Kissed by the Sun

Feb 3

February Goals

by Doré Jolley

Goal setting is so last January, but I have never been into trends, so I am making some February goals.

This February I WILL do the following:

*Make Novalie a minimum of 3 and maximum of 5 new pair of pants.  She won’t wear jeans or any pants that are not sweatpants or yoga pants.  The girl has to move and can’t be restricted by her pants.  And she waits until the last possible moment to go to the bathroom, so she can’t be botherred with buttons and zippers.  However, her 7/8 are too short now and 10′s don’t fit around her waist.  I am going to solve this problem because I know how to sew and I know how to sew cute pants.

*I am going to exercise 3 days a week for 45 minutes.  My goal is to NOT lose weight, but to feel healthy, to feel more alive and be thankful for a body that moves.

*File our taxes.  They are done, I just need to complete the final step of filing.  Along with this goal is the goal to sit down with Kevin and plan out what we are going to do with our small refund.  What usually ends up happening is we make a big payment somewhere and then we spend 10 here and 10 there thinking, oh it is just $10, but all those small $10′s add up fast and we are left thinking, what happened to all our money?  So, I am going to make us make a very specific list with the exact amount of each item.  We are going to make that money work for us.

*I will make Novalie’s school class Valentine’s Day party fun.  This is more of a to-do, than a goal.  Her teacher asked me in the beginning of the year if I would like to be in charge of the Valentine’s Day party.  I said of course, thinking WA style class party.  Treat, juice and opening Valentine’s.  However, after being to their Halloween and Christmas parties, this is UT people and they are competitive and over the top.  I am talking 5 stations with crafts, treats, games, prizes, stories, movies, ect.  It is so amusing to me and makes me a little crazy that I have to conform to their ways because I am not going to have Novalie be the one with the parent that threw the lame party.  The problem is I have to make phone calls.  Ten phone calls to ten different people.  I do not make phone calls.  The teacher won’t give me e-mail addresses and this school does not give our home addresses either and believe me if they did, I would drive to 10 different houses to talk to them to their face.  I DO NOT MAKE PHONE CALLS.  So, my goal is to make those 10 phone calls on Monday.

*I will get my hair cut this month.  It is 3 months overdue.  I need to find a new place to get my hair cut here.  Small talk with a stranger for an hour….ugh…that is why my hair cut is 3 months overdue.

*I will, will, will buy a new pair of jeans during February.  And maybe a new top if I can find one I like at a price I like.  But, I will get those new jeans.  Those are years overdue.

*Paint a small wall section with chalkboard paint.

*Hire my niece to babysit and go on a date with Kevin.  I miss our Cafe Rio lunch dates where we sat around and analized all the different “Mom” groups lunching together.

*Another goal I am going to work on this month is going to the grocery store and getting everything on my list.  I hate shopping, but I really hate grocery shopping.  I have a limit and when I reach that limit, I am done.  It doesn’t matter if I have 10 items left on my list, if I am done, I am leaving that store without those 10 items.  I AM DONE.  Which is a problem because those 10 items were on my list for a reason, so I have to make another trip to the store to get them.  It is counterproductive because then I have to make 2 trips to the store.  My plan is to get some earphones to listen to music on my cellphone to push me through those last items when I reach my limit.

I just noticed that there is a theme with the majority of my goals.  And that is to be less of an introvert.  I am the definition of introvert.  Oh well.

And now for some pictures!  We got to be apart of my nephew’s 3rd birthday celebration.  He wanted to go bowling and it was super fun.  Jack was adorable bowling and opening his presents.  His reactions were classically cute!

Every time I said, “Jack, smile for a picture,” his eyes would shut and he would smile huge.  Love him!

When it was Jack’s turn, everyone wanted to help him!

Sophie doesn’t like to be away from her mommy!  (Novalie looks good holding a baby)  ;)

Cousins!  :)

It is going to be a happy February!

Family Goals Novalie

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Jan 28

Craft Playdate

by Doré Jolley

Novalie invited two of her friends over for a craft party.  One of the girls went home from school with a fever, so she wasn’t able to make it.  We carried on anyhow because I had things set up at home and even though they just did 3 simple craft projects, it was a lot more work on my part than it looks like.  She has really clicked lately with the friend that was able to come and they had a lot of fun together.  Besides the crafts, they had fun sliding down the stairs in a sleeping bag (ouch, but they LOVE it), playing dress up and playing in the snow.  They asked for pizza and because I am awesome, I said sure why not and got them Domino’s at 3:00 in the afternoon.  They missed their other friend, but all in all, I would say it was a success.

