Christmas Catastrophy

Okay, for this post I REALLY need feedback! I decided to make my family pajamas this year for Christmas. We've done it once before, it was fun, and I thought it would make a good tradition. Well, I never know what to do for my dad, so I thought this year I would include him in the tradition. I found great fabric at a great price and actually had a cleared off table to cut on today, so I got started. Now, I'm not the world's greatest at sewing, but pajama bottoms are about the easiest thing I can think of to sew. Especially with a "Sew easy" pattern. And as I have said, I've done it before. It's a piece of cake. Something you might say "you could do in your sleep" or "with your eyes closed." Well, apparently I tried one of those techniques. I should have taken a picture, but Betty is my witness that for some odd reason, the pajamas look like they might have been for a sumo wrestler. The legs were high waters on me! And the body literally came up to my neck! So what went wrong? I'm still not sure, but since I had used the serger, I needed to cut apart some seams. And there go all the helpful markings. But I can do this, right? Well, I seem to have fixed it a little, because the legs are now the right length and the body is somewhat normal. I say somewhat because the left side is about two inches higher than the right side at the waist. It's at least at waist level though and everything else looks pretty normal. So I think I have sewn two fronts together for one leg and two backs together for the other leg (which is slightly-really, I think it is only slightly- bigger because they are supposed to be for your BUTT.) And all this time, I keep thinking of the Cosby Show episode where Denise tries to make a sweater for Theo-with three arms.) So, do I continue and pretend I have done it right, do I start over including buying new fabric (did I mention it was the most perfect print for my dad?) OR do I scrap the whole thing? And how do I get out of the funk this mess caused? I'm sure I have bad karma now. I'm pretty sure dinner will be burnt. I know I shouldn't buy a lottery ticket today! And if I see a bus anywhere near me, I am running the other way! ARGH!!!! And now I need to go face the music and discover what the kids have been up to while I've been trying to sew for the modest sumo wrestler. Well, my positive thought I am going to try to hold on to is that I say a shooting star this morning and I think they are pretty awesome.

Magical

So, last night was the Jim Brickman concert and ever since, I've been having trouble thinking of what to say about it. In my simplest words, it was wonderful. But it was so much more than that. I've seen him once before in concert. He was doing his "An Evening With Jim Brickman" tour. It was my first Christmas being married and we went as our Christmas present to each other. That too was a magical night, very romantic and beautiful. It's just that when you are newly weds, everything can easily be romantic, and you aren't sure if it's due to being in love or if the concert was really that great. Well, I'm happy to say I'm still not sure if it's due to being in love or the concert (I still love you Randal), but it was a great evening non the less.

The guests with him were Tracy Silverman and Anne Cochran. Anne was with Jim years ago in Spokane. On the Visions of Love CD, she sang "After All These Years." If you have heard other versions, they aren't as good. She is amazing, completely gorgeous in a "real person" way and I am surprised that she isn't more famous. (Of course, I'm still surprised I'm not more famous too, but fame is fickle! Ha ha!) I actually think of that song as mine and Randal's, though when we first heard it, we hadn't even been together that long. Again, the words to convey how special that song is and how well Anne sings it are not there. But just know that it was touching. You know, the kind of song when you get the goose bumps listening to it (please tell me this happens to other people.)

Tracy Silverman was somewhat new to me. And let me tell you, an electric violin is an amazing instrument. You can get the mournful and sweet sounds of a regular violin and then you can rock out like Jimmy Hendrix too. I bet that surprised some of the older audience. As Peter says, it probably "distracted them out of their pants." It was especially interesting, to me anyway, because they were able to use the electric violin almost as a percussion instrument. I know I am describing it poorly. Maybe I should just say, "You had to be there."

Thank you, mom, for such a wonderful Christmas present. I always get them early, don't I? Ha Ha. Really, mom, you went over board. We had second row seats and could see everything so well, especially Jim Brickman's dancing left leg (again, you had to be there.) And Anne's amazing ruched all over, silver dress that she was able to still look slim in. My mom gives the best gifts, just look at my very first entry on my blog. I love you mom. Thanks for giving us something so special to remember and something we probably would not have been able to get ourselves.

