New Year's Resolution

Normally I have something in mind, but other than vague and various hopes for my future (many of which I don't have as much control over as I wish and the rest not really on a timeline), I'm not really feelin' any resolution calling my name.  I used to have a million of these (categorized by body, mind, and spirit), but in recent years I've felt the need to simplify and pare it down to only ONE goal for the year.  It gives me more focus. 

And even as I type that, I am inspired.  :)  What I really want is to make my body healthier this year.  I want to exercise regularly, get off this sugar train that I've been riding all through the holidays, and I want to be consistent about taking my herbal blends and remedies (especially the MindTrac, LB, and Low-Functioning Thyroid ones).  I feel like a big part of my anxiety and even depression has to do with my body, from self-image issues to hip pains that get in the way of EVERYTHING some days to the fact that if you don't exercise you don't have certain endorphins released, etc.  I'd like to lose weight, of course, but for me right now it's more about preparing my body for healthy service, whether it's becoming strong enough that I can help with our move this summer (still in town, we just hate our apartment), or enjoying marital bliss better, or having energy to play with my niece and nephew and PUPPY more, or preparing my body for a healthy pregnancy (which is STILL at the top of my wish list!).  I don't want to say I'll lose x number of pounds because (a) I'll just get discouraged along the way, (b) I don't know how much my thyroid will allow for weight loss, anyway, and (c) knowing myself, if I reach that goal then I'll get complacent and just stop doing those healthy things!  But I can quantify a few things, and I'll try.  I sort of gave up on the biggest loser thing because for me it became all about the weight loss (which I wasn't getting) instead of building a healthier lifestyle.  (Admittedly, it would also help if I had a hubby who would do it with me, but he certainly doesn't have any weight to lose!)

My New Year's Resolution is to help make my body more healthy.  I will do this by:
(1) CONSISTENTLY taking all of my herbal teas/pills, 3 times a day. 
(2) Making sure I have one hour of moderate-intense physical activity every day, of which at least 10 minutes is YOGA!  (Seriously, it is SOOOOOO good for my hips.)  This may be on the wii, or walking the dog, or doing a workout I got on Netflix, or whatever, as long as I'm moving!
(3) After the holidays are over :), going back to my "only eat dessert twice a week" rule. 
(4) Eating only one helping at dinner!  (I got off that sometime in November, darn holidays!)
(5) Researching and implementing at least 2 techniques for stress management, because when I get stressed out, my tummy gets bigger and I break out on my face.  That needs to stop!  Not to mention there is TOTALLY a link between the health of the mind and body.
(6) Recording weekly (Sundays!) right here on this blog my progress for the week, including weights, measurements, struggles, impressions, product endorsements, and pleas for support!
(7) Keeping the house cleaner (it's always straightened up, really, but I don't dust and vacuum and scrub toilets and stuff as much as I should).  I think that's part of the reason Paul and I get sick so often in the winter, because no fresh air + all those germs = unhealthy people.  Not to mention our whole house smells like OBI!  Which reminds me, we need to give her a bath!

*Whew*  That's really 7 resolutions wrapped up in 1, and I get that.  But, you know what they say about making SMART goals--they need to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely!  I think (hope) that my long-term goal WITH all these mini-goals, or steps, meet those 5 criteria.  :) 

Woohoo and huzzah!  Let the new year BEGIN!

Christmas 2010, Take 3

Last night, we had Christmas with my mom and sisters and our families.  First, Mom fed us all WAAAAYYY too much stir fry...then we successfully managed to keep it all down long enough to open presents.  Here are some photos of the craziness:

My AWESOME scarf by Cerene!  I don't have a picture of the PSYCH PINEAPPLE PILLOW by Charissa, but it was SWEET, too!  We always need more throw pillows.  We're keeping them away from Obi so she doesn't lick them to death!

James' 100 Dates.

Tanner and his blankie and bear.

Paul opening his ornament.

Cerene modeling her scarf/headband set...

Charissa doing the same.  Mom hiding from the camera because she thinks she's hideous EVEN THOUGH SHE LOOKS EXACTLY THE SAME (AND *GORGEOUSLY* SO) AS HER PURDUE ID FROM BACK IN 1984!!!)

More Charissa. :)

Caida and her wig...she wasn't all that excited to open it, and it wasn't a perfect fit, but once it was on she was more than happy to model it for us!  (Over and over and over again...)

She's all tangled up!  :)

Mom's traditional blue tree.  Grandpa told us once that when he was younger (during WWII) they were only allowed to have blue lights on their trees because they were the only ones you couldn't see from the air so no one would know where to bomb you.  Ever since then, we've had a blue tree. ;)

Tanner again...LOVE my nephew!

Happy Lantana family Christmas!  :)  3 Christmases down, 1 to go!

Christmas 2010, Take 2

We got to head over to Dad's and Carri's for a nice, quiet dinner and the opening of presents on Sunday night.  Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me so I have no photos to share of our actual visit.  BUT.  They made me and Paul matching PJ bottoms, that match Obi's bow:

(I promise, as soon as Em comes back we'll get pictures of all of us matching and I'll post them!)

