Peggy's Pretty Priceless Passing Points

Get a Life!

2012-01-27T16:53:00.003-07:00

I have this gift, you see. I am the queen of over-commitment. If there is fluff to be found that can be used to waste time and distract me, I am all over it. (Example: This blog post!) But here's my (very quick because I need to go Get a Life) newest epiphany. I only have one life to live. I don't want to waste it with stuff that doesn't matter. I want to RELISH my life, I want to surround myself with people who uplift me and I want to be a person who uplifts. I want to pamper my husband and cherish my children. I want to thank God every day for what He's given me. Not just big things like, you know, breath, but the little things He's given to make my journey more enjoyable. Flowers, the smell of babies' breath, the way my kids love and love and love even when I make mistakes...there is so much delicious detail in our lives that just gets passed by while we wrapped up in this business of living. I want to get a life. A life that is full of love and full of joy. Full of forgiveness and acceptance and gratitude and faith. I want every day to be the best day yet. So instead of grumbling that I have chores to do, I'm going to be grateful that we are blessed to have enough to make a mess. And I'm not going to scrub the corners of my floors--I'm going to clean up and play with my kids because that's what makes a good day.
Life is short. It is short and uncertain. I want to enjoy every single wonderful piece of it. I want to get a life. You should go get one, too. Remember that WE choose our lives. They are not chosen for us. We decide what to do with the cards we've been dealt and we choose what we will use to fill up our time. I want to do better at choosing wisely. By better choosing my actions and my attitude. Right now I'm choosing to go do the dishes. LOL.

Euskaldunak

2011-12-10T22:44:00.001-07:00

My grandfather came to America from a small village in Northern Spain called Amoroto. I've been there--it's teeny tiny but it is beautiful. Surrounded by green fields with wildflowers growing by the road and only a handful of buildings..I looked at those few buildings and wondered, "In which one did he live?" I loved visiting Basque country and felt like I had come home while I was there. (Scott marveled at "an entire region of people who look like, and are loud like YOU!") The people were so kind and friendly, the architecture was gorgeous and the culture is beyond rich.
Maybe you don't know where Basque people are..I could explain it all but it would take a long time and I'm tired. You can read this article to learn more. (Side note: I've seen this tree of which they speak--Guernica is a lovely city with a wonderful pub owner who lived in New York for awhile and can make an awesome grilled-cheese sandwich for a poor girl visiting Europe while 8 weeks pregnant and sick as a dog!)
Here's my point. I love my heritage. I am so proud of it and I feel such a strong pull to it. My Grandpa died before I was born and my family really doesn't do anything Basque. A few days ago, I read my children the story of Olentzero and I felt so ashamed that they know nothing of Basque culture. Heck, I know nothing of Basque culture, really. And yet, I feel pulled to it. I feel this longing to know more about the heritage that makes me who I am. I have few regrets, but one of them is that I didn't take the opportunity to spend MORE time in Basque country. Gosh, I wish I would have done that while I could have. Wouldashouldacoulda, right?
In the meantime, I'm going to pay my yearly dues to the Basque club of Utah and go to a few functions where I'll be extremely uncomfortable because A. I won't know anybody and they're a super tight-knit group and B. Because I'm Mormon and they're all Catholic and while that doesn't necessarily bother anyone on either side, there are some awkward social differences that I'm going to need to work through.
Anyway, I'm the girl who does things I've always wanted to do, right? Okay then. To the Basque club it is. I may even learn how to dance!

Things I've Always Wanted to Do--Week 8

2011-11-07T16:12:00.001-07:00

Okay--this was a fun one. It took me more than a week--2 weeks, in fact, but that's pretty miraculous in and of itself. In the LDS church, we have something called Articles of Faith. They're basically 13 statements that describe what we believe. I've always wanted to memorize these and I have! I finished yesterday and I'm so proud of myself. It was really hard! Anyway, I can't really prove that I did it, except to type them out here. You'll have to believe me that I'm doing it by heart. ;o) Here they are:
1. We believe in God the Eternal Father, in His Son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins and not for Adam's transgression.
3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: 1. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ 2. Repentance 3. Baptism by Immersion for the Remission of Sins and 4. Laying on of hands for the Gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and to administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists and so forth.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues and so forth.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. We also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all God has revealed, all that He does now reveal and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent, that Christ will reign personally upon the earth and that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisaical glory.
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience and allow all men the same privilege. Let them worship how, where or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates, in obeying, honoring and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous and in doing good to all men. Indeed we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul--we believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things and we hope to endure all things. If anything is lovely, virtuous, and of good report and praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

It has been an amazing experience to memorize these. Of course I know what we, as a Church, believe. I try to live it and I taught it as a missionary. However, memorizing these has just really pressed them into my heart and I find myself thinking about it more often. Please do not use this as an opportunity to bash what I believe. I'm not posting these to impose them upon anyone, but simply to celebrate my accomplishment.

I'm moving onto Week 9 (I'm almost done!) and it is already proving to be very difficult, but I know I'll be so glad I did it! Hooray for accomplishing yet another TIAWTD!!

Things I've Always Wanted to Do--Week 7

2011-10-28T10:24:00.000-06:00

Gosh, I'm really cruising through these weeks. It's going to be sad when I've done everything on my list! I guess I'll just have to make another list, huh? Okay, so I told you that last week was a two-fer. That actually works out really well because what I'm working on this week is going to take more than just one week to accomplish. I AM working on it, though! This one involves quite a bit more work than the other weeks have so I'm just plugging away and get so excited every time I get closer and closer--hopefully I can finish it by next week so I can post more info. Okay, so I got the video for the other TIAWTD that I did last week. Now, I didn't PLAN on doing this one--in fact, I was on my way to Denice's house so technically I was good for the week. But "a little birdie" told me to do it and I'm so glad I listened. Okay, here's the video:

Sadly, my sweet friend who was recording the video had to take all of the food we ordered (and boy did we order a lot of food. Good heavens! Never drive an hour and a half to get somewhere without having had breakfast. Lesson of the day.) so she stopped recording before you see the sweet woman who was behind me smile so big it looked like she was going to burst. Then she honked and waved. Now, I obviously didn't know this woman, but for some reason I felt like THIS was the opportunity for me to cross this off my list. I hope it blessed her day. And I hope that she, in turn, will bless someone else's day. But honestly, I really think this affected me far more than it affected her. I was so giddy. Like, dorkily giddy. What an amazing opportunity. I just think we need to pay attention to people around us. I love the hymn, "Have I Done Any Good Today?" I think it's such a good question to ask ourselves. While I was in Idaho a couple of weeks ago, my awesome friend Doug (husband to the now-infamous on my blog Camille) told his kids whenever he or the kids left the house, "Be good. Do good." What great advice. I would hope that we would all take his advice everyday and make sure that, when we go to bed at night, we've left our world, our work, our friends and especially our family better than they were when the day started.

Things I've Always Wanted to Do-Week 6

2011-10-24T10:49:00.000-06:00

Okay, so Week 6 was actually a two-fer but I don't have the video for the OTHER thing I did so I'll just post about this for now until I get ahold of the other video.
I was SO excited for this week. This was actually the very first thing on my list of TIAWTD. I'll give you a hint:

I spent the day with my AMAZING friend Denice learning how to "art."

There are no words to describe what a wonderful and astounding kind of girl she is. She is, very literally, one of my heroes. This girl knows how to make lemonade like no one I know (You know, because when life gives you lemons...) and the whole time she is just inspiring everyone around her all along the way. Of course, she has no CLUE how incredible she is and that just adds to her awesomeness. She is a beautiful mom, a talented artist, a generous and kind friend and I am just super lucky that she would be friends with me. Not only do I love Denice, I also love her sweet family. She has a million kids (okay, maybe not a million...but in my book, when you have more than 7 or 8 it automatically rounds up) and they are all just incredible human beings. They're creative and thoughtful and were so obliging to us while we were there. Her daughter and sons took turns taking care of the baby while I worked and Elisabeth had a BLAST playing with kids and arting with us.

So Lu got to experience the world of Gesso and oil pastels right along with me (they have a "kid set" of oil pastels, dontcha know!) It was so much fun. I have come to LOVE art. It is so much fun and so freeing. Unfortuately, I'm just not good at it. I don't have a natural talent for it and I'm so critical of myself but I know that this is something I can learn. Quite honestly, it's something I'm determined to learn. Here is video of me learning:

..and here, pictures of me applying what I've learned:

All in all, it was a really great day. SO much fun. And I can't wait to post the video for the OTHER thing I did. So much fun and also very very good for the soul. More to come! Are YOU doing things you've always wanted to do? If not, you should. Really. It's easy--just make a list and make sure you scale it back to reasonable things. Sure you've always wanted to see Paris in the Springtime, but that's going to take some planning and saving (or, if you're me, waiting for a long-lost wealthy relative to kick!) so what could you do now? Is there a restaurant you've always wanted to try? A hobby you've always wanted to learn? A goal you've always wanted to set? Make your list (check it twice--snort--sorry, a little Santa humor there) and GO for it. Make sure you let me know how it went. Now go get 'em Tiger!

Things I've Always Wanted to Do-Week 5

2011-10-17T14:41:00.000-06:00

Okay, kids. Week 5 was...eventful. I really think the video says it best.

okay..so if you thought THAT was ridiculous, check out the end result!

So that's the story of how I went rollerblading. Rollerblading sucks. Have I ever mentioned that? Rest assured, I feel fine. After we left the church we went to visit Camille's sweet friend Suzanne whose husband Slade works in the ER. He took a look at my head and told me the cut is about an inch and a half long and if I went to the ER they'd probably put a staple in it. I didn't have time for that, plus I was out of network so I bypassed that little adventure and am taking my chances. It's still sore, but frankly my elbow hurts worse!

This week's TIAWTD is going to be soooo fun. I'm so excited for this one! It's on the books for Friday. More to come!

Things I've Always Wanted to DO-Week 4

2011-10-04T10:07:00.000-06:00

Whew! Okay. Caught up (keep reading for Weeks 2&3) Here is a video explaining what I'm doing THIS week (well, this month, really) Also, I have another TIAWTD (Thing I've Always Wanted To Do) in the works, thanks to my Primary kids. Stay tuned for more on that! In the meantime, enjoy. And go do something YOU'VE "AWTD" ;o)

P.S. Don't feel intimidated by how awesome I look in this video, especially this still shot at the beginning. Phew. Let's all give thanks that I have very little pride, shall we? On the count of three...

Things I've Always Wanted to Do-Week 3

2011-10-03T11:06:00.000-06:00

Week 3 came and I was reminded that life is fragile. Now, no one close to me died--thank heavens--but there were a couple of close calls for a couple of people that I love. Life is short, friends (family and Internet crazies) and I choose to live a life without regrets. So I decided this week to write notes to people I love telling them why I love them. This was hard--I am so blessed with so many amazing friends and family members who astound and inspire me constantly. When I first started making my list of who to send notes to I went into this Guilt Mode. What if I leave someone out? What if I send a card to one person but not another and that other person finds out I sent the first person a card, are they going to be offended? But I decided to send the Guilt Monster packing. I was not going to allow myself to be paralyzed and therefore unable do even START this project. I decided to make a list of EVERYONE I would want to send cards to and choose 20 people from that list (a book of stamps) to actually send cards to. So if you don't get a card from me (and if I, you know, KNOW you...) please know that chances are, I DO in fact think you're awesome and I sent great big happy wishes out into the Universe for ALL of you. ;o)
So here are my cards:

This was a great exercise in realizing how much I am loved and how grateful I am to have the most amazing people in my life. I'm admittedly a terrible friend--I don't always answer my phone or return text messages but I do feel like the luckiest girl ever to have these people in my life.

Things I've Always Wanted to Do-Week 2

2011-10-03T10:49:00.000-06:00

Okay, so during Week 2 my sweet and wonderful, most excellent husband (Notice the grovelling? I was grumpy this morning and got a little snippy. Now I'm not saying it wasn't warranted--I'm just saying I'm sorry. LOL. Love you, Boy!) Anyhoo--the day after I had one of my increasingly frequent "I have got too much on my plate, I'm overwhelmed and exhausted" hissy fits, he took the afternoon off work and sent me to lunch with my friends sans shorties. Bless him. Here they are (minus a couple--but you'll see them in a second):

Anyhoo..so I decided it would be a perfect opportunity to do something I've always wanted to do: Go to a restaurant and eat dessert first. Now, I'll admit this is something I really wanted to do with my kids, but who said you can only do this once in your life? So I did it. And it was SO fun! My friends loved the idea, and a few of them considered doing it too, but they were torn between dessert first or deep fried avocados. (GAG!) They chose avocados and I ordered the Brownie Sundae Finale (minus whipped cream and almonds, thank you). This is what it looked like:

You'll notice the huge mountain of whipped cream. I'm pretty much the pickiest eater in the world so I'm used to having to dissect my food before I eat it. Didn't bother me a bit. But my wonderful friends were nice enough to take that bullet for me and before I knew it, my ice cream was whipped cream free. However, the waitress heard them lament that there was whipped cream on it so she brought me another one--nekkid, like I like my brownie sundae finale. So THEY got their fried avocados AND dessert first. Everyone wins! Here is a picture of them winning:

and here:

Aren't they wonderful? Don't you wish they were YOUR friends? Well, they're not. Neener neener neener!
So that is the story of the time I ate dessert first. Wait, one more picture to PROVE that I had dessert first. You know, in case you don't believe me.

Them's my fish and chips I had for lunch. And behind them you can see the mostly eaten Brownie Sundae Finale. Told you so. This was a really fun one to do. Who has room for dessert after eating a meal out? I never do. Plus, my friend Erica came late and was able to finish my lunch since I dessert filled me up! See? Winning!

Things I've Always Wanted to Do

2011-09-14T14:33:00.001-06:00

So a long time ago, I made a list of things I wanted to do before I die. Now, go me I DID accomplish a couple of them. Literally. A couple. Like 2. However, in an attempt to live my life with purpose I have decided to accomplish at least one thing each week that I've always wanted to do. These aren't huge things, mind you. Just simple and I'm excited to do them and see what I learn. This is what I did today--pardon the crappy video and wind that drowns out the sound. I hope to produce better results next week.

This beautiful sunrise just made me feel so loved. This is something that happens every single day--the sun comes up. It's a necessary occurance. We need the sun for a whole bunch of things--to see and to grow flowers and food and to keep us warm...it's pretty vital to our existence. God could just make that sucker pop up, do it's thing and then go back down. But He didn't. Instead, He gives us this amazing light show every single day with every color--it's like every day He gives us a beautiful present and like a lot of beautiful things that surround us I think we take it for granted. We just assume the sun will be there--we feel entitled to it's warmth. But really, it's a privilege. Beautiful art given to us every single day by an all-powerful Creator who was and who is and yet loves us all so personally and deeply that He gives us a beautiful gift every day that we may or may not notice. I'm a mom. I get being taken for granted--I don't say it to complain or to get pity, it's the truth. My kids expect that they'll drink from a clean glass and eat warm food that they (mostly always) like. Their messes will be wiped up, their clothes will be washed (thanks Scott!) and there will always be a hug and a kiss to fix whatever is wrong. I don't want to take my Heavenly Father for granted. I don't want to take for granted the many things and people (thanks Scott!) He has put in my life to bless me. Not just so that I can exist, but so that I can be BLESSED and happy. How can you NOT have a good day when you're reminded that you are loved? That this Omnipotent Being created the heavens and the earth and you and billions of other people and animals and yet He loves YOU. Personally. With all of your faults, your weaknesses and even though you take His gifts for granted, He still gives them to you every single day because He loves you. And me. And I'm so glad I stopped to watch the sun rise.

I Proclaim....

2011-09-12T09:37:00.001-06:00

Pssst...this isn't me

...that I will remember, in all things that I do, that I want to guide my life and my decisions with these qualities that I value most: Unconditional Love, Unconditional Faith and Unconditional Gratitude
I know that I am my very best self when I am serving, when I accept myself for who I am--strong AND weak, when I am authentic and when I listen to TRUTH.
I know that because I have unique weaknesses, I need to avoid times when I am procrastinating un-fun things, listening to lies--from myself or anyone else and when I am unorganized.
I will be most at peace and happiest when I spend my personal life praying, creating--art or otherwise, learning, taking time to be alone in quiet and attending the temple.
I will be most at peace and happiest when I spend my work life creating a home life for my family conducive to feeling the Spirit, feeling loved and feeling happy and healthy.
I will seek out times when I can use my inborn gifts to uplift and inspire my family, friends and even strangers and to make life better for my family.
I will take care of my body and soul in ways that are personal to me, including eating with a purpose, drinking water during the day, taking vitamins, spending less time watching TV and on the computer and more time in sincere prayer, scripture study and journalling and making sure Scott and I have quality time together.
I know that I am meant to live a life that is authentic, happy and healthy and to use those things to help others find the same thing.
I will work hard to be known as someone who knows what she wants out of life, who she wants to be and won't stop working until she's obtained it.

Today is DAY ONE. If I am unable to accomplish these things today, tomorrow will also be Day One. I can have as many do-overs as I need to live the life I WANT to live, not just the life that I happen to live. I don't want to live my life on auto-pilot, I want to live a life of purpose and direction. I'm so excited to make sure that each day is a fresh start, no matter what happened the day before. Life is good, and I am determined to keep it that way no matter what cards I am dealt.

more on this later...

2011-08-22T23:30:00.000-06:00

I can't wait to share!

Benjamin Richard

2011-08-03T13:28:00.000-06:00

This won't be a long post--I'm cuddling with a sleeping baby and am therefore typing with only one hand. Small price to pay to enjoy such sweetness!! Anyway..we had our sweet baby (a boy! Thank the stars!!!) Friday July 15th at 12:13pm. He was 8 lbs 4 oz and 20.5 inches of awesome. LOOOOOVE him!! Here he is:

P.S. Loves and HOLLA at sweet Mare-babes for the impromptu photo shoot.

Quick Fly-By

2011-07-11T09:19:00.000-06:00

Since I know some of you out there in cyber-world are just dyyyyying to know what's going on round here, I'll give you the quickest update ever of some recent happenings:

Baby is coming on Friday! GAAAAAA!!! (Scott is nesting. I am enjoying watching HIM nest. He's cleaned the carpets, put up the crib, installed a ceiling fan to try and cool down this house that is hotter than the seventh circle of hell and put up the baby swing.) Bring. It. On. I'm scheduled for 9AM Friday morning. I was completely devastated that I couldn't have the baby on July 22nd but the surgeon explained that the baby is already really big (I was measuring 39 weeks 2 weeks ago), I've been having contractions and apparently having had a C-Section makes me even more at risk of the placenta erupting should I go into labor. He said it's just a terrible idea for me to get even close to going into labor. I saw my midwife a couple of days later who said he's leaving on vacation the 23rd. Can I just tell you this reiterates why I have a midwife instead of seeing an OB-GYN?
Kids are doing great. Jack's school has a summer reading program and he'd read all the pages required for every prize available in less than a month. The first day he read 81 pages!! Lu has successfully moved into Jack's room and they now sleep on bunkbeds. (Jack feels pretty special to be a top-bunk kid) It's amazing to me how well she's transitioned from crib to toddler bed to bunk bed. We've really had very few problems, which is more than I can say about Jack's transition. Further proof that she is a mini-me, I suppose. She doesn't care where she sleeps, as long as she gets to! Jack is excited for this new little friend to come. Lizzy has no clue how much her world is about to be rocked. Let's be honest--none of us do.
Work is going well for Scott. His company just won a sizable contract from the DOT that will hopefully keep them in business for a couple of more years. In this economy--a miracle. We're grateful.
I have been officially relieved of my duties as Primary President. Um, for a month. (You don't think they'll ever release me, do you? We can't get people who are willing to be substitute teachers, for heaven's sake! Who else would be willing to be PRESIDENT??) My wonderful counselors have informed me that I am not welcome until August 15th and have planned and delegated and everything so I can focus on having a baby without worrying that we STILL don't have an 11 year old scout assistant.
My sweet and wonderful "crazy Internet friends" came over last week and cleaned my house and brought food. I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have such fantastic friends. I can't tell you how grateful I am to have such great friends!!
I heart sno-cones. Thanks to my bestest 12 year old friend (and babysitter extraordinaire) Sydney, who loaned me her sno-cone maker, I have at least 3 a day. Ahhhh...I think I'll have one when I'm done blogging here...mmmmm...
Gosh, I think that's really all. I'm all distracted at the thought of sno-cones right now. I know this will transfer over to my Facebook so those of you who miss seeing me over there now know that we are alive and well (and really--not missing Facebook at all!) We're having fun playing and reading and enjoying each other before this baby comes. Hope you're doing the same (mmm..well, with or without the baby thing. I mean, whatever the case may be!)

The Truth

2011-05-31T23:05:00.001-06:00

Today has been a rotten day. Let's be honest--most days are rotten lately. I'm so grumpy and miserable and..well, I'm not going to go on and on. I realize that in all reality I'm really very blessed and that my problems are so meager in comparison to others'. However, they're still MY problems and they still suck. One thing I've learned while being a part of the Brave Girls Club is that, our whole lives, we've heard a whole lot of lies. These may be lies that others have told us or lies that we've told ourselves, lies we hear from society, Satan...they come from all over the place. The problem is that we start believing these lies and before we know it, we've believed them for so long they become part of us. I believe so strongly that this is true. Obviously, the opposite of a lie is the truth. For every lie we've ever told ourselves or heard or believed, there is a truth that contradicts that lie and has the power to heal our hearts. So as I sat today wallowing in self pity at how hard my life is, I did what I do so often when I feel like this--I started just emotionally beating myself up. I am, after all, my own worst enemy. No one is meaner to me than me. So I'm wallowing, I'm telling myself mean things--lies--and it was just not good. I was frustrated with my sweet family, frustrated with my own limitations, frustrated at my responsibilities and obligations..you get the picture. Ugly. It was ugly.
So I started thinking about the Truth. What is the truth? Am I really all these horrible things I was telling myself I am? Is my life REALLY as crappy as I was standing there thinking it was while I was washing dishes? Sometimes. That's the truth. Sometimes I am not the person I can/should be. Sometimes my life IS hard. That's the truth. But it's not what I was telling myself it was. So I decided to start thinking about the Truth. I wanted to focus my thoughts and my energy on Truth and not Lies. As corny as it is sounds, I just washed dishes and listened to my Holy Ghost tell me the truth. When I was done, I wrote down some of these truths. Some of these are pretty personal but I want to share them because I want you--friends, family and Internet Crazies--to hopefully learn what I'm learning. That life is hard and that's okay, but we're not doing as bad as we think we are. Here are some of MY truths. What are your's?

Being a Mom is hard
I am 7 months pregnant and that is hard.
I am in constant pain and that is allowed to suck.
My house is not filthy.
I try really hard to do the right thing.
I am human.
Anybody who says or acts like they're perfect is lying to themselves and everyone else.
I have weaknesses, but a lot of them--in the grand scheme of things--really don't matter.
No one has all of the answers.
My family knows I love them.
I made a tasty and healthy dinner for my family tonight.
Sometimes I surprise myself.
I've lost weight.
I'm worthy to enter the temple.
I have friends who like me.
I try hard to magnify my calling. And that is all the Lord expects.
My children have a better life than I had.
I have gotten better about spending less money.
It is not my job to fix everyone's problems. Trying to do it is bad for me AND them.
Our bills are paid.
We have (a little bit of) money in savings.
I'm sometimes treated unfairly. It is no reflection of who I am or what I'm worth.
I am valuable.
I am smart.
Being self-depreciating is not the same as being humble or meek or Christ-like.
I can get back up when I fall.
I am brave.
I am a good mom.
I am a good wife.
I am a good friend.
I love with every part of me.
All of these things are TRUE!

Make your own list--I think you'll be surprised!

Yes I love technology...but not as much as you, you see...still I love technology...

2011-05-26T16:13:00.000-06:00

So remember how a couple of days ago I posted more than 100 ideas for summer fun? Well, I'm really excited to do them. I can't wait for school to get out so that I can enjoy the summer with my family. I was talking to my dear friend Allie-Babes last night and I told her that, this summer, I'm having my last baby. I'll never bring another baby home to love and snuggle. I don't want to miss a minute of this special summer with my kids. So Jack and I made a decision. We're going Facebook Free this summer. We're not giving up the ole' net altogether (hence the "still I love technology" part) since I use it for lots of useful things that DON'T suck me in. But I've found that I can waste an entire morning just checking my favorite sites/blogs. No bueno. So we're drastically cutting back Internet time--eliminating Facebook/Blogging/Tweeting for the summer altogether. I'm looking forward to this break. I'll probably check my email once a week so if you need me urgently, call or text me. I'm so looking forward to spending the summer playing with my kids, going on fun family field trips and doing other things that bring me peace. As much as I love technology, it does NOT equal peace for me and therefore needs to be greatly limited. I'm excited to take a bunch of pictures, delve a little bit deeper into art (my newest and most surprising endeavor) and just looooove on my cute kids. Everything else can wait. Which brings me to my next point:

Can I just tell you about some great lessons I've learned lately? I'm learning that it's okay to say no. Now, there's a very fine line here--sometimes when we're really needed we need to suck it up and just do it. (Remember, "do it anyway." Those of you who blatantly refused to come help out in Primary in Sunday are on. my. list.) But I'm slowly learning that it's really okay to put myself first. That it doesn't make me a bad person or a bad housewife or a bad Christian or a bad anything. It makes me smart because then I have more energy to devote to those things later. Like I said, there are absolutely times when it is necessary to just do it whether you want to or not. But I'm learning that doing these things at the risk of neglecting myself, my family and my happiness/peace is not necessary to prove my worth. So prepare yourself for me to say no more often. I won't always be available for you. I won't run for my phone or always answer a text right away. I keep thinking about the scripture in Joshua 24:15 that is probably familiar to most: "..as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." These are my priorities. Me. My house. The Lord. Not necessarily in that order, of course, but those are my priorities and the things that I am so excited to focus on. I feel the need to apologize in advance for not being everything to everyone which I've felt so compelled to do/be my entire life. My whole life I've been the fixer and the go-to girl and it's not only unfair but has also come at a great price to me at times. This--of course--is not to say I will never do anything for anyone again. I love serving and making other people happy and making their lives easier. But if it is going to involve me neglecting one of those three things Joshua mentions, be prepared for me to say no. I'm going to focus my energy on MY faith, MY family and MY peace. Again, this is not selfish (which I've always believed to be true) this is smart. I know that the service I render to others in the future will be so much better because it will come from a place of authenticity, not a place of obligation. It will be more heartfelt and given without resentment.As it turns out, I'm fairly certain the world will still revolve without my assistance. Hmmm..Interesting concept! What a sweet lesson I've learned. Now let's just hope I can make it happen!!

So those are my two most recent epiphanies. Maybe or maybe not my last blog post for the rest of the summer. (School isn't out until next week). A la prochain!

What do you do in the summertime?

