The Organic transition

I just thought I would follow up on a previous post where I talked about transitioning to organic food choices.  I will admit that I often don't stick with any types of changes I try to implement.  I always think things sound great but then I don't actually like them.  We have really stuck with the organic thing.  Since Justin's job change and the financial changes that have come along with that, some things we haven't been able to stick to.  Other things I am not ready to change.  I loved the grass fed meats that we got.  I have been getting organic meat instead lately out of convenience but it really isn't any cheaper so I will probably go back to the grass fed.  I am really not willing to compromise on that, though that also seems to have the biggest financial impact.  We have been sticking with organic fruits and vegetables when we can.  Whole Foods has a bad reputation, but if you shop the outside of the store and sales, I think it is pretty comparable to other stores.  The processed and packed foods are more expensive for sure though.  Though when you go to more of the organic pre-packaged foods, it is always expensive.  We have stuck with the organic, cage-free eggs, thanks to Costco.  Recently we gave up the organic milk and are now drinking the hormone free milk instead.  It was just too expensive.  I am still transitioning into organic grains and sugars.  We have gone back to commercial cereals and cheeses because of cost alone.  It turns out I didn't like traditional maple syrup though the fake stuff is horrible for you.  I would say at this point in time, we are about 35-50% organic.  Some meals are completely.  Some not at all.  So that is where we are at.  I am happy that 6 months later we are still on track.  I also think that more and more organic options will become available and make this easier.

Update!

Wooohoooo!!!!!!  Yesterday's post was my 400th post!!!!!  I must have posted much more frequently years ago. 

Ava had an eye appointment today.  It was just a quick one.  I was dreading the wait, knowing that it was spring break and in the afternoon.  It wasn't bad at all though.  The place was pretty empty.  Anyway, everything looked good.  Her pressures were 20 and 20.  That is still in her good range, so nothing is changing.  She can throw a fit all she wants about getting the drops.  She still needs them because they are keeping her from needing surgery.

The yarn I ordered yesterday shipped.  I am hoping it comes by Saturday so I can give my sister in law hers.  That wasn't a very exciting update.

We have started planting our garden.  I should have gone to water today, but I honestly didn't have any time.  Hopefully tomorrow we will get out there.  I also need to get some carrot seeds and this round of planting will be done.  When Ava and I were out there Tuesday, our plot neighbor offered to rototil our patch for us.  I said no because we were on a time crunch and I didn't want to have to be rude and leave while he was in the middle of things and Rhys and I had already planted some seeds the day before.  I am definitely going to have to leave some spots clear of seeds.  I thought Rhys and Ava might be more interested in planting but they aren't.  We will clearly have some semi-neat rows and some clusters where they each gave up and dumped out their hand.  They pretty much each just want to dig.  The need their own shovels and their patch of dirt that they can dig in.  They also want to get some decorations so we are going to have to see what the dollar store has to offer.

Rhys is 90% of the way potty trained.  He just can't do #2.  He says he doesn't feel it until it is too late.  I say 90% because he only goes #2 once or twice a week.  He is dry at night most of the time too. He hasn't wet the bed in a month.  Until last night.  It was my bed. That is all I have to say about that.

Babies, babies, everywhere!

So in the last few weeks, there has been a pregnancy explosion. I have quite a few very good friends who are expecting. Some have actually requested that I make their baby something which means I have a lot of things to make. It is so much more motivating to work on a deadline and babies definitely have deadlines. I have about 5 months to make 4 blankets and whatever else I can make to coordinate. That is definitely doable, but sometimes, depending on how much my hand lets me work, it will take a month to make a blanket.