They also gave us a bunch of old pictures, report cards, test scores, etc.--all that stuff parents keep and then finally decide you're old enough to have for yourself.  AND, Dad decided to clean out some of his "junk" and give each of us kids something from his mission in Japan.  I got this lovely doll (1,000 bonus points to anyone who can translate the writing on the little wooden tag to the left of it!):

Also, another highlight of the evening: their new puppy, Sammy Dickens!  He's a mix between a chihuahua and a miniature schnauzer (actually called a chizer, but we called it a chauzer which makes more sense). 

Look at that face!  After holding him (he's a sweet 10-week-old baby), I decided I just *might* want a second dog after all...then I came home and we had to clean up Obi vomit, and I decided we might have to wait 'til she's not really a puppy anymore.  :)

Dickens with my brother Ben.

Dickens with my brother Lukey.

Not only was the company all right :), but the food was great.  AND, they let us have the leftover ham and bone, and I let it simmer ALL DAY yesterday for a rich ham-and-bean soup to go with our rice tonight.  I'm pretty stoked.  It was nice to be able to visit--even though they're only about a 20-25 minute drive away, we don't get to see them much because of all of our hectic and mis-matched schedules.  Happy Christmas to the Darland clan!

Obi's first Christmas

Well, it's technically her second, but she wasn't with us for her first. Obsidian kinda scored for Christmas without even meaning to...

She got a new dental bone and a black fleece pillow/blanket combo.

She got a bow to match Paul's and my matching pajamas from Carri.

And she got (well, WILL get soon) a huge leash (to be used strictly in a no-tree, no-parking-lot area because she likes to wrap herself around stationary objects or dash in front of cars).

She also got SOOOOOOO spoiled by Paul's folks when we took her there--always telling her what a good girl she was, and feeding her SO much that she's STILL sick to her stomach today!

I know I'm going to like Christmas waaaaayyyyy better when we have excited small children around, because, seriously, you should have seen Obi last night when we gave her her toys!  First I let her out of the cage and tried to put the pillow in it--she sniffed it, and the second I stood up she grabbed it and ran out into the living room and started mouthing it!  It was soooooo funny.  THEN, when I finally wrestled it away from her, I distracted her with the blanket--man alive, had she missed her blankie!  She took to it right away, which I was concerned about since it didn't smell like her all over.  But she just started running and playing with it, and was SO excited!  It made me all warm and fuzzy inside.  THEN I showed her the bone (she had been too excited to notice it) and she grabbed it and took it over to her blankie and just laid down and started chewing on both of them, back and forth, like she couldn't make up her mind because she was SO EXCITED!  :)  When I put the blankie on her as she fell asleep on the couch, she didn't even try to wriggle out from underneath it. And this morning, in the cage, she was sleeping on her new pillow.  It was so precious.

When we get Emilie back, we're going to have her take our family pictures with our matching pajamas and bow.  :)  I'm so excited!

Chicago family Christmas (a.k.a. Christmas, take 1)

Just some pictures of our Christmas in Chicago!  I really like our family tradition.  Christmas is kinda HUGE in the Philippines, so Paulette has people over from their ward who have nowhere else to go for the holidays.  They have a huge Christmas Eve meal, and after we're stuffed and we've visited for a long while, we sit in a circle and share what we're thankful for about that year.  Then, around midnight, they kick everyone out and they open all their presents!

Paulette, stylin' with the scarf I made her--yes, she's wearing those colors exactly!  See how well I know my in-laws?  :)

Tony, more excited than I thought he'd be at opening our tabletop foosball.

Emilie's pretty stoked about her Yoshi backpack, even if almost NOTHING fits inside. :)

Paul got his expensive gift wish--a blue ray player!

Pretending to be excited about trash bags (the rubic's cube was inside).

Emilie wants to be a model.  :)

Even with being SOOOOOOOO sick (because her grandparents SPOILED HER with all the food she could eat), Obi was a very good girl for Christmas.  Her presents will include replaced bones and blankies since she got sick all over them, and a 50-foot leash for playing in the park!

After all the excitement of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day is mostly spent sleeping and playing with all our new gadgets.  Sometimes traveling.  Always picture-taking.  And eating huge amounts of leftovers.  Happy Christmas!

The last of it. :)

The last few pictures of Christmas gifts--SOOOO bummed because I already put the scarf I made for Paul's mom away and wrapped it!  And I REALLY love it (like, enough I might make one just like it with leftover yarn!).  Oh well.  :(  I'll try to get a pic on Christmas of her wearing it. 

Celeste Pillow, all finished up and ready to be put under the tree on our "Christmas" morning!

Sachets I made as stocking stuffers...with CUTE, simple fabric scraps and lavendar potpourri for the girls...

...and cinnamon potpourri in Purdue squares for the boys.  :)

Emilie's scarf.  Kinda love it.  :)

More duct tape wallets!  (Stocking stuffers for men.)

Okay, didn't make this at all, but more gifts for Emilie--who's in LOVE with YOSHI!  :)

Other presents we just broke down and bought: Star Wars Trouble for my littlest brothers, a tabletop foosball game for Paul's folks (who love foosball), and a festive Christmas mug for my mom (in addition to her scarf).

