My Happy List

So...it has been awhile since I last checked in. Thought this might be a good way for me to get reacquainted with blogging without feeling like I have to update on everything all at once!

• I am so happy that my parents might be coming down for my bday! (only 3 weeks away!) Especially...since this one is a milestone... EEEEEEEEK!
• I am happy that I have been able to stick with walking the trail by my house 3-ish days a week for the last few weeks. It hasn't been easy, since it is very H-O-T here right now. But I am proud of myself, since I haven't let a missed day here or there derail my good intentions.
• I am happy for my stimulus $$ for buying a new house in 2009. This allowed me to get grownup furniture for my master bedroom! :) Oh, and a bed for the 2nd bedroom too...

King Size Bed

Two Nightstands

Dresser

Guest Bed

Thanks Mamarazzi for hosting!

Ms. Arbee Goes to DC - in pictures

The White House - I was surprised you could get this close!
(of course the close-up is using zoom)

This one was taken standing on a bench in front of the Washington Monument.

This was pretty much the view if you turned right when exiting the hotel.

Me playing with settings on the new camera I bought right before the trip!
I chose the Nikon CoolPix because I made friends with it in the store the quickest...

Washington Monument - would have liked to to up, but there wasn't enough time.

Lincoln Memorial - this place was literally crawling with people! (as you can see)

Lincoln close up - if you look closely, he is making his initials in sign...AL (or LA from left to right)

I was more excited than I should be to see Kermit the Frog!
This was in the Museum of American History,
not the greatest pic, it's what I get for taking a new camera on "vacation".

We Remember

(photos courtesy of me, sorry for Flat Stanley in the chairs one...it was the only picture I had)
(OKC memorial logo taken from Internet)

We remember this day in our family quite vividly, since it was the day my siblings and I could have become fatherless. My dad happened to work on the fourth floor of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building and was in the building on that terrible morning... Thankfully, he was spared and we have been able to spend the last fifteen years with a father.

Love you Dad!!! Hope you're with us for at least another fifteen years!

Picture of Minny taken this afternoon...in the microwave! She seized the opportunity to hop in after I had taken something out and before I had closed the door... What will she think of next?

Catch-Up - Part II

Soooooooooooooooo...haven't really been too great at the blogging lately! Must try to get better and get it back together.

Can you believe it has been one year since I moved into the house? It hardly seems possible, but I hit the 1-year mark last week (closed on 3/31 and moved in on 4/2). Whew! Time really does fly when you're having fun... The sad part is I still have tons of organizing to do. When I moved in I just put stuff in the kitchen cabinets and it has stayed there. Some of the stuff makes sense where it is and some really does not! I just need to get it together and get at it. Same goes for the pantry. It is mostly organized, but it could use a little help too. Too many projects and so little time and energy...

Oh, so the RS birthday dinner probably isn't happening. We had planned it for April 15 (our normal RS night) and someone neglected to tell us that they are having road show dress rehearsals that night. Ummmmmmmmmm, would have been nice to know! Anyway, the good part is we hadn't really planned everything out and hadn't bought anything yet. But it gets better (!!) - on our normal RS night in May, I will be out of town for a conference. I know this doesn't cause for cancellation, but it does mean that I won't be there to help. At the rate it's going, we will just have to have a cake or something at our "Hi Ya'll/Bye Ya'll" and call it celebrated!

Work is work is work! Nothing particularly exciting going on there. The most exciting thing regarding work is my 10-year anniversary is fast approaching (May 8). I can't believe I have been here for 10 years! Who knew I would be at this job for this long? Certainly not me. I figured it would be a good place to start and move on in 2-3 years...fast forward and now it has been ten years. Here's hoping for another 10!

The kitties are hilarious as ever! One (or both) of them have started a new trick in the last few months. While I am gone, they get into the wall cabinets in the kitchen. Every now and again when I get home, the towels are spilling out of the cabinet. This is a tell-tale sign something has been up while I was away! (I keep the kitchen towels in the wall cabinet so Holly won't lay on them...she loves to nest in towels. Anyway, when they were kept in the base cabinet she was constantly getting into the cabinet to sleep. Hence, the reason I moved them!) My gut feeling is that the culprit is Minny on this one though. She longingly looks into the wall cabinets when I am putting away dishes and has gotten into them a few times too! Good thing both of them are cute and cuddly...

I am a little excited to go to the conference in May...in Washington, DC! It should be fun and I will get the hours I need to report for the year too. Hooray! I should have a little time for sightseeing, which should be fun. I haven't ever been to DC, so it should be interesting. Hopefully, it isn't too busy either since schools shouldn't be out at that time. But then again, it could be field trip season. Hmmmmmm... Regardless, I am looking forward to it. Even if it is just for a few days away from the office.

The (now not-so) Secret Recipe

Okay, so here goes for the "secret" family recipe for bath salts... I blend one 4 pound bag of epsom salts, one 26 ounce package of sea salts, regular gel food coloring (if desired) and essential oil (if desired). Mix everything thoroughly. Use about 1/2 cup per bath.

If you need a smaller quantity, this roughly translates into 1 cup of epsom salts to 1/4-1/3 cup of sea salts.

The amount of color I use depends on how deep I want the color to be. The amount of scent I usually use is dependent on the oil I use, since some scents are much stronger than others. A rule of thumb is start out with less than you think you need and add more to achieve the strength of scent you want.