Painting little treasure boxes.

Decorating Valentine’s Day boxes.

Novalie’s completed box…now she has two boxes to leave surprises in!

Shaving cream snowmen.  They LOVED this messy project!

 Novalie’s snowmen family in the artic.  The saving cream dries all puffy…it is super cute!

Silly girls….decorating their faces!

 Happy Art Day!

Crafts Friends Fun Activities Novalie

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Jan 26

Decorations and Alligators

by Doré Jolley

While Novalie was at school yesterday, I decorated her room a bit for Valentine’s Day.  A quick trip to the dollar store and $5 later, she had a cute surprise waiting for her after school.

(I had the heart lights, since college actually, this year Novalie gets them in her room!)

Close up of the balloons.

Simple, but fun.

She liked her surprise, especially the balloons.  She promptly took a heart off the wall and put it on her fish tank so Goldie wouldn’t feel left out.  The Valentine Mailbox that she made last year is out and she has found some awesome surprises in it.  Valentine’s Day is under way at our house.

I go to art with Novalie’s class each week.  When I found out that was my volunteer assignment for the year, I thought it was pretty funny.  I can’t even draw a straight line.  It has been fun though and I can help the students with the 3rd grade step by step instructions.  Today, they were between projects so they had free time.  I was busy cutting squares for next weeks project, but I looked up every once in awhile to see what the kids were working on.  The table of girls were either coloring pictures or making pink, dainty hearts or flowers.  And Novalie?  She made this:

A huge alligator with an even huger rectangular head.  She always stays true to who she is.  The moment she comes home with a pink, dainty flower, I will be worried.  I had a good giggle while I was cutting away.  She makes me smile.

Every now and then, I like to snap a picture of Novalie deep in sleep.  I like to be reminded that all this hard work that I put into Novalie is so worth it while she is peacefully, silently sleeping.  There is something so soothing to the soul to watch you child sleep.  It brings an inner peace that is only found in a few things.

~L~O~V~E~

Fun Activities Novalie Valentine's Day

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Jan 24

Brain Purge

by Doré Jolley

Shows I am loving lately…..

1.Say Yes to the Dress.  I just started watching this show in the last 2 months.  I never thought I would even make it through 2 minutes of this show because I don’t care one wit about wedding dresses.  I never plan on wearing one again.  I keep mine just cause I feel some obligation (to who knows who) to keep it.  I surprisingly love this show.  I find it interesting how many different styles of dresses there are and how each girl chooses such a different dress.  And I like the family drama and dynamics.  Sometimes I get down right mad at the families because they don’t know when to just shut their mouths.  And I just think it is ridiculous how much money people spend on a wedding dress.  I will probably eat those words one day!

2.  Jersey Couture Oh my good heavens, it would just be silly and idiotic if I liked that show.

3.  House of Anubis.  Family favorite on Nickelodeon.  It is about a group of teenage kids at a boarding school in England.  They have a mystery to solve following clues and having to be sneaky around their caretaker who is after the same thing as the kids.

4.  Revenge.  Oh sweet revenge.  Now, I believe in repentance and forgiveness and all that goodness.  However, the guilty pleasure of Revenge is just that…a guilty pleasure.  I love how Emily (Amanda) goes about getting revenge.  She lets peoples own lies destroy them.  She doesn’t go around killing people to avenge her father’s death, she thinks of clever, oh so clever, ways to ruin their lives.

5.  HGTV.  Anything on that channel.  It blows my mind away with the things that the creative geniuses on that channel come up with.  They turn blank rooms into masterpieces.  I was not born with that part of my brain…it is missing.  But, after I see the final reveal, I think, oh now I get it.  I see how they put that with that and it works.  Could never duplicate it however.

Moving on….

Two favorite moments from this past weekend.  1st, we got to meet Shayla, who is the daughter of a niece and nephew.  They were at our mall having dinner with Shayla’s birthmother.  We didn’t get to soak up her cuteness out of respect for the dinner, but I hope to get together with them soon.  Shayla is so cute!  And I have to say I was jealous of the dinner with their birthmother.  I wish we had that kind of a relationship with Novalie’s birthmother.  2nd, we got a lot of snow and I love playing in the snow with Novalie, but I just wasn’t feeling it this weekend.  Right when I was going to give in (because Novalie is persistent and I do really like playing with her in the snow) her cousins texted to invite Novalie over to play with them in the snow.  A tender mercy at that moment.

