This Weekend:

*I dug right in and made one of the recipes on my New Year's Resolutions
for Friday night "dinner"!   
^CHECK!^
 (Technically it's an "appetizer", but hey, it has meat in it, so it works, right!)

It did NOT disappoint.

In case you want to indulge, too:

"FAMOUS DIP"

1 lb. Italian sausage

3 tomatoes, diced

2 onions, chopped

2 bell peppers, chopped

8 oz. cream cheese

16 oz. sour cream

1 can diced green chilies

Cook sausage and onions, then add peppers, tomatoes and green chilies.
When peppers and onions are cooked, add cream cheese and sour cream and
simmer for about 10 minutes.  Keep warm and serve with tortilla chips.

(I didn't have enough tomatoes or peppers on hand, so I used less, and it was STILL DELISH!)

*Went to Ryan's {first} Jr. Jazz basketball game

(the "official" 1st game got cancelled last Friday due to the snow storm and school closures)

I talked most of the time to a delightful young lady who came to watch Ryan & the boys.
It turns out she is the daughter of one of MY High School classmates -
 from all those years ago at good ol' BHS.

{Small World}

*I worked most the day on Saturday -- 9 HOURS!!

(I traded a lot of crewmembers for a [hopeful] upcoming vacation!)

*DATE NIGHT here. 

We thought we'd try it out since it was new to our area -- AND we had a coupon.

It was one of those "Mystery coupons" where you don't know the value 

(anywhere between $5.00-$100.00) until your waitress "reveals" it.

Of course, ours was just $5.00.

The food was good, but their "side" of fries was WAY TOO SMALL.

It was also a bit of stimuli overload.
In our little section of the restaurant (about 9 tables), there were 10 TV's -
 all different sizes, all playing a different station.

*We also went to Dollar Tree to do a little shopping.  (VERY romantic part of date night - haha!)

I specifically wanted to get more CREAMY PETROLEUM JELLY,
and I've only seen it at this location.....and I bought the last 4 tubes off the shelf! 

It's working great on all of our dry skin/hands this Winter.

And, of course, we ended up with about a dozen other random things in our cart, too.

Hey, it's ALL a dollar!  :)

*And because it was soooo COLD outside, ice cream was NOT a good dessert option,
so we went for doughnuts at Bowman's instead.
They are half-price after 7 or 8 'o clock every night.  SCORE!

*Went to CHURCH on Sunday

We are on the new 9:00a.m. schedule for 2013 which has become my favorite time!

My Mia Maid Advisor gave a great lesson to our Young Women about
getting to KNOW Heavenly Father through prayer,
referencing THIS TALK from Elder Richard G. Scott and showing THIS VIDEO.

It. Was. Fabulous.

{and heartfelt}

I think with the new curriculum for youth, "Come Follow Me", we will have more opportunities
to feel The Spirit in our Sunday classes as we share & testify together.  I am excited.

*Meetings after church

* Made School Lunch Peanut Butter Fingers 

for dessert to take to my In-Laws for [3rd Sunday] Dinner & FHE.

Matt said this recipe was SPOT ON to what he remembers from his school days......

and that I should ditch my other recipes I HAD BEEN making the last 19 years!  ;)

*I had time for a 50 minute nap!

*Went to Grandma & Grandpa Brenchley's with 3 other families of cousins!

{We hardly see the children}

*MONDAY = MLK Day

No school.  No Work.

*I slept in....until 7:30ish - how sad!!  Since WHEN did THAT become "sleeping in"?

*I called from my cell phone in my bedroom down to the kids on the home phone
and ordered "breakfast in bed."  This has become kind of a tradition on "Days Off."

They brought us eggs with bacon bits, L'il Smokies, Peanut Butter Crunch (for Matt), & Sunny D.

They wanted to do scones, too, but Matt didn't trust them
on that "high danger" type of cooking...

so he made them for us later as "brunch."

*Went to lunch with Matt at Cafe Rio

then went clearance shopping at T.J.Maxx & Shopko next door.

{the signs on their windows and ads lured us in!}

*Took the whole family Bowling.

I definitely SUCKED IT UP!
BUT after EIGHT straight 0's, I rolled a STRIKE to end the game!

Matt finished first, Katelyn second.

Ryan blamed his performance on a sprained thumb (from a church ball "incident".)
Kyle blamed his on a bum knee (from crawling up the stairs pretending to be a gorilla!)

