Mothering on the Edge

Bet You Thought I Died

2009-08-31T13:23:00.002-06:00

Nope! Took a break from blogging for a while, and now I have a new blog:

SarahMidwife.blogspot.com

Would love to see you there!

Food again!

2008-09-27T11:58:00.004-06:00

Co-op Pickup Day!!!
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb Pacific cod fillets
2 lb. chicken thighs
4 (5 oz) pork chops
3 peaches
4 pears
4 apples
2 tomatoes
1 head romaine lettuce
5 lbs potatoes
1 bunch of radishes
1 lb brown rice
Whole wheat bread
2 sourdough bread
4 lbs cooked chicken nuggets
2 loaves sourdough bread

Total: $33.50

The picture above is after we took all the meat and 2 of the bread loaves to the freezer and the children and I ate all the peaches and one pear (and a radish, but that didn't go over quite as well). Still, looks pretty, doesn't it?

In October, there will be sirloin beef tips, bacon, locally made blackberry jam, German rye bread and Colosimo's Italian sausage. The fruits and veggies aren't announced until the week before you pick up, but I bet there will be squash!

Again, it's the Utah Food Co-op--what a great way to eat healthier, support your community and help others!

P.S. Don't live in Northern Utah? Don't worry--there are probably co-ops where you live, too! Check out: http://www.coopdirectory.org/directory.htm

Bad Mommy Syndrome

2008-09-25T14:59:00.002-06:00

Orson Scott Card, a writer and person I admire very much has posted about a topic I think about frequently: my own (and my peers') tendency to judge myself by some sort of arbitrary standard of "a good wife or mother." I see this in myself, and in other women. I'm curious why it's so pernicious in my LDS sisters. Why do we think we need to be a certain way to be good enough? Who is this superwoman we're trying to match? Is it coming from the media? Or from ourselves? How do we strive to be better without falling into the trap of berating ourselves each time we fall short in some area?

I want to know what you think.

Crafty

2008-09-20T11:07:00.004-06:00

Some crafty stuff I've been up to lately.

Hand made cards:

Pink coconut pretzels (with white chocolate):

And a super awesome princess birthday cake:

And I'm doing a little baby quilt at church next month, but I don't know anyone pregnant (for a change) so I don't know what I will do with it.

Fall or Christmas craft day will be coming right up...any ideas for me and my girls?

Legwarmers

2008-09-15T06:16:00.000-06:00

What I'm crocheting for H:
Legwarmers
In yellow, pink and purple stripes.

And I was looking at this Etsy shop:
Corpseknit
Embrace your dark romantic self, people. With legwarmers.

Seriously, I love the knitting. The fingerless gloves.

And the fact that all of her photos seem to be taken in a graveyard.

I want some legwarmers for myself, too. Maybe to go with leggings and a big sweater.

Maybe something dark and romantic like Edward Cullen.

Food, Glorious Food!

2008-09-14T18:12:00.001-06:00

Pretty much the coolest thing lately is
the Utah Food Co-op

Last month we got 1 lb ground beef, 2 lbs chicken breasts, 1 lb beef fajita strips, 1 lb lean pork, cubed, 3 kinds of fresh fruit, 5 kinds of fresh veggies, a loaf of whole wheat bread, 1 lb of pinto beans and a lb of nutty granola

for

$25.25

Ya, no joke. The fruit included a cantelope and grapes (and maybe apples?). The veggies included avocados, carrots and eggplant. We don't actually like eggplant, we learned. But we tried it!

We ordered this month, too. I'll post a picture when we pick it up.

Birthday

2008-09-14T14:23:00.002-06:00

Good friends.
Good cake.
A good life and one more year under my belt.

I didn't need to make a wish.

Interview with a Gardener

2008-08-11T20:21:00.000-06:00

Much delayed, an interview with Muum, a master gardener!

What’s the deal with composting? Our Utah soils, in general, are not very fertile. Composting is an ideal (and ecologically sound) way to provide better soil - and by better I mean - better texture, better fertility /more nutrients in the soil.

I heard you chuckle when you stir your compost. Is that true? Yes! Do you ever find yourself way more excited about something than you thought you would be? Do you ever find yourself enjoying something way more than you thought you would? That is what composting is like for me. I like mixing it, moving it, stirring it, adding stuff to it, sifting out the finished compost. It is just all very satisfying to me. Something for nothing, except some work.

"this is black gold, baby!"

What do you usually plant in your vegetable garden? tomatoes, peppers, corn, onions, lettuce, squash, winter and summer, carrots, and parsnips. Sometimes pumpkins, spinach..........

What will excite you the most when it comes up? ? pumpkins, maybe?

What are you doing new this year? swiss chard. does anybody have any recipes?

What do you recommend for getting children involved with gardening?
Work, work, work!!!!
j/k

although if yard work is a part of life, at some point some children do develop an interest! (i.e, you did!)

I think work along side a child is a good thing on many fronts, it is time to talk ( for them to talk to you, mostly) and they will work better with you than going away and doing an assignment. It gives you a chance to praise them for their help, and they can see your enthusiasm for the task at hand.

Giving them one vegetable to be 'in charge of' has worked well w/ Katie, we sit down and talk about the garden, and ask her to look at the list of veggies we'll be growing, then she can choose one to plant, help with , etc. That's why we eat parsnips now!

They could also pick out a flower/plant to be responsible for, too. Then during the summer, when I go out to the garden , I take her sometimes and tell her what to do to take care of the pumpkins or the corn or weed her veggie /plant of choice.

If we are headed to the nursery, sometimes I let her buy one thing that is hers. That fosters a lot of enthusiasm. I don't let her buy just anything, but if she says wow, that is pretty, and it is in my $budget and I think it will grow for her, I might get it for her.

those are a few ideas. Mostly I think it is important for people to have some kind of 'garden literacy' so that if they needed to grow their own food, they at least have some idea where to start. And I think gardening is an enjoyable, stress-reducing hobby - how could it not be good for everyone?

Camping at Bryce Canyon

2008-07-27T16:23:00.006-06:00

Last weekend, we slept in a tipi,

played live-action Tic-Tac-Toe,
and roasted marshmallows.

John and Dad ran in the half marathon. They ran fast, beat those of us in a car to the finish line. John set a new personal record and Dad finished in the top 5 for his age group.

Oh, and there was a big canyon.

Finish These Five

2008-07-22T11:38:00.003-06:00

Tagged by The SassyLime...

Rules

Each player answers the questions themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answers.

The Five

Now, we weren't sure if that meant you should give five answers to each of the five questions, or what. I think that's what I'm going to do, just for thematics.

Ten years ago…

I was newlywed to my one true love. We had moved from a studio apartment shaped like a toaster (ie taller than it was wide) into a sublet on campus apartment.
I had black hair. Jet black, dyed myself.
I desperately wanted to be pregnant.
I was 2 semesters from finishing my degree.
I had cinderblock and wood shelves, and many, many books. Too many for our tiny apartment.

Five things on today’s “to do” list…

blog this meme
grading
call a new faculty member
go to court (oh, this is a good one, you'll hear about it, I promise)
pull weeds in garden

Five snacks I enjoy…

sugar snap peas
pudding
bell peppers
garlic popcorn
chocolate chip cookies

Five things I would do if I was a millionaire…

Tithing
Trust fund for my future grandkids' college and stuff and some charitable scholarships, grants, etc. One of those funds that gets mentioned on NPR.
Spoil my husband (but not my kids)
Responsible stuff: paying off mortgage, etc.
Run to the tropics and live the life of ease.

Five places I have lived…

a brick house with sweet peas in the yard
a little house with grapes in the back
a blue house with a tulip tree in front
a series of student apartments
a green house with a red door and a cookie tree

I’m tagging…

A post a month...

2008-07-04T11:50:00.003-06:00

Regardless of what you ask, that's all you're getting.

Lemon Rosemary Marinade
2 Tablespoons of lemon juice
1/3 c. olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh minced rosemary (1 tablespoon dry would work too)
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1 teaspoon sea salt

Mix it all together and marinade 4-6 chicken breasts for grilling.

Citrus Barbecue Marinade
1 orange
1 cup bottled barbecue sauce (I like honey-BBQ)
Wash the orange really well. Using a vegetable peeler, peel off chunks of the orange peel--leave the white part, you just want the orange part. Cut the orange in half and juice it. Yes, it will disintegrate and leave your counter a mess. Add the juice, the sauce and the orange peels to 4-6 chicken breasts and marinade for grilling.

Balsamic and Mustard Marinade

Roasted Almonds

Chipotle Ranch Dressing
1 ranch dressing packet
1/2 c. fat free yogurt (or sour cream if you prefer that)
1/2 c. 1% milk
1/2 teaspoon of chipotle pepper powder

Mix them all together in a water bottle (or old dressing bottle you've cleaned out). You may need to add more milk to thin it down. If you'd rather have dip, use more yogurt and less or no milk. I love this creamy-kicky dressing with veggies.

Gardening on the edge

2008-06-01T18:08:00.007-06:00

First, bellasara cards can be bought at most game or toy stores. We got ours at Wal-mart. They're near the baseball and pokemon cards.

Now, on with the garden. This is square foot garden #1. #2 had better be put in soon or the plants waiting for it will wilt. :(

The black thing in the background center is the compost box. Remember?
And there are peas on the far left, tomatoes in the second row. Carrots and sunflowers are planted but not up yet in the third row, and onions and garlic are in the far right row.

This is a weed. Just so you know I'm not kidding when I say we grow em big in Magna. Note the fence and door behind it. Ya. Seriously.

Herb-pot-to-the-South. Chives, mint and lemon balm. These are all pictures in the raw, BTW, so you can clicky them and get big texture.

Herb-pot-to-the-North. Basil and rosemary. I know it looks a bit barren, but I'm expecting the basil to spread.

Hopefully this week we will have an interview with a Master Gardener. Don't miss it!

Finally, a news item. Guerilla Gardening. Given the price of food currently, these young people are making a political statement by stealth-gardening vacant public and private land. I could get into this.

All the Pretty Ponies

2008-05-30T07:08:00.006-06:00

So, I found this new site. For my girls.

It's called bellasara.com and believe me when I say, this is where girly goes to get its groove back.

It's ponies. Remember 20 years ago when the pictures of unicorns in front of a sparkling waterfall or a glittering moon were all the rage? There was lots of purple involved.

