
9.30.2011
Here We Go!

9.29.2011
The Hired Help
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Carbonite. All opinions are 100% mine.
Many of you who read this blog are mothers. And fellow bloggers. And crafters. At least that's what I imagine. You're just like me, right? If so, your computer is a beloved part of your family. My entire life is on my computer -- precious photos of my children, digital designs I've created, recipes, things I've written for church, business documents that I'll need come tax time. Thousands of important files that would be devastating to lose. This computer is like my own personal assistant. It takes care of things for me that I don't want to deal with at the moment. I'm always asking it to hold my things for me -- "Hey computer, can you take these pictures off my camera for me? Thanks. You're a gem." "Computer, my love, will you pretty please store these scanned images of my children's artwork until I get around to making that coffee table book I've been planning." "Dearest, darlingest computer, won't you please keep my place for me in this recipe book I'm composing?" I talk nicely to it because I love it. And I worry that one day it's going to revolt and walk off the job with all my stuff and refuse to give it back.
Do you worry about it like I do?! I haven't always, but lately this here computer has been acting all funky. It's past it's prime. I require too much of it. It all the time is telling me it can't handle the load -- little pop-up messages that say, "Hey, I'm struggling to keep up with you! Can you at least empty the recycle bin?!" That is more of a paraphrase than a direct quote, really. I worry every single time I boot this bad boy up that it'll be the last time. My most tender feelings toward this old machine won't keep it from giving out one of these days, after too many years of fighting the good fight. I need some help with computer backup!!
You can imagine my relief at finding out about Carbonite ,right? Unlike occasionally backing all your files up manually and having to store CD's somewhere and try not to lose them, Carbonite unlimited online backup works automatically and continually in the background backing up files whenever your computer is connected to the internet. It takes the worry out of backup by securely and automatically backing up the files on your PC or Mac to one of Carbonite’s fancy schmancy, highly secure, state-of-the-art data centers. How cool is that?! Also, once your files are backed up by Carbonite, you can access them anytime, anywhere, from virtually any Internet connected device or Smartphone with their free mobile apps. Crazy cool, huh?
Since it's start in 2005, Carbonite has safely recovered over 7 billion files that otherwise might have been lost forever! It’s easy, fast, and hassle-free to get your backed up files back. 7 BILLION, folks. That's a lot of saved files. It's pretty affordable, too. Unlimited backup for your PC or Mac, with anytime-anywhere-access is only $59 a year. Not that I'm trying to show off my math skills or anything, but that's less than $5 a month. They'll even let you try it free for 15 days, no credit card required, and then give you two free months if you decide to buy when you use the code BLOGAD. It's a sweet deal, if ever I saw one. It may be just about time to hire this trusty old computer an assistant . . . I'll see you all on over at the Carbonite site! I'm going right now to check it out.
Do you worry about it like I do?! I haven't always, but lately this here computer has been acting all funky. It's past it's prime. I require too much of it. It all the time is telling me it can't handle the load -- little pop-up messages that say, "Hey, I'm struggling to keep up with you! Can you at least empty the recycle bin?!" That is more of a paraphrase than a direct quote, really. I worry every single time I boot this bad boy up that it'll be the last time. My most tender feelings toward this old machine won't keep it from giving out one of these days, after too many years of fighting the good fight. I need some help with computer backup!!
You can imagine my relief at finding out about Carbonite ,right? Unlike occasionally backing all your files up manually and having to store CD's somewhere and try not to lose them, Carbonite unlimited online backup works automatically and continually in the background backing up files whenever your computer is connected to the internet. It takes the worry out of backup by securely and automatically backing up the files on your PC or Mac to one of Carbonite’s fancy schmancy, highly secure, state-of-the-art data centers. How cool is that?! Also, once your files are backed up by Carbonite, you can access them anytime, anywhere, from virtually any Internet connected device or Smartphone with their free mobile apps. Crazy cool, huh?
Since it's start in 2005, Carbonite has safely recovered over 7 billion files that otherwise might have been lost forever! It’s easy, fast, and hassle-free to get your backed up files back. 7 BILLION, folks. That's a lot of saved files. It's pretty affordable, too. Unlimited backup for your PC or Mac, with anytime-anywhere-access is only $59 a year. Not that I'm trying to show off my math skills or anything, but that's less than $5 a month. They'll even let you try it free for 15 days, no credit card required, and then give you two free months if you decide to buy when you use the code BLOGAD. It's a sweet deal, if ever I saw one. It may be just about time to hire this trusty old computer an assistant . . . I'll see you all on over at the Carbonite site! I'm going right now to check it out.
9.27.2011
Planning Ahead

