December’s favorite post link-up

 

I was so excited when Ashley came up with this idea to share your favorite post of the month.
I publish so many posts throughout the month {at least once a day} that I feel like they all get lost in the pile and never visited again.
plus, I love look through other people’s posts and reading their favorite ones to get to know them better

This month, I am joining the list of guest hosts to help spread the love even further throughout the blogging community. Be sure to check out their blogs to find out their favorite posts!

This month's hosts include:

Ashley from After Nine To Five / Megan from And Here's To You, Mrs. Robinson

Rushelle from Digging Deeper / Polly from This Enchanted Pixie

My favorite post of the month is:
{i’m cheating & i have two!}

GO FORWARD WITH FAITH
&
CHANGE OF HEART 

JOIN US BELOW!

year in review {blog style}

some favorite posts of 2011:

JANUARY

:: my 2011 resolutions. i think i made great progress though i can always improve!
:: some favorite pictures of cute, chubby, Elijah baby
:: an important lesson {and word} i learned to help a marriage be healthy and happy
:: got hired for the most fabulous and perfect internship ever. it was like a dream!
:: love my husband!

FEBRUARY

:: Elijah is chubby
:: {Just} Dance party with best friends
:: a sweet and touching dream i had that reminded me that my Heavenly Father is mindful of me and loves me
:: Elijah starts walking!!

MARCH

:: my cousin & best friend came to visit!
:: Elijah practices his Rocky impression
:: Superman baby {daddy’s dream!}

APRIL

:: me and Adam finished school and graduated from Brigham Young University
:: Elijah turned one and we had a big party
:: Elijah celebrated his first Easter

MAY

:: Adam and i celebrated our 2nd anniversary
:: we taught Elijah about the letter U
:: we found out that Elijah really really doesn’t like being pointed at
:: i realized i wasn’t being completely honest on my blog and vowed to be more genuine

JUNE

:: Elijah became obsessed with this song and it was sometimes the only way to get him to stop crying
:: i realized i couldn’t ever make it as a single mother
:: my sister opened her shop on Etsy, Rhi’s Designs
:: Adam turned 25
:: i really did {finally} finish my last class EVER
:: i understand the importance of the phrase “marry above yourself”

JULY

:: celebrated 4th of July with friends and blowing stuff up
:: i turned 23 and had a month long celebration {and had a wonderful date}
:: Adam wrote me a sweet birthday message
:: i reached 100 followers!
:: SAW HARRY POTTER!!
:: was reminded of the valuable lesson to put your spouse first and how we can have perfect love
:: talked about having depression for the first time

AUGUST

:: had to say goodbye to our best friends/cousins
:: figured out what being a mother means to me
:: an old lady in the supermarket taught me the importance of enjoying these moments
:: talked openly about my struggle with depression and getting help
:: shared a great analogy about the way we handle feelings in ourselves & relationships
:: embraced my inner fashionista

SEPTEMBER

:: had a very special experience of answered prayers
:: realized that Lord really does know best
:: shared my reason for getting help
:: talked about my feelings after Elijah was born

OCTOBER

:: went to the family carnival
:: shared my feelings about Elijah growing up
:: went to the Utah Blogger Meet-Up
:: visited the beautiful autumn scenery up the canyon
:: realized that it is okay to wait to have another baby
:: threw an awesome {un-Halloween} party [here.here.here.here.]

NOVEMBER

:: resolved my feelings on motherhood and womanhood
:: Elijah thinks Aragorn looks like Jesus
:: tried to learn to accept myself better
:: joined the awesome RevolutionizeHer project
:: shared my feelings of gratitude for my blessings and family
:: began my 30x30 under $30 project

DECEMBER

:: realized how fast Elijah is growing up
:: opened up about pornography addiction and it’s dangers on the Stronger Marriage blog
:: offered some small words of encouragement during times of high stress
:: threw my friend an awesome Soda Shoppe Party
:: shared how my heart opened up more compared to last Christmas

WHEW!!
it’s been a great year!
being able to look back on past events and feelings is one of the greatest blessings of having a blog.
i may not be good at keeping a journal, but i’m glad i have this little blog to document the things that happen in my life.

it’s also kind of interesting to see how my blog and writing style has developed throughout the year.
hopefully it’s gotten better and will continually get better as we head into a new year and have new opportunities!

so grateful for this last year and all that has happened.
i know i learned a lot of important lessons that i hope i can remember for years to come.
and i have loved getting to meet new friends and soul sisters!
:)

here’s to another great year!!
BRING ON 2012

our Christmas letter

i forgot to send out Christmas cards out on time. it has been a crazy couple of weeks.
but to tide our close family and loved ones over, i thought i’d write a little update of what happened in 2011

2011 has been a very exciting and eventful year for our family!
Looking back, we can see how much the Lord has truly blessed us and guided us through every step of the way. 

