Viva Idaho! {+ Utah}

I heard it snowed like 9 feet in Boise today. Mercy me.

But come rain or sleet or blizzard, we're Idaho bound in the morning! I have an arsenal of fruit snacks, Hershey's Kisses and Dum Dums in my purse and I'm hoping for an uneventful trip out west.

Friday + Saturday are chock full o' wedding fun, but I'll try to pop in if I have a moment. {I have an addiction to feed, after all...} Sunday we embark on the snowy drive down to Salt Lake City. Fingers crossed for dry roads...

Don't forget, Monday night is the big blogger meet-up at 7pm, Cafe Rio in Taylorsville. Come one, come all! I'll be the tall, obnoxious blond girl with a loud-mouth. {And a sultry voice, unless I manage to get my pipes back in working order before then...} I'll also be holding a single red rose. Har har. No, I won't. So, are you coming? I hope you do! Leave a comment if you are, so I can keep my eagle eyes-peeled for whatever I imagine you to look like...

Happy trails, then! I'll be around, just not blogging at my normal maniacial pace.

Fill 'Er Up

Today was one of those days. A Mom-zilla day. A push-those-horns-back-down-into-your-head day. A not-fit-to-be-caring-for-children-of-God day. Mercy me. I was maxed out.

That cute girl laughing with me in the photo above got the brunt of it. Of course, she was also the cause of a lot of it. But still. I'm the adult here. She was fussed and hollered at all day long. Then she'd push back by not listening or not obeying or just generally driving me crazy. After which I'd fuss and holler. After which she'd...you get the picture. The thing is, at the time I'd think to myself "I'm totally justified in being cranky with her. She's being disobdient - whiney - unreasonable." But of course, afterwards I realize again that being cranky to my kids is not part of my job. And it's not justified.

But I'm stressed. Our plane leaves in just a few hours. {And here I sit on the computer blog blog blogging when I should be sleep sleep sleeping.} I taught preschool again today. I ran and folded 5 loads of laundry. I had errands to run. I packed for not one but three people. I fretted about blizzards and snow and cold weather. I forgot to eat breakfast in my rush to get preschool ready. I picked up some {oh-so-healthy} Pizza Hut breadsticks at Target as I rushed thru my errands there. I was cranky. The kids were cranky. Mason's face was so dirty that he looked like he had a beard, but I never got around to washing it. And by dinner time, I was E-M-P-T-Y empty.

And then I remebered a womens' meeting at my church. But Lost is coming on. But I need to finish packing. But I knew. What I needed was to go have my empty Natalie-tank filled up. So I put on a dress and went. And hooray.

One of my favorite ladies spoke. She's actually a counselor dealing with mostly depression and women's mental health issues. She's amazing. Always uplifting. And she didn't let me down. She talked to us about letting go of our expectations. She reminded us that really, the only person we have to please is God. And he already loves us. We don't have to prove ourselves to him. As long as we're trying our best, he's satisfied. She reminded us that we're all children of God. To picture ourselves that way - as we were as children. Are we being kind to that child? Or are we too hard on her? She told us to trust God - that he can and will fulfill all of his promises to us. And she said again, the thing that I always most need to hear - that God has plans for us. We have to trust him. We have to do all we can to be on that path and to live that life.

Most of all, though, I took away the message that we can and should feel peace in our life. The overwhelmed, frusterated and cranky way I felt today is not what God has in mind for us. But the best part is, even when we have days like that, God still loves us. He'll help us to be better tomorrow.

So. Fingers crossed for that. I need all the help I can get.

The Spitting Image Of...

PosePrints is the cutest idea. You go to their site and design yourself {or someone else}. Then use your lil' graphic for invitations, notecards - whatever. You can pick from lots of hairstyles and clothing options to make it very - you! And they're very reasonable - $50 for 25 cards! Not bad at all for completely custom stationery.

Especially when it's darn near as cute as you are!

{Via Hostess with the Mostess.}

BIG Deal!

We've used Adoramapix in the past for 16x20s and have been happy with the quality. $10 bucks for a 20x30 is a steal! I'm trying to figure out which of our photos I'd like supersized at a bargain price...

You have through February 5 to use the code PXSB10 for your $10 poster prints...

Elsewhere In Blog Land...

There's always lots going on in the blog-o-sphere...here are some of my favorites from the past few days...

• First of all, Jessi over at Scrappy Jessi gave me the "You Make My Day" award! How'd I do it? But awarding her my 1000th post prize package! {Bribery is the best way to get awards!} :) Oh, also, she seems to like my blog. How lovely. Thanks, Jessi! {I'll be passing the award soon, so get to bribing! I kid, I kid!}
• Tiffany over at the Would Be Writer's Guild is hosting a "Winter Angst Poetry Contest". Well, I'm no poet, but when I saw that the first and second place prizes were both Target gift cards, I channeled my inner ee cummings and took the plunge. I hope you will, too! See this post for the details.
• My friend Natalie has a Willy Wonka-themed contest going on in celebration of her 100th post. If you enter, she'll send you a Wonka bar! And one bar will have a golden ticket in it! And that person will win...even more candy!!! Um. Best contest EVER! Go enter!
• I wanted to share A Cup of Jo with you - a favorite new blog of mine. Joanna is a writer/editor in New York City and her blog is fabulous! Do go check it out if you have a moment.

Today is my last chance to get my act together before I leave for my trip out west. Will it happen? Not likely!

Happy Thursday! I'll be back after preschool...

Black + White + Green All Over

Catherine wrote in to tell me about her brother's upcoming black white & green wedding. Of course, I was green with envy - that is a dream color scheme if I've ever heard one! She was seeking a lil' inspiration from the world wide web, and I thought I'd point her toward some of my favorite spots - and share some of my lovely finds with you while I'm at it.

First of all, I do hope they go with green bridesmaid's dresses. I love this vibrant, almost spring-grass green. Tell them to go bold or go home! :)

There are lots of lovely options for green bouquets. In the first photo, you could replace the hot pink with all white or some white, some green. Wrap the flowers up in black satin ribbon and voila!

Sorry. Due to my laziness, some of the above photos are duplicates. But I love what they've done with green in these table settings. The middle photo is just for inspiration - switch out the red with touches of green + black.