So due to fiscal responsibility, I have to rein myself in when it comes to the yarn. I don't like giving gifts that don't look good and feel good. That is part of why I am so picky about yarn. So as a compromise with myself and with the assistance of my sister in law, I came up with a plan. I am going to try to do a backing and trim in fabric. They should hopefully be variations of this:

I am going to be following instructions on assembly from Nikki In Stitches. Hopefully it will turn out well. I am not sure if this style of blanket will be desired or not or if they would rather have the drape of a good crocheted or knit blanket. I guess it depends on the feel of the yarn. So on to part one of my yarn compromise. Yarn.com was having their anniversary sale and they also discount yarn when you buy over a certain amount. This is typically not hard if you are making a bigger project, but since I was buying cheaper yarn, my sister in law and I combined orders to get the discount. This got me a full blanket of yarn for $15 plus shipping. Not too bad! For reference Ava's blanket cost about $60 in materials. It was probably more than that, I just don't want to think about. Darn you Spud and Chloe! I love your yarn so much! Why must you be so expensive!!!!!!!

Part two of my yarn compromise was to actually use yarn I already have. I know, I know. Common sense, but yarn inspires me and if a yarn lost its mojo, chances are, it isn't coming back. I had bought a yarn that I love the colors of for a sweater for Ava. Turns out the yarn kind of sucks to work with and the project was horrible and tedious and not looking good at all. So I pulled it all out and then was left with an assortment of colors in various amounts and couldn't figure out what the heck to do with it. Until now! The yarn still sucks to work with. It is Cascade 220 Fingering weight. I just find the texture odd and it is really splitty. I am glad I have a plan to back this particular blanket because it is really thing and has no drape.

Anyway, on to the cast of characters. Here are the colors I am using.

I also found directions on youtube for an entrelac style crocheted blanket. It is using a technique called Tunisian crochet which combines knitting and crocheting all at once. It turns out that I had a Tunisian crochet hook and didn't even know. It just thought it was kind of cool looking and I bought it because it was on clearance. This blanket will build from the middle out.

So that is where I am at with it today. We are on spring break so I have high hopes of getting a lot done but if I look at our schedule for the rest of the week and my work schedule, I don't really see that happening much. My hand is also killing me so I should maybe just really try for one hour a day instead of a marathon afternoon.

Now that I have made my triumphant return to blogging, maybe I will post again this month. It is only the beginning of April so chances are good!

champion

So to continue on in my journey of becoming a hippy and living on a commune, I went to a yoga studio this week. Not just any yoga studio. A bikram yoga studio. This isn't flowy yoga. This deep stretching poses, meant to extend and compress all organ systems in your body...all in a 105 degree room. It allegedly burns a ton of calories and you will also lose weight. So far I have not experienced any drastic weight loss in my 2 classes. I know. 2 classes. 2 90-minute classes in 105 degrees. I feel like I should have lost a ton of weight because I feel like a champion for a) going the first time and trying everything and b) actually going back again and c) making plans to go back more! I am not going to lose weight, though it will definitely be a perk and I will be a little bummed if I don't, but at the same time, unless I stop eating like a champion sumo wrestler, I can't expect that. I am just kind of hooked on the insane feeling of being a champion after it is over. It is actually really relaxing to be super focused on not dying or falling over and not have the ability to think of anything else during that whole time. When it is over, you are completely covered in sweat, you feel like you just climbed a mountain (I have never truly climbed a mountain, so figuratively) and did some really hard things with your body, improved over the last time and stayed in the room. The very hot room. So you just accomplished something awesome with your mind. Seriously, you just spend the rest of the day walking around drinking water, feeling like a superhero. It isn't just me. I went with my friendTerra and she felt the same way. In our minds I am sure we were really walking down the street in slow motion film action, wearing some sort of long open trench coat blowing behind us, crazy stomp you to death boots, super hot jeans and a comfy t-shirt, ready to rule the world. "What's up? You need me to do what??? No problem, I just did a camel, I can do anything."

odd to even me

Believe me when I say that I am trying to say this with as much humility as possible, but...I have nice finger nails. I always have. I have pretty long nail beds and my nails don't peel or bend or curl up or under. They also grow really fast and it is actually more of an effort for me to have short nails than it is to have long ones. If you ever notice that I have short nails, you will know that I have actually bothered to do something with them...that being cut them. I have never really been one to paint my nails. I own nail polish but I probably buy a new color once every year or two. I usually only use it on my toes. I get so annoyed at how long it takes me to do them in comparison to how long it takes me to mess them up or for the paint to chip. I am also really lazy about taking nail polish off, so I have been known to walk around with little chips of paint on my nails for months. But every once in a while, I will paint my nails and be amused by all the people commenting on them or questioning if they are real for those two days before they look like crap.

