Fun with gingerbread houses

Yesterday we finally finished our gingerbread houses. We started them Saturday, but didn't have time to finish them till yesterday. Little Miss Sunshine and I worked on ours. Well, I decorated while she ate candy, lots of it. 'That yanny, yeyyow yanny, more yanny!'

The finished product. LMS ate so much candy that she only ate a little bit of dinner, and afterwards had an unfortunate ... explosion. Mount LMS erupted all over my sister's Roman temple model. Rather fitting, we all thought.

Updated goal list/Progress on my goals

Now that the holiday season is just about over, I need to evaluate where I am on my goals, and decide on more to add to the list.

Current goals
*Haven't been eating as well as I should be, need to be more careful, eat less junk food and not buy chocolate when I go to the store (my big weakness). Need to make sure I'm running or walking M, W, and S, whether it's inside or out. Need to ride my bike T, TH. I got clips and shoes for my bike for Christmas, so I can be more efficient when riding my bike. I need to swim and lift weights on F (haven't been swimming for a couple months now), and need to be doing my pilates videos at least 3 times a week.
*Making steady progress on the outline and background of my book, need some quiet time to spend typing it all up.
*Continuing to pay down more debt every month
*Have not been listening to the audio files I have in Japanese, though I did at least download them to my computer and ipod. Need to concentrate on them, though, so not something I can listen to while doing something else. No multi-tasking allowed on this one.
*I've been practicing my flute since returning from Hawaii, but need to add in the oboe and piano. Practicing right after LMS goes to bed seems to work well. I thought the noise would bother her, but she likes it.
*I've typed an index of the books in the house, but now need to start bringing boxes of books in from storage, one at a time

Ongoing goals
*I'm doing good on most of them, except flossing and reading the Relief Society lesson every week. Need to work on those, as well as using my time more efficiently.

New goals
*Run at least one race a month this year.
*Complete at least 2 or 3 triathlons this year (sprint distance)
*Make cover for LMS's car seat
*Get caught up on our scrapbooks by the end of January (middle of Feb at the latest...) actually on my future goals list, moving to my current list

I know there's more things I want to work on, but I can't think of them right off, so I'll have to add them as I remember them.

Catching up...

We've had a busy few days. Christmas morning was spent at my parents', the afternoon at my in-laws'. I took lots and lots of pictures of Little Miss Sunshine opening her presents (for her daddy), which she didn't really appreciate. Consequently, I only have two pictures of her smiling, the rest she's not looking at me, or she's scowling. In one of the pictures, she has a great big smile on her face, but she's also got a finger up her nose. To post it or not to post it..... I guess I'm not that mean. You can tell from her expression that she thinks she's being hilarious. So we're left with this picture, of her with one of the dolls she received.

She's really enjoying carting it around like a baby, feeding it, giving it a pacifier, laying it down for a nap, etc. She got lots of toys and is having lots of fun with them.

Yesterday we hit a couple after Christmas sales, but only bought a few things, then showed my in-laws how to play Settlers of Catan: Knights and Cities. We've played Settlers of Catan with them before, and my MIL received Knights and Cities (from us!) for Christmas, but while my Army Guy and I have played it, the rest of the family hasn't. My Army Guy would have been much better at teaching them, but since he's not here, it was up to me. We muddled through ok, I think.

My sister and her family arrived late last night, and our daughters are having a blast playing together. They're only a few months apart in age, and are best buds. They're so cute together. We all started working on our gingerbread houses, but lost track of time and had to get the kids to bed before they could decorate them, so we'll be finishing them tomorrow after church.

Merry Christmas!

The other night sure was fun. Little Miss Sunshine ended up projectile vomiting three different times, after which she'd emptied her poor little tummy and had four bouts of dry heaves where all that came up was the water she'd drunk after vomiting. After that (around 2:30 am) she seemed to have gotten it all out of her system and slept till 7:30, when she was ready to go. No sleeping in for her. I felt nauseous at that point, and it continued through the day, but by dinner I was feeling better, and I never threw up. So I caught a little bit of it, but not the worst. I did go to bed at 9:30 last night, and didn't wake up till 8, which was awesome! I haven't slept that long in one stretch in a really long time, and I really needed it.

We ran a few last minute errands today, including taking one of my brothers to finish up his Christmas shopping. After LMS's nap we went to the in-laws and did some caroling with them.

LMS is now in bed and everyone is putting last minute touches on presents: wrapping, etc. Tomorrow will be busy. We'll spend the morning with my family and the afternoon with the in-laws. LMS will be the only grandchild at my parents', so despite most of my siblings being here, there will be minimal mayhem. At my in-laws' though, it will be massive mayhem. Most of the siblings and spouses, and all the grandkids (10 ranging in age from 9 months to 13 years) will be there. Always a zoo when all the grandkids are there.

I need to finish up a few things, then I think I will try to go to bed early again tonight.

