In The Quiet Heart

So be good for goodness sake...

2012-02-10T10:50:00.000-06:00

A few weeks before Christmas, Gary committed the unpardonable sin of marriage.....he left the toilet seat up.

I know what you're thinking..."really, Shanon, is that all you have to worry about?!"...but if you had my bladder, that would be a big deal to you.

I came out of the bathroom complaining to him about how I had nearly fallen in the toilet because he didn't take the two seconds it would have taken to put the seat down.

I know what you're thinking..."Shanon, why didn't you take the two seconds to put the toilet seat down"...but if you had my bladder, you would know that I don't have an extra two seconds.

Then I decided to kick him. He said it was an awesome round house kick. I was aiming for the soft part of his behind but I quickly discovered that Gary has cat-like reflexes. Who knew?! He deflected my awesome kick and instead of my foot hitting the soft, cushy part of his behind, it hit his boney elbow.

I know what you're thinking..."gasp! Did she just say she kicked her husband?!"...but if you had my bladder, you would have kicked him too!

After realizing that a kick to the elbow is what broken toes are made of, I learned my lesson.

I know what you're thinking..."kicking someone is never the way to solve a problem"...atleast that's what my 16 year old daughter told me but if you had my bladder you would know that desperate times call for desperate measures!

I learned that next time, I need to remember to put my shoes on before I kick him.

I Laugh When I'm Nervous

2012-02-02T12:21:00.004-06:00

Gary went with me to a doctor's appointment today. When we got there, the receptionist handed me one of those forms to fill out. You know the forms that ask you a million questions about your health? I handed it to Gary and said "here, this is your job today." He started filling it out while we were in the waiting room. A few minutes later, the nurse came out to get us. After stepping on the scale, checking height, and blood pressure, we were led to an exam room. Gary was still working on the form, and started asking questions.

"Are you having trouble sleeping?" I answered yes.

"Do you ever have feelings of sadness?" I answered yes.

He wasn't checking off any of the things that I was feeling so I asked him why he wasn't answering the questions the way I told him to.

All of a sudden, Jared says "Moommmm...this isn't all about you, you know?!"

"What?! What do you mean, it's not about me?"

He said "this is MY check-up!"

Oh...sorry! Then he said "I can tell Mom is nervous because she is cracking a lot of jokes."

I really think they should have checked MY blood pressure.

A Few Thoughts on Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T12:05:00.007-06:00

A few days ago, Gary decided to ask the family what they wanted to eat for Thanksgiving dinner.

I immediately thought turkey but everyone else in the family said ham.

Ham?!

For Thanksgiving?!

Ham is an Easter food...maybe a Christmas food if you had your fill of turkey at Thanksgiving.

It is never the main dish at Thanksgiving!

That is against the law!

Do you ever see a cute pig come home in your child's folder with thankful feathers attached to it?

No!

It's always a turkey!

You are supposed to have turkey for Thanksgiving!

Guess what we are having for dinner today?

A traditional Easter dinner.

Ham and twice-baked potatoes.

Gary gave me my choice of vegetables.

How cruel is that?!

At least we get to have sweet potato casserole.

A word on sweet potatoes, though.

They leak more than regular potatoes.

That sweet potato juice doesn't smell so sweet when it is a big pile of charcoal on the bottom of your oven.

You pay a big price when you let your husband take over the cooking.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I Just Wanna Dance With You

2011-10-08T17:14:00.002-05:00

When I was growing up, Saturday was the day we cleaned. My mom would put on some "cleaning music" and we would start working.

By-the-way, we were the only kids on the planet that had to do that or at least that's what I remember telling my mom. She didn't care that she was breaking the child labor laws, she made us clean anyway!

Over the weekend, I turned into my mom. I turned on the cleaning music and insisted that everyone that was home had to help clean our messy, messy house.

The music of choice was George Strait. There he was singing his heart out while I folded laundry. Gary looked over to ask me a question and noticed big crocodile tears falling down my face. I said "Can't you just see Lori and Steve dancing in the kitchen?!"

I cried for a few minutes while I thought about my sister and how much I miss her. Gary assured me that I would see them dancing again one day.

Then the song that they danced to came on. Carson agreed to be my dance partner.

I just wanna dance with you...twirl you all around the floor...

And, like magic, the sadness disappeared. My cute little dance partner laughed as he twirled me all around the floor. He healed my aching heart and put a new memory in it's place.

I Do These Things So That Others Can Learn From My Mishaps

2011-10-07T11:46:00.005-05:00

Every now and again, I can convince Carson that he is tired and wants to rest. Our conversation usually goes something like this:

Me: Let's rest for a minute.
Carson: No fweep (sleep)
Me: Okay...let's just be quiet for a minute.
Carson: No fweep
Me: Pleeeeaaasssseee?!!!
Carson: No fweep
Me: If I ignore him, he will fall asleep from boredom
Carson: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......
Emily: throws the front door open and yells "I'M HOOOMMMMMMMME!
Me: sigh...

Sometimes, despite Emily's plot to keep the entire state of Texas awake, Carson is sooo tired that he sleeps through her greeting and takes an extra long nap. That happened the other day and at 5pm I was trying to wake him up so he wouldn't be up all night. He was too tired to wake up but then I noticed that the bed...my bed...was wet. I practically dragged him out by his feet so I could save the mattress from utter destruction. Luckily, although he might not agree, it was Gary's side of the bed :)

After I got Carson in the bathtub and put the sheets in the washer, I pulled out the green machine (carpet cleaner) and went to work on the mattress. It did a pretty good job although sometimes I think I might catch a whiff of odor but Gary says I have the best smeller on the planet so it might just be me. He thinks it's fine, I think it might be time to look into getting a new mattress. The good thing for Gary, though, is I hate going shopping so we will probably just live with it.

Anyway...sometimes when I use the carpet cleaner it takes me a few days to clean it out. Today I decided it must be done. I took the container of dirty water off and was walking to the bathroom to dump it in the toilet. In my head, it had a cap on it that you had to take off before you dumped it out. So I turned it over to look for the cap and dumped urine water on my legs, feet, floor, walls...everywhere but where I wanted it to go. Oops!

So, here are a few helpful tips:

The green machine carpet cleaner does not have a cap on the dirty water container so don't turn it upside down until you get to the place you are going to dump it.

Maybe make sure your child goes potty BEFORE he climbs into your bed to fweep!

Dumping urine water everywhere is a great way to motivate yourself to clean those dirty floors.

I hope you find those tips useful. You're welcome!

13 Things For A 13 Year Old

2011-10-03T11:23:00.009-05:00

Look at those eyes! Those cheeks! I love this girl!

Emily turned 13 on Sunday so in honor of her cross over into teenagerhood I give you 13 things about Emily.

1. She is the only one of my children to have stitches...twice. When she was almost 4, she was jumping between beds in her room and missed the mattress. She hit her leg on the metal frame and split her shin wide open. I was 20 months pregnant (or maybe it just seemed like that) with Carson at the time and had to carry her into the hospital on top of my bulging belly. When they numbed her leg, she screamed louder than I've ever heard anyone scream . It was traumatic for both of us. Right after they finished she was up running around. It took me hours to recuperate. The second time she slipped on the ladder of a water slide and her tooth went through her mouth just below her bottom lip as she slid down past the kids climbing up the ladder. Every time she smiled their was a gaping hole where there shouldn't be. This time I spent the whole time in the hospital with my head between my knees and the nurse asking ME if I was okay. She was happy as a clam!

2. Sometimes she can be a little too chatty.

3. I have been introduced to a lot of people by her. Over the years she has asked to go to her friend's house and if I didn't know them I would tell her that I had to meet the parents first. Many a time have I gone to the front door to be met by a stranger that had been dragged to the door by two little girls that just wanted to play together. She would look at me with those big hazel eyes and say "this is my friend's mom...now that you have met her can I go play?" No...not awkward...at all. :)

4. She loves to sing. She was asked to sing a duet with her friend at a talent show when she was very little. At the last minute her friend decided there were too many people there. She got up and sang it anyway. So brave!

5. She has a soft spot in her heart for people with special needs. They are some of her favorites at school and church. She changed elementary schools so she could go to school with Carson because she wanted to be able to keep an eye on him and keep him safe. She would get off the bus in the morning and go straight to the special needs classroom. She just loves them and looks past their disability. She is in Partners In PE at school and loves it!

6. She is the only person in our family that likes to be the center of attention. She's also the only person in our family brave enough to act in a play...in front of tons of people!

7. She was the cause of the entire Oviedo, FL police department being dispatched to our house when she went missing one day. She had slipped out the gate, gone and chatted with all the neighbors and then knocked on the door of her friend's house to play. When the mom asked if I knew where she was she said "yes" and went inside to watch a movie. It took us an hour to find her. It was the longest hour of my life. I still have the image of her being carried by my kind neighbor who searched and searched until he found his little friend. She had a look on her face like "is all this fuss for me?"

8. She is a very gifted artist. She loves drawing and painting.

9. When she was little, I would look outside and see her sitting on the swing eating something. When I asked where she got it from she would say "Mr. Wayne and Miss Danielle." She would sneak out, go next door, and ask them for a snack. They always gave her one and then she would come back home and happily eat while swinging.

10. She cannot keep her room clean to save her life but then neither can I.

11. She loves to read.

12. She plays the viola in the orchestra.

13. She loves to tell very detailed stories about her day. If we are busy and try to stop her, she asks us to let her finish first. She is very persistent.

So, there you go...13 things about our Emily. We love you very much Miss Emily and are thankful you joined our family 13 years ago.

Happy Birthday!

You're BEAST!

2011-10-03T10:04:00.002-05:00

Conversation on the way to high school this morning.

Kinsey: That guy's in beast mode.
Me: What?!
Kinsey: That guy's in beast mode.
Me: ?!? What does that mean?
Kinsey: (slightly rolling her eyes) That means awesome!
Me: It does? Since when?

I started looking around for the guy she was talking about and see an ordinary teenager standing on the side of the road. Assuming that she is talking about him, I ask why he is so "beast."

Kinsey rolls her eyes again and said she was reading the bumper sticker on the bright green car that just drove by.

Oh, I guess I was too busy paying attention to the ordinary teenager because I missed the car.

I did what any hip and groovy mother would do and said "Kinsey, you're beast!"

Her eyes rolled out of her head and onto the floor.

Just about that time we pulled into the school and I turned around to Jared (who had missed the entire conversation because he had his earbuds in) and said "Jared, you're beast!"

Kinsey said (just slightly loud enough for me to hear), "I'm kind of sorry I ever said anything."

Jared said "Moooommmm, you can't say things like that! That's what teenagers say!"

When all is said and done, I want my children to remember that I was with it so, as I was pulling away, I rolled down the window and yelled "Kinsey, YOU'RE BEAST!!!"

She acted like she had no clue who I was.

Kids these days.

They get embarrassed so easily!

What Would Anna Do?

2011-09-30T14:18:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago I was driving my son to a birthday party. On that Saturday I wanted to crawl into a corner and die. I was mad at my husband for sitting around watching football, I was mad at myself for not getting up and doing something. I was tired of having trials. I was tired of being sad. I was just plain tired!

I had thoughts of running away. My family would be better off. I was dispensable. As these thoughts and others equally as pitiful ran through my head, I drove past Anna's house. I saw her face and thought about her trials and wondered "what would Anna do?"

I met Anna when we moved to Texas four years ago. She always had a smile on her face. One day I was standing in the hallway at church waiting to talk to one of my church leaders. She was also waiting to talk to him so we started talking about how things were going. She asked how my children were coping with the move. They were having a hard time and missed their friends. She told me how much she hoped they would start to feel better soon. She found out my family was waiting in the car for me and so she told me to go first to meet with my leader. I found out later that her family was waiting too.

One day at a scout meeting, I saw her limping. I came home and told my husband that I thought she might have some health issues. I found out later that she had cancer in her leg. At the time, I had a sister battling breast cancer. She told me that she was praying for my sister. We talked about different treatments they were thinking about doing. She had been inspired to eat a healthier diet and had encouraged her family to do the same.

My sister died a few months later and the day that I found out, Anna and her husband brought over flowers and a card. She wanted me to have comfort and to know that someone was thinking about me. She told me that we would be in her prayers. I still have her card because it brought me so much peace.

Anna left a short time after that to start on a treatment that would hopefully be able to save her leg but they had to amputate. I followed her progress on her blog. She was always so inspiring. She did not let losing a leg stop her from doing things or for serving others. Just like my sister, her cancer kept coming back and spreading. I worried for her and hoped that her outcome would be better.

As I thought about Anna on that Saturday, I thought about sending her a note to ask her how she remained so strong in the face of such adversity. I wanted to tell her how much she had inspired me and that even though she wasn't here anymore that she had made a difference in my life. I kept putting off sending that note.

Last night I found out that Anna lost her battle with cancer and I regretted not sending it. As I was looking at her pictures and notes from friends on Facebook I got the answer to "what would Anna do?"

Anna would testify of Christ through her talent of singing, she would let her family know that she loved them by cleaning out the pumpkins for her family so they could carve them for Halloween, she would play duets on the piano because her daughter loved to do that, she would spend time with her sisters even though she had chemo that day, she would make you feel like you were the most important friend in her life.

Now I know what Anna would do so what am I going to do about it? What will I change in my life to be more like Anna? As I thought about that, I got out of bed and cleaned the kitchen. I fixed a shirt for my daughter. I ate a few vegetables at lunch time (I wonder if Anna liked peas? Eating healthier is going to be a tough one). I stayed up late to listen to my kids tell me all about the football game and how the half time show went. I taught my daughter how to do a butt flop (something that was popular when I was in color guard which was called flag corp way back in the day). I snapped my fingers and sang "Fever" while being silly with my kids. I knelt down to pray with my husband when I was feeling offended. I practiced a song on the piano that I will play in church one day even though it terrifies me. I will smile more and remember to be grateful for all the blessings that I have. I will be more patient and not so quick to be offended. I will tell my family that I love them and how proud I am of them. I will serve others cheerfully and with a willing heart.

I will be more like the Savior because I know that that is what Anna would do.

I Don't Want to Sit Down

2011-08-01T15:59:00.004-05:00

I can't sit still when I get bad news.

My husband should know this and yet he told me to sit down.

He had just talked to the doctor about our son's blood test results. I was hoping for the standard "you're out of your mind and worry too much, Shanon" and instead was told that they were waiting for us at Dell Children's hospital emergency room.

It all started with a search on Google. My son was losing weight. I noticed the weight loss and had a nagging feeling that something wasn't right. I was hoping it was the scout camps and pioneer Trek that he had been on.

I made my son get on the scales. He rolled his eyes at me and complained. He had lost 16 pounds in 6 weeks! I interrogated him. Are you trying to lose weight? Has anyone said anything to you about your weight? Are you feeling sick? Are you taking drugs (I was talking over-the-counter)? Are you making yourself throw up? He rolled his eyes at me again and said "moommm...I don't have an eating disorder! Throwing up is gross! I eat all the time! And NO...I'm not doing drugs!!!"

Wait...why did he mention drugs?

"Moommmmm....doing drugs is stupid!!!"

He also had "fruity" breath. It wasn't bad breath...just an odd fruity smell. The only other thing he said was that he was thirsty and going to the bathroom a lot.

So I googled it and came up with a diagnosis that scared me. This was on a Friday night. We were supposed to leave for vacation on Sunday. I told my husband my fears and said that I didn't think we should go on our vacation until we took him to a doctor. Gary is an eternal optimist. He doesn't worry about things until he needs to. This was on his list of "I'll worry about this when we get back."

I didn't feel like we could wait until we got back but I pulled the "FINE! You hold the priesthood so I'll trust you" card. He absolutely loves it when I do that! Not really...I think it kind of annoys him. I thought we decided we would wait until we got back. He thought we decided that we would take him to the doctor to ease my fears but boy was it going to set us back a few hours.

What we had was a lack of communication!

I went to bed feeling uneasy while he started snoring as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Does anyone else feel the need to smack their husband when that happens or is it just me?!

Sorry...what was I saying?!

Oh, yeah, we went to sleep. I had a dream. We were camping and something happened to my kids. I don't really remember all the details except that I was being yelled at by my bishop. He was telling me that I had been entrusted to take care of my children. I had the power to receive inspiration on their behalf even though I don't hold the priesthood! I was crying and he was just so annoyed with me! I woke up feeling like my life was about to change.

Gary woke up a few minutes after that and felt like it was really important to get Jared to the doctor before we left. So he took Jared at 8am when the office opened. When he got there the receptionist told him that he had to have an appointment and said she would see if they had anything available. Wouldn't you know it?! They had an 8:10 am opening!

Gary told the doctor that I was worried about diabetes. She asked him if he was as worried as I was and he said that he wasn't. The doctor said he seemed healthy but they would do some blood work and try to get it rushed so we could go on our vacation without worrying. Jared came home complaining about all the blood that they had taken. I told Gary about my dream and cried.

We were walking into the library when Gary's phone rang. I took Carson inside while he talked to the doctor.

Then he came in and told me to sit down. The doctor told him that his wife was right...how often does that happen?! I would do a victory dance except I really didn't want to be right this time. I didn't want the doctor to tell me that my son has Type 1 Diabetes.

I was really hoping for a "you are going to drive yourself crazy with all your worrying" lecture.

We headed home from the library to get ready to go the the emergency room. I always think that when you are told to go to the ER that you should hurry. Gary decided that would be a good time to have a shower. While I was pacing around the house, I called my parents to let them know that we didn't know if or when we would be able to meet them at Lake Powell (our kids were so sad about this).

While I was talking to my mom, Gary came out of the bathroom....STILL UNSHOWERED!...to tell me to tell my mom that they were worried about diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). He didn't bother to share that information with me. I looked it up. DKA is a medical emergency and without treatment it can lead to death! Then he walks ever so slowly back to the bathroom to have a leisurely shower!

I just want you to know that when I eventually lose my mind (oh...it's going to happen...any day now) that he will be the cause.

We made it to the hospital in time. He did not die. He does have Type 1 Diabetes. He is doing a great job managing it and doing his own shots, checking his blood sugars, and counting his carbs. He hasn't complained at all about not eating sugar. We all had to learn how to give him his shots but he prefers to do it himself because my hands shake too much.

Jared didn't mind staying in the hospital. They gave him a really cool bed. He wanted to bring it home with him but we had to leave it. He also had his Ipod so he could listen to Weird Al sing a song about his pancreas...ha ha, get it?! They told him he could go on his vacation as soon as he got rid of all the ketones in his urine. I have never seen a kid drink so much fluid! He was a boy on a mission I tell ya'. It took longer than they thought it would and I was teasing him that even his ketones were stubborn! He eventually got them under control so we were able to go on our vacation.

I am handling the news by going into denial and only eating sugar. I think that is a pretty mature way to handle the situation. Don't you?! My sugar choice at the moment is Pretzel M&Ms...just in case you want to contribute to my mental health fund.

I'm not sure how much more summer fun I can handle.

Bad To The Bone

2011-06-09T15:29:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago, I decided that I was tired of being good. I told Gary that I was going to start living a life of crime and partying.

After giving me his standard "it's good to be good" speech, he showed me how concerned he was with my announcement by telling a joke. It was a bad joke...trust me on this. If you have to know, though, just ask him about the three guys in a jail cell. I'm sure he won't mind telling it again.

Anyway...he started making fun of me by giving me suggestions on ways to be a criminal. I told him that this was no laughing matter and proved it to him by committing my first crime. I cut the tags off of my mattress and pillows! So there!

He was shocked!

Right after that, we went on a little anniversary trip to California. While we were there we decided to go to a national park to see the redwoods. I picked up a pine cone and put it in my pocket so I could show the kids. When we got back home, I found out that you aren't supposed to take those from the park. Ha ha! My second crime! I could say that I didn't know that I wasn't supposed to take it, but really...isn't that what all criminals say?

I wanted to jump off the Golden Gate bridge because there was a sign that said "No jumping off the bridge" or some such nonsense, but Gary refused to stop and let me out. Then I tried to abandon my children but Gary threatened to call security if I refused to leave the hotel. As for the partying, I decided to go all crazy while I was on vacation. I ordered hot chocolate...with whipped cream! More than once!

You don't even know me anymore, do you?!

When we got home, I tried to be good, but then the air conditioner broke, the dishwasher broke, the car ended up in the shop, school got out....

Really?! Does it pay to be good?!

Then, last night, I snapped! I was headed out the door to take someone home and Gary said "drive safe!" I told him I was going to drive like a maniac just to spite him and did a little swervy thing after I pulled out of the driveway. When I got home, I stole half of Carson's Pop-Tart. I told myself he wouldn't miss it....he wouldn't know any better!

Can you believe how rebellious I am?!

This morning we were running late to camp and I couldn't think about anything except the fact that I hate running late. I was going too fast and got pulled over by the police officer that was just waiting for crazy moms of cub scouts that were driving too fast. Carson was sooo excited to meet the police!

I got my very first speeding ticket!

I've never gotten a ticket.

I could barely sign the ticket my hands were shaking so much!

I did what any self-respecting hardened criminal would do. I came home, called my husband and then I cried. Not teeny-tiny tears but big bucket loads of tears. Gary told me it was okay, we would take care of it...he still loves me! He even brought me flowers to help me feel better!

I don't know if I'm cut out for a life of crime and partying! What do you think? Am I too far gone? Do you think my next crime will be more serious? Maybe I won't be able to control myself and I'll rob a bank or something!

It's hard work being a partying criminal especially when you hate getting in trouble!

Oh, and is there anyone out there that wants to adopt a reformed hardened criminal?

I'm pretty sure my parents will disown me after they hear about this! My dad's a retired police officer who raised me to always obey the law and I disobeyed my mom by typing the h word...hate...twice!

They will be so ashamed!

A Special Delivery From Heavenly Father

2011-04-17T14:48:00.003-05:00

One night before Kinsey was born, Gary was at a church meeting and got the distinct impression that the baby that I was carrying would be a girl. He came home and told me that he knew Heavenly Father was sending me someone special and that we would be friends.

On April 17, 1995 this cute girl joined our family. She has been my sassy little defender for as long as I can remember. Gary was right. Heavenly Father did send me someone special.

I love you, Kinsey Elizabeth. Happy 16th birthday!

What Would You Do?

2011-04-16T23:56:00.004-05:00

Suppose you were part of a small group of people in charge of an activity for children ages 3 - 11.

Suppose you had a child who finds pleasure in hiding from you while you are helping to be in charge of said activity.

Suppose child hides with lightening speed and you can't locate him for several minutes.

Suppose this child has special needs and doesn't understand that running into the street is not a good idea.

Suppose that several more minutes go by while you are frantically looking for this child.

Suppose after getting frantic you start crying because you have lost your child and wander through the halls of the church bawling.

Suppose several people saw this and started to help you look for him.

Suppose these people found him in the most likely of places...the egg hunt...because duh! that's the first place you should look.

Suppose you had already looked there twice.

Suppose this caused you to look stupid along with having red eyes from crying.

What would you do?

I have decided to hide in my house and never go to church again.

It seems like yesterday...

2011-04-13T18:16:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday, Christopher James. I love you!

Parenting at it's finest

2011-04-08T09:28:00.003-05:00

Last night I NEEDED a bite of chocolate chip cookie dough so I went to get it out of the fridge.

IT WAS GONE!!!

I immediately went crazy and started blaming everyone in the family all the while knowing in my heart of hearts who had done it.

I told Gary that I bet the bowl was up in Jared's room so I marched up the stairs (cue the stomping music). I asked Jared where the cookie dough was and he pulled the empty bowl out from under the chair in his room. I started smacking him as he said "what...it was MY cookie dough."

