Heart Healthy

Wouldn't it be great if our hearts were this simple and easily fixed? During my last pregnancy, I found out that my heart has a minor defect. Minor, yes, but still a problem. With this new year and new resolutions on my mind, I have decided to get heart healthy. I am determined to lose my excess weight and make better food choices. I have already been working on my new goal for three weeks and have lost 6lbs. I have to admit it has been quite a challenge to not just grab whatever is readily available without thinking. Since I am nursing I get quite hungry. Actually, not just hungry, ravenous! My heart has been a huge motivation though in pulling me through. It gives me added strength to resist temptation. AND not buying extra junk at the grocery store has helped our budget so it is a bonus all-around. Stay tuned for the next heart healthy installment. As my husband puts it (while snackin on chips), "The world is waiting on their toes".

A True Prophet

President Gordon B. Hinckley passed away tonight. I'm so sad about his passing but know he is having a wonderful reunion with his wife and family that passed on before him. I emulated him and will miss him terribly. He was wonderful.

Sweet Sassy Molassey

I have been reminiscing a lot lately about my childhood and friends. I truly have the best and coolest friends around. I am so blessed. Amongst my group of childhood friends, I would have to say I'm the most conservative. Don't get me wrong -- I did have a crazy streak here and there. I had my fair share of toilet papering and wild sleepover parties. There was one time in particular where we put pantyhose on our heads and, en-route to our designated gloom-and-doom house (code for: house who will be on the receiving end of our wrath) , we were spotted and had to hide out in various spots (one of which being a tipped over trash can half-filled with water). There were also those times where I found myself going home early or just staying home because I knew I would be the only one at the "party" without a make-out partner or the movie being shown would not fit within the boundaries I set for myself. I didn't even drink a coke until I was in college. Of course, it's not a bad thing that I was/am this way. I don't feel like I miss out on much. Whenever my friends and I do get together we always love re-telling our moments of craziness and revelling in how much fun it is to be us.

I must be dreaming

This definitely goes under my long list of "Why didn't I think of this?" Dream Dinners has saved me money and time. I like to cook but it's not something I enjoy. I'm not creative enough to think of different things to eat every day. PLUS having two kids is very time consuming. The idea of Dream Dinners is to prepare several meals ahead of time (for me, once a month for two hours), freeze them and voila! they are ready for you to thaw and prepare. It's awesome. Anyone else tried this??

So blazing sad

Talent accidentally wasted.

Next up...swimwear!

With the weather steadying itself at a comfortable -10F and all of us under the weather, I cannot help but dream of grass and warm summer days. Why, oh why do I torture myself?! To make it fun, I bought this tonight at Old Navy. Isn't it super cute? I love the rashie and am anxious to see Naomi's little diapered bum in this.

Goof Troop

Wry Baby

Hahahahaha! My friend Dayna mentioned this on her site. Wry Baby store is awesome. Do you think my hubby would appreciate the daddy-do-list for valentine's day? Or what about this?

Container Store

I just ordered this from the container store. I saw the store featured on Oprah yesterday and thought I would check it out. Gees! I could spend hours in a store like that. I also ordered this doorknob organizer. My hubby is always forgetting one thing or another so I thought it would be a fun little gift for Valentines. Nothing says I love you like a doorknob organizer. :)

Twilight

I am totally engrossed with the Twilight series right now. Originally I had started the first book, Twilight, right before Naomi was born and then struggled to find the time to read, let alone brush my teeth! I FINALLY got back to it and am so glad I did. I have been lured in...hook, line and sinker. Has anyone else read these? I am currently on the third book and am thinking I should slow my reading since the fourth book has not been released yet. I hate to think of how not fun my nights will be when I finish Eclipse. Watch political debates with Dan? Urgh! Being with Dan? Priceless. :)

Redford

Have you ever thought about what your eulogy will be like? Or whom you would like to be the narrator of your life? Have you seen The Holiday? There is a point in the movie where Amanda (Cameron Diaz's character) hears a voice narrating her life. I have since decided whom I would like to be MY narrator. Not that I would like to hear a voice giving minute-by-minute details of my actions all day, everyday. But if, and this is a BIG if, my life was being played out on stage, I know exactly whom I would like sitting on the stool in the stage-right front corner, narrating my play: Robert Redford. A River Runs Through It may come to mind. Sundance Film Festival. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. His voice is velvety, soft and like butta! Love it. Really, if he ever just wanted to talk and talk and talk...I would definitely listen.

Why So Serious?

Yes, yes and yes! The Dark Knight doesn't come out until this summer but here is the new trailer. Christian Bale, a killer motorcycle and Heath Ledger as the joker...could there be a cooler movie?? CANNOT WAIT!

They Might Be Giants

This has to be the coolest alphabet CD ever released. They Might Be Giants are back and hitting the children's market. I have seen their music video for the number 0 (which is awesome) on the Disney Channel. If a band can sing about Constantinople (which is Istanbul, not Constantinople) then I guess they can do just about anything.

Calendars

With the new year comes a need for new wall calendars. Here are a couple of my favorites.

My mom is always so nice to furnish this one for me from Russian Life. This year is dedicated to St. Petersburg by night, which, in the winter time is pretty much all the time. Love it.

My other favorite is from Pioneer Woman. She takes awesome pictures and has the best pallette -- she lives on a ranch. Anyone who loves pictures of cows, horses and wide open space, you will love this calendar. I gave this to my sister for Christmas and she loved it.

My desk calendar this year was also given to me by my mom (we love calendars). It is super cute and even comes with stickers to add to your favorite days.

TAG

On my family's site we were all tagged. Thought I would share it here.

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. I was a senior in high school
2. I was living with the Blanch fam while my parents were still gone
3. Hanging out with friends and trying to re-associate after being gone
4. I was put in as the Laurel President in church
5. Killing it in my Russian class :)

5 things on my to-do list today:
1. LAUNDRY!
2. Put Christmas stuff away
3. Try and find a place for the new stuff/sell our old stuff on ebay and Craig's list
4. Take a nap
5. Play with kids

5 things people don't know about me:
1. I use men's deodrant -- I don't like the smell of women's and it works better
2. I love watching American's Next Top Model
3. I have two screws in my jaw from surgery
4. I tried twice to become an EFY counselor
5. My sheets HAVE to be cold when I slip in them at night

5 things I would do if I was a millionaire:
1. Pay off our debt
2. Buy land/build a house
3. Invest/set up savings for us and kids
4. Travel and take whole fam back to St. Pete's
5. Set up research fund for Degenerative Eye Disease

5 things I would never wear again:
1. Hypercolor
2. Bottle of hairspray
3. Pink jeans w/ neon socks
4. One-piece snowsuit
5. Leggings with the elastic strap around my foot

Carrot stew, carrot stew...

This has to be my all-time favorite children's book. I will have to list my new favorites but this has been the longest running. As a child, we would listen to the book-on-tape. It even has two different songs to go along with the story. My favorite is carrot stew. Recently, the tape was found and Mason now loves listening to it and reading the book. Anyone else grow up reading this book??

surprise

Welcome to a new year and a new template. Okay...so it's not exactly original. It is an option anyone can choose. I am not one to create my own. I will one day have to figure out how to do that though. I'll probably go through all the templates offered and, since I bore easily, will have to force the creative juices to flow. For now, this is this and that is that. Get used to it. Too many peanut m&ms will do that to you. Thank you and goodnight.