Happy Birthday, Little Boy !!!

Today is Luke's birthday!! He turned 5!! We had a fun day with a party at Grandma's house!! I'm tired and the pictures aren't on the computer, yet, so details will have to come later!!

I have been a mom for 5 years, today! Wow! It is hard to believe! He is such a fun little boy, too!

SMART Habit Saturday

Wow! I'm actually getting this done on Saturday, instead of Sunday or Monday!! Go me!! I did really well on last week's habit of not getting on the computer for more than an hour and only once, until I hit my funk. Then, I just didn't care and wanted to waste as much time as I could... I am, by the way, over that in case you were wondering. I feel a lot better. I think I just needed to get enough hormones out of my system! That usually fixes things for me. Anyway, I am going to keep the computer thing going. I like that a lot! I feel like there are so many more hours in the day, when I don't waste them. I want to add another thing, too. I want to figure out a system to keep the toys cleaned up downstairs. We end up with toys everywhere and most of them were barely touched before they were abandoned for me to pick up later. I want to start a habit for the kids that they clean and take the toys upstairs everyday. We will use containers to store the few toys they decide they want everyday and take them down in the morning and back up at the end of the day! That is what we are going to try, anyway. Wish us luck!!!

Come join in, you know you want to!!

I want to change the name of my blog...

I don't know what to call my blog. I want it to be more creative and to reflect my personality more. If you have any suggestions, I would love them. For now, I am clueless. Maybe something to do with plants or mommyness or nature or trying to be more earth friendly or music or fairies or magic, I don't know. I am not feeling very creative at the moment...HELP ME!!!

**Update: I am thinking something like "Ordinary Miracles" (I heard the Sara McLachlan song on the Charlotte's Web DVD and loved it!), Or something with the words "Haven" &/or "Garden" in it...Maybe "Miracle Garden"...I don't know. That's all I have. What do you think?

Funk

I have been in a weird funk for a few days. It has been mostly influenced by my good friends, my Hormones!! I hate that chemicals in my body can so affect the way I think and feel at this time of the month. I am not usually affected this much by hormones, but I think there are other factors at play as well. Anyway, I don't know what to do with myself. I am not used to feeling...well depressed. I am the kind of person who gets upset, cries, gets a good night's rest or two and then I am fine. I don't really get depressed, so I don't know what to do about it. Although, Aaron made a good point, since this is most likely due to hormones, now is not really the time to make a plan or try to figure it out. If I just wait a few days, I should be fine. One thing that helped was last night, I talked to a new friend from my community class. We just talked like we had known each other for a long time. It was really nice. In some ways it was better than talking to someone I know. There wasn't any of the life stuff and views that we knew about teach other to get in the way. The judgements and emotions that many times creep into a relationship were missing as well. We just talked about life, kids, family and lots of other stuff. It was nice to just talk to another woman who feels the way I do about a lot of things. I don't make close friends well. I have a lot of acquaintances, but not a lot of good friends that I get together with and just talk about nothing. I pretty much have two Friends like that and one is moving! Another thing that has helped (especially because a big part of what I am upset about is not being pregnant) is having such cute and sweet kids around me. They are both so wonderfully sweet! Belle loves to open her arms and come running to me to give me a big smiley hug many times through the day. That just melts my heart!

Cutting Back on TV

The TV has been on entirely too much in our home! I rarely watch anything other than what the kids watch, but they watch quite a bit! They don't usually spend the entire time just staring at the screen, they are usually playing at the same time, but the TV is still on most of the day. The kids need to use their imaginations and play without the TV in the background. It has really started to bother me. So, yesterday I decided that we'd spend a lot of the day with the TV off. I tried to have the TV off for twice as long as it was on, but that got to be tough at times. It was a really nice day, though. I read a lot more to them, we played outside more and Belle got a longer nap, since we were outside and it was quiet. There seemed to be so many more hours in the day. It didn't go by so fast. There just seemed to be enough time to spend with my kids, yesterday!!! At the same time, I don't want to remove the TV completely, because we all enjoy it and I think there is good to come from it, but I want to cut back on how much it is on. There are great things for the kids to learn on TV, and it is really nice to have when I need to get things done. I also don't want to give up my shows. I am addicted to Lost!!! (I can't wait for the new episode, tonight!!) So, I am trying to see what works best for my family. What have you done?

Personal Stuff

I don't know if I want to share this, but I am going to anyway.

