Our Start to the 25 Days of Christmas!

Thank you to everyone who gave suggestions on what to do for our 25 days of Christmas!  I wanted to put up a post about the things we've done this week in case you're looking for ideas.  Technically, we started on the 29th of November instead of the 1st of December, but we can all use a little extra Christmas, right?

Day 1: We put up the tree!  The girls (particularly Keara) had a great time doing this!  It was definitely the most fun this year since they were so excited.  We've really tried to add meaningful ornaments each year (we give one per person every year) so it was awesome to take them out of the box and tell the story behind each.  We have one from when Braden had braces, a potty from when Keara had potty-trained that year, one of Taryn and her blanket made from shrinky-dinks, baby's first Christmas for each, one of sewing supplies for me, etc.  A lot of memories when we look at the tree!

The next day, Avery learned what happens when you pull too hard on the ornaments...

Day 2: Do the names Paddy O'Cinnamon, Judy and Jimmy, the Crazy Quilt Dragon, and the Inkaboo's mean anything to you?  Well, they do to us!  On Day 2, we started listening to The Cinnamon Bear.  It is a story that was broadcasted by radio in the 50s or so.  Each episode is about 15 minutes long and tells the story of two children who have lost their silver star for their tree.  In fact, it was stolen by the Crazy Quilt Dragon and taken to Maybeland.  They meet the Cinnamon Bear who takes them on a magical adventure to save their precious star.  I grew up listening to this by the fireplace, under the Christmas tree.  It is one of my favorite memories.  And now my girls are looking forward to it every night.

Day 2 1/2: We went to the library and grabbed as many Christmas books as we could.  The selection dwindles the closer we get to Christmas, so we took full advantage of well-stocked shelves.  We read a Christmas story every day for naps, and sometimes for bed too.

Day 3: We went over to a friend's house and made gingerbread men for a count-down chain.  Fun idea!  All you need to do is make 25 mini-gingerbread men per child, put a dab of frosting in the middle with a mini M&M or red hot, and then lay in a LONG strip of saran wrap.  Fold it over to enclose the men and tie a piece of ribbon between each.  Every day you just cut off BELOW the ribbon above the last little man and eat him up!  This one has been fun because we get to eat the gingerbread men as we listen to our nightly episode of The Cinnamon Bear.

Day 3 1/2: I've really been wanting to focus on the Savior this year while our girls still have no concept of Christmas greed.  So we've been looking for ways to teach them the true meaning of Christmas.  We/I decided start a "Gifts of Service to our Savior Jesus Christ" list.  It all started when we helped jumpstart the car of a stranded couple in the grocery store parking lot.  The man was SO grateful, it touched my heart and I was grateful my girls were there to feel it too.  So we talked all about Service on the way home and how we can look for ways to serve.  Taryn doesn't quite get it, but Keara is way into it.  Our list grows a little every day. 

  

Day 4: We made cottonball snowmen and Santas!  So fun!  Too bad we ran out of glue, or we would have made more.

Day 5: We went to the mall and LOOKED at Santa.  The girls didn't want to get too close.  Besides, he was a little odd looking. 


Day 5 1/2: Since we received an unexpected snowfall, we went SLEDDING!  So much fun!  Daddy was able to come too and we had a blast.  Well, besides Avery who faceplanted THREE times in the snow.  Poor baby.  Unfortunately, all we have for sleds are our swimming inner tubes which are WAY thin and small, so they really only do well for the girls (sort of), but they don't know any different and had a great time!  We also tried to use the recylcing bin, which didn't really work, but it made an excellent sleigh for the Goose! 

 

Winter Wonderland

  

Snow+5 People+No Closets=MESS!



Tomorrow, we're going Christmas shopping (hopefully) and are hopefully also making candy cane cookies. I'll keep you posted!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

25 Days of Christmas

I love Christmas.  And I love that my kids are getting old enough to enjoy it too.  It's more fun to put up the tree and decorate it, buy Christmas gifts and wrap them, and do Christmas-y activities when my girls are enjoying it too.  They are getting more and more excited every day. 

This year, I don't want to get to the end of the season and wish I had done more with them to build up the magic.  But I'm finding I am running short on ideas.  I want to do something special every day from now until Christmas day.  That means I need 25 ideas.  Here's what I have so far.  What other ideas do you have?

