whatever!

wise words by Maggie

2012-02-04T13:24:00.001-07:00

"you know the Justin Bieber song that says 'I will never say never'?

well, he says never in it.

so what's the point?"

haha.

I love that girl.

take 1 of 7/12

2012-01-31T12:58:00.006-07:00

back at the beginning of the year,

one of my goals was to take a picture

of all of us every month-

this was January's try-

the first 7 letter word we could come up with was awesome,

so we grabbed some glow sticks and wrote it.

too bad I don't grasp the concept of writing letters backwards!

then I got it, but Ben decided to draw a man instead.

then I was trying to figure out the settings on my camera in the dark,

and then everyone had lost any interest.

but I think it is definitely worth another try-

it was AWESOME.

winter

2012-01-26T20:24:00.002-07:00

this picture was taken a while ago.
the very day the snow blew in and the cold winds came,
and the following week was so very cold.
now it is nice again.
winter weather swings.
just like this girl's mood swings.
and she's not even a teenager yet.
yikes.

I wonder..

2012-01-25T10:51:00.002-07:00

would it be wrong of me

to make a little camisole

for this barbie to wear

under her very low cut dress?

I am just glad it was on one of

the higher shelves

so my sweet little girl

wouldn't see it.

really?

why can't barbies have longer skirts/dresses,

and dresses with sleeves.

just wondering.

although I am impressed with her sleeves and

the length of her dress.

just needs a little something to cover up the girls.

just saying.

baby....

2012-01-16T15:56:00.001-07:00

it's cold outside!

gone are the unseasonably warm temperatures,

we are back to the normal- -30 degrees.

hot chocolate and a fire in the fireplace are in order for today!

birthdays from the past

2012-01-10T14:46:00.004-07:00

so very exciting!

we had three birthdays in December,

I am not sure why one got missed.

sorry Sadie!

Ben is now 16. yikes!

Jack is 14- got his learners licence, but I still need to tell the tale on that one.

and Sadie is 10.

good times!

new year

2012-01-04T14:30:00.002-07:00

for new years,

I always make resolutions.

a fresh start,

a new beginning.

one of them - I was thinking- is to blog more,

blog better. and yet,

I hadn't blogged yet.

sad. so here I am.

*my friend was trying to convince me I should run a marathon this year.

um- no thanks,

but I am making it a goal to run a 10k in September-

and actually RUN the whole way.

now that is a big goal. (for me, anyways)

*to do some scrapbooking.

- Cory will like that one.

*I am not sure about doing a picture a day- I did it last year (for most days)

and it gets to be kind of not fun most days-

but I am thinking of doing a 7/12 project-

take a picture of my whole family (the 7)

every month (the 12.)

not sure what I would do with all those- make a fun book maybe- with highlights of each month?- ooh, the wheels are spinning. hmmm. will have to think on that.

*clean out my craft room and make it into Maggies room. - I have a whole year, right? it might take that long.

*get my etsy shop stocked up with all the stuff I have stashed in that messy craft room,

and make those things I have imagined in my head, and get them into the shop- and sell more stuff in this shop,

or get a real job, because I really want to take a fantastic vacation- still deciding if it will just be Cory and I, or the whole family- and I really want to get out of debt, so I should probably contribute to the cause!

*generally keep my house cleaner, and make it super cute. big plans in store for that-

but trying to do it on the cheap, because I am trying to get out of debt.

* I am trying - just for January- to not spend any excess money- just food and necessities.

(although I did spend $0.50 at a thrift store yesterday on three adorable little bowls, but I don't think that really counts.)

*and to really not start any brand new projects that require more supplies, but to use up the stuff I have- in my messy craft room. I have some quilts in mind- but I should not need to buy anything except some batting.

*and I am going to read the whole Book of Mormon. I am going to find a cute chart I can fill in as I go- it is always fun to color in blocks as you go, right?

alright, I am off, to go clean up the living room, then maybe work on some stuff for the etsy shop. or a quilt. or something awesome!

happy new year!

December in a nutshell

2011-12-30T17:10:00.005-07:00

christmas morning,

and the aftermath!

we went from having no lights up for most of December, to beautiful lights two days before Christmas!

the awesome part is that Cory bought even more lights to put on the tree next year!

can't wait!

gingerbread houses at school- the grades 2 and 5 do them,

so next year will be Maggie's turn- finally!

and the concerts.

oh the concerts.

this of course was a picture at Jeds.

Jacks was the night before,

the girls school concert was the same time as Jeds-

I hit the afternoon dress rehearsal, and Cory got to see the evening show!

it was a crazy whirlwind of a month-

it passed by so quickly.

now- trying to clean, dejunk,

and get lots of sleep!

yay for Christmas vacation!

(sorry- I really need to figure out how to get the words next to the appropriate pictures.-

goal for next year, perhaps?!)

merry christmas!

2011-12-25T00:14:00.003-07:00

hope yours is super sweet!

random kindness

2011-12-20T07:47:00.003-07:00

last night for family home evening

I wanted to do some random acts of kindness with my kids.

so we headed to walmart-

with some quarters,

and taped them to the candy machines,

and wrote merry christmas on the tape.

i think my kids would be so happy to find that,

so hopefully we can make some other kids happy.

I thought we could put carts away for shoppers,

but it wasn't too busy when we were there-

most people coming out were just holding bags,

and there was a worker in the parking lot collecting carts, so we didn't do that.

but-

we did head to tim hortons, and bought some tim bits- we took one box to the fire station/ambulance place, but the doors were locked,

then right when we were wondering what to do,

an ambulance came and parked,

so the girls and I went and talked to the super sweet, (and cute) young EMT- he was so kind to us and grateful for the treats!

then we headed to the police station

that was also locked,

but we picked up the phone by the door,

and a nice police officer came and took our treats.

he was very kind to us too,

and seemed grateful.

it was a fun evening,

and hopefully we helped others find some joy!

it's hard

2011-12-09T22:05:00.002-07:00

so very hard to get my thoughts from my head to my blog. (if only my mind could post automatically- wouldn't that be something!)

and pictures? well, that adds a whole new level of work.

seriously.?!

(it's not really hard, but obviously not a big priority for me, or else I would do it)

but there is so much that needs documented.

like our elf on the shelf-

I will introduce you soon. - he is a tricky little guy.

and Jacks attempts at getting his learners licence-

just guess how many times it took him!

he is at his first Church dance tonight!

how exciting.

wow- my second kid already at dances?

where did time go?

- or like hanging out at Shoppers Drug Mart with JB himself-

okay, just a cut out, but still fun, right?

(the ladies working there just said to go ahead and do it, tons of people do!)

I am always tempted to ask what they are going to do with him when they are done with him- maybe we could bring him home.

now that would be fun.

well, until the boys drew stuff on his face- mustache, devil horns- that would be inevitable!

maybe one day I will get up the courage to check into it!

I will never say never. (ha ha)

he came to town

2011-12-05T13:58:00.002-07:00

the last saturday in November

was our city's annual Santa Claus parade.

it is such a fun tradition.

some of the shops and banks down town give out hot chocolate.

(some hot chocolate is better than others- but now we know where to go for the good stuff!)

candy is handed out-

lots and lots of candy canes, of course.

it isn't that great as far as parades go-

lots of cars and trucks with signs,

but hey,

it is cold here in the north!

Santa is always on the very last float,

of course!

it was a fun time.

(and Ben had a friend come along.)

and the kids just moaned when I made them stop by a window and take a picture with me.

but they humored me,

and I love them for it!

super saturday

2011-12-03T22:21:00.002-07:00

yes,

it was weeks ago.