I got pregnant this fall/winter, but in late December, I had a miscarriage. I was only 4 weeks along and had only just found out that I was pregnant. I have been wanting to have a baby and other than in December, I have been unsuccessful! My "baby" is going to be two years old in August and I feel like it is time for number 3!! Well, apparently Heavenly Father doesn't think so. I am okay with that and I trust His plan over mine. He usually has better plans than I do! I am trying to accept that now is not the time. Until that time, I can't keep trying, hoping and praying over this. I have no more energy for that!

So, my plan is to work really hard at getting myself healthy and actually ready to get pregnant again!! I am in a size 20 and I want a size 12! I know that isn't going to happen this summer, but that is my ultimate goal! I mostly eat well, only I eat too much. AND, I pretty much don't exercise at all! I am going to start TODAY to go for daily walks with the kids. They need it and so do I!! I have also been reading "Intuitive Eating" (which I'll blog about when I have finished it) and I think it is helping me improve the way I think about food.

So, if anyone has suggestions for what helped them stay on an exercise program, I'd love to have them. I never seem to be able to exercise consistently for more than a week. And that in itself was a miracle!

SMART Habit Saturday

I really liked how much more stuff I got done, this week when Aaron took the computer to work with him. I got backed up in my feed reader, but otherwise, it was nice to be forced to have time to do so many of the things I needed and wanted to do. So, my goal this week is to only get on the computer to blog once per day and to be on for an hour or less. I end up checking and reading many times through the day and I could be spending my time a lot more wisely!!


If you want to join in, go learn how at the Lazy Organizer!!

Slinging

I have been working on a sling for baby carrying. It is an experiment with crochet. (I'll post pictures and a pattern when it is done.) I was explaining to Belle (who was sitting in it, since she liked being measured for it) that it was kind of like our wrap, only this was for carrying her on my hip. Luke was playing right beside us and, in is normal fashion, he was quietly listening to everything we said. Then (after hearing me call it a "sling") he asked:

"Are you going to sling babies out of it?"

I was a little confused until I realized what he meant. I said:

"No that would be a sling shot!"

Twilight Zone

I have been teaching a community gardening class here in town. Last night, I started to wonder if I was in the twilight zone or something. I got there early, since we were going to talk about landscaping and I had a bunch of stuff to carry. I thought I'd need to make two trips from my van. Anyway, I got there about 15 minutes early and the door was locked and I was the only one there. I started wondering if it was really Thursday and almost 6 pm. I called home just to make sure. I was right. Anyway, normally the woman that unlocks the door for us is there waiting on me. But, last night she was no where. There were also no participants. It was just weird. And it was raining. So, I was out in the rain, with all my stuff for class--in the cold rain! Then, they started showing up. So, we waited a while and decided to try to find a place to go. We found a little nook with built-in benches and sat down to start. The lady who helps us get in, found us there and unlocked the door. She had forgotten us. :( She felt really bad! So, we got to have class and it went really well.

I always feel weird teaching people. I feel like I don't always know what I am talking about...or at least that I don't have enough experience with it. Aaron hates it that I feel this way and really hates it when I tell people that I don't know, and then go on to answer their question.

Okay, so it really wasn't all that twilighty, but it was hard to believe that 6 people had all, independently not been where they were supposed to be...

--I was going to say how thankful I was for the warmth we have been getting. After 15 degrees below zero this winter, I was ready for spring. It is finally here...and it brought rain and a cold front overnight! I'll take this over spring snow in the valleys. (There is snow up in the mountains!) Don't get me wrong, I LOVE snow!! I take pictures of it and love to see the trees covered in it. I never saw snow until I was 21! But, when it gets to be March, April and then May, I want the snow to be GONE!! So, I guess what it boils down to today, is that I am thankful for spring...even if it is in the form of cold rain. :(

--The structure of the LDS church. In the visiting teaching lesson, there were comments to the effect that when we are asked to serve we are able to fulfil the covenants and promises we have made. We shouldn't think of these things as just another chore on the list, but a way for us to be of service. (Visiting teaching is a program in our church where we are asked to go to specific women in our ward (congregation), see how they are doing, get to know them and be the eyes and ears for the leaders to make sure the needs of all of the members are met.) The church helps us to help those around us. It is so easy to get caught up in daily life. I know that I need to reach outside of myself more! There are so many people just in my reach that I could help in some way. I need to make myself more available to serve and help them!

