Taleia & Company

Be Mine!

2012-02-15T10:16:00.000-05:00

First off, let me say that I had an AMAZING day yesterday! The only sad thing that happened all day was signing into my Facebook account and seeing a lot of my single friends bemoaning the day, wishing they could skip straight to Wednesday, and all because they were single! LADIES! Seriously?!?!? If you can't celebrate, at least don't spend the day whining! :)

I wanted a little gift for Chris and Natalie (I already had a little owl "big girl" cup for Abby, along with a small box of chocolates with yet another owl, lol), so when I saw a similar idea online, I knew I had to try. It didn't take me long to write my own poem. :)
ThenI collected all the candies - Riesens, Goobers, LifeSavers, Starburst, Symphony, and Kisses...

And packed them all up. :)

I got a laugh from Chris and an "lol" from Natalie (after Chris sent her a picture on his phone) which was quickly followed by "That's not actually candy is it?!" (We're all trying to diet).

A school Valentine's Day party calls for an extra special hairstyle.

Like a fishtail braid! (Abby couldn't really see it, but she got a kick out of the name).

And extra-special matching cousin dresses! These were the easiest things to make once I'd figured out the applique panel. Just cut a square of your favorite material, sew three little felt hearts randomly on it, attach it to a store-bought shirt, then attach a matching skirt to the bottom of the shirt. Voila! Even sewing-phobic me was good with these. I'll post a tutorial in a bit.

After I dropped Abby off at school, I headed to a local beauty shop for a girl date with my running partner! We agreed that getting our nails done is waaay more fun than trying to increase our run/walk ratio :)

Isn't this a fun color? The selection at the salon wasn't all that great, or else I don't think I would have normally considered it, but now that I have it, I love it! Strangely, so does my family. :) Thanks to Beanhead and Darrell for the gift certificate - you totally didn't have to, but it sure was fun! :)

My owl ring is a gift from my running partner, who knows of my love for owls and has a similar ring which I've threatened to steal many times. :) Best of all, it actually FITS! (I have chunky fingers lol so finding rings to fit is a challenge).

Chris brought me home flowers and a beautiful card (with a mouse!)

(The note cracks me up... Sydney - their doggie - and I have been needing serious relationship counseling lately...)

So, at our house this year we kids drew each other's names out of a hat for "Secret Valentines". The idea was to do special things for our Valentine throughout the day, being very careful to be secretive, then do a reveal at dinner. I came home and found my bedroom door had been decorated!

(This is a terrible picture, the heart decoration is really adorable!

And then later on I discovered my bed had been covered in chocolate hearts! :) I may have shrieked in happiness just a little...

Dinner was on me this year, as everybody else had quite a busy day. I wrote out the menu earlier in the week - appetizer salads in bacon bowls, heart-shaped meatloaves, roasted green beans, homemade mashed potatoes, and a chocolate raspberry cake for dessert.

Here's a quick tutorial on how to make bacon bowls.

Invert a muffin tin over a jellyroll pan. I used a tin with extra-big muffin cups and it worked great.

Each bowl takes 3 slices of bacon. Cut two of the slices in half.

Place the halves on the tins, overlapping slightly. I don't know how else to write that, but hopefully the pictures will help!

Wrap the final slice of bacon around the base of the cup, and SECURE WITH A TOOTHPICK. This is important. (The ones below had toothpicks stuck in them too late) If you don't do this, your bowls will look like this:

If, on the other hand, you DO secure the ends with a toothpick, they will turn out like THIS:

This is better. :) Cook until cooked through but not crispy, wiggle them off the muffin tin, place them upright on a baking sheet, and finish cooking.

I filled them with baby greens and herbs, chopped tomato, cucumber, and thinly-sliced radish, and drizzled them with homemade raspberry-balsamic vinaigrette dressing. They were amazing. :) I'm gonna post the dressing recipe up here soon. I also painted a tiny heart with dressing on each salad place.

Our heart meatloaves turned out well.

The green beans gave me fits but turned out well, too. :)

After dinner, we all had a glass of sparkling cider, revealed who we'd gotten as our secret Valentine, and shared a few qualities or character traits we loved most about our valentine.

My cake flopped - the only failure of the entire evening - but despite the fact that it looked like two chocolate pancakes smushed around raspberry marshmallow filling, it was quite yummy. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

First, a little love - it is Valentines Day, after all!

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love,

I am become as sounding brass,
or a tinkling cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and
understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so
that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am
nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and
though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me
nothing.
Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not;
love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Doth not behave
itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked,

thinketh no
evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the
truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all
things, endureth all things.
Love never faileth.

- 1 Corinthians
13:1-8

Isn't this really challenging?!?

Second - I am hearby declaring this a "Single and happy with life, even on Valentines Day" zone. :) I posted this as my Facebook status and you're welcome to steal!

Like this if you're SINGLE and still gonna celebrate Valentines Day - cuz there are lots of kinds of love and they all deserve to be celebrated! :)

Have a great day!

"You Have The Key To My Heart!" Craft

2012-02-12T13:01:00.006-05:00

Valentine's Day just cries out for some crafty giftmaking, doesn't it? :) This year, my family is doing something a little different. We always celebrate with a big fancy dinner, complete with candles and sparkling cider, but this year we kids picked each others' names out of a hat so we each have a "secret Valentine." Throughout the day we'll look for ways to make our Valentine's day special - leaving little gifts, cards, etc - then at dinner we'll have a big "reveal." Should be fun! Since she doesn't read my blog, I can admit that I got Lizzie! :) Some of the little things I have wrapped up for her are raspberry-chocolate candies, a headband with a little bow (as she's been into wearing her hair down lately), and chocolate-flavored lipbalm. :) I also have a nice card with plenty of blank space for a special note - I love getting cards with good notes inside!

I also made these cute little matching dresses for my two favorite little gals, Abby and Lilly! Loosely inspired by this tutorial, I created the applique panel and applied them to two pink store-bought Ts. Then I had leftover material, and I just HAD to attach little skirts and turn them into dresses. :) More picts will come on Tuesday, when the girls wear them to their class Valentine's Day party!

Last year a friend of mine's dad cleaned out a house and found coffee can upon coffee can of antique and skeleton keys. She graciously gave me a big keychain full, and I've been crafting with them ever since! (Remember this gift?) Here's my latest keyspiration:

Supplies: one picture frame from the dollar store, a short length of black ribbon, a skeleton key, gold spray paint, red tissue paper (not pictured), and mod podge.

First I disassembled the frame, tore the red tissue paper into pieces, and mod-podged them randomly to the back of the frame.

While that was drying, the key got a coat of gold paint.

Once it dried, I tied the ribbon in a bow.

The mod-podge dried nicely, and I had a nice textured background to my frame.

Using a thick needle and fine jewelery wire, I "wired" the key to the background, and reassembled the frame, and voila!

I love the punch of color and the elegance of the key. This is headed to someone special. :)

Yumness

2012-02-10T20:03:00.004-05:00

I've gotten to do a lot of cooking lately. :) I discovered two new things this week - my new favorite soup! plus a meatfree way to do chili - as well as revisited an old fav of mine. Enjoy! (As you can see, some of these are actual recipes, whereas some of these are more just expanded ideas, lol)

Ultra-Amazing Butter Bean Soup

1 can of butter beans

1-2 chopped carrots

1-2 stalks of celery, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tbs olive oil

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a pot and sautee the carrots, celery, and onion until soft. Add the butter beans, chicken broth, and seasonings, and bring to a boil. Simmer until all flavors are fully incorporated. Amazing! Tastes even better the next day (and it's only like 3 points for a big bowlful!)

Meatless "Chili"

Start off with several cups of chopped mushrooms - I used a mix of button and baby bellas. Sautee.

Add some chopped onion and cook til soft; add a can of kidney beans, a can of stewed tomatoes, and a nice dash of taco/fajita seasoning. Yummy! (This is also amazing in tacos as meatless taco filling, with some low-fat cheddar and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt).

Last Sunday, I wanted chickpea salad SO. BAD. Like, the preacher was preaching and I kept getting distracted by the thought of crunchy seasoned chickpeas. :( When I got home, I whipped up a batch, ate half for dinner in a whole wheat pita with some sprouts and chopped tomato, and packed the other half in a salad for the next day's lunch (which is what you see above - regular chickpea salad is much creamier).

Chickpea Salad

Open and rinse one can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans). You can mash slightly if you like a mushier texture - I like the crunchiness of them, but every once in awhile i like to mash them for a more hummus-like salad. Add 1 TBS light mayo, a drizzle of sesame oil, a splash of soy sauce, a dash of curry powder, some chopped celery, and a 1/4 cup raisins (golden raisins are particularly amazing!). Warning: If you pack it for the next day, the dressing does tend to "melt" off the beans, but if you pack if with greens it doesn't matter cuz it makes a nice little asian dressing! :)

I also made my first wine-braised brisket this week, and it was oh-shoot-me-good, but I'm still working on the proportions for I'll save that for another time. :)

What's Going On

2012-02-05T16:56:00.002-05:00

I have no good ideas for blog posts lately, so here's a bit of this-and-that.

Maggie and I went out to audition for Into The Woods last Monday. We both did well, though Maggie was grossly more prepared than I (having gotten to do her first musical over the summer). I got a callback for this Saturday and had a ton of fun (though I don't think I'll get a part - at least, not the part I was originally reading for!). The amazing thing was that after auditioning, I am more determined than ever to go see it, because the people I was auditioning with were amazing. They could sing. They could act. This is going to sound dreadfully conceited, but I can outsing most people in my life, so being surrounded by people who could outsing me was kind of fun. :)

I found a new craft blog! I was bemoaning to a friend today that a lot of my "crafty" blogs have gotten a little big for their britches. They're using equipment or supplies that cost an arm and a leg (I'm guessing since many companies are now providing their products for review) or they've simple devolved into "giveaway of the week" blogs. She tipped me off to Little Birdie Secrets, and I am in love. I think I'm going to modify their Valentine's Day framed art into cards and use them this year. So cute!

I am still schooling the three youngest kids. Some days are going better, and some days I want to tear my hair out. Half of the problems we deal with are mine (I need to be better organized, present more often, and stay on top of things a lot better), and half of them are theirs (they need to actually do the work, stay on course, communicate). One of these days I'm going to do a post on our "system" (ha! Like we have a system lol) so if you have any questions you want answered, ask now. :)

I took everything out of my closet on Thursday night with the intent of reorganizing it, and it became complete and utter chaos. My closet CAN'T be too small - it's a walk in, for goodness sake! - so I think I just need to organize better. I'll post before/after picts when I finally get it figured out.

Oh, and on a related note: right after Christmas I moved all my furniture around to make it more child-friendly for when my BFF and son came to visit. Last week I finally got it all moved back... only to discover I think I like it better the other way. Go figure.

And finally, the most amazing recipe for Cream Cheese Coffee Cake Muffins, because I've joined a new Sunday school class at church (we finally have a college/career class! Hooray!) and of course I have to bake for it. :)

(modified from a recipe that was modified from a recipe lol).

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake Muffins

Filling/topping:

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

Cake:

4 large eggs

6 oz cream cheese

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool, cut into 1-inch cubes

Directions:
Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Filling/topping:

Combine ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times until the mixture forms "crumbs" OR blend with a pastry cutter.

Cake:

In a small bowl, blend the cream cheese and heavy whipping cream. Add eggs and vanilla; set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt at low speed, about 30 seconds. Add the butter and mix at low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Add egg mixture. Increase to medium speed and beat 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 1 minute (the batter should increase in volume and become aerated and pale in color).
Grease muffin tins or line with baking cups. Place 1 TBS batter in bottom of each cup and sprinkle with a scant TBS of filling/topping. Cover with 1 TBS batter, and top with filling/topping. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the cake bounces back to the touch and a toothpick comes inserted into the center comes out clean. :)

Little Moments Like That...

2012-02-02T17:36:00.003-05:00

We had a brief taste of spring this week. Glorious sunny warm weather and those spring breezes that just make you want to go craft something. While I'm sure that there will be plenty more depressingly overcast/drippy/freezing cold days before spring truly gets her feet on the ground, it was as if the universe took a moment to whisper to me "... be patient. It's coming, and when it gets here, it will be amazing." :)

This week has been an abysmal failure as far as running goes. :) Had a date to run with my running partner, but she ended up not being able to make it and (I swear if you're reading this, Chrissy, I don't mean this the way it sounds!!!) it was a little bit of a relief to put earbuds in, turn my music up loud, and zone out all by myself, with this as the backdrop.

I mean, how more amazing can you get? And other than that wimpy 30 minute speed-walk session (I can't even in good conscience call it a run), that's been it for my week. I will do better next week, I swear.

On Tuesday, when I dropped Abby off at school, I noticed that one of her classmates was wearing long braided pigtails. Abby came home from school with a serious look on her face. "Sarah," she began, "I want you to put pigtails in my hair."

"I can do that," I assured her. She furrowed her brow. "I want... I want... I want the hairbands to be at the ends," she told me.

"You want braids?" I asked. Her little face brightened. "YES! I want BRAIDS!" she told me gleefully. We went home and I put her hair in two little braids and she ran to the mirror.

"YES!" she shouted happily. "I HAVE BRAIDS!"

You do indeed. :)

Valentine's Day is coming up! I'm psyched, 'specially since I have a "gal date" to get my nails done with my running partner. :)

I might need more valentines, though, with all the cuteness that abounds this time of year...

I resolved this week to bring back Abby's and mine Starbucks dates - one day after school for just the two of us to hang and do something special.

We started by feeding the seagulls - no pretty beach this time, just the Kmart parking lol LOL!

(Maggie says she's starting to get scared to go out with me since she swears the seagulls have started flocking to my truck on sight. Another friend warned me not to watch "The Birds.")

We ended with lunch at Starbucks - chipotle chicken wraps (I get the pepper jack cheese and she has dibs on the chocolate square, but only after eating her fair share of chicken strips and tortilla, dipped liberally in salsa).

Apple juice for her, shaken iced tea lemonade for me. :)

These Are The Good Times

2012-01-26T21:45:00.005-05:00

This has been a good week, which is surprising, because so much was stacked against me.

For one thing, it was overcast several days. I hate overcast weather (except when I'm out running, cuz I truly hate running with the sun in my eyes, and sunglasses are just one more thing to wear). For life, I like sun. Even a few hours of sun a day. Luckily, today I was able to catch some rays - of course, it was while I was out running, but I pretty much decided to be thankful about having any sun at all and just deal.

I got to run twice this week with a partner! I like this. Somehow as much as I like the zen aspect of turning up a mp3 player loud and running alone and just enjoying the brain-deadness of it for awhile, there's something really amazing about having a partner. And we made it 2.5 miles on Tuesday and the whole 3 miles today! Felt good.

Okay, it didn't feel good while it was being done.

But it felt good afterwards.

Plus - does it GET any more amazing than this?!?

I SWEAR she was happy (if I'd had more time to take the shot, I would have caught her smiling mouth, but I knew I had 1.5 seconds to take the picture before she refused to pose again).

We got to hang out for about 20 minutes today in my truck while we waited to pick Maggie up from her appointment. Quotes from the day:

Me: *I closed my eyes for a second and leaned against the back of the seat*

Abby: "Sarah, WAKE UP! People sleep in BEDS, not TRUCKS!"

(I thought about explaining to her that trucks actually HAVE beds, but decided not to go there)

Abby: "Sarah, look at the picture I did at school today."

Me: "Abby, that's so gorgeous!"

Abby: "Yeah... it was for you, but it's so pretty, it's for mommy instead." :)

(Abby's coolness heirarchy: Mommy first, Maggie second, Sarah and Daddy somewhere below that lol)

Abby: "I like to sleep in mama's big bed."

Me: "Yeah, but Mommy's going to fix up your new big girl room, and you'll get your own big-girl bed... are you going to sleep in your big girl bed then?"

Abby: "Oh yes... but it's going to take a loooooong time to get my room ready." *smug smile*

I had my first yoga class on Monday - now, granted, I haven't practiced in six months, but I don't remember it being so painful! Not sore muscle painful, or even stiff muscle painful, but shooting-pain-as-if-I'd-bumped-my-funny-bone painful. My wrists and arms were still unhappy the next day. I decided to give them a bit to recover and try again on Monday. :( It may be time to invest in a good, thick mat, or at least a cheap pad to go under my current one.

And speaking of buying things... I went out and bought running/yoga/workout clothes this week. I have now been running consistently for six months, and I had this epiphany this week that having running clothes - not just cobbled-from-pj's-and-sweats clothes - would make my life easier. It took a little hunting, but I now have three shirts and a pair of nice running pants (I want another pair and a pair of long shorts but I can't find exactly what I'm hunting for right now) and I was right, it makes it much easier when I have clothes I can throw in a gym bag and KNOW will fit and work. :)

Lest you think that my whole life is about exercising (hah!), let me assure you there's quite a bit of eating going on, too. Like a birthday girl's-night-out to Red Robin with Ruth, who turned 12 today.

So, my running partner/friend and I were talking today about doing an "indefinitely single and completely happy" girl's date instead of our run on Valentine's Day. Pedicures or manicures, chocolate, and coffee were mentioned as part of this date. Is it totally lame that I immediately started thinking about what sort of manicure I wanted? I bought a copy Seventeen later that day, and inside the front cover, I found the cutest nail polish ever.

Yes, those are little hearts floating around in glittry nail polish. Too much? Probably. Totally fun? Oh, yes... :)

This weekend is going to be crazy and I'm regretting it a little already. I've been exhausted all week - it seems like no matter how early I go to bed, I still wake up tired. I suspect this has to do with the waxing moon (somehow the increased light at night messes with my sleep). What I really want to do is to take a long hot bath with some nice-smelling bubbles, crawl into some comfy pajamas and then into bed, and not get out of either all weekend. In reality, I have to get the kids to do some schoolwork tomorrow (while the school routing is getting better, this last week has had holes), have a literature discussion circle with the twins, run errands for Ruth's birthday party, clean the house for Ruth's birthday party, cook food for Ruth's birthday party, decorate for Ruth's birthday party, go to running class, find a minute to wrap birthday presents for assorted people and get Khy's present in the mail, make a trip to Sears to return an order from Lands End, and also try to put away some laundry so that my clean clothes don't end up in a heap with my dirty ones.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

2012-01-22T14:36:00.004-05:00

Things I Love:

Snowy days when you don't have to go anywhere

Good customer service representatives

Clearance racks

Starbucks - especially the one in my area, the employees there are so AMAZING and always remember that my sister is allergic to dairy and how to modify her order

The way trees in winter reach for the sky

Finding $5 DIY gel nail kits (that don't require UV or LED lights OR special removers - can't wait to try this out later this week with a beautician friend!)

Thinking about next Christmas already - I'm going to make an attempt at doing all home/handmade gifts this year, so my goal is to start now and do a few gifts per month to take the stress factor away.

Having a running partner - I have two running dates scheduled for this week and I can't wait!

Bookstore Score

2012-01-15T18:07:00.005-05:00

Two Christmases ago, some friends of mine gave me a gift certificate to the local used bookstore. It's taken me this long to use it, but Sunday after church and a yummy lunch at Bob Evans (go soup and salad combo! lol), a friend and I ducked in to see what kind of goodies we could find.

First off, let me just say that if traditional bookstores smell good - ink and paper and glue and binding - used bookstores smell twice as good. It's the smell of history. :)

The prices were AMAZING and I came away with a nice little haul.

(l-r, top to bottom: Keesha's House by Helen Frost, Lost In A Good Book by Jasper Fforde, Songs of Stage and Screen by Michael Crawford, Passion by Jose Carreras, and Chant by the Benedictine monks of Santo Domingo De Silos)

Reactions so far:

Keesha's House is AMAZING. Like, book-of-the-year, gush-about-it-to-everyone-I-know amazing. I knew I had a winner when I picked it up in the bookstore, flipped it open randomly to the middle, and was immediately sucked in. Bought it, brought it home, ran a hot bath with bubbles, and read it cover-to-cover that night.

The format is unusual - it's a novel in various forms of verse, each poem from a different character's perspective. There is Keesha, for whom the book is named, and six "main characters" - Harris, Katie, Stephy, Dontay, Carmen, and Jason -who are all inextricably linked together. Multiple "secondary characters" (who have relationships with one or more of the main characters) make appearances, albeit sometimes brief (Katie's English teacher, for instance, who interjects 13 lines about halfway through the book, tellingly titled "Not Much I Can Do").

