Trying to win free stuff

Ashley the MakeItAndLoveIt Girl (as I call her :)) is doing a giveaway on her site from one of her sponsors that I would actually like to be able to purchase things from. I.e., I want a new purse. ;) So, though I kind of hate this because my odds of winning are so slim, I'm racking up one more entry for myself by telling y'all about it. Visit here. Thanks!

Before I even do the dishes...

I just had to quickly tell you my little discovery.

Big can of tomato puree with no sugar added (generic store brand)
+ a bunch of garlic powder
+ a bunch of Italian seasoning
+ some dried minced onion
+ some ground turkey

= surprisingly delicious--and CHEAPER--spaghetti sauce! Who'da thunk?

With the money you save, you can afford whole wheat noodles (actually, is the price that different?), and really feel good about your dinner! Not to mention serving it to the baby--Jamie was a big fan of his portion. Just cut up the noodles and turkey chunks. Bon appetite!

GOOD GRIEF.

Have you ever noticed that blog-surfing can be sort of like reading beauty and fashion magazines? ("They will only make you feel UGLY." What was that song from back in the day called?)

There are RIDICULOUSLY cute and creative people out there, who could decorate a garbage can into total gorgeousness (and probably do!). I found a new blog, Little Birdie Secrets, and I'm overwhelmed at the task I now face of trying to go through their huge blog and find every project I could possibly ever want to do. Because it's freakin' amazing. I always wonder how these women have time for everything, because it seems like they must spend something like fourteen hours a day crafting!

I need to remember, though, that they've had tons of practice, probably messed up and learned a lot; I'm sure they've all earned their skills through lots of work.

I love the internet because you can find pretty much anything, but sometimes I think I find too much...

Helping Haiti

Maybe you've all seen the commercials with Mrs. Obama appealing to the American people to donate $10 (each? per family? not sure) to the American Red Cross for their relief efforts in Haiti. Yesterday, the First Presidency (of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) released an official statement asking Church members to donate, as well. There is a Church donation website where you can do that. It's easy, and it's trustworthy--we know that 100% of the donations go directly to those who need it. The First Presidency also called on us to include the victims' well-being and peace of mind in our prayers.

You can also read a little about what the Church has been doing to help. I cried when I read that all of the missionaries serving in Haiti are safe and accounted for, and are now helping in disaster relief. What a blessing to all their loved ones, and all the people there who will benefit from their help! (You can find all these pages very easily by going to http://www.lds.org/.)

Just think, if everyone did donate (and pray) just a little, how much that would add up!

Whoops.

So I thought I could make a blog post about Jamie's progress early, save it as a draft, add to it as I thought of things, and publish it on his birthday. Well, you can do that, but it will insert itself farther down on your blog--from the day you started it--which I think is stupid, but what can you do. :)

Scroll down a bit to see pics from Jamie's birthday, "published" January 7.

******1/22: Lol. I finally figured out how to get you guys to leave comments! :) Thank you for teaching me something new about blogger!

Jamie, one year later

Enjoying the low-sugar cake at the Yarwoods' house

Banging on his new xylophone (sp?)--thanks, Grandma & Grandpa Noall!

What?

Looking for his next spot to dive in (sugar-free blueberry birthday muffin)

Just cute.

I can't believe that a year ago about now, I was told that it was nearly time to push, and I was watching the nurse set up a table of rather scary-looking instruments with growing nervousness.

Here are a few facts about the one-year-old Jamie (!!!):

• Is not satisfied with being fed finger foods; will try to grab it from you between his fingers to feed it to himself.
• Has become more cuddly, resting his head against us now and then.
• Loves to wave and smile at people, whether they're looking back at him or not--but especially if they are.
• Hates having his diaper changed or being dressed unless sufficiently distracted.
• Love pushing wheeled things around (stroller, grandma's wheelchair and walker)
• Doesn't much like to be read to--too many other things to do
• Still does the sinister laugh sometimes, and still succeeds in making everyone around him crack up by it.
• Loves to eat. Like, a lot. Hardly turns anything away.
• Height and weight: I dunno, again. And I still need to figure out all the garbage with switching his pediatrician to someone down here...
• Crawling and cruising like a pro, but not interested in walking yet. Fine with us!
• Has about 7 teeth that have broken through, with more white showing all the time.

The transition into motherhood was really difficult for me. My memories of the first month-ish with Jamie actually aren't all that great, for various reasons. (One thing's for sure, the next baby will have to sleep in the bassinet, because taking turns trying to sleep in a recliner while holding a sleeping baby is just horrible. I'm starting to feel upset just remembering it. The closer nighttime came, the more dread I felt. Ugh, ugh. Moving on...)

Anyway, the months following have been some of the hardest and yet happiest of my life. This hasn't been an easy year, but I think Jason and Jamie have made it bearable. I never realized what a true piece of heaven a baby is! Pure, innocent, no social games or hidden motives. His smiles are absolutely impossible not to return. When we get down about our circumstances, being with Jamie, seeing his sweet smiles, makes us happy again. He scatters sunshine all along his way, and I can't express how grateful I am to have that sweet baby in my life, and for his continued good health and sweet disposition.

It's so hard to see him get closer and closer to being a toddler instead of my baby, but I'm looking forward to hearing him say "I love you" immensely.

Oh, and welcome to my cousin's new baby born last night, JulieAnne Belle! (Did I spell it right?) Congrats, Scott and Brianna! I can't wait to meet her! And two more cousins' babies due any day--there is excitement in the extended Cox family, I tell you! (All three had due dates within, like, a week of each other. So fun!)

