My bad!...not really

Sheesh! I cannot believe how long it has been since I truly took the time to write on my blog...I miss it! Truth is, having an infant (with acid reflux being treated) all over again is super time-consuming (both kids are watching Baby Einstein as we "speak") and I have been making tons of tiny little girl stuff while crocheting and using fabrics.

Here's a quick low-down of what I've been up to and hope you can get into it too!

I just recently discovered the Crafty Chica blog and I'm lovin' all the latina-inspired, and culture rich materials and projects.  Don't take my word for it, check it out! It's like nothing out there!

Now, I've also noticed that while I love DIYing and crocheting and creating and etc...Pinterest has totally eased up the inspiration (about 60% of the time) while searching.  Mind you, it IS addictive, but as long as you do all your house chores and bathe/dress your kids in the morning then you're set for the day to be a mom and a Pin freak at the same time ;-).  For those of you who aren't into Pinterest yet, I think of it like cutting out catalog/magazine stuff you love and compiling it all in one place divided into your own categories to reference later or do at the moment.  It's easy and you can download an app for your phone (I have android) so you can use it anywhere at any time!  You can follow what I pin by searching meo86 in "search" under "people" setting since I'm going to start pinning up everything I've blogged about too. Here's a peek at things I post about, most with tutorials included:

Yeah, I pretty much want to marry Pinterest...almost. Though I've been happily married 4 years now (this past October 1st! whoo hoooo!) and it was quite a memorable one. Celebration at home doesn't stopped (not like that!) and hopefully we can fully enjoy it this weekend!

Ok, gotta go since the Einstein video is finished and I need to start "school time" with my kid before snacktime, then playtime and naptime (while diaper changing and breastfeeding in between ♥).

Much love, muchachas!

Young Women's FULL year Calendar of ideas

This was created by mostly gathering all the young women at my house one early morning before the new year and just having breakfast together with them.  It was an awesome morning! Afterwards, I asked them all to brainstorm activities we needed to do for the following year and they had so many ideas.  All I did was write down what the would shout out...because that's how exited they got.  They understood that the activities needed to have a purpose, and if they didn't I took the time to create an activity based in that idea and integrate it with something more meaningful with a Personal Progress experience.  It took some time, but then once the ball got rolling in the new year with something established it was just up to us leaders to show up and follow through and let the girls have fun and initiate things as young leaders.  It worked out great :-)

I don't know why the PDF versions got distorted, but they have the same info and activities to the pertaining image.  These customizable calendars can also be downloaded from www.calendarlabs.com for FREE so you can fill them in.

Here are the full details that I also wrote out in a separate document to accompany the leader's calendar and  and to leave to any succeeding leader that might take my place something that would make their life easier too.

Traveling Tips and Etiquette

These are just some few tips for those of you who either travel alone or with family for vacation or while visiting relatives.  This is very helpful to make all parties want your visit over and over again :-)

WHILE TRAVELING:
1.  Make sure you pack light by limiting your wardrobe to clothing that is neutral and interchangeable.  You will most likely be buying souvenirs or more clothing where you are going to anyways.  Take an extra empty, or nearly empty suitcase or duffle bag for those new extras you will bring back.
2.  DO NOT travel with gigantic containers, even when on a road trip...especially if you'll be staying at a relative's place.  They take up weight in cargo, might explode if you've changed elevation, and precious space in a bathroom, that won't allow you to be clean and simple.

3.  Be CLEAN.  Clean after yourself if staying with relatives.  I know some people think that traveling means being careless of how you organize yourself, but that's not ever the case.  Even of you stay in a hotel, it's best to always put EVERYTHING you travel with away to keep everything under control.  If staying with family, wash your own dishes, put your dirty clothes away, and pretty much leave your things in order so you don't make your gracious hosts feel stuffed or overwhelmed.
4.  Take a CAMERA for memories!  So, bring a compact camera even if you have a gigantic one, unless it will be in it's own traveling bag.  The smaller your camera is, the easier it will be to take on outings and will be less likely to break than a large DLSR.
5.  Limit your restaurant splurges and dine-in LOCAL FAVORITES instead.  You'll get a better feel for the location anyway. This is especially important if staying with family because you never know what other people's budgets really are and local favorites and sometimes better than an over-priced meal.
6.  When you plan outings, don't expect your relatives or friends to join in every ocassion.  Afterall, you're the one on vacation, not them, which is why they'll most likely be going to work and taking care of their home so you should be considerate and free to EXPLORE ON YOUR OWN time frame and budget.
7.  Take your own GPS and take advantage of visiting new places and traveling.  Don't limit yourself, your on vacation!

DIY Magnetic Board / Clipboard deco Tutorials

So, I ran a quick search for something I really want to get done since I am working on a long-term project here at home.  I need a magnet board and noticed my dear mother also could benefit from one as well.  Here are my  fave tutorials I found online. I really should've quit while I was ahead, but then I just so into it and ended searching another tutorial...for decorating a clipboard!  Feel free to click on the image of your choice and follow the link to the designated tutorial-maker :-)

Canning

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2005-08-01/Learn-to-Can-for-Homegrown-Flavor.aspxWell, as you all may know, it's always a good thing to be prepared.  This post is one that I'm going to schedule since I'm trying to take a vacation this week so here it goes, people!

