Currently

eating:  a new meal last night. Quiche with ham and cheddar and sourdough bread. Grown ups liked, but not the kids. I know, shocking. 

wanting:  to sign up for the One Little Word class.

loving:  my new work schedule. I'll be working less weekends and shorter shifts, but an extra shift. Moved to working 4 8-hr shifts rather than 2 11-hr and 1 10-hr shift. Waiting for my sleep habits to adjust to an earlier bedtime. Had my first weekend off and hosted my first family dinner. It was great seeing everyone for a non-birthday, non-holiday reason. It just felt so relaxed. Looking forward to hosting one every month.

working:  on purging craft supplies and finishing old projects. So far I've finished December daily for 2011 and 2012 along with 4 other mini-books. Almost done with the 2013 December daily. 

feeling:  relaxed. And like being a homebody. 

reading:  still working on The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I just can't seem to get into it.  But to be fair, I haven't taken time to read other than during work breaks. I spend more time reading blogs and IG and FB and playing Jelly Splash. Hmmm, I think I may have to do something about that......

watching:  Finished Season 1 of House of Cards. It's as good as they say. Almost done with Season 2 of Homeland. Not as good as season 1. Saw the movie Nebraska. Slow at times, but overall a good story. Feel good ending. Wanting to go see Her on Friday.

weather:  59 at noon. High of 70 and low of 45 and partly cloudy for today.

needing:  to let go of the spending money issues. We got in a HUGE medical bill and so we're trying to slow down all the fun spending we do every month. Man, it's hard. So, so hard. But it's doable. And it's not worth fighting over (yes, that's been happening too).
 
planning:  a getaway weekend for Mark's birthday. Can't wait to spend time alone with my hubby!

photo of my view while doing dishes. taken nov. 2013 in my kitchen.

Disneyland (Day 2)

 

Day 2 was spent at California Adventure.

It was a good day.

The Weekly Capture

Moments from the week:

renewed love for candles this holiday season // first view of the morning

 

organizing // technical difficulties

 

projects completed // me

 

project life on the brain

 

 

Lots of craft supply purging going on here. I have that twitch to clean and simplify. Let's see how long it lasts and how much I get done before the feeling fades!

 

And I'm determined to work on unfinished projects. Last night I finished Dec. Daily 2011 and 2012, Fall Break 2011, and 2 other mini-books. By finished, I mean I added a few items and called it good enough.  A December Daily with only 10 pages filled in is better than no December Daily. I still have a drawer full of loose photos and a box full of kids school projects that I need to put in a binder, so I have plenty to work on. And there's that December Daily for 2013 that I have not even started....

 

My new work schedule started this week. I'm taking a hiatus from working every weekend. I will still have to work 2 Saturdays and maybe a Sunday every month, but super excited to have some weekends off!

 

That's it for the week. Have a fabulous weekend!

 

Linking up with Jeannette at Life Rearranged.

 



 

L

Zoo

Sharing some family photos from November.

An afternoon at the Phoenix Zoo.

It still doesn't seem real that my baby boy has a baby.

And that photo with my husband, my baby boy, and my tater tot. Kills me.

Kills. Me.

The Weekly Capture

changes in 8 days //  hands // Santa Baby // why people move to Phoenix // traditions

 

 

8 days. That's all the time that  has passed between Tater visits. But she has changed. Her face looks different, less like her momma. And she does the cutest thing with her left hand. She wiggles her fingers, then moves her hand like a sideways snake, then wiggles the fingers some more. Not sure if she just discovered that she had some control over the movement of her fingers, or if she is doing some sort of a wave, but it sure seems like a deliberate, intentional movement.

 

Christmas was good. Most festivities happened on Christmas Eve. We crafted, we ate a ham dinner, we unwrapped present. We made lots of noise, shared tons of laughter, loved this life of ours. The tree was decorated on the Eve also, but only after a family vote helped sway me to make the effort. I like to call 2013 the year of "The Simple Christmas".

 

Christmas morning everyone slept in. Pancakes and bacon were consumed. And just general laziness happened. Then the sickness started. Mark and Alec caught some nasty stomach virus. And I wasn't feeling too great myself. Again, a family meeting was called. Do we continue the annual tradition of going to Zoo Lights, or take a pass this year? In the end, the 3 of us not feeling well stayed home and rested, and the rest headed out to meet grandparents and cousins and an aunt at Zoo Lights. It was odd being home alone. Not bad, but odd.

 

This was the year that things felt different. I can sense that our family time may be on the verge of change. What if Trev and his family move a bit further away from us? What will Christmas look like next year with Alec? As the kids get older and change is inevitable, I am holding firmly on to gratitude. I was trying to grasp every moment and enjoy it for what it was. I was truly happy to be surrounded by all those who are dearest to me this holiday season. Don't get me wrong, I would love for things to never change, but just to be safe, I am appreciating every little moment of my life......

 

And I'm looking forward to the promise of a new year and all the little moments that will come......

 

Linking up with Jeannette at Life Rearranged.

Money Jar

Now that it's the day after Christmas, it's time to start thinking about Christmas 2014.

No groaning!

I saw this great idea on Pinterest for saving a little bit every week in a money jar. You save the dollar amount that corresponds to the week of the year. Week 1 save 1 dollar, week 8 save 8 dollars. You get the idea.

Check out the full details at Life as You Live It.

It would be perfect for a Christmas fund.

The Bell Family will be starting this in the new year. Because with our growing family, we blew the cash budget this year. But next year I will rock the "no plastic" Christmas!

But I need to start now. Well, next week.

How about you? Were you a good budgeter for the holidays or did you break the bank?

Merry Christmas 2013

Happy Holidays from my family to yours!