Hi ya -

I am thankful for....

.....beautiful, windy, warm, kite flying weather and fun, new kites to fly.

.....SNOW??? After such enjoyable (kite flying) weather on Saturday, waking up to snow on the ground this morning was a bit of a shock, but I AM thankful for the moisture and I'm glad the kids had fun making "one last snowman." (I hope it's the last)

.....my darling little primary kids. I know I've mentioned them before, but being as I write this list on Sundays, my cute little primary kids are always on my mind. I just love them!

.....for a living prophet to "guide us in these latter days." (Guess what song we are learning in primary right now?? If you get stuck, see the next item)

.....for ASL. I love sign language. I think it is such a beautiful language. Each year I learn at least one (usually 2) of the primary program songs in ASL and teach it to the kids. I've been doing this for 2 1/2 years now, so the kids (and I) have learned quite a few signs. Starting today, I am teaching them "We Thank Thee O God For A Prophet" in sign. It is extra work for me, but I love it; and the kids really seem to enjoy it too, so that makes it worth it. They know enough signs now that I can use "official sign language" as the visual clues on many other songs we sing.

.....automatic dishwashers and washing machines. (Guess what I need to catch up on tomorrow?)

.....automatic toothbrushes. Tim bought us one for our upcoming anniversary. I, of course, opened it early and we are using it now. It really does feel like it gets my teeth cleaner and is more gentle on my gums. (This is important because Tim and I both have a tendency to scrub a too hard, and as a result our gums are receding. The dentist said this brush will really help with that.)

.....the new week ahead of me.


Brief report on last week:

Right now the house is a total and complete WRECK! (I did work on the storage room project for several hours on Saturday, but there are still many, many, many hours of work to be done on that project, and the rest of the house is showing serious signs of neglect.)

I am caught back up in my reading for the HINCKLEY CHALLENGE. I fell pretty behind when I got into that slump two weeks ago, but I did extra reading this week and now I'm a whole 3 pages ahead of schedule!

Health wise - I've decided I'm really liking my maternity clothes - that fit me so loosely:) I made YUMMY peanut butter bars with chocolate topping for dessert tonight, and I think I'll go grab one more, before I brush my teeth with my nifty new toothbrush.

G 'NITE

the sun is shining again...

both outside (at least until the cold front blows in tonight) and inside my mind and heart.

First and foremost, I want to say THANK YOU all for your kind words of support, emails and Harmony's phone call. It really is amazing how much love and support I feel from my "bloggy friends." While non-blog people think that you can't really "know" fellow bloggers, I agree with Brillig that my bloggy friends know the real me much better and more deeply than the people I see on a regular basis in my ward or neighborhood. Anyway - thank you. You ladies are wonderful and I love you!

Now - a quick report on the past several days activities. Saturday Aaron wanted to take apart the bunkbed so that he and Bryan have seperate beds. This required a complete cleaning and rearranging of their bedroom . While this was a very long and not very fun project - (it took more than half of the day), it feels so great to have that room totally clean and organized. Aaron has actually kept it clean since then too, which is great! While I had the "room cleaning bug," I went in and cleaned up Katrina's room as well. Not quite as thoroughly, since I didn't move all the furniture and vacuum under it etc, but still organized and got the junk off the closet floor and such. Unfortunately, she hasn't kept her room clean. Oh well, 1 room out of 2 isn't bad.

Easter Sunday was a "bad hair, try on 3 outfits and nothing fits cause I'm too fat" kind of day. I finally put on a shirt and skirt that I wore when I was 9 months pregnant, and it fit just fine. Church and primary went well, I sure felt the spirit of Easter as we sang all the easter'y primary songs, so I hope the kids did too. After church we went up to Tim's parents for Easter dinner. Good food and good company - always a great combination.

By Monday I was feeling pretty much out of my slump (I was actually able to get out of bed before 9:00) and I put the good feelings to good use by playing outside with the kids and working on burning weeds and prepping the garden spot. The garden was way more work than it should have been, since I was in a very pregnant, non-productive state of body last fall and I didn't do any of the end of the year garden clean up chores. We continued the garden/yard clean up for FHE, after having a quick lesson on Spencer W. Kimball's counsel to the Saints to "plant a garden" and "clean up your yards." The garden plot (one of the two) is now weed free and freshly turned. It looks great! (Now I need to tackle the other one, but it is smaller and not quite so weed ridden.)


