You have to visit.....

You all have to visit my sister's blog. She has done such a great job of documenting this Christmas season. She has been here from Maryland since the 11th. So if you are interested in the goings ons of our family check it out. It's a lot of fun.

Merry Christmas

What a great couple days it has been. Right now in the background i'm listening to Chris eat some of the breakfast casserole we made this morning, Heidi and Krista are singing along to the High School Musical Wii singalong. It is a big hit here this morning. Earlier we were all doing Dance Dance Revolution on the Wii. That was a blast. The girls are happily enjoying their gifts and I'm enjoying lounging in my pajamas.

I have to mention our Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. It was so nice. I sang with the choir and it was a great program. It really filled my soul with the spirit of Christmas. It was a great lead up to yesterday- Christmas Eve. We watched "It's A Wonderful Life, had a nice dinner, read the Christmas Story in Luke and then read Rudolph the Red nosed reindeer right after. After the girls were asleep we went into action. Pulling out the hidden stash of stocking stuffers and Santa gifts. Makenzie loved helping. She has been helping for a few years fill her sister's stockings.

Well, i just wanted to take a moment to let all of you know that I am so grateful for the birth of our Savior. What a gift it is. My gift to him this year is to work on being more patient with my children and to have more dedicated personal prayer.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Girls Gone Wild...or at least the 7 year-old

Tonight we all headed to the mall to do a little Christmas shopping. Krista and I headed one direction and Chris took off with the girls to do some supposed shopping for mom. I say supposed because after a little while we ran into the girls in a jewelry/accessories store. They were all happily shopping for themselves. I was looking around thinking "where's my husband?" I asked our youngest one where dad was and she said that he was sitting down because he was tired. The youngest was also very excited to tell me that she had bought a cup that she had "ALWAYS wanted." Her face was beaming as she reached into her bag and brought out this:



Krista and I started laughing hysterically. Heidi didn't get it. She didn't understand why we were laughing. Her face kinda fell and we had to reassure her it was very pretty indeed. At this point the husband walks over and I point out what his daughter has purchased all on her own while he was resting. We had a good laugh over it.

I love my sister

I don't know how I would be getting through this week without my sister. For the past two days she has dropped me off at work and then taken my van to go run MY errands. She has addressed packages for me, mailed packages for me, bought Christmas gifts, made caramel corn, cleaned my kitchen 6 times already, made a cute little snowman gift box filled with goodies for a friend, mended a skirt of mine that has been hanging in my closet for 5 months because I didn't want to take the time to fix it, cleaned out two of my purses, wrapped gifts, returned items to Michaels and Target for me. And I'm sure there's more than that but I think you are getting the point. Without her my children would have no stocking stuffers. I am so grateful for her presence in my life at this moment that I just want to take a moment and shout for joy. Let's add on top of all this that I've gotten a terrible cold that has settled in my chest. So I haven't exactly been a bundle of energy. I'm behind on reading blogs so i'm going to go now and do some more of that. She can't do that for me.

Ah....Life

I have so much to post about that I'm not sure where to start. It's been awhile. My sister Krista arrived last Tuesday and it's been a whirlwind ever since. Our furnace stopped working last Monday and so we've been very busy trying to resolve that problem. Luckily we have a gigantic woodstove that heats our house very nicely. We have an emergency supply of wood that we used up and then the furnace guys arrived on Saturday morning to give us a new furnace. Chris and I couldn't believe that this happened to us 1 month after closing on the house. It's Murphy's law huh? But we have a new furnace now and just in time to enjoy the rebates and tax credits. (That's what we are telling ourselves to make it a little less painful) Upon arriving home on Saturday morning to find two men in my garage I wanted so badly to take a picture of them working for my blog. One of the men would put a plumber's crack to shame.


Yesterday my sister and I did some baking. We made these yummy cinnamon rolls from Pioneer Woman. If you have not checked this blog out then you need to. She is a fantastic writer and a great cook. I have been dying to make these little gems ever since Merilee gave me a pan of them. I ate the whole pan. The entire pan. Not a morsel left over for another member of the family. So last night when they were complete, i took my fork and a pan and settled myself on the couch. My sister said I couldn't do that so I sadly put them back on the counter and took the one little one she put on a plate for me. The funny thing is that Chris didn't even bat an eye at my attempt to eat the whole pan. Funny and sad. They are sinfully good. You will never want to share. We also made some great toffee that Krista found a recipe for in Sunset Magazine. You sprinkle sea salt on top along with melted chocolate and nuts. So you get that salty sweet taste that makes you want to run over and kiss the first guy you see. Luckily for me that person was Chris.





I have a crazy week ahead. Don't you all? Family get togethers, meals to cook, work, delivering gifts, shipping gifts. Yep, you heard right, I still have to ship a couple of things. I'm a little behind this year. But hey, i got all my Christmas cards out. I'm feeling pretty good about that.

Dear Ponytail girl,

I see you. Every time I'm on the treadmill at the gym, I see you. With your pony tail flipping back in forth in front of me. You are probably a size 0 and it's as if you are saying, "Don't hate me because i look fabulous in these short, tight, black shorts and skimpy matching tank top." Yes, ponytail girl, I DID notice they were matching. And I did notice how hard you were working. The sweat said it all. But do you have to swish that hair of yours on purpose? Can you not just do your thing on the elliptical without bringing all this attention to yourself? The guy next to me couldn't take his eyes off you. I thought he may trip on the treadmill but he didn't. I used to do the same thing with my long locks. I remember when we had to do this long run in JR. HIGH and I would run and swish my ponytail at the same time. I felt that certainly I was the prettiest girl in gym class. But since you are at least 25 would you please just STOP? I can't stand it anymore and I may bring my machete with me to the gym next time and before you know it those locks of yours will be gone. I'd be in jail too but at least i wouldn't be in there with you ponytail girl.

Photo Shoot

Recently while at dinner with a bunch of friends my friend Mahina mentioned she would love to start a photography business. I volunteered myself to be her first customer. So last Saturday while it was snowing many places and was freezing cold I made my family go out and endure the weather. Let me add here that i wouldn't let them wear coats. Mahina is standing at our door and the conversation inside our house goes something like this:

Mom: Hurry girls! Get your shoes on, Mahina's here!

Mom to Heidi: No, put your coat away, you are not wearing your coat.

Heidi in a whiny voice: I wanna wear my coat.

Makenzie: Mom, it's freezing outside.

Mahina: It's pretty cold out there.

Mom: I don't care, you aren't wearing coats. You can endure it for the amount of time to get a few pictures.

Heidi starts to cry: I want to wear my coat!

