My Half Marathon that didn't happen

I dont know if anyone knew that I was going to run a Half Marathon with my friend Heather Miller who I ran on with in Portland. Well doing great all ready for the big day to come and the day before Erik was leaving out of town and I woke up not doing to well. By the end of that day I was crawling around and by the next day I got this rash all over my body even on top of my head.. Luckily I have awesome friends who came and took my kids, and one who cleaned my house.. so long story short I trained all the way up to do a half and I didn't get to run.. :( and since then I have had back pain and I got a MRI on friday morning, to see whats going on. My back kills when I sit for a while and when I get out of bed. Erik thinks its a slipped disk. So will see.

The Sock Curl...

 My hair that night-

take an old sock and cut the end off

Then roll it up like this... 

 

put your hair in a pony tail high on your head 

 

spray your hair to get it little damp 

then

 from the top of your hair roll 

your hair on to the sock... like so-

and then head to bed- and wake up and pull it out and you have a fun little wave!
It took my two tries to get it to work..

pinterest.com

Ok if you have not gone there you need to do it right now!

LOVE it-

Alot of my friends talked about it but I kinda thought.. ok one more "THING" but this Thing is fun and I just love it!

So how it works is:

 Your looking at something online and think "Oh so cute I want to make that or remember that picture so my family can stand like that (maybe that's just me) or Oh what a cute cake... well now you just push a little button on your tool bar that says Pin it.. and Wallah you will have that website and picture in your online bulletin board!

Happy pinning! as they say :)

Hair cut

 Before- My long hair here

and here, itsn't the best pic but works...  you can see how I cut off like 5 in.

and look at that shirt- My bff sent me that LOVE it!

what...

So where have I been?

Well.. here, just doing nothing- really..

I feel like I am living in a dream- I havent really done anything for awhile.

Half of our home is packed with boxes and it feels like I am just living on a long vacation-

I havn't touched my sewing machine for MONTHS... I havent done anything with buttons.. which I wanted to do, a new years goal a new craft with all my buttons.

I just feel weired. really- we go on bike rides and go swimming, take Ethan to school but thats all. I go out and get food. thats my outing..

So I need to change.. I put it on here so maybe I will.. I want to make Sadie a Easter dress.. Can I do.. Yes I can.. if I can only open the right boxes to get what I need..

So there you go.. I am still alive and I am loving this nice warm weather that is sure heating up way to fast....

new state. new home. new me

2011 
Its here and It's going to be great!

I love fresh starts- I love moves because you can choose who you want to be,
and there are some things I would love to change about me..
Here are some Goals for the New Year!

Spiritual
* Personal prayers and scriptures each day
*Take time to ponder- me time

Physical
* Get running again
* Teach the kids to Swim

* Eat better

*Get up earlier

Educational

* Get back to a good book read at least 
6 good books this year

*Help Ethan learn to read

Financial

*Save so we can get a car, and a home someday:)

* Get selling Demarl again or something to get me some fun money
(those don't really go good together- Save but get money so I can spend it) 

Fun

*Meet people and plan a party or two

*Do more crafting something with all my buttons... 

Home
*Get out of the house more
*Go on a Vacation (Preston would be fun)
*Take time to do things with each kid


I'm excited for this new adventure it will be fun!! 

Happy New Years everyone!
Thanks to all my friends and Family who made my 2010 so fun! Lets make 2011 even better!

Our To Does...

Wow just a few more weeks until the big move! And here is what is on my mind!

- Go have a fun New Years!

- Find the cheapest moving truck- (have one on reserve but I think I can find better)

-Find a place to live 

-Get rid of all our clutter

-Pack our home

-Try and get my kids in to preschool and sign up for kindergarten (herd they probably wont get into the school I was hoping for)

-Erik getting all his things passed off and get him done! (He did pass his tests! YAHOO)

-Move to Arizona

-Unpack and get settled in

-Then get another check off list when we get there!

27

Here is me at 27 today..

