Not in My Letter to Santa

The flu is definitely, surely not on my list to Santa. Let alone all my kids getting it the week after me. So once this bug has passed, I will be posting those ornaments and how my craft show goes this weekend.

Christmas is in the Air

Our typical tradition in my house would mean that our tree was up and donned with Christmas cheer and be well on our way to filling our house with warm goodies and rich smells. I am afraid we are a little behind this year, but do not fear. It might be another week before I can get the tree up, but we are trying something new this year.

Last year we made an ornament for our tree as one of our wholesome (no cost) activities for the holidays. This year I am expanding that idea. Everyday after school work is done, we are breaking out our ornament project for the day for everyday till Christmas. Each day we will add an ornament made by the kids to our bare tree. By Christmas time we should have a spectacle of ornamentation that would make even the biggest Grinch shake in his boots.

Besides what a fun keepsake that they can have at the end of this Christmas season for years to come and hopefully make for a memorable holiday. Each post in December will feature our ornament creation feel free to join in!

*photo by princessangel on flickr

Takin' a Chill Pill

Good Grief!

I must be certifiably insane trying to homeschool 4 kids ages 8 and under, be a counselor in the Relief Society Presidency, run a household with my hubby MIA with his BSN underway and then...decide a craft show is a good idea!

What was I thinking???

Hence the need for a chill pill. I was so tired today I could barely keep my eyes open because I have been working full time at night sewing till my fingers are pricked purple, drawing until my fingers need splints and going to bed past 2 AM every night...morning....night?

Kind of all blurring together these days. :)

So tonight...no business, no school, no chores...just chillin' surfing the net and reading my favorite blogs.

Who am I kidding. My over-obsessive tendencies to go full throttle when I have an idea has me speed reading through ehow and making banners, avatars, and product development. But still....

that's chillin' for me.

Yesterday Was a Good Day

I have mentioned before how I am working like a fiend to get all my things done. I have been coloring mini letters for hours late into the night. Do they make mini cuffs for finger sprains? But yesterday, through all the hustle and bustle of schooling the kids, errands, and work, work, work...I decided to take the kids to the park.

It was great! I had intended to sit and color some more, but ended up running around chasing my kids and a handful of neighbor kids around the park being monster until sunset. I am pretty sure the monster has diminished hearing today. ;) I guess my kids had nothing left last night, because as I tucked them in as they dreamily drifted off to sleep with smiles on their faces and not a peep.

It felt good to be a good mom yesterday and the added bonus of peaceful sleeping children at the end of the day, priceless!

I voted today!

I Must Be Crazy!

But, OH!, so excited about a new journey I am taking. The wild wild world of commerce.

I have been working every evening and Saturdays to get my sites running, researching the how-to, and trying not to be overwhelmed. It is great to finally have a place to put all those ideas circling around my head for so long.

I am also prepping, stressing, working my posterior off before the 13 of December for my Christmas show here in AZ. It's strange to think of myself as a vendor. Ok, back to work!

Hosting a Giveaway!

Go take a peek at Always Adorable's Giveaway!

It is the kick-off for my new site for all those things I should be selling and haven't. :) Have fun!

Riddle Me This, Riddle Me That

What do you get when you mix walking blindly in the night and a well placed vericose vien?

No Guessers?

Okay, I will throw in a hint...it has something to do with a knee height bedpost.

You guessed it Bruisedzilla.

I will reluctantly go by Gimpy, now.

Playing Along

I was tagged with naming six unexpected/unusual facts about me by a lovely lady, that I will leave nameless because I am paranoid and would like to rename somewhat nameless to the world of blog for the safety of those cute rugrats I post so often about.

So...without further ado I give you the unusual and unexpected me.

1. If I was ever able to sleep enough at night again, I would get up every morning before the break of dawn to watch the sunrise. I know, I know...heresy. But honestly once the beams of light start blazing through my window I might as well get up anyway, because sleep just went out the window when the darkness faded.
   
2. I can smell things so strongly that I almost taste them. This relates to all smells not just food. So in a way I know what laundry soap tastes like for instance...or the cow fog that blows our way sometimes. Perfume feels like pepper spray up my nose. But on the upswing I can usually tell what a recipe needs by the way it smells.
3. After my grandparent's home was demolished for greed (yep still bitter) I have felt some what homeless. It was my favorite place in all the world! Even my own home doesn't have the same pull.
4. I am not a phone talker. I dislike answering my phone. I am not sure why, but I would rather listen to a message and then email the person over having a small talk conversation on the phone.
   