Yesterday I started work on the next level of rock wall that I am building in an attempt to terrace my steep backyard. I didn't get far, only about 2 feet. I want to get up there and take a photo before I do anymore so that I have some good before and after shots. I also started working on rearranging the storage room downstairs. Tim bought me a couple "shelfreliance" food storage rotation shelves, that I love - but I'm having trouble figuring out the best way to organize the storage room. I ended up creating a huge-disaster-jumble-chaotic-mess down there - that I have yet to go try to straighten out. Maybe tomorrow.

Today I spent the morning baking and making a salad to take to the school. As part of teacher appreciation week, different parents volunteered to bring in lunch each day. Several of us in the neighborhood got together and our day was today. After a 3 hour baking session, I got the salad and about 8 dozen cookies (3 different kinds) over to the school. I dropped the van off at the auto shop (it's being temperamental), and on the walk home I stopped at my friends home to dig up some plants that she wants to thin. I got home and transplanted them up on my hill. That done, it was now time to take a serious look at my poor kitchen. You may have noticed that while I did clean the kids rooms on Saturday, there is no mention of cleaning anything else for the past 5 days... Um, you can probably just imagine how HORRIBLE my kitchen was looking. (I actually did try to tackle it yesterday, knowing that I couldn't start baking in the filthy state it was in, but at 7:00 I went to the neighborhood caucus meeting, and by the time I got home and got the kids in bed, I was too tired to work on the kitchen anymore. ) At any rate, I just spent a while cleaning up, and there is hope! Now it's time to mess it up again to make dinner, but I'm guessing that by tomorrow, I should be able to see all the counters and feel good about how it looks again.

Thanks again for your friendship and words of encouragement. You are the best!

"Houston, we have a problem,"

Sorry no posts for the past week, I seem to have slipped in to a bit of a 'funk.' (aka a slight depression) I'm confident that it will pass soon. In fact, I'm rather annoyed that it even dared creep in on me right in the middle of my "WELCOME SPRING" high. what a BUMMER!

see ya on the flip side - (another quote from Apollo13, a movie I love, but not in quotations because it might actually be "catch you on the flip side", or something like that. I can't recall absolutely, and I don't want to pull out the movie to find out. I figure it's close enough!)

Happy Birthday Charlotte!

Today is my very good friend Charlotte's birthday. (I think it is today - I know it is sometime this week, and my memory says the 13th, but my memory is somewhat unreliable, so...)

Last October, on my birthday, Charlotte wrote me a birthday poem on her blog. I thought I'd return the favor.

"CHARLOTTE THE GREAT"

As I sit and recall all the good times we've had,
'Can't help but express how especially glad
I am that we met that day so long since past
There at SUSC in our sociology class.

That very first day I knew you were the one
That would be my good friend for the college years to come
As my best friend and roommate, confidant true
I couldn't have asked for a better friend than you.

The great "power wagon" I fondly recall,
The "non-date" with the Brian's - we sure had a ball!
Cheering at ball games playing racquetball too,
Even without Iota, we were sisters true.

With a tape line dividing our room right in half,
We taped rules on the ceiling to bring us a laugh,
One summer on the east coast we were nannies together
Laughing and sharing through all kinds of weather.

As years passed our lives drifted somewhat apart
In location and contact - but never in heart
I love you dear Charlotte, we'll be friends forever
Will I write a poem next year? prob'ly not ever.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
(The first picture is Charlotte and her sweetheart Eric coming out of the Logan Temple after they were married. The second photo is Melissa, Charlotte, and me at Charlotte's wedding reception)

slide show addition

Greetings - As you can see, I made a slide show today - all by myself! (I'm very proud of myself in case you can't tell) I've seen some on other blog sites and I love to see the photos, but didn't know how to add one to mine. ANYWAY, to make a long story longer, my sister Laura was trying to put one on her blog as well, but couldn't figure it out. (The females in my family seem to be technologically impaired) Laura got some "how to" tips from Charlotte, which I of course read and followed and Voila' - here is my very own slide show with ADORABLE (I'm not prejudice at all) pictures of my little family! I only wish I know how to make it smaller and fit on the sidebar - rather than the big old honkin' "look-at-me-here-at-the-top-of-the-world" thing that is going on right now. Oh well, I'm just happy to have it there:)


I just think my husband and children are adorable!

a funny....

If you stare at this picture long enough

you should be able to see a giraffe. Give it a try.

Sunday Gratitude and weekly report

(another late report - oh well, at least I'm getting it done)
Sorry about the weird black writing on white background thing going on here - I have no idea how that happened. I tried once to get rid of it, but it didn't work, and I don't care enough to keep trying...

