Wow, that took forever!

So I was beginning to think I would never be able to log in to blog again!  Strangely, the site wouldn't accept my password and then wouldn't send me my email to change it, but finally everything works.  Weird!

Well, back to why I was frantically trying to get on here:

I haven't posted the past two days, because they have just been too busy.  I didn't even touch the computer today until now when I tried to get on here to blog.  My days have been filled with good things and bad things, mostly good, with some strange things mixed in.  On Monday Ryder and I checked out the little vegetable stand down the street and I think that's where we will get our veggies the rest of the summer.  They had locally grown spectacular looking produce on the cheap which is just what we needed ha!  We came home and Ryder and I dissolved into lazy masses in our beds (I had stayed up super late the night before unable to sleep) after which we booked it up to the Cajun Queen to have dinner with my family while my dad played jazz.  My dad is a jazz musician and we sometimes head up there for a casual setting to hear him play and just hang out.  Another plus is the excellent food!  It was fantastic.  Ryder of course had a blast listening, singing, and dancing, and just in general was on good behavior up until the last minute or so when she let me know that she wanted to go... forcibly.  Besides our interesting exit from the restaurant, it was a great time had by all.

Tuesday I worked all day, but it was a grueling day and by the end of it I had some pretty hardcore leg cramps.  I think it was dehydration and just standing for 12 hours straight, but it was soon remedied by a leg rub by my wonderful husband, and then a hot bath.  While in the bath I watched a cheesy romantic comedy which was fabulous and I felt much better afterwards.  Today began as busy as the last.  I had to get Mazzy (our dog) to the vet where I work at 7 this morning for her dental cleaning.  When I got there I found out that one of the nurses was sick and wasn't coming in.  I couldn't work today, but I stayed for an hour to help them get stuff going until another nurse showed up.  Then I had to rush back home to get Ryder up and going so that we could make it to our first appt. with the pediatric surgeons.  She was really excited about meeting a new doctor and when we got in there she promptly lifted her shirt to show him her hernia and said, "look at my belly!"  That was kind of stressful since we learned that Ryder's hernia will never resolve on it's own and we are looking at surgery within the next year.  It's a relatively small outpatient surgery and chances are it won't be traumatic, but it's just really scary thinking about your baby going under the knife.  Yes, I know, I know, this is not that bad and tons of people have it worse, but that doesn't mean my feelings aren't valid.  Evan and I are also stuck now figuring out how we are going to pay our portion of the surgery, so that's yet another addition to our budget that'll take some figuring.  It's all in God's hands though and I know everything will turn out the way it is supposed to.
The rest of my day was a big old charlie foxtrot (if you know what I mean).  Evan and I had to go to the airport to pick up a car for someone.  That someone had left a message on my phone as to where the car was and how to find it.  Well somehow we all got mixed up and it ended up taking 30 minutes of driving in circles in the parking garage to figure out that it was in a different parking garage entirely.  We were a mess.  We also had Ryder in the car as well as Mazzy fresh from anesthesia.  I know you are all jealous you weren't present for that fun car ride.  All is well though as we found the car and the rest of the night ran pretty smoothly.

So for the rest of the week I will be trying to nail down what I want my first project with my new fabric to be and learn how to use a pattern.  Beth and I are already planning another craft time get together for this weekend, so that is always exciting!  I'll surely be back on soon (as long as my password works!), so I'll keep everyone up to date on what project I decide on!

Loving friends

Today had all the great elements it needed to be a fully satisfying day.  I got to hang out with friends over pizza and cokes/beer while Ryder ran around having fun entertaining, I reorganized the secretary and went through all of our files to throw out the old things we don't need anymore, I baked cookies, and I brainstormed with Evan on making a special craft area for me in the house.  It was highly productive, but really fun since Toby and Keli came over and I don't really get to see either of them a lot.