1. Gingerbread houses
2. Candy trains
3. Cookie Swap/Play group
4. Make a count down chain (I truly hate these, but at least it's something, right?)
5. Make paper snowflakes
6. Make cardboard stars and decorate with glitter to hang from ceiling
7. Go to see the creche exhibit
8. Drive around to see lights in the area

In addition to these, we will be celebrating Taryn's birthday at the children's museum and going to the Science museum in Chicago with grandma and grandpa.  So that means I have 9 days where at least SOME activity is going on.  I still need 16 more. 

What are some great, or fun, or memorable, or enjoyable activities, crafts, treats, or adventures that make this incredible season more magical and exciting for your kids?  I'd love your ideas!

Thanksgiving Weekend Specials!

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday Specials from

Come check out my store and get a jump start on your holiday shopping!  Just in time for Christmas are my new child size play mei tai carriers with their own coordinating bag, just like mom!  Also, returning this year are my custom wood photo puzzles.  Make a memory last forever by turning it into a durable puzzle!  Sure to delight children and the young at heart!

All items are discounted at least 15% just from Thanksgiving until Monday, November 29th!  So stop in today to take advantage of these great prices!

The Kitchen Sink Boutique

That Was Then, This is Now

I spoke too soon.  We're forcasted for SNOW tonight and tomorrow!!  We are SO excited!  Wahoo!

Talking 'Bout Weather

I know that everyone secretly (or not so secretly) hoped that when we got here and winter came, we'd admit that Arizona's weather was better and that we missed it.  People here keep asking us if we wish we were back in Arizona yet.  The answer?  No.

My goodness, I wish you could all experience the incredible weather we've had in the last 8 months.  I love having 4 seasons again.  I love having flowers bloom, leaves come back on trees, watching the canopy form, loving the lakes, watching the leaves change colors, seeing them fall, seeing the black silhouettes of trees that are bare, feeling the cold wind blow, snuggling under blankets at night, wanting hot chocolate, and anticipating snow.  I know there are two kinds of people in this world: those that prefer hot and those that prefer cold.  We prefer cold.  Hands down.  So everyone who prefers hot thinks we're crazy, while we are in heaven.

Right now, in Arizona, everyone is still in t-shirts, grateful that the 100 degree days are finally over for a few months.  Here, we're also in t-shirts, loving 50 degrees and soaking it in.  Perspective. 

I check the weather report every few days to see if snow is in the forecast, and its not yet, but we are SO excited for it to come! 

Taryn...Cracks Me Up Every Day

Taryn is going to be 3 in just 4 weeks.  I can't believe it.  She started into the terrible 2s when she was about 15 months old.  Well, actually, probably before that.  She was a really hard baby.  From about 6 months on, she was just crabby.  Then she became so strong-willed that we could hardly contain her.  As a 10 month old, she would make me cry because of how busy she was.  Then the screaming and stubbornness started.  And it seemed to only get worse.  A lot of our decisions were based around Taryn's behavior which made things hard.  We had a lot of discussions about learning to love her because it wasn't easy.  I hate to actually admit all of that, but I'm sure some of you out there can relate.  And can feel better knowing you're not alone.

Anyway, as Taryn has grown up over the last 3 years and as we have grown up with her, we have learned so many things about this child.  First, she isn't stubborn.  She's PASSIONATE.  I have never met someone as passionate as she is.  She feels everything in a big way.  Nothing is minor to this child.  And that means her joys and happinesses are bigger than I've ever seen.  Yes, it also means her frustrations and tantrums are equally big.  But I'd rather have all of her passion, including the anger, than not have it at all. 

Second, she makes everyone she meets happy.  She loves people and they love her.  She is open, honest, talkative, giving, loving, caring, gentle...the list could go on forever.  Her positive qualities are unbelievable.  She is patient with trials and difficulties.  She is dedicated and determined and doesn't give up easily.  She is brave and willing to try new things.  She loves to learn and loves to help.  She still loves to read.  She is nurturing and kind.  And she is the best friend anyone could ask for.  She is full of life, love and light and I can't believe I get her as my daughter.  I have never met someone quite like this kid.  She is amazing.

Anyway, now that she's almost three, I'm almost sad to see this difficult time nearing a possible close.  I know she will always be this passionate and I worry about the yelling she'll do as a teenager.  I don't know how to describe it. But I am a little sad that my terrible two (really, its terrific) is growing up. 

Taryn has an uncanny ability to get into trouble and get messy when you wouldn't think it possible.  She finds a way.  And she is incredibly clumsy.  She trips on her own two feet...probably because she's just so excited to get on doing whatever it is she's thinking about at the moment.

