A Star is Born!

Alone as a Couple

Just last night I was on Yahoo! Messenger catching up with an old friend, who also happened to be an ex-boyfriend. I was 14 when we started dating, so it’s been quite a while. I haven’t even seen him in, oh, almost a decade.

Anyways, it got me thinking about relationships and how things change so much once you get married. When you’re dating, you have friends that you hang out with and no one person is expected to fulfill all your needs as a person. Like you might have a girlfriend that you can tell anything to, and another friend that you can have intellectually stimulating conversations with about the economy and current events in world news. So my question is, once you find “the one”, is it fair to expect that they should fulfill every need, and if not, how do you explain to your spouse that you have to have those needs filled elsewhere.

I feel pretty blessed that I have someone that I can tell just about anything to and have fun with, even though we are a couple of lazy ol’ married farts that rarely get out anymore. But still, talking with my friend last night made me miss the fact that I USED to have friends.

I used to hang out with a variety of people, most if not all, with different beliefs than my own…which allowed me to keep my mind open to new things and explore different ideas. I think this is how people get more stubborn and rigid in their old age. Time might hand out wisdom, but it’s rare to be thought wise when you refuse to step in another’s shoes and see outside your own box. I don’t want this to become me.

So, can I still be proper and be allowed to have friends while married? What are your thoughts?

My first attempt at XHTML

So far it’s been going good. I have another website (CookieLane.com) that I’ve been using for about 2 years and it hasn’t given me very many problems…nothing that I couldn’t work out.

But last year I decided that I needed my business to grow to include cakes AND cookies. Another problem was that I was (and still am) paying $20/month for my website which uses an online editor. It’s very convenient but very limited from the design aspect. Thus began my newest project, 350BakerStreet.com. I thought that I might be able to learn html online through w3schools.com. Don’t get me wrong, they are a great resource for learning, but I wasn’t able to pick it up as easily as I had hoped. So I abandoned the idea of creating my own website.

Until now!

I was at Barnes and Noble a couple weeks ago and I found this great book called “Creating a Web Site: The Missing Manual”. I read it from cover to cover in about 3 days (about 500+ pages) and started to apply what I had learned.

Today, I’m still working on my little pet project, but I’m feeling a lot more confident in my abilities than I did when I first started. Please note: the website is still under construction, but will be finished shortly…I hope

Thanks for reading!

What is your opinion of New Year Resolutions?

Blog Prompt for December 28 – January 3

I think resolutions are a great idea. I mean, why wouldn’t you want to take a problem or hurdle in your life and resolve to do something about it to better yourself? “Resolution” is just another word for goal-setting which, if done properly, can help you achieve your dreams.

But what do I have against “New Year’s Resolutions”? Well, a lot actually. First off, if you have gotten to the point like me where you’ve had it with your current lifestyle and need to change things immediately, you’re probably not going to wait for the first of the year. It’s like waiting for Valentine’s Day to get married. If you’re serious about what you’re doing, you don’t need a special day to mark the beginning of your journey. Getting started is memorable enough.

Another thing that can hurt your resolution is the perception that if you have any set-backs, you have to wait till next year to get started again. Look at gym memberships, for instance. A good deal (not sure of the percentage) of people who join a gym for a “New Year’s Resolution” end up quiting within the first 3 months (or is it 3 weeks?). What better to kill your motivation than an unused gym membership eating away at your already meager earnings.

If you must have a “New Year’s Resolution”, start small. As SparkPeople.com suggests, overwhelming yourself right from the beginning will get you no where fast. Take baby steps and before you know it, you will be reaching your ultimate goals and living your dreams.

Christmas light show in Payson, Utah

If you’ve seen this popular video on YouTube.com, then you’re going to love this light display! Located at 1260 South 95 East in Payson, Utah, it’s sure to become the next big thing. The set-up is similar but includes 4 other songs that you can listen to by parking out front and tuning into radio station 99.9.

