goals, goodbyes, and good vibes

GOALS
I like January for the chance to reflect on my good life and for making plans to improve myself. I went without candy for 7 days and then said...WHY am I doing this? It doesn't really matter and it won't make me a better person to go without candy (which really means chocolate). So I decided to omit yelling from my life instead. That didn't last too much longer, but I think working toward that is a better improvement and will have more eternal rewards.

Another thing I want to work on this year is spending more time with people I love, including extended family. I have family in Alaska, Idaho and Utah. In January, my sister Trina moved from Florida to Utah so I am excited to add more visits with her family, too!

We spent Martin Luther King weekend with Dax's family and celebrated our niece's birthday. Chuck-A-Rama, Kangaroo Zoo, games, chats, and cousin time gave us some happy family memories to start the year out on a happy note.
This pic is of my nephew after a few hours going full-speed at Kangaroo Zoo. I love his red, tired face and how he's slumped over with his gut sticking out.

 

GOODBYES
Our dear neighbors/friends moved from our town and they will be sorely missed. My boys are best buddies with their boys and I taught the older two piano; there is already a void in our day-to-day life!

These pics were taken on the last night they were here.

I sent them home at dinner time and Mack was stomping around yelling that "They are STUPID for moving! Tell their Dad to quit his new job so they DON'T have to move!" If you know Mack, you know that mad is the emotion he shows for all other emotions. This is Mack's way of being super sad that his friends were moving. I sat my kids down for dinner and the next thing I know, Mack has his forehead down on his arm and is SOBBING. Like the saddest, real tears I've ever heard out if him. This sincere, raw emotion just burst out of that tough and gritty 6-year-old and it was the saddest and most beautiful thing I've seen him do. I went over and put my hand on his back and (he didn't elbow me away like I thought he'd do) I just said "it is SO hard when our dear friends move away. I'm sad too and it's ok to be sad. It is really hard." Then Hunter says, "Mom, just don't talk about it. It's making me cry." then Hunter teared up. We are planning to visit them this month and the boys are excited.

 GOOD VIBES
Paper clutter is my ultimate nemesis. My counters and kitchen table are constantly piled with papers and I can't stand it. Somedays I submit and let it win. One day last week I went on a rampage and was chucking things left and right when I saw one of Mack's school papers that he hadn't completed except for one part...

 I was as happy as a red hen when I saw that!

 A few friends and I organized a birthday lunch for my friend Jaclyn. It is so worth the effort to get together with good people. Most of these ladies are my neighbors. I love where I live!

Here is one room in my house that has not given me good vibes for a long time. My boys room has never received the attention it needs. It is super boring, no style, cluttery and blah. That is going to change.

I cleared it out and planned to paint it the end of November. Then this thing called Thanksgiving and Christmas happened and then it was January and so I called in 2 of my friends to help me and we painted it bright and clean white! I love it. I took the bunkbeds down. Making bunkbeds is awkward and annoying and I've been doing it for 8 years so I'm done. But I'm NOT done with this bedroom. Now that I have a beautiful blank canvas, I can begin to transform this room into something awesome for my boys (and me) to enjoy!

GRABBING LIFE
I feel like my main goal this year is to make life happen instead of letting life pass me by. I plan to take charge of my time and really do what I want to do. Spend time with loved ones, take my kids new places, make my house a place I love, reach out to people and serve, be a missionary, read the scriptures, visit the temple, choose the best things instead of just good things. I feel like I am a robot that is going through motions everyday but I want to live and soak it up and be in the moment. This life is temporary. Loved ones won't always be there. So hard to remember that. I love life; I want to spend more of it DOing.

I started writing in a little notebook ideas and things I want to accomplish and remember. In the back I write down gift ideas when they come to me, projects I want to do, etc. The first page, I wrote January at the top and as the month went on, I recorded things that I wanted to remember like what day I washed which sheets, payed the mortgage, and kicked the dog. But also what projects I wanted to accomplish that month. My January projects were: paint the boys room, decorate for Valentine's day, make a hairbow organizer, and organize my Christmas decor in my storage room. Well, I did all but the last one. My storage room is a bomb so I wrote that on the next page with my February goals. Writing things down has helped me stay focused on the projects I want to do most so I don't spend time spinning my wheels unsure of where to start.

