tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64688173287045837892024-03-05T20:26:26.062-08:00 Project(s)Connect 2014A monthly project with an audience and an end in sight!Nora Mairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00584267453196192990noreply@blogger.comBlogger270125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-19118915465701162772015-01-28T14:07:00.000-08:002015-02-02T14:08:34.010-08:00I can't believe this is the last post! Thank you all for your amazing inspiration and for sharing your lives here. I still have to follow the tutorial (thanks for including that one Nora!), but I am getting better. I really liked having a goal in mind every month. I really do better when I have something specific to work toward. This goal was no exception. This last goal took me the whole year! It was one I started January 1 and finished the afternoon of December 31.<br />
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I flounder around a little when it comes to things that aren't laid out. Budgets, menus, schedules; I like a plan. Scripture reading is no exception. If I don't have a plan/goal/schedule in mind or on paper, it just doesn't happen well. I had finished the Book of Mormon with my relief society at the end of 2013 and was looking for a new scripture reading chart when I came across this one:<br />
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Hmm, Nora, how do I make this blog insert a pdf???<br />
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Here are some links instead:<br />
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http://www.cityapplications.com/scripture_schedule_fullpage-4.pdf (the one I first saw)<br />
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and<br />
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http://www.motivatedmamas.net/2011/12/scripture-reading-schedule.html (which is probably even better because it has the chart and some nice visual explanation.<br />
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And a picture, just because I know how :)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZtx0EEzimNNKy2RVoEUpSg0OC8F070_l5cSrCozLd-CPH69T7yFKO6shYopbO6oOcMdb2v0CZEcQVfmX5oGhDQvstRDghKIr9Qzo7T9HL7v5ij7JaPo6uzGd6avD7dgRvOITOK2LCG25B/s1600/scrip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZtx0EEzimNNKy2RVoEUpSg0OC8F070_l5cSrCozLd-CPH69T7yFKO6shYopbO6oOcMdb2v0CZEcQVfmX5oGhDQvstRDghKIr9Qzo7T9HL7v5ij7JaPo6uzGd6avD7dgRvOITOK2LCG25B/s1600/scrip.jpg" /></a></div>
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The premise that caught my attention was this: If I were to read 4 pages of the Bible and 2 pages of the other standard works each day, then I could finish the entire thing, the whole tamale, the complete standard works in one year. No kidding! I know!! 6 pages a day (like 10 minutes?) and I could read it all. <br />
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Of course it wasn't complete smooth sailing. I got behind in June when I had a wedding and a graveyard job and it took me the rest of the summer to catch up. In the fall, I liked Paul's books so much that I finished the New Testament early but got a little behind in the D&C. But I finished the last of JSH on new year's eve and that was a pretty good sense of accomplishment. Reading that amount and kind of just plowing through gave me a big picture idea of the scriptures as well as a better sense of where things fit historically (esp. for the Old Testament). This year I changed tactics. I use Gospel library on my phone and am going through the institute course on the New Testament. It is great! Depth, quotes, links to all of the scriptures, pictures, maps, etc. I am only in Matthew 6, but it good for me to have something orderly to follow.Christine Benneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378399143659493960noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-77427122351975969542015-01-11T21:01:00.000-08:002015-01-11T21:04:41.671-08:00Stefanie Ackerson, December, Budget<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hello, everyone! I can't believe it's been a whole year since we began this blog! It has been a great year and I feel like I have accomplished so much!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My project for December was undecided at first. I originally wanted to do something Christmas-y, but we did a lot of traveling up north to see family over the holidays and the month just seemed to slip by before I could come up with anything. But my husband, Paul, and I have been working on updating our budget and making it all fancy for the coming year as our New Year's resolution, so I've decided to post on that!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Paul has put a lot more time and creativity into it than I have, so I have to give him most of the credit. But here are some screen shots of what we've created:</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cDBnAYT-Uj8yLeUhfI3wL9XSkdY9qOrYPavd0fq6AZmS8JJt7TZyZVcXdF2269F7YCia6ufyNSxlsyvbhS7swf127hki5sjQndTgWj5iRAYTXga944HV6AjEVxZF07cbxaQ_YaFj3uBe/s1600/Budget3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cDBnAYT-Uj8yLeUhfI3wL9XSkdY9qOrYPavd0fq6AZmS8JJt7TZyZVcXdF2269F7YCia6ufyNSxlsyvbhS7swf127hki5sjQndTgWj5iRAYTXga944HV6AjEVxZF07cbxaQ_YaFj3uBe/s1600/Budget3.JPG" height="288" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First sheet (top) - income information.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5YrDkEKRBYDLUueTkY9_i6cDGfXazTWUj8klJKGtIBEh3MZkjdpgtomEyxgwo6ycnBLNkmpxMqsiuq2Gxtlm14dXo0wQ-9b4ceQGAge9-j-m5W-Hh0qN47Z2CpQ2f8WsmNPXHmMouDr9_/s1600/Budget+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5YrDkEKRBYDLUueTkY9_i6cDGfXazTWUj8klJKGtIBEh3MZkjdpgtomEyxgwo6ycnBLNkmpxMqsiuq2Gxtlm14dXo0wQ-9b4ceQGAge9-j-m5W-Hh0qN47Z2CpQ2f8WsmNPXHmMouDr9_/s1600/Budget+1.JPG" height="340" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First sheet (bottom) - this is where we decide how much money to set aside for each expense area, and then <br />
record how much is spent and how much is remaining.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapMmu3VsLXj1iG9zyrMuE7kPrNtn74HIEbdGxjYtLaeUMoM9BE57c_jE0RQQ1TntwmDQY1pYz6CljHUCR1IdBdGQxvMq35YcnimlOk92pW6kO5iLLhQLBYxkJ3m_K0Gu-HdaZ67YEH60V/s1600/Budget+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapMmu3VsLXj1iG9zyrMuE7kPrNtn74HIEbdGxjYtLaeUMoM9BE57c_jE0RQQ1TntwmDQY1pYz6CljHUCR1IdBdGQxvMq35YcnimlOk92pW6kO5iLLhQLBYxkJ3m_K0Gu-HdaZ67YEH60V/s1600/Budget+2.JPG" height="318" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of detailed sheet outlining specific grocery expenses.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQ9K2g3mTeuvzSKw4xOw3Vhkc6awQkp5DZKDPpoIloexnZ_Q2-q-3zE03-DsXiiGUBzJE8yfgfNKPvlZ9U8YIy9LzhmKzMO0TZlSKoBUrc2C-gsGje-2tCYYfoUWdpXuWXjoZhSeURfsd/s1600/Budget5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHQ9K2g3mTeuvzSKw4xOw3Vhkc6awQkp5DZKDPpoIloexnZ_Q2-q-3zE03-DsXiiGUBzJE8yfgfNKPvlZ9U8YIy9LzhmKzMO0TZlSKoBUrc2C-gsGje-2tCYYfoUWdpXuWXjoZhSeURfsd/s1600/Budget5.JPG" height="186" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul figured out how to do buttons to take you to each <br />
detailed page and then back to the home page.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9RgpEGktR-0RqWLxLSNT6JI6lCFR4sIhr9aOTUGQU40ddD0KahEOrHAOBk3HBfPNexmTaqvlQBPpEf26ZQk9RC_zhyphenhyphentW7PiLOoM52WSAOGge4Is6zqbEP1yqxsg2aT_fP3NZUS325vd2/s1600/Budget6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL9RgpEGktR-0RqWLxLSNT6JI6lCFR4sIhr9aOTUGQU40ddD0KahEOrHAOBk3HBfPNexmTaqvlQBPpEf26ZQk9RC_zhyphenhyphentW7PiLOoM52WSAOGge4Is6zqbEP1yqxsg2aT_fP3NZUS325vd2/s1600/Budget6.JPG" height="181" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul thought some of you might appreciate seeing how he programmed the code in <br />
Visual Basic for the "Go Home" button. Very fancy...and nerdy. :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqOQWmAr0rMBkDI9P_UOxSoGWvDZ9ggjtu-zgmLV8bPukDg63DaSniB0hiUIFBZt5H1sSkbqCxun8Hicqk9yBF95wQKB7pRQwrvtDTTm-PS99gBtR4fAYGDPdIOMRDpnQVu1xXxK1Nzmw/s1600/Budget4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqOQWmAr0rMBkDI9P_UOxSoGWvDZ9ggjtu-zgmLV8bPukDg63DaSniB0hiUIFBZt5H1sSkbqCxun8Hicqk9yBF95wQKB7pRQwrvtDTTm-PS99gBtR4fAYGDPdIOMRDpnQVu1xXxK1Nzmw/s1600/Budget4.JPG" height="198" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This shot shows how we color-code each month's expenses. <br />
I helped pick the colors for each month. :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tNlnXDhHdL6QJmGeA9dPKPvUJCqf0UuhkAi7OrNfNzbFYWUvtQUqG8bXp7ET9T9oCpfz2zPlc2Jw8BD4qmV51YeS2bmRQcD9TLHImtR0Driy1sPw_hpevDvS1c4LYPNA75XJTpz65y_H/s1600/Budget8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7tNlnXDhHdL6QJmGeA9dPKPvUJCqf0UuhkAi7OrNfNzbFYWUvtQUqG8bXp7ET9T9oCpfz2zPlc2Jw8BD4qmV51YeS2bmRQcD9TLHImtR0Driy1sPw_hpevDvS1c4LYPNA75XJTpz65y_H/s1600/Budget8.JPG" height="211" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The document is saved as an Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And that's our project for December! It's been a great 2014. I'm so glad Nora invited me to be part of this blog. I have enjoyed getting to know all of you through your blog entries and have learned so much. Hope you all have a happy 2015!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Stefaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347953517656968916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-49115650675441961152015-01-05T22:12:00.000-08:002015-01-05T22:12:26.857-08:00Meg Lingard - Tiny baby blankets and hatsOh boy... what month is it? January! So I haven't posted since September... 12 goals were about 5 too many for me I think :). But I did want to pop in here and share my last project, which was my <i>October</i> goal (again, hands covering my eyes).<br />
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My goal for October was to collect hats to donate to a cancer center for women who would be going through cancer this winter. This is something that I've really wanted to do since I found myself in that position five winters ago. However, as October came closer, I just wasn't feeling like this was the time for me to do it. I am a bit of an introvert and the thought of asking people to donate hats and such made me super anxious. I still want to do it sometime, but it just wasn't working out for me to even begin taking on a big project like that this year.<br />