I'm in for a long night

I've been a bit remiss with posting lately. I'm finding it a bit difficult to get back in the groove of posting every night. I have been busy though: doing research

ok, that was gross. I heard Little Miss Sunshine wake up and cry, which was followed by projectile vomiting on a massive scale. The victims: LMS, her pjs, her bed (sheets, blankets, and pillows), the carpet, the wall, the dresser, and myself. I rushed her into the bathroom and had her stand in the shower. I got her cleaned up (she dislikes her hair being washed on a good day, she was not happy about it tonight. but it was very necessary) and wrapped in a blanket, then I cleaned up her room. YUCK! I really dislike the smell of vomit. I had just finished cleaning her room when she puked again- on the towel and blankets she was wrapped in, and -the real tragedy- on nanny. Another round in the shower, more bedding added to the now quite large pile of laundry I will have to face tomorrow, and more clean up. I wrapped her up again and sat down, just in time for another round- thankfully not so bad, though another towel and blanket and her pink bunny rabbit joined the monstrous pile of laundry. Another shower, and this time I got smart and asked my mom to find a bucket. We've managed to go a little while now with just some dry heaves (her poor tummy is completely empty now) that she used the bucket for. Another shower was not needed, thank goodness. Now she's sitting on my lap while I type one-handed and we wait to see if she's done. It's going to be a long night....

The thing is, I don't remember her ever throwing up before. Poor kiddo has no idea what's going on. I can't think of anything she ate that would do this, and while I do know of a couple kids who've been puking, I didn't think she'd been in close enough contact to any of them to get whatever bug they have. Hope no one else in the family gets it, especially with Christmas just a couple days away.

Back to my original thought: I've been doing some research for my book, which has triggered more good plot ideas. Need to look up a few more things, then I think I'll be ready to start re-writing what I already wrote, and then I can move forward into the story.

I did spend 50 minutes on the treadmill today. I ran and walked 3 miles, which felt good- no problems with my throat and lungs since I was inside. I need to stop being a wuss and get back outside, but I think I'll give my lungs a little more time to acclimate first.

I played my flute in church yesterday. I did a song that was part of the cantata sung by the choir. My mom's the pianist, so it made practicing really easy. I was nervous since it's been quite awhile since I performed in public, but I thought I played well. It was also good incentive to get me practicing again. And LMS likes me to practice after I've put her to bed and she's falling asleep.

Some sore muscles from pilates

This morning I rode my bike for half an hour while Little Miss Sunshine watched 'Veggie Tales' dvds. I've been feeling quite out of shape and ... fluffy... lately, probably from not exercising enough and not eating right while we were in Hawaii. That and seeing a photo of myself in a swimsuit wasn't exactly the thing to make me feel good about myself. So I got out my pilates dvds and did one of the workouts. I thought it was only a half hour one, but it turned out to be a 50 minute workout, which was good, but tough. I've used the dvds in the past, but I usually only manage to last a week before giving up on them (I really don't like using dvds, just like I really don't like doing weight training). I have to stay motivated and not slack off this time. Hopefully if I add the pilates onto my running and biking I'll be able to get in better shape and actually lose some weight, and get more flexible, to boot.

I spent the afternoon going through a stack of old 'Runner's World' and 'Women's Health' magazines. I have a habit of marking pages, intending to go back and do something about them, but never actually do. So I went through and pulled out the pages I wanted, and tossed the rest into the recycle bin.


The other day I bought a Fisher Price Nativity for LMS, and she is LOVING it. Especially the button on top that you push to start 'Away in a Manger' and turn the light in the star turn on. She also likes making sure Baby Jesus is in his 'house', safely sleeping.

Asthma problems

Running in the cold yesterday hit me harder than I expected. I did expect the cough that I got: that always happens after running in the cold; residual asthma effects from when I was younger. When I was practicing my flute last night though, I found myself having to breathe after every measure, which is very uncharacteristic. I also couldn't take a deep breath, no matter how hard I tried. This isn't good, because that means my asthma was acting up. I haven't had problems for more than 10 years, so I really hope this is just temporary. I don't want to have to take asthma meds again. This morning my lungs felt better, but my throat was feeling worse and I felt crummy. I've had a scratchy throat off and on for the past few days, but yesterday I felt fine. Today, not so much. So I didn't go running today in hopes that I'll be feeling better tomorrow.

Today my brother got the ok to go back on his mission. While he was in the MTC he messed up his knee and had surgery, but it never healed and he was having problems walking, so when the rest of his group went to Korea, he came home. He had physical therapy once he got home, but at that point it had been almost 2 months since the surgery, so it was too little too late. He ended up having another surgery and this time started PT 3 days later. He can now walk without any problems. He had to be able to walk 5 miles without pain before they'd let him go back out, and he was finally able to do that. He's been home almost a year, but he's been able to get some other medical problems taken care of, so that was good. He doesn't have to go back to the MTC, he'll be heading straight to Korea the first week of January. He's very excited because he didn't think he'd be able to go to Korea, he was afraid they'd send him somewhere else.

