It's Like I was 17 Again!

Unfortunately, we've been having sub-freezing temps around here lately, which has caused our garage door keypad to not open our door.

Fortunately, I tried it Saturday afternoon when I went our for a walk, and IT WORKED!

Unfortunately, when I returned an hour later, the keypad was NOT working again.

Fortunately, we have three other doors that I can get in our home with.

Unfortunately, when I tried all of them, they were ALL locked at the moment.

Fortunately, I have a LOUD knock/pound to alert those inside to open the door for me.

Unfortunately, no one answered the door.

Fortunately, I had my cell phone with me and I called the home phone.

Unfortunately, no one answered.

Fortunately, I knew this didn't necessarily mean anything negative (no one answers the phone when it rings!)

Unfortunately, when I called Kyle's cell phone, he said he wasn't inside our home - he was at a friend's house.  It didn't look like I was getting inside any time soon.

Fortunately, I had my coat and gloves.

Unfortunately, I did not have a face mask, hat, thermals or boots on, and the CHILL got through.

Fortunately, I had one chance left - I called Matt.

Unfortunately, he was in Salt Lake City shopping for a table.

Fortunately, he was almost done.

Unfortunately, he did not have our car with him, nor our keys, because he had borrowed his parent's truck to pick up above mentioned table, so he'd have to make an extra stop on his way home to get them.

Fortunately, we did have some neighbors who looked like they were home, if I froze or got desperate, or was desperately frozen, that I could go to and beg for shelter and warmth to wait it out in.

Unfortunately, I did not want to trouble them with my pathetic situation.

Fortunately, I HAD just returned from my walk to the library, and I had a bag full of six new books!  And we have a rocking chair on our porch!  So, I took a seat, opened up a book, and started reading!

And eventually Matt came home and let me into our [warm] home! 

The End.

Total time spent locked outside = approximately 30 minutes.
(But, with temperatures hovering around the high teens, it felt like MUCH longer!)  ;)


*This being locked out hasn't happened to me FOR YEARS - in my teens and college years, it was a regular occurrence, though, so this was quite the trip down Memory Lane!  haha.

Christmas Morning.....Didn't quite Start Out the way it was Supposed to.

In our family, we all line up and enter the Family Room together, at the same time, on Christmas morning (no one is allowed to go in there on their own before the agreed upon time).
First, everyone kind of just looks around, and finds "their" spot where their things have been left, and then they sit down and soak it all in.

 

Then, everyone is free to leisurely go through their stockings and see what is in them - and act ALL excited AND thankful AND jubilant!!!  :)
After that, we start opening presents, in turn, one by one.

So....we all got seated, AND BEFORE WE'D OPENED EVEN ONE PRESENT, all of a sudden, Kyle says, "Look, I cut my hand!" as he holds up his hand in front of Matt's face.

From across the room, in my dazed state (very LATE nights/mornings for the previous few nights), I look over and I can't figure out WHAT he's talking about.  I mean, we've literally ONLY been in the family room a couple of minutes TOPS, so HOW do you cut your hand by just sitting there or pulling things out of your stocking???

Did Santa put something sharp in there?

Since my mind was running so slowly, I was just staring and thinking, but no words actually made it out of my mouth.  (I know - shocker, huh?!?)
Matt, on the other hand, immediately asks, "WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" 

Apparently, Kyle had wanted to open up some socks that he got, and he took Matt's Swiss Army knife (without him noticing) to cut those plastic barbs that hold new socks together.

AND he missed or slipped, and got his finger.

Matt informed him (& everyone) that ONLY HE should touch the knife!

So, then Kyle started to bleed pretty good, so Matt told him to get over to the kitchen, so we could get a towel to put pressure on it (and so the blood wouldn't drip on the couch/carpet!)

But, then he started to get freaked out by the blood.
Side note: he has a history of this - NOT doing well at the sight or thought of blood. ;)  In fact, earlier this year, when all the kids had to go in for labs, Kyle about passed out and was given a ice pack and had to lay down.  Katelyn locked herself in the bathroom, crying.  And Brookelle was totally calm and fine and cooperated perfectly and was done in 20 seconds.  Hmmm....what is wrong with this picture?!?  ;)

But, when Kyle got up to move to the kitchen, he started to feel faint, so we had him sit down in a chair.

And then his face got all white.

And he started to sweat.

And breathe irregularly.

And was demanding to know how bad it was bleeding, as he was bouncing his foot up and down and putting his head down on the table and groaning.

Meanwhile, Matt & I are playing nurse/doctor.  I go to get or look for cloths and gauze and Neosporin and antiseptic spray and butterfly band-aids (couldn't find a single one!) and Matt applied pressure and performed all the treatment.  And the girls just continued to look through their Christmas stockings - No, I'm sure they were worried sick about their brother instead!  ;)

It was difficult to ignore the mayhem going on in the kitchen!!

Well, Kyle was feeling sick - that was for sure - he thought he was going to throw up, so I went looking for our bucket.  It wasn't in it's usual spot, and I was told to go look in Katelyn's room since she had felt sick in the middle of the night.  So, I go up to her room, and I found it......WITH vomit in it already!  So, then I go to the bathroom and rinse it out, then run back downstairs with the clean bucket for Kyle.  Luckily, he hadn't needed it yet.

Then Kyle says he can't feel his hand.
Or his arms.
And his head hurts.
His skin looks kind of gray, too.
And then he starts to apologizing for taking his dad's knife!  (His form of "death bed repentance?")