Strange Ailments

Okay, so I'm hoping most of you know my mom is a nurse. And at one time, I did think about following in her footsteps. When I asked her about her job though, she proceeded to tell me about the wacky, gross and strange things she deals with. I won't go there in case anyone is delicate, but I went to the eye doctor yesterday and got diagnosed with something strange and I was beginning to think I had heard it all (okay, not all, but a lot). I have a BLISTER on my EYE! Now, many of you know I love the dentist. I am also extremely tolerant of the OB/GYN. But I am a terrible eye patient. I couldn't do contacts if I had too. The opthamologist even had to flip my eye lid to look around. He tells me, "You probably did this all the time as a kid." Using my prim voice, which I didn't know I had, I informed him "Why, I NEVER!" Anyway, with Thanksgiving coming up, I am grateful for doctors, medicine, eyes and vision and the people who serve in the military. (I know that last one seemed out of place, but the doctor was really patient and nice AND had served in the military. Which also reminded me of all my friends and relatives who have served. And I truly am grateful.) So, that's my update and so far my vision is just fine and my eye should be fine soon. Which I am so thankful for, because really, my eyes are probably my best feature. I hope that doesn't sound vain, the very thought makes me laugh, but I do love my eyes. Happy Thanksgiving all!

Stuff I got to have

Okay, I should have probably title the post "addictions" but that sounds so serious. And we all know I'm hardly ever serious. But I do have an addictive personality. I have problems with Halloween candy (thankfully most is gone and the rest is being carefully guarded by rightful owners.) I am addicted to my favorite TV shows (Biggest Losers, Heroes, and A.I. when it comes on.) I am crazy about my hubbie and have serious problems when he is not around for a couple of days. I can't live without music, quilting or reading. (Notice I didn't mention exercising. I really wish I could get addicted to that though. I just Do It!) But my latest addiction is Facebook. Now, I've been kind of scared to go to facebook b/c I equate it with My Space, and have heard that My Space CAN BE a dangerous place. You know, all those perverts trolling for children. And of course, the lonely looking for hook-ups and one night stands. NO THANK YOU! But, alas, I am easily swayed, especially by good friends. And best friends are the worst (or best depending on how you look at it.) Anyway, my long time friend, Ami, joined facebook and has got in touch with some of our high school friends. And I was envious. So, I joined up thinking I can quit at any time. Isn't that what all addicts say? Well, it has been a blast. I have found about 20 friends, in less than a week, from high school time. All my friends are special. These friends are especially special :) b/c they were around when I joined the church. I couldn't/wouldn't have made it without them. So, you can imagine how thrilled I've been to get in touch and reacquainted with these friends. Anyway, I had been kind of hoping to post a blog and play the 6 degree game (I think that is what it is called.) It's the theory that we are all connected or know each other if you trace the path through (example) your sister, who's boyfriend, who's father, who's coworker, etc knows Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Well, I thought about doing that for all the sets of missionaries who taught me. Because a lot of you guys are popular, know a lot of people, etc. And I have just been wondering if any of you know one or more of the missionaries who taught me. So, maybe another day, but for now, I am content with facebook. Watch out though, because there are also a lot of games and other what nots that can take up your time!
http://www.facebook.com/login.php

You must remember this, forgetting has it's benefits.

Okay, so you have heard about my memory problems a few times. I just found it timely that I ran across this article from the Wall Street Journal. My FAVORITE part is the last paragraph. And I guess I now have a reason I can accept for why I am supposed to have a journal. Anyway, here it is...


There's an old saying that inside every 70-year-old is a 35-year-old wondering, "What happened?"
What happened is that countless days, nights, meetings, commutes and other unremarkable events went by, well, unremarked. They didn't make a lasting impression on the brain or they were overwritten by so many similar experiences that they are hard to retrieve. In short, they've been forgotten.
That's not necessarily a bad thing. Neuroscientists say forgetting is crucial to the efficient functioning of the mind, to learning, adapting and recalling more significant things.
"We focus so much on memory that forgetting has been maligned," says Gayatri Devi, a neuro-psychiatrist and memory expert in New York City. "But if you didn't forget, you'd recall all kinds of extraneous information from your life that would drown you in a sea of inefficiency."

The busier and more distracted we are, the less likely we are to record memories in the first place. Keeping a journal can help capture more of those rushing days.