I was telling my sis about the hair zipper flower I made this morning, so here it is, Thanks Brenda for showing me how to make them!! soooo cute!! It looks cute without the zipper in the middle but I messed up on mine and glued it in there. So why me taking picture of my self... well Ethan made several attempts but it just was not working! But here I am another year older, and hopefully for my birthday wish I will have this baby!!
Tonight my friend was celebrating her 30th and I tagged along and kept it on the down low that it was my b.day but it was so fun to go out with some friends!  I know I have a cheeser of a smile..

my new stockings-

So these are the two I got, I love the black ones, they go all the way up! But I got them from a place called Discount Surgical Stockings, www.discountsurgical.com and they were so much less then most places, 37 for the black and 23 for the other. So if anyone was wondering or needing to get some, there you go. They ship so fast I got them 2 days after I ordered and had free shipping for getting two. 

They have helped my leg not hurt, and hopefully it will keep it from getting worse. I will let you know!

The not so “itsy bitsy spider” veins

  I am just starting to find out that I am not the only twenty-something with “road-map” legs when pregnant.  This pregnancy I have gotten these gnarly, vein-riddled legs- Well actually TONS on my right leg little on left!!! I am just hoping some of them will leave after pregnancy!! We will see :(

I was surfing the web and happened upon this very informative page about Varicose Veins and Spider Veins listed on MotherNature.com

So this is for me, to find again while I am suffering through my very ugly leg-

Feel-Good Therapies for Pain and Splotches

Every year, Yvonne Williams dreaded summer. As warm weather approached, the 35-year-old wedding consultant from New York City worried about hiding her unsightly varicose veins.
“I would never wear shorts or skirts. Absolutely never,” says Williams (who asked us not to use her real name). “I always wore pants, no matter how hot it was.” Even dark-colored tights didn’t help: The bulging veins in her calves were still noticeable, even through navy or jet-black tights.
For ten years, Williams lived with varicose veins–knotty, protruding, blue or purple veins that run along the lower legs, usually on the calves and behind the knees. Veins become varicose, or swollen, when valves along the vein’s walls fail to do their job adequately. Normally these valves prevent blood from flowing back down when it’s making a return trip to the heart. But when those valves start to weaken and gravity pulls blood toward the feet, the blood-vessel walls bulge like water-filled balloons. Blood pools in the lower legs, resulting in dull pain, heaviness and slight swelling of the ankles.
When Williams started to experience swelling, pain and night cramps in her legs, she decided to do something about her veins. First, she went the medical route. Her doctor performed sclerotherapy, in which an irritating fluid is injected into the troublesome veins. In response, the veins close, then shrivel and disappear. Her troubles were over–but only temporarily. For a more permanent and satisfactory solution, she still had miles to go.

A LEGACY YOU CAN AVOID

Varicose veins are hereditary–Williams’s mother had them, and she, too, had undergone sclerotherapy. Williams’s doctor told her that other veins in her legs could very likely become varicose since she was born with a predisposition to weak valves.
To prevent her healthy veins from giving her trouble, Williams’s doctor prescribed calf raises and other exercises. Standing on a stack of books with her heels extended over the edge, Williams alternately raised herself on her toes and lowered her heels, repeating the exercise 50 to 100 times, once a day. She also made it a habit to raise up on her toes from time to time throughout the day, when she was standing. And she started walking 1½ miles a day, rain or shine.
Together, doing calf raises and walking improved Williams’s blood circulation, pushing blood back toward her heart and preventing it from pooling in her legs. “The swelling in my legs never returned, and I don’t get cramps at night,” says Williams. “I finally started to wear shorts and skirts.”

