Important Updates

It's time for an update on my monthly goals so far for 2015, to help keep myself accountable.

But first, a digression.

I love blogging. I blog for myself, mostly. I order a book version of my blog, one for each year, and my family and I love reading those books. Recently, thanks to my smart phone, I post more frequently on Intagram and Facebook. But those venues don't allow me to document my life in a way that is quite as meaningful as this blog. So I keep it going, even if the blogging-craze has mellowed a bit in the world.

When I look back over the years here on "Meg's Life," the number of times I posted during any given time period reflects what was going on in my life.

2008: 93 posts. 2009: 108 posts. Those were great years.

2010: 88 posts. Not so great. Our son Riley died that year, and I forced myself to do fun things with the family and then blog about it, knowing that I would regret empty holes in my memory books the way I regretted not being in more photos with the Riley during the 10 weeks he was with us. So that number could have been much, much worse.

2011: 102 posts. 2012: 96 posts. Great years. Lincoln was born in April of 2011, and heaven help me: I can't stop taking pictures of that boy. He is officially our final child, and we are relishing his smallness while it lasts.

2013: 59 posts. 2014: 52. Sigh. What happened? We moved in the spring of 2013. But it has been a GREAT move for us! And I have such an amazing life. Chad's job transfer has been awesome, the kids have wonderful schools, we love our house and our friends at church. But I had been struggling emotionally, feeling like I was slogging through mud each day, going through the motions. Not able to take pleasure in the things I love. Cranky and tired, yelling at the kids.

I finally faced what I had been trying to deny for two years. The symptoms were there. Sadness. Loss of interest in activities. Low energy. Problems sleeping. Anger and irritability. It wasn't surprising when my doctor visit in January resulted in a diagnosis of depressive disorder. I hadn't wanted to face the shame of resorting to medication to solve my emotional problems. I was a strong, capable, driven woman. But I was at an end. I started taking medication. Despite the doctor's caveat that I probably wouldn't experience a miraculous change, it has pretty much been just that. I am still getting used to feeling good. Menial tasks are suddenly surmountable. The dirty dishes and sticky floor no longer make me cry. Routine life setbacks don't crush me. Chad doesn't come home to find me in bed, watching 13 Going on 30, surrounded by candy wrappers and popcorn kernels. Mason's behavior at school has dramatically improved (his teacher said to me, "Whatever you're doing, keep it up!"). Our home life is so much more peaceful. Chad and I are closer than ever.

I wasn't sure if this would be something I'd mention on this blog. Wasn't this topic too personal, too sensitive? But then, I didn't have a problem sharing the news when I began allergy shots. Or started taking medication for migraines. No one balks when a diabetic mentions their need for insulin. So I'm sharing: I take medication for my own body's imbalance.

Not everyone understands. Only those closest to me have known how much I've privately struggled. And I don't know if a person can truly understand depression or anxiety unless they've lived it, or have seen a loved one go through it. There will still be people who will assert that when depression hits, a pep talk, good nutrition, and getting out of the house will solve the problem. There is still a stigma (a friend actually used that word right after I had confided in her that I had started taking medication... grrr). But it's getting better. And I'm hoping that some day it will become just as acceptable to talk about depression as high blood pressure.

Whew.

Okay, so now for the updates on this year's goals!

Year-Long goals:
1: Read 15,600 pages (so far: 10 books and 3,646 pages)
2: Blog at least once a week (This hasn't happened. This is only my 5th post so far this year. I did, however, fill in some serious blanks from September to December of last year.)

January: "Be Healthy"
3: Find a dermatologist and schedule an appointment (Done. Clean bill of health.)
4: Exercise 5 times a week (Didn't happen in January, but I knocked it out of the park in February, thanks to free classes taught by local friends. Monday: Weights, Tuesday: Bootcamp, Wednesday: Dancercize, Thursday: Kickboxing, Friday: Zumba)
5: Lights out every day at 9pm (I did it, but it didn't help my sleep as much as I'd hoped. Since being on my new meds, and adding a melatonin pill at night, I've been sleeping much better since February)
6: Eat 3 servings of veggies a day (I think I did pretty well at this one. I've been using My Fitness Pal to keep track of diet and exercise.)

February: "Be Loving"
7: Complete the Dating Divas love calendar (I didn't quite complete every day, but came pretty close. Chad caught on after only a few days of cute notes and texts.)
8: Sight-see with Jaime (This one, sadly, didn't happen. But I won't give up hope!)
9: Speak quietly, with love (I did pretty well. February was freaking awesome.)

March: "Economize"
10: Stick to a budget (I need to buckle back down on this one. Our vacation last week threw me off a bit.)
11: Rotate and replenish food storage (I have orders in the works for Emergency Essentials, the church cannery, and one for buckets of white wheat from Utah (hopefully our Queen Creek group meets the quota!)

So, that is the official life update.

And, as someone wise once said, "Everything is awesome."

33 Things in my 33rd Year (or my Happiness Project)

For 2015, my 33rd year on earth, I'm taking a page from Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. I separated my 33 goals into months of the year, each month having a theme. I'm hoping this will keep me focused and on track, rather than letting the year get away without me like it has lately...

Two of my goals will go all year long:
1: Read 15,600 pages (about 52 books, averaging 300 pages each)
2: Blog at least once a week (to avoid becoming months behind)

And here are the rest of the goals:

January: "Be Healthy"
3: Find a dermatologist and schedule an appointment (skin cancer runs in the family)
4: Exercise 5 times a week
5: Lights out every day at 9pm
6: Eat 3 servings of veggies a day

February: "Be Loving"
7: Complete the Dating Divas love calendar
8: Sight-see with Jaime (hopefully to a place we've never been)
9: Speak quietly, with love

March: "Economize"
10: Stick to a budget
11: Rotate and replenish food storage (learn how to use it all!)

