High School Flashback #2

I had a very serious deja vous recently.

Last Saturday night, I found myself staking out a teenager's house. And then positioning my car in the perfect spot so that I could both keep on eye on the house AND be able to get away fast.

The passengers in my car were dressed in black hoodies so as not to be seen by the residents of the house or by anyone else in the neighborhood who might be on watch while they "left their mark" at the house and in the yard.

If by chance a witness did happen to appear, I was ready to give the signal - two quick taps on the car brake pedal - so they could duck for cover.

Fortunately, the job was completed in hardly no time at all (although it seemed like a very long, slow motion-ish, time to the participants in the moment) so my flashing light tactic wasn't even needed.

The little sisters were sent back to my getaway car first to ensure they were not caught. Then we all crouched down in the car, with our eyes barely above the bottom of the window to watch what unfolded next.......we saw our own family's teenager ring the doorbell of the house, leap off the porch and skedaddle to the far side of the house before disappearing into the neighbor's yard in 1.7 seconds flat! It really was quite remarkable since this is the same boy who, most of the time, looks like he's got cement bricks in his shoes when he runs. I figured he would just hide behind the neighbor's bushes until the door was answered since he couldn't make it back to the car in time - BUT I WAS WRONG - the next thing I know, he books it to my car, opens the car door and dives back into the front seat....all before the front door was even opened. Literally, I've never seen him move that fast! Just goes to show what adrenaline will enable the body to do! Good 'ol Fight or Flight.

We did see someone open the door. That someone left, and went and got someone else. And then that someone else walked out onto the porch and picked up the clue. After everyone was back in the house and the door was closed, we drove away, on the way down the street and for half the ride back home, my teenager's heart was thumping out of his chest (from the running or from the excitement?)

It was official. My son had just asked a girl to his first High School PROM.

{yikes. How old does that make me?}

Fast Forward two days.

My son was walking out our front door, when he immediately ran back inside. He told me he had just seen the girl driving down the street in front of our house - at least he thought he had. Then the family went out on the front lawn to play a good 'ol game of "Red Light, Green Light" for our Family Night Activity. Next thing I know, he's running back inside again. It was confirmed. The girl, driving the same car, had just driven up the street in front of our house - and her little brother was in the car. Since she doesn't live in our neighborhood, it appears it was her turn to stake out our house, but we were [inadvertently] messing it up for her!

About a half hour after coming in the house, our doorbell rings. Of course, everyone and their dog started to stampede to the door. Since I figured it was probably a "messenger" (in the form of her little brother), I "called off the dogs" and instructed everyone to allow me to answer the door calm, cool, and collected like. (yeah, right!) There was no person there, but instead, a "answer" in the form of a jar of fish.

And when the kids saw that, they charged right past me, out the front door, and proceeded to run up and down the street, yelling, "Where are you?" All the while, ignoring my warnings that, surely, they were being watched at that very moment, and to not act like hooligans. But, why should that night be any different from any other and they start listening to me?

The very wording on her answer rang a bell with me....Of all the fish in the sea, I'm glad you picked me!.... In fact, I'm pretty sure the same idea was involved in my High School's "Enchantment Under the Sea" dance asking/answering from 1986. I guess they get recycled every 25 yrs. or so....?

{I've heard (though not first-hand knowledge) that my date is now "playing for the other team" - was it because of this date? I didn't think it was that bad!}

The minute he asked her, I told him it was very important to keep his bedroom clean for the whole next week because there was a possibility that she would be calling me and asking if she could do something to/leave something in his bedroom in the form of an answer. This thought made him very uncomfortable. And I told him I wasn't going to clean it up for him, so he'd just have to be humiliated if she came and it was a disaster.
He pleaded that I at least give him warning like, It'd be a REALLY good idea if you left your room clean today! (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)
To which I replied, I AM giving you a warning - right now - keep it clean for a week!
Well, then she answered 2 days later - and just on the front porch - so I didn't even get any "cleaning benefits" out of it! DANG! :)

But, seriously - wasn't I just doing this very thing myself? - driving past boys' houses, on "stake outs" with my friends, and anonymously calling (Caller ID didn't exist) our prospective dates' mothers to see if they had been asked yet, leaving surprises in boys' bedrooms (that their mother's may or may not have clean up for them)......and vice versa, the boys to me?!?

