Christmas in July-Gift Post #1

Wow, it is hard to believe that the year is half-way over already. Where does the time go?! Pretty soon Christmas will be here. I know, I know, don't rush it, right? Well, I am not trying to rush it, I promise. However, I know that every year I try hard not to get frazzled about Christmas gifts or spend a gazillion dollars that I don't have, and yet both always occur! And since I have been home sick for a couple days and not feeling like doing any housework (hello instant Netflix!), I thought I would try to work on some of my homemade gifts while I am resting and get a little head start on my gift giving.

Here are some thoughts for useful gifts that you can make. I will be posting more throughout the month.

Emergency Preparedness Gifts-these are ideas from preparednotscared.blogspot.com. I love this blog. There are so many emergency preparedness ideas to get you started.

VITAL RECORDS BINDER: all the records you need to grab all in one place in case you have to leave your house for an emergency (birth certificates, insurance records, etc...). You can put this binder together for a gift. It will make it easier for the recipient to put their important information together in one place.
-Click here to download the whole pdf.
-Here is a cool binder bag. You can either buy a premade bag or you can buy the pattern and make it yourself. This makes it easier to grab the binder and go.

THE 12 DAYS OF FOOD STORAGE:
 This is a clever emergency prep twist to the classic 12 Days of Christmas gifts. Click here for the instructions and printable tags.

EMERGENCY BLANKET:
Click here for a cute printable tag/poem for an emergency car blanket. You can make a blanket or buy one.

STOCKING STUFFER OR NEIGHBOR GIFTS:
Here are a few little emergency prep gifts that are easy to make or low cost plus printable tags.

What are some useful gifts you like to make/give?

 Craftnanigans & Snazzysauce

June VT Gift: Spiritual Summer Survival Kit

   

So we recently got new visiting teaching assignments. Last month I did at least let my people know that I am their new visiting teacher. But then BAM! June is already half way over and I start thinking about how busy the rest of June is for me. I am still working almost 60 hours per week and then the last week of June is Girls Camp-when am I supposed to see my sisters? So in lieu of the gift of my presence this month, I thought it would be nice to get a little gift for the sisters I visit teach. I want to let them know I am thinking of them even though I have yet to be awesome enough to visit them.

I was driving to a meeting but had 30 minutes to kill so I thought I would stop at the dollar store. I love the dollar store. But I never spend just 1 dollar there. It should be called the 20 dollar store as that is my average purchase amount, even though I typically go in for just one or two things! I had originally thought it would be cool to give them Sunshine in a Box, inspired by this pinterest post here.

After all, it is the beginning of summer. And what is summer without sunshine?! I thought that was a pretty good idea. Then I thought I would up it a notch (as I didn't know how many yellow items I could find). I tweaked the idea by 1) finding scriptures that had "sun" in them and 2) finding items that went with those scriptures. Talk about a fun spiritual message: scripture scavenger hunt! Long story short, here is what I came up with. I think it ended up being pretty creative, if I do say so myself!

(Flower scented lotion) "Plant your roots, then turn to the Son and bloom" Matthew 13:3-9
(Candle[it even has a sunset on it-score!]) "Trust in the Lord forever" Revelation 22:5
(Magnet with the perfect inscription) "The Lord Is My Light & My Salvation Psalm 27:1"
(Note Cards with flowers on them) "Help others to bloom" Matthew 5:16
(Sunscreen) "All day protection" Psalm 113:3
(Sunglasses) "Shades" Psalm 121:5-8
(Yellow Gatorade) "Quench your thirst" Matthew 5:6
(Runts candy) "Do not judge/label others" 3 Nephi 12:44-45

I also printed up a copy of the June Visiting Teaching Message, rolled it up like a scroll and tied it up with ribbon. Plus, since I am their new visiting teacher, I added a magnet with my name and phone number so it is handy on their fridge. I wrote "Sunshine For the Soul...A Spiritual Summer Suvival Kit" on a card and the lyrics to "There is sunshine in my soul today" on the back, tied a ribbon around the box and attached the card. I think that is a pretty good way to start the summer. I hope they like it!

