Reflecting and Changing: Finance Edition

I hate finances.

Hate.

I hate paying bills, I hate spending money, I hate looking at my bank accounts, etc.

The last year has been especially stressful on the finance front. I was on bed rest and on disability until Jack was born, and that was a significant pay cut.  After Jack was born, I not return to work outside of the home but instead started teaching piano and voice lessons from home, which is not super lucrative.  Meanwhile, D has been working in the same job and while his boss agrees that he deserves a raise, the company "cannot afford" to give him one.

Meanwhile, we have a car with an awesome custom body job from hitting a deer 2 1/2 years ago that needs to be fixed (5-6 grand worth of repairs).  We have credit card debt (not much, compared to the national average, but it's still there).  We have a small student loan that we're making payments on.  We have a car loan that we're making payments on for our Corolla.  The car repair and our debt hangs over my head.

Add that to the normal expenses of rent, PGE, car insurance, food, phone/internet and gas.

And we live frugally - we don't go out to eat often and when we do we use coupons, when we buy clothes we buy them on super clearance, we don't take extravagant vacations, etc.

But, I still stress about getting out of debt and making ends meet.

While I've been reflecting on areas in my life that I want to change and improve, this is one area that begs to be improved, at least for the sake of my mental health.

One of my "resolutions" is to be credit card debt free by the end of 2013.

I feel like this is achievable.  I would love to be entirely debt free, but that is an overwhelming goal and we simply don't have the income for it, at least not at this point.  And, I personally don't think that the small student loan or the car loan are considered excessive or unnecessary debt.

But, credit card debt on the other hand?  I think that carrying around that debt is unnecessary.  

So, I am going to be sitting down and figuring out a serious action plan for how we can be credit card debt free by the end of 2013 for sure. 

Which leads me to this question:

Have any of you gone though this paying-off-debt process?  What tools helped you the most?  Any apps or websites or charts?  What do you suggest?

Waiting for Santa

J's First Christmas

Reflecting and Changing: Wardrobe Edition

This whole having-a-baby thing has spurred a lot of reflection and desire to make some changes in various areas my life.

One of these areas is my wardrobe.

Seemingly silly, I know.  But my identity has changed, my day-to-day has changed, and I want my wardrobe to reflect who I am. 

I've spent a lot of time on Pinterest looking at women's fashion and pinning pieces that speak to me on a functional and beautiful level.  But my issue has been not knowing how to recreate these outfits with what I already have.  I've wanted to go out and buy the pieces that I've pinned, but who can afford that?

One of the blogs I subscribe to is Putting Me Together where Audrey posts pictures of how she is reworking her closet, building outfits and how/why she puts her outfits together.

She turned me onto the website Go Chic or Go Home.

 I cannot express how much I love this website!

It is a fashion website/community that allows you to work your own closet and see what other people are doing, as well as create wishlists, "favorite" (like) outfits and individual pieces, and more.

I've uploaded pictures of every item of clothing in my closet, my shoes, and my accessories.

From there, I've been able to pull up a picture of something I like on Pinterest or wherever and then drag and drop my own pieces to recreate the outfits.

I have learned so much about building an outfit (you don't have to have the exact pieces that someone else has, but you can recreate the idea - why do you like the outfit? what are the principles behind it?) and about my own style in the month or so I've been using GCOGH.  I've found a few holes in my wardrobe and am now saving to be able to fill those holes.

I've also learned that I have too much in my closet.

It's overwhelming to look in my closet, honestly.  It stresses me out!  There are too many choices!  

In this case, more is not more. 

One of my "resolutions" is to edit down my wardrobe and define my style.

This decision tree is going to help me, as well as GCOGH.

source

 

Who wants to join me on this quest to rework your wardrobe and define your passion?

What 2012 Taught Me

Back in January, I blogged about my two "New Years Resolutions."

Have a Baby

and

Be a Mom

At the time, I was 4 months pregnant.  

I knew I would be having a baby in 2012.  I knew I would become a mom in 2012. 

So, I kinda cheated.

When Stef at Miss Jo and Co. asked me to guest post about what I learned in 2012, I immediately thought about those two resolutions and how life-changing and humbling they've been for me.

I am an independent person.

And I'm a stubborn person.
I hate asking for help.

But 2012 taught me to ask for help.

I learned that asking for help doesn't meant that I am weak.

It means that I am aware enough to see the limits of what I can do and strong enough to admit that I cannot do everything.

