Thankful Thursday

This video is great to watch-- yes sound is required--

http://foreverfoldinglaundry.blogspot.com/2009/09/i-need-napkin.html

Oh my Gosh---I am thankful for "guerrilla" theater!

My friends and I always wanted to do something like this at our High School--but we never got around to it--or I should say the nerve to do it.
I will post more of these type of "theater" acts tomorrow for Funny Friday!


Other things I am thankful for after being here this week
I don't know why I feel a need to number my lists--oh well

1. Home videos
2. People who return phone calls
3. People who just listen (thanks Angie)
4. People who don't go away during tough times even if they don't know how to handle it.
5. People who actually help and not just say "if there is anything I can do..."
6. People who have knowledge and experiences and use it to help others.
7. Tissues
8. Nurses, Dr's and everyone else who can work with health care everyday.
9. People who are busy, but really take time to help you understand
10. My girls
11. Pepper totally understanding everything I say
12. Pepper talking all the time--even if I don't understand her
13. Pepper's attitude walk--makes me laugh every time
14. Sedona's excitement to meet new people and do fun things
15. Sedona's ability to watch a movie so I can make phone calls-even if Pepper won't-
16. A good car that is in pretty good shape
17. My memories (too many to list)
18. Hand Sanitizer
19. The Internet, to inform me, to connect me, and help me find a moment of distraction
20. Family

Motivation Monday

Motivation is a tricky subject.

It is illusive, what can motivate us one day may not motivate us the next…

Plus Motivation is fleeting. We may wake up (or in my case good to sleep) with our day planned—and chalk full of good intentions only to be distracted at the first temptation.

So today is just a list of things that can get me motivated…at least for a while.

1. I read a book written in the 1950’s about the duties of a house wife. I figure if they could do ALL of that, in heels, a dress, and pearls no less, I can do SOMETHING.

2. I put on music—either angry girl songs, dance songs, or other music I might be in the mood for and then try to accomplish as much as possible in each song.

3. I set a timer for 20 minutes and then race against the clock to see what I can get done in 20 minutes.

4. I call a friend (thanks Annie or Pam) and we “race”. Again a timer is set and we tell each other what we will accomplish in the set amount of time (normally about 20 minutes) and then get to work and call each other back in 20 minutes to see what we accomplished.

5. I work for a set amount of time and then allow myself to “play” (either on the computer, or watch part of a movie, or have a treat).

6. I think about what I could do if my house was clean and I didn’t stress about it—

7. I think about the “older” women who are still struggling with the same stuff I am to keep a clean house and don’t want to be like that!

8. If I get angry (mostly at Lucas) I can get a lot done. I am not sure why that works, but it does.

9. IF it doesn’t involved house work I have a different process.

a. For long term projects I do an outline. I figure out what I want the end result to be and work backwards to figure out the steps I need to take and write it all down. Even the smallest steps—

b. I also try to do the easiest thing first and then the hardest thing next—after that everything else just is easy.

Alright I am sure I have more, but I am so motivated to get out and do stuff---

So have a great day!

Every now and then....

I stole this off another sight, but then made some of it my own. I just feel like every women feels this way--


~Every now and then I forget that my children will be grown soon and won't want to play with me anymore.

~Every now and then I forget that I have been blessed with a husband who loves me.
~Every now and then I forget that the responsibility I heap on myself and my actual
responsibilities are very different.

--Every now and then I forget that my life is blessed beyond measure and that God is mindful of me, my family, my friends, and my situation.

~Every now and then I forget that my house doesn't have to be perfect 24/7 and to stop worrying about what I am NOT Doing

~~Every now and then I forget that I can just relax a little bit.

--Every now and then I need to remember that this time in my life is hard, but it is just for a season.

--Every now and then I need to remember that EVERYONE is hurting or grieving in some way and I JUST need to listen!

--Every now and then I need to remember my body and great mind are gifts, and I need to treat them like they are, healthy food, good exercise, and enough sleep.

--Every now and then I need to stop having such high expectations of others and myself.

--Every now and then I need to remember that Faith, Hope, Charity, and Love are more important than high scores, the next level, keeping up with computer networks, the unfinished craft, or even the next expectation I put on myself to accomplish.

~Every now and then I forget that it doesn't matter in the slightest little bit what other people think of me. It only matters what I think of me. And, what He thinks of me.