2011-05-24T14:12:00.000-06:00

So I've been thinking about summertime. Okay, dreaming really since we've had pretty much nothing but crappy weather lately. Sigh. ANYHOO--I started thinking about how this summer I really don't want Jack just sitting around playing on the Wii or on the computer--his two favorite activities. So I did what I usually do when I need creative ideas--I started blog-stalking. I decided that, first of all, we would do one "Family Field Trip" each week, usually on a Saturday. These involve anything from the free kids building classes offered at Home Depot (first Saturday of each month) and Lowe's (2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month but make sure you sign up in advance) to free community events I found. I also got excited when I found out our city does a "kids club" and for $25 they have activities for kids all summer long every Tues, Wed and Thurs. They do a field trip every Thursday. Jack is going to be SO excited about this! So I found all of these different activities and then compiled a list of fun activities to put in a jar not unlike the one on this blog. She gives loads of ideas of things to do, but I've come up with a BUNCH of others from other websites, some great "Busy Books" I got for Christmas one year (Thanks, April!!) and (gasp!) even from my own little head. So just in case this is something you're interested in, here is my list o' fun that'll go in our family's jar:

Draw a picture with sidewalk chalk

Make your own Memory Game and play

Create puppets and put on a show

Build a fort

Write and illustrate your own story

Make a crayon/watercolor painting

Send notes to 5 people telling them you love them

Make old coins shiny with salt and vinegar

Play pretend restaurant

Indoor bowling

Red light/Green light

Play "Hot" and "Cold"

Make an obstacle course in the backyard and time yourself

Hopscotch

Make a collage of your favorite things

Make masks from paper plates

Use paper plates to make tambourines

Wash the car

Paint cement with water

Jump on the trampoline

water games in the back yard

squirt bottle tag

learn origami

make a puzzle from a drawing

Make pinwheels

play a board game

Make slime

Research a topic on the Internet

Straw and cotton ball race on the kitchen table

Do a pretend cooking show

Call a family member and find out 3 things you didn't already know about them

Spend 15 minutes writing in your journal

Do something nice for someone else

Pull weeds to earn some extra money

Memorize an Article of Faith

Memorize a poem

Do a science experiment

Make up a secret code and write notes

Go on a walk

Bake brownies

Have an Un-Birthday party

Paint rocks

Read a book

Draw a picture of our family

Take silly photos and put them in an album

Make breakfast for dinner

Make cards to tell each other why they are loved

Bake cookies for someone and then deliver them

Try a new recipe

Make a time capsule (including predictions for the future)

Cut a sponge into shapes and make sponge paintings

Make a silly video

Make a count down calendar for something you're looking forward to

Have a "Christmas whenever" party--make gifts for each other and open them up

Make macaroni necklaces

Make a junk tree--collect trash and trinkets from around the house and glue them onto a paper cone to make a "tree"

Wash windows

Use a bathroom scale to measure things around the house. Make a list of the lightest to the heaviest

Make a treasure map and have a treasure hunt

Plan what to make for a dessert first dinner

Play hopscotch

Grocery Store scavenger Hunt--find items on a list and write down how much they cost

Make a list of everything you can find in the house that is blue

Make a list of everything you can find in the house that is green

Make a list of everything you can find in the house that is brown

Make a list of everything you can find in the house that is red

Make the alphabet out of playdough

Learn north/south/east/west and then find toys using those directions

Tape two or more crayons together and make rainbow pictures

Collect leaves and do paper rubbings with crayons or pencils

Draw a picture blindfolded

Pudding fingerpainting

Make binoculars out of toilet paper rolls

Make a pasta picture with pasta and paint

Make homemade napkin rings to use for dinner tonight

Make placemats for dinner

Write ten fun activities to put in the "activities jar"

Exercise for 10 minutes using mom's instructions

Water the plants

Have a friend come over

Play with bubbles

Run through the sprinklers

Do a chore of mom's choice

Take out the trash

Pick up trash outside

Find 5 toys to donate to the DI

Bake a cake from scratch

Make Rice Krispie treats

Make homemade ice cream

Make homemade popsicles

Make homemade caramels

Make muddy buddies

Make homemade lemonade

Plan a "foreign country" night-research a foreign country and during dinner, discuss the country and try a recipe from that country

Plan a "finger food only" dinner

Plan a "Jack's Favorites" dinner

Plan a "Mommy's Favorites" dinner

Plan a "Daddy's Favorites" dinner

Plan a "Lizzy's Favorites" dinner

Paint the front window with fingerpaints and then draw a design in it when it 's dry with a wet Q-Tip

Make no-bake banana cookies (coat sliced bananas with crushed graham crackers)

Blow up water balloons and aim them at a target

Make a sprinkler with a milk jug and water the garden, flowers, or lawn

Have a "car wash" with your outside toys

Let me know if you have any other great ideas to add to our little jar--good luck!

Just Do It

2011-05-17T00:22:00.000-06:00

This poem from Mother Teresa has circulated quite a bit...does it look familiar?

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

I have seen this a million times and have always really liked it but tonight I was watching the videos from the Brave Girls Club "Soul Restoration" classes and this week's lesson was all about "doing it anyway." I can't tell you how much this resonated with me and I really thought it was such a valuable life lesson! Our problems, obligations, weaknesses, etc don't necessarily go away. They may be changed or replaced but something is always there and I love the idea of just "doing it anyway." This is a lesson I need so badly to incorporate into my life--I'm the queen of procrastination and quitting things when they're hard or no longer "fun" and that really serves nothing but to give myself more ammunition against me. I'm excited to work on just "doing it anyway" whether I succeed 100% or not. I can get up when I fall down--I'm capable of that.

I have LOVED these Soul Restoration classses. Not only have I been reminded of beautiful things that I already knew but I have found ways of expressing myself through art, something I never thought I'd ever do. I'm no artist (unless of course Ambien is involved) but I have really learned to express what I think and feel through art--especially imperfect art. This is something I was afraid to do but that I "just did." I'm so glad I did it!

This week my homework is to compile a list of excuses that hold me back from being...whatever. From being amazing, capable, beautiful, a great wife, a good mother, a good friend and neighbor. I have a million excuses and while some of them seem truly valid I know that I need to just do it anyway. At the end of the day, I know I'll be glad I did it.

So--my friends, family and Internet crazies--what is holding you back? from being happy? From paying off that debt? From having that conversation you know you need to have but are afraid to? FROM GETTING OFF THE COMPUTER AND GETTING SOMETHING DONE--Going to the park with your kids, scrub your toilets, fold a load of laundry, forgive someone. Serve someone. Your efforts might not be perfect 100% of the time, but they're YOUR EFFORTS and that is enough. What are you doing today that you have put off for one reason for another? Post a comment telling me what your excuse is and what you'll do to overcome it anyway. Example: I've taken Ambien and my thoughts are muddled and my back has these crazy shooting pains...But I feel strongly that some of you friends/families (and hey, maybe even Internet crazies) need to read this. So I blog posted anyway. I'll give each of you who comment a nifty gifty. Although I'm drugged on Ambien right now so you'll have to remind me that I promised it.

Example #2: I want to stay up and blog and check my Facebook until my eyes are crossed but tomorrow I don't want to wake up with my dead phone on my face and a failed game of "Bubble Birds" paused so I am going to bed anyway.

Be brave, my friends! If you haven't already signed up for the daily emails, please do it. You'll love it!

Mmmm...maybe I need an intervention...

2011-04-28T12:07:00.000-06:00

My sweet secretary in Primary is having a birthday today. I can't tell you how much she does to make my "job" easier and I really appreciate her! So since it's her birthday, of course I wanted to make her balloon flowers. It is, after all, just what I do. But I wanted to make something different so this is what I came up with:

An ACTUAL arrangement. Those are roses, people! Roses! I also mastered the elusive 5 petal flower that I've wanted to learn how to make. Doesn't this just make you smile? (Maybe you're laughing at my messy kitchen table--DON'T JUDGE!)
Okay, enough fun for the day. Back to the mines!

God is the Gardener

2011-04-18T10:09:00.001-06:00

You've heard me say/blog it a million times. "I'm going to change!" "This time it's going to be different!" I know. Like most stubborn people, I find myself learning the same lessons again and again. I posted a little the other day about the lesson I was forced to learn about slowing down. This really went right along with it.
I wanted to post part of a talk that one of my sweet mission companions sent me. I've read this a million times and each time I just feel like I'm the one being spoken to, although the talk was given 10 years before I was even born. It's by Hugh B. Brown and it's called "God is the Gardener." I'll only post part of it, although I highly recommend reading the whole thing. You can find it HERE. He says:
I was living up in Canada. I had purchased a farm. It was run-down. I went out one morning and saw a currant bush. It had grown up over six feet high. It was going all to wood. There were no blossoms and no currants. I was raised on a fruit farm in Salt Lake before we went to Canada, and I knew what ought to happen to that currant bush. So I got some pruning shears and went after it, and I cut it down, and pruned it, and clipped it back until there was nothing left but a little clump of stumps. It was just coming daylight, and I thought I saw on top of each of these little stumps what appeared to be a tear, and I thought the currant bush was crying. I was kind of simpleminded (and I haven’t entirely gotten over it), and I looked at it, and smiled, and said, “What are you crying about?” You know, I thought I heard that currant bush talk. And I thought I heard it say this: “How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. I was almost as big as the shade tree and the fruit tree that are inside the fence, and now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me, because I didn’t make what I should have made. Howcould you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.” That’s what I thought I heard the currant bush say, and I thought it so much that I answered. I said, “Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and some day, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down, for caring enough about me to hurt me. Thank you, Mr. Gardener.’

Now, I've been lucky. I haven't (yet) suffered any major damage due to my own stubbornness, although that is bound to change sooner rather than later. I hope when these trials come, I am able to thank the Gardener for cutting me down and that I'm able to use those experiences for my good instead of allowing myself to be consumed by them. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. This is why this talk came to my mind: On Saturday we had a luncheon at church with some of the women in our area. It was actually pretty great and one of our ecclesiastical leaders spoke. He talked about pruning his apple tree. He said that this is going to be a good year for apples so he pruned his tree way back. He said this might not make sense to the person who doesn't understand gardening. That person might wonder why he'd pruned it since, had he left it, he'd have a lot more apples. But the person who understands gardening knows that pruning it will allow the apples that DO grow to grow bigger and better. There will be fewer leaves so those apples will get more sunshine. He asked us what we needed to prune in our own lives?
I instantly thought back to the week I'd just experienced. It was crazy. It was hectic and I was stressed. There were nights I didn't manage to make dinner for my family because my gigantic to-do list was too overwhelming. This also prevented me from being available to go to lunch with some of my best friends I never get to see. It's not like the stuff on my list was bad. In fact, 98% of it was stuff I needed to do for others. But that means that only like 2% of it was for my family and for myself. No bueno. I was running in circles to serve others--which is a good thing, but not the best thing. This reminded me of Elder Oaks' "Good Better Best" talk that he gave in Conference a couple of years ago. He said, "Most of us have more things expected of us than we can possibly do. As breadwinners, as parents, as Church workers and members, we face many choices on what we will do with our time and other resources....Some uses of individual and family time are better, and others are best. We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families."
So this week I am determined to make changes. As I made my list of things to do this week, I made sure that I had written "Read Scriptures" every day this week. I made sure my list was comprised of things I needed to do for my family, even if it was just cleaning the bathroom or making a menu this week so my family has a yummy and healthy dinner every night. My list has stuff to do that will take care of ME. Besides reading my scriptures, I'm going to have lunch with a friend.
On paper, I have a far less "busy" week planned this week than I did last week. I'm so excited that this pruning will allow the things that I DO get done to be the best I can do. Big, juicy, delicious apples instead of numerous scrawny ones. Among those big juicy accomplishments will be helping my husband, cuddling with and reading to my children and doing those things that nourish my soul. A few years ago, we had one of those tiles with vinyl on it that said, "Do not neglect the things that matter most because of the things that matter least." I'm not going to lie that it appealed to me because I thought my husband would need a reminder to leave work at work and spend time with his family. Little did I know, that would not be his struggle. It would be MY struggle to spend less time serving those OUTSIDE my home so often I was neglecting those INSIDE my home.
I will always be, as Scott affectionately calls me, a "whirling ball of chaos." It's just who I am and how I roll. I'm excited to spend this week focusing on the best things and I encourage you, my sweet friends who are just like me, to do the same thing. Prune your to-do list, focus on those things that are "best" and, above all, be grateful to the Gardener who loves you enough to allow you to learn your own lessons through the trials that seem the most unfair and painful.
Love you guys!

To My Friends...

2011-04-15T09:36:00.000-06:00

My sweet friend Camille who I think I talk about all the time (HOLLA!!!) told me about this thing called "The Brave Girl's Club" Google it if you want to know more. One of the things they do is send daily emails which, I'm not going to lie, are pretty much like uplifting affirmations. Now, I'm normally the person to mock these things by reading them with a fake stuffy nose (ala the friend formerly known as Soeur Chapman) but I really like these and today's was especially touching for me since I've been running around like a crazy person all week driving myself and my poor husband insane and Heavenly Father just has a way of MAKING us slow down, you know? Well, He slowed me down. Big time. And I don't have time for this and it's frustrating for me to feel in any way helpless. But apparently it's a lesson I needed to learn and these lessons almost always hurt. Thanks a lot. Anyhoo--when I read this I first thought of easily 10 different wonderful friends who I'd love to make sure read this, but then I thought I should share it with everyone. So here is a wonderful thought for the day and I hope it helps you. It helped me.

Thank you, my amazing friends, for being a gift to the world. Especially to my world. Heart you!

This sappy message has come to an end. Nothing but snark and sarcasm from here on out.

Some P4

2011-04-07T14:00:00.000-06:00

1. I'm sick. I've decided that people who aren't pregnant take cold meds for granted. I would love to be able to take Nyquil right now and call it a day. However, I'd also love to give birth to a baby who doesn't have an extra half an arm and only one eye. I guess somethings are worth the sacrifice.
2. Is anything sweeter than a sleeping baby? I give you, Exhibit A:

Exhibit B: Look at those cheeks! Just want to munch them!

Exhibit C: GAAAA! I just love her!

3. So let's talk about how much I struggle. Seriously--things that are so easy for normal people are just outside my grasp. I may have been dropped on my head when I was a baby. It's the only rational explanation for how much harder things are for me than they are for the everyday friend. Example: I spend a lot of money on groceries. A LOT. Way more than we've budgeting, way more than we should. I think this has something to do with my shopping problem but what do I know? So Scott suggests that instead of making a MONTHLY menu and doing one huge shop+my 2 or 3 weekly ones for basics that we run out of, I check the ads and make a weekly menu based on what's on sale. I agree that this is a great idea. Until I have to do it. My first grocery shopping experience is ridiculous. Chicken and hamburger are on sale. And I mean cheap--so I buy a month's worth because they're not going to get any cheaper. Spaghetti sauce is on sale. We can't have spaghetti this week--we had it just a couple of weeks ago. But what if it's not on sale later? What then? So I buy 2. Oh, what's that? Case lot sale? Well, I need a case of peanut butter and apple juice and...you get the picture. I spent as much, if not more, than I would for a normal month-long shop! And when it came time to make my menu, I felt a little paralyzed by my lack of choices for the week so I only planned a few days' worth of meals and then...well, we got by. So then I go back yesterday but Scott came with me. I toodle around the store with the ad and am tossing stuff in the cart that's on sale. We check out and Scott asks if we seriously just spent $40 on ice cream, frozen burritos, yogurt and tortillas? How are we going to live for a week on these things? I said, "I don't know! You told me to "shop the ads" and this was what is on sale!" He just laughed and declared, "Abandon ship! Abort mission!" He told me to just go back to what we've done. This is what I've done for nearly 9 years. As it turns out, it's a lot harder than you'd think to switch systems just like that! And so help me I am NOT hauling 2 kids and my pregnant arse to 12 different grocery stores to save .30 on eggs. No thank you! This is me sighing deeply. This is Scott shaking his head and wondering who he killed in a previous life to get stuck with a wife like this. I don't know who to feel worse for.
4. Speaking of my pregnant arse--I am now 24 weeks pregnant. Nearly the 3rd trimester (a.k.a. "the homestretch") and feel tremendous respect for the mothers of multiple children. I swear each pregnancy gets harder and harder. Even this far along, I still weigh less than I did 6 months ago but I feel whale-ish. Putting on shoes and socks just pushes the boundaries of my capabilities. Afterwards, I'm gasping for air like I just finished the IronMan. I'm not even close to finished with this adventure!! I'm the crazy girl who loves being pregnant but holy crap this is hard. And I've discovered at this point that maternity clothes have become necessary. I was walking through the grocery store last night with my belly sticking out from under my shirt like those friends you see on COPS. Just say no.
5. So I've been sewing. Before you get all excited, let me reassure you that it's nothing fancy. I'm tired. And a horrible seamstress. And while I SWORE I wouldn't make another Easter dress for Elisabeth, I just couldn't resist making these cute "pillowcase dresses." I made one and it was so easy I decided to make 3 more. I spent under $15 for fabric for all 4 dresses. I'm so proud of myself. Here they are:
This is the Easter dress:

The three bonus dresses:

How cute are these? And they'll be adorable as shirts later on. Pat pat! (That's me patting myself on the back)
6. While I'm sharing pictures, let me just show you how sad my dog's life is:

Don't you just feel so bad for her? Poor sad neglected Ginger. Good grief. (Actually Jack has been with his Nana for the week so she IS feeling a scosh lonely)
7. I'm stopping at 7. I feel like I've been hit by a bus and I'm going to try to go back to sleep. Wish me luck.

So Maybe I have a TEENSY tiny obsession...

2011-03-24T17:16:00.000-06:00

Don't judge! It all started a few weeks ago--my friend's aunt passed away and I wanted to do something for her that would make her smile. I remembered that when my father in law passed away, one of my mother in law's friends (who's a professional clown dontcha know!) brought a sweet little bouquet of balloon flowers and it was just the most thoughtful thing! So I spent an entire morning trying to figure out how to make them and the end result was just adorable! See?

Well, a few days later my cute sister in law and her husband came over for dinner. It was a couple of days before she had surgery so Jack and I decided she needed balloon flowers as well, only this time I attempted to make a vase to hold them in. I've made quite a few since then and I'm just having so much fun with it! It makes me smile to make them and it's fun to see the smiles of those I've given them to.
So--here's my point. Can I make you a bouquet or two? (I'd love to do it for free, but Scott would kill me and it'd be double homocide at this point and, well, my children need their father. And their mother come to think of it.) I can't charge the ridiculous amounts of money (yet! Muahhh hahhh hahhh hahhh hahhhhh) that I've seen these suckers go for since I'm still practicing so I thought it'd be fair to ask $6 for the bouquet with a ribbon around them (these don't stand upright) and $10 if you want a vase so they stand up. Um, you'll also need to come pick them up since A. I'm lazy and B. Gas is expensive.
So if you're looking for the perfect gift for any occasion--birthdays, thank you's, Mother's Day, I even took a bouquet to a funeral today--let me know. I would LOVE to have more excuses to make these darling little things! (this is what they look like in a vase)

King Schming...

2011-02-28T10:40:00.000-07:00

Colin Firth won "Best Actor" for his role in "The King's Speech." Be that as it may, in my heart he will always be Mr. Darcy. Sigh.

Vanillka

2011-02-24T11:29:00.002-07:00

So I'm teaching some friends how to make vanilla. This stuff is amazing and when I bake it makes my whole kitchen smell good. My wonderful friend Virginia taught me how to make it and she learned how from her husband's aunt who taste-tested a bunch of different kinds of vanilla (including Mexican vanilla) and found this to be the very best. She actually discovered that Mexican vanilla is often watered down since they know Americans are going to buy it. So this is how you make it. First you need the hooch. We use a Fifth of Stolichnaya Vodka, in the red bottle. It looks like this:

If you want to feel like a really good parent, take your kid into the liquor store with you and then buy 5 bottles of it at once. Sure to raise some eyebrows. I haven't felt this insecure as a parent since the time I took Jack into Hooters when he was the same age. But I digress. So when you have the booze, you need to dump out just a little bit of it. (you're going to be putting the vanilla beans in it, if you don't dump just a little bit out it'll spill over.) Then you need vanilla beans. We use like 5 or 6 of them for the Fifth. They look like this:

I bought mine as Sacco's, the fruit stand place up here in my area. I don't know where else you could get them...I know you can get them online...good luck with that. So take each bean and use a paring knife to slice a line all the way down the length of the bean. Use your fingers to open it up just a little bit (Do this with all of them) and then put them in the bottle of Vodka. That's all you do at first! Keep the Vodka in the brown paper bag (out of sunlight) and shake it every day for a month. I'm not kidding! So after a month, pour everything into a container that you can pour. (Pardon my excessive use of the word "pour!") I used this:

So you should have the vodka and beans in this container now. Open the beans and use a teaspoon to scrape the seeds out of the inside into the Vodka bottle. Put the beans (that have been scraped out) in the Vodka bottle as well and then use a funnel to pour the liquid from the container back into the Vodka bottle. Give it a good shake and put it back in the brown paper bag. Shake it everyday for another month (I let mine sit for 2 more months because I still had some Mexican vanilla). The longer it sits, the stronger the vanilla flavor will be.

Once you've let it sit for as long as you want it to use cheesecloth and a funnel to pour the liquid from the bottle into a dark brown bottle (I get mine at a health food store). A Fifth of Vodka is like 25 ounces so you're going to have quite a bit of vanilla. Make sure you have enough brown bottles. All of the seeds should be on the cheesecloth with just the liquid in the bottle. Still, when you use the vanilla to cook, give the bottle a little shake before you measure it out.

That's it! It's really easy, it just takes awhile but the result is sooooo worth it. I promise you'll love it! If you make it, let me know how it turns out!

Some Thoughts On Ambien...

2011-02-17T05:14:00.000-07:00

Now, notice I said "on" Ambien. Not "about" Ambien. I'm half drugged with my favey sleep med of all time. Pardon me if I don't make sense. Plus it's like 5 AM and I've been up for the past hour so my inner filter is..I don't know. Still curled up in my warm bed next to Scott and my cat who insists on sleeping on the pillow next to my head.
So I've been reading lately to get to sleep (the problem with this is that my sleep is drug-induced so I find myself reading the same chapter over and over again each night wondering why the content sounds vaguely familiar..) and I've been reading THIS deeeeeeelightful piece o prose:

If you've never read a book by Jen Lancaster, go do it RIGHT now. (At 5 AM. Yes, it's that important!) This book has been cracking me up since I opened it. Literally--Scott is sound asleep next to me and I'm trying not to snort so loudly that I wake him up so I'm in actual pain trying to control my laughter. (Warning: Lancaster is not afraid of frequently dropping the F Bomb. If this offends you, you're going to want to avoid her books. You're depriving yourself of some great words by a girl who can SEE INTO MY SOUL but I don't want you to be sad.) She's the kind of author that talks about the things I think about with a perfect honesty that brings me such relief. So while I'm drugged Ambien-crazy, I think to myself, "I should write a book!" And then I think to myself, "No. MICAELA and I should write a book!" (Don't know who Micaela is? Check out her blog to the left. 29 year old toddler) So here's my question for YOU--friends, family and Internet Crazies--would you read a "mommy blog" if we posted about specific topics and which topics would you like us to tackle? (By tackle, I mean "mock openly.")

Discuss. 2 Peggy Friendship Points per topic you suggest!

Some Pretty Priceless Passing Points

2011-02-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

This has nothing to do with anything, it's just how I feel most of the time these days.

1. I'm sick. Now, I'm not going to lie that I was not upset about this when I first noticed I'm getting sick. (You know how it feels--when your throat starts getting scratchy and your head becomes a little more achy and fuzzy than normal...) In fact, I posted as my Facebook status that I could kind of use the break. Well, what I failed to remember is what a complete pansy I am when I'm sick. I have no tolerance for pain and so when I get sick, I'm fairly convinced that a certain death is right around the corner. I can't sleep at night (which means poor Scott doesn't sleep at night) It's a whole situation. To add insult to injury, Elisabeth is also sick which means she spends a fair amount of her day crying about seemingly nothing. Apparently among the other stellar qualities she inherited from your's truly, she's also going to be a drama queen when she's sick. When she's older and we're both sick, I can see us lying around the house comparing maladies. It'll probably be a pretty special bonding time.
2. So yesterday, before I felt sick, I was talking to my mom on the phone. She asked if I felt okay and I said I was fine. She said I sounded like I was getting sick. I assured her that I felt perfectly fine. She asked me again later in the conversation and again, I assured her I was just fine, my nose was a little runny for some strange reason, but other than that nothing to report. So then I took a nap and when I woke up, I felt the scratchy throat and other exciting things that tell me I'm about to get sick. This means one of 3 things: 1. My mom has a Peggy Voo-Doo doll upon which she's been practicing the "Dark Arts." 2. The power of her persuasion made me sick. 3. She's my mom. Those of you who know me well know that my mom has her own issues. Most of the time, I feel like I'm HER mom, but at the end of the day there is something you just can't deny between a mother and her daughter. She will always have an insight that I can only understand because I have it with my own children. She will always have that "sixth sense" when it comes to her children, regardless of whether or not she has the ability to do something about it. It reminded me that, whether we've ever been super close or not, she is my mother. She brought me into this world and she loves me more than I'll ever know. I can make my own choices about how I feel about her on any given day but she will always love me more than anyone in the world will ever be capable of loving me. I think that was a lesson I needed to learn.
3. I am the place all spray bottles go to die. I swear I have 5 different products in broken spray bottles in my house. It's so frustrating! They work for awhile but when the garbage can is REALLY stinky and it needs a healthy dose of Clorox Anywhere Spray, of COURSE the spray bottle won't work. Sigh.
4. How does anyone live farther away from their kids' school than across the street? If you do (and chances are, you probably do) allow me to express my sincerest condolences. It just seems so inconvenient to take Jack to school and to pick him up! Do I take Elisabeth out in the bitter freezing cold or do I leave her in the house and watch him walk to the crosswalk so I can wave him across when it's okay to cross then watch him walk towards his class until I can't see him anymore? (Clearly I most often choose option B) but after school I HAVE to go get him. He's still too young to walk home by himself, even if it is just across the street. This is especially difficult when Lizzy is in the middle of a nap and I have to wake her up just to go across the street to get him. I can't imagine how hard this would be if I had to actually DRIVE somewhere. I'm ridiculously spoiled. I get that. Don't judge.
5. Speaking of driving, my Facebook friends know that we just got a new car. Well, it's a van but I might still have be just a scosh in denial. We went on Saturday to look at cars, we were trying to decide between the Pilot, the Sienna and the Odyssey. We went to this little car lot in Draper and it was the strangest car shopping experience. There was literally NO pressure. I won't go into the whole long story, I'll just tell you that if you want a car (specifically a Honda) go to Millenium Auto Network in Draper. The cars are super cheap (because, as the finance guy said, "We have no overhead. Look at this place--it's a dump! If we make $700 in a day we're happy. I'm not even a full time employee here!") They took it to a Honda dealer for us so we didn't have to go all the way back down from our house and do it to have it completely checked out by a 3rd party. Just a great experience. So we're driving home and Jack is just AMAZED at all of the features. It has a sunroof! You just push a button and the doors open! He has his own heater controls! And a light--he just pushes a button! FANTASTIC! He told me he feels like a fairy built it just for him with everything he's ever wanted. Ha ha ha. What a funny kid. So I'm a minivan mom now and it doesn't hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would.
6. Let's talk about phones. I have this phone that I hate. If you even look at it wrong, the back falls off and the battery flies out and it's a whole situation. Unfortunately, I'm not willing to spend a significant amount of money on a phone. It just doesn't make sense to me personally. FORTUNATELY, I have a brother in law who has no problem at all spending money on a phone. So when he moves out of state and changes carriers and gets a new phone I inherit his old fancy one. This is normally a wonderful thing--unless of course it's a Windows phone that, generally speaking, doesn't work. I need to make a phone call but can't get the phone feature to come up. I press the button (touch phone--I can't tell you how many people I accidentally hung up on because my cheek touched the "end call" button) and nothing happens. The little Windows colored dots are moving in a circle, but nothing else is happening. And then the screen goes dark. And I curse. I shut the phone off, I remove the battery, I try again...same song, second verse. This happens 4 or 5 times and I realize that if my house were on fire and I had to call 911, I would REALLY be up the creek! So I'm using my old phone again and wondering if my sweet brother in law really had good intentions or is trying to get back at me for some unforgotten grudge and his plan is to torment me into a slow and painful insanity trying to get the FRIGGIN PHONE FEATURE TO WORK!! (Disclaimer: I'm sure it's answer #1--he had good intentions. But on the off chance that it's answer #2, well, revenge will be mine.)
7. I just want to cry for children whose parents think it's a good idea to give them a weird name so they'll be "unique." Most of you have seen my maiden name...ai ama. I love it, don't get me wrong, it's my heritage and part of who I am but having spell it to everyone in the world my whole life got so annoying. "Z as in zebra, u-b as in boy, i-z as in zebra...) That's not even getting all technical with pronunciation where the "z's" should be pronounced as an "s" and the "i" is silent...you see why our children are named Jack and Elisabeth? I still have guilt from spelling Elisabeth with an "S" but there was a specific reason for that. The names we've (likely) chosen for THIS little nugget are also normal and easy to spell. People, if you want your kid to be unique, dress them in clothes that don't match for a few weeks and teach them how to fight.
8. Nugget report: I'm still sick (not cold sick, which I've already whined about) but am dealing with it. I'm 16 weeks along and we're both mostly doing okay. I'm a WHOLE lot more hormonal with this little fern than I have been with my other 2 pregnancies, which makes it interesting dealing with my other 2 children. Specifically the girl-child. Her drama+my hormones =a recipe for disaster. We're still feeling grateful for this new little friend and I'm REALLY looking forward to being able to enjoy pregnancy. (in other words, I'm looking forward to snarfing down mass quantities of whatever food and/or beverage I happen to be craving without fear that I'm going to "see it again" if you know what I mean.)
9. I'm pretty convinced I'll never see an acceptable dramatization of Mansfield Park and that is so devastating to me. (I mean, I get that in the grand scheme of things it's more inconvenience than travesty but with raging pregnant hormones it's on the same level as people still pegging their pants.)
10. While I ~~procrastinate real housework~~ blog, Elisabeth is fascinated watching "Sid the Science Kid." These kids have THE most annoying voices. I swear if my kid had a voice like these kids, I would leave him/her at Burger King and never look back.