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I was puzzling over what to do about this, still wanting to do something to help other people and maybe use my knitting skills... it's funny how when you have something in the forefront of your mind other things tend to fall into place. I went to check out a local yarn store one day since I had never been in there (Hemstitched Heirlooms in Bountiful) and there were these tiny hats all along the register, the smallest hats I'd ever seen. I asked the lady working there what these hats were for, and she told me about the charity project that they were doing for the year.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>They were collecting tiny hats and blankets for babies that would pass away when they were born.</i></span><br />
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Babies that would be born so premature that they would not live. She told me that they now give out death certificates for babies born as early as 16 weeks because they can tell the gender by then. She said that these would be given to the hospitals in Davis County for parents to chose from for their little babies to be buried in. They were asking for hats and blankets to me made. One blanket for the baby to be wrapped in and one for the parents to keep as a memorial of their child.<br />
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I'm pretty sure that my heart burst wide open there as I listened to her talk about this project. I knew that I had to be a part of it. We lost our second son when he was born premature at 21 weeks and didn't have any chance of making it. I spent the week after I gave birth to him knitting a blanket that I could wrap him in. I was so grateful to have something to do to keep my hands busy during that week. It was the only thing that I ever made for my son.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbza9QryHrYrs1A-bpjO-_p7OkmpKmXbG8rCRvhZdRw5CeRwvvKF1YC6WVwHaoPdxVyzFaFmxS4nYyMXv93vosO240jfnOBTVLwqdExnh4_PfJVDQKKikt0l56x4ZJTgvWSrBKeUPIX-iS/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbza9QryHrYrs1A-bpjO-_p7OkmpKmXbG8rCRvhZdRw5CeRwvvKF1YC6WVwHaoPdxVyzFaFmxS4nYyMXv93vosO240jfnOBTVLwqdExnh4_PfJVDQKKikt0l56x4ZJTgvWSrBKeUPIX-iS/s1600/013.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvFsnXpL37ZcHPViOR6qZsMCIT9oVHHJpRD2nkowYwzRYn2OQcDZT4WIqUtYhFUbXqkifrj6gN34thyphenhyphen8mbh95-bRJc76yEe_Gql-5ZioMxJqhuBArtobZFjqYyASb-ec-Pvli3CoR3lEqs/s1600/IMG_0661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvFsnXpL37ZcHPViOR6qZsMCIT9oVHHJpRD2nkowYwzRYn2OQcDZT4WIqUtYhFUbXqkifrj6gN34thyphenhyphen8mbh95-bRJc76yEe_Gql-5ZioMxJqhuBArtobZFjqYyASb-ec-Pvli3CoR3lEqs/s1600/IMG_0661.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(My tiny baby's burial clothes were a doll dress/sack that my mom made out of my wedding dress material and the blanket that I knit him). </span></div>
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I brought the pattern home that they had there and had high hopes of making many sets of these. However, life got away from me and I only managed to get two sets done. I'm planning on making more and will possibly always have these going on the knitting needles because I feel like this is so important.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4NhO_dKbls4Dg0KbQFjhdSd2WSTgwNwu-JaEXVD1Gq1sFYArC_TGPfQ5mQ0RvrvKHz6fpuaByWSKeNBzGahV0V-EcfasHj8XshDVn9yusl4QM_ukWX_qjegDDYkzOLMCO7hgnFu_7_4sN/s1600/2015-01-05+15.56.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4NhO_dKbls4Dg0KbQFjhdSd2WSTgwNwu-JaEXVD1Gq1sFYArC_TGPfQ5mQ0RvrvKHz6fpuaByWSKeNBzGahV0V-EcfasHj8XshDVn9yusl4QM_ukWX_qjegDDYkzOLMCO7hgnFu_7_4sN/s1600/2015-01-05+15.56.11.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Such tiny little hats...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27r2qayoi_AVQg9YmV4dCkgaDMNKxfmOzdmnRiAymjFS16DFohoTxv37Hhcb0ilpFoMT4s4LTfVdXsNKrmnVA8C9Lsm8f5TO96DFPnTzpigGOM9dJwXN7bvKfLrIxCD76XawsbwtGrH79/s1600/2015-01-05+15.58.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg27r2qayoi_AVQg9YmV4dCkgaDMNKxfmOzdmnRiAymjFS16DFohoTxv37Hhcb0ilpFoMT4s4LTfVdXsNKrmnVA8C9Lsm8f5TO96DFPnTzpigGOM9dJwXN7bvKfLrIxCD76XawsbwtGrH79/s1600/2015-01-05+15.58.55.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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We bundled them together and took them over to the knitting store tonight. They were hard to make, as they brought back a lot of emotions of having a baby that tiny and having to plan on burial clothes for them. Knowing that the mother that will pick these out for her baby will be experiencing one of the most difficult times in her life breaks my heart. But I hope that she will know that she is loved, that she is not alone. That the reason this charity project exists is because other mothers have stood in her shoes and needed something tiny to wrap their precious baby in.<br />
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This was not the type of service project that I originally intended, but it ended up being the perfect project for me. I'm grateful to be able to give back to someone going through this type of situation. It's one that doesn't get talked about a lot publicly, but I feel there is such a need.<br />
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So with that, I guess I close my contribution to this page. I've loved reading all of your entries. Though I've never met most of you I've been greatly touched by your examples, your dedication to your families, and you quest for improvement and to live a good life. Thank you for letting me be a part of this Nora. </div>
Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15956705540282849369noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-31740338515990873022015-01-03T11:21:00.000-08:002015-01-07T07:34:52.762-08:00Jennifer Hatch, December, Au revoir<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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My 7-year-old son set a New Year's resolution to get to bed by 8 p.m. By Jan. 2 he gave up. "I didn't get to bed on time last night so I can't do that resolution anymore," he said.</div>
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Sound familiar? I was feeling similarly in the dumps about my December project, which was to improve my French. (My children are in a French immersion program at their elementary school.) In addition to daily reading I wanted to incorporate French customs and food into our family's holiday celebrations, learn carols in French as a family, and hold a family home evening about my husband's memories of Christmas in Quebec on his mission.</div>
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I started off with a bang, doing exercises in a textbook. I learned about St. Nicholas Day, on Dec. 5, and wanted to leave our shoes on the hearth for Pere Noel to fill, as he does for children in France. But Pere Noel hadn't done any shopping that early in the month, and our non-observance of St. Nicholas Day also marked my silent disregard for the rest of my project. </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Realistically, this wasn't a good month for me to tackle a fun, but non-essential project. As the month wore on, I remembered the crushing power December always holds over me. I shared with my visiting teacher how overwhelmed and unprepared I felt. "You were this way last year," she pointed out. It is my hardest month. I don't know why. Probably a lot to do with expectations I don't think I can meet. Several times I broke down in tears. One was the Sunday before Christmas; I stepped into my car after church, closed the door and lost it. I had a nightmare about my husband hurting his head again and woke up shaking and crying, a response I've never experienced. A man who lost his wife in November came to my doorstep with a gift for my family, and I wanted to weep. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Yet, just as I will encourage my son to keep trying with his resolution, I will attempt French another time. </span></div>
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If only to make myself feel better, I want to chronicle some of the things I did accomplish in December, some with help here at ProjectsConnect.<br />
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• I printed selections from my blog into a book for my mother. I converted the filmed interview of my father (my February project) into a DVD that I gave my parents and brothers. I lacked the equipment to do the transfer on my home computer, so had to research a local company that could do it in-house, because I was time-crunched and did not want to risk losing the miniDVs in the mail! It's just like me to leave a project like this to the last minute.</div>
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• The most satisfying activity was taking my piano students to neighbors' homes to perform for them. I did this in two groups on different days, during piano lesson times. We traveled to two houses to play carols and then returned to my home for cookies and cocoa. I wanted my students to find joy in sharing their talent with others. It was the best.<br />
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• We played pixie for a family in our neighborhood and secretly delivered a piece of a nativity set, scripture reference and treat associated with the nativity character (like candy canes for a shepherd) to their porch over several nights. It was fun, but there were a few nights I was tempted to give them the whole set so I didn't have to keep haranguing doorbell ditchers (uncooperative kids) to come with me.<br />
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• We painted my boys' bedroom (same color as their sisters' room, part of July project).</div>
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• Jeff's grandfather passed away on Dec. 15. I got to show my love for Grandpa Hatch by playing the organ at his funeral (had to practice a lot!) and taking the kinds of pictures that he would have done. I then made them into a gift for my father-in-law, who is shown in the bottom photo accepting the flag. Phew! It really was a hard month.</div>
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I've enjoyed being part of ProjectsConnect this year and getting to know a few of you better. Thank you for your support. Au revoir!</div>
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Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525034596178639693noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-69966349061988580962015-01-02T00:00:00.000-08:002015-01-02T00:00:16.808-08:00Dana Robb-December, Family Service Projects and OutingsOur family goal this year was to do at least one service project each month and go on a family outing all together. Usually it's me taking the kids while my husband works, or him taking the kids while I catch up on projects at home. That's all good, but I knew we also needed that time all together. Not all our trips ended up including dad, but here's what we ended up doing:<br />
