I won!

I won! By the way, the give away I posted... yeah, I won. I am pretty amazing. and I am really excited to get my prize in the mail... yes, I know I don't have a little girl to use the hair clips, but they are so cute I may just use them myself or mail them to a friend for Christmas... we'll have to see. But I have to say that I am excited about it anyway.

Also, I have been having alot of fun with felt and will post a picture soon! :)

Oooh a give away!

I've always seen give aways on blogs, and figure, you can't win unless you enter. Plus you can get some really cool homemade stuff, so I am giving it a whirl. This particular give away is fun because you get to post your favorite Christmas tradition, and thinking about it made me get a little more excited for the holidays.

Go to http://brittasboutique.blogspot.com/ to enter to win!

Cute Bread

I don't know what it is lately, but I am becoming obsessed with bread. It started at my cousin Sarah's house when I ate her delicious homemade bread every morning over Thanksgiving break. Hmmmm... (stares off dreamily for several long minutes before realizing that she is supposed to be writing...)

Anyway, I have been finding more and more cute bread online and gosh darn it, I am falling in love. Check some of these out, hopefully the artists won't mind. I will try to site everything...This darling piece of Toast was on www.dailycute.net with instructions on how to make him.


These cute pieces were found on Etsy, made by pumpkinpye517. She has tons of cute bread items including French Bread with little moustaches and cheese toasts. I want to buy all of them- and I don't know why all of the sudden bread is so stinkin cool, but it is.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share. I'd like to try my hand at making food with faces out of felt and sculpey, if I ever get around to it... (and that is my biggest set back as a creative artist... procrastination....) and now I'm hungry.

Hanging in there

Things here are generally good. We had a really fun Thanksgiving break, after shelling out some money for a new fuel pump, that is... but it was totally worth it for me to see my big sister and her baby bump! I also got a chance to play with my cousin's adorable baby boy and I found myself actually excited to have another little boy. Which is weird because it took longer than I had expected to feel excited about this pregnancy. I mean we wanted to get pregnant, I've wanted to have another child for a long time, so it was bizarre to me that I have felt so disconnected these first few months.

But all that has changed. I even went out and purchased material for a cute baby quilt. I am beginning to get the "nesting" feeling. It's just too bad that I am also getting that "I'm broke and my back is killing me" feeling. I am going to actually try to decorate my living room, which means slip-covering the mismatched furniture, making cute accent pillows, and embellishing the curtains. This also means organizing the bookshelf, and clearing out clutter.... Don't even get me started on what we'll do with Hudson's room, because I don't know yet...

I think I'll purge a bunch of stuff... I want to live more simply.

PS Eating out update- DOING SO WELL! We've really been doing good at eating at home. I hope to keep it this way. :)

Baby Boy

So, for those of you who are on my facebook probably already know... We are having boy #2 in April... but you folks who didn't know, don't feel bad, I only announced it last Thursday. Yes, I know, I've been sitting on this information for a while. . . Doesn't it make it seem like time goes faster, now you all have less time to wait!

So far so good. I will keep you posted.

A book I'm reading

I have been reading "The Family Manager" by Kathy Peel. I am really enjoying it. As self help books go, this one is by far my favorite. It speaks to me, not just because she admits to having once lived a life very similar to mine, but also because it's formatted in an appealing way. There are lists, quotes, little pointing fingers, checklists, worksheets, jokes etc... And it's all do-able... you know what I mean? There is no-"go out and spend hundreds of dollars on a new organizations system that may or may not work for you!" or making it seem over simplified "Just clean your house everyday..." right... if I could do that, would I be reading your book?

No, Kathy Peel is a real person, with a real family. And she says that Moms are really like CEOs of small businesses... when you start looking at it from a management perspective, she's right. Who controls all the incoming and outgoing money? Mom (or dad- the co-pilot) Who schedules the family's time? She incorporates sound business practices with family life, and I've found it to be most helpful... Delegating, team building, simplifying etc...

I enjoy it, and I would highly recommend it!

Am I Brave Enough?

I mean- Can I really do it?

