Daddy's Helper

Matt got a new saw horse for a project he was working on. Dean felt compelled to help put it together.

Christmas Recital a Success!

I was a little worried last week about my Christmas recital. It seemed like no one had practiced enough and Thanksgiving threw things off. But we had it tonight and it turned out great. I didn't require the pieces to be memorized this time (only in the spring), and that helped out a lot. I was pleased with everyone, but like always there were one or two kids who stole the show. Tonight it was a 9 year old student who's only been taking for 1 year. She played Silent Night out of the regular hymn book with the pedal!! And she played it flawlessly. Hers was the hardest song of the night and she's one of my newest students. It's hard to explain to other parents why some children do not progress that quickly. (Especially when the parents think their kids are moving too slowly and that I'm not challenging them enough! I really do try and work with their aptitude. I'm just not sure how to deal with parents who second guess what I'm doing with their kids and are bugged that they're not moving through books faster.)

I ended up playing Good King Wenceslas from Sally deFord's website. I downloaded it and played it last night for the first time! I had it on a Christmas CD from church and liked the arrangement. I was glad I could do it in such a short amount of time. Dean HATES it when I practice the piano, so I wanted something short but impressive sounding. He always wants to play or move the pedals instead of me. Plus it means I'm ignoring him, and he doesn't like that one bit.

It's nice to perform sometimes. That's really what I miss most about my youth. I miss being involved in piano, choirs, and performances. It's sad that I don't have that. I don't even do church choir right now because of the distance from the church and Dean's sleep schedule.

I let the kids pick their songs and this was what we came up with: (I only had to arrange two of the songs, so I was happy about that. Someday I need to figure out how to upload my arrangements so others can use them...)

Recital Program:

Drue H.
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

Lora S.
Jingle Bells

Zoe S.
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Lia S.
Jingle Bell Rock

Payton B.
Away in a Manger

Lexie C.
I Saw Three Ships

Madison S.
Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree

Jake H.
Silver Bells

Rachel S.
Carol of the Bells

Mason S.
Up on the Housetop

Cami C.
Silent Night

There was freezing sleet on my windshield when it was all over. Crazy to think it was in the 70's yesterday! Today's high was 30* or something. TOOOO COLD!!!!

Don't eat baby Jesus!

The things you find yourself saying at Christmas time with a 1 year old...

The only nativity I have is a wooden painted set we bought in Guatemala. The characters are all painted in traditional dress. I love it.

I'd had it set up a couple of days before Dean purposefully pulled out one of my piano buckets to use as a stool (the little smarty pants). Later that day I found baby Jesus in the rice cooker. Time to move the nativity set up on top of my piano! If I wasn't worried about him biting all the paint off the set I wouldn't mind him playing with it.

Blessed

Thanks so much for all the well wishes about my accident. I thought I'd let you all know I am healing MUCH faster than I expected. With how badly I felt on Wed. I was worried I'd be in constant pain for days if not weeks or months. Like I said in my last post, my pain went from about a constant 4-5 on Wed. to about a 2 on Thursday. I now only have moments of pain rather constant pain. I can sit in most chairs, and church today wasn't even torturous! (The metal chairs are much better than pews, I found.) My back did feel a lot more fatigued from carrying Dean, but I'm not sure if that was from my accident or just because he's heavier than he used to be! I feel very, very blessed. It seems like it should have been so much worse. Thanks for any prayers on my behalf.

Also, Matt wasn't supposed to come home until Friday, but on Wed. evening he called and said he'd be home later that night! And I didn't have to come pick him up!! Talk about major blessing.

Dean's lower right molars popped through. Hooray! I thought he'd take a little break from pain and slobber, but I noticed the bulge on his top right molars, more slobber, and he's been waking up for a moment or two around midnight every night this week. He seems to take a couple weeks to get them through the skin, so hopefully this one's not too horrible. Honestly, though, he's not that fussy with his teeth. He just rubs his nose and pulls his ears a lot more (and slobbers and wakes up a little).

Projects completed in less than a month!

Actually, these projects only took me about 3 evenings total (a more experienced seamstress could have done it much quicker I think)! What a relief to have something turn out cute without spending an eternity on production! The bag pattern came from the purl bee's "un-paper bag" tutorial listed on my left side bar. It is my first attempt at making a bag and I was pleased with how doable it was for a beginner. I just made up my own handles since I couldn't find handles I liked (though I honestly didn't look super hard). I definitely plan on making more. I also used fusible fleece interfacing instead of the sew in that it called for. The ladies at the fabric shop talked me into it and I wasn't disappointed. Don't you love this fabric?

This is a part of a page out of a fabric book I made Dean.
I LOVE it. It's called Tiny Tots by Red Rooster.

And lastly, I thought I'd give a little update on my fall and injuries.

