Finally a Deal

I have been trying to get the hang of this CouponSense thing and it's not been that easy. Since you have to build up a supply of coupons to really reap a lot of rewards, it takes a while and I'm not that patient of a person. It's been a little frustrating and without the encouragement of a friend or two, I might not be sticking to it. Today I had a victory. Now......I know some of you die-hard couponers have had amazing deals and this may not seem that great to you, but to me...it was a reason to stick it out. So, here's what I got....Walgreens: Gillette Infusion Power Razor - $8.99, Vaseline Sheer Infusion lotion - $6.99, 2 chapsticks - $2.99 each, 3 Robitussin to-go 2 pks - $2.49 each, 3 Halls Refresh cough drops - $1 each. This totals roughly $32.50. I paid out of pocket $17.00. That in and of itself is a good deal, but I also got back $15.50 in coupons to spend at my next visit. So ultimately, the total cost was about $2 for everything seen here.




CVS: 3 bottles Tide detergent 50 oz - $6 each, 3 bottles dawn detergent - $1 each, 9 boxes puffs tissues - $1 each, 2 Covergirl outlast lipsticks - $7 each, Covergirl mascara - $7. Totaling $51. I paid $28. I just want to mention that I compared prices to Wal Mart before I did this because I know a "deal" is not always a "deal". The sale prices were better than Wal Mart's normal prices and then to add coupons and "money back", well.....it just made sense!

Week End Drama

My pictures are all backwards so I'm going to just have to jump all over with the week end updates. Sunday morning we got up and had rubber pancakes for breakfast and we were all ready kind of early. I'm adamant about children staying inside before church, for obvious reasons. I guess Katy snuck out. We found her out on the tramp with her laundry hamper. She was out there for quite some time all by herself. Such a creative little gal!

This was Homecoming Weekend and it was full of drama. I will keep it short in the interest of privacy, but this is the sum of it. Chelsey got asked by a friend a few weeks before and between the time of him asking and the actual dance, they decided to "date". I guess it didn't work out as well as she had hoped so she ended it the night before the dance. Nice. After a lot of tears on Saturday morning, she decided to not go to the dance with him and instead just go with her girlfriends. It was a wise choice! She had a great time and was very happy with the outcome.

Glade was gone on a scout campout on Friday and didn't get back till Saturday night at about the time we were supposed to be at a friend's birthday party. We had a great time hanging out and talking with really good people. Thanks Heather.

Sunday was very uneventful. The kids had their primary program at church and all did really well. Bo was adorable, of course. He was very proud that he said his part with no help. We have decided to take the 4th Sunday off every month from family dinner. It's kind of nice to have a night with just our little family. I had planned a really yummy dinner with dessert, but the kids had a fireside and choir practice so it ended up a fend for yourself night for them. The rest of us had "made-over" left overs. Not exactly the evening I had envisioned!

Monday I went to the gym and decided to ride instead of run. Today my butt hurts. I had visiting teachers come while Glade worked out in the garden. We are almost ready to plant. Boys had a soccer game and the others got hair cuts. Had our yummy dinner from the night before followed with homemade apple pie and ice cream. Two kids went to bed with fevers and are home with me today. Hopefully that will not spread like our last little bug!

Roller Coaster

Sigh. Today has been a roller coaster and I can't really say I like it that much. I have felt PMSy for about a month now. I don't really like that either. This week has been a little busy and stressful which I don't do well with without a little break. Normally my little breaks come between noon and 3 pm. This week was early release all week so there was no "little breaks". That didn't help either. The mornings have been beautiful so that has been a nice change. Last night was supposed to be our Bunko night which I thought was perfect timing. Only 4 girls showed up. Not good. I even made stuffed manicotti from scratch. No one to eat it. Bummer. Then Glade is gone this weekend which makes the last two Fridays without a date night and he is gone next Friday as well. This weekend is homecoming with Chelsey so she and I have been at each other a little. See, she gets weird at times like this and is a little rude and ungrateful. I try to help and spend time trying to find the right shoes and shrug and purse for her and of course she hates all of it. Very frustrating. So today I just thought, I've had enough. I think a good cry would come in handy right now. But...as usual...I just didn't have the time. I had told my kids I would take them to my mom's house so they could look through Halloween costumes. I really didn't want to go, but I figured it would be better than sitting around feeling sad, soooo.......we went.

This is where it gets good. I'm going to give my mom credit even though it wasn't anything she did intentionally. We ate left over manicotti, I went through my grocery list and the kids went through costumes. It's always chaotic, but fun in the end. We have tons of costumes from over the years so it's always fun to reminisce. I was looking for a particular piece of a costume or something, I'm really not sure what, but I was going through my mom's "extra" closets. Let me preface with....be careful when you open the door, things may fall! That's how my mom's closets are. She needs to read my post "Throw it Away" on my other blog. Anyway, once I opened it and started digging around, I got obsessed with getting to the bottom. Oh the things in that closet! I could have done this for hours except I had to go pick up Dalin. I'm pretty sure she couldn't have remembered half that stuff in there.

The goods: a bag containing three dresses and a skirt I wore in high school (may have to post pictures), whole bag of 70s colored yarn and pieces of an afghan in the same ugly colors, whole bag of streamers, tons of fabric including some I thought were wigs when I first saw them, old mauve throw pillows and many other "why do you have this?" sort of things. The best part.....

