Top 50 for 2012

Holy cow I can't believe 2012 is over! What the what, right?! Do you remember when we were kids and a year just dragged on forever? Now I usually can't remember which month it is. Good thing we have weather. And holidays. And.. calendars. But I digress.

With a new year already begun, it's time to continue tradition with my yearly top 50. And so, in no particular order, I give you THE LIST.

1. Downton, Season 2 (and you KNOW I'm watching 3 as it comes out. Every week.)
2. Steve finishing 3rd year (and beginning 4th year!) of med school
3. Thrift shopping (I'm so ghetto, right?) at Megathrift (I will totally miss this store.), clothes refashioning, and my first brand-new sewing machine
4. $1 strawberries at Aldi (we bought by the case)
5. The Gal-entine's Day party
6. Charlie being adorable and saying "Good Job!" about everything (so much that we made a meme)
7. Flagstaff trip with (Jamie's) Mom & Dad--Grand Canyon, cliff dwellings, and the BEST BURGER EVER at Diablo Burger.
8. Charlie's subsequent love of [hotel, and all other] elevators, and his first phrase: "Eh-day-doh BUTTON!" (elevator button)
9. Swimming lessons (for little G) and family swimtime at the Y. We love the Y.
10. Record breaking travel. This was the YEAR of travel: we were away from home for over 3 months (total) and, between the four of us, visited 11 states: NC, SC, GA, FL, VA, TX, NV, OH, CA, AZ, and UT (I'm counting our home state, too, since we actually did travel within NC). We were in CA and NV twice and AZ thrice. Steve had two away rotations and countless interviews, plus a month off at Christmastime, so when he was gone the kids and I just hopped around visiting people and then we all went back west to celebrate the holdidays. :) It was awesome, and now I am ready to just be still for a few months before we move.
11. Winning free groceries from the Harris Teeter video contest.
12. Our (me, Grace, Charlie) first March Madness brackets.
13. Car/kitchen dance parties to The Muppets soundtrack, Fun., Foster the People, One Republic, Taylor Swift, and occasionally Adele (which of course made us put our hands on each other's faces, like this...)
    
    
    
    
14. Kiddo phone calls with the Bah-pahs (Grandpas)
15. The Walton-Pearson week of fun (even though it was also kind of sad since they were moving)
16. Gracie's Co-Op Preschool Graduation and the Everybody Birthday Party (with her three besties since babyhood)
17. Gracie starting "real" preschool "at a big school like Daddy's."
18. Ikea. Love. Sorry I blogged about it. Twice. (...but know that I spared you and we went more than twice.)
19. Watching "big trucks" (construction equipment) outside our front door with Charlie
20. Driving over 1,000 miles in the weeks surrounding Christmas (PHX -> LV -> UT -> LV -> PHX)
21. Countless viewings of The Muppets (the new one, with Amy Adams), especially on road trips
22. Charlie starting nursery at church!(!!!!!!!!!)
23. Pearson Catan nights, and super nerdy Skype Catan nights when they left us for AZ
24. iPads! Steve used his urine research study money for his almost immediately, which I thought was a silly way to spend money until the iPad mini came out, at which point I promptly used my urine research study funds as well. :) Don't steal them. You can buy them, too. ...I mean, if you use your urine right.
25. Ghiradelli brownies. I feel like these will always make my list. Also, Ben & Jerry's Phish Food ice cream (hers) and Chocolate Fudge Brownie (his)
26. Visiting Suz in AZ while Steve was in Vegas. Food, shopping, and lots of joint TV watching.
27. Charlie and Gracie singing the hotdog song
28. Firehouse Subs on (some) Saturday nights (kids eat free!) and Chipotle date nights. (Maybe I should just include Chipotle, Ghiradelli brownies, and B&J as "the usuals" next year? And Ikea. I feel like this things always make my list...)
29. Gracie's art, and Charlie compliments. "I yike my (which means your) neck-ace, Mommy." "I yike yo shoes, Mommy!"
30. Jamie teaching CTR 4's--it was challegning, but also really fun.
31. "Surprise" trips to Frogurt for "Family Night" (for a while Charlie literally thought the word "surprise"meant ice cream/donuts)
32. My fantastic three-day birthday trip to date Steve in San Antonio, TX (during one of his away rotations). Seriously felt like teenagers--staying out as late as we wanted! Sleeping in! Two movies in three days! And a water park!!!
33. Steve's (first) match day, when he got a civilian deferment from the military! (We're excited, because it means we can maybe be back on the western side of the country soon!!)
34. Kiddo play. They are really friends now. Charlie play-cooking, Gracie playing Super Why with her cape on, everybody closed in the closet with a flashlight laughing (sometimes Caden, our babysit-ee, too), and Grace parenting her elephant, Ellie-Brons, and her Snow White doll, Baby.
35. Visits to family! We were seriously so lucky this year. We got to see my parents twice (Flagstaff and at home), and Steve's parents twice and brother Eric (at their house in June for the kids and I, and in Utah for Christmas, along with the other Waltons).
36. The Olympics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
37. Good books. (My favs this year were Kate Morton's The Secret Keeper, Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, and Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos.)
38. Eating at Richard Blaise's restaurant, Flip Burger!!! (He is one of our all-time fav Top Chef contestants.)
39. Atlanta! (Hotlanta. That town is whack.) Food, aquarium time, a Braves game (the kids' first b-ball game ever), and lots of Olympics-watching in our hotel room.
40. Blueberry picking
41. Visiting Steve for 10 days in Las Vegas! The kids loved the hotel (and so did I), swimming, the m&m store, and seeing Daddy after a long separation. And I loved a date night to "O", my new fav Cirque du Soleil show
42. TV. Maybe I shouldn't like it so much. But we do. We love watching full seasons of stuff on Netflix and getting Top Chef on iTunes. Maybe because we can cuddle up with a blanket, too. So it's like multi-tasking. ...right?
43. Laying on the floor with Steve after work so the kids could climb all over us and giggle
44. Rapunzel & Kermit trick-or-treating with Grandpa Kris
45. Free steak dinners & Blu-rays for Small Business Saturday
46. Writing 100,000 words of my book! This thing may actually get finished someday!
47. Reading lessons with Grace. This girl is flying. And we love our little time together, just the two of us, to practice while Charlie naps.
48. BBQ rib Thanksgiving with the Whites. SO much yummier. :) (Never again, turkey. Remember 2011!)
49. Christmastime. Taking the kiddos to Tanglewood Christmas lights, hearing them sing (Charlie just sings "Rudolph nose so right. Nose so right!"), watching the classics (Frosty, Rudolph, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town), and reading Santa Mouse.
50. Faith. (Not the George Michael kind.)

We are so grateful, and so lucky, and we love you. Happy new year. :)

This Year's Lifehacks, Part 2

Ready for lifehacks, part 2? Here we go.

