Outside

Looking out my bedroom window to all the possibilities. So cliche I know. Going to a weight management doctor made me realize that my weight issues are all in my head. I follow their diet with no problems at all. But the mental block for exercise paralizes me. I'm afraid of feeling that exhaustion, it reminds me of the attacks before my heart surgery. Makes me think I'm not good enough to be healthy. Things I used to love doing are harder or make me feel self consious. No wonder big people get bigger. I gotta get over this. I gotta get moving for me. I gotta quit feeling sorry for myself and get going.

But this is where I freeze. I have everything I need, even really good health.

What's stopping me?

Myself.

I want to feel enthusiastic again.

Direction

I'm thinking a lot about direction lately; Where is my life going? What is my career path? Where did time go? What do I want? I'm starting to realize that along with where my decisions have taken me, I need to play it up a bit.

Over the next little while, I am going to be making goals - Some are going to be spiritual, some educational, some motherly, some wifely, some personal, some healthy, some kooky. With that, every post from here on out is going to be a goal focused on enhancing this life, and the lives around me. I am doing things to ensure that I regularly post (I've always wanted to regularly blog but never made it a priority). I hope you join along!

Today, I want to think about what's going on lately, so that I'm able to look forward. I saw a fun post here, and thought it'd be a good way to do that:

A is for age: I am 29, almost 30. I don't want to think about 30 yet lol.

B is for breakfast today: Wheat toast with cinnamon sugar, and a couple clementines.

C is for currently craving: Avocados! Lately I've wanted them with everything.

D is for dinner tonight: I work in the evening, so I'll probably get Del Taco. I haven't been to the grocery store to buy stuff to take.

E is for favorite type of exercise: Yoga. I haven't done it in a while (but that's for another post)

F is for an irrational fear: Blueberries. Those little buggers stain EVERYTHING that touch them. They stain teeth, cute hundred dollar cashmere sweaters that you just bought, the table, everything. And for that, they deserve fear. 

G is for gross food: There are lots out there: Tomatoes, BEANS, brussels sprouts, and anything from Applebee's.

H is for hometown: Salt Lake City, UT

I is for something important: Spitituality and awareness, and my family!

J is for current favorite jam: I think they're talking about fruit preserves...In that case, I love Currant or Blackberry. But if its music, my current favorite is I'm Not the One from The Black Keys 

K is for kids: One care-free, crazy-fun, bubbling 2 year old. Dillon is my life. 

L is for current location: SLC, UT

M is for the most recent way you spent money: I have a nerd obsession - The Sims. Their new expansion Showtime recently came out, and I caved. Dont judge me lol, I've been playing for like 10 years.

N is for something you need: I need to spend more time with my husband. 

O is for occupation: I work for a Bank doing risk evaluations for ACH transactions. 

P is for pet peeve: Nose picking, or just picking in general. Everyone does it, but I don't want the visual. 

Q is for a quote: “Whatever relationships you have attracted in your life at this moment, are precisely the ones you need in your life at this moment. There is a hidden meaning behind all events, and this hidden meaning is serving your own evolution.”
― Deepak Chopra

R is for random fact about you: I like collecting things. I like getting sand from interesting places, I like buying art books, action figures of funny things, nail polish, board games. When I get into something, I want to know it thoroughly, and that means getting a lot of it.  

S is for favorite healthy snack: Snap peas

T is for favorite treat: Nachos - the faker the cheese the better. 

U is for something that makes you unique: I read people pretty well, and if I ever get a moment to myself again I love to create art. 

V is for favorite vegetable: Banana squash. Keeps for a long time, and tastes sooo good!

W is for today’s workout: Workout? (That's another post too) I'll probably go for a walk on my break. 

X is for X-rays you’ve had: Various ankles, a leg, my heart, my brain, my stomach. Looks like pretty much everything hahaha

Y is for yesterday’s highlight: New Girl was hilarious, and the nachos I made rocked. 

Z is for your time zone: Mountain

Thanks for taking the time to read. Next time, I'm going to be writing about my adventure to the dietician.

Jen :)

I am a domestic goddess (with a full-time job)

Growing up in Utah, it's a good chance you grew up with a parent or other family member standing over the stove, slaving away over a hot stockpot of something-or-another getting put in bottles and eaten throughout the years.

My Grandma Belva was that lady in my life. she would make everything from salsa, jam, and mustard pickles, to regular dills, peaches, and pears. That stuff always tasted better than the store-bought stuff (and looked a lot better too). Both my mom and my mother-in-law have also influenced me. Apricot jam one year at mom's, and a weekend full of spiciness at my MIL's making salsa.


This year Tom and I want to do it on our own and perpetuate the tradition. We did a little research, and started the garden this spring with everything we'd need. 


So, today I got all my canning gear at Winco. They had the best prices by far for new jars (I didn't check Wal-Mart I refuse to shop there on principle).

Total bill $45.75:
Pints = $6.98x2
Quarts = $7.98x2
OOO and one of those lid wands for $1.50
Fruit pectin = $1.30x2
Small Ball freezer jars 5 count= $2.65x2

 I'm happy! now we'll be able to make our salsa and the spaghetti sauce as the veggies come on.