Adam and Megan graduated from Brigham Young University this last April. Adam is now getting a Master's in Physiology and will be finished in April 2012. He will then most likely be attending Midwestern University Dental School in  in Glendale, AZ. We are excited to hopefully get back the warm weather!

Megan is keeping busy chasing around a very active 20-month-old and finishing her internship with StrongerMarriage.org. She is still trying to get used to being a full-time stay-at-home mom now that she doesn't have to juggle homework with diaper changes, but she is enjoying the time she has to spend with their goofy little boy. 

Elijah is as cute and clever as ever! It is fun to see him learning new things each day. He loves Elmo, slides, suckers, pillows, animals of all sizes and playing with friends.

We wanted to thank all of you for your love, support, and prayers on our behalf this last year!
We love you all so very much!

Love,
Adam, Megan, and Elijah Robinson

am i living in crazy world??

last week, we drove down to Fresno to get a quick dental check-up from Adam’s uncle.
on our way back, there was a cop driving in the lane next to us so Adam decided to be extra cautious to not pass him so we didn’t get a ticket for speeding.

well,
the cop was going really slow so Adam decided what the heck and passed him anyways.
right after he passed him, the cop flashed his lights and pulled us over.

immediately we thought it was for speeding since we ended up passing him but what the cop said next totally surprised us.
“you need to go faster, dude!!”

uh…. say whhhaaaatttt????

he told us we were going too slow and were holding up traffic.
{????}
and that he clocked us at going only 60 mph in a 65 mph zone
{!!!!!}
yes.
he pulled us over for going
5 MILES UNDER THE SPEED LIMIT!

but that’s not even the stupidest part.
the stupidest part is that Adam specifically turned on his cruise control to stay between 65-70 mph.
but the cop said we were going only 60.
“you need to get that think fixed!” was his response when he told us that.

and the other stupid part,
there were no cars behind us being “held up” 
and
there was a crash a few yards ahead of us when we finally got back on the road that the cop should’ve been taking care of instead of pulling us over for going “too slow”

yeah.
so so SO stupid.

he only gave us a warning which was good i guess.
we think the real reason he pulled us over was because our license plates were out of state and he wanted a good reason to question us because when he asked for our license and registration, he was all suspicious and saying dumb things.

grrrr.

but oh well, you always need some kind of exciting story to tell while you’re on vacation right??
it makes for a good story i would say.

hope you all have better experiences driving this week!
:)

The Magic Room

i just got finished reading The Magic Room: a story about the love we wish for our daughters for the BlogHer Book Club.
this book tells the story of Becker’s Bridal Shop in Fowler, Michigan which has been in business since the 1930’s. it shares the stories of several women on their journey to find the perfect dress at Becker’s while simultaneously sharing facts and statistics about marriage through the years that the business had been opened.

if you have been reading my blog for some time and know about a little about me, you know that i totally geek out over marriage facts and studies and advice.
{my degree is in marriage and family studies}
so obviously when i heard about this book i was instantly interested in what it would say.
and it did not disappoint!!

the book reads like any other story and keeps you wondering what is going to happen next in the women’s lives. but what i loved even more about it is how it casually interjects statistics and trends for how marriage has changed today {trends like my Crossroads of Divorce article}
the book is able to mix research and storytelling in a beautiful way so you don’t feel like you’re reading a boring research paper {though, if it was about marriage & family i probably won’t mind}.
seriously.
i think this is a book that ALL couples should read.

i loved it and definitely will be making Adam read it soon
:)
you should definitely check it out!

 

This was a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

cousins

“a cousin is a ready-made friend for life.”
-anon.

