Becoming...

Fall into Reading 2011

2011-09-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

Yay! It's time for another reading challenge from Callapidder Days! I don't have a lot of time to write this because I have to get ready for work, but I know that if I don't get it done now it won't get done! Call me crazy, but these nights of taking care of a newborn don't seem to be doing my brain any favors ;)

Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. I love Sophie Kinsella. LOVE. I just got this book from the library yesterday and had a RIDICULOUSLY hard time not starting it. But I figured that my family would enjoy eating dinner more than they would enjoy knowing I would be "MIA" til the book was finished. Much better to leave that for the weekend when football is on ;)

Reflections on the Savior by Max Lucado. This book includes "And the Angels were Silent," "The Gift for All People," and "No Wonder They Call Him the Savior." I thought that since Christmas is coming up (YIKES!! How in the world did that happen so fast?!), I would "prepare" in a different way. I was planning on only reading one, but I'm going to try to shoot for all three.

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. I've never read this one but it is on one of the lists of books that I want to read that is included in my 101 in 1001 list, so I thought I'd give it a try. Also, it was one of the shorter books on the list. At this point in my life, this is a very good reason to choose one book over another!

The Confident Woman by Joyce Meyer. So, Confident Woman, we meet again! I think I've had this book in 2 other challenges and never even started it! One time I lost it and found it a few months after the challenge ended (luckily it was my book, not the library's) and I can't remember what happened the other time.

As a further part of the challenge, I am going to try again to read my Bible at least 3 times a week, and read the Bible together as a family at least 3 times a week. We've actually already started this (except when we were on vacation) and it's been such a precious and needed time. It's absolutely amazing to hear my little girl excited about what Daddy has read to her. Even if she doesn't understand it now, just having those seeds sown is going to be awesome for her!

Alrighty, so there's my list for Callapidder Days' Fall Into Reading 2011 Challenge! If you decide to join, let me know so I can check out your list! And make sure to look at other people's goals, too. I've found out about some great books that way!

I Heart Faces: White

2011-08-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge at I Heart Faces is "White." I knew right away which photo I wanted to enter. Here is my gorgeous girl at our family reunion last month. Love her!

Check out the other "White" entries by clicking on this button:

I Heart Faces: Let's Hear it For the Boys!

2011-06-20T06:48:00.000-07:00

Click on the button below to see more entries for the I Heart Faces photo challenge.

101 in 1001 Update

2011-05-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

I have got to update my 101 in 1001 list because I've made so many changes and can't remember them all!

Color coding:
Red - finished!
Green - in progress
Blue - changed
Black - not happenin' yet!

Hobbies
1. Learn to play one song on the guitar
2. Learn a new song on the piano
3. Take pictures of every task on here
4. Complete the DeLorem challenge
5. Take a good picture of a waterfall
6. Ride a tandem bike
7. Be able to identify 5 different local birds
8. Make a toy
9. Get our geocache total to more than 1000
10. Do 10 of the things in 1000 Things to Do Before You Die
11. Make a purse or bag
12. Grow herbs
13. Take a photography class
14. Finish a scrapbook (I'm trying to get Gracie's first year done by the time the baby is here...it's taken me this long to get through the first week of her life, so we'll see ;))
15. Knit or crochet something other than a scarf (was "knit something other than a scarf")
16. Do one craft project a month for one year (forgot to specify an amount of time)
17. Take one picture per day for a month
18. Make a pillowcase dress

Food
19. Have a foreign food night
20. Go to a place on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
21. Go to a place from Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations
22. Try sushi
23. Have an April Fool's dinner
24. Make a big holiday dinner (Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc)
25. Find 5 good and inexpensive organic recipes
26. Make a vegetarian meal that J doesn't say “Where's the meat?”
27. One new recipe per month for one year (forgot to specify an amount of time)
28. Make file of yummy recipes
29. Try 1 new food per month for 6 months (forgot to specify a time)
30. Stick to a menu for 1 week
31. Eat at least one thing that I've grown
32. Learn to can properly

Organization/Cleaning/Home
33. Keep room clean for 2 weeks
34. Plant new grass
35. Put all pictures on CD
36. Organize all pictures
37. Christmas cards sent out on time
38. Make lists of things in pantry to put on doors
39. Fix kitchen light
40. Move the fridge and vacuum behind and under it 2 times a year
41. Touch up paint in entrance to kitchen
42. Paint entrance to our bath
43. Put pictures in the frames on hutch
44. Go to bed with a clean house for 1 week
45. Paint our bathroom
46. Paint the hall
47. Clean out the garage

Travel
48. Take G to a pumpkin patch
49. Take G to Apple Hill
50. Go to a zoo
51. Go away with J
52. Geocache our way through a roadtrip
53. Visit three Olympic parks
54. Go on vacation with friends
55. Visit 2 new states

Self
56. “Get ready” (hair, clothes, make-up)every day for one month
57. Go on a girl date with Chels
58. See a picture of myself that I honestly l like
59. Make a new friend
60. Drive on the freeway
61. Memorize 1 Scripture per month

Health
62. Participate in a race of some sort (was "participate in a half-marathon til I realized I hated running :))
63. Take a new fitness class at the gym
64. Do a bike ride from bikethewest.com
65. Take multivitamin everyday for a month
66. Limit the amount of complex carbs I eat for 2 weeks (was "stick to a low carb high protein eating plan for 1 month but things change being pregnant ;))
67. Go hiking
68. Workout 3 times per week for 3 months

Family
69. Family picture taken once a month for one year (forgot to specify a time)
70. Teach Gracie her ABCs
71. Teach Gracie a memory verse (just learned "God saw all that He had made and it was really good!" Genesis 1:31a)
72. Sleep under the stars as a family
73. Have another baby (10.5 more weeks baby!!)
74. Go camping
75. Take G horseback riding

Movies
76. Watch 20 of the John Wayne movies we have (was "all the John Wayne movies we have" until I realized how many we had and how many of them were hard to watch because they were so old!
77. Watch 100 movies from either the AFI list or this Christian list (was "watch the Top 100 movies (Yahoo list)" then I changed it to just the AFI list, then just the Christian list, but there were a lot of movies that I couldn't get, would not watch because it was scary or inappropriate, etc, so I thought I'd give myself more leniency ;))

Reading
78. Read Bible three times a week for 3 months (was once per week for 1 year but it's hard to keep track of like that!)
79. Read from the Bible as a family once a week for 3 months
80. Read through the Bible
81. Do everything I plan to do in a book challenge
82. Read 10 young adult books (was "favorite" but there were a lot of new ones out that I've been wanting to read)
83. Read 50 books that I have been wanting to read but haven't (was "read or listen to half of the books on the Top 100 list that I have")
84. Be part of a book club
85. Read at least 1 book a month for 1 year

Money
86. Go 1 week without extra spending
87. Go one month without extra spending

88. Stick to a budget

Enjoying life

89. Lie down on the grass and watch the sky with G
90. Watch a sunset
91. Watch a sunrise
92. Go to the taping of a TV show
93. Go to one new store or restaurant per month for 6 months (forgot to specify an amount of time)
94. Talk to my grandma about her life

95. Talk to my grandma and grandpa about their lives

Other

96. Pay for someone behind me in line (food, toll, etc)
97. Find the “perfect present” for 5 people
98. Finish décor in Sunday School room
99. Win a giveaway
100. Get mentioned on a blog
101. Win a photo challenge

Spring Reading Thing 2011

2011-03-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

I've decided to be a part of Callapidder Day's Spring Reading Thing 2011. And that's the 2nd time I've written "2001" instead of "2011..."wait, just did it again. Hmm, apparently I am living in the past!

Anyway, I am going to take it pretty easy on myself and say that my main goal for this is just to read as much as I can and ENJOY it! I'm thinking that once baby boy comes (end of July...eeek!) I will have even less free time, so I'm going to make the most of G's nap time and the time between when she goes to bed and J and I go to bed.

The books that I am hoping to read are:

Yes, yes I did start to read this in the last challenge. No, no I did not finish it. Definitely hoping to this time though. It just was hard for me to read because I felt like the author kept jumping around too much for me. I've pushed through though and am now at a point where I feel like I can read the rest if I just make the time.

