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.