That was what prompted Jill Price to contact the memory experts at the University of California at Irvine in 2000. As she wrote in a book published this summer, "The Woman Who Can't Forget," Ms. Price could recall in detail virtually every day since she was 14, but she was mentally exhausted and tormented by her memories. UC Irvine scientists are interviewing more than 200 people who say they have similar "autobiographical" memories, but so far have found only three more.
Memories of singular, significant events -- say, last week's historic election -- are generally easy to recall; people typically store them in long-term memory with many associations attached.
Memories of mundane, recurring events compete to be recalled, and scientists say the brain appears to be programmed to forget those that aren't important. Neuroimaging studies show that it's the brain's prefrontal cortex, the area of complex thought and executive planning, that sorts and retrieves such "like-kind" memories. Researchers at Stanford University's Memory Laboratory demonstrated last year that the more subjects forgot competing memories, the less work their cortexes had to do to recall a specific one. In short, forgetting frees up brain power for other tasks, says psychologist Anthony Wagner, the lab's director.
Your Questions Answered
Columnist Melinda Beck answers readers' questions about advocating for a patient in the hospital, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and more. Read Health Mailbox.
A real-world example, he says, is having to learn a new computer password every few months: As your brain suppresses the memory of the old password, it gets easier to summon the new one.
In fact, forgetting is a very active process, albeit subconscious, neuroscientists say. The mind is constantly evaluating, editing and sorting information, all at lightning speed. "Your brain is only taking a small amount in, and it's already erasing vast amounts that won't be needed again," Dr. Devi says.
Much that happens during the day doesn't make an impression at all because our attention is focused elsewhere. Take your daily commute, says Dr. Wagner: "A heck of a lot of stuff is landing on our retinas as we're driving down the road. But if you were focusing on the presentation you have to give, you didn't perceive it and it didn't get stored."
He notes that people face such a constant cognitive barrage that they frequently fail to attend to information that isn't essential at the time. "I have two 4½-year-olds and I'm already thinking, where did those first four years go?" Dr. Wagner says.
Numerous studies have shown that when people are asked to focus on one thing, they can fail to notice others— phenomenon called "change blindness." In one famous test, when viewers are asked to count how many times a basketball changes hands in a video, roughly half don't notice that a gorilla walks through the scene.
Conversely, people who have remarkable memories for, say, sports statistics or who-wore-what to parties paid attention at the time and attached significance to it, while it doesn't register on other people's radar screens at all.
Are memories for events you didn't focus on stored in your brain nevertheless -- like unwatched bank-surveillance tapes? That's an area of much debate. Some experts believe hypnosis can trigger long-buried associations. But so-called recovered memories are also susceptible to distortion.
"Memory consists of billions of puzzle pieces, and many of them look the same," Dr. Devi says. "Each time you retrieve a memory, you're reconstructing a puzzle very quickly and breaking it down again. Some of the pieces get put back in different places."
What if you want to remember more about each passing day? One simple method is to keep a journal. Writing down a few thoughts and events every day not only makes a tangible record, it also requires you to reflect. "You're elaborating on why they were meaningful, and you're laying down an additional memory trace," says neuroscientist James McGaugh at UC Irvine. Taking photographs and labeling them reinforce memories too.
But remember that forgetting can be very useful, says Dr. McGaugh: "If you used to go out with Bob and now you're married to Bill, you want to be able to say, 'I love you, Bill.' That's why forgetting is important."

Do your kids.......?

Okay, so as the mother of three kids now, I still have a lot more questions than answers. So, I thought I'd pose some of them to you. I won't remember them all, so I may add to this post a couple of times (I believe I mentioned my memory problems in an earlier post.)
Do your kids wait until the last possible nano second to go to the bathroom?
Have you ever figured out why?
Do you have love triangles in your home? Brother one and two love brother three. But brother one and two don't get along very often. Brother three is oblivious.
Do your children believe you love them, because I have one that doesn't?
Do your children always have to hurt one another when they play together?
Do your children feel overly burdened simply because they need to unload the dishwasher?
What is the average number of times you have to ask your children to do something?
Be back later...the one that was really puzzling me, I have forgotten.

I Remembered one...
Do your kids eat butter (or something equally yucky) by itself?

Only two hours, if that!

So, I've been thinking about something my former trainer (I'm out of sessions) wanted me to do. She wanted me to log all my food intake on this really cool site for the Body Bug. It is a wonderful calorie counter, BUT, since I cook a lot of our meals, requires me to sometimes type in recipes to get the calorie count. I know it would help with weight loss, but there are only so many hours in a day. And maybe you can relate, but most of the things I do for myself are limited to a two hour period, if I'm lucky. That happens to be Perry's nap time. BUT, Peter is usually still awake or only sleeps an hour. SO, here is a sample list of MY activities that I have to squeeze into a two hour space.
SHOWER
Bills
Sewing (Christmas is coming, and, of course, I'm behind.)
Christmas shopping via the Internet
Reading (Fun and Church stuff)
Preparing a lesson
Cleaning
Calorie counting
Exercising
Napping (These are VERY RARE, but I have to be truthful)
Phoning people, if I want to be uninterrupted.
Blogging
Pondering
And sometimes this is the only time I get for lunch

