LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!

Okay, I'm all registered for the Mesa Scrapbook Convention in April - who wants to go with me????? Check out all the class descriptions HERE>

https://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Register/IdentityConfirmation.aspx?e=b2b0c192-7bb7-48e9-9aaa-25aafe178890

(I don't feel like figuring out a hyperlink at the moment - - oh, and by the way, make sure you're on the MESA page and do NOT accidentally register for the Houston convention. Not like I would ever make that mistake... oops...)


Here's my schedule:

Friday, 4/17/09 11:10 AM 2009 Latest & Greatest with Basic Grey

Friday, 4/17/09 3:10 PM What Matters Most

Friday, 4/17/09 7:00 PM Fun-Filled Friday Night Crop

Saturday, 4/18/09 12:30 PM 6 Pages in 60 Minutes


You might think, "Why the heck are all her classes all spread out? That's not really efficient..."

This ain't my first rodeo, folks. Along with the classes and crop, there is also the best vendor fair EVER that I have given myself time to shop at between each and every class. See you there...

Waitresses in Training

How may I help you today?

David O. McKay

The greatest condition of happiness is a clear conscience.

The Guacamole Song (with Recipe)

Can you say "braces"?

Because I can. This one's for Grandma.I don't know if I can stand not Photoshopping a front tooth in for her for very long... the new permanent one better hurry up and grow in!

That Girl.

Neal A. Maxwell

We need not let yesterday hold tomorrow hostage.

Indian Summer - Dorothy Parker

I just came across a bunch of quotes I collected in college. They're still as funny and relevant to me today as they were then. Here's a poem:


In youth, it was a way I had
To do my best to please
And change, with every passing lad,
To suit his theories.

But now I know the things I know
And do the things I do.
And if you do not like me so,
To hell, my love, with you!



I may be making some "quotey" posts soon... stay tuned

Drugs. Score.

Ahhh, don't you love it when you go to the doctor and there's ACTUALLY SOMETHING WRONG?? YES - - didn't waste a copay - - Josh has two ear infections, the doc said on a scale of 1 to 4, he has two FOURS, and that one of them was swelled so much he wouldn't be surprised if it ruptured. POOR KID!

Yeah, I SO know how that feels, and I cannot believe the kid has been as pleasant as he has...

Thank goodness for antibiotics -


Oh, and update - Allison lost that front tooth today at recess. And when I say lost, I mean LOST - no tooth to put under the pillow for the tooth fairy, I'm afraid... which is okay, she really has been a little flaky in her fairy duties...

Stuff.

I have a sick, miserable little boy. Will you come hold him? Because my arms are about to give out. His little nose is bright red from all the running and wiping, he won't eat hardly anything, and he didn't sleep well last night. We're headed to the doctor shortly, though I'm not sure there's really anything wrong with him except a cold. We shall see...

In other news, Allison was recognized at her school assembly this morning for making not only the honor roll, but the principal's list (president's list? I already forgot) as well - meaning she got all As. Takes after her mother, that one... I was thinking she was pretty hot stuff until TWELVE other kids in her class also got called to walk up on stage for the same recognition. That means 13 kids out of 27 (28?) are getting straight As in her class... really? I'm not sure if that's a good thing or bad... what do you think? I'm really anxious to see the school's scores after testing this spring, to see if they will have made the jump from "highly performing" to "excelling"...

Allison also was recognized for being a good citizen, and received some other kind of certificate. I'm not sure exactly what "good deed" she did... I'll see if SHE remembers when she gets home from school. Sweet girl.

No, that darn tooth still hasn't fallen out yet.

Yes, I'm a photoshop genius,

Here was the originalthen I went here,now I'm here...but I CANNOT for the life of me get the shadowing on Manda's face right, to be able to print this one. Grrr... way too many hours spent already on this...

2009: The Year of No Whine

Yeah right.

So - I came up with a word for the year - that seems to be the trendy thing to do, according to many in my blog posse... and no, I wasn't consciously thinking about resolutions or goals or themes or anything... yet still, it hit me today:

SIMPLIFY.

Perfect, isn't it? A word, a beautiful verb, even a whole sentence. Love it.

My schedule, my house, my meals, my projects, my budget... all could use some decluttering and possibly some serious trimming of unnecessary items, too - here we go...

Aren't we cute...

Random thoughts.