Our good friends, the Knudsen's, showed up at the same bowling alley right after us -
totally UNplanned - but we got to hang with them a bit, so it was fun.

*Went to dinner at Wendy's afterwards.  (Kid's Choice, obviously)

The newly remodeled/renovated Wendy's has this big, turbo drink machine
that makes like 60 different kinds of drinks!  

It's all touch-screen, too.  I push SPRITE, for example, and THEN,
I not only have the choice of SPRITE,
but also Peach Sprite, Grape Sprite, Cherry Sprite, Raspberry Sprite, Orange Sprite, etc. etc....
and the same for SPRITE ZERO!  All with the touch of an "app."  

WOW.  We think we'll go on a date there just to get drinks one time
and then sit by the fireplace on their new couches and sip our 142 different concoctions --
then be UP all night peeing!  :)

We Aim High Around Here (?)

I found THIS "New Year's Resolution" paper in Katelyn's stuff.....

I wonder just WHERE IS that best set in the shcool found?  In her classroom?  In the Principal's office?  In the cafeteria?  In the Computer Lab?

Is it HARD to "land" this best set in the shcool?  Is it a "First come, First served" type of a deal?  Is it a "reward" for good behavior?  Is it "off limits?"  Is it only considered "the best" by Katelyn?  Or is she just hoping she [luckily] gets assigned to it when her teachers make random seat changes?"

It's obviously a very HIGH "set" that also has magic powers to make your legs grow extremely long when seated in it!   

Maybe it's the orange color that makes it so attractive?

And I wonder why she didn't include SPELLING SKILLS as part of her "aspirations" for 2013!?!  ;) haha.

Whatever the details are, however lofty [or not] her goal is -- good for her.  She's written it down, so it's SERIOUS.  How does that saying go?  "A goal not written down is just a wish?"  Or something like that.

Soooooo, that means I better write MINE down, right?!?
And what better place than my blog!  :)

The first one I made was for me AND Matt.  Don't you love it when other people push their agenda goals onto you?!?  ;)  But, he agreed to it immediately, so it wasn't as bad as it sounds.

Here it is:
We're going to invite another couple* to go out to dinner with us EVERY MONTH.
Hey!  Who says New Year's Resolutions can't be FUN?!?  They don't have to be grueling, sweat inducing, miserable, time consuming, mentally taxing, deprivation type goals, right?!?  Those are coming!)
I'm excited for this; we'll get to know our friends better, and make new friends, too!  We're already 1 for 1 as it is just January still.  We ARE taking a "waiting list" of couples who who like to be invited, so mail in your applications!  Just kidding.  :)
*As in a different couple every month -- unless we get turned down for these dates, and then we'll just stick with the one who says, "yes.")

Here's another one:
I'm going to get ready IN THE MORNING.
As in, before I start cleaning up.  Or paying bills.  Or get on the computer.  Or making my shopping list.  Or planning our vacations.  Or working on Young Women stuff.  Or looking for my ever-elusive cell phone.
THIS is going to be HARD
 .....because if I go into any part of my home, I can always see so MANY projects or duties "calling my name" that I want to start tackling right away.

But, what is my mantra, again?

BUT, I'm sick of being "caught" looking like a rag-a-muffin still too late in the day.  I feel like such a loser when that happens!   

PLUS, it just really makes a difference in feeling "on my game" and being productive.  When I AM doing a dozen other tasks while still in my "morning glory" (PJ's, no bra, bedhead, yesterday's leftover make up and smells), there's always that cloud hanging over my head saying, You still have to get ready! and it makes me feel 'eeeck' -- almost like I haven't accomplished anything, even though I have!  Do you know what I mean?

And, YES, I will have you know, here at 10:45 in the morning as I am working on my blog, I am fully dressed, make up, hair brushed, with earrings in!  Woo HOO!! :)

