I'm So Funny (Sometimes)

Life is like a race

2012-01-28T16:17:00.001-05:00

So, today I ran my first ever 5k. In November I decided that I would train. I wouldn't call myself a couch potato but to put things into perspective, when I started training running a full lap was beyond difficult.

My initial train, just 2 months ago, it took me 49 minutes to run the 3.1 miles. Today I clocked in at 34 minutes. I was pretty proud of myself.

As I ran today my thoughts wandered through the life lessons I have learned as of late and how the race today was metaphorical.

I want to share just a few.

Go your own pace. Don't worry about what other people are doing, it does absolutely no good to try and be someone you are not.

Don't try to go too fast but push yourself to always improve.

When a girl who isn't wearing shoes passes you, don't even pay attention because at the end of the race she will be nowhere near you and it won't matter.

Getting to the top of the hill is always way more rewarding than cruising to the bottom because it's at the top that you have reason to be proud that you never gave up.

When climbing the hill, just tell yourself how strong you are while simultaneously praying whole-heartedly to God to make you stronger.

When you pass someone up just know that in another 50 feet they may be passing you.

When you are climbing the hill, the right thing to do is encourage the others who are also climbing, even if they aren't as fast. So don't ever EVER get full of yourself.

Live life like runners do with each other. Worry about yourself and encourage everyone else to do their best. When other people are better than you, be happy for them, and be humble enough to learn from them.

When you are climbing the hill, you don't care where your cheerleaders are in their understanding of your pain or progress, you are just so grateful they are there.

It's much more emotionally healthy to live with the voice in your head who is congratulating yourself for how far you have come over the voice that tries to creep in and tell you that you still have so much more to improve.

Without your training, there is no need to join the race.

Sometimes watching your own feet is what you have to do because if you really see the whole hill you'll give up. God knows this about you and that is why he doesn't give you all the answers just because you think you want them.

Surround yourself with positivity, it's the people who can tell you that you can do it that will be partially responsible when you do.

The end is awesome, but it is really just another beginning with a little more knowledge and a lot more accountability.

If the race is hard and you need a nap, take one.

Run the race for you and no one else.

If you have pain, acknowledge it, do what you can to change it, and plow through it because it will go away....eventually.

Who cares what you look like, it's all about how you feel.

The floor

2012-01-27T01:39:00.000-05:00

I remember vividly my little brother and sisters setting up that big old luggy VHS video camera and recording commercials.

They were so silly even though they were trying to be very very professional about the whole thing. They were convinced that their cereal commercial was wayyyy better than the "Mikey likes it" marketing campaign.

When I found this video done by Abigiail a few years back it took me straight back to my mom's kitchen table in the 80's.

Children truly are an heritage of the Lord.

And my source of greatest joy along with my Jesus and my husband.

My Man w/o a Middle Name

2012-01-26T15:12:00.001-05:00

I love LeGrand Gold. I wish he was given a middle name so that I could say that I love LeGrand _______ Gold because that would seem so much more official.

I do love you LeGrand LG Gold. I hope you enjoy your new given middle name since that is what I mostly call you by anyway. I am so proud to be your wife.

I wrote about my man while sitting at church a while back. This blog seems like as good of a place as any to copy my words for the posterity.

Please ignore if you are single or just mad at your hubby. I don't want to add to your pain. Just know that I have been single and mad at my hubby plenty. It's just that right now I can't imagine my life without the total complete insane love that I feel at this moment and so many others. I am one lucky lucky girl.

I look around the room. One dad takes a screaming toddler out while his wife sits looking relieved for a break and for her partner in parenting and I realize that you are him.

Then I look straight across the way and I see another dad holding a newborn baby tenderly and I remember how much I love it when you hold a baby. You seem so much stronger in those tender moments. You are the protector for our little ones and the protector of me when I let you be.

I see the teenage boy excitedly taking notes and I think of you and doodling your L's and your G's in a boxy font so they array the way you like and I think of your special experience about the Savior of mankind and I think God for it and how it has given you the courage to keep trying day after day.

I look up at the Bishopric and remember the days when I was honored the privilege of seeing you lead with humility and devotion.

I see the father with the teenage daughter and marvel that I did such an amazing job of picking a father for our very lucky daughters. You are a father that is fun, involved, kind and oh-so loving.

Yes, LG, the 80% of you that is beautiful trumps the 20% that is still learning.

I love you LG.

This Sh*z is Shilarious.

2012-01-17T13:03:00.000-05:00

I have decided that I am really not that funny.
But I do know how to appreciate other funny people
so that has to count for something.

Enjoy.

Redneck Caroline

2012-01-13T13:36:00.001-05:00

We've been having all kinds of fun with our four new idevices.

We are so grateful to LG for spoiling us rotten this Christmas.

Abigail and I got i phones

and

Sophia and Bella got i pod touches.

The girls now sit right across from each other

facetiming one another

like they no longer know how to have a conversation without a device in between them.

We are all glued to our screens.

We have everything at our fingertips at all times:

free music, games, books, notepads, cameras, dictionary, google.

You name it, it's in there.

It has been absolutely ridiculous how much we already rely on these things.

We have even adjusted our family scripture study around them.

We now have the kids read a chapter ahead of time,

on their i device, of course,

because that somehow makes it much more fun than the regular paper Bible.

They make notes on their gospel library app as they read.

We then get together and discuss what everyone learned.

It is awesome.

Totally awesome.

Our scripture study has never been better.

We are truly likening the scriptures to our own lives.

I have been floored at the insight our kids have gained.

If I would have known what would have transformed from getting

i stuff, I would have done it a long time ago.

Of course, we have also been having a lot of fun.

Check out the juicyfruit sweet talk app.

Hilarious.

Absolutely hilarious.

Please disregard my overly obnoxious laugh at the end.

Reading

2012-01-12T13:36:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, a good friend e-mailed me asking about my reading habits.

She thinks the fact that I read 50 books last year is astounding.

Funny, I think it's a pathetic number.

This friend asked for tips on how she (a slacker reader)

can reach her goal this year of 20 books.

Of course I have some suggestions,

but let me begin with a disclaimer.

Reading is my thing.

Some of you have exercise, housekeeping, or crafting.

I could ask you the same...

how the heck did you run a marathon, wash your windows 5 times, or sew 85 million bags?

I do exercise, house-keep and even have a sparse crafty moment from time to time,

but not as much as most of you, I promise.

Some of you may have exercise, housekeeping, crafting, AND reading, but I guarantee you have other issues and the rest of us don't need to hear from you unless you are gonna admit it.

So, the first and most important answer is love yourself for who you are.

You may not read as much as me, but I don't look as good as you...you get the drift.

We all have strengths and weaknesses.

One of my strengths is reading, and it may be your weakness.

But, just know we are both (commendably) working towards perfection in our own areas.

That being said, here are a few suggestions for those of you who are working on making reading a strength.

First of all, reading is lifestyle at our house.

Every night before bed, you can see every single member of my family looking like this:

Funny, I had drafted these photos to write about long before my friend's inquiry.

Our bedtime allows for a half an hour of reading every night and that goes for LG and I also.

Second, take a book with you wherever you go.

You will be surprised how all that time standing in lines or hanging out on the sidelines will add up.

Most of my family members have a book in hand if they know they are going somewhere with a potential for boredom. Reference this old post about Sophia at the soccer field.

Third, read what you like. If you are trying to challenge yourself to read more, don't start with The Scarlett Letter. Read what you like. You will find yourself reading more when it's easy to be drawn into the storyline. I personally only challenge myself with "more difficult or out of my preferred genre" a couple of times a year or if I am getting paid.

Fourth, use your downtime for putting your nose in a book. I will admit to using a lot of my Christmas break sitting on the couch reading. And summer is the best time to really crank out half of your yearly goal.If you read only at the pool next summer, I guarantee you will be able to finish a book a week.

Fifth, make a weekly stop to the library habit. You will be happy with how much a good librarian can help you find something that you will enjoy reading.

Sixth, books on tape, are man's best friend. Whenever we go on a long trip, we always make sure we have books on tape. LG even figured out how to play books from his kindle over our FM transmitter. Awesome stuff.

Seven, read together. Get into a bookclub that will help you stay focused. Or read aloud as a family together. Right now, our family is reading the Little House on the Prairie series. It has been so fun to read and discuss how we are similar to the Ingalls family. (They lost their dog on their trek west too).

Never Dull

2012-01-09T14:17:00.001-05:00

My kids crack me up all the time.

I found this today while cleaning.

Bella helped me a ton with Caroline at Target the other day.

We were really searching for a new basketball,

but you always have to take a moment or two to try out the merchandise.

And don't forget your helmet.

2012 plus announcement

2012-01-08T23:13:00.000-05:00

Man, 2011 was a great year for me.

I just got a job at private alternative school that I am way excited about.
I am signing up to run a 5k tomorrow after I've trained diligently for 6 weeks.
My marriage is better than ever. (Trust me there were times that were really tough).
I have been reading my scriptures and saying my prayers consistently (almost daily).
I reached and surpassed my reading goal of 50 books.
I have been paid for book reviews this year.
Most of all, I have felt God's hand in my life.

I hate to sound all braggy, it's not really my style, but this year has been awesome for me, and I want to say thanks to all of you who have helped me in little and big ways. I really really deserved a good year. I've been through some really rough times over the past decade. Yes, decade.

2012 is looking like it will be even better.

The first thing you need to know is I started a new blog.
Come over and check it out.
I am super excited about the new challenge.

Ispyutah.com

My goals this year are:

FAMILY

1. Read scrips every day.
2. Do good every day.
3. Be quiet.

PERSONAL

1. Run four 5k's. (keep 3x wk)
2. Read 54 books.
3. Weigh 180 or under.
4. Attend temple monthly.
5. Plan a family camping experience.
7. Dailies. (scripture study, prayer, service)
8. Be still and quiet.
9. Go back to college.
10. Stay under budget.
11. Go to bed & wake up w LG.
12. Show love and compassion.
13. Bond with the girls.

How about you? What are your goals?

Book Review - The Magic Room

2011-12-29T15:16:00.000-05:00

This is a paid review for the BlogHer BookClub.

The Magic Room: A Story about the Love We Wish for Our Daughters by Jeffrey Zaslow

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Let me start this review by telling you that I got married 10 days after we decided to tie the knot. The day after deciding that we didn't want to wait any longer, I ran into a local wedding-dress shop and asked for something simple and cheap. I tried on one dress off the clearance rack and said "I'll take it." I shopped alone and I called my then non-official fiance (he never really proposed) and asked him if he would o.k. me using $200 from my paycheck to buy the blasted dress.

I felt it appropriate to start this review with my own wedding dress story as this book is a compilation of wedding dress stories. In The Magic Room Zaslow did a great job of telling the story of Becker's Bridal in Fowler, Michigan. In this teeny tiny barely thriving US town, there are a few constants, Beckers is perhaps the most impressive, only outlasted by the loyal long-standing families that reside there.

Even though I am not much of a romantic, I really enjoyed this book. I thought the author did a great job of interlacing the stories of various recent brides with the stories of the Beckers' royal family. For five generations the Beckers have faithfully served a very large portion of the bridal industry within the United States, many times selling dresses to mothers who years later bring in their own daughters to the same shop to purchase a dress of their own.

Unexpectedly, I learned a lot about the worldwide and US trends of marriage in this book. Zaslow has a knack for making statistics interesting, statistics like "25% of first-time brides have children. Another 7 to 8 percent are pregnant" and "forget the seven year itch, UofM researchers have found that more divorces now happen in the fourth year of marriage than any other."

Overall, this is a great book jam-packed with various intriguing biographies, families' dreams and losses, wedding magic, and like it says on the cover it's mostly "a story about the love we wish for our daughters." Indeed, I do hope to one day take one of my four daughters to this magic room or at least one just like it in my own region of residence.

View all my reviews

You can read more discussion about this recently published book at the BlogHer discussion boards.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T05:34:00.000-05:00

Check out who was shopping at Target yesterday.

In the words of Mater,
"This here blog is bein' neglected."

I am spending lots of time with my family
and loving every minute of it.

Thank you to Jeremy for the reminder
that time is the best way to show love.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Maybe after Christmas, I will attempt
to write a yearly recap.

Maybe.

Santa Claus Going to Town

2011-12-19T00:03:00.000-05:00

Thank you Caroline and Shopko

for some Christmas jolly.

The Kid Nativities

2011-12-18T00:36:00.000-05:00

Remember how I told you
we were going to be making
nativities at Cub Scouts.

Well I lied.
It took the girls and I
two hours to come up with this.

The hour Scouts has alloted per week
just wasn't gonna cut it.

So I gave the boys the molding clay
and told them to create their own creche.

I was pretty partial to the pregnant Mary on a donkey.

It seemed to me like the artist must have some African roots.

I do believe this masterpiece

will be put away with tissue paper

and pulled out every year

to be displayed in a place of honor.

I also believe that today's equivalent to a manger

is a plastic baby pool.

Wouldn't you agree?