And the cake! They could do something similar to the first or second, but switch out the silver + pink for green. Gorgeous! And I'm loving the lil' favor boxes tied up with green ribbon. Use black boxes and they're good to go. And then, just an example of a lovely, lovely invitation. By changing the brown font to black, they would totally set the tone for the wedding.

For tons + tons of inspiration, check out some of my favorite wedding blogs:

The Bride's Cafe is full of wedding eye candy. And she has a great selection of links. This is just one beautiful blog.

Classic Bride + Brooklyn Bride + Something Old, Something New are also fabulous blogs - and don't miss their huge lists of wedding links.

Wish them the best from me, Catherine! Let us know how it goes!

{Photos from this post came from here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here + here.}

A Smaller Version of Myself

I loved happening upon Maya, hands-to-chin, gazing longingly at her boom box as it blasted the Enchanted soundtrack. It's such a flashback to myself as a child. I would sit in front of the stereo wearing ginormous headphones, singing along to my favorite music at the top of my lungs and playing solitaire for hours at a time. I love that it's the middle of the day and Maya is wearing her PJs. Afternoons are always her jammie time. She's just such a character.

I should also point out the lovely paint job on the wall. Yes, we {I} originally painted the office fire engine red and it looked...horrible. Horrible. Eventually Chris got around to painting it brown...except the bottom edge of that wall, apparently. It's probably been 2 years since then. Will it ever get painted? Maybe 5 minutes before we put our house on the market, if we ever sell it. We are the worst at getting projects done. In fact, if you zoomed out the photo a bit, you'd see the built-in bookshelves that Maya colored all over in red Sharpie...when she was waaaay younger than Mason is now. And we've never repainted. Like I said. We're the worst.

So let's hope Maya doesn't get that from us...

Silhouette Invites...

I guess it's a year or 2 {or 30!} early to be planning Maya's wedding. And at that time way {waaaaay} in the future, I should probably go ahead and let her pick out her own invitations, according to her taste. But. I sure do like these silhouette invites! I guess I need to throw a grown-up party so I can design something like these...

{Via The Bride's Cafe.}

Chickin' Feed

Here's a groovy idea: a food tracking board that spells it out for you. 5 servings of Grains/Bread/Pasta. 4 servings of Veggies. 3 servings of Fruit. When you have a glass of milk, move a chicken over from the "what you need" to the "what you've had" side on the Calcium/Dairy line. What a great way to track your food intake! And kids can keep track of their own board - and lean a heck of a lot about nutrition in the mean time! And it's pretty darn cute, too. I'm in love with this!

Unfortunately, it's on back order for 5 weeks, per the website. So perhaps I'll come up with my own version in the mean time. Because, while the fact that there aren't 5 slots marked "brownies" is bad news for me, perhaps a little visual stewardship would help me get my act together. Nutrition-wise anyway.

I'm not sure there's any hope for getting the rest of my act together. Baby steps.

Move Forward With Faith and Confidence In The Future

"It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. If you do your best, it will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us...If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers."

-Gordon B. Hinckley

Boy, do I love this quote! In fact, I don't know how I lived without in my collection for so long. "Don't worry." How much do I need to hear that? Less than usual, actually. I know! The queen of worrying is worrying less than usual? Mercy me.

So how'd that happen? Are you dying to know? Because I'm dying to tell. {Apparently.} I finally, finally turned my worries over to God. It all started with my Mama's post on letting go. I really saw myself in that - holding on tightest to the things I most need to let go. I've heard a million times that we have to turn our burdens over to God - that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. And yet, I've continued to clutch on to my worries with all my might. And I finally realized that I just wasn't willing to give them up. Why? Why do we do that to ourselves? Do we think it won't work? I don't think I thought I could give my worrying ways up. But I was wrong. It really works. Turning things over to God, really trusting him...really works. It's a better way and an easier way.

Of course, it's not like I got rid of every single one of my worries over night. I'm still going to worry about some things, of course. But I'm actively trying to not worry. When I start to conjure up worrysome thoughts in my head, I ask God to take them away. And every night and every morning, I ask him to help me leave that worrying garbage behind. And he is! He can do the same for you, whatever your struggles may be. Just ask him.

Because, as the quote says, God will not forsake us. Thank goodness.

{Quote via Pedaling Fast & Trying To Keep Up; Photo by Irene Suchocki, of course!}

DIY Even I Could Do...

How About Orange is offering a template for these super cute, super simple cards. Print out the template {2 per sheet}, cut & glue on buttons. Wowzers! I might could handle that!

I was thinking it would be cute to use lifesavers as the flowers instead. Since I'm always thinking about candy.

We Have A Winner!

A big thank you to everyone who entered to win a few of my favorite things! I have to say, your oh-so-nice comments really made my day! {All 86 of them - wowza!!!} And now, drumroll please...

The winner is...

Scrappy Jessi! She said: "dang girl!!! i believe it! you always have something new and exciting for us!!! congrats!!!what super fun giveaways! you rock my friend.jessi"

Congrats, Jessi! E-mail me {100percentcottamATgmailDOTcom} with your address and I'll send your goodies on their merry little way.

That was fun! We should do it again sometime...

Custom Candy Hearts

Kami over at the Biggie Blog did a million of these yesterday - including a "Mercy Me" heart in my honor! How much fun is this? Click here to make your own hearts, and check out Kami's hilarious collection of hearts here.

Silhouettes on Canvas

How cool are these? Custom silhouettes on a 16 x 20 canvas. You e-mail in a profile photo and they do the rest. And the best part? The price! $40 bucks for a huge piece of custom artwork? Yes please. These are on my list.

Get yours here.

{Via Marta Writes.}

Last Call...

Don't forget, there's still time to enter to win a few of my favorite things! Click on over to this post and leave a comment there...

You have until midnight tonight, Texas time! :)

Hot Diggity Dog!

I finally got Mason's birthday party invitations done!