Something has changed. I have been following things on pinterest. I have seen people post pictures of nail polish colors. I have been inspired. I went out and got a couple new colors. I have discovered the secret. Get good polish! For the last month my nails have been painted everyday with maybe only two days of chips. It is lasting a week before it starts to look bad. That is a good return for my effort. (It also might have something to do with the fact that I have been feeling like everyday is a bad hair/clothes/skin/body day lately, so I might as well play up my one asset...but only slightly.) I feel like a whole world has been opened to me! Here are some of my new favorites!

Black Cherry Chutney by OPI, More or less the whole Essie line, but

Mochachino and

turquoise & caicos, and

over the edge.

The one I am currently wanting is All Hail the Queen by Butter London.

I am a little worried that it would look too much like the mochachino color but I think it is will be lighter. When going through all my old polish I realized I often bought very similar colors. I clearly bought new ones because the old one didn't look right and I was just in search of a good shade. I have been very happy with my purchases so far and how they look on my hands. I am wondering how long this little habit will continue. I wonder how many colors I will try...

Well that was a very interesting post for all of you loyal readers. I am now off to work for an exciting overnight of data entry! At least I will enjoy looking at my fingers on the mouse.

Curriculum day and then some.

On a normal day, if I were to get up early to say...work out or make something for breakfast or read in quiet, Rhys would be up, right there with me before I could even leave my room. The last two mornings, I have had to wake both kids up with lots of moaning and groaning from them and it is later than I am usually woken up by Rhys. This whole early morning school thing is going to be quite an adjustment.

This morning we had to be up and ready to leave the house for Curriculum Day. In the higher grade levels, kids actually come and pick up their box of books. They are getting their curriculum for school, gym uniforms, year books, etc. We got our welcome folder with even MORE forms to fill out. It is also a chance to sign up for the volunteer opportunities in the school. Parents for each child have to volunteer 20 hours per child per year. I don't think that is going to be that hard to do, but I can definitely see it getting harder the more kids you have.

We also apparently have to do this walk-a-thon with a required fundraising amount. It is frustrating only in the timing. It is the week befor the fundraising walk for my job. I am guessing we will focus on getting pledges for Ava's school.

Anyway, Ava got to see some preschool teachers from last year. She was looking all cute. She picked out her outfit and was sporting her new hair cut. (I meant to take a picture of her by her classroom but getting Rhys out of there was harder than it should have been and I forgot.) She got to go to her classroom and meet her teachers. She also got to pick out her seat. She didn't put much thought into it. She talked with her teacher a bit and was given a homework assigment for Monday. I also signed up to bring something supplyish within the first week and I have no idea what it was now. I am pretty excited about her starting school. I hope she is as excited as I am.

We then took off to the zoo with friends. Rhys had his first real outing wearing underwear. He is in the don't tell me what to do stage, so everytime I suggested he go to the bathroom he threw a fit, but he was enamoured by the little potties in the children's zoo.

Ava wasn't as interested in posing for pictures as Rhys was.