I am almost afraid by writing these words, I am setting myself up for failure. I know- it must be done...

We need to stop eating out...

I know you've heard me complain about the food here in Havre, so why do we eat out so often?

1. It's fast. With Jason in night classes, and me getting off work at 5 pm- we're usually pretty hungry when I come home. We don't have a lot of time so we go out.

2. We are indecisive. Between the three of us, we usually cannot decide what to eat until we're so hungry that our tempers are flaring.

3. No dishes. Is there anything nicer than tossing your plates in the garbage when you're done instead of washing them, the pans, the silverware after eating? Or just leaving them on the table for someone else to take care of? I think not.

4. I am a terrible cook. I am not kidding. I try to make thrifty meals or homemade stuff, and Jason hates it. Oh, he'll eat it, because like I said we're too hungry at that point, but of course it won't taste as good if I make it.

5. It's something to do. In a tiny town (where all the businesses close before 7 except walmart and fast food joints.. oh and bars, but that's not a problem for us.) eating out provides some entertainment.

6. I am lazy- yes there it is. I admit it... I just don't want to do it. Any of it. I don't like planning the menu, cooking the food, serving the food, doing the dishes yada yada yada... Go ahead and judge me, I don't care! I sometimes wish I could be a stepford wife complete with remote!

So there it is- Sometimes there are battles in our lives that must be fought and won: demons to conquer and foes to slay! This is my battle (and at the risk of sounding a little to melodramatic) I WILL NOT BACK DOWN! I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED! I CAN DO THIS!!! (cue theme music--)

Paranoid

OK, so I will admit it. I have inherited some serious paranoia... and you know what? Suddenly my mother is no longer over protective- and I feel so much love retroactively. I worry, but it's not because I don't trust, or I want to annoy. It's because my child is the most precious thing in the world to me and I know I would go absolutely crazy if I were to ever lose him...

I am reminded of Finding Nemo-

Marlin: "I promised I'd never let anything happen to him."
Dory: Hmmm, that's a funny thing to promise.
Marlin: What?
Dory: Well, you can't never let anything happen to him. Then nothing would ever happen to him.

Where does all this anxiety stem from this morning? Hudson's preschool class is going swimming this morning. He doesn't know how to swim, and he's convinced that he does, and having once nearly drowned, I find myself a little worried... Other worries this morning include: The school bus driving in the snow, I forgot to put Hudson's toque on this morning and I don' want his head to get cold after swimming... I am worried about slipping on the slippery streets and about catching the swine flu...

Jason is right, I am a little bit of a basket case... so?

Apathy- A pathetic excuse...

You know what really bugs me? Apathy- and high school students seem to have it in truckloads. I don't really mind if school pisses you off, at least you're exhibiting some kind of emotion!
Rage against the machine!
Protest!
Write angry letters!
I don't care!!! But please, please, please.... please don't just sit there are look at me like this...



I am sick of people NOT CARING about stuff...

OK, I'll stop ranting.... but honestly people- wake up and start doing SOMETHING!

Snow... really?

It's supposed to snow tomorrow. We all know how I feel about that...The high this Friday is going to be in the 20s...

Snow is the reason I realized I was a grown-up.

Suddenly one snowy morning instead of feeling delighted by the beautiful and delicate flakes that twirled down to earth, I felt a solid cold dread in my stomach. And that's when I knew I was a "grown-up"

To a child snow means:
Snowmen
Sledding
snow angels
Christmas is on its way
School cancellations
snowball fights

To a "grown up" snow means:
higher heating bills
bad driving conditions
frozen pipes
shoveling the drive way
scraping car windows
worry about slipping/frostbite/hypothermia
that general feeling of being trapped....

see what I mean? Last year it was too frickin' cold to even enjoy the nice things about snow. Never before in my life have I seen so many lawns without snowmen, so few foot prints and sled tracks... no, I'm afraid when it's -35 degrees out, not even kids like snow around here....

so it begins....

Here's hoping that this winter will be Shorter, warmer, and drier than last!

When I get homesick...

