A Couple Of Things

Spring is here! It's 60 degrees, 300 mph winds, sunshine ... and it's supposed to snow this weekend. Yup, spring is definitely here! While this teasing makes me absolutely crazy, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel! Winter was a hard one for me this year. I won't be sorry to say goodbye!

Yesterday was my official start day for no more Diet Dr. Pepper and no more treats. I started analyzing this a little more yesterday morning and decided to be honest with myself. As long as there was still a box of DP enticing me in my garage, it would never work. Therefore, it has been postponed. I have 12 more to drink and then I'm done. For good. Do you believe me?

Let's talk about treats. Just another thing I'm addicted to. I understand treats are fine in moderation, but unless moderation means eight cookies instead of two, I'm toast (with chocolate frosting on it, of course!)! I was very serious in my dedication to kick the habit. I've done it before, and am normally pretty healthy. Monday was absolutely the day. Sunday night I baked myself some brownies, had my last sugar-induced stomach ache and hopped on the "no sugar/healthy lifestyle" bandwagon. Sadly, by 11:00 am Monday morn, I had been tossed off and run over. My Sunday night, sugar-induced, stomach ache didn't include getting rid of the entire pan of brownies. So they sat on my stove calling to me .... singing, really ... and I couldn't resist. Ohh, the disappointment!

So far today, I've made it to 1:00. I'm on a roll!

We started taking Jack to nursery. Almost a month earlier than we usually allow our kids (yes, Jack is 20 months, but that's another story). Turns out, nursery isn't really his thing.

First try: 10 minutes of screaming before they found Gator. Jack was screaming so hard he was choking.
Second try: I plan to sit in there with him for a while. I was hesitant to do this since I didn't want him to think I was going to come every time but it didn't seem to matter. He started crying as we walked down the hall, continued to cry non-stop for 1 hour until he was saved by his "nice parent" who took him home. Jack crashed for 15 hours after that episode (not really, but close!).

Third try: I go prepared. His favorite binki, his sippy, a blankie and fruit snacks are tucked in my Nursery Emergency Bag. Crying starts even further down the hallway (further? farther? whatever!). This time a tantrum starts - screaming, kicking, falling on the floor. Snot if flowing, his face is splotchy and still he continues to try and push down the door. This lasts about 30 minutes. Finally, FINALLY, exhaustion sets in and he allows me to wrap his blanket around him, give him a binki and sits in my lap and cries for another 20 minutes. Fortunately, he stopped crying, started to play and ended up doing ok .... as long as no one touched him.

Now, Jack is a different boy. He's darling and funny and I love him more than I can handle, but most the time I don't know how to deal with him. Guess this nursery thing is the Lord's way of throwing another flame ball at me. Hopefully there's more progress next week!

The Bachelor. Are you flipping kidding me? Whoever declares their love, proposes, dumps on national tv and then continues to make-out with the runner-up, who he happens to still be in love with, has to be one of the biggest weasels ever! Crazy thing is, I knew how it ended and it still didn't make it any less painful to watch! I might actually have to be done with The Bachelor ... unless Jillian is the next Bachelorette.

I tried couscous for the first time last night. I have issues with eating wierd textures. In fact, I have never knowingly eaten cottage cheese for that very issue. I'm actually starting to gag thinking about it! Anyway, I got THIS RECIPE from my friend Jenny and was pleasantly surprised! Both Gator and Ella liked it! Jack, on the other hand, had issues with the texture. Go figure!

Twilight. While I'm still undecided about the movie, I did love the music. Does anyone have the soundtrack? Do you like it? Is there anyone besides the Halladay's who would let me burn a copy?

Twilight

Gator and I finally saw Twilight on Saturday. All I can say is, forget Edward! Did you see Bella's mittens? I drooled through the entire show! Ok, ok, Edward wasn't so bad himself!

I NEED!!

There is a lady and she's amazing. She makes stuff ... incredible, ridiculously cute stuff .... and then gives it away! Which is where this coat comes in -- I'm going to win it! This link here doesn't mean you can enter yourselves -- that would take away my chances! -- but to have a looksey at what will be adorning my wardrobe very soon (positive thinking, right?). Check out her fun pictures and replace her face for mine. Cute, huh?

The Conservatory Overcoat GIVEAWAY!!!!

Image

Do I have issues with my body? Absolutely! Who doesn't ! There's a post I read the other day on a blog that I love that I thought was really .... inspiring? ..... relatable? Not sure what word I want to use but I really liked it. Ladies with issues, click here.

