I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad!

This post is dedicated to all of the little obsessions in my life.  
*Note, these are listed not in order of importance or level of obsession, but merely in the order that they come to my mind today.


1.  Rainy days.
I know, this is cliché, but for me a rainy day is not an obsession in enough itself.  I love rainy days with no work, school, or other obligations, and when my house is clean.  Days where I can cuddle up in bed with my hubby reading a good book with the window blinds open and the rain streaming down the windows.  A day where the rain becomes an excuse to be comfortable.  These days are kind of rare lately (especially the no work and clean house part) and they are some of my all-time favorites.





2. Technology
I an a bit of a tech freak.  I LOVE figuring out how to make computers/phones/TVs/technology in general do what I want it to.  It's such an empowering feeling!  Some of my latest tech enhancements are:
*BTW, no laughing at this.  You may have known how to do these things for years and good for you, but don't steal my steam by saying it's juvenile or easy as pie.  However, if you have a better way to do it, that I would LOVE to hear!*
     1. Hooked up my entire tv surround sound system to work with my tv, dvd player, and comcast DVR.  Next, I will connect it to my computer so I can use it as a 2nd monitor.
     2. Found an amazing appstore in Amazon's appstore.  They are offering a free download of one of their paid apps each day.  All you need is an Amazon account.  I have been using it for about 2 weeks now and have had no problems with it so far.  Plus, since Alan and I use the same Amazon account, he can download any of the ones I've ordered for free on his phone as well.
     3. I just downloaded a whole bunch of stuff from my dad's computer, including a bunch of photos and music that I thought I'd lost.
     4. My cricut now works perfectly with my computer thanks to sure cuts a lot!  I LOVE this program!  It is so easy to use, and can cut any font on your computer using the cricut.   It was $50 to download, which is less than most cricut cartridges. You can also cut anything based on a JPG image, so you can use any clipart you can find.  As a warning, Provo craft is suing Sure cuts a lot for copyright infringement, and the last I heard they had reached a settlement where all future updates to Sure cuts a lot will not be compatible with the cricut.  So all of 
those SCAL users out there make sure you check before you do any updates to it!
     5.  I have reorganized my external hard drive, so that everything is where it should be, and is all properly labeled.  This is something I have been meaning to do for a long time, so it really is a relief to have it done.   
     6.  I have copied about half my DVDs to my computer in .iso format, which is basically a virtual copy of the entire DVD, special features included!  This is great for Pixar movies in particular, which have so many special features and shorts on them.  Now to find a program that will copy them in AVI format so that I can easily watch them.  My plan for these movies is pretty far in the future, but I plan to get an android tablet sometime in the future, so we can load all of our movies on there for roadtrips.  Plus, when we have kids it will be really easy for them to just touch the movie they want to see to play it, and we won't have to worry about them scratching the dvds.



3.  Crafting
This one encompasses the areas of Crating, Cooking, Sewing, Scrapbooking, Interior Decorating, Thrifting, and all of the other things featured on the amazing blogs I follow!  I can't believe how creative you all are!  I hope that if I ever get rich enough to not work full time, I would be as enterprising and ingenious as you are, rather than ending up with a messy home and my butt permanently glued to the computer chair or the couch in front of the TV.  Seriously, this is why I do not work from home, even though my work would allow it.  I would never get dressed.  EVER. Ok, maybe on Sundays for church, but that's only once a week.  


There are so many things I want to try!  One of my first priorities is going to be making me some new clothes.  I mean, I certainly have enough clothes to wear, but I cycle through the same clothes over and over, and they are all so plain!  I have maybe 3 shirts with any sense of style to them.  I really want to make me some more skirts too.  Particularly ones as amazingly simple and adorable as this one from No Big Dill



Isn't it gorgeous?  The best part is that it's so easy!  just one seam in the back and then an elastic waistband!  The fabric she uses is also really low maint, no ironing required!  Wrinkles just add to the skirt's character!


4.  Blogging 
It's really a relief to put some of my thoughts down.  I was importing this blog into facebook, but honestly, I prefer forcing people to go to my site to read it.   I get so excited when I get a new follower, and I love seeing new comments!  I can be free to express my thoughts, and if anyone has a problem with what I say, they can just stop reading. ^_^  I have had a goal lately to include at least one picture with each post, and I really think that it helps.  I know I have a tenancy to skip most posts without a picture, and I don't think I'm the only one.


