Bonjour!

Bonjour!
I’m a 51 year old mother of five amazing daughters and wife to a caring, sensitive AND sexy husband. I adore my family. I’m dedicated to my faith. I enjoy a good laugh. I'm nostalgic and love to reminisce. "Remember" is my favorite word in the English language. I love life! I’m passionate about music, food and {dreams of} traveling the world. I wanna be a castle and waterfall chaser. I’m fascinated with anything European. {PARIS! Hello!} I love celebrating anything and everything! I love to read, especially a good biography, mystery, Regency Era Romance or Historical fiction novel. I love thoughtful gift giving. To me the gift wrap is almost as important as the gift itself. I have a bit of an obsession with gift boxes and gift bags. As well as old world maps & globes, apothecary bottles and jars! I love being creative…bolts of ribbon, coordinating scrapbook papers, producing a table scape, or planning décor for a themed party puts a smile on my face. I love the details! I’m a freak for anything theme oriented. I enjoy event planning, but oddly enough do not like to host or entertain. I enjoy fashion, but have to really be in the mood to clothes shop. I love purses and funky costume jewelry. Especially big rings! I’d rather wear wedges or heels any day than flats. I enjoy decorating and searching for the perfect decorative pillow or picture. However, you’ll never see me frequent high-end stores. I'm more of a Ross, TJ Maxx, Tuesday Morning kind of gal. My favorite decor style is an old world rustic Italian chateau/Spanish Villa look with a hint of bohemian! OR a vintage shabby chic French country cottage/English cobblestone farmhouse. My #1 cookie-Molasses! Autumn is my favorite season. I’d go through childbirth a million times. I enjoy biking with my man, Pilates, and power walking. You’ll never find me in a gym working out. I love movies, whether watching them in the theatre or cuddled up on the couch with my family. I enjoy a good chick flick or real life drama! I'm a sucker for movies on the Hallmark & Great American Family Channel. I have a tender heart for the elderly. I adore Disneyland. I enjoy being in the canyon on a summer or fall evening at dusk. I love my friends. While I have some extroverted characteristics. I’m a self proclaimed introvert. I’m generally quiet, calm, reserved and pretty darn private. Why in the heck do I blog? It’s a creative way to record family history. I enjoy photography. I really don’t like to write, although I write in my journal often. My journals, patriarchal blessing, scriptures, quote book, and beloved Christmas tree filled with ornaments of family memories are among my prized possessions. I love the beach. I enjoy WWII history. I love a clean, orderly house, but ours usually looks lived in. ;) PBS Masterpiece is my friend. I adore Jane Austen films. They transport me to another time and place. If I had to choose another time period in which to live, early 19th Century England would be my pick. "Sense and Sensibility" is my all time favorite movie. My 3 favorite TV series are...BBC's Larkrise to Candleford, the 1950's Spanish Drama "Velvet," and the travel/food show "Somebody Feed Phil." My biggest pet peeve is people who blow their noses in public. So gross! {Take it to the bathroom people.} I’d go on a wine tasting vacation if it wasn’t against my religion. I’ve always wanted to adopt a baby from a foreign country. I’m an avid BYU football fan. I'm a Educational Support Professional. I tutor elementary kids in phonemic awareness, phonics, reading, fluency and comprehension. I love our campfires at Scofield Lake. I have a 'thing' for fairy gardens, Gallic French roosters, fresh flowers in a vase, pretty bowls & plates, and yummy smelling candles & soap. I love summer rainstorms and warm baths. I'm a scripture podcast fanatic. I'm also a fan of several Fox News shows; Hannity and Dave Ramsey Talk Radio. I very much miss Rush Limbaugh! I hate when my kids have homework. I'd rather clean 20 toilets than give a talk or prayer in church. I have quite a collection of Madame Alexander Dolls, children's books, Disney pins, and quotes. My favorite quote is "Don't underestimate me. I know more than I say, think more than I speak & notice more than you realize." True True LOL! I always prefer sitting in a back row versus the front. {I'm sort of a seat snob..yikes} I also have high expectations for my lemonade, salsa, and french fries too. HA! I work well behind the scenes. I love a good Dateline, 20/20 or 48 Hour Mystery. I’m a night owl. I'd rather be cold than hot. I love to budget our finances! I enjoy being a chauffeur to my children. I'm not a huge fan of social media. I don't snap, pin or tweet. All I want for Christmas every year is a ticket to the Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. It's my FAVORITE. I’m an Anglophile…a royal watcher who loves anything English! Especially tea parties! I would like to serve a church mission to England with Jaren someday. I'm queen of paper towel, used kitchen dishrags and sponges kinda make me squirm. You’ll rarely find me out of the house not ready for the day, except when driving the kids to school on the days I don't work. I feel naked without lipstick or lip gloss. Mismatched socks, chipped fingernail polish, chapped lips and brownie crumbs on the floor drive me nuts! I like to organize and BE organized..but not saying I always am. ;) I enjoy hiking to waterfalls, ATV’ing with my family and snowshoeing with the hubs. Although I enjoy collecting recipes and occasionally watch cooking shows... (Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade, Paula Deen, Jamie Oliver, and the Pioneer Woman are my favorites) I’d rather not cook. Eating out is so much more fun. I'm a foodie. I live to EAT! LOL Trying new foods and restaurants is a favorite past-time, and believe it or not so is intermittent fasting. I'm not good at a lot of things... but gosh, if you need help with a themed celebration or someone to enjoy good food with, I'm your girl. I love the joy of anticipation and the celebration of holidays. Family traditions are important to me. I'm a memory preserver. I'm a pathological picture taker ;) a visual storyteller, and a lover of happy lists!