Mom losing her patience: Just go get in dad's car!

So this is how it started.



Makenzie was so mad at not being able to wear a coat that Mahina had to say something to get her to laugh.



When it's in black and white you can't tell how red our noses are.



I love this one.



And this one.



This was the last one she took. See how red our noses are? It was really cold. But we endured it and only one of my children got pneumonia from it. Sadly it was Heidi who wanted her coat the most.

I love the pictures and Mahina did an incredible job. Our families will be so happy to see someting recent of us on their walls and desks!

Why only my whites?

I had a weird dream last night. One of those dreams where you know it's crazy but just can't wakeup or don't want to because you are enjoying it too much. In this case i was probably enjoying it because I had a laundry lady that was dying to do my laundry. But she only wanted to do my whites. Maybe it was our lovely underwear she wanted to admire. I'm not sure but she REALLY wanted to do my laundry. She kept approaching me over and over asking me to hire her. I kept telling her no until Chris steps in dressed like a medieval knight and says it might be a good idea. Maybe he figured he would have his clean underwear quicker if i wasn't doing it. I then ask her if she has a special way of washing our whites. After all, that seems to be her specialty. She says, "No, i just wash them in the washing machine." Hmmm, interesting, and then my alarm went off. I really wanted to ask her what was so special about her washing technique but I just didn't get the chance.

Outta here

My mom just called a little bit ago and said that my stepdad was in the hospital. He went to dialysis this morning and during it, his blood pressure went so high and his heart was racing so fast that the nurse called 911 and had an ambulance come and get him to take him to the hospital. He is in alot of pain from a lot of different things. They don't know exactly what is wrong. I'm going to go down to be with my mom. I decided to post about this because i don't really have time to call different people and tell them I'm leaving. Keep him in your prayers. He told my mom yesterday that he is ready to pass on. He has been so sick for a long time and is just ready to be done with it all. It's hard on my mom. I need to wait until Chris is done hanging our Christmas lights outside before i go. I mean, what if he fell off the room while i was driving and we had an emergency at home? My brain is working like this today. On a good note however, we had our family pictures taken this morning. They are going to be so fab. It was so cold out and I wouldn't let the girls wear their coats. They were complaining and I was laughing. I can be such a brat sometimes.

9 reasons i love having 1 sibling

Someone at work the other day asked me,upon finding out I was a Mormon, "Do you have at least 10 siblings?" I replied, "nope, just one sister." For which I'm very happy about. These are my reasons why I love having just one sibling:

* I always know who to call. No decision has to be made.
* No drama between siblings. As in "Mary" said this to me and can you believe she said that?
* We never are mad at each other because if we were we would have no one and that is a lonely place to be.
* I never have to decide which sibling is most worthy of my presence when deciding to spend money on a plane ticket. I just buy a ticket to Baltimore.
* I don't have to store tons of extra pillows in my house for extra guests. She only requires two.
* My cell phone isn't cluttered with tons of speed dial numbers.
* I get good presents. She doesn't have to divide her money between several of us so I get it all.
* She gets nice gifts from me also. For the same reason above.
* There was plenty of food on the table and leftovers while growing up. This may sound like a strange one but the first time i had dinner at Chris' house with all his siblings one of them said to me, "you better get something fast before it's all gone." (Thanks Melissa) She wasn't joking. Within two minutes all the food was gone on the table.

I don't have anything against large families. I love large families. I'm just glad that I only have one sister. It works for me.

My sister will be here in 11 days. Woo-hoo!!!!!

I am thankful today....

I am thankful today for my health, the health of my girls and my husband. A woman came into my work today looking for a bra. "No problem, I can help you with that", I said. She then tells me that a week ago she was a DDD. Now she doesn't know what she is but she thinks a C. I'm a little confused at first until she tells me she just had a double mastectomy because of breast cancer. She couldn't have anything with wires, not yet, she is supposed to wait awhile. But she wanted something that would make her bigger, a bra with padding. I took the best non-wire bra we had and then pulled the air pillows out of our plunge bra. I had her try the bra on with the air pillows inside the cup. She came out of the dressing room with a smile on her face! It worked. As I was talking to her at the register she was describing how emotional it has been for her. The surgery and the cancer. She began to cry and I was able to see just a glimmer of her pain. It was so sad and yet so incredibly amazing to see this woman who is fighting for her life. She ended up leaving the store and I was left feeling so grateful for my health and that of my family.

That's what I'm grateful for today. And also a job that allows me to do positive things for other women. I absolutely love it.

Good Will Outlet: a funky chair, a stuffed beaver, a shirt and $40

No, $40 is not what it cost me for my few items at the good will outlet. It actually cost me $8.31. $40 is what I found in the pocket of a diaper bag at the Good will outlet. That's right, I came out ahead when I left that store. I found 2 crisp twenty dollar bills and they became all mine. Because like anyone knows, at the Good Will outlet it is definitely finders keepers loser weepers. When I told Emma what I had found, she said, "aren't you glad you paid your tithing on Sunday?" Yes, Emma, I am in fact!

My Little Elves

Thanks to my friend Heidi's blog, I now have these adorable elves to make me laugh through the Christmas madness. Enjoy!



Watch my elves here.

Portland Zoo Lights

Tonight the girls and I went to the Zoo Lights. It was so cold tonight and the girls we glad they listened when I told them to wear an extra layer and get their warmest coats. We had hats, gloves, scarves, all the cold weather gear. Before we got to the Zoo lights we stopped and had dinner at HoneyBaked Ham. I had a BOGO coupon for a sandwich there. So we got two sandwiches and two sides and the four of us split everything. I fed all of us for $8. I love a good deal. And while I was there I ordered my Christmas ham. I've never ordered a Honeybaked ham before but they were having a really good deal if you ordered it today. It was only a few dollars more then the one I got at Fred Meyer last year so I thought, Hey, why not? I LOVE honeybaked hams. Yummy! But anyway, back to Zoo lights. The lights were beautiful like always. There is just something so fun about walking around bundled up with Christmas music playing and sipping hot chocolate. We had a good time and even picked up a couple of Christmas gifts in the gift shop. One for my nephew Connor and one for Emma's best friend. So, if you haven't gone to the Zoo lights. check it out.

Here are some other things we typically do at Christmas time:

Winter Wonderland at PIR

Saturday Market The week before Christmas they are open every day. It's a great time to go and beat the Saturday Crowds.

Festival of Lights at the Grotto The closest thing to Temple Square in SLC. And not a bad second. The music is great. Every hour they have a new group singing. I think the day after Christmas the Bennion family from our stake is scheduled to sing.

foodie or non-foodie?