I have been awful about posting about it,

because- although I had my camera there,

I did not pull it out once,

so i have no pictures.

not one.

sad.

but I will tell you about it.

we did two wood crafts- one was the stacked wood with vinyl words- a girl in our ward cut them out,so it was very affordable!

then the wooden nativities. I do love them.

so simple and beautiful.

I have some more wood and paint, and am going to make up a few for presents to give away. I scoured Michaels for weeks, and had my sister scour other ones in the city to find enough heads for everyone!

yikes.

(I took this picture at a ladies house we were at for a RS meeting- she had her crafts still out, so I snapped a pic, so at least I have something to show!)

the one craft I did, that I love- was a string of lights, with strips of fabric tied on them.

it took all the day, and more work at home- but I love it. sadly I don't really have a place in my house to display it.- so for now it is wrapped on my tree- which I do like, but I did just do a small string of lights, so I am now thinking of doing more lights so that I can wrap it more than 2 times around my tree.

I had a hot chocolate bar set up- with three different kinds of hot chocolate-

regular,

candy cane,

and white (my favorite)

with whipped cream, candy canes, sprinkles, and cookies to go in it.- and marshmallows, and cherries, and caramel sauce- the works. so delish!

I wish I had taken a picture of the gym at the church. but I didn't. forgot all about my camera until the decorations were down.

I made paper chains with white paper, and fancy paper snowflakes,

and they were hanging all around.

super cheap, easy- I am all over that!

we also had a lightbulb ornament- painted like a reindeer (way too hard for me!)

gifts in a jar,

and cardboard 3D stars.

and a card making table

pretty simple,

but it was a nice day!

tv.

2011-11-24T13:11:00.002-07:00

we cancelled our cable a while ago.

I was okay with that. we didn't have a pvr,

so I missed alot of the shows I would have watched in the evenings,

and there really isn't anything too great on in the day time.

but recently we signed up for netflix.

and I discovered this show.

I think someone I know on facebook mentioned it-

drop dead diva.

it is really cute!

if you have the means,

I highly recommend checking it out.

alright,

off to go watch an episode, or 2!

inevitable

2011-11-16T11:24:00.002-07:00

we knew it would happen sooner or later-

thankfully it was later this year!

it snowed.

just a bit.

this is how it looked on Saturday morning.

shovelling,

icy roads.

winter is here!
let the fun begin.

thirteen on thursday

2011-11-10T13:54:00.004-07:00

haven't done one of these in a long time- but I also am not blogging much lately, so I have lots to share.

1. the kids are on fall break this week. no school. nice, and not nice. sleeping in is wonderful!

the fighting I could do without.

2. no snow yet! I am still in shock! but loving it!

3. I have had a tooth ache for the past couple of days- I went to the dentist yesterday and found out I needed a root canal. fun.

4. this morning I had a root canal. it was not so fun.

5. our super saturday is this saturday. I am helping plan it. it is stressful. (it is a craft day for the women at the church)

6. I am decorating the church gym for it- I am excited! hopefully it will turn out like I imagined it!

7. I am excited for the craft I am doing. I will show you it when it is done! hopefully it will be cute!

8. I applied for a job to be a lunch room sub.

I never heard anything more.

last week a lunch lady called to see if I could sub for her.

I guess I was hired!

surprise!

9. I did a craft sale last weekend with my sister.

one of the better sales, but still not very good.

why do we keep doing them? I don't know.

maybe someday we will go big! sell out.

but probably not.

10. tonight Jack and I are going on a date to see the last Harry Potter movie.

yes, I have not seen it yet. I am excited nonetheless.

okay - I am drawing blanks on things to say, so we shall end it there-

ten on thursday!

melt down

2011-11-03T08:53:00.002-06:00

this morning was a melt down of epic proportions.

sweet little miss maggie was having a hard time.

you see,

she had on a pink and brown striped shirt, and the only pants that would match were her brown ones,

that she couldn't find.

they were found later,

but before that I pulled a few of her jeans out of the dryer,

so then she didn't know which pants to wear.

I know.

serious business.

so she cried and wailed

and was screaming- "I don't know"

over and over and over.

yikes.

she didn't really have tantrums as a toddler.

maybe a few, but nothing major.

I think she saved them up for her 6th year.

she did pick out the jeans she wanted,

but they didn't go with the shirt.

(I did tell her that everything goes with jeans)

so anyways, she picked out a new shirt, blew her nose,

wiped her tears and was happy when I took her over to school.

- the picture is from a previous melt down-

when she HAD to come and deliver papers with us, then half a block down decided she wanted to go home. but no one was home, so I said she had to keep coming. yowsa.

thank goodness she is mainly a very happy go lucky girl.

candy!

2011-10-31T13:46:00.002-06:00

happy halloween!

I ran over to the school for the parade just after lunch.

I had to buy candy to hand out to the trick or treaters this morning.

I think this is the first year I have had to buy it the day of halloween.

I think I was afraid I would eat it all before it got given out!

and we still haven't carved our pumpkin! yikes.

halloween kind of sneaked up on us this year!

scary stuff.

do we have a birthday here?

2011-10-26T10:59:00.002-06:00

well, we did.

in fact 2 birthdays.

Cory and my birthdays are 5 days apart.

and my parents are both born in October-

and a couple of in laws. and I know there are a few cousins too.

what a great month.

I made some red velvet cupcakes for my birthday.

so delish.

here is maggie cleaning out the tube I put the batter in to help get it into the cupcake cups a bit easier.

sweet red lips.

it was on Monday. my birthday, that is.

I was treated to a crepe breakfast by my sweet visiting teachers.

then I took myself to the titanic display at the science center- because I had a pass,

but found out the pass wouldn't get me into the titanic part, had to pay extra for that.

it was interesting- but I was thinking it would be better.

then supper and red velvet cupcakes.

then I was in bed, and asleep by 9:30.

it is official. I am now an old lady!

and Cory's birthday.

low key.

we don't really go big for birthdays.

and the older you get, the less fuss you want!

sort of!

I am doing a wellness challenge with a group of people.

one of the things is no sugary snacks.

but sunday is a free day.- and then you can have one other day with out losing points, so Monday was my free day- it being my birthday and all.

so I am really hoping that I can hold out, and there are still some cupcakes left on Sunday, so I can eat some more.

if I do eat sugar, I just don't get a point for that on that day- it is hard, but I think I have been doing okay.

sugar is definitely the hardest part for me on this challenge!

2011-10-14T14:09:00.002-06:00

today started out with a bang.

then some pops.

and some fun.

and some kids I kind of missed.

but it was very early.

see- I subbed for seminary today.

but on my way out of the driveway, I backed right into Cory's car.

I hoped he didn't hear it, (that was the bang)

and drove on.

we played a game involving blowing up and popping balloons-

hence the pops.

I used to teach seminary- 2 years ago.

I sort of missed seeing those kids every morning, and the things I knew about them.

but it was early. and is early everyday.

I guess that is why it is called early morning seminary!

then when we got back home the car had crutches by it. ( I think I might have to reinact that for my photo of the day!)

I guess he heard the bang. I don't think there was any damage done,

and now the boys have something to hold over me for a while.

what a great start to the day.

thursday

2011-10-13T20:34:00.002-06:00

well, I seem to have a trend going- post on Thursday.

and I did make a few things from pinterest, but no pictures.

