Ah, a new year and a fresh start. I like it! Here’s what I hope to do in 2012!
Read books – I do a lot of online reading but it’s sad how long it’s been since I read an actual book.
Garden – each year we go to the nursery and buy plants for things that would be cool to garden and only a few actually grow and we use even fewer. This year I’d like to just grow the staples and really use them. /li>
Learn balance between working and being a mom.
Run a half marathon – I might have promised Paul I would do this after drinking a few too many Martinelli’s on New Year’s Eve.
Clean Kitchen – never go to bed with a sink full of dishes.
Oh, and who wouldn’t want to see this handsome face???
Once the new little one makes his arrival this little rascal won’t be getting as much attention so I thought I’d share a few of the latest things the dog has been up to. She sure keeps life entertaining!
Apparently, we don’t brush her teeth often enough (or ever). Hint taken.
I got this free Snoopy dog at a employee fair last year. Ellie loves Snoopy, but loved her a little too much. While cleaning out desks at work, my co-worker found another Snoopy. I couldn’t have a happier pups – with TWO Snoopy dogs. Here’s the video…
Some people take pictures of their newborn babies like this, here’s my version of the Anne Geddes dog.
With the new addition to our family on our way, we’ve had a lot of shopping to do. I’m not a hater of shopping but I’m not a lover of shopping. I’m also doing my best to find the best products at a good price. My sister has been great at giving me advice – one of which is to sign up for Amazon Mom, but more on that later. My shopping process now goes a little bit like this:
1. Go to the Store
I’d rather not go to the store and just buy everything online but Husband is good at making sure we check things out before we buy them. It’s good to go to the store cause then you really get to look at everything and check out how sturdy it is and how all the parts work. Also, by going to the store we might get to use coupons or shop sales.
2. Use “RedLaser” app on iPhone
I never really used this app before deciding on what things to buy for the baby but it has come in pretty handy. This app allows you to scan a barcode on any item and it will tell you the prices it is available online as well as local stores. I like this because it also keeps a list of all the things you scan, so you can go back and review the things you looked at. By looking at online prices at the store, then you can decide if you should buy online or right then while your at the store.
(I also just used this app to do a price match at Target. It was awesome! I really wanted to get Paul the Blu-ray discs for “Back to the Future”. It was pretty pricey at Target. I scanned the barcode and found they were on sale for $25 less at Best Buy. I was doing last minute shopping and didn’t want to go there, so I took my chances and brought the discs up to check-out. I asked if they did price match, which they did. When the cashier asked for the ad I simply showed them my phone and that was good enough. Instant $25 savings!!!)
3. Buy Online
I love amazon.com for two reasons – no tax and free two-day shipping with Amazon Mom. Amazon also usually has lots of reviews, which can give a good “heads up” about which stuff to buy. With our crib, it was the best thing ever to not have to try and pack a huge box in our car and bring it into our house. The crib was sent to our house, we brought it inside and were able to set it up.
I’m not an expert shopper or the most knowledgeable on baby stuff, but I sure like my techy, lazy way of shopping!
Paul and I celebrated our fourth anniversary this week! We’ve had a great 4+ years together. It’s crazy to think of all the things that have happened in that amount of time. For our anniversary Paul made this cool word cloud of many of our memories together for me. It looks much better in person because he framed it and made it look very nice, but I wanted you all to see his awesomeness as well!
For the past couple of years now, my family has participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure! It’s a fun event to get together and recognize my my mom as a breast cancer survivor. It’s always an emotional event. Every year, I am glad I get to be there with my mom when many are there without their mom’s.
My family was so nice to walk the race with me. I won't tell you our finish time, you'd be too amazed!
I love my mom and sister! This year we missed Andrea, but she'll join us next year!
I LOVE this picture. It shows how adorable Lucy is and how happy she has made her momma!
I’m back from my crafting hiatus and I made this cute and pretty easy blanket. I used this tutorial from MADE. She created a great tutorial that had lots of pictures and was easy to follow.
My problem with crafting is that I get so excited to see the end product that I don’t take the time to do things right. I think this blanket turned out okay, but it could be better. Next time (I might actually re-make this) I will make sure to sew the stitches closer together. I rushed through this and spent a Saturday afternoon/evening on it but it was finished in one day which is pretty cool!
If you decide to make this blanket my tips are:
Make sure to use the adhesive to hold all the layers together. It helps a ton!
Don’t worry about sewing too strait (unless you’re a perfectionist). This blanket is pretty forgiving in the end.
Sew on your end binding before washing. It is much easier and make for a cleaner finish.
Make sure to sew your stripes fairly close together, it looks better in the end. I did as much as 1 1/2 inch apart and I didn’t like how that looked as much.
While I’ll admit my crafting has slowed down (a lot) lately, I wanted to show off one of my favorite projects. I’ve made over five of these bags. It took me a few tries to get it right!
The pattern comes from Made By Rae. I think it is easy to use, but don’t forget to download the pattern and the diagrams! (Which was my mistake!)
I recently took a photography class to learn how to shoot pictures with my camera in manual mode. (I highly recommend Jaci’s class!) While I wish it was bright, warm and sunny outside, I did get some fun pics of Paul and the pups at Bountiful Pond.
Classic self-portrait.
For a little while, I thought she might actually jump in. Alas, she only got her paws wet.
I promise I’m not turning into a wanna-be nature photographer, but the things I have to take pictures of are limited!Paul got a hold of the camera and snapped a few of me. Hmmm, I knew there was a reason I like to be behind the camera!
I really liked taking Jaci’s class. There are so many little things that she pointed out that I never thought of before. I now look at natural lighting a whole lot differently. Also, after reading Pioneer Woman’s blog post on camera RAW and JPG – I am switching back to JPG. I love that you can still use the RAW editor. Now what to do with my hundreds of .NEF files… Also, after taking this class Paul and I decided we need to go back to Spain. We have a lot of pictures to re-take. Any excuse will do!
Meet my newest niece!! As many of you know, over the years I’ve blogged about my sister and her husband and their desire to adopt. After waiting over two years to adopt and wanting a family for much longer than that, they were blessed with a beautiful baby girl. Amy & Steve started talking to the wonderful birth mom this summer and later learned that she had chosen them to be the parents of her baby. As the baby’s due date grew closer, we were all so nervous and very prayerful that all would work out. After a very long week of waiting for phone calls, texts and updates we found out that Steve and Amy were officially parents!!!
Though this process, I’ve been amazed at the faith of Steve and Amy. Even before they learned about the possibility of this adoption, Amy wrote this post. She included this quote from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, which I love.
“Hope is not knowledge, but rather the abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promise to us. It is confidence that if we live according to God’s laws and the words of His prophets now, we will receive desired blessings in the future. It is believing and expecting that our prayers will be answered. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance.”
I am so grateful for their example of faith and hope. When looking back, it is amazing to see how the Lord knows us and knows how to bless us in the ways we need. I am grateful that Steve and Amy have been blessed because of their faith. You can read more about them and their story at www.adoptionislove.org
Any excuse will do!
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