One day she got into the blue chalk.  Word to the wise, don't use blue chalk.  It doesn't come out in the laundry.  And it turns your child in to a smurf. 

A couple weeks ago, I ran upstairs during Taryn's nap to find her in this position:

Yes, she's in the floor vent.  I couldn't help but laugh.

I love this wonderful kid!  If you ever need a bit of life and light in your day, you can borrow this amazing child.  But make sure you bring her back.  I miss her after about 2 minutes of her being gone.

A Really Good Meatless Recipe--Pesto Lasagna Rolls

So, you all know how I've been trying to eat meat less?  It's been going okay.  But I found that I was paralyzed with not knowing what to make since I didn't have a ton of meatless recipes.  So instead of just figuring it out, I would do nothing.  After too many thrown together dinners at the last minute, Braden and I decided to try to cut back on meat both by having meatless meals but also having less-meat meals.  So where I would normally use 2 chicken breasts in a recipe, I'll use one.  Make sense?  That way, I could still make what we were having before, but with less meat.  That made things easier.  And we found we still had plenty to eat.

I'm still trying to come up with more meatless recipes, however, and loved putting this one together. I wanted to do three-cheese stuffed shells, but didn't have the shells. So instead, I cooked my lasagna noodles until al dente. I took cottage cheese and ran it thru my electric food chopper/grinder to make a faux-ricotta. Then I added 3 Tbs jarred pesto, 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, 1 Tbs sour cream, and I think an egg. I stirred it all together then spread it in the center of the lasagna noodles leaving 1-1/2 inches on both ends. Finally, I rolled them up, layed them in a lightly greased pan, topped them with marinara sauce and mozzarella, and baked them for about 30 minutes. They were delicious!

Halloween Recap

I'm not a huge Halloween fan.  But I love it for my kids.  This year, Taryn wanted to be a wolf.  Not a princess?  Not a ghost?  Not a witch?  No, a wolf.  So we built a theme around it.  Keara was Little Red Riding Hood, Taryn was the wolf, I was the grandma because Avery wouldn't wear the wig, Braden was the woodsman, and Avery ended up being a blue fairy last minute.  I loved making their costumes this year and LOVED how they turned out.  Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures. Shame on me.

On Thursday, we went to a grocery store's Boo Blast.  SO fun! They had stations all over the store giving out samples and treats. 

 That night, we carved our pumpkins.  I did one in honor of the girls.  Three sided too...

 Braden did his traditional Bears logo.  We love it!  It never gets old.

 Taryn didn't want to get her hand dirty and therefore didn't carve one.  But Keara quickly got into pulling out the guts and even said, "I want to put all that back into the pumpkin so I can take it out again!"  You go girl.

 She loved being able to cut it herself, though getting the knife in and out of the pumpkin did require some serious help.  It was a thick pumpkin! 

 But I think it turned out awesome!  She did a great job!

Friday night was our Ward party.  Very fun.  Trick or treating door to door in the church to rooms that people decked out.  It was cool. 

Saturday was our friend's baby's first birthday.  She was born on Halloween so it was an appropriately themed birthday party. 

Sunday, we decided to skip the Halloween festivities and spent the evening with my brother's family.  Very fun.  We don't get together often enough.

Pumpkins...a Variety

I threw a Fall Favorites Party (thanks Jill for the awesome idea!) where everyone brings a basket filled with their favorite things about fall.  Then we did a basket exchange so everyone went home with a basket filled with someone ELSE'S favorites.  It was so fun and I especially love learning what other people love about my favorite season.

My favorite things are the colors, smells, sounds, sights, and tastes of fall.  I love baking and being able to make 100 great things during the fall and winter that just seem more appropriate during that time than any other time of year.  Sure, I could make caramel apples in March, but they're so much better in October.  I love candles, decorations, and crafts of fall too. 

This fall, I did a few new things that I discovered I love too.  First, I cooked my first pumpkin and butternut squash.  I wanted to try butternut squash and find out what was so great about it.  So I made a soup out of it...and didn't like it.  Anyone have a killer recipe for anything with butternut squash?  I'd love to try again. 

In cooking the pumpkin, I discovered that it becomes my absolute FAVORITE color!  Look at it!  It is stunning and has always been my favorite.  But I had never seen it in nature besids in some flowers.  Oh my goodness.  If I could just preserve that, I could look at it all day.  I love that color!