Let me 'splain:

My pregnancy nearly killed me and my kid.

I'm not exaggerating at all (oh, how I wish I was!).

I had hyperemesis while I was pregnant, spent 5 months on bed rest, and was in and out of the hospital at least 4 times a week.

My son was born a month early because my placenta abrupted and I lost a lot of blood, he had hardly any amniotic fluid and was in distress, he was wrapped multiple times in the umbilical cord, and was grey with black hands and feet and not-breathing-or-moving when he was born.

Now, as a mom, everything I thought I knew about motherhood has kind of gone out the window as I realize every day that my kiddo is an individual, with individual needs and challenges.  My "motherhood ideals" were grand generalizations, but what my kid needs is a mother who attends to his individual needs.

I have had to ask for help so many times.

And I've learned that people are so willing to help!

During 2012, I have been overwhelmed with all the help that I've received!

•  My momma and siblings cleaned my house and prepped my nursery 
• Friends brought my husband dinners
• Friends came and kept me company and played games with me while I was on bed rest
• Friends and family picked things up at the grocery store for me
• Friends took my dog so I could have a little quiet time
• Family came and watched J so I could sleep
• Friends calmed my new mom crazies  
• Far away friends and family called and texted regularly
• Family helped me learn to run and motivated me to stay physically active
•  Friends and family spread the word that I was going to be teaching piano and voice
• A friend dropped off bags of formula for J
• A far away friend made and sent me a maternity skirt
• Friends have taught me how to treat a baby's cold
• Family has taught me to trust my mothering instincts

I could easily go on.

When given the opportunity or when asked, people are so happy to help!

2012 taught me that I have so many blessings, but sometimes those blessings come from other people, and sometimes I have to ask for those blessings first.

I have been so blessed by wonderful people who have helped me.  

And I'm so much happier knowing that I don't have to do everything alone.  

Handprint Ornaments

I take roughly a bazillion pictures of Jackson.

And yet, I still worry that I'm going to forget or miss something.

With this being Jackson's first Christmas, I wanted to make something that would not only help capture where he is right now but that would celebrate this first Christmas.

So we made Handprint Ornaments!

Aren't they wonderful?! 

You know you want to make some for yourself. 
So, here's the recipe:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup salt
• 7 tbsp water
• Round cookie cutter (I used a drinking glass instead)
• 1 drinking straw

Mix up the flour, salt and water and kneed for 10-15 minutes (you might want to add an extra tablespoon of water - the dough is a little tough).

Roll out the dough (about 1/4-1/3 inch thick) and use a cookie cutter or a glass to cut out your ornament.

Press the child's hand into the dough - the hand prints need to be pretty deep, so if the child is young, help them push their hand into the dough.

Use a straw to poke a hole into the ornament - this is where your ribbon will go later.

Bake at 200 for an hour - this will prevent puffing.

Wait for ornaments to cool and then paint with acrylic paint or modge podge and glitter.
We used acrylic paint on the hand print and then, when it dried, painted the whole ornament with modge podge and then poured glitter on it.

I'm so excited to share these with grandparents and to have one on our tree forever!

What I Wore, 3.0

Same Sweater, Two Outfits.

Collared Shirt: Express; Sweater: Kohls (gift), Jeans: Old Navy; Necklace: VeryJane; Boots: Target

Belt: Charlotte Russe; Skirt: Target, Shoes: Target; Sweater: Kohls (gift)

I'm working on planning my suitcase/outfits for our Christmas trip to Oregon.

I don't want to take a suitcase bigger than a carry on, and I want to pack versatile pieces that I can use to build many outfits for multiple occasions.

The top outfit is what I wore to Christmas party on Friday.

It's what I'm currently considering for family pictures (colors are blues, browns, creams and burnt orange).

Yay or nay?

The bottom outfit is what I wore to church today.

I'm considering wearing to church on the Sunday we're in Oregon.

Yay or nay?

What needs changing? Altering?

Keep in mind that I can't change how huge my chest is...

I Am Only One

Today's shooting is horrific.

I have purposefully stayed away from the news and radio because I can't handle the heartbreaking sorrow.

All I want to do today is snuggle love my baby boy.

And cry for those parents who won't snuggle their baby loves again in this life time.

Facebook statuses about praying for Connecticut and feeling sad for Connecticut abound.

And thoughts start to creep in.

Fearful thoughts like,

"What was I thinking having a kid right now when there is so much evil in the world?"

