Goal in the Works - Act of Kindness #10

On our way out today there was a bag of trash in the road. I had Derrick stop and I picked it up and took it to the dumpster. Keeping my neighborhood clean and pretty!

Goal in the Works - Homemade/Handmade Christmas Presents

For December I did 2 crafts. I like making homemade things for gifts, it's so much more personal. The first one I made was for Derrick. I made a personalized coffee mug with a couple of Sharpies, a plain white mug and the oven. I wrote on the mug with the Sharpies and then baked it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Update: Even though we don't dish-wash the mug and we are gentle when we wash it, the writing is coming off. I plan to get a ceramic pen and try again.

The other craft was for my mom, she asked for a vase for Christmas. I went out looking for the perfect vase. I found many that were too small or too big or too plain. I did find a few that I was drawn to and they all had etched designs on them but the price was out of our Christmas budget. Then I thought, 'I bet I can make one. Then it will be one-of-a-kind.' So that's what I did. I found a great shaped vase at Michaels and used my 50% coupon. I also got the etching materials from Michaels with another coupon on a separate trip. It took an entire day to complete but well worth it and it wasn't difficult. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the after, just the during.

Goal Accomplished - Bicycle Balance

Lucky for me, Derrick got me the perfect purple beach cruiser for Christmas. Well, thank you Dear for making my goal of riding a bicycle even easier to accomplish. It started by doing a skateboard scoot to get moving, which moved in to a bit of a drunk cycle. I did managed to bump into a garage door, thankfully I didn't crash as I feared I would. I look forward to getting more practice so that Derrick feels comfortable enough to let me get a child seat so Vivian and I can bike to our friend's house, the grocery store or even the library.

Goal Accomplished - Drive a Stick

My mom came in town yesterday which allowed Derrick and I a perfect opportunity to not have Vivian in Derrick's beater car while he teaches me how to drive a manual. It went pretty well. Of course, as anyone knows who has learned how to drive a manual, the trickiest part is getting out of first gear. Surprisingly I only stalled twice and I managed to get up to 3rd gear. We even practiced going backwards. Thankfully, there are no hills in Houma. The trick now is for me to take the car out by myself. I got the hang of the basics but now I have to put it into practice. Wish me luck!

 

 

My First Homemade Decoration

Vivian made her first Christmas tree decoration today. She painted a Christmas tree and decorated it with rhinestones. It came out so perfect!

Goal in the Works - Act of Kindness #9

At the grocery store this morning there was a man in front of me trying to get cash back. He was just going to buy a soda and ask for however much he wanted. I've done this plenty of times. Why pay an ATM fee when you can pay the same amount and get something. I usually get a candy bar. Anyhow, so the cashier rang up his soda and when he went to pay he was not given the option for cash back. Well, silly man, he was using a credit card not a debit card. So he got frustrated and just left without paying for or taking the soda. Well now the cashier had to void the silly $2 soda but there was nobody around so it was going to be a little wait for a manager. I didn't want the nice cashier worried about making me wait and I didn't want to wait so I paid for the soda. I don't drink soda so I told the bag-boy to go choose whatever kind of soda he wanted and keep it for himself. Here is the grateful friendly bag-boy.

Christmas Shopping Fashion

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

During the fall I started doing sensory themed bins for Vivian but I had so much stuff for winter that it wouldn't fit so I turned her bath into a giant Winter Wonderland.

 

My little Polar Bear is ready for fun!

A special Penguin and Snowflake made by my Picasso-in-training.

 Balloons with ice inside.

Warm up baby girl!

Potty!

After bath tonight Vivian did her usual naked run. She made her loop around the living room but then she ran back into the bathroom. What was this? She climbed on top of the toilet (luckily the lid was down) and started peeing! What!?! Did my baby just pee-pee in the potty? Unfortunately I can't show you her happy face on the potty because she's fresh out of the bath and stark naked. Time to get a little potty seat for the big potty.

Music

As most people do, we have been playing lots of Christmas music. Vivian loves it! She started to point to the computer or iPad when she wanted to hear it. Being the smart mommy that I am, a couple of days ago I thought I would show her the sign for music. She picked up on it right away. This morning she immediately asked for music before I could get her out of her bed. She wouldn't let up until I put it on. At least she knows what she wants.

Bath Time Friend

Vivian has made a new friend....herself. She found her reflection in the tub overflow drain. She went on and on like this for about 15 minutes. They were having a serious conversation so I'm only sharing a little of it with you. I can't give away all of her secrets....☺

Go Navy! Beat Army!

We've got spirit yes we do! We've got spirit how 'bout you?

Navy has now won the last 11 matches against Army.

Detour Before Going Home

Vivian and I took a detour before going back home to Louisiana. We met Derrick in Siesta Key (apparently the #1 beach in America) to cheer him on at his first Tough Mudder. My grandparents volunteered to drive us over. I think they wanted a mini vacay.

 
I have always loved Florida's Gulf Coast. It's so beautiful -- white sandy beaches, crystal blue water, crisp air. I especially like it because the water isn't too salty. As I've mentioned before, that is the one thing I dislike about the beach, getting out of the water and feeling sticky. Of course there is also the sand dollars and starfish found buried just under the sand. Everything about that area I have always found to be very relaxing and beautiful.
Well we all arrived Saturday around lunch. Derrick drove down from Louisiana and we drove over from Miami. It was a nice reunion since we hadn't seen him in a week.

 


Our bugalow was right in the heart of Siesta Key so we were actually able to walk to lots of dining, shops and of course the beach. We walked to the beach with Vivian a few times while we were there. She actually went in the water, all the way! This was a first for her. It was very exciting and she loved it. She kept running in and out.




