No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
We've had our mattress for about 10 years. Honestly - I bought it at a yard sale. The guy said he had bought it a few months earlier and was now having to move to New York and was trying to get rid of most of his furniture and then he'd start out new once he got there. He asked $50 for it... I got him to throw in a set of dishes and we had a deal. You see, we had been sleeping on a full size water bed. But, the bed had been modified or something... so it wasn't actually as big as a full size bed, but not quite as small as a twin. It was very uncomfortable and we really needed a regular mattress.
Now, this mattress was nothing fancy. It was a lovely turquoise color and the coloring bled through the mattress cover and into the sheets for the first while. Lovely. But, we were college students and we took what we could get. It was just fine for many years. But, recently it had developed some dips and odd curves and lumps. Another added bonus was the chorus of squeaking and creaking springs every time you moved. I was waking up each day with back trouble. Neither of us felt like we were getting a good nights sleep. And so, we decided to suck it up and get a new mattress. But, what to do with the old one?
Why, drag it out in the living room and let the kids jump on it of course!
They got to do this under one condition: they would NEVER EVER jump on the new bed! So far we haven't had any trouble... and the kids had a ball jumping on the bed for a few hours before the guys came and hauled it away. It was almost tempting to keep around... but it just didn't match the living room, so it had to go...
And we got a great deal on the new mattress. I'm sleeping better and having less trouble with my back (knock on wood).
But watching the kids jump around made me miss our trampoline. We all used to go out and jump for hours when we lived in Oregon. Now our yard is too small to set the darn thing up. Someday I hope we'll be able to set it up again... someday... but for now, I'll just have to keep them off the bed!

I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
Have you ever taken a picture that you just love?? I take a lot of pictures that are just okay. But every now and again, I capture a gem!
The other day Baby Girl and I went out and blew bubbles. I took over 100 pictures (I love digital cameras) and captured this shot:It is my new favorite picture of her! I was really disappointed with how dark it turned out. I wish I had Photoshop, but this is what I did with my program...

It's not exactly how I'd like it to look, but I do think it looks better than before.

What do you think? And, do you edit your photos? If so, what software do you use?

Mother's Day
I'm watching all these fantastic posts creep up all over the blogosphere about how awesome being a mom is. And, for the most part, it is pretty darn amazing. But sometimes... sometimes I wonder, "What in the world I was thinking?!?" How could I have ever thought that I could be responsible enough to bring another human being into the world? And yet, 10 years ago that's exactly what I thought.
10 years ago I was pregnant with Red and I had ALL the answers. I watched other parents and kids wherever I went. And mercilessly, I critiqued them.
"Those parents are way to harsh, I'll NEVER be like that! If they would just do this... it would be so much better!" or
"Those kids are such brats! My kids will NEVER be like that! If the parents would just do that... the kids would be so much better behaved"
My vast stores of parental knowledge lasted for about 8 months. Then reality came in the form of a red headed creature who screamed throughout the night. My amazing Mom came and stayed with us to help out. The day she left, Hubby and I cried. She wasn't that far away, but we had no idea what to do with this tiny person who was 100% dependent on us.
Where were my answers? I had been so sure and confident a few days before! Where had my never ending supply of knowledge disappeared to? I was lost. And so, I did what all new moms do. I struggled. I tried my best and plodded up each new hill, attempting not to mess things up too much along the way. And then Little Bug came along and we had a whole new set of struggles. He was, of course, followed by Baby Girl who brought a diva like quality to the struggling.
I have since come to realize that motherhood kicks my butt on a fairly regular basis. I'm getting better at it, but I'm not the totally amazing mom I thought I would be. It's hard. I lose my temper. I am prone to rash decisions. I am cranky. I make more than my share of mistakes. I don't have the answers I once thought I did.
But, then I have to remember the moments that make it all worth it. Some of these experiences are small and others are almost overwhelming. But the good moments never seem to last long enough. For example: Little Bug said his very first prayer the other night! My heart overflowed as we signed and said words together. The joy I felt is indescribable.
The next day he pooped in his pants 5 times - including once while he was in an inflatable bounce house with a bunch of other kids. The frustration and embarrassment overshadowed that joy. But the memory of that prayer brings those feelings rushing back. And I guess the trick of motherhood is learning how to chain all of these moments together without letting the hardships overpower the bright spots.
I still don't have all the answers I thought I had 10 years ago. But, I feel like the few answers I have now are worth so much more than the unrealistic ones I thought I had before. I'll keep struggling as we head into new territory with each kid, but hopefully I'll be able to focus on the things that make being a mom such an amazing blessing.
Happy Mother's Day!

Deja Vu
Every morning my kids go outside to play.
Every morning the sprinklers go off.
Every morning they squeal and scream.
And then, I smile...
I'm going to take a little bloggy break. Probably just through the end of the week. I find myself in the same situation over and over - I spend too much time on the computer.
Yesterday I had to clean and clean and clean because I had let things go for such a long time. It was frustrating and I wasn't really able to enjoy the class last night because I hurt from running around and scrubbing all day.
So, I take a step back... again. I thought I had this figured out, but apparently not. Hopefully I'll gain some perspective and then I'll be back in blog mode.
Have a good week!

Reward vs. Reality
I've never been one to enjoy house work. I hate laundry. I delegated the dishes to Hubby years ago. I don't like picking up after everyone. Bathrooms are just nasty - end of story. I have stacks of paper all over the place, but I just don't want to go through them.
For a long time I just labeled myself as a lazy slacker. It made me feel guilty - which is what everyone needs in their life, right? More guilt.
But then I realized something about myself - I am reward driven. Completely. If I have to get laundry done then I set up a reward for myself... such as reading or computer time. Sometimes I'll even set it up so that if the house is totally clean, we go out for dinner that night.
But my reward right now is something much bigger. Bigger than dinner, a bag of M&M's, or some reading time. The reward right now is lack of embarrassment.
You see, I have a group of women from our church coming over tomorrow for a class. And the last thing I want these ladies to see is my piles of unfolded laundry or the inch thick dust on every surface in my home or the carpet that at this moment looks like leapord print because of all the little spots on it.
So, I don't know how much I'll be around for the next few days. I'll try to get around to the blogs (as a reward for getting tasks done!) but we'll see how it goes.
I did dust this morning and now my reward time is up for that task. Time to go accomplish some other mundane thing... but before I go, I'm curious... what motivates you to get up each day and do the things you do?

Choices
So, tonight was the concert. Babysitting was arranged. I had bought water and snacks. We cleaned the house and got a few things gathered for dinner for the kids. And with each task and each step I felt worse and worse. I really like Rascal Flatts. I really wanted to see them in concert. But the uneasiness just didn't wear off. So, we called our friends, asked them to come over for dinner and we stayed home. We didn't go to the concert.
The rest of the evening unraveled like this...
... early this afternoon, Hubby stubbed his toe on a box in the hall that contains 6 gallon jugs of water. The aforementioned toe is now swollen to twice it's normal size, super tender to the touch, and it's black and blue. I don't think he will be able to get shoes on anytime soon.
... I put my hip out. I know. I sound like I'm 80! But I have inherited really bad hips. Around 9:00 this evening I couldn't even walk.
... Red went with a friend and his Dad to an air show today. They called us around 8:30 to apologize for being so late. Red had thrown up and was in the bathroom at a Denny's where they had stopped. They didn't get home till 9:30 and he was so upset at what had happened.
Those three things alone make me feel like we made a good choice. Hubby's foot would have hurt all night long, my hip would have gone out an hour before Rascal Flatts even took the stage, and Red would have come home to a babysitter who would have been super sweet to him, but it wouldn't have been Mom and Dad checking on him and letting him know that everything was okay (he's a worrier... he was afraid he was going to be in trouble for throwing up in their car...)
So, instead of the awesome country music filling my ears, I'm listening to my neighbor's dog bark. And bark. And bark... but I still feel like we made the right choice.
But, just out of curiosity.... if you wanted to throw something at a dog to make it SHUT UP, would you throw something heavy, sharp or both? Hypothetically speaking, of course...