I am grateful for:

good friends

great kids

a clean kitchen

SPRING


Weekly report -

I'm changing #1 to being a better HOMEMAKER, rather than a better housekeeper. I know that it is much more important to focus on creating a "home" environment, not just emphasizing cleaning. Each day I've listened to Sister Beck's talk on being a "Mother Who Knows," and I'm trying to focus my efforts in a more spiritual direction. I'm still working on establishing a house of order and cleanliness, but in the perspective of creating a "HOME."

#2 - scripture study. I'm almost done with the book of Mosiah. I'm currently 4 pages ahead of the Hinckley challenge reading schedule. Family reading is about the same, missing a few days here and there, but still doing better than in recent history.

#3 - personal health. I started following the 40-30-30 nutrition plan (aka DIET) yesterday. I may regret this, but I will state here, just for the record and so I have a definite baseline to check progress - I currently weigh 150lbs and wear size 14 jeans. For my height, this is about 15-20 lbs over my ideal body weight. (I know some people wouldn't be too concerned about 20 lbs, but diabetes runs strongly in my family and according to everything I've ever read, every little bit of excess weight increases my chances... I figure that for me it is more a matter of WHEN, not IFI develop the disease - so I'm trying to postpone it as long as possible)
The main 40-30-30 (Zone) plan follows the premise that you need to get 40% of your daily calories from Carbs, 30% from protein, and 30% from fats (healthy fats). Even though I am putting my weight here, the book emphasizes that you should NOT use weight as your mark of progress, because this plan burns FAT and helps build muscle. (and we all know that muscle weighs more than fat) The book shares the story of one man who didn't lose ANY weight as far as the scale, but went down 8 pant sizes. They suggest that you use the "naked body in the mirror test" and the "try on the pair of pants that are too tight" test. (both are pretty self explanatory.) Since I would never let any of you be present for my "naked body in the mirror" or "skinny pants" testing, you'll just have to check out the weight and pant sizes to keep track of my progress.

OK, my kitchen is clean, but there is laundry waiting to be folded, so I'm off to conquer another week. GO ME!!!!

Why.....

Why is it that ....

as soon as you mop the kitchen floor, someone spills something on it???

I can sit down and read an entire 300+ Mary Higgins Clark book in one afternoon, but when I read the Book of Mormon I can only read about 3 - 5 pages before my eyes are tired, I'm fighting drowsiness, I can't focus, and I find I'm reading with zero comprehension???

when I wake up in the morning, my entire body feels so stiff??? It is physically difficult to walk up the stairs. (After I'm up and moving for a few minutes it's not so bad, I just wish I could skip the morning stiffness)

it is so easy to tell other people what they should do, but so hard to actually do it yourself???
After reading Candace and Sandra's posts about losing weight, I immediately responded with the 'advice' that they should use the book "the formula, the 40-30-30 nutrition plan to fat burning." When I followed the 40-30-30 program, I lost weight at a fantastic rate, and more importantly, I felt really healthy. I was eating from all the food groups, didn't feel hungry, had energy, and wasn't so moody. SO the question is, why am I not following it right now, when I want to feel healthier, lose weight, and fit into my pants again??? I asked myself that after sending the second "free advice" to Sandra, and I decided I need to walk the walk, so I'm going to plan my menu and go shopping this weekend, and starting Sunday I'm back on the wagon!

as soon as you post about cute things your kids have done, they do something that you think is even more post worthy, but you hesitate to do a repeat "kids funny stories" post???
*** I decided one morning to put make-up on. Katrina was watching me intently, and when I was done, I asked her, "how do I look?" (keep in mind here, that I had only done my face, my hair was still the straight out of bed look) She looked at me and said, "You look weird. (pause) Your face looks 'bader', (then as an after thought to soften the blow of her last comment) but your hair looks nice."

** Bryan's pajama's with feet were getting a bit to small, so I cut the feet off. When I helped him put them last night, we talked about how and why I cut them off. Tim came into the kitchen during the conversation and said to Bryan, "Oh did mom cut the feet off?" Bryan looked at him like he was crazy, then said, pointing to HIS feet, "no, my feets right dere"

Gotta go get dressed and get work. I have floors to mop, scriptures to read, and menus to plan!

I LOVE my kids..

Just wanted to take a few minutes and share a few "I love being a momma" and "out of the mouth of babes" moments:

*** I was just sitting here reading emails and blogs, and 'talking' with Caleb - he is a total talker, always likes to coo and make sounds at me. THEN, as I was making noises back, Caleb laughed (like a real live, belly laugh) for the very first time. It was SO adorable!!!