April: "Sew a Home"
12: Make a curtain to act as an office "door"
13: Finish my Mt.-Everest-sized pile of sewing/mending projects
14: Fix living room curtains (kids destroy everything)
15: Cover entry bench cushion with cute fabric


May: "Cultivate Talents"
16: Finish a blog book
17: Sing every day with voice lesson CDs
18: Learn a new cooking method

June: "Make Memories"
19: Go camping with the family
20: Scan and digitize old photos

July: "Introspect"
21: Journal at least weekly. Real, meaningful journaling. This could be part of blog posts or not, depending on the nature of entries.
22: Spend 15 minutes a day on actual scripture study

August: "Friendship"
23: Coordinate a girls' night
24: Deepen a friendship

September: "Family First"
25: Print photos for Bree's photo collage frame in her room
26: Make a Family Home Evening board
27: Turn off all electronic devices for 24 hours

October: "Have Fun"
28: Do projects with kids, especially ones they come up with on their own
29: Host a Choctober party

November: "Be Grateful"
30: Keep a daily gratitude journal from November 1st until Thanksgiving
31: Listen to good music every day (trash on the radio while driving kids to school doesn't count)

December: "Give"
32: Plan an anniversary surprise for Chad
33: Don't buy myself gifts for Christmas :)

Yes, the months at the beginning of the year are a little more goal-heavy. That was intentional. And I'm allowing myself flexibility if I want to work ahead (or behind).

20 of My 32 Things: Not Bad

I didn't give up on the idea of accomplishing my 32 Things list in 2014, but I didn't let it depress me when it became obvious that I wasn't going to make it. And 2015 is a new year.
 
Completed:

• Go hiking with the family (San Tan Mountain Regional Park) 
• Go camping with the family (in Payson; Lincoln got a wicked burn on his hand) 
• Family vacation to Washington state  
• Go on a date with Chad to somewhere new (Olive Mill for wood-fired pizza al fresco)  
• Volunteer in Mason's kindergarten class 
• Organize a play-date just for Lincoln (Owen came over for "swimming" in the blow-up pool) 
• Donate blood  (I actually attempted 3 times, but was rejected twice: once for a high pulse, and once because I was on antibiotics)
• Read the Book of Mormon  
• Update the RS email directory (back when I was still the ward RS secretary)
• Know all the sisters in my ward by name (I came pretty darn close, though there are still some I've never seen) 
• Display family photos in the house (the beloved collage-frame has since been broken by a toy thrown off the balcony)
• Plant something (herbs in pots on the kitchen window sill totally count) 
• Make a chalkboard message wall in the kitchen (done, though I still need to patch the nail holes)
• Decorate with a thrift store find (I found a cute fake herb-looking plant at a yard sale. I painted the pot yellow, and it looks cute on my kitchen island)
• Furnish the loft with more light (Chad and his dad installed a ceiling fan and light, both of which were sorely needed)
• Make bread pudding like the kind served at Famous Dave's
• Make a tablecloth for the kitchen table (I totally made one, but have never used it, because I used a thick, cheap vinyl that I can't get the wrinkles out of)
• Sew or refashion an article of clothing (I have altered several cheap men's t-shirts from Walmart to have a more feminine fit and neckline)
• Read a biography (Mary Poppins, She Wrote: The Life of P.L. Travers. It was terrible.)
• Take pictures every day for one week (easily accomplished during our vacation to Washington)

Not Completed:

• Redecorate Bree's Barbie house with her (the plain white one she got from Santa two years ago)
• Make a Family Home Evening assignment board (so I'm not the only one giving the lessons) 
• Go to the temple at least 8 times (I've been twice so far...and almost made it two more times.)
• Repair my living room curtains
• Reupholster the couch in the loft (one of its arms used to be just threadbare...now there are chunks of foam missing)
• Can butter    
• Do 20 real pushups with good form 
• Stay at or under my goal weight for a month
• Read 52 books
• Read War and Peace (I only got about a fifth of the way through...I think I might give up on this one) 
• Publish my 2012 blog book (barely started) 
• Scan and digitize my bin of old photos

Goal Categories: (at least I didn't completely neglect any categories)
Wife/Mother
Spirituality/Service
Homemaker
Individual
Blogger/Historian

#21: Famous Dave's Bread Pudding

With the year almost gone, I set out to accomplish one last VERY important goal. I needed to attempt to make Famous Dave's bread pudding. On our first visit to Famous Dave's (delicious BBQ) we were treated to a complimentary dessert: bread pudding. I haven't been exposed to a lot of bread pudding in my life, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Well, this dessert blew me away. The only trouble is, by the time you finish your delicious dinner, you don't have any room left for dessert. So I decided to try to recreate this dish at home. I found a copycat recipe online, complete with Plantation praline sauce. I was pretty sure our kids would not be interested in eating it, so I saved the recipe for a time when we'd be together with other adults who would appreciate the dessert. Today, hanging out at my parents house, I finally put the recipe to the test. And we all agree that it is a huge success.

BREAD PUDDING:

1 loaf cinnamon swirl bread (I used Cinnabon brand, since that's all I could find)

2/3 cup golden raisins (I omitted these)

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 cups milk

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup vanilla extract

8 eggs (beaten)

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1. Coat bottom and sides of 13-by-9-inch baking pan heavily with butter.
2. Tear bread into 1-inch pieces. Mix with raisins in bowl. Lay bread mixture evenly in prepared dish, turning crust side down, as this tends to burn easily.
3. In bowl, whisk sugar, milk, whipping cream, vanilla, eggs and cinnamon until blended. Pour over bread mixture.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
5. Place baking dish in larger 4-inch deep baking pan. Add water to reach halfway up side of dish. Bake in preheated oven 1 hour, or until all liquid is absorbed and custard-like.
6. Remove from water bath. Let stand 20 minutes.