Poor Mason gets the shaft. Maya has had huge blow-out parties since age one. Last year I invited a few friends over at the last minute for Mason's first birthday. This year I'm at least getting invitations out. But it will be small...just a few families with kids around the same ages as our kids. No bounce houses. No extravaganzas. Well, not no extravaganzas. Chris & I do have some painting projects up our sleeves that will {hopefully} rival Maya's awesome life-sized Hello Kitty from her birthday last year. We'll see. But really, it will probably be just a pinata and some pizza.

Ah well. Lucky me, as long as they're balloons and cake, Masey will be thrilled!

Recycled Wood Treehouse

I really dig this Recycled Wood Treehouse. It's a little pricey, which has me thinking...this would be a really cool project to build on your own. Not me, per se. My husband, perhaps.

You could make the Recycled Wood Blocks, too. That project might even actually be my speed.

Look Who Got A Haircut!

The Before + The After

My shagariffic Mason got trimmed up this weekend. It was dramatic, but nothing like last time! As I was loading this photo, I noticed I named the photo file "Masey Hair Cute". So even though I meant to type "hair cut", not "hair cute", I think it's a subliminal message that I like it. Or else I'm a caveman. "Masey hair cute. You hair not cute." Just kidding, you(r) hair is cute as can be, I'm sure of it.

Also, how much better do pics from Chris' camera come out compared to my point and click? Mercy me. That's quite a difference.

Also, I should consider washing my child's face before taking pictures of him.

Job Well Done

I will miss the wit + wisdom and humble nature of President Gordon B. Hinckley. He was the leader of my church for the past almost 13 years. He hung in until age 97, spending most of his life serving God - working right up to the end. I will remember him for so many things, but perhaps his amazing work ethic will impact me the most - his true passion and love for the work of God - and the fact that he always did what he did with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face.

Job well done. We will miss him.

{Update: When I told Maya this morning that President Hinckley went back to live with Heavenly Father she replied "Because he was so old." Yes. He was old. "When?" Yesterday. "Oh. Because it was Sunday." I just love the simple understanding children have.}

Housekeeping...

Don't forget! You have through Monday night to enter to win a few of my favorite things in celebration of my 1000th post! Click here and leave a comment on that post {not this post}.

Also, I've always been jealous of the cool lil' link buttons I see on other people's blogs. So I finally figured out how to make my own! And just in case you like it so much that you want to put one on your blog {don't feel obligated, of course!}, here's what you do. On your blog click "Customize", then "Add a Page Element". Choose "HTML/Java Script". Then copy and paste in the following code:

(; style="border:none; " alt="100 Percent Cottam" src=" http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n21/natcottam/100percentcottamsmallbuttoncopy.jpg"
1px/>)

Remove the parentheses from around it {sorry, I just couldn't make the code appear in this post any other way...} And, voila! Your very own 100 Percent Cottam button! Or just dissect the code and figure out how to make your own button! Yahoo!

Lastly, I wanted to pose a question to you. Trisha wrote in wondering if I felt secure putting my personal info on the world wide web - photos of my kids, our names, etc. Which is a great question! I do have my concerns. In fact, I would have started blogging a lot sooner if I hadn't watched so much Law & Order: SVU in my life. It's true, the internet is a scary place. It's also true that there are millions of blogs out there and it's not necessarily likely that a weirdo will find his or her way to mine. But still. It worries me.

What I finally decided is that the internet is like the real world. Full of scary stuff. Full of crazy people. But also full of good stuff and great people. As scary as both the online and real worlds are, I'm going to choose to boldly live my life, on and off line.

But what about you? Does this stuff make you nervous? Am I over or under reacting? How do you protect your family?

Sweetheart Hot Chocolate

That Martha! Cutting hearts out of her marshmallows in her spare time. Mercy me. That is darn cute, I have to say. And her hot chocolate recipe sounds rather dreamy! Get it here.

This Desperate Plea For Help Brought To You By The Letter 'S'

Ack! I haven't even begun to make plans for preschool this week. And I have just tomorrow to get my act together. I'm covering the letter 'S'. Anyone care to share their brilliant ideas?

Come on. I know you have some!

Let's Talk Locket

Hannah wrote in with her search for the perfect locket for her hubby to give her for Valentine's Day. {I like the way she thinks!} I've been on the lookout for a fabulous locket myself, and wanted to share some of my favorite finds...

Heartsmith "Lorell" ~ Heartsmith "Gertrude" ~ Heartsmith "Flora"

Heartsmith "Dorothy" ~ Hannah's original pick ~ Heartsmith "Ellen"
Heartsmith "Poet" ~ Marcasite Heart Locket ~ Heartsmith "Lucille"

Far and away, the best locket resource I found was Heartsmith. They have tons o' sterling silver lockets for those of us who are in the market for a bargain. Once you're ready to invest in something you'll have forever, they have an amazing selection of both white and yellow gold lockets.

There's lots of fun stuff out there! Let us know what you end up with, Hannah...

Maya Has The Chicken Pox!

Oh wait. No she doesn't. She just drew all over her face with red marker. Mercy me.

At least it did turn out to be the washable variety. Thank goodness.

Book Club 2008

I was a little MIA yesterday. Due in part to the fact that I'm coming down something or another that's making me want to lay on the couch all day long. I'd complain about it, but we've been pretty germ free around here, so I guess it's my turn.

I also spent several hours transcribing the 2008 Book Club List from our Thursday night planning meeting. Why should this take several hours? Well, in most cases, I had to look the books up because I had only a title, but no author. {Perhaps if I spent less time socializing and more time paying attention, I wouldn't have this problem. But that doesn't sounds like me, does it?} And since I was looking them up anyway, why not hyperlink them? And since I've already hypelinked them, why not share them with you? So here you have it - a book per month from now 'til November {feel free to read along and we'll discuss!} - plus a big ol' list of everything else that was recommended.

February
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons – by Lorna Landvik

March
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane – by Kate Dicamillo AND
The Girl Who Owned a City – by O.T. Nelson

April
Josephine: A Life of the Empress – by Carroly Erickson

May
Mother Earth Father Sky – by Sue Harrison

June
Infidel – by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

July
Enders Game – by Orson Scott Card

August
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier – by Ishmael Beah
* This was my pick, and I heartily recommend it to you, too! It's an amazing book, and will give you a new perspective on your life and your blessings.

