Hey friends!

If you read this blog in a reader then click on over and see the new banner I just made! I have had this on my to do list for over a year and finally figured out how to. Here is the tutorial I used.

I am also currently using Clover Lane's tutorials and info on digital scrapbooking. Check out her info here. Our girls are 2 and 3 now and what I have documented has either been pictures taken, blogging here, or scribbling a few notes down and throwing them in a box :(. I have always wanted to do a scrapbook for each of their first year and then one for every few years from then on! Thanks to this idea I have already done about 20 pages in the last 5 days.

Maggie turned 2 last week. I'll be back with more pics on that soon. Such a sweet spunky girl.

Oh and that quilt. I put it down because of flair ups. It will be brought out again soon...

Thanks for checking back. Oh and the banner looks fine on my computer, but let me know if it is a weird size, cropped, or stretched on yours.

List #2: Things I don't like about this blog/blogging.

1. I have never liked my layout or banners. I use to think I needed to make my own, but now several years later there are enough free ones that it seems silly sometimes to work on one when I could sew or read to my girls instead. (I do like this layout I have right now!)
   
2. When I am physically sick this blog takes a back seat, which ultimately is fine, but I like the practice and benefits of blogging. (Creative outlet/online friendships/keeping up with family and friends)
3. It seems outdated to me to be on blogger, but it is free and comfy. And you all already know where it is.
4. Even with spell check, I often can make a mistake. This doesn't bother me that much, but I know there are some people that are very easily turned off by speelling errs and bad grammmer :)
5. One thing you always read from professional bloggers about blogging is not to complain or apologize about things you don't love about your blog or for not blogging in a while. I break this rule every now and then and don't even care, call me a bad blogger. This place is for me to share and create with you!
   
6. The wondering about what readers you have. Creepers? Other crafters? Other mamas? Friends? Family?

Maggie is sad that I haven't blogged in a while.
She wants me to change that.
I told her I would blog more often and that made her feel better.
Also, I have no idea why there is a line under the previous sentence and it won't go away.
Oh well.

My new favorite ideas...

There is a blog that I really like called the Motherload. She has great tips on family life, motherhood, and home keeping but all on a shoestring budget...one of my favorite things she does is her weekly notebook. On her notebook post she shares links to all kinds of great things that she has seen on the internet, cool projects for her or her kids, and recipes... She also has a section on meal plans for eating well while shopping at Aldi's.

So, inspired and blessed by the Motherload Mom Advice Blog, here is a little collection of my newest favorite ideas that I have seen around the web lately.

• Alabama Studio Style. It's all about sustainability and style. I have always loved making things from old clothes and repurposing them. This is what they are all about! I knew there was this great book but I just stumbled onto the blog today!

• GirlTalk Blog has been sharing a lot about homemaking and it has been a blessing. Here is a great list of books I want to read up on.

• VanillaJoy posted her reflections on her first year of motherhood. I am about to hit that milestone myself! I love how she wrote "So I’ve learned that with motherhood, “productivity” cannot be measured or even detected sometimes. How much I visibly accomplish in a day is no indication of my sucess as a mother - another unique characteristic of motherhood."

• Tried this Pasta with Lentils and Arugula from Everyday Food. We use penne and big juicy tomatoes from our CSA. It was so good.
  

• I bought some of this fabric (in red and white) to make D's birthday dress. She and Levi are having a ladybug/bumblebee birthday party next week!

That's my list for now!!! I think we'll have a drawing soon. You better start posting.

And today's looking back at Dorothy's first year picture is below:

Five days old, going home from the hospital.

Internet Efficiency

I have wasted a lot of time in recent years on the Internet. It only got worse when Mike got me my own ibook last summer and I didn't have to share with him. Over the last two months I have come up with some things that have allowed me to read blogs, email, write this blog, facebook, myspace, flickr... without loosing so much quality time with my family.

1. I read this great post on email efficiency at SimpleMom. It has saved me a lot of time in emails.
2. I found that on the bottom of blogger I can write several blog posts at once and set the time and date that I want them to post. This has helped me think ahead and plan what I want to post.
   
3. I joined Bloglines. Instead of checking each blog on my bookmarks one at a time (which I spent SO much time doing) I entered them into my Bloglines feed and now I have to go to one place online to get all of my blogs. The best part is that it updates for you. So that you don't have to go to each individual post hoping that it has been updated only to find out it hasn't. It lets you know what blogs have new posts!
   
4. Generally, I get on the Internet for only 30 minutes at a time 2-3 times on weekdays and I am trying to write my blog entries when Mike is working on Sundays. That was a loose rule I had to set for myself because it was very easy for me to spend D's entire nap time on here or an entire night.
   

I said earlier last week that I had heard a wise women say that when you work on one discipline in your life it can't help but spill over into other aspects of your life. This is another example. I have more time to play with Dorothy, talk with Mike, read, pray, clean house and sew! Who'd have thought?

I hope these ideas bless and help some of you. There are other "blog readers" out there for blogs. Google has one and so does Yahoo. I tried Yahoo, but personally didn't like it as much.

Let me know how you are Internet efficient!