We then took off to the pediatric dentist.  When Ava started going to the dentist when she was 2, we went to a pediatric dentist that someone had referred us to.  It ended up taking us an hour to get there and back, always with us leaving really early in the morning because of traffic and I didn't think he was all that nice.  After I experienced his "expertice" and realized that there wasn't anything special he could do for Ava's gums, I took Ava to our dentist which was close to our house.  She has been quite happy there for the last 3 visits.  Well, turns out she suddenly has cavities.  They asked if they could do xrays even though she was a little shy of 5 at the time (they don't do xrays on kids younger than 5) because they could see a couple cavities. So...a few xrays later and we are referred to a pediatric dentist.  Our regular dentist implied that this dentist would be able to take care of them all at once.  That is not the case.  He will do her fillings in 4 different sessions (yes, she has that many) and she will be getting a lovely silver cap because one cavity is really deep.  The pediatric dentist was concerned that they all had just appeared, but when he found out she had never had xrays before...well he wasn't thrilled.  He was pretty much of the opinion that she would have had tiny little fillings and no silver cap, if she had been seen by a practice that does xrays on children.  He pretty much said her teeth can't handle any type of sticky sugar.  All of her fillings are in between her teeth, so she has to floss, use a prescription toothpaste and avoid all sticky, sugary things, including things like dried fruit.  Yes, they are just baby teeth.  Baby teeth do serve a purpose.  He isn't doing anything about a little cavity in her front tooth.  He said no need, that tooth will fall out within the next year or so.  Her molars on the other hand, will be in her mouth for the next 7 years.  They hold the place for adult teeth and the adult teeth usually will follow them up to know where to come out.  Since her teeth are already resembling mine, they don't need any extra confusion as to where to come up.

Tomorrow: Michigan Fiber Festival.  I know you are jealous.

some days.

There are some days that I swear every living creature in this house is working against me. I know it isn't true and I am being overly dramatic but it sure feels that way. Example, we have ants. We are constantly fighting with ants. This has always been a seasonal problem but this year it has been exceptionally bad. I think this is probably because we still don't have quarter round down. Justin didn't want put it down before we replaced all the trim...a year ago. Check one for feeling like someone is against me in my woe is me state of mind. While I am making lunch, Ava and Rhys steal muffins and start eating them on the couch, leaving crumbs all over the place, inviting the ants back. Check 2. While I am cleaning up the crumbs, the dog is in the kitchen attempting to dump the garbage can to see what she can eat. Check 3. While I am in the kitchen cleaning up lunch, Rhys and Ava are bringing everything known to man to be on a blanket in the livingroom, including all toys that aren't supposed to be downstairs. Check 4. It goes on and on, but sometimes I really do feel like it is a losing battle.

With the start of the school year approaching I am making an attack and conquer plan for de-cluttering and streamlining my cleaning process. Our clutter attracts clutter. Phase one: shoes will be in the shoe thing and if they dont' fit they have to go in someone's closet. Bags will not be brought in and left by the front door. They all attract random things that don't get picked up and cat fur and probably ants.

Ava is now claiming to be having chest pains from the effort of taking her toys back upstairs. The dog is whining about starving to death from not being allowed to eat the muffin wrappers in the garbage. People are going to have to get on board with my plan or else....

(let me know if you can figure out what my or else should be.)

no excuses

I haven't written in a long time. It is what it is. Moving on.

Yesterday Rhys discovered the box of Justin's old GI Joe's in the garage. He stayed out in the garage, literally dripping sweat, playing with them. I brought him to rehydrate and cool off. It wasn't that hot in the garage, just kind of stuffy. He tried playing with them in the house but he thinks the garage is better for some reason. He woke up this morning and wanted to hurry up and have breakfast so he could go back to playing.

Justin is getting a new phone through work...the new iphone. I know, woopadeee doo!!!! No really, I was filled with insane jealousy. I am usually not a jealous person. Other people are allowed to have things! It was that he didn't even want an iphone. I did! For 3 years!!! but we had a cell service that doesn't carry them. Then my train of thought was hmmm, how much would it be for us to switch service now that I am the only person on our plan? I am up for an upgrade anyway, contract wise, so now would be a good time. I had looked in the past and for hte family plan, it didn't make sense. Turns out, it was the last day of a promotion and when it arrives today, I will have my own iphone that cost me $9 and a plan that pretty much costs the same as my old one. Maybe a couple dollars more, depending on the corporate discount. I am excited to get it, but I am actually feeling a little guilty that I was motivated by feelings of jealousy. I can also bless someone else with my old phone so yay.