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<span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">January: Natural History Museum of Utah. One of our favorite places! Five levels, lots to explore, we never get tired of this place.</span></div>
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February: Discovery Museum. Another favorite. Once a year we get the free exploration pass from the Salt Lake City Library System, and get to explore the Discovery Museum, and Red Butte Gardens, NHMU.</div>
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March: Family History Library in Riverton. My first time there. The girls ended up falling asleep so Chris stayed in the truck with them while the boys and I went inside to learn and print family pedigree charts.</div>
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April: Cathedral of the Madeline. We studied about cathedrals in art this year and made a trip to the Cathedral in Salt Lake and attended evening mass. It was eye opening for our boys. We even got a tour afterwards and learned more about the building. And then disappointed the priest (?) when he found out we were Mormons.</div>
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May: NHMU Chocolate exhibit. Another trip to NHMU. Free day once a quarter. Check out the website.</div>
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June: Family day at the best park in Daybreak Utah with zipline, creek, and lots to climb.</div>
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July: Comedy of Errors, and Cove Fort. This was a trip for me and the kids. Chris stayed home working hard in the hot summer sun. We studied "Comedy of Errors" just over a year ago so when I found out it was playing at the Shakespearean Theatre in Cedar City, I had to take my boys. We loved it! On the way home, we stopped at cove Fort, which we had just learned had been bought by a great-grandpa and run for years. </div>
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August: camping with our ward and bonus: watching a cattle drive with real cowboys. We all love camping and just wish we could do more of it. Going over night is never enough, but longer trips are hard to fit in. We were the last to leave and lucked out in watching the cattle drive, which made us feel liked we'd stepped into a John Wayne movie.</div>
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September: another trip to NHMU. This time we focused on our cytology unit. Plus a family hike to our favorite spot-Hidden Falls.</div>
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October: Cabin and four wheelers with some friends. Two separate weekends. Warm fall, shooting and riding.</div>
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November: Boondocks. A yearly tradition. Through the Utah Adoption Council we get seriously discounted tickets the first Saturday of National Adoption Month. </div>
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December: Free homeschool day at NHMU horse exhibit. Learned a lot about these domesticated creatures.</div>
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As for <span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">service we enjoyed a variety of experiences. This was such a great part of our year, I want to keep up the tradition. My kids have become such great sports when it comes to reaching out to other people. A book I highly recommend is <u>52 Weeks of Fun Family Service</u> by Merrilee Boyack. I just need to get better about documenting with pictures.</span></div>
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January: Grandma Robb's birthday. We showed up and surprised her with breakfast and each of our kids did some cleaning for her.</div>
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February: homemade Valentine's cards for grandmas, aunts, and cousins</div>
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March: family history - indexing, finding names, and temple work</div>
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April: community cleaning at Sunset Ridge</div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em;">May: spent a week helping Grandma and Grandpa pack up to move</span><br />
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June: weeding at the neighbor's as secret service agents</div>
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July and August are unaccounted for. There must have been some service outside of our home that we performed, but it's totally slipped my mind!</div>
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September: watering a neighbor's plants and getting her mail. Someone became a little possessive of the keys...</div>
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October: working in the neighbor's garden, cookies to a new family in the neighborhood, flowers and card to a sick friend, helped out a friend who was moving by taking her kids to the park</div>
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November: wrote to a sister missionary, and took flowers and card to a less active sister in the ward.<br />
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December: made lots of cookies and treats for all our neighbor's and shoveled a neighbor's walk.</div>
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<br />The Glitch Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14182879096357067654noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-23980255266429513072014-12-21T00:00:00.000-08:002014-12-21T00:00:01.293-08:00Holli Gunther's November Goal: Survive the Remodel!<br />
I think my original goal for November was to take my 12 year old on an overnighter. Well, we ended up doing that in June. Which is good, because we ended up buying a home in July and have been knee-deep in major remodeling since then!<br />
Here is the home:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIf26abtD4Pw5JTujT1LL1vUQwv2dqshCGhVEBliLmAx0ilYH2Giu3b0SrVGAFtuGzeOWRwP3HtGnmm0wmg1yfbcVKodSGlyI14yxuQPG4aPOWSoFGrMnTfvKdw8EGjHLgPyxacXiPzY/s1600/064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMIf26abtD4Pw5JTujT1LL1vUQwv2dqshCGhVEBliLmAx0ilYH2Giu3b0SrVGAFtuGzeOWRwP3HtGnmm0wmg1yfbcVKodSGlyI14yxuQPG4aPOWSoFGrMnTfvKdw8EGjHLgPyxacXiPzY/s1600/064.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
It sits on an incredible piece of property that is right next door to my husband's parents. But, it is very 1970's inside and had major electrical and plumbing issues. Mold every where that there was running water. We didn't know all this until we got in to it, so needless to say, our Nov. 1st projected move in date has been pushed back to March 1st. <br />
Here are more "before photos."<br />
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The kitchen, actually, wasn't bad at all. But, the cooktop was in a scary place (right where the little ones would be sitting), there wasn't room for an island, the double oven couldn't fit a sheet pan, and the hole for the frig was too small for any frig in RC Willey. First World problems, I know! :)<br />
But, if we are going to stay in this house for the next 50 years, we want to do it right. <br />
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So, my husband has been going to work, coming home to change clothes and then going straight to the house to work until 10 or 11 pm. I have been holding down the fort here while making tons of decisions about paint, tile, kitchen design, etc. and keeping our current house clean to show people that are interested in buying it. It has been extremely stressful, to say the least!<br />
Here is how the house looks now:<br />
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The electrical is finally finished and plumbing is almost done. We should be ready for an inspection on Monday. After that, we can start sheet rock, wood floor, trim, cabinets, etc. I think that will be the exciting part because the house will actually start to look better--not worse! :)<br />
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Merry Christmas to all of you!! Our December goal was to do a service as a family. I will post about our 12 Days of Christmas project for our neighbor with cancer. <br />
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Hollihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973866117125341718noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-22496753812380351102014-12-11T21:14:00.000-08:002014-12-18T21:20:56.645-08:00Stefanie Ackerson, November, Quote Book<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My project for November was to update my collection of spiritual thoughts, stories, and quotes. This is another</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> ongoing project of mine, started way back in my Young Women days in high school, that piles up during my busy working months and frequently needs to be updated and organized into binders. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">I tend to be a bit of a pack rat--I hate to throw away the amazing handouts I get at church, etc. </span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">But at least I'm an organized pack rat!</span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> I</span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> p</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">reviously had three large 2-inch binders organized by topic and a very full folder and overflowing pile of stories and quotes that I have collected over the last couple of years. So I found another large binder and started in on the pile. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I reorganized some of the tabs and shifted everything across the four books to even out the weight, printed out another cover sheet, updated the table of contents, and then got to work with my paper slicer, glue stick, and hole punch. Is it a super fancy, sophisticated work of art? Not even close! Very informal and practical. It serves it's purpose for me, which is to help me easily find stories and quotes for speaking in church, creating handouts for primary or Relief Society lessons, or simply for my own personal edification when I need a spiritual boost. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">D</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">id I finish? No, unfortunately I only got maybe 1/2-2/3 through the folder, but I feel like I made a pretty good dent in it. It's just been so busy with the holidays! But I hope to continue to chip away at it over the coming weeks and eventually get caught up. Here are some pictures of the final book I added to my collection:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>Stefaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347953517656968916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-76532548818746842682014-12-11T09:55:00.000-08:002014-12-11T09:55:00.349-08:00Anne Halpenny, December, Christmas ShoppingMy goal was to be done with Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving... That didn't happen.<br />
