Consecutive Good Mail!

What a great day. Good mail two days in a row. This one was completely unexpected from Jill- I guess our packages overlapped in the postal sytem! How did you know that these rice cakes are one of my favorite non-guilty treats? (Again, thanks for thinking of the dieter! I'm still on my 30-day plan :) Those alphabet cards are way too cute! I've never seen them before! Everything in there was perfect. I was slightly alarmed when at first I saw that it was packaged in a corn dog box. Then I came to my senses as I realized that a) Corndogs wouldn't keep in the mail and more importantly, b) Jill would never send me corn dogs! I had to take a picture of the box because I loved Whitney's mark on it. :) Thanks Jill! Reciprocity abounds again, and from the one who taught us all about good mail and it's virtues.
In other news, I had my last personal training session with Enoc today. I'm actually disappointed. There is real benefit from meeting with him as opposed to any other sessions I've had at other gyms in the past. If we could ever afford it, I would definitely spend money on more sessions. Even through my rock eating habits as of late, I still saw results. He got out the old calipers and tape measure again, and I was more excited for it this time than I was the first. According to his evil scale, I didn't lose any weight in the last month, but according to mine, I lost 2 pounds. (Even with a trip to Denver- a veritable den of iniquity where delicious diet havoc-wrecking delights abound!) But even better- I (supposedly) lost 2 inches off of my hips and waist and chest and 1 1/2 inches off my thighs (halleluah!) and 1 inch from my neck. It's kind of hard to believe, because I don't see that much change, but hey- the tape measure doesn't lie, and for once, it's on my side. And besides, he's a trained professional. And besides again, I would have been a little peeved if I hadn't seen those results, because the stuff he made me do is hard! Way harder than anything I ever do on my own. (again, another plus of having a trainer there to discipline you. I will call him The Enforcer from now on. He's a physical fitness villain/superhero.) I was quite impressed and did enough back-patting for all of us. In other words, no need to do so, I just wanted to share my glee. Now if I can only keep up with it now that I don't have scheduled meetings with him...

Good Mail Return

So between Friday and Saturday of last week I sent out a total of 12 cards and 8 packages. It felt great. One of the things I love about sending good mail is the anticipation of it getting there. I love the excitement of anticipating when the item will be received and imagining the intended happiness it will incite. I love the surprise of it, and thinking of the recipient as I prepare the item and wait for it's arrival. That's really all the thanks or return that is needed as far as I am concerned with good mail. But the wonderful thing about it, is that is rarely all I receive.

For instance, yesterday I dropped a small goodie off at Diana's house. (She lives in my ward, actually just several yards away, so I did a personal drop-off.) And tonight, she dropped this lovely "Get Lost Starter Kit" off at my house. What quick turn around! I think that is the fastest good mail turn around I have yet to see. It was within about 12 hours. She noted that I made a comment on her blog about wishing I would have gotten into Lost, but that now it seems a little late. (As if I need more tv shows to watch...) So she lent me her Season 1, and provided for some snacking while watching. (A necessity.) I admit that at first when I saw that the bag contained snacks, I was alarmed. I was afraid of what tempting diet-wrecking delights were inside. Instead, what a pleasant surprise- delights that are not diet-wrecking! It's one thing to consider my diet and provide snacks that won't wreck that, but to also make sure that they are tasty- How wonderful! I love Kettle Corn and I am excited to try the flavored water.
Good mail is a great thing. Thanks Diana. :)

Memorial Day

Today has been a great day. First of all, Timm actually took the day off- From both of his jobs, and he had no classes! This is practically unheard of! He was home all day yesterday and today! This is what normal families must feel like- two consecutive days together! I loved it. Timm and I never spend so much time together. Last night we took Mark and Robin's advice and had a camp out in the living room. We moved the furniture out of the way, laid a bunch of blankets down and watched a couple of movies. We slept down there too. It was so great because the little time that time and I have to spend together is usually with Bella in tow. I loved feeling like we were reconnecting as a couple. We need to find more time and things to do with each other.
Then today we worked on our yard, had lunch and dinner together, and went to Lola's grave.
I'm thankful because both my mom and Michelle thought to take flowers to her grave today. (My mom had to do it by proxy since she is in Philly.) Timm and I went and brought some flowers too, although they are nothing like my mom would have done had she been here. We did the best we could without her. When we were there I realized that Bella hadn't been there since last Memorial Day, right after she was born. I have a complex about this- I hardly ever go to Lola's grave except on special occasions like today, or her birthday. In general I feel okay about this since I don't really attach her grave to her, you know? I know that's not really her, and I think about her all the time. I try to do well by her, I just don't feel the need to go there very often. But occasionally I feel guilty about this, like I should go more often than I do. I don't know why- apparently I just like to invent things to stress or feel guilty over.

Getting Picky!