Here is my bow organizer. Yes, it's a baby gate. I love my jewelry organizer I made out of a baby gate so when my friend was throwing this out, I grabbed it and it fits great on the wall behind my bathroom door. I have extra gate pieces if anyone needs one!

Here is my Valentine decor. Way cheap and easy.

Learn from me, don't put your candy jars up high like this. Mack was up on the counter grabbing some candy and he fell. The top rack of the dishwasher broke his fall. And it broke. It still works, but is a little crooked now. The candy jars got moved down to the counter and a pink feather heart wreath moved up onto the shelf. Dumb to make my decorations non-kid friendly! Learned my lesson.

beatin the winter blahs!

 It's that time of year! Christmas is over. The cold is not. We are sick of our winter clothes. The kids are cooped up and driving Mom and Dad crazy. What to do! Thank you Grandpa and Grandma Mangus for the jumping balls..a great way to use up all the extra energy!

Mack is trying out my new iPod shuffle. I have tried to squeeze a run in here and there! I bundle up and it really is beautiful outside once I get past how cold it is!

We planned on visiting my family for New Year's but they were all sick so we got a hotel in SLC and partied just the 6 of us! It was really fun and something we haven't done with all the kids in years.

 On this rare sunny day, Preslie and Dax went with the youth in our ward to baptisms at the temple. It was Preslie's first time and she liked it!

 The indoor activity that we do the most is cook. This can be a good or bad thing. I am planning to make grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for din tonight. Only I cooked these veggies down and blended them to beef up my canned soup. I also pulled homemade bread out of the oven minutes ago!

 Preslie told me the other day, "I'm sick of my clothes. I wear the same thing over and over. Can you sell my clothes and buy new ones?"
Today I went down to her room and pulled out some things I haven't seen her wear in months and put together some new combos for her... We'll see if she likes them. Sometimes my tastes are a little too "old lady" for her- ha!

 Here is my new little sunbeam! Wow. No kids in arms or in nursery. It seems that my family is growing up! Quinn's crown says "I am a child of God".

Today Quinn ran to me holding her crown and it was kinda bent up and she says, "Look, I'm not a child of God anymore!" What a sweetheart.

Best of 2013

What a year. I always say that. Then the next year comes and tries to out-do the last. The years are soo competitive that way.

So starting with the most recent.. here a few 2013 highlights:
My dad surprised us on Christmas Eve and drove out to take us to Frozen.

Preslie is now 12 and in Young Womens! The video of her on Facebook getting her bike makes me laugh every time.

We spent Christmas at home and enjoyed each other, gifts and sledding. Plus all the festivities and surprises leading up to it.

 This picture is beautiful on so many levels. This was the first snow and my kids all got themselves dressed in snow clothes and went out and played together in our very own backyard. They made their own snowman. They got along. They GOT THEMSELVES DRESSED in snow clothes.

 

We put in curbing and sod in our backyard this year. It's wonderful!

Quinn won 2 coloring contests this year at age 3. Earlier this year she insisted on sleeping in her rocking chair and not in the crib I had refinished.

Check out our house with a double rainbow behind it!

 My little bro got married!

 

We said goodbye to our sweetheart dog Echo. (It wasn't you, boy, it was me)

and don't forget..
Tristie's primary/hunting/Halloween/birthday-induced breakdown in October
Hunter's been around for a decade!
Mack started Kindergarten and continues to delight and amaze with his quick-witted yet demented one-liners.

Finished Preslie's room downstairs
Hunter won the Pinewood derby and poetry out-loud
Tristie went to Hawaii!
Nephew Sawyer joined our family

Cheers to a new year. New goals. New adventures. But with my same favorite people..

Best of Life's offerings

 We spent Thanksgiving with my husband's family in sunny Southern Utah. It was 40 plus degrees warmer than where we live and we LOVED it. And the family time was wonderful. And the food was delish.