He followed me down the stairs (cue the angry stomping music) telling me how it was HIS cookie dough because HE had made it. I kindly pointed out that he used OUR ingredients...the ones that WE had paid for. Jared has never learned when to keep his mouth shut so he said "You mean the ingredients that DAD paid for!"

Did you hear it? Did you hear the screech in the background music? Did you hear all the birds and crickets quit chirping at the exact second that he said "that DAD paid for"?!

I gave him the "I quit working outside of the home the day Chris was born and maybe I haven't gotten a paycheck in the last nineteen years but don't you dare say that I haven't worked and that the money that Dad makes is not mine just as much as it is his" lecture!

Like I said, Jared has not learned when to shut his mouth so he just kept going with the "but it's Dad's money" line. I glared at Gary and he finally spoke up and told Jared to apologize to his mom.

"Soorrryyyy, Mom" as his eyes rolled around in his head.

I smacked him again, called him a male chauvinist pig, and told him he better change his thinking if he ever wanted a wife!

Then I put myself in time-out!

Now, I need some chocolate!

I hope they call me on a mission...

2011-03-31T11:06:00.010-05:00

Chris got his mission call today! He is going to the Argentina Buenos Aires North mission. He goes into the MTC August 17. This is what some of our friends had to say:

Jesse Duncan: Congratulations, Warburtons! Exciting.

Carolyn Nielson: Yay!!! So exciting!

Gail Westcott: What a blessing it is to serve a mission. Tell Chris the Westcott's say congratulations.

Rachael Klinker: Very nice!

Darla Scoles: The Scoles say congratulations too!!!! How exciting!

Sheyenne Alvarez: How exciting!

Annie Werneking: Very exciting! Congratulations!

Rebecca Cothran: Congratulations!!

Karin Salisbury: Congratulations!!!! What a great blessing!!!

Anna Davies: Happy time for all of you! Good job, Mom and Dad (and Chris)!

Tabetha Roan: That is so cool!

Debbie Pratt: Woohoo! Spanish speaking, right?

Judy Bowden: Yeah!!! We are so happy to hear that Chris goes to Argentina. I'm sure he'll do a great job!

Rose Gaertner: Congratulations!!!!

Jenifer Hopkinson Smullin: Yay!!!!! Congrats! That is very exciting!

Tianna Sahim: Congratulations...He will be a great missionary.

Judy Wolter: That's so exciting. Now you can focus your worries to one country instead of the entire world! :)

Cynthia McCloskey: How exciting for him and your family! Congrats...

Kirsten Schwendiman: Definitely exciting! Congratulations from the Schwendimans. :)

Carol Dawson: WOW!!!!! How cool! Ceth comes home in July! Longest 2 years of my life!!!!!!!! But what a wonderful man he has become! Chris will be AWESOME! Tell him the Dawson fishing/hunting clan said "Fishers of men...REEL 'EM IN BABY!!!!"

MyLinda Butterworth: That is wonderful. I can't believe Chris is old enough to go on a mission already. I remember when he was getting baptized.

Lisa Peart: My sister went there. How exciting!

Stephanie Tietjen: How exciting!!! I've heard that Buenos Aires is a beautiful city. I think you and Gary had better get passports for your 20th anniversary. :-)

Jan Swanson: Oh my goodness!!! YAY and congratulations! That will be a tremendous blessing to those in Argentina, as well as to Chris.

Thanks everyone! It's a Spanish speaking mission. I've already looked up the murder rate in Argentina, what kind of natural disasters occur there, where he should go in case of a tsunami, what part of town he should avoid at night and what kind of fevers I should worry about...Dengue and yellow. Oh, and no one guessed Argentina so I will have to pay my own psychiatric bills. :)

Robin Mierzejewski: TOO FUNNY! He's going to be fine. My sister went to Argentina and she is still kickin'. :-)

Holly Azbill Garcia: My baby bro was at that mission....plus my niece is there now. So awesome!! Congrats guys.

Jathon Strauss: Congratulations Shannon! That is the same mission I served in, Buenos Aires North. I loved it and would be happy to answer any questions you can't find on the internet:)

Alta Batterman: That's great! He'll do just fine. The Lord will be with him!

Rebecca Bautista Cothran: Just think you have another country to visit now..Don't worry too much, the Lord protects his missionaries.

Audra Olsen: Yea!!! Congradulations!!! Shannon, you are hilarious!!!

Brandy Griffin Fox: You sound like my mom. ;-D

Kori Jean Olsen: How exciting! We are so proud of him!!!!!! Congratulations!

I googled how to get from Austin, TX to Argentina...you know, just in case I have to go over there quickly and Google maps said "We could not calculate directions between Austin, TX and Argentina." Well...what is that supposed to mean?! Can you be sent to a place that Google can not calculate directions to? How am I going to get to him if I need to?

Oh, and a few things to point out from the video:

No, Jared is not a monk...he's just wearing a blanket over his head.
Yes, Emily can be sarcastic.
No, Kinsey was not excited to be there.
Yes, I did lose 45 lbs last year...my 5 chins just did not get the memo!
Yes, it is cheesy to add "I hope they call me on a mission" music to the video but give me a break...he's my first one to go on a mission.
No, Jared did not guess Argentina...he guessed South America.
Yes, Jared did say that Gary owed him five dollars for guessing right.
Yes, Jared then changed it to ten dollars at the end of the video.
Yes, Emily called him on it!
Yes, I laugh every time I watch it.
Yes, Carson was very excited to be there because he got to see his Chris!

Oh, and yes...we are so proud of Chris!

The moral of the story....

2011-03-11T11:40:00.004-06:00

shhhh...he'll tell you in the morning.

February - Just the Best Month EVER!

2011-02-28T15:16:00.006-06:00

GROUNDHOGS I'm not sure how much wisdom there is in letting a furry creature decide how long the winter will be but he said that winter is over and I'm all for that! Spring has sprung here in Texas and the gloom and doom that settled over me in October has up and left. I love spring!! Thank you Punxsutawney Phil.

LOVE Valentine's Day. The holiday for lovers.

Okay...I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

Lover...that word makes my skin crawl.

The holiday for love. That's better!

I gave Gary my Valentine/birthday wish list.

Kindle: I love to read but I am going blind (not really, I'm being over-dramatic...I'm just getting old). I haven't read a book in a long time because they are making the print much smaller than they used to and I can't see it!

On the Kindle you can make the print GIGANTIC so old, umm I mean blind people like me can see it.

A vinyl cutter: It cuts vinyl and other stuff I think.

Gary is the practical sort and doesn't see the need for surprises so he went to work and asked one of his co-workers about the Kindle and then called me all excited to tell me about it. He thought I would be thrilled.

I got mad at him.

I quit speaking to him.

Then, on a two hour road trip, I told him how he had ruined every single holiday for the last 20 years with his practical-ness! This is the response I got from him.

?????????????????????????

He was befuddled! Confused! Dumb-founded!

I was angry about something completely unrelated to the Kindle incident and took it out on him. For two hours. On the way to the temple. The loveliest place on earth.

I regret that. I love my husband. He deserves so much more than a mean and cranky wife!

He loves me too and he forgave me.

He's also tricky. He found the Kindle at Target and gave it to me the day before Valentine's Day. He also brought me flowers and a card. Surprise!! I really was surprised because Gary is internet-buying challenged and I thought he would say "I got you a Kindle for Valentine's Day so go ahead and order yourself one" but he found one, bought it, and put it in a gift bag with a card inside. I read the card and cried because even when I am mean he still loves me!

We celebrated Valentine's Day in style with a candlelight, Chinese take-out dinner. Candlelight dinners are always so romantic.....especially with four children. I spent most of the night saying "don't light your napkin on fire" and "quit dipping your fingers in the hot wax"! We gave each of the kids a can of refried beans and a bag of chocolate. They were ecstatic! Nothing says "I love you" like a can of beans!

PRESIDENTS My claim to fame is that I share a birthday with the first president of the United States. I always thought that was pretty cool. Gary had the day off but the kids didn't! He had a list of chores that he was planning on doing and spending time with me was not on the list. I guess I can't blame him though since spending time with me sometimes involves me getting mad at him. My birthday dinner and dessert was on his list of chores though! He spent part of his day off making food for me. Happy Birthday to good ole' George and Abe. Thanks for giving us a reason to have a day off while the kids were in school! You two are awesome!

BIRTHDAYS I have always celebrated my birthday with my sister. She liked to think of it as a birthmonth instead of just birthday! I think she also thought that it was HER month but I was here first so I insisted that she share! She could have the first two weeks and I got the last two weeks. Then we just decided to compromise and have everyone lavish us with gifts all month long! She is no longer here on earth to celebrate birthdays with me which always makes me sad. My friend stopped by on Lori's birthday to bring me a late Valentine treat. It was just a coincidence but I like to think that I was being blessed with chocolate covered strawberries and words of encouragement to help cheer me up on that sad day! Gary made stir-fry just the way I like it...no veggies, just rice and meat. He also made red velvet cupcakes in a jar with cream cheese frosting. So yummy! My friends and family helped me feel so loved. I was spoiled rotten this year. I am so grateful!

BANQUET Blue and Gold. We have once again entered into the land of Pinewood Derbys and Blue and Gold Banquets. Carson loves Cub Scouts. This year's theme was Cowboys and Indians. His den did a skit. Scene: Cowboys on one side shooting guns at the Indians, Indians on the other side shooting arrows at the cowboys. Just at the point that things are getting pretty scary, in walks the hero (Carson) who throws his hands out and says "BOP" (which is "STOP" in Carson-ese) and then he said "let's be friends!" The cowboys and Indians see the error of their ways, they put their arms around each other and walk off into the sunset. Cue the applause! So cute!

I will spare you the details of what happened before the banquet started...let's just say it had to do with poop. My friend told me I was going to heaven. Gary is not so sure about that but hey, it's my birthmonth I can dream if I want to!

Goodbye February, thanks for the memories. I look forward to seeing you again next year.

It's Your Mom!

2011-01-28T09:03:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I called Chris.

He has been away at college since August although he did come home for three weeks for Christmas.

I have been worried about him (I can hear you now...Shanon? Worried?!) so I thought I'd just call for a minute to give him a pep talk. I stink at pep talks, by-the-way.

He answered the phone and I said "Hi, Chris!" He said hi back.

Then he said "who is this?!"

Gary says he didn't recognize me because my voice sounds different. I have a cold. A cold that I got after I ate spinach and healthy chicken noodle soup with carrots, onions, and celery. I also exercised last week.

Things I have learned this week:

(1) my son doesn't remember who I am.
(2) exercise and vegetables will cause you to take to your death bed.
(3) my husband will not use his sick days to stay home to take care of me
(4) Lifetime movies are the cheesiest....I could act better than that
(5) sometimes I miss cable TV
(6) mammograms hurt like the dickens
(7) having a pelvic ultrasound is no picnic ("you want to stick that wand where?!")
(8) pap smears aren't that fun either
(9) having 5 kids does bad things to a bladder (drink lots of water and hold it for over an hour?!--see #7)
(10) my ovaries did not explode
(11) all my tests came back normal (hooray for that)
(12) the pain I have been having is psychosomatic (just ask my husband)
(13) I might be a bit cranky

Some good things happened this week too, but right now I'm having a pity party and focusing on the positive would kind of mess with my plan to wallow in my misery. I know...that's so unusual for me...to focus on the negative!

If my father-in-law were here he would tell me that what I need is a good cup o' tea.

Well...back to my sick bed I go. There are several cheesy Lifetime movies I haven't seen yet.

The Sky Is Falling

2011-01-09T18:06:00.003-06:00

Gary and I were driving home and got stopped at a red light underneath the toll road. I heard the cars driving over us.

Me: "I hope the road doesn't collapse."
Gary: "That would be bad...very bad!"
Me: "That thought never crossed your mind, did it?"
Gary: "Nope."
Me: "See what it's like to live in my head?"
Gary: "You do have a knack for worrying!"

Then the light changed. Phew! That was a close one.

See...it happens ALL THE TIME!

I don't have curly hair

2011-01-06T12:03:00.007-06:00

I have this friend on Facebook.

She reads my blog, tells me I am funny and thinks I should write a book. She says she would even buy my book. I like this friend. She is very good for my ego and so so nice.

One day she said that she always knew I would be a good mom. My husband asked me who she was.

I told him, "I don't know and it's driving me crazy."

I have wracked my brain for the last year trying to figure out who she is. I thought maybe she was a friend from school but somehow I got the impression that she was younger than me. Then one day I noticed that she was a mutual friend of a good friend of mine from Florida. Someone I met after I was married and had children who is an awesome school teacher. So I thought that maybe she was a teacher. I have been going through my memory bank (which is sorely lacking in "funds") trying to remember all of the teachers we have had through the years. I was going to ask my friend to give me a hint. Secretly, of course, so that no one ever found out what a bad memory I had.

Then today my friend on facebook wrote this on my wall:

Shanon, just saw your post......thanks for your humor (can so relate to it) & here's wishing you & yours a very safe, happy & healthy New Year! *toasting* Look forward to reading your "works of art" this year (when's that book coming out?)!

See why I love her so much?!

Then our mutual friend wrote this on my wall (or her wall, I'm not sure):

Hi Gwen! How do you know my friend Shannon? What a small world we live in!!!

This was her response:

The wonders of "Quill" (ha!)....I used to look forward to seeing her when she was outta school & would come work there....good times while working. I just remember loads of curly hair, great sense of humor, lots of laughter....most peeps at Quill were really great :-)

I googled Quill (see I use google all the time!) I tried to remember what Quill was and when I worked there?! Then the light bulb came on.

Oh, my good friend Gwen. You have been a mystery to me for a while now. I finally figured it out.

I don't know you!

I love you though. Thank you for all of your nice compliments. They have really brightened my day on many occasions! Can we still be friends?!

Who Needs Cleaning

2011-01-03T15:45:00.003-06:00

I put away all the Christmas decorations last week. I decided that the mantle was kind of sad and lonely without all the Santas and I was bored with what was up there before so I went looking for something new. This is what I came up with. It took me ALL day! I polled the family to see what they thought.

Kinsey: It looks great now leave it alone and take me shopping.
Chris: I think it looks too crowded. (I said who asked you? Now go away until you have something nice to say!)
Jared: I like the duck! Now can I go back to my game?!
Gary: Hey.....I like it, but I liked the 2000 other ways you had it too.
Emily: she was gone
Carson: Did you say something? I'm too busy watching Despicable Me for the millionth time.

I have made them pause throughout the week to ooh and ahh over it. I can't tell you how thrilled they are!

So, what do you think? Now, when I ask what you think, I really want you to just tell me how wonderful it is. Okay?!

Celebrate

2010-12-31T20:02:00.002-06:00

We were invited to party until midnight then we were uninvited.

Gary and I did the happy dance because everyone knows that the best way to celebrate new year's is to stay home in your pjs, write a few blog posts, watch a few old movies, eat lots of snacks and go to bed by nine! We told the kids we were going to make out on the couch all night. They said "ewwww" and made plans to be other places! Now we don't have to share the couch or tell anyone to be quiet! Oh, and we don't really have to make out! Shhh...don't tell the kids our secret.

This might be the best night ever!

Happy New Year everyone!

Goodbye World

2010-12-31T19:05:00.004-06:00

A few weeks before Christmas my ovaries exploded. Or my kidneys were failing. Or I had stomach cancer. Or uterine cancer. Or I had colon cancer, they would have to remove it and I would have to wear one of those bags on the outside of my body that catches all my pee and p....

Anyway...you get the idea. I was dying. Oh and I get all my information from google!

I don't like to die quietly so I kept moaning and groaning and complaining to Gary. Every night I would tell him that I would probably die in my sleep (and I may have said something like "HA HA! it serves you right!") He finally suggested that maybe I should go to the doctor. "What?! I can't go to the doctor! It's two weeks before Christmas!" He obviously was not getting my point.

You know why I couldn't go to the doctor, don't you?!

Anyone that listens to Christmas songs knows why you don't go to the doctor right before Christmas. If I went to the doctor, he would tell me that I was dying. Then I would take a turn for the worse and on Christmas Eve, my children would be in a store looking for red Christmas shoes so I would be pretty to meet Jesus and they wouldn't have enough money to pay for them so they would have to beg a grumpy person to help. Of course, his heart would be softened (which I guess is good) and he would pay the difference. The grumpy man would go home and write a song about the experience and my kids would get home just in time to put the shoes on my feet before I kicked the bucket.

AND...

every year after that they would burst into tears every time they heard that song about someone being missing this Christmas!

I just couldn't do that to them!

SO...

instead, I whined all during Christmas break. I still haven't gone to the doctor and I still am dying.

OR...

it might be that I hurt my back when I hauled all of the Christmas decorations down from the attic.

Hopefully, I will be around next Christmas. I doubt it, though, because did you hear the latest?!

I'm dying.

BUT....

at least I'm not dying on Christmas Eve!

What's on my mind....ummm, I can't remember

2010-12-31T17:30:00.008-06:00

A few nights ago, as I was brushing my teeth, I had a brilliant idea for a very funny blog post. I don't know about you but I get my best ideas when I am brushing my teeth. Anyway....I thought I should probably write it down but I decided it was so wonderful that I would remember. Ha ha ha! Five minutes later, I couldn't remember my name much less my thoughts. Oh well...trust me. It was great. Too bad I can't remember it.

I went to bed kind of early one night last week. Gary was still on the computer, so the lights were on in the bedroom. These are the lights that I swear are burning holes in my retinas even with my eyes closed. He would have turned them off if I had asked, but I would rather be a martyr. I woke up at about 12:30 with a raging headache. I blamed the darn lights which were STILL on. I was mad at Gary for being so inconsiderate even though he wasn't trying to be. I got up to get a drink of water and he followed me into the kitchen. He wanted to make sure I didn't trip over the bike that Carson got for Christmas. I rolled my eyes and went back to bed annoyed. A few minutes later my head felt like someone was drilling into it so I decided to go take an Excedrin. Back I trudged to the kitchen. Gary didn't follow me this time. When I got back to bed, I said something sarcastic like "boy, that was a close one. I'm lucky to still be alive after taking that SCARY trip to the kitchen!" Yeah...sometimes I can be nasty. A few minutes later the caffeine kicked in and the headache went away. He was snoring by this time. He's lucky I didn't smack him...I'm considerate like that. I was up the rest of the night but I got all the laundry done! I finally fell asleep on the couch at about 6 am. A few minutes later Gary came in and woke me up. He thought I might be more comfortable in my bed and he was going to turn on a movie for Carson so that he wouldn't bother me. I gave him the stink eye. He leaned in to kiss me goodbye because he was going to work. I resisted the urge to smack him. I didn't even say anything mean! See how considerate I am?!

Oh...never mind! I know...I'm evil!

Maybe Evil Shanon will be nicer next year.

What?! It could totally happen!

Confession

2010-11-16T09:43:00.003-06:00

I'm just going to come right out and say it.

I love Rob.

Who is Rob, you ask?

Oh, he's just a guy I met at Home Depot.

It all started on the night before we were to leave for a two-week vacation to Utah. I was doing some last minute cleaning and mopping. I don't know why, but when we are here all the time I don't feel the need to mop the kitchen but if we are leaving for an extended period of time come heck or high water this house WILL BE CLEAN!

The faucet in the kitchen had been leaking all week. Gary decided he needed to fix it before we left. Did I tell you we were leaving for two weeks and that I was frantically cleaning and mopping? Did I mention that it was already midnight and we were supposed to leave really early the next morning? Plumbing and lack of sleep make my normally patient husband really stressed. He always goes a bit insane when he is really stressed. I, on the other hand, am always insane so it was like the perfect storm. I made a few suggestions on how to fix the faucet, he became more annoyed, broke the faucet and then just shut off the water completely. While I was still cleaning the kitchen. Grrr!

We decided to just call it a night when the fiery darts started flying out of my eyes. Early the next morning (an hour or two later than we planned), we left our house and forgot all about that broken faucet. We had a wonderful vacation visiting family and friends.

Two weeks later, when we went to clean the kitchen our first night back, we remembered! We had to haul hot water in from the bathroom to do the dishes because turning off the water included the water to the dishwasher. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I started looking on the internet for a new faucet. Those suckers are expensive! I started seeing $300 fly right out the window.

The next morning, I decided to take the faucet apart to see if it could be fixed. I discovered a tiny piece of plastic that had broken (while insane Gary was working on it). I took all the pieces to Home Depot to find a new one. I searched all over, couldn't find one and had instead picked up the only faucet that would work on our sink ($250). Just as I was leaving, I got brave and asked a lady that worked there if she knew if they sold that tiny piece of plastic. That's when she introduced me to Rob (insert heavenly chorus). He told me about a plumbing store that would have the part. He even gave me directions (swoon)!

I met Gary at work and we went to the plumbing store together. Hello! I am a big baby through and through. I used up all my braveness at Home Depot. Anyway....we found the store and the part. It cost $2.50! Gary was so excited that he bought me lunch.

I came home and put the faucet back together. It worked perfectly! The kids were all amazed. One of them even said that I am a much better Mr. Fix-it than Dad.

Oh, and Gary was thrilled. He loves it when I fix things around the house and he doesn't have to do it. Especially plumbing.

He hasn't said it out loud, but I think he loves Rob, too.

The stars at night were big and bright

2010-11-15T22:30:00.001-06:00

da.da.da.da last night inside my bedroom...

after Gary decked me in the middle of the night with his elbow. It was just like the cartoons. I saw stars. Ouch! How much room does he need? We have a king size bed for heaven's sake.

I woke up with a headache so I took an Excedrin. A jolt of caffeine in the morning was just what I needed to get things done. I folded at least 10 loads of laundry, vacuumed the house, cleaned the bathroom and the kitchen and mopped all of the floors by 10 am.

Did anyone hear the big kaboom this afternoon?

That was me crashing.

Koolaid, Fun Dip and a Camel

2010-11-15T14:00:00.002-06:00

Once upon a time there was a mom and dad who were wishy, washy about allowing sleepovers. The children in the family could sense this and POUNCED! Before the parents knew it, there were extra children in the house every weekend. On one such occasion, the friend brought over a quart size ziploc bag full of red Koolaid powder. Sometime during the night, the children accidentally spilled the powder on the carpet and panicked. They didn't want to vacuum the house in the middle of the night so the friend got the brilliant idea to get a wet washcloth and scrub it really good. Any guesses on how that worked?

The mom found the giant red spot on the carpet the next day. She pulled out the carpet cleaner and prayed that the spot would come out. Red Koolaid does not come out of carpet. The mom told the dad, who got really upset. The children were puzzled at the reaction. "What's the big deal, Dad?! It's just carpet!" Cue lecture #301 - "Carpet is expensive and you have ruined it." Oh, and lest you think that the mom did not get angry, she did. She just shows her anger by mumbling under her breath and sending death glares to her children.

Shortly after this incident, the mom and dad sent out a decree that there would be no more sleepovers or Koolaid in the house ever again.

The end.

What about the Fun Dip and camel, you ask?

On Halloween, a very nice lady at church gave the daughter a giant bag of Fun Dip candy. The daughter was very excited until the dad declared that the Fun Dip would be taken away because of the Koolaid incident. She would be able to eat it but only outside away from the carpet. This caused all of the children in the car to revolt. They even went so far as to tell the dad he was over-reacting which sent him into lecture mode. This conversation started in the church parking lot while the mom was still inside cleaning up. When mom came out to the car, the Fun Dip War had broken out and accusations were flying. The fun conversation continued on for several minutes while the mom tried to retreat to her happy place where children are perfect.

Just as the mom was starting to think that throwing herself out of the speeding car would be a good option, the family passed a camel parked on the side of the road. The mom, who thinks she has now lost her mind says "did we just pass a ...." and the dad says "camel?!" The mom thinks, "well, I was going to say elephant, but I guess that IS a camel!" So the grumbling stops when the mom asks if any of the children saw the camel. All of them start talking about the camel except the most stubborn one who is still hung up on the injustice of no Fun Dip in the house. About 30 seconds later he says "camel? what camel?!"