Yes, it's back. Maybe it never went away and I'm just aware of it now that I have girls that age. It's a private site that you must register for, but they do request a parent email so you can check in and see what your little stablehands are up to. Private means there is no interaction between your little girl and others playing on the site. None.

And then...it's a world of girly games.
Riding a winged horse through the clouds to collect flowers and dew. Riding your horse in a steeplechase. Using a magic bubble wand to catch butterflies and fireflies. Earning horseshoes to buy little doodads for your house. Gathering rockets for the nightly firework show over the castle.

And of course....caring for your horse. Feeding, cleaning, brushing your faithful equine, who gives you "positive messages" like:
Share life's richness with all people and creatures on earth
and
Believe in your dreams - You can do anything.

I know. But somehow it seems less corny coming from a soulful-eyed horse.

Now, lest you think this runs on internet magic and sparkly dust, let me tell you the truth. There's money involved. That is, you can play on the site for free with your starter horse, Peter. But, if you'd like to have more, fancier horses, you can buy cards.

Like Pokemon cards, but with ponies. I have three.

What?

Well, maybe I've played a little bit on the site. Maybe I'm a grand champion rocket clicker. Everyone watches my fireworks shows.

Maybe my favorite horse is named Lakota.

Maybe.

Summer Cavalcade of Carnivalish Fun

2008-05-28T08:17:00.003-06:00

The links are all for our summer plans, but similar things are probably going on in your community. For example, in Magna, our local theater has free kids movies during the week. Most community theaters have steeply discounted matinees during the summer. Find out!

Free Movies
Swimming
Library events
Learn something new
Help someone out
Bedtime reading
Watch Dad in a race
Sleep in a tipi

What do you have planned for this summer?

All I Blog is Memes

2008-02-17T09:14:00.003-07:00

You.
Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.
For.
Each.
Question.

Not as easy as you might think.

1. Where is your cell phone? missing
2. Your significant other? church
3. Your hair? multitonal
4. Worst bad habit? chocolate
5. Favorite food? fudge
6. Your favorite thing? completion
7. Your dream last night? college
8. Your favorite drink? chocolate
9. Your dream/goal? publish
10.The room you're in? kitchen
11. Your ex? distant
12. Your fear? insanity
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
14. Where were you last night? Norrath
15. What you're not? bored
16. Muffins? poppyseed
17. One of your wish list items? books
18. Where you grew up? everywhere
19. The last thing you did? breakfast
20. What are you wearing? jeans
21. Your TV? off
22. Your pets? not
23. Your computer? pink
24. Your life? perfect
25. Your mood? ebullient
26. Missing someone? no
27. Your car? registered!
28. Something you're not wearing? socks
29. Favorite Store? Barnes
30. Your summer? super
31. Love someone? several
32. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
33. Last time you cried? wedding
34. Who will/would re-post this? Magic

Couples Meme

2008-02-10T16:01:00.000-07:00

How long have you been together? 10.5 years

How long did you date? before getting married--twice before his mission, and at least 6 times afterwards. Then we got married, and it's all one long date now.

How old is he? older than me, and that's the most important thing

Who eats more? We're pretty evenly matched there, and neither of us are big eaters except when he's preparing for a marathon or I'm pregnant.

Who said "I love you" first? Neither of us can remember, but probably me, based on the normal proportions of our conversations.

Who is taller? He is. When he stands up straight.

Who is smarter? Hard to say--our intelligences are in very different areas.

Who does the laundry? Usually I do.

Who does the dishes? Usually he does.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I usually take the middle half, and he gets both edges.

Who pays the bills? We don't pay bills.

Who mows the lawn? He does.

Who cooks dinner? I do, although he cooks a meal or so every week in his wok.

Who is more stubborn? He is. Don't argue with me.

Who kissed who first? It was a mutual leaning that led to kissing. And then I almost passed out.

Who asked who out? I invited him over for our first casual "date" because he had fixed my motorcycle, but our first date that led to "dating" that led quickly to "engaged" was set up by his dad. I know. We're so cool.

Who proposed? He did, but I accepted so fast he didn't have time to get on one knee.

Who is more sensitive? I am. Perhaps, even overly so.

Who has more friends? I do. He hates people.

Who has more siblings? He does. He's the 4th of 9 children, I'm the oldest of 5. Yes, for real.

Who are you tagging? Hannah and Brad, Drama Momma and Beautopotamus.

"Amish" Friendship Bread

2008-02-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

I'm making "Amish" Friendship Bread today, from a starter I got last week. It is delicious, although the "traditional Amish" recipe seems a bit suspect to me. They make quilts and furniture by hand, they don't use electricity, but I'm to believe they cook with Instant Pudding mix?

Anyway, good bread. If anyone near me wants a starter, just send Jebediah down the road at sunset.

Kindergarten program

2008-01-25T07:29:00.001-07:00

Little T was in her Kindergarten program about the earth, directions, continents and oceans.

She said her line with dignity and poise.

"This way is south."

I took lots of pictures, but most of them were blurry. Those kindergarteners, they like to MOVE.

Afterwards, another KM (Kindergarten Mom) who I had met once before stopped me. The conversation went like this:
Her: "Hi!"
Me: (oh, hm, I don't remember her name) "Hi."
Her: "Did you dye your hair?"
Me: (no, it started growing like this a couple months ago. I'm mystified.) "Yes, I did."
Her: "Wow. So, do you like it?"
Me: (what a weird question) "Yes, I do"
Her: "Oh, well that's good, then."
Me: (...) "..."

It wasn't until I walked away that I realized she hadn't said anything even remotely complimentary about the hair. It is kind of funny, isn't it, that if you bring up a change in someone's appearance, it's socially required to be positive about it. But why bring it up if you don't have anything nice to say?

And I don't understand what the point of that conversation was. Is she just incredibly awkward at small talk? Did she start talking to me purely to say she didn't like my hair? (I -do- like it, by the way) Was she hoping to hear a juicy story about WHO DID THIS TO ME? Was she hoping to establish herself as queen be of the morning KM set by squashing my self-esteem via comments about my hair? (I got news, if you want to hit my insecurities, the hair is not your best target). I don't know. Just mystifying.

Spring Fashion

2008-01-23T14:01:00.001-07:00

This year it's all about HATS.

More hats.

Is this a hat?

Oh yes. BIG HATS.

And for those who don't want hats:

Fringed parasols.

Or, if you want it all:
Fringed parasol hat.

And beside the hats, there is poof.

Not enough poof for ya?

Yes. That should do it.

But what will Sir Walter Raleigh wear?

Sick

2008-01-16T16:03:00.001-07:00

We are sick.

Some tips on being sick:

Keep ginger ale in the house, because once you need it, you won't feel like going out.
On very chapped lips, use Vitamin E. It doesn't sting. It's very healing and protective. It doesn't taste good enough or bad enough to lick off.
Clean out your medicine cabinet so it stops falling on you.
Drink lots of water.
But not from anyone else's cup.
Because even though you both are sick, the germs are DIFFERENT.
A kindergartener can rack up a lot of homework in 3 days of missed school.
Wailing is not a happy sound.
Especially in the middle of the night.
Smell is more reliable than looks on telling if something will make you throw up.
Smell isn't 100% either.
The laundry is not going to get caught up.
This too, shall pass.

This is the sound

2008-01-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

Of my faith in the public school system dying, just a little.

Right

2008-01-10T08:13:00.000-07:00

So, the thing is...
Christmas was great. Much fun and craziness and I'm just really too tired to blog it.

So we will have lists, instead.

Music I'm listening to:
Almost Lover
Apologize (I don't like the Timbaland version as much)
Good Enough

Books I'm reading:
Watership Down (I love these bunnies)
Power of Ethical Management
Just arrived at the library:
Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui
The Path

Foods I'm making:
Stuffed French Toast Strata (with raspberries!)
Taco Salad
Potato Soup

Stuff I'm thinking about:
John Edwards and Mitt Romney
Orphans in Africa
Organizational solutions for tweens

My best thing today:It says: No. o.
He says: "Gravity makes the pencils fall down."

And so it does.

Christmas Hoopla

2007-12-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

Christmas Hoopla
1. List 12 random things about yourself that have to do with Christmas
2. Please refer to it as a 'hoopla' and not the dreaded 'm'-word
3. You have to specifically tag people when you're done. None of this "if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged" stuff is allowed...then nobody ends up actually doing it. The number of people who you tag is really up to you -- but the more, the merrier to get this 'hoopla' circulating through the blogosphere.
4. Please try and do it as quickly as possible. The Christmas season will be over before we know it and I'd like to get as many people involved as possible.

1. I love my Santa gourd. It's a red-painted gourd I made in preschool with bits of batting stuck on for a beard and stuff. I usually have to explain to people that it's Santa.
2. Christmas was rough for me for a few years, because I've had three miscarriages, one right before Christmas.
3. Except for infertile women and those who have experienced an infant loss, people don't realize Christmas is all about a baby.
4. This year is better. I'm happy.
5. And a little stressed. But I went for a massage today.
6. It was divine. I feel much better.
7. My mom gave me for Christmas one year copies of her journals from the years I was growing up.
8. Reading them makes me cry.
9. Especially one about my dad.
10. My favorite Christmas story is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
11. I also like Lost Boys (no, not this or this). I know it looks like horror. It is, but it's a Christmas story too, but it's pretty dark. For Christmas. Or anytime.
12. My favorite Christmas carol is Joy to the World.

I tag...The Sassy Lime, The Muum, Chris, the Daring One, Magically Mama, and Josi.

Anniversary wrap-up

2007-11-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

We had some friends over. Cake.

And decorations:
Paper hearts declaring our true love,
the longevity of our relationship,
our dislike of falling in holes,
and of course...our tender feelings for seashells.

Here's to ten more years of randomness and love.

8 Things Meme

2007-11-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

8 Things You Didn't Know about Me.

The Rules: When tagged, you must list the person who tagged you, post the rules and list 8 people at the end of the post.

I was tagged by the Muum. And to break up the monotony, I'm going to use a Thanksgiving theme. Because really, if you want to know me, there's not much new to say.

I really enjoy colored pens and other office supplies. I like buying them. And using them. All different kinds of office supplies. I can spend a long time browsing at Staples. Colored ballpoint pens are my favorites, though.

Speaking of which, Elfyourself is back up. But that's not about me. Sorry.

