Pictures, Project, and My Pretty

Here are my first pics in weeks and weeks! Hooray! - What a busy time of year, isn't it? 

This is Hazel's Christmas nightgown.

Lilie's Christmas nightgown.

This was my first project to complete over the past few weeks.

An afghan for my friend's new little baby. This is the first crochet project that I have completed in about 6 years. I'm so proud of myself. It turned out beautiful!

And these are a couple of pictures of Elsie that have just been sitting on my battery-less camera for weeks. This first one, I know is blurry, but isn't she just the cutest little thing!? This is her saying, "Cheeeee!" I love this baby!!!!

Friday's Fabulous Five

1. PERSISTENCE!!! 

Holy crap! I have just spent the last FORTY-SEVEN minutes on the phone with the bank, talking to FOUR different people about charges on my account THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THERE! And I'm not talking about like 25 dollars - I'm talking about $225.50! What the ---???!!! All three of the first people I talked to tried to say, "Well, that's because of this and that." I'd ask them, "Well, what happened to the money I deposited?" or some such. "Ummm. Can you hold for a minute? I'm going to transfer you." Get transferred to the next person, only to have to repeat the entire problem OVER AGAIN. The second to last person, I got so fed up that I was literally YELLING at her for about 3 minutes as she told me that she could only refund $35! Having her go through each line of my account --- as she is telling me that after transferring $831 in that account and a $8.03 transaction, there is only $51.04 available. UUUuuuurrrrrrgggggg. I was mad. The next guy I talk to, I tell him the exact same thing that I have talked to the last THREE people about and he immediately says, "Oh, I see what your talking about. Let me take a look at that . . . . Oh, I'll take care of that for you." 

I have learned a valuable lesson today. Key Bank has at least 4 tiers of customer service. The bottom three are filled with incapable, non-problem-solving, irrational, retards. Also if you need anything, keep yelling. There are tricky ways that banks manage to make money - which have nothing to do with investing and such. Many companies I have dealt with over the past 9 years of growing up have taught me that the best money maker in these companies is inconvenience and hassle for customers.

So today, I am thankful for persistence. If I had believed the first three people that tried to tell me it was MY oversight, I would have just handed over $225.50 of my money to said retards.

2. Second fabulous thing today is the blessing of tough love. (This is related to number one.) Whenever I have an experience like I had today - the kind where you are pretty sure that the person on the other end of the line is either knowingly screwing you out of your money (and therefore a thief) or they are not mentally capable of holding the job they have - I am reminded of an experience I had about eight years ago. There had been some unexplained charges on my Zion's bank account and thus I'd overdrafted my account, assuming the money was there. I had called my mom, crying, after I had realized what had happened, asking her what I should do and telling her to help me get it fixed. Now, all of these charges were a really big deal for a college student living off of about $25 dollars a month! I was really worried and didn't know what to do. My mom told me that it was my account and I was going to have to learn how to grow up and take care of it. I argued with her for about 5 minutes about how I didn't know what to do and I didn't know what to say, crying all the time. She just said, "I'm sorry. But it's time to grow up." Growing up wasn't the easiest process for me and I didn't like the prospect of having to be assertive with someone I didn't know. All in all, I learned to take care of it myself - thanks to a loving mother who knew the value of pushing me from the nest. Thanks Mom! Without you, I never would have learned to take care of myself, or anyone else, for that matter!

3. I have successfully completed two of my three nightgowns and they are ADORABLE!!! Do you want to see? Of course you do!!! So I'll show you . . . just kidding, I have to finish the ruffle on Hazel's first. I should be able to post a picture by tonight. I don't think that the dresses are going to happen --- but I keep dreaming, because they would look so beautiful on Sunday morning!!! :)

4. My baby! She is the cutest little thing that ever lived! (With the exception of my other 2 babies!) She LOVES to take baths! Ever since she learned to sit anyway, she has loved taking baths. Over the past two weeks or so she has run into a dilemma, however. What happens when you sit in the bath? You get wrinkly hands, right? Well, she HATES wrinkly hands. As soon as they get pruney I see her start looking funny at her hands, rubbing her fingers together. She then starts trying to wipe them off, splashing all over. She then starts alternately rubbing her fingers together again and holding them up for me to see saying, "Owey. Owey." I laugh and she goes back to playing again for about a minute and then repeats this little ritual of trying to viciously wipe off the wrinkles. It makes me laugh so much! 

As she got out of the bath, I wrapped her in her hooded towel, she reaches up and says, "Hat!" As I got her dressed, putting her arms in her sleeves, she said, "Om. Om." (arm) She is such a sweet little talker! She makes me SO happy! I LOVE being a mom to all my sweet little ladies!

5. I have an incredible husband!!! He works so hard for us! The past month he has been so insanely busy - often staying at work until 3:00 in the morning - all to earn more money for our little family. I love him so much and I appreciate the sacrifices that he is willing to make so that I can stay home with our girls! He is my best friend!

Friday's Fabulous Five!

Friday again, and I am actually going to remember to do my Fabulous's. :)

1. One of the most fabulous things in my life is definitely the fact that my children still seem to love me even when I am a crazy, screaming, ranting, raving, angry mom. They really are the most fabulous children . . . even though they don't seem capable of obeying or staying on task some times.

2. My fabulous husband who works incredibly hard for our little family. Even when he has to stay LATE many, many nights after work to do it. He is truly wonderful!

3. My Christmas tree doesn't appear to be dead yet and we have less than two weeks to go! :) It's a Christmas miracle!

4. The girls' room is finally clean!!! Another miracle. Okay, I did most of the work, but it's finally organized. Hopefully, this will help them with their endeavor of keeping it livable. 

5. Nels will be working late tonight (again) and tomorrow, so I'm going to clean quickly, and start working on some of my sewing projects tonight. Do you want to hear my list of things sewing projects that I hope to accomplish in the next few weeks? I know you do. :)

*Pajamas for all the girls (At this point I probably would have just bought them, but considering that I bought fabric for Hazel's last year, that never got made, and I already have fabric that I can use for Elsie's . . . plus, my mom always did . . . so yeah, pajamas.

