My mom referred me to a site recently called The Dahling Dating Divas.
It's created a monster of me.
But luckily, it's a pretty great monster to morph into: The planning-fun-dates-for-my-hubby-and-I monster.
The site is run by 12 married women (I think they're all married, anyways. There might be a single one or two) who talk about the fun dates they've planned for their husbands.
So I think to myself...what a fun idea.
Then, after I got through all the grumpy and whiny "but-he-doesn't-do-that-for-me's" and the "but-why-should-I-be-the-one-planning-the-date-s" (all spurred on by pregnancy hormones, fersher.)....I realized that this would be a really fun way to show my D-Hubby that he is still my main man.
So far, it's resulted in a LOST date, inspired by this post.
Ours was the cheaper version, of course.
I decorated our bedroom with cardboard and poster-board palm trees and wouldn't let him in until our date started (after Baby Rae was in bed, asleep.) I posted a Dharma Initiative sign on the door to tell him to STAY OUT, too. I left a love note on the mirror, explaining our evening and such...and then we had island-type treats: fruit smoothies and popcorn...because I'm pretty sure they have popcorn on deserted, enchanted islands, alright? Aaaand because I have a middle-school boy sense of humour, I left out macaroons on the bed and told him to watch out for the polar bear and boar poop. I thought I was soooo funny. :) Then we watched LOST, of course. Three episodes. Then fell asleep at 9:30...because we were beat like who-knows-what from a long week. The joys of a married-date :)
And did I mention I made us wear deserted island outfits? Oh, because I did. Baha.
D-Hubby wasn't quite sure what to think for the first half of the date...but we had fun. And it's definitely spurred on the planning of future fun little dates to enjoy together. Future cheap dates to enjoy together. :)
Love that D-Hubby or somethin'.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Discovered Lately.
Coeur de Pirate. (Baby-Rae and I love dancing to Comme des Enfants)
Little and Ashley.
Best Idea for Wedding Gift Ever.
D-Hubby and I's Favourite Wedding Blog.
The music has given me the song-writing bug again. Someone get me a piano STAT! Even a ukulele would work. Or teach me how to play the guitar.
Anything!
Little and Ashley.
Best Idea for Wedding Gift Ever.
D-Hubby and I's Favourite Wedding Blog.
The music has given me the song-writing bug again. Someone get me a piano STAT! Even a ukulele would work. Or teach me how to play the guitar.
Anything!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Time.
I've been thinking a lot about my time on the internet lately. And what the heck I'm doing while I'm on it.
Because...sometimes I can't explain how I just spent x-amount of time sitting in front of that glowing screen.
...Well, maybe I can...I check Facebook, I check my email, I check blogs I follow, I check recipes, I check Kijiji for such-and-such, I check my other email account, I get distracted by the "news" stories on the email homepage, I get an email to check another cool blog, I surf for a certain tutorial on this sewing thing I haven't figured out, I drool over some more recipes, creep on some photography blogs, and finish off by probably checking Facebook again.
What's been bothering me lately is that it's all I do when I have nothing else to do (orr....don't want to do whatever else I should be doing...ha). I haven't been very creative with my free-time. I just spend it looking at things I can make with some extra time. Ha....just dreaming, not doing.
The other day I came to the conclusion that there's got to be something else I can do with a little free time here and there....so I brainstormed...and this is what I got:
So, apparently, there's actually a lot more things I could think of doing, other than just surfing the 'net.
And in all reality, some of these things even take time on the internet or computer. But at least it's focused time, y'know?
Really, I love the internet, I love computers, and they are hands-down necessary these days...I'm not anywhere near boycotting my lovely little PC (named Rico Suave for all interested. Dreamy little beast.) or smashing the laptop with a sledgehammer in protest. I just have needed some reminding that I have a lot more options, and a lot less excuse for a lazy, blah, aimless internet-surf when I have a few precious minutes to relax and rejuvenate.
Because...sometimes I can't explain how I just spent x-amount of time sitting in front of that glowing screen.
...Well, maybe I can...I check Facebook, I check my email, I check blogs I follow, I check recipes, I check Kijiji for such-and-such, I check my other email account, I get distracted by the "news" stories on the email homepage, I get an email to check another cool blog, I surf for a certain tutorial on this sewing thing I haven't figured out, I drool over some more recipes, creep on some photography blogs, and finish off by probably checking Facebook again.
