Weird science

I am having a Pavlovian experience...

I got a new cell phone for Christmas and downloaded a new ringtone- the U of U fight song. Suddenly I am craving a hotdog...hmm...

What's wrong with this picture?

Thanks, Airport #2 for being so quick to remove snow from your sidewalk and for putting up an effective drift fence along your north end. Oh wait...

Here are a few pictures of what should be a drivable lane on a very busy road. If a homeowner had neglected his sidewalk and allowed snow to drift to the point where the road was impassable, he'd be in big trouble! Instead, the road is down to one lane, with only inches of room to spare. The snow bank is at least 4 feet high, as you can see in relation to the Subaru in front of our van above.

The Friday before Christmas, before the BIG storms, I saw a 4-car accident in this same place due to drifting, blowing snow causing white-out, icy conditions.

Here are a few contacts if you'd like to request a change here:

Rep Eric Hutchings ehutchings@utah.gov

Salt Lake County council members
Michael Jensen
801 468-2932

At Large "A"
Randy Horiuchi
801 468-2936
email
At Large "B"
Jenny Wilson
801 468-2934
email
At Large "C"
Jim Bradley
801 468-2939
email

There's a start. I have a few other contacts to try. I'll let you know what I find out.

The coupon lady

I am having the lady from grocerysmarts.com come to my house on Tuesday, Jan 13th. If you would like to come, please let me know and I will give you more details. Sorry, stalkers, I'm not giving details here!

First trip to the dentist

Lydia had her first dentist visit last week and was an angel! She sat in the chair (mostly) and was surprisingly cooperative. Rather than scare little ones with the electric toothbrush, they put the fluoride and paste on a small child's toothbrush and do them at the same time. Lydia (my little control freak) had to have her own hand on the brush at all times, but let the girl brush her teeth and even opened extra wide! She was great when Dr Johansen did the exam and didn't flinch when he poked around her crowded teeth with the explorer. Having been a dental assistant in a previous life, I was AMAZED at her cooperation! I had to hold down more than one child to just get a peek in a mouth! Let's hope she's always that good!

Since all three girls had a check up, they got three tokens for the carousel and I was dizzy by the time we left. No cavities, just a recommendation for orthodontia for Jenna. (She's only 6!!!)

Good work, girls!

Merry Christmas

Since by some freak of nature I have been awake for over an hour and my kids are all still asleep, I thought I'd say Merry Christmas! Here are some pics of the girls with Santa. I hope your day is wonderful and that you survive the snow!

Ok, side note- Tim went to check and apparently Jenna is up. I have no idea how long she's been up. We told her she couldn't get up until 7:00, but the power went out around 3:00 so her clock is 3 1/2 hours slow. She asked Tim if it was ok to get up and go potty. Oops! Sorry Dolly!

Jenna's quote of the day.

"I wish Summer would come back. Winter is so bothersome!"

Greg's a star

This is for my family. It's Uncle Greg dancing on stage at the Desert Star Theater.

No, it's not in slow motion. That's just how he danced! Ü

Apron ideas

Everyone loves aprons these days, so I thought I'd share so ideas I found. Mostly I want to be able to find these again in the spring when I'm ready to sew again!

http://projectsforyournest.blogspot.com/2008/04/quick-easy-apron.html

Little Miss So-Big

So, Lydia thinks she's as old and capable as her sisters. This identity crisis leads to tears when everyone else goes to school or a friend's house, but she also does some very grown-up things well.

She's been in her big-girl bed for a little while now and loves it! This pictures is from the day Tim set it up.

She also wants to go potty like the big girls. I think this is a good sign for imminent potty training! She puts the potty seat on the toilet and climbs right up all by herself! She even likes to sit a spell and read...

Ahh! I just saw the date and realized she is 21 today!! Happy Month-iversary Monkey!

Important news flash!

Muppets newsflash! There is a new Muppets holiday special on channel 5 tonight at 7! Sorry, there will be no John Denver and the Muppets, but we'll take what we can get!

Major slacker

Now that craft shows, Thanksgiving, Christmas shopping, and Enrichment night are done, I can start rejoining the blog world. Here are a few highlights I missed from Oct/Nov. I will go slowly, as there are probably hundreds of pics I have taken since then.

First, I never showed proof that Lydia dressed up for Halloween. Here she is in passing as the cutest little witch ever!

