Saturday, June 27, 2015

Lists

James like to make fun of me a little bit for making lists. It's true, though. I make lists for everything!

One such list was for our yard, and I am happy to say that it's FINISHED! Yes, we planted our grass on Wednesday! The sprinkler system is all set up, the garden is growing well, most of the weeds are under control, and I even added a new flower bed for some irises my neighbors gave me. I can't wait to see what they look like next year. A little research revealed that we've been watering our lawn too much. Oops. We've cut back but have to water the seeds a lot until they grow, which will take a few weeks. I think the suspense might kill me before then, but at least we don't have to water by hand! In this 90-degree weather, we'd be out there all day trying to keep the soil moist enough.

Another list is for the Extreme Makeover: Head Edition. We decided that it would be best for James and the kids to go to Idaho for a week while I paint everything (except closets and the laundry room) and get new carpet. I can't wait! I can't say painting is my favorite, but I have done it before and can do a thorough job. I'm so excited to cover up the ugly, forest green/ivy print wallpaper and get the awful carpet out of here. For how little time it will take, it cost 10 times what it did to do the yard. (Yet, the yard took 10X as long. Go figure.)

I've been trying to be less boring by going on "adventures" with my family. We went to East Park for our last FHE. There are many awesome places to explore just within our county. We're hoping to see most of them by the end of the summer. 

Saturdays, we've been hitting some yard sales. I love it. I've had some success getting clothes for Katie (3T's). We've also found some other treasures, such as an ice auger, several house plants, a bookcase, and a dresser.

I have been a little stressed thinking about the upcoming project. I'm not worry about being alone, just that I won't finish in time or have some other mishap. I'm sure it will be just fine. I play out way too many worst-case scenarios, and most of them are never an issue. :)


Thursday, June 18, 2015

Progress, Not Perfection

Lindsay Nixon (known as the Happy Herbivore), is one of the most inspiring people I've learned about recently. She has 5 cookbooks, which I love. I'm hoping to try over 200 of her recipes in the next year or so. Yes, that many.

I mention her because of her philosophy of "progress, not perfection." Too often I set high goals, fall short, and then feel bad. Setbacks make me feel terrible. I forget that I'm still working toward my goals even if I take a step back. Setbacks are not permanent. I'm still heading the right direction.

The yard that we'll be planting grass in is full of weeds, a minor setback. We will have to get down on our hands and knees and pull them all out before we will have a beautiful lawn - finally! We are planting it next week.

We bought all the paint we need for our entire house (minus closets and the laundry room). We decided that the best thing to do was to have James and the kids go visit his family over 4th of July while I stay and paint. Don't worry, I actually kind of enjoy it and don't mind being alone. I know I will get a little lonely after a week, but the work will be less stressful without kids. I plan to be very thorough and get a lot of things cleaned as well. (You know, those high up places that get dusty but I can't reach!) We're hoping for carpet the week that James gets back. I'm going to take before and after pictures!

James is almost done with his first online class for his geography endorsement. 4 more to go!

And that's about it. I don't know why I think summer will be easier, because it's not. It seems a lot busier than when school is in session. Oh well. It's been a good one, even though it's too hot now.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Idaho Trip

Well, we're back! We had a great time in Idaho this year.

In Rexburg:

1. Joseph's birthday. I can't believe he's 5! I made him a chocolate orange cake, as requested by him. We gave him two transformer toys, and he got clothes and a book from his grandmas.

2. Dinner with my brothers. They came on Sunday and Tuesday. They bought me lunch (Chick-fil-a) on Wednesday.

3. Lunch with James. We love free babysitting. And D.I. Rexburg's is so much bigger than Vernal's!

4. Dinner with the Lee grandparents. This also happened on Wednesday. The kids had a great time in the yard and getting rides on the tractor.

In Albion:

5. Family reunion! It was in the same place for the 3rd year in a row. Albion is my favorite reunion place because it has good accommodations and lots of space outside. We had different holidays every day and covered most of them: St. Patrick's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Memorial Day, birthdays...

6. Swimming at the hot springs. I think this was my favorite activity in the reunion.

7. Food. I are a lot of it, and it was yummy. I'm still not very good at navigating social situations. It's not hard to avoid meat and dairy, but it's almost impossible for me to say no to desserts. Ah well. 1 pound is a minor setback.

8. Working out. I loved the aerobics class done by Angela (James's cousin). I have never taken a fitness class at a gym. I really enjoyed it and felt a bit sore the next day! I was able to work out with Melodie the week before as well.

9. Compliments. I have never in my life received so many kind words about my appearance. I don't think I look a lot different than last year, but apparently I do. I heard words like "thin", "vibrant", "cute", and "glowing". If that's not motivation to continue on the eating path I've chosen, I don't know what is.

Coming home:

10. The garden is growing and looks amazing! I mulched using the thatch from our grass. I think everything is up except for a few herbs. (basil, oregano)

11. The fair. We went today and had a great time. The kids got to go through the Little Red Barn, bascially a farm expereince where they plant seeds, milk cows, etc. and trade in their basket of produce/dairy for money to buy a treat. They loved it, and there was a candy drop afterward.

The past week went by so quickly, but it was really good. I was ready to come home from our trip by the end, but it was a lot of fun to be there with all the Head family. Some who haven't been able to come in a while were there, which was awesome. I wish my family lived closer together. Until next year then. I think I can prepare for that. Miraculously, we all came home in good health. I'm not sure that's ever happened. :)