I made the pumpkin because I wanted to try making a pumpkin pie from a fresh pumpkin.  Yes, you need a baking pumpkin, or sugar pumpkin, for pies.  The jack-o-lantern pumpkins aren't the same thing.  I'm not exactly sure why I didn't take a picture of the pies, but they were delicious!  Then again, my mom's pumpkin chiffon pie is always delicious, so I wasn't surprised, but I loved having done it all from scratch.  No cans included.

 My SIL told me about toilet paper pumpkins and looked it up online and found a tutorial on Chocolate on My Cranium.  So easy, so fun, and the girls had a great time doing it. 

A few more of my favorite things...

October : Part II

My friend has twin daughters that are 9 years old.  K&T love them.  Adore them.  And the twins adore them back.  Well, school was out for 2 days a couple weeks ago and my friend needed a place for them to go so they spent the two days with us.  SO fun!

They live in an apartment, so they took advantage of being able to rake our leaves.  I remember another friend growing up who always loved raking our leaves for the same reason...:)

Keara and Taryn loved it.  The girls raked a huge pile...

then sat in it...

then jumped in it...

 then stuck it down their shirts...

Keara loved being a part of the raking action too.  Thanks girls for teaching her how to do it!

 I just like this picture of Taryn--

 We did quite a few crafts and other projects, like making 10 dozen cookies and a dozen caramel apples.  Plus they did playdough and discovered how fun it was to imprint their body parts in the playdough.  Ears, mouths, eye brows, etc.  They thought it was hilarious.  Then they realized they could stick the dough to the door and press their faces in it.  So funny. 

We went back outside and I strung string on some sticks they had found to make bows and they collected smaller twigs for arrows and then they "hunted" the deer (yours truly).  They thought it was hilarious.  Very creative girls.  After that, the sticks became broomsticks for a Quidditch game.

 We also worked on paper mache pumpkins.  The older girls were VERY helpful with that.   

 Kind of cute...kind of not...

Still, it was SO fun doing very autumn-like things for two whole days!

October's Over, Might as Well Post : Part 1

Wow, October's already over.  Christmas is in just 7 weeks.  Can you believe that?!  Honestly, 7 weeks ago was already 2 weeks past Labor Day.  Doesn't that seem like it was just yesterday?  It does to me.  While I have 98% of my Christmas gifting done and sitting in my basement, I still feel overwhelmed with it just being 7 weeks away.

Anyway, can I just say how much I LOVE having a real autumn again!?!  It has been GORGEOUS.  Absolutely stunning.  And I can't get enough of it.  The colors, the trees, the leaves, the wind, the cold, the smells, the food...ahh...I love it!

This October was VERY full and very fun.  Here's a highlight of our month:

For our anniversary, we started off the day going to an apple orchard.  It was free and a lot of fun. 

They had this little corn maze that we could go thru and had a fun time picking dead corn and talking about it.  Very educational :)

There was this great little wooden train play area that the kids had a great time in.

 Then there were hayrides every 2 minutes or so all over the grounds. 

Taryn was a little disappointed that we didn't buy this really big pumpkin.  But nothing is ever cheap at an apple orchard store is it?

That night, Braden and I went to the Science Museum to see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit.  It was cool, but I was a little disappointed that they brought tiny, tiny scraps of only 5 scrolls for the exhibit.  But the first hour of the exhibit, learning about the history of the scrolls, was cool.  Then we went out to eat at a restaurant using restaurant.com's $25 gift certificates for only $3 deal.  It was delicious!  And saved us a bunch of money.  It was a great night and we had so much fun.

Pictureless

I just noticed that I have hardly had a picture on my blog since August.  Sorry about that.  It's because someone must have eaten my memory card from my camera and the battery hardly charges.  So I can usually get a couple pictures before the camera dies and needs to be recharged.  I am looking for a new camera.  I do, however, have quite a few pics coming over the next few days, so in case you were about to boycot my blog due to the lack of photography, give it another day...

Apple Pie Anyone?

My friend picked up a 40-lb. box of apples for me the other day.  For $10.  Can't beat that!  But now that I had 40-lbs. of apples, I needed to do something with it.  So I made apple pie filling and am currently working on applesauce and apple butter.  The recipe for the apple pie filling is different than I've ever used and I LOVE it.  We made apple crisp last night and it was incredible.  It's a recipe I put together to suit my tastes because I like a lot of spice and flavor to my pies and crisps.  And I love how it turned out. 

Since I have a habit of losing things, I thought I'd get this written down so I could find it later.  And you get to benefit from it.  The first is my modified apple pie recipe for canning.  The second is just my apple pie recipe if you wanted to make it without canning the filling first.

