Suggestions .... Pronto!

Quick! I need some book suggestions. I am leaving out of town on Monday and don't have a thing to read! I need a book I can get at the library, something that Oprah has not recommended (I can't do extremely depressing right now) and not something real popular -- I don't have time to be on the waiting list. I need it in my hot little hands by Saturday. Have I narrowed the options too much? What book do you love ... or liked ok? Any suggestions? Please????

If Your Happy and You Know It

Today, I'm happy. I'm happy other days too, but today is simple, clean, fresh happiness. My farmer tan has made it's yearly appearance. My windows are open. We have been outside non-stop for a week. My kids are filthy, smell like sunscreen and have slept delightfully well. I realized this winter that I'm a SAD sufferer (seasonal affective disorder). I haven't been properly diagnosed but anyone who saw, met or spoke to me this winter would probably back up my statement. I had a long, hard couple of months. This last week has been an absolute blessing. The temps are supposed to plummet this weekend but today, I'm thankful.

I love how running makes me feel and I love how it starts my day. I don't love running itself -- I used to, but I've lost it. This week has been hard. Pep talks occur nightly. Morning seems especially early. My legs are tired and my back has been hurting. However, after dragging my butt out of bed and getting my tired body outside, I'm usually glad I did. Over the last three days my morning jogs have been enjoyable. New music, good weather -- makes a difference!

This morning I didn't go running. It was such a great feeling to shut off my alarm last night! My kids slept through the night. I woke up all by myself. No alarm, no kid voices. They slept until 7:30. It was amazing!

I am starting a swimming class tonight. 5 weeks of rediscovering my stroke. Weird, I know, but I'm excited! I love swimming, I miss swimming, and there's nothing better than looking like an idiot with some friends!

We had Standards Night for YW last night. The speaker was a Principal from a local Jr. High who's a bishop (or was?) who also is fighting cancer. I totally could have ditched out but I'm glad I went. It was so nice to hear talk of respecting adults, being honest, acting your age and teenage cell phone abuse. Not sure if the youth heard a word of it (too busy texting!) but as an adult, it made me happy.

Dance is almost over! Ella is a darling dancer. She's good at it and she likes to do it. This year dance class has been a struggle. I think both of us need this year to be over and have a little time to regroup. I'll be glad when the recital is done and Ella (and me) get a break. Hopefully through the summer she remembers why she loves it. Today is just one more dance class down -- horrible, I know but it makes me happy.

Happy Thursday!

Gluttony

We have a problem at our house. One at a time doesn't register with this fella. Suggestions?

Something missing?

A picture Ella brought home to me. It says - I like to play with - with a picture of Gator, Ella and Jack. Oh, and Ariel. After praising her for good spelling and drawing skills, I noticed someone was missing. Ella, I said. Don't you like to play with Mom? Mama, she said. You need to do your jobs, silly goose.

Huh. I guess she doesn't remember the other 9 hours of the day that she needs to be entertained.

It proudly hangs on our fridge .... where I can be reminded 800 times a day of all the time I don't spend with her. Nice.

Easter

This year we decided to attempt the Barnes Park egg hunt. We've avoided it in years past -- mostly because we forget ... and are a little lazy ... and let's face it, the Gatherum Fam doesn't like crowds. But the weather turned out somewhat crummy, we felt guilty for our laziness and we ventured out. We were not disappointed! The weather kept the crowds down and Ella had a fabulous time!

Ella waiting for the race to begin. I tried to explain to her the best strategy for getting the most eggs but she wasn't interested. Her goal was to get only pink eggs. I watched her run out to the middle of the field (part of my strategy. I was hopeful!), pick up an egg, then run clear across the field to the next pink egg she had spotted. Then, run back to where she began and pick up another pink egg. She ran three times as far as any other kid there, but she did end up with a bag full of pink eggs. She was pleased.


We didn't let Jack participate this year. Anyone who knows Jack probably isn't surprised.


Coloring eggs. I love coloring eggs. I found myself cheating Ella out of them just for my own pleasure. Next year I'll cook a couple extra dozen just for me! Very therapeutic!


