Saturday, July 31, 2010

HTML Yourself!


Uhhh...If you are not taking this than you should be!!!
Two of my favorite ladies, Courtney and Justine, are teaching a class on HTML so that you can learn to spruce up your blog.
I am so excited because I know absolutely nothing on this subject and I think it will be so useful.
Click here to go to Courtney's blog for more info.

Hello again...hello

First of all...I just want to say thank you to everyone for their kind words about John and his health. He is definitely getting better, but it will be a few moe days before we get back to having good sleep. Now he just has a cold, and for those of you who don't know, dr.'s don't recommend cough suppression medication in little ones. That means that my poor little boy is coughing until he throws up, which is painful for him and for my heart. Luckily, he is in good spirits, as usual, even though he is sleeping so terribly.

In more positive news... LADY GAGA IS TONIGHT!!!! I am bursting with excitment even though it is going to be so so hard to leave my boy with daddy and pappy. I know they will take excellent care of him, but it's me he wants when he is sick :( I am absolutely determined to enjoy my time with my little sister and take in every detail of the show. I will have lots of pictures to share (hopefully) tomorrow :0


Happy Saturday

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Scary, so scary

Last night I put John down to bed and everything was normal. Then at 12:30 he woke up coughing and struggling to breathe. I swear it was the single most terrifying moment of my life, except for his birth. I tried to calm him down for a minute, but the was totally out of my realm of knowledge and I was trying not to panic. I woke Josh up and we raced to the hospital. Luckily, He calmed down a little by the time we got there and it turned out to be Croup. He had a pretty bad attack, which has never happened to us before. After all of his other respiratory things, I honestly thought that Croup would be pretty mild. I always thought it was just a loud cough, but this was so much worse. Thankfully, they gave him a big dose of a steroid and it seems to have helped. He is sick, but he isn't sick like last night.
I am laying here in bed playing on the computer and I am honestly scared to go to sleep. I am terrified that he will get sick and I won't know, which is virtually impossible as I am the lightest sleeper ever and our rooms are connected. Logically, I know that he is going to be ok, but I just can't get over it.
Hopefully we will all get some sleep and J-man will be ok through the night.

It's Here!!!!!


Ok, now that I have caught my breath from looking at the amazing design Courtney created for the book club, I am happy to announce that the blog is all ready for our use!!!
I decided to call our book club The Super Secret Literary Society...shnazzy right!
Here is a link to the awesomeness and there is even a cutie blog button over on the left. If you are interested in the book club please go check it out. I am hoping it is going to be a lot of fun!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Do You Ever?

Do you ever just feel like you need to do something else, be something else, go somewhere else? Do you ever feel like you are forgetting something that is vitally important but you just can't put your finger on it?
That's how I have been feeling lately. Not dissatisfied with my life in any way, just feeling like I am missing something that really must be done.
I think part of it is our RV dream. I wish we could just go, now now now. I know that it isn't feasible or responsible, but I am so scared that if we wait we will find reasons not to do it. What if we never feel like we have enough money? Should that really stop us? I mean, as long as we can take care of the basics and have something set aside for emergencies, isn't that all we really need? What if something happens to one of us in the next 2-3 years and we spend the rest of our lives worrying about what might have been? I have never really been a carpe diem kind of girl, but now that I am trying, I feel like life is holding me back and saying "not yet, just a little longer."

I am also longing to get more information on Waldorf and Unschooling practices. I have been reading a ton of blogs, which are so valuable. However, I feel like those families already know what they are doing on their journey. How in the world did they get their information? How far behind am I? Am I going to get this right? I have found some wonderful books online and even a few workshops, but everything is so costly. Our libraries, the local and the city ones, have virtually no information on the alternative schooling that we are going to be following. It is such a big responsibility to go against every single socially accepted education standard and say, I KNOW in my heart I am right. Now I need to know in my brain that I am right, and I need to get some of this information to do so.

Also, I have been going back and forth on the etsy front. I don't know if it is really worth the effort. Should I make a post with some samplings of crafts and stuff? Maybe people would be honest and tell me if I have a shot? Are there other ways to sell your goods? I am shooting in the dark here people. I need to find some ways to make extra moolah to get us started on some of the above goals, but I am totally at a loss on where to start.