The poetry is gripping, easy to read, and approachable - one of my favorite reviews says that it "sets poetry free into the real world, where it also belongs."

It's gritty - never disturbing, but truly realistic in an unflinching way. I cried out when I read page 85, desperately hoping I had misread or misunderstood what I saw printed there, and when I realized that it was true I cried, thus adding Keesha's House to the small list of books I've cried over.

In short, it's amazing. Read it - you can get a copy for $1.50 and a couple bucks shipping on Amazon, and you won't regret it.

Lost In A Good Book

Fun, fun fun! Part Alice In Wonderland, part Roald Dahl, part the very best of Diana Wyne Jones and Lloyd Alexander, part space comedy, yet entirely grown up, it's a delightful read. Apparently this is the second book in a series, but I didn't have any trouble finding my way after the first chapter or so. About halfway through the novel right now, so I'll have to complete this review later, but it's made my bathtime reading sessions a pleasure. :)

And now on to some music...

Songs of Stage And Screen is a little tiny bit of a letdown. It's not out of print, and I suspect one of Crawford's earlier works, and kind of lacks the rickness and artistic interpretation of his more recent recordings. A little predictable? Maybe even the teensiest bit... boring? *cringe* I need to listen to it again to be sure.

Passion - Okay, so I bought this because I thought this was actually Jose Cura, you know, who sang in Sarah Brightman's "Time To Say Goodbye" album? And, it clearly is not. In fact, if I'd been thinking a little more clearly, I would have realized that the reason I recognize his name is because Carreras is, in fact, one of the three tenors! Happy mistake, and a stunning album. It will be satisfying my operatic cravings for awhile.

Chant. I've been thinking about Gregorian chants lately, not sure why, so when I say this at the bookstore for $2 I figured it was as cheap a way as any to indulge my curiousity. This, out of all the CD's I bought that day, was the one I listened to last and the one that hasn't left my CD player yet. Restful, not at all creepy, and soaring harmonies and melodies. I find myself humming or vocalizing along. I would love to find a good translation of the words from Latin so that I could dwell on the worship aspect of the music. (And, btw, I'm thinking a second recording would make an excellent addition to the one I already have. :))

Yum!

2012-01-11T18:46:00.003-05:00

It's a new year, a new chance to eat well, and I've been cooking on the fly (most of the ideas below make enough for 2 servings, except for the pizza).

Chicken Not-Really-Pizza

Cook a boneless, skinless chicken breast in a nonstick pan with salt and pepper to taste. Slice into strips. Spread one whole-wheat pita with 2 TBS of your favorite hummus and sprinkle with 1/4 cup crumbled feta. Completely cover with baby spinach and/or fresh herbs (don't be afraid to pile them high - they'll "melt"). Lay chicken slices over greens and bake for 10 minutes (or until greens are wilted) on 300. Optional: some sliced tomatoes and black olives would be amazing. :)

This was so good I made it for lunch again the next day, too, sans chicken (I would have, but the chicken breast I brought cooked up smelling fishy... better safe than sorry).

Fiesta Chicken Bowl

Mix one cup black beans, 1 cup salsa, and 2 cups chopped kale. Lay one boneless, skinless chicken breast in a baking dish and pour salsa mixture over top. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 or until chicken is done. Optional: top with grated Babybel cheddar cheese, and/or some plain Greek yogurt.

"Fake" Chicken Curry

Put one boneless, skinless chicken breast into a saucepan and add 1 cup water, 1 cup frozen mixed veggies of your choice, and 1 TSP each of soy sauce, sesame oil, and minced garlic, a hefty dash of ground ginger and curry powder, and one chopped tomato. When chicken is cooked through, shred, and serve with/over brown rice. Optional: a splash of coconut milk and/or a dab of peanut butter - I was out, but I can tell this would send this over the top!

Finding New Energy

2012-01-06T21:50:00.005-05:00

I got this text from Robin this morning:

I miss you! but... I am so energized from our visit. I feel like I can face this next year and make it thru. :)

All I can say is "Amen!" I feel exactly the same way. And while I may have cried a bit last night after I had to hand Khy over to Robin, give them both hugs, and send them through the security line at the airport... and had another little moment of self-pity when I heard a sound this morning while I was sleeping and thought, "I'll go play with Khy so she can take a shower..." and when I saw Khy's little balloon bobbing around my ceiling, looking forlorn... in short, while I miss them terribly, having them here has brought back some of the "ordinary everyday" magic in my world.
Like the way that dusk settled in tonight, wearing periwinkle-and-rose ombre...

Or the fact that it's thisclose to being a full moon...

Even beautiful is the way the branches of trees reach wistfully for the sky...

It's gonna be a good year.
:)

A New Year, A New Beginning

2012-01-01T21:21:00.010-05:00

I knew it was going to be a great year as early as Thursday, when I drove up to the airport.

It's amazing having them here! My BFF is gorgeous, and so is her little guy (who warmed up to all of us pretty quickly).

She and I put Khy to bed on Friday, then snuck back downstairs to the living room with glasses and a bottle of sparkling cider. I stoked up the dying fire, and we stayed up exchanging presents and getting caught up.

Saturday was spent having our own belated Christmas celebration, as Khy opened his gifts.

Just another instance of never knowing what gifts are going to be the favorites. I got Khy this mini Etch-A-Sketch as a stocking stuffer, and it completely eclipsed the other gifts in popularity. :)

That evening, we were ready to rock in a New Year. :)

There was some clogging/dancing (though we managed to get it out of our system before our guests arrived!).

We totally lucked out, and one of our good friends who recently got married and moved away was in the area for the holidays! It was so much fun having our "bro" back! (Though sadly his wife had to work and couldn't join us. :( )

We got a round of board and card games going - Scrabble Slam, Tetris, and Apples To Apples.

For the record, I did win exactly one round - running in a race is "difficult".

Then it was 2012!

Here's to a great new year - one full of adventure and peace! :)

I Heart Weekends :)

2011-06-24T23:59:00.000-04:00

Friday - 9:45 AM
Since I have off on Fridays, my weekend begins now! My favorite part of weekends in general, and Fridays in particular, is getting to catch up on all the sleep I’ve missed throughout the week.

Today I wake up to discover that one of the actors in the Vacation Bible School dramas I’m directing needs a ride to rehearsal later that afternoon; since I only have room in my car for two people, and Maggie will be riding with me, I call another actor to see if he can give him a ride. He can – problem solved!

Friday mornings are my time to do little tasks and relax. I wander around downstairs greeting my family, then I put away my clean laundry, write emails, make my bed, and generally tidy my room. I think about breakfast but lack the motivation to fix anything real so instead I snack on low-point things from my fridge – nonfat string cheese, blueberries, etc. I go to brush my teeth and take a minute to spray the upstairs bathroom with cleaner to make it easier to deep-clean later.

I also get my first “Good morning!” text from my best friend, Robin, who lives in Alabama. We make sure to keep in touch via text and phone call throughout the day – it makes us feel more connected even though we’re hundreds of miles apart! We text back and forth for a while about our plans for the day.

I realize I’m free tonight and text another friend to set up a dinner date – we’ve been meaning to get together to reconnect for weeks but this is the first time both of us have had free time! We plan a meet-up for 6:00.

12:00 PM
Time to get dressed. I’m in a quandry, since I want to be comfortable for rehearsal but also look nice for dinner. I try on various outfits – it’s one of those days. In the middle of my “fashion show”, Maggie comes in to ask my advice on a project she’s working on. Once she leaves, I choose a long denim skirt and fuschia polo – bingo!

12:45 PM
Time to leave for rehearsal. Maggie and I load into my truck and discuss where we want to grab lunch. Strangely, both of us are craving McDonalds (something I NEVER crave!) so we make a pit stop for Chicken McNuggets and a grilled chicken sandwich.

On the way to rehearsal, I get a call from one of the actors, saying he’s running late and will be at the church “in thirty minutes.” I’m confused, since rehearsal doesn’t start till 2… right? There is some momentary confusion but we eventually confirm that yes, rehearsal starts at 2 and he is in fact running early.

On the way to rehearsal, Maggie and I run through our scene together several times, getting the dialogue right. I was originally going to only be directing, but one of our actors needed to be relieved and I discovered that I had read the part so many times that I knew 90% of the lines anyway. Now I’m just trying to get the other 10% down.

1:55 PM
Four of the six cast members are already here, and while we wait for the other two members to arrive, we start an epic discussion, topics including but not limited to: whether the Lord of the Rings books are waaaaay better than the movies (definite yes, although we all agree the movies were well done); whether anyone can rival Tolkien in creating the most far-reaching fictional worlds (possibly George Lucas’s Star Wars galaxy); whether you can really credit George Lucas with the development of the Star Wars galaxy since so many people have contributed to it (at least a lot of credit – he was a definite before-his-time visionary); whether George Lucas has lost his filmmaking talent (we’re split here, with half of us saying “No way!” and the other half saying “Yes”); whether Steven Spielberg ever HAD any filmmaking talent (again, we’re pretty evenly split on this issue); whether “aliens” can be used as a catch-all plot twist to solve any and all gaping plot holes (believe it or not, we’re split on this issue, too); whether the newest Indiana Jones movie was good or ridiculous (slight majority says “ridiculous”); whether George Lucas should remake Star Wars with a younger cast (only one person dares voice this, and he’s loudly booed); whether Tron: Legacy was any good as an extension of an older movie (yes).

By the time these important issues have been hashed out, the rest of the cast is here and it’s time to rehearse.

4:00 PM
Rehearsal is over – time to get Maggie to her OTHER rehearsal on the other side of town. Since she’ll be in rehearsal till late tonight, we stop to get her a sandwich.

5:00 PM
I drop Maggie off and head towards the bank to cash my paycheck. Our bank is sooo slow, but I still have a few minutes until I have to meet my friend, so I duck into the nearby Kohls in search of some summer shirts. The sales are great and I find several nice shirts. By the time I get through the checkout line, it’s time for dinner.

6:00 PM
I meet my friend Becka at a local Asian cuisine restaurant and we pore over the menu – everything looks so good! In the end, she orders veggie lo mein and I get an order of dumplings and an order of water chestnut pudding – soooo good (kind of like crème brulee)!

7:15 PM
We have a lot to get caught up on, but by now we’re ready to stretch our legs, so we head to the nearby Marshalls to do a little window shopping. We have fun trying on clothes in the dressing rooms, checking out the housewares department and imagining decorating our own little apartment someday, and hitting the clearance aisle, where we find: a plastic bunch of grapes, a glass artichoke...

...and a ceramic taper candle holder than looks like a lumpy avacado.

We head to the checkout line and make a quick stop at the bookshelf, where I pick up a book, skim through it, and am immediately sucked it. Arg! It goes in my cart. We go back to my truck and listen to a few songs from Jackie Evancho’s “Dream With Me” album – love!

8:30 PM
Time to go pick up Maggie, but I arrive with a few minutes to spare, so I pull out my book. I love little quiet moments like this in a hectic day!

9:07 PM
Maggie is out! I’m craving an IceFlow slushie from AMC, so we pull in.

9:27 PM
This may be the longest I have ever waited for a slushie, no matter how good. I snag a few more moments of reading in the drive-through line.

9:37 PM
Slushies in hand, we head home.

10:00 PM
Maggie fixes a snack while I chat with my parents. I remind them that I am taking Maggie, Anna, and Ruth with me to the movie theater to see Cars 2 with our cousin tomorrow, and I get handed ticket money (yes! J). I head upstairs to my room. I want a shower, but Maggie beats me to it. J I relax on my bed with my issue of Rachel Ray Everyday magazine that came today. I see an article about doing Disney World with children and make a mental note to pass it on to Abby’s parents.

10:30 PM
My turn in the bathroom! I finish my magazine in a warm bubble bath.

11:00 PM
I comb out my hair and let it air dry while I light my favorite sandalwood candle, relax, and use my computer to journal the day. A friend texts me with a list of books she needs for an upcoming college course, so I hop up to check my bookshelves (the upside of being an English major is that you can locate almost any book in your personal collection). I have quite a few on her list, so I text her back and set them aside for her.

12:01 AM
Time for bed! Where did time go?!? :)

Happy Birthday, Abigail June!

2011-06-12T16:07:00.007-04:00

Abby turned 3 this past Saturday - 3! I can't believe it, it's just too much to believe the last year and a half have gone by so quickly. My "silly goose" is growing up... all last week she would come to me very serious, and say gravely, "Sa'ah, I all growed up now. I big, like you. I not little anymore." :*(

On the other hand, there are moment when she still tickles with her childishness... for instance, last week she was sitting at the kitchen counter eating breakfast while I was brushing her hair and putting in pigtails at her request. I had one pigtail done and was working on the other when all of a sudden -
"Stop!" she ordered. "Shh!"
I paused, listening, but I didn't hear any airplanes or helicopters (the usual sounds we stop to hear) so I finally said, "What do you hear, Abby?"
"My pigtail!" she whispered. "Hear it? Oink, oink," she added surreptitiously. I cracked up.

Her party location - my grandfather's pool - sprang a leak, so we celebrated with a small group of family.

Her beautiful cake... Abigail was absolutely entranced in it and would have literally dug right in if her parents had let her, I think. :)

Natalie set up a craft table for the kiddos.

Daddy lit the candles.

Then it was time to blow them out!

And open gifts. Momma helped. :)

So much fun!

Trying out one gift - a little beach chair, just her size, with TinkerBell on it to boot!

"Aw, a bunny rabbit!" :)

Abby wasn't really sure what to do with the cards... she'd open them and then had a rather cheated look, lol.

Her love of balloons being no secret, almost everyone brought some for her. :) I love balloons too!

I wonder what sort of things we'll learn and do in the coming year... she has changed so much in the last year that I can only imagine.

Some things we're currently working on:

Eating with silverware... especially now that she's outgrown her highchair and eats at the kitchen counter with the adults!

Trying new foods, and eating a wider variety of foods - she'll now take one bite of a new food without any protest. Once she's taken one bite, I don't care if she has any more - the point was to try it - but I think she's surprised herself at how many new foods she's ended up loving!

Following directions - we're not really working this one too hard yet, but I know it's a skill that will help get her ready for preschool/kindergarten, so I got her a workbook with a simple color-by-numbers so she'll get used to following instructions. So far, she loves it. That it's Pooh Bear-themed only helps. :) And I've started giving her multi-step directions around the house to get her used to them - such as when we come home, I might say "Can you take your shoes off, put them nicely away, and then bring your toy into the house?" She's really good at verbal directions!

Listening to the teacher for instructions - mostly this only applies at gymnastics, lol, but we just started music class so we're learning it there, too. Abby is very good at this and only needs to be reminded once in a while. :)

Saying "Hello!" and "Goodbye" to our teachers/adults around us... This one is a little tougher, since Abby is a bit shy, but we're going slow. Right now I just encourage her - "Can you say hello?" Sometimes she substitutes a very shy wave in place of words, but we're definitely moving in the right direction. :)

Recipe Roundup

2011-05-08T20:22:00.003-04:00

The wild, wild West has been on my mind lately, as both drama productions I'm involved in are set in the old West. It looks like we've got most of the kinks worked out and we're getting ready to jump into rehearsals. Can't wait!

In the meantime, here are two yummy things I've made recently that are both Weight-Watchers friendly! :)

Sunday Evening Pizza

1 whole wheat personal-size pizza crust (6 points)

1/4 cup no-sugar-added pizza sauce (1 point)

1/4 cup fat-free shredded mozzarella cheese (1 point)

1/4 cup reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese (2 point)

You can add your favorite low-point toppings if you like - sweet peppers, onions, fresh pineapple, tomatoes, and any other veggie is 0 points; a slice of canadian bacon chopped up or a tablespoon of bacon bits are only 1 point. I'm a cheese freak, so I'm happy with just cheese. :)

Assemble, bake, and enjoy!

Asparagus Pastries

1 tube of refrigerated crescent rolls

8 slices reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese

1 bunch thin asparagus spears

Steam asparagus until just tender; divide into 8 servings. Divide the crescent rolls into eight balls of dough; roll each ball into a square and place asparagus spears in the center. Place one slice of cheddar cheese over asparagus, and wrap in dough. Bake according to directions on crescent roll tube. Makes 8. (5 points each pastry)

Accepting The Facts

2011-04-30T22:48:00.005-04:00

Everyone has read "that" blog - the one where the blogger goes on a long rant about some real or perceived character flaw or facet, on and on andonandon... and then ends the post one of two ways: they either 1) declare "That's just the way I am!" and thus stubbornly refuses to initiate any sort of change, or 2) renews her determination to change at whatever cost neccessary, including her marriage (if married), her children (if she has any), or her sanity.

I think both approaches are wrong. I think that if you see a flaw in yourself, and make no move towards fixing it or improving it, you're cheating yourself out of becoming a person you'll like better, and that marvelous experience of growth. Growth is sometimes painful, sometimes uncomfortable, but the end result is always worth it. Conversely, I think that if you spend your life wrapped up in your perceived flaws, you're cheating yourself out of seeing yourself as God sees you - as His creation. Flawed? Yes! Precious? Priceless? Being made Perfect in Him? Yes Yes YES!

I've realized lately that part of the learning you get when you grow up is learning what to accept and what to leave. What matters and what doesn't. What you CAN change - and should - and what you can't, and will only break yourself against in the trying.

It's all in the little things...

2011-04-16T23:17:00.003-04:00

Summer is on its way - all the signs are here:

Most nights now, a cool shower, rather than a hot-as-you-can-get-it bath, feels like the perfect prelude to bedtime.

Come Saturday morning, I can't wait to get out to the farmer's market to see what produce looks good. And for the rest of the week, I'm dog-earing issues of Rachel Ray Every Day in search of incredible ways to cook said produce.

Speaking of which - I have figured out how to eat pasta well, finally. In my "old life" pasta was something you gorged on, and even after doing WW for months, if I wanted pasta, I saved up all my weeklies and blew them on a dish of pasta on my night out. Or pulled out a Lean Cusine meal (which are good, in their own right, but... not real food. Not really). So, tonight I made one carefully measured portion of pasta, and loaded it with veggies to make it go further - zucchini, squash, asparagus (oh, asparagus, I think it may be my fav veggie of all time) - added no-added-sugar tomato sauce, and a sprinkle of fat free mozzarella. And it was incredible.

I have tasted watermelon for the first time this year. Not great watermelon, mind you, as it's really truly too early for good melon, but watermelon nonetheless.

Maggie and I were in the truck together today and for some reason we started talking about fruit, and the thought popped into my head and out through my lips that "fruit tastes like sunshine." Which, now that I've said it out loud, it does, in my opinion. Maggie looked at me funny for a second, thought about it, shrugged, and said, "Yeah." We then launched into a deep discussion about which fruit tastes most like sunshine. My money is either on a really ripe, beautiful, unblemished peach, and her pick was a lemon. Which I have to admit I don't get AT ALL, but to each their own.

Inspired by the fact that I apparently had no warm-weather shirts, I pulled down all my clothing bins and brought out all my summer clothes. I've worn a tank top already (granted, it was under a springish cardigan, but still lol).

While I was sorting clothes I pulled every piece of clothing that I owned out and tried it on. And I'm amazed and humbled in a grateful sort of way that everything I own fits in one of three categories: Fits, Fits for now (start looking for a replacement because in another 5 pounds, you're outta luck), and Too Big. There's no more "too tight, but I could layer something over it to hide it" clothes, no more "Maybe someday I'll be able to wear that again" clothes. It's all either Now or Then. And when I was done I sat between the two piles and thought about putting the Then pile back into rubbermaid bins just in case, and instead I shoved it all into trash bags and took it to the thrift store. Because keeping it because I liked the style, even if it no longer fit, is only taking up space, and there will be cuter clothes (much cuter clothes!) to buy in smaller sizes. Because keeping it because I'm afraid I'll fail means that part of me still hold on to failure as a viable option.

My windowsill is lined with pots of flowers, herbs, and veggie plants, all thriving and growing and reaching for the sky. This is a small miracle. Two years ago I wanted desperately to learn to grow plants, and I couldn't keep any plant alive longer than two weeks. Two years later, more of my seedlings thrive than die. Granted, learning to grow plants is of no moral consequence whatsoever. But there were a bunch of "seeds" planted in my life around the same time that my plants were committing suicide all around me, and whenever I see my windowsill of plants, it reminds me that more is growing than just plants.

