Has it been that long already?

So, I was back tracking and looking at some of my old posts. And I came across a post that I swear wasn't very long ago. It was entitled my two year plan. I talked about finishing school and graduating, finding a job, moving to Hawaii and finding a job there, and then came the "after that who knows?" Well, I'm there now. So who knows??? Please tell me if you do, because I haven't got a clue. The only thing I do know is I am suppose to go back to Utah. But then what?

Behold the Power of Vinegar

So, I learned something new today. Vinegar does it all. I was reading on one of my favorite blogs called Be a Homemaker and she had switched over to using vinegar as a cleaning agent because it is safe and it works. She also gave a link to this nifty website called Vinegar Works Wonders it has all sorts of ways you can use vinegar to clean. Some of them I already knew because, well my mom taught me (she is so smart) but some of them were news to me.  One I tried and it worked really well!! I have had a clogged shower drain for a while now, and I have tried everything I could think of to unclog it. I read on this site that you can pour 1 cup of white vinegar and a handful of baking soda down your drain let it bubble and rinse with warm water and tada! So I tried it and tada!! It worked!! I may need to repeat the process a couple of times but it is a quick, cheap and productive way to unclog that drain!!

Other things I have learned about vinegar from my mom:

She would have us wash our hair in vinegar when we were little because we went swimming all the time and the chlorine would fry our hair and actually turn it green. The vinegar cleared that right up! I read on be a homemaker that if you mix 1 Tbsp white vinegar with your shampoo you will have healthier hair and scalp!

My mom would also make us use vinegar when we got sunburned. Either we would mist it on with a spray bottle to relieve the pain and reduce peeling or we would pour it onto a cool wet cloth and just have it sit on there.

My mom also swears by vinegar mixed with honey when you are sick. Apple cider vinegar to be exact. I think it tastes disgusting, but it works!  I have also tried 2 Tbsp honey mixed with 1-2 Tsp lemon juice in a mug full of hot water. It clears up sore throats right away and reduces cold time. Try it, it works!

My mom would also have us use vinegar to wash windows. It leaves it clean and streak free.

Wondering where to buy industrial sizes of vinegar? You guessed it! COSTCO!

So there is my vinegar is pretty amazing stuff and my mom is even more amazing blog post. ENJOY!

P.S. Does the fact that I am so excited about cleaning with vinegar that I am dedicating a post to it make me sound domesticated? he he I never in a million years thought that I would dedicate a whole post to vinegar.

I'm pretty sure she can fit in my suitcase

So, as I am nearing the end of my Hawaii stay, I am looking back at all the things that I am going to miss. And while I will miss the nice weather, the ocean, my friends, my job and all, the one thing that is going to break my heart to leave is this little girl:

Madeline, or Madoo Lou, is the cutest little girl ever! If I don't work and I happen to sleep in, she will come and pound on my door and yell "Nat" until I open it and see her smiley face. 

Anytime she eats anything lately, she wants it cut in half so she can share it with her favorite Aunt Nat. 

She likes me to hold her hand and walk up and down the sidewalk in the back yard

She likes to cuddle with me and watch movies

She likes me to play bubbles, playdough, color, or kitchen with her

She likes me to play horsey with her, or march around like elephants or be puppies. 

She likes me to chase her around saying "RAAAR"

She likes me to hide and pop out and scare her.

She likes me to tickle her

She likes me to help her with baby

She like me to help her boing up the stairs

She likes me to come sit in her play house and color or eat or just sit there

Here are mor of the reasons why I love this  little girl:

She's an artist:

PHotographer

 

a Painter

  

 and a sculptor

  

She loves animals... every single one of them:

  

  

  

 these next two make me laugh

  

  

  

She's not afraid to get dirty:

  

  

She loves trees... she likes to hug them:

  

She loves ice cream, and knows she can always get it from her aunt Nat

  

When watching something like Madagascar or CArs, she is in the zone:

 

She loves shoes. Especially my shoes:

 

 

  

She's not afraid to show her feelings:

  

 She wants to be a puppy:

  

  

She makes funny faces:

  

  

  

  

  

  

She does funny things:

  

  

  

  

and she is just plain cute!!

  

 .

  

  

Oh I am going to miss my little Lou Madoo!! Do you think Missy will notice if I sneaked her into my suitcase?

In NeEd oF MoTivaTioN

So I've been thinking. Well, wondering really. What motivates people to do the things they do? I thought about this after I wasn't being motivated to run. Beginning to run is really not fun and not having someone to run with to push me makes it very very hard to motivate myself. What motivations do all you runners use to keep yourself going?

Just one of those craptastic days

Do you ever have days where everything seems to go wrong, or you just seem to get a lot of bad news on that day and it all just sends you over the top. I think today is one of those days and I will be very glad when it is all over!!! Work was hard, unusually hard. The autistic girl that I teach has her bad days, but they are usually concentrated to an hour in the afternoon. Not the case today. Within the first hour of the day, I got bit and head butted and that set the tone for how the rest of the day went. I walked out of work thinking I'm gonna call my mom cause today was crappy. So I did and I found out that my Grandpa is back in the hospital. Crappy news + crappy day = water faucet on my face. Then I drove home and noone was here, and then I tried to call some people just to talk and no one was answering, then I found out some more crappy news about a friend of mine and needless to say today was just a crappfully crapful day. Sorry I am using crap a lot, but it's just one of those days.

Soap on a stick

My sister and I took Madeline to a park at the top of Round Top Drive. It's a really nice little grassy area overlooking the city. We broke out the bubbles and she went nuts. I snapped a few pictures and I really liked how this one turned out. I am extremely amazed at what soap on a stick can do for fun and entertainment!!

Goodbye my friend...

So, I have this set of scriptures. I have had these scriptures for years. I used them in seminary, institute and on my mission, and the 3 1/2 years since I've been home from my mission. They have the old maps in them, you know, the green ones that were in scriptures forever ago.  I have used and used and used these scriptures. I've been meaning to buy a new set for a long time now, but I've had this particular set for so long that it's hard for me to just exchange them for some new ones.  But, about a month ago, I finally broke down and ordered some new ones. I'm running out of writing space in my old ones, and they are falling apart. It's sad, I know I may sound pathetic, but these scriptures are like my spiritual journal. I've written so many things in there and I will probably continue to use them until I get the new ones broken in. I always say that in the event of a fire if there was 1 thing that I would save, it would be these scriptures. And now I must move on to some new ones.  :(

 

 the old ones

 

the new ones