I began my day thinking about making a studio space for myself in the house.  Evan has a painting/computer tinkering studio in the garage, but my hobby space needs to be inside where I can watch Ryder while I'm doing things.  Our house is not huge, but it's plenty big for us.  My challenge lies in thinking about the best use of the space we have.  Right now I have been sewing in the kitchen on the dinner table and using the bar as my cutting area.  It has worked pretty well, but it has also meant I have all my sewing gear and fabric jumbled up in the box for my sewing machine and my sewing machine is sitting in one of the bar chairs.  Not a good long term solution. So I began the great reorganization project of 2010 (who am I kidding, it's probably the third time I've done it this year) and completely emptied a cabinet in one of the bookshelves in the breakfast nook and the secretary so that I would have some space to put things away.  I didn't succeed in making a true craft space, but I did at least get all my sewing gear organized and put away.   No worries though, I'm sure before long I'll get the rearranging bug again and decide to move everything around yet again.

During my demolition of the breakfast nook our friends Toby and Keli came over to hang for a bit.   We sat around enjoying each other's company along with some pizza.  Ryder was shy at first but by the end of the visit she was shaking her booty dancing with Keli.  Yesterday I had an epiphany while talking to Keli.  While I was out shopping with my sister, Keli messaged me saying that she had heard we were all going to meet up at my house to watch the world cup and hang.  It was the first I had heard about it so I messaged back, "Cool!  What time?"  to which she laughed and thought it was funny that Toby was inviting people to my house without talking to me first.  My epiphany was that I didn't think it was weird at all, and I actually love it that Toby feels that comfortable with me.  I realized that I want to be that person that anyone can come over and feel comfortable in their home, that everyone knows they can just show up unannounced on my doorstep and I'll be excited to see them no matter what.  When Evan moved the skate ramp to our back yard I personally told our friends who are really close and skate it a lot that they could come over anytime even if I was busy in the house and couldn't hang, that didn't mean they couldn't skate back there.  I guess I like to think of my house as communal.  I know it's ours to take care of and ours to decorate, but I really enjoy other people enjoying it too.  I guess it's a throwback to when I lived with roommates.  I'm just used to a bunch of people in and out of my house at any time of day/night.

 Anyways, that's enough rambling for tonight.  I'm too tired to proofread this long rambling entry, so forgive me if I lost you somewhere along the way.  I'll write a more coherent and interesting post tomorrow night I promise.

Fabric Fun Day!

If there's one thing my sister and I do well it's shop together.  Today Beth and I decided we were going to hang out and go fabric shopping together.   It was as delightful as it sounds complete with a 50% off sale, retro children's fabrics, Ryder declaring her love for her aunt, and heads swimming with visions of future sewing projects.  I think I have enough fabric now to last me the month through!

First things first:  Ryder woke up this morning harassing me about when we were going to see aunt beth, so we left the house quickly in an effort to distract her.  It didn't work.  Ryder and I checked out Hobby Lobby (where we got the iron-on letters to finish Junebug's bags -- yes, that's right, they are complete finally!), then we headed to get some coffee and hang out by Ryder's favorite fountain, and next on to the bookstore.  I found a copy of a sewing book I've been coveting for a bit: Heather Ross's book for weekend sewing found here: http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/5326


It is a fantastic book and I am sooooo excited to try out some of the patterns!  I also scored on some super cute fabric so now I am doubly excited about making things!  I finally found the sewing guide Beth gave me years ago when my family gave me my sewing machine.  I think that book is going to prove invaluable as it explains every single aspect of sewing gear and methods in a way that a beginner like me can understand.  If you're interested here is the link to that book too:
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Sewing-Readers-Digest/dp/0762104201


So this afternoon I spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure out which project I am going to do first, which fabric I want to use first, and just dreaming in general of all the cool things I could do!  To top off an already exciting day, Toby came by bringing Seth and Brian along to hang out.  They taught me a new game called Liar's Dice and we all just sat around eating sour patch kids and making fun of Evan for being antisocial (he was exhausted after work today).  I made a great stir fry and we all sat japanese style on the floor to eat it at the coffee table.

Now I've just spent an hour or two perusing my sewing books along with a bread baking book to make plans for tomorrow.  Things are moving right along and I'm feeling pretty good about it!

Maybe tomorrow I'll take some pics of my fabric stash to show off the cool prints I got!

back from the beach!