A Page From My Journal

2011-04-10T14:07:00.005-04:00

This morning I stopped in at Starbucks to quench my insatiable craving for a caramel macchiato (iced and skinny of coursE :)), and sitting by himself at a table - no Kindle, no newspaper, no journal or computer in sight - was an unmistakeably Italian gentleman, who could have passed as Andrea Bocelli's thinner brother. His brown hair was longish and brushed around his ears, and he had a full, thick, but neatly trimmed beard covering his face. He looked completely content just sitting quietly with himself, thinking. I have long loved Bocelli, and I'm a soft touch for beards, so I was watching him out of the corner of my eye as I got in line in front of a young mom and her daughter, who was just about Abigail's age. The little girl wanted a carton of chocolate milk, but was too shy to come near me to get one. I smiled at her and moved aside, she smiled back and came forward bashfully, retrieved her milk, and retreated to her mommy's side.

I was still smiling when I turned around, and he caught my eye - he was smiling, too, glancing from me to the little girl, then back again to me. He dropped his gaze to the floor and continued to wait patiently in line, and a moment later he smiled again - a different smile - and I followed his gaze and realized he was looking at my shoes - my "power shoes" - the ones that have random ladies stopping me on the street asking where I bought my shoes, and are they comfortable (they are).

These shoes apparently are fascinating to guys - most of my guy friends have commented on them, everything from "Wow, those are some shoes!" to "How do you walk in them?" Several weeks ago, a guyfriend came up to me and said "I saw YOUR SHOES in a music video!!!" :)

I placed my order and followed the curve of the counter around to the wall, where I could watch the back of the Italian's head while awaiting my drink. His hair - which had probably been washed that morning - had dried in alternating stiff and fluffy patches. I wondered if he had added a styling product halfheartedly - it would account for the patches - but I had to admit that unless a stranger were surreptitiously stalking him, as I was, no one was likely to notice. Besides that, his hair added an easygoing vibe to his appearance - suave enough to make an effort at styling his hair, but manly enough not to devote any real time to it, especially on a morning when his main activity was sitting in a coffeehouse, thinking.

In a perfect world, we might have struck up a conversation - he might have commented on those shoes, or notice my vintage owl pendant (another piece guaranteed to get me stopped on the street for fashion inquiries). I might have had the time to linger over my macchiato, and might have snagged the table next to him. Any man who can spend a morning lost in his own thoughts is worth knowing, in my experience.

But the world isn't perfect, so a moment later when the barista called my drink, I claimed it with a smile, walking towards the door in my powerful shoes, and slipped out into the beautiful, imperfect world.

Ways to spend a Sunday afternoon

2011-04-03T16:07:00.003-04:00

1. Working on the computer - right now I'm getting ready to get the VBS skits up and rolling.

2) Journaling/writing - did you know that April is National Poetry Month?

3) Sleeping - this is always a pretty popular choice around here, lol. Someone is always sleeping on Sunday afternoons (in fact, most of the time it's ME!). What is it that's so luxurious about an afternoon nap?

4) Reading - this is probably the next most popular choice; lots of Bible studying goes on around here, plus there's plenty of fiction and non-fiction to be read.

5) Watching old Westerns - not sure what this is, possibly The Virginian?

6) Taking a jog on the newly-fixed treadmill - no picture, probably not something you wanted to see me do anyway. :) Dad fixed the treadmill this weekend, and I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it (when it was fixed, lol). I took my first jog in MONTHS today, and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was - even though I haven't been doing any running at all, I've been faithful to my yoga, and I can definitely feel the change in my legs. Nice!

I love Sunday afternoons - getting geared up for the new week, doing little non-arduous chores (like cleaning out my little fridge and making up a grocery list for this week), and resting, physically and mentally.

I hope your weekend has been restful and beautiful. I've been blessed, and I look forward to seeing those blessings continue!

And Here's A Post...

2011-03-30T19:54:00.005-04:00

I did a little bit of online shopping this weekend (which ended up being super productive, by the way): I indulged and picked up a small army of jewelery from Forever 21's $1.50 sale. A few pieces were for me, but I also picked up a bunch as gifts. I love Forever 21's jewelery. I think you could walk up to their jewelery racks, close your eyes, put out your hands, and whatever you touch, I'd like. They have just that kind of style. :) I also picked up two things off of Amazon - a step aerobics workout video to use with the new workout step mom found me at the thrift store for $8, and a book that I remember reading as a child. I got this book from the library, read it, loved it, returned it, and forgot the name. For years I have yearned to read it again, but I couldn't remember the name. Well, on Sunday I suddenly remembered the name AND was near a computer! AND someone was selling a copy for a cent! I'm so excited. Can't wait to read it. And just in case you were curious about it - it's The Twinkie Squad, by Norman Korman. :) I had to duck into my fav clothing store this week to start the hunt for new skirts, as these last couple of pounds I've lost have killed at least one of my skirts, and possibly more (I haven't worn them recently, so I don't know yet). I am so sad - the length of a skirt I can adjust, I can bring in the sides to make them less full, gather my tops to make them smaller, but the waist of a good skirt is something I just can't seem to figure out how to alter. Time to go pull out my belt again and see if I can make them last at least a few more pounds. In the meantime, I did buy one really nice long skirt that will take the place of the skirt I lost. Speaking of clothes - they had their spring stuff out and I almost went nuts (I didn't, but it was sooo hard...). Beautiful ruffly tanks, cute cotton skirts, little shrug sweaters, and sandals, sandals, sandals - espadrilles, cute flats, heels to die for. I'm so psyched. Bring on spring! I was listening to the radio yesterday (to Tony Evans, I believe? Not positive) and he said something that caught my attention. I'm sure I'm misquoting, but basically he said something along the lines of "If you're not living by God's rules, you're cutting yourself off from the fullness of blessings that God wants to give you." I was instantly convicted. I can think, right off the top of my head, of several areas that I'm not honoring God in. I've been aware of them for awhile, but I've been kind of thinking, "Someday/soon I'll deal with that... just not now..." And I can also think of several things I want/desire, that I've taken steps to achieve or attain, and they're just not happening in my life. I've become kind of frustrated, thinking and asking "If God can make it happen for that person, why not me?" and I really think that this might be the answer. While our behavior and actions don't affect God's love for us, He is our heavenly parent, and just like all parents, he withholds certain things when we are not in step with His will. I have decided to lay aside some time this weekend in prayer, and to really look at these areas and what I need to do to make them right with Him. The encouraging thing to me is that I already feel blessed by God in so many ways, that I often feel just wordless to express my thanks. I can't wait to see how many more blessings God has in store for me along this journey. I hope you're experiencing the fullness of God's blessings for yourself! :)

Postponed

2011-03-29T19:43:00.002-04:00

Just a quick note to say that today's scheduled tutorial will be posted later this week. I have a great project planned - but I started it too late, and it ended up needing an extra coat of paint, which needed extra time to dry (this is why I hate paint, lol!). See you then!

Back On Track

2011-03-23T20:08:00.007-04:00

I was feeling a bit off-track last week; not sure what was going on, but in all fairness to myself, there was a lot going on - I had a busy week without a lot of downtime, and part of the busyness was the wedding of one of my close guy friends. I've grown up with this guy and his family as my "brothers" and God has used them all to model biblical manhood in my life, since - living with four sisters and a brother who didn't arrive until second-t0-last - male models were lacking somewhat in my life. :) I have been so blessed and humbled in the last few years to watch him start a beautiful relationship and prepare for marriage, and Saturday was the big day. Talk about emotional! I cried and cried. :) He and his fiancee actually asked me to sing during the ceremony, which was such a compliment, and I held it all together until I sat down after singing. Then seeing his beautiful bride and the love that was so apparent in their eyes for each other, plus their vows - which they wrote themselves and that touched on every aspect of their future marriage, from child-rearing to their roles as man and wife - oh, the floodgates opened. They were happy tears. :) I pretty much came home and crashed for the rest of the day.

For those of you who have been - ahem, concerned - (and by concerned, I mean they assume I gave up on it) at the lack of Weight Watchers content on my blog lately... don't be. It's true, I "broke" with the program for a little while because I was dealing with other issues and just felt like I couldn't handle it all at once, but - and apparently this is a big but - I didn't regain an ounce of the lost weight and started back up again a while ago. :)

I think part of the reason I got so stressed and felt like I couldn't handle it all was because I never did get a good grip on the new program, PointsPlus. Which, I'm gonna go ahead and say right up front: do NOT like it as much as the old program. I have been slow in publicly saying this because I felt like until I could use the program successfully - and by successfully I mean being able to stick to it and lose weight while on it - I didn't have the right to bash it.

Well, it's been awhile now doing both successfully, and I still don't like the old program. There are definitely parts I like - I love that fruit is point free, and I love that you get the "encouragement" to eat high-protein foods, which I naturally gravitate towards - but the parts that I hate - the fact that it's nearly impossible to guesstimate in a pinch, the, ahem, "strong discouragement" over carbs (ANY carbs, white, wheat, whole grain, etc) - far outweigh the parts I love. However, learn it I did and stick to it I am. There is a LOT of fruit getting eaten in my life right now, lol, mostly to make room for carbs, which have been severely limited. Tonight's post-yoga-workout dinner, for instance, was reduced-fat PB & sugar-free J on whole wheat bread, with a big glass of nonfat milk. :)

Speaking of yoga - UGH! Spring break (read: two weeks with no practice)+first session back (and a challenging one to boot)=NOT GOOD. :) I was struggling all over the place today, but I laughed at myself and kept going, and I definitely feel good now, several hours later. My "yoga high" in on. :)

had some time today while Abby was in school, so I ducked in to Ross to check out their latest shipment. You know how sometimes you go shopping and absolutely nothing you try on looks good, fits right, etc? Well, the flip also sometimes occurs (albeit much more rarely): sometimes you have days where you lug a ton of clothes into the dressing room and EVERYTHING FITS! and looks great! Is this a real phenomenon or is it just purely a state of mind? I have no idea...

Anyway, I refrained from buying every piece of clothing that fit - believe me, I wanted to! - but I did score a Michael Kors top for $14.99. It doesn't really get any better than this.

I also found these two leather-bound journals - what writer doesn't love a new journal?! The crisp pages, the straight lines waiting to be filled up... and these two are particularly beautiful (and $6 a piece!)

You know how once in awhile when you've been out in the elements, and your lips get chapped, and you take some lip balm and smooth it over them, and it soothes your lips? Well... I have this theory that everybody has some form of "soul balm" and for me it's words by C.S. Lewis. Lately I've been enjoying this collection of essays by him and let me tell you - soul balm. I can't even count how many times I have burst out laughing, or suddenly teared up reading something that completely touched me. Love it. I can't wait to get to heaven and meet him. :)

Since I was in the mood for "lighter" reading material, I picked up the latest copy of ReadyMade mag... I lovelovelove this magazine, and it's impossible to describe. It has a little bit of everything - crafts, architecture, DIY, travel, cooking... Life, I guess. One of these days I'm going to get my own subscription.

Of course, I got home to discover my issue of Ladies Home Journal had finally arrived - and who was their covergirl this month but Mariska Hargitay, my new hero?!?

I get so pumped up by women like her. :) For those of you who don't know, Mariska plays the female lead of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a detective who investigates (mainly) sexual assault, rape, etc. However, Mariska has also founded her own organization, Joyful Heart, to help survivors of sexual violence. The article was terrific and really inspiring. Go, girl! :)

Well, the sun seems to have rolled back behind the clouds for now and I needed a pick-me-up, so I gave myself a DIY pedicure and chose a cheerful color. Two, actually - a fun lavender and a clear glitter. :)

I hope everyone is ready for a good weekend - I know I'm excited about the downtime to craft, sew, read, and be generally creative. :)

Easy-Peasy Crocheted Flower

2011-03-22T10:00:00.000-04:00

Easy-Peasy Flower

(for a pin, barrette, clip, magnet, etc!)

I wasn't going to do a crochet craft, since not everyone can crochet, but this flower that I designed this week is so quick and easy I'm pretty sure almost anyone can do it! Plus, with the wedding of a close friend this week, and all the prep for that, I haven't had any time to do any other crafting. :( If you don't crochet, why not try it out? I've linked up all the stitches to tutorials from Crochet Today, and taken lots of pictures! :)

Supplies:

Size G crochet hook, or one slightly larger or smaller (you’ll get a larger or smaller flower, but the pattern will still work!)
Worsted weight yarn (this pattern doesn’t take much; it’s great for using up odds and ends!)
Worsted weight yarn in contrasting color
1 button in a coordinating or contrasting color
Large needle & thread (not pictured)
1 barrette, bobby pin, pin back, headband, etc (you can attach this flower to almost anything!)

Directions:

Flower

Chain 4.

Join with slip stitch to form a ring.

This is your flower’s center.

Round 1
Chain 4, [dc in ring, ch 2] 5 times; join with sl st in 2nd chain of beginning ch 4.

Your flower should have six loops around it now; these will become the petals.

Round 2
In each loop around, work the following: sc, hdc, dc, tr, dc, hdc, sc; join with slip stitch in first sc.

Fasten off and weave in ends. Your flower is done!

Leaves

Using your contrasting yarn, chain 10.

Slip slitch in second chain from hook; sc in next stitch, hdc in next stitch, dc in next stitch, tr in next stitch, dc in next stitch, hdc in next stitch, sc in next stitch, slip stitch in last chain.

Fasten off and weave in ends. Repeat (makes two leaves).

Assembly

Position the two leaves on one side of the flower as shown; using needle and thread, attach leaves to flower.

Sew button in the center of the flower.

Using either needle and thread or a hot glue gun, attach the flower to a barrette, headband, bobby pin, pin back, magnet, etc.

You're done!

Enjoy! :)

Fabric Squares Matching Game

2011-03-15T10:00:00.001-04:00

I promised myself I'd do at least one craft tutorial that involved sewing, so here it is - a fun matching game!

Fabric Squares Matching Game

Supplies:

These are a bit approximate, as a lot depends on how big the squares on your fabric are, how many blocks you want to make, etc; my pictures show two game "boards" with 12 felt squares - the fabric squares were 3".)

1/8-1/2 yard of fabric with a square pattern (or circles, or rectangles, or whatever)

4-6 pieces of felt in coordinating or matching colors

Coordinating or contrasting thread (note: this project takes TONS of thread - I kept having to stop and reload my bobbin!)

Pinking shears would be AMAZING! (I didn't have any on hand but if I'd have had them, I'd definitely have used them!)

Decide how big you want your gameboard to be. Since my squares are kind of big (3"), I decided to use an entire piece of felt for the gameboard; I have some other material with 1" squares, though, and when I use it I'll make each gameboard 1/2 piece of felt big.

Cut out a panel from your material slightly smaller than one sheet of felt.

(Just a sidenote here... aren't those critters cute?! :)).

Center your panel on a piece of felt.

Now, here I'm going to insert a little disclaimer: I'm not really a sewer, so this is just how I did it. I'm sure there are better or easier ways to do this, but this is how I did it. :)

Set your machine on "zigzag" and adjust your stitch so that the WIDTH stays the same, but decrease your LENGTH to 0.5 mm.

Sew all around your panel.

Your edges should look something like this.

If you like, you can also sew in between the squares (I did, just to create more stability).

When you're done, you should have something that looks like this on one side -

- and like this on the other side!

If you want more than one gameboard, repeat these steps until you have the desired number of gameboard.

Okay, now for some pieces to play with!

Cut the remaining felt into squares 1/2" bigger than your fabric squares (for example, my fabric squares were 3", so I made the felt squares 3 1/2").

Cut out an equal number of fabric squares - note, if you have a big pattern, make sure you get at least one matching square for each square on your gameboard, or else the game won't work.

Center your fabric squares on the felt squares.

Sew around the edges; you can do it just like you did the gameboard, for this kind of look:

Or you can switch it up a bit and use a straight stitch. If you do this, and you don't use pinking shears to cut your fabric, the edges will fray a bit. I personally think this adds to the charm. :)

You're done!

Here's how to play the game - several ways, actually!

If your child is younger (12 months - 1 year, or thereabouts) you can lay all the pieces face-up and let them pick them up and match the pictures on the pieces to the pictures on the board.

If your child is a little older (1-2), you can lay all the pieces face-down and take turns picking them up and matching them to the board.

For older children (3+), try playing Bingo with the squares. Throw all the squares into a basket, mix them up, and take turns pulling them out. First person to cover three squares, three in a row, or all the animals, etc, wins.

Have fun! :) The fun thing about this pattern is that you can change up the patterns and the colors and customize it for any child - i.e. dinosaur print, trucks, girly, etc.

Adventures in Upcycling

2011-03-11T20:32:00.000-05:00

I had a day off this week due to Abigail being sick (poor baby! but she made a fast recovery) so I headed up to the local thrift store with the three youngest siblings.

I've been interested in learning to upcycle clothes for awhile, and the prices at our local thrift store have dropped a bunch since the last time I was there, so I picked up this dress to play with.

While cute, it doesn't fit anyone in my family as a dress (and it's also pretty short, so not gonna work in this house, lol). However, after looking at how it was put together, I was pretty sure I could turn in into an adorable skirt.

The top had a stain on it, so the first thing to do was cut it off. Using a rotary cutter and plastic ruler, I cut it straight across, just below the bottom of the sleeve.

Looking good!

I kept the top part... I later cut off the stained part and attached a pink cotton print and made a top. :) But more on that later.

The original dress had a dropped waist and a belt, so step #2 was to remove the belt loops.

I discovered I don't really like taking out stitches that someone else made any more than I like taking out my own stitches... "destitching" is so boring. But eventually I got them all off!

I turned over the top and hemmed it nicely. Initially I was going to do a casing and elastic waistband, but I decided to try something new and do an exposed-elastic waistband instead.

Using Lizzie as a guide, I measured out a piece of elastic around her waist and zig-zagg stitched it to the hemmed skirt with elastic thread.

I kept stretching it out as I went and it turned out PERFECTLY!

Of course, I had to have Liz model it for me.

Isn't that one classy skirt? I really really wish it were my size, lol. But if you have a little girl size 12/14, it's up in my Etsy shop - check it out!

Btw, if this tickles your fancy and you'd like to see more upcycling, well, here's the blog for you: New Dress A Day. Pret-ty amazing! :)

"City Lights" Glass Bottle Lamp (Part 1)

2011-03-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

After my family celebrated Valentine's Day this year with a fancy dinner, there were two beautiful glass bottles left over. I couldn't stand to see them destroyed, so I rescued them, cleaned them out, and set them on my nightstand while I figured out what to do with them. While they brought me lots of happiness just be being there - "A thing of beauty is a joy forever" - I knew there had to be some way to turn them into something useful. But I was kind of stumped.

A few weeks later, my family was in a beautiful home while celebrating the baptism of our cousin, and I noticed a very similar bottle decoupaged with tropical fish and other marine cut-outs. Something triggered my brain, and I immediately thought of a city skyline illuminated by the lights of the city. I love modern art and cityscapes, and suddenly I knew exactly what to do with at least one of my bottles! :)

City Lights" Glass Bottle Lamp

Part 1

Supplies:
A glass bottle (such as the kind that wine, sparkling grape juice, or some vinegars come in)
A printer stocked with ink and paper
This image, resized so that when printed, the image reaches around the bottle
Scissors or an X-acto knife
Mod Podge
A paintbrush or foam sponge, depending on the texture you want to end up with

Thoroughly clean your bottle and remove any labels. The way I did this with my bottles was to rip off as much of the label as I could, then I put both bottles in a sink filled with hot water and a good bit of vinegar. After soaking for about fifteen minutes, the label wiped right off, leaving no sticky residue. :) Dry.

Print the cityscape image of your choosing. I used this one, but there are plenty out there in different styles to suit every taste - I was really tempted to use this one and glue sequines in the windows. :) You can google "new york city skyline clip art" to see hundreds of options. Or, if you're not into the whole city-scape look, you could always choose some other background (mountains, beach, etc).

Print the image of your choosing, making sure that once printed the edges of the image meet when wrapped around the bottle.

Using scissors or an X-acto knife, cut out the image.

Ready to Mod Podge? :) Ok!

Apply Mod-Podge liberally to the back of the image.

Line up the bottom of the image around the base of the bottle and apply like a sticker; make sure the bottom stays aligned, and smooth out the top til the image is fully applied.

Apply Mod-Podge liberally all over the bottle, from the top of the neck down to the base, over your image. Depending on whether you use a sponge or paintbrush, you will end up with either a slightly nubbly, etched-glass kind of look or artistic brushstrokes. Once the entire bottle is covered, let it dry completely, 15-20 minutes.