I did this one already.
I just realized last week that singers Timbaland and Timberlake are entirely different people.
Also, I bought Pokemon cards for the first time last week. This is, clearly, a business I need to get into because people, THEY ARE RAKING IT IN.
I am, quite frankly, the coolest mom, evah.
I accomplish this by letting my children eat leftover dessert for breakfast a couple times a year, while I sleep in. Pie for breakfast!
I have (apparently) a zany sense of humor. Whatever.
Yes, the cleanup is worth the sleeping in.
I'm an oldest child. I married a middle child. Yes, I do get my way most of the time. No, I don't think it's unfair. I do, however, wonder how youngest children who marry youngest children ever get anything done.

I don't know 8 people to tag. If you comment, and haven't done this meme in the last two months, consider yourself tagged. The madness ends here.

Ten Years, Ten Songs

2007-11-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

Barenaked Ladies: If I Had a Million Dollars
I would spend it like this.
Plain White Ts: Hey There Delilah
U2: With or Without You
On our honeymoon in a snowy cabin in the woods, we had two CDs. This was one of them, and it always reminds me of that.
Elton John: We All Fall in Love Sometimes
Kelly Clarkson: Miss Independent
Before I met you, I was Miss Independent. Thanks for making sure I didn't miss out.
Dave Matthews Band: Crash Into Me
Fat Boy Slim: Praise You
Yes, I do have to.
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: Face Down
Our oldest asked me about this song today. Thank you for being the type of father you are. She was totally mystified by the idea of a man hitting a woman.
Tonic: If You Could Only See
I don't know if I've told you this before, but when we announced our engagement, two old boyfriends wrote me and asked me not to marry you. I thought of this song. If they could see the way you love me, and how blue your eyes are...maybe they would understand.
Paul Stookey: Wedding Song
That's what it's about, right? Love.

By the numbers

2007-11-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

arguments: 123
makeups: 123
nights in a hospital: 9
laughs: 7,211
tears: 429
songs: 83
children: 3
cars: 7
kisses: 10,952
years: 10
months: 120
weeks: 520
days: 3,647
hours: 87,528
minutes: 5,251,680
...and counting

Forever may not be long enough. Ten years hasn't been.

I love you more each day.

What models are thinking, part 2

2007-11-10T19:37:00.001-07:00

I hate you, so let's get married

You like it. You like my not-there-cleavage, my cannon-hole sleeve and my burlap hat. YOU LOVE IT.

We are the queens of the burlap hat scene.

Batmodel!

Napkin shoes. Yes.

What?! What are they saying? Tube? Oh, CUBE!
Spangled, fringed dress with a cube!

Anniversary gifts!

2007-11-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

So, the blond hunk has been legally mine (and I, his) for a whopping TEN YEARS in a few days.
There will be more schlocky reminiscences and loving tributes later in the week, I'm thinking.

To celebrate, there will be a short trip. And gifts. My gifts to him are not as exciting as his gifts to me.

First, what we will be TELLING PEOPLE I got for our anniversary.

Nice, hm? And it seems like the sort of thing you get for an anniversary.

But really, I'm getting this.

Not impressed? That's because you don't know the SECRET!

Geek chic, people.

That's a compact full of SD cards (with little rhinestone sticker idents) and a lipstick memory stick. I know. I'm so lucky.

While he was taking things apart, he also made himself a new memory car. Solar powered, yo.

Because that's how we roll.

What models are thinking...part 1

2007-11-09T17:14:00.000-07:00

Through new scientific advances, we can now hear what models are actually thinking as they take that walk down the catwalk.

Let's listen!

The stylists made me cry.

I feel like I forgot something...

Did I put this on right?

No, I'm not Asian. Wanna make something of it?

Help. Please. My eyes are being held open by these moths.

Steampunk prosti-what?

What do you mean 'been done'?

Back model: My ruffles are rufflier than your ruffles.
Front model: Talk to the hat.

It's a proud, proud day.

2007-11-05T16:20:00.000-07:00

Former president Clinton came to Utah, campaigning for his wife.

Apparently right after a bar crawl or visiting the worst spray-on tan place ever.

Postpartum Mood Disorders

2007-10-26T13:55:00.000-06:00

It happened to me.
That's all I have to say about it right now.

I think this is a good thing.

CRAFT DAY

2007-10-23T07:50:00.000-06:00

Fall Craft Day.

We made fleece ribbon scarves from a kit.

and painted clock faces. BIG clock faces. With crackle paint. I like little T in the second picture. You're taking a picture? Look at ME!

And stacked candles. We poured candle wax out on wax paper and cookie cuttered it, and then stacked the cooled pieces on a wick.

Of course there was silliness.

And the boys played video games.

Good times.

Fasten your internet belts

2007-10-12T17:23:00.001-06:00

Fall Craft Day is tomorrow.
I know.
You're breathless with antici..

Footwear Friday: New Boots!

2007-10-12T12:13:00.000-06:00

I love my boots. They're calf-high, just below the knee. They fit beautifully, even though they had the audacity to be 1/2 a size bigger than my usual (and doesn't size 9 just SOUND a lot bigger than 8 and a half?). Little zippers up the instep. One buckle (more than 2 is just tacky IMO). Black. Leather. Lovely.

You want your own Boots?

He did it!

2007-10-08T08:10:00.000-06:00

The Blond Hunk ran his marathon! His first ever!

With a respectable time of 4 hours, 25 minutes. (The time in the picture is when they let the first of the 6000 runners over the starting line. BH was not at the front of the line.)
HE RAN FOR OVER 4 HOURS! Up and down hills!
Oh my heck.
What a man, what a man, what a man.
And we had a lovely little weekend in St. George while Muum played with her grandkids.
"We played in SNOW, Mom! We made pretzels and then ate them!"
It was a good weekend.

new skin coming

2007-10-04T14:08:00.000-06:00

Say goodbye to the pretty boxes. We have a new skin coming. You can preview it

Here

Foods We Like

2007-09-29T07:38:00.001-06:00

I am a picky eater. Some of my children have gone or are going through stages of pickiness. I once made a list of Foods We Like (ie foods everyone in the house likes). I think there were 10 things on it. But I have discovered some general rules to the madness.

We like things that smell good. Bacon, fresh fruit, fresh bread, granilla.
We like things that are a good texture. Things that are boiled or canned often suffer because of this. The kids like pasta anyway. I do not. Frozen veggies are better than canned.
We like food on a stick. Why? We don't know. Corndogs, kebabs, hor d'ourves. It's just fun to eat.
We like food inside other food. Ice cream sandwiches, Pigs in a blanket, Chicken Cordon Bleu. Sometimes it makes otherwise unpalatable food better. Chicken rolls are a good example. Ravioli is the exception. See #2.

Footwear Friday: New Pink Keds

2007-09-28T14:51:00.001-06:00

New Keds! And they're pink!
See, here are the old Keds:

Ya, a bit ratty. New ones are better. Fun, Fun!

See the original Footwear Friday at The Sassy Lime

Autumn

2007-09-25T12:39:00.000-06:00

So, things are better today. The horses were all up on all fours, for one thing. Also, last night I made myself some butternut squash soup and baked potato soup. Very tasty stuff.

It's autumn here, for sure. The leaves are turning on the mountains, and we've had a few cold nights. I love fall. Love it. I'm really looking forward to getting one of these autumn planters from my Muum. We're having a craft day in a few weeks, too. And the blond hunk is going to run a long, long way next weekend. All fun things.

I might go buy boots for myself if my paycheck comes and is good. I don't share Sassy's Love of All Things Shoe, but I do love boots. I will report if there is a purchase.

small things that are depressing me today

2007-09-24T14:17:00.000-06:00

There is a field of horses near our house. I drive past it every day. One of the horses has been laying on its side since yesterday. Now one of its front legs is twtiching. I think it's dead.

I went grocery shopping today and went $12 over my budget. That may not seem like a lot, but it's just frustrating. Why can't I do simple math? Why can't I control my spending?

I went out Saturday for roast beef and curly fries at an obvious but unnamed fast food place. They forgot my curly fries. I literally fought back tears when I got home and discovered this oversight. Also, no cherry turnover. I got an apple one instead. Not the same.

Finally, after a month of faithfully working out, and eating (a little) less of the chocolate and salty snacks, I weighed myself to discover...I have gained 2 pounds.

Fabulous.

Peaches

2007-09-15T18:24:00.000-06:00

Because Magically Mama mentioned canning peaches. And I love peaches. And this song.

Really, you need to watch the whole thing. Because at first, you think it's just silly, and then it takes the silliness to a whole new level.

Tidbits

2007-09-10T14:24:00.001-06:00

From a pond?
This morning I went to visit the midwife who attended me when E was born. (Of note, E's birth was at home as planned, and was a totally normal, if rather quick birth.) I told 4-year-old E:
"We're going to go see the midwife who caught you."
"Caught me?"
"Yes, when you were born. She caught you and handed you right to me and I held you and loved you very much."
"I don't remember her."
"That's fine. She will remember you."
"But I liked being in the water."
"The water inside Mommy?" (I teach birth prep classes, so my kids know a bit more about life in the womb than most kids this age.)
"No, the water in the pond."
"The pond?"
"Where the midwife caught me. With a fishing pole. And then she gave me to you and you loved me and named me E."
"Oh."
"I like the name E. It's a good name."
"Well, good. We liked it, too."

Could You Repeat That?
In political news, did anyone else watching the hearing today find it amusing when the microphones for both General Petreaus and Ambassador Crocker did not WORK! Like a subtext. We asked you to speak to us but I'm sorry, we just can't hear you.

P!nk makes me happy.
My last birthday present arrived today. A new keyboard, with legible C, V, M, L, E, D, S and P keys. And it's PINK!

I love it.