Easter morn. I love this picture because it's exactly what Ella looks like every morning -- sleepy and rumpled with hair standing on end! Oh, I love this girl!


And my Jack. In his pink jammies. Yes, I still put him in pink jammies because he's too dang cute n them. Pink really is a good color on him!


Later, we went to Gator's parents for dinner and more egg hunting. The food was great and the kids were in heaven. Especially Jack. He's never been surrounded by so much candy! He's never been allowed to eat so much candy! I was sick watching him.


Ella and her loot.


We had a great day and had so much fun with family!

Happiness

Have you guys seen this before? Yes? What? You mean I've posted this on my blog 17 times before? Well, I don't care how many times I've forced you to watch it. If it doesn't make you smile, there's something wrong with you! Until I can come up with something to blog about, enjoy!

If I was invisible ....

...I'd tip-toe up to this Idol runner-up and trim his locks. What's Mr. Aiken up to these days, anyway?

....I'd slip a note -- probably in the pocket of the Jo Bro wearing the scarf -- with a little Lacey fashion advice .... ha! ha! ho! ho! Lacey fashion advice? Desperate times call for desperate measures, folks!

... I'd leave this man's locks alone, stuff him in my amazingly huge pocket and make him my new best friend. Lovely, isn't he?

Oh, I've got a fever ... Spring Fever!

It's here! It really is! Last week was perfect - 60/70 degree weather, kids in shorts, sunburned cheeks, farmer tans in the making - perfect! Today it snowed. I'm ok with it because last week it was 70 degrees. It's going to come back, right?

1. How else do I know spring is here? 300 mph winds. I remember being 8 months pregnant with Ella, sleeping on a blow-up mattress on the floor of our unfinished basement. The wind was blowing so hard we couldn't get any sleep. The basement was our solution -- not a good one, I must add. I also remember getting up in the morning to find the siding had been ripped off the side of our house. Yup, gusty winds = spring time in our neck of the woods. Luckily, we haven't had much damage over the last couple of years .... knock on wood (knock, knock).

Saturday, Eric and Heather showed up with some kites for the kids. We took advantage of the wind and had some fun. I haven't flown a kite in years! We had a ball!

2. Remember my Bella Mittens? They're officially on my needles. The color isn't quite what I had in mind but it's hard to tell what you're getting when you order online. Besides, it was on sale. These will make a good practice round. You all are going to be jealous come fall, I know it!

3. I bought an apron pattern right after Christmas and had forgotten all about it. A friend of mine posted about a cute apron pattern she found and luckily, the light bulb went off. I'm so glad she helped me remember! I made two darling aprons over the weekend and I love them! Very simple pattern and I was able to use fabric I already had stashed (takes only about 2 yards).

I made them out of these -
4. You know those people who get callings in church and have them for something like 10 years? I was convinced that was going to be me! I was coming to terms with being the Food Storage lady forever. It's been a great calling. I've learned a lot and I feel like I've done a good job. Surprisingly (and to my relief, to be honest), I got a new calling. I gave myself the "primary is good" pep talk and was shocked when it turned out to not be primary. So what is it? Can you guess? Young Women Laurel Advisor. What? Is that what you're thinking? That was my reaction too. This is a big calling. This is a responsible calling. I could possibly damage young, moldable minds. What if someone tells them that after I got the calling I hopped in my car and went straight to Maverick for a Diet Dr. Pepper? You know, to calm my nerves and stuff. Is it possible to get fired before you start?

Regardless of my insecurites and the fact that I'm absolutely intimidated by 16 year old girls, I'm thrilled! I love Young Womens. I had a great experience growing up. I think the girls in my ward are darling and fun. I can't wait to figure this calling out!

p.s. Don't spill the beans about Maverick. I promised Gator I would be a good example from now on.

5. Speaking of darling girls who happen to be very stylish brings me to number 5. I've mentioned before, I'm not stylish. I would love to be stylish but I can't figure it out. However, I've figured something out that is going to save my unstylish life -- hemmed jeans! I have tweener legs. 32 inch pants are too long, 30 too short. And, depending on my shoes, 32 inches might be just right. Ahh, the dilemas.