Once dry (and clear), apply another thick layer of Mod-Podge, set aside, and let dry. You can repeat this step as often as you want, until you get the opaque-icity (is that a word, lol?) and/or texture you want.

If you want your bottle to be more opaque but have less texture, try this: repeat the above step at least five times, and dry completely. Wet a piece of 400# sandpaper, and sand until smooth. Wipe dry, and polish with #0000 steel wool. Wipe with damp cloth.

I applied three thick coats with a sponge, without sanding, and that did it for me.

Okay, your bottle is done! Now we're all ready for Part 2 - turning it into a lamp!

(I will post Part 2 as soon as possible, I promise! I wanted to get the entire craft done this weekend, but the weekend ended up being much fuller than I had anticipated. Check back soon!)

Bringing Beauty

2011-03-07T15:26:00.000-05:00

Since Maggie started making her own shampoo, we've been using an old Suave bottle to store it in. I've been itching to jazz it up for awhile, and this weekend I finally got to it.

Two strips of material, a little twine, and a lot of mod-podge later...

Isn't that much nicer? :)

Natural Homemade Shampoo and Conditioner

2011-03-05T10:45:00.000-05:00

Last week, while I was cleaning the upstairs bathroom, I did something I thought I'd never do - I threw out almost all the store-bought shampoos I had collected. The only ones I kept are my L'Oreal sulfate free set 9which only has a bit left of both shampoo and conditioner, and I put these away in the cupboard, so in case Maggie is ever sick, out of town, or otherwise indisposed to make shampoo, or we run out of ingredients, etc, I can still have clean hair in a pinch) and my John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Luminous Color Glaze, which has about one application left, and I'm saving it to apply just before a friend's wedding to ensure I have tamed hair come what may. :) The rest of the shampoos - all my humectifying, clarifying, damage-controlling, for-fine-hair products - even my beloved John Frieda! - it all went.

I have become a homemade hair-product junkie!

Maggie has long been interesed in making her own cosmetics, so when her hands started healing and she reached the point a few months ago that she could begin cooking again in small amounts, she started checking out books from the library and testing recipes like crazy!

I have always had this opinion about homemade hair shampoo: I love the idea, I'm glad for you if it works well, I'm sure it's healthier, but I love clean hair, and I have funky hair that often responds terribly to a change in even brand/type of "real" shampoo, plus - I'm not willing to go through the "adjustment period" (up to six months, some folks claim!) that a lot of people say occurs when you make the switch.

But Maggie's hair was noticeably softer, shinier, had more body, and less frizz after only a few weeks on natural shampoos, and her hair was never greasy or glecky, so it wasn't long before I wanted in on the action, too!

Here are two great and easy recipes, plus some tips!

Maggie's Sunshine Shampoo

1/4 cup baby shampoo or castille soap

2 TBS lemon juice

1 TSP lemon zest

1/4 cup Aloe juice (did you know they sell this at the pharmacy of Wal-Mart now?)

1/2 TSP oil (almond, grapeseed, or coconut work well)

1/2 TSP honey

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT honey.

Heat until very warm but NOT boiling.

Cool until barely warm and add honey. Stir well. Finish cooling.

Strain (we used some cheesecloth over a beaker).

Pour into a bottle (we're upcycling an old Suave shampoo container- more on that later).

Shake well before using. This shampoo isn't as foamy or sudsy as traditional shampoos, and the ingredients will separate a bit, so shaking is really important; it helps create lather and reincorporates the mix.

Maggie's Super-Easy Best-Ever Hair Conditioner

You're never going to believe how easy and great this is...
Ten parts water
One part apple cider vinegar

Mix; after shampooing, squeeze excess water out of your hair and pour enough conditioner on it to soak your hair from roots to ends. Let it soak for a moment or two, then squeeze out excess conditioner and DO NOT RINSE.

This conditioner is amazing, even for my super-fine and tending-toward-greasy hair. I find that I need to let my hair dry just a bit before combing it out, but then it leaves my hair nearly completely tangle-free, super-shiny, and not greasy. :)

Some tips for making the switch:

If you're using a mix of natural and commercial hair products, the natural hair products may not work as well. As I understand it, this is because commercial shampoo and conditioner work by first stripping away your hair's natural oils, then replacing the lost oil (conditioner). Natural products work by restoring your scalp's natural Ph balance. If you're using commercial shampoo, natural conditioner might not be able to compensate for the stripped oils. Vice-versa, if you're using natural shampoo, which leaves more oil on your scalp, then use commercial conditioner, you're probably adding too much oil to your scalp.

Natural shampoos don't usually lather as well as commercial products (since they don't contain sulfates). While the recipe above works nicely, I have compensated with other formulas by mixing some shampoo with water and rinsing it through my hair.

Also - note on the above conditioner - some folks have said they could never use it because they didn't want to smell like vinegar. While it does have a slight vinegar-y smell when your hair is wet, once it dries it is completely odorless (unless you get caught in the rain, lol).

Five-Minute Keychain Upgrade

2011-03-04T17:00:00.007-05:00

I've been on a quest lately to beautify the everyday objects in my life, inspired in no small part by this post on a blog I enjoy reading.

For some reason this post makes me sad, even re-reading it now. Everybody should have a little beauty in their life. Beauty isn't expensive, so it's not dependent on how much money you can spend or how much money you make.

I have often thought since reading that post that if I knew that blogger in real life, I would make her a "pretty" broom and send it to her. I'd take a regular broom, wrap the handle in pretty ribbon, and top it off with a scrappy fabric flower. Or an interesting button. Or I'd wrap the handle in twine and tie the top with a red bandana, if her decorating style were so inclined. It would hide the duct-tape and make the sweeper's job a little bit special.

And I would tell her to go ahead, pour the honey into the "special" jar and let your heart sing. :)

Since I don't know her in real life, I'm gonna keep working on my own everyday objects. Like my keychain.

I have had the same keychain for seven years. It's an orange carabiner. It's my favorite color - except that I keep forgetting that's why I chose it because most of the color has worn off now. And I have a TON of keys, knickknacks, memento keychains, etc, tacked on to it:

I don't know why, but lately I've just been feeling the urge to switch it up and pare it down, so last night when Maggie, Anna, and I were in JoAnn Fabrics, I bought 12" each of silver canvas strap and some very dignified ribbon.

They keyring was salvaged from my old keychain. :)

I serged the ends of the strap and the ribbon, but you can use a match to finish the ends. You have to do something, though, otherwise they fray dreadfully!

Using my sewing machine and some black thread, I sewed lengthwise as close to the edge as I could get.

Then, just to make it a little sturdier and make the ribbon lay a bit flatter, I sewed two lines up the center, too.

I folded the ribbon right-sides-together (in this case, the ribbon being the right side, but you could reverse it), slipped the keyring on it, and sewed the ends together.

Then I turned it out and wiggled the keyring as close to the seam as it would go.

I sewed across about 1/2" below the ring (which was as close as my machine could go without endangering the needle).

Voila! An elegant keychain!

I did pare down my keys to my housekeys, my truck keys, and the keys to Abby's house, the little keyring with all my "preferred shopper" cards, because they're such an easy way to save money, my garage-door opener gizmo, and my thrift store preferred shopper punchcard. Yes, folks, that's right - my thrift store has a preferred shopper program. Isn't that awesome? :)

This project literally took about five minutes from start to finish, and the result is so worth it. I also estimate that, not counting the thread (which we already had on hand), I paid less $1.32 for this little upgrade. I'm not sure how much less because the cashier swiped a 40% off coupon at the register for me. :)

Anyway, moving on...

Did anyone notice that I passed the 200 posts mark this week? Yay me! :) I have an amazing post I'm working on this weekend, all about homemade/natural shampoos and conditioner (which I've fallen in love with recently!).

"Ready For Spring" Flower Pot Stakes

2011-03-01T10:00:00.001-05:00

I don't know about you, but for me it's hard to be psyched about this particular time of year. It's vacillating between warm and freezing, so on warm days, even though you may WANT to do spring-y things like starting flats of seedlings or pots of flowers, it'll be awhile before they poke their heads through the surface. In the meantime, flower pots filled with dirt are just depressing. :(

I went to JoAnn's recently and saw that they had pots and pots of "flower pot stakes" - little stakes with beautiful toppers. I told my sister, "Forget flowers... I'll just decorate with pots of flower stakes!" :) I went a little crazy and filled up my cart... however, by the time I reached the checkout line, I decided I could make my own! I returned the manufactured stakes to their pots, did a quick cruise around the store for some materials, and returned home to get started!

These are easy and fun and the possibilities for color combinations/toppers are endless. While the ones pictured below are in fun springtime colors, I can't wait to do some in black and silver for year-round use.

"Ready For Spring" Flower Pot Stakes

First, gather your supplies:

2 (or more) colors of paint in coordinating or contrasting colors (for this tutorial, I'm using two shades of purple, one in a flat finish and one in a metallic finish)

1 1/8" dowel, cut into 12" lengths

5 wooden beads with at least a 1/8" hole

2 12" lengths of coordinating or contrasting ribbon

1 "topper" - I used a 25-cent painted wooden piece from Michaels, but you could use a pretty button, larger bead, molded clay, whatever! :) I know some of you are way more creative than I am and don't need to resort to buying prepainted wooden pieces!

A paintbrush (not pictured)

A hot glue gun and glue (not pictured)

Okay - step one!

The first thing you need to do is get your beads painted. There are lots of ways to paint beads - on a string, on a drinking straw, etc, but this is what I did: I grabbed some bamboo shish-kebab skewes, bent them slightly like this -

And slipped a bead on it!

This holds it in place while you paint. When I was done with one bead, I set in in a drinking glass and moved on to the next.

If you make your "bends" at different heights, the painted beads won't bump into each other as they dry.

You're going to want to give all the beads 2 coats of paint.

Ooh, look, so pretty - and this isn't even our craft! :)

While your beads are drying, grab your dowel, ribbon, topper, and hot glue gun and get the glue heating.

Take your topper and apply a long line of glue from top to bottom.

Press the stake into the line of glue and hold it (by the other end, or your fingers will suffer!) in place until it cools.

Ta-Da! Look at your happy topped stake. :)

Lay it face-down and lay a tiny drop of hot glue about 1/4" below the bottom of your topper.

Find the center of your ribbon and attach it.

When cooled, flip it over and tie a pretty bow.

Okay, time to go back to those beads (which are dry by now, right?) Thread your beads onto the bottom of the dowel, alternating colors.

Push them uop snugly against the ribbon, place the dowel face-down, and lay a drop of hot glue directly below the last bead.

Find the center of the second ribbon, and attach it to the dowel.

Flip it over, and tie the bottom ribbon into a cute bow. You're done!

Isn't that adorable? You can change up the colors of the beads and ribbons, and the kind of topper, and create a whole potful!

This bee stake is my favorite... it's destined for my beekeeper-sister's flower pots!

Romantic red and gold stake (still working out my Valentine's Day inspiration, I guess, lol).

I hope you have fun making these while waiting for spring! :)

Don't Let Me Miss The Moment

2011-02-28T19:33:00.005-05:00

Today was beautiful.

It reached 70 degrees by eleven AM.

It was supposed to rain all day - and it DID rain, in the afternoon! - but this morning was beautiful.

Maggie and I went to lunch at our usual Monday-luncht Mexican restaurant, with Abigail chattering away the entire time, talking about everything under the sun. :) After lunch we walked down the sidewalk to the Jo-Ann Fabrics to buy orange buttons (!they make my heart happy!) and on the way we passed the window of the beauty school where a friend attends. We saw her in the window, thought about knocking on the window and waving, but didn't want to make fools of ourselves (or her, lol) so instead we texted her to see if she wanted to go get coffee at the cafe next door on her break.

While we were waiting for a response, Anna called - she was close by, driving home from a doctor's appointment - so we invited her to join us.

And that was how all four of us, plus my beloved baby girl, came to be sitting outside on the sidewalk of the cafe, all of us drinking our beverage of choice (a raspberry truffle latte, a brownie smoothie, and - for me - the very best iced sugar-free caramel latte I have ever had in my life. Seriously. And a cake ball for Abby) soaking up the warmth and the beauty and the incredible sweetness of a two-and-a-half-year-old face covered in white chocolate and sprinkles, and the fellowship of each other's company

It was a beautiful moment, and in the middle of it I sat back and realized it was beautiful. I'm not good at recognizing beautiful moments while they're happening - I often look back and think wistfully to myself, "That was a good moment. I wish I had taken a little more time to just enjoy it."

After our little coffee klatch, Abby and I dropped Maggie off at her occupational therapist's, and went back to the house. On the way, Abby turned to me and said very plaintively, "I want a nap!" Wish granted! We arrived home just as it started to rain, and I tucked her into her crib, cozy with her penguin blanket, her stuffed tigger, and her beloved "el'phant". We blew kisses to each other and she made Tigger blow kisses, too. :) As I whispered, "I love you! Have a good nap!" and tiptoed out of the room, she rolled over and fell asleep instantly and was still sleeping when I left, lulled to sleep by gentle raindrops on the roof.

As she napped, I finally got the sidebar button - the one I have been playing with for awhile, but couldn't make work - to work. Perfectly.

Chris came home fifteen minutes early, so I got to come home before Yoga class, sit on my bed for twenty minutes in an absolutely peaceful house, and eat apple slices dunked into caramel-flavored organic greek yogurt.

Did I mention that only good food - healthy food, yummy food, nourishing food - has passed through my lips today?

Then I went off to class, where I did many things I couldn't do two months ago. I have muscles now that I didn't have two months ago, a confidence in my body's capability, a confidence that lets me explore that capability and find the boundaries. I did two new poses tonight that I haven't done before!

I came home, enjoyed a cup of perfectly-brewed chamomile tea. I can almost feel the hot bath I'm about to run for myself, and I'm anticipating the smooth coolness of my mattress.

I'll tell you a secret - today did not start off looking so great. I couldn't sleep last night - I know because I kept checking my alarm clock, desperately wishing I could slow time down so I could get some sleep before the week began. It never happened. After hours of "resting" (but not sleeping) I got up, posted this status to my Facebook page: "It's so much nicer when you begin the day by waking up, not just getting up!"

But somewhere along my morning drive to work, I decided to just live in being tired for today. So often I spend so much time trying to get out of whatever undesirable position I'm in, I forget that there's always the option to tough it out, live through it, and wait for it to pass. I didn't get a nap today - turns out I didn't need one, but if I'd been focused on "fixing" today I would have fretted about my lack of sleep all day.

Even the less-than great days remind you of what's important. I bought the first energy drink I've drunk in at least six months today. I literally stopped dead in front of the cooler when it suddenly struck me that I lived on those things, often multiple cans of them, a year and two months ago. I remember the hopeless despair I would feel because it was literally impossible, working my shifts and living in this house, to get the sleep I needed to feel sort of alive the next day. Day after day afterdayafterday... A missed night of sleep is nothing. Life is great!

I hope I get some sleep tonight (I think I probably will). But even if I don't, I know that my capacity to run with little or no sleep is great. That they manufacture Red Bull and Rockstar and, if all else fails, coffee, for the days when you need a little extra "oomph." And that beautiful moments sometimes happen on inoportune days - you can let them slip through your fingers... or you can grab them. Savor them. Laugh - and let the rest go. :)

A Picture Post

2011-02-26T16:08:00.010-05:00

What's a blogger to do when she gets a bad case of "blogger's block"? Carry a camera around all morning and do a picture post, that's what! :)

I've been enjoying the beautiful roses Natalie brought me for Valentine's Day. I removed the leaves and trimmed the stems and put them in a low vase on my bedside table with two glass bottles from our Valentine's Day dinner celebration.

They've brought me lots of beauty, but in the last two days I could tell they were beginning to wilt - however, the flowers were still nice and tight, so I decided to dry them so I could keep enjoying them. :)

Sooo pretty!

I turned them upside down and arranged them in the way I wanted them to dry.

Then I took some twine and wrapped it tightly twice around the stems.

I flipped it over once to make sure I liked the arrangement.

Then I tied it tightly - cuz I have learned from experience that the stems shrink a bunch when they dry.

You have to dry them in a darkish dry place... and our upstairs unfinished/unused bathroom shower fits the bill!

All tied up!

I'll leave them there until they're fully dried, then I can put them back on my bedside table and enjoy them indefinitely! :)

While I was at it, I also dried the petals of the purple roses from a friend's bridal shower. These didn't hold up as well as the dozen roses and began shedding petals the day after I brought them home, so rather than dry the entire rose, I plucked the petals.

I spread them out in a thin layer in a bowl and put them in the bathroom with the others.

When they're dried, they'll be super fragrant. I'll crochet two small heart doilies, lace them together with ribbon, and stuff them with the petals to make a sachet, then return it to her with a note explaining what's inside. I've made these for myself before and I enjoy keeping the smell of good times as a keepsake! :)

Maggie, Anna, and I went out to dinner on Thursday and popped into Target, where I found these adorable bunny rabbit baskets. I bought one of each so I could come home and duplicate them. My family doesn't really celebrate the bunnies and chicks aspect of Easter, but as rabbit owners for over ten years we sure love our bunny stuff! :)

I was also looking for a small stuffed lion for Abigail. Every week we go to gymnastics, and she digs through the piles and piles of stuffed animals to find one specific tiny stuffed lion. When she finds it, she squeals with delight, holds it up, and says "Hiiiii, lion!" and then carries it around with her the entire class. :) She's always sad to leave it behind, though, so I wanted to find her her own to keep.

Isn't it cute?

Of course, while I was looking for a stuffed lion, I found this stuffed owl and just had to bring it home. :)

He's currently living on top of my copy of "The Hobbit". I do so love owls. :)

My littlest cousin Kathryn Rose is being baptized tomorrow, and I wanted to bring her a toy since I know she's at that age now - roundabout five months - that toys become important. :)

What could it be?

A stuffed chickie! Isn't it cute? :) I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. I hope Kathryn loves it as much as I do.

Here's my Driftwood Cap that I finally finished. :) I added an edging around the bottom but otherwise I followed the pattern exactly. I can't wait to wear it out of the house!

And so far that's pretty much been my weekend. :)

Btw, I have decided to do one original craft tutorial a week for the month of March, in honor of National Craft Month. :) I finished the first one today and it'll be posted on Tuesday, March 1st. Not gonna tell you what it is but... it's super cute, and after I finished three of them for the tutorial, I went back and made four more! :) The other tutorials will be posted on March 8th, March 15th, March 22nd, and March 29th. I'm going to be putting up a list on the sidebar, so keep an eye out! :)

Seriously?!

2011-02-22T19:25:00.004-05:00

Was it really just three days ago that I posted about how thrilled I was to have a 72 degree day?

It was... so imagine how crestfallen I was to wake up this morning to THIS?

I guess I can admit now that I let my imagination go just a little bit over the weekend. I started dreaming of gardening, of warm days, of tank tops and flowy flirty skirts... but I guess I'll have to wait a little longer to get down the spring clothes bins, the sandals, and the potting soil. Apparently spring is still a little ways away.

I got a bunch of craftiness done this week. Here's a recap:

An embellished T
A sunglass case
An embellished skirt from this tutorial (except for the flower and the distressing... I wanted a little more polished look)
My "Flowers and Pearl, Tulle and Chain" necklace
And... just because I wouldn't want my crochet hooks to get lonely... I began this Driftwood Cap for myself. Cuz, you know, apparently spring is gonna be a while coming. And in the meantime, my head is cold. :)

Did you know that March is National Craft Month? I'm going to seize the excuse and try to get as many projects done as possible!

Flowers and Pearls, Tulle and Chain

2011-02-21T17:06:00.022-05:00

Flowers and pearls, tulle and chain... time to make a necklace!

Supplies:

At least an 18" strand of glass pearls, plus a few pearls in reserve (I used five, but depending on the size of your pearls, you might only need 1-3).
22" metal chain
2 crimp beads
A 2 1/2"X14" strip of fabric, plus a small (1"X1" or so) circle of the same material
A 6"X14" strip of coordinating or contrasting tulle (you could even use just one color - it would look great with all the contrasting textures!
A zipper at least 9" in length, in a coordinating or contrasting color
Thread to match, and a needle
A hot glue gun with clear or matching glue

Okay, here we go!

Take your strand of pearls and divide it into two strands, one 10" and one 8" (don't forget to reserve a few pearls for later!). Take one end of both strands and thread it through a crimp bead, through the last link of your chain, and back again through the crimp bead. Use pliers to squish the crimp bead flat, and thread the ends through the first pearl on the strand. Repeat on the other side, but don't worry about hiding the end of the thread - it'll be covered up by the pendant, anyway!