Something that has been on my mind today is food. Generally this would mean that I've been thinking about what I've eaten, what I could be eating, what I will be eating, etc. This is how a foodie thinks. Is that a word? It should be. There are Foodies and non-foodies. All you foodies out there know what I'm talking about. Some people think about food a lot. Not just enjoy eating but actually think about it. Non-Foodies enjoy eating but don't necessarily make thinking about it a huge part of their lives. I've always been one to think about food. But what I realized today as I was out buying a few things for dinner tomorrow, is that I haven't really given much thought at all to the food for tomorrow. Now, this isn't a real big deal since my whole family is getting together and we are all bringing things. But the foodie darilyn that I've always been, makes sure that all the basics of Thanksgiving dinner will be present. We all have certain dishes that we like for Thanksgiving dinner. And I am one of those people that typically just feels a little jipped if I don't at least get a little bit of all my favorites. But today, when I realized that we may not be having green bean casserole tomorrow I was a little shocked. Usually i would have been on the phone weeks ago organizing all those special dishes that make Thanksgiving what it is. But I didn't do that this year. Thanksgiving this year is just about being with my family and those I love. It's not about the food. Not one bit. I've lost 21 pounds since mid-September and the way I think about food has really been changing. I love this. Don't get me wrong, I'm still dang excited for pumpkin pie tomorrow! But I don't care that I'm not getting all my other favorites. I can't wait to see my cousins tomorrow and for my girls to play with all their cousins. Have a great day tomorrow! I can't wait to see and hear about everyone's holiday!

KRISTEN STEWART TO STAR IN TWILIGHT

Summit Entertainment announced on Friday that Kristen Stewart will star as “Bella Swan” in the production of the feature film TWILIGHT, the thriller-romance based on Stephenie Meyer’s publishing phenomenon. The film, which begins production February 2008, will be directed by Catherine Hardwicke, with Melissa Rosenberg (STEP UP) having adapted the script. Karen Rosenfelt (DEVIL WEARS PRADA) and Greg Mooradian will produce along with Mark Morgan via his Maverick Films banner.

Kristen Stewart was introduced to worldwide audiences with her outstanding performance alongside Jodie Foster in PANIC ROOM. Stewart can now be seen in INTO THE WILD for director Sean Penn. She is currently shooting the female lead role in ADVENTURELAND opposite Ryan Reynolds and Jesse Eisenberg for director Greg Mottola. She will soon be seen in a starring role in the independent film THE CAKE EATERS for director Mary Stuart Masterson, the independent film YELLOW HANDKERCHIEF alongside William Hurt and Maria Bello and a supporting role in WHAT JUST HAPPENED alongside Robert De Niro and Sean Penn for director Barry Levinson.

Stewart’s additional film credits include IN THE LAND OF WOMEN, THE MESSENGERS, ZATHURA, SPEAK, FIERCE PEOPLE, CATCH THAT KID, UNDERTOW, COLD CREEK MANOR and THE SAFETY OF OBJECTS.

Christmas is how close? And Thanksgiving is even closer...

Today my mom was telling me on the phone that she just needed to get something for Chris and she would have her shopping for my family done. I was listening to her and commenting and then she mentions that she would just bring the gifts up with her to Sweet Home next week when we get together for Thanksgiving. Then it hits me...I am supposed to have my Christmas gifts ready for my Mom and Ben by next Thursday. So I don't have to ship them. I don't do post offices very well. I never seem to make it there and then I have packages sitting in the back of the van still in March that I never sent. I guess I just hadn't thought it through. I've been trying to just get through each day lately and hadn't really thought of a timeline for getting things ready for Christmas. I have no idea how to get things done this year. I am willing to let a few Christmas traditions slide this year. Like making gingerbread houses with my girls. I mentioned this to them and I got the major stink eye.

We just found out a couple days ago that Chris' grandmother in California isn't doing very well. He is going to fly down for Thanksgiving to spend some time with her and his aunt. He means everything to them. Chris' dad died in a parachuting accident when Chris was on his mission. He is her only grandson and he is his aunt's only nephew. They dote on him, spoil him and love him fiercely. If I wasn't at Lane Bryant we would all just drive but I'm already on the schedule at work and it would be really difficult to try and get it off now. So I am staying here with the girls and we will still go down to Sweet Home to spend Thanksgiving with my amazing family.

Here is a picture of Aunt Sue, Grandma Billie, Heidi and Chris two years ago. We love you grandma and hope you feel better.

Blog time during church

Yeah, you heard right. While all of my blogging buddies are sitting in church, I'm home blogging. How fun is that? I'm home here with Heidi. She was doing so much better and had a normal day yesterday. Then, at 1 am (again) she threw up all over her bed. So we are back to washing all the bedding and cleaning carpets again today. She is watching Strawberry Shortcake. When I suggested it, she said to me, "But that's not a Sunday movie." Sweet girl, don't you know it's okay if Mom is going to be blogging? How can I tell her to watch the First Vision if I'm sitting here on the computer? It's probably good I stayed home anyway. Yesterday I was walking down a sidewalk and all of a sudden the sidewalk tipped (or so it seemed) and I fell over. My first thought was that we had an earthquake. But the old man across the street didn't seem to feel the same thing I did. Later that night while we were having dinner I felt this sharp pain go through my left ear. I guess that explains the sidewalk moving. I think I have an inner ear thing going on. Doesn't hurt too bad. Nothing that a couple advil won't take care of. But weird nonetheless. So Heidi and I are sitting right here enjoying a little quiet. Nice huh?

I have to tell all of you about Chris and I's dinner last night. We went out for Sushi with some friends. I have had sushi before but not at an actual sushi restaurant, so I was really excited about it. And Chris had never had it before. It was great! It was so fun. I even tried an entire piece with raw tuna. Impressive huh? I didn't care for it. It wasn't the taste either it was the texture. Taste wasn't bad actually. My favorite was the double crunch roll. It was so good and it even had some raw spicy tuna in it but a tiny piece and you didn't notice it. Our friends, Julie and Glen have gone to this place quite a bit and knew just what to order. I would have had no idea where to start. Thanks Julie and Glen for a great time.

Here is what we had:

Lovejoy Roll
Shrimp, Crab, Cucumber, Avocado and Sesame Seed.

Spider Roll
Deep fried Soft Shell Crab, Cucumber, Avocado, Sesame Seed with Unagi Sauce.

*Double Crunch Roll (Deep Fried)
Spicy Tuna, Shrimp Tempura, Crab, Avocado with Unagi Sauce.

Eel Roll
Eel, Avocado and Sesame Seed.

