PLAN December 31, 2007

So I need a PLAN. Much like the menu helps me actually cook during the week, I think I need a crafting plan so that I can have goals to meet each week.

Menu (12.30.07 - 1.5.0

Sunday - Spinach Meatloaf & wild rice pilaf
Monday - NYE - out (we just need to bring a dish to Stevies - I hope the grocery store is open tomorrow!); we’ll nibble at both parties we go to…
Tuesday - Happy New Year 2008! Homemade whole wheat pizza crust with fresh motz -or- petit filets (if Boom doesn’t mind grilling)
Wed - Slow cooker roast chicken & veggies Moroccan Chicken and Vegetable Stew (from Boom’s mom’s slow cooker cook book that I borrowed)
Thurs - Homemade meat sauce with high protein pasta
Fri - Chili (or out)
Sat - Leftovers (or out)

Craft (this is anything that I have to create, or semi-create) - to be completed by 1.5.08

1. 2 baby girl gifts (A.L. & S.S.) - personalized stationary (this is easy)
2. 2007 year in review 2-page scrapbook spread (Yarb - do you want a copy? do you think I should make another one for Marm and Dad? if yes to all, that is 3 copies of the same 2007 2-page spread…)
3. Al’s surprise gifty (Al - don’t keep reading!); need to think of fabric / color choices and embroidery design; need to make the darn thing!

I think that is good for next week. I hope I developed enough pictures for all the scrapbook pages I may potentially be making!

Other Craft Ideas to Keep in Mind

1. Tote from that Purl blog (minus the fancy handles)
2. an ‘E’ for Yarb’s Valentine’s Day gift (idea from a Little Hut) and also the reglazing idea

Random December 31, 2007

I got the Junior League of Richmond Annual Report a few days ago - it is also a calendar!  What a great idea!  I only wish the photos were of higher resolution, as some are blurry…

Yogidy December 31, 2007

12.30.07 ~ 2:40pm

When we were up at the Cape for 8 days, I did a little running, a LOT of eating (really rich foods) and lots of sitting around.  On the days that I did run, I did 5 sun salutations (orig I thought I should do 10 - so the full warm up, but space was cramped, and I didn’t have a mat, etc, blah blah blah), which was a good (albeit a smidge feeble) attempt to do a little yoga on my own.  Before that, I had literally not done any yoga outside the studio.  But those 5 sun salutations are nothing in comparison to what we do in class (duh - in class, the warm up is 5 - A sun salutations and 5 - B sun salutations).

So I was back at yogi today - and I really do love it.  In the beginning of Kyra’s class, she talks about how each of us should have an “intention” for the class.  I used to think it was a bunch of fluffy new age mumbo jumbo, but now I really like it.  You seal in your intention for the class at the beginning and then after we finish the final resting pose, we revisit that intention.  My intention for each class is always to be a better person.  I think I am pretty good most times, but there is always room for improvement!  And I think that if I am a good person, most everything else will fall into place.  I guess it is a little bit of meditation.  and I like Kyra b/c she always ends class by reading something about yoga and life (usually to the effect of you practice yoga in your everyday life).  I do enjoy it - I am almost intrigued enough to do a little more research on it or read more about yoga and life, but I haven’t gotten there just yet.   I always said that if I really found religion, I think I’d be some Eastern religion, like Buddhist or Taoist.

only 1,996 more needed… December 27, 2007

My friend / ex-coworker who turned me onto the world of blogs, Tuck, sent me a link about making money off blogs.  I am close, only need a mere 1,996 more readers!!!!  But it is cool to know that peeps do make mola off just writing about their stupid, boring lives (Dooce, one of my fav blogs and one of the most well read blogs around, had that on her masthead).  Too bad my blog is neither well written nor interesting…

The little things December 26, 2007

Wed., 12/16/08 (~1:40pm)

When Boom and I are up here, we share a bathroom that is snug. Not tiny, but definitely snug. So a couple nights ago, I asked Boom to put some toothpaste on my toothbrush, as he was doing the same for himself.

The next night, when I went in to the bathroom to brush my teeth, my toothbrush was out with toothpaste already on it! That really made me smile and feel quite loved. When I got into bed, I told Boom as much. And he said he hoped he did other things that make me feel loved, which, of course, he does, but that he remembered the little thing of putting toothpaste on my toothbrush really touched me.