Our tree with all the presents underneath!  WE FINALLY PUT IT UP LAST NIGHT!  :)

Close-up of the presents and stockings. :)

Our star.

Rapunzel Wig

Even before I had any idea that the movie "Tangled" existed, I really wanted to make my niece a Rapunzel wig for Christmas.  Hearing that she saw the movie only made it that much more timely!  I just made it this morning and wanted to show it off because I'm super proud of it:

The wig from behind...I probably should have made it longer, but hey, she's only 6, right?

The front--I decided to weave the hair into the top of a headband I crocheted, and this gave her bangs, too...pretty smart, if I do say so myself!  I probably should've made the headband a little bigger, though, to accomodate for all that yarn hair!

Tangled up in "Tangled"...I love it!

 It should be noted here that my all-time favorite gifts are books I love, and for kids, some sort of prop or toy that goes along with it.  Like this wig.  Or the time I got my brothers a book about pirates and hid little treasure chests full of chocolate gold coins in their house, and hid a treasure map inside the book that they had to follow to find their candy.  I L.O.V.E. making books come alive for kids.  Seriously.  It was one of my favorite things about being a teacher, too!  I think for my kids' birthdays each year I'm going to buy them a new book and have some sort of dress-up item or toy that goes along with it, and save them after they're grown up for when they get older and have kids of their own.  Side note: while this wig DID take a lot of time to make, it only cost me a few bucks! 

A few other things:

Fleece scarves (I made 3 of these as gifts/stocking stuffers for the men who probably don't want flowery things. :)  Still have to find some Bears fleece, though...)

Felt pencil toppers...I started sewing some for Caida, and decided to hot glue them instead because then I could make enough for EVERYONE!  :)

Purely selfish--I'd wanted to make this all season long as decor for our home, and now I have it!  I love the contrasting textures.  This is sitting up in the corner of our coffee table/TV set.

A stocking stuffer for my sister.  I honestly don't know why the red looks so orangey here, but it's really quite Christmas-y in person and I love it!

Remember this?  I'd already painted one gerbera puzzle, but I'm in the middle of painting 2 more for stocking stuffers, too...

Each one makes 6 pastel gerberas!

And I didn't have to make these since I had a TON laying around from before, but I'm giving the girls each a flower doll (or, in Caida's case, like 7 of them) because I like them soooooooo much!

*Whew!* ALMOST THERE!  I only have a few gifts and things left to make, and a house to clean by Thursday, and then *MAYBE* I can enjoy the holidays in a more relaxed way.  :)  On another side note, I just found out that due to all sorts of scheduling craziness, we aren't having our family Christmas until New Year's Day (or maybe even the day after)...so that gives me more time (and another paycheck) to buy candy and all those little things!  YAY!  And we'll still be up in Chicago for Paul's family Christmas.  Now that I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, I'm much less stressed out.  AND, Emilie comes home in 5 days!!!  I can't wait to see her face!

The 12 DATES of Christmas--Day 5!

*Sigh*  Our MS Office decided to deactivate (probably having something to do with my computer reboot a week ago), and we've had SOOOOO many troubles trying to get everything working again...we did that all night instead of working on our newsletter yesterday, and even then we didn't finish!  Rant over.

For the 5th date of Christmas, I decided 5 golden rings were (a) too expensive, (b) too tacky (neither of us likes gold much), and (c) too useless, because he can barely manage to keep tabs on our wedding ring!  :)  He won't wear 5 rings, but he WILL wear comfy T-shirts.  We're making Fernandez Family Tees tonight!  I have no idea yet what this will entail--with my husband being part artist, I'm sure it'll be more than just some iron-on letters!  But I'm excited.  We need something like that.  :)

Side note: I've got all the bills paid and it's not even 8am yet.  I'm diggin' this.  :)  Hopefully today will be more productive than yesterday, in which I slept, did dishes, made dinner, and slept again. 

The 12 DATES of Christmas--Day 4!

Neither of us are phone people, so 4 calling birds didn't seem right.  But we have plenty of family to write on our very special family night!  For tonight's date, we're going to be writing our Christmas newsletter and personalizing/sending out Christmas cards, as well as creating a family motto for 2011.  I'm stoked, because we REALLY need to do this soon or they won't get done!

On a side note, here are a few pics (of my phone pics) from our Playdoh Pictionary date night. :)

CAROLING--he said everything BUT this word--singing, hosanna, as well as the names of a million carols, but it took him forever to find the word "caroling" in his brain!  TOOOOO funny!

Train set that I was particularly proud of.  :)  All night my "sculptures" looked more like drawings, like the one above.  But all of Paul's were so 3D that I felt the pressure ON to make something 3D, too!  Looks like that high school sculpture class paid off!  ;)

Paul's partridge.  This picture does NOT do it justice.  He had his thumb/nail print RIGHT WHERE THE EYES WERE, and it looked like it was looking at me!  Not too shabby for an engineer, right?  :)

And, speaking of family, how cute is our puppy (when she wants to be)?  Obsidian certainly does have her moments. :)