Friday Favorites: June 24

Happy Friday!  It's is a happy day here because everyone who had the flu is on the mend.  Hopefully we are done with this run of the flu.  And there's other good stuff too.  Here's my Friday favorites.

• I just read more details about the evo 'll conference and I'm so excited!  It's going to be a great party - where I get to learn cool stuff and meet awesome people! (You can see how excited I am by all the exclamation points!)
• With my down time this week, I finished Sarah's Quilt.  Then I jumped into the last book of the series, Star Garden.  I love this series.  It even inspired me to write a story of my own.  We'll see how it goes.
• Family history - I learned some interesting facts about the little island where my grandpa grew up.  It was called Sansego; the name was taken from the Greek word for oregano that grows on the island.  Just learning a bit more about where he lived, creates a connection to him.

Of coarse I found some other favorites in my Google Reader!

• I love the Around the World in 80 Days Reading Bingo Chart Chocolate on my Cranium shared!  (Try saying that 3 times fast.)
• Silhouette has frosted vinyl - too cool!
• Think Fast shares a super cute card with shrinky dink butterflies!  I never thought about running shrink plastic through my Silhouette.
• Check out the cute key quotes at Your Homebased Mom.  She even shares a download of the poster she made for a graduation gift.
• No Friday is complete without dreaming of treats.  Two Peas & their Pod share a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars that remind me of the ones my mom made when I was a kid.
• If that's not sweet enough for you, try New Nostalgia's Salty Sweet Peanut Butter Caramel Funky Fritos.  This is one of those recipes where my eyes aren't sure it would taste good, but my brain would definitely give it a try.  Hopefully I'm not the only one whose body argues with itself.

All of me wishes you a good weekend enjoying a few of your favorites - just share your plans so I can live vicariously through you.  Thanks!

School's Out 4Ever Blogfest: The Song that Rocked My World

My kiddos will tell you I must have really been into music in the 80's because I can name that tune with the best of them.  Even with all those songs from that memorable decade, there is one that stands out like no other.  The song - Let's Go Crazy by Prince (before he was known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince and now known as Prince again.)  


I wouldn't say that my friends and I liked that particular song more than a dozen more songs at the time, but that song had a lot of energy.  It was the perfect tempo to make a really good flag routine.  Yes, I was in the high school marching band and I played the flag.  You might call it the color guard.  It was so cool spinning that long handle around fast enough to hear it whizzing threw the air.  And then we learned a how to throw that spinning flag high over our heads, in sync with the rest of the team. 


One long Saturday with nothing better to do, (I had a lot of those), my fellow flag teammate and I decided to make our own flag routine to that upbeat song.  We worked and practiced all day, and it was pretty awesome if I do say so myself.  After several hours, we decided that we needed a big finale to match Prince's guitar solo at the end. Of course one of our new throws would be the perfect thing.  Even though it was a fairly new skill, I could usually make the throw.  The worse thing that happened if I missed was my pole clattered on the ground and I was pretty used to that sound.  


This time my miss left more of an impression - on my forehead.  Somehow I missed and the pole slammed me in the head, ringing my bell and leaving me seeing stars.  Practice was over for the day and that was one routine I never tried again.


Head over to Tell Great Stories to read more teenage defining moments or add your own.

Counting March

I know it's normally March numbered, but I switched it up to Counting March for the A to Z Blog Challenge. Any of my numbers that I'm disappointed in, I'm blaming Spring Break.


1 - Number of pounds gained. I have two words for you, Spring Break!  Actually I think the culprit is not tracking my food.  I will be jumping back on that band wagon.
2 - Books read.  Eragon and These Is My Words.
4 - Piano practices, and they were wimpy ones at that! (It's Spring Break's fault)
5- Articles written for the Homemaking Cottage and Arizona Mama (Spring Break)
7 - Family history names verified
8 - Scrapbook layouts finished (I could have finished those last two, but ... you guessed it, Spring Break)
14 - Challenge projects finished (Spring Break)
23 - Blog posts, not too bad considering it was Spring Break
1183 - Page views!  Thanks to you not slacking over Spring Break, it's a new record.


I also use my monthly review to check how I'm doing on my New Year's resolutions.  I'm making slow progress with my goals.  I'm finding peace in my search for direction.

Friday Favorites: March 18

My last minute St. Patrick's Day activities were a success!  I spent about an hour playing with my kids and it made the whole day feel festive.  I even found some Hershey's Kisses in green wrappers and golden Twix bars tucked away in the freezer from Christmas to add to their snacks.