Running in Hawaii versus here

It was super cold Sunday morning- my car thermometer read zero degrees on the way to church. Yikes! It also read zero on the way to the in-laws for dinner, but their thermometer said 10 below, so I wonder if my car thermometer can't do negatives...

I didn't go running yesterday like I had planned, but I did go today. I went in the afternoon while Little Miss Sunshine was napping. I figured it would be warmer then, which it was, but it was also windier. As I was running I was thinking about how much running I've done lately. It was a bit of a shock to realize it's been a month since I was running consistently. I did go running once in Hawaii, but there just wasn't a good route that was clear of obstacles and not super close to traffic. I try to err on the side of safety when I have LMS in the stroller with me, so I didn't go on any more runs after that. It was a nice run, physically, though. I wore my compression sleeves, and my shins didn't hurt at all. My calves got fatigued pretty quickly, but that should help strengthen them, which should in turn strengthen the muscles in my shins, right? I'm sure hoping that's the case. Anyway, my lungs didn't bother me at all- no problems breathing- of course, we were at sea level, so about as much oxygen as you can get. The two miles I did today showed me that 3 1/2 weeks at sea level followed by a return to higher altitude takes longer than a week to re-acclimate. I took a week off, hoping that would be enough, but I was gasping for air by the time I hit the 1.5 mile marker. Add fatigued calf muscles (compression sleeves again), and it was a tough run. It felt good to get out there again, but I'm going to have to really stay motivated to get past the altitude issues and the fatigued calf muscles. Hopefully it doesn't take too long.

I had planned to do a 10k race this Saturday, but for some reason it hadn't clicked that it was so soon. I need to run the 10k race as prep for the half marathon I'm doing in January, but I'm tempted to do just the 5k. After how cold it was on Sunday, though, I may not be running it at all. I really need to see how my lungs react to really cold, higher altitude air. Today was in the 30's, so warmer than it may be on Saturday. We'll have to see how cold the next couple days are.



Still haven't decided if I'm doing the race on Saturday, but if I do, I'm pretty sure it'll only be the 5K. I'm just not ready for a 10K at this point, which is unfortunate. Sure hope I'm ready for the half in January.

Upcoming Races

I had wanted to run a turkey trot while in Hawaii, but the only race I could find was 6 am on Thanksgiving, and it was a 10 miler. I only wanted a 5K... Plus, I wasn't ready for a 10 miler. So no race in November. My December race is this weekend, but I still have to see if I'm re-acclimated. January is my next half marathon. February is a 5 miler or a 10 miler (we'll see how I feel after the half). There's another half I can do towards the beginning of March, but it might interfere with some other stuff going on, so we'll have to see on that one. If we haven't moved cross-country, I have another half I can run in April. I'm not going to start looking for races past that point, since we don't know where we'll be.

Progress on goals, plus a couple new ones

While we were in Hawaii I was able to make a lot of progress on my book. I was able to think out my story line a lot further than I previously had been able to, and figure out a lot of background details. I have a lot of typing to do now, but it probably won't happen till after Christmas.

Since getting home I've been busy practicing my flute every day. I'm supposed to do a number with the ward choir this Sunday for the Christmas cantata.

I need to make a cover for Little Miss Sunshine's car seat. I got the pink and black one because it was girly, which I like, but the pink gets dirty so easy, which I don't like. I made a cover for her old car seat (which was blah brown) out of fabric that I LOVE. Unfortunately, I can't find more of it anywhere (and I have looked). I looked in Hawaii, and I've been searching online using every key word I can think of, but no luck. I found a scrap leftover from the original project, but it doesn't have a manufacturer's name on the edge. I bought the fabric on ebay, but there's no more available. I did find some fleece in a similar pattern and color, so I'll probably end up using that. I liked the other fabric because it was a canvas-weight, and a nice dark color, so it wouldn't show dirt very well, and it could stand up to some abuse.

After Christmas I need to get caught up on our scrapbooks, and I need to organize the storage area in the basement to make room for my food storage (though at this point, I'm not sure if I should bother- my Army Guy should be home in just a couple more months).

More things we did in Hawaii

While we were in Hawaii, my Army Guy and I got to go on a date- our first one in 10 months! We went to dinner, and then watched Twilight. We both enjoyed all the books and were anxious to see how the movie turned out. I was rather apprehensive going into it (the girl who plays Bella always looks like she's about to whine about something and the movie posters all look goofy- like they're trying too hard), but overall I thought they did a good job. I've watched quite a few movies based on books, and some are pretty good (The Princess Bride, the Harry Potter movies), and some are pretty awful (Eragon). I know it's difficult to condense everything in the book into a movie, so I expect stuff to get cut out. When characters are changed completely though (like in Eragon), I have issues. While stuff did get cut out of Twilight, I thought they did a decent job of it. Jasper kind of bugged me though. He's supposed to be in pain, but he came off as freaky. And though Bella looked kind of petulant, there wasn't any whining, so I was happy. We really enjoyed it and are looking forward to seeing it again. And the next book is also going to be made into a movie: hopefully they do a good job on that one as well.