*Dresses - BEAUTIFUL DRESSES - for all three little ladies. Yet another project started last year and not completed. I have the most gorgeous pink, blue, and purple brocade to make the dresses out of and I'm really excited . . . . for them to wear them . . . . not necessarily to make them, sadly. Oh well, hopefully they'll turn out to be lovely Christmas dresses instead of Easter dresses. :)

I'm also wanting to make a new shower curtain for my new bathroom, curtain for the girls' bedrooms, and curtains for the living room - but these projects can wait until the new year. :)

So you think I can do it? Three sets of pajamas and three dresses in less than two weeks? We'll see!

National Broadcast Company

Feeling tired and worn out today . . . .

For the majority of our marriage, we have not had television service. We recently got an antenna (how old school is that?!) and so now we have local service. Tonight, being worn out and procrastinating some of my self appointed projects, I sat down and vegged --- while Elsie went to sleep --- and then woke up --- and then went to sleep --- and then woke up --- and so on . . . until I just let her run around like a crazy woman. SO. I was watching TV and all I can say is, "Seriously? THIS is what I've been missing out on? Well, I wasn't missing much." Let's see if I can give you an adequate rundown:

Only ONE slight on Mormons tonight

Christmas memories where so and so's mom slept with Santa Claus - Oh, and he ran over his mom, then waited 8 minutes to call 911.

A guy gets all of his dad's keepsakes, which he then auctions off for pennies in front of a hospital - because he just never felt like his dad loved him - :( sad, huh?

A lesbian couple - one member has cancer and they have a six month old baby. We got to listen to some lady describe how "they were giddy as school girls" when running off to Massachusetts, marrying her "partner". Nice. (Yep, I'm a bigot.)

Then a pregnant illegal alien and her husband come into the hospital in labor and these horrible hideous immigration officers come right in as they're doing a c-section, demanding she has to come with them NOW. **Roll eyes, here.*** Seriously. Immigration officers are ALL horrible unfair people, picking on these innocent people that just break the law, dragging them out of their comfortable homes - and hospitals. Sad.

We are surrounded by such bad people. Mormons. Immigration officers. And, whoops, don't forget the little old lady bringing marijuana brownies into the ER and the doctor who told her husband that she just couldn't (wouldn't) try to work on their marriage anymore. Because he let their kids go to a party. -- Where they got in a car accident. What a jerk of a husband. -- Oh, and he also took in a homeless person's dog. -- Unacceptable. 

Tell you what, six years of not watching NBC really hasn't done me any harm . . . 

(Sorry to any of you out there who think that I'm being harsh. I just wasn't impressed. Just my opinion.)

Did you know?

Did you know, 

that when my house is messy, I don't feel creative. And when I don't feel creative, I don't blog. And when one room is a disaster, I don't feel any desire to clean the others? (Well, except the kitchen . . . . that one just has to be done . . . . every once in a while. :) Then everything feels like a mess and then I don't even feel the gumption to work on the one room that is the root of the problem. 

However! I DID get the rest of my tiles cut last night and I did get the remaining tiles put on the wall this afternoon. And I DID get the drywall painted. Today.

Even though I don't feel like it, I am working hard to get the "messy room" remedied, so that I can have my life back.

Did you also know that when Nels doesn't come home until late at night, I feel like I have no purpose? That's weird. I feel like the day has no end. That I'm not working toward any specific goal. Nels is my goal. :) Too bad I will see very little of him this month. (But seriously, Rachel, come on! You've live much of your married life with your husband not coming home until the wee hours of the morning. What are you complaining about??? One month? Chump change!)

Also, did you know that every year I get a live tree. I love my little tree and I decorating it with painstaking care (For real. I put the lights on myself (well, not ON MYSELF - that would be weird) every year (because I'm obsessive compulsive) and my arms itch all night long from the pricks). I check the water every day. They are such cute little trees. And every year (for the past 4 years) my trees have dried up before Christmas?? This makes me so angry. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I cut off the end. Why do they die?! Tell me!!! This year. I will NOT have a dead tree for Christmas. Come hell or high water, I will not have a dead tree! Do you hear me!?? 

Did you know that every night, I fight going to sleep? Why? Why do I do this? I just don't understand. I'm always tired. I just don't like to and I feel like I have no control over myself. Why can't I be like my sister, Melissa, who is tucked sweetly in her bed with her hubby at her side at 8:00 every night? :) Why do I fight it? I just don't know. Even now, I'm thinking. Maybe I should start a movie. Watching a movie, wrapped in a blanket, with the warm glow of Christmas lights making the room all pink-ish and pretty. It sounds inviting, doesn't it? You want to come watch a movie with me at midnight? Come on, Clanc, I know you're dying to do it!

Did you know that hopefully in the next few days, I'll have something to show you? I'm excited. Too bad work has to come before excited sometimes. 

So little time . . . and a Fabulous Five on Sunday.

There is SO much that I have been wanting to write and SO LITTLE time to do it lately. It make me sad because I know that I would have to spend a whole lot of time to catch up, but I really want to have some things recorded. Maybe I'll just have to do it in installments and then by eventually I'll forget so many of the things, that I'll stop worrying about it! :)


SO. FIRST OFF.

COLDPLAY WAS INCREDIBLE!!! We went with Ben and Kelly (my brother and SIL) out to eat at Cafe Rio before the concert and then headed down to the Delta Center. (I know, I know, it actually called the Energy Something Something Center Arena or whatever, but it's still the Delta Center in my mind.) Can you believe how L-O-N-G it is between the time that you get there and the time that the main attraction plays??!! Seriously I think that it was at least 9:00 before Coldplay came out, but it was well worth the wait! If any of you ever, in your whole life, get an opportunity to go to one of their concerts, I HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend it!!! And if you are still not a Coldplay fan, I HIGHLY recommend that you pick up some of their albums. Start with Parachutes and then go from there. They are incredible! I honestly could have listened to them play the entire night. It was so much fun!!! Thank you Mom and Dad for watching our kids and getting them in bed!!!

SECOND ITEM OF BUSINESS.

