Changes

I've decided to change to focus of my blog.  I've decided to make it more of a family journal.  Less about me and more about us.  Hopefully, I'll be able to upload to posts at the end of 6 months or a year and have a book printed. 

With this decision, I decided to create a new blog and start fresh.  I know it's a pain to add a new blog address to your reader, but please add the new one and keep up with us!

http://batnt.blogspot.com

Catch you on the flip-side!

Happy Little Things

The kid’s school did parent teacher conferences in October.  Yes, school started in almost the middle of September.  Seems VERY silly to me to have the one and only parent teacher conference six weeks after school starts.  I was concerned, but we got “report cards” this week and all three children seem to be doing swimmingly.  Very proud of them.

My kindergartener is an excellent reader.  Almost as good a reader as my second grader.  I did not teach him to read.  {I read to him a lot however.}  One day last spring (2010) he brought me a new book from the library, sat down next to me and read the whole thing out loud.  I was stunned.  He loves to read and spends a lot of time reading.  Last week, he saw me typing and decided that he might like to type too.  I opened up Word and let him at it.  He typed all about his stay at the hospital.  He typed how he got to control the remote and how fun it it. 

That is a Word document that I will never put in the trash.  Seriously so happy.

Hearing my daughter share her testimony of Joseph Smith in front of the congregation on Sunday.  So impressed with her faith.  Also, the same day, my youngest gave a talk on God’s plan for us in primary (children’s class).  He got up and read his talk clearly and did a wonderful job.

Watching the Super Bowl with some friends and our oldest son.  He loves sports, that one.  He was certain the Packers were going to win – and they did!

For the Super Bowl, I made an apple dip that was very good (happy!) ~ 16 oz cream cheese, softened, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 8 oz toffee bits.  Mix it all together and serve it with some sliced apples.  It was good with a Ritz cracker too.

Any happy little things at your place?

You Capture | Cold

I’ve been wanting to participate in You Capture at I Should Be Folding Laundry for awhile. I’ve needed something to get me taking pictures, because I haven’t been picking up my camera the last several.  I was disappointed last week when I saw that the topic was “cold”.

Here in the northwest, we’ve been having an unseasonably warm January.  Seriously – it’s been heavenly.  No wind, no rain and temps in the mid-upper 50’s (tomorrow the wind will blow and the rain will start just because of that sentence) so I wasn’t sure I would get anything cold to take a picture of.

Then this morning, when the kids headed out the door to school it was below freezing.  And there was signs of winter – fog hanging over the neighborhood, frost on the grass, bushes and roof tops.  Gray skies above the fog.  It just looked like winter, and cold. 

So I put on my husband’s flip flops, grabbed the camera and headed out. Here are a couple shots I got:

I’m particularly excited about the bottom one because I used the manual mode.

Stay warm this week!

Books

In January, I read two books.  TWO. 

The problem was that I had started too many books.  When I read more than one (or two) at a time, I don’t ever finish any. 

So I settled down and so far in February (we’re, what?, nine days in?) I’ve read five books.   FIVE.  Granted, some have been YA which tend to read faster but still.  I’m on a roll!

Here’s what I’ve read and what I thought of them:

The Kalahari Typing School For Men by Alexander McCall Smith – This book is the fourth (fifth?) in the No. 1 Ladie’s Detective Agency series.  I have enjoyed most of the books.  Mma Ramotswe is such an enjoyable character.  I’ll admit though that I am tiring of the series.  And if Mma Ramotswe and her love don’t get married soon, I’m going to quit reading them. 

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin – This book is about Gretchen Rubin’s journey to be more happy.  She isn’t sad – but feels like her life could be happier.  I loved this book.  In the beginning.  And then (the chapters are done by month) June came around and I got tired of it.  Honestly, I think Rubin tired of it around here as well.  Perhaps, I got overwhelmed by all the information she was giving.  Really, it was inspiring.  I feel like she had a lot of really good ideas and I took notes so I can refer back to it.  If you’re interested in the book, I might wait until it’s in paperback and mark it up.  Take your time with it.  My favorite line from the book was this: The opposite of happiness is unhappiness not depression. (I don’t really know why I liked that line so much, but I did.)