5.  Becoming an authority on random subjects.
OK, so maybe not an authority, but I love to know enough about a given subject that I can offer an opinion on it.  Some of my favorite topics as of late have been childbirth, foster care, 
adoption, technology, crafting, medical, blogging, etc.  It is so nice to know things!


6.  Camping 
The worst thing about this winter is that I have not been able to go camping!  As tech savvy as I am, it is so nice to just get away from everything for a while!  It's especially nice going with a bunch of family, with all the dogs, and a river nearby!
  
Family picture right before going down the green river.  This was after 5 days camping with no shower, so please forgive the crazy hair on all of us.


7.  Playing Cards
For years my family has played card games as a family.  One of our favorites in my family is Nertz, especially now that most of us kids are old enough to play it.  I can't tell you how many times I pulled out my cards at debate tournaments.  I always had at least on deck in my purse, and I now have an entire box of them in my car.  My love for games was only strengthened when I married Alan, because his family also are avid card players.  It's the main activity at camp-outs, and in the above picture the table behind us is covered in card decks.  Our favorites include Nertz, Hand and Foot, Mormon Bridge, Golf, and Slamwich (which is called Egyptian Ratscrew when played with face cards) 


8.  Roadtrips
I think this is the one I have been craving most as of late.  I really REALLY want to just get in the car with Alan and drive to some far off location.  Seattle is first on my list.  I went on a Seattle road trip soon after graduation and it is to this day one of my favorite memories.  There is something so freeing about driving through the country with a good audiobook on the radio and a friend by your side, eating snacky foods and stopping at random little tourist locations on the way.
  
Alan and I went on a roadtrip to Cali on our honemoon, and despite all the disasters along the way, it was still a blast!

Outside the San Diego Temple just about to head home from the trip.




What are a few of your favorite things?

Have you ever prayed for the strength to live through a day?

Have you ever prayed for the strength to live through a day?
That was my day today.  Yesterday we received news that Alan's Grandpa Vance Calder passed away yesterday morning after suffering a massive, though fortunately very quick stroke.  He and his wife of 65 years this August were alone on a Mexican Rivera cruise at the time.  He passed within a few minutes of the first pains of the stroke, so it was as painless of a death as one could hope for.


Right now Alan's uncle Steven is flying out to meet Grandma.  He will board the ship, then they will travel to the next port, which is a larger port and is more able to accommodate them.  Because he passed away on the ship, they do not have to have the Mexican government release his body, which is really fortunate.  


His affairs are all in order.  They have the headstone, casket, and plot all purchased, so our main concern at this time is getting his body back home.  We will update when we find out more. 


We love you Grandpa!

At our wedding in September of 2008



Whittling in the rain while camping in 2010.



Always the fisherman!


At the Flaming Gorge Dam in 2010 with Glissy and Ginger in tow.


At the BYU-San Diego game in 2011.  Thank goodness BYU won!


I married into the family, and Vance always treated me as nothing short of a Granddaughter. Some of my fondest memories are of going camping with them, and watching him skunk us all in cards. We always figured that God was cheating for him. You could always count on Grandpa finding some old stick to whittle on at every camping trip, and you could follow his trail of wood shavings all over camp. He always used pet names like sweetie, honey, little lady, and beautiful, and somehow always managed to give me a kiss on the lips goodbye, no matter how much I tried to direct him to my cheek. ^_^ I fondly remember him going river rafting with us last summer, sitting proudly at the head of the boat, with Grandma beside him and Ginger wedged in between them.

Glass Etching

I have been inspired.

It all started today when I was looking for some cute sayings to etch on the bottom of my pyrex dishes for Enrichment tomorrow.  I could just do my last name, but I would rather do something like this


Or


Those links take you to A Girl with a Glue Gun.  Her tutorials are great and super easy to follow!

Oh but then, I came across this lovely web site.   Chris Sommer is a wiz with glass etching!  As a warning, there are some glass etched topless mermaids on there, so the site isn't 100% safe for work.  I now have a goal to be as amazing as him at it!  I'm going to start training by getting a bunch of dollar store picture frames and mirrors and practicing.  I'll post the ones I don't use personally on Etsy, so I can pass all of my supplies as "a way to bring in a little extra money" rather than a vain attempt to boost my crafty self.  I mean seriously!  Aren't these fabulous?

