101 in 1001 recap!

ok so lots has happened.

38 : I got a new (to me) washer and dryer. I am part of an online yard sale group on facebook, and this lady was selling her front load washer and then she was selling her dryer. for $50 each! I got in line for the washer and when I was working with her on when to come pick it up, she offered the dryer too! So I got a set of front load washer and dryer for $100!! I freaking love them! I have decided to keep the dryer I already have, so now I have 2! Shark went to go pick them up, and while he was loading them (no one was there to help him) he dropped the washer, some of the springs popped off, but he ended up fixing it! I love him! He is amazing!

I feel like I'm working on a lot of things. I'm working on baby hats, I'm working on cleaning the house, I'm working on keeping  a budget, I'm working on Christmas gifts, I'm learning to walk in high heels, I'm listening to and reading books, I'm commenting on blogs, I'm trying to keep a journal, I'm trying to blog more, I'm doing 10 on 10, I've been taking pictures more, I've been playing with Danger more, I've been going to the park, I've been trying to exercise more. I feel like I've been doing so much!

I feel like I've been moving nonstop. I keep waiting for life to slow down. But I know it never will. Which kinda bums me out. But at the same time, I'm kinda excited, because I have an exciting life.

I'm hoping to get more things done.

Oh, also, I've started a Photo Blog. (yeah, I know!) Go to Team Collard : 365! We'll see how this goes...

Much love -

101 updates

Ok so I feel like I've made quite a bit of progress, but un-photographable progress...

I will list off the things I've completed.

01. Make a budget, stick to it!  - We've been working on this and so far we've been doing pretty good.

02. Start couponing - ok, so I started... but it was hard to keep up with coupons and figure out which sales to match up with... It was hard... WAS

04. Make and keep a Christmas budget, birthday too! - So we've made a Christmas budget, now to see if we can stick to it. I'm pretty confident we can.

07. Keep tabs on Shark's 401(k) - I use Mint.com to keep track of his 401(k) and our other accounts. Sometimes it messes with my bank account, like tries to log me in and so I have to call and confirm it really is me, but other than that, it's pretty good.

13. Buy external hard drive for photos - So I was driving Danger around CostCo, and saw a 4T hard drive for like half the price they normally are! So I bought one... It's been pretty awesome. We needed it too, the hard drive on our desktop was ALL used up!

14. Buy external hard drive to back up files - Same external hard drive as above cuz it's freaking HUGE.

17. Attend Education Week - I'm all registered for this year's education week! So freaking excited! It's like EFY for grownups! Shark's going to watch Danger that week, and I am so grateful!

23. Read/listen to 100 books - I've been getting FREE books for my Kindle, and I have been reading while the kids nap, and while Shark sleeps when I can't. I have found my free books at OneHundredFreeBooks.com (there's more than 100! He posts 5 free book every morning, afternoon and evening. 

26. Comment on 50 random blogs - I link up to 10 on 10, and I find other blogs and I comment on them. I like seeing what other people post.

27. Write a letter to myself to open at the end of the 1001 days - Wrote it and sealed!

34. Monthly trip to DI, drop off - This is month I started this. I need to keep up with it, there is so much in this house that needs to go!

44. Make new Christmas gifts - The list has been made, and all the materials will be bought next month! I'm so excited!

45. Blog once a week - I've been blogging on Thursdays while Danger naps. :) it's pretty awesome.

46. Do 10 on 10 for a year - This is the first month I've actually remembered!!

47. Take more pictures - I'm still doing my daily pics of Danger or me - or us! :)

48. Find and try 1 new recipe each month - With the help of Pinterest I've been finding all kinds of awesome new recipes. And most of it has been good. MOST!

50. Make Headboard, Height ruler, screen door - I made the height ruler. instead of a headboard, I want to put up a shelf! And we need to get our screen door painted and put on, and a NO SOLICITORS sign put on!!

59. Bake bread from scratch - I made Amish Friendship Bread, which totally counts! But I also plan on making some good old homemade bread.