• Breakfast = Daily scriptures & gratitude journal time. (And no computer before these things!) A few months back I mentioned to Suzi that I was having trouble keeping up my scripture study, and she shared her morning routine. It is simple. During breakfast, while you are stuck eating, read a little scripture, and write 5 things in your journal that you are grateful for. (It can't be the same things every day.) I've slipped up the last few weeks, but before that I read 5 verses aloud from the scriptures and talked to the kids about them. Then as I ate my cereal, I listed my 5 things. It had me writing in my journal almost every day, and gave a nice little snapshot of life. A few things I wrote down recently:
  
  
• weather cool enough to snuggle at night
• met a new friend at the park
• playing "Go Fish" with Gracie & Steve in a tent in the playroom for family night
• the closet that connects the kids' rooms (they love to play in there)
  
  
• Find a place for things you always lose. And always, always, always put that thing back in its place. Same concept as picking the same row to park your car, I guess. I have specified spots for my chapstick, keys, phone, checkbook, my currently-reading book, phone charger, Kindle charger, and glasses. I know this is a DUH. But it took me too long to figure out.
  
  
• Take a break. I take at least a 30 minute break for myself every day when the kids go down for nap. (Gracie doesn't nap anymore, but she still has to stay quietly in her room reading books. The downtime is good/calming for everyone.) I put them down at 1:30, and then have half an hour to scan Pinterest, eat my lunch, etc. Husbands need breaks, too, so let them have one.

• Make up things to look forward to. Some days are just hard. Maybe the kids wake up early from nap and I get frustrated. Maybe the hubs has a late night at work. Those days I try to give myself something to look forward to. Sometimes it is just a trip to window shop at Target with the kids. Target heals most wounds for me. :) Other times we get a special treat, do a craft, or pile pillows on the floor and watch a movie. Make a bad day good, in other words, by breaking your routine a little.

• Do one load of laundry, start to finish, every day. Two years ago I had a laundry day. I did laundry all day. It was terrible. I was kind of stuck home to do it. Now I do one load every day. Toss it in when I wake up, move it to the dryer when the kids are occupied with Sesame Street or lunch (it is in the basement so they can't come down--steep awful stairs), and fold/put away later. When I stay on top of this, it is amazing. When I don't, it is the same mess it was when I had a laundry day. I highly recommend this if you are hating on laundry day. :)
  
  
• The 15 Minute Cleaning Solution! I found this on Pinterest, and it changed my life. Don't be fooled by the cheesy layout of the page; this info was GOLD for me. After reading this, I have two lists that I typed up, printed out, and posted on my fridge:
  
  
• Things to clean every day (like making my bed, wiping down the kitchen counters, doing one load of laundry, etc.), and
• A list of each room with all the things that need cleaned in it.
  
  Then you just do all the things on list one (easy, stuff you should do anyway) and take 15 minutes (all together or in chunks of 2 or 3 minutes when your kids are playing--this is what I do) to work on ONE room. Cross off what you finish, and the rest waits for next week. Our house is a little bigger than I'm used to, so I actually attack one room every-other-week. I still pick up clutter, obviously, but the real cleaning stuff is on the list.
  
  You don't have to have lists. I just feel really good when I cross things off. I make them JUST for that feeling. :) Happy to share these, too, if you are interested.

• Enlist helpers. Gracie is now officially old enough for chores. Every morning she gets up, makes her bed, gets dressed, pours her own milk and cereal (from special Gracie-size containers), and unloads the kid dishes from the dishwasher. Those she has to do. When I remember, I ask her to do other things, like put away her clothes. She gets stickers on a sticker chart for the bed making and the dishwasher, as well as any additional chores except stuff that is just part of cleaning up after yourself (putting clothes in a hamper, clearing your place at the table, etc.). When her chart fills up, she gets a Frosty at Wendy's. Sweet.
  
  I also encourage them to help me clean. They often fight over a turn with the vacuum, and Gracie has her own spray bottle (filled with water) to clean the table with. I usually have to clean up after these things, but they are getting used to contributing to the house, and that is worthwhile.
  
  
• Do one thing. I learned from The Happiness Project that when you're feeling down/overwhelmed, to just do one thing. The author, Gretchen Rubin, suggests tackling a "nagging task" (one of those things that just niggles at your brain but you always avoid because you don't HAVE to do it now... like changing your cable contract, or rolling over your IRA, or whatever...).
  
  It also works when you are intimidated. Like maybe you move somewhere new and need to make all new friends. So start by saying hi. Or maybe you're trying to write a book, and that is kind of crazy. Just write for one or two hours a day, when you have a moment.
  
  
• Read books AND know how to use your library. If you, like me, don't have time to casually, luxuriously wander the aisles at the library because YOUR KIDS DON'T WANT TO! then stop trying to. Peruse Goodreads (see what I'm reading here) or Your Next Read for ideas, and then set up a hold list at your favorite library. They will call you when your book is available, and you just walk in, pick up the stack just for you, and check out. I've done this even with books that are readily available at my library, just to reduce the hassle. (Holds are FREE out here! Some places they cost a tiny fee--still worth it, most times, if you ask me.) My father in law calls the hold system his "library sherpa." :)
  
  And if you have an e-reader (Kindle, Nook, etc.) check out the digital loan offerings! I love borrowing library books on my Kindle. I don't even have to return them when I'm done--they return themselves!
  
  Reading books is amazing, because you can get lost in a great story in front of your kids, and it is considered GOOD parenting, as opposed to getting absorbed in a TV show, which is sometimes less entertaining, and is considered BAD parenting. Sweet. Read some books.

I know that was uber long. I partially do these lists for myself, to kind of track my progress, and to remind myself if I later forget something that really helped with life around Casa Walton. (We do not actually call it that.)

But also because I find other people's ideas really inspiring, and if I share mine then maybe you will share yours? Yes? Pretty please? What do you do that makes your life easier?

This Year's Lifehacks, Part 1

Productivity? Let me google that for you, Mom...

About once a year a do a post on my "lifehacks," those simple little things that revolutionize your entire life. In the past I've shared that I:

• Precook all (or most) of my meat for the week,
  
• Use plastic dollar store baskets in my fridge, freezer, and pantry (this is one of my favorite things EVER),
  
• Use a vinegar/water solution to clean most of my kitchen surfaces, from the floor to the counters to the wood tabletop,
  
• Attach my keys outside my purse with a carabiner so they don't get lost in the depths when I have a kid on my hip and groceries in my hands, and...
  
• Pick a parking aisle at each store (Target, grocery store, Costco, etc.) and park in that same aisle EVERY time I go, so I can never lose my car. It is always SOMEWHERE in that row! I would not like to mention how many times I lost my car before I figured that out.

There are a few more things if you peek at the previous posts, but those are my favorites, and things that I still do, and love, on a regular basis. Looking back, I'm relieved to say I am impressed at how far I have come as a wife/mom/housekeeper. I'm still not good at it, but after 4 years of being at home, I finally feel like I am beginning to get the hang of this.

Here are my hacks from this year. I hope you will share your tricks with me in the comments! I have gotten some in past years that really changed the way I work around here. :)

• Use a laundry basket to carry in groceries. Steve thought of this. It makes our Costco hauls much easier to get inside. Not bad if you're climbing flights of stairs to an apartment, either. Less trips = better.
  
• Finish what you start. Simple. I didn't realize why I never got anything done until I realized I would start cleaning something and then peter out halfway through because cleaning sucks. :/ So, when you get bored or something starts to suck, finish it anyway, and the end result should make you feel pretty good about that. (Hint: This applies to most things in life, not just cleaning.)
  