Well I'm back and I am packed with action!  We had a great time at the beach with Evan's family.   There was a a lot of beach playtime, sun, ice cream, laughter, and overall relaxation.  It was just what the doctor ordered!  Some favorite moments from our trip were:
    *Ryder wanted holders for her corn on the cob, so Evan made her some:

     *Evan and Ryder chillin' at the beach: 

                                      

      *All the cousins playing together:

All in all it was a fantastic trip.   I came back from this trip with a few things I am determined to do.  I want to continue being productive everyday with my goals, I want to get to a fabric store and really make some clothes, and I want to lose weight (because I ate reeeeeeeeeeeeally badly all week).  Yesterday I got up and for some reason didn't have a problem  getting my rear in gear.  By noon I had the house cleaned and all the laundry from our trip clean and put away.  I then decided that I wanted to experiment in the kitchen a little bit.  I made some plain hummus (which turned out great), salsa (which is edible, but I need to make a few changes next time), wheat crackers (which I need to roll out thinner next time because they didn't turn out so great this time), and I tweaked the whole wheat chocolate banana bread recipe.  I felt really great about these new recipes though, because even if they didn't turn out perfectly, I did a really great job trying and now I know what I need to do to fix them!  I also made turkey burgers for dinner that were really spicy and yummy!  

Sewing wise I have decided to make matching pillowcase dresses for Ryder and her cousin Taylor.  Yesterday I made Ryder's following an online tutorial I found.  It turned out great, but it sure looks wide on Ryder.  I may try and take in the sides a little bit to make it fit better.  Here's a pic of it just hanging on a chair (my model is currently napping):

Well, that's it for today.   I think now I'm gonna go figure out what is for dinner and make myself a late lunch at the same time.  I might take a book out into the sun for a little me time while Ryder is napping too!  

Happy Summer everybody!  Hope you're having a great one too!

AAAAAAHHHH!

Ok so Beth got on me tonight about not writing in my blog, and it's true, I haven't but it's been a rough week.  I worked an extra day this week and we've been preparing for our annual beach trip.  Packed in there was a water play date at Memaw's and a birthday party for my nephew.  I've been pretty good this week although honestly most of the time I was at home I was sleeping off TMJ symptoms.  I had to get my teeth ground down again at the dentist and I'm back on the woozy meds, but I think it's all helping.  I didn't make anything housewise this week although I did buy a cheap pack of cute pillowcases and I plan to make matching pillowcase dresses for Ryder and her cousin Taylor once I get back in town.  They are going to be too cute!!!

Things that made me happy this week:

-The four cousins having a blast together:

-Working with wonderful people that I really admire and have fun with.

-My husband making me giggle at his silliness. 

-Ryder talking non stop about what she's gonna do at the beach.

-Ryder potty training and doing really well with it.  

-Having a good time celebrating Father's day with my family 

Things that made me sad this week: 

-My van's transmission went out.

-My TMJ came back with a vengeance. 

-exhaustion

-McDonald's and my desire to eat their food when I don't feel like cooking

-thinking about money.

It was a great week in retrospect, but a trying one at the same time.  I'm super excited about vacation though.  I'll be happy once we are finally down there and once we figure out how to fit all of our crap in Evan's car, since the van isn't trustworthy enough to take on the trip.  I may be able to post from down there, but probably not, so I guess I'll just see you all when I get back!

Summer Fun Day!

After a little bit of a rough start, today turned out to be really fun!  I didn't seem to want to get out of bed today so I decided I needed a little bit of sunlight and Ryder was certainly bored.  We headed out to find a good park or play area.  We ended up eating some lunch with my parents and then heading over to Evan's mom's to let Ryder play with her cousins in the sprinkler.  They had a blast!  Some favorites of the pictures I took today:

After playtime we spent the afternoon napping, reading books, and playing with Mazzy.  Now Evan and Ryder are both in bed and I'm just sitting up messing around on the internet before heading that way as well.  

Goal-wise it was a wash today.  Ryder and I had a really good time together playing in the sun and hanging out at the house.  We also had some good grandparent visits (which are fun and really important in my opinion) and Ryder got to play with her cousins which are like siblings to her.  We were bad and ate McDonald's for lunch (please don't stone me!), but I didn't plan very well and didn't pack anything for us to eat while we were out.  So tomorrow I will pack a lunch for work and look forward to a great day!