Vitamin Water

2007-09-07T14:31:00.000-06:00

(Alternate title: cheering up the Sassy Lime via IM)

Sarah says:
I was persuaded to try this 'vitamin water' stuff
Emily says:
yeah?
Sarah says:
it seems to be water that tastes like vitamins
Emily says:
hrh
Emily says:
heh
Sarah says:
amazingly, without containing all that many of them.
Emily says:
lol
Emily says:
that's disappointing
Emily says:
i tried it, and i think i remember it having aspartame.
Emily says:
was that something else?
Emily says:
i hate aspartam
Emily says:
ee
Sarah says:
no iron, no folate, no niacin, no d, no a, no e
Emily says:
huh
Sarah says:
and 20% of some Bs and Zinc. Unles you drink the whole bottle
Sarah says:
Which gives you 50% AND (wait, doing math)
Sarah says:
32.5 g of sugar!
Emily says:
whoa
Sarah says:
and yet, it still tastes fake.
Emily says:
nice
Sarah says:
Then again, it is dragonfruit flavor.
Emily says:
what is dragonfruit?
Sarah says:
And since I don't know what a real dragonfruit tastes like...
Sarah says:
maybe it really, naturally tastes like crap.
Sarah says:
sugary crap
Emily says:
ew
Sarah says:
well, not literally
Emily says:
so did someone tell you they liked it?
Sarah says:
yes.
Sarah says:
Clearly, they've drunk too much.
Emily says:
seems that way
Sarah says:
MultiVitamin psychosis

45 random questions

2007-08-09T16:40:00.000-06:00

1. Who is the last person who touched your butt? Um, my husband.
2. Last awkward moment? Well, you just asked who last touched my butt. That was fairly awkward.
3. Who do you find yourself crushing on currently? Heehee. I'm not telling. He reads this blog. And he touched my butt today.
4. Have you ever fallen backwards down a set of stairs? Forward yes, Sideways, yes, Backward, no.
5. Ever been to a friend's house and starved the whole time? I can't think of a time that's happened. I think if I was there long enough to get really hungry, I've stayed too long.
6. Ever found more than a dollar in a random place? Define random. I found $26 in my paypal account randomly.
7. Name someone close to you who smokes cigarette? Huh. Funny thing, I can't.
9. When a friend walks out of your life, do you go after them or let them go? Uh...usually I catch something they've dropped and decide whether to throw it at them or put it away. My life's too busy to chase people that didn't come out of me.
10. Have you ever been corrected at your workplace? Ha! HAHAHAHAHA. HA! I'll post about this 'so-called' question later.
11. Has anyone ever been more important to you than a family member? Yes. But then we started our own family. Problem solved.
12. Do you still see any of your ex's? No. Moving away helps a lot.
13. Last time you smiled & laughed? At a joke on a message board. Oh snap.
14. What do you do when a telemarketer calls? Hang up. Unless I'm in a bad mood. In which case I harass them. And then hang up.
15. Would life be the same without alcohol? I don't drink alcohol. And we have hydrogen peroxide. So...pretty similar, at least.
16. Would you go a month without washing your hair to save a loved one? Heck, I'd do it to spite a loved one.
17. Have you had "the best night of your life"? Every night is the best night of my life, since the children started sleeping when it's dark. They just get better and better.
18. Do you think your current pets will be alive ten years from now? Pets? Or did you mean children. At least two of the three, I think.
19. When was your last bubble bath? too long ago.
20. Do you know anyone by the name of Dennis? Yes. He was my boss for 3 years and is still a friend. Really a great guy.
21. What was the last thing you ate? white chocolate and pecan Hershey's miniature. I was not impressed.
22. Where is your pet right now? this computer
23. Name five things you did yesterday: made cookies that failed, bought pizza with Muum's money, reread a chapter of Harry Potter 7 I wasn't sure about, washed dishes, flooded my neighbor's yard (on accident!)
25. How many kids do u want? All of them. Which is lucky, I understand they're hard to get rid of.
26. Current outfit: brown pants, brown shirt, pink socks.
27. What color are your eyes? a hazely brown
28. Did you do any chores today? dishes (twice)
29. What are you doing tomorrow? Lots of stuff. Baking. Maybe writing. Going to the temple with the huz. What are YOU doing?
30. Do you know someone who likes you? I know lots of people. The majority seem to like me.
31. Have you ever had a friend named Fred, Frank, or Felipe? Sassy's dearly departed fish was named Frank. Does that count?
32. Name three people you met in the past two months? Krista, last night...that's all I can think of right now.
33. What color is your hair? Chocolate with honey highlights. (yes, my hair makes me hungry)
34. what were you doing 10 minutes ago? Trying to convince the three amigos to move away from the front door so I could unlock it
35. Have you ever said "I Love You" and not meant it? Hm. I love almost everybody in some way. I've probably not meant it in the way someone wanted me to, though.
36. Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? better, a husband. A boyfriend who you don't even expect to call anymore, but pays bills and mows the lawn for you
37. What is the closest green object to you? Countertop
39. Do you still have feelings for anyone from your past? Feeeeelings? LOL. So lame. No. I hope old boyfriends are happy and living great lives. I hope I didn't trash their lives as much as they thought I did when we broke up.
41. Do you believe in ghosts? Spirits, ya.
42. have you eaten popcorn in the last 48 hours? ...48? Yes.
43. Do you have a lot of female friends? Yes.
44. Do you have a friend with benefits? My husband. Medical and dental.
45. Who was the last person you drove with? The three amigos.

And now, a random number of tagees. Because I believe the children are our future. And you are the future of this meme. Magically Mama, Real and Volts.

School Shopping

2007-08-06T16:18:00.000-06:00

Tried on:
3 white blouses
2 pair "khak"s (that's what the kids call them, Mom, khaks)
1 polo shirt
1 sweater

Ordered and Received:
2 navy jumpers
2 plaid jumpers
4 white blouses

Bought:
10 shoes (2 pair athletic, light-up, 3 pair black leather, Sunday/school)
76 socks (white angle, except for 16 multi-colored)
4 tights (3 black, 1 white, 2 thick, 2 thin)

Thrown Away:
10 shoes, including 2 unmatched

In the DI box:
6 pairs of shoes, outgrown

Tired:
Mom, 1

Seven Things About Me

2007-07-07T12:49:00.000-06:00

Double tagged from SassyLime and Muum

Whenever I take medications, I get the side effects. Every.Single.Time. Antidepressants make me nauseous and jumpy. Birth control makes me depressed. Lortab knocks me out. Sudafed makes me anxiety-prone and wakes me up at night. Sleeping pills make me think the world is coming to an end. Advil and Tylenol seem to be pretty safe. Mostly I avoid drugs when I can. Safer that way.
I am...particular. That is to say, picky. I like things the way I like them and that's the way it is. Example: My favorite breakfast is yogurt and granola. Low-fat, organic, plain (not vanilla!) yogurt of a certain brand, and granola, made from my recipe by me with real maple syrup and nuts but not fruit. Clothes are the same. This often leads to the perception that I hate everything. Almost. I hate everything except the things I like. I like some things. Just not many things.
I sometimes hide things around my house to find later. Chocolate, projects, etc. My memory is not that good, and I love surprises. I forget about things and then get to rediscover them later. Some people call this clutter. I call it fun.
I don't wear perfume. I used to, before I got married. We discovered on our honeymoon that the huz is quite allergic to alcohol-based perfumes. So I don't wear them anymore. I do love scents, though--flowers, essential oils, candles. They're all over the house. I just am careful not to use the extra-strong or alcohol-based ones.
This has to do with #2, but I have a strong kinesthetic base to the way I see the world. I often say, "It just feels..." But the pickiness thing means I have textures I just do not like. Spaghetti and linguine, for example. Ick. Feels like they're going to crawl down my throat before I'm done chewing. Also...uncooked meat, I hate touching. I could do my own cooking show showing how to cook without touching the meat. What other things... avocados, gelatin... It's not how it tastes, it's how it feels.
My head is shaped like a heart. That's what my daughter tells me when I do my hair like this>>>>>> What? You don't do your hair like that?
I am a very nerdy gal. I read a lot. I'm allergic to nature. Clumsy. I almost cried when my computer was down for a few days. Blown power supply. It was like coming home to find my pet had died. Nerdiness doesn't bother me. I know I'm cool.

in which only lists are made

2007-05-31T16:36:00.000-06:00

Books to read:
Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Warrior's Apprentice
The Motley Fool
Leadership and Self-deception
Sarah
various magazines, which I am aware are not books, but it's my list and I'm changing it!

Things that irritate me:
Door-to-door salespeople
people who don't get to the point
other peoples' kids
people who don't eat the food I make
pharmacies that don't call me when my script is ready

If I had a magic wand:
I would be able to take a hot bath and write on my laptop at the same time
there would be a firehose attached to my doorbell, which friends would know better than to use
chocolate would magically appear in my cupboard
I would not be so behind in general in my life

Dinner Fairy!

2007-05-10T12:31:00.000-06:00

Have you heard about the Dinner Fairy? No, not the pizza delivery guy. The Dinner Fairy!

Go, read it. I'll wait.

See? Still here.

And I have a secret. My Dinner Freezer lives in my freezer! Alright, I'm the dinner fairy, too. And I stock my freezer once a month or so. But it feels like a dinner fairy when I open up the big white door and....MAGIC! Dinner! So I'm going to send my recipes to the dinner fairy site for others to enjoy. You should, too!

This little sweetheart (the Freezer Fairy) was made using The Flower Fairy Dollmaker, but my girls prefer this one. Quite inspirational, isn't she?

Freezer Fairy Recipes:
Teriyaki Chicken
Cheesy Potatoes with Ham
Shepherd's Pie
Orange Glazed Chicken and Parmesan Chicken (2 recipes, 1 post)

Tomorrow, maybe I'll bring out the Slow-cooker Fairy! She's hot stuff!

When I worked in college, my boss had a sign on his door. It said:
Good, Fast, Cheap.
Choose Two.

So if you have a dinner recipe that is at least two of those, Send it to the Dinner Fairy! I wanna see! I'll try it! Even if it has brussel sprouts! Expect to see recipes posted soon!

Interview by the Muum

2007-05-09T10:14:00.001-06:00

I have to hand it to the Muum. I didn't think about it, but she's got the hardest job interviewing me because she knows me SO well. 30 years, people. That's how long we've been friends. Not easy to hit with someone who's 29. And now, on with the show.

Why do you hate clothes shopping so much?
First let me explain my relationship to clothes. I'm not that into clothes. They are functional objects for me. I like having my body covered and...um, having pockets. So I wear clothes. It is very, very rare for me to see clothes and think...wow. I would like to wear that. Very rare. I like my clothes to be comfortable, simple and not cost too much.

Now, let me explain how I feel about shopping. I like shopping for things when it's easy. I like being able to pick out what I want from a reasonable selection and pay a reasonable amount and bring it home and be happy with it. Grocery shopping is a very satisfying experience for me.
But clothes shopping is NOT!