September
The Book Thief – by Markus Zusak

October
The Good Earth – by Pearl S. Buck

November
My Antonia – by Willa Cather

Also Recommended

Ten Circles Upon the Pond – by Virginia Tranel
Cold Sassy Tree – by Olive Ann Burns
The Prince of Tides – by Pat Conroy
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – by Betty Smith
The Red Tent – by Anita Diamant
Till We Have Faces – by CS Lewis
The Day after Tomorrow – by Robert Heinlein
Mort – by Terry Pratchett
Guards! Guards! – by Terry Pratchett
Three Men In A Boat – by Jerome K. Jerome
Snowflower and the Secret Fan – by Lisa See
The Cay – by Theodore Taylor
Eat Pray Love – by Elizabeth Gilbert
Intuition – by Allegra Goodman
Mansfield Park – by Jane Austen
Life of Pi – by Yann Martell
Banned Books
The Hiding Place – By Corrie Ten Boom
Princess: A True Story Of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia – by Jean P. Sasson
The Other Boleyn Girl – by Phillipa Gregory
West With the Night – by Beryl Markham
The Goose Girl – by Shannon Hale
The Spirit Catches You and you Fall Down – by Anne Fadiman
Crossing to Safety – by Wallace Stegner
Davita’s Harp – by Chaim Potok
Wuthering Heights – by Charlotte Bronte
Mrs. Mike – by Benedict Freedman & Nancy Freedman
Eleni by Nicholas Gage
Persuasion – by Jane Austen

**I should clarify, since Hannah asked, this is my local, in-person book club. Just sharing the list. But anyone who wants to read along is more than welcome to. I'll do a book club post each month and everyone can chime in with their input.**

Is There Even Anything Left To Tell???

Surprisingly, yes! But this wraps up the Q&A! Thanks so much for all the fabulous questions! That was lots o' fun! This should bring you up to speed on what little you still don't know about me...

From Melissa:
Name one thing that you are very good at doing, and you are not shy about letting the world know it!
I think I’m good at making the ordinary seem exciting. Because I do think that the good ol’ every day stuff is really the good stuff – the stuff to get excited about. I also throw a mean party!

From Cammie:
What do your kids do while you are blogging away?
They watch waaaay too much TV. Just kidding. Actually, they do. But that’s usually while I’m showering and cleaning. I normally research and prepare my posts in the evening. I keep a running list of blog topics & links in an e-mail message in my in-box to make quick(er) work of it. Also, Maya is really good about coloring or writing in the office with me while Mason naps, so that makes it easy. Once I have 3 kids to contend with, and Mason stops napping I’ll probably disappear out the the blog-o-sphere forever. {Nah!}

From Sans:
What do you feel is the most important job of a mother?
For sure, I think the most important job of a mother is to MAKE SURE their children know they’re loved, that they’re special, that they’re capable beyond their comprehension. Kids should think they hung the moon. They should think everything they do is amazing and fantastic and wonderful. If kids have that foundation of self esteem and acceptance, they’ll get along so much better in this crazy world.

What would your career be if you hadn't been blessed with children?
I’d love to be a feature writer for a newspaper or magazine.

Which quote from your collection do you feel applies to your life most?
Mercy me! Great questions! If I had to choose from my entire collection, I’d spend all night deciding. So I’ll go with this one, from my bloggin’ collection:
"Finish every day and be done with it...you have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it...serenely, and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
I love this one. Because I think I’m very forgiving of myself – perhaps too forgiving - maybe I should care more that I’m not quite up to snuff most of the time…that my life is filled with blunders and absurdities. But I don’t let that stuff get to me, most of the time. And really and truly, I do wake up each day in high spirits, completely oblivious to my old nonsense. I guess that’s not a bad way to be…

What is your biggest pet peeve?
Oh, just one? People who complain all the time. I don’t really like to complain. Not that I never complain, because I do sometimes. But I’d much rather talk about the solution to the problem than whine or hear whining. Tell me the problem once and I’ll give you my suggested solution. Then. I don’t want to talk or hear about it anymore.

From Kelly:
Okay -- a serious one -- how do you keep your kids occupied during your shopping trips? Without either a) getting dirty looks from all the other shoppers or b) coming home with a shopping cart full of things you have to buy because your kids broke? (okay, maybe those are my kids!)
Oh, I totally hear you! Shopping with kids is such an adventure. I have to say, I have quite an advantage, because my Mama and I usually shop together. So an extra pair of hands makes a huge difference. It also helps that Maya is at an age where she can walk alongside the cart and not cause too much trouble. But my no-fail Target strategy is the popcorn + drink combo for a buck. Seriously, money well spent. If my kids have a slushie and popcorn to occupy them, I can shop in {relative} peace. And, of course, I suggest becoming oblivious to dirty looks. Because first of all, everyone has either been there or will be there at some point in their lives. And second – it doesn’t really matter if they approve of your kids’ behavior anyway!

From Amanda Moore:
Your best quality?
Wow. That’s hard. I think my best quality is that I know who I am. I know what I stand for, I know what I believe in. And because of that, I’m just a satisfied, happy person {for the most part}.

Your greatest weakness?
Pure laziness! I’m sure there are lots of great things I could accomplish if I’d just get my butt off the computer or out of in front of the TV. Sure, I have goals. But the motivation to reach them just isn’t there a lot of the time. Yet…

And lastly, if you had a great new pair of shoes that were giving you really bad blisters- would you still wear them?
I sure would! I’d stick a band-aid on and keep on keeping on! Although I did walk around Vegas for about 10 hours in a pair of expensive boots on my first trip there. And proceeded to chuck them straight into the trash when I got back to the hotel. I never, EVER wanted to SEE, much less wear those puppies again.

From Carolyn:
I would like know if you have any phobias?
Oh yes! The worst one is my fear of highway overpasses, particularly the flyover interchanges. Bridges, too. I get so sick to my stomach, I start sweating. I grip the steering wheel with my white knuckles and eventually slow down to turtle speed. I HATE them!