Happy Mother's Day to Mii

And yes. We're having a blast with it!

Haphazard Happenings
Just some random things happening here...

• I put my kids to bed last night at 6:54. I was done. And for their own safety and my sanity, it was best for them to be in their beds.
• I'm rereading the last two Harry Potter books. Why? Well, I have read the first 5 many times and thought it would be fun to read the last two. When I'm done with those I'm going to read Prince Caspian and then the Fablehaven books again. After that, I'm going to read Eragon and Eldest to get ready for the new book this fall. And this summer, I might, JUST MIGHT, read the Twilight series... we'll see.
• Red is coming down with a cough. I was hoping it was allergies, but it's not looking that way. Grrr....
• Photobucket is a great place to find pictures, but I've learned something very important about that site: NEVER EVER READ ANYTHING ON ANY OF THE PICTURES!! And if you aren't sure what it's a picture of - DON'T LOOK CLOSELY. I've seen some pretty disturbing stuff on there... but if I follow those two rules, it's not too bad!
• We are having a class next week on alternate cooking sources. It's part of a preparedness group that I'm the head of... anyway, I have a gal who will be talking about cooking with a solar oven and then I'm going to talk about Dutch oven cooking. I'm trying to see if I can get someone who knows a little more about it to come, but if not, I'll give the basics... since that's all I really know... does anyone have a favorite Dutch oven recipe they'd like to share?

• I got an early Mother's Day gift... it deserves a blog post all of it's own... so I'll share that with you in a few days.
• Little Bug is saying and signing so much right now! He does this every spring. His language skills go crazy and then they slowly disappear over the summer and fall. Last year he retained quite a bit of his language. I'm hoping he'll do even better this year. Yesterday he said or signed: help, please, thank you, more, cereal, and water! It's such a fun thing to hear his little voice speaking words rather than his usual random sounds :)
• I made cinnamon rolls yesterday... so yummy! I won't tell you how many I ate yesterday... or how many I've already had today. But I'm tempted to go grab another one right now... in fact, I think I will! Have a fabulous day bloggernauts!

Do You Have....
an amazing girlfriend? You know, one that is just awesome in every possible way? If not, may I suggest that you find one...
We needed to find someone to watch the kids so that Hubby and I could go to the concerts this weekend. The problem with this Saturday is that it's going to be 12:30 or so before we get home. I called my friend this morning to see who she uses for a babysitter. You see, we don't go out much. I worry too much about Little Bug. The other two are fine... but I always worry about a teenager here with him. If he escaped, what would they do?
ANYWAY, I was talking to my friend, trying to pick her brain for ideas, and she offered to watch the kids. I told her no way... but in the end, she convinced me that it would be okay. She and her hubby will come over and bring their kids. They will play and hang out till everyone is exhausted. Then one of them will take their kids home. The other will stay with our kids.
I owe this gal BIG TIME!! I am so thankful for her willingness to help us out. Hubby has been working some really crazy hours lately. We haven't had a lot of time together. Now we get to spend an entire evening hanging out and listening to awesome music! I am so excited and so thankful!!
Any suggestions on how to repay this gal? I offered to pay her, but I know she won't take money... and I've offered to babysit her kids for EVERYTHING for the rest of their lives. Would you help me brainstorm some fun things to do for her and her hubby?

The Email
I always check my email before I go to bed. It's a habit that I've had for a very long time. Tonight I got an email in response to my entry for Stagecoach tickets... it said:
The bad news is, you just missed the cut.
Rats. But wait... what's that... there's more to the email...
The good news is, we had some extra tickets, so we're going to send you a pair anyway! Thanks for visiting InstantRiverside.com!
OH YEAH!!! Thank you so much Instant Riverside! Now I just need to find a babysitter... any volunteers?

Ultimate Evil
Has anyone else had trouble with comment verification lately? The last few times I've had to type it in, the letters are so distorted that I can't read them at all! I've had to put it in over and over and in some cases, I've given up because it's just too wacky to figure out. So, if you haven't had a comment from me in the last little while, that might be why.
Maybe it's just me. Maybe the comment verification is out to get me by messing with my mind... it is going to attempt to slowly drive me insane and then it will eventually take over my blog! It will then subject you, my beloved readers, to random nonsense words - kind of like rap music. And in the end, it will drive you all away from me and I will be left alone. Curled up in a corner. Sucking my thumb. I think it's working already...
I did notice that some of you have recently removed the crazy comment verification from your blogs... and for that? I am forever grateful.

Chronicles of Mania: Part 2
This week was not too crazy... I guess. I tried to get the house nice and clean and work on a few projects... wanna take a look?
First we had the cupcakes for the Cub Scout Pack Meeting:Two all beef patties (Keebler Grasshopper cookies), special sauce (frosting), lettuce (tinted coconut), cheese (frosting), pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun (two Nilla Wafers with a light coating of pineapple juice and sesame seeds sprinkled on top).
They weren't too hard to make. The kids helped me and they were a huge hit at the meeting!
Then we had the table... remember how I wanted to finish it before my family came? Yeah. Well, I FINALLY got it done! I didn't really take before pictures... this photo is after I had started the work...It had a horrible groove that I cleaned out and filled with wood filler. Then we sanded everything... after that we painted them black. Then my family came and I bribed them with food to help me sand all the edges to give it an antique look. Then they helped get the first coat of poly on. I finished it up yesterday and this is the final result:(There are paper towels under the legs because I was afraid it wasn't quite dry enough when we brought it in and I didn't want the table to glue to my ugly rug)I am so in love with the way the table and chairs look! I just need to save up and get a different rug. I'm going to go out tomorrow and see if I can find three small square vases to put flowers or something in... I'll take more pictures if I can find what I'm looking for.
So, the mania has ebbed... for now...

Boondocks
Any country music fans out there in blog land? There is a huge festival coming to my area and I WANT TO GO!! Can you see how awesome this show is gonna be?

I have to admit - Friday night doesn't appeal to me as much. Shoot me, but I'm not much of an Eagles fan... sad, I know. The other two days though? I would love to go! It's a little more than we can spend right now for tickets, but I've entered to win a pair. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

The Ugly Bug Ball
I don't like to pass my fears onto my kids. If they are afraid of something, I want it to be through their own experiences, not mine. I have bent this rule a tad when it comes to bugs. Not just any bugs... bugs that bite. Such as Black Widow spiders and fire ants.
Some bugs just gross me out, but I can't think of a good reason for her not to touch them. Yesterday is a perfect example of this...
Baby Girl: "Mom! Come and see what I found"
I knew by the tone of her voice that she was more than a little bit excited.
Me: "What is it?"
BG: "I found them! Oh, aren't they wonderful? Look at these lovely little fellas!"
Me: "Show me what you found..."
From that moment on I'm suppressing gasps and gagging noises as she opens her little fist to reveal two maggots. That's right people MAGGOTS!
BG: "Aren't they beautiful little white worms?"
Me - frantically trying to think of a reason that she shouldn't be holding these and coming up with NOTHING: "Yeah. They're great. You need to put them back where you found them."
BG: "But WHYYYYYYY? They are my friends!!"
Me: "Um... because... well, um... their family will miss them! They need to go find their mommy and daddy so they can be happy!"
BG: "OH NO! Their mommy and daddy will be so sad! I'm gonna put them back, okay Mom?"
Me: "Okay..."
I'm still shuddering at the thought of it. I went outside to see where they might have come from and couldn't find anything, thank goodness! Later on in the day she found a caterpillar and I was good with that...
What about you? Are there things that your kids enjoy but it makes you crazy?