Here are a few more details (it's actually the email I sent Matt since he was out of town on a business trip. Luckily he is home now.):

I fainted twice on Tuesday morning when I was trying to get Dean. He woke up at 6 crying really loudly. I listened to him cry until 6:20 and put my head under the pillow for "another 10 min". At 6:45 I woke up again in a panic that I'd made him cry so long. I quickly made it to his room. He was either really quite or had fallen asleep again. While I was standing outside his door I started feeling horrible. My ears were ringing, my legs and arms were weak. I almost felt feverish. Next thing I knew Dean was crying again and I was laying on the ground outside his door (on the hard linoleum) feeling too weak to get up. I think tried to sit down before I passed out and I bruised my tailbone when I went down; it has been hurting horribly ever since.

I laid there a little longer trying to get some strength. I didn't know if I could even lift Dean if I got to him. My body was totally covered in sweat at this point. I got up and got in his room, but I must have fainted again and ended up on the floor. I just laid there a min. trying to reassure a howling Dean. I finally got up enough strength to get him out of bed and us into the chair for him to eat. My butt hurt so badly in the chair and my body was still sweating profusely. I felt totally nauseous and disoriented, so I tried to move us down to the floor to nurse him lying down but that was a total failure. So I got us back up in the chair and reclined it as far back as it could go.

I made it through that feeding and let him run around and play in his room about 1/2 hour while I laid on the bed in his room. I started feeling better and I was able to feed him breakfast and play with him after that. My butt continued to feel worse, however.

I ended up calling my doctor and the advice nurse, after hearing all my symptoms and medical history, decided it was most likely fluid in my inner ear. I went into the doctor the next day as well to make sure nothing was terribly wrong. They said everything looks fine and I should just ice, heat and ice. I did that last night, and today my pain has been cut in half! I still hurt, but I'm not grimacing in pain at ever step and bend. I have hope for driving home in a week.

My back, however started hurting today. After piano lessons I came into Matt and asked him if there was a bruise or anything. This is what he saw:

I must have caught my back on something as I went down. It looks worse in person I think. My rear must have hurt too badly yesterday to notice the pain in my back.

So there are the embarrassing details.

A total pain in my kahooty

Without going into any embarrassing details, I'm pretty sure I bruised my tailbone pretty badly this morning. It hurts when I stand up, sit, lay, pick up Dean, squat, bend and walk. I went out and ran a few errands to get ready for our trip to Snowflake and it was fairly torturous. Getting Dean in and out of the car. Running after him for an hour and a half at the Toyota dealership!! Yes. It took an hour and a half for them to change my oil and rotate my tires. They didn't even seem that busy. I eventually went and asked them how much longer it was going to be and they brought the car around. Was it finished for 20 min and they forgot to bring it around??

I'm a little worried about having to sit in the car for 14-16 hours on the 22nd. I hope by then it will have healed up some. I'm not too hopeful, though, since Matt's had tailbone problems for the past year. If not, maybe the pain will help keep me awake while driving and I can take some of the burden off Matt.

Ta da!!: A skirt fit for a...Tree!

Sheesh. I am done! I have to admit the work I did today was a little sloppy. I had no patience for the stupid bias binding (never done it before and I pretty much just said screw it by the end), and I was so ready to move on to other projects. I figure if I ever figure out how to do bias binding I can come back and redo the little circle better.

It's the first log cabin I've ever done. I got the original idea from Crazy Mom Quilt's Tutorial and I went back to look at her instructions often. I kinda made up the size as I went since I wanted it a little smaller than hers. I put hours and hours (20? 30?) on the hand quilting this past week. I was so done with hand stitching by the end that I machine stitched the binding.

The tree looks much better dressed. Don't you think?

Up to my eyeballs

I just can't get it together! I seem to be currently buried under crafts. I usually don't craft during the day, but I've put off most cleaning and clutter control until I get some of my projects done! It is the first night I am going to bed with a messy kitchen in months.

That tree skirt I started? Yeah, I decided to HAND QUILT it! For 1, I don't have a darning foot yet. For 2, I have never actually machine quilted anything and I didn't want to screw it up. I have been stitching during nearly every nap and every evening this past week. I just have the boarders of 3 sides left. The worst is over, so hopefully I'll finish it this weekend and move on!!

Those cloth ornaments I wanted to make? I think they'll have to wait a year.

But the lights are up. It's our first year to have lights on our house. I love them. They're the multi-colored icicle lights. And our tree is up, it's just sparsely decorated. Our stockings are hung by the chimney with care. And it's only 21 days until Saint Nick is here...
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Dean is in one of my favorite stages yet (though he has had a cold this past week). My new favorite word: Uh oh. Throws the noodles on the floor? "Uh oh." Can't find his favorite blanket that he now carries around the house? "Uh oh." It's often enunciated so well with his little mouth shaping the "o". I love it. The video doesn't do it justice, but it's been awhile since I updated on the little guy.


One thing I haven't yet gotten used to? His running away from me in stores! He is now comfortable to move amongst many people outside of my visual range. ACK! I am seriously considering getting him a little harness for busy places. Oh, and he likes to cross our street. I keep trying to hit home that he can't go in the street without holding my hand, but he fights me on that one! He's an independent little man sometimes.

And the winner is...

JULS!