Just Don't Call Him Jack Jack

2011-01-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

My sweet boy turns 6 today. (Here he is with his birthday pancake on the special blue plate) We just love this little boy and he means the world to us! Here are 10 things you may or may not know about Jack that makes him special to us:
1. Okay, so the Star Wars thing is no secret. He loves Star Wars and anything Star Wars related. He's seen the movies a handful of times, but he can tell you specific things that happened in an episode and which episode it is.
2. He hates getting his picture taken! (See that fake smile up there?) He just hates it. One of the few (weird!) personality traits he gets from me is that he loves to be the funny person everyone is listening to and laughing with (or, well, "at") but he is so uncomfortable with recognition. He just doesn't like to hear how wonderful he is, he changes the subject or barks like a dog or does something to try and take the focus away from how great he is.
3. He's the pickiest eater! He's getting better but he hates sauces and dips and anything even resembling an accoutrement! He recently started dipping his chicken nuggets in sweet and sour sauce, which is kind of a miracle, and his favorite food of ALL time is Orange Chicken, but if you give him ketchup for his fries (which he doesn't really like anyway) or put a bowl of spaghetti with spaghetti sauce in front of him, it's going to be a situation.
4. He loves telling jokes. He often makes up his own jokes, which are not even close to funny, but he thinks he's hilarious and I'm working on making my fake laugh sound more genuine since he insists upon calling me out when I don't give him a "real laugh."
5. He's LOVING reading! He's reading on at least a 1st grade level and it amazes me to hear him read scriptures. I have to say, I mean aside from how cool it is that he wants to stay up late and read, my favorite part of him being able to read is leaving him notes in his lunch. It makes my heart happy that I have a way halfway through the day to make sure he knows he's loved.
6. He's so responsible! He's fanatical about making sure lights are turned out in rooms we aren't in (to save electricity, dontcha know) and when I'm in the shower, I'll hear the door open and the fan switch on. When I was pregnant with Elisabeth, he came with me to a midwife appointment and he made sure my midwife knew that it was a waste of energy to leave the TV screens on in the ultrasound room. Good heavens.
7. When I pick him up from school, it cracks me up to hear him say good bye to his friends. He says their names in like a schmoozy politician way. "Aliiii-yah!" "Jourrrrney!" If he could snap and point in their direction, I'm sure he would.
8. He loves routine. More than once, I've been conducting in Primary and he will raise his hand and when called on, reminds me that I forgot something. Scott once substituted in his Primary class and Jack was SO mad that he didn't ask the class at the beginning how their week was. He likes continuity, and I just can't blame him for that. I'm the same way!
9. This little boy loves his Nana. He loves us, of course, but he just think the sun rises and sets on his Nana. His eyes light up when he sees her and he will do anything in the world for her. The most devastating thing in the world for him is for his Nana to be disappointed in him.
10. One of his favorite things of all time is to work outside with his dad. He loves to work in the garden, shovel the driveway, mow the lawn...Scott can spend 7 or 8 hours outside working on a Saturday and you can bet Jack will be right next to him. If said workday involves a trip to Lowe's or Home Depot--well, that's a HUGE bonus!

So many more things make Jack special--like seeing him play with his sister or when he gives me a million kisses or the few times when he'll let me hold and cuddle with him. Mostly, though, he's our very first baby. I remember being terrified at the idea of being alone at home with a baby. I told the nurse they had no business sending us home with a baby! But we figured it out. We had lots of trials along the way, but they made him even more precious to us. This little friend has changed our lives in a way we never knew they needed to be changed. He made us less selfish, he healed our hearts because we'd lost Scott's dad and we knew that he'd had an opportunity to be in heaven with his Grandpa Gary and we knew that Grandpa sent him down with all of his love. I am convinced his Grandpa watches over him everyday, protecting and guiding him in a way we cannot.
Before Jack came, our house was spotless, we were well rested, we were able to spend our money however we wanted and we could eat whatever we wanted for dinner. But I don't consider any of those things as having been sacrificed. This little boy makes all of those things seem silly and worthless and we wouldn't for a single second consider training.
We love you, buddy. You are AMAZING! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

sad sad sad

2011-01-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

Friends, Family and Internet Crazies--my world has been rocked this past weekend. This is no surprise to those of you who are (really let's be honest--blessed enough to be) one of my Facebook friends, but my Grandpa passed away on Friday and he deserves his own blog post.
My real grandpa died before I was born. When this grandpa married my grandma, even though he already had kids of his own, he swooped in and was a dad to my mom and aunt and uncles. He's really the only grandpa I've ever known but for the greater part of my childhood, he and my grandma raised me so he was really more of a father figure to me. He woke me up for school in the morning and we'd sit at the kitchen table together listening to country music on his radio while I ate my oatmeal and he drank his coffee. I learned so much from him those mornings at the table. He worked part time driving a school bus and part time farming the land we lived on. I cherished opportunities I had to go out and work in the fields with him.
When I was around 11 years old, he and my grandma divorced and he remarried shortly thereafter. That started my life of pretty much moving from one place to another and for the next 13 years I would never live in any one place for longer than 4 years. Even though my grandparents divorced, they always had me in common. No one in the entire world loves me more than those 2 people.
I came home from my mission and got a job working close to where Grandpa worked. (In Idaho you have to get your car emissions tested each year and there are these vans on every corner where this is done. My Grandpa owns a couple of these vans.) We ate lunch together everyday for the 3 or 4 months I worked close to him and, just like those mornings when I was a kid, I learned so much from him. I learned that as long as you want to work you will always have a job. Gosh, so much more. He was so proud of me and the person I'd become. He was this gruff, ornery old man. Quick to snap and oh so sarcastic. But underneath that exterior was this wonderfully generous and loving man who was one of my biggest fans. (And vice versa) He talked about the things he'd overcome and what plans he and his wife had to travel. Man, I wish I could go back and spend one more day sitting across from him while he ate a sandwich and just talked to me. Ugh.
He was so supportive of my decision to move to Utah, although he warned me that if I didn't at least call him whenever I came to town he would "kick my butt." Ha ha. I came here with no job, a place to stay for 2 months and just a lot of faith that would work out. When my money ran out and my rent was due, I called him and was so embarrassed to ask for help. He told me in his gruff and completely sweet way that there was no shame in asking for help. "Everyone needs help at one time or another. I'm glad I can help you and one day you'll help your kids."
When Scott and I got engaged, my own father made it very clear to me that he wanted nothing to do with my wedding because we were getting married in the temple. I called my Grandpa, so upset, and he agreed to stand by me and said he never thought he would ever wear a tuxedo. Here is a picture of him in that tuxedo:

As time went on, like most selfish and stupid kids, I stopped calling every time I came into town. I only saw him a handful of times since my wedding. We visited him after we had Jack so he could meet him and we saw him again last year so he could meet Elisabeth. (He absolutely fell in love with her because she looks just like I did when I was a baby) Last year he was finishing chemo for lung cancer. When I got a Christmas card this year, his wife said that they'd found a brain tumor and would be starting chemo and radiation again. I was so bummed and thought I needed to call and check on him but of course I did not. I was "too sick" or "too busy" or "too tired" or whatever.
Then, on Friday, my big sister sent me a text and asked if I'd heard about him. I non-chalantly replied that I'd heard he had a brain tumor, was there more? As soon as I sent that text, I knew there was more. I called his house and found out he'd passed away that morning. Apparently his wife had taken him to the hospital on Monday because something just wasn't right. They said they thought he'd had a small heart attack and admitted him. Tuesday they said his heart would never be strong enough for him to come home and he'd have to go to a long-term care facility. Wednesday he was admitted and they said it was just a matter of time. He'd lost his short-term memory and pretty much they were just keeping him comfortable. Friday they said he'd only have about an hour left and he lasted about 20 minutes.
Now, I absolutely know that he is happier. He was so sick and that's just not him. He's this tough and gruff old bird and to be weak and frail had to be just horrific for him. His son was killed like 20 years ago and I know that he has to be so happy to be with him again. I mean, I get all of that. I'm just so sad and angry at myself for taking it for granted that he would always be here. I am just devastated that I never got a chance to say goodbye and to tell him one last time that I love him. This is so hard because if I would have picked up the phone when I got that card, I would have had the opportunity. It's totally my fault that I missed that opportunity and I hope I'm never stupid enough to miss another opportunity to make sure someone I love knows how much I love them. I wish I'd been able to tell him we're having another baby. I wish I'd just been able to hear that gruff voice tell me he loves me. Wish wish wish.
So that's the sad story. I really appreciate those of you who have expressed condolences and offered prayers on my behalf and that of my family. I also appreciate those of you who have stopped by with cookies or other treats--they really do help! LOL. I still feel like my heart is broken. I still have all of these regrets I know he'd be so mad to know that I have. I still spend a large part of the day crying because I literally think about him ALL the time. I know from experience these sharp pains will dull with time, but that ache that's left over is almost as unbearable.

Nugget Report!

2011-01-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

Friends, Family and Internet Crazies I hope you feel special because I am blogging instead of taking a nap right now. You are loved.

I haven't posted much about Obi-WanAhsoka (Jack decided if we're having a boy his name should be Obi-Wan Kenobi. If it's a girl she should be Ahsoka so until he/she is born and we know which he/she is, we're referring to the l'il nugget as "Obi-WanAhsoka.") but here's the skinny:

I'm 11 weeks pregnant and pretty much feel like death. I don't throw up everyday, but I wish I could. I'm nauseated all day long everyday. I'm not as sick as I was with Elisabeth, which is nice, but I AM more sick than I was with Jack. Pretty much I have to choose between eating or moving. Can't do both. It's been hard to feel like I can't really take care of my family like I should--we ate out more in the month of December than pretty much the entire 8 years we've been married! No exaggeration! So while I grow a person, Scott does everything else. I can't help but think that's unfair since he works hard all day and to have to come home and do my job too just makes me feel bad. I'm lucky he's willing to do it!

I had an appointment with my midwife yesterday (have I mentioned how much I LOVE her? She's seriously wonderful.) and it was pretty cool. She does an ultrasound at each appointment and it was so cool yesterday to see the little nugget, not as a nugget like he/she was last month, but an actual BABY with a facial profile and arms and legs! It never ceases to be breathtaking. Christy (our midwife) mentioned that it's no wonder I'm so sick, this little baby is crazy active! He/she was kicking and punching and turning and...wow! This little friend is going to keep us running! It was great. We were talking about how cute the little dude(tte) was when he/she turned his/her face and looked right at us. Christy said, "Oh! Hello little guy!" (She's referring to it as a boy because she's hopeful on my behalf that it's a boy. See? Love her.) She said, "Look! He's looking right at us with those creepy alien eyes! See them? Have you ever seen such sweet alien eyes?" LOL. I had not. So it was a very fun appointment and it made me so excited to meet the little muffin! Of course, as I left her office, I stopped at a stop sign and knew I was going to be sick and didn't have time to pull over. I had to open the car door, hold back my hair and hope my aim was good enough to miss getting anything in my car. Gross! Luckily no one was behind me, although a car DID pull INTO the parking lot and a nice couple got to see me ralphing in the parking lot like a frat boy. LOL.

Oh the joys!

Sweet Girl

2010-12-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

Let's talk for a second about our sweetest little Elisabeth. I'm just sitting here thinking about how adorable she is and, even though I frequently offer to give her away, how much we love her and what she adds to our little family.
1. This little girl LOVES her brother. (oh if only it were mutual!) Don't get me wrong, Jack is fiercely loyal to his sister. Like a typical brother/sister relationship, NO ONE is allowed to harass his sister...except for him. He can get mad at her, yell at her, push her off the couch, etc. But if anyone else even looks at her sideways, watch out. She just idolizes him and it makes my heart flippity flop to watch her follow and imitate him. He's at his Nana's house for a few days and she has spent the day wandering around the house saying "Jack Jack!" in her cute little Lizzy-talk.
2. She is so clever! She is so very aware of what/who is around her. This little friend knows how to work a room! She is an amazing little helper and it cracks me up to see her put things away, bring us our shoes when it's time to go somewhere and, today, I was getting Christmas cards ready to send (Don't judge) and she was licking the envelopes. Of course, not in the right place and if your Christmas card is a little soggy just know that sweet Lu loves you enough to want to make sure your envelope is good and sealed.
3. She is SO pretty. I am just amazed at how gorgeous she is. Her little face is so delicate and her dark eyes just take my breath away. How in the world did we luck out and get such a beautiful little friend??
4. She is full of JOY. Nothing makes you feel better than to see her run towards you as fast as she can. She loves so big and the person that Elisabeth loves is so lucky because she loves them with every part of her.
5. She ADORES her daddy! Okay, so this has been a challenge at times (i.e. every Sunday when we try to leave her in the Nursery) but, as a mommy, it just thrills me to see her get sooooo excited when she's standing at the window and his truck pulls in the driveway when he gets home from work. She starts squealing and dancing in place and it is just a sight to behold!

July 22, 2011

2010-12-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

Yep, kids! It's true! #3--"It's In There!" LOL!

These are a few of my (least) favorite things...

2010-12-10T13:08:00.000-07:00

1. When I'm at the store and I pay for my stuff, I hate how the checker hands me my change and receipt and then immediately starts scanning the items of the person in line behind me. Now, I appreciate that they need to be speedy. But if I'm grocery shopping, I would not have a problem with the checker allowing the person in front of me to put their change and receipt in their wallet instead of having to quickly toss everything in their purse so they can get out of the way. My purse looks like it was left open at a New Year's Eve party right now because I have a million receipts just tossed in there.
2. (Sidenote: I was at the grocery store last night and a lady asked her husband to watch her purse while she took their son to the bathroom. He replied, "Watch it do what? Like tricks or something?" HA! That was funny.)
3. So once upon a time there was an institute of higher education called the Utah College of Massage Therapy. I have nothing against this school (or massage therapy, as a matter of fact.) But what I DO have a problem with is the commercials they show with these creepy guys who talk about how much they love to give massages. One guy says, "I was giving massages even before school to friends and family..." I have two words for you, creepy guy: "Restraining. Order."
4. Once upon a time I vowed to keep my house clean all the time. If I had a time machine, I'd go back to that day and laugh at myself. I don't like having a dirty house, I just don't like having to do anything about that.
5. Am I the only one who is deeply annoyed at Jewish musicians who make Christmas albums? So often, I can't help myself from yelling "SELLOUT!" in an accusatory voice before changing the station.
6. I am REALLY tired of getting spammy emails from my friends and family. I'm trying not to hold it against you guys, but it's making me crazy.
7. I hate seeing my friends/family go through hard times. We are by no means independently wealthy, but I feel so blessed and I'm considering knocking up a liquor store to earn some cash to give to those I love who could really use it. These are such hard times and I remember what it was like to not have money for food, to come home from school and not know if we'd have heat and/or power and I remember our Christmases depending on the kindness of strangers. I don't want those I love to go through this. Who wants to drive the get-away car?
8. I hate having to walk ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE STREET to pick Jack up from school when it's cold. Yes, my life is soooo hard and yes, I need a hug.
9. I hate that I can't stop watching stupid judge shows on Fox. The people that go on these shows just amaze me with their stupidity. Is it possible they DON'T know how stupid they are and actually think that taking their personal lives on national TV is a good idea? Sigh.
10. Wrapping Christmas presents. For SURE one of my least favorite things. Thanks, Heather, for wrapping mine for me!

Bonus: I hate having gigantic zits on my face that just smoulder underground until all of sudden one day they pop up and explode leaving me with a HUGE wound on my face that I'm pretty sure looks like some kind of hideous boil. I just know when I was at Costco getting my Christmas cards today the checker-guy was more fascinated by the giant growth on my face than anything else. Weirdo.

that's all for now, kids. I'm sure I'll have much more to complain about later.

Running

2010-11-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

I started running last year. Remember? I'd heard that it's addictive and thought that those people who think that are certifiable and should be tied to a pole in the middle of town where everyone can watch some big angry guy beat them with their running shoes. But here's the thing: it really is! It is amazing to me how much I enjoy running. It's hard--dang hard--and I still feel like I'm a crappy runner. But I do feel like a runner. There is something so nice about turning on the television (I need something to distract me from the pain), getting on my treadmill and just running. It relieves my stress, it leaves me alone with my thoughts and almost always, when I finish, I feel like I am strong and I can do anything. I was worried when I started running that I would stop when it got hard and I am proud to say that I haven't. I have had some terrible experiences running, but they are by far the exception. I just love it! I'm really excited for the day when I feel like I am ready to run a Ragnar, I want to get to the point where I can comfortably do a half-marathon and maybe, someday, gulp...I want to run a mar....I can't say that out loud yet. ;o)

I'm still too chubby, I still can't run as far or as fast or as easily as I'd like, but it hasn't kept me from trying and I like that. Running has taught me so much about myself that I don't know I'd have learned any other way. I'm so grateful for those cute girlies willing to meet me at the track at 7AM in the freezing cold so I could learn to love this. Good times!

I mean, I'm just saying...

2010-11-14T22:14:00.001-07:00

(Most) Girls (Including Me) enjoy receiving the gift of jewelry for major holidays. You know, in case you were wondering.

I'm grumpy today and this is why:

2010-11-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

1. I still feel like crap and I still don't have time to feel like crap. Being sick makes me grumpy.
2. My house is messy and I'm bugged that there are pieces of TOYS everywhere. I swear to you that my children don't PLAY with toys, they just SCATTER them. Stepping on and picking up toys makes me grumpy!
3. Speaking of messy, Jack's room is perpetually messy. He cleans it and then it's like a switch gets flipped and wa-bam! Messy again. Would it be unreasonable for me to ban toys from his room? We have like 1200 square feet of basement for him to play in. Huge TV, most of his toys...but he doesn't play with them. It's crazy and it's annoying. Especially since Christmas is coming and I know that with that comes more toys. I don't want my children to be deprived, but I am so dang tired of tripping over toys and I'm especially tired of hearing him complain that he's bored. I really want to just box them up and give them away but these were gifts he and Lizzy received from friends and family members, some of whom don't have loads of money to spend on these things. Sigh. Suggestions are welcome because seeing his disaster-zone bedroom makes me grumpy.
4. I'm getting increasingly tired of feeling emotionally connected to a friend who I don't think needs me. I love this person. A lot. But I feel like this person is so surrounded by people who love him/her that I am an accessory. I don't like being an accessory. I like being needed and important. That makes me grumpy.
5. I need to learn to say no. I've been so busy this week that I miss my family. Unfortunately that isn't going to get better until next week. Ish. I want desperately to get together with my Crazy Internet Friends but that involves leaving my family for yet ANOTHER night and I can't do that. I'm feeling a disconnect that I don't like. I know the answer is just saying no and hopefully next week will be better but that doesn't change the fact that this week I feel like I've neglected my family and I feel like I need some extra TLC and it's just not happening. That makes me grumpy.
6. I hate when jobs are half-done. Especially when the job is half-done by a person who isn't a "do a job halfway" kind of friend. I just scratch my head and wonder why it's so hard to just finish the job instead of leaving it for someone else. Having a half-done job left makes me grumpy.
7. As I read this, I realize that I'm guilty of almost every single complaint I've listed here. That also makes me grumpy.

I'm going to go clean my house now. You guessed it. It makes me grumpy.

Some P4

2010-11-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

1. Lizzy is being a girl today. I mean, of course she's a girl EVERY day but today she's being the kind of girl I envisioned when I found out she was a girl and I bawled my face off. You know, all dramatic and whiney and needy. Don't get me wrong, I love this little girl with a ferocity that is shocking even to myself but days like this make me think I wasn't being so irrational when I found out she wasn't a boy.
2. I'm getting sick. I don't have time for this, people! I can fit sick into my schedule sometime mid-December.
3. I heart Facebook. I also heart having the power to un-friend snarky little pukes who bug me.
4. Speaking of hearting Facebook, am I the only person in the world who wants to update my status every 30 seconds? I don't know why I assume my "friends" care what I'm doing every second of the day, I just do.
5. I'm LOVING my coaching sessions with "Cute Rochelle!" We re-did the wellness exercise we did the first day we chatted. My satisfaction in EVERY area of my life (except 1--I'm still not drinking nearly enough water!) has increased. It's been so nice just to be aware of me and what I need and want to work on. Hooray!
6. Am I allowed to brag about the fact that I haven't used anything out of a box to make dinner in a super long time? (Okay, like a week?) I'm so proud of myself! I've been really thinking about the foods we're eating and it truly IS just as easy, much cheaper and LOADS healthier to re-create these boxed things that I've relied on for so long to make dinner.
7. The 10K is back on. Sort of. More about that later.
8. How much do you pay your babysitter? We have 2 kids and it's the age-old question for me.
9. I'm really glad Election Day has passed. Now, I get that we're lucky to have the freedom to vote. I appreciate our freedoms and especially those who've fought to preserve and protect those freedoms. But I hate politics. I hate not knowing whether or not someone is telling the truth. I hate that when politicians speak about "what they're going to do" I'm thinking to myself "Okay, they're either lying or grossly overestimating the power they're going to have." It makes me feel jaded and grumpy and I don't like feeling like that. I still go vote, mostly out of obligation, but I have to say that in my heart of hearts, I don't think it'll make any difference whatsoever.
10. If you've never checked out the website soulpancake.com, you should. Things that make you go hmmmm...

Now, if you'll excuse me, Lizzy hasn't been whiny and crying for too long which means she is probably drawing on my walls/appliances.

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it..."

2010-11-04T16:55:00.000-06:00

So I'm at JC Penney today paying the credit card bill. I plopped Elisabeth up on the counter while I dug through my purse for my checkbook and ID and she started grunting and pointing in that charming way she does when she sees something she wants. She's pointing to the cards in my wallet which is nothing new and often results in my handing her my Fresh Values or library card. Oh no, that will not do. She reached for...my debit card! Not only did she pull it out out of my wallet, she handed it to the nice boy who was processing my payment.
So young, and already shopping. Sniff! I'm.Just.So.Proud!

Family Pitchurs

2010-10-26T23:02:00.001-06:00

So my cute friend Becca took our family pictures last month and I am just getting around to doing something with them. Here is the poster that we'll put in our living room. I think it's a little blurry but it'll cute when it's printed!

Adorable, yes? I have such a beautiful family--I'm such a lucky girl!

10K SchmenK

2010-10-21T10:04:00.000-06:00

So last week was a c-rappy week. Like, UBER crappy. No words in any language could fully express the extent of the crappiness that was last week. Part of that crappiness was running outside for the first time since the 5K I ran in March. I really had no idea how much easier it is to run on a treadmill than it is to run outside! First of all, it's soooo much easier on my crappy knees. Second, it's just EASIER. I was supposed to run 3 miles and I only made it 2.5. And I couldn't even run THAT whole thing. I felt so defeated. How on earth am I going to run 6 miles next month? I was being so mean to myself. So then this week, I'm talking to Cute Rochelle and she expressed some concern that it might be a bit much to take on a 10K right now while I have so much OTHER stuff going on. (Trust me, I have A LOT going on right now!!) She asked what would happen if I DIDN'T run the 10K. I said, "I would be so relieved. I wouldn't have to kill myself training in a month and Thanksgiving Day would be a lot less stressful!" (I'm making dinner this year so I was still trying to figure out the logistics so I could get the turkey in the oven AND run a race) So she carefully suggested maybe I put off the actual RACE and make a goal to just run 5K on my treadmill that morning. I'm still waffling with that because 3 miles on my treadmill isn't really a stretch so I'm thinking of doing 5K at the race that morning. That way, I'm still doing SOMETHING (and I've already paid for it!) but it's not such a stretch.
What's interesting is that I feel good about this. This is the kind of thing I would normally beat myself up over. I would feel like a loser, call myself a quitter and kill myself to do it anyway. But I feel great about this decision. I don't want to run a 10K to kill myself--I certainly don't want another experience like my 5K was. I want to be able to do it and finish strong. That means more to me than doing it NOW. So I'll look into doing one this spring or summer. In the meantime, I'm happy to keep a running schedule and just make sure that I am on the treadmill 3 days a week. See? I'm growing (and actually shrinking a bit LOL) as a person!