Which brings me to another one:
I want to write more on my blog.
It seems like ever since we moved into our new home, my posts have been declining.
But, ya know, it wasn't just since then, it was the whole time we were building this house, too.
....AND the entire time we had the old home up for sale - which was entirely WAY TOO LONG!
And, if we want to be really honest, my blog hasn't been given proper attention since I turned 40!  And that was in 2010.
I don't know why that's so, but just because I'm OVER THE HILL, doesn't mean that my "Weekly Gratitude List" should only gets changed every 4 months!
So, my plan is.....well, I don't want to disclose it exactly, so y'all won't hold me accountable if I don't follow it flawlessly......but, in my head I have decided that on certain days every week that I am going to write - of course, while I am fully clothed & READY for the day - and "reactivate" my blog.
And feel free to "motivate" me by leaving comments, I love 'em, so I'm not all by myself in blog world.
I chose the blog goal BECAUSE I really like to write in it (or is it 'on it'?) and I love to have the RECORD and the MEMORIES especially since I'm LOSIN' IT these days seems as I'm getting "UP THERE" in years.  (I get these comments from my kids!  Seriously.)
BUT, FOR REAL, I proved them RIGHT recently....I left my purse in the shopping cart, in a parking lot, at Wal-mart this week.  I unloaded the cart into my car, pushed my cart back to the "cart corral" and then walked back to my car without getting my purse out and drove home.....and didn't even notice until the next morning!  I had no recollection of doing that!  I usually put my purse in the car along with my merchandise at the same time.  I looked all over the place at home FIRST for my purse.  Then Matt told me I should go back to the store, but as I thought about it, I didn't really recall not having it with me - so I thought it was a "long shot."  PLUS, I'm ashamed of my lack of faith, but I figured IF I had left it at Wal-mart, it probably would've been stolen.  I didn't think the "People of Wal-mart" would be the most honest.  Well.....I WAS WRONG, and what a blessing!!!  My purse had been discovered by one of the store's "cart pushers" and returned to the Customer Service desk and was locked up in a back room until I came to retrieve it -- EVERYTHING intact, even my pens, lip balm, and leftover Santa Snickers candy!!!  (the most important things, ya know!)  :)

OK.  End of Sidetrack.

Back to these New Year's Resolutions.
I am implementing a healthier lifestyle.
I wrote down all these things that I can do.  BUT, unfortunately, right now I can't find that paper!  (See above section about losing my mind!)
Here's the good part:  I'm only going to start one new thing a month and then BUILD on each month - so it's not so overwhelming all at once - but after several months, and the end of the year, I'll have MANY good habits going on!
So, this month I have been drinking water.  A lot of it, too.  As in HALF my body weight in ounces each day.  (So, a 100 lb. person drinks 50 oz. of water/day.  A 150 lb. person drinks 75 oz. water/day.  A 400 lb. person drinks 200 oz. water/day.  You get the idea?)  I fit somewhere in there.  :)
I find drinking all that water bearable if I utilized THIS product sometimes:

(Now, please don’t burst my bubble and tell me that adding Crystal Light occasionally to my water isn’t technically water because in my fragile state right now I’m just not ready for that!  I know some super-strict water drinking people are wondering, but I DO fill the bottle up WITH WATER first [with pride] so I’m going to feel good about it.)
The only problem is....here's Murphy's Law in action in my life again....I have ALSO been sick this month with a variety of symptoms, but one of them is a violent cough - the kind of cough that shakes your whole body - or contracts all your muscles & seizes it up, one of the two.  And THAT condition does not go well with a constantly FULL BLADDER, if you know what I mean!  Note to self:  add "Do more laundry" to list of goals.  :)
So I have a couple more weeks to find that "healthy lifestyle" paper of mine, so I can add on the next thing in February.  That will give me more things to blog about later, thus, helping the above mentioned goal, as well.  SCORE!

And, last, but not least:
We just got a new ward cookbook, and I definitely need to make:
Jena Andrus' BUFFALO DIP
Julie Bushman's "FAMOUS DIP"
and
Dee Ann Stout's PINA COLADA FRUIT DIP
...and that's just in the Appetizers section.
I'll go through the rest of the cookbook, too, and try out new things.... of course, it needs to happen BEFORE I implement the "don't overdo it on dips/condiments" part to my healthy lifestyle plan!!  ;)


So, there you have it.  The FUN, the RIDICULOUS, & the HARD goals all mixed together.

HAPPY 2013, EVERYONE!

Behavior Assessment

It's time for the annual IEP at school for my daughter.  The school psychologist called me and said the last Social History and Behavior Assessment they have on file was done almost 8 years ago, when my daughter was just 3 yrs. old, so she wanted to send home a bazillion forms for me to fill out again in order to "update" her file.  I just got done filling out several Behavior Assessment forms.
I was laughing out loud at some of the phrases it uses to describe how children may act.
(I was supposed to respond with "Never," "Sometimes," Often," or "Almost always")  
Eats things that are not food
Fiddles with things while at meals
Breaks the rules just to see what will happen
Sets fires
Argues when denied own way  (don't all children?  Don't they?  You DO KNOW what I'm talking about, right?!?  Hello?  Anybody there?)
Volunteers to help clean up around the house  (BAA HAA HAA hahaha!  You understand WHY I am laughing on this one, too, right?  Yoo Hoo!  Where did everybody go?!?)
Sleeps with parents
Vomits - could this be due to eating things that are not food?