I made some orange chicken in the crock pot. I thought it was good.

when I asked if I should make it again, they all said no.

so there you go.

silly kids.

then I also attempted to make a simple nativity for a sample for our super saturday,

but when I put the heads on the bodies, I realized I bought too small heads.

not good.

hopefully I can get some bigger heads and get that done.

should have more to show next week. I have a costume pinned for Sadie- and she has to wear a costume for activity days on Tuesday, so it will be done by then.

and I did make a bigger cardboard star, but it needs sanded and cleaned up.

I have been busy. the house is a mess.

the usual. life! good times.

pin it

2011-10-06T13:30:00.002-06:00

it's thursday again.

boy, a week went by quickly.

Crystal is doing another pin link party-

and since there is no shortage of things in my pin boards that I want to make,

and I happened to have the right size hook and the right kind of yarn-

and a couple of hours while I watched some general conference,

it was perfect-

so wha-la- the infinity scarf.

it is love. it is easy and fast. took about an hour.

I made one for Sadie- she wears it all the time.

I made one for Maggie- pretty sure she has no clue where hers is.

want to make one? if you know how to chain, and single crochet- you can do it!

the pattern is here!

if you have the means to make one,

I highly recommend it!

-I made mine a bit shorter- I only chained 90 -

and I love it!

oh pinterest

2011-09-29T14:09:00.002-06:00

sweet sweet pinterest.

a time sucker,

an idea giver.

so much fun

and goodness

all in one.

so glad it came into my life.

so many things pinned,

I am so glad that crystal B had

a genius idea of actually making things that we have pinned, and sharing!

since I had a few ideas I wanted to try out for our super saturday (a whole day of crafting we do at the church close to Christmas time) this was perfect!

one think I have wanted to try was this super cute star made out of cardboard. I love stars. and to make such cuteness out of something I would just have recycled- genius.

so that was the project I chose to do.

now, I did learn a thing or two.

I need to find a symmetrical star to trace- because as you can see, the centers of my lines do not match up. so the middle is kind of a schmoz. but I got the jist of it.

it was pretty easy. and cute. I will definitely try a bigger one next.

hard knock life

2011-09-21T13:59:00.002-06:00

ahh grade 1.

it's hard work.

maggie had some homework.

she brought it home Monday, but forgot about it until Tuesday. said she HAD to do it and take it back Wednesday,

(but she didn't.

it is due on Friday.- but when you are grade one these things are a bit confusing, and very, very important)

so I told her last night that she could do it this morning.

so she got out of bed this morning and wanted to do it. I told her she had to get dressed first.

that didn't go over well.

so-

she got dressed. ate some breakfast. then we pulled out the homework.

she drew her first c.

and freaked out. it was all wrong.

it is too hard.

she's not doing it.

she's not going to school.

ever.

so- I had a wave of mothering genius wash over me.

I told her she could stay home, but she would have to work.

on the oil rigs. because you don't need school for that.

(looking back I should have said Mc Donalds, or something that would make way less money than the oil rigs.

Actually Ben said, I will go work on the rigs. I can travel and make lots of money.

so yes, definitely should have said Mc D's)

I think that kind of shocked her.

she decided maybe it wasn't so hard. and continued to write her letters.

and went to school.

and was happy.

thank goodness.

crisis averted.

tonight she will finish the q row. although q's are pretty tricky letters.

ps. I really don't think working on the oil rigs would be that bad.

I was just trying to think of something on the spur of the moment.

I don't think well when put on the spot.

looking back

2011-09-12T15:00:00.003-06:00

the leaves are turning yellow, and starting to fall,
the geese are everywhere, getting ready to fly south,
fall is here,
and I realize I really didn't post much of our summer vacation.
on the Sunday that we were in Utah, we went on a tour of the conference center.
that place is amazing.
the roof was fantastic, and it was so very hot the day we were there,
I just wanted to soak in those nice cool fountains.
we had the sweetest old man as our tour guide, and as we were going back out of the auditorium, he took Maggie's hand and they walked up,
having a little conversation.
so cute!

we went to yellowstone.
yes, my kids are touching the water.
no, you aren't supposed to do it.
but we had to know how hot it was.
(just lukewarm by the time it was by the path-so don't go touching it. you really aren't supposed to!) thank goodness it was just warm, or we would have all had burnt fingers.
yellowstone was beautiful.
so unique and amazing. how you would be driving along, then pow, a cool rock formation,
some hot springs, some paint pots. what a wonderful world we live in.
we really only did and afternoon there. someday we might have to go back and take a couple of days and see the whole park.

a lot of driving.
my kids are really good.
we didn't have any movies. just DS' and a few toys,
Ben had his ipod.
it was a good summer.

now,
bring on fall.
we are ready.

sweet

2011-09-07T09:20:00.002-06:00

last weekend I picked up this fun jar at a garage sale-

a garage sale where the proceeds went to help a super sweet girl and family-

I saw it and knew I had to have it.

I didn't know what I would do with it, but it had to come home with me.

then yesterday I went to bulk barn,

and loaded up on jubejubes-

(they were on sale)

and I filled up that jar.

and it looked so cute.

and now it is already half empty.

I might have to find something other than candy to fill up that jar,

because that could get expensive.

and rot our teeth.

ps. ben is recovering well.

one more day home- he says his head still aches,

and then back to school for him!

an unfortunate incident

2011-09-05T22:32:00.002-06:00

it started out good.

a trip to the park for a picnic with my family,

enjoy the holiday today,

but Ben didn't want to come.

we made him come.

he got to drive us there.

it was in the big city.

we even saw 2 of Cory's sisters there.

that was fun!

then I laid out my blanket,

lay down on it,

closed my eyes,

and then someone was sitting on my head.

what the?!?

I sit up,

and there is Ben, lying there, with a big gash in his head. blood all over.

yikes.

turns out he sat on Jack,

and Cory came over to wrestle him off

and they ended up tumbling over,

Ben onto the cement curb.

not good.

Cory and Ben spent the evening at the hospital getting stitches.

turns out he has a concussion. and gets to stay home from school.

and we get to wake him up throughout the night to make sure he is okay.

hopefully he is okay.

he had to get a bit of his head shaved where he got stitches.

that will not make him happy at all.

needless to say,

he didn't drive home.

ps. I found the plug for my computer.

right where I hid it away from the kids.

and forgot where I hid it.

sheesh.

update

2011-09-03T16:37:00.004-06:00

I am here,

but the power cord for my lap top has gone missing.

I do know where the lap top is-

surprisingly,

but it is out of power,

and the cord has vanished.

mysterious.

school is back on, it started on Wednesday.

Maggie is in grade one. all day.

I am home alone.

all day.

it is blissfull.

the kids all are happy with where they are at.-

teachers, schools, and all that stuff

-but Ben does want to change one of his classes.

the weather was definitely fall- ish,

but this weekend is promising sun,

so I guess it is a good thing it is a long weekend.

and when the cord is found,

there will be pictures to be shown.

I always say our house is like the bermuda triangle.

things just vanish.

it isn't that big- that we should lose stuff all the time,

or THAT messy.

okay, apparently it is.

I guess I should work on that with all my free time now!

time capsule

2011-08-30T21:54:00.002-06:00

years ago,

when I was a councellor in the young women program in our ward at church,

we did an activity where we made time capsules.

we sealed them in large cans at the church cannery, and there it sat for a long time.

the label got wet, and I couldn't remember when we were supposed to open it,

so we rediscovered it in the garage recently,

and decided to open it in our family home evening last night.

we discovered it was supposed to be a 10 year time capsule, and I sealed it up in 2004 or so,

so it was opened a bit early, but fun to see.

the boys had put in toys, a spider man figure, a hot wheel motorcycle thing, some yu-gi-oh cards, I had put in a few flyers from the grocery stores-

but the funnest thing was a cassette tape we had made with little interviews with the kids.

how fun it was to hear their little voices again.