The stubborn one starts complaining about missing the camel. The pushover dad, who knows when to pick his battles, goes back so that everyone can see the camel. Phew...the war is over! Who would have thought that a camel would save the day?!

The End

He married me for my vote...

2010-10-29T10:54:00.003-05:00

I like to vote for the person that Gary didn't vote for. You know, to cancel out his vote. It drives him crazy.

I'm kidding. I would never do that!

Speaking of voting. I voted today.

It was traumatic, as usual.

I don't like to put myself in situations where I don't know what I'm doing. It seems like every time I go vote, they have a different machine. I'm from the "hanging chad" state. I can't remember how to use these new fancy machines but I said "I'm sure I can figure it out." The voting worker wanted to explain it to me anyway. I listened to all of her instructions. She made sure to tell me that I had to go all the way to the end. I went all the way to the end and the light started blinking. I thought that meant I was finished. As I was leaving I said something about the flashing light. One of the workers went to the booth and called me back. Apparently that red flashing light is saying something like "push me, you moron!"

I blame the worker. Her emphasis was on going to the very end. I didn't remember the "push the red button that says VOTE" because I kept thinking "I must go to the end!" Then there was the lady next to me telling another worker "Oh, I've used this machine at least three times" like she should get a medal or something. Can you see how I got distracted?!

So, anyway, go vote...it's important. If I can do it, you can do it. Oh, and when that button up at the top of the booth starts flashing red lights at you, push it. You can thank me later.

Sigh.....I really miss the hanging chads.

A Tradition I Could Live Without

2010-10-06T23:12:00.003-05:00

We have a tradition in our family.

One that we really don't like.

It started on April 13, 2006. That was the day that our oldest son Christopher James turned 14. It was also the day that James Warburton died. I remember us all sitting around our dining room table, each taking a turn on the phone telling Grandad goodbye. I remember how sad Chris was on his birthday. He was named after his grandad. We were blessed to have taken a trip out to Utah in March to see him before he got too sick. We had fun playing in the snow, building a snowman, and just visiting with a good man who knew he was dying. We are so grateful that we had that time with him.

April 17, 2009 was the day that Kinsey turned 14. My sister died on Kinsey's birthday. Kinsey was very close to her Aunt Lori. I remember gathering as a family that day telling our children that she had died. We talked about how we had prayed for her to be healed and tried to reassure them that Heavenly Father answers prayers but that this time His answer was that it was her time to die. We all sat around and cried for a few minutes and then sent Kinsey to a birthday party planned by her friends for her. Again we were blessed. We had been able to travel to Florida for Christmas. We spent two weeks laughing, singing, playing, camping, and visiting with a brave woman who knew she was dying. We have such great memories of that trip.

October 11, 2010 is the day that Jared turns 14. I'm kind of worried for that day. Call me superstitious but our track record isn't good so far. I'm really hoping we can change that tradition this year.

If we don't though, we are still so very blessed. We know we are an eternal family. We believe that we will see them again. So for now, I will look forward to a happy reunion with my eternal family someday.

I will also be praying that everyone will survive Jared's 14th birthday. Please?!

Happy Fall, Y'all

2010-09-25T13:00:00.003-05:00

It's fall.

I know that because I asked Google and it said that the first day of fall in 2010 was Wednesday, September 22.

I could tell it was coming because I started getting sad this week. Just a little down at first but by Friday the waterworks had arrived.

Fall should be my season...I have red hair for heaven's sake. Every time I wear fall colors someone will always tell me "that's YOUR color!" My house is decorated in fall colors because they are my favorite. I should love fall.

It's a shame it makes me so sad.

Does anyone else have this problem? What do you do to be happy?

Dear Texas,

2010-09-20T09:04:00.005-05:00

We got off to a rocky start, you and I. When I heard that we had the opportunity to move to Texas I was worried. My mental picture of Texas was a hot, dusty place with flies. I came to visit for a weekend to go house-hunting with my husband. I remember thinking, as I flew into Austin, how green it was here. It reminded me of Florida.

We moved into the beautiful hill country. Our first summer here it rained a lot. That's what it does in Florida in the summer so we felt right at home. Then it rained so much it started flooding and our real estate agent warned of flash floods. Ummm......flash floods?! Only at the creek, though. We just needed to tell our kids to be careful because floods can come on suddenly and you could get caught in the current and drown. Ummm......drown?! Florida has a much better system for handling rain. It just soaks it all in...no flash flooding. Maybe you should try that.

Our second summer here it didn't rain at all. Everything dried up and died. Gary spent the summer moving the sprinkler all over the yard to save his grass. Everyone started to get worried about the drought conditions so our church leaders asked us to pray for rain. We prayed for rain and boy, did we get rain. It was a welcome relief except for the flooding. Really, you should try and work on that issue. Flooding is a bit excessive, don't you think?!

Our third summer here you seemed to get it right. A little bit of rain every week and no flooding. That's a much better plan if you ask me.

We decided to take a road trip to Utah this summer. We headed off to Albuquerque, NM the first day. My vote was to stop in Lubbock because I am a bad travel companion, but I was out-voted so we kept on going. We stopped along the way for potty breaks. Every time we opened the doors, those flies that I had worried about, would fly into our car. It was not pleasant. Carson does not like bugs. We tried to be nice and open the windows to let the flies out but they didn't leave. When Carson sees a bug he screams.....REALLY LOUD!!! It makes us all a bit grumpy so we started squishing the pesky things. I kind of think you should get rid of the flies.

Two weeks later we pulled back into Texas. Oh...hello flies and hot weather. We did not miss you at all. I will admit, though, that when we pulled into our little town it was nice to be home. Yes, you did it. You made me love you and I am happy to be back. We had a nice trip.

So really, you are a great place to live. There are a lot of good people here that agree with me. We have made lots of friends and love it here. If you could just do something about the hot summers. You should get some advice from Utah because the weather is much more pleasant there. A little coolness in the evenings goes a long way! Also, the flies are really annoying! Maybe if you spent a day in the car with Carson you would realize the error of your ways. Oh, and I thought you had gotten it right on the amount of rain you could handle but then you started flooding again. You should probably keep working on that.

I don't want to end on a negative note though so let me just tell you....the snow last winter? Nice touch!! That was a great idea. One day of snow, just enough to make a snowman and then *poof* gone by the afternoon! Good work. Utah could learn a few things from you!

Love, Shanon

PS Thank you for not giving Gary a ticket on the first day of our trip. I guess he was so excited to see Utah that he forgot to obey the speed limit. You have some really patient highway patrolmen here. That was so nice of him to just give Gary a warning. Don't worry, I gave Gary the stink-eye and told him to slow down!

Isn't It Ironic?

2010-08-01T18:54:00.003-05:00

Conversation on the way to church:

Emily: Hey, look, that's where we bought my viola yesterday (pointing to the Wal-mart parking lot. Yes, my husband bought a viola in a parking lot...what's wrong with that?!)

Gary: Yep, that right where we bought it.

Emily: Did you know that there is a country song about a Wal-mart parking lot?

Gary: No...I didn't know that.

Emily: I think it's ironic that you bought my viola in a Walmart parking lot and there is a song about a Wal-mart parking lot!

Me: (glancing over at an amused Gary) I think it's ironic that my 11 year old is using the word ironic.

Emily: What...why are you laughing?

Gary: It's just that....blah blah blah...wonderful vocabulary....blah blah blah....very intelligent...blah blah blah...well spoken...blah blah blah...for someone so young...

Emily: What?!

Me: Your dad and I didn't use the word ironic until we were in our forties.

Gary: Yeah, listen to your mom she always explains things so much better.

Emily: Oh, okay!

A Peek Inside My Head

2010-07-23T16:39:00.005-05:00

I always have strange thoughts running through my head. It's a good thing I'm quiet or people would think I am crazy. Sometimes, I start to write a post and never finish it. These are some of the posts I've started in the last few months. Remember, it's not nice to judge!

Facing My Fears. That's all I wrote...just a title. I think it was about driving to the dentist. The roads here in Texas are tall. They have 3-4 roads stacked on top of each other. Every time I go to the dentist I have to go on the very top road. Every time I go on that very top road I think how easy it would be to drive right over the edge. There is only a 2 foot concrete wall keeping me from driving to my death and I'm not even suicidal! Think about if I was. That wall does not comfort me one little bit. One day I drove to the dentist without thinking about falling to my death. Now that's progress! My mom thinks I should quit going to the dentist.

My husband is trying to kill me. Tonight I decided to play the piano while I waited for the slowest kid on the planet to get ready to go to a friend's house. I was supposed to leave to get Kinsey from youth night so I asked slow kid to hurry. I was in the middle of playing a song that I have been practicing on the piano so I told him we would leave when I finished. Just as I got to the ff part of the song...the big finish...my husband comes up behind me and yells "SHANON, IT'S 8:23. DON'T YOU NEED TO LEAVE?" I'm not kidding...his hands were cupped around his mouth and he was screaming! I think my heart stopped beating for a few seconds. I still can't play that part of the song without twitching.

No Title. My jaw hurts. Really bad. A constant ache that does not go away even when I take 800 mg of ibuprofen. I went back to the dentist today so he could see what was wrong. He still thinks it's because I clench my teeth. I think it's because he shot my nerve and it's mad. Either way, I would really like for someone to chop my head off or maybe shoot me. A month later and it still hurts, but only sometimes. I have sworn off ibuprofen though because I'm pretty sure I have some horrible liver disease.

Four Eyes. Back in December, I took all of my children to the eye doctor. Emily was really hoping that she would need glasses, but in a cruel twist of fate, she has 20/20 vision. A couple months after her appointment she started reading lots. She had her nose in a book all the time. I had to make her go outside to play. I am sooooo mean! She also started saying that she couldn't see the board at school. She told everyone she met that she couldn't see far away. I had moms and teachers from both school and church asking me if I knew that she couldn't see. I had my suspicions that she really just wanted glasses so I kept putting it off. Then Gary decided to take matters in his own hands and make an appointment for her. Turns out...I was right! She still has 20/20 vision. Thankfully the doctor gave her a good lecture on telling the truth and how awful bad vision is once you get over the coolness of glasses. My daughter is a good...ummm...non-truth teller. If only my husband had listened to my mother's intuition. He could have saved that $29. I would NEVER say "I told you so" though because that would not be nice.

No Title.

I'm not sure why I had a picture of my feet on my blog, but there you go. My feet. Funny story. At least I can laugh about it now...on a good day. In junior high (that's what 8th-9th grade was called waaay back when) I had a melt down one morning before school (actually it happened regularly because I hated school). I was crying uncontrollably when my mom came in to see why I was so upset. With tears streaming down my face I pointed to my feet and said "myyyyy feeettt aarrrreee uuuggggleeee!" I don't remember what she said but I think her standard response was "you are beautiful...do you need to stay home from school today?" My mom had the same hatred of school that I had so she let me stay home a lot. She's nice that way. I love my mom! I make my kids go to school even when they are sick. I am mean that way. In all fairness, though, I've been crazy for a long time. My kids are pretty normal...I think.

Did You Know? Ummm....obviously, I didn't know either because that's all I wrote. Weird!

The People in the Audience Are Screaming At Me. Long story short, I was invited to go see Twilight. I haven't read the books or seen the movies so I hesitated, but thought it would be nice to get out of my chair so I said yes. My plan was to rent the movies and watch them before I went. The day of the big Girl's Night Out I still hadn't seen the movies so Kinsey and I went to Blockbuster to rent them. We searched all over for those movies but couldn't find them so we asked for help. Then the employee searched all over and finally found them right in front of our face. I went to pay for them and my credit card was denied so I gave them another one and that one was denied too! Then she took my card and walked to the other side of the desk to make a phone call! I was thinking that the police were going to come and I was going to be arrested for stealing my own credit card. I was starting to panic when she said "okay, it will go through later tonight" When I asked her why my credit cards were denied she said all calm like "oh, our system is messed up." There I was a stressed out puddle on the floor! As I was walking to the car I told Kinsey that the audience watching my life movie was screaming at me. "Don't watch those movies!" I couldn't watch them...after all, I've seen a suspenseful movie before! I'm not dumb enough to go in there! Yeah....I couldn't watch Lost either. I was so stressed by the end of each hour that I had a headache. Wimp!

So there you go. A peek inside my head. Scary, isn't it?! I was just telling someone yesterday that my anxiety was all under control. I didn't need that darn anti-anxiety medicine. After reading my thoughts from the last few months, I'm starting to wonder. What do you think? Oh, never mind, don't answer that!

Don't Do It!

2010-07-13T17:35:00.003-05:00

I took Kinsey to the airport today. She is headed to Florida to visit friends and frolic on the oily beaches. As you can see she is very sad to be going.

Oh...who am I kidding...she couldn't get out of here fast enough!

As we were pulling into the airport, I told her that I didn't feel good about her going so she was just going to have to cancel her trip. She said "no way mom, I'm not going to let that audience* in your head keep me from going to Florida." Darn kid sure is getting sassy!

I let her go, but I didn't want to. A word of advice to my friend (Kristi) who is deathly afraid of flying: try to get over it before your kids are able to fly on their own. It is much harder to put your kids on the flying death trap than it is to put yourself on one. Trust me on this!

*You know the audience that screams "don't go in there" at all suspenseful movies! I have one in my head that tells me not to watch Twilight movies and to never do anything scary!

You're Not Old, Ma'am

2010-07-12T21:33:00.005-05:00

I took my daughter and her friend shopping today. She was looking for some shorts...preferably some that were more than an inch below her fanny. We went into the local teeny bopper store and started looking around. I picked up a pair of shorts that were long enough but had a golf ball size hole in each pant leg right below the front pockets. I was giving them a disapproving look when she sarcastically gasped and said "show some skin?" I said something like "watch it little missy or I'll take you home right now and give you a modesty lesson!" Yes...I said "little missy."

I am not a shopper. I like to get in and get out, but my daughter likes to take her time. I browsed through the clothing quickly and decided that I was too old to wear the flowered leggings and printed t-shirts that were being sold there. About that time, an employee asked if he could help me, ma'am? Yes, he called me ma'am.

I was finished browsing so I found a bench to sit on while they looked around and tried things on. The songs playing on the radio were about being 15 and hating everything. I sat and wondered when I had gotten so old. Just about that time I glanced over to see a pair of pink and black undies with a teeny tiny bow on the back. It made me wonder when they started putting bows on the backside instead of the front. Yes, I needed to sit down and ponder the placement of bows.

After a few minutes, she was ready for me to pay for her shorts...the ones without the holes. I declined when the employee asked if I'd like to purchase their perfume. Perfume gives me a headache. Yes, I said headache.

As I was walking to the door a different employee asked me if I was finding everything ma'am. I said "yes". I was waiting by the door when he said "you look like you are ready to leave." I told him that his store made me feel very old. He told me that I was not old and they had clothes for everyone. I told him he just called me ma'am, that makes me old. He assured me that he calls everyone ma'am. As we were leaving, he made a point of calling my daughter and her friend ma'am. No, I don't believe he calls everyone ma'am.

Tomorrow I will start looking for support hose and a cane. At least I still have my teeth!

It's Great To Be

2010-07-07T21:31:00.006-05:00

Carson's birthday is Friday. He had some visitors come over to welcome him into cub scouts. He enjoyed talking to them. He told them all about his family and Spongebob. He showed them how to shoot hoops. He taught them some sign language. He charmed them and was a perfect gentleman. They pulled out the donuts and he screamed for joy. He loves donuts! Then they had to leave so he walked them to the door and said "thank you". After they left, he ran into the kitchen and ate his eight!

Only Floss the Teeth You Want To Keep

2010-06-18T09:01:00.006-05:00

Gary decided the last week of school that he would make dental appointments for all of us. It may have been my fault because he caught me rubbing my jaw and asked if I had a sore tooth. I think I said something like my jaw keeps popping so I think I might have TMJ or a cavity that has gotten infected, which is slowing making it's way up to my brain and will probably kill me any day now. He told me I should make an appointment to see his dentist because he is a very nice man. I said no thank you I'd rather die of a brain infection than go see a dentist.

He took that to mean that he should make appointments for all of us. He set mine for 8:00 on a Monday morning. That right there tells me he doesn't love me. Who would set an appointment for someone they love on a Monday 8 am appointment? Hasn't he heard that song "Monday, Monday, can't trust that day?!" I went...against my better judgment.

The last time I went to the dentist, I had to have a cavity filled. I told them ahead of time that I get a little anxious as in shaking uncontrollably through the entire procedure at the dentist. They didn't seem to care although they did get me head phones so I could hear what was playing on the TV above my head. So while the dentist was drilling holes in my head while I shake uncontrollably I watch and listened as a crab was pecked to death by a seagull. Somehow that seemed symbolic. Everyone else tells me they get to watch shows like Full House, but not me. I guess the dentist thought the best way to deal with my anxiety was to show me that it could be worse...I could be pecked to death by a seagull. Being drilled to death by a dentist is a much better way to go!

So, I get my teeth squeaky clean with only a minimal amount of shaking. The dentist I go to always checks my blood pressure before he does anything. When they checked mine they said something like "whoa...did you take your medicine this morning?" When I said no they wanted to know if I had any with me. I didn't, but I told them not to worry because as soon as I leave this place it will be back to normal. The dentist came in and said "word on the street is that you get anxious at the dentist." Then he proceeded to tell me that I had two cavities that needed to be filled. "Don't worry though he says, I give great shots" I had even read a review about him on the internet and someone said "he gives great shots." None of that was comforting to me.

So, my appointment was set and I went back for my fillings. I think I may have said something like "I'm like a lamb off to the slaughter" when I said goodbye to Gary. This time I took my medicine but it didn't seem to help, my blood pressure was still way to high. They sit me in a chair in front of a TV that has the Today show playing. At that moment in the show there was a man being interviewed that had just been mauled by a bear. He had scars all over him and a patch over one eye. Then they warned us that some images might be disturbing as they showed what he looked like after the bear got him. Yeah, dentist man, that helps this over-anxious girl to feel calm before going under the drill.

So he came in gloating on his ability to give good shots, grabbed my cheek, stuck the needle in and yowza! He hit a nerve! He says yeah, that happens sometimes. Then he stuck the needle in again and hit the nerve again. Ouch! All this time it feels like there is an earthquake in his office because I am shaking so much. He keeps trying to comfort me by telling me that now that the shots are done nothing will hurt so I should just sit back and relax. Yeah...he doesn't know me very well. To his credit, he is one of the nicest dentists I have ever had. All the other dentists I've had just ignored my discomfort. The last one seemed to like to watch the seagull destroy the crab more than he liked watching what he was doing. This dentist took the time to tell me what he was doing, what it would sound like, and if I needed a break just let him know. Normally, I appreciate such kindness, but I have to admit I was thinking "just shut-up and get this done so I can get out of here." I survived, but now every time I fall asleep someone starts drilling on my teeth. I haven't had a good night's sleep since.

Oh, and to add insult to injury, Gary made appointments for everyone. I have been back and forth to that dentist for the past three weeks. Gary sure does know how to ruin a summer! One child had to have his wisdom teeth taken out, two have cavities, and one needs braces. The child that NEVER remembers to brush his teeth had no cavities. Is that fair?! Oh, and that jaw pain I was having? That's from clenching my teeth all the time. Apparently, I'm stressed. I wonder why?!

Naptime!

2010-06-14T13:00:00.004-05:00

The other day when I was out getting the mail, my neighbor was finishing her run while pushing something similar to this (when I say similar, I mean it looked nothing like this except that it had a place for 6 babies to sit):

She has 5 children under the age of 3 and she was out jogging with them. She wasn't even huffing and puffing...she actually had a smile on her face like she was enjoying it. I said hi and then went back to my house. Just watching her made me tired. I have to climb several stairs to get to my front door. I was huffing and puffing when I came inside. I decided I should probably lay down and take a nap. Excercise sure is exhausting!

Public Service Announcement

2010-06-12T12:44:00.004-05:00

One day you might wake up and decide that today will be the day that you clean your nasty bathroom. So you spray everything down with your cleaner of choice. Mine is CLR Kitchen and Bath. Then you will start to clean one thing at a time usually letting the grossest things like your shower and toilet soak a little longer. Then after several minutes you might decide to walk into the shower to clean the walls before you clean the floor because, you know, it just makes sense to go from top to bottom. Well, that might cause your foot to slip right out from under you and even though Mr. Clean looks strong he will not come out of his magic eraser to save you. That will cause your life to flash before your eyes and you will see yourself in the emergency room with a broken head, back, arm or other limb. If you're lucky, your arm might get caught on the faucet which might save you from falling but will leave you with a nasty bruise. The downside to that though, may be that the faucet will bend ever so slightly so it makes it hard to turn on the water. Which will cause your husband to have to do some plumbing. Your manly husband might then whimper and say something like "I hate plumbing". That might lead to some colorful language spoken by your normally calm husband when said plumbing does not go as planned. It will not make things better to say something like "but we have a clean bathroom" because at that moment your husband will wish that he had a dirty bathroom with no plumbing problems. He might even say something like "honey, why don't you just stay in bed next time you get the urge to clean" or "just leave the shower to me next time, it's too dangerous for you to clean." You will be more than happy to oblige because after all, wasn't that your plan in the first place? To try and figure out a way to get your husband to clean the bathroom?

You're welcome!

My Life Purpose Stinks

2010-06-07T15:44:00.004-05:00

Last night Carson came into my room saying "ow" and holding out his hand. My job in that situation is to kiss it and make it better so I did. As I was kissing the injured finger I got a whiff of poop. Oh, and did I mention that when he came into my room with his injured finger he was completely naked?! I quickly came to the conclusion that the naked boy and poop smell were a cause for alarm so I sent Carson to the bathroom and asked him what he did with his clothes. He doesn't speak very clearly but from the inflection in his voice I determined that he said "I dunno!" So off I went on a hunt through the house looking for clothes with poop on them. I found them upstairs in the bathroom. Phew! No poop stains or smears anywhere but the bathroom. Bless his heart, he had tried to clean up his mess. He had swished his poopy underwear in the toilet just like his mommy does (because I have a voice running through my head that sounds an awful lot like my husband that says we can't throw away those underwear we must wash them!) It made me smile to think of how thoughtful Carson was to clean up his own mess......until I realized that the little hand I had just kissed had been swishing poopy underwear in the toilet only moments before it touched my lips. That's when it hit me. I have been wiping poop from bottoms for over 18 years. That is my purpose in life...to wipe bottoms. I just have to say...my purpose in life stinks!!

Happy Anniversary Rico

2010-05-20T16:29:00.003-05:00

This is my first husband. His name was Rico Suave. Tragically, he disappeared in a shaving accident soon after we were married. He was such a romantic, always bringing me flowers and cards, taking me to Broadway plays where we sat right up front, taking me out on dates. We were so happy.

I met Gary the day that Rico disappeared. They were so much alike except Gary didn't have a mustache and was much more practical. I was pregnant with Christopher at the time so it was very important to Gary that we save all of our money. No more dates, flowers or plays. He even decided that it would be a good idea to use the money his parents gave us as a wedding present (to go to Hawaii) to remodel our kitchen.

Sometimes, I think Rico has come back. Like one day Gary called just to see how I was doing. I was thinking "how sweet of him" when I heard the toilet flush. "Are you in the bathroom?!" Then he swept me off my feet when he said he thought he'd call while he was taking a potty break. "You know me...I just thought I'd kill 2 birds with one stone." No more romantic words have ever been spoken!

This past Monday we celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary. I have a vase full of beautiful yellow flowers sitting on my table and a nice card sitting by my bedside. The best present Gary gave me though, was when he said that I could sleep in while he got the kids ready for school. I have never received a nicer present. He even surprised me by letting me sleep in every day this week. I am so spoiled!!

