20 Things I am Grateful For This Week

Happy Easter!

For the time being, I am going to make my "attitude of gratitude" a weekly feature each Sunday. I know it is going to improve my outlook, and I hope it improves yours as well.

1. The Atonement
2. Loving parents and parents-in-law
3. Modern washing machines
4. An outlet for my creativity
5. Homemade gluten-free desserts
6. My niece
7. A husband who knows when to (lovingly, but firmly) kick me off the computer
8. My Nikon D3000 DSLR camera
9. My mom's beautiful and picture-worthy garden
10. Orange blossoms
11. An honest & productive discussion with my most difficult class
12. The supportive and level-headed administrator who helped make said discussion possible
13. My son's day care center & all of his lovely teachers
14. A bandanna to keep me from sneezing long enough to weed my front yard
15. Little promptings that save me money or solve a tiny problem
16. Pampers Easy-Ups
17. My newly-cutified laundry room
18. A wonderful Easter Sunday sacrament service
19. Beautiful weather
20. Friends who never really lose touch

Spring Break Projects 4-6

#4: Revamping the church nursery

Don't you just love how cute all of those old-fashioned blocks look stacked up together?

My friend Nicole and I teach the nursery class for our ward (a.k.a. church congregation), which is made up of children ages 18 months to roughly three years old. Diverse, right? The kids are great, but we decided the decor and organization in our classroom was somewhat lacking--so we decided to revamp it.

Without going into too much detail, here are some of the things we've accomplished:

-sort, purge, and organize the toys

-label cabinets with bilingual names of toys (we share our building with a Spanish-speaking branch)

-snap pictures of various toys to use as picture labels on shelves and bins (see adorable pic above)

- decorate the bulletin board for spring

- plan the content for the bulletin board

- create 100% homemade paper bunting (pictures and tutorial to come)

We have a long ways to go and a lot of ideas on our drawing board, so stay tuned for the Moon Valley Ward nursery reveal. I can't wait to share!

#5: My 1st Pinterest Project

On Wednesday night of my spring break, my husband spent the night at his mom's house in order to attend a late-night study session. Faced with a long night without adult company, I decided to be spontaneous and invite my friend Stephanie over for some Pinterest-inspired crafting.

My project is on the left, and follows this super easy tutorial to make an infinity scarf from an old, x-large t-shirt.

Stephanie's project is on the right, and hers was a more spontaneous design. She decided to get creative after realizing a women's medium fitted t-shirt resulted in more of a necklace than a scarf.

Don't you love the way her braided and knotted scarf turned out?

I think I may have to make one for myself--and maybe even post a tutorial!

#6: Organizing the Garden Shed

 Since our house doesn't have a garage, we needed a secure place to store our lawn mower and other lawn equipment from my son's curious and often mechanically-minded explorations, my husband purchased and painstakingly built this shed. Five months later, I finally brought some order to his chaos.

The picture above is a before shot, since the shed, like the Moon Valley Ward nursery, still has a long way to go. I will post some after pictures when I have some worth taking.

So, are you wishing you were a teacher yet? 

After all, school vacations are the best time to attack those mounting to-do lists!

Brannon + yogurt

Brannon recently discovered he is in love with yogurt after I bought it on a whim. He has literally eaten multiple packages in a row every day since we brought it home--usually without asking. Recognizing his culinary fervor for this newly-rediscovered, fruit-flavored dairy product, my husband and my mom both restocked our fridge when his supply got low (you know, after one day). In response, Brannon devoured yogurt at every opportunity. (My husband reports that he went so far as to take an entire four-pack to the couch, opening and eating it one container at a time but without breaking the set apart first!) In his defense, he usually does a rather good job of cleaning up after himself and throwing the containers away without being asked.

The climax of this lovely adventure?
Tonight Brannon was eating his third or fourth container of peach yogurt (trust me--we tried to stop him), when he decided he loved yogurt so much he should paint with marry it.