Wolves, Boys & Other Things That Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler – This book is a Whitney Award nominee.  I had it on hold before I knew that though.  A friend I went to HS with put it on Goodreads.  One of her dad’s students wrote it.  Her dad was my teacher in HS too so I was interested.  It’s a YA book about a girl that lives in a small town outside of Yellowstone National Park.  The girl becomes interested in the wolf reintroduction program and the book explores both sides of the issue.  Very interesting read. 

So Not Happening by Jennie B. Jones – This is a Christian YA novel about a girl that has everything in New York and gets moved to the sticks when her mom remarries.  It kind of reminded me of the Princess Diaries – similar type book – and I enjoyed it.  It was just a light, happy book.  It was a fun read and I look forward to reading others in the series. 

Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams – Williams wrote one of my favorite books from last year (The Chosen One) so when I saw that she had a new book out, I added it to my list.  It was a very interesting format.  Not like a typical novel. Verse format – poetry, I guess.  On the first page of the book, Hope walks in on her sister, Lizzie, holding a gun.  It’s a sad, heartbreaking, hopeful book.  It was also a very quick read.  It’s a YA read, but I’d be careful with younger girls reading it.  I’d say 15-16+. 

Up next: I’m trying to get through Eve and the Choice Made in Eden by Beverly Campbell.  It’s very good so far, but pretty heavy.  These days, I’m reading one book upstairs and one downstairs so I’m also reading Water For Elephants. I’ve just started it so I don’t have an opinion yet.

What’s on your night stand to read right now?

Happy Little Things

The post that made me laugh out loud: Back to School Means Back to Homework at Rarely Home Mom.  I just adore Julie.  I wish that I knew her better when I lived near her. 

A couple of days ago I had some ground beef on the counter as I was getting ready to make sloppy joes for dinner and my youngest came up poked it and said, “Cool! We’re having brain for dinner.”

I hit my 10% goal at WW this week. Twenty pounds gone.  Yes!

The 5-year-old is pretty much all better and recovered from his surgery.  He’s a little cranky still and I think his voice sounds a little different, but he doesn’t give us a thumbs down when we ask him how he’s feeling anymore.  Also, he was so super excited to go back to school on Wednesday. 

Having all my babies in school {at least for a few hours} and having a husband that works from home means that we get to go on day-time dates.  And today is the day!  Love alone time with my cute husband.  He’s so much fun to be with.

What Happy things happened to you this week?

Goal | The Camera

One of my goals for this year is to take most of my pictures with out using the automatic settings on the camera.  I want to get to where I use mostly the manual setting.  (I say mostly because I’ve decided that with kids and their quick movements, sometimes the automatic focus and adjustments the camera can do on it’s own will be faster and better than what I can do on my own.)

I had hoped to take a class in February at the local community college, but have since changed my mind.  So, I’ve been studying, highlighting, reading, and marking up my copy of Understand Exposure by Bryan Peterson.

I’ve added Digital Photography School to my reader, and I’ve been reading tutorials and the training course that is Allison Walken is doing on her photo blog. 

A couple weekends ago, while my youngest was at a birthday party, the older two kids and I went to the park and I played with manual mode.  This is what I got:

Overexposed. Underexposed.  Blurry.  Disappointing.

Part of me worries that in the process of learning, I’ll miss out of some great moments.  So. Here’s hoping I learn soon, so I can get some good pictures…soon!

I think I improved a little bit last week:

 

Any advice for me?  Any websites or books that you highly recommend?  Do you use the Manual setting?

Spring is Coming...

We’ve had some unusual January days.  Normally, if it’s not raining in January the wind is blowing hard and we are doing everything we can to avoid being outside; but we’ve had weather in the upper 50’s with sun and no wind.  It’s been beautiful!  And it has me itching for May and summer on the way.  I have to remind myself that really we have a few more months of cold and rain ahead of us still…  I do have proof that spring will be here before too long:

I have bulbs coming up!  I’ve had red tulips here from before we moved in, but I planted some new tulips, some daffodils and another flower that I don’t remember what is. I can’t wait to see them in bloom!

Any signs of spring where you are?

Surgery

The surgery was successful (I guess…he has a post-op appointment in two weeks).  He was such a trooper.  Thanks so very much for your kind thoughts, prayers, emails, text messages, etc.  We’re very blessed to have so many people that care about out son and love him as much as we do.

