New Music (228:365)

My sister just introduced me to some new tunes, 
that honestly, seem ethereal.

Mindy Gledhill

Check her out.

You can thank me later.

And if you speak Spanish, or just wish you did, here is the Spanish version. And, yes, she has an excelente accent.

Have any awesome music you want to share with me?

Sporting New Boots! (227:365)

My mom bought me some cute (clearance!) clothes yesterday, including this preppy dress and snazzy boots.

I've never owned any boots before, because of 
A. I've never been able to fit into any off the rack, 
B. I didn't have the guts to wear them, and 
C. I didn't want to pay $50+ for them.

Good news, we found those on clearance for $10!

We got the next, can I say-SEXY boots for only $13! 
My outfit here cost under $30. 

Hooray for clearance shopping, of which this year has been amazing!

(Thanks again, mom!)

Skinny Jeans for $5! (226:365)

I FINALLY bought into the trend.

(I'm a late bloomer.)

I got my first pair of skinny jeans since 1986 today from Target for only $5!

Luckily, I also just got some boots to wear over them...

Don't plan on seeing me wear them without the boots any time soon!

Pictures tomorrow...

(Thanks mom for taking me shopping!)

Leather Skirt for $0.99! (225:365)

$0.99 day at Goodwill was today and I scored some sweet stuff. 

The best of which was a black leather skirt for, you guessed it, $0.99!

I'm not planning on wearing it though, but on using it for other fun creations, such 

as a cute new pair of shoes for the Goose.

I found this great pattern for re purposed leather shoes on etsy.

First Mile With No Side Ache! (224:365)

Today I ran 1.15 miles without getting a side ache! I felt really pretty good and would have get going a little longer except Dee's preschool was getting out right then. Anyhoo, once I stopped I felt a little tiny dizzy, but not bad really. I feel proud of my body and my mind for accomplishing that! Can't wait to bet back on the tredmill and see how much farther I can go next time.

Joslyn Art Museum (223:365)

Scott got home today from his conference trip and after I picked him up from the airport we went on a date. First we went out to lunch and tried some new food at Wheatfields in Omaha, then went to a cool vinyl store and found some great band shirts.

Then we went to the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, for the first time.

Ah! It was so NICE and fun to go to an art museum. I haven't been to one for sooo long. I was an Art History minor in college, so I really miss art and studying up about it, so I was in my element and loving it.

They had a really great exhibit called The Glory of Ukraine, featuring tons of beautiful byzantine religious icons and artifacts.

Their permanent collection was also amazing. Scott was able to see his first Monet, Degas, Pollock, among others.

We had a really great time walking around together talking about art and being alone.

And the best part, we got in for free because there was less than 1 hour until it closed!

Basketball and the "Runza Wrap" (222:365)

Today I went to my first UNL Women's Basketball game with the young women from our church for our weekly activity. It was really fun to go and see some basketball! I haven't been to anything like that for a long time.

Lame part, for half time they had people do a "Runza Wrap" challenge where they had to wrap and box the local favorite snack, the "runza". Boo. They are gross. But everyone here LOVES them.

I've been told that the Cheese Runza dipped in Aus Jus is amazing. We'll see...

Dee's First Letter "m" (221:365)

Yesterday Dee and I started "playing school", or rather,started her reading lessons. We are both really excited about it and are enjoying the lessons.

Today she successfully wrote her first legible letter "m"!

We are on our way to literary freedom!

Blueberry Banana Bread Bust (220:365)

I tried making a blueberry banana bread today which turnedinto a horrible mess. It never finished baking. I baked itfor about an hour and checked it thinking it was definitely enough. Tubs out no matter how long I baked it it was just never going to bake all the way through. 

I'm talking HOURS.

It was a gross soggy mess.

Do you know of a good blueberry banana bread recipe that will fill my void?

