At this very minute...

This is what my guest bath looks like right now.

Hee Hee

Church was cancelled today due to snow. I was assigned to give a talk in sacrament meeting...I feel like I did in grade school when I had a book report due and then we had a snow day. :-D

Don't mess with my weekend

I have big plans this weekend that I hope don't get messed up.

My plans:

COMPLETE OVERHAUL of our HOUSE!

There are too many toys to pick up over and over and over again, too many clothes to wash, too many papers to sort, too many crafty things piled up in my closet, too much clutter in our cabinets, closets and drawers, and too many project not done. (And I'm not even trying to think about the garage)

ENOUGH is ENOUGH!

I told Chris last night that I am ready to purge. So some sort of purging is going to be happening this weekend and I'm hoping it's the getting rid of stuff kind of purging.

Chris used to joke that it looked like a tornado ripped through our house on days when I left in a hurry (this was when we didn't even have kids), and now - it look as if we gave birth to at least one mini, but mega-energized tornado, Ava. I'm hoping that having fewer things to mess up will equate to fewer messes.???

Chris mentioned going to Costco this Saturday and to KC to do some shopping. I kind of snapped at him because I do not want anything to mess up my big plans for this weekend. Wish me luck!

It's Potty Time

It's Potty time, or at least close to it, at our house as Ava's been asking to sit on the potty, "like a big girl".

What's your best potty training advice?

Material Temptations

Every once in a while I get major cravings for material things! I'm not talking designer clothes or fancy jewelry, (although thank you Chris for the nice earrings at Christmas), etc.

I know I'll probably never own a yacht, or live in a castle (side note: Ava thinks almost every old building or church is a castle. I'm keeping her dream alive by just saying, "Oh yes, a castle!"), or have every latest crafting gizmo. It seems the things that are way out of reach for me are easy to not desire or long for.

It's those things that are just within reach or maybe just out of reach, that tempt me the most. My list of "things I want" is growing as I battle the wishes and wants. The other side, the practical, learning to be patient, and trying to figure out what it means to be frugal - side is barely winning at the moment. Winning enough to keep me from going out and spending big chunks of change - I'm surpressing that natural man (woman) for now.

So, what do I want? What material things am I wanting to get? That list is coming. First, more details. It's not that I can't buy the occasional bigger sticker item (keeping in mind that "bigger" depends on perspective), it's that I can't have them all - not all at once for sure. Boo Hoo. Really, it's just figuring out when and what and in what order. Also, with the scares of recession and worries of losing money in a stock market tumble, the mind to be frugal kicks in even more. Rainy days ahead?

My List: (I won't list my "things I want but are way out of reach" list)

• tile flooring for my kitchen & bathrooms (getting estimates)
• a basketball goal (for me)
• a digital SLR camera & Adobe Photoshop (probably going to wait a little while)
• lawn and landscaping work (obviously this will wait at least until spring)
• new curtains & pillows for living room & curtains for kitchen (already bought some fabric)
• fabric -lots of fabric - I'm really getting excited about some sewing projects (more details to come in future blog)
• new computer (this is actually already in the works. Chris is going to build me one and has most of the the parts already)
• breadmaker (anyone have any recommendations in this area?)

I'll leave the list at this, although, I could go on. It's really silly to be making such a big deal about material things, I know. I, as do many of you, have soooo many things to be thankful for and already have soooo many extra comforts (again perspective) and blessings in our lives. So what if I can't drain savings and have everything all at once? It's a good lesson in fiscal responsibility and patience. My dad gave some good advice once when he told me, "Don't want too much too soon."

Footnote: Okay, let's be honest now. Maybe the reason I'm not going out and getting everything all at once isn't as much that I've had some sort of epiphany about frugality but more that the "husband gods" aren't on board with all of my wants and wishes and don't always let me have my way. (Is is okay to curse the husband gods??)