CANNED APPLE PIE FILLING

2 cups white sugar
3 cups brown sugar
1 cup corn starch
4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 cup lemon juice
9 cups water
Lots of apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

Mix together sugars, cornstarch and spices in a large pot.  Add water and lemon juice. Stir well.  Simmer over medium-low heat until thick and bubbly.  Remove from heat.  Add apples until well coated without a lot of excess sauce.  Pour into clean, prepared jars.  Boil lids for 3 minutes and place on clean rims of jars.  Process in boiling water bath for 20 minutes. 

BEST EVER APPLE PIE

1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Dash of allspice
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp lemon juice

6 cups apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
Pie pastries or crumble for top

Mix together sugars, flour, and spices.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Mix with apples until coated.  Pour into prepared pan, either lined with pie pastry or lightly sprayed.  Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

CRUMBLE

½ cup brown sugar
½ cup flour
½ cup oats
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
5 Tbs butter, diced

CRUST

1 cup + 2 Tbs butter
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs sugar
½ cup ice water

ENJOY!

Update on the Goose

I've realized that I haven't been writing down anything about Avery's development.  Not like you necessarily care, but for my own sake, I need to at least document it.  I find development fascinating.

Avery is officially 14 months old.  She continues to amaze us with her incredible personality.  She is calm, forgiving, vibrant, sweet, adorable, and makes all of us laugh and smile so readily.  We can't help but absolutely adore her!

She started walking last month.  But to my embarassment, I can't remember when!  I'll have to go check out the videos to find out.  It was either a few days before or a few days after turning 13 months.  Now, she's a walking fiend and hardly ever crawls.  She climbs all over everything, chairs, couches, stools, beds and tries to get in and out of the bathtub on her own...which usually involves going in headfirst fully clothed.

She still loves water and the outdoors more than anything.  If the door is open, she'll escape...and head straight for the street.  She's also loving the crunchy leaves and can often be found diving into the leaf piles.  Keara goes to swimming lessons once a week and Avery always begs to get in the water too.  She also loves getting her hair done (not like she has much hair) and will stand very still to get it brushed.  It is one of her favorite things.

Avery eats and sleeps like a champ, was weaned at 11 months, and doesn't do baby food at all.  She has 8 teeth in and is getting 2 molars.  She signs "more", "please", "thank you", "all done", and "thirsty". 

She's also vocally saying

• mama
• dada
• tan tu (thank you)
• bye bye
• ni-ni (night-night)
• no
• yeah
• what?
• banie (blanket)
• binie (binkie)
• nana (banana)

I have no idea how much she weighs, but she's tiny.  Just like Keara, though a little bigger.  At one year, Keara was 14 pounds.  I believe Avery was 16 or 17 pounds at her 12 month appointment.  She is actually wearing 12 month clothes and size 3 shoes, but she looks itty-bitty.

Braden and I often wonder why we absolutely adore this little girl.  She is just so fun!

Laughing Thru Fatherhood

So, each night we put our girls to bed and they stall, because in Keara's words, "sleeping is boring". They have several tactics to make it take longer for us to actually leave the room. Sometimes it's tell me a very, very, very short story, or I want to give you a kiss and a love. And of course, Taryn picks up on anything Keara does. So, now it's "I just want to tell you something" which usually involves them whispering it in our ears; anything to get us back into the room, further from the door. So, Taryn tonight says I want to tell you something as I'm about to close the door. I don't want to go back in, so I tell her to tell me right now what it is. And she surprised me with "the next time we go home (pause) I'm going to run in my bed (long breath) and be a butt." "Good night Taryn" is all I can manage and I shut the door.

Braden

Happy Anniversary!

Six years...not long, yet so much has happened.  I think I said this last year, but when I think about how much has happened, it doesn't seem like it could all fit into 6 years.