I put all the names in a hat and pulled yours out. Email me whether you want the cookbook or something on my homemade gift side bar.

Good job to all who participated and especially to all who reached your goals! Sorry if anyone made it but didn't check in!

I was truly amazed at how many people stuck with it. This is a hard time of year to do something like this. I did feel better after reducing my sugar intake, so I think I will say no more often now. Thanks for doing this with me. It helped me out a ton.

Redmption and Consumption

I had a good feeling about Thanksgiving this year. The past few years something has gone awry and marred my perfect Thanksgiving spread. Last year I accidentally used kosher salt (and too much of it at that! NEVER MEASURE SALT OVER THE PIE FILLING!) in my pumpkin pie. I ate it, but Matt said it was too salty and inedible. The year before that I had a major migraine while cooking my pies and I forgot that my crust recipe made 2 crusts, but my pie filling only made 1 pie. It tasted good, but they were only half the size they were supposed to be!

This year I was bound and determined redeem myself and get that darned pumpkin pie right (especially since I pride myself on my pie skills, and it's supposed to be one of the EASIEST pies to make, and I have done it successfully before). My pecan pies have turned out fine for me every year, but this year I wanted to try a black bottom pecan pie with a layer of chocolate on the bottom.

Both pies were a success! The chocolate/pecan was a good combo, but I think Matt and I both prefer it without. I also have to admit that I had a nice sized serving of each pie and didn't feel one bit bad about it! It was nice after being on sugar block for 3 weeks!



Our friends Erin and Christian came over. She brought some stellar homemade rolls, cranberry sauce, a lemon meringue pie, and a vegetarian lasagna for Christian.

Matt brined and took care of the turkey and the gravy (if I had to do be in charge of the bird, we'd just not have turkey!! Preparing a whole bird is just too much for this ex-vegetarian to handle!). We've had problems in the past with the drippings burning, so this year we sprang for a good roasting pan. It worked! No burning drippings. No smoke. We didn't have to add broth to the bottom of the pan to keep it under control. It was great.

I made the aforementioned pies, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and dressing. I've made a different dressing recipe every year for the last 5 years and I think this one was one of my favorites. I need to write down what I did some time soon so I don't forget it! I got general amounts from this recipe, but kinda just winged the seasonings and added two eggs. Doesn't Matt's plate just look like the perfect Thanksgiving plate?!

Dean especially loved Erin's rolls and cranberry sauce! While he ate some, he wasn't so sure about the dressing, green beans or mashed potatoes.


Right after dinner it was Dean's bedtime (such great timing!) so I took about 10 min. and put him down. After that the 4 adults played Rockband for a couple hours. It was a lot of fun.

Also, here's a glimpse at the current project that is consuming my time: a patchwork Christmas tree skirt. I have been working on the blocks the last couple weeks, but I just finished the top tonight. Now I just have to sandwich and quilt it (I am going to attempt to free motion machine quilt...I might be crazy!!!!!), cut out the opening for the tree, and bind it. I got the idea from Crazy Mom Quilts' tutorial. We have a small tree so I reduced the size a bit. It's coming together nicer than I thought it would...
I should also mention that Matt's vacation time this week has been consumed by upgrading our light fixtures. We now have all matching lights. All of the ugly brassy-gold fixtures were tossed out and replaced by nice brushed nickle fixtures. Not only that, we also have all new brushed nickle door handles through out the entire house. Yay! I love upgrading.

Extending the challenge check-in

I was just thinking...if people were traveling for Thanksgiving, they may not have a chance to check in by tonight. So, the check in for the healthy eating challenge is extended to Monday Dec. the first.

Check in on my other post, though.

Picturing my Thanks

One goal I have for tomorrow is to say one prayer of pure thanksgiving, asking nothing and giving praise to God for the blessings he has bestowed upon me and my family.

My friend Emily did something like this on her blog and I loved the concept.

I'm grateful

for a husband who loves me and provides for our family...

for the opportunity to be with my favorite little boy all day, every day...

for the chance to visit family and for a reliable car to get us there...

for the chance for grandparents to visit...

and for a Prophet that gives us guidance in troubled times.

I'm also thankful

for evenings I have to craft...

and cook

and to keep in touch with friends!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Healthy Eating Challenge: Day of Reckoning

Ok ladies! The goal day is here. Yesterday was the last day of the three week challenge and today we report in! Tell me how it went, what you did to make it, and if you think it helped in the long run. Even if you didn't make your goal, I'd love to hear how you did, what went wrong, and how far you got (if you're willing to share).

Here's one little thing I didn't tell you.

If you had a brain lapse moment and put a piece of candy in your mouth, or took a bite of cake, etc. but you realized your mistake and quickly corrected your behavior, I'm still going to count you as achieving your goal. If you said, "Ah, to heck with it" after realizing, then I will not count the lapse as ok, and you will be disqualified from the drawing.

The drawing:
All those who report in by Friday as having achieved their goal will be entered into a drawing for a prize. The winner can either have Betty Crocker's Healthy Home Cooking Cookbook or your choice of an item listed on my homemade gifts sidebar sent to you. I'll just have to get your preference and mailing address when it's all said and done.

