Yarn crafts

Just wanted to share this clever little idea cause I'm pretty proud of myself. I made these bookmarks for my Beehive class using:

• an ordinary handout idea that I printed at home and had to cut out by hand,
• 2 yarn colors that match the handout,
• scissors,
• paper hole punch, and
• clear contact paper.

Result: Cutesy bookmark with yarn pom pom!

Super easy to make.

You can also take the pom pom a step farther by "fuzzing" it up with a wire brush.

I experimented with an extra pom pom but it took a long time so I stopped there. I might make my own fuzzy pom poms for some winter hats, though.

My personal Thanksgiving

This is just a simple but very meaningful tribute to the many things I have to be grateful for.

Here goes.

• My family. Unbeatable parents, wonderful in-laws, enjoyable siblings, delightful nieces and nephews, beautiful times.
• My job. The fact that I have one, and... the miracle of being able to do something that I truly like.
• My husband. Separate category from family because this man is simpy his own category. Clint is the greatest wonder of my life. Best friend, adventure buddy, my source of romance, my number one fan, my defender, partner in all things, my daily dose of joy, my morning hug, my everything.
• Myself. Who I am. I forget to be grateful for myself, but really, someone thought that I was worth making.
• Sunsets. A new and unexpected picture of eternity every night.
• Mountains. Painted in such spectacular grandeur from a distance, and a liberating source of perspective when climbed.
• My faith, my church, my beliefs, my spiritual leaders, my opportunities to serve, my knowledge of what this life is exactly. And where I want to be.
• Utah. I swear, can any place claim to offer such a smorgisbord of adventure as a state that offers everything from snowy mountain tops to dusty red desert formations?
• Art. In all its forms. Music, museums, history, literature, poetry, sculpture, emotions captured with paint or pencil. Nothing quite tugs my heart in the same way.
• My health. And Clint's. I almost published this post without adding this to the list! Just goes to show how valuable being healthy is, and yet we take for granted everything we can do until we suddenly... aren't.
• I could enumerate many more, but those are some of the biggies.

Love to all reading this! :) Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

Freelance writing is hard

Sometimes I wonder how long I can continue to fool myself into thinking that I am self-disciplined enough to do this freelance thing.

I'm a good faker.

I had a... um.... mild breakdown after experiencing another week of slow work. I was caught feeling guilty for not working as hard as Clint, for making even less cash than usual while not cutting back enough on my spending, and wondering whether I had made the wrong decision altogether to do this job. 

I mean, do I need to change career directions again?

There's no clear cut answer most of the time and it seems that I have more growing up to do than I ever thought.  I am NOT patient, I do NOT have nearly enough faith, and I do NOT know what my purpose is in life. 

Sound like the life of a 13-year-old? (It's okay to say yes.  I already have.)

But, to be honest, I am somewhat even less self-assured than many of the13-year-old girls in my darling Beehive class. Sometimes I realize that as a kid with the whole world in front of me, I had a sort of magical confidence that I don't have as an adult.  I mean I could have done anything from painting masterpieces to writing novels to playing professional sports to traveling the world...

Not that I always wanted such glamorous professions, but the point stands: the world was mine for the having. 

And now I'm 27. Graduated from college and still not sure where I'm supposed to "end up."

I'm not really trying to be depressing here. I'm just saying some of the things that have been on my mind.  It's actually a positive reflection, because I can at this point of my life say that I am pursuing a talent that I have always wanted to...

Writing.

I went to a new optometrist today to renew my contact lense prescription and had to fill in my new address and such. Under "occupation," I felt a girlish thrill at my hand spelling out, "Self-empoyed Writer." 

And yes, I used a capital W.  Thank you very much.

I'm lucky to be a writer, and I'm especially lucky to have a husband who is patient and faithful and reassuring of my positive influences, so that he can get me through phases of forgetting how lucky I am to be a writer.

And also so that I can feel silly about myself the next day when I suddenly get a whole bunch of new articles to write. So many articles, in fact, that I will be at this computer again tomorrow morning.

Just... how 'bout that.

the home alone shivers

Okay, so nothing could really ever make me buy one of these.  First of all, who came up with that name?  Snuggie? Really? 

No kid who was ever treated to a bully-induced snuggie in elementary school would think of naming a product that and any geek who grew up to be a business savvy marketing genius would never have let this one slip. 

I can do better.  Pajankie, for one example.  Or how about, Blankajama?

Hahaha.  Man, I am such a comic.

Anyway.

Since working from home, I have noticed a few things:

1. Pandora (internet radio) is an insecure girl like me.  It likes you to click that you like it every once and a while or it will ask you if you're still listening.

2. Cable TV with promotional free movie channels is the devil.  (I'll actually be happy when the promotional period ends and I'm not so tempted to always check and see what's on.)

3. Pajamas in the afternoon are totally acceptable, even encouraged.

4. It is deliriously wonderful to only get phone calls and emails from people that I care about.

5. The house is colder without a husband in it.  I am determined to not make Clint pay for letting me work at home in the form of increasing our heating bill by a gazillion percent.  So while the indoor temperature lingers around 66 degrees, I wear slippers, sweats, and hoodies all day while occasionally drinking hot chocolate at my computer.

In case there is any question in your mind at this point, the slippers-and-hot-chocolate scenario is NOT a bad thing.

At least I will never stoop to Snuggies.

Happy Halloween, Hello November

I am sad Halloween is over.  It was a beautiful day yesterday, on Halloween, and then today storm clouds dumped their grumpy selves all over the place. 

Last night we even got about quadruple the amount of Trick-or-treaters that we got last year.

I made all of the kids say "Trick or treat" if they didn't already say it by themselves.  Is it just me, or do some kids ring your doorball and then shove their candy bags toward you like they are bored of the whole gig?  I am more than happy to hand out free candy to all you kids, but you gotta at least SAY IT.  I mean, come on.

Here is a brief sum-up of the fun Halloween activities we did this past week:

Caramel-apple making with Clint's mom, Kathy

Halloween Party Part 2 with my side of the famdamily

Another pair of amazingly legit jack-o-lanterns carved by myself and Clint

Can you guess who did which?

I have mixed reactions to November today.  Did it have to come with snow, honestly???  I'm just saying, if November was trying to gain my approval, it sure started out on the wrong foot.

But on the other hand, it is still technically Autumn, and I love this time of year. Turkey, stuffing, and Christmas music are all right around the corner, and I have some projects I am getting into this month.

November 1st means I have all of my Halloween decorations to take down, laundry to fold, and my November writing goal of 30 minutes a day.  Which I am actually excited about, given that I can solidify a story outline during the time I will spend. Check out my writing blog if you want to keep updated on my writing endeavors!