I think I'll ask Santa to get a pressure cooker for next year. This year we're only doing tomato-based goods. So, between the canning stuff my grandma gave me (pint pot with lifter, funnel and can lifter), and my mom's supplies (quart pot and lifter), I'll do water-bath this year.

Oh, and I almost forgot - Went to Barnes & Noble and got the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.

That and a mag my mom gave me inspired me to go to fruit way in Brigham City to get fresh fruit to make freezer jam.


I love this lost art, and hope Tom and I can perfect it and keep trying new things. Gimme a holla if you know any good recipes!!


Ta-Ta,

Jen

Dill's space themed bedroom, and summertime so far

It's been a busy time since my last post. From painting and playing, to more activities galore, here's what we've been up to lately.


I had a pay period where I worked 37.5 hours of overtime (and it got me nowhere but that's for another post). With that extra money, I was able to afford painting and decorating my son's room.

I really wanted to contribute to the room by painting these three 12x12 canvases I had lying around. Not quite done yet. But another couple of hours and they'll be good to go.

We also celebrated Dillon's birthday with friends and family:

Trent helping decorate the front room.

Crazy Kayla

Grandma checking out the birthday banner that took FOREVER to make :)

Me, Laci, Dillon, Kayla and Nana Angie

And awesome Elmo cake that Shaunasee and Lindsey made for the party. Dillon LOVES Elmo.

Fantastic cupcakes

Dill got so many presents I'm saving some of them for Christmas so he isn't too spoiled.

We went camping at Marsh lake. It was Dillon's first camping trip, and he did so good I might want to go again. we stayed for 4 days, and had family stop by during that time too. Dillon calls them, "My kids". I hope that we can do get together's like this, and see our kids become close:

Emma picking flowers to put in her hair

Put em up Fischer! He got Dill doing it too :)

Helen looking pretty

Such a good dad

He was kissin' rocks right and left. Maybe he'll grow up and be a Geologist?

He loves his cousin Kelly. They are close enough in age that they played quite a bit.

pretty girls

awww cayceee

:)

Being more creative, and paying attention to life has been my goal this year. I wouldn't be able to love life without my family and friends. It has been a fun summer so far, and much more to look forward to. I'll be posting soon about the fun of canning and making freezer jam.

Until then,


Jen

July's gonna be busy - Kid room research/ideas

Hello readers,

My little boy's second birthday is this month (my how time flies), and my plan is to redo his room. Right now as it is, it used to be my grandmother's office. It has good carpet but the wallpaper is circa 1980 or 90 something, and is totally not meant to breed imagination. So, with some overtime money I've been earning, I'm hoping to buy/make some fun stuff.

I mulled around a couple ideas and thought outer space would be something he could keep for a few years, or until he's old enough to do something that's his idea.

Here are some random things I found surfing the net that might inspire you to use the web for more unique stuff. Enjoy!

I saw this cute homemade space room and it totally inspired me: 





I dig the one dark blue wall and one yellow wall - My son's room is a little small to go that crazy, so I think I'll do one wall a shade of dark blue, and the rest an eggshell or yellow-toned white.

I saw these decals on amazon.com, they are part of the Olive Kid's Out of This World collection. TOTALLY cute for the dark blue wall:

Then I saw that they have curtains. I think I could make my own, but these are really cute too:





I want to go to the fabric store anyway, so I might get a like theme, and get enough to make big floor pillows for next to his book case too.

Went to Ikea and got this stuff:

 

Lots of blue going on, so I gotta squeeze some primary color accents in. I really love crafting, and saw these adorable signs on Etsy.com that I'm considering buying or using as inspiration:

Also, since I am artistically inclined, The below really cute positive affirmation paintings are adorable, but in the wrong theme. I thought I'd use them as inspiration, and paint spaceships, aliens, planets or something instead of the animals. I found 'em on art.com:

This payday I can finally start putting stuff together and making my purchases. I'll post pics of my projects, and the room painting process. I love my little guy - he deserves to have a fun space where he can sleep and play. I hope he'll like it!



More to come!!!

Jen

Projects Galore

So having bought my grandparent's home in January, my husband and I have spent the last 4 months trying to make it our own. That has included ripping down the wallpaper in multiple rooms, textured walls, painting, cleaning, and trying to spread out a 2 bedroom apartment's worth of furniture into 3 bedrooms, 2 living rooms and a den.

Needless to day I needed decor hard-core.

We're by no means rich, so I haven't been able to afford Ethan Allen to come in just yet. But a cool idea that my momma and a few blogs I read do, is take ideas from the expensive places and make it yourself. Amanda from craftsbyamanda.com, had this totally cute idea of French Fruit Wall Art taken from a high-end store. To get my creative juices flowing and to fill some wall space, I followed her tutorial and came up with this:

 It was a really fun project. As I add more decor, I will definitely keep these somewhere in the kitchen.


I've also been trying out the sewing machine my mom gave me. I am a TOTAL novice, but here's what I did:

The next thing I really want to do is tackle window treatments for the entryway. Any suggestions?


Jen