My Reputation Precedes Me

I am continually amazed at the number of people who call me for piano lessons. Two of my students are dropping after Christmas because of monetary reasons, but I already have 4 kids on my waiting list. Additionally, tonight I had a dad call me (someone I didn't know) wanting 2-3 of his kids to start. Onto my list he goes. He told me that one of my student's (well, technically 3 of my students' since they're siblings) parents had HIGHLY recommended me and that I was an excellent teacher. It's nice to be appreciated. Word of mouth really is the best form of publicity.

Gifting Regrets

I really love to make my Christmas gifts. It doesn't happen for everyone every year, but if I can think of something I'm in love with (and think the recipient might love too), I'll make it. One problem with this is that I often have gifting regrets after the fact. When you buy a gift and someone doesn't love it, it's not that big of a deal. They can just re-gift it or return it and get what they really want. If you make something they don't like, there's no returning it!

When we got married someone gave us some doilies they had lovingly made. Doilies? I thought. What in the world am I supposed to do with doilies?? You see, I'm about as far from doilies as a person can get. I didn' t know what else to do with them, so I gave them to DI. I feel bad, but I thought it silly to keep them boxed up forever and ever.

A couple years ago I made my sister a Family Home Evening chart. It was a little rough, but I was pretty proud of it. It was before all the vinyl charts were mainstream and easily accessible, so I did the lettering by hand. I felt pretty happy with the end results at the time. Now that I'm more crafty and am better able, I kind of cringe at my rough first attempt. I hope she still likes it...

Past homemade Christmas gifts I've given include: a cookbook compilation that took me months, crocheted scarves, bracelets, Families are Forever boards (I definitely wonder about those...probably in a back closet now. I now realize it doesn't fit everyone's decor.), a blanket I sent to Matt on his mission (he still uses it!), and quilts. I go through crafting phases, so whatever I'm into at the moment is usually what is given.

Despite any regrets I have had, I'm still giving a lot of homemade gifts this year. I can't help but feel like I'm giving a little part of me along with the gift, and I like that thought.

less than 1 week left!

Well, challengers, there's less than 1 week left of the healthy eating challenge. The last full day of the "no this or that/ more this and that" is next Tuesday! (Three weeks is feeling much longer than I anticipated!) On Wed. we'll report how we did, but it does not have to be included in the challenge. I figure most of us will be cooking away, and I know it's hard for me not to taste as I go!

Good luck and keep up the good work!

The Countdown Can Commence

The pattern book: 12 days of Christmas: Art to Heart by Nancy Halverson
The dark border fabric: metro green goes blue by Michael Miller
The other fabrics: Sorry, didn't look!

Finally! Last night I finished my countdown to Christmas quilt hangings. It ended up being a much bigger production and money drain than I'd ever have imagined. It was fun, and I'm very glad I did it, but I am ready to move on to a new project!



If I were to sell this set, I'd honestly charge $200+ for it. That would break down to:

• $10 per quilt block (Matt says that wouldn't be enough for all the hours I put in)
• $24 for the stupid metal hanger that I ended up buying (I figured after all the time I put into it, it needed to be properly displayed! I tried to jimmy rig something, but it just didn't do it justice.)
• $20 for the book (it has tons of patterns in it I love, though, so I imagine I'll be using it for more Christmas projects down the road.)
• $30 or more for fabric. It's expensive to get good fabric, but I am beginning to be converted for "heirloom" projects. It's so much better quality and beautiful, vibrant prints I just can't resist any more.

I learned a couple things on this project.

• When leaving a hole to turn it right side out, don't leave it on a corner! Start and end in the middle of a straight edge.
  
• When you're working with 1/4 in. seam (something I never do!) it's nearly impossible to do the hidden stitch for the end closing.
  
• You have to be much more precise in sewing when you're working with a real patchwork pattern!
• Fabric selection can be extremely difficult and timely process.
• A good, large cutting mat is essential. I had a small one, but I wanted one that would measure up to a yard for proper squaring. I ended up getting one at Michael's with a half-off coupon.
• If you're not an expert at blanket stitching by eyeballing, start on a straight line, not a curve. I started on zero and I seriously almost want to take it out and redo it. But I won't. My stitching improved greatly from the first block (zero) to the last block (santa).

It's the little things that make motherhood so fun.

You know, as exciting as it was to have a brand new baby, I have to say that it really didn't sink in that we had added a new member to our family until about month 4.

Up until then, it often felt like I had a really needy doll.

Don't get me wrong. I have always loved the little guy. I just love him more every day and every month! He is definitely not a little toy doll! He's got pizazz and personality and he learns new things every day. It is very exciting to see this young little human learn new things.

Sure new challenges will arise as he gets older.