My Fam!

My Fam!

The Hubs and I

The Hubs and I

My Girls!

My Girls!

Kyleigh Dawn (28)

Kyleigh Dawn (28)

Emma Abigail (26)

Emma Abigail (26)

Hannah Isabelle (23)

Hannah Isabelle (23)

Brielle Olivia (19)

Brielle Olivia (19)

Kate Evangelene Lyllie (13)

Kate Evangelene Lyllie (13)

Mr. Charles "Bingley" Wentworth III (4 yrs.)

Colonel Edward Fitzwilliam "Darcy", Duke of Westridge (3 yrs.)

My Man!

My Man!

Good Times!

Good Times!

Wedding Day 5*17*22

Lillian "Lilly" Belle

Disney Food Fun! 2019

Disneyland Tips

What I Believe!

Our Missionary

We Bleed Blue! {Except for the Poppi}

My list of favorite movies!

Learn more about Dyslexia!

Music To My Ears!

Friday, February 26, 2016

What's On My Happy List?


Kyleigh In Korea

mission update week 41


A good 'ole scripture story!

So I went on exchanges this week with my beautiful Sister Training Leader.
Her name is Sister Kerr. She is a fellow Utahan :) We studied Mosiah Chapter 7 together and I would like to share what we learned with all of you.

King Mosiah wanted Ammon to take a group of men into the wilderness to find their lost brethren that they hadn't heard from in a long time. Something that really got our attention is that they wandered in the wilderness for forty days...when you sit and think about that.... It's kinda crazy, because they were on the Lord's errand!...yet they still struggled to find the way to go even though they were probably fasting and praying super hard. It's kinda like life for us...sometimes we might not know where we are going or we might have a trial and we can't see the end result or how it will help us, but eventually we will see that it was all for our benefit and that God has a plan for us. Eventually Ammon and 3 of the men that were with him found the people of Limhi. But they were immediately thrown into prison. Two days later the King wanted to speak with them and tells them that he would have killed them right then and there, but he was curious as to why they came to his land. The next part kinda relates to us as missionaries. It says that Ammon declared with boldness his purpose and because he did so he had the spirit and everything turned out okay. So my training leader and I talked about how when we talk to people on the streets or buses we shouldn't skirt around what our true purpose is. We should declare it boldly to people and not hide behind the fact that we teach free English. {Which is easy to do because that way we can meet with more people.} I'm not sure if this story makes sense, but it really helped me this past week! Read it if you have got a minute and try to tie it into your own lives or really think about how Ammon would have felt!

Love you all so much!!!! 
xoxo
Sister Kyleigh Cooper

On exchanges with Sister Kerr 

With the Elders and their investigator 

The Beach


In other family news this week...

Oh Gosh! 
We have some good news. 
We have an official Cougar in the house!!!
Emma's BYU acceptance letter came. 
We jumped up and down with joy. 
Then mom cried. haha. 
I am so happy for her! 

That would be a "Y"!!!


The fam celebrated with Mexican...her fav!


Emmsie's good weekend continued.... 
She also received her patriarchal blessing. 
For any LDS mother and father that has sat in the room while their child receives their patriarchal blessing...goodness me...they would agree that it's such a remarkable, unique, profound and sacred experience. You just leave knowing that Heavenly Father is real and he does not leave us here on earth directionless. He has a purpose and specific plan for all of us if we are obedient. I was blown away at Kyleigh's blessing when she was 14,  and again with Emma's. She has a marvelous spirit about her. I look forward to all that Heavenly Father has in store for my ladies. I'm not quite sure what I did to be blessed with such noble daughters, but I have been, and I'm honored and grateful.  A huge shout out for patriarchal blessings! I love mine and treasure it as one of my priceless possessions. 

