Smart Habit Sunday

I didn't read with the kids very many days like I wanted to and I only got exercise on two days. So, I am going to continue these goals. They are really important to me and I REALLY want them to become habits that I never break!! And, no new finished projects. I guess the things I have been working on need a lot more work than the previous ones. But, here are a couple of pictures from some I finished but didn't get blogged.

Here is a little pacifier caddy:



And Winnie the Pooh, no longer without clothing: (from this pattern)

Blogging Basics 101

I thought since I am using blogging basics 101 to learn how to post a button with a link, I'd just give them a little plug on my blog. Let's see if I can do this. And, if you are new to blogging, or just don't know a lot, they have a lot of great articles to teach you what things are and how to do them!!

Updated: Okay, so I can't do it! I can get a link but all I get for a picture is the little white box with a red X. I can get just a picture or just a link, not both! Does anyone know how to do what I am trying to do? I want to be able to have a linked button or picture either on my sidebar or in a post...Help!

I'd like to thank the academy

I was reading Mayhem & Miracles and I was pleasantly surprised to see that she had chosen me as a blog that makes her think!
She is a great person and has a really neat blog. I'm not surprised that she was tagged, herself. She is a strong woman with a lot to say and she says it well and with humor!
I have been seeing these around and I didn't think I'd get tagged. Here I am. Well, being a "thinking blogger" I ought to be able to come up with something clever to say....I got nothin'.

So here are my five choices: (In no particular order & sorry if you've already been tagged, I tried to find out first, but it is hard...)

1. The Lazy Organizer Lara is amazing! She has lots of ideas about parenting and of course organization! She is also a funny gal!

2. Walk Slowly, Live Wildly I just barely started reading Sara's blog. She has a lot of great information about being earth-friendly! I have been really trying to be more earth conscious, she can be a big help!

3. Duct Taped Halo I found Leslie during the Ultimate Blog Party! She is great at sharing her life on her blog. I feel like I know her, unless of course it's all lies...

4. Temporary? Insanity I know she has been nominated before, but oh well. Kim is hilarious as well as insightful!

5. Jess at Oh My has lots of great ideas and a nice blog!

I love blogging. It has been so neat to meet people from all over the world! How else would I get to do something like this? I just hope I can make a tiny impact on some of you out there...


So, here's what you do:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.

3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

Interview Meme

I saw this over at Temporary? Insanity and I thought it would be pretty fun. Kim sent me my questions this morning:

1) What's the best thing about staying at home with your kids?

Being there to see them grow up and change everyday. They grow so fast. I love being the one to mold and shape the way they are learning. I love the hugs and smiles they give me! Okay, so that is a lot of things, but it is mostly just nice to KNOW that they are safe and in my care all the time.

2) What do you like to grow in your garden?

Well, if I had enough space (we live in a townhouse) and money, I'd grow TONS of flowers. I would have beautiful things growing all year long! I really like things that are a bit odd--not your ordinary flowers. I love things that look unique and different. I'd have as little grass as I could get away with. Kids and my husband need grass, but not me. I'd cover as much as I could with flowers!! Everything would be a wild, flowering garden if it were up to me...I have a HUGE list just waiting to be found and planted.

3) What are your top five favourite things about your husband?

He makes me laugh.
We agree on most things and when we don't, we don't usually fight, we just talk it out.
He believes in my dreams and encourages me to seek them!
I love it when he plays the piano and we sing together.
He is a great daddy!


4) Other than gardening, what's your favourite outdoor activity?

That’s a tricky one. Most of my outdoor time is spent watching kids play and reading or crocheting while they do. I guess I'd have to say that I like walking. It gets us out and we go together. It is a great way to exercise at the same time. The kids love it!

5) What's one thing you'd love to do but don't know if you'll get the chance?

I'd love to see different parts of the world. I've never been outside of the U.S. (I've been close, but not quite out...) I'd like to see Europe, China, Africa, South America, Israel & many others. We have actually talked about Aaron teaching for the department of defense for a few years. They pay for everything to get there and back and even for a visit home once a year. It would be a great way to see some of the world for free basically. So, if we don't do that, I'd probably not get to see more of the world. We like to travel, so I'll probably get to see a lot more of the country, but the world is a little tougher. Maybe a cruise...