If you're really bored, you can see last year's post here.  My list of what we'd done in the last five years (at the time) looked like this:

• three beautiful daughters
• I have had 2 jobs and Braden has had 7 or 8
• lived in 5 different homes in two different states
• started, opened, ran, and closed a business
• held dozens of callings
• had 3 cars (two of which we still have)
• had 5 pets (all fish, three of which lasted 12 hours total)
• grown 2 gardens, producing very little
• traveled to 6 states
• made incredible friends we hate to part with

This year, our list reads:
 

• three beautiful daughters
• me-2 jobs, Braden-10 jobs
• lived in 6 different homes in three states
• started, opened, ran, and closed a business
• held dozens of callings (including 3 current ones for Braden and one for me)
• had 3 cars (one of which we still have...looking for a second one)
• had 5 pets...and 4 mice in our house (that we've found)
• grown 3 gardens, producing the most this year--we went from too dry to too wet, though
• traveled to 10 states
• parted with incredible friends and have made new ones
• decided what we want to be when we grow up...finally
• started a new job
• started a new degree
• moved across the country
• experienced fall for the first time in 5 autumns
• actually broke the $40K mark for income...for about a month
• started paying off our business debt
• sold our home
• started an online business (mine) which has actually been doing well
• potty trained the untrainable child
• spent 15 nights apart...7 of which were in the last month
• strengthen our marriage and relationship daily

There's so much more that can be put on that list, but its hard to put into words how much we've learned and grown in the last 6 years.  These have been very hard years.  And there's no guarantee that they're going to get easier.  But while I wish we were in a different point in life after 6 years, I'd never trade the trials and struggles we've gone thru.  We are constantly being refined and I'm grateful that we're doing it together.

I'm so grateful for the man Braden is and who he is becoming each day.  I love watching him excel in his work.  It is fun for me to know that he is always performing the best on his teams.  I love that he starts a new job and within a short amount of time is outshining people who have been there for years.  I love that his brain works in a way that makes life easier.  He has great ideas and also supports me in my great ideas.  I love that he tries so hard to make me happy and does so well with the girls.  I know I need to be better to him and not let life get me frustrated.  I love spending time with him and miss him every day when he's at work.  I'm amazed at how our relationship and love has changed, how it is so much more, so much deeper than it was when we were dating and "so in love".  And I'm excited to watch it change over the next 6 years.

Happy Anniversary, Braden.  I love you!

How Clothes Affect Me

I distinctly remember being in 6th grade wearing a cream/orange/white plaid dress to school with leggings.  I loved the dress and I thought I looked good.  But then someone teased me in the hall.  I felt my face flush, my heart race, and I was humiliated.  I went to class, but was so embarrassed, sure that everyone was looking at me and thinking the same thing.  I suddenly felt ugly.  I couldn't concentrate on anything but keeping the tears at bay.  Finally, I got up the courage to ask Mrs. Gustafson if I could go to the hall.  She understood more than I spoke and I went to call my mom.  She came and picked me up, took me home to change, and brought me back to school.  While I was still embarrassed, I felt so much better.

Silly or not, I have always felt my self-confidence affected by the clothes I wear.  If I feel ugly in what I'm wearing, it doesn't matter how anything goes that day or what anyone says.  I am going to go all day long constantly pulling, tugging, hiding because of my clothes.  I am not going to walk tall, or say the right thing or feel like a success in anything I do because I feel ugly.  Do you ever feel that way?

You may hate me by this admission, but when I was younger, my parents placed value on looking our best.  We had household chores to do that we didn't get paid for, we didn't get an allowance, or anything like that.  But what we did get was a budget for clothes.  Each month, my parents allotted $10 for every year you were old for clothes.  Just clothes.  So if I was 12, I got $120 per month for clothes.  Why?  Well, because my parents believed in modesty and they didn't want us to feel inhibited by money in order to dress modestly.  They also believed in looking our best all the time.  So wearing cheap clothes that didn't fit or flatter, or that was really worn out was not really appropriate.  Granted, by the time I was a teenager, my parents were doing much better than they were when my brothers were kids.  I doubt they had this arrangement.  Still, my sisters and I benefited from it.

However, I didn't care about clothes.  So I would never spend my money.  I'd go shopping about once every 6 months and spend $200 and be done.  Once in a blue moon, I'd go crazy and spend more, but still it was only twice a year or so.  When I was getting married, my mom suggested that I buy a bunch of clothes before my "budget" ended.  I wish I had really taken her up on that offer.  Up until the day I got married, I had never really wanted for anything.  My parents gave us a life full of responsibilities, work, opportunity, and also supplied all our needs.  I am so grateful for that and hope to do the same for my kids.

But I never knew want.  I guess I should say, I never knew NEED.  Then I got married.  Up to that point, if a pair of pants ripped, I bought a new one.  If my swimming suit didn't flatter me anymore, I bought a new one.  If I suddenly HATED that shirt, I bought a new one.  Now, if my pants ripped, I learned to patch them.  If my swimming suit didn't flatter me, I covered it up with a tank top or t-shirt.  Or I made a skirt to go with it.  If I suddenly hated that shirt, I kept wearing it...or left it in my closet day after day still hating it. 

