Under Construction!

Harry Potter Party

2011-04-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

Alec's Harry Potter Party - So much fun!!!

Invitations. (I did it in a fancy script font, but I can't figure out how to get it into google docs.) They turned out pretty fun. On the front I printed the Seal, and on the back is the boy's picture.

Wands were made. From these 4 simple materials I got these 20 wands! Each one unique!

Robes took me awhile to figure out. I know how to do it in a complicated way, but simple took a little longer.

Take one (or 12) Men's large black t-shirt.

Cut it down the center front, sew on a clasp and a Hogwarts patch and Voila...

a Robe fit for any Hogwarts student!

Platform 9 3/4 is a couple of large cardboard boxes opened up and sponge painted to look like bricks. The flaps face each other and then kids can run through a solid brick wall. It was a huge hit, the kids spent the first half hour or so, running through the wall, around the lawn and back through the wall.

Transfiguration Class - I cut hats of of a roll of black craft foam and glued them up the back. Transfiguration class consisted of making a plain black hat into a fancy one! (courtesy of sparkley foam star stickers and markers)

Care of Magical Creatures was a little game of Charades with animals as clues and Owls as prizes.

Potions class - I decided to to a project kind of like a lava lamp, using these instructions they work pretty well. We used small empty water bottles, that way each student can take theirs home. I prepared the bottles beforehand using Mineral Oil instead of the Vegetable variety, I liked that it was clear instead of yellow. I used bottles with colored water (red - Dragon's Blood, green - Salamander Secretion, blue - Flobberworm Juice, orange - Horned Toad Venom). So the kids added the colored water up to a line I made on the bottles and then added a little piece of Bicorn Horn (also known as Alka-Seltzer). This was the favorite activity.

Muggle Quidditch - One regular sized red ball (quaffle), 2 very large but soft green balls (bludgers), and two soccer goals. We divided up the kids, gave some ground rules, and they were off! At least three passes, you can't grab the quaffle from another player, If you get hit by a bludger you freeze for count of five and if you have the ball, you have to drop it, ball changes teams after a goal. Two parents, stand on the sides and referee, and throw the bludgers.

Lunch - Pizza (ordered in) and butterbeer (cream soda watered down with a little pelligrino)

Snitch and Lightening bolt cupcakes. Yellow gumballs with white icing wings and Yellow Starbursts rolled thin and cut into lightening bolts.

Honeydukes Sweet Shoppe - for the final treat, I put bowls of treats in the dining room and as each child left, they went "shopping"

Since you can not buy Chocolate Frogs any more, except in Florida, I had to make some. To make them a little different, I added some chocolate pop rocks, they turned out great, and the way they jump around and sizzle in your mouth is quite fun.

Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans - now known as Bean Boozled

Jelly Spiders Owl Poop

Golden Snitch Jawbreakers: Take very large Jawbreakers, wrap in plastic wrap, and tape on some white feathers.

Baby Things

2011-04-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

I have had a lot of fun the past few months making clothes for the new addition to our family, my niece, Evelyn Joy.

This was the first completed project

Of course it looks much better with a real baby in it!!

It is sooo soft and cozy, I am now working on another one, a little bigger!

You will notice in many of the following pictures that I decided to use Evelyn's stand in, as she was not yet ready for a photo shoot!

Jammies were next and after the first few, which were made from this basic pattern and some nice adult T-shirts, they turned out cute, but not quite what I wanted...

So...
I made an investment (which I have been wanting to do for awhile) in a Kam snaps setter! I love this thing.

It is a monster! really heavy duty but awesome.

It puts in 4 piece plastic snaps that are really strong, wash well and come in great colors. They work great also for diaper covers. (which I may be making in the future)

I love a great cozy sleepsack (wearable blanket) these zip.

My sister requested a Boppy, and I happened to have one lying around, but the cover was used and not very girly, so using a couple of soft flannel receiving blankets and the old cover as a pattern,

I made this one.

I also love Baby Legs and I found a great tutorial, and made these out of adult knee-highs! So much fun!

I didn't take a picture of the before of this one. It used to be a man's dress shirt from a thrift store. The collar and cuffs were shot, but the material was great quality cotton and in beautiful condition.

I added a little linen collar and red heart buttons, and used the existing buttonholes and buttons for the back of the dress, I even removed the pocket and put it on the front, so cute!

Most baby towels are ugly, they are really thin, rough terry cloth in cutsy colors and little animals on the hoods. I decided that I could make nicer ones, so I bought some really soft thick white bath towels and some brightly colored hand towels.

Then to my stash to pick some great prints for the binding. I had never made bias tape before but found some awesome tutorials.

By combining this one for the cutting and sewing part with this one for the folding and creasing part I made quite a lot of custom bias tape.

These are what I ended up with.

Last but not least Evelyn's Blessing Dress ensemble.

It all took awhile, but it was worth it in the end.

