Input, por favor.

This is sweater is darling, supposed to be easy, and I'm going to make if for Ella. I am thinking about making it solid sweat pea green, instead of sweet pea and lamb mix (like the photo). Oh, I'm horrible at making decisions! Tell me what you think. Green? Mix? Yellow (ooooh, yellow. didn't even think about yellow!)? Bag the sweater all together? I can't decide! Share your thoughts. Please?

TGIF!

I'm So In The Mood

My brother used to listen to Simon & Garfunkle. There's a part during the Central Park concert, right before they sing American Tune, when Art Garfunkle says, "I'm so in the mood." It's ridiculous, cheesy and hilarious. I remember riding in the backseat of his car with my brother B laughing our heads off at the fruitiness of it. Turns out I happen to be a Simon & Garfunkle lover ... cheesiness and all.

I'm so in the mood. That's how I feel about blogging lately. I don't have much to say and not much is going on but I can't stand the thought of doing the laundry or cleaning my kitchen for the third time today. Instead, I'll blog.

And I'll blog about knitting. I'm not trying to turn this into some knitting blog but it seems to be all I do lately. I think that comes back to the whole laundry/kitchen issue. So sorry if you don't like knitting.

Speaking of kitchens, the pots I cook with weigh 114 pounds. A sissy girl like me has a hard time lifting them suckers so I have to lift while holding further down the handle. This is dangerous because the handles get blazing hot. To solve the problem, I made this -See the little pink coat on the handle? Genius! This honestly saved my digits today during lunch. It doesn't hurt that they're cute too! I knitted this in about an hour, used leftover yarn and after it's been felted, it's nice and thick and heat-proof. I need to fiddle with the size a little bit but overall, it's fabulous! Wish I came up with the idea but I didn't. Thanks Noni, whoever you are!

Another knitting project - dishrags. I love knitting these because there are so many different variations and I can complete one during an episode of Lost. I'm all about the quick projects. Anyway, I knitted two dishrags in white and two in Robins Egg blue. They came out in two different sizes! I checked and rechecked the labels and yes, they are the same yarn and yes, I used the same needles and yes, I used the same pattern. I can't figure it out and it's driving me crazy! You can't give someone two different sized dishrags!

See the problem?? Urrgh!

If you've made it to the end of this post, thanks for reading. So, from one dedicated fan to another, I'm So In The Mood (American Tune). Enjoy!

Sad, Sad Boy

Nut House

I think I'm going crazy. It runs in my family so I'm not that surprised. Maybe it's this crappy weather. Maybe it's my cluttered house. Maybe it's my ridiculously messy kids. I don't know, but something is definitely pushing me to the steep hill of insanity.

So today, I am going to remove every chair and stool from my house ... anything that Jack might stand on. I am going to child-proof every door, closet and drawer. Mostly I am going to contemplate every nutso thing I've done in the last two weeks. And then, I'm going to make a batch of cookies to make me feel better. While I'm busy, feast your eyes on this .....

Ooooh, I need this bag. I lust after this bag. I would saw off my right arm for this bag. I could make it my church bag ... I'm pretty sure my attendance would be more regular if I had this bag. I only have 302 projects on my plate right now. I think I will make this bag Project 303.

p.s. I ordered my Girl Scout Cookies today. Good times are coming!!!

Ella's Goodnight Prayer

"Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for this day. Thank you for my many blessings. Please bless my tights won't itch and that I won't lose my pixels. Please bless that I will have my new pink shoes forever. That they will still fit when I'm five, even though I'm only four and even if they are a little tight on my toes and heels.

And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

What's Next?

I saw this advent calendar a couple of months ago and knew I had to have one. I have a feeling this is going to be the standby project so I better get going. If I can complete a mitten and a hat each month, I'll be just about on schedule, right?

I LOVE THESE!!! These mitts would be perfect for my mitts and would be so fun in my kitchen. They are felted and delicious! They look pretty easy, and I hope they are, so I can make 400 of them.

And then there's these. They're called Cranky Pants (which would be perfect for Jack) and I think they are so dang cute! My friend sent them to me for my next project but without a pattern, I doomed. I guess I'll have to just get on the year long waiting list. Bummer! Monster Cranky Pants

Sock Monkey Cranky Pants

The Year Of Lacey

When I look back on events in my live, I usually don't catalog them by year. Oh sure, I graduated from high school in 1997. I got married in 2000. Ella was born in 2004. However, I got braces when I was 12. My first kiss was when I was 16 (ok, that's a lie, but whatever). I went to Israel when I was 19. I got my ears pierced at 10, my stomach pierced at 17. My parents separated when I was 20 and I swallowed a gold fish at the ripe age of 18. What I'm saying is that I remember stuff by my age.

Around the time of my birthday, I usually get some sort of inspiration about the way my life should be. Last year didn't work so well -- 29 was a doozy. But this year! Ahh, the inspiration has come! I had this same sort of divine intervention two years ago and it was fabulous! I've decided to follow suit and make 30 the same sort of year. Here it is .....

This year is all about me! The year of Lacey! Selfish? You betcha! I am focusing on me. I am taking care of me. I going to make a point to have a good time. I'm going to improve myself physically, spiritually and mentally (well, hopefully mentally!). I am going to be more proactive. I'm going to be even more social (Gator is going to be thrilled about this). I'm going to be a good friend, a nice wife and a fun mom.