Happy Anniversary Rico. I hardly missed you at all this year.

I Didn't Know He Got Shot That Soon

2010-05-15T22:39:00.004-05:00

Friday night I walked into the living room just as Carson witnessed his very first assassination. Ghandi was shot while my cute little innocent boy watched. He did not protest as I rushed him out of the room while glaring at my husband. Carson was looking a little sleepy (or traumatized, I'm not sure which) so I got him ready for bed. He snuggled in bed while I rubbed his back and watched his cute little eyes roll up in his head and then close...for about 5 seconds. Apparently, that was enough sleep for him. Next thing I knew, he had crawled under the covers to the end of the bed, poked his little head out and said "hi mom"! I think someone put Red Bull in his juice! Within 5 minutes he had gone from snoozing to jumping and throwing himself onto the bed in fits of laughter. I finally had to resort to drastic measures. I put on my pjs, turned out the lights, and climbed into bed. So much for a little computer time, that kid had worn me out. While Ghandi blared in the background I bored him to sleep.

Monday To-do list: Get Gary and Chris' hearing checked. Throw out the TV. Find out what's in that juice.

Remember Who You Are

2010-05-13T23:00:00.001-05:00

Dear Heavenly Father,

I'm angry today. It all started last night when I told Gary what he would be doing for the weekend and he said something like "if I had said that to you..." which of course is right, but how dare he call me on it. So, I quit talking to him for the rest of the night. I also did not fold his laundry! So there! This morning I woke up in a mood. A get-out-of-my-face-leave-me-alone-get-yourself-ready-for-school-or-else kind of mood. No one in this house gets my mood language though so after getting the kids on the bus I left. As I left, I asked Gary to please not lock the door when he left because I didn't have a key. He YELLED...JUST TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE, I'LL LEAVE THE BACK DOOR UNLOCKED. Thanks dear, now everyone in town knows our back door is unlocked. I went for a walk with my sansa clip playing Mercy River. Surely they could lighten my mood. Not today, so I got mad at them too and turned.them.off! I listened to Brad Paisley sing "Online" instead. Humph!

As I walked, I made a long mental list of why my life stinks. Count my blessings...hah! Counting life's gross injustices is so much better in these kinds of situations. I listed every bad thing I could think of from being depressed ALL MY LIFE to the fact that at one point I had red hair, freckles, glasses, aannnd braces all at the same time! Come on! Really?!! Some people had braces but were beautiful blonds, some had freckles but they were cute little ones right on top of the nose. Was it really necessary to put the top 4 curses of childhood all on one little body?! Then, the "cherry on top"?! Make her a social outcast and put her right smack dab in the middle of two beautiful and talented sisters! Not nice...not nice at all.

The next thing on my list? I am such a horrible person that no one even wants to be my friend. Why can't I have just one good friend? Someone that will go with me to the mall and tell me what not to wear?! I'm not asking to be popular just one good friend?! I mean, I know I'm cranky and sad all the time but isn't there one person that could love a grouch like me? Even Oscar (the grouch) and Eeyore (the donkey) have a few good friends. I know...to have a friend, you have to be a friend. Blah, blah, blah.

Couldn't I at least have a talent or two? I know I can paint, and sing, and play the piano. Everyone can do that though. I mean a really good talent. Something that would make people take notice and be amazed! My sisters have talents like that, why couldn't I?!

Oh, and while we are on the subject of me...couldn't I have a naturally fast metabolism? I want to eat chocolate and unhealthy food, not exercise, but still be skinny. Workout?! I don't want to have to workout! Can't you do this one thing for me? You know since You "shortchanged" me on everything else!

I also want to be the most spiritual woman at church. Praying and reading my scriptures? I have to do that? Why? Can't You just give me that knowledge? I pray sometimes, like right now when I'm angry. You want me to serve others?! Even Gary and the kids? Do you see how they treat me?! I don't see the point! I can see this little chat is getting me no where. I'll just go back to my list of why my life stinks. AMEN!

Dear Shanon,

Since you didn't take time to listen for an answer to your prayer, I will try to reach you some other way. Maybe while you are on Facebook, I can get your attention with the LDS Seminary link. There are a couple of good Mormon messages you need to hear.

I love you dear daughter of mine. Heavenly Father

I have no other words, except I am humbled and grateful.

The Lady of the House is Withdrawing

2010-05-10T20:24:00.005-05:00

I went off all of my medicines.

Cold turkey.

You should never do that!

I know better!

I did it anyway.

I have been in a self-induced "detox" for 10 days now.

I have not laughed so much in years! That's great?! You're happy for me?! The problem is, the things I laugh at aren't funny! Your dog died? Funny! Your house burned down? Ha Ha! You fell and broke your leg? Hysterical! Car crashes? Stop it...you're killing me!

I now have a potty mouth! I can count on one hand (okay...maybe two) how many times I have said anything stronger than "darn" in my entire life! All of a sudden...my word...I'm startin' to talk like a sailor! Only in my head though. Oh...and the rant that Gary was so lucky to hear today when he called to say hi and ask if he could talk to Chris. "Hell no you can't talk to Chris...I am busy right now." I just know he is so happy to be married to such a sweet girl!

I can't stand the sight of....wait for it...CHOCOLATE! Yes, I said chocolate. The girl with the year's supply of chocolate cannot stand the sight of it. Emily made brownies for Mother's day. My brownie was still sitting there today and I finally gave it to the kids. I have had a MEDIUM size bag of M&Ms for over a week now. Two weeks ago, I would have inhaled those suckers in seconds! Good news, though, I've lost a few pounds!

Guess what I've been craving!! Go ahead...guess!! I can wait! Vegetables. Yes, VEGETABLES! I've eaten celery, carrots, potatoes, corn, onions, lettuce, beans....and I didn't even gag! I might have even liked them, but shhh don't tell Gary. Today I was looking for fruit to eat for a snack!

I think hell has frozen over! Dammit!! There I go again! If you'll excuse me, I need to go wash my mouth out with soap!

PS Emily just came in and said "mom, do you remember when I had a urinal infection last year?" I was laughing so hysterically I couldn't even tell Gary the story. He didn't think it was that funny. Oh, well.

PSS I was not laughing that Emily had an infection, but that she called it a urinal infection.

PSSS You might want to stay as far away from me as possible this week.

PSSSS If I laugh at your tragedies please forgive me and know that I am crying on the inside.

Life Is Sacred

2010-05-05T10:30:00.000-05:00

Ummm.....Should Wife Be Offended?

2010-04-02T22:10:00.008-05:00

Location: The garage in husband and wife's new house in Texas

Background: Husband has done whatever he wants in the garage in the past four houses they have lived in. Wife always became frustrated when she needed something in the garage because husband's idea of organization is pile everything on shelves but not in any order so the "order" was undone every time something was needed. Wife was getting very annoyed.

Scene: Husband and wife disagreeing on how to organize the garage. Wife wants to go through everything in garage, throw out or give away stuff they don't need, put similar things together, find storage containers that those similar things will fit in, then build shelves according to size of container. Husband wants to put up a few shelves above garage door. He can't do anything in the garage until he puts up those shelves! Wife, who is extremely annoyed says fine, go ahead. So husband builds shelves. Then husband proceeds to put all of wife's organized boxes that were lined up neatly against wall on the shelves. He does not, however, put up any of his things that are piled up on the floor covering half of the garage. Wife is even more annoyed. Husband is happy because he finally built those shelves!

Months pass: Wife has brillant idea to organize the rest of the garage on the long Thanksgiving weekend. She thinks that surely they can get it done in the three days and still have Sunday to rest before going back to work. Wife thinks Thanksgiving dinner at Cracker Barrel is a good idea. CB cooks the food, family eats the food, CB cleans up the mess AND does the dishes. Husband thinks this is a great idea but thinks that he should still cook Thanksgiving dinner, then clean the kitchen, wake up early the next morning, go do Black Friday shopping, he'll be done early and then they can start working on the garage. Wife says that is starting a day and 1/2 late. Husband assures wife that they can still get it done.

Day 1: Nothing done on Thanksgiving day except cook, make a mess, eat, clean up mess, nap, watch football, eat some more, go to bed.

Day 2: Husband goes shopping, doesn't get home until afternoon, then they start on the garage. They empty out garage, start to decide what will be gotten rid of or given away, get done late at night, put everything back in garage. Wife reminds husband that they could have gotten more done if they had started sooner. Husband ignores wife.

Day 3: Wife threatens husband if he even dares think about making pancakes he's in trouble! Husband wisely chooses a quick bowl of cereal. They go outside and start to pull out everything again and start sorting it putting similar things together and trying to figure out a place to put everything and where to build shelves. They then start putting things in containers. Husband decides that before he can do anything else, he has to build himself a workbench so he runs out to Home Depot to get a few things. He comes back a LONG while later and they start building the workbench. They work well into the night, don't quite finish the workbench and then put everything back in the garage.

Day 4: Family goes to church and then decides to rest from their labors. Wife is a little annoyed that garage looks the same as it did when they started, but husband assures wife that he will work on it during the week and finish his workbench so they can finish garage.

Four months pass: Husband has what he has wanted since he first saw the garage. A few shelves above the garage door and a somewhat organized workbench. Wife, still, after 19 years of marriage opens the door and sees husband's tools neatly put on shelves above workbench. She also sees that after all that work she still cannot park in the garage because of all the yard tools, bikes, giant box of 1000s of baseball cards, and things that husband wants to sell at a garage sale (if he ever has one) STILL in the middle of garage.

Present: Conversation that occured on April 2, 2010

Wife needs her stuff down from the shelves because she is trying to get a scrapbook done of oldest son's scouting years together for his Eagle Court of Honor. She has been asking husband for atleast a month to please get stuff down.

Husband always says he'll do it tomorrow. Husband never does. Wife asks why he put all of her stuff that was stacked neatly along a wall up on the very high shelves instead of his stuff that is in the middle of the garage. Husband said it was easier to do her stuff (because it was stored neatly in plastic containers). Then he reminds wife that she has to admit that those containers have not been touched in two years.

Wife starts to raise her voice and says that he has not used some of his tools since he purchased a fixer-upper, spent hours and hours away from home to finish said house, while his wife was at home taking care of everything from finances to children 4 years ago. Wife then reminds him that his "investment" earned him about a penny a day for several months.

Husband reminds wife of how the market dropped and he was lucky he made any money at all.

Wife starts to get a little bit irrational and starts bringing up other things that husband does wrong like calling her during the day to give her a list of things she needs to get done. Something that annoys wife very much.

Someone mentions eternal marriage.

Wife asks husband if he is going to keep telling her what and how to do things for eternity?

Husband says that it is a blessing that he tells her what to do. We will only be able to take a few things with us when we die, one of them being the knowledge of how to work. He also says that he is hoping that one day wife will learn to do things on her own so that he won't have to keep telling her what to do.

Wife yells that she learned how to take care of the house, bills, children, and everything else while he was off earning pennies a day remodeling THAT house.

Husband says he thinks he will go find some work to do. Husband should probably sleep with one eye open for a few nights. Wife hopes husband has learned all he needs to learn because his life on earth may be shortened a bit.

Ahhhhh......Eternal Bliss

Update:

Wife discovers that writing it all out made her anger go away.

Husband says that this is a very interesting post and thinks wife should be happy since he gives her so much good material for her blog.

Wife smiles at husband but would rather have heard that he would finish the garage.

Husband is planning on sleeping with one eye open.

Wife thinks that's a wise choice for husband.

A Birthday Giveaway!

2010-02-18T10:32:00.006-06:00

Auntie Anne and I go waaay back! I met her one day as I was walking thru the mall in Florida. One of her friends offered me a taste of her yummy original pretzel. Ahhh...it was love at first bite! I started finding excuses to go to the mall so I could have more. I even shared the love with my family. Now, my daughter insists that we get a pretzel every time we go to the mall. Imagine my surprise when we moved to Texas and discovered that Auntie Anne had placed one of her stores at MY local Wal-Mart! Wasn't that just so thoughtful of her? She must have known how much I would miss Florida and remembered how much I dislike going to Wal-Mart so she put it there to say "good job, Shanon, for making it thru this place...here have a pretzel!"

Auntie Anne considers me one of her best friends! She sends me emails all the time with special coupons and free stuff. She knows that I am having a hard time with the loss of my sister so she decided to let me have a free pretzel on the Saturday before my birthday. Isn't she just the best friend ever?!!!!! She even said that I could share with all my friends! Soooo, in honor of my birthday, she is offering everyone a free cinnamon or original pretzel! You get a pretzel, you get a pretzel, you get a pretzel, you get a pretzel........don't you feel like you are on the Oprah show?!

Oh, and don't be jealous of my friendship with Auntie Anne. You can be her friend too. You can join her facebook group. She probably won't build a special Auntie Anne's just for you in Wal-Mart, but I bet she'll send you coupons! One more thing, if you do get a pretzel (or even if you don't) you must remember to wish me a happy birthday on Feb. 22. I guess she forgot to put that on the notice. Just an oversight on her part, I suppose, because I know she will feel so terrible when I point that out to her. Be grateful that this giveaway does not require any effort on my part because we all know that it would not happen if I was in charge!

Enjoy and no need to send thank you notes...the smile on your face and the chub on your cheeks (from the pretzel) is all the thanks that I need! You are welcome!

Auntie Anne + Shanon = BFs 4 ever!

Do They Celebrate Birthdays In Heaven?

2010-02-15T20:01:00.007-06:00

I've been celebrating my birthday with the same person since I was just shy of my second birthday. My mom went away for a couple of days and came home with this baby right before I turned 2. Can you believe that?! I don't really remember much about her coming home, but from the pictures I have seen I was not very happy about it!

Every February, even though I was the oldest(!) we would celebrate her birthday first. That was so unfair! I would ask my mom "why does she get to celebrate hers first? I am older!" I'm sure my mom looked so forward to February. I know she couldn't wait for the yearly argument over why Lori got to be first!

We have had fun over the years celebrating together. Sometimes we had birthday parties together like the surprise party that my older sister and her friends planned. We were very surprised and had a great day. When we were older, we would go on a shopping spree. We had great fun picking out things for ourselves and having my mom pay for it. That's the best way to shop!

I turned forty a few months after we moved to Texas. I was feeling sorry for myself with no plans for a celebration. I wasn't even put on the RS newsletter birthday list! Poor Gary had to comfort me while I cried on his shoulder about how I was invisible to everyone in the ward. I moped around for a few days, quit cleaning our house and quit taking showers. I was in this awful state of filth one night when the doorbell rang. There on the front porch was my family! My mom, dad and Lori with her 2 kids. I was so excited to see them (although I wish I had known, I would have cleaned my house or myself) and we had a nice birthday celebration! I think we even went shopping!

Lori would have turned 40 today. She told me that if she made it to 40 she would have a big party. I would have even gotten over my fear of flying to be there! I wonder if they had a big party for her in heaven today. I hope so. She has a few friends and lots of family there. I can't believe she left me here to celebrate my birthday alone. Maybe she got tired of hearing me complain every year. I hope that next year I will be able to celebrate her birthday without crying so much. I miss her alot!

Happy Birthday Lori!

I love you!

A very sad tale...

2010-02-05T21:42:00.018-06:00

Once upon a time, there was a teeny, tiny girl floating around in a world of amniotic fluid. She was very happy and content in this place. So content in fact, that she decided to stay in an extra 22 days. She was hanging on until her mama could come up with a different name than Cecilia Leigh (you should hear the six girl's names she had picked!) Oh, boy did her daughters dodge a bullet!

This teeny, tiny girl's dad was a police officer. One day this officer pulled over a girl named Shannon. He thought that she was pretty and he liked her name so he came home and told his wife that he thought that instead of Cecelia Leigh they should name her after the pretty girl (who probably drove away with a warning, not a ticket). The mama thought that was okay so they named her Shannon Del. This was a fine name except that the police officer thought that the extra "n" in the middle of Shannon was not necessary so he threw away that pesky extra "N" and spelled it Shanon Del.

The teeny, tiny girl decided that Shanon Del was much better than Cecilia Leigh so she made her fashionably late appearance on Feb. 22, 19-- (no need to share ALL the details.) She weighed in at a whopping 7 lbs and 15.5 oz and was 20ish in. long. She was the most beautiful baby girl in all the land (hey, I'm writing this story!) with the most beautiful red hair anyone had ever seen.

This teeny, tiny girl was very happy until she was 9 months old. She decided at that point that this place called earth wasn't that great and she was ready to move back to her previous home, a place called Heaven. Everyone kept telling her that she had to stay and endure to the end. That sure did get her fiery red-headed temper going! There was nothing she could do though so for the last ?? years she has been enduring well. Some might disagree, but as I said before, I am writing this story!

Things got worse for the girl named Shanon when she started a horrible thing called kindergarten. That was when everyone started spelling her name wrong (or right if you are in the majority of the population). She has corrected the misspelling of her name more times than she can count. Over time, though, because she is such a pleasant person she finally learned to let it go...she even started to like the spelling of her name. That is until she saw this on facebook:

Go to urbandictionary.com, type in your first name, copy and paste this as your status, and put the first entry for your name under comments.

The beautiful, red-headed girl decided to go look up her name so she could see what her wonderful, uniquely spelled name said:

Shanon: Great pride and loyalty. Leader among all and soft hearted. Fun loving, exciting, interesting, worldly, hard working, masculine male figure.

Very nice.....if you are a masculine male figure. Last time she checked she was a feminine female figure. She then wondered what urbandictionary.com would say if her name was spelled with that extra "N".

Shannon: irish for little wise owl. Someone who is beautiful, inside and out. She's down to earth and crazy but you can't figure her out, which makes you love her all the more. She's also fun and funny and someone you can defiantly trust. They usually have red or dark hair and have beautiful natural highlights that others have to buy in a bottle. They are truly a unique person and one of a kind.

Look what she could have been. How unfair that the girl had missed out on all of those wonderful qualities all because her dad thought that pesky little "N" didn't matter....and she lived regretfully ever after murmuring "I knew it was somehow my daddy's fault!"

The End

The Sad, Sad, Sad End

The moral of the story: always check urbandictionary.com before naming your baby and make sure you spell it correctly. Unless, of course, you find pleasure in ruining a girl's life!

'Tis The Season

2009-12-09T12:20:00.013-06:00

for moms of cute little boys like this:

to take care of them when they feel like this:

and for moms to do this:

while their cute little boys do this:

Poor Carson got sick some time during the night. He didn't even come tell us. When I went to wake him up this morning for school he was fast asleep in a very messy bed. He does not like it when I wake him up so I let him sleep for another hour. He woke up very cheerfully and yelled from his bed "hi dad". We got him bathed and dressed comfy and fixed him a nice bed on the couch. I spent most of the time this morning catching fluids in a towel that his stomach rejected. Carson gets offended if I bring out a bucket or a bag. He would like to freely vomit and just let it land where it lands...thank you very much! I, on the other hand, don't have money for a new couch so I put a blanket down, with towels on top of the blanket, with new towels around if I need to change the old one, and extra towels to catch with. Then I sit on the couch and hover, ready to catch anything that comes out of that cute little mouth. When I do catch something, I then wipe his face and he says "Ahhh.....thanks mom!" If he has the strength he will also stroke my cheek. SO SWEET!!! Let's just all say "awwwwww" together! We've also watched many episodes of Fineas and Ferb. Does anyone else not get this show or is it just me? Anyway...atleast I got a little break from spongebob!!

I will gladly watch Fineas and Ferb (and spongebob), do laundry, hover, and catch vomit, though, because what else would a mom of this cute little boy do?!

Love you, Carson. Feel better soon!

Oh, and yesterday I was doing some of the same things for this cute girl:

Luckily, she is feeling better. Love you Emily

Which one of these three do you think will be next?

Hopefully, none of them! Love you Chris, Jared, & Kinsey

Let's face it.....the mom always gets it!

Why I Will Go To That Hot Place When I Die

2009-11-23T09:50:00.004-06:00

When Jared got hit by a car last week, I was so thankful that he was not hurt more that he was. He was rather proud that he had survived being hit by a car with only a few bruises and might have even thought it was a great way to start the day!

When I talked to the lady on the phone she offered to pay for a new tire. I hadn't seen the bike yet so I told her that I would have Gary call her after he looked at the bike. Well, after we looked at the bike and Jared showed us what happened, we had a dilemma. The bike was totalled just as Jared had said. The tire was bent, the brakes didn't work, the frame was bent, and the gears didn't work. Also the lady hadn't told the story exactly how it had happened. Jared was nearly across the road, when she rounded the curb and SPED UP! She said the sun was in her eyes, but the next day Gary was there at the same time and said the sun wasn't bad enough to cause her to not be able to see. He thinks she may have been distracted. She also left the school without telling anyone that it had happened and Jared said there was no one around to see it. I was kind of upset that she didn't atleast walk with him to the office to tell them what had happened so that we could have known earlier. She is in the police academy, so I think she should know that she kind of committed a hit and run!

Gary called her over the weekend to tell her the situation with the bike. When she heard that we needed to replace the bike, she actually said that she didn't even think her car had hit his bike! Then Gary said "well that's fine, if you will just give me your insurance information I will give it to my insurance company and let them handle it." She said she didn't want to get her insurance involved so she would think about it and call us back. When Gary told me that, I was fuming. There may have even been smoke coming out of my ears. Her car didn't hit Jared's bike?! Well, then how did it get bent up the way it did?! My red-headed fiery temper came out and I was mad! I usually try to avoid confrontation, but not this time, I was ready for a fight! I was ready to report her to the police, her insurance company, and then I was going to go and yell at the principal at the school!!

She called back in a few minutes and her and Gary talked for a while and came to an agreement that she would pay for 1/2 of the bike and we would pay for the other half. What?! She ran into Jared, totalled his bike and now we are paying for it?! So he explains that she is a single mom of three kids, doesn't have alot of money, is going to the police academy, was scared that if we talked to the insurance company that they would raise her rates, and that the police would find out and it would jeopardize her standing in the police academy. As he is telling me this, he starts to get a little emotional about her situation. So I complain some more and then he says "well you asked me to take care of it so I did what I thought was right." Now, my husband is the ~~cheapest~~ most frugal man on the planet. He is always worrying about money, so I just thought he would be the best person to handle it. In what was probably my finest hour, I said "well I thought you would take care of it, not start crying on the phone with her. Did you give her our house, too? Did you give her access to our bank account? Did you invite her to our house for Thanksgiving and tell her she could take whatever she wanted out of our house?!" Yes, me being most charitable in this season of thanks and gratitude!

Later, as I was cleaning and putting away all the things that we have been blessed with, I started to feel ashamed of myself. I married Gary because of those traits. He is very compassionate, always looks out for the ones that are suffering, loving, patient, is very faithful and firm in his beliefs, and I felt that I had those same traits. Gary and I thought we would make a great team (his analogy, not mine), because we both wanted the same things. Boy, did he get the surprise of his life!

I apologized for my rant and sarcasm yesterday after church. Did you notice all those talks on gratitude?! I let him know I was grateful that he had handled the situation the way he did and grateful for his example. He accepted my apology and then he told me about the ride home from church. He had all the kids, I got to ride home by myself. Usually, I'm the one with all the kids. He said "now I know why it is hard for you to be grateful. It's hard to be grateful when you have to drive home with all that noise and contention." He sent all the kids to their room as soon as he got home with them and was reading to Carson when I got home. Carson fell asleep, the house was quiet... it was like heaven on earth!

We had a nice afternoon walk (just the two of us), held hands, and while I was gasping for air, I even felt grateful for the cooler weather and all the blessings that we have been given. Hmmm..... maybe I won't have to go to that hot place after all. Phew!!