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Most of what got in the way has to do with my new fiance (not to be confused with any old one). He kind of occupies most of my time. He is the most amazing man ever! He write me poetry; he cooks breakfast, lunch, and dinner; he takes my car in to be fixed; is very loving and caring; I wipe his nose - it's like we're married already!<br />
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And then there're my church responsibilities and library duties that keep me plenty busy the rest of the time.<br />
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But despite it all, I still managed to accomplish getting some things crocheted; a couple of ninjas, barrettes, and a "bad piggy" from Angry Birds (For those of you who remember the January post about the Angry Bird =) ); and buying a few gifts for some friends.<br />
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And then I also cut my thumb yesterday in a freak accident with a paper cutter. My coworker is to blame! I was doing just fine until he came up behind me and said, in a most dastardly manner, "Don't cut yourself." So I did. I don't know how, but I did. But don't worry, I'll get him back somehow. I'll put glitter in his hair gel or something. Muah ha ha!<br />
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As always, thanks for reading. Take care and have a very Merry Christmas.ATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03744216405866779180noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-15700400617753358852014-12-10T23:37:00.001-08:002014-12-10T23:42:00.559-08:00Becky Beck- November - Scrapbooks<div style="text-align: center;">
My project for November was to complete my kids scrapbooks for the year.</div>
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Every Christmas my kids get 3 gifts similar to the gifts of the Magi--something fun, something needful, and something meaningful.</div>
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The scrapbooks are the meaningful gift.</div>
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I make each of the kids a digital scrapbook and although they are never surprised when they open them, they love this gift and look through their entire book as soon as they open it.</div>
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This was the first goal this year I did not complete within the month. I was working on them right up until almost midnight the night of Dec 10th (the 10th is my day to post, does anyone even post on their day anymore? :) haha. I finished what I needed to for my kids AND did 2 additional scrapbooks.</div>
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One of the extras is for my Grandpa Moon with pictures of all the fun projects that were completed this past summer on his ranch. </div>
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Here are a few pictures...</div>
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My December project is well on its way.</div>
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It was originally going to be doing the 12 days of Christmas for a family but then I got put over the Angel Tree in our ward and we are helping several families so I switched to that and am involving my kids.</div>
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Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530247632773084796noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-66765356397127759972014-12-03T20:57:00.001-08:002014-12-03T20:57:17.316-08:00October and November GoalOctober was one eventful month. I turned 21, which is a milestone but not my goal for the month. October was all about having my interview for my major and waiting to hear the result. I decided to apply for the public relations program the second semester of my freshman year. So from start to finish, I've waited to know if I'd get into the program for 18 months. I'm happy to report that I did indeed get accepted! I've always had a feeling that I would get in, but after the long wait I was so relieved. I didn't have a back up plan and I only have one general class left, so a lot was riding on the decision. Now I have a degree I can count on earning and internships and jobs to look forward to.<br />
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(The day I interviewed)</div>
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November was the month of the trips. I went home for Thanksgiving which was an easy trip, but I'm been hoping I could go to LA for one of my best friend's wedding. This can count as a goal because I wasn't sure if it was going to work out. When I could book my flight and get ready to go, I got nervous to travel by myself for some reason. I've travelled alone plenty of times, but this time I was anxious. Everything worked out really well. It was only a short trip (Friday-Sunday) but it felt like a full vacation. I got there and got to help with the reception, spend time with my friend before she got hitched, go to the wedding and luncheon and reception, and decorate the car. I have a cousin (on the other side of the family) who lives in LA so I got to spend Sunday afternoon with her and her kids. We walked around Beverly Hills and went to church and the temple's visitor's center. It was a great getaway and I learned that I can be less nervous about traveling and more excited about the adventure.<br />
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My goal for the month of December is to blog 12 times. Call it the 12 Days of Blogmas. You can check and see if I make it <a href="http://meganmarieallen.blogspot.com/">here</a>.Megan Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04924348724947805606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-10521005476213352912014-12-03T13:28:00.000-08:002015-09-28T22:32:22.827-07:00Jennifer Hatch, November, Christmas preparations<div class="MsoNormal">
My November project was to budget and plan for Christmas gifts and do a Christmas card, something I used to enjoy but haven't done since 2010. Really, I think I like to give gifts. I like to come up with ideas and make or find gifts for friends and family for no reason. But I like to do it on my own terms, without a deadline. Somehow, the expectation of gift-giving associated with Christmas takes the fun out of it for me. Plus, we haven't been in a position to have money saved for Christmas this year, and I hate the financial strain of the holiday. Bah, humbug.</div>
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As for my project, I cannot convince my husband how crippled I feel not having a budget at all, or one for Christmas. I am not prepared for Christmas that way yet, so did not meet that aspect of my project.</div>
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But I got started on my Christmas card! </div>
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I used to really like making cards and sending them out. I'm not sure why that stopped. I think because my family didn't seem to care much, so why bother. I'm learning more and more, however, to honor my own motivation.</div>
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I don't have very high production values or budget (text on photos and the copy store are about as high-tech as I get), but I like executing ideas. One year I folded paper into a hat, designing the letter I printed to fit in the folds. The year my youngest was born we hadn't yet sent out his birth announcement. The front page of that Christmas card said, "Hope your holiday is ..." and had a picture of him peeking out through a star-shaped cut-out, next to which I printed his birth specs. The inside of the card opened up to reveal him surrounded by his siblings, with the caption " ... is a perfect fit." Clearly, if I could find the card I would show you a picture. Boo hoo. Two years ago I wrote a holiday letter on my blog in my teenage son's voice. That was funny because people really thought it was him. Check it out <a href="http://mywordseed.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-holiday-letter-that-wasnt.html">here.</a></div>
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I like to use a simple photo for our cards. Here are some of my favorites:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqXeoz8Z4S6xeZKs2Z6SrNSrQmmD_Ou2uwVOF6vLe7KKLUDyfRMS1SvjMMOVrU6hNVhXeRbCzOGMVImYbwYp3uaFXnmXZeSQScbsfJaVDNtCpoOAqJVeA8fa9gr7be_lCDnz859ilnvYV/s1600/232323232%257Ffp43368%253Enu%253D3236%253E362%253E675%253EWSNRCG%253D345-%253B792%253C8326nu0mrj.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqXeoz8Z4S6xeZKs2Z6SrNSrQmmD_Ou2uwVOF6vLe7KKLUDyfRMS1SvjMMOVrU6hNVhXeRbCzOGMVImYbwYp3uaFXnmXZeSQScbsfJaVDNtCpoOAqJVeA8fa9gr7be_lCDnz859ilnvYV/s640/232323232%257Ffp43368%253Enu%253D3236%253E362%253E675%253EWSNRCG%253D345-%253B792%253C8326nu0mrj.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div>
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2010. The white image is a<br />
snowball. After many attempts of trying to get it in flight, I settled for having another child hold it up close to the camera. Psst, don't tell.<br />
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2006. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2014!</span></div>
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Here's the start of this year's card. I wrote the letter TODAY for this post. I want to format the letter into angled shapes on a single page and cut them out to make into a long triangle, like a banner, get it? Still working on that part of it. This photo is pathetic, but my family was so ornery in getting it that I dare not try again. Seriously it was awful. Plus my oldest son is away at school, which limits group photo ops. I made the banner in the car on the way up to Thanksgiving dinner at grandma's ... because that's how I roll.<br />
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Happy holidays to all of you at Projects Connect!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Merry Christmas from the Hatch family. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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We’ve had a banner year! The experiences of this year have
stretched us as they’ve unfurled, sometimes whipping us in the face, but other
times waving gently and urging us forward. We’ve had setbacks, sure, but we’ve
also had triumphs. We feel very blessed as a family.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our most profound event was Jeff’s brain surgery on March 3.