• Run the dishwasher every night, unload & reload every morning. Now that there are four of us, we go through a lot of dishes. Two years ago--okay, even one year ago--our kitchen was like a permanent disaster zone; I was always one full load of dishes behind. So now I start the D/W before bed, and unload it in the morning.

• Do stuff while the kids eat!!! The only time I can be sure my kids will be still, quiet, and happy, is when they are eating. They are physically pinned in their chairs, and since they are genetically similar to me, food makes them really happy. Dinner we try to eat together, but I get a TON of things done while they eat breakfast and lunch (most of it is in/near the kitchen so we can still talk/chat).
• During their breakfast I:
• unload the dishwasher,
• start/move a load of laundry in the basement,
• pack up whatever we need for our morning outings,
• make my bed (if I haven't already), and
• get dressed (for outings or the gym).
• During their lunch I:
• prepare my lunch for later,
• prep anything I can for dinner (cook chicken, chop veggies, etc.),
• clean up any leftover dishes, and
• sometimes move the laundry from the washer to the dryer.
  
  This is also when I do my interviews with the kiddos! Every 6 months or so I just set up the video camera on them while they eat (or sit down with my computer to type) and ask them a bunch of questions. It is one of my favorite things to look back on how they spoke, what they loved, etc. in those intervals--and if its lunchtime, they're stuck in one spot to actually respond to the questions!
  
• Have a (loose-but-scheduled) daily routine. Six months ago I realized that I was wasting a lot of time, and missing out on a lot of things I really wanted to do. Around that same time I got a copy of Organized Simplicity (by Tsh of Simple Mom) for free on my Kindle. Kismet! Tsh suggested making 3 lists: one of things you ACTUALLY do every day, one of things you HAVE to do everyday, and one of things you WANT to do. Then you look at the things you actually do, and cut out the fat so you can fit in the things you want to do. I did it, and then I made a big, big schedule change.
  
  Last week I found myself in the same rut: lots I was missing out on, messy, disorganized days. So I sat down, made more lists, and rebooted my days. I have a loose schedule of things we do everyday, so I can be conscious that cleaning at 10am when the kids are stir-crazy is a bad idea, but at 1, after they've eaten, I have a golden 30 minutes while they play. Stuff like that. I type it up and stick it on the fridge to keep me dialed in. I would be happy to share my schedule if you care to see exactly what I mean. It has made me SO MUCH calmer.

I actually have a few more things to share, but I think I'll break here for now. Please, please tell me your tips and tricks in the comments! We're all in this together, right?

Top 50 for 2011

Every year I write my top 50 things for the year. This was a good one! We are so thankful for our family, our wonderful friends at school and the amazing family-away-from-family we have found in our ward at church. This year was so fun--here are some of my very favorite things.

1. Our several weeks of Jessica-time when she came to visit in January, complete with too many brownies, trips to the McKay's used books, chess games between the sibs, sledding on our hill (and locking ourselves out), and the viewing of every episode of Pawn Stars (a show about a pawn shop on History channel) that Netflix had to offer.
2. Discovering the joy of freezer meals. A necessity of life now.
3. Every thing Gracie says.
4. Mom + Dad's visit to NC.
5. 10pm feedings with baby-Charlie (before 4 months) when it was just the three of us snuggled up in bed. (Now that we have 2, time alone with each of the kids is a special treat--just to see their own little personalities).
6. And on that note, Charlie sleeping through the night. Oh how we all love sleep.
7. Gracie laying beside Charlie on his baby blankets every morning, and reading to him.
8. Escaping to Sunset Beach with Steve (thanks to the Pearsons for bravely watching a 3-month-old Charlie so we could go!)
9. Steve finishing second year, defeating STEP 1--a monumental accomplishment!
10. Charlie's baby blessing in California, with family (and the Nuckols... who are extended family) in attendance. Love thinking about sitting in the back yard with everyone on that sunny, lovely day. And I love hearing Steve's voice as he confers blessings from our Heavenly Father on our children.
    
11. Disneyland (and a B+B stay) with the Waltons! Always a good idea. Always.
12. Family photos by Michelle... I think we need to make more of a tradition of doing family pics.
13. Tackling new, big goals like working on that book, losing the baby weight, budgeting (gasp!) and learning about nutrition.... and blogging about it.
14. Planting flowers.
15. Weekend nights eating & playing games with the Pearsons.
16. Gracie getting potty trained. This kid is amazing! She got it down so quickly (I mean, there was a progression, but that's TMI, right?) and has been sleeping through the night in undies (with only one or two accidents ever) since April. She rocks.
17. Otto pool parties in the front yard.
18. The Y. We LOVE the Y! Personal time (and cable TV) for Mom/Dad and awesome playrooms for the kids. I never knew how much I could love an elliptical.
19.  Dropping 10 lbs--hey-o!
20. Ordering things from Amazon.
21. Finding yummy new recipes, especially anything we can do in the crock pot (like this chili! I added corn, too. Yum.) or freezer.
22. FINALLY throwing a surprise!!! party for Steve.
23. Masterpiece Theaters (and other miniseries), new and old. New: Downton Abbey, Sherlock Holmes, Upstairs Downstair. All fabulous. And rewatching our faves, starting with the A&E P&P in January. Little Dorrit. The Way We Live Now. Good times.
24. Gracie's first real birthday party (Under the Sea). 
25. Charlie's army crawl.
26. Watching all but the last 3 episodes of LOST. We just couldn't cope with the loss of watching the finally ones again!
27. Our yearly trip to the Ocean Isle! We love our little hotel near the beach; I think Gracie wants to live there.
28. Learning to coupon a little better. It feels like a game.
29. Making things.
30. Eating dessert snuggled next to the cutest guy in the world. Brownies/ice cream/cookie dough + Steven = perfect way to spend an evening. :)
31. A last minute family trip to D.C.! (And oh, I love Embassy Suites!)
32. Free holds at the library. Libraries are one of the best inventions ever.
33. Sending fun mail. (And getting fun mail.)
34. Making home feel more like home.
35. Gracie's excitement at starting our co-op preschool. Big girl!
36. Picnics in the front yard (sometimes even with Steve home in the middle of the day!).
37. Eating out: Panera, Firehouse Subs for free-kids-meal Saturdays, Chipotle, 3rd Street Grill in NC. Wahoos, Edna Ray's, El Burro in CA.
38. A solo trip to Arizona to see the Ramptons + Jess! Shopping, eating, shopping, eating, and reading a TON as I flew ALL BY MYSELF with hours to use for my own entertainment! Thank you to Page for watching my kiddos when Steve couldn't, and to Steven for supporting the idea of a long-girl's-weekend (and for loving the kids and teaching Grace to plank while I was gone).
39. Celebrating 5 years of marriage to my very very best friend.
40. Hosting Thanksgiving! Not so into the whole turkey-cooking thing, but it was fun to break out the China and have our friends over. :)
41. Grace and Charlie playing in her castle tent.
42. Charlie's first birthday! We especially enjoyed watching him attack his birthday cupcake mercilessly.
43. My Kindle. :) Yay. :)
44. Gracie helping "the Chef" (Steve) make french toast for herself (the princess) and Mommy (the Queen).
45. Pinterest.
46. Playing in the leaves (at home and on Blue Ridge Parkway with the Pearsons).
47. Hand-making Christmas presents.
48. Watching The Muppets with my 'rents and the kids--especially Charlie's intense interest in/love for/dancing to the music.
49. Visiting both families for Christmas! The kids soaked up all that face-to-face grandparent time. So did we!
50. Faith in our Father and His plan for us, gratitude and awe for the tenderness and sacrifice of our Savior, the amazing relief of forgiveness for our every shortcoming, and the sustaining influences these things have in the wonderful love of our sweet little family. We are so thankful to have the gospel of Christ in our lives; it truly is an everyday miracle.