WHY GOOD VEINS GO BAD

The veins in your legs are some of the longest in the human body, where blood has to travel quite a distance on its way back to the heart. In most people, this is no problem. The veins in your legs are equipped with a series of 10 to 20 tiny valves that act like locks in a canal, allowing blood returning to the heart to collect at various points and then move on. In some people, however, these valves become faulty, so blood that was making its way up to your heart trickles back down. Over time, sections of your veins swell as the excess blood starts to collect.
Most people who get varicose veins are women. Evidently, the female hormone estrogen is partly to blame.
With the increased production of female hormones during pregnancy, the amount of blood coursing through your veins increases by a full 20 percent, overworking the valves. So having a baby–or several–is probably one of the biggest causes of varicose veins, says Luis Navarro, M.D., founder and director of the Vein Treatment Center and senior clinical instructor of surgery at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, both in New York City.
The weight of a growing fetus increases the resistance on blood that is traveling back to the heart; thus, blood is more likely to accumulate in the legs.
Or, you may reach the big 5-0 with nary a varicose vein in sight, only to experience problems later. No one is sure why, but as you get older, your blood vessels seem to lose elasticity. And if you work as a waitress, hairstylist, retail salesperson or in other occupations that keep you on your feet for hours, gravity will force blood to pool in your legs. This, together with a genetic predisposition to weak valves, can contribute to varicose veins, says Dr. Navarro.

TAKING ON THE PROTRUDING INTRUDERS

The key to relieving varicose veins is to take action early. “Once you have varicose veins, medical treatment is the only way to get rid of them,” says Dr. Navarro. “But you can relieve symptoms and prevent them from getting worse.”
Stock up on stockings. Elastic support hose not only hide varicose veins, they help some people’s legs feel better by compressing the veins, says Dr. Navarro. The constant pressure of the stockings keeps blood from collecting in distended areas of the varicose veins and helps prevent aching and swelling.
The most effective support stockings are sold at medical supply stores and are available by prescription only. The amount of pressure the garment applies to your legs is rated numerically in millimeters of mercury (mm/Hg). The higher the number, the greater the pressure. Your doctor will prescribe what’s right for you.
Put your calf muscles to work. Support hose feel great, but they only work while you’re wearing them. For round-the-clock relief and prevention of varicose veins, exercise is easy and effective, says Dr. Navarro. Walking, running and cycling all help push stagnant blood from the bottom of the legs back to the heart.
“When you exercise your calf muscles, they act as a pump, taking over for weak valves,” Dr. Navarro explains. “So the stronger your calf muscles, and the more you move them, the better.”
Many women find that exercising on a regular basis helps to ease the pain and discomfort associated with varicose veins and can help prevent the condition from worsening.
Exercise while you sit. If you find yourself unable to get up and walk around at your office or in an airplane, for example, you can do simple exercises to help keep the blood in your legs pumping, says Dr. Navarro. Try this exercise once an hour: Flex your feet, lifting your toes while keeping your heels down, as though you’re pumping a piano pedal. Repeat for a minute or two.
Invert your legs with yoga. Yoga poses that position your legs above your head can temporarily reverse the pooling of blood associated with varicose veins, says Carrie Angus, M.D., medical director for the Center for Health and Healing at the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.
“Lie on the floor on your back, with your legs and feet raised up against a wall, for about five minutes,” suggests Dr. Angus. “With this pose, gravity helps to push the blood back to the heart.” To make this pose more comfortable, Dr. Angus suggests putting a pillow under your hips. Repeat once or twice a day. (If you have a history of back trouble, you may want to check with your doctor before trying this pose.)
Have some horse chestnut. The herb aescin, the extract from the dried seeds of the horse-chestnut plant, strengthens blood vessel walls, helping to prevent veins from softening and bulging, says Joseph Pizzorno, Jr., doctor of naturopathy and founding president of Bastyr University of Naturopathic Medicine in Seattle. “Horse-chestnut seed extract also reduces inflammation associated withvaricose veins and stimulates regeneration of damaged veins,” he notes. In a study of 240 people with varicose veins (194 of them women), taking 50 milligrams of aescin twice a day for 12 weeks reduced swelling in the lower legs by 25 percent.
Concentrate on fiber. Eating a high-fiber diet can take some of the pressure off varicose veins, notes Dr. Navarro. If you’re constipated, you tend to push too much and too frequently when you have a bowel movement, which puts extra pressure on the valves of your legs. Chronic constipation can be one of the accelerating factors leading to varicose veins. “To relieve constipation, try a high-roughage diet with whole grains, like oats, barley, beans, peas, lentils, baked potato with the skin, brown rice and whole wheat, and plenty of vegetables and fruits,” he says. Make sure that you increase your intake of water when you add fiber to your diet. Without water, adding fiber can make your constipation worse.
Seize your C. “To keep your veins healthy, you need to be sure that you’re getting enough vitamin C, which is essential to strong blood vessels,” says Dr. Angus. “I recommend 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams of vi-tamin C everyday to strengthen blood vessel walls and prevent bulging when they become distended with blood.” Be careful though: Excess vi-tamin C may cause diarrhea in some people. If you get diarrhea, she says, cut back to between 500 to 1,000 milligrams per day.
Try an aromatic compress. Applying a cold compress soaked with witch hazel and essential oils to your legs helps soothe varicose veins, says Valerie Cooksley, R.N., holistic nurse and aroma practitioner in the Seattle area and author of Aromatherapy: A Lifetime Guide to Healing with Essential Oils.
To prepare the solution, put one-half cup to one cup of distilled witch-hazel lotion in a bowl and refrigerate it for at least one hour. Then add six drops of cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) essential oil, one drop of lemon (Citrus limonum) essential oil and one drop of bergamot (Citrus bergamia) essential oil. These oils and the cold witch hazel have an astringent effect–they shrink small blood vessels near the surface of the skin, temporarily reducing minor swelling, explains Cooksley.
To make the compress, soak a cloth in the bowl, then apply it to the affected area on your legs for 15 minutes. Elevate your feet on a few pillows as you apply the compress: That position helps the blood leave the legs and return to the heart. “The compress is very effective. You feel immediate relief as the swelling in the area goes down,” she says.
Give homeopathy a try. Pulsatilla, a homeopathic remedy taken from the windflower plant, boosts circulation of stagnant blood, says Andrea Sullivan, Ph.D, a naturopathic and homeopathic physician in Washington, D.C. Recommended dosages vary from woman to woman. To determine how much you should take of this remedy, consult a homeopath or a naturopath, suggests Dr. Sullivan.Pulsatilla may not work for everyone with varicose veins, she says.

