Painting!

I've been wanting to get into painting for a long time. Problems? 1) Getting the supplies: It doesn't cost much to pick up crocheting, but with painting you need brushes, paint, something to paint on, etc. 2) Perfectionism: Nothing's ever done. There's always some tweak to be made to make it "better." Unless I've done a fabulous job, I'm never truly happy with my work.

A few days ago, I braved the first problem by purchasing supplies. Charles and I were going Christmas shopping, and he consented to my buying paints and such. But which paints to buy?? There are so many colors to choose from! What to do, what to do.... Then I remembered middle and high school where we had to mix paints if we wanted different colors. *cue singing angels*

This made paint selection a lot easier. Ignore the fancy colors, Lora. All you need are the primary colors (red, yellow, and blue), white, and black. (Technically, you can make black with the primary colors, but I've never made a great black, and that would take a lot of time and more paint than I'd like to use, so I bit the bullet.) I got a value pack of brushes, a  couple of canvases, and some glitter (trust me, it was necessary.)

I didn't brave the second issue until yesterday. I'd planned to make a sign with a quote I really like for our entryway for a while, just never got around to it. Yesterday saw the fulfillment of that plan. Here's a photo:

I love the saying, but I'm not sure if I love the work. I like the "Trust in God" part, but not so much the rest. I apparently haven't overcome my second obstacle yet, especially with this piece, and am resisting the urge to completely overhaul it.

I must be a glutton for punishment, though, because I went right on to painting something else. A lady on Pinterest pinned her tutorial for doing a chevron design here. Because I apparently enjoy torturing myself, I decided to do it.

All whilst sitting on the couch and watching Monk, I drew a grid on my canvas, then proceeded to erase all the lines I didn't need (and didn't want to have to cover up once I was painting.) It looked pretty much exactly like hers, because I went with the 1 inch by 1 inch size too, just to make it simpler.

Then, because I didn't want to mess with tape, I got my paints out, and mixed the colors as I went along. (I am proud to point out that every color except for the white was mixed - even the yellow - to get the colors I wanted.) A few hours, and a little glue, glitter, and command strips later, and voila! My very own chevron canvas. You can't tell, but the white stripes have glitter on them - it's one of my favorite details.

It's not perfect, but it's good enough that
I'm not going crazy over it. Phew!

Over all, I'm calling this venture a success. I'd definitely paint again... and I may have had my husband pick up a couple more canvases on his way home from work. No big deal.

Owning a Cat (Or Dog)

This afternoon, Charles and I came home from church and took our nap as usual (which, by the way, is one of the best parts of Sundays.) When we woke up way too many hours later, we had two full-sized dogs and two nearly-full-sized cats on our bed with us, and that's not to mention the cat sitting on our dresser across the room.

For some reason, it made me start thinking of the pros and cons of owning cats and/or dogs. I've had pets practically my entire life, but it's the Christmas season, and a lot of little boys and girls are going to receive a new pet as one of their gifts. Unfortunately, guardians often do not consider the "whole picture" of pet ownership. I've compiled a few thoughts which may or may not help such guardians decide to either take the leap into pet ownership or choose to wait until they are more prepared for their bundle of fur.

1. "Potty trained" doesn't equal "no accidents.": As much as I love my pets, and am proud of them when they use the litter box or wait to relieve themselves until they're outside, extenuating circumstances arise, and even the best of trained pets may find themselves peeing or pooping where they shouldn't.

With cats, this may mean it has been too long since your last litter box cleanse (speaking of which, you should always have one more litter box than you have cats. 3 cats = 4 litter boxes, so be prepared.) Cats tend to be finicky. For us, this means scooping the litter boxes (read: gagging while dipping a little green scoop in search of tender poop morsels) every day or every other day, and changing out the litter every month or two (we use the Breeze litter system - it's different for each litter - another thing you'll need to consider.) This will probably not be pleasant, but someone must do it. If they poop elsewhere, do not run to punish them - it may be your fault, and they won't even know why you're doing it by that point. Oh, and don't expect them to run to the toilet when they don't feel well. Most likely, their regurgitated Kit and Kaboodle will end up on your living room floor.