If you wanna play, here’s what you do.

1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.” If I don’t have your email address, leave it for me in the comments.
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

SMART Habit Saturday, er Sunday

So, I didn't do so well on my goal this week. I kept working on old projects and I finished two more. That makes a total of SEVEN finished projects in two weeks. Only two were begun in that time, so I was mostly finishing works in progress. I have pictures of the most recent two, but they are still trapped on my camera. It has been so nice to get those things off of my list! It feels really good. I am almost ready to get working on another BIG project that will take a few months. (I hope I'm ready!)

So, this week, I'll get back on the exercise and reading to the kids everyday. If the weather is good, it shouldn't be too hard and we can go for a bunch of walks.

If you haven't started, what are you waiting for? Go check out The Lazy Organizer and start improving yourself!!

Happy Earth Day

I have been thinking about Earth Day coming up and in taking some quizzes, I realized that I'm not doing so well on the whole green thing. Sure, I recycle (they just put in bins at our complex!!) and I turn things off when I am not using them, I try to reuse or remake things when I can and I love to make things for myself and others, rather than buy them. But, I am not doing as much as I could be doing. I'm actually thinking about crocheting some of my own grocery bags. (And Aaron doesn't think I'm nuts!)

This scripture came to mind:

For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves. (Emphasis added)

Doctrine and Covenants 104:17

God said there is plenty to spare and we should be able to live on this earth and have what we need. The problem is that there is a lot of waste and a lot of damage being done to the environment everyday!!

In sharing this world with each other and the future, we need to be better agents with the things we have been given. It is a beautiful world with so much to offer us. It is so easy (especially if you have enough) to feel that there is always going to be more. We have stores full of things that marketers would love to have us think we NEED, we don't. We need to be more aware of the effect each of us are having on the world we are leaving to our children.

The Earth Day Footprint quiz shows how many acres you need to survive. The average in the U.S. is 24. I scored 9 acres. That means that if everyone lived like me, there would need to be 2.1 planets to live on. How large a footprint are you leaving??

Here are some other fun quizzes and lots of great information:

How Green Are You?

Yale's Green Quiz

Earth Day Information Lots of great conservation information

Turn Your Thumb Green My horticulture site with a post about sustainable gardening (how's that for a plug??)

Carseat Blanket

So, here is my newest finished project! The picture doesn't show the whole thing, but it is about 15X24 inches. I loved some of the really small light-weight blankets that I had and this is a warmer version. It was an idea I had for a more convenient way to cover a baby in a car seat. Usually, I had to fold or tuck a blanket a lot so that it covered the baby, but didn't drag all over the floor. I thought that if I had a smaller blanket that would be solved. I guess I'll have to wait until I have another baby to see. I think it would also be a nice way to help keep a baby warm in a sling or other carrier.

I crocheted it with a tunisian/afghan hook. It is a really neat stitch that crosses over itself to have a fun effect. I really like how it turned out.

Change

Life is all about change. I try to improve and change my self, my habits, my thoughts, my health. I change my clothes (once in a while ;) ) But, the change I am referring to, today is a job and city change. We are waiting to see what happens with Aaron's job. Then we are going to decide what to do from there. He needs some change, maybe more school. I want to prepare and plan. I am a list maker, see the sidebar? (I keep wanting to scale down the lists over there, but I just can't let them go.) The problem is that I don't know how to plan. I want to start packing just in case we move in the next month or two, but we may stay where we are for a year or more. So, anyway, I think I am going to start by sorting and purging some of the junk that has accumulated over the last few years. When we moved from WA a few years ago, we purged so much that we have felt like we didn't have anything to toss for a while. Well, now we have added to the stash and we need to purge again. I think we have changed from pack-rats to "normal" people--we just have to recover from our former pack-ratedness (how do you like that word??). So, anyway, I hate the feeling of not knowing what to do. My first goal, when it stops SNOWING (sheesh, it's April!!) is to go through our storage outside and make a lot of choices there. One great idea that Aaron had was to put all the stuff that isn't a necessity into storage regardless of where/when we move. Then we can unpack the stuff we need and a little at a time, we can get the stuff we want. That way, we can unpack and put things in good places rather than just away somewhere random just because the box is there in the way.
Anyway, this is a random post and I hope you could follow my rambling train of thought. It was good for me to think it out. If you have any suggestions, PLEASE let me know!! What have you done when you wanted to be organized, but needed it to be in a versatile way??