Sometimes, you just have to laugh at the quirks of little boys.

20 Things I am Grateful For This Week

Occasionally, I get thrown into a black mood in which I am flooded by negative thoughts, self-doubt, and anxiety. Typically, these moods are short-lived, and with a little effort, I can pull myself out of them. Just such a mood struck an hour or two ago, and listing some of the things for which I am grateful seemed like a good step to brightening my outlook.

1. One full week of paid vacation--no questions asked
2. Lots of projects to keep me busy (and give me a sense of accomplishment)
3. My amazing son, who has stayed so cheerful and upbeat, even while he was recovering from surgery
4. A husband who readily complied when I called with strange, unexplained requests like, "Tell me to go with the cheaper option"
5. Owning & decorating my own newly renovated, well-sized and affordable home
6. Excellent friends who are both easy-going and fun to be around
7. Benadryl
8. Pinterest
9. My ability to organize, innovate, and create
10. My ability to troubleshoot and problem-solve--whether the situation is technology-based or not
11. A husband who believes in me, but isn't afraid to redirect me when needed
12. Springtime
13. Fun, caring, and inspiring in-laws
14. My research abilities
15. A large, grassy backyard where my son can run off his energy
16. My ability to learn and adapt easily
17. A grill & a husband who knows how to use it
18. Indoor plumbing (we went camping last weekend)
19. Arizona wildflowers
20. Knowing this life is just the beginning

Spring Break Projects 1-3

#1: Brannon's Surgery

Brannon had surgery yesterday to correct a small birth defect. The procedure was delayed a few hours, but we are glad to finally have it done. He's been such a trooper!

#2: Shailyn's Mission Call Opening

While we were waiting for Brannon to come out of surgery, Derek got a call from Shailyn. She had her mission call! We had previously volunteered our house for the family opening, so we had just a few hours to throw a party together. We got home from the hospital at 6:30, guests started arriving at 7:30, and Shailyn opened the call at 8:00. She's going to Adelaide, Australia!

Here is what I managed to throw together in about the 30 seconds I had for party planning:

Drinks: Delegate to my awesome father-in-law, Bret

Food: Send husband to store for snacks (potato chips, cottage cheese for dipping, & fruit tray); Raid Brannon's snacks from the pantry (Nilla wafers & Teddy Grahams)

Decor: Throw a large scrap of fabric on the counter, scrunch it up, and use pretty bowls

Party Game: Give everyone a Post-it and pen to write down where they think Shailyn will be called & stick them to the wall

Photo Op: Steal Brannon's chalkboard, find a piece of chalk (in the dirt area in our backyard), & scrawl a quick message

#3: A Mission-Call Memento

I am so proud of Shailyn, and I decided to make something to help her remember one amazing moment. I had a basic idea of what I wanted to do, and with some playing around on PicMonkey.com, this is what I came up with. Pretty neat, huh?

What spring projects have you been up to?

LIFE: A Project-Oriented Approach

A few weeks ago, I discovered I hated my leisure time. Why, you ask? Because I was spending most of it zoned out in front of the TV, watching episode after episode of some uninspired sitcom or dopey children's show, or running around the house, doing the same cleaning the same rooms in the same way week after week. I was bored, mentally stifled, and disappointed in myself. It was time for a change.

The solution?

Projects.

I decided to complete one project each Saturday, whether it was organizing a closet, doing a craft, or weeding the yard. Once that project was completed, I could spend the day doing whatever I wanted. More often than not, what I want to do is more projects--I do, after all, thrive on a sense of accomplishment.

The result?

I am happier.

I am seldom bored, frequently challenged, and rarely disappointed in myself. As an added bonus, I am spending more time with my son doing the things he wants to do--helping me, learning to be independent, and most importantly, not watching television.

Curious about my projects?

Stay tuned to this blog or follow me via Pinterest. I promise to share pictures soon!