How do the rest of you do it? If you know me at all, you know one of the first things to go is cleaning. Now, my house isn't usually a pig sty, but 9 out of 10 times if you were to spontaneously stop by, there would be laundry on my couch and dishes in the sink. I would apologize profusely, but would be so glad to see you that I would soon forget my embarrassment. (Unless it was underwear day, then I'd be embarrassed longer.) Thankfully, if I need a shower during "my time", it means the exercising is already done OR that well, er, uh, I decided to skip it. The bills have become more time consuming lately simply because I am trying to keep better track of where the money goes. Did I mention this is actually homework for a class I am taking, Financial Peace University? And all the other stuff is purely selfish, but like I said, it's the only "my time" I get. And truthfully, I know that there is more I try to fit in that time, I am just so darn forgetful all the time. Have I ever express how grateful I am for sticky note? Well, I just used half an hour to blog, so now I'd better hit the shower. YEAH! That means I was good today and got the exercising in too.

Public school warning.

Hey Everyone,
I just wanted to alert you all to something Parker learned at school yesterday. He came home, and thankfully asked me and Randal, about a survey they studied at school. Needless to say, I was SHOCKED they would teach the kids about this, especially without the parents knowing ahead of time. He said, "Did you know that 9 out of 10 parents steal candy from their children's Halloween buckets?" I don't know what the school was thinking, but that is NOT something I wanted my kids learning about! Anyway, we might all want to speak up on this issue. First, I had to ask Parker what his definition of stealing was and then I had to ask how many candy was considering stealing. Let's just say, according to Parker, I (Randal too if he man's up) have some repenting to do. My opinion was, if a tree in a forest falls down and no one is there to hear it, it DIDN'T HAPPEN! Or whatever that great philosophical question is. Truthfully, I thought this issue would be like the Santa thing, if you catch my meaning (I'm being a little cryptic in case some of your children read over your shoulder like mine sometimes does.) I just figured at the right time, they knew and took proper security measures. Oh well, this may be one of those things that is a blessing in disguise. Later Taters!

Pink eye, STINK eye

So, we just can't seem to get healthy at my house. And after a month of basically the same four walls, I am feeling a bit exhausted even though I'm not doing anything. Surely, you know what that is like. So busy taking care of sick kids, but you're not running around or anything. Well, here's how the last month has gone. First, my aunt Linda passed on which had me in a funk for a few days. Then the two little ones get a cold, lasts about a week. Next, they are 110 % better and I have the cold, again, lasts about a week. During my sick week, Perry gets a hearing test and his ear drums don't respond, so he goes on antibiotics that taste GREAT (they had me taste it at the pharmacy.) And the grand Finale (I HOPE) is I think we have pink eye in our house. Now, I've seen pink eye before. It's about as forgettable as pink hair. And normally, about medical things at least, I'm a rule FOLLOWER. But the thought of another Dr appointment, another co-pay, and a big fat lecture about not knowing if it's viral or bacterial, yada yada yada, and I am left doing my own doctoring. You see, we have leftover medicine from the last time Pink visited our house, TSK TSK. And I am 95% sure on one kid, and about 80% sure the other one has it. (We caught it early, I think, in the second one.) SO, here's to leftover meds. I have leftover generic Vicadin and some other pain meds from post c-sections, if anyone is interested, HA HA. I don't know what to do with leftover medicine. You aren't supposed to flush it or put it in the disposal because we don't want a bunch of strung out fishys. I don't want to just throw it in the garbage and be responsible, though not directly, for someone, somewhere finding the medicine and overdosing or something. And who can remember to grab the stuff and take it to a pharmacy, where I THINK they can dispose of it properly? Oh, and while I'm confessing, I still have cough medicine AND decongestant for infants, though the supply is getting low and they don't recommend giving it to little ones anymore. I think confession time and grumping time are over now. It's funny, just this morning I read President Monson's talk "Finding Joy in the Journey.' It's a great talk. And I know intellectually that someday I'll miss this time (not pink eye, but time spent at home doing nothing with the kids.) But today, I'm just not feeling it. I guess I need to read it again, because I think I missed the point. Thanks for reading my grump. I feel better actually just getting it off my chest. Here's the gross picture I found.

Past Lives

Hey Everybody, In my search for photos for my birthday tribute to Ami, I found some H*I*L*A*R*I*O*U*S photos from my own past. Some of you have come to think I'm a somewhat stable and normal person (LOL.) But I have proof otherwise. I still have not been able to find any pictures from the hot pink hair days, but I did find some photos of me as a black belt. You might also note the number of ear piercings. I have to give props to Shandy for fixing the photos for me. She has a great new business in which she can correct photo flaws (like red eye, development issues, etc.) or change color photos to sepia or black/white photos. She could tell you more, but I just want to say her prices were awesome, she was fast and, of course, she did great work. See for yourself. http://photoflattery.blogspot.com/
So, I humbly submit these photos for laughing purposes only.