Ava has her golden birthday on Friday. Her birthday is a very big deal this year. It definitely has to do with the fact that in school, her friends talked about birthdays all year. They built it up to be a great time. She has me sucked into the hugeness of it. I am trying to remind myself, it is just a birthday. Though it is a great day, lets not get too crazy.

Our summer will be coming to a slow halt. Ava has a laser treatment on Monday, which pretty much means the last 2 weeks of summer break will be spent inside. I guess since she is only in morning kindergarten, we can still do some summery stuff in the afternoons. I am looking forward to hanging out with just Rhys everyday, for the first time in his whole life. It will definitely be an adjustment for all of us.

vile association

It is no secret. I have a serious hatred of our homeowners association. I appreciate that I pay to clear the snow, have my shrubs trimmed, lawn mowed, roof tiled. Other than that, I don't have much use for them. I don't enjoy that they say we can't do other things. There aren't many perks to it, just a whole lot of don'ts. In the latest letter, they have suggested that we take pictures of people violating the rules and send them in. They said they have a huge problem with pets. I will admit, it is annoying to see dog poo on the side walk or on the tree bank. It is because it is clear that people took their dog for a walk and didn't pick up the poop. Other than that, I really don't see many other violations. I let my dog out on my front door and she poops 5 feet in front of the door and I don't pick that up. I am the only one who can be annoyed by my dog poop because nobody else can see it or even comes near it. The whole concept of encouraging neighbors to send in pictures of each other violating the rules definitely turns neighbors against each other. I had actually started wondering if the reason we never really talked with our neighbor was because he was reporting us and thought we were violators. The other night we actually talked because I saw him outside putting down grass seed and assumed he had been reported also. He was and now we have a general shared hatred of the association and their letters. I should run, but I would never be elected. I would want to let everybody pull up their ugly juniper bushes and plant real gardens of flowers....Or that is just what I would want to do.

Nothing

We are stuck in the middle of in between around here. The season can't decide what it will be. 5 more days of preschool for Ava. Count down to Ava's dance recital and then we will be done with dance class for the year. I am not reading any books at the moment. I am supposedly working on three knitting projects but I am not actually working on anything. We have just been busy with a lot of little things. Both of the kids have been really awesome and difficult every day. I am just trying to focus on the happy, funny things, not in the constant messes and disasters and more messes. I feel like this stage is really on the verge of ending and I am trying to just suck it up.

spring, spring, spring....

Welcome to spring, I think. I feel revolutionized. We are getting rid of our patio set because we don't really use it and it takes up our entire patio. I have gotten to recliners. I will soon be in search of a super cheap little table to put in between them. I have visions of hanging out there at night after the kids go to bed at their newly developed bedtime of 7:30. Just Justin and me, a couple of drinks and a lovely view of our neighbor's backyards. (Does this make you panic, Justin? You hate watching tv with me, so now you get to sit outside with me!) It would be cooler if we had a fire pit but I believe they are forbidden by our association (not that it stops any of our neighbors) and then we would once again be taking up our entire patio. The kids are getting old enough that they can play outside. They generally stay where they are told, especially if they have something to play with. I am a good secret spy mom and open up all the blinds so they can't really escape without me seeing them. I need to find a little outdoor playhouse at a garage sale for them and I am sure they will have a good time out back this summer and spring.

Another spring debate: What to grow in a garden if anything. I think I might just do some flowers and tomatoes. They are the only things I seem to have success with.
We

We have completed the interview/application process for Ava's school. We should be finding out in the next couple of weeks if we get in or not. I really can't see why she wouldn't unless they really just didn't like us. I am trying to mentally prepare myself for all the fund raising and parent activities we are going to have to participate in. One of them is this gift card program. I am pretty much going to have to change how we spend money to always use gift cards so we can earn enough back for the school or we have to pay it at the end of the year.

dinner conversations

Last week we had cheeseburger soup for dinner. It is a potato cheesey vegetable loaded soup with ground beef in it. Rhys was scooping things up out of his soup.