Let me tell this little story first. My mom and I have had this ongoing "argument" about where a box of pictures from my teen years was. I insisted she had it and she insisted she didn't. I have looked everywhere at home and even quite a bit at her house. I have been really sad that they went missing, even to the point of praying for help in finding them. Can you see where I'm going with this? There, buried under some pillows and other unrecognizable stuff, was my box of pictures. The reason this touches me so much is this.....with the week I have had, and the mood I haven't been able to shake, the Lord waited till just the right time to help me find that box. I've looked around her house before and never found them, but tonight....it was exactly what I needed. Finding those and going through her closets laughing and discovering totally made my crouchies go away. I feel grateful for the tender mercies He grants us and am always in awe of the way He goes about distributing them. Through a mom who is a pack rat on a lonely Friday night without my spouse....all lined up perfectly. Thanks mom, for a really great night!

What I Miss

I'm going to preface this with an adamant statement of "I'm not looking for pity." I also want to state that this is not directed in any specific direction. Ok, for what I miss. I miss friends to hang out with. I'm in a little bit of a weird spot in my life being "older" and having small children. Most of my friends who are my age (or close to it) don't have small kids at home anymore so their idea of hanging out doesn't really include strollers and happy meals. Totally understandable. My friends who do have small children at home, don't really have "big" kids yet so the fact that I do makes some things more awkward. Again, totally understandable.

I think what partially ads to the difficulty of just hanging out is that I no longer live in a neighborhood. I have to clarify right here that I love being where I am. However, being in a neighborhood has it's perks. People would just come out and kids could play up and down the street. Friends could walk over with their kids and just chat for awhile. Out here, any kind of contact is usually a planned event.

I miss the days when we would all just meet at McDonalds and talk for 2 hours while our kids played or standing outside with my great neighbors talking about nothing and running inside every few minutes to check on dinner. I guess there are trade offs in all things we do. I miss those days.

Many of my friends have gone back to work and are no longer available for lunch dates or trips to the park. I'm sad for that too. Though I have days when it would be nice to have friends to hang out with, I'm certainly not sad about the two little friends I do get to hang out with each day. I love love love having little ones at home and wouldn't trade this time for anything.

Too Much

Too much to blog about. Not that any of it is of super importance, but just two very busy days. Monday was a grouchy day that I got a lot done, but just didn't feel that well all day. Had parent teacher conferences in which I was told by all three teachers.....your kid needs to try harder. Not that fun to hear. All their grades were very mediocre. How do you make a kid want to do better?? Had a soccer game and choir concert that I dogged out on. I just wanted to be at home. Sorry girls.

Tuesday I spent the morning with Katy getting out of the house. She cried a lot because we had mentioned about going to Grandma and Grandpa Whitley's house in a few weeks (Illinois). She wanted to go right now. Time is too obscure for her. Bo spent the morning at preschool and then with a friend. I also had tons of stuff to do for Scouts and make stupid phone calls. The kids have early release all week so no nap for me! Oh yeah, I also cleaned out the closet in my bathroom. Ended up with a whole box of garbage. Found stuff I didn't know I even had!

Pack meeting seemed really "scattered". I forgot some things at home, I didn't get all the awards written out and I ran out of cards for some of the other awards. I didn't find a tent for the bear cave and I just felt really out of it. I would love to see it from afar. I don't know if it came off as bad as I felt it was or if it was just me. Came home and watched the BL. I hate watching it late, I'm so tired these days I can hardly stay awake. It was a good one though.

On a sad note, Glade has been training really hard to run the St. George marathon in a couple of weeks and now he has hurt his knee. He isn't sure if he is even going to be able to run it. A friend of ours is a PT so he offered to help him try to get it back in working order in time, but it's in a week and a half. Praying for miracles right now. He has worked too hard to not be able to run.

Stop and Smell the Flour

As we trusting adults were inside enjoying a quiet Sunday evening, these two little naughties were outside having a blast. Glade left a bucket of flour outside from his scone thing the other night and these girls found it too irresistible. Not only were they covered, but so was my porch. Stephen took the leaf blower to it, but I will still need to sweep out the grout. That will have to happen on some other day when it's not 106 outside. Too cute to be too mad about. Good times.

Katy and Kamry.....best cousins.

Who Am I?

This was a very sobering lesson today at church. It's not the typical question of 'who am I' and 'where did I come from' that we usually refer to. It was more about heritage. I always feel a little bent out of shape that I have no pioneer heritage. No inspirational stories of trekking ancestors. No historic relatives. I always hate these types of lessons. The only thing that gets me through them is convincing myself that I am a pioneer story. I'm someone else's pioneer heritage years down the road. I'm the only member in my family. In 150 years, will my posterity read about my life and think about me as the first pioneer in their lineage? That's what I'm hoping for. Now, I don't want to give the impression that I don't love my family or ancestors...I do. I just don't have much by way of stories and experiences. The thought of gathering them from my Grandma and other relatives seems daunting. But I have a longing to know about my long ago family.