What are some of the fun things you have done for the sisters you visit teach?

 Craftnanigans & Snazzysauce

6 Week Summer Slimdown Challenge and my not-so-slim past...

So my friend Suzanne is a Certified Health Coach for Take Shape for Life. She is really amazing because she always has so much energy, and she is so positive and happy all the time. She loves helping people in any way that she can. With her as my team leader and health coach I am participating in the 6 Week Summer Slimdown Challenge via Take Shape for Life and Meltdown Challenge.com. The cool thing is that you do not need to be a Take Shape for Life client to participate but you still get daily health tips and motivation plus a free health coach . You start by giving a $20 ante and doing a photo weigh-in. The goal that I am participating in is to lost 6% of your body weight in 6 weeks. For me this is a 13 pound weight loss goal. I think this is totally doable! The other thing you have to do to "win" the challenge is to earn 80% of the points possible. The ante-up pot will be split up between all the "winners" so you can get not only your money back but possibly more! You can earn the following points:

• 1 point daily for the exercise log
• 1 point daily for the food diary
• 1 point daily for posting on the challenge wall
• 1 point daily for reading the daily snippet of health information
• 1 point daily for inviting friends to join the challenge
• 5 points weekly for listening to the weekly call (recorded)
• 5 points weekly 

As you know, this challenge came at the perfect time because my doctor wants me to lose some weight since we are trying to get pregnant and I am not at a healthy place. I have been up and down with my weight and shape as well as my self esteem pretty much my whole life. 

Where it all began...

It mostly started in the summer between 8th grade and 9th grade. I was on the cheer squad and I was pretty slender. I loved dancing and cheerleading. And then puberty hit hard. I don't remember doing anything different, persee. But I know when I got my physical for 9th grade I had gained 26 pounds and most of it was on my thighs and abdomen. It almost seems like it happened overnight. I also had lovely stretch marks on my thighs, abdomen and back since the weight came on so quickly. In addition, I finally convinced someone that I needed glasses (that's a whole 'nother story!) and my Mom gave me the best $5 home perm (in the sense that it really was permanent) that has probably ever been. Yes, I asked for it for my birthday. And no, I did not like it. I love my mom but perming the bangs was not a good plan and most teenage girls don't want to look like their mother. Just saying.

Nah, we don't look related at all!

Now look at the difference before and after the 26 pounds, perm, glasses and lots of laughs at my expense from my family. You can really see it in the face and legs. It's hard to really see all of the differences but I think you can get the gist.

8th grade vs 9th grade

Not feeling so good about myself then. In fact, by the end of 9th grade I had such little confidence in my body that I didn't try out for the high school dance team (which I really wanted to do) because I didn't want anyone else to have to suffer by seeing me dance in spandex. It sounds harsh but that is really what I thought. I wasn't even teased or bullied about my weight by my peers. I was mostly teased by my family and close friends. Either way, I was very uncomfortable in my skin. I remember that one of my favorite things to wear was overalls because they hid my belly and thighs. In high school it was pretty much the same. I felt like a big girl and I envied the cheer leaders and dance girls who were thin.

Junior Year-1999

Senior Year-2001

In college I clocked in at 5'6" and 180 pounds.

Mom, myself, and Dad 

Angela, myself and Jeff 

I was a little bigger than in high school but I was loving the social atmosphere of a college town. I didn't drink or "party" like most college students but I just loved being around so many people my age. I didn't have a lot of socializing in high school because I worked after school and then moved my Senior year to a very small town. The novelty wore off though when I was not getting attention from boys and being asked on dates. I got depressed my sophomore year for several reasons and that was a different struggle to deal with. I did have a brief victory when I got 4th runner up for the Miss Pullman America pageant in 2003 and beat out 6 skinnier-than-me girls! It's a scholarship pageant, not a beauty pageant but I do look pretty kickin' in this tummy-hiding swimsuit...

Miss Pullman, America 2003-3rd Runner Up!

