Oh, boy! Saturday, March 7, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Paint Problem
Clearly, you guys are not understanding the gravity of the problem with the paint at the top of the boy's room. The paint is like peeling off! If I could just paint it, I'd paint it the same color of green and pretend it never happened! But what do I do with the crazy peeling stuff? There's jagged edges all around the room. Believe me, I've thought about just going at it with a razor blade or something, but I just dont think it'll really fix it. Even if I went at it with a razor blade and then sanded some or something, I'm just not confident that the work would end with a finished looking edge. I really think covering it up is the only solution. But I don't know. Convince me some more.
Renovation
Ever since Asher got his new cars and trucks themed bedspread, I've been hankering to re-do the boys room. It is currently done up with a Beatrix Potter theme. There's shelves with stuffed animal Peter Rabbit and friends, framed pictures from the books, the books themselves, etc. And it's all done in a sweet green with blue accents. I love the room, but it doesn't seem to fit the boys anymore. It's too sedate. Too calm. Too babyish. (Eeeeeek! Thinking of them as not-babies freaks me out a little!)
So, clearly we're going with a cars and trucks theme now. But the question is, how? I have two walls to decorate (the other two walls are filled with a window and the closet). I bought a couple of sheets of cars and trucks Wallies (like stickers meant to go on walls). I thought maybe I could create a kind of chair-rail-height border with them. And maybe a vinyl wall quote about "what little boys are made of". Oh, and just to be clear, I'm not re-painting. I'm just re-accessorizing.
One major problem that I'd like to address is the top of the room. When I painted their room there was a problem with the painters tape and for some reason it ripped off the paint at the top of the wall all the way around the room leaving this ugly jagged edge. I originally said I'd just put some molding up there to cover it. But, frankly, molding is something I can't do by myself. And I think Richard is plenty busy with other things without me throwing "put up molding" onto his list. So I'd like to think of some crafty way to deal with this problem that I can do pretty much on my own.
Ideas:
1. Buy a wallpaper border. Maybe I can find one that's just an empty road so that the cars and trucks aren't too much when combined with the Wallies?
2. Buy a cheap paper border meant for teachers to put around classroom bulletin boards, ya know? Cheaper and very simple installation - but probably pretty cheap looking too.
3. ? I don't know. You tell me! Got any great ideas? Seen any cute places to seek inspiration?
So, clearly we're going with a cars and trucks theme now. But the question is, how? I have two walls to decorate (the other two walls are filled with a window and the closet). I bought a couple of sheets of cars and trucks Wallies (like stickers meant to go on walls). I thought maybe I could create a kind of chair-rail-height border with them. And maybe a vinyl wall quote about "what little boys are made of". Oh, and just to be clear, I'm not re-painting. I'm just re-accessorizing.
One major problem that I'd like to address is the top of the room. When I painted their room there was a problem with the painters tape and for some reason it ripped off the paint at the top of the wall all the way around the room leaving this ugly jagged edge. I originally said I'd just put some molding up there to cover it. But, frankly, molding is something I can't do by myself. And I think Richard is plenty busy with other things without me throwing "put up molding" onto his list. So I'd like to think of some crafty way to deal with this problem that I can do pretty much on my own.
Ideas:
1. Buy a wallpaper border. Maybe I can find one that's just an empty road so that the cars and trucks aren't too much when combined with the Wallies?
2. Buy a cheap paper border meant for teachers to put around classroom bulletin boards, ya know? Cheaper and very simple installation - but probably pretty cheap looking too.
3. ? I don't know. You tell me! Got any great ideas? Seen any cute places to seek inspiration?
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Sock Problem
Problem: If the laundry room is on the main floor of the house, and I dress the kids each day on the main floor of the house, why on earth would I carry the laundry all the way upstairs when it's clean only to lug it back down one outfit at a time each morning?
Solution: Don't lug the clean laundry back upstairs. Just leave it on the main floor.
Problem: Keeping 3 kids' laundry in one small laundry room is a bit hard to manage in an organized fashion.
Solution: A table in the laundry room to leave stacks of the kids laundry on.
Problem: Socks don't stack well. And, honestly, I hate matching them up.
Solution: A small basket for each person's socks.
Solution: Don't lug the clean laundry back upstairs. Just leave it on the main floor.
Problem: Keeping 3 kids' laundry in one small laundry room is a bit hard to manage in an organized fashion.
Solution: A table in the laundry room to leave stacks of the kids laundry on.
Problem: Socks don't stack well. And, honestly, I hate matching them up.
Solution: A small basket for each person's socks.
The baskets are from Target and cost $2.99 each. I hung them on a small picture-hanging hook so that if I ever did get a desire to put socks away upstairs, I could just take the entire basket up there and dump it in the correct person's drawer. They hang directly across from the small table in the laundry room for maximum ease during laundry folding. The kids' baskets are hung low enough that they can get their own socks out. I put their names and a small picture on each basket so they'll know whose is whose even before they can read. Halle-freakin'-leugiah!
You may notice that there is no basket for Richard. That is partly because these 4 baskets were all that was in stock at my Target, and partly because that guy has more socks than all 3 kids combined. He wears about 3 pairs a day. Don't ask me why.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Flashback: Reading
{Check out other posts about reading at Chocolate On My Cranium's Wordfull Wednesday}
Last Month: I'm sitting at my bookclub. My bookclub is filled with women I admire who all come from my ward at church. We're discussing what future theme's or books we want to do. I suggest that we have a children's books month. I say "We can all re-read our favorite's from our youth and talk about how they affected us and why we loved them. I have so many fond memories!" To my surprise, people are not as excited about this idea as me. The conversation rolls around to other things. We finally come back to what we're going to read next month and one tactful woman says "Maybe we could read "Cheaper By The Dozen" and also talk about books from our youth?" People like this idea. Somebody says "Yeah, because I didn't really read much growing up." ...What?... Really? I know that there are many people who don't enjoy reading like I do. My husband is one of them. I'm not trying to judge, but I guess I assumed the woman in my bookclub were not a part of that group. Good for them for figuring out how great it is eventually!
18 years ago: I distinctly remember going to the library one day, looking through the shelves as always, and thinking "Oh, man! I've read all the books in this library!" Now, I hadn't really read ALL the books in the library. But I had read all the books in the young adult section that were of even just mild interest to me. Every BabySitter's Club book. Every Little House on the Prairie book. Every Sweet Valley High book. And all the books inbetween those. I soon discovered the Science Fiction/Fantasy section and starting devouring that. Then I found Mary Higgens Clark and Danielle Steel and the mystery thrillers. When I got my driver's license I discovered that the church bookstore had a whole new crop of books - the LDS fiction ones.
9 years ago: I was serving my full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We were only supposed to read the church-approved-for-missionaries books. I think there were 9 of them. And I read them all. Some twice. Some three times. And I read my scriptures daily, of course. But I really, really missed reading for fun. One Christmas Season I got a Christmas card with a quote from A Christmas Carol. I called my Mission President that day and asked special permission to read A Christmas Carol that season as long as I did all my other duties too. He said yes. I stretched the rules and read it twice. It felt so good.
I have many other memories of reading. Grandpa reading How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Grandma reading Richard Scarry on a tape. Mom coming into my room late at night and telling me not to read laying flat on my back (how did I do that?). I love to read. I love books. Some day I'd really like to have a true library in my house. A room filled with books and a couple of big squishy chairs with great lamps right next to them. ...Some day...
Last Month: I'm sitting at my bookclub. My bookclub is filled with women I admire who all come from my ward at church. We're discussing what future theme's or books we want to do. I suggest that we have a children's books month. I say "We can all re-read our favorite's from our youth and talk about how they affected us and why we loved them. I have so many fond memories!" To my surprise, people are not as excited about this idea as me. The conversation rolls around to other things. We finally come back to what we're going to read next month and one tactful woman says "Maybe we could read "Cheaper By The Dozen" and also talk about books from our youth?" People like this idea. Somebody says "Yeah, because I didn't really read much growing up." ...What?... Really? I know that there are many people who don't enjoy reading like I do. My husband is one of them. I'm not trying to judge, but I guess I assumed the woman in my bookclub were not a part of that group. Good for them for figuring out how great it is eventually!
18 years ago: I distinctly remember going to the library one day, looking through the shelves as always, and thinking "Oh, man! I've read all the books in this library!" Now, I hadn't really read ALL the books in the library. But I had read all the books in the young adult section that were of even just mild interest to me. Every BabySitter's Club book. Every Little House on the Prairie book. Every Sweet Valley High book. And all the books inbetween those. I soon discovered the Science Fiction/Fantasy section and starting devouring that. Then I found Mary Higgens Clark and Danielle Steel and the mystery thrillers. When I got my driver's license I discovered that the church bookstore had a whole new crop of books - the LDS fiction ones.
