Goodbye, 2011... Hello, 2012!

As the new year begins, I'm halfway through the pregnancy with so much to do! We are waiting anxiously to find out what the babies' genders are so we can get to work on their room. Of course, this also means a lot of other things having to get done before we can really accomplish much there! Everything is still going fine and I'm looking forward to the Spring!

Meanwhile, I've been thinking a lot about what I'm doing with my blog and other sites. They definitely need a revamp, and with babies on the way there won't be as much time as I'd like to put into some of these activities. I still plan on doing something with it all, it will just be more sporadic. I have way too many projects in the works, and some that I've actually started working on! I think one of my goals for this year is to get some of these things finished and posted on here! I'm not worrying too much about resolutions, but this is definitely the one I'd go with right now! lol Maybe it will actually happen? Stay tuned to find out!

A Long Time Coming...

I haven't been very active on here or anywhere else lately. I actually have a very good excuse for the lack of time and energy to participate in my online activities... I'm pregnant! With TWINS!! After 4 long years of trying and working with some nice doctors about my particular issues getting in the way of conceiving, hubby and I finally have our blessing... times 2! I am now just over 13 weeks, and while I haven't had much morning sickness or other symptoms getting in the way of my activities, I have been going to a lot of appointments and resting as much as possible. Naps in the afternoon are a wonderful new addition to my daily routine, though they tend to run a little longer than I would like at times! My awesome husband has been helping out a great deal by doing laundry and keeping the house tidy. Well, as tidy as it can be with 2 dogs and a cat running around! I'm a little uncomfortable in general, but other than that the pregnancy is going well. It's giving me a lot to think about, a lot to plan for the future. One of the things I've been thinking about is making some changes to my blog. Originally, it was supposed to be about crafting and the things that inspire me in my art. I think I'll be adding more baby related content to the mix since that has shifted to my main priority these days! Oh, and I think my husband is more excited about us having twins than I am since he's been sharing the news with EVERYONE as of this weekend! lol He's posted pics and everything for our friends and family to see as soon as I told him he could! Since my family is all in NY, we waited a little while before telling them and decided to keep it secret from everyone else as well so no one would accidentally spill the beans. Seeing some of the reactions we got was definitely worth the wait! lol

Slowly but Surely...

I'm getting the house cleaned and organized a little bit at a time. I've also been cooking more and working on some different craft ideas. I'll have to post pictures later when the weather is better for a photo shoot. I'm sure my hubby will love going nuts with the camera with me as a model! lol Anyway, I'm finding it easier than I thought to let things go. I'm also finding that by letting things go, I'm making room for new and exciting things to come into play! My creative side is starting to emerge again with all this organizing and finding room to work on stuff again! I started a gift for my in-laws and have everything I need to complete it (I think!), I crocheted myself a cute cap and then started thinking about a few changes I could make to it which resulted in me making another one. Of course, the changes I did ended up making the second cap a little small for me, but its still really cute and I'll be posting it on Xafyre Studios. I'm still working on the blanket for my cousin's baby and also working on a crocheted bag. I was thinking about going back to work, but after speaking with a manager there, I'm not so sure the positions available to me are a good fit at this time. Besides, I still have so much more to accomplish here at home! So all in all, my life has gotten a touch busier and I'm starting to see some positive changes take place. I'm sure this means in the very near future I'll be blogging more and posting more projects! lol Only time will tell though!

It sounded like a good idea at the time...

I enjoy food. Cooking, baking, trying new recipes to satisfy my taste buds and creating different variations on family favourites are always fun... even if they don't turn out as I would expect them to! Case in point, an avacado smoothie! We all know you use avacados for guacamole and can find them diced in a chicken salad or other tasty recipe. I like avacado and have enjoyed it in lots of different foods, so when I came across a recipe for an avacado smoothie in Chatelaine (June 2011) I decided to try it. I like avacado, it can't be that bad can it? This recipe calls for 1 peeled, pitted avacado combined with 2 cups of milk, 3 Tbsp granulated sugar, and 2 tsp lime juice. You puree these ingredients in your blender until smooth and creamy. It turns out to be a nice light green colour and could be presented very nicely. It made me think of the McDonald's Shamrock Shakes that come out every year in March. I had just finished pouring my smoothie into a glass when my husband came out to the kitchen to see what I was up to. When asked what I made, he took a sniff and immediately knew it was avacado. I told him to taste it, even before I knew what it tasted like. His response?

