Exciting news abound!

Thirty-One made quite the announcement yesterday. The big news told consultants that the November special would be available early starting today, October 16th. Being relatively new to Thirty-One, my response was, "Ok, that's fine." The response from fellow consultants though was a little more along the lines of.....

 

Yes, that's right! For those of you who know about the medium and square utility totes, they are back from now until November 26th.

 

 

You can get either the square utility tote or the medium utility tote for only $7 when you make a purchase of $35 or more. Now, I really love my large utility totes. I have like...4 - 5 of them. They are incredibly useful and oh so stylish. :) They are, however, definitely large. The idea of a slightly smaller utility tote...we'll I'm definitely game! The square utility tote - oh the storage possibilities with this one!

 

The important part to remember is that this is ONLY available October 16th through November 26th. After that these two items are gone! They are not in the current catalog, so I have no idea when/if they'll ever be offered again.

 

 

 

These are some seriously useful bags! Here are some cool ideas I found for the square utility tote.

 

DVD storage...I have so many kids movies that could go in here. In fact, maybe it could help keep them from being out of their cases and sitting on my TV stand!

 

This is an adorable Easter basket, but given the time of year - think Hanukkah or Christmas gift! Even a New Year's gift for your party hostess.

 

 

Seriously? I want to be a guest in this house.

 

 

You know you want your pantry to look like this! It'll never happen in my house, but hey! One can dream. :)

 

Where are my crafters? This looks like just the right size to hold your yarn or latest quilting project.

 

The uses for the medium utility tote look endless! I definitely need a way to organize my gift wrap with Christmas right around the corner.

 

 

Another fall outfit for those who are fashion inclined! This collection came from the website Polyvore. I'm jealous of those with this fashion know-how.

 

 

The Littles Carry-All was another one I waved aside until I realized the million uses these little caddies have! Three of them fit perfectly inside the medium utility tote. Oh the possibilities are endless!

 

 

Snacks for the team? Girl scout troop? This would be so much easier to carry than the large utility tote. I may need this for our scout trip to the zoo this year for Halloween.

 

Finally, who doesn't need good kitty storage!?!? Make sure to get yours today and color coordinate with your cat for goodness sake! :)

 

So whose excited about this latest special? Well, why don't you spread the word and earn products for free by hosting a party! Check out my website www.mythirtyone.com/hbrowning to place an order. For those of you ambitious folks who want to earn free stuff either through an in-person party or a catalog party, e-mail me!

 

TTFN!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thirty-One is taking over!

I haven't touched this blog in so long. I figured it was time to make use of the thing and why not for my latest obsession. I've started selling Thirty-One in an effort to actually be able to afford childcare and formula. :)

Since my post-2nd baby body is in need of a new (non-maternity) fall wardrobe, I've been drooling over the amazing outfits that Thirty-One has paired with some of their products. As an added bonus, the Retro Metro Collection is the special for this month, so most of these that I will post here can be purchased at 50% off when you make a purchase of $35 or more. If you love the Retro Metro Weekender this is quite the deal! I'll certainly be getting one myself.

 

The jacket and the boots with this outfit - I want, I want! The bag in this collection is the Free to Be Carry-All in Brown Woodstock Floral. A great casual bag available in three fall prints. 

 

 

 

 

 



 

This red jacket is beautiful! there are quite a few Thirty-One products stashed into this collection. Starting on the left is the Perfect Cents Wallet in Grey Houndstooth. If you need about three billion places for stuff in your wallet like I do, this one is for you!

 

Below that is the All-Day Organizing Tote in Grey Mod Dot. I purchased one of these last month and have been using it as my diaper bag. The ability to zip it closed sold me. I do need to get a Hang It Up Key Fob though to add to it to hold those pacifiers. They disappear in the bag unless they're hooked to something!

 

Next is the Lunch Break Thermal in Grey Parisian Pop.  The lunch bags are awesome. The option to personalize them is even better. :)

 

Finally, we have the Zipper Pouch in Grey Parisian Pop. Seriously, I can think of about a million uses for these things and the embroidery option makes it SO tempting to buy a dozen of them...in each pattern.

 

This one is by far my favorite look. I can only hope to look this good one day. We have three essential Thirty-One items here.

 

First is the Flat-Iron Fold Over in Black Chevron. Besides being perfect for bringing your curling or flat iron with you when you travel, this insulated bag can be used for hot or cold. Stick go-gurts and cheese sticks in it for the kids!

 

Next is the 24/7 case in Black. This would be a great case to monogram for a bride!