My family and I happened upon the spectacle on our drive home from the in-laws. Cruising down Main Street (exit 250) toward our house, we saw a rope-lighted plywood sign on someone’s lawn that simply said, “Light Show 1260 S 95 E”. We were curious, of course, and went to check it out. We were not disappointed. It was not only great to see the show, but to check out the surrounding neighborhood’s lighted houses. It’s one of my favorite parts of Christmas.

I’d just like to say “Thank you!” to the owners of this fantastic home. You’ve created a beautiful display, bringing a new tradition for my family and joy to my heart. Keep up the good work!

What will you do differently to prevent the holiday weight gain of years past?

Blog Prompt for December 7 – 13

I must be planning to fail, because I’m failing to plan. I didn’t have a whole lot in mind, other than trying to take smaller portions and limit my snacking throughout the day, especially ON the holidays. That’s when I have the most trouble. My family is usually up here spending time with us in our already cramped little house and when they bring tons of snacks and food with them, it usually ends up filling the fridge to capacity and overloading my counters. Thus, it makes it difficult to find anything or to cook on the limited counter space, so I usually don’t and end up getting fast food.

So, what I SHOULD do is get everything ready ahead of time and stock up on loads of healthy snacks so my family has no need to bring anything, and I’ll still be able to find the food I’m looking for (and my counter) and make some deliciously lighter meals. I should also be getting up earlier to get my daily exercise in, so that it becomes a habit.

Blog Prompts from SparkPeople

Since I have a hard time finding things to write about (or unsure how to write about it), I figured I would use SparkPeople’s “Blog Prompts” to help me along. I started to lose weight in January this year and lost interest pretty fast as it started as a new year’s resolution. Since then, I’ve joined SparkPeople (Blueyedsurfer for those who would like to join me) and have made a bit more progress in my quest. At the very least, I am more aware of what I am doing (or not doing) and what goes into my body. This year I’ve lost 10lbs. Though it’s not much, at least I can say I’m not gaining. You’ll see why I haven’t lost more in just a minute.

November 30 – December 6 Blog Prompt

How do you find ways to fit exercise into your busy schedule?

To be honest, I usually don’t fit it in. If I do muster up the energy to push play on my DVD player, I end up feeling proud enough of my accomplishment that it lasts through the week. Today was one of those days, though I’m planning to continue my workouts and work through this plateau. The only way I can manage to fit it in is if I can get up before Shaun does. Doing my exercises first thing in the morning is probably the easiest way of doing it (although it feels like the hardest at the time) and if I talk myself into putting it off till baby boy takes a nap, I usually don’t feel like doing it then. Thus, the day is wasted. It’s a good thing I’ve got Yoda in my head saying, “Do or do not. There is no try.” Hopefully, he’ll be back in my head first thing tomorrow morning.

Summer Reading List

If you’re into horror/thrillers like me, you will most likely enjoy these titles. Here’s what I’ve read so far this summer:

1. Jurassic Park
2. The Lost World
3. Andromeda Strain
4. The Relic
5. Meg: Primal Waters

With the exception of the Andromeda Strain, these stories all feature some mysterious creature that resurfaces and wreaks havoc on civilization. The Relic was my favorite thus far and I look forward to reading it’s sequel, the Reliquary.

Turtles, Turtles Everywhere!

Here are a couple new designs brought to you by 350 Cookie Lane.

One of my favorite images of Hawaii, is the Honu or Sea Turtle. The picture of turtles on the right, is also becoming a fast favorite of mine.

Chestnut Locks for Sale

With all the countless ways that I’ve tried to help my husband

provide for our family, this is probably the hardest. I have been growing my hair out for almost 4 years (after practically buzzing it off after a bad perm…I just moved to Utah and wanted to fit in, I guess) and I’ve discovered that there is a market for human hair to be used in wigs.

I’m not sure what price my snail’s-pace growth of hair will fetch, but after browsing through several “sold” ads, I’m thinking that I should get a minimum of $200 for my beautiful layers. I just posted on www.HairTrader.com if you’d like to check out my ad.