craft

So I went to my new Relief Society's enrichment/craft night and I had so much fun.  We made scripture necklaces.  People are so creative.  You just need a washer, some scrapbooking paper, embossing powder (I think that is what it's called), and some string. 

They had us tell them our favorite scripture reference and they put that on the back of the washer.  Next, we chose the paper we liked, traced the shape of the washer on it, cute it out, and then glued it to the washer with a glue stick.  Then, we put embossing powder all over the paper side of the washer, put it on a cookie sheet, and baked it for 10 minutes. When it is all done baking, you attach a string to the length you like and voilá! They turned out so cute!  I can't believe what people can create with such simple things.  I want to make enough to match each outfit that I have.  So simple and fast to make!

 You don't have to have the scripture reference on the back; that is just what our ward did.  You could also use smaller washers and even add beads to the string.  So many possibilities!!

35 mm

This is the type of camera I was given.

My wife's aunt very graciously gave me her deceased husband's 35 mm SLR camera, lenses, and other equipment.  I call myself a photographer (though I don't know at what point a person can legitimately call themselves that), but I've only done my professional (read: paid) work digitally; I've never used film other than back when I was a kid and had a 110 film camera (remember those?) and on my mission when I had a point-and-shoot 35 mm, which was just as digital cameras were barely starting to be introduced to the general public and most people didn't have them. 

Honestly, shooting with a film SLR camera is intimidating.  When using digital, I can check the image after taking it to see if it was overexposed, underexposed, blurry, etc., then correct it and take another picture.  With film, though, I can't check.  I have to get it right the first time, which is the way it was until digital came out - you had to know your stuff and get it right not only because you couldn't see the results until they were developed, but also because each picture was expensive.  Add to that the fact that this is not a point-and-shoot, but rather an SLR, which requires you to do the focusing, zooming, and adjusting for light (or the lack thereof) by changing the shutter speed and aperture to come out with a picture that isn't pure black or pure white.  In other words, this is a step up for me.  I'm gonna have to really learn how to adjust each feature to compensate for adjustments in other features instead of relying on the camera to adjust everything for me.

Since I have to do the adjustments to shutter speed and aperture myself, I need a light meter.  The camera has one built in to it, but the battery that powers the meter is dead.  The camera is old enough that the battery was a mercury battery (which has since been outlawed in the United States), so I'm in the process of obtaining a comparable alkaline, but I'll have to order it and have it shipped to me.

So until then, I wait.  Hopefully I'll learn a lot from the necessary caution and preparation that comes with shooting with film and I'll be able to share some of my results.

new table

So we got a new table, finally, and I am in love with it!  We have been without one for about a month now since moving and I almost forgot what it was like to have one.  Since we didn't have a table,  we would end up putting a towel on the floor (for Lucy's sake...and at times for me, too)  and that is where we would eat.  It got kind of hard at times, because Lucy had freedom and it took forever to get her to eat her food.  So when we got our table and we strapped Lucy into her seat, she had withdrawals.

 Why I love this table is because it appears to be small at first glance, but when you take a closer look, two leaves are hidden inside and the table gets twice as big when the leaves are pulled out.  It is a magical table! Plus, there are four chairs.  Amazing!

portion control

No, I'm not on a diet.  I'm far from that.  It's more like I'm controlling my diet.  I work hours that require me to either eat right before leaving for work (which almost never happens) or pack my food with me, as well as provide for my second meal.  Many of my coworkers eat out for their lunch or dinner, filling the office with smells of fatty-, salty-, or sugary-goodness.  I have been strong in my resolve to not fall into the trap of running to McDonald's for "something small," mostly out of the inability to sustain such a practice financially, but also in an effort to not increase my girth to the size of a small yak, and have been successful in fending off the urge to indulge "just once cause it's Friday and I've earned it."

Me if I'm not careful.

And so I pack my meals to work, usually whatever is handy in the refrigerator on my way out the door, which makes for less-than-healthy eats.  And usually I grab large quantities of whatever it is, enough for three or four meals plus snacking, if I'm honest with myself, and then I scarf it all down in a stress-and-boredom-induced feeding frenzy around 2 p.m. then go home hungry again and eat junk food well past when I should be eating.

Well, no more!  I'm trying to keep my portions down.  A lot.  My guide is "a handful."  A handful of green beans, a single small slice of meatloaf (which, incidentally, was tonight's dinner), a handful of grapes, etc.  I don't feel stuffed, but I don't feel hungry either (mouth-hungry is a different story).

I'm also trying to eat healthier foods.  Nothing crazy, just forcing myself to take a vegetable with me more often and not take a handful of M&M's.

What are my expectations for this?  Well, I expect to drop thirty pounds over the next couple weeks.  Let's see how this goes...

lucy's new talents

Lucy is getting such a personality and she makes me laugh everyday!  I love her so much!  I recently found out that she loves dressing up in dresses, dancing, and playing the harmonica.  What a random little girl, but I love it! 

(Sorry if they are blurry.  She was moving a lot.)

a green christmas

It was a pretty crazy December for us because Travis was finishing up his semester for school, we moved halfway through the month, we needed to get ready for Christmas and all that the holiday season brings, and by the time we got all settled in to our new place, Christmas was 5 days away and there was not a lot of time left to do Christmasy things. 

As a result, we had a very simple Christmas this year, but I loved it! I think we may have to do it this simple every year. It helped me not get caught up in all the stress of buying and wanting and busy-busy-business; instead, it helped me think more about why Christmas is actually celebrated.  I was able to focus more on family, and because we moved I was surounded by those I love sacrificing their time to serve me and my family.  I was able to feel the love of the Savior more because of the service that was given to me.  I did have fun opening presents with my family, but I was touched more by the gifts of kindness and love that others gave to us. Because of the help given to us, we were able to have a very cozy Christmas in our new apartment and that was the best gift we could have asked for.

moving

So, we're moving.  We've decided that, if we're ever going to make some financial progress, we're gonna have to cut expenses, and the most effective way to do that is to move to a cheaper place.  We found an apartment that will save us about $150 per month.  It's definitely smaller and older than the one we're currently in, but we're willing to sacrifice so that we can start working toward replacing our old vehicle and maybe someday buying a house.  Sacrifice is part of progress, I think, and though some people have to sacrifice more than others to make progress, I think it's worth it.

For some people, sacrifice is simply not buying the super cute sweater that I've just got to have!, while for other people, sacrifice is picking up a third job on the weekends to keep their kids fed.  Luckily, we haven't had to do that, but I think we've done a good job of being willing to sacrifice here and there to provide for ourselves.  We don't live the lifestyle that some other people are able to live, but that's okay.

The hardest part will be fitting everything in to the new place.  We've done a pretty good job of getting rid of what we don't really need to keep, so we've whittled it down, but it's still gonna be kinda tight.  Also, there's no dishwasher, so we're gonna have to be really good about doing dishes regularly.  Again, sacrifice.  But mankind somehow found a way to survive without automatic dishwashers for millennia.  I think we can do it for a while, too.

In other news, I finished my finals today.  That's a huge weight off my shoulders.  With those coming up, as well as moving and preparing for Christmas and a photoshoot coming up this weekend, things have been pretty stressful.  So now that I'm done with the semester, I have one less thing to worry about.

Now to just make it through the rest of this month....