Have you seen it?

It would seem I have successfully hacked up a lung. I'm thinking I may need that later in life.

I love being sick. I held this cold off for as long as I could, but after Team Keli left, and I entered my post family funk, it hit me full force. Last night I slumbered peacefully in my NyQuil coma, but as soon as my alarm went off this morning, the coughing began again. I've started to make a kind of game out of it. I like to see what color the phlegm will be. Hey, I always look on the bright side, you know that.

Now my house has gone to hell, and my kids look like orphans, and I have no energy to care about any of that. I'm out of Diet Pepsi, and chocolate, and I need to go to the store. What's a girl to do? I guess I'll throw on the same clothes I've been wearing since Monday, stained shirt and all, and head to Wal-Mart. I may not even have to get the baby dressed. It is only Wal-Mart after all, she'll fit right in in her diaper and unsnapped onesie. On top of all that, I have to think about what's for dinner tonight. That alone causes a coughing fit, almost as if in attempt to bypass the dinner making all together. I guess I can always pick up a whole roasted chicken for dinner. That's always a crowd pleaser. Peel up some taters, and cook some frozen corn, and that there's a meal. I feel better already.

I hope you have a coughing fit free day. And just in case you don't, check out the phlegm and think of me.

Wicked Weekend

Well, it's come and gone. Team Keli visited this weekend, and we had a total blast. The entire weekend was packed with excitement, as it always is when 5 girls get together. But first things first. I got new furniture! Yay! It arrived a mere hours before TK, so it was close, but it made it. I'm glad, since we needed the extra space for the kiddies to play. Here it is, the blue suede sofa and the circle chair. I never thought I would own anything blue. I thought I was too traumatized from Mommas house all those years with blue carpet, furniture, drapes, you name it. But I guess not. I love it.

Now, on to the weekend. Of course, many, many fun things were had, said, and seen, but there were a few highlights for each of us. This weekend included:

• Gracie taking a few steps.
• Meg stuffing her face with a huge waffle.
• Jill asking "What are those honking birds?" Emphasis on honking.
• Kelli needing an angry local to translate her popcorn order for her.
• The Wicked theater bringing me to tears. Literally. ;)
• And Momma, well, what can I say about her? She's the best. I think she only beat up the baby once in an attempt to pick up the check, and she hails cabs even when they're full. I'm pretty sure I embarrassed her more than once, but she secretly loves it. My girls miss her already, and are asking when she's coming back. Of course, I'm doing the same.
  

Here's Team Keli, sans Keli. Jill with Gracie, Momma, Kelli, and Meg. It was tough letting them leave. And I'm not sure when I'll get to the point where I don't cry all day after they do, but it's worth it to have them here. So thanks for everything, gals. I love you guys!

Absence makes the heart grow...something

I actually met someone that does NOT have internet service. Nothing. Not at home. Not at work, nothing. I didn't think they made those kind of people any more.

I started thinking about what I would do without internet access.

• I would have more time to clean my house
• I would read more books
• I would do more laundry
• I would probably spend more money being out and about all day

But then I got thinking about what NOT having internet access would really mean.

• I wouldn't be able to keep up with family and friends on blogs
• I wouldn't be able to look up on Wikipedia words I don't know
  
• I wouldn't feel like I knew anything fun to do in my new town
• I would certainly feel isolated
• I wouldn't be able to research and shop for the best deal on products I love (That's an entirely different post)
• But most importantly, I wouldn't feel like I had an outlet each day for all the crazy thoughts that go through my head

But all this being said, I think I'm taking a blog break. I have FAMILY coming this weekend, and in preparation for that, I'm taking some time off. I'll be back on Tuesday, hopefully with all sorts of fun stories and pictures, and maybe even video. So I'll see you then.

Funny girls

Here is my baby girl. She likes to hide anywhere, these days. But one of her favorite spots is under the computer desk. And apparently she likes to chew on pencils, too.

Today she learned to say "uh oh". She thinks she's pretty smart.

And here is Emma. Do you love the hat? I bought that for me in Halifax, (read, humidity and naturally curly hair cut into a short A-line not a good mix), but she has usurped it.

Oh, and the dress, you ask? Why yes, I did in fact make that dress. Okay, I made the skirt and attached it to the shirt which is from K-Mart fall apart. It even has a lining! I think there is definite progress being made on the sewing front.

Happy Mail

Today I got this:First, I laughed my butt off, then I cried a little.

I lovey my Meg. She rules. Kayaking just won't be the same with anyone else.

Very Cap'n Crunch

I had a weird dream last night. I dreamed about blogging. And Cap'n Crunch was in there somewhere too. How random is that?

I had some saying going on in my head about Cap'n Crunch Blog Berries.

Really, it's a good thing. My two favorite things in one. I love Cap'n Crunch, except it makes the roof of my mouth hurt. But it's worth it.

That's all I have for today.

Tagged, a la Meg

Things I'm thankful for:

• Eliza for helping me change my blog to look all cutesy.
  
• On Demand free movies from Comcast.
• Good kids.
• A funny hubby who stays out late for Bulls box seats.
• A comfy bed.
• Cold medicine.
• K-Mart fall apart.
• Internet.
• Fridays!
• And Saturdays.
• And Sundays, too, I guess.
• Counting down 6 days until I see my Meg!
  

Everyone who reads this must blog about their Thankfuls. That means YOU!

I give you

Maggie.

She is my creative one. Obviously. Every day when she gets dressed, she comes up with these beautiful outfits. I like the idea of her dressing herself, and I don't want to squelch her creativity, so yes, I do let her go out in public like this. I'm such a good mom.

The always popular "polywog" look.


T

Again with the layering. You'd think it was -27 here, or something.

And here the striped shirt returns. Note the flood pants with "matching" socks.

And one more flood pants shot with "matching" socks.

We just love Maggie and her creative spirit. She says the funniest things, and always has some silly story about her and her friend Sally, who died. Sally is an imaginary friend who has met her demise in various ways. A bear attack, hit by a car on her birthday, a fire, but she always comes back to life. What a kid.

Question

Sugar Daddy and I have an ongoing "discussion" about something.

Who is responsible for changing the empty toilet paper roll?

Is it the person who uses the last bit, or the next person to sit down? I say if you use the last of it, you should be courteous to the next person and replace it. He says if you sit down and there's no TP, you're SOL, so it's your responsibility to look before sitting.

Who's right?


*Photo courtesy of JupiterImages

I'm prepared

Next week I get a special visit.

Not that kind of visit, what kind of blog do you think this is? Besides, I don't have those anymore, thanks to my IUD. TMI? Cool.