You should have something that looks like this:

Set it aside for awhile while we switch gears and make the flower pendant.

Cut a 2 1/2"X14" strip of fabric.

Fold it in half lengthwise, and gather it, using either needle and thread or a sewing machine. The easiest way I (a sewing dumbo) have found to do this is to set the stitch length to the maximum, stitch, then pull the threads to create a ruffle. My sister, who is a sewing expert, has a foot for her machine that automatically ruffles the material. It's pretty easy to do with a needle and thread, too.

Once you have it tightly ruffled, pin the edges together and sew...

...then flatten it out. You should have a "flower".

Do yourself a big favor and take a moment to iron it. It'll save you a lot of grief later!

Now take your 6"X14" strip of tulle, fold it in half lengthwise, then in half again, and ruffle it just like you did your fabric - but don't sew the edges together!

You should have something like this - make sure the "flower" is ruffled tightly.

Fold the edges over each other slightly, then get out your needle and thread and hand-sew it to the fabric flower. You don't need to go overboard - just a few stitches to tack it all together.

Your flower should look like this:

Set it aside, and let's work on the center.

Take your zipper and dismantle/unzip it, so that you have one side of the zipper.

Ruffle it exactly like you did your fabric and your tulle (stitch as closely to the edge as possible for best results). As it ruffles, it should automatically fold up into a flower.

With your needle and thread, start at the center and sew it in place. This is probably the trickiest part of the whole thing. Take lots of tiny stitches!

You end up with a flower that looks like this one the back -

- but, luckily, like this on the front!

Nice! Grab those pearls you reserved at the beginning of this project, and sew them into the center of your flower. I used six, but you can use more or less depending on what size pearls you are using.

Pret-ty!

Take your hot glue gun, heat it up, and glue your zipper into the center of your tulle and fabric flower. Let it cool.

Lay your flower face-down on your workspace, and position the chain/pearls over it (the connection between the chain and the strands of pearls should be right over your flower). Using lots of hot glue, glue the chain to the flower, then cover with the circle of matching fabric.

It should look like this:

You're done!

This is such a fun piece to wear or give to someone special!

This particular necklace I made for a friend's birthday, but now that I see it, I can't wait to make one in black for myself. :)

Winter Respite

2011-02-18T16:58:00.012-05:00

Today was 75 degrees warm out. Seriously. I so needed this, it feels like God graciously gave me a little vacation just cause he knew I needed it sooo badly. :)

I crossed some invisible line sometime this week. I am now officially feeling better. Even though I have been "not sick" for awhile, my energy was wiped out, I just wasn't feeling "well", I was tired of feeling this way, etc. It seemed to take forever to get over it - I don't know if I got sick because I was feeling blue, or if I was feeling blue because I was getting sick - I don't really care about the causality. I do know that sometime in the middle of the week my energy returned, my zest returned, life started feeling fun again, and now I'm back. Thank God!

With this warm weather came a burst of creativity and in-the-moment-ness. :) Last night, as Maggie and I were heading out for our weekly sister date, we decided randomly to text Chris and Natalie and Abby and see if they'd like to go to dinner with us. They did! So not only did I get to hang out with loved ones, I got to see my girlie a bit more. Which is great, since I have Monday off (federal holiday - how can they DO this to me, lol? :)) so I only have three days with her next week.

After dinner, Maggie and I decided together that we needed some coffee, so we drove across town to the only open non-Starbucks coffeehouse. It was excellent coffee. Then we decided we needed to duck into Joann Fabrics to pick up some more crafty supplies, then we remembered we needed to go to Target. We couldn't remember what for, but we hoped that it would come to us as we walked around. It never did, but we found some other good stuff we needed to make up for it, lol. I found a couple of good sports bras on clearance, plus a lamp for my room since my last lamp decided to become an electrical hazard. Maggie found picture-hanging adhesive strips.

It was such a nice night we decided to walk down to the grocery store instead of drive, which in hindsight was a bad idea since it meant we had to lug plastic bags of groceries back. :) I stocked up on my favorite good foods - low/no fat cheese, lean lunchmeat, nonfat milk (organic this time - Maggie convinced me it was worth it, and I tasted some today, and it totally is! Also, Natalie swears it stays fresh longer, which is nice since I'm the only one drinking it), diet ginger ale, Eggbeaters, and some really fresh looking Honeycrisp apples. So psyched about this week!

I had a whole list of projects I wanted to do this weekend. First on my list: embellished T, in the style of this embellished tank. I knew I didn't want it to look exactly like this, but I was using it for inspiration.

I started off with this long-sleeved T from Target that I already owned (cept mine is black and white):

I bought 1/2 yard of black lace - it was originally $14.99 a yard, but it was the ONLY lace I liked, so I used my 40% off coupon, which brought it down to around $4. Much better! I also bought a package of glass "peals" for under $1 on sale, and 3" of black tulle for twelve cents. :)

I carefully cut the lace into two strips, aligned them along the neckline, and stitched the top down to secure it. I cut the tulle into 3"X3" squares, gathered them, and stitched them around the neckline, then used stitch witchery to tack everything down. I hand-knotted the pearls around the lace and voila! A sweet top! I'm excited about wearing this!

I have more sewing projects to do, but by the time I finished my T the warm weather was calling to me, so I abandoned them in favor of some gardening, albeit the very wimpy, indoor, pot kind. :) I have no green thumb whatsoever, but last year I wanted to learn how to raise plants, so I started pots of seedlings. Most of them died, and the ones that survived were pretty puny. Eventually I threw them all out and bought already-grown houseplants. Now that I've been able to keep them alive for a year, I'm ready to try some more seeds. :)

This little "spider plant"was given to me by a friend from church, who heard my gardening woes and brought me a seedling from her plant and assured me that I could not kill it. She was right! It's a hardy little plant, and best of all it's begun to sprout little - whatchamacaums? baby plants? - so today I pulled out some smaller pots and gave the babies their own pots.

This plant I bought last year on closeout at Wal-Mart. Somebody told me that the shinier and harder a plant's leaf it, the least water it needs regularly, and probably needs less sunlight as well. I have no idea if this is true but the rule seems to have worked in this case!

I had no idea how big this plant had gotten til I went to repot it. Big strong roots FILLED the bottom of the pot! I had a slightly larger pot on hand, but pretty soon it's going to either need to go outside or I'll need a MUCH bigger pot.

Oh, the possibilities... This particular pot is filled with Cilantro (coriander). I love cilantro! I'm "growing salsa" since it's so low-cal and healthy (filled with antioxidants) so this is a must.

I commandeered this strawberry flat box to grow tomatoes in. I love tomatoes!

Here's my French press watering can, lol. It broke last year and I repurposed it.

Last week after Mags and I got home from our friend's purple-themed bridal shower, I was feeling artsy and whipped up this little purple flower. Isn't it cute? I can't figure out what to do with it yet - headband, pin, or bracelet? :)

Hopefully I'll get to the rest of my projects this weekend, but if not, that's ok, too. The weather is incredible, and I'm enjoying every minute of it!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T20:25:00.006-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Just to clarify, I am part of that lovely demographic of single and as of yet unattached folks, but that doesn't hamper my celebration in the least. :) While I look forward to experiencing and celebrating romantic love in the future, in the present I have tons of loved ones to celebrate with!

For a single gal, I got lots of love today. The celebration started off at work, with the "love of my life," Abigail! Her 'rents got her a whole bag full of V-Day goodies - princess stickers, DVD's, books! We immediately got started watching Cars, but I can't wait to watch Ratatouille with her!

I brought her a gift I've been working on in the evenings lately. It still wasn't quite finished yet today - I have a few stitches left to put in it! - but I brought it so she could wear it to her V-Day playdate with cousin Lily today.

Let me just say - this was so much harder to make than it looked. In the end it turned out quite a bit misshapen, but of course the Abster made it look adorable. She loved the "flower heart" :).
Her mommy brought me home a dozen roses! I feel so absolutely blessed to be in the position I'm in - it's not every day that you get to work for honestly amazingly, caring, thoughtful folks. I had fun arranging these roses to go on my bedside table. Don't you love the luxury of a dozen roses?

I also have these three beautiful lavender roses that my friend's fiancee sent home with us after her bridal shower. So pretty!

My Dad stayed up late last night designing these homemade valentines. :) Each of his children got one, with a special note inside listing some of the character qualities he most appreciates in our lives. :) This is one "love note" that's definitely going into my keepsake box!

This is the last of my Valentine's Day projects... didn't they turn out nicely? They're super simple and make perfect coasters.

Tonight's yoga class was sooo much fun... I know, I know I say that every time, but today may have taken the fun factor off the charts! I was dreading going, since I'm still not 100% feeling great, and my energy is very low, but once we started I was able to everything and it felt terrific. No coughing up a lung, either! Also - I randomly decided to attempt Chaturanga and I did it! I couldn't do it again, but I was super psyched that I was able to do one all by myself!

We started class off with a session of food meditation - this is sooo useful for me, to really practice thinking about what I put into my mouth in a thoughtful way. Then we warmed up and spent the rest of the class doing partner poses. So. Much. Fun. :)

Finally, we ended class by getting a massage. :) Class ran really late, so I skipped out on the last meditation to go home for a fancy dinner with the family - crystal, candles, and a yummy meal of salmon and rice pilaf.

I've been noticing a little more single angst in the world this Valentine's Day than I normally do. While, as I said, I look forward to someday being in love and married, it seems sad to me to spend the day focusing on what you don't have instead of what you do. If you are married (or, as some of my friend, preparing for "imminent marriage", lol) remember that after God, your marriage is your most important relationship. Set a good example for those of us who hope one day to be in your shoes!

For we single folks, I've been telling myself constantly lately that every day is an opportunity to prepare for my future, be it as a married woman or not. I want to get as many character flaws worked out as possible BEFORE going into marriage, and I want to develop as many positive traits and habits as I can.

Happy Valentine's Day!

"And by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if you have love one for another!" - John 13:35

Winter Fun!

2011-02-12T11:26:00.000-05:00

I'm finally getting the pictures up from my ice-skating outing with Ruth. Sorry it took so long - I was already feeling bad by the time we got home that night, and I've been playing catch-up with life ever since.

We took the metro in to Chinatown and walked the last few blocks to the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. In warm months, this is a great place to explore and hang out, and the skating rink is a beautiful fountain and pool. This is the first time I've been here in the winter, and I have to say it's just as fun!

Ruth had been skating once before, around age five, and I hadn't touched the ice since 1999, the year after Tara Lipinski took gold at the Nagano Olympics. I was a little worried that I'd have forgotten everything I once knew, but I was surprised that I had no problems at all. I was able to skate, twirl, skate backwards, on one foot, etc. I'd forgotten how much fun it is! It feels like flying!

Ruth took just a little longer to get comfortable on the ice, so she spent a bit of time using the railings for support.

It didn't take her very long to get comfortable, though!

About an hour in, the Zamboni went around, forcing us all off the ice for a break. While we were waiting, the rink instructor went around telling everyone about the drop-in lesson rates; Ruth was really interested, so I went ahead and bought her a lesson. She loved the instructor, Alice, and the lesson really helped her find her feet. By the end of the lesson she was much more confident on the ice!

When Alice found out that we were celebrating Ruth's birthday, she gave her a present - this adorable little zipper pull in the shape of a skate. :)

We were pretty tired out after our exercise, so we walked back to Chinatown, had dinner at Chop't, and then got back on the metro to go home. :)

Finished!

2011-02-11T10:50:00.005-05:00

As I mentioned earlier on this blog, one of my good friends is getting married in a little more than a month! Since their marriage begins the first time either of them has set up their own household, I wanted to help get their household set up and contribute to chipping away at their registry... but when I got an invitation to his fiancee's bridal shower, I saw the chance to also make something for them homemade. :)

I've been seeing lots of "love" ideas lately on my crafty blogs (Valentine's Day is right around the corner!) and all these ideas, combined with the pile of antique skeleton keys that another friend gave me, settled into an idea in my mind.

I hunted high and low for a frame and a thick mat to accomodate the skeleton keys. It ended up being easier and cheaper to buy framed art and cannibalize it for pieces.

This is what the frame/print looked like (before I attacked it). I didn't take any pictures of the steps in between, sadly. :( Next time! Pretty mod and unromantic, huh? :) Once I had my frame, I gathered the rest of my supplies - a 12"X12" sheet of red print scrapbooking paper, Mod Podge, gold spray paint, two skeleton keys, and a sheet of papyrus-style cardstock.

I gently tore everything apart, separating the frame, glass, mat, and art. I laid the glass aside and sprayed the frame with the gold spray paint. Once that was laid aside drying, I tore the scrapbooking paper into various-sized strips, making sure that the edges were "ragged" and had plenty of white showing.

I mod-podged the strips over the mat until it was completely covered - I went pretty heavy on the mod-podge since I wanted a nice glossy finish. When the first layer was done, I hit the frame with a second coat of gold.

I reserved a few pieces of paper and didn't apply them to the mat; when the mat had dried, I mixed a bit of gold paint and mod-podge and sponged that over the entire surface, then immediately wiped it off. This left behind a nice gold-flecked "stain" effect which sank into the white edges a bit. :) When that was dry, I randomly positioned the last pieces around the mat, mod-podged into place, and let it all dry completely. It gave the mat a bit of dimension. I covered the frame in a layer of mod-podge, too.

With the mat and the frame mostly set, I turned to the art that was going to go inside. :) I printed out this quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes on the papyrus cardstock in a nice font: "Love is the master key which opens the gates of happiness." I cut it to size and mod-podged it to the existing art. I hit the two keys with a spray of gold paint, then gave them a layer of mod-podge. Once they were dry, I glued them into place.

Once eveything was dry, it was time to put it back together again! :)

All in all, I love the way it turned out. :)

The Best Laid Plans...

2011-02-06T18:24:00.002-05:00

I was so determined to make this a productive weekend... and then I woke up yesterday sick. I HATE being sick! :( I spent yesterday doing nothing, but today I was feeling better for a little while and I ran around cleaning up a little before crashing on my bed again. I don't know why it's easier to be sick in a space that's clean than in a cluttered space, but it really is.

So, my weekend accomplishments came down to this:

1) I sort of got the bathroom cleaned... It's not great but it definitely looks better.

2) The craft for Matt & Jess's wedding - almost done! I got this almost totally completed on Thursday night before I got sick. I am so amazed at how well this turned out - almost exactly like I imagined it. Except maybe even better. :) I just have a few last things to finish up and then I'll definitely be posting pictures.

3) I also got Khy's sweater seamed - it was a nice task to do in bed. It turned out exactly like the pattern showed, and I've decided it's not anything I did wrong that makes it funky-looking... it's just the pattern itself. I think I'm going to try again in wool, so I can felt it, and make a few small adjustments.

And that's it. No lesson plans, nothing else done but a lot of TV watching and ibuprofen taking. I am feeling a bit better today, and Anna is going to watch Abby for me tomorrow so I can finish recovering. It's so nice to not have to stress over work AND feeling better... first time since I was sixteen that I haven't had to stress and worry about losing my job because I was sick and couldn't go in to work (none of my jobs were particularly understanding about sick days, most had a 24 hour-notice policy, and all of them held strictly to the policy that if you couldn't find your own replacement, you were required to come in or risk disciplinary action).

I hope everybody else had a great weekend that was more fun than mine, lol!

My Weekend To-Do List

2011-02-03T16:59:00.002-05:00

1) Clean the bathroom, already
2) Write lesson plans (DREADING this one... I'll have to think of a good reward for once I get it done!)
3) Craft project for Matt & Jess's wedding present (I got almost all the supplies today and it looks like fun!)
4) Seam Khy's sweater (I began this afternoon but decided I needed another needle)
5) Order Khy's other birthday gift
6) Wash my yoga mat (need to get the factory finish off so I'll stop slipping during practice)
7) Hang new picture frames... and actually get pictures inside them. The second part I'm not holding my breath over. :)

Ugh... This Day

2011-02-02T20:40:00.003-05:00

I don't know what's sparked it, but lately I've been feeling "blue"... you know, nothing's wrong (much) but nothing's right? Plus, I'm sooo tired... lately all I can do is fantasize about getting some sleep. And it's not like I'm really sleep deprived, either - I haven't been getting a whole lot of sleep, but then again I've gotten less than this before and I've been fine. I'm not sure what's wrong, but I suspect it's just a case of mid-winter blahs.

As is so often the case with blahs, though, everything seems to be stacking up against me. I have no memory lately - I was supposed to take Abby's registration papers to school on Monday. Monday morning we had just arrived at my house when Natalie texted me to ask if Abby made it into the class she wanted (we'd been warned it fills up fast!). I was supposed to drop it off almost an hour ago and had just completely forgotten. Needless to say, I dropped everything and ran, and luckily I made it in time and Abby got into her class. I felt like a complete idiot.

Another example - the upstairs bathroom in our house. I've been meaning to clean it for a really long time now. I've been asked by various family members to clean it several times. It's not a huge task (though it is a bit grimy) and I've been honestly meaning/wanting to do it, but I never think about it at a moment when I could actually get to it. In the morning when I get up, I go to brush my teeth, look down at the grimy sink, and think "I MUST clean this bathroom." And then I go off to work and don't think about it again until I'm in PJ's, ready to go to bed, and I'm brushing me teeth in the grimy sink and thinking "... darn." And I feel sooo guilty. I should be able to handle cleaning a bathroom.

And I don't even want to talk about the kid's schoolwork. Seriously, I could cry. I HAVE cried. For some reason, I can't get my feet under me this semester. I've been roughing out vague lists of things that need to get done each week, and the twins have been patient, but this week we all sort of lost it. I was supposed to write lesson plans this last weekend. Didn't remember, didn't get done, I was dreading it all last week and that didn't help. Allen had a meltdown when he found out there was no plan - I don't blame him, he's like me and he wants structure, and I've committed to providing that structure and I haven't been pulling my end of the bargain. The only affirming thing to come out of this is that when he began complaining, both Maggie and Anna told him, in no uncertain terms, that he should be grateful for any kind of help he gets. He and Lizzie are the first two kids in this family to have any sort of parental/grownup guidance for school after the age of ten, much less lesson plans laid out and science lessons planned. I was touched by their staunch support, but on the other hand... I'm the one providing this guidance, and I'm failing right now. Time to buck up and get down to it.

On the other hand, it would be so much nicer to do it after sleeping, say, all day.

Tonight was yoga, and I went, and that was basically my biggest accomplishment for the day. I got off work early, and came home to take a nap (sleep!), and was still napping when it came time to leave for yoga. I dragged myself out of bed and made it just in time, but I'm definitely lacking any kind of mind-body connection, and it showed. I was not in good form tonight; plus, I didn't eat a snack for several hours before I went, and that was a big mistake - if I don't eat some form of sugar before class, halfway through I melt. This is pretty common in this class - one lady actually brings some fruit juice and takes a quick break in the middle of class to refuel, and I think I could easily do that, but normally I eat a banana about twenty minutes before class, and more often than not that's enough. Tonight I forgot. I started feeling unsteady twenty minutes in, and it just got worse as I kept going.

On the other hand, nobody was doing particularly well tonight, so maybe it wasn't just me, it just feels that way. We were working on Chaturanga again, this time sans straps. Last time I remember doing fairly well, but this time I'd get halfway through and basically collapse onto the mat. But I wasn't the only one - you'd hear this little chorus of "plops" as we all fell down. The instructor had us work on alignment for awhile, then asked, "Does that help?"
The lady on the mat to my left muttered, "Oh, yes, I fall much more gracefully now!" :)

All in all, that's kind of how I feel right now - falling gracefully. I'm hoping the winterish weather around here will lift, and I can get some sun (and some sleep!).

Oh, Wal-Mart, Seriously?

2011-02-01T19:22:00.000-05:00

This is funny now, and I can laugh, but let me just say that I've had a lot of bad Wal-Mart experiences lately that haven't been so funny. I'm currently contemplating what my life would look like if I decided to "boycott" WM and take my business to other retailers in the area. And I'm contemplating pretty seriously, people. In the meantime, here's a typical "incident":

I go to Wal-Mart to buy new/more yoga pants (the kind they used to carry, which everyone who wrote reviews LOVED, has been discontinued in favor of another kind of pant, which I and everyone else who wrote reviews HATES, but that's another story). I pick up some clothes and head to the dressing room.