I get him a drink of water and a cold washcloth, his sister comes to his side and rubs his back.
Matt stops the bleeding, and dresses the wound after multiple attempts on the tricky finger bends, but Kyle doesn't even want to lift his head up to look at the damage.

We finally get him back to the couch, and laid him down, put his head on a pillow, feet elevated, and cover him with a blanket.....because NOW he has the chills (and he wants the cut hand to be out of sight!)
His face was still super white (it was funny/not funny)...and his previous enthusiasm for Christmas morning had disappeared!

So, not the way we normally start out Christmas morning.  ;)

So, about an hour later than intended, we resumed our stocking discovery and eventually started opening gifts, too.

And then took a break when a special Skype call came in:

It ended up to be just what the doctor ordered.  Because Kyle was able to perk back up for that! 

I Made the Discovery about 4 Hours Too Late

That awkward moment when..... 

...you're changing your clothes AFTER the 2nd Grade Field Trip you chaperoned, 

and you discover there is a HOLE in the seat of the pants you wore.

And this Field Trip happened to be a walking field trip to the Farmington Pond ---

where we walked in a line of mini-groups, 2nd graders and adult chaperons combined, and there was ALWAYS a group(s) following behind me!!

{Here's my group}

 {a hole big enough for my 2nd grader to put most her fingers through!}

What d'ya think?!?
Will Brookelle EVER want me to come on another Field Trip with her class again?!?  ;)


*Grasping for the last string of positivism and hope....Nobody said anything - so that means no one noticed, right?!?  Right?  Hello?  Anybody there?  Maybe?

But, on the BRIGHT SIDE.....
I killed it on my FitBit results that day, earning the "high tops" badge = 20,000 steps in a day!

(I'm gonna claim the number of hours of sleep I got the night before had something to do with me

 donning hole-y pants for the field trip!) ;)

"Privacy, Please" is the New "Barge on In"

Here's something to ponder: if you were to see THIS sign:

WHAT WOULD YOU THINK IT MEANT?

My husband and I spent the couple of days at the beautiful Hotel Park City, about a 45 minute drive from our home, this week.

                           

My husband had a meeting, so I was in our "cottage" making sure I fulfilled the meaning of, "leisurely morning" to the fullest!  (Remember, I like to do that, when I'm a guest on Matt's trips?)  I was sitting out on our deck, in the plush Hotel robe, sipping hot cocoa and eating fruit, with the tree leaves rustling, and a breeze gently swirling about me - not a golfer in sight, yet.......
...when, ding dong, I heard our door bell ring, so I start heading to the door (not even dressed in real clothes) to answer it. 
BUT, before I could even get there, the door opens up!  I was around the corner, and out of view of the door at this moment, but a MAN'S voice calls out, "Hello?" 
"Hello." I called back from where I was standing.
"Oh, I'll come back later," said the male voice.
Ya....you better not be staying!

So, I go and check the door, and sure enough, the "Privacy Please" door hanger had been put out by my husband when he left that morning, so WHY the intrusion from Mr. Hello.......???
To be even more secure, I found a "dead bolt" type knob that was also labeled, "privacy" so I turned that after he left.

.......AND THEN when Matt came back to our cottage, he was totally locked out and not able to get in!  :)  (I guess not even a key card will work if the knob is turned!)

After, we were in the back part of our cottage, getting ready for lunch (and when I say, "we," it means Matt was waiting for me to get ready) with the "Privacy Please" sign still on the door, and we hear a noise that sounds like our front door is opening, followed by a MAN calling out, "Hello?"

What?  Again?!?

Matt goes out to the front (I still had wet hair, fresh from the shower) and I hear him say, "Hey, What's up?"  And then I hear him telling someone that this is our room, and we've been here since yesterday, etc. etc.
Well, my curiosity got to me, so I walked out there to see what was going on, and there were two men in our room, with their rolling luggage and bags over their shoulders, looking like they're ready to move in to our same cottage! 
Did they not see the "Privacy Please" sign and think, Something's not right with this room!?
(Turns out, they had been given this room assignment AND key cards to it at check-in just moments before.)
So, they, being convinced that the cottage was already occupied, left.

Then, of course, Matt & I started discussing all these "forced entries" when, ding dong, our doorbell rings.  It was one of those same guys, asking for his sunglasses that he'd left on the kitchen counter.  Yes, they'd originally come in that far and started to settle into the place, when they must've seen some of our stuff here and there, and were prompted to call out.
At least they rang the doorbell that time!  ;)

Then the next day, JUST AS I was putting myself back together after using the bathroom, ding dong, our doorbell rings.  So, then I'm trying to stumble towards the door, and finish pulling up/fastening my pants at the same time, when the front door opens, followed by.....you got it!.....a MAN'S voice calling out, "Hello?"

Again?!? Yes. Again!

"Hello." I echoed back.
Now, fully dressed, I walked around the corner to the front door, and the man there informs me, "I'm just going to check your hot tub" as he proceeds to walk further into my cottage!
To which I must've responded with a stupefied look, not moving, because then he stopped, as if he was just struck with an intelligent thought, and he says, "I'll just come back later."
Uhhh....,ya you will!

After he left, I double checked - the Privacy Please sign WAS indeed up on the door then, too.

THREE TIMES we had trespassers.
THREE TIMES that sign failed us.
THREE TIMES I was seconds away from being spotted [in a compromising situation.]
THREE TIMES I wondered if people don't know how to read anymore.