LOL
Wanna laugh for an hour or so? Turn your speakers on. Go to the very last item on my playlist. Click 'play' and enjoy!

I'm Waiting For...
... Little Bug to go to sleep so that I can too.
... the principal to write me back about that crazy assembly.
... pay day this Friday.
... some perspective about some current school situations.
... a phone call from a support group that is forming to help parents with special need kids within our school district.
... the day when I don't have to tell my kids to pick up after themselves, turn lights off when they leave a room or just in general behave like human beings.
... confirmation that a package has arrived at my parents house containing late birthday and early mother's and father's day gifts.
... the wind to stop blowing so that I can go outside and finish refinishing my table and chairs.
... the energy to go through and type up all the recipes I promised to post... actually, I will give you the fried candy bars one right now. Are you ready?
Candy bars with carmel/nougat centers worked best. Take the candy bars and freeze them. Then you'll mix up funnel cake batter:
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 quart oil for frying
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
(The original recipe can be found here... we fried up the rest of the batter when we were done... it didn't make the greatest funnel cake... so if you have a recipe that you really like, use that one) Heat up some oil to 375. Dip the candy bars in the batter and then deep fat fry till the coating is golden brown. You want the centers to still be cold... like fried ice cream. They were good, but SO RICH. I only had three bites and that was enough for me.
And what do you know... in the time it took me to type out that recipe, Little Bug has fallen asleep. Now, let us all cross our fingers and toes that he will stay asleep. He's gotten into a bad cycle - asleep at 11:00 PM. Awake at 3:00 AM. Won't go back to sleep till 7:00 AM when I need to get up and start my day. I can't sleep while he's awake. I'm always afraid he's going to try and escape... even though we now have wonderful door alarms... I still don't like sleeping if he's not. So, I'm off to try and catch a few z's!

Nice
WARNING - this may be offensive to some... Lyrics to a song that was performed at my son's school yesterday:
Soulja Boy Off In This H*e
Watch me Crank It
Watch me Roll
Watch me Crank Dat Soulja Boy
Then Super Man Dat H*e
Now, Watch me You....(Crank Dat Soulja Boy)
Now, Watch me You....(Crank Dat Soulja Boy)
Now, Watch me You....(Crank Dat Soulja Boy)
Now, Watch me You....(Crank Dat Soulja Boy)
[Verse 1:]Soulja Boy Off In This H*e
Watch me Lean And Watch Me Rock?
Super Man Dat H*e
Then Watch me Crank Dat Robocop?
Super Fresh, Now Watch Me Jock
Jocking On Them Haterz
ManWhen I Do Dat Soulja Boy
I Lean To The Left
And Crank Dat Dance(Now You)
I'm Jocking On Yo B*tch A**
And If We Get The Fightin
Then I'm Cocking On Your B*tch
You Catch Me At Yo Local Party
Yes I Crank It Everyday
Haterz Get Mad Cuz"I Got Me Some Bathin Apes"
[Chorus x2]
[Verse 2:]I'm Bouncin On My Toe
Why Me Super Soak Dat H*e
I'ma Pass It To Arab
Then He Gon Pass It To The Low (Low)
Haterz Wanna Be Me
Soulja Boy, I'm The Man
They Be Lookin At My Neck
Sayin Its The Rubberband Man (Man)
Why me Do It (Watch Me Do It)
Dance (Dance)
Let Get To It (Let Get To It)
Nope, You Can't Do It Like Me
H*e, So Don't Do It Like Me
Folk, I See You Tryna Do It Like Me
Man That Sh*t Was Ugly
[Chorus x4]
Yes, letters have been written and I am more than annoyed at the situation. I'm not really up on my rapper language, so I Googled the meaning of the song. It's so nasty that I refuse to repeat it here. I feel bad enough having the lyrics up.
My nine year old came home singing this because a group of high school students sang it at an ASSEMBLY yesterday. I guess there is some kind of dance that goes with it. We fill our kids with music like this and then we sit back and wonder why we have teenage pregnancy and so many high schoolers with STD's.
Unbelievable.
I'll let you know if/when I hear back from the school...

Chronicles of Mania
Just a quick rundown of this last week...
Friday, April 11th: I ran to Wal-Mart for some last minute items before my family came. While I was there, insanity struck (this usually happens when I visit Wal-Mart). I had been wanting to refinish my kitchen table and chairs and thought "I could do that real quick before family comes tomorrow...." WHAT WAS I THINKING? I bought all the stuff and came home. I cleaned out the nasty groove...

Filled it with a wood filler....Started sanding...Man - it was a beautiful day... blue skies, light breeze... just amazing...I got three chairs done and then we called it a night.
Saturday, April 12th: Hubby helped me get the rest sanded. Then we started painting. I don't have any photos of the rest of the process... we got everything painted and it took FOREVER. I thought it would be a quick slap of paint, but I was wrong. We finished not too long before my family came that night! We had corn chowder and home made bread for dinner... yummm....
Sunday, April 13: Went to church where I taught the lesson in Relief Society (the women's organization at our church). It was a hard lesson to teach... it was on baptism. But I got through it okay. Then we came home and made Puerto Rican chicken and rice (recipe is forth coming, I promise) and had chocolate trifle for dessert. SO GOOD! We played Scattegories and just hung out.
Monday, April 14: BEACH DAY! See previous post for pictures. I loved that my SIL joined me out in the briny blue. We were a tad on the cold side at first, but then the water completely numbed us and we were fine :) We ate at our favorite spot in Oceanside - Mary's Resturant. So good!
Tuesday, April 15: My brother surprised my SIL with a trip to Disneyland! They had a lot of fun! Mom and I took Baby Girl and went to Kohl's to return a few things... and buy a few things ;) Then we went to Red Robin for lunch. Dad stayed home and waited for Red to get home from school (early release day) and they played Play Station and had a ball! I can't remember what I made that night... maybe we had leftovers... hmm...
Wednesday, April 16: Mom, SIL and I went to the PREMIUM outlet malls. We went into the Armani and Gucci stores and tried so hard not to laugh at the prices. One t-shirt had been marked down from $300 to $150. A T-SHIRT!! We also looked at a pair of sandals for $200... insane... We were going to go into Dolce & Gabbana, but there was a guy in a black suit at the door and it was kind of intimidating. Needless to say, we didn't purchase much that day. Although, I did get my ears repierced. Almost 9 years ago I quit wearing earrings. Red was fascinated with them and just about ripped my earlobe off several times. But, my kids are old enough now that I don't worry so much. The gal gave me the wrong earrings though... I wanted the tiny silver balls... she gave me the cheap little diamond looking ones. You know, the ones that the 8 year old girls pick? Yeah. Oh well... 5 more weeks and I can wear whatever I want! We had a yummy chicken and black bean concoction for dinner. I would share the recipe, but it's one of those "Throw things in till it tastes good" things... and it did taste good! Carmel apple pie for dessert...
Thursday, April 17: We sanded the edges of the table and chairs. It was hot and a lot of hard work. My family is so awesome! Then we went shopping at the local mall, JoAnn's and Costco. That night my parents offered to babysit so that we (my brother, sister-in-law, Hubby and I) could go out to eat... and of course, I chose PF Changs! That place is so good! I had the honey seared chicken and it was delish (thanks for the suggestion Lauren!). We shared meals and everything was so yummy! I'm making myself hungry just thinking about it! Then we hit Wal-Mart and they bought us Ben and Jerry's ice cream. It was a fun evening. When we got home, Mom had done 3 loads of laundry! THANKS AGAIN MOM!!
Friday, April 18: My family decided to stay another day! They were supposed to head home this day, but changed their minds. I was so glad! Everyone came out and helped get the first coat of poly on my table and chairs. They were so helpful on this trip! Another trip to Wal-Mart for traveling goodies and another can of poly for the table. We ordered pizza and had fried candy bars that night. They were sooo rich! But a fun treat. The boys played Nintendo on the projector and we all just kind of hung out.
Saturday, April 19: Sigh. Never fun to say goodbye. They headed home and I bribed my kids with toys to get them to stop crying. It worked. We got the second coat of poly on the chairs and then watched our friends kids for awhile. Then we rested.
Sunday, April 20: Church, home, naps. Then we went to a friends house and played games and ate treats. Early bedtime for me
Which, brings us to today. I was going to finish the poly on the table, but it's windy today. I don't want bugs and such in the finish of the table, so, I'll wait. I'm going to attempt to get around to a few blogs today, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to do an "all read". I won't tell you how many posts are in my Google Reader... I hope your last week was wonderful!