One of my favorite moves in the forms, was when we did a down ward knife-hand aimed at the groin. Then you are supposed to grab and twist and yank up. It's a powerful visual.

Sid the Science Kid:

I get this song stuck in my head ALL the time. So...I'm sharing. The cool part is missing. "I love my mom. UH-HUH! My mom is Cool. Uh-huh. Now it's time, to go to school."

Like a Virgin

Okay, don't let the title offend you. This just has to do with my Little-Middle who is only four. Peter is a great smart boy, who had speech therapy when he was young and may need it again once he's in school. The other day Peter was talking and talking and talking, mostly about video games. And I was replying as much as I could when the conversation doesn't make sense. And all of a sudden Peter says, "Do you know that Virgin I like?" Okay, think fast. You know he didn't really say what you thought he said, but what could he be talking about-that's what I'm saying to myself. Well, I finally realize he is trying to ask, "Do you know, that VERSION that I like (still talking about video games.) So now, I keep trying to get him to say that word to others in sentences because I think it's funny and I like to see other people's reactions. But it also reminds me of so many other cute things my kids have said that I am starting to forget. So, I need to make another list at the bottom of my blog. Later Taters.

Happy 35th Birthday Ami

I have a few kind friends who think I have a talent for gift giving. I try to graciously say thanks, but don't always feel like I suceed in giving the "perfect gift." SO, what do you give your best friend of more than 20 years? Through the years, we've done homemade mix CD's(and even, GASP, cassette tapes), various other music CD's, movies, spa gifts, chocolate, gift certificates, various other gifts and wall plaques (my favorite being a saying about good friends bailing you out of jail, but best friends are right beside you saying, "Damn, that was fun!") This is the friend who introduced me to the gospel and the LDS church, thus changing my life perspective and course forever for the good. Without Ami, I'm not sure I would have gone to college. I wouldn't have met my husband and had my wonderful children. I wouldn't have had so many wonderful opportunities to love and serve Heavenly Father's children. I may not have learned how to forgive others or myself. I wouldn't have some wonderful recipes like shrimp dip and that naughty Snicker's salad. I wouldn't have had a second family to help raise me. And so many other things. So, I post these pictures, most of which are older, not to embarass, but to introduce all my newer friends to Ami. I still can't think of a tangible gift to give and I am not great with words either. I'm out of time because her birthday is today. And all I can say is that I am truly blessed for knowing her. Happy Birthday, Ami!

Aunt Linda-could be a little sad, sorry!

Yesterday, I got a phone call that I knew would come. My aunt Linda had passed away from cancer. I knew this was coming (though it didn't make it easier and I wasn't expecting it yesterday, if you know what I mean). She's been fighting the fight for about three years now. It looked bad then, but some amazing doctors and treatments were actually able to help her have more time with her family (she was only in her 50's) and I believe it was quality time meaning that she actually was feeling good during that time until the end. ANYWAY, I'm a little sad, but wanted to tell anyone who would listen, that though I didn't know her well, I loved her and she was a great lady. I'm still the only LDS member in my family, and that still causes a lot of awkwardness with almost all of my family. But my aunt Linda didn't mind. She is a Christian in the truest sense. We were able to talk about God and Jesus on the common grounds we share and didn't worry about the rest. I LOVED to tease her about liking the Backstreet Boys. She was just like a teenager about them and even went to a concert of theirs. So I changed my playlist today just for her. The first time I met Aunt Linda (as an adult) was when she came to Utah for my wedding. That was wonderful to have some of my family there and especially that they didn't care or worry about it being a "mormon wedding" or the "temple" or "UTAH." Even I still worry when I go to Utah :) And my wedding was near her anniversary, so I think they celebrated their anniversary by coming to my wedding. I also got to spend a lot of time with her when both of my grandparents died. She was a very insightful and understanding lady (our family is kind of dysfunctional in case you didn't guess.) Did I mention she was beautiful too. Well, she was. Anyway, I don't have much more to say, but I did love her and am having a sad moment. And in case you are tempted to never read my blog again because today was just a bit maudlin, then let me tempt you with the fact that while digging through a bunch of old photo in order to make a tribute to my best friend on her 35th birthday, I found some truly hilarious pictures of me and some of you too probably. The ones I intend to post are from my Tae Kwon Do days. Did I mention I think they are hilarious?