Hannah was trying her darndest with the sunlight to get a pic of the three of us together. 
We couldn't get it to work no matter how hard we tried. 



AND....If Emmsie's life hasn't been eventful enough as of late...she's dealing with MORE work drama. 
 As you may remember she was working on a Monday night about a month ago and the store was robbed HERE Frightening experience to say the least, as she was alone. She debated whether to quit, but decided to stay on for a time. {Brave.} It does help tremendously when she knows she has her very own security guards. haha On the nights she works, the hubs and I take turns being "on watch" in our cars in front of the store..from around the time it gets dark... until she gets off. 
{Can we be on the payroll please?}  

Unfortunately, more weird things keep happening. 
Some lady came in about a week ago right before closing...permeating of something...smoke/pot? 
Not that Emma really know what the later smells like...but... 
She was trying to return a set of scriptures.. Kinda strange.  The lady was acting weird, but Emma dealt with her and she went on her way. Apparently it was an unsettling enough encounter that Emmsie put a pocketknife and pepper spray in the pocket of her work apron the following evening when she had to cover a shift for a co worker. A few days later she gets to work and her boss and someone from corporate are there. They start questioning Emma about this lady whom she had helped. Come to find out she is a wanted woman! {mug shot included.}She's wanted for drug charges and retail theft. She and a friend have found a way to work around the system...somehow stealing things and using the same receipt to get cash back???...  Not sure of all the details, but the police are trying to catch them.  Heads up was given to Emma that she could try coming back into the store and if she did, Emma was supposed to get a description, license plate, call the police 
etc etc etc. So Emma was freaked out last night wondering if this lady was going to show up again and how she was going to deal with the problem.. all by herself...

So ...the two of us hatched a plan... I was planted out in the car on high alert watching for someone fitting this crazy lady's profile to walk into the store. IF she did, and was trying to pull off anything... Emmsie would give me a signal to call the police.  Can you even believe? 
Lucky for us nothing out of the ordinary transpired.. 

I never dreamed this little quiet bookstore could cause the anxiety and paranoia that it has in my child. I find it very odd that we've got one child half way across the world in arms length of the crazy North Koreans and we are just as concerned, if not more so, about our daughter's safety who is just down the street working at an LDS bookstore. Bottom line is... when you feel you have to carry a pocket knife to feel safe working in a LDS bookstore...something is wrong. And that's when you turn in your two weeks notice. 
Which she did. 
And may I just add....Seagull Book should not have young girls working alone. ever. 
The End. 
Emma's page long document of her initial encounter with the criminal. Good Grief!

*****
Brie!

Some Star Wars fun at school... 

A 5th grade field trip to the State Capitol and the Daughter's of Utah Pioneer Museum. 
Brie just happens to have a legit phobia of old antique things. Which means she was close to hyperventilating in the museum filled with dead people's items...pioneer portraits, the dolls, the mannequins... 
She says she is never going back there again. haha We laughed because Emma is the complete opposite and loves the old stuff...the Pioneer Museum is where she recently did her History internship and she would LOVE to work in a museum filled with old archives one day...
I think it's safe to say that Brie will never be visiting Emma at work. ;) 


One of Brie's best friend's is moving and her last day of school was yesterday...so not fun. 


Caught her on lunch duty. Cracked me up! 
*****

Hannie!

Oh dear! If you knew the drill drama that's been going on! 
The school administration cancelled drill for the rest of the year. 
{Crazy}
The drill coach resigned... 
and THIS in a nutshell tells ya how our household feels about it. 
:) 

My turn to go practice driving with Hannie...she's a curb hugger! 
But I survived. haha. 

 We went to BYU basketball game together! 
Had a delightful time. 



A Cougar Tail for Hannie! She was in heaven. 
It's the longest donut you'll ever set eyes on.   


*****

Fun Find Friday!

 The high school-ers had the day off because of Parent Teacher Conf's this week. 
We made our first trip to Fizz. A specialty soda shop. 
{and a teeny bopper hangout} 
It has every flavor shot under the sun to choose from.
If you are a regular pop drinker {which I'm not} you'll love this place. Even still, the prices are fantastic and it was super fun to try.




Friday, February 19, 2016

What's On My Happy List?