I wonder what this new doctor for Allison will be like, and if it's worth making the switch.
I'm anxious to finish several small crafty projects I've got going on.
Maybe doing so will help me clear my head.
I need to plan exactly what we're "planning" for scrapbook night next week.
I really identified with Alicia's blog post. Many times I will "catch" myself being an adult and wonder how I got here.
Why the heck did I sign up to bring a salad for the VT conference? It would have been much easier to bring a dessert...maybe someone will trade with me...
Seriously, I cannot get my printer to work. I will give it ONE more shot and buy a new ink cartridge, and then that's IT.
I got pie crusts for 10 cents a box yesterday at Fry's. I never use pie crusts, though... hmmm...
Ugh, we need a new DVD player. How much are those things, anyway?
I don't think Josh actually chews most of his raisins before he swallows them.
I'm debating whether to spend enough on my CTMH order to get the Key to My Heart kit for free...
I need to find out about the Mesa CK convention, and register. Wanna go with??
Allison is growing up to be a responsible, beautiful, talented girl. I'm so proud of her.
That front tooth is SO CLOSE to falling out. Should the tooth fairy bring more cash for a front tooth than she does for the others?
Sometimes I think Allison's life isn't very fun. She has to wake up early, make her bed, get ready for school, go to early morning tutoring, stay at school until 4pm, come home, get reminded 20 times to do her homework (which has increased since the beginning of the year), sometimes throw a monster fit over what we're having for dinner, sometimes skip dinner altogether, take a bath, brush her teeth, and get nagged to get in bed on time. There's barely any time to waste watching TV or playing with her brother or sister...
I was not too impressed with the contestants on Idol last night, except for the Wicked cast member who sang Bohemian Rhapsody. He was awesome.
I think I need a trip to Maryland to meet Brady.
I love TAMN. She's so dead-on it's scary sometimes.
I have way too much food in my fridge/freezer right now.
I miss having my own income. I feel guilty spending anything anymore.
I keep trying to get my year's events listed on a calendar somewhere, but haven't done it yet.
My craft room needs a reorganization. Or a fire. Either one will do.
I want a Coke Zero. It's only 9am.

Do me a solid.

If you live anywhere close to, or traveling near, an Ikea, (besides the Tempe, AZ one) I really could use two of these Branas baskets:

Sent to me as soon as possible. It's 12" by 13" by 6" high. I know the California Ikeas still have them in stock, Burbank, Carson, Covina... Please? Tina - how far is West Chester? Amanda - going to Baltimore or College Park anytime soon? I'll pay for shipping?????

I can't believe it was butter.

Ah, the joys of motherhood...

I awoke this morning to screaming downstairs. Which I partly ignored, because really, it's commonplace 'round here. But then, I heard J-dawg also, wanting out of his room, so I reluctantly got out of bed. On the way to his room, I hear the microwave door slam and "It was YOUR FAULT!"

What was her fault, I ask...

"SHE ACCIDENTALLY!"

She accidentally did WHAT, I ASK...

"SHE SPILLED THE BUTTER"

Now, knowing that we were out of anything but real stick butter, I cringed...

And went downstairs to find an entire stick of butter melted, all over under the microwave plate, all over the microwave door, leaking OUT the microwave door, and a huge puddle on my stove, along with Manda perched on the stove trying to put the glass plate back in after wiping it with probably a dozen buttery paper towels scattered around.

"MANDA DIDN'T PUT A PAPER TOWEL UNDErNEATH!"

Yeah, like that would have helped.

Allison, I ask, did you use a NEW stick of butter?

Yes...But we wanted TOAST!

Yeah, I got that.

Sigh. There was also a butter stick in the fridge that probably had a tablespoon left on it. Why, oh why, for the love, didn't they use that one...???? Now everything in my kitchen is greasy. Good morning to me.

My kids are now banned from the microwave without my permission. We'll see if they remember the new rule the next time there is an urgent need for toast.

Sheesh.

Idol premiere

Okay what was your favorite part of last night?

Best? My choice has to be that Stevie chick, or the 16-year old volunteer-girl.

Worst? The cashier guy with the low voice. FREAKY.



And seriousl, HOW MUCH do I HATE bikini girl? Don't even know where to start...

IDOL, baby!

Oh myLANTA could it be, the season premiere, TONIGHT, and I'm barely finding out NOW? Yippee!

Tennis, anyone?

SO... I used to play, but haven't now, in more than TEN YEARS. Ouch. There is a league that organizes casual players and matches people up for games.

http://www.peachtennis-phoenix.com/

I'm interested, but not even sure at what level to sign up at, since it's been SO freakin' long. Anyone want to hit around with me sometime this weekend, perhaps?? Just so I can know if I still have the feel for it??

There is a $25 fee for the 8-week league. Let me know if you're interested and we can sign up together...

Learning from Dad

I do LOTS of random projects when I get together with my Dad. Every time we get together, there's usually a trip to a hardware store involved. I love that I am constantly learning how to do stuff from him. I love that he is good at everything, and is always willing to help in any way possible when I get a wild hair to create something. I'm sure he thinks most of my projects are crazy and unnecessary, yet he's always a great sport! I feel like I can accomplish almost anything when he's there to help. (I still have never figured out that ohm meter, though. I'm kind of useless in electricity and plumbing matters...)

I can't even begin to list all the things in my house he's helped me build, paint, install, fix, alter, hang, plant, adjust, and find solutions for. Like these shelves in my guest room closet: Not just in this house, but in the three houses prior to this one, too, plus each of the cars/trucks we've owned. Plus half of my craft projects as well. See that little candlestick-spool thingy under the "E"? Yeah, Dad cut like 40 of those for me. My girls think that their Papa is the only one who can fix anything when it breaks! And usually, that IS the case, unfortunately. Love you, Dad!

