Toy Giraffe?

Let me start by saying that I have no spatial reasoning. I have a creative mind, and a lot of creative thoughts, but my mind lacks that part that allows you to imagine space. I can't look at a taken apart anything and imagine how it goes, I can't look at an empty gutted house and see how it will look in my mind with walls. I have no sense of measurements and what they mean. With that said, I came across a pattern for a bunch of different animals to crochet while looking for late-night projects and decided it would be kind of cool to challenge myself and give one a try. I picked this cute giraffe and thought, what a cute little toy for the new little baby. I got my yarn, and started crocheting. After like only 3 sleepless nights I had all the pieces done and it was time to assemble. I started sewing together all my giraffe parts, and before I knew it I was holding a 2 foot giraffe...not quite the little toy I was imagining...but cute non the less. I looked at the measurements beforehand that's the funny part, but they meant nothing to me...and I ended up with a 2 foot giraffe nursery decoration instead of a toy. Nonetheless I was pretty impressed with myself!

Get the Yarn!

So I took a break from school until further notice on account of the new baby, and the move back to Utah. Needless to say that has resulted in my having more time on my hands, which I LOVE! That along with the insomnia that I have right now has made it necessary to find ways to keep my hands as well as my mind busy! So of course I decided that a good project would be to make some new little hats for the new little baby! I got out my patterns, my hooks, and headed to Joanns for the rest of the needed supplies. I've been quite the little crocheter these last couple of weeks, and I have to admit that it has kept me very busy and content. The first hat below I crocheted for the new baby, it's Super soft, and very silky, but due to my being a little rusty with the needle I made it slightly big for a newborn. No need to worry though I'm pretty sure it will be perfect for winter! The second hat is one that I made for one of my girlfriends at church. She is due in July and is not finding out what she is having so I made the hat for her in a more "neutral" color but just in case it turns out to a be a girl I crochet a little flower which I hot glued to a little clippy that she can attach to the hat. If it does turn out to be a boy, the flower is removable and she can use it for her other little girl. To be honest I made the second one for my friend and it turned out SO cute that I almost kept it for myself...I managed to pry it away from myself though. Chris told me just to make another one for myself...I'm thinking I will since I'll need to save some projects for the long drive out to Utah. I timed myself on these hats and believe it or not I can do the whole thing with the flower in under 2 hours...NICE! The only thing is that it's turned into a longer list of projects (which I of course LOVE) because the other 3 kiddos all wanted hats made for them too. I've finished one for Lilliana which I will post soon!

What Makes Me Happy?

So I've been thinking that I want to tweek this blog of mine to more focus on the things that make me happy. I've been thinking a lot and decided that these are the things in my life that help me to "Make it Happy" on a day to day basis:

1. My wonderful family

2. Organization (weird I know but it brings me joy when my life gets more Organized)

3. Being a Creative and Crafty Chick

4. Learning

5. Incorporating the Gospel into our family and into my life as an individual

So I think that this blog is going to more focus on these 5 areas, and the things that I do in these areas to make my life happy and to bring more JOY into my life and the life of my family.

Fall

So I LOVE Fall. It is by far my favorite time of year! I love the weather, the leaves, the colors, Halloween (my favorite holiday), my birthday, football, and of course I love the clothes that comes with fall! I love all the sweaters, layering, boots, hats...oh I love it all! I've been dying ever since we moved to Texas...fall eventually comes around but it's known by a different name (winter) and it flies by all to fast! Rarely do the leaves change, I miss so badly our fall drives through the canyon...oh it is so beautiful. :-( I got through it last year by keeping my mind off of it and just trying to not think about what I was missing. But doing that is becoming increasingly more difficult the longer we stay away from home! This entire year I have been so homesick for Utah! Our last trip up there this summer served to just seal in my heart that Utah is home for us and I'm counting the days (impatiently) until we can finally go back. It's especially hard because if our life goes the way we want then that means we'll be away from Utah for a number of years...it's hard. My best friend just had a baby two months ago and it absolutely killed me that I couldn't be there! Between all the weddings, birthdays, showers, holidays and babies, and just everything going on there that I know we are missing out on is so heart breaking! So now on top of everything else we're missing out on another gorgeous Utah fall and Aggie football...

Things right now are going okay in Texas, we're trying to have an open mind and focus on the wonderful things going on here, but despite my efforts my mind keeps drifting to that Utah fall...so I finally decided the other day (a decision Chris laughed at me about) that I was going to will it to be Fall here so at least it would one less thing I was missing out on. I decided I'd wear my fall clothes, act like it was fall, believe it was fall, and just generally think FALL. I'm pretty sure it's working. The last two weeks has been total Fall weather (as fall as it gets in Texas). It's been slightly cooler weather, rainy, and fall like. I do see the leaves starting to change and fall and this weekend I'm hoping to put the final nail in the coffin so to speak by putting up all of my fall decorations and doing fall crafts with the kids. I would love love love to see the Utah fall though so if anyone out there wants to email me some Utah fall pics I would be in heaven! (I'll probably blow them up and frame them and hang em' all over my house) I do have my KSL 5 weather calender that I bought for Christmas while we were in Utah and I'm loving the fall pics in there!