62. Photo of myself everyday - me and K - So far, I've only missed 1 day (back in January!) 103/365, 28%!!

66. Measure K every month - Last I checked he was 34" Holy crap!

67. Plan 2 weekly activities for babysitting - I'm thinking I'm going to start a "Letter of the Week" We eat food that begins with that letter, and do a craft, like color a paper plate with that letter on it. Yeah...

70. Drink 64 oz of water each day - I've been drinking like a camel!

78. Keep up with General Conference traditions - Last week we made pizza in between sessions, homemade pizza dough! So good! I think it's a keeper!

79. FHE every week - This is week 1! 

80. Read the Scriptures cover to cover - I've been reading every night. :)

82. Keep up with family scriptures and family prayer - We've been reading and praying every night together. :)

92. Try 10 new restaurants - We went to Ruby River, a buffet in Wendover, and Woody's BBQ

97. Go on at least 1 date a month - I make sure that boy takes me on a date every month! At least once!

So my service project of making baby hats has been going great. I dropped off the first 50 of them. And I found a pattern for premie hats. I'm pretty excited to be making them. Those hats are soooo stinking small! I can't imagine a baby small enough to fit them! But I know there are some wee babies who will wear them. :) 

So there. That's what I've done so far. :) There is so much that I'm working on. 

Oooh - and some cute!

 So he always holds his hands behind his back!

 This was a rough day...

 Cute family!

 Breakfast!

 Rug burn on his forehead from pushing a ball.

The Caped Maestro!

Love all- 

10 on 10 April

So I have been such a slacker lately.

I have a goal to do 10 on 10 for a year. It's not hard, I just always forget. For some reason, I can't remember to ever start taking pictures. I've even set alarms for it. And forgotten anyways.

So today, I actually remembered! So once I remembered, I set an alarm on my phone! I'm kinda excited to actually follow thru.

I'm taking the pictures with my iPhone, cuz I always have it. And I have written on the pics what we were doing. (I have the **free** Phonto phone app, you can write on your pics!)

1. vacation planning 2. making hats while babysitting 3. babysitting while mine is napping 4. home, just chilling with hubby and dog 5. lunch time! 6. I had to hold him still so I could get the pic 7. I found some leftover Easter candy, hubby told me he ate it all 8. Driving to the store 9. my haul after shopping 10. Danger found a pen, drew on his face

Actually, that's a pretty typical day for me. I babysit the neighbor girls in the mornings, my son is able to come with and play, it's pretty fun for all of us. He takes 2 naps a day and I was able to go shopping during his 2nd nap cuz my husband was home today. I don't mind taking him shopping with me, he's pretty good, but I certainly don't mind leaving him home to nap! 

I hang out with my son every day, and I mostly love it. 

My blog, my Facebook and my Instagram are plastered with his face, and his antics. He's a pretty cute and crazy little tornado.

I'm linking up to a bit of sunshine. 

Here's one last shot of my crazy cutie!

Love!

epic fail

So remember back in January when I was super excited to start a new cleaning regime....

You remember - the 15 minutes of cleaning a day...

It sounded so simple, so easy, so effortless.....

HA!

I think I did it for 3 days and then totally fell off that wagon.

If anything, my house is MORE cluttered and dirty now than when I tried to start...

Trust me, it's not pretty.

Every other day I try to at least pick up Danger's toys in the living room.

(The living room is where we spend most of our days {chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool...} so that room is the disaster area...) Sorry to anyone who comes over or peeks in my windows.....

When I first saw the 15 minutes of cleaning plan, it sounded so awesome. And I was so excited to start.

But you know, I buy things and in order to fend off the little destroyer I put them on the table. And there they sit.

It really is awful. (I'm airing out the dirty laundry for you!) When we eat dinner at the table, which isn't very often, we just keep moving everything over. Keep stacking it up. Keep shoving it over. Yeah. How terrible is that?