Feeding time for Bella has just gotten more complicated. Now that she's one, we are introducing more 'table food' and less 'baby food.' She has always been an impeccable eater. Remember when I boasted that the only food she had ever denied was tofu? (for good reason if you ask me!) Well apparently that is still mostly true if you offer her food on a spoon or a fork. However finger food is a different story. She used to regularly eat almost an entire cup of peas as an appetizer before her actual dinner. Now she has developed the annoying habit of eating a couple, then wildly thrashing her arms in an attempt to rid her highchair of the unwanted food-thus, resulting in food all over the floor, wasted, and sticking to the linoleum.
I don't know what to do- I can see now how kids could spiral into bad eating habits because of their parents attempt to simply get them to eat. I tried several finger foods on many of your suggestions.

• Eggo waffles: nay.
• Hotdogs: nay.
• Toast: nay.
• Corn: sometimes.
• Peas: sometimes.
• Teddy Grahams: yay.
• String Cheese: almost always.
• Cheerios: usually.
• Cereal Bars: sometimes.
• Goldfish crackers: usually.
• Custard-style yogurt: yay.

I don't know what to do. It is a lot easier if I just continue giving her jars of baby food and rice cereal everyday. She will eat that as long as I feed it to her. I don't want her to get in the delicious habit of eating only simple carbs like crackers and the like. She used to eat so much! The doctor recommended that she get at least 4 bottles a day, and even up to 8 since she is so small, in addition to 3 meals a day. (I am weaning her now.) Ha! She might drink one bottle throughout the whole day. Oh well. Today for lunch she had half of a peanut butter and honey sandwich for the first time and loved it! (Who wouldn't?) She also had string cheese, Cheerios, and some corn.

What do I feed my child?

BTW: at her one-year check she weighed in at a whopping 17 pounds, 1 1/2 ounces! She's actually gone up in the percentiles, but isn't quite on the charts yet. She is in the 10th percentile for height, and nearly 50th for head-size. Oh good. Perfect proportions.

Habit-Forming

One of my grievances is that I have a hard time maintaining any kind of consistency or balance with anything lately. (Well, my life-long mission is seeking balance, the consistency thing is a problem of late.) I have been doing this dieting thing for going on a year. (I started when Bella was a couple of months old. ) Now I realize that I have made much progress, but I'm not where I want to be yet in terms of my day-to-day habits, my health and fitness, and my appearance. I hate that if I get off track (which I do very easily lately) I feel like I am starting over every time. That makes for a lot of starting over. It's so much easier if I can just stick with it and gain momentum. That's hard to remember however, when Nemesis cookies are calling.
I'm trying to have a good perspective on my health and looking at it as a life-long journey and not just a destination. I want to get in really good shape and develop good habits so that when it comes time to get pregnant again (not for quite some time!) I don't have to take 2 years out of my life getting too fat and then trying to lose it all again. And again.
Lately I have heard from a couple different sources that the minimum time it takes to develop a new habit or break an old one is 30 days. (I've also heard much longer estimates, but the 30 days is much more to my liking.) Coincidentally, it is also almost exactly 30 days to when we go to Charleston, by which time I wanted to lose 10 pounds. (ha!) So I thought, What perfect timing?! I have a goal that I enlisted my mom in: We are going to be strict with our points for 30 days. Sadly, in the whole time I've been dieting, I don't think I've ever gone 30 consecutive days without cheating or going over my points. Until now. It will help gain momentum that I need and push through this plateau I've been at for about 7 months.
***So I ask you- what habit will you make or break in the next 30 days?***

I wish...

I didn't like sweets and all things fattening so much
I didn't bite my cuticles
I were more even-tempered
I had more self-control
Our lawn was filled in
I didn't need so much sleep
I could afford to buy people things they would like
Teachers weren't so poorly compensated
There were more hours in the day
Cookies made you thin
I didn't take blurry pictures
My parents lived nearby
I had a personal chef
I were naturally thin
I helped people more
I enjoyed vegetables more than junk
All of my family lived nearby
I enjoyed exercise more
I didn't dread talking to my brother
Pregnancy didn't make you fat
It would never get above 75 degrees
Bella would always be so sweet
I didn't like to sleep so much
All of you would tell me what you wish...