9 years ago: I was serving my full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We were only supposed to read the church-approved-for-missionaries books. I think there were 9 of them. And I read them all. Some twice. Some three times. And I read my scriptures daily, of course. But I really, really missed reading for fun. One Christmas Season I got a Christmas card with a quote from A Christmas Carol. I called my Mission President that day and asked special permission to read A Christmas Carol that season as long as I did all my other duties too. He said yes. I stretched the rules and read it twice. It felt so good.
I have many other memories of reading. Grandpa reading How The Grinch Stole Christmas. Grandma reading Richard Scarry on a tape. Mom coming into my room late at night and telling me not to read laying flat on my back (how did I do that?). I love to read. I love books. Some day I'd really like to have a true library in my house. A room filled with books and a couple of big squishy chairs with great lamps right next to them. ...Some day...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
NaBloPoMo me, Baby!
I've wanted to join NaBloPoMo for a while now, but I always hear about it too late. But this time my sister, Angela, clued me in on only the 3rd of the month. And luckily, I've blogged the first two days.
If none of this is making sense to you, maybe I should explain. NaBloPoMo is NAtional BLOg POsting MOnth. The idea is that you blog every day. For...fun, I guess. Or to start the habit. Or, in my case, so that you don't seem pathetic and overly-bloggy when you post every day anyway. So you can expect something from me every day this month. I believe my previous record for most-bloggyness-in-a-month was 24 posts.
The theme for this month's NaBloPoMo is Giving (Up). When you participate, you don't have to follow the theme. But it sounds like fun so I'll probably throw some theme references in sometimes.
Today, for example, I gave up on getting all the things on my to-do list done. But I got a pretty good chunk done before I gave up - so that's pretty good.
Also today, I gave Asher a rug burn on his stomach when we were playing too rough.
If none of this is making sense to you, maybe I should explain. NaBloPoMo is NAtional BLOg POsting MOnth. The idea is that you blog every day. For...fun, I guess. Or to start the habit. Or, in my case, so that you don't seem pathetic and overly-bloggy when you post every day anyway. So you can expect something from me every day this month. I believe my previous record for most-bloggyness-in-a-month was 24 posts.
The theme for this month's NaBloPoMo is Giving (Up). When you participate, you don't have to follow the theme. But it sounds like fun so I'll probably throw some theme references in sometimes.
Today, for example, I gave up on getting all the things on my to-do list done. But I got a pretty good chunk done before I gave up - so that's pretty good.
Also today, I gave Asher a rug burn on his stomach when we were playing too rough.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Snowy Memories
Not that my memories are snowy. I just mean memories about snow.
I didn't believe there actually was snow as deep as a person that you could sink way down in in the good Ol' US of A until I went to school in Idaho. It seemed like a fairy tale until I actually saw it.
My apartment at college was downhill from the school I went to. I had my purple, 8 eye, steel toed Doc Martens that I wore every day (like this only not so shiny)- but it was still a rough trip to school each morning.
To keep the walkways and roads not too slippery in Rexburg, they use ground-up red rock instead of salt. If you slip, it stains your clothes. (See above memory) One day I slid on my toosh almost all the way down the hill I had just climbed. And I don't mean on purpose. And people saw. And laughed.
My first kiss with one of the guys I dated in college (Dave? Was that his name? No. What was it?) was outside a cave we had just explored. We stood in the deep snow for a moment as we came out of the cave, admiring the stars. We were facing each other and kind of looking over each other's shoulders. He said "Oh! Look at that one." And as I turned my head, he kissed me. It was very romantic. (But he turned out to be a Mega-Jerk.) Edited to add: The Mega-Jerk's name was Ryan. I looked it up in my scrapbook.
The first time we let Naomi play outside in the snow, she was not happy about it. She did not think it was as fun as Richard and I thought playing with our first daughter in the snow was.
Today it snowed about 3 or 4 inches. The whole fam went out to do some sledding at a small hill around the corner (which the kids call a mountain). I didn't take the camera along because I just wanted to enjoy playing with the kids. We had a blast. Poor Isaiah was not a big fan of the standing around part (see above memory for a trend with smallish people). But we had a blast. The children weren't afraid at all and were troopers about climbing back up the hill after their turns. I even took several turns myself and really enjoyed it.
I'm pretty sure we just created a new "snow memory" for me.
I didn't believe there actually was snow as deep as a person that you could sink way down in in the good Ol' US of A until I went to school in Idaho. It seemed like a fairy tale until I actually saw it.
My apartment at college was downhill from the school I went to. I had my purple, 8 eye, steel toed Doc Martens that I wore every day (like this only not so shiny)- but it was still a rough trip to school each morning.
To keep the walkways and roads not too slippery in Rexburg, they use ground-up red rock instead of salt. If you slip, it stains your clothes. (See above memory) One day I slid on my toosh almost all the way down the hill I had just climbed. And I don't mean on purpose. And people saw. And laughed.
My first kiss with one of the guys I dated in college (Dave? Was that his name? No. What was it?) was outside a cave we had just explored. We stood in the deep snow for a moment as we came out of the cave, admiring the stars. We were facing each other and kind of looking over each other's shoulders. He said "Oh! Look at that one." And as I turned my head, he kissed me. It was very romantic. (But he turned out to be a Mega-Jerk.) Edited to add: The Mega-Jerk's name was Ryan. I looked it up in my scrapbook.
The first time we let Naomi play outside in the snow, she was not happy about it. She did not think it was as fun as Richard and I thought playing with our first daughter in the snow was.
Today it snowed about 3 or 4 inches. The whole fam went out to do some sledding at a small hill around the corner (which the kids call a mountain). I didn't take the camera along because I just wanted to enjoy playing with the kids. We had a blast. Poor Isaiah was not a big fan of the standing around part (see above memory for a trend with smallish people). But we had a blast. The children weren't afraid at all and were troopers about climbing back up the hill after their turns. I even took several turns myself and really enjoyed it.
I'm pretty sure we just created a new "snow memory" for me.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Uh huh uuuuhh uh
Here's a little sample of Isaiah speaking. He thinks he is totally fluent in English and sees no room for improvement at this point. All he needs is the word "uh" in as many forms and with as many varying emphasises as possible and he's all set.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Family Progression in Photos
Dating:
Married:
Happy Family of 3:
Second Baby (Asher) is on the way!:
Happy Family of 4:
Third Baby (Isaiah) is on the way, but I'm still lovin' on Baby #2!:
Happy family of 5:
Married:
Happy Family of 3:
Second Baby (Asher) is on the way!:
Happy Family of 4:
Third Baby (Isaiah) is on the way, but I'm still lovin' on Baby #2!:
Happy family of 5:
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Random Note:
If you put Sprite in a sippy-cup. eventually it will start kinda spitting out the top in little splurts. Then, a minute later, you'll have a fountain. Or a water gun.
And then you'll have to mop the kitchen floor.
And then you'll have to mop the kitchen floor.
Bows
I'm learning to make loopy hair bows today! I printed off this great tutorial online (I wish I had saved the URL so I could refer you to it - but I can't find it!) and it's a cinch! They're certainly not perfect (translation: I'm not ready to list them in my shop yet) but they look cute in Naomi's hair. She needs some since she's started letting me get "fancy". BTW this hair-do she's sporting below is her fav right now. She usually picks it when it's her turn - which is fine with me since it's so simple.
Random Tangent:
The last thing I do before I hit the "Publish Post" button is click the spell checker button. I'm so proud when I have no misspelled words. Does it bug anyone else as much as it bugs me when the spellchecker doesn't like some word that's totally valid slang? I want to see that "No misspellings found"!!! Don't take that glory away from me just because you don't like the word playdate or naptime. Come on! Those are words, right?
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Two Mommies
Mom: Come here and let me take your coat off, Asher. Only little boys who listen to their Mommies get cookies.
Asher: Mommies? ... Two Mommies? ... No two Mommies! Just you Mommy.
Asher: Mommies? ... Two Mommies? ... No two Mommies! Just you Mommy.
Absence and the Heart
Today Naomi is spending the entire day at Grandma Worth's house. Richard works very near to their house, so Naomi left with Richard this morning and won't be back until around 6 tonight when Richard gets home. She was super excited about it, but then had a little bout of cold feet around midnight last night. But she recovered this morning and decided to go. She packed her backpack with the essentials for a day away from home - Princesses, Ponies, coloring supplies, and the movie Barbie Swan Lake.
I was feeling pretty excited about it too. It's always easier with one less kid. And Naomi dictates a pretty large chunk of our schedule so things can be a little more relaxed without her. The boys and I went to the mall this morning (with no deadline of having to pick her up from school). The boys and I go to the mall often enough when Naomi is in school - so being there without her wasn't that unusual. But I missed her! Then as we were driving home it seemed so odd to not be stopping to pick her up. And when we got home it seemed very quiet without her bombardment of questions about what was happening next. I miss her! Now it's naptime. And it's always silent during naptime - but it seems a little extra silent today.
I'm sure she's having a blast with Grandma. I bet this will be a day she remembers forever. But she can't get home soon enough for me!