Ben when he was 8- and was talking about the rescue hero toys he got for Christmas,

Jack when he was 6, and what he would buy me if he had a lot of money- (a black cowboy hat ?!) - he had the cutest little voice - he couldn't say his r's. adorable.

and little Jed. so sweet. even sadie was talking a bit- she was only 2.

what a fun reminder of when those boys were sweet and little.

now they are just big stinky boys.

sheesh.

why do they grow up so fast?

funny girl

2011-08-24T21:20:00.002-06:00

Maggie randomly came in the kitchen and said

-I didn't know fleas were white.

I said

-they're not. they are black.

Maggie said

-but in the song (then she sweetly sang) Mary had a little lamb whose fleas were white as snow.

hahaha.

I explained all about the fleece,

and all was right again.

summer time

2011-08-20T21:23:00.003-06:00

it just wouldn't be summer without a run through the sprinkler with an umbrella,
right?
we are just happy it was a warm day.
those are getting hard to come by around here this summer!

it was wicked

2011-08-15T22:58:00.002-06:00

a couple of Saturdays ago,

Sadie and I had the opportunity

to go and see wicked.

I had seen it before in Chicago with my sister,

but that was a while ago,

and well, we had the chance,

so we jumped at it!

it was so good.

as we walked out Sadie said-

"that was wicked!"

indeed.

you can't really tell, but she is wearing a wicked shirt we happend to buy at a DI in Utah on our vacation, it was perfect to wear to the show.

I think we paid maybe $2 for it, and they were selling the same one there for $40.

such a steal of a deal.

man, I love DI.

and I love wicked.

our favorite summer treat (this year)

2011-08-12T08:14:00.000-06:00

this was discovered by accident a while ago- I think I bought a pop somewhere, but didn't want to bring it inside, so I put it by the back door,

and it was winter,

and when I went to get it it was a bit slushy,

and so delicious!

so, now we make frozen pop.

I haven't really tried any other kinds of pop,

but we really like sprite. or 7 up. or spritz up.

(hey it was only 77 cents. more bang for my buck. and still tastes fantastic)

so, here is what you do.

pour the pop into a bunch of cups.

not too full, because it will expand when you freeze it.

(I can't get the pictures to move where I want them, so this is the final picture.

maggie chipping away, and enjoying her frozen pop)

carefully transfer all the cups to the freezer,

let them freeze for a few hours,

and enjoy.

I think I got about 12 of the smaller ikea cups full -

for 77 cents, I think that's a pretty good deal.

I think I will go stock up on some more pop while it is on sale!

yum.

this week

2011-08-11T09:05:00.002-06:00

all week I have had blog posts going around my head, but getting to the computer, and uploading pictures was just too hard.
(those incredibly lazy days of summer are in full force around here)
but I finally did it, and here is a summary of this week for you!

our house is undergoing a bit of a facelift on the outside.
it looks much better than this now,
but that is another post for another day!

this guy had a birthday.
the big 1-2.
he requested skor trifle for his cake,
so that is what he got.
yum.
and we all went bowling.
except ben, because....

early monday morning Ben headed down to Calgary for EFY.
I can't wait to pick him up and see how it all went,
although I am sure he won't tell me too much,
being a teenage boy and all.
but I am excited that he had the opportunity to go,
and I hope he is having a great time!

found

2011-08-05T16:56:00.002-06:00

well, the laptop has been found-
(right where I put it, of course)
but time to blog is hard to find.
because I am busy doing summer stuff-
killing ants
(we have an infestation in our kitchen. disgusting)
deep cleaning my kitchen to try to get rid of those nasty ants,
and sometimes just doing nothing.
so I will share a picture of us in Salt lake city.
this was just after we had lunch at the lion house.
so delish.
if you happen to be in SLC around lunch or supper,
my whole family would recommend heading there.
don't go to the golden corrall. not so delish.
just our opinion though!

snippits

2011-08-03T09:04:00.002-06:00

the search for the lap top will be in earnest today- maybe even a reward offered.

do things always turn up in your house when a reward is offered?

that is when kids start to really look and things are usually found.

anyways,

some pictures that were took with an itouch-

it was getting dark, but Maggie (and Jack) got to ride Cory's uncle Jack's horse Maggie.

so fun!

we saw the beautiful

Salt Lake City temple.

first time my kids have been to Utah-

and the first time Cory and I had been there together!

riding the carosel at Lagoon- I told my kids that every time I drove past there as a kid- on our family trips past or to utah, I always wanted to stop there but we never did- and here they are on their first time to utah, and at lagoon. they said they never even had the opportunity to want to go- they just got to. lucky ducks.

(and the real reason we got to go to lagoon is because we crashed Uncle Jack's family reunion- and we didn't even see all the cousins there. it was crazy busy, and crazy hot.)

there is a taste of our holiday.

hopefully more to come soon when the laptop is found.

home again

2011-08-02T20:44:00.002-06:00

we were off on a fun family vacation-

we headed to Utah, to extreme heat,

and lots of fun.

lots of driving,

and lots of shopping.

everyones favorites included DI and Target.

we hit sonic happy hour a couple of times.

(so good!)

saw old faithful blow twice.

drove and drove.

and now I can't find my laptop to download my pictures on.

but hopefully it will turn up soon, and I can share!

so check back. if you want to see what we were up to!

okay, I learned more...

2011-07-20T09:45:00.002-06:00

I learned that big families= big fun.

those marshmallows are so big.
yikes.

and why didn't I bring a beautiful white dress for fantastic pictures in the pretty yellow wild flowers? possibly because we don't have one-
but wouldn't that have been great?
maybe next time!

what I learned at family reunion

2011-07-19T17:11:00.001-06:00

say no to crack!

hee hee!

a relationship

2011-07-15T09:53:00.000-06:00

I have a love/hate relationship

with peonies.

I love them for the 1 week they are beautifully blooming,

and I hate them the rest of the year.

I loved them last week.

now,

I do love that the girls have cleaned up all the petals that were dropped when it rained and rained.

it might be time to dig them out.

maybe.

you know it's summer when...

2011-07-14T07:08:00.000-06:00

your kids make sure the watermelon has a safe ride home from the grocery store.

rainy days and wednesdays always get me down

2011-07-13T13:35:00.002-06:00

last week we had sunburns.

this week they are fading away.

our internet wasn't working for a few days.

and that was hard. let me tell you.

but it is back.

and hopefully the sun will come back soon.

I miss it.

but I don't miss the sunburns.

must remember to apply more sunscreen more often.

the boys are back.

they had a good time.

if you call having porta parties in the porta potties a good time.

and I think they did.

sheesh.

boys.

this week

2011-07-09T00:26:00.003-06:00

the boys were at scout camp,
so it was just me and these two silly girls all week long.
we had some fun-

watched Monte Carlo,
ate pizza,
too many late nights,

but man, today we headed out to 2 places and I was just telling them to shh, and stop touching each other, and just be quiet for a bit.
yikes. is it really only the first week of summer vacation?

heaven help me!

it was a...