Moderately Extreme Lifestyle Makeover

I am planning some changes in my daily routine. First of all, I need to exercise more. I am aiming to go 5 times a week, and in order to do this, I need to get up at 5:30 am each weekday. I am going to sleep by 10 in order to make this remotely possible. I need to finally shed the last 10 pounds that I have been working on, in vain, for about the last 6 months. My goal: to lose it by the time we go to Charleston, SC in about a month. This is slightly ridiculous since I've been trying to do just this for 6 months, and now I think I can do it in 4 weeks. I think my problem is that I'm placated with mediocrity. I'm below my pre-pregnancy weight, and I'm not really fat anymore so even though I'm not really where I want to be, I am satisfied enough to not try very hard. Does that make sense? Apparently I am okay with not being "so fat". (Family joke- my aunt Patricia once replied that her son was "not SO fat" when we simply asked how he was doing. Hmm.) I wonder how much I let myself get by with this in my life- just getting by because I'm doing okay. I'm not really doing badly, nor doing really well, but being satisfied with mediocrity, I go merrily along my way.
Hence the need for my second moderately extreme lifestyle change: Timm and I are going to have prayers and scriptures together each morning before he leaves for work at 7:30. WE used to do this together at night before bed, but that plan had several pitfalls. Firstly, we are usually so tired or lazy that we don't feel like it and often don't finish a chapter. More often that than, Timm comes home from work once I am already asleep, and we end up skipping it altogether. Not good. So after visiting Denise (dpw) last week, I was inspired to do it in the morning. She has a busy family life, and they get together to do it at 6:30 each morning. I figured if they can do it with their hectic lives, so can we. This requires some cooperation from Timm to carve out s few minutes in his morning routine, but I think it will be good for us as a family, and a great start to our days.
In keeping with that change, I have another goal that will consequently help bring the Spirit into our home more, and make me less of a slothful drone. I am making a concerted effort to watch less tv. I admit it, I am addicted to tv. I have it on almost the entire day. (Correction- I used to have in on the entire day.) I am not necessarily watching it, I just have ti on for company. And there are also several things I enjoy watching. It is a huge problem for productivity, lethargy, and stupidity (especially if Lifetime is involved) and I am becoming ever more aware as Bella begins to get older. I really don't want my kids to be the couch-potato type as I am, so I know I need to find alternatives. Plus it's only so long before Bella will be able to recite what she heard on Oprah, and unless it's one of her Favorite Things shows, that can't be a good thing. So today I had it on very little, and instead I listened to one of Sheri L. Dew's talks on cd while I cleaned, Norah Jones, the Primary Hymns on cd, and even tried- *gasp!* silence for a while. I know when I have more kids I will long for days of silence, but for now I like the company during the day.
So far these changes have been met with, well, moderate success. I went to the gym early yesterday morning. Today I opted to stay in bed- although Bella still woke me up at 6:30.
Yesterday and today Timm and I had prayers and scriptures in the morning.
Yesterday and today I watched considerably less tv.
BTW, I happened across a hilarious blog a couple of days ago, and have gone through and read a lot of her stuff. It is definitely worth looking at. I make no guarantees however- I am fairly positive I do not agree with the girl politically, but she is really witty and interesting! Check it out!

Invitation

This is your official invitation to attend the crop to benefit Lola's Legacy!! I would love anyone reading this to attend, and to bring any and all friends with you! I really need the manpower to be able to get all 120 albums made that day. They are really simple, and are going to be compiled into kits so that anyone make them. Everything will be precut and ready. Basically all that needs to be done is adhere it all together and staple some ribbon on! Please consider attending and bringing a friend to benefit those who need your comfort! Please leave a comment and let me know if you will be able to come. I need a rough head count for the food. This is in no means a contract, but keep in mind, I am the badger. I may harass you to come if you say you will, and badger you into saying you will come even if you think you can't. (Mostly I'm kidding.)

Mocking my Husband in an "I-Love-You Good Natured" sort of way

Everyone I know enjoys a random post, so here are a few tidbits at my husband's expense. (I love you Timm!) Just a few musings at the male nature...

• Timm calls for me because he can't find Bella's rice cereal. I told him it should be on the counter, out. He insists that it is not, he can't find it anywhere. I come into the kitchen, and it is the first thing I see. Completely unobstructed, in plain sight, on the counter where I said it would be, without anything even near it! What is wrong with men? It's a fairly large box! It didn't even have an invisibility cloak over it...
• Yesterday Timm was playing with Bella (which he is great at) and put a toy with a suction cup on it on his forehead. Apparently the consequences of this action did not occur to him, as he still has a nickel-sized hickey-mark squarely on his forehead. I laugh every time I look at him.
• Yesterday Timm also stepped on a nail. Don't get me wrong, I do feel sorry for him. I am even helping him nurse it, bought him some Epsom salts to soak in, and urged him to go to the InstaCare for a tetanus shot and some antibiotics. I just don't quite understand how that happens, never having done it myself. Is the nail just sitting on the ground, upright, with the point sticking up? How do you manage to step on it- are you stepping really high like on a Monty Python skit of funny walks? Ouch. I'm sorry but I'm just trying to visualize. Either his foot really hurts, or he is embarrassed about his forehead hickey because I had to go to church without him and wrangle Bella the whole time. (I do consistently mock him about the mark on his forehead.)

Happy Birthday Bella!

"Go Bella, Go Bella! We gonna party- like it's your birthday!"

