Who Knew

For going on six years Sunday chores have been a part of our week (way more years than that for Collin). Collin would get up and leave early to feed or sometimes to milk, and right after church we would be running off to do evening chores. We made some awesome memories during that time. He has taught me so much and I have loved learning the way of a dairyman. BUT holy cow! Who knew Sunday's could be so dang awesome!

We had the best Sunday today going to church and just hanging out. I now remember what Sundays are for! Resting, and spending time with family!

We also got a new calling in the ward, and after being in the nursery for a year and a half, it's nice to have a change of pace teaching Sunday school for the 14-15 year olds, and being able to attend Relief Society. 

So really between not having the dairy to worry about anymore, and a new calling our Sundays have been totally flipped upside down and we are loving it! (Well I am, Collin is having a hard time learning how to relax).

I wish it was Sunday everyday! Sure Friday nights and Saturdays are fun to go out and do something, but nothing beats a low-key Sunday.

I'm thankful for the gospel, this Christmas season, and Sundays!

Family Vacations

We were able to go to Yellowstone National Park with Collin's family. Do they not always do the funnest things or what? I married into an awesome family.  

I had been to Yellowstone before I think twice. Once when I was probably in 5th or 6th grade. And once when I was a little older. It was really fun to see it all again. I had forgotten how beautiful it is up there! We saw lots of fun animals and had lots of laughs driving around from here to there. 

Funny story, we were at Old Faithful around noon and decided we were all hungry. There was just one place to eat there and we decided to keep going to a couple other places further into the park and find something else to eat and hoped that it wouldn't have been as busy as the grill at Old Faithful. We kept driving through the park, stopping to see things. We finally asked someone and found out that there was only one other place with food. It was 3 or so by then and the nearest food place was at least an hour and a half away. Needless to say we were starving! We got some snacks to hold us over though, and it was a funny memory! I guess this time of the year they close down a lot of their food places and visitor's centers. Who'd of thought! So if you're going before they close in November, pack a lunch!

We saw so many pretty things and it really made me think how lucky we are to live where we do. I feel so bad for the people who don't get to see such cool landscape and beauty in the world we live in! 

After we had explored Yellowstone for a full day-- and I mean a full day! We got up at 530am to make it from Idaho falls to the park so that we could see lots of things! -- We headed to Jackson for the next two days. It was a blast and we got to see some pretty cool things.

It was cool to see all the young families on vacation. Either pushing strollers or helping the little kids fill out a fun worksheet about Old Faithful. It's fun to think that that was my parents at one point. Answering my twenty questions about Old Faithful or answering me for the hundredth time when I asked how much longer to drive in the car. Family vacations are so fun and some of my fondest memories are of our family vacations when I was a kid. I'm so thankful now to know what my parents sacrificed for us to be able to see and experience the world. Because let's be honest, it would have been a lot easier (and cheaper!) to just leave us kids home. So thanks mom and dad for always taking us fun places and letting us see the world! 

The even crazier part is that sooner or later that will be us hauling our kids around in strollers or on our hips so that they can see what we saw growing up.

Yay for family vacations and great families!

Tender Mercies

Fall is my favorite season hands down. If it could be this time of the year all year I would be a happy girl. 

Just knowing the holidays are coming, I soon get to spend more time with Collin while the farm slows down, and don't even get me started on the clothes!

This fall has been no different and as the leaves change and the weather is perfect I can't help but feel thankful for all that I have been given! Really, right now I have a Fall-y candle burning and it just gets me in the best mood!

We have had so many tender mercies in our lives lately. I can't even begin to count them all. A huge thank you to each of you who has played a hand in our lives. Small or big. I can truly say we have the greatest family and friends we could ever ask for. Each day I am reminded that Heavenly Father is mindful of us and what our current needs are. 

Life has been good and busy for us. Like I said things are starting to slow down on the farm. Work has been busy for me, but busy is good! We both love our jobs and wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now.