We also went snorkeling, which I enjoyed, but I did manage to get a bit seasick. If I do it again, I want to have prescription goggles so I can see everything better. I'm just a bit too blind without my glasses. I'm pretty sure I saw several fish that are in 'Finding Nemo', as well as lots of others. I just missed seeing a turtle on several occasions, but my Army Guy saw it. No photos because I forgot to buy an disposable underwater camera. It would have come in very handy if I'd remembered to buy one.

Hawaii Photos!

Here's a quick photo recap of our trip to Hawaii. There were some spectacular sunsets, and we stayed very close to the beach and were able to just sit and watch them. Saw some surfers, and some decent size waves. The days the really big ones (20+ ft) were supposed to be on the North Shore, we weren't on that side of the island, so we didn't get to see the really big ones. The morning of the day Little Miss Sunshine and I left, we got up early and went looking for shells. When we stepped outside, there was a full double rainbow. As we drove, we passed where the end of the rainbow hit the water. I've never seen the end of a rainbow before. Pretty cool!

On one of our trips to the other side of the island , we stopped by Matsumoto's grocery store for shave ice. They have the BEST shave ice on the island. Yummy!

We also went to the Pearl Harbor/USS Arizona Memorial. Very sobering to visit. LMS and I were still in Hawaii during the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. A shot of the flag from inside the memorial.

Memorial at Punch Bowl Cematary. A lot of those killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor are buried there. It was a very peaceful place. Other than the wind: it was very windy.

We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center and had a great time. LMS loved the dancers, and wanted to get up and join them.

My Army Guy's aunt and uncle's ward (how's that for confusing?) had a temple night while we were there, and we were able to do a session. It was really good to be able to go to the temple together- it's been a long time since we've been able to go together. And our timing was just right, too. At the end of December the temple will be closing for a year and a half for a complete remodel/expansion project.

We went to Pali lookout, which is on top of a ridge, looking from one side of the island to the other. It's on the old route that went through (rather than around) the island, which was a twisty, curvy, dangerous route. There's now a wider, straighter, safer route close by.

Up on the ridge was VERY windy. Check out our hair! LMS had a death grip on me because she was afraid of getting blown away, which it was almost windy enough to do. She didn't enjoy it too much.

LMS had fun figuring out how to use chopsticks. She managed to get the positioning right, but couldn't actually pick up any food with them. The adults were all doing it though, so she wanted to also.

We all enjoyed the beach, but I think it's safe to say that LMS had the time of her life. The first day we went to the beach, we hadn't planned on going into the water. LMS had other ideas, though and had a blast. Her face says it all: She loved running in and out of the water, and it was so funny to watch her. She always seemed to be sticking her tongue out to one side or the other, like ballast. We also noticed that she can't walk or run in a straight line, which is also funny to watch. This was at Waikiki. We hadn't planned on going in (we were told the beach is dirty and overcrowded), but once again LMS insisted on going in. We stripped her down and she had a great time. Luckily the beach wasn't too crowded or too dirty. Though we did see an older, overweight woman walking down the beach wearing a nude colored bra and granny panties. That was scary! As we walked back to the car, we found some pretty plumeria blossoms on the ground, and I couldn't resist taking a picture of LMS with one.

We went to Costco (the place to go to buy big bags of macadamia nut Hershey's Kisses), and I made the mistake of stopping in the candy aisle to dig in my purse for something. LMS was walking beside me and noticed the boxes full of bags of M&Ms. She managed to wrestle a bag out, and was so pleased with herself about it! I decided to let her keep it (snack time later on!), and caught her hugging the bag while sitting in the cart. I couldn't resist whipping out the camera.

We had an awesome time with my Army Guy and all had a lot of fun. I hoped to avoid making LMS's separation anxiety worse again by meeting my Army Guy in Hawaii instead of having him come home, and it seems to have worked! She loved spending time with her daddy, but she didn't have too many problems when he left. I think it really helped that we were in an unfamiliar environment. Can't wait for him to come back for good...

We're back home

We had an awesome time in Hawaii! It was great to see my Army Guy, and Little Miss Sunshine was so happy to see her daddy again. We got back Tuesday morning and have been (unsuccessfully) trying to get back on schedule and change our sleeping patterns (several hours time difference for 3 1/2 weeks can be hard to change). I'll be posting pictures soon, but there's lots of them. Between my camera and my Army Guy's camera we had more than 900 photos! Some are of the same thing, so I have to go through and sort out the best, delete the ones LMS insisted on taking (she prefers shots of the ceiling, wall, stomachs, etc), and get them down to a manageable, yet representative, number. Stay tuned...

Can't wait to see my Army Guy

I've had a busy couple of days: running, biking, practicing my flute, buying last minute items for the trip, and organizing and packing for our trip.