 

Be still my heart, the last item here is the Retro Metro Weekender in Black Chevron. I'm on a mission to get one of these this month. As I mentioned before, it's one of the October specials, so get it 50% off when you place an order of $35 or more!

 

 

Here is the Weekender again, this time in Grey Mod Dot. It's impossible to choose just one pattern.

 

Finally, we have the Retro Metro Bag in Paisley Day. This is another 50% off item this month when you place an order of $35 or more.

 

I hope this blog becomes a fun place to explore the many uses for the Thirty-One products. I'm certainly having fun making it a way to support my family! I welcome comments and questions. For those of you who would like to place an order, you can do so at www.mythirtyone.com/hbrowning. Better yet, host a party and earn discounts and even free products! I've done a few Facebook parties now and would love to continue introducing people to Thirty-One. Until next time...

 

Heather

 

How do you provide motivation in a sleep deprived state?

There are two questions dominating my life right now:

1.       How do you get a 6-month-old to sleep for longer than two hours at a time at night?

2.       How do you motivate a 7-year-old to strive for her personal best, rather than just doing only the bare minimum to get by?

 

Does anyone have any suggestions, because one of these is keeping me up at night (literally) and the other is consuming me during the day?

 

I am amazed at how much my daughter is affected by sleep. Some babies can have a day of poor sleep and it takes them a day to get over it. Not my little one! She has a day of bad sleep and it has taken us a week now to get over it! The poor little girl is sleep deprieved and making it worse each day with crappy naps and terrible night sleep. Plus she’s up at 5:30 a.m. everyday now that daylight savings time has ended. Oh my aching head. Lack of sleep is tough enough, but now my semi-cold/cough is getting worse because I’m just not able to get enough sleep to kick its butt. I have tried to read everything I actually have time to read on the subject of sleep and it’s a complicated topic. Our bodies need sleep to survive and yet we oftentimes have to be taught how to get good sleep. It reminds me a little of my favorite book, Insomnia, when Joe Wiser says that doctors will tell you that lack of sleep will not kill you, but what really goes on the death certificate is much worse.

 

The second item plaguing me recently is motivation. My daughter is incredibly bright. She is above grade level in reading, remarkable at spelling, and capable of learning just about anything. However, she received a low mark on her report card. Her teacher has her pegged and realizes that she is just not striving for her personal best. She does just enough to get by. She is asked to write in her journal, so she does so for about ten minutes and then declares that she is done. She is asked to read for 20 minutes each night, so she does and then immediately closes the book and moves onto something else. She does not seem engaged to the point of wanting to learn or discover more. She is not engaged enough to want to push herself to the next level. I am completely internally motivated, so I am at a loss as to how to effectively motivate my daughter. Do I reward her for accomplishments? That hardly seems to be a good way to push her, because then what happens when we no longer provide her with a reward. Do I challenge her by letting her know that her levels are not as high as we thought they were? Her teacher actually told me that her first reading test put her right at grade level. She retested her and was able to get a higher and presumibly more accurate score. I’m assuming that she just flat out didn’t try the first time. Is the problem that she has been told so often that she is very intelligent, so she beliees she doesn’t have to try very hard to succeed? Is it possible she has “too much” self-esteem?

 

I’m at a loss.

 

 

 

 

 

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Naptime Anyone?

Whew - I'm so very tired. It's now been 8 weeks since I've gotten a full and uninterrupted night's sleep. And I'm sure the trend will continue. But looking into the face of my beautiful daughter tonight will make me forget that I was yawning and nodding off at my desk all day today.

I did manage a very good hike on Saturday. Add the 10 pounds of baby I carried with me and I think it can be considered a bit of weight training as well. I also did a sweat inducing workout on Monday, but it's not looking good for the rest of this week. Hopefully I will be sneaking in lunchtime workouts on Thursday and Friday. I just have to stop yawning long enough to get on that treadmill! I also reserved some mom and baby yoga dvds from the library. We'll see how those go. Spending time with AnnaSophia - big thumbs up. Doing yoga...well. It's never really been my favorite form of exercise. But I'll give it a shot.

Day 14: 153 pounds, 165 days and 33 pounds to go.

One journey ends, another begins

My beautiful baby girl was born on May 15^th at 6:45 in the morning. She was 2 ½ weeks early, but a perfect weight and was born with absolutely no complications. It is such a relief to have her here and even more of a relief to not be pregnant anymore. While it certainly wasn’t a terrible experience, I’m very glad to have my body back to myself. And ecstatic to be able to bend down and tie my shoes!