From Katie:
Favorite song? Anything to do with "whiskers on kittens"?
Hee hee, yes, I do love that song. Hmm. It’s hard for me to pick ONE favorite song. I’m such a music lover and I have so many favorites, in so many categories. Favorite Broadway ‘tunes. Favorite church hymns. Favorite songs from my teen years. Favorite songs by Ben Folds. And so forth. I didn’t really answer the answer the question, did I? Sorry about that.

Talk about everything you ever wanted to know + waaaay more. Thanks for sitting through that! You're a trooper!

1000 Percent Cottam?!

Today is a milestone! Believe it or not, this is post #1000! Holy guacamole! 1000 posts! That is something. What it tells me is #1) I really, really enjoy blogging. And #2) I need to calm down and find some other things to occupy my time!

Really and truly, though, I love blogging. I love having a spot to put all of my thoughts and my loves and my photos. And I'm so grateful to YOU for reading! So, with that in mind, I bring you my very first ever giveaway for tangible goods! I'm sorry that I can't give away the big, exciting prices like the "big guys" do. Instead, I bring you a lil' prize package of a few of my favorite things...

• Sock monkey slippers! If I'm at home, I'm in my slippers. These very slippers! Umm. Cutest slippers EVER! They're also super duper comfy.
• Here's a double favorite for you: thank you cards {which I'm obsessed with} with silhouettes on them {also obsessed with silhouettes, you may know!}.
• Texas Chewies from Lammes Candies. This is one of my best Texas discoveries. Homemade caramel pralines. Yummmmmmy! It's my treat of choice.
• A Curly Girl greeting card. If you get a Curly Girl card from me, you know I love you. These are my absolute favorites.
• Reusable shopping bag!!! From Target, of course! This style of bag is my favorite reusable bag in my extensive collection. It's small and convenient to toss into your purse.
• Target bargain PJ's. Lest you think I can get a bargain and not brag about it, I picked these PJ's up {a bunch of them, actually} for 75 percent off. And again, I have these PJ's. Mine are black & stripey, but still. Same comfy PJ's. {So this is a double favorite - a bargain at Target & some very cute PJ's.}
• Big ol' hoop earrings. Huge hoops are my signature. The bigger, the better.
• Notepad for jotting. From my second favorite dollar spot - Michael's! This has my favorite damask pattern. Lovely, lovely!
• I don't leave home without a cute notebook in my purse. You never know when you'll have a moment to write down your thoughts. Or you'll want to take down a quote, or a website or whatever. This one is green, my favorite color. And sort of silhouette-ish, too!
• Last but not least, sticky notes from Anne Taintor. With one of my life themes on 'em - "She could see no good reason to act her age.". True enough.

Winner takes all. To enter to win my meager offering of thanks, just leave a comment, any comment on THIS POST between now and Monday night.

So. Here's to 1,000 more posts!

And really. Thanks for reading!

The More I Know You...

This photo just captures the essence of Maya. Hands on hips. Hair in disarray. And the facial expression! You can't tell if she's coming off a scowl into a smile or off a smile into a scowl. But that's how she is. One minute she's stormy. The next moment she's sunny. You never know what you're going to get, and it's always changing.

And as bonkers as she may or may not make me, I just have to say how blessed I feel to have her. She's such an interesting little person. I'm so eager to see what she becomes. There's a lot in there, that's for sure...

A Safer Place To Put My Baked Goods

I'm loving this cupcake hat!

The Ding-Dong hat is rather awesome, too.

You Will Rue The Day You Asked Me A Question...

Are you sick of this yet? Because I'm not. And guess what? There's more coming tomorrow!

From Tara:
If you had the green light to commit any sin, big or small, without any penalty or eternal consequence, what would it be?
Mercy me! I don’t know how to answer that. I’m not trying to be cute or clever or anything, but I’ve always been a pretty innocent girl – I never go lookin’ for trouble, and for the most part, it doesn’t come looking for me. Sorry. That’s not very fun, is it?

Least favorite food?
Hmm. I really haven’t met much in the way of food that I was willing to turn down. I guess maybe Indian food. I can’t do crazy spicy.

Allergies?
Just hayfever. Always. Sneezing my head off. 12 times in a row, at least. Multiple times a day.

From Miriam Lovell Dyer:
When are you coming to New York?
Ooh, I wish! I was in NYC in April and had my first Les Mis experience. I’ve been begging my Mama for a girls trip ever since. And I’d love to have a local tour guide! My best friend lived there at the time, but she’s a DC girl now. It’s so much less stressful to see the city with an experienced tour guide! I’ll be in touch… :)

From Pedaling:
Why haven't you been interested in politics?
I think it’s because of my non-confrontational ways. I hate to watch debates – I get so uncomfortable with contention. Also, I really believe that it’s so difficult to figure out what politicians truly stand for, and if they represent what you believe in. When I was in college, I thought I could save the world. But I became a little more cynical after I got out into the “real” world. Does what I think {politically} really matter? Does my vote really count? Can I actually make a difference? It’s really the one cynical spot in my optimistic life. So I just sort of stepped away from it. It’s terrible. I need to get my act together, inform myself, and be a good American citizen.

Do you vote?
I used to vote, before I became so darn cynical! But really now, it’s more out of pure laziness than actual cynicism. But as I said. Need to get my act together. Will vote this year, for sure.

What "calling" (LDS church assignment) do you have?
I’m the Enrichment Leader and also the Secretary for the Savior of the World production, which is actually not a “calling” but an “assignment”. But takes up TONS more of my time than my actual calling does.

Have you ever flipped anyone off?
True confessions. Indeed, I have. But in jest, to my friends, mostly. Like this peacemaker would ever do it to a stranger in anger. That’s not really my style.

Have you ever had voice lessons?
Nope. There’s no help for this voice of mine. Actually, I do sing a bit. But in choirs only. I’m no soloist. {You didn’t ask, but I’m an alto. Alto pride!}

Dance lessons?
Absolutely not. Actually. I take that back. I’m sure I took them when I was very little. And I’m also sure that I took ballroom dancing at the University of Utah. And I’m ALSO sure that I was that teacher’s most hopeless cause EVER. I have no moves.