5. I love having four seasons with in the year. Having been devoid of those for the past 10 years I am beyond words, thrilled, to be moving to a place with every single glorious season.
6. I like being cold. During the winter I will still crack my window a smidge so that I can feel the nip of the cold air at night and then pile mountains and mountains of blankets on my self with my feet sticking out.

Probably more than you ever wanted to know about me, but it can't be refuted...I am one of a kind. :)

Happy Happy Birthday Dear!

My impish three year old, Boo, is now a precocious four year old full of every ounce of spirit that she had last year plus some!

There isn't a day that goes by that she doesn't have me rolling in stitches over her girly and tomboyish behaviors. She is game for anything her brother can dish out as long as she looks pretty while doing so.

Each day brings a new and exciting adventure waiting to be discovered by her.

I love the joy and anticipation she holds for everyday.

Life is good at four!

In a Flash

Life can derail so quickly and within a blink or three, get right back on course, only a little worse for the wear. Jellybeans ended up in the hospital for her strange case of fevers. You would think I would get used to this, but at 107.1 degrees, I will admit to freaking out...again.

The answers we were hoping for this last round, that ended up in two overnight stays in the childrens hospital haven't come. The three specialists aren't sure what is going on and our Family Doc can't put his finger on it either. This all means more doctor appointments to hopefully get to the bottom of what ails my baby.

But she is home now and as happy as can be to be eating her food, sleeping in her bed, and playing with her toys! I too am feeling gratitude to having my whole family under one roof these past two nights well and resting.

As for us, tomorrow brings another day of homeschool, college, cleaning, laundry, and finances in a crazy world. Hopefully we can do it with our best foot forward and optimism for doing what we are intended to do!

What is that?

This is your animal cell on jello:

This is your plant cell on jello:

Any questions?

Yes, they did want to taste them. Me? No thank you. I prefer not to eat things that look like primordial ooze.

In Other News:

Homeschool as been fun to say the least! We have been focusing on Family/Personal history for English assignments. This is one of our projects. Leaf crown to show we are from a family tree, but a royal line seeing as we are children of God. I think the kids' favorite part had to be yanking the leaves off the branches to form a big leaf pile. (Thank you Dollar Tree!) For them, a leaf pile is quite the phenomenon here in the land of cactus needles and dead grass.

The African masks were a big hit too. Boo couldn't resist the call of the rainbow. Everything is rainbow these days. Didn't you know? Rainbows are all the preschool fashion!

Setting Some Records

• My first child was baptized.
• Have a child old enough to be baptized. ;)
• Devouring over 4,000 pages of novels and 216 pages of curriculum while my computer was out of commission.
• Attempting to educate my children for the fourth year.
• Teaching myself how to play the guitar.
• Breaking out of my shell to be the organizer of a monthly educational party group.
• Survive another blazing hot summer in the Southwest. The Autumn breeze is almost cool...if I think about it hard enough.

Hurray!!!

Life is better with a computer!

When No News is Good News

Remember that basket of lemons I was dealing with? (Just go one post older if not.) Well, I guess in this case no news has been good news.

So far, with baby Jellybeans, all is back to normal. It has been two and half weeks since her last bout of fevers. All blood tests came back normal as well this last round. So either we will never know what happened these last couple of months, or we play the waiting game until another spike of fevers runs. I prefer the not knowing options, as it is fine with me if she never gets another fever all together! ;)

As for my laptop...please join me for a moment of silence....

....

.....

Okay, that was long enough. Yes, it is dead. But barring any more casualties of parenthood, we have figured out a way to get me another one. It might take another few weeks, but I have never been so grateful for the use of a computer as I have been now during our time of trial.

I am shocked at how much I have learned to rely on the world wide web as my biggest source of connection! With a bit of luck, soon I will be coming back from computer-Timbuktu.

Trying to Make Lemonade

You know the saying. Life is crazy here right now.

Uncertain health issues have developed with Jelly Beans. For the past couple of months she has been having fevers that can get up to almost 106 degrees. Yeah, not good especially since she is only 14 months old. The Doc also discovered a heart murmur during the last check up as well. I am trying not to worry to much, because really what will that accomplish. But if you know me, I am doing quite the opposite. "Worst Scenario" keeps running through my mind. And believe me I have a very productive imagination.

Friday, we will know more. We tortured her with x-rays and blood draws over the long weekend. I think she and I are both traumatized from those. I just want to pick her up and make everything all better and I can't. This is out of my control.

Seeing as I do so well, with lack of control, *coughs*. Well I can think I do, right? I have lost a serious outlet, my computer. It sits on my desk in shambles from some work done on it in hopes that Mister could recover the last two and half years of my life. I think we are going to need professional help. Ahhhhh, all my photos. Okay I am not thinking about it right now.