But I really love this other one, too. I love the gray polka dots and the non-traditional shades of red and green. It's an accordion fold design. I'd probably put a family photo in the white square and hand-write a personal greeting in the red square. The back side would have our family Christmas letter.
Both are sized to be printed as business flyers from UPrinting, which may seem weird, but is a super affordable option. I wouldn't mind at all if anyone else wants to use these templates. {I'm totally OK if you think they're ugly and would never use them, too. :P To each their own, right?!} Just click on the images to enlarge to full size and download. If you're interested in the specs for ordering let me know.
9.23.2011
Mutual Theme for 2012







Please help me pick one to have printed! I'm leaning toward the second one because it matches the Young Women Theme poster I made, but I'm not sure that matters so much. Also, feel free to download and use them yourself. They are all high-res 8x10 size. Thanks, friends!

9.21.2011
Everything in Moderation

Choosing to dote on my family = fun for me.
Being expected to slave over my family = certain peril for them.
Just so we're very clear. Thanks!
9.20.2011
It Will All Work Out
{click image if you would like to download full 8x10 size}

I have been thinking about how we approach teaching this to our kids -- preparing them for a future that will certainly hold it's share of disappointments while also maintaining hope. I was taught when I was growing up {and I still try to teach the Young Women I serve} to decide well in advance how to handle certain situations -- what I would do when someone offered me alcohol or drugs or when a dating situation became more physical than was probably good. Deciding BEFORE the situation arises gives us strength in a moment of possible weakness. I feel like I need to also teach my children {and myself} to decide well ahead of time how they will handle the trials that will inevitably come to each of us. If we each make the choice to face our adversity with faith, to look for the blessings that are all around us, and to lighten the burdens of others during our hardest times, maybe, just maybe, we can avoid the despair and bitterness that are so tempting when we're in the thick of it. Maybe then we will find it easier to trust in the Lord and to turn to Him for strength and guidance rather than turning away from Him in anger. Maybe then we will be able to appreciate these chances we have to grow rather than resenting the struggle. Maybe then we will be more compassionate toward those around us who are struggling, too. I am, by no means, a perfect example. I wish I was. I give in to the despair and the depression as often as I rise above it, but I'm trying. And I'm grateful. And I'm doing my best to make the best of how things turn out and that's gotta' count for something, right?

9.19.2011
Baking Bread, not "Baking Bread"

Anyway, thanks for letting me reminisce for a moment. You've earned your bread making secret. It's Dough Enhancer. I didn't know what it was either. Sarah's recipe called for it. In Utah, where there are a lot of Mormons baking bread {literally} you can buy it in the grocery store. Not down here. I looked all over for it. In one last, desperate attempt to find it I went to Whole Foods and asked in the bakery. The girl there said, "We don't sell chemicals here. We only sell whole foods." And she didn't say "duh", but it was implied in her tone of voice. So I went home with my tail between my legs and googled it. Turns out you can make dough enhancer, and guess where I found all the ingredients? Whole-flippin'-Foods, baby. I refrained from going by the bakery and sticking my tongue out at snotty baker girl when I went back to buy the stuff. It's a combination of Lecithin granules, citric acid and ginger. It is nothing short of magic. I put a little scoop of it in all of my yeast-bread dough -- even white bread, which may not technically need it, but better to be safe than sorry if you ask me. Because it's NOT a chemical. It's not.
Here's the recipe I used:
1C. lecithin granules
1 Tbsp. vitamin C powder
1Tbsp. ground ginger
Mix well and store in an air-tight container.
I bought a big canister of lecithin granules and measured out how many cups it was and added the vitamin c and ginger accordingly. After mixing it all up. I poured it back in the lecithin canister to store it. I think it cost me about $15 to make a big can of dough enhancer, which is only about half gone now. Totally worth the investment. I'll even re-post Sarah's bread recipe for you {because you did sit through two stories instead of one}:
You'd be hard-pressed to find an easier, yummier bread recipe anywhere, but you won't have to worry about finding the dough enhancer! {And you'll find the wheat gluten in the bulk bins at whole foods or any major grocery store.} Enjoy!
9.17.2011
Wanna' Know What's Fun?
Seeing your projects on Pinterest. And you didn't even pin 'em there! Someone else pinned my projects to Pinterest and then people started re-pinning them. Unbelievable. Why does something as dumb as that make my day?
Also, I finally passed 100,000 page views and there are currently 17 people looking at my blog. Right now. I've never really cared about the stats -- this blog is just my fun -- but wow. What a day.
Also, I finally passed 100,000 page views and there are currently 17 people looking at my blog. Right now. I've never really cared about the stats -- this blog is just my fun -- but wow. What a day.