But for now I'm thinking happy FALL thoughts and wearing my fall clothes (which sometimes means I have to blast the AC) and missing home but trying to make the best of our current situation! Wish me luck! :-)

5 things that made you smile

I got this tag from a friend of mine's blog. Simple, but I think it's good to take stock every now and then of the blessings in our lives and the simple little things that make us happy. So list 5 things that made you smile today

1. The sound of my babies laughing

2. The text I got from the hubs saying he loves me more and more everyday

3. Waking up to a clean house

4. To see that the rain stopped (for now)

5. The excitement in my kids eyes and the little cheer they did when I told them there was still cupcakes left over from lastnight's party.

I tag anyone who wants to be tagged.

Getting bigger and hating it.

Carson is getting so big lately...
and I'm hating every minute of it! I love watching him learn and grow and become such a little man, and it makes me so proud to see him, but honestly at the same time it makes me want to cry! I love my kiddies at the age they are now! But the more I try and fight it the more it hurts. I'm trying to cope with it and embrace it rather than fight it...it's hard though and goes against everything I know!

My baby turned 4 in June...one more year until he's off to school and that will be a hard day for me! I'm trying to do everything I can to prepare him but mostly myself for that day while at the same time not taking this last year for granted. I've been trying really hard to make this last year so fun-filled and exciting (secretly I'm hoping that way he wont wanna leave me). It seems like just yesterday I found out I was finally preggers with him after trying for so long! Chris and I were over the moon...not to mention my mom as well! I remember I told Chris and nothing could wipe the grin off his face for weeks! My sweet boy has always been such a loving child. Always a cuddler, always wanting to give me hugs and kisses and tell me that he loves me. I dread the day that fades away. I pray it doesn't. Today I told him across the breakfast table that I missed him while he was sleeping and he held up the sign for "I love you" with his hands (because he was too busy eating his cereal) it melted my heart!

It seems like every day he and Lilliana and Landon are doing things to become more independent and I excitedly let them know each time how very big they are getting and how proud I am of them...but all the while I'm screaming inside "STOP IT! STAY LITTLE FOREVER!" I'm praying for strength and courage...but I'm also thinking another baby wouldn't hurt...

One track mind

Anyone else's husband have a one track mind?

Ha ha I know what you're thinking...but that's not what I meant. That is one of my biggest problems in my marriage, the fact that the hubs has a one track mind. In general a one track mind. It seems as if whatever happens to get stuck in that mind of his is the only thing he can focus on, whether it's the Jazz, work, school, dental applications, fantasy football, aggie sports in general, or Glenn Beck and the horrible state that our country is in...whatever it may be, I certainly feel like what its not is me or the kids, or working on our house, or caring about our finances...the list goes on.

We've been together for 8 years and it has always been the thorn in my side when it comes to our otherwise nearly perfect relationship! I'd have to say it is probably the biggest thing that urks me and drives me up the wall. The one thing that never fails to unleash my feiry latin anger and unyeilding nagging and guilt trips. Don't get me wrong I know, because he tells me every so often, that our family and the things that are important to me are important to him, but it's getting him to prove it with actions that is the hard part. It's not even that he doesn't want to do these things...he does, he's alwyas happy to help and to be involved. What drives me absolutely nuts is that I have to push him to action otherwise the thought rarely will even cross his mind.

My hubs would be so content to sit and watch TV all Saturday afternoon, if I ask him to do something with the family he happily will. I guess it's the fact that I have to push him to be interested or involved with those things that are important to me, otherwise while important to him, he thinks saying it and thinking it is enough.

I decided not too long ago that I was done fighting so hard. My problem is my pride and Chris's problem is his inability to multi-task or to take initiative. When we very first got married, well like a year into our marriage, I told him the secret to making me happy while getting what he wants, and Chris gave me the secret to making that happen on my end.

My Secret: I will happily let him go out with his friends, go out and play b-ball, golf, football whatever, spend time on the computer doing his fantasy football or looking up his aggie fan sites, watch Glenn Beck, play x-box whatever and he can do it all he wants and I'll get involved to and I'll do so with a huge smile on my face and love every second he's doing what makes him happy just so long as he learns to keep a balance and as long as while he's at home not doing those things he gives me, the kids, the house and whatever is important to me his full attention. (there in lies our problem)

His Secret: I have to remind him. Because, even my wonderfully cute hubby knows, what everyone else knows...he's got not only a one track mind but also a forgetful mind.

I fought this for so long because my pride told me that if I had to remind him to care about the important things to me while it came so easy to me to care about the important things to him than that must mean he doesn't love me as much as I obviously love him.

It took me a few years to finally decide about a year ago that my pride was getting in the way of my being truly happy by getting what I wanted all along.

So, finally we get to compromise. I sat down with my wonderful hubby and we discussed differnt things we could do, tricks, reminders whatever to help him to help me so that we could all around be happier! (that list will come soon...still testing them to see if they are working, but so far so good.)