I need a new pair of sunglasses and a new pair of jeans.  This is a problem because I have a problem buying things for myself.  Take sunglasses, for example.  I will go into Target, pick some out that I love, then decide not to buy them because I talk myself out of it.  However, I will leave the store having brought something for Novalie.  Repeat 5 or 6 times until I just can’t stand the extremely bright glare of the sunshine reflecting off the snow any longer.  Or if Kevin is with me and he forces the purchase.  By the way, I want jeans with a sparkling bum….I am too old for that, right?

The cost of food is INSANE!  I just need to learn to shop the ads and shop with coupons, I guess.  I hate, hate grocery shopping.  Actually having to spend time planning grocery shopping before I am grocery shopping makes me hate it even more.  I want a golden ticket to eat out for the rest of my life.  No grocery stores ever again would be heavenly bliss.

Novalie is in a group of 3 friends including her.  I am nervous about this.  3 is a bad number.  There is always an odd man (girl) out.  I am encouraging her (daily) to expand her circle of friends.  4 months left of school.  Please no girl drama in those 4 months.  It has been SO nice this year to be free from drama.  I am planning a craft party for Novalie and her 2 friends for this Friday.  You better believe I am going to be a fly on the wall to see how they interact together.

Tomorrow, Novalie’s bedroom is going to get a Valentine’s Day makeover.  I can’t wait until she gets home from school to see the surprise!

Kevin and I decided (ok, I decided, but he loved it so I can pretend like “we” decided) to have a globe/map themed living room that spills over into the kitchen.  He loves it so much, that he is scared I will change my mind down the road.  I won’t.  I can’t wait to start collecting globes and maps.

I am so thankful for time alone in my car.  Warm feet, loud music.  Freedom.

The End.

Random Thoughts

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Jan 18

Four Day Weekend

by Doré Jolley

We just got done with a four day weekend.  Novalie had Friday and Monday off of school and we tried to make the best of it.

Here is some of what we did……

We played lots of games over and over and over again.  I lost an embarrassing amount of times (for reals…I don’t do the lose on purpose for my kid thing, I really lost fair and square).

Training the next generation to be a Skip-bo champ like her Mama.

Novalie’s first time playing Yahtzee and she totally WON by a lot.

We decorated clothespins to hang up her art work with.  It was a cheap ($1 cheap) project and Novalie loved it.

They turned out super cute!

 Finished project!

We made chocolate chip cookies to bake in the Easy Bake Oven.

The best part of cookies is the dough.  Yum!

 One of her little decorated cookie cakes!

We went up to Logan to spend the day with cousins!  Yay, Novalie’s favorite thing!  We went to the Fun Park where Novalie roller skated and played laser tag for the first time and played on the big jungle gym.

Tristan, Novalie and AJ

See this sign?  See how it says if you hit 2 targets in a row, you get the extreme bonus tickets of 1,000?  Well, guess who got the extreme bonus??

This girl did!!  1,000 tickets!  What are the chances, huh?  My lucky girl.

I love four day weekends!  And I love my Novalie!

Crafts Fun Activities Novalie

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Jan 9

Week One of 2012

by Doré Jolley

We have been busy playing with our (Novalie’s) new toys.

My Mom has been waiting for Novalie to be 8 to get her an Easy Bake Oven.  Novalie really, really wanted one for Christmas, so it worked out perfectly!  We have tried the red velvet cupcakes (yummy), chocolate chip cookies (good) and the pizza (nasty).   After using it now a few times, I realize you don’t have to go spend like $6 or so on a tiny packet of Easy Bake mix.  Novalie and I can make a batch of regular (.99 cent) brownies, for example, and she can use some of the batter in her Easy Bake.  All the utensils and pans are so tiny and adorable.  It is super fun!

Mixing up some red velvet cupcakes.

Yum!

We also have been making new crayons, thanks to Novalie’s new crayon maker from Grandma and Grandpa Jolley and Aunt Janell.  They come out all swirly and cool.  Or to use Novalie’s new favorite word, “sweet!”

Need to get better pictures, but here Novalie is getting set up for a new round of making crayons.

We have also been busy practicing, practicing, practicing multiplication facts.  Novalie is doing awesome with it and much better than I was anticipating.  (Novalie and math go together like oil and water).  When she passes off all her multiplication tables we are going to have a big party!  She is working hard.

