Category Archives: Randomish

Entertaining

Posted on by

1

I want to know what’s entertaining you these days. So! What are you reading, watching, and listening to?

Here are my answers

Reading: this past week I read Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld and read (listened to the audiobook) Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. I love YA generally, but I was extra motivated to read these because I saw both authors speak at a library event last night! Both very enjoyable, in different ways. Next up is Sisterland, also by Curtis Sittenfeld (which I didn’t get read before the event because the library messed up my holds.) 

Watching: Currently I’m re-watching Parks & Rec, because I need some Leslie Knope in my life. 

Listening to: Uhhhh, a mish-mash of stuff. Some Christmas music (I’m singing in a choir at a Nativity display, so I’ve been listening to the stuff we’re singing so I can work on it) some various accapella groups (I will take recommendations if you have them!) a lot of 90s stuff and other randomness. Tell me something good to listen to. 

What about you?

With a whimper

Posted on by

0

I feel a little pathetic about how this year’s NaBloPoMo went. Not because I missed a day (EVEN THOUGH I DID) but because writing still feels like an after thought. I like telling my story here, but this month didn’t really feel like that. Maybe blogging from my phone most days meant trading convenience for depth. It’s definitely more of a “jot down a quick something” way to do it. But! Better a quick something than nothing at all. Right? 

I hope so.

Slogging through

Posted on by

0

You know that feeling when the business of the day is over and you’re finally getting ready to settle in for some Netflix and downtime? (Or whatever it is you do.) And juuuuust as you’re getting settled you remember that you have something you have to do? And it can’t wait? WELCOME TO MY NIGHT. (Not blogging. That’s part of my down time. Stuff that has to get done before church tomorrow.)

This day has been exhausting. So! Many! Errands! I’m trying to make sure I have everything I need for Thanksgiving, and everything I need to get the Christmas decorations up. Last year we put up the Christmas tree and discovered we only have about 3 strands of lights that work. And you know what? 3 strands is not enough. 3 strands is what needs to go on the tree after you think there are ALREADY enough lights. Side note: how is it that you can put away Christmas lights that worked JUST FINE ALL SEASON and get them out the following year to find out they don’t turn on at all? WHAT IS THAT?!

To add to the fun, this lingering cold caused a headache today that just won’t quit. So early bedtime for me and fingers crossed for some relaxation tomorrow!

Long

Posted on by

0

This week has been so long. Impossibly long. Maybe this is because I am still fighting this cold, so I feel like I’m dragging myself through every minute. I’m a smidge worried about next week, since 3 extra days off school usually means MUCH BICKERING. I swear all Will wants after he’s home from school is for Kalena to get home, but all they do after she’s home is fight. SO FUN.

I do have big plans to put up Christmas decorations next weekend, so hopefully that will be a fun thing for the kids to help me with. It’s possible it’ll just be crazy making though. I’m considering Black Friday shopping (for a very few, specific things) but we’ll see. I imagine Black Friday in Kansas City is much different (CRAZIER) than in Grand Junction. WE’LL SEE.

Game day

Posted on by

0

Y’all! I’m blogging from some super awesome seats at Arrowhead Stadium! BYU vs Mizzou (& who knows when we’ll get home.) I didn’t want to miss posting today, but this is all you get. 

You’re out of luck on pictures- the selfie Brian didn’t want to take with me won’t upload. Maybe tomorrow! 

 

Phoning it in 

Posted on by

2

Well, I’m posting this FROM MY PHONE! I really need a new computer, mine has gotten so old & sad & slow. But since I do have this awesome new phone I figured why not try blogging from here?! 

But lest you think that title is just a pun, I really don’t have much to say today. My mom & I took Lydia to Walmart, IKEA, and Scheels today, which is more places than I usually take Lydia in a month. (She’s not a good shopper, just FYI.) And as a result I am tired and, BONUS, have an awful headache. So. That’s all you get today. 

P.S. Did you know Scheels has a Ferris wheel IN THE STORE? I totally want to ride it.

More miscellany

Posted on by

3

Almost forgot to blog today! So how about a couple quick and random thoughts?

I put flannel sheets on our bed today. I love flannel sheet season.

We have no plans for Thanksgiving this year. No traveling, no company, no getting together with anyone, and I’m looking forward to it. We’ve been married 9 years and we’ve never done Thanksgiving alone. I might worry about making all that food for just the 6 of us, but Thanksgiving leftovers are THE BEST. So it’s possible I’m looking forward to that part the most.

I finished up Christmas shopping early (as I like to do) and mostly Will is getting Legos, because that’s basically all he wants/talks about/plays with. So obviously yesterday he tells Brian he doesn’t want any more Legos because he has too many already. Sooooo… I’m sure it’ll be fine. Every set he’s getting is one he specifically asked for. Also? He loves Legos. I think he was just momentarily distracted by the Target toy catalog. (He went through it pointing out all the things he “really super-duper EXTRA wanted.” Spoiler: that was everything.) But, this may be the last year that I can shop so early. These kids and their OPINIONS.

I got a new phone for my birthday. (Okay, they just happened to come out a couple days before my birthday, but whatever.) This is the first time I’ve ever had a NEW smartphone. The others I’ve had were hand-me-downs from family. I did not expect to love it as much as I do. Also? I expected it to feel huge (I just got a 6s, not a plus, but I had a 4s prior.) It doesn’t, but WHOA, now my old phone seems tiny! I…don’t know where I was going with this.

Sometimes, when the kids get out ALL the toys and we don’t clean them up I think, “Well, all the toys are already out, so how could it get any messier?” But it does. It ALWAYS DOES. How do children do this? Is it one of their super-powers?