A productive day at last!

So, I skipped writing yesterday, but don't get all, "you said you'd write everyday!" on me, because trust me folks, I saved you some boredom.  I got on here to write and realized that it would have been exactly the same post as the day before, so I saved myself some time.  I'm also figuring that no one is actually reading this daily, so it doesn't really matter ha!

Today was a much more productive day than the last couple.  Ryder and I started out the day by getting some coffee with Evan before work and then having some outdoor playtime by a fountain outside the coffee shop.
Evidence A:

Next it was an eventful afternoon of cleaning, nap taking, and playing.  After dinner Ryder asked me to make cookies, so we made some cookies and settled in to watch the Care Bears movie for the millionth time (ugh) before Ryder finally went to bed.  My friend Toby called and I had a wonderful time listening to him rant about where technology, society, and life in general is heading in the next 10, 20, 100 years.  That was not a sarcastic statement (neither is this one).  I love it when Toby calls me and we have wonderful conversations about all the things we see happening around us and analyze the world's problems and blessings.  I think I love it so much because it reminds me that I am an adult with opinions and able to converse about things other than cookies or care bears every once in a while.  

While talking to Toby I told him about my mission on here and I realized that I really needed to go back and finish those bags for June that have just been sitting in my kitchen since Wednesday for me to give them ugly looks now and then.  I am here to tell you that THE BAGS ARE FINISHED!!!  Well, I still have to figure out how I'm going to put the names on there, but you could totally put things in these bags and they would hold them securely!

Evidence B: 

                               

After I finished doing my happy dance in the kitchen from completing my first (kinda) big sewing project, I decided that this was a night for history making.   I then decided that I was going to go for the gold and try to make an article of clothing.  Success! Kind of!  I made myself a tank top that is pretty cute, however it fits kind of funnily due to me not using a pattern or anything and just kind of figuring out how to do it in my head.  

Evidence C: 

                                    

So, all in all pretty cool considering I didn't have a pattern and I just used whatever fabric I had laying around huh?  I might not actually ever wear it and it may become more napkins, but for now I'm pretty proud!  

So that was my day.  How was yours?

Lazy Lazy Lazy

Apparently I have embraced the lazy feeling of summer with a day full of laying around playing with Ryder and watching movies.  It doesn't leave me much to write about on here, but it sure was enjoyable.  I stuck to my goals: I did cook today (making a huge batch of penne pasta with tomato sauce and zucchini off of which we'll be able to eat for a while), we all sat out on the deck for a peaceful dinner together, Ryder and I did enjoy just being with each other today, and I didn't spend much money (I bought a couple pairs of shorts for ten dollars because I only have one pair and they're too big), so I'd say it was a good day.  I do feel guilty for not doing anything productive, but I think maybe I should cut myself some slack.  I don't want to burn out on my goals and I really want this to be a life change, so I need to realize that life is made up of days like this where you have to let go and just enjoy living.  Hopefully those days don't outnumber the ones where I get stuff done because I'd hate to see my house after that!

Oh and sewing day with my mom was postponed due to illness.  She's fine, just a cold, but we both agreed she should rest and we'd get together again soon.

So that's it for today.  good things, restful things, but not many things.  Hopefully I'll actually get something done tomorrow ;)

Another workday

So today was great in an "I love the people I work with as well as what I do for a living" kind of way.  Every time I go to work (which I realize isn't that much) I find myself at some point in the day marveling at how lucky I am.  So now I find myself at home exhausted, but happy with my day.  Goal wise today I was pretty bad.  I treated myself to coffee this morning on the way to work and also had to go out to eat since I didn't pack anything for myself.  I spent around 13 dollars today and that makes me sad, however tomorrow is a new day and it will be a good one packed with sewing with my mom, cleaning house and doing chores with Ryder (she makes it fun), and hopefully getting some sun time outside playing.

It's a short one tonight, but I didn't really have a lot to report other than my craptastic spending and a great workday.  On a side note, I was on a sugar high today at work or something and kept singing, making jokes to myself, and randomly dancing.  I have no idea why and it was probably annoying to everyone around me, but I gotta tell ya, I really cracked myself up!

