Challenge #1 - 15 things about me

1. I like to listen to the Stuff You Should Know podcasts with my hubby while driving together. They're funny guys and I enjoy learning about stuff. I can't retain the information for my life, but I do like to learn about it.


2. I love Legos more than I can say. Specifically Harry Potter ones. I used to play with them when I was younger. My mom and dad bought me the "girly" set with the pink and yellow box that had flowers and such in the set. I didn't care, I just loved building with them. Luckily for me, I married a man who loves them just as much as I do.

Don't believe me?

On our second day of marriage, we hung out in our hotel room building the Harry Potter Lego Hogwarts castle (and doing other things...) and we had the best time! We still have all of our Harry Potter sets and now our kids love putting them together too.

3. I use smiley face emoticons waaaaaay too much when I type. I just feel like regular words can't describe my feelings the way a smiley face can. Am I right? :)

4. I also like to listen to Dr. Laura and have even called her on the air before. She gives great advice and although I don't think she's right 100% of the time, I like to listen to how she responds to people. (And to protect the innocent, I will not reveal my issue, or her advice for me, sorry!) I'm sad that she's on Sirius now which means I can't listen anymore, but I still have some downloaded past episodes, just in case.

5. I can play Bejeweled Blitz better than anyone I know. Now, granted, that's a small circle of people, but I like to think I'm the best at ONE thing. With that, I'm happy.

6. I used to have a huge crush on Lance Bass from 'NSync. Then I found out he was gay. :( There goes my shot.

7. I love to create art in the form of digital scrapbooking pages. There's nothing more fun than creating beautiful pages that also tell our life stories in them. And I love feeling like I'm an artist because I always wanted to be one, but I can't really draw or paint or sculpt. So this is my art and this is what makes me an artist.

8. I secretly love watching Hoarders because it makes me feel better about myself.

9. I am legally blind in my right eye due to a freak accident with an exploding glass soda bottle when I was 11.

10. I still cry when I watch Dumbo and he visits his mom in the jail car. Still. Tearing up right now thinking about it.

11. I have read or listened to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows about 9 times now, and I could still pick up a book or listen to Jim Dale on audiobook over and over and over again. LOVE.

12. My calling (RS 2nd counselor) in church (or, my volunteer position, for those of you who don't speak Mormon) is really kicking my butt lately. I'm not very good at delegating and I have more workload than I ever anticipated and it's making me stressed out and tired. But I'm working on it.

13. Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year. Seriously, if it lasted 6 months, I'd be perfectly fine with that. It's not that we give and receive presents or that I get to decorate with lots of fun stuff, it's just the feeling of the season that comes with the holiday. It's how all the commercials are about snowy wonderlands and family togetherness and magic. It's how my kids are SO excited that Santa's coming with his reindeer and "Will they really come on our ROOF, mom?" comes from my little kiddo. I just love the idea of magic and Christmas brings that to the forefront.

14. I love taking photos of lots of different things. I love the connections you can sometimes see in a picture. I have a lot to still learn, but I'm happy with where I am in regards to my photography and I love learning new things about it every time I do it.

15. I'm in love with the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack. So much so, that I've given it to multiple family members now just because they had to listen to it! And love it as much as I do! Not really, but I'd be shocked if you can listen to Romantic Flight and not just feel uplifted. I'm a sucker for a good instrumental arrangement. It's got just the right mix of Celtic influences with great brass and beautiful strings. And if you've seen the movie, then you'll love it even more.

That's it for this challenge. See you tomorrow! :)

Blog Challenge!

Since I'm basically a big copycat, I decided to do this fun 30-day blog post challenge that my friend Shayne has started doing on her blog. I thought it would be fun to do, and also maybe a little motivation to post more? Who knows if it will work, but I'm game!