The Art of Cheaping Out

(Preface: You guys, there is no picture on this post. Are you just dying? Blog posts are supposed to have pictures. I know. But I bet you can imagine some. Like when you're reading about my cereal purchases or something, just imagine a nice clipart of some cereal. Because I'm going to go to bed instead of finding one for you on google images. Your imagination is better, trust me. You can even choose what kind of cereal you want. Its going to be great. Okay, go.)

About once a year I hear a really good talk or church lesson about living within your means and I start to feel motivated/guilty (both work, I guess haha). I always try to do well with our budget, but inevitably something derails me (my last big derailment was carrying a ten pound baby). But now he is safely born, sleeping through the night, and doing a myriad other lovely baby things, and I am working on cheaping out again.

...wait is that the classy way to put it?

I love a good deal, and I love to share them. So here's what I've been up to...

Couponing


Oh my word I never thought I would start doing coupons. (I'm saying/writing oh my word a lot because I've been thinking about Eloise. Oooooh I just love Eloise, I absolutely do.) I saw a couple blogs back in the day about how to get things for free or much cheaper with coupons and found it totally overwhelming and obsessive--in fact I pretty much decided never to do it. But this year I've slowly picked up a little bit, and I am actually pretty happy with it. Coupons are neat.

To make it not scary and/or life-consuming, I have made some rules:

1. I only shop/coupon at 1 grocery store. There is no way I am keeping up on EVERYBODY'S sales and driving all over the place with kids in tow and a binder full of coupons. So, Harris Teeter is it.
2. I don't coupon clip. I do not buy the paper or magazines and sort through them. I use online printable ones, and other ones that show up with my receipt at the grocery store or in the mail. That's it. Easy.
3. I don't buy things we don't normally buy. I don't want a pantry full of junk food. Because I will eat it.

I also watch a couple of local (east coast) blogs for sale/coupon matchups and deal tips, which makes the whole thing MUCH easier.

Mostly I save money on yogurt and cereal, which is awesome because we go through a ton of that. My best cereal deal so far has been 2 boxes of Corn Pops for $0.44 apiece. :)

Amazon Mom

Diapers are expensive. Yes. Amazon has an awesome subscription service that lets you get the GOOD kinds (like Pampers! My fave! ...for Charlie, not myself.) for 30% off list price. I get a case of 222 size 3's for about $35. Which makes them about $0.16/diaper (better price if you get smaller sizes, obviously) which is less than I was paying for the Costco store brand. Delivered to my door. And Pampers are much better. I love them.

I wrote a whole post about Amazon Mom here if you are interested. Oh and p.s. you get free Amazon Prime for a year if you sign up and use it. Love that. Free shipping is also my fave.

Thrifting

Thrift stores are hit or miss, but once you've been somewhere long enough you can get the good word-of-mouth on the best spots. Out here there is a huuuuuge store called MegaThrift that I just discovered. (Sounds so ghetto, right? But its pretty fun.) It takes a little hunting to find good grown-up clothes (though they do have some REALLY nice name brand stuff if you have time to look) but their baby/kids sections are great, and they are constantly having some kind of sale. Last week ALL the baby stuff was $0.99--EVERYTHING--so I went in and picked up some snow clothes for the kiddos (coat for C, snow pants for G) for winter that looked brand new. For $2. Woo! Poor Grace was dressed in the weirdest snow clothes last winter because we didn't have pants for her, so this year she will have a cozier caboose when she's sledding.

Talking Down Prices


Have you done this? I periodically go over the prices of all our fixed-but-not-necessary bills, like internet and cell phones, and figure out if we could be paying less. I call up when our contract is up and let them know that I'm willing to switch over to save money and ask (nicely) if they can help me out. Usually we either get a discount on our current plan, or they tell us about an unadvertised deal or plan that we switch to. Of if they are offering something to new customers, we call up and ask if existing customers can get that deal, too. Seems fair, right?

This works with rent, too. When we lived in apartments we would go in and offer to sign another year lease if they would lower or maintain our current rent price instead of raising it.


So tell me... Do you have any secrets to living frugally? Stretching dinners? (I am terrible at this so far, though I am doing good at meal planning.) Deal watching? What am I missing? Enlighten me.

Lifehacks Part 2 & Asking the Audience (That's You)

Last spring I asked you for your lifehacks and shared some of mine. I am still loving my vinegar/water solution (best grease cutter EVER), google calendaring and syncing with Steve's gcalendar, meal planning, enjoying the handiness of baskets (especially for optimizing space in our too-small freezer) and trying to keep to my laundry days.

I loved hearing what everyone had to say about their lifehacks, so I thought it might be time to ask (and share) again. Here are mine; don't forget to share yours.

• Jarred and Bottled Ingredients. Oh my word. How much do I hate trying to "mince" garlic (and how your hands always smell like garlic afterward), remember to buy limes, and keep a basil plant alive? So much. Which is why these little guys are my kitchen BFFs. Way less perishable, more convenient, and easy to have on hand just in case. LOVE THEM.