I would kill for this bathroom.  Pity mine doesn't have glass doors.


So pretty!  And this one I could probably actually do with my Cricut really easily.


I love how much detail he puts into it.  I don't know if I could get to the point of where mine look this good, but I could so handle the solid shapes ones.




Would anyone be interested if I did any glass etching?  I was thinking of doing something similar to this for a first attempt.  I would be happy to take requests, and it would be a great starter project.



What do you think?

Prayers for Japan

If you're not scared, you're not paying attention.

I am a worrier.  I accept that, and I make the personal justification that "at least I'm prepared for anything". Well this year has really challenged that for me. I realized that while I am prepared in a lot of areas, I am not ready for the future.  And by the future I mean the future I am living in.



Have you seen the news about Japan?  Have you heard that the death toll from the Earthquake and the resulting Tsunami could reach 25,000?  That the nuclear reactors melting down could increase that even more?  That there are parts that will never recover from this disaster?

Call me Chicken little here, but the sky is falling and falling fast and I am freaking out.  I still go to work, still go to church, still blog, still become increasingly dependent on my phone and my electricity and my internet.  I can sew, cupboard cook like a fiend, knit, crochet, clean, peaceably negotiate, and , but I certainly don't have as many end-of-the-world marketable skills as I'd like, and I'm working on those.  I'm starting a garden, and I have a list of things that still need to be done.  Some are a little bit far in the future, but nevertheless here's my list:
1. Buy a HAM radio (Call sign KE7ELJ if anyone's interested.)
2. Increase my food supply, especially my water supply
3. buy a gas generator
4. Get an emergency supply of fuel.
5. Get hand powered tools (such as a wheat grinder)
6. Get some kind of power source, such as solar panels or a windmill
7. Never let my car get below half full of Gas (for quick emergency escapes)
8. Get a more advanced water filtration system (my Brita is not going to cut it if I have to filter lake water)
9. Get a 72 hour kit created
10. Get at least 3 months income in savings
11. Buy gold or silver coins with that savings
12. Get chickens and/or a goat
13. Stock up on toiletry items like soap and toilet paper
14. Start recycling
15. Start couponing
16. Learn to hunt.
17. Purchase a gun and ammunition.
18. Make a portable first aid kit

 And just for fun I may get myself one of these.


I will probably add more to the list as I go along, but I think that will make a good start.  What about you guys?  Am I the only one freaking out here?

Thank you hubby!

Yes, this is going to be a blog post about Alan.  I have good reasons for it.  Go with it.

I was reading over the blog http://www.feministmormonhousewives.org/ and I am loving it!  I don't agree with all of it, but the vast majority speaks to an area of my thoughts that I don't really touch in my conversations with people.

A little background on me.  I am an independent woman.  Oldest of ten, and born in a family that didn't force me to hide myself.  I have parents that encouraged me to develop my talents, and one of mine happened to be public speaking.  I loved drama class, and I was a wiz kid in debate.  I went from not bringing home a single trophy my sophomore year, to competing at nationals my junior year, to taking first place in state my senior year.  I was already an outspoken kid, but I grew into my own with those experiences, and I loved the confidence it gave me.
Fast forward to college.  I moved away from home to a single's ward and an apartment with 5 roommates.  I'd had inklings before, but this was the first time I had really realized that I was not doing what I was "supposed" to do.  I was getting my education, I was outspoken, and I was not afraid to let people know what I thought.  This knowledge that I was doing something wrong did not come from my roommates, or from my church leaders, but rather from the guys around me who were not interested in a vocal girl.  After a horrible relationship where the guy attempted to train my confidence out of me, I became convinced that if I was to get a husband I would have to change myself.

I was shocked when I met Alan.  I was not looking for a relationship, and I tried to get rid of him by being confident and opinionated, which I had learned were the most men-deterring personality traits I possessed.  Instead of dismissing me as troublesome, he loved it!  He loved that I wasn't afraid to have a conversation with him, and I learned that it was possible for someone to romantically love me without sacrificing a huge part of my personal identity.