It was really bad when I was a teenager because I wanted to at least somewhat 'fit in', which I defined as not being stared at, I had a body that seemed to be constantly changing shape and size, and the fashions were too...fashionable. I didn't want to look like a fashion plate. Just a kid. At school. School uniforms would have been a blessing, really. But, I did discover the concept of a uniform. My high school uniform was a tight T-shirt or body suit under a flannel plaid with jeans that were too big, but not so big they fell down. It was the 90s, people. It worked.

Now, clothes shopping is just annoying because I often go to the store with something in my mind that I want to buy and then...can't find it. And it's usually something that seems very straightforward to me. How can you -not- as a clothing store, carry a simple black skirt? a cotton floral dress? khaki pants with no pleats? REALLY!? HOW?! I also have trouble envisioning how things will look on me, so I see them on the rack and think...meh. It helps to have someone with me who has that skill of 'knowing what will look good'. And is patient with my critical nature. I hate most things I see. Usually only one or two items out of a trendy store would I even consider wearing. A dozen in a mainstream store. I'm picky. You can ask the Sassy Lime. I hate everything.

How did you become interested in childbirth education?
Mostly because my first childbirth class, when I was pregnant with H, was a big suckfest. We spent lots of time on 'not smoking while pregnant' (duh!!) and 'what to do if your boyfriend is hitting you' (?!) and not very much on these patterned breathing techniques that...frankly, didn't work. So I pretty much figured I could do better.

When we lived in family student housing, I had a friend who was almost done with her training to be a midwife, so she had a LOT of information about pregnancy, labor and birth. But she was painfully shy. I can't remember if she had to teach a class for her midwifery degree requirements, or if we just decided it would be a good idea, but I was happy to stand in front of people and talk, and she mostly designed the curriculum and answered questions.

Well, I had a chance to go to a Birthing From Within training halfway through our class series and it really blew me away--things like, If you teach parents that there is only one right way to give birth, you're setting them up to fail. If you want to teach pain-coping practices, you have to practice them in class and at home! Birth isn't just about the physical--parents are having social, emotional, and spiritual journeys as well. It was huge. So I decided to keep doing it, even after my friend was done.

I've been teaching (we call it mentoring, to emphasize that parents know how to give birth, and we are just 'helping') for six years now. I love it.

Give us a 'day in the life' on the edge.
Well, I get up when the CD player alarm starts playing the first guitar solo on the U2 cd we have in there. Do that daily hygiene stuff. Get dressed. By the time I get downstairs, most of the kids are eating breakfast and in various states of dress. Coerce little E to go potty or at least put on a dry pull-up. Check my email. All that morning stuff. H and the Blond Hunk leave for school and work.
Twice a week the little ones and I do Joy School--at our house or one of their little friends. That's lots of fun. I clean or read or write and play around the house until around noon or so. Sometimes we go grocery shopping or Aunt Sassy Lime comes over to play. Lots of fun.
Afternoons are slower. We play outside or do laundry. Sometimes bake. H comes home from school and we do the snack/homework/hearts thing. Hearts are chores. I'll explain this some other time.

I don't have much of a detailed routine. Just doesn't work for me.

Besides humility, what is your best quality?
You mean, besides brevity? Ahahahah. I slay me.
No, I think my best quality is being able to understand people and their relationships. I don't know why, but I enjoy doing that.

Did you ever decide to take up belly dancing? Does your character on (?) Everquest like to belly dance??
I haven't yet. But that doesn't mean I won't.
And no, my main character (the one I play the most) on Everquest 2 is named Nanya. She has many talents, but bellydancing is not one of them.

Because I must blog

2007-05-08T17:28:00.000-06:00

One:
Northern bathroom tissue is not worth the $.50 I saved on my 12 double rolls over the usual Cottonelle. Cottonelle is superior.

ripples>quilting

In case you were wondering.

Two:
Blond Hunk is training for the St. George Marathon. And I am engaging in the peripheral bloodsport of finding us a hotel room for the weekend. Any suggestions?

Three:
This amuses me.
Because really...why not just use duct tape? What man wouldn't use duct tape or, if he is inclined to get a bandaid, just use a regular bandaid?

Doesn't this just reinforce the fallacious reasoning that if you slice your hand with a box cutter, or shoot a nail through your thumb, you really CAN just slap some duct tape on there and keep on?

Silly.

Soundtrack of My Life

2007-04-24T09:20:00.000-06:00

if my life was a movie...

if my life was a movie, what would my soundtrack be?

so, here's how it works:
1. open your music library
2. put it on shuffle
3. press play
4. for every question, type the song that's playing
5. when you go to a new question, press the next button
6. don't lie and try to pretend you're cool.

opening credits: "Now We Are Free" by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard on the Gladiator Soundtrack. Interestingly, it plays on the closing credits of Gladiator. For all the gore, I do love that movie. And the music, too. Freedom is important, and sometimes costly. What a great place to start.

waking up: "Just Drive, She Said" by Stan Ridgway. I sometimes have to drive before I'm fully awake. But not like this. I love this ballad of a taxi driver's very exciting morning. Ha!

first day at school: "Star to Follow" by TransSiberian Orchestra. Yes, it's a Christmas song. What about it? I like Christmas music. And I can't, for the life of me, think of a connection to my first day of school. Sorry.

in love: "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi. Independent much?

fight song: "The Rules Song" from Joy School. Yes, it's in there too. My music library is a mash-up. Very important rules for fighting: "We never hit or kick or push our friends at nursery school." Or anywhere else. Come ON!

breaking up: "Stand" by REM. Stand in the place where you live. Now face north. That's what I like to do when I'm finishing a relationship. Get grounded. "Your feet are going to be on the ground. Your head is there to move you around." Use your head.

prom: "Swish and Swipe" on the FLYlady CD. Ya, let's just swish that memory into the sink. Thanks.

life's ok: "Never Let Me Down Again" by Depeche Mode. Um...this is ok? Depressed Mood? Bleh. I'm taking a ride with my best friend. He won't let me down. He never has.

mental breakdown: "All These Things I've Done" by The Killers. Wow...this movie has a depressing middle, I guess. "I want to stand up. I want to let go."

driving: "Beautiful Day" by U2. Ya, who doesn't like listening to Bono in the car?

flashback: "We All Live in a Yellow Submarine" by the Beatles. I've never lived in a submarine. Of any color.

getting back together: "Best Years of My Life" by the Baha Men. These are the best years of my life. "Makes me want to dance!"

wedding: "When I'm 64" with the Beatles again. "I can be handy, mending a fuse." Yup, this is the man I married.

birth of child: "Oh Very Young" by Cat Stevens. Very, very young.

final battle: "White Flag" by Dido. Short final battle. I surrender.

death scene: "Puff the Magic Dragon" by Peter, Paul and Mary. How poignant? "A dragon lives forever, but not so little girls and little boys."

funeral song: "Hands" by Jewel. I like this song. That's fine. "If I could tell the world just one thing..."

end credits: "Goodbye, My Lover" by James Blunt. I'm actually hoping he goes first...so it can be hello again, my lover. But we'll manage.

Everybody play! Comment to let me know you have a soundtrack, too!

"You're cute."

2007-04-22T07:06:00.000-06:00

That's what I said when my husband came in after his shower this morning.

"I know," he replied, in his typical confident (cute) manner.

"You're hotter than Brad Pitt."

"Oh, Brad's alright. He calls me sometimes."

"He does?"

"For advice."

"Oh yeah? On what?"

"Well, he and that girl..."

"Angelina?"

"Right, that hot girl. They've only been married a year or two, I guess. He asks about being a dad and, you know, having a hot wife who wants to save the world."

"That's pretty rough. I'm glad you can help him."

"Well, sure."

Compost

2007-04-19T11:56:00.000-06:00

We're composting for the garden, so I tell Tori to put her peels and stuff in the compost pile, and we'll put it in the box.

and she says, and the box will make it turn into something?

and I'm thinking...hey, I can inspire some awe of the magic of gardening, here.

So I say, Ya! It will turn into DIRT!

Her little face fell. Dirt?

It turns food into dirt?

hey mom, we've GOT plenty of dirt. don't know if you noticed

I tried to explain that it was really good dirt, that would make flowers and our garden grow.

She pointed out that when you give kitchen scraps to chickens, they make eggs.

which is better than dirt.

actually, she said they 'poop out eggs'.

We are not getting chickens.

Freezer Cooking Recipes-meatballs, orange chicken and parmesan chicken

2007-04-15T15:19:00.000-06:00

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
from 30 Day Gourmet website/newsletter
I usually make 3 recipes of this, because more than that won't fit in my largest bowl. The sauce is very popular. The water chestnuts help it avoid the soggy-meatball syndrome. This time I froze a cup of rice in the meal bag as well. So, a gallon bag of meatballs, a quart bag of sauce, and a quart bag with rice (uncooked). That way I know I have the whole meal ready to go, no worrying if I have rice or noodles. Add a veggie and it's like...a perfect meal.

Orange Glazed Chicken
(now at The Dinner Fairy!)

Parmesan Chicken
(now at The Dinner Fairy!)

Four Things on the Fourteenth

2007-04-13T18:50:00.000-06:00

Four Things about me... Things you may not have known about me.....

Four jobs I have had in my life:

Editor
Mother
Childbirth mentor
Janitor

Four movies I have watched over and over:

Pirates of the Carribean
Grease, thankyouverymuchfreshmanyearroommates
Birthday, a birth video I show in my classes
Heathers

Four places I have lived:

California
Ohio
Washington
Utah

Four TV shows I love to watch:

Scrubs
Red Dwarf
I don't really watch TV that much. Sorry.

Four places I have been on vacation:

Disneyland
Europe
Lake Powell
Cancun

Four of my favorite foods:

Only four? Can I borrow one of the ones I left blank from the TV shows? First, chocolate. Especially hot chocolate and croissants. Mmmmm.
Berries. Strawberries. Raspberries. Blackberries.
Plain (not vanilla), low-fat (not non-fat) yogurt with granilla.
Gelato, in this chocolate-hazelnut flavor called bacio. It's not ice cream, people. This stuff makes ice cream cry.

Four people who I think will respond

Heather at Magically Mama
Real at Birthsongs
Debbi at Butterfly Wishes
Penny at Rare Education

What Flower are -YOU-?