Hawaiian Roll
Real Crab, Cucumber inside and covered with Tuna.

Heidi is sick today. She started throwing up about 1 a.m. She threw up all night and is still throwing up. Poor thing. She is just miserable. She can't even keep ice chips down. Chris is taking a sick day to stay with her and I have to work today. I hate that I have to leave her but it makes more sense for Chris to stay with her since he can get paid for the day and I wouldn't get paid. Chris went to the store to get the arsenal of gingerale, jello and popsicles. Hopefully she will get to the point soon where she can keep a little of those down.

Who stole Kenny Chesney's pants?

Dear Kenny,

When Kimberly Williams-Paisley announced your name tonight I have to admit my heart did a little flutter. It's pretty exciting to see you perform on stage. I was excited to see you nominated again for Entertainer of the year. But what were you thinking? Who chose that outfit for you? I think they need to be fired. What happened to the skin tight jeans Kenny that we all know and love (and like to look at)? You looked like you just got off work at Radio Shack. Or you must have just come from a funeral because no country music singer I know dresses like that. Not any that have songs on the radio at least. Your grey dress pants were way too long and too baggy. And were those pleats in the front? Seriously. If you went to the Men's Warehouse you need to go get your money back. They guarantee after all, that you will like how you look. Once you see the pictures of yourself I'm sure you will be at their door first thing in the morning. I'm sorry to give you such a bad time but it's really for your own good. Congratulations for winning for a third year in a row. Now you are tied with Alabama and Alan Jackson for most Entertainer of the Year CMA's. Don't worry, you haven't lost this devoted fan. I still will melt every time I hear your voice and I have high hopes for the return of the tight jeans.

Your devoted fan,

Darilyn

We like this look:



We don't like this look:

Drumroll please.....

I received word last night that I have officially graduated from the HomeTech Inc. training program. They are so impressed with me (ha!) that they no longer will proof my work. This is for my transcription job for all of you confused. So I'm happy about no more training files but I'm terrified of having to do 4 files a day now. I've been doing 1 a day and have barely had time for that. I would give my 2 weeks notice at Lane Bryant but I promised my friend (and manager) that I'd stay through the holidays. I can't quit now. So I'll just tough it out until January. But even then I don't think I can give that job up entirely. Do you think they will let me work 1 day a month? I'VE GOT TO KEEP THAT DISCOUNT!! My wardrobe has seriously doubled since I've worked there. I was in desperate need of a wardrobe makeover and thanks to my employee discount there, I've gotten it. Did you SEE that cute coat I wore to church on Sunday?

Big Sis Little Sis Halloween Party

For years I've wanted to have a Halloween party for my children. Not that my girls have really ever asked for one but because I love this day. But this year they actually asked. How could I refuse when they actually asked? I debated for a couple weeks and then took the plunge, but with my rules. Well, one rule really. Rule #1 I get to invite the kids. Otherwise we would end up having 50 kids at our house, none of which would know each other and I would have to plan separate parties for big kids and little kids. So I did what Mormon moms can do and invited their church friends. Now all these girls would have been on my girl's lists anyway but this way I could limit it to ONLY church friends. So we invited siblings that had at least two sisters in common with my three. The party was a HUGE success. We had games, food, prizes, party favors, music and this was all rounded out with my best decoration effort. We also took all 16 girls trick or treating. It was such a blast and my youngest declared, "This was my best Halloween ever."

Here are a few cool things we did:

* We made headstones for each girl with an epitaph of how they died. They had to find their headstone and lie down next to it until all the girls arrived.
* We had the touchy feely table of brains, kidneys, intestines and bones because every halloween party has to have one!
* I made witch hats using a ritz cracker, a dollop of cheese from a can and a bugle stuck to it.
* I made witch brooms by taking a piece of fruit by the foot, attaching it to the end of a small pretzel stick and cutting the end of the fruit by the foot. (This was the girls favorite)
* I made floating ghosts by drawing faces on white helium balloons and draping cheese cloth over them.
* I created an abandoned house feel by draping all the furniture with white sheets.
* Party favors were black boxes with white cakes inside labeled "ghost cake" and test tubes filled with jelly bellys and labeled, spider eggs, eye of Toad, etc. (Thanks to Martha Stewart for these)

We all had such a great time. The girls were wonderful. I enjoyed every minute with them and really loved getting to know one girl that I hadn't spent any time with before. HUGE thanks to Tori for staying the whole time, running Halloween twister and driving the girls around trick or treating. And the biggest thanks to my husband who did all the headstones, hung all the spider webbing, helped make food and ran the doughnut game. He is so great and everyone LOVED his costume. Doesn't he look real?

P.S. Why are there numbers on the bottom of my slide show? I've never done one of these before!
*

Let's GO G-N-O (Girls Night Out)

For those of you not familiar with the above song, it's one of Miley Cyrus' songs and one of my girl's favs. It was definitely a Girls Night Out for the four of us. It was a dream day and one possibly, that may not be duplicated. It was just that great.

This started a couple of months ago when Hannah Montana concert tickets went on sale here in Portland. The Cheetah Girls and the High School Musical concerts that have recently come to Portland were both on Sunday. So when I saw that Hannah Montana was going to be here on a Tuesday night I really wanted to do this for them. I went to buy tickets the first day but didn't like the seats they were going to give me here in Portland, so I checked out Seattle. I got better seats for the same price so I decided to do that. My dad lives up there so we just combined the concert with a visit. I originally had planned on taking the Amtrak up there because it's so reasonable but then decided it would be best to drive home after the concert so they wouldn't miss two days of school. We left Sunday after church, stayed the night with my dad and went to the concert yesterday.

So I had my first experience going to downtown Seattle and driving nonetheless. I have to admit I was pretty nervous, and I don't really get nervous about things like that. I think it was the combination of never having been there and having to find a specific place and not having another adult along with me. But we arrived just fine. Not a single wrong turn. We got there early (3pm) and parked and then went to check out the Seattle Center. We went up in the Space Needle which I had never done before, we had something to eat, and then went to wait in line for the doors to open. The reason we did this is because the line for the merchandise table outside was probably about 300 people long. So the girls and I decided to be first in line at the doors, get in, go quickly to the nearest merchandise table and get our stuff. Our plan worked PERFECTLY. And those of you who know me best, know that nothing makes me happier then a well worked and followed out plan. (I can hear Merilee laughing). We were first in line at the door and first to get our Hannah Stuff. We then found our seats and wandered around a bit. We had great seats. The concert was great.