(He would disagree with this ranking, but trust me, it was huge.) What started
as headaches in February advanced to intermittent speech difficulties and
numbness in one hand, the symptom that ultimately compelled him to the
hospital. We discovered that he had a chronic subdural hematoma; chronic
because fluid built up over time causing a delayed onset of pressure and
symptoms. Jeff fell while ice skating on Dec. 26 and went to the doctor at that
time for stitches. This surely is the event that triggered the rest, although
we had no idea then what was to come.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We are so grateful that Jeff is doing extremely well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This experience was terrifying, all the more
so to watch Jeff seize and struggle for breath when the pressure in his head
was too much. We are glad he was in his hospital bed awaiting tests at the time
and not behind the wheel. That is sobering. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Jeff has been able to resume all the activities he loves, including
rappelling. (Not sure how much he loves ice skating, however.) He sports two
permanent dime-sized holes in his skull now (burr holes for the surgeon’s
access, one shy of a bowling ball), but you can hardly notice the scars on the
left side of his head.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What I hope never fades is the force of our gratitude. We
felt Heavenly Father’s love most intensely as friends and family carried us
through. Thank you for your prayers and support.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Other notables from our year include Kyle’s nail-biting graduation
from high school. He is 18 and attends Utah State University, majoring in new
freedom and minoring in responsibility. Emma, 16, excels as a junior at Davis High School and
is a beautiful poised ballerina. Last year she and Kyle had the same teacher
for different subjects; when I attended parent teacher conferences that teacher
was bewildered to learn Kyle and Emma are related. “Wait. You mean, you’re
mother to both of them?” Yep. I scratch my head, too. It has been a treat to
see these two have pleasant conversations when Kyle comes home from college.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Elise, 13, started junior high. She is in her element and is
a star student. She loves being in the Young Women program. She too is a lovely
dancer and also has learned to play the violin.<o:p></o:p></div>
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James, 10, and Samuel, 7, did recreational soccer for the
first time ever. I’m surprised how much I enjoyed the experience myself,
especially cheering them on in games. James is a gentle boy who gets himself up
and ready each day without complaint, often packing Samuel’s lunch too. Getting
Samuel to school has been gut-wrenching lately. Yet I’m sustained by the
special twinkle in his smile, and want to coax it out more. I am glad we have
resources to help him through his debilitating anxiety. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Jeff works for the LDS Church and I teach piano lessons from
home. I would love to work in the schools, but so far have not had any luck
with applying for jobs. Just as well, I suppose, because I am far from caught
up on the home front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someday, right?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am more grateful than ever this year for my Savior, and
wish you a wonderful holiday as we celebrate His birth. I know that Heavenly
Father hears and answers our prayers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Psalms 20:5, “We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the
name of our God we will set up our banners; the Lord fulfill all thy
petitions.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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With love,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jenni and the rest of the Hatch family<o:p></o:p><br />
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<b>December's project: </b>Further study and improve my French. When I chose this at the beginning of the year I wasn't sure how to, you know, make this a presentable project. Then I remembered my former neighbor Tressa Spigarelli (whom some of you also know), whose family picked a different culture each year and celebrated Christmas that way. Four of my children are studying French in school. I think it will be fun to incorporate French foods and customs into our holiday plans and learn Christmas carols in French. It will also be meaningful for my husband to share his memories as a missionary in Montreal (although my 7-year-old tells declares that Dad doesn't know REAL French). </div>
Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525034596178639693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-84882975724047238822014-12-02T00:00:00.000-08:002014-12-02T00:00:01.484-08:00Dana Robb, October-November, finish projects and rock climbThe summer of 2012 brought on lots of new things and 'firsts'. A new baby. Chickens. Teaching yoga. And for some reason we didn't feel busy enough so we threw in a few projects. A clubhouse. A chicken coop. And finishing the basement. Needless to say, it was a little too much to take on, and here we are three years later with all three projects in phase three. I was determined to finish projects THIS year. And October was a good month.<div>
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We got the clubhouse painted and roofed. We finished the chicken coop. (But the basement-not so much. That's a project for this winter.) </div>
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Here's a few pics of the clubhouse at its current phase. And just for background info: In 2012 we got the platform done. Then 2013 we added the walls, windows and roof. This year we finally got the stairs, railing, door, slide, and shingles on. </div>
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As for rock climbing (November's goal), I didn't get quite the experience I was looking for. I had plans to go with my kids, but that goal has been put off until after the holidays. Here's the journal entry I wrote the day I did actually get to go:</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
6 November 2014<br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em;">Challenging morning. A few lessons learned. First, don't try a science experiment with flour, sugar, yeast needing to be quickly mixed and pushed into a straw with two little girls climbing over the counter. Second, just because I'm excited about a science experiment doesn't mean I'm going to get the same reaction from my kids. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em;">I texted Chris around 11:30 this morning and said, "please take me rock climbing tonight. I need to conquer something." He's offered to take me for weeks and we planned to go tonight but it was all tentative, depending on book club. The noise, the energetic kids, the whining and crying were all overwhelming me and I needed to accomplish something. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Droid Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.9999942779541px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em;">And now I'm feeling the burn. 10-12 climbs in 40 minutes. It wasn't quite the rush I was hoping for. Maybe it was the fact that I felt awkward in LifeTime for the first time. Maybe it was the fact that I was left alone while Chris had to listen to the sales pitch. Or maybe it was just the fact that I was on a self-belay system thingy that lifted me as I climbed. No real threat of falling. No true destination awaiting at the top. Not really much a sense of accomplishment. But rewarding nonetheless. I love my muscles. I love what this body can do. </span></blockquote>
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The following week I didn't get a chance to go climbing because I was invited to help my sister paint a mural at Legend Solar in St. George. An opportunity I jumped at! She's amazing and so fun to work with. Everything lined up to make it possible, but it also meant getting behind in a few other places so the rest of the month was catchup. Rockclimbing will have to wait. (although I did get to climb up and down lots of scaffolding in St. George!)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.9999942779541px; text-align: start;">Updated pic of finished mural to come soon. <br />Go </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mishels-Art/249573478042" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.9999942779541px; text-align: start;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.9999942779541px; text-align: start;"> to see more of her work!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Next month: report on our service projects and family outings for the year.</span></div>
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The Glitch Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14182879096357067654noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-32955823364178212442014-11-28T14:38:00.000-08:002014-11-30T14:39:23.152-08:00Christine Bennee, October, Little things add up, right?!I have 3 small goals that I have been working on. I can't believe the year is wrapping up already!<br />
<br />
First, being a full-time student while still being the mom, housekeeper, maid, laundress, church lady, neighbor, etc. has been tough. This semester is one of the last of my science requirements before I head into the learning-how-to-teach part of my degree, so it has been one of the toughest yet. I was so frustrated at the beginning of my anatomy class because I am usually at the top of my classes and I was barely hanging in the middle. I was relieved to discover that well over half of my classmates were repeating the course and this was their second time through. I still wanted good grades so this last month I set a goal to study enough to get an A on my 2 big tests in bio-organic chemistry and anatomy. <br />
<br />