I was starting to feel a little better about myself after that. But I really felt my best when I moved to Virginia in 2006. I don't know what I did differently because I wasn't trying to look different. But I looked good and I felt good and I was happy. I remember weighing around 160 pounds. Trust me, I would love to know how I lost weight without thinking about it, worrying about it, or trying! Look how cute and confident I am:

 Maymont Park, Richmond, Virginia

Mom and I-do we look a little different without the fluffy bangs?

Virginia Beach

Check out the difference between college me and post-Virginia me:

Me and Kaelin, 2004

Kaelin and I, November 2006

The second picture is on Kaelin's wedding day. We both look really great in that picture! Here are a few pics from my mission circa 2007-2008:

In the MTC

Beautiful and talented-first time playing the drums!

Me and Sister Hrebien

Bobcat cub at the exotic petting zoo

Tiger cub 

Monkey face!

Oh deer!

Me and Sister Kaonohi 

   By the time I got back into the real world with all the stress of school, work, a wedding and then husband (I'm pretty sure it's like having a big child haha) I had little time for sleep and just let myself go, I guess. Here are a few pics of me from the last 5 years.

2010

2012

2013

2014

May 3, 2014

I have gained almost 40 pounds in the last 5 years. I weigh more than I have in my whole life. And yes, I know it is not all about weight. But I do not like taking pictures of myself, I lounge around in elastic wasted pants, and I do not feel like I see the real me when I look in the mirror. I know that I can be healthier and I am excited about this weight loss challenge.

*Update: I started writing this in the beginning of May but was on vacation and didn't have access to my pictures. Some of them are pictures of photos, so the quality is not so great. Sorry it has taken so long to finish this post, and thank you for reading my story! So far I have lost 12 pounds on the challenge and there is almost 2 weeks left! I am almost to my 6% goal and intend to keep on going. I will post more on my actual weight-loss journey during the challenge when it is through.

 Craftnanigans & Snazzysauce

A controversial doctor visit: Part 2

First of all, if you have not read Part 1, you can read it here.

Second of all, while it is not easy to open up and put myself out there, in less than 24 hours since I posted part 1 I have had a great number of personal messages of love, support, and "I've been there, too!" It is so nice to be embraced (figuratively) and to share experiences together. Thank you!

On to Part 2:

So now that I am officially done with school, a lot of what I do (and post) is going to be geared towards getting ready for a baby. This is not a pregnancy announcement. (I wish!) But cleaning and organizing the house, changing my habits, physical and mental cleansing, and saving money and getting out of debt-these are all goals for today so that someday next year (I hope!) we will have a baby and we will be as squared away and prepared as possible.

On that note, I decided to get my annual physical (it has been a few years) and start seeing an OBGYN. "Pre-pregnancy counseling" is what they call it. The Nurse Practitioner I saw was really great, although I confess it is a little awkward to talk about sex (sorry, no storks at this house.) One of the first things she asked me is "how often do you exercise?"
            "Rarely," I reply. "But with school and work I am so busy, and I work a lot of days and nights and it is just really hard," I stammer, trying to justify my lack of physical activity.
            "You need to get moving." she says. "Now that school is done, you need to focus on you. You have been focusing on taking care of everyone else and now you have to take care of yourself. In fact, that's the first thing I am writing you a prescription for. Exercise." Ewww, the "E" word!
             "Okay." I laugh a little. It's hard to hear that I need to take care of myself, even though that should be a given. I can't help that I'm so giving and loving of others ;) "And you should try to lose a little weight. It will be better for you when you get pregnant." And there it is. The thing I knew she would say but was hoping she wouldn't. Lose some weight.

I left the doctor's office feeling a little down. I've tried to get healthy and lose weight several times but my efforts have only lasted a few days. It is hard to get a routine going when my work shifts rotate between day and night. But that is still no excuse. Healthy living is a choice. And boy do I love eating sweets and junk food and watching tv.