Contest! Philips Digital Photo Frame

I am a sucker for a contest and this is a GREAT one! 5 Minutes for Mom is giving away a Philips Digital Photo Frame!! My MIL has one that is similar. (I'm not sure of the brand.) It is really amazing! She just puts the pictures she wants shown on an SD card and it displays them how she wants. It is great! You can use one frame to display hundreds of pictures! I am horrible at taking lots of pictures and then never getting them printed and in albums or frames. This would make a lazy habit into a way to show my pictures with very little effort!

For Heather

I have been following Heather's inspiring story! She is just amazing. If you want/can help her, go over to BooMama and donate anything you can!

Crochet Coral Reef

Okay, I'll admit this is pretty weird, but cool!! When I first started this blog, I found this site. Then, I made one of my own. I was wandering around the IFF site, this morning and found their crochet coral reef. It is so cool that people are using crochet in math & science. It is really neat! Go check out the projects that these people are/have worked on. It is a really interesting read. There are also some origami and other crochet projects.

Purse

I just finished the purse for a friend's daughter. I hope she likes it. I love that pattern and I added cute little flowers this time.

SMART Habits

I haven't done this, yet because I worked on Saturday and I was really tired when we got home. I also couldn't think of what I should do. I want to get my exercise routine going again. I felt so good when I was doing that and I have let it slide. So, goal number one for this week is to exercise in some way everyday! The other goal I want to work on is reading to my kids for 20 minutes (at least) everyday!! They really need that and this is one thing I really let slide. They both love books and love to be read to! I need to take advantage of that while I can!

So, as for last week, I wanted to work on some unfinished projects. I finished two of them and then I started a NEW project! Shame on me. It is on my list. I didn't come up with something I wasn't planning to do, so in that way it counts. I am almost finished, I just have to put an hour or so into it and it will be done! It was so nice to get some of those projects done and out of the way. I hope I can keep this up!

Come join in the fun of improving yourself a little at a time!!!

Baby Talk

Aaron and I were talking last night about wanting another child. Okay, so I was upset about the lack of another pregnancy and he was making jokes to help me feel better. We have already agreed that we are ready for another baby, unless we talk about it at bedtime or when someone has been screaming for an hour, then we aren't so sure. Anyway, back to the story...

And he said (well something close to this anyway) "Well, from the experience I have had living on this earth that Heavenly Father created (and I've had about 30 years experience), babies come at the most inconvenient time possible." So, Aaron asked if I were to get pregnant at the next chance, when the baby would be born. I told him January. He thought that between that being right in the thick of RSV season, right after Christmas, when tuition is due and right before we have to reregister the car...that would be perfectly inconvenient. Then, he thought a little more and realized that next August would be more inconvenient, because we'll be selling our home, moving, starting school again, insurance changing over and changing jobs that time of year would be the most inconvenient of all. He predicts another baby in August 2008!

I choose to be happy, dangit!

Why do some of us feel corny when we talk about how much we love our children/husband/family/God? There is no reason to be ashamed of being happy and loving life and those that are in our lives. I have been guilty of it as well and right here and now, I am refusing to be embarrassed to say that my kids are adorable and are little joys in my life! I am VERY happily married and my husband is awesome! I love God and I am not ashamed to be a christian, a Mormon and a follower of God!!!

What is it in us that makes us feel less than what we are? Why do we sometimes doubt ourselves and what we are worth? Every person on this planet is a child of God and that alone makes us worth more than we can possibly imagine! We each have wonderful talents and things we are good at. We are not all the same. That would be SO boring. We don't have the time to be good at everything, and we just don't all have the same gifts. We should all be here to help each other and learn to get along.

Now, I'm not saying that I don't need to be knocked down a few pegs. I'm pretty sure that's a big reason why I have the challenges in life that I do. I just think that it is too easy for me to make excuses for the way that I feel. I shouldn't have to do that and neither should you!