Trying something new with this post... Hopefully it works and doesn't end up looking 'migrainous'. I need to review with Jill or Shell how to customize the color of my blog- and as soon as I get a chance, I'm going to make a banner. Or try.
Here are Bella's birthday wrapup photos. Overall I would say it was a great

success. I made cupcakes and frosted them green, with a daisy on each one. Overall I'm not a huge fan of Shasta daisies, but I think they turned out pretty cute. Bella enjoyed eating her cupcake, and the picture of her smiling is when she opened her little 4-key Little Tykes piano. I went to Toys R Us to get her a couple more things yesterday, and that was not on the list. However, when she saw it she was so elated we ended up buying it. She would not put it down and was so happily plunking on the keys, that what choice did I really have? When she was openening presents today she hit the keys through the wrapping paper and got that same huge grin on her face. Int he picture of she and I she is still happily playing with it. Priceless. Definately a hit! By the way, nobody told me that apparently I had on 'harlot makeup'! The lighting must have been bad when I did my makeup, because when I reveiwed the pictures this afternoon, there was some seriously bad blush going on. I apologize for the mistake- it was just a that, an unfortunate mistake. Bad lighting...harlot makeup unintended.

We put Eva and Bella back-back in the baby swing. They didn't seem to mind- Bella was oblivious, and they sure fit a lot better. Good thing they're both so small!

Happy Birthday Bella!!!! Thank you to all who wished her well today. She is so loved.

Birthday Preparations

P.S. (PRE-script) Okay people, I know I went almost a week without posting, but I was on vacation. I'm back now! Give a girl a break! Either you're not commenting because you got out of the habit of checking my blog since you were dissapointed so many days in a row, OR you're making me do some sort of comment-pennance for not blogging more. Either way, I get it! I'm back in the groove! I will try not to dissapoint you (much) more in the future. Please comment again.
{That was my attempt to badger the blogging community into making me feel loved over the internet again.}
This is Bella during her dinner tonight. She's been really funny lately- We discovered last week that she suffers from allergies, so we've been giving her Zyrtec, which seems to help immensely. Then yesterday she had two inexplicable projectile vomiting incidents, over and over. She seemed fine despite that however, and still slept really well. Today she didn't wake up until 8am, then took a 5 hour nap in the middle of the day instead of her usual (2) 2 hour naps. Crazy. She hasn't had much of an appetite all day, which is very unusual for her, but no vomiting. Hopefully she is hungry for her birthday cupcake tomorrow!


I'm feeling a little stressed over the money I have spent on Bella's birthday. Despite the gifts my parents gave her and the money they generously donated, I still spent too much. I couldn't resist buying color-coordinated cute paper ware, wrapping paper, balloons, the works. It really is still a small birthday party, but I just wanted to make it special. I always have guilt and anxiety over spending money since we have none. So much for following Michelle's example of a $7 birthday! Tonight I am making the cupcakes, and I'm using a good yellow cake mix of my grandma's. (Every recipe of my grandma's is good. She's a domestic goddess, even though she is 'aged'.) I made the first batch, and over filled the cups grotesquely. I am going to pause and make a poster for Lola's Legacy and move on to round 2 of the cupcakes. The following is a journal entry I made for Bella about her birthday. It should help explain why I felt compelled to spend for her birthday! (Pictures to follow tomorrow.)
"There was a part of me that thought this day would never come. (at times many parts of me…) When your sister Lola died, you were only a hope, a dream, something to hold onto. When you were finally born it seemed I waited every day for something to happen to you, for you to stop breathing. My reality as a new mother was different than most. I planned what I would wear to your funeral, what I would dress you in, who I would invite, and the hymns we would sing. But that day never came, and I have come to believe that it will probably not come while I am living. I am still not terribly comfortable with life, in the sense that I know of its frailties. I know that nothing is assured and that Heavenly Father could take you at any time. But that is also why I do not fret about it. There is no point in fighting against the inevitable. Heavenly Father gives us what we are able to handle, and he gives us the strength to bear the burdens he gives us. (parable of the ticket from the Hiding Place.) I joy in each day that you are here with me- your perfect spirit, laughter, happiness, and love, a gift to my life each day. I have the best of both worlds- an angel in Heaven who inspires me to live my best life, and here on earth, my darling baby girl who reminds me why I am here- to care for you, to love you, to live my best life.
Happy Birthday, my darling little Bella. Thank you for saving me, and bringing so much joy back into our lives. You make us proud, and I’m sure your sister would agree."

Charity Mail

When I got home from my trip, along with several magazines and bills waiting for me were 2 items of very good mail! The first is from Hannah, even though it was my 'turn' a while ago to reciprocate from the good mail that Bella got. )I've been too poor and busy for good mail lately- that's my excuse anyway...) She sent me 2 wildflower seed packets with some gardening gloves (of course I don't have any!) and a cute card. (You can still make cute cards Hannah, so keep it up! I need your help and advice as to planting those flowers however... Maybe when I see you tomorrow you can give me some pointers!)

The second is from Lara, who I never made the connection with her blog, since she doesn't use her name on her blog! She is Kristi's friend from Texas, and emailed me a little while ago saying she wanted to help with Lola's Legacy. I told her that I still needed ribbon, and she sent me this wonderful package! She sent 12 spools of ribbon and 6 cards of Making Memories metal charms! She was even thoughtful enough to include the receipt in case I wanted to exchange any of them so they would coordinate! I used the ribbon last night to make a demo-album and it turned out so cute! Thank you so much Lara- I am indebted to you.