From Kristi:
If train "A" is going East at 50 mph, and train "B" is going West at 70 mph, at what point do they meet?
If I made your face into a silhouette necklace, would you be mad if I wore it?
Would you wear one of me?
Will you name a future child of yours Kristi?
Do you know how adorable I think you are?
Does anyone wonder why Kristi is one of my favorite friends ever? That girl is crazy. I’m going to go with Huh?, I’d be thrilled, Already do, Of Course, Tell me again.

From Hannah:
Do you have brothers and sisters? How many?
I have 2 brothers – Chris is 2 years older and Matthew is 2 years younger. They are the best boys in the world. I’m so lucky to have them. Sadly, no sisters. Sniff.

How do you spend your free time?
What is this “free time” you speak of? Har har. I spend most of my free time on the computer, really. I also love to read, write in a “real” journal, do yoga and watch way too much TV.

How old & tall are you?
I’m 30! Yowza! Just joined those ranks in November. Mercy me. And I’m 5’10” and have been since the 7th grade! {I do believe that also deserves a mercy me.}

What are your offline hobbies?
Is eating out a hobby? I need to get some hobbies. How about some things that are not my hobbies? I don’t scrapbook, sew or craft in any way. I don’t cook, clean or bake {much}. I wish I could say “fencing” or “knitting” or “quilting” or “sculpting”. “Painting.” Something. Yeah, I’ve got nothing. I love to eat out, shop and watch live music. Wait, those don’t count. Who knew I was so shallow? I can’t come up with a single thing. Lame.

Are you a task oriented person or a people oriented person?
I’m a people person first and foremost. I LOVE people. I love to meet new people, I love to socialize, I love, love, love people. Is meeting people a hobby? Networking? I’m really bothered that I don’t have hobbies.

From Holly D:
what would you say is the number one reason you love to blog?

I mostly do it for the money. Har har. It’s too bad I’m not as funny as I think I am. There are several reasons. You only want the number one reason? Well, too bad. First, it allows me to write, which has always been something I love to do. {A hobby, even!} Second, it gives me a spot that’s MINE. I can put anything I want on my blog. I can say whatever I want to. It’s all mine. I feel like you lose a little bit of yourself as a Mama. My kids’ stuff is everywhere. Their crumbs are in my bed. They steal my hairbrush and don’t put it back. My blog is all for me. But it’s nice that other people like to join in the fun. Which brings me to… Third, it connects me with people. I stay in better touch with my friends and family this way. I’ve met so many amazing people through blogging. I know that whatever I’m doing or feeling or going through, other people can relate, advise, commiserate, etc. I think blogging is magic. And it’s just what I need.

From Katie:
I'm curious to know what your favorite movie of ALL TIME is? And also, how did you and your hubby meet?

Hmmm. Favorite movie of all time? That’s tough. There are so many. Moulin Rouge. Big Fish. A River Runs Through It. Pride & Prejudice {BBC}. Annie. Grease. But I’ll have to say The Sound of Music. It’s just so timeless. I loved it as a child. I love it now. Maya loves it now. And nobody, I mean nobody has style like Maria! Cutting down the curtains to make herself a dress! Who does that? Aside from Giselle from Enchanted. Which is also a great movie.

And also, how did you and your hubby meet?

Read the whole entertaining {not at all} story in the second edition.

Are you rueing? Rueing the day? Are you sure there's not possibly anything else anyone could have asked about me? Well, you are wrong. Part 4 is coming up tomorrow.

He Knows How I Tick...

When Chris finally got home around 10pm last night, he was greeted by a very overwhelmed wife. I was frantically cut cut cutting things out for preschool. The house still needed to be straightened up. The sink was full of dishes. The trash was overflowing. The laundry from Sunday was {and is} still sitting on the couch. And I was wondering where in the world the day went and how I manged to accomplish so little...

And instead of giving me a big ol' hug {which might have gotten him poked in the eye} or offering words of encouragement {which might have gotten his head bitten off}, he said "I have a surprise for you". And he returned a moment later with not one but two lil' gifts for me...the boy & girl silhouette necklace I blogged about a while back and the Juno soundtrack, which I've been wanting ever since we saw the movie.

Ahh. Just what I needed. Little tokens. Things that tell me that he's listening to me; that he's thinking about me. Second best to little gifts in my world are acts of service. Last week I came home from a long meeting to find that he had done all of the laundry {the very laundry that I still haven't folded}. And every night, like magic, a cold bottle of water appears on my nightstand. These little things are the way to my heart.

I tell you this because I am a lucky gal. And I need to remember that.

Running Away From Home

Because, you know, these boots were made for walking...

I Heart Cake

While the I Heart Cake necklace might not literally say "Natalie", it's still got my name written all over it...

You Can't Handle The Truth!

Hardy har har har. I'm actually pretty mild, aren't I? At any rate, I bring you Part II of the Q&A:

From Becky:
How do you manage this fantastic blog AND two kids?!?
Well, thank you, first of all! I love blogging. And as I tell my “real life” {as opposed to bloggin’} friends, we all have our “things”. The things that we love, and therefore make a priority. You probably read more books than I do. You probably have a cleaner house than I do. You probably work out more than I do. Or do more crafts. Or scrapbook. Or watch more TV. :)Or whatever. I just happen to love blogging. It combines my love of writing and journaling with my love of shopping and my love of meeting new people. It’s like all of my favorite things in one. So it gets a lot of my time, that’s for sure! :)

Are you coming to SLC JUST to meet bloggers? (can't wait, by the way)
Yahoo! I can’t wait, either! But no, it’s not the actual purpose of my visit. :) But a very nice highlight of it, to be sure! We’re visiting Chris’ very best friend; they’re going skiing. We’re living the Mormon dream. Taking our kids to Temple Square. Brainwashing them at the University of Utah. Raiding the Distribution Center. Stuff like that.

From Emily:
Have you always been a positive person?
Hmm, I should check in with my Mama on this one, but I think I’d say yes. I’ve always been hopeful, optimistic and a dreamer. I’ve always been bubbly and silly. I think those things contribute to being a positive person.

How many more cute kids do you want?
At least 2 or 3 more. I’d love to have 5 kids – we’ll see if we actually make it that far!

