MFT #4: FlyLady

There's nothing better than a clean house. Don't you agree? I love to walk into my bedroom and see my bed made and everything in its place. And it's soooo nice to walk into the kitchen and see a clean floor, gleaming counters, and a bright shiny sink.

I decorated my house for Christmas yesterday - we even got a tree and decorated it for family night! - and I used it as an excuse to do a deep cleaning in the living room. I vacuumed under and behind furniture, scrubbed our microfiber (thank goodness for microfiber!) couch and recliner, and polished the piano and end tables. I cleaned all of the glass and every nook and cranny. Man, it feels so good!

I try to keep up on this stuff, but I've felt very overwhelmed since having Zach almost a year ago. With a baby who's been walking for a few months now and getting into EVERYTHING, and a 2-year-old who also gets into everything but has learned more tricks and can cause enormous disasters in mere moments, I've got a lot going on. I'm really struggling to keep up. Enter FlyLady.

Some of her tips are pretty elementary, but I like the routine she suggests and it really helps when you're feeling like you're in over your head like I am right now. To make it more fun, my sister Cassie is doing it with me. We're doing the beginner baby steps together and we talk and text to keep each other updated. It helps to have a partner to report to.

So I assume that most of you have your act together enough that you have no need for such things. But I have to admit, because I like to keep it real, that I don't. But I want to. I reeeeaaaallly want to. So I'm working on it. And things are getting better.

Just in case, though, give me a call before you drop by. :)

MFT #3: Bath & Body Works

I didn't go out and shop the day after Thanksgiving. I just couldn't bear the thought of fighting crowds and standing in long lines. But I did some Black Friday shopping........online. This was a first for me. But I got the same stuff - probably more selection because they're less likely to be out of stock online than in the store, at least I would think. I got the same sale prices, and free shipping. Yay for me!

My box came yesterday, full of the essentials : a new wallflower - the Christmas tree shape because it looked too cute to pass up, body lotion and shower gel, wallflower refills, and of course soaps of all different scents.

There was a time just a few years ago when I was unfamiliar with this store that is now one of my favorites. I would wander in with my sister or a friend while at the mall, but never bought anything. I didn't know what I was missing!

My favorite B&B scent is sweet pea. I have sweet pea wallflowers, soap, lotion, shower gel, and even a scentportable for my van. Maybe I have a bit of an obsession. Hey, maybe I should be getting paid for this post! (hee, hee)

So now I want to know.........do you B&B, and if so, what are your faves?

MFT #2*: Texting

John and I got new phones earlier this year. In the space of a day, I went from non-texter to textaholic. OK, that's probably an exaggeration, but I really enjoy having the option to send a text. I have to admit that I have a small case of phone phobia. I get really nervous when I have to make a phone call. Making visiting teaching appointments, for example, freaks me out. Calling around looking for a babysitter is torture! (When I was in 6th grade I needed to get a pet to keep in our classroom at school and my mom made me call a pet store to see if they carried turtles. I almost had a panic attack over it! And I will never live that down in my family. There you go - a little sneak peak into my crazy past. You're welcome.) I have no problem calling strangers at stores now, so I've come a long way. But texting takes all the anxiety out of reminding your friend you're on your way, or telling your sister you're running late. And no, I don't text while driving or during dates or family time. And you can't really make appointments or find babysitters while texting, so I'm not sure how that all ties in....

Anyway, if you don't text and you want to start, I highly recommend getting a phone with a full keyboard. It totally rocks!

* In case you're wondering, my list of favorite things is in no particular order other than whatever happens to be on my mind from day to day. And I'll try to make my future posts less random and rambling. :)

My Favorite Things #1: Creativity (Plus a Sneak Peak!)

Two years ago I wrote a series of December blog posts I called My Favorite Things - kind of a mix of November-like gratitude posts and a recap of the year's happenings that I hadn't had a chance to blog about. Well, I'm going to revisit the idea this year. I'm hoping it will get me back into the swing of blogging. I haven't been able to work blogging into my life lately and I'm really missing it!

Today my favorite thing is CREATIVITY. I absolutely loooove to mosey around a cute quilt shop and put together the perfect combination of fabrics for a new project. And I love the excitement of completing something that I made all by myself, start to finish. I'm at a point in life where I have very little time for myself. As much as I love my little ones, and I'm trying to cherish and drink in their littleness, I am in desperate need of an outlet - something that makes me feel like me. That's what sewing is for me these days. I don't have much time to do it, which is why I've been trying to get an Etsy shop up and going and it's taking me quite a while. But it IS coming. So here's a sneak peak:

My Etsy shop will feature these cute totes and wipe wallets* in a bunch of adorable fabrics. There will be a few quilted minky blankets, including this one, and eventually bibs and a few more baby items. I just have a few more things to sew up and pictures to take before I'm ready to open shop. As soon as I'm ready, I'll be hosting a giveaway on my blog. I'm so excited!!!

*I have to credit Elise for teaching me how to make the wipe wallets. I've been addicted ever since she made me one and shared her secrets. Thanks, Elise!

Also, as much as I wish I were, I am NOT a good photographer. I hope you can tell how cute the stuff is in spite of the poor quality photos. : )

I just couldn't resist....