We had to get up at 5:00 to be ready to leave at 5:30 to get checked in by 6:00.  We didn’t have to wait long before we were taken back to a room where our youngest had his vitals checked and was changed into the stylin’ hospital pajamas. 

He got total control of the remote to the in-room TV.  He channel surfed for a bit before asking the nurse if he could “on-demand”.  There was no on-demand, but the nurse thought that was quite funny.

He was wheeled away from us about 7:30 and had no fears about leaving us.  Apparently, he was quite talkative and entertaining until he fell asleep.  He had an IV put in, and had his very large adenoids removed, his very full ears drained and tubes put into his ears.  Then he went to recovery for a little while until they brought him back to us.

 He was still so tired, and had this glazed over look in his eyes.  He dozed, drank water and tried to watch TV before giving up, turning the TV off, rolling on his side and sleeping for a while. 

He took his stuffed dog, Puppers, to surgery with him where Puppers got a hairnet to keep the surgery sanitary.

After a little while, he had drank enough water, eaten a popsicle, and was able to stand briefly so we were able to take him home.  He got to ride in a wheelchair out (which he thought was very cool).

At home, we laid him on the couch, turned on Scooby Doo for him and gave him some Cheerios to snack on.  Bryan and I heated up some left-over pizza for lunch and were sitting with him when he suddenly reached over and stole my pizza. He ate two pieces. 

He didn’t talk much on Friday (he said it hurt too much.)  He didn’t move much either.  We thought he would sleep well but at 3:30 Saturday morning he was downstairs trying to color. I was able to get him to go back sleep for a few more hours in our room.   Saturday, he talked more, played a little bit and ate and drank like normal.

This morning, he’s not feeling great but he’s up and moving a bit.  I’m guessing he’ll be back to 100% tomorrow.

Thursday Morning Cocoa

Right now I’m sitting on the couch with my 5-year-old while he watches an episode of Scooby Doo from 1970.  My kids love Scooby Doo.  I remember loving Scooby Doo as a kid too.  Now, though, I can only handle so much before I announce that there will be no. more. Scooby. Doo.

By this time tomorrow morning, my son should be out of surgery.  The medicine to make his ears clear up did not do anything so tomorrow we go in early and he will have his ears drained, his adenoids removed and possibly tubes put in his ear.  It’s a routine surgery – the doctor does it a lot – but it’s not routine for me to have one of my children in the hospital.  Any prayers you can say that the surgeon’s hands will be guided and steady and for my little boy and his healing would be appreciated.

I’m very lucky (and grateful) that my husband is worthy to give him a priesthood blessing before we go in, and that my sister is willing to take my other kids and another friend has offered to help out.  My youngest is excited about taking a nap and eating popsicles at the hospital.  He hopes they have a red one for him.

This afternoon, I have a den meeting.  Did I ever tell you that I am a Cub Scout leader?  I am over the Bears (currently there are 5 of them) and the Wolves (currently there are 2 but only 1 comes).  I feel like my den meetings are kind of boring so I’m looking for ways to make them more exciting.  Any ideas? 

I would love if each week the Bears and the Wolves could pass something off but it just isn’t going to happen this week.  The Bears are going to pass off the section about American Folklore and I think we’ll do a craft.  With just me it’s too hard to have two groups doing two different things.

What’s on your list for today?  Have your kids ever had surgery? 

The Closet

One of the books that I am reading right now is The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  Normally, I’m a one book at a time kind of girl but lately I read more than one at a time and it takes me forever to finish any of them.  I’m also reading Ella Minnow Pea, Understanding Exposure, Eve and the Choice Made in Eden, The Kalahari Typing School for Men and a couple of Zits comic books.  Sigh.

Anyway, in The Happiness Project, Rubin tells about how she decided that she could be living a happier life.  She felt she was all ready happy but decided that she could be happier.  She assigns each month of the year something to work on.  In January she tackles energy and one the things she concentrates on is clutter.

In my house, I notice that the kids love to play in the room that is clean.  Then they mess it up and move on to another room that is clean.  It’s more fun to be where it is orderly.  It’s more relaxing. 

I’ve felt surrounded by stuff lately.  I have a few different goodwill boxes going.  So after reading Rubin’s pages on clutter I was inspired to do what she started with and clean out my closet.

I tackled it yesterday and it feels good.