"How can I ever send my kid to school and feel like he'll be safe?"

"How can I ever let me kid out of my sight and feel like he'll be safe?"

These thoughts are paralyzing.

 

Fear paralyzes us.

We feel out of control, scared, afraid.

And we do nothing, except feel sad.

And, while I'm only one person, I know there is something I can do, aside from praying and feeling sad.

Action will conquer the fear and help me take back control.

I have a voice and I'm going to use that voice to do something. 

I am going to write letters to the parents of those who lost children.

It's not much, but it's something I can do.

What can you do?

Take back control.

Paying our Mite

In the Bible, there's a story of a widow who pays her last mites ($) to the church for tithing.  The woman, who was very poor, deposited a small coin called a mite into the temple treasury, acting on faith that the Lord would take care of her and her son (see Mark 12:41-44).

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS/Mormons), we have been commanded to give 10% of our income to the Lord through the church for tithing.

Everything we have comes from the Lord, so giving Him back 10% of our income seems totally reasonable.

Sometimes though, when you're poor, like us, this can be really challenging.

But, in all of my years of paying tithing, I have never regretted it.

Let me share this story that happened this weekend:

I went to the bank on Friday to deposit my earnings from teaching piano and voice lessons all week.

I hadn't withdrawn tithing (we pay cash because I hate writing checks) since the end of October.

We were a little behind.

 And, truth be told, I did not know how we could "catch up" on tithing and pay our bills.

But, acting on faith, I withdrew our tithing for the month of November and first week of December.

I did not know how we would be paying the rest of our bills in December.

I felt an awful lot like the widow in the Bible.   

I turned it over to the Lord and said, "I'm doing what you've asked me to do.  I am trusting that you will provide a way for us to pay our bills."

I fretted all weekend.  And multiple times I had to go back to the Lord in prayer saying, "I'm doing what you asked me to do.  Provide a way, please!!"

Today, my sweet MIL sent an email to my husband saying that Grandma R, who already took us to Aptos for a weeks stay in a beach house, was going to be giving us a check for Christmas.

The check was for the exact amount we needed to pay the rest of our bills in December.

The Lord knows us.

He knows our needs.

If we keep His commandments, we will be blessed.

Maybe not as obviously as in this story.

But we will always be blessed.

Christmas Traditions

I am a Christmas Traditionalist.

I don't like re-mixes of Christmas Carols.  Mariah Carey? Jessica Simpson? Vomit.
I prefer to stick to traditionally arranged and sung versions of the carols, thank you very much.  Bing Crosby?  The Carpenters? Yes, please.  And Christmas music plays in our house almost non-stop starting the day after Thanksgiving.  

I like spending time as a family all through December reading Christmas books (which sit in a basket on our end table), looking at holiday lights, watching Christmas movies, baking and decorating cookies, going caroling, bringing cookies to friends.  As a family.

And Christmas Eve?  I don't mess around with those traditions.  You gather friends and family, have a big yummy dinner, everyone participates in acting out the Christmas story while reading verses from the Bible and singing Christmas Carols, and then there's a mini talent show, and then dessert.

Christmas Morning?  Again, no messing around here.  You all gather in Mom and Dad's bed, find where Santa signed you during the night (so you know he came), then you line up down the hall or down the stairs while one of the parents checks to make sure Santa came, you take a picture, and then rush down to see what Santa brought you.  Then, we take turns opening gifts one at a time (usually youngest to oldest) so everyone can see and appreciate.  This is followed by our morning feast and then general laziness throughout the day (movies, candy, cookies, pajamas).

This is the way it's done.

Period.

(and I wonder where J gets his stubbornness from sometimes...)

These traditions are great, but they're all from our families.
D and I started talking about Christmas traditions we want to implement in our own family.  This has me so excited!  I love Christmas and I love traditions and the idea that we get to choose our own traditions?  Oh, the possibilities!

So, dear friends, what are your favorite Christmas traditions?  

What traditions stick out in your memory from Childhood?  What traditions have you done with your children that they love?  What traditions bring you together as a family?  What traditions help you remember Christ?

Seven Months!