Then I started to wonder......

What if the tables were turned?  

What if some psychologist asked one [or all] of my children to fill out this form ABOUT ME?

I'm afraid I would not "pass" the test.  They would rate me with the "Almost Always" on many of them.

For example:

Eats too much

Is easily annoyed by others - especially children who act like wild animals, swinging from the chandelier while choking another sibling, calling names, throwing balls & consequently breaking something, and spilling beverages all within a 5 min. time frame.

Does strange things

Is unable to slow down - especially when we were suppose to be out the door 10 min. ago and there's still 7 unfound "neccesary" items to get....and girls' hair to be brushed.

Babbles to self

Will change direction to avoid having to greet someone - especially when a "long winded" person is spotted and we are suppose to be somewhere else [across town] in 15 min. and we still have to stand in the check out line.

Acts confused

Avoids competing with other children - especially in games of Chess & Super Mario.

Acts out of control

Repeats one thought over & over - like, "Get in the car, we're going."  "Get in the car, we're going."  "Get in the car!"

Speaks in short phrases that are hard to understand - like, "Get in the car, we're going."  "Get in the car, we're going."  "Get in the car!"

Is unclear when presenting ideas - like, "Get in the car, we're going."  "Get in the car, we're going."  "Get in the car!"

Says, "Nobody understands me"  (as a result of above 3???)

Annoys others on purpose - like turning off the T.V. when NO Saturday jobs have been done.....because that has been the rule for the last 45 years!

Seems out of touch with reality - like not letting children watch T.V. when they've done NOTHING to contribute to the family/home yet that day!  Geez!

Is overly active - like cleaning up the kitchen RIGHT after dinner while everyone else's main goal is to just go "hide" in the basement and/or lay on the couch....and repeatedly trying to convince others to be likewise "active" at this time for some reason.

Acts as if other children are not there - especially when we interrupt her when she is on talking on the phone.

Sneaks around - especially when she attempts to go use the bathroom.

Has trouble fastening buttons on clothing - especially after a 10+ lb. gain!

Hears sounds that are not there - like big, loud crashing noises.  When she calls out, "What was THAT?!" we always are telling her, "NOTHING!"

Stares blankly - especially following a less-than-5-hrs.-of-sleep night(s), or when her children say things like, "We shouldn't have to do any chores."

Says things that make no sense - like, "We are a family.  That means EACH person is a helpful, contributing member of our family."

Sees things that are not there - like "messes" on the stairs, couches, in the mudroom and our bedrooms.

Falls down - it has NOTHING to do with the junk left on the stairs or floor....just her own clumsiness!

Runs away from home - at least she fantasizes about it sometimes!

Acts strangely

Yep, that'd be a dangerous thing for them to fill out the assessment - I'm pretty sure my children would "throw me under the bus" and I'd definitely be referred to psychiatric treatment based on my "behaviors."  :)

Kids Say the Darndest Things - Dec. '12 Edition

Taken from the Sidebar....

In our Family Morning Prayer.....Katelyn: "Please bless all those people who are IN TROUBLE, that they can get it taken care of." 12/12

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

 And No.  I'm NOT talking about the "Jelly of the Month Club" (from Christmas Vacation).  :)

About 10 days ago, Matt & I finished our "Year of Dates".   I gave this to Matt as a gift for Christmas 2011.  I tried to think of all the things that we have always talked about doing, "We should do THAT sometime!" BUT never have.  Our "date bucket list" so to speak.

He was nice and told me it was "The Best present EVER!" (In his opinion, even better than the iPad HE gave to ME last year!) There were 12 pre-planned, [mostly] pre-paid dates in the basket, one for each month of the year. Shortly after Christmas, we sat down with our new 2012 calendar and decided all the dates and WROTE IT IN PEN (that makes if official, ya know! :) We really looked forward to it all year. Here's what we did.....

JANUARY

Utah State University Basketball Game.