As you can tell, I feel a little nostalgic for my homeland in the pacific northwest. This usually happens, I find, when the weather starts cooling down and the rain comes... Usually early October. Restaurants aside, I miss certain sights, sounds and smells as well... I have been stalking my old haunts by way of Google Maps, street view... I find it both comforting and creepy...
If you want to know a little more about where I am at, Type in Havre, MT into Google maps street view.... 1st street is our main street...it will explain much about the way I am feeling....

The Thing I miss most

Hey folks!
I haven't posted in a while. But now, I am resolved to post more frequently.

The thing I miss most about living in Seattle....
The food.

In no particular order the restaurants and foods that I miss the most:

Sizzler - awesome buffet, strawberry lemonade, and excellent Malibu chicken, fall off bone ribs and baked beans....
Qudoba- Tortilla chips with just a subtle hint of lime, 3 cheese queso, and chicken Quesidillas
Full Throttle- Avocado burger
Olive garden- salad, bread sticks, and pasta (all sorts), artichoke dip
Can-Am Pizza- pizza
Ihop- Stuffed french toast with strawberries
Ivars- Fish and Chips
Golden Corral- Sweet buttery hot rolls, and bourbon street chicken
Stanfords: wood smoked Hamburgers
The Golden Steer: Bacon
Taco bell- double decker taco
Wendy's - (Ok so we have a Wendy's but they don't have this on their menu anymore) the Spicy baconator
Panda Express- Garlic eggplant stir-fry
Zao's noodle bar- Dan-Dan chicken
Chang's Mongolian Grill- Noodles!!!
Rainforest Cafe- Rasta Pasta
Sabbros- Stuffed pizza with spinach and broccoli
Papa Murphies- vegetarian gourmet pizza

Dang, now I'm hungry! :(

In an effort to reduce the painful effects of living so far from so much delicious food, I am searching online for copycat recipes... I'm sorry to the chefs who work so hard to keep things a secret, but I'm in the middle of nowhere... trust me when I tell you that I will be visiting your establishments to spend money as soon as I can...

Why I love My Ward

In case I haven't mentioned it lately, I love my ward. The Havre Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is by far my favorite ward I've ever been in. This is not to slight any other ward I've been in, as there are people and things I love about all of them, but Havre feels so much like home. I love all of the people, and what makes it feel so great is that I feel a love from them as well. I feel my Savior's love in this ward and I find that so refreshing. I am able to study the gospel and build my testimony each week there.

Here are a few things that my ward is doing that makes me love being in it...

1.) The young women bake the sacrament bread every week as a way to participate in the sacrament, and that kind of love and sacrafice helps me to think more fully on the sacrament while I partake...

2.) This bishop has asked our Relief Society to help families prepare for Chirstmas so that we can avoid debt and so that we can focus on a Christ centered Christmas this year. To do this we are having a monthly enrichment were we are hand making gifts for our families- :)

3.) Our bishop has offered some of his land for the ward members to help work and when it is harvested we'll get some of the food... We haven't been able to coordinate times to get out there, but the fact the system is in place speaks volumes of our Bishop's love and concern for our ward family.

well, I could go on, but I've got to end this post.

It's been a while. I am still at the same weight. But this is my new philosophy about weight loss...

D&C 101: 37

so there!

Also, recently my bike was stolen off my porch... I am having issues dealing with its loss... I will report back again soon... My blog vacation is offically over.

Day 2

Day 2

Day two went well too, for the most part. I had a good breakfast and lunch, but you remember those cookies? They were nothing compared to the "last day of school" party in the HS library, replete with A HUGE sheet cake with piles of sugary frosting and several buckets of ice cream. I did really well with it. I had one piece of cake and a small scoop of ice cream and then went and hid in my ISS room. (amid heckling for being the most reclusive staff member. But one of the teachers I really respect said that I was smart for knowing my limits) Later one of the teachers offered me a 9 x 13 section of left over cake to bring home, but I said no thanks. I heard from another teacher that she had had 3 pieces of cake because they were trying to get rid of it. I felt pretty good that I hadn't stuck around... plus she looked like she felt pretty sick!