Here is a short video of Jamie eating cake at the Yarwoods'. I thought I was uploading the really long one with the singing, and I was mistaken. It's probably just as well, because I doubt many people besides immediate family would find him enjoying his cake as fascinating as we do, anyway. :)

(If you would like me to post it, you know that as a proper, proud mommy, I would be delighted. :D Just leave a comment.)

One more way to be healthier

I just made the baby's birthday cake (for celebration #1 with my fam--early, since we'll be back in SoCal Thurs), and I just wanted to tell you that substituting applesauce for the oil in a baking recipe really does work! At least with cake. Can you imagine how many calories and how much fat that cuts?! It still tastes great! Also, I used a reduced sugar cake mix and RS frosting, and I'm telling you, it still tasted really good! I'm so glad I tried it. Jamie's health is a great motivator.

If you want to know how to do it, I wrote about it on our recipe blog.

Pictures and link to ridiculously long video of him being sung to and eating cake to follow.

I want an orchard. And an herb garden. And a vegetable garden. And…

I know, I'm blogging a lot. But I just had the most wonderful, dream-like experience.

I went into my in-laws' backyard (since the weather feels and looks like April in Sacramento and I'm loving it), stepped to their lemon tree, picked about eight lemons, and I'm now going to zest them, juice them, and use them to make a (hopefully) delicious dinner and dessert for tonight. (Ha ha. I'm using Juice ITC font. Seems appropriate. I'm such a nerd.)

Lemons are 25 cents each at Wal-Mart. And who knows how long ago they were picked.

WORD TO YOUR MOTHER!

Oh, and my hands smell like lemon. Ahhhhh...

Oh, and--

my mother-in-law had to have sort of emergency back surgery on Sunday and will take about two months to recover (remember, we're living with them for awhile?); and my grandma--the only grandparent I was ever close to, and the last one living--passed away on Saturday. Yaaaaaaay life. She was 85 and lonely, so I'm glad for her, but her house was like the hub of our family, and it just seemed like she'd be around forever...

I'll be in Sac again soon for the memorial a week from tomorrow. So, Goethe Park Ward, see y'all on Sunday...at 9 a.m. Ugh...

Free stuff from Vistaprint

Remember when I got the two free **personalized** notecard sets from Vistaprint.com (back here in Dec.)?

They're at it again!

Invitations,
notecards,
labels,
postcards,
business cards,
photo magnets,
checks,
etc., etc....
all free--you just pay shipping!

Of course if you want the glossy finish, or color inside the notecard, or anything but white envelopes and stuff like that, it's extra, but I was very happy with my cute, personalized notecards.

Makes me feel like even though we po', I can still have a few fun things.

www.vistaprint.com/savenow

Start ordering now, because it'll take forever to choose between all their cute, pretty, and fun designs--trust me, I know.

Hurry--I'm pretty sure it said somewhere that it only lasts until Jan. 31.

Just FYI...

I saw "Julie and Julia" the other night, FINALLY, and really liked it. Just now I decided to find the real blog that Julie Powell did, just for fun, and, wow...

*******SPOILER ALERT*********

I'm about to talk about something that happened in the movie! If you don't want it to be spoiled, go down to the second set of stars, and don't look!

You know how Julia Child apparently did not appreciate what Julie Powell did, and in the movie, Julie goes, "Do you think it's because I used the 'F' word on the blog?"

SHE WASN'T KIDDING! I was there less than thirty seconds, because that and much worse was EVERYWHERE! I'm on Julia Child's side!

********************************* (Safe now. Don't look up.)
That woman has a FOUL MOUTH. I couldn't read the blog at all, because she dropped the F-bomb and worse a LOT. About 20 seconds and three gasps were all it took. I can't believe people liked it so much and that she got to become a writer. A writer ought to have more dignity and, hello, VOCABULARY than that. UNFAIR.

So, in short, movie's pretty good, I liked it, but don't look at the actual blog. Just thought I'd share.

****Added Jan. 7****

I watched the movie again (not getting our money's worth from Netflix because I can't bear to send it back!), and got a chance to watch the behind-the-scenes featurette. The real Julie Powell did an interview, and when I saw her sitting there, smiling, seeming like a likeable person (and NOT swearing...), I instantly softened my earlier opinion of basically hating her. I don't anymore. I can't help it; I saw the real person. She seemed nice and down-to-earth. But I still think taming her foul mouth would be a good idea.

The Slightly Sinister Laugh...

This is from a month ago, the one I let load for literally 24 hours before I gave up. It's so dang funny, this laugh has made rooms full of people crack up.

Christmas Morning: Take 2

(This one is from a few days ago.)

Our second "Christmas" morning was fun. Jamie is so obviously loved, but not ridiculously spoiled, I think. He got good stuff, but nothing huge, and I think it's a nice balance.

Can I brag for just a sec? When we left Rexburg at the end of May, I had just spent like $40 to print out pictures of Jamie's life up through his blessing day, which was April 19, to put in our photo album. I had put that together with pics from the time Jason and I met up until the present. I got it up to his birth and a few pics of him at home, and then I had this HUGE stack to get in there--and then we moved, and most of our stuff has been in storage since, including the album and the prints.

So today--just today--I got them out (I'd gotten them out of my grandma's garage before Jamie and I left for So Cal), organized 2009's pics by month on the computer first, labeled every print by date, people, place, date taken and Jamie's age (which required a lot of looking up on the computer, since the date is recorded on each file), sorted them into chronological order, and put them in the album. It was a BIG stack, too! (And that's only a few of the pics we took of him. So ridiculous.)

I still have a lot more work to do to get it up to date, and I'll prob need to buy another album soon because I can only fit 150 more prints, but I am proud of myself. (Gotta love digital cameras that let you take a million pictures that you then have to choose between. :))

I hope all of you had a good New Year's! And if you couldn't tell, we are in Nor Cal for a few days, til next Wednesday.