I have been so touched by the generosity of those I have approached about Lola'a Legacy, and even more touched by those who donated even though they were not approached. They simply saw a need, and filled it as they could. Lara sent me this beautiful package even though I have never even met her. My dad sent me $100, with which I was able to buy all of the adhesive at cost, and several ink pads. Robin and Jenn bought some of my scrap supplies, even though they could have bought the same things at Roberts using a coupon! This project would never be possible if not for everyone's generous contributions. It is coming together quite nicely. Thank you, Thank you, one and all.

Home, Bittersweet Home.

That's how I feel about now. We returned from Denver yesterday afternoon at about 3 pm, and I've been kinda down since then. Luckily I am really busy the next couple of days so it will help keep my mind off of it, but I am still missing the love and friendship and comfortable associations of my family nearby. Like Michelle has already said, I wish we could all form a compound and live together. There is no other company I enjoy more, no one I love to laugh with, talk with, and rejoice with as much as my family. I would have it no other way, even though we live far from one another. It was my parents, my grandparents, and my aunt Denise's family, along with Timm, Bella, Michelle, and Eva- my favorite people on this earth! It is such a grand experience and blessing to be so inspired, loved, improved, uplifted, and bettered by your family. We had 4 generations converged together, and I love each one of my family members so. It feels good to be home and back to my quiet routine, but even though I was constantly shushing people at Denise's, I miss the commotion and bustle of having loved ones nearby. I will update more later, but I have a ton to do for Lola's Legacy and Bella's birthday in the next 2 days. Until then, I am just so grateful to count my family as my best friends and examples. I look forward to the day we can all meet in the Celestial Kingdom and live together forever- I need to keep this goal in mind to do my best!

Bella's Latest

I took these pictures of Bella yesterday in the cutest shirt that our cousin Ashley gave her when she was born. Her shirt is 0-6 months, and her capris are 3-6 months. The shirt is such a cute little halter top from a company called Janie and Jack. I had to take a picture of her back to show how cute it is. In these pictures she is enjoying her favorite past time of going through my diaper bag. (not my favorite past time.) Incidentally, her latest thing is immitating fake laughter. Whenever she hears laughter, whether it be real, or fake laughter aimed at her immitation, she happily obliges. It's pretty funny :)
Timm, Bella, Michelle, Eva, and my mom and dad and I are all converging in Denver tomorrow to celebrate Mother's Day and my dad's 60th Birthday. (Denver is where my aunt Denise's, or "dpw" family lives as well as my grandparents. I will try to keep up on the blogging since Denise has cable internet. Here's to only an hour flight with 2 babies! Here here!

I am From...

This was a fun excercise that i got from Jill's blog. Michelle and Kristi have also written one- try it out!

I am from Boncha tea, from clean, but worn and wadded Kleenex from grandma’s pocket .

I am from grandma’s creaky floors I walk in my dreams, from a Christmas tree in nearly every room, and having to hang posters in my closet only.

I am from the wide plots of soybeans and touring wheat fields.

I am from the 12 Days of Christmas and wrapping caramels. I am from intensity, from Charlotte Jane, Jessie Kaziah, Taylors and Hardys.

I am from the overwhelming generosity, and those who have had ‘too many brownies’.

From “to me you’re not” and “it’s not so hard to repent.”

I am from countless second-chances, rebirth and recovery. From a Savior who has suffered all that I have and more so that I can be healed from my own mistakes. From a family I will love and live with forever.

I am from Denver- a city on the edge of the plains, Pioneer stock, Limpa Rye bread, White Mountain cake, and Catawba on special occasions.

From the horror and mourning of the ‘dead-red rag’, the sad and tender stroking of a deer dying on the side of the road, wrapping too many presents on Christmas Eve, and a cake with whole almonds intended for an infant.

I am from putting my name on my grandma’s things, boxes of photographs unearthed by greedy, fumbling hands, hoarding collections of things I will never have room enough to inherit, and documenting my life in a more organized fashion so that one day, if I can give them up, my children will inherit my memories.