I am so grateful that I have a husband who isn't bound by expected gender norms.  Alan cooks the most amazing dinners, tears up when he thinks about starting a family, and who cleans even better than I do.  He gets excited about our garden, and encourages me to "talk it out" with him when I need to rant.  He keeps our cars in running order, and he knits to keep his fingers occupied when watching tv.  He is obsessed with sports, gives the best hugs, and constantly plays fetch with our dog Cleo.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Life as we know it

I have no plan for this post. That doesn't seem so unusual to most, but all of my blogs are planned out and this one isn't. I haven't even decided if I am going to actually post it or just keep it safe in a draft. I miss livejournal's ability to make some posts private, some for only friends, and some for public. Blogger should really REALLY get on the ball with that, especially since livejournal was doing it when I was in Jr. High.

This is my life right now. I have been married for over two years now, and I am further away from getting pregnant than I was when we got married. And I really want children. I have ALWAYS known that would be my highest calling in life, from when my playing pretend as a little girl was always playing house. My parents were very against forcing children to gender identify, so they bought me dolls and trucks and tools and pretend makeup kits. I chose the dolls, and I used the Tonka trucks as strollers.

*note, this is not actually me in this picture, but you get my drift.

When we considered breeding our dog Cleo I asked my mom if she would be a good mom and her question to me was "Does she 'Mother' her toys?" I'm not saying by any means that if you played with cars as a small child that you will be a bad parent - far from it. Dogs are not people, and have nowhere near the resources and intelligence and common sense that we do. But the point remains that I have been in the practice of 'Mothering' for a very long time. I have invested so much in that goal. And you know what? I WILL be a mother some day. I will hear little children scream "Mommy!" and that will be my name. It hasn't happened yet.

This "not happening" is not without trying. I have never been on the pill, and we still have the full box of condoms we got when we were married. I have spend about 8 months on fertility meds, and we know I am broken. "Perfectly healthy people, as a general rule, have no problem getting pregnant" Right? So I am in need of fixing. I can accept that this body in it's current state has almost no chance of conceiving, and even if I could it would probably be a hard pregnancy. So now I have a choice of what to do moving forward, and there MUST be a choice. I will not accept this without a plan, and no one around me would either.

1. Do nothing. Convince myself that there are other things that I should be focusing on. Throw my efforts into loving my wonderful husband, school, loosing weight, and getting a better job. If I am patient I will have less stress, my relationships will improve, and I will not be the crazy wannabe mom, who cannot exist without relating everything in her life to children and infertility and birth and pregnancy.

2. Throw myself further into fertility treatments. Spend thousands of dollars on forcing myself to get pregnant, only to be a basket-case when I see time after time that negative test. This one has the highest possibility of conceiving. There are methods I have not tried and tests I have not done and one of those could do it. It is my highest chance of getting pregnant.

3. Start the process of adoption. Get a lawyer, save up for court fees, get registered with an adoption agency, create a bubbly profile for LDS family services that justifies ourselves as the perfect place for someone's baby, because no one is going to give a baby to someone that they have any doubt will be able to take care of them. And we could wait. Wait for potentially years, being turned down because our jobs aren't stable, we don't have college degrees, we've only been married for a short time, we don't have any other children, we're too fat, our eyes aren't the right color- the list goes on. And what if there is someone who likes us enough to consider us, and we go to pickup the baby and they say "No, I'm sorry, but we've changed our minds" even though we have been supporting them through the whole pregnancy and we were so sure that it would work out. And what if that happens one, two, three times and we never ever get to bring that sweet child home?

None of those three sound anywhere close to perfect. We have decided on a mix of one and three. We will focus on other things besides getting pregnat. We will work on improving our life and our jobs. While we do that Alan and I are working on our certification to be Foster Parents. There is no need for fancy adoption blogs, and the children are so much more needful of loving people with open arms. We realize that 90% of children that we may get will be unadoptable as their birth parents work with the court to get their children back, and the ideal is for a child to be raised by loving birth parents. The whole 100% are in need of a loving home, and that is what we can give.

If you want to be a parent you have to be where there is the possibility of children, and foster care is the perfect place for us. I know that God will know if we are supposed to adopt a child. I know that we have a lot more to offer than a fancy blog will ever show. I know that we will be blessed because of the role that we play in their lives, be it for a day or a lifetime. With Alan and I both working, many people would consider us crazy for even trying, even going forward with it with no plan as to how we are going to provide for them, but we know this is what we need to do. We are going to go through the classes and become licensed. We can't be powerless to give a child safety anymore.

It's a start. It is progression. I am moving toward 'Mommy'.