OR........
Maybe I have misinterpreted the meaning and purpose of that sign all these years?!?   If so, please clue me in.  ;)


****************
We really DO enjoy this resort - we have stayed there for 3 years in a row now - we came to the conclusion that somehow, their computer system did not register that our room had guests in it, and everyone thought it was vacant.  At least we're hoping there was an innocent explanation, and this is not a common practice......

A Paranoid is Never Entirely Mistaken

I started reading this new book, Still Alice, this week.  (A movie by the same title was made about this last year).  Before I even started the book, I knew it was going to be about a woman, a 50-yr.-old woman, mind you, with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, thanks to the synopsis written on the back cover.

In just the very beginning parts of the book, I read about how:
The woman (Alice) was on a speaking assignment, and she was mid-sentence when she couldn't find the word she was intending on saying.  She had a loose sense of what she wanted to say, but the word itself eluded her.  It just wouldn't come to her.
THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME!

A little later, she was leaving a restaurant when the waiter ran out after her, and handed her back her BlackBerry that she had left.  She couldn't comprehend HOW the waiter got a hold of it because she didn't remember ever using it during the meal.  But, she checked her purse, and sure enough, it wasn't in there.
THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME!

Another time, when she was checking her daily "To Do" list that she had written for herself, she came across a one-word name and she thought, "What does that mean?"  She didn't know if she was suppose to tell, show, or ask that person something.  She tried checking her calendar and email, but nothing rang a bell.  She couldn't figure out what she was suppose to do about that "reminder."  (And then she figured it out a month later when that person contacted her about an assignment!)
THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME! 

So, now the question is; should I keep reading, or is this book just going to make me think I HAVE (or am developing) Alzheimer's?!? 

Are these actual SIGNS, or just PARANOIA?

It doesn't matter if I'm paranoid, I'm still going to get the disease! ;) 

The Short-Lived Birthday Gift

One of the things I love most about our new home that we built is the big front porch (and the cold storage that is underneath it!)  But, it'll take some work (and time & money) to get it to look like my "dream" front porch.

Case in point:

 {some examples of what I like}

Ours is not quite there, YET!

BUT, it got one step closer last Monday when Matt got me a hanging porch swing for my birthday!  I guess he had installed the hooks into the ceiling the previous Saturday, so it’d be immediately ready to put up after I opened it on my birthday.  He was worried that I would notice the hooks and KNOW about the surprise too soon – but I never looked up, I guess, and had no idea!

By the time we got around to opening birthday presents it was pretty late, but I wanted to put it up THAT NIGHT anyway, so we got it up around 10:00 p.m.  More chain was needed so it could hang lower to the porch, so I didn’t even sit in it, yet, since I’d practically have to jump up to get on.

 The girls were all sitting in it, though....

Then on Tuesday evening, about 20 hours after I opened it, just as I was starting my BUNCO night here at our home, one of the ladies heard a big, loud crashing noise, and they looked out my front window.  (I was in the kitchen getting all the last things ready, so I was oblivious, and heard nothing!)
Then that lady came and found me, and was like, “Uh, Suzanne, your swing just broke out on your porch....and your girls came down with it.” 

I go out there, and I saw that the chain & hook on one side had come OUT of the ceiling, and RIPPED down a few sheets of soffit (so the wood rafters were exposed)

 

And that same side of the swing was touching down on the porch (the other side still hanging up), with the arm of the bench broken off....

{not my actual swing - I was kinda shocked and too preoccupied, trying to put on a party, to take a photo - but this shows what it looked like} 

...and I saw Haylee standing there in silence, and Katelyn standing there crying, and Brookelle had ran and hid somewhere, I think, because I don’t recall seeing her.  

But, I had 11 guests at my home, ready to start, so I just left "the carnage" on the front porch for my husband to see when he returned home.  ;)

Well, that was a short-lived gift; it was up less than a day, and I never even used it myself!  

---------------------------

P.S.  All is not lost - Matt is working on repairing it/ordering a new arm and will reinstall it in a more secure place (he admitted, he wasn't sure if he got the hook installed into the wood beam or not).

Miscues, Misunderstandings, and Mistakes

I just spent my weekend at Queen of the Kingdom with about 400 other women.
It is a training/learning opportunity and women's conference by the company, 3 Key Elements.

But, in addition to being trained all weekend, there were some funny/embarrassing/baffling parts of the weekend, too.  :)

#1  For one activity, words to a song were passed out, and we sang together.  It was a song that I was not familiar with, had never heard.  The title is, "Princess" as sung by Galen Crew.  In the song, there's a sentence where the lyrics pause....pause...pause while music is playing softly, then the final words of the sentence are sung after the pause.
So, here's my disclaimer: if you didn't know the song (like I didn't) and were only looking at the printed words on our paper, you might not get the tune/tempo/timing right, at first. 
As we were all standing and singing as a group, the leader/mentor (who was wired with a mike) was walking through the crowd, and would touch our arm, signaling she wanted us to sing with her (and louder?!)  Well, she came up to me, and at that moment, it happened to be that one part of the song with the pause!  So, I'm all singing with her (kinda louder than I had been) and I totally jumped the gun on those lyrics that were suppose to come AFTER the pause, and I sang out strong (near her mike) during the pause!  Woops!  It was heard by many!  AND the thing is; my premature entrance on my singing caused her to follow and sing at the wrong time, too!  hahaha.