With dogs, this means keeping an eye on them to ensure you are aware of when they are telling you they need to go out, and/or letting them out on a regular basis. Since we have been married, Charles and I have found we are not interested in potty training a dog. I can potty train a cat with no problem, but don't ask me to train a dog. You have to be extremely diligent and firm. Unlike cats, who have an ingrained desire to bury their feces to hide it from predators, dogs have no qualms with pooping on your newly-cleaned white carpet. Our solution? There are plenty of fully-grown dogs who need homes and have already been potty trained by owners who decided they weren't up to the challenge of pet ownership, or who, for some reason or another, couldn't keep their furry friends. That's what works for us. Find what works for you - but be aware that you may have to suffer some puppy spots for a while while they learn, and even a trained dog can only hold it for so long.

2. Pets need love too. Pets are so cute. And cuddly. And, typically, super soft. There are endless ways to package your new addition for Christmas. That's the charm, isn't it? But what will you do when your furry bundle of joy is no longer tiny and has grown into their adorable doe eyes and over-sized paws? Often, the Christmas joy wears off, and so does the drive to take care of your new family member. But they will demand attention.

With cats, this means 10 pounds of feline girth on your esophagus at 2:30 in the morning. They will trip you when you aren't looking, especially when you're carrying something fragile or piping hot. They will rub their furry bodies on your freshly-laundered black pants. Invest in a couple of lint rollers, and don't even think you can get away with not vacuuming for several days. Also, buy some triple antibiotic ointment. Even the sweetest feline will accidentally scratch you every now and then, whether in play or otherwise. (For example, a cat my sister was pet-sitting got spooked one night, tried to go under a door, and got stuck. I was attempting to help the panicking cat out of her self-inflicted entrapment when she broke free, unintentionally cutting into the top of my foot on her way past me.)

With dogs, the above rules apply. Additionally, expect to be bombarded with however-many pounds of pet body, muddy paws, the classic "dog" smell, and the ever-so-lovely dog breath (and gas, lots and lots of gas.)  They will have annoying habits, yes, but so does your human best friend... and your siblings (especially them.)

Keep in mind that your furry buddy has been separated from most, if not all, of his or her family. You are their family now, and you are who they look forward to seeing every day. Their "over-excitement" is just what you'd expect from someone who spent their whole day missing you.

3. You will fall in love with them. Your pets may be smelly, require tons of your time and money, get their hair all over your - well - everything, but "man's best friend" is a popular saying for a reason. They will come check you out when you're crying, cuddle your brains out, pant and paw until you simply show them love, and give you looks that melt your heart. Being a pet owner represents a significant financial, emotional, and time commitment, but if you're up to it, it's so, so worth it.

This holiday season, keep in mind that pets, like your annoying cousin Carl, aren't seasonal. They love you, even when you burn your stinky candles which irritate their noses, withhold delicious treats from them, leave them for hours while you spend time with your human family, and prevent them from all they want - being close to you. Be sure you're ready to devote a lot to them - they live for you. **

Here are some pictures of my lovies for your enjoyment. 

Snoozing.

She's so beautiful.

Just sitting. No big.

She can't contain her adorableness.

D'aww.

Where'd he go??

Cuddles.

Baby picture! Our kittens are litter-mates. :)

See? Attention hogs.

Temporary addition while we find him a home. Ain't he cuuuute?

More cuddles.

** Keep an eye out for Owning a Cat (Or Dog) Part 2. There's always more.

Burst Pipe

As previously explained, the word "adventure" is sometimes synonymous with "disaster." Today is one of those days. Charles and I moved into our new home in Plattsburg, MO about three weeks ago. It's definitely a work in progress, but it's perfect for us. I was taking a nap (one of the perks of being a childless homemaker) and woke up to a loud humming noise.