9.16.2011
Such a Sap
I happened to turn to this movie on TV today while I was folding laundry because Dylan had just been talking about this story the other day. Here I sit, an hour and a half later, crying my eyes out. What is wrong with me?!
We live in a world today where loyalty seems to be almost a thing of the past. Gossip rolls off most peoples tongues without them feeling a twinge of guilt. Many marriages fail. Companies you work faithfully for will let you go at the drop of a hat -- or worse, build a case to fire you so they won't have to pay you a severance. Not that we know about that job thing . . . Things are not what they used to be.
We've been taking a vote every night at dinner about whether or not we keep Cassie. The decision would have to be unanimous, but her popularity has been slipping in the polls lately. We're the only family she has ever known . . . Perhaps tonight we'll skip the vote.
EDITED TO ADD: We watched this movie last night, the boys and Cassie and I. We were laying in my bed all cuddled up together. During one of the more poignant parts Dylan whispered, "Stop. Keep it in... keep it in...". I looked over and his eyes were welling up with tears. He then said, "What?! I'm not crying. My eyes are just sweating." I told him, "That's OK. My eyes are sweating right now, too". Man, I love my kids!

9.15.2011
A Vision of My Future:
This is all over TV and the internet right now, but I love it. I love how rather than getting frustrated with his wife for not remembering how to take a picture, he tells her how pretty her hair is and encourages her there at the end. And tries to look at her boobies. Some things never change, I guess. I love the nonsense songs and the monkey faces. He's the funnest old guy around. He could be Brent's dad in ten or fifteen years {and then Brent a few years after that ...} except that Don knows how to use a webcam. I have a sneaking suspicion that his computer may be full of funny snippets of video of him behaving just like this, however.
On a serious note, there is something really comforting to me about older couples who are still in love and still have a sense of humor about things. That's what I want more than anything -- more than a spotless home or even a stable career for my husband. To love and be loved, and laugh for the rest of my days. That, and a fountain drink machine in my bedroom.

9.12.2011
Housekeeping

Like, REALLY not good at it. I don't like it. I remember a talk in our church's General Conference several years ago about a woman who prayed daily that she would learn to like housework. {There was more of a point to the message than that, but that's the practical message I took from it.} I went home and tried that. It didn't stick. I've tried to focus on how much I love serving my family while I work. No go. I've tried to be purely selfish and do it just for my own sanity. I've tried waiting for someone else to do it. I've tried paying my kids to do it. {I mean to do MY work in addition to their own chores.} I've tried doing it first thing in the morning. Didn't click. Saving it for the end of the day didn't work either, because I would inevitably think, "I'll do it first thing in the morning."
Surprisingly, I was much better about keeping up with the cleaning when my kids were very small. Then, I felt like I was on the job twenty four hours a day. Now that my kids are all in school it's tempting {and really easy} to "clock out" from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. So when I came across a system on Pinterest the other day that claimed you could have a clean home in less than an hour a day, my interest was piqued. You make a list of chores that need to be done on a daily basis -- doing the dishes and picking up clutter, for instance -- and you spend 30 minutes a day getting those things done. Then you go through each room of your house and list the tasks that need to be done for deep cleaning {dusting blinds, wiping down walls and doors, etc.}and assign each room a day of the week. Spend 15-30 minutes each day working on that day's room. This works great if you have a small house like me because you can hit every room every week. If your house is larger, you may have to do a two-week-long rotation, hitting each room twice a month. You don't have to do every job on your list for that day's room. Work for 15 minutes or so, do what you can, and then stop. Pick up where you left off the next time that room comes up in the rotation. Easy cheesy, right?
There a couple of things I'm noticing with this system. First, you'll find you can have a CLEAN home in less than an hour a day, not a SPOTLESS home. I'm OK with that. Second, I find that 30 minutes is not quite enough time for me to get my daily chores done, even with the kids' help, because I have to clean my floor every day. But I can also break it up and do 10 minutes here and there, rather than doing it all at once so it kind-of feels like no time at all. Third, I need to figure out how to work laundry into this system because I still can't get a handle on that.
Overall, however, I think this may be something I can do long-term. Yippee! Because I'm a visual person, and everything is more fun with a pretty list, I created this list I can print out every month and cross things off as I go:
Maybe I'll laminate it so I can use dry erase markers . . . I DO love to laminate things . . . If you like cute lists of chores, too, I created some blank images you can download and make your own lists on. One has the days of the week and one just has the cute header.
*TO DOWNLOAD & USE FILES: Hold down the CONTROL key while clicking on the image to open it in a new tab at full size, then right click and choose Save As or Save Image As {whatever it says that applies}.*
Happy housekeeping, friends!
Homemaking