This was the free audiobook one month at Christian Audio (go there!! They have a new free book to download every month!) I started listening to my brother's copy a few months ago, but it's hard to listen to when you've got a toddler you're trying to keep entertained on a loooooong car trip! This is a recommendation from my younger (and smarter ;)) brother.

This was another free download from Christian Audio, and one that I'm really excited about!

Saw this one on someone else's reading list and thought, "Why not?!"

Another recommendation from my little bro

So there you have it. There are some other books that I have just waiting for me, but these ones are the ones that I want to focus on, and if I am able to get through them and onto the next bunch, so be it :)

I Heart Faces: Anything But A Face

2011-03-01T15:23:00.000-08:00

This week at I Heart Faces, the challenge is "Anything But A Face." I love this picture of my sweet girl because we told her that there was snow, and she immediately ran to her room, threw on her rain boots, scarf, and hat...over her jammies of course! :) Once she got out there she wasn't real sure what to do, but she sure knew how to dress!

Check out more entries here:

101 in 1001 update

2011-01-25T20:41:00.000-08:00

I guess I'm mostly writing this post for myself, so that I can actually feel like I've done SOMETHING in the last few months! Morning sickness has kept me down pretty much since before I even knew I was pregnant, so I am feeling very lazy, and not in a good, relaxing kind of way! So here's my progress:

(Black font - haven't done, red font - done, blue font - in progress)

Hobbies
1. Learn to play one song on the guitar
2. Learn a new song on the piano
3. Take pictures of every task on here
4. Complete the DeLorem challenge
5. Take a good picture of a waterfall
6. Ride a tandem bike
7. Be able to identify 5 different local birds
8. Make a toy
9. Get our geocache total to more than 1000
10. Do 10 of the things in 1000 Things to Do Before You Die
11. Make a purse or bag
12. Grow herbs
13. Take a photography class - Took a class by Katrina Kennedy and it was absolutely fantastic! I'm also taking another class, but haven't finished the final assignment, so I'm not counting it...yet ;)
14. Finish a scrapbook - I've FINALLY filled in some pages of Gracie's scrapbooks. Yes, I had already made them in a class and never used them til now. Don't judge me ;)
15. Knit something other than a scarf
16. Do one craft project a month
17. Take one picture per day for a month
18. Make a pillowcase dress

Food
19. Have a foreign food night - I finally felt like cooking a few weeks ago and made some Potstickers (super yummy!), peanut rice (fantastic the 1st day, gross the next cuz of the soggy peanuts), and some wonton wrappers filled with ricotta cheese, vanilla, cocoa powder, and cinnamon (apparently I don't like ricotta cheese very much!)
20. Go to a place on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives - Went to The Nickel Diner in LA with the Schofields and it was pretty darn fab! Chels and I were very impressed! But not with the Maple Bacon Donut.
21. Go to a place from Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations - Went to Red's Java House in SF, which happened to be right where we park when we go to the Giant's games, which was very convenient!
22. Try sushi - tried it at my sister-in-laws baby shower but wasn't in love with it. I'm told you need to eat "good" sushi though, so maybe it wasn't "good" ;)
23. Have an April Fool's dinner
24. Make a big holiday dinner (Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc)
25. Find 5 good and inexpensive organic recipes
26. Make a vegetarian meal that J doesn't say “Where's the meat?” - I think I've actually done 2 of these, but can only remember one! It was an arugula salad with pears and brie and it was to die for!
27. One new recipe per month
28. Make file of yummy recipes
29. Try 1 new food per month
30. Stick to a menu for 1 week
31. Eat at least one thing that I've grown - we had a garden over the summer and though it didn't do great, I did get a few peas, zucchini, tomatoes, arugula, and lettuce out of it! All were super yummy except for the lettuce, which was really bitter. The peas we got so few of that Gracie and I ate them straight out of the garden since it wasn't worth getting a bowl to bring them in! I think we got less than 10 total, but man they were good!
32. Learn to can properly

Organization/Cleaning/Home
33. Keep room clean for 2 weeks
34. Plant new grass - and I love it :)
35. Put all pictures on CD
36. Organize all pictures
37. Christmas cards sent out on time
38. Make lists of things in pantry to put on doors
39. Fix kitchen light - and by "fix" I meant change the lightbulb...but now we have another one out ;)
40. Move the fridge and vacuum behind and under it 2 times a year - did it once this year out of necessity when James put dishwashing soap instead of dishwasher detergent in and there were bubble everywhere!
41. Touch up paint in entrance to kitchen
42. Paint entrance to our bath
43. Put pictures in the frames on hutch
44. Go to bed with a clean house for 1 week - well this was a nice surprise! I was thinking that I had written to go to bed with it clean for a month, so was bummed when we made it a little over 2 weeks and I got sick so couldn't keep up with it!
45. Paint our bathroom
46. Paint the hall
47. Clean out the garage - done, and it looks marvelous! We even had a yard sale and made a bit of moolah!

Travel
48. Take G to a pumpkin patch
49. Take G to Apple Hill
50. Go to a zoo - went to the zoo in Washington DC and it was fantastic! Can't believe that place is free and so gorgeous!
51. Go away with J
52. Geocache our way through a roadtrip
53. Visit three Olympic parks
54. Go on vacation with friends - went to LA with the Schofields and had a blast! Besides my child hitting their child ALMOST the entire time they were together ;)
55. Visit 2 new states - Ooooh, another bonus surprise! I thought I put 3!! We visited family in DC, which meant that we were able to hit both Virginia and Maryland!

Self
56. “Get ready” (hair, clothes, make-up)every day for one month
57. Go on a girl date with Chels - went shopping at a ridiculously expensive mall, but luckily found a few H&Ms. Def need to do another girl date with her though ;)
58. See a picture of myself that I honestly l like
59. Make a new friend
60. Drive on the freeway - Oh boy, I'm basically a pro at this now! Though I only go when I can see how busy it looks, especially when I have a kid or 2 in my car to distract me!
61. Memorize 1 Scripture per month

Health
62. Participate in a half-marathon
63. Take a new fitness class at the gym
64. Do a bike ride from bikethewest.com
65. Take multivitamin everyday for a month
66. Stick to low carb high protein eating plan for 1 month
67. Go hiking
68. Workout 3 times per week for 3 months

Family
69. Family picture taken once a month
70. Teach Gracie her ABCs - Every time we brush her teeth, we sing the ABCs 4 times (once for the top, bottom, together, and tongue) so she's getting it down pretty well! Like all kids though, she gets messed up on LMNOP :)
71. Teach Gracie a memory verse
72. Sleep under the stars as a family
73. Have another baby - due July 31st :)
74. Go camping
75. Take G horseback riding

Movies
76. Watch all the John Wayne movies we have - watched a few this week, but my goodness we have a lot!
77. Watch the Top 100 movies (Yahoo list) - going to revise this again! Using this list but only going to watch 50 of them that I haven't seen before. The reason I changed it in the first place was because there were some on there that I don't want to watch (like The Shining), but the other list I was using has some very hard to find movies, and a few that were really terrible (Life of Brian was one of them...vulgar, rude, etc..though SOME relatives of mine love it ;))

Reading
78. Read Bible once per week for 1 year
79. Read from the Bible as a family once a week for 3 months
80. Read through the Bible
81. Do everything I plan to do in a book challenge - check! Read some great boks too!
82. Read 10 favorite young adult books
83. Read or listen to half of the books on the Top 100 list that I have
84. Be part of a book club
85. Read at least 1 book a month for 1 year - Totally forgot about this one! I think I probably did this last year, but since I don't remember specifically which ones, I'll start again! January - Twenties Girl (loved it! But I think Sophie Kinsella is great anyway)

Money
86. Go 1 week without extra spending
87. Go one month without extra spending

88. Stick to a budget

Wow! Of all the "categories," I did not think that I'd finish this one first! We've been doing a cash budget and love it! We've actually been able to put a bit into savings finally, which is excellent!