The Story...of a Toothbrush!

2010-10-12T12:43:00.000-06:00

...Well, and a travel-sized tube of toothpaste. THIS toothbrush and toothpaste, to be exact:

So I was watching Live with Regis and Kelly (that Kelly Ripa just cracks me up. I want to be friends with her.) and saw that they are having a Halloween Contest. I saw some costumes and thought, "They're okay, but really? Are they cuter than Scott and Lizzy dressed up as a toothbrush and toothpaste?" I say unto you "Nay." So I submitted their picture. Well, today I had to go to Costco (needed those handy sliced-apples-in-a-bag!) and I left my phone in the car. I got back and saw I missed a call so I listed to the voice mail (kind of a miracle, since I only listen to voice mail when I get sick of seeing the icon) and I have a message from someone from Live named Danielle who needs Scott to sign a release form so they can use the picture and can we please get it to her by tomorrow? So I call Scott and remind him that he loves me and warn him that I "did something." (He gets phone calls like this at least twice a week!) I assured him that I'm 100% positive that production assistants probably call EVERYONE who submits a photo to get a release form. (Enter nervous laughter...)

More info to come (if there is more info to add) unless Scott's fervent prayers are answered and he escapes the limelight allowing ME a moments' peace. LOL.

"Darlin I'll take care of you"

2010-10-09T21:51:00.001-06:00

Let's talk for a second about mommies. I'm a mommy. I have a mommy. I have friends and other family members who are mommies. We all have one thing in common: We almost always put what we need behind the needs of our families. This isn't always a terrible thing, I mean everyone needs to take one for the team now and again. But I know that there are truly days when I feel drained. Emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally drained. I feel like this shell of a person going through the motions giving and giving and giving. I don't say this to complain. I love my family. I love my life. I love sacrificing for my family. But I recognize a need to take care of ME. This is something I've struggled with for a long time--finding the balance. I've not always gotten it right. Sometimes I don't do enough for me, sometimes I go way the opposite way and don't do enough for my family.

This is where Cute Rochelle comes in. Cute Rochelle (heretofore to be referred to as "C.R." Ha ha) has recently started her own business as a "Health and Wellness Coach." She's been trying to convince me for MONTHS that I need to let her practice on me. Unfortunately, I've been boffy and afraid of committing so I've flaked more than once. It just seemed too frou-frou and "get in touch with your inner child-y." However, a few days ago, I mentioned on my Facebook Status that I was feeling a lack of energy and motivation. She commented that she could help me with that "one baby step at a time." I laughed, but decided maybe it was time to take her up on her offer. My 10K is coming up next month and I realize that I'm adding a training schedule to an already-busy life. I decided maybe I could use some help finding balance. So I called her. She answered the phone and said, "Well, helloooo Peggy!" I said, "Hello Rochelle! How are you?" She replied, simply, "You need me." Ha ha ha! Oh my gosh, I laughed so hard. She's right I do need her. We talked for about 30 minutes and did a little exercise to see how balanced my health and wellness is right now. (It was waaaaaaayyyyy off-kilter. Imagine that!) We picked an area I want to work on first and set some goals. (Have I ever mentioned I suck at goal-setting? I was actually able to do it!) She asked me at the end of our conversation (since I'm a practice client so I get to offer feedback) if I thought this service was a value. Let me tell you what I told her.

Women have this tendency to put themselves last. We give to everyone but ourselves and when we feel "unbalanced" we cope by doing things like going shopping, going to lunch with friends, getting a pedicure, whatever. These things are only temporary. They take our minds off our stress for an hour or two or a day or a weekend, but then we go right back to our regular life and those same stresses are still there. We've not actually FIXED anything, we've just bandaged it for a minute. This is such a great service to offer women to help us fix those things in our life that we're unsatisfied with. She gave me few answers, she helped ME figure out what I can do and helped ME make sure I could accomplish the goals I set. It was so amazing. It's awesome for me to have a cheerleader on my side that I can also be accountable to. My family is wonderful and they love me and encourage and support me, but they're my family. They love me. No matter what. I can't complain about that, but knowing that I have to email CR at the end of the week and let her know how I did is beyond motivating. I'm so excited to tackle these things in my life that I want to work on. I feel like I've accomplished so much this past week, just surpassing the teeny tiny goal I've set for myself makes me feel like I can do anything.

Why do I tell you this? To brag about how awesome I am? Heck yes! Just kidding. No. I tell you this because while CR is still practicing, she needs 6 more "practice clients" this month. So please let me know if you're interested. I PROMISE you that this will help you! It's really not frou-frou and "get in touch with your inner child" it's all about YOU. Helping you find balance with all the important things you have on your plate so you can be the best you that you can be. She does everything on the phone or via Internet (huh. That doesn't sound right. Don't get the wrong idea, Internet Crazies and Joe H. She's not that kind of girl! LOL) so even if you're out of state, you can participate in the fun. Comment if you're interested and I'll get you in touch with her.

Even if this is something you're not interested in, please take care of you my sweet friends. Take time for you, love who you are and remember that you're doing better than you think you are.

BOO!

2010-09-30T12:22:00.000-06:00

So Jack's school Halloween party is like a hundred years before Halloween (don't ask me why!) and for some reason that I don't understand our ward isn't doing a Halloween party this year. Now, I'm not going to lie that for a second, I considered spearheading a ward party. Then we had our Teacher Appreciation dinner where we planned and planned, hand delivered invitations, bought a ton of (amazing) food and like 5 teachers showed up with their families. Scott and I enjoyed the privilege of staying late to clean everything up even though it was waaaaayyyy past Lizzy's bedtime and she was so far beyond done there are no longer words to describe it. I decided that I'm not doing it again. Clearly, I'm pretty much the only person who cares about these things and we decided that if we're going to plan for a month, spend money out of our own pocket and stay up late cleaning, we're doing it in our own home. So I told Jack he could pick 10 friends from school and we'll have a little party here at home. (Okay, mostly little. I promised Scott I wouldn't go overboard so I can't rent smoke machines or anything! But still..this is ME we're talking about. I LOVE a party!) First, I made these cute invitations

Then I found a template for a Halloween Bingo Game (How adorable is this?)
My mother in law gave me a funny suggestion..at first I was like, "ewwww! Gross!" But then, as I thought about it, I realized it's pretty much something right up the alley of a 5 and 6 year old boy..she suggested instead of a pinata, I somehow rig a white sheet or white fabric and make a ghost that could "poop" candy. I know, I know...juvenile and gross, but I know that Jack will think it's the funniest thing in the world. Any suggestions for how to make this happen? I already have Camille-Babes all over it since this is something she rocks at but hey--all suggestions are welcome. I also thought it would be fun to have someone in each room of the house (We'll put Scott in the bathroom since that's where he's most comfortable!) and let the kids trick or treat in the house. Here's where you comment with more suggestions for fun things to keep these little goblins occupied! You may also volunteer to come stand behind a door if you live close and have nothing better to do that night. (Friends/Family only. Internet crazies need not apply. Um, no offense.)
Anyway, I LOVE Halloween so I'm excited to make this fun! I can't wait until Scott gets home from work so I can make him haul all of our Halloweeeeeeeen stuff out of the attic! Woot!

I Wanna Talk About Me...

2010-09-26T22:00:00.001-06:00

Surprisingly enough, I don't think about myself too often. I feel like I'm one of the most selfish people to walk on the planet but it's purely unintentional (and therefore excused? Ha ha!) so it's surprising to me when I have these moments. Tonight, I've thought about my life.

My life has not been easy. I choose not to complain or place blame or feel sorry for myself. More about that in a minute. As a child, I was adored. I was and am surrounded by strong men and women who love me like I hung the moon. Everyone has their own issues (I mean, really--who doesn't?) so I guess I can't fault anyone for my childhood because they were all trying to figure it out as well. Even my Grandma--my north star--made some mistakes that I think she felt like she could make right through me. As a child I felt equal parts bitterness that I didn't have the same life my friends had and an adult sort of capability of just making it through the day. While I wish I could go back in time and hug the 10 year old version of me, I have to be thankful for those experiences that have molded me into the woman I am today. In my Baptist days, I remember a member of the congregation singing a song about being thankful for the thorns. I am thankful for the thorns. I'm thankful for my "Baptist days!" :o)

I was talking to a friend the other night about my childhood and I told her that, even as a child, I saw things happen in my family and I thought, "That will never be me. That will never be my life." And it wasn't and hasn't been. I'm most certainly not better than a single member of my family. In fact, there are things I have yet to learn from each one of them. Things like how to love so much, how to accept openly, how to give generously...some days I shake my head and think we're all a big mess, but other days I see them for who they really are--people who share my blood and my history and who love me like no one else in this world ever has or ever will. But there were things I didn't like, that didn't seem right. How lucky I have been to be able to live differently. One day, one choice at a time.

As a teenager, I started making Big Choices. Things that have affected my life in ways I didn't even understand then. There are so many things I wish I could do over. Things I wish I'd said or done differently. But then again, if I had, who knows what the end result would have been? Maybe I'm just having a Christmas Carol moment, but I can't help but think that everything happened in the exact way it was SUPPOSED to. It's easy to forget that even though we have agency to choose, a loving Heavenly Father is still in control and He can see the beginning to the end. He knew what I would become with each choice that was before me.

I chose to join the LDS Church. Wow. Not an easy choice--I mean come on! I had to give up coffee. PLEASE! It was a choice I made with more prayer than any other choice I'd ever made up to that point--and since, come to think of it. That choice literally saved my life. I lost some amazing friends. I regret that deeply. Thankfully (hopefully!) I've made some of them back. I believe a TRUE friend will always come back with as much love as ever before. Thanks for being true friends.

I chose to go on a mission. Wow. Another tough one. I didn't feel like I could leave my family. I couldn't afford it. I was scared out of my mind. But I knew it was what the Lord wanted and not only did He provide a way, He cared for my family in my absence. There isn't enough time in the world to go into how much my mission changed me. Not only because of the people and the places and the experiences that showed me who I wanted to be when I took that name tag off, not only because I met my sweet husband in the Missionary Training Center (don't judge!), but because that was the first time in my ENTIRE life I felt like my life was perfectly in harmony with what God wanted. I felt His love for me and His pride in me for giving up everything for Him. What a sweet experience. To literally give all I had and was to Him for 18 short months. Gosh, what an amazing privilege. That gave me faith in Him.

I chose to get married in the temple. This wasn't a hard choice--it was what I wanted since I joined the Church at age 18. But it was a painful choice. It was a choice that people I love didn't understand and some didn't accept. That was hard. The happiest day of my life was bittersweet because some people that I love more than my life couldn't accept my choice and chose not to be part of it. But some chose to participate, even though they didn't understand. That made me grateful for them.

I chose to be a mommy! Okay, Scott and I made that choice together, but it was scary! Would I perpetuate the mistakes made in my childhood? Would we be okay financially? We were both in college and working and just trying to get by! Would we know what to teach him? Would we be good examples? Would Scott live through my hormonal outbursts? (Okay, only one hormonal outburst but it was a doozy and that story will remain in our family for generations to come!) Jack has...wow. I can't even think about what Jack has added to me as an individual, to me and Scott as a couple, to our extended family without getting all sobby. He brought light and healing and amazement and hilarity...Gosh, where would I be without that choice? Definitely on my list of my favorite choices I've made.

So I look back at all of those choices peppered with others--some big, some small--and I'm thankful for them. I'm thankful for my trials, I'm thankful for the choices, I'm thankful for the consequences (both good and bad) but mostly I'm grateful for a Father in Heaven who I know, at times, had to have been holding His breath and crossing His fingers while looking down on me making these choices. I'm thankful for friends old and new and family normal and crazy, those connected by blood and those connected by love. Beautiful people and lovely examples. I hope that I can love you and support YOUR choices in the way you have loved me and supported mine. Que Dieu vous benisse. (Sounds so much better in French!)

I've lost my ever-lovin mind...

2010-09-24T14:12:00.000-06:00

Remember how the 5K I ran was the worst experience of my life? Well, after toying with the idea of running a 10K (because I'm a total moron) I signed up today for a 10K on Thanksgiving Day. (I just realized the graphic has the wrong year on it. How funny!) I ran this morning and was able to make it 4 miles so for some reason that made me think I could run 6 miles in like 2 months. Sigh. This is what I'm going to do differently so that I (hopefully) have a better experience:
1. I'm doing it alone. I'm hoping if I do it alone, I won't gauge my performance against anyone else's. Music is very motivating to me. (I'm not going to lie that even though it is F-Bomb laden, pretty much anything by Eminem is amazing to run to!!) If I'm alone, I won't feel bad about cranking it up, zoning out and just going for it. I won't have to keep up with anyone else and we'll see if it helps.
2. While I AM going to train by running 3 times a week and I'm hoping to be able to run 7 miles by then, I am giving myself permission to walk if I need to. I don't care if I finish behind the chubby couple, the lesbians AND the 90 year old woman. I just want to finish it.
3. I'm going off the sauce. Yep. You heard me. Pas de Cherry Coke between now and then. Last time I attempted this adventure, I still ate like crap. I'm going to take care of me for the next 2 months and see if that improves my performance.
Now, it's no Ragnar (I REALLY want to do a Ragnar, but need to feel like I could actually contribute to a team first!) but it's a start and it's something to work towards. Wish me luck. And bring me medication. I'm going to need both.

A Few Reasons...

2010-09-15T11:53:00.000-06:00

..Why I am think I am getting old
1. I don't get fashion today. We've discussed.
2. Jack is coming home from school saying things I don't understand. For those of you not honored enough to be my Facebook friend, you don't know that the other day he told me something was "rotten cool" and I looked at him as if he was speaking Portuguese. What does this mean, this "rotten cool?" To me that sounds "totally lame."
3. The only thing I want in the whole wide world right now is to put Justin Bieber in a headlock, give him a haircut and then send him back to Canada letting him know if he ever tries to torment me with his music again, not only will he get another hair cut, but also a complimentary wedgie. I may kindly suggest that with the millions he makes on stupid songs (Really Justin? Really? "Like baby baby baby oh..") on purchasing clothes that actually fit him. I swear! If they're not wearing their sisters' jeans, they're wearing their older 300 lb brothers' clothes. See? I'm old.

..Why I'm black-listing my local McDonalds
1. I stopped by this morning for a Coke and the "manager" never once greeted me. Handed me my Coke and continued her conversation with someone about what makes a good impression on customers. She then started going off about someone who'd been arguing with her all morning and..well, let's just say her next sentance was short, but involved 2 expletives--one being the ole "F" bomb which I really do not tolerate well. It takes a lot to offend me, but the F word is pretty much a quick way to get there.
2. They have wasps by their menu boards. I'm sure they're used to hearing "Um, yeah, I'll have a GAAAA!! GET AWAY! SHOO SHOO! OUT! AAAAAA!!! Happy Meal with chicken nuggets and apple dippers.." so I doubt they're judging me, but it still makes me uncomfortable.
3. It's really hard to get in and out of the parking lot. Well, I mean, I have the dexterity and sweet driving skills, but it's right on the corner by the freeway and here in Utah, you just cannot depend on the kindness of strangers to get out onto a busy street.

...Why I Love Jack
1. Besides the fact that he's teaching me a new language (see above) he's just dang funny. He says words like "meanwhile" and he informed me that the Force is fake. Sigh. They grow up so fast.
2. He makes up random rules like Scott does. (Scott once got mad at him and told him he was never allowed in the bathroom again--NEVER!) Scott and I have been grounded from the living room. Except on weekends. Signs have been posted and we have been warned.
3. He's on a power trip on my behalf. He often reminds people that his "mom is the Primary president so you have to do what she says. She's the boss of the Primary." Now, peeps, I get that my church job involves no power over anyone or anything but for some reason, Jack has yet to understand this, no matter how many times I remind him. It's very endearing to me.

...Why I Love Lizzy
1. She loves wearing shoes. Nothing makes her happier than having shoes put on her little feet. She laughs and claps and a happy time is had by all.
2. She's discovered the joy of toothbrushing. She took to it like a fish to water, although we do fight for control of the toothbrush sometimes. She's even learned to bring the bathroom stool close to the counter so she can climb up and grab Jack's toothbrush. She grabs toothpaste, pretends to put it on the toothbrush and walks around the house forever "brushing her teeth." Hilarious.
3. She's so pretty. I could stare at her forever.

...Why I Haven't Blogged In Like a Whole Week
1. For some reason, the Universe has taken pity on my sorry self and now...I SLEEP! I think I'm still catching up because I'm still really tired but I'm finally sleeping at night and it's sooooooo wonderful! Huzzah!

...Why I'm Ending This Post
1. I'm wearing contacts today and staring at the computer is giving me a headache
2. I'm hungry and am ready for lunch
3. I'm pretty much out of things to say. Crazy, I know!

Toodles!

And now...my opinion on "Forwards."

2010-09-08T22:35:00.000-06:00

Pretty straightforward (no pun intended) I don't like them. They bug me. They clutter my inbox. I don't want to help some imaginary girl with her science project, I don't want to send a card to a fake kid with fake cancer. I don't need help saying a prayer and I'm not afraid of empty threats for the trauma that is sure to befall me if I don't forward something to 70 people in the next 10 minutes, thus infecting THEIR computers with whatever virus I just luckily obtained. I'm also not interested in any "promotion" offered by Bill Gates, Scooby Doo or (as my friend Jonathan would say) some dude with a handlebar mustache in a white windowless van behind 7-11. I love that cranky Maxine as much as the next friend, but am really over her cartoons. Oh, and cute kittens and bunnies and whatever else have no effect on my cold, cold heart. Thank you, no.

However, having said that, I DID get a forward today that, for some strange reason, I opened. (True confession: I usually delete them right away without even opening them!) I really liked it. Of course it contained the whole "send this to the amazing women in your life" thing which I totally skimmed, but this was at the end and as I read it, I thought specifically about one friend I have, about whom I'm pretty sure this was entirely written. ;o) Of course it embodies the wonderful qualities so many of you have and I appreciate these things in all of you. But if your initials are CS and if you went out of your way today to A. Send me a text telling me you're thinking about me and you hope I have a great day and B. Go to the post office to send me a pattern for a doll that I'm sure will be the ruin of my salvation as I curse like a sailor putting it together then I want you to pay super close attention.
The rest of you girlies, read carefully and know that you are more wonderful than you could ever imagine. God don't make no junk and you all are rare gems and I heart you. Good gravy I'm getting mushy in my exhaustion. Anyhoo...without further ado:

One Flaw In Women

Women have strengths that amaze men.....

They bear hardships and they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy.

They smile when they want to scream. They sing when they want to cry.

They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous.

They fight for what they believe in.. They stand up to injustice.

They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without so their family can have. They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.

They love unconditionally. They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards.

They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding.

Their hearts break when a friend dies.

They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.

They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you.

The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning.

They bring joy, hope and love. They have compassion and ideas.

They give moral support to their family and friends.

Women have vital things to say and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN, IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

Look what I made!!!

2010-08-31T22:39:00.000-06:00

I am SO proud of myself! I can't wait to make one of Lizzy. I'll post it when I'm done with it. I just don't know if she'll hold still long enough for me to get a good profile picture of her. Anyway, look at how stinkin adorable this is! GAAAAA!! I can't stop looking at it. Am I lame? (Don't answer that.)

I want a new drug...

2010-08-31T10:26:00.000-06:00

Okay, first of all--have you noticed I'm blogging a lot more lately? Apparently I have all sorts of time with Jack in school. Lizzy is still home--how is it possible that I have MORE time with the wee one around who is still relatively helpless than I do with the 5 year old who can pretty much take care of himself? Weird. But I ride bikes.
So I've been taking the Lunesta to help me sleep but due to a sketchy family history, I don't like taking pills so I try to only take it when I really need to sleep. Plus it has some pretty annoying side effects. Last night I was pretty knackered (fighting with my kid who is learning more snark than reading, writing and arithmetic at school really takes it out of me!) so I figured I'd be okay. Problem: I woke up at like 2:30 and could not, for the life of me, get back to sleep. Horrible. I didn't want to take anything because I knew the kidlets would be up at 7 so I just stayed put, wide awake and miserable. Of course my brain does what it normally does when it is winning the battle against my body in the sleep competition. It started racing. Let me just let you know what I think about in the middle of the night when I can't sleep. Things like:
1. Do I know anyone with a Sawz-All? I mean, since Scott has consented to bringing down the wall we should probably get it done before it's too cold to open the windows and re-paint. I need to move on this.
2. Oohh--repainting. I'm so excited to re-paint. I don't even want anything fancy. Just something BRIGHT. I wonder if Chad's offer to do it with a sprayer still stands. How much is it going to cost to buy paint for the whole upstairs? Well, not really the WHOLE upstairs but half of it at least. I think I'm going to repaint the kitchen cabinets. The black was fun, but Scott was right. Too dark. Shows everything. GAAAA! How do I repaint light over BLACK? That's going to involve a lot of primer. I need friends who like to paint. I hate painting.
3. I just had the weirdest dream. Tia and Harry were coming to visit with their Elisabeth and I was so excited to see them, but was freaking out because I didn't know if they were staying with us or not and I didn't have the guest room ready. So I was a little panicked. Except that they weren't coming and at about midnight a car pulled into our driveway only it wasn't them, it was my mom. But a different version of my mom. Not like better or worse, just different. So she comes in and I'm really surprised that she came to Utah and I'm also surprised that she has these rainbow colored extensions in her hair. She tells me all excitedly that she's started doing these colored extensions and it's this great new trend and do I want some? I didn't want to hurt her feelings (that would come later) so I told her that would be fine and she started braiding them out of scraps of fabric to put them in my hair. Like, dishcloths and a sleeping bag! I decided this was crazy and told her she looked like Rainbow Brite with all of those extensions in her hair. Sorry Mom.
4. "Say it ain't so a woah a woah...my love is a lifetaker!" (Weezer song)
5. I really wish I liked bacon and tomato sandwiches. The Boy's fam loves them but I just can't get into it. Hate tomatoes. It's a great family tradition to have them for August birthdays dinner. Unfortunately, as with most of their family food traditions, my spin on them is to eat something else. Sorry, guys. No offense. Sigh. I'm a lot of trouble.
6. I think I want to get a perm. Should I get a perm? I mean, my hair is getting so curly as I get older but I have to keep it in a pony tail because it's so flippy and weird. I think a perm might need to happen.
7. Didn't Scott say he needed to be up at 4? It's 4:15 and he's not up. Should I wake him up? Nah. I'd be really bugged if someone woke ME up at 4:15AM. Huh. 4:30. Still not up. Should I wake him? Nah. He's pretty responsible. If he's not up yet, I'm sure it's okay. 4:40 (alarm goes off) there we go! Wait, did he just snooze it? Does he do this EVERY Tuesday when he says he's up at 4?
8. Christina is getting baptized! I'm so excited!!
9. "This song is drowning in the flood! Yeah! Yeah Yeah! Yeah Yeah!" (Same Weezer song)
10. I'm sooooo tired!
11. What exactly ARE the "Colonel's Special Spices?" Can I find this out online? I need to see if Erica will give me some of her super secret seasoning stuff. What is it for? It must be good, though.
12. Does anything that tastes good NOT have high fructose corn syrup in it? I doubt it...

Okay, at this point Scott finally woke up and I burdened him with my random thoughts. After we chatted and I ran some of these things by him (weird that I don't think he was willing to make a paint decision at 5AM. Come on!)
This is why I don't sleep. This is why I'm ending this post right now to put Elisabeth down for a nap and take one myself. Grocery shopping can happen later. G'Night friends/family/Internet crazies!

I got my money, let's spend it up!

2010-08-30T11:34:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I kept track of every penny spent last week. Wow. I am, however, abandoning ideas of a money fast this week. I'm going to do it next week and I am actually pretty excited to do it. I did, however, see where I can improve my spending habits (ugh! too much fast food!) and I saw that maybe I'm not doing as terribly as I thought I was. Most of this stuff was pretty necessary. Anyway, here it is. I'm giving you open permission to judge.

8.24.10
$33.42 Medicine for Jack
$10.00 Haircut for Jack

8.25.10
$25.00 Co-Pay for a doctor's appointment
$23.07 Lunch for us and some friends who watching the kids while I visited the aforementioned doctor. (Thanks Geez!)
$5.23 A bottle of water and some Band-Aids

8.26.10
$4.74 Breakfast chez MacDo. I didn't have time to eat before going to work for some friends for a day. Sigh.
$13.62 Dinner at Wendy's
$12.00 PTA dues/T-Shirt for Jack for school
$10.00 Donation for Kindergarten

8.27.10
$78.39 Walmart ($22.21 Groceries+$5.00 Clothing+$30.53 Household/Pet Supplies+$16.59 School Donations)
$26.36 Training Table (we let Jack pick where he wanted to go out for dinner on his first day of school)

8.28.10
$30.00 Pedicure
$45.34 Smith's (stuff for family dinner/cash back for bday gift)
$25.31 Petsmart (Pawdicure for Ginger. Get it? "Pawdicure?" HA! I'm tired. Back off!) She also got a new toy.
$20.00 Birthday check for BIL
$28.37 Gas

Okay, so adding it up, it looks like I spent 390.85. Huh. Okay so I'm going to spend another week tracking expenses and then next week we fast!

Wanna play?

2010-08-24T01:42:00.003-06:00

So instead of sleeping I was thinking (which is pretty much what I do most of the time lately. I think I may need to make an appointment to see el doctor and get something lovely to knock me out at night. But I ride bikes.) about random things. Lots of things. Like, my throat is sore. Does this mean I'm getting sick? Also, I really need to re-watch Gilmore Girls. Love the Gilmore Girls. Finally, I decided (this is where the blog post comes in) that I spend too much money. MUCH, MUCH too much money. And not even on big things or even things that better my world. Little things. Silly things. I hate this about me! So I've decided to play a fun game and I want to invite you friends, family and Internet Crazies (until I take this blog private, then you're no longer invited. No offense.) to play along. Here's how it goes: Starting TOMORROW (or wait, today? Tuesday August 24th, or whenever you read this) I'm going to track EVERYTHING I spend money on. Necessity or not, I'm writing it down. I may post it, I may not. It depends on how lazy I am. And I'm pretty lazy. Anyway, so I just want to see where I spend our money. THEN (here's where the game comes in) I'm going to go a WHOLE WEEK...6 days (no Sabbath shopping for me!)...without spending ANY MONEY. This is going to involve planning ahead this week and making sure we have everything we need and it's going to involve crazy amounts of will power. No stopping for a $1 Coke. No running to the store for that 1 thing I need for dinner and then leaving with $30 worth of crap that I may or may not have needed. I'm pretty excited for the prospect.
Join me, won't you? Come back and see me and comment, telling me how you did. The over-achiever in me wants to give a prize to those of you who participate and succeed in going the whole week but I realize that sort of defeats the purpose. So instead, I'll uh..I don't know..be your best friend. Or something.