Wal-Mart Employee (WME): "How many?"
Me: "Five."
WME: "HOW many?"
Me: (slightly louder) "Five."
WME: "One? Two? Three? Four?"
Me: "Five?"
WME: "Here, just take this one." (hands me a dangler that says 5)
Me: "Ok... since I have five..."
WME: "Oh, you have five?"
Me: "... yes."

I take my things into the dressing room. Skip ahead two minutes.

WME: (yelling into the dressing room) "Is anyone in there?"
Me: *figures she can't mean me, since I JUST came in here, and she saw me, and in order to get out without her seeing I' have to scale the back wall of the dressing booth*
WME: *bangs on my door* "Is ANYONE in there?!"
Me: "Um... me?"
WME: "Oh, I forgot about you... how many items do you have?"
Me: "Five?"
WME: "Did you say five?"

That sound you hear, folks, is my head banging against the wall repeatedly.

Weekending

2011-01-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend has gone by so fast, it's crazy. Normally I feel like weekends stretch on and on and I'm always ready to go back to a routine by the time Sunday rolls around, but this weekend has been full and fun and I think today will be a good rest day before jumping back into the daily grind. Not that the daily grind is bad - I love every day of my life! Even the Mondays (which I get to spend with my Abster!) :)

Friday I had planned to go up to D.C. with Ruth, to go ice-skating for her birthday, but the forecast called for rain AND snow, so we decided to reschedule. Not only did I want to slog through D.C. in precipitation of any kind, I also didn't want to have to drive to and from the metro station in it. It ended up being a good decision because it did indeed both snow and rain. Instead, I spent the day reading (mostly The Dark Tower - no, not the Stephen King novel lol! - but also some of my new books), listing stuff on Etsy, and putting some more stitches into the Khy's birthday sweater, AKA "The Ugliest Sweater In The World." I told Robin that she had to promise to pull it out when I had my own babies so we could laugh about it together, and she agreed. Seriously, I am following the pattern exactly, and the individual stitches look nice, but somehow the whole thing just looks hideously ugly. Oh, well. Khy will get a good laugh at his Auntie Ra-Ra someday. :) We had a family birthday celebration that evening with my grandparents.

Yesterday was full and fun! We had a Father-Daughter banquet at church Saturday morning - all four of my sisters and I went with my dad, who also accompanied two gals from church who don't have a father figure in their daily lives (my dad is awesome like that :)). So. Much. Fun. I was sharing beforehand with the BFF that I was a little nervous about the whole thing, because those events can go sappy/cheesy/awkward really easily, but it was fun and there was lots of good stuff to think about, and laughter, and good food.

I did some deep cleaning and organizing in my room in the afternoon - all but vacuuming, I truly hate to vacuum! - then had a good chat over the phone with Robin while chilling for a bit. Then Maggie and I headed out to Tearrific to use the free wi-fi to download the latest episode of Sanctuary, drink some green tea, and chat.

We ran into the grocery store on the way home, where we picked up (among other things!) the latest issue of Everyday with Rachel Ray. I lovelovelove this magazine (there was a coupon inside for a year's subscription for $12, down from the regular price of $39.99, and Maggie and I decided to split the cost and just go ahead and subscribe. We love it that much). This is why: not only are there awesome recipes and health tips, but everydayish tips like this one: When your eyeshadow (the kind in a compact) shatters and goes everywhere, dribble a little rubbing alcohol on it until it forms a paste, use a spoon to smooth it back into the compact, and let it dry. Wish I'd bought this a week earlier as I just threw out several of my fav eyeshadow colors because they'd powdered/cracked and were all over the inside of my purse. :(

We came home to watch episodes of Unnatural History on my laptop curled up on my bed. :) I love cozy nights in!

What I love about the weekends (in no particular order):

Sleeping in - duh! :)
Going to bed early but taking your time falling asleep by reading, listening to music, writing, or just relaxing.
Hanging out with family.
Special events!
Cooking (and not having to plan meals in advance)
Staying in PJ's all day (Abby and I are very alike, lol)
Getting ready for a brand new week - getting everything organized and clean to hit the new week running!

New Venture!

2011-01-29T10:00:00.002-05:00

So... I'm on Etsy! :)

Right now I only have two listings, but there will be more, I promise. But in the meantime, check out my shop!

Different Views

2011-01-28T13:28:00.002-05:00

I realized this week that there's a fundamental difference between the way I view snow, and the way my family and most of my friends view snow.

When the mere mention of "snow" appears in the news, images like this pop into my loved one's heads, making their hearts skip with anticipation:

When I hear "snow," my heart skips, too, but in terror, because THESE are automatically the first images I see in my head:

Yes, I realize I'm a grinch. That doesn't make the idea of driving in the snow any less terrifying.

When I was a kid, I loved snow. I also didn't have to drive. The more I think about it, the more I realize that snow is really a kid thing - no responsibilities, nowhere to go, nothing more pressing than sledding to attend to. :)

Once you have places you have to go, and people that are counting on you, snow just becomes an obstacle. *sigh* Don'tcha hate growing up?

More Odds and Ends

2011-01-25T17:32:00.007-05:00

I swear I'm going to get back into writing topical posts, lol!

Yoga is going great - in fact, my classes have become the highlight of my week! Last night we worked on "chaturanga", the "four limbed staff" pose. We've been doing the "knees chest chin" pose ever since class one, so this was the next step. We used straps tied in a loop around our elbows to help stabilize us - this was only partially effective. :) About two-thirds of us thought we were doing it exactly the way the instructor was, then fell flat on our faces on the mats. There was lots of laughter and general good spirits and most of us (myself included, I'm pleased to say) figured it out in the end. I will say - waaay harder than it looks! :) My arms aren't terrible today, but I'm definitely feeling them. Looking forward to class tomorrow - yesterday was more challenging that it has been and I loved it!

As per my resolution (that I've been really slow in implementing) I went out today (my "off" day) to jog. I haven't jogged or walked faithfully since before the New Year, but let me say - I can definitely tell that yoga is working. Jogging - while I still think it's boring - was sooo much easier today, after three weeks of yoga but no jogging, than it was three weeks ago when I attempted it (before taking any yoga classes).

Abby and I picked up Allen, Lizzie, and Ruth today and we went to the indoor playground, but we took a quick stop in at the thrift store first. :) Not a great deal day - everything was sooo expensive, though I did see an aerobic step for $8 I'm wishing I'd gotten - but I did find a good stack of books (and at my "home educator" rate of ten cents per book, they're an even better deal!). Another copy of "The Sound and the Fury" (cuz mine is pretty beat up) (even though I don't love Falkner, I feel that as a self-respecting English major I should own his favorite work); Midwives (I know nothing about this book but flipped it open and it seemed interesting); 40 Ways To Raise A Non-Racist Child (I can't wait to dig into this one! Racism is so close to my heart!); Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman (not sure if this is FOR beautiful women or to MAKE you a beautiful woman, lol); and Harvest The Fire (again, I know nothing about this book except it's scifi and old. Which generally translates to "good read").

I also got a book on UFO's from a Christian perspective by an author I heard in person many years ago. In fact, a non-Christian friend came to hear him with me, and she was so convicted she came back on Sunday and went forward! :) I gave the book to Anna since we'd been discussing this topic, but I can't wait to reread it.

I've been crafting a bunch lately... I'm not sure what the motivation is, except that I recently added a lot of blogs to my reading list that are written by crafty folks. Monkey see, monkey do, I guess. :)

I love zippers - yes, I'm just a little obsessed, lol - so I was excited to see this tutorial on how to make a "daylily" zipper flower. I didn't like her design perfectly, so I altered it a little, but it turns out I don't like this one perfectly, either. Gonna keep trying, but I'm gonna get some zippers from the thrift store to practice on. :)

Ruth is turning 11 tomorrow... my "real gift" is a day in D.C. ice-skating at the sculture gardens, but I wanted something I could unwrap that was sort of related. I found this easy hat tutorial - six seams in all! I love it! - and made a scarf/hat set for her. The only alteration I made was to make the bottom band a little wider, and I added a pompom to the top. Isn't it cute? I won't say this pattern is completely foolproof, but I will say you have to be a seasoned, at least semi-professional fool (like me, lol) to goof it up.

My other pressing project - Khy's birthday sweater - is coming along nicely. I finished the back over the weekend and started/finished the first front panel today. When finished, it'll be a hoodie-style cotton sweater for my little guy. :) Two pieces down, four pieces (another front panel, two sleeves, and a hood) to go!

And finally - I've had these purses sitting at the end of my bed ever since my last closet-clean out. Would anybody like them? They're quite cute and in good condition and I'm loathe to throw them out, but so far everybody I've asked is cleaning out their own closets. If you'd like one or all of them, let me know.

The first is a beautiful green St. John's Bay hobo with a buckle embellishment - I got lots of compliments on it the few times I used it, but it's just too small for my life, lol - the second is a silver clutch-size bag from Claire's with a sparkly "S" monogram, and the third is a cosmetic case with a nice looking brown print. They're all looking for good homes. Handbags are like puppies. :)

If you're local, let me know what you want and I'll bring it to you the next time I see you. If you're a blogosphere friend, drop me a line and we'll work something out.

Literary Criticism

2011-01-23T18:53:00.002-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile... I'll try to do better this week!

In the meantime, chew on this choice piece of literary criticism/refutation, if you wish. I enjoyed it immensely (mostly, I'll allow, because it deals with one of my favorite authors), but then again I always find a good piece of literary criticism fun to read.

I havem't read Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, but I am now interested in doing so, as I've had several people ask me about it. Time to hit the library! :)

Craftiness, UFO's, And Natural Cosmetics (Oh My!)

2011-01-18T15:58:00.010-05:00

There's been lots of craftiness going on at my house lately... Some members of my family are doing a "UFO" project (don't worry, we haven't all become extraterrestrial watchers... it stands for "Unfinished Objects"). I thought, not being a quilter or much of a crafter or a sewer, that this wouldn't affect me much... then I went to clean out my crochet bin. Ouch! I've decided to buckle down and get it all organized, including making a list, since I tend to go the the store saying glibly that I'm going to pick up yarn "for a weekend project" and then choke when I reach the yarn wall. How much material did I need? What color? What content? EEK! I usually come home with nothing (which is better than some folks whose blogs I read who come home with the entire store, I suppose, lol).

I decided to get in some practice AND get some extra room by working up all the yarn I'm not in love with - especially cotton. I HATE cotton! Yes, it's nice for anything skin-related, and yes, I too am drawn in by the idea of organic, natural yarn, but it's a pain to work up and my stitches never look as nice. I'm not sure why this is. I just know I don't like it. I have one ball of cotton waiting to be finished into a doily (yes, the doily is actually started!) but I also had half a ball of blue and an absolute smidgen of cream. So I decided to turn them into soap holders.

I've been meaning to do this for awhile as my sisters went on a soap making spree just before the holidays. Most of their creations turned out beautifully, but others - not so much. And the ones that didn't turn out so well are, of course, the ones that are hanging around our bathroom since they weren't given away as gifts. One in particular has been especially persistent - I call it the Dead Sea Eel Soap, because I swear as though it looks like they chopped up a pile of dead sea eels and covered them in soap. And as people have used the soap (NOT ME! I almost screamed when I stepped into the bathtub and saw it!) the dead sea eels are no longer covered in soap and have started to pull away from each other. Not pretty. I'd post a picture, except that I begged and pleaded Ruth to take it away and she did. However, I thought a nice soap-holder would solve the problem. I used this pattern - very easy, I worked the first one up in under an hour and did the other one in twenty minutes (I made one for Maggie, too).

If you can't see from the picture, this pattern makes a cute little drawstring sack that you slip your soap into. You can use it just like a bath pouf, the cotton works up a nice lather, then rinse and hang it from the faucet to dry. And I don't have to look at the dead sea eels!

Wouldn't this make a cute gift with some nice soap? :)

This wasn't my first attempt to use up this cotton usefully. I also made the Short Row Sweetie Dishcloth from the February edition of Crochet World Magazine. This was cute but monotonous to make. I'm still not sure how I feel about round dishclothes. :) It's like when Wawa started selling square sausages - it makes you rethink the shape of the world.

Love the little loop on top - so nice for hanging!

Aren't my stitches nice?

Anyways, I have a few projects to finish off before I start a whole slew of new ones - so excited!

I have been on a shampoo quest for the last year or so. You heard me - a shampoo quest. I have very fine combination hair, which means that anything that keeps my scalp from being a greasy slicked down mess tends to dry out the length of my hair, resulting in frizz or straw. And vice versa - nice glossy length means a greasy scalp. I've sort of coped by mixing and matching products - I usually use one type of shampoo and another conditioner. And I still have to wash my hair at least every other day, and if I don't wash it every day I have to wear a headband or clip the second day to keep my roots from being disgusting.

A friend from church gave me a bottle of this organic, all natural shampoo and I tried it yesterday:

I was kind of dubious, since I tend to think that "all natural" also means "less effective"... I know, I know, don't get me started... but I totally love this shampoo so far. The scent is amazing, it washes nicely, and I woke up this morning and my hair was shiny for the first time in a really long time. So far my scalp is handling it well, too! This really is all natural shampoo - no chemicals or unpronounceables on the ingredients list. Maggie has warned me she's going to borrow it and try it for herself and probably try to make her own. :)

Mostly by accident, I've been steadily going more natural this year. I went sulfate-free after L'Oreal came out with their Everstrong line, since another blogger with similar hair recommended it.

This has definitely reduced the damage factor of my hair, but still leaves my scalp a bit greasy. I like it better than the shampoo I had been using, but I'm still not 100% happy withit.

The one product I AM 100% in love with is the Overnight Hair Repair Treatment from the same line. Holy Cow! I love this stuff. :) At night before I go to bed (if my hair is dry - haven't used it damp or wet) I pump one pump into my hand, work it through, and go to bed. I definitely feel the difference in the morning, and it doesn't leave my hair greasy or matted. During the day, if my hair is a bit dry or even crazy-straw-stiff, I do the same thing and in seconds, it's tamed.

Maggie walked in a few days ago, sighed, and said "My hair is crazy! I can't get it to do anything!" I handed her the bottle, told her how to apply it, a minute later she said, "What in the world WAS that?" :)

DIY Easy Yoga Bag

2011-01-17T10:00:00.003-05:00

After successfully completing my first yoga class, I decided to celebrate by crafting myself a much-needed yoga mat tote (because even though I scoffed at these previously, a yoga mat really truly doesn't fit well into traditional bags, and if you try to carry it in your arm it unrolls, slides out of a roll, etc. You really do need a bag). I looked online and in stores for one but nothing really struck me - not even on Etsy, which is unusual! I figured I'd make my own.

I initially went into JoAnn's looking for some owl-print material (because what could be more adorable than an owl-print yoga bag?) but the only owl prints I could find were fleece and flannel, which I passed over because both tend to attract dirt and dust, and I know my bag will be spending most of it's time on the floor. Once I had abandoned the owl concept, it took me forever to find something I liked, but I finally found some pretty green leaf-print material with sparkles. And it was 60% off. :)

I went over to find some canvas strap that would work for a handle, and debated between a linen-cream color and brown until I spied some orange canvas strap that matched my mat perfectly. I like the pop of color against the green, and I love the fact that the strap makes the bag coordinate with the mat and my new Camelbak water bottle (why is it that matching items feel more luxurious?).

I bought a yard of the material and a yard of canvas strap and brought it home to play.

Isn't the material pretty?

I started by cutting out a circle for the bottom using an old Tofutti container as a pattern (I believe it had a diameter of 4.5"). Then I measured out a rectangle of material 1" longer on both sides than my bag, and wide enough to wrap around my bag. My dad determined (via some mathematical formula that I missed, as I stuck my fingers in my ears and hummed loudly during the math) that the ideal width for this rectangle, based on my 4.5" circle, was 13 1/8" (these measurements allow for a 1/4 seam allowance).

I sewed the rectangle in half, creating a tube.

Then I sewed on the bottom circle. This is the trickiest part! If you make it past this step, you're home free. :) I marked the four corners of the circle, then the four "corners" of the tube, pinned them together, and sewed slowly. I increased my stitch length a bit the first time around, to make for easier ripping if I goofed it, but it turned out perfectly, so I went over it again with a regular stitch length.

Voila!

I debated about how to finish the top... I was initially thinking a ribbon-drawstring finish, but I didn't like the idea of ribbon after seeing how "sporty" the bag looked. I ended up giving it an elasticized "cuff" on the top, loose enough so that the mat shows through a bit, but not enough that the mat would fall out if I picked it up the wrong way.

I winged it on the handles - I didn't measure, just attached them where it seemed natural and sewed over them like crazy with matching thread. :)

So pretty!

I had some material left over (really, a LOT of material!) so I made a padded sleeve for my Camelbak, and a velco strap to attach it to my new bag.

My new set! :)

Of course, now that I see how well this turned out, I'm determined to have an owl-print yoga bag. :) I checked over at Fabric.com to see if they had any owl material and was delighted to discover they have a whole nest full! So far I'm leaning towards one of these three: this adorable print with owls, moons, and stars (it's like a mashup of all my favorite things!); this fun black and white print with skinny owls, fat owls, stuffy owls, funny owls, etc; and this fun artsy-crafty looking owl print. Kind of leaning towards the black and white print just because it's a heavier material, but I'm thinking I could always quilt the lighter prints to make a heftier print.

Decisions, decisions...

Yoga Update

2011-01-14T09:56:00.003-05:00

I promised in my last post to do a review of my new Yoga class that started Wednesday.

I LOVE IT!!!

I was pretty sure I would, but it was even better than I expected it to be. I chose to start off my fitness kick with a yoga class instead of, say, a spinning or aerobics class for a couple of reasons (not sure which was more important to me, they're all kind of tied together):

Yoga is low-impact, which is good for people with weird knees, backs, and hips (like me, lol)

Yoga fosters a mind-body connection, a "mindfulness", that I was hoping would spill over into other areas of my life, so that even when I wasn't actively doing yoga, I would still be reaping the benefits

Yoga fosters a positive sense of self... The emphasis is on what your body CAN do, not what it CAN'T do. If you can't do a certain pose, you can modify it, and that's accepted and encouraged and not seen as a failure, but as a baby step. It doesn't matter if you're fat and round and lumpy like me, :) or slim and strong like the instructor, you can both celebrate in your success.

Despite these hopes and beliefs, it was scary to go to my first class. :) I was totally plagued by the little ANTS in the back of my head that were telling me that I wouldn't be able to keep up, that all my classmates would be skinny, that the instructor would probably not be thrilled to have an overweight person in her class... I kept shutting them down but I was still nervous when I walked in... and then I walked in.

The instructor was amazing - beautiful, but beautiful in a inner glow way rather than a created image. She actually looks almost exactly like Genevieve from Trading Spaces (does anyone remember that show?) and has that same positive full-of-life vibe. There are twelve of us in the class, all women, and we're all different shapes, sizes, and ability levels (most of the ladies have taken the class with this instructor before) - there is no more fun way to practice than with a bunch of ladies who are all in it together, lol! :)

We started off in the Easy pose to practice deep breathing and being quiet. This may be my single most favorite aspect of yoga - how often do we practice being quiet? We should! Even God says "Be still, and know that I am God."

I love the quality of self-awareness that this kind of practice builds. Self-examination is a good thing! One of the things that the instructor asked us while we were breathing was to examine how we were feeling at that moment - energized, tired? I realized that I did feel tired (it had been a long day, lol), but almost immediately I had a "muscle memory" of feeling this way when I used to work overnight, of getting out of bed at 9 or 10 PM and feeling exhausted, but I always made it through the night. When I remembered that, I realized that I am usually capable of more than I think I am - times when I've thought, "I absolutely can't do any more, stay awake any longer, walk any farther, type any more words on this essay, work one more math problem," etc, but when it came down to it, enough strength to finish what needed to be done was always there for me ("I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"). It was a really encouraging thought and one that stayed with me throughout the workout!

At another point in the workout, the instructor called out that we should notice some aspect of our bodies at that moment (the way our legs supported us, I think it might have been? I noticed at that point but have forgotten, lol) and how amazing our bodies are. Immediately the verse "I am fearfully and wonderfully made" flashed into my mind. Our bodies ARE pretty amazing creations!