Tomorrow we're off to Hawaii! We're very excited about spending two weeks (not nearly long enough) with my Army Guy. With travel time, we'll end up being gone for about 3 1/2 weeks, and I probably won't be posting again till we get back. I'll have lots of pictures then!

An unexciting day

This morning I rode my bike for an hour, then tidied stuff up finally. I've allowed piles to well... pile up.

I finished labeling last months pictures and organizing my blog entries to send my Army Guy.

Not too exciting of a day, but I did get some stuff done. Tomorrow I'll officially start packing for our trip to Hawaii. It's almost here! Yay!

Ok, I am a wuss

So I talked big last week. It was cold and flurrying this morning and I wussed out and ran on the treadmill instead of outside. Though at least I did go running... In my defense, I was trying to keep an eye on an auction closing on ebay, and didn't want to miss the end, which could have happened if I'd gone outside.

Afterwards we ran some errands: picked up my nice, clean, shiny rings; bought tile for the downstairs bathroom (dad's finally done working on cars and should be able to finish up the bathrooms sometime in the near future); got snacks for the trip (thank you mommy fruit snacks!); and dropped off and picked up stuff from the library.

Yesterday we had stake conference, which was a broadcast from SLC. One of the apostles spoke about finances and budgeting, and deciding whether things are needs or wants. I've been thinking about that this past week, which reinforced that we need to be looking at how we're spending our money.

This week I probably won't start any new projects. I'll probably pack and tidy up things in our room and scrape out grout in the upstairs bathroom so dad can redo it. I also need to do my visiting teaching, since I'll be gone for the rest of the month.

I love to see the temple

I ran errands all morning: picked up the tricycle I found on craigslist for Little Miss Sunshine, found her Christmas pjs, and looked for her Christmas dress (couldn't find the right size, though), took my rings in to get cleaned and replated.

We're blessed to live somewhat close to a temple, and since we were out that direction picking up the trike, we stopped by the distribution center to pick up a few things. As soon as we drove up, LMS started saying 'Temple, Temple!' After buying the things I needed, we walked out of the distribution center, and she said 'go temple, go temple'. She was quite insistent about going into the temple. I had to keep telling her that she couldn't because she's not old enough yet, but when she's older she can go in. We walked around the grounds a bit, but she still really wanted to go inside. I find it interesting the things little children know. She recognized the temple and knew she wanted to go inside. How awesome is that? But I already knew that she knows things. The day I went to the doctor to confirm my last miscarriage almost a year and a half ago, I left her with a friend. When I went back to pick her up, she made such an effort to be upbeat and cheerful and do things to cheer up mommy and daddy. She was just over a year old, but she knew that mommy and daddy were really sad.

I finished the travelmate

This morning I biked for an hour while Little Miss Sunshine watched 'Cinderella'. She sure loves that movie.

While LMS napped, I got my eyes checked. It's been about a year and a half since my last eye exam, so I figured I should it was time for another one. My eyes haven't changed, but I didn't think they had. I now have a valid prescription so I can get some prescription sunglasses, which I've been wanting to get for awhile now. I just have to find some frames I like....

While I was out and about for my exam, I stopped by the hardware store and got the pieces I needed to finish my travelmate, which I finished once I got home.

So I found the Travelmate a while ago, but it's $89 (without shipping), and even on ebay it's $60+. I didn't want to spend that much money, and despite an email to find out if LMS's car seat would work with it, they still haven't posted any information regarding it. Why spend all that money, only to find out that it's not compatible with our car seat? After a lot of thought, I decided I could make one that would work just as well, and cost a lot less.

















The first photo is the wood frame. There's corner supports on the inside, and screws holding the boards together on the outside. The holes are for the straps to hold the car seat onto it. The second photo is the finished product: cover (It wasn't very pretty and I didn't feel like sanding and painting it. Much quicker to sew a cover for it), straps, axle and wheels all attached.

















The next photo is with the car seat strapped to it. The last photo is a shot of the underside. I used hooks and eyes to hold the axle to the frame (I had to buy bigger ones today). The wheels I found on ebay (Can I tell you how much I love ebay? You can find anything you could possibly think of!), then attached some end caps so they won't come off, and voila! My very own travelmate!















I had fun with this project. I thought about it for quite awhile before actually starting on it (it wasn't an immediate need, so I had time to contemplate the issue). The hardest part was figuring out how to get the axle to stay on the frame. In my mind's eye, I had something similar in mind, but it came down to what I could find in the hardware store. When I was in Home Depot, I found the hooks and eyes and realized they would work well. It was a good mental exercise for me to figure out how to make this all work.

Running in the snow is fun

After not getting much done yesterday, I got a lot done today. I've noticed this tends to happen. I take some time to relax, and I'm much more productive.