I am finished with one of my projects that I've started, almost finished with the bathroom, and hoping to make some major progress toward completeing my third one on the way home from Mnt. Home today. I cannot wait to show you pictures of all three because I think that they are fabulous and I always love praise. :) Just kidding. I just know that you've all missed me so much in my blogging absence these past few weeks, that I'm excited to show you why you've had to sacrifice so much. :) LOL! I'm retarded, I know. :)

THIRDLY, Elsie has started saying and doing lots of funny things in the past couple of weeks. She now says,
Hi
Mama
Dada
Daddy
Owey
Ight (Light)
Out
Baba
A-dun
Ti-ty (Kitty)
Pi-ty (Pretty)
Ball
Papa
Tata (Nana or Banana)
Hot
Tee (Tree)

and many others that I just haven't figured out what they are yet. She is such a babbler. She talk, talk, talks all day long. So sweet. I love my little lady. She tries to copy just about anything that I name for her. She waves, gives kisses and hugs, nods and shakes her head, and blows kisses. As she was "helping" me make cream pies the other day, she was Mmmmmmm-ing and loving the tastes that I would give her of the filling. After a while I asked her if she thought we should stir the coconut in yet. She shook her her, no. So I asked her if she thought we should just eat it all instead. She nodded and opened her mouth for more. :)
When I show her something that she really likes, she OOOoooo's and when she tastes something she really likes, she Mmmmm's. She is such a funny little girl! She definitely has some attitude and at times can be quite the little stinker. She knows how to throw a fit with the best of them, but most of the time she is an angel.

FOURTHLY. (Yep, it's a word. :) I LOVE MY FAMILY!
Hazel and Lilie have had SO MUCH fun the past two weekends with their Grandmas, Grandpas, and cousins. I am so thankful that they are able to grow up with them in their lives. We aren't close enough that we get to see them all the time, but still get to see them often. Cousins are so fabulous! I've never seen anything like the friendships that cousins can automatically have.

I am eternally grateful for my own family, my parents, siblings, siblings-in-law, uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews, husband, and children, but I am also so very, very thankful for Nels's family. They are SUCH good people and I love them all dearly. I am so thankful to have been blessed with such a loving and supporting family-in-law. We are truly blessed.

(I just realized that I haven't done my fabulous five this past week and then thought about sticking it into this post. THEN I realized that this IS like a fabulous five . . . so here I am with numero cinco.)

FIFTHLY.
This fabulous, is based on funny little story I thought of as I'm writing these funny words like fourthly and fifthly.
As Hazel was keeping me company the other day while I was cleaning, she was naming off her siblings and their number - like,
H: "I'm your first baby, huh, Mom? And Lilie is your second baby and Elsie is your third baby. Our next baby will be fourth . . . what comes after that?"
Me: "Fifth"
H: "And what comes after that?"
Me: "I don't know if there will be, 'after that'! Silly girl!"
H: "What comes after fifth?"
Me: "Sixth. . . . . . . I don't know that we'll have that many kids though. That's a lot of kids."
H: "Yes. We have to have a lot of kids."
Me: "I don't know. I guess we'll see. I don't really think that's up to you. - - - How many kids do you think we'll have?"
H: "Ten."
Me: "Ten?! I REALLY don't think so! That's a LOT of kids, Hazel!" :)
H: (said with the sassiest, know-it-all voice a 5 year-old can muster) "Mom. We'll have as many kids as Heavenly Father tells us to."

There was more funny conversation after this, but the gist of this fifthly little fabuloso is this. I AM thankful that I have a relationship with my Heavenly Father that will let me know when "we're done" . . . . . and that I can rely on HIM for that . . . and not my five-year-old. :) LOL! What a funny little girl! She sure loves her family!

Blissful Igorance

Okay, so I'm going to take a poll. What do you think of the phrase "Ignorance is Bliss"? (In terms of things that you have no control over. Not in things that would just make you uneducated. :)

My initial reaction has always been, that's just not true. I'd rather know. At least I'm informed and not taken by surprise.

But I've been rethinking this conclusion lately. I think sometimes, ignorance really IS bliss. Sometimes better to just not know.

But then, if you don't know, you're never given the choice of how to behave. Never bettering yourself through the challenge.

But you also don't have to sit and mull it around in your mind when you can't even do anything about it.


{smile. i know i'm retarded!}


Hmmmm . . . What do you think?

Friday's Fabulous Five

Holy crap! I haven't blogged in a LONG time! Thankfully, I'll have a few things to show for it - just not quite yet. :) Although it is one in the morning - it IS actually Friday and I'm going to post now - even though I'm exhausted, so I don't forget. Again. 

1. We are going to COLDPLAY tomorrow!!! I am so excited!!!!

2. I have been making progress on the bathroom tile. I'm so excited to have it done and to show you all! I am almost finished with an afghan for a friend of mine and I am almost finished with another fun little project. I'm really looking forward to getting them all completed!

3. I have the three sweetest children on the planet. We got to go out to eat tonight and they were all great the whole time! They make me laugh so much and they are always forgiving --- even when I turn into a psycho for a day . . . or a week. Elsie has been sleeping without a binky for many moons now. Lilie has recently decided that she can't sleep in her own bed and has been sleeping at the foot of Hazel's bed. :) I'm so thankful that they love one another so much. 

4. I have the most fabulous siblings and parents that I could ever ask for. I love my family SO much. They are truly my very best friends. I love them and trust them entirely. I am so thankful for the loving example that they are to me on a daily basis. I don't know why the Lord has blessed me so abundantly in this area of my life, but I will be forever grateful. In a blessing that my dad gave to my brother when we were kids, he was told that his brother and sisters were his best friends in the premortal world, before we all came here. I know this to be true with all of my heart and feel blessed beyond words to have them fill my life. I am so thankful that we all live close together once again and can feel one another's love and strength. 

5. My dear husband. He is my very best friend in the entire world. I am so thankful for the sweet blessing that he is to me and that I get to spend the rest of my days and the rest of eternity with such a man. I am really looking forward to getting to spend this weekend with him!!!!

One of those, please. No. Not THAT one . . . the other one.