First up was the Jonas Brothers. I had never even heard of them but they are obviously very popular as well. They were great. Then Hannah Montana performed and then she came back as Miley Cyrus. She was just as good in concert as she is on her CD and as a parent I hope that she continues to be a good role model for younger girls. The songs she does as Miley are more for the Middle School and High School crowd. Hannah Montana's songs are more for the younger crowd. Miley's songs are a bit more rock. I personally like them better. So does Makenzie.

My girls never stopped moving. Both the Jonas Brothers and Hannah said they didn't want a single person sitting down. My girls listened. They danced and jumped up and down for three hours straight. I sat there with a smile on my face. I sang along to the Miley songs because you just can't help yourself.

We drove home and got home at 1:30 in the morning. I had to stop twice to stay awake but we made it and as I'm typing this my girls are all in school. Whew! We made it. I know that Emma and Heidi will the be the envy of all little girls at their school as they wear their Official Hannah Montana sweatshirt and T-shirt. I talked to them about being humble and not bragging. Emma said, "I knew you were going to say that." Sorry, Emma, It just has to be said as your mother.

I love my husband.

I love my husband because he is helping me decorate the house for Halloween. I love my husband because he came up with some great ideas for decorating the house. I love my husband because he is tall and can reach the ceiling to hang spider webs.

anyone got a gun?

Yesterday I went to the Goodwill Outlet. It is a place I don't go to very often. Maybe once or twice a year. My reason for going on this particular day was to find some props for Halloween and to find some accessories to go with Emma and Heidi's costumes. I was in search for as many white sheets as I could find. While I was digging through the bins in search of these hidden sheets, Emma and Heidi wanted to go look through the toy bins. I let them go since we needed to find some kind of toy gun that would work for Heidi's princess Leia costume. I didn't want just any ordinary squirt gun. I wanted something, well let's say more 'galactic' looking. They are happily digging through junk. Pretty soon I hear my name being called. "Mom!" I look up along with every other woman around me. But these were my kids calling that name. Then comes, quite loudly I add, "WE COULDN'T FIND ANY GUNS." Then all those women that had looked up and then the men too, all turned to stare at me. No people I'm not sending my kids to find REAL guns. PLAY guns. I quickly yelled back, "WELL KEEP TRYING TO FIND SOME PLAY GUNS."

What are you eating for breakfast?

My favorite thing to have for breakfast right now is this:



The yogurt is "Vanana" flavored. May sound wierd to some but the combo of vanilla and banana in my opinion is heaven sent. So to find a Vanana Yogurt is awesome. I put about a 1/2 cup of the yogurt in a bowl and put the Soy and Flax cereal on top and eat it up. The cereal may sound disgusting but it's not. I was skeptical too when the nice sample person at Trader Joes offered me some. I thought, "Not in a million years will I like this." I was surprised at how yummy it was. Very crunchy and slightly sweet. It's basically like putting granola on your yogurt but with the added benefit of soy and flax.

What are all of you eating for the most important meal of the day? New ideas are always great.

A Project Finished

This is a picture of one of my recent finished projects. This doesn't happen very often around here. I often have great ideas but rarely actually start them or finish them. In August we spent 4 days in Lincoln City with my Dad. Each time I went down to the beach I would find interesting things. Shells, seaglass (which I love to collect), bits of fishing net, driftwood and even a few agates. Then I found a large piece of wood which I love to think came from a shipwrecked boat. Of course it's more likely that it's from a washed out deck but I'll go for the dramatic here. So I arranged everything on the wood, hot glued it down and Chris put a bracket on it for me. I LOVE it. It reminds all of us of the great time we had on that beach trip.

Super Duper Girls

I really wish I had some pictures of my girls today. They were such champs. After pouring down rain all night long, Makenzie had to be at her soccer game at 7:30 a.m. They warmed up for a half hour in the rain and then played the entire game in the freezing cold downpour. They played a great game and tied 1-1. GO MAKENZIE!!! Then Emma's game was at noon. It poured on them as well. And as I was standing on the sidelines with my giant umbrella, I feel a drip, drip, drip on my head. I look up and the water was dripping down the metal rods inside. There must be a leak in the top. Luckily I had a hood so I put my hood on and managed to stay a bit drier that way. But not poor Emma. Her coach is a first year coach and doesn't have a sideline canopy to keep the girls dry under. So they were all soaking wet. Part of her soccer field was on the baseball diamond so when they would go on that part of the field to play, they were sliding in the mud. Our biggest concern however was Heidi. She was supposed to cheer lead for a football game at 5:30 in the evening. Luckily the downpour stopped at about 4 and then just sprinkled for awhile. We got rained on a little at the game but it wasn't bad. I took a thermos of hot chocolate and some cups and passed it around to all the cheerleaders at half time. They loved it. Another mom had the same idea so we had plenty for everyone. Heidi had 3 cups of it and amazingly had probably the most fun cheering she has had this season. Her and her friend Jordan were having a blast out there. So I'm super proud of my girls. They didn't let a little (or a lot) of rain stop them today.

Here is a picture of Heidi's team that a mom just sent me.--See the sun in the background? This was not taken today. It was taken last Saturday.

you know you are from the Pacific Northwest if.......(According to Jeff Foxworthy)

WITH COMMENTS BY DARILYN


1. You know the state flower (Mildew).
2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.
3. Use the statement "sun break" and know what it means.
4. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee. (And I add "EVEN if you don't drink the stuff"
5 You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.
6. You feel overdressed wearing a suit to a nice restaurant. ( I was just telling someone that 'dressed up' to me was a dark pair of jeans and a nice shirt! ha!)
7. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "WALK" signal.
8. You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it 's not a real mountain.
9. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and Veneto's.
10. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon.
11. You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Oregon, Yakima and Willamette. (I never thought of this but it's so true}
12. You consider swimming an indoor sport.
13. You can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food.
14. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark while only working eight-hour days.
15. You never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho.
16. You are not fazed by "Today's forecast: showers followed by rain," and "Tomorrow's forecast: rain followed by showers."
17 You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.
18. You know that Boring is a town in Oregon and not just a state of mind.
19. You can point to at least two volcanoes, even if you cannot see through the cloud cover.
20. You notice, "The mountain is out" when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.
21. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka.
22. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.
23. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.
24. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.
25. You buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time.
26. You measure distance in hours. (OKay, I've always done this and thought everyone else did too)
27. You often switch from "heat" to "a/c" in the same day.
28. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat. (so true, especially when they were little)
29. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer & Elk season (Fall).
30. You actually understood these jokes

YOU'VE GOTTA LOVE IT HERE! ALL THE GOOD AND THE CRAZY!