--Health! Belle and Aaron just got a weird illness and I am glad they are through it. She slept for almost an entire day. She'd wake up for a drink and go right back to sleep. It was really weird. Aaron was extremely tired and nauseated as well. Luke and I didn't catch it. (I hope!!) I am thankful that we are all relatively well, now!

Free Mei Tai Carrier? I'm TOTALLY going to try!!

I really want to win this one!! I have been looking all over for a mei tai that I can afford or for a pattern to try to make my own! If I could win one, that would be amazing!!! Jenn at all natural mommies makes and sells them. Go check her out!

I found out at the Mother's Day Giveaway at 5 Minutes for Mom!!! Go check it out. They are giving away different stuff up to Mother's Day! How cool is that??

Bloggers Without Make-Up

So, I saw this contest a while ago and I thought I'd finally post a picture. It is really difficult for me to get a pic of myself that I like, so I'll use the same one from my sidebar.

This really isn't hard for me, since I never wear makeup! I hate the stuff!! The last time I wore more than a little powder for shine and lip gloss is my wedding day. After we got married and I was getting ready to be seen at the reception, my aunt and cousin spent a while trying to convince me to get made up. I fought it for a while and I told them that my husband hated makeup. They didn't believe me and said that he wouldn't notice. I finally consented and they put some on. I popped my head out to talk to him and the FIRST thing he noticed was the makeup. Anyway, I haven't worn any since then. (Not even at my other reception.) I am happy about this and so is Aaron!! I think the scarier pictures are of me wearing makeup. Prom was scary...literally, I looked ghostly. Maybe I never really learned how to apply it well. I also hate the feeling of having anything on my face. I don't like sunscreen, but I wear it when I have to so that I don't regret it later. I don't like the way I look in makeup. I feel that I don't look like myself. When I wear makeup, I feel like I have to look in the mirror all the time and I don't like that! So, here I am!

If you want to join in, go to Adventures in Babywearing and sign up!

Muffins

One of the best and least expensive gifts we were given when we got married was a recipe. Well, it came as muffin mix, a spoon, a hot pad, and recipe cards. It was for basic muffin mix, and it is wonderful. We usually just make the basic muffins, but you can add just about anything you want to them.

Basic Muffin Mix

8 cups all purpose flour
3 cups sugar
3 TB baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg

Combine all and mix well. (I have found that it is easiest to mix everything but the flour and then add the flour. That way, there is a slight color difference and you can tell when it is all together.) Put in airtight container. Label with date and contents. Use within 6 to 8 months.

So, you make up the mix and you can store or use it and completely homemade muffins whenever you want!

Melt in your mouth Muffins

2 3/4 cups Basic Muffin Mix
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
½ cup margarine, melted or vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400. Spray muffin pans. Put mix in a medium bowl. Combine egg, milk and margarine or oil in a small bowl. Add all at once to mix. Stir until just moistened, batter should be lumpy. Fill tins 3/4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes, until golden brown. (Check them often until you know how long they take in your oven. I used to cook them for 17 minutes, but with this different tin, it is more like 10-15 minutes.)

Variations:

Corn meal muffins-Decrease mix to 2 1/4 cups. Add ½ cup cornmeal.

Jelly muffins-Fill each cup 1/3 full with batter. Drop 1 tsp jelly on top of batter. Fill cups 3/4 full with batter.

Butterscotch-Pecan Muffins-Melt 6 TB butter or margarine in a small saucepan. Stir in 6 TB brown sugar. Place 1TB of brown sugar mixture and 2-3 pecans in bottom of each muffin cup. Fill cups 3/4 full with batter.

Apricot Muffins-Add 1 cup chopped dried apricots to liquid ingredients before adding liquid to muffin mix.

Banana Muffins-Mash 1 large banana (½ cup) and add to liquid ingredients before adding liquid to muffin mix.

Blueberry Muffins-Add 1 cup well-drained blueberries to liquid ingredients before adding liquid to muffin mix.

One thing that helps a lot is that I use a scoop from hot chocolate. It puts just the right amount of batter in the tins. (I also use these scoops for pancakes and waffles.) Free and easy way to reuse something that would normally be thrown away.


I also love the muffin top tin that my MIL gave us for Christmas! The muffins are a lot easier to eat and the kids like them and waste a lot less food. Belle thinks they are cookies!!


Well, here they are. I'm hungry, now, how about you??

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.