I know that many Christians feel uncomfortable with Yoga because of the aspect of meditation, etc, but I was pleasantly surprised at how neutral this class was (I'm sure there are other instructors/classes that are not this way, but this was my experience). I think that a lot of the experience depends on what you take in with you, so to speak. If you mind is empty, you're probably going to end up filling it with empty mantras like "You are a powerful and amazing being." :) On the other hand, if you're filled with Scripture you're going to see how this all relates to Biblical truths, and worship the Creator, not his creation.

The workout lasted for about an hour, then we ended in a corpse pose to finish with more deep breathing.

The most awesome part is that it really did spill over into the next day and even today. Yesterday I woke up feeling energetic, I swear it's due to the yoga because I am not a morning person! And all day I kept that feeling of mindfulness, especially in relation to food - I would pick up a piece of food and think immediately, is this to solve hunger or something else? Is this going to nourish my body? How is it going to make me feel in twenty minutes, an hour, three hours?

In short - I'm excited about making this part of my routine! Since Monday is a holiday, I have to wait a week before I get to go again, but after that it'll be twice a week, with hopefully some cardio on the other days (jogging - I'm determined to make it to a 5K by June!).

Related: I have a DIY yoga-bag post for later... check back to see the adorable one I made! :)

Rambling

2011-01-12T13:27:00.006-05:00

I've sat down at least three times in the last week to try to write a blog post, and so far I've yielded nothing worth sharing. I want to get more into doing topical posts, not just daily slice-of-life posts, but apparently I'm gonna have to ease into blogging again with ramblings, since I'm in total writer's block. It's twice as hard to start again after a break than it is to keep going!

Well... to start... can you tell what's on my mind?

Getting fit in 2011! This is my new yoga mat (I'm so thrilled it's orange - what a great inspiring color!) and Camelbak water bottle (also orange). My first beginner class is tonight - I'm super excited (and a little nervous - never done anything like this before!). I'll report on how it goes tomorrow.

While my best friend was here, we took our sisters and her son up to Washington D.C. to see the sights, walk around the city, and eat some good food. I still need to sort and label the pictures and get them up into an online album, but here are some of the highlights.

My BFF and my sister Maggie on the metro on our way into the city. We thought we'd use the metro a lot more on our trip but ended up using it only to get in and out of the city and walked the rest of the way. It was a ton of fun but my feet were really sore that night! :)

Khy seemed pretty unimpressed by the whole trip, but he was an angel. He barely fussed and sat through dinner at the restaurant like a little gentleman. :)

We swung by the Sculpture Garden - one of my fav places in D.C.! - to see the winter ice-skating rink. I'll be taking my sister Ruth there for her birthday next week - can't wait! She loves D.C. and the art gallery as much as I do, and she's been wanting to try ice skating all winter.

That's pretty much all that's been going on lately... it's been pretty quiet and boring since BFF and Khy went home. Abby has joined me in missing them - she told her daddy last night that she missed Khy and his mommy. :) I am looking forward to seeing them again, hopefully soon!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T01:10:00.004-05:00

Here's to a great 2011, everybody! I enjoyed ringing in the new year at home with my family, some friends from church, and my BFF and her boy!

The very first picture of the year.

I'm always interested in people's New Year resolutions. I updated my list at 43 Things last week, weeded out some goals that sounded good last year but don't seem so important this year, added some new goals that I thought I'd NEVER reach last year but feel totally attainable now, etc. I realize that I won't accomplish everything this year, but I keep the list around to keep me on track. I think I've narrowed down my top ten resolutions for 2011.

1) Lost the weight. I'm so excited about this one! Weight Watchers has pretty much snuck into my life and even in the last three weeks, when I haven't been officially "on plan" and I've been indulging a lot in holiday treats, I still haven't gained. Super exciting! As much as I hatehateHATE the thought of Robin and Khy leaving next week, I know the first thing I'll do is stock the fridge with healthy food and go back on plan and start losing in earnest again. And I'm excited about the process and being in the process again.

2) Run a 5K this summer. I am so super psyched about this goal. I guess I should state that while my goal is obviously to run a 5K, I'll settle for finishing a 5K at any speed. My dad has agreed to run with me as a birthday present, and I think this will provide a nice running partner, plus healthy competition and inspiration. Just today he mentioned, "I'm going to go downstairs today and set up the treadmill" and I was shocked at how excited this made me. :) I signed up for the "couch to 5K" program, and got a free account at a running website, so I'm all set to start!
3) Take a yoga class. This has been on my list for a long, long time and I've been holding back from fear of new things, fear of looking stupid, body shame, etc. But I have this new huge amount of respect for my body these days, and for myself, and the community college just opened a new fitness center with a 17-session beginner yoga class, and my dad offered to payfor it as a Christmas gift, and I'm going for it! :) Now time to pick out a pretty yoga mat (you knew shopping was going to enter into the equation soon, didn't you?).

4) Spend more time/form stronger bonds with the kids. I am realizing these days how quickly my family is about to change. I'm anxious to start feathering my own nest, Maggie has experienced tremendous progress with her physical issues in the last year and is eager to get her hands back in total working order and get on with her adventures, Anna is starting to pursue things that will take her away, starting with a 6-week missions trip to south Asia this summer, and I look at the twins and Ruth and think, "Eek! They're becoming their own people!" I want to be a force of affirmation in their lives, and my time to be an influence in their lives is quickly running out. God has been really poured grace into my life this year, and now I want to be able to share that with my siblings.

5 & 6) Learn to manage my time and money better. Time is precious, time is money, money is important, and I want to learn to manage it all better.

7) Read through my Bible this year. I may turn this into a 2-year goal - I've been reading the blogs of other folks doing this and they agree that while it is possible to do it in two years, you get more out of it if you take 2 years. I'm using this plan from EWordToday which takes me through the New Testament then the Old (I might switch to the concurrent New/Old Testament plan - we'll see).

8) Post to my blog twice a week - This was one of my top resolutions last year and I think I've done pretty well on it! This is really the only way I'm using my writing skills these days and it's a self-respect thing to make time for it in my life.

9) Read the 100 Greatest Books. :)

10) Take time to live in the moment - this is really the only non-quantifiable goal in my list, but it's the one I've been working on in my life lately. Take time to realize that life is the here and now and that if you keep waiting for life to begin, then it'll be over before it's started. :)

The Big Day Is HERE!

2010-12-29T09:54:00.002-05:00

In less than twelve hours, I will be leaving for the airport to pick up my BFF, her baby boy, and her sister/my friend! :) I'm super psyched!

It seemed to take FOREVER for today to get here, but of course when it finally did it now feels like it's too soon. I have a flury of stuff to get done in the next few hours - a quick shopping run, some presents to wrap, my room to finish getting shipshape - but I just wanted to do a quick post since I'm not sure how much posting will get done while she's here. I'll be having too much fun!

Here's a funny story before I go: We got more snow Saturday AND Sunday, so when I woke up to go to work on Monday I was a bit nervous about getting out and driving in the snow. I knew our road would be covered, but I figured the main roads would be mostly clear. No such luck! I was driving down the road with some soothing music on to calm me, clutching at the steering wheel nervously and praying frequently. I turned down the road to Chris's house and hit a particularly nasty stretch of ice-covered road. I said out loud, "Dear God, please don't let me die!!!"

Precisely after I uttered these words, the song "If I Die Young" came over the speakers.

All I can say is, it wasn't EXACTLY the sign from the universe that I was hoping for. :)

Christmas Recap

2010-12-26T17:14:00.008-05:00

I hope everyone had a merry Christmas, because I sure did! It was a very non-stressful, relaxing time of fun with family.

I had so much fun this year watching the kids open their gifts - I've officially grown up now, I guess. :) I did get some pretty amazing gifts, though - season 2 of Sanctuary, a gorgeous star necklace (love my star jewelery!), a stack of crochet magazines, and this very special gift from my sister, Elizabeth.

Any guesses? My grandmother saw it wrapped up and guessed toiletry case, but it's even more special that that!

It's a crochet hook case! I've been needing one sooo badly... I had a little plastic one that I've outgrown with my many hooks, and I was actually looking for one on Etsy last week, but couldn't find one in a style or print I liked. I love this one!

Now on to the gifts I GAVE! I've wanted to blog about these for a long time but couldn't!

I found some African Red Rooibus tea - Anna feels called to the mission field in Tanzania and loves all things African. After the chaos of gift-giving had died down somewhat, we brewed a big pot to try. The verdict is that this tea is not for everyone - it has an earthy, slightly astringenty taste to it with a lot of different flavor notes. I personally love it (and luckily so does Anna!). I'll probably run to the store to pick myself up a box this week.

I also got her a "scenes from Africa" calendar and a charm bracelet with African charms (lions, giraffes, hippoes, etc), and something for her treehouse -

A fan and a light! It was pretty hot out in the woods this year, even for Anna. :) This fan runs on two AA batteries and attaches via carabiner OR magnetic plate. I'm looking forward to seeing her use it!

I spend almost as much time picking our Christmas cards for everybody as I do gifts. I love finding everybody the perfect card that expresses just what I want to say!

So when I found this card for Anna, I knew it had to come home with me. :)

I knew I wanted to get Mom a firepit this year, but after doing some research, I declared it out of my price range. Lo and behold, on Black Friday they had this one on a terrific sale and I ended up paying a fraction of the original price.

Since Mom just got a gazebo this year, I'm pretty sure it's gonna get put to a lot of use! Right now it's holding a bunch of tealights in the living room. :)

My father is impossible to shop for. As a family, we got him a GPS this year, but I wanted something personal, too. We were standing outside last month at AnnMarie Gardens and I noticed that his hat had holes in it! He defended his fashion choice saying that it was the only thing that kept his ears warm. I bought some wool yarn and modified a pattern to make an extra-long cabled cap (so that he could fold more of it over around his ears). He put it on Christmas morning and immediately said, "OOH, this is WARM!" :) Anna promptly declared he couldn't wear it until he threw out the holey one. :)

I got Maggie several seasons of The Pretender, and the last season of Gilligan's Island, and this mug. :) She loves her bees! Last year we found her a bee pendant, and for her birthday last year I found her a bee wallet.

We have never been much of a gaming family - we had a family rule after getting our very first gaming platform, a Wii, that all games that came into the house had to be primary movement-based (i.e. no crashing on the couch with a controller). However, since Ruth's asthma has confined her to the house so much this last year, we decided to break the rule a bit and get her some games that she could enjoy when she couldn't be outdoors.

I have to say, it kills me a little to see everyone looking so "glazed" lol! Give me my Wii Fit anyday!

After spending a lovely time at home, we headed over to Chris's house for our celebration with my mom's family.

We have babies in the family this year! Little Kat enjoyed cuddling with Granddad! AND she arrived wearing the cap and bootie set I made her - made my day! Isn't she the cutest little Christmas elf here?

Abigail was far too busy playing with her Christmas presents to care that we were here much, lol. She got barbies for Christmas and spent lots of time dressing and undressing them, and playing with their hair. :)

Isn't she adorable?!?! :) Of course I may be a little biased.

Leslie, Kat's mommy, and Cecelia, grandma to little Zoe, got down on the floor so the two cousins could get to know one another better. :)

So cute!

Zoe seemed to like the cap and bootie set I made her for Christmas... Isn't she adorable?

We had a lovely Boxing Day today... The snow started yesterday afternoon and was still going strong this morning. I think we got about five inches, though the last time I went out was several hours before it stopped for good. No way were we going out in that! :) So I got my Christmas wish - a Boxing Day spent at home with the family. We had a totally great time playing together all day, in the snow, with new board/card games, watching television, and just hanging out. Anna got out her sewing implements and cut out a new quilt, and I pulled out a hook and some yarn and my new crochet mags. Very cozy. :)

It's back to work for me tomorrow - I'm glad! I missed my baby! :) And I know we'll have so much fun playing with all her new toys tomorrow. The only thing I'm a little stressed about it getting there in the snow. Two friends of mine have had accidents in the last few weeks, and my best friend was sharing with me today how they began to go to church only to turn around and go back home (they have snow, too!). Hopefully the roads will be pretty cleared and all will be well!

2010-12-25T13:01:00.003-05:00

Love came down at Christmas
Love all lovely, Love Divine;
Love was born at Christmas;
Star and angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead
Love incarnate, Love divine
Worship we our Jesus -
But wherewish our sacred sign?

Love shall be our token!
Love shall be yours and Love be mine.
Love to God and to all men
Love for plea and gift and sign...

Love came down at Christmas.

"... God is love." - 1 John 4:8

Almost There!

2010-12-24T12:57:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it's already Christmas Eve! In one way it seemed to take FOREVER to get here, and in another way I'm like, wait, it's Christmas Eve TODAY?!

I tried to run some last-minute errands yesterday, and the lines were so long and ridiculous that I ended up not getting to most of them and I swore I wouldn't be going out today at all, except for the Christmas Eve service at church and a party at a friend's house afterward. But of course this morning the rest of my family had errands to run so I went ahead and went into town with them. It wasn't bad at all - the lines were actually so short I was shocked. I guess everybody got their Christmas shopping done yesterday!

I'm waiting for Anna to get home so we can go pick up my fav pair of boots from the cobbler where they went to be reheeled, then I'm looking forward to relaxing for the rest of the afternoon - possibly even taking a nap! :)

I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas Eve with loved ones. Here's my gift to you - two holiday songs, one so beautiful it'll break your heart, and one so hilariously funny that it'll break your funny bone. :)

Merry Christmas To All... And To All, A Good Night (Already!) :)

2010-12-24T11:55:00.001-05:00

This year we were invited to a close friend of mine's house to celebrate Christmas Eve. I've been anticipating it all week. :) After a rather tedious candlelight service at church, my family and some other good friends all headed over to the P's house for some fun!

(Okay, little humorous sidenote here: right before the service started, I was sitting in the pew in front of a guyfriend who had also been invited to the party. He leaned over to look at my program, saw the size of it - over twenty things!!! - and said, essentially, "Holy cow! This is going to take forever!" "I know," I commiserated. "And we've got a PARTY to get to! What were they thinking?!?" "Well," he reflected, "I guess if you don't get invited to parties, you're not in any rush to get home." :))

I. Had. A. Blast. This is seriously the most fun I've had in a long time! All my favorite people were there in one place, the food was INCREDIBLE (I had some Hungarian Goulash that transported me right back to being small and eating stuffed peppers in my grandfather's kitchen - so good!), everyone was fun to talk to. But I did remember to take a break from all the fun and catch some of these memories on film.
My mentor Mrs. P, myself, and Ms H, who has five boys who correspond in age with the five girls in our family. We grew up considering each other our "brothers" and "sisters" and they're still really special guys to me, even though the youngest is now taller than I am in my tallest high heels. :) And of course Mrs. P is my mentor and rock and the single biggest influence God has used to help straighten out my life over the last few years. :)

Me and Faith! I can never take good one-armed photos - you know, the kind where you hug someone with one arm and hold the camera with the other, and guesstimate how it's going to look when you take the picture and turn it over? I asked her to demonstrate, but having watched her do it, I think it's an innate skill. Time to get one of those cams that have dual screens.

And of course we spent plenty of time laughing! My sister Maggie, my friend and conspirator :) Hannah, sisters Lizzie and Anna and my Mom and I (taking the photo) hung out in the dining room for awhile swapping stories and laughing. This is us in one of our more sober moments. :)

Merry Christmas Eve! I hope everyone has a wonderful time celebrating with friends, family, and loved ones, and that you're as blessed as I have been this season!

Truth In Song

2010-12-23T09:35:00.004-05:00

I've been especially blessed by the music of Christmas this year. Especially since I had a little "blue" episode right after Thanksgiving that lasted for a few weeks, one of the things that really soothed my soul during this time was the beautiful truth in the music that was always around me - even in secular arenas! (Btw, I'm feeling much better now, thanks. :)). To me, this is one of God's inside jokes - that the secular world, which denies him, obliviously proclaims His truth loudly during the Christmas season. I mean, seriously, how often do you find someone like Clay Aiken proclaiming "Joy to the world - the Lord is come! Let Earth receive her King!" :)

I think because we hear/sing these Christmas carols so often, their meaning and beauty sometimes gets lost, but I've really been focusing on the lyrics lately. I can definitely appreciate the beautiful imagery I find there!

For instance - from "Silent Night" -

Silent night, holy night. Son of God, love's pure light!

Radiant beams from Thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace.

Jesus, Lord at Thy birth! Jesus, Lord at Thy birth!

Or this one (Angels From The Realms of Glory):

Angels from the realms of glory, wing your flight o'er all the Earth!

Ye who sang creation's story, now proclaim Messiah's birth!

Come and worship! Come and worship! Worship Christ the newborn King!

I've rediscovered a love for "Hark The Herald Angels Sing". In fact, I think each line of this song is so incredible powerful that I'm going to incude all four verses, even though I KNOW most of you will skip over them, thinking, "I know the words to Hark the Herald Angels Sing". (Read them anyway - you might not know them as well as you think!)

Hark! the herald angels sing - "Glory to the newborn king!"

Peace of earth, and mercy mild! God and sinners reconciled!

Joyful, all ye nations rise! Join the triumph of the skies!

With angelic host, proclaim: Christ is born in Bethlehem!

Hark! The herald angels sing: "Glory to the newborn king"!

Christ by highest heav'n adored! Christ, the everlasting Lord!

Late in time, behold him come, offspring of the Virgin's womb.

Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see - Hail the Incarnate Deity!

Pleased, as man, with men to dwell - Jesus, our Immanuel!

Hark, the herald angels sing: "Glory to the newborn king!"

Mild, he lays his glory by, born that man no more may die!

Born to raise the sons of Earth, born to give them second birth!

Light and Life to all He brings, risen with healing in his wings.

Hail the Son of Righteousness! Hail the heavn' born Prince of Peace!

Hark, the herald angels sing: "Glory to the newborn king!"

Come, desire of nations, come! Fix us in thy humble home!

Rise, the woman's Conquering Seed! Bruise in us the serpent's head!

Adam's likeness now efface - stamp Thine image in it's place!

Second Adam, from above, reinstate us in thy love!

Hark, the herald angels sing - "Glory to the newborn king!"

I actually got teary just typing the words. They take my breath away. HARK, people! We have gotten the news that CHRIST is come! He has come to reconcile us to a God whom we were previously unable to know as a merciful, loving Father because of our sin! Now we have the ability to be seen SPOTLESS, BLAMELESS, JUSTIFIED as CHILDREN of this holy God!

This news should certainly bring "Joy To The World!"

Joy to the world! The Lord is come! Let Earth receive her King!

Let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing!

And heaven and nature sing! And heaven, and heaven and nature sing!

Joy to the Earth! The Savior reigns! Let men their songs employ!

While fields and flood, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy!

Repeat the sounding joy! Repeat, repeat the sounding joy!

No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground!

He comes to make His blessings known, far as the Curse is found

Far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found!

He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness, and wonder of His love,

And wonder of His love, and wonder - wonder! - of His love!

And finally, one last favorite:

Break forth, O beauteous heavenly light! And usher in the morning!

Ye shepherds, shrink not with afright, but heed the angel's warning:

"This Child, now weak in infancy, our confidence and joy shall be!

The power of Satan breaking! Our peace eternal making!"

If you're feeling overwhelmed lately, I'd encourage you to scoop up some of your fav Christmas CD's, get a hot cup of tea, and meditate on the beautiful scriptural truths in our Christmas carols. We forget what Christmas is about - it's really NOT about loving your neighbor as yourself, sharing the love of Christ, or the other neat little pat sayings we mindlessly say around this time of year. All of those are good things that will naturally result from Christmas Day, but the real theme of Christmas is personal redemption - Christ has come, and as a result I have been redeemed. God has fulfilled his promises! The chains of sin in my life are broken, my peace is established (oh, this one is so precious to me! Peace!), He has come to bless and establish IN MY LIFE!

If that doesn't put everything in perspective for you, I don't know what will. Merry Christmas!

Goodies!

2010-12-20T20:25:00.004-05:00

When Abby and I got back to the house from our "exposition" (lol), her daddy was already home (working on all that pesky end-of-the-year paperwork that comes with running a business). Abby crashed in her crib shortly afterwards, and Chris gave me the rest of the afternoon off. I came home to discover that everyone was working busily on all their handcrafted Christmas gifts.