A sister in church today made mention that she feels like physically we are bound to our heritage in ways we may not realize. I thought she was sounding a little goofy at first. She gave the example of her ancestors being Irish and when she hears the bagpipes or the RiverDance group, she feels such a sense of pride and connection it sometimes brings her to tears. I started thinking about that and wondered about my weird draw to farm life. Don't get me wrong, I don't actually want to do any of that work, but the lifestyle is very appealing to me. I find comfort in songs about the basic life of country folk and in the idea of living off the land. For a very long time back, all my family were midwesterners generation after generation. I didn't grow up on a farm, my parents didn't farm, I'm pretty sure my grandparents did actually farm, but I'm sure past that, that's what my family did. Is that why I'm fascinated by that lifestyle and feel myself drawn to it? Could what she said be true......that we watched and related to our ancestors before we even came to earth? All good questions. I wish I knew more. I wish I had pictures and stories and experiences to draw from. I don't, but my posterity will. They are going to read about their crazy Grandma Laurie who couldn't stop canning for a month! I'm excited to go back and spend time with my family in a few weeks. Maybe I can glean some info while there.

Ten Bucks

Our date night turned out even better than I had planned. We showed up to Amazing Jake's right around 6 pm. We all bought two for one games of mini golf and laser tag. A total of $10 bucks. We all went and got loads of pizza, pasta, salad and desert. First we played mini golf. The course is totally cheesy but fun if you are with the right people. After, we wanted to bowl, but you had to pay for that separately because the two for ones couldn't be used on that. No biggie, we used the $5 game card that came free with our entrance, so technically it was free. It was kind of like rock n bowl. It would have been really fun, but earlier in the day I had stubbed my toe and it was really killing me. I was walking funny as to not put pressure on it which in turn caused my whole foot to cramp. Was a bit of a bummer. I still got 4th bowling though. After bowling, being old and all, we decided we weren't up for laser tag. We went to get our money back and the girl didn't realize we had used buy one get ones and refunded us the total amount which was $10 per couple. She had already finalized the transaction before we realized what she had done. Now we hadn't actually spent any money. Feeling like that wasn't exactly right, we decided to buy $10 game cards to "re-invest" that money to their business. BUT we had buy one get ones for those too, so we actually got $20 worth of game cards. BUT for some reason, she put $12 on each card. If your brain hurts and you don't want to do all that math, here's the short version: all you can eat dinner, drinks and dessert..mini golf...bowling...$24 game cards all for $10. Can't hardly beat that! We didn't leave till almost 11. I was really tired and my foot was killing me, but what a fun night.

Funny follow up....this morning while fixing breakfast, Bo noticed the stamp on my hand and commented that my stamp was still on from when we went way back in July. How could he possibly remember what that looked like??? They thought it very unfair that we went without them.

Where is October

Busy crazy weekend so far. Yesterday I spent the morning going to the thrift store. I was there for over an hour. It's so fascinating to see all the weird stuff. I ended up with one Christmas present, a jacket for Katy and a purse for Chelsey. (little thing to take to dances) Mom watched the kids so I could go wander around. The kids had a half day so after a small rest, I took the big boys into town so they could help Glade with a fundraiser that night. I headed out to the scout store to get awards for pack meeting. I also had to deliver doughnuts to our old wards lip sync night. Whitley was babysitting, Rhett was on a camp out and Brooklyn had a b-day party. Chelsey had invited a bunch of friends over, so I was mostly banned to my room alone. Not exactly my idea of a great night. They had a good time though, she has good friends.

This morning started bright and early with all the boys out in the yard and garden. I wanted to get my apples bottled so I ran to the store to buy a few things I needed. Went to another thrift store and found a few more little treasures. Spent the rest of the day doing laundry and canning apple pie filling. It was a gooey mess, but I'm glad I did it. The kids still don't understand why I go through the trouble. I think I'm going to start a separate blog for my adventures in homemaking. I need to remember what NOT to do on some of these things. I had to throw away 4 jars of salsa that unsealed. I think I didn't put enough lime juice in those ones and they started to ferment. Not pleasant. At least it freed up a few jars to put apples in! I took the apple remnants to a friend for her horses. It seemed a shame to throw them all away.

Tonight we are going to Amazing Jake's. No, not the family...a date night. We still have a bunch of free stuff on this card we bought for the staycation. I figured it would be a nice FREE date night and different from the usual "dinner and a movie". So some friends are coming with us and we are going to spend the evening there. I'm definitely ready for a date night. Another busy week on the horizon, but then just a week or so until we leave for Illinois. I'm so excited, I totally miss my family. It will be great for my kids too. The driving......hmmmm....

I hate Pizza

Pizza is evil. I hate pizza. WHY do I love pizza so????

Only a Day?

I feel like the last 24 hours has been forever. Leaving off from yesterday, after NOT getting a nap cuz Katy peed in my bed, I started the afternoon pick up and had dinner ready by 3 pm. The boys had a soccer game and two kids had play practice. That left me not home anywhere around dinner time. I told everyone to just help themselves whenever they felt like it. I dropped the boys off at their game then went to the dollar store, to which I have not been in years. What fun! I didn't get a cart since I was just 'browsing', but soon I had an armful. I noticed a stack of the little baskets with a sign that said "Take one...You'll need it!" I sure did. I kept telling myself to be reasonable and not buy crap. When I got done checking out, he says to me "$10.84." Seriously?? I thought I had grabbed much more than that. The beautiful part is that I walked away with 3 Christmas presents, all the stuff I needed for pack meeting and the stuff I needed for Bunko. (not my gift, I'm not Elaine!) I was quite pleased. Went to the game and watched them win their 4th game in a row. Took Nick home, picked up Chelsey and then took Stephen to play practice. While we waited for practice to get over, Chelsey and I looked for homecoming dresses. That time again!