Nemesis

These are the cookies. These are the cookies that turn me from an otherwise sensible eater into a sugar high delirium spiraling into a rampage of cookie consumption. Okay, that may be slightly dramatized, but not much. I have made them twice already this week. That means that for at least 3 or 4 days my diet has been largely comprised of these cookies. They are my nemesis. As far as I am concerned, their best attribute is also their worst: They are only 1 point each. This is great for a diet treat, unless you eat all 36 in a short period of time, as I do. I don't think I would be as tempted to eat so many of them if they were say, 5 points each. (Although I wouldn't quote me on that...) It's easy to eat so many when they are so 'point-worthy'. (Again, a couple may be 'point-worthy', I don't think all 36 can make that same claim-) Another great thing about them- they are so easy! Just so all of you can join in my cookie-eating craze, I am going to give you the secret formula. Okay, it's not really secret, Michelle told me. Apparently she doesn't have the same self-control issues, as I don't believe she has ever confessed to eating them all in a day. Here it is, but follow at your own risk: You may develop a nemesis, as I have. The adversary comes in many forms.
Mix 1 box of Spice Cake Mix with approximately 14 oz. canned Pumpkin. (Not Pumpkin Pie mix, just straight pumpkin.) it works best if you use a mixer instead of doing it by hand. Mix in 3/4 cup chocolate chips. (I was tempted to use a whole cup, but it's really not necessary, I swear.) Drop level Tablespoons and bake at 350. I bake mine for 13 minutes, but I think Shell said 9, so somewhere between them. I have a little ice cream scoop type- cookie scooper that I *love*! It drops them in even T measurements so I truly get 36 cookies each time, plus ample licking of the bowl and spoon. Yum.
note: In my family we hardly *ever* use a mix for anything, but I make an exception in this case. It's worth it. Also, I'm not typically a huge fan of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies, but oh boy. These are different.
Another note: In an attempt to curb my snacking I initially put these in the freezer, thinking at least it would take some thought into eating them. I'd have to make sure I was really hungry for one, wait for it to thaw etc. (I have used this tactic many times...) But apparently I like them even more frozen so it didn't work. It never works. I don't know why I keep trying it.

5-toed Sloth

I went to the gym again this morning, and my trainer showed up this time. I'm finding a little problem with going to the gym lately- (besides the initial agony of waking up at 5:45 am)I find that I pat myself on the back so much for going, that I end of giving myself license for all kinds of laziness and indulgence for the rest of the day. I feel like because I disciplined myself to get up early and work out, that I am entitled to forego all other discipline for the rest of the day. (sometimes extending beyond that day as well.)I am entitled to sleep during Bella's nap and eat cookies all day. I deserve it. I worked hard today. You see the dilemma here- I'm not going to get anywhere this way! I need to put the pieces together. Eat well and excerise! That's not so foreign! You wouldn't know it to watch me though. I act like I deserve a medal for working out, even though the real reward is just in the results I will see if I just perservere and not wreck it with my slothfulness the rest of the day! I'm such a weirdo. We did more killer ab work today, so I will probably be in pain for several days, doubtlessly leading to more cookie consumption for compensation. *sigh*
And I'm constantly cold lately- What's up with that? That's not me- I'm a hot-head, perpetually hot to an uncomfortable and embarrassing degree. Right now I am bundled up in socks and a sweatshirt, wishing I had on thermals. The only explanation I can think of is that I don't eat enough protein. I read somewhere that could be a culprit. It's definitely not a lack of fat insulation.

Bella's Birthday Album

It's been a little while since I posted anything creative, and even though Jill said that I was granted tenure with my 'Creative Genious' status, I still worry about being demoted. So in the interest of keeping my title so graciously given to me by Jill, I am posting my latest project. Rather than try and make the appropriate comments correspond to their designated picture, which is usually a failed attempt, I will write, then post photos. You can figure out which is which and what is what. I made the goal of finishing Bella's first year album by her birthday. I started it about a month ago, and am pretty much finished. All that is left is the title page, and the pictures for this, her final month of her first year. For each month I included a calendar pages of all of her 'events', a layout with a 5x7, a layout with a montage of photos from the month, and a brief journaling summarizing her 'events' that month. SO here is a sampling of one month. (It is 8x8 by the way- in 'her colors'-and mine- pink and green.) It turned out to be ridiculously thick- 4 1/2 inches! I had to use jumbo post extenders to hold it all together. Also, please excuse the blurriness of some of them- Can anyone advise... I have a good 'eye' for photography, but the mechanics still elude me somewhat. I've got to take a class at UVSC like Jenn did! I always get blurry shots because there's not enough light indoors. I hate the flash however- I try to get more light in by opening the blinds etc. but I never have any luck! Anyone have any suggestions? It's really frustrating! Anyway- here's the album.

Discipline

Today was turning out to be not such a great day by 7 am. I (foolishly) had made an appointment with my personal trainer (that sounds deceptively affluent...) for 6 am this morning since Bella hasn't done very well at their Kids Club lately. When my alarm went off at 5:45 I was repeating this mantra of aggravation: "This is so stupid. This is insane. This is ridiculous." I had barely gotten over the pain he put me through last Thursday, and here I was waking up at a ridiculous hour to do it again. I can (barely) see carving out time to work out when I would otherwise just be watching tv in the morning (partly because I can still sometimes watch tv at the gym), but to wake up and miss an hour and a half of perfectly good sleep to work out- Now that is another sort of discipline altogether. But I did it. I weighed in, it being Monday morning, only to find that I regained the two pounds I lost last week! I weighed myself 3 times just to be sure, with the same result each time. I blame it on the Chinese. (The food, not the people, although they do tend to be obnoxiously slender.) My book club friends and I went out to P.F. Changs (my favorite!) on Saturday for Bridget's birthday, and it always seems to be bad for weigh-ins. Damn MSG. Not a good morning so far. Then I get to the gym, and I'm stretching for going on 20 minutes, waiting for Enoc, my trainer. (Only in Utah!) Yeah, so he didn't show up. It's all good because I ended up doing my cardio anyway, but I was cursing him. I dragged myself out of bed, and he couldn't even make it there. I was partly relieved though, because my paltry 35 minutes of cardio that I had time for was much easier than the grueling hour with him would have been. Don't get me wrong, he's great, but he's a masochist. Or maybe I am. Or maybe I'm just in really bad shape. All I know is that my abs killed for 4 days. It hurt to laugh, or cough, or move, or live. Then I came home and had (point-worthy) cookies for breakfast, and lunch. Discipline is hard.