Here are the challenges:

1. 15 Facts about me
2. A photo of myself and a description of how my day was
3. My favorite photograph of my best friend
4. 20 of my favorite things
5. A photo of myself two years ago
6. A photo of an animal I'd love to keep as a pet
7. A song to match my mood, and why
8. A recipe
9. A photo of the item I last purchased
10. A photo and description of what's in my makeup bag
11. A photograph of the town I live in
12. A TV show I'm currently addicted to
13. Something I don't leave the house without
14. A photo of something that makes me happy
15. Something I crave a lot
16. What's in my purse
17. A photo of something that means a lot to me
18. A photo of somewhere I've visited
19. A picture of me last year and now and how have I changed since then
20. My worst habit
21. 5 of my biggest pet peeves
22. My celebrity crush
23. Something I could never get tired of doing
24. My favorite book
25. A photo that makes me happy
26. A photo that makes me angry/sad
27. My dream house
28. An art piece (drawing, sculpture, painting, etc.) that means something to me
29. A song that makes me cry (or nearly)
30. A photograph of myself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30 days

So hang tight, it's going to be a fun run!

Smashed Potatoes!

Sometimes I just love our lazy days. On one of the more fun recent ones, we pulled out this great game that the hubby's parents gave our boys. It's called Smashed Potatoes and it involves two of my boys' favorite things:

(1. Playdough)

(2. Smashing things like Playdough)

The boys both love the game!

 

Especially W. He could have played all day long if we didn't have other things going on. 

The object of the game is to make your own little dudes, then get them through this obstacle course of death without getting smashed, chopped, deep fried or snipped in half. Trust me, it was a harrowing experience for those little Playdough guys! 

And they had reason to be scared. It was a lot of fun, mangling a few along the way and then making new ones. 

Overall, a great game and a fun afternoon with the boys!

You'll want to pay attention if your name is

Shalae

Becky

Shayne

Renee

or

Susie!

You are the lucky five gals for whom I am making a handmade item! Please do me a favor and email me your address so that I can package up and send out your pretties when I'm finished.

Don't start holding your collective breath just yet, they're nowhere near done, but I'm working on them! I just want to make sure I know where to send them all.

And sorry, no sneak-peek photo or anything. Just use your imagination....

Lemme tell you a secret...

...and it will probably come as a big surprise.

I love Texas.

I know, it's a shocker. Try to focus. :)

My little family went to visit my big family in Ohio this past Christmas, and while we were there, we put together our keepsake "Texas" puzzle with Aunt Ali, me and the hubby. It was a lot of fun and brought back memories from when we bought it in Fredricksburg on our last visit home before my parents moved a couple of years ago.

Sad, sad memories.

Anyways, when we got home after the holidays, I went looking for my own puzzle to put together. I decided I wanted to hang it up somewhere to stare at when I'm sad and lonely, ha. So I went to town while Nathan was out of ours, and put it together with help from the boys.

Okay, not that much help from them, but they were very excited about it getting finished and glued together!

Now I just need to figure out where I want to hang it and find a suitable frame. Or maybe make one. Perhaps a trip to Home Depot is in order...

Lamp Remix

I have a love for all things crafty. For about two years now, I've been following some great DIY/Craft blogs that have been so inspiring! I've even tried my hand at some of the projects and have really loved the way they turned out.

On a recent trip to Goodwill, I snagged this beauty.

It was a pretty good deal at $10, lampshade and all. And I know, it's pretty fugly. While you can't really see them in the picture, there are scratches all over the base and that shade is spray painted hunter green. Yeah, classy.

My plan is to rehab it into something I won't mind people seeing when they come to my house. I think it's doable, but we'll just have to see.

The "after" photo will be coming soon...

And in the meantime, I thought I'd share some of the newer blogs that I follow:

MADE (my best friend Summer lived in this gal's ward -- she even moved into her house when they moved)

Cluck. Cluck. Sew.

Make It and Love It

Diary of a Quilter

Those are some great links for inspiration, tutorials, and just all-around crafty goodness.

Happy Birthday E!

I know, it's been about eight hundred years since I last posted. Sorry. Life is happening, I promise, I just haven't had the chance to share all about it yet. But today is a special day, so I feel that I must.