Happy Friday and Happy Valentines Day!

We have had more sickness in our house than I care to think about. I am not exaggerating when I say we've left the house maybe 5 times in the last month! Please tell me Spring is coming soon!

So, something that makes me happy -
My first set of oven mitts are done! They were fun to do, a little tricky but a satisfying project. A bonus- They really work! I tried them! My digits were cozy and safe!

At first they looked like this - blurry and boring.
So I decided to add a little embellishment to spice it up a little. The flower is a little big for the size of the mitt but I think it worked out.

Oh, and don't forget the trivet! I actually didn't know these were called trivets until I got this pattern. I thought it was just another hot pad!
After felting, I had a really hard time blocking this into an actual square. Looks a little off, doesn't it? Oh, well.

These mitts are resting nicely in someone else's kitchen. Hope her fingers stay happy and safe!
Next pair are going to be for my mother-in-law! At her house on Monday I burned my hand three times during one Papa Murphy's pizza baking. Ridiculous! Pair after that? MINE!



Notes to self:
Medium
10 1/2 DPN
CC: 9 rows

Seven

I was tagged a couple of times and thought this might be a good brain exercise for me. Holy smokes, I wasn't kidding! This was really hard!

7 things I want to do before I die:
1. Learn to quilt
2. Run a couple of triathlons
3. Travel with Gator -- although Gator is not a traveler which makes this a little challenging.
4. Have a nearly perfect garden ... well, a really good one, anyway.
5. Get over my fear of running with people
6. Know somehow that I made a difference
7. Figure out what I want to do before I die!

7 things I cannot do:
1. I can't keep my opinions to myself. Gets me in trouble.
2. I can't grow herbs. I've tried the last 4 years and can't get those suckers to survive!
3. I can't do anything competitively or I'll have a nervous breakdown.
4. I can't be friendly to people I don't like. Polite? Most of the time. Friendly? No.
5. I can't make Gator's favorite Applesauce cookies and refuse to try anymore.
6. I can't kick my addiction to Diet Dr. Pepper. I've tried. Oh, how I've tried.
7. I can't be stylish! I want to. I try! Just doesn't seem to work for me!

7 things that attracted me to my spouse:
1. His astonishingly good looks!:) I've never done that before ... you know, this - :) Not sure I will ever do that again.
2. His love for his family.
3. His laid-back attitude.
4. His respect for his mom.
5. I learned he was hard worker right from the start.
6. The way he treated me was amazing!
7. He thought I was funny. Anyone who thinks I'm funny will be on my good list forever!

7 things I look forward to everyday:
1. Seeing my kids. As much as I complain about them, I do love to see them when they wake up in the morning. Unless it's 5:30, then not so much.
2. My Diet Dr Pepper
3. Gator coming home from work.
4. Knitting/reading time.
5. Showers. I actually hate the process of taking a shower and drying my hair. Takes too long and too much energy! However, I can't function without it!
6. Nap time ... unfortunately, not mine.
7. Playing on the computer.

7 books I love:
1. Follow the River
2. A Girl Named Zippy
3. Pride and Prejudice
4. The Book Thief
5. East of Eden (call me crazy!)
6. These Is My Words
7. thinking ....

7 movies I could watch over and over:
1. Pride and Prejudice
2. The Natural
3. Dirty Dancing
4. The Notebook
5. Three Amigos
6. The Family Stone
7. Jane Eyre

7 sites I visit every day:
1. hotmail
2. blogger/blogs
3. facebook
4. PW
5. library
6. people
7. google

7 favorite TV shows:
1. Biggest Loser
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. The Office
4. ER
5. So You Think You Can Dance (this honestly might be the dumbest name for a TV show but I'll watch it anyway!)
6. The Bachelor
7. Amazing Race

7 things I did today:
1. Woke up way too early.
2. Took Ella to the dentist.
3. Wiped more of Jack's snot than I'd like to remember.
4. Stopped by Papa Murphy's.
5. Talked to friends.
6. Cursed the snow.
7. Prayed for spring.

7 favorite restaurants:
*We don't get out much so this there's nothing fancy here!
1. PF Changs
2. Taggarts (thanks for the intro, steph!)
3. Market Street
4. Chilis (only because I could eat their chips and salsa all day!)
5. Dodo
6. Cafe Rio
7. Basically anywhere that doesn't have a drive through or a play area!

7 people who will make a list of their own?
Yeah right! Can I re-tag the people who tagged me? I would love to hear from all of you! Make your list and let me know!

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.