I get a visit from my cool momma and my awesome sisters! I'm very excited for this. Last time my momma was here, my house was in shambles, still being unpacked. I don't think we ate at home once during her visit here. This time will be different. I have everything(ish) unpacked, and I know where everything(ish) is. We can cook, and sew, and watch TV, and go for hikes, (or walks, since there are no hills here), and just enjoy life together. But one thing I'm the very mostest excited about is seeing WICKED! in the city. And I'm prepared for this. I just finished the book, so I won't be completely lost.

Ah, the book.

I would be worried about the play based on the book. But thankfully many of my friends have seen the play, so they say not to stress. The book is good, don't get me wrong, but it goes into wwaaaayy too much detail for my taste.

Unless you're into Munchkin sex and adultery and drug use and that sort of thing.

Most of this detail I just skipped over, seeing as how it wasn't really relevant to the plot. But without giving anything away, I'll just say, it gives me great pleasure to know that I will be seeing the Wicked Witch of the West's point of view, along with some apparently stellar music, on the stage, with the women I love.

Joy.

Auf Wiedersen

I have to admit, I'm a Project Runway junkie. Although I haven't yet watched to see who goes to Fashion Week, so don't ruin it for me, please. But until I started watching that show, I had no idea people actually sewed. Like, to make stuff, like their clothes. I guess I thought it was just for the, and excuse the stereotype, fat home ec chicks in High School. I'm so sorry. I honestly had no idea that sewing could actually turn into something. Who knew? I'm a little slow, so forgive me.
I have, however, been privileged enough to know, and know of, several people that sew. And they do it beautifully. You may remember Gretta's sweater, hand knitted by Laura's mom. (insert link to past blog here, but I'm too lazy to do so). And then there's all the quilting going on over at Kalli's.

So, all that being said, and linked, I give you this little ditty. Or is it diddy? As in Sean P Diddy? Whatever. Now, remember, this is a first for me. And I didn't really follow the pattern, since it required a zipper, and let's face it, I'm just not up to that yet. I added the humongous ruffle sleeves, which may be scaled down. And I also added a second ruffle above the first. I had now clue how to do the ribbon, so I just winged it.
Isn't she lovely? It's a little clownish, but remember what I said about this being a first for me? I guess I need to work on my fabric picking skills. I found a cute pattern for T-shirt dresses, all you do is add a skirt. I'll probably attempt those for the older girls' Easter dresses.

Family home moment

I returned in one piece from my Time Out. But just barely. Let's just say I've earned a testimony of my GPS. Or have I said that already? No matter, I have one, a testimony that is, and it got me through the hell that is Chicago Friday afternoon traffic.

Friday night started off well. A yummy meal at the Hotel Restaurant Francaise, which is code for "over priced ham and cheese", and then it was off to hear 3 speakers and 2 singers. We were enriched, really. I do have an opinion, and it may offend, but what do I care, it's my blog, so deal. Was that too many comma's? I digress. Brother McLean, please don't sing anymore. Just speak. It gets the point across just fine, and we don't have to suffer through what I can only describe as crappy cruise ship Karaoke. There, I said it. He's hilarious. And his life sounds wonderful. We also heard from Sister Okazaki, and I just want to bring her home to be my grandma. She was sure to tell us that now that she's single, and loving it, she takes Jesus wherever she goes. And she doesn't make him wear his seat belt. How cute is she?

Saturday we also got to hear two wonderful singers along with 4 or 5 speakers. I forget how many. Although for some reason I couldn't shake the feeling that I was at a Christian revival concert of some sort. It just seemed weird to me. I guess it's being away from Utah, and having the Gospel spoken of more matter of factly or something. Either way, Hilary Weeks of Lehi fame, and Cheri Call of somewhere in Utah fame both sang and spoke. Good times. There were other speakers of course, and they all lifted us up, made us cry, and best of all made us laugh. That's what it's all about for me, is laughing at life.

Things I learned this weekend:

Insert bullets here, but they don't show up, sorry. I'll try numbers instead.

1. We didn't come to earth searching for self worth. We brought it with us.
2. There are languages of love. We all speak something different, and we need to discover which one our partner speaks.
3. Sometimes "FHE" should be "FHM" Family Home Moment. I know it is at our house.
   
4. Self-talk can make or break our goals.
   

And last but not least, I learned that posting a picture of a coat on my blog, and then wearing said coat will allow me to be spotted by random readers. Yes, I was recognized by a reader at TOFW in Chicago. There's more to the story, and we "know" each other through our sisters, although we've never met. It's a small world, this Gospel we live. And I guess the internet is too.

Because I'm a naughty woman

I guess I need a time out. And not a moment too soon. The last few nights, after eating dinner and practically begging my children to eat what's on their plates, I've made a clicking sound with my mouth, and said, "That is the sound of me punching my time card. I'm done for the day." And with that I left Sugar Daddy to clean up the dishes, and what not.

I've succumbed to a strange sense of domestication in the last few weeks. A new sewing machine, home cooked dinners almost every night, and a peculiar sense of accomplishment for the little things such as sweeping, or loading the dishwasher. This is all very new and exciting to me. Maybe I'm growing up, maybe I'm fooling myself. Whatever. All I know is that I'm looking forward to this weekend for 2 reasons.

1. I get a night away from my kids and snoring husband.
2. I get to spend 2 days with women that have made me their friend, without even knowing me, and listening to wonderful speakers tell us we are doing a good job.

And right now, that's all I need. A sense of domestic bliss, coupled with a pat on the back. That makes for a very sweet revival.

Time to 'fess up

Because I'm lacking a little blog posting creativity, I'm doing the standard roll call.

All you lurkers out there, don't be shy.

All you have to do is state the following:

1. Your name
2. How you found my blog
3. Your favorite movie, tv show, or CD.

Easy, right? That's just how I roll.

Because I can't decieve you

I have a confession to make.

I fell off the wagon. And I fell hard.

That's right, people. I failed miserably.

I lasted approximately 18 hours.

I blame the GNO we had last week.

So here I sit, typing my confession, and drinking my amber delight.

And life is good.

Hell has frozen over

Look at this. I have become domestic. Scary.

Yes, it's a new sewing machine. I was inspired by a friend of mine who has a cute scripture bag made from a place mat. So cute! And now that I live so far away, sniff sniff, from Mom C's sewing expertise, I figured it was time I start on my own. The thing I love the most about this model, is the speed control. It will sew at the slowest speed for beginners, so I can teach the girls how to sew. I've already fixed a pair of garments, and I plan on doing some tights later today. I'll certainly post any crafts I make!

In Case that last post was too serious

I give you this. Hopefully it will brighten your day.

S-M-R-T, smart

Well, I gave in. I've done it. We all know that I'm addicted to my celeb trash, right? Well, I took it one step further, and actually bought, and read, the Tom Cruise Unauthorized Biography. It takes celeb trash to a whole nother level. I have several strong opinions on this book, one of which is particularly scathing, so I'll keep that one to myself. All I can say, is Tom Cruise, you are a selfish, controlling, sociopath with no thought or feeling for another human being.

