Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Cheese Sandwich
Last weekend Olivia was hungry so she decided to help herself. She opened the fridge, got a block of cheese out and started eating it. After eating about half of the block she showed me her sandwich. Her cheese sandwich. All I can say is she really loves cheese. I thought it was pretty funny.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Homemade Laundry Detergent
So I finally did it. I made my own laundry detergent. Mike thinks I am crazy at times but I thought it would be worth a try. The savings is quite remarkable if it works. I tried powder for now but I think I might try making the gel version next time just to compare the ease of use.
Then I saw the recipe for homemade dishwasher detergent. But the savings aren't that great but it is nice to know that if I was in a bind I could whip something together.
Then I saw the recipe for homemade dishwasher detergent. But the savings aren't that great but it is nice to know that if I was in a bind I could whip something together.
Productive Weekend
I love productive weekends. Unfortunately they don't happen very often but it is nice when they roll around. The weather was beautiful on Monday and we were able to wash our cars and get them cleaned out. I made bread. I got time to reorganize my food storage. I was able to buy quite a bit of baby food for my food storage. I reorganized my kitchen cabinets. Mike got new tires put on the car.
We actually made it to church which is two weeks in a row and that is like a world record for us. J/K. I was super prepared and had my bag of goodies to keep Olivia occupied. It worked pretty good. She was occupied for 75% of the time. The problem is she naps around 1 pm and that is exactly when church starts. And anyone with toddler aged kids know a sleepy child is unruly and impossible to reason with. I was very very tempted to leave after sacrament meeting and put her down for a nap.
The funny thing is right after sacrament meeting was over. Olivia zipped past me and Mike and all the older members and ran down the hall and waited for us next to the nursery room. I guess her reward to herself is if she can make it through sacrament meeting she gets to go to nursery. What a relief!! I feel bad for the nursery leaders because late church is such a hard time with children that age. They are tired and grumpy and there are a couple of kids that still hate it. Anyone who has that calling really is special.
The ward Mike and I belong to has a lot of older members. The average age in our ward is probably 55-60. And I am probably underestimating. There are a few families around our age but not many. It is a huge change for us since we came from a married student ward and everyone was around the same age but we were all in similar life situations i.e. recently married, maybe a new baby and someone was a student and we were all poor. When we went to church for the first time in November I'll admit that it was quite a turnoff. But I am happy to say that I am actually enjoying it.
We have an awesome Sunday School teacher. I love his teaching style but I always feel the spirit when he teaches. And the older members always have great input about the gospel and life and it is nice to get that variety. I'll be honest. Mike doesn't love church as much as I do and he isn't always excited to be super active. There are also other women in the ward that are married to non-members or not active husbands or converts or come from families where their parent was the first member and it is nice to meet other people who are in similar situations. When we lived in Utah I felt like sort of an outcast because I was a convert and we weren't super active. I definitely felt a lot of pressure.
I just wanted to thank those that gave me encouraging words about Olivia and sacrament. I am glad to know that I am not the only one that has a little stinker at times.
We actually made it to church which is two weeks in a row and that is like a world record for us. J/K. I was super prepared and had my bag of goodies to keep Olivia occupied. It worked pretty good. She was occupied for 75% of the time. The problem is she naps around 1 pm and that is exactly when church starts. And anyone with toddler aged kids know a sleepy child is unruly and impossible to reason with. I was very very tempted to leave after sacrament meeting and put her down for a nap.
The funny thing is right after sacrament meeting was over. Olivia zipped past me and Mike and all the older members and ran down the hall and waited for us next to the nursery room. I guess her reward to herself is if she can make it through sacrament meeting she gets to go to nursery. What a relief!! I feel bad for the nursery leaders because late church is such a hard time with children that age. They are tired and grumpy and there are a couple of kids that still hate it. Anyone who has that calling really is special.
The ward Mike and I belong to has a lot of older members. The average age in our ward is probably 55-60. And I am probably underestimating. There are a few families around our age but not many. It is a huge change for us since we came from a married student ward and everyone was around the same age but we were all in similar life situations i.e. recently married, maybe a new baby and someone was a student and we were all poor. When we went to church for the first time in November I'll admit that it was quite a turnoff. But I am happy to say that I am actually enjoying it.