Onto the Lemonade portion. Birthdays galore at our house this week. Girly is 8 two days ago and Darling Boy is now 6! I have been baking cakes like I own a bakery around here or something. I will post pictures when feasible.

So that is what I am trying to focus on right now. Spending happy moments with the kiddlie-winks and not think about the big fat nasy basket of preverbial lemons residing in our house.

A Decade Gone By

Yep, there we are a decade and a day ago on our wedding day. It doesn't seem that long, honestly. But it has to have been since my oldest is almost 8. Another weirdness for another post.


Aren't we cute? I remember it being a sweltering 105 degrees, which oddly enough I now find quite pleasant after spending the last three years in an inferno, a.k.a. Arizona.

It all happened because I had the desire to learn to swing dance. Those pesky singles activities. At 18 which I don't recommend as a good age for being wed, and hope that my daughters will be at least 20 before such craziness ensues, but it was the right time for us. At 18, I had goals, baby! Big ones. I was headed places to do things, learn things, and get an art degree and travel to be inspired by all the Greats of the art community. And there he was, tall (6' 7"), eyes the color of the Caribbean ocean, and so very strong.

Oh, sure things started out innocently enough at first. We were just friends. Then good* friends, then DTR (determine the relationship) friends, then fiances. I couldn't resist his gentlemanly charm and his goofiness. If anyone can make me laugh when I feel the worst it is Mister. He adores me and I like it that way.

A lot happens in 10 years, specifically speaking, four kids, moving five times, and developing a new career changes everything! I never imagined I would be in Arizona homeschooling four kids, helping my hubby get through nursing school. But I am so grateful to be in the life that I have. It is more than I could have ever imagined in all my dreaming and scheming a decade ago.

Stressful? Beyond belief!

Worth it? Absolutely!

*There is a funny story to this. Mister wasn't sure if we were boyfriend-girlfriend yet, even though we had been dating exclusively for about three weeks now. So at a mission reunion he started to introduce me as his girlfriend but ended up saying, "Gir-oodfriend". LOL That is why I was never his girlfriend, just a goodfriend. :)

What If...

this is hanging on the shower curtain rod:


and my creative brain won't turn off, which makes my hand itch for a paint brush:


and then put it in its rightful place:

There! Isn't that much better? That shelf was uber-boring and now...well I think it speaks for itself.

Here is also one more tulip ditty because, well it is my blog, and cause I like to share. ;)

Paint Much?

Well, lately I have been. I found a novel medium: watercolor crayons.

The kids and I have been experimenting with them for a few days now. I actually would not recommend these for kids, because you do have to be pretty precise with the actual "painting" part. Otherwise everything turns brown. Here are a few of the quickies I did to pass our summer seclusion this week so far. ( I apologize in advance for the really dim lighting. That was the brightest natural light I could find. Our windows are ''special" with extra tint on the outside.)





Not bad for only a couple of hours each. This last one also has been outlined and drawn with charcoal. I was going for a modern looking stained glass effect. Could be awful cute in some girls rooms don't you think?

**Update** The water color crayons are Faber-Castell and they are good for older kids. My 5 and 7 year old with a little practice have been able to make some paintings without the browning effect.

Watch Out for Wiles.

Scully, tagged me for with this little gem of a meme. Here's the rules...no cheating. ;)

1. Grab the nearest book. If you are currently reading something, that'll be fine too.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 4 sentences on your Blog along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet I know that is what you were thinking!
6. Tag 5 people.

I am, to my embarrassment, currently in a good book reading drought, not by lack of options, but lack of enthusiasm for my sweltering car that takes me to the library. But what I did have near turned out to be quite fitting. I taught the lesson this month in the parenting class so it was still sitting out by my computer as I realized I should go back and reread the first three chapters but that is a whole other post in itself. Our book is:

The Power of Positive Parenting, by Dr. Glenn Latham, pg 123, sentences 5-8:

"It is important to keep in mind that the kind of calm, objective responding illustrated here (and elsewhere) between father and a son must be the same between a father and a daughter. We know for a fact that girls can typically get their way and out of trouble and responsibility much easier than boys. Crying, being coy, and making verbal promises that are honey-sweet are all well known devices daughters can use to get their way and to escape the unplaeasant consequences of their behavior. Fathers, particularly, must gaurd against caving in to such wiles."

The girly part of me wants to deny such claims! But really Dads and all men, wiles happen.

I will also leave the tagging open to whomever would like to have a go at it. Enjoy!