There, I said it.

Now, to explain.

Scientology. Whatever. It apparently was founded on "the fact" that people are inhabited by aliens, and the goal of Scientology is to rid the body of these invaders. Ooookay. As far as Mr. Cruise being involved in this, he really had no choice. You see, Scientology nearly fell off the face of the earth in the early '80's. So to hold on to the last few remaining members, they had to practically cater to their needs. Enter Tom. This, ahem, "religion" has basically been formed around what he needs, when he needs it, and with whom he wants to socialize. Who wouldn't want that kind of attention? Me, for one, but this isn't about me. Yeah, yeah, there are other weird things about Scientology, like Auditing, and Operating Thetans, and Potential Trouble Sources, oh, and their hatred and guile for any form of Psychiatry. Turns out, if you ever use any form of Psychiatric medication, you are sent to Scientology work camps. I guess that excluded the dear founder of Scientology, Mr. L. Ron Hubbard, since he was found to be full of anti-psychotics when he died.

Now don't get me wrong, the book is about much more than just Scientology, but it's basically about the same thing. Tom not getting what he wants, pouting, turning into a jerk, and shutting down any kind of human feeling for others. He wantonly tossed Ms. Kidman aside through an email after a 10 year marriage. Nice. He also lied about his being a "functional illiterate", since he never had any special education classes after the 3rd grade. He even read and memorized scripts for school plays on his own.

So this to me, just brings home the point that Tom, you suck. You may be eye candy, but that is all. Just a shell. Just a pretty, tan, short, aging shell of a person. I pity your Thetans.

So far, so...

Good? I don't know. I've off-centered these cute prints on my big big blank wall. What do you think? Good? Bad? Ugly? Note there will eventually be furniture in this room, although at this point Sugar Daddy is convinced it should be a pool table. What is this? A bachelor pad?

And here's a little sumthin sumthin just cause she's so cute. She sticks her tongue out at everyone. She thinks she's pretty darn funny. And she is.

Mornings

Mornings around here are crazy. It starts off with me not being a morning person. At.All. But up I get at 6:50, okay, more like 7:00, to get Emma off to school at 7:50. It always entails some sort of "motivational prodding" to get her out the door on time, dressed for the subzero temperatures. Gretta is undoubtedly walking around yelling at me for one reason or another. This seems to be her new favorite pastime. Lucky me. Today she was doing so in socks and a diaper. Her new thing is to be naked. I'm pretty sure she gets this from Sugar Daddy.

But as I sit here watching the Space Shuttle landing in Florida, and see my kids playing and eating breakfast, it makes my life seem small and insignificant. But as small as it may be, it is my whole life. Maggie carrying her blankie around, Gretta waddling and yelling as she carries some sort of tool she has found, and Emma barely making it out the door and to the bus stop on time. It's crazy, and wild, and maybe it is insignificant to most, but it's what I love about my life.

Can it be?

Today I was watching Oprah. It's a sinful indulgence of mine, especially that now she comes on at 9:00 AM my time. Right when I'm letting my hair air dry or folding laundry, so it's the perfect coupling with time wasting and multi tasking. Dr. Oz was on, and aside from being kinda hunky in a dorky doctor sort of way, he's very smart. And he asks good, pointed questions without making people feel self conscious. A trait I need to adopt, I suppose. So Dr. Oz has started "Prescription America" to help Americans get more healthy. His first goal is to get us to stop drinking soda. Even diet.

Insert gut wrenching moan here.

I am a diet Pepsi girl. I must get it from Momma. Sean and I have a bad habit of always having a "tasty beverage" in our cup holders at all times. Yesterday, case in point, I stopped at BK for a Diet before heading to the JBF. As the helpful lady handed me the giant cup, I went to place it in my holder, only to find 3 empty cups occupying my cup holders. I may have a problem.

So this challenge comes at a good time for me. I've recognized the problem, and I'm now willing to do something about it. So this morning, I enjoyed what is to be the last of my tasty beverages. So long good, sweet, bubbly friend. I'll miss you. And I'm not looking forward to the dull, aching headache that is sure to follow. Hopefully Dr. Oz is right, and this will make me feel better. Not that I'm feeling bad, but I guess you can always feel "better".

Anyway, here goes nothin.

As per Mom's request

Here's more video of the kids being kids. And fear not, when you see Maggie's outfit and crack up, just remember I am saving all her outfits up for an "outfit of the day" post. She's so creative, I just don't want to squash that. Yet.




Kids will be kids, and my floors will recover from the scratches, I hope.

Oh, happy day

Today is Presidents Day. I'm sure you knew that already, since many of you are home from work, and I'm sure you're celebrating the lives of our Presidents' with reflection into their contributions and the like.

Uh huh.

Well, I'm off to the Jelly Belly Factory (again) with some Ward chicks. Should be fun. I don't really want to go since I was just there and had an awful puking experience, but I'm doing my duty and making some new friends. This time I will not be buying any Cappuccino JBZ. So rest assured, you won't have to hear about me worshiping the porcelain
God in a future post. Oh, and did I mention it's snowing today? Joy.

So have a good one, and I'll be seein' ya'll tomorrow.

My pet peeves

Ah, yes. Time to vent.

Old blue-hair's who take up both lanes of traffic. Go home, granny!
Mom jeans
Misspelled marquee signs
Pot holes
Cold, bright, melty days
Laundry
Vacuuming
Poopy diapers, and anything else that goes along with bodily functions
Headaches
Sister's that are NASCAR fans. WTH?

I feel much better now. Thank you.

Happy Valentine's Day, Lover

And to this sweet nothing, I received a "Happy Valentine's Day, to you too, Woman".


And somehow, this was sweet. Especially coming from Sugar Daddy.


Reasons I love Sugar Daddy:

He's a great dad.
He's a great hubby.
He opens my car door for me, but only on special occasions.
He puts gas in the car.
He cleans the floor for no reason.
He snores like nobody's business.
He smells.
He makes me less serious about life.
He supports me in my crazy "ambitions".
His sole purpose in life is to make my life easier. And that's the truth.

We never celebrate V-Day around here, because we say every day is Valentine's Day. Even though that may be a stretch, we really do love each other, and we make a pretty darn cute couple. If cute includes.... I won't expound on that. You're welcome.

So thanks, Honey! I love you.

Here we go

1 month ago

One month ago today, we were leaving.

Leaving our family and friends for an unknown adventure 2000 miles away.

I was crying my eyes out, the kids were sad, and confused, and Sugar Daddy was being his usual stoic self, supporting me as best he could.

In this month, that has flown by too fast, we've had several things happen:

Bullets!