Then there was giant snow at Gma & Papa's. Lydia and Emma didn't like it so much when we plopped them in a pile of snow. Lydia didn't even make it out of the house before face-planting in her snow suit. (Say it with me, "I can't put my arms down!)

And finally, here are the pilgrim hat treats I made for Jenna's class party. They are Keebler Fudge Stripe cookies, mini peanut butter cups, a little frosting and a passion fruit Tic Tac. They were a big hit!

30.6

Wahoo! I haven't made you suffer through a Weight Watchers update for a bit, so there you go. I am closer to 50 than to 0 pounds lost now! Here I come 50!

By the way, if anyone has thought about joining me, WW just launched a new program- it is a great combination of some of the older plans. The best of everything! Just do it!!

Etching names on glassware

Lose your favorite Pyrex at a ward party? Put your name on it! Here are some directions for you and you can order the vinyl from Lorene (or any other vinyl source.)

They turn out so great! It would be an easy way to personalize a Christmas or wedding gift- practical, yet person- my favorite combination!

Wintery craft idea

I though you might like to see some of these ideas for winter crafts. All you room mothers out there, here are some projects for you! http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/

A Tale of Two Trees

When we got our artificial Christmas tree out this year, we were shocked to see that it mysteriously shrunk! Our kids couldn't have grown THAT much, could they? We bought the little tree for $10 when Jenna was a baby and we lived in a little apartment. It even sufficed here for two Christmases. Now that Jenna was nearly as tall as the little tree, we decided it was time to upgrade. Not wanting to buy an artificial tree until we are in a home we consider permanent, we opted for the real deal!

For family night last week we went rustic and walked over to Harmon's to pick out a tree- with the two little girls in the double stroller. Pretend we were knee-deep in snow and carrying an ax. Tim carried home a beautiful tree and voila, instant Christmas spirit! It smells SOOO good!

Since we bought a popcorn popper and used it for the first time that day also, the girls thought this was a very old-fashioned Christmas- just like Laura and Mary!

(Side note: Jenna's observation on the way home- The limbs of the tree we bouncing as Tim walked. Jenna said they were waiving like a movie star and that the tree ways saying, "I got picked, I got picked" in her sing-song little way. You probably had to be there, but it was very cute!_

Local Boutique

For all of my adoring fans who have asked about local craft shows, your chance has arrived! Ü

I am doing a show tomorrow (Saturday, December 6th) with my MIL & SIL at the U of U married student housing. It is at the East Village in apt 1194. Enter Arapeen drive from Sunnyside Ave and follow the signs. It goes from 10 am - 4 pm. Let me know if you need more info.

Hope to see you there!

Have you oiled lately?

While buying fabric yesterday I saw a bottle of sewing machine oil and thought, "Hmm... I haven't ever oiled my machine. I should probably do that." So I bought a bottle and headed home.

I was sewing along and noticing my machine was loud and a bit choppy. "Oil it," I thought but I kept going. A bit later I thought again "oil it." I told myself I had so much to do so I would oil it later. No, now. It may sound silly but I think I was being prompted to do this before I destroyed my machine.

Having never done this before I got out my manual to see what to do. It recommend oiling your machine weekly if you sew for less than an hour a day or daily if you sew more than that. OOPS!

Now it is running like a champ and MUCH quieter. It goes through nine layers of fabric with ease now!

Three cheers for reading directions!!!

Happy December!

Welcome December! As I was changing my background I noticed I still can't get rid of the annoyingly-bright blue writing on the side. When I try to change my colors the blue doesn't even show up as an element. Does anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions?

Please know that I realize the blue doesn't match. I just don't know how to get rid of it!

Sweet gift boxes

My friend Kim makes the cutest little gift boxes and I just had to share! She only charges $1 for them, so hurry and order now. They are a 4 inch square and super cute!

More fun aprons

I thought I'd share another option in fun aprons. Hey, get them here and you can skip the stores! Christmas shopping at its best!

$10.00 each

Sweet sisters

Aren't they cute!

(Sidenote: Aubrey said, "They are so cute! Are you going to put that picture on your credit card?"

Easy to make bingo cards

Room mothers take note: In a rush to make BINGO cards for 26 kids, I found a great resource!
http://www.dltk-kids.com/

They offer every theme you could imagine and you can customize your bingo card very easily. It was very easy to mix the pictures so I didn't have 26 identical cards.