Drop One Off, Pick One Up (219:365)

The last few times Scott has gone on conference trips, my mom has been able to come out and "replace" him. She has even been able to plan her flights to line right up with his, so I literally drop him off and pick her up at the same exact time. 

We did another airport swap today. 

Dee is soooo excited for her grandma to be here.

Goose was terrified of her, but soon got over it.

For dinner, Goose ate her first broccoli trees and strawberry chunks. She LOVED it. She is at the point right now where she eats more than Dee at just about every meal. She can really pack it in, even weighing in at only the 25% for her age.

I am about to start a reading program with Dee. Per my friend Anna's recommendation, I bought the book Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, and am working my way through the introduction. I never read intros, I just don't have the patience, but I'm so glad I'm taking the time to do so here. It explains a lot of really important aspects to the program that are key to Dee's comprehension of it all.

I think we will start the program tomorrow. I am so excited about it!

Running and a Migraine (218:365)

I had a super great workout this morning. I ran for 15 1/2 minutes without stopping, the longest I've done in like 15 years, 

Image from here.

and then did some weights for about an hour. I felt really good!

Soon after I came home my vision began to have a blurry spot which I realized was actually a blind spot. I used to get migraines when I was in middle and high school so I knew what was potentially about to hit me. I used to get tunnel vision or see stars, but this was the first time that I had a major blind spot. When I was looking in the mirror at my face and couldn't see the entire right side of my face I realized something scary was maybe about to happen. I sent Scott to the store to get me some migraine medicine and he ran off and returned quickly. I took it and felt okay, and the blind spot cleared up, so I went with Dee to lunch with some friends. On the way I started to regret it, but kept driving anyway. We sat with our friends for about 10 minute before I decided I shouldn't have gone and told Dee we needed to leave right then. We left, I drove quickly, and about 2 minutes after walking in the door I threw up (good timing, right?!). I did feel a little better after that, but a dull headache was coming on, so, luckily, Scott was able to be home today and I got to sleep the headache off. Thanks honey!

Ever since, I've been on a caffeine buzz, since the migraine medication had as much as a cup of coffee! I don't drink caffeine so it really hopped me up. It's just now starting to wear off, 11 hours later.

So, today was a day of physical triumphs! First big long run and first migraine of the decade. Hooray!

5 Minute Headband (217:365)

Yes, it really only took me 5 minutes to make this dazzling little beauty.

I got the tutorial from New Green Mama.

All you need is some old knit material and 5 inches of elastic.

I used a pair of Scott's old pajama pants 

that have some lovely HUGE holes in the behind.

They will NOT be missed.

Now they are being put to better use, making my gross hair look cuter!


How to make the headband:

Cut a 2 1/2" by 14" rectangle. 
Then slice the rectangle lengthwise 3 or 4 times, getting only 3 inches from the ends on both sides. These strips will curl when pulled tight.

Then you sew about a 5" piece of elastic, zig-zagging it on both ends. I kind of rolled up the knit material around the elastic to encase it better.

I will definitely be making more of these little darlings. 

(Headbands and kids...)

Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies (216:365)

I'm so over Toll House.

Their Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe makes flat and greasy cookies which are always disappointing. 

I found a recipe on the back of my Gold Medal Flour bag the other day (which I bought for $1.68 on sale and then used a coupon from the bag, a "pealy" to buy 4 bags of chocolate chips for $0.75 each!) for Chocolate Chip Cookies and hoped it was better than Toll House.

Image from here.

Well, they sure are! Less greasy, less flat and chewier. Yum!

I made 2 additions to the recipe.

I added 1 tsp Vanilla and 1 small box instant Vanilla Pudding mix.

Hope you like them as much as we do!

Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4	cup granulated sugar
3/4	cup packed brown sugar
1	cup butter or margarine, softened
1	egg
2 1/4	cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1	teaspoon baking soda
1/2	teaspoon salt
1	cup coarsely chopped nuts
1	package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

Heat oven to 375ºF. Mix sugars, butter and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.  (I cooked them for 11 minutes and should have done 10. I tend to overcook my cookies fearing rawness...I need to get over that fear!) Let me know if you like them too!