• Realized our fuel tank is just a little too small to get us from gas station to gas station while pulling our trailer across the plains. Thank goodness for 5 gallon jugs.
• Learned to sneak our dog into hotel rooms.
• Found out that Mover's don't give a crap about the stuff they're moving.
• Mom will fly out here at a moments notice, if we just ask. Thanks, Mom!
• Felt extremely lonely when, on the first day in a new town, a kid gets seriously sick, and I realized I had no doctor, and no one to call for advice.
  
• Seen first hand that neighbors and friends, no matter their religion, can be good people.
• Receiving my first bottle of wine as a "Welcome" gift.
  
• The wine was tasty.
• Understanding that Utah cold has NOTHING on -27, and giving in and buying a coat.
  
• Gaining a testimony.... Of my GPS! Talk about being blindly led! I just have to have faith that it knows where I'm going, even when I don't.
  
• Finding a sense of accomplishment in doing the little things. And feeling more grown up than ever!
  

Even though it's been a hard month, long work hours for Sugar Daddy, sick kids, getting comfortable being "outside the box", and all that goes along with that, we really are settling in nicely. It feels good here, and we've made some nice friends. It's starting to feel more like "home", and that's a good feeling.

Today is a two post day

I know, try to contain your excitement.

Happy Birthday, GRACIE!!!

We love you, and miss you soooo much!

It 'Twas,

Soap

Poisoning!

Poor Gretta got a handful of soap today. She was having a gay old time splashing and pulling everything into the tub. And then came the soap. A big handful. And what's the first thing babies do with handfuls? Yep, right in the mouth. Obviously it was sour, so she reached up and rubbed her eyes.

So now she's going to be blind. Just like Ralphy.

I have issues

This isn't a surprise to those of you that know me. But I do. I have issues with a lot of things. This morning, for instance, my neighbor came to pick me up for a playgroup. I followed her there. I noticed her license plate is personalized, and makes reference to BYU. That kinda irks me. Then the playgroup mommies were very shy around me. I would have thought it would be the other way around, but whatever. That kinda bugs me. The dog poops on top of the snow, despite a nice spot of lawn being shoveled bare just for that purpose. That just makes me laugh, because there are all these little land mines all over our beautiful white wonderland.

But the thing that I have the most issue with is light switches. They should all face down when the lights are off, right? Right. Well, apparently super electrician that wired this house thought otherwise. Every switch here is a 3-way. Huh huh, 3 way. And there was no way to get them all down and off at the same time. It's been bugging me so bad since we moved in, but I figured there were a million other things to do besides stress over light switches. Well, Sugar Daddy felt my pain. Last night he fixed them. All of them. Ah, freedom. It's wonderful to see all the switches in the right direction.

Now if I could quit washing my hands and counting steps to the mailbox.....

Freezing?

Since my sister, she who shall remain nameless, Jill, is bragging it up that it's 60 degrees there in Hell, I mean Vegas, I thought I'd show you what you're missing out on here in the frozen North. Yes, people, that is my light switch covered in ice. Not too bad for an outside light switch, eh? Well, too bad it's INSIDE! Maybe I do keep my house a little on the cold side. Honestly, we don't know why it does this. It's just this one, right by the back door. I think a little spray foam insulation will fix it right up. Plus, I love using that stuff. It's so fun. So do I have your sympathy yet?

Bundle of Joy

Congrats to Kirsten and Bryan.

A new little boy, 7 pounds, 10 ounces, and 19 inches long has joined the ranks.

We need more boys, hint hint, Kristen and Michelle.

And good job Mom on the coaching thing. I think maybe you've found your true calling.

So I was thinking

I know, hard to believe. But I just discovered today that it is indeed February.

That means January is now officially over.

Finally.

I may be a little slow on the uptake here, but I almost breathed a sigh of relief. I walked outside today only to hear Geese flying over head. Is over head one word or two? Whatever. Geese, yes of the Canadian kind, were flying overhead, honking their little honkers out! It was adorable. I guess that's what I get for living so darn close to the Canadian border. I hear you have to watch out for those Canadians, though.

So I was thinking. I need a Spring pick me up. Here's what will help give me a little burst of energy to get through this remaining Winter. So pick the one you think will be the best.

1. A new outfit.
2. A spray on tan.
3. A mani-pedi.
4. A new hand bag.

What do you say? I'm leaving it up to you, folks. You've all done so well with the Writers block challenge, I just know you can do this too.

And I'm sorry this post sucks. Please refer to the previous post for my excuse. I promise to be back on track soon. Really. I do.

I think this is what writers block feels like

It seems like I've hit a creative wall. For some reason, my wit, humor, and even criticisms have run dry. I know! If I can't find it in me to criticize someone, it must be bad. I had been thinking of changing my blog template for a while, and as much as I love the Pyzam flowery cute ones, I just couldn't bring myself to be like everyone else. So I found this cute notebook one, and I liked it enough. I thought that would inspire me back into my norm, but alas, to no avail. So I changed the title of my blog. I'm always saying "Note to self..." followed shortly by "I forgot...". I think I get that from Momma. Still, no inspiration comes. I'm sure some of this has to do with the fact that I am currently living in a plain white generic looking house. I thought I'd be okay with neutral colors. Turns out, not so much. I should at least start hanging stuff on the walls, but I feel no inspiration for that either. What's a girl to do?

Ask fellow bloggers, of course!

I have a big empty room in my house. It's the first room you see when you enter the house. There is no furniture, only beige carpet and beige walls. I found these cute prints at, where else, Ikea, bought 3 of them, and plan to use them on the wall. But I want you to use them to create the space for me. I'll take pictures or links to stuff you think should go in my living room. Maybe that will inspire me out of this midwinter funk. Funk is a funny word. I knew a girl who's last name was Funk. I was always glad it was her and not me....

So there you go. We're talking furniture, artwork, rugs, sculpture, knick knacks, pets, people, whatever. So have at it, and help a chick out!

It's good to be related to smart people

Or at least people the blog smart. Since it seems that my wit well has run dry for today, I leave you with 2 links to check out.

The Terrills are hilare. Good people, good people. And Barb always has good tidbits of love and info to share. If you'd like a challenge for your frozen brains, check out her latest post here.

And for a funny voting joke, (Non-Partisan in case you were wondering), check out Bonny's lastest post here. She's a great gal. Beautiful, smart, and she has the cutest kids, next to mine of course.

Enjoy!

Oy, Vey!

Well, several things have happened here this weekend.