Decisions Decisions

The big thing around our house lately is "what will I be for Halloween?" Heidi decided early on she wanted to be Princess Leia. How does she even know who Princess Leia is? I don't think she has watched the movies. She was too young when they came out. But it seems to be the thing to be this year. Emma says two girls in her class are also going to be Princess Leia. Leave it to Heidi to know what the "hip" costume is this year. We will be making our own princess Leia costume. Emma has been whining that I wouldn't buy her a pink cat costume at party city. Then when I pulled out the Halloween box with the decorations and she saw the purple witch cape, hat and broom she decided she would be a witch. She was the same thing last year so we decided she could be Hermione. I found this website that gives step by step instructions on doing a homemade Hermione costume. It looks doable. Then there is Makenzie. Her costume is such a big deal to her this year. Is it because she is 13? Someone told me that's what it was. I think a huge part of it is that she goes to an Arts school and EVERYONE dresses up on Halloween. I guess it's part of the whole creative mind thing but her school really gets into it. All the teachers dress up too. She did not want to "put something together" like I am doing for her younger sisters. She wanted a premade costume from party city. We went there a week ago and I couldn't believe the prices of their costumes not to mention that they all look slutty. When they say "adult" costumes I guess they aren't kidding. I took one look at those costumes and told her that she would end up wearing a shirt and leggings under those costumes just to keep her modest. We ended up leaving with no costume in hand. We went back tonight and she tried on two costumes. One of them ended up being okay. It's Venus the goddess of Beauty. She loves it. And it works because she got it big and it's not short in the front like this picture shows. It goes just below her knees. She paid for it with her own money and she is happy and I'm happy that she had decided on a costume and she won't ask me everyday if we can go look for one. What are your children going to be for Halloween?

No time and I'm behind.

I've been wanting to post for awhile but find that I can't find the time. I've wanted to call back my sister since I told her I'd call her back "later" but I haven't been able to find the time. I've wanted to call back my friend Melodie since I told her also I'd call her back "later" but I haven't found the time. I also wanted to take a picture of my family in front of our house for my blog but didn't have the time for that either. Where is this time that I need? Where are you hiding? I have time now, the kids have been fast asleep for hours. I just finished my transcription work for the evening, but it's too late to call Krista and Mel.

My big news that I've been wanting to share in a dramatic way (hence taking the picture) is that we closed on our house on Friday. We officially own the house we are living in. Yippee. In my formal house acceptance speech I'd like to thank Chris C. for helping get my Chris an interview at Fios. Chelle for telling me about the house. Brig for being an amazing landlord. Paula for being my advocate when she saw how high the grass and weeds were in the empty lot next to us. Ryan for being very patient with all the financing items our lender wanted us to change, and Nick and Ho for being willing to let us do a lease to own option. When Chris and I sold our last home, we didn't have any idea how long it would take us to own our own home again. It happened sooner than we thought. But it wouldn't have if it hadn't of been for the people I have mentioned. We have been very blessed the past few years.

So that's my news. No picture but there it is.

Fun Fun Fun

I don't really know how to start telling about my trip back east. It was amazing. I'm afraid to talk about it because I don't want to leave anything out because it was all so fun. Here are a few highlights.

* Staying up until the wee hours of the morning talking. But not as late as Chelle and Merilee. They wouldn't shut up and let me sleep! Quote: "I wonder what time it is? It's getting pretty light outside." - Chelle Larson at 7am!

* Nice Hilton Hotel and eating hot wings over nice hotel WHITE towels on the bed.

* Laughing at the Flight of the Conchords until I had tears running down my face. FOOTLOOSE!

* Stopping at a little roadside apple farm in Vermont and tasting a new kind of apple. Quote: "This tastes like it came right from a tree." - Chelle Larson upon eating an apple that came right from a tree. We laughed and laughed about that one.

* Taking an amazing tour of Orchard House which is where Louise May Alcott lived.

* Going to an evening forum at the original School of Philosophy. A building built next to Orchard house where Bronson Alcott, Thoreau and Emerson taught about Transcendentalism. We listened to a presenter speak about Thoreau and another speaker spoke about Goethe. It was an amazing evening.

* Shopping at Nesting in Concord. And realizing we needed two more days in that town.

* Kimballs icecream. Thanks Sarah for telling us about this amazing place.

* Hearing the Mormon tabernacle Choir coming from the woods around the Joseph Smith Memorial. I couldn't figure out where the sound was coming from. I found out they put speakers in the woods. It creates this really great effect.

* Seeing Chelle again and the three of us having so much fun together.

* Being myself, laughing, crying, smiling, and eating some pretty amazing chocolate and popcorn.

#46....Check

#46 on my list of things I want to do in my life is to visit Salem, Mass on Halloween. It wasn't Halloween day but I'm counting it since all the things they do on Halloween there happen through out the month of October. And we avoided the mass of people that are there on the 31st. It was perfect. We went to the Witch Museum and learned about the Salem Witch trials of 1692. It was interesting. The best part of the day was a visit to the House of Seven Gables. We took a tour that had live actors acting out scenes from the book. It was pretty spooky and very cool. We also did a similar one that had to do directly with the Salem Witch Trials. That one was even freakier. But I loved every second of it. The picture isn't the greatest. It's all I had that showed we were actually in Salem. I'm guessing Merilee has a better one.

Awesome Video

I love Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland. When I was younger I wanted to be a famous singer someday. If I were a famous singer I would want to be most like Jennifer Nettles. She has the energy and emotion in her songs that I would want to portray. Not to mention she is beautiful. I love listening to her music and watching her videos. I've yet to see her in concert but I will someday. Here is her latest video and it is incredible. I think you will agree.

Sounds Wonderful

You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock. A unique soul like you needs a city that offers everything. No wonder you and London will get along so well.

What City Do You Belong In?

Life has been really good for a long time. A long time as in, I can't remember the last time Chris and I had an argument and me being able to manage everything in the home and three children as well as my outside of the home jobs. I've felt calm and peaceful about the decisions I've made, knowing that I let Heavenly Father have a hand in those decisions. I have been reading my scriptures consistently since May, which I know has contributed to my sense of peace. Life got busy the past 10 days. I hadn't read my scriptures in that many days. No time, I've said to myself. Last night everything came crashing down around me. I had an argument with my hubby, I cried for at least an hour and felt an overwhelming amount of stress on top of me. I felt completely unappreciated for the efforts I've gone through to help us buy this home and just decided to let it all out. I read my scriptures for an hour when I was done with my crying session. It helped. I think I'll make time for those scriptures from now on. Lesson learned.

Here is a picture of Heidi and Emma. No pictures of Makenzie yet. We didn't think of grabbing the camera until after her game.