They have other things too, but I was on a hunt for bingo so I didn't explore too much. There is some help for holiday activities!

Some post game SMACK!

Top 5 post game smack: (Thanks, Sam)
1. Problem at the elementary schools, kids are not allowed to leave class to go to the bathroom, all the HALL passes have been intercepted
2. Max Hall had some problems in church yesterday. He tried to pass the sacrament, but it kept getting intercepted.
3. Due to popular demand in Utah, McDonalds’s decided to rename their Apple Turnover…the Max Hall
4. There is no Y in QUEST.
5. Utah ’s defense is still open…..

And some jokes from Hill...
How do the Cougars act like a possum? They play dead at home and get killed on the road
>How many Cougar freshmen does it take to screw in a light bulb? Zero... that's a sophomore course
>What do a Ute and a Cougar have in common? They both applied to the U.
>Four fans of different teams went hiking. There was a BYU fan, Utah fan, WSU fan, and a USU fan. As they climbed the mountain, they argued who was the most loyal to their school. When they reached the summit, the WSU fan proved his loyalty yelling, "This is for the Wildcats!" throwing himself from the mountain. The USU fan not wanting to be outdone, yelled, "This is for the Aggies!" and plunged to his death. The UofU fan then shouted, "This is for everyone else!" and pushed the Cougar fan over the edge.
>How do you get a Brigham Young University grad off of your front porch? Pay him for the pizza.
>What do you get when you breed a groundhog and the BYU Cougars? Six more weeks of bad football.
>Whats the difference between the Cougars and cheerios? one of them belongs in a bowl.

I really have no ill-will towards the Y. Just a little fun...right?

Grocery Smarts

We had a great Enrichment Night last week. A lady came and taught us about grocerysmarts.com. It is an amazing website that helps you maximize your coupons, save tons of money, and build up your food storage. It is free to use and there are no gimmicky things to do or join. They just keep track of coupons and match them up to the best sales. All the work is done for you. It will even print out a customized shopping list for you!

I am going to have her do a class for my family and friends in January. Let me know if you are interested. I am going to start this week and keep track of my savings, so I can tell you how well it works!

Simplifying Christmas

I found a great article on helping your family find ways to simplify the Christmas season. It is from the Family Home Evening Resource Book and is meant to be one or two FHE lessons. With the attention span of our little ones I think I have enough info here to do FHE until Christmas!

The thing that really caught my eye was a paragraph at the beginning under the FOR THE PARENTS heading.
"If Christmas could just happen without so much bother.” “I can’t wait to see what I get.” “By the time Christmas arrives I am so exhausted I hardly feel anything but relief.” Many of us—adults and children—go through the whole holiday season with thoughts like these foremost in our minds. How many times have you had such feelings or thoughts yourself? But Christmas is actually one of the most sacred of holidays, and enjoying its true spirit, which is the Spirit of Christ, can bring us closer to the Savior. "

I find myself with that "Can't we just get it over with" feeling at times. I LOVE Christmas, so I don't want to feel that way. I want to savor the spirit of the season and be the kind of person that radiates the love of Christ, not the bitterness of a grinch!

Anyway, I thought you might like a peek at the article. And, hey, there's at least a few FHE ideas for you!

Tender soul

My sweet little Aubrey has a tender soul underneath the wild-woman exterior!

We were listening to John Denver's Rocky Mountain Christmas and the song "Christmas for Cowboys" came on. She was talking a mile a minute, so to quiet her a bit I told her to listen to this song because it was very pretty.

She got very quiet and at the end of the song she told me very sincerely, "Mom, that song was so beautiful I think I'm going to cry."

Maintain not gain

My friend told me about a program that SL county is sponsoring to encourage people to at least maintain their weight over the holidays. She said there are prizes and other incentives that are really fun.
The hyperlink isn't working, so here's the website:http://www.slvhealth.org/wah/index.html.

Let me know if you are interested in doing it together!

We wish you a merry Christmas

Here's an early Christmas greeting from the girls!

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/RW6WEBHCNhTapiWJpvOV

Candy Cane Village Boutique

Ready for Christmas shopping? Come check out the Candy Cane Village boutique this weekend at the Spring City Hall 150 E Center, Spring City, UT.

It is open Friday 10-6 and Saturday 10-5.

There are many great vendors and yummy treats to eat.

Let me know if you need more info.

Stay on track during the holidays.