The top of the dress

The bottom of the dress. There was a lot of dress in between the top and the bottom.

I don't actually have pictures of Evelyn in the dress. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures that day. I will post some when I get them.

When the dress was done, I decided she needed a nice blanket to go with it.

I'm Back...hopefully to stay

2011-03-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

So, it has been awhile, and although I don't have one great excuse, I do have many pitiful ones. (not in any particular order).

Work
Travel
Holidays
Sleep
Reading
Facebook
Sewing/Crafting/Crocheting
Procrastination
Laziness

I have taken lots of pictures, thinking of posting them, but just haven't done it.

So...now it begins. Here are posts to come...

baby clothes and projects
Baby Evelyn and Utah
Tahoe
Cooking
Books and reading
New Calling
Birthdays (these are in still in the planning stages so hopefully I can keep up)

I made Jam!!

2010-08-30T22:38:00.000-07:00

Ryan and I made a much needed Costco trip today, and the Plums and Strawberries looked sooo good. But I knew that much fruit would go bad before we could eat it.

Therefore...Freezer jam.

First, had to find recipes for plum and strawberry jam, I decided on these.

I started with the plum, I made a half batch, and used a lot less sugar, only 1 1/2 cups!

I split my first vanilla bean, it was really hard, next time I will find one that is more fresh!

The strawberries really foamed!!

At the end, this is what I got, and it is really yummy!

Life!

2010-05-08T00:12:00.000-07:00

I don't think life is ever what you expect it will be, something is always different, plans we make at 16 (20, 25, 30...need I go on?) however noble and good, seldom pan out the way we think they will.

I have known this for a very long time now, but it often hits me again just when I least expect it and never in quite the same way twice. In addition, it usually takes me awhile to realize that what I am dealing with is the same thing as before, just in a different dress.

This has not been as easy year for me, and I have not dealt with my issues and problems very well. Revamping my blog is one of the ways I am attempting to reconcile my life and feelings at this point.

As stated above, this is for me. I am trying not to think too much about other people peeking in, but I would appreciate input. In my attempts to journal or document anything, I tend to fall off quickly, knowing that family and friends are out there and care about me, even though I rarely contact them helps greatly!

My goal for this blog is to post at least 3 times a month, at least one of those must be personal, about me, not what I am doing so much as why and how I feel about it.

Tom, Dick or Harry

2009-02-27T21:29:00.000-08:00

Now that I own and ipod, and it actually has music on it, not audio books, I can do this!

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Put your iPod or other music player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the NEXT button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

If someone says, "Is this okay?" you say? Summer Wind (Michael Buble)
What would best describe your personality? Weeping (Josh Groban )
What do you like in a guy/girl? Long Long Journey (Enya)
What's your life's purpose? Not a Day Goes By (Lonestar)
What is your motto? I'm Alright (Kenny Loggins)
What do your friends think of you? I Love Being Wrong (Colin Raye)
What do you think about often? I Hate Men (Kiss Me Kate cast album)
What is 2+2? More Than Words (Extreme)
What do you think of your best friend? The Bridge of Khazad Dum (Howard Shore (LOTR))
What is your life story? And So It Goes (Billy Joel)
What do you want to be when you grow up? Wishin' and Hopin' (Ani DeFranco)
What do you think when you see the person you like? Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Michael Buble)
What do your parents think of you? River of Dreams (Billy Joel)
What will you dance to at your wedding? Pooh Corner (Kenny Loggins)
As much as I like this song.....not.
What will play at your funeral? Indian Outlaw (Tim McGraw)
What is your hobby/interest? Lenningrad (Billy Joel)
What is your biggest secret? I'll Never Fall in Love ( Mary Chapin Carpenter)
What do you think of your friends? No Wonder (Barbra Streisand)
What is the worst thing that could happen? Shannon is Shot (John Williams (Far and Away
album))
Appropriate
How will you die? Dreams (Cranberries)
What do you regret? Shadow of the Past (Howard Shore (LOTR))
What makes you laugh? The Way You Look Tonight (Michael Buble)
What makes you cry? Immortality (Celine Dion)
Will you get married? Happy Ending (Princess Bride)
Just wondering...does that mean yes or no?
What scares you? Drifting (Enya)
Does anyone like you? You Don't Know Me (Michael Buble)
If you could go back in time, what would you change? The Way He Makes Me Feel (Barbara Streisand)
Who?
What hurts right now? An Innocent Man (Billy Joel)
What will you post this as? Tom, Dick or Harry (Kiss Me, Kate cast album)

Well, now you all know what music I listen to! Nothing by Josh Groban showed up though

Book Recommendation

2009-01-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

I have just finished, yesterday, a wonderful new book! It's one I probably would have discovered working at the bookstore but otherwise not, since I tend to rarely read "new" books. My book club however, has pushed me to read some more recent authors than Dickens and Austen and most of them, I have enjoyed.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, is wonderful historical fiction in epistolary form. It takes place immediately after WWII in London and the Channel Islands. It reminded me in some ways of 84, Charing Cross Road, (which if you haven't read, you should). I didn't know much about what happened during that time period in the Islands and neither does the main character, Juliet, an author in London. She begins a correspondence with some inhabitants and learns their stories about the German Occupation of the Islands and their survival. Their Literary Society was formed spur of the moment to explain why they were breaking curfew, and it goes from there.