During my perfect weather week, I disgraced myself and walked around with a cuff on the bottom of my pants that averaged probably 14 inches. There was no way I was wearing anything but my flip flops and I tossed my pride to the wind and let my tootsies out for some air. Oh, it was wonderful but I knew the cuffed jeans weren't working for me and something had to be done.

Have you ever tried to hem your jeans? You know that when you cut off the bottom of your pant legs, the hem will never look right, right? I found a great tutorial showing how to hem your jeans and still save the stylish bottoms. I tried it today and it's fabulous! Two good things about it - 1. It took me 15 minutes, tops. 2. When cold weather rolls around and I've got to bind my feet again, I can let down the hem and have my long pants back. Amazing!

6. Homemade detergent. I can't believe the response I got from it! Let me say that a week after I posted about it, I'm still in love! Let me answer a couple of questions for those who have asked.

- Cost breakdown- You'll get about 6 batches out of the Washing Soda. 6+ batches out of the Borax. 1 batch for each bar of soap.

Washing Soda - $2.99
Borax - $4.29
*FYI - I was just at Walmart and Borax was half the cost.
Fels Naptha - $1.29
*I picked this stuff up where ever I was. You could probably find it cheaper if you looked.

Each batch costs approximately - $2.70. The batches are small (about 2 cups) but you only use 2 TB of detergent for a full load. I'm not sure how many loads a batch will cover - I haven't been keeping track - but I'm still using the first batch that I made. Next time I'll keep track.

-Yes, you only use 2 Tablespoons. That was not a typo.

- When I use my blender or food processor, it does not gum anything up. Unless you add water. That will definately screw it up. Since it's powder, it will rinse off your blender very easily.

- It smells good, just like the bar of soap you use. Not strong. Perfectly light and fresh.

- If you don't want to try it, don't! Good grief! People have been acting like I'm going to rip their arm off if they continue with their regular soap. Go ahead and use what you want! It may be crap, but use it!

- It will not suds up like other laundry soap does. I read that additives are what actually causes the suds in your soap so I guess suds-free is a bonus.

7. What's my Jack been up to? He's potty training himself. Ok, I wish, but not really. He likes to pretend and it's hilarious. Someday.

Squeaky Clean

Sometimes I get crazy ideas. Sometimes I do weird things. Like when I started grinding my own wheat and baking my bread. Or the time I started whipping up my own butter blend because I liked how it looked in the containers in my fridge. Or that strawberry freezer jam sitting in my freezer, even though strawberry jam isn't a favorite at our house, just because I like the idea of having homemade jam in my freezer. Or that time I wanted to use cloth diapers because they're more natural .... ok, ok, that's totally a lie. I've never wanted to use cloth diapers and actually think people who do are a little fruity ...probably super nice, but come on. Really?

Anyway, I have gone to my crazy place again. This time with laundry soap. I saw this recipe for homemade laundry soap and the idea of the stuff sitting in a fun container in my laundry room sent my wheels spinning. I made a batch and you know what? I actually love this stuff! It was super easy, a fraction of the cost and surpisingly cleans better than the other stuff. Really! No joke! So unlike my butter-blend, I think this stuff is going to be sticking around!

Here's what you need:
Box of Borax Natural Laundry Boost (this can be found in the laundry soap aisle)
Box of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (baking soda will NOT work as a substitute)
1 bar of Fels-Naptha soap, a stain removing laundry soap (ANY bar of soap like Ivory, Dove, etc. will work, but this one has a little extra stain-fighting in it. I have filthy kids.)

1. Grate your bar of soap with a cheese grater. Dump this in your food processor or blender.
2. Measure out 1 cup Borax and 1 cup washing soda. Dump this in too.

Turn on your machine of choice and let it go until it turns into a nice, fine powder. Use 2 TB. for a full load of laundry.

There it is! My kitchen smelled deliciously clean after doing this! There is also a liquid detergent fomula using these same ingrededients but it seemed like a little too much work and a little too messy for me.

So call me crazy, call me weird. At least I have clean clothes!

Satan's Pawn

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