Enjoying life

89. Lie down on the grass and watch the sky with G
90. Watch a sunset
91. Watch a sunrise
92. Go to the taping of a TV show
93. Go to one new store or restaurant per month
94. Talk to my grandma about her life

95. Talk to my grandma and grandpa about their lives

Other

96. Pay for someone behind me in line (food, toll, etc)
97. Find the “perfect present” for 5 people
98. Finish décor in Sunday School room - someone actually took this over for me because they had a fantastic vision for the room and it is AWESOME!!!
99. Win a giveaway - won the photography class mentioned in #13!!
100. Get mentioned on a blog - got mentioned on Katrina Kennedy's blog here for winning the class and here for placing in the top for a photowalk I went on (which was an amazing experience!)
101. Win a photo challenge

So all in all, not too shabby, but there are a lot of things I need to get a move on with!

Fall Into Reading Challenge 2010 Wrap-Up

2010-12-23T07:43:00.000-08:00

I've been a terrible blogger. And this entry is really just to sum up how I did on the reading challenge at Callapidder Days (all did terribly on this!). We've just been really busy and we found out a little over 4 weeks ago that we're expecting baby #2 (woo hoo!!!!) and I just have a hard time, well, thinking! That being said, I'm hoping to get a bit better in the new year, especially once I hit the magica 13 week mark! Cuz right now, I just feel GROSS!!

Now onto my very disappointing reading challenge wrap up!

I had a hard time getting through this book. In fact, I've still got about 200 pages or so to read. I just don't love the way that it's written and it makes it hard to want to read it, even though I love the content. I had read a bit of it and watched the movie before we went to DC in October, and it definitely made the Iwo Jima Memorial seem even more magnificent. It totally added to our experience to know a bit of the background instead of just reading a plaque. Hoping to finish this at some point, just not sure when that point will be ;)

I really enjoyed this book! It was one of those "I have to finish this now so dishes, laundry, etc can wait...for a few days!!" books. When in DC, we went to the National Museum of American History and they had the Greensboro Lunch Counter there, and again, because I had read this book and got a glimpse into what these people's lives may have been like, it was actually a bit emotional for me.

As I mentioned before, every time I read a book about the Plain life, there is a part of me that longs for a simpler life. This book was no exception. It was a good read, not overly dramatic but still gripped me and made me feel like I was a part of their lives. Loved it, and planning to read more by Ms. Wiseman.

Once again, I never actually got to read this. Mostly because I lost it some time between putting it in a pile to write that I was going to read it, and well, now :) Never a good feeling to lose a book!

Didn't get to Nickel and Dimed either. Another time.

This book was probably my favorite of the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers. It was beautifully written, my body was downright tense many times because of the different situations that came up, and I again felt like I was almost losing a friend when the book ended! I was definitely a bit sad to see the end of this series, but it was another stop-everything-so-I-can-finish-this kind of a book, and I'm not sure my house and family would have made it through another book ;) This was by far my favorite book of the challenge!

I had also planned on reading my Bible more and reading to Gracie more, and for the first few weeks that worked well, but since I've been feeling so gross, I have wanted to do much of anything. I have tried to read to Gracie when she asks and I feel like I can see the words without getting sick, but I've learned not to ask her because she'll always say no! It's as if she thinks that if I offer and she accepts, she is admitting that she needs help with something and that is so not the case!! She IS two years old after all ;)

Photos from About A Boy

2010-10-31T22:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures for the countdown to Halloween at About A Boy. The lighting isn't great, being dark and all, but I had a great time shooting things that I normally wouldn't really think about photographing. I also got to shoot at night, which I hardly ever get to do (I'm a total fraidy cat!). I loved doing this countdown!

Favorite picture of the night - this was actually this morning but I love this picture. It's not great photographically or anything, but I love that it shows how much she really loved the bounce house! This is one of those great memory-makers for me.

Fill the frame:

Step to the Other Side: another great memory maker! Jabba the Hut answered the door and Gracie would NOT say trick-or-treat, she would NOT say thank you, and she burst into tears! It didn't help to have the red light filling the whole house!

Cut Off Parts: Being chased around by cousin Emery

Playing with Lightroom

2010-10-30T21:24:00.001-07:00

A blog that I read called "About A Boy" has a challenge of sorts to get ready for Halloween. I'm not really into Halloween, for no reason in particular, but I've loved taking part in these challenges because it's getting me out of my comfort zone and shooting different types of things! Katrina is a great resource, definitely one of the best photography blogs I've found! She also encouraged me to get my new fave lens when I went on the Photo Walk in Sacramento with her. So I owe her a lot ;)

Anyway, this particular challenge was to get a "spooky" picture by playing around with Lightroom a bit. And let me tell ya, once I downloaded the free trial and a free preset, I definitely know what I'm going to be saving up to buy! What a great program!

So here is my attempt at "spooky." Hopefully it will show up, I'm very new to Flickr, so give me a bit of grace please ;)

I Heart "Beef"

2010-10-10T22:14:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge at I Heart Faces is all about beef! Yum! I love me some red meat! Which is a good thing, since I'd likely be disowned by my family if I didn't ;)

I found the following recipe at Tasty Kitchen.

Ceridwen's Steak Marinade

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 2

Difficulty:Easy

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/4 cups Worcestershire Sauce plus 2 Tablespoons

2 Tablespoons chopped Rosemary

Pepper to taste

Preparation Instructions:

Coarsely chop 3 garlic cloves. Combine with the olive oil, Worcestershire sauce and rosemary. Pepper to taste.

Marinate meat on each side for 15 minutes.

***I did make a few tiny changes to this. I cut my steaks into chunks, marinated it for a few hours, then popped the cubes on fresh rosemary skewers from my garden. Absolutely wonderful! ***

Check out more awesome pictures by clicking on this ridiculously cute button!

Fall Into Reading 2010 Challenge

2010-09-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

I LOVE FALL!!!

Everything about fall is wonderful...the crisp, cooler air; the smells of baked goods; new soup recipes; leaves; the colors...I could go on and on. But one of my new favorite things about this time of year is the reading challenge at Callapidder Days. She does reading challenges in the fall and the spring, so I'm guaranteed at least 2 seasons to get some serious reading done. Well, as serious as it gets now that I'm a mommy and a wife! ;)

On my list for this Fall Into Reading Challenge are the following:

I will be visiting my sister-in-law in DC and my dad just finished this book, so I thought it would be a good prep to go see the Iwo Jima memorial. I've read 4 pages or so to just get a feel for it and oh...my...goodness!! I am hooked already!

I've also already started this one because I got it from the library (I was #60 on the waiting list! So I had no idea when it would come). So far it is very interesting, but not sure if I'll be able to finish it or not because I didn't start it til a few days ago and I only have 2 days left to finish it. We shall see.

Again, already started this one (I really had a hard time getting into any one book for a while, so I had a few on the go!), only a few chapters in, but good so far. I have to admit though that any time I read a book about the Plain life, there is a certain appeal to it.

I had this on my list last fall and never made it to even opening the book...or if I did, I certainly can't remember it now! :) Looking forward to reading another Joyce book.

I heard about this book in a class in college, finally bought it from a yard sale or something, and have yet to read it. It will be interested to see what it says since it's about "getting by" in America with poverty-level wages, and things seem even harder for people now, 9 years later than when the book was written.

Super excited about this last book in the Mark of the Lion series! Finally got it from my friend 2 Sundays ago and hoping to be able to use it as my "reward" for finishing my other books. Though I'm not sure it can wait that long ;)

I am also going to add into this challenge that I want to make a point to read more to Gracie and to read my Bible more consistently. I think that the colder months lend themselves to reading because it feels so comfy and cozy...and just plain RIGHT!

I'd totally encourage you all to join me in the challenge. It starts today, but you can post your blog entry for a while I believe. It's just nice to do something that is for ME and to know that there are other people who are doing the same. It makes me a much nicer mommy and wife I think :)

I Heart Faces "Smirk" Challenge

2010-09-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

The challenge at I Heart Faces this week is "Smirk." This is as close as I could get! It's actually one of my favorites of G because nobody was really paying attention to her, we were all just kind of chatting and she took advantage of it by getting the last little bit of daddy's chocolate "crumbs." This sweet look is one of "Yes, I got caught, but no, I am not sorry cuz those Cadbury Buttons were gooooooood!"