I guess sometimes it is easier to focus on the big things, but sometimes it is those little things that really make an impact.

Xmas 2007 December 26, 2007

Wed., Dec. 26, 2007 (~1:15pm) I am adding my own timestamps to my blog entries, as I cannot figure out how to sync up the blog time on WordPress to EST.

Our trip up to the Cape was uneventful. Although Boston got a few feet of snow just a few days before we came up, we were unaffected (thank goodness). Boom’s bro (Mo) and sis-in-law (Hol) and their daughter, little E, got in Sunday morning - was great to see them.

Sunday eve was (of course) football time. The Pats won over the (I can’t remember who they played!) so they continue their undefeated streak. Though Brady didn’t look great in the 2nd half, not scoring any TDs at all! Boom’s sister (Lee), her hub (Chuck), their twins (C and M) came over for the game. M is really into football and pro sports in general.

Here are all the real fans (moi, little E and M) - getting ready for the game!

For some reason M’s jersey was all black (which actually was good for Boom and I as we had gotten him a real Brady jersey).

and little E had her very own pink Brady jersey!

Christmas day was fine - the kids got LOTs of gifts - almost too many. I guess that is what happens when everyone buys gifts for the kiddies. Next year, I am thinking, that we will purchase 1 gift per child. No one noticed that we had many gifts per kids, especially the kids, so why add to all that excess?

Mally dog even got dressed up for the holiday! She is a good dog, not too terribly bright, but still a good pup. Odd, as she LOVES fruit - bananas, orange ets. Made me miss little Ruby, but the drive up here is too much for her (and us, for that matter).

Little E loved the tape machine with mics that Booms parents got for her. She knows all 5 verses of “Frosty the Snowman” - I never even knew there are 5 verses of that carol!  She was concentrating very hard and the mic was pressed up against her lips - any closer and she’d be ingesting the mic!

The twins also performed their school holiday song for us - I had never heard of it, but it was considerably less complicated than Little E’s song…

Here we are with Mo and Hol and Little E. We jumped into their family photo, as Boom and I make for a small family photo.

As for being good, I don’t think I really was good enough for my “big” gift - a GORGEOUS Elizabeth Locke bracelet! It is part of the Mr. T starter set

A wrist model I’ll never be, but this bracelet is so very lovely. and has such a great weight…

I LOVE IT!!!! LOOOOOOOVE it! Thanks, Boom, you are too good to me, as per the usge.

Last but not least, Lee (and Boom’s mom) cooked up a storm - and these are my fav cookies that Lee makes.

They have almond extract in them, not overly sweet, dipped in (dark?) chocolate. I like just a little bit of chocolate - the “meat” of the cookies are thick and moist - very yummy!

Boom’s oldest sister, Kris, didn’t make it back to the Cape from Chicago - she has a family of 5, so I really don’t blame her.

Oh, Boom’s parents got us for the gift swap - and they got us a really pretty black photo album that says “John and Ting Bresnahan” on the front. For many good memories in 2008 - it was really sweet and thoughtful. And useful! I love it as well.

Projects… December 22, 2007

I just recently got into blogs (thanks to my ex-co-worker Tuck) - and I am still amazed at all the really cool tutorials out there for me to start doing! (I have noticed, oddly enough, that I don’t spend nearly as much time looking at blogs now that I am not employed as I used to - I guess being stuck and bored in an office is prime time to check our blogs). The bad thing is I have so many ideas of things I want to do, that I may have trouble finding time for the actual implementation .

I did just email Tuck to see if she can help me get some “reclaimed” paper from her office. For a project I have in mind! Seems wasteful to me to use new paper for this project, so I hope she doesn’t mind helping out! There is a ton of paper that goes into the recycling bins at her office.

I also have a great idea for Yarb’s next gift - she is starting a collections of ‘e’s (I think) so I will hope to add at least one to that collection.

And I think Al and I are going to do an ornament swap next year for our xmas gifts. Which is a great idea - nice work, Al! I also have a great idea for a little something to make her, as she collects frogs.