Do you ever have "one of those" days? What about "one of those" weeks?

You know, the kind where you set the screwdriver on the counter and it falls on your foot? The kind where you do everything right, get the shower valve all connected and looking beautiful, turn the water on and then it's leaking from the one spot you would have to undo everything to repair? You repair it, put it all together and then the other side is leaking? The kind when you make a comment and it seems to take on a life of its own, spiraling toward chaos?  The kind where you seem to offend at every turn and yet that was NOT your intent. The kind where you can't seem to keep your mouth shut? (and neither can your kids? LOL!) The kind of week where you baby a project, spend hours on it and then at the end, cracks down the middle? The kind where you have a sick kid, take her to the doctor (running late, of course), jump out, go to unbuckle the kids, and then have your five year old tell you that you forgot to buckle one year old into her car seat and she kept standing up? (Why didn't she tell me the FIRST time? And how did I not remember???) 

Yep. It's been one of those. You know, the kind where you finally decide to make bread for your family, so you can once again eat lunch. The kind where it turn out SO good. The perfect consistency. Placed in the pans just so. Beautiful bread. Buzzer beeps to take it out. Check it. Perfect. Just 2 more minutes, to brown the tops. The kitchen is all cleaned. The dishes, washing. Flour and oil cleaned off the counter. The heavenly smell of bread filling your home! 

Can you hear the angels singing yet? The glory of the moment? Cold outside, nice and warm inside, the satisfaction filling your heart? 

And then you get distracted. And then you leave it in the oven for another HOUR.

You could crack a head with one of these loaves,

they're so hard.

Yep. Those are the ones. Those are the days. 

But you know what? I'm not going to LET it be "one of those" days. 

We can still eat the inside . . . . :)

YES! I can! Yes, I can! Yes - I can. Can I?

I need moral support. Anybody want to come help me tile my tub surround? :)

Don't get me wrong. I'm a do-it-yourself kind of gal. I LOVE to do things with my hands. I even dare say that I like manual labor - to some extent. I am a "can do" girl. Some of my sweetest memories with my dad are of me sitting on the driveway watching him work on the car. To this day, I can hardly contain myself from leaning over Nels' shoulder as her works on anything mechanical in any way, shape, or form --- that is, if I can't do it myself. (This really bothers him, by the way. -- The leaning over the shoulder part. -- Oh yeah, and the part where I can't be quiet about giving advice.) I've changed oil and brakes. I've recovered furniture and painted my entire house by myself. I build things and know my way very well around a hardware store. I move furniture, landscape our yard, help rip out concrete, rake rocks, dig holes, and occasionally tip over wheel-barrows. (C'mon! Wheel-barrows were NOT invented for women! :) I engineered all of the plumbing for the shower myself while Nels has been my fabulous go-to man, ripping out walls, cutting and installing cement board, etc. after and before work. I seriously think that I would make a fabulous mechanic or plumber or engineer in another life. :)

When I expressed my hesitancy at doing the tile, my dad informed me that I could do it. When I design how I want things laid out, measure and remeasure, I think, "I can do this."

If we only worked on it after Nels got home from work - this would be a mighty drawn out project. I can easily work on it throughout the day. Besides, two people in one little tub? How fun can that be?? :) :) But you know what? When it comes right down to it, I feel totally intimidated and I've been procrastinating all day. 

A magic equation for an age-old question . . .

I now present, for you your instruction:

How To: 

Get Rid of the Binky

First take a little of this:

Then you add one of these:

Now, if you've added them together just right, you will be given not only ONE, but TWO of these. (The only two left in existence in your home.)

You will then lay your tired child down in her crib and give her one of these, that she previously stole out of the dishwasher you were unloading. 

Lastly, you will add a kiss on her sweet, little cheek (while she looks she looks at you as if to say, "are you serious?"), turn around, walk out of the room, and close the door. As the door shuts, you will squeeze your eyes together and pray with all you have inside that she will go to sleep.

Now if you have completed each of these steps in exactness, you will be given a sleeping, binky-less child.

The wonder of this equation is still blowing me away two days later! I feel the need to share it with all parents across the world! Why have scientists not tried this before, I wonder? Such a simple thing: 2 binkies + 1 kitten + a little panic + a Strawberry Shortcake spoon + a prayer = sleeping baby! Incredible! :)

A lot of random thoughts have been rolling around in my little brain the last few days (this seems to happen when I'm doing any form of decorating - I just can't seem to shut my brain off). Over the past few months I've read and heard a lot of people say that Obama scares them. (Maybe I've even said it, but I don't think so.) Well, I've thought a lot about this phrase the past few days and you know what? I've decided that he doesn't. I'm not afraid. Am I concerned, yes. Certainly. But at the same time, I know that the destiny of our great country is in OUR hands and the hands of the Lord. I'm definitely concerned about the challenges of the coming years. What they will do to our economy, the morale of our people, our families. But overall, I'm truly optimistic about our future. I'm thankful that for the next four years, I won't feel the need to defend the actions of a Republican president that I don't agree with on many issues. If Obama and a democratic Congress feel that they can fix the problems facing us, let's give them a crack at it. I'm definitely interested to see this plan in action and the reaction it gets from the people and our economy.

As I was listening to Glenn Beck yesterday, I felt SO great! The future is bright before us and America has the opportunity to rise to the occasion. I think there have been a lot of laconic people in our country, happy to sit back and not take responsibility for where we're headed. People happy to let the government take care of them. About half of voters Tuesday voted for Marxism. (Spreading the wealth??? Look it up!) Whether knowingly or unknowingly. But you know what? The other half of those voters didn't! With one of the lamest excuses for a Conservative gracing our ticket, nearly half of all voters STILL voted for him! Incredible! With pretty much only a vote AGAINST someone else, (which never wins elections) there were still got HALF! Wow.

And as for the next four years? I am happy to say that I support our President, so long as he upholds the values that I hold near and dear to my heart. So long as I am never asked to betray my values. So long as our Constitution is upheld. So long as the God-given rights I'm promised in that Constitution remain mine. I whole-heartedly stand with pride as a citizen of this great nation and as such, I have hope for our future. I have hope for our president-elect. I have FAITH in the people of this country.