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are!
Sorry I've been MIA. I have not blogged and haven't really been able to read any blogs either. Want to see what I've been doing besides eating yummy food? (I promise to post recipes when I get back)That's my sister-in-law and I boogie boarding!Hubby, Red, SIL, and myself attempting to catch a few waves...While I was out, a gerber daisy floated past me! Not sure where it came from... thoughts? My only thought was rather morbid... maybe I'll share it later...Someday I'll be a real surfer girl... but for now, I just like to pretend! Tomorrow we are hitting the outlet malls. Should be a lot of fun! I'll probably be back in bloggy action by Saturday or Sunday! Have a great week!

Dessert in the Desert
Whenever my family comes, we try to have lots and lots of good food. It's how we bribe them to come down here... well that, and our lack of snow! One of my favorite things to make is desserts... who doesn't love a good dessert? I've started to make a list of all the super sweetness that will fill our bellies...we have carmel apple pie, chocolate trifle, Cocoa Crispie ice cream dessert, and strawberry shortcake. I'm still deciding on a few others... maybe a peach crisp or perhaps we'll do a cobbler in the Dutch oven. I haven't decided yet.
The dinners are also gonna be super yummy with Puerto Rican chicken and rice, Navajo tacos, corn chowder, hamburgers with onion strings, tacos with homemade tortillas, and a myriad of other concoctions! They are only going to be here for 5 days, so we have to make the most of our eating time together.
Do you have anything special that you like to cook when family comes to town?

To My Faithful Readers
I would just like to take this moment to thank you for reading this blog. And as a reward, I would like to give each and every one of you one of these:
If you'd rather have a Stanley Nickel, that can be arranged. Please keep in mind that the rate of exchange between the Schrute Buck and the Stanley Nickel is the same as unicorns to leprechauns.
HAPPY THURSDAY NIGHT!!

Little Things
This is one of my favorite little things...

I have three little things that run around my house and I love them all. When they accomplish things, my heart cheers. But, when this one accomplishes something, my heart does somersaults and back hand springs!
Yesterday he brought home this paper:We figured that "no help" meant that they had sat there with the crayons, handed him the color, pointed to the spot and he colored it on his own. But, Hubby wanted to see for sure. So, he grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a bunch of colors on it. Got out the crayons and had Little Bug come sit down. Hubby pointed to "red" on the paper, but didn't say the name, and asked Bug to find that color. He grabbed the red crayon and not only did he put the red crayon on the word red, he traced the letters in the word! (Ignore the craft-astic mess in the background)He got every single color right... but he wouldn't use the white. He picked up the white crayon when we got to that point, but then he just stared at us as if to say "The paper is white... this won't work." And then he put the crayon away.Oh how I love the little things!April is National Autism Awareness month. I have been meaning to blog about it, but I'm never sure what to say. Many of you are probably aware of the numbers...
1 in 144 kids will be diagnosed with autism.
3 out of 4 of those kids will be boys.
1.5 million Americans have autism.
We watched a show last night that said that the number of cases of autism has jumped almost 10% each year for the last few years.
And no one knows why.
I don't know what I am trying to say... learn a little more about autism. Be aware of the kids in your communities that may have autism. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Most parents are more than willing to tell you about their kids. I know I am. I love it when people ask questions because it means that they now have a little better understanding of why Little Bug acts the way he does.
I'm not going to tell you how many times I have had people glare or mutter about "that brat" because of melt downs in a public place. Before you wonder why that parent doesn't "do something about their kid", consider the possibility that there may be nothing they can do...
Just food for thought.

Chaotic Choppers
Back in January I went to the dentist and gave him every penny to our names to have a little work done. A root canal was the biggest thing they did. They took all the sticky nasty impressions and put on a temporary crown. I was supposed to go back in a month for the permanent crown. But, my appointment came at the time when we were so sick. So, I rescheduled for March. Went in and the crown was the wrong size. The lab had not gotten it quite right. It felt huge in my mouth and the dentist couldn't get floss between my two teeth. This, I guess, is a bad thing. More goopy impressions were taken and another appointment was made for today.
I get in there and they put the new crown in. It feels great to me ... but then the dentist comes in and proclaims that it's still not right! Grr... he walks out of the room without so much of an apology or "We'll see if we can get this fixed as soon as possible" nothing. So, I waited for him to come back. I was ready to start talking about a partial refund! Because if it were any other industry, a discount would be given. But the guy never came back in! The dental assistant took care of everything else... but you can bet that when I go back in three weeks I'm gonna bring it up!
What would you do? Would you say something? Or would you bite your tongue with your temporary crown and just keep going back without mentioning it??

Lesson Learned
Little Bug is one smart kid. He is patient. He knows how to watch and wait for the moment to try and get away with something. These plotted activities are always things that he knows he shouldn't do. He waits for me to be preoccupied and then makes a dash for it!
For example, when we lived in Oregon he got out the front door. But, I didn't know he had gotten out. I had been folding laundry. He had gone out, taken his clothes off and was trying to play in a little ditch that ran past the house. An officer was driving by, noticed the little naked boy all alone by the busy road and stopped. He asked Little Bug where he lived and what his name was, but, of course, Little Bug can't talk. A friend drove by, saw the cop car and stopped to see what was wrong. She told the officer where the naked little turkey lived and then picked him up and brought him to the door. I had no idea he wasn't in the house.
A few days later he got out the side door. I looked everywhere in the house. I ran hysterically up and down the street. A neighbor got on his bike and started searching. I started knocking on doors. Then I headed home to get in the car to start looking for him... and there he was. Sitting in the van giggling as he shook plastic Easter eggs with rocks in them. After that we got latches on the tops of the doors and alarms. He never figured out how to undo the latches, but if we ever forgot to hook them, the blaring siren let us know he was outside!
We thought the Houdini stuff was over...
Till yesterday. We had friends over for dinner and to play some games in the evening. The kids were all playing when I noticed that the front door was open. We immediately started looking for all the kids, but couldn't find Little Bug. I peeked out the back window and he was outside... on the other side of our back fence. You see, there is a kind of walk way behind our house and you can access it from a little park in our neighborhood. He had gone out, walked down the road, into the park and behind all the houses. I was not a happy camper.
Tonight? Hubby and I were folding laundry. He went out and tried to run into the road when a neighbor kid grabbed him and kept him out of the street. I brought him in, locked the door, sat him on his bed, scolded, tried to get him involved in some toys, and went back to folding. He got out again and got into the neighbor's back yard... the one with the swimming pool. This whole post makes me sound like a horrible mother. I really do try to keep my eyes on him, but I can't follow him around all day. He's so sneaky! He will wait for the opportune moment and then run like mad!
But, now that I think about it... 3 out of 5 escapes have been while I was doing laundry... hmm... I think it's a sign that I should never do laundry again... what do you think?