Summer Fun

This summer all bets are off! The kids and I are taking a muchly needed break from school and all other such things. We have been experiencing burn out, not just the kids, but me too! I think that we have been pushing a little hard in efforts for next summer's crazy adventures with graduation, moving, and settling in a new location. So between a smidgen of belated spring cleaning and reorganization around our house to spruce up our home, we have been hanging out the laundry for that oh-so-summer-fresh scent that I dream of all winter long.

Hmmmmmm.

Anyway the kids decided to surprise me one afternoon with taking down the laundry from our Ikea pop-up, foldable laundry thingies that I had brought in earlier but hadn't managed to get to yet. They made up a new game, that would rival the three amigos. Behold the Cactus Kids.


"Watch out! Were thorny, Mom!" As they poked each other and folded/mangled our crunchy dry clothes. At least I got a fluff cycle. Just didn't know it would come from the kids.
Here's Jelly Bean coming to wrangle in the fun.

Back from Vacation...a.k.a. Back to Reality

Taking off for over a week and half was delightfully exhausting. The quick summer break between semesters was well spent visiting family in various locations across the west. Between cousin sleepovers, movie marathons, and wii tournaments for the kids, girls night-out, guys night-out, staying up to the wee hours of the morning every night catching up with brother and sister-in-laws, Mother's Day with extended family, and my first girly Tea party, I think we had more fun than one should! And that was only the first half of our trip.

After visiting Mister's family, we headed to visit mine. We rock hounded for the first time, saw more wild baby colts than one could count on both hands and feet, and celebrated Jelly Beans 1st birthday. But to let all of you in on a little secret, there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed undisturbed for a full eight hours!!!

Breathing A Sigh of Relief

AH! Friday!

This week felt like a whole month was crammed into these last seven days. Since I can't curl up in a dark corner with a box of See's Chocolate, I declared today, Backward's Day, and started with Movie Night. I am exhausted and it is only 9:24 am. Good compromise, no? The kids are happy and I am able to catch up on my much needed reading. And by reading, I mean blogging. :D

Priorities, people, priorities!

After hours of internet searches with the word "short hairstyles" I came to one I liked! Plus a little hair color dabbling and ta-da! Also I have to agree with Scully, that foxy in 10 is the way to go!

BEFORE

AFTER

As a bonus, this cute new 'do' is just what I need to keep me motivated on the stronger, leaner self I buried beneath Aunt Fanny. It does make a difference to help the outside look as close to the inside as possible. If I feel sassy, I am more likely to do those things that help me stay sassy! ;)

By the way, being pampered is AWESOME.

Spring and All that it Brings

As April seems to be zipping by at an alarming rate, I thought I would recap and then hopefully keep updated on a more frequent basis. Spring is quickly turning into an inferno her in AZ and thought I would share the last of the flowers for those of you wishing spring would at least make an impromptu visit. :) We took our monthy temple grounds walk with the kids today. I couldn't have asked for a nicer evening! Gentle breeze, beautiful flowers, (which if you haven't noticed by now, I am a succor for) and then of course having quality family time. This is one of my favorite family traditions.

Other than this life is going full force with college widow-dom. Thank heavens we only have one more year left! I am pushing certifiably insane. I think the kids are taking it better than I am! We are all looking forward to spring break and our vacation in only two weeks! It has been way too long since we took a road trip and got out of Dodge. And can I say our timing will make our drive to Utah fantastic. Spring is almost dead here, but every where else will be in full bloom, at least I hope so. I have a few more dresses to make and some summer shorts for Darling Boy and then we will be on our way.

Seeing as it is spring, I have IT. The cut-your-locks syndrome. My hair is long enough, again. It seems to hit about every two years to need for "sheer" speed. Cut it all off! And my dear readers, I want some opinions. I am going to color my hair for the first time. Aren't you all proud of me! So even though I am a work in progress, (10 more pounds down!) I am braving a photo of myself.


I am thinking something sassy but doable for someone that might only have one hand available for any length of time. What do you think about going toward the red spectrum of copper chestnut highlights?

March is Over Already, What?

Did anyone else feel like March disappeared rather to quickly? Good grief!

Easter was lovely. I finished making all the dresses and bows the night before. I wasn't going to even worry about dresses this year and then my wonderful Mom sent me some beautiful light green and blue linen. I couldn't resist! I have learned my lesson, next year I will be started on the dresses around the beginning of the year! So here they are:

Girly actually helped design her little outfit. I had her draw up what she would like to wear and this is pretty close to it. A peasant top with a three tiered skirt.

Monkey calls this her princess dress. Which is quite ironic since almost everyone at church mentioned that she should be snow white for Halloween this year.