PRALINE SAUCE (I cut this in half and it was plenty, but you may want extra on hand for ice cream, etc., because it is freakin' delicious)

3 lbs. light brown sugar (about 3 1/4 cups packed)

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 1/2 cups sour cream

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup of the butter until melted.
2. Add pecans and mix well. Bring to a boil.
3. Cook until pecans begin to change color. Mixture will foam up.
4. Add remaining 1/2 cup cubed butter and mix well. (This will cool pecan mixture and stop the cooking process.) Remove from heat.
5. In a separate, large saucepan, combine brown sugar, whipping cream and cinnamon and mix well.
6. Cook over low heat until blended, stirring constantly. Increase heat and cook until mixture comes to 230 degrees on a candy thermometer (temperature is crucial to final consistency of sauce).
7. Stir in pecan mixture. Remove from heat.
8. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix well.

32 Things Progress

So I'm about half-way through with my 32 Thinks in my 32nd year...and I only have three months left if I want to finish them before my birthday marks the beginning of my 33rd year. It's been an interesting year, with plenty of ups and downs that have derailed my from my progress. I'm determined to do my best though.

Here's how the list is looking as of today:

1. Go hiking with the family
2. Go camping with the family
3. Family vacation to Washington state
4. Go on a date with Chad to somewhere new
5. Redecorate Bree's Barbie house with her (the plain white one she got from Santa two years ago)
6. Volunteer in Mason's kindergarten class
7. Organize a play-date just for Lincoln
8. Donate blood
9. Read the Book of Mormon (working on this one)
10. Make a Family Home Evening assignment board (so I'm not the only one giving the lessons)
11. Go to the temple at least 8 times (I've been twice so far...and almost made it two more times.)
12. Update the RS email directory
13. Know all the sisters in my ward by name (I know so many names, but I cannot always match them to a face yet) (working on it...it's been more difficult since my calling has changed to Stake RS Secretary)
14. Repair my living room curtains
15. Display family photos in the house
16. Plant something
17. Make a chalkboard message wall in the kitchen
18. Decorate with a thrift store find
19. Furnish the loft with more light
20. Reupholster the couch in the loft (one of its arms used to be just threadbare...now there are chunks of foam missing)
21. Make bread pudding like the kind served at Famous Dave's
22. Can butter
23. Make a tablecloth for the kitchen table
24. Sew or refashion an article of clothing
25. Do 20 real pushups with good form
26. Stay at or under my goal weight for a month
27. Read 52 books (I'm on book #29)
28. Read a biography (currently reading one)
29. Read War and Peace (I only got about a fifth of the way through...I think I might give up on this one)
30. Publish my 2012 blog book (barely started)
31. Scan and digitize my bin of old photos
32. Take pictures every day for one week

Wife/Mother
Spirituality/Service
Homemaker
Individual
Blogger/Historian

March Happenings

1: I swore off desserts for a while, trying to drop a few extra pounds. I usually get overwhelming snacking cravings in the evenings, so I try to replace that habit with painting my nails instead. And this green is totally me, no?
2: We have not had the best of luck with finding a family dentist we love. Choosing new doctors since the move has been stressful. Sometime hours of researching reviews pays off, and sometimes not so much. Lincoln had the first appointment with the dentist I'd finally decided on. He's never been to the dentist before. I was blown away from the first moment. I was checking in when I turned around and a man in scrubs was holding Lincoln. Once I realized it was the dentist, I relaxed a little, and just watched Lincoln do his melt-hug as the dentist walked around the office with him for 5 minutes as he waited for his patients to get settled. He was so kind and gentle with Lincoln. And then he made him a balloon animal when he was all done. Score!
3 - 7: Chad has been an assistant advisor at DPS's Advanced Academy for the past few months. We all joined him for Family Day before the graduation. The kids got to play in their respective age groups (free childcare!) while the adults sat in on a few presentations. (Chad and I were seriously wishing he'd had the same thing when he graduated 8 years ago.) It was awesome. All the different DPS units were represented and we got to get up close and personal with the helicopter and other police equipment. And we got a delicious free BBQ lunch at the end. Such a neat experience.
8: I had been promising the kids that we'd go to the new splash pad in Mesa ever since last time we were there. Spring break seemed like the perfect time. Of course it started getting overcast and chilly as we were driving there. Bree and Mason insisted they still wanted to go. They lasted about 10 minutes before they were freezing. Lincoln didn't brave the spray at all. Maybe next time.
9: This trip to Lowe's was free thanks to our Discover Card rewards. Chad finally built a work bench in the garage. He likes having a designated space to work--a place that's all his. And I smile every time I pull into the garage and see him working in there. So manly.
10: I don't remember the occasion for making this Strawberry Satin Pie...maybe we had guests over. Anyway, it is definitely my favorite pie in the world. I could literally finish off a whole pie myself.
11 and 12: Chad and I opened up an old bin full of toys from our childhoods. We gave some to the kids to play with, put some in the Treasure Box for them to earn, and put a few of them away for when they're a little older. My Polly Pockets will have to wait until Bree learns to respect tiny pieces a little better. And the X-Files action figures? I'm not sure if I'll ever be ready to give those up. Scully and Mulder are too important to me.
13: I went through the Gilbert Temple for the first time on March 28th (working on goal #11). So beautiful. And the seats are totally wider than the Mesa Temple! Super comfortable. Just sayin'.
14 and 15: Goal #4 (Go on a date with Chad to somewhere new) is complete. My parents babysat so Chad could take me to the Olive Mill for wood-fired pizza. I've only been asking to go since we moved here a year ago. There was live music on the patio, twinkly lights on the olive trees, and a beautiful sunset and cool breeze. The pizza was delicious and unique--house-made olive oil (obviously), and fresh meat from the Pork Shop down the road. I have never had pistachios on my pizza, but I'm sure they were locally grown, and it was surprisingly tasty.