I'm optimistic for the future. I find comfort in the knowledge that the pendulum always swings back to the center. I feel supreme gratitude for the knowledge that we have a living prophet on the earth today, leading us and giving us instruction. And what was that instruction, only weeks ago? Hope. Faith. JOY. Again, regardless of HOW we get there and the struggles that are surely before us, I am optimistic of the future.

. . . and Nels and I are thinking of getting a gun and joining the NRA. :)

HELP ME! - Your Opinions Requested

Okay. Like I said before I've been on a major decorating kick. And at the moment even though I've got a new, impromptu, big project in the works this week (pictures will be forthcoming), I'm still kind of stuck on the front of my house - which many of you offered opinions about already.

I've been having some fun with Photoshop - exploring your suggestions about shutters and whatnot. Here are examples that I have come up with and I'd really like some feedback on what looks best.

Okay, here is what I've got now.

With white shutters.

(not my favorite)

Green shutters, white doors.

Green shutters, green storm door, white door.

Green shutters, green doors.

(front door looks weird all Photoshopped,

I'm sure it would look better with some

real-life texture.)

Okay, what do you think? Or should I do something different entirely?

Halloween

Well, even with a couple of setbacks, we've had a wonderful Halloween together as a family. I love my little world so much! It truly is a good life.

Hazel really wanted to be a ghost. I thought that she turned out pretty darn cute (and scary!). She loved it!

My little bat girl! What is going on with my girls? Bats? Ghosts? Silly ladies! Isn't her mask adorable and hilarious!? I love her!

Our little chickie! Such a cute little bird ~ she LOVED the suckers!

GGgggrrrr! She makes me laugh so hard!

I just loved this 5 o'clock shadow thing going on! :)

What lovely eyes she has!

Wow! We have had a week FULL of candy. Wednesday we went to our local "Boo At The Zoo" with some friends, Thursday Melaleuca had their annual big Halloween bash where all the departments go ALL OUT decorating and dressing up, and of course Trick-or-Treating tonight. My children have been on an enormous sugar high for days. Nels and I have definitely had some time to rethink how Halloween will play out in future years. 

Yesterday Elsie woke up from a four HOUR nap (!!!!) with a fever and Hazel started complaining about her neck hurting. Today we got to make two different trips to the doctor completing a CBC, urinalysis (via catheter), and two doctor work overs. Lovely. We've found nothing conclusive - but Elsie is still burning up and Hazel has a hideous cough.

My poor girls have been miserable all day, but the wonders of Ibuprofen allowed us to have a lot of fun spooking our way down the street and back. We came home right as it started to rain, ate some wonderful chicken and rice soup, and curled up together and watched "Goonies". This is also probably one of the first times in my life that I have been the innocent bystander observing real-life sugar insanity. Lilie turned into a crazy little maniac, running around and around laughing and squealing. SO funny and entertaining! 

With the exception of our little spazoid, it was a very calm, comfortable night spent together with lots of love. It was a perfect Halloween!

Halloween's Fabulous Five

1. It's Halloween and after 3 days of massive sugar highs, the day is over and the candy is getting put away - possibly in the garbage. :)

2. My upstairs tub is leaking. :) Leaving a wet spot on the basement carpet as well as leaking between the downstairs wall below it. --- What? I know you're asking - "And you think this is fabulous?" Yes. And let me tell you why. Because of this problem, Nels and I pulled out the little door thingy in the back of the girls' closet, where we have access to the tub above it. As we were determining where exactly the leak was coming from, we decided to take the handles off the tub and see if we could at least get the tub faucet to temporarily stop leaking (which it has been doing quite ferociously for about 3 weeks (or more). While doing this, our 40+ year old cold water knob, broke off! (gasp!) SO . . .  :) now we get to tackle the project that we have been putting off for the past year and a half and I am going to get new tile and fixtures in my upstairs bath tub. :) See! Fabulous! :)

3. My brain has been working overtime for the past week, thinking of new decorating ideas. It's been really fun and I decided to spontaneously take on an art project. I'm embroidering some birds to hang above my bed and they are turning out surprisingly well. I'm so proud of myself and I'll be sure to post some pictures when I finish. You will love them! :) I've realized that aside from crocheting an afghan for a friend's upcoming baby, I haven't done any real "art projects" in a REALLY REALLY REALLLLLLYYYY long time. Last weekend I had a chance to look through some old memorabilia and remembered that I am (or at least once was) quite creative and artistic. Now, I've painted rooms in my house and had other little projects, but really doing anything that is expressive hasn't happened in years and years. You know, the kind of thing that you make just to make it. Not necessarily something functional, just art. I'm excited and think that I'm going to try to keep doing this kind of thing on a regular basis. 

As I've been taking this stroll through the long-forgotten creative side of my brain, I also stumbled upon a picture of my perfect kitchen. It makes me feel so happy just to look at it! :)

Don't you just LOVE all of the turquoise??? So beautiful! I love the countertop, the knobs, and the glass. {sigh} I'm in love!

I've also learned that I have a very vintage style. I love the look of old and eclectic. Sometimes with bright and funky pieces. I think, if given the option, I wouldn't choose to buy a lot of things for my home brand new. If I had all the money (and time) I desired, I would browse endlessly through second-hand, rummage, antique stores to find just the right old, perfect, well-constructed piece and refinish it.

4. The girls' costumes turned out SO CUTE! They made the cutest little bat and ghost and chicken in the entire world! We had such a wonderful time together tonight. A truly fabulous night! And it wasn't freezing cold! - That is truly an amazing thing for Idaho Falls!

5. Daylight savings ends on Sunday! An extra hour at night AND in the morning! It's like Christmas for me! :) - Hopefully (as I hope every year) I will use this wonderful time change to my advantage and go to sleep "an hour earlier" and wake up "an hour earlier". Here's to goals, right!? :)

Fridays (Sunday morning) Fabulous Five

Okay, I totally forgot about this Friday night - again - so I'm posting now! 

1. Nels got an extra day off this week! (Okay, after putting in about 13 hours of overtime one day. But HEY! We'll take it where we can get it!)