What's been bothering me lately is that it's all I do when I have nothing else to do (orr....don't want to do whatever else I should be doing...ha). I haven't been very creative with my free-time. I just spend it looking at things I can make with some extra time. Ha....just dreaming, not doing.
The other day I came to the conclusion that there's got to be something else I can do with a little free time here and there....so I brainstormed...and this is what I got:
-Start a good book
-Write a journal entry
-Scrapbook a page of Renae’s photos
-Write a poem
-Write a song
-Go for a walk
-Have a dance party
-Do an exercise video
-Take a nap
-Plan ways to show Darren I love him
-Give myself a manicure/pedicure
-Have a bubble bath
-Discover a new favourite song
-Learn about someone worth looking up to
-Write a talk or lesson
-Create a church lesson visual
-Create a piano-teaching visual
-Create an FHE lesson
-Re-purpose something for Renae
-Try to invent a sewing project
-Do some yard-work
-Research a new country
-Research something else new
-Start learning a new language
-start a BYU personal enrichment class
-practice a new hairstyle
-play with a new way to do makeup
-write an email to someone I haven’t talked to in a while
-find some good quotes and pictures that go well together
-make a collage
-put a little package together to mail to a friend or family member
-try out a new recipe
-make some sugar cookies and practice decorating skillz...
-pick one of the scripture mastery verses and memorize it
-write a letter to one of my converts, companions, or mission president
-practice my French
-Plan a vacation, even if we never take it...research what to do, where to eat, etc.
-Call visiting teachees....just to say hello
-Call mom, heather, jocie...or nysha, leilani, momR
-take some pictures...edit them, too
-learn something about Photoshop Elements
-Organize a cupboard or closet
-Go to the library
-Go to the pool
-Arrange a playdate with someone(s)
-Make beeeautiful cupcakes
-write up a meal plan for the upcoming week
-make some freezer meals
-make a big batch of something and freeze it
-wax my legs, or something else...or just give legs a really good shave
-tweeze my eyebrows
-de-junk something
-go through clothing, mine, Renae’s, whoever
-give some corner of the house a spring-clean
-print out a picture to frame
And because making a stack of thank-you cards for future occasions...and sewing curtains made from Walmart sheets...whilst watching episodes of Castle online....is way more fun than just reading about it on someone else's blog. Trust you me.
Not my picture, D-Hubby's actually.
I. Love. Those. Rollllllls.
Only three short weeks left until she's one.
A and B
A rainy tear
A drifting smile
A simmering desire
A today.
Be tissue-tender
Befriend
Be a crashing wave of fire
Belong to me.
A drifting smile
A simmering desire
A today.
Be tissue-tender
Befriend
Be a crashing wave of fire
Belong to me.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Home With Little Ladies.
This week I've been watching my next-door-neighbor's little girl. And watching the Toddler I normally sit for a few times, too. And--let's not forget--my own little beebee.
It's been fun. Three little girlies under the age of 2 equals one messy house, that's fer darn sure. The first day, I picked the plastics back up each time after the girls were done emptying the cupboard. That was the last day I did. Now, my plastics are my kitchen floor's delightful little ornaments until all girlies have exited the building, or are in bed. Then my house gets returned to its pre-tornado state.
But what's really caught my attention this week was how grateful I am that I get to stay home with my little girl. And assuming that I'll always get to stay home while my kids are young, these are the things that I've been thinking about...that I'm grateful for:
I'll never have to wonder what kind of mothering my kids are actually getting...like the day-in, day-out every day kind of mothering. The kind that I'm not always there to give. Are they being taught correct principles? Are they being taught with love and kindness? Does someone else lose their patience with my baby?
I'll never have to wonder if my kid would rather be at their babysitter's than at home.
I'll never have to 'get used' to being away from my kids...it'll never be a big adjustment or a special event to have a whole day with them.
I'll know what kind of food they're eating. I'll know just the things they like to do in their play-time, what book they pick up first from a pile.
I'll be around for rare teaching opportunities like when they see a butterfly for the first time, or bubbles, or a bug. Or when they hit someone else for the first time.
I'll have a little time to sit and watch them every once in a while. I won't be quite as surprised at how fast they're growing up because I'll be there. I won't have to wonder what I'm missing.