2011-07-02T00:05:00.002-06:00

happy Canada day!

a parade,

(the picture is Jack hugging a mascot guy that was in the parade)

a bbq,

our own private bouncy house,

more bbq,

boys sleepover at uncle matt's

the beach,

fantastic fireworks.

what a great day,

and a great country to live in!

it's been a while

2011-06-30T20:54:00.002-06:00

it was a crazy week-
Kindergarten graduation on Friday
handbell concert on Monday (picture above)
celebration of learning Tuesday morning-
this is where every kid in the elementary school gets a certificate for something-
not the most exciting thing ever.
Maggie kept asking when we get to go to the festival of fun.
unfortunately it was not a festival of fun. but a celebration of learning. very little fun involved.
Tuesday afternoon was the grade 6 grad.
wednesday was the last day of school- and awards ceremony at the Junior high school.
today no school. what a glorious day!

the floor

2011-06-24T13:30:00.002-06:00

A little while ago I posted a picture of me stencilling a floor-

this is a bit of the floor finished-

(since I have had a couple of requests to see it lately)

it is just a small snippit of the floor-

just beyound what the picture shows is a mess on all sides.

there is a few more things I want to do in the girl's room-

I need to hang pictures back up on their wall,

get those girls to tidy up (an on-going struggle)

then maybe I can show the big picture!

last days

2011-06-21T19:24:00.002-06:00

well, Ben is done classes, he only has one more exam on Thursday. then on to grade 11 for him.

Jack had his last day of classes today, has a few exams, and the awards ceremony is on Wednesday. then grade 9.

Maggie has a big day on Friday- kindergarten graduation.

- I was shopping with Ben yesterday and found the cutest dress, so I bought it for Maggie with the excuse that it could be her grad dress. yikes.

then next year all day - grade one for her!

Sadie and Jed have one more week. Wednesday is the last day- but really, I think these are just fun days. track and field tomorrow afternoon, Sadie is heading on an all day field trip on Thursday- just killing time until it is all over.

then onto junior high for Jed, and Sadie moves up into grade 5.

I am feeling sad about it all. (summer holidays, that is.)

my afternoons alone will be a thing of the past

- but we will definitely be sleeping in,

- we do have a great vacation planned,

- but I am seriously looking forward to the fall when all my kids will be in school all day.

it will be a long summer for me!

up on the roof top

2011-06-13T09:41:00.002-06:00

so , the shingleing is still going on-

well, actually, I think that part of it is done now,

but man, this last weekend was a bit of a fiasco.

it took more time, and work than was anticipated since there was rotting wood on all the edges of the roof.

and one night there were no shingles on half the roof, and of course it rained that night.

and of course it dripped in the house.

so now there are a few more repairs to be done.

good times.

some day it will be done, and look fantastic.

some day.

if only...

2011-06-09T13:28:00.003-06:00

Jack and I headed to Walmart the other day.

he had a coupon he wanted to use

(for some old spice body wash, but that doesn't really matter- just in case you were curious)

and I needed some tomato fertilizer stuff

(so my tomatoes can grow big and delicious- but you probably knew that)

so, we went to pay in the garden center, and the worker guy there might have been sort of new,

(I don't know that for sure, but that was my impression)

and when he rang through our stuff, and the coupon- this is what happened-

apparently walmart owed us $660,069.69.

then the cashier guy quickly called for help.

I told him it was okay if he couldn't get it fixed.

that would get us a lot of groceries.

and I told Jack we could get him the x box he has been wanting for a long time.

but unfortunately help came,

and we ended up owing them a few dollars - so we paid and left.

but it was fun imagining what we would do with that money for a little while.

extreme couponing at it's finest! haha.

what goes around comes around

2011-06-04T09:48:00.002-06:00

so, back in the day

-the good old days,

my parents had friends

(okay, they had a bunch of friends, but this story is about a specific family)

- the father in this family worked out in the city that my family now lives in,

and the place where he worked offered big gardening plots to workers,

so we would come out with them and plant and weed and harvest.

I don't remember liking having to go out there,

but I do remember going to a nearby pond with the other kids and finding snails.

anyways-

where is this heading?

our city just this year started a community garden.

and we got a little plot,

the girls and I went over this week and planted some stuff.

and nearly got eaten alive by mosquitoes while doing it.

I need to go back and pick some more weeds,

but must make sure all skin is covered.

and we haven't yet discovered any pond with snails,

but I do believe back in those trees is a little creek.

some exploring might be in order.

activity days

2011-06-01T18:55:00.003-06:00

a couple of weeks ago the activity day girls group headed out to the trails.
it was a nice evening, a nice walk, and they are nice girls.
then we went off the trails, into a field- to try to take some pictures,
and wowsers- were there ever tons of mosquitoes there.
they are so bad around here this year.
it seemed like all the millions of mosquitos all hatched at once-
there were none, then wham-o. bazillions of them.
the worst thing about them
(to me, anyways)
is when you are in bed, lights out, and you hear one buzzing around your head.
I hate that!
maybe all the snow in winter isn't so bad.
at least there are no mosquitoes!

today

2011-05-27T15:33:00.002-06:00

we got these delivered today.

guess what will be going on here this weekend-

and probably the next.

and maybe even the next weekend after that.

but our roof will look good!

- because we need more projects to start,

because the two big ones we started last weekend aren't done yet, but who wants to finish one before the next one is started?

not us!

working hard

2011-05-25T10:19:00.000-06:00

on a big project! it looks good so far,
but there is still much work to be done.

hopefully I can show you the finished product soon!

spring has sprung!

2011-05-24T20:14:00.002-06:00

the tree in our front yard is only pretty for about a week- when it blossoms,

and now is the time!

it is so lovely!

last weekend

2011-05-18T08:30:00.003-06:00

I married into an amazing family.
once a year, all the in-laws (and sisters) try to get together
- have a bit of a get-away.

we just had one last weekend.
all the girls, but one, got to hang out.
in the past we have done it at the parents house,
but this year, it was planned around a race that 4 of the girls were running,
so we stayed in a big hotel/condo place.
so fun!

we had a favorite thing night-
everyone was to bring 9 of their favorite things ($3 max)
so everyone got to go home with everyone's favorites!
so fun-
here is what was there-

-not pictured is a fantastic 10 minute massage. loved it!

2 babies got to come along- they were such great little travellers! so adorable.

it was such a nice get away
I am already looking forward to the next one!

me

2011-05-10T14:59:00.002-06:00

I had seen a tutorial for bubble gum necklaces on line a while ago.

I thought they were adorable.

so, for Activity days, I had the girls make one for their mom's for mother's day,

then there was enough gum left over that they could make one for themselves.

so fun- neat to see the different color combinations- all so beautiful!

(the one I am wearing I made for myself- Sadie did make me one, but the kids ate it up right after church)-

it was fun to see so many moms of the girls wearing their necklaces!

- just like one year the cubs made duct tape ties for their dads-

so fun to see a few ties at church!

I didn't do any dishes on sunday- so that means it was a good day!

(and I had a big breakfast, and lots of fun gifts from the kids.)

but now that mother's day is over, it's back to doing the dishes, and cereal for breakfast.

it was nice while it lasted!

in love

2011-05-04T16:09:00.003-06:00

I got to go and help in Maggie's kindergarten class this afternoon.

the snack was an m&m cookie - the kind from costco-

so, there I was sitting at the table with Maggie and the kids while they were eating them up,

and a little boy sitting across from me said

- these are so good.

I am in love with them.

haha

I love it!

so funny.

