Five Short Years

Adam and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary yesterday. Well, the anniversary was yesterday, but we are celebrating all weekend! Yesterday we had some friends over for dinner and games, which was a lot of fun. Today my dad came over to pick up Joshua, and then Adam and I headed on down the road for a one-night get-away in Seaside. We got here around 4pm and our little hotel has lots of character. It is right on the beach, and I spent the first few minutes we got here just looking out our window at the stormy ocean outside. Yes, it's raining, but it's not windy and it's not freezing, so I'm still loving being at the beach. We walked around town and found a place for dinner, and afterwards found some ice cream. As we were walking down and back on the main street through town, we noticed that with all the summertime tourists gone, Seaside's troubled youth population has room to stretch out and run up and down the streets while constantly smoking.

*****



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5 years
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I can only imagine what the next five years will bring!

Something fun!

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!

2- What I create will be just for you.

3- It'll be done this year.

4- You have no clue what it's going to be.

5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch is that you must repost this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!

My little corner of Etsy

I've been wanting to do this for about 6 months or so, and this past week, I finally did it. I opened my own shop on Etsy.

When I was a little girl, my maternal grandma taught me how to crochet, and I have loved it every since. Over the years I've learned more stitches and with lots of practive, have gotten pretty good. There was the lady on my mission who taught me how to do granny squares. Then there was Jen and Cheryl in my ward at BYU after my mission who taught me how to read crochet patterns and taught me some cool things.

I often crochet when watching TV. It somehow makes me feel more productive. Over the years I've made quite a few full-size afghans and baby afghans. I have given some of them away to friends for weddings or for their babies, and I've made a couple of baby afghans for Joshua. Last year a friend of mine started selling homemade, over-sized baby blankets on Etsy and I got an idea. I should try to make some extra money by doing what I love and try to sell my extra afghans! The idea mulled around in my head for a while, and these past few months I've been building up my baby afghan inventory. Finally last week I signed up and opened my shop. It is called ladybugcrochet, and you can see it at this link: http://ladybugcrochet.etsy.com

So, if you are ever in need of a unique, handmade gift for a baby shower or for just because, take a look-see at my shop and see if there is anything that fits your needs. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors!

21 months old!

Joshua turned 21 months old this week. I can't put my finger on any one particular thing, but he just seems to be older in the past few weeks. He is learning more words and is getting better at copying what we say. It is very cute to hear his little voice. He also still loves to tickle and loves to show his belly for us to tickle.



He will stand there holding the bottom of his shirt and look at us with a gleam in his eye. Then, all of a sudden...



BAM! He yanks up his shirt and shows his belly and waits for us to tickle him while he laughs hysterically.



Some other cute pics:





He got this little folding table and chairs for Christmas from my parents, and he much prefers eating at his table than in his booster chair now.

I can definitely tell we are getting closer to the terrible twos, though. He is really starting to exert his will in the things he wants to do (or NOT do). And so, soon starts the challenge of trying to teach your offspring how to deal with their emotions and frustrations in a healthy manner. Yay!

Performance Review

In all of the economic doom and gloom that dominates the news lately, it can get a little depressing. There are layoffs and rumors of layoffs everywhere. I have been feeling a little of that storm cloud at work for the last few months. Who doesn't? If nothing else, the recession introduces a nagging uncertainty into everyone's lives. And so we come to the words I heard today that have in the past caused a little bit of a stomach flutter. "Time to do your annual performance review."

I haven't ever really gotten a bad rating on a performance review, but that doesn't change the sinking feeling that one can get when faced with those words. It is akin to the phrase "We need to talk" for relationships. Even if there is nothing wrong, you get hit with a surge of adrenalin and worry.

My review today went very well, despite my initial fight-or-flight response to being notified of it. It may actually be the best review I have ever had, actually. This is the sort of thing that leaves you with a good, warm, fuzzy feeling amid the economic wreckage that litters the business world lately. So my job is safe for the time being, and I might even get a raise if senior management at the company authorizes raises for anyone this year. That is still unknown, unfortunately.

So the word on the street today is, "Phew."