Collin surprised me with a GoPro for our anniversary and it has been so fun to play around with! I made a video for Corn Harvest and I'll post the link for it below. It's nothing professional, but it was fun to make and I think it will be so awesome to show our kids and grandkids someday--that is the only way I can convince Collin to let me take the video sometimes. ;) 

Things are good in the Roberts Household! I'm so ready for the holidays and can't hardly wait!

Love miss Zoey girl!

Sunday milkings!

^^ these friends of ours are moving back soon and we can't hardly wait!

Until next time! 

Oh yeah here's the video link. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bQZXkqULCqs&feature=share

An Article that Changed the Way I Think

Today as I was scrolling through my newsfeed as normal an article stuck out to me. I clicked on it and read it like normal, but this time it hit me hard.

Throughout the last few months I have been so stuck on what I don't have. I've became depressed at times because I don't have the body I want, I can never find clothes that I like, or even simply because I feel like there are so many people with such cuter this or such nicer that. The list could go on and on. You all know what I'm talking about. I don't get like this too often, but when I do it seriously sucks the energy right out of me. I obsess over trying to lose weight or how I can earn money to buy this or that and still save at the same time. The thing is, all I'm focused on when I get like this is ME or US. 

This article had a lot of great points in it, but the point that stuck out to me had to do with what defines who you are being how you treat others, not how you look, what you own, or what you wear.

Now I'm not one to talk because doing my makeup and shopping are two of my favorite pastimes. However, I learned something from this article. Actually, I wouldn't even say I learned it, because I've known it all along. After all, I too had a great mother who was an example of this to me. I was reminded of it. 

I remember being in school and being taught what character meant. The way our teacher described it as was who you are when no one's looking. It has seriously stuck in my head since that day.

When the time comes for each of us we aren't going to be remembered for the things we have or even how we look. We will be remembered for how we treat people. 

From today on out I'm going to try really hard to not let that depression of what I don't have or how I don't look get the best of me.

I soo needed to find this article and maybe some of you will too! So here's the link to it. 

http://m.deseretnews.com/article/865630515/The-blessings-of-being-raised-by-a-low-maintenance-mother.html?pg=all&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%3Fref%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com

August

August will always be one of my very favorite months. It has so many great memories throughout the month that make it fun. The weather is hot, but cools off at night usually. Summer festivities are coming to an end, and school shopping! I miss getting ready to go back to school and getting shopping dates with my mom for clothes. Some of my fondest memories are spent in August including our wedding and Our first date when we laid on the road watching shooting stars by a corn field! (Totally romantic I know!) 

As summer comes to an end yet another Fall is around the corner. If you know me at all you know that makes me the happiest person alive! I love Fall. 

Collin is getting ready to begin third crop hay and staying extra busy doing his side little business of hauling with our semi! I must admit when we decided to invest in the semi last year I was terrified, but it has proven to be such a good thing. Although if he's not busy on the farm he is busy doing that-- I start to kinda miss him ;)  it really has been a blessing in our life. 

We finally booked our Mexico trip for this November so I'm trying to hit up all the summer sales while things are on clearance. Know of anywhere that has cute swimsuits on sale? Please share! 

We were able to go to the sand dunes in St. Anthony this week with my in laws. It was a blast as always. I'm incredibly thankful for a job that allows me to be able to spend time with family when needed. It's so funny to see how happy Collin and his dad get when we are going to the sand dunes. They have too much fun. I could watch Col all day! 

We did have a series of unfortunate events last week when I ran my car out of gas... And our washing machine flooded our hallway. Thank heavens for my sweet husband for bringing me gas when he had better things to do, and for him realizing the washer was flooding before it was too bad. 

Monday is our anniversary and that's kinda crazy. Sometimes I feel like we have been married forever (I guess that could be cause we have been in each other's life for 5 years) and I can't believe it's only been two years, and then sometimes I feel like it was just yesterday and can't believe it's been that long already. I'm sure grateful he asked me to be his wife. 

I'm sad August is ending, but holiday season is right around the corner starting with Halloween, and that is the best time of the year! 