#2  For another activity, we walked around the room and mingled with as many other women as we could in a designated period of time.  We were suppose to go up to someone and say, "What do you see in me?"  And then, they were suppose to just look at us, and go with their feelings/intuition and say the first word that came to their mind.  We would then switch roles, and the other person would ask us the same question, and we would tell them what we "saw."  We were suppose to write down what everyone said, so that at the end, we had a whole list of attributes about us.
So, I'm going along doing the activity, and had already talked to many when I come to a new [younger] woman and I asked, "What do you see in me?"
And she replied, "Dumb S_ _ _"
Taken back, I asked, "Pardon?"
"Dumb S_ _ _," she said again.
By now I'm thinking, Is she REALLY saying that about me?  Or is this the new "compliment" amongst the younger crowd these days?
But, just to be sure, I repeated back to her, "Did you say 'dumb s_ _ _?'"
And she said, "NO. Dumb s_ _ _."
Well, I was relieved she said, "No" but I was still hearing the same word that followed.
She must've seen my perplexed face because then she repeated it more slowly so I could understand this time, "Gumption."
"Oh, gumption!?!" I responded.
"Yes," she answered.
Whew!  I'll take it!  Following what I'd just thought I heard, that was the best word ever!  Gumption: initiative, resourcefulness, ingenuity, sense, backbone, courage, spunk.

#3 On one of our breaks, I had to go to the bathroom, and so I headed to it.  There was another lady entering the bathroom ahead of me, and the door was closed about half-way when I reached it, so I pushed it open so I could go in after her.  The lady turned and stood in front of the door opening and blocked me from going any further.
"This is a one-person bathroom," she informed me.
Huh?!?  How many bathrooms don't have multiple stalls these days?  I just assumed......
Well, you know what they say about assuming.....
As soon as I realized what was going on, I apologized profusely.  Poor lady.....she probably thought I wanted to "share" in her using the facilities experience that day - which I totally didn't!

Oh, dear.  Just a sampling of the cringeworthy things that happen to me on a regular basis!  ;)

This Weekend:

* I was home in the afternoon on Friday (good thing!) and my doorbell rang.
My girls answered it and called to me, saying it was for me.  

My visiting teachers were there.  (I'd totally forgot they were coming!)

But, luckily, I was here so we got to visit.
It was also lucky I'd changed out of the muumuu I had been hanging out in earlier in the day!
 (THAT would've been a sure giveaway that I'd forgotten!)

(Except my family room was a mess with kids' games, back packs, papers, clothes, scriptures, etc. strewn on the floor & chairs.
One of the ladies literally had to pick up
stuff off the couch and move it first before she was able to sit down!  Aaugh!
So, maybe they figured out my forgetfulness anyway?)

* Before going out on our date in the evening, we had to play "taxi service" for

Kyle, taking him to his social events/party.

* We went out to dinner at Sonora Grill in Ogden.

Matt had received a birthday "free entree" coupon already,

so that helped us choose the place tonight.

(I'm on this no-white-flour challenge, so I had to order my meal with corn tortillas......tonight was just not as yummy as their flour tortillas entrees I've had there in the past.)

* After dinner, it was still early enough that we figured our children would

still be up, so we stopped at Ross to kill some time go shopping.

We had to get some pool & beach essentials for the fam in preparation for our upcoming vacation.

* On Saturday morning, I walked to the library to return and pick up some books.
AND to get my fitbit steps in.  As I was out & about, I saw a couple of friends
who were outside, so I stopped to visit.  My 40 min. walk/errand turned into TWICE that long! :)

* We spent some time out in the yard.  Matt set up a pump to pump out the water
that is in our trampoline hole (a natural spring?)  The water was coming
out a hose - and it was crystal clear - so I took the hose up to the
garden we planted last week and watered the whole thing with the "good" water.
{I think we've got our emergency water situation taken care of!}
I cut up a watermelon and it tasted SO GOOD coming in from the warm outdoors.

* I went through the pile of clothes that has somehow ended up on my laundry room counter.
For some reason, the kids were putting clothes they didn't want to wear anymore there.
WHY?
I separated and organized them all into Put Away/Give Away/Throw Away piles
and now we can see the counter top again!

* Matt & I went to the plasma donation center.
I started a new book to read while I layed there donating:

(I haven't decided if it's good or not, yet.)

* We were driving towards an eating establishment, and right before we got there,
we got a text from Matt's brother inviting us to go to Sushi Monster with them.
Well, of course!  So, we switched gears and headed to meet them.
Except, I needed to eat one more vegetable for the day with this challenge I'm on,
and I wasn't sure I could get a whole serving from just sushi, so we
stopped at a grocery store to buy some carrot chips.
While we were in there, my flip flop straps totally came out and the foot-bed cracked
and was dangling on a thread, just seconds from breaking into two pieces.
I knew I couldn't go to Sushi Monster without any shoes on,
so we swung by our house to get new flip flops for me.
(Sidenote: I had a feeling that this 2nd pair of flip flops might fail me, too,
so I put a "replacement" pair in purse just in case.....and guess what?
I DID need them when my 2nd pair also broke.  Two in one night?!?  Wow! I'm talented!)

* Sushi Monster was good, and the company was great.
My recommendation: the Las Vegas roll.
Delish.

* Afterwards, we went to six stores looking for a new light blue purse for me.
My current one (in my beloved color, red, but I thought I venture out to a new color) is kinda hammered.