P.S. - We will be getting some kind of alarm on the doors. We would do latches, but we are renting and I'm not sure the landlord wants us putting holes in the doors... I'm going to call him, just to check... any other suggestions besides never eating, sleeping, doing housework, or going to the bathroom so that I can follow him around every moment?

ILP
My family is coming to stay for a few days! I'm really excited to have them here. It's my parents and my brother and his wonderful wife! They are all a lot of fun to be with... it should be a great week.
And so, I will spend this week preparing. Scrubbing and cleaning and tyring to get things in tip top shape for our guests... well, actually, I probably won't work on it all week. You see, I'm inherently lazy. And on top of that, I'm a procrastinator... ILP (inherently lazy procrastination) is not an ideal combination, but there you have it. I find myself looking around and thinking "Wow, the bathroom needs to be scrubbed... but, then I'll just have to do it again before the fam comes... perhaps I'll just wait and do it Friday... maybe I'll sweep and mop the kitchen today... no, that can wait too... what about the laundry..." And the list goes on and on. So, my poor family has to deal with the dirt and the grime because I don't want to clean my house TWICE IN ONE WEEK. The horror.
Is there anyone else out there like this? Or am I the only person who suffers from ILP?

Escape
Yesterday I ran away from home. I called a friend and said, "I can't stay in this house for much longer! Let's hit the road!" And so we did. She came over that evening and we went out and about. We ate at this place... Where I realized that I had never actually eaten GOOD Chinese food before. I like Chinese food in general... but this? This stuff was amazingly good! My friend ordered the lettuce wrap appetizers pictured at the bottom of the photo here...I admit, I was skeptical at first, but these things are divine! I ate so much that I wasn't sure I'd be able to eat any of the other food they were bringing out! Our waiter was really great. Actually, now that I think about it, he may have been hitting on my friend... she requested extra lemon slices for her water and he brought them out arranged on a plate in the shape of a flower, he added extra meat to the fried rice, gave us fresh brown rice to take home, and was very good about checking up on us throughout the evening... hmmm...
ANYWAY! I ordered the sweet and sour chicken and my friend got the Mongolian beef. Both dishes were super yummy and we split the leftovers to take to our wonderful husbands who didn't even bat an eye when we said we were going out! (Thanks again!!)
After that we headed to JoAnn Fabric. You see, the one here in town is moving locations. So, they have put the entire store on clearance because they aren't going to move any of the old merchandise to the new store. It was like heaven! That is, if heaven were a concrete building filled with crazy women scurrying around trying to find the perfect fabric before someone else beat them to it... yeah... moving on!
Then we headed to the mall, but it was closed. But we weren't ready to be done for the evening... so we headed to Kohls and tried on all kinds of fun things. I ended up getting a new white camisole. Nothing exciting, but it was needed.
All in all the evening was fantastic! We laughed and talked and ate and shopped - it was exactly what I needed!

Deep Cleaning
So, I'm trying to get a few things cleaned up around the house and I need some help. I will never understand why people who own rentals paint it with FLAT PAINT! I have scuff marks and finger prints all over the place, but when I try to scrub it, the paint comes off too. I can get the markings off the wall, but then I'm left with weird faded spots everywhere. Any suggestions?
I have a great love for Magic Erasers and my Windex with Vinegar (awesome stuff) but I haven't really liked any of the other cleansers I've tried for my bathrooms and kitchen. I had one a long time ago called ZAP and it would eat hard water off of ANYTHING! It also ate holes in any fabric that it touched and burned like crazy if you got it on your skin ... for some reason, they stopped making it. That was a sad day. It was an incredible cleaner, even though it was a tad on the toxic side. I have yet to find anything that works that well... so, I turn to you. What cleaners could you not live without? Which ones work best where? Specifically, what ones do you use for your bathroom and kitchen?

Then You Stand
I'm trying to do a few things that will help me feel a little better. I'm not trying to forget, just trying to raise my spirits a bit!

• Changed the music on my playlist. I'm hoping that some different songs will help put me in a better place.
• I read a good book yesterday - the second Fablehaven book. It was fantastic! The third one comes out in April and I'm really excited!
• I spent some time with the kids yesterday afternoon. We threw rocks in a bucket of water. They loved it and so did I.
• I watched some TV last night and truly just zoned out. It was nice.
• Hubby brought home this box for me... I've only had two so far...

I am doing much better. I am learning a lot about myself and trying to focus more on relationships. I'm still doing a little hiding out... but for the most part, I'm moving forward.

Thanks
I just wanted to thank everyone for their kind words the last few days. I'm doing a lot better, but still struggling.
I've heard from a friend that the oldest son is really struggling. He's the same age as Red... and I just can't imagine what he's going through. I think about Red and what he would do... and I just crumble.
We spent most of Saturday trying to find a way to go to the funeral. It just didn't work out. We turned the world upside down trying to make it work. I'm frustrated and sad that things just didn't fall into place like I wanted it to.
Hubby has requested that I change my playlist. And I will... after tomorrow.
I probably won't be back blogging till I feel like I have something a little more uplifting to blog about.

Heart Broken
A friend has passed away in a car accident. She leaves behind her husband and four little boys that range in age from 2 to 9. She was 30. A sincerely gentle, kind and sweet woman. A friend from Oregon. The funeral is in Idaho. I am in California. And my heart breaks at the thought of not being there. But it shatters when I think of her family and how will they ever go on without her.
I'm not comfortable sharing names of other people here on my blog. But, if you'd pray for this family... I'm sure the Lord will know who you mean.
And pray for me. I can't seem to pull myself together. I ache over this loss. It makes everything else in my life seem petty. Almost ridiculous. I hate this kind of perspective.

Thinking
I've been thinking a lot about life the last few days. I know. Deep.
You see, I had a conversation with a friend the other day that just kind of left me in a stupor. She is one of those ultimate amazing people. We've known each other for a multitude of years (that means a lot) and through all the craziness of teenage life we were able to remain friends. Getting a call from her is like getting a shot of adrenaline! She's such an energetic person!
She was single till last year when she married an awesome guy! I sat and thought of all the things she has accomplished. She learned Russian while we were at Ricks college and lo and behold, ended up serving a mission in Russia. She has multiple degrees and is a certified massage therapist. Not like a massage that you'd get at a day spa...no, a therapist. Meaning she had to learn anatomy and physiology and the medical aspects of massage and its benefits. And she's good at it. She worked with troubled teens at a camp for several years. She started her own organization business and was successful with that. She decided to get certified as a realtor - just so she would know the ins and outs of the business. She has now started speaking at seminars as a motivational speaker. And she's good at that too. She is an accomplished pianist and has an amazing voice. Can one person really be this talented?
And I sat. And I thought... and, as we all know, thoughts can be rather dangerous things...but still, they tumbled into my mind: did I get married to young? Did I start my family too soon? What did I miss out on by getting married at 21 and having a baby at 22? What things could I have accomplished if I had waited? What did I miss out on?
And then it hit me... yes, there were things that I missed out on. And I'm sure that if I sat and thought about it long enough, I could come up with a gargantuan list. But, what would I miss out on while making that list? If I allow myself to wallow (I'm good at wallowing...it's a gift) then I'm missing out on my life now. I can't go back and change things... and I'm not sure if I would... but if I dwell on what might have happened then I miss what's happening now.
Gosh... I sound like a Disney movie...
And so, once again, I am resolving to actually live my life. I'll be back on Monday! I've decided, like Kim, not to blog on the weekends. Just a simple post and then done! So, I'll catch ya on the flip side! Have a great weekend :)