I've simplified "Favorite Feed Friday's" to "Friday Favorites"; easier to say and lets me include more of my faves!

• For example, I am loving These Is My Words!  I checked it out from the library - and renewed it, but I didn't start reading it because I was finishing Eragon.  A friend told me how much she liked it so I rechecked it out and started it a couple of days ago.  I'm having a hard time putting it down.  There's a part of me that would rather be reading that than hang out on the computer!  Shocking, I know.
• Traveling Oma confesses a less than stellar moment from 7th grade.  My dad gave me a watch one summer; I was probable 10 or 11.  Since I only saw my dad in the summers and we picked it out together, it was very special with its digital fanciness.  It even had a light!  One day I was bored and curious, truly a bad combination.  I took apart my watch to see how it worked.  After through research, I wasn't any closer to understanding how it worked.  I put the cover over the battery,  and to my dismay there was no time and no cool light.  I was so ashamed I hid in a drawer for a couple of years until I finally threw it away.  Every time I talked to my dad, I was worried he would ask me about our special watch.
• Chocolate on my Cranium shares an interesting lesson in multiple intelligences and a link to find out yours or your kiddos.
• Pumpkin Patterns shares a how to for a sweet pouch.  We've been thinking of doing something like this with M&M bags; this will help our idea work better.
• I love the wreath idea from Family Chic.  I think it would be perfect for more than just Easter.
• I don't have babies or crochet, but these hats from Little Birdie Secrets make me wish I did!  She even shares the patterns.

Family History Fun

I've been trying to get one of my children to fill out a pedigree chart as part of the Faith in God program.  With all that writing, it did sound like homework.  All the information is on my computer; it could have been printed.  But I wanted a connection between the generations.  As soon as we started, another kiddo that had already done the activity asked to do it too. 


It was a lot of writing and they went to bed a little late because it took longer than I expected.  But it was so worth it, to me and them.  They learned things about their grandparents, the ones they know, they ones they don't and the ones they barely know.  

They learned about their great-grandparents.  All 16  were born within an eight year span, only one is still living.  And he is the second oldest of the group!  There was some confusion about the name the read on the computer and the people they know in real life.  Some of that confusion was cleared up by sorting out the divorces and remarriages, of course followed by a conversation about why people get divorced.


We enjoyed following a couple of the lines back as far as we could and seeing ancestors born in the 1500's.  Last night we focused on names, dates and places but I often share the stories I know.  I wish I had more stories to share.  It was nice to see why I need to keep writing down the ones I do know.


The best part of the night was their answer to my bedtime question, "What was your favorite thing about today?"  They both answer working on family history!  I know it's important to involve our children in family history, I struggle with how.  Maybe it's not that hard.

February Numbered

Two months down and only ten left of 2011!  I love recapping my month so I can focus on what I've been so busy doing.


.8 pounds lost.  Again, not a big loss but it's much better than the 3 pounds I gained last February.  Even better is the inch I loss of my hips!
2 books read.  Eat, Pray, Love and Defined by Christ.
5 Personal Ancestral File (PAF) names verified.
6 articles written for the Homemaking Cottage and Arizona Mama.
7 Cub Scouts received advancement awards at the Blue & Gold Banquet.
10 scrapbook layouts finished!
15 Valentines muffins enjoyed.
21 challenge projects crossed off. I'm a little saner than trying to get all 28 done, and I still did quite a few.
24 blog posts.
895 page views!


How did your February go? Please share so I can live vicariously through you.

Happy Groundhog Day

I've always loved Groundhog Day, but not for the same reason most people do.  My grandma shared her birthday with this fun holiday.  So besides thinking of the cute little guys poking his head out and looking for a shadow, today I remember the time spent with my sweet grandma.  


She was the descendant of Sicilian immigrants, born and raised in Brooklyn.  If the rumors are true, she faced challenges in her childhood I can't even imagine.  The lasting effect continued to haunt her during her mothering years, affecting her husband and children.  But that was before my time.


I'm grateful I knew her in her grandma years.  I have fond memories of spending a week at a time with her and Grandpa.  We would eat cream of wheat for breakfast; Grandpa's was dark brown from adding so much brown sugar.  I'd help feed their arthritic dog, Cindy.  She seemed even older than my grandparents.