I was feeling pretty excited about it too. It's always easier with one less kid. And Naomi dictates a pretty large chunk of our schedule so things can be a little more relaxed without her. The boys and I went to the mall this morning (with no deadline of having to pick her up from school). The boys and I go to the mall often enough when Naomi is in school - so being there without her wasn't that unusual. But I missed her! Then as we were driving home it seemed so odd to not be stopping to pick her up. And when we got home it seemed very quiet without her bombardment of questions about what was happening next. I miss her! Now it's naptime. And it's always silent during naptime - but it seems a little extra silent today.
I'm sure she's having a blast with Grandma. I bet this will be a day she remembers forever. But she can't get home soon enough for me!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Grandpa Reads
Well, once Asher got better, he really got better. His recovery was fast. So we were really able to have a good weekend. Lots of fun playing, a little time set aside for Mom-alone-time and Dad-alone-time, family, etc. Grandma and Grandpa Worth came over for dinner on Sunday. We had a lovely chat and lovely dinner. After dinner Grandma played Barbie's with Naomi in her room and Grandpa stayed downstairs with the boys and I. Asher was playing with a whoopee cushion for a while, which is always good for a laugh. Then Grandpa read Asher's favorite book to him (Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go). That brought back great memories for me since when I was little we had a tape of my Grandmother reading Richard Scarry stories complete with "OK, now turn the page".
(Apparently there's a finger print on my camera lens again so forgive the blurriness.)
And since I'm putting up pictures I have to throw in this fun hairstyle of Naomi's for school today. Thanks to It's A Girl Thing. Pig tails into a braid and back into pig tails. Her hair wasn't quite long enough - there wasn't supposed to be an elastic at the bottom of the braid, but it wouldn't have held without it.
And this video of Naomi and Isaiah going a little crazy. They had a tough week last week since they both felt fine but were quarantined since I didn't know if either of them would catch what Asher had. Plus Mommy was all absorbed in Asher and took his side in every fight or discussion. So they were real troopers.
(Apparently there's a finger print on my camera lens again so forgive the blurriness.)
And since I'm putting up pictures I have to throw in this fun hairstyle of Naomi's for school today. Thanks to It's A Girl Thing. Pig tails into a braid and back into pig tails. Her hair wasn't quite long enough - there wasn't supposed to be an elastic at the bottom of the braid, but it wouldn't have held without it.
And this video of Naomi and Isaiah going a little crazy. They had a tough week last week since they both felt fine but were quarantined since I didn't know if either of them would catch what Asher had. Plus Mommy was all absorbed in Asher and took his side in every fight or discussion. So they were real troopers. Saturday, February 21, 2009
Turn Around
Asher made an abrupt change for the worse last night. It was actually hard to wake him up from his afternoon nap (which was 3 1/2 hours). I was really worried and debating taking him to the hospital. During my internal debate I said to myself "Self, if you take him to the hospital the first thing they're going to do is hand you a thing of Pedialyte and say 'Make him drink this'. You can do that here and save yourself some time and money." So I did. I went at him with a syringe-like medicine-giver thingy and made him drink it. And it worked. And I did that 5 times last night and then he ate his dinner and drank a whole cup of milk.
Now I must ask myself "Self, why didn't you do that before he got that bad?" And I have come to the realization that I am a softy when Asher is sick. I am total mush. I am softer than water. And I need to stop it. Because I am certainly not helping him by allowing him to get that dehydrated.
Asher had a great night, slept all night in his big boy bed, and woke up this morning perkier than we've seen him in days. So perky in fact, that we all went bowling this morning!
The sun seems to be shining brighter, the bird are singing, butterflies are flitting past (OK, not really) all because I am not in the hospital today and Asher is doing so much better.
Now I must ask myself "Self, why didn't you do that before he got that bad?" And I have come to the realization that I am a softy when Asher is sick. I am total mush. I am softer than water. And I need to stop it. Because I am certainly not helping him by allowing him to get that dehydrated.
Asher had a great night, slept all night in his big boy bed, and woke up this morning perkier than we've seen him in days. So perky in fact, that we all went bowling this morning!
The sun seems to be shining brighter, the bird are singing, butterflies are flitting past (OK, not really) all because I am not in the hospital today and Asher is doing so much better.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Asher is still not himself. He won't eat or drink. I'm afraid he's inching toward serious dehydration. But at the same time, he doesn't have any serious signs of illness other than not eating or drinking and not "being himself". So I'm not sure what that means. But today I decided to make Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies and see if I could entice him to eat that way.
The history of the cookie:
Several years ago my mother spent hours putting all her recipes into one uniform format, printing them and laminating them. Then she sent a complete set to each of her children. They are fabulous. The best part about them is that on the bottom of each card is a little story or memory of that dish. The Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies say "These were a school lunch favorite for the Ashurst kids. Great dunking! As I remember the story, my mother Helen, created this recipe after my sister Ellen had encephalitis. They were nutritious and high in protein to help her gain her strength back." So I figured if they were good for encephalitis, they must be good for the flu too!
The recipe:
1/2 C shortening
1/2 C soft margarine
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
1 C peanut butter
1 egg
Blend the above, then add:
2 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
Blend the above, then stir in:
1 C oatmeal
Roll in balls and then smash with a fork to make a crisscross pattern. Bake 8-10 minutes at 350.
My version:
First off, cookies just are hardly cookies without chocolate chips - so I add chocolate chips to mine. And secondly, since I add chocolate chips, I don't squish mine with a fork.
After patiently baking these with Asher and Isaiah's help (Naomi was at school), Asher refused to eat any. Now if that's not a sign of a sick boy, I don't know what is! Who turns down a cookie fresh out of the oven?
See Mom's sweet little recipe card? And the "photo holder" that I use to hold my recipes is from my MIL so I channel both my Mom's when I'm cooking or baking!
The grumpy, non-eating, non-drinking, rash-faced-from-swiping-his-arm-across-his-runny-nose, boy himself.
And a close up of the cookies, just to make you drool!
The history of the cookie:
Several years ago my mother spent hours putting all her recipes into one uniform format, printing them and laminating them. Then she sent a complete set to each of her children. They are fabulous. The best part about them is that on the bottom of each card is a little story or memory of that dish. The Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies say "These were a school lunch favorite for the Ashurst kids. Great dunking! As I remember the story, my mother Helen, created this recipe after my sister Ellen had encephalitis. They were nutritious and high in protein to help her gain her strength back." So I figured if they were good for encephalitis, they must be good for the flu too!
The recipe:
1/2 C shortening
1/2 C soft margarine
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
1 C peanut butter
1 egg
Blend the above, then add:
2 C flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
Blend the above, then stir in:
1 C oatmeal
Roll in balls and then smash with a fork to make a crisscross pattern. Bake 8-10 minutes at 350.
My version:
First off, cookies just are hardly cookies without chocolate chips - so I add chocolate chips to mine. And secondly, since I add chocolate chips, I don't squish mine with a fork.
After patiently baking these with Asher and Isaiah's help (Naomi was at school), Asher refused to eat any. Now if that's not a sign of a sick boy, I don't know what is! Who turns down a cookie fresh out of the oven?
See Mom's sweet little recipe card? And the "photo holder" that I use to hold my recipes is from my MIL so I channel both my Mom's when I'm cooking or baking!
The grumpy, non-eating, non-drinking, rash-faced-from-swiping-his-arm-across-his-runny-nose, boy himself.
And a close up of the cookies, just to make you drool!
Happy Baking!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Craft Therapy
Asher Update: There hasn't been any more throwing up since that first night, but he is still pretty mopey and won't eat much. Yesterday was a lot of crying and moaning and a blur of exhaustion (I'm trying to block most of yesterday out). He fell asleep last night at 5pm and we let him stay that way. Richard earned his Husband-of-the-Year Award last night by sleeping on the couch so that he would hear Asher crying and be able to deal with him while I slept all night. They apparently only woke up once around 1am and then got up for good at 6am. Asher seems a little more perky today but is obviously still not feeling well. I, however, am feeling much better with a full night's sleep behind me. Amazing what sleep can do for your attitude.
~~~~~~~~~
I believe in it. Therapy by crafting, that is. It works for me. And since I needed some therapy today to recover from yesterday, that's what I did.
I got these great fancy little measuring spoons from my mother for Christmas. I was so excited to bring them home and hang them in my kitchen just like my mother has hers. The only problem was that she has hers hanging from one of the knobs on her cabinet - and I don't have knobs on my cabinets. So I thought maybe I'd just hang them on the wall just above the backsplash. But they looked very lonely and random. So I thought I'd frame them. But they didn't seem quite artsy enough to be in a frame all by themselves. Then I thought of the scripture in Mathew about measuring, and the final idea was born. Of course, this all happened in January and it's now mid-February. And that, my friends, is how I came to be doing this today.
A little scrapbook paper, a frame stolen from something else, some wire, and wa-la!
Aren't the little birds just adorable? My neighbor actually brought me that piece of paper one day because she knew what my Chic Made logo was and thought of me when she saw the birds. Isn't that sweet? And then the measuring cups have little bird houses and birds on them too. Perfect!