First, Friday was a snow day. We got a, ready yourself, good 6 inches! And yes, school was canceled. What's a mom to do? I knew I couldn't deal with 3 kids fighting all day and all weekend too, so we headed to Hannah Montana's new movie. Quite cute. Let's just hope she doesn't turn all White Trashy-fab like her Britney Spears counterpart. But for $15 a ticket, I would have liked a little more. Maybe a margarita at least? But I digress. After successfully finding our way there (and back, Mom), I decided it was time to invest in a new snow blower. Ah, the power that is a gas engine! Now we have the cleanest driveway on the block.

Saturday brought Sean cleaning out the garage. All day. Literally. He was out there from 9AM until 6:30 PM when I made him take us to dinner. I was craving Tacos El Norte, what can I say. But thanks to his efforts, I can now park in the garage that has an opener. No more prehistoric lifting of the garage door for me! Oh, we also pushed, yes pushed, the '49 chevy into the third car garage. That is one heavy effin truck. But now it has a home, so we're happy.

Sunday began as any normal day. Late for church, screaming kids, blah blah blah. But then I noticed Gretta had a fever. Uh oh. And Emma's eyes wouldn't stop watering, and she was coughing like a chain smoker. I knew I was in for it.

So Monday brought a visit to our new Pediatrician, who is darling, thank goodness. G has an ear infection, and Emma just has a cold. But after 3 kids, I thought I'd missed out on the joy that is ear infections. This is the first one for us. Ever. And the poor girl is miserable. Although I must say, I enjoy the cuddling that I normally don't get. Baby cuddling, that is. Don't get any ideas, Sugar Daddy.

And that brings us to today. Tuesday. Foggy, eerie Tuesday. It seems as though this is the calm before the storm, as they're saying 8-10 inches of snow tonight. They're even talking about schools getting canceled again tomorrow. Oh joy. But wait, that means I get to use the Snow Blower. Yay! I think I need to give that puppy a name. Any ideas? Maybe something slightly perverted, because you know how I am....

Me in a nutshell

10 years ago:

I was a newlywed. A miserable newlywed. I could not sleep with him in my bed, therefore my entire day was spent as a zombie. We lived in a teeny tiny apartment in Holladay. There were vertical blinds separating the bedroom from the kitchen. It was ghetto-fab for sure. We had no money, but we were in love, so it didn't matter. I was working at a job I hated, he was in school, and we had just gotten our first cell phone. Our car payments were more than our rent, and we would save up our change to go to "Gringos" for dinner and share a burrito. Oh, the good ol' days.

5 things on my "to do" list today:

1. Take 2 kids to the doctor.
2. Make the bunk beds.
3. Vacuum my room.
4. Get some hair gunk at the grocery store.
5. Get some groceries at the grocery store.

5 snacks I enjoy:

Only 5?
1. Chocolate anything.
2. Anything covered in chocolate.
3. Ice cream.
4. Cereal.
5. Chips Ahoy! cookies.

If I were given a billion dollars, I would:
1. Buy a private jet so I could fly around and see my family whenever I wanted.
2. Pay off my house.
3. Save it.
4. Not tell anyone.
5. Invest it in.... who knows.

3 bad habits:

1. I pick my lips.
2. I have a bad temper.
3. Yelling at my kids.

5 places I have lived:

1. Riverton, Ut
2. St. George, Ut
3. Sandy, Ut
4. Lake Villa, Il
5. ?

5 jobs I've had:

1. Receptionist.
2. Hair stylist.
3. Nursing assistant.
4. Mom.
5. Lover.

5 things people don't know about me:

1. I may have a serious side after all.
2. I'm afraid of drowning, but I love the water.
3. I hate breaking a nail.
4. I wanted to be a race car driver.
5. Bad grammar is a major turn off.

Happy Birthday G!

Okay, so I'm a week late posting Birthday pics. Sue me. At least they're getting posted at all. I was trying to find my magical cord that uploads the pictures from the camera to the puter.

Anyhoo, Gretta turned 1 on the 22nd. I honestly cannot believe she is 1. It seems just like yesterday we were boiling water and getting some clean sheets.

Now that she's here, and the cutest damn thing I've ever seen, I can't imagine life without her. For now a few of her favorite things are:

• Crawling superfast with her head down in an aerodynamic position. This helps with the wind drag.
• Yelling at the top of her lungs at anything.
• Squealing in delight when she sees a stuffed animal.
• Jumping in her crib.
• Calling the puppy.
• Sticking out her tongue.
• Throwing her binky, or anything, for that matter.
• Pulling everything off the sides of the tub.
• Throwing the bath towel in the water.

She really is a fun kid. She knows she can rely on her sisters for help, but she still likes Mom the best. Until Dad gets home, that is. As soon as she sees Sean walk in the door, she reaches out for him. He's even been known to use the facilities while holding her because he doesn't want to put her down for a second.

We had a fun party. We ate birthday cake that was mixed in a frying pan with a plastic fork using no measuring apparatus. It still turned out pretty well. But I think we're all glad the movers finally showed up and we can find what we need now.

So, Happy Birthday, G!

Come on in and pull up a floor

Welcome. I'm glad you all came to visit me in my new home town of Lake Villa, Illinois. It's a beautiful, if cold, part of the midwest. So far I've only unpacked, and not done much else in the way of decorating. You can understand, I'm sure. I still have an entire living room that is empty and in need of new furniture, so that said, come on in and pull up a floor and I'll begin the tour.

Hey, that rhymed.




Well, that's pretty much it. Our new abode. I quite like it. It's nice to have so much extra space. This home is more than double the size of our last, so imagine how many cabinets I have that are empty! It's wonderful. I've met a few neighbors, some from the Ward, most not, and Emma and Maggie have both made cute new friends. It's a wonderful feeling to see your kids adapt so well. Although this transition has been hard, especially leaving my family and friends, this is the most fulfilled and grown-up I've ever felt. Funny how that works. So I'm happy, which translates into we're happy. It's a good thing.

Like a bowl full of Jelly Belly's

On MLK day, or Civil Rights Day as it's now called, we headed up to the Jelly Belly factory in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. It's about a 15 minute drive from home. Good to know. It's not really the "factory", since the beans are made in a Chicago suburb then shipped to this warehouse, so it's really just the distribution center. Still, it's fun to ride around on the little train and see the video of how they make the famous beans. We also got to wear these cute paper hats. We learned that the best selling jelly bean of this year is Very Cherry, surpassing Buttered Popcorn after it's 3 year reign. We also saw what they do with all the Jelly Belly's that don't make it past QC, they're called Belly Flops, and they sell them in the store at a deeply discounted price. I found the new JBZ, which are kind of like M&M's with a flavored candy shell and filled with chocolate. There was Caramel, Vanilla, Chocolate Fudge, and Cappuccino JBZ in my bag of joy. Or so I thought it was a bag of joy. Cute paper hats worn by all.

Giant Jelly Belly's are creepy.