As you may know, or not, I was raised in a home where my mother would daily remind us that "Actions speak louder than words." Til this day, I repeat it as well, and when she would tell us, I would almost cringe!  Funny how life is.  Well, she also taught us to be self reliant and independent.  As one of the many things that she taught is is the art of canning.  Yes, it is an art, I believe, because only those that have patience for it will do it.  As such, I've been collecting empty glass containers since we moved to our new home and I'm getting ready to start canning in the next few weeks or so so that I can be done by the time snow hits. I know the general rules for this and I'm happy to share it with you all, once I start.  As a family, we;ve compiled a home storage for emergencies and continue to grow it despite the financial hardships that come.  It is so important to be prepared.  I know this because it can help in times when even no one in the house has a job to buy food, to get supplies, and I've witnessed cases in which catastrophes strike and leave food far from reach and being prepared is a blessing which we have to work hard to maintain.

Here are some general ideas for building a home storage: (all from LDS.ORG)
1. Gradually build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet until it is sufficient for three months.
2. Store drinking water.
3. Establish a financial reserve by setting aside a little money each week, and gradually increase it to a reasonable amount.
4. Once families have achieved the first three objectives, they are counseled to expand their efforts, as circumstances allow, into a supply of long-term basic foods such as grains, legumes, and other staples.

For now, I've compiled a few websites that will help you along the way and I will share with you great articles about keeping a home storage as well.

Why should you start?:
Home storage for Newly Weds
Home storage for families

How-to:
Learn to Can
Homegrown Canning
One step at a time

Until next time.  I'll be online shortly and hopefully ready to hit the ground running!  Also, my family might visit the weekend of my boy's birthday!!!!! That's the best news I've had in weeks!!!!

Speed up your system..and other programs!

Here's a few tips on cleaning up your hard drive and speeding up your overall programs.  This is especially useful if you save a lot of pictures:

Dump your thumbnails file (C>.thumbnails or C>Users>Name>.thumbnails). Simply delete the contents of the folder "fail" and "normal". Sometimes "normal" may be 100 megs. You can change this with preferences too, this just seems easier for me.

Empty the Recycle Bin so you computer knows it has that space available. If you don't empty it, then that stuff is still sitting there taking up space. After dumping the RB, the info is still there but the computer knows it can write over it with something else and shows it as available space on your HD.

You also want to remove brushes and patterns that you are not using from photo-editing software. You don't have to delete them, just move them to another file. When I make new patterns and brushes I copy them to the "To Burn" file immediately so I can have them for later and I don't forget if I'd rather save them on a disk.

To go one step further, you can now clean out your temporary internet files and if you haven't in a while, defrag your baby too. All of this makes every program you have run faster, not just internet. About 2-4 times a year you should clean your computer. If you are not comfortable doing it yourself, spend the money and bring it in. Some shops have discounts for regular maintenance. Sometimes cleanings are under your warranty, read your small print or call the store to find out. A tower full of dust bunnies will run hotter, using more power and running harder, in the end slower. The only thing fast on a dirty computer is the time that comes when the computer quits. I don't recommend cleaning it yourself because static electricity can zap a computer and then all you have is a paperweight. ALWAYS back up your stuff before cleaning the insides of your tower. I will do my own tower but I have my laptop done at a shop. Don't forget to clean your mouse and keyboard. A sticky key on my friend's computer happened to be the F10 key, which upon reboot put her into system restore. She lost everything.

Lastly, to make programs start up better, always shut them down by using the File>Quit or Exit option instead of hitting the little x's at the top right corners. The little x's is almost equivalent to a hard shut down or a crash.

Go on now, don't waste another minute, clean up your system and maintain it.

My new project!

So, I need a good, stylish bag for my camera and lenses, but woe is me, they are very pricey.  Ranging from $100-$260 for a cute, descent-sized one that can also hold a wallet, lip balm, and car keys.  A simple camera bag just doesn't cut it when you're out and about trying to also carry your purse on the side.  Plus, the lens covers, chargers, and sometimes extra memory cards can't be slipped into back jean pockets for precautions.

Here are some pretty fresh ideas from Stylish Camera Bags to inspire anyone to make one and get ideas sparking in those creative minds of yours.  I for one, want one that can organize too.  Also there are quite a bit of options for more camera bags at Tip Nut for smaller cameras; some DIY specifics over at Jen and Steve's dot Com , Live Laugh Eat, and Lil Blue Boo for a tutorial on an interchangeable, padded insert.

Here are my top three DYI inspirers:

Check out the sites too and make your own unique camera cases or bags.  I for one, start tomorrow(when I feel better) on my search for the perfect bag I can utilize for such a personal cause and fulfill my endeavor for simplicity and cuteness while photographing.