Reese's Pieces (215:365)

Woot!

Oh yeah, free candy.

We went to Culvers tonight for some custard with our pogo card and with your frozen custard you get mix ins. Well, Scott didn't want any mix ins and I didn't want any ice cream so I asked if I could get the mix ins on the side.

They complied!

I got a huge cup of mini Reese's Pieces for free!

Image from here.

I probably sound too excited about this, but it was really very exciting. Try it next time you go somewhere and you don't want all the offered mix ins/ toppings. Get some gummy bears or M&M's to go!

Vintage Valentine Tutorial (214:365)

Today I made some vintage-style Valentines for Dee's preschool Valentine party tomorrow.

I can't wait for her to pass them out! (Although, I do realize they will probably go straight into the trash, I am still proud of how stinkin' cute they are!)

I found this great vintage Valentine's print fabric at a local fabric store.

  I think this idea would be so cute with so many different kinds of prints. You could make your own stationary cards!

Here is a little tutorial on how I made them.

Valentine Headbands (213:365)

I made these cute little headbands today for my girlies to wear tomorrow.

Only, I didn't put them on hard headbands, but stretchy ones, since Dee WILL NOT keep a regular headband on no matter what!

I got the idea/ found the great tutorial over at Blue Eyed Freckle, who, btw, has the cutest felt headbands! I can't wait to try out some of her ideas myself!

Porridge Papers Valentines (212:365)

Today this really cute local paper shop, Porridge Papers, had a really fun and FREE Valentine activity. We went and typed up Valentine notes to Scott on old typewriters 

and got our tiny polaroid picture taken. 

Then we packaged it up in a tiny bottle, which they then will deliver to him at school on Monday!

It was so fun! Hope it's a good surprise for daddy!

Dee's First Dance! (211:365)

Our YMCA had a Valentine's Daddy Daughter dance tonight and Dee and Daddy pants went together. Goose was asleep already...

They had so much fun!

Dee requested "Talk About It" (Funky Town) from Shrek and had a lot of fun dancing to one of her favorite songs. She then kept wanting to request different songs, but daddy was a little bashful about bugging the DJ. 

During a slow song she kept yelling to Scott that she wanted them to change the song (like mommy like daughter-boo slow songs!). 

At the end of the night they gave Dee a rose which she was so excited about!

Dee and Scott had a really great time on their "date". I'm so grateful to have a husband who cares about his girls enough to spend quality time with them doing things the girls want to do!

The After Party

Chicken Noodle Soup, Wheat Bread, Honey Butter and a Lemon Tart (210:365)

I love cooking, but it sure is a lot of work when it's all from scratch! 

For dinner tonight I made Chicken Noodle soup, improvising as I went, throwing in some chopped kale to boost the health factor, and some freshly picked basil out of our AeroGarden. The soup turned out delicious.

Then I made some quick Whole Wheat Bread from The Essential Mormon Celebrations cookbook by Julie Badger Jensen. 

 Image from Everyday Food Storage

It only took 5 minutes to mix and only 40 minutes in the oven, with no rising time. I used molasses instead of honey. Here is a link to someone else who took the time to type it all up.

The bread was nice, with a definite quick bread/ chewy texture. The honey butter made it delicious.

From the same cookbook, I made some Honey Butter. The recipe calls for 1 cup softened butter, 1 cup honey, and 1 tsp vanilla. Beat for 3 minutes on high. I halved the recipe though, since I'm the only one using it and it's only good for 4 weeks in the fridge.

Then I made a heavenly Lemon Tart.

Photo from Diana's Desserts.

Find the recipe here, from another kind soul who typed up this one for you all.

I topped the tart off with homemade whipped cream. Yummmm. It was a delicious meal.

What did you have for dinner?