Not that long I go a got an Urban Decay Naked 2 palette, and loved it so much that I went ahead and also got the Naked Smokey palette and you know what? Nice makeup is a GAME CHANGER. Also, as it turns out, 33 is the age at which I start thinking, “WHOA, I should not leave the house without makeup.” Now if I can just get lipstick figured out I’ll be all set. (I feel like lipstick always looks bad on me. Plus my lips are always dry. Does not help things look nice.)

My summer allergies (which were INSANE) have finally eased up which means I got to quit taking my nightly Benadryl. I figured this would help me not feel so tired throughout the day, but instead I just stay up too late because: no Benadryl to make me feel sleepy! It’s a problem. I need to be a responsible adult and start going to bed on time. (Spoiler: I probably won’t.)

Uhhhh

Posted on by

0

Well, took me a whopping seven days to open up wordpress and feel like I have NOTHING to write about. Okay, that’s not even true though. For one thing, I forgot a favorite Will-ism! When he opens the baby gate so the babies can get out he yells, “Release the kraken!” Makes me laugh every time.

I ALSO need to write about Laura visiting (short version: it was excellent) but I don’t want to deal with picture uploading right now and that definitely needs to happen for this post. (Picture uploading is super slow and I’m not sure if that’s my computer, which is old, or wordpress, which sometimes is cranky. Either way, not happening tonight.)

I mostly think feeling like I have nothing to write about is just a continuation of my mood today. No motivation, no desire to do anything, just general tiredness. (Possibly I’m getting the cold that ALL the kids have.) So…this is all you get today.

My life, some bullet points

Posted on by

6

I don’t understand how life can be SO CRAZY, yet every time I sit down to blog my mind goes blank. How can I have so much going on and nothing to say? So tonight you’re just going to get some random stuff. About me. Because it’s my blog and I’ll talk about myself if I want to.

  • I’ve decided that this is the year I finally, FINALLY, read the Lord of the Rings books. They’ve been on my (endless & unwritten) “to read” list for, I dunno, probably close to 20 years. I’ve owned them for several years (I don’t even want to think about how long I’ve owned them without reading them. Makes me cringe.) but I just haven’t gotten around to it. But. THIS YEAR! It is happening! I read The Hobbit (which I know is a prequel and is the only one I actually HAVE read before) last week, so I will be starting another one soon.
  • But before I start my next book, I will be finishing Lydia’s stitchery. I finished Daniel’s (FINALLY) just before he turned 3, so his definitely took the longest. I didn’t even *buy* Lydia’s until she was almost 1, and I’m down to just outlining, so hers has taken the least amount of time to do BY FAR. It is quite motivating to see the big blank space on the wall where hers will go. The other 3 are framed and hung, and the arrangement is clearly missing a 4th stitchery. I did discover after Daniel’s was framed that it’s actually bigger than Kalena or Will’s (which I suppose accounts for some of the extra time) but because his is vertical and theirs are horizontal designs, the arrangement still looks really nice. At some point I’ll take a picture. But it makes me SUPER WORRIED that Lydia’s isn’t the same size as Daniel’s and it’ll screw everything up. Yes, I could just take it up there and compare, but if it’s the wrong size I’ll just want to quit forever, so I’m refusing to look until it’s finished and framed.
  • I’m joining weight watchers tomorrow. Again. I mean, I haven’t done it since Lydia was born, but I did it after each of the other kids. It works well for me, and I like it (as much as one can LIKE restricting food consumption to a reasonable amount.) I never commit to anything until I’m getting decent sleep again, because I am incapable of making healthy eating choices when I’m up all night.
  • Related to that last one: *whispers* Lydia is actually sleeping better these days. Don’t say anything.
  • My allergies are INSANE out here. I didn’t even develop seasonal allergies until I was a teenager, but they were never all that bad in Colorado. Here though? MAN. I would say they’re currently the worst they’ve ever been. I take Benadryl every night and Claritin every morning and I’m still sneezy. Skip either one and I can count on a sinus headache.
  • I’d like to get back into doing yoga, but I don’t know WHEN. There isn’t time in the morning unless I want to get up at 5, which A) no I don’t, and B) taking Benadryl in the evenings means I have to drag myself out of bed at 6:30. 5 is laughably early for me to get up willingly right now. But by the time the kids are in bed all I have the energy for is sitting on the couch. That leaves sometime during the day when I’m sure to be interrupted at least a dozen times by various children needing various things. No very conducive to any workout, but seems especially bad for any kind of relaxation/mediation during yoga.
  • I’ve decided 32 is the age at which I actually start taking care of my face. I should probably write a whole post about this, because I want recommendations, but I don’t even know exactly what I need recommendations FOR. So. (Super good at being a grown up, obviously.)

Decorative

Posted on by

6

Growing up we had several Christmas decorations that we put out every year (as I’m sure everyone did) and one of my very favorites was a little scene with a couple snowmen. Well, a snowman and a snow-woman. It wasn’t fancy, or big, or even especially Christmas-y, but I loved it. I remember feeling happy to see it every year when we pulled it out. As an adult I mentioned this to my mom and she gave it to me! So now I have it in my own Christmas stuff and I love it and I feel happy every year when I get it out.

This year when I first saw Christmas decorations at Target I saw these little birds and thought, “How cute! I should get some!” But I didn’t figure I really needed to be spending money on Christmas decorations so I didn’t. Then the next time I was at Target I checked them out again. You know, to see if they were still cute. And yes, still adorable, but again I didn’t buy them because budget, blah blah blah, responsibility, blah blah blah. But TODAY they were on sale and I just couldn’t resist any more. Because, SO CUTE! See? I love them.

DSCN7978

 

What Christmas decorations do you love?