NATURAL STRATEGIES AGAINST SPIDER VEINS

At least 40 percent of women develop spider veins–networks of tiny red, blue or purple blood vessels that appear on the upper thighs, behind the knees and on the feet.
Spider veins appear when tiny blood vessels dilate near the surface of the skin, says David Green, M.D., a dermatologist at the Varicose Vein Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Most women would prefer to avoid them, if possible, since they are very unsightly.
As with varicose veins, one cause of spider veins could be the effect that the female hormone estrogen has on blood vessels. During pregnancy, nearly two-thirds of women will develop spider veins. About six weeks after delivery, pregnancy-caused spider veins usually disappear in most women.
Heredity also plays a role, says Dr. Green. “Ask a woman who has spider veins if her mom had them, and chances are that she says ‘yes.’”
Spider veins may be a unsightly, but they rarely cause the pain and swelling of varicose veins, says Dr. Green.
Foods and Herbs to Try
Doctors treat the majority of spider veins the same way they do varicose veins–with sclerotherapy. But spider veins are like gray hairs–you can pluck them out as they appear, but that won’t stop new ones from cropping up, says Dr. Green.
Alternative practitioners suggest a few strategies to help reduce the appearance of spider veins.
Put blueberries on your cereal. Eating foods like blueberries and raspberries provides bioflavonoids–natural compounds that help strengthen your blood vessels, says Dr. Pizzorno. “Bioflavonoids work with vitamin C and other nutrients in the body to help make capillaries less fragile.” The darker the color of the fruit, like blackberries and cherries, the morebioflavonoids they have.

Eat all your grapefruit. The white membranes of citrus fruit such as oranges and grapefruit are also a rich source of bioflavonoids, says Dr. Pizzorno.

Go for ginkgo. Taking the herb ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), which comes from the leaf of the ginkgo tree, also helps to strengthen the tissues that make up your vein walls, says Dr. Pizzorno. “Ginkgo is also high in bioflavonoids.” Dr. Pizzorno recommends taking 40 milligrams of ginkgo three times a day for spider veins. These supplements are readily available in health food stores.

