Wow.

I prepared for this.

I was totally ready to write a blog post every day.

I have a list of things to blog about. I swear I do.

I guess I'm just having a hard time getting into the swing of things.

Plus I procrastinated my first homework assignments of the summer until the day they were due...which is today.

So hi, this is my blog post for the day.

I hope you enjoyed it.

For the sake of including something that is not just...nothing...here's a picture of me and Maddy from today:


She thinks those stickers are awesome. Which I think is awesome, and which I probably will continue to think is awesome until she decides that it is awesome to stick them everywhere in the house. Awesome.

35 Things: February Update

And it continues...

2. Have one month when I go to the temple weekly (halfway done) - Tell me if you think this is cheating: my bro-in-law (who is leaving on his mission to Paraguay in May...yay...that rhymes) visited the temple for the first time ever on Feb 19, and we're supportive and all, so we went. The next week, my little sister (who is getting married March 3) visited the temple for the first time ever, and we're supportive and all, so we went.

And I thought to myself, "Self, you could have planned this out better and gone to the temple every week for the month of February!"

And then my self responded with "Well, self, you could still make this work...just go for 4 consecutive weeks"

And I thought, "By golly, self, you're right. After all, I made these rules."

So I hereby decided that 4 consecutive weeks fulfills the "every week for a month" requirement. And so it is written.

So I'm halfway done with that one. Cheating? Bah.

7. Create a meal plan - at least once a week for every month - check.

12 Bake a new cookie every month - February's cookie: Rolo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies, found on My Baking Addiction (click the cookie name to go to the recipe). And these were every bit as yummy as they sound and look. Yumzo.

25. Read 30 books - while I didn't make as much progress as I did in January, I read a couple books this month, bringing my grand total up to 7:

-Fire by Kristin Cashore: not a sequel to Graceling, but a "companion" to it. Really, really liked it. I plan on reading the third one when it comes out, thanks so much. 4 1/2 stars.

-City of Glass by Cassandra Clare: the third of The Mortal Instruments series, which I had to finish, but I'm pretty glad is behind me now. 2.75 stars.

29. Do not drink soda for one month - you.guys. If you don't know how huge this is, then you don't know me. I HAVE NOT HAD A SINGLE SIP OF SODA FOR AN ENTIRE MONTH. This is amazing. I am incredibly proud of myself for doing this. I won't blubber on about it, but it was not easy. BUT I DID IT. Holy crap. Go me. Now where's my DP?

30. Babysit for free - done. Just because it's done doesn't mean I won't do it for you and your kids. I'm willing to do it again. I probably will do it again. Cool.

35. Complete an act of service every month - again, won't go into detail, but I didz it.

So there you have it. I'm doing all right, no? Plus, I got started on several others on the list, including cleaning out/organizing the pantry, finishing the nursery, and donating old clothes to DI.

I'm really liking having this list, y'all.

35 Things: January Update

So I'm off to a good start on my 35 Things to do in 2011! Here's a quick update:

7. Create a meal plan - at least once a week for every month - done for 2 weeks in January. Holla!

12. Bake a new cookie every month - January's cookie: Oreo Cheesecake Cookies, recipe found here. They were okay. Not as great as the name would leave you to believe.

13. Clean out extra room - Dallin's aunt and uncle stayed with us one night this month, and since they needed a place to stay, this kind of needed to be done. And guess what? Dallin did it the weekend that I was deathly ill. Because he's the bomb(dot)com. Now I just have to refashion it into the cutest little girl room for Maddy. But it can be crossed off the list because it is definitely "clean."

25. Read 30 books - Obviously, not done yet, but definitely in progress. Here's what I've read, with a sentence or two on how I felt about each one:

-And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie: Actually very enjoyable, a little creepy (not really a bad thing, in my opinion). It kept me guessing. I'm glad I finally read something by the famous Agatha. 4 stars.

-Graceling by Kristin Cashore: Kind of a teen candy read, but an awesome one. I like the characters and I think the idea of "graces" is clever. 5 stars.

-Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout: Meh. Never really got into it. Great writing though. 3 stars.

-Matched by Ally Condie: Another teen read (they're fast and fun, ok?!). Futuristic setting that shows what society might become if we let it (I love that). Poetic writing. Loved it. 5 stars.

-Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta: A little hard to get into, and somewhat confusing at times. But it is a very touching story. 3.5 stars.

***Side note: Dangit it's embarrassing to admit that I like those teen reads so much. And both the ones mentioned above are the first in their series, so I've got to keep reading them. AND there's other ones on my list. Oh well. I shall not be ashamed. More refined stuff is on my list too! Side note over.***

26. Buy skinny jeans - Yep yep. Got em, like, the first week in January, with an American Eagle gift card I got for Christmas. Have I mentioned that American Eagle jeans are just the best for me? Well, they are. And I'm actually loving the skinnies. This was a big confidence thing for me, by the way. I've always thought I couldn't pull the look off, but I'm just going for it.

35. Complete an act of service every month - I won't tell you what it was, but trust me, it was done.

So yeah, feeling pretty good about this!

Also, I've chosen February for my no soda month. I'm calling it Fizz-Free February. And it's only partly because February is the shortest month of the year. But yes, that definitely had something to do with it. Anyone want in?

Positivity

Is everyone ready for Debbie Downer/Negative Nancy/any-other-sad-word-and-name-combo to be gone?

I totally am. I know I haven't blogged very much over the past several days, so you haven't really gotten to see grumpy/tired/generally-bummed-out Katie in all her glory. But she's been here - believe me. And now, I'm ready to get rid of her.

BECAUSE:

-Food and drink have stayed inside my body for two, almost three, days. Woot. I say again, woot.

-I just got back from a nice little trip to Sedona with Dallin. We flew up with my uncle (a pilot) and my dad, had lunch, and flew back. And even though I am not really so much a fan of small aircraft...fun!

-The Valentine's wreath I am making is turning out quite nicely, and I am proud. Also, I love Valentine's. I need to do more for it.

-Madelyn gets cuter every day. It doesn't seem possible, but it is.

-My house actually looks decent, thanks to my amazing hunk of a husband who cleaned it from top to bottom last weekend. Now I just need to keep it up. I can do that.

-Maddy is napping at Grandma's right now (Grandma watched her while we went to Sedona) which means I've got the time AND the energy (simultaneously!) to get things done.

Let's go.

Phone-less

Last week, while I was out running a few errands, I left my phone at home. GASP.

After realizing that I was in fact phone-less for the next hour or two, I had a few thoughts.

My first thought: "I should post on Facebook how helpless I feel without my phone. Hm...I'd need my phone to do that." (palm smacks forehead)

My second thought: "Haha silly me...I should text Dallin and share my funny story about wanting to use my phone to post on Facebook about leaving my phone at home. He'll laugh! Oh....wait." (palm smacks forehead)

My third thought: "Dang. I should write a blog post about how I try to use my phone even immediately after just realizing I don't have it. The world must know my pathetic-ness! I should put this idea on my "To Blog" list before I forget about it. (Reaches for phone, since that where my "To Blog" list is kept)

Oh my freaking heck.

(palm smacks forehead)
(palm smacks forehead again)
(because let's face it, I deserve it.)