#2

Goal #2: Go camping with the family

I really didn't want another year getting away from us without going camping. That's why we ended up camping in the mountains in March.

I knew it would be cold. We were prepared with warm clothing and bedding. I had not, however, checked the forecast the morning of our campout. As we drove into the mountains, we noticed that we were headed straight for an ominous wall of gray storm clouds. The rain continued as we arrived in Payson. We decided to forgo our picnic lunch, and dined at Arby's instead.

The rain was coming down harder than ever.

So we thought we'd kill some time at a thrift store we'd seen on the way into town. In fact, we visited every thrift store in the greater Payson area, stocking up on cheap clothes for the kids, and scoring a sweet new coat for Bree.

It was still drizzling.

But it was too late to get our money back now, so we headed over to the campground to check it out. Surprisingly, the ground was pretty dry, and we made the decision to stay. It was drizzly, cold, and a little windy.

But I kept reminding myself that I grew up in the rainy Northwest. When I was a kid, if you didn't camp in the rain...you didn't camp at all.

So our story had a happy ending...

Until we were ready to pack up and head home. We were enjoying the last of the morning campfire, and I was reading Fablehaven aloud, when Lincoln leaned over to reach for a grape that had landed on the campfire grill (we won't mention who tossed it on there, curious to see what a grilled grape looked like). The poor guy got burned pretty badly on his left hand. It was a miserable way to end the vacation. He screamed the whole time we packed up, because even though we had first aid with ointment and bandages, we didn't have anything for the pain. Luckily he fell asleep on the way home. Chad and I felt terrible.

It was a challenge trying to keep his hand bandaged for the next couple of weeks until it healed over. At first he kept trying to get the blistered skin off.

But he was a good sport about it. I think he finally realized that when we took care of it it felt better.

 

 

I still felt terrible.

Goal #15

#15: Display family photos in the house (new house, new photos)

 Family photos from Thanksgiving 

+

$4 Collage Frame at Walmart's Black Friday sale 

=

A lovely addition to our entry way.

#8

#8 on my list of 32 Things: Donate blood 

 1/25/14

32 Things in my 32nd Year

I've put a lot of thought into this year's goals. I recently read The 7 Habits of Hightly Effective People (habits that Bree and Mason's charter school teaches), and it gave me some great insight into how to better prioritize and organize my life. So I'm "beginning with the end in mind" by thinking of what I want to be said about my life when all is said and done. I narrowed it down to 5 key roles/areas that are important to me, and I centered my goals around them. This year's list of "things" is not drastically different than those in the past, but I think that attaching them to principles that are important to me will be a great motivating factor. And I plan on finishing my 32 things by the actual end of my 32nd year: November 19th.

So here they are! My 5 areas, along with 32 color-coded things to do in my 32nd year:

Wife/Mother
Spirituality/Service
Homemaker
Individual
Blogger/Historian

1. Go hiking with the family
2. Go camping with the family 
3. Family vacation to Washington state
4. Go on a date with Chad to somewhere new (not that there's anything wrong with a Redbox DVD and our living room couch...)
5. Redecorate Bree's Barbie house with her (the plain white one she got from Santa two years ago)
6. Volunteer in Mason's kindergarten class (he LOVES having me come to his classroom)
7. Organize a play-date just for Lincoln (without the older kids)
8. Donate blood
9. Read the Book of Mormon
10. Make a Family Home Evening assignment board (so I'm not the only one giving the lessons)
11. Go to the temple at least 8 times (our new temple opens in March, and is only 20 minutes away!)
12. Update the RS email directory (I had so much work to do when I became the RS Secretary, that I organized everybody's info until it was just functional enough...time to step it up)
13. Know all the sisters in my ward by name (I know so many names, but I cannot always match them to a face yet)
14. Recover the high chair with scraps from the dining chair makeovers
15. Display family photos in the house (new house, new photos)
16. Plant something (hopefully citrus trees)
17. Make a chalkboard message wall in the kitchen
18. Decorate with a thrift store find
19. Furnish the loft with more light
20. Reupholster the couch in the loft (one of its arms used to be just threadbare...now there are chunks of foam missing)
21. Make bread pudding like the kind served at Famous Dave's
22. Can butter
23. Make a tablecloth for the kitchen table (it's an odd size--difficult to find in stores...we finally found a fun yellow vinyl one, but Chad melted it with a hot pan)
24. Sew or refashion an article of clothing
25. Do 20 real pushups with good form
26. Stay at or under my goal weight for a month
27. Read 52 books
28. Read a biography
29. Read War and Peace 
30. Publish my 2012 blog book
31. Scan and digitize my bin of old photos
32. Take pictures every day for one week

22 Things

It's New Year's Eve, Chad is at work, and the kids are asleep. I can see and hear the neighbor's fireworks through our upper windows. I didn't have the energy for a New Year's Eve "party" with the kids this year. So here I am with my mug of cocoa and my laptop. Party of one. Time to look back and look forward.