Despite cold weather and flurries, we went for a run this morning. My shins were hurting, so I only ran/walked two miles, but it felt good (other than my shins). It wasn't super cold, which is why I made sure I got out and went running. Once the weather gets colder, I need to keep running, and not wuss out, so hopefully if I ease into it, it won't be too bad. I used to love running in the snow and rain in high school, but that was a long time ago. I need toughen up so I can do it and enjoy it again.

After my run, I took some stuff out to the storage container and got our suitcases out. I talked to my Army Guy, wrapped some presents, and cleaned our room. After lunch, while Little Miss Sunshine napped, I worked on the travelmate. I got it mostly done, then ran into a problem with some of my hardware not fitting quite right. I'll fix it tomorrow and get pictures posted. Then I played with LMS, sorted some hand-me-down clothes for her, added 10 inches to some ties I bought for my brother (he's so tall that ties aren't long enough for him), did laundry, and practiced my flute.

Christmas is coming!

This morning we ran some errands, looking for Christmas things for my Army Guy. It's so funny- usually I hate seeing Christmas stuff out this early, but this year I don't mind. I need to get everything ready before we leave for Hawaii, so my mom can send it off while we're gone. If I send it off before we leave, the package will be sitting around who knows where, doing who knows what, for who knows long. If I wait till we get back, it won't get to him before Christmas. I got the last of his presents, and most of his stocking stuff, though I couldn't find any candy canes. Luckily there's still a bit more time, so I should be able to get some. I also got some decorations for a small Christmas tree that we've had sitting around for awhile. My Army Guy got it from his family while he was on his mission, and never got rid of it. I pulled it out, and it was looking pretty sad, so I added some lights, garland, and ornament balls. I'm going to wrap it up really well and hopefully nothing will break in transit.

Other than that, I didn't get much done. I pretty much just lazed around and watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer (I love Netflix!).

Jumpy jumpy!

Saturday we went to my grandfather's memorial service. It was good, and I learned some things I didn't know about him. It was good to see so many aunts and uncles and cousins, as well as some of my siblings. We ended up being gone the whole day, so I didn't get anything else done. Thank goodness for that extra hour of sleep Saturday night!

Yesterday was my first time leading music in Primary. It went pretty well, but it's going to take some getting used to. There's a lot of multi-tasking involved- conducting on beat, keeping the kids engaged, etc. And that's for songs they know. I haven't even started teaching a new song yet. That should be interesting.

Today we went for a four and a half mile run. Well, I ran about four of those miles, and managed to only walk about a half mile. I'm working on running the uphills, instead of walking them. It's definitely a workout, especially when pushing Little Miss Sunshine in the jogger. The weather was really nice, and no dogs came after us, so I was happy. LMS enjoyed saying hi to the horses and playing with weeds (weee, mommy. weee, mommy). The first time she said that, I thought she wanted to go whee, as in bumpy bumpy, or something. Not so much. She wanted me to grab a weed and give it to her to play with.

While LMS napped after lunch, I hauled my massage table to my in-laws' and gave my MIL a massage. She did something to her neck and couldn't turn her head, so she asked me if I could help her out. It went well, I thought, though my table was too low. I forgot that the last person I massaged was my younger brother, who is a big person (6'6" and burly), and I had lowered the table to to get the best possible leverage. My MIL is not nearly as big as my brother, so the table ended up being a lot lower than I needed. Something to remember for next time. It's been awhile since I gave a massage, and it was good to do one again. I really need to get my massage room set up so I can get back into practice. And the money would be nice too.

After her nap, LMS wanted to play outside. So I took her outside and tried to rake leaves into a pile to jump on them. It was too windy though, and they wouldn't stay in a pile. We managed to get a small pile and I tried having her flop on it, but she wasn't really into it. She liked raking the leaves, though. The picture makes it look like it was dark, but it really wasn't, the lighting just wasn't that good.

After we raked leaves for a few minutes, we went around back and played. LMS really likes jumping on the trampoline (jumpy jumpy!).

I looked over my list of gifts we're giving, and realized I only have 3 more to get! (my sister and my BIL, neither of whom have informed me what they want, and the bike that LMS is dying to get). After I finish my post, I have another round of present wrapping to do. Hopefully I can get the last few presents taken care of before we leave for Hawaii (next Friday!!).

While we were out running, I thought about my story, and got a few more ideas that I typed as soon as I came home so I wouldn't forget them. Still have a long way to go, though.

Happy Halloween!

Last night after posting I started typing an index of our books. I did the books that are in the house: all 255 of them! 70 are mine, and 185 of them are Little Miss Sunshine's. I was surprised by how many books we have in here. I really didn't think I had that many. I mean, I know I have about 20 boxes of books in storage, so I have a lot of books. I didn't realize I had 70 inside- my books are in 4 small shelves in my bookcase. I didn't think they held that many books. It did take longer than I thought, though. My inner OCD won out on this one. It was easier to keep going once I got started, so I ended up staying up till 1:30.

Today we ran some errands that took longer than I wanted. This evening I took LMS trick or treating. She had a great time. The dogs we met were almost more exciting than the candy. She loves saying hi to doggies.