Edited Photos (209:365)

In Picasa, there is a button that allows you to edit and alter your photos in an online program called Picnik. That is what I used today for these, and I think they turned out pretty well.  

Here are a few of the pictures of sweet little Ava.

Weight Training is My New Thing (208:365)

So, I'm trying to be a little more muscly.

Not hugely buff, just more toned. I recently lost some weight (totally by happy accident, if you can believe it!) and I am trying to tone up and feel healthier. 

I really hate running and find most aerobic activities too monotonous. Weight training is something I recently realized I really enjoy. I like having a list of tasks to check off, I like the counting and the concentration needed to complete a task and I like feeling my heart race while pumping some iron! 

I am not currently buff or tuff by anymeans, but I am working on it and am enjoying the process!

If you have any muscle tips, let me know...

My First Baby Photoshoot (207:365)

My friend Anna and I took some pictures of a sweet little baby today. Baby Ava was adorable and I did my best to capture her adorableness... I hope I got at least a few good shots. Here is one of the raw pictures as a preview.

3 Berry Super Bowl Cobbler (206:365)

I suggested to Scott that we each pick a team to cheer for today.

I don't now anything about the players though, so I asked what their colors were.

Based on that info, I rooted for the Steelers so I could wear my cute yellow shirt.

(Looks like I've been eating too many Super Bowl snacks...)

Oh well, maybe I'll have better luck next year.

I still enjoyed my bangin' good 3 Berry Cobbler.

That took 3x the normal time to cook...not sure why, but it was worth the wait!

Happy Super Bowl to you!

Baby Headbands (205:365)

I don't have any shots of them yet, but my friend Kuei and I made headbands for her baby girl today. 

We made them with silk flowers. 

One with a cream colored daisy, one with 3 little purple flowers in a cluster (that turned out CUTE!) and one that is HUGE. It was more of an experiment, to be used as a prop for a photo shoot of her baby on Monday. 

It was fun to see her excited about creating something beautiful and useful with her own hands. 

Challenge:

You all know how to do/make/create something that someone else doesn't know how to do. Sometime before Valentine's Day, share that skill with someone else. Then come back here and share it with us!

Aprikot Designs Featured on Favorite Things! (204:365)

Jess over at A Few of My Favorite Things is featuring the aprikot designs shop on her blog today! 

In the post I am also offering the Be Mine Earrings

and a Granny's Flowers Hair Tie

in a giveaway!

Head on over to enter in the contest!

Winners will be chosen Monday.

I am also offering a coupon code FAVORITETHINGS for 20% off any order in my etsy shop until V-DAY!

Movie Night (203:365)

Another $5 girls night movie night tonight! 

Heather, Julie and I went to The Green Hornet.

Yeah, it's not exactly a "girlie" movie but I'm not exactly a girlie girl.

The action was great, there were a lot of funny scenes, and Michel Gondry did the best he could with what he had - meaning, Seth Rogan left a lot to be desired, as usual.

Rogan did have a few good moments, however, for the most part, Jay Chou, the sidekick, was the best part of the movie.

I give it a 3 1/2 out of 5 stars, because Rogan was mostly lame.

First Etsy Treasure Hunt! (202:365)

EtsyMom Valentine's Day Treasure Hunt!

I am participating in a fun etsy treasure hunt! Search through a list of shops for hidden images within their etsy shops (You DO NOT need to belong to etsy to participate), send all the locations to the moderator (see link below), and you just might win a ton of great prizes!

You can "hunt" through February 14th!

There will be 3 prize winners. 

It does take a little effort, but it's worth it if you win! 
You just might be the lucky winner of great homemade gifts from 13 etsy shops!

Check out this link for all the rules and details.

Snowed in Again... (201:365)

It was a gross and icy day today, so we stayed inside. 

Scott was home with us which is always fun.

Everything looked like it had a sheet of ice on it, the trees looked beautiful, frozen and sparkling in the cold air. Today was the first icy day of the year.