At first, I thought it was the heater. However, the humming was louder than normal. It almost sounded like someone was taking a shower. Since I was home alone and definitely not preparing to take a shower, that sound didn't bode well. I immediately jumped out of bed and went to investigate. It didn't take long for me to discover the puddle forming on our bathroom floor.

Crepes.

Hopping into action, I first attempted to turn off the water around the leak. No go. Then I high-tailed it to the front yard where I knew the water turn-off valve was for the whole house. I'm not sure why, because I had no idea how to work the thing. Next step? Mommy!

No, really. I called her like 7 times. No answer. Double crepes. Last resort? I called the city and asked them to turn off the water since my pipe was spewing water and I couldn't stop it on my own. A few minutes later, a nice man came down and turned the water off with a large pipe-like key. (Of course! Why didn't I think of an obscenely long pipe key? Ugh.)

Finally, I got a hold of the owner of our house (we're renting to own) and she called the man who's been helping them get things fixed around the house. He came without delay, thankfully. A couple hours, a trip to the hardware store, and many curse words later, it was all fixed! He even put a new double breaker in our breaker box so we wouldn't have to flip the breaker every time we wanted hot water for something. Woohoo!!

I guess this adventure wasn't too terrible... although I definitely was freaking out for a bit there. My husband, trying to be all sympathetic, said "So, this is one of those days you wish were just a bad dream, huh?" Without pausing, I said, "I've definitely had worse." This doesn't even compare to how badly I wanted Sophia's diagnosis to be a bad dream. Comparatively, I've had a pretty good day, for sure.

Pumpkin Butter

So I had this baby floating around in my cabinet just begging to be used:

Yes, my cabinets really are doorless.

Pumpkin! And, since, we are less than a week away from last Thanksgiving, there's totally nothing wrong with putting it to use. The problem: what to make. I searched on Allrecipes.com for a good option, since I'm not well-versed in pumpkin-use. I landed here, mostly because it didn't require eggs (the last two of which I'd used in this super-delicious brownie recipe minutes earlier.)

However, I didn't have any apple juice or cloves. That wouldn't deter this adventurer! I substituted the apple juice for the same amount of melted butter (oh, my poor heart!) and the cloves for the same amount in allspice.

The recipe turned out to be thus:

15 oz can pumpkin puree
1/4 c + 2 Tbs butter, melted
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp allspice
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1. Combine everything in a saucepan, and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 mins or until thickened, stirring frequently.
3. Once finished, chill in the freezer until ready to eat!

This stuff not only tastes delicious, it also makes your home smell all Autumn-y. Mmm.

A couple of shots for your viewing pleasure (read in a French accent, of course):

So, I didn't read the part about cooking it at first... and might have enjoyed
some un-cooked goodness on a piece of toast. Don't judge.

Le simmering.

Aww, he found a brownie friend. Dare I mix them? Perhaps.

Thanks for reading!

Cooking from Scratch

A while back, a recipe I was attempting called for taco seasoning. Unfortunately, I had a total of absolutely none. So I said to myself, "Self, there must be a way to make taco seasoning. You don't just grow it." I did a search (where? Pinterest, of course) and ended up here. *cue singing angels from Heaven*

Whaaat? That's right. You can make taco seasoning! And it's inexpensive and totally delicious in a taco soup. BUT THAT'S NOT ALL. You can make other things from the ingredients you already have in your house. Don't have tortillas? Make them. Want a cake or a batch of delicious brownies? The box is not mandatory! Is it weird that I didn't totally grasp that until I was in my twenties? Maybe. Don't judge me.

Since I didn't do a whole lot of intense cooking before Charles and I got married, (granted, I could cook pretty much anything out of the family cookbook without much trouble - I don't want you to think I was altogether incompetent) and I wanted some brownies a few days ago, I had to do a search for a good recipe. I landed here, and since I didn't take pictures, I'll let you take a little stroll to his website.