Occasionally I spend a little time in the garden with Grandpa, but mostly I was Grandma's girl.  She rarely got tired of me being attached at the hip.  She would show me her treasures around the house.  Her long dresser wasn't cluttered, but it captivated me; a brush, comb and mirror set; figurines representing her daughters, and a fascinating birdcage music box.  There was also a picture of my aunt who passed away before I was born; she would tell me how much I looked like her.  I definitely feel an unusually strong connection with her considering I never met her.  


We cleaned together and cooked, but mostly we sat on the couch together, me scooted as close as possible.  We would sing hymns together, or she would tell me stories.  I remember her softness and her undivided attention, and I miss her very much.  I miss her homemade spaghetti sauce and watching bowling on TV with her and Grandpa.  They had a long hall where I would set up the bowling pin bank and roll the little plastic bowling ball and compete with the guys on TV.  It's much easier to get a strike when you only have one pin to knock down.


I wish my children could meet her and understand why I love her so much.  Instead this Groundhog day, I'll share her memory.  And tomorrow we'll celebrate the Chinese New Year. I hope I can build fond memories with my children as my grandma did with me.

January Numbered

We survived January even though there weren't any big parties or celebrations; a month devoted to getting back to normal.  It's hard to get back to normal, aka stark, when December is so full of decorations and celebrations.  Although my kiddos refused to take down the paper snowflakes.  I think they look kind of funny with the Valentines decorations, but that's just me.  So here's a run down of what we did do instead of celebrating.


.4 - The number of pounds I lost.  It's not much,but it's sure better than gaining weight.  Much more impressive is the 1 1/4 inches I lost from off my hips.  I hope I never find it!
2 - Books read.  100 Ways to Improve Your Writing and Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident. 
3 - Childhood memories recorded, never to be lost!
6 - Scrapbook layouts finished.  It's a slow start so I'll need to pick it up this month
8 - PAF (Personal Ancestral File) names verified for accuracy and completeness
9 - Articles written for Homemaking Cottage and Arizona Mama
10 - Piano practices.  Right now I'm going back through the begging books to refresh my memory.  When you get to be my age, it's easy to forget stuff if you don't keep working with it!
15 - Pinewood Derby cars racing at our Pack Meeting.
29 - Blog Posts
960 - Page Views; another new record, thanks to all of you!

What did you do to survive January?

Wanna Be

I admit it, I'm a wanna be.  I have a list as long as my leg of all the things I want to learn and master.  Even though I'm short , that's still a long list.


I wanna be a better writer.
I wanna be a photographer.
I wanna be a better mom.
I wanna learn to play the piano.
I wanna be well read.
I wanna motivate my Cub Scouts.
I wanna loose weight and be healthier.
I wanna learn how to use my new Silhouette.
I wanna learn Photo shop.
I wanna improve my blog.
I wanna find my long lost ancestors with Ninja family history skills.
I wanna grow a garden.  (I'm not sure I'll ever get that one down.)
I wanna have my food storage.
I wanna be a good cook.
I wanna decorate my home and create a peaceful atmosphere.
I wanna throw parties (not just my kid's birthday parties).
I wanna understand more about nutrition.
I wanna catch up on my scrapbooks with beautiful layouts.
I wanna spend time with my family and friends and not feel rushed.
I wanna appreciate the beauty around me.
I wanna have my own business.
I wanna help others.
I wanna strengthen my testimony.
I wanna finish my Wood Badge tickets.
I wanna celebrate life.
I wanna feel connected to those around me in a meaningful way.


Is that much to ask?  I guess it is, especially all at once.  Since I'm not taking a class this semester, I'm trying to decide where to focus my time and energy.  I think all of the things on my list have merit, it's deciding which is the best use of my time that has me a little dizzy.


Several bloggers have chosen a word to focus on for the New Year.  Last year I chose progress.  It's one of my constant words, but I had to go back and see what word I chose last January.  Several of the items listed above are goals I'll be working on this year and some will have to wait. This year my word is direction.  I need to choose the best direction to focus on and choose a plan to get there. 

2010 Numbered

I love January, the beginning at least.  I love looking back at last year, my goals and my progress.  I didn't meet all my goals, but I made progress - and that was the ultimate goal.