( I tend to say that I am in love with something when I really like it- so I could totally relate.)

so green

2011-05-03T08:02:00.001-06:00

I looked out my kitchen window into the back yard,
and saw this green fertilizer spreader contraption that was taken apart,
and thought of Jacks green hoody,
and thought the two needed to be in a photo together.
so green.
indeed.

stewardess

2011-05-02T14:58:00.003-06:00

last weekend was the year end show for Sadie's showbiz kids group.-
it was a trip around the world-
Sadie the stewardess got to hand out treats at intermission time-

so fun.
it was well done, and very entertaining.
I am so glad Sadie got to participate in this group this year-
I think her confidence in herself has definitely increased,
and that has been such a great thing for her!

(and you can see her new short hair-do!)

our weekend

2011-04-26T13:44:00.003-06:00

it was a happy easter!
that easter bunny hid the kids baskets- they were not too hard to find,
then Cory and Ben hid the plastic eggs-
I always think after they are hid that I should have counted so we could know if they were all found.
I did find one this morning- hidden behind the computer.

we ate dinner at my sister in laws house- and the ham we ate was so delicious.
it is haunting me.
I am heading to Costco later today to see if they still have them,
so I can eat ham forever. so yummy. I want some right now!

on Monday my sister and Sadie got their hair cut.
they cut off 8 inches each- to donate for wigs for cancer.
this is the second time they have done it!
I am so proud of them both!
so- when we knew it was happening soon, I curled up Sadie's long hair, and took her out for some pictures.

now it is so short and cute- my after pictures were blurry, so I will have to take some more soon.
but man, there was no whining that it hurt as I brushed her hair today!
it looks adorable.

and- on Saturday Maggie lost her first tooth!
then I lost her tooth. I put it on the counter- and it was not seen again-
the tiny little thing.

today when maggie and I came home I saw a Cute little bunny in our front garden.
it ran and hid under our bay window, then later it was in a little bush in the front-
I put a laundry basket on it and called the bylaw people- they should be coming by to get it soon.
I contemplated keeping it as a pet, but when it started making weird noises at Maggie and I,
I decided I wasn't ready for the comittment.
and I don't think Cory would be too happy about a new little member of the household.
- the animal control guy just came and he said it was a wild bunny-
he wasn't sure what he was going to do with it, but he said he would find a good place for it.
poor little guy!

yay!

2011-04-22T21:17:00.002-06:00

this morning she was saying she would not ride a two wheeler until she was 7-
and this afternoon this is what she was doing-

yay! I knew she could do it! (Cory took off the training wheels without her knowing-
she would have never let him do it!)

sometimes

2011-04-20T11:32:00.002-06:00

sometimes Maggie will come grocery shopping with me.
somtimes she tells me to go in the afternoon when she is in school
sometimes I like having her with me,
and sometimes it is very nice that I get to do it all by myself!

(and she had to bring the creepy doll that Cory gave her that he got a a white elephant gift exchange. nice)
sometimes these toys dissappear into the give away box when the kids aren't around.

today-

2011-04-14T11:14:00.000-06:00

I thought we were done with all this.

really?! really.

curses

2011-04-12T07:10:00.003-06:00

yesterday I got a call from the school speech pathologist.

Sadie had been in to see her, and she thought Sadie was doing very well,

and could stop coming to see her.

(I find it interesting that Cory and I never had speech issues,

but all of our kids have done speech before school, and during at least half of their elementary careers.) anyways,

Sadie knew she had called and was asking me if she had said she could stop going.

(this conversation all happened while I was lying in Maggie's bed, after the girls were in bed,

far too late into the night)

I said that yes, she was done speech.

she then said that she kind of liked it because they got to play games and she got stickers.

so I asked Maggie if she liked it, and she said no. she had to say hard words.

then Sadie piped in with-

when I was little I said sh instead of s- so I should have never said sit.

what!?!

oh man, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

this out of sweet little Sadie's mouth.

it still makes me chuckle.

then when I was telling Cory what I was laughing so hard about I was thinking-

I don't remember that ever being a problem,

but I do remember for all my kids the tr sound was hard, and they would say f instead.

making trucks a very bad word.

now, go listen to a catchy song, and don't think too hard about those bad words.

get them out of your mind.

this is the song that never ends- it just goes on and on my friends...

fun

2011-04-07T13:17:00.002-06:00

I got to test a pattern out for Amanda from Pardon My Chaos-

I think it turned out pretty well!

Sadie requested green when I asked her what color hat she wanted.

I think she sort of likes it.

she even wore it to school.

it is fun to try new things!

Friday night

2011-04-04T15:00:00.002-06:00

Cory and I headed out without kids.

sort of a date, I guess.

we went where we used to go on dates-

silly, but we like it-

to Value Village

(it's a big thrift store)

we always head to the books.

even though the adult ones are way over priced for a thrift store,

we managed to find a bunch to buy- and my favorite was this one:

the Blue Castle, by L.M. Montgomery.

I remembered that someone in my book club said it was their go to book-

when you have nothing to read, and want to read something good.

and yes, it was good.

highly recommended by me.

(don't let the cheesy cover fool you. good stuff inside!)

this weekend

2011-04-02T09:18:00.002-06:00

if you want to find me this weekend,

it should not be hard.

I will be hunkered down in the basement, bundled in a blanket,

probably knitting,

while listening to this amazing man

(president Monson)

and many others,

from our church talk to us and teach us.

I love that we can watch from our homes-

I love that we have cable (for now- probably once March madness, and conference are over we will go back to being cable- less.)

and I am thinking it will be a great 2 days!

it's spring break-

2011-03-29T17:15:00.004-06:00

all the kids all the time things are a little crazy around here!

I had an idea

2011-03-21T14:47:00.002-06:00

and this was sort of it.

a photoshoot with Maggie, and a blanket and the snow.

where we went to take the pictures was at a field across a sort of country road, just a tiny bit out of town. I love the location of that house- and the field- love.

I was telling Maggie we should build a house in the field, and she agreed,

and said that we could take pictures every day.

love that girl!

it's good to try new things

2011-03-18T07:51:00.002-06:00

last night a friend of mine called me up, and wanted to go see the movie red riding hood.

now, I had seen a preview, and it wasn't really a movie on my must see list,

but I went along anyways,

and wowsers.

I really, really liked it.

it was so suspenceful,

it had romance,

I laughed,

I cried,

who could it be- who was the wolf?

it was...

kidding.

I won't tell.

go see the movie, and find out!

today-

2011-03-17T13:03:00.001-06:00

lucky charms?
check.
green milk?
check.
chocolate coins found under the pillows?
check. have a great day- and don't get pinched!

the big 6

2011-03-16T13:14:00.002-06:00

wow. I can hardly believe my baby is 6 now.
she is such a fun kid.
here are 6 great things about her-

1. she still grabs her blanky and likes to cuddle with me on the couch when she wakes up in the morning.

2. she has her older siblings wrapped around her finger. they do almost everything at her bidding.

3. she loves to watch movies and eat popcorn. loves it.

4. many mornings when I go to wake the girls up I find her snuggled in Sadie's bed, where she has moved sometime in the night.

5. she loves going to school, playing with friends and learning new things.

6. she is so stinking cute.

big party to come on Saturday. good times. she can hardly wait!

the c monster

2011-03-11T12:47:00.004-07:00

so- here it is. not even close to the cuteness of the one I boogled,
but hey- let's not judge. we're all friends here! and yes, he is eating a digestive cookie-
because that is what I had in my house.
and his eyes are just icing blobs with chocolate chips,
and yes, it was delicious.
and isn't that what really matters?
we will see what the kids in the kindergarten class thought of it when Maggie gets home.
hopefully no one will say- I don't care for this.
that would be a tragedy.

jump on the band wagon

2011-03-10T14:49:00.002-07:00

so this morning Jack's junior high band played in the music festival.
they needed someone to take all the large instruments to the festival.
Jack vollunteered me.
so we went to the school and were packing in the instruments,
and one of the kids said-
put it in the band wagon.

pretty funny kids.

