Glass Anniversary

We recently took the kids for the day to The Corning Museum of Glass. It was actually our 11th wedding anniversary. (No sitter available so we decided to have a fun day vs a romantic day as a 5 and 6 year old tend to put a damper on romance.) In December I had bought a family pass to NY's museums for $65. It gets us into Corning, Roberson, and about 200 other places for free for a year. Good deal especially in the cold months when we get bored.

What was great about this place is we got exhausted before we got bored. Spent about 5 hours there.

Malachi ( my wise guy) looks at these tags and says "What, are they giving away kids here?"

You can pay to make something and take it home so we decided to do sand blasting. First you pick out a cup, decorate it with stickers, and then they blast it with sand. It leaves the shapes of the stickers as clear glass while the rest is turned frosted by the sand. Pretty cool.The blasting machine.

Finished products.

Lots and lots of demonstrations.

Glass burger - it was about two feet across. Impressed Malachi of course.

You can print off scavenger hunts from home and then the kids have to look for certain pieces of art. It's great at holding their attention in the exhibit area.

We will be going back for sure.

Cutting Calories and Credit Cards

So lately I have been growing more tired of debt and the stress it brings. I have come to realize that spending $20 here and $20 there on credit for little stupid shopping trips or unnecessary meals out adds up fast. Furthermore, because of that, if some truly awesome opportunity comes along in life I wouldn't be able to go for it because I'm bound up in all this debt. This revelation has been processing in my mind for a long time. First I just tried to not use my credit cards but things like gas for the car or an unexpected need sent that right out the window. I have lived without credit cards before and know that if I don't have the card to fall back on I will plan ahead better and get creative with how to make it all work financially (although it sucks :0) So last week this frustration came to a head (and really didn't have anything to do with the holidays or new years...). Painfully I cut up my two cards. Ouch! It was a rough decision but (for me at least) there's no other way to stop the bleeding than to not have the option. So, yeah.... it has sucked already. (Hahaha - I'm pathetic, I know.) However I am slowly adjusting and every time I feel frustrated or think about the debt itself I just remind myself that if I'm focused that weight will slowly disappear.
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On top of that cutting I have also began to cut calories, watch portion sizes and exercise more because I weighed in at 190 on the 26th (not cool). When I got married I was 150. Now, I can hide it pretty well but still, 40 pounds Christian?.... Com'on. I realize I won't get down to 150 and won't even try but at (almost) 30 years old I should be much closer to 160/170. Soooo... I am changing my eating and exercise habits. (This also has been long in the works in my mind and not necessarily related to the new year). The first week I lost 3 pounds. That was encouraging! I weigh in on Sundays. Yesterday (Monday) I didn't do so hot with the calorie part of it all but I will pick myself back up today and do better. Rome wasn't built in a day, right?
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I share these things because I know that in the past when I've kept these goals to myself I cop-out and quit and then don't have to answer to anyone about it because no one knows. So I blog it out to you today because I want to have accountability. I want to meet these goals.
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I will be updating you weekly on these things.

A Homemade Christmas

Well here it is. The post showing all of my homemade Christmas gifts. Humorous as it may sound I did not make anything for Rob and the kids because I give them my test runs of everything so they get made stuff all the time.
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First we have 5 scarves I made for my Karpel nieces and nephews (siblings). I got the money to buy the yarn by selling a chair I found on the curb on Craig's List! Sweet! This scarf I made for a friend who walks a lot.

My kids helped me a lot with this project for my niece Hailey and nephew Payton (siblings): I bought two matching scratched up end tables at good will for $3 each. I had my kids sand them down and paint them with chalk board paint so Hailey and Payton would have their very own chalk board table. They turned out really cute!

I made baby doll blankets and pillows for my four young nieces:
I tried really hard to come up with things I could make that my three nephews who are 7, 9, and 10 would like but couldn't figure out anything they would think was a good gift. I didn't want to be "Aunt So-and-so" who gives you the hideous gift you are forced to thank them for. (Haha.) So I got them kits from Lowes for them to build cars and coin sorters. I figured if THEY made their gift it'd still be along the same idea.

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For most of the adults on my list I made these rice therapy bags. The inner bean-bag type pouch contains uncooked rice and a touch of essential oil. Heat in the microwave for two minutes and you have a warm heat pack to put on your neck. There were four different essential oil scents I let people choose from without telling them what I was making: Warm Sugar Cookie, Cranberry Mandarin, Coconut Lime, and Apple Cinnamon. They all smelled divine with heated up. Then I made a washable cover for each reflecting that person's style and favorite color. I made a ton! (This isn't even all of them!) They were a hit and I hope they help my family and friends relax all year.

Making almost all of my Christmas gifts was stressful and time consuming for sure but worth it.