For some reason, if Braden needs clothes, we buy it, no question.  And we buy new.  Afterall, he needs it for work.  But for me, my wardrobe has not been a priority.  Unfortunately, my body changes every 18 months or so and I never have things that look good on me.  So day after day, I hate getting dressed.  Slowly, I learned how to accept second hand clothes and love them.  It started with clothes for my girls and then maternity clothes that were leant to me.  Over time, I found that if I was miraculously given $50 for clothes, I needed to make it stretch as far as I could.  I needed to buy a years' supply of clothes with that $50. 

I started shopping at Ross.  But, come on.  Ross is cheap clothes, both in price and quality.  So I could buy 6 shirts, 4 pairs of pants, and 2 skirts with that $50, but within 6 months they were either stretched out, faded, or holey.  What's the point of spending money on cheap things?  Still, I couldn't justify spending $50 on a pair of pants and one shirt either.  I needed clothes, and a lot of them to replace last year's worn out wardrobe.A few months ago, I started making my own shirts. It was a work in progress and for a bit there, I had a real passion about it. And I loved what I made. But then I stopped nursing and something weird happened to my body. I immediately gained 5 pounds...within a week. And no matter what I do, its not budging.  It is so not fair.

So suddenly all the shirts I made don't look as good. I have 4 shirts that fit well, and I rotate them day after day. When I was younger, I never dreamed I'd have this problem. I guess because I never had this problem when I was young. I'm grateful for the struggle. I'm grateful for how little we have had because it has taught me so much.  I learned how to sew, how to patch, how to upcycle clothes, how to mend and darn to make things last longer, how to modify and take things in that didn't quite fit right.  I learned how to be content with what I had and just make it do.  Make it do or do without, right?

For a while, I wore one pair of jeans every day because that's all that fit.  I wore those jeans until I had patched the crotch 3 times, patched the knees 2 times, patched the thigh twice, and finally cut them into capris.  Once I wore out the capris, I put them in the mending pile to be turned into a jean quilt someday.  And that was about 2 weeks ago. 

My BFF Jill taught me the joys of shopping at Goodwill.  Whereas I used to only have one pair of jeans, I now have 4 that fit.  And the others, I've learned how to adjust so they fit too.  I've learned that I can spend my $50 on high quality clothes and get more of them by shopping at thrift stores than at Ross and I'm going to be so much happier with it.

Last week, I was in Utah and decided to stop by Provo's Deseret Industries.  When I was in college, I shopped there for gag things...like halloween costumes.  But never for real clothes.  I donated all my clothes there, but never shopped.  To me, DI was dirty.  And everything was from the 80's.  I have a new perspective now.  I thought about it and realized that DI in Provo has the luxury of BYU students donating their clothes.  Most of those students dress modestly and most would probably be my body type and style.  Plus, DI's clothes are WAY cheaper than Goodwill's.  So Kerri and I made a mad dash there and pulled 60-80 things off the shelves, ran into a dressing room and started throwing things on.

In the end, I walked away with one dress for Keara, and one skirt and 14 shirts and sweaters for me.  Most of them are from Aeropostale or similar places, are in good condition, and were $2-$4 each.  Love.  I spent $50.  And I feel beautiful. 

As silly as it may be, clothes matter to me.  I still need Sunday clothes, but for the other 7 days of the week, for the first time in the last six years (tomorrow), I feel satisfied with my wardrobe.

Happy Anniversary, Braden.  This year, I will not ask for clothes.

I am SO Good at Setting Goals...

...reaching them, however, is another matter.  So here's the deal.  I've been thinking a lot about my sugar goal.  Or lack thereof.  See, I believe in moderation in all things.  Lately, my sugar consumption had gotten imbalanced and I knew I needed an overhaul.  So I set a really lofty goal, which I pretty much knew I couldn't keep.  But in doing so, I found myself much more conscious about what I WAS eating and how much of it I was consuming.  Therefore, my sugar consumption dropped considerably.  I've thrown caution to the wind and now will have the motto of moderation in all things.

Which leads me to my next goal.  See, I figure that whenever we have to approach the same topic multiple times, it indicates a need for improvement in our lives...more like a lifestyle change.  But I don't believe diets really work.  If you just diet or withhold a certain food group, you will inevitably rebound because you didn't change your habits, just what you were eating.  As soon as a goal is reached, and the forbidden fruit reintroduced, your old ways become your new ways again.