It all came back to me - just like riding a bike - it was second nature to me, I'm glad I could show my son the ropes. :)

------

Although, times have changed somewhat, I noticed. I attempted to call the girl's parents to inquire if she had been asked yet, but they were never home. So, then I tried to call her best friend to ask her, but she wasn't home either -- apparently no one uses their home phone anymore!

So, I ended up texting the girl from my [unrecognizable] cell phone:

Me: Have you been asked to Prom yet?

The girl: Who is this? And no.

Me: I am a Secret Investigator.

The girl: (no response)

How Many Days Does it Take to Build a House?

Let's find out! Watch our House Time Lapse with us.

DAY 1
{We got a hole!}

DAY 17
{a foundation surrounded by piles of dirt}

DAY 28
{basement floor prepped to be poured, surrounding dirt compacted down}

DAY 38
{basement framed}

DAY 44
{more framing}

We Haven't Aged a Day -- RIGHT?!?

The Japan Fukuoka Mission, that was under the direction of Figuerres Dendobucho and Shimai (1991-1994),
had our 19/20/21 year Mission Reunion this past weekend in conjunction with General Conference.

{I may or may not have been able to easily recognize everyone!}

Let's take a look at the THEN and NOW......

M.T.C. - September 1991

Washburn Shimai & I (roommates)

March 2012

{We both lost our perms!}

Arriving at the Mission Home
Fukuoka, Japan - November 1991

President & Sister Figuerres and I

March 2012

There's absolutely no difference, RIGHT?!?

Oh Dear.

It's the Day After Palm Sunday

Do you know what that means?
It means Lent is over.

I made it 40 days - and was 100% on my "No Candy" resolve.

Did I notice a difference? you ask?

Why Yes! (thanks for asking!) I got on the scale this morning......

AND it had changed by 5 pounds.....in the upward direction!

What the ???????????

So, if it doesn't even matter anyway..... I just went ahead and helped myself to a couple of Caramacs my in-laws just brought us back from Hawaii.

What I Gleaned From this Weekend

My favorite quotes from General Conference....

From Dieter F. Uchdorf: (quoted from a bumper sticker that he saw) "Don't judge me because I sin differently than you."

Also:

From Russell M. Nelson: (on the subject of the Big Bang Theory) "Ask yourself, Could an explosion in a printing shop produce a dictionary? The likelihood is most remote. But if so, it could never heal it's own torn pages or reproduce it's own newer editions."

Also: "God is the same yesterday, today and forever. BUT, we are not. Each day, ours is the challenge to access the power of the atonement, so WE CAN TRULY CHANGE; become more Christ-like and qualify for the gift of exaltation."


From Ronald A. Rasband: "If you come upon a person who is drowning, would you ask if he needs help? OR would it be better to just jump in and save him from the deepening waters? The offer, while well-meaning and often given, 'Let me know if I can help,' is really no help at all."


From President Thomas S. Monson: (after telling a childhood pastime of his - carving toy boats from the softwood of a willow tree to race down the Provo river, he described how these boats that had no keel for stability, no rutter for direction, and no source of power, so inevitably their destination was downstream; the path of least resistance.) "Unlike toy boats, we have been provided divine attributes to guide our journey. We enter mortality not to float with moving currents of life, but with a POWER to think, to reason, and to achieve. Our Heavenly Father did not launch us on our eternal voyage without providing the means whereby we could receive from Him guidance to ensure our safe return. I speak of prayer. I speak, too, of the whisperings from that Still Small Voice, and I do not overlook the holy scriptures which contain the word of the Lord and the words of the prophets provided to us to help us successfully cross the finish line."


From L. Tom Perry: (retelling an event in one of his friends, Scott's, life. He explained that Scott has some difficult challenges, but he is extraordinary in his boldness. This conversation was overheard on an airplane flight Scott had with the person sitting next to him.)
Scott: "Where do you live?"
Neighbor: "In Las Vegas."
Scott: "We have a temple there. Do you know where the Mormon temple is?"
Neighbor: "Yes. It's a beautiful building."
Scott: "Are you a Mormon?"
Neighbor: "No"
Scott: "Well, you should be. It's a great religion!" "Have you read the Book of Mormon?"
Neighbor: "No."
Scott: "Well, you should. It's a great book!"