Novalie has been playing school with her Webkinz a lot lately.  She is teaching them their multiplication tables.  Which is awesome because that means extra practice for her!  Although, sometimes she says, “their math is different than our math.”  Hmmm…maybe that is hindering her progress.

All lined up waiting patiently for their assignment.

Novalie loves writing messages with her Banana Grams.

I left her the above message because she has strep throat (again), ear infection and a fever.  I think it is safe to say, 2012 is the year her tonsils will be coming out.  She was miserably sick Saturday and Sunday, so we camped out in front of the t.v. and watched cartons and movies.  We also went through all 8 worlds of Mario on the Wii two and a half times.  She drank a ridiculous amount of apple juice and barely ate anything.  Usually when Novalie is sick, she carries on as normal.  It doesn’t slow her down.  This time she was sick, sick.  It was so very sad to see and I would have done anything to take her pain away.  I am so thankful the antibiotics kicked in today and she is slowly returning to her normal self.

 

Happy Disinfecting Day tomorrow!

Novalie Sick Toys

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Jan 6

Biting the Bullet

by Doré Jolley

I did it.

I joined Pinterest.

I have nothing against Pinterest.  I actually love the idea of it.  I think it is a fun, creative idea.  I love the idea of having a place to organize all things crafty and creative.  I often time find fun ideas on-line that I want to do with Novalie or myself, but when it comes time to do it, I can’t find it again on-line.  Or my favorites bar gets so full, that I can’t find anything I am looking for.  So, bulletin boards to pin ideas and things I love and want to do someday it brilliant, really.

My hesitation has been much like my experience shopping at Michael’s or JoAnn’s.  I can’t…simply can not….go into those stores without a specific list for a specific project.  One project at a time.  If I go into those stores unprepared, forget it.  Everywhere I turn, my creative brain goes into overdrive and before you know it my brain is in explosion mode.  I want to make everything I see!  I end up running out empty handed because I am so overwhelmed.  For that very reason, I have stayed away from Pinterest.  I didn’t want to get overwhelmed with so many fun ideas that I did none of them.  But, I really wanted to join after I saw lots of cute homemade Christmas presents that came from ideas found on Pinterest.  I set limits for myself before I had my friend send me an invite.  Like limited time spent on Pinterest and limited number of projects pinned. 

I am so glad that I finally bit the bullet and joined!  It has been fun to look around and pin a few ideas I don’t want to lose or forget about.  I also found a cute, easy craft project for Novalie and I to do this weekend.  Something I would never have thought to do myself.  So far so good!  I am thankful for creative, technological people who come up with ideas like Pinterest.  And I really am glad I finally found out what all the hype has been about surrounding Pinterest.

Happy pinning!

Crafts Pinterest

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Jan 1

Our New Year Day

by Doré Jolley

The big news of the day is that Novalie fasted for the first time ever today!  I have talked to her about it before, but I never wanted to make her do it.  I wanted it to be her choice.  This morning she said she wanted to fast.  I asked her why and she said for her new baby cousins.  I was so happy and excited for her.  After church she said it was hard and she was really hungry, but she prayed a lot for her tiny cousins.  She LOVES those babies.  So proud of her!

We went to church.

Started making zucchini bread.

Got deathly ill.  (it felt deathly that is for sure).

Slept for an hour while Novalie sweetly took care of me.

Felt a million bucks better.

My Mom finished the zucchini bread.

Novalie and I ate half a loaf hot with butter.  Yummy.

Only one day into 2012 and it has already been a roller coaster of ups and downs.

I have been contemplating 2012 and what I would like to see happen and I honestly just don’t know what is in store.  Because of that I am not going to make a long list of goals.  Instead, I am going to make a few short term goals and reevaluate often and see where I need to make changes as life flows along.

2012, you are such a mystery.  I will try my hardest to solve you.

New Year's Novalie Personal

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Dec 31

Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!

by Doré Jolley

New Year’s Eve and me aren’t close friends…..at all.  I am grumpy at my neighbors for setting off fireworks and waking me up.  It is New Year’s Eve and I was sleeping.  Perfectly peaceful and happy.  Here’s to starting 2012 being grumpy about having neighbors.  Some things even a new year can’t change.  (2012, please bring me a nice little house in the country with pigs and chickens and one cow.)