Eyes, Ears, Mouth and Nose
Ah... it's spring here in the valley. Well, it's always spring here... but right now is when the most plants are in bloom. The winter grass is dying and the summer grass is starting to come in. The sweet smells fill my nose... and.... I ...a... aaaa..... aaaaaaaaa....... ACHOO!! Ugh. Excuse be. Gah! Spring is such a wonderful season, but I spend it with itchy ears, watery eyes, a plugged nose, sore throat and plenty of sneezes to share! I've tried several different allergy meds, but they just make me crazy. Most of them make me feel sluggish - not the best way to feel when one is trying to keep up with the kiddos. Does anyone else suffer from seasonal allergies? Do you have some kind of magical allergy pill that helps you out? Mind sharing what the name of it might be? I don't want to go to a doctor. It's not THAT bad yet. And I don't think we could pay for a prescription anyway... so, any over the counter suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Random

• First off - thanks to all who commented on the pictures! I think my kids are cuties and I had a lot of fun sharing the pictures. We've come to an agreement that I can put up pictures on occasion, but then I will take the photos down a day or so later... so, more pictures will come another day!
• Little Bug is sick (C - if you're reading this... it is NOT what you guys had... something totally different...). Hopefully it will be short lived...
• I just finished the first Artemis Fowl book... I liked it! I'm hoping to get my hands on book number two sometime soon!
• I am removing the blogroll from my sidebar... I haven't updated it in a long time and it seems like the blogs that I read are always changing. I don't want to mess with it!
• Also, I've decided to delete the "Good Mail Girls Blog". I haven't been able to do anything with it for such a long time. It is another source of guilt for me... and I'm trying to downsize on the guilt stuff in my life - especially if it deals with the computer. So... if any of you are members, I'm sorry that it won't be continuing... if you'd like to go and grab any of the addresses, do it now. It will come down in about a week.
• A friend called yesterday and asked for a favor... she had made too much dessert and asked if we could take some off her hands. I was a little reluctant, but in the end I gave in. I try to be a good friend when I can. I suffered through SEVERAL helpings last night (no, I won't tell you exactly how many) and I ate one bowl this morning. I know she needs her dish back as soon as possible... the fact that the dessert consists of brownies, a chocolate pudding/mousse, homemade whipped cream and sprinkled with Butterfinger candy bar has NOTHING to do with it...
• It feels like Friday. I'm kind of annoyed that it isn't. One more day...
• We got "The Smurfs" from Netflix yesterday! I don't know who is enjoying it more - me or the kids!
• I have family coming to visit in just a few weeks! I'm so excited to have them here... I told them if they would come visit, I would feed them amazingly wonderful food and now I'm trying to figure out what that food might be! Does anyone have some favorite recipes they would be willing to share?

Well, that's about it from here! Happy Thursday!

Decisions
First of all, you guys are the best! Thank you for all your encouragement and patience. I am so amazed by the awesome people that read my blog! I had some time to really think about the things that you all said in my "blah" post. And I've come to a few conclusions...

1. I don't spend enough time with my kids - this one was obvious. They don't look for me anywhere except the computer. They can't find me if I'm not here... sigh. This is wrong on so many levels...
2. I'm going to cut my blog list down... there is no reason to have that many blogs to read. There were so many of you who commented about only reading blogs you feel connected to - this is wonderful advice!
3. I'm not going to read every day.... AND I'm not going to feel guilty about it. I love you guys, and I will try to get around to each blog several times a week, but, I hope you'll forgive me if I miss a few posts.

My priorities have GOT TO CHANGE. Family needs to come first, then computer, then laundry. That's my list. Laundry will only take precedence on days when we are contemplating wearing birthday suits. Not a pretty site.
The way I'm plodding through my days right now is not acceptable... and it's time to move forward! I'm done hiding behind the computer... it's time to live and laugh with the people... now, remind me, who are the people?

I hope that your day is filled with the hope that only the true spirit of this day can bring! Happy Easter!

Blah
Yesterday I read Holly's post about religion and beliefs. I've struggled with some of those topics in the last while. You see... I had a Bishop that I adored. He was amazing... taught me more about Christ and His grace and love than any other person. Then, this man fell away from the church. He wrote an article and, being the idiot that I am, I read it. It claimed that he didn't believe in the church during his time as Bishop. This really hit me hard and kind of shattered my testimony in a lot of ways. I have been in an uphill battle ever since to regain my faith.
Then, I read Kim's post about hiding behind the computer. I do the same thing in a lot of ways. I will look for things to do on the computer just so I don't have to do anything else. It's easy. There's not committment or investment on my part.
The combination of the two posts has made my head swim just a bit.
I find myself doing things out of duty rather than love or respect. And I hide from my duties here on the computer. It's not the greatest combination in the world, I know. It's so much easier to sit here and come up with things to do on the Internet, than it is to go out and do something. And I know I spend too much time on here.
How do I know? Well, a couple of days ago Baby Girl came looking for me. I was not on the computer. I was in the kitchen. She freaked out because she couldn't find me. She thought I had left her... the only place she looked was the computer desk. Yeah...
So tell me - how do you find balance? I get up this morning, turn the computer on and there are 20 posts from the most amazing bloggers in the world. And my heart sinks just a little because I know it will probably take me an hour to read them all. I love you guys and I love reading about your lives... but I have 67 subscriptions in my Google Reader - and I just deleted a bunch that I don't read any more. Not all of those 67 blogs have a new post every day, but a fairly good number of them do. Do any of you read that many blogs? Am I crazy? Do you only read on certain days? Do you skim posts? If I don't read any of them, there will be over 50 posts by the end of the day... That's the average number of posts each day. I'm curious... how do you manage your time on the computer? And how do you decide what blogs you will or will not read? Any and all suggestions would be appreciated...

Just So You Know....
If you ever cut up a Fresno Red Jalapeno, Hot Yellow Pepper and an Anaheim Pepper, wear gloves. If you forget to wear gloves, vegetable oil will help take some of the pepper oil off your hands. But rubbing alcohol works best... put a little on a cotton ball and wipe once. Then get a new cotton ball... just thought I'd pass on that tidbit of information... I'm off to buy some kitchen gloves that will be for food prep only...

NetFlix Flicks
We watched two movies last night... this one...

And this one...

May I just say, DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH CHURCH BALL! Yes, it had a few laughs, but really, over all, bad bad bad bad! The movie ended and we both just sat there for a minute. Desperately trying to figure out a way to get the last hour and a half of our lives back...
Enchanted was cute! Very girly princessy kind of movie... which means I kind of liked it. It was better than Church Ball, but I am still struggling to find my inner princess... Baby Girl and I will watch it today... we'll see if she likes it or not.
Have you seen any good movies lately? I'm trying to update my NetFlix Queue and need some suggestions... anyone??

ACHOO!
My kids went through the house today and turned on all the ceiling fans.
The ones that have been off all winter.
The ones that while being off have collected a 1/2 inch layer of dust on them.
The ones that I DIDN'T get around to cleaning before they were turned on.
I can see the dust bunnies floating in the air. You think I'm kidding? I'm not... great big dust bunnies... I guess, since they are flying, perhaps they are now dust birds or perhaps dust butterflies... that seems to fit their flight pattern a little better. The dust butterflies are happily flitting around my home.
Sigh.