I haven't gotten around to working on the travelmate yet. I ran out of time today, and won't have time till Monday. Tomorrow we'll be busy doing family stuff with the funeral.

Purple pillow

Today I was able to go for a run with Little Miss Sunshine. The gorgeous weather has been holding out, making it perfect weather to be outside.

I went to the hardware store and got the hardware I need to make my version of the travelmate. I'll work on that tomorrow, and hopefully get it all taken care of.

I did manage to practice my flute tonight, and last night I typed my notes for my book. I still need to proofread and re-write, but at least I've got everything typed up now.

Here's the pictures from the headrest I made for LMS's car seat. The first picture is one I found on ebay. I looked at it and decided I could make one for way cheaper than they were charging ($17.45, including shipping). I had all the materials, so the only cost was the time it took to sew it. It's a headrest that loops around the top of the car seat and supports the head while the child sleeps, with velcro for quick removal. The middle picture is one where LMS isn't sleeping (and is telling me not to take a picture!), and the right picture is where she is sleeping, but had managed to move the headrest around and was just using it to cover her face. I wasn't sitting next to her, so I couldn't rearrange it. We'll see if she actually uses it how it should be. I thought it might be nice for the plane trips. She calls it her purple pillow.

My grandpa passed away

My grandfather died this morning. He's been fighting lymphoma for about a year and a half, and today he decided he was done. We had already planned on driving to see him (dad had the day off work), so we still went to see him and my grandmother. It's kind of weird seeing dead people, especially those you know. There's something about how still they are. He's been so sick that he didn't look like my mental picture of my grandfather, though my grandmother still looks the same to me. At least he's not suffering anymore, and he died before any really nasty infections could set in.

My dad's youngest sister has lived close to my grandparents for the last 15-odd years, so they carried the brunt of the worry and care. None of the other siblings live close (my dad is the next closest). My aunt and her family will make sure grandma is taken care of, and that she doesn't make any major decisions for at least a year (I've heard that before- after the death of a spouse, you shouldn't make any major decisions for a year, to make sure you're ok emotionally and not making decisions you'll later regret).

I think today was the first time I've seen my dad cry.

We've never been particularly close to most of our relatives, mostly because we lived so far away when we were younger. My mom's parents died when I was in high school. She was the only one to go to the funerals, since we lived too far away to drive and it was too expensive to fly.

Things like this do make you consider your relationships. What could I have done differently? Could I have written/called/visited more? Did I take them for granted? Do I want my children to be closer to their grandparents than I was, and if so, what can I do to make sure that happens? (especially if we move out of state) I guess that's why I make an effort to make sure Little Miss Sunshine spends time with both sets of grandparents and all her aunts and uncles and cousins. I want her to know her relatives better than I know mine.

"Pippies"

I practiced my flute last night, then stayed up later than I wanted waiting for a load of laundry to finish so I could switch it to the dryer and start another load (I forgot about it till it was late, but it desperately needed to be done). While I was waiting, I worked on some hair clippies for Little Miss Sunshine. She calls them 'pippies'. They're another project I've been meaning to get done but just haven't gotten around to. First picture is the ones I made last night. Second picture is the ones I made tonight.

I had a massive headache all day that didn't let up till this evening, so I think it was an atmospheric headache. I haven't had one this bad in a really long time. It made it hard to get everything done (I didn't exercise or practice my oboe, like I had planned), but I did still manage to get a lot done.

I went through a stack of old mail, tried to deal with a billing issue with our storage container (they're saying I didn't pay, even though my credit card statement clearly has a charge from them), finished the head rest for Little Miss Sunshine's car seat (picture tomorrow), sorted laundry, filled out my ballot, painted LMS's nails purple, made hair clippies, and typed a list of our dvds (every time I go past the $5 bin, I ask myself 'do we have that movie?' I can never remember, so I need a list of what we do have). Oh yes, I also transferred a new book to my ipod. Overall, a pretty productive day.

I voted...

did you?

It took awhile to read through the booklet talking about each amendment and such, but I think I made fairly well-informed decisions regarding who/what I voted for. I'm glad I had a mail-in ballot so I could sit down and read and look up stuff and take my time about it. Whenever I go to the polling station to vote, I always forget what everything is really about and who stands for what.

Finally finished the last quilt!

I got a new calling this weekend: primary chorister. I'm no longer assistant nursery leader. I knew it was coming- in January the 4 boys move up to sunbeams, leaving the 3 little girls. We don't have any more kids moving up to nursery for more than a year, and 3 adults are not necessary to watch 3 kids. As a child, I remember sitting in primary, thinking I didn't want to be primary chorister- I can't sing, and getting up in front of people to sing is not my idea of fun. So this and ward choir director are the callings lowest on my list. Which is why I got it :) It'll be a good learning experience, though. At least I know how to lead- I was YW chorister when I was in YW. I haven't been in primary for almost 2o years, though, so there's a lot I don't remember about how things go, plus the primary hymnbook is new since I left primary. I know some of the songs, but there's a lot I don't.