 

Six weeks of recovery time and now it’s time to start my next journey. I did not lose 60 pounds several years ago, just to let it all come back. As of today I am 155 pounds. My goal weight (I am 5’2”) is 120 pounds. Which leaves me with a weight loss target of 35 pounds. More than I had hoped to gain, but not an unmanageable number. If I can lose 1 pound each week, I will be able to reach my goal by March 2^nd of next year. If I can pull off losing 2 pounds a week, I can reach my goal by Halloween. I’m really aiming for somewhere in between those two dates. I think I’ll aim to hit my target weight at Christmas. This rounds out to 7 pounds a month for the next 5 months.

 

While this goal is certainly possible, it’s going to be a lot harder than it was last time. The last time I lost weight I was single and I wasn’t a mom. My finances were strong enough to afford the Nutrisystem plan. Things are a bit different now. I’m going to have to rely heavily on my lunchtime workouts and focus on crafting my own diet plan rather than having the luxury of simply following directions and eating what is sent to me.

 

My lunchtime workout today was 30 minutes of walking at a pretty brisk pace. I’d like to get up to 4 miles an hour, but today I could only pull of 3.3mph. Of course, I had the incline working against me too. I’m sure that counts for something. Then I did 3 sets of 16 reps on the leg machine (inner and outer thigh exercises) and the same number of sets/reps for my arms (bicep curls and dumbbell rows). It felt really good to be sweaty and tired again. It really felt like maybe I accomplished a little. My diet today has been okay – I avoided the doughnut and burrito e-mails and have only eaten what I brought with me from home. My water intake definitely needs to increase. I’m only on my second glass today. Though I did drink a bottle of water in the car on the way to work. I think my biggest diet challenge is breakfast. I need to find breakfast options that will keep me satisfied for a decent amount of time without blowing my calorie and fat count for the day. The Nutrisystem breakfasts were really tasty, but I’m really not able to find anything like them other than oatmeal packets. That will be my first nutrition goal – to find a good breakfast option that will fill the belly and still stay within reasonable calorie and fat limits.  

 

Day 1: 155 pounds, 178 days and 35 pounds to go.

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My love/hate addiction

I simultaneously love and hate finishing books. I finished two yesterday – a book and an audio book. It was fantastic. It was miserable. Is anyone following this? I get the majority of my books from the library. So I am constantly trying to beat the due date and oftentimes failing miserably. When I do finish a book there is the sense of completion. Something to check off the old to-do list. There’s also the feeling that I’m getting organized by placing that book in the library bag. That book is now one less thing cluttering my bedside table, exercise bag, passenger side car seat, etc.

However, I can’t help but feel empty. Lost. That I’ve somehow been disconnected from my new friends. The characters I’ve connected with, the story the author is telling me still linger in my brain taunting me about the fact that I will no longer be able to learn more about their world.

I think the worst case of this is when I finish an audio book in the car. It doesn’t matter that the story has ended, the trip is still going. And what do I listen to now? I was so absorbed into the world of the book that sometimes I have to sit there in silence. Radio is too jarring, too harsh and abrupt.

Then of course, I must move onto the next book which takes time. It’s a chapter or two before I start remembering which character is which and who is speaking etc. And there’s a time to adjust to the author’s language. Eventually I become accepting of the new book and what it has to offer me. That is until, like they all do, it ends.

 

A very long week

Tomorrow my little monster girl heads to California for a week. I can’t help but worry about her. I never quite know what to expect during these trips. My experience has been that my tomboy comes back with an unwanted haircut, a very quiet demeanor, and suddenly dressed in pink. At least it’s only a week this time. I still have a few months before the dreaded 2-month departure.

 

I feel so helpless and unable to protect my stepdaughter. I love her as though I had given birth to her myself and yet she steps out to that other piece of her life and I’m powerless to make sure that she can be herself and express who she truly is. I have been incredibly pleased that she has not been teased in school by her peers about her tomboy sense of style that I find so amazingly wonderful and unique. Yet she is changed when she returns from her visits. After a short period of readjustment, she seems to swing even more into the tomboy/boy clothes loving persona. I can’t help but worry that this is not healthy for her. Yet I have no say her. No control. My ability to protect her only extends to “my time” with her.

 

Thus begins the countdown. One week. I just have to make it until next Monday evening. And then I can once again start to repair what I can’t help but see as little holes in her heart that seem to tear with every visit. Please let them be filled with love. Please don’t let the scar tissue take over her precious and amazing heart.

 

Never done...

I feel perpetually behind. I just can’t catch up. I can’t “finish” anything. I try – I really do. But the laundry is never done; the house is never clean (heck, I can’t get one room clean); I haven’t finished a quilt in, um, a very long time; the girl scout stuff is never organized and neither is the quilt group stuff; filing is never done; and I’m so behind on the journaling I want to do for my kids.