Tasty
"Some consider carob an adequate substitute for chocolate . . . because it can be made to approximate the color and consistency of chocolate. The same arguments can be made in favor of dirt." Sandra Boynton
Amen.

Spring Bunny
Before I start... I want to preface this post with this... I am not preaching. I am not suggesting that one way is better than another. I am simply sharing a story and a tradition and what works for us as a family...
In a previous post I mentioned the Spring Bunny... and I'm sure that a lot of you were thinking, "What kind of craziness is this?" Or maybe none of you were thinking that... but I'm going to tell you about it anyway. I'm going to explain the craziness that is my family. You see, we love the crazy. We're good at it.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away called Idaho, there was a family with four young children. These children were, in general, good kids. They did, however, seem a little hard in the head at times. You see, if you asked them to tell you about Easter, you would be inundated with stories of rabbits and plastic eggs and candy of every kind! If you asked for more information you'd get a response about baskets and baby chicks and candy of EVERY KIND! And if you persisted, hoping for some kind of REAL understanding about this holiday, you would hear about coloring eggs and new clothes for Sunday and CANDY OF EVERY KIND!! And if you point blank asked them about how Jesus fit in to the Easter holiday - they would stare blankly and then say, "Oh yeah... I forgot about that part... did you know we will get CANDY FOR EASTER?!"
Now, the parents of this family had tried all sorts of things to get their kids to understand what Easter was really about. They had lessons, talked to the kids, read out of scriptures, minimized what was in those baskets, but, as I mentioned before, the kids were a little hard headed and it just didn't seem to be getting through. Bunnies and chocolates filled their hearts and minds rather than the hope and peace that should be brought by understanding Easter.
And so, the totally awesome mom of this family decided that the Easter Bunny was going to disappear. She replaced him with the Spring Bunny - who came the Saturday after the first day of spring. He still brought eggs and candy, but now the focus could change. Easter could be a holiday to remember the Savior again.
There are those who ask, "Well, what about Santa?? Why didn't you get rid of him too??" Here's the funny thing about those totally weird kids... they got Christmas. They understood that a long time ago, a tiny baby came to this earth. And that He grew up and gave us the ultimate gift! Gifts were given in a spirit of love for one another. Somehow, everything about Christmas pointed this family back to Christ. That's not to say that the family wasn't excited about Santa and the presents... but the real message had somehow sunk in.
Not so with Easter. Somehow, it was really hard to tie in baskets, a large rabbit hopping around hiding plastic eggs, and oodles of candy with the Savior and His sacrifice for us. This new idea worked for us....
And it's a tradition that I carry on. Yes, I was one of the hard headed children (how'd ya guess??) and for some reason Easter was never a religious holiday to me as a kid. I just couldn't connect the two together... We don't do our Spring Bunny stuff right after the first day of spring... we do it the day before Easter. And then, Easter Sunday can have a focus on our Savior... and exactly why we call Him that.

An Apology
I must ask your forgiveness. I haven't been around to any one's blog since Friday. I had plans to come visit, honest, I did! But Friday was not a fun day. We got a letter from the insurance saying that it is "not medically necessary" for Little Bug to have speech therapy, again. I cried all day long. And then I went to the lovely dinner, where, honestly, I kind of sulked. The food was great, but I wasn't in the mood for chatting... it didn't keep me from playing Scrabulous on Facebook though...I'm slightly addicted...
And then Saturday I needed a family day. We saw "Horton Hears a Who" at the 10:05 showing... and we learned a very important lesson. Saturday mornings are the BEST time to go see movies! There were 10 other families in the theatre with us. It was great! And the movie was SO CUTE! The kids loved it and so did we. The part where they start singing "Can't Fight this Feelin" by REO Speedwagon CRACKED. ME. UP!!! Too funny!! So, if you're looking for something fun to watch... go see this one!

After the movie we went on a much needed grocery run and then hit Barnes and Noble. I was looking for the next book in this series:

Read the first book and loved it! But, they didn't have the second, so I came out empty handed.
Red Robin was our next stop for lunch on the way home. We haven't been out to eat in awhile and thought everyone could use a good treat. And it was a great treat for everyone but me... sigh... my burger was pink. And I just kept telling myself, it's not that bad... but when I hit the part that was pink and still cold, I gagged. Not a good thing.
After that we came home and watched another movie here at the house. We got "Mr. Magoriums Wonder Emporium" from Netflix. It was cute! We really enjoyed that one too.

That night Hubby took Red and a friend to the church for the road show. I think they had a good time...
Sunday was church and then family time. We were just setting up Risk when we got a call from a friend to come over and play board games for awhile. So we headed out and had so much fun playing games and visiting. Last night I watched "Pride and Prejudice" and just relaxed. But it was late when I went to bed. Which means I'm tired today...
So, I got up and was ready to do some serious blog reading when I accidentally hit the "mark all read" button on my Google Reader. There are almost 70 blogs in my Reader. I would love to go through each one and try to figure out who has new posts, but that would take a rather large amount of time today... time I don't have. (I not only put off blog reading over the weekend, but also laundry... :S)
So, I apologize. All the posts from Friday through this morning will probably not be read by me. Sorry... from this moment on, I will read new blog posts... till I have another brain freeze and hit the wrong thing again... sigh...

Food, Glorious Food

We had a dinner for the women at our church tonight and I was in charge of bringing the salad. At first, they just wanted to buy big bags of the premade iceberg salad stuff. Yum... crunchy water. That is what is what iceberg lettuce tastes like to me. I dislike that taste. Immensely. And so, I suggested a spinach strawberry salad. Always divine, but no one wanted to spend an afternoon slicing strawberries... but, um, I really wanted that salad! So, I said I'd do it. And they were willing to eat it as long as I was willing to make it.
So, Baby Girl and I headed to Costco today to buy strawberries and spinach. The strawberries looked AMAZING!! I bought two containers of berries. We have sooooo many left over! Anyone want to join me for some strawberry shortcake tomorrow?

And the dinner tonight? SUPERB! It was so tasty! Would you like to see it??

The theme for the night was "Love is a Verb". Hence, all the hearts. The soup was tomato... and it was wonderful... they used canned soup and mixed it with half and half instead of water. Then they added fresh basil and threw in a home made heart shaped crouton... very yummy. The sandwiches had a chicken salad spread in one and a tuna with sun dried tomatoes in the other. Again, delicious. And my little salad... well, doesn't it just look fabulous?

What's that you say? You'd like the recipe for the wonderful salad? Well, I'd be happy to share it with you!

Spinach Strawberry Salad

1 1/2 bags baby spinach - rinsed and drained

1 pint strawberries, washed and sliced

Dressing:

2 T. sesame seeds

1 T. poppy seeds

1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 t. minced onion

1/4 t. paprika

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/4 c. white vinegar

Mix ingredients for dressing, toss with spinach and serve with berries on top. You can mix the berries into the salad, but they tend to sink to the bottom. Also, once you put the dressing on, you have to eat the salad pretty soon. This is not one you can make ahead. The spinach wilts too fast.

And WAH-LAH! There you have it! A wonderful salad that will tickle your taste buds and satisfy your tummy! Let me know if you try it out and what you think.

[per-spek-tiv]
I complain a lot. I know that I do. When things don't go my way, I'm vocal about it. I moan and groan. I whine and mope. I do it all the time.... I didn't get enough sleep last night. I spent most of the day trying to get things cleaned up. It's 80 degrees in the house again tonight - I'm hot. I'm tired. I'm cranky.
And tonight, I feel more than just a little self-centered.
You see, my nephew is serving a mission for our church in Guatemala. His mom sent us a few pictures today. There is a young man that my nephew and his companion (missionaries always go out in pairs) are trying to help. This boy's mom left him. He's addicted to sniffing pain thinner. I guess there was some kind of fire in the home that had left quite a mess. A group from church went in to help clean things up.
This is the after shot...