• Coupons. Who would have ever thought that I would get in to coupons? I have occasionally looked at blog posts where women go in to six different stores and come out with tons of free food--this has TERRIFIED me for years. How on earth to get to that many stores with that many coupons with kids in tow? But I decided to simplify. I only coupon at one store (our local Harris Teeter), and I use a very helpful blog (Southern Savers) that details which coupons to use with which sale items. I occasionally even find some good deals on my own. I am starting slow, but its pretty fun. And I can usually find cereal for $1, which is great because we eat a ton of that stuff.
  .
• Baskets and Boxes. Still love these. Our bookcases all have a ton of boxes and baskets, because we have a lot of junk (see next lifehack....). So Gracie's toys in the family room? Get tossed in a basket. Steve's video games? Basket. Shoes by the door? Bills to be paid? Mail? Diapers? Yes. All hidden in baskets and/or boxes.
  .
• Purging. Steve and I have been married for less than five years. We have lived in 5 different homes. And that means we have packed a LOT, and I know just how much STUFF we have. So, though my nature tends more towards pack-rat-ism, I am now boldly trying to embrace the philosophy that if I have no use for it, I throw it away. Even with sentimental stuff. If it is taking up space and never gets used, we take a picture of it and give it to Goodwill or toss it. Obviously there are some things we can't toss (baby hats, wedding dress, etc.) but lots of other things have been kissed goodbye. That said, I still keep WAY too much stuff. This is a work in progress.
  .
• Baby Wipes. Not just for bums. These things are great for cleaning any surface, at home or abroad.
  .
• Compartmentalized Purse. Most diaper bags are ugly or bulky. Mine was cute but huge, and I got tired of lugging it around. I got a cute purse at Target with three compartments--the middle one has a zipper. Diapers, wipes, changing pad, and Charlie's emergency change of clothes go in the zipper pocket. Usable things like hand sanitizer, wallet, and phone in the front, and less used stuff (a book, umbrella, whatever the day requires) in the compartment in the back.
  .
• Keys on a Carabiner. This is my number one mommy-sanity-saver. I was CONSTANTLY losing my keys in my purse and trying to dig through it to find them with a child on my hip. NO MORE. I put my keys on a carabiner and clip it to either one of the rings on the strap of my purse or, if I'm unloading kids/groceries/whatever, I clip them to my belt loop. Easy access, I can see them at all times, and no more delving to the depths of my bag to retrieve them.
  .
• One at a Time. Though I do constantly walk through the house gathering things, I only really try to get one room really clean at a time. I work on the kitchen, do all the dishes, etc. and THEN move on to something else. So that at least one room looks nice even if the rest are still works in progress.
  .
• Keeping Up Appearances. And on that same vein, guess what? People who are home all day? Their houses get messy. (That's right!!! You're not the only one! I only just figured this out.) Our house gets especially thrashed on the weekend. Because mama takes a day off from cleaning. :) So if you come over, and you think, WOW! THEIR LIVING ROOM LOOKS SPOTLESS!!! it is because I have either (1) enlisted the troops for a real house cleaning or (more likely) (2) cleaned up only that room because I knew you were coming. :)
  .
• Picking a Parking Spot. When I had Grace, I became incapable of finding my car in a parking lot. So I now park in the same row every time I go to a store. I have a row at Marshall's, Target, Harris Teeter, and anywhere else I frequent. So I just walk down that aisle and eventually I run into my car. :)

So tell me, what do YOU do to stay sane?

Top 50 for 2010

Here it is, my top 50 things from 2010, in no particular order...

1. Steve finishing his first year of medical school!
2. An overnight trip to Wilmington & visiting the aquarium with Steve
3. The NC zoo with the McClains (Gracie was unimpressed, but the grown ups loved it!)
4. A (real) positive pregnancy test on April Fools Day!
5. Emily & Adelaide's visit to NC
6. Settlers and Hand & Foot with the Pearsons
7. New favorite foods like peach quesadillas, and Suzi's crock pot chicken tacos
8. Quesadilla picnics with Gracie on the porch or the kitchen floor
9. Our first family vacation--Ocean Isle, NC
10. Lunch picnics on the porch with Steve over summer break
11. Some great (mostly old-but-new-to-us) Masterpiece Theatres: The Way We Live Now, Little Dorrit, Bleak House, North and South, Emma, Persuasion
12. Target. Even Gracie loves it there.
13. Ultrasounds of our Charlie-bun
14. Jeopardy at 7:30 sharp... and watching for the blinkie golf cart
15. Panera dates, sometimes just at home (His: Bacon Turkey Bravo, Hers: Fuji Apple Chicken Salad)
16. Dancing with Gracie in the kitchen while we do the dishes
17. Oh, Netflix Instant, how you've changed our lives... we can watch Bones, Psych, the Office, Parks and Rec and a ton of "period" films whenever we want
18. Taking Gracie to her first in-theater movie (Tangled--she LOVED it!)
19. Alan Wake, Halo, and Ticket to Ride on xBox
20. Weekly tummy pictures for most of the cute part of our Charlie pregnancy
21. A month-long obsession (for both Steve and me) with Laughing Cow cheese and Wheat Thins
22. Sunday walks in the springtime
23. Moving in to our cute little rental house
24. Steve's enjoyment of (and return from!!!) Air Force officer training
25. Working on the nursery: painting artwork (or walls, for Steve!), choosing bedding, and daydreaming about our little boy
26. The Holt family reunion at "Winterwarm"
27. Taking Gracie to "Dancing Time" and watching her jam with her friends
28. Visiting family and friends on our 3+ week summer trip to California
29. A free stay at an awesome hotel in SD when our flight home got canceled--and then free flights when we gave up another one for a later trip back. Woo hoo!
30. Steve's amazing woodworking projects, starting with Gracie's backyard playhouse (lucky girl!), her play kitchen, and a set of adirondack chairs for our porch
31. Working on our photo-a-day album
32. Watching (and laughing at) all the Twilight movies with Steve, including a trip to see Eclipse on my birthday (nobody tell him how it ends!)
33. Gracie's absolute adoration of pumpkins--her "pumpkin face," calling out "a pumpkin!" on any drive or even during a walk through Target, the pumpkin patch, and her devout love of the giant blow-up pumpkin that sat on top of Party City for all of October
34. Chocolate chip cookies
35. Book club, recipe exchanges, and movie nights with the "Better Halves"
36. The birth of our sweet little ten-pounder on December 13th
37. Steve's awesome test score on his nephrology test even though we'd just had Charlie! (Thanks everyone who brought us food or babysat Gracie to make that possible!)
38. Christmastime: Gingerbread houses with the Pearsons, baking and delivering sugar cookies, wrapping gifts, and taking Gracie to see the Tanglewood lights (one of the highlights of her year!)
39. Our first Christmas just the four of us, with SNOW!!! And getting to Skype with our families for gift-opening :)
40. Writing over 40,000 words of a story.
41. Getting the exercise bike and starting the R.E.A.R. bet... Better luck to both of us for 2011. :)
42. Watching Gracie share her toys and snuggle up with Charlie on his Boppy or a blanket
43. New Years Eve: Papa Johns (the works: pineapple pizza, breadsticks, and a "cinnapie") Inception on Blu-ray, cuddling on the couch, and chocolate covered strawberries (my parents had them sent from Shari's Berries--amazing!) for dessert
44. Being in love. :) (5 years together, 4 years married!)
45. My craft-table Christmas gift from Steve!
46. Another year of watching our Gracie girl grow up.
47. Mid-day dates to the movies (its really exciting to be kid-free AND at the movies in the middle of the day) complete with candy sneaked in in my purse: Inception in July (thanks Mom & Dad) and Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Pt 1 in November (thanks Pearsons!)
48. Getting fun things in the mail... Magazines, letters, goodies from Amazon, and (awesome) packages from my mama.
49. New pajamas. (I think this will always be fun, no matter how old any of us are.)
50. Being happy, healthy, and knowing we are loved by--and love--each other and so many sweet people and our Heavenly Father. We are thankful for this wonderful year, for His support of us during its trying and frightening moments, and that we have His gospel as the center of our lives.

Snapshot

Did one of these back in October, too. I like remembering the "right now" tidbits of life. So...