For Dinner I had Nalley's vegetarian chili- it's very good. The first time I served it Jason had no idea it used TVP (textured vegetable protein) instead of meat. When he found out, he was like, "oh, ok." :) It's less calories than regular canned chili and it takes great... added bonus is that it takes a total of 5 minutes to prepare. I like to serve it over a piece of torn up bread and sprinkled with cheese and a few fritos corn chips. It's a whole meal in 5 minutes. It can still be high in points (weight watchers) if you don't watch your portion size. I used a smaller bowl ( a blue one because I've heard that blue helps suppress appetite... I know I'm nuts)

And for my final proud moment of the day.... I went to a really fun Mary Kay Party that a lady from my ward put on and she did this really cool candy bar game where each candy bar represents another aspect of Mary Kay and if after she explained them we could remember what they represented we could have the candy. I remembered all of them and there was a lot of tempting candy, but I opted for the pack of gum instead of a chocolate bar... I got some other candy, but I'm going to save it or give it to Jason.

I'm happy that I'm making more conscious decisions about my diet. It does take alot more mental effort. Even though I'm not writing down and tracking points, I am very aware of what I eat and so I think it's helpful! :)

Ok, I'll stop now, I've got a bunch to do today! :)

Day 1

Ok folks... here it is!
June 1st was day one. Here's how it went

Weight: 190

Food: I feel pretty proud of my food choices today.
Breakfast: Soy milk and banana
Lunch: Healthy choice meal and 100 calorie cookie pack
Snack:I only had 2 cookies from the staff lounge (and I was alone with them- four plates of them...) Dinner: I opted for a 6 inch turkey sub in lieu of my usual foot long. I concentrated on eating slowly so it helped me feel full.
Snack: Sugar free jello pudding served cold.

As far as exercise goes: I got up early to do some wii fit-

I went to my weight watchers meeting and got motivated to incorporate more activity into my lifestyle. I will be bicycling to work the rest of the month and that should help.

Day one counts as a success...

(I know I'm posting on day two, but this will be one day off because I still have a lot of time to screw up day two... and a lot of time left to make good choices.

He knew what he was talking about.

Here are some quotes from one of my all time heroes... (I was born on his birthday)

• "You can't escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."—Abraham Lincoln

• "If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will."—Abraham Lincoln

"I would rather have people laugh at my economies than weep for my extravagance. ... Abraham Lincoln

I think the USA could do well to remember the wisdom of this great man.

OH MY WORD!

Apparently this is really going to happen this August. Not like the 1994-1995 hype that ended with Archie getting back together with Cheryl Blossom. I can't say I'm really that surprised that he's picking Veronica. It's just another case of a guy being too silly to know what's good for him. As much as I really like Betty, she really could do much better. I certainly wouldn't want to marry a guy and then wonder for the rest of my life if he regrets his choice. Best to look for other fish in a bigger pond... It's only taken them oh 50+ years to get here.... Oh well.

30 Day weight loss Challenge

That's right. I don't know if it's hormones or what, but I am sick to death of feeling flabby and fat. I have been waffling in my weight loss attempts for weeks and I just need a good shot in the arm (or kick in the rear) to get back on track. So what am I going to do? A 30 day weight loss challenge!

Side note: what makes this even harder is that I just finished writing 50 articles on weight loss for www.contentdivas.com and spent the whole time feeling guilty that I KNOW all about weight loss, but I'm fat. >:( explain that.... I guess it's a classic case of those who can't do teach... but who wants to take weight loss advice from a chubby girl? It's at times like these I thank my lucky stars I'm a ghost writer.

ANYHOW! 30 Day weight loss challenge. I'm just making this up as I go because I couldn't find something online that fit exactly with what I was going for. (BTW I'm starting June first, and anyone who wants to play along can feel free to.) I will be posting daily (Egads! Bear with me.) about my progress, but here is the catch. I will not weigh myself only twice - June 1st and then not until JUNE 30th. There will be pictures, actual measurements, and yes my real weight posted. (Not even my driver's licence has had that kind of honesty.)