Five Small Ways We Save Money.

1. Hand soap. 

I know I'm not alone when I say that I love me some good bath and body hand soap. Because I am an ocd freak I wash my hands multiple times during the day (when I say multiple I mean like 20-25 times) I'm not exaggerating. So as you can see my soap habit can be quite expensive. Bath and body is great and yeah sometimes there are sales, but why not use the DIAL hand soap from Wal-Mart for 99 cents a bottle? This has saved us! And there really are a lot of yummy cheap smells. 

2. Candles/scentsys. 

I love when my house smells good. It makes it feel homey and clean. I used scentsys for a long time, but am I the only one who feels like I have to change the scentsy every single day?! That gets old. So I started using candles. For a while I used bath and body candles and they are all so yummy. But once again they are expensive unless they're having a sale on them. I hit up TJ Maxx a while ago and found some way good smelling candles. One of them even smelt identical to one I had from bath and body. And guess how much they were? 5-7 dollars. And they last me a good month before I need new ones. 

3. Not wasting our money on DVDs and Blue-Rays

This is a total personal preference. Some people really like watching movies at home, but unless it's a really and I mean REALLY good movie, we don't buy it. It seems like the movies tend to just sit and never get watched. I'm sure this will change when we get older and have kids but for now it seems like a waste of our money.

4. Use up your lotions and perfume 

Who's with me when I say that I have TONS of lotion and perfume? Yet somehow anytime I'm in bath and body, Victoria's Secret, (or anywhere that sells smell goods) I feel like I just have to buy more because there is a new scent. Well about a year and a half ago I promised myself--along with a small nudge from my husband saying I couldn't get anymore-- I decided to use up what I have before I ever bought anymore. And guess what? I haven't even made a dent in what I have. And everytime I use up of bottle I'm so excited because I'm that much closer to getting new scents! I feel so accomplished. Chances are if you wait to use it up and keep buying new, the scent in the fragrance and lotion will go bad. Really, stop and think how many you have bought in the last year.. (Try this with hair product too!)

5. Not getting new unless you really need it (or want to spend your budget money on it)

It's so easy for me to be in the store and feel like I just have to have something. Most of the time I get home and realize I already have plenty. For example, I have been wanting new socks forever. Not that I really need new socks, I'm just tired of the ones I have. There are so many comfy/cute ones everywhere I go, I swear! But I really don't need new socks.. Mine work just fine. Honestly who sees your socks? I'm the same way with shoes too.. Or kitchen supplies.. This is a big one! Do you REALLY need that spatula? It's not like you don't already have 5 at home already.. You'll never use them all at the same time! Ask yourself this question--Will you regret it when you get home if you don't get it? Works every time, almost. 

These are just a few things I've learned over the past two years of being married. 

They may seem small, but it's small habits like this that add up! 

Late Night Harvests, Jam & Dermatologists

Collin has been SO busy on the farm the last week or so. They have been trying to finish second crop hay as well as harvest all their barley. I have spent many hours riding with him in the combine, and fallen asleep a few times as well. 12 and 1 AM is way too early for me.

See that suicide bird? It has just been hanging there the whole time. And it disappeared for a while so we thought it fell off but then yesterday when we were cutting Col turned on the windshield wipers and it came back down haha.. Poor thing. It's just hanging from some wire stuck.

If you have never ridden in a buddy seat in a tractor you're not missing out on anything. They aren't very comfortable for very long. Sometimes I end up on the ground because it's more comfy. On top of them not being very comfy Collin is always sweating up a storm while I'm freezing. He usually lets me have my way, but when he has the air blasting I'm always thinking to myself what in the world I'm doing sitting in there freezing to death on the ground or in a foot by a foot sized chair with a plastic back. Then I remember that I love him, and if I'm not out there with him I won't see him for the day because he is too nice to wake me up when he gets home from being out late.