Sick Bear Contest

Okay, so I'll admit it, I love to win stuff! I don't know what it is about me, but I love to get free stuff. It may be a free bookmark in a class or a Sick Bear Bowl. They are really cute bowls for sick kids to...be sick in. I know, gross, but it looks really handy. I hate it when my kids are sick! There is so little that I can do. This little bowl may help them feel in control a little. So, if you want one, too, go on over to 5 Minutes for Mom and sign Mr. Linky. Good Luck, though I obviously hope that I win!!! ;)

Heather

I have found a new blog, thanks to Mayhem and Miracles. It is really sad, but inspiring. Heather is an amazing woman. She has been through so much and is writing and inspiring all of us. She has been diagnosed with a brain tumor this week. Go over and give her your support. She is amazing!

Happy Birthday, Aaron!!

I just wanted to say happy birthday to my husband!! He had to work, today! Bummer! If you want, go give him a birthday greeting!! I hope you have a great day!!!

Colors

I love spring! I love the rebirth of the trees, plants and mountains. We were driving home and I looked over at the mountains. They were covered in many shades of green as well as some pinks. It was beautiful! I don't think the picture totally captures it, but it was really neat!

I lived in Florida until I was 21, so I was used to green EVERYWHERE. There was very little change of season color. There was also green most of the year, even in summer. Here, in Utah, the spring is when we get most of the green. Summer turns brown with the dry weather. Fall is gorgeous, too, with the leaves turning yellow, orange, red and brown. Winter is white. My favorite is spring when everything is coming back to life.

I have learned to appreciate the various colors and changes. Some people have trouble when they move from a "green" place to here. I just love it! There is so much more variety. I think when something is more rare, you can learn to appreciate it more. When I lived it Florida, I didn't think about the green everywhere. (I did wish I could have leaf color in the fall and snow in the winter.)

I just wish we could get out and enjoy the spring. It has been cold and wet lately. We have snow, rain and cold weather in the forecast, too. :(

Big Weekend

Belle was sick last night, so I may have to postpone some of this post for later. She is happily watching Curious George, for now. Aaron had Spring Break Thursday through Monday and we had a great time! We went all over town to see what would be the best thing to do for his birthday. He wanted to either get his old bike fixed, or find a new one. After lots of research and LOTS of shopping around, we found the bike for him. He is really excited and has already taken the kids for a ride with him.
Then, there was Easter! We had a really nice time. We talked about the sacrifice Christ made for us and about his resurrection. We've already talked about resurrection with Luke since he was so worried about death. He is such a good little boy. Then, we went to my niece's baby blessing. We give our children a name and a blessing when they are young, in our church. I was able to give them the blanket!!!
I need to report that I have already finished two of my unfinished projects!!! Hoorah!!
Here is a bag to hold the cords that go with the portable DVD player.
...and a weird bag made from a Knifty Knitter
So, there you have it! It was a great weekend. I always like it when Aaron is home with us. It is really nice to have him around and he helps with chores a lot as well!! He cleaned the bathroom, vacuumed and went through a lot of clutter!!! Thanks, Aaron!!!

Smart Habit Saturday

So, I figured it was about that I talked a little about my old goals. I have been in on the SMART habit Saturday deal from the beginning. I haven't always done so well, though.

Week One: Run the dishwasher every night & empty it every morning,Read the scriptures every day, Make all the beds every day, Keep an idea notebook by my bed, and Create a return box/bag/drawer

Week Two: Continue on week one's goals

Week Three: Preschool with Luke and folding laundry

Week Four: Continuing on and exercise everyday

Week Five: Continuing old goals

Week Six: Continuing old goals

Week Seven: Learn something new everyday

Week Eight: Write in my journal everyday

Week Nine: Write in my journal everyday

Week Ten: Organize something everyday and try to maintain old goals

Week Eleven: Tackle my mending

Week Twelve: Get rid of an unwanted item everyday

Week Thirteen: Dishes, make beds and exercise everyday

Week Fourteen: Maintain old goals

Week Fifteen: Get some of my WIP projects completed this week. I have been working so long on the crocheted blanket that I have a lot of other projects waiting around for me. It is starting to drive me nuts. This one should be easy. I want to do this really bad. I am craving some other kind of project!!