 

and they’re already getting into loooooots of trouble together!!
{preview for years to come? i think so}

 

:::p.s. sorry all the pictures have been from my phone so far. i haven’t been thinking much about taking nice pictures since i’ve been trying to just sit back and enjoy a little more :)

our Christmas so far {instagram style}

{gingerbread house and puzzle making with Camilla}


{me and Holli sang “What Child Is This?” for the family}

{my mother-in-law’s tree should be in a magazine. freal}
 
{Elijah opening up his new bike}

we’ve had a really great Christmas break so far
i don’t want to get back to real life…
{thankfully we don’t have to quite yet and we have another week here hanging out in California}

this Christmas i feel a lot more emotional than i have in the past.
maybe it’s because i’ve been a lot more pensive and reflective this year, thinking about the Savior and His life
maybe it’s because after the long year, such love and happiness was a welcome relief
whatever has made these feelings stay close to the surface, i know that i have really felt my Savior’s love and comfort the last few weeks.

my sister-in-law gave me this beautiful picture of the Mesa, Arizona temple {where we were married} and right when i pulled the paper back i started crying.
it seems silly and maybe to others it seems like a pretty superficial reason to get emotional {over a beautiful gift}
but right when i saw that painting it was like a huge beacon of hope to me
like i was cared for and loved beyond all measure
i can’t really explain it.

i’m so grateful for the Christmas season where we can be with family and remember what is really important in our lives
each other.

i hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with their loved ones!!
wishing you all
PEACE ON EARTH & GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN

guest post & giveaway: Alisha from Alisha & Brandon

Howdy-ho neighborettes!!

My name is Alisha, and I blog over at Alisha & Brandon, a lifestyle and fashion blog. Basically, a catch-all for everything in mine and my husband's lives. We just recently celebrated our one year wedding anniversary, and we couldn't be happier.

Proof that I exist ;P

I am a photographer by day and a blogger by night. Earlier this year I decided to take my photography public and take on actual clients. I can't tell you how much fun I've had getting to know my brides and couples. I don't consider myself a professional photographer by any means, but capturing a moment in time and to be able to look back on that moment is absolutely wonderful to me!

I'm currently obsessed with peppermint mochas from McDonald's, scarves, crocheting and listening to lots and lots of Christmas music!!

Speaking of crocheting, I've got a little surprise for you, readers of And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson. And since I've been a crocheting fool lately, I've decided to give one of these fun crocheted beanie caps to one of you! How lucky are you?!!

This is the beanie up for grabs.

It's perfect for yourself or anyone in your family.

Best of all, it'll make you smarter.

Ok, not really, but you know you want to THIS awesome hat!!

Here's how to enter:
[one comment for each entry]

1. Follow Alisha & Brandon here
2. Leave a comment about your favorite Christmas gift you gave

extra entries:
2. Follow Alisha on Twitter here
3. Follow Alisha on Bloglovin' here
4. Follow Mrs. Robinson
5. Follow Mrs. Robinson on Facebook here

Good luck!!

post-Christmas inspiration

we’re still out of town and recovering from the fun-filled Christmas weekend.
since we’re still in a daze, i wanted to share with you this beautiful story about the
true spirit of Christmas

i cried.
{but i’ve also been really emotional lately so maybe it’s not a big deal?}
but really it’s good!

The Spirit of Christmas

 

Merry Christmas!

Mary’s Lullaby

 

this Christmas, i’ve thought a lot about Mary
what she had been thinking, what she had been feeling

one of my favorite Christmas songs is called Mary’s Lullaby by Wanda West Palmer
the lyrics and message is so sweet and tender, a true love song from mother to baby.

the chorus:
all mine in your loveliness, baby all mine.
all mine in your holiness, baby divine.
sing on herald angels in chorus sublime.
sing on and adore, for tonight you are mine.

i think about all the love and excitement i felt when my son was born,
and all the hopes and dreams i had for him as he grows up.
i feared for the pain he would possibly experience and hoped more than anything he would feel loved and secure.

i’m sure what Mary felt was similar if not greater than my own feelings of my son’s birth.
but i wonder if her feelings may have been mixed with even more fear for what she knew the future would bring.

i can’t imagine giving birth to my sweet boy and know that in the coming year he would be taken from me by people who hated and despised him.
the courage and strength that must have taken almost seems incomprehensible.

Jesus gave His life for us,
and Mary gave up her son.
it makes me cry to think of it.

but as the song says,
but tonight you are mine. 

we never know what the future may bring for our loved ones.
we don’t know how much time we truly have with them.
but tonight we can cherish them,
enfold them in our arms of love.

my prayer this Christmas is that we can focus on the ones we love,
cherishing the time we have with before it's too late.

 

 

full lyrics:
All mine in your loveliness baby, all mine.
All mine in your holiness baby divine.
Sing on herald angels in chorus sublime;
Sing on and adore, for tonight you are mine.

The wise men are coming to worship their King,
The shepherds are kneeling their homage to bring.
Out yonder the star over Judah will keep.
No harm will befall thee, then sleep baby sleep.

O let me enfold thee, my baby tonight,
While legions are singing in joyous delight.
A new star has risen to hail thee divine,
For you are a king, but tonight you are mine.