Nicknames: Jack, Jack-Jack, Action Jackson, J, Bubba, Bug, Jackie

This Month:

• Jackson is talking/babbling all the time!  His words are "da-da" "ba-ba" and "ma-ma."  However, "ma-ma" only comes out when he is really upset.
• We're still teething, which is no fun.  Teeth haven't popped through and the excessive drooling, chewing, and crankiness continues.
• Jack laughs!  Especially in response to his dog, tickles, singing and peek-a-boo.
• Jack wants Izzy's tail almost always.  It doesn't make Izzy too happy, but Jack loves to grab, hold, and try to eat Izzy's tail.
• Jack is learning to put weight on his legs and feet.  This has been a long work in progress - because his feet and were in braces for so many months, we never learned to put weight on his legs.  After a lot of practice, he's got it!  
• Jack loves to chew on fabric - scarves, blankets, his stuffed elephant - loves them all!
• Jack also loves tags.  He loves the tags on his boppy, on his playmat and any other tags he can find.
• Jack still loves music and over Thanksgiving his Grandma T taught him how to play the piano!  If he is anywhere near the piano, he is reaching for it so he can play.
• Jack's favorite songs are: Popcorn Popping, Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam, the BYU Fight Song, and The Wheels on the Bus.
• Jack loves the few toys that we've introduced - his ring stacker is a big hit as is a ball pit from Grammy T.  
• Jackson met Santa Claus!  He waited cheerfully and patiently in line and right before our turn, he fell asleep.  But, it made for the most darling picture with Santa!  Jack has been such a good boy, we think Santa will bring him everything on his list this year.
• Jackson did a lot of traveling this past month - he went to Aptos for 6 days and Newark for 4.  He got to enjoy lots of family time, but he was so grateful to be home.
• Jack put his feet in the Pacific Ocean for the first time! 
• Jack also put his feet in sand for the first time!
• Jack also touched seaweed and a starfish for the first time!
• Jack also went down a slide for the first time (with dad)!
• Jackson's current favorite food is mandarins - he eats them in a mesh bag thing.  It feels really good on his teeth and he loves the sweet juice (Thanks Grandpa T for introducing him to that one).

My life is happier with this darling boy in it!

We love you, Jackson!

Grown Up Christmas List

Amy Grant sings a song about how her Christmas list has changed since becoming a grown-up.

No more lives torn apart 

That wars would never start, 

And time would heal all hearts  

And everyone would have a friend  

And right would always win  

And love would never end 

This is my grown-up Christmas list

I guess I'm still not a "grown-up" because my "Christmas list" is not nearly as selfless or idealistic as that.

Here's my adult Christmas list this year.

• Leopard print wedges.
• Leopard print scarf. 
• Red straight-leg jeans.
• A gas gift card.  
• A grocery store gift card.
• A fixed front end on my car.
• A McD's gift card for swigs.
• A massage.  Or two.  Or three.
• Personal training sessions at the gym.
• A new couch.
• A new camera.
• A digital video camera of the DSLR variety. 
• An "emerald" anniversary band (J's birthstone).

None of that "love would never end" stuff around here. 

So if any of you have some leopard print wedges size 7 that you're looking to off-load, or a Safeway gift card or digital video camera, you know where to find me. ;)

What's on your Christmas list this year?

Freak Out Friday

from Natalie Dee

According to the ever-reliable Dictionary.com, 

anxiety is defined as:

1. distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune
2. earnest but tense desire; eagerness

Some anxiety is a good thing.  

It can be motivating.  It can keep us from doing foolish things.

Too much anxiety is debilitating.  

I tend to get anxious in social settings (which is weird since I'm an extrovert).  After I leave a social setting, I will ask D, "Did I say anything stupid?  Did I talk too much?  Did I talk too little?  Was I rude?  Did I do ok?"

Every. Time.

Usually, he reassures me that I did fine, that I still have friends, and that I'm not as social inept as I feel.

Tonight I attended a bridal shower.

Which means no boys allowed.

Which means no D there to listen to my bumbling social interactions and reassure me afterwards.

By the time I got into my car to drive home from the shower, I was an anxious wreck.

I was sure I overstayed my welcome, said too much, was too loud, and was rude to people I should've talked to.

And there was no one to talk me down from my ever-growing anxiety mountain.

Maybe this is just me, but when I start feeling anxious about one thing, suddenly everything makes me anxious.

By the time I got home, my list of anxieties was taking over my head.

I felt anxious about my broken car, the DMV still having our wrong address despite many efforts to change it, Christmas, how we're going to pay for Christmas gifts, how to pick out the best Christmas gifts, J's teeth still not coming through, my dirty bathroom, my pile of dishes, the disaster zone that I call my bedroom, the fact that I didn't call my Grandma on her birthday, that my sister had texted me that she needed to talk but wasn't picking up her phone, that we haven't gotten more Christmas cards in the mail, that we haven't sent out Christmas cards yet, and on and on.