Anyway, all of this is invading my brain. I need to go take a hot bath and meditate and then get some scheduling done. John is still chattering in his bed an hour after I put him down. It is both funny and frustrating. At least he isn't yelling for me :)

Wednesday Wishes

I don't have too many today. I have been so busy lately that my wish thinking time has been cut down a little. This isn't really a bad thing, I have been using the time to actually DO things instead of just thinking about them. That is a wish come true for me :) Anyway, here's the wishes I do have for the week.

1. I wish for John's Dr.'s appointment to go well. It isn't a MAJOR thing, he's had a thorn stuck in his heel for like 6 days. It is really hurting him and I can't get it out, so off to the doctors we go. I am hoping/wishing that they can numb it a little and get it out easily.

2. I wish for my mom's rental houses to sell so she can stop stressing out. I also wish I could kick stupid people who back out of deals right in the kneecaps.



3. Time to meditate twice per day. It is sooo important to me, but I have such a hard time creating the opportunity. It's not something I can do when John is awake, and it is hard for me to do it while he naps because I am convinced he will wake up at any moment. I am going to keep working on it though.
That's all folks! Be sure to check out everyone else's Wednesday Wishes by clicking the links on the left.
Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Taking on the V-Con

Soooo, I must admit that I did not cook this weeks recipe. I am going to cook it...eventually. When I made up the list of recipes it looked really good. Then, when it came time to make it, it just didn't look good at all. I love all of the ingredients...it just sounds so very unappealing right now.
Maybe it's the heat, maybe it's that Whole Foods had no Sweet Potatoes. I don't know. What I know is that next week is a Cheezy Mac recipe and I am all over that one!
Sorry to my girls for being a flake.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Book Club! Finally!

Ok, so I have been tossing around the idea of a book club with a few lovely ladies for like 3 months. I have been holding back because I am not really sure how to structure the whole thing. Today I was thinking about it and I thought, " I could wait until forever and I still might not be sure how to make this work." I think I am just going to have to get it going and work out the kinks as we go.

So, here is what I know right now...

1. This is what I am thinking the first book should be...

I read it a looong time ago, and I think it is worth another look. Plus, I know a few ladies already have this at home and have expressed interest.

2. I have a list of discussion questions that I will email out once I have a list of who is participating. I will send them ahead of time so we can think about them as we are reading.

3. I think that for the first book, we should shoot to have it finished by August 31st. I know that seems like a long time but I know everyone has lots of things going on besides reading an assigned book.

4. Here is where it gets tricky...I don't know how to create a forum to actually "discuss" the book. We could do it via email through reply to all emails. I think that might be the easiest way. I am not computer savvy enough to create a message board or something of that nature.

5. If it doesn't work out or if it is stressful or annoying, then we can either call it off or restructure it. The bottom line is that I just like the idea of sharing good books and different points of view.

Questions? Interested? Is this worth it or too complicated?

Let me know :)

Monday Monday

Well, I have already finished almost all of my to do list today, which makes me feel full and happy.
One of the things that I am trying to do is find a retirement/nursing home for John and I to visit on a weekly basis. This is turning out to be more challenging than I thought it might be. I called 6 nursing homes today and did not get to speak to any of their volunteer coordinators. How sad is it that the residents might miss out on the chance to hang out with a joyful child because no one is there to talk to volunteers. Oh, they all had coordinators, it's just that none of them were available to talk to me.
Does anyone out there have volunteer idea that you might do on your own or as a family? It has been weighing on my mind lately that we have been given so many gifts/blessings (whatever you want to call them) but we don't do much to give back.
Let me know what you do! I am so interested
Happy Monday