"I've got celery." (pronounced Iiiiiiiiiiiive got cewawy)
"I've got a carrot." (Iiiiiiiiiive got a cawot)
He scoops up ground beef and says, "I've got a poopie." That he says right.
He gets a bigger hunk of beef and says, "I've got a big, giant, giant poopie."

The funny thing was, I don't know if he was trying to be funny or not. He was just thinking he was scooping up poop out of his soup.

Tonight, much like most nights, Ava decided she didn't like what we were having for dinner before she even knew what it was. So she says, "I don't like that. I wish it could be like in a restaurant and I can just have what I want."

During dinner....
Rhys: Ava, eat your food.
Justin: Rhys, mind your own business.
Rhys: Ava, just take a bite.
Justin: Rhys!
Rhys: It is my business. It is, it is my business.
Justin: No it isn't, worry about your plate.
Rhys: It is my business. (arms crossed)
Ava: It isn't my business. I don't have a business. I am just not eating.



Rhys really likes mini wheats, all the time. They are good breakfast foods, snacks, whatever.

Rhys: Ummmm....I want meee-whees. With a bowl. (long pause) and a poon.

yeah, real fast

Ok here is some follow ups.

Ava had her individual assessment/interview for Kindergarten. She had no real skills to work on for the summer. She is just supposed to continue to practice her letter writing so she doesn't get rusty. We are just waiting for them to call and schedule the family interview.

I finished Ava's blanket. She loves it, or so she says. I am pretty happy with it. I don't have a picture of it really finished, all flat and blocked after the washing.

I did make a pair of booties. They are kind of ugly. Ava is using them for her dolls. I have learned from them and now feel confident to make booties as gifts.

We have been sick lately. Ava had an ear infection last week, though aside from one night of complaining it was pretty much like she had a cold. Rhys had a flu like thing last week, fever, cough, snot. Everything is gone except for all the snot and a little bit of cough. I think Rhys has had stuff pouring out of his nose for the last month. I am pretty much ready for winter to be over. There were a few warm days that melted everything and let us play outside. It was a tease and just makes the rest of winter harder to deal with. I have never been a winter complainer, but now I am. The kids need a change of scenery.

Snow

Today it snowed again. I thought it was a lovely, nice fluffy snow. I actually shoveled with no gloves on because it was just barely cold enough to snow and not windy at all. Remember when you were a kid and shoveling was fun? It used to be for me. I love things that I can see a clear change in my efforts. Mowing a really long lawn, shoveling clear paths in the snow. Things like that make me happy. Since we live in a townhouse and have an association, we have snow clearing service to the door...so I don't have to shovel. Because it isn't my responsibility or job, it is still fun. I am sure the day we move and lose that service it will no longer be enjoyable at all.

Ava finally got to make her snow angel. I just really don't think about letting her play in the snow all that much. It is a lot of bundling up for her to be outside for 10 minutes. She made it about 40 since it wasn't that cold and I was ready for a mitten change when they got too damp and cold. I don't know what it is about the girl and snow angels, but apparently in her mind, that is the greatest thing you can do in the snow...or in the grass. I think she misses the whole "snow" aspect of it.

Currently reading: Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbien.
Next up: Father of the Rain by Lily King

Am I the only one?

When I find something I really enjoy whether it be a movie, a book, a hobby, a shampoo, a cleaning product, some type of make up, I feel compelled to tell people about it so they too can experience the greatness. I have thought to myself why do I do this? Why do I reveal all my secrets? Like I know if I ever hire someone to clean my house, I will be sure to inform everyone that I didn't clean. I don't want to take credit for something that I didn't do. So I apparently always feel the need to share my own personal fountain of youth, metaphorically speaking. I could just keep my mouth shut and let people think my house just always smells amazing and I am naturally thin and beautiful.