Turns out you should never vomit cappuccino flavored JBZ. Not so joyful. Maybe it serves me right for loving anything coffee flavored. Maybe it serves me right for eating the whole bag myself. Either way, bad, bad, Jelly Belly JBZ. Not that it will stop me from eating them again. I'm just a glutton like that.

Kiss my ice

Hey.

It's cold here. Have you heard? -27. Yes, that's a -.

And even though I had internet service on Tuesday, my puter has been less than cooperative. Thanks to Sugar Daddy for making it all better.

So you want the details, I suppose.

• I Love Love Love my new house. For those of you not in the "know", I hadn't seen it until the night before we closed on it. Sean did well on the picking out part.
• My movers ruined my couch. Yes, ruined. As in grease stain all over the front, cushions, and back. Good thing they're insured.
  
• Apparently I have no sense of direction without my Utah mountains. My mom is so trusting to get in the car with me, never knowing if we'll make it back.
  
• Did I mention my mom came to visit? 1 day's notice and she was here to help unpack and rastle the kiddies. I don't know what I would have done, or will do, without her.
  
• Gretta has decided that she can stand alone for stretches of time. As long as she has something in her hand, that is. She's pretty cute, except when she's crawling around crying and holding her arms up for me to pick her up every second. Exhausting.
  
• As of right now, more than half of my home is furnished a la Ikea. 2 bedroom sets, a breakfast table and 6 chairs, 3 bar stools, a high chair, and 3 huge prints for the living room wall. I'm such a sheep.
  

I promise I will post pictures of the house, the kids, and most importantly, my Fargo hat. Yes people, I gave in and bought a Fargo hat from K-Mart to shield my poor noggin from the blasted cold. Although I still haven't bought a new coat yet. That will come soon, I'm sure. Now that I have internet and such, I promise to be a better friend.

Moooving Day

Okay, okay, I know it's been too long.

Yes, the movers have come and gone. And yes, I'm posting from Illinois, which is now home. Although I'm not quite home as of yet. I'm at Michelle's house in Peoria, and I'm a mere 4 hours from my new town. I had a vision of what our cross-country trip would be like. It included several new downloads from iTunes, and sleepy children lovingly gazing out across the plains as we whizzed by. Insert laugh here. Our iPods are inexplicably missing, and they better be packed and not stolen.

We left Utah on Sunday morning in a blizzard of previously unmentioned snow. 30 MPH until Evanston, WHYoming made for a long morning, especially when coupled with tear-stung eyes. Finally the snow stopped, and thy WHYoming sky shone a brilliant blue. Our initial plans of staying in Cheyenne flew by like our truck in the night as we realized we needed to cut a day off our trip, so we pressed on into NebrASSka.

Monday morn we woke up and played in the local hotel water park. We had the entire 2 slides to ourselves most of the morning. After showers and vomit, we headed to Peoria. Through Winter Quarters and on into Council Bluffs, I-OH-wa. I'm sure these places hold deep history of the pioneers, I'm just not sure exactly what. Maybe Barb can expound. We arrived in Peoria late last night, and after yummy dinner with Michelle, Ken, and Tressa (aka Grandma Hashbarger reincarnated), we headed off to find a local Hotel to rest our travel weary head. Not as easy as I thought. Finally, after midnight, we rolled into Comfort Suites. Thank goodness for suites. Sweet.

Today we enjoyed butter and egg yolk waffles and home made syrup. Michelle has the cutest little house, and it's not haunted like our turn of the century house was. So now we head up to our new home town. Hopefully we can get there in one piece and not have any poops or vomits or fuel issues on the way. I hope to post some pics of the new diggs in a couple of days, so keep in touch!

Kisses!

Warning: Funny adult content below

Maggie: "Mom, why don't girls have wieners?"

Me: "Well, girls got boobs instead."

Maggie: "Oh." Long pause. "But Pablo has boobs."

For those of you not in the know, Pablo is the penguin from Backyardigans.

Me: "No, he doesn't. I just looks like he does."

Maggie: "Oh." Another long pause. "Well mom, where are their pee parts then?"

Me: Holding in a laugh. "The pee comes out of their wieners."

Maggie: Sounding much relieved, "Oooh! So that's why they can pee standing up!"


How glad am I she asked me this? No, really, I am. I'm glad she can ask those kinds of questions without getting embarrassed or worse, going to some friend who has a crazy idea of things. Although, I'm not really sure why she has this fascination with wieners.

So long, farewell.

Last night we had a wonderful dinner with Rob and Laura at Citris Grill in Draper. It was a sweet farewell. They leave for Hawaii on Wednesday, and we won't see them again before we move on Sunday. And since Laura has been my bestest friend, I thought I'd share some fun facts about her.

Bullets!

• She is the most positive person I've ever met.
  
• She's a little passive-agressive, but in a good way.
• If there's a recipe out there, she's probably cooked it.
• I've never met anyone that enjoys food so much.
• She worships the sun, and owns a plethora of tanning oils and lotions.
• She loves Trash Mags as much as I do!
• She has the cutest baby in the world. He even has a faux-hawk!
• She has a killer wardrobe. Always finds the latest trends, even in lil'ol' Utah.
  
• She does it all. A full time job, a spotless house, up to date VTing, and home cooked dinner.
• She gets to vacation in awesome places like Sun Valley and Hawaii.
• She has the coolest family, next to mine, of course!
  
• She always keeps in touch with friends, even from long ago.

And it's that last reason that I know Laura and I will stay friends forever. I couldn't ask for a better BFF. She's my VIP. She's my Homie, and I'm glad I have her.

A "Hole" New World

Notice anything different? She hardly cried, and got a new Gymboree outfit for being such a brave girl. Looks like she'll be getting diamond earrings for her 1st birthday, just like her big sisters did.

Goodbye, Apathy.

I understand it's the new year. And I also understand that many, many people are doing lists of resolutions they fully do NOT intend to keep. I, however, am not giving in to the crowd. I will not make a list of things I won't do this year. So instead, I'm making a list of things that will absolutely happen this year.

BULLETS!

• Moving across the country next week.
• Gretta's birthday on the 22nd.
• Aaron J's birthday (can't remember when, exactly).
• Gracie's, Abby's, and Andee's (?) birthdays in February.
• Isaacs's birthday in March.
• Mindy's birthday in April, and Alex's(?,) and Eli's. I think Clara is here, somewhere too.
  
• Gabe, Carter, Claire, Spencer, Ken, and Mike in May.
• Jill, Olivia, Dad, Aaron, and Mom Clayton in June.
• July brings Dad Clayton, Tressa, Jared, and Bryan
• August is Emma, Michelle, Aimee, Me, and Kirsten.
• September is Madison and Kelli.
• October is Meg, Mom, McKinley, Maggie, and Troy.
• November is un-birthdayed as of yet.
  
• And December brings Sean and Kristen!
  

