January 2012 Round-up

Since I have decided to take a little break from Life 365 this year, I have decided to participate in monthly Round-Ups instead! I've been following The Scrapbook Lady for years, and I have always admired her Round-ups. It was about time that I give it a try!


JANUARY 2012

What reading/learning did I do this month? (books, blogs, magazines, ebooks, podcasts, classes, etc.)

I have completely fallen in love with audiobooks. I'm pretty much addicted to them now. I can "read" a book while doing cleaning, driving around, etc and it even makes having to do those mundane tasks a little easier. This month, I listened to:

Divergent by Veronica Roth


Matched & Crossed by Ally Condie



Uglies by Scott Westerfield (haven't finished this one yet)


Ever since I read the Hunger Games trilogy, I just can't get enough of dystopia novels. They have pretty much became my favorite kind of fiction now. And this month I just couldn't get enough of it. It was so great to be able to actually get through some books. I would like some time to actually sit down and read, but in the meantime, audiobooks are pretty great!

JJ has been having me read some of his Phineas and Ferb Chapter Books to him.

Beth is my little reader. She is really getting into reading the Magic Treehouse Books, Secrets of Droon Books, Rainbow Magic Fairy Books, and lots of other smaller books.

What entertainment did I watch/listen to this month? (movies, tv shows, plays, music, concerts, etc.)

I watch a lot of movies/tv shows while I do design work on my computer. Somehow it helps my creative processes. Also, we have a family movie night scheduled on most Sundays and all of us love movies/tv, so we really tend to watch too much television as a family. But it is something we all enjoy. But because we watch so much - its kind of hard to remember everything we watched.

Family Movie Nights: Hook, Tron: Legacy, Count of Monte Cristo & Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

The kids: Phineas and Ferb, Arthur, & My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dreamer, The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Joey: House, Person of Interest, Big Bang Theory

Me: Bones, Monk, Chuck, One Day, Passage to Zarahemla (with my parents), Calamity Jane, Griffin & Phoenix, Where the Heart is, Killers, Practical Magic, Hope Floats, Morning Glory, Bed & Breakfast, What If..., Mr. Fix It, America's Sweethearts, Lost in Austen, Pizza My Heart

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?

The kids and I were able to travel down to my hometown and spend New Years with my parents and brothers and sisters and their families. We were sad that Joey didn't get to come, but it was good that we did go. It was kind of chaotic, but good too. My brother, Toby and his family live in Tennessee right now and we haven't seen them since they moved, so it was nice to spend some time with them. My cousin Kenley and his family came and joined us for games, movies, and dinners too. My kids always love it when they can play with their cousins. Right before we headed home, we had a little picnic with all the cousins on the mountain. We were going to go to the "V" but we didn't get that far.

JJ was able to participate in his 3rd Pinewood Derby this month. Joey and JJ made a Perry-car. It was to go with JJ's favorite secret agent, Perry from Phineas and Ferb. JJ had a great time and won 3rd overall. I'm so glad he is such a good sport and has so fun doing things.

JJ turned 10 this month. I am not sure how that happened. He was so excited about his birthday. I went and had lunch with him at his school (pizza, his favorite) and brought doughnuts for a treat for his class. In the evening, we had a small family party for him at home. He got to have PIZZA again for dinner and open his presents, and have cake and ice cream.

My brother, Clint came up to meet his ride for a trip to Washington and spent a couple of nights with us. Joey, Clint, Lane and his fiancee, Brittany went to the Jazz game. They played the Kings and they got to watch Jimmer play. Clint was really excited about that. The kids enjoyed helping him make fun posters to take to the game with him. They got back a bit late and then at 5 am I took him to meet his ride.

Joey was able to be a part of the local Political convention. He unfortunately didn't win the positions he was trying for, but it was still a good experience for him and he looks forward to being more of a part in it in the future.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?

For JJ's birthday, we gave him a Nintendo DS. He has been wanting one for ages and he was so excited that we finally got it for him. He got a few games as well and has been playing it ever since. The first thing he asks when he gets home from school is "Can I play on my DS?"

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

Nothing in particular this month.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?

Unfortunately our month had lots of illnesses. Coughs, and colds, and a bit of the flu kicked in. It went round and a round in our family for a couple of times. Yuck.

The worst health concern for me is that I suffered a lot of depression this month. I have been on some anti-depressants and trying to sort out what works and what doesn't has kind of had me on a roller coaster this month. I have spent a lot of time being tired and not being able to get out of bed. I did a lot of listening to books and watching movies and trying to tone out the world this month. Hopefully I can figure this out and do better.

What were my accomplishments this month?

After a couple of months, I finally was able to get back into my design world. I was able to complete a new collection (that is coming out soon) called Sunshine in the SoulZ. I also discovered a new app that has made my blogstore work so much better. I won't have to send out manual links now. I have been busy trying to get it all set up and get my products in there. I have a ways to go but I'm feeling good about it. I also set up a new Facebook page for DesignZ by DeDe and was able to get the app to work there too - so I can even sell my products from the Facebook Page. I also seem to be having greater sales at MyMemories as well, so I'm feeling pretty good about how my business is going.

I used fondant for the first time this month. I was able to create JJ a Agent P cake. I was pretty proud of how it turned out and I look forward to maybe trying a little more of that in the future!

What were my disappointments this month?

After almost 5 years of being at Digitals, I left the store on the last day of this month. It was a huge decision and I'm still feeling sad about it. Some drama and uncomfortable changes and just feeling like it wasn't the right place for me anymore. It was and still is incredibly hard thing to do. But I think it will be the best thing for me in the long run.

My struggle with depression really brought me down this month. I am disappointed in myself for not being able to get it under control. I feel guilty for being a horrible mom, wife, and friend this month and I'm determined to do better next month.

How did I do on my goals for the month? (Or any current short or long term goals)

Unfortunately, because the anxiety and depression took hold, I didn't make my usual new year resolutions or goals for the month. Hopefully I will get back on track. I would like to lose some weight, get on a good balanced schedule between all my responsibilities, reading scriptures personally and as a family, and I'd also like to work on some genealogy projects and get caught up in my scrapbooking. Hopefully I can work on these in the upcoming months.

Anything else noteworthy to include?

Not this month.