I guess today I'm just kind of warning everyone that things could get ugly... and I actually WANT people to comment- keep me honest. If I think someone out there is keeping tabs on me this will probably work better.

~Kelly

Really?

I woke up to a blizzard again this morning. I'll post pictures later.

But since I'm still sick and feeling crappy, I have decided not to be mad. Being angry at the weather is probably the stupidest thing to be mad at. There is nothing I can do to change it, so I'll just raise my eyebrows and say, "really?" and then trudge out into the snow to scrap the inch or two of crusted on snow off my car and begin my day...

I'm beginning to doubt Montana.

Happy Mother's day

This is my very digital scrapbook layout. I made for my mom. I need more practice, but I think it turned out nicely. :)

when life gives you lemons

Squeeze the heck out of them and make delicious, refreshing lemonade. Like so:

1. Quarter the lemon

2. Put it in a zippy bag (check for holes if you can first)

3.) Add sugar to taste (only 15 calories for a tsp of sugar, or you can use splenda)

4. Squeeze the jucie from the lemon! (Great for even little kids, and can be very cathartic)

5. Add water, and icecubes if you want. Also I like to add a few frozen berries. The kind we made at day care training had koolaide icecubes!

5. Enjoy!

Clean up is a breeze! These are fun for picnics. Lemons only cost about 20 cents each here so it's cheap too. Only down side that I can see is for certain preschoolers with short attention spans who want to set it down and run off and play. :)

That Darn Cat

I probably woke the neighborhood this morning with my rather shrill (I am ashamed to say) scream.

Here's what happened. . .

I am buckling Hudson into his car seat and I hear a small "Thump thump", pause momentarily, but think nothing of it so continue to strap Hudson in.

When I stand up, I'm eye to eye with a cat. It's literally an inch from my nose. I scream - Hudson laughs and the cat- completely unfazed- cocks his head and meows. I slam the door hoping to scare it away, tell it to shoo, even clap my hands at it to no avail. Finally I said, "I'm going to drive away with you on the roof!" And hop in and start the car. The cat leaps to the ground.

This is the same cat that tried to get inside my house the other day, ducking and weaving and trying to get past my legs into the door. I finally had to brandish a rake at it for it to leave. It's getting pretty brazen.

Sheesh!

"meh"

What I'd like to know is how I got stuck in this t shirt and jeans trap. It's only one step away from the baggy sweats trap (although on weekends I've been known to indulge). I mean, really, for someone who was once a fashion major and who wore some pretty (dare I say) Zany clothes I've really mellowed. I think it has something to do with my life in general. I'm complacent when it comes to my diet, my style, my housekeeping, my finances... It's not that bad, but it's not that good either. A word I would use to describe this apathetic or just pathetic approach to life? "Meh"... It's pretty much my answer when asked my opinion on just about anything.

I have a friend who dyed her hair pink. She's not a punk-rocker or anything, just wanted pink hair and she went out and got it. I wonder what's preventing me from going out and taking more risks like that. Things I'd like to do but just feel like I'm not entitled to.

I need to go out on a limb and try something new. Jazz it up, so to speak. Any suggestions?

In case you haven't heard...

I LOVE PAPERBACKSWAP.com! It's this really neat website that you can post your old books, books that you read once and didn't enjoy, books you got as gifts, or books you buy at thrift stores for way cheap, and post them to this website. Once you post 10 books you get 2 free credits and can order ANY book in their vast database, or save them for a book you really want on your wish list. :) Then if someone requests a book from you, you print off the sheet and mail it to them (usually only a couple of bucks) and then when they receive the book you get a credit to order another book. You don't have to pay for shipping on the books you receive. It's really fun and it's a cheap way to get rid of books you no longer want and order new and interesting books. (They are all in really good condition too!) Check it out, and if you sign up, tell them I sent you. My email address is scrapbookmomma@gmail.com!