Blankies

My husband has a problem with Peter at bed time. You see, he can't tell Peter's "Baby Ginkie" apart from Peter's "Teddybear Ginkie." So, silly though it seems, I thought I would post the pictures and see if you notice the differences. I guess my husband can see the differences, he just can't keep them straight. Anyway, Peter's Baby Ginkie has a blue ruffled edged. It also has different colored bears holding hearts on it and a chintz back. The Teddie Bear Ginkie had a blue back and all the bears are wearing pink pajamas. Both blankies were actually gifts to Parker, but he never got attached to them. So Peter got them and loves them. The pink pajamas the bears wear always remind me of a song/poem that R says his mom used to sing to them. I think it's hilarious, so here it is. "I wear my pink pajamas in the summer when it's hot. I wear my flannel nightie in the winter when it's not. And sometimes in the spring time and sometimes in the fall, I just between the covers with nothin' on at all." I never got to meet her, so this little poem makes her real and likable to me. I'm sure it's the greeting I'll get when I do get to meet her.

In all fairness, I thought I would include the two other blankies in our lives. Parker, when he was three or four, drew a pretty good replica of his blanket and if I figure out my scanner problems, I'll include it. He inluded in his drawing the tag and the holes it had at the time that I only recently noticed have merged into one hole. He also spent the first few years, for reason unknown to us since he did know his colors, calling his blanket "Pink." You may notice that it is red. Then one day, out of the blue (he he,) we told him to go get "Pink" and he said it was "Red!" We no longer hear about "Pink" and that is kind of sad.



Perry is our little Linus. And I have been searching for duplicate blankets, to no avail, on the internet, just in case the blankie perisheth or even so I can wash it without the blankie separation anxiety. Here is his beloved.

Parker's thoughts on his family.

Parker was once asked to respond to the question "If you could make a totem pole for your family, what stories would it represent? This is his response:
It would be a tiger to represent my smarts. A fish for persistence for my brother Perry. He never gives up. A cheetah for speed and my brother Peter who has lots of speed. A monkey that is funny and that's for my dad. A killer whale for her (mom's) kindness.
Am I missing something? I wasn't aware that killer whales are kind. I think it's the killer part of the name that throws me.

SNL VP debate

This is too funny!

Time is the longest distance between two places.

It's been a while since I posted. The first event that comes to mind, in the past month or so, is that my Peter had his fourth birthday. It was wonderful and yet low-key. He wanted a gameboy and to go to Carl's Jr. (play place) with his best friend, Owen. He was a very happy boy to get both (thanks to Ebay.) Shortly after that, he started preschool and is loving it.

Parker spent his summer doing lots of fun things, but he was also trying to grow the world's largest cabbage in order to get a $1,000 scholarship. I don't know all the details, but we did manage to grow one huge cabbage, at 26 lbs. Nobody knew what to do with it though. It's not like Kimchee, borscht, or even cole slaw are popular in my house. How about yours?

I recently participated in the St. Luke's Women's Fitness Celebration. I'd have to go count T-shirts to be sure, but I think this is my fifth year doing that 5K walk. It is USUALLY tons of fun. This year, I can only say it was fun. I have lived too long out of Washington to appreciate standing in the rain for 1 1/2 hours before the walk and then walking for another hour in the rain. Then quickly grabbing breakfast, again, in the rain, and driving all the way home soaking wet. I am thinking of having rain drops added to this years T-shirt. I don't have any pictures though. What camera would work in that weather? I also am taking a course by Dave Ramsey called Financial Peace University. It a course designed to help get out of debt, save for retirement, build wealth, etc. And it's FUN! It probably doesn't sound fun to some of you, and that means that you are probably what Dave Ramsey calls a "free-spirit," but he is so funny and has been both poor and rich, so I think it's a good thing.

Randal is still working for Zilog. It truly is a miracle and a long story, but we are grateful non-the-less. He has also recently took the opportunity to get some more Scout leader training at Woodbadge. He was gone Thur, Fri and Sat a couple of weeks ago and gets to do it again this weekend. So, that's a great place to end this entry and start another, because I won't be sleeping well for the next three days and blogging is a great activity at 3 am. I highly recommend it.

Like Butter

Hey Everyone,
Periodically, I get just a little restless. Well, it used to result in ear piercings or pink (I mean HOT PINK) hair. This time, the opportunity was presented to me to go white water river rafting. It was a good time for sure! One of our guide's called himself Butter. The other was actually Skye from the Starlight Mountain Theatre productions if you have ever seen any. Well, the rafting was also on my Bucket list, which I think I am going to add somewhere on my blog. So, I am going to put up some pictures and let you find me. I'm in the middle of the boat. I was not going to leave the boat, so even though we were supposed to sit on the side of the boat, I ended up IN the boat. Others were not so lucky, though everyone was fine. My husband is in front. I can't tell you enough how awesome of a trip it was.