Away spectered future of sorrow and plight,
Away to the years that must follow tonight.
The pangs of Gethsemane, let them be dim,
The red drops on Calvary, not Lord, for Him!

O let me enfold thee, my baby tonight,
While legions are singing in joyous delight.
A new star has risen to hail thee divine,
For you are a king, but tonight you are mine.

All mine in your loveliness baby, all mine.
All mine in your holiness baby divine.
Sing on herald angels in chorus sublime;
Sing on and adore, for tonight you are mine.

Crossroads of Divorce

i am currently reading a book called “The Magic Room” centered around a bridal shop that has been in operation since 1934. they talk about the brides of the past and of the present, what they hope for and how their dreams for the future come to fruition or fall apart at the seams. how the ideas and longevity of marriage have changed almost drastically through the 77 years the shop has been opened.

i’ll talk more about in later in a future post for the BlogHer book club
but i have been thinking about it a lot in relation to the new Stronger Marriage article that was published called,
Crossroads of Divorce

with the divorce rate steadily increasing, it’s hard to comprehend why so many marriages and couples who once were filled with so much hope and love can seem to be ended so easily.

of course, each relationship is different and there are some circumstances that truly warrant divorce.
the intention of my article is not to place judgment or force couples to stay together.

but i do want to make people think
to question
if divorce is really necessary in all circumstances

in a national study, over 75% of couples who reported being unhappy in their marriage but chose to stay together said they were very happy 5 years later.
and on average, in 75% of divorced couples at least one partner has regrets about the decision to divorce one year after break up.

so my question to you is:
are you doing everything you can?
do you remember the reasons that you were married?
are you letting the stress of outside forces creep their way into your relationship?
can you try harder?

i know in my own marriage, i realized that i wasn’t trying hard enough.
i wasn’t communicating or understanding or allowing myself to have an open heart
and because of that, there were times in the beginning of my marriage that i truly felt unhappy.

but we stuck it out.
we tried harder.
we talked more.
we went to counseling.
and i can tell you that our marriage has never been better!

i hope you read the new Stronger Marriage article
and i hope that it helps encourage you if you are wavering at the crossroads.
i hope you can be inspired, uplifted & comforted
because you are not alone in your feelings.
more than likely, there has been more people who understand than you know!

read it here.

 

please note: i want to reiterate that i’m not trying to say divorce is wrong and should never be an option. i understand that every marriage is different and only those involved can fully understand and make the decision that is best for them. also, if there is any kind of abuse in a marriage i fully support the decision to divorce and get out of the relationship as fast as possible. safety should always be the first and most important factor.

change of heart

i am sad to admit it, but last Christmas i had a very bitter heart.
it felt like nothing was working out at the time:
we didn’t get into dental school, 
we didn’t get to go anywhere for Christmas,
we barely had any money for presents,
we couldn’t afford to get winter clothes for Elijah,
Elijah wasn’t nursing well anymore and it was physically and emotionally frustrating,
we were sleep deprived, mentally exhausted, and emotionally worn out.

the whole year was a complete roller-coaster and my emotions were at their wit’s end by the time Christmas came around. it was the beginning of my darkest days.

i cursed God and doubted His love for me.
i felt forsaken and forgotten.
i didn’t understand why He would let us go through all that we were having to endure.
i couldn’t see my blessings. i couldn’t feel His love.
i was miserable.

this Christmas is a lot different.
though not much has changed since last Christmas
{we still are barely making ends meet most days}
my heart is in a totally different place.

i know it is because i can feel God’s love in my life again.
i know He cares for me and is there for me through every trial.
after all that happened, He was there through it all!
{i know that now!}

i know that because of His guidance to get the help i needed, i can recognize the small and simple blessings in my life and understand my true worth.
i know He hears and answers our prayers, even the smallest and humblest of prayers.
i know He understands our greatest needs and the honest desires of our hearts.
i know that even if it doesn’t seem like we have much, the Lord blesses us through the simplest of ways.

i know that this is the time of year that we celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ
and that through Him we can find true happiness
and have that sweet change of heart.

guest post and giveaway: Jillian from My Remedy

Hey ladies & gents! I'm really psyched to be writing a little guest post for Mrs. Robinson. Isn't she lovely? She's so kind & I'm really happy I've gotten to know her through blogging.

My name's Jillian (feel free to call me Jill!) & I am an entrepreneur, blogger, photographer, creator, philanthropist & designer. I truly believe that you can have a good time & still do good for your world. With that thinking, I started a small company called my Remedy a year ago. I created my Remedy to ignite a movement of living in love & to create a community of positivity (yep, I made that word up. haha.). It's not just a brand; it's a lifestyle.