But on with the story. So I was feeling a little down after my appointment. Sometimes the truth hurts. So in self-pity I posted this on facebook:
      "I guess it is really real when the doctor tells you to lose weight before getting pregnant *feeling fat*"
I had no idea this would become such a controversial statement. There were several people who commented about what they do to keep fit or try to lose weight. There are a lot of options, after all. Then there were several people who seemed to think it was ridiculous for my doctor to suggest weight loss and that weight is a societal  misnomer, as if the numbers on the scale mean nothing. Some people are very passionate about society's view of body image. Especially when I never said anything about trying to get skinny. Everyone has an opinion. My reply to everyone was this:
     "I thank everyone for the words of encouragement but I think it is extreme to suggest I get a different doctor because she said I should exercise more and try to lose some weight. Isn't it a doctor's job to encourage us to be healthier? And while I agree that weight isn't an end-all-be-all health measurement, it is obvious that I am overweight and I know I am not in a healthy place. I am surprised more of you weren't encouraging me to be healthier for my future baby rather than saying it is ok to get pregnant when you are obese. I was a little down after my doctor appointment but it was not new information. Now I have started the 6 week summer slimdown and I am motivated to make healthier food choices and start exercising...I took 9 flights of stairs to work and resisted the donuts! 1 day at a time..."

Now, I am not perfect by any means. I have a long way to go before having healthy habits. But I can try each and every day to be better. And if I make 1 bad food choice or don't exercise, then I will do better the next day and not give up. Maybe this doctor visit was the push I needed to make some real changes. I am excited for the 6 Week Summer Slimdown to help keep me motivated and help me get to a healthier place. Here is my before picture:

The goal is to lose 6% of my body weight in 6 weeks. For me that is about 13 pounds or around 2 pounds per week. This is totally doable! I will keep you posted on my progress.

 Craftnanigans & Snazzysauce

A controversial doctor visit: Part 1

Let me start off by telling a personal story. My husband and I got married when we were 26 and 25 years old. Although we had both taken college courses, neither of us had a degree in anything. We met just prior to serving proselyting and service missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (find out more about missionary work at http://www.mormon.org/values/missionary-work) We wrote letters to each other and decided to date when we got back, even though he lived in Virginia and I lived in Washington State (more about our love story another day.) I returned home in June 2008 and he returned home in July 2008. I moved to Virginia in August 2008 but didn't start work there until October 2008 because I had issues getting my car moved across the country. We got married in January 2009 and you could probably guess that we did not have very much money (you do not get paid for missionary service.) We have both been going to school and working the whole time we have been married.

I was pursuing an Associate Degree in Nursing, which should have only taken a couple of years. We had decided that when I was done with my ADN that we could start having children, since I would be a nurse and that is a pretty good job for providing for a family. Well, graduation came, and since I had heard the first year as a new grad nurse was an adjustment, we decided to wait a little longer before having children. We prayed about it and felt it was the right decision. Then we decided that it was only 3 more semesters for the RN-BSN program, and my job would pay for me to go to school, I might as well finish my Bachelor Degree before having children-since it is a lot harder to go back to school later. Again, we prayed about it and felt it was the right decision. I was itching to start a family. But we knew we should wait. I wanted to get pregnant so that when I graduated with my bachelor degree I could pop a baby right out. But when the time-frame rolled around, hubby needed a little more time. And the closer to graduating I got, the more stressed I became.

We finally decided in March that we could "stop preventing" and that if we got pregnant, it would be just fine. We went to the Temple and prayed about things again. Finally! Baby making time! Sort of. Hubby and I barely see each other for 5 minutes in a 36 or 48 hour period sometimes because of differing work and school schedules. But we made a little time and to our surprise my next period was late. Now, I have been tracking me period on a phone app for several years. I am never late. Ever. I was very giddy and excited at the prospect of getting pregnant right away. But I also knew that it takes a few days for pregnancy to happen after sex. So I waited anxiously. And I didn't want to tell anyone, because I didn't want to be wrong. But even at the thought of being pregnant I thought I would burst. I told my mom and I told my girlfriend. I just couldn't hold it in.