You've been warned...

2010-08-22T08:19:00.002-06:00

Dear friends, family and Internet crazies--
I love blog-stalking. It's pretty much one of my favorite pastimes and a way that I feel able to connect with people way too cool to be friends with in real life. Up until now, I've not had a problem BEING blog-stalked. In fact, it's kind of an honor and I dig it. However, due to some recent potential creepiness, I'm taking this wild ride of a blog (snort!) private. I'd LOVE to have you join me. Please email me at jackjacksmom@gmail.com if you'd like to continue participating in the fun. You don't have to declare your never ending undying love for me, but you do have to tell me you'd like to be invited.
I'll probably take it private around the first/middle of September depending on how lazy I am. ;o)
Hope to hear from you soon!

Sincerely,
Your Favorite Snarkster

P4

2010-08-22T00:55:00.000-06:00

1. According to my little Feedjit thing over there on the right, I have had a visitor to my blog from Jakarta. Surely they were sadly disappointed when they got here and saw that this is really just a blog with weird thoughts from a strange girl. Anyhoo--if someone from Jakarta could find my blog, surely it's possible that the jerk who cut me off in the Winco parking lot could stumble upon it. So here goes:
Dear Mr. Jerk--I have never hidden the fact that I lack charity. In fact, I've been known to relish the kind of unkind behavior that most Christian women would be shocked to even witness, let alone participate in. So it's pretty much a miracle that when you cut me off by driving straight through the parking lot in your obscenely overpriced Hummer (I'm sure you hear the Freud jokes all the time so I'll refrain but just know they're in my heart.) I didn't do more than just lay on the horn and yell, "What the crap???" Really, I wanted to follow you to the TWO PARKING SPACES you took up and tell you exactly where you could go and what you could do with the horse you rode in on once you got there. Lucky for you, I was A. in a hurry and B. was trying to be like Jesus. Now, if only I could find some mail-order spike strips...all of my problems would be solved.
2. I think maybe I gush about Scott too much. Tough. My blog, I can gush about whatever I want to. I'm so lucky to have such a great husband. Really. He works so incredibly hard--he's terrible to shop for since he has no hobbies but he has no hobbies because he's always working. Either at his job to provide for us or in the yard to make our surroundings more beautiful or in the laundry room so I don't have to do laundry because I don't like it. Our children worship the ground he walks on, he's good to his mother and he puts up with my complete chaos. So blessed.
3. So this not sleeping thing really stinks. Ugh. Beyond frustrating.
4. My not sleeping is really enabling my Arrested Development habit. I'm to Season 3 and love it. I'm currently watching the episode where Charlize Theron plays a mentally challenged British woman who Michael falls in love with because he doesn't realize something is wrong with her because of her accent. My favorite quote: "It's not your fault your parents were cousins." "Well, soon Michael and I will be cousins because we're GETTING MARRIED!"
5. I would like to take a moment to express my love for Facebook. I heart it. Lots. I recognize there are a lot of stupid people out there who have ruined their lives "reconnecting" but I love that I can know what's going on in friends' lives and I'm grateful for surprise friend requests from people I love but with whom I've lost touch. Like awesome Joanna--we were like sisters when we were little girls. Then my mom married her stepdad and, well, let's not worry about details. Suffice it to say, I am so glad she found me and I can see what she's up to after all these years. Thanks, Facebook!
6. While we're talking about Facebook, let me tell you what I DON'T love. I don't love getting friend requests from people I barely know. Here's my rule. If we were never friends in real life, I don't want to be your FB friend. I am not interested in being friends with you on Facebook. I am not interested in the "who can have more friends?" game and if I didn't care about your life in highschool, I don't care about your life now. Done.
7. Okay, I'm stopping at 7. I have a meeting in the morning and I need some semblance of a good nights' rest. Sigh. More snarkiness another day.
8. Wait, one more. I'm feeling the need for a sign off. Silly Joe (by the way Joe, you can be my Jami any day and while there ISN'T hazard pay, there most certainly should be!) ends his posts with "Okay then" which suits him. I need a sign off. Suggestions welcome. The friend/family/Internet Crazy who comes up with the sign off that I end up choosing will win...um, my never ending love and devotion. I might even add you as a Facebook friend.

Ramblings...

2010-08-14T00:33:00.000-06:00

I have a problem. You see, I'm tired. A lot. I have two little kids to chase after, I have to keep the dog from tormenting the cat, the cat from taunting the dog, a husband to love and feed, a house to (attempt to) keep clean, a calling to magnify and friends to serve. I say this not to complain, to evoke guilt or to solicit empathy. I say this because it's a fact. I'm tired. A lot. However, when I finally lay down to sleep my mind is suddenly alert and a million and one things race through it. My poor body lays there, mostly limp from exhaustion, begging my mind to just shut up and go to sleep already. I kind of think of them as bickering siamese twins. But I digress. So what's on my mind tonight? What is keeping me from sleeping even though I'm so tired I can barely backspace and correct typos? Inadequacy. Which, perhaps ironically, I spelled wrong the first time. Ha ha. Again, let me be very clear: I am not posting these random thoughts so that you feel sorry for my hard life or feel prompted to comment and tell me how wonderful I truly am (don't comment, send money. LOL) I say this because it's MY blog and I can say whatever I want to and you have to love me no matter what. So there.

So this is how I happened upon this train o thought. I was reading my scriptures in French. I like doing this because A. it makes me feel good that even though I sound horrible speaking it and conjugate like a 4 year old, I can still understand and pretty much be understood. B. I have to work a little harder to understand what I'm reading, it's more participatory for me and I find that I get more out of it and C. Well, it just makes me feel cool. Don't judge. So I was reading and I thought about something my cousin's husband said today. We were talking about spirituality and how to maintain and advance our own. He suggested that when we read the Scriptures, 3 things should happen: 1. We should be able to feel the Spirit and recognize it as such. 2. We should feel God's love for us and 3. We should receive personal revelation. I agree with him and I applied these principles as I read tonight. I can't share #1 with you because, well, the Holy Spirit is something you FEEL, not READ on a random person's blog. But the other 2 things is what has kept me up thinking.

I have a hard time feeling God's love for me. Well, not necessarily FEELING it, because it's there, as I wrote in my last post. I guess I should reiterate by saying, I have a hard time feeling worthy of God's love. I'm grateful that He does love me, but I sometimes think he's like one of those parents who has a really ugly baby and wants to show it off. They're all, "Isn't my baby beautiful?" and people who aren't blinded by prejudice are like "GAAAAA!! Get it away! Is ugly contagious??" Sometimes I feel like that ugly baby. We all have our moments when we look in the mirror only to see imperfections. I pretty constantly see all of the ways I fall short and, what's ironic, I hate that about myself.

So as I was reading tonight, and trying to feel God's love for me, I was reminded of some really good talks I've heard that addressed this very thing. Let me move onto #3, the personal revelation part, and then I'll come back to #2. Follow along, it'll make sense in a minute. One talk that I felt prompted to read is from Sister Beck, the General Relief Society president. She talk about priorities and our responsibility as mothers in the home to be the "lioness at the gate" guarding our families and helping guide them in the right direction. She talks about how we simply HAVE to prioritize our time. Women have SO many demands on them (see the beginning of this post) and if we don't prioritize, we lose power. I think this is absolutely true, but I'm still working on that. For me, everything on my to-do list is "essential." But what I really liked was that she talked about starting small. She told the story of an afghan she has that is made up of a whole bunch of little squares. It was made by an old woman who felt like she was too old to have anything to offer anymore. Her daughter suggested she knit just one square. Working one square at a time, she knitted hundreds and had enough to make afghans to supply to the Humanitarian Aid center and to give as gifts. This is the part that really touched me. I don't feel like I have great gifts to offer the human race. I'm not amazingly swell at any one thing. But I am pretty okay at a whole lot of things. So while I can't perform a great big gigantic act of service, I can perform lots of little ones. And hopefully, with the Lord's help, those little things will become great big things.

Then I re-read a talk given by President Uchtdorf in the Relief Society General Broadcast a couple of years ago. He talks about how hard women are on ourselves. We never feel good enough and so often, that leads to feelings of frustration, exhaustion and unhappiness. (What? Did he just say my name?) He said a couple of things (and I'm paraphrasing here) that really stood out to me. One, most importantly, he talked about how much God loves us. How grateful He is to us for the things we do and what we can do to overcome these feelings. He said we can create beautiful things. We might not feel like we're super creative, but we ALL can do something to create beauty and helpfulness. When I read this, I thought of my home. Now, to quote a new friend, "We try to keep our home a level above disgusting." I loved that. My house is usually cluttered with toys, games, junk mail, dishes are in the sink and laundry is overflowing. I wonder how much more peaceful and accomplished I will feel if I make a concerted effort to make sure that my home is not only CLEAN (which is usually is) but picked up and uncluttered. Will I be able to feel the Spirit of the Lord more fully? I don't know. But I'm going to try. He also talked about having compassion on others. Now, this seems almost counter-intuitive. So I'm overwhelmed and exhausted because I'm in a constant state of service--to my friends, my family, my calling (these 3 categories encompass A LOT!) so in order to feel better, I should keep serving? You know what? Yes. Why? Because when we're helping we're happy. I recognize that I need to prioritize. That service to someone else at the great expense of my family isn't appropriate. But I need to keep serving because it makes me happy and it makes me feel like Heavenly Father is proud of me. My service might be small, it might be unorganized, I might get halfway through and forget what I was doing but it's my gift. It's my best and THAT is what matters. So this is how I felt God's love for me. I was reminded that my little gifts are so precious to him. One day, Jack ran out the front door and my first inclination was to yell at him because he's not allowed in the front yard by himself, but for some reason, I felt restrained to do so. He came back inside with a fist full of dandelions for me. I've never loved dandelions until I became a mother and I discovered that even a weed can be a precious gift. So often my gifts seem like weeds to me. They're not big enough or good enough or whatever. But to my Heavenly Father, they are sweet reminders to Him that I love Him and want to please Him. I refuse to let myself believe that I cannot change the world. Even if it's just MY world, I can and will change it.

I don't know if you've ever felt this way or if my ramblings helped you at all. It helped me just to see it in black and white. (Well, you will see it in blue and brown!) Thank you for accepting my small gifts and for giving me gifts of your own, both big and small.

Friends, family and Internet crazies, you make me better and I appreciate you for that.

Titles are overrated

2010-08-05T16:26:00.000-06:00

1. I have a question to ask the youth of today about fashion. Now, I went through some pretty interesting phases of my life (as anyone who went to highschool with me can attest) where I was dyed black, pierced and looked homeless. (And carried a paint can purse!) But these two fashion trends are so far beyond me, I am practically stupefied--I submit to you, exhibit A. The look I like to call "Your Little Sister's Jeans":

I don't understand this. I don't understand why a dude would want to look like a lady, no matter how much they might like Aerosmith. I don't have a problem with GIRLS in "skinny jeans" because they're girls. But those of the male species...well, there are just so many reasons I cannot understand or condone this fashion practice. (And I use the term "fashion" loosely!) One of those reasons, I think is some residual trauma from the following incident: So Jack was little. It was summertime and the bounty from our little garden was plentiful. So I decided to teach Jack about being a good neighbor. We loaded up his little wagon with tomatoes and cucumbers and went door to door seeing if any of our neighbors would be interested in some fresh fruit/vegetables. We knocked on one door two houses down from us and after waiting awhile with no answer, concluded no one was home. Until we heard some rustling around and a guy in his early twenties answered the door. He looked a bit disheveled, like maybe he'd been napping or something, and I noticed he was wearing His Little Sister's Jeans. Gross. What's worse, those jeans had a hole in a really awkward place. And he was Commando. And I saw It. GAAAAAAA!! I tossed those tomatoes at him and got my little boy out of there at lightning speed. To this day Your Little Sister's Jeans make me throw up in my mouth a little.

The next "fashion" trend I don't understand is Exhibit B, also known as "Flying at Half-Mast."

This is why THIS confuses me. Isn't the point of pants to cover your arse/unders? Maybe I'm getting old, but I don't understand this. I stand firm in my belief that your unders are your very own business and shouldn't be shared with the General Public. Why is this kid even WEARING pants? Sigh. I just don't understand. Maybe instead of tormenting all of us with this PDU (Public Display of Unders), he could just wear a sign that says, "Wanna see my unders?" If someone DOES, they could simply ask to see them, he could comply and both friends could go on with their day. I'm all about freedom of expression, but I'm also about freedom of not being subjected to your dirty unders. I take that stand proudly. I may make buttons.

2. If there is a life without Chex Mix and Cherry Coke, I am in no way interested in it.

3. Speaking of, Miss Elisabeth (aka: "Mini Me") ALSO loves Chex Mix and Cherry Coke. Now, lest you think I am the kind of delinquent parent that puts Cherry Coke in her sippy cup, let me say to you: DON'T JUDGE! I was carrying her and a Cherry Coke in the same arm and while I was wrestling with the lock on the front door she non-chalantly leaned down to the straw and helped herself. She liked it and now I have to make sure she can't reach it or we have a whole situation going on. Now, the Chex Mix thing isn't as big a problem. Mostly because I hate the Rye Chips and she'll eat anything so I always pull them out and give them to her. She thinks I'm sharing and I get rid of the Rye Chips. Win/win, friends. THAT'S effective parenting right there. (Take notes, people!)

4. Speaking of parenting tips, I'd like to offer you one. When your kid biffs it (as kids often do. To quote my dear friend Jana, "When you're dumb, you've gotta be tough.") DO NOT let out the huge gasp. You know the one. The "HOLY CRAP, ARE YOU DEAD???" gasp. You might be tempted to, and certainly if your kid falls off the jungle gym, it might be an involuntary sort of reaction to a situation you know is going to involve mass quantities of blood. But if your kid trips on their own feet, falls off of a chair, gets pushed into the wall by their big brother causing the baby gate to fall on their head (Um, I saw on TV once?) DON'T GASP! Because if you clap and say something like, "Excellent tumble!" or "Jump up!" chances are, they might not even cry. You're welcome.

5. I have a little brother. Okay, not little, 20. But since I was like 12 when he was born, I get to call him little forever and ever and I double-dog-dare you to try and stop me. Anyhoo--I like him. He's funny. He sends me text messages to see how my day was and to tell me about his and I appreciate that. He doesn't get offended if I don't text back and he puts up with me constantly mothering him. He wins the prize.

6. All snarkiness aside--let me say that Sunday was an incredible day for me. I woke up with an insane migraine, the likes of which I haven't felt since I went off the Diet Coke. Light sensitivity, barfing, the whole thing. It's what I would imagine a hangover feels like when even the slightest sound boomed in my ears. Good times. I had to do Sharing Time in Primary, (which consists of preparing a lesson and game that will both entertain and instruct the Primary Kids (age 3-11). Not easy. I cancelled a meeting I had that morning but decided to be a trooper anyway and go do Sharing Time, then go home. I prayed for strength and healing and then dragged my sorry self to church and started Sharing Time. Not even 5 minutes into it, my headache was completely gone. It was so incredible! I felt fantastic and I knew it was a product of a loving Heavenly Father helping me accomplish the tasks that accompany my stewardship. I was grateful. So since I felt fine I decided to stay for the rest of church and went to Sacrament meeting. (For those of you who aren't LDS and don't know how it works chez nous, our main service is called Sacrament Meeting where we take the Sacrament (like Communion) and have pre-designated speakers from the congregation. However, the first Sunday is our "Testimony" meeting where any member of the congregation who feels so inspired is able to come to the pulpit and share their testimonies of the Church and/or a particular gospel principle.) Since it was the first Sunday of the month, many got up to bear their testimonies and I was struck with the most lovely thought: The Lord loves us so much. He loves us in our strength, but He loves us even more in our weakness. He didn't suffer for the sins of the "perfect" (which doesn't exist), He suffered for the sins of the weak. For those of us who don't always get it right. And I'm so grateful that He did that. That He made the ultimate sacrifice for a bunch of people who would, in all likelihood, make the same mistake again and again. A perfect sacrifice for imperfect people. It was such a beautiful thing that was pressed into my heart for probably the kajillionth time. And not only did He take upon Himself my sins, but He took my sadness, my anger, my illness...anything that "afflicts" me, He took upon Himself. I thought about how "religious" people often come across as arrogant and self righteous and I thought that the exact opposite is true. Those who are TRULY religious are people who know they have weaknesses, who know they're not perfect, but who lean on Him to make up where they lack. The measure of someone faith is not in the prayers they pray, the tithe they pay, the service they render (though those things are of great importance since they are things the Lord uses to teach and mold us), the measure of one's faith is in being able to take a long hard look at who they TRULY are and to give thanks for the strengths and to repent of and ask for strength in their weaknesses. How grateful I am to know that I am just as much a child of God when I have a crappy day and swear in the hallway at church (insert embarrassed laughter here) as I am when I have the faith to come to church when I have a migraine determined not only to fulfill but magnify the calling He has given me. Ahhhh...beautiful lessons the Lord teaches us through the examples of others.

7. Wow. I almost feel bad following that up with more P4. Huh. Oh well. Not bad enough to not do it.

8. So I went to Kid to Kid today. Have you been here? Am I the only person in the world who has yet to experience the awesomeness that is great quality, super cheap kids' clothes?? It'd be easy for me to be all snooty and swear off used clothes for my kids, but holy heck, friends! When our kids are growing SO much we have to literally shop for JUST the season, used clothes are heaven sent! So I spent $50 and got:

3 pair of jeans

5 long sleeved shirts (2 Abercrombie and Fitch, 1 Gap 2 Old Navy)

2 T Shirts (1 A&F, 1 brand I don't know but it had a really cool guitar on it)

2 Church Shirts (Children's Place)

1 Heavy fleece jacket (Children's Place)

If being excited about that is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

9. August has been an awesome month so far. Really amazing. So many miracles have happened in my extended family and even beyond that I can't even begin to relate each experience. Also, if I gave it a theme, it'd be "Reunited and it feels so good!" I got to spend the day with a dear friend yesterday (you know who you are!) and Monday another one of my best friends is coming to visit from Indiana. I can't wait for her to get here so we can just sit back and let the sarcasm flow!) Thursday I'll spend the afternoon with my 2 amazingly beautiful cousins Lisa and Christina and Christina's 2 kids. Friday, Lisa and I are going to spend the entire first half of the day in the temple. What a blessing it is to be able to be in the temple with a member of my family! We both get a little blubbery when we talk about it. Christina's daughter will also be able to be with us and it'll be her first time there so that's also an incredible experience I'm excited to be able to share with them. Later in the month my dearest darling Sara is coming to visit with her little dude Lincoln (that I have yet to meet!) and her husband Sam who is a total crack up. What an INCREDIBLE month!

10. August also means that Jack starts playing soccer and starts school. Um, I need a hug. I am experiencing some very real anxiety about not having him home all day and everything that goes along with sending your kid to school. (What if the kids make fun of him? What if someone teaches him the F word? What if someone is mean to him? Will he make friends? Will it be cool or dorky that he refuses to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich unless it's cut in dinosaur shapes? Is he adequately self-sufficient or have I catered to his every whim so much that he will be paralyzed without mommy there to do it for him? Will he be nice to the other kids while still resisting peer pressure to do things he knows are wrong? GAAAAAA!!!!) I am, however, excited for him to finally have friends. This is something I think people take for granted. Jack doesn't have anyone really close to play with and that makes me just as sad as I am to not have the same thing. LOL. He's very social (where does he get that, you ask? I'd like to say "his dad" like I usually do when I'm trying to pawn off a personality trait my kids get from me, but there's just no getting away with it.) and I know he'd love a friend he can play with who will WANT to play cops and robbers and Droids and Blasters with. (Yes, I just ended my sentence in a preposition. Wait, will he be judged because his mom is too lazy to go back and correct a sentence she ended with a preposition??? OH NO!) We swore we would buy a house in a neighborhood with other kids to play with and we didn't do it. Dang it. So he's stuck with me and Lizzy to play with, and we're not always fun. I hope he makes friends easily and I pray for him to find someone to be his very best friend who will love him and defend him and will have common interests and who will be a good influence. If you're looking for things to pray for, join me won't you?

Some Pretty Priceless Passing Points

2010-07-28T23:29:00.000-06:00

1. I miss Jack. We left him in St. George with Nana on Sunday and he won't be home until Saturday. While it has been nice to watch Arrested Development without worrying that he'll ask me to explain some off-color comment, I miss the constant chatter. I miss all the crazy things he comes up with and the things he finds so fascinating.
2. Yes, I realize that if I don't want Jack to see it, I probably shouldn't be watching it. But I'm not yet willing to give up Arrested Development and if you ask me to, I am going to have to break up with you. Don't judge.
3. Do you ever wish you were someone else? I don't wish I were a specific person per se, but I would like to be a whole lot of things that I'm not. Sigh.
4. I have been instructed by Scott to "never, under any circumstances, do laundry again." Now, he's pretty notorious for random and ridiculous punishments (yes, like the time he got mad at Jack and told him he was never EVER allowed in the bathroom ever again. I'd like to trick our kids into thinking we're a united front so I just gave Scott a quizzical look, shrugged and said, "I don't know. What he said.") but I doubt this one will stick. I wish it would. I hate laundry!
5. I wish I were in bed right now.
6. I've been shopping every single day this week except Sunday, and I have to go to the store tomorrow, Friday and Saturday. That makes 6 of 7 days. Do I have a problem?
7. Don't answer that.
8. I'm hosting 2 baby showers on the same day. I haven't decided if this is genius or insanity. In case you were wondering, it's a lot of work to prepare 2 showers at the same time. Double everything! It's a good thing it's 2 of my very bestest friends.
9. I need a magic wand. Anyone?
10. Have you ever had a friend who you love when you're together but when you're not you wonder if it's even worth it? I have a friend like that and I'm feeling some guilt about it. I might have more than one friend like that. Now I wonder if anyone feels that way about me. If they do, they should just stop being my friend altogether because I don't need half-hearted friendship. Does this make me a hypocrite because I'm not willing to do this with the aforementioned friend(s)? Huh. If only I cared. (See #5)

Wow. That 10 went fast. Do you feel ripped off? I think maybe you should.

And I'm Proud to Be An American....

2010-07-22T10:14:00.000-06:00

True Confession: I've never really been patriotic. I mean, I stand when we say the Pledge of Allegiance, I vote, I heart NASCAR and I eat those really yummy red, white and blue popsicles. But you've probably heard me say (well, maybe not you Internet Crazies. I feel like I'm leaving you out!) that if I ever had the opportunity to move back to Europe, I would sell everything I own and never look back. Yeah yeah yeah...higher taxes, smaller living spaces, expensive gas prices...yada yada yada...I could be persuaded to turn a blind eye to these teeny tiny details if I could enjoy pain au chocolat whenever I wanted. If my children could be immersed in the culture and language of a foreign country..you know, good reasons.

So I started doing this play. It has a patriotic theme which I pretty immediately found horribly hokey but I'd agreed to help my friend so I was in. I joked about only being in it if I could be George Washington or the Statue of Liberty (well, I changed my mind about the Statue of Liberty. She sings.) I warmed up to it a bit as we performed it. It was nice to do something to entertain others. And some parts of it are really quite moving to be honest. I think my favorite part is towards the end when we ask all members of the military past and present to stand while we sing their branch's anthem. Very cool. I teared up every night as men (and women!) stood to honor the branch of the military in which they served. Well, the play came to an end and I happily left that little hobby to people who could ACTUALLY sing and dance. Except that a kid in our cast decided, for his Eagle project, to organize bringing the play to a local Veterans Home since so many residents are unable to leave. We agreed to do it and performed last night. Well, believe me when I tell you--it made a patriot out me.

We start the play by saying the Pledge of Allegiance. We didn't specify that the audience should rise, since we knew so many couldn't but those who could would know they probably should. (Um, did you get that?) It brought tears to my eyes when I saw these men and women--some of whom were blind, missing limbs and loads of other things--do everything they could do to get on their feet. It MEANT something to them. I can honestly tell you, it has never meant anything to me. It's just something I memorized in the first grade that I mindlessly repeat before saying in my head at the end, "Gentlemen, start your engines!" But gosh, last night...the meaning of those words were burned in my heart.

For those of you lucky enough to experience the magic of actually seeing the play, you'll know that I did in fact sing a solo. (I was a teacher, dontcha know!) The song talks about how great America is and how there are things here that you can't find anywhere else and that's why it's so great. Then these lines, "It's yours, it's mine, it's free." I sang those lines and, looking out at those men and women it hit me: it isn't free. Nothing is free. SOMEONE has to pay for it at some point. They did. They paid with their limbs and their sight and, in some really sad cases, their sanity. More likely than not, these men and women didn't serve to travel or pay for higher education, they served to fight. For their families, their posterity and for people they didn't even know. For spoiled little yahoos like me who take it all for granted. I was so ashamed of myself.

Another speaking part I had was as a housewife in the 40's. I talk about making sacrifices during WWII but how it seemed insignificant considering what "our boys were going through over there." As I delivered the lines I've delivered a hundred times before, I realized that the men in the audience were "the boys" I was referring to. I couldn't finish without choking up.

We got to the Military Hymns, and I knew I was going to cry through the whole thing. Oh, I did. To hear them clap and the members of these different branches again struggled to get up and be recognized and to see how PROUD they were of their service...to see this sweet little man who stood as we sang the Marine Corps Anthem and he sang along and just wept...it was like nothing I'd ever experienced in my life. We finished by singing the National Anthem and I don't think I was able to get out more than a few words. Our cute Marine friend was crying, so many of us were crying and I felt so proud to have been born in a country where so many are so willing to serve. While I believe most people are pretty patriotic and love the country in which they live, I think (and I could be wrong!) that few have fought as we have for the liberties we enjoy.
This, without a doubt in my mind, is absolutely the "land of the free and the home of the brave!"

I hope I never forget this lesson. I hope that I never forget those men and women who were so grateful to us for acknowledging them and their service. I hope I can teach this to my children. I know that when I say the Pledge of Allegiance and sing the National Anthem, it will mean something. And when I hear Taps play at 9:00PM over at Hill Air Force Base, I'm not going to remind Jack that it's time to go to bed, I'm going to say a silent prayer for the brave men and women who didn't make it back home to their friends and family and thank them for making the ultimate sacrifice. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." I believe that truly being willing to do it is just as honorable as actually having done it.

We are not a perfect nation. Our government makes crappy decisions and some of my fellow citizens are selfish, ignorant morons. I'll continue to be bugged at politicians and mad at ignorant people who exercise their right to protest stuff that in no way affects their life. Only, deeper than that disgust, I'll feel gratitude for those who sacrificed to make it possible for them to do it.

Now go hug a veteran.

Quoi de neuf, you ask? Well, let me tell you!