This is for me more than anyone else, so but I thought I'd share part of an article from weightwatchers.com that I found helpful and well-timed!

With all the added stress, dietary temptations and even the comforts of home, sticking to a diet while visiting your family requires a renewed sense of willpower. Here are some tips to get you through, from Joanne V. Lichten, PhD, RD and author of How to Stay Healthy & Fit on the Road (Nutrifit Publishing, 2001).
1) Before you leave home...Write down your on-the-road goals, such as eating seven servings of fruit and veggies a day or eating small meals every four hours. Reread them each morning for inspiration.
2) Bring some healthy snacks.You don't want to get to your cousin Phil's only to find out that your favorite reduced-fat, whole-grain cracker isn't sold within a 100-mile radius of his house.
3) Offer to do the shopping.Or cook some of the meals. Not only can you introduce your family to your favorite low-fat recipes, but you'll be an appreciated house guest as well.
4) Eat only when you're sitting down. It's tempting to nibble while cooking with a big group in the kitchen, or to grab a handful of M&M's or peanuts out of Grandma's candy dish, but both are surefire diet destroyers.
5) Know how to graciously refuse extra food.Prepared to handle those second helpings or decadent desserts well in advance. Instead of saying you're on a diet, try, "Your barbecued chicken was so satisfying, I just don't have any room left for your lemon meringue pie."
6) Plan ahead. If you can't resist the potato salad, take a small portion, but then forgo the pat of butter on your corn on the cob.
7) Ask for second helpings to go.You'll make Mom happy and have dinner for another day.
8) Have a positive self-affirmation prepared.When a well-meaning relative starts in on you about when you're going to settle down and have kids or finally find a "real" job, remind yourself of your past accomplishments. Be proud of your hard work towards a healthier lifestyle.
9) Move away from the food. Should you get so stressed out that you start to reach for a chocolate chip cookie, even though you're not hungry, go for a walk—a long one. Or grab your nieces and nephews and play a rousing game of tag or hide-and-seek.

Fancy Schmancy Girlie Aprons

For your girlie girl who likes to help in the kitchen:

This is one of my new products available on my craft blog. There are a few colors available immediately or you can always request a custom order.

As Christmas approaches, keep me in mind for unique, hand-crafted gifts!

Por Fin!

That's Spanish for FINALLY! I hit the 25 pound mark today at WW! Look out 50, here I come!

What does it matter?

My vote doesn't matter, right? WRONG! Take a look:

•One vote made Oliver Cromwell Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England in 1645.
•One vote caused Charles I to be executed in 1649.
•One vote elected Thomas Jefferson president in 1800.
•One vote made Texas part of the U.S. in 1845.
•One vote saved President Andrew Johnson from impeachment in 1868.
•One vote changed France from a monarchy to a Republic in 1875.
•An average of only one vote per precinct passed women’s suffrage in California in 1911.
•Less than one vote per precinct, in one state, elected Woodrow Wilson President in 1912.

Make sure you go vote tomorrow if you haven't already done so! I voted early and am returning to the polls tomorrow to vote for my community council members, since I couldn't vote early for them.

I won't tell you who to vote for (unless you ask). I just want each person to use this blessing of liberty to choose your leaders. If you don't vote, you can't complain about bad leadership!

Have I mentioned I love ksl.com?

I have had a very successful ksl.com weekend! I put a bunch of random things on ksl.com's classifieds yesterday morning and have since made $80! Who knew my odds and ends would be so popular! I am only slightly embarrassed to admit that some of the items I bought at yard sales and sold them for a profit! Hehehe!

Words of wisdom

Here's my thought as I prepare for Big Brothers/Big Sisters to come haul away my unwanteds.


Have nothing in your homes that you do not know to be useful and believe to be beautiful. -William Morris

Another thought I want to remember:The heart is great which shows moderation in the midst of prosperity.Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Halloween treats

You know how they say if something is worth doing it's worth doing well? I agree, and I also think if something is worth doing, it's worth blogging.

I thought I'd share some fun Halloween treats we made for a party last week. We had so much fun making them!

First we made mini-caramel apples. (Except we used melted peanut butter chips instead of caramel) I scooped out balls of apples, making sure there was skin on each piece. Then the girls stuck a tooth pick in each one. I dipped them in the melted pb chips and then the girls dipped them in sprinkles or red hots and then we put each one in a little paper baking cup.