For instance, he's recently acquired discriminatory taste buds. At least I think that's what is happening. He's decided he's anti-veggie at the moment. (It may just be the aforementioned molar teething since he hasn't been too into food in general recently, but I don't think so.) One day he loved peas and green beans. The next, no thanks! He has honed his ability to spit out (and fish out with his finger) food he does not love. Mac and Cheese with peas: hold the peas please! He'll put a handful of food in his mouth and then fish out anything green. Too bad buddy! You're going to get it on your plate whether you like it or not!

He also loves to drop food on the floor when he's done with eating or doesn't like it. Not only that, but I once found him stuffing the end of lunch into his mini-raisin box! HAHA!! What a clever and dexterous little boy. Sneaky, but clever (and cute).


And while he won't eat his veggies, he sure has no problem eating the non-edible berries off our bushes in front! I can't tell you how often I say, "Spit that out right now, Dean!"

He's also learning fun and new things every day it seems.

He now will fold his arms for the prayer. Today at church he even folded them at the appropriate time without being prompted by me! He heard the prayer start and he immediately folded them.

He has claimed the drawer in our coffee table and a drawer under our oven as his own. I will often find toys, remotes, nail clippers, and other random items stuffed in his drawers.

He's learning to climb and use things as step stools. Fun, but ACK! Have I bolted everything to the wall?? I need to get on that...

He pretends to talk on the phone. He'll put it up to his ear (usually backwards) and say, "Heo. Ha."

He can "blow his nose" into a tissue.

Just today when I was blowing on his hot food, he finally blew with his mother rather than sniffed with his nose!

He loves to sniff my flowers outside, though he usually picks them all first.

He loves to play "chased by the monster". I'm the growling monster; however, he also growls as he runs away.

If I ask him to get a diaper, he'll get one and bring it to me and then run away as fast as he can. hahaha. I occasionally have to pin him down with my knees to change him. You can better believe we abandoned the changing table months ago!

He loves to carry his dirty diapers to the "yuck" (trash) for me.

He doesn't hate baths anymore. Thank heavens!!

The first thing he asks for when he wakes up is music. He often doesn't even want me to get him out of his crib until I turn some on!

He finally discovered his tongue. I was so worried after the surgery because he'd never even attempt to stick his tongue out. Finally 6 months later he's figuring it out. I know some mothers discourage this, but I really was afraid he'd have speech problems later on because of it.

I love my little boy. I'm so glad I have a little boy instead of a toy doll.

The antithesis of my beautiful morning

Dean woke up at 6:30 this morning. Not bad.

He's been whining and crying ever since.

He wouldn't eat his oatmeal (which he usually loves).

He wouldn't eat the banana he kept asking for (only took a bite).

I'm guessing it's probably the bottom molars that are close to coming through, but I couldn't handle it anymore!

I would have taken him jogging (my usual fall back for whiny mornings), but it's quite windy out and the yahoo weather says it's 41*. Not freezing, but pretty cold for a baby without a stroller cover. I need to make me one of those...

I usually let Matt sleep in as long as he wants on Saturdays, but I was so tired of listening to this whiny baby I plopped Dean on the bed (where Matt laid with his head covered by my pillow) and said, "Your turn!" and left to go read blogs and hear only the distant screams of my child.

I guess that just means there's a whole lot of room for improvement for today. Right?

Oh what a beautiful morning!

There was a little song my mom often sang that went:

Oh what a beautiful morning,
Oh what a beautiful day.
I've got a wonderful feeling
Everything's going my way.

And that's how I feel right about now. I didn't wake up until 7:15! That means I slept through Matt's alarm going off at least 4 times. That NEVER happens! I don't know how long Dean had been awake (he's still been working on the time change and will usually wake up between 5:45-6:30. I just don't go in to him until 6:30 at the earliest.) because he was sitting up awake in his crib just hanging out!

He was not fussy at all this morning.
He had a good nursing session (20 min. after we finished nursing I was getting dressed into exercise clothes. When he saw the boobs he just had to have another "ink"! I had to laugh. Guess it's about time to wean when he can ask for it...)
He ate his 1/2 of a banana and piece of corn bread for breakfast like a champ.
We finally got the tires on the jogging stroller aired up.
We went jogging (without jackets) on this Bea-U-tiful morning of 67*.
He didn't complain once while we were out.
He played well when we got home.
He went down for his nap effortlessly.

Who knows what the rest of the day holds, but the outlook is good.

Also, I am nearly done with my count down to Christmas quilt hangings and I can't wait to post the final product. I have more projects I'm itching to start. Like fabric Christmas tree ornaments (so Dean can take them off the tree without me worrying about anything breaking), and a vintage fabric gift. I also need to make cards sometime, but I just haven't been in a paper mode recently.

Oh, and I'm going to try a new way of making a tag blanket. Instead of using two flannel pieces and batting, I'm going to use a flannel panel and fleece. That will eliminate the need for batting and "tie stitches". I'll tell you how it goes.

Ode to Anne (with an "e")

Well, I've never read the whole Anne of Green Gables series, so I thought it was about time. I read the first two books and went back to the library to check out the third. To my dismay that they do not have the third book!!! Ack! So, if anyone in my area has the series and would let me borrow them, I'd appreciate it.