Do you really like living in Texas?
I LOVE living in Texas. In fact, Austin is my favorite place I’ve lived, ever! It’s a great city. The people are fabulous and friendly. It’s affordable. There’s a ton of things to do, both in and outdoors. It’s super family-friendly. It is a tad bit too hot for my taste. But I’d rather be hot than cold. And I love it here!

From The McFarland Family:
I want to know how many hours you spend on the computer every day?!
Did my husband ask you to find out? I’m sure he’d like to know. Mercy me. A lot. I probably spend an hour reading blogs. And an hour on my blog. Not all at once, though. In spurts throughout the day. And I’m an obsessive e-mail checker. Plus, some days {such as yesterday} I spend 2 or more hours on church stuff. And if I’m designing an invitation or anything, that’s another hour. So yeah. I’m on my computer waaaay more than I should be.

From Danielle:
How often do you and Chris go on dates?
I’d say we go OUT on dates maybe twice a month-ish. But we make it a priority to put the kids to bed by 7pm {for my sanity’s sake} and on evenings when we’re both home, we hang out and watch a movie or just chat.

Does Chris put you on a budget or are you in charge of the cash?
Chris takes care of the bills and all that stuff. I just try to keep my spending in the “reasonable” range. Every now and then I’ll get a call from him saying “I just paid all the bills. So don’t be going to Target until the 15th.” :)

From Crazy Walker:
I feel a bit sheepish asking, because it's not really my blog that you visit, but I notice that you frequent a lot of my friend's blogs (thus, how I found you you fantastic lady you)how do you find these great blogs?! And is it really ok that I stalk you, and not let you stalk mine? (you are totally welcome to an invite by the way! I just have no way to email you!)
Hee hee, love this one. I find blogs in lots of ways. Google Reader recommends them to me. I stalk my friends’ “favorite blogs” lists. People leave me comments and I stalk them back. And I like blogstalkers! If I didn’t want people to read, I wouldn’t publish my blather on the world wide web, ya know? :) But I’d love to stalk you back! {100percentcottamATgmailDOTcom}

And I would also like to know who your last fight was with. ;)
Hey, I’m a lover, not a fighter. Let there be peace on earth!

From Mia:
Would you ever consider being a vegetarian?
My main reasons for NOT being a vegetarian are 1) Laziness {it’s just harder to eat that way in this fast food world, especially with my frequent dining out} 2) I live in Texas . 3) Love of meat. :) I was a “chicken only” meat eater for a lot of years. But I’ve since come to love and adore a big juicy steak. Or a huge slab of ribs. Or a foot long hot dog. But I love vegetarians and think they are much, much cooler {and healthier} than I am.

What songs do you want played at your funeral?
Mercy me. That is a hard one. I love “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”. “I Know That My Redeemer Lives”. There’s an amazing version of “The Lord is My Shepherd” on the Savior of the World CD that would be fabulous.

What game show would you love to be on, past or present?
I always wanted to go on Family Feud with my parents & brothers. Family of 5 – would’ve been perfect. And I’m pretty sure we could have rocked “The Feud”.

What does your favorite color smell like?
It’s green. So I’d say an earthy, herby, fresh smell.

From Mel:
What is your favorite vegetable?
Carrots, for sure. Crunchy baby carrots dipped in ranch. Second best would be sweet potatoes. But with so much sugar in there, I’m not sure they still count as a vegetable. I also loved steamed broccoli.

How many and who were your boyfriends before Chris?
Ooh, this is sort of a complicated one. I guess 2. Mark, which was complex. And Scott, which was even more complex. Do they even count as "boyfriends"? I'm not sure, but they were something. And those stories are waaaay too long for a bloggin’ Q&A.

Favorite board or card game?
I play Uno with Maya on a daily basis. I love Trivial Pursuit but can’t ever get anyone to play it with me. And I always love to play catch phrase with either my Mama or my best friend Jennifer, because in either case, all we have to do is look at each other and we can read each other’s mind. It’s pretty freaky.

Is there a saying or word that you find yourself saying a lot?
I say “Mercy Me” all the time. In fact, if the title 100 Percent Cottam hadn’t been bestowed on my by a co-worker 8 years or so ago, this blog would probably be called Mercy Me. I also say “dadgum” a lot.

Well dadgum. That's enough for now. Part III is coming tomorrow! {Are you starting to be sorry that you even asked in the first place?}

Channeling My Inner Carrie

I've always wanted a Carrie Bradshaw-style name necklace. And here's the place to get 'em! WOW Imports has tons of styles, all around $25 to $35. Cute, cute!

Next up on my wishlist? A pair of Manolo Blahniks. {Just kidding.}

This Soap's For You...

Lovely, lovely! A big + beautiful box of personalized soaps! Love, love, love. {The price is a bit steep. But that's to be expected, I suppose...}

You've Got Questions...I've Got Answers!

Wowzers! Lots o' questions! And good ones. Well, I'm committed to answering them all, so keep 'em coming. I'm going to start at the first and work my way down, in several posts. And away we go!

From Anne:
Has your bowling game improved since taking Beginner Bowling at the U?
Um, I'm afraid not. In fact, I'm not sure I've been bowling since Beginner Bowling at the U. But oh, how I loved that class. Each and every {of several} times I took it. I especially enjoyed my apres-bowl Chick Fil A sandwich + a Krispy Kreme donut from the Union. Mmm.

You have incredible taste and style. Where do you get your inspiration?
First of all, thank you, thank you! Extra points for that! :) What I will say about style is that it's SO individual, and the key is to just figure out what you LOVE, what really appeals to you. And then wear it, buy it for your house, etc. I feel like I wasted a lot of money in the past buying things that I didn't love...things that would get the job done, things that were on sale, things that were trendy, etc. I seem to have expensive taste. So I go to places like Anthropologie to be inspired and then do my best to replicate things I love at Target, Old Navy, H&M, Payless, etc. There are so many affordable options out there! And when you find something you REALLY love, you should be willing to splurge sometimes. And of course, the more you shop, the more you discover. :) I should also mention, reading blogs is the best way to find cool stuff. And I really and truly keep up with more than 100 blogs. Yikes.