We always play the guessing game of how many more passes we have left until the field is done, and at what exact time we will be done. Collin always beats me by a long ways. I always guess like 15 or so more passes and he'll guess 30 and be dead on. I guess that's what happens when you've done it for so long. Needless to say, I'll be happy when we can go back to just moving pipe for a couple nights before we end up doing third crop hay. That will be here before we know it, it always is.

I made some rasberry jam thanks to my awesome mother-in-law. She is always so giving of her rasberries. My grandma had some huckleberries in her freezer she had picked and let me have a little to put in a batch. I seriously love jam. This year I did all freezer jam, which is a change for me because the last two years I did cooked jam as well. I can't say one is easier than the other because they both take a little time, but aren't real hard.

We both went back to the dermatologists for head to toe mole checks and they took two biopsies from EACH of us.. yeah I know we are gonna be poor after that doctor visit. We will hear back on results in two weeks or so, and when I hear back I'll probably write more about why you should wear sunscreen and all that fun stuff. It scares me that they keep finding things... DON'T TAN! WEAR SUNSCREEN! Seriously I say this all the time but I mean it. It's NOT worth a tan. Learn from my mistakes! I won't quit saying this because I just really want people to stop tanning and roasting their body like I always did growing up.

We have also been going through my scrapbooks.. Enjoy this picture of me. Haahaha. Goodnight. 

A glimpse into our everyday life

When I married Collin I knew our summers would be different than most people's. We wouldn't be doing something fun every weekend, or spending every night going on walks, bike rides, etc. Summer for us is a different story. 

I can't tell you the number of times my hopes have been let down because something came up at the farm, or pipe didn't go exactly as planned. Or we missed out on things with friends and family to take care of the farm. Yes at times it can be the most frustrating thing to not know what time we can plan things. Most days in the summer we see each other for two hours before he has zonked out for the night. He's gone before I'm up, and  home hours after I am usually. Col will tell you I complain more than I say I am thankful.. :/ because I do. 

But to be honest I can't imagine my life any other way. 

I can't wait for the day that we have kids who get to tag along side work with their dad just like we both did when we were kids. Or the day we get to have a home of our own. There are so many things to complain about and look forward to, but i think I forget to stop and look at all the little things we have now. Actually, they're not even little things, they are the big things! 

So today I am posting something different than is usually seen on my social media. I'm not posting the perfectly posed pictures or the moments at big events for everyone to see, I'm showing you a glimpse into our every day, always eventful, but kinda boring life! Because these are the little moments that mean the most!

I could go on and on because I'm always taking random pictures, but you get the story. 

Andrea 

My recent favorites.

I am obsessed with anything make up/ beauty related as many of my friends know. I just wanted to share a couple things that I'm currently loving with my regular routine! 

This Nivea creme smells so good. I have been looking for a new face moisturizer for over a year. I usually use the Clean and Clear and really haven't ever had a problem with it, just wanted a change. This stuff won me over! I can't use up my old bottle of Clean and Clear fast enough!

This stuff is straight from heaven! I'm convinced. It is the best smelling hair product ever. I put it on either when my hair is still damp or when my hair is dry and I'm straightening it. It's called S-factor by TIGI. It makes your hair so silky, which my hair needs. I have the curliest and most coarse hair ever. 

 

This foundation has been the best thing to happen to me. Jk not really, but this stuff is so nice. It goes on so smooth and has a good balance of coverage. Not to thick but enough to cover what needs to be covered. It's LORAC POREfection foundation. This is the color PR2. It matches my skin tone really well! Oh and it squeegees the side of the bottle as you pump, pushing everything to the top. Meaning that you don't have to sit and try to get the last few drops of foundation out. You get to use it all without any wasting! 

The ultimate wet brush.. My mother in law got this for me for Easter and I love it! It untangles wet hair soo good! You know when you get out of the shower and you just dread trying to comb through your hair? This will solve that. It's so fast and easy on your head. 

Ok this pillow isn't related to makeup or beauty, other than it is beautiful! Haha. I got this from TJ Maxx and I have just been obsessing over it for the last few months. 

Well now you know a few of my recent favorites! Until next time! 

Andrea