2007-04-10T06:05:00.000-06:00

I am a
Snapdragon

What Flower
Are You?

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

Easter Dresses

2007-04-09T12:38:00.000-06:00

Thanks to their grandmother, my girls had better luck with the Easter dresses than I did.

Very chic!

Yes, that's a Spiderman tie on the boy. Looks good, huh?

I hate everything

2007-04-07T12:42:00.000-06:00

It's true. I don't like buying clothes. One of these days I'm going just find a uniform for SAHMs and start wearing that. Or nudity. Nudist camps are looking good just because I wouldn't have to find an outfit.

I tried to buy an Easter dress.

What a joke.

What I found were things like this:

Ugh.
Ly.

Where are the florals? The pastels? What's with the black and brown, people? Ruffles?! Um, no.

And hi, I only like to look pregnant when I am.

And hi. It's pink. But somehow, not springy. And they tied the belt on this wrong. It should be off to the side.

But hey, at least nothing vomited pepto bismol and coconut on that one.

Seriously. What is going on, people? Where are the spring dresses?

It's true. I hate everything. I'll be wearing a white rabbit suit this weekend. Just see if I don't.

Birthday-pedia Meme

2007-04-02T11:37:00.000-06:00

1. Go to Wikipedia and type in your birthday (month and day only):

September 2. Good day for a party. Usually on or around Labor Day weekend.

2. List events that occurred on that day of interest to you:

490 BC - After the Battle of Marathon, where the Greeks defeated the invading Persians, Pheidippides, who had already run 140 miles in 2 days and nights, ran 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to carry the news of the victory. His last words before he collapsed and died, "Rejoice, we are victorious."

1864 - American Civil War: Union forces enter Atlanta, Georgia a day after the Confederate defenders flee the city.

1901 - Vice President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt utters the famous phrase, "Speak softly and carry a big stick" at the Minnesota State Fair.

1991 - The United States recognizes the independence of the Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

3.List a Few Birthdays:

1838 - Liliuokalani of Hawaii, Queen of Hawaii (d. 1917)

1964 - Keanu Reeves, American actor

1966 - Salma Hayek, Mexican actress

The beautiful people. This is when we are born.

4. List a death:

1898 - Wilford Woodruff, fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1807)

1973 - J. R. R. Tolkien, British writer (b. 1892)

1997 - Viktor Frankl, Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist (b. 1905)

Apparently a good day to die, as well.

5. List a holiday or observance (if any):

Vietnam - National Day (independence from France, 1945).

Well...ok, so that's been a little rough. But still...

General Conference

2007-04-01T11:30:00.000-06:00

It's General Conference again. I made 14 freezer meals yesterday. 5 sweet and sour meatballs, 4 chicken parmesan and 5 orange glazed chicken. All repeats, so I know they'll be good. If you want recipes, you must post.

Today I've cleaned out the art closet and next on my list is my utensil and measuring cup kitchen drawers. All listening and no cleaning make Sarah go something something...

And now, we will be pleased to hear from the peepernacle choir.

Tomorrow, a birthday meme.

Theological Conversations

2007-03-26T16:59:00.000-06:00

Overheard in the car, a conversation between 5-year-old T and 3-year old E.

T: No, God is up in the clouds. At heaven.
E: What?
T: At heaven.
E: And he never can come down?
T: No. When you die, you go up to heaven, through the clouds.
E: And you're dead.
T: And God fixes you up. So then you're alive.
E: And you're dead.
T: But then you're heavy, because you're standing up and alive, so you fall through the clouds, because you're heavy, back to earth.
E: When I die, I lay down.

Harry Potter/Brady Bunch Hair

2007-03-26T13:19:00.000-06:00

The Brady Bunch and Harry Potter
Different stories. Same hair.

Jan and Hermione

Bobby and Ron

Greg and Harry

You be the judge.

Craft Day Redux and a Great Idea

2007-03-24T13:55:00.000-06:00

Craft Day
Me and the Sass and the Muum and G-money and (for the first time, live and in concert!) K-head all got together a couple weekends ago for a craft day. No, being related isn't enough. We like to play together, too. We made wreaths. Except Muum made a decorative hat. Which she then put on and danced around in like Carmen Miranda. No, we weren't drinking mimosas...why do you ask?

We went to Macaroni Grill for lunch. Dee-vine. And then came home to make message/photo boards. With a staple gun.

The Great Idea: Geek Chic
A site for fashionable women of technological persuasion
Where you can find flash drives that look like lipstick and credit card cameras and cute baskets just the right size to hide your network cables and power cords. You know you love it.

Chicken

2007-03-20T13:08:00.001-06:00

For you, Sassy. No cows here!

An idea

2007-03-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I'm more politically aware than I have been in election years past, or if the media is getting involved earlier, but I find myself avidly watching the contenders for the 2008 presidential election. It was pointed out in one of my favorite newspaper columns that we have an excellent chance of voting on some historical presidential candidates:

We could elect the first black president:

the first woman president:

or the first Mormon(LDS) president:

Of course...we could just kill three birds with one stone and elect:

Gladys Knight.

And now I'm back

2007-02-05T07:22:00.000-07:00

...from outer space? No, from the land of mouse. And lots of fun was had, let me tell you.

Well, I'll tell you later. With pictures. Funny how "I need to get my film developed" has been replaced by "I need to get the pictures off the memory card and onto my computer and labeled" isn't it?

So, what's new?
Well, I got fuzzy socks and a new book for second Christmas. What? You don't have second Christmas? You must not live with hobbitses. Just kidding, we held Christmas over into February because my brother was coming home from his mission at the end of January. So on Saturday we all got together and opened presents, ate candy and played Guitar Hero.
AND I got a new Flylady calendar which I'm going to get out and play with after I finish this blog entry. I'm pretty spoiled, really.
AND a subscription to LDS Living, WHICH HAS AN ARTICLE BY ME!!! (page 11 in the Jan/Feb issue)
That's right. People paid me to write something. I was pretty stoked, too.

Now, I have vacation laundry to do. Fire up the wall-minator, Jerry! (Special graphic gift to the blogger who identifies that quote!)

Busy

2007-01-30T07:49:00.000-07:00

Can't stop to blog now.

So, I recently had a friend accuse me of holding out on her, although I could swear I've already bragged about this to anyone who would care. But I guess not. So once I post it here, I've told the world, right?

For those who don't know, I teach childbirth classes. Usually one night a week, 6 weeks out of every 2 months. I also used to work as a doula. I don't anymore because I found it too stressful to be called away from my posse at all hours of the night, as much as I enjoyed it.

A few weeks ago, a doula friend of mine asked if I would speak at the state doula conference.
Flattering? Yes. And I get to speak about something from my childbirth education style, which is even better because I actually KNOW all about it and LOVE to talk about it. So, February 24, 4:00 pm. It went on the calendar.

Not even a week after that, another (former childbirth educator) friend called to ask if I could speak at the Successful Mothering Conference. Wow! You bet! About preparing for a second or later baby in the family. My session is called: Baby Makes 3, 4, or More. You're excited, right?

But here's the kicker. It's on the SAME DAY. February 24. In the morning. Hahahaha. I'm double booked. Luckily, it's in the same city and I'll just dash between them at lunchtime. For some reason, this little coincidence makes me feel twice as popular, even though these are the only requests I've had to speak in...years. Still. Pretty cool.

Feminine

2007-01-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

I was looking at this.
And dh said, What the heck is that?
And I said, "My inner goddess wants to belly dance."
He asked, "What does you outer goddess think?"
I said, "She says we're too fat to belly dance."

If I ever start belly dancing, I'll post. But there will probably not be pictures.

Not Mother of the Year

2007-01-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

"Mom, I stubbed two toes."
"Ya?"
"One on each foot. Now I can't walk."
"Hm, that's too bad. How will you get around?"
"A wheelchair, I guess."
"Well, do you think your feet will ever get better?"
"I don't know."
"Because if not, it will be worth the investment to buy a wheelchair. Otherwise, we can just rent one. How much allowance do you have saved up?"
"I have to buy my own wheelchair?"
"Well, or rent. I'll make some calls today."

No longer in the running for Mother of the Year, but I hear I'm on the short list for Ms. Compassion.

I should be doing laundry.

6 Weird Things about E

2007-01-14T13:52:00.000-07:00

He loves music and sounds. He sings with me in church. Not knowing the words doesn't slow him down at all. He just sings without words, kind of "ah, ah, uh". He hits most of the notes in the melody, which used to surprise me.
He pronounces his full name "Alex-Ender".
He thinks his head is a weapon. More than that, he thinks of everything as a tool or part of a machine. The main item on his wish list this Christmas was a "HUGE MACHINE!" He loves machines.
He has a very long tongue. The dental hygienist mentioned it, too. I hope he someday finds a girl who thinks it's cute, like I do.
He is happy almost all the time. He has never failed in an attempt to make me smile. Ever. Considering I had my worst bout of postpartum depression after his birth, that's pretty dang impressive.
He produces ear wax at an amazing rate. Copious amounts, people. I don't know why.

6 Weird Things about T

2007-01-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

She chews not only her fingernails, but her toenails, too.
She prefers dresses and skirts in the color pink to all other clothes. She will only wear sneakers when it is muddy or snowing outside, otherwise insisting on her princess shoes. She has been known to say to stylish adult women (never me, mind you), "Cute shoes! Where did you get them?"
She is an artist. She has started drawing in perspective and distinguishing between foreground and background in her work. She still has some trouble with horizons. If anyone could help with this, I'd be obliged, because I don't understand it myself.
She is the neatest child I have ever met. She cleans up after me. I rotate her daily chore around the house because her assigned room is always the cleanest.
She is afraid of having her hair cut because it will change the way she looks. I think she's worried it will change who she is or people won't recognize her. I'm not sure, though.
She writes musical notes and then asks people (who know how to read music) to sing them for her. She requests staff paper on a weekly basis.