It is a very compelling narrative with wonderful, full-fledged characters that I sympathized with and cared about. I highly recommend this book to all. It is an easy read and well worth the time.

Christmas and New Years

2009-01-04T22:25:00.000-08:00

Well the holidays are over, the regular schedule resumes tomorrow and I barely took any pictures.

Mom and Dad and I went to Emily and Chris' home for Christmas Eve and Joy and Richard Mann were there too. Emily made a wonderful dinner and lots of goodies! Mmmmmm! We watched "The Forgotten Carols" and sang lots of Christmas Carols.

Rachel and Keith flew in on the 25th. Seeing them for Christmas was great, they were able to visit for a while and although their trip out left some things to be desired, it was fun to have them in California. Emily and Christ were there also, of course. Both of my sisters (and their husbands) gave me beautiful necklaces this year. It was very nice, low key and simple. It was a very nice Christmas.

I had fun helping Alec and Ryan get in the Christmas mood, we made an Advent Calendar, snowflakes and tree ornaments for mommy and daddy.

We enjoyed driving around looking at all the lights and decorations, singing carols and talking about baby Jesus. Do you know why Mary put Jesus in the manger?Alec does, "because there was poop on the floor"! I had never thought of that reason before, but it does seem logical!

Aren't they gorgeous?

Ryan always asks for two different songs at night now, "daddy" and "baby" (I love daddy, he loves me... and Away in a Manger)

For Christmas I gave them a box of dress-ups. A couple of store bought ones, fireman and train engineer, and a whole bunch of pieces of fancy material. Lots of fun!

For New Year's I joined my work family in Napa, it was a large beautiful house and many of their friends with children joined us. We had a marvelous time.

Ward Christmas Party!

2009-01-04T22:17:00.000-08:00

So some of you have heard about my ward Christmas Party, (and some of you were there), but the video of "Once there was a Snowman" has now been edited and posted on YouTube! So here it is.

I think my favorites are Kermit, Cosette and John Denver!

The rest of the party was fun too, lots of good food, company and music, and of course Santa showed up!

Halloween Pictures

2008-11-04T17:13:00.000-08:00

So here are a few pictures from our Halloween.

This would be My Costume!!

I put alot of work into that :)

But I put even more into these!!

HOPE YOU HAD FUN...WE DID!

2008-10-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

Sarah...this is for you!

My 8 Obsessions right now...

1. Finishing Halloween Costumes

2. Jigsawflash.com (so much fun)

3. Trying to keep my very small space organized (with all my stuff)

4. Reading...as always

5. Doctor Who

6. Alec and Ryan

7. Finishing the afghan I started in June

8. It's me or the dog! (I don't know why, I'm not really fond of dogs, but I like the show)

8 words or phrases that I use often

1. Cough!!! Cough!!! (does that count?)

2. You get what you get...you don't get upset!

3. Whining gets you NOTHING!!

4. Bus! Ryan, Bus!

5. Please stop running in the house.

6. What does the (insert animal) say?

7. No Problem

8. I love you

8 things I want to do before I die...

1. Finish these Halloween Costumes...LOL

2. Get Married

3. Raise a (my own) Family

4. Visit Italy

5. Live in England

6. Cruise Alaska and Norway

7. Buy a house

8. Finish reading all my Books! (I am almost finished with R)

8 things I want or need right now...

1. Student Loans to be paid off

2. A Guy! :o)

3. To spend more time with family

4. Mani/Pedi

5. Massage

6. Lose 30 pounds

7. Ben and Jerry

8. Clean out my Craft Closet

8 people I tag..

1. Alpha W.

2. Natalee M.

3. Melissa E.

4. Nicki C/B.

5. Emily M. (double tag)

6. Rachel J. (double tag)

7. Jasmine C.

8. Shannon R.

My List

2008-10-27T20:25:00.000-07:00

Well I have done way less than half...I better get on the ball.

39 Things I've done

...Things I've done and Places I've Been to (Mine are in red and bold)
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child (in the process of )
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (Toquerville, Ut)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (in the process of)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check(s)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt (it only says pieced, not finished!)
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (School newspaper counts right?)
85. Read the entire Bible (& Book of Mormon)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating eewww...
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Augggghhhhh!!!

2008-10-20T11:47:00.000-07:00

While researching exactly how to make this year's Halloween costumes (Bruce and Nemo) I came across this picture!