My Life

It seems like I haven't posted anything in a long time. I've been busy. Last Monday I officially started my third job. I'm working at Lane Bryant 3 days a week. Working for a sister in our ward 1 day a week and working for HomeTechInc doing transcription work just about every day. Working for the sister in our ward is temporary, just until Christmas. And I plan on working at Lane Bryant until I can actually make some money at my transcription job. You get paid by the page and and let's just say....I really suck at it. The first one I did made a whole $1.20 an hour. I've worked my self up to $3.60/hr and I'll work at Lane Bryant until I get up to $10/hr. I like Lane Bryant. It's a lot of fun to help people. I've realized a few things the past couple weeks since I've been working there.

#1 75% of the ladies that walk in the store are clueless about what they want. THEY ACTUALLY WANT HELP. This surprised me. I'm the one that says, "No thanks, I'm just looking around." When asked if they can help me find something by a salesperson. This just isn't the case most of the time. They almost always want help. Which I'm glad to give them. It's fun.

#2 That the sexy panties sell more than the plain cotton ones. This surprised me too. We are talking about plus sized women here. And while I know they want to feel sexy too (because I'm one of them), we're talking a comfort thing here. I won't go into details about this but I think you can see my point.

#3 Listening to the same music over and over and over again makes me want to kill myself. How in the world is a cookie sharp? I know you don't get this but it's a line in one of the songs. These are not songs any of us would ever hear ANYWHERE. I finally asked Melissa (my friend and manager) how often they change the music. She just smiled and said, "why, are you tired of it?" YES, YES YES. Apparently Oct. 1st is the happy day I get to listen to something new and no longer have to hear how we should be "brave for our man."

On another note we had a great weekend. Our day started with Makenzie's soccer game at 9am. We dropped her off at 8:30 then ran to "My Favorite Muffin" and got bagels and mini muffins and hot chocolate. Then back to the game to watch them stomp the competition 5-1. GO STRIKERS!

Then it was off to Emma's game. They didn't win but played much better than the two previous games. They are a new team (haven't played together before) and are really improving on working together. Emma almost made a goal but it was a little to the left. YEAH GOALIE GIRLS!

And then we had a football game to attend where Heidi cheered. She is a great cheerleader. She cheers with 5th and 6th grade girls and for only being a 2nd grader she definitely holds her own. It was really cold out during the game and she and her friend Eliza made it until about the last 4 minutes of the game. Then they came and crawled up on my lap and we snuggled under a blanket until the game was over.

Chris' parents came up to watch all the girls do their activities and the girls loved having them there.

I was going to post pictures but I can't find the USB cable for the camera. Hm...wonder where it went. I'll have to post them later when I have more time to look for it. I'm off to work.

My Sister

My friend Merilee challenged everyone reading her blog to write your own 2 minute poem. You only have two minutes to write it. I was doing okay but at the end I was running out of seconds so the last line doesn't make any sense. But oh well, it makes me laugh.


My sister is going to nursing school,
where she takes blood and checks your stool.
I'm quite impressed with the things she's gained
I know someday it will bring her fame.

I miss my sister quite alot
I wish she'd come visit me soon
Otherwise I will become quite fraught
and have to teach myself a new tune.

some dear friends

I was a part of a group of girls in high school that were members of the church. This is a picture of us at Seminary graduation. I remember parts of this day so clearly. I'm in the front and I'm wearing an outfit of Quinn's (second one in on the right). I had gone to her house the afternoon before seminary graduation and realized I'd forgotten my clothes. Just like all good girlfriends do she promptly went to work figuring out what I could wear. My friend Leah (third one in from the right) wrote a poem about this picture. I tried to find it but it hasn't shown up yet. The poem is about each one of us, beautifully written and expresses what we all meant to each other. I will eventually blog about each of these women but today I want to tell you about Eva (on my left). See the blog below.

My Friend Eva

I have to take a moment and tell you about my girlfriend Eva. We grew up together in Coos Bay, graduated from high school together, went to BYU together, had our first children days apart, and sewed our first halloween costumes together. For me, the sewing of the Halloween costume is a funny memory. I remember Eva having to help me every step of the way. She has since gone on to become a major fashion designer and creator of a children's clothing line. It's her very own and called freshandvintage or FAV. (correct me Eva if I have any of this wrong). She sells on Ebay and you have got to check her out. Her newest auction is this. And this. She also recently started designing fabrics for Joel Dewberry. She was featured on the Oprah Winfrey show and since then her business has gotten very busy. I love you Eva. I'm so happy for you and that you are doing what you love.

Potato Corn Soup

When I woke up this morning and saw the weather outside I quietly rejoiced. It meant I could make soup for dinner. We don't have A/C in our house so the thought of soup the past couple of days when it's been warm has not been enticing. Yesterday I had the yummiest soup at a little cafe across from the Smith Berry Barn. It was one of those soups that was fairly simple, not too many ingredients and just tasted so good. I did my best to recreate it today. Here it is:

1 32 oz. container organic chicken broth
1 14 oz can less sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup chopped bacon
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp. flour
corn from 3-4 ears of corn
4 potatoes peeled and diced small
a sprinkle of sage, marjoram pepper and garlic (dried)

In a large pot over medium high heat cook your bacon. After a few minutes add your onion and stir scraping the bottom. When the onion starts to carmelize add the flour and stir it into the grease from the bacon. Let it bubble for about a minute then add your chicken broth and scrape the bits of the bacon from the bottom while stirring. Turn your heat to medium low and when your broth becomes a bit bubbly add your cut up potatoes and corn. Put a lid on it and turn down to low. Go watch Oprah and during commercials go back and stir and check on it. The Potatoes should cook pretty quickly. After about halfway through Oprah you can add your spices to your taste. Turn off the heat and keep the lid on it. Only do this if your potatoes are cooked but they should be. Serve with sourdough bread.

Note: Everyone liked this except for Heidi who declared "I don't like corn" Hmmmm... you did two days ago.