Anyway, moderation in all things.  Here's my current problem.  My menu for this month reads:

• Chicken Cobb Salad
• Teriyaki Chicken
• BBQ Meatball Sandwiches
• Pot Roast Dinner
• Crepes
• Moroccan Chicken
• Taco Soup
• Sweet Pork Burritos
• Spicy Honey Chicken Salad
• Yellow Chicken Curry
• White Chicken Chili
• BBQ Chicken and rice
• Egg Skillet
• Orange Chicken and rice
• Baked Potato Bar
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Sausage Egg Breakfast Bake
• Sweet and Sour Chicken
• Spicy Chicken Sandwich
• Grilled Quesadillas
• Chicken, Bacon, and Bowtie Pasta
• Green Chile Beef Burritos
• Chicken and Broccoli Casserole
• Steak Fajitas
• Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
• Creamy Baked Tortellini
• Mary's Hamburger Casserole
• Taco Salad
• Chicken and Broccoli Fettucine Alfredo
• Chicken Cordon Bleu
• Green Chile Beef and Potato Burritos
• Bakes Chicken and Bacon Alfredo
• Beef, Beans, and Potatoes Casserole
• Three Cheese Stuffed Manicotti

Why do I share this with you?  Take a look.  Out of the 34 meals listed, only 5 do not contain meat.  Considering that we almost always have leftovers the next day for lunch, that means that out of 68 meals, only 10 will be meatless.  That's a problem.  Moderation in all things does NOT mean eating meat 85% of the time.  While I do not believe that our religious doctrine encourages vegetarianism in any way, I also don't believe that we should be consuming this much meat.  Eat meat sparingly, not in rabid abundance.

Now, here's my second problem.  We don't eat this much meat because we WANT to, so much as I simply don't have many recipes that DON'T call for meat.  We can only eat pasta so much!  I get so sick of italian.  I search online for meatless recipes and either I get wimpy meals (like my favorite Tomato and Cheese Fondue which seems so inadequate) or I get all veggies (which we like to a degree, but not in that much abundance) or I get meals loaded with cheese or other not as good for you things.  Or, I know the alternative is rice and beans for every meal, but coming from the land of mexican cooking, rice and beans are a PART of a meal, not the entire thing. 

So what do I do?  I set a lofty goal.  My goal is to reduce our meat consumption by at least 50%.  I would like to see us eating meat only 3 times a week, having 4 meals meatless, for a month.  But I can't do that without ideas and recipes.  Could you help me?  I know I've asked for favors in the past, and many of you have been hugely helpful!  But I don't want to bother you.  However, if it is easy and you have a favorite recipe or two (or ten) to share, I'd love it.  I want to learn to like things like quinoa and tofu more, too. 

For tonight, we had pasta primavera with a little spin on the usual.  It was fantastic.

PASTA PRIMAVERA

1 box pasta (spirals, manicotti, penne, etc.)
Fresh Green Beans, in 2 inch pieces
Red bell pepper, in 2 inch pieces
Any addtional veggies as desired (squash, asparagus, etc.)
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Garlic salt/powder
Dried Basil
Oregano
1/4 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbs fresh basil, chopped (add more if you have it!)
Tomato, diced

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cook pasta according to directions until al dente; drain and set aside.  Meanwhile, spread beans and peppers (and other veggies) onto cookie sheet lined with foil.  Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt, garlic salt, basil, and oregano.  Roast in oven for 15 minutes.  Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and onion.  Saute until translucent.  Add parsley, basil, and tomatoes.  Reduce slightly.  Add salt and pepper, garlic salt, dried basil and oregano to taste.  Add pasta and stir to coat.  Remove veggies and add to pasta.  Serve.  Top with parmesan cheese, if desired.

One day down, 29 to go.

HELP!

Ever have a movie in your mind but you don't know what its called, when you saw it, who was in it, or what it was about?  And it drives you crazy!!?!?

I need help.  Here's all I've got:

A guy (or girl?) is maybe sentenced to do community service (?) in a hospital/convalescent home/retirement home against their will.  They put up a huge stink about it.  But along the way, they make friends, start changing the atmosphere at the place.  There's a scene where they have a Christmas party with some of the staff and patients in their little rented "home" and another scene where they have to take the hospital's car to go...somewhere.  There's a scene at the beginning where the person is supposed to help take care of an old man by changing his diaper and he/she refuses to do it.  But as it goes along, he/she learns to care about the patients and does it willingly. 

Does any of this ring a bell with you?  Do you know what this movie is called?