I'm sure these are wrong to some extent, and I've probably missed some one. No offense. Just comment and I'll fix it! But there you go. Things that will absolutely happen this year. No more broken resolutions for me!

*Edit: Mike informed me of my mistaken dates. I can't keep all of these straight!

Andee - March 6

Alex - May 17

My Pinata

Maggie says this hat makes Gretta look like a pinata. It kinda does. And sometimes this kid is so sweet, I'd swear she was full of candy. This is her latest trick. She will stick her tongue out at you if you stick yours out first. It's quite cute.



And if you look closely, you can see the tippy top of the first tooth. It's about time! And by looking at her face, you'd never know she is still sick. She will vomit and poop at least once a day, but she seems fine otherwise. I know you were dying to know her digestive habits. Hopefully she'll kick this bug soon. If not, I'm afraid she's going to wither away to nothing. She's already too skinny. Poor kid.

Live, Laugh, Love

10 years ago today we were getting sealed in the Salt Lake Temple for time and all eternity. It's still so fresh in my mind, that I can't believe it's been that long. But looking back at all that's happened, it seems like forever.

In 10 years we've:

Had 3 kids
Lived in 3 (almost 4) homes, and 1 icky apartment.
Owned 8 vehicles.
Finished 2 basements.
Been to Yellowstone 8 times.
Gained 10 Nieces.
Gained 5 Nephews (Carter was already born when we married.)
Gained 50 pounds.
Been through marriage counseling twice.
Grown closer together.
Enjoyed having our soul mate to grow old with.

Sniff sniff.

The Christmas spoils

I hope everyone out there in blogosphere had a good Christmas. I know we did. Here are the pictures and blurbs of what the Holiday season brought. The girls with their huge Disney Princess dolls. Of course Maggie got Belle. Emma got Cinderella.


Emma with her Pixel Chix, and Maggie with her MagnaDoodle book.



Of course HSM 2 found it's way to our house. The girls think it's pretty cool that I went to college where they filmed the movie. What can I say? I'm just cool like that.


And somehow Santa found a WII on eBay, and sent it our way. We played it all night Christmas night, and I have the sore shoulder to show for it.


Maggie's little piano. Gretta got one just like it. Maybe now they'll leave mine alone.



Now for the run down.


Christmas eve:
Dinner at Sizzler. My parents go there so often, their server invited them to her wedding, and also gave them a $25 Gift Certificate. Should I brag about that?
Huge snowstorm. The drive home from Sizzler was fun. The vangina rocks in the snow.
Played play dough pictionary at Grandma's house. Green dough makes for interesting sculptures.

Christmas Morning:
Woke up at 5 AM.
Gretta starts puking.
Open presents til 7.
Gretta continues puking.
Breakfast at Nunn and Poppa's at 9.
Open more presents.
Gretta pukes.
Play a wicked game of Cranium. It was Sylvester, Kelli. ;)
Went to Grandma's for lunch.
Opened more presents.
Played another game of Cranium, Clayton style.
Leave in a hurry due to mystery smell.
Play WII all night.

Day after Christmas:
Kids woke up early to play WII
Gretta still puking.
Mom takes shower, finally!
Gretta has a seizure.
Head to Primary's for 2 days.

Yesterday:
Home. Finally.
Gretta back to normal.
Kids playing with WII all day.
Mom not feeling too hot.
Sean's last day of work in Utah.
Looking forward to having him home for 2 weeks.

I think that's all. Sorry about the absence of blogging. I promise I'll be better.

Home for the Holidays

We had some nice visitors on Thursday night. Jacob and Amy called, and were on their way to Texas to see Betsy, and needed a place to crash for the night. Of course we welcomed them with open arms. And an open front door. Since we were away at a work party, we just left our house unlocked, and they came right in and made themselves right at home. I'm glad they did. We didn't arrive home until much later than we expected, so they had a dinner of pancakes, and then took baths before we even got here! Of course we were all up late talking and playing. The kids had so much fun. They love playing with cousins.

Cruz, Kirsten and Maggie playing "Little People" on the landing. Cruz is a sport to put up with all that girl stuff around.

Katanya enjoying a breakfast of Cookie Crisp and orange juice. She bonked her face on the coffee table pretty hard, cut her tongue, and hardly even cried! She's a trooper.

Emma and McKay watching cartoons. Emma looks sleepy, and probably was, but I think I just caught her with her eyes closed. Oops.

My new favorite reality show.

I'm not sure exactly what it is about this show that makes me laugh so hard. Maybe it's the fact that Snoop is freakin' hilare, or the fact that he hangs out in his backyard shed all day eating fried chicken. Or maybe it's that his wife is about as exciting as a wet noodle, but their 8 year old could put you in your place with just one look. Either way, Sean and I sat and laughed our heads off for a good hour last night, all thanks to Snoop and his Dawg Pound. As he would say in his "Word of the day" segment, "It's all Hood".

A little info

My minivan just turned 60000 miles. This is the most miles I've ever had on a vehicle. And this is also the longest I've ever owned one vehicle. I'd like to buy another, but a car payment just doesn't sound fun. I enjoy having extra money for Wal-Mart.

But it makes me wonder...What kind of cars do my reader(s) drive? I'll start.

03 Honda Odyssey
05 Dodge Ram (Git 'er dun!)


Now you.

It's about freakin' time!

We have toothage. And not a minute to soon!

At 11 months, I was starting to wonder if she would be getting her drivers license picture taken with no teeth! I'd post a pic, but baby isn't very forthcoming with her new pearly.

Fine, thanks. How was your morning?

This morning I awoke to two things.

1. I had a nose bleed. Some people have cowlicks or widows' peaks that run in their families, but we have nose bleeds. Aren't we lucky? Yes, we are. So at 4:30 AM, I wake up to that icky taste in my mouth. I hate that. So half-coherent, I'm staggering to the bathroom to take care of this mess. And even luckier, it wouldn't stop. So for a half an hour I sat on the edge of the bath tub and half slept, half gagged.

2. Finally, it stopped. 5:15, I just drift off to sleep, and find myself startled awake by the sound of my dog whining. She never whines. Unless... Yep, she pees on the carpet. The newly cleaned carpets, mind you. Now my mouth tastes like blood and toilet paper, and my house smells like dog pee. Great morning.

But I got to go to lunch with Sugar Daddy, and brave Wal-Mart for a few last minute gifts, so my day improved drastically. I certainly don't think it could have gotten worse.

Does this make us SITCOM'S?

I heard once that yuppies no longer exist. Now they're called SITCOM's.

Single
Income
Two (or Three)
Children
Oppressive
Mortgage.

See here, and you tell me.

Good Heavens!

Thanks to Meg for being a trooper last night.