6 Weird Things about H

2007-01-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

She likes to play pretend that she is queen of somewhere exotic and faraway, like... Denver. She gives speeches that begin: "People of Denver.." and end with "..my guards shall be everywhere!" Kind of a megalomaniacal queen, sometimes.
She self-weaned at 10 months when she discovered this new thing called a bottle was totally portable and mummy dearest was not.
She started speaking in complete sentences before 2, writing her name at 3 and reading before 4. I don't know why. Maybe she just had so much to say she wanted to get started early.
While other children were crying and clinging to their mothers on the first day of school, she leaned over to me and said between her teeth, "Mom. It's time for you to GO!"
She reads more books than most adults do. She prefers books on tape, though, so she can draw or play while she listens. Multitasking.
She doesn't think of herself as a child. Just a small adult--entry level.

Sheer genius

2007-01-08T17:03:00.000-07:00

So, I didn't tell you about the tragic loss of Dora. Dora is our Ford Explorer. She was tragically hit by a reckless and probably intoxicated driver (not the only car he hit that night) the day after Thanksgiving. No one was aboard, but the big stick that makes the wheels go (Blond Hunk says it's called a drive suspension shaft or train or something) snapped in half. IN HALF! Poor Dora could not be fixed. Her frame was bent. Her axle was askew. Her gear box was all smashed up. That's the car equivalent of internal organ damage, there. She couldn't even roll straight onto the tow truck. Not even the blond hunk and his posse could put her back the way she was. This photo isn't our Dora, by the way. This is another Dora the Explorer. But that's pretty much what she looked like. Tender T shed a few tears when the man came to take her away. E was fascinated by a truck big enough to carry other trucks.

But, that means we got a new car. Well, newer. New to us. A Ford Windstar, white. I like it. It hasn't earned a name yet, but I think she will. She's calm and reliable (so far) and carries us well. The kids can even have balloons without smacking me in the face with them.

But, being of the last millenium, Windstar has only a single sliding door. And the way our cars park in the driveway, I must park on the side furthest from the front door. With the sliding door facing the snowy yard. Blech. Snow in the car. Shivering children waiting for me to unlock it. Trudging with groceries through the 6" snow drifts. I know, quite a pioneer frontierswoman I am, complaining about this. But there you go.

I have literally contemplated for...nearly an hour over the last few weeks as to how I might fix this. Can't move the husband's parking spot. His car goes in the garage (because it fits and mine doesn't, not because he's not a gentleman). The other side of the garage has an immovable project car. The sliding door cannot be moved to the other side without a costly switching car surgery. *sigh*

And then, today, I came home from our favorite grocery store (and dentist--yay for cavity free kids!) and suddenly...60 watts, right over my head. Of course! I'm a genius! I pulled back out of the driveway, into the street, and

...

are you ready for this?

....

backed in.

Yes. I pulled into the driveway facing out. Thereby reversing the position of the sliding door and saving me...like, a dozen steps in the snow carrying groceries. I know. There'll be a book signing later. Once I write the book.

I also have cut up fresh veggies for my children and located the allusive chocolate malt-o-meal cereal for my husband.

Mom is great. She likes chocolate cake.

6 Weird Things about Me

2007-01-07T22:28:00.000-07:00

tagged by The Sassy Lime

"According to the rules... Each player of this game starts with the "6 Weird Things about You". People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says 'you are tagged' in their comments and tell them to read your blog!"

1. I have long, slender fingers and toes. 8 1/4" across from thumb to pinky. I've been teased about this, but more and more I find it rather useful.

2. I love etymology. Really. Love it. How words came to mean what they do and their relationships to other words fascinates me. I mean: Humble, Humus, Human!

3. I appear to be perfectly healthy, when in reality my heart can't keep time. It doesn't bother me. Kind of takes marching to the beat of your own drummer to a whole new level.

4. I hate shopping for clothes. I go with the Sass because she makes it fun. We make fun of new styles together. Last trip we found 3 pairs of shoes she liked and only 1 I was willing to try on. I didn't buy them.

5. My husband says I have had more hair colors than he has had cars. I can't verify this. He has owned a lot of cars.

6. I have what is often called a "quirky" or even "zany" sense of humor. I don't know what that means. Some things are just funny. Like the time-filling spot our PBS station plays...it's scenery shots set to the classical piece, Air on a G-string? Surely I'm not the only PBS viewer that finds that funny.

I tag: Magically Mama (who may take her time, as she has a new baby), M&M Thoughts, Owlhaven, Chris from Notes from the Trenches, and Daring Young Mom. Ok, seventh thing is I can't really count. I'm like that horse. I think I'll tag Each of My Kids and my local hunk, too. Because we weirdos travel in packs. Watch for those over the next few days.

Things I can't find

2007-01-04T18:23:00.000-07:00

~my temple recommend
~a check for $50
~a CD for Joy School, ironically, with songs about the Joy of Order
~my list of things to do today
~anything my 7 year old wants to and is allowed to do
~foods my 4 year old likes to eat that do not make me cringe
~the patience to deal with my 3 year old's limit testing
~my relaxation bath salts!!!
~the reminder card for my dentist appointment next month
~my car under all this snow!
~yes, you guessed it:
My ever-loving MIND!

Fruitcake?

2007-01-03T18:26:00.000-07:00

Word to your sender...

Evil Stepmother Support Group

2006-12-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this?
What's Wrong with Cinderella?

If you're reading this blog, chances are 50/50 that my princess rant is what drew you here. Peggy Orenstein is a smart gal, although I don't agree with her on every point. But the feeling, the sense of what the heck is happening here is very familiar. I dislike the brat fad. I'm never going to be ok with my children advertising their worst fears about themselves (or mine) on their T-shirts. The feminism argument isn't as tough for me, I guess because my little girls were born already so self-possessed I've never worried about them basing their worth on a man or caving to a man's wishes. I sort of wish they would bend to mine, honestly. A little bit of Snow White would be a nice change, to me.

What do you think about princesses? Can they be good? Is it just merciless marketing to our tender children? Are they teaching our kids to be weak? To believe in something that isn't true? Tell me!

All servers are up...

2006-12-21T16:45:00.000-07:00

So you may not realize that I'm this geeky, but I play a MMORPG. See, that was geeky even saying that, huh? But I do. This one. It's basically a very elaborate version of "let's pretend." And I love it.

So they bring down the servers for "maintenance" every so often, to upgrade content in the make-believe world and to fix problems. They used to call these "patches" but now they call them "updates." Sounds more professional and less like we're in a leaky boat.

There is a website you can check to see when your particular server/world is back up and running. But it's funny the way they do this. It says:
All servers are up except for:
...and then lists every single one.

Until yours comes off the list, you can't play. So I'm watching this list off and on, thinking I want to play. And I think, I should use this tactic. It's very optimistic. Like, the glass is half-full, you know?

I should post a list that says,
All rooms are clean except for:
Boys Bedroom
Downstairs Bathroom
Entry Way
Family Room
Girls Bedroom
Kitchen
Laundry Room
Master Bedroom
Stairs
Study
Upstairs Bathroom

What do you think?

To Spammers

2006-12-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

I do not want to invest in penny stocks. No matter what the promised return.

I am not going to transfer money to help someone in Africa who addresses me as "sir" or "friend" or even "friend in Christ".

I like my penis the way it is, i.e. non-existent. I do not want to enlarge it or impress women. I do not care if my friends in the locker room are making fun of me. If they have penises, they should be in a different locker room anyway. Twin pills strike me as especially dangerous.

I do not want to deal with prescription drug services that offer Christmas specials.

I'm not interested in weight loss drugs, herbs or all-natural-proven-celebrity-trusted remedies. Anatrim and Hoodia especially...I want nothing to do with.

And finally.

I don't want a watch. At all. Ever.

Did I miss anything?

Sassy Lime gets elfed

2006-12-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

Many of you know my sister, The Sassy Lime.

You may have noticed that she is gorgeous.
And she photographs well.
And did I mention, she's married to her own paparazzi?

Jealousy lead me to do this.
I hope it makes her laugh all Christmas long.

The Sassy Elf

He makes me laugh

2006-12-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

I was having a lousy day today. One of those, crappy, lame, feel-like-a-failure days. And then as I was helping little E sit on the potty, he did what only he can do.

He farted and grinned. I did my duty as mother-and-civilizer. "That's just a little gas," I said.

He laughed and said, "Who's the gas man?" in the same tone people say, "Who's your daddy?"

And miracle of miracles. I laughed.

Bias, anyone?

2006-12-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

This made me laugh. One of our city's two large newspapers has changed editors. Here are the headlines and stories:
New editor named for the News
GOP insider Cannon to lead Morning News

Different perspectives, for sure. These two papers have been battling it out for 150 years. Mormon and anti-Mormon have grown into conservative and...well, not as conservative. It's still Utah. And if you're thinking, well, in MY town we only have one paper, not this childish squabbling...

You're only getting half the story.

Hole in the Head

2006-12-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

Like a hole in the wall, but the wall won.

Child jumps on couch. Child bashes head against wall. Child screams violently. "It's blooding!"

Edge carries child to sink. Blood is, in fact, pulsing from the wound. Blond Hunk holds dishtowel to child's head. Child asks for bath.

Edge looks for sterile gauze, and finding none (how does a first aid kit run out of 4x4 gauze?) sticks a maxi pad to child's head. It is clean and absorbent.

Blond Hunk is concerned child might be embarrassed later in life at wearing a maxi pad on his head. "More than about being struck from behind by a wall?"

Rock paper scissors are used to determine who will take child to Urgent Care.

Child's head stops pulsing blood and begins a slow seep. Blood is washed out of hair and a small cut is assessed.

Edge (loser of RPS) determines no stitches are needed. Child again asks for bath.

Flashlight game is invented, in which Edge and Child take turns shining a flashlight in each other's eyes. Child's pupils react normally. Or so it seems now that Edge is blind.

Child is bathed. Bleeding stops. Child's head receives a new maxi pad and burn wrappings to hold it on.

Edge takes picture rather than going to Urgent Care. Blond Hunk watches video much more sympathetically.

Next day, child wakes up and Blond Hunk asks, "How's your head?"

Child feels back of head and notes, "There's still a hole in my head, but no more blooding."

Well, that's the important thing.

Turkey Cheese Ball

2006-12-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

No, this is not about an ex-boyfriend.

In the month of November, the #1 search for this blog was:

turkey
shaped
cheese
ball

Four little words. That mean so much.

Because they would have been disappointed. I had a post about turkey, and shaped jell-o and a cheese ball. But not a turkey shaped cheese ball. And so, as a gift to them, I give you:
The Turkey Shaped Cheese Ball:
As you can see, it's just a regular cheese ball, with a turkey face made of cardstock and wheat thin feathers.