Back? Good. Anyway, I made those brownies and they were super delicious and Charles loved them (which is always a good thing.) Problem is, there were some left over because there are only two of us and the recipe makes a 9x13 pan-worth of brownies. Solution? Half the recipe. When I made them today, I put in half of everything (except I used two whole eggs because I didn't want to go through the trouble of splitting an egg in half.)

They turned out delicious again and, as they cooled, I proceeded to made the totally delicious pumpkin butter found in this post. Here's a picture of the brownies getting cozy with the finished pumpkin butter:

Ooh la la.

In the end, I was putting tiny spoonfuls of pumpkin butter on top of my brownie squares. Heaven! I would definitely recommend doing this for yourself. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

The Lacey Adventures

There's something my Dad's side of the family always says when they hear about me doing anything new: "You're on an adventure!" I hate it. I really do. Mostly because the first time one of them said it to me, an all-day solo airport fiasco ensued. Long story. Basically, I got up at dead-thirty in the morning, only to be bumped to the next flight, which turned around half an hour after lift off because the door wasn't sealed correctly. Many hours, several bumped flights, and two airports later, I finally got to my destination... and claimed my luggage which had been sitting there from the flight I was supposed to come in on originally.

Phew! Get all that? Good.

So why would I choose to write about our "adventures"? Well, simply because - say that word or not - there are roughly a bazillion adventures you'll take during your life. Good or bad, they'll come, and you just have to deal with it. So here we go - cue The Lacey Adventures.

Old Blog: You Won't Want to Read This - Edited

I feel like very few people actually care how someone else is feeling or how they're doing. I can't even say I'm not a frequent offender in that category. I couldn't tell you how many times I've done the "We should catch up!" or "We need to hang out sometime!" with absolutely no intent to do so. (Okay, maybe not NO intent, but it's not going to happen anyway.) Truth is, my life is centered around my little family right now. I'm concerned about my husband, how the baby is doing, sometimes our puppy (who happens to love chewing on everything in sight - gahh!) and occasionally my own well-being. What kills me is I don't have tons of pressure to be open and social, but when people ask me how things are going in my marriage or with the pregnancy I feel like they're just checking the question off of their list of things to do. It's like people want to seem interested about my marriage or whatever but don't want to actual answer because whenever I do actually give it to them, their eyes tend to glaze over.

You want the truth? I love marriage. I love every moment I spend with Charles. My favorite mornings are when I can wake up next to him, feel him close, nibble on his ear, etc. He loves to cuddle. If he hasn't already wrapped his arms around me and I ask him to, he hops right into action. He has this adorable reaction whenever we get within a few feet of a baby, which I love. He's actually fantastic with babies. We don't fight. Well, not like fight-fight. No yelling is involved. Ever. We talk things out and if we get frustrated or upset we walk away or talk about something else. I've never gotten along so easily with someone, especially not someone I had feelings for. Yeah, he's stubborn - so am I sometimes, but things always work out after we've talked them through. It annoys me when people think I'm just highlighting the good parts of my marriage, that it can't possibly be that good or I'm just overcompensating for what it lacks. I don't know about you, but I'd think after growing up in a world where divorce is so close to "home," people would appreciate a functional relationship. Maybe I'm nuts.

I don't know. I know no one will really read this anyway, so I'm going to stop for now. My blood pressure was already a little high.

Old Blog - Pinterest... and Such

I think I'm in love. Well, we all know who my first love is, but Pinterest is a close second. It's like a craftaholic's paradise - the perfect place to share any and everything, especially craft and food (did you say FOOD?!) ideas. Heaven.

