Loving On Your Husband

I've come to the point where I close my ears when I hear the term " the state of the economy..." Yes, we all know that our economy is in "a state". You won't hear me say one more iota about the subject after this post, I promise. But, this is for those of you dear sisters who, like myself, have been directly effected by "the state of the economy". Tightening our purse strings might be tough and at times downright maddening, but I have a feeling that it's peanuts compared to how it weighs on the souls of our dear hubbies. Whether you're a stay-at-home mom, contribute to the family budget, or even if you are the primary bread winner, I encourage you to take the time to encourage your husband. Let him know it's okay that you shop at the Salvation Army, let him know it's okay that your hair is your natural color right now, that it's fun to make baby wipes instead of buying them at the store. I bet if he knows these difficulties aren't as hard on you as he may think they are, that maybe they won't be as hard on him.

A Garden "Potpourri"

Yes, it was 12 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday. Yes, it's only the beginning of March. And yes, the ground is still frozen (I tried to pull some weeds last week when the weather was resembling warmth so I know this). But now is a good time to start dreaming, thinking, and planning. I found some sources to get the wheels turning.

Even Etsy is a good resource here.

Of course Better Homes and Gardens has great resources. Check out the garden plans tab at the top of the page.

For those of you in the Northern Hemisphere...

And this.

Baby Has a New Bib

Well, he's becoming less and less like a baby, but that doesn't mean he's a cooperative model. Embroidering the bib was probably easier than getting a good shot of him in it. Here's the best I could do.


Any of you recognize this look of anticipation in seeing the picture on the camera that you're trying to take?


Ok, I'll try holding him and do the self portrait. Drat that didn't work either.


Better, but could we show some enthusiasm?


All right, enough is enough.


So, here it is. I received the bib for my birthday in a cross stitch kit (along with all kinds of other embroidery goodies). I'm not really a cross stitcher so I transferred a pattern from here and voila! It may be ruined in about a week, but it didn't take me that long to do and was good embroidery practice.

Homemade Diffuser

Ok, I'm cheating. Just posting a link today. Our internet has been temperamental so I want to be quick and to the point while it is appeasing me at the present.

My Bookshelf

I get good ideas from other blogs all the time and this one I really liked because I love to read. Our "bookcase" is a curio cabinet my grandfather made for me when I was a teenager. He made one for all of his granddaughters. There are only 2 of us out of 12 grandchildren, but it was no small task considering the craftsmanship that went into the curios.

You'll notice I started organizing our books by color until you get to the bottom shelf. Well, as new books came in, I wasn't about to shift all the books on every row downward to make room for a white book on top! Next time I'll remember to leave a little space on each shelf.

The Secret Garden

What can I say? I'm a sucker for juvenile fiction. I remember watching the movie, The Secret Garden, when I was a lass, but I just have vague memories of a little girl dressed in black, a grumpy older figure and a boy in a wheel chair. And of course, the garden that was forbidden and locked up. This is by far the most delightful book I've read of late. It takes a talented author to have you cheering for the two most disagreeable, spoiled, obstinate children you've ever encountered as the main characters of a book. Maybe it's because I can identify with one of them, the little girl, Mary, that I'm so drawn to the book. If you love gardening, the outdoors, breathing fresh air... any of these, as you know they have the ability to lift your spirits, clear your mind, and set your mind into proper perspective. It certainly is "Magic" to witness this happen to the characters in this book as they discover the secret garden.

Love Exercise

I used to hate exercise. Then I hated feeling sluggish and tired even more. Now five minutes into any workout I'm always thankful I started. I love jogging, hiking in the woods, and going on walks in the neighborhood, but not so much in the winter time. For one, I find 6am to be a prime time to get an uninterrupted workout accomplished and around here it's pretty dark then and I live on a busy road. Another good option is to exercise during Zane's nap time, which means sticking close to home. I don't have a treadmill or any fancy workout equipment so I turn to the tried and true alternative: workout videos. Here's a list of some of my favorites (none of which I purchased, check out what your local library has).

• New York City Ballet Workout I love this one because I tend to be more on the natuarally athletic side rather than the naturally graceful side and who doesn't feel graceful when practicing ballet?
• Pick Your Spot Pilates This one has four 10 minute workouts- one for your belly, butt, thighs, and total body. I like it because you have a 40 minute workout or if you just want to sneak in a 10 minute quickie you can.
• Basic Training Bootcamp I'm always sore the next day so I know it's working.
• Walk Away the Pounds Express- Super Challenge I've done several of her workout dvds and most of them are nice for days when you want a really light workout. This one is one step up from that. I sweat, but it's still nice and light.
• Pilates Weight Loss Workout for Dummies I like all the Dummies workouts I've done, but I particularly like this one because it has a 2o minute standing pilates routine in addition to the traditional Pilates floor work. I'm a big Pilates fan and I guess I'm an even bigger standing Pilates fan!

I hope you'll check out some of these dvds and learn to love exercise if you don't already. I'm always looking for new workout ideas to keep it fresh. Leave a comment to let me know what you do for exercise and/or what your favorite workout videos are.