We went back to our Alma Mater dressed in our Aggie fan duds for a basketball game and went to some of our old stompin' grounds: dinner at The Factory Pizzeria & ice cream at Charlie's.  (We're so sentimental.)  We were a bit disappointed that our names we had carved into one of the tables [Matt + Suz w/ a heart around it] all those years ago wasn't even detectable anymore - too many more carvings on top of it, I guess.  :(

FEBRUARY

A horse 'n' carriage ride around downtown Salt Lake City.  

It just so happened that the city was celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the SLC 2002 Olympics that night (with Mitt Romney present) so fireworks started going off while we were on our ride.....COOL!  Except, the downside to that was that it scared the horse and our driver had to turn it around and take a detour.  (but we scored a coupon for a future ride due to the unusual circumstances!)  We dined at P.F. Changs afterwards.

MARCH

A Spa Date Night

Massages, pedicures, hot wax treatments, and spa treats.

APRIL

Oquirrh Mountain Temple Session

We had never been to this temple before.  It's a cute, small one.  Then I got to experience Lamb's Grill - somewhere Matt has gone with work a lot and had talked about, saying he'd have to take me sometime, but it hadn't happened yet.  (He says it's better for breakfast than lunch.)

MAY

Brian Regan concert at Tuacahn

What an enjoyable time.  We laughed so hard!   The opening act was great, too.

JUNE

Picnic in the Park

We went to Sugarhouse Park in SLC and had Subway on a blanket and played cards -- until the breeze blew them away.  This was really relaxing and was kind of in honor of our college days when we hung out at the park quite a bit...to escape homework, roommates, or to just soak in the sun & fresh air.

JULY

Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City

We had tickets to "The Merry Wives of Windsor".  We had to concentrate SO HARD to understand/translate the lines they were saying.  How many years has it been since we studied Shakespeare in school?!?  We were kinda rusty on those language skills.  ;) haha.

AUGUST

I had a date planned to go to Snowbird and ride the tram, then go hiking around.......BUT on the day we had it on the calendar was the day we were moving OUT of our old house, so we postponed it to the next weekend.....BUT on that day, we were moving IN to our new house, so we rescheduled it to the next week...BUT on that day, we were still unpacking....you get the picture.  Snowbird never happened, but the last week of August we.....

Took a trip to San Diego instead - just the 2 of us!  

That counts as a substitute August date, right?  We got to finally relax after several weeks of WORK!  We (among other things) rode in a cycle rickshaw, took in a Padres game, lots of good restaurants, and attended a "60's Party."  (can you see the "SF {heart's} MB" I wrote on the VW bug?)    :)

SEPTEMBER

Cooking School

I was the "chef's assistant" during the demo portion of the class.  The class was "Mainland Chinese" themed.  We made Spring Rolls, Egg Drop Soup, Lemongrass Chicken, and Ham-Fried Rice with Bok Choy.  It also happened to be my birthday that day, so afterwards, the chef let me keep the apron (as a gift) and then took us downstairs to the bakery and let us each pick out any dessert we wanted!  woo hoo!

OCTOBER

We went to the Draper Temple and did sealings.....

then to dinner at Kobe Restaurant.  Doesn't the sight of this Udon bowl make you feel like saying,  

"FEE-FI-FO-FUM!"?  :)  

If you ever go there, Remember this:  SUNSHINE ROLL.  yum.

NOVEMBER

A "Slumber Party" at The Eliza Court Inn....sans children, of course.

DECEMBER

Holiday POPS Concert with Paul Cardall 

Hosted by KUTV ch. 2 Newsanchors, Mark Koelbel & Shauna Lake & directed by meteorologist, Sterling Poulsen (who knew?  a man of many talents).  We wished we could've heard from Paul Cardall even more - Matt really likes his music.

And now the "Year of Dates" is over.  (boo hoo)  Don't ya think Matt should reciprocate the idea for me in 2013, now?  Christmas is in a week, I guess we'll find out then......  :)

Kids Say the Darndest Things - Nov. '12 Edition

Taken from the sidebar.....

A Baptism invitation came for her cousin in the mail, which had the child's full name on it; first, middle, & last....Katelyn: "Why is her middle name, 'Nicole'?"
Me: "She's named after her Mom."
Katelyn: "Oh, so sometimes kids just get their mom's name for their middle name?"
Me: "Yep."
Katelyn: "I would HATE IT if my middle name was 'Suzanne'!"  11/12

How Did it Get to be the LAST DAY OF NOVEMBER Already?