Over Christmas break, we made a new family tree that pays homage to the OLD one that my mom has had for probably 20 years, moved from the old house. OLD ONE: It was SO time for an update, and the vertical picture spaces needed to be horizontal instead, to make room for pictures of all of our growing families. We started on a Saturday morning picking up the plywood and plexiglass. I spent a while drawing and re-drawing the tree shape, then we spent most of the afternoon cutting it out and sanding it. NEW ONE: We rubbed some stain on then got started cutting the plexiglass. 11"x9" plexi pieces will cover each picture spot, except for the middle group family photo, which is bigger. I can't wait to see it when it's done and on Mom's wall!

January love, part 2

Stuff I've done in 2009:
Worked on the family tree project with Dad,
Went and saw Lion King with Nick and the girls, wonderful,
Took kids to the Wildlife World Zoo,
Took kids to the Children's Museum- twice,
Got family pictures taken,
Made an overdue trip to the post office,
Learned how to use my new Food Saver,
Finally washed and vacuumed my car, holy cow,
Started a twin quilt for Josh,
Cooked a turkey, clearing a huge space in my freezer and vacuum-sealing the fabulous results. I heart turkey sandwiches.
Boiled the turkey carcass and made some GREAT turkey noodle soup. Wow.
Finally started my NOEL block project for myself. These are the ones I finished Christmas 2007 for friends...
Took stuff to Allison's school for rummage sale.
Sorted my coupons, and purged all the expired ones.
I think I've baked like 5 batches of cookies, in the last 11 days. Please, someone stop me.


Stuff I want to do this year?
Take more pictures of everyday things. Have camera with me more often.
Don't leave house in a shambles when we're going somewhere.
Organize project-based classes for scrapbooking nights.
Stamp more.
Utilize Brooke's Cricut for my scrapbook pages.
Plan out our family's entire year of activities, meetings, vacations, trips, time off and put everything on a calendar.
Purge craft supplies. Purge toys. Purge stuff in every room, for that matter.
To be continued...

I wish it could always be January.

Christmas is all cleaned up and packed away,
found places to put MOST of our Christmas presents,
the house is noticeably cleaner than it was two weeks ago,
some old, lingering projects are getting done,
many new projects on the horizon - (ones that DON'T have an imminent deadline!),
feeling no Christmas-project-deadline pressure,
everything feels fresh,
making plans for co-ops, dinner groups, and looking forward to planning a whole new year of ward activities - with a new budget...
and seriously, the weather is awesome - I can choose to wear long sleeves or short, flip flops or real shoes, sweater or not, it doesn't really matter...

Employee of the Month.

My busy little boy always has lots of tasks to complete when we're at the Children's Museum. He always starts off with some hefty lifting 'round the car wash, because, you know, somebody's got to do it. He's just about perfect for the job.He's always trying to put those darn washers back down in place too, where they should be.We always spend lots of time in the ball room, where Josh has quite a knack for getting all those balls collected and put in the right spots, rolling where they should be.One of Josh's special skills is getting all those cars on the right tracks, too. What concentration! He has no time to pose for a picture for Mom!{How can it be comfy to sit like this?}

Building ice cream cones gives him a chance to cool off, mid-shift. How cute is this new face of his?Running through the noodle forest is a good break, too. Josh runs full speed into them and bear hugs about a dozen at a time. {Kind of like at home, where he bear hugs all of his blankets and giraffe}

Seems like the art studio always needs a bit of watching over too. Josh always tells me "If you want playdough molded right, you gotta do it yourself!"
And those playdough molds, well, when your hands are busy, where else are you going to put them?Lots of pounding to be done, too."Better stand up so I have more leverage..."
Once we're all done in the art room, it's time for the to-do list downstairs. While our friends were having a good time riding around, Josh was busy with the balls and tubes. It takes real finesse to get those pvc pipes arranged just so, in order for the balls to float - Josh takes this job very seriously!Thank goodness Manda was there to give him a ride home - it's been a long day!

Knock on wood...

Both girls have gone successfully without Pullups for the last several nights with no accidents...

And Josh is currently sleeping in HIS BED. Not on the floor behind his door after screaming himself to sleep...

Please, let these trends continue...

Major Dilemm...

Ugh... my wreath went on sale for 1/2 price at Pottery Barn... oh, how I covet it, but oh, how all of my money is gone... sigh... trying to be responsible here... I had actually bought a square styrofoam wreath form a month ago, but broke it in trying to actually make one... what would YOU do??? Isn't it FAB? Maybe I could take back all the clearance stuff I bought at Target and Hobby Lobby...

2009 - The Year of Finishing Projects

Last year 'round this time I made a whole bunch of lofty goals for myself... chagrined, I am, to admit that not a one was accomplished. I figure if I lower my expectations a notch or twelve in 2009 then maybe, just maybe, I might feel SOME sense of accomplishment this time, instead of my loser-ness of 2008. Join me, will you, in my quest of Finishing Unfinished Projects this year. Maybe I'll post my list of stuff to do, maybe I won't - then you'll never know how successful I really was...