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Day Zero Goals

So, I have decided to put my Day Zero goals up in an effort to motivate myself into doing them. Bolded one are completed!
  1. Lose 20lbs
  2. Cook 5 times per week for at least a month
  3. Read all of the books on my bookshelf
  4. Smile at a stranger every day (so far so good)
  5. Attend an outdoor concert
  6. Attend at least 10 protests
  7. Organize my house
  8. Cancel junk mail
  9. Floss daily
  10. Keep up with my blog
  11. Put pics in photo albums
  12. Learn to use a manual camera
  13. Write in John's memory book at least once per week
  14. Video John weekly
  15. Go on an overnight trip with Josh
  16. Be thankful at least once daily (in progress)
  17. Try a screen printing project
  18. Go on a hike that seems difficult
  19. Go out with a friend
  20. Go to a roller derby
  21. Decorate for every holiday for a year
  22. Join and attend a playgroup
  23. Go see the leaves change up north
  24. Go camping for at least 2 nights
  25. Have a picnic
  26. Fly a kite
  27. Reread Atlas Shrugged
  28. Cook a vegan Christmas dinner
  29. Join a book club
  30. Go rapelling
  31. Visit CA family
  32. Visit SMoCA
  33. Ride our bikes to the park
  34. Follow a budget
  35. Watch a Miracle on 34th St.
  36. Perform an RAK
  37. Take John to Phoenix Children's Museum
  38. Attend a play at Gammage
  39. Go to a bar
  40. Have a fire in the fire pit
  41. Watch Citizen Kane
  42. Go to Lilith Fair (Going to Lady Gaga instead)
  43. Frame our Haiti Pics
  44. Go to Vegas
  45. Make at least 10 things
  46. Vote in a local election
  47. Go to ThanksLiving
  48. Peel out in a car
  49. Play in the rain/mud
  50. Start a new family tradition
  51. Make a new friend
  52. Walk to the store
  53. Make John a quilt
  54. Watch a movie starting with every letter
  55. Try a new fruit
  56. Do something completely selfless
  57. Shop at a farmer's market
  58. Write a story
  59. Dress up
  60. Embroider a bag
  61. Learn to use my sewing machine proficiently
  62. Make rock candy
  63. Have a 30th birthday party with Josh
  64. Surprise Josh with something
  65. Start a garden
  66. Learn to walk in heels
  67. Volunteer
  68. Attend a WV event
  69. Work on my red journal
  70. Color an entire coloring book
  71. Attend a letter writing event at Green
  72. Have $1,000 in savings
  73. By everything in cash for at least a month (well beyond a month already)
  74. Fill out appropriate sections of my life
  75. Private
  76. Private
  77. Private
  78. Private
  79. Go to PA
  80. Potty train John
  81. Plant a tree
  82. Write Josh a love letter
  83. Exercize regularly
  84. Take an online class
  85. Get a tattoo
  86. Get my nose pierced
  87. Use a clothesline to dry
  88. Eat RAW for a month
  89. See a movie at MadCap
  90. See Rocky Horror Picture Show live
  91. Have a baby
  92. Pay back mom and Jan
  93. Visit a Buddhist Temple
  94. Dye my hair
  95. Private
  96. Recreate my first date with Josh
  97. Organize my ipod
  98. Move into our own place (this has changed)
  99. Help mom clean her garage
  100. Have a garage sale
  101. Have a celebration for completing my goals

I have until the end of November 2012! I need to get it in gear and get going

Saturday, July 24, 2010

This week in review

What a nice week it has been. It is hot, humid and slightly cloudy in AZ, so we are trying to make the most of our days inside, as usual. Here is a little glimpse into our week, in no particular order.

John got his first pair of "sceesers" or scissors for those of you who don't speak toddler. He is very proud and is having fun cutting up any paper we will give him or he can steal.
I found a strand of white lights in our shop (an old barn out back) and brought them inside. John fell in love and played until nighttime. I ended up hanging them in our apartment and he calls them the "magic lights."




I know this picture is blurry but to me it just captures his joy at something so simple.

Right after eating the Oreo, but before he started chasing me around the living room with dirty hands. *note - I don't want people to think I am a hypocrite. I don't own a tv, I don't think we ever will. This is the tv in my dad's house, which stays off whenever we are in there during the day.*


The Oreo aftermath!

I found this pool on clearance for $3.99, It has been too hot to play with it outside, since we don't really have shade, so I blew it up and John came out to find it full of blankets and pillows. His dad climbed in too, which annoyed John to no end.


Homemade blueberry and mango popsicles. Yum!

He turned his rocking horse like that and started calling it his skid steer tractor. He worked on the tractor for at least a half hour and spent forever telling me where the bales of hay went in and out.

He is finally in to Legos, which are his dad's favorite toy ever. Our old neighbor gave us that huge box of Duplos and they have been sitting at my moms. I brought them home and they have even replaced his love for tractors this week.
On Thursday it finally got cloudy enough that we were able to play outside for a few hours. You can't really see, but I gave him so old PVC pipe and he was able to reroute the flow of water from the hose. He loved it!

I finished his tractor toy/stuffed thing. I am really happy with how it turned out, but I think next time I will use a more contrasting felt so the embroidery shows up better. John really likes it though, so that is the most important thing.
And in big news for me, I went out for a girls night with Rikki and some of her friends last night. I haven't had a real girls night in at least a year if not longer. It was so much fun and I can't wait to do it again. It is nice to be making friends again. I wish more of my awesome blog friends lived here because then we could hang out and have fun too.
Happy Saturday!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Wednesday Wishes

I know, I know... It's actually Thursday! Joshua was on the computer last night so I didn't get to post my wishes. Better late than never though right?