Today was a failure

Well, kind of.

It all started when I had crazy nightmares about executions going wrong and getting attacked by prisoners.  No idea where that came from!  Then Ryder and I set out to run some errands which didn't go horribly wrong, but I still felt bad spending money especially since I haven't in a week.  I did get useful things that I actually needed though.  I bought a rotary cutter and a cutting board with grid lines for sewing so that I could actually have a straight seam.  Let me tell you, it makes all the difference.

Anyways, back to my failures:  I  had the bright idea that I would show off my baking skills and take some loaves of chocolate banana whole wheat bread to dinner tonight at Evan's brother's house for his mom's birthday celebration.  I had the bright idea that Ryder and I could make it together and we would just triple the recipe and make three batches to have enough bread.  We got all the way to the part where you add bananas and I discovered that we were out of bananas.  After a good number of fake cuss words sprang from my mouth (words like doo doo, labradoodle, and biscuit wad) I decided to make lemonade out of the situation.  "No problem!" I think to myself, "I'll just make it without the bananas and add some applesauce or something.  It'll be fine!"   Yeah right... it was a disaster.  The first loaf looked OK, but soon deflated in the middle after cooling.  The second loaf was too big and heavy as a brick and about as hard as one on the outside.  The third one, well, let's just not talk about the third one OK?  I was so upset.  I sprinkled some confectioner's sugar on top thinking maybe that would help, but then decided that I probably shouldn't let these puppies out of our house for fear that Evan's family would think that was how my baking skills are all the time.  To tell the truth I was also a little scared of making everyone eat it and the possible illnesses associated afterwards.

So I gave up on the bread and decided to move on to sewing so that I would at least do something productive today.  I decided to make four little tote bags out of some fabric my mom had given me.  The idea was to give them to Evan's mom for her birthday, one for each grandkid, so that she could label the bags and put each child's belongings in it for at her house to keep things separate and cute.  In theory, it was a great idea.  In practice, probably not the best project to start on a day where I only have a limited amount of time to finish it and the fact that I have never made a tote bag before so I have to learn as I go.  After three hours I  had four finished bags without handles.  When I started to make the handles I was rushing and they were taking forever and I started getting a migraine and ... you can see where this is going.  By the end of it all, I had nothing to take to the party but my not so cheery self, a tired and cranky 2 year old, and a massive headache.  Thank God Evan's family is so awesome, because otherwise this day would have completely sucked.

Now that I'm home, I still have that headache, but I had a great time at the party, Ryder had a blast, we got some great news, and I'm exhausted, but feeling a little better about things.  By tomorrow I'll be able to laugh at myself.

A Workday

I only work two days a week.  It seems like nothing when I say it like that, but I work 12 hour days in a high energy atmosphere with some of the greatest people on Earth I could ever work with.  I love these days when I go in and do something that I enjoy while getting to hang out with my work friends.  Today was a long and exhausting, but really good day that just confirmed that I love my job, I love my bosses, and I love my coworkers.  Anyways, enough mushiness, let's get to how I did today.

I knew today would be a test of my goals since I would be stressed for time, wanting convenience, and, well, we always go out for lunch.  I started out today by telling myself that I would treat myself to some coffee, but past that, I could not spend any more money.  I rolled through the McDonald's drive thru at 6 am (I know, I know, but their frappe thingies get me going!) and had some nice quiet time before work enjoying my completely bad for me ice cream coffee drink that doesn't really have that much coffee in it.  It was wonderful!  I was first tested when everyone began talking about what they were going to do for lunch.  Luckily I was smart and packed a lunch that I could take with me wherever everyone went and stick to my goals.  I had a few moments where I tried to convince myself that it wouldn't be so bad if I just treated myself to lunch with everyone else, but in the end I carted my nice healthy lunch to the restaurant and ate it happily and felt great about my decision.  All in all, it was a successful day.

Now I am dreadfully tired after watching Care Bears 2 with Ryder in my bed twice while praying that she would go to sleep easily.  I think I'm gonna take another celebratory bath with a book and then fall into bed.