 (Yes, this is the same purse that Kohl's replaced for me last year.  I didn't have the gall to ask them for a new one AGAIN - it's tearing because I put the whole kitchen sink in it!)
Kohl's is ONE of the stores I went to, but in the end, I found my purse at Target (on clearance even!)

* On Sunday morning, I slept in until 9:30 a.m.!!!
This has just become a luxury in recent years.
Our kids have [finally]  figured it out that IF they wake us up,
we put them to work/tell them to get dressed/make them eat REAL, healthy food,
so it's so much better, in their minds, to let us sleep! ;)
Smart kids!

* I went out visiting teaching with my companion on Sunday,
then I came home, and our home teachers came to my family.
(Was it the last day of the month, or something?!?)  ;)

* Churchy-Church
It was the missionary farewell of one of my former young women!
They're growing up! {sniff, sniff}  She did a great job!
She shared an awesome quote from a Elder Holland talk he delivered at the MTC back in 2000.
Read it HERE.

 * Because it was the 5th Sunday, we had a combined meeting with the
Priesthood men and Relief Society women the last hour of our church block.
The theme of the meeting was "Family Home Evening" and we had been
asked to speak about our experience, representing a "family with children at home."
(There was also a newlywed couple and an Empty Nester couple who spoke.)
The thing about this "assignment" was, last Sunday Matt had mentioned to me, in passing, that
the Elder's Quorum President had talked to him about something and that he'd have to tell me about it later......
Well, that "later" happened to be last night around 10:00 p.m.!
(Ya gotta love it, baby!)

* I had a meeting after church, so I gave Matt instructions on everything
he needed to do to get dinner ready.
He owed it to me after the lack of notice he gave me on my speaking assignment in church, don't ya think?!?  ;)
We had Ranch Chicken.  It was a new recipe (found HERE) and I approved.

* We went on a family walk on the Lagoon Trail up to Farmington Pond
with grandma/pa and Matt's brother, wife, & kids.

A lot of other people had the same idea...and somehow some people
had confused our quiet Farmington Pond for a swimming hole that day.
There were a ton a people jumping off the fishing docks, splashing around,
and wearing skimpy suits - I'd never seen THAT up there.
Needless to say, we didn't stay long at all.

* Wrote my weekly letter to our missionary

* I quit eating before 9:00 p.m. (another part of this blasted challenge I'm on),
while Matt baked up some cookies for himself from the cookie
dough I'd made (but I didn't eat any!) for the missionary farewell/lunch.
 Only one week left of the challenge!  Yay!  ;)

The Land of Short Street Signs

Thanks to our [infamous] East Winds here in Farmington, our street signs frequently get blown over.  For a few days after a windstorm, all order on the streets is gone as the signs, that usually tell drivers what to do, lay on the ground.  In some lucky cases, the sign is still somewhat close to the location where it belongs and the city workers can use the same sign to put back up and restore order.
But, when they've blown over and the poles have either broken off or are just severely bent at the base, to make it stand up again, they have to bury the *new* bottom of the pole into the ground which results in the sign being about a foot shorter than it used to be before the wind.  (I've read various reports that typical stop signs are anywhere between 7-10 feet tall.)

And then when the next windstorm comes along and knocks over the sign again, they have to go through the same process, which decreases the height of the sign again...

And then the wind blows hard again.....and the knocked down/broken pole/re-bury/put back up series happens all over again!

Until it gets to the point that, if you are driving a van/truck/SUV, you actually have to look down to notice the street signs.  I just can't get used to the short signs around here - no matter how many times I pass it, I totally notice it and think, That looks so weird!   I know! The Wizard of Oz should film in our city!

My son wants to go pose by all the signs (because I think he is taller than them in their shortened, post-disaster shape) and send those photos to his missionary brother to "prove" how tall he is!  Of course, he plans to "omit" the little fact that they are NOT standard height anymore!  ;)

Don't Wait for Old Age to Wear Purple

The missionary care package I did for March was PURPLE.

{The contents}

Except, I discovered that popcorn box had been opened a little and it only contained 2 pkgs. instead of the usual 3 in it..... 
What?!?  Did I buy it like that?!?  No, I wouldn't be that unobservant, would I?
And then I had a moment of clarity.......

Katelyn!!!!

(I was right.)

(NOTHING is safe around here, I tell ya!)

{The packed and ready-to-ship box}

The four purple flaps say:

"You are doing a 'GRAPE' job!!"

"Remember: You have been 'born to the PURPLE'."  (1 Peter 2:9)

"Your mission is 'a PURPLE patch' in your life!!"

"When teaching the Gospel....'lay it out in lavender'."  :)

(Is it lavendar or lavender?  woops!)

The next time Ryan wrote to us after receiving this care package, he told us he got it (ya never know with rural "mail people" - he says they just put a sticker on a car and a flashing light thing on top and call it good!), but that there was a slight problem with the V8 Energy drinks, though!  :/

(and he sent me this photo to show me):

Oh, wow!  Don't I get the "MM of the Year" award for sending him that?!!?  Yea for me!  MAJOR Ooops! 

(We, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, do NOT drink tea.)

I didn't even read the label!!  I assumed they were the V8 Fusions (100% juice) that we really like.  You know what 'they' say about assuming!

See!  Don't they look alike?!!?

Now I literally KNOW how the phrase, "Looks can be deceiving" was coined!

Good thing he was paying attention and caught it before consuming it!  ;)  He was forgiving and said he'd have fun getting rid of them!  Whew!

****************

To see past missionary care packages, click HERE.