I had at least 10 skirts. I go to church and wear a skirt once a week.  So I got rid of a few. I never wear nylons but I had several pairs.  I normally wear either knee highs or thigh highs depending on the skirt length so I got rid of the nylons.  I trimmed down my sweat pant and pajama pant selection.  Honestly, do I need six pairs of pajama pants and seven pairs of sweats?  No.  I made it so I have one hooded sweatshirt and one regular sweatshirt.  I got rid of last years shorts, because by this summer they will be too big.  I put the sandals in a box so they are scattered on the floor.  I got rid of the excess shirts I keep on hand for exercising in. 

I felt like a weight had been lifted.  It felt great!

After that, I couldn’t stop there so I went through our bathroom and got rid of all the sweet smelling lotions and body washes that I seldom use.  I got rid of the hair products that I had bought and ended up not liking.  I got rid of packaging that I didn’t need.  I put all the nail polish together (and now wonder why I have four purple nail polish bottles). 

Here’s hoping I can keep it nice and neat!

How do you handle clutter?  How often do you clean out your closet?

This Week

Things I did do this week:

• Volunteered in my oldest child’s classroom
• Volunteered in my youngest child’s classroom
• Weight Watcher meeting
• Stayed up way too late every. single. night.
• Watched too many movies:  Beauty and the Briefcase [what a total waste of time], Bullrider [excellent!], Our Family Wedding [three out of five stars], Bride and Prejudice [fun!], Eat, Pray, Love [snooze] 
• Went to the parent meeting at school
• Took the youngest to the doctor
• Scheduled surgery for next week (!!!)
• Hosted five 8 & 9 year olds to make cookies and wrestle
• Laundry, Grocery Shopping and Cleaning
• Went to Costco
• Started another Y basketball season as assistant coach
• Ordered prints of pictures
• Read more of Understand Exposure and played with the camera
• Watched a friend’s 2 1/2 year old.  Wow, those toddlers are busy…how soon we forget. 
• Took the daughter to piano lessons
• Missed my husband like crazy {he’s in Utah…and tried so hard to not be a crazy jealous wife!  (It’s not really working.)}

See how cute he is?  I can’t wait for him to come home!

Goal | Scriptures

My resolution for the year is to Finish.

I also have a few goals on top of that.  I’m having a really hard time with one so I’m hoping you, dear internet, have some advice for me.  This particular goal is to set up a personal study program {that sounds so lame…but…it is what it is} and I am really struggling.

I know that I need to read the scriptures everyday.  I know I need to read the words of modern day prophets and apostles.  I know what happens in my life when I am on top of it and do it.

So, why is it so hard to do when I know the blessings?

I don’t get it.

I realize we need to read them as a family, but my first goal is to get better at personal scripture study...then I’ll work on it as a family.  So, tell me:

How do you do it?  How do you incorporate the scriptures into your life?  Do you notice a difference when you are reading regularly?

Onions

Growing up my dad would tell me, his picky eater, that life would be much easier if I learned to like onions. 

I never did.

I was the girl that would pick out all of the teeny-tiny pieces of zucchini out of my mom’s zucchini casserole.  And, I wouldn’t touch anything that had an onion, mushroom, cucumber, tomato (ugh, tomatoes!), peppers, lettuce or squash in it. 

Basically, I would eat carrots. If they had ranch.  But if you cooked them?  No way.  Put them in cake?  Even worse.

Luckily, for me, tastes change.  My tastes have changed dramatically over the last ten years.  Now?  I love salad.  At first, I could only eat them with ranch dressing and lots of croutons.  These days, I’ll eat them with different dressings and I don’t often put croutons on.  I’ll eat them with carrots, ham, eggs…I even had one a few weeks ago with nuts and strawberries – seriously, the best salad ever.  I’ll eat cooked carrots, and I like onion rings.

I still don’t eat tomatoes unless they are in the form of ketchup, spaghetti sauce or pizza sauce.  I just can’t get over the smell of tomato breath.  Please, stay away from me if you’ve just eaten a tomato.    I also don’t eat cucumbers.  I tried one a few weeks ago.  No thanks.  I haven’t tried a mushroom in twenty five years.  I can’t get past the mushrooms that grow in the grass. 

My WW leader gave me a yam a couple of weeks ago.  She challenged me to bake it, then, squeeze some fresh lime over the top and sprinkle on some pepper.  We cooked it up and served it with dinner and…I kind of liked it. 

