Tips for a better life...

I got this from a blog I just started reading...

• Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.
• Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
• Sleep for 7 hours
• Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
• Play more games.
• Read more books than you did the previous year.
• Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
• Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
• Dream more while you are awake.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Try to make at least three people smile each day.
• Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
• Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
• Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Invest energy in the positive present moment.
• Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
• Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
• Smile and laugh more.
• Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
• Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
• You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
• Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
• Don’t compare your life to others’. Don’t compare your partner with others.
• No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
• Forgive everyone for everything.
• What other people think of you is none of your business.
• However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
• Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
• Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful. (I’m trying really hard to do this.)
• Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
• The best is yet to come.
• No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
• Do the right thing!
• Call your family often.
• Your inner most is always happy. So be happy.
• Each day give something good to others.
• Don’t over do. Keep your limits.

The blog I got this from is www.allisterbee.blogspot.com

This Week

This last week I've been down at Ana and Brandon's house! I've had lots of fun, and done lots of fun stuff!

Here is a list of some of the stuff that I've done...

• played with Oliver
• learned to cut mats
• learned to cut glass
• dyed my hair red
• read 1 1/2 books in 6 days
• made 6 lattes
• brought Oliver on several walks
• helped Ana and Brandon plant there garden
• tried salmon
• rode a horse

I know I've done lots more, but that's all I can think of right now!!

quarter finals...

Our boys basketball team has done really good this year...they only lost 2 games during the regular season and they are the 2010 champions of class 8AA!!

Last Wednesday were the quarter finals at the Target Center so we drove down there to watch the game, and on the way we picked up Ceara's boyfriend, Ted!

Colter, Ceara, me, Dad, and Laura right before we left for the Wednesday night game.

Ceara in the van with her Arby's food! Both she & Ted love Arbys!!

Some big buildings near the Target Center in downtown Minneapolis.

A group of some of our friends waiting to be let in!

My cousin Jackie

Laura, Madeline, and Vanessa

Ceara and Ted

Madeline and Vanessa waiting for the game to start.

(Madeline's uncle, who is also Vanessa's brother, is one of the top players on our team!)

Announcing the players.

The players warming up.

...during the game

After the game all the players ran back throw the tunnel and I snapped some pictures...

It was a great game...we won! The score was 72-67!

Horses and Saddles

Lately I've been into drawing horses and saddles.

Here are some that I drew...

...all the pictures that I've drawn lately!

I can't draw very good unless I have a picture in front of me of what I want to draw, so I went on to google images and found some pictures of saddles and copied them off and then drew them in larger size!

I have also drawn the Dressage Saddle but haven't taken a picture of it yet!

I plan on drawing all the 48 different kinds of saddles!

The end of the regular season...

Last Friday was the last regular season basketball game...our team has done great again this year. (We have only lost 2 games and the one game we only lost by 1 point!) The game was in the next town, which is only 10 miles away, so Dad, Colter, Marissa, Emma, and I went to the game.

I always sit with a group of my friends...anywhere from 3 to 15 girls...we always have a great time together!

...some of the guys warming up.

...all of our players, the main coach, and the ball boy!

...one of my favorite pictures!

...going for a basket!

This was actually a free throw...they got the first one, but the ball bounced off the ring on the second one!

...after the game. Our guys are the ones in maroon and white!

We won!! 72-48...we kicked butt...big time!

Crafting With The Kids...

Last weekend when we were babysitting Elsie, the little girls were bored and decided to craft!

So, we went down to the art closet and got colorful paper, markers, glue, and glitter...

Elsie, Emma, and Marissa at the kitchen table crafting.

Emma pouring red glitter on her paper...

Marissa was the only one that didn't use any glue and

glitter...she decided to just draw instead!!

Crafting with three little girls means using lots of glue...

...and sparkly glitter...and the more the better!!

When Elsie saw that Emma was using 'mod podge' instead of 'Elmer's glue' she then decided she needed to use mod podge and a paint brush too!

They each ended up with 2 or 3 very sparkly pictures that took a good day to dry from all the glue!!

Making Orange Essential Oil

I have become interested in aromatherapy, but since I don't have many essential oils I can't really do many of the things I've read about in the books I've gotten from the library and stuff online! So, I was really excited when I found a recipe online that told how to make essential oils!

here are some pictures of when I was making orange essential oil:

all the ingredients and the recipe
after 24 hours i strained it using using a dishcloth.

Here is the recipe that I found online:

you will need:

• one wide mouth canning jar with tight fitting lid
• 300ml oil (i used 100ml for a smaller batch) such as olive oil, safflower oil or sesame oil
• Glass mixing bowl (i used a measuring cup so it would be easier to pour into the container)
• muslin or clean dish towel (to cover the top of the bowl)
• Dark glass bottle with tight fitting lid or stopper
• 8 Tbs. flower petals
• 6 Tbs. chopped herbs
• 4 Tbs. crushed spices
• 6 Tbs. of thinly pared citrus zest (i used 3 Tbs. for smaller a batch)

(only use one of the following unless the essential oil you are making calls for multiple things. flower petals, chopped herbs, chopped spices, or thinly pared citrus zest)

Instructions to make the essential oils:

• Put the oil into the jar then add the plant material and stir. Cover tightly and leave for 48 hours in a sunny windowsill, shaking every 12 hours.
• Lay a piece of muslin over the bowl and strained the oils. Gather up the muslin and squeeze the material to extract as much oil as you can.
• Put the oil back into the jar and add fresh material. Continue in the same way until you get the aroma you want.
• If the weather is cold and dull you can place the jar in a saucepan of cold water. Slowly heat it until the water becomes just hand-hot. Keep it the temperature for 10 minutes. Remove the jar. Do this once a day.
• After final straining, you can put the oil into a dark glass bottle. The shelf life for your essential oil is 6-12 months if kept in a dry, dark, cool place.