 

And then I freaked out in my head.

I'm a terrible granddaughter.  My sister must be dead.  No one likes us and wants to send us cards.  People think we hate them because they haven't gotten a card from us.  I'm a terrible wife/mother/housekeeper because my home is a mess.  Our family will think that we're cheapskates because we can't afford ritzy Christmas gifts.  Our family will think that we don't love them because we pick out crappy gifts.  

  

All of the anxieties and freak outs spun around in my head, magnifying each other, making it seem like my world was crashing down, there was no reason to be happy, and life was more than I could handle.

 

And then I freaked out out loud to D.

And I realized I'm ok.

 

So maybe I made a fool of myself at the shower.  Shake it off, do better next time.

The other anxieties that were there, waiting in the wings, I can deal with them.  One at a time.

The freaking out is illogical.  Shut those thoughts down.

But sometimes, you just need a good old-fashioned anxiety fest and hear all your worries out loud to realize that you're actually ok.

By saying what I'm anxious about out loud, my anxieties stop magnifying each other and getting all tangled in one another and I can look at each one individually.  And take back control.

 

So, freak out!  Out loud!  

Look those anxieties in the face and say I see you and I am strong enough to tackle you.

And then, take a deep breath and take a step forward.

How to Act

In the 2 days that my Duchess Kate and Hyperemesis post has been up, it has been viewed over 200 times.  Because of this response on the blog and the responses I've gotten on Facebook and via email, I gathered a few ladies I know who also have experienced HG to put together this post for you:

• Go spend some time with her!  She's not contagious - you won't catch HG.  But she is probably (definitely) lonely and scared.  While she won't have energy to so much, most likely, just sitting on the couch with her will make a huge difference!  There was a wonderful woman who came and spent an hour with me each Wednesday and we played a different game each time.  From the minute she left until the minute she came the following week, I looked forward to when she would be back again!  Kathlen said, "Visits were the best because it allowed me time to focus on something else, beside dying on my couch."
• Don't offer to help, just go and help.  Heather said "clean her bathroom floor with non-pungent solvents so it's ok to lay on."  While I was pregnant, I would never have ask someone to come and clean my bathroom floor.  But if someone had just showed up on my doorstep and said, "I'm here to clean your bathroom" I probably would have cried from gratitude.
• Educate yourself on HG!  More than likely, she doesn't know HG any better than you do (unless she's experienced before).  
• On a related note, help her when she has to fight with doctors and nurses to get care.  Be her advocate!  Be her voice!
• Text, email and call regularly!  Daily, even!  She needs to know that you're thinking of her and you care about her, even if you can't be with her.
• Help her connect with other women who have had HG - there are websites and facebook groups.  Kaiser also has a support group, if you have Kaiser insurance.  Anna said, "Support from someone who's been there...has been priceless."
• Do research for her that she doesn't have the energy to do herself - Heather said, "research on how to get the cheapest meds, which vitamins are most important if she can keep them down, the best NICU's," etc.  If there's something she has questions about, help her research the answers!
• Make her laugh!  A funny movie, silly jokes, goofy youtube videos, whatever.  Laughter is a wonderful medicine!
• We're sure you mean well and want to help, but don't suggest crackers, ginger, or Gatorade.  Those three things aren't gonna do it for us.
• If you want to bring food over, bring frozen dinners or do all the prep at your house so she doesn't have to smell it.  Kathlen said, "The best dinners are frozen. Frozen meals are great because it gave me an opportunity to decide what I thought sounded good, and I might be able to get a very small bite before I threw it up."
• Listen without judgement.  Let her cry.  Let her scream.  Just listen and love. 

If you or someone you know is suffering from HG, please check out the HER Foundation.
If you want to talk about your experiences with HG or have any questions or concerns about HG, please email me at landon {dot} wheeler {at} gmail {dot} com.  I will do my best to give you a listening, empathetic ear and/or to help you navigate your way with HG. 

Duchess Kate and Hyperemesis

For those of you living under a rock, Duchess Catherine is pregnant!

What really has me interested about Kate's pregnancy is that she has been diagnosed and hospitalized with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG).

The media is calling HG a "severe type of morning sickness."

I am calling B.S. on this description.