And again, I am reminded: it's all about perspective.

Have You Ever...
Every now and again I wonder - am I the only one who feels this way? Or thinks this way? Or experiences these situations? And so, in this quizzical state, I turn to you. I ask a bunch of "have you ever" questions hoping that somehow, you will alleviate my fears of being a complete weirdo!
Have you ever....
.... been completely exhausted, but couldn't sleep? Your eyes close, your body rests, but your brain zips through the night like a hummingbird searching for food... is it just me?
.... bought yourself a gift? Like, um... say, a boogie board? And been so excited about it, you could hardly stand yourself?
.... opened your windows and smelled something so delicious, so intoxicating, that you decide to go for a walk and smell all the neighbors flowers until you figure it out? (I think it's Jasmine... but, it might be the orange tree blossoms....whatever it is, it is from heaven itself!)
.... wanted to turn your air conditioner on in March?? (it was 80 degrees in our house last night... which is what we usually keep it at in the summer, but we aren't used to it right now!)
.... laughed so hard at a comment left on your blog that you thought you'd wet your pants?
.... got a book for your kid as a gift, and tried to decide if you would read it before you gave it to him or not?
.... begged and pleaded for family to come and visit, and then when they said "yes" you couldn't wipe the stupid grin off your face because of how happy this made you? (4 weeks and counting!!)
.... played Scrabulous with Holly on Facebook? It's a lot of fun... she beats me pretty good most of the time, but every now and again, I eek out a win! Want to challenge me? Anyone who has Facebook is more than welcome to add me as a friend...
.... had a HUGE day of housework ahead of you, and so you look for things to keep you from it? Like writing blog posts??
Sigh... off I go! Laundry, dishes and dust bunnies are calling my name...
Oh, and just to clarify a few things... my friend that I forgot about, she immediately forgave me. I'm thinking of asking her to be my Vice President.
And to those of you who asked about moving the furniture... well, that would require effort. I'm inherently lazy... making a new blog look requires me to sit on my butt and click buttons. Moving furniture requires me to push, shove, and in general, do work. So, to answer your questions, no, I don't move my furniture around very often... actually, it's been in the same place for over a year now... maybe I should move it... later... ;)

It's a New Day
Well, actually, the new day is more than half over...
Whatever.
As you can see, I've changed the blog again... what do you think? Do you like it? Tell me honestly... what are the things you like? What don't you like? I'm still not sure about all the font colors... does it look like a circus exploded on my blog? Please tell me the truth... I'm still learning all this fun stuff... what say ye?

Political Prowess
I flexed my political muscles today! I am on my way to the White House! I can just feel it... you see, yesterday, a friend called and asked if I could watch her little girl today while she was at the dentist. I said, "Sure - not a problem!" And then I did the unthinkable... I didn't write it on the calendar. Now, I don't know about you, but if something isn't on my calendar, then it isn't happening!
About half an hour before they were to show up, I decided to go to the bank. I had to deposit our tax return (which was kind of odd because we e-filed and it was supposed to be direct deposited... another thing I could fix if I were President). And the bank took forever. Not that I was in a great hurry... there wasn't anything on my calendar for the day.
I get home, get Baby Girl and I some lunch and then check email. That's when I see the flashing red light on the answering machine. I push the button and hear my sweet friend asking where I'm at! GAH!! What have I done?
I'll tell you what I've done: I made a promise and then I broke it! I am a political machine!
I did talk to my friend later on and apologized profusely. I guess the correct way to do that would have been to call a press conference and have it televised during every one's favorite T.V. shows this evening... I still have a lot to learn...

Commander and Chief
Dear Friends,
I feel the need to address this issue with you at this time. I have noticed that the current candidates for our Presidential election are avoiding a very serious issue. An issue, that, in my opinion, needs immediate addressing. Our country needs these people to step up, take action, and resolve this problem that plagues so many families. The issue?
Daylight Savings Time
I am exhausted. My children are exhausted. Their bodies struggle to adjust to this horrific event that is thrust upon us twice a year. It's almost enough to pack up and move to Arizona! There is no need for the change.
And so, here and now, I would like to announce that I am running for President of the United States. I know it will be an uphill battle, but with your support, I think we can win!
Do I know anything about...
economic development? Not really.
health care reform? Ummm... no.
immigration laws? Uh....
policy on war? Well....
how a country should be run in general? Not a clue
the sleepless nights, early morning and general crankiness that rules our land two times a year by the accursed Daylight Savings plan? Oh yeah baby!
I know that this is the only platform that I have, but I promise to figure the other things out - as soon as I have had a good night's sleep.
Help me, dear friends! When you go to vote this fall, write in my name, and together, we will put an end to the madness!
Thank you.
I am Melissa, and I approve this message.

Post 500
Okay... so technically, my post announcing my break was post 500. I've written more than that, but not all of them have been published. Sometimes I come and write a super frustrated blog rant. And no one wants to read THAT! So, it gets saved, but never published.
I enjoyed my bloggy break. Sometimes, I just need to step away from the blog for a few days. It was good, but now I'm back. My head is full of great ideas for blog posts... but I'm too tired to make any of them come out in coherent sentences. So, instead, we will do the ever famous "what someone typed into Google to find my blog". Should be fun! Away we go...

• http://mejojacspot.blogspot.com/ - really? Wouldn't it be just as easy to type it in the little box at the top. 4 people searched for my blog using the exact address... is it you? Would you tell me why? I am so curious!!
• how to make an icing tiara - Several people searched for this one. That was a fun project! I hope you found this post or this one or this one with the final royal icing tiara
• kank-aid - I think someone suggested this when I said I had a canker (or cranker) sore
• jon schmidt - ah... the man is an amazing pianist! And, apparently, I spelled his name wrong in my post or you never would have found me. Try John (instead of Jon). I still have his stuff in my playlist... it's just more in the middle now. Check out his site here
• uses for hydrocortizone - I don't remember this... maybe it was suggested when I had super dry hands... which brings me too...
• cause of cut dry hands in winter - there are several variations on this theme..."cut dry skin", and "split knuckles dry skin"
• cornerstones of marriage - this was part of President Hinckley's talk in our Stake Conference...
• can you but Lysol bombs for the home - nope. I've looked. You can fumigate the place with about 2 cans... but, you should remove everyone first!
• klutz horse isms - um... what??
• glow in the dark obstacle course - we had something kind of like this for Red's birthday party...
• stomach flu - ick... if you've got this, I'm so sorry. Get better soon!

And there you have it. Nothing too crazy, but it's always interesting to see what brings people here to my little blog!
As a side note, I have a confession to make. I didn't stay "off" my blog. One afternoon I spent some time messing with my playlist. I couldn't resist! And, as soon as they get a better link for David Cook's version of "Hello", I'll get it up there. (For those of you who don't know, he's an American Idol contestant... as well as David Archuleta who sings "Imagine" on my playlist!)

I'm Melissa and I approve this message.

Again?
I've decided to take a little bloggy break... I feel like my thoughts are spinning and my posts are forced. Something isn't quite right in my life... and I need to take some time to put my finger on it. It's nothing serious. There are just a few things I need to attend to... like cleaning and reminding my family that I can cook. No really... I can!! And I need to have some time away from the computer to try and work through some thoughts...
And so, the blog is going to be silent for a few days. Well, not really silent. The playlist will still be up and going.
I bid you adieu...(if you've been here for any of my other bloggy breaks, you know that I'll probably be back tonight or tomorrow morning... I'm not only confused and cluttered, but indecisive too)