We agree on very little. I try to not let it bug me, but she can be really difficult sometimes. I decided to not put my 2 cents in and just let her buy what she wanted as long as the price was right and it was appropriate. $23 seems right and the dress is really cute. Of course, she needs a shrug to go over it since they don't make dresses with sleeves anymore. Very frustrating. We shopped for a little purse to go with it, but couldn't find one anywhere. Picked up the kids and finally made it home by about 8 pm.

I was very ready for everyone to head to bed. I found on my DVR that some station is airing a repeat season of TBL. I decided to watch it as well so I could actually watch it a few days a week. I jumped on the treadmill to walk while I watched. Only got about 2 miles in, but at least it's something. What it really was was a bad idea. I slept like crap. I couldn't go to sleep or stay asleep when I finally did doze off. Hence, tons of crazy dreams all night. While trying to go to sleep, I was so hungry and just wanted to eat. Of course, about every other commercial is for some really gooey food item. But I made it through and did not give in. It's just these first few days that are rough. My body will get used to it again, I just have to be strong. My scale is already dropping so that helps.

This morning I spent almost 2 hours trying to figure out this coupon sense things. It's very confusing at first. I think I'm getting the hang of it, but right now it's rather time consuming. Tonight I will go to Fry's and reap some of the rewards. I'll let you know after that if it was worth it! Another soccer game tonight but right now I just want a nap!

Renewed

Tuesday was the day I had been waiting for for a very long time. The new season of The Biggest Loser started. I know that sounds funny, but for some reason, I do better when I can watch and empathize and gain motivation along with them. I started the morning by going to the gym and instead of my usual lame workout, I decided to go 6 miles to prove to myself I still could. It wasn't so bad and I felt accomplished when I was done. Today, a little sore!

I had three kids home with diarrhea, but thank goodness they are all big enough to make it where they are supposed to be so it wasn't so bad. The afternoon presented itself with normal Tuesday craziness, but I'm used to it so no big deal. I struggled when it came time for the show to actually start and I had to leave for our monthly scout meeting. I know, DVR, but still.....it was happening and I wasn't there! The scout meeting went well and then there was one more group meeting after that. I didn't get home till after 9 pm. I was so anxious to watch it, but I really wanted to walk the whole time. It was too late for that.

I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have had I watched it when it was on. Now I was trying to stay awake so I missed some of the emotion of it. I still teared up, how could you not? Seems like a really good group of people and still so sad to see someone have to leave so quickly. Why is that woman still in the hospital??? I had my appendix out and wasn't in a full week. I'm going with drama. In the end I felt like I had lost a whole pound just from the inspiration of it all!

Today I still had one kid home so I decided to go do a little Christmas browsing. I went to two stores I would never take my kids into and then to Costco. I was there over an hour and only bought 4 things. One was a gift the others were basics. BUT....I have some ideas now and know what I'm missing or not. I totally missed out on free lunch. The one time I don't buy pizza for the kids. Long story short, a woman from a bank was buying lunch for everyone there. I didn't quite understand what she said, so I only ordered two churros to take home to the kids and when I tried to pay, they told me no because that woman was paying for everyone. Man! Would it have been rude at that point to then ask for a whole pizza???? I didn't, but I was bummed.

Lastly, I joined Coupon Sense and I'm already thinking it's too complicated for me to stick with. It's only been a week and not having any coupons built up seems kind of worthless. Hopefully I can figure it out and make it work for me. I need to save $$$$$. Any suggestions?

A Divine Calling

This has been on my mind a lot recently so I decided I would organize it in a post. I used to be a very "I'm as good as any boy" kind of girl. Wanting to do whatever they were doing just to prove I could. Girls rule! I still have a part of that in me, but as I have grown and learned and matured, I have come to a very peaceful place about being a woman. I know that my feelings aren't those of all women, so I will do my disclaimer right now. This is how I feel about ME.

I love being a mom, a wife, a homemaker, a sister, a daughter....a woman. I have come to understand the roles and partnership between man and woman. One isn't better than the other. I don't need to do all the things they do to have worth and value. Heavenly Father blessed us with unique and different qualities and strengths. I appreciate all that Glade does and honestly wouldn't want to do half of it. He feels the same about my responsibilities. We are a team and together, we make a whole. It was meant to be that way from the beginning. I believe in equal rights and all that stuff, but I'm sad as to where our world has gone with women wanting all that man has. We are not lesser just different. There are so many things women possess that contribute to our world without actually receiving a paycheck for it. Our paycheck comes from a different source. In my opinion, much more rewarding than the $$$ on a paper check.

I think that the smile of a child or the arms around your leg or the phone call to tell you when something exciting happens is so rewarding! A clean floor, an empty laundry room, a full pantry...all paychecks of a job well done. Even a psychiatrist will tell you that an adult going through a traumatic experience would call out for their "mommy". To have three kids piled around you all vying for a little closeness is like no other feeling. Just being next to me is comforting and desirable to them. I came out of the shower one morning to find Bo sitting on the floor in my bathroom. I asked what he was doing and he said he was waiting for me to get out so he could lay with me. I wasn't really planning on going back to bed and he was obviously already out of bed, but he didn't want to start his day without that little bit of cuddling. I got dressed and we went back to bed. It only lasted a few minutes, but it was totally worth it.