Here's the finished product.

They were so yummy!

The other thing we took to the party was mummy dogs. I got some yummy smoked sausage hot dogs (taste like Little Smokies, but a fraction of the price). I cut them in half length-wise and then again the other way so they wouldn't roll away. Then I took refrigerator biscuits and rolled them out flat.

I found that if the biscuits had been out of the fridge for a few minutes it worked better than super cold. Also, pulling them out into an oval before rolling them helped, too. I just used a small smooth baby bottle to roll them.

Then I used a pizza cutter to cut strips from the dough. I wrapped each piece of hot dog with about 2 strips. I started at one end and went clockwise then did the other strip from the other end counterclockwise, leaving a space for the face. I baked them for about 9 minutes. The kids LOVED these. The tested them for lunch the day of the party and then at the party they tray was empty very fast! Jenna has already requested that we make them again on Halloween!

Congratulations Court and Jake!

Here's the darling Nathan Henry! Born around 10:20 pm Thursday night. 6lbs 13 oz, 20 inches & beautiful!



After 26 long hours at the hospital and very little progression, Court had a c-section. She was so wiped out, but seemed to be in good spirits as they got her ready to go. Probably relieved to be done as much as anything!

As Dr Hanson put it, her epidural "pooped out" at the end, so she felt way too much of a c-section and they kept knocking her out to help her avoid the post-op pain. Then her airway kept closing, so they had to put a short tube in briefly to help her breathe. By 11:30 she was back in her room and doing better. She was still in a LOT of pain and couldn't keep her eyes open, but she was a trooper! Jake was a great support and right by her side the entire time. Such a proud papa!

We are so excited for the newest member of our family! I will get more pictures today, so check back later.

Halloweening

Friday morning we had a great time at the Arveseth's Halloween party! Jenna was out of school, so she got to come too. Hill planned a great party!

Here we have Strawberry Shortcake, the Big Bad Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood, Bob the Builder, and Tinkerbell. Also in attendance were Yoda, Sherlock Holmes, a pirate, and some very cute babies!



The kids decorated sacks and then had a candy hunt.


They played "Pin the face on the Pumpkin."



Hill also blew up tons of balloons and gave the kids each giant glow stick. She turned off most of the lights and the kids had a ball whacking the balloons with the glow sticks!

Here's my Tinkerbell and Strawberry Short cake ready to go!

Every one had so much fun! Thanks, Hill for all your hard work!

Corrine needs...

I saw this on Sally's blog and thought I'd try it. Go to google.com and search your name followed by the word "needs" ie "Corrine needs." See what you find. Here are some that came up.

1.First of all Corrine needs to be dedicated to clearing her house of fleas and this could take anything from one go to doing it to many, many times. ... Not true!

2. Corrine Needs Your Help! Make a Secure Online Contribution Today ...Hadn't thought of this, but feel free to donate!

3.Corrine needs to turn 2 more or gain 45 more Vampire points to reach the next level: Vampire Temptress! Corrine should get out there and bite some people! ...

4. Corrine needs to pay up. Another instance where someone believes Government should take care of them, not the person taking care of themselves.

5. Corrine needs instruction with these types of English words in order to more fully benefit from instructional settings

6.Corrine needs help planning for an uncertain future. She knows that she will need more assistance in her activities of daily living. This is always true!

7. Corrine needs me now, more than ever.

Who knew I was so needy?

Weekend getaway

We decided it was a good time for a little family getaway, so we headed south for the weekend. Because of lovely construction, I-15 was a mess, so we took the scenic route and followed Redwood Road along the west side of Utah Lake. Here are some pictures Jenna took of Lincoln Point for the Reflections contest. It was a beautiful day and such a nice drive!

We got back on the freeway at Santaquin and we were back up to speed. We continued south until we got to Scipio where we headed up over the mountain. I should have taken some pictures here. It was beautiful! I can't even count the times I have driven past Scipio on my way to St George and never had a clue that such beautiful land was right there!

Anyway, we kept going and went through Aurora on our way to Richfield. The girls kept asking if this was Richfield and how long it would be until we got there. We weren't 100% sure where we were going, so it was a bit of adventure for everyone. When we got to our hotel in Richfield the girls were so excited. Aubrey thought we had moved there and was wondering how we would get daddy's car there! Once inside our hotel room she looked out the window and saw a vinyl fence and told Tim, "Look, Dad. The fence is white. You won't even have to paint!" Move-in ready!