I'm chalking this year up to a lack of focus. I was busy, but didn't always choose the best things to be busy with. Moving was stressful for me, and threw a wrench in some of my goals for my 31st year, and I had to change a few of them to accommodate unforeseen issues. But I have discovered that I am totally okay with not having done several of the 31 things on my list. It's been good to evaluate and re-evaluate. And the 22 things I did accomplish feel good.

1. Organize my recipe binder
2. Make ricotta cheese  Attempted and failed. That counts right?
3. Make a pumpkin roll  I made one for Chad's birthday. It got a bit dried out. Oh well. Next time.
   
4. Can butter
5. Give sweet rolls to someone  I dropped some off with a new family in our neighborhood. I had never met her. She and her husband looked very confused. I felt like a crazy person.
6. Donate blood
7. Finish 2011 blog book
8. Reupholster dining chairs  
9. Organize and consolidate my old half-filled, half-finished scrapbooks
10. Complete the "ABCs of Me" challenge
11. Assemble bug-out bags for the family (extreme 72-hour kits)
12. Move
13. Index 20 names a month, for a total of 240 names
14. Attend the temple or Family History Center at least eight times (I honestly lost count here. I know I didn't make it eight times, but I came close.)
15. Reconcile my parents' books of remembrance with familysearch.org  What a cool website.
16. Read the Book of Mormon 
17. Establish a chore routine for the kids, with allowance Need to revisit this one. It got established...and then forgotten.
    
18. Take the family hiking (So easy to do. We are so lame.)
19. Go camping in a place we've never been (We're a little farther from campgrounds now. We'll have to get creative.)
20. Establish a daily schedule for the family, including home-school, preschool, and therapy
21. Play 12 different board games with my family (Made a valiant effort here. We played Dora the Explorer Memory, Dinosaur Train Make a Match, Candy Land, Yatzee, Disney Trivia, Up-Words, Skip-Bo, Big Picture Apples to Apples. We probably played Sorry! too, but I couldn't remember if that was with Chad or not, so it doesn't count. The family got a few new games for Christmas, so we're going to keep working on this one.)
22. Go to a baseball game with Chad
23. Remain at or under my goal weight for longer than one month (Ha! I still haven't gotten back to what I was in January.)
24. Do 20 real pushups with good form (I think the best I did was 15)
25. Learn to draw a cartoon person, worthy of a children's book illustration (nope.)
26. Finish painting Christmas village
27. Read 52 books (I got to 49. So close. I definitely need to watch less TV.)


Megan's bookshelf: read






















Megan's favorite books »
28. Watch a documentary  I watched "The Perfect Human Diet" which was interesting, but not necessarily credible. I started watching "The Dust Bowl" but it was taken off Amazon Prime after I watched the first hour. I would have much preferred it.
29. No TV or movies for one week  I did this at the beginning of November, and it was a great week. I got stuff done around the house, and I finished my 2011 blog book. More importantly, I reevaluated the shows I had been watching on a weekly basis, and decided that 90% of them were not worthy of watching. So my Hulu queue has undergone a major overhaul. No more Vampire Diaries or Bachelor. I'm keeping Master Chef, because, you know, cooking is a vital part of motherhood. And Bob's Burgers...don't ask.
30. Eat Brazilian food  Brazilian steak house. Pretty sure this is not how your average Brazilian eats, but nevertheless delicious.
31. Send flowers to someone  In this day of emails and texts, there is nothing like an actual IRL bouquet of flowers on your doorstep.

The ABCs of me

Here's me in a nutshell - er - alphabet.

Arizona. My beloved home for the last 8 years.
Baking. It's an obsession.
Cupcakes. Mine are delicious.
Dust mites. I am severely allergic to them. And grasses and trees.
Eating. Clearly I am a big fan.
Friends. I am realizing that I need to feel like I am friends with everyone around me.
Games. I enjoy board games. Especially word-centered ones.
Habits. I have a few bad ones, including biting my cuticles.
Interests. I have a lot of them. There is never enough time for all of them.
Jewelry. I love fashion jewelry, the fun trendy kind.
Kids. I adore mine. Other peoples' can be okay too.
Laugh. If I do it hard enough, I snort.
Movies. I love them. I own a lot of them. I use any excuse to watch them.
Nine hours. That's how much sleep I need every night. How I wish I was a seven-hour person.
Opera. Sometimes I sing really loud at home. Opera style.
Perfectionist. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. But having small kids has mellowed me.
Quietude. It has become a rare and highly valued commodity.
Reading. I make time for it.
Sunshine. I require a daily dose to feel happy.
Tea parties. I don't drink tea, but I love the idea of tea time with cute cups and tiny sandwiches.
Undershirts. Layering tees and tanks under my clothes really bugs me, but sometimes it's a necessary evil.
Vacations. If I had more money, this is where I would spend it.
Water. I carry a stainless steel bottle of water with me wherever I go.
eXotic locations. I drool over travel brochures.
Yawning. When I'm sleepy, I yawn frequently and violently.
Zero. The number of pull-ups I can do. Sigh.

What is UP with me?

The last couple of months I have been in a major funk. I can't put my finger on the cause. It's hot outside. Money is tight. Sending the kids to school has introduced new stressors (mostly having to do with Bree's homework and Mason's misbehaving during after-school soccer).