For Sale!

I attribute this post to 2 good ideas from 2 different people- A few of the donations I received didn't seem quite fitting for Lola's Legacy project. Michelle suggested that I sell those items on Ebay and use the money to buy remaining neccessary items. Perfect! I mentioned this to Hannah, who then proposed that I first 'list' them here and see if anyone I know wants to buy them. So here is your first chance to buy great scrapbook items at a reduced price and donate to a great cause! I am listing the retail price if I am able to find it so that you can have an idea of what they would normally sell for. I am merely looking for a fair price, and I will send them to you. Take a look, and please link me or tell anyone you know that might be interested! Time is running out, as the crop will be in just over a month. Also, please tell everyone you know about it! I will need all the help I can get to be able to complete all the albums that day. Thanks for looking!
This is some American Crafts paper- it is way cute, but I already have all the paper I need, and it's not so babyish. This is a pack of 25 sheets. It coordinates wonderfully with the other pack of AC paper (also 25 sheets.) Perfect for card making in large quantities! (MSRP- about $15 pack)


This is a great Chatterbox album, but I'm not thrilled about the color for a baby album. Great for anything else! It's faux suede, and 8x8. (MSRP $16)

I love these embelishment packs from Chatterbox- I just want to keep all the embelishments consistent. It includes paper flowers, chipboard letters, stickers, brads etc. (MSRP $15)

This is a pack of 45 small neutral buttons. There are various grays and taupes. I have 4 packs of these. (MSRP

This is a card of 6 different gray ribbons. I have 6 cards like this. (MSRP

This is a great journaling embelishment pack in an olive/spruce color theme that includes rubons, stickers, and tags. (MSRP $13)

This is a pack of transparency quotes in a pink theme. There are 2 sheets.(MSRP $5)

This is a pack of Chatterbox ribbon in a scarlet/burgandy color theme. There are 1 1/2 yards per spool. (MSRP $7.50)

I love these rubons, and I've never seen them before! (MSRP $4)

These are transparency letters in a butter/tangerine color theme. They are patterned, as you can see, and self-adhesive. Three sheets are included.(MSRP $6)

Return of the Inconsequential Post.

I am sorry. I am sorry that a) I haven't posted in two days, and b) on my return post, I have nothing to say. I have no pictures, I have no stories. I am afraid that this post may actually detract from your bloggin experience and make you less likely to visit my site in the future. I understand completely. But in the interest of not dropping off the face of the internet, I am blogging regardless. I planned to take a picture of my latest delivery for Lola's Legacy. On Friday I got a box from Chatterbox, as well as one from American Crafts. I was looking not stale and arranged myself with all the products in a pleasing array. I was all set and had Timm poised to take the picture, and alas, my batteries were dead. I need help here- I have my new Canon Powershot IS 2S, and I love it- EXCEPT, the battery situation. When I first used the camera, the rechargeable aa batteries lasted for about 2 weeks and I was ecstatic! But ever since, when I charge them they only last for a couple of hours and it is *maddening!* I have tried charging them for short periods of time, and long periods of time, all to no avail. What am I doing wrong here, and how can I fix this?
In the mean time, I promise to try to think of better postings and pictures. I'm going to do my blogging penance now.
BTW, does anyone else think it odd that Bloggers spellcheck doesn't have 'blog' in it's dictionary?

Stale face.

I need help. I am in a beauty/makeup rut. I haven't bought new makeup in about a year, except for the quickly consumable products like foundation and mascara. The makeup I bought a year ago (or shall I say, my mom bought for me...) was still mostly basics- eyeliner etc. Every time I do my makeup, I feel stale. I feel like my face looks stale, and bland, and blah, and like everyone can tell. I feel dull, lackluster, and *stale*. So this is a lame post, but merely a plea for help. Does anyone else ever feel this way? I feel like I need a major makeover. I need new makeup, new tips, a new look. I also feel like I'm losing the skill of applying makeup. How is it that I can be getting worse? My makeup applying skills are atrophying, and I don't like the looks of where this is headed. I can see myself 10 years from now, just having given up and succumbing to what I look like naturally without the dramatic aid of hair and makeup styling. We simply can't let that happen, for the good of humanity. So please, share. What are your favorite beauty tricks, and most important, products? I need new makeup! Maybe for my birthday...

what a GREAT day!