2. I got to mow my new sod for the first (and probably the last of the season) time today and it looks (mostly) fabulous! :) 

3. I got our food storage put away and I'm slowly working my way through organizing my laundry room. Not quite there yet, but we're on our way. 

4. It was beautiful outside today! Seriously gorgeous! We got the majority of our yard cleaned up and ready for winter. Oh, happy day! 

5. Elsie has started saying Mama. It is the cutest thing in the entire world. I know that she's not always referring to me, sometimes it means "more" - but it sure makes my heart happy each and every time I hear it!

In un-fab news, Lilie has really been on a rampage the past few days! {sigh} Yesterday Hazel informed me that she thought Lilie had drawn on their furniture. Lo and behold there are some of the cutest drawings that I have ever seen scrawled in permanent marker across both headboards and their beautiful dresser. Yesterday Lilie also stole what she thought was candy from the store (it was really little wipe-y things that you put water on . . . they looked like candy. :). We had a wonderful little lesson in honesty and the atonement. :) (Hazel is very thankful that her sister will not be going to jail. :) Also today she smeared more of my lipstick across the bathroom. Lovely. There was one other thing as well, but with the decrease in brain function that happens after midnight, I just can't remember. On an upside, she has been incredibly cute and sweet lately as well. She truly is such a fabulous girl. I just can't figure out why ! --- I just remembered what the other one was! :) Yesterday Lilie woke up at about 5:07 am. I heard her, but she never came upstairs, so I figured (accurately) that she had woke up Hazel and had her help her turn on pbskids.org to play games. When I woke up at 7:30, she was in the bathroom washing her hands. ??? Weird. When I came downstairs, I figured out WHY she was washing her hands. There was sugar covering large sections of carpet, the computer desk, the chair, her dresser, and her bed. {{{double sigh}}} I guess she got hungry . . . 

Lilie. You are such a wonderful girl. {sigh}

Our Awful Situation

Just an interesting little something. - If you've got a few minutes, it's worth a read. If anyone wants to double-check on the sources on the quotes, let me know what you come up with. :) - But I'm pretty sure that they're legit (at least from the ones that I checked). Some may be taken slightly out of context, but still hold water in the overall point of the presentation. Maybe I'm just a crazy old conspiracist, but you love me still anyway, right? :) I'd hate to think of anyone going to Hell in a hand basket uninformed. :) 

President Ezra Taft Benson:

Surely it behooves patriotic citizens to meet together to discuss current conditions in our beloved nation. It is imperative that American citizens become alerted and informed regarding the threat to our welfare, happiness, and freedom. No American is worthy of citizenship in this great land who refuses to take an active interest in these important matters.

Our Awful Situation

(click here)

Shelter

As this world continues to "progress" (toward Socialism)  there is less and less value being placed on mothers. We can all see it all around us. Stay-at-home moms are often looked down upon. Did you know that many (if not a majority) of women (and even mothers) believe that putting a child in day care is actually positive. That staying at home with your children and raising them yourself (you know, taking your kids to the library or the zoo or the park, cooking with them, reading with them, teaching them how to do chores, planting gardens with them, talking with them, having lunch with them, teaching them how to read and count, sing and imagine, giving them one-on-one time) is actually inferior to the "socializing" that they receive in a day-care situation??? There are people out there who believe that it would be better for children to be required to go to all-day preschool or all-day kindergarten. Better?! Are you SERIOUS? This is utterly absurd to me! It is incredibly hard for me to wrap my head around this concept. - That someone could think this and actually believe it.

I think many out there would call me "sheltered". A sheltered little Mormon girl with an unrealistic view of the world. Let me tell you something. I was sheltered. I was sheltered from much of the ugliness of the world. Sheltered from ever feeling unloved or uncared for. Sheltered from a lot of the social smut. Sheltered from drugs. Sheltered from pornography and infidelity. Sheltered from a broken home. Sheltered by a Mother. A REAL mother. A self-sacrificing, beautiful, virtuous, kind, loving, nurturing mother. Sheltered by parents who taught me to pray, to serve, to work. Sheltered by virtue and love. When did SHELTER become a dirty word? 

Shelter: A structure that provides protection from danger; a condition of being protected; that which covers or defends from injury or annoyance; to shield; a guardian; a defense . . .

Isn't shelter one of our "basic" needs? Because I was "sheltered", am I unaware of the ugliness of the world? I am I naive to the dangers of life and spirit which surround us? No. I've got a pretty healthy grip on reality. Am I unaware of the challenges and pain of life? Or am I impervious to them (or think I am)? Of course not. 

When I think of a shelter, I view it as something that covers, that protects, but doesn't make it so that you can't SEE that which is raining down around you. 

I thank God each and every day for families. For being a part of a church that believes that "the family is ordained of God." That "husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. 'Children are an heritage of the Lord' (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations."

My greatest hope as a mother is that I can shelter my own children. That they will feel loved and cared for. That they will know who their mother is. That they will trust me and respect me. Because I love them. That I will be able to strengthen them and teach them. That I will be a shield for them. That as they watch, they will learn how to battle the manipulations of society and stand for truth. Steadfast and noble. Filled with assurance, peace, joy, and strength. 

Husband Tag

My sister Melissa tagged me. I know what many of you are thinking, "What?! I've tagged her a million times and she's never responded to them!" I know, I suck. But first of all, this one isn't about ME, so it's easier AND my kids are in bed. :)

1) Where did you meet? This is one that I've already posted about before but I'll do it again, just for fun. We met at BYU-Idaho in the Fall of 2001. We first officially met at a ward "Sweet Swap" where I informed him that I was "cool". Well, he remembered that I was cool, but still continued to date other girls for about 5 months. During that time, he and his roommates, Mike and Ben, would come over to our apartment on a fairly regular basis to just hang out. (Mostly Nels would sit and talk and Mike would look through our cupboards and fridge for food. ;) Toward the end of our friendship phase, Nels would invite my roommates and I to come watch him play with his band (the Young Republicans, LOL!) at various local venues - like the local music store, a pizza joint, etc. Nels would rock out on stage wearing cut-off green shorts, Scout socks, black velcro shoes, and a band t-shirt. He was so hot! :)

2) How long did you date? From start to finish, about 5 1/2 months. We started dating in March, were engaged in June, and got married in August. We work quick. ;) In May he moved home to work for the summer, so for 3 1/2 of those months we were on opposite sides of the state. Every change I could get, I would bribe someone into letting me bum a ride off of them to Boise, or he would be driving over to visit me. It was literally painful for me to part with him each and every time. During the week, we would talk on the phone (when we could afford it) or do intant messaging over the internet. Our friends still love to make fun of those days. Nels had rigged my computer so that I could chat with him over the internet . . . the only problem was that I never got my microphone to work. I would type away, while Nels would proclaim his undying love for me - for the entirety of both households to hear, loud and clear. :) So funny.