 We held our 5th annual Bonus Gobble at our home with dear friends. Turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, pie and awesome company. You can't beat it!

 Mack lost another tooth! I will miss those cute tiny teeth!

 I attended my first treat swap. If there is one thing we all need more of in December, it's treats. So I brought 2 dozen of these...

 And came home with a smorgasbord of delectable delights.. (but actually I think mine were the best treats of the bunch. I'm kind of a treat snob; I make awesome cookies.)

 Preslie planned and hosted her own birthday party! HOLY COW. I have a kid about to turn TWELVE.

 I woke up this morning to this out my window! Everything is covered in crystal frost. It is gorgeous!

Other happenings this month:
sneaky 12 days of Christmas drop-offs
Temple date/Christmas shopping with Dax
Mack's kindergarten program
Mack's class party
teaching piano
Preslie's Nutcracker dance recital
Putting up our tree!

 Putting it up and decorating it was actually not that fun. We were all too grouchy. After hours of getting all the lights to work, finding extension cords, climbing up and down the ladder ('cause the tree is 11 feet tall), too much fighting while decorating and finally finishing and getting the kids into bed, I was ready to buy a fake tree. But I really don't want a fake one. I like how the real ones look: REAL. There is a giant tree in my house that used to be in the mountains. I like that it isn't perfectly shaped and it's not full everwhere and there are little pinecones at the ends of the branches. It beautiful to me. So, I won't buy a fake one, yet.

We are so excited for Christmas! I am ready! What a beautiful time of year in so many ways. I can hardly sing a Chrismas carol without tearing up. Especially the Christmas hymns. Christ's birth means more to me every year. I am so grateful for all the gifts I have! Merry Christmas to all!

a project a day

Yay! It's Christmastime. I just realized that I've made something every day so far this month. 5 projects in 5 days. Am I crazy? Yes. Did I love it? Yes. And in true Tristacular form, I spent zero dollars on any of them. I love the internet! Most of my projects were inspired by something I saw online.

1. Advent calandar from marthastewart.com. There is an activity written down in each envelope. December has so much going on that I use things like "Ward Christmas party" or "Mack's program" in the appropriate day. Tonight we watched Elf. You could also do a scripture in each one.

 

 2. Christmas tree stand. I got this tiny pink tree from a garage sale for 25 cents but the stand was missing.

 I whipped up this one from scrap trim found in my basement and 3 screws. Then I sprayed it pink.

 3. Magnet Board. This is a project my friend Jaclyn is making for her daughter Kinzie for Christmas. She saw this project on the blog House of Smiths. It turned out awesome. The radiator cover over the metal magnet board made it looks so modern and fun. I supplied a huge ugly frame from under my stairs. I painted the frame and the metal behind the radiator cover and helped Jaclyn put it all together. Jaclyn originally wanted to hang this over Kinzie's bed but the frame is so big that we decided to put it on the wall adjacent to the bed. Now she was back to needing something to hang over the bed. which brings me to project 4...

 4. Painted monogram. I said to my friend, "What about a big K over Kinzie's bed?" I grabbed a scrap of mdf from my garage, drew a K on it, and cut it out with my jigsaw. Then I painted it to go with Kinzie's bedspread.

 Would a 6-year-old girl love this? I hope so!

 

 5. Himmeli Ornaments. Saw these on the blog Vintage Revivals. I used regular straws instead of cocktail straws and sprayed mine gold. Can't wait to get a tree!

 

Whew! So much fun. And more fun with my family. Mack got to sing with his class at the city tree lighting ceremony. Santa came and Dax snapped this pic...

Best Santa pic to date. Usually the child is scared to death..and she was..until Santa handed her a Dora coloring book. Then she loved him.

Santa chuckled "Ho ho" when Mack told him he wanted some gumballs for his gumball machine.

 We got dumped on and the kids took a snow day from school and we went sledding. Winter is here. Highs are in the single digits.

 I think I'll stay inside and do more projects! Happy December!