Things I've learned in the past 30 years

1. Good friends are hard to find. Go out of your way to keep them. If it takes a 45 minute drive to see them, it's worth it. 2. Just because a thing is true, doesn't mean it should be said. When in doubt, keep your mouth shut. 3. It's easy to be a hater. Liking things can be much harder. Try to like more things. It will make you happier, even if it won't make you cooler. 4. Being cool is overrated. Your coolness will depend entirely on the people you are with, so don't base who you are on what is cool. Base it on what truly interests and excites you. And when you drive a minivan, no one thinks you're cool. 5. Writers write. Sewists sew. Chefs cook. Scriptorians study the scriptures. If you want to be, first you have to do. 6. Sleep is more important than you think it is. 7. Don't compare your weaknesses with others' strengths. The comparison will always come out lopsided. Likewise, don't do the reverse. It will give you an unnecessarily large head. 8. Give something to the person holding a sign on the street corner. Yes, they may use it for ill, but that not your decision. When you decide to give, you will always feel better. 9. It takes a year to feel comfortable in a new place, and two years for it to feel like home. Give it time. 10. Try new things. You may like it. But you don't have to like everything. It's okay to be your own person. 11. Just because something is not a weakness for you doesn't mean that it's not a legitimate weakness. Be compassionate. 12. Buying something because it's “a good deal” isn't a good reason to buy something. If you wouldn't have bought it at full price, think very seriously about buying it on sale. 13. Conversely, when you spot a good deal on something you use regularly, stock up. Yes, the cashier will think you're weird when you buy 24 stain sticks. But if you're doing laundry for a houseful of messy kids, it's always nice to have a stain stick around. 14. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Try being nice first. It almost always works. 15. Having an awesome house isn't worth it if you can't afford to buy pizza on a Friday night. Always leave room in your budget for little luxuries. 16. Don't be afraid to go to battle if it's worth it. But not everything is worth a battle. Life is nicer when you let some things go. 17. Just ask. People are generally nice and want to help you. 18. Nothing tastes nicer than a tomato from the garden. Don't give up growing things, even if you think you have a black thumb. 19. Life isn't about quid pro quo. Do things for people, even if you don't think you'll get anything in return. 20. Being in the sun is good for the body and the soul. But when you want to tan, go on a cruise and look at all the leathery old ladies on the sun deck and ask yourself, “Is this what I want to look like when I'm 50?” 21. You make time for what is important to you. If reading is vital, you will find time to read. When you find that you're missing out on things that should be important, re-examine what you're spending your time on. 22. Don't prejudice your children against foods just because you don't like them. Who know? The weirdos may love salmon and sauerkraut. 23. Say “I'm sorry.” It's so very hard sometimes, but nothing can patch up a wound better than those two words. 24. Be generous with your judgments. You have no idea what another person is struggling with. 25. Taking the time to rock with a baby or snuggle with a child is always worth it. 26. Learn how to do things for yourself. Use power tools, change a tire, install a water fixture. 27. Action begets action. If you feel lazy, do something. You'll want to do more things. 28. Wear lingerie often. There's no need to save it for a special occasion. 29. Good leather is worth the investment. Couches, purses, boots, belts, jackets: all worth paying for quality. 30. Italy really is as wonderful as you think it will be. 31. Be a lady. Ladies are gracious. They file their nails. They don't wear too much makeup, but they do wear makeup. They wear jewelry, but are never gaudy or overdone. And according to my aunt, ladies never wear shorts.

Thanksgiving 2012

Because our kitchen does not easily accommodate the cooking of a large meal (I don’t think a turkey would even fit in our teeny 1980’s oven), we decided to make a trip up to Salt Lake to have Thanksgiving with our families. This is actually the first Thanksgiving we’ve eaten in Utah since we’ve moved to New Mexico, so it was a fairly momentous decision. As always, much fun was had by all. Paul and Grandpa B at a Jazz game. Playing dress up, all day, every day. And, of course, the main event. All of the food is not pictured. Yes, that is three different kinds of meat you see.   We were able to spend the weekend at Hawksridge, my parent’s townhome in Park City. It’s simply gorgeous, and with the Wolf Range and Subzero fridge, it’s the perfect place to cook a feast. They rent it out to vacationers, and it’s gotten rave reviews. If anyone is looking to spend some time up in the Park City area, you should definitely check it out. It’s simply amazing. My dad getting Bridget hooked on the bubbly. I also didn’t get pictures of the six pies: pumpkin, cranberry cream, pecan, lemon meringue, chocolate cheesecake, and strawberry. The post-Thanksgiving crash. She was out cold. There was no waking her. Watching the game with Grandpa. Grandma Connie got the kids together to make fancy gingerbread houses this year. Bridget really got into the action. Gratuitous “Baby With Rolling Pin” shot because she’s adorable.   More dressing up. I am not exaggerating when I say that this girl is in dress-ups more than she is in normal clothes. Paul’s Dracula castle. It turned out pretty cool, even if he did wind up abandoning the pictures in the book. And so the festivities ended. Even though the trip was short, it was definitely worth going up to Utah. Since our kids are getting older, the drive is a lot less difficult, and being able to load movies onto the ipad has made things even better. Thank you, technology. I love you.