I also had major headaches going on. When I told my allergist last month that I didn't feel like the allergy shots were helping--I still had sinus headaches all the time--he started asking me detailed questions about the headaches. Then he said, "I think you have chronic migraines." What?! He told me to stop the daily pain relievers I'd been taking, since they were probably causing rebound headaches. I made an appointment with a neurologist, who was amazing, and who confirmed that I was having migraines on a daily basis. I struggled with a bunch of emotions: relief at finally having an accurate diagnosis for the headaches that had been plaguing me for YEARS. Regret that I had been suffering blindly for so long. And worry for the future, because there is no "cure" for migraines. I started taking preventative medication daily, along with some vitamins and supplements that were supposed to help. After a couple days on the new regimen, I experienced a headache-free day for the first time in a long time. And the relief continued. I still have occasional headaches, but I can recognize when one is starting, and usually I can pinpoint the cause, and do things to stop it before it becomes full-blown. And I have a prescription pain reliever to use if I need to (I've only had to use it twice). My life has changed for the better.

The days seem to fly by, and I don't feel like I get anything done. I spend my quiet afternoon hours vegetating or reading. I'm telling myself that I'm still recovering from recent and/or daily stress.

I have hardly taken any photos, but that doesn't mean that things haven't been happening. I've been pretty busy between school, church responsibilities, exercising, getting together with new friends, and managing doctor appointments and therapy.

Last week got pretty hairy. We needed to make an appointment for the minivan to fix a small oil leak (thankfully we have a full protection plan for it). Then we got a recall notice in the mail. Something about the powertrain control module, which sounded important, so we made the appointment. I had been stressing about having to drive both vehicles all the way to the dealer so Chad didn't have to wait there all day (and the cost of gas). Then we realized that the van's protection plan includes a free rental car. Blessing #1.

Then on Thursday, our air conditioning was struggling to cool the house properly. We sweated as the temp inside got up to 91 degrees. It cooled off enough that evening so that we could sleep, but I called my cousin who works on A/C first thing in the morning. He came right over, and by the time I came home from my Relief Society presidency meeting, the house was delightfully cool. And my cousin only charged us his cost for the freon, which saved us a literal boatload of money. Blessing #2.

In the midst of the A/C disaster, I was opening the mail, and discovered that the therapy that Lincoln had FINALLY started receiving since our move, would no longer be covered. I was angry because we were required to pay for any services after July 1st, but we were just now receiving the notice at the end of August. And I was devastated because Lincoln had finally started to make verbal progress thanks to his new amazing therapist, and now we had to decide how much, if any, therapy we could afford. I have enough mommy guilt as it is, without having to wonder if only we had gotten Lincoln more therapy, maybe he would be able to ______. We have since been given the means to provide Lincoln with the therapy he needs, and it's huge burden off my mind. Blessing #3.

So amid the trials and tears, I could clearly see our blessings. We have struggled with illness and injury and stress, but in the end we are happy and healthy and very blessed.

And I managed to take a few photos, it seems.

Proof that Lincoln continues to discover new abilities.

Completion of Goal #1: Organize my recipe binder (That dessert section needs to be divided into sub-categories!). I love that this goal is done. Baking is one of my favorite things to do, and I love being able to find my recipes easier. And I have made cookie pizza, cream cheese bars, and two different types of doughnuts now, as a result. So...this could, in fact, be a bad thing.

The kids have taken on more chore responsibility. And Lincoln loves to get in on the action. The dishes may no longer be clean, or in the proper drawer, but he feels so important to be helping out.

Bree is enjoying school, though she admits it's a lot of work, and not as fun as she thought it would be. But it's getting better now that she's a little more used to the routine and the pace. Mason seems to be thriving in half-day kindergarten. He learns so quickly when he applies himself, and he comes home every day with more things to tell us. They both enjoy soccer, and they are getting amazing exercise, even if it is unreasonably hot outside. Mason had some issues with bothering other kids and/or not paying attention. After an incident with biting, and another with throwing rocks (it's a miracle they didn't kick him out!), we decided it was time to cut him off from any media that is remotely violent. No more video games period. No Pokemon or Avatar cartoons. We're sticking with PBS and Barney re-runs. And things have been so much better, not just in soccer, but at home too.

Lincoln is finally starting to say a few more words along with his signs, which are getting more recognizable. Ever since Lincoln met his new therapist a couple weeks ago, he is trying to repeat more things verbally. The cutest thing he's doing is pointing his fingers and saying, "Go, go!" And last night he was successfully feeding himself his chili with a spoon. It's a big deal.

Whew! It's been quite a month. I'm ready to turn to a new page on my calendar. It's a fresh start. I can pretend that the weather will cool down and begin to feel like fall in September (...Baah hah ha! That's a good one.). We look forward to Chad working on day shift soon, and will have to adapt to a new schedule again. With every shift in our lives, it takes me a little time to settle into a groove. Luckily Chad and the kids are very forgiving, and I've found great friends here to rely on. 

Here's to the near future being funk free.

Big Things

First off: we sold our house! We had our inspection done Monday, and our realtor said it had to be one of the cleanest inspections she'd ever seen. So it's a relief to know that we are only two very minor repairs away from being squared away. And our appraisal is tomorrow; we're keeping our fingers crossed. We are now in the midst of packing, and it is quite bare and depressing around here. This has been our home for almost seven years, and it is very strange to be packing up our lives. We are very excited, however, to be starting a new chapter, and the big moving day is just over two weeks away!

I went to my last Book Club meeting Tuesday. We discussed The Rent Collector, which is an amazing book. I was glad to end my reign as Book Club facilitator on such a great note! I started the book club two years ago next month, and have LOVED the books, and more significantly, the women. I will miss them and our monthly time together.