2010-07-19T22:48:00.000-06:00

1. So, once upon a time...um, around 5PM...I was putting dishes away and dropped my Crockpot lid on my toes. (Namely my big toe and his neighbor friend) Holy effin crap. It hurt like...well, nothing I can describe sans expletives. I have honestly not felt pain like that since I gave birth. It hurt so bad I honestly nearly passed out. I started sweating and couldn't catch my breath. Crazy. The only thing I had going through my mind (besides trying to cope with the blinding pain. It seriously hurt so bad I couldn't even swear. That's how you KNOW it's bad.) was that I was so grateful my toes cushioned the fall. I'm emotionally attached to my Crockpot and I'd be super sad to have to replace it. I don't know if they're broken, although my handy dandy nurse of a sister told me that you can't really tell if they are and even if they were there is no treatment for it (which I knew.) So my toes are taped together and my whole foot is still throbbing. But my Crockpot is in one piece and that, my friends, is all that matters. So what if I have to hobble through 2 more performances of the play this week? I can still think of my sweet friends when I make dinner.
2. Speaking of siblings, I got to hang out with my little brother this past weekend. Good times. We share the gift of snark, which always makes it fun to hang around with him. He came to Utah to race his little Legend car, which I LOVE. (I'm not, however, allowed to call it "cute.") See for yourself:

Adorable, right? Um, I mean, "Isn't that a manly car?" (He calls it a "clown car" and I think he's right!) They (him, my dad and 2 other guys) got in around midnight Friday night and stayed with us. One of the other guys who came looked familiar to me but I pretty much dismissed it until we were all talking later and I realized that we grew up together! He's exactly 1 month younger than I am and we've known each other our whole lives. My mom married his uncle! It was equally crazy and awesome. Saturday night we went to see Phyl race. We had a blast making fun of our fellow spectators, like the lady in front of us whose bum crack we were subjected to all night. And the friend with a blue mullet (To quote Phyllip: "Nothing says 'I own a Corvette on blocks' like a blue mullet!")
3. So, I'm bugged. Bugged at people who cannot be relied upon. Bugged by people who don't care. Bugged by selfish people. Bugged that I sacrifice time with my family because something is a priority but apparently not a priority to anyone else.
4. I'm in a food rut. This is where you send me recipes for yummy food that your family begs you to make again and again. Go.
5. It is hot and we're going to St. George in a few days. St. George. The 7th circle of Hell. We might have lost our ever-lovin minds.
6. Jack is hilarious. He's so serious and responsible. He was playing Wii Fit tonight and running. (It was so cute and it made me so proud that he wanted to do it because he sees me do it. What great motivation on those days when I'd rather die than run for even 2 seconds together.) Anyway, he had the nunchuck in the back of his pants and I told him that he could hold it in his hand if he wanted to. He said, so seriously, "Mom, it says pacifically that I'm supposed to keep it in my back pocket!" he was shocked that I would suggest he go against the rules set forth by the Wii Fit gods.
7. Lizzy is adorable. We went grocery shopping today and the bakery gave her and Jack a chocolate chip cookie. Before I knew it, she had a full on chocolate goatee, both hands looked like she dipped them in a chocolate fountain and the whole front of her little dress was covered in chocolate. Oh my heavens. I would have been mortified had I not found it so funny. We made an impromptu baby wipe purchase and I cleaned her up before she was suspected of killing and eating one of the Keebler Elves.
8. I'm toying with the idea of running a 10K. Crazy since I ran a 5K and wanted to die. Doubling that would be like insane monkey torture. But for some reason, I really want to do it. I'm considering a "turkey trot" in November. If I don't get committed before then.
9. it's 10:45 and since I'm a hundred years old, I need to go to bed. Goodnight friends, family and Internet crazies!

You're so vain, you probably think this post is about you...

2010-07-13T00:24:00.000-06:00

So you know how you meet someone and you just instantly "click" and you know you're going to be friends forever? I have a friend like that. She is wonderful and I love her. We met at church--I saw her alone with her 3 girls and felt bad for this poor single mother who had a distractingly large zit/cold sore (I'm not sure which, but it was like another entity!) that I kept trying not to stare at. I introduced myself, welcomed her to the ward and told her to call me if she ever needed anything. Well, to my surprise, she called me the next day needing something. Her daughter was sick and she wanted to know if I knew of a good pediatrician. Well, of course I do so I gave her the information and we talked on the phone for 3 hours. This is remarkable if you know me (which some of you do. You Internet Crazies who stumble upon my blog when you google "large picture belgian lace" will just have to take my word for it.) but so it was. We talked about EVERYTHING and I soon learned she wasn't a sad, scorned woman at all. Her husband was finishing up his doctorate and would soon be joining them. We just became better and better friends and pretty soon I knew I couldn't possibly live without her. She's introduced me to what is one of my favorite books, "A Girl Named Zippy." Read it, you'll love it! She also introduced me to some of the other niceties of life I'd have never experienced without her (namely Arrested Development on DVD and Stephen Colbert). Really, I mean, each life that touches ours for good, right? She's also been a part of some of my most embarrassing moments. (being dressed in fairy wings and a pimp hat after the Saturday night session of Stake Conference and taken out for ice cream on my birthday and, well, this magical experience that I still cannot think about without blushing.) She helped Scott plan one of our funnest dates of all time, threw me a babyshower and helped me paint my kitchen. I know every time I get on my treadmill and run even though I want to die that she is proud of me. She made it her personal mission to make sure that my birthday(s) did not suck like it does every year. Pretty great friend right? Right. Until she moved. To WISCONSIN. (Was it something I said?)
The moral of my story is this:
I miss her. Lots. I am blessed to be surrounded by lots of wonderful friends. (Really, you guys are great!) But I need (as Scott says) "a Jami." I don't have a Jami anymore. I need a Jami. I know that there are tons of wonderful friends around me who would be there for me in a second. Who would happily let me pour out the happy and sad and scary and embarrassing things that I have shoved in my heart. But I just can't do it. No one is that perfect combination of everything Jami is for me and I miss that. So I'm currently accepting applications for a new Jami. Here are the qualifications:
-You have to live close to me. Close enough to come over at a moment's notice because I'm trying to cut Scott's hair and I maybe just scalped him and I need you to fix it.
-You have to be able to tell me if it would be wrong to buy the same kind of cologne for my husband that I once bought an old boyfriend
-You have to have at least 1 kid that Jack likes to play with
-You have to be able to recommend a great book
-You have to understand why I think it's funny to say that my attorney's name is Bob Loblaw or why I will often remind you that "The money is in the banana stand!"
-You can't judge me when I tell you that if loving NASCAR is wrong, I don't want to be right
-You need to know when I'm just pretending to be okay when really I'm not
-You need to be able to switch from laughing so hard we cry to crying so hard we laugh in the flip of a switch
-You need to have a husband that understands and can actually entertain Scott
-You need to have kids who think I'm the coolest thing since sliced bread, who know where my snack drawer is and who will let me take them on birthday adventures
-You need to support my parenting decisions and have similar parenting philosophies
-You need to be secure enough to come with me to see some great bands in concert even if it means inadvertently attending a gay pride event. Bonus points if you sport your "Erase the hate" plastic purple bracelet every now and then just to relive the memories.
-Be able to convince me that I DO, in fact, WANT to go check out yard sales because I could end up finding some really cute, super cheap clothes for my kid.
-You need to be able to tell when I'm overwhelmed and need to get out of the house for lunch or dinner. You need to have enough pull with Scott to accomplish this on short notice.
I'm sure there are more I'll think of later, but be aware that if you'll do my hair and/or nails for free, I can forgive some of the above items. ;o)

I miss you friend. BFF.

Better late than never!

2010-07-02T15:23:00.000-06:00

I am so ashamed that I just now finished our 2009 album. I am so proud of the fact that I work on our books a little every month but since Lizzy came, I've just not always had time. Anyway, it's done now and I'm so proud of how it turned out. It's going to be just gorgeous and I can't wait to hold it in my hands and look at it with Jack and Scott!! (Lizzy will just want to eat it!) Anyway, check out the preview and oooh and ahhh over how beautifully it turned out. Then go to my website and make one for YOUR family!

Would you pay five bucks to mock me?

2010-06-03T11:51:00.000-06:00

Because you just might get your chance. So here's the story. I have this friend named Lori. I love Lori. She is wonderful and she has saved my very last thread of sanity on more than one occasion. For this reason (and because I casually put it on my list of things to do before I die) I didn't put up too much of a fight when she told me in her sweet way that she was directing a play and I was going to be in it. I agreed, under the very strict condition that there would be no dancing. Have I ever mentioned that dear sweet Lori is a stinkin liar and I WILL get even if it's the very last thing that I do? But I ride bikes. So I'm in this play. You should come. Bring a blanket and your family. You can all make fun of me together. (the family that mocks together stays together, I always say!) As long as you pay your $5, I don't care. Am I going to completely humiliate myself? Oh yeah. I went into this expecting to be in the chorus and, well, I got more than I bargained for. One such example involves feather boas. Don't worry. It's G rated. ;o) Anyhoo--it's half complete cheese and half actually pretty moving. So get out your five bucks and come make fun of me. See you there. I'll be the one rocking and sobbing behind the backdrop.

Huh. The second link doesn't work...

2010-05-19T14:44:00.006-06:00

Here is a link to see the Preschool book

Here's the link to see Lizzy's book:

What do you think?

Two Reasons Why I Haven't Cleaned My House in Two Weeks

2010-05-19T14:42:00.001-06:00

PROJECTS!! It's been so fun working on these two projects. The first is Lizzy's First Year book. I made one of these for Jack and I LOVE going back and looking through it and seeing pictures from when he was my itty bitty baby. (Snort!) Lizzy's turned out really cute. I like it!

I'll post the second project in another post--both links don't work in one post!

(To be read in your best Frosty the Snowman voice) Happy Birthday!

2010-05-05T11:13:00.000-06:00

So Elisabeth is a year old today. A year old! That, for the record, is 12 months. 365 days. Incredible! I've said it before and I'll say it again..it's like we've always had her. I was saying earlier that I read the article in People magazine about Sandra Bullock adopting and she said when she saw him it was like, "Oh! There you are!" That's exactly how it is with Lizzy. I don't know what we did without her! So to celebrate her birthday, I'll tell you 20 things about l'il Lu that you may or may not know about her:
1. She is hilarious! She loves doing things to make us laugh like sticking out her tongue or playing peekaboo. What a little sense of humor!
2. She hates wearing all the cute hairbows I love to make for her! In fact, she hates having her hair messed with period. She prefers the krazy Kaveman look. (Spelled with K's to pay homage to the land of my inheritance)
3. She loves wearing Scott's hats. She'll take his hat from his head and put it on her own. Yesterday, she got a hat from her room and brought it to us to put on her. Of course it only lasts for a minute until she yanks it off again.
4. Speaking of yanking things off--she hates wearing socks and will pull them off the second we put them on her feet.
5. She loves music! She's fascinated by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir!
6. She also loves dancing, which I (the recovering Baptist) cannot explain. For the last couple of months we've noticed that when she's standing up if she hears music she'll dance. She also does this when she's sitting down. To quote the great Chandler Bing, "Gloria Estefan was right. Sooner or later, the rhythm IS going to get you!"
7. She loves food and would eat all day, everyday if we would let her.
8. This girl LOVES a sippy cup. If she sees a sippy cup or water bottle, chances are she's headed for it. Doesn't matter what is in it, she wants it and I mean NOW.
9. Same for drinks with straws. Although, she's not quite figured out that you're supposed to SWALLOW whatever liquid it is that you've succeeded in sucking up.
10. She wants what she wants when she wants it. Hoo doggy!
11. She's really such a good girl. Unless we're on familiar turf, she's happy to sit quietly and be held by someone she loves.
12. She's got some major attachment issues to Mommy and Daddy. She loves her brother and she likes Aunt Lisa, everyone else she can either take or leave. She'll tolerate them as long as they're not up in her grill. (I'm so gangsta!)
13. She can say "Dad." She CAN say "Mom" but prefers "Dad." Sometimes she says something that I think means "Jack."
14. Speaking of Jack, man oh man! Nobody loves that little boy like his sister. (And vice versa!) They're so close, I hate to think of the stark reality that for a period of time they're going to despise each other until they grow up and remember how much they love one another. She wants to be everywhere Jack is, doing everything that he does. She loves playing with his toys and even wanted to color yesterday because he was. When I drop him off at Preschool, she cries and cries!
15. Speaking of Jack's toys, she likes to drive cars around and make car noises. My dad is so proud.
16. She's got an amazing sense of adventure. She's in the stage where she wants to climb up on everything! Nothing (except someone unfamiliar trying to hold her) really scares her. She loves to be scared, she loves being tossed around...anything that takes her breath away just thrills her. Yikes.
17. She hates anything (except yogurt) that she cannot feed herself. It makes her mad and she smears it in her hair.
18. She gives really awesome slobbery kisses!
19. If you hand her something made of fleece, she'll hold it up to her face and stick her fingers in her mouth like she does at bedtime. She'll do this no matter what time of day it is.
20. When she doesn't get her way, she'll sit down on the floor and put her head on the ground in a really dramatic sort of way. Sigh. Have mercy.

She has single handedly brought more joy and laughter into our family than we have ever known. I was assured I would not be lucky to have 2 really good kids, but so far so good! She is wonderful and even though I know the day rapidly approaches when she's more sass than good and we are going to butt heads like crazy, I love this little girl with unmatched ferocity. I can't wait to see what she grows up to accomplish. I'm reminded of a saying I heard a couple of months ago: "Good women: May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them." I hope we are able to raise her in a way that will enable her to maintain her independence while tempering her spirit. She's going to great and amazing things--if she wants to. This little friend isn't going to do a single thing that isn't her own idea. No wonder I'm so tired!

"Give" said the little stream...

2010-05-04T20:51:00.000-06:00

So have you ever heard of the "29 Gifts" movement? I hadn't, until I read something my friend Toni posted on her Facebook and it intrigued me. It all started with a woman who was diagnosed with MS as a newlywed. She was pretty much wallowing in self-pity when she was challenged by an African medicine-woman (have we ever discussed how much I love Africans?) to give away 29 gifts in 29 days. The gifts could be anything, but they had to be authentic and mindful and at least one gift had to be something she felt was scarce in her life. So she did it with apparently amazing results (I'm reading the book) and started this global movement to give. I love this idea, not because I'm in need of anything--I feel remarkably blessed--but because I like the idea of it being thoughtful instead of random. Of course, I've found that most of the time when I've given something to someone it has been one of those spur-of-the-moment "you need something and I can help" times. But right now I DO need to concentrate more on others than myself and I like this idea. I love the idea of blessing someone everyday for 29 days. If it brings me more peace, more contentment, more whatever, tant mieux (loosely translated: rock on). So I decided to start today and I'm going to try and document my little journey here when I have time. I feel awkward doing it because I'm pretty comfortable with the whole "Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth" school of thought. I don't want to appear to be bragging about whatever it is that I "give." But I do want to share the experiences that are sure to come along with this sort of venture. So at the risk of appearing pompous, I shall go forth and blog.
I started today. I decided to take a bag of clothes to DI and while for a moment I thought maybe that shouldn't count because A. I always take stuff to DI and B. It's not like I needed them anymore. But then I remembered that "my donation blesses many nations" so I did it. I also had an opportunity to give a friend $5 when going to lunch later. Again, it doesn't feel like much..it was only $5. I think I need to lose the idea that what I do needs to be a grand gesture. It doesn't have to be big, it only has to be "mindful." Hmmmm...food for thought.

If you want to join me in this grand adventure o' giving, check out www.29gifts.org and make sure to let me know--I'd love to support you and have your support!

Ask and ye shall receive...

2010-04-28T00:10:00.000-06:00

So as my 2nd 5K approaches, and since I've been raising money for it (thanks to those of you who have donated so far. Those of you who have not should do so RIGHT NOW! It's for Race for the Cure which is an amazing cause!!!) I've had a lot of people ask how my 1st 5K went. My answer: "Meh." So, since it's nearly midnight, I'm so tired I have ZERO inner filter and inquiring minds want to know, let me just TELL you how my 1st 5K went. It sucked. Big time.
I was so excited for it, I can honestly tell you I've not worked that hard for anything ever in my life. I ran in rain and shine. In snow, in fog and on ice. When it was 9 degrees. When I was sick. I'd been running about 3 miles for the entire week beforehand so I knew I was ready. I was SOOOOO not ready.
I started off pretty good. I still run pretty slow, but I was doing okay. Until about a mile into it when runners at the beginning started passing us on their way to the finish line. (Seriously, some guy ran it in like 16 minutes. I hate him.) It really kicked me in the head. Was I that much of a loser? Maybe I was...then we get a little ways farther and this little girl who was with one of the race volunteers said, and I quote, "You guys are going to have to walk faster than that! You're not even halfway!" Imagine what a balloon looks like when you let all of the air out of it and it flies all around the room as it deflates. That was my spirit. My friend Heather (who was running next to me--not walking--running) said to the volunteer, "I'm coming back to run that little girl over with my truck!" Ahhh...my little ray of sunshine. Love her. That wasn't even the worst part! I suddenly saw: The Hill. Holy effin crap. The Hill. It seemed to go straight up and I thought that if I wasn't going to die, I wanted to. I somehow made it to the top but had to walk a little bit. (Like 10 steps or so, but still....I was determined to run the whole thing!) This made me feel even crappier. I was trying to get "in the zone" and forget that it was hotter than Hades (I'd been used to running in the cold winter mornings, not warm spring afternoons), my body was throwing a fit that would rival any 3 year old being dragged out of a candy store and I'd just wussed out and walked. So I'm focused. And I'm running. One foot in front of the other. I see the halfway point (seriously? I'm ONLY halfway????) and then I see my little family. My husband and my son and one of my best friends and my mother in law. They have balloons. They have a sign that says "Congratulations, Mommy!" It was the sweetest gesture in the world, but it made me cry which made me lose the focus I'd been working so hard on. I couldn't wave or acknowledge them because then I would cry harder which would make it even worse. I felt like I totally DID NOT deserve the encouragement of my sweet little boy. I was struggling just to keep going. But for some crazy reason I did. And when I was about a half mile from the finish line, some friends who had already finished the race but are just so amazing that they had to do it again run past us in the opposite direction. Really? You're going to do it TWICE? I hate you. We see the finish line, but I'm not sure where I should be running so I was going to just take a shortcut, skip the finish line and get to my family. (THEY were my finish line!) Everyone was yelling at us to go to the finish line, "Come around! Come around!" (They are SOOOO lucky I couldn't breathe...the only response I had to that involved profanity.) I finished. I was just glad it was over and I could barely walk for 2 days afterward.
So yeah yeah yeah, I did it. Good and fine. But I didn't do it WELL. Remember that I'm not a mediocre person. I'd rather not do something at all than only do it halfway and even though, technically, I finished (and not even last, thanks to a couple of lesbians, a REALLY chubby lady and man and a 90 year old woman), I didn't do as well as I wanted to. Was it my best? Probably. Shouldn't that be good enough for me? Sure. But it's not. I wasn't proud of my performance and it was actually a really deflating experience.
So now I have another one coming up. I didn't run for a month after that 5K, mostly because I'd had 2 oral surgeries and wasn't allowed to, but I've been training for the last 2 weeks. My goal is to be running 4 miles by May 8th when I run, since if I can run 4 then maybe the 3.whatever won't make me ask the Lord to just take me Home. But today I went 2.5 miles and it nearly did me in. I've never sweat so much in my life. I just couldn't go any further. How the H am I going to be ready to run this 5K in time? Is it going to be another really crappy experience, this time worse since I've raised money for this amazing cause that I really believe in? I guess the money has been raised, that's all that is expected of me, but still...I just feel like I should be able to do better and I can't and I hate that. I know I could use a little perspective here and I probably am being too hard on myself but that is why I've not posted about the race. And don't even ASK to see pictures. GAAAAA! Not pretty. Anyhoo..there you have it. I'm going to bed.

Petit nounours

2010-04-16T02:27:00.000-06:00

So Wednesday my little sister called me and she was super upset because my brother in law had just been admitted to the ER with some sort of crazy viral infection that attacked his GI Tract and they couldn't get him to stop vomiting. This is pretty crappy in and of itself but to make matters worse, her C-Section was scheduled for the very next day and they told her he shouldn't be in the operating room when she had the baby. I cannot even imagine how scared she was. My poor brother in law was feeling like the world's worst dad/husband. On a long shot, I called a friend who works for Delta and she was able to get me a buddy pass to fly out. Just a few hours later, I was in the air!
Little Jaden was born today (er, yesterday--it's waaaaay after midnight) and it was the coolest experience. I'm so sad that Matt couldn't be there to witness his son being born, but feel so blessed to have been able to be there. It was really awesome to get to experience it from a different perspective. As the mommy, I've been so out of it while my kids have been born. This time I could really take it all in and it was amazing. They took him out and brought him around the drape to show him to us then took him over to the table to clean him up. As soon as they had him on the table they told me I could come take pictures. It was amazing! He was blue and wrinkly and covered in that gross greasy stuff but just beautiful. They roughed him up and wiped most of the gunk off and let me take him to Brandi. We cried and oohed and ahhed and took more pictures then I got to carry him to the recovery room to see his daddy. Matt and I got to help the nurse give him a bath and get him dressed. So awesome! I was the last one to see both of my kids so to have this opportunity was just incredible. And while my sister is afraid that he loves me more than he loves her (soooo not true--she's the food source which pretty much puts her at the top of his list) he and I truly do have an incredible bond. He seems to know my smell as well as his mom's and we've had some pretty sweet snuggles in just the short time he's been around. Each of Brandi's kids have had a specific (and literally a LIFESAVING) purpose and little Jaden is no exception. By the standards of modern medicine, he shouldn't be here. How wonderful that there is a God who is all-knowing and all-powerful who is TRULY in charge. One who sees the beginning AND the end. My little sister has been given a tremendous blessing that she didn't even know she needed. Everyone is crazy in love with him and I cannot wait to see what great things this little boy will do someday. I don't think he can help but be amazing. Here are some pictures of my sweet little teddybear:

More Reddo Drama!

2010-04-09T13:21:00.000-06:00

Okay, so for those of you ~~sad pathetic friends who have nothing else to and therefore need a hobby~~ who read my blog might remember Jack's imaginary friend Reddo. First, Reddo had a heart attack and Jack inherited his wife and 9 kids. Then, in a wonderful stroke of luck, Reddo was resurrected! Hallelujah! Well TODAY Jack informed me that Reddo is having a baby. I was confused. I said, "But Jack, I thought Reddo was a boy because the first time he died, you got his wife!" Then, as serious as can be, he says this. Brace yourself. "He WAS a boy, Mom. But then he built a sir and ma'am machine and accidentally got stuck in it so it turned him into a ma'am instead of a sir!" WOAH! Talk about an unfortunate work accident! You really have to feel bad for poor Reddo. I can't even imagine what will happen to him next!
I don't know who I bribed in another life to get this wonderful little boy as my son but I am one lucky girl. My heavens I love this little dude and his crazy imagination!

The faith of a child...

2010-04-05T21:23:00.000-06:00

So maybe we're the only friends in the world who have these problems but for us, Family Home Evening is hit and miss. We have these really great ones and...ones like tonight when all Jack wants to do is get through it so he can watch Curious George and make another Lego tower. I get so frustrated with these things--especially after a weekend of trying to watch General Conference while constantly reminding him that no, we will not go play because we are watching Conference. So there I was, getting all frustrated, when I realized that maybe this isn't important to him not because he doesn't care, but because he doesn't understand. I'm by no means underestimating a child's faith. They have this ability we do not have to believe in what they do not see. But he's getting older and it stands to reason that his interest will naturally lean towards...well, his interests. Building, farming, shooting, arresting. Oh, he knows the concepts. He says the sweetest prayers, we've discussed Jesus and the Resurrection and the real meaning of Easter so much lately in an attempt to overshadow the importance of the Bunny that he can tell you every detail of the Easter story without even leaving out that the linens were folded in the tomb. But I don't know if it's in his heart and that scares me. I think this is why so many people distance themselves from our Heavenly Father. They're taught the precepts as a child and perhaps even longer. But maybe, for whatever reason, these things are not written on their hearts. I don't want that for my children. However, I cannot give him that. We read scriptures, we pray, we testify, we teach, we live but at the end of the day HE has to absorb more than the facts. He has to develop a love for a God that he cannot see. He has to pray knowing that Someone is absolutely listening. How do I do that? Not only with my own children, but also the 65+ children in our ward boundaries over whom I have stewardship? Is it enough to teach him by example? Will he figure it out? How?
I'll admit that I got so frustrated tonight that he wouldn't participate in FHE that I told him if he didn't want to do this with us, he was welcome to go to bed. He went to his room crying and I felt bad. I realized these things upon which I'm expounding and went into his room and cuddled on his bed and told him about the Spirit. I told him that He speaks to us softly, often in our heads and in our own voices. I told him the Spirit warns us when we might get hurt, He prompts us to help others we might not otherwise know need help. I told him when we feel the Spirit, we feel happy and we don't feel the Spirit, we might feel grumpy and fight or argue with one another. I explained that we want the Spirit to be in our home and the things we do to invite Him is to keep our house clean, to watch good movies, good shows on TV, listen to good music, read good books. I asked him what he could do to help us keep the Spirit in our home and he told me somethings. I told him that I know it's hard to feel close to Heavenly Father when we can't see Him, but He is in our hearts and He loves us. I told him to think about Heavenly Father as he went to sleep. To pray and ask Him if He is there. I told him I wanted him to know for himself that he is His child, not just to believe it because I tell him to. Was that too much? It didn't seem to be. Is that enough? I want my child to have faith, but I want him to have his OWN faith, not mine. I know that kids know more than we give them credit for, but I feel like in this, they might not. So my question for you--friends, family, Internet crazies--how do you teach your kids faith? I hope I don't have to remind you that if you're interested in using the forum to bash my personal religious beliefs or remind me that I'm going straight to hell, please refrain from commenting. I think this is something that affects people of all faiths. Again I reiterate--how do you help your children ABSORB their faith and make it something they FEEL as much as something they KNOW?