1940s hair

For some reason I got the hankering to learn how to make vintage hair styles. I've always loved the look of 1940's hair. So I looked it up online and apparently, there is an underground world of people who think they were born in the wrong decade. It's actually kind of neat. Anywho. I want to try 1940's style without being too wild and crazy. (History aside: Women had elaborate hair styles because during the war clothes were rationed so hair styles were the main form of self expression...) So here I am with my VERY FIRST attempt, no hair spray, rats (foam rolls or bags of hair) and just 4 bobby pins... I think I could make this look for me!

Some Quotes

Some quotes I liked from the book I'm reading "Behind Every Good Man" by John Bytheway

"The Grass isn't greener on the other side
the grass is greener where you water it"
-some guy named Mel from inter mountain sprinkler

"Pride is manifest in so many ways, such as faultfinding, gossiping, backbiting, murmuring, living beyond our means, envying, coveting, withholding gratitude and praise that might lift another, an being unforgiving and jealous." - Ezra Taft Benson

It brought me to mind of the fantastic Relief Society lesson yesterday, and the teachers challenge to not be critical of anyone, especially those in our ward and families. I am beginning to see the bigger picture here and wonder where this book was a year ago when I could have really used it. (I can really use it now, but it would have gone a long way to soothe a troubled heart...

I highly recommend it.

I really want to do this. A couple of weeks ago I made a skirt out of a pair of pants that were too long for me and I love it. (Next time I will try a little harder to make nice seams and use the right color thread, but it kind of got me excited to find other ways to recycle my clothing. The other aspect is that is sometimes hard to find modest and cool looking clothes at the stores, and this is a good way to make a unique outfit and tailor it to your needs. :) I will post a picture of my awesome new skirt soon. Maybe with a tee-shirt that I've fancied up! :)

Happy Earth-Day! (and Birthday, Dad!)

I am not an Earth-hippie as my husband calls them, but I won't deny that I long to be more eco-friendly and more self-reliant. I have recently read the Foxfire books and know how to slaughter my own pigs, build a log cabin, and make soap from lard, (none of which I think I'll need anytime soon.) It's fascinating to me- self reliance- and I really want to get there. I'd like to be like Henry David Thoreau on my own little Walden... but I also want the complete seasons 1-2-3 of Bones... I am torn. So I do what I can to live with one foot in and out of eco-hippiville...

I recently found this website that I am now a HUGE fan of, and would love to help out. If you save your old candy wrappers or juice pouches they will donate 2 cents for every wrapper to the charity of your choice or to any school in the USA. Isn't that Awesome? I'd like to do my part, but I am also trying to lose weight and it's better if I just don't buy the cookies/candy in the first place.

http://www.terracycle.net




Here's another great book and website for those who want the best of both worlds.

http://www.gorgeouslygreen.com

I have also recently found a man who could go on my list of personal heroes (Somewhere near John Denver and Mr. Rogers) - They call him the Garbage Warrior. He's amazing! I recommend these videos.

More

I weighed in tonight at Weight Watchers. I gained 1.5 this week. :( I'm pretty bummed about this because I have been walking and trying to exercise this week. I even walked to weight watchers- uphill! But these things are often a week behind so maybe I'll see results for my hard work next week.

"But don't give up!" The lady across the table from me said as I crammed my feet back into my walking shoes.

"I wouldn't give myself the satisfaction!" I said stoutly, drawing laughs from the women in line. I guess that did sound a little pscitsofrenic.

So when I got home tonight I popped in a 15minute dance workout video and realized again why I don't do that dvd very often. Besides a total and utter lack of coordination, a sandy haired dance fiend intent on showing me up keep tripping me up. Argh!

So, I'm going to have to challenge myself. My biggest hang-up with W.W. is tracking. I just can't seem to do it. I mean when I do track what I eat it's during the day while I am at work and that's easy, then I get home and it all goes down the toilet... wait that didn't sound right.... I mean out the window. So I'm just going to have to challenge myself to track, and I'm counting on you, gentle reader, (I don't know if you're gentle, but it sounded nice) to keep me in line. I will post again on how I'm doing with this... feel free to leave scathing comments if I fail miserably.

pedometer: 11519 miles:5.44

5 things

5 Things I am proud of myself for today

1. 5 minutes early to work
2. wrote 5 articles today (only needed 2)
3. wore my pedometer (as of 4:30 today 5424 steps)
4. Ate responsibly.
5. Encouraged a student

5 things I could have done better

1. used less "embellishing" when telling stories...
2. Organized my workspace
3. Smiled more
4. Read my scriptures... but there is still time
5. waste less paper.