Check it out! I had the high score for anatomy and the second highest in chem--both 96%<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KAOhdaapZDLanxhFVRIG29YCSr1Tb69xE1hvZYK7uJ5on-tsK7zn3z7OY7taG4zkdmzbeilIxH6uo-q_BFW7FmckD8XO97de_-IyJY1sDTW526C4iFAfVHevuBbQK-YjPF72z786C9OV/s1600/IMG_20141130_150807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KAOhdaapZDLanxhFVRIG29YCSr1Tb69xE1hvZYK7uJ5on-tsK7zn3z7OY7taG4zkdmzbeilIxH6uo-q_BFW7FmckD8XO97de_-IyJY1sDTW526C4iFAfVHevuBbQK-YjPF72z786C9OV/s1600/IMG_20141130_150807.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The second thing I've been working on is running again. I have been running off and on for about 10 years now. I have been "off" for the last year or so and really wanted to pick it up again. I mean, for heaven's sake, I've run a half-marathon and a full triathalon and several 5K and 10Ks plus a relay. Yet I found myself unable to jog even a mile without stopping. I have used a couch-to-5K before, but I had to memorized a printout and time myself. I had upgraded to my first smart phone this summer so I wanted an app that would help me. I remembered Nora telling me about one that tells you when to run and when to walk WHILE you listen to music. I found this one and I LOVE it! It even tells me when to turn around and gives little pep talk about 3/4 of the way. It keeps track of how far I went and what my pace was. I can now easily run over 3 miles without stopping and am considering continuing with the app that will train me to run a 10K.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxTVrbzqWZ8EMEKxUxq3yv7l3nTpOaRG9kThczQBrsQHhXHOAVukcuhekqkmC0Z36DGO6T65_herxpStlsNlp2gqsYKOhtTv-sYkNy5j50vzXTw65k6FrRDQhuyZR2Oq0ojXoU3tpyfdy/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxTVrbzqWZ8EMEKxUxq3yv7l3nTpOaRG9kThczQBrsQHhXHOAVukcuhekqkmC0Z36DGO6T65_herxpStlsNlp2gqsYKOhtTv-sYkNy5j50vzXTw65k6FrRDQhuyZR2Oq0ojXoU3tpyfdy/s1600/download.jpg" /></a></div>
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The last thing I have been working on is not a very fun one, but had to be done. I have survived without a budget for years, but it was starting to slip out of hand. Expenses seemed to be popping up everywhere and I was simply spending too much. An app again came to the rescue...this one is called Monefy. I actually tried out a few, but most were much more complicated than what I wanted. I just wanted to see how much I had spent and how much was left and where my $ was going. <br />
These are from off the internet but show how it works...I wish I had $5000 a month for my spending :)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNSI2-dEuyrxBALUtLXiBCTnW-lizboALjHCQO3uhG9He6w-zaPNI2VWdkhQ-t_4ZXzmltmcodrB4JT0z3pqepK-VvcRdgg5MfZq9nDT9qHq8XLt7sX65u0-LmIJL0HBWufpCG5fF314v/s1600/monefy.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNSI2-dEuyrxBALUtLXiBCTnW-lizboALjHCQO3uhG9He6w-zaPNI2VWdkhQ-t_4ZXzmltmcodrB4JT0z3pqepK-VvcRdgg5MfZq9nDT9qHq8XLt7sX65u0-LmIJL0HBWufpCG5fF314v/s1600/monefy.webp" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just tap that red button whenever I buy something</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4giBxj9p6YWCItGX0q0fWkMBsyPqwEmNH3mSFpgCf08Ixt-GyEe7n2d-Ty9N9E4PwuKsBeN4KReEc2TnoiK1nVhqDXmPn-quYQD1z64j5H7nIPI7vOhIHYRPpJSL-jaKyuDT3zcPXazvo/s1600/2money.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4giBxj9p6YWCItGX0q0fWkMBsyPqwEmNH3mSFpgCf08Ixt-GyEe7n2d-Ty9N9E4PwuKsBeN4KReEc2TnoiK1nVhqDXmPn-quYQD1z64j5H7nIPI7vOhIHYRPpJSL-jaKyuDT3zcPXazvo/s1600/2money.webp" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">then enter an amount and hit the "choose category" button at the bottom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9g9YGB_2s5tuaGwj9SUpX4ihyphenhyphenbVibgfW-FMoZ61J7YYzVd1FM2O6Ss9YsI1gc37fH8qfHlldPxPWVfJr9z14unhlafWCC920Ggm2kQTcSZsP64sTtTKuKFxPR4vglm_G6WKYRBU5Y8Kh/s1600/3money.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9g9YGB_2s5tuaGwj9SUpX4ihyphenhyphenbVibgfW-FMoZ61J7YYzVd1FM2O6Ss9YsI1gc37fH8qfHlldPxPWVfJr9z14unhlafWCC920Ggm2kQTcSZsP64sTtTKuKFxPR4vglm_G6WKYRBU5Y8Kh/s1600/3money.webp" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">then choose the category</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It is that easy. And just like eating and counting calories, the simple act of keeping track of my spending has disciplined me enough that it is well under control now.Christine Benneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378399143659493960noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-55415682032088527492014-11-21T13:47:00.002-08:002014-11-21T13:47:57.402-08:00Holli Gunther's October Goal: Donate Most of our Halloween Candy!Of all the times to have your internet go down, the night before your post is due is NOT one of them! :) So, I'm a little late, but here it is:<br />
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Like all of us, our children get way to much junk on Halloween! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lAH_bhTOiw0JzBwKGDtJDwQAamm-OVgsyfvJS9dHtqELP7b4k_ANcLC040vbHOXJZTV0izkLsC8QCZopavt7v-CAHCsiDv_f5jxlO9dSV-ueHwzpLtlOEHDnJMxiPN68fKhuAsO21u0/s1600/190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lAH_bhTOiw0JzBwKGDtJDwQAamm-OVgsyfvJS9dHtqELP7b4k_ANcLC040vbHOXJZTV0izkLsC8QCZopavt7v-CAHCsiDv_f5jxlO9dSV-ueHwzpLtlOEHDnJMxiPN68fKhuAsO21u0/s1600/190.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, we decided to let them keep their favorites and then donate the rest.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Wtcck_bsiEp7Fs7b5jxfmqChKORizOeEsyeSc6umxVF-3plL5fxX9rls5sGjddxBXnreumkNznK5RyINy95HbtBYPyB9Ij3x9NCxIjrV1jetlUbu1W85vWRJQwYm0elgGWbpwe3qhtY/s1600/188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Wtcck_bsiEp7Fs7b5jxfmqChKORizOeEsyeSc6umxVF-3plL5fxX9rls5sGjddxBXnreumkNznK5RyINy95HbtBYPyB9Ij3x9NCxIjrV1jetlUbu1W85vWRJQwYm0elgGWbpwe3qhtY/s1600/188.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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They decided to give some to our newly called Bishop to use for his birthday treats for the Primary kids. <br />
The rest, we donated to a "Christmas Stockings for the Soldiers" project that the elementary school was doing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGBOGUPMHd_BZm1wi3WirmMctZvs5RjhKNmgfxPsurTQXMjS7tUpZVeVFalgU2aTcqGT3Z-xLf4kS7S6OGwoSUYWwdUgqMAaVLnVTGEyNvg3LXspo52DtZD_EWUU8sj6IGzYF0q4BfUlw/s1600/IMG_5446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGBOGUPMHd_BZm1wi3WirmMctZvs5RjhKNmgfxPsurTQXMjS7tUpZVeVFalgU2aTcqGT3Z-xLf4kS7S6OGwoSUYWwdUgqMAaVLnVTGEyNvg3LXspo52DtZD_EWUU8sj6IGzYF0q4BfUlw/s1600/IMG_5446.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
It was great to donate the candy and also to get it out of our house so that I wouldn't be tempted! :)<br />
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My 6th grader even did her science project about what percentage of Trick-or-Treaters would choose a healthy snack or non-food item over a sugary treat. And guess what?? Most of them chose a healthy snack or non-food! So, we really don't have to give out a bunch of sugar each year. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukP5tHrWXtHC5ISWRpBkO7ZqUqUeHMMDbf9ZrZx6Zs9jeHnEd0n27Cgy_Rtj_Vh27n4yEiBYSYloFNH1_pqI7IDTpYUMVi7aFXZqMI0PPs4RExtR8ac1PkkLx27sWV25UV0S8WiaZ9LU/s1600/182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukP5tHrWXtHC5ISWRpBkO7ZqUqUeHMMDbf9ZrZx6Zs9jeHnEd0n27Cgy_Rtj_Vh27n4yEiBYSYloFNH1_pqI7IDTpYUMVi7aFXZqMI0PPs4RExtR8ac1PkkLx27sWV25UV0S8WiaZ9LU/s1600/182.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LlmitzYgcOIpC5jtl2ZAruCQaHvK5jc-4YgVpGtWMr4ZKkVUc7P2Kmo6brr0V_caHcKk7D0rdOYBVN93STBQa7QHP35RGDLDSEaRZODdqJaIr4xd_HgN9MDRydTei5Qf1urV2LxCO_0/s1600/185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LlmitzYgcOIpC5jtl2ZAruCQaHvK5jc-4YgVpGtWMr4ZKkVUc7P2Kmo6brr0V_caHcKk7D0rdOYBVN93STBQa7QHP35RGDLDSEaRZODdqJaIr4xd_HgN9MDRydTei5Qf1urV2LxCO_0/s1600/185.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Hollihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973866117125341718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-48655760369283922682014-11-11T01:00:00.001-08:002014-11-11T01:00:00.106-08:00Stefanie Ackerson, October, Organize Recipes<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I love to collect recipes! I have shelves literally overflowing with cook
books and recipe card boxes. But I also had tons of random recipes I've collected over the years from Relief Society
activities, newspaper clippings, printed off the internet, copied out of
library books, and from my mom and other friends and relatives that were piling up
in an old grocery sack because I never seemed to have the time to organize them
into a binder. I bought a great big binder years ago and even made a cover page for it, but it just never happened. So for my October project, I decided it must be done! </span><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">I wish I had remembered to take a "before" picture so you could see the mess I was in, but I forgot, so you'll just have to use your imagination. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I thought about organizing the recipes with all the same great tabs I've used in the past for recipe card boxes:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Appetizers</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Beverages</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Breads</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Cakes/Cookies</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Candies</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Desserts</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Eggs</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Fruits/Veggies</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Main Dishes</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Meats</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Miscellaneous</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Pancakes/Crepes</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Pies</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Salads</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Sandwiches</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Side Dishes</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Soups</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">But then I realized that it wasn't going to work because a lot of these random floating recipes are compilations of various foods that could go into multiple categories (e.g., Relief Society Christmas dinner menu recipes). So I decided to keep it simple and sort them into five very basic categories:</span></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Appetizers</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Side Dishes</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Main Dishes</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Desserts</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Holidays</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">It took some creativity, but eventually every single recipe found a home! Here is the finished project (and yes, the cover has my maiden name on it, that's how long ago I meant to start this project!):</span></span></div>
</div>
<div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The best part of finally finishing this project is that I found a lot of really fun and EASY recipes I had forgotten all about! Even my husband was intrigued by some of the recipes he saw in my book. Looks like we'll be trying old-world manicotti and crock pot lava cake in the near future. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I've made a goal to try a new recipe from it each week. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">:)</span><br />