~~~~~~~~~
I believe in it. Therapy by crafting, that is. It works for me. And since I needed some therapy today to recover from yesterday, that's what I did.
I got these great fancy little measuring spoons from my mother for Christmas. I was so excited to bring them home and hang them in my kitchen just like my mother has hers. The only problem was that she has hers hanging from one of the knobs on her cabinet - and I don't have knobs on my cabinets. So I thought maybe I'd just hang them on the wall just above the backsplash. But they looked very lonely and random. So I thought I'd frame them. But they didn't seem quite artsy enough to be in a frame all by themselves. Then I thought of the scripture in Mathew about measuring, and the final idea was born. Of course, this all happened in January and it's now mid-February. And that, my friends, is how I came to be doing this today.
A little scrapbook paper, a frame stolen from something else, some wire, and wa-la!
Aren't the little birds just adorable? My neighbor actually brought me that piece of paper one day because she knew what my Chic Made logo was and thought of me when she saw the birds. Isn't that sweet? And then the measuring cups have little bird houses and birds on them too. Perfect!
I love the 3-D-ness of it.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
A monkey wrench in The Battle
I guess Asher's transition to his big boy bed was a little too easy on me. So it was decided that we needed to throw an illness in just for fun. I'll spare you the details, but he and I were up all night. I'm exhausted to the point of delirium, but he seems to be doing better. The upside is that we're not in the hospital. Remember last years Rotavirus where Asher ended up in the hospital twice because he refused to drink anything but milk and I refused to give milk to a sick-o? Well, this year I nipped that problem in the bud and have been giving the kids juice regularly just to get them ready for any potential sickness. And it has worked! Asher is drinking Pedialyte and is not too dehydrated. It's nice to know that sometimes my worrying and planning works out!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
She's been thinking
Naomi: How do babies get into Mommy's tummy's?
Mom: A Mom and a Dad get together and do something really special and then sometimes that makes a baby get in the Mom's tummy.
Naomi: I think when that happens I shouldn't come down from my room. So can you tell me when you and Daddy are going to do something special?
Mom: {giggling} You're just supposed to always stay in your room at bedtime. Remember?
Naomi: Oh. Yeah.
Mom: A Mom and a Dad get together and do something really special and then sometimes that makes a baby get in the Mom's tummy.
Naomi: I think when that happens I shouldn't come down from my room. So can you tell me when you and Daddy are going to do something special?
Mom: {giggling} You're just supposed to always stay in your room at bedtime. Remember?
Naomi: Oh. Yeah.
Monday, February 16, 2009
The battle continues
Well, Asher pleasantly surprised me by sleeping as late as 6:20 this morning. And he even let me sleep until 6:45. At that point we called it pointless and just all got up.
Asher and I made a special trip to Target, just he and I, to buy a big boy blanket and pillow. We found a cute truck-themed comforter and sham. It's twin sized and he has a toddler sized bed, but it was all they had so we got it. When we got home I tried to switch his convertible bed from crib to bed all by myself. ...Let's just say, it's a good thing I have a handy husband available. Anyway, I'll spare myself the embarrassing details, but after I quite sabotaging us, the bed switch went very quickly. We put Asher's twin sized blanket the long way across his bed under the mattress and then wrapped it around the mattress and that leaves just enough blanket on top to cover him up. Asher was very pleased and excited about his new bed (which was the whole point of the shopping trip, etc.)
As naptime approached this afternoon Asher was so excited to get to his new bed that he threw a fit about having to eat lunch first. But eventually he made it. Into bed he went, and there he stayed...for about a minute. But after about 45 minutes of trouble-making he settled down and fell asleep! He is, at this very moment, sleeping in his big boy bed! Eeeekkkkk!
I think it'll take him a week or so to get the hang of it, but these first few events were not so bad so I have high hopes of it not being any big deal. *Sigh* A girl can dream, right?
Now the only problem I'm having is that Richard and I are supposed to go out tonight for our Valentine's date. We usually plan to have the sitter arrive just after the kids are already in bed so it's no big deal for the sitter. Especially when "the sitter" is Richard's brother Kevin and his wife Kelly and they're doing it for free. And that's what we planned for tonight, but now I'm worried about leaving Asher on his first night in his new bed. It won't be as easy a night as Kevin and Kelly had planned for, I'm sure. I'm sure nothing tragic will happen or anything - I just feel bad saddling them with this issue.
And here it is: the big boy bed. The plaid you see is the underside of the new comforter. So see how it's under the mattress and then it comes up around the backside and goes on top of the mattress leaving just enough to cover him? Convenient, eh?
Looking at these pictures, I realize how lucky I am that the comforter matches their room so well. That's really just total coincidence. I wasn't even thinking about matching it to the room until we got it home. Ahhh, luck! I suppose I should really take all the credit for having such impeccable good taste.
Asher and I made a special trip to Target, just he and I, to buy a big boy blanket and pillow. We found a cute truck-themed comforter and sham. It's twin sized and he has a toddler sized bed, but it was all they had so we got it. When we got home I tried to switch his convertible bed from crib to bed all by myself. ...Let's just say, it's a good thing I have a handy husband available. Anyway, I'll spare myself the embarrassing details, but after I quite sabotaging us, the bed switch went very quickly. We put Asher's twin sized blanket the long way across his bed under the mattress and then wrapped it around the mattress and that leaves just enough blanket on top to cover him up. Asher was very pleased and excited about his new bed (which was the whole point of the shopping trip, etc.)
As naptime approached this afternoon Asher was so excited to get to his new bed that he threw a fit about having to eat lunch first. But eventually he made it. Into bed he went, and there he stayed...for about a minute. But after about 45 minutes of trouble-making he settled down and fell asleep! He is, at this very moment, sleeping in his big boy bed! Eeeekkkkk!
I think it'll take him a week or so to get the hang of it, but these first few events were not so bad so I have high hopes of it not being any big deal. *Sigh* A girl can dream, right?
Now the only problem I'm having is that Richard and I are supposed to go out tonight for our Valentine's date. We usually plan to have the sitter arrive just after the kids are already in bed so it's no big deal for the sitter. Especially when "the sitter" is Richard's brother Kevin and his wife Kelly and they're doing it for free. And that's what we planned for tonight, but now I'm worried about leaving Asher on his first night in his new bed. It won't be as easy a night as Kevin and Kelly had planned for, I'm sure. I'm sure nothing tragic will happen or anything - I just feel bad saddling them with this issue.
And here it is: the big boy bed. The plaid you see is the underside of the new comforter. So see how it's under the mattress and then it comes up around the backside and goes on top of the mattress leaving just enough to cover him? Convenient, eh?
Looking at these pictures, I realize how lucky I am that the comforter matches their room so well. That's really just total coincidence. I wasn't even thinking about matching it to the room until we got it home. Ahhh, luck! I suppose I should really take all the credit for having such impeccable good taste. Sunday, February 15, 2009
The battle begins
Sunday, February 15, 2009: A Day to Remember
6:35pm: Naomi, Asher and Isaiah go to bed as usual.
6:55pm: I hear the soft scuffing of small feet coming down the stairs. I brace myself for Naomi's excuses.
6:56pm: The little feet coming down the stairs belong to Asher! He has just climbed out of his crib for the first time. After loosing it for half a second and almost laughing out loud, I get it together and have a collected chat with Asher about why he can not get out of bed anymore even though he can and how tomorrow we'll make his crib into a big boy bed and get a new big boy blanket and big boy pillow.
7:00pm: Asher is back in bed.
7:01pm: Asher is back out of bed but Mom waited in the hall for the inevitable and Asher goes straight back into bed.
7:10pm: I hear a door slam upstairs and go to investigate. Asher is awake, out of his crib, has turned on the lights in his room (which he shares with Isaiah) and has slammed his door and Naomi's.
7:11pm: Asher is back in bed.
7:12pm: Asher is out of bed.
7:13pm: Asher is back in bed.
****************
9:15pm: No more appearances by Asher as of yet. I have no confidence that I'll be sleeping past 5am tomorrow. Note to self: Lock the gate at the top of the stairs when you go to bed so he can't wander downstairs upon waking up.
To be continued...
6:35pm: Naomi, Asher and Isaiah go to bed as usual.
6:55pm: I hear the soft scuffing of small feet coming down the stairs. I brace myself for Naomi's excuses.
6:56pm: The little feet coming down the stairs belong to Asher! He has just climbed out of his crib for the first time. After loosing it for half a second and almost laughing out loud, I get it together and have a collected chat with Asher about why he can not get out of bed anymore even though he can and how tomorrow we'll make his crib into a big boy bed and get a new big boy blanket and big boy pillow.
7:00pm: Asher is back in bed.
7:01pm: Asher is back out of bed but Mom waited in the hall for the inevitable and Asher goes straight back into bed.
7:10pm: I hear a door slam upstairs and go to investigate. Asher is awake, out of his crib, has turned on the lights in his room (which he shares with Isaiah) and has slammed his door and Naomi's.