Poor Nemo!!!

Beach Bums

2008-09-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

P.S. (thats pre-script) to make this all make sense, you must of course read in the order posted. Start with Birthdays and move up through the blogs!!

So Grandma died and although I was expecting it, it was hard. I actually had a pretty good time in Utah in spite of the reason for being there. I saw old friends from high school. Stayed with Rachel and Keith. Saw Aunts, Uncles and cousins I had not seen in many years and met their children.

I flew back on Friday night after the funeral and the next morning set out on 101 for Newport Beach. We had an awesome vacation, two whole weeks in a great beach house in a fabulous location. The house was right on the beach just about halfway between Newport and Balboa Piers.

The only thing between the sand and us was a pathway (boardwalk) and people
watching was a favorite pastime for all of us.

We used the boardwalk quite a bit ourselves, riding bikes, and walking down to the piers.

Ryan enjoyed the sand, but often used it as a snack.

Between the sand and learning to use a fork,

he got a lot of baths!

Alec played lots of frisbee and football, beach ping-pong. There was a great playground and we also found lots of shells on the beach. (the kids found even more exciting ones in the house, but sadly they had already been found by someone else!)

We went down there with lots of plans about visiting lots of parks and sites, but we ended up mostly just enjoying the beach.

The second week though we did start getting out a little. The other family staying with us had 4 boys (9, 6, 4, 2) and we had lots of fun. Alec and Elliot (4) became fast friends and Luke (6) really liked Ryan.

Crystal Cove is a beach a between Newport and Long Beach, it has some great tidepools to explore.
The kids found crabs, anemones, and lots of shells and cool rocks.

Ryan enjoyed it as well, but mostly kept trying to make a getaway into the water!

Disneyland was, of course, a must, I stayed home with Ryan and Emerson (the 2 year old) and let the parents take the four older kids. That way everyone had a good time. The babies had good, long naps and got to play with all the toys without older kids taking them away, and nobody had to change diapers at Disneyland!

Here we are at the beach, I tried to get one with Alec and me, but I could never catch him, he is tooooo fast.

walking to the 4th of July

2008-09-11T20:29:00.000-07:00

Ryan pretty much started walking on his birthday, got way better in Chicago and when we got home he was a master!!

Well...maybe not a master...notice the biff marks on his nose and there is a fading bruise on his forehead. There is also a large knot on the left side of his head. But he doesn't look too upset about it.

Summer also means swimming lessons, we actually got a few sessions in between trips.

They love swimming.

Then we took off for Deer Valley, Utah for the 4th of July. Another family came with us Steve and Anna and their Children James (3) and Frances (1).

We had lots of fun, watching the Parade in Park City, taking rides to the top of the mountains on the gondola and playing in the snow.

It was a long trip and we all got a little tired by the time we were going home.

Chicago

2008-09-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

Kim, the boys and I went to Chicago at the end of June. We stayed with Kim's mom Mary. The weather was great and not too humid.

Mostly we stayed around the house and Alec worked hard helping grandma.

Washing recycling bins, mowing the lawn and washing the car!

Alec enjoyed playing with the hose (I love his way of controlling it).

Ryan enjoyed the hose as well... and found the water very tasty!!

Mmmmmmmm!!

We took the train into the City and went to the Children's museum, Ryan played peek-a-boo and Alec caught fish!

Baths and Bubbles are always the best way to end the day!

Birthdays

2008-09-11T10:32:00.001-07:00

We started with Alec's 3rd birthday and his train cake. Kim found a great cupcake pan that make the train cars. It was a big hit.

Then came Ryan's 1st birthday, much smaller party, just family, but we had fun.

Ryan had cake at Alec's birthday, but frosting was new!

He enjoyed it alot.....So did Alec

Before and After!!!

He demolished it, we ate the rest.

Newport Beach

2008-08-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

Well...I don't have any real pictures yet, but I love this place. We are right on the beach, only the boardwalk is between us and the sand. I fall asleep and wake up to the sound of the surf!

This is just a random house on the street, but it gives you the idea of where we are staying, the sand starts just to the left of the walkway there.

Tuesday morning I watched a pod of wild dolphins for an hour, they were maybe 50 feet off shore and there were probably 10-12 of them, including a mother and calf. They were swimming and fishing away from the others up shore.

Today Ryan and I walked down to Balboa Pier (where the original Ruby's Diner is) and we were watching a sea lion steal fish from the people who were fishing. He is getting to be more and more fun. He loves to walk and look around, he has recently discovered airplanes, birds and buses. Plus he is sooooo cute!

The actual beach is awesome! It is really flat so you can go out a long, long way (except for the occasional hole...I've fallen in a few). Mostly the waves seem to be pretty mild with very little undertow. Today, however, I went out at high tide and it was a different story, I was glad I took the boogie board or I would have gone under (being the strong swimmer that I am...not). They were great boogie waves though, took me all the way in, totally awesome dude!!