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Stefaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347953517656968916noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-64360106343990782682014-11-11T01:00:00.000-08:002014-11-11T01:00:07.175-08:00Anne Halpenny, October, NaBloPoMoHappy Veteran's Day!<br />
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My goal is for all you readers of blogs or readers of books. I had to get a blog for school but didn't know quite what to do with it. I finally decided to make it a Reader's Advisory blog. Reader's advisory is a major part of librarianship, especially in the children's department, and I happen to be very bad at it. I figured this would be a way to practice AND answer a frequent question from friends and relations as to what I recommend to read.<br />
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I know this is suppose to be the goal I accomplished in October buuuuut, oh well. NaBloPoMo is National Blog Posting Month, a.k.a. November. Bloggers are suppose to blog once a day for the whole month. (Blame my sister...)<br />
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Anyway, here she be!<br />
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"Think Fast, Rabbit" <a href="http://searchfastrabbit.blogspot.com/">http://searchfastrabbit.blogspot.com/</a><br />
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Good Reading to you!<br />
(...Hope you like picture books...)ATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03744216405866779180noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-77221197571073073182014-11-10T22:58:00.000-08:002014-11-11T22:58:17.781-08:00October - Weather Stripping - Becky Beck<div style="text-align: center;">
This is the most boring project of all time.</div>
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We've lived in this house for 9 years and for 9 years the door to our garage has needed new weather stripping. There has always been a draft coming in from around the door and who knows how much energy has escaped over the years.</div>
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I spent 5 bucks at Lowes and took 5 minutes to put the weather stripping in place.</div>
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No more drafts.</div>
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No more energy escaping.</div>
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The End.</div>
Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530247632773084796noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-24302728813400583552014-11-04T20:17:00.002-08:002014-11-04T20:17:45.567-08:00September Goal: Family VacationSince it is now November, I'm had a hard time picking a goal for September. The biggest thing was starting a new semester and moving into a new place. Those big things aside, the best part of September was going to Disneyland with my whole family, minus one brother, s-i-l, and niece who were stuck in medical school land. We rented <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1919768">this house</a> in Anaheim via airbnb. It was perfect for our large group of 11. We had plenty of space, our own pool and view of the fireworks, and a nice kitchen and laundry. We spent two days at Disneyland and another day at the beach and in L.A. As cheesy as it sounds, my favorite part was being together.<br />
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Megan Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04924348724947805606noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-44144961484395623802014-11-03T18:32:00.000-08:002014-11-06T11:00:55.590-08:00Jennifer Hatch, October, Convoluted PlotMy October project (a continuation after a foray in May) was to sort through our family's many books and purge, purge, purge. I find it funny that I outlined this project back in January. How did I know then that my house would be so overrun with books in 10 months, to the point of going crazy? Books. They're everywhere! Tour my home and you will see: stacks of children's books on my dresser from reading sessions with my elementary-aged boys, a mishmash of how-to books and novels on my nightstand, piles moved from the dining table to the bakers rack each night before dinner, overflowing bookshelves.<br />
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This could have been the easiest, most straightforward of all my projects. See books on shelf, put books in box. How hard can it be? You know what? I put if off all month. I did most of it in different spurts TODAY so I wouldn't feel guilty about not posting -- and I've spent the rest of the day trying to figure out how to make a post about purging books interesting.<br />
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Guilt is not the best motivator.<br />
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Turns out that's exactly what I learned through this project. There's a TV show called "Hoarding: Buried Alive" that I occasionally watch while I fold laundry. Have you seen it? It's enthralling, in a "I-can't-believe-I'm-watching-this" kind of way. Some of the hoarders' living conditions are downright horrifying, the prisons people create because they cannot part with possessions. Some hoarders desperately want help, others refuse intervention from loved ones. Along with professional organizers, psychologists work to help family members understand the reasons behind the hoarding. Fascinating stuff. (Ha ha! A pun.)<br />
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Some people on the TV show keep things that represent their dreams. If they throw them out, they throw away the dream (or so they believe). I realized that many of the books still on my shelves represent good intentions. <i>Oh, I'll read this someday. Ooh, I've always wanted to read about this. Man, we started this chapter book but never finished. Maybe next year.</i><br />
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Some people on the TV show can't part with possessions because of perceived value, sentimental and otherwise. I realized I do the same. I have a beat-up paperback copy of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe -- with my brother's childhood signature inside.<br />
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Certain genres make me feel guiltiest of all. Unread parenting books seem to taunt me with their rigid spines -- but I can't part with them out of a sense of duty. What if they have just the words I need to read?<br />
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Think I'm ridiculous yet? I do. Enough!<br />
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Today I tackled the project with a very pragmatic approach. I left my husband's biographies and leather-bound church books. I screened the others this way:<br />
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1. Can I get this same book or information at the library or online?<br />
If not,<br />
2. Is it a book I will reference again?<br />
3. Is it a book I want to share with my children?<br />
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I also allowed myself to keep a few favorites.<br />
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Sure, I still have a lot of books, but I filled two boxes today from this shelf and another. It feels gooood. Now I need to sort all my piano music. I tell ya, that will really make me feel the loss of dreams. All the music I haven't learned yet, and probably never will. But that's ok.<br />
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Next up: Clear the shelves so I can paint the bookcases. (No, I didn't get rid of our scriptures. Now the inside cupboard is cleared enough to store them there.) I'm also considering making covers for the remaining books with a thin tan paper I have on a roll. At arm's length the book titles would be visible through the paper, but from a distance the effect will be a cohesive block. What do you think?</div>
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November's project: Map out money for gifts and do other Christmas preparations so I don't get discouraged and shut down next month like I usually do. I also want to produce a family Christmas card, something that hasn't happened the last three years.</div>
Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17525034596178639693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-88480251205772307732014-10-21T00:00:00.000-07:002014-10-21T00:00:03.213-07:00Holli Gunther's September Goal: Go somewhere overnight with my hubby!I think this should be my goal once a month! Ok, realistically, at least 4 times a year. It does so much for a marriage to be together--without kids--for at least 24 hours once in a while. Just ask Nora, she just got back from her "Week of Heaven," right?? :)<br />
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Here is my husband and me at the<strong> Aspen Grove Marriage Getaway </strong>weekend last month. (Sorry for the blurry photo and my lovely outfit--we weren't quite prepared for the weather!) <strong>John Bytheway</strong> was the guest speaker. It was so great!! Beautiful surroundings, incredible speaker, it was totally worth missing a weekend that we could've been remodeling. Ha!<br />
I highly recommend going to the marriage getaways there. I think they hold them twice a year, but you have to sign up early!! I am going to sign up now so that we can go next year.<br />
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Hollihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17973866117125341718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-27650132966927725182014-10-13T00:30:00.000-07:002014-10-13T00:30:01.210-07:00Donna Hawkins- September- Closet DoorsMy goal for the month of September was to finally install closet doors in the master bedroom and the kids' bedroom. I did neither. I'll use the excuse that it was going to be a lot more complicated that originally thought. They originally had these ugly gold, mirror, sliding doors, that were all broken (the hardware, not the glass) and were all sold on ksl. The casing is all still there and it looks like a nice, finished opening. For the last 4 years almost, we've had no doors, and I've loved it! It forces me to keep the closets looking nice, I can easily get to everything, and the casing holds oodles of hangers of line-drying clothes. I want hinged closet door eventually, but to do that, I need to take out the casing, buy the doors, and figure out how to install. and finally re-install the casing. Sounds like a good project for the middle of winter. Right now the sun is shining! It doesn't look that bad, right?!<br />
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So here's my major accomplishment for the month... Dallin went to nursery! Okay, he's not technically 18 months yet, but he's close! Our friend is the nursery leader and she totally allowed me to bring Dallin in for play time! We weren't planning on staying the whole time, but he was having so much fun with all those new toys! I was able to duck out for YW opening exercises and made it back in time for snacks. They had about 14 kids with only 3 leaders, so I stayed and helped out. It was awesome!!! I think this will be a reoccurring thing, at least until the end of the year, when the new sunbeams move out. If I can feel useful, then Dallin and I will both be happy!<br />