Why I Will Die An Early Death

2009-11-18T16:55:00.018-06:00

I worry A LOT so I have been trying to ease up on the worrying.

Someone told me that "they" (whoever "they" are) were predicting 90,000 deaths from swine flu by Christmas this year. Did I freak out? Nope. Remember my swine flu freak out in April?

Obama was elected president and I heard all of the gloom and doom from people who know better than to tell me these things (Gary). I didn't even bother making plans to run away and find a safe place to live. I have heard that Texas can get out of being part of the United States if they need to. So my plan is to stay here and hope that if things get really bad Texas will decide to part ways with the USA. No freak outs, though, I just made a plan!

I have been letting Kinsey go to the bus stop even when there is no one to go with her. Yes, I have visions of kidnapping and other horrible things, but I try to let those things go and just think happy thoughts. Here's hoping that is the right thing to do.

I am about ready to let Chris drive a car. I say "NO!" to those thoughts of car crashes, drunk drivers, and his lack of a long attention span. I might even let him drive without one of us in the car with him (once he's legal). I have put my foot down about being the one to teach him, though. That will be up to Gary and the State of Texas. I know my limits!!!

I let Carson ride the school bus, even when Emily isn't on it. That is a hard one for me because he can't tell me if someone is mean to him. I am hoping I will have mother's intuition if something isn't right. I still let him ride though because he loves it and it gives him a little bit of independence.

I let Emily go play with friends in the neighborhood. I even told her it was okay to ride her bike around the neighborhood. That was before she decided to ride her bike to Sonic without asking for permission (which I would not have given her) and then stopping at the Jack-in the-Box drive-thru to ask for a cup of water. She was in lots of trouble and I did freak out a little then.

I started letting Jared ride his bike to school. It has been a very difficult thing to not worry about, because he very rarely comes straight home. He always has to stop on the way to hunt for rocks, sticks, pecans, and turtle shells. I have quit freaking out when he isn't home on time. I realize that he has this need to hunt for things that annoy his mom.

See how far I had come? Well, all of that improvement just disappeared today.

Today I got a phone call from my husband at around 12:30. It was very bad reception so all I got out of it was: Jared...everything okay.....hit by car........call schools.....need current phone numbers...bike messed up...will get it later! WHAT?!!!!! He was hit by a car? When? Where? I knew he was okay or I would have wanted to know that too! This accident happened around 8 am. I have been in car line before so I know that there are lots of teachers and parents around, yet no one took him to the office. The lady that hit him asked if he was okay and then left after getting Jared's home phone number so she could ~~finish him off~~ contact us later. She didn't bother to take him to the office to be checked out or even tell him to go to the office to get checked out, so he just went to class. She went home and tried to call the office, but they had their after hours recording on until after 10:30. The nurse called him in to get him checked out sometime after the principal heard from the lady. They did not get in touch with us until 12:30. Now I have to admit that I forgot to contact the school after we changed our home and cell phone numbers, but they had four numbers (three of them had changed). Instead of calling Gary's office they called our emergency contact and she told Gary (she works at the same office). Am I the only parent that has a thirteen year old that doesn't know what to do when something like this happens? Yeah, don't answer that. What happened to the village? Is it too much to ask for someone to step up and tell the boy to go to the office to tell them what happened or at least call his mom? Am I expecting too much?!! I have been nauseous since 12:30 and now my heart is racing and I have a headache. Back to square one. I think I need therapy or relaxation techniques or chocolate.

He came home with a smile on his face, excited to tell me all about his latest adventure and that his new bike was totaled (his words). I think that boy is going to kill me.

So, to all those kind people that have told me not to worry so much...

SEE...I TOLD YOU IT WOULD HAPPEN!!!

I am sooo grateful that he did not get hurt more. Just a few scrapes and bruises. I'm thankful for the prayer that Gary gave this morning asking that all of our children be kept safe. Now if my heart would just calm down.

Oil Painting 101

2009-11-13T09:22:00.004-06:00

In the midst of my depression, I was encouraged to sign up for an oil painting class. I wasn't really enthused about it, but signed up hoping that it would atleast encourage me to get out of bed, take a shower and leave the house atleast one day a week. I am actually starting to enjoy the class and have found out that I don't stink at painting (much).

I will now unveil what I have painted so far since so many of my blog followers asked to see them (well it was really only one follower and she is my sister so she had to request it). I hope you enjoy them and are not scarred for life.

This is my very first painting. I kind of like it, but I think it needs a little improvement.

This is my second painting. It is my favorite so far. I even signed it (don't look at the signature though, it looks like a toddler did it).

My third painting. I can't decide if I like it or not. I love the way the fence and sea oats turned out, but the waves bug me. If you stand far away from it, it looks better.

This is the one I am currently working on. It is a long way from being finished. I love the old tuscan buildings. I can hear everyone saying "It's a building? Oooohhhh...now I can kind of see it!" I know it looks like this one should be condemned, but in the original picture it looks beautiful. I am trying to do the bricks right now and as you can see it is not going well. Hopefully it will be nice when I finish it.

So...which one is your favorite? I would put one of those fancy poll things on my blog, but I don't know how to do it. Remember, if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all. I guess if I don't get any comments I'll know everyone hated them. So sad :(

Well, ta ta for now! I must go and practice painting my signature for when I'm famous.

Thou Shalt Not Covet

2009-11-11T14:46:00.003-06:00

I have a confession to make. I am a blog ~~stalker~~ follower. I love to read blogs, even those of people I don't know. They make me laugh, cry and break one of the 10 commandments. You know, the one that says "thou shalt not covet".

I do not covet my "neighbour's house, nor my neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his a**." What I covet is their seemingly perfect life. I want to be the loving, energetic wife and mom. The mom that inspires her children to choose the right. The mom that loves to read the Book of Mormon and is so excited to share it with everyone she meets. The mom that loves to serve everyone and always thinks about taking in a meal, babysitting for others, and cleaning a house for someone in need. The perfect wife and mom that exists in the blog world. These women are amazing. They plant a garden, harvest their veggies, plant fruit trees, can everything they grow, have their year's supply of food and water, sew, craft, decorate their home, home school their kids, plan fun activities, keep the house clean, plant flowers and still have a smile on their face and love their husband and children. Who wouldn't covet that?!

I have to confess that sometimes I can be a little bitter too (which is probably breaking another commandment) because I don't do all those things. Then I am hard on myself, so I start yelling at my kids to clean their rooms, do their homework, be perfect! When that doesn't work I start yelling at Gary to clean the kitchen, cook dinner, get my list of projects done, be perfect! Then I start yelling at myself to keep a clean house, get the laundry done, be nicer, make dinner, go to the grocery store, BE PERFECT! I think I have finally figured out why that's not working for me. My kids aren't perfect, Gary's not perfect, I'm not perfect and......that's okay. I just have to do the best I can.

So excuse me while I pat myself on the back for the good that I have done. Here's the list:

1. Today I decided it was time. My hair was greasy, I hadn't showered in days, and had worn my pajamas until I had to get dressed to meet the bus...in the afternoon...at 3:00 PM. I had to do something with my hair soooooo I put powder in it to soak up the grease. Ha Ha just kidding. I did something even more fantastic....I TOOK A SHOWER, WASHED MY HAIR WITH SHAMPOO, SHAVED EVERYWHERE THAT NEEDED SHAVING, DRIED MY HAIR, PUT ON MAKEUP AND GOT DRESSED!!! All before 10:00 AM. Wow, I am superwoman!

2. I did not do "fend for yourself" dinner every night. Two days this week I...wait for it...prepare to be amazed....COOKED DINNER WITH REAL, UNPROCESSED FOOD! One night I made BBQ chicken, baked potatoes (baked in the OVEN), and we even had a veggie! The other night I made beef stroganoff, from my food storage and everyone liked it! Wow...I am woman hear me roar!

3. I walked around the neighborhood with my husband, we held hands, I only complained a little, and I only insulted Gary a few times. I didn't even yell at him while we were walking! We walked 4 TIMES last week! I bet you're wondering "How does she do it?!"

4. I got myself up, dressed, made up, Carson dressed and to the doctor's office. ALL BEFORE 8:30 AM ON A MONDAY MORNING! I didn't even have a meltdown in the doctor's office. Poor Carson has strep throat so I have been nursing him back to health AND I have been patient! I only got a little annoyed with him once! He was annoyed with me to. That's how we roll, people!

5. I made it to my oil painting class ON TIME! I worked hard painting bricks (those are hard suckers to paint) and I didn't get annoyed with my painting abilities! I will have to show you all of my FABULOUS paintings sometime. I know what you're thinking...SHE PAINTS TOO?! Now, now don't get jealous. Remember, "thou shalt not covet thy friends artistic abilities!"

6. I went to the SPHS football game, in semi-formal attire, to help recognize my senior in high school. Can you believe it...he made it to 12th grade without me strangling him or locking him in his room for 12 years? I'm even considering letting him DRIVE A CAR! Oh, I also didn't tackle the announcer, take his microphone, and tell everyone to BE QUIET! I let the crowd scream! Look how far I have come! Please, please, hold your applause until the end of my post!

7. I helped cheer up a friend that was having to clean up 6 year old crap. Her word not mine I always call it the proper term...poop! Now if you are wondering if the poop was 6 years old and why she bothers cleaning it now...after 6 years, and why she doesn't just throw everything away that was ruined, you might be embarrassed when you find out that the poop was actually from her 6 year old special needs girl. Don't be embarrassed, that's what I thought too! When she heard that, she BELLY LAUGHED! While she was cleaning poop that had been spread everywhere (carpet, walls, bed spread) and trying to not flip out, she belly laughed! I'm so glad I was there in her hour of need to cheer her up! I know...it's just a gift I have!

8. I am going to go show my children how awesome they are by eating the cookie dough they just made. I might even go so far as to say yum! I have to be careful though because they can get vicious when they are feeling like someone is going to steal their cookie dough! They are so cute when they are slapping my hands and yelling at me. Bless their hearts! How did I get so lucky to have such wonderful children?!

Well, I should stop now before you start to covet thy friend's awesomeness!

You may now applaud!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

My Love/Hate Relationship With Fall

2009-11-01T16:11:00.001-06:00

Okay...I admit it! I am a debbie-downer, a glass half-empty kind of girl, a party pooper, a negative-nellie....I'm sorry!!! I think of the negative, although I have to say that it feels like the negative found me a long time ago and won't let up (just sayin')!

So anyway.....is anybody out there still reading this?

Fall is a very beautiful time of year. I want to love fall. Really, I do! The cooler temperatures, the leaves changing, walking hand-in-hand with my dreamboat husband. The exciting holidays coming! What's not to love?! Then, just when you start to think that maybe this year will be different...BAM...Halloween preparations smack you right in the head and you suddenly remember why you don't like fall or winter.

*Warning* This post contains some violence and may or may not be based on a true story.

The costumes! There's the costume decision, the mind-changing, the crowds at party city, the expensive, cheaply-made costumes, the crowds at party city, finding make-up, the crowds at party city, the fake hair, and did I mention the crowds at party city?!

Halloween comes. You start to get them ready for some fun while they are kicking and screaming! Nooooooo...I don't want to be Batman!! I want to be Superman! At this point, you, being a perfectly reasonable mom, are quickly approaching the raving lunatic stage of Halloween. The insane person who starts yelling "YOU WILL PUT THIS COSTUME ON RIGHT NOW!!! YOU WILL LIKE IT AND YOU WILL HAVE FUN, BY GOLLY! IF YOU DON'T STOP THIS BEHAVIOR THIS INSTANT, I WILL BEAT YOU AND THEN SELL YOU TO THE CIRCUS!" Just for the record, I don't beat my children or sell them to the circus!

You are now sweaty, but you have to recover quickly because the doorbell starts ringing! You open the door, murmuring under your breath something like "who the heck goes trick-or-treating at 5:00?!" You take a deeeeep breath, smile sweetly to the little ones at the door, tell them how cute they are and then give them candy and tell them Happy Halloween. The door is not even closed before you are screaming at your little demons to come here! They look at you with their little red, watery eyes as you tell them to SMILE(!) for the camera so mommy can take their picture as the doorbell rings again. Before you can get them to pose again, the older ones are running out the door to go trick-or-treating with friends as your smiling husband comes home and says "who's ready to go trick-or-treating?!" At this point, the little one is so traumatized that he is willing to go anywhere that his crazy mom is not! So they happily go off, but you are not allowed to go with them because "well, honey, you are scary and you frighten him." So, once again, you stay home and pass out candy. As the night goes on, the older tricksters (you know, those young parents with the newborn) come by and look offended that you only have the cheap stuff.

After two cul-de-sacs, the little one is ready to call it a night. He can not take one.more.step! So, you head inside to get all of the good stuff out of his stash before someone else gets it. You know, the kids that are too cool for trick-or-treating but not too cool to eat the candy brought home by the little brother. At this point, you leave the bowl of candy on the porch and write a note "please, don't ring the doorbell just take what you want! Also, please do not plaster our pumpkin all over our house, yard, driveway, or street! We are sorry about the cheap candy, but we couldn't buy the expensive stuff because of the expense of costumes (and have you seeeeen the crowds at party city?)"

Soon the ones that are "not too proud to go trick-or-treating as long as we go with someone besides our parents" start to trickle in. They have loads of candy, but can't share because, well you know, they hardly got anything. What? These two pillow cases? Well, yes, they are full to the brim, but that will only last until tomorrow! If we share, it will be gone tonight! Oh, and can we have this out of little brother's stash?!

You finally get them to go to bed 5 hours later after the candy high wears off! Just as you are laying your head on the pillow, you realize that you never did get a picture, and as if on cue, you hear the pumpkin smash against the front door! Wasn't that a fun night your sweet husband asks as he drifts off to snore land. You seriously think of smothering him with your pillow, but luckily are too tired to follow thru. Yeah, great fun...I can't wait for next year you say as you drift off to sleep. For some reason you dream about that movie groundhog day except in your dream it is Halloween that you have to do over every day!

The End

No.....I'm not bitter. Why do you ask? Do I sound bitter?

We managed to get costumes, we braved the crowds at party city (and target and walmart). We even managed a trip to the salvation army for an old prom dress. Some of my kids used their imagination and came up with a costume on their own.

We went to the trunk-or-treat at our church on Friday night. It was loads of fun. They had a yummy soup dinner with rolls and a pumpkin dessert. Carson shed his costume as soon as we got there. He wanted to get his picture taken with the Great Pumpkin until he got up close and realized that the GP was a little scary. Here is Emily and Elizabeth with the GP trying to coax Carson up on his lap. Hats off to the GP who sat there a long time with a pumpkin on his head!

Carson was a firefighter (see...nothing like the story above)

Look! We managed a picture with the hat!

Carson enjoying the other activities offered. No costume :(

The best part though was visiting all the trunks to get treats. I enjoyed the peace and quiet of the back of our van. I would show you a picture of it all scaried up with fabulous Halloween spookies but I don't want you to get jealous or anything. Okay, okay...no, we didn't decorate our van. We did have candy though and that seemed to be enough. What a great night! The activities committee always does a fantastic job!

Saturday night was the real trick-or-treating night. The kids happily and willingly dressed up in their costumes.....except Carson, who did not see the point in dressing up AGAIN! Then we reminded him of the candy and he was dressed in a split second.

Chris has dressed like a teenager too cool to go trick-or-treating for the past couple of Halloweens. He was spot-on...he even added a few good eye-rolls for effect. This year, since Halloween was on a Friday night, he was dressed up as a member of the Stony Point HS Marching band performing in the special Halloween half-time show. That seems to be the favorite performance of the season. You can watch it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEsAzE5d3cU (sorry I don't know how to do one of those link thingies)

Kinsey and her friend Lauren were dead prom queens. They created a storyline that involved two girls wasting each other because they both liked the prom king. They tried really hard to get someone to play the prom king but didn't have much luck. They still went as dead prom queens, I can't remember what happened to the prom king. Maybe they wasted him before wasting each other? Kinsey had the best halloween since she's been in Texas. The first two years were sad because of that pact she made with herself "hmphf...I will go with you to Texas because I have no other choice, but I will not like it and I will NOT have friends for atleast a year!" She didn't have friends to go with so she had to go with her parents and little brother! How embarrassing! This year she found a friend to go with and didn't even have to be in the same neighborhood with her parents. Yes, life is good for Kinsey right now!

Jared came up with a very clever costume this year...without buying a thing. He was a nerd. It was really a stretch for him because he is a football jock you know! He was thrilled to be able to go out with his friend Josh. Josh dressed up like an old man. He even had the walk down. They were so happy that they could go without a parent and that they were in the same state this year!

Emily and her friend Elizabeth were witches. They scored a trick-or-treating spot with friends and their parents. They would "check-in" once in a while because they are responsible like that (or they wanted to get more candy from the home front). They had a great night and ate most of their treats before the night was finished.

Carson had to go with dad. He loves his dad though so that was okay by him. He didn't really want to be a firefighter that night, but he is really into the Halloween thing! He is amazed that all he has to do is ring a doorbell and people tell him how cute he is and give him candy! He really likes to walk right on in to people's homes to have a looksy. You know, just to get a feel for the neighborhood. Sometimes he even gets another treat on the way out. He knows how to work the system!

I stayed home passing out candy again. I thought I was better this year, but I guess not. We gave away all our candy and then shut out the lights. We got "booed" this year (someone leaves a treat on your doorstep and leaves a little ghost to hang on your window. You are then supposed to hand out treats to two more families.) Shhhh....don't tell anyone, we never did get around to that! This is the first year that we did not carve pumpkins. We even used white pumpkins several years before it was the "in" thing to do. We used to be trend setters! This year, though, we were just tired. No Halloween decorations except for a little ghost that my friend gave me. Good news, though, with no pumpkin there was no pumpkin smashing!

It makes me a little sad that all of my kids (except Carson) prefer to go trick-or-treating with someone else. They are getting older and their parents are soooo yesterday! Sigh.......

We had a wonderfully fun night, though, and no tears were shed. Oh, and Gary escaped death by pillow yet again because this year he was home for the prep work and he remembered to take pictures! What a dreamboat he is!!

The Depths of Despair

2009-10-13T15:22:00.001-05:00

At the end of August our church leaders asked us to fast and pray for rain. It had been a very hot summer with little rain. The area had very strict water restrictions, the lakes were drying up, the plants were drying up, the people were drying up...well maybe not the people, but it was hot and miserable. So our family, along with many other families, fasted and prayed for rain. A few days later the rain started falling, not a heavy downpour, but a gentle, steady soaking. Everyone was so grateful. I normally love the rain, but I started to have trouble coping with my days with the steady stream of rain.

A few weeks into the almost constant stream of rain, a friend of mine from church passed away. She was young, had a loving husband and three young children. It was a sad time for everyone. I was sad, I ached for her family, I also wondered why it could not have been me. I told my husband I was envious. She didn't suffer long, she thought she had the flu and that it would get better soon. She went to bed one night, had a seizure and never woke up. That's what I wanted to do. Go to bed and never wake up. Now I am not suggesting that that was the best thing for her family, I know they are sad and greiving the loss.

I honestly felt like if that happened to me, that would be a good thing for my husband and children. Maybe Gary could find a girl that would love my children, that she would be happy and enjoy this life like Gary does. Maybe my children would have a mom that would have lots of energy, want to do fun things, like to go out and do things and have adventures. Maybe they would have a mom that wasn't sad all the time.

The rain was still falling and I was falling deeper and deeper into a state of depression. I was decorating my house, I wanted it to be clean and organized and pretty. I wanted my husband and children to enjoy the home they were living in. I was even excited enough to invite people over to see what I had been working on. The closer it came to the actual day, I could hardly get out of bed. My kids loved the decorating and organization, but they didn't see the reason to maintain it. I was discouraged and didn't see the need either. I just felt like sleeping all day. I cancelled the lunch that I had invited people to.

I signed up for an oil painting class. I was hoping that would give me something to look forward to. I started dreading the class, because it was so much effort to get out of bed, get dressed, be prepared for class, and then my pictures weren't perfect so I got even more discouraged.

The rain was still falling and I had hit rock bottom. Simple things like taking a shower were too much of an effort. I would get up, get my kids out the door to school and then go back to bed. They would come home in the afternoon and I was still asleep. The sadness and loneliness were almost unbearable and I was still hoping that I would fall asleep and never wake up. Gary would come home at night, nothing had been done all day, there was no dinner on the table and I would be sitting in a chair in my room barely able to communicate except with a nod or shake of the head.

Everyone was so excited about the weather. It had started to get cooler outside. Fall had arrived. Everyone seems to love fall. I don't love fall. I want to love fall, I want to enjoy the new season, the holidays that are coming. Fall makes me sad. I don't know why, I used to love fall, but now it makes me sad.

I am blessed that I have a husband who supports me even when I have hit the bottom. He doesn't get mad when he comes home to a messy house and no dinner. He just does what he can to help out. I'm sure sometimes he wonders why he has a wife that cannot enjoy life. He offers suggestions that I never take, but I know that he loves me because he keeps coming home every night.

I have a good doctor that helps to adjust my medicine, I have a good therapist that trys to help me adjust my thinking. The medicine is easy, but I haven't learned how to turn off the recording in my head that tells me all day every day that I am stupid, lazy, fat, worthless, that life would be better for everyone if I just disappeared. I am working on that, but it's hard to change the way you talk to yourself and the things that I hear me saying are not nice. I would never say them to someone else.

Last week I woke up one day and didn't feel like going back to bed. I had the urge to tackle a project. I didn't do anything that day, but I felt encouraged by that feeling. I still have very low energy and sometimes I go back to bed. Gary has noticed a difference though. I smile more, I talk more, I even paid the bills last week.

When my sister had breast cancer, everyone rallied around her. She received letters, cards, meals, hugs. She had the support she needed, everyone was praying for her and her family. She loved people, she loved attention, it was so fitting that she had a disease that was out in the open for everyone to see. I am so grateful she had that comfort and support. When you have depression you suffer in silence most of the time. I try to put on a brave face when I go out. If someone asks how I'm doing, I usually say I'm fine. I don't like to draw attention to myself. I will say hi to someone, but I don't usually go out of my way to carry on a conversation with someone. If I do, I usually run the whole conversation over in my mind the rest of the day, trying to figure out if I said anything to offend. It is also fitting that I have a disease like depression. If you're really good at hiding things, no one knows you even suffer.

I feel like the sun is starting to peek through the clouds again. I feel better, I might even get up and do something (or maybe I'll wait until tomorrow). I still sometimes wish that I could go to sleep and never wake up, but not all the time. Small improvements are good.

Depression is hard to live with. I want to have friends, I want to have fun but rarely do I have the energy at the end of the day to do things. I have a friend that invites me to do things. Even though I usually say no, she hasn't stopped inviting me. I'm really grateful. It gives that negative thought in my head something to think about. I don't think it is easy to like someone that has depression. We are such downers. Everyday I wonder when it will go away. Is this just the trial I have to go through? Will I ever be able to enjoy life? Will I ever see the joy in the change of seasons? Will I look forward to Christmas? I hope so. I guess for now, I will look for the small improvements every day.

If you know someone with depression, go give them a hug. They won't tell you they need one, but they are probably telling themselves that they are a loser and no one would want to be their friend. Maybe your hug will be the thing that gives them courage to stick around for another day.

Luncheon Postponed

2009-09-14T07:29:00.002-05:00

I signed up for an art class on Wednesdays and then realized I had planned a lunch on the same day that the class is. I am going to postpone the lunch for another day. Have a great week.

My Visiting Teacher

2009-09-12T09:29:00.003-05:00

Last week I had a visit from my visiting teacher. She dropped by to bring me a gift from her trip to Brazil. It was a beautiful hand-painted, hand-crocheted dish cloth. The colors matched my home and personality perfectly. I loved it...it was way too pretty to use as a dishcloth. I have been trying to decide to either frame it or hang it on a hook.