Things I'm Grateful For Today

* An amazing doctor
* Tori - for calling our doctor to tell him I was running late
* That the nurse only had to prick my finger today and not use the big needle.
* A good apple
* Clothes that fit
* George Winston music
* A quiet dark room
* My children liking scrambled eggs and toast for dinner
* Makenzie doing all of her homework with very little reminding.
* Makenzie coming home from her first day of piano and actually liking it.
* That Sarah helped me get my children to and from their activities
* That Merilee let me complain to her while she had her own things to think about.
* Talking to my mom on the phone
* Rikki going the extra mile to find me a certain pair of pants in my size
* That I can feel Heavenly Father's love for me

Shrewsbury Ren Faire

Once upon a time in the land of Kings Valley, Oregon there was a village called Shrewsbury. There was the occasional jousting event, plentiful shopping, and goodies galore. One family in particular were very happy to be a part of this lovely Village: The May family. They walked the streets in their time-period clothing, ate turkey legs for lunch and shouted "Hazzah" for their favorite jousting competitor. The fine sir even threw darts at several crests and won a beaded necklace for his lady! She was quite pleased with his dart throwing skills! The May family loved their time in Shrewsbury and were sad to see the time end. Alas, only 12 more months until they can visit again.

Hairspray

Tonight I saw the best movie ever! I saw Hairspray. If you have been saying to yourself "that movie isn't for me" then I dare you to see it and not have a silly grin on your face the whole time. I absolutely loved it. I will see it again and again. I'm not sure what it is about musicals that I love. Ever since I was a little girl and saw The Sound of Music for the first time, I was in love. In fact, this past weekend it was on TV and I made unsuspecting Emma sit and watch it with me in hopes that she would love it as much as I. She may not be singing to the soundtrack daily like I did at her age but she did like it. I'll take what I can get. Then there was Grease. I loved that and still do. Although it's a little weird that my mother let me watch a movie that sent the message that wearing tight leather pants, off the shoulder shirt, and smoking a cigarette was the cool thing to do. In more recent years there has been Moulin Rouge, Chicago, Dream Girls, Phantom of the Opera and yes, even High School Musical. I love all of these. Why is that? There is something about everyone singing and dancing that just makes me happy. Another reason I wanted to see Hairspray besides it being a musical is because Queen Latifah is in it. I love her. I love her movies. If you haven't seen Beauty Shop, it's a must see. As well as Last Holiday. Plus she was in Chicago. I just love watching her movies. Well enough of my jabber about musicals. If you haven't seen Hairspray then check it out. Playing not too much longer at a theater near you!

64%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Mingle² - Dating Site

Not too bad. I thought it would be worse! This is a fun quiz to take. Thanks Mahina for the tip!

cool sites

I discovered some cool websites today and wanted to pass them on. The first is for all of us that love lists. You can go to this site and click on a pre-made list before you travel. They have ones for camping, the beach, or international travel. Very cool.

The second is thebathroomdiaries.com The funny thing about this one is that just last night a group of us were talking about bathroom conditions in other countries. Never fear. With this website you can take a list of the nicer bathrooms with you and always know where to go.

vayama.com is a new website committed to bringing you the lowest price for international travel. I checked it out and it did seem to have some good deals.

the last site and my favorite is homeandabroad.com Here you can choose a destination and pick an itinerary. It is really fun. Chris and I are planning a trip to Puerto Rico next Summer. I loved one of the itineraries on there and may even use it. Tons of great ideas.

freshandvintage FAV

I have to take a moment and tell you about my girlfriend Eva. We grew up together in Coos Bay, graduated from high school together, went to BYU together, had our first children days apart, and sewed our first halloween costumes together. For me, the sewing of the Halloween costume is a funny memory. I remember Eva having to help me every step of the way. She has since gone on to become a major fashion designer and creator of a children's clothing line. It's her very own and called freshandvintage or FAV. (correct me Eva if I have any of this wrong). She sells on Ebay and you have got to check her out. Her newest auction is this. And this. She also recently started designing fabrics for Joel Dewberry. She was featured on the Oprah Winfrey show and since then her business has gotten very busy. I love you Eva. I'm so happy for you and that you are doing what you love.

lesson learned

My children (the youngest two mostly) have been bugging me since the first day of summer vacation to have a lemonade stand. I've been able to put them off mostly because of being busy or the weather. I didn't think sales would be very good when it's raining. Why do you ask am i so loathing of the childhood dream of a lemonade stand? Because it becomes MY project. Yeah, i am a bit selfish. I know this. As much as they say they "will do it all" I know that I will end up with a lot of the work. I put it off as long as possible but since school starts Tuesday I let them do it yesterday. They were so excited but their happiness quickly went away when they couldn't move the small table to the front of the house. I stomped out to the yard, slamming the screen door behind me saying,"see girls, I end up doing this for you! I'm busy canning and don't have time for this" This was followed by them needing help making the lemonade, needing help finding change for customers etc. I know you are cringing reading this. I can be a terrible mom at times! When it was all said and done they had made $6. Not bad for a quiet road in the middle of the day. I was immediately humbled when upon running into the house to show me their money they said quite breathless, "We got more money than we thought for the kids that need clothes and toys." Ahhhh.....yes, I felt so bad for not being more helpful and kind about the whole thing. Their intention right from the start was to do this and earn money for a primary activity they are doing at church. They are bringing in loose change and it is going to buy clothes and toys for children in need. My heart melted and I gave them big hugs. Please forgive me girls. I will be more helpful next time. No matter what your intent.

NOVEMBER 7TH

For about 18 years now I've been rearranging my life around this date. Nothing is allowed to happen on that evening. Nothing that can't be delegated to my husband, canceled or rescheduled. It's the night of the CMA awards. A big night for country music enthusiasts like me. It's the academy awards of country music. One of my favorite categories to watch is the Horizon award. Winners in the past include the Dixie Chicks, Sara Evans and Kenny Chesney. This year two of my favorites are nominated. Kellie Pickler who was an american idol contestant (listen to Red High Heels) , and Little Big Town (listen to boondocks or good as gone) who just has so much energy they are so fun to watch and listen to. As for entertainer of the year? I think Brad Paisley deserves it this year. He has had an incredible year. To see the complete list of nominations click here.

fun at the beach

Emma, Oscar, Sabrina, Makenzie, Samantha, Heidi
grandpa Jay, Antonio, grandma Ladda

We got back yesterday from spending 4 nights at the beach. A big thanks to my dad for setting everything up. It was such a nice treat. The girls had a great time with their cousins. We went to Mossy Creek Pottery which is one of my favorite places. And also to Alderhouse glass where we watched them make a lamp shade from start to finish.

We had fun playing games together......

Chris, Makenzie, Emma, Heidi and Oscar playing Pente

Shopping along the streets of Lincoln city was fun for everyone and I think everyone found something they couldn't live without. We also spent time every day down on the beach where the kids buried each other and played in the water.


And flew kites....

The crab shack on hwy 101

The trip wouldn't have been complete without pulling legs from a fresh cooked crab and sucking the meat out! Yumm!!!!!


I loved the view and sound of the ocean from my bedroom. I slept with the window cracked open every night so I could hear the ocean as I fell asleep.