I also wanted to say that I now think of "kindred spirits" all the time and how grateful I am for them. It's always fun to find an unexpected kindred spirit. I love being able to attend Relief Society and enrichment activities because it offers the opportunity to find friends you'd never have come in contact with otherwise. (We had a really fun enrichment and I got to know some sisters I didn't really know.)

So, thank you Anne for reminding me how great people are.

Winterizing

We've actually had a delightful fall. While it's not really winter here, the current rainstorms have given a new chill to the air. So when I went to Old Navy to try and get a nice dress coat on their half off sale, I couldn't pass up this hat/glove combo for Dean. Just 2 bucks! I doubt he'll have to use them here, but we'll pack them when we go to Snowflake for Christmas!

Tell me he isn't the cutest little guy and I'll tell you you're lying...

Unfortunately I did not find myself a coat.

Blessed are ye: a svithe

While I expressed some concern after the election, I have to say that I am not bitter that Obama is now our President. I have actually felt pretty peaceful that we are where we need to be. What does that mean exactly? I'm not sure. I know it doesn't mean life will be all roses and no thorns. I have a feeling that both good and bad things will come. All I know is that what comes will come (good or bad), and we should worry most about the things directly in our control. What is in our control? Our hearts. Our words. Our actions.

This svithe is actually inspired by my cousin's 8 year old daughter. My cousin posted that the other night in prayers her daughter said,

"We are thankful for President Monson (the leader of our church) and for President Obama. Please bless him, and bless us that we will like him soon..."

From the mouth of babes! I think she hit the nail on the head. President Obama is the President of the United States and he needs our prayers.

Luke chapter 6 also holds some very pertinent lessons for those of us who weren't quite elated at the election outcome.

vs. 27 "Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you."
vs. 28 "Pray for them which despitefully use you."
vs. 30 "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise."
vs. 36 "Be ye merciful"

Another verse I thought was relevant to the outburst and protestation of Prop 8 and The Church.

vs. 22 "Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall separate you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake."

My cousin pointed me to an amazing talk given by Neal A. Maxwell way back in '78. I swear it could have been written yesterday!

"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions."

"In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ!"

"This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions. Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened. "

"If people, however, are not permitted to advocate, to assert, and to bring to bear, in every legitimate way, the opinions and views they hold which grow out of their religious convictions, what manner of men and women would we be?"

"If the challenge of the secular church becomes very real, let us, as in all other relationships, be principled but pleasant. Let us be perceptive without being pompous. Let us have integrity and not write checks with our tongues which our conduct cannot cash."

Amen.

Let the Challenge Begin

Ok Ladies. We have 13 takers for the challenge (including me). Excellent! I'm excited. So, do your best to stick with it and I'll make another post on the 26th to check in to see who made it!! (I started on Monday and it's already helping. Without the sweets I've found I drink more water, eat more fruit, and snack on almonds.)

1. Kristeee: WW points and 14 exercize points.
2. Holly: No sugar treats.
3. Leethie: No sweets and drink more water.
4. Erin: No sweets or fast food.
5. Juls: No sweets except FHE treat on Mondays.
6. Stephanie: 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
7. Erin: 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
8. Jodi: Up veggie servings to 5 a day. No chips or french fries.
9. Randa Joy: 80 oz. water, Social treats only. At home restrictions include sugar cereals, chocolate milk and 8oz limit on fruit juice/day. Eat 3 meals a day.
10. Marzy Dotes: No sweets except on Fridays.
11. Melanie: No soda.
12. Rolyndia: No sweet treats.
13 Me: No sweet treats period.
14. Laura: No sweet treats

Wording my thoughts

For journaling's sake I figure I ought to record my thoughts on the history that's in the making.

On the first black president:
This is a great milestone. It's pretty awesome. I honestly thought (and would have preferred) it to be Colin Powell, though. However, I have been a little frustrated with the media, in regards to race this election. They kept asking people if they knew people not voting for him because he's black. They never once asked voters if they knew people voting for him just because he's black. I mean, I don't know how much it really affected the outcome, I just found it a little frustrating.

I think it would have been more interesting for me to see Colin Powell run as the Republican nominee and Hilary Clinton to run as the Democrat nominee. I think then we'd really see how much race matters since the African American population is predominantly democrat.

I hope that it all works out. I'm not concerned about his blackness one bit. I am more concerned about his socialistic tendencies. I am a pretty staunch capitalist. I know there are a lot of people in America that think that capitalism isn't working and that it keeps rich people rich and poor people poor. I am constantly amazed at how different I view life and the American way than a lot of people. One particular thing that made me shudder when I read it was (from one of Matt's friends), "I think there is nationwide agreement that our federal government should provide some benefits, some programs for us — programs that you could call "Socialistic." And that we should impose taxes on ourselves to provide these benefits or programs or whatever." The last line really got to me. Plus, all the shoulds and oughts of government...too much burocracy and too many loopholes exist that government slows down a lot of progress if they're involved. The uber rich and educated know the loopholes and it's the regular person that gets screwed.