I chuckle to myself often at how many kids will migrate to wherever I am. They will even watch something they aren't interested in, just to be close by. I still follow my mom around the house to talk to her or see what she is doing. There is a draw to mothers. I'm aware that this is all normal, but what I'm trying to get across is the appreciation for it. The paycheck. I wouldn't want to miss any of these experiences for those the world or workplace could offer me. My Divine calling is to take care of my family, my husband, my neighbors....to nurture. Like all things, when we have abandoned this natural instinct and quality, we can forget how great it is. The rewarding and accomplished feelings we can get from doing "womanly" things. The difference we can make in so many lives if we follow after women of old, who spent their time helping in the community and raising their children, learning skills and hobbies that bless the lives of others.

I love the soft side of women. I know I wouldn't necessarily be considered "soft", but I'm more talking about the trends to be vulgar and harsh. It's so unbecoming to hear women with foul mouths and behavior like that of a sailor. I love to see women watched over by the men in their lives. To "need" his assistance. I love sparkles and jewelry and ruffles. I wish I had more occasion to adorn these things..lol...but the idea of them are appealing. The idea of being the "weaker" sex does not mean weaker in ability or intelligence, just in being softer and in need of a big strong man to compliment her. Am I sounding soppy and old-fashioned?? Good! That would be a womanly trait.

To sum it all up. I'm not "just" a mom. I'm not "unemployed". I don't sit on the couch and eat Bon Bons. I'm a woman with a tremendous amount of love for those who depend on me and look to me for guidance, direction and love. I am completely fulfilled in this role. I don't feel like there is anything more important I could be doing at this point in my life. I understand what God intended for me to do and how Divine and important it is. I don't feel "undervalued", I feel privileged to be trusted with this job. Honored that He believes in me enough to hand over his little spirits to my care. To have a husband who believes I can do this as well. Mostly to have children that believe I can do most anything. Someday they will learn otherwise, but in the meantime, I am their center and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Being of the female persuasion is truly a wonderful blessing. Girls don't "rule".....they rock!

Karaoke and Scones

Saturday was go go go. Kids were in all directions starting at 8:30 am. I had both Glade and I plus Chelsey on taxi duty. I had several errands I needed to run that I wanted to do childless so I was really rushing to get everything in and done and people picked up and dropped off all at the right times. One of my favorite stops was at my mom's house. Those cute jeans I got the night before were a little flared for my taste so mom was able to taper them a bit and make them perfect. We went to the mall together to return a few things and then we went our separate ways. I went to finally take my vacuum to the fix it place and he tells me that for $200 he would sell me a new hose and that that was really my only option, it wasn't fixable. I left with my broken hose and came home to call another guy who says he can fix it with a $35 piece. We shall see.

Spent the rest of the afternoon cooking hamburger for the scone party that was last night for Dennis's 50th birthday party and a fundraiser for Sis. Sourant. The kids all came home eventually and we all got around and headed to the church. Scones were yummy as always. Tons of people showed up and the most fun was watching the karaoke. Normally I don't enjoy that, but it was fun last night. There was a $5 entry fee to sing to raise money so all of my little ones put in their own money so they could sing. They did great! Whitley started off with "My Heart Will Go On". She struggled a little because she has never really sang that or heard it too much, but she wanted to surprise me. How sweet. Next was Stephen, of all songs to sing..especially at the church...was "It's 5:00 Somewhere". He did really well though. Then came Rhett who sang "Play Something Country". I love that song so I howled along with him at the howly parts. One of my friends pointed out that he and Stephen both swore during their songs. I asked Rhett if he noticed that and he said "I just said helluva time". I'm not sure if at first he realized what it was saying. He shooed it off as "just a song mom". My favorite was Dalin. He went to sing and Dennis sent him away telling him to find a CD. I told Dennis he didn't want one so he handed Dalin the microphone. He proceeded to sing, almost word for word.."Start A Band". I was really impressed. He got into it too, no shy genes in our family! Someone even commented about how none of my kids were scared to perform. Nope. Brooklyn and her friend Rebecca sang "Everyday" from HSM2. They did really good, I love that song.

They drew numbers for prizes, but lots of people had gone home, so all the kids ended up with something little and that made them very happy. Sweet story...Stephen wanted to go out and play so he told me that if they called his number, get the ****** so he could give it to Dad for Christmas. Well his number was called and even though I know Glade does not need that or even probably want it, I love that Stephen thought of someone else first, so I got it for him. He also spent the evening running scones back and forth and was about the last one to eat. He really is a good kid.

It was a fun and busy day with a great ending. I think they raised a decent amount of money, Dennis had a great birthday and everyone had an enjoyable evening. Can't beat that.

Another Perfect Night

After the last few days, I was in much need of a night out. Our original plans were to go to the temple with some family and then to dinner, but as we were driving there, we got offered tickets to the D-Backs game. We decided to go ahead and go to the temple, then we would skip dinner and go to the game instead. There was only one real snag...I was in Sunday clothes so I told Glade he had to buy me a new pair of jeans to wear to the game. He agreed so I got a really cute pair of jeans from the Gap on clearance for $18. Nice start to the evening.