A while ago, I mentioned ebates. I got my first rebate check about a week ago. It was almost $25. I did quite a bit of online shopping for Christmas and just generally buy things online. I prefer shopping for kids clothes online because it is easier for me to find their sizes. I just make sure I go through ebates first and I get credit for my purchases. I also get a percentage of my purchase back from Barnes and Noble when I buy books for my nook on the computer as long as I go through ebates first. I only get paid once a quarter so I really do have a chance to build up a pretty decent payout. See look...I just couldn't stop myself from sharing, once again.


We have had the stomach bug that everybody that I know has had, well almost everybody. I am the only one in this house who did not get it. I thought I did but I just felt bad. It is over and I have washed all the bedding and towels and clothes...

I started a new knitting project. It definitely won't be one I finish right away, but it will provide a nice change up here and there. I am almost done with Ava's slippers. I want to finish them today, I just need to get off this computer and start. I put in my 2 hours of cleaning already this morning so I am hoping to just hang out and do whatever I feel like until work. What ever I feel like as in what Rhys and Ava will let me do.

Do Not Disturb

Today is Justin's last day of vacation. He has been off since the 23rd. It has been awesome. We have had just enough to do to keep busy, but not too much that we feel crazy. The kids have been totally occupied with new toys and a change in routine and having 2 parents at all times. Everybody has been sleeping in late. It has seriously been like living a surreal life. The shine is definitely starting to wear off though. Yesterday there was a lot of fighting between Rhys and Ava. I am sure it doesn't help that Rhys wasn't feeling well. We are going to attempt to get the house all in order today so it will be like I have returned from a vacation too tomorrow. "Look no big messes! Just normal cleaning!" The biggest project will be the kids' room. We need to reorganize all the toys and get rid of some that are no longer age appropriate but taking up space.

What do you do with old toys? Do you save them for garage sales? Do you just take them to Goodwill? Some toys will come with me to work, but we aren't supposed to take "used" donations. Usually I can get away with bringing things in because I know what condition they are in but I know there isn't room for all the toys to be for the baby age.

I didn't set any resolutions. I have some goals for myself, but that is about it. I would like to finish 12 projects in 12 months. I am leaving it loose like that on purpose. I am going to focus on the counters being cleaned off before bed every night. This is going to take some team work though (Justin will learn of this goal when he reads this post.) Pepe is turning into a nice cat. If the counters and tables aren't temping him with things to knock off then maybe I won't be forced to hate him...as much. We definitely want to take the kids to Disney by the end of the year. Ava is saving her pennies, literally. Every time she finds any bit of money she says, "Money for Disney!" and puts it in her piggy bank. We actually aren't going to use her change for the trip, but she can cash it all in and use it for souvenirs. So we are focusing on setting money aside and earning little bits of extra money when we can. That is about it. Nothing big, nothing major. I will toss out posting once a week. If I ever go back and write the posts I have been meaning to and back dating them I will NOT count it to my goal. Watch out, sometime there will be like 5 posts in one day all dated sometime in December.

Let me tell you bout a man named Jed.

Saturday we discovered that the dog's leash has disappeared.  Not a clue where it has gone to.  Desperate times called for desperate measures.  I cut off a long piece of yarn and tied it to the dog's harness.  That is her new leash.  I don't want to tie and untie it, so she is walking around with a long string dangling behind her.  THis isn't sturdy yarn.  It is worsted acrylic crap.  The cats keep chasing her around to play with her string.  Rhys keeps "guiding" her around the house. 


We still haven't found the leash...or put forth that much effort to really find it.  We are simple people.


PS.  The 1000 book list is a bust. 

Welcome to Hollywood. What's your dream?

Thanks for the comments on being able to comment. I am happy to see it only doesn't work for Justin. He must be technologically challenged, I am sure that is it.