And try not to think about the fact that Evan ate the last of the chocolate banana bread and the chocolate chip cookies. :)

Sewing and Baking and Cleaning Oh My!

Today has been exhausting, yet wonderful.  Ryder and I did all our grocery shopping for the week this morning for a grand total of $56.00.  It was a great feeling and we only got things that went along with my goals (and we didn't browse!).   I made a big batch of salad because that's a lunch favorite and a snack favorite.  I also baked another loaf of whole wheat banana chocolate bread.  It's a fabulous recipe that I got from http://allrecipes.com just search for chocolate banana bread and you'll find it.  here's a pic of me with my bread fresh from the oven:

While Ryder napped I cleaned house downstairs and did the dishes after baking.  Then I got out my sewing machine and set up a station to practice my napkin making skills.  After a 20 minute battle trying to figure out why my thread kept getting all wonky and knotted, I finally figured out the problem (my own stupidity), and made two more napkins.  Ryder was especially happy with her new napkin: 

Then Ryder and I made some boiled artichokes and baked chicken for dinner.  It was Ry's first time eating artichokes like that and it was fun teaching her how to eat them. 

 She liked them, but like any meal, soon grew bored with sitting at the table eating.  I guess it's just an age thing.  So now we're just hanging out watching 101 Dalmatians for quiet time getting ready to go up for bath and bed.  I'm too tired to really think too much at this point as it's been a busy day, but I know that I've been a good girl.  The only money I spent today was at the grocery store.  We ate well balanced fresh meals at the table together all day.  I baked and sewed furthering my knowledge and experience in those areas, and now I'm excited for a little me time (it's called reading a book in a hot bath).  

Enjoy your night everyone... I know I'm going to luxuriate in mine!

An Empowering Sewing Day!

So today was my exciting first sewing lesson with my mom.  My sister and I met at my parent's house with sewing projects and supplies in tow.  After a fun lunch and some play/cuddle time with Ryder we headed up to the sewing room for some hands on teaching fun.  I went first since I needed a refresher in how to actually use my machine and sew a straight line.  My goal for today was to make some cloth napkins.  As a side goal I'd like us to stop using paper towels or napkins, so I am using up all the scrap cloth I have laying around to make tons of cloth napkins and towels.  My sister wanted to learn how to use patterns to make clothes for us, so my mom went through cutting out the pattern and reading the instructions, along with a lesson in interfacing.  My napkins turned out great!  I'll have to take some pics and put them on here.

As for other goals:  we ate homecooked meals at the table today with the exception of lunch which my mom picked up from the deli for us all; I didn't spend any money today at all :) ; I learned how to sew using scrap fabric I just found around the house; Evan, Ryder, and I all found some quiet time to hang out with each other after dinner.  All in all it was a great day!

-----Ok so I downloaded some photos of the napkins.  Here is the finished product!
here they are folded up:

and here they are unfolded:

pretty sweet right?

Fun Play Day!

So today was much better than yesterday.  Ryder and I woke up late and laid around eating homemade banana bread for breakfast and playing funny games with her stuffed animals.  We then packed up and headed to a birthday party at a train park.  We hadn't ever been there before but it was awesome!  The hostess had set up a slip and slide, two moon bounce house thingies, tons of yummy food/drinks/cakes, fun games to play (corn hole, ring toss), a pinata, facepainting (done by my wonderful sister), and there was a little train you could ride all around the park.  It was a blast!  Ryder kept yelling, "choo choo!" while we rode the train and she couldn't get enough of the moon bounce.  Beth (my sister) painted her face and all the way home she kept talking about how pretty it was.  Ry fell asleep on the way home and I took a nap directly after getting her in bed.  When we woke up Evan was home and sitting out on the skate ramp with our friend Clay.  We all sat on the ramp and Ryder used it as a slide over and over again while the rest of us just talked and visited.  All in all it was a great day!