Before this month passes by, I need to get in at least ONE "Song of Gratitude".

I am so grateful for my husband.

                           
He is everything I AM NOT.  Patient.  Optimistic.  a Peacemaker.  (all fabulous things to have in a marriage!)   ;)
Sometimes he is THE ONLY ONE I can talk to about certain things...when I am so full of concern about something that I feel I am going to burst - or at least throw up - he is my confidante.

I am grateful for these 5 children of mine.

I love the "moments" I have with them.

We have this Little People Nativity set that plays "Away in a Manger" when you push a button, which Brookelle LOVES to do.....I caught her "leading the music" to that today.  Melt my heart & made me smile.
I had the Young Women over to my home for mutual this week making pumpkin bread.....well, it ended up taking A LONG TIME, so Ryan returned home from young men's before we were done.  He joined in talking with us all....and we were all laughing in no time.  At one time, I was doubled over, hoping I didn't pee my pants!!  Love his "fun-ness."  He stood in as a "Witness" at Katelyn's baptism last Saturday.  As I looked over from my vantage point in the "wings" of the font and saw him standing there reverently, dressed in his suit.....well, THAT was a GRATEFUL moment for this mom!
Katelyn brings me in breakfast while I am working in the morning -- scrambled eggs with bacon bits & toast and some fruit, with a cut out paper heart on the tray with the words, "Hers ur brekfus.  I love you." written on it.  So thoughtful - especially since I don't even have time to eat some mornings!  AND when one of my [unnamed] children decided to "run away" but really was just hiding out in the shed, Katelyn took out cookies & crackers to her sibling - and asked it we had any "take out" boxes, so she could take care of them at dinner time, too!
Kyle doesn't say much around the whole family - or at home in general....he sure listens to everything that other people ARE saying around him, though!!  Sometimes he responds with a slight smile, a shake of his head, or a roll of his eyes depending on how "amusing" he thinks we all are....but he "gathers" all this info that is surrounding him and keeps it all in his heart....AND THEN when I get him in the car with me alone, he let's loose!  All of a sudden, he's got PLENTY of things to talk about.  He brings up all the questions, comments, and discoveries he's been holding onto recently and we have quite the delightful 1:1 conversations together - on the road!
SShhhh, don't tell anyone, but Haylee is all for having her parents "tuck her in" at night still -- AND scratch her back, of course.  Who wouldn't be able to fall asleep with that?  I also find it charming that she likes to "spy" on the Young Women when they are over, or hang out in the "fringes" of the group and admire them - trying to throw out a clever comment whenever she can.  I'm grateful to have her join me with any of my Young Women preparations and deliveries to their homes.  She is always willing to help me when it involves the Young Women!  (I hope the Young Women feel HONORED that they are such a "Rock Star" in her mind, but I also hope they feel RESPONSIBLE - as she is viewing them as an example - good or bad!)

I am grateful for books.

This is one of my little "mommy tricks" I use.  This is one of those things I have always used to cure a cranky child.  Stop.  Sit down.  Cuddle up with them & read a story.  Magic.  Everything is good with the world again!  I was in a bookstore today, and I was lovin' it....it made me almost GIDDY to be surrounded by books, so many I want to read to my children - or have them read on their own.  This love of Children's Books started at a really young age for me - I remember our "reading alcove" in the house where I lived in California (ages 2 to 5).  It had a bookcase full of all our children's books and a padded rocker where my mom would read to us, or we could sit there and "lose ourselves" in a book, too.  (Sometimes I pretended to take my nap by sitting there looking at books real quietly instead, but my mom was not deceived when I came down and told her I was "done with my nap!")  My Grandma knew what THE BEST books were since she worked in the schools, and she gave us some of the "Classics" for gifts.  She always wrote our name & date in the front cover of the book and then signed her name.  Some of them still exist [lovingly used] at my mom's house, and whenever I see them, I get extremely sentimental!  When I've picked out books for my children, I pick those SAME ONES from my childhood!  This "magic" of children's books now spreads across four generations (at least that I can remember).  Tomorrow, on the first day of December, we will start our Christmas storybook tradition each night.  And I love that they only want ME to read them the story - word is that Dad or Big Brother just can't pull it off the same way!  If I'm gone one evening, they will just skip that night since it's "our thing."  And, contrary to the "code-of-cool-conduct" my teenagers still gather round for this ritual.  Another "moment" I am grateful for.

