time, labor, and skill that went into a product.

I believe frugality is less about how far can I stretch my money, and more about identifying what our real needs are and learning to live with less. Not just to live on less, but to live with less. And we can use the money that we save to generously give to those in need.

"Every prophet in this dispensation has taught in clear, unmistakable terms that the Saints should stay out of debt, that we should not participate in “something-for-nothing” schemes, which has been stressed today. He advises us to be frugal, to save, and to earn our money the old-fashioned way, by the sweat of our face. We are admonished to teach our children the ethic of work. We have been encouraged at every turn to set the proper example of industry and thrift and also to be generous and consistent in our offerings to the poor and the needy." 

Elder Robert L. Simpson, April 1982 General Conference

I believe there is a balance we have to find between being frugal and being generous. And that balance may be different for everyone. I believe honesty is a tool that can help us find that balance. Just ask yourself, "Am I being honest to myself and to others?" when it comes to your financial choices.

Saturday Fun

To start off our Saturday, we all went to Village Inn for breakfast! P1 had fun "coloring".

Then we went to Smith's for some random shopping. P1 thoroughly enjoyed a toy shopping cart that we found:

 Then, in the afternoon we went to Jungle Jim's to help celebrate a friend's 1st birthday. At first P1 was overwhelmed by all the noise, and he started crying while watching one of the fast big kid rides (don't worry, we didn't take him on that one!). But he had fun in all the car-type rides. As long as he could hold onto a steering wheel, he was pretty happy. In fact, I had to pry his fingers off the steering wheel at the end of each ride.

 

After that, we stopped at the new LEGO store. It's a pretty neat store, but very crowded! Then we made it home, and I was able to listen to the General Relief Society Broadcast. It was a great meeting, and I loved the messages on covenants and how important it is that we help our children make and keep their baptismal covenant. How we can teach young children to keep simple promises in preparation for their baptismal covenant. All in all, it was a really great day, and I loved spending time with PE and P1!

Chilean Independence Day

On September 21 we celebrated Chilean Independence Day. We had a great turnout from college friends, and it was so great to see everybody that was able to make it! And it was great to see all the little kids! We had 11 adults, and 8 kids (the most kids we've had!).

Next year, I need to designate a photographer. I snapped a few pictures, but didn't get any great ones. I was too busy helping with the food and chasing a 11-month old around.

We had completos, beef and cheese empanadas, repullo, mote, semolina con leche, apples with harina tostada, mini torta de mil hojas, jello and fruit. As always, we had plenty of food, and so PE and I ate chilean food for most of the week.

This year we borrowed a pasta maker to roll out the empanada dough. It made that part easier, so we may have to buy one for next year.

I think next year we'll simplify to just completos, empanadas, and one dessert. And as a reminder for myself, this year we doubled the recipe for the torta de mil hojas, and made 24 mini cakes (each one 4 layers thick), and used just over 3 cans of dulce de leche. And for next year, don't buy as many hot dog buns, we had so many leftover!

11 Months

P1 is 11 months old today! I can't believe his 1st birthday is next month.

P1 can take a few steps on his own. He loves to hold onto your finger and walk all around the house. Now when he wants something, he'll grab your hand and take you to what he wants. P1 is a great help with the laundry. He loves to help me take the clothes back to the bedroom:

And he also loves to use the laundry basket to run down the hall:

P1 loves the flavored milk from Gossner's:

 

 P1 loves to go outside, and has figured out how to tell me he wants to go outside. Good thing he can't turn the doorknob yet!

 P1 loves to help me get the mail everyday:

"Mom, it's too bright outside!"

He loves to pick the dandelions (and try to eat them too!)

 

We love you P1!

The Family: A Project

In my ward, we were planning a Super Saturday for October. While we were discussing ideas, I remembered a small scrapbook my mom has on the The Family: A Proclamation to the World, where each page has a phrase illustrated with photos of her own family. (Turns out she did it at a Super Saturday too!). I was in charge of figuring out the cost so we could do it for our Super Saturday.

One thought was to make a template available digitally, so that sisters could put their own photos in it, and get a nice photobook printed.

Well, turns out we had to cancel our Super Saturday, but I still wanted to get my own photobook. I told PE that I was thinking about ordering one. PE isn't a big fan of scrapbooks because he thinks no one ever looks at them. He told me that if I wanted people to actually see it, that I should get something to go on the wall.

Amazon Local had a deal to get a 20x30 canvas print for $56, so I thought I would design something and get a canvas print to hang on the wall. This is what I came up with:

After getting some feedback, I decided to look into getting a custom made photo mat that would allow me to update the photos. Well, that ended up not being as easy (or as cheap) as I thought. I talked to Michaels, and they said they couldn't print the words on a photo mat, but they could custom cut the photo openings for only $166, and then I could add the text myself using vinyl lettering. I decided that would be too much money, and there is too much text to try to do it by hand.

So, I decided to try a print shop, and I went to AlphaGraphics. They said they could print it and cut out the holes, but it would be by hand. This option would be $42, and I would still need to get a frame, and the photos printed. I gave them the go ahead, and they said they would have it ready by 5 pm the next day.

We ended up going to the State Fair the next day, and while we were there, I missed 2 calls from AlphaGraphics and had 2 voice-mails. The first message said that they weren't sure if I really wanted the holes cut out, because they would have to do them by hand and it wouldn't look very professional. The 2nd message told me to ignore the first message, and that it was ready for pick-up and looked professional.

I went and picked it up the next day, and they actually had 2 printed out, one with the holes cut out and one not. They said I could take whichever one I wanted (but really, what were they going to do with the 2nd one?) I thought the cut out one looked great, and so I took that one home. I bought a 20 x 30 frame for $35.

 I had to add a 1/4" border to all my photos, so that they could sit behind the photo mat. I also bought a bunch of photo corners for $3. I used the photo corners to attach the photos to the mat, and it'll be easy to take the photo out and put a new one in later. The photos cost $5 to print at AlphaGraphics.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. The frame does cut a little bit off at the bottom, so if I did it again, I would leave more room at the bottom. But it's still readable, so I'll keep it! Now I just need to hang it on the wall!

Odds and Ends

Playing in the sock box!

P1 playing with a screwdriver. PE was fixing something, and P1 just had to have the screwdriver.

We had fun at the Utah State Fair. P1 got more excited about a plastic spoon we got for ice cream than he did about any of the animals.

 P1's hair is starting to go curly!