Saturday, January 31, 2015

January Hijinks

1: I just had to document how cute my chalkboard header was for the New Year. Cute chalkboard = happiness.
2: I have gotten back into making my nails cute. Santa brought me some nail polish for Christmas, and I love it. Plus, when my nails are done, I'm much less likely to chew on my cuticles, which is a very disgusting and persistent habit of mine.
3 and 4: We pass this field almost every day, and I finally decided to stop and let the kids look at the cotton up close. It's crazy to think that this fluff somehow becomes the clothes on our backs.
5: My nursing cover Etsy shop continues to be slow, yet successful. Usually the orders come in threes or fours (I'm not sure how Etsy works, but there must be some sort of search result priority rotation). On this day, I sent out a custom order (left), and my best-seller (right).
6: Trek is coming! Chad and I went to the kickoff meeting, and though we are not supposed to publicize the fact that we will be a Ma and Pa (otherwise the youth will all be desperately hoping to be in our family, and will be tragically disappointed when they can't all be), I figured I'm safe expressing our excitement here. (I think people read my blog, but I've been neglecting it lately, so the only person who reads it now is Jaime, because I texted her to tell her to read my new posts.) So ANYWAY, we are excited! I haven't started sewing yet, but I did purchase some pink calico, so, yeah.
7: Bree cashed in some tickets for a trip to Baskin Robbins one evening. I was happy to go with her, because their Snickers ice cream is epic.
8: I have a sweet connection for free advance screening movie tickets, and I invited Heather to go with me to see Spare Parts. A great inspirational story about teenagers from a local Arizona school.
9: Another delicious lunch with my Amateur Chef friends! Moroccan salmon with rice, and Raspberry Ribbon Pie for dessert. Mmm. Isn't Christie awesome for providing us each with our own pies to take home?!
10: This is what I get for leaving the last slice of chocolate cake on the counter unguarded. I thought it was hilarious that he served it up into a bowl before eating it. This mess wasn't as bad as when he got into the peanut butter jar a few days before that.
11: We got a couple days of drizzle in January. Like, constant drizzle, which is so rare for us. I just gave in to the frizz.
12: I'd been lying on the couch with a migraine one day, and I didn't even realize Lincoln was in the kitchen. Suddenly there he was next to me. He had gotten into the donuts, eaten two on a plate at the table, then brought me my own. Smart boy, on so many levels.

Friday, January 30, 2015

Bree's latest "infatuation"

Bree received quite a few Ever After High dolls for Christmas, which she was really excited about. They each came with their own short story (tidbits from the book series), and she has absorbed it all. The other night as I was tucking her in, she confided in me:

"I don't know what's come over me...it's Hunter Huntsman. He's like my dream come true. He's strong, brave, good with animals."

Thursday, January 1, 2015

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).
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...