Santa Fe Ren Faire

Turns out I missed posting the photos from our annual Renaissance Faire trip. If I haven’t told you yet (where have you been?), this is a favorite event of ours. Mine, especially. I love it all: the costumes, the fairies, the stalls selling swords and magic wands, the belly dancers, the delicious-smelling food…nerd heaven. I really am going to dress up one of these years. But it’s so intimidating, especially when you see all the elaborate costumes. I just need to get over it. We were able to meet up with some friends while we were up there, and the kids had a wonderful time hanging out with Violet. Firedancers and a mohawk. Perfect ren faire combo. Katie was called up to volunteer for the hula hooping demonstration. She displayed the same level of skill in hula hooping as her mother has—none whatsoever! Fairy Hollow. Our traditional place to cool down from the scorching Santa Fe sun.

Spring-y Clothes

I’m feeling the need for a closet revamp. Part of it is that I need to lose a bit of weight I put on last year (stress will do that to you), so my clothes aren’t looking awesome on me. Another part is that many of my clothes have seen better days, and I could definitely use some new basics. I’ve got a little bit of money saved up, so I’m trying to decide what exactly I want to spend it on. Here are some things I’ve been thinking about. I think I’m definitely picking up this shirt from Loft. I love their shirts. They are incredibly soft and they don’t get pilly. This stripe should be a nice, versatile piece. Also, it’s 30% off right now, so the price isn’t shabby. (Update! Grabbed this yesterday!)   Springtime is not necessarily warm in ABQ, since it’s so dang windy, so I’m thinking a bright cardigan would be nice. I’m liking this mustard one. (Update! I just grabbed one very similar to this at Loft while I was there yesterday. They were having an additional 60% off their clearance prices, and there were some gorgeous things on sale. Go now! Don’t wait!)   I’d like a bright green shirt. It adds a fun pop of color when layering. And emerald is the color of the year, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find. I also want a nice floral skirt. This one is nice, but a little spendy, even at 30% off. Maybe I could try my hand at making one? I never sew clothes for me, but I do know how to sew. Perhaps I’ll keep my eye out for some awesome fabric. I need some new shoes. I’d like something in a nice neutral: and something a bit more fun: What I’m really going for is a few updates to my wardrobe that are remixable and up-to-date. Anyone have anything they’re lusting after for their spring closets?

Halloween 2012

October was spent holed up in my sewing room making costumes for the family. Bet that was a big surprise! This year we decided to dress up as characters from the Little Mermaid. I stepped out of my own comfort zone and hardly used a pattern or a tutorial, and I loved how they all turned out! The only pattern I used was for Aaron’s shirt. It was supposed to be a pirate shirt, but it looked just like Louis the Chef.   Taken at the photo booth at the ward Halloween party. I thought that was a great idea. Our silly faces. Even Bridget is in on the action. Just eating and hanging out. I have to say, I missed the Ventana Halloween dances. Those were so much fun. I curled Katie’s hair so it would be wavy instead of stick straight, and you would have thought I was killing her. She shrieked almost the entire time. She’s a total wuss sometimes. Good thing we love her! They may not have had a dance, but they did have doughnuts on a string, and Paul’s life wouldn’t be complete without that.   Sebastian trying to figure out what’s up with Louis’s moustache. We went to a neighborhood Halloween party, which was a bit of a stinker. Someone (Paul or Averi, I can’t remember who, but it’s probably Paul) got in trouble, so Aaron went ahead with the other two while I took the naughty one later. So not a great start. Then there were a only 3 other kids there, and the two kids that lived in the house that it was hosted at wouldn’t play or talk to anyone, so our kids just played with each other. The hostess also had the bright idea that the kids could paint pumpkins with fabric paint. “It’s non-toxic!” I don’t care about non-toxic! It’s also non-washable! We ruined a few shirts that day. The kids decided to get some use out of their other costumes so everyone wore something different from the trunk-or-treat. Bridget was very into the pizza, and the grandmas and grandpas couldn’t comment enough on how much she ate. Then she dug into a cupcake, and they thought it was hilarious, so they made sure to instruct us to take pictures of her. On Halloween I made a special spooky meal. This was the first time I’ve every done this, and it was so much fun.   We had Mummy Dogs, Worms with Blood and Brains, Rotten Apples with Sludge, Goblin Brains, Iguana Eyeballs with Blood Clots, Pumpkin Brew, and Monster Munch.   I think they’re happy! Bridget didn’t care that the food had fancy names. She just wanted a hot dog, and she wanted it now! Ready to trick or treat! Pouncing on the first doorbell. The whole Jorgensen crew.