Give thanks, you turkeys.

Friends

2006-11-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, maybe not friends. Imaginary friends. They're real. I just imagine we're friends.
Muum's Musings
Mama and Midwife Thoughts
The Sassy Lime
Crib Ceiling
Daring Young Mom
Mormon Mommy Wars
It's Not the Volts That Kill You
Magically Mama
Owlhaven
Cheeky Lotus
Notes from the Trenches
Mommiverse
Rocks in My Dryer
Say La Vee
Aggroqueen
Want Not
Family Food
Everyday Mommy
Giving Birth with Confidence
Mormon Mom-Cast
Utah Doula
Real

Places I won't shop

2006-11-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

Some consumers fight with their wallet against sweat-shop labor, unfair marketing practices, etc. I am far, far more petty. I stop shopping places because I hate them. They have somehow managed to piss me off enough that I said, "I'm never shopping THERE again." And I mean it. The links explain a little bit of why. Because I'm certainly not going to link to THEM. That would be...helping them. And we hates them. Stupid, fat hobbitses...I mean, corporations.
Delta Airlines
Victoria's Secret (this one in particular, I find ironic. I mean...heaven forbid someone see a BREAST in Victoria's Secret!!!)
Wal-Mart...really just because of the fluorescent lights and roaming bands of unsupervised tweens. No, I'm not kidding. It really bugs me.
Kirby Vacuums Don't offer to clean my carpet. I don't have carpet. Or dust mites. Dust mites are afraid of me. You would be, too, if you were as smart as a dust mite.
5-7-9 I am none of those ages.
Lane Bryant Because they glare at skinny girls there. Although they have stunning clothes, I cannot take the recrimination at my spastic metabolism. Even to look.

Woot

2006-11-25T18:51:00.000-07:00

He's at it again. Blogging. It's a jog-blog now. He's been sewing, too. Is there nothing this man can't do?

No.
Nothing.

Thankful for Joyschool

2006-11-22T16:36:00.000-07:00

construction paper........$.39
marabou feathers.........$.50
apple.............................$.30
marshmallows, raisins, toothpicks and almond turkey feet...$.29
The Joy of Gratitude...priceless

In Memorium, the princess dresses

2006-11-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

Remember the dresses?
The gorgeous, expensive, special-event, gifted dresses that made them look, feel and act like princesses?
I ruined them. Both.
Who reads labels anymore? I just didn't know. I've never had a dress that nice.
The tulle overlay is apparently nylon and allergic to the dryer.
The boys didn't understand. They're just dresses.
There were tears. Tears over dresses. "Now what will I get married in?" one asked.
I cried, too.
We'll be dress shopping this week.

under the family room couch

2006-11-18T12:20:00.000-07:00

legos: 26
puzzle pieces: 3, including one wooden puzzle bottom
toy cars: 9
books: 5, including one that is 8 weeks overdue at the library
child-sized socks: 6
pieces to games we no longer own: 7
chewed gum: 1
Halloween candy: 3
apricot pits: 5 (Now seems like an ideal time to point out that we have not had apricots in the house since summer and food is not allowed in the family room.)
US legal tender: $.11
writing implements: 10

Am I happy? Yes, I am.

ABC Meme

2006-11-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

I know, I know--2 memes in a row. I'm taking the weekend off.

A is for age: 29
B is for beer of choice: root
C is for career right now: stay at home mom, freelance writer, childbirth educator and writing instructor. That's right. I tell people what to do and how to do it. The ones that pay me listen best.
D is for your dog's name: Duchess lives next door and I haven't wished for her death in a while.
E is for essential item you use everyday: keyboard, earbud, my throaty, demanding voice
F is for favorite tv show at the moment: ugh...the vast wasteland that is TV. I don't have one.
G is for favorite game: Everquest 2
H is for Hometown: Provorem, Utah
I is for instruments you play: I have played a french horn and the piano. No, not at the same time. Don't be silly.
J is for favorite juice: cranberry 100% juice cocktail
K is for whose butt you'd like to kick: Anyone who comes to my door selling things vacuum cleaners. Oh, you said "like to"...that sort of implies "haven't already"
L is for last place you ate: my bed
M is for marriage: 9 years this week!
N is for your name: Sarah
O is for overnight hospital stay: 2 for babies and 1 for spontaneous brain damage
P is for people you were with today: My posse, yo. Big H, Sweet T and Little E.
Q is for quote: "To reach a goal you have never before attained, you must do things you have never before done." --Richard G. Scott
R is for biggest regret: Gosh...I think I regret not graduating from high school early. But it wasn't totally my decision and who knows what that would have screwed up.
S is for sport: barefoot full-contact soccer
T is for time you woke up today: 6:30 am
U is for current underwear: Like I'm going to put that on the Internet. Dream on.
V is for vegetable you love: Love might be a little strong, but I like baked potatoes and fresh corn on the cob. I'm really more of a fruit person.
W is for worst habit: Taking on more than I can handle
X is for x-rays you have had: hm, just my teeth, I think
Y is for yummy food you ate today: I'm hoping to have some really good chocolate cake tonight
Z is for zodiac: Virgo, I think. Something like that.

9 Quirky Things About Me

2006-11-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

I don't like lace-up shoes. It's like, there's so much to do in this world, who possibly has time to TIE SHOES? And after the stroke, I didn't bother relearning that particular skill for weeks, maybe months. I was slow at it for years. I have a pair of Keds now. But all the kids' shoes are slip ons or Velcro.
I'm a picky eater. It's all about the textures.
I met my husband when we were 7 and 8 years old. I liked him then, too.
I was scared of trans fat before it was cool. My friends laughed when I asked the drive through girl at Wendy's about trans fat in the fries.
I don't like movies. Overall. I'm the meanest critic in the world. Makes me very difficult to date. I usually pick one or two movies a year that I actually enjoyed. I make sarcastic remarks at the screen when I don't like them. Maybe someday I'll do a Thursday Thirteen of the worst movies I've ever seen.
I stutter when I get angry or nervous.
I studied to be a midwife for a year. I think placentas are really neat.
I sort of think I might die young. So I teach my kids to get along without me, make their own food and stuff. My husband thinks I'm just a slacker. That's part of it, too.
People like to tell me stuff. Personal stuff. Like, when I first meet them. You wouldn't believe what kind of problems people really have. We should all be more sympathetic.

new look

2006-11-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

I've had this in testing for a week or so. Kudos go to this gal for the beginning design. Chocolaty cute, no?

Darn. I just realized I didn't save at the right time and so will have to redo my friends list. Double-darn. I didn't save the text file either. From the top, people.

Snippet

2006-11-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

Upon arriving home late.

Blond Hunk: Oh good, you're home. I was afraid you'd left me.
Me: Right. Like I would leave you and take the kids with me.

What people were looking for

2006-11-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

...when they found this blog:

Driving a stick peal out
ironic bonds and covalent bonds
Cheese ball shaped like a turkey

That last one was searched for 7 times!!! I wish I did know how to make a cheese ball shaped like a turkey now. Have to work on that. As my children have pointed out to me several times, everything tastes better when it's shaped like something.

In other news, this is the movie du jour here today:
E calls them the Mac'credibles!
Why? Because if it's not scottish, it's Crrap!

Canadians may skip this post

2006-11-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

So, here's the thing. Our fathers fought and died for representation. Our mothers demonstrated and petitioned for decades for the right. So quit your whining about the options. Just suck it up. Spend your Tuesday night in line at your local elementary school and thank God you have the right to do so. Cast your freaking vote.

I found out this year you can bring notes with you to vote. I don't know why I thought you couldn't. It just kind of feels like the SATs--they check your ID and put you behind blinders so you can't "cheat" and it's very quiet. But you can bring notes! In fact, if you have a supercool county clerk like Salt Lake county, you can even print out a practice ballot, and write down who you want to vote for before you get there! Information age for the win!

Halloween Redux (pictures optional)

2006-11-05T18:16:00.000-07:00

So, Halloween. There's no pictures of the kids in costume. There's no pictures of pumpkin carving, or the preschool parade, or even the pile of loot they dragged home (and from the state of my pillowcases, I do mean dragged). There's only this. And lest you think we took them to some lovely, rustic pumpkin patch, let me disabuse you. That's Wal-mart, aka the sixth circle of Dante's inferno, reserved for whiners and cheapskates. Enjoy.

Sudafed Rant

2006-10-31T08:14:00.000-07:00

So, I get sinus blockage. When I get a cold it goes straight into my sinuses and sets up camp. As a result, I have tried most sinus meds. Pseudophedrine Hydrochloride, brand name Sudafed, is the aspirin of decongestants. Put simply, it works.

But apparently, it can be made into meth. I don't know how this works, and I don't really care. But because of it, first they had the blister packages, which meant you could only get 12 or 18 pills, which is ridiculous!!! and you had to wrestle with the little plastic bubbles. What is worse than plastic bubbles when you're sick!? And now, it's behind the counter. BEHIND THE COUNTER! Which means you can't get it when the pharmacy is closed. Like, when you're actually sick.

And in its place they're pushing this Sudafed PE crap. CRAP, I say! It doesn't work! Not for me! They should call it Sudafed PA for pansy...never mind, my mom reads this blog. But you have to take twice as much of it, so it costs more and it just doesn't work. CRAP!

So I went to the pharmacy. I waited in line. I provided my address, drivers license, home phone number, etc. I listened to the Australian pharmacist tell me about the Patriot Act and how we would have more freedom if we'd stayed with the UK. Yes, really. My kids were bored. I was late to meet the carpool. But I waited. And they brought me this.

"What is this?" I said, examining the label for the chemical genus and phylum I had memorized. It was real. Pseudophedrine Hydrochloride. I almost hugged the little bottle. But look! It's a bottle, not a box of blister packs! And *gasp* there are 100 of my happy red friends. 100?

"How much?" I've noticed that pharmacists don't feel the need to tell you how much things cost the way most retailers do. I'm not sure why this is. Because the mysterious insurance card is paying for it? Because they're almost doctors (they do wear white coats) and therefore above question? I don't know. But I ask. Cause I'm cheap.

"$1.99...plus tax."

$1.99. Amazing. In case you're wondering about the going price for Sudafed: you can check it here and PE.

I almost asked to buy another bottle. But I didn't want to look like an addict.