Right now:

Eating (breakfasts):

Mom's Best Natural Cereals (super cheap at Walmart, and Steve loves the cinammon + sugar ones)
Toast
Cheerios

Eating (dinners):

Steve's amazing tacos
Margherita pizza (on Fat Tuesdays)
Things with avocados! Like chicken with avocado salsa

Music (for listening):

Lily Allen
Ingrid Michaelson
Fiest

Music (for writing):

Coldplay
The Fray

Watching (TV on TV/Hulu/Netflix):

LOST
Celebrity Apprentice
Fringe
The Biggest Loser
Project Runway
The Office (+ Community & Parks + Rec)
The X-Files (Season 1)
Planet Earth (with Gracie as a pre-bedtime treat)
Sometimes: 24, V

Watching (Movies):

Sphere
Much Ado About Nothing

Jamie, while sick at home:
Wall-E
Julie & Julia
The Sound of Music

Bedtime:
Eleven....ish

Reading:

Jamie
Belong to Me (audiobook, just finished)
The Lost Symbol

Steve

Agatha Christie mysteries (just finished)

Gracie
Best Friends Search and Find ("Nemo Book" according to G)
Go, Dog, Go
Hop on Pop
Dr. Suess's ABCs
The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Outside our window:

Newly budding bright green spring leaves
Dusk

Habits in-learning:

Cleaning up the kitchen before I start a new meal
Working out 5x per week (more like 3, but I shoot for 5 to get there)
Scriptures together before bedtime

Pass times:

Steve
Studying
FailBlog
Swapping YouTube videos with study buddy James

Jamie
Writing
Reading
Blogging
Sewing

Together
Cooking
Jeopardy competition ;)
Cards with the Pearsons
Bonanza
Walking at Silas Creek park

Best parts of the day:

Conversations with Gracie
5pm--when Steve walks in the door
Gracie's bedtime routine, especially when she comes to fetch me for family prayer with a carefully selected toy companion
Snuggling on the couch to a TV show or as we fall asleep
Dinner with all three of us together at the table
Warm chocolate chip cookies for dessert
The feel of warm sun on our backs/hair when we go for a walk

Ask the Audience: What are Your "Life Hacks"?

Yes, this is staged.

I have been going absolutely crazy over trying to keep our house tidy, stay on top of work, spend as little as possible on groceries, and still get a minute to read a book. Over time I've come up with a few time-savers (a.k.a. "life hacks;" there are "parenting hacks," too), so I'll share mine with you, but I'm wondering--what little things do you do that help you keep your life in order? I am especially desperate to know how people keep their kitchens clean when there is an endless pile of dishes.

And as promised, here are some of my life hacks, for your enjoyment. :)

• Vinegar. I use it for everything. It is a disinfectant, but it's natural. It cleans my floor, softens and disinfects gross laundry, washes the counters. It's an awesome de-greaser. The only downside is that it doesn't smell so pretty, but once it dries the scent fades. Plus because it is basically food, you can use it when your pregnant without worrying about fumes. Just to be super safe about the disinfecting, though, I still use a 1/100 bleach solution for the nastiest parts of the bathroom or if we have had eggs or raw meat on the kitchen counter. I hear you can use it as a rinse for your hair, too--haven't tried that yet.
  .
• Automated bill pay. No postage, no forgotten bills. Enough said.
  .
• Precooking. We cook chicken and/or ground beef once a week, then refrigerate it (only up to 5 days, though). It gets reheated (and sometimes seasoned a bit more) to go in pasta, tacos, and salads. I pre-make a double batch of pizza dough every two weeks (we have it every Tuesday) and a double batch of chocolate chip cookies. I ball those up and freeze them so they can get popped into the oven whenever, or bake them and freeze so they just need a minute of toaster oven time for delicious goodness.
  .
• Meal planning. I just can't get into the groove of collecting a million coupons, so I've altered my shopping habits instead. I do a big grocery trip only twice a month, hitting a grocery store and Costco. Because our produce is usually gone or no good by the second week, we eat canned or frozen fruits and veggies with our meals (smoothies, frozen veggies, etc.). I've just started doing this, and it is nuts. It saves us money because there's less impulse buying and we are more careful with what we have because we've got a rule that about when the next shopping day is. We get creative. Plus we always know what's for dinner. I usually only plan two weeks (and I plan meals that can use leftover portions, like if we have stir fry one night I make extra rice for a meal a few days away and freeze it). Last month I planned the whole month, and it felt a little insane but worked really well.
  .
• Baskets + snap-top boxes. They quell the tide of toys in Gracie's room and the living room, they hold in my baking goods, they manage the mess of extra cords that want to devour our closet, and they keep my freezer from exploding.
  .
• Laundry days. Monday is clothing laundry day (+ clean-up-from-the-weekend day). I do only two kinds of loads--lights and darks. I only do a dedicated white load if something needs bleached. Gracie has her own load. I fold stuff as it comes out of the dryer, right into our basket, otherwise piles of clothes sit on our couch for days. Tuesday is for the linens--sheets and towels. I do blankets every few weeks.
  .
• Google Calendar. I have it synced with our email in the sidebar so we always know what the other one is up to when we are trying to plan stuff. We also have a regular calendar in the kitchen.

Okay, so help!!! What else can I do so my house doesn't look like it exploded all the time?!

It Occurred to me Today at Barnes and Noble...

...that you can totally use your webcam to adjust your ponytail.

...and that I haven't yet shared my new year's goals with you. I already chose my word, which I shared with Jenna and Steve (mine, not Jenna's), but Steve and I never got around to having our goal evening. So he still owes me his goals (look out baby, this is your heads up--I'm coming for those goals!) but I am writing mine down here because I want to be ACCOUNTABLE. I trust you all to keep me to these. So...

Goals for Twenty-Ten

2  0  1  0

1. Keep taking better care of my body. Last year I kicked my twenty-year sugar snacking habit and am now down to one dessert a day. I also focused on eating better and taking in more healthy calories. I worked out for a while and fell off the bandwagon. So I need to find a workout that I enjoy and will stick to, get more cardio, and hopefully finally lose the extra pudge from having Grace. Baby steps: smaller portions, mini-work outs, healthy snacks.
2. Floss. At my last checkup, my dad could totally tell that I don't floss. So I'm going to floss three times a week. That should be doable.
3. Look nice. Even when I'm just staying home all day. Make up, consciousness of my dress (like when I have an applesauce kiss on my shirt), jewelry. My husband is cute, and he likes these things.
4. Write a book. Yep. I'm writing a book. Nothing life-changing for its future readers (hopefully, there will be some, anyway). It's just a short fictional novel, probably YA. And though I wrote it #4, this is goal #1 for the year. I'm trying to write a little every day. I'm up to 25,043 words. The typical novel is 60,000. And I'm pushing to get it done by April. Then I want to find an agent and work towards publication. In a year. It's been my one BIG LIFE GOAL for myself since forever. It just feels like time.

So that's it. I kept it pretty simple this year, except for the book thing, I guess. But even that I am breaking into little pieces, so it doesn't seem so bad. Steve is being super supportive and pushing me to really do it, and that has been amazingly helpful. He keeps me in line.

I know it's February, but is anybody still working toward a New Year's goal? Man up and tell me, I love hearing goals. :)

One Little Word: 2009

Last year I jumped on the bandwagon and chose a defining word for 2009.