Ugh. Seriously. Ugh.

I keep trying to declutter and clean everything, but every time I start, I can't look narrow enough to focus on ONE single task at hand. And I get overwhelmed.

I few friends of mine have done the 40 bags in 40 days.

source

And I think I could do that one... Maybe not in 40 days consecutively, but maybe 1 bag a Saturday or something. We'll just have to see.

Here's hoping I can work on #35 - Continue de-cluttering house....

fo rizzle

So - we've been trying to do a No Spend Month. 

Ehh - it's been going ok. 

Some days are better than others when it comes to spending money.

I've been working on a service project lately. 

One of my 101 in 1001 days goals is to make 143 baby hats. One for every week of my 1001 days.

 So far I'm up to 52 hats.

And my favorite color to make hats with is lime green. It's so stinking cute with pink, purple, black, white and this cute variegated black & white I found. 

These hats are so stinking cute and easy to make. I can whip 1 out in a TV show. :)

I'm pretty excited about this little service project so far. 

I've also been getting some little projects done that have been on my list.

I made a Height Ruler. 

I made it so it starts at 8" up the wall and goes up to 6'6".

That's one thing I can check off my list.  Yay!

Danger is almost 3' tall already! That little guy is 33" tall! Holy crap!

Also, I've been trying to figure out my camera. Like how to take manual pictures. 

My only photo subject is my feet or Danger. 

I'll show you some pics of the cuter of the 2.

The bruise is cuz he ran full steam into a table at church....  

Climber! 

Yay!

 We sure do love that little guy. :) 

New 101 in 1001!!!

So - my last 101 in 1001 ended on the 26th. I was 77% complete. I was close but not really...

I have been excited to start this new list. There are funner things on this list, and the goals on this list are much more attainable!! Not that I've lowered my expectation or my goals, these goals definitely make me stretch and reach.

I have already started working on some of them, like photos with Danger, reading scriptures, sticking to a budget, and blogging once a week.

Feb 01, 2013 - Oct 30, 2015

1. Make a budget, stick to it!
2. Start couponing
3. Have 3 NO SPEND months 
4. Make and keep a Christmas budget, birthday too!
5. Put money into fund every birthday. (look into 529 or Gerber Life)
6. By Dec. 2013, have 1 month emergency fund
7. Keep tabs on Shark's 401(k)
8. Look into setting up an IRA for me, HSA too
9. Pay off credit cards
10. Pay off medical bill
11. Monthly budget meeting with Shark
12. Buy me a laptop
13. Buy external hard drive for photos
14. Buy external hard drive to back up files
15. Buy file scanner
16. Learn to walk in high heels! Buy a CUTE pair!
17. Attend Education Week
18. Wake up at 7 am
19. Go to bed by 10
20. Write a list of 101 things I've accomplished
21. Tie a note (of all my fears) to a balloon and let it go
22. Answer the "50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind"
23. Read/listen to 100 books 
24. Wear make up everyday for a week, month
25. Stop complaining for a week
26. Comment on 50 random blogs 
27. Write a letter to myself to open at the end of the 1001 days
28. Keep a journal/Letters to Children
29. Letter to Bednar
30. Make 5 year goals, 10 year goals
31. Compile an address book
32. Video document the house, send to insurance
33. Finish decorating bathroom
34. Monthly trip to DI, drop off
35. Continue de-cluttering house
36. Have 1 year of usable food storage
37. Organize kitchen
38. New (to me) washer and dryer
39. Place cement stones, bury time capsule
40. Start a cleaning schedule
41. Get another freezer
42. Clean out dungeon
43. Complete 72 hour kit
44. Make new Christmas gifts
45. Blog once a week
46. Do 10 on 10 for a year
47. Take more pictures
48. Find and try 1 new recipe each month
49. Sell Bag-bags, headbands, and bink clips
50. Make Headboard, Height ruler, screen door
51. Make 1 useful crafty project a month
52. Make/refashion 2 shirts
53. Create a garden
54. Learn Excel
55. Learn Photoshop tricks
56. Have a cookie exchange each year
57. Monthly dinner delivery
58. Make a bandana quilt for when we go to the park
59. Bake bread from scratch
60. Organize my craft room!
61. Do a "day in the life" post
62. Photo of myself everyday - me and K
63. Send birthday cards to everyone on my calendar
64. Start on quiet book for K
65. Keep up on family traditions
66. Measure K every month
67. Plan 2 weekly activities for babysitting
68. Dance with K every day
69. Learn more songs to sing to K
70. Drink 64 oz of water each day
71. Eat fruit every day
72. Go to the park once a week (good weather)
73. Go to the gym once or more a week
74. Make health info cards for K, Shark and I
75. Lose 10 lbs
76. Lose 10 more lbs
77. Go visiting teaching every month
78. Keep up with General Conference traditions
79. FHE every week
80. Read the Scriptures cover to cover
81. Start collecting Living Scriptures DVDs
82. Keep up with family scriptures and family prayer
83. Go to the Temple at least once per month
84. Get cracking on Geneology
85. Go to the Roller Derby
86. Start hosting Fat Sunday with friends
87. Visit 10 Roadside America Attractions
88. Help Shark finish school
89. Expand our family
90. Create a living will
91. Go to a comedy show
92. Try 10 new restaurants
93. Go to a hockey game
94. Go to a Jazz game
95. Go to WSU game
96. Get family pictures taken once a year
97. Go on at least 1 date a month
98. Go on a vacation with Shark each year
99. Go hunting with Shark
100. Make a baby hat every week
101. Get wedding dress cleaned