101 Things to Do with a Treadmill

Probably one of the most well known things to do with a treadmill is this: 

Hopefully, I will put my new one to GOOD USE - in the proper way it was meant to be used, that is!

I shouldn't have this problem because the treadmill's going to be in the "weight room" READ: unfinished room of our basement that currently houses our weight bench and other exercise equipment.  And that happens to be FAR AWAY from my clothes - it'd be a farther trip to the basement - and more effort - to leave my clothes on the treadmill than to just put them away in my closet!  Now, the boys who reside in the basement?.......I can't make any guarantees about where their clothes might end up!

But, here at the Brenchley household, we've found another thing to do with a treadmill.....
WEAR IT ON OUR BACK.
(we always have done things a little differently).
Allow me to explain:
A couple of days ago, when Matt was trying to move the treadmill from the front room down to the basement, he recruited Kyle to help him.
I was sitting at the computer desk minding my own business (actually I was emailing back & forth with Ryan, it was his P-Day) when all of a sudden, Kyle yells, "Mom!  HELP!"
I went down the stairs and found Matt was laying face down on the stairs with the big treadmill box on top of him!  Apparently, the distribution of strength was not equal?  Kyle was standing at the bottom of the stairs just watching, telling me his dad was crunched underneath it!  Kyle claimed he couldn't do much from his position....so, I had to go lift the box off of Matt!

Thinking of other uses for treadmills, THIS memory from two houses ago comes to mind:

{Ryan, circa 1997}
A CLIMB ON TOY FOR TODDLERS.

THIS treadmill didn't get used much because it was a manual one - as in non-electric!  (I KNOW!  What a silly invention, right?!?)  You had to push real hard with your feet to get the belt going, while moving the arm handles.....which meant your speed was never constant.  And sometimes it would stop.  And it was super hard to get it going again...yada, yada, yada!  It was simply too much of a hassle, so it sat ignored by the adults, but it was too irresistible for baby boys to leave alone!!  ;)

While someday I may complete my "treadmill uses book," similar to the idea of this one:

For now, I will share just one more thing to do with a treadmill.

KISS IT.

Back in the day when I went to a real gym to workout, I liked to walk/run on their treadmills.

The only problem was:  so did everyone else, and the availability was a problem.  OPEN treadmills were few and far between at certain times of the day (the time I always happened to be at the gym!)  So, my strategy was to bide my time on the nearby stationary bikes while keeping an eye on the row of treadmills....

THEN, as soon as someone got off, I'd jump off the bike and sprint over to the treadmill to get on it.  And, I had to move fast because sometimes, other gym-goers were lurking in other corners, ready to pounce on an open treadmill, as well.

So, ONE DAY, when I saw a treadmill become open, I rushed over to it....yes! I was the first one there!  And, I hurriedly stepped right on....

And just as quickly, my feet flipped out from underneath me, and my face ended up just inches from the MOVING BELT.  And then I may or may not have let out a little scream!  Just a little one.....that everyone within 50 yards of me heard!

Did you get the picture from my description?  Here, does this help?

Apparently, the previous user had NOT turned the treadmill off, and I, in my haste to secure a rare open treadmill, stepped right on without bothering to check if the belt was still running.  WHO LEAVES THE TREADMILL GOING WHEN THEY'RE DONE WITH IT, ANYWAY?!?

Everyone else was much amused....at my expense.

BUT!  I DID finish my workout, I'm proud to say!

 

Good thing, because the rest of my pride was surely GONE!

Three Strikes.....on My Idea

Katelyn turned 10 years old this week.  Double Digits!!

It was her year for a friend birthday party and she wanted to have a “Game Show” themed party.
We played "Wheel of Fortune" and "Friend Feud" with some puzzles/questions I made up.

I made the game show boards out of poster boards and paper.

I thought it would be fun & clever to have one of the “Friend Feud” questions be:  
"Name something great about Katelyn.” 
I thought it would be a good way to "CELEBRATE" the birthday girl.

FOR THIS QUESTION, I had all 12 answers worth 100 points each (instead of how I did it on the other questions and how they do it in the real game where ALL the answers only total 100).  This way, the girls could REALLY earn a lot of points for this *BRILLIANT* question.

The 12 "Katelyn" answers on the board [that were covered] were: Friendly, Happy, Athletic, Crafty, Honest, Brave, Great singer, Caring, Helpful, Gives compliments, FUN, & Smart).

Well, this *special* idea of mine?.....it kind of bombed...
because the first person guessed, “funny.”  STRIKE ONE. 
Katelyn:  "WHAT?!?  I'm not funny?  I always make everyone laugh."  (As everyone, literally, laughed!)

The next person guessed, “sweet.”  STRIKE TWO. 
Katelyn: “WHAT?!?” 
Oh no.....she's [thinking she's] NOT funny, and she's NOT sweet!

The next person said, “Awesome.”  STRIKE THREE. 
Katelyn: (practically speechless, with mouth gaping open)


So, the other team gets a chance to "steal."  And they say, “pretty.” 
I was dying because I knew THAT answer wasn't on the board, either, but I didn’t want to give ANOTHER strike.....because what Katelyn wasn't understanding was, that even though all the previous answers given about her were TRUE, and it's what her friends thought of her....it just wasn’t one of the TOP TWELVE ANSWERS ON THE BOARD.
"Pretty" got a STRIKE, also.
 
When Katelyn saw it wasn’t on the board, she hid her face in the couch and started to cry.