7:11pm: Asher is back in bed.
7:12pm: Asher is out of bed.
7:13pm: Asher is back in bed.
****************
9:15pm: No more appearances by Asher as of yet. I have no confidence that I'll be sleeping past 5am tomorrow. Note to self: Lock the gate at the top of the stairs when you go to bed so he can't wander downstairs upon waking up.
To be continued...
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Saturday
Ever since my little rant about how none of you blog on Saturday's, I feel somewhat obligated to blog on Saturday's myself. Oh well.
Today Richard and I took the kids to a nearby indoor pool. They were super excited when we told them where we were going, and they had even more fun than I expected. Asher spent almost the whole time jumping up and down in the water and saying "Hop! Hop! Hop!". Naomi splashed and jumped and floundered as much as I thought she would. And even Isaiah, who took a little while to warm up to the idea, eventually had a great time splashing around. Now if only it hadn't completely exhausted Richard and I!
Richard and I have planned our Valentine's Day date for Monday night. Our plans are to see Confessions of a Shopaholic. Well... those are my plans. Hopefully Richard will join me ... (just kidding...sorta). Tonight we are going to get some takeout and watch a movie at home. The discussion of what to watch is ongoing. One of us wants "Strange Brew" and the other wants "Wuthering Heights". Can you guess which is who's choice?
Today Richard and I took the kids to a nearby indoor pool. They were super excited when we told them where we were going, and they had even more fun than I expected. Asher spent almost the whole time jumping up and down in the water and saying "Hop! Hop! Hop!". Naomi splashed and jumped and floundered as much as I thought she would. And even Isaiah, who took a little while to warm up to the idea, eventually had a great time splashing around. Now if only it hadn't completely exhausted Richard and I!
Richard and I have planned our Valentine's Day date for Monday night. Our plans are to see Confessions of a Shopaholic. Well... those are my plans. Hopefully Richard will join me ... (just kidding...sorta). Tonight we are going to get some takeout and watch a movie at home. The discussion of what to watch is ongoing. One of us wants "Strange Brew" and the other wants "Wuthering Heights". Can you guess which is who's choice?
Friday, February 13, 2009
Pretty Valentine's (Or Handsome, as the case my be)
Naomi wasn't that excited about exchanging Valentine's today at school. But I was excited enough for both of us! She just didn't know what she was in for! And sure enough, she loved it and was very excited after school. We had fun looking at all her Valentine's together and reading the names of her classmates.
The boys got haircuts today. Isaiah looks like Asher and Asher looks like some older kid. I think the lady butchered Isaiah's hair a little more than necessary - but I'm sure it'll look good in a couple of weeks. I let them use the razor on Asher for the first time - like a real big boy!
The boys got haircuts today. Isaiah looks like Asher and Asher looks like some older kid. I think the lady butchered Isaiah's hair a little more than necessary - but I'm sure it'll look good in a couple of weeks. I let them use the razor on Asher for the first time - like a real big boy!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Squirrel Watching
It's been absolutely beautiful around here the last few days. The kids spent almost all of yesterday in the backyard (or else tracking dirt inside). Today it's a little cooler, but we still have a couple of windows open to let the fresh, brisk air in. This morning I decided I wanted to make a bird feeder like I've seen people do with a pinecone and some peanut butter. What I quickly learned is that the key ingredient to those bird feeders is birdseed. Which I don't have. Duh. BUT, you can make a squirrel feeder with just a pinecone and peanut butter. Perfect. So, in a super crafty move, I spent 30 seconds tying a ribbon to and then slathering peanut butter on a pinecone. In another 60 seconds it was hanging from the large tree right outside our backdoor. And within 5 minutes there were 2 squirrels on the same tree. They are actually pretty hysterical to watch - the way they timidly climb to the branch with the pinecone on it then skitter forward three steps then back two before approaching the snack. Actually, we have yet to spy them really eating off the pinecone but we know they've been messing with it since the ribbon is a little messed up. Squirrel watching is a fun way to distract the kids from whatever fight they're in at that moment. All it takes is a "Look! A squirrel!" and they all go running to the window for a peek.
My MIL, Margaret, was here this morning. She played with the kids and made some Valentine's with them while I cleaned my room. I think it's probably cleaner and more organized now than it has been since we moved in. It sure does feel nice. What could be a better Valentine's Day present from her than a nice, clean, romantic room?
Oh, and as an extra little Valentine's gift to myself I found a bag in the back of my closet with a brand new pair of pants in it that I must have bought like a year ago. It was in the back of my closet because the pants didn't actually fit when I bought them and I was too bummed (no pun intended) to return them. Well guess what folks, they still don't fit well. But this time they're too big! Happy, happy day!
My MIL, Margaret, was here this morning. She played with the kids and made some Valentine's with them while I cleaned my room. I think it's probably cleaner and more organized now than it has been since we moved in. It sure does feel nice. What could be a better Valentine's Day present from her than a nice, clean, romantic room?
Oh, and as an extra little Valentine's gift to myself I found a bag in the back of my closet with a brand new pair of pants in it that I must have bought like a year ago. It was in the back of my closet because the pants didn't actually fit when I bought them and I was too bummed (no pun intended) to return them. Well guess what folks, they still don't fit well. But this time they're too big! Happy, happy day!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Sigh of Contentment
The baby shower went so fabulously! I think around 25 people showed up. That is a pretty respectable number considering the size of my house. And we were a chatty group! Naomi always has a little trouble falling asleep when I'm partying downstairs with girlfriends (she feels like she's missing out) but she had a genuine complaint on Saturday night. We were loud! But that was great - it meant everybody was having a good time! The food turned out really well and the decorations were highly complimented. I was running a bit behind on Saturday and really wasn't ready until right down to the minute. Still today I keep opening drawers and cupboards and finding things that I threw in there at the last minute to get them out of sight - dirty dishes mixed with clean in the cupboards, Naomi's art on top of the silverware, etc. But despite my rush, I don't think it could have gone better. The real thing that measures the success is that Stephanie, who the party was for, felt very loved and appreciated. She got some great clothes and diapers and such for the baby, and is loaded up with so much chocolate that she'll be on a sugar high for a year and a half. It was fun to open the gifts and see which kind of chocolate everybody gave. (The invitations said "Stephanie has lots of boy clothes (she's done this a few times before!) but one thing she can never get enough of is CHOCOLATE!)
Now I feel amazingly happy with my life. My house is practically spotless (at least in the main visible parts). The biggest thing on my "to do" list for the week is to make Valentine's with Naomi. A friend, whom I was having a large misunderstanding with, finally emailed me a kind note. I even went to the gym today, had a great workout and got totally checked out by a guy. I am definitely feeling good.
Sadly, I didn't take any pictures at the party. But Stephanie did! So when/if she posts them on her blog, I'll hook you up!
Now I feel amazingly happy with my life. My house is practically spotless (at least in the main visible parts). The biggest thing on my "to do" list for the week is to make Valentine's with Naomi. A friend, whom I was having a large misunderstanding with, finally emailed me a kind note. I even went to the gym today, had a great workout and got totally checked out by a guy. I am definitely feeling good.
Sadly, I didn't take any pictures at the party. But Stephanie did! So when/if she posts them on her blog, I'll hook you up!
Friday, February 6, 2009
To Do:
Vacuum stairs
Clear off Dining Room table
Make brownie balls
Make giant cookie
Dip marshmallows in chocolate
Drizzle chocolate on cream puffs
Clean kitchen
Set tables with brown tulle, chocolates, fresh flowers, etc.
Borrow fancy dishes from fancy neighbor
Buy gift certificate as gift
Vacuum all of house
Glue chocolates to sticks to add to fresh flowers
Buy card for all who contributed to group gift to sign
Make some kind of big bow to put on big group gift
General de-cluttering of house
Organize the toys to look semi-decent
Wrap my own gift for Stephanie
Good grief. I don't think I should have made that list. I could just keep going on and on. But basically everything that's not on that list doesn't HAVE to happen. And I have the rest of today and tomorrow until about 5pm to work on that stuff - then I move into last minute prep mode. But I am happy to do all of it. Because this baby shower is gonna rock so dang much. I am so excited about it! I have 20 positive RSVP's and only 8 no's. Out of about 90 invites sent out. So I'm guessing somewhere around 30 people will actually come. I feel like I should warn the neighbors about the parking situation.
Clear off Dining Room table
Make brownie balls
Make giant cookie
Dip marshmallows in chocolate
Drizzle chocolate on cream puffs
Clean kitchen
Set tables with brown tulle, chocolates, fresh flowers, etc.