Also, I hate the "How many plumbers do you know that make $250K?" line. It doesn't matter what they do. If they worked hard for their money, they shouldn't have to give 50% of it to the government to then redistribute in health care or whatever else.

On the government's role in my life:
I believe the government should protect and defend our lives, liberties, pursuits, not provide them. They should balance the budget and set a good example for not living beyond your means. I am really scared that the rising generation feels very entitled to the amenities of life and have no idea about their responsibility in obtaining those amenities. That's partially due to parents just giving their children everything without ever requiring them to work. It's also partially due to the government telling people that they deserve a house even when they can't afford to pay the mortgage.

On the Triple D Threat:
I wouldn't be quite so worried about Obama's governmental views if he didn't have a Democrat House and Senate in his pocket. There's a whole lot more chance for changes with this set up. Some say it's about time. I say, I hope it turns out ok.

On guns:
Last night on the news we heard that guns sales surged yesterday. At first I wasn't sure why. Then I thought about it...oh yeah, Dem.s are usually opposed to the second amendment and the peoples' right to bear arms. Matt said he'd actually been thinking about getting some guns before anything too drastic occurs.

On propositions:
So, we didn't have any propositions to vote on here. It's pretty amazing that the props in AZ, FL, and CA all passed to ban gay marriages. Conservatives sighing in relief. Gay activists protesting at the LA temple. Ok people. Lets be honest here. Mormons aren't the only people who voted for prop. 8. I highly doubt that we make up 52% of CA's voting population.

I'm pretty disappointed that prop. 4 in CA failed. I didn't really hear much about it leading up to the election (probably because prop. 8 dominated), but it's really crazy to me. Basically, prop. 4 would require minors to tell their parents 48 hours in advance that they'd be getting an abortion. It wasn't even getting permission. It was just informing them. I can't believe that kids need parent permission to take a sex ed. class in CA, but they can abort an unborn child without their parents even knowing. Sick and wrong.

On parties
I wish there was an overhaul in political parties. Why is it that Republicans are always put down about education? I value education a lot. Most of the Republicans I know do too.

I think that John Stossel was right that some people really shouldn't vote. Uninformed voters really should not vote. We could take a little test before voting. Who is the current president and vice president? Who currently has majority in the senate? In the house? How many states are in the US? Nothing difficult. Just basic stuff. If they don't pass the test, their votes shouldn't count...

On the electoral college
Now, I know there are reasons for it, but I've yet to be convinced that we need an electoral college any more. I think it should be straight popular vote. Everyone should be required to go electronic for sake of ease and accuracy of calculations.

So long my little surfer boy

I had several people comment on Dean's hair on Sunday. Most said he looked like a little surfer boy. We've been wanting to cut his hair for awhile, but we were waiting till he turned 1. These were the last photos of the long haired surfer boy, taken on Sunday Nov. 2nd. We're cutting his hair in stages since he won't sit still for more than 5 seconds. I trimmed the hair out of his eyes first. The next cut was the back mullet. After that we cut off the side curls. We now just need to trim a little more of the back and we'll be done for a while. It's not short, short, but it's shorter than it was. (The "angry" looking picture is his smelling face. He was sniffing flowers just prior.)

Possibly the Cutest Halloween Costumes Ever

I'm sending you to my sister-in-law's blog so you can see their awesome homemade costumes. I believe my mother-in-law made both the turkey outfit and the batman outfit. She's just so amazing!

Healthy Eating Challenge

Ok. I was the winner of my friend Laura's exercise challenge last month. We were supposed to set our own mileage goal for a 5 week period and those who accomplished it were entered into a drawing for a prize. My goal was 75 miles and I ended up getting 80. I know I would not have come close to running that without the issued challenge because it's just too easy to make excuses.

I've really been having a weakness for treats recently and it is not helping my month long battle with candida. Therefore, I've decided I need a new challenge.

I've decided to pay it forward while I'm at it. I am issuing a challenge and will enter all who accomplish their goal into a drawing for a prize. You will have a choice of prizes: Betty Crocker's Healthy Home Cooking Cookbook or a homemade gift like you see linked on my left sidebar.

Just to be clear:
You don't have to make up your own challenge if you win.
You don't have to know me or live near me.
You can be male, female, old, young. Whatever.

The Challenge:

1. Set a healthy eating/drinking goal for yourself. Make it realistic, but it has to be a challenge for you!!
   
2. (It will last from Thurs. November 6th to Wed. November 26th. 3 weeks.)
   
3. Post your goal in the comments section by Wednesday the 6th to be eligible to be entered into the drawing for the prize.
4. Check back on Wed. November 26th for a follow up post. If you accomplish your goal and leave me a message saying so, you will be entered for the prize. (It will probably be easiest to remember if you are subscribed to my blog since I'll make the follow up post.)

Examples of Challenges: (Remember, you are not limited to this list. This is just to get ideas rolling.)

• No sweet treats period. (Or no specific treat that is a weakness).
• Drink X cups of water every day.
• No chips or other snack foods that seem to plague you.
• No fast food.
• Eat 5 full servings of fruits and veggies.
• Certain WW point goals or specific amt. of calories if you're a counter

Reminder: This challenge ends the day before Thanksgiving, so you will not have to miss holiday goodness.