Regrets

2010-03-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks, I've been thinking often of my favorite Anne. I met Anne when I was a missionary in Strasbourg. We were "teaching" her. I put that in quotes because I think I learned more from her than she ever did from me. I remember seeing the light in her eyes when the Gospel "clicked" for her. When she got it and wanted so badly to be baptized. She came to church, she prayed the most humble and sincere prayers I'd ever heard. She loved us with every ounce of her soul and we loved her. She had some lingering (and honestly completely unnecessary) guilt for a choice she made while living in Africa and didn't feel worthy of baptism. She said she needed more preparation and we respected that. She didn't get baptized while I was there, but I felt deeply that I was called to the mission I was because I needed her. Or she needed me. Or something, but SHE was the reason I went there. The last time I saw her, before I was transferred out of Strasbourg, I gave her my CTR ring and told her I loved her. Her plans were to move to the States to go to school in Minnesota--she was a very educated woman, but France didn't recognize her African degree. I didn't really keep in touch with her for the rest of my mission, but when I came home and moved to Utah she called me one night. I was so excited to talk to her! She was working on her Master's degree and working hard, like she did with everything else in her life. Her son was enrolled in highschool in California, I think, although he would later join her in Minnesota. That was in the summer of 2001 and it was the last time I talked to her. I don't even know if I remembered to invite her to my wedding.
Friday I just got the strongest impression that I needed to find her. To find out how she was doing--if she finished school and where she went after? Back to France? Back to Africa? How are her children? Her pretty daughter who wanted to be a chef--who cooked us fried plantains that I choked down while Anne laughed that giant laugh that filled the room. What about her son? She was so worried that he was already headed down a scary road and he was so young--I thought he was great because he obligingly let me rub the back of his head, which I loved! I searched online and couldn't find anything about her, but DID find her 2 kids. I found her son on Facebook and sent him a message asking if he was, in fact, Anne's son and if so how is she doing? Where is she? He responded the next day with news that ripped my heart out. He said he WAS Anne's son. She died in 2002 of liver cancer and that it's really "a long tragic story." I still don't know that story, although I feel like I need to. What I do know is that since I read that I have been beating myself up for not keeping in touch with her. Why did it take me EIGHT YEARS to find out this wonderful woman is actually gone? There's no reason for that. No reason at all. I hate this about our culture and I hate that I'm so guilty of it. As a missionary, the people with whom I became close often lamented that they become such good friends with missionaries who say they'll keep in touch after they're home but they never do. We get home and get busy and more and more time goes by when we realize it's been so long, they probably don't remember us. After all, quite often missionaries become a blur of names and faces. But she was My Anne. And she called me. Knowing what I know, she was probably sick when she called me. She probably knew. I don't even remember what we talked about, I just remember how elated I was to hear her voice and that wonderful accent. I'm sure I got her phone number, why didn't I use it? Why didn't I call her? I could beat myself up forever about this but I can't. Mostly because she would be furious if she knew how angry I am at myself. Anne would understand and she would love and even if she WERE still here and I DID call her today, I wouldn't be a blurry memory. I would be her "Soeur" and she would want to know everything about my life now and we would talk like it hadn't been more than a minute since we'd seen each other.
My point is this: I am choosing to live my life with less regrets. The people I love WILL know that I love them. I am spending the next 2 weeks sending cards to people with whom I've lost touch. I still have a bunch of addresses from my mission and if those people are still there, they will hear from me. There is one last favor I can do for Anne. The reason, I believe, why I've felt so prompted to find her. I can only hope for her family's love and blessing and I cannot wait to see her big smile and to feel her hug me again. Until then, say it with me Steph--cancer sucks.

More Hilarity Courtesy of Monsieur!

2010-03-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

So remember how Jack cracks us up pretty much on a continual basis? Oh my--he was ON ONE yesterday. I don't know where the kid comes up with this stuff! Here's how it went down: Remember our conversation about his friend Reddo? Well, last night we were sitting at the dinner table and he says something about Reddo! (Okay, where did he get this name--Reddo? What the? But I ride bikes.) I said, "I thought Reddo died?" He said, "He did, but then Jesus came and now he's resurrected." Oh my goodness. How do you keep a straight face?? I don't know if I should laugh or be concerned that my son is spreading false doctrine! (So help me--if he starts his own church and starts collecting tithing...) Me: "Really? Wow!" Jack: "Yeah, Jesus comes once a month. And Reddo died on the 29th and then Jesus came on the 30th so he's alive again." And he's so serious! I managed to say, "Wow..um, that's really lucky!" The mind reels. But that's not all! Oh no, kids! Later on, Lisa was talking about how she thinks something might be wrong with her printer and she needs to call someone to get it fixed or replaced or something. Jack comes upstairs with his play phone and this is what he says, "Hello, Jack S******** here. My friend needs a new printer. What?! What do you mean you can't deliver it until tomorrow? She needs it today! Listen. I am a construction worker and I have an owie. She NEEDS that printer. May I speak to a supervisor?" He then sadly informed us that there was nothing they could do. We just can't get the printer until tomorrow. Oh my gosh, I was laughing so hard. So there you have it. A wee bit of delight courtesy of Mr. Jack. Before you ask, let me just assure you that, yes, we DO write this stuff down! (Are you kidding me? I'm a Heritage Maker!!)

Les Nouvelles

2010-02-16T17:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, so my friend Google took me to a few websites with some Family Home Evening ideas for instilling kindness in these ~~little monkeys~~ sweet children with whom we have been entrusted. (I've added a button on the side in case you're a cheater like I am!) This, in a nutshell, is what we did: We read some scriptures about kindness and then I set out 2 plastic dishes--one full of candy and one full of marbles and one jar for each of us. I asked him which he'd rather have fill his jar--candy or rocks? Of course he said candy. I asked which he'd want to fill MY jar with--luckily he said candy. Same with Daddy's jar and Aunt Lisa's jar. I explained that when I say something nice to him it's like I'm putting a piece of candy in his jar. If I say something rude or mean, it's like I'm putting a rock in his jar. We talked about some examples of things we say and whether or not they're rocks or candy. We also discussed tone--we could say a word that isn't mean, but if we say it with a mean voice, it BECOMES a mean word. Then I told him that this week we would pay attention to each other. When we hear someone say something nice, we should put a piece of candy in their jar. Likewise if they say something mean, we should put a rock in their jar. Then we busted out some art supplies and decorated labels for our individual jars. He LOVED it. Loved it! He has tried SO hard today to say kind words and has really been checking himself when he starts to say something rude. It's been awesome. In fact, today I was talking to Scott on the phone about Jack's Parent/Teacher conference which went very well and we were discussing how to reward him. I started speaking in French and Lisa asked Jack, "Don't you hate it when they speak in French?" Jack said, "No, and you'd better be careful or you're going to earn a rock in your jar." HA! I laughed so dang hard. He's so funny. So we'll see how long this lasts. Hopefully it'll stick and if this week goes well, we'll continue a little longer with the jar thing. I'll let you know!

Parenting 101

2010-02-15T15:02:00.002-07:00

So I need your advice. I'm having a terrible time with Monsieur and his too-smart mouth. Here's the haps: When Jack doesn't get his way, he'll say something really outlandish and storm off. Example: He's sick. He has a fever. I told him he needed to go take a short nap and see if he feels better. He storms off saying, "You know I'm a construction worker and I have a job to do. You just want me to get fired!" Funny? Yes. Seemingly innocent because it's ridiculous? Yes. However, this happens All.The.Time. Literally more than 10 times a day. Whenever he doesn't get his way. Storms off crying but leaves us with some sort of a "punishment." "Well then I'm not going to fix your water pipes!" It's not terrible, but it IS disrespectful and I won't have it. But I have NO CLUE what to do about it. Don't tell him that. He's now in his room forcing himself to cry, he's just woken up Lizzy and when Scott asked what is wrong with him, he said, "My feelings are hurt." Because I told him he needed to take a nap. I didn't yell. I didn't spank. I said, "You have a fever. You need to rest. Please go take a nap."
Aren't GIRLS supposed to be the dramatic ones? It looks like selling him to the gypsies is my only solution unless you have a better idea.

Silly, silly boy!

2010-02-08T19:35:00.002-07:00

The two funniest things Jack has said today:
"Mom! I created a commercial for walnuts. Want to hear it? It goes like this: Walnuts-you can let your dogs eat them! May cause barfing or diarrhea."

"Would you care for some ice cream madam? I can scoop it. I work cheap."

This kid never ceases to crack us up.

Project 365

2010-01-25T11:13:00.001-07:00

So I'm doing a project called "Project 365" and the idea is that you take a picture everyday for 365 days. This is easy if you have a camera on your cell phone. I've found it easy to just set an alarm on my phone and if I've not already taken a picture that day, I go find something to take a picture of. I'm going to try to post my pictures each day (that'll come in another post to catch y'all up) Of course I plan on making a book with all of my pictures, even choosing my favorite photo of the week. I'm excited to preserve the memories of even the seemingly little things in our daily lives. I know my kids will love this later on down the road!

P5

2010-01-15T15:20:00.002-07:00

Remember, friends, back in the day when Peggy's Pretty Priceless Passing Points was a list of 10 random things on my mind? Well, I'm procrastinating housework so here are 10 random things that I think about. Be afraid.

1. The "Couch to 5K" Program that I've been doing is awesome. And fun. And you all should go do it right now. ;o) Okay, maybe not RIGHT now, but I seriously recommend it to anyone who wants to add the adventure of running to their lives. I also seriously recommend running buddies (I heart Brenda E, Natalie S. and Heather C. for hauling their sorry arses out in the snow/9 degree temperatures/fog to run with me. May your husbands all be transformed into the celebrity hottie of your choice in the next life.) and rrrreally good running shoes. I can say this because now, I'm a runner and that makes me better than you.
2. Okay, maybe "runner" is a bit liberal. I am a "practically running in place I'm so slow-er" But I'm still better than you.
3. I am a miserable failure at couponing. Can I confess that here? I want to do it. I HAVE done it. But consistently tracking sales, keeping track of my coupons, driving to every store from here to creation intimidates me like almost nothing else in this world. And the math! THE MATH, PEOPLE! Once upon a time, Scott told me that if I would use coupons I could have all the money that I saved back in cash. I wonder if he'd be willing to make that agreement with me again. I might be persuaded to defeat the couponing beast if that were the case.
4. Jack's birthday is coming up and we have no earthly idea what to get him. This is because A. He doesn't need anything and B. He hasn't played with hardly ANY of his toys that he got at Christmas. Lego Star Wars and his light saber are pretty much his favorite things in the world right now. (He's even abandoned his tools, if you believe that!) Maybe we can get him another light saber so he can stop handing people his little broom and telling them to pretend it's a light saber.
5. Speaking of Jack--let's talk about this for a second. So my friend Lisa and her husband Brandon have moved in with us. Brandon will only be here another week, until he gets deployed. Lisa will stay until he comes back. This is the problem: Jack loves Brandon. Jack wants to be everywhere Brandon is. Jack has seen all the stuff that Brandon got to take to Iraq with him. Jack now wants to know why Brandon has to be the one to go to war? What is war anyway? Is he going to get hurt? Can't someone else go instead? I find it hard to explain these things to my almost-5-year old.
6. I don't know what to make for dinner tonight. The menu says Chicken Fingers and Oven Fries but I'm not feeling it. And I think I'm out of potatoes. How do you run out of potatoes? Why didn't I get some during my FRIGGIN' HOUR LONG SHOPPING TRIP AT WALMART???
7. Don't you hate it when one of your friends (no matter how close, though the closer they are the harder it is) changes into someone you can't even recognize? (I'm not talking about physical appearances--although that'd be pretty crappy, (not to mention creepy) too) I'm talking about someone who seems to have it all together but suddenly becomes..not altogether and seems totally fine with that. Maybe I'm not making sense, but it bugs me and I'm dealing with it and I hate it. Now, having written all of this I'm realizing that I WAS this person when I came home from my mission. I came home so different than I was when I left and this change was not welcome to a lot of my friends. I kept hearing "When are you going to be YOU again?" I couldn't help them understand that THIS was ME. I liked this person I'd become and didn't plan on changing. So I guess the answer to my own question is that I need to understand that, for better or for worse, this IS this person now and I can either accept it and stay friends with them or not and don't. I don't like that answer because it pretty strongly leads to my not being friends with this person and that doesn't sound like much fun to me.
8. I don't have TIVO and I'm afraid my life might not be complete. Consider it officially on my birthday list.
9. I have a hard time being like Jesus. This is no surprise to ANY of you who know me (well, and quite frankly any who don't--I'm talking to you, Internet Crazies!) but this seems especially disabling at church now that I'm responsible for the shorties in our ward boundaries. I just want to shake some people. Or punch them. Or cuss them out. You know how on "Monster In Law" they kind of daydream about how awesome it would to the just take the other out? I'm doing that now and it's AWESOME. But not at all what Jesus would do. Dang it.
10. I will give a million dollars to the person who can give me the best idea to keep the girl-child OUT of the dog's food and water (while still enabling appropriate-dog-type access). She loves it. She's drawn to it. It beckons her. "Here, Lizzy Lizzy! Come to me! Come splash in the water, shove your face full of crunchy chicken and rice and vegetable deliciousness! Your mom is too busy blogging to even notice!" CURSE YOU, BECKONING DOG FOOD!
11. (Bonus) Until I come up with a solution to my aforementioned dog food dilemma, do I could one mouthful of dog food as a serving of vegetables?

A Sad, Sad Day..

2010-01-07T11:16:00.004-07:00

Dear friends/family/Internet Crazies,
It is with deep sorrow and a heavy heart that I tell you that yesterday, around 10AM, I took myself nigh unto the land of Costco and returned...I can barely type this without sadness...my Magic Bullet Express. There, I said it. (A moment of silence for my hopes and dreams that have been mercilessly flushed and are well on their way to the Sewer of Sorrows) I actually had two of them. I broke the first one (as it turns out, the blades are supposed to "click" on or else the inside gets stripped and it did nothing but make a horrific high-pitched sound--I would like to take a moment to thank Costco for their liberal return policy!) I got the second one and realized that, really, you have to be working with A LOT of food for it to really work. I was shredding chicken and most of it ended up UNDERNEATH the blades and got all mushy. Maybe I have some sort of a Magic Bullet Handicap and there is a way around this but I was also not impressed when I used the slicer and it flung food all over the place because I couldn't hold the bowl RIGHT UP to the spout As it turns out one needs 3 hands to be able to manage this effectively and the Good Lord chose to send me down with only 2. (We'll be discussing that someday--right after I ask him why in the WORLD He thought it was a good idea to make me the Primary president! I demand answers!!) So I am food processor-less. It's a sad situation to be in and I don't recommend it to anyone. Sigh. Do you have a food processor? Which one is it? What do you like best about it? What do you like the least?
And now back to your regularly scheduled reading of stuff that actually matters...

2009 Year in Pictures!

2010-01-04T13:06:00.008-07:00

I've NEVER ever EVER claimed to be any sort of creative. In fact, I'm pretty open about my tendency to steal others' great ideas. This idea belongs to one of my old est friends (by that I mean "she's been my friend longer than anyone else" not "she's friggin' ancient" Love you, Lise!) Anyway, here is a recap of our year!

JANUARY

First, we acquired a new family member. We adopted Ginger with the hope that it would better help Jack adjust to not being the center of attention. Every little boy needs a dog and Ginger is Jack's best friend. Of course, in hindsight, it really wasn't necessary. She's sometimes naughty and I think half-kangaroo, but we love her and Jack would just be lost without her.

So also in January, my cute little brother Phyllip graduated from highschool. This was such a huge accomplishment for him! School wasn't really a priority for him early on (this MAY have started when he got kicked out of daycare for biting other kids..) and I think he was in 9th grade 3 times but he finally got his act together and worked so hard he was able to finish only 6 months later. He also won the "Turnaround Scholarship" for his hard work. This kid is capable of ANYTHING he wants to do. I know he has it in him to do some incredible things in this world--right now he's my favorite race car driver. (Sorry, Dale!)

FEBRUARY

In February, my big sister Alicia got married to a wonderful man! I surprised her by going to Virginia for her wedding. While I will never again for any reason fly 7 months pregnant, it was so great to be there. To meet my beautiful niece Hannah and to see my amazing and wonderful boys Hunter and Austin was worth the seemingly eternal flight and pretty much not being able to breathe for 5 straight hours while flying. ;o) She was a beautiful bride, it was an honor to have my nephews escort me down the aisle and I couldn't ask for a better brother in law. Jerome is awesome and funny and he loves my sister. (Kind of miraculous--she's sort of a pain!)

Here is the whole wedding party. Hunter is the twin with longer hair than Austin and of course Miss Hannah is front and center. It had been about 10 years since I saw those boys. I was worried they wouldn't let me hug and love on them. I was glad to be wrong. They are still as sweet and loving as they were when they were 3 years old and Austin hid my keys so I couldn't leave. I couldn't love these kids more even if I tried real hard. They are AWESOME.

MAY

The next big event was the arrival of Miss Elisabeth. She was born May 5th and our lives have been better ever since! I am equal parts constantly amazed at how big she's getting and unsure of what we ever did without her. Our whole family revolves around our Lizzy. We all just dote on her and she absolutely adores her big brother. Luckily, the feeling is mutual (for now) and he lives to make her laugh. The cute girlie holding our new little bundle of barf is my midwife, Christy. She's clearly amazing since I've so graciously considered her "family blog-worthy." LOVE this girl. She's awesome and funny and was so good to put up with me when I sat in her office crying because I couldn't stop throwing up. My favorite Christy line was this: I was in her office getting my second round of IV's because I was so dehydrated and she asked me if I wanted a Coke. I said that I thought I wasn't supposed to drink caffeine while I was pregnant and she said, "Crack babies are born every day. You can drink a Coke." Love her! Love Lizzy! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

JUNE

2009 was a good year for weddings. One of my very best friends Lisa (she's the one in white) got married in June. (Although, really, what kind of crappy friend makes you a bridesmaid in her wedding 6 weeks after you have a baby? Try finding a dress in THAT little situation! Ugh.) Anyway, she got married in Arizona and it was fun to go down there (although I cried all the way to the airport because I was leaving my new baby!!)

Okay, I just had to toss this picture in because I love it. (If you're in the Idaho Falls area and need a good photographer, let me know. My friends Sam and Sara have a GREAT photography business up there!) Anyhoo--I love this picture. As we were walking with Lisa towards the building where she was married, she said she was so nervous. I don't know which of us suggested we pray..I kind of think it was her..anyway, we stopped to pray and it was a very sweet moment. This picture just reminds me how important it is to keep the Lord in every aspect of our lives and that He is ALWAYS there for us. I have been told by more than one person that I'm not a Christian because I don't believe in the "right version" of Jesus Christ (please don't bother to comment on this if you want to argue about it. No offense.) but I know that my relationship with God is personal and real and I'm grateful that it will be to Him that I will be accountable. Tangent over. I'm so glad I am surrounded by such great friends who support me and who I can support in return. Moving on!

JULY

July was bittersweet. Sweet because we took Lizzy to Idaho to meet my family for the first time. Of course everyone fell in love with her! Ever since I was itty bitty, my grandma's bed has been my very favorite place to sleep. Apparently, Elisabeth felt the same way because she slept until I woke her up around noon!! I love this picture of her and my grandma dozing together. So sweet!! (And I love that Lizzy sleeps with her arms above her head--both Scott AND I sleep that way and every now and again Jack does, too, if he's really tired.)

The "bitter" part of July was Jack's foot surgery. Poor kid had both feet operated on in an attempt to straighten them. The doctor snipped the ligaments on the insides of his feet to release them, hopefully making his feet better able to grow straight. They're not perfectly straight yet but within a year should be just fine. He did WAY better with 2 casts than I thought he would. In fact, we had to have his casts re-wrapped a couple of times because he wore through them! Nothing keeps this kid down!

AUGUST

In August, I got to spend a wee little bit of time with my cousin Lisa from California. (Technically she's my 2nd cousin, but I 1st love her!) She lives in San Diego with her cuuuute family (seriously, their family pictures look like the pictures that come in the frames when you first buy them!) It was fun for her to meet the kids and for us to catch up. We've actually only been in each other's company maybe 3 times in our whole lives but we have so much in common. (According to her sister Christina, our husbands and how we interact with them is super similar. ha ha!) She joined the Church shortly after I did and we've had that common bond which has been great. She's wonderful and great and dang it I AM going to make it to San Diego for vacation one of these lifetimes!

Also, in August, Jack started his last year of pre-school! Look how cute his is with his backpack..good gravy I love this kid. He's my little buddy and I don't know what we'd do without him in our family!

SEPTEMBER

In September, Jack got his casts off. This is kind of a gross picture because he'd not washed his feet in over a month but these are his newly-straightened feet. Okay, moving on. Those dirty toes are making my stomach turn.

OCTOBER

Lizzy's first Halloween! Aunt April took this picture of her--isn't it cute? This is the year that my dear husband proved to be a GREAT sport (well, I guess he DID wear magenta tights and a pirate shirt for Halloween last year!) Check it out:

A toothbrush and travel-sized toothpaste! Adorable, yes? (True confession: As a stealer of ideas, I totally swiped the concept from uber-awesome Camillie-Pop-a-Wheelie Sturges.) I can't get over how cute they were together!

Jack wanted to be Spiderman. He's so buff!

NOVEMBER

Two reasons I love Heber City, Utah. (Three if you count cute Rochelle who lives there. Four if you count her awesome Wildtree products.) 1. The architecture is so amazing and reminds me so much of Europe. 2. Granny's! The food is gross but you won't find a more delicious milkshake anywhere else! We spend every other Thanksgiving up there and I just love it!! Time at the condo equals lots of game-playing (this year we learned how to play "Hand and Foot) Thanksgiving is so fun in Heber!

DECEMBER

I'm not going to lie--I didn't get NEARLY as many pictures as I should have of Elisabeth's first Christmas and those that I DID get are on Scott's computer. But here is Jack and cute Aunt April after his Christmas program. Never will you see a cuter reindeer!

2009 was a pretty good year. Could have been better, could have been worse. All in all, I have to say that we are blessed. I'm excited for 2010 and what it has in store. I am hopeful--that I can run the 2 5K's I've planned on running, that we can get pregnant again (that I won't be as sick as I was with Lizzy), that Scott's job will continue to go well, that my Heritage Makers business will continue to grow, that I'll finally figure out what is going on with Primary and mostly that we'll be as happy, healthy and blessed as we are today. If you got to the end of this insanely long post, you win the "true friend" prize. Or you need a hobby. Maybe both!

My Conversation With Jack This Morning

2010-01-04T11:39:00.003-07:00

Jack (playing in the pantry he's named "the restaurant.") "Mom! Guess what I'm making?"
Me: "What?"
J: "Well, we're out of protein powder and you haven't gone to the store so I had to make some. It's strawberry flavored!"
M: "Wow!"
J: "Yeah! My kids LOVE it!"
M: "Your kids? How many kids do you have?"
J: "Um, 9."
M: "9? Wow! Where did you get 9 kids?"
J: "From the store. They were having a baby sale and parents brought the kids they didn't want and we got 9 of them for $20.07"
M: "Huh. That's pretty cheap. So why did parents bring their kids there? Are they naughty?"
J: "No, they just make a big mess in the bathroom. They go potty a lot. But we have 10 bathrooms so it's okay."
M: "Who's we?"
J: "Me and Reddo's wife. Reddo had 12 heart attacks so he died and I got his wife!"
M: "12 heart attacks?? How sad is that?"
J: "Pretty sad. He was, um, let me think--13 years old."
M: "Yikes. 13 years old, a wife and 9 kids and he had 12 HEART ATTACKS??"
J: "Yep!"

He just amazes me at the stuff he comes up with. Seriously! His imaginary friend Joey has 17 kids. Poor Joey keeps getting fired from his jobs. First he was a construction guy but got fired because he dug a hole too deep so Jack had to take his job as the construction boss. Now he's a police officer. Let's hope this is a better career path for him!

"Ready Ready Ready Ready Ready to Ru-uun"

2009-12-15T10:00:00.002-07:00

Okay, friends. It's like this. (Warning: I'm predicting a long post, full of half-thunk ideas--I said "thunk" on purpose--and loads of random mixed with crazy. You're going to want to get something to drink and nibble on whilst you read.) Anyhoo--I've kept this private for lame reasons that I'm sure I'll end up expounding on later but, well, okay--it's like this:
For the last 2 fast Sundays, I've been fasting and praying about Primary. (For those of you no-mo's who don't know (snort! I'm hilarious!) "Fast Sunday" is the 1st Sunday of every month. We skip 2 meals and give the $ we'd have spent on food to a special fund in the Church that assists others financially. This is a great opportunity for clarity and inspiration but sometimes leads to general grumpiness. So if you ask your Mormon friend what they had for lunch and they yell that they hate you and you should shut your big fat face, know that they don't mean it. They're just hungry.) So anyway, I've been fasting about Primary because, well, it's stressful and you'll understand why in January. BOTH months while I've been searching for answers in THAT arena, I have felt so strongly that I need to be a whole lot more healthy than I am. This is not so much fun because it equals work to which I am highly opposed, unless of course it's fun work. The first month, I shrugged it off because I had a LOAD of other stuff on my plate (no pun intended) but then when the same prompting came to me again this month---only way stronger---I felt like I should pay attention. This is scary for so many reasons. 1. Why? Why this prompting? Is it just because it's important anyways or is there some scary event looming in my near future? Will I need a kidney but be unable to get one because I'm chubby? Who knows? Anyway, it was strong and I tend to try to listen to those. So I decided I needed to make changes starting with cutting out fast food and soda (The most obvious offenses), write down what I eat and exercise. I've actually been doing well. It's been ONE WHOLE WEEK (LOL) and I've done okay. Not perfect, but okay. I'm even more motivated by the fact that Jack loves to exercise with me. Sweet little muffin. It's been good and he's a great motivator. (The 2nd morning, he woke me up and said, "Mom, I'm ready to exercise. First, make breakfast for me and Sister but then--exercise!" How do you say no to that??)
Having said this, it's a scary thing to undertake. I am such a lame-o. Really. I really only enjoy doing things that are "fun" and as soon as that ceases to be, so does the activity. Will I keep doing this when it's not fun? Will I prove that I am not only a disappointment to myself but to my family and to you guys--my friends who love and support me? I think that's the biggest reason I've wanted to keep it to myself. I don't want to be accountable to someone who would be disappointed in me but at the same time, that's exactly to whom I SHOULD be accountable. Sigh.
So, along those lines, someone mentioned a running program called "couch to 5K." Have you heard of this? It's a training program that gets you started running by using short intervals of both. I can't be bothered to explain it all--if you don't know what it is, click this link. And I'm going to start tomorrow. (I can't really start today because I have these two midgets running around.) This is actually very overwhelming because the ONLY time I'll have to run is going to be in the mornings. Which I hate with an absolute, ever-ending, undying passion. It's friggin' cold and EARLY and I'm coming down with a cold anyway and blah blah blah. However, I'm going to do it. Trying isn't doing. Doing is doing. I am an all or nothing kind of girl, which often is what trips me up. I'm not satisfied with a little bit here and there. I either want it all or not at all. Maybe this is what I need to learn. I don't know. At any rate, here I go. To quote an awesome guy that I admire greatly--onward and upward. This is going to be my new personal motto! ;o) Wish me luck and promise you'll still love me even if I fail miserably and drown my sorrows in ChexMix and Cherry Coke.