And. I. Loved it. It gave me purpose, gave me

I shared a half-year update on my birthday, and now I get to look back on the year and see how it went. So:

The Word - 2009:

DO

How it Went:

Well, heck. I DID a ton of things. It was wonderful to have this thought to cling to when I was tempted to just sit back and let life pass. So I did things this year that were hard--I got out there and made new friends in a new state. I looked for help when I had been too afraid to do so for years. I learned to be more conscious and proactive about my body, my health. I still haven't gotten the exercise thing down pat, but I'm eating better than I ever have. Really. And I'm figuring out what foods are good. I am living more in moments (I still need to work on this) instead of ahead or behind them. I am grabbing life by the horns and pursuing my third biggest life dream (Marry an awesome guy - check, Start a family - check... Two down! And the most important ones! So on to the next... And no, it's not another baby, maybe that's the fourth.).

All in all, it was a great experience. Empowering, emboldening. And looking at it now, I feel very much that Heavenly Father was aware that I had chosen to really go for it this year, because he gave me more than one very huge boosts to reach new levels. And that is kind of amazing.

So now, next, the word for 2010. After these messages. :)

Top 40 for 2009

My favorites for 2009. :)

1. Ending every day snuggled up with Steve.
2. The changing leaves in fall--the most incredible colors I've ever seen.
3. Evenings with the Nuckols & the Sorensons in SD, the Pearsons & the McClains in WS.
4. Going to the beach in January.
5. SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
6. Tons of successful flights with Gracie.
7. Aptos for Curt's 50th birthday: sun, sand, relaxation, good food, and family.
8. A week with Em, Rick & Jess in Boulder after Adelaide arrived.
9. The Better Halves.
10. Becoming best friends with Gracie.
11. Handmaking Christmas gifts (and any other sewing).
12. Moving forward.
13. Getting packages in the mail.
14. Writing.
15. Reading like I used to before college, completely excited to settle down and open a book. Most recent favorites Molokai, Rebecca, The Zookeeper's Wife, The Hunger Games.
16. Seeing Steve thrilling over all the learning in med school. :)
17. Setting up our new apartment.
18. Still having a work-at-home job so I can help provide AND still be with Grace. So thankful.
19. Dana Point with Steve in spring.
20. 2 whole weeks with Mom & Dad for Christmas.
21. Thanksgiving with the Waltons, especially tree cutting and cable car caroling.
22. Deadliest Catch & chocolate chip cookies.
23. Mac, iLife, Photoshop Elements, etc. So fun for a geek to play with. :)
24. Crosswords & Jeopardy, Hand & Foot, and puzzling.
25. Field trips to Point Loma Lighthouse, Legoland, the County Fair (for the Incredible Dog Challenge) and Balboa Park museums with G & S.
26. Photographing Reynolda Gardens in the fall.
27. Hiking Pilot Mountain.
28. Meeting up with far-flung friends. :) We love you guys (& girls!).
29. The Sears' gingerbread house party.
30. Flying first class for the first time ever! (And last time for a long time!)
31. Trying new recipes (mostly from Cooking Light) with Steve like butternut squash soup and pasta primavera. Yum!
32. Target. I love Target.
33. Getting to choose Gracie's outfit every morning from cute things that grandparents, great-grandparents, and adopted grandparents have given her. SO. FUN. She has way better clothes than me. :)
34. Stockings on Christmas morning. Still fun.
35. Granola and strawberry yogurt for breakfast.
36. Coat shopping with Emily at Thanksgiving.
37. Working on my 2009 goals.
38. Family time, like just the three of us hanging out, blowing raspberries on Gracie's belly, and giggling.
39. Having floor-to-ceiling windows in our bedrooms. I love the light, and watching the seasons pass on the trees right outside.
40. Did I mention the snow??? ♥

My Favs, and Yours?

While I've entirely cut out television from my day-time life (Steve and I make up for that in Gracie's bedtime hours, though, I fear) I do indulge in the occasional round of blog surfing for inspiration and, okay, a teeny non-creepy bit of voyeurism. Which, c'mon, is why you're here anyway, right? ;)

I thought I'd share my favs with you, on the condition that you share your favs with me!

Home Design
I'm still a newbie at this, still searching for how to make our "style" come alive in furniture, fabric, etc. So I look at a lot of other people and think about how clever they are. My favs:

• Young House Love (every day) - Love their aesthetic--beachy without being kitschy--and their DIY attitude.
  
• Chez Larsson - Simple ideas to make your house prettier, homier, yours.
• Apartment Therapy - Making temporary space your own.
• Design Mom - Love how she interweaves family and design.
  
• The Nesting Place - Believes it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful (thank goodness).
• Making it Lovely - Cute, mod, a little quirky, with lots of mood boards to look at.

 Motherhood & Kid Stuff
From organization (ha!) to living greener, and of course finding cool ways to make a nursery awesome, these are my go-to's.

• Simple Mom - Amazing resource of ways to stay organized, get on top of things, make life fun, and live more healthily & naturally.
  
• Ohdeedoh (every day) - Nursery eye-candy, toy and game ideas, all-out fun.
  
• Cooking Light - Pretty much everything we eat is from the magazine or one of their cookbooks: they make food Steve will eat and enjoy. Plus it's healthy, fresh, fast, and YUMMY.
  

Arts & Crafts & Things to Make

• Ikat Bag - Oh how I want to make ALL this stuff for Gracie!
• Make It and Love It - Clever ways to reuse what you have or make fun, pretty stuff on the cheap
• One Pretty Thing - Oh my gosh. So many amazing things to make, all organized in one place. Updated daily. Heavenly!
• How About Orange - Can't say I'm a fan of orange, but I love peeking at the fun & pretty things that show up here.

Your turn!

Snapshot

Right now:

Eating (breakfasts):

Granola + yogurt

Toast

Toaster streudle

Eating (dinners):

Margherita pizza

Pasta + chicken caesar salad

French toast

Music (for listening):

Feist

Ingrid Michaelson

Yael Naim

Taylor Swift
Regina Spektor

Music (for writing):

Coldplay

The Fray

Matt Nathanson

& Mexico by Jump, Little Children

Watching (TV):

Fringe

Top Chef

The Biggest Loser

Project Runway

The Office (+ Community & Parks + Rec)

Watching (Movies):

The Scarlet Pimpernel (1999)

Bedtime:

Midnight... should be earlier

Reading:

Just finished

The Zookeeper's Wife

Heading in to

Rebecca

finishing The Host

Steve's reading

1776

Gracie's reading

Babies from Baby Einstein

Toes, Fingers, Nose

Outside our window:

Nighttime

Pouring

Leaves changing from green to gold, dripping with raindrops

Habits in-learning:

Writing everyday

Running ( :p ) or yoga every weeknight

Scripture study every day

Keeping up the house REALLY well (learning, I said!!!)

Pass times:

Steve's:

Studying

Facebook

Zombie game (Left for Dead?)