2011 was a hard year.  One moment I was mowing the lawn, the next moment a phone call changed my life drastically.  I stood there in the hot sun, leaning against the lawn mower, paralyzed, not being able to move.  My Dad died suddenly of a heart attack.  It is hard to even write the words.

Novalie had strep throat six times.  Six!  So unfair.

(My clock just turned to midnight…Happy New Year)

I had to say good-bye to my purple truck.  I spent 16 years with my truck.  I felt like I was giving away a piece of my Dad.  It was hard.  I regret it.

I had to say good-bye (see you later) to dear friends.  It was hard and still is hard.

I learned that I can do hard.  Bring it on…I will stare you down and push through.

I can do hard.

I left my laptop on the floor (dumb, I know), stepped on it and cracked the screen.  Just in time to make the 2011 bad list.  Glad I can leave that sad mistake in 2011.

2011 also had one of the most special days I will ever keep in my heart and mind.  Watching Kevin baptize Novalie a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints will always be a moment Novalie, I and Kevin will look back on with joy in our hearts.

I got to see family I haven’t seen in years.

I got to see my sweet Jessica.

I changed my blog title.  My old one was in reference to where we lived and since we moved it had to go too.  ”Her body’s been kissed by the sun,” is one of my most favorite lines in a song because I wish I could sit outside with the hot sun shining down on my face every single day to have a forever tan that looks like the sun kissed my face.  Thus, my blog became Kissed by the Sun.  Although, it is just me recording stories for Novalie to have one day.  I don’t make my blog be deep and personal..hmmm…might have to re-think the name.

I grew closer to three of my friends.

My faith got stronger.

Kevin and I made it to 15 years.

I read close to 50 books.

I got to see and hug Cindy!  I loved that she still smelled exactly the same.  My second mommy for many years.

I made all the holidays really fun and memorable for Novalie.

I let Novalie ride her bike to school and back by herself.  (This is HUGE, people!!)

I gave away 80%  of my material possessions.

Novalie auditioned to be in a play.  Such a proud moment to watch Novalie be so brave and get up in front of people and try something she never had done before.  She got a small non-speaking part, but I am glad because we had to pull her out of it.  We knew we were going to be moving and we just couldn’t be gone for 3 to 4 hours a night for twice weeks straight.  I still feel bad about it, but we just didn’t have a choice.  We were up against time.

I painted a wall a color for the first time.

Ate at In-N-Out burger for the first time.  And Cafe Rio.  And Five Guys.

Gone on several morning movie dates with Kevin.
(I could watch Annie and Megan meeting over and over and over again.  Funniest scene in a movie EVER!)

Novalie and I have done countless craft projects, activities and fun outings together.

Good-bye 2011.  You were a mixture of good, bad, happy and sad.

Final words:  Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Dad Family New Year's Novalie Personal

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Dec 29

Christmas Day

by Doré Jolley

Kevin got home from work just as Novalie and I were waking up Christmas morning.

We lined up in the hallway, youngest to oldest.  Which meant Guinea (who got lettuce, carrots and new chew toys from Santa), Novalie, me and then Kevin.  Guinea went right to work on her lettuce and carrots.  Novalie asked for a stocking full of band-aids and a stuffed mouse from Santa.  Santa delivered.  Eight boxes of band-aids and a stuffed mouse Webkinz plus four more Webkinz.

The Christmas Mouse is real!  It came and ate the cheese we left out for it and in return Novalie got a new pair of gloves!

My Mom, Kevin and I all got new socks and a candy treat from Santa.  Novalie got to work opening her presents.

Big hop ball – definitely a favorite!

I even tried it – it is a lot of fun!

Novalie’s homemade Christmas presents are by far my most favorite and treasured Christmas gifts.  I tuck them away in my heart to always remember the feeling of receiving those sweet, thoughtful gifts made just for me and Kevin.  This year, she made a calendar and she wrote us a story, “The Mouse’s Christmas.”  The calendar is homemade drawings for each month of the year.  The story is super funny.  I LOVE them!  They are simply the best!

After presents and our traditional big breakfast (it was so yummy) we got to go to church.  It was a beautiful Christmas program.  After church we came home and played with our new toys, had a nice Christmas dinner at my brother’s and then ended the evening watching Novalie’s new copy of “Cars 2.”  I felt kinda relieved when Christmas was over this year, but it was fun and we made some nice memories.

My Christmas beauty!

Christmas Family Novalie Traditions

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