Category: around here

around here

The biggest news around here is that we adopted two kittens! Ziggy and River joined our family this week and we are pretty darn excited. Ziggy is the black one and is so named because his tail is crooked like a zig-zag. River’s full name is River Run so I’m assuming his former owners were Game of Thrones fans. They are both boys and are making us happy. More on this soon!

Around here Liam went through another two ear infections so we finally took him to the ENT. Currently his ears look pretty good and so far no serious damage has been done by his recurring infections, so we are going to do an antibiotic prophylaxis trial. He’ll get antibiotics daily for a month and if he gets an infection despite that, he’ll need tubes.

Around here I have my December album out so I can add to it little by little. I’ve also joined in on a stitchalong for the My Sweetiepie ABC sampler and am really enjoying getting back to cross stitch after a long break.

Around here Meredith is still sleeping in our bed even though we had two successful nights. Her tantrums are kind of bad at the moment so when we get them back under control we’ll try again. We are still really struggling with age 3 (understatement) and for all of you who keep telling me that it gets better at age 4…if I don’t see immediate improvement this July I’m coming for you. ;) Really though, I am holding onto that hope and counting the days, and hoping I don’t do permanent damage to her psyche in the meantime.

Around here I’ve been kept busy by doctor’s appointments, vet appointments, learning about kitten care, keeping my family fed, intense childcare, and frantically trying to make it through our book club book. I haven’t had much time to work on the blog lately (so posts might be totally random), am a bit behind on Project Life, and have hardly made any progress on my monthly goals.

This weekend I have a family reunion, my nephew’s birthday party, and book club. Around here life is a little too full, and I’m struggling to deal in some areas, so I’m evaluating my priorities and hoping to let some things go.

April 24, 2015
pocket prompts / 1

Recently I won a six month membership to the site Big Picture Classes. It’s a fun website for paper crafters and memory keepers with all sorts of classes. You pay by the month so you have full access to all the classes within that time.

I’ve been having fun exploring the site. Two of my favorite classes right off the bat were Inspired Everyday Photography and Pocket Prompts. They are short, but have already inspired me to play around with my photography a bit. For awhile I’ve been neglecting to take photos, and while that can be good sometimes (I am enjoying the moment) I also want to document the stories.

In the class Pocket Prompts, there will be five new prompts each month and I want to challenge myself to complete them. This month’s class was written by Donya Gjerdingen, and here are my photos:

1 / unconventional self-portrait

at my paper crafting station

2 / technology

where I keep my computer and my sewing machine

3 / an unhappy moment

pouting about something

4 / frame your subject

he finally tolerates swinging

5 / patterns in nature

we have wisteria in our backyard and I didn’t even know. happy discovery!

March 30, 2015
making me happy

Learning to knit. This was my first ever cast-on. It has grown a couple inches since then, but it is also messier. I think I’ve got the knit stitch down, but if I make a mistake (which generally happens when I’m trying to watch the kids at the same time) I have no idea how to fix it. I also don’t know how to carry the yarn yet, so I have to drop the needle every time I wrap it. But I’ll get there.

A new Bible study. There are only a few more of Beth Moore’s that I haven’t done yet! I’ve had my eye on this one for a long time and so far I’m really enjoying it. That is, when I am actually able to DO it – for some reason Liam has been waking up even earlier since the time change. What gives, buddy?

We splurged on a blender – the Ninja professional with single serve. I’ve been making smoothies every morning and it is amazing. I also plan to make a lot of sauces in it, and it can be used as a food processor too.

This week I signed up for and started Frugal Real Food Meal Plans. That’s an affiliate link because I am a BELIEVER. I’m going to write all about our transition to real foods once I get some more experience, but so far this week we have had delicious dinners every night that haven’t taken long to put together and I have a plan and staples bought for the entire rest of the month.

Finally, these kiddos make me happy. They’ve been in pretty good moods all week long and we’ve enjoyed having a little extra light in the evenings to take walks to the park after dinner. Also helpful for getting my Fitbit steps in!

What’s making you happy this week?

March 12, 2015
around here

I feel like a lot has happened in the past week or so! Time for an update about life lately.

Last weekend Meredith and I got matching haircuts, and I got mine highlighted too. I love the cut and length, I think it is ideal for me. I do miss Meredith’s long hair, but the bob is pretty cute and it doesn’t get as tangled or dirty which was my main reason for cutting it since she hates having me touch it.