Jamie's:

iPhoto/iMovie/Mac anything

Reading

Mikey Show on podcast

Together:

Sorry/Boggle

Puzzle (occasionally)

Playing with Gracie

Best parts of the day:

Gracie learning new words and pointing things out (knees, trees, wreath)

Cuddling with Steven before we fall asleep :)

Dinner all three of us together at the table

Cookies
That Gracie wants to take a "baa!" after every meal (not just dinner)

Collapsing on a squishy pillow and being cold enough to get under more blankets

Half-Year (and NEW Year)

I love having a birthday that falls exactly in the middle of the year (tomorrow!). It gives me an opportunity to review and make new goals every six months, which is perfect because I usually forget what my goals were to begin with by 6 months out. So as I begin year twenty-four of my life, here is my half-year review of my '09 goals. I will be thinking about goals for year 24 and posting them soon.

This year's word:
DO

Progress:
I'm actually doing pretty well at doing things. I'm pushing myself to do things I am uncomfortable doing, either physically (exercise! less dessert!) or emotionally (making phone calls! moving across the country!). I am also savoring moments a lot more, really soaking up my mommy-baby time with Gracie girl. It is becoming painfully obvious that she's going to grow up very quickly and the cuddle time I get now is too precious to release. I am watching less TV, being online less, and adventuring out more. So all in all, I'm doing pretty good.

Thoughts:
I am amazed at how focusing on just one word has changed my outlook on things. It has helped me constantly press myself to be more active, accomplished, and confident. I began the year thinking "How am I going to do all this?" and now, only half way through, I feel empowered, and have a soul-deep knowledge that I can live my dreams. Cheesy, right? But though it might take a while to achieve each thing, I know I can do it.

Goal Review:

1. Be a better mommy. I am feeling increasingly more "in control" of mommyhood. I have released a lot of worry about scheduling and making things perfect, and am focused instead on helping Gracie learn, grow, and explore (while keeping her safe, of course), and on her basic physical and emotional needs. She seems happy, so I guess that's all I need.
   
   


2. Be a better wife: I guess we should ask Steve about this, but I think I'm doing pretty good.
   
   


3. Write every day: This one I haven't been so good at. I am hoping once we are settled in NC in our own place I will be able to work this out more. I've still been writing a lot more frequently, though.
   
   


4. Read the Book of Mormon by my birthday: I've revised this. I've never been much for reading by a deadline. So instead my goal is to read a chapter each day, and really ponder it. I go along annotating and underlining, and try to apply each lesson to my own life. I find this the most fulfilling way to read the scriptures, and I've been doing pretty well at being consistent.
   
   


5. Get organized. Hmm. Well. Can't win them all.
   
   


6. Take care of my body. Less desserts, healthier meals, and yoga. Feeling pretty good about this one.

And tomorrow, Disneyland! Woo hoo!

Things I'm Thinking About

I think a lot. Ask Steve. He likes to ask me what I'm thinking at random moments. So here is what I'm thinking about right now:

1. Remaking. Lots of things. Starting with repainting and re-hardwaring our desk. I like this tutorial. We got some brushed nickel hardware from Home Depot that is simple but modern like the nightstand in this post from Making it Lovely.
2. Pregnancies. They seem to be cropping up everywhere! It's fun, after being pregnant, to watch other people being pregnant--especially people I love. My sweet sister-in-law Emily is having baby #1, a girl, in August. I love reliving fun things from my Gracie-pregnancy with her--talking about kicks, weird symptoms, and first heartbeats. And I get to throw a baby shower! Also, I was fascinated by this site, Pacing the Panic Room, when I came across it--this guy's wife looks so good at 27 weeks! I love that she used this American Apparel dress for maternity-wear. I am determined to be hotter next pregnancy. Is that tacky? But what I mean is: less sweat pants, more hair-washing. ;) Not a lofty goal, really. And I've realized that I've pretty much entered the years during which I will be pregnant a lot. There are good and bad parts about that.
3. Moving. Still don't know where we'll be at the end of the month. Honestly, its very frustrating. We have an application in at Copper Creek in San Elijo but it will be 2-6 weeks before we hear if we're in or not. I am the type of person who likes to build a nest, and I just want to move on and get our little family re-settled wherever it is we need to be.
4. Field Trips. We've been in San Diego for years now, and are only just now beginning to explore it, because we feel (or I feel) like time is ticking by! So we've been exploring, and hopefully will continue to explore. Its more fun with Gracie, even though she won't remember, because it feels like family outings.
5. "Mama." Gracie can do several tricks now, including waving and mimicking tongue clicks. She also says "Mama" but hasn't yet figured out to attach a meaning to it. I am amazed at how connected she is with us now--she bounces to be picked up, vocalizes and chats all the time, watches our every move. It is so fun!
   

The Best Day of Your Life (Tag)

Christy tagged everyone, so I want ALL of YOU to post your favorite wedding and engagement photos, too! It's really fun to go through the archives and remember. :)

So answer the following questions and pair them with a photo if possible!

1. Wedding Date: September 9, 2006

2. Where did you get married? The San Diego Temple, La Jolla, California.

3. How long did you date / were engaged? We dated for six months before we got engaged, and then got married about four months after that.

Revisiting the site of our first date (The Spot at La Jolla Cove) a few months later.

On a beach trip with Steve's family after we got engaged.

We are geeks. If you get this reference, you are a geek, too.

Taking pictures for our wedding announcement. Yep, he's 14" taller than me. :)

4. Were you a Bridezilla? Wedding planning stressed me out, but no. We had a Word Doc called "The BIG SCARY LIST" that had all the details we had to tick off for the wedding and I did spreadsheets and way too much resarch on The Knot. Though I was sassy, teary, and goofy, I really felt like as long as we got married everything else could crash and burn and it wouldn't matter. So... yeah I didn't burn any buildings down.


5. Wedding colors? Blue & white because we dated & got engaged at the beach. :)


6. How many bridesmaids/groomsmen? We had six of each, and even that was hard to narrow down. We would have loved to have 10 on each side, but eventually decided we had to stop somewhere. We just love a lot of people.

My pretty girls: Em & Jess (Steve's sisters), Jenna, Allana, Krystle (getting married next month), and my kindred spirit, Shama.

See how Steve's cracking up? That's because Jason (tallest one, Steve's cousin) is giving his buttocks a little pinch.

7. Where did you honeymoon? We drove up the coast to a teeny little beach town called Cayucos near San Luis Obispo. It was perfect--we stayed at a beautiful B&B, hung out at the beach, explored the coast, and completely felt like we were on an adventure. We only took a bunch of video, though, no pictures except these:


8. Where was your reception? At an event venue called "The Villa," up in Orange County. My dad was doing chemo so we wanted him to be close to home. The spot was perfect and the food was delish. :)

Outside our reception venue

And inside

9. Did anything go wrong? There were a lot of little glitches--for one thing the man presiding over our ceremony thought my name was Heather--but nothing too major. We were a little late showing up at the temple, Steve's groomsmen made him take forever to get dressed and ready, and there were some old bikini'd women in our beach photos (see below). Haha. It all just added character!


10. Did you save your caketop and eat it on your first anniversary? Better! The bakery made us a brand new mini-cake for free a year later! So we had fresh cake! The original was yummy, too--buttercream frosting and different flavors & fillings on each layer.


11. How long have you been married NOW? We're edging up on 2 1/2 years, and they've been very good ones. :) I really felt like my life started in earnest when Steve and I got married--finally I had someone to work with, and for, in every thing I did. Love you sweetheart. :)