Before the house-selling/packing craze ensued, I was able to accomplish two more of my goals:

#8: Organize and consolidate my old half-filled, half-finished scrapbooks. I stopped scrapbooking about four years ago when I started this blog, and I had blank pages in several scrapbooks that I had planned to fill in. I finally took the books apart, ordered the pages by date (with Chad's help), and got rid of three binders which are now empty. In addition to freeing up shelf space, it's much nicer to have the books all in order; perusing them is now more enjoyable. I never realized it before, but I would only ever look at the few books that were filled and completed, because the disorganized/half-empty ones bugged me so much. So as I slid the pages into their new places, I was looking at them again for the first time in years. It was actually really enjoyable for Chad and me.

#20: Reconcile my parents' books of remembrance with familysearch.org. My parents have those old family history books with the fold-out family trees and the endless hand-copied records. It didn't take long to compare the family names in the books to what exists on the church website. Now all the information my parents have is in my family history software, neat and organized and digital.

#20

I knew that the first goal I wanted to knock out this year was #20: Establish a daily schedule for the family, including home-school, preschool, and therapy. 

It's something that has been a long time in the making, and I think I've finally got it down. Our detailed schedule has been working out great...but this week Chad switched to evening shift (he goes to work at 2:00pm), so I had to re-work the schedule and make a second version. Now I have the "Evening Shift Schedule" printed out, in a page protector hanging on the fridge. I can flip it over to "Day Shift Schedule" when Chad switches again.

The time frames help me keep my day in perspective, and even when I'm behind or ahead, having all of my "to-dos" listed out helps immensely. It has also had the added side-effect of my kids watching less movies. They used to ask for movies all the time. Once I had the schedule, it became easy to say, "No, it's time for _____." And now they don't ask as much.

So at the risk of looking like a Type-A control freak, here it is in all its glory (the Day Shift Schedule has all the same things, except we start school at 9:00am, have an earlier dinner, and exercise when Chad gets home at 6:00pm):

Evening Shift Schedule
8:00--Wake up, breakfast, vitamins
8:30--Brush teeth, get dressed, make beds
9:00--Exercise (Chad and I are doing P90X) (Bree and Mason free time)
10:00--Reading time (15 min) (kids)
10:00--Shower (me)
10:30--Snack/Lincoln Therapy
11:00--Language
11:45--Fix Lunch
12:00--Lunch/dishes
1:00--Math (Mason: blocks, puzzles, DVD, PC, number flashcards)
2:00--Lincoln nap
2:00--Phonics (Mason: toy computer, DVD, PC, letters, writing)
3:00--Snack
3:15--Outside recess/Mom free time
4:15--Science or History or Study Island
5:00--Music or Art
5:30--Free time until dinner
5:45--Prepare dinner
6:30--Dinner
7:00--PJs and movie time
9:00--Brush teeth, scriptures, story, bedtime

2013, off to a busy start

This week was the first official week of the new year, since we were still in vacation mode last week. We have been keeping busy. Here's a quick update on this week's events and thoughts.

• I sketched out a schedule for home school. Mason hates it, because I am now forcing him to participate in Bree's Language, Science, History, etc. When I work with Bree on her math or phonics, I put him to work on something more his level (flashcards, puzzles, online learning games, or a Sesame Street DVD)

• Bree forgot an impressive amount of information during her two-week break 

• Our daily schedule includes outside playtime (unless it's too cold or rainy), therapy play time with Lincoln, and an hour of "mommy time."

• On the days Chad works (8-6), he comes home for his break at 4:30, which is when we eat dinner. This lets us exercise immediately after he gets home at 6:00, and then we actually have time to relax together after 7:00.

• It's P90X time again. Yesterday was "Legs," so naturally I can't walk today. Monday we did pull-ups for the first time, and for the following two days my right arm was unable to completely straighten of its own accord, because the muscles responsible for elbow flexion were ridiculously tight. My goal is to actually make it through the three-month program this time (3 months = 90 days, hence the "90" in P90X)

• My homemade cottage cheese turned out very soft and extra tangy, so not good for eating plain. However, when I blend it up, it makes a wonderful and healthy sour cream. I tried to use the leftover whey to make ricotta cheese (one of my goals for the year--I thought I was being so smart when I added that to the list: "Hee hee! I already have the whey; I'm half-way there!"). But that was a big fat bust. I will have to try again, and use actual milk instead of reconstituted powdered milk.

• Chad an I finally got to see Les Miserables on Wednesday. We loved it. We saw the Broadway musical in Vegas just before we were married, and have both been in love with the soundtrack ever since. The film did a great job of bringing our favorite songs to life. My two main complaints were a slight disappointment in Russell Crowe, who plays Javert (he has a decent voice, but isn't able to convey emotion when he sings), and an annoyance with Marius's jaw-shaking-induced vibrato (singers can get away with that on stage, but not on the big screen; it was hard not to laugh at times). Thank you Mackenzie for swapping babysitting so we could go!

•  I made sweet potato fries yesterday with a couple taters left over from Christmas. That's the second time I've made these "fries" and I think it's official: we are not fans.

• I did my first batch of indexing today. It was the most difficult group of names I have ever done. Russian and Polish names are not my forte.

• Today's list of to-dos includes going to the library, preparing for Primary Singing Time, and doing yesterday's Science and Music lessons (we ran out of time because we had to clean the house and then stay away while it was being shown). And I really hope I finally get some time to watch Downton Abbey.

31 Things in my 31st Year

Even though I was one goal shy of completing my list last year, I figure 29 out of 30 isn't too shabby, and I loved the feeling of accomplishment I had looking at my completed list. So often I look back at the past week/month/year, and wonder where the heck all my time went! Having lists of items that have been crossed off, as well as writing this blog, reminds me that I have done some worth-while things. My memory isn't necessarily terrible, but it does need a significant amount of jogging.