Pinterest even got me up before the sun this morning (gasp!) Charles starts work now at 5:30AM and since we live 30-40 mins away, he gets up at 3:30AM to get all cleaned up and ready for work. He even ate some apricots for breakfast this morning! (Those who know him will know how shocking that is.) Anyway, I'd been waking up off and on all night, so I decided to get up and spend a few minutes with my hubby before he galloped off to work (figuratively, of course.)

After he left, I turned to my laptop and began to scour Pinterest.com, which I was doing for the next couple hours, until my stomach began to really grumble... at about 5:30AM. I don't just mean regular "Oh I'm hungry" grumblies. These were "FEED ME NOW, PUNY HUMAN!" grumblies so I rushed to the kitchen and decided to get all fancy (kinda) and make fried eggs with pumpernickel toast which, by the way, is delicious. And of course I had to wake up my mother and allow her to share in some of the gloriousness.

It has been a good morning. Thank you Pinterest and Pumpernickel toast.

Old Blog - It Will All Be For Your Good

People are always talking about how they're grateful for blessings. I'm certainly grateful for blessings, but it's trials which I'm especially grateful for. Trials are known as the "refining fires," fires which the Lord will only allow if He knows you can handle them. Here's the common example of Corrie Ten Boom and thanking God for the fleas which were afflicting them while they were in a German concentration camp:

Corrie Ten Boom - Light in the Holocaust

Old Blog - Randomocity

You know what I think would be fun? Running a thrift shop. When I was searching on Craigslist one time, there was someone selling their thrift shop and I was like "Charles, we should get it!! It would be so much fun!" But, alas, we don't have the resources and I have NO IDEA how to run a thrift shop. But it would still be fun, right?

This video is great. Just saying.

Old Blog - My Favorite Things

I was talking to a dear friend from college recently, and she asked "Do you have any plans... to use up your free time?" Well, what had I been doing to use up my free time? Since I last wrote, my mother-in-law taught me the basic single crochet stitch and I've been building on my knowledge from there. The first thing I made was a small pot holder which is perfect for holding a hot bowl of soup in your hand. Next, I made a nice multicolored scarf for Charles. Think he likes it or it likes him?










After I finished that, I went on to make a baby blanket out of dark blue and "blue mint" soft yarn. No, I'm not anticipating a boy (I'm not even pregnant yet, as far as I know), Charles and I just both like shades of blue. I'm on the last color block. The last time I worked on it, though, was at these three games Charles was officiating in Marshalltown, Iowa. I took it with me to keep me entertained because, although I'm all for supporting my husband in his hobbies (especially when he gets paid for them, although volunteering is good too) I'm really not a sports fan unless I know someone who is playing or I'm playing so it's good to bring something else along with me.

That striped picture to the left is a preview of it. It's so soft and cozy. I love it already and I can already picture our future baby in it. I hope it keeps them warm!

I'm already imagining all the other things I might be able to create. I'm thinking hand warmers might be great if I can figure out how to make them correctly.

A few days ago, I read a book by Randy Pausch called The Last Lecture, which is literally about the last lecture of a college professor and how he had fulfilled his childhood dreams. It was really insightful, and I read the whole thing in one night, partially out of time constraints, but also because it was so good. I would definitely recommend others read it. I chose some of my favorite quotes to share:

The cover of The Last Lecture - it's really appropriate for the subject matter.

"Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people."

"When you are doing something badly and no one’s bothering to tell you anymore, that’s a very bad place to be. Your critics are the ones still telling you they love you and care."

"Decide if you’re a Tigger or an Eyeore. I’m a Tigger."

"It is Important to have specific childhood dreams. (For example, Randywanted to play football in the NFL, write an article for the World Book Encyclopedia, experience the Weightlessness of Zero Gravity, be Captain Kirk from Star Trek, work for the Disney Company.)"

"Be good at something; it makes you valuable…. Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome."

“When it comes to men who are romantically interested in you, it’s really simple. Just ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do.” 