We are leaving on Sat (tomorrow) for a whole week up on the Cape. It is great to see Boom’s family (esp for him to spend time with them, as he doesn’t really get to do that a lot), but I know that I get a little restless when I am up there, since the main family activity is sitting around and watching TV.  I was hoping to bring a project up there with me, but that is hard, since we are flying and I would need Xacto knives and scissors, etc.  I guess I can think about and plan my upcoming projects…

wahhh December 22, 2007

Marmidy just called - to say she misses me.  I miss her a lot too.  I feel bad, as we just talked yesterday, so she really must miss me!  Probably just because the holidays are coming up and she thinks of us (Yarb and I), and since I am the baby (and had such a bad year) she worries about me.  Boom knows that Marm (and Yarb) would love to have us in TX to be closer to them.  I would like that as well, but I know that really we should go where the job is the best for Boom.  Right now that is Richmond.  (and we have lots of GREAT friends here, so can’t complain too much).

At least she and dad leave for their cruise with a bunch of other couple friends (who’s kids are with the in-laws, like us) on Sunday.  Then she won’t have time to miss me or Yarb.  Still, the holidays are hard when you are not with YOUR family.  As much as I love Boom’s fams, they are no replacement for marm, dad, Yarbs and even Josephine.

Yesterday, I was just talking with a friend, Whitey, who is going to be experiencing her first Christmas away from her family.  I told her it is hard, and that my 1st one away, I CRIED a lot.  Not that that should be such a surprise, since I am such a crybaby (or CB, as Boom likes to refer to me as).  She was not exactly excited, but this is what you do when you are married.  You suck it up and spend holidays with the in-laws.  Definately worth it for the hubby’s sake, but missing your fam and being a little sad is ok.

Marmidy and Dad sent Boom and I our Xmas gift - a hefty check to buy whatever we wanted!  It was really very generous and Marm and Dad really didn’t have to do so - we weren’t expecting them to give us so much.  But I think part of it was Marmidy missing us so much - it was very kind and generous of them.

I love Marmidy and Dad and Yarbs probably more than they know.  Sometimes hard to express myself in that way.

Holiday Spirit? December 21, 2007

(Yarb - Do NOT read this post unless you want to know what one of your gifts is!)

I haven’t really been able to get into the holiday spirit. Not sure why, but I didn’t even hang wreaths on the front of our doors! I did put up all the little trees, stockings and our new advent calendar we got from Garnet Hill (we didn’t fill the calendar this year - as I did order it until the end of Nov - and the little hats and mittens are super small, not exactly sure what we would fit into them, besides a piece of candy or a quarter). But it is super cute:

I never really had any experience with advent calendars (since we are not religious) and I am not exactly sure when I started hearing about them (opening the calender’s “door” for each day and getting a piece of chocolate!), but I thought I would make one for Boom and myself. Boom encouraged me to just purchase this one and luckily I decided to - it arrived and I just had to put it up!

I had also been wanting to make some sort of ornament (and Yarborough had also asked for some homemade ornaments). The folksy look has been popular this year and I had been seeing a lot of felt ornaments, much like these:

I had a lot of felt on hand, so I thought that I could use it up making felt ornaments. I even purchased a felt ornament pattern from futuregirl of sea creatures (fish, octopus, etc.) but I really didn’t ENJOY using the pattern. After that, I even went as far as to email Yarb and tell her that this year I wouldn’t be able to give her any ornaments, as my plan had gone awry.

When I was out shopping, I went into a store here in town and saw some simple round felt embroidered ornaments and thought to myself - They are selling these puppies for TEN BUCKS? I could make that myself! Thus, I have been a felt ornament making machine! I made enough to give Yarbs some, and also gave a Gretty one! I think they came out super cute, and I have enjoyed working on them…

So maybe that is how my holiday spirit has manifested itself - via making felt ornaments.

Little Rubles December 21, 2007

This year, Al and I have decided to just do pet gifts, as she has a lot on her plate with her upcoming wedding in Feb! So Ruby got a great care package yesterday full of gifts from Captain and Chopper…

These are all the fun treats she got in her priority mailed care package.

Sometimes she gets tired of me taking photos of her. But she is just SO CUTE!

Here she is inspecting her bone shaped squeeky santa toy… before she desides to eat it!

She doesn’t really consume squeeky toys, but she does LOVE to DOMINATE them. She has already chewed off his eyes…

Ruby says, “Thanks, Aunt Al and Captain and Chopper. I ruff you!”