 

How could I possibly add to my endless list with a resolution? Something new to try to accomplish? Heck no! I don’t need to add anything else to my endless list of to-dos. All I can do is try to keep my head above water. Oh well, guess I should just admit it – super-mom, super-wife, super-employee, super-quilter…I am not. And I probably will never be. But I guess that’s okay. Because I still get to spend time with my daughter as her girl scout leader – organized or not. And I get to quilt with her – sporadic though it may be. And I get to spend time with my husband – in our messy living room. It’ll do. Especially if I can get all of us in clean underwear each day.

 

And yes, the picture above has nothing to do with anything. Except that it has now made me want ice cream. I can’t help it. This is what pregnant women do. I didn’t even finish finding a cool pic or clipart for my blog post. I searched for “overwhelmed”, “piled”, and “covered”. What I got was chocolate covered ice cream…yum. So I’ll manage to accomplish one thing today – I’ll be stopping at the store after work to pick up a yummy flavor or two. Check! One thing done.

Budgets...

Who schedules a budgeting process at the end of December??? Oh well, we're conforming to our new parent company's schedule and this is it. I've been consumed by budgets this week. Though I can't say I'm complaining. In many ways I feel like it's one part of my job that I really understand well. And the number of things I feel like I understand at my job seems to decrease daily.

However, as with every budgeting process I know this one will end with a complete and utter drain of all my energy. That can only be fixed with lots and lots of creative projects. I do believe there's a quilt top in pieces at home with my name on it that really needs to be pieced. I hope I have time to throw myself into it once all these budgets are complete.

Humanity

I love the humanity that works its way to the forefront of everyone’s mind during the holiday season. Everyone is so much more willing to help out their friends and neighbors, but more importantly complete strangers. Why are our defenses down so much lower during the holidays? Why is the idea that no one should be alone or without during December so prevalent an idea? It’s an interesting one since really I don’t think people should be alone or without at any point during the year. But maybe we’re just more willing to overlook the flaws in our fellow men that result in our willingness to shun someone in need during the rest of the year. The argument of “well, maybe he should just get a job” doesn’t sound quiet as loudly in our heads when the Christmas bells are ringing. Wish those bells would ring more often throughout the year. We should love each other. After all, what else do we have in this world?

 

 

Welcoming committee???

I received my ballot in the mail this weekend and I've been working diligently on researching the items at hand so I can cast my vote. I've worked my way through the state issues and the last item on my ballot is a City and County of Denver ordinance item. Okay, important city issues - roadways, noise, community safety...

Nope.

The creation of an extraterrestrial affairs commission. Um yeah - you read that right. A commission just in case there is contact by little green men. And what will this commission do? "ensure the health, safety and cultural awareness of Denver residents and visitors in relations to potential encourters or interactions with extraterrestrial intelligent beings or their vehicles"

At least it's to be funded from grants, gifts, and donations...not tax money. Important stuff we're dealing with here! Solid proof that it was WAY too easy to get items place on the ballot in the State of Colorado. I wonder if this will actually pass.

Monsters monsters everywhere...

I made a monster yesterday. He's blue with a red polka dotted bow-tie. But his orange hair just isn't quite right. It's supposed to look like a spikey mowhawk do, but instead I got an orange crown. I'll have to work on that more tonight.

I'm making a monster quilt for my cute little six-year old monster. Which was originally an ironic nickname, but as her six-year-oldness has begun to kick in more I'm starting to question the irony.

Oh well, regardless I think these cute little hand appliqued monsters will be a lot of fun. I absolutely love the bright colors.

Meanwhile the little girl cut a bunch more squares for her quilt yesterday. She only needs about twenty more and then she can start sewing! The husband is well into his third quilt top and will be learning to machine applique with a satin stitch very soon.

A new project

Yes, yet another new project. The scrappy fence rail is on hold until the back can be complete pieced (still waiting on a few more choice pieces). The tie quilt is in the works - about 1/4 of the center circle is together. Of course it's time to start a new project! But this one...is top secret. Not the quilt pattern or design. More the quilt purpose. So we have a sketch - 9 large patches (about 10" sewn) with sashing in between. Plus a larger border across the top and bottom of the quilt to make it less square. The material - scrappy of course! The background fabric for the 9 main blocks has been selected. A nice assortment of different colors. Now it's time to find the fabric for the appliques that will adorn each block. The best part about this quilt though (in my opinion) is the back. Because I get to make that one. Yes, a double-sided quilt. I thought it quite clever. It's a way to collaborate on a project, with very little actual collaboration. Match the two sizes and we're good to go! I've decided on pinwheels for my side, but I'm at a total loss as to what fabric I'll use. Definitely bright colors, but I haven't gotten more specific than that. Time to get to work on my design!