Come on - everyone break out into song now, "It's MY party, I can cry if I want to, cry if I want to.....YOU would cry, too, if it happened to you!"

*****************
But, in an attempt to make things better, I let the "stealing" team call out another one of their answers they had brainstormed up together - and it was [finally] ON THE BOARD! (Makes friends easily)

I Don't Take Rejection Well

A friend of mine referred me to BioLife, a place she goes to donate plasma, to earn some extra cash (every little bit helps when you have a missionary out!)

So, I go for my first time and they do all this "paperwork" (on the computer) first - including getting my fingerprint digitally, so I can "sign" by putting my finger on this devise.

They also do this medical pre-screening where they weigh you (Oh joy!  That's enough to back out right on the spot!) and check your arms.  They also take your temperature/blood pressure/pulse and they prick your finger to test your blood for hematocrit & protein levels.

By the time I get called up for my med pre-screen, I'd already been there for about an hour (plus the 15 min. drive time) so I was ready to get the show on the road!  Only to have them test my finger prick and tell me my hematocrit level was too low - BY ONE POINT!  So, I was disqualified from donating that day.  What?!?  I'm not good enough?  I didn't like that feeling.  I couldn't leave it like THAT!
They gave me a pamphlet with ideas on how to raise my hematocrit levels, some of which were eating more tuna and raisins!  I DON'T THINK SO!  Those are two foods I try to never come in contact with!  Thus, my low levels?  I opted for the iron supplement route instead and went back the next day and passed!  YES!
(Although, they didn't get a good "stick" on the first arm, and they eventually had to take it out and re-try on my other arm - a "Two for One deal" as they call it, ya, real funny!)  They told me that first arm they had tried is a little more tricky, and in the future, to ask for an"experienced" person.  Ummmm, shouldn't they ALL be experienced?

So, then I went back the next week - I wanted to see if I could do it "incident-free" and not have them find anything wrong with me.  Since, it was my 2nd time, I was "flagged" when I signed in, I guess.
So, they had me walk over to the receptionist area,
Then she directed me to the waiting area.
Then when I was "cleared" by a supervisor, they told me to go over to the computer area for my questionnaire.  One of the questions was about recent vaccinations received and I had just gotten my flu shot the day before, so I marked it yes....which ended up "flagging" me.
When I walked over to the pre-screen area, they saw the "flag" and had me walk over into a private consultation room to ask me about that question.
She didn't know if the flu shot was OK, or not, so then we walked over to the nurses offices to find out.
They said it was OK, so then we walked back to the consultation room, and that computer wouldn't work.
So, we went to find help, then FINALLY we were cleared to go back to pre-screening.
And they proceeded to take my vitals - and surprise, surprise, my pulse was too high!
What?  Another failure?
She said it was probably from all that walking to and fro in the previous 10 minutes.  (It might've ALSO had something to do with the fact that, right before she took it, I started thinking about my "2 for 1" experience from last time!)
This time, instead of rejecting me right on the spot, they told me to sit down for 5 minutes and then they could re-test my pulse.
I felt pretty unsettled about not "passing" again - I don't like that!  It's just a little, little thing, but it didn't sit well with me, so I was determined to prove them!  I HAD to be found worthy!  ;)  So, as I sat, I may or may not have engaged in deep yoga-like breathing exercises until they called my name again, and after testing me - my pulse was just fine!  YES!

So, then I was bound & determined to have a SMOOTH draw and PASS everything with flying colors, that I went again.  Hematocrit - PASS.  Pulse - PASS.  (We're on a roll!)  And then it came time for the stick.  It should've been a clue to me when the phlebotomist took extra time feeling my arm and touching up and down my vein.  Then she kept rubbing my vein and looking and feeling some more.  In fact, it WAS a clue, I was very aware of her hesitancy, BUT I had talked to her before we started saying that an experienced person needs to do my left arm, and she didn't back out, so I took that to mean she was, and I didn't refuse her and demand someone else.  Because, after all, wasn't that a lot of the reason I was THERE again?  Trying myself, not to be refused?  So, I'm not prone to do it to someone else.  She finally completed the stick, but the flow wasn't up to par, so she called for assistance, and someone else came and "adjusted" the needle (i.e. pushed it further in - too far, I believe, since as soon as she did it, I FELT a pain!  So, they moved it back a bit).  That draw took a little bit longer than normal, so NOT a success in my book.

That time WAS going to be my last time.......BUT in the days since I was there, I have developed bruising on my arm in the area above the stick site - it is in the area I felt pain in when they pushed the needle up TOO FAR.  Surprise, surprise!  The bruising on my arm now disqualifies me for another donation until it goes away.  So just knowing that; if I were to go in, not that I was necessarily even planning on it, BUT IF I DID and they saw my bruised arm, I'd be rejected......and that BUGS ME again.  It's like I have this little phrase that goes off in my head repeatedly, "They WILL NOT reject me.  They WILL NOT reject me.  I CAN do it!  I CAN!"

Uh oh, I think this means I might be back!  ;)

*This "condition" I have can probably be attributed to my 5th Grade teacher.  She made us memorize quotes, and one of them (that I OBVIOUSLY took to heart) was, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!"

We're Livin' Back in the 21st Century Again

About two months ago, our microwave just went ka put.

It was about the same time - give or take a couple of weeks - that our ice maker also quit working - AND our mini van broke, too.