These are things I wish I could look out my window right now and see.
Rain...The monsoons have been teasing us with rain for at least two weeks. We get a few drops and then nothing. Some people need sunshine to refuel their soul, I need rain. Kind of a problem when you live in AZ.


A Weeping Willow tree. I just think they are so gorgeous and soulful.


A grove of banyan trees. How much fun would it be to explore in there?

Tulips seem so exotic to me. It was beyond amazing to me that they just grew on the side of the road in Portland.

Kids playing. It seems so quaint, the idea of kids playing red rover or simon says or just plain running around. We live in a great quiet neighborhood, but there aren't really any kids. Of course, in today's world I am not sure I would let John run around out front anyway, certainly not at this age.
Be sure to check out the other Wednesday Wishes Gals!
Happy Thursday!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Thankfulness and Goals

A while ago I posted 25 things that I am thankful for so that when I get down, which happens a bit, I can look and remember. Lately it seems that there have been a whole host of wonderful things happening in my life, so I thought I should take the time to make a new list...I am not going to push for 25, just whatever comes naturally.

1. The meditation class we took gave me new tools to use to fight stress, and hopefully my insomnia.
2. John is just the absolute perfect child for our family.
3. Josh and I have worked through the issues we were having and have grown stronger yet again :)
4. I am becoming the mother that I know I am capable of being
5. I am starting to make new friends who like me for me
6. Adding a rhythm to our week has made life so much less stressful. We always have something to look forward to.
7. Lady Gaga is in like 2 weeks!
8. We are going to be living in our RV in t-minus two years! Amazing!
9. Josh got promoted, already
10. I am taking steps to building a waldorf-inspired homeschool/unschool program for John.
11. My foot is feeling better
12. It is halfway through July, which means summer is that much closer to being over
13. We got reapproved for our insurance, which is HUGE for our family
14. Somehow we always have just enough to make it
15. My family and I are all healthy and happy.

I could go on and on, but these are all pretty important things going on in our lives right now. I am just so grateful for the positivity that seems to have enveloped our home. When I was at the meditation class the teacher told us something pretty insightful. She said that when you are little you feel like the world is all happening for you, everything wonderful is meant just for you. As you get older, you start to feel like the world is happening to you, everything bad just seems to fall your way. I am realizing, and this list helps me remember, that the world isn't happening for me or to me, it is what I make it. I have the power to look at each thing happening in my life and to decide how to react. I am hoping that I will continue to react thankfully and take each obstacle as it comes.

GOALS: (Just a quick list of what needs to be done sooner rather than later)
1. Finish Art Journals for swap
2. Make John's cardboard tractor
3. Help dad/Josh make John's enclosed step stool
4. Sell toys at consignment
5. Take a specific class by this weekend
6. Cut some more blocks and add holes for construction
7. Finish pen pal letters, although they are never really finished because there is always a new one to reply to thank goodness :)
8. Create a book club for some blog friends and I
9. Start my Visionary Mom's Class
10. Create a kitchen play set for John

Wow, this post was long and random as usual.
I hope everyone had a great Tuesday!

Taking on the V-Con - Week 6



Oh man, this weeks deliciousness was Roasted Portobellos. These babies were perfection and so easy!
Ingredients:
1/2 c. Cooking Wine
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce/Braggs
2 Cloves Garlic - Minced
2 Portobello Caps
Basically you just throw everything together like a marinade. I put my caps in a big pyrex and dumped the marinade on top. Then I put the lid on the pyrex and shook everything around every few minutes.
This is what they looked like after marinating.

The recipe calls for roasting them in the oven, but it is too freaking hot for that right now. We didn't want our ancient stove to heat up the whole kitchen, so Josh took one for the team and grilled them. Actually, he left them in the pyrex, covered them with foil, and then put them on the grill. I think it took about 30 minutes at 400 on our grill. I am not entirely sure though because I was chasing my little guy around the backyard.

When they were finished we had portobello burgers! We added a few toppings and had some delicious corn as a side. Wonderful!

I think this is going to be a recipe that we use a lot over the summer. It was fast, cheap and easy...my three favorite ingredients in any meal :)

Happy Wednesday!