Last Sunday our little guy was baptized! Funny story: When the four of us went up front for the ceremony Meredith and her cousin Lily thought it was a perfect time to do an interpretive dance mainly consisting of spinning and windmill arms. Meredith also lifted her dress up over her waist multiple times. #classy

It was fun having both families there and we even managed a full group photo. Liam did so great when I handed him to the pastor and even though he shot a nervous look my way, he didn’t cry once.

Speaking of Liam, he has really exploded developmentally over the last month. He’s walking now, a little like Frankenstein’s monster but that’s okay, and it’s only added to the madness. Seriously, he is wild! He climbs on everything, throws things for fun, is the messiest eater, and I guess is just your typical boy. But he does have the sweetest demeanor and gives some top notch cuddles.

On Sunday after church we had a family lunch for my brother-in-law Scott’s birthday. Those gatherings are always chaotic but fun. This time the kids had fun setting off poppers with Papa.

On Monday and Tuesday I actually drove to the medical center to work, which is about an hour away. That’s where I worked until I had Liam, so it was fun to see everyone again, although I don’t miss the drive. I’ll probably be going there from time to time when we don’t have many patients scheduled.

I have so many aspirations for the weekend! I’m taking a knitting class, I want to try baking bread, definitely intend to get some scrapbooking done, and do some extra cleaning & planning for home life stuff. We’ll see what happens; I can’t count on naptime anymore (gulp)! Anyway, happy Friday my friends!

March 6, 2015
fall goals update and life lately

Seasonal goals has been perfect for me this year as I adjusted to having two children. I’m going to revamp my system for next year, though, so I won’t be making winter goals. More on my planning for 2015 soon.

>Run a 10k: I did this back in September. Although my running hasn’t progressed the way I wish it had, a 10k isn’t a big deal for me anymore and for that I am proud.

>Finish quilt: done! I have another one planned, but no idea when I’ll actually start it.

>Take the Grocery Savings Made Simple e-course: I did this, and it was really helpful and inspiring. There are still some tasks I need to complete. some systems I want to implement, and some things I want to try making from scratch, but at least I know what to do now.

>Christmas gifts done by the beginning of December: I got a lot of them, but not all. I still have a few left. Overall the holiday stress itself hasn’t been bad this year, it’s just other stuff that’s stressing me out.

>Read a parenting book: I read Raising Your Spirited Child and it was awesome. I had planned to write a whole series of blog posts based on what I learned, but that hasn’t happened yet. I do have extensive notes, but for now I’ll just recommend it highly if you have a child that is more intense than others.

Life lately:

Last week Meredith got sick a day after Liam, so I missed 2 1/2 days of work total. Thankfully they both rebounded in a day and currently everyone is healthy. (THIS IS A HUGE DEAL. I SHOULD BE MORE EXCITED ABOUT IT INSTEAD OF JUST BEING PARANOID.)

I dropped off homemade hot cocoa mix for the daycare teachers (all ten of them) and learned my lesson about sticking to gift cards in the future.

Over the weekend I got the rest of the Christmas shopping done. We have kept it as minimal as possible, but it’s still hard to keep track of everything. Unfortunately, I haven’t managed to wrap anything yet.

I can run a 30-minute 5k pretty easily now, even if I’m having an off day. My running buddy and I are making a point to do the long runs together and are increasing them by a mile each week, and it really helps. We had different schedules this past weekend so I did 8 miles by myself and finished up the Serial podcast. I felt good, but very achy in the joints. If you’re a long-distance runner, I’d appreciate any advice on how to prepare for long runs.

David’s truck overheated twice, and we had to have it repaired twice.

I finished the book Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, loved it, and am reading Crow Lake this week for book club. I’m also almost done with Yes, Please on audio.

Lately I’ve been too tired, and I’ve been overreacting and losing patience and just being a grump with my family, especially with David, who is only trying to help me and be sweet to me. I have a feeling it has to do with a) lack of good sleep and b) my diet, which needs to be cleaned up again. Because really, there’s no need for this. I’m in the middle of choosing my One Little Word for 2015 and I’m taking into consideration how I don’t want to feel as well as what I do want.

Shopping with my dad this weekend buoyed my spirits, as did attending a Christmas show at their church. I love seeing the cards come in the mail (ours will be going out this week) and the holiday decorations everywhere.

I heard that Christmas (the feast of the Incarnation) was established on December 25 because it’s one of the shortest days of the year, in order to give us hope at a dark time. I’m so grateful for that, because my mood is definitely affected by the winter season, yet Christmas remains my favorite holiday. It’s so wondrous, and I don’t know about you but I need that hope more than ever.

December 22, 2014