We had a nice relaxing evening with dinner at JB's- thrilling!-and then went to visit Tim's college roommate, Garrett, and his family. The girls had a great time playing with those cute kids and we headed back to the hotel for some swimming. Aubrey asked if we could go back to our apartment yet. She wasn't convinced we weren't moving!

The next morning I went and checked out Curves and then we headed out for more exploring. We found Annabella, Glenwood, Monroe, and Elsinore. While at a park in Annabella, a lady said we should go to the pumpkin patch in Elsinore. She said you just drive into town and go a few streets down and see the sign. You gotta love small towns!

We eventually found the pumpkin patch and had a great time! You ride on a trailer behind a tractor and they haul you out into the field. We got to choose our own pumpkins, gourds and squash.

Lydia calls all things produce 'apples' so she was busy yelling "Apple, apple"for a long time. We did finally get her to say "pumpkin" a few times.

We put the girls and the pumpkins back on the wagon and asked the guy how much we owed him. He told us $3 and I about fell over. I wish I would have grabbed a few big ones! I was expecting to pay $.25 a pound for these!

Jenna posed the pumpkins and took this picture for Reflections, too.

Here she is with her spoils!

We had so much fun on our little trip! We came home through Sanpete and saw Grandma and Grandpa, so the trip was complete. The girls we so good, especially considering how long we had them cooped up in the car.

Maybe someday I'll tell you why we chose Richfield...

Fun with Netflix

My friend Lisa sent us a free month of Netflix and it has been so much fun! I look forward to checking the mail almost as much as I did on my mission! We don't go to the movies often- hardly ever is more like it, so there are tons for me to chose from that I haven't seen. I thought I'd share some of my new-found favorites.

The last movie I watched was The Bucket List. I loved it! Perhaps it was because it continued my week's theme of cancer and death, but I really enjoyed this movie! I would definitely recommend it!

Some others that I like were Pursuit of Happyness (which always bugged my that it was misspelled, but now I get it), Juno, Sweet Land, and Definitely, Maybe.

My light-hearted escape has been all of season one of Pushing Daisies. I always loved that show but don't ever get to watch it when it's on. That's another one you should check out.

So there's what I've been doing lately while ironing, folding laundry and cleaning my room. I rarely just sit and watch something -my hands must be doing something! Is that ADD of me?
Anyway, as the weather turns colder, go get a movie!

Four-year-old's Freudian Slip

As I was dropping Aubrey off at preschool today she started to run away before she shut the door of the van. I called to her to please shut the door.

She poked her head back into the van and ever-so-sweetly said, "Thanks for annoying me about that, Mom. I almost forgot!"

I really hope she meant to say "reminding." Am I that much of a nag?

Making Strides in Utah Cancer Walk

(This is just a part of our team)
Saturday was our long-awaited cancer walk. It was AWESOME! Thanks to my great team who braved the cold weather and walked. We made it to the car right as the rain/sleet/snow started at the end of the walk.

We had about 30 people on our team- it was an overwhelming response! I hope this will be a tradition we will continue no matter where we have to come from! There was an amazing response from my friend Andree's family. Her sweet sister even came from Connecticut and walked with us.

Andree and her girls

Maddie, Kaylee, Jaeden

The back of our shirts had the names of Cancers survivors and those who lost their battle. Each one was a loved one of one of the walkers.

We each wore a sticker with the name of a person we were walking for. Since Tara couldn't come I put her mom's name on my sticker. The pin is my friend's husband, Jared, who died two years and one day before other walk. Cancer takes so many precious lives seemingly before their times. We don't see Heavenly Father's whole plan, but I hope that through our efforts we can be the means of sparing families this pain so early!

Here are some of my Curves & Weight Watchers friends.

Sidenote: I have been so emotional since the walk. I don't know if there were tender spirits nearby or what, but if you are still looking for a way to help, there is a little boy named Trent who is about to lose his battle with leukemia. You can read his blog and see the amazing spirit and faith of this little boy. All the Chick-Fil-A's did a fundraiser yesterday and they are still collecting money for his family for medical and funeral expenses. If you are looking for a good deed to do, I would recommend you look there!

(As I am typing this the song "Streets of Heaven" came up on my playlist. Now I'm really bawling! I can't see to type, hope this makes sense!)

Been there? Done that?