In other news...my machine is fixed! Ha! Maybe I'll actually get to do some quilting sometime soon. One can always hope.

And the quilting continues

So the latest purchase is a sewing table complete with a 1948 Kenmore. Which seems to still work. Definitely needs a bit of service, but even the lightbulb is still kicking.

We've moved out the big couch and replaced it with the one from my condo that had been sitting in our garage. Left just enough space for the sewing table right at the end. Now grumpy's sewing machine is no longer on the kitchen table. Hooray! Makes more space for the little monster to do her homework.

The tie quilt is still in process, but there hasn't been progress yet on sandwiching or quilting the scrappy rail fence. That one is going to be a bear to quilt - definitely queen sized.

In the meantime, I manage to get in a stitch or two handquilting the monkey baby quilt. Maybe I'll get it done before the baby arrives. We'll see.

A quilting family

My husband and I just finished our first quilting retreat together. We packed the sewing machines, supplies, etc. and headed off for the weekend to do a bit of sewing while the little girl visited her grandparents. I got started on handquilting a baby quilt, but my husband managed to finish piecing his queen sized scrappy quilt. We visited most of the quilting stores in the area and started collecting for his next quilt - a tie quilt. And the queen sized scrap quilt? The plan is to hand quilt it. My hands hurt just thinking about that endeavor, but we'll see. Hopefully it will grace our bed all in good time. As for where we're going to store a second fabric stash...the jury is still out on that one. We barely have room for my meager stash.

And while my machine is in the shop with a dead motor - I pulled out the Singer 301 and had it serviced. My grandmother, mother, and I all learned to sew on this machine and let me tell you - I had forgotten just how cool this machine is. I may borrow it while mine is being repaired, but it now belongs to my daughter. And she's already started collecting some cool scraps for her first quilt. I'm interested to see how all this quilting plays out...

What to do, what to do...

I have a ridiculously high level of nervous energy today. I'm going a little stir crazy. Worked out at the gym at lunch and still I feel it. Apparently I need to run a few miles...if I was a runner that is. Nope, no clue because honestly, I don't feel like doing anything. If I wasn't stuck being awake for the next several hours, I might consider just putting on the PJs and calling it a day. How can I be so amazingly exhausted and still so anxious and nervous? I can think of a million things I should be doing and a million more that might actually help me relax. But really - I'm at a loss as to how to get rid of this mess in my head today. Oh well, tomorrow will be better...right?

A new quilter

My soon-to-be husband has decided to take on the quilting world. Never one to be typical, he has ignored the role of the quilt husband and has decided to instead join in the fun. My honey has decided to make a quilt - one that will take up the whole living room, of course. The biggest quilt you've ever seen.

We spent the weekend roaming the local quilt stores with plans to drive a little further this weekend. He's picked out a good stack of fat quarters, some of which will now become part of a pieced back because they don't fit his newly refined vision of the quilt.

The purchased fat quarters and remants have been soaked and hung dry. Now comes the next challenge of teaching him rotary cutting skills. I say challenge because it'll be a righty teaching a lefty this quilting technique. Always a fun new skill even without the challenge of having to teach and learn in opposite directions. It should be a fun experience! Or a bumpy road. I'm not sure which yet.

Counting down

18 days until B is back and 24 until the wedding. Exciting! Each night I make another check off my mental to-do list and just can't wait to hug my little girl and marry my honey. And when all the excitement is over? Well, then I can just get busy again with school, girl scouts, and karate. Whoever said life is dull, just wasn't trying hard enough.

Happy Birthday, B!

Today my beautiful stepdaughter turns six. I want so very badly to hug her, kiss her and wish her a happy birthday. I can't stand that she's away for so very long. Two months is absolutely miserable and my heart is absolutely breaking every day she's gone.

If I miss her this much I can only wonder about her mother who seems perfectly content to only have her two months out of the year. The thought of this going on for ten months out of the year is more than I can bear.

I want my little girl back. I hate being without her.

How many dead horses?

My dad recently wrote a blog post on the concept of riding a dead horse in business. Whether it's keeping an employee or keeping a business concept; we can come up with a multitude of ways to avoid admitting that the horse is just plain dead. For whatever reason, we unable to give up and let go.

So, how often does this idea impact our personal lives as well. It could be how we manage (or don't manage) our finances or our household; how we parent our children; or unfortunately, the people we depend on in our lives. How often do we let dead horses stop us short in terms of personal fulfillment? What is it that keeps us from admitting the truth and moving past the dead horse?