We have an awesome Sunday School teacher. I love his teaching style but I always feel the spirit when he teaches. And the older members always have great input about the gospel and life and it is nice to get that variety. I'll be honest. Mike doesn't love church as much as I do and he isn't always excited to be super active. There are also other women in the ward that are married to non-members or not active husbands or converts or come from families where their parent was the first member and it is nice to meet other people who are in similar situations. When we lived in Utah I felt like sort of an outcast because I was a convert and we weren't super active. I definitely felt a lot of pressure.
I just wanted to thank those that gave me encouraging words about Olivia and sacrament. I am glad to know that I am not the only one that has a little stinker at times.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Building Food Storage
With a baby on the way I decided that I should start building baby food storage. While I prefer to make my own baby food sometimes circumstances don't allow it or it is more convenient to use jarred. I prefer organic to regular and I prefer it is in a glass jar versus plastic.
Babies "R" Us is having a great deal on Earth's Best baby food which is my favorite brand. Stage 1 or 2 food - 20 jars for $10 or Stage 3 - 10 jars for $10. Then you can go to Earth's Best's website and print 3 coupons off and if the store will let you stack the coupons you can get an awesome deal.
I am also working on our water storage. Since Mike and I are still in the moving stage of our lives we have decided to go with something smaller and easy to move. When we do find something more permanent, we will more than likely invest in a huge container than can be stored a garage. For now we bought the following containers:
This blog has great tips on food storage but here is a direct link to water storage tips: http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/babysteps/step-2-water/
Babies "R" Us is having a great deal on Earth's Best baby food which is my favorite brand. Stage 1 or 2 food - 20 jars for $10 or Stage 3 - 10 jars for $10. Then you can go to Earth's Best's website and print 3 coupons off and if the store will let you stack the coupons you can get an awesome deal.
I am also working on our water storage. Since Mike and I are still in the moving stage of our lives we have decided to go with something smaller and easy to move. When we do find something more permanent, we will more than likely invest in a huge container than can be stored a garage. For now we bought the following containers:
This blog has great tips on food storage but here is a direct link to water storage tips: http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/babysteps/step-2-water/
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Mild Winters
This is a boring post. I did it mostly for an observation of my surroundings and get my thoughts down in writing.
This is my first mild winter. It is different but I think I could get use to it. I grew in Cache Valley so I am use to a ton of snow and freezing weather in January and February. Plus I went to school at USU and worked there for years so I am accustomed to the chilly canyon wind. I do miss the snow I don't really miss the below zero weather or scraping the windshield or warming up the car.
As I write this blog it is raining outside. And this is the norm for Boise winters. The average temperature for January are high 30s. It is suppose to reach the low 40s this weekend which makes it hard for me to want to visit Utah when I know it is so much colder.
Fall is amazing in Logan even along the Wasatch front. The trees turn a brilliant yellow, orange and red. The days are warm the nights are cold. But I can honestly say that fall was amazing in Boise. We live in an older part of town and there are huge trees that line the streets and it was such a beautiful drive to work everyday. And maybe it was an Indian summer this year but Fall seem to last forever. The days were warm and the nights were perfect. It never got cool.
While I do love winter, no snow doesn't leave much room for winter recreational activities and being pregnant makes doing most of them uncomfortable.
So I am looking forward to spring. I am assuming it will come much early than I am use to. I am probably getting ahead of myself but I could really get use to this weather. I know that summer might be killer for me but I'll think about that when it gets here.
This is my first mild winter. It is different but I think I could get use to it. I grew in Cache Valley so I am use to a ton of snow and freezing weather in January and February. Plus I went to school at USU and worked there for years so I am accustomed to the chilly canyon wind. I do miss the snow I don't really miss the below zero weather or scraping the windshield or warming up the car.
As I write this blog it is raining outside. And this is the norm for Boise winters. The average temperature for January are high 30s. It is suppose to reach the low 40s this weekend which makes it hard for me to want to visit Utah when I know it is so much colder.
Fall is amazing in Logan even along the Wasatch front. The trees turn a brilliant yellow, orange and red. The days are warm the nights are cold. But I can honestly say that fall was amazing in Boise. We live in an older part of town and there are huge trees that line the streets and it was such a beautiful drive to work everyday. And maybe it was an Indian summer this year but Fall seem to last forever. The days were warm and the nights were perfect. It never got cool.