(maggie and the instruments in the band wagon)

they did pretty well.

the van- well, it made it.

everytime I had to stop and get going again something in the back would creak.

I was just glad it wasn't the door and that it didn't fly open and instruments didn't fall all over the road.

that would have been bad.

boogle it

2011-03-09T10:15:00.002-07:00

so, it's Maggie's birthday on Sunday.

she gets to take treats to kindergarten on Friday for her birthday.

I asked her what she wanted to take,

and she said cookie monster cupcakes.

I told her I wasn't sure how to make those,

I would have to look it up on the computer

and she said- you can boogle it!

(love it!)

so I did- and found this-

adorable.

now, to see what I can come up with.

I don't think it will look this good.

sadly,

but I shall try!

troy and gabriella

2011-03-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

after a day of the girls and a friend playing barbies in the toy room,

I went down to run on the treadmill- to find this-

our troy and gabriella barbies hanging out- a bit close,

by the edge of the toy shelf.

I thought it was so funny.

I wonder if it was my girls who put them like this-

or if it was the friend.

the latest

2011-03-02T10:55:00.002-07:00

I am reading this book-it was recommended to me by my friend who is a librarian at our high school.

it is really good.

I think it is a book that Kami and Kayli would enjoy.

just saying.

watching-
on season 4. sometimes inappropriate. most times funny.

Cory came home early yesterday afternoon and I was watching it, and he came down, stood for a moment then walked away saying 'I can't even listen to this show.' hmm.

but he doesn't like a lot of tv shows, so we won't go by his word.

not sure I would recommend it to anyone, but now I this far in, I need to find out how he did meet their mother.

knitting- I bought the yarn for this project last year. I finally got a pattern for it a couple of months ago- I am starting them today! they are called thrummed mittens- you knit them up and every once in a while you add in some wool tufts, so the inside is super warm and fuzzy.- like this-
mine will be about that color for the outside, but my fuzzies are white and pink and blue. they will be so fun.

- because I have been wearing the mittens ben sewed in his sewing class last year out of polar fleece. and while they are warm and stylish, I think it is time for some new ones.

and the way the weather has been, I think I can finish them and still wear them for a few months.

nice.

my girls

2011-02-27T08:05:00.001-07:00

aren't they radiant? (haha)

I was trying to get that cool sun flare effect that I have seen around, but not sure I did it right.

they are great girls- mostly get along with each other. I love that they play barbies and polly pockets together. so fun.

now, if only I could get them to keep their room clean.

(but I seem to recall my mom getting on me to clean up my room a lot as a kid. I guess what goes around comes around!)

happy family day

2011-02-21T11:12:00.002-07:00

that's what day it is here in Alberta today.
yay.
but cory has to work, so it's just me and the kids.
and I have some boxes and garbage bags, and we are going through the house getting rid of stuff.
That's the goal anyways.
so far I have a bit of stuff on my kitchen floor.
good times.

a question for you

2011-02-19T10:21:00.002-07:00

so- say I am thinking about taking my family on a trip down to Utah in the summer time.

(I have thought of this before, but I think this year is the year.)

what do we have to do,

what should we see,

where should we go?

on my for sure list is touring temple square,

and climbing mount timpanogos.

I know there is so much more- what is the most fantastic stuff?

please, let me know what you think!

thanks.

some one loves me

2011-02-17T11:34:00.002-07:00

at the grocery store that I shop at most often

they were giving away bunches of roses yesterday.

(I guess they ordered a few too many for valentines day.)

-but lets just say they love to have me shop there,

and wanted to show their appreciation!

yeah, lets go with that!

dotty

2011-02-16T12:34:00.002-07:00

yesterday after I sent Maggie to get dressed for school, this is the outfit she came out with.

I said- wow- that is a lot of polka dots.

she said- I know, it's because I love them.

I guess so!

(I love them too!)

she did end up switching the leotards out for jeans, but kept the skirt and the shirt.

some things aren't worth the battle.

and some things you can get away with when you are 5. (almost 6!)

happy valentines day!

2011-02-14T16:11:00.002-07:00

the day of love
(and candy)
I crocheted some hearts, and glued them to some hair clips for the girls to wear to school!

I bought a variety of heart candy, and filled up my candy jars- these will be pulled out at Family home evening- along with the cake balls I made. they aren't pretty, but they sure taste good.
( I had to make sure they were okay, right?)

the heart shaped pretzels covered with chocolate are from walmart- so very cute,

and the heart shaped jelly tots were from superstore. so cute (and really yummy too!)

I got this sweet valentine from a girl in my primary class. it says you are the bomb.

and it's like a bomb!(made up with 3 packs of rolos) so creative- and it involves chocolate. love it!

- super exciting news- this morning I put on a pair of my jeans, and they were way too big, I could pull them off without unbuttoning them. I was so excited.

-sad news- after today, I think those jeans might just fit me again. yikes!

substitution

2011-02-09T12:08:00.004-07:00

(or how much is too much.)

so, you know how sometimes you really want to eat some homemade baked stuff, but you really don't want all the sugar and fat and calories?

well- that is how I was feeling this morning-
so I attempted to make some banana muffins- but a lot healthier.

I substituted whole wheat flour for all the white flour,
honey for all the sugar,
applesauce for the oil-
and added a bit of flax seed-
now sometimes I know when I try to make things healthy they just don't taste very good

but I have to say, I think these were pretty yummy.
but that might be because I put in chocolate chips-
no substitutions for those!
so- am I justified in eating a whole lot, since they are really healthy?
no- I didn't think so.
darn it.

time

2011-02-08T20:12:00.002-07:00

high time to update the blog!

not too much exciting going on here.

-just trying not to freeze- but hear it is supposed to get warmer again this weekend.

-angry that my favorite radio station all of a sudden switched to number 1 hits. if I wanted to listen to those I would be listening to the other 3 or 4 radio stations in this city that play the top hits. sheesh.

-hanging out with Ben at the hospital this morning- his finger got jammed when he was playing soccer in gym class yesterday, so we had to make sure it wasn't broken. nope, just sprained.

- getting a hair cut and color-

way too long over due. my roots were awful.- but now-

not so bad. and of course my hair dresser straightened it.

and of course it will never look this way again.

- and last week I tried to cut Maggie's hair.

bad idea.

then I realized how uneven the sides were and tried to even them up.

that was not a good idea either.

then my sister called me- another sister had signed her kids up for a birthday club thing at the mall, and got a bunch of coupons for her daughter-

that they won't be using because they are now far far away-

and one was for a haircut at a real salon- so I jumped on that one- and Maggie got a cute 'do. (and it is even. yay!)

-then I left the computer to make some supper-

and this is what I found.

silly little girl!

while surfing the net the other day...

2011-02-03T15:30:00.002-07:00

I came across this picture!

- to read the story, check out my etsy blog- bluejeanmamaetsy.

such a fun surprise!

a moment

2011-02-01T13:47:00.003-07:00

this weekend the kids pulled out the monopoly game.
they played it on Saturday, Sunday and Monday (we had no school on Monday)

on Sunday night Cory played a game with some of the kids.
they were on the livingroom floor.
Ben was on the couch listening to his ipod
the girls were playing with some of their toys around the room
I was knitting on the chair.
we were all in the same room just hanging out.
that never happens!
I was sitting there thinking I should pull out my camera and put it on the table and set the timer.
I wanted to capture that moment forever.
but I didn't.
then the game was over, and the kids moved on.

next time I am going to try to remember this,
and actually grab the camera.
because my memory is not so good- I and I will probably forget this moment ever happened.
and it was a great moment.

on patrol

2011-01-29T14:58:00.002-07:00

he's helping to keep the world safe- helping kids cross the street.

and although it looks like we might go to school in the night time,

it was morning, and the mornings are actually getting lighter.

thank goodness!