We talked for a few minutes about her trip, her children and if I was doing okay. She was sorry that she hadn't been a better visiting teacher and that she would do better now that summer was over. We talked about getting our families together in a week or two for dinner. Then we said our goodbyes

This friend visited me in the hospital when I was sick. She has invited me to breakfast and lunch. She has visited me many times and always shared her sweet spirit with me. Her husband was our home teacher for a while. He came faithfully every month. He always shared a wonderful lesson with us. Sometimes he shared his wife's wonderful treats with us. It was fun getting to know this wonderful family.

I taught her son in primary. He was quiet, but confident. What stood out the most to me was his beautiful voice. I loved listening to him sing the primary songs. I was anxious to meet the parents of this 10 year old boy. I knew they would be amazing.

Last week my friend had the flu. Her children were also sick, so I'm sure she spent a lot of time nurturing her children even though she didn't feel well. The flu seemed to linger in their home for a long time. Then I heard that my friend had suffered a seizure and was in the hospital. My friend lost her battle with this unknown illness and passed away yesterday. She leaves behind a heartbroken husband, three children and lots of family. She also leaves behind a lot of friends that were blessed to know her.

Estela, you will be missed. It doesn't seem right that such a wonderful wife, mother, daughter and friend should leave us so early. I can only imagine that Heavenly Father must need strong, faithful women on the other side. We will watch over your family here. What a privilege that will be. We love you Estela.

Don't Jump!!!

2009-08-28T09:29:00.005-05:00

Jared decided to jump from the balcony at the beach house. Da dum...da dum...da dum (suspenseful music)...

It did not end well.

Hey Jared...jumping off a balcony can be quite fun, but that sudden stop will get you every time!

My kids are so creative!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2009-08-28T08:54:00.006-05:00

Ahhh...all is right in my world again. My kiddos are back in school and my house is now returning to a quiet and peaceful retreat for mom (well for a few hours anyway). The first week of school has gone well. We only lost one child, missed one breakfast (and lunch, because someone in the family was being very slow) and only waited in car line for 1 hour the first day of school. I think that's a pretty impressive way to start off the year!

Here's the first day of school picture. I had to get them in stages.

Carson was very excited to ride the bus and see all of his friends at school. He had a very great day and enjoyed every minute.

Emily and Carson on the first day of school. Emily had a great day and likes her teachers. One of her teachers is her friends mom. That was very exciting for her.

The big kids Chris, Jared, and Kinsey. They all had a great first day also. They like their teachers and seem to be excited (as excited as a kid can get) about school this year. This is Kinsey's first year of high school and seminary. She loves dance, art, and french class. Jared is trying out for the football team ( I have already worried about him breaking his neck and being in a wheel chair for the rest of his life). This is Chris' last year of high school (I can't believe I am old enough to have a senior). He is hoping to get his driver's license and eagle project done. Right now he is enjoying marching band season and Friday night football.

Shhh...can I tell you a secret? It is awfully quiet around here and I do enjoy it, but sometimes I miss not having them around. I fill my time with things to do around the house. My goal is to have the house put together, organized and decorated by the end of 2009. I want to start the new decade with a clean slate. What do you think...is it possible?

Awwwww....you missed me!

2009-08-27T17:23:00.007-05:00

Well, Jeannie missed me anyway. It feels so good to be missed. I didn't think anyone ever missed me. Thanks Jeannie. Yes...I have been feeling sorry for myself lately. Poor me, I have no friends.

Okay...enough of the sappy stuff. Where have I been? I have been at home making a giant mess while decorating my house and driving myself crazy. It all started when my friend Paula came into town. We were supposed to have a quiet weekend away from home...a girl's weekend away. Then we got this half-baked idea to go out shopping for stuff to decorate my home. It was lots of fun, we spent way too much money, and then I sort of lost my mind. She got bad news from home and had to leave a day early which gave us less time to actually put the stuff in the house. I am such a good friend! Instead of being there for her in her hour of need, all I could think of was wait, you can't leave, you have to decorate my home! We got lots done but didn't get finished. That left me to finish...{cue scary music!}

I have been working on it for a week. Has it been only a week? It feels like forever. I have been looking for the perfect ottoman. I found the perfect one at Restoration Hardware for only $1100. Ack! Needless to say, as patient as he has been all through this, Gary said heck no! He's so unreasonable! Sheesh! So, I have been searching the internet and stores all hours of the day and night. I found one at a furniture consignment shop and thought it would work. So I brought it home, moved it into the house and thought it was a little too tall. I got the brillant idea to take the legs off and it was perfect! I was so happy. Then Gary came home and he was less than excited about it. The room had clutter in it from the mess I had made and he couldn't see it. So then I sent a picture to my friend and she thought it was so so. She wasn't crazy about the color, thought it was too beige.

Later that night, as I sat in my chair unresponsive to outside stimulus, Gary could see I was about to crack. He took matters into his own hands and called a decorator and asked if she could come over stat because his wife was slowly losing her mind. I love my husband...he could see I was slowly headed to lala land and so he called a decorator. What a man! She came over today. I love what she did. She even gave me compliments on the things that I had bought...on...my...own! I have enough stuff to decorate five homes but have never used and she used a lot of it. What a relief!

Anyway... here are the pictures. I wish I had before pictures but I forgot to do that. What do you think?

My family room with the main focus being the fireplace instead of the TV. Carson thinks the main focus should be the TV though. That is his permanent spot.

Another view of the family room. Look, Carson is still in the same spot!

My wonderful fireplace. Don't you just love it?

This is the living room. I still have a few things to do in here, but it is such an improvement over what it was!

So, now I want people over so I am having a open house/come tell me what you think luncheon on Wednesday, Sept. 16th at 11:00 am. Please say you'll come (and that you'll bring some luncheon item to share). I know that is tacky, but if I try to do all the food by myself I'll crack. Let me know if you can come. It will be fun...there might even be chocolate!

Don't Touch The Tummy

2009-08-11T10:15:00.002-05:00

When I was growing up there was a lady at church that would walk down the halls in her tent dress (it was the 70-80s and when you were pregnant, clothes did not touch you anywhere) with her blue velvet sneakers and way too much makeup yelling don't touch the tummy. Needless to say, no one touched her tummy and a path was cleared in one second so she could get through.

Why am I telling you this story you ask?! I felt the need to explain why I will be walking the halls at church in a tent dress yelling don't touch the tummy (I think the excessive makeup and blue velvet sneakers would be too much). A few months ago I started a new medication which is working great except for the one side affect which is weight gain. I have gained about 30 lbs in the past three months. I know that it is tempting to touch someone's belly when they have gained weight (just ask my aunt who felt the need to do that while giving my the "you got fat" look...no, I didn't smack her) but please don't. It hurts my feelings and makes me want to smack someone.

The only diet I know is the "get pregnant, throw up for three months, gain maybe 20 lbs, have a baby, then nurse for a year" diet. It works great...after about 4 months of nursing Emily I weighed less than 100 lbs. The sad reality though is I can't have another baby so that diet is out. The weekly XXL bag of M&Ms diet has not been working for me either. It seems that the only "diet" that works is changing to a healthy diet of veggies (yuck!!!), fruit, and whole grains. That diet works because you would rather starve than eat all that healthy stuff. Oh and I forgot the exercise (double yuck!!!), you must exercise. So I am going to try that with a nutritional supplement called Isagenix. If you notice I lose weight please compliment me. If I just keep gaining please don't say "you don't sweat much for a fat girl". That will hurt my feelings too.

I also need to start stepping on the scales which is something I really try to avoid. I found out though that I have been doing it wrong. This is the correct way to weigh yourself:

What do you think? Is this the better way?

I Tried Jumping Into Life...

2009-08-10T17:43:00.000-05:00

I suggested that everyone should jump into life and enjoy it. I tried to follow my own advice when we were at the beach, but I've decided I am just plain old dull and boring. I tell myself every year that this will be the year that I spend every day frolicking on the beach (okay, I never frolic) but I will atleast go to the beach...in my bathing suit...and actually go into the water (shudder). I never do it and I am then mad at myself until the next year when I look out towards the beach, stick my foot out the door to see how hot it is (usually blazing), and decide that the best place to be is in the house with A/C, eating all the junk food. I then decide that maybe tomorrow I will put on a bathing suit. Probably not though because...well, it just ain't pretty. Then the cycle starts over and I am mad at myself for yet another year!

I did manage to go out of the house one day for our annual family picture. We took a very nice picture except I had to kneel down in the sand and water because Carson was freaking out (I know there he is looking like an angel). We took pictures with all of us wearing the Lori Udy's (my sister) 5K run/walk t-shirt.

After the whole family picture we took our little family picture. It only took 7 tries to get two good (good for us) pictures:

Then we decided to do the jumping pictures. Let me just say that Lori made it look so easy, but jumping is not an easy thing to do and...well, just take a look:

Boys Jumping...Take 1

Boys Jumping...Take 2

Boys Jumping...Take 3

Boys Jumping...Take 4

and we have a winner!!!

Girls Jumping...Take 1

and we have a winner!!!

Dad, Mom, and Carson Jumping: Take 1

Dad, Mom and Carson Jumping: Take 2

Dad, Mom, and Carson Jumping: Take 3

This was when we decided we are just too old for this stuff. Do you see me trying to lift my body off the steps? It's hard work...so hard that the only way Gary could do it was sticking out his tongue. The first jump we didn't get Carson far enough up and he scratched his foot on the steps. The second jump I am really trying to jump high and Gary missed the "jump" part of ready, set, jump by a split second. The third jump we jumped so fast we were a blur (ha!) Then Chris and Emily stepped in to help their old mom and dad out. Chris was so busy trying to help Carson that he forgot to jump, but look at the pure joy on Carson's face. He knows how to jump into life and enjoy.

The moral of the story? Enjoy life, but do it the way you enjoy doing it, not the way someone else enjoys it.

The End

Heaven....I'm In Heaven

2009-07-30T16:17:00.000-05:00

Jared's best friend from Florida came into town yesterday. I have not heard one scream since then. What do you get when the kids are playing nicely, do not hit or scream at each other, or cry? One very happy mom. I even got to sleep in. Ahhhhh...life is good (atleast for now).

Jump Into Life And Enjoy It

2009-07-28T20:59:00.000-05:00

We are going to Florida on Friday. This is our trip that we take every year...one of our favorite family traditions. We spend a week on the beautiful beaches of Florida (I love the white sand). We eat lots of junk, laugh a lot, get together with extended family, play games, make lots of noise, relax, and eat more junk.

I am having a hard time with the trip this year. This will be the first time that we will go to the beach without my sister. Her husband and children will be there, but she won't. We have always laughed a lot because she was so entertaining. She told stories that no one would believe, unless you knew her. She loved to sit on the porch or walk with my dad in the early morning when everyone else was sleeping. Last year she was too tired to walk so she was sitting on the beach and saw some dolphins swim by. She was trying to get my dad's attention so he could see them too and wishing she could see them closer. Then one of the dolphins turned around, swam up close to her, jumped out of the water and then swam away. She got her wish. She was so happy.

My sister and her husband had a tradition of their own. They would get a picture of themselves jumping off the boardwalk. They have one of just the two of them, then the three of them, then the four of them. She had the pictures hung on her wall when I went to Florida for her funeral. Such a simple tradition, but what a beautiful memory for her children.

I think if she were here she would tell me to jump into life and enjoy it. I'm going to try harder. Maybe we will even take a jumping picture this year. So...from my sister to you...don't be afraid to jump into life and enjoy it.

Pioneer Children Didn't Sing THAT Song

2009-07-24T06:16:00.000-05:00

Emily has been asking me ~~every single minute of the day~~ for a few weeks for a nightgown like the one I made for Kinsey for her Pioneer Trek. I have been ~~dreading~~ so excited to make her one so the other day I finally did. She has been wearing the thing day and night (with the Laura Ingalls bonnet) for a few days now and can't wait for the Pioneer Day celebration at our church.

I have been trying to enjoy the summer with my children. It is very difficult though when they don't listen to me. For example, I ordered a cheap Book of Mormon for everyone so they would have them for scripture reading. Laura Ingalls aka Emily quickly claimed one and started reading it. Laura Ingalls was starting to get on my nerves because she had been asked several times to go change and then do her kitchen chore. I told Laura Ingalls in my best mad mom voice that if she didn't GO CHANGE NOW AND THEN DO HER KITCHEN CHORE that Laura Ingalls would have to go away for a really long time because she was causing too much trouble. Laura Ingalls then said "but Mom, I'm reading the Book of Mormon right now. It's a REALLY GOOD BOOK!!" I then told her to put the book away and go change. I know, I know bad mom example #1,000,000,001. All she wanted to do was read the Book of Mormon, sheesh!

Later on in the day, I heard someone pounding on the floor with music playing. I quickly figured out that dance dance revolution was being played by Carson and Laura Ingalls. Laura Ingalls was singing along to the music. She learned one line of the song and sang it over and over again. I hate it when she does that because then I get the song stuck in my head. She is upstairs singing over and over in her very loud, very best impersonation of whoever sang this song "I NEED SOME HOT LOVE BABY TONIGHT!" I should have gone upstairs and turned that song off and told her in no uncertain terms that the song is very inappropriate! Instead, I laid in my bed wondering where I had gone wrong! I know, I know, bad mom example #1,000,000,002.

So, pioneer day is today. I hope you are ready to celebrate. You should dress up like Laura Ingalls (or her dad if you are a boy). We are going to go to the celebration at the church. We are going to learn about how the pioneers distracted themselves as they walked and walked. Do you think they sang "I need some hot love baby tonight"?

For those of you who are thinking "boy, she really knows her church history", I did not know it was Pioneer Day today. That is until Gary got up this morning and asked me if I would like to make him some oatmeal in honor of pioneer day today. I said no. He is part of the handcart group that got caught in the storm and he has to go hungry. I guess I should go be a nice wife and make him some oatmeal. Sigh!

My Love/Hate Relationship With Ikea

2009-07-13T08:05:00.000-05:00

Several years back I found out about Ikea and ordered their catalog. At the time, I was living in Orlando and there wasn't one near by. I would look through the catalog and drool over their stuff and marvel at how inexpensive they were. Gary knew about this relationship of mine with Ikea, but he was not jealous at all! One morning he called me and said "guess what?! I just heard on the radio that an Ikea is opening up here in a year." Well, to say I was excited would be an understatement...I couldn't wait for it to come to town so I could go and spend all of our money. Gary, on the other hand, was not so excited. He was not jealous or nervous because I couldn't shop at Ikea, just drool, but now it was coming to town and he was a little worried about our bank account. So...what does any man who is worried about his bank account do? He starts looking for a job in another state and moves his family across the country away from Ikea before it is even finished. I was so sad. I had missed seeing this wonderful place by a few months.

His plan backfired though, because he moved us to a place with an Ikea just minutes from our home. He called me from Texas one morning before we had gotten here and said "guess what. I am driving by Ikea right now." He even took a picture of the sign with his cell phone and sent it to me. I told him to stop and go check it out. He did, but he wasn't very impressed except that they did have good cinnamon rolls.

I could not believe he wasn't impressed. How can you not be impressed with a place that you can shop, eat, and even let your children play but doesn't charge a lot? I figured he was trying to discourage me so I wouldn't go and spend all of our money. So...one of the first things we did when we were all in Texas was to go to Ikea. We shopped, we ate, and as much as I hate to admit it...he was right. It wasn't that great. I felt like I was in the midst of a herd of cattle being pushed through the store. If I wanted to look at something I felt like I was stopping the normal flow of cattle and I would get run over.

So, here it is a few years later, and I still won't go to Ikea by myself. My reasons being that I can't push their dumb carts through the store, you have to walk through the whole store to get the one thing you want (boy am I tired!) and their food reminds me of the lunchroom cafeteria in elementary school (YUK!).

Gary and I went there on Saturday because we were looking for a chair for Carson, a desk for Jared, and a TV cabinet for our loft. We did not want to spend a lot of money for them either. When we got there we decided to try the play place for Carson. He was very excited to go play. After giving them our fingerprints, blood type, license, and 5 other forms of ID (I may be exaggerating a tiny bit) they let him in to play and gave us one of those restaurant buzzers and an hour to shop. So we were off, with the rest of the cattle.

Gary asked me if they had a chair that I liked for our living room because I had rearranged the furniture and we didn't have enough seats for our whole family anymore. I picked out a chair I liked but he couldn't hear me and kept walking. I kept saying it louder but by that time we had already been prodded past the chair by the people behind us who thought they were at the Indy 500. Then I got the "you are just as important as they are. If you want to look at a chair just stop and they can just go around you" speech. By this time I was annoyed (we were about 20 feet from the entrance of the store) and ready to go home. I kept plodding along even though you can't really look at anything in the store because if you stop you will get run over by the dumb carts that are completely out of control.

We found the chair we were looking for, the TV cabinet that isn't what I really wanted but will do for the good price, and saw a desk that we think will work for Jared. We still had to go through the rest of the store though. At the very end of the cattle run, we started looking for the things we needed with the aisle and bin numbers we had written down. Wouldn't you know they were out of the things we needed?! Gary went to stand in line to ask if they had anymore and I went to get Carson because our hour was up.

I went to the play place and gave them my proof that he was mine (even though he was yelling hi mom from across the play place). Then they called his name and expected him to come running over to his mom. Well, he made it perfectly clear that he was not ready to leave "NO MOMMY NO!!! So the girl working there said "Carson it's time to leave your mom is here." "NO!" Then another girl tries to reason with him...which doesn't work for most kids, but definitely not one with down syndrome (they are known for their stubbornness). Then they come and ask me if I have anything to bribe him with. Ummm...let's see...bodily harm? I even gave them permission to pick him up and bring him to me. Then she says "well, you can come back and get him, but we have to call a manager first" What?!! A manager? The manager is apparently the gate keeper. He lets the parent in, escorts the parent to the child, and says "okay _______, it's time to go." So after waiting 5 minutes for the manager, he lets me in, asks me which child is mine, escorts me over to Carson, and tells Carson it's time to go. "No!" So I drag him out of there as he screams "no, mommy, no!" As we sit down to put his shoes on he starts doing the pee pee dance and says "no pee pee". I throw his shoes on and start dragging him to the bathroom. Oh, yes, I am really over this trip to Ikea. I am no longer feeling the love!

We find Gary, who is waiting in line to pay...he did find everything. It was all in a completely different spot than what those signs said. Carson sees the picture of the ice cream cone and starts screaming for ice cream so I decide to get out of there fast and go get the car. I get him out to the car by reminding him that he has lemonade out in the car (ema-ade? yay!!) We load everything up and go home vowing to remember that we hate Ikea and will never go back!

On the Sabbath day (we were just asking for trouble) we decided to put it all together so we wouldn't have heavy boxes in the house all week (like how I justify?). It all goes together smoothly until the very last piece. It has a hole in it, which will show if we use it so guess what?! I have to go back to Ikea today to beg and plead for one part that is in one of three boxes. I just don't know if I can do Ikea twice in one week! Please pray for me!

Update: I managed to pull together the courage to go to Ikea today. They were actually very nice and efficient. They offered me 30% off or they would open a box and give me a new piece. I called Gary to get his opinion and of course he went with the money. I agreed since it was the top piece and won't show if we put a basket up there. So I left Ikea with a $74 credit. Hmmm...what should I do with all that money. I know, I'll go to the Ross across the street and spend it. So that's what I did. Turns out, for a price, I will change my tune. Today, Ikea is not such a bad place!

Appy Autday To Me?

2009-07-09T23:00:00.000-05:00

Appy Autday to you

Appy Autday Dear Carson

Appy Autday to you!

Happy Birthday to our cute 7 year old!

Love, Dad, Mom, Chris, Kinsey, Jared, and Emily

That's Soooo Random

2009-07-07T20:01:00.000-05:00

I changed my blog background. I was bored with the first one and the last one reminded me of pepto bismol...too much pink.

Thank you to all the nice comments...even the crazy ones! If I am going crazy, it's because it's summer vacation and all I've heard in the house is Spongebob, Ferb, I Carly, Arthur tv shows and the always favorite "what...I shot that guy, this game is so cheap!" Carson is trying to set the new world record in the say momeeee category and someone else is trying to set the world record in making their sister tell on them. Summer is so fun. When are they going to start year-round school here?

I had another dream (I don't dream that often). This time someone was screaming so loud it woke me up. Turns out it wasn't a dream...it was my children. Don't they know that screaming before 8 am is not allowed?!!! This was after I got up at 6:00 so I could get in the shower before Gary to get ready for an early doctor's appointment that isn't until tomorrow (I hate it when I do that!) Gary decided to look at the positive side and say "you got ready really early". Yes, I always appreciate his positive attitude early in the morning!

Everyone went to the library today with friends. Carson and I stayed home. Carson doesn't like to stay home and started crying so I decided to distract him with a craft. We cut up little pieces of yellow, brown, blue, green, and red paper and then glued them to a Spongebob picture. He had lots of fun cutting paper and gluing. I've decided that I am too much of a perfectionist even when it comes to kids crafts. He kept getting mad at me for taking his pieces of paper off and moving them so that they would be inside the lines. I know, I know...bad mother!!

isn't it cute...look he even wrote his name

I was invited to go to Girl's Night Out at Dell Diamond. I hadn't replied yet, so I did today. I said "no". Everyone else was giving a reason so I did too. My choices were to lie and say I was busy or to tell the truth: (a)I don't like baseball, (b) it's too hot, (c)Dell Diamond isn't air-conditioned, or (d) all of the above. I chose c. Afterall, this is Texas and it is summer...shouldn't they have put cold air in the place?!!! I should have chosen d though because that would have been the more honest answer!

I took Jared to swimming camp today. We have a rule that you can't sit in the front seat of the car until you turn 12. He is 12 so now he's old enough. He decided to play "banana" today while we were driving, which means that every time you see a yellow car you say "banana" and tap (or hit in his case) someone. Emily was also in the car because I was taking her to a friend's house. She was his first victim and I told him to stop after he "tapped" her. Then she got out of the car and I was his second victim. I told him if he didn't stop I was going to make him walk to Cedar Park. Yeah...he knows I won't! I think I might change the age to 14!

I may have a bit of a negative attitude. I should probably go eat some chocolate except I don't have any. I just called Gary and asked him to bring some home. He asked what kind. I said every kind. I can tell that my goal to cut back on sugar and chocolate is not going to happen until after summer vacation. Only 48 more days!

he's so good to me...especially when I want chocolate!

I Always Thought John Ritter Was A Nice Guy!

2009-07-06T11:17:00.000-05:00

I had a dream last night that John Ritter showed up at my front door. He pushed his way in and took a check written for lots of money that was hanging in a bag by the door. I asked why he was taking the check and who wrote it. He said that my husband said he would leave a check for him. I replied that my husband wasn't even home to write a check and then he took off running. I started to run after him yelling "help"! Everyone in the neighborhood ignored me.

I'm sure that any self-respecting dream interpreter would say that I dreamed that because the people reading my blog are not commenting. So...if you want me to sleep at night...tell me who you are and what you think of my blog. I'm not below begging (or is that above...hum, I'm not sure!) Pleeeeeease?!!!!

Socially Unacceptable

2009-07-02T08:17:00.000-05:00

I am a social outcast. I can dress myself up, but I can't take myself anywhere. Last night I went out with friends (that's right...I have friends...yay) to celebrate Chelon's birthday. My friend Cathey came with me and I think everyone had to come up and introduce themselves to her because I didn't think to do it. The other night I went to introduce her to a member of our Bishopric, I told him her name and then said "and this is.......somebody?" How lame is that? He said "I'm her best friend Brother James." Yeah, I knew that, I was just testing him.