I was supposed to start my period on Saturday according to the app (which is usually one day after I actually start.) Hubby and I agreed to take the pregnancy test on Wednesday. Again, I was anxious and excited at the prospect of being pregnant already. And like I said, my period is NEVER late. I was fairly certain I was pregnant. I did some digging online to see how long it took for a baby to happen. Up to 5 days for the sperm to get up there and up to 6 days for the fertilized egg to attach and the body to realize it is pregnant. Hmmm. Well, I couldn't wait any longer. My hubby reluctantly agreed to let me take it Monday. I told him that if it was negative then we would take it again the following Monday, since it was still really close to the time we had sex.  I took a pregnancy test and it was negative.

Did I take it wrong since I peed in a cup? I brushed it off and at least some of the anxiety was gone. I will just take it again next Monday. No biggie. Wrong! I took it again the same day but peed directly on the stick. Still negative. Dang it. Okay, be strong. It just needs a little more time to burrow and make a home. We will check it again next Monday.

Monday never came. My period started Wednesday and my heart was crushed. How could this be? My period is never late? I was in denial. I even looked online some more because I had heard you can still bleed when you are pregnant. Yes, you can, when the fertilized egg is burrowing. But that is just a little blood. This was definitely my period. I was devastated. And on top of my heartbreak, everyone else kept announcing pregnancies. This was not easy, but I knew it was only our first time trying. My good friend tried for 2 1/2 years before getting pregnant the first time...My parents tried for almost 3 for my little brother (and look what they got! JK bro, love ya!) This was just the first try. We still have plenty of time. And lucky me, I got a UTI anyway so baby making was on hold and I focused on my finals...

End Part 1. Come back tomorrow for Part 2.

 Craftnanigans & Snazzysauce

May Day-A Fresh Start

Happy May Day!

So, you may have noticed it has been, well, 5 months since my last post. In fact, I only posted for 4 days. Started off great, didn't I? In case you couldn't tell, my January goals and any months thereafter have not been very successful. I have still been procrastinating, spending money, eating out too much, etc, etc, etc...and, not posting here. I am still trying to figure out how to organize and balance my life. 

But hooray, school is done! I have turned in the last assignment for my Bachelor degree and the burden of school has been lifted from off my mind. I do, however, have a "To Do" list a mile long of projects that I haven't started or only half-way started in the last 5 years, not to mention I have been ignoring my housework for the last several months (or years!) as well. I started to get a little stressed about that. Mostly the messy-house-that-looks-like-a-tornado-came-through thing. Both hubby and I had the day off today and I warned him last night that today we were going to spend some time cleaning the kitchen. And I had every intention of getting up and spending the whole day cleaning. 

However, a tender mercy came along last night. A friend posted on Facebook a blog article from a blog called Hands Free Mama. I had never heard of this blog before. This wonderful mother Rachel talks about a movement she has created, through inspiration from her daughter, called "Hands Free." The idea is that you notice the little moments where you should put down the laundry, or the computer, or whatever is distracting you and focus your attention on the important moment at hand; focusing on spending time with family versus doing busy things. 

I started thinking a little bit about how little time I spend with my husband. We have both been in school and working the whole 5 years we have been married. We often work opposite work schedules and there have been many times where I have seen him for 5 minutes in a 36 hour period as I climb into bed and he gets out. Even when we are both home we are occupied with homework or doing our own thing on the computer or tv. We often have "conversations" where one person is talking while the other person is flipping through their phone. We rarely give each other our full attention. That is probably one reason the past 5 years have gone by in a blur. 

So today I decided to make my time more purposeful. Plans were to drop hubby's car off to be repaired and then come home and clean. But we were both a little tired so we made brunch together, watched our meal time tv show, and then decided to go look around the mall. We walked and we talked. And we were leisurely. There was no rush, no hurry. I knew the dishes would still be waiting for us when we got home. We spent time together and it was wonderful. And although we used up the time that we should have been cleaning and then hubby had to work on homework in the afternoon, I was okay working on the kitchen by myself. And I wasn't worried about getting it all clean today, even though there is little time in the next week to clean because of our busy work schedules. I even came home from a meeting and I played video games with my hubby. He wishes I played video games with him more often. It is important to him, and he is important to me, so I showed him that by playing video games with him. 