 So, I know I failed horribly last time with keeping up with the list. But one of my goals is to blog once a week, so I'm hoping to be on the computer and able to link up with things I've done and completed. Here's hoping. 

Yay for new things!

This year

So this year, I've already said I have a lot of ambitions.

Well....here are some of the things I'm participating in this year.

365 Project. It's a self-inflicted Project to take pictures everyday. So far so good. I upload the photos from my camera, granted the pictures are NOT the greatest, but they are still pictures.

My goal for 365 Project is to be IN the picture more. So, everyday I upload a picture of Danger and I or Shark and I.

One Little Word. It's kinda like a motto for the year.

My word for 2013 is CHOOSE.

Lately I have felt like there's a lot of things I HAVE to do, and I want to regain control by CHOOSING to do them. I feel, very much, that this word is about control, and strength. I feel as if I have lost control of my finances, my recipes, the clutter, my job, my body.

I CHOOSE to get healthy.
I CHOOSE to lose weight.
I CHOOSE to work.
I CHOOSE to stick to a budget.
I CHOOSE to make a meal plan.
I CHOOSE to clean my house.
I CHOOSE to feel good about myself.
I CHOOSE to be self-sufficient.

I want 2013 to be about recognizing that I get to choose! I get to decide how I am going to react to the big things and the little things, and all the medium things that will come up over the course of a year.

I want to put myself back in control, I want to feel like I have a choice in what happens to me. I don't want to feel forced into things. I really did choose most of these things, but they feel forced upon me. No more!

Day Zero. This is where my 101 in 1001 list comes from. My 1st list is ending on the 26th, but I have already compiled a list to start on February. This site also includes a way to check them off, a DAYS LEFT, and a % complete. (I have 21 days left, and I'm 69% complete....)

So there you have it. These are 3 things I have planned for this year. I have also linked my profile to the Day Zero and the 365 Project, if you want to follow along... I didn't want to pay for the Ali Edwards class with One Little Word.

Good luck to all!

New year new ambitions

So, like always, on New Years I made some resolutions. This year, however, I went easy on my resolutions because I'm starting another 101 in 1001 list in February....

Yes... Yes I am.

But my resolutions are help towards my big goals list. And trust me, there's nothing too ambitious like clean my house in 1 month... although my goals are ambitious, and stretching, they aren't unobtainable.