We had a fun night. I laughed at things (some I didn't get...I know, sad). We discussed my insomnia in detail. They gave suggestions. We discussed book club. I think I might go next month. Maybe I will even have a comment about the book that night. Tammy thinks I can't stay out so late, but I managed to stay out until midnight last night. I know, impressive. Right?!?

A few things I learned...I was the oldest person there (how did that happen...I used to be the youngest), my bra size is smaller than most (I know better than to complain about that), melatonin is the thing to take for insomnia, and the best doctor in town is Dr. Spelling. Spandex is the best thing to wear when you are going to the Cheesecake Factory. Oh, and you should eat all of your cheesecake before you get home because at least 1 person will be waiting up ready to pounce. You are probably not the only one in your family that likes cheesecake.

It was a fun night. Thank you to my friends for inviting me. I think I managed to make it through the night without offending anyone. Maybe I'm not a complete social outcast...just don't expect me to introduce you to anyone I bring with me. I just don't remember things like that. Oh...and if I give you a blank stare, you might want to explain the joke to me. I kind of live a sheltered life.

Happy Birthday, Chelon! I hope you have a great day.

To be a Pioneer

2009-06-29T15:35:00.000-05:00

Hi, I'm Kinsey. My mom is the writer of this blog. She wanted me to write about my experiences on a Pioneer Trek I went on. Pioneer Trek is when a large group of the youth in a stake gets together and sees what it was like for the pioneers to go from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah. We didn't go that far, only 25 miles, well actually that is a long way, but not as long as the pioneers. We walked for two and a half days pulling handcarts and dressed up as pioneers (I had to wear a long sleeve/ankle length dress with an apron, pantaloons, and a bonnet.) There were about 15 families on the trek. There was a Ma, Pa, Aunt, Uncle, five boys, and five girls. My family was the McBride family from either Scotland or Ireland. At night we slept under the stars, we usually went to bed at about one or two in the morning and woke up at six. I didn't like the food until the last day (but others said it was the best food they had ever tasted, maybe I am just really picky.)In each family there would be four awards to give to family members that had shown what that award symbolized. The awards were for Unity, Service, Spirituality, and Authenticity. I got spirituality for reading my Book of Mormon and writing in my journal every night. My big brother got service for carrying people that didn't want to get wet across the river. The unity award was for working hard to get the family to work together and to enjoy each others company. And the Authenticity award was for acting the most like a pioneer and trying hard to understand what it was like to be a pioneer. On the second night of the trek we had a hoe down. Earlier that day Bishop Roberts (he was in charge of planning and putting Trek together) announced some people whom had died that day on the Trek (I was one of them) he called out our names, we went up and "walked through the veil." I found out that they just needed a person from each family to help set up for the hoedown. When we were done we were resurrected and went back to our families. They were happy to see me....At the hoedown, the big brothers and sisters taught everyone else how to square dance. There was also some really, really good homemade root beer.

Friends Never Say Goodbye

2009-06-29T09:53:00.000-05:00

One of Carson's favorite people in the world is his Nana. She has been living in Texas for the last year, but decided to move back to St. George, UT. Gary drove her back this past weekend and then flew home on Sunday. Carson was really upset that he didn't get to go with them so he refused to kiss Nana or even say goodbye to her. He didn't really understand what was going on so everytime the front door opened this weekend he would say "hi dad" then would be very disappointed when one of us would say "hi Carson". I let him go with me to the airport to pick up Gary. He was very excited...Yay, Dad! He tried to take a nap on the way, but I told him to stay awake or he would miss finding Dad...Yay Dad! We found him, Carson was very excited for a minute and then let him know he was still mad at him for leaving. He even said no when Gary offered him chocolate, but then came to his senses and accepted it...I guess it's easy to forgive when you offer chocolate! He's still not sure what's going on because he put on his shoes this morning so he could go to Nana's house. I told him she wasn't there and his shoulders sunk to his knees as he walked away dejected. It's so sad when one of your best friends moves away:(

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off To Camp We Go

2009-06-22T12:42:00.000-05:00

This is my 12 year old, Jared. He is off to camp for a week. He had to be at HEB at 5:00 this morning so we woke up at 4:30. I was ~~excited~~ sad to send my son off to camp. A whole week without Jared...what are we going to do? I'll tell you what we did...the happy dance! Is that wrong? We waited until he was gone!

The feeling was mutual. He was ready to go to camp. He got up right when he was told, was dressed in 5 minutes (even his shoes), ate breakfast, brushed his teeth, and was ready to go right on time! Read my Sabbath Day Bliss to see what a miracle that is.

He's been getting his things ready for about a week. I printed off the list for him and the first things he asked for were matches and a pocket knife. I told him to skip those and get the other stuff on the list. He followed me all over the house asking for matches and a knife over and over again. That child is persistant. He finally got the matches last night. Then at 10:00 (pm) he told me he needed me to do laundry...he didn't have enough clean clothes to go to camp!?! Oh, that child will be the death of me!

This is my 14 year old daughter, Kinsey. She went off to camp too. She loves camp and looks forward to it all year. She was excited this year to be able to bunk with her good friend, Brittany.

We had to do some last minute shopping for a few things, but for the most part she was ready to go. All of her clothes were clean, she didn't ask for matches or a pocket knife...only food! Lots and lots of snack food. A good mother would say 'no' but I think if you are going to be out in the good old outdoors without air conditioning, you need some good snacks to get you through the week.

I really will miss them both. It's so fun to see your children excited about going to camp. I have to admit, I even like the boy that follows me around asking me for a knife and matches. There's just something about a boy that loves dirt, fire, and knives (in a completely non-destructive way) that makes a mom smile!

To All The Dads I've Loved Before

2009-06-21T20:59:00.000-05:00

I've had fathers on the brain today. I have been thinking of all that have had an influence on me in my lifetime. There is my own dad. He taught me to be honest, to love this country, to say please and thank you, to clean up after myself, to chew with my mouth closed. He taught me to drive a car, to be responsible, to work hard, and to be nice to people. He was the first man to love me. He just buried his youngest daughter...something that no dad should ever have to do. Daddy, I love you.

There was the dad that baptized our family, Elder Fred Duersch, Sr. He had planned on going on a mission with his wife, but she passed away before they were able. At the age of 65 he went on a mission serving with 19 year old boys. He taught by example how to love and serve others and to listen to the prophet. He dug up our yard to plant a garden, he gave us money to travel to the temple, he went through the temple with us and was then able to come to my wedding. He bore his testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. He answered every letter we wrote him and sent us money to start a missionary fund for our children. What a wonderful example to me.

There have been many bishops that have had an impact on my life, but none more than Bishop John Norris. He was my bishop when Carson was born. He heard that we had a child with Down Syndrome and rushed to the hospital to see what we needed. He told us how lucky we were and what a great gift we had been given. He gave me a blessing that I would be at peace. He would come to Enrichment meetings and walk the halls with Carson so I could enjoy the meeting. It was a very special time that I will never forget.

Gary's dad, James Warburton was another dad that influenced my life. Mostly by teaching his son how to be a good husband and father. He raised a loving and kind son. The most important thing he did was love Gary's mom.

The dad that was Carson's physical therapist. He taught Carson how to walk and step up on a curb. He bounced him on a giant ball while Carson screamed and cried. He sat on a swing with him, swinging back and forth to strengthen his muscles. He didn't do it for the money, he did it because he loved kids with special needs and wanted to help them. I was so happy the day that my son quit doing the bear crawl and stood up and walked. What a great day. Thanks, Tom.

There are so many others. I think this dad is pretty special:

This is my husband of eighteen years. Gary and I have been through alot. He has seen me cry, scream, get mad. We have laughed and had good times together. We have had five beautiful, talented and smart children. He is kind and patient. I have never heard him say a negative thing about anyone. He is a wonderful example of Christlike love and service. I love you, Gary.

this is their serious "pioneer" pose...the big kids can't help but laugh

These are the future dads (and moms) in my life. I hope that I can teach them to be like the dads that taught me. If they are anything like them, they will have blessed children.

I have also been thinking about my Heavenly Father. I'm so grateful that He knows my heart and my intentions. He know my strengths and weaknesses. He love me unconditionally. I am one blessed daughter of God and I am so grateful!

Happy Father's Day!

Something Else I'm Wondering...

2009-06-19T19:55:00.000-05:00

Why did I bother to mop during the summer? I'm already sticking to the floor again!

I Wonder...

2009-06-19T13:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I bought a mop...The Libman Wonder Mop. As I was using it this morning I wondered why they call it the Wonder Mop. It's not like it's wonderful. It's a mop for heaven's sake. Then I wondered what kind of mop other people use. I've used all sorts of mops...the Swiffer WetJet (yuk), the Hoover Floor Mate (wasn't crazy about it), the sponge mops (awful), and the hands-and-knees method of mopping (I know the floor is clean). I must admit, I hate mopping. Then I wondered if other people liked to mop. You know like some people love to fold laundry, some people love to mow the yard, and some people like to do dishes.

As I finished mopping the entire downstairs, the lightbulb went on. I know why it's called the Wonder Mop. It makes you wonder while you mop. I wonder what mop is your favorite? My favorite is the one that the cleaning lady is holding. You know...that person you pay money to come to your house, clean it, and when they leave it smells good...for about 5 minutes if you're lucky.

If you're wondering...the Wonder Mop is okay. It was better after I figured out that you have to turn the thing at the bottom to get the excess water out. Before that, I wondered why they had a wringer on the mop if it didn't wring out the water. It was just a big wet mess on my floor. I guess if all else fails, read the instructions... or hire a maid. I wonder if my husband would mind?

We Will Love Him And Call Him George

2009-06-19T05:17:00.001-05:00

This cute cat showed up on our doorstep one morning. It was very friendly and gentle. The kids were very excited and ran out to pet the cat we named "George". George liked to run into the house every time we opened the door. Then the kids would chase him and Carson would scream (he doesn't like anything that is furry and moves.) We put him back outside and figured he'd be gone soon. The next time we opened the door the same thing happened. The kids were beginning to think the cat was their pet. The only problem with the solution of adopting the cat is that Gary is allergic to cats. That is one of the big tragedies in Kinsey's life...her dad is allergic to cats. In fact, on her list of qualities in a husband, "can't be allergic to cats or is willing to take Zyrtec" is at the top of her list.

After a few days of the cat running in, Gary got annoyed and threw the cat off the porch (not in a cruel way) and yelled at the cat to go away. The kids were very upset with him. He got this email later on in the day:

Hi Mr. Man-who-threw-me-off-the-porch,

Shanon let me in and gave me a nice warm bowl of milk. I am now laying down for a nap in your bed on your pillow. Meow! Thank you for your hospitality. Your family loves me, hugs me, squeezes me and calls me...

George the Cat

As you can imagine, Gary was very afraid I had gone off my rocker and had really let the cat in the house. This is his response:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH………………My pillow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! …………..AAAAAAAAAAAAAaHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

To which George replied:

oh...and I am using your slippers for a litter box so be careful what you put your feet in!!!

Meow! George

I'm not sure why Gary wonders if his wife is evil.

We had just about convinced Gary to let us keep him when the cat took off for greener pasture (or someone who would feed him and let him come inside). We really miss him. He gave us lots of excitement and a little bit of screaming for a few days. Just what we need around here.

Tempting...But No

2009-06-17T06:03:00.000-05:00

One day my sister, Lori, was at a convenience store filling up her gas tank. This charming man (a stranger) walked up to her and said "wanna go to the muud hole....and get durty?!!!" Surprisingly, she didn't take him up on his offer.

She always had a good story to tell. Anyone have a funny story to share? I'm missing my sister today and could use a laugh!

Of Course I Rotate The Tires...How Do You Think I Got Here?

2009-06-16T22:04:00.000-05:00

Recently my parents were on a cross-country trip when the car's maintenance light came on. My dad insisted on going to the nearest Honda dealership. Was there anything wrong with the car? Nope, it was just time for the oil to be changed.

I was reminded of this today as I was driving my car that is desperately in need of an oil change. My car starts off by gently reminding me that it is time. "Excuse me, when you have the time I could use some clean oil and maybe a new filter. No hurry, though, just whenever you get to it." The maintenance light comes on as I am starting the car and stays on a few seconds longer than normal. If I ignore it, the light will start blinking after I start the car. "I don't mean to be a bother, but I could really use an oil change. It's been 4 months and the oil is starting to look like a bad cup of coffee." This is when the car has just had enough. "Okay, fine. If you are going to ignore me then I will start to break one piece at a time." The maintenance light stays on...like it's yelling at me. Then the automatic door quits working and the locks only work sometimes. I should probably take care of it at this point. If I don't, the hatchback might fall on my head as I'm loading the groceries. Not that I know this from experience or anything.

I guess it's time for me to visit Jiffy Lube....and maybe take a couple of Ibuprofen.

Update: Gary replaced the things in the hatchback. Yay...no more loading with one hand while holding with the other. Just so Gary would know that the car still needed an oil change...the hatchback fell on his head while he was fixing it. He might need a couple of Ibuprofen, too. This car sure is touchy!

No Smackdown Today

2009-06-15T22:05:00.000-05:00

The kids were very good today. Jared mowed the yard and tried very hard to resist the urge to bother anyone. Emily did all of her chores and came home with a wonderful watercolor painting she did in art. Carson was Mister Crankypants, but he's so cute when he's cranky. He played in the pool and went to the park with his daddy. Everyone (including Gary) enjoyed Carson's new toy...a wooden toolbox with tools and screws. We had a friend over for Emily, Jared went to his swim camp and is getting better at the breaststroke, and I shredded four bags of old papers. I'm averaging about 4-5 hours of sleep a night, but still getting more done than I have the last 2 years that I have been here in Texas. I'm hoping the sandman comes soon and puts an extra dose of sleepy sand over me so I can sleep tonight. It was a good day, though. A "no smacking" day is a good day! I love my kiddos!

Sabbath Day Bliss

2009-06-15T06:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I woke up very early (2 am). Needless to say, that does not make for a very energetic and cheerful mom. At 7 am I tried to lovingly wake everyone up for church. After about 5 minutes of love I screamed at my 12 year old to get out of bed right now and get ready for church!!!!! At 7:15 am Carson came down the stairs with poop dropping out of his pajama pants with each step. At 7:20 am I was bathing Carson and getting him ready for church. At 7:30 am I was hooking up the carpet cleaner to clean all the steps with poop on them. At 7:35 am I was listening to Emily scream because Jared was sitting on top of her feet. At 7:36 am I was screaming at Jared to get ready for church this instant or ELSE!!!!!!!!! At 7:40 am I went in to get ready for church (luckily I had a shower the night before). At 7:45 am I realized that my hair was not going to do a thing unless I got it wet. At 7:50 am I was bent over the bathtub with my bum in the air trying to get my hair under the faucet to get it wet. At 7:55 am I blow dry my hair. At 8 am I put on the second skirt and third shirt of the day because I have outgrown all my clothes (that chocolate is not doing a thing for my waistline except expanding it). At 8:05 am I put my makeup on (I know you're surprised I wear makeup, you probably thought I just had natural beauty. Ha!*) At 8:10 am I find my shoes and get the church bag ready to go. At 8:15 I tell everyone it's time to go. At 8:20 I tell everyone to come on, it's time to go. Jared comes down with one shoe, but can't find the other one. AHHHHHHH!!!!! At 8:25 am we finally leave. At 8:26 am Emily is upset because Jared is in her space. At 8:27 am Carson is screaming because Jared is bothering him. At 8:27 am I am screaming at Jared to leave everyone alone. We finally have a bit of peace (a very small bit). At 8:55 am we arrive at church. Gary (who left at 7:10 am for a meeting) is sitting there all smiles and asks how my morning was and if the poop came out of the carpet. At 9:05 am I resist the urge to smack my husband in front of the bishopric. At 9:10 am I tell my husband I am leaving after sacrament meeting. At 9:15 I leave the meeting to take Carson to the bathroom (he loves the echo in the family bathroom). At 9:20 am Jared comes and sits beside me after passing the sacrament. At 9:25 Jared wants a piece of paper and a pencil. At 9:30, 9:35, 9:40, 9:45, 9:50, 9:55, and 10:00 Jared either wants something or pokes me. At 10:05 I resist the urge to smack my 12 year old in front of the bishopric. At 10:10 I took Carson to primary but his teacher wasn't there so I took him home with me. At 10:40 am I come home to a very messy kitchen. The rest of the day is kind of a blur...more of the same. I went to bed at 9:00 pm. I was very tired. I woke up at 2:00 am this morning. I guess today will be more of the same......a blur. Oh, and the bishopric won't be here so there may be some smacking!

*or you are thinking...she puts make up on and still looks like THAT?!!!

How To Compromise Or Why I'm A Chocoholic

2009-06-13T06:06:00.000-05:00

Another set of emails I never deleted.

Dear Gary, I am patiently waiting for the email from you that tells me your computers are so slow that you are going to come pick up Jared at 9:30, take him to see the doctor, go thru a drive thru to get him some lunch and then take him back to school. I know you are going to do that because you love me so much and you're concerned that I might just end up in the loony bin or the cardiac unit. I'm waiting.......Love, Shanon PS You can even work late and I won't be mad!

Dear Shanon, You can do it, you can do it, you can do it. Just keep repeating to yourself, I can do it and be happy. Love Gary

Dear Gary, I can't hear you...I'm still waiting for the email that tells me what I WANT to hear. Love, Shanon

Dear Shanon, Shouldn’t it be “ I can’t read you, I can't read you”? Thanks, Gary

Dear Gary, Whatever! Pleeeeeeeeeease?!!!!!!!!! (picture pouty lip). Shanon

Dear Shanon, Sadly, our system is actually working this morning. I must stay. Remember, Jared sometimes can be bribed with food. Love, Gary

Dear Gary, Stupid system! Jared isn't the problem (not this time anyway.) I'm imagining brain tumors, horrible cancers, diabetes, the list goes on and on. I'm going to be mad at you, but remember I can be bribed with chocolate. She walks away with a heavy sigh...

Shanon, Remember 2 Timothy 1:7 (Pres. Hinckley’s favorite) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of a love, and of a sound mind. Love, Gary

Gary, Thanks, Humpf! I was given the spirit of worry! I SAID I can be bribed with chocolate!!! Sigh.....

Dear Shanon, Don’t Worry the chocolate will be there tonight! Love, Gary

Luckily, when I went to pick up Jared he was taking a test so I rescheduled the appointment. I scheduled it for a day when Gary could take him...and he still brought chocolate. See how we compromise!

He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not...He Loves Me!

2009-06-12T22:37:00.000-05:00

I have a problem with email...I never delete anything (just like I never throw anything away). I might need them one day! I found this email exchange in my sent mail folder. I guess in February we were all sick. The health department even paid a visit. See?!!!

Dear Mr. Warburton,

I am writing to inform you that we have issued a quarantine on your home. If you know what's good for you, you will run for your life (and maybe check into a hotel!) Don't say I didn't warn you!!

The Health Department
(or the ill-health department)

Oh oh………is everyone sick now?

Dear Mr. Warburton,

All the girls are sick (although I think Emily is on the mend). Carson perked up this morning, but now that the ibuprofen has worn off he is pitiful. Shanon is in a cold medicine induced stupor. She has been ordered by the health department to go to bed...and NO COOKING!!! If you don't want your family to starve, you should probably drop off dinner at the door before you run for your life. She has also been ordered to not drive since she almost ran over the curb as she was leaving to pick up Kinsey. She said she will obey that order as soon as she picks up her oldest. Then she will come home and pass out...and yes she knows she is a whiner, but for heavens sake--she is sick!

Chris and Jared have not made it home yet, but it is only a matter of time. This is a very contagious virus.

We are very sorry to have to deliver all this bad news. Like we said, run as fast as you can to the nearest germ-free place...after you deliver the food!

Sincerely, The Health Department

Sounds like a very dangerous place to be. I may have to wear a face mask while in the premises. Sounds like a good night for chicken soup but I don’t know how to make it and I don’t think you want to eat at midnight. So I will think of some sort of good dinner.

He came home and made us soup...not the chicken soup I was hoping for but I digress. He wasn't even wearing a mask. He must really love me!

It wasn't really the health department...it was me. Shhhhh...don't tell Gary!

The Things I Learned While In The Closet

2009-06-12T09:13:00.000-05:00

Tornado season has arrived! A few days ago we were under a tornado warning but pretty much ignored it until the sky started to turn ugly and the wind started picking up. I love the new radar systems because they can tell you exactly when you should go into the closet during a bad storm so we decided to turn on the TV. In Florida it was always big news if there were hurricanes or tornadoes in the area, but when we turned on the one of the news channels here, it was the Magic vs the Lakers with a running commentary underneath and pictures of each county (unlabeled, I might add). We finally found a station without sports and they told us when the storm would hit Round Rock. ( I know you love your sports here in Texas, but we are having tornadoes for heaven sakes, give me the doplar radar!)

Carson and I went into the closet when they said it was near Round Rock. No one else wanted to go in because they wanted to see the storm on TV. When the TV went out they all started coming in. Not because they wanted to be safe but because I had the laptop. Carson and I were very comfortable until everyone started crowding around us. They wanted our spots. There were feet, pillows, and blankets everywhere. Then it started to get warm in there so I braved the elements and left the closet to make the air colder. When I came back in, everyone was thirsty so I once again braved the elements to get everyone a drink. By this time I had lost my comfy spot and the laptop so I had to find a new place to sit. I started moving stuff out of the closet. By this time everyone was hungry so I braved the elements once again to find some snacks. When I came back, Gary told me that the storm had passed and we could leave the closet. Oh...okay...as long as we're safe now.

So what I learned while in the closet...just stay out of the closet. Maybe even stand out in the yard and pray that the storm takes you quickly. It couldn't be as bad as being in a closet with a husband, 5 kids (and we only had 3 that night), a laptop, no food (except #10 cans with no can opener), no drinks, and lots of junk. Another thing I learned? That food in the 72 hour kits I made last year and put under my bed still tasted good....at least the dumdums. What an appropriate snack for the evening.

After the storm, I went up stairs and destroyed my couch with a hammer. I love demolition!

He Duz That All The Time

2009-06-10T22:03:00.001-05:00

Carson had an exciting day today. He was invited to a party. A birthday party for his friend Trevor. What do you do when you are invited to a party? Why, you go to Target to buy a birthday gift. Why Target? I don't know...I just love to browse through Target. It's so clean and organized and you can push a cart through the aisles. Nothing like that other place!

Carson doesn't enjoy browsing through Target as much as I do, but he tolerated it because he was excited about going to see the toys. Most people with a 6 year old would rather go to the dentist or have a baby without an epidural than go to the toy aisle. I am usually one of those people because it makes me sad. Carson has never gotten excited about the toys. He didn't seem to understand or pay attention. Today was different. He noticed the toys. He wanted to inspect every one. He was looking for the perfect gift for his friend. He said "bop" (stop) every time he saw a toy he liked. It was pure joy! I had the best time with him. He finally picked out a Spongebob Connect Four game. What does a mom who is in a good mood do? She buys two, of course! One for the birthday boy and one for Carson. I don't do it alot so you can't really call it spoiling!

We came home and wrapped the gift with robot paper and a robot card. Carson was enjoying this birthday party stuff. He was very excited to put on his suit and new water shoes and head to the party. We walked into party central and he ran right up to Trevor and gave him his gift and then decided to play the video game that Trevor was playing. Trevor handed the gift to me and said, "oh, this pwesent is fwom Cawson. He's oveh theh (points to TV). He duz that all the time!" It was so normal. A birthday boy having his friend come over for fun times and video games like it's something they do every weekend.