Andrew, Sarah and the kids are coming out for the day on Saturday and I am really looking forward to spending the day with family.

I just realized that I left my camera cord at home...so pictures will have to wait!

Goodbye Grandma

2008-08-12T17:37:00.000-07:00

My Grandma passed away yesterday morning. She would have been 96 on September 23 of this year. Grandma was my last living grandparent and one of the few left of that generation in my family. I leave for Salt Lake City tomorrow and look forward to seeing family and sharing memories, especially with my cousins.

This picture was taken almost 20 years ago!! but this is how I remember her, she was 78. She always wanted the family parties at her house. I remember birthdays, blessings, baptisms and especially holidays. Even an ordinary Sunday afternoon as a child was usually spent at Grandma's we would go straight from church, change clothes in the spare room and play, haunted house in the basement, or colored eggs in the neighbors front yard (they must have gotten sick of us). We climbed the apricot tree and played in the sandbox. That's where we grew up!!

I remember standing in her kitchen watching her make wedding cakes. I was fascinated by her hands as she made hundreds of icing roses, over and over. She tried to teach me, but I couldn't make it work. She took me with her once to deliver one to the Lion House. I had a great time. I remember asking her to make me a wedding cake for my 8th birthday and she did, 3 tiers and covered with roses. I was worried she would die before she could make my real wedding cake. I guess she did.

I remember very colorful yarns quickly being worked into afghans and many other items. Her fingers moved so fast.

When I was young her hands were always busy, cooking, writing, crocheting, petting her dogs, holding children. The last few times I saw her I noticed her hands were now quite still. It made me remember.

I will greatly miss her...Goodbye for now Grandma.

(Purple is her favorite color)

Update on my life

2008-06-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

Well the wedding is over, Mom's dress got finished and worked well, Rachel's curtains are done, and the receptions were wonderful! Wheww!

So I've been putting the house back together, the house cleaner's usual misplaced items have been added to by the temp nanny and Kim. That's a job all in itself, not including the laundry and shopping which I got to do this week with Ryan in tow. He's sick, horrible cough and his nose is like a faucet, poor kid. So not only all the usual Monday errands, but he couldn't go to "school" so he was with me and I worked on both Tuesday and Wednesday as well. I didn't mind so much because I've had so much time off the last couple of weeks, and I think he's doing a little better. Doing his darndest to climb on everything and walk around too.

My next project is packing for Chicago. Kim, the boys and I are leaving on Tuesday and will be back on Sunday. This is not the time of year to visit the Windy City. Way tooooooo HOT! But then it's not so much the heat as the humidity! and Tornadoes.

I will be in a hotel room by myself instead of staying with Kim's mom with Kim and the boys. We are planning on having a great time. It will be the first time I've been back since my mission!

I am Tired!

2008-04-30T16:55:00.000-07:00

I have just spent the last day and a half at mom and dad's house, starting to get ready for an open house!!! I must say the place is actually looking pretty good and will be wonderful by the 6th, hopefully before!!

The flowers are very pretty and colorful and that horrid shed is gone, the broken gate is down and there is a path of pavers next to the house. Soon the trees will loose their diseased branches, the deck will be scrubbed, boxes will be packed, clutter will be organized, curtains will be rehung, windows will be washed and selected walls will be painted!!

The main issue now for me is the side yard, I don't know what to do with it, but we'll figure out something.

Now my focus is turning to Virginia, I can't wait to see my 'little' Rachel again soon, I am so proud of her and have really missed her alot. Not that you would know that from how much I talk to her!! :(

Anyway, Emily and I fly out of here on the red-eye Thursday night and mom and dad will pick us up (along with Keith) on Friday morning!! Fun, Fun, Fun!! :-D

What a Day!

2008-04-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

Well...yesterday was lots of fun...

It started out well, I left the house early, but not too early, to go to the city to a fabric store where I hoped that on one of the four floors I would find the right fabrics for Mom's dress.

I parked right outside, read the parking restrictions and put 12 quarters in the meter to give me the 1 hour limit. I went inside and after some looking, found what I wanted, bought the fabric and was outside in 50 min. Awesome!!

Only when I got out there, my car wasn't there. My first thought was that it was stolen, but then I remembered I was in San Francisco and checked the parking restrictions more carefully. What I had read as No parking trucks with 6 wheels or more...etc. Actually said No parking except trucks with 6 wheels or more!!

!!!!!!!!!GREAT!!!!!!!!!

I called the number listed on the meter and over the sounds of traffic got the address of the car yard (4 something Harrison). So I started walking, luckily I was wearing good walking shoes, instead of the flip flops I had been planning on wearing. I walked about 8 blocks south to Harrison, then turned left and walked about 7 blocks east, but the numbers skipped from the 500's to the 200's. Confused, I called the number again and heard 4-something 7th street, at Harrison. So I turned around walked the seven blocks back up Harrison and continued 4 more blocks to 7th, and there it was, plain as day. My feet hurt!!!!