Yeah, I feel like I did set myself up to fail on a few things the last go-round. However with this new list, and my 2013 resolutions, I feel like they are well within my reach.

My 2012 New Year's Resolutions are :

1. Exercise 1-3 days a week. (walking, going up and down the stairs, they gym, Wii, chasing Danger...)

2. De-clutter the house. (Yes again! This year I'm working on a daily "program" where you declutter your house by cleaning for 15 minutes a day! I can totally do that! Yup! Thank you, Home Storage Solutions 101! It's day 2 and I've 2 for 2!)

3. Get meal planning figured out! I bought a calendar specifically for my meal planning, and I'm figuring out my recipes! I can do this!

4. Get out of debt. We have been working on this one for a while, we were so close last year, but then everything seemed to go wrong with everything... This year, we're kicking it in the BUTT!!

5. Take more pictures WITH Danger. I want to be IN the picture more, instead of being behind the camera. So, I have also signed up for Project 365. So far I am 2 for 2, and there are people who are "following" me and excited for my resolution to be IN photos.

So there you have it, my New Years Resolutions.

I think they are way obtainable. Plus they totally help towards BOTH my 101 in 1001 lists. (My old list ends on Jan. 26, and YES, I'm still working towards it!)

I believe Danger's New Year's Resolution was to get into as many new things as he could. Yesterday he got onto the bottom shelf of my baker's rack.... Tonight he got into Aunt Gingr's nail polish...

He threw the bottle and BROKE it. He got it ALL over himself, his clothes, his hands, and even in his hair. So, Shark held his hands, while I striped him down, tossed him in the tub (while I still held his hands) and gave him a bar of Lava soap to play with. (This pic is AFTER the bath!)

He still has bright pink nail polish on his hands, and in his hair, but it's slowly coming off. I decided not to use remover to get it off, cuz it's harsh on MY hands when I use it and I don't know what'll do to his little hands.

I sure do love that little guy. I want him to remember his momma, and I want him to see me in pictures as he's growing up (regardless of how I think I look!!)

Happy New Year!!

Trying new things

So December is the month where I figure out my plans for next year. I mean most of my Christmas presents are done so what else am I going to do? (Well, Danger is cutting front molars [eek!] and he's got a cold, so I've been a little busy...) so I'm getting plans and goals ready.

My 101 in 1001 is up in like 51 days (I'm pretty far but there some things on the list that won't be checked off.) and so I'm trying to get another list (more obtainable things but still challenges). I'm still working on it, I haven't given up yet.

One thing I want to do is get back to my pre-baby weight. Or as close to it as I can. I got a gym membership (although my gym is still being built...) and I have a plan to go 3 times a week. I've got the motivation!!! Now open my gym! I've been doing exercises every night. So I'm already working on it!!

I'm also thinking of getting a pedometer (Shark has one somewhere I think) and keeping tabs of the steps I take. And keep an average. I don't walk very much, but I want too.

I found this info : Men: The men in the survey took an average of 7192 steps per day.

Women: The women in the survey took an average of 5210 step per day. (source)

So we'll just have to see how I do.

Love to all!
(Also, one of these days I'll post lots of pictures and updates of little man!)

Organize my kitchen

So, this past week was Week #1 of the 52 week Challenge!

And I did it! Now, I had to clean off my counters AGAIN to get the pictures, but it wasn't too bad. {I had craft night at my house on Thursday and nothing was picked up from it...}

Kitchen Table

Counter Top Island

Counter Top - It's our bottle making station. Plus, Shark and I each have 1 cup each day and we wash it out and set it back on the counter. :)

Bakers Rack

Next week is cupboards and drawers... it should be interesting!

organizing

So this year I'm planning on de-cluttering and organizing my house. I guess it's THE wagon to jump on this year. I've found all kinds of info about organizing and de-cluttering.

My secret is : every year I plan to organize my house and de-clutter it. And every year I fail.