Excuse the brush, this was the only way to get a smile and holding still in the same photo. Jelly Beans dress is a sundress with cap sleeves and matching short pants underneath.

Then serendipitously I found a pretty close match for Darling Boy's attire the night before Easter while looking for ribbon for bows come to think of it. Any way here is my dashing little boy:

I am still determined to make him some dress shorts to complete the whole family ensemble for a complete family picture for the year. It shouldn't take to much time, right?


As for the rest of March it was full of packing in spending time outside as summer is nearing with Playdates and March birthday parties. Thank you to all of those who sent me a card or well wishes! It truly made a wonderful birthday for me!

Proving My Husband Right.

After watching Pride and Prejudice with Mister, He soundly proclaimed me to be Lizzy in all aspects. I guess he was right. LOL

Take the Quiz here!

Three plus One and Some Bread

Left to Right:
Monkey, I think her impish face explains it all,
Girly, looking sophisticated in her new glasses, and Darling Boy.
By the way that is a piece of gum from primary. He wanted to show it off.

Jelly Beans, sucking her bottom lip.

And this is what I did today, instead of eating goodies. I guess I ended up making some. LOL. But I couldn't very well eat them and take a picture because than all of you would know. Mmmmm, homemade-whole wheat cinnamon rolls and bread. I bet you wish you were having breakfast at my house tomorrow, huh?

Kicking the Habit

Sugar is my Achilies heel.

I can exercise until the cows come home, (no pun intended), but without giving up my "d.r.u.g" of choice, I will be running in circles, literally, without any improvements. Why on earth would I want to waste the hard earned hour of exercise with junk, you ask me? Sugar, sweets, chocolate, you name it, help me feel calm, rewarded, and in a way justified. But in the end, all I get in return is a backside like Aunt Fanny (the motherly double-wide bottomed robot from, 'Robots, the movie') and zero energy.

I think we all know, that to kick a habit in order for it to be permanent it must be replaced with an acceptable alternative. The warning is out, if you don't want to see alot of crafts and handiwork....look the other way. ;)

Half-way to My Visible Results

I needed a few minutes here, to pat myself on the back.

After being pudgy most my life, to pleasantly plump in high school, I have lost, gained, lost, gained, and a few more times, over the course of my life. Between pregnancies and baby weight of four children, I finally feel like I am in a stage of my life that I need to have control over my body. I crave energy and stamina that can last me until I am 102!

I am tired of missing being an active part in my life. Next time this year, I don't want to have think about losing weight or getting healthy, because I will already have reached that. Maybe, finally, I will be able to make exciting goals that are actually living instead of wasting years on this diet or this new trick for a slimmer me. I am quitting being obsessed with losing weight. So long story short, I bought a sure fire, get-my-butt-in-gear, no messing around transFIRMation workouts as a lifestyle change. I plan on doing this until I am a spunky grandma whose got her own little workout group. ;)

I have managed to live a week of my new life, and believe it or not I truly have seen results already. My energy is through the roof, my insomnia is waining, and physically I don't feel like I am busting at the seams anymore. I have almost lost a whole dress size!

This is worth tooting about, right?

Kiddie Quip

On rare occasion, I will catch a glimpse of sleep I like to call "napping". This is what it looked like:

I pulled another record for me of not sleeping more than 4 hours straight for a week. I think one can agree that makes for exhaustion, no? Therefore I was in dire need of wink or two from the sleep department. Then it happened, Monkey and Dear Baby were napping at. the. same. time!
It becomes a race against the odds, will one wake up? Can I get the others busily working on something productive, but independent at the same time that will last, say more than 10 minutes? With all children in order, I grab my pillow and make a B-line to the couch, so that I might be a force for good choice making while I am unconsious for those still awake.

Girly happens to be playing horses on the floor next to me. This girl has more than enough to keep her occupied, scaled down-life like-wooden stable accompanied with matching corral, and almost all the horses one girl could possibly ask for. So I close.....my.....eyes.........

"Mom......"

"Yes, sweety?"

"How come...(some question I can't remember)"

"Not sure, let's look it up when I am done napping. Sound good?"

......silence....some snoring ;).......

"mom.....MOM"

"Yes, dear. Mommy is trying to take a quick nap. I am very tired."

"Okay, but why does......(more questioning)"

I think you get the picture. After about five more rounds of this and very little napping eureka strikes.

"Mom. Your sleeping!"

"That's right. Mommy is closed for the next half hour. I will reopen after my nap."

"Ooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh. Okay!"

Girly then plays happily for precisely the next half hour. Well at least I know she understand time correctly!