I am going to find extra things that make me happy -- aprons, red shoes, good smelling laundry detergent, books, yummy lotion. And I'm going to bake cookies once a week because it makes me happy.

I have specific goals for myself that are too personal to share, but I'm excited and surprisingly, not overwhelmed!

So, here's to 30, here's to me and here's to you ... who are all going to benefit from me being so flipping happy!

Oh, and you know what else makes me happy? THIS and THIS. Enjoy!

The good, bad and ugly!

Christmas is over, the crap's been put away, family parties are DONE and could I been any more thankful? I love, love, LOVE Christmas but the last 2 weeks have been LONG! Last week I refused to do another post until I got my laptop (which I still don't have but hopefully this week) but realized I have a lot to say so I might as well get sayin' it!

1. Let's talk a little more about Christmas. I was really excited this year -- perhaps more excited than Ella. It's fun having a school aged kid during Christmas time. Christmas programs and projects seem to bring out more of the Christmas spirit.

Christmas morning was fun. We didn't have to stay up too late and luckily the kids slept until 7:30 (unheard of!). Ella got the hang of unwrapping gifts real quick and we had to reign her in a couple of times. Everybody got great stuff -- we all must have been extra good this year. Other than Jack crying from the minute he woke up, we had a nice, relaxing day.

2. Christmas gifts -- what was my favorite? Earplugs. Seriously! Gator got me a pair while he was at the gun store and I'm pretty sure I love him even more for it. I've used them a couple of times already and they have absolutely saved my sanity. Although they don't block the kids out completely, the really take the edge off. Oh, I know what you're thinking and yes, I understand this probably makes me a bad mom but you know what? Take Jack for a couple of days and you'll be beating down my door for a pair!

3. Worst Christmas gift? How about the stomach flu! Oh, it was miserable! Two days after Christmas a couple of us woke up feeling crappy and it didn't go away for an entire week! When Ella is throwing up, she's old enough to know you throw-up in a toilet, bowl, or some other container. When an 18-month old throws-up, they just stop in their tracks and let it loose. Fortunately, Jack didn't throw-up on anything that required a steam cleaner, but the panic I felt with every cough, sneeze, or gag was enough to multiply my symptoms! I'm considering removing the rest of the carpet in my house!

4. Gator finally got his gun! You can't image the guilt I've felt over this gun! As some of you are aware, I had to have a little surgery done on my mouth a few months ago. We found out that it was going to cost a lot of money and the insurance would only cover a tiny portion of it. To help pay for it, Gator pulled a wad of cash out of his drawer and told me to put it toward my surgery. Turns out it was the money he had been saving from past birthdays and Christmases to pay for the gun. Oh, the sadness of it! I felt horrible! Luckily, by some twisted piece of luck, we got a random check in the mail for $1700!! Gator bought his gun and I am relieved!!

5. Speaking of my mouth surgery, remember how I said it cost a lot of money? Well, turns out the statement they gave me included a procedure that can't be done until later this year. We didn't have to pay as much this year and ended up with extra money in Flex Spending! Good news is that we had $600 left! Bad news is that on December 31st, we had $600 left. We hadn't been keeping receipts to turn in because we figured it would all go towards my surgery so we had a lot of money to burn through in a day! Need contact solution? I've got loads of it! Need Tylenol? Come on over!

6. HAIR IS THE PITS! (no, not hairy pits, although that sucks too.) I finally broke down and got a new flat iron. Over the last couple of months my hair has been a disaster! I have some funky hair, plus I'm growing it out which always adds some extra funk, so I didn't think much about the feathered/flip do I was sporting. I finally saw a picture of myself and realized I was in a really bad way and it finally dawned on me that my flat iron wasn't pulling it's weight. I did a little research and found the iron I wanted was only 125 bones (I'm talking a lot about money, aren't I? Yuck!). However, I hopped on ebay, went through some nerve-wracking minutes and spent $65 on the same iron! I love good deals and I love ebay! I'm feeling much better about my hair ...

...except for this - ENJOY Shine and Smooth. I love this stuff. I have used this on my hair for the last couple of years. I went to my favorite hair supply store (good old Classy Chassy!) to replenish my supply and the price has doubled. DOUBLED!!! How is this possible?? $33 for a small bottle of serum? I've been going without for the last couple of weeks and honestly, I might as well have saved my flat iron money because without the combination of the two, I'm doomed! Any suggestions? Do you use anything on your hair that you love? Something that smooths and shines and would protect my hair from my brand new 6000 degree flat iron? Help!

Also, the girl that does my hair and eyebrows decided to head off to Florida for a year without telling me. I have been loyal to her for years and she didn't tell me!! I'm ticked she left and I'm ticked I had to push my appointment back 2 weeks with someone who doesn't know my funky hair! I'm a mess!

7. Did you all see that Utah game? Go Utes!

8. Did you all make resolutions? I'm currently drafting a post on this. Stay tuned!

9. I've got some major house projects that are going to be starting soon. I'll talk about this later too.

10. My new church schedule starts at 8:30 am. Church was done at 11:30 this morning and it was fabulous! Only 8 1/2 hours left to rip each other's throats apart!

* I have some pictures to post but I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE to venture to the dungeon to load them onto my computer. It's -40 degrees down there! Maybe later.