I usually package these in mason jars, but I have also used Wilton party bags tied with ribbon, tins, Chinese food takeout containers (with a Wilton bag inside tied with a twisty), or anything else I can think of that will look cute.

Catch-Up - Part I

Not to be confused with ketchup. :) Groan, but I'm sure the fam will appreciate it...

Where to begin...maybe with our first meetingformerlyknownasenrichment waaaaaaaaaaaaay back in November? It was a smashing success. The RS pres seemed to think we had a great turnout (37, as I recall), since the ladies were actually invested in the success of the project. We had a goal to make 100 hygiene kits for the church's humanitarian efforts...in the end we made 120+. So, we were very excited to not only meet, but beat our goal! Hooray!

In February, we had a "Get Ready to...REST your body, REJUVENATE your mind, and REFRESH your wardrobe" activity. We had one of the sisters take us through breathing/relaxation exercises. That was very relaxing. I almost didn't want to continue the evening with my activity...which was making bath salts! I figured I could share the family recipe with the sisters and it would make for some fun. They actually had a blast doing these. One of the sisters has made more and even shared the recipe with a friend who made them for a party! The love just goes on and on and on... For the rejuvenate your wardrobe part, we had a clothing swap. It seemed to go really well! For refreshments, we made brownie sundaes. YUMMY! All in all, we had a great night and a decent turnout - 30.

Upcoming we are having the (belated) Relief Society birthday dinner in April and a "Hi Ya'll/Bye Ya'll" in June. We know the RS birthday is actually in March, but as it turns out our night was during spring break! For June, apparently we will have a mass exodus this summer so it is appropriate to say bye...also, we have had a ton of new move-ins in recent months which begs for the hi part. Should be fun, but still need to figure out the logistics.

Favorite Things Swap - Package Sent!

Here's the package I sent to Missy for the Favorite Things Swap... I think a lot of these things I have sent to others in packages for other iterations of the favorite things swap theme. :) They really are a few of my favorite things.

• Reusable shopping tote - This is one of my favorite items that I use a lot! I cannot talk about these enough...
• Bath & Body Works shower gel (coconut lime verbena scent) - I religiously use this product...normally in my "signature" scent (sheer freesia). Although I have been known to mix it up and use something *gasp* different occasionally! These bath gels are the best and they smell so good.
• Bath salt (same scent as bath gel) - The bath salts are a family recipe! I have used them for all kinds of gifts over the years...the best thing is they get used up.
• Cadbury Creme Eggs - I completely spaced on sending these last year, but I remembered this year! :) I'm soooooooooooooo glad that Jessica remembered last year...it would have been really funny if both of us had sent them though. Oh well...
• Bert's Bees lip balm - I was introduced to this via a lip gloss swap a few months ago. I'm always on the hunt for a new lip balm/lip gloss. This one is a good one...until I find the next one I love!
• Crystal Light (rasperry lemonade) - I drink Crystal Light by the half liter! It seems to hit the spot when I want a little flavor added to my water.
• Pink beaded necklace - Missy said she loved pink, so I figured I would use a little pink and bead something. I love beading and pink, so it was a perfect fit. I actually loved how this one turned out so I had to make one for myself!

As usual, I had a blast swapping! Mamarazzi is a fabulous swap mama...I'll have to keep a close eye out for the next installment of Mamarazzi's Favorite Things Swap...

Favorite Things Swap - Package Received!

I received my package from Missy last week! She definitely sent a box full of goodies... :) Thanks Missy!!!

Before:

After:

Goodies received were...

• The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks - This came with a warning to have tissues handy! I believe it, although I haven't ever read a book by him I have seen a couple movies based on his books. I'm glad I got this one in the book format though, since I probably won't see the movie. I can't stand to watch Miley! YUCK!!!
• Starbucks Gift Card - I have to admit I haven't been in Starbucks for a loooooooooong time. Her favorite drink is Green Tea Lemonade, sweetened. Not sure if I'm daring enough to try...
• Pink face cards - who knew you could get these in pink? Completely awesome! Now I just might have to have a get-together to play with pink cards.
• Goldfish crackers - the outside of these said "cause they're so delicious." I didn't get it until I opened the package! If I had been a little bit smarter, I would have gotten it before I opened...
• Hello Kitty Pez dispenser - I remember seeing one of these a long time ago. I can't wait to use this one...maybe put it in my church bag for some extra-fun at church!
• Orange Tic Tacs - I didn't even realize they still made these! I haven't had a Tic Tac for literally years.
• Lavender Soap - This smells yummy and I can't wait to try it out! I have forgotten to take it to the shower with me so far...maybe next time?
• Sweettarts - I have been eating these lately. (Gave up chocolate for Lent...stupid me! But those Cadbury creme eggs will be super-delicious this Easter!)

Thanks so much to Mamarazzi for hosting!!!

Favorite Things Swap - AGAIN!

Oh. My. Gosh. I am soooooooooooooooooo excited that Mamarazzi is hosting her Favorite Things Swap again! (and that she is feeling well enough to do so...) I looooooooooooove participating in swaps of the favorite things variety. They are so fun, and I get to share my favorites with a new bloggy friend.

PLUS, Mamarazzi is the best at matching swap partners! Remember this and this from last time?

I can't wait to get started...