I won't have to wonder if someone is loving them enough, if they're getting enough hugs, if they're feeling comforted when they're sad. If they're just having a rough time, I'll be able to just sit and cuddle them for a few minutes in the middle of the day.
I'll be there to see how they draw their pictures. They'll be there to help me make cookies for Daddy.
I'll be there to teach them how to pick up their toys. And how to fold laundry. And they'll be there to teach me patience, and that it doesn't matter how the towels are folded.
I'll be able to let them sleep until they need to in the mornings, and put them to sleep when they need to go to bed at night. I won't need to run errands during the only few hours we have together.
And y'know, my intention is not at all to gloat that I get to stay home...or demean anyone that works outside the home. These girlies that I've been watching this week are the daughters of single moms. I can't even imagine how hard that would be. And I admire those ladies for doing what they have to do to provide for and nurture their babies. Alone! How do they do it without a D-Hubby of their own???
My thoughts on the matter are purely out of gratitude for my situation...that I can be with them, and I choose to be with them. Both.
P.S. On a side note, how funny is it to watch two only-child babies interact? I've been enjoying fits of laughter at the looks on these girls faces as someone dares to play with a toy they want. It's never happened before! Well, maybe just for Baby-Rae. New Baby usually goes to daycare, so she knows how to take what she wants. Baby-Rae on having to share the toy she's currently playing with AND her mom with someone else? SOoo not impressed. And maybe to me, it's just a little funny... :)
It's been fun. Three little girlies under the age of 2 equals one messy house, that's fer darn sure. The first day, I picked the plastics back up each time after the girls were done emptying the cupboard. That was the last day I did. Now, my plastics are my kitchen floor's delightful little ornaments until all girlies have exited the building, or are in bed. Then my house gets returned to its pre-tornado state.
But what's really caught my attention this week was how grateful I am that I get to stay home with my little girl. And assuming that I'll always get to stay home while my kids are young, these are the things that I've been thinking about...that I'm grateful for:
I'll never have to wonder what kind of mothering my kids are actually getting...like the day-in, day-out every day kind of mothering. The kind that I'm not always there to give. Are they being taught correct principles? Are they being taught with love and kindness? Does someone else lose their patience with my baby?
I'll never have to wonder if my kid would rather be at their babysitter's than at home.
I'll never have to 'get used' to being away from my kids...it'll never be a big adjustment or a special event to have a whole day with them.
I'll know what kind of food they're eating. I'll know just the things they like to do in their play-time, what book they pick up first from a pile.
I'll be around for rare teaching opportunities like when they see a butterfly for the first time, or bubbles, or a bug. Or when they hit someone else for the first time.
I'll have a little time to sit and watch them every once in a while. I won't be quite as surprised at how fast they're growing up because I'll be there. I won't have to wonder what I'm missing.
I won't have to wonder if someone is loving them enough, if they're getting enough hugs, if they're feeling comforted when they're sad. If they're just having a rough time, I'll be able to just sit and cuddle them for a few minutes in the middle of the day.
I'll be there to see how they draw their pictures. They'll be there to help me make cookies for Daddy.
I'll be there to teach them how to pick up their toys. And how to fold laundry. And they'll be there to teach me patience, and that it doesn't matter how the towels are folded.
I'll be able to let them sleep until they need to in the mornings, and put them to sleep when they need to go to bed at night. I won't need to run errands during the only few hours we have together.
And y'know, my intention is not at all to gloat that I get to stay home...or demean anyone that works outside the home. These girlies that I've been watching this week are the daughters of single moms. I can't even imagine how hard that would be. And I admire those ladies for doing what they have to do to provide for and nurture their babies. Alone! How do they do it without a D-Hubby of their own???
My thoughts on the matter are purely out of gratitude for my situation...that I can be with them, and I choose to be with them. Both.
P.S. On a side note, how funny is it to watch two only-child babies interact? I've been enjoying fits of laughter at the looks on these girls faces as someone dares to play with a toy they want. It's never happened before! Well, maybe just for Baby-Rae. New Baby usually goes to daycare, so she knows how to take what she wants. Baby-Rae on having to share the toy she's currently playing with AND her mom with someone else? SOoo not impressed. And maybe to me, it's just a little funny... :)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
I Feel Tall Because It's Sunny.
Tall pictures from a day that's was so beautiful, I felt like I could do anything.
She's got me sold on a delicious lens cap.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Music Days--Verse Five.