And I noticed something else, too. Because I didn't fuss earlier about him not cleaning the kitchen with me, and was willing to do something he wanted to do (video games), he did a load of dishes for me, like I asked him to (while I was driving home), without so much complaining. There was more love, more patience, less complaining and less yelling in our home today. All because we spent more time with each other. And it was so wonderful.

Today is May Day. A time for renewal, a time for a fresh start. And I am taking it. I am trying to be more "hands free", more devoted to spending more time with my hubby and less time with Facebook, more relaxed and less stressed. Let's see where this life takes me...

 Craftnanigans & Snazzysauce

More Meaningful Gift Giving

Most of the family members we give birthday or Christmas gifts to are adults. Most of them don't need anything. And every year I tell myself that we are not going to spend a lot of money. Last year I didn't listen! So this year, we are doing something different. You can use any of these ideas for any gift-giving occasion.

 Birthdays: 

• For adults: We are giving the gift of service. Not just any service. A meaningful service that correlates with the personality, likes, and hobbies that birthday guy or gal enjoys. Of course, you can give a variety of service to your family member that lives close. All of my family lives far away, so we are following the lead of the Gates Family (although they do this for Christmas) and giving service in honor of that far-away person. Then we will send them a nice letter detailing the story of our service-gift to them.  

       -On a side note, last year for my 30th birthday I rang it in by doing 30 acts of service in 30 days. It was a wonderful and amazing way to celebrate my birthday. I asked everyone on Facebook to do an act of service, also, for my birthday in hopes of having another 30 acts of service. It was a blessing to hear how those I love were serving others in my name. I got this idea from Thomas S. Monson, our beloved prophet, who a few years ago said that when people asked him what he wanted for his birthday, he wanted others to serve, plus a blog post by someone else (sorry I don't have the link) who said they spent their birthday doing random acts of kindness. Love it!

Drinking my free birthday Slurpee; I picked up trash at 7-11 as one of my acts of service.
Disclaimer: My birthday is 7-11 and anyone can get a free Slurpee that day. This was not payment for service.

• For kids: Instead of spending tons of money on a birthday party and presents, plus having everyone else bring more toys that your child probably does not need, there are several options that involve charity.                                 

         -ECHOage allows the child register for one big present as well as a charity of their choice. Guests get an invite to donate online, money goes to both the present and the charity. Win-win!
         -Have your child ask for a specific item to be donated to a specific charity. I read a story many years ago about a little girl who asked for shoes for her birthday to donate to children in Africa. I think she got over 300 pairs. Several other children have requested shoes for their birthday for a variety of local organizations. Other ideas: ask for toys, blankets, books or clothes for shelters or Children's hospitals, stuffed animals for the local police department for children involved in trauma, or school supplies for a school in a poor area.

         -Request Christmas boxes in lieu of gifts (even if your child's birthday is not near Christmas).  My ward (church) made over 75 Christmas boxes for 2013. While you can send boxes to foreign countries through Samaritan's Purse, we donated ours to local elementary schools. The boxes were sent home with children enrolled in the Backpack program (children who won't have food over the weekend get a backpack full of food to take home.)

         -This mommy has a list of great ideas for each age to have a "less presents" birthday celebration

Christmas: Christmas has become so commercialized! Even with making homemade gifts, it is easy to get carried away with all the STUFF. Instead of spending money on more stuff people don't need, we are going to donate to charity in their name. Here are some great charitable gift ideas we might use:

• animals for families in places like Africa through World Vision-you can buy anything from chickens to goats to pigs or cows. The animals will not only provide food for these families but they can sell milk, eggs and cheese to provide for their families in the future
• insecticide treated mosquito nets for families in Africa to prevent malaria through the United Nations Nothing but nets program
• a well for clean water in Africa through the Water Project.

                  These are just a few ideas. Again, you can still make this personal. If someone loves animals, buy animals (above) or donate to the National Zoo. If they love camping, donate mosquito nets. There are a plethera of local, national, and world-wide charities that could use donations more than your sister can use a new Ipod.

What is your favorite non-stuff gift to give?

Craftnanigans & Snazzysauce