Helping fresh veggies last longer

Here's a tip and habit you should create to keeo your veggies lasting longer in the fridge and prevent a mess when it goes bad after it gets accidently pushed to the back (it happens to everyone).

Just put a napkin/papertowel inside the plastic bag you buy it in.  Seriously, sounds weird, but a lady I knew a while ago made her own sauces and grew her own crops and she did this.  I couldn't believe how well it works!

 Start by rinsing your veggies(and the plastic it comes in), mostly greens, and gently shake off water and place back into the bag you bought it in and place a napkin or paper towel in with it extended to the side of the bag.  This wicks away moisture that starts to create bacteria, so instead of your food getting nasty, it just stays cleaner and lasts longer.  I use it even after I cut  a onion or bell pepper and won't be using the rest of it right away in a ziploc baggie wrapped in a napkin or paper towel.  Sometimes it can wick away the edges of the cut veggie, but you can easily remove that after you re-use it and slice off the dry edges.

Stop losing your grocery coupons!

Now, for the my first craft for your home!  It's a coupon file pocket with magnet for your fridge!  I did this craft before Thanksgiving time last year because I noticed there were offers coming in from everywhere!  So, I created this cute little file pocket to keep things organized and just keep the coupons I want, not the whole ad, you know?  There are two versions I'm showing because the fancier one was made by my mom.  I made one for her after she visited and since she has more supplies than I do, she made many, many more to give to her friends.

This is so functional and decorative.  I think I saw something similar to it when I was preganant in a magazine, but it was more like a wallet you can tuck away in your kitchen drawers...I like this better!  I will give a step by step tutorial so you can have one too.

1. Get some cute, patterned  or decorated cardstock and cut what you need just staright accross from the whole page that is sold in a big square shape.  Fold into 3 parts, making the top-most fold thrice closely together since if you make only one fold, it might tear from too much usage after your start to wear it.

2. Measure another solid-colored cardstock and cut.  Fold as many times as you need, like a fan.  So if you want it to have 3 dividing sections, fold vertically 8 times.  If you just need 2 compartments, fold 5 times vertically. 


3. Follow my sketch for where to glue it.Use tacky glue (preferably) to join the fan-like paper to your envelope-like paper and hold to make sure it's sturdy.  Slide in more cardstock (or cereal box pieces) that you cut into the right size for your dividers.  I used an extra cardstock piece that fit in perfectly.

4. Now, decide how you want to keep the flap closed.  My mom used velcro, strengthened by more cardstock behind it to be sturdy.  I used those metal paper things and also folded the top section my ribbon around it and folded extra from the flap to cover my not inside.

5. Decorate! Put on stickers, flowers, gems, or leave it simple if your cardstock is pretty ornate already, or you love the pattern. Here, you just get creative!
6. Attach a magnet to the center back a little less than an inch away from the top with a glue gun.

7. Now get some coupons and organize them however you want.  I divide them into 3 coupon categories: Grocery, restaurant, and products and slide then into their respective section.

Hasta la proxima vez!  Until next time!

Making things easier...

I'm sure everyone has heard that if you have a smelly laundry batch, then pour in a bit of vinegar in the washer with your detergent and Voila!!  Well, I knew it, but I hardly used it since my vinegar was in the kitchen and laundry room on the second floor.  You see, I like cleaning one area first and then doing the rest, one at a time.  So, I didn't wanna get sidetrackes and head into the kitchen and see something and want to start there instead, when I'm cleaning/organizing/folding clothes...get it?  I figured, I don't wanna spend money buying 2 bottles and let one go to waste from not using it too much in the laundry room....hm, what to do, what to do?  I just emptied out a drinking bottle, cleaned it out, let it air dry, and poured some vinegar in there.  Recycled! 

Now I put this bottle, filled up to my comfort level, next to our detergent. Yay!

TIP:  Many people think adding more detergent makes clothes smell better. Not true, since all your doing is filling the water with more soapy junk, meaning your clothes won't absorb it as well and won't get cleaned better either.  Instead, opt for using the required(read the box) detergent measuring for your loads.  I actually use slightly less too, and it works!  Plus, you save on buying detergent later on, rather than sooner.

Do you have a metal handle fly-swatter?  Since I craft, I have magnets as well and just clinged that handle and propped it on our frigde.  It's so much easier that way to reach!  I don't get flies often, mind you, but

 when one stubborn fly races into my home from outside, I want to get rid of it fast!  I hate germs and here in Utah, the flies seem to be on steroids...they're huge!

TIP:  After getting rid of pests, make sure you run your swatter under hot water for a few seconds to quickly get rid of nasty parasites and gunk.  You don't want your kids to start playing with it after you forgot to clean it off....yuck!  It's good to whipe it down also when your cleaning your kitchen.

Desktop

I created this using the simple program Picasa, by Google. Not bad, I think. It's our new little desktop background with the settings customized and set into categories. Took me about 15 minutes start to finish.