1/2 - Of the Old Testament read.  That is a very long book of scripture.  I'm hoping to finish it this year; I'm even studying it with the kiddos.
1 - Young Women value accomplished in the Personal Progress program.
2 - Classes finished.  Now I just need to put in my application and I should have a degree in my hands come May!
8 - Months of practicing the piano. It's amazing how quickly I forgot almost everything I learned! Yesterday, I pulled out the lesson books and started reviewing.
12 - Pounds gained, I'm definitely working on getting that number down this year!
18 - Trips to the temple.  My goal was 20.  I'll try to get to 20 this year.
19 - Nights spent away from home with Girls Camp, Wood Badge and our family vacation.
22 - Memories recorded.  I made a list of stories from my life that need to be written and hoped to record 25 of them.  I'll keep plugging along and shoot for another 25 this year.  The good thing about blogging is my current stories are being recorded as I go.
25 - Books read.  My goal was 30 (the same number I read the previous year), I'll shoot for 30 again this year.  
36 - Names checked for accuracy and completeness from my PAF (Personal Ancestral File) to Family Search.  My goal was only 25!
81 - Articles written for the Homemaking Cottage and Arizona Mama.  
88 - Scrapbook layouts completed.  My goal was to finish scrapbooking 2009 by the end of November.  I was close, I finished mid-December.
147 - Names added to my PAF.
5584 - Page views in 2010.


As you can see, didn't meet many of my goals.  But I came close; a lot closer than I would have with out goals and a plan.  How did you do on your goals?  What were your highlights of 2010?

November Numbered

November has come and gone, and way too quickly, I might add.  This has been a month of ups and downs - when it rains it pours.  Fortunately there was a lot of good raining down with the challenges!


1 - Successful giveaway!
2 - Books read.  Hoot by Carl Hiaasen and A Light in Zion by Bodie Thoene.  It was so good to read for pleasure again!
4 - Family history names checked for accuracy.
5 - Pies to enjoy on Thanksgiving.
8 - Articles written for the Homemaking Cottage and Arizona Mama
12 - Happy faces around the Thanksgiving table.
14 - Scrapbook layouts completed - only 6 short of my goal.
27 - Blog posts.
30 - Leaves on our Gratitude Garland.
45 - Christmas cards crafted in about an hour!
817 - Page views!  Not only was that another record, it was more than 200 above last month!


What made your November?

July Numbered

I had so much fun with June's post, I'm making it a monthly feature.  Here's July's numbers.

1 - Field trip to the Mesa Temple.

2 - Trips to Chipolte for lunch, thanks to summer reading programs.
3 - Wolf Den meetings.
4 - Books read: Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan, Schooled by Gordon Korman, The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan, and Goggle Blogger for Dummies by Susan Gunelius.
5 - Chores crossed off my Summer Project List
6 - Movie tickets to Toy Story 3!
9 - Articles on the Homemaking Cottage and Arizona Mama.
10 - Oreos lost to a very industrious squirrel!
12 - Family history names verified for accuracy and completeness.
14 - Days of Stay at Home Summer Camp.
28 - Blog posts.
39 - Books added to our library.  Most of these came from Half Price Books, they have an awesome summer reading program (especially if you shop from the clearance section)!

Family Home Evening: The Good Samaritan

We had a great lesson on serving others.  We started off by reading and then acting out the story of the Good Samaritan.  Then we thought of a few ways to show Christ-like love to family or friends.  We decided on writing letters to great-grandparents; I'm thinking we'll expand it to Grandmothers to help the children remember their importance as we celebrate Mother's Day.

For our activity I put together a round of family history trivia.  Earlier in the week one of my kiddos was working on a family history project and didn't know some simple things like grandparents' first names.  So I put together questions that might be challenging for those not working on family history regularly. 

• What year was Grandpa born in?  
• What is Grandma's maiden name?  
• What day was Dad baptized?  (Even he didn't know the exact date!)  
• What is Uncle's birth date?  
• What is Aunt's middle name?  
• Who was Mom named after?  (That was a trick question since there was more than one person.)  

There was a moment when one of my kiddos was feeling bad for not knowing very many answers, but feelings turned around when I explained it was more of a fun way to learn about our family history, rather than a contest.

We finished off the evening with cheesecake - the real Jell-o kind (according to my family).  I still think of the cheesecake that has to be baked as the real kind - to each his own!

Take Flight: Wright Brothers, Amelia Earhart, and Trivia

This week as part of Cub Scouts we discussed the Wright Brothers.  I didn't know the first flight lasted only 12 seconds!  That first airplane flew for less than 2 minutes in its four flights before the wind blew it over while it was parked and damaged it. It never flew again.

