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By Aimee, February 26, 2010 8:36 am

I hear spring is right around the corner. I am more than ready. Winters are not my favorite. It’s cold, the air is dry, the ground is wet, my hands get cracked, bleed, and hurt a lot. It’s hard to find the motivation to do much. All that sounds good is to sip hot chocolate, watch old movies, and try to keep warm.

Granted, this winter has been fairly mild. Other than some very cold weather in December, and a few big snow storms, we have had it much better than last year. I have even seen a lot of our daffodils and iris starting to come up (and we are still getting snow off and on). It’s still cold though. And I miss my garden and being able to play outside.

My husband got me these flowers for our anniversary. A gorgeous bouquet that has all my favorites, including Gerber daisies (which aren’t in the photo). They are bringing a bit of spring to our home. I really loved how the sunset coming through the window was highlighting the flowers. One of those magical moments.

It’s too bad humans don’t take a cue from bears. Hibernation sounds appealing right now, doesn’t it?

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By Aimee, February 25, 2010 11:48 am

We have an icky problem in my office. It’s a problem that we had in the past in my ficus tree. We thought we had fixed it by repotting the tree in brand new, dry dirt (even washing off it’s roots). We remained free from pests for several months, until now.

The problem returned recently after I finally set up our Aerogarden. It hasn’t even been set up for that long, and BOOM! We are deep in an icky infestation of fungus gnats! Here is just a taste of what has been going on (if you find bugs to be gross, you might not want to watch):

Icky infestation from Aimeeroo on Vimeo.

I had actually vacuumed the windowsill, drapes, and the top of the garden about 15 mins before I shot this video. It was actually much worse this morning, which I had to show my hubby. Gross isn’t it? I could not believe how many more there were in such a short amount of time.

I vacuumed again right after, and have also taken wet towels to the windowsill twice again, removing more than I could ever count. I can already see more. Where they are coming from now is anyone’s guess, since the Aerogarden has been emptied and cleaned, and is now banished to the basement. I’m sad though, my plants were doing so well, but if the larvae were in the sponges, the problem would have just kept coming and coming. RIP tomatoes.

And I don’t even know how many little gnats I have squished by hand. They are attracted to light, like most bugs, and come to the computer often. I even think one went in my nose.  I’m pretty sure our bird has been snacking on them as well. It’s gross.

How are things in your neck of the woods?

*Update: We still have tons of gnats, and it looks like the Aerogarden just attracted them from another source. They are still flooding the windowsill and drapes. I see them crawling in the tree pot again, and I am now worried that other plants may be infected as well. Sad.

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By Aimee, February 23, 2010 8:06 pm

Book: When Turtles Fly

Have you been watching the Olympics? We have been watching off and on, and of course it is always awesome to see people who are at the top of their profession. Just knowing that each Olympian is the best from their country is quiet inspiring! Did you know that you have a better chance of winning a lottery than you do of winning an Olympic medal?! Those are some crazy odds, aren’t they?

Right before the Olympics started, I got a review copy of a new book called When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How To Stick Their Necks Out. Written by Olympic gold medalist Nikki Stone, the book features stories from successful people from different kinds of professions, including her own journey.

The book centers on a turtle analogy which comes from Nikki’s mother. It’s called the “Turtle Effect”, and teaches of 3 things a person needs to have to become a success. Each story draws on aspects of the “Turtle Effect” (a hard shell, a soft inside, and a willingness to stick out your neck), and how they have applied to the individual’s life. It’s not just stories from Olympians, though there are many medal holders included in the book, there is a huge range of success stories! Here is just a sample:

• Designer Tommy Hilfiger
• X-Games/Olympic Champ Shaun White
• Jazz musician Branford Marsalis
• Special Olympic Chair Timothy Shriver
• NFL quarterback Steve Young
• Perfect ’10′ gymnast Nadia Comaneci
• Prince Albert of Monaco
• Best-selling author Stephen Covey
• Olympic skiing Star Lindsey Vonn
• Top venture capitalist Vinod Khosla
• Celebrity chef Todd English
• And many more . . .

I really love to read about people’s stories, so I enjoyed this book a lot. Reading about people overcoming their obstacles and reaching their dreams always gives me hope that it’s possible to do just about anything! Of course it helps to have a passion for what you are doing, and you have to be willing to do the work, and this book demonstrates loads of examples of people doing exactly that. You can learn more about the book, and even submit your own story (in the blog invite section), on the When Turtles Fly website.

I think this is one to keep on the bookshelf, ready for reading when I need a little boost to keep working on my passion.

25% of the author’s net proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

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By Aimee, February 22, 2010 8:23 am

Eight years ago on this day, I said “I do”! It’s hard to imagine that it’s been that long, and yet it feels like we have always been together.

He is my best friend, my ultimate supporter, and favorite adventure companion. I love him even more today than I did 8 years ago (and I thought I loved him tons then!). I can’t wait to see what new adventures the next 8 years and beyond will bring!

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By Aimee, February 20, 2010 9:38 am

I am getting better and better at pulse. It has become easier to get the hoop up past “the girls”, and while it doesn’t stay up there for very long, it is staying there longer than before.

The best thing is that through practicing each day, the other tricks that I have learned are becoming easier and more fluid. A major side benefit from daily practice is that some pounds from the holidays are melting off without any diet changes. I find that hooping sculpts certain areas of my body that traditional workouts fail to do. Hooping works the core muscles like crazy! Bonus!

Something fun that I have been doing just to challenge myself is to change the direction of my hoop. Fellow hoopers, have you noticed that you have a certain direction that you always hoop in? Kind of like being right handed, or left handed? I have, and it’s usually the hoop rotating to the left. So, I have been trying to rotate it to the right… with lots of laughter involved, as it is HARD! I can keep it going and such, but not for long, and it feels so strange.

I love this video of Mix and Deanne, playing with little hoops. They look so fabulous!

And I have to thank Christabel for the shout out on her blog. I love the term ResoROOtion! Indeed, that is what Project Hoop is, one big, fun, resoROOtion for 2010!