From M. Russell Ballard: "According to the scriptures, the Liahona was a round ball of curious workmanship featuring two spindles; one of which pointed the way in which Father Lehi's family should go into the wilderness. I think I know why Lehi was greatly astonished when he first saw it because I remember my reaction when I first saw and witnessed a GPS unit. In my mind, it was a modern-day devise of curious workmanship.......For both my wife, Barbara, and me, the GPS is a blessing. For Barbara, it means she doesn't have to tell me to stop and ask for directions. And for me, it means I can be right when I say I don't need to ask anyone - I know exactly where I am......We have available to us, a tool even more remarkable than the best GPS. Everyone loses their way, at some point, to some degree. It's through the promptings of the Holy Ghost that we can be brought safely back onto the right path."

Also: "It is our homes and families that need reforming in this increasingly materialistic and secular world."


From Larry Y Wilson: (telling a story about a road trip he and his wife took in their newlywed days when his wife was driving.)
"I said, You're going too fast. Slow down.
She replied, What gives you the right to tell me how to drive?
Frankly, her question caught me off guard. So, doing my best to step up to my new responsibilities as a married man, I said, I don't know....because I'm your husband....and....I hold the Priesthood. (cringe)
Brethren, Just a quick tip....If you are ever in a similar situation, THAT IS NOT THE RIGHT RESPONSE!....And I'm happy to report; that was the one and only time I made that mistake."


I like to listen to the talks on www.lds.org in the coming weeks while I'm working in the kitchen or at my desk, too, so I have that to look forward to.

And my boys (Matt, Ryan, & Kyle) gave me a full report about the great messages from Priesthood Session on Saturday night, as well, when I met them for our traditional dinner out afterwards.

And we ate these delicious glazed doughnut muffins during Sunday morning session.

It was a WONDERFUL weekend.....heading right into Spring Break this week.....
LIFE IS GOOD!

Kids Say the Darndest Things - Mar. '12 Edition

Taken from the sidebar...

Matt was giving a Family Night lesson on the worth of a person in the sight of God. He tried an object lesson with 4 different types of fruit to demonstrate his point (look different, all are good fruit)....
Matt: "Everyone is different, but they all have the same worth in Heavenly Father's eyes. He loves them the same, even though no two people look the same.
Katelyn: (using a correcting tone) "Except Zack & Austin." (the twin boys who live next door) 3/12

I've Been Having a "Ton of Fun" Lately

• This week I had my third mammogram in the last eight and a half months. YES, 3 TIMES IN 8 1/2 MONTHS!!! AND.....get this.....I get to go in AGAIN for my 4th in three more months. Now, THAT is a lot of smashin' going on! So much for delaying my first-ever mammo experience, I've more than made up for it, now. Apparently, I am not "textbook normal" and so that's put them in "appointment scheduling overdrive" while they try to figure me out. When I ask them questions, they reply, "I don't know." These "Medical Professionals" are quite impressive, wouldn't you agree?!? They deserve every bit of that HUGE salary they make to be able to give......the same answers my 3 yr. old does!

• I was feeling a little bit sad and paranoid after a local teen was hit by a car and killed this week while walking his bike across a crosswalk (I know! So terrible.) So, I decided I wanted to pick up Kyle at the Jr. High School after his track practice instead of letting him walk home. I arrived at 4:15 and couldn't see him. I waited out front. I drove around to the side of the school. I talked with a couple of the kids I saw there who either:

a) didn't know anything
b) hadn't seen him
c) told me track practice had been over for a while

So, I headed back home at 4:25, taking a different route in case he had started to walk and I had missed him on my way there. I arrived home at 4:28 without ever seeing him.
At 4:30 my phone rang. It was Kyle asking for a ride home from the school. I got back in the car......