     

 

Yesterday was the Tough Mudder, a 12 mile obstacle course in the mud of course. Unfortunately we were unable to watch but I got a picture of Derrick before and after. We also found a couple pictures online. Derrick said he enjoyed himself and had fun. He had huge gnarly bruises and a mark from where he was shocked by the hanging electrified wires. Hey, whatever gets you goin' dear.

Before

clean shirt, numbers on his forehead, acting tough

A Death Waiver? Really?

During

getting muddy

After

lost shirt, sweatband on head, numbers?, Tough Mudder

 
It was a quick stay in Siesta Key but very relaxing and enjoyable. And we are finally on our way home with a 14 hour drive and a 16 month old. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for driving us and staying with us!

Goal in the Works - Ruffle Tree Skirt

My Pinterest craft for Novemeber is a no-sew ruffle tree skirt. It took lots of hot glue, a few hours and 2.5 yards of fabric. It was very tedious and I burnt my self numerous times. It came out better than I was expecting. It cost about $20 so if it lasts only a few Holidays I will be satisfied. Maybe if I get good at using the sewing machine I'll make another one the 'right' way. I had to wait to get home to get it under the tree for a proper picture.

BEAUTIFUL!

Vivian and Dyno like looking out the window so they made viewing windows in the spray snow on the window.

Goal in the Works - Act of Kindness #8

On one of our visits to Grandma Elaine's she had mentioned that every year she gets poinsettias for her front lawn. She used to get them for $3 each at KMart but the KMart had recently closed and the cheapest she could find them was $6 each, double. It would be one thing if she only got a couple each year but she doesn't. She gets around 14. She seemed really disappointed so I decided that on our last visit before we left Miami, we would surprise Grandma with a few poinsettias. Vivian helped me pick them out at the tree lot and then we made our delivery. Grandma loved them!

Goal Accomplished - Learn to Crochet

Derrick left Miami to go back to work on Sunday and Vivian and I stuck around for another few days. I took this opportunity to accomplish one of my goals, learn to knit and/or crochet. I had my Grandma Dot teach me this morning. She chose to teach me how to crochet as it is a building block for knitting.

You can tell how I was doing by the look on my face here. I found the way you're supposed to hold the yarn in your hand very awkward. And Grandma seems to have lost her patience but she didn't.

 

After several attempts and just continuing to do it, I finally got it. This is what I made...not much I know but it's the beginning of something bigger.

I now know the basic stitch and should be able to make a blanket. Right?

Pinterest Confession

*This is not intended to be a bashing on any specific person. For my standards, I got carried away with Pinterest and this is how it effected me and how I plan to handle it.*

Dear Pinterest,

Our relationship started out so innocently. I joined Pinterest to get some ideas on home crafts, recipes and activities to do with Vivian. I got some wonderful ideas and have even tried a few. I got most of Vivian's 1st birthday party ideas from Pinterest. Even one of my goals before I turn 30 is to do one Pinterest craft a month. It is definitely a great resource. Everything was going along fine until I started following all these wonderful yet over-achieving mamas and crafters. I must confess that I can be an over-achiever as well, however these ladies take it to a whole new level. You see, I go into an activity with gusto and put toward 110% committing more time than I have but I do it one activity at a time. These mamas seemed to be doing it with every activity, from brushing their teeth to teaching their baby colors to getting the car's oil changed, every part of the day. And on top of that, they had the time to blog about it and then Pin it. I thank those ladies for having so much energy because I have repinned many of their ideas in hopes that one day I too can be as organized and productive as they are and be the best mom and wife I can be. But recently I realized that I was trying to be the best mom and wife they could be. For some reason it made me want to compare myself to all the super mamas and super crafters but I know that I should only compete against my own expectations of myself not others. At my peak, I was checking Pinterest 3 times a day (morning, during nap, while Derrick was giving Vivian a bath). Maybe not so bad, I know many people follow it on their phones but I was clearly not making the most of my time. How was I supposed to organize my pantry, prepare the next activity that is going to make Vivian the smartest baby ever and cook dinner if I was busy checking in on everybody else's brilliant accomplishment of the day? I was getting worked up with anxiety and felt I had to do a hundred things a hundred miles a minute in order to keep up. But since I've been on vacation and have been more focused on the things that matter more to me than the best way to clean a fish bowl, I haven't checked Pinterest once. And I feel great. I think I will use Pinterest as more of a search engine from now on. I can't bring myself to unfollow all these wonderful ladies. In the back of my head I still think, "What if they Pin the very one thing I have been looking for this whole time?" Yet not knowing what that one thing is. If I am interested in activities to teach Vivian about farm animals or if I'm looking for a new recipe then I'll check to see what Pinterest has to offer. I know I can count on finding several great ideas from all the brilliant minds that share their goodies with everyone. So thank you Pinterest for your wonderful concept but I won't be checking in as regularly. Although, it is the holidays and I am looking for the best way to make rack of lamb.

Sincerely,
Nicole

Road Trip to the Keys

Surprise trip to Holiday Isle in Islamorada in the Florida Keys. Derrick hadn't been yet and although it is quite different from Key West, he can now say he's been to the Keys. We had loads of fun!

We found this great swing just outside the hotel. It was so colorful, we all gave it a try.

♥ My little family ♥

Even my Grandma Elaine got in the fun chair.

Derrick found this random wicker basket hanging from a tree. I think he actually walked into it and then decided to pretend he was in a bird cage. Vivian found it confusing but amusing.

Mom and Don

Vivian actually let her feet get wet!

Bar-fly sporting Mommy's glasses.

Vivian and her Great-Grandma having a casual conversation in the Adirondack chairs.