(Just copy and paste this to your blog and bold the ones that you HAVE done.)
Thanks, Mom and Dad for facilitating/funding so many of these!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables- we still have tomatoes if you need!
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train- St. Petersburg to Moscow
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked- No, but picked up hitch hiker
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors- Vernal & British Columbia Ü
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language- ASL & Spanish, with help from others
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance- No, I refused!
47. Had your portrait painted- Does a sktch artist count?
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp- A death camp in Russia. Millions buried there
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial- My girls now play with my Cabbage Patch kid!
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House- Drove past
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating- Just watched my dad & Tim do this
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury- No and I am one of the few people who WANTS to!
91. Met someone famous- most famous was Jimmy Carter
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake- Nope- just threw rocks in!
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

It's beginning to look a lot like...

OK, I know it's barely mid-October, but with all the snowy weather I had to break out the Christmas music on the way to school this morning.
I added some of our favorite Christmas music (John Denver and the Muppets) to my playlist, so if you want you can scroll to the bottom of the playlist and choose some mood music!

New Hair Do Blog address

My favorite hair do site got deleted by blogger, so here is her new link.



http://girlydohairstyles.blogspot.com/

Little Birdie Secrets

Here's another fun blog for you to check out. Tons of cute crafty ideas! I haven't had much time to look through the whole thing, but she has tons of great ideas.

Thought you might like a peek!

Conference Time

I am so glad it is time for General Conference! From this afternoon, one of my favorite talks was from Elder Wirthlin. His advice to try laughing when you might have groaned, or in other words to find the humor in a tough situation was great! The story about his daughter will be a great reminder of that!

Can't wait for more tomorrow!

Back up, Panhandler

A man in his 40s ON A SKATEBOARD approached me and my two youngest daughters in a parking lot today (in Cottonwood Heights, thank you very much) asking if I had any pennies I could spare. He asked for pennies and I really only had larger coins, so I could honestly tell him no. I have a rule that if you come up from behind me while my kids are already in the cart, you are just lucky you didn't get hit with something! That is a mama-bear NO NO!

Anyway, as he went on to the next young mother with kids, Aubrey looked at me and said, "He should go get a JOB!"

Her words, not mine...

Lest you think I am teaching my kids to be mean and stingy, we donate items through various charities and I make the girls choose a few of their things each time. We pay out tithes and offerings through our church and we are usually kind and generous. I just REALLY don't like being vulnerable in a parking lot with my kids. You think I'm getting my purse out where you can reach it! Yeah right. Back off!

WW update

I haven't blogged this for a little while, but I have had people ask about my progress. If you aren't interested, you can stop reading here and I won't be offended!

My progress has been a little slow this month due to my eating too many yummy things- no one to blame but myself! I have finally reached a milestone, though. I passed my 10% mark. Yes, I have lost more than 10% of my starting weight. I got my 16 week award and my 10% award today!

Now I am down a total of 22.4 and still working on that 25 lb mark. Here I come!

Magnetic rocks?

(Excuse the glare)


Tim, being tall, occasionally sets things on top of the car or van. I, being short, never see them from my vantage point. This was the case when Tim set a baggie full of geodes and fossil-filled rocks that he found during the deer hunt on top of the van last night.

I had no idea they were there until I looked out the window this afternoon and saw them atop the van, which was parked in the driveway.

Now this might not seem noteworthy except that in between I took Jenna to school, went to the grocery store a few miles away, made two trips to preschool, and one trip through the automatic drive-through car wash!

Towards the end of the car wash I heard a strange thump overhead, but forgot about it by the time we left. I can't believe that the baggie was still there. It was in between the bars of the little luggage rack, but that isn't exactly heavy duty. I am also impressed at the strength of the WalMart brand zipper bag! I should do a commercial!

Rock star super stars

Jenna and Aubrey started tball this week and after tonight's games Aubrey said, "I am the tball rock star all star!" She was pretty proud of her performance!

They are both doing awesome!

In her first game Jenna hit a home run, clear past all the fielders and onto the grass. Tonight she had another big hit out of the infield as the coach pitched- no T! Go Phillies!

Aubrey is also a great hitter and fielder. She is almost the only kid on her team paying attention and always fields the hits and throws the ball to first base. Go Brewers! (or Bluebirds, as Aubrey calls the team)

They are having a great time! So far, this is way better than soccer!