~And I remember that the little bit that I am doing right now is ok.

Weekly Plans

YEAH! Lucas found my phone! So everyone even though I don't ever really use it, I not am reachable again--It was somewhere in all our camping stuff--don't ask I don't know.



I always have grand plans--so this is no different, but I am not going to be upset if I don't follow it. But I did this for Zola when I worked for her, just more work related.



So this is my plan for my blogging days---I think if I blog daily, as a reward, I will accomplish more of what I desire.


MOTIVATION MONDAY--Get you up and going!
TOTALLY CRAFTY TUESDAY-- Something I am working on--I will NOT add anymore crafts to my already overgrown pile of "need to do someday" pile of crap--I mean crafts...
Wild Warrior Women WEDNESDAY-- When I was in High School we were the Arapahoe Warriors and the WWW-wild warrior women--did service projects--so I want to feature, do, or find someway to be a WWW!!!
THANKFUL THURSDAY-- Just what it says--we have SO MUCH to be thankful for, I will just add to my list every Thursday.
FUNNY FRIDAY-- Fridays are for FUN! So I will post a funny story, picture, or something to lighten us up for the weekend!
SOMETIMES SATURDAY--I don't always have time to blog on Saturday so sometimes I will blog, sometimes I will not....
Sunday--the day of rest--so no post


Again, I think this will go on hold until I return home...
But since today is umm...Thursday?

I will write another thankful list

Mostly my Denver thankful list--with some Sanford Thanks thrown in....

1. The sound of the girls laughing as I type
2. Awesome ward members of my mom who watch my girls
3. Being with in walking distance of the Temple
4. An incredible strong mom and family
5. Sprinkler systems
6. Eclectic weed eaters
7. facebook--
8. Blogging
9. The Library--anywhere!
10. Book Sales
11. People who enjoy being nurses and are good at their job!
12. Family (those that are blood and those that are not)
13. Pizza
14. Fast Food in general!
15. Chipolte
16. Support from everyone, even those I wouldn't expect it from
17. My computer at home
18. Puzzles--yes random, but they are a great relaxer to me!
19. A good pair of comfy, cute jeans
20. Good cartoons--yeah Backyardagians!
21. Pet Stores
22. Songs that you can sing too at the top of your lungs!
23. Time out as a type of disciple
24. Stoacks (sp?) green chili sauce!
25. Being useful to someone who needs help
26. Making lists and getting them done
27. Planning--food, activities, parties.
28. learning something fun and new
29. Purple Grapes--but white grape juice
30. Picking Vegetables out of a garden

Gone to Denver!

Hello All,

I am off to Denver so I will be blogging from Denver
I will mostly be blogging on my Dad's blog so don't be suprised if you don't hear from me for a while.

Thanks
Amy

lots of gabber--enjoy

How to Clean Silver (THE EASY WAY!)

(I don't know how it would work on jewerly)
Since I was cleaning small salt and pepper shakers I used a mini bread pan. I lined it with aluminum foil and covered the shaker (one at a time) with Baking Soda

Next I poured boiling water over it until it bubbled like this-

Sorry for the gross sink drain-

And I kept pouring a little bit of boiling water on it until it stopped bubbling completely

Then I took it out and wiped it off--that was it--nothing else--See before and after below--not bad for no elbow work-

I have scrubbed silver before-with special powders, gels, and other such stuff---

this worked almost just as good--with no work

(but it still smelled like rotten eggs--I think that is the way the tarish must smell)

Before--kind of blurry--

sorry-there was black in the detail work-you can't really see it.

Kind of get the idea anyway.

After

--now remember I didn't scrub or anything-just wiped off with a paper towel when finished--not perfect, but WAY better then scrubbing!

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Garden Loot from today

That bag is about 2 feet tall

and stuffed full

stuff was falling out when I was carrying it into the kitchen

The top 1/3 is green chili peppers (Or jalapheno's)

Then Green Beans

and 1 zuchinni at the bottom

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working with Green beans

I just blanch them and freeze them

The bottom mess is all the ends I throw away-

Yes I know I am throwing alot of the green bean away, but I line

all my green beans up and cut with a knife and if a little extra is left--it goes in

the trash--spare me the lecture, Lucas already gave it to me.

THE JOLLY GIANT GREEN BEANS

The dollar bill is clean, I washed it with my clothes on accident earlier that day.