Everybody has things they want to do in life. Some people really want to go sky diving, climb a mountain, eat entire cakes in one sitting. I don't have those dreams. I have generally had just a couple for as long as I can remember. I want to travel around a lot more and see all sorts of places and I want to go on a whale watch. The whale watch started in 4th grade when we watched The Voyage of the Mimi. Every few weeks we would watch a mini episode and do a workbook to identify whales. It was possibly one of my favorite things that I have gotten to do in school ever.

So recently I have been doing lots of little things that come to mind when I think, hey I want to try that some day. Like making jam or bread or learning to knit. I just do it. My newest addition to the list of things to do is going to be a bit harder. I want to make my own syrup. I want to tap the tree, collect the sap, boil it down and make syrup. I read quite a few books when I was younger, Little House in the Big Woods for example, where they made their own syrup. I just want to do it. It sounds fun, tedious and a lot of work for a little syrup, but I want to say, check, I have done it. Considering the fact that I don't have any grown trees anywhere near my house, let alone an maple, is definitely going to hold up this goal. I wonder if there are syrup making vacation spots, like in Maine. Instead of going to a ranch to pretend to be a cowboy for a week, be a syrup maker for a week. (I would love to go be on a ranch for a week too, by the way. I seriously do somewhat curse the fact that I feel doomed to always live in the suburbs.)

In other news, I got an A in my business economics class. Not an A-, a full on A. I am pretty excited about that. Because I posted a picture of my pumpkins yesterday, it was apparently necessary for me to look out at the buds opening up into pretty orange flowers and then the skies to open up and pick the chair off the patio up and throw it down on my pumpkin plant.

new site

Look! Our church has new website, including a blog. Isn't it so pretty??? Just thought I would share. I think it is just an example of the connectedness people feel when they are at church.

it is almost over!

All we have left to do this week is take our final and we are done with our economics class! I have been dreading it and hating it the whole time we have been taking it but I am getting an A so far. Not just an A, a pretty solid A and a little higher one than Justin. I can't be too confident in it though, since our final is worth 30% of our grade, I can still definitely blow it.

Our house is officially almost done being painted. One more wall was finished today and the ceiling in the kitchen. We just have the center wall dividing the kitchen and livingroom left and then it is finished. Everything will be painted a color other than white! Seriously, never in my life have I lived anywhere that didn't have white walls. We have had a couple rooms upstairs with painted walls for the last few years, but definitely not the whole house. It looks awesome and I am very happy with our color choices. It actually looks so nice that I am all inspired to clean through stuff and rearrange and make the whole thing look nice.

Have I mentioned that I have started to like wine? I have many things in life that I want to like, but just don't, no matter how many times I try. I don't want to be picky. I want to be versatile, it just doesn't always work out that way. Well I have figured out that there are definitely different flavors to wines and different things taste good to me. It all started when I had this niagara wine at a friend's house. It tasted just like grape juice! Justin ordered a couple bottles for me for mother's day. Then I went to wine styles and got a really good reisling. Just liking those two didn't make me feel versatile. I still felt restricted and picky, now just with certain kinds of wine. I wanted to be able to order a glass of wine with dinner and know what to order and like it. When we went to dinner for our anniversary I tried the wine flight. It was four different kinds of Spanish wines. One was really good and I just can't remember what it was, though I know it was a red which surprised me. A friend told Justin to get me Oliver's soft white. It was also very good and easy to find at Jewel. This weekend, we went to a wedding and I had the cabernet and it was also good! Meanwhile during all this wine adventuring, I have planned an overnight with friends to go on a wine and chocolate tour. We actually have a limo that drives us to a few vinyards and we go wine tasting. I am getting so excited about it. It seriously has made me crazy for years that we can to people's houses and Justin gets a beer and I am just kind of stuck. It isn't like I can bring everything for mixed drinks everytime we can go out. Wine is my solution. Hopefully by the end of the summer I will have expanded my horizons and have a list of wines I like to drink.