But not this year. This year I'm going to make it happen. This year I'm going to follow thru and kick some organizing booty.

Ive found a few blogs that are going to help me out.

A few months ago, I stumbled upon Home Storage Solutions 101. {pretty sure via pinterest..}

And I subscribed and I decided to participate in the 52 week Organized House Challenge. At the beginning of each week, I get an email describing this week's challenge, and also reasons why that's our challenge. {it makes alot of sense when she's tells us why!}

Over at Six Sisters' Stuff, they have an organizing post with a WHOLE bunch of great links to organizing posts!

And who can think of organizing without thinking of Heather over at Decor-ganize Crafts? I love her car organizer using a shoe organizer! And, I know her in real life. Yeah, she's pretty awesome.

I've also found some pretty good ideas and plans over at IHeart Organizing.

Over at A bowl full of lemons, she had a 21 day organizing challenge.

Ok, so there's my inspiration. Right now, I've decided to only do 1 at a time. And right now, that 1 is the 52 week challenge from Home Storage Solutions. Because, even tho organizing is important, I really need to de-clutter my whole house. I'm throwing away TONS of stuff! :)

And technically, I'm counting this as #80 on my 101 in 1001!

Love to those whose resolutions never change, just get more desperate thru the years. :)

birthday

So, I completely spaced (it's been that kind of month, year actually!) My brain has been missing since I got pregnant and clearly hasn't returned now that I'm no longer harboring a fugitive...

Shark had a birthday on the 5th! I went all out and made him a cake! From scratch! I can totally check off number 65 on my List! I made the cake from scratch AND the frosting from scratch!

I used Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate cake recipe. And I used the Chocolate frosting recipe at the bottom of the cake recipe. Both turned out great tasting.

I did have an oops, tho. I didn't take the cakes out the pans after they cooled a bit, so they got stuck in the pans. I shook 1 round out of its pan, but the other 2 would not budge, so I ended up scraping them into a bowl. Shark ate the cake bits with frosting and thought it was awesome. Also, I doubled the frosting recipe because it says it makes about 2 cups... and in my head, 2 cups is just not enough frosting for a cake. So I had a TON leftover frosting.

It ended up turning out pretty good. I used the cake bits and the left over frosting for my holiday Cake Balls. I love making these, they are delicious! (That'd my hand not his!)

I got Shark really big peanut butter cups! They were a 1/2 pound each! I found them in the Christmas candy aisle at Wal-Mart. Delicious!

Love to birthdays! ♥

bought

So this post is a little behind. But only by 1 day (or 2). We have been car shopping since we sold my red truck. I know on my 101 in 1001 it says to buy a 4Runner, but I am counting this little car as buying it because we just really needed something to fit babies in. This totally counts!

We sold the red truck on Tuesday. Wednesday we bought a new car.

Yeah, we jumped right in and pulled the trigger. We saw a really really good deal and jumped on it. We drove home from SLC on Wednesday seperately. Not only did Shark have to go to work, but I drove my brand new used car home!

Yesterday I went to go get it registered. But it didn't pass the safety. The brakes were low on it. So I bought a set of brakes from Autozone and Shark installed them. I was mad yesterday. I just wanted it done. I wanted it to be really mine....

So today, we went and had the guys recheck the car, it passed. And then we got it registered.

Then driving home, we saw Smitty at Autozone buying brakes for his car! We stopped and Shark whistled at him. It was pretty funny.

This week is Heritage Days, and I have been helping out again. Although, not as much as last year. Which is fine, I'm pregnant and slow this year. I try to walk fast but I fail horribly at fast. I was scorekeeping a game last night and a girl asked if I had named my car yet. I said no.

I think we figured out a name today. The car zips in and out of traffic pretty good. So I'm thinking the car's name will be Zipper. It works pretty well for it. I don't know how often we'll call it Zipper, since it's The Car but at least it's got a nickname, right?

Now it's back out to Heritage Days!

Love to those who name their things and to those who don't. ♥