I can't believe it was five years ago today that my oldest little dude joined our family. This kid quite literally changed our lives and our family forever. Gosh this kid is special. He was the first person to ever call me mom. He's taught me a lot about myself and about life. I'm so glad he's here with us.

Here are five things about E that I just love:

1. He is the most sensitive little guy. He really feels for others and sincerely wants to help those who are hurting or sad. He is compassionate, loving, and understanding.

2. He's the smartest kid his age that I know. Seriously. He's been reading since he was three and hasn't stopped since! I love the way he not only soaks up information like a sponge, but how he remembers it long after it's slipped my mind. I'm amazed at the way his brain works and I hope he will continue his love of learning throughout his life.

3. He loves his little brother and watches out for him. Of course, when it's just the two of them at home, he tends to beat up on him a little, but if they're with a group of kids and W is in trouble, E is right there to help.

4. He has the most determined attitude about him! If there is a problem, he is the one with the solution. "Just because" doesn't sit well with him at all -- he needs to know the reasons behind decisions and rules and will not just take someone's word for it, even mine. This can get on my nerves sometimes because when he wants to do something, it doesn't matter what kinds of obstacles I throw at him, he's always coming up with a way to accomplish it. It's a love/hate thing with me -- I am proud of his gumption and determination, but sometimes it can wear me down trying to convince him that some things just aren't going to happen! :)

5. E has me rolling on the floor sometimes with the things he says -- he has such a grown-up vocabulary, sometimes without knowing the actual meanings of the words he's saying, but he knows what context they work in, and he's not afraid to use it. He definitely keeps me on my toes!

Well, there you have it. I can't believe I'm the mom of a 5-year-old!

Have a happy birthday and a great year, little dude. We love you!!

Handmade Giveaway!

You may have seen this before, but this is the first time that I've participated in something like this, and I'm pretty excited about it, so here goes.

I am giving away 5 handmade items, made by me, to the first 5 commenters of this blog. I will think about you in my mind and make something awesome that I believe you will enjoy. You have no say in what it is. The surprise item will make it into your hands sometime in the next 6 months. (Usually it's a year, but I need a better deadline than that!)

(Here is an example of something I made my sister for Christmas. In the above shot, it's still in working pieces, but it's a quilted pillow cover. Of course, that doesn't mean this is what you'll get, it's just an example.)  (Also, I should state for the record that my husband actually gave it to my sister for Christmas since he pulled her name in the exchange. And yes, he did tell her that he slaved away on it, much to everyone's amusement.)

"Okay, so what's the catch?" you ask? Well, you have to post this giveaway on your blog (or on your Facebook status) and do the same for your first 5 commenters.

I'm happy to do my part to spread the handmade goodness, won't you come along?

Baby, it's cold outside!

I'm completely loving this weather change! I really think I could handle snow in the winter. (Did you hear that, dear?) We've been reveling in the snowy weather out here, with the boys having so much fun playing in it. Here's the evidence:

And we've even had the chance to get some pretty good shots of me and the hubby! I almost didn't believe it! :) But here's more proof:

So yes, needless to say, we've been having tons and tons of fun. I just wish this holiday didn't ever have to end. Argh, do I really have to go back to real life soon? Makes me sad to think about it....

Meeting Santa

At our ward Christmas party, West and Eli got to meet Santa.

You all remember Eli's reaction this year, right?

Well, I'd say he did much better this time around. He calmly told Santa that he wanted snow skis so that he could go skiing. (Since we'll be spending the holidays with my WHOLE FAMILY in Ohio. Can you tell I'm a little excited?!) Santa was a bit confused, since we live in sunny southern California, but went along with it nonetheless.

Then it was West's turn, and he was already in a bad mood. I think being stuck on a white-bearded stranger's lap pushed him over the edge.

Yeah, that's more like the Lakey Christmas Santa photos we know and love! :)

And it wasn't any better for the group shot either.

But at least it'll make me laugh for years to come!

Merry Christmas!