Today was a great day! I went to the gym, finished cleaning my house, received 2 of the best mail possible, spent an obscene amount of money (for me)with Michelle at Croppin' Paradise, and actually ate dinner with my husband (that I didn't have to cook!)Whew! It doesn't get much better than that, even on your birthday! Shell and I went to CP to spend the money that we made from our mom making composition books. (Thanks for the shopping spree mom!) I got way too many cool things to showcase, but it was very exciting because they had so many cute things. They have a huge selection of Lil' Davis chipboard which is hard to find, but unfortunately they don't have the new KI paper in yet either. It's hard to come by! (Sorry to bore all you non-scrappers...) Anyway, that was great. I got a package from my mom which is always the best kind to receive. Talk about good mail! It always contains the perfect mix of things for yourself, home decor, and your child(ren), and today was no exception. It included: a super cute picture for my kitchen of an orange and yellow flower (my kitchen colors), 5 Orange and yellow tea towels that I coveted from her, a bathing suit for me, a bathing suit for Bella, a darling dress for Bella, a bud vase with fake water and pink roses (I love anything with fake water), a Rebecca Sower idea book, a "J" hook, blankets and hats made by Rita for the Bereavement Program at the hospital, and some ribbon! All just because! Thanks mom- it's perfect! (Now to try on that bathing suit...)
But the best news of all is- I got my first package of donations today!!! Bazzill delivered two boxes to me, and I am so psyched! Are you ready for this?

They sent me no less than 175 albums, 35 packs of buttons, and 34 packages of fiber!!! No kidding- I am all set with albums! This is going so amazingly, and I am so thankful, and blessed, and excited! I am still awaiting some albums and embellishments from Chatterbox, and maybe some from American Crafts. I am going to start assembling kits soon. I love Bazzill. They are my heros! Support Bazzill- they are awesome! I am at a loss for any more words, so this picture will have to do the talking. Congrats to Lola's Legacy!

Generosity

There is a lot of talk about generosity lately among our blogs, and rightfully so. Keeping with the theme, I want to share the most generous people I know, and those I learned an inkling of it from- My parents, of course. My parents have bailed me out more than I like to admit in the public forum of this blog, and probably more than is good for me, though not unappreciated. (See the unveiling of the album I made for them, 'If Not For You', in March archives)Seriously though, if not for them I would be on the streets somewhere. I owe everything I have and am to my parents. They are, as Michelle has stated, my benefactor. The most recent of their help includes paying for the down payment portion of my gym membership. They are always giving when it isn't asked of them, but they just see a need. (Unfortunately for all of us involved, there is often a need.)I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my parents, and anything generous I may ever muster to do in my life, I'm sure I owe at least in part, to them! Thanks mom and dad for everything you do in my life!

Random (as usual)

Today has been a most unproductive day. It's not that I haven't gotten anything done, it's just that I have merely scratched the surface of my to-do list, which being Monday, includes all of my cleaning. I have not done any of my cleaning. Blast! This sets me back for the whole week unless I do some crazy midnight scrambling to catch up. (Not likely) It's not like I have a very busy life, but this week I do have several things to do, not least of which is pursue Lola's Legacy. (The name I am giving to this project for now, thanks to Hannah.)
Update on Lola's Legacy: I got an email back from the woman at Bazzill asking for my address so she could send said boxes to me. Plural. That should be very fun mail to receive, and I will definitely post about it. I am still waiting to see is American Crafts in sending something or if they were just taunting me by asking for my address. I have been officially turned down by Close to My Heart, Provo Craft, and Jo Anns. I think that's it...And the latest news: Chatterbox is going to donate 5 albums and some embellishments! It's a start anyway- I don't know if I'm receiving any more albums yet, so it's a start. I'm so excited about the response I am getting from this. I will continue to update on it. Please know that if you're reading this, I fully expect to see you at the crop in June. I'm tentatively thinking Saturday June 17th. Consider this your Save the Date card.
Fun things from today:
* I went to the gym, met with the personal trainer who used calipers on me. It could have been worse. I think he gave me a back-handed compliment when he said: "Your skin is really elastic. I usually have to pull really hard to get some skin." Thanks, I think. No, on second thought, I think not.
* Possibly the calipers weren't so bad because I was still on a high from my weigh-in this morning which resulted in me losing 2 pounds! I was thrilled, but not entirely surprised since I worked hard last week.
* When I returned from the gym Bridget was leaving me a gift! I would have taken a picture to post, but my camera batteries are dead. (I really have to get a back-up set!) She gave me a thank you card, and some bottled water and Crystal Light on the go packs. I'm excited to try them out- I love Crystal Light!
* Bella is wearing some pedal-pushers she wore last September. They are size 3-6 months, and are still very big in the waist. She's got a good 2 inches to grow into them, and yes, she will be 1 year old in less than 3 weeks.
That's all for today!