Read:
Verse One.
Verse Two.
Verse Three.
Verse Four.
Well, really Verse One is the post that explains what's going on. Read that one anyway.
Friendships.
My teenage years were where I learned what friendship really was. I learned how to be a friend, how not to be a friend, and to be grateful for true friends.
This song....along with Usher's You Make Me Wanna.....make me think of friends and trends.
I remember LOVING rap and RandB music just after I decided to un-love the Backstreet Boys. And really, I don't think I actually was in-love with it....it was just fun to enjoy with friends...because it was "the" music to love at the time. I even think my big act of rebellion at the time was buying the Usher CD without my mom knowing....mostly because it had a "Parental Advisory" label on it. Such a rebel... haha! Listening to it all just made me feel....(cough, cough) cool (cough, scoff).
Fast Forward a few years to when Ska and Punk music were outta-control-awesome. Enter "What's the Dillio" and a bajillion other songs that we would blare from the radio speakers. I think this song was discovered when friend-boys left it in my car CD player one day in the form of a couple burned CD's...and never saw it again. Me, and a couple other gal-pals who were crazy about the music they left behind (and maybe secretly about them, too) just...um....kept the CD's safe until the boys forgot about them entirely. Or just burned other copies. Either way, we got to pretend we were Punk Connoisseurs, and let our punk-chick-selves come through every time we popped those songs in. And felt...(cough, cough...) well, y'know...
My Fifteenth Birthday.
I turned 15 at the biggest church camp ever...E.F.Y.!
I had friends there at that camp with me that made me feel beyond special that day. They decorated the dorm room we stayed in with balloons and streamers. They bought me a crown and made me wear it all day so everyone would know. The night before, the dreamiest a-capella band EVER (Remember Colors?) were signing autographs...and my buddies made sure that they knew it was my birthday; they sang Happy Birthday to me, and I melted. My 15-year-old self fell in love with every single one of those married men. My buddies bought me a whole roll of duct tape aaaaallll to myself (confused? so you shall stay. my (not-so)*secret* obsession. HA!). The boys in our group bought me a blizzard and sang me "Happy Birthday." I felt so....loved by those friends who made the effort to make my day a special one.
We may have danced to this song the night of my birthday....or just another night...(or two or three other nights)....while we were there. Either way, it reminds me of the blast we had busting a move together...dancing CRRRRaaaazy and laughing so so hard. It reminds me of just having a blast with friends that loved me.
For friends who just understood.
I think maybe it's a teenage plague....the feeling that nobody understands. Maybe it comes from the conflict between the part of you that's more adult than people realize and give you credit for...fighting with the side of you that just feels so small. It's tough to be a teenager.
Personally, I really felt like I had made a tough, mature decision...the right decision...the break up with that boy when I did. But it hurt so much; and I went through so much as a result that I just didn't understand, that I thought was my fault...that I just felt like no one understood what I was going through...and why it stuck with me for SoOOooo long. That, combined with the normal ups and downs of figuring out whether I was grown-up or little, left me feeling pretty lonely sometimes. Can every teenager not relate to that? Oh, it's tough to be a teenager! Where's one now? I need to hug one.
Anyways.
It helped me to value and appreciate the friends that took the time to really listen. It strengthened my resolve to be a better friend...to be a better listener. Around the ages of 16-17, friendship started to mean different things to me. It didn't just mean someone who liked the same music as me or did their hair the same...it meant spending time together and listening and sharing opinions without fear of judgement and friends that cared more about your spiritual well-being than your feelings....who would encourage you to be better than you were even if it meant calling you out on certain things.
The year I was 17, I had friends like that. And that group didn't just include the ones that hung out all the time. We all did CRAZY things together. We told secrets to each other. Big secrets. And trusted each other with them.We defended each other...even if we were defending each other from...each other. We encouraged each other to be better. We had us... and that was all that really mattered. And we loved making new friends. We didn't have to be anything less than ourselves to be accepted. And we disagreed on many-a-thing....but loved each other anyways, and told each other so. Often. I wouldn't trade that time for anything. One of those friends learned this song on the piano by ear. It's just so...GOOD. And it fits the way I felt about friends...and how I wanted to feel about my future Prince Charming.
So this song is for the besties: The ones I will always be friends with, no matter how old we get, no matter how far we live from each other, or how long it's been since we talked last.