While I do love winter, no snow doesn't leave much room for winter recreational activities and being pregnant makes doing most of them uncomfortable.
So I am looking forward to spring. I am assuming it will come much early than I am use to. I am probably getting ahead of myself but I could really get use to this weather. I know that summer might be killer for me but I'll think about that when it gets here.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Great Finds
I made my first etsy purchase last week. I bought the baby and Olivia some bracelets for very reasonable prices. It is going to be my gift to them when the baby is born. I received the package on Monday and the bracelets were beautiful and the shipping was amazingly fast. This seller also has great handmade beanies for sale which are adorable. Here is the link to her shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/mariamatson
Ideally I would have the time, skill and determination to sew Olivia a quiet book. But I know that won't happen anytime soon. And most quiet books are super pricey but worth every single penny spent. I luckily found one on eBay and won the bid and paid a third of the price. Even though it is used it is in really good condition still.
Truth is Mike and I haven't been to church in ages. We finally started going again and Olivia needs something entertaining to do during sacrament so I am trying to make a bag of goodies to keep her occupied with items she can only play with on Sunday. So if anyone has suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated. On the plus side, Olivia really likes nursery. On the downside we have late church which messes up her napping schedule.
Ideally I would have the time, skill and determination to sew Olivia a quiet book. But I know that won't happen anytime soon. And most quiet books are super pricey but worth every single penny spent. I luckily found one on eBay and won the bid and paid a third of the price. Even though it is used it is in really good condition still.
Truth is Mike and I haven't been to church in ages. We finally started going again and Olivia needs something entertaining to do during sacrament so I am trying to make a bag of goodies to keep her occupied with items she can only play with on Sunday. So if anyone has suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated. On the plus side, Olivia really likes nursery. On the downside we have late church which messes up her napping schedule.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Nesting Project 2 - Quiet Books part 1
So I have always been interested in making quiet books for Olivia but I have never had the time or the will power to collect the patterns and actually sew everything. So I am taking baby steps instead of reinventing the wheel. My first goal is the make the easiest books first, then move to the next level and hopefully I will be ready to do a full on material only book.
I found this awesome blog where she has made her prints available. All I had to do is download the prints and get them printed as a photo in the standard 4 x 6 size and bind them together. I ordered the following books:
1. Book of Mormon Stories - http://www.simplyfreshdesigns.com/2010/09/quiet-books-book-of-mormon-stories/
2. Articles of Faith - http://www.simplyfreshdesigns.com/2010/10/lds-prints-articles-of-faith/
3. We Believe - http://www.simplyfreshdesigns.com/2010/10/quiet-books-we-believe/
4. Prophets and Apostles - http://www.simplyfreshdesigns.com/2010/10/quiet-books-prophets-and-apostles/
5. 2011 Primary Monthly Themes - http://www.simplyfreshdesigns.com/2010/12/more-lds-primary-theme-2011/
Even though the books are too old for Olivia to use during church it is a nice baby step for me to feel like I accomplished something. Plus I will probably be able to use them during FHE and general conference or books to read before bedtime. I thought some of you might enjoy
I found this awesome blog where she has made her prints available. All I had to do is download the prints and get them printed as a photo in the standard 4 x 6 size and bind them together. I ordered the following books:
1. Book of Mormon Stories - http://www.simplyfreshdesigns.com/2010/09/quiet-books-book-of-mormon-stories/
2. Articles of Faith - http://www.simplyfreshdesigns.com/2010/10/lds-prints-articles-of-faith/
3. We Believe - http://www.simplyfreshdesigns.com/2010/10/quiet-books-we-believe/
4. Prophets and Apostles - http://www.simplyfreshdesigns.com/2010/10/quiet-books-prophets-and-apostles/
5. 2011 Primary Monthly Themes - http://www.simplyfreshdesigns.com/2010/12/more-lds-primary-theme-2011/
Even though the books are too old for Olivia to use during church it is a nice baby step for me to feel like I accomplished something. Plus I will probably be able to use them during FHE and general conference or books to read before bedtime. I thought some of you might enjoy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