Book Review - Heir to Power

2011-12-17T00:23:00.002-05:00

Heir to Power by Michele Poague

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book took me a long time to read and I really think it can be shortened by at least 200 pages. There is a very "technical" feel to it and I wasn't surprised when reading that the author has written technical manuals. Sometimes I felt like I was reading a manual instead of a piece of fiction.

I think that Poague's overall idea is a great one. The tribe of Survinee people whom which the book were based upon were very intriguing, and seeing the world through their eyes felt almost like being an adventurous child again. That was probably the aspect of the book that I enjoyed the most: seeing my world through the eyes of someone who has never experienced it. Come to think of it, the two weeks that it took me to read this book was a little like I was a foreign exchange student experiencing a whole new place.

I definitely think that this book is being classified in the wrong genre. There were only about 5 paragraphs in the whole book that left the reader with any feeling of futuristic, much less science fiction. If you took out those 5 paragraphs, this book could have been a work of non-fiction about any ancient civilization.

I felt like the author left a lot of loose ends at the closing of the book which is always frustrating to me and I just read another review on goodreads that says the author plans to make a trilogy (which would explain the loose ends.) I know I am no expert but if I were to sit down with the author and have a perfectly honest talk (I don't believe I am even capable of being anything but completely honest) I would tell her to forget the trilogy and to get a good editor to cut the book length in at least half. Use the ideas for a trilogy to make ONE sound book that has a faster cadence with a whole lot less detail and technicalities. This will take a lot of letting go emotionally for the author, but I do think it would be to her great advantage in the book sales department.

As of right now, the one word that comes to mind with this book is "long" which I don't think any author wants to have on the book cover. However, I do think the story-line and the author have a lot of potential and Poague could have a great best seller on her hands with some editing.

This book made me think about Emily Dickinson. She wrote and wrote all day, but only let the public see a small 1% of what she found her best writing. I hope that when I write that book I've been dreaming about one day that I will be able to self-edit because I am also long-winded.

I received a copy of this book for free but as you can see I am still very honest in my critiquing. Note to future best-sellers: send me your books first, I will be brutally honest. Please go here and buy a copy for yourself and tell me that you didn't think the book was long at all and that I am just a slow reader, it will make me feel better. It is always fascinating to me how every reader has a completely different experience with the same book.

You can also go over to Michele (with one L) Poague's website if you would like.

Check out the goodreads book synopses:

The colony of Survin has been hidden for centuries, protecting an ancient religious artifact called the Healing Crystal from men who would steal or destroy it. Kairma, heir to the Crystal, is destined to mate with the handsome Naturi and become the leader of the reclusive colony, but she is too young to realize the peril soon to arrive. At sixteen, Kairma is too young to realize many things...

Kairma would rather go spelunking with her brother and his best friend than study ancient medicine and religious laws, but the discovery of a tomb containing ancient artifacts leads Kairma to question her religion and the true nature of the Crystal. To further complicate Kairma's ascent, a childhood illness has left her resembling a nearby race of men both hated and feared by the people of Survin. Because of this, Kairma's younger sister Kinter, who is in love with Naturi, believes she is the rightful heir.

Disease and infertility have decimated Survin, but bigotry and religious laws forbid the introduction of new members so things heat up when a traveling archeologist stumbles upon the reclusive colony and introduces a powerful new weapon. Forced into a larger world, the Survinees discover they hold an object of unimaginable power, a power other men covet, a power that might save or forever damn the human race

View all my reviews

Sticking Out Like a Sore Thumb

2011-12-16T14:29:00.000-05:00

I will be reading a Christmas books about idioms to the kids today at the Christmas party.
I love idioms so much I could eat them.
Did you catch that?

On Sunday, LG and I discovered that the phrase "sticks out like a sore thumb" isn't an idiom at all, but a tried and true description.
I cut my thumb good while making hashbrowns. OUCH!
LG was so kind and wrapped up real tight to stop the excessive bleeding.
The wrapping seemed to multiply from the roll to the application.
My thumb was humungous by the time he got done.

Of course this happened on the Sunday that Abigail and I were scheduled to sing in church.
The only comfort I got from the constant throbbing was to hold my thumb above my heart,
so while singing I had to ignore the throbbing. I wasn't about to hold it up for everyone to see.

For some reason I have been having a bad week.
This morning while Caroline and I were cleaning up all the books she had dumped out all over the floor, my bad week was hopefully finalized. Caroline was wearing her pink cowboy boots and she stomped down hard on my thumb re-tearing open the wound.

Did that just make you squirm? Because it did for me.

What a boring post, but that photo is pretty cool, huh?

Wondrous

2011-12-15T00:17:00.000-05:00

We are in the land of snow.
This photo was taken a few weeks back.
It would be a whole lot better
with my old broken camera,
but I take what I can get.

I was having a bad day
and when I opened up this file
it made me smile from ear to ear.

I am so blessed to be a mother
even if sometimes I want to quit the job.

My husband and my girls
are my greatest treasures.
Period.
Nothing else is relative
if I don't have them first.

They make everything enjoyable.
Even the stuff I don't like.
Snow
for instance.
Not a huge fan.
I did grow up in San Diego
after all.
But, my family makes snow
wondrous.
Wondrous to behold.

Thank you God
for giving me an eternal family
and this mortal life
with earthly experiences
to savor
with the ones I love most.

Only Have One

2011-12-14T12:00:00.001-05:00

I'm a codependent.
A full-fledge flaming codependent.
What does that mean?
It means that I am addicted to others at an unhealthy level.
It means that my core issue is
needing other people to fill my love tank.
It means that I unconsciously do things
(all the time) to feed my addiction.
Things like making too many comments in Sunday School.
Or blogging for attention.
I often cry myself to sleep at night because nobody cares.

And then there are the times (too many times)
that I try to require things of my husband,
things that I need to let go.
I don't do it to be wrong,
I just want to be loved
and I just want to love others
and so I hold on to that thing
far too long.

It's part of my addiction.
I try to control other people.
Unconsciously.
To gain importance.
To get love.
I can't have enough of love and importance.

Just saying it is part of the addiction
doesn't excuse it
because it is still very much my life
and I have to own it and change it
and sculpt me into what I want me to be.
It does give understanding
and the first step to fixing is admitting.

So, this post is my way of letting something go.
Something hard.
Even though I have every right to care about it.
and I am completely justified in my desires
because they are pure.
Yet, they are my desires for him,
and not his desires for him,
so I have to let it go.
Even if he is wrong
and doesn't see it.
Because I can't live his life.
I can only live my life.

Apparently JJ Heller understands
why I cried myself to sleep last night.
Next time I am going to sing this little song
instead of getting all frustrated with myself.
Because let's face it,
nobody gets it right every time.
Everyone needs room to screw up.

And I have decided that true love is
really only one thing.
Loving each other through your screw ups.
And boy do I love that man.
I'm the luckiest girl that he loves me back
even when I try to control him.

Mom + Dad

2011-12-13T00:21:00.004-05:00

Perfectly sound math skills,
if you want to know my opinion.

Notice crazzy has two z's.
You may be worried about her
mastering of the English language,
but I assure you both z's are necessary
for all the sleep I am losing
at the hands of this child.

DIY Christmas Advent

2011-12-10T00:40:00.000-05:00

Abigail and I made some new friends here in Utah.
I love Kristen Colson,
while Abigail is a little more partial to her kids.
One imparticular.

Kristen is my kind of mom.
She's fun.
She's loving.
She's involved.
She keeps it real.
and
She keeps things simple.

Kristen says,
"You're welcome."

Me and My Shadow

2011-12-08T02:16:00.003-05:00

It's one of those mornings.
I don't want to get out of bed.
Lucky for me I've got nothing on my calendar.
I turned on some cartoons
and gave the baby a bottle, a banana, and a creamie
in her bed for breakfast in bed.
(the last was by her request
and I am in an indulgent mood)
[And yes she still has a bottle - sue me]

I then found the laptop
and crawled back under my own covers.

I prayed earnestly last night
with many tears
that God would sustain me in my trials.
I begged him to help me get through
another day with a toddler.
And the other stuff I deal with.
I feel somewhat better this morning,
but I am giving myself permission to take it easy.
Funny, the toddler seems
harder than anything else right now.

I miss having the kinds of friends that
I can just call and say,
"Will you please take Caroline off my hands for a bit?"
I think I am going to kill her.
(not really)
It takes a while to make friends like that
and all of mine are out of state.

I need some breathing room.
I need a break.
But sometimes I have to wait
for the break I need
because there are too many duties at home..

Did you notice what Carolines' shirt says?
Ship me to grandmas, special delivery.

Too bad grammy is out of state too.

And so I come to the blog
to work out my own misery.
It helps me so much.
I don't know exactly why.
It may be because I find
an old post like this waiting for just the right words.

Or it may be that I think of my friends
who will read what I write
and I think of the one
who just lost another baby
and her husband is about to lose his job.

My other friend has
early onset Alzheimer's
and is experiencing great confusion.
They say she could only have 4-5 year to live.
She's only 38 and has a 6 month old baby
and three other children.

I have a friend who is struggling
with chronic illness
that she can't find a diagnosis for.

I think of the lady
who I can't write about.
And another friend close by
who just lost her father-in-law
unexpectedly.

There is a girl from high school
whose family hasn't been able to find
her mentally ill adult brother
for months.
There is another church friend in TN
who has a little one pound baby
fighting for his life in the NICU.

I imagine what so many of my friends
are going through
beyond what I know.
I am sure so many suffer in silence.
I have many friends
who don't know what I deal with.

I think about me and my shadows.
My secrets.
My friends.
My friends with secrets.
And then I laugh at the blog title
because it wasn't written weeks ago
to refer to my mood,
but my sweet little two year old
that I need to appreciate and love.

God grant me the strength
and the selflessness.

And please help me find some time
for the break that I need.

P.S. I do know that in all trials
and all struggles and all the darkness
and the hard and the frustration and the tears
God has given us very many things to be grateful for.
I am going to start a list of mine
to pull me out of this mood.

God,
thank you for
my toddling tornado
who is so dang cute and energetic.
Modern medicine & doctors to help my suffering friends.
An eternal plan of happiness for families
that gives us the knowledge that
someday all suffering will cease
and all families can be together forever.
Thank you for my bed
so I can sulk.
The heat that comes
from the utility company
with an up to date paid balance.
And my laptop that allows me to
write until my mood is changed.
Thank you for the TV
and the milk in the bottle.
Thank you for
my husband's job
and for all the years we suffered
without income
so I know that my friends
who lose jobs will also be provided for.

Thank you for a Savior
who suffered all things
so none of us have to suffer,
if we just call on his name.

See how that works?
Amazing.
I feel better already.

Kid Nativity

2011-12-07T00:03:00.001-05:00

Today at Cub Scouts
we will be talking about the ways we worship.

While I give a lesson about how
as members of
The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints
we worship our Savior Jesus Christ,
the boys will be keeping their hands busy with this project.

Thanks Aunt Rosemary for the great idea.
And thanks cousin Ryan
for making this so very lovely
twenty years ago.

Nothing better than a vintage art project.
I believe this would make even Martha proud.
Martha Stewart and Martha in the Bible.

Book Review - Cold River

2011-12-06T00:01:00.004-05:00

Cold River by Liz Adair

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes I wonder where my brain is. It wasn't until I sat down to write this review that I realized how the title Cold River reflects the subject of the book. I swear I am blonde sometimes.

The jest of the story-line in Cold River is a gutsy gal takes a job as a superintendent of schools in the small town in the upper mid-west of the US. She has never lived in such a small town and so when she ends up renting a house right on the river, the river and its surrounding landscapes are a comfort to her as she acclimates to the small town life. The river also has significance in one of the main plots, but I hate to give away spoilers in the reviews I write, so you will just have to read the book yourself.

This book was a fun read. It took about 100 pages until I formed any kind of attachment whatsoever to the story-line, but that doesn't mean it's a bad book, it took me the same amount of time to love Harry Potter, and we all know how that turned out. I fell in love with the male co-leads, if that's what we can call them. There are three cousins that are completely different yet equally hunky and mysterious. Once the story got going it was fast paced and intriguing and the suspense and romance only grew my interest up until the very end.

I loved how the relationships all twist and intervene with one another; the mere idea is so consistent with small town living, especially because everyone is related in one way or another. I didn't guess the villain of the story until they were revealed and that is not easy for an author to do...I always guess what's going on, so I appreciated the surprise. It was a great surprise and I love when an author can get me shaking my head at myself for not guessing what was really going on in the story-line.

I am personally connected to the three subplots of music in schools, literacy, and gaining emotional maturity and I agreed with the viewpoint of the author on them all and enjoyed how Adair wove them into the greater story.

The end of the story was magnificent. I have a real hard time giving a book a good review if I don't think the end was spectacular. It has to be not only spectacular but real to life and feel-good. I know that limits me, but I don't think I am going to change now, so all you authors out there, write good endings. I like setting a book on the shelf knowing that it left me with a greater expectation from the world around me and the end has to leave me feeling good for that to happen.

I highly recommend this book. If I had to describe it in one word it would be adventurous. Get the book, it will take you on an adventure physically and emotionally. You may even feel like finding that Cold River and staking out a home of your own.

Purchase the book here. When I last checked it was only $12. Great deal. Even better Christmas present

Say hi to author Liz Adair on her blog here.

Ask her to write more good stories for all of us.

I was compensated for this review with a free copy of the book,
but like always, I gave you my honest opinion.
I don't think I am even capable of anything besides my opinion!

View all my reviews

Holly Wreath Cookies

2011-12-05T00:23:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Donna for doing a virtual cookie swap. How much fun is that?
Anyone can join including you, so go check it out.

I am honored to be her first feature
with a long-standing family tradition cookie called
Holly Wreath Cookies.

Oh the memories of buttered up hands and brothers grabbing all the red hots first.
I don't know how my mom put up with all of us.

Before I give you the recipe, let me direct you to Donna's funniest recent blog post about what not to ask black people. Donna is black just in case you were wondering what makes her the expert.

Here is the recipe for those of you who like your cookies made from dirty little fingers.

Holly Wreath Cookies

1 Cube Real Butter
1 Bag Large Marshmallows
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Almond Extract
6 cups corn flakes
Lots of green food coloring
Red Hots if desired

First make sure you grease a few large pieces of wax paper prior to preparing cookies. We use Pam to spray the wax paper but mom always used butter or margarine.

In a large stock pot melt the butter. Add marshmallows, vanilla and almond extracts and stir until all marshmallows are melted. Be careful to not burn the mixture. Remove from heat and add green food coloring to bring mixture to a forest green color. It takes quite a bit but it definately looks better than avacado green when you use just a little.

When mixture is a good shade of green add the corn flakes. Fold the flakes into the mixture to avoid crushing the flakes. When flakes are sufficiently green scoop out approxiamtely 1 1/2 cups of flakes onto wax paper. Have kids rub their hands with butter and form the flakes into wreath shapes. Add red hots and let cool.

Salt Lake City

2011-12-04T00:38:00.000-05:00

I am so happy to live back in Utah.

I miss my Tennessee,

but I sure do love both places

with all my heart.

I can't wait to go back to Temple Square

when it is all lit up.

It's on the family calendar in the next few weeks.

Anyone want to join us?

Here are some photos from Temple Square

during a summer wedding.

Winter photos to come, very very soon.

Another Holiday Give Away

2011-12-03T00:04:00.001-05:00

Remember my friend Lori who won the half-tee and I asked her to give me something free.

Well, she is trying her hardest to oblige.
You're welcome everyone for putting the giveaway idea in her head.

This post is my 1 in 4 chance at winning one of her adorable and quite famous pillows.
I don't usually do this much work so that tells you how much I want one for FREEE!

Go here for your chance to win.

DIY Angry Birds - just in time for Christmas

2011-12-02T14:06:00.001-05:00

All credit for this amazing idea goes to my amazing friend

Stori Spotten.

When her and her husband posted this idea on facebook

I just knew I had to share it with the cyber world.

The picture pretty much tells you all you need to know,

but for those of you like me who want more details,

come back for when I hear back from Stori

as to what she used to draw on the store-bought bouncy balls.

I am guessing she used paint or sharpies.

What's your guess?

Stori's answer

I used a little bit of everything, sharpies, paint & even a little green nailpolish(which i already had) on the pigs noses to give them a little depth. lol I got my paint at lowed they have in any color for around 2.97

Wha-la.

Easiest and coolest

and quite possibly the cheapest

Christmas gift for the season.

It will be perfect to give to your kids on Christmas morning

when you have a million assorted cardboard boxes

to put to good use.

Thanks Stori for having a brilliant mind.

And for being an awesome friend

and letting me be the one to crack the story on my

little personal blog.

I think I am going to get millions of hits this month.

December's Writing Contest

2011-12-01T13:53:00.003-05:00

As you all know, I like to have a contest every month. I want to engage you all, my wonderful readers.

Last month, the contest was easy, all you had to do was leave me a comment to win a half-tee.

This morning Lori Cruze was chosen as #5 on random.org. She is going to be sooo excited.

Congrats Lori. Thanks for being a reader and a friend.

Now, when are you going to give me something free? Huh?

This month I am going to do something a little different. I guess your chances of winning will be pretty high because I don't expect too many people to participate.

I'm hosting a writing contest.
I used to love Scribbit's writing contests
before Michelle went a-wall.
I even got an honorable mention once.
It was one of my most proud moments.

Anyhow, I have always loved sappy Christmas stories.

I know that the stories are everywhere and everyone has their own that should be told.

So now it's your chance.

Write down your story,

post it somewhere online,

and leave me a comment on this post

with your name and story url.

The contest will end on December 20th

and I will announce the winner

shortly before or after Christmas.

It depends on my wrapping situation.

I will get a friend to help me choose the winner.

The amount of tears shed while reading your story

will determine the winner.

Trust me, this won't be hard,

I cry at everything

and I will choose an equally emotional friend

to help me pick the winner.

If you win,

you will be sent our own copy of my favorite Christmas story

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

You will also have some mean bragging rights.

Like I will stick the word WINNER

on the above jpeg

and you can post it on your blog.

Let me take this moment to thank all those who made my own Christmas stories possible.

You forever live in our hearts.

2009 2010

I hope this year will be our year to start

paying it forward.

And I thank God for that.

KB

2011-11-29T15:48:00.000-05:00

KittyBear has been consuming my energy.

She's been missing for five days.

She is our beloved cat of seven years.

I've blogged about her before

here, here, here, here, and here.

I had to go to the pound yesterday

to see if she was there.

Don't go to the pound.

Ever.

It's not all fun and happy like

Hotel for Dogs

Beverly Hills Chihuahua.

It's sad and depressing

and will make an animal hoarder

out of the most sane of people.

Last night I sincerely had to hand

KB over to God.

I could feel myself

getting more and more depressed.

If I let my thinking fester

I may end up in bed for months.

So, I just said,

"God, I am giving KB to you now."
You would be amazed at how fast

doing that works in any given situation.

I know you are all gonna think

I am totally whacky.

Who gets that upset over a cat?

Well, I do.

That's who.

I won't even go into my

conspiracy theories

of my serial killing neighbor.

However,

God has a way of putting things into perspective.

I got a facebook message10 minutues ago

and someone's teenage daughter

has been missing from my city

for the same exact amount of time

that our KittyBear has been gone?

Do you think they

could have run off together?

Don't tell me otherwise, please.

That is my happy place.

A lonely teenage girl and KB

snuggled together in a boxcar somewhere.

Don't forget that tomorrow is your last day to win a free half-tee!

Memorizing Scripture

2011-11-27T00:18:00.000-05:00

After the last general conference

one of the things

we decided to work on as a family

is memorizing scripture.

Richard G Scott gave a great address

on scriptures being our friends.

It got me thinking about how many times

God has spoken to me through a verse

of scripture running through my head.

I thought I better work harder at giving scriptures

to the girls so that in their time of need

God will be able to speak to them through

the scriptures that are stored in their brain.

We started with my favorite scripture.

This verse has been there with me

through a whole lot of hard stuff.

Proverbs 3:5-6

We all took a turn writing a line.

Caroline even got a turn.

As we all cited the scripture together

for the first time

Caroline was quick to correct us that

after path

we are all to say

scribble scribble scribble

circle.

How dare we leave out her part?

How many of you bet

that someday in the near future

God will speak to my girls

by letting them hear

the words

scribble scribble scribble circle

in their minds and hearts

when they need it the most?

Our Little Monkey

2011-11-24T00:03:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving
to you and yours

from us and ours.

I think we win the cute contest.

Ouch

2011-11-23T00:22:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago LG confided in me that he had fallen in the shower.

He had a boo-boo and I wasn't very sympathetic.

"How old are you?" I asked. "70?"

Then, just days later, I fell in the shower

and he was so sweet about it.

I did fall way more violently

as there were cleaning agents and a trash can involved

but still.

Sometimes I know I got the better end of the deal.

I am so glad that there are those times

to even out the ones when I wonder

what the heck I was thinking.

Love you LG!

And I hope we got our falling out of our systems.

Because if this happens when we are 70 or more

one of us is going to end up in the nursing home.

Even more disturbing than the bruise....
my triple chin.

Halloween

2011-11-22T00:22:00.008-05:00

I guess I better get these Halloween photos up
before Thanksgiving gets here.

Our girls got some killer deals
at K-mart on their costumes.
Sometimes it pays to be late.
50% off plus another 20% off coupon.
Then I got another discount on Abigail's
because we had to sew a strap on.
I told the girls that we would only spend $5 on each of them.
They gladly subsidized with their own money
so they didn't have to make their own costumes.
I think we spent a total combined of $30.

I can't say that I was disappointed
since making our own costumes
would require my help.

I was going to dress Caroline up

as Shirley Temple

but she barely cooperated

for wings,

so what would have been the point?

Have I told you how much of a handful this kid is?

I wonder where she gets it from?

We dumped Caroline back at home with dad

after knocking on the condos

close to home.

Here are the girls out about in the neighborhood

with our two friends Natassja and India.

It seems we should live somewhere more exotic

than Utah

when we have friends with names like that.

I just loved this shot with the pumpkin.

Notice that we use pillowcases

for carrying Halloween candy.

It's what my mom used to make us do

when we were kids

and the tradition has stuck.

Best costume of the evening.

Obama and his Secret Service agents.

These boys are awesome.

My girls enjoyed following them around the neighborhood

on our perfect weathered evening.

We got a whole lot of candy.

I enjoyed taunting Obama at every door

that us Utahns only give our candy to Republicans

who work for their own stuff.

I'm silly like that.

Family Dance Night

2011-11-21T00:36:00.010-05:00

Do you remember this ancient post about the family staying up all night to dance.
We couldn't afford to go to Chuck E Cheese and so we pulled out the old records.

Well now we can afford to go to Chuck E. Cheese but I believe I would rather
travel back in time and do this all over again.
I finally figured out how to post the video and these are so cute.
The girls have grown so fast but I am pleased to report that they still giggle just the same.
And they still think they can dance.

It started out slow. Very Lawrence Welk feeling slow.

Then we moved on to Bob Dylan's song on banjo.
Dad does some tapping and at the end the baby has to join in.

More with dad and baby. Puff the magic dragon.

Then dad goes a little crazy.

A little Beverly Hillbilly's. We were in TN after all.
We have some underwear malfunctioning.
This is when I hope that no sickos have found the blog.
But, if you sickos have found us, make sure you watch this one through
to see the man you will contend with if you come within 50 feet of our daughters.
And then know that I am about 800% more ferocious.

Now dad kindly introduces the two-step to our flapper girls.
Has anybody seen our girls?

And if you've been the loyal watcher,
you will be happy for this finale.
One final laugh for us all.

Good times. Good times.

Living a Consecrated Life

2011-11-20T00:33:00.006-05:00

Every 6 months Mormons gather worldwide

to hear from the latter day prophets and apostles.

You may think that sounds crazy,

but trust me, if you were to peek in,

you would be astounded.

Astounded like you were at the feet

of Moses or Noah or Peter, James, or Paul.

For me, every time, the experience is life changing.

This last session in October was especially so.

I wrote down a list of personal questions

that I have been seeking God for answers about

and then I prayerfully listened

for communication from God

through His messenger The Holy Ghost.

1-How can I know my purpose or mission in life?

2- How will having my own personal goals make me happier?

3-How can I become more physically/mentally healthier? To what level should I commit myself?

4-Why has it been so hard for me to find a job?

5-What about more kids? I want to be done and I want to know now.

6-How long should I wait to finish my education?

7-How can I get more disciplined and make living the gospel priority #1?

8-What do I need to change as a wife and a mother?

I got a whole composition book

of notes

on personal guidelines

for my life.

I hope to share some.

Ian S. Ardern gave a particularly helpful talk.

It was entitled A Time to Prepare.

Listen to this:

Mastering the techniques needed to
reach our goals includes becoming
the master manager of our time.
Our greatest happiness comes as we tune into the Lord and to those things which bring a lasting reward....Take those things that rob us of our precious time and determine to be their master, rather than allowing them through their addictive nature to be the master of us.

He also said: "Grind distractions to dust."

This talk answered a whole slew of my questions.

From this talk I made myself some new goals

that would assist me in showing God

by the way I use my time

that He is my first priority.

1-Quit wasting time on the computer and looking for validation online.

2-Make a goal to run a 5k.

3-Pray and study every day.

4-Follow the promptings of the spirit on a daily basis.

I've been using my time much more wisely, and I feel a million times happier.

Living a consecrated life isn't a sacrifice, it's one of God's very best blessings.

He looks after each of us individually and speaks to us.

He knows what we need.

I have found that seeking out the Lord in my life

always leads to greater personal satisfaction.

Ingenious Anjella

2011-11-18T00:34:00.002-05:00

This is Anjella.
She has 8 kids.
She's ingenious.

Her kids have mealtime aprons.
Personalized mealtime aprons.
7 of her 8 kids are boys
and bibs just weren't cutting it.

Isn't that the smartest thing you've ever heard?

I think I need one of these for my hubby.
He's always staining his clothes.

You Made Me Love You

2011-11-17T00:08:00.000-05:00

Tears are sometimes the only appropriate way to communicate what we feel.

Tears for little girls that grow up.
Tears for the privilege of being their mom.
Tears for perfect lyrics.
Tears for the clock that ticks too fast.

Crazy Caroline

2011-11-16T00:25:00.001-05:00

We have been having challenges with Caroline.

Since the day she was born.

What a crazy kid.

We have nicknamed her Crazy Caroline.

We have Adorable Abigail.

Sweet Sophia.

Beautiful Bella.

and

Crazy Caroline.

Maybe we should say

Crazy Cute Caroline

so that she won't grow up with

black sheep syndrome.

Anyway,

our most recent challenge

has been that Caroline

learned how to open doors.

She is always trying to make an escape.

Can't say that I blame her.

Well, as you all know

at our new rental home

one of the conditions of the lease

is that our pets are outdoor pets.

It has been nice not having the dog

under foot.

She loves her cozy house in the garage

where she can go outside

as she pleases.

Imagine my surprise when

I got out of the shower the other day

and found this.

At least she wasn't out in the street

barefoot.

Not the dog, silly.

Caroline.

She sure does make for some great blog material.

Hankerin for The Hunger

2011-11-15T00:08:00.001-05:00

Hey book club.

You are all invited to Utah to see the midnight premiere with me.

Who needs Twilight?

My monster's attitude of gratitude

2011-11-14T14:23:00.001-05:00

I meant to post this picture for Halloween.

Oops.

Sophia made some pretty cool art pieces

with her birthday clay.

In an upcoming post I will show you

Caroline torturing the poor things.

One tooth at a time.

This morning I found a worksheet

Sophia brought home from school.

I thought it was poignant

into the mind of a child that is truly grateful.

T eachers

H appiness

A merica

N ets

K indness

S ophia

G reatness

I nternet

V acations

I ce Cream

N iceness

G randparents

I think I am grateful for all the same things, but I most enjoyed her insight into "nets".

What would we do without nets?

I've been posting daily on facebook things I am grateful for. I thought you may like to hear.

I have adopted an attitude of gratitude in my life in the past few years

and it has changed my very nature.

I have so much more joy than I used to when I thought so negatively all the time.

Count your blessing. Every day this month tell us something you are thankful for. Big or small. Day 1 - I am thankful that I am not diabetic. I am pretty sure I would be dead sometime in the last 24 hours.

Day 2 of gratitude (Did I start this? because if I did that's cool) I am grateful that I understand that when I love myself AND others at equal levels I am happiest

3: I am grateful for all my ladies (whichever state or religion they belong to). Laughing with the ladies last night at church was the highlight of my birthday.

Day 4: Today I am grateful for prayer. God is always there for me and He really does speak when we learn to listen.

Day 5 (belated) I am grateful that families can be together forever.

Day 6 (belated) I am grateful for amazing parents who although flawed are amazing examples of Christ-like love and devotion.

Day 7 (belated) I am grateful for a body that although flawed can work and serve. I am grateful for a sister with whom I can ALWAYS laugh. Love you Renee Wills Rymer. I am grateful that God got me home throw the snow-storm last night and that I had full confidence that he would protect me with a voice of warning.

Day 8: I am grateful for the great minds who put words on a page that touch my heart and mind. Books are quite possibly my best friends.

Day 9: I am thankful that I have been blessed with such a strong love for my husband and that I have the assurance that he loves me too because today I really need that. ROFL When are we ever going to get the honeymoon phase?

Day 10: I am grateful for the privilege of being a mother. My daughters amaze me every day. They are growing so fast and are always so beautiful. My daughters are God's way of telling me that I can't be all that bad. Thank you God for entrusting them to me and letting me watch them become amazing young ladies.

Day 11: I am grateful for a toddler who will watch TV. Even if this makes me a bad mom (especially for admitting it publicly) I get some much needed scripture/prayer/meditation time in the mornings when she watches TV.

Day 12: I'm thankful for old photo albums and great memories. Man, we thought our lives were hard when we had three kids under 4; those were good old days...I need to remember that on the hard days now.

Day 12: (I guess this is really a second entry for yesterday since today is Day 13. What can I say? Sundays make me extra grateful. :)Today I am grateful that my husband and I have made such great progress...we can actually go over the budget and still be speaking. It only took 14+ years for us to finally meet in the middle. Now, he spends the money and I tell him not to.

Day 13: Today we had a lesson at church about The Millennium. We discussed how the ones who won't be destroyed by fire will be the good people of all faiths and even the good people who were agnostic. Came home to many status updates from friends of all religions who went to church anywhere and everywhere today...so grateful for so many GREAT friends who are indeed GOOD people. Hope to see you all at The Second Coming.

Day 14: I am grateful for sleep, even if I have to take medication to get it. It's so nice to wake up in the morning knowing you were able to rest your mind and body.

We love our Veteran

2011-11-11T20:01:00.000-05:00

We were so happy when we got the word

last month

that Uncle Tyler got home

to his base in Italy

safe and sound

from being deployed

We are so grateful for the sacrifices he makes for his countrymen.

We are also grateful for the sacrifices made by his family.

Thank you to all our service people.

You are our nation's greatest assets.

Book Review - The Watsons Go To Birmingham

2011-11-11T00:01:00.003-05:00

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can't believe I never read this book until this year. WOW! Another great recommendation by my local librarian. This book was written by Christopher Paul Curtis, and was nominated for many awards including The Caldecott. It is beyond me why this book didn't win and Bud Not Buddy did. Bud Not Buddy was also a great read, but this book was phenomenal. Phe-nom-e-nal!

The characters are so real and the story so honest that I really truly thought it was a work of non-fiction the whole time I was reading.

The Weird Watsons are loveable. So loveable. So real. So funny. The book has a very light feel to it until the very end when the family of 5 takes a trip to Birmingham, where they come face to face with an ugly part of American history: the racism and hatred in the South during the civil rights movement.

This book was emotional. It was raw. It was funny. It was so real. I felt like I was a fly on the wall to the home of the Watsons and to the soul of each member of the family. They are all absolutely entertaining and it's fun to spy on a family dynamic that is fun.

The end was perfection. Pure perfection with the most unlikely of heroes. I don't want to give away too much, but once again love conquers all.

View all my reviews

Oatmilk

2011-11-10T12:44:00.007-05:00

Mommy, I love oatmilk.

This one is too hot.

Blow on my oatmilk Phia.

Just right.

I love you baby bear.

I love you Momma bear.

An Empty Well

2011-11-07T00:58:00.000-05:00

I throw quarters in
but there is no splash.
I make my wish
as it clunks at the bottom.

I go elsewhere for water and wishes
because the well is empty.
I start making my wishes
for the well to fill
and keep dropping dimes.

I know someday the well
may be full of money
but then I will buy water
and make my greatest wish true.

Wells were made for wishes and water.

The Miracles of Life

2011-11-06T00:01:00.029-04:00

I have tried to capture
a good photo of the moon
for as long as I can remember.

I have never had a real nice camera
and keeping it steady enough
to get a focused photo
is really tricky at night.

On Halloween,
I finally got my shot.
I looked and looked for
an inspiring quote to go with it
but I couldn't find what I was looking for.

So I made my own.

I loved the story that I read by
Thomas S. Monson.
He is an inspired man of God
and his address titled
Finding Joy in the Journey
from 2008
is something that will get you
looking at your life
from a whole new perspective.

Many years ago I was touched by the story of Borghild Dahl. She was born in Minnesota in 1890 of Norwegian parents and from her early years suffered severely impaired vision. She had a tremendous desire to participate in everyday life despite her handicap and, through sheer determination, succeeded in nearly everything she undertook. Against the advice of educators, who felt her handicap was too great, she attended college, receiving her bachelor of arts degree from the University of Minnesota. She later studied at Columbia University and the University of Oslo. She eventually became the principal of eight schools in western Minnesota and North Dakota.
She wrote the following in one of the 17 books she authored: “I had only one eye, and it was so covered with dense scars that I had to do all my seeing through one small opening in the left of the eye. I could see a book only by holding it up close to my face and by straining my one eye as hard as I could to the left.”
Miraculously, in 1943—when she was over 50 years old—a revolutionary procedure was developed which finally restored to her much of the sight she had been without for so long. A new and exciting world opened up before her. She took great pleasure in the small things most of us take for granted, such as watching a bird in flight, noticing the light reflected in the bubbles of her dishwater, or observing the phases of the moon each night. She closed one of her books with these words: “Dear … Father in heaven, I thank Thee. I thank Thee.”
Borghild Dahl, both before and after her sight was restored, was filled with gratitude for her blessings.

We have so much for which to be grateful.
I know a God of miracles.
And I love Him with all my heart.
Dear Father in Heaven,
I thank thee also.
For all the miracles in my life.

Window views

2011-11-05T00:01:00.001-04:00

Just one week ago I had these views.
Now, all the trees are almost completely bare.

What are your favorite winter survival tips?

I'm not ready yet.

I'm an idiot.

2011-11-04T15:11:00.000-04:00

So, a week ago I set up comment moderation on my blog so that I could weed out the spammers more efficiently. They have gotten crazy as of late. So crazy that I considered becoming one to make some much needed cash. :) LG forbid it. You can thank him for being the sensible one.

Well, the 38 year old that I am, had totally forgotten until cousin Kim made me aware that she had commented but it wasn't showing up and it said it was waiting for me.

I do appreciate all the comments that were waiting for me...about 50 of them. Who is the oversensitive idiot now?

I am mostly just glad that you all aren't missing out on what I consider my best giveaway.

I do feel God pulling me in another direction, but I want to reassure the few of you that showed some disappointment that I will keep blogging here. It just won't have as much of my focus. And that is the way it supposed to be and I am happy about where I am and where I am going....much happier now that I know not all of you gave up on me all together and that I am just forgetful. God really does work in mysterious ways...sometimes even through our own brain freeze.

Hello? Anybody there?

2011-11-04T12:49:00.001-04:00

I don't want to be manipulative. I have worked really hard at learning that people have their own choices to make and that I need to give them the space to for their own choices. Boy, that was a hard lesson to learn too. Especially when you grow up in a family where everyone is always up in everybody else's business.

But, I am curious. Does anyone even read this little blog anymore? I think I killed it to death. According to my stat counter, I know I get hits, but I was really really surprised that I just wrote a post giving away a free shirt with a value of $20 and I have not received one entry yet. Not one. Is it just that all of you don't want to go over to their website before leaving a comment? Or is it that I harped on the modesty thing too much? Or are you all like me and think you will never win anyway? Or is there really just no interest in the amazing halftee?

Anyway, I've been blogging a long time and lately this here little blog has been in a big 'ol drought in the comment department. I can't even get a comment on a giveaway. I believe it may be time to hang up the towel. I am not saying that to make you feel sorry for me, but I've been open with y'all during the whole journey and I feel like I should also be open at the end.

I don't blog solely for comments. I will always blog for my kids. I think they deserve their stories to be written and this here blog is the best place I have found for that to be done (with pictures to boot), but let's face it, if nobody is enjoying this thing I may as well slow down in the posting department. It's all good, I've got other ambitions and plenty of other avenues in the writing department. I have three books I have been too afraid to commit to and even if I am kidding myself with my writer's ambitions there is always my neglected good old fashioned journal.

I wonder if everyone isn't reading blogs anymore? Has facebook and twitter taken over? I know there are great popular blogs out there with large audiences so it can't be that blogging is no more. I have recently had time to reflect that mine will probably never be one of those of blogs. It's o.k! I think that it's time for me steer myself in another direction and trust God to a greater degree. I know He's got my back. It's not that those other bloggers are better than me, it's just that they found their callings in life, and I have not.

I have grown with this blog. It has been like the fertilizer to my roots, but I believe it may be time to not just bud, but flower. I need to flower in another direction. Toward the sun.

What is the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. I believe it's time for me to change. I believe it's time for me to let go. I believe it's time for me to grow some wings and fly away from the mediocrity of comfort.

This blog may not have the ending that I have wanted all these years, which is thousands of readers, but it's not because of lack of effort and that is such a comfort to me. It will end with a fundamental change in me. That change is I no longer need thousands of readers. What good are thousands of readers if you aren't doing what God wants you to do. I've given it all I've got. I've come to the conclusion that this blog is just not my calling in life, no matter how much I want it to be. I'm not saying that to get your sympathy. I just want to be honest with myself. I have prayed a lot about this very thing. What is my mission in life? I want to use the time I've got in the way God wants.

I have taken this blog to good places. I have gotten hundreds of thousands of hits. I have been recognized by other bloggers. Most of all I have made some wonderful blogging world friends. My greatest recognition has been the times when you, my friends, have laughed and cried along with me. It's been a great ride. A great ride. It's something that I am very proud of. I don't walk away with my head hung in shame, but I will walk away with a greater vision and more courage than ever before. It's time for Alice to let go of her desires and get more in tune with God's will.

Yes, it's time. No matter how much I want to fight it. I've given this blog almost a decade of my life and it's time to let it go. Thank you friends for helping me get to where I am, even if it was just vicariously by being my imaginary readers. I thank each of you for being my audience because I know that took a lot of patience on your part.

I have scheduled out some posts and I have a bunch of drafts I need to finish, but after that I believe I will post only the family stories that I can't bear to forget or things that God puts on my heart.

Wow, this is emotional for me, but it's also exciting. God is so good to me. He has waited to let me see the need for forfeit after He gave me the strength for it and the vision for something else. Thank you my loving Father in Heaven. Thank you. Thank you for the past. Thank you for the future. But most of all thank you for the present moment when I know you are here with me.

This blog will never be by the wayside. It has been my northern star.

Book Review - Truckers

2011-11-04T00:35:00.000-04:00

Truckers by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The librarian at our local library has amazing taste in books. When she hands me a stack every time I go to the library I know I will like every single one. She is such a motivation for me to read often.

This book is the first in a series of three books and was recommended to me by her and she said, "You are going to love these." She was absolutely right. While reading the whole time I kept thinking I want to write books like these. Forget the huge daunting novel. How about a short, quirky, hilarious, and fun short series for older kids? I think I can do that.

The book is about a bunch of nomes. They are very literal and live in the walls of a store. They've been around since humans have even though they never show themselves to human. A group of nomes shakes things up when they arrive from the outside (a place no one thought existed). The inside nomes worship the store maker as their God and they try to follow all the signs in the store like "everything must go." The outside nomes try to be patient with the inside nomes funny ways and whimpy attitudes. The characters are wonderfully intricate and the plots are almost silly yet still intriguing. I read all three books in a week.

I hope that someday my kids will read these stories and get as many laughs as I did. Thanks you Terry Pratchett. You are so witty and I love your relaxed writing style.

View all my reviews

Squashed Dinner Plans

2011-11-03T00:06:00.037-04:00

Experts say that eating meals together as families have all kinds of benefits for everyone.
This article on CNN recently sited some of the best reason to eat dinner together.

1- Supper can be a stress reliever.
2- Kids might learn to love their veggies.
3- It's the perfect settings for new foods.
4- You control the portions.
5- Healthy meals mean healthy kids.
6- Family dinners help kids "just say no"
7- Better food, better report card.
8- Put a little cash in your pocket.

Recently, I tried out a new recipe for butternut squash soup. Shannon had served it at lunch and I enjoyed it so much I decided to make some for the family. You can find a close recipe here.

It was delicious. I slaved over it for hours. We sat down to dinner and everyone was instantly opposed to eating orange soup. Even my hubby wasn't too keen on the idea. He spooned it away and tried to pretend he loved it, but he wasn't fooling anyone.

So much for dinner being the perfect setting for trying new foods. CNN, you lie! My kids weren't learning to love their veggies that night. Everyone was more stressed. I hope it won't cause the girls to come home with bad report cards too.

I sat and enjoyed the soup while everyone else helped themselves to cereal. I gave a good sized take-home portion to our handyman who just happened to stop in at dinner to come to look at the furnace. He's a healthy kind of guy and was gracious. So gracious I thought about trading my family in for a second.

CNN, I would like to take this moment to give you a true benefit of butternut squash soup.
It's called "mom's gourmet lunch all to herself the next day."

And that my friends is how you make
lemonade out of lemons
or
soup out of squash.
Whichever you prefer.

Giveaway - Halftees

2011-11-02T00:13:00.002-04:00

I have a special post for you
in honor of my 38th birthday.

Happy birthday to me.

I'm giving away a halftee.
It's the layering piece for everyone.
Cute little tees for all purposes.
They have new styles up on their site today
so go and pick your favorite
and leave me a comment
with your name, e-mail, and desired style/color
(we'll save your size for private)
and I will give a halftee
to one lucky reader
at the end of my favorite month:
November.

Why halftee you ask?
Well let me tell you.
As you know
at our house
modest is always hottest.
That's why we loved trying out Halftees.

The other day I walked outside
to find this message written on the sidewalk.

Be still my heart.

It looks like we are getting through to our girls.
Modesty is a principle of protection.
And our girls do it well.

One time my mother-in-law took them shopping.
She came home praising my name.
Our girls, on their own accord,
did all the tests before
deciding whether or not they should buy something.

Bend over.
Reach your arms up.
Slouch down.

No shoulder shots.
No butt shots.
No boob shots.
No belly shots.
No thigh shots.

O.k. grammy. Can we get this?
No hoochy mamas around here.

Halftees, a Utah based company,
are a great way to compensate

for the lack of covering in clothes on today's store racks.

And guess what my wonderful readers?

You can get 20% off of all of your orders
until November 9th by using the code IMSOFUNNY.
(I would use the discount now, you know,
before you forget and
just in case you don't win the giveaway)

Halftees come in a bunch of colors and styles.
As you can see we prefer the white ones.

Go and check them out.

I'll be picking up some more for Christmas.

Even winter dresses are all sleeveless nowadays.

I am thinking about buying some

for some of the girls at church

When they wear sleeveless,

my kids don't understand.

I thought it was a church-wide standard

to cover our shoulders?

I will leave you with Sophia's part
for the upcoming Primary program.

She wrote it by herself.

LG and I love the part about "the fronts".

Notice the plural fronts.

Hilarious.

Dressing modestly shows respect

for Heavenly Father and myself.

We should never wear anything that is

tight or short shorts or miniskirts that reveal

our shoulders or your back and fronts.

When you dress modestly

you show Heavenly Father that you love Him.

Dressing modestly is important to you

and everyone around you.

Oh and one more:

More Than a Hero: Muhammad Ali's Life Lessons Presented Through His Daughter's Eyes by Hana Ali

When we finally arrived, the chauffeur escorted my younger sister, Laila, and me up to my father's suite. As usual, he was hiding behind the door waiting to scare us. We exchanged many hugs and kisses as we could possibly give in one day.

My father took a good look at us. Then he sat me down on his lap and said something that I will never forget. He looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Hana, everything that God made valuable in the world is covered and hard to get to. Where do you find diamonds? Deep down in the ground, covered and protected. Where do you find pearls? Deep down at the bottom of the ocean, covered up and protected in a beautiful shell. Where do you find gold? Way down in the mine, covered over with layers and layers of rock. You've got to work hard to get to them."

He looked at me with serious eyes. "Your body is sacred. You're far more precious than diamonds and pearls, and you should be covered too."

Halloween - The Day After

2011-11-01T16:41:00.003-04:00

I went to bed sick.

Not sick, like the flu.

Sick like honey don't move the bed

or I am going to hurl all over your face.

I've done it every year

since I can remember.

You would think I would have

learned my lesson

as a youngster.

But, I guess I never did.

So now I am on the other side of the

"only three pieces"

and I really should know better.

Way better.

And I guess somewhere deep down there I do.

But, apparently

my greedy little fingers don't.

Add this to the fact

that my stomach

isn't as tolerable as it used to be

and my bowels

bellowed through the night.

"Please don't do this to us,"

they screamed.

"We know you know better!"

I get out of bed

and resolve to eat nothing

but dairy and fiber

for at least 24 hours

if not 2,004 whole minutes.

I sit at the kitchen table

and notice that the kids must have

eaten 12 more pieces for breakfast

and stashed 20 each in their backpacks.

They made a sizable dent.

I long for the days of larger families.

I only have 4 kids

and I need at least 7

like my mom used to have

to get rid of this candy.

How can we possibly have more candy

than all 6 of my brothers and sister and I?

I chuckle to myself

because my kids really don't care

that I make them put all their candy in one pot,

Just like my mother used to do to me.

They protested, just like I did.

"No mom let us keep our candy in our dresser drawers."

They didn't fight back too strong

because secretly somewhere inside

they have the same screaming voice

like I do.

"Save us. Please!"

They ignore the voice

and they don't protest about the shared bucket

because it's bigger than they can remember

and they know they are still going to get

plenty of candy.

Too much candy.

I had to switch from my original choice to

a tupperware super-size bin to hold the mounds of candy.

You know, like a trough size.

I reach over and take an Almond Joy

because if I don't start eating them now

they will never go away.

Nobody in my family eats Almond Joy,

nobody but me.

I think I should retrieve all the Lemonheads

for Sophia because they are her favorites

until I realize that Lemonheads are to Sophia

like the dark chocolate is to daddy.

They are her responsibility

in saving the family from prolonged misery.

Then I grab a glass of milk,

as quick as I can

and I try to think of somewhere safe to hide the candy

but I might as well eat the Reese's on top

because it goes so well with a glass of milk.

The baby comes over and starts handing me

suckers of every kind.

Apparently she wants to help us all

out of our misery too.

Tootsie Pop, Blow Pop, Dum-Dum.

It's going really well

until she asks me to open the

eyeball sucker

and when we finally pry it open

it is broken in two.

She thinks I did it on purpose

and she is so sugared

that she throws a monster size fit.

She can only get away with that

the day after Halloween.

O.k. maybe the week after Halloween.

The week before I get to my wit's end

and chuck the rest of the candy into the garbage

a sneaky handful at a time.

Man, I should just stash it away

and save it for Valentines.

Oh, I can't even think about Valentines right now.

It's physically painful.

Meanwhile, I start at the 10 boxes of Candy sticks
(you know they come in little boxes of two
and resemble the old school candy cigarettes)

that Caroline had handed to me

before the suckers.

She wanted me to open them for her

and I didn't

because I didn't want to share.

They are my favorite.

Oh someone,

please come and rob us of our

Halloween candy.

Send it all to the kids

throughout the world

that really need it.

That way I'll have a viable explanation

for my four children

who are guaranteed

to be sick, ornery, and inconsolable the rest of the week.

I won't even go into what their bowels have to say to me.
Yes, I'm the child bowel whisperer.

The bowels tell me it's a little too personal
to tell you the nitty gritties,

but I will share the part of the secret

that says upset bowels sound like bellowing cows.

Milk me. Milk me. Milk me now.

Maybe I should tell the kids that their colons

made me throw it away.
"I'm so sorry girls
but they held me hostage until I did something drastic."

This is the first Halloween that my husband

has celebrated as a diabetic.

Well, the first year he's been diagnosed

He was probably diabetic

every year on Halloween since he can remember.
Now I have to eat his candy too.
The woes of being a mother.
You always have to pick up any slack
for non-cooperating members of the family.

Where is that neighbor who used to give us apples?

We need about 100 of him
then I could just can it all away
for the dead of winter.

Do you know that tomorrow is my birthday?

I think it is rather cruel of God

to give me a birthday during the week of the year

when everyone is just rolling about

trying to break down the heap.

One sickening bite at a time.

Oh, cookie monster,

I can't even think about you and your struggles right now

or I will start crying uncontrollably

and won't be able to stop

until I discover that Elmo

is an in the closest candy addict.

Save me. Please. Save me.

I am about to butterfinger it for lunch

and who knows where I'll be by dinner.

But no matter how far I go

or how sick I get

that blasted candy is going to be

staring at me, taunting me, calling me chicken

the rest of the month.

P.S. If you are anonymous comenter #2
from the October giveaway
on the LunchWars Post,
please make yourself known.
Maybe you can learn
from the nutrition nazi
the things that I am too dumb to incorporate.

P.P.S. I just found out that I not only got a free book
for doing that book review,
but I got paid $20.
If the book wasn't enough to steer
me away from the candy
maybe the money
can pay for an intervention.

The thrill of Halloween

2011-10-31T00:04:00.002-04:00

Thank you to Laurel for providing the Thriller photos.
Her daughter Sylvia threw an awesome
zombie party a while back.

We were the lucky neighbors

who opened our door to the zombie apocalypse.

Pretty dang freaky.

It's no wonder somebody called the cops.

The other day, I was driving to the grocery store
with my 8 year old Bella.
Thriller came on the radio.
I turned it up and rocked out.

It was dark outside and we were waiting at the red light. Next to us was a big silver truck. In the passenger seat was a young man between 18 and 20. Driving looked to be his old man. They wore hunting garb. I wouldn't have noticed them at all if it wasn't for a silly exchange. They must have been listening to the same radio station because as I turned my monstrous arms towards my driver's side window in a classic Thriller dance move, the boy stared straight at me and started cracking up. He turned to his old man and said something. The old man veered over and smiled as I sheepishly put my hands back on the wheel.

Bella was instantly mortified. "Man, mom, you even got his dad looking at you!" I laughed and kept enjoying the music, with just a little less subtle dance moves. It was two weeks from Halloween. It was dark outside. The moon was almost full. I had just one of my kids in the car, and Thriller was playing on the radio. What's not to love? I just had to dance. And sing.

As my daughter's face was bright red and I continually fought off her attempts at turning off the radio while simultaneously putting forth my subtle Thriller moves, I thought to myself, "These are the mothering moments that I love the most." The ones that are so easily forgotten unless I write them down.

Yes, it's moments like these that are the thrill of being a mother. The Thriller moments happen so few and far between. The moments when as a mother I know I am just one big grown-up kid and I am cool! All it took was a mortified 8 year old daughter and two grown hunters to seal the deal.

It's just the Thriller.....(c'mon you know you want to sing along)

Happy Halloween y'all.
I hope yours is just as thrilling
as I am sure ours will be.
We started the day
with a before dawn wake up call
for costumes, make-up, hot cocoa, and orange eggs.

Don't forget.

Today is your last day to leave a comment

for a chance to win my copy of the book

Lunch Wars.

Please eat all your Halloween candy in honor of Amy Kafala.

She will love it.

The Uinta's

2011-10-30T00:04:00.004-04:00

There is no better day than Sunday

to post a bunch of photos

of my family

and God's great earth.

I love them both.

Thank you God

for my amazing life.

Feel free to join us on our drive

from last weekend.

It's pictures like the one above

that make me want to

oblige the girls

when they tell us we need to have another baby.

How bout it honey?

Rock on rock.

Or as Caroline says it

big rock, little rock.

I love girls with pockets.

I love pockets with souvenirs.

I love free souvenirs.

I can hear your sigh.

I wish you could have come with us too.

Just imagine what I could do

with a camera that costs more than $100.

My birthday is coming up LG.

(hint hint)

Yeah right.

We all know he ain't spending more

than $100 on me for my birthday.
A girl can dream though.

We love you Uinta Mountains.

Especially in the Fall.

Thanks again to a God

who is the ultimate artist.

You take our breathe away.

Book Review - Sounder

2011-10-29T00:01:00.002-04:00

Sounder by William H. Armstrong

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Consequences to the smallest of actions. Consequences that effect others.

The faithful lives of the poor and downtrodden.
The inequality in the lots of life.
The injustice of upperclass and lowerclass.
The origin of the southern term "the dogdays of summer."

The love of a dog for his master.
And the love of a dog from his masters.

The hatred and cruelty in some people.
The kindness in others.

The love of learning and the joy of reading.
The love and significance and beauty of Bible stories.

The resolve of the challenged.

The resourcefulness of old-timers.

Hard work ethic.

All lessons I want to teach my children.
In words it was emotional.
A good emotional.

It got me thinking about who has told me stories that may seem insignificant, but are really just masterpieces waiting to be told.

View all my reviews

HeroMom needs your help

2011-10-28T14:06:00.001-04:00

I recently told you about my cousin DeAnne and how I nominated her for AllState's HeroMom of the year.
The recap is DeAnne is an amazing mom of 16 children. Most were adopted and many are special needs.

Well, we are competing against a bigger blogger to be able to surpass into first place and we are struggling.

However I never go down without a fight. I have been campaigning pretty heavily on facebook and at one point we got within 80 votes behind. They have now upped their game and we are straggling behind between 200-300 votes.

So what I am trying to say is I NEED you. I desperately need every single one of you to help me here.

Please go and vote for DeAnne. You can vote every day. What would help us the most is if you will get others to go and vote too. I know that is asking a lot, but I someday can return the favor.

Share this link where they can vote with anyone and everyone. Tell them to vote for DeAnne.

http://theblogfrog.com/p/allstate/default.aspx?replyid=1138066

Or promote the vote with the facebook event.

I love you my readers. Thanks for always being there for me. I love having my blogging friends who I know I can always be honest with, vent to, and beg for help from.

Thank you all so much.

You are mean.

2011-10-28T00:05:00.000-04:00

Our girls bicker from time to time.
Here is the evidence.

I hate it when they bicker

and call each other names.

Especially when they are right

in their accusations.

There are worse things in the world
than raising a kid who is bullied.
Like raising a bully.

Oh no, I have one of each.
Now what do I do?

Mormons and Music

2011-10-27T00:23:00.031-04:00

A few weeks ago we attended

Abigail's informal

choir performance.

I was astounded!

For just a few weeks of school,

this 7th grade choir

sounded amazing.

I love how in this song

Abigail misses the first clap.

And seriously,
this middle school has enough talented pianists
to accompany all their choirs.
Astounding.
Check out this accompanist.
She's so young
and
wonderful
and inspiring.
Watching her accompany the choir
made me emotional and proud
and she isn't even my kid.

I am grateful that our girls have the opportunity to go to school in Utah.
The choral music programs here are remarkable.

As evidenced by the recent Mormon ties
in the popular show Sing off.

Everyone knows that there is no better choir
in the world than
The Mo Tab.

What about The Osmonds?

The Jets are my personal favorite Mormon musicians.

I recently read about Brandon Flowers,
also a Mormon musician.

There are so many amazing Mormon musicians that I could do this for months.
I haven't even gotten into Mormon contemporary music.
I recently shared Hilary Weeks and Michael McLean.

The Hinckley brothers are personal friends.

Here is one of my new favorite singles
by a new favorite Mormon musician, Stephanie Mabey.
LG and I had the privilege of seeing her in concert recently.
I really liked this song.
Weird but catchy.
I dare you to watch this
and try not to find yourself singing
along with the lyrics
"If I were a zombie,
I'd never eat your brain."

Do enjoy some less known Mormon music on me.

I have a thing for the smooth harmony
that only Polynesians can produce.
These Polynesians must be Mormon
because they are singing two of our most beloved hymns.

Here are 21,000 Mormons singing together. Powerful stuff.

Last but not least,
some crazy Mormon missionaries.
Their mothers probably died when watching.
It's a miracle that these 19 year old boys don't all kill themselves.

From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous.
Isaiah 24:16.

One really has to think for a moment about the possibility of the Mormon church truly being inspired.
How else could it motivate so many to sing such glorious praises?
And we do it so well.
In my humble opinion.

Beautiful Heartbreak

2011-10-26T10:49:00.001-04:00

I've experienced heartbreak.
More than one.
I remember vividly a day years ago when my friend Lindsey
walked in my front door
to find me completely debilitated,
inconsolable, defeated, and heartbroken.
I was on my couch crying uncontrollobly
while my three small children
were running around neglected.
When I told Lindsey what was going on
she cried too.

Earlier in the day, I had tried to go to the library
to escape the pain,
my toddler was a monster,
surely responding to her mom's emotional state.
A mean old man confronted me
and told me I was a horrible mother.
Of course, that day I was a horrible mother.
It was all I could do not to shoot myself in the head.

He didn't see all the other days.
The good days.
The days before the crippling pain.
But the other mom did.
She was usually by my side for weekly storytime.
She rushed out to my car and prayed for me
while I bawled some more at the wheel of my car.

You may think I am just some dramafied attention mongrel,
but you will never know.
The heartbreak is one I have shared with very few.
But it was awful. It is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

I have worked for years to overcome that pain.
The only thing that finally gave me solace
was turning it over to the Lord.
Over and over again.
I have become
an expert at handing it over.
So much so
that I have become a new person.
A better person.
A stronger person.
A happier person.
A more peaceful person.
And a person who seeks the Lord.

I have experienced a beautiful heartbreak.
More than one actually.
I have experienced a repeated heartbreak
until I gave it to my Lord
so many times that it
became beautiful.
Just because I shared it.
And He turned it into beauty.

So, I loved this song this morning.
Even if Hilary Weeks
stole it from this life-changing blog post.

I hope we can all be Lindsey's
or praying moms,
but really sometimes we may
be moms who neglect our kids
or ornery old men who are mean and critical.
And hopefully other people will just remember
that we might be at the bottom,
or trying to hike our way out of the
beautiful heartbreak.

But even though I don't have a video made about me
or I am not an inspirational speaker
or a famous blogger,
I can testify
with all the honesty of my heart
that God will bring us through
our worst pain.
He may even take us through it on purpose
so that we can have a new and beautiful vista
when we reach the top
where we have learned to
stay right by His side.

P.S. Help DeAnne not to experience the heartbreak of coming so close to first place as HeroMom of the year and not winning. Please go vote now. If you get someone else to vote, besides you, leave me a message and tell me who you got to vote and I will add you into a real special post coming up very soon.

ROFL

2011-10-25T11:13:00.000-04:00

I have funny friends.

They make my facebook world wondrous.

Here are some great shares from this morning.

They are telling about American life.

Even American Chinese food isn't always safe.

Health departments nationwide

are having an influx of crazies and marital strife.

Cookie monster says get your own job

and pay for your own cookies.

The BeaUty of Utah

2011-10-24T00:24:00.042-04:00

My post is late today.

I prayed this morning that God would help me prioritize

and use my time wisely.

I seem to have this issue lately with being attached to my computer.

I guess my prayers were answered

because I got all three of my bathrooms cleaned.

And boy did they need it.

They needed it before I was sick last week.

And now every member of the family

has had their turn being sick,

except for Abigail;

she never gets sick.

Ever.

Seriously.

She is like an alien or something.

I am so glad I didn't clean bathrooms before everyone got sick.

So much better to clean them after.

Instead of cleaning them both before and after.

God is always watching out for me.

As I was cleaning bathrooms today

God was with me.
Weird I know.

How do I know he was with me?

I felt a deep sense of joy and gratitude.

Those are fruits of the spirit.

I was so grateful for my bathrooms.

LG and I have our own half bath now

and it is a luxury to us.

Our bathrooms are all recently remodeled

which makes them really easy to clean.

I was grateful for my man.

He went to work today

even though he is still a little sick.

Thank you LG

for being the provider for our family.

I was grateful for our neighbors,

most of which are also church friends.

Only in Utah.

I am so excited about

trick or treating

in a three block radius

full of people

we know and love from church.

I am grateful for my kiddos.

Sophia just turned 10

and I see her growing into a lovely

young lady, just like Abigail.

Bella is such a great worker.

And Caroline is keeping us young.

I am mostly grateful for my new life in the Lord.

I have a much deeper and greater relationship with Him

because of the trials I have faced in the past decade.

I know He is with me. Always.

He makes me happy,

and I have such a positive outlook on life

because He helps me overcome my weaknesses.

So on to the photos.

I have a bunch of new Autumn landscapes

waiting on my camera

for download and publish,

so I guess I better give you

the last of the summer shots.

You could probably find a photo like this on every block in Utah.

It just makes me giddy to think

about all the good people going to church

at the foot of the strong mountains.

This was a messed up shot

when Bella was swinging at the park.
I thought it should be metaphorical for something.
Any ideas?

I imagined NieNie out on this boat

at Utah lake

with her family.

LG and I rode our bikes down on the trail

a few weeks back.

We rode through a bunch of burs

and got all four of our tires flat.

A nice nice woman stopped to get me

and take me home

so I could come back and pick up LG.

That's what it's like in Utah.

Good people everywhere.

I love sunsets.

Sunset at the park during football practice.

I think I should win some kind of award for this shot.

The tents at the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival.

We got to play in them when they were empty.

We rode our bikes as a family down the canyon.

A lady in the public restroom gave me tips on how to have a boy.

They had four girls and she was pregnant with a boy.

Only time will tell if her tips were true.

Because Scouts honor she says they were tried.

Another day, another sunset.

We may not be beaUtiful to you,
but we are beaUtiful to us,
and that is all that matters.

Tempting

2011-10-23T00:09:00.005-04:00

Two weeks ago in Sunday School

we talked about King Agrippa.

I think I relate with him

when I say

"Almost thou convertest me."

Thank you Marta for the facebook share.

Southerners: I need your eyes.

Pretty pretty please take pictures of church signs for me.

DIY Dining Room Frames

2011-10-22T00:34:00.018-04:00

Remember the post
where I told you about
my thrift store picture frames?

Well, here are the photos of the finished product.
Just for my mother-in-law.
She won't be visiting any time soon
to see it for herself.

My father-in-law
will be serving in the
Columbia, South Carolina
LDS temple presidency
and my mother-in-law will be
assisting the temple matron
for the next three years.

We are so excited for them
in their new calling.

I think I need to redo this one

so that the lettering is darker and easier to read.

Your love is better than ice-cream.
And African safari animals.

Book Review - The Alias

2011-10-21T00:06:00.000-04:00

The Alias by Mandi Slack

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm coming to grips with the idea that not all books have to be considered classic literature to be good. There are books that are so amazing that they change your life and those are the books that I have long considered to be the ones worthy of my time. However, in doing book reviews, I am now reading more of the non-life shattering books. They may never make it to The New York Times Bestsellers, and that is perfectly o.k. As an aspiring author these books are giving me courage to get my stories onto a page.

The Alias is in the second category. It's a simple story. It will probably never make the New York Times Bestsellers because of its simplicity. It's short and sweet. It wasn't life shattering for me, yet it was a completely enjoyable read. I read the book in a few hours. As I read this book, my philosophy on book enjoyment changed. Novels don't have to be long with complex plots and words like honey to be good. They just have to tell a story that you are interested in reading. This story kept my interest throughout and by the end I found myself wanting to read more "simple" stories.

Not every author needs to be a JK Rowling or a Suzanne Collins. Mandi Slack is a small town Utah girl who loves the outdoors. She isn't pretentious, I can tell this about her from her writing. I think she will be perfectly o.k. with me saying that her book was simple in nature...or at least I really hope so! I am not saying it was simple to write, but just a simple read. Simple being the same as easy, enjoyable, quick, and fun. Mandi Slack is the kind of mom with whom I would love to sit down and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. She's imaginative. She's deep. She has a great understanding of what kinds of inner struggles a women has when she is in an abusive relationship. I plan to go over to her blog and make a new online friend, just as soon as I finish this review.

Mandi Slack wrote a great short novel. It's the kind of book someone needs to have in their possession on a intercontinental flight or for a night off with no kids and a bubble bath. It's also the kind of book that a busy mom can squeeze in and enjoy in pieces between carpools, mealtimes, and before her head hits the pillow. Just look at the cover, and tell me it doesn't draw you in.

The storyline went something like this: there is this girl named Jacey. She has a best friend Melissa. Jacey is running away from her psychopath husband and doing everything she can to protect her darling son who is at that awkward age between boy and young man. She's a big city girl, but ends up in small-town Utah. The characters in Utah are so love-able that you will want them for your own distant relatives. There is a love interest that is just as dreamy as Jacob or Peeta. Two side story-lines are life on the small farm and life as a Mormon. Neither are overwhelmingly saturated, so I would recommend this book to all of my friends, even you Non-Mormons. I never like to give away too much of the plot. I hate spoilers. So, that is all you are getting from me. Just know that an alias is formed and the FBI is interested it and that this book will keep you in suspense.

I loved the book. It left me with characters who will go on with me through all the books I will read in the future. I looked deep inside myself to find that I share some insecurities with a fictional battered woman. Thank goodness I am married to a gentle giant. The Alias left me wanting to work on those insecurities. I loved the ending of the book. I am HUGE on the endings, as you all know. I got closure; that's important to me.

On page 158, I absolutely adored the descriptions of the close-by Provo Canyon. If you read the book, and have never been to Utah, you have to know that the descriptive narration here is all spot-on. The Provo Canyon is one of the most beautiful places on earth. I loved seeing it through Jacey's eyes.

Buy the book. Read it. And then come and visit me and I will take you to the Provo Canyon to see the awesome geological wonders as well as Mt. Timpanogos and Bridal Veil Falls.

Go here to buy it. It's only $3.99 for the e-version. That is a pretty amazing price.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for this review but as you all know I always give my true opinions. I can't help myself really.
View all my reviews

Hero Mom Contest

2011-10-20T06:09:00.007-04:00

My cousin DeAnne is my Mom Hero. There's no doubt about it. Look at her family!

I have four children and I think I am pretty heroic. Depending on the day of the week, I might tell you that I am an all-out Wonder Woman, but the mom that I think who deserves to win the most votes in this contest is not me. She is not even my amazing mother or mother-in-law. She is my cousin. I haven't seen her in person in about six years, but since the last time I saw her I believe she has added at least 10 more kids to her family.

My cousin DeAnne Walker and her husband Doug just got home from China where they say that they finally completed their family. Yes, they are finally done with numbers 15 and 16. They are truly an inspiration to me and so many others. They have motivated and assisted many with stateside and worldwide adoption. Check out DeAnne's blog appropriately called It's a Wonderful Life.

They have grown their own family biologically but more through adoption. Each child is as precious to them as the other. I can't imagine how huge their hearts have grown as they have made room for one child after another. DeAnne has one of the biggest momma hearts that I know. She can't stand the thought of any child being without a family or without a home. She advocates for every child of the universe in word and deed. She has children with every ethnicity and from the whole spectrum of capability. She knows all there is to know about bonding and caring for children with special needs.

I just personally don't know how she does it. I think I would be pooped after just one meal. I can't even think about the laundry or the taxi-ing that is required much less the time to love each one individually, but she does it. She also doesn't claim to know how to do it either, but I am sure her 16 children will have some of her secrets if you were to ask them.

Go and vote for DeAnne. Pretty please with sugar on top. $2,500 could give DeAnne's wonderful family one heck of a Christmas and I soooo want that to happen! It just takes two clicks. The link that says go vote and then all you have to do is scroll down and find my photo with a brief write up about DeAnne. Hit the vote button on the left. You can vote every 24 hours until November 4th.

You can also invite your friends to this facebook event started by DeAnne's daughter, Sereen (the bride in the photo), to encourage more voters.

Don't Ruin It

2011-10-20T00:40:00.000-04:00

the perfect shirt for
any two-year old.

Peace and Quiet

2011-10-19T00:05:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I was reading a blog

where the mom was keepin it real.

I like those kinds of blogs.

The real ones.

As opposed to the fake ones.

The blog's author (who I have no recollection - sorry)

shared her concerns

over not having adult conversations

and what it would be like to go back to the workforce

someday while her working-mom counterparts

build their careers as she changes diapers.

She talked about her fight with depression

over the years.

I personally think she needs to up her meds.

It's amazing what you can tell about a person from their blog.

She was real and she was also somewhat depressing.

I've been there.

I have those days.

But thankfully, because of some psychiatric drugs that work,

they are few and far between.

Not a day goes by that I am not grateful that my anti-depressants work.

Overall, I am a pretty content person.

I am such a happy mom.

I love my job as a stay-home mom.

I don't know if it will last forever,

but I love it for now.

And the longer I live,

the more I understand that

the now is all you should worry about.

I love my kids.

I love spending time with them.

I love teaching them.

I love nurturing them.

I love watching them grow.

I love building friendships with them.

I love discussing with them all kinds of things:

fashion, hygiene, religion, boys, music, cooking:

the list is endless.

I love it when they make me laugh.

I love it when I make them laugh.

I also love getting away from them.

And having adult time.

Free time.

Me time.

Peace and quiet.

Any mom who doesn't admit this is a liar.

Or is generally psychotic and needs therapy.

I told this other blogging depressed mom that there

have been two practices that

have kept me sane

through the years.

#1.

I try to have a lunch-date with a girlfriend once a week.

It can be the same friend or different ones.

It can be with kids or without,

but for some reason that connection

really helps me to be happy.

#2.

I have to have my weekly date with my cute hubby.

It is a MUST.

I HAVE to have it.

Like the air that I breathe.

Even if it just means that hubby and I sneak away to the library for some peace and quiet.

Peace and quiet is sometimes better than you know what.
Especially the longer we've been married
and the more kids we accumulate.

Evolving Mom

2011-10-18T00:04:00.002-04:00

I used to be a much more controlling mom. I'm not saying I'm cured or anything, but I have made some progress. Serious progress.

Progress not perfection.

It's amazing how my outlook on life has changed as I've incorporated this truth into my mentality.

Letting go of control is liberating. Extremely liberating. So liberating that liberating isn't even a good enough word to describe the freedom one feels.

This morning I caught Caroline with a box of Smurf cereal. She had gotten three measuring cups from the kitchen drawer and was pouring cereal into the cups. Or should I say she was attempting to pour cereal into the measuring cups? More was landing on the kitchen table's bench and floor than the measuring cups. As I went up to the cupboard to fetch a large measuring pitcher I reflected on the progress I have made as a mother with control issues. I poured little blue and white Smurf flakes into the plastix pyrex and handed it off to Caroline so she could go to town with her measuring cups. This way I contained the amount of cereal that would be wasted, but I didn't impede on my toddler's creativity or ingenuity.

It was a win/win. She was happy and I was happy. She was making a mess, but it was on the kitchen tile and could easily be cleaned whenever she decided she was done. Who knows when that will actually be? She is still content with her measuring cups as I type this post.

I may have just shot myself in the foot because this could become her favorite past-time. Smurf cereal measuring is all the rage nowadays. None of her friends get to do it, so it makes it all the more desirable.
It may turn into the new finger painting. Heaven knows we've been doing that five times a day for the past 2 months.

You won't believe this. Caroline just moved the trashcan (you can see it in the photo above) and grabbed the broom (also always readily available as shown in the photo above). She says, "I clean up the cereal." I am afraid to look, as I am sure her clean up will require even more clean up, but inside I secretly cheer myself for being less controlling.

Everyone is happier and I may even be allowing the girl to learn something on her own. Yeah for me.

I'm free. Free at last.

He he. I just read this article titled 25 Things to Do with a Wiggly Toddler.

#2 Put rice in a cake pan and let him pour from cup to cup.

Yeah, I am pretty amazing.

First Broken Bone

2011-10-17T00:39:00.011-04:00

Sophia is our clumsy kid.

Would it be nicer to call her accident prone?

She was the first one to need surgery
to remove an inanimate object from her finger.
aka known as a steel seat belt
(it was removed with a diamond saw)

She is also our first kid to break a bone.
Poor thing.
She did it at gymnastics.
If you saw her at gymnastics,
you would know, like us,
that it was bound to happen
eventually.

I'm just glad she didn't break her neck.
I can't imagine what it would have been like to shower with a casted neck for the past 6 weeks.

Well, the day has finally come
even though Sophia would have told you it was never gonna happen.
Yes, she's getting her cast off today.
Yippee.

She WILL get the cast off today
even if I have to arm wrestle her doctor.
I don't think I can handle her crying out of disappointment again.
Her last appointment was really rough
when the doctor insisted she keep the cast on.
We sure do love you Phia.

Notice dad's autograph there.
Mine is on the other side.
It can read
MOM
or
WOW
depending on how you look at it.

What I love about Mormonism

2011-10-16T00:31:00.003-04:00

If you know me personally
or have been reading my blog
for any given amount of time
you are right to guess
that this is going to be a long post.
There are so many reasons
I love my church.

I love The Church of Jesus Christ

of Latter-day Saints.

There are so many reasons why,

but the main reason is that is makes so much sense.

Intellectually, I have not found another religion that answers my questions

about the universe as well as mine does.

Another reason I love my church is

I believe it to be exactly what it claims:

The Church

Jesus Christ.

My 18 months as a full-time missionary

teaching people about the gospel of Jesus Christ

harbor some of my fondest memories.

Lately, the Mormons have been receiving a lot of national attention

due to Pastor Jeffress'

claims that we are an Un-Christian cult.

(btw - this is not a new mindset.

Many people agree with Jeffress)

I thank the First Baptist Church of Mayview

for their disagreement

in church sign form.

You know how I love the church sign.

Here is another Baptist church sign.

It's not as supportive.

Yet it's funny.

I was recently impressed with this news story in Knoxville.

Thank you to WATE and my favorite reporter Josh Ault

for reporting the Mormon side of the issue.

Normally in the Bible belt,

Mormons aren't given much of a voice,

so this story was emotional to me.

All kinds of people have stepped up

to stand with the Mormons

in our claim that we are Christian.

Some of my favorites have been

Anderson Cooper,

this Muslim comedian,

and

a Catholic reporter from Florida

who claims to not have attended church in 45 years,

but says

even though he could never

give up coffee and alcohol to become a Mormon

if in need of spiritual guidance

he would

go to our own

spiritual giant

Elder Nelson

over some judgemental

and closed minded Baptist preacher any day.
(his own words)

[SMILING]

Each of these stories were touching to me.

You see, I lived in Knoxville TN

for the past 8 years of my life.

And every day I had to defend my claim

to be a true Christian.

It's not the first time that politics have brought attention to the church.

I recently heard JFK's address from
way back when at

the Mormon tabernacle in Salt Lake City

and fell even more in love with the man.

A while back I sent an e-mail to a friend about my beliefs.
I kept feeling God nudging me to do so.
It didn't turn out so well.
She got upset with me and I felt really bad.
I don't go through my days trying to offend people,
but I do try to follow the voice of God on a daily basis.

After her e-mails condemning me and my church
I took comfort in the verse of the Bible that talks about
how Christ was persecuted so why should we not be persecuted for His sake?

I can honestly say that I don't know of any church out there
that today receives more persecution than mine?
It's funny because in a way that is an even greater testimony builder for me.

I know I open a can of worms here,
and I know that I lose readers on my blog
because I talk openly about my faith,
but I choose to lose readers
because when this life is over
and God asks me about my blog,
I want to look at him with a clear conscience
when I say that I tried to make every aspect
of my life a testament to Him.

Here are some of the doctrines I love the most about my faith, straight from The Holy Bible.

1 Peter 5:22(Mine is the only church that I know of that no one receives any money for filling a ministry) ^aFeed the ^bflock of God which is among you, taking the^coversight thereof, not by constraint, but ^dwillingly; not for ^efilthy^flucre, but of a ready mind

John 20:17 (Jesus and His Father are seperate) Jesus saith unto her, ^aTouch me not; for I am not yet^bascended to my ^cFather: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my ^dFather, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

John 17 (Why would Jesus pray to His father if they weren't distinct individuals?) The Intercessory Prayer

Amos 3:7 (God designed a pattern of dealing with his children on earth by calling prophets if he is the same forever why would he change that?) Surely the Lord God will do nothing, ^abut he ^brevealeth his^csecret unto his servants the ^dprophets.

1 Corinthians 15:29 (baptism for the dead - do you know any other church who practices it) Else what shall they do which are ^abaptized ^bfor the dead, if the dead ^crise not at all? why are they then baptized for the ^ddead?

1 Corinthians 15:40-41 (three degrees of glory compared to the sun moon and stars - any other church you know of talk about this) ^aThere are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the ^bcelestial is one, and the glory of the ^cterrestrial is another. There is one glory of the ^asun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the ^bstars: for one star ^cdiffereth fromanother star in ^dglory.

Hebrews 5:5-6 (Do you know any other church that has the lesser priesthood Aaronic and the higher priesthood Melchizedek?)And no man taketh this ^ahonour unto himself, but he that is^bcalled of God, as was ^cAaron. So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my ^aSon, to day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a ^apriest ^bfor ever after the order of ^cMelchisedec.

Malachi 4 (this talks about the prohet Elijah appearing to open the work of sealing - the hearts of the children turned to their fathers - sealings can only be performed in God's temple - do you belong to a church with a temple? What if I told you that Elijah already appeared and that this work was already happening preparing the way for the Second Coming? You wouldn't believe it because it is just way too spectacular, right?) Behold, I will ^asend you ^bElijah the prophet ^cbefore the coming of the ^dgreat and dreadful ^eday of the Lord:And he shall ^aturn the ^bheart of the ^cfathers to the ^dchildren, and the heart of the ^echildren to their fathers, lest I come and ^fsmitethe ^gearth with a ^hcurse.

Here is another little ditty that has been in my filing cabinet for years.
If it doesn't get you thinking, I don't know what will.

The true church must have the same organization as Christ's Church (Ephesians 4:11-14)
The true church must have a foundation of Apostles and Prophets (Ephesians 2:19-20)
The true church must claim divine authority (Hebrews 5:4)
The true church must baptize by immersion (Matthew 3:13-16)
The true church must bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands (Acts 8:14-17)
The true church must practice divine healing (Mark 3:14-15)
The true church must be a missionary church (Matthew 28:19-20)
By their fruits ye shall know them. (Matthew 7:20)
The fruits:
I don't know of any other church that has grown as fast. From 1 to 12 million members in 200 years.
I don't know of any other church that gives as much community service or humanitarian service.
I don't know any other church that has teenage kids that go to Bible study at 6 am on school days worldwide.
I don't know of any other church with 10's of thousands of missionaries serving throughout the world at any given time.
I know a whole lot of really good people (the best) who are members of my church.
I don't know of any other church that is completely run by unpaid volunteers.
I don't know of any other church that teaches self-reliance and emergency preparedness like mine.
Our church welfare system is a-maz-ing. Heads of states and countries look to it as an ideal.
Mormons are known for their focus on family and the strength of their families.
How about that Mormon Tabernacle choir?

Anyhow, that is probably enough for today. I could go on and on about all the great things about my church. I could sit here for weeks and talk scripture and philosophy, but if I know one thing it is that when it comes to God, nothing can teach a person better than the Holy Ghost. He testifies of all truth. So I will leave you with the testimony that I have gained through the power of The Holy Ghost. I have prayed, fasted, and studied diligently to receive answers from God, ever since I was a kid. My testimony is a culmination of my life's efforts and with this I will leave you.

My testimony is this
I do belong to The Church of Jesus Christ
I believe that Christ's original church was lost in apostasy
when Christ himself was crucified and all of his original apostles were murdered.

I believe that this same Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind,
appeared to a 14 year old boy named Joseph Smith
in a grove of trees in upstate New York in 1820.
Jesus Christ told Joseph Smith to join no existing church
because as prophesied they all draw close with their hearts but not with their hearts.
Christ then called Joseph Smith to be a modern day prophet
and modern day prophets have been on the earth ever since then.
I listen intently to the words of these living prophets and apostles every 6 months
and try to change my actions according to the counsel that they give.
They are truly inspired leaders and testify of Christ in word and deed.

I get mocked for these beliefs,
but I could never deny them
because my religion is true.
The Holy Ghost testifies this to me repeatedly.

We are nicknamed Mormons because we have The Book of Mormon,
The Book of Mormon is a second witness of Jesus Christ
and takes nothing from the Bible but adds to it.
It is through the teachings of both the Bible and The Book of Mormon
that I have tried to build my life on the rock, who is Christ.
One of the scriptures in The Book of Mormon prophesies of a day
when people would say, "Bible Bible, we've got a bible", as an argument
against The Book of Mormon,
but to me all one needs to do is consider that
The New Testament built on the Old Testament
and think about the hundreds of sects that
all believe differently from that same Bible
to know that additional revelation is needed for clarification.

I believe that one of the greatest blessings I have
as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ,
besides eternal salvation through Christ,
is that my family has been sealed together
for time and all eternity
in the temple of the Lord.
I can't imagine living a day
without this knowledge.
It buoys me up
and has helped so many
stand strong in faith
after they've lost a loved one.

Most of all, I believe in Christ.
He is my King. He is my Jesus.
He lives. He is my best friend.
He has given me a flawless example
of how to live my life
and he atoned for my sins
by giving His own life.
He thought of me and my struggles
and worries while he bled from every pore
in the Garden of Gethsemane.
He suffered so I don't have to.
I have witnessed Jesus Christ work miracles in my life
and the lives of many others
and I would be lost without Him,
in this mortal life and in the immortal life to come.

I love you

2011-10-15T16:14:00.000-04:00

I love you my faithful readers.

I would love to hear your feedback on the blog.

Tell my what you want more of.
Tell me how I annoy you.

I write this blog for you.
Help me give you more of what you want.

I may or may not listen to you, depending on what you say. :)

Have a wonderful Saturday.
I will be laying in my bed all day
hoping for at least a couple useful comments.

What do you do to get rid of the cold as quickly as possible.
I want to do it just as soon as I take the weekend off.

Love you LG! Thanks for being my hero.
You picked up the house this morning.
You stayed up with Caroline at least 70% of the time.
And you even kissed me risking your own health.

Guest Post - Jenny - School Lunches

2011-10-14T00:04:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone, I am Jenny Lynn from simply family and designing for home. Alice and I go way back to a time when we were goofy teens. In fact I spent many summer nights trying to Tee Pee her house, only to have her mom catch me in the act. Which meant I had to clean it up. Of course I was not alone in this act, it usually involved a Young Woman’s leader driving and a sleep over. We grew up in the same ward. It has been so fun to be in touch with her again.

The last four years I have been working in an elementary school. Part of my job besides being an aide includes working in the lunchroom as a guard. Really I spend my time doing mommy type things, like cleaning up spills, giving reminders about table manners, cleaning up their own mess when done and so much more. After spending so much time in the lunchroom I started to notice a few things, that maybe other moms would love to know. This year on my family blog I have started sharing my Lunchroom tips once a week. Alice has given me a chance to share with you a few of those tips.

1. Please put both the child’s name and the teacher’s name somewhere on the lunch box. When a lunch box is found, if it has the teachers name on it, it makes it easier to either place it in the right lunch bucket or get it to the right classroom.

2. Fruit, what to do to make them eat their fruit. Well, a little container of fruit dip goes a long way. Also make sure those apples are cut up. Little ones, first graders especially still have a hard time eating the skins of apples due to loose teeth. Recently I have seen some children with cut up peaches, which in turn other children are begging for just a small piece of. Bananas don’t get eaten as well as you would think. They seem to be the perfect fruit for a home lunch. Well, they don’t always look that appealing after sitting in a lunch box all morning. kind of warm, and bruised from being bonked around as the child swings that lunch box around. I think you get the picture. Bananas and apples are the most thrown out fruit I see each day.

3. Do they eat everything you pack? No! Even if they tell you that they do most likely they empty what they could not finish right into the trash. They are not always eating everything that gets packed. Decided with your child a head of time what they should do with the food they don’t feel like eating at lunch time. Most children don’t want to upset their mothers because of the expectation of having to eat everything. There are days when a snack is brought into the classroom and eaten before lunch time. Leaving them too full to eat everything you have lovingly packed. Keep this in mind on party days, those thanksgiving meals, or other special days, etc.

4. Look at the lunch menu to see what is being served ahead of time. Then plan what days your child will be eating at school or bringing a lunch. We do this at our house. My 6th grader has loved packing her own home lunch this year.

5. Which brings me to this, please involve your child in planning their home lunches. There are so many wonderful ideas out there on how to pack the perfect home lunch. This is a perfect time to build up those communication skills with your children. Although it seems like a small thing, talking about what they like is important. I have even been doing this more with my children, of whom I have 5

6. Trading does take place at lunch,. Hot trade items include Capri suns, goodies (of course), Gogurts and chips. There are times that my children have planned a day a head of time what they are going to be trading. I have let them do it.

7. Cutest thing I see is the love notes that are written in a merriment of different ways. Many times I will have a child show me his/hers mothers love. There are times I read it to them. It really does mean something to your child. It doesn’t need to be everyday. But once in a while it is a nice surprise for them.

I do have many other things I plan on sharing in the weeks to come on my own blog about the lunchroom. I am so grateful to Alice for giving me the chance to post here.

Pinterest - the best church meeting ever.

2011-10-13T00:06:00.003-04:00

You Mormon ladies know what I mean.

The rest of you need to understand that
Mormon women have been gathering
on daily, weekly, or monthly basis
to share good ideas
for almost 200 years.

If you've never shared ideas with a Mormon woman
or
you are not on Pinterest
you are really missing out.

Even my hubby was stuck on the site
for a couple of hours the other night.

His exact words were,
"I can see how this is addicting."

Here's some examples
of things you will find.

caption: the awkward moment when your friend's fat
arm makes you look naked.

shredded chicken in 30 seconds.

You can hook up with me here.
As long as you are o.k. when I laugh at you
sister.

Thank you Johnson and Johnson

2011-10-12T13:07:00.001-04:00

The baby and I have some sort of nasty headcold.
We were both up all night.

This morning my family was so sweet.
LG came in Caroline's room and fetched me up.
He told me to go back to our bed and he would
take care of Caroline and get Abigail out to school.

When Sophia and Bella woke up,
they came in to check on me.
They told me to stay in bed
and they would get themselves ready
and keep Caroline entertained.

Before I knew it all my helpers
left me stranded with the toddling tornado.

My head was pounding.
My nasal cavities are rebelling.

I just wanted some more Dayquil,
but I was too much of a mess to get out of bed.

Caroline was quiet.
I knew I should go check on her.
Her antics are enough to sterilize the
manliest of men.

I couldn't do it.
I fell back to sleep.
I got the best 10-20 minutes
of sleep I've ever experienced.

Caroline brought it to a screeching hault.
"Lotion, mommy. Lotion"

She was covered from head to toe.
Running into my room proved
difficult for her when she was slathered
in pink.
Even her diaper is covered.
It's all under her pajama top.

I rolled over for the wipes I keep close to the bed.
And went to work.

Silly girl, what does she think could possibly
be a better outcome of messing with the lotion?

I dragged myself up,
and went and checked out the rest of the damage.
Amazingly enough,
there were only three drops of lotion on her comforter.

That's when I thanked Johnson and Johnson
for that extra 20 minutes of sleep.

That bottle of lotion was worth
every cent spent.
It was so valuable
that I almost think
I shouldn't have used that coupon
to save a $1 when I bought it.

She's quiet again.
I must go back to bed.

I plan to round her up
and make her nap with me.
I hope it works.
You would think she would be tired
after keeping me up all night.

The bright side is
I cancelled scouts today.
That felt good.
It will feel really good
if I can actually get some more sleep.

The bad side is
I had plans with a girlfriend for lunch.
I guess now I have plans next week.

All will be well
if I can just get some sleep.

Where to Find Me

2011-10-11T00:07:00.002-04:00

My friends know that the best place to get a hold of me is
through e-mail, facebook, or leaving a comment on my blog.
I have gone through 4 phones in the past 4 months,
so getting a hold of me cellularly (I love it when I make up words)
doesn't have the best track record.

I thought today my friends might like to know how else they can get a hold of me.
Apparently I am all over the place on google.
Here are the search words that will bring you directly to me.

white trash. Lots of people find me this way. I am so flattered. My time in Tennessee agrees with me.

white trash make-up. Funny I rarely even wear make-up
I'msofunn We all know I am blast.
Dursley Harry Potter. Wouldn't be my first HP character choice, but the fact that people find me by searching for Harry Potter is quite flattering.
Mt. Timpanogos Temple That's pretty dang cool.
silly things for a bucket list Bucket List has made me more money than anything. I wonder if I could make enough money to actually start doing some of the stuff on my bucket list?
one eyed one horned flying purple people eater Thank you Sophia and all the other crazy family friends who endured this one heck of a flop of a party where all children ended up begging to go home once all hell broke lose in the playroom without supervision.
game night treats. I love this!
People search a lot for Alice Gold. I guess I am wanted.
I assume they are looking for the British singer Alice Gold but guess what? My blog is #1. Woo-hoo.
moobs. Nice.
funny cow No, that's not what they think I am, just a subject on the blog.
BE STILL My newfound favorite advice for other chronic worriers like me.
funny fridge Wow, even my appliances are funny.
Chuck E Cheese prizes We are pretty much masters when it comes to ticket collecting.
Amy Kafala I will have the last word on the lunch war revolution.
What does Dr Seuss dress like I have no idea.
I kneel to pray every day Yes, I do.
i'm so hilarious Yes I am.