"'Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is vomiting during pregnancy that is so excessive that women can become dehydrated and start to lose weight because of inadequate nutrition,' said Dr. Amos Grunebaum, director of obstetrics at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. 'If not treated properly with intravenous fluids and anti-nausea medicine, it can be life-threatening to pregnant women and their fetuses,' he said."
from Health on Today

Some of you may recall, when I was 2 months pregnant (after 2 miscarriages, years of trying, and infertility treatment), I was taken out of work and put on bed rest for HG.

I rapidly lost weight.

I could not keep food or liquids down.  At all.  Ever.
I threw up if I ate anything.
I threw up if I drank anything.
I threw up if I smelled anything.
I threw up if I thought about food or beverages.
I threw up when I stood up or changed positions.
I threw up when I woke up, any time of day or night.
I threw up if I was on my feet for more than 20 minutes.
I threw up if I was in the car for more than 15 minutes.

And while J thrived, I honest to God felt like I was dying.

Kaiser has an HG program that I was admitted into around 16 weeks.  I had a nurse call me every day asking me how much I had thrown up, how much I had drank, and making appointments for me to go get hydrated every other day.

Because I was so chronically dehydrated, many veins were blown out while attempting to start IV's.  No joke, I can show you all the veins in my hands and arms that are now useless for IV's.  There are maybe 2 spots on my hands/arms that are still usable for IV purposes.

Because IV's were so difficult (and sometimes impossible) to start on me, I had to wait until I was severely dehydrated before I could get IV fluids.  Which only made things worse.

On March 16, I had a permanent IV line placed because I was rapidly running out of veins, which was very alarming to my OB. Once my PICC line was in, I was able to receive 3 liters of IV fluid (D5LR) 2-3 times a week minimum.  (I had standing appointments on Mondays and Thursdays at Kaiser to get hydrated.)  This hydration continued until J was born.

During my pregnancy, I was hospitalized for heart problems, dehydration, severe allergic reactions and chemical burns to adhesive and my PICC line, and blood clots.

I tried every medication and combination of medication in an attempt to curb the nausea and vomiting.  IV Zofran was the only thing that helped a little.

I never gained weight while I was pregnant and my "baby bump" didn't show up until 7 months.  I was never able to keep down a meal.  I now hate Gatorade, Powerade and Sprite.

Each day, each hour, each minute was a challenge.
And I honestly didn't think I would make it through to the end.
I thought I was going to die.

And other women have had it worse.

Amanda Tynes, the wife of NFL player Lawrence Tynes, had such severe HG, she was told she needed to choose between aborting her babies or dying while trying to carry her child to term.

 Author Charlotte Bronte is thought to have died from it after a four-month bout of extreme nausea that left her dehydrated and emaciated.

So, dear Duchess Catherine, I am so deeply sorry for your suffering.  Pregnancy should be a time of celebrating and happiness, which is next to impossible when you feel like you're dying.

And dear media outlets calling HG "severe morning sickness," I hope you'll take the opportunity to learn more about this disease and not write women who suffer from it off as dramatic or weak.

If you or someone you know is suffering from HG, please check out the HER Foundation.
If you want to talk about your experiences with HG or have any questions or concerns about HG, please email me at landon {dot} wheeler {at} gmail {dot} com.  I will do my best to give you a listening, empathetic ear and/or to help you navigate your way with HG.

What I Wore, 2.0

Dress: Target; Sweater: Target; Boots: Target; Leggings: Motherhood Maternity; Belt: Wet Seal; Earrings: Target

I really, really did not want to get dressed for church today.

I especially did not want to shave.

Mostly because it's cold and rainy here, so all I want to do is stay in bed, snuggle and sleep.

But this is what I came up with.

I hate the idea of wearing dark colors all winter long.  So I gave mixing in purple a shot.

The cardigan is the same one I altered about 2 months ago. 

The leggings are most definitely maternity leggings.

Does this work?

Seriously guys, I'm a fashion novice.

What would you tweak? Add? Subtract?  How else could the pieces in this outfit work? 

Supporting Local and a Giveaway!

Two weeks ago, when I was in the throws of being a sicky, there was a knock on my door.

Normally, I would have ignored it.  But, for some reason, I found clothes and dragged myself to the door.

There, I found this gal who was spreading the word about a new organic produce co-op in our city.

I have been looking for one of those for over a year only to come up empty handed.

I was excited.

I signed up right then.

I got my first box today and the produce is beautiful.