Verse One.
Verse Two.
Verse Three.
Verse Four.
Well, really Verse One is the post that explains what's going on. Read that one anyway.
Friendships.
My teenage years were where I learned what friendship really was. I learned how to be a friend, how not to be a friend, and to be grateful for true friends.
This song....along with Usher's You Make Me Wanna.....make me think of friends and trends.
I remember LOVING rap and RandB music just after I decided to un-love the Backstreet Boys. And really, I don't think I actually was in-love with it....it was just fun to enjoy with friends...because it was "the" music to love at the time. I even think my big act of rebellion at the time was buying the Usher CD without my mom knowing....mostly because it had a "Parental Advisory" label on it. Such a rebel... haha! Listening to it all just made me feel....(cough, cough) cool (cough, scoff).
Fast Forward a few years to when Ska and Punk music were outta-control-awesome. Enter "What's the Dillio" and a bajillion other songs that we would blare from the radio speakers. I think this song was discovered when friend-boys left it in my car CD player one day in the form of a couple burned CD's...and never saw it again. Me, and a couple other gal-pals who were crazy about the music they left behind (and maybe secretly about them, too) just...um....kept the CD's safe until the boys forgot about them entirely. Or just burned other copies. Either way, we got to pretend we were Punk Connoisseurs, and let our punk-chick-selves come through every time we popped those songs in. And felt...(cough, cough...) well, y'know...
My Fifteenth Birthday.
I turned 15 at the biggest church camp ever...E.F.Y.!
I had friends there at that camp with me that made me feel beyond special that day. They decorated the dorm room we stayed in with balloons and streamers. They bought me a crown and made me wear it all day so everyone would know. The night before, the dreamiest a-capella band EVER (Remember Colors?) were signing autographs...and my buddies made sure that they knew it was my birthday; they sang Happy Birthday to me, and I melted. My 15-year-old self fell in love with every single one of those married men. My buddies bought me a whole roll of duct tape aaaaallll to myself (confused? so you shall stay. my (not-so)*secret* obsession. HA!). The boys in our group bought me a blizzard and sang me "Happy Birthday." I felt so....loved by those friends who made the effort to make my day a special one.
We may have danced to this song the night of my birthday....or just another night...(or two or three other nights)....while we were there. Either way, it reminds me of the blast we had busting a move together...dancing CRRRRaaaazy and laughing so so hard. It reminds me of just having a blast with friends that loved me.
For friends who just understood.
I think maybe it's a teenage plague....the feeling that nobody understands. Maybe it comes from the conflict between the part of you that's more adult than people realize and give you credit for...fighting with the side of you that just feels so small. It's tough to be a teenager.
Personally, I really felt like I had made a tough, mature decision...the right decision...the break up with that boy when I did. But it hurt so much; and I went through so much as a result that I just didn't understand, that I thought was my fault...that I just felt like no one understood what I was going through...and why it stuck with me for SoOOooo long. That, combined with the normal ups and downs of figuring out whether I was grown-up or little, left me feeling pretty lonely sometimes. Can every teenager not relate to that? Oh, it's tough to be a teenager! Where's one now? I need to hug one.
Anyways.
It helped me to value and appreciate the friends that took the time to really listen. It strengthened my resolve to be a better friend...to be a better listener. Around the ages of 16-17, friendship started to mean different things to me. It didn't just mean someone who liked the same music as me or did their hair the same...it meant spending time together and listening and sharing opinions without fear of judgement and friends that cared more about your spiritual well-being than your feelings....who would encourage you to be better than you were even if it meant calling you out on certain things.
The year I was 17, I had friends like that. And that group didn't just include the ones that hung out all the time. We all did CRAZY things together. We told secrets to each other. Big secrets. And trusted each other with them.We defended each other...even if we were defending each other from...each other. We encouraged each other to be better. We had us... and that was all that really mattered. And we loved making new friends. We didn't have to be anything less than ourselves to be accepted. And we disagreed on many-a-thing....but loved each other anyways, and told each other so. Often. I wouldn't trade that time for anything. One of those friends learned this song on the piano by ear. It's just so...GOOD. And it fits the way I felt about friends...and how I wanted to feel about my future Prince Charming.
So this song is for the besties: The ones I will always be friends with, no matter how old we get, no matter how far we live from each other, or how long it's been since we talked last.
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