I was thinking yesterday that life would be easier if I liked onions.  After all, you find onions everywhere. 

So last night, I made sweet and sour chicken.  The recipe called for one green pepper, one onion, pineapple, and carrots. I cut the peppers and onion up smaller than I normally would and…

…I ate them!

Granted, they were covered in sweet and sour sauce, but I ate them.  And they were good!

I’m sure that I’m a ways away from having sautéed onions on my steak, but it’s a small step.

Now, if I could just get the 9-year-old and the 5-year-old to believe Grandpa’s wisdom ~ Life is easier if you like onions.

Ice Day

We had snow flurries last night.  Combined with 30 mph wind, it was quite a sight to behold.  My youngest took full advantage – grabbed his sweatshirt, cowboy boots and one-size-fits-all gloves and headed out to play.  Not long after, it started to be ice pellets which is, I guess, called freezing rain.  At some point in the night, it turned to rain but was still very cold so we woke up this morning to icy sidewalks, windshields and roads.  Which means:

No school today!

We’re had ourselves a lazy morning with Garfield being streamed through the Wii.  All my kids love to sit and read Garfield books and Calvin and Hobbes books.  By 2:00 the temperature had raised to the 50’s and it’s raining.  

One of the things I miss most about living in Utah (other than family and friends) is snow.  I love, love, love the snow. I love to watch it snow.  I love to shovel snow. I love to drive in snow. I love to play in snow.  And, I really love the memories I have of snow.  The memory of my oldest shoveling the sidewalk with me.  Making snow men with my oldest and my daughter.  Going sledding and having my southern born daughter want to be back in the warm car after about ten minutes.  I remember going cross country skiing with my dad, sister and brother.  I remember building forts with my brother and shoveling all the snow to one corner of the yard so we could have our own sledding hill.

And of course, Utah has been having some of the snowiest winters in years since we moved away.  Sigh.

I wonder if now that I’ve lived where it rains all winter if I would still like the snow if I lived in it.  Time changes us. 

For those of you living where the snow is, do me a favor:

Throw a snowball or three, make a snow angel and try to catch a snowflake on your tongue.  Isn’t the feeling of the flakes hitting your face amazing? Then go inside and wrap up in a blanket and watch the snow shimmer in the moonlight while you enjoy a cup of hot chocolate.  With some mini marshmallows and a mini candy cane.   

Monday Afternoon Cocoa

(From January 2010)

I’m sitting here listening to my daughter cough while she rests on the couch.  I can hear the Judd’s playing on the kitchen radio and the sun is shining straight into this room.  It’s warm and bright.  And makes me think of spring (even though we didn’t get winter yet – don’t get me started on the lack of snow this year). 

I’m helping with the school book fair again this year.  We had our first planning meeting this morning and realized that it is in six weeks.  It happens to be the same week as my daughter’s birthday so in six weeks she will be eight years old.  That is totally unreal.  Time to start planning for her baptism, and a birthday party.  Any fun ideas for a girl party?  I’m kind of thinking an evening party with jammies, pizza, movies…maybe decorate pillow cases or jean pockets into purses or something.  She wants to invite seven girls.

Then, a week and a half later my oldest child will be ten years old.  Any ideas for a boy party?  I think that he will want to invite four or five kids.  He’s into video games so I’d kind of like to set up a gaming tournament or something.

I’ve always told my daughter that she can have her ears pierced when she is eight.  Bryan would like her to wait until she is twenty-eight.  Hard to believe it’s almost time for her to be eight and have ears pierced and go to activity days at church and be baptized and…  I feel old today.

I’ve been busy doing hair this month.  I only did a couple cuts in December so everyone is playing catch up now.  It’s nice though. I enjoy it quite a bit and I miss having the room for a salon in the house.

The laundry is going and the kitchen is most of the way clean.  It’s probably time for me to get up and finish that. 

What’s happening at your house today?

Ear Update

I took my youngest into the ENT doctor this week.  They didn’t do another hearing test, but a test that blows a puff of air into the ear and measures the movement of the ear drum.  His ear drum doesn’t move at all (it should) which means that there is a fluid build up behind the ear drum. 

Interestingly enough, the ENT thinks that the eczema that my son deals with could be related to this fluid as well as any snoring that he might do. 