I like the color of Green Chili Peppers--so enjoy

THE JOLLY GREEN GIANT GREEN CHILI PEPPERS

again the money is freshly laundered, so therefore clean.

One crazy one on the end was growing between so many branches of the plant that it was totally misshaped...Thought it was neat.

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So I got most of the upstairs railing finished
I don't know if I will ever finish this project. If the weather is still nice when I come home from Denver I really want to get the doors upstairs and around the windows in the back done.

But I will settle for finishing up the railing and the door I have scraped up there.

I also wanted to thank Rose Porter for suggesting to me to paint the trim brown--I really like it brown and would have never thought of it myself! THANKS!

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Picked alot of the garden

The garden was plum full---but not with plums. I had A TON of green beans and green chili peppers. and a big zuchinni!

It took about 1/2 hour to pick everything, and that is how long I thought it would take to pick and freeze everything. I am not canning this year again....maybe next year....will life ever NOT be hectic?

The last few years I haven't gardened well because ...

2005-newborn Sedona

2006-no excuse, but Sedona was only 1 and that is a hard age to get stuff done with.

2007-Pepper was a newborn--was in Denver for most of the harvesting season

2008-Primary President/Story time leader/Personal issues

2009-Dad in hospital/Primary President

So I have had some excuses I guess.

Maybe next year I will be a perfect gardener--including starting plants inside, without killing them.

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I am just tired of having projects and never

1. Learning how to do them

2. Starting them-then getting stuck and just abandoning them

3. Thinking they have to be perfect so I never start them for fear of messing them up.

I just need to really perge my craftroom and ligthen that room so I feel less pressure to make/create/do things.

I need to find something I am really good at that I enjoy and is easy and cheap--any suggestions?

I almost feel like I enjoy collecting the craft stuff and organizing it more than I like to use it.

When I did Pepper's baby book I bought things one page at a time--a little more expensive, but man it worked way better that way for me. Maybe I will have a huge craft sell

(like a garage sell, but only sell my craft stuff)

I will let you know

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I raked and shoveled the apples that have fallen off the lawn

I have a love/hate relationship with tree's. I love the way they look in spring and fall, but hate the apple trees mess--they stink when they fall off the tree and rot-they are slimy to touch, BTW--while I was mowing the lawn--I didn't rake first and there were so many apples I literally got the riding lawn mower stuck in the apple slime. The back wheels were just spinning and making applesauce all over the back of the lawnmower--gross!

Plus each year I think I will do so good and make Pie filling, Apple Juice, Applesauce, and apple jam---in all the years we have lived here I did make pie filling last year--sign--

I do love the crab apple tree in spring, but I hate the mess and I have a feeling that that tree will be trimmed way down this upcoming spring.

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As I type I can hear a mouse sneaking around in my kitchen. I will have to set a trap--it ate the tops of the cupcakes I made while I was at my Primary meeting---grrrr...

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I really have to start writing down the things the girls say--Sedona is such a drama queen I can't even believe it, but she makes me laugh so much

Pepper is starting to talk and sings and does so all the time at home. Her favorite sayings right now

1. I hungry

2. Potty Mommy

then when finished

3. Show mommy -and shows me she went potty

She is totally cute and totally spunky--

I love my little girls so much sometimes when lucas isn't home I just want to go upstairs and all of us sleep in Sedona's bed, but then I remember the last time I slept with those two girls (camping) and decide wisely against it--if I want any sleep!

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I have a friend coming over to help tomorrow after 2:30--but would it be bad if I just had her teach me more about sewing instead of helping to clean/work?

I should be working, but I am going to do something I haven't done in a long time. I am going to try to be up by 6:00--ok 6:30 and work like crazy until the girls get up...then take a nap when Pepper takes one. Can I do it--Yes I can!

I will tell you more about it tomorrow

It is almost midnight-thirty--I guess I better go to sleep!

I have so much to say when I just sit down and start typing---

hope you enjoyed some of it.

count down has started!

So I am leaving for Denver on Sunday, and still have a house load of stuff to do...
BUT my main goals are
1. Garden-as much frozen as possible
2. Apples-Do SOMETHING with those stupid apples so they don't go to waste AGAIN this year!
3. Good cleaning of the house
4. Finish painting the railing upstairs!

Wish me luck!