It was official.  WE MUST HAVE A MISSIONARY GOING OUT! 
{Because the Adversary tries to get ya any way he can during the prospective missionaries final days/weeks before departure....it happened to me, too, 23 years ago - So, I already know the drill - I'm onto him!  My "challenges" were ALL problems with vehicles, though.}

But, back to the microwave.  I had JUST finished cooking something in it, and I simply opened the door to retrieve my food, and at that very instant, it just blitzed, and all the lights went out - never to work again.

It was very traumatic for my children because now they were "going to STARVE!"  Ya know, because the method of "cooking" ALL their life-sustaining food was gone!
All your basic staples like:
microwave popcorn
hot pockets
Easy Mac
Instant oatmeal
leftover pizza
nachos
corn dogs
edamame (OK, that was mine!)

Over the last little while, our fridge has filled up with 37 assorted sizes of tupperware containers because no one ate any dinner leftovers anymore - since no one knew how to re-heat it without a microwave!

We had to like melt butter on the stove!

We had to google, "Can a hot pocket be baked in the oven - and How?"

We had to boil water on the stove, then toss in a bouillon cube, and wait for it to boil some more to make broth -- it took like 8 1/2 minutes!  Oh my!

We had to use the oven to try to melt cheese on tortilla chips - and it didn't turn out the same - bummer.

You don't know how many times we went to use the microwave, stopped, only to remember; Oh yeah, we can't.  Now, what am I suppose to do?!?  So irritating!

Can you believe the "hardships" we've had to go through?!?  ;)
Bwa ha ha ha.....we're such wimps!  The pioneers did it!

But, today was a happy day when the repair man came to our home with all his handy dandy tools & Good News - the right parts had finally come in!  He took that microwave right outta the wall.......

 ........and he dissected it, and......uh, er, I'm not quite sure....he just did his repairman thang!  OR maybe (by the looks of this photo) it was out-of-this-galaxy messengers who came and "zapped" it back into working order with their rays of light.

WHATEVER it was - everyone is rejoicing!

But, we don't even have a chance to use it again right now - because we are literally leaving on a camping weekend this minute!
(At least the trailer we're camping in has a microwave!)  :)

Who Would Want It?

Today, I couldn't find my phone ANYWHERE!

I looked in all the usual places.....THREE TIMES.

We tried calling it, but could never hear it.  Did that mean it was at home, but on silent?  OR that it was someplace else?

I tried to remember the last place I remember having it, and it was yesterday....but Brookelle had also dragged my purse around the volleyball court last night and rummaged through it looking for candy - had it fallen out then?

Matt looked at the time of the last text I had sent him, and it was yesterday, while I was at the girls' tumbling class....but I was pretty sure I brought it out of there with me.

So, I went about my day WITHOUT a phone and no one could get a hold of me if I was away.  Matt had to actually call our home land line to talk to me, and leave a message with one of our kids if I wasn't home.  Just like the good 'ol days!! 

I tried calling the tumbling gym a few times, but it always went to voice mail - and their mailbox was FULL, of course!

Matt offered to stop by there on his way home just to see - he'd had ENOUGH of me living in the "dark ages!"  ;)

So, he goes in and tells the lady at the front desk that his wife might have left her cell phone here yesterday, and did they pick it up?

She doesn't answer him either way, but asks suspiciously, "Can you describe it?" AS IF he were trying to pull one over on her, or something.

He replied, "Ya, it's got cracks all over it!"

 {Which describes it to a "T"}

After which she quickly produced my phone and handed it over.

Really?!?  ONLY the true owner would even care one bit about having THIS phone....even if it was laying out in plain sight, as thief bait, it probably wouldn't get taken!

When Your Camera is Smarter than You Are

After Ryan's missionary setting apart blessing, we wanted to take a family picture, so we set the camera up on "Auto" while we all posed together.

Here is that photo:

Then Matt proceeded to return to where we had set up the camera to take a look at how it turned out.  And while he was walking there:

SURPRISE!!!  The camera flashed & took another picture.

So, Matt was like, "What the heck?" and started examining the camera (while still on it's original picture taking perch) and....

FLASH!  The camera goes off again!

At this point, Kyle thinks Matt needs some younger generation "help" (read: mocking) and starts heading over to him, when....

It happens AGAIN!

Everyone is now confused AND amused - and half of them take off to investigate (rather than stay in the right position to get our picture taken - like ME!) and then we discover....

The camera IS NOT DONE, yet!

(Notice Haylee's jeans showing under her skirt?  I told her to dress up [her least favorite thing] for the setting apart, and I didn't notice until AFTERWARDS that she'd pulled THAT stunt!)

So, now everyone (except me, who just wanted our family to pose for a picture in front of the fireplace - dang it!) wants to run to the camera's rescue - since Matt still hasn't been able to stop the possessed thing - but Kyle can't allow his sisters to beat him there, so he.....

....gets caught on CAMERA being a bully!

By, this time everyone is going, "What the.....?" and I'm hoping they can all just get back into position for a family picture!!

 When the camera goes off for the 7th time!

 Then the 8th time!

(I'm still in position)

 And the 9th time!

(I'm still in the right place.)

And, finally, the 10th (& last) time.

APPARENTLY, our camera has a function where it will "AUTO" TAKE 10 PHOTOS IN A ROW (if you push the button for THAT option, which Matt [unknowingly] did), so you don't have to keep walking back to it!  WHO KNEW?!!?  OBVIOUSLY, NOT US!

After the camera was done with it's theatrics, I managed to get The Brood lined up again and got a "planned" family picture - to appease Mom.  ;)

(Don't ask me what Miss B is doing....?)