"It's green. My mama told me never drink anything green."

"But you drink the Shamrock Shakes. Those are green."

"Oh. Do I like Shamrock Shakes? Those are mint aren't they?"

"Yes, they are. Try this."

"Uhmm, no. That's ok."

Then he waited in anticipation of my tasting it. So I grabbed up the glass and took a nice sip, scrunching up my nose and smacking my lips. This, of course, had hubby laughing and making comments about me thinking that was a good idea. Yeah, it would have been good for someone who absolutely LOVES avacado! Needless to say, that was a waste. Of course, I only made half the recipe so I only wasted one glass instead of 2. Lesson learned. I will now be sticking to having my avacado in salads and dip! lol

De-cluttering!

Physically, things have gotten better. Mentally.... well, I still haven't found my long, lost mind! Awhile ago I mentioned wanting to clean and organize my house. I've decided to take that a little further and actually start simplifying my life. I started with my closet, emptying hangers and tossing a huge pile of clothing into a pile for donation to our local Salvation Army. Anything that isn't in good condition made it to another pile to be turned into something completely different and fantastic once all is said and done. It's a project I've seen on several sites and have been wanting to do for awhile, so we'll see when I actually get around to that one! I had started to go through things piled up in our basement some time ago and realized most of the stuff collecting dust are things given to us. Not so much as gifts, but just random "I saw this and it reminded me of you so I bought it and now its yours!" kind of junk. That's all going, too. Anything that we don't use that often (with the exception of my baking and craft supplies) is getting donated. I think it will be much easier to organize things when I actually have space to put them in! I can definitely see me being much more productive once we bring the house to a more organized, clean, clutter-free state. And who knows, maybe I'll find some peace and creativity again? I already feel a little more liberated knowing there is one big truck load of things that are leaving here and heading to a new home! 

This looks promising!

Ok, maybe looks isn't quite the word I'm looking for when it concerns my back! lol I decided to suck it up and do some vigorous belly dancing moves and yoga postures to try and ease some of the discomfort I've been feeling in my back this week. Guess movement is the key, though walking too much still hurts! I've also decided to use my Pilates ball for a chair since its both comfortable and causes me to move more. I'm thinking maybe I should replace all my chairs with Pilates balls, except my dogs and cat would probably pop them because they try playing with them! Could you imagine walking into someone's home and being told to have a seat on a giant ball? lol It is so like my hubby and I to do something like that! But, I'm pretty sure our family and friends are glad we haven't gone that far yet! lol For those who don't know what the Pilates balls are, see below!

(Image from bodyzone.com)

Some days I feel like David facing Goliath!

This past week has been one helluva week for me! My back is killing me, and the cause is most likely a vertebrate (or a few) out of place at the bottom of my spine. It's an educated guess since the last time I was in this much pain, it turned out I had 3 vertebrates out of place and a chiropractor had to pretzel me back into alignment! I'm hoping it doesn't come to that again, but a week later with no relief isn't giving me much hope! So needless to say, I haven't been nearly as productive as I would like to be! The pain is battling my muse, so while I can come up with ideas for things to work on, I can't sit still long enough to work on them! Which is also why this post is going to be so short... but, its an update and there will certainly be more to follow in the coming days. So what does all this have to do with David and Goliath? Well, my list of projects (and chores) keeps growing and growing while I'm limited to what I can accomplish right now. The more I come up with, the bigger that list gets and now its GIGANTIC! But instead of a slingshot, I'm armed with a crochet hook and some yarn/thread. Hmmm.... maybe a more accurate depiction would be a cat tangled up in a ball of wool? Either way, it's a fine mess I've gotten myself into! lol