The seats were amazing! Well, before we go there, they also included Valet Parking. We got to pull right up to the side of the building, hand over the keys to Joe and Kathy's minivan (hehe) and head into a back entrance. Our seats were 12 rows back from the field behind the on-deck circle. If we yelled something to a batter, they could hear us. Since we were a little late and so far everything was free, we decided to grab dinner there. So we all got hamburgers and fries and enjoyed the game. We didn't win, BUT right in front of us was Craig Counsell! I loved him when he was with us. I was trying to take his picture, but he wouldn't turn around. So I walked right up to the dugout and was taking pictures of him. I don't know if he was noticing the flash or what, but he finally turned around and looked at me. I waved and he smiled and nodded. I was so excited!! Unfortunately the picture of that was really blurry. Probably because I was so excited I didn't hold still enough.

After the game they had a fireworks display with patriotic music. I had a really great time. It was just what I needed after a few grouchy days. Lucky for me Kathy had her camera with her. My phone was not doing a good job!

Do You Ever Just Want to Yell?

That's how I feel today. I woke up happy with a great night's sleep, but that ended very quickly. My kids are just rotten. OK, not all of them, but enough that I just wondered what happened to everything they have ever been taught? Why do they take such pleasure in being mean to one another. I gave them all the "do unto others" and "be like Christ" speech, but I really just wanted to take them all down! Then I went home, chatted with mom and felt like I was good again. I headed to do some grocery shopping and all my anxiety came back. I'm about done shopping with Bo and Katy. After Wal-mart and about half way through Costco, I was just ready to cry. I promised them Chick Fil A, but ended up not. They, too, do not listen and were making me crazy. I was sweaty and grouchy and just wanted to be home in my underwear. We did a drive through at Taco Bell so I could have a Diet Pepsi and Katy cried the whole way home. I almost joined her. As I was unloading the groceries and beginning to sweat again, I just got really pissed off. I'm so sick of the frickin heat! Go away already. Katy was asleep by the time we got home so I put her in her bed, got a show started for Bo and went and had myself a little time out. OK, good to go again. Got groceries put away, headed to lay down with Bo and Katy woke up. I decided to let them both watch TV with Nick out in the living room and maybe a little alone time would do me good. Not so much. Now I have to go mail a package, pay my water bill and go sit in the stupid heat to watch a soccer game. Would I be a bad mom if I skipped it??? I really just want some cold sticky gooey ice cream. I know that will only make me sad later, so I'm resisting. I just need to suck it up and get through it. Obviously every one else is dealing with the hell that we live in, I should be able to as well. Guess it's time to get my pants on and go face the afternoon. I will apologize in advance if I happen to cut you off or run you off the road, I'm in a mood!

Slowly but Surely

Last night was a really rough one, making for two in a row. Our lone puppy is just plain sad without her sister. I feel really bad, but the three hours in the middle of the night that she scratched and whined were enough for me to get over that. Not only was I awake the whole time, but it woke Katy up and then she was in my bed. It wasn't constant, just every 25 min or so, just enough time for you to think she was done and relax. So this morning I called animal control and they came and got her. No more pups for us. My kids handled it really well. They still worry about the missing one, but have given up on ideas to find her. We tried to make it all work, but it just didn't. To give an idea of how allergic Bo was, this was a conversation we had when Jaz was missing, I told him someone had probably gotten her and taken her home. He gave a big excited "yes!" and said now he wouldn't be allergic. If only we could make the other one go "bye-bye" his eyes would go straight back to brown! I guess when I kept saying his eyes were red and itchy, he actually thought they were red. Silly boy.

I didn't can a thing today! I had to do all the "call about that", "make a call on this" kind of crap. I hate that. BUT, it's all done and that is a load off. I ran on the treadmill for a short time before I had to go pick up Bo from preschool. I ate soup for lunch to keep my calories down for the day. TOO hot for soup! Did some laundry and laid down for a nap with the kids. I was really tired, so I'm sure I fell asleep for a little bit. Showered and started all the afternoon fun. I was invited to another group's Bunko night, so I'm heading there in a little bit. I'm sure I will sleep good tonight!

Some have mentioned wanting the addy's to the blog's I have been reading. I'm happy to provide them, but only with a disclaimer. These are not canning blogs. They are blogs of two people who try to be as self sufficient as possible. Not all the blog is about that stuff. Still intriguing. The man is an agrarian and they have some different beliefs and are a little extreme, but fascinating to read about. They look like they are right off Little House on the Prairie. With that in mind, here are the links.
http://jordansfarm.wordpress.com and http://www.blogger.com/profile/10480186948086853961 this last one is of the agrarian and it's his info page on blogger. He has several blogs. The one that dealt with the canning was A Process Driven Life. Let me know what you think. Off to Bunko!

Labor Day

Monday started with a bunch of really bored children. It was as if they had never been home during the day before. I decided we would go ahead and get the Saturday chores done that we didn't do on Saturday. That didn't go over well, but when you have plans like going to the pool, it's a great motivator. Chelsey was gone all morning hiking and didn't really want to go with us, but I insisted. I have a very short time left with jurisdiction over what she does, so I wanted her to go. I think she was glad she did. I spent the morning making pasta salad and jello cake. I also did a pre-programmed workout on the treadmill. It was hard! I kept having to stop it to catch my breath. My calves were burning, but shockingly, I'm not sore today. By afternoon, we were all cleaned up and ready to go to the pool. Fortunately, our friends beat us there and told us not to come that there was a 45 min wait to get in. They came to our house and waited with us for about 40 minute, then we called and got the go ahead that there was no wait. We spent about an hour at the pool, came home and got changed and headed to the Johnson's for a BBQ. We ate and played games while the kids hung out. I think everyone had a great time. I ate way too much as always. We got home around 8:30 to find that one of our puppies is missing.