Scentsy

I received my very first Scentsy Candle, its the Satin Black one... Love it... I need anything to keep my basement from smelling like one!! Scott our family friend (distant relative) gave it to me after me telling him his goes down his vents into the kids room. He had one that he bought that he never used- So for the last few days it's smelling a lot better down here!

So I am wanting some advice on which is everyone's favorite sent, I got orange dreamsicle- I have never been to a party to smell them so I am asking people so that when this one is out I can get a better one, this one really does smell just like an orange dreamsicle, so I am going to be ready for something else. 

Also what are other smell good things you people have to keep your houses smelling good?

lets see if anyone looks at my blog anymore?? I'm blaming my husband for not getting our computer fixed- so that's why lack of pictures! And I am better when I have pictures to talk about I cant just talk about all the fun stuff all you others do!

Ear drum burst

This is so I can remember when this happened! Not to interesting-

So last Friday I went vting and was outside waiting for like 10 min. it was a great day so I wasn't to worried about covering my ears.. which why I would is because my ear's always hurt in wind or cold.... So anyways after Visiting Teaching we were headed to the park to eat some lunch, and well we didn't stay to long becasue my ear was starting to hurt.  Went home and did my usual of getting a rag wet and heating it up and putting it on my ear, but it was NOT working. It started to hurt really bad.  So when Erik got home I told him to go get my prescription that I got from my doc for me being sick that I never went and got.. dumb me- so Erik picked that up and he brought Chinese food home. I let him do some chiropractic trick which he sticks his finger down my throat and it starts to make my ear drain, so that felt so good, I had him do it a few times. I kept telling Erik it just felt like it was going to blow out. He looked with his doc. stuff and said yep it probably will, it is puffing out. So low and behold in the night it blow out, and I woke up with it leaking and it felt so much better. Until something happens and it would be a really bad sharp pain that didn't last to long but enough for me to grab whatever was by me to keep me up! Its funny because I was really dizzy at first, and when I get up to walk I walked to the right but its getting better- I stayed home from Church slept all day and then Erik gave me a blessing and I am feeling much better, I'm just waiting for my hearing to pick back up... That's my long story about my ear... left ear, my right ear burst about 6 years ago when I was wak boarding- I have bad ears, always have!

Preston trip

So we as in me and the kids came down to Preston to my nephews baptism on Saturday, it was so fun to surprise everyone. It was well worth the long drive! I got to stay with one of my best friends that was visiting her mom in Boise and then came up. I was thinking I need to upload all my pictures on my moms computer then it would work. But of course my luck I cant get the browse for pictures to work... so still no pictures!!
I do have a before and after pictures to show people of me as well. I got my Hemangeyona (I know that is spelled way wrong) anyways I got it removed off my head! yeah!! So today I am headed home and am so excited for the drive... ha yeah right!!

Where did I go!!

Well, I am still here, I just have the worlds dumbest computer! I know I should still write but without my pictures then my words are just words- and Im not good at those!!
I have so much to catch up on to!

Here's whats been going on-
- Went to Preston, had a blast
- Remodeled bathroom and laundry room (I had no part in this one)
- Had a birthday on the 3rd I am now 26
- Running my heart out for a Half marathon in Sept.
- Erik is chugging along in school, half done with this quarter and only 1 year left!
- Our car is in the shop, and my computer needs to be in the shop (it wont let me even put pictures on it at all anymore)
- And now I am extremely behind in blog land!

Where have we been....

wow, let me just say...Cali, Coast, Work, Sick, Bed, Sick, Dieing, Sick, Bed... Yes this week I thought I was going to die... I had to have had the pig flu or something!!!
Oh and another reason no updates for forever... I cant get my computer to upload my pictures! So their you have it. I didn't die but I am still working on the other problem! So stay tuned.