Now, I've made handcrafted Christmas gifts before, and I know personally that they're a gift of love - the love I must feel to be crazy enough to attempt to make something homemade, and the love ther giftee shows by accepting said homemade present with grace. :) And someday I do hope to do a mostly, if not entirely handmade Christmas. I did make one handmade gift this year - a crocheted wool hat for my dad which turned out PERFECTLY and of which I am very proud. :) But this year I didn't even attempt the stress which is handcrafting gifts. Maybe next year. :)

I did feel a little "left out in the cold" when it came to the flurry of activity around me, though, so I decided today would be the perfect day to do some holiday baking. I made five recipes - fruit and nut drops, chocolate-covered coconut buttons, almond bark, spiced nuts, and fruit squares. Everything but the fruit squares turned out beautifully - the fruit squares might still, but I didn't realize the recipe called for refrigerating them overnight, so the jury is still out. I have to say, they smell delicious!

One big plate of goodies is going to my mechanic/car dealer, who sold me my truck several years back and have kept it humming along ever since. I love these guys - they do good work, keep the prices low, and treat me nicely. :) Also, my truck needs to go in the shop next week and I want them to have really positive feelings towards me. :) I divided up some for my guyfriends, and what's left is going to Chris and Natalie.

I promise I will hunt down all the recipes I used, plus pictures - took them already, but they're on my phone in the other room and I'm too lazy to go get them, lol, now that my sugar rush is fading - hopefully tomorrow afternoon or evening.

Tomorrow I have TWO kiddies to play with - my Abster, of course, and her little cousin, Nate, who needs a sitter for the day. I have no idea how this is going to play out, but I think it's going to be fun! :) I have a craft all ready for them, plus there's always our favorite activities of coloring, play-doh, reading, and singing.

Abby was talking up a storm today - she's now using full sentences and adds new words to her vocab every day. Today we picked up Maggie and did some errands and she told me very clearly that she wanted to go "shopping at Target." Why I don't know, but that's where she wanted to go! :) Then she said she wanted to go to the pet store and see Nemo and Dory, the mice, the kitties , and the turtles. When we got there they had a pack of ferrets where the chinchilla normally is, and she looked at me very puzzled and said as clearly as could be, "Where the chinchilla?" To illustrate how far and fast she's come in the last few weeks, just two weeks ago we went to the pet store and she wanted to go see the chinchilla, which she conveyed by emphatically patting her chin (yes, it took me a little while to figure it out, too!).

I LOVELOVELOVE that she can communicate with me now about her wants and desires, and what strikes her as funny, or worries her, or makes her sad... but with this new ability is also coming some teaching about what's polite to say and what's not. She seems to get this concept, she'll sometimes say something and then ask, "Nice?" to see what I think. When I do need to make some input, it's usually pretty mild. I'll usually say, "That's not very polite, Abby," and she'll nod and say, "Oh, SOWEE!" and then wait to see what I think would be a better way of expressing herself. I totally love it.

Last week she got into the habit for a few days of saying "Stop that!" to me. Very loudly. In public. With the perfect inflections of an adult scolding a child. The first few times it happened, I chalked it up to her learning to assert her wishes, and told her several times that it would be more polite to say "Stop that please." The same day we were out in town, and she was in the shopping cart, and she suddenly decided that she didn't like me pushing the shopping cart (i.e. touching it). She waited until we were in a crowd of mommies and then said rather loudly "STOP THAT!!!... please." Of course everyone immediately turned to see what I was doing to the poor kid, so I quickly hurried us away. :)

The one we're working on this week is "No thank you." She has the "No!" part down pat (lol) but she's actually doing really well on the rest. Today we asked her several times if she wanted something - a bite of tortilla, more milk, a crayon - and she responded "NO!" as if we'd asked her if she'd like to be dangled by her toes. The first two times I told her, "That's not very polite - can you say 'no thank you'?" and she repeated quickly, "No, thank you." The last time, I just said "Can you please be polite?" and she quickly responded "No thank you!" Success. :)

Here's a rather neat blog post (not mine) talking about kids acquiring language and learning to use it. Which, to be honest, probably won't interest anyone except parents and nannies. :)

More Christmas

2010-12-19T21:50:00.004-05:00

Tonight was the final performance of our church's Christmas cantata - thank the Lord! :) It was fun and it was good but it did seem to take up a ton of time. I'm glad I did it but I'm also glad that all the commitments are up for me until after Christmas. No stressing until next year! :)

If I didn't mention it before, I was in charge of a small children's choir and got to do a tiny bit of directing the kid actors when the regular director had an allergy attack one rehearsal.

Most of the kids - in this scene, they're supposed to be the children's choir in the play, who are driving the pastor (in the play) crazy. Surprisingly, the thing we worked on most was actually getting the kids to be rambunctious enough! They certainly didn't have any trouble behind the scenes, but on stage was a different story.

Joseph begs the Innkeeper for help, while Mary groans in the background. :)

Most of my college friends made it home this week, so it was great to be able to sit around and catch up after the service. Normally I'm stressed out on Sunday nights because my goal is to get home and get ready for the coming week, get a good night's sleep, etc, but tonight I just decided to roll with it. I can nap tomorrow when Abby does, if I need to, and I have a short work week, and a long weekend where I can catch up on sleep, and if I am a little sleep deprived tomorrow, it won't kill me. :)

It's A Marshmallow World In The Winter

2010-12-19T09:15:00.003-05:00

It's Sunday, which is weigh-in day. I've been maintaining since the 5th, just due to a lot of depression/anxiety, stuff going on, etc. I'd changed my goal from "losing" to "maintaining" and have been pretty successful. This is a very short-term goal - I am determined to maintain and not gain until January 5th, when my best friend goes back to Alabama, then I'm back to work. It's just that the last few weeks have been terrible, and I didn't have the energy to plan like I should have been. I'm excited that I have not slidden back into my old eating habits, though. :) In fact, this week I lost .6 of a pound, so that was confirmation to me that I'm on the right track.

I'm so psyched about this being Christmas week! Eeee! All my gifts are wrapped and bought and TODAY I get to start the process of delivering them (to my church friends, because this is the last Sunday before Christmas except for the Christmas Eve service, and I don't want to have to stress over them that night). I can't wait - I love gift-giving! And I got some especially good ones this year!

Of course, the faster that Christmas comes, the faster it is over, and the faster my bestie and my favorite little boy will be here, too. :) I'm so lucky this year because I'll really have two Christmases - one with my family, and one when she gets here and we get to exchange gifts. I've already told her that part of the gifts is that I'll ship them back to Alabama once they've been opened. :) The practical thing would have been to ship them to her and let her and Khy open them on Christmas Day at their house, but I'm selfish and I couldn't resist getting to watch them open them themselves.

First Snow Day of the Year!

2010-12-16T19:15:00.003-05:00

Today was the day - we got the first snow day of the season! Although we had TONS of snow last winter, I don't think Abby remembered any of it. It started snowing when we were driving home from gymnastics (which got cancelled due to the threat of snow, lol) and when we got home she went straight to the window.
"What?" she kept asking. "It's SNOW!" I kept telling her.
At one point she looked at me soberly.
"Scary?" she asked. I laughed. "No, it's FUN!" At this news, she brightened up considerably and told me, "OUT!"
I dressed her in all the winter-weather paraphernalia that I could find and we went outside. Abigail was pretty impressed with the snow. She got out all her beach toys and played for about forty minutes while I threw some firewood in the back of my truck to help keep me from getting stuck on the way home.

Finally she came over and looked up at me.

"I FWEEZING!" she told me emphatically. I cracked up, but I told her it was time to go inside.

"No!" she told me immediately, and tried to run back out into the snow. I caught her and told her that we were both cold and we needed to go back inside to warm up. She got a little teary, so I told her, "The snow will still be here when you come back!"

She brightened up visibly. "Hmm?"

"Yes, Abby, the snow isn't going away any time soon."

With this knowledge, she let me herd her back inside. :)

The Danger of Comparing Yourself To Other People

2010-12-15T09:58:00.002-05:00

So recently I stumbled across the blog I Saw Your Nanny. Initially I was a bit put off by it, as the first post that flashed up was a "tattletale sighting" and those kind of things I find really ridiculous, sort of like the idea of nanny-cams. I mean, seriously, you're leaving your beloved child in the company of a person for hours each day, but you apparently trust the person so little that you're spying on them? Riiight... Maybe it's just me, but this seems NUTS! And kind of unneccesary. I mean, especially with small children, it will be obvious really soon if your nanny is mistreating your child - the baby won't want to come to them, won't get excited about their presence, etc. Anyway. That's kind of a side-rant.

Well, once I surfed a little longer and realized that ISYN has tons more to it than nanny-tattling (lol), I got hooked and became a follower. It's neat to get to see stories of other gals who spend their days pretty much the same way I do, since I have no friends who are nannies and all my nanny friends are online.

Now, the bad thing about comparing yourself to other folks, obviously, is that there's a danger of becoming dissatisfied with your own position in life - but in this case, folks, it definitely worked in the opposite way!!! I was almost shocked as I read some of the stories on this blog. Parents who are AWOL without any contact... nannies who have to keep begging and pleading for their paycheck week after week... parents who trust their nannies so little they stalk them... I'm actually sort of amazed! I would have thought that the majority of "nanny horror stories" would be from parents who were displeased with the way their kids were being cared for - because, let's face it, parenting and childcare are sensitive issues and people are obviously and rightfully opinionated about how their kids are raised.

Anyway, it made me extremely thankful for the place I'm in. Not only do I have a beautiful, smart, funny, happy little "shadow" to spend my days with - and I can HONESTLY say that "spending time with Abigail" is at the top of my list of things that make me happy, I hate long weekends and love it on the rare occasions when mommy and daddy find themselves needing a sitter on the weekends - but I have a great relationship with her parents (i.e. my bosses). In fact, when I think back on this year, I actually am doubly-thankful because not only have Chris and Natalie been amazing, they've gone above and beyond and blessed me in ways I never expected. Natalie rearranged her work schedule so that I could continue to teach English at my church; Chris used to greet me at the door on Monday with a recitation of yummy foods they'd stocked the fridge with, always reminding me that anything I wanted, they'd be glad to get; I've never had to worry about getting my paycheck - in fact, a couple of times Natalie has paid me early because there was a CHANCE of snow, or because Abby MIGHT be getting sick, and she didn't want me to have to wait for it. One special thing that sticks out in my memory is that when I left to spend a week with my best friend this summer, Natalie presented me with a gorgeous necklace as a gift, and explained that she wanted me to have a special piece of jewelery to wear if Robin and I went out while we were together (we did, I did, and now whenever I see or wear that necklace I have doubly warm feelings about it - not only the happy memories I made while wearing it, but the warmth of their kindness to me!).

I should be used to it by now, as it's happened multiple times in my life, but it's always amazing to look around and see that God has arranged your life perfectly, down to the last detail. I can't think of a better way to spend my days!

"The Deaf Will Hear..."

2010-12-11T14:57:00.005-05:00

In the last few years, our church has had the opportunity to start a deaf ministry. We have several deaf members attending, and the number of people who have learned to sign in order to translate for them is steadily increasing! Off the top of my head, I can think of at least five women who regularly participate in translating some part of the service, whether it be announcements, music, or the message, and I know that there are others who sit with the deaf and participate in their worship, even if they are not translating.

I'm kind of mesmerized by the activity in the deaf section... I often get so caught up in watching that I forget to pay attention to whatever is going on, lol. One of the things I think is so beautiful about the language is the sheer beauty of the signs and the way that this language really involves the whole body of the worshipper.

I've long had a yearning to take my camera and capture some of this beauty, but I was a little shy about approaching the signers for fear that I'd make them feel "watched." Last week at cantata rehearsal, I was sitting near one of our youngest translators, Jenna, and I made some mention of someday wanting to photograph the signing. She told me that her mom had just been lamenting the fact that she didn't have any pictures of her signing, and I eagerly offered to fix it!

Jenna was the perfect subject. :) She completely ignored me, which was awesome, so I got to circle and shoot without feeling like I was in her way.

The pictures are a bit grainy because of the stage lighting and whatnot, but I did manage to get a few nice shots. I'm hoping to do this again in better lighting conditions, especially now that I have a feel for the "flow" of the two songs she's translating.

I forgot to write down which signs she's doing... hopefully when she looks these over she can tell me!

Love List

2010-12-11T12:09:00.004-05:00

Maggie and I headed up to the mall for our weekly sister date this week. I wanted to go because my fav pair of boots need to be reheeled, and I'm desperate to be able to wear them again with the cold temps we've been experiencing. Once we'd dropped them off and received assurances from the hispanic cobbler that "[I] will be very, very happy with them!" :) we headed over to the food court for dinner, then took a leisurely stroll around the mall to see the sights. My Christmas shopping is all done, so it was nice to get to walk around without feeling pressure to hit so many stores in search of gifts. :)

We ended up at the jewelery section of one of my fav stores, Forever 21. It's hilarious that this is my fav store in the mall, because I don't think I could fit into any of the clothes there (at least, not yet)! :) But this place has the greatest jewelery - very unique stuff, stuff that looks like it was collected from around the world and brought back, and probably has a story to tell. It's inexpensive, so I don't mind picking up a few pieces whenever something catches my eye. And I always get compliments on their jewelery when I wear it. In fact, that night I was wearing my large owl pendant that I'd bought from them, and I'd been getting compliments on it all day - from the mommies at gymnastics, from the lady at the counter who took my dinner order, from random strangers on the street who stopped to tell me how much they liked it. :) Jewelery like that is priceless, folks! I love how a unique piece of jewelery attracts people - not neccesarily compliments, but just draws in people who have a similar eye or style, that you might not bump into otherwise. :)

There's pretty much every style of jewelery at Forever 21, from the softly sentimental...

To the holiday festive!

And if it weren't for the rhinestones, the little guy below would definitely have come home with me!!!

I loved this piece, love the layered chains and the big dragonfly pendant.

And have I mentioned I've been wanting a fish pendant for ages now? Well, I have! I especially like this dangly one, but they had several styles.

Of course, I'll admit it... the real draw for me is that Forever 21 has a seemingly unendless supply of owl necklaces. See?

The one above was in the store, and I came thisclose to bringing it home with me... I love it to pieces!

Speaking of owls, I was in Target yesterday and found this little guy! Isn't he cute?

I went through my purse this week and threw out a ton of old cosmetics... one of the victims was my hand cream. :( I needed a good replacement, so while we were at the mall, I ducked into Bath and Body Works and picked up a tube of the True Blue Cashmere Hand Cream on sale. Nice stuff! The ONLY bad thing I have to say about it is that it smells just like a freshly baked sugar cookie, and makes me hungry. :)

One last thing - a year ago this week I quit my job in retail to have a couple weeks off with the family before I began working as Abigail's nanny. I was glancing through the blog posts from that week and I thought y'all might enjoy comparing my life lately to my life a year ago. I have to say I think it's a big improvement! I'd sort of forgotten how miserable I was! Anyway, feel free to check it out - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.

Angst, In General

2010-12-05T19:19:00.002-05:00

There has been a lot of angst in my life over the last few weeks. I'm trying to keep a sense of humor, here, but mostly I wish it would just go away and let me celebrate my holidays in peace. :) Between family drama, holiday commitments, unexpected change, and the death of a family friend, I guess I can't really say I'm surprised to find myself feeling a bit "blue", but I sure wish I could go back to my pre-Thanksgiving holiday "high". Oh, well. I am choosing to have faith that if I do all my positive steps - good coping, etc - it will all start to pay off soon!

My Weight Watchers has suffered from angst, too, lol. Last week they changed over from their "Points" program to the new and oh-so-smugly-named "PointsPLUS" program (because who could resist a PLUS?!) and took away all the tools that have been helping me do so well. Not only did all the points values of my fav foods change - and not dependably or predictably, either, some went up, some went down, some didn't change at all - but they made all their online tools Flash based, which means that I can't track my food at work since the computer there doesn't have Flash. Very frustrating! I am trying to use a paper and pencil method at work, then put it all in the computer at night, but I sure miss my tools. :( And I sure miss knowing the plan inside and out and being able to look at a nutrition label and guesstimate points. I suppose that all this will come back eventually, but for now - I sure hate you, Weight Watchers!!!

However, despite my hatred of the new system, and despite a week of crazy eating - which included a few days of yoyoing between "This is too hard, I can't do this!" and "Yes, I can, by golly!" - I lost half a pound. Not what I wanted to lose, and I actually think this is a gain, since I'm pretty sure I was lower in the middle of the week - but I'll take it.

Sounds crazy, but I'm so glad this weekend is OVER and my brand new week is about to begin.

My Favorite Christmas Traditions

2010-12-01T17:22:00.003-05:00

Everyone has their own Christmas traditions that they look forward to. I've enjoyed over the last several years creating my own, as well as participating in the family traditions. And, of course I look forward to the day when I have my own family to create traditions with!

But here, in no particular order, are all the traditions I currently have going:

1) Putting up the Christmas tree. This typically occurs on the Friday after Thanksgiving, but ALWAYS on the weekend following Thanksgiving.

2) Going to Bubba Knott's Farm to see the Christmas lights!

3) Black Friday shopping.

4) Playing the Veggie Tales "A Very Veggie Christmas" CD :) - I play this over and over again, I love it so. :) I haven't played it with Abby yet, but I look forward to it!

5) Going to the store to buy Christmas cards and picking out just the right card for everyone (this year it took more than three trips, but I'm almost done!)

6) Making and decorating sugar cookies... and then ignoring them, because our sugar cookies always taste like sawdust. :)

7) A trip to the mall. I'm not really sure why this is still a tradition - I guess it stems from the fact that ten years ago the only place to Christmas shop in our town was pretty much Wal-Mart. Now our area is all developed, but we still make at least one pilgrimage to the mall a few towns over to eat at the food court, go to the bookstore, and see the Christmas displays.

8) Going to Starbucks for a holiday latte - I don't really love Starbucks, but I do love to go in and get a good holiday latte. This year I loved the eggnog latte - right up until I found out the points values! Lol. My holiday lattes were short-lived this year.

Giving Thanks In A BIG Way...

2010-11-28T09:11:00.003-05:00

... for a 2 pound loss this week - even though it WAS Thanksgiving. This is even more amazing because I only tracked half the days this week - I didn't track Thanksgiving day or anything past that. However, I did NOT throw caution to the wind, lol. I ate until I was full, made good choices, etc, I just didn't formally document any of this. In the past this has been a disaster for me, but apparently I got some good practice in this week!

That means I'm only 1.6 pounds away from my NEW YEAR'S GOAL, which was 20 pounds lost.

I'll definitely be hitting that this week, barring unforeseen disaster, just because I know how my body fluctuates by now and I know that next week I'll probably see a bigger loss that this week. So, super exciting. I would love to see 25 pounds lost by the time my bestie gets here in late December, but we'll see. :)

Even more exciting to me, though, than the weight loss (and it's pretty exciting!) is that I realized this week I have a rudimentary idea of how food affects my body, and how to feed my body not just to satisfy my mouth but really to nourish the whole me. For instance, at one point this week I came back to the house absolutely starving. We'd gone black Friday shopping, I'd been up since 1:30, it was now 7, I was exhausted, had gotten less than 3 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours, and I wanted to eat EVERYTHING. Somewhere in the middle of this haze I realized very clearly, "My body wants carbs to burn for fast energy." I had a small serving of stuffing (I was about to go back to bed, so while I realize this wasn't the best thing in the world, lol, it worked) and then I realized, "If I had some protein with this, it would make me feel so much better later" so I had a piece of turkey and I fell into bed for a few hours and - guess what? - I was right! The combo did reset my brain so I didn't have the "eat everything in sight" syndrome all day. :)

I went shopping this afternoon to look for a few pieces of clothing that I badly need. None of my clothes fit quite right anymore; I can make some of them work, but more and more everything is starting to look dowdy/baggy/ridiculous and this, more than anything, more than gaining back that pound a few weeks ago, is demoralizing to me. And it's been frustrating because it seems like I can't quite fit into anything exactly right; everything one full size down is a bit snug, everything my old size is too big.

Well, apparently that last two pounds was all that stood behind me and the next size down. I found three skirts I loved (only got two, though) and a drapey cardigan that I can use. I'm still having a terrible time finding tops to fit, since my tummy area seems the least resistant to change, so I can't wear anything too fitted, but anything too baggy looks crazy on my shoulders and arms. Oh, well. At least I found skirts! This is super exciting because one of my fav skirts and a big wardrobe staple for me hit the dust today. I tried it on, it slid off my body. No amount of cinching, layering underneath, whatever will make it work anymore. :( I picked up a black denim skirt today to replace it - still hunting for a non-denim shorter, knee-length skirt, but in the meantime this will do. I also found a decent replacement for my favorite denim skirt, until I can get it altered. :)