Cracker Barrel, you suck. Your baby changing table was gross, and you gave my baby, and my sister, diarrhea.

Poor G had to ride home naked with shoes on, and a mere blanket for warmth. Good thing "Sparky" drives fast.

Leavin'

No, Sugar Daddy isn't finally leaving me. Well, not like that. He's off to Chicago, again, after a brief 4 day respite. But this time, he's taking the kids. And I'm not crying, that's for sure.
If I have to say "Because I'm the mom, that's why," or "Can't you just be nice?" or "Don't make me send you to your room and fight it out" or "I'm ready to send in the lions" one more time, I might just, well, I don't really know, but I might do something drastic. Okay, that last one might be a little exaggeration, but sometimes I wish I had a lion just to threaten them with.

So this weekend it will just be Me and G. I know, it should be G and I, but Me and G has a better ring to it, so deal. It comes at a perfect time, really. I mean besides the death threats to the children. It gives me the perfect opportunity to finish the shopping, wrapping, and more shopping. And going to Costco with one kid is like a freakin' vacation. Let's face it. Three is a lot of mouths to shut up. I mean threaten. I mean feed. Yeah, feed, that's it. So I'm taking it easy with G. We plan on sleeping in, and taking lots of naps, and playing lots of games, and taking more naps. And then there will be Costco, and the Mall, and probably a Ward party, and maybe even a dinner out, just the two of us. I'm quite excited.

Meanwhile, Sean will be offering $0.80 on the dollar for a house, which hopefully will be approved in an acceptable amount of time. He'll also be going to dinner with The Ladies, swimming at the Hotel, running errands to the school district, and who knows what else the kiddies will put him up to. I suppose they'll spend too much money, and have too many sweets, but what do I care? He gets to deal with the sugar crash.

So there's the novel. That's a lot of words for a stupid picture of a suitcase. But honestly, I just don't have it in me to be more creative than that at this particular juncture. The creativity is being used elsewhere at the moment. Now if I could just decide on what to get Sugar Daddy for Christmas, I'd be set. Maybe at Costco....

Recap

Sugar Daddy's birthday. He got "Family Guy" on DVD. That show is so funny. We laugh our heads off.

The Nativity being performed by all the grandkids at the Brown family party. This is only a few of the kids, since several weren't there due to their out of town status.

Emma and Maggie at the Nativity scene. Emma was Mary. Maggie was an angel. Am I the only one that sees the irony in that? And for the record, I was never Mary in the family Nativity. Not that I'm bitter.....

Pay it forward

Contest alert!

This is a first for me. I've joined the ranks of blogger contest hostesses. If any of you are in dire need of handmade crap, a la me, the first 3 people to comment will receive a handmade ditty in the next few days. There are no guarantees of the quality of cuteness of said ditty, but rest assured, it won't be that bad.

Thanks to Britt for sharing her crafty ways. There are rules, however. You have to have a blog of your own (Sorry, MOM!), you have to be prepared to pay it forward as well, and you have to COMMIT to actually following through. If you are one of the winners, you must make a crafty item, and send it to your first three commenter's. If you need a better understanding of the rules, check out Britt's web site here.

Sugar rush

I had to make Sean's birthday cake yesterday. A banana cream cake. It is quite a yummy dessert. (Un)Fortunately for me, I only had to use about 2/3 of the cake mix. What would you do with 1/3 of a yellow cake mix? Make cupcakes? Make a mini cake? Throw it away? Well, if you know me at all, you don't even have to ask what I did with it.

Yep, I did.

All of it.

And it was mighty scrumptious.

To my sugar daddy

Dear sugar daddy,

I love you so much. You make me smile, laugh, cringe, cuss, you can irritate me beyond belief. But somehow, I can never, ever stay mad at you. You never fight back when I want you to. You always break into song at restaurants and grocery stores. You never listen, but you always seem to know what I mean. You try and be refined. But I know it's just an act. You're cute when you get romantic. Sometimes you drive like a grandpa, other times you scare me to death with your darting in and out of traffic. You can fix anything. You know things that the average human has no idea about. Most of the time you're full of crap. But it's sweet. I love you for so many reasons. I'm glad it's your birthday so I can tell you how I feel. I hope you have a good day, and many other good days to come.

Love,
Your pain in the butt.

Outfit of the day

My dear Maggie. She likes to dress herself. This is the latest in her repertoire. Good thing we were just going to Wal-Mart. She fit right in.

Things that must go

1. Fat chicks in Tie-Dye shirts.
2. Yo Gabba Gabba.
3. Socks with sandals.
4. Smoking.
5. News anchors with mustaches. You too, ladies.

Feel free to add.

My little overachiever

Emma is such a wonderful gift to our family. She is always very sweet and kind. Today she was awarded the school CEO award. It stands for Chief Example to Others. She has received exceptional scores on her spelling and math tests, and also uses her free time to help others in her class.
She is just the sweetest, kindest, friendliest person I know. She teaches me everyday how to be a better mother. I'm so thankful for her being in our family. She is truly a gift from Heaven.

What the?

Tri-chicks

My super motivated sisters Meg and Jill have just signed up for the Utah Summer Games Triathlon. Aren't they cool? I was invited to do so, but let's just say, well, Hell NO to that! We could have done it as a relay with Meg biking since she's superfast, Jill running, since she jiggles less than I, and me doing the swim since I'm obviously the most buoyant. But that involves some training on my end, and flying 3 hours and then actually doing it. Not going to happen. But they're still my hero's.

Going green

Last week we went grocery shopping. This was a pretty big deal, since we hadn't been for about 2 months. Really, 2 months. I was out of everything. When the corn and beans are running low, you know it's bad. So off we went to drain our checking account in the frozen foods aisle. We filled the cart, overfilled the cart in fact, and headed to the checkout stand. As we waited in line, we saw these.



Reusable grocery bags. In Utah. At Harmon's! So now I'm doing my part. And it feels, well, pretty darn good.

Now that Colbie's out

Timbaland is in. So in. And OneRepublic, which I have now downloaded onto my near-full iPod. I love love love "Apologize" so much, I find myself singing it in my dreams. It's a sad story when I overindulge in songs so much they trickle into my dream state. But Colbie has been replaced. Thank the good Lord. It wasn't too soon, that's for sure.

Black Friday

This year I passed on the frenzy that is Black Friday. Last year I was 14 months pregnant, not sleeping, and nesting, so of course I went. This year I lied in bed with my new pillow embracing my sleepy head, and enjoyed the breeze from my open window as I cuddled with my hubby. Nice. Not that I won't do my fair share of shopping later today. We have lunch at Mimi's with ALL the girls, extended family included, and then it's off to blaze a trail of shopping destruction. We have to burn off those turkey calories somehow.

And the "holy crap that's good banana cream pie" was a hit. In case you were wondering.