Kyleigh In Korea

mission update week 40

Our day full of miracles....

So we wanted to deliver cookies and little message cards to all the members for Valentines Day...so we set off on an adventure.

It started POURING RAIN and we only had one umbrella.

A man found an umbrella on the side of the street and gave it to us. HUGE BLESSING.

We had to get into 5 family's houses but they all have front pass codes. We wanted the cookie delivery to be a secret so we had to wait for someone to walk in our out of each of the apartment buildings. After 5 minutes of waiting at each house someone either walked in or walked out. That was also a HUGE BLESSING.

The Elders had an investigator that they had been meeting with. His nickname is Mr. Green. They hadn't been able to contact him lately because he got a new job. He is my age and going to college. But we found him! After finishing dropping off all of the cookies and message cards we walked by a chicken fast food place and there he was. WE FOUND HIM! After talking with him he agreed to meet the Elders again. Another HUGE BLESSING. 

A potential investigator also showed up to our Little Kids English Class. That hasn't happened in 2 months! BLESSING.

My old investigator Chloe... who had a baptismal date that disappeared and stopped contacting us suddenly...remember her? She popped into my head one night as I was saying my prayer before bed. So right then I started a fast for her. The next day I decided that we should just show up at her house. So we did and she was there! It's been two months since we have met. We talked for a long time. She doesn't have interest in meeting right now because she is going through a rough time...but at least she knows that we care.

Heavenly Father always provides a way for his work to be done. I am thankful for all the blessings that he has given us this past week and for all the blessings he has given me in my life. Look for the little things every day and I promise you will find a blessing from the Lord. Love you all!!!

9 MONTHS DOWN BABY!!!

Love,
Sister Cooper

In other family news....

Some Pre-Valentine fun! 





Kate LOVES playing with playdoh, moon sand, bubber...anything up that alley.......
so when I came across these play-doh inspired Valentines I knew these were the ones for her.
{free printable from thenerdswife.com}


Brie is still lov'in all things Wonderland.
I found these vintage Alice valentines on Etsy.

 teacher's gifts

Valentine school lunch suprises!
{apple printable from craftymorning.com}




Got to visit both classroom Valentine parties.....




 *****

We had a little Amazing Race celebration for the new season that began Friday night...
We love this show...evidence of that HERE

We had food from several different countries..
Italy, India, Mexico, and France. 






*****
Valentine Date!
On Saturday the hubs and I celebrated Valentines.
We went snowshoe-ing up Millcreek Canyon!
SO MUCH fun!









We went to eat at Left Fork Grill after. 
The place is a cross between Village Inn and a truck stop. {not kidd'in} 
Not quite my territory, but my gosh.... 
The food there is SUPERB! 
I had a bacon, spinach Gruyere cheese omelette.  
{I'm afraid we might have to go back.} 



Waffle Love recently opened a store in Fort Union.
My girls are thrilled.
I took the kiddos there and to a movie for their Valentine outing...poor Poppi stayed at home to gear up for Ward Conference the next day and his talk. ;)








Have you seen this movie? MY GOSH. I LOVED it!!!

We also celebrated Kyleigh's half way mark on Saturday....9 MONTHS DOWN!
Can you believe?  
We made the sign out of Korean candy pretzels.. 

Got Valentines ready for my cute Primary class...
{printables from Tammy DeYoung on Etsy}


little puzzles! 
*****
Cupid paid us a visit on Sunday...Valentine's Day! 

He left a little Valentine for each of us. ;) 

If this art print does not scream Hannah...my gosh... I took one look at it and KNEW she had to have it for her room. She and Nutella go way back. 








*****
THEN...on Monday this cute girl turned 18! WHAT????



a french toast breakfast for the birthday girl!


She got her hair done as one of her gifts. :) She loves it!

I did "this is your life" in pictures along the mantle and wall in the family room..



I want to squish that face. ;)






The kids had the day off of school.
Thank you U.S. Presidents!
The hubs took us all for an archery lesson

 Kate was our designated photographer as she had to stay on the side lines and watch.
Not old enough.


Stop at Nielsen's Custard after...

A birthday photo shoot!






Birthday dinner!

I love this girl! 
We are soooo alike in a lot of ways. 
She's a joy!

In honor of President's Day I filmed B reciting all the Presidents of the United States. 
She memorized them last year at this time... just because. Her then 4th grade teacher was so impressed she had her go down to the principal's office to recite them all to him. She's been doing a refresher's course this past week and she's still got 'em down. 
 Way to go B. Olivia!