I looked for her last night, but she didn't come home. The other one, whined all night without her. I feel really sad for my kids, they were really upset this morning when she still wasn't here. I tried to convince them that someone probably found her and took her home with them. Even though that gave a little comfort, they are sad that the sisters are apart and at the thought that maybe she was eaten by a coyote. Now I have one dog I need to get rid of. A very sad dog.

Today has brought more canning and lots of cleaning. I know I said we cleaned on Saturday, but today I was left with dishes, lunch packing mess and all the stuff that wound up on the floor yesterday. It feels good to really get in there and clean stuff up. It's nice to be able to have something canning while you can do something else. Now, on the subject of canning....I found out you can can butter! I have come across two blogs of people who can most anything and one girl has listed the how-to's of a lot of it. I can't wait for butter to go on sale! Whitley asked me if I thought that me learning all of this was going to mean we would have to use it someday, like out of necessity. She wasn't very excited about all that. I told her I didn't know, but wouldn't it be great if we did! What I mean is, I know how to do it, I've done it, and now we are prepared...or getting there. Who knows who or when these things are going to be life saving, but at least I can have peace about my family right now. Not to mention, it's really fun and rewarding! I am so intrigued by these blogs I have been reading and all the things they do for themselves. I think the last thing she posted was that she need to stock up on toilet paper before the winter. Then she said "I'm sure I could make my own, the time is just not yet." Make your own toilet paper? Very inspiring. Hopefully any skills I learn will be of benefit to someone.

Now I need to adjust to today being Tuesday, not Monday. Scouts and my boys first soccer game tonight, and exactly one week from today....the Biggest Loser starts! Maybe I will find my motivation.

Fabulous Weekend

What a great weekend. I'm sure the rain had a little to do with my outlook. After a great and relaxing date night, I spent Saturday morning hanging out with Chelsey. Got our nails done and did a few other errands together. I like her. Came home to get some chores done and do more meat! It's great because after you get it started, you don't have to worry about it much till it's done. I decided to take a nap...shocking, I know. Here are a few shots of the actual "doings".

In an effort to be a good mom, I told the kids we would do something on Saturday night. We all went to see "Up". I wasn't that impressed. Cute but too much inference for my younger ones to get it. Whitley had already seen it twice so when Katy got too restless, she took her out to walk around the mall. That turned into a disaster. Whitley didn't get her to the bathroom in time so she peed all over the place. We didn't have extra clothes for her, so I left the movie, gave Whitley $10 and told her to go find the cheapest pair of shorts she could find. When the movie was over, I called to ask how it went and I could hear Katy screaming. They had only been in the store for a minute or so when Katelyn started crying saying her belly hurt. Whitley took her to the bathroom again, but wouldn't let her leave till she went potty. Katy just screamed. I went and got a pair of pants and met them outside the bathroom, changed her and we headed out. Way too much drama. We stopped by McDonald's for some ice cream before heading home. It was nice to get out of the house with everyone.

This is what happens on a rainy day when children are left unattended. My "mud room" has earned it's name after this.

Today I got up bright and early and started another batch of meat. I cut up and canned all the meat so I could be done with that. Church was good, I love testimony meeting. Both my big girls got up and both made me cry. Came home and started another batch of meat. I now have 28 completed quarts of meat. I still have 8 lbs of sausage and a few more jars of chicken. That will have to wait until tomorrow! Tonight we get to go to Glade's parents house for Sunday dinner. All in all, it's been a very enjoyable and rewarding week end!

Addiction

I think I could be addicted to canning! I think about it all the time. What else...what else. I'll tell you what else....the 35 lbs of hamburger I found in the freezer! Not to mention the 6 lbs of sausage. I'm not keeping anything in the freezer! Glade thinks it looks disgusting and is a little concerned about how it will taste in a month or two. I read a blog about a guy who is agrarian. Gotta look up that one. I think it just means living off the land. Anyway, they can everything they grow and eat. I figure it even costs less than cooking it and freezing it when you consider buying the baggies and using the electricity to run the freezer. The BEST part is that my Gramma B totally ROCKS!! I called her yesterday to see if she had an old pressure cooker and she didn't. But, today, she ran across a lady selling hers for $15!!! Unheard of. Double rack and all. Bonus, a dozen jars for $1. I don't know how many of those I ended up with, but I told her to get what she could. The only catch is that she lives in Illinois. Lucky for me, we are going back there in October. Could it get any better?? I'll letchya know! Ü

Canning Chicken

Yesterday I canned chicken for the first time. I have always been afraid of it since I didn't know how and didn't even own a pressure cooker, much less know how to work one. I decided to just do it. So easy! I borrowed a cooker, bought some meat on sale and went to it. I did it at my mom's house because I was told you couldn't do it on a flat top stove. It was nice to have the company and support as well. I'm going to try some really soon so I can see what it's like before I do any more. Now I'm looking all over for "what else" I can can. It could be the start of a new obsession.