So, there you have it. As you can see, I have had a lot of maintenance weeks. Many of them are because I didn't do so well on the old goals. I think the thing for me to remember when I haven't done so well is that I am better than I was before. Any improvement is a step up and a step closer to being the person I'd like to be!! I have been doing well lately, especially with exercise! I don't think I have ever exercised this many days in one month before in my life!!! I feel healthier!

I hope you are doing well, too! If you haven't yet, join with us, here!

--My adorable kids. They are so much fun! I am so glad that I am able to be a mom. It is a challenging job, but it is worth every minute.
They are both so cute and fun to be with! Luke spends a lot of his time playing with his storm trooper. They have lots of adventures together. His storm trooper can do anything. Luke adds to what he can do just about anytime he sees some new character. He'll tell us that his storm trooper can change into those clothes, or has that weapon, or will fight that icky man next. It is adorable! Belle is our social butterfly. She has very little fear and she loves to talk. She loves the phone, especially when she can talk (usually pretend to) to her favorite aunt. She is so content and happy most of the time. She is also a little mover. She is always running away. She keeps me on the move, too. She is honestly a joy to have in our home, as cliche as that sounds.

From the Past

I have become the family keeper of the pictures. My parents gave me the family pictures since they have become RVers. It is nice to have so many memories (maybe in my case reminders, since I don't really have a memory). ;) I was excited to find some of the pictures of my some of my grandparents and great grandparents. I need to scan them for posterity as well as to put on here. Luke sat with me as I organized some of them. He kept asking who everyone was. He was especially interested in the pictures of me and my little brother, playing in mud. There was one where it was obvious that I had eaten some! He kept asking why I had eaten mud and didn't I know that was gross? It was really cute.

This has gotten me interested in family history and genealogy again. I was really into researching and finding people and places, then linking them to me. I have gotten out of the habit of doing that. I need to get back to that. There are so many resources!

Almost Done!!!

I have been working on this double-sided blanket for a long time. I can't even remember when I started it. It must have been just after Christmas... Anyway, I am almost finished. I want to give it to my niece on Sunday. She is getting her name and blessing on Easter. It is a perfect time to give her a gift. I just HAVE to get it done!!

It looks done in the picture, eh?

It is actually quite easy, just time consuming. I found the pattern here. I saw a woman working on one at storytime and I searched for a long time before I found the right one. I really love the pattern and I am trying to decide if I want to do another for a friend who's baby is due in August. That's enough time, right??

Cooking Experiment

Trusting in my cooking skills, I thought I could make my own crab rangoon. I didn't really go from a recipe. I should have. I put the crab (imitation, because I've seen what they do to poor little crabs) in the blender with cream cheese. It was too thick, so it was REALLY hard to get all the same, smooth consistency. I finally got that under control and then I really needed more cream cheese to balance out the amount of crab that I bought.


From there I had to figure out the best way to wrap them. I tried the "flower" shape. They looked really good, but they were hard to keep the filling in.


I changed to an envelope/tortellini shape.



That worked a lot better. Overall, I enjoyed making them and eating them. I still have filling and wrappers left. I think I might make more for my breakfast.

Raines

We just found a great new show on TV. It is on Friday nights on NBC. It's called Raines and it's about a detective who has hallucinations of victims whose murders he is trying to solve. He can only see what he knows, so at first he sees them as they were at the crime scene...it can be gross. Quickly, though he learns names and faces and they start to become more of a person. I really like it because I like mystery show and I hate the gory parts. This show is more about figuring it out, not the nastiness of it all.

If you're interested, you aren't far behind. There have only been 3 episodes so far and you can watch them all online.

Good Little Nappers

Belle has always been a great napper. All I have to do is ask her if she is ready to take a nap with "Baby" & "Pooh" and she repeats their names and comes along. She is amazing! Luke was never that easy. He was never a big napper. Anyway, on Friday, when I left her to go to sleep, the stuffed animals were just in the crib with her, but when I went back to check on her, I found this:


She had turned them all to face down the way that she sleeps. I just had to take a picture of that much cuteness! I hate that she sleeps that way and so soon after I took the picture, I moved her head and some toys so that I knew she could breathe. I know that she is old enough to move if she isn't getting enough oxygen, but it just makes me nervous!