To look at more entries, visit

I Heart Faces: Photojournalism

2010-08-29T21:51:00.000-07:00

This week's theme at I Heart Faces is photojournalism. This man sitting on a bench in the farmer's market in San Francisco absolutely intrigued me. I just kept wondering about his life and who he was. And yes it is the picture from my post about San Francisco. I liked it so much that I put it up two out of three entries :)

Check out more entries here:

I Heart Faces "Beach" Challenge

2010-08-22T22:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've entered a photo in an I Heart Faces challenge, but I have a boatload of pics from our recent trip, so thought I'd give it a shot, since the theme is "Beach."

Sweet lil guy thought that the sand was pretty tasty! He definitely is ALL boy!

Catch more entries at

Mushrooms and Musicians (or, Why I Love San Francisco)

2010-08-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

I love San Francisco. I could go to the same places every time I go and never grow bored. One of my favorite places is the farmer's market on The Embarcadero.

It's got food.

It's got music.

And it's got a whole lot of random photo ops.

It's the most inspiring place I've been. I love to walk around and people watch (as you can tell by my pictures of random strangers!). You meet all types there and there is a feeling of "Whatever you want to be, you can be. Whoever you want to become, you can become." I love it.

We have a lot of pictures of San Francisco. A LOT! So I tried to challenge myself a bit by taking different perspectives of the "same ol'" things or just different "things" in general.

Coit Tower, bridge

House on the way to Lombard street

Alcatraz (that's the blurriness in the water there ;))

Sea Lions on the Pier

Not sure what this is actually called, but it's one of those special memory places.

Golden Gate Bridge

Isn't it a beautiful city?! Seriously, every time I go I am inspired and I actually feel like it is going to be part of our future. I'm not necessarily sure in what capacity, but I know that God's going to use my love for this city for Him.

Spring Reading Thing Wrap Up

2010-06-21T07:14:00.000-07:00

I FINISHED!!!!! I finally finished a reading challenge!! Which means that I can cross off number 81 in 101 in 1001, which was to "Do everything I plan to do in a book challenge." Of course, I finished the last book LAST NIGHT at 9:30, in my true procrastinator way, but the point is that I finished, and I feel darn good about it!

Here are the books I read.

Yep. Still love it :) I was kind of surprised that I liked it so much as a kid, but there ya go :)

Very fun book. You could totally see what the end was 3 miles away, but there were some surprises all throughout, which made it interesting. Very clean, which I loved, and a sweet love story, both between Emily and Jonas and Emily and the Lord.

Wow, I was not expecting this to be so intense. It definitely showed this mother's love, how powerful it can be, and how worth it it can be. Very good.

Why in the world do people obsess over Edward Cullen when Mr. Darcy is CLEARLY a better choice?! Beautiful book, so glad I finally read (well, listened to :)) an Austen book. I definitely see more in my future!

Oh goodness, still love love LOVE this book as well.

I love the way that Oz and Roizen explain our bodies in easy-to-understand terms and illustrations. Some yummy recipes too! I love seeing a "just take good care of yourself" book instead of a "only-eat-carbs-or-protein-orgrapefruit-or-candy-bars" diet book. Loved it.

This was probably one of the best books I have EVER read!!! Be warned though, you will HAVE to read the 2nd book as well, and I am assuming the 3rd. It took me a loooooooooong time to get past the first 50 or so pages (mostly because there were so many names and I kept getting interrupted so I would forget where I was and couldn't find my place again) but I am SO GLAD I did!!! Absolutely beautiful. And again, I have to say, waaaaaaaay better than Twilight! It gripped me much more than a bunch of vampires and werewolves, partly because it could have been a true story. I find myself wanting to tell people about something that happened in the book, and then realize that it wasn't real life! I totally recommend this.

Alrighty, guess that wraps it up! Thanks Katrina for putting on another wonderful reading challenge!

Thrifty Awesome-ness

2010-06-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

My mom and I went to a huge community garage sale a few weekends ago, and we found ourselves at the home of a man who formerly had an antique shop and still dabbles in, um, antiquity?! Anyway, we got to talking with him, and my mom mentioned that she had bought some stuff from him before...so he let us go into his shed in the back where he kept all the rest of his stuff! He said we could take a look and buy whatever we wanted, he would give us a great deal. The place was immaculate, perfectly organized...beautiful, blissful. I wished that I had brought my camera because it was just so breathtaking! And then these little beauties caught my eye:

Aren't they beautiful?! I fell in love with them instantly and my mom suggested I ask him how much they were. I kind of brushed it off cuz I thought I couldn't afford them. And then something in me said, "Hey, if you don't ask, you don't know." I think it was my mother-in-law ;) So I asked and he said he'd give all 3 of them to me for...are you ready?! Are ya?!.... FIFTEEN DOLLARS!!!!! I plunked down the money and was on cloud nine for the rest of the week.

It's the simple things in life, isn't it?!

I Heart Faces Photo Walk

2010-06-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was absolutely one of the best days ever! I went on my first photo walk! It was put on by one of my favorite sites, I Heart Faces. Our fearless leader was Katrina Kennedy and she was FANTASTIC! She even let me borrow a lens that I have been umming and awwing about buying. What a gem! I was able to ask questions and get some pointers, which was super helpful as I am just starting out on this fun adventure!

I took over 500 pictures, almost all of a lovely, sweet girl named Marina. She made it so much fun cuz she would do whatever any of the 26 of us would ask her to do. Total sweetheart! Very different from my usual subject who cries to be held 5 minutes into the "session" ;)

Here are some of my faves. Some of them are not great, and I know that, but I was really just trying to do new things and play around with my camera. So let me know what you think! I'd love to get ANY kind of feedback!

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#8

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#10

#11

#12

There ya go! Like I said, I would appreciate any feedback, whether you are "into" photography or not!

I Heart Faces Yellow

2010-05-24T21:26:00.000-07:00

This week's theme at I Heart Faces is yellow. I thought it would give me a chance to do something kind of fun, very different for me. I'm not really sure what I think of it yet, but I liked trying something new!

View more yellow entries at:

101 in 1001 list - update

2010-05-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

I wrote my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days here, and since I have a sleeping baby girl in my arms and can't fold the laundry (darn!), thought this would be a good time to do an update!

First of all, I have changed a few things:

62. Participate in a half-marathon - I am changing this to "Participate in any kind of a race (excluding races with my daughter, nephew, niece, etc ;))"

77. Watch the Top 100 movies (yahoo list) - Honestly, there were just some movies that I would never want to watch (there were some scary ones on there!!), so I found a new list here. I thought that I would be more likely to finish this list.

82. Read 10 favorite young adult books - Just changing this to 10 young adult books, not necessarily favorites. This way, I have freedom to read some new ones.

95. Somehow this got deleted?! So 95 is "Talk to my grandfather about his life."

K, so now for the progress on each of these:

Crossing these babies off:

21. Go to a place from Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations." - Check and check! We went to SF last weekend and ate both at Red's Java House and at the ferry building on The Embarcadero.

22. Try sushi. Had some at my sis-in-law's baby shower. It was better than I thought it would be, but nothing life changing. My brother told me about a place I should go to, so maybe I'll give it another try.

26. Make a vegetarian meal that J doesn't say "Where's the meat?" to - Made this salad for lunch on Friday and it was wonderful...soo many wonderful flavors and textures. And not a "Where's the meat?" muttered!! Success!

39. Fix kitchen light - done. :)

41. Touch up paint in entrance to kitchen.
42. Paint entrance to our bath. Got both of these done on a yucky rainy day while hoping that G wouldn't notice that I was painting with my fingers and think that it was a good idea. (yes, I was using my fingers instead of a brush cuz I just wanted it DONE!)

43. Put pics in frames on hutch. Done, but not in love with them. Need to find something else to go in there maybe??

50. Go to a zoo - Or at least Reno's best shot at a zoo :)

In progress...

12. Grow herbs - bought some beautiful rosemary and basil plants this week, and waiting for the SNOW to go away to plant them outside.

13. Take a photography class - doing one online, since that is really all I have time for and I can do it in the wee hours of the morning, during G's nap time, or long into the night. Verdict so far: I am now obsessed with photography :-D

31. Eat at least one thing I've grown - got my garden most of the way planted and hoping that the snow leaves my sweet lil plants alone!