As for my goals today:  I was really good on spending money, we ate leftovers today for breakfast and dinner (lunch was kind of at the party), Ryder and I played outside practically all day long, Evan and I had some good restful hang out time, and I baked chocolate chip cookies from scratch for the first time ever.  I'm pretty proud at how well I've stayed with my plan so far.  I went to the grocery store tonight to get cokes (I'll quit those later!) and forced myself not to even look at anything else and only bought cokes.  It sounds silly, but it really was kinda hard and I had to keep reminding myself that we didn't need anything else.  It's a long road, but I'm making some headway.

I'm really excited about tomorrow.  Tomorrow afternoon is my first sewing date with my mom and sister.  We are getting together for my mom to teach us how to sew and use patterns.
 My first sewing projects:
1.  place mats and napkins -- enough napkins that we never buy paper anymore, we only use our cloth ones
2.  a pillowcase dress for Ryder
3.  maybe a simple bag for Ryder to carry her stuffed puppy-dogs in

I'll let you know how tomorrow goes!  It's another day for me to grow!

Second day not a total wash

So I decided that if I really want to hold myself to my commitments I should make myself blog daily just to keep up my excitement.  Well, and force myself to take a good look at everyday to see what was good and what to let go.  Today feels like it was worthless since most of the day I had a horrible headache from TMJ issues rising up again.  Even now I am blogging while my muscle relaxer kicks in so don't hold me accountable for any strangeness that might occur towards the end of this post haha!

Looking back on the day though, I realize that I did indeed accomplish some things today that were good.  Ryder and I spent some time this morning outside in the yard kicking the ball, playing with our wonderful dog Mazzy, blowing bubbles, and then replanting our herb garden in some bigger pots (hopefully they will grow this time!).  We had a good time and I realize now that this was definitely working towards some of my goals.  It's important for me to remember that life is made of moments like this: summertime fun in the yard running around laughing at your silly puppy (who is almost 4 now!) and just enjoying life and the nature around you.  Ryder found a little flower bud that had fallen off a tree and we brought it in to start a nature basket where she can keep her findings from our walks/outside playtime.

We did indeed eat homecooked meals (mostly leftovers today) at the table together so I'd say all in all, even though I spent the last 4 hours laying in bed praying that Ryder would go to sleep, the day was saved by some precious moments with my wonderful little girl and sweet husband.  By the way, I had to wait until Evan got home to take my muscle relaxer (I don't take them during the day or while I'm home alone with Ryder), so when Evan got home he helped make dinner and then let me come up to bed by myself to take my meds and try to relax.  He's a sweetie.  Right now I can hear him washing hands with Ryder before bed and Ryder giggling away.

Anyways, I think I've reached the drunk portion of the blog, so I'll stop now.

night night everybody!

A Promising Summer

I've begun a journey in the past few weeks.  It's exciting and full of accomplishments already, however I have a long way to go before I will be a butterfly.  I have always wanted to be a person who wasn't tied down by objects or possessions.  I have always wanted to be a person who didn't need a lot of money to live and be happy.  I have always envied those who were able to garden, sew, bake, cook, and do all those things we seem to rely on others for in our current society.  This is my summer to transform myself.  I have all the resources and faculties I need to make this happen, I just need to get off my pudgy bottom and do it!

My goals for this summer:
1.  Consistently bake my own bread
2.  Learn how to sew and make some clothes for me and for my daughter
3.  Reduce the amount of money I spend on things I don't need or that I can make for myself considerably (I don't have an exact figure as of yet)
4.  Stop eating out or getting coffee out places except for select times when I am in need of companionship or just time outside the house.  Hopefully these times will only be once or twice every two weeks.
5.  Learn how to cook so that we are eating fresh breakfast/lunch/dinner that wasn't from a box or frozen.  We will also eat at the table for every meal as a means of having a restful time together enjoying each other's company.
6.  Set aside time everyday for learning how to garden and preparing a place for next years garden (I think it's too late in the season for it right now, but with as much as I know about gardening I really have no clue!)

I'll add to these goals later as I'm sure I'll find more things I want to do.  I've already begun experimenting with recipes and I've made a date with my mom and sister to begin learning how to sew so I feel like I am heading in the right direction -- now if I can just stay on track!

I'll share little tidbits of my days, pictures of projects, and also some insight as to how these changes are affecting me and my family.  Hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as I will and I hope you'll hold me accountable if I start to veer from the path to happiness haha!