Katrina goes to speech therapy, and now when she says a word that I know she can say the beginning sound but she forgot to say it, we'll say the sound a few times, then say the word again. for example, she might say something like "Can I eed the ish?" I'll say "can you 'eed the 'ish???" with an emphasis on the incomplete words 'eed and 'ish. She'll laugh and say "F F F feed the F F F FISH."
***ANYWAY - this was a conversation I had with 2 year old Bryan yesterday:

Bryan - "I need da dee. "

Me - "the what?"

Bryan a bit louder - "DA DEE"

Me - "I'm sorry Bryan, I don't know what you are saying."

He looked at me with a mixture of patience and contempt and said "da Da DA DEE"

Luckily for me, I figured out that he was looking for the KEY to the video cabinet so he could pick a movie to watch. I just thought it was cute that he had learned from watching Katrina to repeat the initial sound, then say the whole word. I would just help a bit if the initial sound he was repeating was the right sound...


*** And finally - Last week I was working on dishes or laundry or something like that, when Aaron came into the room and said to me,

"Mom, I know why you do the laundry and make us dinner and clean the house."

I said, "Oh really, why do I?"

"Because you love those you serve, and you want to love us more so you'll stop yelling at us and getting mad. That's why you do it."

(Well, I thought, that is what I SHOULD be thinking about as I serve my adorable husband and children, but I have to admit that my motivation for such activities is usually more along the lines of 1) we need to eat, 2) we need clean clothes to wear, and 3) I can't stand living in a total pig pen! But after his comment, I think this is something I'll be working on a little bit harder:)

Suffice it to say, even with all the challenges that come along everyday, I love being a mother!

Gratitude and weekly report

Tonight I am thankful for....

* My church calling as Primary chorister. {I just love the children in our ward, I love the music of the church, and I love trying to think of new and fun ways to teach them the important doctrines of the gospel through music. (The song that goes with this month's theme is "If the Savior Stood Beside Me," by Sally Deford. It is one that I love, both the music and the message)}

* Yummy food

* Children are so forgiving (this makes the list because tonight I got frustrated with the kids and I sent them to bed without their bedtime stories. I was sitting there feeling guilty and like the worst mom in the universe. Then Aaron can in and told me that Trina wanted to come apologize to me. (I probably owed her more of an apology than she owed me...) She came in and gave me a hug and told me she loved me. Such a loving and forgiving heart...)

* Modern conveniences like electricity (that is running my little space heater right now to keep my chilly toes warm)

* Overall, it was a really good week for me, and I am thankful for that

And now, the weekly report on my goal progress

1) better housekeeper.
Much better than last week. Even after the "little or no housework sabbath," the house still look mostly presentable.

2) reading scriptures.
I read from the Book of Mormon every day except Saturday. I have been trying to put the Hinckley Challenge tracker on my blog, but I haven't been able to figure it out, so I'll just keep posting my progress here. As of right now, I am 2.3 pages behind schedule.
Family scripture study - My memory is foggy, but I think we missed one day.

3) better care of my physical body.
For the first time since I started this, I actually improved in this area this week. I walked on the treadmill on Tuesday, but after only 20 minutes my knee was killing me and I stopped. I was too afraid to get back on. I think this week I'm going to focus on stretching, and try to get my poor body a little loosened up...
I did better on eating healthier too. After last week's post, Melissa left me the following quote, "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels." I'm not sure I totally agree - when I'm stressed out, CHOCOLATE tastes REALLY good. (and I can't remember too clearly how it felt to feel thin...but the quote does seem to help me a little bit when I'm experiencing a simple craving. - it doesn't really do much for my "gotta have chocolate" moments, but I ran out of my monthly budget money early, so when I had eaten my chocolate stash, I didn't have the cash to replenish it - and that is probably a really good thing)
For our Friday night date, Tim and I went out to eat at a "health food" cafe. Most items on the menu are vegan, and those that aren't vegan use organic, free-range meats. I had a turkey sandwich with a delicious salad. YUMMY YUMMY!!! The salad was a mixed green salad with blueberries, blackberries, kiwis, and raspberries, and a delicious homemade poppyseed dressing. The salad was so good, and fruit was on sale at Macey's, so I made basically the same salad for our family dinner on Saturday night. MMMM MMMMM MMMMMMM

And now, another week has begun... GO ME!