• A chappy/red/rash looking thing has appeared under my lip (so lovely) this week, (great! Just in time for my 20 year mission reunion tonight) So, I have been putting Desitin on it in an attempt to get rid of it. When the kids see me, they're like, "MOM! Wash that toothpaste off your face! You look stupid!" I have opted not to correct them on this matter - in case this story "leaks" at school or during a Home Teaching visit, as it often does, I figure toothpaste sounds a lot better than butt paste!

• While pruning in the yard this week in preparation for our city's annual "Spring Cleanup" pick up of leaves, limbs, and branches, I was attacking a rose bush. The branch was a tough one. I was squeezing those pruners with all my might, crouching down to get more leverage, when I was finally able to cut all the way through....and the upper branch flipped and slammed down on top of my head, with a big thorn aligned just right to pierce my scalp and draw blood.

• I have been getting phone calls daily from, according to my caller ID:

"New Co"
"California"
"Operation Lookout"
"Chicago, IL"
"Name Unknown"
"PacificTel"
"American Express Customer Service"
"Name Unavailable"
"Beehive Bail Bonds"
and the like.
AND I'm on the "DO NOT CALL" list.

• I was out of lipstick, so I went to the store and bought some, along with some other things, this week. When I got home, I unloaded the bags and the "other things" were all there. The lipstick? NOT THERE. I had the privilege of returning all the way back to the store to retrieve it, since I actually wanted the product - I didn't want to pay for it just for giggles. The store clerk claimed he'd bagged it. Upon searching the area, it was found on the check out counter, unbagged. Does this new purchase have something to do with the redness issue mentioned above?

• It's allergy season! My body is reacting by sneezing violently multiple times in a row. Seriously, I can't even catch my breath when the sneezing starts; a-chu, a-chu, a-chu, a-chu, a chu, a-chu, A-CHUUUU! (or maintain bladder control.)

See, like I said, FUN, FUN!

Didn't mean to make y'all jealous.

So, what have you been up to lately? Anything "fun?"

Is Your Dryer Trying to Tell You Something?

MINE WAS.

You see, my dryer has started taking an obnoxiously LONG time to dry a load of clothes lately. We're talking like more than two hours!

And that's just not conducive to getting much laundry done in a day. And, over here at my home, with the seven of us and multiple clothing changes, I can't afford to NOT get a lot of laundry done in a day.

I always scrape clean the lint screen, so I didn't know what was going on. My dryer needed MORE from me! More attention and coddling, I guess. So, I obliged. Today, I felt inspired to reach my arm down into the the lint screen crevice - and I discovered that it goes much lower than the height of the lint screen. I felt a ton of junk deep down there - including THIS:


Pennies are quite common to find, but $5.06....WOW! I hit the Jackpot and I didn't even have to drive up to Idaho to buy a lottery ticket that's all a buzz right now - and my odds were much better! My dryer rewarded me for my efforts. Now, let's dry those clothes SPEEDY fast!

My dryer was telling me I needed to make a deposit in THIS:

{I have a "Finders Keepers" rule with the laundry and it goes right into this jar.}

So, I'm set, girls. I'm feeling rich! What shall we do?

Any good movies out?
Know any "must try" restaurants?
The Trampoline Park?
Who's in concert?
Wendover's only, what, 2 hours away? (j/k)
My "no candy" Lent period ends in 4 1/2 days!
Do they do "Strobe Light" bowling anymore?
NYC Girls' Trip?
Oh....gotta go, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is calling me!

:)

Now You See It, Now You Don't

My toilets had a problem.
No matter how many times we "swished" with the toilet brush, we still had a toilet ring - and other non-removable problem areas.

THEN.....I was introduced to THIS product:

THE PUMIE

Here's the Product Description: If you have tried for hours to get hard water rings out of toilets or have tough stains in bathroom fixtures, then Pumie all-purpose pumice scouring sticks are the answer. Pumie sticks will turn hours of scrubbing chores into mere seconds of scouring.

So, I bought it.....for LESS THAN $10.00

Here's my personal results...

And after I got done with the toilet, my eyes scanned the rest of the bathroom and I saw our tub.
Same thing.
There has been a LINE on the bottom that will not go away!
I thought, Nothing else has worked....I wonder.....?
So, I tried it - with GREAT results, as well.