My 730 pictures came today: all 5 pounds of them! I won't start scrapbooking just yet though. I have some other projects to finish first. I did finally finish the last quilt. It turned out pretty good for being done on a regular sewing machine. It would have been a lot smoother if I'd hand quilted it, using my quilt stand, or used a quilting machine. However, I don't have the time or space to hand quilt on my stand (not to mention it's stored in several different boxes in storage), and I don't have a quilting machine and I'm not willing to pay someone to do it. Next up is a head rest for Little Miss Sunshine's car seat, then my version of the travelmate. After that, I need to type my notes for my book. My Army Guy wants to read what I've written, but I haven't done much on it lately. I need to re-write the beginning, in addition to typing notes I wrote awhile ago.

This morning I got my hair cut. I've been growing it out for the last year, and it's finally long enough to shape and make it look decent. Just in time for our trip to Hawaii to see my Army Guy (just 2 1/2 more weeks!).

I've started using the new nursery manual for family home evening lessons. The Church just came out with it, and it's great. The manual we used to use was for sunbeams, too, and most of the activities and stories were way over the nursery kids' heads. This manual is geared for the nursery kids, and for use by families. So on Monday we talk about the same lesson that was given on Sunday. I figure a little repetition is a good thing.

Trick or Treat!

This morning I rode my bike for an hour. The weather was nice enough I could have gone running again, but my shins are a bit sore so I decided to let them rest abit.

After lunch we went to our town's harvest festival. They had booths and a bounce house and horse rides, and the kids could go trick or treating at all the local businesses. Little Miss Sunshine got to play in a bounce house for the first time. She thought it was fun, just like a trampoline. Once she got the hang of it all, she decided trick or treating was great- you say 'trick or treat' and people give you candy! What could be better than that? She lasted about an hour (there was some walking involved, not all the businesses are real close together), then we went home and she conked out right away.

This evening was our ward's trunk or treat and chili cook-off. She got even more candy! So fun! Her costume was a fluffy chicken costume we bought at Old Navy last year after Halloween. We knew my Army Guy would be gone, and we wanted him to have a part in it, so we picked it out together. Everybody commented on how cute she was, though there was some confusion on whether she was a duck or chicken. It could go either way if you didn't see the red comb on top of the hood. Anyway, she had a great time.









Last night I finally got started on my final quilt. I've been putting it off because I want to do a good job on it, but am afraid I'm going to screw it up. However, I've got other projects that need to get done, so no more procrastinating.

Painting pumpkins

Yesterday I rode my bike indoors for an hour. After lunch, I had a checkup with my nutritionist. Mostly it was to make sure I was making the changes to my diet and adding in weight training. We talked about cravings (I always get them before my period), and she gave me some stuff that's supposed to help counteract cravings. It helps with hormone levels and all that. We'll see if it works.

On the way home I bought some gift tags, so I was finally able to wrap the Christmas presents I bought a week ago.

Little Miss Sunshine painted a pumpkin, and had a blast. Obviously we need to be doing more painting. She was very intent about it all, even though there wasn't any defined pictures/features. She ended up mixed all the colors together and then painted the whole pumpkin.

I finished The Warrior Heir/The Wizard Heir/The Dragon Heir trilogy (second time through), so I'm almost done with all my library books. I have a Scott Westerfeld trilogy I still need to read, but I've been waiting for the first book to become available (can't read them out of order). I can pick it up today, but in the meantime I started 'The Schwarzbein Principle: The Program', by Diana Schwarzbein. It was recommended by my nutritionist, and it's been sitting in my book pile for the past 3 weeks. I've been putting it off because I didn't think it would be very interesting. However, I'm not very far into it, and I think it is quite interesting. It'll be interesting to see what her program involves.

This morning I painted a face on LMS's pumpkin. I was going to have her paint one side and then I'd paint the other side, but since she ended up painting the whole pumpkin, I painted the top. Nothing too elaborate, but it'll work. My mom's is next to ours: she put a lot more work into hers.











I actually practiced my flute today! The ward choir director asked me to play a piece for the Christmas cantata, so I decided to get practicing now. Gotta get my tone up to snuff. She wanted me to do the piece on my oboe, but the range was all wrong. I need to work out a schedule for practicing- every other day for each, I think.

While LMS napped, I went for a run. It was quite nice to be able to run without pushing a jogging stroller. It felt really good. I did 4 miles in about 45 minutes, which is a good pace for where I'm at right now. My next race is going to be in the middle of January. I'll be doing a half marathon down south (so the weather should be decent). If anyone wants to do it with me, it would be fun to get a group together. If you don't want to do a half marathon, they have a 5K that day, too. Email me for more info.

This evening I moved my Japanese audio files to my ipod, so now I can listen while sitting on the couch or my bed while reading the talks/lessons. Makes it much more likely that I'll actually do it.