I couldn't remember my license plate number, but when I said it was within the last 2 hours and was on Geary and 3rd, she found it very quickly. $245 later and I was on my way home. Now I just have to pay the $60 ticket and it will be only a memory!!

Mom will have the 2nd most expensive dress at the wedding!!

Interesting!!

2008-03-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

I saw this quiz on Melissa and Darin's blog.

What American accent do you have?

Your Result: The Midland

"You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.

What American accent do you have?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz">

I've never even been to those places for more than a couple of days. Northern Illinois and Indiana, yes, but not southern. Whatever. Maybe it's because i read so much??

Another book to read!

2008-03-09T01:01:00.000-08:00

As you know I hate reading...okay fine, it's what I do almost all the time, but the two (BOM doesn't count for this) I have been reading for quite a while now are driving me crazy (see the left column of my blog). I like them, but they don't keep me awake to read. I fall asleep just a couple of pages in.

So yesterday I decided to start another book to break it all up a little. I am now reading the first book the only Orson Scott Card series I haven't read yet (I think), the Alvin Maker books. Chris said he liked them okay and I thought I would give them a try.

They are definitely another rip off of church stuff, only this time it's Joseph Smith. There are place names like Suskwahenny and Carthage City. It is also a alternate history of that time period, with magic and stuff and different territories. Different countries kept some of the colonies they started and so the geography is a little different. Pretty interesting so far.

For Fans of Star Wars or Children!

2008-02-29T14:30:00.000-08:00

I just saw this video on YouTube and thought it was enjoyable and adorable!

OKAY...IT WORKS NOW!!

!!MEXICO!!

2008-02-09T11:12:00.001-08:00

Well, here it is, my trip to Mexico.

Some of you may not have known I was going, that is because it was a surprise for my boss, by my other boss (his wife).

The surprise went off well, Patrick had no idea what was going on. Until 1:00 am on the day we were leaving he still thought we were going to New York.

Because it was a birthday trip there were many more surprises for Patrick, six other families, their friends from business school joined us, as well his sister and her family. Kim and Patrick sat in first class, so I was in coach with the kids and all the other families. It was fun.

We went to a penninsula about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta called Punta Mita. There are many different resorts there, and we stayed at a private estate called PalmaSola .

It was incredible!

View from the breakfast room. All the common rooms are situated, so that at least one side (the one facing the ocean) is open.

Setting up for dinner on the beach, every night we had dinner in a different location.

They threw a pinata party for the kids. There were lots of great toys inside instead of candy, which was nice, because of Alec's allergies.

So there were alot of people and alot of kids (12).

Kim arranged for 5 additional nannies to help out. Thank Goodness!

Alec really enjoyed the pool and the hot tub.

Ryan mostly enjoyed his toes.

When it was time to go home and I had packed everything for the plane, Patrick decided he didn't want to leave!! So we got a couple of rooms next door and the Four Seasons for a couple more days. Soooooo Coool.

We went on a lizard hunt and found some iguanas, by the pool. The geckos were on our patio.

The pool was very cool!! Can you tell where the pool ends and the ocean begins?

We saw Humpback whales breaching and blowing on their migration north,
but the pictures didn't turn out very well.

Anyway, I had a fabulous time, even if it was a working vacation for me, I was on 24 hours a day for 6 days. I was so tired when we got home! But not as tired as my boys.

Aren't they cute?

Alec (Almost 3) Ryan (7 1/2 months)

Time to Post Again!!

2007-11-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

Well I have now started my third week in my new job (pictures to come) and am loving it!!

Most of the time I get to hang out with Ryan, just made 5 months, and we have tons of fun!! He smiles all the time and is really sweet, very cuddly, a very satisfying baby to hold. Right now we are working on spending more tummy time so he can figure out that difficult rolling over manuver.

I haven't gotten to spend alot of time with Alec , 2 1/2 years, yet, he goes to preschool everyday, but when we do get to hang out we have fun, he is a super soccer player and loves CARS, cars and books. He loves to have fun, fun, fun.

I am getting to do alot more cooking than ever before, not just baking - although I do that too - but actual meals. I actually made Rattatouille last night, and it was pretty good, if I do say so myself. I have to try to think of things that Alec will and can eat and that will also reheat well, so that I'm not making a huge meal every day. Finally, I can put my cookbooks to good use.

Another Day...Another Post!

2007-10-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

Disobedience to consience is voluntary; bad poetry, on the other hand, is not usually made on purpose
C. S. Lewis

I like this quote. It reminds me that our bi-monthly poetry readings here at the store are not meant to be painful!!

MOVING ON!!

2007-10-26T18:25:00.000-07:00

Well I have a new job!!!