For our family of 3, I ordered the "small mixed box" and it was packed full of these yummies!

3 Fuji Apples

2 Bosc Pears

1 bunch of Carrots

3 Fuyu Persimmons

6 Satsuma Manarins

1 lb of Baby Bok Choy

1 Acorn Squash

1 bunch of Spinach

1 head of Red Butter Lettuce.

Aside from this beautiful produce, here are more reasons to love this co-op!

• They DELIVER!
• If you don't like something in your box for the next week, you can sub it out for anything else.
• There's no contract.
• You can get delivery every week, every other week, or once a month - you choose!
• You can pause delivery (like if you're going out of town) and resume whenever, no penalty.
• They're local.
• They recycle their boxes.
• You can switch your size of box at any time, no penalty.
• The boxes are super reasonably priced.  
• They include recipes with your delivery.

So, we are giving away 2 $10 off coupons for this co-op!

Leave a comment on the blog or on facebook if you are interested!

Quarry Turkey 5k

I completed a 5k!

Saturday, Nov 24, my momma, sister and I all participated in the Quarry Turkey 5k in Fremont.

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S got me to start running back in August.

Mom jumped on the wagon after she and S came to visit me while D was fighting wild fires.

We all registered for the Quarry Turkey 5k to give me and mom something to train and work towards.

Mom did awesome with her training!  

She followed our training schedule diligently.  

She would text me and report her success.  

She was ready for this 5k.

I did awesome initially.

But then I broke two toes.

And then I got sick which made my asthma flare up big time.

So I was going into this 5k feeling totally unprepared.

But, I did it!

 I completed my first 5k!

My time wasn't stellar.  

I did a mix of walking and running.

I'm still really proud of myself.

A year ago, I was: 

pregnant, on bed rest, throwing up constantly, rapidly losing weight, and in and out of the hospital.

Six months ago, I:

 gave birth a month early and it was life threatening for J and me.

I'm proud of how far I've come!

And I'm excited to see how far I'll go! 
Because this is just the beginning.

Self Discovery

I joined the "blog every day in November challenge" - NaBlaPoBo.

I knew it would really be a challenge because we were going on vacation for 10 days and blogging just wouldn't be a priority.  But I thought I'd try anyway.

It didn't happen.

But, I did learn some things about my blogging self during the challenge.

I learned that I'm not an every day blogger.

I learned that coming up with content, let alone worthwhile content, every day is super hard.

I learned that there are some things better left un-blogged about.

I learned that, while I enjoy blogging a lot, it's not a top priority.

So now we're back from vacation.

I'm back to blogging.

And I have some fun posts planned.

Just don't expect to see me post every day.

No Words

We know how to do family vacations.

Maybe

Maybe I'm just getting home from the BYU/SJSU football game.

Maybe we lost.

Maybe I'm sad.

Maybe I'm more tired.

Maybe I'm just going to go to bed.

Sometimes it's hard to be a BYU football fan.

Clubfoot Part 2

Back in July I posted about living with a child with clubfoot.

When I posted about our experience with Jack's clubbed foot, he had just had his 8th cast removed and had been fitted for his Ponseti brace.  I posted then how it had been quite the challenge for us and that it had been hard to adapt to the casts and braces.

What a difference a four months can make!

The change hasn't been with J - his foot is still clubbed, we still put him in braces every day, we still have doctor's appointments every other month.  

But what has changed is that we're no longer with Kaiser.  We're now with Sutter and Sutter has sent us to Shriner's Children's Hospital.

Shriner's is amazing.

We went on Thursday and I was nervous making the trip downtown to Shriner's with J.  New doctor and new location.  But from the second I walked in to Shriner's it was awesome!  Every person I interacted with there was so kind.  Everyone was smiling and happy.  No one was short tempered, impatient or rude.  There was a volunteer with a service dog hanging out in the waiting room cheering up kids and families who were waiting to be seen.  There was a wall full of books to read, pages to color and toys to play with.  We got in to see the doctor super fast.  Our doctor was one of the kindest men I've ever met.  He was so nice and positive.  He was pleased with the progress J had made and so we're now down to wearing the brace during naps and nighttime.  The doctor made me feel encouraged about our situation, come what may.  He told me that there was a real possibility of surgery in 6 months to a year as J grows, but he was so calming that I am not worried at all.