I just consider it my duty to SAVE all those other toilets out there by giving my recommendation......You're Welcome!

Pumie is not the sponsor of this blog post. Pumie does not even know I exist. I did not receive any rewards or compensation from them besides some dirty toilet relief after YEARS of trying! (Which I deem reward enough!)

Now aren't you just JEALOUS of my bathroom-cleaning LIFE?!?

Desperates Marathon

This weekend we tried to play "catch up" on all the Desperate Housewives episodes we have missed since......like OCTOBER! Some of them were so old that we couldn't even access them on abc.com anymore, we had to search the Internet for them.

I lost track of how many episodes we watched after about the 8th one.....I KNOW! Why can't we STOP watching?!? So, needless to say, DH is on my brain.

And this is a synopsis of what happened: dishonesty. deception. lying. manipulating. con artist. ulterior motives. cunning. cheating. stealing. vandalism. intimidation. stalking. fraud. misleading. untrustworthy. shady character. corruption. crafty. half-truths. crooked. devious. cover ups. hidden agendas. sneaky. swindling. two-faced. mean.......

WHY do we watch this?

I also learned the real ages of the actors: "Bree" [Marcia Cross] - 49 (turns 50 in 2 weeks), "Lynette" [Felicity Huffman] - 49, "Renee" [Vanessa Williams] - 48 (turns 49 in 1 week), "Susan" [Teri Hatcher] - 47, "Gaby" [Eva Longoria] - 37. AND THEY ALL LOOK GREAT! Beautiful skin and eyes. Awesome figures - flat stomachs, lean legs, toned arms, firm buns...! Gorgeous hair. They can RUN in 6" heels...WHY do we watch this?!?

Sometime ago, I took one of those fun little quizzes on the abc T.V. website that lets you know which Desperate Housewife you are. As far as the one you were most like. Well, I tested part "Susan" and part "Lynette." I think I mostly got the "Susan" points because of all the spastic things I do and the ridiculous situations I find myself in. But, as far as the way I act (and having 5 children) I'm a "Lynette." While watching, Matt will chuckle to himself about "Lynette" because the similarities between us are sometimes uncanny, and he will say, "That's you!"
WELL, one of the [159] episodes we watched this weekend had a scene where the "girlfriends" pretty much tell "Lynette" that they didn't want to "couldn't think of anybody" to set her up on a date with because she is........(they fished around for the right words, throwing things out like "unique" and "feisty") but it came out that what they really meant was that they thought she is a B _ _ _ _! (Nice friends, huh?) And if I'm "Lynette"......WHY do we watch this????

After that scene, Matt tried to tell me that I'm not really exactly like her.....that much..... (nice backpedaling!)

But, STILL, I watch, and this is what I think should happen on the show next:
Susan should let her daughter give her baby up for adoption because that is what SHE has decided - it will be BEST for the BABY - and just stay out of it!
Bree needs to get a restraining order against [insane] Orson.
Tom & Lynette need to get back together! (If she can just be less bossy & critical and he can be more proactive, dependable, and engaged.)
Carlos needs to cut/do his hair back to the way it used to be.
Mike needs to go to the police about the "Loan Shark."
Ben needs to learn how to run/build up his construction business and start making a profit/paying his employees.
Gaby needs to get rid of that bottle of wine hidden in the toilet tank.

Because ALL OF THIS is just so gosh darn important, eh?!? :)

Matt's comment last night after we'd watch every last available episode, was this: "WHY CAN'T EVERYONE JUST HAVE A NORMAL LIFE?"

And just WHAT is normal? (Is there a "normal" family out there? If so, I don't know one!) I had to inform him that "normal" doesn't mean "perfect".

We have to ask ourselves: Is the show ALLURING to us because it's so bizarre and far-fetched that it allows us to [momentarily] lose touch with reality? OR is that we are drawn to it because we really CAN relate to the madness and ironies in our own lives?

Well, I guess we have to come up with the answer soon (or not) because this [8th] season is THE LAST SEASON of Desperate Housewives and then [sadly?] it is ending it's run.