34. Plant new grass - J got the old yucky grass torn up, just waiting for better weather to finish it up! (Are you noticing how much the weather is affecting my crossing off stuff?!)

61. Memorize 1 Scripture per month - I have two on my fridge that I have almost memorized, just getting some of the fruits of th Spirit in wrong order or left them out. I'm working on it though!

68. Workout 3 times per week for 3 months. This is a hard one b/c of my work schedule. On the plus side, since January I have lost 5 pounds and my body fat percentage has gone down by 2.4%, which now puts me in the, are you ready for this, ATHLETIC range!!!!! I've never been called athletic before in my life!!! Without sarcasm, at least ;)

77. Watch the top 100 movies (see change above) - So far we have watched:
   - Iron Will
     - Life of Brian (waste of time)
     - Dogma (very interesting, makes you think, but LOTS of terrible language)
     - Ben-Hur (loved this!!!!!)
     - The Greatest Story Ever Told (but in my opinion, told in the most boring way, wasn't impressed)
     - Barabbas (interesting, not something I would have watched if not for this list, and watched it on Easter weekend, so made it even more memorable)

81. Do everything I plan to do in a book challenge - here I wrote what I was hoping to do for the Spring Reading Challenge, and I have finished 4 of the 7 books, very close to finishing the 5th, and already into the last 2. Not too shabby, and I still have a month left!

Ahhh, baby just woke up and right about perfect timing! Will have to be done for now!

I Heart Faces Smiles

2010-04-25T10:29:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge at I Heart Faces is "Smiles." See more entires here:

Bull Sale 2010

2010-04-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

This is my new favorite site. Love this lil collage I made with it, though there is lots more to figure out and play with. Super fun!

Please notice the yellow and orange spoon in a tight grasp in the middle picture. G never attached to a blankie, lovie, etc., but spoons are a different story. She went through a phase recently where she took AT LEAST one of them to bed with her every night.

2010-04-19T21:34:00.000-07:00

K, so the challenge at I Heart Faces this week is "Collages." Mine is actually a collage that I made for my dad for Father's Day last year from all his grandkids. It was in an actual frame, so the collage looks a little funny on here. And I apparently deleted one of the pictures, so I had to improvise with another, so it's not QUITE what we gave to Pop Pop. It turned out super cute in real life, maybe I'll take a picture of it and post it sometime.

For more collages, go to:

I Heart Desserts

2010-04-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

This week at I Heart Faces the theme is dessert. Yay! This was a wonderfully tasty eclair from a little bakery we found in Downtown Reno called Earthly Delights. Do yourself a favor and GO THERE!!!

For more dessert pictures go here:

Go on, I promise you won't regret it! :)

Salted Caramel Covered Strawberries by Steamy Kitchen

2010-04-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge at I Heart Faces is "My Story in Photos: Dessert Recipe Edition," where we are supposed to photograph our favorite desserts.

I have a confession to make.

My "favorite dessert" that I photographed was more like a "I-have-got-to-try-this-recipe-and-I-don't-know-how-it-could-be-anything-but-my-favorite-so-I-will-cross-my-fingers-and-hope-for-the-best."

And I was right. It is DEFINITELY a new favorite. More than I thought it would be even. You can find the recipe at Steamy Kitchen.

Start off with some beautiful, fresh strawberries. Ideally, you would go onto the recipe from here. But I got kind of forgot to continue and the strawberries looked, eh, less desirable a few days later. But they still tasted fine, so we're good!

Then I made some Salted Butter Caramels (though I didn't take pictures cuz the last time I tried making any kind of candy, I failed miserably, and I do NOT respond well to failure!).

Add a bit of whipping cream (about 1 1/2 Tablespoons) to half of the caramel recipe. Microwave on half power for 2 minutes, checking it halfway through.

Ideally, you would chop your nuts up before you ever start any of this. Or you are me and quickly do it while the caramel is melting. I totally recommend the pistachios. COMPLETELY AMAZING!!!

Your 17-month old daughter will want to try a strawberry right when you are chopping nuts, stirring the caramel, adding far too much cream to the caramel (which you won't find out until a few hours later when they are not so much caramel-covered as they are caramel-puddled), taking care of your sick husband and procrastinating from studying. What your daughter doesn't know is that those berries have been soaking in ice water and are a bit on the cold side. She will promptly put the strawberry back where she (thinks) she found it.

Now dip away! And make sure to take a lovely picture of your chipped nail polish.

Now roll the caramel-covered strawberry in whichever nut you have chosen. Make sure to get really cocky about how you haven't gotten any of the caramel on the chopping mat...then 2 seconds later regret thinking that you are so amazing when you DO get caramel on the chopping mat.

Now lay them on waxed paper or parchment paper and let them cool. Or eat three of them immediately, burn your mouth a bit every time, but keep doing it cuz they are sooooooooooooo YUM!!!

Give a little taste to your sweet little girl, who is a little reluctant because of her previous experience, but once she gets a taste of it....

she won't be able to get enough! She is, in fact, her mommy's girl!

Go to Steamy Kitchen's website to get the "real" recipe, and to I Heart Faces for more wonderful pictures of yummy desserts!

I Heart Faces Dramatic B&W

2010-03-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

This week at I Heart Faces the challenge is:

We are looking for B&W photos that are dramatic, sensational and/or moody in the way they are presented.

This picture is of am amazing woman who at the time the picture was taken was going through a hard time in her personal life. As her trip to the US went on, we saw less and less of these sad faces, and more of one of the best smiles you'll ever see.

For more Dramatic B&W entires, click on this nifty button:

I Heart Faces Challenge

2010-03-21T23:10:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge at I Heart Faces is "Angles." And of course, mine is a picture of my favorite photo subject :)

Go here to look at some beautiful entries of "Angles" I promise, you'll find something amazing, inspiring, beautiful. Check it out. Do it. ;)

Callapidder Days Spring Reading Thing

2010-03-20T21:36:00.000-07:00

Oooh, I've been just WAITING for this!! Yes, I could have just read on my own (which I did a bit), but there's something wonderful about there being a CHALLENGE to read...especially when so many other people are participating with you! It really makes me push myself a bit more.

So here are the books I want to start/finish/finally finish ;) :

Racing the Sun by Paul Pitts: My all-time favorite book when I was a kid. We had to write letters to authors when I was in 4th grade and everyone else got letters that were obviously pre-written and the only "personal" part of them was that someone had hand-written the child's name in the blank spot of a type-written letter. I wrote to Mr. Pitts and I got the BEST letter back (I actually still have it!). He asked me about myself and I felt so ridiculously special. Hmm, probably didn't need to write all that just to say "I like this book and want to read it again as an adult to see what it was all about" :)

Bookends by Liz Curtis Higgs. Started this a few weeks ago, so far, so good.

Jewel by Bret Lott. I've had this book for years and have never opened it, so thought I'd give it a try!

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Again. Because I didn't finish it last time and I really have liked it so far.

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare. I read this book for a Child Lit class in college and loved it. There is a line in there that really impacted me, and I really just wanted to read it again for inspiration.

You: The Owner's Manual by Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz. I've only gotten through the first chapter or so of this one in the 3+ years that I've had it, but every time I pick it up I think Man! This is a great book! And I've got another You book, can't remember which one, but I can't read it without finishing this. It's a mental thing :)

A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers. I love Rivers' writing cuz it makes the Bible seem so...real?! I mean I know that the Bible is real, but the way she writes makes it less of a "story that I heard in Sunday school" kind of thing and more of a "Oh my goodness, these were REAL REAL people who were fearing for their lives (for example)" kind of thing.

So that's my challenge to myself this Spring Reading Challenge! So excited! And the great thing is that I can start working on some of the things from my 101 in 1001. Yeahoooooo!!!

101 in 1001 list

2010-03-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

I love lists.

I love the feeling of crossing things off of those lists.

Sometimes in the middle of doing something, I stop so that I can write it down on a list so that I can CROSS IT OFF.

Such a satisfying feeling.

So imagine my absolute and utter delight when I found this site. I now have a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days (and yes, I did write down "Make list of 101 in 1001" on my master list ;))

In no particular order, here are just a few of my goals for the next 1001 days.

