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!
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