So, I'm continuing on in my quest to feel satisfied and accomplished with my life. I like New Year's Day. I enjoy the feeling of a fresh start, and the prospect of an empty calendar, waiting to be filled with only the best goals and activities. Chad and I have both reflected on the year, and have agreed on some things we'd like to work on together to improve things in our family, to make our home more peaceful. This year had many great memories, but in all honesty, things have been really rough since first grade started at the beginning of August. I have yet to find a way to balance homeschooling with everything else without becoming a crazy person. So, needless to say, several of my goals revolve around making our home less crazy, and more of a peaceful, enjoyable place to be.

So, here they are, in no particular order:

1. Organize my recipe binder (That dessert section needs to be divided into sub-categories!)
2. Make ricotta cheese
3. Make a pumpkin roll
4. Can butter
5. Give sweet rolls to someone
6. Donate blood
7. Finish 2011 blog book
8. Digitize my bin of old photos
9. Organize and consolidate my old half-filled, half-finished scrapbooks
10. Complete the "ABCs of Me" challenge
11. Assemble bug-out bags for the family (extreme 72-hour kits)
12. Move
13. Index 20 names a month, for a total of 240 names
14. Attend the temple at least eight times
15. Reconcile my parents' books of remembrance with familysearch.org
16. Read the Book of Mormon 
17. Establish a chore routine for the kids, with allowance
18. Take the family hiking
19. Go camping in a place we've never been
20. Establish a daily schedule for the family, including home-school, preschool, and therapy
21. Play 12 different board games with my family
22. Go to a baseball game with Chad
23. Remain at or under my goal weight for longer than one month
24. Do 20 real pushups with good form
25. Learn to draw a cartoon person, worthy of a children's book illustration
26. Finish painting Christmas village
27. Read 52 books
28. Watch a documentary
29. No TV or movies for one week
30. Eat Brazilian food
31. Send flowers to someone

I finished! (pretty much)

With the exception of donating blood (I'll put that one on my list of goals for next year), I finished my goals for my 30th year! With not a day to spare. I meant to finish last week, but I started getting sick the day after Christmas, and I ended up getting a raging sinus infection. I spent almost three solid days in bed while the amazing Chad held down the fort and took care of all the chores. I was able to work on a couple goals while still abed, and the rest I finished last night and today!

#13: Write a children's book.

I finished sketching out my rough draft. It's a story about a "secret superhero" named Mason, and his little brother Lincoln.

#19: Write a thank you note to someone from my past

I emailed one of my oldest and dearest friends, one who I don't never get to see, thanking her for so many fun memories (I itemized some of the ones that stuck out to me).

#7: Pay for a stranger's meal

This one was easy to do; it was left to the last minute because I just kept forgetting. I paid for the car behind me in line at the Church's Chicken drive-through. The employees were very impressed, and asked if I had done the same thing about six months before (I guess someone else had the same idea!)

#9: Take an inventory of my food storage

We've been depleting our food storage this year, and not stocking up on purpose, anticipating moving in the future. But it's good to know where we're at with our stores, and I look forward to getting our storage organized in our next house.

#15: Make cottage cheese

This was not a complicated process, but it was a completely foreign one. I had to buy rennet and cheesecloth. I haven't eaten any of the finished product yet. It looks strange. As I was making it, Bree declared that it smelled disgusting, and Mason said it looked like barf. At least I only made half a batch!

#3: Make bagels

This was fun. It felt really weird to drop raw dough into simmering water. They smelled delicious baking, and taste very similar to the wheat bread I make (I substituted half freshly-ground wheat flour in the recipe). Mason ate two while they were still hot from the oven. I'm excited to try one toasted, with cream cheese and jam--my favorite way to eat a bagel.

52 Books!

I completed my goal to read 52 books this year! Actually, I read 53. Here are some highlights.

7 goals in 5 days?

Somehow my 30th year got away from me. It might have something to do with my three crazy kids, and the fact that home-schooling a first-grader has left me gasping for breath the since August started. I really should have worked on more goals earlier on in the year, because it's been crunch time lately.

I recently finished goal #6: Read the Book of Mormon.

So here is what I'm looking at:

1. Paint the exterior of my house (I started this project 3 or 4 years ago, and am still not finished)
2. Sing in a recital
3. Make bagels
4. Set up irrigation to my peach and pear tree and blackberry bush (I'd really like to have fruit this year!)
5. Sew a dickie (to make those v-neck shirts more modest)
6. Read the Book of Mormon
7. Pay for a stranger's meal
8. Publish my 2010 Blog Book
9. Take an inventory of my food storage
10. Take a family name to the temple
11. Display recent family photos in my home
12. Attend a theater performance
13. Write a children's book
14. Watch a film from the AFI Top 100 list that I've never seen before
15. Make cottage cheese
16. Write the story of how Chad and I met and fell in love
17. Read The Grapes of Wrath
18. Donate used books to my library
19. Write a thank you note to someone from my past
20. Turn off all electronics for 24 hours
21. Bear my testimony in church
22. Invite someone I'd like to know better over for dinner
23. Don't eat out (or take out) for a month
24. Bake and give goodies to my mail carrier
25. Leave a $5 bill and a note inside a library book
26. Make Thai food
27. Surprise Date Night
28. Don't complain for a whole week (remember, these are goals, not strict requirements)
29. Make a list of places I'd like to visit during my lifetime
30. Donate blood

I've been working on the children's book, and I'm hoping to have a rough draft done. A very rough draft, but still, it's something. And the blood donation will have to go on next year's list. Blood drives don't happen all that often around here, and there were none in the month of December. That's what I get for waiting until the last minute.

So, there are 5 days left in the year. I'm going to try to make it!