The treatment options include: A) Waiting to see if the fluid goes away; B) Treating it with asthma/allergy medication which sometimes helps the fluid drain; C) Draining the fluid out and putting in tubes; and D) Removing the adenoids which are behind the tonsils and typically disappear in the teen years.

The doctor felt that if the fluid were to go away on it’s own that it would have happened by now.  So, we are treating it with medication for now.  He will do one week of medicine and then after another week we will go back in to see if it has made any difference.  If it has, we will either continue on treatment or possibly continue with tubes anyway.  If it has made no difference, we will decide between tubes and the adenoid removal. 

I have been asked if he has had a lot of ear infections.  Honestly, I don’t know. I wonder if he has had more than we have realized.  He hasn’t had many that we know of, but the ones that he has had we didn’t know he had until his ear drum ruptured (which has happened several times). He would never complain of ear pain and then suddenly, his ear would be oozing greenish goo.  (Nice image, huh. You’re welcome.)

Not too exciting but I thought I’d give an update anyway. We’re praying the medicine will do the trick!

Hoping to remember…

 

…that she loved to climb on the couch with me to watch my favorite movie: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

…that she always wanted to help in the kitchen.  Peeling eggs and carrots are her favorite ways to help.  She’s a pro at toast, ramen and macaroni and cheese too.

…that she wrote a letter to her new primary teacher.  In it she told how she loves to go to church and hopes that her teacher loves to go to church too.  She also hopes that her new primary teacher will like her.

…that when she was seven, she got up in testimony meeting and bore the sweetest testimony on her own twice.   I love how she knows that God loves her and that we are a family forever.

…the smile in her eyes after she has practiced the piano.

…how she found an Albertson’s ad and circled all the meat that was on sale. (and the pickles).  She wrote “Buy these” on the ad and left it on her dad’s desk.  She loves meat.

…how she wore her dad’s shoes out to get the mail with the big umbrella.

Ten Best Photos of 2010

For You Capture this week, Beth has challenged us to share of ten favorite photos from 2010. Here are mine:

I wish there wasn’t that shadow across her face.  Otherwise it would be perfect. 

She’s so beautiful.

 

The Portland LDS temple

At Punchbowl Falls

 

My favorite flower

 

At the flag plant with the cub scouts

Watching a barge go up a lock.  Love how they lined up from tallest to shortest.

 

Rain makes for great hair-dos

Love this boy

Toy Story birthday

Baby nephew’s feet

As I look back I feel a little bad that my favorite photos from 2010 don’t include my oldest child.  He doesn’t so much want to have pictures taken, but still.  For 2011, my goal is to have more favorite photos of my family.  I want to use Manual mode with my camera too.

Head over to I Should Be Folding Laundry to play along.

This makes me laugh…

The kindergarten classes made these Santa’s that were displayed in the classroom for the Christmas party.  They make me smile.  Today, my youngest brought his home and it makes me laugh:

Is Santa happy?

Gotta love kindergarten art.

2011 Word & Goal

In 2010, I wrote about my resolutions here.  I did okay.  Not great – far from perfect, but okay.  And I’m totally okay with that.  On to this year:

I have never thought that I would be one of the One Little Word people. You know, the people that choose one word for the year.  A word that keeps them focused and on track.  I’ve admired people that have been able to do it, but it hasn’t been me.

I’ve got a couple of smaller goals that I want to work on through the year, and one big resolution.  The resolution is kind of big (to me) so it’s my only resolution for 2011.  Here it is:

Become a finisher.

Basically, I want to finish what I start.  I want to put away the laundry and leave empty baskets in the laundry room after a folding marathon.  I want to wipe down the counter and sweep the floor after the dishwasher is loaded and the pans are washed when dinner is done.  I want to finish the quilts that I have started.  I want to finish the things I start. Too often, I let myself get distracted by something else and I have so many things left unfinished.  Can you say ADD?  I don’t know if I have it, but I do wonder. 

So, to go along with this resolution one word has been coming to my mind:

Finish

So there you have my One Little Word for 2011.  I’m thinking of hanging it on my fridge, taping it to the bottom of the laundry basketball and putting it on my sewing machine.  And any other places of inspiration.

Do you do resolutions?  How about One Little Word?  What is yours?  Any advice for me on mine?  Are you good about finishing the laundry completely?