My Official Review

2009-11-20T08:56:00.003-07:00

Dear Pretty Priceless Public,
I know that you were wide awake last night hoping beyond hope that I would post a review this morning about New Moon. Here's the story, half of which you know. You know that I went with Virginia last night to see it. I have to give props to Mary--it was in fact her idea. And it was a pretty good one! I have to say, though, after standing outside in the freezing cold with pretty much the most obnoxious teenage girls in line in front of us and a lady behind us who I think was participating in some sort of secret contest to see how many times she could drop the F bomb in one short conversation, we'd have happily sat through a movie about watching paint dry as long as we were warm and away from them. (Apparently I lack Laurie's gift of making friends in line!)
We finally got in and made our way to surprisingly good seats and the movie started. Here's my review--even though we've probably all read the book, I won't give anything away. I give it 4 popcorn bags and this is why. Someone who isn't already a fan of the Twilight Series would probably give it less but while I'm no "Twi-hard" I have been known to devour entire books in one night. (By "devour" I mean "read fast" not "eat." Just pointing that out to my slower readers like John.) I'm giving it an extra star mostly because it's Twilight and also because they stayed pretty true to the book. They DID add some stuff, which is normally just horrible but in this instance expounded on things in a good way. That was nice. It is MUCH better "done" than Twilight--it is pretty obvious that they had a lot more money behind them this time. While R-Patt is a fantastic bit o' eye candy, I'm still a little annoyed by him as Edward. However, Taylor Lautner is INCREDIBLE. Wow! I love Jacob but am still very "Team Edward." Maybe it's just because I know how it ends so that's how it's "supposed to be" but there you have it. The things I didn't like about the movie, I really can't blame on the movie itself--it's just how New Moon is. I realized that the series is just like one big story. Twilight is the beginning where you meet the characters and start to form an emotional investment. New Moon is the middle where you learn more about the characters, who they are, etc. You learn more about Edward's torment with who he is, you learn that Jacob is actually a werewolf, you meet the Volturi, etc. It's really quite depressing. There was a TON of action that was really very cool (!) but it was really contained a lot a lot of story as well. I left the theater thinking, "Um, okay..." Like, it was good, no doubt, but in my opinion it lacks a beginning, a middle and an end so I was left thinking, "So that's it?" I'm really excited for Eclipse, which is more like "the end." And even MORE excited for the day "Breaking Dawn" comes out because that's like the Epilogue which you know I love because of my inexplicable NEED for closure in a story/book/film. So there's my official review. Just the opinion of one random girl who probably has no clue what she's talking about. Yep, kids. That's me.

Talk about Twilight!

2009-11-19T15:51:00.003-07:00

So my dearest Virginia and I are going to see New Moon tonight at midnight. Am I crazy? Probably. We're both going to be mainlining Cherry Coke to get through the day tomorrow but I loves me some Edward! Mmm mmm!

Consistency

2009-11-17T00:06:00.003-07:00

During General Conference last month, I was pretty sure Elder Bednar was talking to me directly when he talked about consistency with family prayer, scripture study and Family Home Evening. I could list a million reasons why we're not "consistent" with these things, but they all boil down to just being excuses so I will waste nobody's time to expound on that. I will say that I feel such a need to do these things, but "other stuff" always gets in the way. I'm reminded of C.S. Lewis's "Screwtape Letters" when the uncle encourages the nephew to do whatever he can do to distract the person they're working on. I know that in my life, that is one of Satan's most powerful tools. I used to have a tile in my house that said, "Do not neglect the things that matter the most because of the things that matter least." Maybe I need to bust that puppy out again so we can see it and be reminded of it. For our activity FHE tonight, I thought it'd be fun to trace our hands and feet and make turkeys out of them and we could write what we're thankful for on each of the "feathers." (By the by, LOVE the new Gospel Art Picture Kit! Jack picks a picture and we read the scripture that goes along with it. Thanks to the Gift of the Holy Ghost, we were able to turn the story of Potipher's wife hitting on Joseph into a lesson about how when we're around people that try to make us make bad choices we should get away from them and it's wrong to lie and accuse people of doing things they didn't do because it's not fair for them to get into trouble when they really didn't do anything. Wow.) Anyhoo--so we're trying to make these turkeys, but the phone is ringing and things need to be done in the middle of FHE "just real quick" and Jack is asking when he gets treats and if "this is going to be a long story" (Thank you Uncle Russ for creating the legacy in our home of asking this question!) I was getting so frustrated. I was absolutely exhausted (more about that to follow) and was just getting really cranky. We finally got through it and it was a good exercise--the very first thing Jack said he was grateful for is Grandpa Gary, which was so amazing. I'm so grateful that I made the book about his life. We read it often and I love that Jack feels like he knows his Grandpa because we read his story so often. So he said he was grateful for Grandpa Gary because he loves him--sweet--and a bunch of other stuff. It was good for us to go through that exercise, I think, to remember how blessed we are to have "enough." We're most certainly not rolling in excess but we have what we need and a little bit more. That is a good life and I guess these moments of crazy frustration and guilt for not doing those things that A. I really do WANT to do and B. I know I SHOULD do are just those things that give us the umph to actually act instead of want to act.
On that note--Scott and I were talking last night about how we're doing. Just a wee check-in on one another. I said that my answer is almost always going to be same. I almost always feel tired, overwhelmed and life I'm failing miserably at everything I try to accomplish. A couple of weeks ago, I found myself just beyond overwhelmed. I have had so much on my plate lately and it has just seemed like too much. I found myself on my knees praying. I don't know for what--strength, clarity, confirmation that something had to be given up and which of my commitments that needed to be...I was a mess. So I'm praying and sobbing and the answer came to me so clearly. Want to know what that answer was? "You've got to work harder. You've got to manage it. You need to be involved in all of these things for a reason and you need to know how to manage a busy life." What a crappy answer! I have to say, though, that I felt such peace. I remembered what my friend Anissa told me awhile ago--essentially--if you don't like your life change it. It's that simple. It's so true. I can sit around and complain and cry that I'm overwhelmed and it's too much or I can get up and get to work. So I started today by scrubbing pretty much every inch of my house. Walls, floors, baseboards..it was so awesome and therapeutic. It was exhausting but I realized that in the year we've been here it really hadn't been done. Scott did a lot of cleaning to try and get the mystery smells out that made me so sick while I was pregnant, but the people that rented the house before we bought it just really trashed it and I was so sick when we moved in that I just couldn't be bothered to do anything about it. But now we're spic and span (well, I still need to scrub out the cupboards, pull out the fridge and stove and scrub that down but you get the point) and I feel so much better for doing just what I was prompted to do. Work harder. (Will someone please tell Santa that all I want for Christmas is my upstairs painted? I've been good!) ;o) Anyway, the morals of this blog are A. Elder Bednar was right. Be consistent. Even if you're cranky from doing manual labor all day and your 4 year old is more worried about getting a doughnut hole than practical lessons on thankfulness (see proof that we made it through below!) and B. If you don't like where you are in your life, fix it. Change it. Don't make excuses, get to work. It sucks but the easy thing is almost NEVER the right thing. It benefits no one to justify our personal negligence/laziness/apathy.
Loves.

Another cute poster

2009-11-17T00:03:00.002-07:00

Okay, I just can't get enough of these posters. It's so much fun to turn our family photos into art. People were going crazy for these at a boutique I was at a couple of weeks ago and rightly so! Why pay for expensive enlargements when you can pay a little over $20 to have a bunch of them on a beautiful poster?? Adorable. Anyway, here it is:

152 INSIGHTS INTO MY SOUL!

2009-11-06T13:22:00.002-07:00

Okay, so not 152 but maybe close. So my friend Julie sent me this email forward and while I normally disregard forwards because--well, who doesn't? I read this one and LOVED it. It's like this guy lives in my brain. It reminded me so much of the list-version of this here P5 that we used to know and love. Check it out and tell me what you think:

*More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

*Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

*Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

*That's enough, Nickelback.

*I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

*Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on Facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

*Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

*There is a great need for sarcasm font.

*Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

*I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

*How are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

*I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

*The only time I look forward to a red light is when I trying to finish a text.

*Was learning cursive really necessary?

*Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

*I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

*Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

*My brother's League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us." Classy, bro.

*Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

*How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

*Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

*What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

*While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

*MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood..

*Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

*I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

*Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

*I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

*Bad decisions make good stories

*Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

*If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

*Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

*You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

*Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

*There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

*I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

*"Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

*I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

*I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? ), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

*I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste..

*I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

*Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...
*As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

*Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

*It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

*I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

*Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it

*I wonder if cops ever get ticked off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

*I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

*The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel fat before dinner.

Christmas Gift Idea Wednesday

2009-11-04T21:57:00.003-07:00

So once upon a time I was going to host a class to make these posters. They were almost $50 and I was sure of a way to get them cheaper through Heritage Makers. Found one! This size is smaller than the one I was going to make at the class--it's 18x24 but it's half the price! According to my fun photographer friend Laura you can mount this to foam core, spray it with UV Protection (She prefers the "luster" finish) and frame it without the glass to give it more of an "artwork" look. Anyway, here it is!
I only have access to Mesa, Logan and Boise temples besides this one. Let me know if you're interested!

The haps...

2009-11-04T21:03:00.003-07:00

That always reminds me of my dear friend Mark. He was a police officer and I had the opportunity to go on a ride-along with him. Every time we pulled someone over, he'd ask the driver, "What's the haps?" I can't imagine what they thought. I love saying it every now and again. It's my little shout out to Mark in heaven (He was tragically killed during a horrific shoot-out with a couple of brothers when a traffic stop went horribly wrong. He was only 29 years old and left behind a sweet wife and two beautiful girls. The next time you're bugged at a police officer who pulls you over for "nothing" remember how hard they work to protect you and what they put on the line every single day.) Anyway...
Our cute little Elisabeth will be 6 months old tomorrow. Wow. Was it really half a year ago that she came into our lives? I've said it before but it seems like she's been with us forever. We LOVE this little girl! She's increasingly demanding--crying hysterically when she's not being held or talked to (then immediately switching to laughter when we talk to her and ask her what's wrong.) Oh the drama. And it's just beginning. She's really very happy (when she's getting her way) and there is nothing sweeter than to hear her laugh when we're playing with her. So tonight we started solids. We started with Oatmeal Cereal because I didn't think she'd like the lemon chicken I made for dinner. Well, as it turns out, she's not crazy for the Oatmeal cereal either. I made it really thin but she kept gagging on it. Tomorrow night I'll try thinning it with apple juice instead of formula and we'll see if she likes it better. She doesn't sit on her own yet, which is so crazy to me. She rolls all over the place, she gets up on her knees and rocks so I know crawling will start sooner rather than later but she just refuses to sit up on her own. Hmmm..Anyway, so as I'm feeding her she's leaning to one side and ended up getting oatmeal all over her face. So here she is during her very first meal:

The problem, you see, is that she prefers eating.....her toes. Weird little girl. Look at all that chub. My heck I just love her.
In other news, Jack said pretty much one of the sweetest things ever today. It just reminded me how precious these little ones are--that they really DO listen to these things we teach them and it really DOES sink it. So we were sitting at the kitchen table eating lunch and he asked me to read him the book I made about Scott's dad. (He calls it the Grandpa Gary book.) I read it to him and every now and then would just get a little choked up. At one point he said, "You don't have to cry, Mom, he died a long time ago." I said, "Yeah, but you know I still miss him a whole lot." He said, "It's okay to miss him but you know that he'll be all better when Jesus comes." Wow. Sweet little peanut. I have the greatest kids!
Okay, that's all for now. I have a bunch of stuff to get done tonight, including trying to decide which project to show you next for Christmas Gift Idea Wednesday. Is this helpful to you at all? Does it give you good ideas? Should I keep doing it until Christmas or do you not care? Your opinion counts.

Christmas Gift Idea Tuesday!

2009-10-27T22:22:00.003-06:00

It's like a pre-game show, okay? ;o) Actually, I know I'm going to be really busy tomorrow so I thought I'd hurry and post this tonight so I don't have to catch up again like last week.
This week's gift idea is actually a little "pre-Christmas-y" It's a postcard from Santa! This is from our gorgeous template gallery and is so easy to make! You can buy postcards in packs of 10 and send them to all of the kidlets in your life or if you want less than 10, just let me know and I'll make and send them for you. It's a cute way for your kids to be reminded that Santa is watching them! (You might want to remember this idea in July!) Anyway, here's what they look like!
(This is the front and this is a preview so just keep in mind that the finished product won't have the red line around it!) It even has a December 2009 postmark!! Okay, now here's the back:How stinkin' cute is that??

Christmas Gift Idea...uh, Saturday?

2009-10-24T12:49:00.003-06:00

Sorry, kids, that it took me so long to post this week's Christmas idea. I'm especially sad because this is a gift that we're giving to Jack this year and I am SO excited for him to see it and to be able to experience its lasting effects. This is a board book! It's 8x8 and has 32 pages. This is actually one of the customizeable templates that we have in our awesome template gallery. (There is a pink one for girls as well) The idea with this template is that it aknowledge's a child's place in the family and builds his/her self esteem, which in my opinion is an invaluable gift. I think of all the mistakes I make as a mom. Sometimes I'm too busy, too impatient, too tired or distracted to really get down on my sweet boy's level and tell him just how much I love him, that he really makes a difference in our family and that he's just what the book says he is--A Very Important Person. I've asked each of our family members to tell Jack why they think he's a VIP. I'm so excited for Christmas Day, when we read his book to him and I know it'll end up at Show and Tell in school. I can't wait! Oh, you want me to shut up so you can SEE it? Well then! Here it is!

Hello friends!

2009-10-21T01:17:00.006-06:00

So it's after 1AM and I can't sleep so I thought I'd come talk to you all. So...how are you? Great! We're good too..okay, brace yourself for some lame humor. It's late and I'm sleep deprived but my mind is racing and there's not a thing I can do about it. ;o) So...at our house things are calm which is exactly how I like it! Of course we are insanely busy with Church and work. Sundays are nothing even CLOSE to a day of rest for us! We have church, then I have a meeting at 1PM, I get home in time for Scott to get to a meeting at 2:30PM and we see him again at dinner time. If it's the first Sunday and he goes with the Young Men to collect fast offerings, he does that at noon, hurries home so I can go to my meeting at 1 and then when I get home he rushes to his meeting. Gosh, just typing that is tuckering me out. It's a wonderful opportunity to be able to serve, however, and we are grateful that we not only have the health to be able to go go go, but we have each other's support as well. Phew!
The kids are great--Jack is addicted to Farmtown and Farmville on Facebook, which is good for nobody! I went out of town last week and Scott said he cried himself to sleep one night because he couldn't get into my Facebook to harvest his crops and they were going to die. Sigh. That very morning, when he woke up the FIRST words out of his mouth were, "Mom, I'm ready to do some farm work!" I've created a monster. He has now taken over both of my fake farms. I wonder if he'll remember this love of farming when he's old enough to pull weeds. Do ya think? But he is cute and wonderful and we love him. I've spent the last week or so working on my business and have been in Idaho and tonight was down in Provo. Heritage Makers is in the middle of the "Spirit of Heritage Tours" where the president of the company and his adorable wife are travelling the nation to tell people about the company and the awesome products and opportunity that go along with it. I was at the event in Twin Falls and Boise, Idaho and as I mentioned in Provo tonight. This afternoon Jack said, "Mom, are you going with the president of Heri-tage Makers to tell people about books?" What an astute little dude. It's definately been the main topic of conversation since I've been home! I had the opportunity to see some old friends from highschool (and one I'd not seen since the 6th grade!) and now am even more blessed with the opportunity to work with some of them! Lucky me!!
Scott is wrapping up his final weeks at Siemens before he starts his new job with his old boss's company Pinetop Engineering the first of November. I think he will miss very little except for friends he's made. Mostly, he's excited about this new opportunity and the experience he's going to get. It's a ground-floor opportunity and we're hoping it works out as we'd love for it to. (Few things in life do, but we're cautiously optimistic!)
Lizzy is still awesome and amazing and adorable! I took some funny pictures of her this morning because when I looked at her, I remembered something my dear friend Lisa once said to me. She said, "You know, Peggy, all girls SAY they look bad in the morning but you really do!" Um, thanks? ;o) Well, the sad news is, I've passed that onto my poor, unsuspecting daughter. Here's her "before" shot when she'd just woken up (she's A LOT happier in the morning than I am!!)
AND here she is after a little, um, "sprucing up."LOVE those little piggy tails. We do have some separation anxiety issues, unfortunately, that we're working through. (Sarah--I am SOOO sorry she cried the whole time she was at your house!) It's hard for me to imagine that she gets so upset since literally the only time she cries at home is when she's hungry or needs a change of scenery. But apparently, she does. It's hard for me to grasp since my MIL watched Jack he was totally fine with whatever but I am very rarely away from Lizzy for more than a couple of hours and even then Scott is with her. She doesn't do great with anyone else. Except for Kelli R. for some reason. I think it's because she's as animated as I am and it makes Lizzy happy. ;o) Note to self.

So them's the haps chez nous. I hope you're enjoying "Christmas Gift Idea Wednesday." I have great idea for tomorrow but will leave you with an idea that piggy backs on my post last Wednesday.These are playing cards, but they have a scripture about the Savior leading up to His birth and a Christmas song or hymn on each of 24 cards. &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;iframe/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;This way you can punch a hole in the corner, hold them together with a binder ring and use a card a day each day in December until Christmas. (If those of you who aren't LDS would like a set, I can change the verses and songs) These are already made, I just have to order them if you want them. They're $15/set. Let me know if you'd like a set or two or twelve and I'll get them ordered. I need to know by November 10th at the very latest in order to get them in time for Christmas.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loves and hugs and all that jazz!&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;
So you punch a hole in the corner, use a binder ring to keep them together and every day in December, you can read one of the cards. This is a great way to keep the true spirit of Christmas in your home. For those of you who are not LDS, I can change the verses/songs for you. They're pre-made, I just have to order them and they're $15 per set. I will need to order them for sure by November 10th to make sure you have them in time for Cmas so let me know ASAP if you want some!
Loves and hugs and all that jazz!

Awesome Christmas Gift Idea Wednesday

2009-10-14T12:41:00.004-06:00

Hello everyone! So each Wednesday I've brought you some fun ideas for unique Christmas gifts that everyone on your list is sure to love! I am so excited about the gift idea this week. (Siblings, keep this one on the downlow. It's our Christmas gift to Mama Stevenson) Anyway, without further ado, I bring you...PLAYING CARDS! These are so fun and unique and you can just do anything with them!! This is a regular deck of cards, but I'm in the process of making a deck of cards for Jack that has pictures of our family members on them (including those who live out of state) with their names, birthdays and something interesting about them. The idea is that we can use them to play Go Fish, Old Maid or Memory. He's going to LOVE them! They come in a hard plastic case. Let me know if you have any questions. Our Online Template gallery has a ton of cute templates for playing cards if you need some inspiration or can't be bothered to design them yourself. Check it out here! Here are the playing cards I made:
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ADORABLE Swatch book!

2009-10-08T16:05:00.003-06:00

In the grand tradition of sharing a new idea for Christmas gifts each week, here is this week's edition! The finished product looks something like this
It is the perfect size to fit in a purse or church bag! Super cute!! It also has an opaque plastic cover on the front and back. More info:

5.75" x 3.5"
10 double-sided pages (non-expandable)
Rounded corners
Full-bleed images
Velvet, acid-free, lignin-free paper (surprisingly sturdy!)

Anyhoo--this is what MINE looks like:

Under $20! Contact me for more information!

Update

2009-10-03T17:09:00.004-06:00

Hey friends/family/Internet Crazies! Thank you all for your love and prayers lately! I thought I'd update you on how we're doing..
Jack is feeling better. His temperature has stayed around 99 which is good and bad. Good because 99 is not 102.9, bad because he still has a "fever" and is still contagious. So he's still at Nana's. Scott came home early from his trip to Minnesota because he is sick now as well. Poor guy. So he's at his mom's house too for now. Lizzy and I are hanging out. Unfortunately, I am starting to feel a little crappy and Lizzy and I have matching little coughs. I'm hoping it doesn't get worse than this--I have so many great things planned with Heritage Makers and I will be so sad if I have to miss a second of any of it! Just some amazing things are happening and I'm so excited to be part of it. If I miss any of it, it will affect my entire fall which is devastating! So please keep praying for us!
In other news, Miss Elisabeth is a HOOT these days! She's so interactive and just coos and laughs and talks (my grandma calls it "Dutch" but I've lived in Belgium...she's not fooling me!) and is just in general such a joy. That sounds so hokey, but it's true. She is just happy and fun and the way her face lights up when she sees someone she loves...wow. Who knew something so little could love so big? It's amazing. One of the funniest things about her these days is that she's wanting to be mobile--she loves hanging out on the floor where she squirms and rolls her way around to get where she wants to go. And since she's not feeling super great these days, she sleeps a bit more. It's not uncommon to come in the living room from another room in the house and find this:You can see where her blanket is and you can see where she is. So she squirmed her way around to get where she is in the picture and apparently it was so exhausting she just fell asleep! Poor kid.

This Little Piggy Went to the Market...

2009-09-29T23:49:00.002-06:00

Sure this pig looks cute and yes, it's funny when you feed them the kind of firecrackers that you pull apart because they pop in their mouths and smoke come out of their noses but what you can't see in this picture is that they're FILTHY ROTTEN FLU CARRIERS!! Yes, kids, the beloved adventure known to smart people as H1N1 ("Swine Flu" to us commoners!) has graced us with its presence.
Friday night Jack and I were eating dinner and as I looked closely at him, I noticed he had "sick eyes." The thing with Monsieur is that he goes a million miles an hour no matter what. This is the kid that had both feet cut open, ligaments and tendons cut and 2 days later wouldn't take his pain meds because he felt "great!" So the only way we can tell he's sick is that he has droopy eyes. He never stops running and he never has a fever...anyway...so I take his temperature and it's 102.4!! What the...? So I just thought it was a cold or whatever and he'd be fine with time. He ate a great dinner and I thought that was that. The next morning, his temperature was 100.something so we knew to watch him and keep him hydrated. By the afternoon it was pretty clear that he was not feeling well. He wouldn't eat, he was mopey and his poor eyes were all puffy and watery. We gave him some "purple medicine" and loaded him up with Powerade. Sunday morning, Scott left for Minnesota and Jack's temperature was down to 99.1. He still had no appetite and by around 3 that afternoon he was really lethargic and his temperature was 102.4. I started to get a little worried--he NEVER has a temperature and this just was not him. Later that night, Lisa and Brandon came over and when Jack (who was asleep on the couch) woke up coughing and crying because it hurt so bad, Brandon suggested he could maybe have strep. I took his temperature again and it was 102.9. That was just too high for my comfort so they stayed home with Lizzy and I took Jack to the After-Hours clinic. He was so upset at the idea of leaving home, Brandon had to carry him out to the car and I had to bribe him with a Frosty. When we got there, he was ornery and wouldn't even stand on the scale. This is not my Jack! The strep test came back negative and the doctor said they were going to test him for the flu. My heart just dropped. I know how serious H1N1 is for children, especially asthmatics and with a 4 month old at home and Scott just having left for Minnesota...it was not okay. So she comes back in and says it was positive and that the CDC is saying if any flu results come back positive they're just calling it Swine Flu because that's the only strain out right now. I protested saying he'd gotten a flu shot and she said they're worthless right now because they're not resistant to H1N1 and that vaccine has yet to be released. I told her I'd never seen him this sick in his entire life and she told me to get used to it--it takes about 2 weeks to work through the system so it would more than likely get worse before it got better. So I got a prescription for Tamiflu and we were on our way. I was trying to be brave for Jack (although he was so out of it he didn't really know which end was up) and called Scott's mom to see if she'd come get Lizzy so they weren't in the same house. I knew she'd already been exposed but hoped separating them would help her not get it. She (MIL) suggested she take Jack and at that point I just wanted him to be somewhere where he could recover. We agreed on that and she headed for my house. We came home and our new Bishop and one of his counselors came over and gave Jack a blessing. Then gave me a blessing because I was a sobbing mess. Jack went home with Nana, Brandon and Lisa went home and I drowned my sorrows in Cherry Coke, Milk Duds and Heritage Makers projects. The next morning (Monday) when I called to check on him, Colleen said his fever seemed to have broken in the middle of the night. His temp was down to 100.something and he told her he was hungry for breakfast. Amazing. He has been slowly on the mend for the last 2 days and I'm so grateful for the power of the Priesthood. I know it's a miracle that he's getting better so fast. I am being cautiously optimistic because he's not entirely in the clear and MIL is still staying on top of his breathing treatments. It's weird that he's there and not here. I mean, I'm not offended that he wanted to be there--I'm the girl whose grandmother is her best friend in the world--but I just feel like I'm shirking my responsibilities as his mother. Really, when it comes down to it, no one knows better than I do that sometimes Grandmas are just the best ones to make it better.
Unfortunately, today, I noticed that Lizzy felt a little warm. She woke up at 7:30 and drank a bottle which is normal. What isn't normal is that she went back to sleep and slept until almost 1PM without eating anything. This girl eats every 3 hours on.the.dot. So she'd eaten a lot less and slept a lot more than normal and that concerned me. I talked to one of my wonderful pediatrician's FABULOUS nurses who gave me some tips and told me what to look for and when to be worried. Well, that time came a little before 8P tonight when she still felt warm and vomited. Not like her usual "I'm possessed by a crazy spitting up monster" but actual stinky vomit. I called the pediatrician back and she said if her temp was 102 or higher or if she gets worse in the night to take her to Primary Children's. Otherwise, bring her in first thing in the morning. I didn't know WHAT her temp was because I sent our thermometer down to Salt Lake with Colleen and Jack. I made a few phone calls and got ahold of wonderful and terrific Kelli (who Lizzy LOVES by the way. I think it's because she's one of the few people as animated as I am when she talks, which Lizzy digs in a big way!) who came right over even after the full disclosure. (She'd be exposed to this crap and could take it home to her kids who, as it turns out, were exposed to it yesterday.) But I digress. Her temperature was only 100.7 so I gave her some Tylenol and a bottle and put her to bed. She's been sleeping okay so far--I'm going to go in a second and take her temperature just to make sure she's okay. We'll see what tomorrow brings. My doctor said she's not sure but she thinks she remembers hearing that they only use Tamiflu for kids older than 6 months so she's not sure what they'll do but hopefully with her being a chunky monkey (I told the pediatrician I'm sure Lizzy weighs more than SHE does!) it's possible they might give it to her anyway. So them's the bucks. Not great, but it could be so much worse. We'll see what tomorrow brings. I'm praying like CRAZY that I don't get it because the worst possible job to have when you're sick is "Mommy." We don't get sick days! Plus, I have a ton of really awesome Heritage Makers stuff coming up that I will be so upset to miss. Anyway, thank you to all of you who have prayed for us and offered meals (and the cute Taggart family who baked cookies and drew pictures!) and brought thermometers and just everything else. It's been hard to do this with Scott out of town but it's so comforting to know that I could have a little army at the drop of a hat willing to be exposed to this crap in an effort to help us. It's really given me the desire to do a little bit better and be a little more thoughtful to those around me. Pay it forward, people! The blessings are tremendous.

"Time" for a new Heritage Makers Christmas Gift Idea!

2009-09-29T23:43:00.006-06:00

Ha ha..Get it? "Time?" (snort!) So this project is actually a 12x12 individual scrapbook page and it costs less than $4. The idea is that you buy a cheap clock from Walmart (or Walgreen's), take it apart and remove the clock face and insert this one. (Well, you'll cut the circle out from the page) Adorable gift idea for under $10!! Anyway, without further ado...

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Let me know if you want to make one of your own! I LOVE to help!