Thankful, Day 2

Today I am especially grateful for THAT MOMENT when things work out even when you didn't believe there was any way on earth they possibly could.  You know those moments, I'm sure--the times when you breathe a heavy sigh of relief that your worrying or other bad feelings were for naught, that worst-case scenarios aren't always happening, and you just realize that maybe it's a good thing you're NOT in control of the universe because you're not quite ready for it just yet.  ;)  I had a few moments like that today, personally and professionally, and even though it's humbling to be a worrywart (and good to be a planner), I'm grateful that sometimes things turn out remarkably and surprisingly well in spite of me.  :)  I'm grateful that I'm not in charge of the universe, 'cause I would majorly screw it up. :) But I've got a Heavenly Father and a Savior that make things work out even when I mess things up, or even if I'm a worrywart and can only imagine worst-case scenarios and have no idea HOW things could work out. He makes it all work and He makes it all worth it! I love those moments when I realize this and can breathe a sigh of relief that someone loves me enough to balance the universe, generally in my favor. :)

Tip of the day: Start a gratitude journal!  It may seem hokey, but it really does make a BIG DIFFERENCE in mood.  And not just in the moment.  Studies have shown that people report less stress, greater perspective, and higher quality of life, after writing just FIVE things down every week that they are grateful for over a ten-week period!  Science not convincing enough?  Here's what a modern-day prophet had to say about how recording gratitude builds testimony.  :)

Thankful, Day 1

I have had a bad case of the grumpies for some time now.  Things are getting better, partly because of the passage of time and mostly because I am CHOOSING HAPPINESS.  It's not easy, especially when times are tough, but it's doable.  And a big part of that always, but especially in this season, is gratitude.  So I'd like to post each day until Thanksgiving and share things I'm grateful for, and other ways I'm trying to develop an attitude of gratitude.

Today I am grateful for clouds.  That's right, clouds.  Seems a strange thing to start off the month being grateful for, but this morning on my oh-so-short drive into work I was noticing the pinkish hue of the clouds in the sunrise and I was just overwhelmed by the simple beauties that are all around us that I rarely stop and take time to notice.  I'm grateful for the clouds that reflect rainbows of colors in the sunrise and sunset.  I'm grateful for the clouds that bring rain to a thirsty world, and the ones that are dark and stormy with lightning and thunder.  And the puffy white clouds that take the shapes of our imaginations.  I'm grateful for the beauty of the way clouds play with light, almost like a living painting.  I love flying through clouds and watching them dance on the wings, or sprawl out below me like a luxurious bubble bath.  Clouds are GREAT, and I for one am grateful for them.

Tip of the day: I busted out my clicker today for the first time in too long.  It's pink and awesome and it forces me to take just a few minutes at the start, middle, and end of my day to breathe deeply and ponder the good in my life.  TRY IT!

Happy Halloween!

Here are some of my Halloween projects and pictures this year.  :)  Better late than never, right?  :)

Voodoo wanted to tell you all to enjoy the holidays.  Next year I have decided we are sewing our puppies' costumes if we still don't have a baby and we are going to take THEM trick-or-treating...and then eat all the candy.  :)

This was actually SUPER FUN and SUPER EASY--a skeleton wreath!  I went to Walmart the day after Halloween and they had a 12-piece foam-like bone set for $5.  Some hot glue did the trick!  I think I want to find either a crow or a bottle of "poison" to add a little something more to it...and maybe a mini chalkboard "Enter if you dare" sign...but I can't wait to put it on the door next year!  Spooky, isn't it?  :)

For "dress like a hero day" at school (which also happened to be our Halloween party), I borrowed Paul's Air Force shirt.  I tried to fit into his old pants, but...no.  Hahaha.  :)

Speaking of our Halloween party, this is "Super K...to the rescue!"  It is when she really just started talking again, and she was adorable all day long.  I also thought this little kid-friendly craft they did was worth sharing!  It's just a ping pong ball, an orange battery-operated tea light, and a sharpie.  You can decorate the ping pong ball any way you want (she drew a jack-o-lantern/skull face), then use an exacto knife (parents' job, obvi) to cut a little "x" at the bottom.  It slides right over the tea light and looks awesome all lit up--especially with lights off!  How cute is that?  The kids LOVED it, and I bet since you sorta have to buy that stuff in bulk anyway they would be really cute lined up on a dresser or mantle or as a centerpiece.  :)

I also briefly dressed like a witch.  'Cause I could.  We didn't actually go to a party or hand out candy or ANYTHING, but this witch hat and wig were calling my name and I felt like I'd be deprived if I didn't dress up at ALL, so I wore them as I did my daily errands one afternoon.  :)

One reason this post is actually much later than the publish date would suggest: I had to wait until I "finished" (or at least finished ENOUGH) my 4-sided/4-season stackables!