Down with DST!

Oh, wait. Didn't I already do this post?

Stupid Day Light Savings. My kid is suffering because of you.

Happy? Halloween

It was hot here today. In the 80s. Not necessarily fleece weather...

Once he got over the fact that he had something on his head he couldn't get off, we did go to two neighbors to get a little use out of the costume. He got a nerds box to shake (not to eat). I did give him a few bites of a butterfinger to celebrate Halloween. Daddy wasn't so sure about it, but Dean was!

Just one of the boys

Three generations of Bras(s) boys.
They are definitely related. I think Dean's inherited the cheeks.
They're all so cute.

The Dreaded 1 year Check up

Well, we just got home from the dreaded 1 year check up. I put it off a week because Grandma and Grandpa were here last week for his birthday, and I didn't want him all feverish from the shots while they were here.

He's ahead of schedule in his motor development. He was really well behaved and was showing off his walking skills on the table. This was the quickest visit we've had yet. In and out in 1/2 hour. Despite the fact that he had more shots (4 total), he actually stopped crying much quicker. He loved the bubble gum flavored tylenol and happily sucked on the little push dropper thing all the way home. Hopefully he doesn't get too achy, cranky or feverish with the MMR and chicken pox shots.

Here is a comparison from his 9 mo. to 12 mo. check ups.
9 month stats:
Weight at 9 mo.: 18 lbs 6 oz (11%)
Length at 9 mo.: 28.5 in. (48%)
Head circumference at 9 mo.: 17 3/4 in. (36%)

12 month stats:
Weight at 12 mo.: 19 lbs 8 oz (6%)
Length at 12 mo.: 30.25 in. (60%)
Head circ. at 12 mo.: 18 in. (27%)

So, she kept saying how most breast fed babies slow down in weight gain around this time, especially after weaning, and that's she's not too worried (though it used to really worry her until she noticed all breast fed babies were the same). She said I should try and work in high fat foods such as avocados (it is one of the few foods he HATES) and milk. He's not really taken a liking to the milk much the few times I've given it to him (except after the spicy ramen), but maybe I'll put a scant scoop of Isagenix chocolate mix in it when I really try and wean. He LOVES Isagenix shakes. I would have no reservations about weaning if I could wean him to Isagenix.

I think that there ought to be 2 growth scales until about age 2. One for formula fed babies and one for breast fed babies. He doesn't look scrawny to me, just lean, and he's happy and as healthy as can be.

I mean, just look at this video:


This a small glimpse at what he's like now-a-days:

• Quite a happy little fellow. I just can't resist his giggles when I'm tickling him. Charms the pants off people when we're in public.
  
• Just the last few days he has been putting his head down into the somersault position. I'll help him do one and he thinks it's great fun.
• He loved the Tonka dump truck he got for his birthday. He likes loading it up full and dumping it all out.
• He likes to push the cart at the grocery store and will only stay in his seat if I'm feeding him snacks.
  
• He's fascinated with wheels, trash cans, and the fire place! Just today he pulled out a rotten banana from the trash, ripped the top off and started eating it. I knew he was into something when I heard "mmmmm. mmmm." (the yum sound) from the kitchen.
• He likes to open and close doors and lids.
• He tries to plug back in all the plugs he takes out (usually the phone. So if you call and it just rings incessantly, it's probably because the phone's unplugged).
• Teeth number 9 and 10 are so close to popping through the skin on his bottom left!
• While the grandparents were here, we discovered that he loves pretzels, apples, and grapes. He went crazy for grandma's grapes. (Yes, I cut them all in halves or thirds!)
• Still taking 2 naps. Usually around 9 and 1. Still sleeping about 12 hours at night.
• Loves water, Isagenix shakes, and juice (the rare times I give it to him). Doesn't care much for whole milk by itself.
• Eats 3 meals a day and snacks. Usually something like oatmeal (real oatmeal...I make some for me and give him part) with yogurt or applesauce mixed in, or cottage cheese, or buttered toast and 1/2 a yogurt for breakfast. Lunch and dinner he eats something like a half of a bean burrito (or just the beans and cheese) and some sort of fruit or sweet potatoes or toast with a cheese stick and green beans. He eats puffs, crackers, pretzels, and raisins as snacks during the day.
• He still breastfeeds before both his naps and when he wakes up and goes to bed for the night.
  
• I've only tried giving him little bits of chicken twice. Both times he didn't like it. I'll try meat again in a little bit.
• When we're in the car he waves to us in his mirror. It's so cute. Often a double handed wave.
• He always asks for music when we're eating in the kitchen.
• He's much better at entertaining himself, except when I'm trying to cook. He can't stand me ignoring him when we're in the kitchen. He'll hold onto my leg the whole time and try and follow me while complaining every step I make.
• He is quite good at walking now. He can stand up on his own now without holding onto anything. He's an explorer.
  
• All personality.