I tried ordering jars in bulk for friends and neighbors, but after shipping I just couldn't get it cheap enough to beat Wal-Mart and Costco. I did get a good order for PETE containers and will put that in on Tuesday.

We have had some great rain and storms lately. I love it. I still wish I lived somewhere with seasons. The older I get the less I like AZ. My kids think I'm crazy. Today is cloudy, but when you open the door, you are slapped with the same unpleasant flash of heat. Sucks. Last night we went to the mall to check on the Spinny Thing. It's a little "ride" thing Glade is in on. It was really nice outside by about 7:30 last night, nice breeze. We had dinner then walked around the mall. Nothing exciting, just out. Today I need to get my nails done. Way too long. I'm trying to get them done less often so it costs me less, but the waiting is killer.

I only missed one day of exercise this week and did mostly good on my eating. I'm sure the ice cream cone wasn't that great last night, but hey...it's date night. I need to run today, maybe even bike since it's cloudy. We'll see, first is the nails!

Chuck - part 2

Sitting in Costco, quietly eating our pizza...Bo pipes up with "Does Chuck have a computer?" (his other obsession). I told him he did and that was that.

Chuck and the white house

This is my conversation with Bo this morning:

Bo: Can a girl be "Chuck"? (for some reason he loves that name)
Me: Not really, it's a boy name. I have an Uncle Chuck, when we go to Illinois, I'll introduce you.
Bo: Do you know where he lives?
Me: Yep, but you have never been there.
Bo: What color is his house?
Me: White.
Bo: White??? I've never seen a white house before. White houses are silly.
Bo: Does it have pointy parts on the roof?
Me: Yes.
Bo: Yes!! That means it's sort of like ours. Is there a little bit of yellow?
Me: No, I think it's gray.
Bo: I see our house, there it is!!

Not another mention of Chuck or white houses.

Another successful day

Today was a totally successful day. I stuck to my diet and even enjoyed it. I forgot that when you eat the right food, you can have a lot more of it. I burned a little more than half of what I ate, which I didn't enjoy. Just not running well. I guess I have to work back up to it. I returned a library book that was lost and then found and now returned. Yeah! I got my neck checked out and got in and out of the x-ray place in 30 min, unheard of! I straightened things out with a teacher at the school and got dinner done before kids had to be at play practice. All good things. The hard thing...staying at home doing nothing but thinking about not eating. I have to stay home as to not spend money. Once the stinkin heat goes away, we can go places that don't cost money.

Katy was yelling at me from my bathroom telling me she was taller than me and Bo. I thought I better see what she might be climbing on. This is what I found.

Lightening and Burning Half

I don't remember Monday. I remember working out and hating every minute of it. Someone told me that it only takes two weeks to undo everything you've done. Well that would make sense. We had dinner and FHE with brownies for a treat. There went the diet. During the lesson, we could hear that a storm was brewing. After, we all went out front and enjoyed the storm. The littler ones played out in the rain while us more mature ones sat on the porch and watched. The lightening was amazing. I have never watched lightening that actually hurt my eyes. It rained pretty hard for a little while during which I actually shivered! Yeah for shivering! It didn't last. As soon as the rain stopped, it warmed right back up. It was great to have the whole family outside doing nothing together. Now if only I had that porch swing!

Today I woke up on the wrong side of the bed for sure. Everything was getting me all worked up this morning. Kids poking around, babies not listening, puppies pooping...just wasn't good. I did a ton of laundry. That's always good to get that done. I did the treadmill again and for the first time in a really long time, I stuck to my eating plan. I can't believe how hard it has been. Habits are really hard to break. This summer I have gained 5 lbs. It feels like 20. My clothes are tight and I feel like crap. All this crapiness just makes me want more ice cream. Totally backwards. Today I decided to try to burn half of everything I eat. If you see me in the next few weeks and I look terrible, it's because I'm staying in clothes I can work out in and not doing my hair too much. The first day is always the hardest, but I actually made it all the way through the day without cheating. Let me tell you, it was hard! All I could think about was eating and not being able to. Did I mention it totally sucks! Hopefully tomorrow will be a little easier and once the scale drops a little, even easier. I really want to feel good and strong again. The lazy, traveling summer was fun, but not good for me. I really need some serious motivation.

PollyAnna

Sunday was a nice relaxing day. Church went well, got a small nap and then made dinner. It's funny, since I have been planning my meals and sticking to them, my kids seem to be really happy. Almost every day when asked "what's for dinner?", someone gives a big "yes!" Today was no exception. Ground beef was on sale so we had meat loaf. I don't make it often because it takes a lot of hamburger to feed my family. We also had corn on the cob which is a special treat. Since I was feeling all domestic, I also made apple crisp for dessert. We didn't have a big family dinner so we settled in to watch the movie PollyAnna. I had read somewhere that it was a great movie to illustrate gratitude. Unfortunately, it didn't keep the interest of my children. I thought it was a cute movie. Very interesting to see the differences in time periods. This starts out with a little boys naked butt as he swings from a rope into the water. You would never see that today!

They enjoyed the apple crisp, which by the way, was made with 10 yr old dehydrated apple slices. They were only a little chewy, but no one seemed to mind. Ate it all up. While watching the movie, the doorbell rang. To our surprise, a family in our ward brought us a treat of orange rolls. Double treats! It was a really nice Sunday.