Hobbies
1. Learn to play one song on the guitar
2. Learn a new song on the piano
3. Take pictures of every task on here
4. Complete the DeLorem challenge
5. Take a good picture of a waterfall
6. Ride a tandem bike
7. Be able to identify 5 different local birds
8. Make a toy
9. Get our geocache total to more than 1000
10. Do 10 of the things in 1000 Things to Do Before You Die
11. Make a purse or bag
12. Grow herbs
13. Take a photography class
14. Finish a scrapbook
15. Knit something other than a scarf
16. Do one craft project a month
17. Take one picture per day for a month
18. Make a pillowcase dress

Food
19. Have a foreign food night
20. Go to a place on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
21. Go to a place from Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations
22. Try sushi
23. Have an April Fool's dinner
24. Make a big holiday dinner (Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc)
25. Find 5 good and inexpensive organic recipes
26. Make a vegetarian meal that J doesn't say “Where's the meat?”
27. One new recipe per month
28. Make file of yummy recipes
29. Try 1 new food per month
30. Stick to a menu for 1 week
31. Eat at least one thing that I've grown
32. Learn to can properly

Organization/Cleaning/Home
33. Keep room clean for 2 weeks
34. Plant new grass
35. Put all pictures on CD
36. Organize all pictures
37. Christmas cards sent out on time
38. Make lists of things in pantry to put on doors
39. Fix kitchen light
40. Move the fridge and vacuum behind and under it 2 times a year
41. Touch up paint in entrance to kitchen
42. Paint entrance to our bath
43. Put pictures in the frames on hutch
44. Go to bed with a clean house for 1 week
45. Paint our bathroom
46. Paint the hall
47. Clean out the garage

Travel
48. Take G to a pumpkin patch
49. Take G to Apple Hill
50. Go to a zoo
51. Go away with J
52. Geocache our way through a roadtrip
53. Visit three Olympic parks
54. Go on vacation with friends
55. Visit 2 new states

Self
56. “Get ready” (hair, clothes, make-up)every day for one month
57. Go on a girl date with Chels
58. See a picture of myself that I honestly l like
59. Make a new friend
60. Drive on the freeway
61. Memorize 1 Scripture per month

Health
62. Participate in a half-marathon
63. Take a new fitness class at the gym
64. Do a bike ride from bikethewest.com
65. Take multivitamin everyday for a month
66. Stick to low carb high protein eating plan for 1 month
67. Go hiking
68. Workout 3 times per week for 3 months

Family
69. Family picture taken once a month
70. Teach Gracie her ABCs
71. Teach Gracie a memory verse
72. Sleep under the stars as a family
73. Have another baby
74. Go camping
75. Take G horseback riding

Movies
76. Watch all the John Wayne movies we have
77. Watch the Top 100 movies (Yahoo list)

Reading
78. Read Bible once per week for 1 year
79. Read from the Bible as a family once a week for 3 months
80. Read through the Bible
81. Do everything I plan to do in a book challenge
82. Read 10 favorite young adult books
83. Read or listen to half of the books on the Top 100 list that I have
84. Be part of a book club
85. Read at least 1 book a month for 1 year

Money
86. Go 1 week without extra spending
87. Go one month without extra spending

88. Stick to a budget

Enjoying life

95. Talk to my grandma and grandpa about their lives

Other

I love it!!! I feel l like I will really be able to challenge myself in a lot of these. Get out of my comfort zone (make a new friend?! Yikes!), explore more of my world (and other people's worlds), see and do things that I would not have done otherwise. Needless to say, I AM EXCITED!!!

Bundled Up Challenge

2010-03-14T21:22:00.000-07:00

The theme for the I Heart Faces challenge this week is "Bundled Up."

This is one of my all-time favorite pictures of my sweet girl.

For more pics in the challenge, go to:

I Heart Faces: Hilarious Outtakes

2010-03-01T08:40:00.000-08:00

This week's challenge theme on I Heart Faces is "Hilarious Outtakes." Here are some of my faves.

I was playing around with some buttons on my camera, trying to see the difference between the settings, when my friend told me to look over at G. Daddy had left a chocolate wrapper on the table and Gracie was sneaking some little bits. This pic is when she knew she had been "caught." Cheeky little girl :)

She is absolutely OBSESSED with spoons right now. She never wanted any of the blankies or lovies to cuddle with, but she takes a spoon to bed with her. Here she is in Santa Cruz, spoon in hand. Maybe it's just because a few little boys in my family are really into Star Wars, but it looks to me like she is wielding a light saber.

I was trying to take advantage of the cloud covering and the red tutu, so we hopped outside for a bit for some pics. For whatever reason, lil G would NOT keep her tongue in! I have 6 shots in a row with that tongue out. And this one makes me laugh every time :)

Oh my, how I love my little girl!

To see more great pics (and there are some absolutely WONDERFUL ones!) go to:

Hands on Fun

2010-02-21T22:30:00.000-08:00

Another I Heart Faces photo challenge, "Hands on Fun!" I knew exactly what I wanted to do for this one. Take a lil looksie!

How precious is this little girl?! Baby G was 3 days old, celebrating her very first Thanksgiving. Everyone else was visiting with each other while she was sleeping peacefully. I was so blessed to walk in and find her like this, with no one's help positioning her fingers. It still is one of the sweetest memories I have of my little beauty.

For more AMAZING pictures go here:

I Heart Faces: We Heart Kisses

2010-02-09T10:38:00.000-08:00

This week's challenge at I Heart Faces is "We Heart Kisses." This is one of my favorite pictures ever because Baby G is giving Baby A a kiss, but Baby A looks more than a little scared! Too cute!

Go see more photos showin' some love at

Adobe Lightroom...

2010-01-18T22:40:00.000-08:00

is AMAZING!!! I am using the trial for 30 days, and though there is MUCH more to discover, I have finally found a way that I like some of my wedding photos! Yay!!

Here are a few I've played around with a bit this evening:

I know they are no where near what other people can do, but I think it's at least an improvement...right?! Or am I delusional? ;)

i heart faces "family" challenge

2010-01-17T22:24:00.000-08:00

I've decided to start taking more pictures, and especially more creative pictures. I found a great blog that has contests every week, so I am going to try to take up the challenge of doing it every week, whether I post them on their site or not.

The theme on http://iheartfaces.blogspot.com/ this week is family. You can see more entries here.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Daddy and Baby G. Baby G was so happy that day, just smiling away, and Daddy was taking such joy in his little girl.

Reading Challenge Wrap Up

2010-01-01T12:21:00.000-08:00

With all that's been going on the last month, I'm proud to be LESS THAN a month late for this wrap up post! Even though I didn't read very many of the books that I had on my list (wait, I think I only read one on there, come to think of it!), I feel very successful because I finally made time for myself and to enjoy one of my very favorite activities. It was some much needed "me" time, and I read whenever and wherever I could! In the bath, blow-drying my hair, whatever! I even once asked J to take care of the baby cuz I needed a break, and I read for over 3 hours...straight!!! I don't think there's been much in the last year or so that I have been able to do for that long!!

That being said, these are the books that I actually read/listened to:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society (Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows)

The Color Purple (Alice Walker)

Odd Mom Out (Jane Porter)

Julie and Julia (on CD) (Julie Powell)

And the books I partially read are:

Cure for the Common Life (Max Lucado)

Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)

Finding Your Purpose as a Mom (Donna Otto)

I absolutely loved TGLAPPS, and had to keep reminding myself that it was fiction! Thought they did a wonderful job of making very real characters, and I found myself looking at the last page to check to see if the end was what I thought it should be!! I NEVER do that! I guess I just needed to know that everyone would be ok.

The Color Purple was...different than I had anticipated. I hadn't heard anything about it, other than, well, just hearing about it! It was a heart breaker for quite a while, and I think I actually missed quite a bit of it. Not sure if I will go back to read it to catch what I missed, though.

I was also really disappointed in Julie and Julia. I listened to the first few chapters on CD and then took a break because of all the bad language. As much as I hate bad language in books, I think it is SO MUCH WORSE to hear it read out! At least with an actual book you can kind of skim over it, but when you listen to someone drop the F*bomb all over the place while you have your one year old in the kitchen, THAT is a different story! After a while I rented it from Redbox and thoroughly loved the movie!! So I thought I'd continue to listen to the book, just in case it redeemed itself. It didn't. One of the few cases where I enjoyed the movie more than the book!