Carson played on the water slide...up and down, up and down. Splash, splash, splash. Normal stuff. I sat on the sidelines, talked to friends, relaxed. I enjoyed myself. I heard Carson screaming and someone said oh, don't worry...it's Carson laughing everytime they come down the slide. I helped make sno cones and passed out cupcakes. I laughed and enjoyed myself a lot.

I wish I could say "he duz that all the time" but he doesn't. Carson has Down Syndrome. He doesn't get invited to many parties. It's sad for a mom, luckily he doesn't know any different right now. He just had a fun time like he "duz it all the time." What a great day! Thanks Trevor, Jeannie, Katelynne, and Trey. You made a mom and boy smile. He had so much fun, he came home and fell asleep on the couch at 5:00. What a perfect day. A perfectly NORMAL day!

By-the-way, what would a perfectly normal mom do? She would forget her camera! If anyone has pictures of my Carson and Emily could I have a copy? Thanks!

Day 6

2009-06-09T22:58:00.000-05:00

Today Jared asked me if I was okay. When I asked why he said "well, you seem like you have a good attitude today." Yep...my kids will need lots of therapy when they're older!

HISMSV - Day 5

2009-06-08T16:28:00.000-05:00

You don't even want to know. Let's just say "stick a toothpick in me...I'm done!!!"

It all started when I woke up at 3:30 am and just got worse from there. My theory about having a clean kitchen was not true...my kitchen was spotless, but still I woke up early. I have driven children all over town, heard "mommeeeeee" a million and one times, and heard Emily tell Jared to "st-o-o-o-o-p" which he loves to hear because he didn't stop. Then it escalated into screaming which made Carson cry which resulted in them being sent to bed without dinner at 4:00. Can I scream like that, too?!! Maybe I should send myself to bed.

I'm tired and cranky and I want to go to Hershey, PA and eat all the chocolate in the town. Maybe sit in town square and pay someone to bring it to me. I think I should probably have my mouth sewn shut so I don't weigh 1000 lbs when this mood passes.

On a positive note: I finished the seat cushion for Emily's window seat. It only took me eight months to finish. It is very cozy and comfy. If I were her I would spend hours in there reading a book. She may be doing that since I sent her and Jared to bed.

Ahhhh...peace and quiet.

Happy Happy Birthday

2009-06-07T15:09:00.001-05:00

Happy, happy birthday, Daddy dear
Happy days will come to you all year.
If I had one wish then it would be
A happy, happy birthday to you from me.

This is my daddy, George Michael Welch. He was born on June 7, 1938 so today is his 71st birthday. He doesn't look a day over 50. A few things about my dad:

he is called by many names: I call him Daddy, my kids call him Papa, my mom calls him Mike, at work he was called Trooper Welch then Sergeant Welch and maybe Corporal in between, at church he is called Brother Welch, he is called a friend by many, some people call him stubborn, and some people call him things I can't say, but I'll just stick with Daddy since it's his birthday
he has this strange obsession with Adam's (you know, Adam and Eve Adam) belly button...he always asks the missionaries if Adam had a belly button, when they said yes he would ask why since he wasn't born then the poor missionaries would run screaming from the house...come to think of it, maybe it is an obsessions with torturing 19 year old missionaries
Sunday School teachers always love it when he raises his hand, because he usually has something thought provoking to add to the lesson.....or not
he loves classical music and the opera
he gets up early because that is the noble thing to do, but likes to take a nap every day.
he is very resourceful...in this picture he is using a cardboard juice box as a pillow
he is a gifted and talented woodcarver...he gives me a hand-carved Santa or piece of a nativity every year...it is something I will treasure forever!
all of his carvings and hand-made furniture have the ASL sign for "I love you"
he is left-handed and thinks that Jesus is left-handed
he loves his family
he was always very protective of me...I am his favorite daughter :-)

I love you, Daddy! Have a great day!

HISMSV - Days 3 and 4

2009-06-07T14:37:00.000-05:00

Do you count the weekend as part of summer vacation? I'm not sure....it's part of the summer, but it's not really vacation because then it would be vacation from the weekend so the kids should go to school. Right?!! You like how I think, don't you?

So anyway....if you do count it as summer vacation, this is what I did:

Day 3

Got up at 5:30 am, not the 2:30 that I predicted (yay!), but still way too early for a Sat. (boo!)
Cleaned the kitchen - are you noticing a pattern? maybe if I cleaned the kitchen at night I would be able to sleep in.
I did some laundry - yes, we are doing laundry all the time around here. It is NEVER caught up.
I helped Emily make cookies for the daddy/daughter activity. They were chocolate chip and the cookie dough was delicious.
I cleaned Carson's room and then kicked him out of his room so I could turn it into a scrapbook/craft/sewing/computer/homework room.
Moved Carson's stuff to the learning center. It is soooooo cute. It's like his own little dorm room. He loves it! We hung curtains up at the entry so he can have privacy, or not, whichever he chooses.
Picked Chris up from SAT test.
Went to Home Depot with Gary to get supplies to make Carson a small desk and book rack. Gary finished the desk and now has a new project to do. Poor man will never finish his to-do list because his wife has OCD and ADD tendencies.
Helped Gary make the desk.
Went to bed, couldn't sleep, got up, read a book, fell asleep on the couch.

Day 4

Woke up way to early (what is wrong with me, I used to sleep so well)?
Got ready for church.
We were late because I was asked at the last minute to teach Carson's class (it couldn't be helped...children never get sick early enough for good planning).
About 15 minutes into the meeting Carson wet his pants (and not with the sacrament water).
Took Carson to the bathroom, took off his wet clothes, and told him to stay there while I went to get a diaper or underwear.
Ran out to the car, found a diaper, and ran back inside.
Carson did not stay in the bathroom...he was standing in the foyer naked from the waist down (except white socks and sandals...yes, he is a fashion victim).
I didn't have extra pants, just a diaper so I took him back to the meeting with church shirt, sandals, white socks, and diaper...I expect babyGap to call any day now.
Decided the best thing to do was go home after sacrament meeting.
Found someone to substitute Carson's class for me (I was substituting for someone who was substituting for the regular teacher...got that?).
Went and visited with our friend Vilate...she hit us both in the head which I'm sure is her way of saying "I love you :-)"
Went home.
Wanted to take a nap but I can't seem to sit still long enough. One day I'll just drop off to sleep, right?!!

That's my summer vacation...weekend edition. If something exciting...like Carson sneaking out to the pool that still has poop water from yesterday and playing in it...happens, I'll let you know.

The Fwimi Poo

2009-06-05T19:52:00.000-05:00

Carson loves his fwimi soup (swimming suit). He also loves his fwimi poo (swimming pool). Speaking of poo...right after I took these pictures guess what?!? Yep, he pooped in the pool. When a little boy gets into his swimming, something like going potty is easy to forget. Add that to my list of exciting summer vacation activities...draining poo water and cleaning a poopy fwimi soup.

I think his talking is quite cute!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Day 2

2009-06-05T13:34:00.000-05:00

I know you are sitting on the edge of your seat for this one...so here goes:

woke up a 4:30 am (wiiiiide awake)
cleaned the kitchen
swept and mopped the kitchen floor
did two loads of laundry
went on the computer for a few minutes
woke Gary up at 6 am to go walking with me and he didn't even scream or throw a pillow at me...I know I would have (aren't double standards great!)
got Carson "boclate" breakfast drink
hauled a mattress and broken wagon out to the curb
called the garbage department to find out if I can put a sectional sofa by the curb...the answer is "yes" but only 1 big item a week (it will take me 5 weeks to get rid of the sofa)
went to my doctor's appointment...she hinted strongly that I should give up sugar...I can see the headline now "mom of 5 goes crazy after giving up sugar"...maybe summer vacation isn't the best time to do that
bought a pattern to make Emily a new nightgown (she liked Kinsey's so much)...ugh...more sewing!
learned that Emily can start a fire with a magnifying glass and a leaf and she likes the smell (should I be worried?)

learned a new song from Emily

Now the positive:

now that I have put the song in your head it will leave mine
I went shopping and bought myself something new
I enjoyed the walk...it was a great way to start the day with my hubby
I made banana bread yesterday so I had some for breakfast
I had a shower and fixed my hair
Carson is working on his fine motor strength (by squirting a water bottle at me)
I don't have to go anywhere else today

I know it's only 2:oo, but that's enough trauma and positive thinking for the day. I think I'll go to bed now. If I have started a new pattern, I'll be awake at 2:30 am tomorrow.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Day 1

2009-06-05T12:58:00.000-05:00

woke up at 6:30 am
finished sewing the pioneer dresses, bonnets, pantaloons, apron and nightgown
panicked because I couldn't get the bonnets to work right
called my mom and begged her to make the bonnets in exchange for free babysitting
She said "yes" I said "wow" she said "when" I said "how about right now"
Oh sorry...that's a country song...she just sighed heavily and said yes.
helped Kinsey pack for her trip
took Kinsey to her friend's house
cleaned up the sewing explosion
picked Kinsey up from her friend's house
took Chris to band practice
took Kinsey to airport
said "yes Carson?" a million times when he said "mommeeeeeeeee" screechingly
heard a lot of "no, momeee, noooooooooooooooo!!!"
told Emily she could go to a friend's house (forgot to ask which friend, where she lives, phone #)
oops...she called an hour later to let me know she got there safely
told Jared he could go to friend's house
5:06 pm Chris comes running down the stairs yelling "mom, you were supposed to take me somewhere at 5 (his eyes say "you idiot mom, you are supposed to remind me!")
rush to take him, hoping they haven't left yet
Gary comes home takes Carson to Chick-fil-a for some emma-ade
I lock the doors really fast because the house is blissfully quiet
Emily rings the doorbell 5 minutes later...darn, peace is gone
everyone comes home, I fall asleep in the chair

Now...to focus on the positive:

Kinsey made it safely to Florida - no hijackers, plane crashes, giant fat men taking up 2 1/2 seats smelling like smoke or b.o. and getting drunk
Carson played in our little pool for a very long time...he loves his pool...the best $20 I ever spent
I finished the pioneer wardrobe
Chris was being taken out to dinner because he memorized all of the scripture mastery scriptures for seminary this year
Carson had fun playing in the playland at Chick-fil-a
Carson doesn't know that when someone says "he talks funny" to be insulted...he loves them anyway (the someone was 4 and his parents were mortified)
Emily got to play at a friend's house
Jared got to play at a friend's house
I had a nice, hot bubble bath and a few minutes of peace

I can't wait for day 2

Pioneer Mothers Cursed As They Sewed

2009-06-02T21:23:00.000-05:00

My daughter Kinsey is leaving on a jet plane tomorrow. I feel the same way about planes that I do about doctor visits. Oh noooooo...what if it crashes. I have not had time to worry about that yet though, because the only thing I can think about right now are pioneer clothes. Why, you ask?

Kinsey has not pulled up roots yet. Her heart is still in Florida so when her old bishop asked if she wanted to go on their pioneer trek she said "I don't know, I might sweat" and then decided to go. I was the lucky one to draw the sewing of the clothes. Yes...I sew. I stink at sewing, but yes, I sew. Please don't tell anyone.

I have been making dresses, pantaloons, bonnets, aprons, and a nightgown for what seems like weeks. I'm over the pioneer clothes. I feel like I'm sewing for Goldilocks. The first dress was too tight, the second dress was too big, hopefully third time's just right! I haven't finished it yet. Should I be worried? It is 11:30pm on the day before she leaves and I am sitting here blogging instead of sewing. I had to. It was that or throw the sewing machine out the window.

Pioneer mothers cursed as they sewed and sewed and sewed and sewed.
Pioneer mothers cursed as they sewed and sewed and sewed and sewed.
Husbands came home, talked and said nothing much
Then late at night she said "don't touch"
Week after week she cursed as she longed for a trip but all she did was sew.

I think I might be a bit on the hormonal side too. I have told my husband many times that he says too many words when he is telling me something. "Tell me what you want, what you really really want." Yes, I sang that. Doesn't he know I am busy. I don't have time for a conversation. I just want to tell him to hush and not call me again! Not nice, I know.

Does anyone have any chocolate? I think I need some!

Are You Still With Us?

2009-05-31T19:34:00.000-05:00

I used to be really good about getting kids in to see the doctor for their well check ups. Sometimes they even went on their birthday. I know...what a mean mom. Then something happened. I'm not sure what, I just started to get panicky. I would try to get the courage to call the doctor and then I would start imagining all the horrible things that they might be diagnosed with. The older they got, the harder it was to call and make an appointment. Then they started getting old enough to go to scout and young women camps and needed physicals before they could go.

I finally broke down and made appointments. Last week four of my kids had to go to the doctor. What a stressful week! At some point someone had diabetes, anemia, brain tumors, sinus infections, low thyroid, heart trouble, etc. It's getting really hard to think of new diseases for them to have! I might have to start looking things up on the internet. Maybe not, though.

Jared's appointment was scheduled first. I went to pick him up from school, and they told me he had just gone into some new standardized test. I asked if it was a mandatory test, they told me it was, so I left him at school. It's amazing how sick a kid can get in my imagination. I figured that since he had a field trip the next day he was given a reprieve so that he could enjoy his last trip before duh...duh...duh...the illness.

Emily and Carson had appointments at the same time. Carson wanted to go first because he loves to get his blood pressure checked. Well, until it starts to "hug" his arm. Then he says "ow, ow, ow" and starts to squirm. It was time for him to have his complete blood work done so we had to draw blood. So sad! He told the nurse to "bop" (stop). She told him how brave he was and gave him two stickers. I had to wait 4 days for the results, but he is healthy as can be. I came away with referrals to a pediatric ENT, cardiologist, dentist, and optometrist. Oh the stress!

Emily was next. It was time for her to get immunizations. She isn't too fond of needles so she wasn't happy. She didn't even notice the first one. The doctor wanted to get diabetes testing done. More blood work to do, but she had to be fasting so we had to go back later for that. Three days later I got her results. No diabetes. Hooray...we can still eat M&Ms. A good mother would start a healthy eating plan, but not me...ice cream for everyone!

Kinsey had her appointment a few days later. She finally grew...yay! She has been very tired lately so I figured she was anemic. The doctor said "well we can certainly check her for it". Kinsey said "no, no, no". The doctor said "don't worry it's just a finger prick test". Then Kinsey had to get a finger prick and immunizations. The one that has paralyzed a few girls. Was I worried? Of course! We got the results of Kinsey's test a few days later. Is she anemic? Nope...just the going-to-midnight-every-night-and-waking-up-at-six-every-morning disease. Plus, she isn't paralyzed!

We got Jared an appointment a few days after his first appointment. By this time, I was so stressed that Gary took the day off and took him to his appointment. He has been getting headaches lately. I was sure he had a brain tumor. Nope...just allergies and sinus trouble. He had to get his 7th grade shots, but no blood work. I didn't even read what he could have gotten from the shots. Turns out it was not the universe giving us a few extra days to enjoy life without a horrible illness, it was just a school test. Boy, what a relief!!

Funny story...we took Kinsey back to get her finger prick and the nurse starts to tie up her arm. Kinsey turns white and tells the lady it's just supposed to be a finger prick. The nurse tells her that finger pricks hurt worse so she will just draw blood. Kinsey gets the panicked look (she's a lot like her mom...sorry Kinsey), but decides to do that. I tell her to look away and the nurse tells her how wonderful it will be. Like a walk in the park. Well it was a painful walk in the park, but the nurse was oblivious. She says "now there, that wasn't so bad right? Are you still with us?" Then she starts waving the blood vial in Kinsey's face and says this is your blood! Kinsey looks like she's going to puke and I'm not feeling much better. We practically ran out of there.

As we get to the door, I start laughing. Kinsey's offended that I am enjoying her pain so much. Only someone like us would get a nurse that takes pleasure in taking someone's blood, sees that we are a bit queasy and then waves the blood in our faces. Yeah...that's not really helping lady!

So...a stressful week ends. Everyone is healthy. Yay!! Now we have to start making dental appointments. Boo!!! I wonder if anyone has mouth cancer? That's a bad one, you know!!

I'm Outta' Here

2009-05-30T21:44:00.000-05:00

We have decided to move. "Breathtaking sunsets and endless vistas await us at our new home. It is an oasis of beauty and luxurious amenities in the hill country. This community offers the charm of small-town living, yet the culture and excitement of Austin a short drive away. We'll enjoy three championship golf courses, a world-class fitness center with tennis and swimming, plus miles of walking trails. The activity center offers art studios, a woodshop, computer lab, and more than 30 clubs."

Doesn't it sound wonderful? The best thing...children are not allowed. I was so excited I was ready to sign on the dotted line. The worst thing...I'm not allowed either. Come to find out I have to wait awhile. I finally find the perfect place to live and I'm not old enough. It figures. Gary will be old enough on January 29, 2013. I think I'll send him out to buy a house on his 55th birthday.

So...if you are 55 or older and very active, Sun City, TX is the place for you. If you are younger than that, don't even visit...it will make you very sad.

We Want You!

2009-05-29T14:49:00.000-05:00

I've been practicing to be a sharp shooter. You know...shooting a gun?! I'm thinking that I am so good that the military might want to recruit me. Maybe I can become a military girl, join the national guard, become a marine, travel the world while I protect this great country. The possibilities are endless. You know, you can never be too prepared...what if something happens to my husband and I need to go back to work?!? Atleast I'll have something to fall back on:

Ready!
Look at that form!

Aim!

Look at that precision
(my nephews Jon and Adam are impressed!)

Fire!

What do you think?

Should I join the military?

Do you think Uncle Sam will come to me and say

"WE WANT YOU!!!"?

Hmmmm........Maybe not!

Oh well, I can also change a diaper!

There were no children, birds, animals or skeets injured at this practice...except me. Ouch! Someone could have told me it hurt to shoot a gun!

Excuse Me, Please

2009-05-26T16:58:00.000-05:00

I'm making cookies with 5 children. We have to make them for the Court of Honor tonight. The kids want to eat the cookie dough. We have to be there early so that Jared can help do the flag ceremony. We have homework to do and dinner to eat. I am starting to get cranky. Excuse me for just a minute.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Breathe in through the nose...out through the mouth.
Breathe in through the nose...out through the mouth.
Breathe in through the nose...out through the mouth.

Okay...I think I'm better now.

Update: Everyone (including me) left the kitchen. Jared made the cookies all by himself...they were delicious. He gave everyone some cookie dough, which was great because then they weren't hungry. I didn't make any dinner, they all finished their homework, we made it to the court of honor on time, and now everyone is in bed. Hooray!!!

Our Easter Sunday

2009-05-23T18:10:00.000-05:00

We had a very nice Easter Sunday this year. The Easter Bunny left a note on the mantle instead of leaving the baskets out on the table. The kids were told that they would go on a hunt for their goodies after church and they needed to hurry up and get ready to go. What a nice Easter Bunny...and so clever! This is the hunt they were sent on:

The Easter Bunny has come to say
Have a happy Easter day
This year I’m shaking things up a bit
To enjoy your goodies you just can’t sit
I’ll send you on a treasure find
After church you can hunt it and then unwind
So off you go to get ready for church
And when you get home you can start on your search

Carson has to ask Dad for the very first clue
It’s in his good suit that is very dark blue

Good job on your hunt you’re doing good so far
The next clue Emily can find in the pencil jar

Wow you guys are smart and are good on a hunt
The next clue Jared can find on a ball you can punt

It’s Kinsey’s turn next to put on her thinking cap
She can find the next clue where the baby dolls nap

To find the next clue, Chris will have to be brave
The baskets are hidden where it feels like a cave
Go find the hook that pulls open a door
Then climb up and up and then up some more
The goodies are hidden in the top of the house
Let’s hope they weren’t eaten by a tiny white mouse

I hope you had fun with your Easter Day hunt
And please don’t get mad that I pulled such a stunt
Easter eggs, candy, new dresses and such
Are a fun way to celebrate this day just a touch
But please oh remember the real reason for this day
Is the price for our sins that the Savior did pay
Jesus Christ died for us so we could live again one day
With our families and friends and we’ll all shout hooray
The day will be wonderful so we all should prepare
To live with our Savior who gave a gift oh so rare
Have a wonderful Easter aren’t you glad there’s no Peeps
Now I’m off for a year...time to get some good sleeps.

Happy Easter!

Love, E. Bunny

Kinsey said I needed to be putting more pictures on my blog. So here they are. Enjoy!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Darn Overachievers!

2009-05-20T14:31:00.000-05:00

When we moved from Florida to Texas, there were lots of tears and drama. We had the kids leaving their friends drama, the I hate Texas drama, the we don't know anyone drama...but the biggest drama came when Kinsey found out she would have to take PE. Oh...the horror!

In order to keep peace in the family, I encouraged Kinsey to take dance classes. She was very hesitant, but anything was better than being out in the hot sun having to run, and play sports, and sweat! Can you hear the drama of a 13 year old? So, she took dance and has really enjoyed it. Ballet seems to be her favorite.

When a child signs up for dance the school wants you to sign up to be a dance parent. They have committees to join, fund raisers to coordinate, field trips to go on, water and snacks to provide...the possibilities are endless. We have failed miserably as dance parents. We stink!! We discovered this at the very first performance. We showed up with our family and the camera. What good parents we were to support our daughter, bring our large family and remember the camera. Woo hoo! We are awesome. Then we looked around and saw all the parents with flowers for their girls. Oh no, you are supposed to bring flowers? Of course, she noticed that everyone had flowers but her! (insert teenage drama) Sorry, we didn't know. Look though, we brought the large family and the camera! Whatever...thanks mom and dad!

Last week, she had her final recital in middle school. I got to the school early because Kinsey hinted (very strongly) that the dance department would be selling flowers to give to our hardworking daughters. "Mom...I actually sweated!" (more teenage drama) I was prepared. I took my $2.00 and bought a rose. Wow, again I am awesome. Then, just to show me what a loser I really am, this mom comes and buys $10.00 worth of flowers. One of every color. So I slink off with my miserable flower and sit down. I look around and all the parents have bouquets of flowers plus they buy flowers from the dance department. Wow, Shanon, you really are a loser!

I hold on to this pitiful excuse for a flower the entire hour of the performances. It starts to sag and wilt. I swear I heard it say "water...I need water!" At the end of the show we clap, tell her how proud we are and give her the flower. She glances at the pitiful flower and runs off to hang out with her friend. Her friend's parents want a picture of the two of them. The girl hands Kinsey one of her bouquets so that they each have one in the picture. The lights are buzzing "loser, loser" as I realize that I forgot our camera and I don't even have the excuse of a large family because I left them at home!

I hang my head as I leave. On the way home, Kinsey says "don't I deserve a dinner out and ice cream from Maggie Moos?" It is getting late, I am tired, she had dinner before we left and Maggie Moos is expensive! Hello, I just paid $2.00 for a flower! "Mommmm...I worked hard, I stayed and practiced for 2 hours yesterday, I deserve it!" (more teenage drama) I tell her to talk to her dad when she gets home. He's tired too. She pouts, he nearly caves, and then my sweet daughter comes back, kicks out the teenage drama queen, and says "it's okay dad, we can go another time." Awwww...what a sweetheart.

When did the rules change? When did parents go from "attending the recital = great parent" to "attending recital, bring camera, spend your life savings on flowers, dinner and ice cream from Maggie Moos = great parent"? Why didn't someone tell me? I would have opened a savings account, got a full-time job, sold plasma! I blame the overachievers! I say we start a petition, let the kids know who's boss, quit buying flowers, tell those overachievers to knock it off, and for heaven's sake, if you are going to buy ice cream get the $1.00 sundae from McDonald's! Darn overachievers!

For the record: I don't believe in mandatory PE classes. Some kids are atletically inclined, others are more gifted in art and music. I say if they are going to make the kids who aren't athletic take PE, they should make the athletic kids take music, art or theatre. I would start a petition, but I also stink as a child advocate. Okay...rant over. Boy, that wore me out!