Anyway, I know that's a lot to read but that's not even all of what I liked. This book is super inspirational. On that note, there are a bunch of other books I really enjoyed reading too. One of particular note is Reflections of a Scientist by Henry Eyring. His insights have thoroughly shaped how I view and approach science. I admire him and wish I could have met him before he passed away. Maybe I'll be able to meet his son, Henry B. Eyring at some point, which would also be awesome for a whole bunch of reasons.

I just really like books - especially good ones which help define or solidify how I think about things. Another book - series, actually - which I really enjoyed was the "Great and Terrible" series, which goes through the pre-mortal life up to the second coming. It's really inspiring and comforting when things like the second coming can leave a lot of questions.

"It is not about achieving your dreams but living your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself, the dreams will come to you." This is another quote from Randy Pausch, and it kinda inspired this post. I used to think I never really had many goals, but when I think about it, I had a few for myself. Here's a list of the ones I can think of now:

- Get married in the temple to someone who loves me for me, silliness and all (Check!)
- Write a book
- Get published
- Read the Book of Mormon in its entirety (Check!)
- Read the Bible it its entirety
- Read the Work and the Glory series by Gerald N. Lund (2 of 9 done)
- Have at least three children
- And much more - I am working living my life so that my dreams just take care of themselves. It will happen if I'm living the right way. Many things already have!

Old Blog - Off to Missouri!!

Since I last wrote, things have been AWESOME! Lets start with the last couple days. For one, we went down to Missouri so Charles could apply for a meat processing job at Triumph Foods. He has been wanting to get back in the production business since before I met him and, although that's not a long time ago, I know he wanted it pretty badly. We'd both been praying fervently that he would get this job if it was the right action for us to take. Yesterday morning, he went to Saint Joseph with Mark to hand in his application, and he was hopeful to get an interview at the same time. However, the receptionist looked over his application and said they'd call him if they were interested and needed his talents. He was very disappointed, but came home hopeful nonetheless. This morning, we woke up a little after 7. He said prayer over breakfast, including asking that they call him in for an interview. I guess his worst nightmare was that they'd call while we were on the way home, and he couldn't get to it. RIGHT after breakfast, Charles got a call from a number he didn't recognize and answered it hesitantly. His responses to the voice on the other end of the line were short and succinct. Finally, he said "What time?" and hung up. I knew it had to be Triumph. As soon as his phone closed, he jumped up, shouted "YES!" and punched at the air. His interview was at 9:40 and we didn't have to leave town until noon for him to get back in time for work. He'd promised Kym that he would get me to Mom's house to spend time with her because we hadn't the day before, so he dropped me off there, looked up directions to Triumph Foods, and left for the interview.

He texted me when he was safely there, something I really like about him and how he does things, and then the wait was on! About half an hour after his interview time, he texted me again and said he'd gotten the job! I was so happy for him. So, yeah, we're moving to Missouri. He's so excited to start work - he gave Larry his two weeks' notice today when we got back (of course Larry asked him to stay a little longer). As usual, he didn't really want to go to work today, but at least these are his last few days at a job he despises. He says he's really exited to be moving out of Iowa - he doesn't like feeling like he's stuck here, like so many people end up being. Also, it'll be nice to get out of a mostly-college town like Ames, where if people try to find out anything about you, the first question is always "Are you a student?" Then their faces have that "Oh" look when we say no, that we're just here because of work and the fact that we already live here. I'm excited. We both are.

*Mushy alert*
Anyway, I haven't gotten to the mushy stuff! I love Charles so much. I am so immensely grateful to have him in my life. He blesses me every day with his presence, sweetness, and ability to calm me down whenever something upsets me, even if it's something we have we disagreed about. We have had plenty of disagreements, but he is always so kind and gentle about everything. At the end of any disagreement we have, I am always in his arms - not because he makes me, not because I have to, but because I want to be. There is no place I'd rather be but in his arms, even after a "hitch in our get-along," as my mom would say. *End mushy*