I had two other other goals for the challenge: to read my Bible more and to read to G more. Still working on the Bible reading, but at least I am doing it MORE. And G is now addicted to books. Her favorites are anything that have bunnies in them, and Moo Baa LaLaLa (Sandra Boynton). She sometimes even goes to bed with them. Pretty cute :)

Alrighty, I am going to go ahead and post this so I can check it off my "to do" list! I actually started it December 21st (the day the challenge ended), tried again on January 1st, another time in between then and now, and obviously today. I just keep telling myself, "At least I did it!"

Reading Challenge Update

2009-10-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

So I have always loved reading. I used to get in trouble for reading "too much" (under my sheets when I was supposed to be sleeping, in the bathroom at school, etc). And in all my years of reading, I don't know that I have ever stopped reading a book because I didn't like the way it was going. I always thought, "Oh, it is bound to get better." Plus, I just HAD TO KNOW if it got better or not. I couldn't deal with not knowing.

This week was the first time that I know of that I have stopped reading a book for that reason. It was Real Life and Liars. It started out with the main character smoking weed, which is not terrible to read about, but my first thought was, "Ok, if this is in the first few pages, what is next?!" So I kept reading and there is a character who sounds like she wants to have an affair and it seems like the author is justifying it because she is no longer in love with her husband, nor he with her. And then the last straw was something that I don't even want to write on here because I was so shocked by it! And this was only in the first 50 or so pages!

So I was disappointed in the book, to say the least. It could have ended up being a fantastic book, but I'll never know, and honestly, weirdly, I don't even care. I hate that books used to be the "safe" option, when there was so much yucky stuff on TV, and now I feel like my mind has been violated! I hate that it seems like our society doesn't feel like a tv show, movie, and now BOOK, is not successful or something unless it has a sex scene in it! Yuck.

I also finished Odd Mom Out, which was...interesting. At some times I felt like the author was saying that stay at home moms are really just a bunch of losers who have nothing better to do than go to country clubs and spas. Pretty sure I work just as hard as women in the work force! Yes, I sometimes watch TV while I do it, but I hate that I am being made to feel like my "job" means nothing.

And then to top it off, after the author gets you hooked on the book, like a couple of hundred pages in, there are two or so random scenes where I felt completely awkward reading! I actually showed them to James cuz I all of a sudden felt like I was reading a dirty book! She did not go into a huge amount of detail, and it was nowhere near as bad as the previously mentioned book, but still a bit unnecessary.

Alrighty, so I just had to share and vent about my reading experience thus far! On the plus side, I am loving Pride and Prejudice, and would love to read more Austen! I thought it would be a lot harder to understand (I have little patience for "thees" and "thous" :)) and I love that Austen makes her characters very likeable.

I also took an unintentional break from my goals of this challenge (reading the Bible, reading to Gracie and reading at least 10 minutes a day) because I was sick, then Gracie got sick, then we were both sick, then teeth came in, then I got sick again. Now I am finally feeling better, teeth are in and dirty books are back at the library, so hoping to start up again soon!

Okay, this was a long post, much longer than I intended it to be! So congrats for making it to the end! 2 bucky beaver points for YOU!

Fall Into Reading 2009 Challenge

2009-09-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

Yay! I am so excited for fall! Not only do I love the colors, the smells, the crisp air, and everything else that comes with my FAVORITE season, but I am UBER excited to join in on the Fall Into Reading put on by Callapidder Days. Since Gracie has been born, I have not been able to read much and now that she is able to entertain herself more, I'm looking forward to remedying that! I have chosen a few books that I would like to get read, but I'm not going to put a lot of pressure on myself because I want to ENJOY reading, not feel like it's a chore. So here are some of the books on my list:

I have never, ever read a Jane Austen book so I thought that would be a good one! One of my goals in life is to read all of the Top 100 bestsellers books and this is on there, so I thought I'd give it a shot!
I am now obsessed with Julia Child. I don't even know anything about her, but with the new movie coming out and my love for trying new recipes, I am very excited about getting to know more about her!
And this is because my little one is probably getting bored with what I feed her! Hopefully she'll get some teeth soon so we can try even more recipes!

All of these three books were reviewed on a blog I read, and since I've been out of the reading world for a while and have no idea what's out there, I thought they would be fun ones to read.
Ooooh, this one I am very excited about. It goes through each month and says what needs to be done for a garden. Now that we are in our house, I am BEYOND thrilled to have our own garden. Food just tastes so much better when you know pretty much exactly what happens to it! And I think it will be a great thing to do as a family.
Told you I'm obsessed ;)

And you gotta love a bit of Joyce Meyer. I don't actually think I've finished most of the books I've started of hers, not real sure why. But this one I bought so that I could read it and pass it on, because I think it's something every woman needs to read!

In addition to these books, I am also setting myself 3 challenges:

1. I will read at least a chapter of the Bible every day.

2. I will read to Gracie at least every other day (she gets very squirmy so it's hard to keep her attention for very long!). She has been very interested in my mom's books recently, and actually looking at the pictures instead of tearing up the pages, so I think it's a good time!

3. I will set aside at least 10 minutes a day to read. Doesn't matter what it is, just want to start replacing some of my TV or internet time with something without a screen.

Okay! That's all! Like I said, I am super excited for this! I love love LOVE reading and can't wait to get back into it!

2009-07-08T21:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr. Tooth,

Please come out. You are causing my baby girl a lot of pain. You have made her clingy and cranky, two things that she has never been. You have been trying to come out for a couple of months now, so come on little guy, come out little fella, we won't hurt you. You will be safe here. You will have good job security, she will put you to work right away, and in this economy that is hard to find!

Thank you, and my family and I look forward to meeting you.

Sarah

2009-04-23T21:06:00.000-07:00

2009-04-23T20:57:00.000-07:00

I take it back.

Every time I've thought that stay-at-home moms are just lazy.
That the just watch TV all day long.
That they must just get to go out to coffee and meet up with friends all the time.

I take it back.

My goodness, this mommy business is a full-time job...and then some! Especially when your baby likes to go to sleep at about 8 every night (yay!) but is sleeping with you, which means that YOU go to bed at 8 every night as well (sometimes a yay, but mostly a "I want to actually see my husband at some point!").

As you can see, I have done TERRIBLY at the picture a day idea. I'm now going to shoot for a picture a month. Not that I will get around to posting one every month, but I will take at least one picture a month of Gracie girl.

Speaking of our little sweetie, she is doing very well. She eats like a champ and loves EVERYTHING that she has tried (rice cereal, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, and green beans so far). A lot of people on my baby board who have babies the same age as Gracie are struggling to get their babies to eat an ounce or two of baby food a day...Gracie, on the other hand, eats at least 7 ounces a day, and has been nursing just as much as (and sometimes more than) normal.

She has also rolled over a few times (only tummy to back), and sat up for about a minute and a half all by herself! She is a little joy and loves to laugh and smile at anyone and everyone!

Alrighty, I am going to try to get some pictures up now, while Gracie Pie is sleeping in her car seat.

2009-02-09T06:22:00.000-08:00

December 24th
Christmas Eve

Catch up time for the days I missed during John and Glynis' visit

2009-02-09T06:16:00.000-08:00

December 23rd
Starting to smile intentionally

2009-01-06T21:48:00.000-08:00

And then we misplaced the camera for a little while, but the grandparents took lots of pictures so we'll put those up once we get copies...

Day Fifty One: January 3rd
A big day for the Kitchen fam!

First, we had to say goodbye to Granddad...and Grandma.
We were sad so instead of going to an empty and quiet apartment, we went to Barnes and Noble...
and then were invited to Gram and Pop Pop's house for dinner, where I got to suck on my favorite thing EVER, Gram's finger that was cut-off when she was a little girl!

A big day indeed!

2009-01-06T21:45:00.000-08:00

Day Forty Three: December 25th (once again, you'll have to fast forward a bit)
Our first Christmas morning as a family

2009-01-06T21:43:00.001-08:00

Day Forty: December 22nd
I'm loving all this socializing, but wow is it exhausting!