Boring Blog no-more

Hey Everyone,
It's been a while for me updating my blog. I only have one reason, really, and if you aren't naturally a perfectionist, it might not make sense. I have been planning to do a quilt for my dad for his 60th birthday. No problem. But then my husband says, "While you are at it, why don't you enter it into the fair?" So, I add a New Year's Resolution in March (I think.) You can do that right? Anyway, as soon as I state this as my goal, I hit a creative wall and can't work on it again until the panic comes in May. To enter into the local fair, I needed the quilt done by July 21st. I must admit, it is also hard to quilt with the kids around. But, to make a long story short, I did get the quilt done, entered it into the fair (my first), and got a second place ribbon in my category-pieced lap quilt. I even got a whole dollar in prize money. So I am including some pictures and hope to be a more faithful blogger now that the quilt is done. EXCEPT now I need to start some new project.

February made me Shiver...

Wow! What happened to February? Sorry! Anyway, I will give a brief nod to the month of Love :)
An interesting thing that started the month was our fast Sunday was cancelled due to snow. I don't think I've had that happen before, but maybe in Utah. Anyway, home teachers were supposed to call their families, as were visiting teachers and primary teachers. It was a bit much. I don't think I am exaggerating to say we got about six to eight calls about church being cancelled. The funny part was listening to see if people were excited, confused, worried or what about church being cancelled. And for those of you wondering, I did call people I was supposed to call out of shear obedience (because I knew they already knew) and I sounded excited. It was a good day with just the family.
One of the following Saturdays, I got a little time off from being a mum (thinking of you, Monique) and I went to a local quilt store to get trained on "Big Blue." I'll get a little nerdy on you and explain that "Big Blue" is a long arm quilting machine WITH stitch regulator. It's quite typical to need to take a class before you can rent the long arm quilting machines to finish your quilt tops. I am very much a beginner. I like to stipple (meander) the most because that is what I know how to do, but this new machine also has a laser mode you can use to trace patterns and THAT was SWEET! I was able to write my name, doodle some flowers, do some loop-De-loops and the mystery design is actually a maple leaf, but most people see a little cartoon body builder. I mentioned the stitch regulator which I haven't worked with before, but basically is just covers up human flaws and keeps your stitch lengths from varying too much. I am hoping to get a quilt done in time for Ami's baby, so that's why I took the class.
The last thing I can think of to write about February was that is was a great skiing month. Okay, I really wouldn't know, since I only ski easy hills, but I thought it was great. Randal and I got to go skiing one Friday night for date night. It was a beautiful, clear night and I have to say night skiing is hot. (Nothing weird guys, it's just a fun date.) Then, the next day, Randal and I were able to take just Parker up to Bogus Basin Ski Resort and help him Snowboard. He's pretty amazing for nine years old. And considering both his parents prefer skis. Thankfully, he isn't a dare devil, so I don't think his hobby will cause us to make trips to the emergency room. Though he does mention the Olympics as his dream. Peter was a bit jealous when we got back, but he is looking forward to being four (the age when we said we would take him.)
My mom was here visiting for almost a whole week in February also. That's how we were able to have just Parker skiing/snowboarding. Visits with mom are always great. She is a fantastic mom, but as grandma, she rocks the show. The boys each love her and feel spoiled by her. She has the amazing ability to read the same books over and over to Peter. He would highly recommend Beatrice Doesn't Want To and Calico's Curious Kittens along with The Silly Gooses. Poor grandma actually did reach her limit for those stories, but it was a lot higher than my limit. I think she may have read them about five times a day each, though I wanted to say hundreds of times. Anyway, that about catches you up on me and the family. We send our best thoughts and wishes out to all of you and hope you are well.

Happy Birthday!