I am grateful for church callings.
Namely those people who are serving well in their callings.

I have always thought "the most important calling in the church" was the calling(s) that currently has stewardship over MY CHILDREN.  So, right now, that would be the Young Men's President and Priests' advisers, The Young Men's 2nd Counselor, Deacon's Advisers, and Scoutmasters.  The Primary Presidency, the Valiant 9 teachers, the Valiant 7 teachers, all the Activity Day Leaders, and the Sunbeam teachers.  They are helping and teaching my children so much.  And they LOVE them and make things ENJOYABLE for them.  Right now - and over the last several WEEKS - the Primary Organization is planning our ward Christmas Party....and that is a TON of work.  They are making a "movie" of the Primary Children by filming them "in action" and "interviewing" them - with the skills & services of our local professional film editor.  What an exciting & fun project!  I'm thankful for all the people who put in some much time and effort to carry out the work of the Lord.  (I, myself, have been in charge of activities before and I KNOW how much work it takes, so I'm ESPECIALLY grateful when someone else is doing it - and I'm on the receiving end!)  :)  I, too, have been blessed from serving in church callings -- remember that virtue of patience I don't have?  I'm sure getting a lot of LESSONS in that category while doing my calling!  :)

The list could go on, but these are the things that come to my mind the quickest here on this last ditch effort to express my gratitude before the month is over!  

BUSTED!

A friend of mine came over the other day with a house warming gift......and it led to her seeing our new home.  REALLY, I will let you have a tour FOR FREE - you don't need to feel like you have to bring over a gift to "get your foot in the door!"  :)

So, I took her into the Laundry Room.

Here it is:

She looked at those upper cabinets for a while and admired them.....She commented that it would be nice to have some in her own laundry room.....Then she stalled a bit....Then she asked if she could open them and take a look inside to see if I was obsessed with laundry detergent and had filled them all up with a 12 yr. supply of it what I stored in there.  I agreed.  After all, I'm a pretty curious person, myself.  So, she opened it, and that's when I remembered my little "stash" I have in there.....

It was right at her eye level -- and she DID NOT miss it!  Ooops!  How embarrassing.

Here, have a closer look:

Hey! Sometimes, a girl's gotta do whatever it takes to get through and cope with the laundry that a family of 7 produces!!!  ;)

BUT, just for the record, those are from my JUNK BOX I got for my birthday, which was Sept. 14th, so I have made them last more than 2 months! 

Blog Post Flashback

I'm sick.

I'm reminded of what I posted 4 years ago.  {Have I been doing this blog 4 YEARS?!?}

Moments when it's okay to say, "OH CRAP!"

The only thing that made me feel better about it 4 years ago, was I told myself,

It'll all be over in 4 years.  
(There's NO WAY he could get elected again, right?!?)

wrong.

I'm sick.

I Found out How Many Days it Takes to Build a House

FINALLY.....now that we've been in our home for 2 1/2 months....[OK it'll be 3 months in 3 days], I'm posting the final House Time Lapse.

{I'm real on-the-ball like that.}

In case you missed it:

Part 1 here
Part 2 here
Part 3 here

DAY 137

Paint started

Steps in the Garage

DAY 138

Stucco Prep

DAY 147

Final stucco

Driveway Beginnings

Hardwood Floors

Kitchen Cabinets

Laundry Room Counter

Purple Painted Walls in Haylee's Bedroom

Patio

DAY 152

Indoor Lights

A Toilet! ( in half bath)

Laundry Room Sink

Basement Bathroom Sink, Faucet, and Granite Counter Tops

DAY 161

Kitchen Appliances (some cabinet drawers/doors still missing)

Carpet

"Playhouse"

Finished Stairway (banisters, ballisters, carpet)

Mudroom Lockers

DAY 166

Front of House (with House Number, Walkway & Sidewalk...and my brother in the left corner!)

Fireplace

DAY 167

It's OFFICIAL - We Closed!  

(In all our no-shower-last week's make up-SWEATY glory from working non-stop to get out of the old home by 5:00 p.m. this day!

 

The house was OURS, but we weren't moved in yet.

Who knew our entire 2400 sq. ft. home could fit into our new garage?

(We weren't allowed in the house until it was recorded)

Guess what we did for the next several weeks?  ;)

So, there's the answer.

167 days to build a house.

And AT LEAST as many head aches!!! 

{although there were some little things that they still needed to take care of - so maybe it's not DONE?  I should still be counting?}