3) How long have you been married? Just over 6 years. Sometimes I can't believe that it's been so long - but at the same time, I can barely imagine life before he was mine!

4) What's your favorite feature of his? I love his forearms. Good, manly arms. And I love his legs! :) No skinny chicken legs for me thanks! I've always loved a pair of good calves. OH! And I love his sideburns. I've only seen him without them once and it was really weird. I can't imagine his face without them.

5) What are your favorite qualities of his? I love his passion. The way he throws himself into whatever he is doing. I love that he talks to me. He always listens to what I'm saying (at least he pretends to . . . :) and genuinely tries to understand where I'm coming from. He's a fun-haver. He loves to have fun and to laugh. He is also very good with other people. I always tend to get overly nervous when I'm meeting new people. He keeps me limber and helps me feel more comfortable. He makes people feel good about themselves.

6) Does he have a nickname for you? He likes to call me Ra-cha-chel. And Hotness. And probably more than anything else, he calls me, Love. Interestingly enough, he does not call me Rach. He never has. Every one of my friends calls me that, but neither Nels nor any of my immediate family members call me that.

7) What's his favorite color? I don't think he's overly picky - but if he did have to choose, he would say black. :) And then blue.

8) What's his favorite food? Lasagna. Poor Nels. I have only made Lasagna for him about 3 times in our entire marriage. I need to be a better wife.

9) What's his favorite sport? Football. He also enjoys Karate and LOVES watching Ultimate Fighting.

10) When and where was your first kiss? Our first kiss was on the doorstep of my apartment on March 13th, 2002. That night was snowing and FREEZING, and incredibly windy. He walked me up the walk to my apartment and was going to go in for a gentlemanly kiss on the cheek, but that was just NOT going to fly for me. I turned my head and landed one right on his shocked lips. It was SO cold, but such a good night.

11) What's your favorite thing to do as a couple? Pretty much anything together. We enjoy reading books together and listening to music. Nels doesn't LOVE to go for drives, but a lot of good times have been spent in the car. One of my favorite memories with Nels was when we got stuck in rush-hour in Utah. Sounds thrilling, doesn't it? :) Nels cranked up the radio and we sang along to the Ramones at the top of our lungs - for not only our enjoyment, but for all our vehicular neighbors as well. :)

12) Where is his favorite vacation spot? I think there are a lot of places that Nels really enjoys, but I would say he probably enjoys going home the most. I can see the pleasure and rejuvenation just wash over him as we drive through the hot desert of western Idaho with the windows rolled down. Or as we sit under the brilliant stars - with all the sounds and smells of the desert. It's good for him.

13) Do you have any children? Three beautiful girls who absolutely adore their Daddy.

14) How old is he? 28

15) Who said I love you first & where? My roommates and I had gone with Nels over to Mnt. Home for the weekend. It was a typical, Spring night in Idaho --- totally unpredictable. It was foggy, raining off and on, and had then decided to drop well below freezing and form a lovely layer of 1/2 inch ice across the road. As we were driving back that night, we got in an accident and had to have Nels' roommates come pick us up in American Falls and bring us back to Rexburg. Cuddled up in the back of roommates car, I told him that I loved him. He looked at me for a minute and then something like, "I hope you don't feel bad, but I'm not sure what I feel yet." :) LOL! He confirmed what I already knew a couple of days later, but I've always loved him all the more that moment. For KNOWING that when he said he loved me, he knew and I knew that he meant it.

16) What's his favorite type of music? Well, I'll have to say that he probably enjoys heavy metal more than anything else, but Nels is pretty eclectic. One of his all time favorite bands is Fu Manchu. He love the Toadies and COC. Old Metallica, AC/DC, the Ramones. The Doors, Rolling Stones, the Beta Band. Coldplay, Neil Diamond, the Killers, the Pixies, the Melvins . . . a little of everything. Well, with the exception of Country and Pop. Nels is a musical genius. The amount of musical trivia I have absorbed from him over the past 6 years is staggering. Music plays a big part in Nels' life and I think it's safe to say that Nels probably has a song playing in his most all of the time.

17) What do you admire most about him? Many, many things - but probably one of my most favorite is his desire to do the right thing -- and for the right reason. He is so genuinely good. I admire his devotion to our family. That he has always wanted me to be able to stay home with our children, while he goes out into the lone and dreary world to provide for us.

18) Do you think he'll read this? Probably. He likes to check up on me. :)

I tag: Amber, Chelsie, Kendall, Melyni, and Tracy

Friday's Fabulous Five

(Sorry that I forgot last week! It was crazy! :)

1. Nels got a gift card at work to the Olive Garden. I didn't have to cook and I didn't have to clean up! FABULOUS!

2. Elsie is no longer a midget! :) LOL! She had her one year appointment today and found that although still skinny (up to the 8th percentile, from the 3rd - totally normal for all of my children), she is now at the 50th percentile in height! Hooray for my little Skinny Mini! (She also had to get shots today, which was NOT fabulous! Big crocodile tears and everything. Poor little angel.)

3. My laundry room is getting closer and closer to being organized. Nels helped me put together some additional shelves/folding table the other night. I think tomorrow I am going to paint it lime green and start looking for some funky retro fabric to cover my shelves! Hey, with the amount of time that I can spend in the laundry room, I think it would be much easier if I make it into the funkiest, coolest, funnest room in the house. I'm hoping that this might cure my aversion to doing laundry! :)

4. We found riders who would like to go to Utah with us next week and would, therefore, like to pay for gas! Hooray! I'm so excited to see my family!