Borrow fancy dishes from fancy neighbor
Buy gift certificate as gift
Vacuum all of house
Glue chocolates to sticks to add to fresh flowers
Buy card for all who contributed to group gift to sign
Make some kind of big bow to put on big group gift
General de-cluttering of house
Organize the toys to look semi-decent
Wrap my own gift for Stephanie
Good grief. I don't think I should have made that list. I could just keep going on and on. But basically everything that's not on that list doesn't HAVE to happen. And I have the rest of today and tomorrow until about 5pm to work on that stuff - then I move into last minute prep mode. But I am happy to do all of it. Because this baby shower is gonna rock so dang much. I am so excited about it! I have 20 positive RSVP's and only 8 no's. Out of about 90 invites sent out. So I'm guessing somewhere around 30 people will actually come. I feel like I should warn the neighbors about the parking situation.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Fancy Hair
When I was in Texas over Christmas I was amazed to my see my SIL, Jessica, doing her daughters hair just for fun. Ginger just sat there for a pretty long time and let her Mom do this elaborate hair style for no particular reason! I was in awe! Naomi has never let me do her hair very fancy unless I bribe her or something. Which seems weird to me since she is the girliest of girls. So I started bugging Naomi about letting me do her hair. She finally came up with the idea that she gets to pick her hairstyle one day and I get to choose the next day and back and forth like that. She came up with this plan all on her own, so when she doesn't like what I'm doing to her hair I just remind her of that. And, what do you know, now that I've had a few days to do her hair my way, she sometimes chooses "my way" as "hers"!
This hairstyle was the best I could do to get her short-ish hair into a "ballerina bun" for her last Sunday.
And this is how her hair is today. It was also her choice. I had done her hair like this but only two braids earlier in the week and she liked it, but wanted more braids today. I can't even believe she asked for "more braids"! Hooray!
I'm still working on her letting me put big bows or other pretty things in it. She still just wants clippies all the time. The above hairstyle would have looked so cute with a big bow!
This hairstyle was the best I could do to get her short-ish hair into a "ballerina bun" for her last Sunday.
And this is how her hair is today. It was also her choice. I had done her hair like this but only two braids earlier in the week and she liked it, but wanted more braids today. I can't even believe she asked for "more braids"! Hooray!
I'm still working on her letting me put big bows or other pretty things in it. She still just wants clippies all the time. The above hairstyle would have looked so cute with a big bow!**While I didn't actually copy any exact hairstyles from these sites, I was inspired by
Monday, February 2, 2009
I'm Yours...and yours...and yours...and yours
I saw Jason Mraz on SNL this past week. He sang the song "I'm Yours". And I fell in love with the song. I'd heard it before, but never really listened to all the words. I think it is the perfect song for our family. You can find the complete lyrics here and the music video here, but my favorite verses go as follows:
Well you done done me and you bet I felt it, I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted. I fell right through the cracks and now I'm trying to get back. {This makes me think of just Richard and I, of course. No kids involved here unless you count...well, I think you get where I'm going...}
Listen to the music of the moment people. Dance and sing. We're just one big family and it's our God-intended right to be loved, loved, loved, loved, loved. {OK, so here the family comes in. We love to dance and sing and listen to music and be loved. There's even a "loved" for each member of our family right now!}
I guess what I be sayin' is there ain't no better reason to rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons. It's what we aim to do. Our name is our virtue. {Hello? Our name is Worth!}
I love it when I love a song like this. Now every time I hear it I'll have happy thoughts about all the great loves of my life. Richard, Naomi, Asher, and Isaiah. I'm theirs. You best believe. Best believe, I'm theirs.
Well you done done me and you bet I felt it, I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted. I fell right through the cracks and now I'm trying to get back. {This makes me think of just Richard and I, of course. No kids involved here unless you count...well, I think you get where I'm going...}
Listen to the music of the moment people. Dance and sing. We're just one big family and it's our God-intended right to be loved, loved, loved, loved, loved. {OK, so here the family comes in. We love to dance and sing and listen to music and be loved. There's even a "loved" for each member of our family right now!}
I guess what I be sayin' is there ain't no better reason to rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons. It's what we aim to do. Our name is our virtue. {Hello? Our name is Worth!}
I love it when I love a song like this. Now every time I hear it I'll have happy thoughts about all the great loves of my life. Richard, Naomi, Asher, and Isaiah. I'm theirs. You best believe. Best believe, I'm theirs.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Happy Thoughts
You must all go read my sister's blog post which she wrote in response to my last post. And then, if you haven't already, you should really bookmark her blog. She's very witty and genuine and a fabulous writer. And she doesn't get enough comment love.
Today we had our Stake Conference. Dallin H. Oaks was there. I didn't get to listen to him much today since I was in the hall with Asher, but luckily I got to hear him last night at the adult session. So I filled Richard in on last night's talk and he filled me in on today's. We both got great things out of it. My favorite part was when he was talking about "those three little words that every woman wants to hear". He went through several versions of what those words are, including "You are right", "You've lost weight" and "Yes, my dear". It got me thinking about what Richard says to me that I really like. This may be too much information for some of you, but I really like it when he says "Wow, Babe!" He says it in this very appreciative way when he thinks I look fancy or whatever. ... I like it. ... Nuff said.
Today is the Super Bowl. Neither Richard nor I are really big football fans. But we are big fans of food - so we have some fun food planned for today.
Today we had our Stake Conference. Dallin H. Oaks was there. I didn't get to listen to him much today since I was in the hall with Asher, but luckily I got to hear him last night at the adult session. So I filled Richard in on last night's talk and he filled me in on today's. We both got great things out of it. My favorite part was when he was talking about "those three little words that every woman wants to hear". He went through several versions of what those words are, including "You are right", "You've lost weight" and "Yes, my dear". It got me thinking about what Richard says to me that I really like. This may be too much information for some of you, but I really like it when he says "Wow, Babe!" He says it in this very appreciative way when he thinks I look fancy or whatever. ... I like it. ... Nuff said.
Today is the Super Bowl. Neither Richard nor I are really big football fans. But we are big fans of food - so we have some fun food planned for today.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Weekend Blues
I just wrote the following:
In some ways, I hate the weekends. You people don't blog enough! Here I have more time than usual to read blogs since Richard is home, and you guys return the favor by not blogging! Ugh. I need to be entertained, people! Stop spending quality time with your families and write something funny!
And I seriously thought about clicking the "Publish Post" button with just that. And then I realized that I need some happy pills. Sheesh. Downer!
Here's a funny to story to make it up to you:
Asher woke up from his nap today and called to me in his usual way "Mom! I ready to wake up!... Mom, I ready to wake up!... Mom! {emphasis on each syllable} I rea-dy to wake up!" When I walked into his room the first thing he said {in an urgent tone} was "I need... a snack, Mom." Like he had seriously deliberated on this for some time and come to the educated conclusion that his body was in need of nourishment.
Ok, so that's not that funny of a story. More like just a quirky piece of my life with Asher. But - at least it's not totally cynical, right?
In some ways, I hate the weekends. You people don't blog enough! Here I have more time than usual to read blogs since Richard is home, and you guys return the favor by not blogging! Ugh. I need to be entertained, people! Stop spending quality time with your families and write something funny!
And I seriously thought about clicking the "Publish Post" button with just that. And then I realized that I need some happy pills. Sheesh. Downer!
Here's a funny to story to make it up to you:
Asher woke up from his nap today and called to me in his usual way "Mom! I ready to wake up!... Mom, I ready to wake up!... Mom! {emphasis on each syllable} I rea-dy to wake up!" When I walked into his room the first thing he said {in an urgent tone} was "I need... a snack, Mom." Like he had seriously deliberated on this for some time and come to the educated conclusion that his body was in need of nourishment.
Ok, so that's not that funny of a story. More like just a quirky piece of my life with Asher. But - at least it's not totally cynical, right?
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Language skills
I've had a very clever post planned in my head all about how Isaiah's forms of communication at this point in his life remind me of Star Wars. C3PO squeaks and Chewy roars. But instead, you get this cute video of Isaiah and his Dad. Isaiah and his father had just been having quite a conversation for the last few minutes, but of course I only caught the tail end of it and it's not so great.
Basically, Isaiah totally understands I'd say 80% of what we say. And he can make his wishes known very clearly. But he has yet to use any words that you'd find in the dictionary except for a long string of "Mamamamamamamamamama" for me (would you find that in dictionary?). He nods his head and says "uh huh" for the affirmative. He shakes his head and says "uh uh" for the negative. He says "huh?" as in "what did you say?" He points and grunts to whatever he wants. He brings me things that he wants something done with (blocks he wants put together, a cup he wants refilled, a blanket he wants on top of him, etc.). I was a little worried for a while there that maybe he was in some way delayed, but What To Expect says that as long as it's clear he's understanding us, he'll probably start speaking eventually. I just hope it's before he's a Senior in High School.
So without further ado, a short video for your entertainment (it's quite a comedy of errors, really):
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Ketchup
I've been super busy the last few days so I have several "to blog" ideas in my head. So I'll just throw it all out here for ya.
I've spent all my free and nap times making about 90 of these:
They are baby shower invitations. They turned out really well but they gave me some trouble. I kept running out of random supplies that I thought I had plenty of. And then I had to send poor Richard out today in a snow storm to mail them. I'm not complaining - I'm just sayin', that's what I've been spending my time on. Happily. I'm sure you'll hear more about this baby shower in the next few weeks. I'm very excited about it.