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Donna and Bevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15502104466480504281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-73220252702148161322014-10-11T22:13:00.000-07:002014-10-22T22:32:11.133-07:00Anne Halpenny, September, Online CoursesMy goal was to take 1 online course and 1 webinar as continuing education for my profession as a librarian. I've been registered for an online course dealing with library programming for school-age children. This is the first one I'll have taken and I'm a little worried (I hate school, you see), but it's good to keep my hand in. I still need to take a webinar but at least I'm registered! Wish me luck!<br />
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I realize I didn't actually do this goal in the right month, (haven't done it at all yet) but it's slated to happen...ATLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03744216405866779180noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-45039585245932865372014-10-11T20:25:00.000-07:002014-10-11T20:48:20.753-07:00Stefanie Ackerson, September, Update Photo Albums<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My project for September was extremely simple but something I had been putting off for a long time that just needed to be done. I had a whole bunch of envelopes stuffed with photos from the past year that needed to
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">While updating my scrapbooks in July and August, I finally went through all of the photos and selected those worthy of a place of honor in my scrapbooks, and all of the rest just needed to be sorted chronologically and inserted into photo albums. So I made a trip to Michael's where I bought two super cute albums (at 40% off, of course, I love that store!). Then I sat down one evening while Paul and I were watching TV and spent an hour or two inserting all of the photos. Easy peasy! Honestly, the hardest part was choosing which pictures to display on the covers!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And that was it! Why it took me so long to get it done, I don't know. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">I'm a little embarrassed that it took this blog to </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">finally</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">motivate me enough to get to it! </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But now I can check it off my list of projects and feel pleased with myself for accomplishing something. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Short and sweet this month! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">**Job Update: It's a good thing I chose something easy this month because I just started working again in September. I was hired on by the local school district as a full-time long-term substitute for a speech-language pathologist who just had a baby and is now on maternity leave. So I get to do what I love but I don't have to worry about lesson plans or much paperwork because she was really on top of things and had it all ready to go for me--so nice!! I just get to show up each day and work with the most adorable bunch of preschoolers I've ever seen! I'm still plenty busy keeping track of the 80+ darlings, but I love it. And after Christmas it's supposed to turn into a "real" position. I couldn't ask for a better transition into the district. :)</span>Stefaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10347953517656968916noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-72859758978083479772014-10-10T10:49:00.000-07:002014-10-10T10:49:48.714-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
My project for September was to get caught up on 3 of my girls digital scrapbooks.</div>
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I did it but I have no pictures.</div>
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I had a chance to do another FUN project in September and I thought I'd share it with you...</div>
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This is my 91 year old Grandpa Moon and he lives in Idaho on a beautiful ranch. He's been a farmer all his life and he is just the absolute greatest!</div>
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My Aunt Judy and Uncle Alex have been working on his property all summer. They've done A LOT of painting, updating his barns and fencing and such. I thought it would be fun to paint an American flag somewhere on his property. My Aunt got on board and we did it...</div>
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It's pretty much the coolest thing EVER!</div>
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You can even see it from the freeway above his house.</div>
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I have lots more pictures and details about the project on my family blog.</div>
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If you want to see more go</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.kevinbeckyfam.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-flag-project.html">HERE</a> </span>for part one</b></div>
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<b><a href="http://www.kevinbeckyfam.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-flag-project-part-2.html" style="font-size: x-large;">HERE</a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>for part two</b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.kevinbeckyfam.blogspot.com/2014/09/fixing-flag.html">HERE</a> </span>to see how we fixed the flag</b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.kevinbeckyfam.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-flag-is-fixed.html">HERE</a> </span>to see the finished flag (for real this time)</b></div>
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<b>and if you want, go <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.kevinbeckyfam.blogspot.com/2014/09/happy-37th-kever.html">HERE</a></span> to see what we did for my husband's birthday in Malad</b></div>
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Beckyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15530247632773084796noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6468817328704583789.post-70459549886329972632014-10-08T14:16:00.002-07:002014-12-01T19:42:23.681-08:00Dana Robb-August-Food I planned all of September to get my August post written up, but it just kept slipping further and further down the list. <br />
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My plan for August was food. Originally the plan was geared towards getting more creative about veggies. We eat lots of veggies at our house-lunch, dinner, and sometimes even breakfast-but usually I'm just slicing or dicing and serving raw. It gets a little boring. I've wanted to explore and incorporate more flavor at the dinner table. <br />
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I checked out two books from the library: <i>barefoot contessa back to basics </i>and some random vegan cookbook I found. <i>Barefoot contessa </i>had a few veggie recipes we tried and loved. The vegan cookbook was full of ingredients I didn't want to bother stocking up on, so that one went back without trial. And unfortunately that's as far as I got. <br />
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What I ended up focusing on and feel I became successful at is the art natural yeast baking. Just over a year ago, a friend shared her natural yeast start with me, gave some basic instructions, a fail proof recipe and I was off to a great start. I'd make bread once a week, and most of the time it would work out, although an occasional brick would come out of the oven. Over time though I was getting more bricks and less bread. Until I was ready to give up. <br />
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I have believed for a long time that natural yeast is a lot better for you and really wanted to succeed. It became very discouraging that even though I was doing the same things, using the same recipe, I was getting worse and worse results. And then I was invited to a class by Amy Loveless. She shared her 200 yr old Czechoslovakian start and my first batch was brilliantly delicious. But again, within a couple months, my bread was not rising. It was time to consult more experts. Both starts came from people who recommended <i>The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast. </i>I decided to check it out. And it really is an essential book for anyone interested in baking with natural yeast. <br />
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August became my trial month of learning how to properly care for my yeast (the author of <i>The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast, </i>Melissa Richardson, named her yeast "Pita") I now feel like I'm a general expert, I brought my yeast back to life and learned I hadn't been feeding it often enough. I learned some key tips and tricks. I've learned a number of recipes. And I'm no longer producing bricks. (Although Melissa has a couple recipes of what to do with bricks in her book!)<br />
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But what I really got excited about in September was my new thermal cooker.<br />
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<img src="http://cdn2.bigcommerce.com/server3100/21197/products/30/images/130/7_liter_Thermal_Cooker_photo__33694.1405366753.220.220.jpg?c=2" /><br />
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This thing is amazing! It cooks like a crockpot but without all the electricity. You boil the ingredients for one minute and then set it inside the thermal unit. Before leaving for road trips we fill it with chicken dumpling soup, or the filling for taco salad, or whatever and let it cook while we drive. Then we'll stop on the road when we get hungry and we have a hot meal ready to go. Just today I cooked one pot of dried beans and a separate pot of rice so we could make burritos from food storage. I'm super impressed with how well it works, and dreaming of the possibilities. (Pinterest has already supplied many.)<br />
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buy one <a href="http://store.saratogajacks.com/categories/Thermal-Cookers/" target="_blank">here</a>!<br />
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So the end of the month came and went and I still need some more vegetable recipes to try, feel free to share your favorite.<br />
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<br />The Glitch Boyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14182879096357067654noreply@blogger.com6