I still have to add some vinyl.  But I like the look of it just the same, stacked on top of each other OR side-by-side.


Paul's 28th Birthday Week!

It was more low-key than I'd have liked some days, but here goes anyway.  :)

Saturday (Day 1): A medicine dispenser filled with candy and a little love note to open each day of his birthday week.  The note also included a little clue or note about that day's gift/activity.

Sunday (Day 2): Found these goofy but AWESOME bottle opener sunglasses on sale.  The note said something about how our love was so bright and he was my sunshine, all that jazz.  :) 

Monday (Day 3): Balloon Truth-or-Dare for FHE. 

Tuesday (Day 4): 28 kisses (with 28 reasons I love him on the back of them) in an envelope.  See below for "instructions."

First, pucker up and put on the brightest red lipstick you can find.

Kiss that paper as many times as you desire.  I liked it when I did 2 kisses per lipstick application, because it gave a more varied color.  I got SO INSPIRED as I was doing this for some awesome Valentines art/project ideas!

On the back of each kiss, write something you love about them!

Cut them out.  And, if you are crazy like me, laminate.  Not only are they sturdier BUT they keep the lipstick from smearing everywhere afterwards...which is always good. 

Wednesday (Day 5): Nerf gun fight!  (Note to self, wet shoes on a wet tile floor=NOT a good fighting ground.)

Thursday (Day 6 and actual birthday!): sock bouquet.  Tutorial HERE.  I modified it a little by using army men as vase filler and it was a BIG HIT.  Boys.  :)

My fabulous dinner at Bistro 501.

Paul's duck.

When we came home and I showed him the sock bouquet, he immediately set to building a fort and creating a whole battle scene.  :)

I went to the bathroom, and when I came out this is how I found him.  :)

 (I'll have a separate post just about this...it was SO FUN!)

Of course, then we got out the nerf dart guns and cut down each other's forces.  :)

Our awesome friends and old neighbors made Paul birthday cupcakes, so he didn't go without cake after all.  Thanks, Walkers!  And he ate some late-night ramen, so he got his long noodles in, too.  :)

Day 7 and final: We were going to have our family pics taken at a nearby park.  It rained all day.  Had to postpone.  Which was okay because we still will have them done SOMETIME and we got to go to our ward's chili cookoff and get fed for practically free.  But we ate too much, and we were both so tired and sore that we ended up skipping the other thing we were going to do (local improv comedy hour).  BUT, that's okay, too, because we can catch them after the New Year for a lot cheaper in their new location, and now we have money to hit up a corn maze/pumpkin patch sometime after I come home from Utah.  :)  SO.  Not how I planned it, but still an okay night.  What did we do instead?

Cuddling with puppies...even if they are too big to be lap dogs, they don't notice.  :)

Called up Paul's folks...

...worked on our target practice...

...and went to bed before 10.  Well, *I* did, anyway. :) Pretty good end to another birthday week.  I sure do love you, Paul!  Thanks for being a great husband, and happy 28th!

Curried Pumpkin Apple Soup...aka Autumn in a Bowl!

If you find a recipe you really love, you gotta share it, right? So check out this recipe from Family Fun that is PERFECT for autumn nights that are only slightly chilly...curried pumpkin apple soup! I followed the suggestion of one review and added an extra apple and ginger/cinnamon/nutmeg an it was just PERFECT.

http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/soups-stews/vegetable-fruit-soups/curried-pumpkin-apple-soup-688399/

Adorkable?

I got really stoked midway through the day today when I realized it was 10-11-12. :)

I crack up every time these two kids I help teach at work try to say the word "multiplication." Every. Time.

I like Star Trek and reading and techie stuff and I always did love math and science. I'm not very coordinated or outgoing and I have had to learn to laugh at myself A LOT. But I like me just the way I am. Even the *parts* I don't like--they all come in ONE package, y'know? And learning to love and accept the whole package has been quite the process.

My new glasses make me feel even nerdier than before...but in a good way. I'm still adjusting to them, but I think they'll do. :) This is ME! I feel like I'm finally growing into "my" style--"adorkable!"

Beautiful Bathroom Stands :)

I saw some cute cake stands on Pinterest and I got to thinking...maybe they could solve my messy bathroom counter conundrum!

Headed to Dollar Tree.  Bought 2 plates, 2 margarita glasses, 2 fancy plastic condiment cups, and a silver bead thingy in the Christmas section.

Already had the rose petal soaps (also from Dollar Tree) paint, sealer, and hot glue.

Magic.

From this:

These are the best representation of the actual colors.