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I've also been busy with the Bloggy Giveaway's Carnival. If you get some time, go enter some contests. And be sure to enter my giveaway at the Chic Made Blog.
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The other day we set up a great, comfy, bed of blankets and pillows and such on the family room floor. Here's what the kids started out doing in it:
But it quickly escalated to this:
And much fun craziness ensued.
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The other week we had a great Enrichment Meeting lesson about how the "decorating" in our home can bring the spirit. The woman who gave it talked about how if you are surronded by things you love, it is sometimes easier to feel the spirit. I think most of the decorating in my home is things that I love - that's why I bought them. But I've always struggled with what to do on the mantel in the family room. Christmas solved that problem for me! The fabulous little arrangement below just sort of fell together. I bought the little blue bird at one of my favorite crafty stores in Plano while I ws there and just love it. I wish I'd bought a dozen to put all over the house. The scent inffuser thing came in my stocking and smells just lovely. And the family picture has been there for a while (as you can see from the outdated photo) but never really looked right until now. So, there you go, a little something that makes me happy.
Have a good day! We're playing in the snow!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Brownies and Beauty Queens
I had big plans for Saturday night. I invited a girlfriend over to watch Miss America, eat junk, and mock Beauty Queens. I know, I know, some of you may be offended that I watched the show with that intent. If it makes you feel better, we actually didn't mock that much. My girlfriend brought her hubby and he was actually complaining that we weren't mocking enough. There just wasn't anyone truly mock-able this year. Now, last year...last year was so mockable it's hardly even funny anymore. If you didn't see it, you should go check out Miss South Carolina's answer in the question portion. Now THAT was mockable. Anyway, we did have fun just being together and dreaming about wearing fancy dresses. I guess there's a part of every girly girl that wants to be a beauty queen.
Here's some pics of the kids "helping" me make the brownies earlier in the day.
Here's some pics of the kids "helping" me make the brownies earlier in the day.
(Oh, and thanks for the cute apron, Mom! It's great! Naomi would have worn hers too, but she was too busy being a ballerina.)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Thanks Uncle Josh!
The last of our Christmas presents arrived today! My brother, Josh, gave Naomi and I these matching bags. We are so excited about them! (They arrived a little late because he ordered them on Etsy and didn't realize they were coming all the way from Turkey!) Naomi's is just the right size to be a little church bag for her - just enough room for a pad of paper and a pen (which is all she needs to help her sit quietly for hours on end).
Also, in this shot - my updated hair do. It was cut over Christmas by my talented SIL Jessica.
Also, in this shot - my updated hair do. It was cut over Christmas by my talented SIL Jessica.
Smile!
It's been a while since we had some random cuteness on the blog - just for the sake of random cuteness. Plus, I find that when I go around trying to catch a cute shot of each of my children I remember all the reasons why I love them so much. ...Which is a good thing for a mother in the mid-week rut.
Naomi is a total poser. Always has been. But at least she knows what works for her!
I love this shot of Asher because of his limbs. His feet look very baby-ish and remind me of the cute things baby's do in their sleep or when they're first discovering their toes. But then his hands look huge! Whose big-boy hand is that?
And finally, here is Isaiah, looking very retro in his brown turtleneck and fluffy hair. The shot is even kinda colorless and faded looking - like maybe it really was taken in the 70's.
Naomi is a total poser. Always has been. But at least she knows what works for her!
I love this shot of Asher because of his limbs. His feet look very baby-ish and remind me of the cute things baby's do in their sleep or when they're first discovering their toes. But then his hands look huge! Whose big-boy hand is that?
And finally, here is Isaiah, looking very retro in his brown turtleneck and fluffy hair. The shot is even kinda colorless and faded looking - like maybe it really was taken in the 70's.
Yep. I've confirmed it. They're cute. ... Still.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Shameless
Ya know how I started a blog about my jewelry not too long back? Chicmade.blogspot.com. Well, I'm really excited about hosting a giveaway on that site next week and linking it to Bloggy Giveaways Carnival. I hope that will increase my traffic to the blog, and in turn to my shop. But the thing is, right now the blog kinda looks like nobody reads it. I know a few of you do since I can see that on my Analytics, but I need it to LOOK like somebody reads it. To give me some street cred. So if you've got some time, could you please go leave a few comments on that blog? Even if it's nothing creative in the comment, just seeing that "4 comments" instead of "0 comments" will make a big difference.
I know, it's shameless. But really I just want it to look like I get as much traffic as I actually do. Or maybe more. More would be OK, too. ... Totally shameless. [Shaking head]
I know, it's shameless. But really I just want it to look like I get as much traffic as I actually do. Or maybe more. More would be OK, too. ... Totally shameless. [Shaking head]
Monday, January 19, 2009
First Snow
There's gotta be one of these posts every year - the first snow. The kids have been waiting for this day very impatiently. Naomi in particular was ecstatic. Unfortunately my camera battery is dead. So instead you get video from Richard's new, fancy, HD video thingy. Hopefully the video won't be so big that it jams up your computer (if it does, let me know for future reference).
Richard is home today for MLK day. So we staged a "cleaning blitz" this morning and got a jump start on my plan for the week to eradicate clutter, remove dirt, and expel dust. Oh, and we finally got the Christmas stuff put away. That's only a week after we got home, so if you think about it, that's like I put the decorations away on January 7. Ya know? Ya with me on this rationalization?
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Already?
A conversation between Mom and Naomi as Naomi is being tucked into bed:
Naomi: But we didn't see that prophet guy today!
Me: What prophet guy?
Naomi: The one we talked about in school.
Me: You mean Martin Luther King, Jr.
Naomi: Yeah.
Me: He's not a prophet.
Naomi: What? Yes he is!
Me: Nope. He's not a prophet.
Naomi: Why not?
Me: Because... he was a really great man who helped the world in really great ways, but he wasn't giving us Heavenly Father's words. A prophet is someone who tells us what Heavenly Father wants us to hear and do. On Monday we'll have a special holiday where Daddy doesn't have to go to work and you don't have to go to school and we'll remember the great things Martin Luther King, Jr. said. But he's not a prophet.
Naomi: But we'll see him on Monday?
Me: Well, no. Actually, he's dead.
Naomi: What? Already?
Me: Yep.
Naomi: But can we see him on TV?
Me: Well, maybe we can see him talk on the computer. OK?
Naomi: OK.
After Naomi and I had this chat and I came to write it down quickly before I forgot about the "What? Already!" part, I got to thinking. MLK was a prophet in many ways. He was telling us what Heavenly Father wanted us to hear. I believe his popular speech and much of his life was inspired. But that may be a little deep for a 5 year old. So, thanks Naomi. For helping me have deep thoughts about Martin Luther King, Jr on this oft-ignored holiday.
Naomi: But we didn't see that prophet guy today!
Me: What prophet guy?
Naomi: The one we talked about in school.
Me: You mean Martin Luther King, Jr.
Naomi: Yeah.
Me: He's not a prophet.
Naomi: What? Yes he is!
Me: Nope. He's not a prophet.
Naomi: Why not?
Me: Because... he was a really great man who helped the world in really great ways, but he wasn't giving us Heavenly Father's words. A prophet is someone who tells us what Heavenly Father wants us to hear and do. On Monday we'll have a special holiday where Daddy doesn't have to go to work and you don't have to go to school and we'll remember the great things Martin Luther King, Jr. said. But he's not a prophet.
Naomi: But we'll see him on Monday?
Me: Well, no. Actually, he's dead.
Naomi: What? Already?
Me: Yep.
Naomi: But can we see him on TV?
Me: Well, maybe we can see him talk on the computer. OK?
Naomi: OK.
After Naomi and I had this chat and I came to write it down quickly before I forgot about the "What? Already!" part, I got to thinking. MLK was a prophet in many ways. He was telling us what Heavenly Father wanted us to hear. I believe his popular speech and much of his life was inspired. But that may be a little deep for a 5 year old. So, thanks Naomi. For helping me have deep thoughts about Martin Luther King, Jr on this oft-ignored holiday.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Strength
Way back "in the day", before I served a mission, my parent's buoyed me up quite a bit by calling me "A woman of strength." They told me I was strong long before I believed them. But eventually, I did start to believe them. Knowing that they thought I was strong, sometimes made me strong. After I served my mission, I believed that I was a woman of strength. I felt that I had been tested in some new areas and had passed the tests. I don't mean to seem arrogant, but that's how I felt.
I still repeat my little mantra of "You're a woman of strength. You can do this." sometimes when I'm facing a tough obstacle.