My attitude has changed too.  In four months I have met so many people who have been so kind and encouraging when the see J in his braces.  People have literally stopped me in stores to tell me that they or someone they know had a clubbed foot and turned out just fine.  Total strangers!  And they've been so kind!  And one of my voice students and her son, who is one of my piano students, both had clubbed feet.  Her son was also treated at Shriner's.  They both had nothing but positive things to say!

I would never choose to have a child with a birth defect.

But, for the situation that it is, we are very blessed.

Thanksgiving Vacation

Tomorrow morning we leave for 6 days in Aptos.

After Aptos, we are going to the Bay for 4 days.

That's 10 days of traveling with a 6 month old (who just had his 6 month shots today).

I haven't started packing because I don't even know where to begin!

How many diapers should I bring?

How much formula?

How much food?

How many changes of clothes?

How many toys should I bring?

How many bottles/bowls/spoons will be enough?

How many burp cloths/bibs/blankets/binks will he need?

What size suitcase is appropriate?

I did make a little progress - I got his Thanksgiving outfit out of the closet.

And laundry is done.

Any of you travel pros have any tips for me?

You know, other than get off your butt and do something?

Sicky

I'm doing NaBloPoMo.

Which means I have committed to writing a blog post every. single. day. during the month of November.

But today, I have nothing to say because I'm a super sicky and my brain is mush.

I even canceled all of my piano/voice lessons yesterday and today.

So instead, I leave you with these:

Danger

We've been passing this cold around our family for a week-and-a-half now.

It hit me again this morning.

Hard.

We leave on Friday morning for a family vacation.

Between now and then, I have 17 lessons to teach.

Plus shopping, laundry, packing and other prep stuff for our trip.

So, I beg of you,

do you have any quick, sure-fire ways to remedy a cold for good?

Give Thanks Leaf Garland Tutorial

Remember when I posted this Fall Leaf Garland Tutorial?

I have another tutorial for you based on the fall leaf garland!

I present to you my Give Thanks Leaf Garland tutorial!

1. Gather your supplies.  

Just like for the fall leaf garland, you'll need felt in fall colors (I used gold, deep red, and dark green), embroidery thread (I used orange, brown and yellow), hot glue, and some twine (or other hanging material of your choice). 

 You will specifically need 5 sheets of tan felt.

You will also need 3 sheets of cream felt.

All of these things can be purchased at JoAnn's - get a coupon go crazy.   

You will also need a sewing machine and tan thread.  Don't let this scare you!  I'm not a seamstress and even I can do it.

2. Print out fall leaf shapes

I found the leaf shapes I liked from craftjr.com

 Print and cut these out on something sturdy like card-stock as they're going to get traced a quite a few times.  Don't cut out the stem - you just want the leaf shape.

3. Print out your "Give Thanks" lettering.

A link to the lettering in my preferred font can be found here.

If you choose your own font, you're going to want to print out your lettering quite large.  Like size 350.  These don't need to be printed out on something sturdy as you're only going to be tracing each letter once.

4. Trace your leaves onto your felt colors, minus the tan felt.

 You'll want 5 maple leaves and 5 oak leaves.

5. Cut those leaves out.

For steps 4 and 5, pick a show you enjoy to watch while you trace and cut.  You can see this post for my recommendations of fun TV shows.

6. Embroider the edge of your leaves.

Again, turn on another show and enjoy yourself while you stitch around the edges of your leaves.

7. Trace your "Give Thanks" lettering onto your cream felt.

You are going to want to trace these letters backwards so you can't see the tracing lines.

8. Cut out your lettering.

For steps 7 and 8, put on another episode of whatever you're watching and have fun!

9. Cut each of your tan felt sheets in half hamburger style.

This will give you 10 sheets that are 9x6"

10. Sew an inch hem along the 6" edge of each of your tan felt sheets.

This hem doesn't have to be perfectly straight, but do your best.

This will leave you with 10 8"x6" sheets.

11. Bust out that hot glue gun and glue your leaves to your tan felt.

I would recommend not gluing them right in the center of your tan felt, but slightly more towards the top where the hem is.  Just like with the Fall Leaf Garland, set some of your leaves askew.

12. Keep that hot glue momentum up and glue your lettering onto your leaves and tan felt.

 

13. String your tan felt pieces together onto twine or other hanging material of your choice.

Make sure they're in the right order to spell out "Give Thanks"

 BAM!

You have a beautiful "Give Thanks" Leaf Garland that matches your Fall Leaf Garland perfectly!

Happy Thanksgiving Season!

I'm linking up at: