Mark and Lorri

Wedding Plans!

2012-01-12T14:29:00.000-08:00

It is true! We have a son that is engaged. And might I add that he picked a winner. When you get to the point in your life that you know it is only a matter of time before one of your kids finds a spouse, you start to worry. Will they pick someone who will be good and supportive? Will they mesh with our family? Will all of us in-laws get a long? Will they improve the gene pool of our family? haha. Just kidding on the last one... kind of ;)

My answer to all of these is yes, yes, yes and YES!

It was about the time he went back to school that he realized how much he really cared about this girl he had been dating. By they time Thanksgiving was rolling around he knew that would be the perfect time to propose. But she was curious and knew something was up, so surprise was our friend. Coty driving back from college with some friends and told Emma (yes that is her name) that he would be in late that evening. She later claimed he lied and she can't believe that he "lied" to her. It was all necessary though to pull this off. Emma helps coach the Bonney Lake High School girls basketball team. So she went there thinking Coty would be in about 8pm. Thanks to some help from her parents, we snuck into the high school, with the whole entourage, and as soon as practice was coming to an end, Coty walked into the gym, dropped down on one knee and asked her to marry him. She was really surprised. SUCCESS!!!

Notice that she never dropped the basketball.... not at all. She is a basketball player at heart! A perfect match for my basketball loving son. We love Emma for so many reasons, she is smart, kind, a hard worker and most of all, my son loves her.

March 9th is the wedding. We are in full throws of planning. Thankfully Emma and her mother are very organized and keeping us all lined out. It has been a great joy meeting their family and knowing that Coty will be cared for as much there as we love him here.

Congrats Coty and Emma! We love you both!

Cello Camp

2011-08-17T23:51:00.000-07:00

What kind of mother makes her daughter go to Cello camp during the summer? Yep me, that's what kind (insert evil laugh here)

I will say that it is not easy task hauling your cello, bow, stand and music around. And the fact she was the youngest kid in the cello group by several years could also be daunting. But it was a very cool experience. I guess it wasn't so much a cello camp as it was an orchestra which broke up into their instrument groups to practice. The theme was "The good, the bad and the ugly". At the end of the week, they all played together and put on a show for us. It was actually pretty good. This was in conjunction with the Maple Valley Youth Orchestra. The people who ran it were fantastic.

The first day Sidney came home and I asked her what she learned. Her answer... "I learned how to fake play". Then she proceeded to sit down and show me how to run the bow across the strings without making a sound. She was pretty happy with herself. So the next day I took her back and we talked to the cello instructor who took some one on one time with her so she wouldn't have to "fake play" anymore. I will say, she is resourceful.

If you are interested, she had her picture on the webpage for The Reported which served Covington, Black Diamond and Maple Valley. Read about it HERE.

Another fantastic use for Apple Cider Vinegar - for Women Only

2011-08-17T23:38:00.000-07:00

If you are a guy... I am warning you... retreat!

There, you had a chance.

I am 44 (almost 45). One problem I have had most of my life is heavy menstural cycles (I have endometriosis). As I have gotten older, they have gotten even worse (if that is possible).

I panicked when out of the blue, my Aunt Flo decided to visit early, which meant she was visiting while I went to our church's girls camp. We camp with over 250 girls for a week. So I googled! (see a pattern in my life? Google can fix anything haha).

The answer... apple cider vinegar (I got mine at Trader Joes).

Take 1 tablespoon of organic, non-filtered apple cider vinegar in the morning and in the evening in a glass diluted with water (yes it tastes terrible), then wash it down with some more water after. It will make a HUGE difference. I have tried prescription drugs which didn't even touch the problem. I started doing the ACV the morning Auntie came to town and it was pretty amazing. I read it is also great for the digestive system and many people take a tablespoon a day anyways. To get the full benefit of helping you through "that time of the month" continue to take it when you are off cycle.

Let's talk teeth.. and cavities

2011-08-15T17:19:00.000-07:00

I have Sidney stories coming out my ears. She is funny, spunky and troublemaker cutie.

I am learning so many new things being her mother. One that I would like to share with you, what do you do with a child who is VERY cavity prone?

Her first visit to the dentist resulted in 4 cavities. Even though he didn't say it, I know he thought I was the kind of mother who puts her child to bed with a bottle filled with Coke or Pepsi. Or snipped off the rubber part of her binky and replaced with with a Jolly Ranchers.

The only thing I had going for me is that between my other 3 kids, they have combined... MAYBE 4 fillings. And the oldest is 23. Proof that perhaps I am not horrific... well at least in dental hygiene department with my kids.

And yep, every visit after, even with all the fancy schmancy mouthwashes, toothbrushes, toothpastes, she ALWAYS has at least one cavity. I will say she is pretty tough in the dental seat.

I finally decided to do some research. Between my googling and talking to our current dentist (yeah I switched, beady judging eyes are hard to deal to with at each 6 month visit), I found out that while brushing and flossing HELPS prevent cavities, some people are more susceptible because of a bacteria they have in their mouth. And yes, it can be transfered by sharing spoons, straws etc. It is called mutant streptococci. There is more info here (or google it).

So here I am, with a child who is actually attempting to do a good job on her teeth. Whatcha gonna do?

Xylitol!

It is a tooth friendly, nonfermentable sugar alcohol. Which means this sweetener is actually good for your teeth. It helps to neuturalize the bacteria, prevents tooth decay AND can actually help rebuild enamel.

Seriously, why haven't I been told about this sooner!

I went on Amazon and ordered Spry gum and mints. I figured they would be easy to carry around in my purse. Then I could give one to Sidney if we were out and had a snack. Or they are easy for her to just grab them a couple of times during the day.

I also got this gum

So far, the only gum that I have found that has Xylitol as the first ingredient is Ice Breaker Ice Cubes.

There you go....

Hope this helps you, well and us too!

Cool Picture Courtney Took

2011-08-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

I was going through one of my SD cards and found this picture that Courtney took several years ago. It is when we were up at Grandma and Grandpa Thomas' house. If it wasn't so cloudy you could see Mt. Rainier behind the big twisty clouds. Kind of weird, huh?

TOFW - sister/mom get away

2011-08-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

Every couple of years, we try and sneak away from our mom/wife duties. This spring my mom single handedly arranged for us all to go to "Time Out for Women". We stayed in Seattle and were able to walk to the event, in between eating, shopping, site seeing and did I mention eating?

I love spending time with my mom and sisters. We have this really weird (funny to us) sense of humor, which we think is hysterical. Not sure how many people agree, but who cares. We are having a good time!

Here are a few pictures from our adventure. Remember this was back in April I think. Yes, I am behind in my posts. And if you think that is bad, you should see my laundry.

Us walking down the streets looking chic and cool. So cool in fact, that I believe later that evening Wendi was mistaken for one of the Charlie's Angels.

Trying on clothes at H & M.

Wendi checking out a cute tan skirt.

We went into the bookstore looking for the cookbook "Our Best Bites" on recommendation from my sister Steff. Of course we thought there was only one left... so look who is the greedy greedy grabber. Thankfully for Wendi, another was found before it came to blows. Because we know I could take here... prison rules or no.

We had to check out Menchies on Queen Anne Hill. Yummy and well worth the many interesting side streets we took to get there.

I have nothing to say about the next 3 pictures.

Eating at a restaurant downtown. I forgot to take pictures of our food. It was very yummy. And maybe that was because we actually carried on conversations and ate at a relaxed, easy pace. As apposed to talking to and helping our kids as we simutaniously fix food, help with math, clean the house and run the kids to practices.

Getting ready for the speakers at TOFW.

This was one of the amazing speakers. Her name was Mariama Kallon. She survived the war torn Sierra Leone. She talked about seeing her friends and family members hacked with machetes and how she survived. It was amazing.

A little melting pot fondue. We were to early for dinner, so we came back for the cheese fondue and chocolate fondue. It was yummy.

Can you see how yummy it was?

More shopping.

We had a great time and amused ourselves. Wish it could have been a little longer, but we are grateful for the support of our husbands and families for giving us the opportunity to sneak away.

How do you view the world around you?

2011-06-13T08:22:00.001-07:00

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.

During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children.. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly..

45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.

Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100. This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised:

*In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

*Do we stop to appreciate it?

*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.

How many other things are we missing?

Shared via pinterest HERE

What do you do in the summer time?

2011-06-09T16:00:00.000-07:00

Yea, it is June, but I guess I wouldn't quite call it summer. What do the Thomas' do on a semi-warm weekend. While others are mowing lawns, BBQing and swimming...
we are doctoring cows.

Since I am such a great sport, I stayed home and made a nice cold batch of lemonade. So I missed out on some of the fun...but not all of it.

The first step in doctoring cows is to herd them into a small corral.

The shovel really plays an important part in the herding and separating process. I do believe that they were used a lot in ancient times and then one day a dad got fed up with his kid and gave him a wack on the backside.... that was then the spanking stick was born.

Now we have to send them down the run. By now, they are a little leery and know this can't be a good thing. This is where you start whispering sweet nothings and talking kindly. We tell the boys this is good training for finding a wife... which is something that should NOT be done with a shovel in hand.

Finally, after a few went in backwards and finally turned around, everyone is headed the right direction (maybe not in a happy motivated kind of way, but definitely enthusiastic). Coty is using his favorite herding tool.. the pokey stick, or his boot. Either works wonders, and helps relieve stress. Wonder if one of those would motivate my kids to clean their rooms?

Timing is of the essence. You need to keep the shoot open so the cow goes in it, but you need to flip the handle so it closees before he gets out. I am not a fan of this job as the person who runs this station has a tendency to get yelled at a lot. I am definitely better at making lemonade.

The cow gets checked, given any medication she might need (sprayed with wormer that kind of fun stuff). And then let loose.

No problem unless you are a fella. The young fellas gets a little extra special treatment... castration. "instert gasp here". I heard tell that in the old days they use to use their teeth to do this process. I have nothing more to say about that.

If your smart, you sneak through without the above process being performed, but then when someone figures it out, it becomes an exciting cowboying event for all those watching (not so much for those participating).

Blain roped this guy, let's call him Herbert, and then the plan was to pin him down while the master surgeon did his thing.

But I think Herbert was fully aware of the forthcoming procedure and did NOT want to be pinned down.

The 3 tough guys finally got a handle on him. I do remember something about sitting on his head being shouted several times before everything was under control. I am just saying... boys, sweating jeans, sitting on your head. Days like this, makes me glad I am 1. not a boy and 2. not a cow.

In the meantime, mother cows are crowding around, bellering about their babies being manhandled. I am telling you it isn't a pretty sight. Just something you learn to endure when living in the wild, well or on 10 acres in rural Washington.

After finshing our cows and grandpa's, they are all turned back out to pasture. I know, you think it was tramatic. Don't let them fool you. If you look real close like, you can see a whiley old bull over there coddling up to one of the females. If I had not cooth, this is where I would make some commment about men being all the same, but I am not going to say nothing.

Look at this cool cucumber. Through all the excitment, she still has her yellow notepad. She takes her job very seriously. She is to write down the ear tags of each cow and record all procedures done.

You can see that she takes all aspects of the western life seriously. Including hunting with her bb gun with her cousin Jack. Picture was borrowed from my wonderful sister-in-law Kari :)

Talking about cool cucumbers, look how our cow dog is keeping out of the heat (can you say 65 degrees). Someone is a slacker.

All in a days work my friends, all in a days work.

Welcome Home Elder Thomas

2011-06-08T14:23:00.001-07:00

Finally! I am posting about the return of our second son from the Buenos Aries Argentina West Mission.

We have been counting down for M O N T H S (okay maybe from the moment he checked into the MTC). We loved all the emails and the 4 phone calls we got in those 2 years. It is amazing to see the growth in your son when he chooses at the age of 19 to serve Heavenly Father and others.

When Blain came home, we thought we were getting there early, but his plane came in earlier than us. We just came running up a few minutes AFTER he come through security. I am sure he walked through thinking.... HEY FAMILY... wait, where is my family? Uhmm I hope they got the day and time right.

So to prevent that from happening, we got there an hour and 1/2 early. This gave us time to find the correct security gate, set up chairs and tables for our group.

We talked, we chatted, and one of use even rolled a cool yellow ball that Sidney had in her purse through security and attempted to retrieve it. If anyone could get past security, it would be Brody.

But before he could get the ball, the security lady flagged him down and made him stand on the correct side. We then had to convince some arriving passenger to pick up the ball and carry it across the line so we could get it back. If you look close, you can see Brody has the ball.... SUCCESS!

Ever time we got a new group of passengers coming through, we would ask them... "What plane were you on?". Finally, we started getting some fro Coty's plane. Then we saw a tall fellow in a suit walking down the hall. Could it be him?

Everyone stood up for a closer look.

And then he got closer.

It looks like him, but 2 years is a long time. Maybe my eyes are deceiving me.

Yes, yes I do believe that is our missionary. Doesn't he look great?

The welcoming committee did a great job with their signs.

Hugs all around.

Blain and Coty haven't seen each other for 3 years.

The whole family together again.

Coty left Argentina the night before around 6 pm our time. He got to us about 6 pm the next day. He flew from Argetina to Miami, then on to Dallas. But because his plane got delayed in Miami he missed his connecting flight out of Dallas. At first they told him he wouldn't be flying out until the next day. After a quick call to the mission home and I am sure a few prayers it got worked out. He arrived several hours later than his original arrival time. He has been flying or in airports for over 24 hours. He was T I R E D.

Coty has been entertaining us with some great and some interesting stories from his mission. He definitely has a love for the people he taught. He loves that several of them are now his facebook friend. He says that Argentina is his second home. I am very thankful for 2 sons who were willing to put their life on hold to serve a mission for our Lord. Our family has been blessed through their sacrifice and they have both come back stronger and better men because of it. Both have said it was at times, the hardest 2 years in their lives. But they both said that they would never give them up, because they were also the best.

I am one grateful mom to have such wonderful kids. Yes, that includes Courtney and Sidney too :)

Favorite Things - Polyvore

2011-06-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

My sister, Steff, sent me an invite to pinterest. It is a fun place were you have boards that you can pin things you find on the internet or things you are interested in. You know how you try and keep track of links to recipes, clothes, craft ideas and pretty soon your bookmark list is HUGE. This kind of keeps track of everything in one place. PLUS you can go check out other people's boards and follow them. Warning: it is addictive. You do need an invite to join, but I believe it is unlimited on how many you can give away. So, let me know if you are interested. In the mean time check them out.

Pinterest

The above link takes you to the pinterest staff favorite boards. So you can kind of get an idea of how people organize and what it looks like.

Now on to my real reason for the post, Polyvore.com, which I found through pinterest.

Polyvore is a site where people put together outfits and so you can check them out. I am not a huge shopper. I like new clothes, and I like to look nice, but I dislike spending the afternoon elbowing my way through fellow shoppers and standing in lines. Not to mention I am usually a little busy to just take an afternoon to meander around looking at fun clothes.

I also am not fantastic at putting together my own outfits. I know what I like when I see it, but putting A with B and adding a few C's to pull it all together and I would rather sit in the corner reading self help books.

So here is an example...

05.11.11 by M3Mom featuring j crew shoes

I have a stripped tank similar to the one above. I see this an love the long red cardigan, brown purse and fun Kohl's earrings (can you say $5?). So I can then be on the look at for items to complete this assemble.

Here is another one...

5.16.11 by FFM featuring cubic zirconia jewelry

The dress is from Target for $25. Some of the accesories might be out of my price range, but I now know to keep my eye out for some fun gold flip flops and jewelry (maybe at forever 21?).
Did I mention that they have links and pricing for each of the items shown?

Then in this case, they took a look and figured out how best to re-create it with clothes from the site.

Get the look - Check shirt by -Miss Chessie Cat ϟ♥ featuring gray shoes

When you find someone who creates sets that you like, you can add them to your "contacts" and follow them. So you can it is easy to see whatever things they put together. You can also make comments on their collections.

You can even create your own looks and collections. There are templates and you can use their pictures or copy pictures from a website to use in your templates. You can search by price, type of clothing or color.

I still haven't figured it all out yet. But it has been fun... a time waster.... but fun. My teenage daughter even created a few outfits. Better than paper dolls :)

Favorite Things - Get rid of the scruffy heels

2011-05-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

I have found the older I get, the more scruffy the heels of my feet have become. But unless you are willing to deal out $20-$30 a week for a pedicure, it is just one of those facts of life you have to accept. Until now!

Recently I asked my husband to bring me home some sandpaper to refinish the side door. Because of my ADD (or at least that is the excuse) I 1. still don't have a refinished door and 2. discovered a fabulous way of keeping your heels nice and smooth.

3M sanding sponges

You can pick these up at most home supply stores (think Lowes). Look in the painting aisle by the sanding refinishing stuff.

So here is how it works. In the evening before bed, get out a paper towel over which you will sand. Then rub the sanding sponge on your heels. If you do a bit every night they will stay smooth and callus free. I then rub a little lotion on them and go to bed.

I have tried the pedi egg, which works good except it has a tendency to leave your foot a little rough and the sandpaper strip included to smooth it down doesn't last very long.

These sanding sponges run only a couple of dollars and you can use all sides then run it under water to clean it up and let it dry so it is ready to be used again.

Enjoy wearing your sandals this summer without the worry of having ugly old lady feet :)

I've been installed

2011-05-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

My husband was in a bit of trouble for disappearing for a 3 hours without letting his wife know ehre he was (the time is in dispute.... I say 3 hours he is sure it wasn't more than 2).

In my husband's true fashion, he was being nice attempting to smooth things over. After some sweet talking, I asked him a question. I don't remember what it was exactly, and Sidney turned to me and said...

"Mom, don't fall for it... he is just installing you".

I think she meant he was stalling, but we had a good chuckle over it.

And yes, my husband is forgiven.

Favorite Things - Shampoo

2011-05-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it isn't Friday. But who wants to be confined to just one day to share favorite things!

Last summer my sister came to visit. She likes using Pureology shampoo, which can run $30 - $40 a bottle.

But since she is "in the know" she told us that recently Costco bought the rights to produce the same shampoo with their Kirkland brand. So of course we made a run to Costco where she stocked up (she doesn't have a Costco near here) and I bought one to try. I love it! It makes my hair very soft and manageable. It also works well on my color treated hair (yes, I am going gray).

Don't trust me? Check out THIS WEBSITE where it rates 4.6 out of 5 stars and has many customer reviews.

Kirkland brand is free of sulfates and has many ingredients you will find in high end brands.

Memory loss with age

2011-05-19T09:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went into town to pickup groceries. Went first to QFC because they sell the plain yogurt I like and I wanted to get some slider buns for burgers tonight. Grabbed some broccoli and liquid smoke (watch realgoodrecipes.blogspot.com for a delicious pork recipe soon to come). Then I dropped by Safeway to finish, since it is my grocery store of choice and I know where everything is.

I finally get home and decide to stir fry some broccoli for lunch. I go through ALL the bags only to realize I am missing all my stuff from QFC. So I called there and sure enough... I had paid for my stuff, pushed my cart to the cart return and walked out to my car.. WITHOUT my groceries. Who does that? Thankfully, someone turned them in to customer service and I was able to go back in and pick them up.

Maybe that is why we don't have kids as we get older. I can just imagine me leaving my cute baby strapped in the cart and strolling merrily out to the car and going home. Sheesh.

Favorite things Friday - Sunless Tanner

2011-05-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

I am by no means and expert, but I know what I do and don't like. Between my daughter and I, we have tried out our fair share of sunless tanners. Everything from lotion to sprays.

Due to time (and cost) restraints, I am not a fan of going into a tanning place and having them spray me down with chemicals. Although I think this gives you overall the most decent even coverage. Just make sure, if you do this, go just a little darker than your natural skin color, otherwise you might walk out looking like an oompa loompa.

Case in point...

My sister shared THIS little video review of 3 spray on tanners. We tried the Sun Micro Mist, but for some reason our can sputters while spraying. You can use lotion to even things out and the color is good and the smell is great, but it is kind of a pain to make it even.

So far my all time FAVORITE has been...

Victoria Secret Beach Sexy -
Instant Self Tan location with tint (about $12)

I like the color. It has a little tint to it so you can see where you have applied it. The smell is decent. That is one of the biggest things that puts me off about self tanners... smell really bad, even after you shower. So the smell was a big plus. I usually take a shower and exofliate really well, get out and lotion really well. Then mix the self tanner about 2/3 tanner with 1/3 lotion and apply. I then use a tissue and rub gently around my toes, knees and edges of feet so that it isn't to dark there. Just don't remove to much so there are white patches. Just a gentle brush.

Hope this helps. Let me know what your favorite is (if you have one) and I will keep you updated on any new ones that I like.

Regal Cinema $2 small popcorn May 6-8

2011-05-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to a coupon for a $2 popcorn from May 6th to the 8th.

COUPON

Might I suggest that you google "regal cinema coupon" and then look at images before you go to any major theater chain. There are usually coupons out there that can help defray the expense of going to the movies.

Here is what the coupon looks like, but go to the above link to print if off, since it is the official coupon.

I did it.... curtain fabric decision

2011-05-06T13:33:00.000-07:00

I have needed a serious redo of my kitchen curtains/window seat. But I....

AM A POOR DECISION MAKER!

There I said it! If you see someone standing in front of the card section at the store for hours on end... that would be me. Ordering pizza.... plan on an hour (unless my kids chime in with help). And you know what is silly, that most of those decisions aren't really that big of deal. I think it is hereditary. Can't you plan most of your problems on that?

Anyways... ::::insert drumroll here:::: My decision is....

This for the top.

And this....

okay or this....

for the bottom. I will put a green strip of fabric about 1" wide between the two. So it will looking something like this...

but with my fabric.

And yes, I know that the above is a shower curtain. I just like the proportion of the fabric strips. Now I just need to figure out if I want to use the same fabric on my window seat cushion or find one more coordinating fabric. I really wish that I could afford an Amy Butler rug for under the table, but I am to stingy. So I will continue on my quest for that. Any suggestions? It needs to be 8 X 10.

Air Quotes

2011-05-02T22:05:00.000-07:00

So my daughter, Sidney who else, came down the stairs and began sharing some information with us. I actually don't even remember what she was saying, becaues it caught my eye that she kept throwing up "air quotes". You know, when you use your fingers to make quote marks around words you want emphasized.

Finally when she was done I asked her what it meant when she used her fingers to put quotes on a word. She said...

"you know, you do this (she made the quotes with her fingers) when you mean the opposite".

"You sure look "nice" today" actually means you look crummy.

We had a good chuckle, but then realized how many times has she told me

"sure mom, I "will do" my jobs".

Skunk!

What signs are we wearing?

2011-05-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

A time ago, I was checking out blogs, following one link to the next, when I ran across this article. It really made me think about people differently. In fact, it had such an impact that I included it in a talk I gave in church several months ago.

Basically the gist of the article is this woman shares an experience they had. Her and her husband owned a lovely, large farm where they raised horses. Her husband was in an accident that caused damage to his brain. As a result of the accident he became a different person (he eventually recovered). He was angry, couldn't work, depressed and just difficult to be with. Because of his condition and bills, their financial situation changed.

Periodically he would come around and be the person she knew. At one of these points, she told him how stretched they were financially. He immediately went to work and parked much of what they owned out by the road, tractor, boat, cars, and put for sale signs on them. He also got a big sign, you know the one with big letters, and listed stuff they had for sale. While the couple was sitting in front of their house, looking at what use to be a neatly manicured lawn which had now become overgrown with weeds, the phone rang. Here husband answered it and turned away from her attempting to shield her from the coversation, but this is what she heard....

“You are bringing down the value of my property with that ugly sign!”

“What are you doing?”

“That is the most obnoxious sign, do you have a permit to have that out there?”

“Are you starting a used car lot?”

“You have got to get all of that moved and out of here or I am calling the authorities”

She was mortified. But this was her husband's response...

“Sir,” he said, “There was a time in this country, in this community…when if you drove past your neighbor’s house and saw every single thing they own was for sale in front of their house…and that their lawn had not been mowed for weeks….that you would stop and say….WHAT IS GOING ON, SOMETHING MUST BE TERRIBLY WRONG, WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP YOU?”

The man was silent…..and then my husband went on to tell him a few details about what was going on with our family….

The man waited a moment and then his tone changed…..he apologized….I mean, really apologized and then said…

“I am going to call all of my friends and see if any of them need any of this stuff….”

How often do we judge people based upon our own circumstances. We see a child who is out of control and think that parent needs to get a handle on him or her. Maybe we don't know that that child has physical or mental challenges. We see someone who is standoffish and unfriendly. Maybe we don't know they are depressed or going through some tough personal situations.

Hasn't there been times when you where going through something tough and wish that you could just wear a sign around your neck saying something like this...

I love the way she ends her article

I wish with everything in me that we could have put a sign up on that big stupid lit up billboard in our field that said OUR LIFE IS FALLING APART…. but all that we really could put up is a sign with the price of everything that we owned that was worth any money…….

WHAT IF we could all wear a sign that said what WE REALLY MEANT? What if we could go straight past the small talk……..or the masks…….and we could actually go straight to the heart of the matter…….what if our friends and family wore signs like this?

…we would treat each other differently.

I think we should just try to imagine it………that when a friend is quiet…or not showing up to stuff she usually shows up to….or acting a little “off”….or a family member is wearing pajamas to the grocery store for weeks on end……or not answering the phone…..or the lawn is not mowed…..

whatever it is……….

IT IS A SIGN. It is not a sign that can be read in words and letters, but it is a sign that someone needs to be treated gently…that they need help….most of all, that they need love, understanding…and that they DEFINITELY DO NOT need to be judged.

Every time I think of this story….I want to be better…I want to do better, I don’t want any silent signs to go unread before my eyes or my heart…..I don’t want to make up my own answers to what must be going on…I don’t want to assume………..

Let’s be gentle with each other.

Let’s read each other’s signs.

This is the LINK to the whole article if you are interested.

Home at Last

2011-04-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an adventure. Exciting, sad, happy and everything in between.

We found a home for Jordan!

It couldn't be a better home. There is a couple up on Orcas Island that take in dogs that no one else will adopt. They can have up to 8, and right now have 6. They saw Jordan on Old Dog Haven and started calling for information. This is what they do. One of their dogs is 14 years old and spent most of his life chained up, until he came to them. Another one was abandoned and living on a slab of concrete surviving on his own. When the time comes and the dog passes away, the dad builds each dog a custom casket. Like I said... perfect home.

After many exchanged emails, they thought he would be a good match for their "family". After some scheduling conflicts, we agreed that I would drive Jordan up to Anacortes to meet their ferry. They would take him, get back on the same ferry and head home. Both my girls drove up with me. We got there a little early so we could run Jordan around a bit. As soon as this woman was getting off the ferry, she called Jordan's name. His head perked up and his tail started wagging. He is usually a little standoffish (I think that is due to being passed around a bit). As soon as she came up he was sniffing her and wagging his tail. She leaned down and he was licking her face (she MUST be a dog lover haha). It is a great match.

We shed a few tears on the way home. Sidney got on the email unbeknowst to me and wrote this email to the new owner....

Thank you so much for taking jordan we relly miss him but we are glad he is in a happy home I thot we would never find a good home for him.

This lady was kind enough to send Sidney an email back....

Hi Sydney,

Thank you for taking such good care of me and loving me while I found my forever home. My mom says that you saved my life! There are so many dogs in shelters that don’t get the chance to find a good home, so I feel really special and lucky. I like my new home and have been on my best behavior. There are a lot of things I need to learn about living with a pack of dogs, but my mom says they will teach me how to behave. Maybe if you ever make it to Orcas Island you could come and visit me – I would like to see you, and I will remember you always. Thanks for being my friend and for being so patient until I found the right home.

I miss you,

Love,

Jordan

I love that not only did I find a good home for the stray dog that was dropped off on our street, but also that I taught my children about taking care of those thant can't always do for themselves. I think this is how we teach our kids to have empathy. It was a wonderful experience and one we won't forget.

Hands Off

2011-04-18T10:55:00.000-07:00

Was looking in my fridge and saw this can of whip cream with a sticky note stuck to it.

I had to look really close to read what it said.

Sidneys
Hands Off
I make it with hot cocoa.
If you want a cocoa,
let Sidney know!

I am sure when her brother and sister see it, they will scarf the whole thing down and put it back in the fridge just to see the reaction. I love being a mom :)

Yep, I'm a quitter

2011-04-18T09:34:00.003-07:00

I LOVE this kid.

She is my whirlwind. She always has about 50 projects going. Last night she printed out a calendar on word with pictures on all the holidays. I am sure she will have the whole family organized for the summer by this evening.

She also says it like it is. A few weeks ago, she was given the assignment to pooper scooper the backyard. 2 dogs + all winter = BIG JOB. I told her it would be worth $10 if she did the job well. We ran into a few snags. The weather has been terrible here. Lots and lots of rain. She she got half way done with it, but then didn't practice her piano all week and had to put the $5 towards her lesson. So she still had the chance to finish and make the other $5.

Yesterday the weather was decent andthe job needed to be finish so we could mow the law between rain showers. She was sent out with bucket lined with a trash bag and the pooper scooper shovel. 15 mintues later she came in, in tears telling me how her back was hurting from stooping so much. Didn't get far here, even though she said she would rather be GROUNDED to her bedroom all day instead of finish. She then went out and appealed to the higher source, her dad. He let her have a break by feeding the cows and helping do a few jobs in the barn. Then told her she needed to finish the backyard. After a few bargains, excuses and tears, her dad asked her "are you a quitter?". Her response very matter of factly "Yep, yep I am a quitter". She thought that was the end of it. I am a quitter and I am good with that. Now lets move on with something else.

Unfortunately, that isn't an option in our house. She stomped back in the house, out to the backyard and within 30 minutes had finished. Her dad was pretty impressed as he estimates that she had just under 10lbs of dog doo in her bucket. But she felt good. It was hard! She could have quit, but she didn't.

I don't like seeing my kids go through tough situations. You wish that you could just let it slide, but when they perserver and come out smarter, better and more confident, you know that the suffering along the way was worth it.

Good Job Sidney! We sure love you!

New Makeup = FUN

2011-04-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

You know how at certain points of your life, you feel the need to step it up or make a change. About 2 weeks ago, Mark was gone (doctoring cows in Montana no doubt) when Courtney and I happened on this fantastic makeup tutorial website, Classy Cosmetics. I think between the two of us we watched almost all the tutorials or read each post. Besides the fact I like her funny personality, she does different celebrity knock off makeup styles. She also reviews makeup products. She doesn't limit herself to high end products, many of her favorite finds you can buy from your local drugstore. So I thought I would share a few things Courtney and I have found and like.

FIRST -
Brushes - Just as an artist needs the right brush to paint a picture, the right brush in doing your makeup can make a world of difference. On the high end of brushes... MAC. But here is an alternative.

Disclaimer: I never thought I would be taking any type of makeup advice from a guy, but if you don't want to deal out several hundred dollars for MAC brushes, this is a great idea. I have purchased a few of the Loew Cornell and so far so good.

You made it through! Yea! Admit it, it was interesting. You actually even wrote down a few numbers and are thinking of dropping by your local Michael's with a coupon, to buy a brush. You can thank me later.

Once you have these wonderful brushes, you can't just throw them in a drawer or toss them in your makeup bag. You need something fancy like this to hold them in.

I got my glass container for under $5 at Walmart in their silk flower decorating section. I did check the dollar store, but theirs wasn't quite tall enough. Then, I needed some beads or filler to hold them. I didn't want sand (to messy).

You can get this from Michaels, which works (not sure the cost).

I bought mine at Walmart, close to the fabric section. These are bean bag filler plastic beads. Not as shiney as the above, but I did 2 jars for under $5.

Now my brushes are all ready to go on my counter by my sink. And that makes me happy.

Second -
CONTOURING- I was very intrigued by this tutorial. Maybe it is because I am getting older and finding that my face has less definition (also knows as more sag). She did it darker on purpose so you could see the difference. You of course, wouldn't do it quite as dark. Probably something you will have to play with until you like it.

Last for today -
NYX MAKEUP - One of our new favorite makeup finds. You so far can only find it at Ulta in Tukwila (or a little hair place in Kent that is only open by appointment so don't bother).
But we found a good place online to purchase it, Cherry Culture. Free shipping on purchases over $40 (and lets be honest, you can get to $40 when buying makeup very easy). They periodically have %20 off coupons, so google cherry culture coupon code before making a purchase.

Our favorites so far...

NYX Mega Shine Lipgloss.

Courtney likes "sugar pie" but it is just a tad to young and pinky for me. But I do like the consistency and staying power.

Rouge Cream Blush.

I have been using the "glow" color with my new favorite brush from Target, the Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Flat Blusher Brush. It is also good from cream or liquid foundations and is only $14.99.

I am waiting for a few things we ordered and am excited about trying the pushup bra eyebrow pencil. Since my eyebrows are scattywhampus.

And their powder blush. The nice thing about NYX is that it has a high pigment, which means that you don't need as much and it stays on longer.

So as soon as we get out stuff and try it out, we will give you a review.

That is all for today. But I will have other things to add in the next day or two. So stay tuned.

Last American Cowboy

2011-04-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

I married a man who wears many hats. One of those is a cowboy hat. A couple of years ago, his father began "retire mode" and decided he wanted to purchase some acreage in Montana. After several visits, deals and time, my husband helped aquire over 4,000 acreas. Then this spring, can we call it that yet, Larry purchased 400 head of cattle. Now my husband spends one weekend a month going over and helping out.

We visited last summer and I will give you this, it is beautiful. Of course I haven't spent the winter there yet either. You could see deer many times driving the half and hour it takes, down gravel roads, to get to the "old farm house". While relaxing one evening, we heard a noise outside only to see several hundred head of elk come out of the hills and feed within 100 feet of the house. Once in a lifetime opportunity. I do see the draw to wanting to live there in the peace and quiet.

If you look very closely, you can see the large red barn and small white house.

Horses are one way to get around, but so are 4 wheelers, my preference so far.

When there last summer, we were invited to the 100 year celebration of one of Larry's good friends, Skip. We had chili, hot dogs and chips while being entertained with an inpromtu rodeo. Both of Skip's sons are rodeo champions and have earned full ride scholarships for their talent.

A couple of weeks ago, we were watching TV and saw the show "Last American Cowboy". We were very intrigued by the fact these farms are semi-neighbors to Larry. The Galt ranch is probably the closest. In fact one of Skip's sons has been dating the Galt's daughter. After watching them pull several calves, Courtney said she can't wait for our cows to calf out here at our house (which should start in a week or two). She is hoping to pull a calf.

I highly recommend the show. I think it is on animal planet. Here is a preview to wet your whistle.

Jordan the Dog

2011-04-13T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been 4+ months and yes, we still have the dog. I have finally gotten connected with some groups who help find homes for older or abandoned dogs and am hoping that we might find a good home for him through these resources. One is Old Dog Haven. Don't go to their site unless you have a heart of stone, because it will melt. They specialize in dogs older than 8. The other is Cascade Animal Protection Soceity (CAPS). Once a month they go to Petco and Petsmart in Puyallup for an adoption days. So people can view some of the animals they have up for adoption. I have taken Jordan 3 times. Not my favorite thing to do, but whatcha gonna do? I have had a few inquiries and couple of peopel said they would call me later this week. Keep your fingers crossed. This is one letter I got that I thought was funny though. This was in response to one of my posts, and in it I had expressed that I promsed my husband that I would find Jordan a home before the end of May.

"first i want to to say how great you are for taking this dog in and if i didnt have 5 cats who are deathly affraid of dogs i would take him.i also have to ask...........why would you let your husband make the choice on how long to keep the keep the dog? are you a passive submissive person?why dont you be a strong woman and wear the pants and then you make the choice on how long he stays.june, july august.....until you find it a home.men should never rule the roost i know mine never will"

At least there is a little humor in the situation. There are many things I have learned though through this process. The Northwest is big on pitbull dog fighting. So people will get cheap or free dogs off craigslist and use them for bait training. I wont' go into details, but it is horrific. There are also people who abuse dogs who look for them on craigslit. I tell my husband I am sorry that I have a soft heart, but maybe that is what makes me a good mom and soft for my family :) He has been a good sport. So here are some current pictures of Jordan playing with Sidney. Don't mind Sidney's lovely outfit. She was in her PJ's and we needed a few pictures for a lady that was interested in him. This is also where Jordan is listed on Petfinder.com through CAPS.

MIA

2011-04-11T15:35:00.001-07:00

Yes, I have missing in action. I think when you don't post for a while, you just never know where to start again. There has been many times I have thought "oh, this would be fun to share" and then I sit down and it seems such a weird place to start again.

So here I am, attempting to give voice to my experiences, thoughts and weird sense of humor. Even if no one reads, comments or visits, it still gives me a moment to myself to blog about things in my life.

So here we go.....

Where, oh where has my little dog gone?

2010-12-22T20:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, it isn't a little dog. And technically it isn't mine... yet.

Here is the story... (sit back and grab a snack)

A woman found this dog on a road by our house. Took him to my mother's to see if she knew where he came from. Mom said no. Woman took dog home and put him in the back yard with her dogs so she could post signs. Dog escaped and went back to my mom's house, who by the way, is a sucker for animals. I get a call for help. We own a dog, have a semi fenced backyard and a kennel. I offer to keep said dog until the owner showed up. Signs posted, craigslist listed and nothing. I took him to the local vet and YEAH! He had a chip implanted.

Found out he was registered to a woman in Milton. My husband works close to there and ran by the address. The woman moved several years ago. Dead end again. The first woman who found him works for state prosecutors office and found a phone number and told me to check facebook. Contact was made with the first owner.

Sad story... they found him when he was 6 weeks old on their front door step early in the morning. They took him in and he became part of the family. Years later, woman's husband gets lung cancer and because of medical bills and loss of job, they lose their house AND the doctor says they can't keep the dog because of husband's condition. So they gave him to a "good" family in Puyallup. She doesn't remember name or address, but says husband would be devistated if he found out about their dog "Jordan". Dog has a name (even though we still call him Buddy).

Jordan is 11 years old. Average life of a dog is 12.8 years. What do we do? We already have a dog who we are now calling "Houdini" because she can escape being clipped up, the fenced backyard or any other place. Two dogs.. twice the dog hair, twice the poop scooping, finding someone to watch them when we want to go on vacation, but how do you find a "GOOD" home for an 11 year old dog? If I take him to a shelter, odds are he would be put down.

He is wonderful. Very friendly, he likes being outside instead of being inside. He politely takes food out of your hand if offered. He STAYS in the backyard and hardly ever barks.

Anyone want a nice dog. He would be a great first time dog for someone. He is good with kids :) How can you turn down this cute face?

Christmas Cheer

2010-12-22T16:01:00.000-08:00

We love the movie ELF.

One quote from the movie is...

"The best way to bring Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear".

As Christmas gets closer, the lines get longer, the streets become more clogged. What better time of year, to try and bring a little cheer to those around you. It is amazing how a happy attitude when dealing with sales clerks, people in line, or even people walking down the mall can make a small impact in another person life. 2 experiences recently...

My 8 year old daughter and I were standing in the vvveeeeerrrrryyyy long line at the post office. So to keep her occupied I began playing "guess the animal". One person thinks of an animal, the other person asks yes or no questions until they can figure out the animal. She was the thinker, I was the guesser. It was bigger than a car (in her mind), it wasn't vicious (in other words it wouldn't bite a person), it had fur and four legs. As I had gotten this far with my yes/no questions, the fellow in front of us turned around and asked if he could guess. We said "sure!". He said an elephant. That wasn't the animal, but the guy behind us then wanted to guess. For the next 15 minutes we had several people in line playing our fun little game.

We were picking up a prescription for my 15 year old daughter at Walgreens. Again, another llllooooonnnnnggggg line. Guess everyone gets sick around Christmas. So to bide the time, she began singing the 12 days of Christmas. She kept getting stuck on what what each day. Before to long we had several people in line trying to remember the order. One guy said he couldn't remember the traditional order since he made up his own version when he was in the army. He said it wouldn't be appropriate to share though and laughed as he walked away.

What could have been a long, boring and frustrating experience was kind of fun. Probably never see these people again, but I like to think we all left a little happier.

What can you do this holiday season to spread a little holiday cheer?

2011 Mutual Theme

2010-11-09T23:41:00.000-08:00

I was just released from my stake YW calling. But my last order of business was to help out with leadership training. We made each ward a cute plaque with words specific to next years mutual theme. I actually saw a similiar idea on Etsy and attempted to contact the person to see about buying 10 sets of vinyl letter, but to no avail. So I made my own.

Save the above picture (click on picture and it till take you to a screen where you only see the words, right click and save as .jpg). Then open a word document and insert the picture you saved. Decide what size of wood plaque you are making, size and print picture out on white cardstock. Spray picture with fixative (found in the art supply section, it keeps pencil and chalk drawings from smudging). Keep can about 8 inches away and do a couple of light coats instead of one heavy. Cut picture out as a square to go on plaque.

Cut wood out (or you could use a canvas). Paint black, distress if you want. When paint is dry, apply a coat of modge podge and put picture down making sure to rub all bubbles out. Apply another coat of modge podge over the top. Let dry (takes about 20 minutes). Apply 2-3 more coats.

You can use these on plate stands for a table display. I wish I would have taken a picture of a finished one. They turned out much better than I had anticipated. Several wards are making them for their girls.

Piano Recital, Mulan and Arwen

2010-11-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

October 22nd was our yearly piano recital. What made it extra fun, was that it was Sidney's first one.

Their piano teacher always has a theme for each year. This time they needed to pick a song from a movie and a classical piece. Each student was then to dress up in some manner that represented their movie.

Sidney chose "Reflections" from the movie Mulan. So the obvious choice... Mulan (either that or the funky funny dragon). I used a pattern for the top of the dress, the rest I just made it up as I went along. Ran out of time at the end and had to hand sew her into the blue cumberbun (I am sure that is not the technical name for it). Imagine me with a needle sewing as Mark drove. Sid was a brave soul.

Courtney played "Concerning Hobbits" from Lord of the Rings. One of our families favorite movies. Initially she was going to dress up as Legolas, because we think he is awsome. I spent weeks figuring out how I was going to get as close to this as possible...

But the week before, she decided she wanted the white dress worn by Arwen. So 20 yards of fabric later... this is what we came up with.

After the recital, our piano teacher gives a certificate to each person, and then gives special awards for those who memorized the most songs. Or for those who wrote songs during the year. Of course this perked the ears of my 8 year old Sidney. She saw the trophies and has been focused ever since.

Even though I keep telling her memorization might be the way to go, she is determined to write a song. Unfortunately Courtney has to keep telling her that that tune she is working on has already been done. Tunes that vaguely resemble London Bridges or Mary had a little lamb. She gets frustrated, but continues to plug away. Who knows... she has a great ear.

Good job Sidney and Courtney. Your parents are very proud of you.

A day in the life....

2010-10-30T16:51:00.001-07:00

Some of you may know that Courtney was diagnosed with Chron's disease last July. While we weren't thrilled with the diagnoses, we feel like we have great doctors and that everything that can be done, is being done.

One of the things we are doing right now is every 2 months she goes in for treatment. It is a long day with the drive up to Swedish first thing in the morning and then our 5ish hours of treatment, then the drive home in rush hour traffic. I don't think either of us look forward to it. This last one was her 4th, so to spice it up and add a little fun to the mix, I told her we were going to document the day in pictures. I was only allowed to use about half the pictures, but these are the ones that made the cut.

Here is the parking garage below Swedish. It's nice not having to track through the rain to get inside the hospital. Plus, since it is several levels below ground, it is always quiet (insulated) and warm. Love Courtney's enthusiasm!

We always seem to forget what floor we park on, so we needed a picture of our reminder. D is for Deer... so we are on the "D" floor. Unfortunately it changes each time. Thanks for your interpretation of a deer Courtney.

We were going up in the elevator when I reminded Courtney of the previews of that freaky movie that is out. Where several people get caught in an elevator and someone/something starts randomly attacking them. This is her reaction. She wanted to know if we could take the stairs... NOT.

This is the check in desk where they double check your insurance and send you to the proper floor... which we know is always East tower... 9th floor.

Which brings us to this check in station... where they pretty much L O V E us. Except for the fact Courtney has a fear of IVs.

Usually we go straight down the hall behind Courtney, but this time we were taking to the right of the station. Our old room had a bed and was private, this one has two seats.

Next comes the weigh in to ensure she is gaining weight and is healthy.

Then comes the blood pressure cuff. She dislikes this too, although I will say she is getting better at it. The first few times she thought it got to tight. She would never buy into my comment "it is just a nice little hug for your arm". I think she is getting pretty buff, so this is a blood pressure/see my muscles shot.

Getting and IV is not one of our favorite things. So the nurses devised a way to make it easier. First the heart rate monitor that glows on the tip of her finger... and Courtney's impression of ET.

Then the mask... "LUKE.. I AM YOUR FATHER." She is given a little nitrous to relax her a little while they insert the IV. She has veins that don't like to be poked and often collapse after getting the IV in. So it isn't uncommon for her get up to 5 shots.

The first time she was given nitrous, the nurses wanted to know how it felt so they could tell younger patients what to expect. She said that everyone was like cardboard cutouts and she felt like a cut on someone's arm. But she said it was dreamlike and relaxing. So here we have success! IV is in and life is good.

At the beginning of her treatment, they give her some steriods in case she has a reaction to the medicine. We joke that she ends up with roid rage. So this what it looks like to take out your aggressions on a pillow. Better it than me.

And then the meds start flowing.

She can only have clear liquids for the first 2 hours of treatment (once the meds start). That means she can't eat solids until around 2:30 or later. So here she is sampling some of that tastey, delicious hospital chicken broth.

She wanted to know why she couldn't just suck the medicine through the IV and be done with it. I think that even if it tasted horrible, she would do it in a heart beat.

And then the waiting begins.....

And we waited...

and waited...

And then it was time for lunch!

Here is the lunch room on the bottom floor where I go down and get food for the famished patient. I think I can find this place with a blind fold on. Except then I would be in an elevator by myself with the strange creature that attacks people.

One thing we love about Swedish is the BIG cookie. It is almost as big as your face. There is sugar, chocolate chip, peanut butter and some raisin oatmeal concoction.

And then when your daughter asks for a sip of your drink, then licks her finger and sticks it in, there is just something unappetizing about it and you just let her keep it. (supposedly she was trying to get something out of it... uh huh)

And then when the adminstration of the meds is finished, and the blood pressure is okay, and we take one last look out our view of the city, it is time to bid farewell to our nurses until next time.

I hope you enoyed the picture documentation of our day as much as we did.

Favorite Things Friday - disposable fountain pen

2010-10-29T23:02:00.000-07:00

I love love love these! I use to buy them one at a time at our small town office supply store for a little over $3 each. Then one day... they no longer carried them. I was very sad. There is nothing like pulling a fun cool pen out of your purse to take a note or write a check. I had lots of comments/compliments on my cool pen(s). They were even fun to give with a cute notebook for a birthday present. But alas, no more.

Then one day, I found a whole pack on Amazon and my life was once more complete.

So you can buy 7 different colors for $10.89. If you have prime, the shipping is free. If you buy $25 or over, you can can get free shipping too.

Just thought I would pass along that if you have a college email address, you can get free prime shipping through Amazon for a year. This usaully costs 79.00 and gives you 2 day free shipping from anything sold on Amazon that is included in "prime" shipping. Here is the link on information

Amazon Student Prime Information

Link to Sign up

Once you are a member, each year it will automatically bill you agian unless you click on "your account" in the upper right hand corner. Then in the first box click on "manage prime membership". About 1/3 of the way down it will say "your membership will automatically renew ____date______" then click on "do not renew" and it won't. Hope this is useful.

Free Orange n' Creme Swirl Fruitista from Taco Bell

2010-10-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to a coupon for a . . .

well the title says it all. It is for the first 500,000 redeemed and is good until 11/25. So don't wait to print and use it.

COUPON

Favorite Things Friday - Wall Flowers

2010-10-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

Love these things! I have one plugged into my bathroom, the family room and my mudroom. I love the Falls smells as the leaves begin to turn, something tropical for spring and Linen for a fresh laundry smell.

These are usually priced at about $12 each. Ouch. But, a couple of times a year they will go on sale for about $5. You buy the plug in with one bulb, and then buy replacement bulbs (2 per pack) to refill.

These also make great presents. Who doesn't want a lovely smell wafting through their house.

So if you are running past a Bath and Body Works, run in and see if they have any sales going. And if you can't wait, there are almost always coupons you can print off. Here is one for a free signature body care product (up to $12) with a $10 purchase. Just print coupon. I just google "bath and body works coupon" and print off a few before heading out. Sometimes they will even take two (for different promotions).

Link to coupon

Birds and the Bees

2010-10-11T16:51:00.000-07:00

This is my 8 year old. She is smart, inquisitive, and nothing gets past her. For the last year she has started asking questions about babies. I took my usual approach of giving just enough information to answer the question. Where do babies come from? From their mommies tummies.

After asking the question of "how do some people have babies when they aren't married?" I decided it was time to explain all of the birds and the bees. She asked many detailed questions that I know her father will find hilarious when he gets home. But the icing on the cake, was about 30 minutes later she told me that she was really to young to hear that kind of stuff and why did I think it was a good idea telling her.

By the way... she isn't sure that she is going to get married. I told her that she didn't have to if she didn't want to, but that her opinion might change when she found someone she loved.

Favorite Things Friday - Dior Eyebrow Pencil

2010-10-08T22:09:00.001-07:00

This my friends, was introduced to me by my sister-in-law. I have these funky, light, barely there eyebrows that have been the boon of my existence. I tried some eyebrown powder from Ulta. I have tried numerous pencils and brushes, but always come out with the eyebrows my grandmother had for a period of time after she had shaved hers off and drew them back on with a pencil. She thought that is what all the fashionable ladies were doing.

We were in the process of taking the children to see the movie "The Karate Kid" starring jaden Smith (which was cute), and while in the mall, my sister, sister-in-law and myself started talking about eyebrow pencils. Don't most women? My sister-in-law, Gayle, said she had heard that the Dior one was great. So we drug, dragged... whatever all 9 kids into the Macy's store and tried them out. We of course each bought one.

It comes in one color. But that color matches everything from dark brows to even my light ones. It has a very fine tip and you lightly brush in small strokes to fill in your eyebrow. On the other end it has a brush that you can feather in any lines. Even though it is on the pricey side, I think $28, it was worth every penny. And I am not one to spend lots of money on makeup. This is one of my little splurges.

HERE are some reviews on Sephora with a video. He does a quick demo at about 1:11.

I know this pencil is sold at Nordstrom, Macys and Sephora. So if you are in need of an eyebrow makeover, stop in at one of these stores and have them demonstrate the Dior eyebrow pencil on you. I hope you like it as much as I do.

25th Class Reunion

2010-10-07T12:57:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was my 25th class reunion. I guess you can figure that I am turning 44 this year. Actually in approximately 4 days. YIKES! It is funny, because mentally I am in my 20's, then I look in the mirror and the myth is dispelled.

I had some friends ask me if I was going or not. I was tempted until I found out my husband was going to be out of town, and I am not one to go solo to meet people I haven't seen in 25 years. Here are the brave ones who did represent us at the homecoming football game. The sweatshirts were really cool. I do wish I would have ordered one.

I had considered hanging out in the parking lot with my binoculars, checking everyone out as they went into the party. Or, if I got there early enough, I could have rented one of these vans with the rear view camera and checked people out like this lady does.

My favorite comment... "He smells like almonds... but not in a good way".
If you like that one, you should watch this one too. But beware! It is catchy and you will be singing it all day.

Who knew you could be cool driving a mini van.

Well, I may have missed my 25th class reunion, but I guess there is always my 30th.

Pumpkin Shortage!!!

2010-10-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

I was at a bread baking class, it is actually one my mom does where you can have 4 loaves coming out of the oven in under an hour, when the discussion of the pumpkin shortage came up. I guess last year there was to much rain, and this year because of the weather, the growing season was very short. I know this personally, because we have been having a pumpkin growing contest with my husband's side of the family and our pumpkins are doing their best, but it has been a struggle.

My mother said to go get your pumpkin now. I guess Costco has a contract with the pumpkin distributors and get first dibs on distribution. So Saturday my daughter and I headed over to Costco to get our canned pumpkin to make a delicous pumpkin cream cheese dip and gingersnap cookies (the recipe can be found HERE).

While headed into Costco, I thought it would hysterical to periodically bring up in a semi-loud, converstional tone how there was a pumpkin shortage and see how many people would pay attention. If nothing else, it was also another great opportunity to embarrass my 15 year old daughter.

So as we were walking around, every once in a while I would turn to my daughter and say "I heard there is going to be a huge pumpkin shortage this year!" or "We need to our canned pumpkin today, because I heard there is a shortage!". I definitely saw a couple of ladies heads perk up and look at me. Then at the checkout I said to my daughter "I am so glad we got our pumpkin with the shortage!". The cashier then started asking questions and of course my teenage daughter with the poker face started laughing. As we headed out I had to chastise her and tell her no one is going to believe us if she busts out laughing. But we had a fun time and are still chuckling over it.

I guess last year when there was a pumpkin shortage, people were selling it on ebay for some crazy prices, plus shipping. I have seen that there is still some of that going on... and we have only hit the first part of October. Here are a few completed sales....

4 – 15oz cans $36.00 plus $14.20 shipping
3 – 15oz cans $12.99 plus $12.00 shipping
9 – 15oz cans 39.99 plus $15.00 shipping

So long story short, and I am not messing with you, go get your pumpkin at Costco now. Don't wait until Thanksgiving. Besides you will want to try my pumpkin dip recipe. When at Costco, I asked my daughter if we could find the forklift guy and ask him if a pallet of canned pumpkin would fit in my BMW trunk.

One more thing, since we are talking about pumpkin.... has anyone seen these yet? What a wonderful idea. We will definitely be trying these out.

Favorite Thing Friday - basil

2010-10-01T17:04:00.001-07:00

Yes, I have actually made a post on my blog.

I was in a bit of a rut the last couple of months (give or take a year). But I am feeling like maybe life is a bit more on track and hope to be able to pick up and post a couple of times a week again.

Anyways, in my hiatus, I have found some great things that I love and wanted to share with you. Thus starting up my favorite things Friday posts again. It is a good place to start.

This is one of those things.

BASIL

This is called "Living Basil" and I found it in the produce section of the grocery store. I have seen it at Safeway and Winco for sure, but I am sure it can be found many other places.

Have you ever seen those pathetic, tiny packages that they charge you 4 dollars for? Well for that price or less you can get this plant. Take it home, remove it from the wrapper and I put mine in a mason jar. Cover the roots with water and snip off leaves when you need it. It will continue to grow and makes you kitchen smell very nice (if you love basil). It is a worthwhile investment, especially now that we are headed into Fall and your outside basil plants will start to suffer from the cold snap.

Give it a try... fresh basil in sauces, pasta, bread. Delicious!

It's ALIVE

2010-05-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

Would you believe the pumpkin seeds LIVE?! Mark made some clever jar with black paper with just the right amount of moisture and the seeds are still sprouting. I will never doubt him again. Well, at least about seeds that have been baked at 400 degrees.

By the way, he won't even let me within 10 feet of all things sprouting. He has the trays and peat pots all lined up on the treadmill (see it is good for something). Whenever I get close, I get the stink eye. I have to remind him that I did a good job raising the children. So I not a total failure.

I am thankful that one of us has a green thumb.

So the competition is back on my friends!

Note to self....

2010-05-19T10:42:00.001-07:00

Forgetting that you have seeds germinating in the oven, and turning it on to 400 degrees, is NOT a good thing. Thankfully one had already sprouted and was in the window enjoying the sunshine.

Mark is doing his best to help the poor little seeds recover. I on the other hand, a pessimist, said his time would be better spent by throwing a little salt on them and eating them.

Yes I am bitter and I don't want to talk about it any more .

So all our hopes and dreams come down to one lonely, but thriving, pumpkin plant.

Don't tell Mr. Holland!

My new bestest friend

2010-05-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

This my friends, is my new bestest buddy. And Mark isn't even jealous because we are both benefitting from this relationship.

I know, a little weird.

This is Joel Holland. Why are we bestest buddies (and he isn't even aware of it)? Because he is one of the greatest big pumpkin growers that has ever lived. Well he definitely is in the running for the top 10.

How did this relationship, that he is pretty much competely unaware, of begin? Last Fall my in-laws gave each family 2 giant pumpkin seeds. The contest... whoever grew the biggest pumpkin would win a prize. Something like $1 per pound.

I hope they are ready to write that check with a bunch of 0's in it.

Mark and I spent hours checking out websites, googling information and expanding our knowledge of seaweed powder, ph balance, Biomin Calcium Foliar Spray, warming cables, greenhouse tents, glucose injections and many other technical things us giant pumpkin growers like to talk about.

After doing much research I found that we had a giant pumpkin grower in our own backyard and made a phone call and a date to drop in and chat pumpkins. He was a really nice guy and gave me a dvd with detailed information on how to step by step germinate and grow our bad boys. I have named my seed Norbert, since I noticed that he had all of his named. Although his are more technical like Jutras, Pukos and Vankooten. But I say a happy sounding name is a happy pumpkin. And a happy pumpkin will want to grow big and strong.

Last night we filed the edges of our giant pumpkin seeds.

We then placed them in damp paper towels in the oven at a temperature of 85 degrees. Tonight we will adjust our starter soil mix one more time to ensure it is the proper ph balance and plant the seeds in peat pots. I just like saying that word... peat pot, peat pot, peat pot.

They will then go into our incubation chamber (a hush falls over the crowd), also known as a cooler with a large bottle of water warmed to 115 degrees. After 2ish days, they should start sprouting. My friend, Joel, said that germinating can be the trickest part. So here is to us and Norbert!

Hopefully one day we will aspire to grow one like this....

Can you say 1,229 pounds? And that was back in 2004 when we didn't even have NUTRI-AID 0-52-34 BLOSSOM BOOSTER AND FRUIT FINISHER.

So stay tuned and watch as we either succeed or cry in misery on top of our manure mound as our plants die one by one.

Coty's Mission - Christmas 2009

2010-02-11T14:40:00.001-08:00

Our son, Coty, is serving a mission in Buenos Aires Argentina (west). His mission presiden't wife keeps a blog which I like to check in hopes of finding a picture of our son. Finally, it happened! Here is the picture they took of the whole mission last Christmat.

Then it took a moment to find Coty (think where in the world is Coty). At first I thought he was on the back row... then I found him right on the front, slightly to the right of Sister Benton. He is smiling and his shoes are worn and dusty. So he must be working hard and finding joy in the work. Sister Benton said that the missionaries may walk up to 10 miles a day.

Oh the lights of Christmas

2009-12-31T09:22:00.000-08:00

Earlier yesterday, Courtney, Sidney and I went out to separate our 2 horses from our 6 cows. Move the 2 horses to the other field (since they keep running the cows away from the feeder and they end up bellering all night because they are hungry) and leave the 6 cows in the field closest to the house. One lesson learned... he who carries the grain bucket... is a moving target. It was accomplished with us brandishing sticks and yelling tough words like "YAH".

So a few hours later, we were upstairs sorting through old clothes and deep cleaning bedrooms when the phone rings. I answer it and my kindly neighbor across the street said.. "Have you seen what is going on out your front window?" I am thinking "Crap, did the cows/horses get out again?". So I run down and look out my living room window to this scene.

The house kitty corner to us had 7 police cars and a police van in front of it's house. So I run and get my camera while talking on the phone to my neighbor (since I knew you would want a picture). Getting back to the living room I army crawl across the floor and peek out the window again. My neighbor says maybe we will be on the news, which gets me thinking about my hair, after a few more words trying to figure out what is going on, neighbor and I hang up. We think that perhaps it was a meth house. There are a lot of people coming and going and we also know that at least a few of the people who live there have police records. Unfortunately there is also a 7 year old girl who lives there too. We saw her leave the house with 2 adults and her dog on a leash. I think the 2 adults were friends of the family. Several people were taken out in handcuffs and a few others left a little bit later. There was also stuff thrown out on the front porch.

I found that my view was better from the loft, which is where Sidney and I hung out for a bit with binoculars. Yes that makes me the Gladys Kravitz (think bewitched) of our street.

Glad they closed it if it was a crack house, sad for the little girl who lives there. Sidney kept asking what would happen to her for the rest of the afternoon. Just makes you feel bad to see that kind of stuff ruin lives.

Cooperation is the key

2009-12-31T09:12:00.000-08:00

One of the games we got for Christmas was Lego Indiana Jones for the Wii. Little did I know that this game would teach some valuable lessons as it was played. Within the first 5 minutes, we realized that it is a 2 player game and that those 2 players need to "work together" to accomplish many of the tasks to make it to the next level.

These two in the picture are sisters. Like most sisters, there always seems to be, shall we call them moments of contention.

I am in the kitchen when I hear them chipping away at each other. So I walk over to see what is going on. People are attacking Indie and the other player, so Sidney jumps on top of the truck and laughs as Courtney is getting beaten all to heck. Then when Sidney gets down, Courtney takes after her with the whip. So Sidney takes out her shovel and starts the smack down on Courtney. Wow, between the name calling and beatings they were giving each other, it really warmed my heart. Needless to say, the game was stopped, then started again later, until they start wacking each other again. I think they are actually able to play together for 15 minutes before I need to step in.

Maybe this is why most video games for girls are more about dressing up the pretty princess instead of holding weapons.

I'll make ya famous...

2009-11-16T09:21:00.000-08:00

(Sidney with her Brother, Blain, who is serving a mission in Tucson Arizona and will be home in May. Yipee!)

Mark shared a funny experience with me that happened one night I was gone at meetings. He said he was spending a nice quiet evening with his two girls. They were watching the Taylor Swift 1 hour special. Towards the end, this cute little girl in the picture above, also known on good days as our daughter, turned to him and said...

"I should be more famous"

I guess in watching Taylor Swift she got the idea that she should also be famous. When my husband asked her why... she had 3 good reasons.

1. Because look at my hair... it is blonde.
2. You know I look like Dakota Fanning. (lots of people have told her that, especially when she was younger).
3. And, my last name is Thomas (not sure what that has to do with being famous).

So, if you want autographs, better get them now.

We survived...

2009-11-10T13:08:00.000-08:00

the Swine Flu.

Or I guess if you are being politically correct, the H1N1 virus. I think swine flu sounds more fun, doesnt it?

It started a few weeks ago when Sidney came home from school and within a short bit had a fever. I have always taught my children to share, and share she did. I was sick the next day, but we seemed to have gotten a mild case of it. I was even considering sending Sidney to school on Friday (it was her Halloween party) but wanted to be cautious and kept her home. By Friday evening it came back with a vengence. Mine came back Saturday afternoon. Sidney ended up missing Trunk R Treating and Trick or Treating. We were dropping Courtney off at a friend's house on Halloween night, and on the way home Sidney pressed her little sick face against the window watching other kids walking around in their costumes. She wanted to know if we could go to "just one house". Hopefully her cheerleader costume will fit again next year :/

Mark was out of town that week, lucky for him. So I suffered with Sidney in silence. Okay we did moan a little and made Courtney get us drinks and treats. When Sidney and I were home by ourselves, we would flip to see who had to get up and retrieve whatever necessary items were needed for our comfort. My bedroom became a triage center. Humidifiers with lavender, eucalyptus oils, Vicks, kleenex, medicine and lots of drinks on the bed side tables. Each day I would crawl out to the barn and flip the cows a bale of hay, feed the horses, our new stray cat and our dog, Lucky. I am sure my husband fully appreciated my sacrifice, even though I lost a hay hook (hope the cows didn eat it) and the wind blew all the hay strings all over the place, I know he fully appreciated my pain and sacrifice so he could hang out with his brother and dad. I am sure that one day he will come home with a big bunch of flowers, bend down on one knee and cry at my feet and express his undying love for me. I am sure that is going ot happen any day now.

Long story short, with a hefty cough, I lived to tell the tale. I really want a t-shirt that says "I survived the swine flu".

Maybe this one...

Or this one...

Or maybe this one...

Reminds me of something my son, Coty, said. He ran cross country and several marathons. When asked if he liked running, he said "no, I just like the t-shirts". So no, I didn't enjoy the swine flu, but dang it, I deserve the shirt.

$10 DVD's from Walmart

2009-11-05T09:03:00.000-08:00

There is a good deal right now at Walmart. If you pre-purchase one of the top 10 DVD's that will be coming out before Christmas, you can get them for $10. You can also have them shipped to your local Walmart for free.

Here is a list of the movies...

Star Trek XI
Night at The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince
Angels & Demons
Four Christmases
G-Force
My Sister's Keeper
Santa Buddies
Terminator Salvation
Julie & Julia

Go to this LINK
go to "Movies, Music & Books", and then select "Movies (DVD)". It's right in the middle.

Leaving Dad with the kids

2009-10-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

I pulled into the driveway after running errands to see this...

Yep, Mark was having the girls drive the tractor around helping him out. They look like they are having fun, but not sure about the safety factor.

Fantasy Football... pick me

2009-10-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

I had to post this because I know Coty would have loved it....

I also want to wish the boys of EHS good luck at the football game tonight!

Go EHS!

Free Eggs

2009-10-09T09:02:00.000-07:00

Be quick... first 20,000 people who take the pledge will get a coupon for free eggs.

Join America’s egg farmers in a commitment to living more healthfully and giving back to the community. For every pledge made, we will donate one egg to Feeding America – up to one million eggs! That’s in addition to the 12 million eggs donated annually. Pledging is easy. Simply provide your name, email and zip code, and “sign” the pledge by checking the box. That’s it!

LINK

More SD card finds

2009-10-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

You know how I told you a bit ago that I found a stray SD card with my favorite running picture of Coty on it? I also discovered that this SD card must have found it's way into my daughters camera for a bit. How do I know? Well since I didn't take any of these pictures....

Two cousins playing together.

I think this might have been my hands Courtney wrote on while I was talking to someone

Cheese art?

This picture was taken from the front lawn of my in-laws house.

Awww, we miss him. Coty, not the snowman.

Does that look like yellow snow?

Contemplating lifes bigger questions.

Anger management is in order.

Someone sure loves feeding the cows. They must have been sledding because Sidney sure has a lot of snow on her front.

This is the "hot chocolate" cook off we had last Christmas. I am sure I won. A cocoa latte is a must when entering the contest. I highly recommend them.

Coty decided to attempt eating a Tablespoon full of cinnamon. Can't wait until Blain gets home. Boys are usually the only creatures who do this kind of stuff to keep us amused.

Down she goes.

I think he was a little sick afterwards. The hard part was swallowing it.

There are some other pictures that I "might' share with you later. Wanted to give you a pick in the life of a stray SD card. I bet you can't tell that Courtney really likes her brother :)

I heard they now have a mini camera you can hook up to your pet and then set it to take pictures at intervals. Might be in our dog, Lucky's, stocking this year :)

Utilities

2009-10-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

This is what I looked like after opening this months water bill.

Seriously, how can water cost so much in a state where it rains 10 months out of the year? I mean I realize we water 8 cows and installed a water system for the front lawn, which ran less than 2 weeks because it started to... rain again.

I am not going to tell you how much it was, all I am going to say is... I could be sporting a pretty snazzy pair of True Religion jeans and still have enough left over for dinner.

So, in the future, when you run into anyone in our family, you might want to stand down wind. We are cutting back. Only the necessities. Once a week shower - mandatory. 8 oz of water unless you have done extra work around the house, then you can have another 4 oz. There will be no more water included in brushing your teeth, unless you want to use part of your alloted 8 oz. That is just to start. I am sure we will crack down even more as my imagination takes off.

I think my dear husband will be checking for leaks tonight once he sees the new rules posted.

Shabby Apple

2009-10-01T18:14:00.000-07:00

I love these dresses from The Shabby Apple. It is hard to find a decent dress anymore. Most are much to revealing for my taste, which is why this site caught my eye.

They also have a new fitness line. Perhaps if you had an absolutely adorable workout outfit, you might exercise more often? Or at least walk around town with your hair pulled into a pony tail to make it "appear" that you worked out.

A few dresses on their site...

They have much more, including girls clothes, accessories and dresses for those of you who are pregnant! So take a peek.

Canning chicken and pork

2009-10-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my mother's persistance, we finally got our chicken canned and tried a yummy recipe for pork. It is suppose to be similar to Cafe Rio shredded pork that they use.

First you clean your jars really well. Make sure there are no chips on the rims. Then take your chicken breasts and cut off any junky parts if you want. I want. Pack jars with chicken.

Make sure you wash your hands and work surface often with soap since you are working with chicken.

We got about 1 1/2 chicken breasts in each jar. You don't want to overstuff. Keep all meat below the first line on where the rim starts.

I purchased frozen chicken at a great sale from Safeway. But after I got looking at it, I noticed that it had additives of sodium phosphates for plumping. I think next time I will get fresh chicken (right now it is on sale at Albertson's in case you looking). Hey I wonder if I drank sodium phosphates if that would plump my... oh never mind.

Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt (to your liking). You do not need to add liquid. Boil your canning lids in hot water for a minute or so. While this is happening, double check that your jar rims are clean by wiping with a damp washrag. Place lids on jars, screw on rings and place in pressure canner which has about 1 1/2 inches of water in the bottom. You can double stack your pint jars in your canner. Also make sure they jars are NOT sitting directly on the bottom. Your canner should come with a bottom piece.

Do you need a pressure cooker? I bought mine from Amazon.com. It is the Presto pressure canner. It got good reviews. Then right after I got mine, my mother bought an All American. This my friends, is the cadillac of pressure cookers. Am I jealous, no, since Mom said she will write it in the will that it goes to me. Neeneer Steff and Wendi! See what happens when you live close to your mother :)

So here are the canners doing their job. You bring them up to temperature until steam comes out of the regulator for 7 minutes then put the doohicky (yes that is the technical terms) on the top then adjust the temperature to get the right pressure.

The pork takes 90 minutes at 15 pounds of pressure.

Chicken takes 90 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure. Unless you own an All American pressure canner. Then the chicken will actually walk into your kitchen, jump into the jars, climb into the warm water bath and cook themselves. This is while you are getting a manicure and pedicure. See what an investment this is?

Oh, here is the label on the All American. It is such a coveted item (think hood ornaments on the cadillac). I guess that is why my sister in law tried to pick it off and steal it. Even though you can read on the bottom where it says "please don't remove".

When the 90 minutes are up, turn burners off and let it go back down to 0 pounds of pressure. Then have your mom remove the lid of the hot, steaming, dangerous pan while you tell her you need to document this for her posterity. Otherwise if she figures out you are making her do the dangerous work, she might will the All American to one of your sisters... which would be very sad.

Ohhh aren't they pretty?

The pork is on the left, chicken on the right.

I guess I should mention that the pork had a lovely sauce poured over it before we put the lids on and cooked them. It is as follows....

Canned Pork Cafe Rio Style

2 8 oz. cans Pato (in the Mexican aisle)
3 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup of water

Cut pork into chucnks and put in jars loosely. Pour sauce over the top (remember, don't go about first line where rim starts or it will be to full). Use a knife to ease sauce down between pork chunks. Add more sauce if needed. Wipe jar rims with a damp washrag. Put on lids and rings then do your thing baby.

We opened one of our jars of pork just to see if we liked it. We had a little bit of sauce left over and poured a little on top of our shredded pork. Highly recommend this recipe!

Ahhh I found it!!!

2009-10-01T09:09:00.001-07:00

Wow! Has it actually been over a year and a half?

I took this picture of my son, Coty, running track. Now realize, I am by no means a professional. In fact I just own a nifty looking camera, then set everything on auto and start clicking. One day... one day I will learn to use all the gizmos and gadgets.

Oh yeah, back to our story, I took this picture and loved it. The fellow standing on his left is Joe. Coty and Joe had a tendency to exchange first and second place all throughout the season on their high school track team. They both run distance and knew each other from cross country.

This is just after they finished a big race. I love how they are both standing by each other, one with his hands on his head, the other with his hands on his hips.

Somewhere amongst all my SD cards this one went missing until yesterday when I cleaned out my cupboard. See, when you clean, sometimes you get unexpected rewards!
I am going to blow this up, frame it and put it on Coty's wall for when he gets home. He is now serving a mission in Argentina, Buenos Aires West and won't be home for another year and half.

Here are a few other pictures of him running.

Even though the weather was usually crummy, I did love watching him and being apart of his accomplishments and his frustrations.

The interesting thing was, he started out second to last his freshman year and through hard work he became the number 1 runner by his senior year. That and team captain. The other interesting thing was, he would start out each year with such promise then he something would happen. He hit a growth spurt and his hips were very painful. Then he kept growing and he couldn't eat enough to keep up with his running and growing so his times kept dropping throughout his junior year. Finally his senior year, he had major hamstring problems. It was so frustrating when he went to districts, he started out number 1 and then each lap you could tell he was struggling as each person passed him. By the last lap he was pretty much hobbling just to finish. I will say though, he learned more about himself by not winning, than he ever could have by being a winner.

But there was justice. When he went to college, his aunt talked him into running the Top of Utah marathon. He took first in his age division and qualified for the Boston Marathon. He ran that in May of 2009...

then left on his mission about 6 weeks later.

And so there you have it. All this from cleaning out one cupboard. I am almost afraid of starting on the coat closet... it will probably bring back other memories.

Perhaps like the time Tracey and I got on a raft and flipped it in the middle of a lake. Luckily I was smart enough to stand on his shoulders and call for help. This just proves what a quick thinker I am. It wasn't about self preservation, it was really about getting help for "both" of us.
(we were pretty young and this may have been the reason we started swim team)

Or maybe it would remind when my parents were on a date, it was late, and Tracey and Brian came upstairs and told us they had heard strange noises. This ended with my parents coming home to find all four kids sitting on the stairs holding a bb gun and a pocket knife.

Or maybe even the time Tracey and Brian decided to sleep in a tent on the hill behind our house. Which or course gave Robyn the brillant idea of putting stockings over our heads and wearing big coats, then climbing out the second story window. We walked up to the tent grunting and walking half crazed. As Tracey and Brian bolted for the house, we climbed back through the window threw our stuff in the closet and jumped in bed just as my mother opened the door. She took one look at us and then said "would you like to tell your father what you just did". Man was she good.

Lots of good memories. Someday I will share a few more with you, but since I am suppose to be over helping my mom can chicken, I had better get moving. Luckily she doesn't read my blog, so she doesn't know that I have been sluffing :) And don't go telling her!!!

Leadership Styles - Do you know yours?

2009-09-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

My daughter brought home this quiz from one of her high school classes. I thought it was interestingly accurate. I totally pegged my husband before he got home. I am a Golden Retrivier and he is a Lion. Odd combination, but it works!

Take it and tell me what you think.

Please circle as many words in each column that best describe you.

Deliberate	Take Risks	Loyal	Takes Charge
Controlled	Visionary	Non-Demanding	Determined
Reserved	Motivator	Even Keel	Assertive
Predictable	Energetic	Avoids Conflict	Firm
Orderly	Promoter	Dislikes Change	Competitive
Factual	Avoids Detail	Deep Relationships	Enjoys Challenges
Discerning	Fun-Loving	Adaptable	Bold
Detailed	Likes Variety	Sympathetic	Purposeful
rAnalytical	Enjoys Change	Thoughtful	Decision Maker
Inquisitive	Creative	Nurturing	Leader
Precise	Group Oriented	Patient	Goad Driven
Persistent	Mixes Easily	Tolerant	Self-reliant
Scheduled	Optimistic	Good Listener	Adventurous

Beaver	Otter	Golden Retriever	Lion

Which ever column has the most circles is what you are. Lion, Otter, Golden Retrivier or Beaver.

LIONS
"Let's Do It Now"

Lions are born leaders.
Lions like to accomplish things with immediate results.
Lions' time frame is NOW.
Lions are decisive.
Lions want Reader's Digest-length communication.
Lions often feel threatened by questions.
Lions are not afraid of pressure or confrontation.

BEAVERS
"How Was IT Done in the Past"

Beavers keep a close watch in their emotions.
Beavers actually read instruction books.
Beavers like to make careful decisions.
Beavers like using their critical skills to solve problems.
Beavers live by the motto "let's do it right!"
Beacers often turn anger inward
Beavers tend to focus on the past.

OTTER
"Trust Me! It Will Work Out"

Otters just want to have fun.
Otters are great at motivating others to action.
Otters avoid the fine print.
Otters focus on the future.
Otters avoid confrontation at all costs.
Otters are tremendous net workers.
Otters are very susceptible to peer pressure.

GOLDEN RETRIVER
"Let's Keep Things The Way They Are"

Golden Retreivers are loyal.
Golden Retreivershave a strong need for close relationships.
Golden Retreivers have a deep need to please others.
Golden Retreivers have hearts full of compassion.
Golden Retreivers define the work adaptable.
Golden Retreivers often react to sudden change.
Golden Retreivers hold stubbornly to what they feel is right.

Yesterday I was assailed....

2009-09-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

by this guy. . .

Don't let him fool you. Sure he looks nice and friendly. But deep down inside, he is someone who likes to see others in pain. Did I mention he is the instructor of my muscle flex class?

It has been over a month (cough) all summer (cough) that I haven't made it to the gym. Then when school started, I found about every excuse not to go because I knew that I would be in severe pain the next day. Excuses I came up with...

Who will stay home and eat the chocolate covered doughnuts that might go bad if left out.

I should probably wait until Thursday so I have a weekend to recover instead of Tuesday were I will only have one.

I think I will wait until Tuesday, the classes aren't so full.

It is sunny, I think I will exercise outside and begin a running program.

It is raining, it would be much easier to run on the treatmill at home than go out in this weather.

I really should watch that movie I rented and haven't gotten to yet. It would totally be a waste of money.

It is fall, and time to purge the house! So let me pull out everything from all closets and cupboards.

My house is a disaster, I had better stay home and clean it.

No sense starting an exercise program until I start eating healthy. I will start my new healthy diet Monday.

I cannot exercise because the shoes I "need" are $150 and that isn't in the budget.

And the list goes on and on and on. It is amazing how creative you can get when it comes to excuses for not exercising.

So yesterday was the day. I got ready in my semi-worn out workout clothes (I am buying new ones when I have dropped a size :), got Sidney off on the bus then beelined it to class so I could set up in the back corner. Two reasons to be in the back... 1. So no one can see you, even when you cheat a little and 2. so I can admire all the in shape ladies and that inspires me to push myself a little further. Steve always comes in so happy and merry, spreading bits of sunshine with him everywhere he goes. You would never know he is tricky and ruthless. Example: we are in the middle of squats. We are doing 2 counts down and 2 counts up. He tells everyone in the group that we only have 8 more. So I am really concentrating... going to my happy place, which is pretty much anywhere but there. As we all finally yell "one" as we finish up, Steve likes to add things like go half way and pulse it for 8. Or now 16 more 3 counts down and 1 count up. As my legs feel like jelly and sweat is dripping in my eyes, the only thing that keeps me going is the hopes that I will have a booty like the girl 2 rows up someday.

So today I am officially tender and sore. Triceps hurt, hamstrings hurt, abs tender. I really have to weigh out wether it is worth picking up my daughters shoes and putting them away or to just kick them under the couch.

Biggest snake found dead...

2009-09-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

A family member shared this youtube vidoe of this H U G E snake that was found dead. It is amazing. Snakes don't really bother me, but this one was in a class by itself. So take a quick peek...

How does your school rate?

2009-09-28T08:21:00.000-07:00

I found this website that interestly enough, shows how your school rates amongst other Washington State schools. I was amazed that even in my own town, the difference between elementary schools was huge.

My daughter switched elementary schools last year because she was accepted into a musical program and now rides the transfer bus to one a little further away. The school she goes to now ranks 167 out of 1130 schools, whereas her previous school ranked 855 out of 1130 schools. Crazy huh? Same school district too.

So if you are interested in seeing where your child's school ranks, check it out HERE.

Go to the link, then click on whether you want to look at elementary, middle school or high school. Then look at the top tabs and choose "schools by location". Then there will be 2 choices, choose the top one "school ranking lists by area, city or district". That will give you the schools in ordering of ranking. Scroll down until you find your school and click on it to see the specifics.

The other way of looking for your school is at the start click on what kind of school you want to look at elementary, middle school or high school. Then on the left hand side choose the bottom choice of "find school by name". It should show the schools in alphebetical order. Or you can type in the search box the name of your school.

So... did you find it as interesting as I?

Wicked

2009-09-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

Can I tell you how absolutely lucky I am. I have been wanting to see this F O R E V E R! I found out the first of this year that it was coming back to Seattle in the Fall. I subscribed to Paramounts email list and was given advanced sales priviledges. I was online within 10 minutes of them going on sale and got some pretty decent tickets.

Finally... last Saturday my dream became a reality!

I was lucky enough to go with my dear friend Beth and her daughter. Along with my mom, aunt Carol and most favorite red haired daughter. Beth was kind enough to drive, so I was able to get this picture as we started down the road to the Paramount theater.

It had been a long summer and I really needed something to get excited about, just seeing this sign was enough to make me giddy.

This was the stage as we were waiting for it to start. Technically we weren't suppose to be taking pictures, but since we didn't really know that... uhm.

But after we found out, we only took about 5 more. This was the cool dragon that was hanging above the stage.

Here are Courtney and my mom. All my brothers and sisters chipped in and bought my mom's ticket for her birthday. I think she really enjoyed it. Either that or she is one big faker. By the way, she doesn't fake when her and my dad leave for a date then come home to their kids shuttling all the neighbor kids out the back door after having (of all things) a scramble egg party at our house.

Here is Beth and her daughter (and Courtney's friend Nicole). I have such good friends and enjoy doing things with them (which is not often enough).

I brought binoculars so we could check everything out up close. But Courtney just used them to notice how old all the actors looked. I think her comment was... they look like they are in their 30's. That is music to a mother's ears when she is turning 43.

Courtney and I took a picture outside standing by the billboard as people swarmed around us trying to get to their cars. I thought I looked pretty snazzy and Seattle posh, now I am thinking my clothes either wrinkle easy or I need to step up my game.

And here is my mom and her sister Carol. It was so fun to go with both of them. Sometime I will have to share their "wallet" story with you. Now that I think about it... when those two are together, they always end up having interesting stories to share.

I really want to go again, but just can't justify it, but, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat is playing in a month or so... maybe.

HIGHLY recommend it if you get the chance to go. It was very funny and entertaining.

I read (and you will want to double check this before you go) that if you are under 25, if you go the night of a production at the Paramount, they will sell you the best seat they have open for $25 dollars. One ticket per person and you need ID. That also depends on IF they have any seats open.

Target 75% Garden Stuff

2009-09-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

I ran into Target in Federal Way yesterday and they were marking down the summer garden stuff to 75% off. Not a ton left in Federal way, but there were some small tables you could put on your porch, a garden storage box, planter urns (regularly 50 dollars marked down to 15), gardening gloves and other stuff. About 1 aisle worth. So if you are running by a Target in the next day or two, run in and check if there are any good deals that you need :)

Not all Targets are on the same markdown schedule.

Guilty... are you?

2009-09-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

So I have a confession...

You know when you go to the grocery store,
and you get up to the checkout line?

Then as you load the groceries you try and read as many covers of the gossip magazines as possible before they finish scanning your items.. that is me.

Even to the point that I have to lean across the conveyor belt to see the whole cover because it is partially blocked by the magazine rack.

I can even load my groceries without looking down once because I have mastered the art so well. Hand in cart, feel around, find item, place on conveyor belt...

What's this?!?! Angelina and Brad are living in separate parts of the house and their marriage is on the brink of ruin?

Feel for item in cart, place on conveyor belt...

Wow!! Renee Zellweger stole Jennifer Aniston's boyfriend. Can she never catch a break?

I am sheepish about it, but feel much better getting that off my chest.

14 Fridays until Christmas!

2009-09-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

I don't want to be the bearer of bad news or cause a major panic attact...BUT, we are 14 Fridays away from Christmas. I am already behind!

The flexibility Test

2009-09-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

This my friends, is how to do the flexibility test. I don't remember who this came from (was it you Steff?), but it has come in handy more than a few times since we acquired it into our family.

Both my boys have used for a demonstration they had to give at school. My son, Coty, was in the run for homecoming king and the judges had not come back with a decision yet. The MC had stalled for time, there were a few impromtu songs sung. Then in desperation Coty was asked to perform the flexibility test (now come to be known at EHS as the broom trick) to fill time. Someone handed an umbrella up to the front and he did it in his white tux.

This is Coty as they were waiting for a decision. Sorry about the bad picture, but I was using my old cheesy camera at the time.

Oh by the way... he won :)

My daughter Courtney was going out for cross country (she is a freshman. When the coach found out she was Coty's sister, his first question was... can you do the broom trick? She said yes and then he asked everyone on the team, how many knew what the broom trick was. Half the kids raised their hands. Then he asked who wanted to know what the broom trick was. Everyone raised their hands. Then he asked Courtney if our family just sat around doing the broom trick all the time.

So without further ado... here is the broom trick aka flexibility test done by my son, Blain, in his suit right before church. We took this video to send to my sister whose son was going to do it for a demonstration at school. They were trying to remember how it went. Thus the making of the video.

23 years and counting

2009-09-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday was our 23rd wedding anniversary. All I can say is Wow! I know, you are dying to know how we spent it. Did we jet away to some tropical resort and to bask in each others adoring love? Or perhaps we rented a limo to take us to some secluded place on Mt. Rainier where dinner was served as we gazed into each others eyes. OR could it be we both got up and went our own ways... he taking our daughter to piano lessons then up to join some other youth on an outing while I took our 7 year old to my youth committee kick off. No but wait, there is more... we then met back at the house around 2 pm to clean cars, mow lawns and get ready to chaperone a youth dance that evening. Luckily we both saw the humor in it, and as the dance finished up and we were driving home, we did get a few moments to reminsce over the years we have shared together.

I can't say it has always been easy, but the thing I am most grateful for is that neither of us gave up, and it has been worth it. I think when you marry, you have this vision on what you think life should be like and how a "perfect" marriage should be. Then as reality strikes and you see that you not only didn't marry the "perfect" person, you find out that you are far from perfect yourself. Then you adjust, work to make things better and realize that being married makes you a better person because you have to change, actually you choose to change to make that other person happier. I am very appreciative of my husband and the hard worker he is. I am also grateful for the father he is to our children. I love him very much and look forward to the years ahead.

Cows...gotta love em!

2009-08-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

It was a lovely morning, not to hot, not to cold. Husband had left for work awhile ago and I was spending a few extra moments (errr hours) laying in my bed reading a new book I had just picked up. I hear a knock at my door. What in the heck? I look at my clock, a little after 8:00 am. It is either family or an emergency. Hoping out of bed and at this point knowing there is nothing quick that I can do to make myself look presentable, I throw on my robe and laugh as I look in the mirror at my scantiwhompus hair (Coty loves that word). At my door is a neighbor. Great, I was hoping it would be someone I would never have to see again. I could tell he was amused at my attire, he told me I had a baby calf out. I thank him and tell him I will get it taken care of. This is where I would rally the troops and we would all go out and get the situation take care of. But we are short a few troops now. Down by 2 boys. I now have a 14 year old daughter and a 7 year old. I figure I will go assess the situation first. I get out side and realize, oh crude, it is this little guy....

The one on the right. If you will notice, most of our cows are Herefords. Herefords are mild (for the most part), easy going and pretty reasonable to deal with. Yah, this guy has a little Angus in him. My father in law has all Angus and they will bust through a fence if they think you are withholding fresh grass cuttings from them. Plus they are squirrely as all get out. I run in the house, knowing I will need back up. Courtney, being the last realiable member of the troop, changed out of her PJs quickly and came outside. By this time I had formulated a plan. This was after getting stuck on the barbwire fence, chasing the little calf through the neighbors yard and wishing I had my cell phone on me so I could call my husband and tell what I thought about "his" cows.

The plan... I get a grain bucket and lure the mama cows up the fence line. The calf should then follow mama cows up the fence, down the road, down the other road (which is a pretty busy road) to the gate which my 14 year old daughter has open. Grain bucket in hand I hop the fence, give the bucket a couple of good shakes and make some noise to get the mama cows attention.... and then it went down hill from there. We got rid of or bossy cow, but I have learned, when one bossy cow is gone, another takes her place. One of our mama cows wanted grain, and wanted it badly. I am not usually one to be bullied by cows (thinking of a few days earlier when my husband expected me to prevent our 1800 pound cow from running past me), but holy schmokes. It was an intense battle. Me trying to keep a steady pace toward the fence where the baby calf was, all the while literaly beating back mama cow. She was doing circles around me trying to get her head in the bucket. I smacked her on the head, swiveled right, swiveled left. I would have made any football coach proud. The more she danced around me, the more she was getting the other cows wound up. Imagine this... one cute, sweet woman, standing in the middle of 6 cows/calves as they run around her bellering trying to get their noses in her bucket. It was a little terrifying. I finally smacked her in the head, threw the grain bucket and headed for safety. I told 14 year old daughter to run and get her cell phone N O W! She hightailed it to the house and back giving me her cell phone. I informed my husband that he could come home and get "his" own dang cow back in, and then my eyes caught movement. The black baby calf was running down the fence line to the busy road. Oh crap. I shoved the phone in my pocket and ran like the dickens to head him off, so he wouldn't run into the road (there is a hill so someone coming over the hill wouldn't see the calf until it was to late). I luckily made it in time to turn him down the road toward the open gate. Errr wait, the gate isn't open. I yell to 14 year old daugther to get the gate open N O W! Just as the calf zooms on by it. The mama cows were all right by the fence though and the calf, being so squirrely (reminding you it's an Angus) ran up to the fence and squeezed right under it. OH MY GOODNESS! I sat there huffing and puffing. Then I start to notice, all the neighbors on my street had come out to see the commotion. Yes, once again I presented a whole 30 minutes of entertainment for everyone in the neighborhood, free of charge.

That evening when my dear husband came home, he says... "Well, if they are MY cows, you won't mind if I get a bull?" Uhmmm let me tell you about bull I tell him.

Tape, dog and 7 year old

2009-08-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

This is what you get when you leave a dog, roll of blue painters tape and a 7 year old unattended for 5 minutes.

Some favorite recipes add to blog

2009-06-26T19:26:00.000-07:00

Some friends and family have a blog going on called Real Good Recipes. I must admit to being on a roll and having added more than my fair share lately. So if you get the chance, meander on over and take a look.

REAL GOOD RECIPES BLOG

You will find these...

Cedar Plank Salmon with Honey Butter

Fish Tacos made from Tilipia

Wayne Winter BBQ Ribs

Cornbread Casserole

Bran Muffins

Hope you enjoy them.

Buy One Get One Free Jamba Juice

2009-06-25T07:57:00.001-07:00

Yeah! I love the BOGO free Jamba Juice Coupon. This one is good until 7/14/09 so go see how many different flavors of Jamba Juice you can enjoy!

LINK

Free Large Popcorn at AMC theater

2009-06-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

When you purchase a large Coca Cola fountain drink, if you print off this coupon, you can get a free large popcorn. This is available at AMC theaters. Most theaters in my area are Regal, so if you go HERE, you can search for the closest AMC theater in your area. Instead of putting in your zip, go down to the next box and find Seattle/Tacoma area to get a complete list of Washington theaters.

COUPON FOR FREE POPCORN

These are the closest ones to me...

Southcenter 16
3600 Southcenter Mall
Tukwila, WA 98188

Renton Village 8
25 South Grady Way , I-405 at Rainier Ave.
Renton, WA 98055

Kent Station 14
4th Ave. N. and West James St ,
Kent, WA 98032

Old Navy Coupon Site

2009-06-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

Even though this will increase the competition, I am going to share a great place to get a coupon for Old Navy. I know Old Navy isn't as "posh" as other stores, but they do carry some inexpensive stuff that can keep you looking trendy.

Old Navy Microsite

LINK ABOVE

Go to the website (link above) and try to find the hidden coupons. Sometimes it will be putting the arm back on a maniquin, sometimes it will be clicking on the squirrel when it runs by. They update it periodically which means the things you need to do changes too. When a certain coupon is claimed so many times it is not longer available. It will tell you at the top which coupons are taken and which are left. There is actually even a $75 off $100 coupon as well as a $50 off $100. Then there are percentages off such as %15 your total order. Check back often and hope that you hit it right after they update it. Good Luck!

Hair 4 my princess blog

2009-06-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

These are my two girls. The older one (in back) use to let me do her hair, but as she has entered her tween years I am lucky if I am allowed input. All part of growing up and learning independence, and that is okay by me.

The lovely thing is that I still have a 7 year old (the cute blonde in front). She will tolerate me doing fun hairdos every once in awhile, amongst a few squeaks and howls that I am pulling her hair. While we were at church, one of my friends told me of a site that has cute tutorials on how to fix your girls hair. I wil admit to spending more time than I should looking at the clever hair styles and planning my next attempt on my daughter. Since I have had so much fun, I wanted to share it with those of you who have young daughters.

Hair For Your Princess

These are just a few of the fun styles she shows you how to do...

And one of our favorites....

Book Review - The Long Walk

2009-06-21T22:38:00.000-07:00

I love to read! It is one of my guilty pleasures. I usually have at least 4 books stacked by my bedside, each with a book mark waiting for a few minutes (hours) of my time. You know it is a good book when you can close the cover after the last page and with a heavy sigh, wish there was more and know that you are a better person for reading it.

This book that I recommend today is called...

The Long Walk

by Slavomir Rawicz

It was recommended on a website that I sometimes frequent. I was a little worried that it might be to graphic as it talks about a few experiences this gentleman has as a prisoner during World War 2 and how he ends up in a work camp in Siberia. For those who are as squeamish as I, it was okay and didn't leave me with any lasting mental images.

The basic story line is that this Slavomir ends up at a work camp in outer Siberia. He is sentenced there for I believe 10 years. It is terribly cold and the conditions are horrific. He decides he is going to escape and gets several others to escape with him. This is his journey to freedom. This group escapes in the dead of winter so that the snow would cover their tracks. Always fearful of being captured by the Russians, they often walked at night. They marched south for about a year, crossing the Gobi desert and the Himalayan mountains and finally reaching India. What I love about this book, in world where reality TV teaches us to turn on your neighbor all in the name of survival, instead we learn what it is to be loyal and to help each other no matter what the cost to you. These men were in this trek together and helped each other along. There was very little quarreling and an imense amount of trust and friendship. I was also amazed at what they would/could do to survive.

This book has been out for a while, so I was able to check mine out from the library. So if you are in for some summer reading, give this a try. I hope you like it as much as I did.

FREE - Orange Julius and A & W Float today only!

2009-06-19T16:38:00.000-07:00

Better late than never. Today only, you can get a 20 oz. orange julius light smoothie if you print the coupon at the below link. You can also get a free rootbeer float at A & W between 2pm - 8pm, check link below for details.

Sorry for getting this out late, we are just getting out of school and have been B U S Y. Hope you can use these for date night or something :)

Orange Julius

A & W Rootbeer Float

Courtney's 8th Grade Dance

2009-06-19T14:15:00.001-07:00

What they heck? When did this happen? The last couple of years I have been focusing on gettting the boys graduated and on their missions. I turn aroun and tada... here is my little girl all grown up.

Courtney went with 3 of her friends. One of their dads got a lovely cadillac to chauffer the girls to and from the dance which was very nice and made the night a little extra special.

Courtney ended up wearing a church dress that she already had after spending an evening of shopping, trying to find something that was modest and that she liked. We did end up buying this little number with the hopes of altering it.

It was long enough, but obviously lacking sleeves. I had thought that perhaps we could find some matching fabric and make some cap sleeves, but the one thing that continued to bother me was how low the under arm and back went. So my daughter opted to wear another dress and she looked very lovely.

I do have some sewing experienc and have decided to attempt to sew a semi-formal dress just to 1. see if I can do it decently and 2. see if it will be acceptable to Courtney. This is what I have boughten and already I am not doing great as Courtney said the shiny fabric looked a little to "80's". From what I have read though, the 80's look is coming back, so maybe I am just ahead of my time :)

Courtney loves purple, so I did well there. The top of the dress with be straight purple with a black rouched sash and purple on the bottom with an overlay of the see through sequined fabric for a touch of bling.

I couldn't find one pattern that I liked, so I thought I could take the top from the pattern on the left (the middle one with the sleeves) and then the rouched sash from the pattern on the right (dress on the right of the patten) and then use the skirt from the right pattern. Wish me luck! We have several years of proms/homecomings so I we need to find some alternatives from buying off the rack as most of those dresses would be better seen on street walkers. I still don't get why mothers allow their daughters to go out on a date with a high school boy in dresses that have less fabric than my swimsuit. What do you think will be on that boys mind the whole night? Hmmm?

My son, Coty, was once asked what he would do if he ended up on a date with a girl in a dress that was revealing. His response was "It would never happen". When asked why? He said "Because I would never ask a girl out that would wear something like that".

I think it will definitely be harder letting my daughters date than my boys. Enter the next stage in my life... raising teenage daughters.

Fare thee well Coty - for 2 years

2009-05-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

I have started this post 100 times and then get side tracked. I think subconciously I know that when I post it, it will be true. Althought it was a week and a half ago we dropped him off.

So Monday we left to take our second son, Coty, to the MTC in provo to serve a mission for our church. He was called to the Argentina, Buenos Aires West mission. We have been getting ready for what seems like the last 3 months. He needed a total of 8 shots for immunization purposes. We bought him 2 suits, 8 pairs of paints and 10 white shirts.

We left Monday morning (having left the girls with my mom the night before) and drove the 12+ hours to Utah and spent the night with Mark's sister Cori. They are always very generous about letting us stay there when we come down. Tuesday we did some last minute shopping for black socks, name embossed on scriptures, snacks for the MTC and some personal items like mouthwash, shampoo etc. Then Tuesday afternoon we met up with my sister, 2 brothers and my sisters husband.
.

We had a yummy dinner at Tempinyaki (spell?) and visited for awhile. I love getting together with my family. We all have the same weird (and which we think is funny) sense of humor. We then headed to Steff's house for a little bit longer and then went back to spend another night at Cori and Mark's (her husband).

Wednesday Cori's husband fixed us belgium waffles with fruit. We had breakfast with their 3 kids. It is a lot of fun to see them and see how they have grown. They have such funny personalities. Finally off to the big drop off.

I knew this would be tough and really tried to prepare myself.

Here is Coty talking to a few last friends and letting them know his address so the could write him. He didn't have a problem giving up his phone (like some teenagers might), but he is really going to miss his friends. Especially the one called Black Mamba (that is another story all together).

The official drag everything you own and will use for 2 years down to the MTC. I remember this so vividly from last year and dropping Blain off. We even have this almost exact same picture of Blain. I was taking lots of pictures which kept me preoccupied and prevented me from grabbing Coty's pant leg and begging him to stay home and be my little boy just a little longer.

Now this is a funny thing. We cross the street and there is this big sign stating that this is the MTC. It is customary to get your missionaries picture in front of it. We missed it with Blain, so I was going to be darned if I missed it with Coty. Uhmm, but Coty wasn't that interested. Even after I told him that it was my last request, it finally took a few words from his Father to get him to do it. I think he was nervous and just wanted to get on with it. But doesn't he look nice. Well worth the extra 5 seconds it took.

This is where you drop your luggage off. I swear this same gentleman was there when Blain came. He was very kind. Another funny thing is, they leave the luggage outside and the missionaries pick it up after they separate from their parents. My idea was for Mark and I to hang out by Coty's luggage after we separated so that when he came out, we could have a few more moments together. Mark chuckled then grabbed me by the hand and drug me back to the car. Well didn't really drag, more like lovely encouraged with firmness and steadfastness.

Coty and his dad.

As you enter the building, they have one door for the parents, and one for the missionaries. As the missionaries come through their door, they get their name tag and a card with their mailing information. This time the also had a doctor on hand to told them a few new rules at the MTC because of the swine flu. One was no shaking hands. That would be a tough one.

Here he is as he entered the door. Yes, I was picture happy.

As Coty came through the line, they have seam rippers and the Mom's open the seam on the pocket so they missionaries can put their tag in their suit pocket.

Here is the final picture. Once you go down the stairs, you are asked not to take any more pictures. Coty wearing his name tag and the red dot which signifies his newbiness. They get to remove it after a day or so.

Finally we went and sat down. They played some "isn't it time for family commercials" and Coty saw several had to do with the father being so involved with golf he didn't have time for his family. He asked Mark why they were so negative about golf and was a little disappointed, in a funny sort of way. Finally after a few words from different people it was time to separate. They have one door labeled "missionaries" and one "family". They said that saying goodbye is like pulling off a bandaid, the quicker the better. I was doing well up until I stood up to give Coty a hug and the dam broke. I told him how much we loved him and supported his decision. Then as I was wiping my eyes with the wad of kleenex Mark had grabbed for me before we went in, I saw Coty's eyes start water and he said he needed to go or it would be to hard, and we did. We waved and left. I was on the verge of sobbing, but luckily my wonderful husband took me to the water fountain where I got a drink and was able to regain my composure. It as harder this time becuase my mind kept thinking.. Wow I have 2 boys out. I miss my 2 boys. But then I also thought about how I wouldn't want them anywhere else. Blain has been out for a year this month and I can't tell you what a wonderful, compassionate, mature person he has become. Serving a mission is a great thing for a 19 year old boy. So even though it is hard, I am very grateful they both made the decision and are not only going, but are excited to go.

Well, I made it through my post. So I guess life can officially go on. The great thing about this is, now I have ALOT more time to spend keeping an eye on my 14 year old daughter, which she is THRILLED about. I mean we are feeling the love around here.

Tardy on my posts

2009-05-15T09:32:00.001-07:00

I realize that I am slacking a bit in posting. It has been a very busy last couple of weeks. We are doing the finishing touches on getting Coty ready to enter the MTC on the 20th. I am happy and sad. It was a day of mixed emotions on Mother's Day. Well before I ramble on let me break it down.

The Saturday before Mother's Day, we went and helped paint the high school football stadium. My husband showed up at 7 am with a lift and started spraying what everyone called pink (but ended up drying a decent maroon color). I showed up at about 8:30 and there were a decent number of people. I helped paint the concession stand with my brother Tracey. I was pleased due to the fact my husband very rarely lets me paint and home because I make such a mess. As I was stating this to my dad, I happened to roll the paint roller across my tennis shoe. A little after 9:30 am we were getting close to being done and a lot more people had shown up. So I skipped out because I had a million things to do. I did find enough time to run the Banana Republic and buy a few clothes items for my husband to wrap up for Mother's Day. We decided that would be the best option. After he got home from painting he also planted my raspberries (another Mother's Day present). Then off to a youth council meeting at 6:30 pm and a stake youth dance at 8:30 pm. We were suppose to do the Hannah Montanna Hoe Down Throw Down dance but I forgot to burn the music to CD so we didn't have it but will do it next month for sure. Dance ends at 11:00 pm, with clean up we were out of there by 11:30 pm and home after midnight.

Sunday Coty was speaking in church on mothers and Courtney was accompanying the youth in our ward, the first time ever. It was lovely that Mark got to stay home with no early church meetings, so we just had a leisure morning. Got to church and after Courtney played perfectly and Coty did a great job on his talk I was finally able to relax and enjoy the rest of the meeting. After the meeting the mother's were given an herb plant (I got Basil YUM) with some brown paper wrapped around the base with some raffia (I will take a picture and post it because it was really cute) and there is a tag on how to use that herb and some nice things about mothers day. I love that present, and the young men put them together. Then home to get the mother's day call from Blain. WOW is he doing good. He sounded so great and positive. I am amazed at how much he is growing and his views on life. He gave Coty a lot of advice about entering the mission field. What another fabulous mother's day present to see your kids helping each other out. After the call, I made cupcakes then we went up to visit Mark's mother. Would have loved to stay since all the men in the family were making the women dinner, but we had told my mom we were coming to dinner (first Sunday of each month is Thomas family home evening, second Sunday is Butler family home evening). Run home get cupcakes and go to my parents house where we had a yummy dinner and enjoyed the afternoon with Tracey and family and my parents.

Back home to rest from our fun filled day. I am very grateful for all the mothers in my life. I have a wonderful mom who sacrifices so much for her kids. Always has. She is such a great example of how a person should treat others and the fact she can maintain a sense of humor through raising 6 kids, plus 2 extras is a wonderful trait. I am also thankful that when I married Mark, I also got another mother. I posted on here a while back about the time I called her crying because I thought Mark had been in a car wreck and she thought I said there was a rat and came right over to save me. That is the kind of person she is, always willing to do whatever is needed. She is very generous and kind person. I have been very blessed.

The rest of this week has been spent getting the last of Coty's immunizations (5 shots in one day ouch!), getting the last items ready, packing his clothes for storage, getting ready for Sidney's birthay party (which is today) and the YCL Young Women's camp kick off this Saturday. Sunday I get to help out with a ward conference then Monday we head down to Utah. It will fun to see Mark's sister and my sister. Wish we had more time to hang out, but maybe we can take some time this summer for a more extended stay.

I have one last post left from our last day in Boston which I will try to do before Monday. Then once we get back hopefully things will return to normal, whatever that is. :)

Hope your week was great too.

Free One Day Sam's Club Pass

2009-05-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

Here is a printable one day pass to Sam's Club. What I like here better than Costco?

Well they carry a lot of similar items, but they carry the Oscar Meyer bacon in 3 -1lb. packages. I also like their canned chicken breasts. Don't love their frozen chicken as much as Costco or their frozen tilipia fillets. Hamburger is a little leaner I think and they carry brisket. You can buy milk just 1 gallon at a time and they eggs come 18 to a carton as apposed to 24.

So print off THIS voucher and check it out for yourself.

Free Family Movies at Regal this summer

2009-05-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

REG Free Family Film Festival Beginning June 2009!When school’s out, kids around the country visit selected Regal theatres for the Free Family Film Festival. It’s a fun-filled nine weeks of movies for kids and parents. Since 1991, Regal has provided this service to the community, and best of all it’s FREE!

Selected G & PG movies start at 10AM each Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival. First-come, first-served seating is limited to theatre capacity. The Free Family Film Festival is safe, lots of fun and a great way for kids to spend a weekday morning in the summer.

Tickets for our 2009 Free Family Film Festival are exclusively available at select theatres’ box office on the day of the show.

Go HERE to find out what Regal Theaters near you are participating and what movies they are playing.

AUBURN SUPERMALL 17

06/23/2009-06/25/2009
Curious George (G)
Alvin And The Chipmunks (PG)

06/30/2009-07/02/2009
Space Chimps (G)
Madagascar 2: Escape To Africa (PG)

07/07/2009-07/09/2009
Wallace And Gromit (G)
City Of Ember (PG)

07/14/2009-07/16/2009
Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Veggie Tale Movie (G)
Evan Almighty (PG)

07/21/2009-07/23/2009
Kit Kittredge: American Girl (G)
Nim's Island (PG)

07/28/2009-07/30/2009
Horton Hears A Who (G)
Inkheart (PG)

08/04/2009-08/06/2009
The Tale Of Despereaux (G)
Kung Fu Panda (PG)

08/11/2009-08/13/2009
Everyone's Hero (G)
Surf's Up (PG)

08/18/2009-08/20/2009
Igor (PG)
Journey To The Center Of The Earth (PG)

08/25/2009-08/27/2009
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (G)
Bee Movie (PG)

TALL FIRS BONNEY LAKE

06/23/2009-06/25/2009
Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Veggie Tale Movie (G)
Evan Almighty (PG)

06/30/2009-07/02/2009
Kit Kittredge: American Girl (G)
Nim's Island (PG)

07/07/2009-07/09/2009
Horton Hears A Who (G)
Inkheart (PG)

07/14/2009-07/16/2009
The Tale Of Despereaux (G)
Kung Fu Panda (PG)

07/21/2009-07/23/2009
Everyone's Hero (G)
Surf's Up (PG)

07/28/2009-07/30/2009
Igor (PG)
Journey To The Center Of The Earth (PG)

08/04/2009-08/06/2009
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (G)
Bee Movie (PG)

08/11/2009-08/13/2009
Curious George (G)
Alvin And The Chipmunks (PG)

08/18/2009-08/20/2009
Space Chimps (G)
Madagascar 2: Escape To Africa (PG)

08/25/2009-08/27/2009
Wallace And Gromit (G)
City Of Ember (PG)

Cinco De Mayo

2009-05-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

So what are you making/doing for Cinco De Mayo? It is usually a great excuse to go out and have someone else fix your Mexican food. I have been wanting to try Mr. Jalapeno in Bonney Lake since my sister-in-in law recommended it as a fun little place. But seeing as it is a mutual night, we will be doing a quick celebration before everyone rushes off to their different places.

So this is what is on the menu for this evening...

Southwest Chicken Salad
(which I made several nights ago with rave reviews from the family)

Click HERE for the recipe.

Then I thought it would be fun to make some margaritas (non-alcohol type) for some festivist. We have done these in the past. You just add water to the margarita mix (usually there are directions on the back of the bottle/can), add ice then blend. Don't forget to salt the rim of the glass by rubbing a lemon or lime wedge around the rim and dipping in kosher salt. Very yummy and when served in a fun glass, your kids will love it.

Finally, I will make everyone stand up and doing at least one round of the macarena since I own the original CD which I purchased a bazillion years ago in Mexico while on a cruise with my mom, sisters and sister in law. In fact we had the taxi/tour driver drop us off at a CD store where I went in and tried in my best one year high school Spanish to tell him what I wanted. Finally our taxi/tour driver came in and helped in the translation so that I walked out with this... aaaah yeah baby.

Of course by the time I got the dance down, it was already headed out the door making way for some other trendy dance. It was fun while it lasted.

Happy Cinco De Mayo

Free KFC 2 Piece Meal Coupon

2009-05-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

NOTE: I heard that you only have until midnight tonight 5/6/09 to print your coupons, but then have until the 19th to use them. So don't wait!

Click HERE for coupon.

Yes my friends, another freebie for lunch. You can print off this coupon for a free 2 piece grilled chicken meal which is good from 5/5/09 to 5/19/09 (excludes 5/10/09 mother's day).

Coupon available for printing from 9am CDT 5/5/09 to 9:59pm CDT 5/6/09. Coupon is redeemable at participating KFC® locations in the U.S.

Terms: Free offer good for 2 pieces of Kentucky Grilled Chicken™ (manager’s choice) and two individual sides and a biscuit at participating KFC restaurants located in the U.S., while supplies last. Limit one offer per coupon, one coupon per person during offer period. Must be redeemed in person. Not good with any other offers. No photocopied, mechanically reproduced or altered coupons accepted. Coupon can not be sold or traded. Valid only if printed from UnthinKFC.com. Applicable tax extra. alfunctions of computer systems, servers or printers or lost or unavailable network connections. You are limited to 4 online prints of coupon. Coupon fraud is punishable by law.

Mother's Day - (heavy sigh)

2009-05-04T13:31:00.000-07:00

What do you want for Mother's Day is the question I have heard several times in the last few weeks. Why do I cringe when I hear it? Is it because I am a poor decision maker and can't decide? (I have been looking for a kitchen table for 5 years). Is it because I very rarely purchase things for myself and now have fallen into the funk of not being able to treat myself. I realize it is not fair to complain about what I did get or did not get if I don't even throw out a few ideas.

HELP!
What do you want for Mother's day? Any suggestions?

I think I want dishes. Some lovely white (but they have to be sturdy dishes because I still have children) dishes. They have square ones at Costco, but I wonder if I will tire of them and the mugs are a little weird looking. I also saw some at pier 1 imports. Not sure about the quality and they were a little pricey.

I would like my garden put in, but since Mark and I are in a little itty bitty dispute on where to put it, I think we are going to give up the fight and wait until next year.

How about all my flower beds weeded?
It would be fun to shop for some new clothes.... If I was 15 lbs lighter haha.

My biggest fear is that I KNOW that whatever I ask for I will get. If I told my husband I would like a 2 carat diamond ring, Boom, it would be on my finger mother's day. There must be a name for this condition that I have. I know it makes it difficult for my husband to live with.

Anyway, just looking for suggestions, or if you are trained in therapy, perhaps I could get a few sessions to find the underlying problem. That would be a lovely Mother's day gift too.

Wicked the Musical - here we come!

2009-05-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

I am really excited. This morning tickets for "Wicked" went on a special internet pre-sale and I got one for me and one for my daughter Courtney. It is coming to Seattle in September. I read before hand all the things I needed to do that might ensure me getting decent seats. At 8:59 am bam! I was there click, refresh, click, refresh and tada. I ended up with seats about 21 rows back in the middle right section. Not to shabby. I have wanted to go to this for a long time!

Just wanted to share my happy moment of the day with you.

If you are interested, there might be a few good seats left, maybe. Go HERE for the webpage and enter STG when prompted for the promotion code.

Free lunch at Dominos 4/29 only!

2009-04-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

Call your local Dominos before you go to make sure they are participating. As you can see at the bottom of the picture it says at participating locations only.

You don't need a copy of this, but I would take one in just in case.

Also don't forget tonight is .31 scoop night at Baskin Robbins 31 flavors.
Between 5-10pm get up to 3 scoops for .31 each.

Boston - Coty runs The Boston Marathon 2009

2009-04-28T09:14:00.001-07:00

After we picked up Coty's big, he and I ran down to where they were setting up the finish line. This was the day before the race so there was quite a bit of activity. We got a shot of Coty in front of the finish line. I kept telling him to imagine himself running through it. Part of success is being able to visualize it. He of course only heard his mother saying "blah blah blah blah" j/k

That night we went home, set 3 alarm clocks and got to bed early. It seemed all to soon that the alarm was going off at 4:45 am (remember we are at a 3 hour time difference to technically this was 1:45 am our time). We rousted everyone out of bed and got out of the hotel by 5:20. Not to bad since 5 of us were sharing one bathroom. After entering the city, we had to find out where the buses where to take the runners to the starting line. The buses only take the runners. We would have taken him to the starting line but when Mark asked someone the day before where the best place to park would be, their answer "in your garage". Since that wasn't an option, we decided to camp out at the finish line since it isn't feasable to watch him start and get into Boston, find a parking spot, then find a spot to watch towards the end.

We found the buses. Of course they weren't hard to locate since there was a bazillion of them. We should have counted. Figure around 25,000 people need rides and how many people per bus. Trust me, the line looked like it went on forever. If you look close you can see the buses through the front of our window as we are driving.

After we dropped him off and yelled all our good lucks, we went to find parking. Parking is very expensive. I think the most we paid was $31 for 4 hours. We went in an underground parking garage under the commons park and slept uncomfortably for 2 hours. We saw and heard other runners coming and going all around us. Mark was impressed that one runner got out with a bib numer in the 100's and commented on it several times as we saw them lock up their vehicle. Sidney chimmed in what something about "yes, but is he handsome?" Not sure where the came from.

Finally we couldn't fake sleep anymore, so we got out and headed to find a place at to camp out. As we were walking along Boylston street (where the race comes in) we saw them unloading huge pallets of banans, water bottles, bagles and other snacks for the runners when the finish.

We finally found our spot. It was pretty cold, high 30's low 40's with a pretty good wind blowing. It was 8:00 am, so we got some Starbucks hot chocolate and a couple of pastries to share. Realizing that we were in for a long wait, Mark ran to a local Walgreens and purchased $10 lawn chairs for us to sit in. They ended up being a great investment. Not only where they great to sit in for 5+ hours, but they kept people from shoving us out of our spot as more people came.

This is where we camped out.

We got pretty excited when we started seeing the police getting organized. We knew the first wheel chair races should be coming in. They start earlier than the runners and they have a faster pace. Here are the policemen getting their assignments down by the finish line.

Here was our policeman. We got to know him pretty good and he was pretty entertaining. He was giving the people next to us, who were from New York, a hard time because of the whole Yankess Red Sox competition. He had a heavy east coast accent and red hair. He did say he didn't like his picture taken (that was after I got mine) because everything ends up on Youtube these days.

As time went on, more and more people started gathering. We were watching the individuals standing in office buildings overlooking the race course and trying not to covet them eating snacks and being warm.

Because we had so much time on our hands, you get the opportunity to look around and notice things that are unusual. My husband and kids were really amazed at this guy who held this yoga pose for a long time. He was on the top floor balcony of the building opposite of were we where.

After an hour, we decided it was a statue because he held that pose all through the race. We got a little chuckle out of that.

Another picture of us freezing and holding our free cow bells they were giving out to ring in the races. Can't you see the enthusiasum on our cold faces!

And the first wheel chair races comes in. It was pretty exciting. People were cheering, yelling and ringing those "loud" cow bells.

Then came the first women. They starte the elite women off before the men. The elite men are at the front of the line of the first wave of regular people.Elite is anyone with a number 1-100. Regular people's numbers start at 1,000. I guess if you are really good, you get your name on your bib. Coty's goal for next time.

They have a TV crew and motorcycle policeman in front of the elite runners.

Then came the elite men.

And Ryan Hall came in 3rd.

Here is Coty! We thought we were going to miss him because there was getting to be more and more people coming through. We also expected him a little earlier. I guess the starting line was a little confused and he didn't make his wave, so he hung back and ran with another wave. Thus he started later than we thought. The chip they were given doesn't activate their state until they go throught he starting line, so his times were accurate. We yelled, we cheered and ran our cow bells and he didn't hear any of it.

A few other highlights...
Here is a guy who ran the Boston without any legs. Pretty impressive.

Another highlight was men from the army who ran it. I guess they weren't officially registered and they started earlier than any of the other runners, but they ran the 26.2 miles with their full packs on. Amazing!

We made our way down to the finish trying to meet up with Coty at our designated spot, along with 25,000 other runner's families and fans. On the way we saw the piles of blankets they were giving to the runners as they came through the finish line.

We had to go down several side streets before we finally ended up close to where we were suppose to meet Coty. By then he had gotten back to his bus, picked up his bag of belongings and called us on the cell phone. We talked as we walked trying to find common points so we could join up. Then tada... there he was! Walking a little stiff but happy he had finished.

If you recall, about a week and a half before the Boston, Coty had put an ice pack on his hamstrings becuase they were tight and sore. He fell asleep and left it on to long ending up with first and second degree burns. We took him to the doctor did everything that was prescribed in hopes that he would still be able to run the race.

The night after he ran, we were taking the covering off his burn and knew we had to get a picture of it, that way you will be all the more amazed at what a great job he did under painful conditions. Here is his leg the evening after he ran.

COTY'S 2009 BOSTON MARATHON RACE RESULTS
3 hours 27 minutes and 5 seconds
He placed 6,368 out of 25,000 people

My husband heard that there are approximately 7,000 people who are not registered who jump into the race at some point along the way just for fun. We did see people come through with interesting outfits, superman costume and carrying flags. It was a great experience and we are proud of Coty.

Boston - picking up the bib

2009-04-27T08:07:00.000-07:00

We drove 30 minutes to Boston to pick up Coty's bib number at the convention center. Since we were unsure of where to park, Coty and I were going to run in and get his packet while Mark sat in the car out front with the girls. Once we got inside, we knew it would be a several hour ordeal. It was like walking into Disneyland the first time, but for runners.

As we entered, there was an aisle. Not really knowing where we were or where we were going, Coty headed down that direction. We came upon a giant TV screen and the announcement that they were going to be starting the show in a few minutes. That is when I got on the cell phone and told Mark to find a place to park, we were going to be there for awhile. The show was a first hand view of the course as taken from a car in sped up time. This was great since Coty was still trying to figure out what to expect while running. We knew there were some tough spots on the course. If you notice at the bottom of the screen, it shows the elevation as you run.

We then headed over to pick up his packet. They had rows and rows of tables with letters of the alphabet on the front of boxes with people checking you in. There were quit a few people but it was very organized so it didn't take to long.

Coty and Mark headed over to the Adidas area to buy Coty a cool "Boston Marathon 2009" sweatshirt. My son says one of the main reasons for running these races is to get the shirt. Since there were tons of people and we were all getting a little cranky from having to elbow our way around, I took the girls on an excursion to see what else was going on. We ran into Mr. Hoyt from "Team Hoyt".

If you haven't seen his video, it really is a must. When he was around 40 he decided to run a race with his disabled son in a wheel chair. After he saw the reaction on his sons face, he knew he wanted to continue doing this.

We also saw Brian Hall who was a hopefully to take first. Every year it seems that it is either Ethiopia or Kenya that takes fist. In the end Brian ended up third. It was exciting to see him at the expo and then to see him as he finished the race.

There were lots of other booths there geared specifically to runners. Energy bars, tools for taking cramps out, special socks, GU packets, shoes, other marathon advertisements. It was very festive and a lot of fun. Just what we needed to gear up for the big race.

Salem, Boston continued

2009-04-27T07:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I was going through my pictures of our trip to Boston and though I needed to add a few more from Salem. After visiting the witch museum's we went down by the water. There was a pepper mill and candy store that was suppose to give small tours. The pepper mill was closed and the candy store looked yummy, but the candy was $28.00 a lb. To rich for my blood. There was a small store called Cat The Crow & The Crown which is suppose to be owned by a real witch. Coty, Courtney and I wandered in there but didn't stay to long. It was a little erie and besides there was some excitment outside when an ambulance pulled up and took away a lady who was choking at a local restuarant.

Mark had taken Sidney down by the water to look for sea shells. We caught up with them after calling Mark 129 times on his cell phone, okay it was only 3, but I am getting highly suspicious that he always has his phone on to call me, but I can never get ahold of him. Maybe it was the supernatural surroundings in Salem. We walked down to the water looking for them and peaked over the edge of the concrete barrier and tada....

Sidney was successful in her shell hunt and managed to coerce her father into taking 5 of her "best" shells home.

All the while, Courtney spent time spelling "Courtney Rocks" in the sand with the toe of her shoe. It was a little windy but we were enjoying it.

After searching for our long lost dad, we happened across this cool looking pirate ship. Since we are fans of Pirates of the Caribbean we needed a picture. This is their "got a little captain in you?" pose. I realize that is from an alcohol commercial, blame that kind of humor on their father.

It was all going well after that until Coty tried to make a break for the ship to steal it like Captain Jack Sparrow. Then he realized he still needed to run the marathon and came back a little disheartened.

So that officially wraps up our day in Salem. The roads are a little confusing and we ended up going about 30 minute the wrong way when headed back to our hotel. We did find a Costco to buy Gatorades and protein drinks for Coty. We also bought a pizza and headed back to the hotel. We were still ajusting to the 3 hour time change and were getting a little sleepy. Courtney, Sidney and I went swimming in the pool. All in all a pretty fun day. At least we kept Coty's mind off the marathon for a bit.

Back to the Dentist

2009-04-23T20:28:00.000-07:00

So I had what the referred to as a small cavity that needed to be filled. No problem, no anxiety, just go in, get it done and move on with life. Easier said than done. Do you ever get concerned when you go in and there is a "new guy". He begins by attempting to numb me up. I was concerned because he didn't jiggle my cheek when administering the medication. I am sure that is something they teach you in dental school. "Now grab that cheek just like you are someone's grandmother and give it a good shake". Yeah, not so much this time. He left for a bit and came back ready to get this done in record time. Normally I am not apposed to a quick cavity fill, but this guy seemed fresh out of dental school and was going out for the award for "most cavities filled in one day". As soon as the drill hit my tooth I KNEW/FELT I was not nearly numb enough. Holy Schmokes. Besides the smell of burning tooth matter, feeling something drill into your tooth and hit a nerve. I think I would rather pluck all my toenails out with tweezers. So he administered some more nummer and a few minutes later got out mister drill again. It was a no go. At this point I was considering hitting the road when no one was looking. I was completely on edge. He gave me some more nummer and the lady attending him asked me if I had had breakfast. I guess if you have an empty stomach, your body metabolizes the medication faster and it makes it harder to numb you up. WHO KNEW! SO EAT before you go to the dentist for a filling.

Finally, 3rd time was a charm. I think he shot something different into my gums because I felt this incredible shocking feeling, something like electric prickles through my lips and cheek. He then ground my tooth out, filled it and left the lady attendant to file it down.

It took until this evening for my jaw to denumb and now my tooth is a lot on the sensitive side and my jaw is aching. Thankfully I have 6 months until my next visit. Hopefully it will be a bit like childbirth and by the time my appointment comes in August, I will have forgotten how horrific this experience was.

40% off Spaghetti Factory on Tuesdays

2009-04-23T08:17:00.000-07:00

To celebrate their 40th anniversary, the Spaghetti Factory invites you to come in on Tuesdays for lunch or dinner and receive 40% OFF on their Pasta Classics. This special menu will be available every Tuesday from March 31st, 2009 through May 26th, 2009.

Here is a LINK to their website giving the details.

Free Kentucky Grilled Chicken

2009-04-23T08:08:00.001-07:00

On April 27th you can stop by any Kentucy Fried Chicken and get a free piece of "grilled" chicken. I guess they are trying to change their image and show they have items that are more healthy. I heard the grilled chicken is pretty good.

So if you are out and about, drop in and give it a try.

Here is a LINK to their homepage so you can check it out before you go.

Boston or Bust - Salem

2009-04-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

So after a long flight with a quick, as in 30 minute run to our next gate quick, layover in Washington D.C., we finally made it to Boston. Actually we flew into Manchester and drove about half way down to Boston, Andover to be exact, which is where out hotel is. flying into Manchester and staying outside Boston saved us a whole slew of money. In fact I called out hotel before I booked and asked if they had a managers special and they knocked off another $20 a night. So give that a try if you are going on vacation. I told them the cheapest rate I could get it on priceline (which was the cheapest price on the internet) AND THEN asked if they could beat it and if they had a managers special.

We got in about midnight, discovered that United had ripped off the bottom of my 7 year old's suitcase. Of course they said because it was not "part of" the suitcase they couldn't cover it. Did I also mention that she was giggling up a storm when she told me this because another employer was telling her a funny joke. I would also go into them messing up our bags, but am going to focus on the positive.

Finally got to our hotel about 1 am, checking it, got to bed. We of course all just fell asleep. We are still trying to adjust to our time change of 3 hours so we will be ready for the big race day. The hotel offers a lovely breakfast each morning which includes make your own waffles, eggs and sausgage, hard boiled eggs, danish and doughnuts, oatmeal, cold cereal, hot chocolate and juice. So that saves a lot of time and money. The next day we decided to go down and check out Salem since we knew that wouldn't be a whole day thing.

We went to a place that presents a play depicting the Salem witch trials. They took the information straight from the court transcripts. This is outside the Witch Dungeon Museum.

This is where Mrs. Proctor was accused of being a witch by her servant. I guess over 150 people were accused and 20 were put to death.

After the play they took us down to the "dungeon" (insert erie music here). Sidney was a little freaked out and Courtney became my best friend down there. Here we are entering down into the recreation of what the dungeon looked like. I guess the actual dungeon was a few blocks away but was built over the top of to make way for a phone company about 50 years ago.

This is one of the cells if you were poor. It was just big enough to stand up in and maybe sit down in.

Here is John Proctor who was also accused with his wife. They told him to confess, but he refused. So they put a board on his chest and started adding rocks. They would load another rock and tell him to confess. He would tell them to go ahead and add another rock. It took him 3 days to die this way. Basically he was crushed to death.

A little further on, in another cell, you could peak through the window with bars and there was a figure rocking back and forth. I figured it must be mechanical but the fact Coty stood there watching me expectantly made me suspicious until the figure jumped at the window scaring the crud out of me. Coty thought it was funny but said when the figure did that to him it freaked him out. This was also one of Coty's favorite parts of the exhibits.

We went to another place called the Witch History Museum. It was kind of similar. A fellow told us a little about the Salem witch trials then took us downstairs and showed us through some different scenes that were made up of dummies. Good information but got a little slow as time went on. I guess in October this becomes a crazy town with teenagers and people dressed up and running around town. While we were there, it was interesting but not really a full days worth of excitment. We decided to head back and get to bed early. Plus promised Sid we would go swimming in the hotel pool.

I will post about todays happenings (which includes picking up Coty's bag, number and shirt at the convention center) and running around Boston a little bit. We don't want to tucker the runner out to much.

Tax Day Promos

2009-04-15T00:45:00.000-07:00

It is officially April 15th. You have until the last post office closes tonight to get your tax return sent. In the mean time, don't forget all the good deals that are out there to hopefully buffer the pain of sending your money to the government to bailout more companies.

CINNABON - Taxes bite! from 5 pm to 8 pm, Cinnabon will be giving out free bites. Only at participating locations.

TACO DEL MAR - Taxes suck, taco's don't. Enter your email to get a free taco coupon. I recommend having a junk email address for this and other such offers.

MCCORMICK & SCHMICKS - Tax relief day. Every tax payer gets a certificate for 10.40 on entree menu or bar food menu.

Other upcoming freebies of good deals...

BEN & JERRY'S ICE CREAM - April 21st is free cone day.

PRETZEL TIME - April 29th is national pretzel day. They will be giving away one free regular pretzel (one per customer) all day until close.

31 FLAVORS ICE CREAM - April 29th is .31 scoop night. From 5 pm t0 10 pm you can get scoops of ice cream for .31 each (some locations limit the number of scoops).

Ahhhh the squeak is gone!

2009-04-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

Mark and I make a great team. I guess that happens after 23 years together.

So my Maytag Neptune dryer has had this horrific squeak.
(By the way, this isn't my actual dryer. I couldn't take a picture of it since it is in the laundry room nearly hidden amongst the loads of laundry that need to be done. Okay it isn't that bad, but it isn't pretty enough for a picture either)

It started out kind of small, but as time has gone by it got worse and worse. It ended up sounding like someone dragging their fingernails down the chalkboard over and over and over again. Everyone held of doing their laundry unless it became an absolute necessity because of that dryer sound. I took it apart twice, figured out what the problem was, lubed it twice, but nada. It sounded okay for about 5 minutes and then the grate on your nerves screeching.

I took it apart again and figured out what parts needed to be replaced.This was the culprit. Notice the one on the right is discolored and worn out.

So I got online, ordered what I needed and yipee, they came in the mail today. I broke the dryer down again so that when my husband got home, he could quickly replace the parts before he had to run off to his 7 pm meeting. I then replaced the front and the door. I added a wet sweatshirt, closed my eyes, pushed the start button and ahhhh no screeching. Just a drumroller going around and around drying my clothes. You have never felt heaven until you fully appreciate a quiet dryer.

Now to get caught up on all the loads of laundry that piled up while we lived in avoidance of the mind numbing noise that prevented us from getting it done.

Happy Birthday Mark

2009-04-14T20:21:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was my husband's birthday. We have both been extremely busy lately and basically tag teaming each other. Not sure this was what either of us signed up for when we got married, but luckily we like each other alot and we take turns having our frustrations or in my case emotional breakdowns.

Easter Sunday my mom had us over for Easter dinner and we celebrated a combined birthday of Mark, Sidney and Aunt Carol. Then last night Mark's mom brought over a cake and we had another celebration and opened presents.

I sure love all that my husband does for me and what a great father he is to our children. There is no one else that I would rather be married to and share my life with.

Happy Birthday!

Faker?

2009-04-14T20:07:00.000-07:00

After raising 3 other children, how am I getting dupped by this child? Yesterday she stayed home from school, no TV priviledges (didn't want to make staying home to much fun) and she had to lay on the couch or her bed all day. I got comments like...

"If you faint, do you die?"
"Would you even care if I died?"
"Can you come rub my tummy?"

So after she was up having a good time last night, I decided she was going to school one way or another. She again got up crawling down the stairs moaning and groaning. I got her fed, bathed, dressed and taken to school. She looked pretty good and I was thinking I made it through another motherhood obstacle. Until the school called and said she was in the nurses office. My dad picked her up since I was in the shower and missed the call. He dropped her off at the house and she made it in and to the couch. I say 30 minutes later she was walking around chatting up a storm.

Here we are tonight.

Painting her fingernails and toenails in between harrassing her sister. Hmmmm, highly suspect.

Birthdays, dancing and puking... and oh how it burns

2009-04-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

Sometimes does it feel like you are cramming a whole year into one weekend? I spend Thursday and Friday straightening the house and getting food ready for my 14 year olds "Rockband" birthday party on Friday night. It was all going well and according to plan. I welcomed the girls, set food on the table then tried to stay out of the way so as not to "embarrass" the birthday girl.

Coty had taken a 12 mile run in preparation for the Boston Marathon which is officially a week from today. He came home and iced his hamstrings since they have a tendency to give him fits. The next morning he came down and showed me the back of his leg. He had left the ice pack on to long and ended up burning his leg. We took him to the walk in clinic only to be diagnosed with 1st and 2nd degree burns. We got a prescription for silver cream and were told to wash it and apply the cream every day. They also recommended that he shouldn't run the Boston. We are taking it day by day and seeing how it turns out. We are a little bummed and Coty is kicking himself for doing something like that so close to his race. It is one of those things you look back on and know you shouldn't have done any of the things you did, but it is to late to change it. So we will just move forward from here. It actually was looking better last night. We might have to take him in tomorrow and get the dead skin removed. We will see. We aren't completely ruling out running, we have the plane tickets and will definitely be going, we just hope that 9 days will be enough time for it to heal. We will see.

Then after spending all day Saturday at the walk in urgent care clinich. I came home, tried to tidy the house and get ready to go to the youth dance that night. An hour before I left, Sidney started throwing up anythign she ate. I had to get my husband to come in from hanging lights in his barn to help me out with her since I had to go (we were going to be short handed at the dance as is). I felt bad because Mark has been trying to do his lights all week, with no time to do it. But he was a trooper. Got home about 11:30 from the dance and slept in Sidney's room so I could hold the bowl each time she started throwing up again. We missed Easter Sunday, which is sad because I really could have used something like that.

But we survived! And even though it rain bucket loads the last 2 days, it is actually semi decent today. Oh I lied, I just looked out the window and the rain is coming down once again ...err no wait it is hail. I hope that isn't a sign for events to come. I think I will go crawl under my covers for 15 minutes and have a pity party. Then put on some lively music and get some things done that will boost my spirits.

What I want for Mother's Day...

2009-04-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

I have finally decided what I want for mother's day. I figure it really isn't to early to start dropping hints, especially when on the day of my birthday I dropped a hint about noon asking my husband "Do you have anything to say to me?" His response "I'm sorry?". Good shot in the dark schnookums.

I want one of these...

and one of these...

and yes, I am being greedy. I also want one of these...

I would have them all installed in my kitchen and then I could speak into the mic and call out "number 69, number 69, does anyone have number 69?" and when my spouse or one of my children holds up their number, it will be their turn to complain or walk all over me. Okay, it really isn't that bad, but I have considered going on strike a couple of times. It must be what they call the "new math" at school. One mother is equal to cleaning up at 5 other human beings. I am not complaing. I actually think it would be pretty funny. But I also thought it would be funny to buy a whole fish from Pike Place market and put it in my ditch out front. Then when I was waiting for Sidney's bus and someone was passing in a car, I could look down in the ditch like something caught my attention, jump in and pull out a giant salmon. I would then flop it around like it was alive. Wouldn't that be funny.

Just so you know, I come from a long line of people with odd sense of humor.

Updated on Coty as he runs the Boston...

2009-04-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

We are down to a little over a week until Coty runs the Boston Marathon. Glad it is him and not me! Anway, a few people were interested in getting updates on their cell phone as to how he is doing. You may register to receive updates using any email address and/or any US mobile phone number. Alerts will be broadcast from the 10K, Half and 30K checkpoints, and the Finish. Normal text message rates apply.

Go to this LINK

Then enter his Bib #4782 and his birthday is 01/26/1990. On the next page you can add your cell phone number to get notifications. Please don't delete any of the phone numbers already there.

Thank you!