Katelyn has fallen in love with writing stories and illustrating them. (I think they talk about "illustrations" a lot at school.) Here is one of her stories. I found it this morning on the table. I'm not sure where she gets her knowledge of eagles. I'll have to ask her when she gets home from school.

This next one requires a little explanation. For Carter's birthday a week ago, John got him a bearded dragon:

His name is Dragon - creative, huh? He is Carter's best pal (besides Katie, of course). Dragon hangs out with us while Carter plays with his Legos, plays video games, draws, etc. However, because Carer is only 5, we've had a few incidents with Dragon. Sometimes when I tell Carter to put Dragon back in his cage downstairs he forgets. Not seeing Dragon attached to Carter's shirt like he usually is, I assume Carter has obeyed me. We have always been able to find the lizard after one of these mishaps, until last night. I was out doing my visiting teaching (yeah me!) when I got a text that Dragon was missing. I returned home two hours later and he still hadn't been found. John had been combing the house, the yard, the garden, but no Dragon. I went out with a flashlight and looked for a while, then searched the house myself. When I finally gave up, I honestly felt like crying (take note of the end of Katie's next story). I never in my life dreamed I would be that sad, if sad at all, over a lost lizard. But that guy is Carter's best buddy, and in the short time that we've had him, he's really become part of the family. Here's Katie's take on the situation:

The kids were up at 5:30 this morning, and I listened to them bemoan their lost friend, promising to look outside again when it got light. Luckily, before we started the search again we noticed Dragon on the hearth in the living room. He was behind a little stuffed pumpkin, and probably had been all night. I don't know how we missed him, or how the cats missed him. I'm just so relieved! And I'm happy to have Carter's pal back. :)

Random Stuff

• Carter (5 yo): "Mom, how did Jesus make us? How did he make our skin? Did he make bread and toast it, and then put water on it so it was all skin-y?"


• Aidan, now 2, says the cutest things in his little sweet voice. He always says thank you, and excuse me when he burps. He loves to ask me if I'm OK, and he has taken to asking if he can hold me (meaning, of course, that he wants me to hold him). His sentence structure is amazing for a 2-year-old. If only he weren't driving me crazy all day every day!


• I'm severely sleep deprived. If Aidan's not keeping me awake, it's Zach (now 9 months old). Seriously, several nights a week I am up pretty much all night. Last night I slept for 4 hours straight, and today I got a 2 hour nap. This kind of sleep is unheard of! I hope it can carry me through another long week...


• My sister is going to have a baby any minute now. She's past her due date, and going crazy, I'm sure. I feel for her. And I feel for me because it will be a few months at the least before I see her sweet baby. I'm still in mourning over her moving across the country, if you can't tell.


• I'm drowning in a sea of dirty laundry. Seriously. I can. Not. Keep. Up! I did make some great strides this weekend. There may be hope for this week if I can keep it going.


• It will help that I'm done with this:

I've now done 4 batches of salsa, almost completely from my garden, tomatoes from my garden, and pears from my sister's tree. If I have enough, I'll do another batch of tomatoes, but that's it for this year. I'm proud of it, and we love the salsa to death, but it's just about done me in. Thank goodness for a mom who will drop everything to help out a daughter who's taken on too much!

• I've also been doing this.....

....and I'm dying to do more! I have several projects in the works - all gifts for people who have had or are about to have (wink, wink) babies. But I also have some new projects going. If I can get my act together, I'll be opening an Etsy store soon. I'm really excited, and I'll be launching it with a giveaway on my blog. So stay tuned! (If you're a follower of my blog, you know that this does not mean to expect anything soon. But it will happen!)

• Last, but not least, I'm grateful to have a husband who will dig in and do some dirty work when it's needed. While I napped today, he cleaned the kitchen, including the floor. If you've ever been in a room with my 2-year-old while he's eating, you know what a gross job that is! Thanks, sweetie. I think this week is off to a much better start than last......

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye...

Three years ago my youngest sister Cassie moved halfway across the country so that her husband could go to law school. It was so hard to say goodbye. Luckily I was able to fly out to visit her once, and she has been back to visit a couple times a year. Her visits are sooo fun, especially since she's had two children while living away, and it's so neat to spend time with them and see our kids together. We also talk on the phone quite frequently, and I love that.

Monday night I had to say goodbye to another sister, also headed across the country so that her husband can attend law school. My sisters are definitely among my closest friends, and Stephanie is no exception. With Cassie far away, and our other sister working, Steph and I have taken full advantage of having each other close. We've dragged kids (more each year) shopping for kids' clothes in Park City and all over Salt Lake. We've tried to keep the kids occupied for countless hours of sewing, or shopping for fabric. We've shared our passion for gardening and plants and flowers. We've shared our parenting trials and offered each other understanding and empathy. I've been mourning my sister's leaving for months now, and I won't ever forget driving away, watching her wave goodbye.

I woke up this morning to the new reality of being alone. There's no possibility of a visit or a quick trip together to the fabric store. Our kids won't be playing together for a long time. I'm so excited for Steph and the adventure she has ahead of her. And I know we'll talk all the time and remain close, just like Cassie and I have. I just wish she were still here.