From Jori :
What did your prom dress look like?
I went to junior & senior prom. My junior year dress was red jersey knit with silver sparkles. It was sleeveless, but high neck & back and unrevealing in every way. Unless you count my upper arms as revealing. My senior year dress was almost the identical design, but it was black with lots and lots o' beading. It weighed like 100 pounds. Overall, looking back, I'm pretty satisfied with them...

Favorite Pizza Topping?
I'll take either ham & pineapple or BBQ chicken. Mmm. Pizza sounds good.

How many states have you been too?
Wow, I need to pull out a map. 21 is a pretty accurate guess. At least 21.

Any Scars? How did you get them?
I have one on the bottom of my foot from when I cut my foot open by jumping off the trampoline onto a piece of broken glass. In second grade. Cringe! I do have a couple of other random scars {my right arm & a finger or 2} that I have no idea what they're from. And some on my knees from scrapes.

When was the last time you cried?
Yesterday in the car while listening to the finale of the Savior of the World production. That music speaks to me like no other. I highly recommend it.

Most prized possession?
That is tough! It might have been the ceramic frog that Chris painted for me when we were dating. But Mason broke that, and I quickly realized that there's not much in the way of un-living and breathing things that I couldn't live without. My "special" frog collection, maybe. Photos and journals, I guess. Pretty much everything else could be replaced, if necessary.

From Melissa:
How did you know Chris was "the one"?
After I'd been dating Chris for about 3 weeks, I knew I wanted to marry him. I just thought he was the kindest, most "pure-in-heart" person, and no matter what, I was going to marry him - I really don't think anyone could have stopped me. I had made up my mind. And a year later, we got married!

From Hayley:
are you a "regular" gal? and yes, by that i meant pooping. ;)
This is such a Hayley question! I would have been disappointed with anything less. As for my digestive system, I have to say, it makes the grade. I've never had any problems in that area. Which makes dealing with Maya's chronic {and epic} "poopin' problems" all the more maddening.

From Kami:
Are you two from Utah?
We aren't from Utah. I was born in Utah. Chris grew up in Utah for a few years when he was a little boy. But I was raised in Nashville, Tennessee and Chris in Reno, NV. We spent our college years there, though, as all good Mormons do. :) But not at BYU! We're Utes, baby!

How did the two of you meet and how old were you when you got married?
Do you want the long story? Hey, why not? I decided to transfer from the University of Tennesee to BYU after my parents moved from Tennessee to Reno and I was living with them until I left for school. I met Chris there at church 3 days after he returned from his LDS mission and we started dating shortly thereafter. We dated only 6 months and got engaged - then married 6 months later. And I was only 20 years old! It seems so crazy looking back on it.

From Holly O:
Who is the last person you talked on the phone with? House phone and cell phone, please.
House phone was my friend Lori; Cell phone, I couldn't tell you! I hardly ever use it and it's usually dead at the bottom of my purse or sitting on the charger at home. A lot of good it's doing me! Chris calls me "an irresponsible cell phone steward". True enough.

Who was the last person you got in a fight with? and why?
Really and truly, I don't think I've ever been in a fight with anyone. Seriously. Maybe my parents or friends when I was a teenager. Chris and I pick at each other some, but we don't really fight. I'm the most non-confrontational person you've ever met.

From Tiffany:
Where have you lived?
Provo, UT {born & lived there as an adult}; Salt Lake City, UT {as a child + an adult}; Boise, ID; Indianapolis, IN; Colorado Springs, CO; Nashville, TN; Chattanooga, TN; Reno, NV; Las Vegas, NV; Austin, TX

When did you fall in love with Target?
Target & I go way back. When I was reading high school journals recently, I came across "went to Target and the Olive Garden with Mom today" on many an occasion. {Some things never change.} But I think my obsession reached new heights here in Austin. I'm darn near close to going exclusive with Target these days!

How many kids in your family growing up and how did that influence you?
3 kids. An older brother + a younger brother. Which influenced a lot of things. Being the only girl, I was boss-boss-bossy and called the shots {yet again, some things never change}. Since I don't have a sister, I'm super close to my Mom and have always been. Coming from a relatively smaller family, I wish for a larger family for myself. And a sister for my girl!

From Christina:
Are you hoping for more kids? If so, how many?
I am definitely hoping for more kids! At least 4, maybe 5. Taking care of kids has been my favorite thing in my life so far. When I had Maya, I had the idea that if you wanted a big family you needed to crank them out every 18 months or so. And to each his own. But since then I've met lots of families that have spread the kids out over lots and lots of years. And that works, too. I'll just take them as they come.

What is your favorite dinner that you make?
Food storage enchiladas! These are the best, so easy and yummy. 1 can of chicken breast + 1 can refried beans + 2 1/2 cups salsa {combine on the stove & heat to a bubble}. Spoon into tortillas and cover with 1 can enchilada sauce {it's best to spoon some sauce into the dish first, too, so they don't stick} and top with colby jack cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes and then smother them with sour cream. Mmmmm. I could eat that every night.

What made you desire to go to the U?
My husband was going there. And I didn't want either of us to have to commute. {I really don't have anything against BYU, and in fact planned to go there. I just like to cause contention!} I have to say, though, that I just loved it there. I had such a great college experience at the U.

Okay, so that's it for round 1! Round 2 is coming up tomorrow...maybe even round 3! Is anyone even still reading this? If so, you deserve a trophy.

Red Hot Valentines

This is a fun idea for Valentine cards or invites to a Valentine's Day party, right? A lil' red box filled with red hots. I love it.

{From Brides via Black Eiffel.}

"What's Your Q?"

"What's your Q?" is usually Maya's response if I say something like "Maya, I have a question for you..." It's sort of cute.

Anyway. Tiffany did a fun thing on her blog last week and opened the floor up for questions. It was fun to check out the questions and even more fun to read her answers. Random things about her background, likes, dislikes etc. etc. I'm such an open book, I sort of doubt there are any Q's left to ask, but at any rate...

What's your Q?

I'll be back later with some answers...straight talk...the cold hard truth. Stuff like that.

{And how about opening your blog for questions? Because I've got burning questions, don't you know!} :)

Become An M&M

Come on, you know you want to. I have to tell you, though, I'm a little freaked out by the resemblance. I mean, that ice cream cone is dead on!

Go do it!