( I thought this would be a fun photo of the day-so I ran out and took some pictures of him.

I think he was a bit embarrassed, but that's what mom's are for, right?)

good cold fun

2011-01-24T10:32:00.003-07:00

yep, we had quite a bit of snow.
and it was mighty cold.
but now, it is warming up.
and the snow is melting a bit.
and then it is freezing at night.
making the roads very icy.

some good times were had last week building a quincy.

then it got a hole in the roof.

not good. a certain boy was not happy, but he handled it well, and didn't get angry.

the snow was kind of nice-it is so pretty when everything is clean and white.

but now, the roads are brown from the sand,

and the snow plowed up from the roads and shoveled from the driveways is all brown too, and it's not so pretty any more.

kind of like in the fall- after the pretty colored leaves all fall, and everything is just dead and brown. not so nice.

good thing spring will come.

someday.

but not soon enough for me!

some people's kids!

2011-01-21T19:25:00.002-07:00

on Thursday it was Maggie's turn to take snack to kindergarten.
and I vollunteer in her classroom once a month, so I signed up for her snack day!
when thinking about what to take- we decided on popcorn.
delicious.
and Maggie loves it with extra flavors added, but I didn't have any,
but earlier on when we were at my sister's house she had made popcorn and added some candy cane sprinkles especially for popcorn.
it was yummy.
and I had a pack of candycanes left over, so we blended them up small,
and sprinkled it on the popcorn.
and we taste tested it.
alot.
and it was good. then, when the kids were sitting eating,
I was shocked when over half the kids said "I don't care for this"-
(that is what they are supposed to say instead of - I don't like this)
and threw it away.
silly kids.
I think there were only 5 or so who actually ate it all.
some ate some of it,
and the rest threw it away.
the gall.
sheesh.
silly kids. don't know a good snack when they see it.

(I am trying to change my header, but can't remember how to do it right. I will figure it out soon. I hope!)

finally

2011-01-18T20:51:00.002-07:00

I bought a crochet hat pattern on etsy a long time ago.
finally the other night I sat down and made it.
it was so fast, and so cute-
I don't know what I was waiting for!

I see many of these in my etsy shop in the future.
love it!

deal...or no deal?

2011-01-14T12:44:00.004-07:00

during the christmas break, the kids and I headed out east to visit some fun family members.

while there- I always need to check out their Salvation Army store.

and I always find something fun .

this time I found this fun red chair- (this picture was from the site where you can buy them- that isn't my kid. just fyi.)

Maggie has one or two in her kindergarten class room, so I had seen them before, and thought they were pretty fun.

I found them online- $70. yikes.

I paid $5.

what a great deal. - that is what I told Cory.

then he said- it's not a deal if you don't need it.

hmmm. so very true.

but I think every one needs an awesome red rocker chair.

right?

deal. I say.

true north

2011-01-11T08:55:00.002-07:00

living up here, in the north, in Canada-
is silly.
it is cold.
and we had tons of snow.
and now it is cold, and the roads are bad,
and it is supposed to snow some more tomorrow!
yikes.

but- one of the good things- we have a really long driveway, so we pile it all up in the yard,
so if the kids want to do some sledding, they can just head out the back door!
(it's not too big of a hill, but good for little kids. and when they get bored back there, they head out to our front yard which is on a bit of a slope!)
great for this lazy mom, who doesn't want to go out in the cold any more than she has to!

I buy hot chocolate in bulk,
and we drink it by the gallon when the weather is like this!
p.s.- if you are close to a bulk barn, try their peppermint hot chocolate. yummm!

lately...

2011-01-07T14:21:00.003-07:00

watching:borrowed season 1 from my fantastic sis. in law. wishing I had convinced her to let me take 2 and 3 as well, as I will be finishing 1 shortly.

knitting these-wraps. seem to be big this month. I have a bit of yarn for them. bought a huge batch of yarn online, but sadly it is coming from Turkey, and will take about 2 months to get here. yikes.

reading:
I picked up the first 2 and the 4th of the series at a thrift store- read the first two really fast, but don't want to read the 4th until I read the 3rd- but it is never in at our library.

great reads. It is now in Jed's pile of books to read. I think he will really like them.

eating- tons of junk.

diet- or more appropriately - eating changes start on Monday- so I am trying to get rid of all the sugar and crap. eating it is probably not the best idea. but oh, so delish.

and that is what I have been doing lately.

tuesday night

2011-01-04T20:53:00.002-07:00

Tuesday-
right after school, we head out
to take Sadie to Showbiz kids.
she sings, and she loves it.
back in November the group did a show at an old folks home.
such a great idea.
this is Sadie doing her solo-
jeepers, creepers, where'd you get those peepers...

so great that she is gaining confidence in herself-
singing in front of a group is a big deal!

definitely worth the drive!
(thanks miss Dixie!)

hello 2011

2011-01-01T15:02:00.002-07:00

Cory and I spent last night chaperoning at the youth dance. our ward was in charge of the whole dealio, and I must say, it was pretty fun.

my goal for the night was to embarrass ben, and I think I accomplished that quite nicely!

they had a fun photo booth there- with props and stuff. such a fun idea!

so, new year, new resolutions right?

*this year I want to attempt the photo a day thing again. I did pretty well with it in 2009, but our computer died, and I never did get my pictures off of it to get them printed and into a book. this year I will do it monthly, so I won't get so behind.

*this year I want to make a real budget, stick with it, and get out of some debt.

such a grown up thing to do, I think. It is time.

*go down a size or two- or maybe three in my clothing! which means eating less sugar and chocolate, and exercising more. but that is okay. I can do this! maybe.

*you know when you shop, and you get that little thing at the bottom of your receipt that if you do a little survey, you could win some money? I want to do all of those that I can, see if I win anything!

*and of course do some cleaning and organizing. get rid of junk. buy less junk- which will work nicely with the whole budgeting thing. win win right?

it's going to be good. this 2011 year. lets do it!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

seasons greetings

2010-12-23T09:42:00.001-07:00

last week we had some nasty weather,

snowing and blowing-

it was pretty yucky out,

but it sure made my candy cane decoration look neat!

christmas dresses

2010-12-22T09:32:00.000-07:00

every year I make the girls Christmas dresses.
so far they have been the same, and I will continue making them matching dresses until they complain!
this is Maggie's dress this year-
front-

and back-

sadie's is the same idea, but she asked for long sleeves,

and silly me- I measured her arm from the shoulder where sleeves usually start,

and cut out the pieces, sewed them on, and once she tried on her dress I realized that I should have measured from her neck instead- so she ended up with 3/4 inch sleeves. but she said that's okay.

I meant to take a picture of them in their dresses on Sunday, but they changed out of them too quickly.

if I didn't tell you, you would never know that they were made out of a bed sheet, right?

shh. it will be our little secret!

they're home!

2010-12-21T09:28:00.001-07:00

and we are so happy!

(and from their stories, I think they are happy to be back where there are normal toilets, and roads with no hills, and not so many crazy drivers!)

-they were gone for 18 months serving a mission for our church in the Phillipines!