Perry turned one year old this month.  It was quite exciting.  I think Peter is confused because he not only helped open Perry's presents, but he also quite likes them.  His thinking has got to be something like "Perry has a birthday and I get presents."  Actually the day itself was quite uneventful.  Perry had been sick for a few days prior to his birthday and was still feeling crumby most of the day.  Towards the end of the day, when he was feeling better, we rushed him through his dinner, cake, tub (for obvious reasons), present opening and bed.  All that accomplished in about an hour and a half.  We got the cute cake pictures though and there isn't much more to expect from a one year old birthday.  Time with Perry has flown by.  For those of you in snow deficient places, I also wanted to report that we had a second official "snow day" off of school.  I remember these being so fun as a kid.  I am hear to tell you that as a parent, they aren't always so fun.  Parker often wants to play Gamecube all day or have friends over.  Peter likes to tromp through the snow, but if he falls, the scream he emits (from getting cold) would cause heart problems in a normally healthy person.  Yet he loves snow.  We haven't been able to teach him about yellow snow yet and we are a little worried about that since he loves to eat snow.  Perry wants to explore the snow, but I don't know what to do with him.  Just sit him in the snow?  I don't think he'd like it as much as he thinks he will.On snowy days, I just want to quilt (Ha! not happening with the kids around) and drink hot chocolate.  Sometimes reading a book would be nice.  But I am between books right now.  I am thinking of reading Oprah's newest pick for her book club though.  I think it is called "A New Earth" or something close to that.  It's by Eckhart Tolle (again, a guess on the author.)  Anyone want to read it with me?  It supposed to be life changing.  I am also wondering about the book "Eat, Pray, Love" so if anyone has a review for me, let me know.If you are curious to how the New Year's resolutions are going, I would like to report that they are doing great!  After all, this is my third entry in January and I just download the necessary Adobe file for ordering my birth certificate (working on the passport goal.)  I figure I can do this by snail mail since I don't have anywhere to be.  Unless one of you all won a vacation for two and are inviting me?  A girl can hope.Well, I am starting to be able to tell that I wrote this at three in the morning.  I think it's either the rambling that gives me away or the silly things I keep thinking, but editing out of the post.  You are getting the censored version.  So, best wishes to you all.  I am truly blessed to have you in my life and wanting to stay in touch.  Thanks!

Sleigh Ride

Hi Everyone,
I haven't done anything exciting lately. We actually have had one evening without power and one day home from school due to snow. Too bad my kids are snow challenged (due to their mom growing up snow challenged) and simple and fun things like playing in the snow and building snowmen are actually difficult for them to envision and accomplish. Our sad snow man is puny and has problems staying together though the type of snow isn't the problem. I will try to take a picture and include it, but no guarantees.

Anyway, I thought I would revisit New year's Eve and write about our Sleigh ride. It was a Christmas gift from my mom. Thanks mom, it was a blast! Anyway, we had to drive up to Bogus Basin and get on a sleigh (run by the Bogus Creek Outfitters). It was great, but only 10 degrees and I only had two layers on, so it was a little cold going to the cabin. We were on the back of the sleigh, so we didn't have other bodies keeping us warm either. But the stars were amazing. And the city lights were pretty too. I just looked at the web site for the cabin, because we didn't take pictures, and learned that a few days after we were there, a tree fell on the cabin and has temporarily interupted sleigh rides. Crazy! But back to my story. We got to the cabin and had a terrific dinner. It was started with a bread bowl broccoli cheese soup. Next came steak, shrimp (the best part I think), red potatoes, carrots, apple cider, endless hot chocolate (the other best part) and finally a berry cobbler. The music was provided by a musician named Douglas Cameron. And he was awesome. http://www.douglascameron.net/ He sounded a bit like the lead singer of Bare Naked Ladies and his songs were a bit Gin Blossomy with a little country (or is it folk) sound. I would include a song, but don't know how and am really afraid of publishing something that violates copy right or something. The singer also has a few songs that include lyrics directly about Idaho or Boise. Of course, as often is the case with troubled artists, the songs also include a lot of drinking references. It was so funny when my oldest son, Parker, describe why he liked the songs anyway. He said they had a great beat and good music, and he didn't even think about the drinking parts. He sounded just like me when I have liked some songs I shouldn't have (Master and Servant comes to mind.) Anyway, the musician has supposedly signed a contract to do some songs for next season of Friday Night Lights, so fame is just around the corner. Back to the cabin though. The night was rounded out by some cowboy poetry. It was too funny. One poem about the Lycra cowboy was particularly knee slapping. You may have had to be there, but you should be able to get a visual anyway. Well, then we sleigh rode back to our car. And it was wonderful! (Every time I think the words sleigh ride, I hear Debbie Gibson's version of that song in my head. It's annoying. Oh, and I guess all these years later, it's actually Deborah Gibson!) So, if you need something to do when you visit, I would highly recommend having your mom gift you a sleigh ride.

New Year's Resolutions....

Hi There!
So, besides the same ole same ole resolutions, I made two new (and achievable) ones. I want to get my passport and I wanted to start a blog. I think starting a blog also implies that I want to have something worthy of posting on a blog, but lets save that for next year's resolution :) Anyway, here is goes and it's still January.