During our 2-day road trip home from Texas last weekend there was a point where the kids really needed a break. All three of them were kinda loosing it and starting to cry and whine excessively. We pulled over at the next exit even though it didn't look like there would be any great place to let the kids out. We parked in a tiny gas station parking lot. There was a small patch of grass between the gas station and a highway. NOT an ideal playplace, but the kids were desperate (and therefore so were Richard and I!). The kids were a little uneasy about us telling them to run around in such an odd place and it was cold and, like I said, they were all whiny. So I started running around in circles in the small patch of grass. Pretty soon all three kids were chasing me. We kept it up for a good ten minutes and then piled back into the car to keep on truckin'. As I drove away from there I thought to myself "Holy cow. I just ran around in circles for 10 minutes and I feel great. I feel better! I feel invigorated - not exhausted. Wow!"
I am a woman of strength. I figured that out some years ago. But now, I am a new kind of "woman of strength." I am a physically strong woman of strength. And that is something I have never been before. My goal when I started this new exercise regime was to be able to pick up both boys at the same time. Not just hold them, but pick them up from the ground. I can do that now (and I do - often!). My arms have muscles they never had before. I've dropped 2, almost 3, jeans sizes and who knows how many inches. I am a woman of strength.
And I'm not done yet.
I still repeat my little mantra of "You're a woman of strength. You can do this." sometimes when I'm facing a tough obstacle.
During our 2-day road trip home from Texas last weekend there was a point where the kids really needed a break. All three of them were kinda loosing it and starting to cry and whine excessively. We pulled over at the next exit even though it didn't look like there would be any great place to let the kids out. We parked in a tiny gas station parking lot. There was a small patch of grass between the gas station and a highway. NOT an ideal playplace, but the kids were desperate (and therefore so were Richard and I!). The kids were a little uneasy about us telling them to run around in such an odd place and it was cold and, like I said, they were all whiny. So I started running around in circles in the small patch of grass. Pretty soon all three kids were chasing me. We kept it up for a good ten minutes and then piled back into the car to keep on truckin'. As I drove away from there I thought to myself "Holy cow. I just ran around in circles for 10 minutes and I feel great. I feel better! I feel invigorated - not exhausted. Wow!"
I am a woman of strength. I figured that out some years ago. But now, I am a new kind of "woman of strength." I am a physically strong woman of strength. And that is something I have never been before. My goal when I started this new exercise regime was to be able to pick up both boys at the same time. Not just hold them, but pick them up from the ground. I can do that now (and I do - often!). My arms have muscles they never had before. I've dropped 2, almost 3, jeans sizes and who knows how many inches. I am a woman of strength.
And I'm not done yet.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
...Polo!
I feel a little like I've been bouncing around the country lately. But we are finally settled back in to our house and our lives. I've even already unpacked (which is only miraculous if you take into account that when I packed for this trip I had to finish UNpacking the suitcase from our summer vacation first). Next step - undecorate from Christmas. After that - mega organization. I've found in the past that when I come back from my mother's nice, clean, organized, everything-in-it's-place house I am totally disgusted by my own residence. And that was the case again this time. So I have some major renovations in mind - but I'll save that for another post. OH, the suspense!
In case you haven't noticed, I've been busily catching up on blogging the photos from our trip. I've been back-dating them to around when they actually were taken, so cruise through the old stuff for some great photo's (if you haven't already seen them in a Reader, that is). One more back-dated post to go and I'll be all caught up. I've got to get caught up and ready for the next Bloggy Carnival. I sometimes wonder if it does me any actual publicity-related good to do these carnival's - but I'm pretty sure I got at least one sale over Christmas because the woman had bookmarked me for her hubby and put me on her Christmas list. I'm also pretty sure that being on someone's Christmas list is an (unknown) wish come true. That is so dang COOL!
In case you haven't noticed, I've been busily catching up on blogging the photos from our trip. I've been back-dating them to around when they actually were taken, so cruise through the old stuff for some great photo's (if you haven't already seen them in a Reader, that is). One more back-dated post to go and I'll be all caught up. I've got to get caught up and ready for the next Bloggy Carnival. I sometimes wonder if it does me any actual publicity-related good to do these carnival's - but I'm pretty sure I got at least one sale over Christmas because the woman had bookmarked me for her hubby and put me on her Christmas list. I'm also pretty sure that being on someone's Christmas list is an (unknown) wish come true. That is so dang COOL!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
What makes a good marriage?
I enjoyed a great talk on TV this morning and was impressed to share it. A BYU Devotional by Elder Robert D. Hales, entitled “Temple Blessings”. One of the sections that really touched me was when he shared 5 keys to marriage success. Here's an excerpt:
The full transcript and mp3 are available at byubroadcasting.org.
I especially liked that quote in the last section. “Selfishness suffocates spiritual senses.” As he says, remember that.I have also observed over the years couples who have been able to maintain strong and vital marriages as they remain true to the covenants they take upon themselves in the temple. […] There is great value in thinking about what makes a good marriage and the kind of person who will be able to make and keep temple covenants. Thinking ahead this way is why successful couples have been able to date and learn to know each other and come to know where the heart of that future companion will be for time and all eternity.
First, these successful couples know individually who they are—a son or daughter of God. They set eternal goals to once again live with our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. They strive to leave the ways of the natural man behind.
Second, they know the doctrine and the importance of the saving temple ordinances and temple covenants and their necessity in achieving eternal goals.
Third, they choose to obtain the eternal blessings of the kingdom of God rather than the temporal or temporary possessions of the world.
Fourth, couples realize that when they are sealed for time and all eternity, they have chosen an eternal companion—their courting days are over! There is no need to look any further!
Fifth, couples think of one another before self. Selfishness suffocates spiritual senses. Remember that. Communicating with the Lord in prayer, they grow together and not apart. They converse with each another, thereby never letting little things become big things. They talk early about the “little hurts” with little fear of offending. In this way, when the pressure in the tea kettle builds and the whistle goes off, there is no explosion of bitter feelings. It is so much better to let off a little steam before the top blows off the pressure cooker. They are willing to apologize and ask forgiveness if they have hurt the one they love. They express their love for each other and become closer. Remember, “There is no fear in love.” They lift and strengthen one another.
The full transcript and mp3 are available at byubroadcasting.org.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Nevermind...
My "cut short" trip is now back to it's original length. Turns out the woman who told Richard about those alleged $50 flight changes that you can make 12 hours before a desired flight was full of hooey. Nonetheless, Richard and I decided to cough up the $150 for a flight change and stick with going home this weekend. That is, until I took the boys to the doctor today and they were both diagnosed with sinus and ear infections. No way am I traveling with sick kids again. So, now we're back to our original plans to stay in Texas through the 9th. I probably wouldn't have taken the boys in to the doctor today were it not for the fact that I thought I was going to be traveling this weekend, so I guess maybe that's why we had to go down this road - to force me to take them in. Poor Isaiah has the worst ear infection and it is clearly bothering him. He screamed at bedtime for a good hour tonight. That is so unlike him! And Asher isn't as bad, they say, but I think that's just because he has already mostly gotten over it. They are both good troopers. Maybe too good!
I am excited that this new/old plan means we get another weekend with the Grandones. Tomorrow we'll head to the zoo for some fun. And I haven't even gone to church here yet since I was in Ohio last Sunday so it'll be nice to be around for that. Plus, if the boys' antibiotics kick in I might actually be able to go to the gym this next week. So it's all looking up.
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A couple of days ago I drove to our old house in Plano and then drove from there my old route to my High School. Oh, the memories. I got a ticket there... I had a date there... I went there after that one thing... But the place has changed so much! That side of town is totally more developed. I actually almost got lost because a road that used to dead end, now keeps on going! And the school has been added on to. It was quite a tripy trip. I dreamt a weird collage of memories that night. If only I had been as confident then as I am now... So many of my "problems" were just my own neuroses. I know that's probably a pretty common High School related thought. If only I really could write a letter to myself in my youth like that country song talks about. I'd say things like "the girls in church don't really hate you, they just don't know you - which is your fault." And "just smile at everybody and you'll have loads of friends." And "Don't worry, you'll rock college" Happiness seemed so evasive then and it seems so simple now. Not easy or always present, but simple.
I am excited that this new/old plan means we get another weekend with the Grandones. Tomorrow we'll head to the zoo for some fun. And I haven't even gone to church here yet since I was in Ohio last Sunday so it'll be nice to be around for that. Plus, if the boys' antibiotics kick in I might actually be able to go to the gym this next week. So it's all looking up.
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A couple of days ago I drove to our old house in Plano and then drove from there my old route to my High School. Oh, the memories. I got a ticket there... I had a date there... I went there after that one thing... But the place has changed so much! That side of town is totally more developed. I actually almost got lost because a road that used to dead end, now keeps on going! And the school has been added on to. It was quite a tripy trip. I dreamt a weird collage of memories that night. If only I had been as confident then as I am now... So many of my "problems" were just my own neuroses. I know that's probably a pretty common High School related thought. If only I really could write a letter to myself in my youth like that country song talks about. I'd say things like "the girls in church don't really hate you, they just don't know you - which is your fault." And "just smile at everybody and you'll have loads of friends." And "Don't worry, you'll rock college" Happiness seemed so evasive then and it seems so simple now. Not easy or always present, but simple.
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