We also discussed Amelia Earhart.  She was the pilot the boys were most familiar with, which was convenient since I had a book I wanted to share with them.  It was written Neta Snook Southern called "I Taught Amelia to Fly".  Several years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Neta whom I'm related to by marriage.  It's an amazing read if you can find it.

We finished off our Den Meeting with a little more flight trivia.  Again, I didn't know the Sputnik (the first man-made satellite sent up by Russia) was only the size of a basketball.  I love learning and doing new things with the boys!

Family History

Yesterday I went through 3 folders of cool info I picked up at last year's family reunion - thanks Debbie! I know, the family reunion was in July; better late than never! I was able to add 11 names, mostly spouses and children to family I already had on file. There was also a cool story in one of the folders and several obituaries - a great source of information, but the beware of the accuracy.

Pictures Taken

Yesterday I finished taking pictures of our Christmas ornaments and decorations (except those few that we always seem to find a few weeks after all the decorations are packed). Now I can move on to the writing part!

A Family Book

I loved how my scrapbook layout "Images of Christmas" turned out, but there wasn't enough room to tell the whole story of the decorations I pictured - not to mention all the ones I didn't picture. I've started photographing them all and will record my memories of them all in a "book". I don't know if or when I'll publish it. It'll be on the computer for now. I'm not even sure if I can get all the pictures taken this month, they might have to wait until next November. And writing the memories will take much longer. Nevertheless, I think it will be a project my children and maybe my future grandchildren will cherish, or at least appreciate when I'm not around to tell them the stories myself.

New Year's Top Ten

On New Year's Eve we spent some time reviewing our Top Ten Favorite Things of 2008, before we listed our Top Ten Favorite Things of 2009. It was interesting to see what stood out to everyone.

Later on in the evening, we reviewed the Top Ten Favorite Things We Hoped to Happen in 2009 and compared how we did. I had a goal to read 20, including the Doctrine and Covenants. I'm happy to say I read 31 books total. I met some family goals. I was unable to weigh less at the end of 2009 than I started it. I progressed on the piano and completed a couple of college classes. I finished scrapbooking 2008 on New Year's Eve around 3:30 in the afternoon, but I finished by the end of the year! I didn't accomplish all the writing and family history goals I set, but I have a more realistic idea of what I can accomplish.

This year's Top Ten is similar. Read 30 books, including the Old Testament. Lose weight. Continue progressing with the piano, family history research and my writing. Take a couple more college classes (maybe I can get my degree before I'm 50). Finish scrapbooking 2009 by the end of November. There are also a few spiritual goals.

What are your goals for the New Year? Now that I have mine, I'm establishing a plan to achieve them!

The Perfect Christmas Tree

While the themed, color-coordinated trees are lovely; I wouldn't trade our family tree for a 100 of those "picture-perfect" trees. I love our assortment of ornaments collected and made over the years. Every year as I pull the ornaments out of the box and unwrap them, I give the kiddos a recap of where the ornament came from.

"I remember putting this one on the tree when I was your age."
"I bought this one after Christmas when I was a teenager."
"One of Dad's friends gave us this cowboy one."
"The neighbor made these two for us last year."

We have duplicates of some, either from when I was a kid or ornaments we made as a family. The kids like to put their ornaments on the tree. They remember what the ornament looks like from their first Christmas and the ones we made last year, and most of the ones in between.

While our tree won't be pictured in any magazine, it is my picture perfect Christmas tree!

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

July was another busy month filled with many of the things I had hoped to accomplish. Once again, I was able to finish 9 scrapbook layouts, I can't seem to do any more in a month. We had a lot of fun with our stay-at-home summer school. I gained a exciting amount of family history information at our family reunion. I finished reading Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince to the kids for our book club. I just finished Three Weeks with My Brother today, but I read most of it in July. I finished three more articles for the Homemaking Cottage and worked a little bit on my personal history. Granted, I didn't work on the mending pile and teaching my children to sew. Other projects not only went unfinished, but didn't even get touched. It was still a good month!

Now that August is here, I'll try again to complete 11 scrapbook layouts. I'll keep writing and working on family history. I'll keep practicing the piano and reading. I'll keep exercising and working on my food storage plan. I'm also hoping to put together a photography club for me and some of my kiddos. And through it all, I'll keep you posted on our journey!