 To this!:

SO PRETTY, if I do say so myself.  And these will be the inspiration behind everything else in my bathroom makeover yet to come. Mostly white, but with these sort of minty-silver-several-shades-of-pink touches scattered throughout.  :)   (I want new towels and soap dispenser/toothbrush holder, something decorative for the back of the toilet and the wall, and a new shower curtain and floor mats for sure...that'll probably be it since our bathroom is TINY. :)  I'm loving it so far.  I throw a few makeup essentials on the one on the right side and a few hair clips and ties on the other.  But they are so pretty on their own I almost want to keep it as-is!  'Tis quite the challenge...I probably should've gone for larger plates!

What could I be up to? :)

Creation is so messy in the thick of it...but that's what makes it fun, right? :) I'm super stoked to reveal the final product tomorrow!

General Conference Weekend!

I love Conference weekend.  Tons.  Even if I don't *need* it some years as much as others (oh, you know what I mean), it's always a fun and relaxing weekend.  I am SO GRATEFUL to know that we have modern prophets, seers, and revelators on the earth today who speak in the name of Christ and direct His church.  And I can't wait to study the talks and themes of Conference for the next 6 months.  I love the rededication I feel, the goals I always inevitably set, and the Spirit of peace that attends Conference weekend.

I also love the treats.  :)

I try to make at least one treat (sometimes more) to get us through the strangely-(for-us)-timed breaks between sessions.  And yummy meals to boot.  This weekend I bought pudding (a favorite treat around here that I rarely buy), made pumpkin-carrot-chocolate chip cake with a cream cheese frosting, and for dinners made Italian chicken in the crockpot on Saturday and chicken alfredo spaghetti squash tonight.  I was gonna make crab rangoon, too, but I'm just TOO FULL!  Maybe as a mid-week treat.  :)

Please note the jealous puppy in the background.  ;)

I have to doodle while I listen, too, because it helps me focus.  I've been a doodler since high school chemistry.  :)  So here are some of my "masterpieces" from these sessions:

See?  I take NOTES, too.  :)  I AM listening.

I'm apparently into zentangle allasudden.  :)

I was going for something tribal at first with the elephant head, but it failed miserably and I wound up just doodling a little and then quitting before I ruined it any more.  :)

My favorite.  Notice my awesome lettering skills, NO RULER.  Hahaha.  :)

BUT, obviously, Conference is not about doodles or treats.  It's about inspiration and revelation and building testimony.  Here are the most important take-away thoughts from Conference *for me.*  :)

(1) I am SO EXCITED for all youth, but especially for young women, that the age for missionary service was lowered!  I could do a whole post on this, but I won't.  Let me just say that I think it's gonna be a game changer for a lot of women--not because now they'll all go, because it still may not be right for a zillion reasons and a woman needs to be inspired after much prayer to make that decision no matter what age.  But I think it'll change the timeline of life for a lot of women, and help erase the cultural stigma there sometimes is (however unwarranted) about sister missionaries.  It'll make family and education easier for sisters who also want to serve the Lord.  What incredible youth we have, too, can I just say?!  To be entrusted with such sacred work at 18 or 19 years of age.  While part of me is jealous that it didn't happen when I was younger, I know my life has panned out so far the way the Lord wanted for me.  I'm just excited that this opportunity will open more doors for more women and youth in the Church to serve well.  SUCH AN EXCITING TIME IN OUR HISTORY!  :)

(2) I have felt even more strongly that the children in my ward have special gifts to offer our community and our activities should be more service-oriented, in more authentic ways, taking into consideration our children's unique talents and interests.  Ideas?  I'll have to think on it more.  :)  Along that vein, *I* really need to "first observe, then serve" more.  No excuses or cop-outs or half-tries.

(3) I am so excited to try the FHE blog again.  Fresh start.  That's important, right?  :)  And I have some new ideas to make it better and more applicable for families of all shapes and sizes.  Hold on to your hats.  Good things are a-comin'.  :)

(4) I need to journal--legit journal--more!  Definitely a goal, among two other more personal goals I felt impressed to set during Conference that I won't share here.  But I love being inspired on ways to improve myself, my marriage, and our quality of life during Conference!

For those of you who are LDS, what were YOUR favorite parts?  Thoughts about the age limit lowering?  Family traditions related to Conference weekend? 

For those of you who are NOT LDS, I invite you to learn more about the INCREDIBLE gift we have of a modern prophet speaking for Christ in His restored Church by visiting mormon.org.  Or, if you're curious what these prophets and apostles and other leaders of our Church have to say that makes us all so passionate about them, check out their biannual messages at gc.lds.org. 

The weekend was TOO SHORT.  Back to the grindstone...  :)

Project 366--October 1-7

Click HERE to get your own BLANK .png version of this page for personal use.

Oct 1--playing with the panoramic option on my phone's camera
Oct 2--sushi for dinner
Oct 3--cuddly pups
Oct 4--I need to lose weight
Oct 5--inquisitive pup
Oct 6&7--general conference! Complete with doodles and cake.