2009-01-06T21:36:00.000-08:00

Day Thirty Nine: December 21st
I was dedicated in church today! And once again, Mommy put me in crazy bows!

2009-01-06T21:31:00.000-08:00

Day Thirty Eight: December 20th (fast forward through those other days, we don't need them)
Meeting Grandma and Granddad for the first time!

2009-01-06T21:27:00.001-08:00

Day Thirty Five: December 17th
After one of the many, many, MANY blow-outs. Mommy and Daddy are going to buy stock in OxyClean!

2009-01-06T21:23:00.000-08:00

Day Thirty Four: December 16th
Oh man, what a NIGHT!

2009-01-06T21:21:00.000-08:00

Day Thirty Three: December 15th
I found my thumb! And it's fun to suck on!

2009-01-06T21:18:00.001-08:00

Day Thirty Two: December 14th
Napping in one of my favorite places, Daddy's arms

2009-01-06T21:15:00.000-08:00

Day Thirty One: December 13th
Check out those lil boots!!

2009-01-06T20:28:00.000-08:00

Day Thirty: December 12th
Gracie looks amazingly beautiful in white, as you can see.

2009-01-04T22:30:00.000-08:00

Day Twenty Nine: December 11th
Not the best picture of me, but thought I'd show that yes, Gracie does have a mother (somebody doesn't take many pictures)

2009-01-04T22:28:00.000-08:00

Day Twenty Eight: December 10th
One MILLION dollars.....

2009-01-04T22:26:00.000-08:00

Day Twenty Seven: December 9th
At the youth group Christmas party, being held by Rachel

2009-01-04T22:18:00.000-08:00

Day Twenty Six: December 8th
Apparently Gracie is totally disgusted by her parents giving her kisses!

2009-01-04T21:42:00.000-08:00

Day Twenty Five: December 7th
Getting ready for our first Christmas card! Don't worry, we ditched the hat ;)

2008-12-22T23:08:00.000-08:00

Day Twenty Four: December 6th
Blurry, but still sweet, smiles

2008-12-22T23:06:00.001-08:00

Day Twenty Three: December 5th
Meeting new friend Faith

2008-12-22T22:57:00.001-08:00

Day Twenty Two: December 4th
Daddy time

2008-12-22T22:54:00.000-08:00

Day Twenty One: December 3rd
Sitting up like a big girl!

2008-12-22T22:46:00.000-08:00

Day Twenty: December 2nd
Cuddled up in a SwaddleMe and sucking a yummy hand

2008-12-22T22:43:00.000-08:00

Day Nineteen: December 1st
Hmmm, let me think about that...

2008-12-22T22:41:00.000-08:00

Day Eighteen: November 30th
Beautiful and wide-eyed

2008-12-22T22:39:00.001-08:00

Day Seventeen: November 29th
Tail end of a sweet smile

2008-12-22T22:36:00.000-08:00

Day Sixteen: November 28th
Mommy's favorite snuggle friend

2008-12-22T22:25:00.000-08:00

Day Fifteen: November 27th

Snug as a Bug after Bathtime

2008-12-22T22:22:00.000-08:00

Day Fourteen: November 26th

Crying because Mommy is taking a picture instead of feeding her

2008-12-22T22:20:00.000-08:00

Day Thirteen: November 25th

Sweet Lil' Hands

2008-12-22T22:18:00.000-08:00

Day Twelve: November 24th

Celebrating Mommy's Birthday

2008-12-22T22:16:00.001-08:00

Day Eleven: November 23rd

(Almost) Naked Baby!!

2008-11-23T16:38:00.000-08:00

Day Ten: November 22nd
Mommy dresses me funny when Daddy is gone

2008-11-23T16:34:00.000-08:00

Day Nine: November 21st
Taking a little snooze and stretching at the same time...she's an amazing multi-tasker

2008-11-23T16:33:00.001-08:00

Day Eight: November 20th
No picture for today :(

2008-11-23T16:05:00.000-08:00

Day Seven: November 19th
Hanging out with loved ones

With Gram
With Pop Pop

With Tio Duane and Tio Jo

2008-11-23T16:00:00.000-08:00

Day Six: November 18th
Playing Peekaboo at 2:30 am

2008-11-23T15:57:00.001-08:00

Day Five: November 17th
In the froggy position on Daddy's chest

2008-11-23T15:39:00.001-08:00

Day Four: November 16th
We also had a "rehearsal Thanksgiving" dinner at my aunt and uncle's house, so I've included pictures of that.

One of my favorite pictures of my little angel

Aunt Melissa and Cousin Emery checking out the newbie to the family

Cousin Dakota trying really hard to be careful

Gracie with Great Grandma (Sorry, I don't know how to rotate this on here!)

Showing off a battle wound from her sweet lil nail

2008-11-23T15:37:00.001-08:00

Day Three: November 15th
Finally time to go home!!

2008-11-23T15:35:00.001-08:00

Day Two: November 14th

2008-11-23T15:32:00.001-08:00

Day One: November 13th

2008-11-23T15:20:00.000-08:00

She's here!!!

Our Grace (Gracie) Amara Kitchen was born on November 13th at 5:00 pm (on the dot!). Her due date was the 24th, but we went in for an appointment on the 11th and the doctor thought that I might have pre-eclampsia because I had elevated blood pressure. He said that I needed to do some tests, and if that was the case they would induce me on the 14th. The next day, after getting the tests done, they said that plans had changed and they would induce me that night!!! We were a bit in shock, but we were just trusting God.

I check in at 6:00 pm on the 12th and was put on Pitocin and magnesium something or other. I had an epidural at 1:30 on the 13th because I had been contracting for so long and knew that I might not be able to push once the time came because I was so tired, especially since I was only at 3 centimeters. Once I got the epidural, things really progressed and I started pushing at 4:35. I pushed for 25 minutes and out came our beautiful baby girl weighing 6 lbs 10.5 oz and 19 1/4 inches long!! It was an AMAZING experience and I wouldn't change a thing.

Because of the magnesium, I had to stay in the hospital for a few days, so we finally got to come home on the 15th. Gracie has done amazingly well, even letting mommy and daddy sleep a bit! We both finally caught on to breastfeeding, and daddy is a wonderful diaper changer, so we've got a good thing going!

Her first pediatrician appointment was on Tuesday, and she had already grown one quarter of an inch and gained back almost 2 of the 7 ounces she lost in the hospital. The doctor was very impressed and said that babies very rarely gain that much in that little time, especially breastfed babies. So we were very encouraged!

I'm hoping to take a picture of her every day and post them on here as soon as I can, but please bear with me as I'm a little busy getting used to being a mommy!

Hope you all are well and that you enjoy these pics of our sweet little blessing.

Fall!!

2008-10-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

I am beyond excited for it to be fall!! I love the crispness in the air, especially when I know there is a yummy, warm meal in the slow-cooker. I feel like there are so many new options of food to make because there is no worrying about how hot it might make the kitchen. I am back to feeling very tired, so there hasn't been as much cooking as I would have liked, but it makes me feel like I accomplished something greater solely because it took all of my energy for the day!

My mom got a bread machine recently, so she let me try it out...I was blown away!!! It was the easiest thing in the world to use, just pour in all the ingredients and pop it in the machine and a few hours later you've got warm, fresh-baked, scrumptious bread.

My next "investment" is definitely going to be a bread machine. Can't wait!!

Other than bread-making, not much new here. I went shopping last week for stuff for the hospital bag...hard to believe that our beautiful Gracie is due in 5 weeks!! She is still a very active little girl, kicking Mommy quite a bit! James always prays with her before bed and when he's telling her good night, he kisses my tummy and says, "Where's your butt? Where's your butt? Gonna get your butt." When he does that I just want to cry...he is becoming a different person (in a wonderful way!! Not that he was too shabby to begin with!) just knowing that we're having a little girl. He is going to be an amazing daddy!! I can't wait to come in from grocery shopping and seeing Gracie sleeping on his chest while he takes a snooze as well. Be still my heart!

Though I know that being parents is going to totally change us and that there will be days that I will wonder what I got myself into, I absolutely cannot wait. I really feel like this is what I was created to do and to be.