I guess it's no secret, really, that I enjoy the 50's homemaker stereotype. I'm a stay-home wife and mother. I bake bread. I try to keep a clean house and dote on my family. I wear a cute ruffly apron. There is almost nothing that brings me more pleasure than my kids coming through the door at the end of the school day and immediately asking me what's for dinner. Because they're excited about my cooking! It helps that almost anything I say elicits a, "YES! Mom, you are on a roll!" {I've been trying to cook from-scratch meals lately, which my family is enjoying, apparently.}
But as a REAL girl in 2011 -- one who is sitting in front of the computer in my pajamas as we speak, who is college educated, who can't keep up with the laundry, who volunteers and "works" on many projects at home and in the community -- I don't agree with everything on that list. I, too, take offense to the idea that my man's life and opinions are more important than my own and that I should never question him about anything. Brent and I have always been very much equals as husband and wife. We each shoulder an equal, but different, weight of responsibility for home and family. At times when one of us is struggling to bear the weight of our responsibility, the other happily steps up and takes a larger portion. It's the only way to make things work. We certainly don't subscribe to a very traditional division of labor -- he has done his share of diapers and dishes while I have fixed my share of garbage disposals and leaky toilets. The point is, the work gets done with a hefty portion of mutual respect and admiration.
I cannot say, however, that I am wholly offended by the list either. I do feel a certain desire, if not responsibility, to make my home a haven for my family to return to after a long, hard day out in the world. I LIKE to have dinner ready {or at least in the works} when Brent walks through the door in the evening. I haven't always cared about that, and Brent would NEVER say that he cared either, but I'm learning now how much he appreciates it. I also really try to straighten up the house -- and myself -- before he gets home. That's how I was raised. My mom always had us run through the house about 15 minutes before my dad got home to put our junk away. It's just a nice thing to do.
Is it really so offensive that we would be expected to be happy to see our husbands when they get home from work? Or that we greet them with smiles and sincerely want to please them, even if they're late? I certainly expect him to do the same for me. No matter how bad his day at work has been {and there have been plenty of pretty bad days lately} I hope I always bring a smile to his face when he comes home. And I am working on not opening the floodgates of my personal frustrations and complaints the very minute he walks through the door. It's getting easier now that the kids are older and I can communicate with them in a meaningful way. When they were very young I was desperate for someone to talk to. I'm sure I overwhelmed Brent every single evening. Don't get me wrong, Brent is very much my "soft place to fall" as Dr. Phil would say. He hears my complaints and frustrations daily and offers me comfort and advice. Just later in the evening, after he's had a chance to unwind. I also try to call or text him if the kids are going to have immediate wants or needs from him so that he can take the hour-long commute home to prepare a response. Again, it's a nice thing to do. {And he would do the same for me. I know it.}
A good wife SHOULD know her place -- right beside her husband, working hand in hand to build a happy family. My goal truly is to make sure my home is a place of peace, order, and tranquility where not just my husband, but my whole family can renew themselves in body and spirit. But he can take off his own shoes and fluff his own pillow. He's a grown man for heaven's sake, and I've been working all day, too. Just sayin'...

9.11.2011
I was asked to speak in church today about President Uchtdorf's talk from the Sunday morning session of General Conference in April. This was one of my favorite quotes from his talk. Also, I stole some of this blog post from my little brother. He's a pretty good kid, that Robbie. Have a great day everyone!

9.03.2011
9.02.2011
Won't You Come In?

Or maybe it never will. Just seeing it on the screen of my computer is almost as satisfying as having the real thing. Because, let's be honest, that mirrored dresser in the first grouping would be a nightmare to keep clean. Isn't it pretty though? *sigh*
9.01.2011
Phase 2

{because you and me both know the HOA isn't going to approve a plan like that. Boo HOA.}

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