Wanted: Clothes line

It's such an amazingly warm and sunny day I decided to dry some of my clothes outside in the fresh air. It's crazy how expensive it is to run a dryer. I am trying to think of some way to have a clothes line outside without having to put in posts.... My landlady would have an aneurysm. I only put out some hand towells and bath mats today, but it would be nice to dry all my clothes this way this summer. I've been racking my brain about how to save money on our energy bill- and I think if I had an indoor line down in the basement and an outdoor line outside it would help to cut back on the massive amounts of energy this is wasted by the dryer...

I am also excited to start gardening a little. I have found the ideal sunny places in my back yard and I want to get some of those hanging "over the rail" type planters to put on the back fense. It's my hope that having them off the ground will discourage weeds and also cats...

I am not a big fan of cats- at least not my neighbors cats- who use the yard a litter box. I have heard that dishsoap and vinegar with some lavander mixed together and sprayed around the permiter will help discourage cats from our yard... I'm thinking of trying it. :)

Hurray for Spring. I am feeling my spirits lift every day!

A Montana sunset

Last night I had a pretty short fuse. I get frustrated when Hudson whines and Jason is thirsty and doesn't like our choices of beverages. It was generally chaotic in the house and I just needed to get out. So I went for a walk, ignoring Hudson's plaintive pleas to join me and set off at a brisk pace around the block.

It's April- but here in Northern Montana, we still get the occasional snow flurry. But last night was beautiful! It was almost 8:00 and the sun set was pink and orange and stretching across the horizon. At first all I could hear was my swirling thoughts and the slapping of my flip-flops on the pavement, but then I heard a birdcall and it made me stop. It was the most beautiful sound in the world at that moment, and it took me back to the shady Soos Creek Trail near my childhood home. I used to walk the Soos Creek Trail with my friends or with my dad all the time- it's a beautiful preserved wetland that is home to all sorts of birds and animals.

I stood in front of someones house for a long while, probably making them pretty curious, and just listened to the birds. It really cleared my head... Not to mention that I felt pretty good about getting some exercise.

When I came back in, Hudson wrapped his little arms around my legs and said "I thought I lost you! I don't ever want to lose you again!"

It made me laugh, I hadn't "stormed" out, I just said I was taking a quick walk and would come right back- Jason had reassured him that I'd be back in a minute- Hudson just has a flare for the dramatic!

It's amazing to me what a little fresh air, a sunset, and some birds can do for the spirit.

Some things on my mind this morning-

1. Morse code
2. Northern Exposure (1990's television show)
3. Cherry Lime-aid
4. Soy milk
5. Bloons Tower Defense 3
6. Weight Watchers Walk-!T Challenge
7. The March of Dimes
8. WIC Appointments

A NEW BLOG!

I have a blog dedicated to my sweet and spunky 3 year old, and one to my cathartic poetry... which am I surprised some of you have actually perused... but don't have one just for me. I journal all the time in what has quickly amassed to the Chronicles of Kelly- a rambling, disjointed litany of complaints or accolades depending on my mood- but I want a blog with a pretty background darn it! And I want it to be out there ----> you know, in the great vastness that is cyberspace. I know I have a few online fans of Hudson's that have at times questioned the fact that there are rarely any photos of me (unless Hudson is on my lap) and also very little news of what I am doing. I don't know if I can handle juggling this many blogs- I have a feeling that there may be long stretches without posts, but oh well. Cyber space has room for one more person's rambling.

I actually wanted to dedicate this blog as a way of publicly acknowledging my goals and making myself more accountable for them. So, dear reader, you will probably discover that I am continually getting stuck in Alma, forever losing and gaining 2 or 3 pounds, and have a to do list that always includes dishes, laundry, and organization...

Here's to the launching of my new blog... I hope I keep it up.