Monday, July 19, 2010

When I Knew

A few years ago Josh and I bought one of the most awesome books ever, When I Knew. It is basically just a buch of short essays/paragraphs about how all of these people knew they were gay. I just found the book and figured I would share one of the stories. Maybe I will share more from time to time.

1969

My father was watching the evening news. The announcer said that Judy Garland had died. I fainted. I was nine. - Andrew Freedman

I LOVE this book :)

Happy Monday!

Friday, July 16, 2010

Low Cost Gift

I made these shirts for a friend who is having a baby in August. Obviously, everyone knows I don't have much money, so I have to get creative to make nice gifts for a little cash. These three shirts cost about $6.00. I embroidered the F (the baby's name will be Finley) and the fawn. The heart in the center is a batik style from gluw and acrylic paint. I think they turned out so nice and I am happy that I don't have to be embarrassed giving her a crappy gift.

A wonderful day and some awesome news!

On Thursday Joshua and I went to a private meditation training session with a woman named Sarah Maclean. My mom won the session at a silent auction and she was supposed to go with me, but something came up and Joshua took her place. I am so so glad that he did. This was such a wonderful, life-enriching experience. The teacher, Sarah, was one of the founding educators for the Deepak Chopra institute, she also left everything behind to stay in India for 6 months, and was a resident at a zen buddhist training center for two years. She was so wonderful. Anyway, enough gushing about her, she taught Joshua and I some lessons on meditation and on how to practice daily. She spent almost an hour and a half talking about the benefits of meditation, of which there are many, and giving us background on meditation.

I am very hopeful that with daily practice I can reduce my stress level and by doing so help with my insomnia. I know that some people feel meditation is hokey, but I really believe in it's power and I am looking forward to sharing some of positive experiences.

I know I complain about AZ a lot, but some of it is really beautiful. Sedona, where the training was held, is about an hour and a half outside of Phoenix.

We had a picnic after our training session. We just set up our blanket at some baseball field in town.


This is the view from our picnic spot.



After leaving Sedona, we drove up to Jerome. It is a little art community on the side of a mountain. This is the view from the lot where we parked.




This is what I look like when I am annoyed at having my picture taken :)

One of the artist/shop owner's backyards. This man was 87 and he rides his bike from Jerome to Sedona every day. That's like 60 miles!!! He was telling us all about the stuff he has collected and turned into art in his yard.


Then we drove to Prescott, which is a cute little town with a neat town square. We didn't stay too long because we were tired and hungry.
It was a wonderful, relaxing day for Joshua and I. We don't get to do dates very often, so this was a special treat for us. We spent a long time talking and decided that we are going to make our RV dream a go. Yes, you read correctly...WE ARE GOING TO DO IT!!!! We have two years to save money, which sounds like forever, but when you are making little money, you have to save for longer. We intend to purchase the RV after a year and spend the next year continuing to save money and fixing up the rig. I will keep everyone updated as we work towards our goal, but I KNOW we are going to make it happen. We are excited and determined :)
Happy Friday! I am off to work on my journals for Amy's art journal swap.





Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Wednesday Wishes and then some

Hello Wednesday! I am excited that you are here because that means that Thursday is just on the horizon. Josh and I are going to a private meditation training tomorrow up north. My mom and I won it at a silent auction last November and we are finally going! Here are some wishes to keep my mind off of the excitement :)

I wish I had a shirt that said this, and the guts to actually wear it.

I wish I didn't worry so much. I think I am getting better, but I can always think of ten negatives for every positive.


I wish I had some killer dreads



Duh, a camper :)




I wish that I will continue to have the courage to make changes in my life.
Be sure to check out Courtney, Kellie, Liz and Karlie's wishes by clicking the links on the left side of my blog! All pictures above came from vi.sualize.
I didn't want to make two posts because I feel like one always ends up getting ignored. I figured I would just do a short add-on to Wednesday Wishes and show you two of our projects from this week so far.


We bakes homemade bread for Cooking on Monday! John used the measuring cups with his own bowl and thought that was pretty special. Huge mess, but it was worth it and it motivated me to mop the floor.
Serious thought


Today was our craft project day, so John made glitter art. I returned something to Michael's and got an $8.00 credit. I used it to buy a great pack of about 14 glitter shakers for $3.99 and some wooden beads for John to practice stringing. The glitter was a huge hit!

His finished product! It is going to go up in his room :)
Happy Wednesday!