Starting Nov. 5 I will be working (and living) in Menlo Park Ca. with a great family. Mom, Dad, and 2 very cute and sweet boys, Alec (2 1/2) and Ryan (4 mos.). I was down there this last weekend for a working interview and it was great! Kim (the mom) is really nice and we get along really well. Unfortunately Patrick (the dad) was out of town, but I guess I'll get to know him later.

I am so excited, finally I'll be able to start paying off those student loans!! WooHoo!!

TAGGED BY EMILY

2007-10-11T20:17:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been awhile and this is a good excuse as any to post again!

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago:

Recovering from a bad car accident, Grave's disease and Depression (fun, fun)
Working as a nanny in Oakland
Freaking out about turning 28 (almost 30!)
Trying to go to school
Having a hard time believing it was my 10 year H.S. reunion

5 Things on my to-do list today:

Job interview
Vacuum the house
Try to actually finish a crochet project
Return magazines (at work)
Reorganize my netflix queue

5 Snacks I enjoy:

Ben & Jerry's (esp. Phish Food)
French Fries (really crispy)
Lifesavers (esp. butter rum)
Black Bean tortilla chips
Dreyer's Turtle Sundae ice cream

5 Songs I know the lyrics to:

Where is Love (Oliver!)
How Great Thou Art
The Wind Beneath My Wings
Everything from The Frog Prince w/ the Muppets
Almost anything by the Sherman Brothers

5 Things I would do if I was a millionaire:

Buy a house
Pay off my Student Loans (and other debts)
Help my family
Travel (everywhere)
Humanitarian Aid

5 Bad Habits:

Snacking all the time (see above)
Watching movies
Spending money
Not returning phone calls
Not staying in touch with almost anyone

5 Things I'd never wear again:

Bell Bottoms w/ red and yellow stars on the cuffs
Overalls
Leggings
Sweaters down to my knees
Baseball Jerseys

5 Things I like to do:

Read (almost anything)
Watch Movies (see above)
Walk on the Beach
Crochet/Knit (see above)
Play Mahjong on the Computer

5 Favorite Toys:

Raggedy Ann (my Rag...from childhood)
Fisher Price Little People House
Serger/Sewing Machine
Car
DVD Player

5 People I tag:

Jennifer
Alpha
Sarah Henderson
Debora Gilmore
Katie Thompson

Now to see if any of them carry it on!!!

Relief!!

2007-08-14T17:21:00.000-07:00

Well I am not on the Jury!!
Last Tuesday I had to report for jury duty in the morning, we were informed it was a murder trial (with intent and a deadly weapon as well as burglary) and would last 3-4 weeks. That afternoon my number came up first and so I was juror number 1. They did some preliminary questioning like, do you know any of the witnesses etc. and then told us to come back Monday at 2:00.

So yesterday I went and sat around again while they did some more preliminary questions like, are any of your family in prison...yes..., have you ever had a crime committed against you...yes...how did you feel about that? Then the real fun started, the D.A. started his questions and the subject of alcohol came up, I informed them about my views on the subject, but of course the D.A. didn't have a problem with my views.

This morning the Defense did their questions and let me go when I said that I felt any drinking was irresponsible and that I felt no matter what people should be held accountable when they have been doing something over which they have control, just because they, as a result, lose control doesn't matter much to me. I very soon went home!:}

Not that I mind serving, but a month long murder trial I'd rather not.

IT'S HERE!!!!!!!!

2007-07-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

Well Harry Potter is finally here and the crazy work week is over. It was incredibly insane!! Fun...but insane.

On Friday night we had at least 500 people in our little store and it was really packed and really hot. The puppet show was unfortunately a bomb, too much noise and no one could see. (besides...when we turned the lights out, I'm sure stuff went missing!) The wand duel went really well, an 11 year old girl won...apparently she was really good, I'm sorry I missed it, and Snape was a hit. My co-worker Shannon did a fabulous job of playing it up!

But at midnight came what everyone was waiting for. We sold books until almost 2:00 am and then had to clean up that huge mess. Finally at 2:30 I was home and started reading, at 4 I was falling asleep(when I fall asleep reading the new Harry Potter...it's time to go to bed) and I began reading again at about 10:30 when I woke up. At work I was able to read a little bit, a couple of chapters, after work I started reading again at 9:30 and finished at 1:00 am. WOW.

Unfortunately I didn't wake up on Sunday until 11:38 which made church a bit fat OOOOPs!

I don't have pictures of the party yet and I am not sure how many there will actually be, we were very busy, but I will try to post some.

I saw it!

2007-07-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday morning I went and saw the new Harry Potter movie!. There was hardly anyone in the theater (comparatively) and it was pretty good, Umbridge stole the show. I won't spoil it for the rest of you, but like all the others there is of course a lot left out! Lots of stuff I was really looking forward to seeing. But I liked the Ministry of Magic and the battle at the end was pretty good.

