To Blog or Not to Blog

Pondering keeping my blog or not, or making it private, or making it for family only. Got totally burned out. Dislike any feel of having to keep up or compete. Totally swamped. Don't know yet what I will do.

New Nephew & Cousin

We are so excited to welcome a new nephew and cousin!

Benjamin Walter was born yesterday at about 2 am.  He was about 7 1/2 pounds and 20 inches long.  My sister had a pretty rough delivery (again) but she is doing well now.  We wish we could be there in person to give him a big kiss.

Isn't he a cutie!

Congratulations Holly, Jackson & Alex.  We love you!

Too late for an idea?

Ok, I never got this posted last march, so maybe I can post for a fun idea for tomorrow.  I may have missed the window on that too--oh well.  

So I started this last year--a totally green lunch in the lunch boxes.  It was fun for me and for the kids.

And I got this darling idea from my friend, Jenni.  We make them for the teachers and a few other friends.  

This year I got the mint kisses that they had just for St. Patrick's day, but I also saw the idea to get the christmas ones on clearance and save the red wrapped ones for Valentines and the green ones for St. Patrick's Day.  

No pictures of this, but we will do a fun dinner.  Always some sort of traditional meat (can't do beef this year cause Reed is actually home) but with yummy potatoes and steamed cabbage.  We also get the Irish Butter as Costco and yummy bread--that is the kid's favorite part.  And probably the Mint Brownies for dessert.  

I wish I would have had more time the past weeks for crafting and such, there have been some darling ideas around.  Some of my favorites are here.

PS--I forgot that my new blog design was half done--but it may stay that way until I get better with my new mac.  Not sure I can make a new header.  And I've missed three of my  one-to-one visits with everybody being sick.  

VACATION!

Some pictures from our get-away.  It was fantastic and I want to go again--tomorrow!  Thanks for Grandma Deshler for helping us make it happen!

Tulum--near Cozumel
Reed--enjoying the hot tub
The Rock Wall
The Zip Line--Roatan, Honduras

One of the dressy dinner nights--Isn't Reed handsome?  
Roatan, from a high point along the road we took to get to the zip line.  Our cute guide stopped here so we could all get this great photo!
Our scooter we drove around Roatan.
Another shot from Tulum--the temple overlooks this beautiful cliff and ocean view!
The first dressy dinner night.

Christmas Card Proofs & Lesson Learned

Yes, I do remember that I have a blog, but I wanted to share the proofs of our family christmas card. A cute friend of mine here has a business doing them and I am so happy with what she came up with for us. These are just teasers, I'm not posting the one we chose. All these photos are from our trip to Destin this summer.

Now, for the lesson learned. When we went to our tithing settlement a few weeks ago, our Bishop challenged us to look for ways to be generous. He wasn't specific (and I think he told everybody this) but he did say to look for ways throughout our whole life, not just with our time and money but all over. Reed and I have been discussing this throughout the season and trying to think of ways to be generous. Last week we were talking about it one morning and I saw a whole new way of looking at something.

I have been in a quandry as to what to do for Christmas cards, and really don't have any time to work on them. I've looked at Michele's site several times, but kept thinking that I shouldn't/couldn't pay someone else to do something that I could figure out how to do (I do have Photoshop--can't use it, but that is a different post). And I looked all over the internet, nothing was what I wanted. Anyway, it finally hit me that I can be generous in letting others have their talents and me not feeling like I need to learn that talent too--just so I can make my own Christmas cards instead of paying for them. Now--I love crafty, homemade type things, and learning how to Photoshop well is still on my "list" of things to learn. But, in the meantime, I am so glad I let go of my hang-up and let someone else share their talent with me. And, all the better if she made a little bit of Christmas cash too. I think going forward I will be much more likely to just buy and enjoy what a friend or crafty business owner sells, instead of always thinking "I could make that" because, even if I can, it doesn't mean I will. But, I can support them in their talent/hobby.

Don't know if that makes sense to anybody else, but it was a great learning for me.

The Winners are....

Amie, Michelle & Jessica

you won! I'm so glad people actually signed up! Your boxes will be delivered next week--Michelle, I'll send yours to Holly :)

Before I send the boxes, I'll post a sneak peek photo. This really has been fun, such a great thing to think of something fun & nice for someone else--just because. And have the drawing was fun too--it would be too hard for me to pick, I wish everyone could win.

Trying to Win

I hope this link works. I'm trying to win some cute stuff there. Plus, it's my friend who is giving some awesome stuff away!

And--speaking of winning. I know I've made the Pay it Forward thing hard since it took me a year to do, but honestly it's not. No pressure, what you do could be any simple thing that you love. I hope more people will sign up. I promise it's cute stuff :)

PIFF--Pay it forward, FINALLY!

This is really embarassing to post, but it's true. Last year I won a wonderful Pay It Forward box on my sweet--totally awesome and creative--friends blog--click here to see what was inside. Anyway, it's taken me this long to get mine together but I'm finally ready.

Here is the deal:

3 lucky blog readers will have the chance to win one of my Pay It Forward boxes.

The theme is Christmas cooking.

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Here's how it works:
1. You must have your own blog to perpetuate the Pay It Forward Exchange/Craft. YOU MUST Pay It Forward! (ovbiously I won't be giving you a time limit, but I would love to know what you do with it
2. You must enter by making a comment with something interesting about yourself that I don't know, your favorite holiday colors, your favorite font and your favorite holiday baking tradition. (recipes would be a great bonus!)
3. You have until Wednesday night, October 29th. My crew will help me draw the lucky winners then.
4. There will be 3 lucky pay it forward winners.

I'm not ready to post a photo of the box contents, but I can say I think they are adorable--almost a worthy follow up to what I got in mine. I can't wait to see who enters and what you all have to say.