I focus on eco-friendly printed apparel that has encouraging messages, as well as hand-crafted jewelry & graphic design. I also put on & partake in events that have a charitable donation as a goal. My company is my dream come true & my passion. I'm on this journey to figure out how to live a life in a loving way & I'd be honored for you to come along for the ride. Let's figure this out together. Please check out my online shop, twitter, blog & facebook. That'd make me crazy happy!

Another muse of mine is style blogging. I started my blog, Boyish Chic, in September. I've had a hard time identifying my own style, but I came to the realization that I don't really dress completely one way or another: I'm more of a mix between feminine & boyish. I can never dress completely girly (like a dress with high heels & bows & lots of jewelry) or really boyish (like baggy jeans, a baggy top & no makeup), but meet in the middle & I feel right at home (I'll take that dress & high heels & mix it with a baggy top & lipstick). Kind of make sense? Haha!

I loooove taking photographs & blogging. Not only do I think it's a good time, but I also think it'll be really cool to look back at what I wore down the line & to see how my style changes throughout time. Also, it's such an amazing gateway to meet other bloggers & be inspired on a daily basis. It's truly an amazing world here online. I post about different things - mostly fashion or what I'm wearing - but also about events going on in my life or DIY things I've created to share with you. I also love posting goofy .gifs just because I think they're entertaining & fun :]

To celebrate being a guest on Mrs. Robinson's blog, I'm going to do a giveaway from a
$10 gift certificate for my Remedy!
I hope it will help you with your holiday gift giving or help you treat yourself to something special this holiday season.

Entering's easy! All you need to do is:

1. Follow Mrs. Robinson's blog.
2. Like the my Remedy Facebook page. Comment below that you've done so.
3. Follow my style blog. Comment below that you've done so.
   

Each of the following gets you an extra entry:

1. Follow me on Twitter & tweet about this giveaway with the link included and the word: RT. Be sure to @myRemedydesign or I won't know you did it! Comment below that you've done so
2. Comment on the Facebook page's wall what your favorite item from the shop is. Comment below that you've done so
3. Blog about this giveaway with the link. Comment below that you've done so
4. Follow the my Remedy blog. Comment below that you've done so
   

The winner will be chosen on Friday, December 23rd!

Thanks so much for having me, Megan & thanks to all who were interested in reading it. Your support means the world to me :]

Keep living in love,
xx. Jillian

shop online // style blog // facebook // twitter // shop blog

Christmas Inspiration

a Soda Shoppe surprise party

my friend Jessica (you know her from Sebastian Design) has pretty much been my best friend and savior since we started hanging out this past summer. i honestly can’t even adequately express the appreciation i have for her!

i know for a fact that i wouldn’t be where or who i am today if it wasn’t for Jessica’s friendship and support.
she has constantly believed in me and pushed me to reach my goals.
she is always there to listen to me, encourage me, and celebrate with me.
she is honest, sincere, kind, and loving to everyone!
and she is just an amazing example to me of what it means to be Christ-like and to love one another.

so, obviously i love Jessica a lot :)
and so does my friend Kylie. so we decided we wanted to throw her a surprise party for her birthday
{which is today! stop by her Facebook page and tell her HAPPY BIRTHDAY!}

we decided we wanted to go with a Soda Shoppe/Candy Shoppe theme
and make it very bright & {old-fashioned kinda style}

it turned out so good!!
it was so fun to see Jessica’s reaction when she walked in!
she just kept saying, “what is happening….” over and over.
it was awesome!

here are just a few pictures of the decorations and little details we used to create the candy store atmosphere we wanted:

 

the whole party cost us about $10 + the cost of food
crazy right??

• i made the “Happy Birthday” banner out of scrapbook paper i already had and i wrote out the letters.
• for the centerpieces, i had some old soda bottles and i spray painted them white. then Kylie made the pinwheels out of cardstock that we already had as well.

• [not pictured] we also hung ribbon and tissue pom-poms from the ceiling to make it a little more colorful and fun. we had the tissue and ribbon on hand {ribbon was from Jessica but she didn’t know what for! we were sneaky :)} so it basically didn’t cost anything.

the party was a lot of fun and it was so funny to see Jessica’s reaction.
her husband said she had never had a surprise party before so me and Kylie felt pretty proud of ourselves for being able to help pull it off!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESSICA!!

 

now, i have tons of candy to eat.
anyone want some?
:)