After the movie I discovered my battery was dead I left the lights on...who expects rain in July!...so I was late for work. Mom very kindly came and let me use her car while she waited for AAA.

Soon the back room at work is going to be full of these boxes (we're getting 700 books), with two slight differences, they will say Deathly Hallows and July 21,2007!!! It is going to drive me mad...to have the books right there and not be able to read even one!!!

The party is shaping up too, I'm very excited and trying to remember all my curses and counter curses so I can judge the dueling contests and decide who wins!! I am making pumpkin pasties and we will have butter beer. Professor Trelawney will be present with her crystal ball and it's going to be great!!!

A Woman's Perogative

2007-07-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

I've changed my mind!!

Yes I have decided to drop my math class...8 hours a day for a class I have already passed now seems a little much. I really didn't think I would be spending that kind of time on it. Yes I know you told my so--thanks, Emily :)

I explained to my teacher and he agreed that just working on my own and e-mailing questions would probably suffice for a review. He was really great about it. So now I will have a summer after all...not that summer at this point in my life is much different from any other time of year but there you go!!

I am really enjoying my online class though and am going to sign up for the sequel for fall as well as an exercise class of some kind.

Work is weird...when I showed up on Saturday I was informed by coworkers and by a note on the back counter that our single remaining assistant manager from before the "change" was 'no longer employed by the company.' We all took that to mean that she was fired, because she would have said something if she wanted to leave. This left us all feeling a little unsettled and creeped out, wondering what was going to happen next, I'll let you all know what happens.

Reality bites big!

2007-06-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I spent the entire weekend doing math-no exaggeration!

Saturday I started at 8:00 am and stopped at 12:00 then went to work. Sunday I started at @ 1:00 and finally finished at 11:30!!
Admittedly I was doing make-up, but 10 hours on 2 assignments seems a little extreme.

The main difficulty seems to be figuring out my calculator.
I have a nice TI-89, but the kind boy who left it 4 months ago at Copperfield's (where I work), didn't leave the manual, how rude was that! So it is trial and error, mostly 'error'. The math itself seems to be coming back now though which is helpful as the first test is Thursday.

I haven't been able to do any knitting all week, the callous on my left index finger is starting to go away, and I will have to develop it all over again. Not fun. Oh, well.

I thought I'd put up a couple of pictures of some of my hats, along with a couple of cute kids.

School!!

2007-06-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

Well, my first 2 days of school are over, I can't believe I'm doing this again. I think it will be fun though, it's not like I haven't taken math before, but it's been awhile and I seem to have forgotten alot!

I don't have my books yet, that will have to wait until tomorrow (payday) and so I'm working from copied pages of a classmates textbook, just the questions, not the whole chapter. This makes for problems when I can't remember things like the rules for absolute value or whether complementary angles add up to 90 degrees or 180.

The teacher says to plan on 40-60 hours a week, with my 40 hours of work and my online class, she says @10 hours a week, that makes about 100 hours, that leaves 68 hours if I sleep 8 hours a night, that's a whole 12 hours left for a life, see I can do math!!

Yarn and more yarn

2007-06-16T15:35:00.000-07:00

I have been knitting and crocheting for a while now and am building up quite a collection of little hats and things, I am trying to decide what to do with them as there are not enough baby showers to keep up with me.

Pretty soon I am going to bring some into work and see if I can do some consignments there and also try a kids store over by G&G, the owner seemed interested.

I think Bunnies, flowers, and pumpkins will all do well as well as some simpler styles. Well I guess we'll see what happens.

I am also finishing up my fair entries, that should be fun!!!!

And so it begins...

2007-06-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided to join many of my family members in the blogger world and put my life on the internet!

So, I got back from Utah where I went to visit Allen, April and their boys and to drop of Rachel's car so she will have it for the summer and for her drive back east in a couple of months, she seemed to think the drive would be easier with a car. Unfortunately I remembered my camera as I was driving into Sacramento so no pictures of the trip, only memories:(

The weather was fabulous, snow over Donner Pass and rain the first couple of days, but then warm and beautiful in Mapleton. I always forget how much I love and miss the mountains and the Aspen trees, and then I am there again and wonder why I ever left, then I remember the beach and California weather, How do I get everything all in one place?

The boys are so grown up - even Jacob who let me know several times that he was NOT LITTLE!!, and also very busy, luckily they were out of school so I got to hang out quite a bit with them. You know...help them search for their birds who got out of the house, watch them throw horseshoes at eachother ( I mean at the horseshoe poles) and watch Cars and Pirates of the Carribean 3.

I also saw Grandma up in Salt Lake. She seems to be doing really well and getting around pretty good, she is using a cane sometimes instead of her walker, and although she didn't know who I was at first, that may be because I didn't tell her I was coming.

I finished a hat for Rachel while I was there, I hope to get Allen to take a picture and then I can post it.

Well back to work. Lunch is over