Music

On Sunday we talked about music and how it helps us so much! I love music, even though I don't know how to read the notes... Ethan and I sing all the time. They listen to Primary songs while going to bed. But this CD is our New Favorite! WE {HEART} it! Every song is so good, its really fun to sing to! I now know EVERY song!! I want to see if the ABC one is as good... If you know please tell!
Also 2 years (i think) ago Womens Conference Raise Your Voice its the Yellow CD! cant find a pic. This one is good to, I like all the songs but a few, I am not at all into opera and I think there is one opera song on there! The Best song is EMMA, I just love it! So these are my two Cd's that I love lately!
I know that good music is so good for us and our kids! Ethan sucks in every ward and then sings them... Those who have music on your blogs thanks for letting me just go to your page while I clean my house to your music play list- We love to jam to- All I want to Do, by Sugarland!

I made it home...

Well, after 5 and a half weeks in Cali, I was really happy to come home until I saw the clouds, and the rain, and the pile of clothes I needed to clean and put away. But looking at all the pictures I took here is a little recap (ok big) of what I did! I really did enjoy every bit of it, it flew by. I got to know Lisa a lot more and it was great, I totally feel like I have another sister. I would do it again anytime. I really think I may just talk Erik into moving to Cali when we are done. We did go look at a house, it was ONLY 600,000! It was a fun dream house to look at anyways!!

Back yard

Ethan and Sadie were loving the sun getting up and heading out back, Ethan in his pj's and boots, and Sadie sneaking around in the garage.

I made Lisa a birthday dinner of Chicken cordon bleu, twice baked potatoes, salad and rolls! ummm! The girls decorated that is why we had Happy New Year hats, Hannah really liked them...
Then a better then ummm Cake, which I made alittle different turned out really yummy!

We headed to Jelly Belly Factory, it was really fun it was just the kids 3 and under.

At there library they have this train so we had to ride!

This is the family I stayed with, they have 5 sweet kids who I got to know a lot better.

But the best part about the whole trip was I talked Erik into coming to get me and the Hulets gave us a night out so we went out to eat, then went to the Marrett and Erik had planed a head and had all this waiting for us when we got back to the hotel. So it was so nice the first night totally away from both kids! It was so what we needed after a long month of kids and studies and from being away from each other!

Im leaving on a jet plane

On Sunday night Lisa Erik's sister called and asked if I wanted to come out and help her with her kids and stuff. So today is my cram day, I have 2 bags to finish and pack, it will be the kids and I flying TOMORROW.... I'm a little scared to be flying by myself with them but also VERY excited to! So if any of you have any good ADVICE with flying with kids, please let me know!! I am flying to Sacramento California and it is only like an hour and 20 min. so it wont be to bad(lets hope). I told Lisa I could stay as long as she needs me. So if I don't post for awhile I'm just hanging out in CALIFORNIA!

so Emily, I don't know if we are ever going to have a Friday!!

So forgetful...

So for the last few days I have been soooo forgetful! Saturday I forgot what time our primary activity was, so we flat out missed it, after I had got Ethan all excited about it. Then last night after talking to the gals at playgroup about Sarah's baby shower, I forgot about it by the end of the day. I am a mess!!! I could have had a night with the gals last night but I forgot! who forgets things like that?? I just need to be on the ball a little more, and write things down! You know when you do forget things you just have that feeling your forgetting everything!! That's me, I feel so out of my element!!

On a brighter note, here are some pictures of the kids, we have liked some of these days that have warm up!

This was a fun new do I tried with Sadie's hair yesterday, it was fun to try I am likeing having a girl and that she is getting hair! Ethan and I have just been laughing all moring at her sweet do shes got going on today!

My Thankful heart

I am so thankful for this time of year, I am blessed with so much. Everything great has happens in November for me. I married Erik and had two amazing kids in Nov. Something about being thankful falls right in the right place and time for me. I do miss my family at this time of year the most, the fun Thanksgiving feast and the waking up early with the gals.

I take a lot for granite, I talked to my friend yesterday and her husband just left to serve for our country again, they have only been together 1 month of there year mark. And here I am complaing about Erik at school to long. I have a great husband that works hard to keep me happy and our family. He is always giving. I am So blessed to have my Sweet kids who are so full of love, who make me smile every minute. (ok almost every minute)
I am so thankful for my family who I love so dearly who put up with me calling all the time just to talk. I am thankful for our church and the blessings I receive from it. I love my Savior with all my heart. And thankful for all the blessing I have been givin.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!