5. I now have grass in my front yard, a new walkway, I was able to see one of my best friends in the whole world last week, my parents came up and stayed for more than 3 hours (!), I LOVED watching Conference, we had two wonderful birthdays last week, and I have a wonderful family.

Cute Little Body

I love being a mom!

Elsie's first pigtails! Funny, huh?!

and

Isn't that just the cutest little bum? :)

Project

So here they are, the pictures that you have all been waiting for!

My grand project of the summer. I'm SO happy! My dear, sweet parents came up last weekend and helped us get the sod in. They are truly angels from Heaven! Thank you so much, Mom and Dad! We love you!

Last Summer

Sadly, because of where the car is parked, you can't see the left side of the grass. The previous owners had just cut down two ENORMOUS pine trees right before we moved in, then didn't clean it up afterward. Bark, roots, rocks and mounds of mess everywhere!

All the grass next to the walkway and out about 8 feet was littered with millions upon millions of rocks. Someone actually had had a flower bed there at one point. It was a MESS with lots of random, uncared for plants creeping up everywhere.

During

(I have no idea why Hazel's pants are not done-up in this picture, but I think still think it's funny . . . :)

( . . . but not as funny as the dance she's doing in this picture! :)

After

Don't you love the zigzag pattern? :)
It will be finished up and have some bushes in the spring! :)

So, BEFORE . . .

. . . and AFTER

Hmmm. . . needs more flowers, doesn't it?
Also, I need your opinion.
Do you like the door better white or green?
AND do you think that I should paint the garage door white or leave it as is?

And what about shutters? Better with or without?

I'll have to take more pictures for you in the spring when the sod has finished growing in and I've finished . . . doing . . . whatever I'm doing. :)

Happy Birthday Elsie!!

Happy Birthday Baby!
Birthday pancakes covered in strawberry jam!
What more could a one year old want???

Well, maybe she could want a tray full of black beans and rice!
(Isn't she a cute little monkey?)

And maybe some birthday cake! :)
She loved shoving the entire piece up on her face.
She just kept on pushing and
kept on chewing until it was all finished!
That's my girl!!!

What a fun time of year! Two birthdays in one week! We had so much fun celebrating Elsie's FIRST birthday. Her Grandma and Papa Moon were able to come up last weekend and have a combined birthday party for Elsie and Hazel Friday. We had a lot of fun!

I love my sweet baby! She has such a happy personality! Almost always content and smiles at anyone who happens to catch her eye. I am so thankful to have her as a part of our family! She seems like so much more of a baby than her sisters did at this age. (I think it's just the perspective of having older children.) She loves to talk, talk, talk. While my parents were here this weekend, Elsie would just sit on Grandma or Grandpa's lap and just jabber away. The great thing about the way she talks is that she makes it into a real conversation. You can tell when she's asking a question, telling you something exciting, or even sassing! :) She's adorable! I love being her mommy!

Happy Birthday Hazel!!!

I cannot believe that my little girl is FIVE! What a joy!

Hazel's birthday is always very sweet to me. It is the day that I was given one of the greatest gifts God bestows upon his daughters. My sweet Hazel made me a mother. I love being her mother.

Hazel has one of the most loving and tender people I have ever known. She is so kind. She is definitely a verbal little girl. At nearly every meal she tells me, "This is SO good, Mom!" "Thank you for making me dinner." "Can we have this again tomorrow?"

She loves to sing and makes up songs often. She LOVES music and has since she was just a little baby. When we would ride in the car (which she hated as an infant) she would cry until we would start singing "Popcorn Popping"! She also knew a lot of songs as a one-year-old. Her favorite was "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. She also liked "Be Good Johnny" and "Barbara Ann". :)

For her birthday this year she woke up to a PINK Hello Kitty shirt, PINK nail polish, and PINK flowers for her hair (per her request). She was SO happy! She went to school and then we had a little birthday get-together with a couple of friends at the park. (Thank you, Stef, for the cupcakes!!) Another birthday request she had made was for a pinata - made by yours truly! :) True to form, it was a bit wonky, but the kids thought it was fabulous and the girls loved coloring it. I wish I'd gotten pictures of her little party, but Nels ended up having to work late and didn't make it as my photographer or to dinner at the Olive Garden (again, Hazel's request). :( Poor Daddy!



I'm so thankful for my Hazel. She is such a good big sister and friend. She has grown so much this past year that I can't even believe how fast time passes. I love you, Hazel! I'm so happy to be your mother!

(For future reference, Yes, this cake does have 6 candles. One for Elsie, five for Hazel.)

Sisters

What sweet girls! They love each other SO much and are the very best of friends. I don't know what I'd do without them - or what they'd do without each other! :) They are so wonderful!

My Girls

Tomorrow is Elsie's first birthday (!) and today I was looking through my pictures, wondering how similar each of my girls looked at this sweet, sweet age. What I found is - no, they do NOT look alike, but they are SO CUTE!!! Can you even believe how adorable they are??? Are they not the cutest children you have ever seen?? (Of course with the exception of your own! :)

I am totally in love with my babies! :)

Hazel
What a beautiful little baby! I had given her some
(red) medicine for an ear infection or something and
thought she looked so pretty with her bright red lips! :)

Lilie
Can you believe how much hair this child had!?
She had already had SEVERAL hair cuts at this point!
How many one year olds have a cute little bob?

Elsie

What a sweet happy little girl! I tried for quite
a long time to get a picture of her similar to the
ones I had of the other girls.
It took a long time because she kept smiling! :)
People stop almost everywhere we go to sit and
talk to her as she smiles at them and says, "Hi!"

and ME!
Aren't I cute? :) Elsie has got my face shape and
my (lack of) hair. And I've realize that they all
have my nose! :) How cute!
I would post a baby picture of Nels on here, but
I haven't gotten copies from Nels' momma yet.
(Last time we were there, their computer was out of commission.)