farewell to my twenties

Today I hit the big 3-0 with mixed feelings.

I wanted a fond farewell to my twenties.

They brought me:

A college degree.

A marriage.

The life of an Army wife.

The life of a full-time student's wife.

The life of a bishop's wife.

Too many moves.

Too many apartments.

Two (almost three) houses.

Four lovely children.

A zillion memories.

i am that mom

So, I don't leave the house much.

Today I was reminded why.

I decided we would try to skip Natalie's afternoon nap to make a quick trip to the grocery store for a few things and a stop at the library for some items I had on hold.

In theory it sounded good.

We get to the grocery store and Kimi and Ian saw a couple of these:
Have you ever had the pleasure of maneuvering one of these beauties?

Grocery shopping with these would be easy if your kids didn't try to squish the bejeebers out of each other and get into huge fights, and if they didn't jump out everytime you have to take a second to decide on something and then fight about who gets what side when they climb back in.

Not that my kids act that way.

Okay, yes they do.

And after this had been going on for a while and I just start walking away with the cart leaving a passenger behind crying on the floor because he couldn't squish Kimi over to the other side, I thought to myself, "I wonder if anyone is watching me and thinking of calling child protective services."

We finally make it out of the store.

We went on to the library where I picked up some yoga dvds, more cookbooks (I know), and a book on how to cut your own hair. (I'll get back to you on that one.)

We actually made it through that with out any scenes or trauma.

The problem was that we had then taken too long and I knew Cali was getting off the bus.

We hurried home, and there she was inside the house saying "WHERE WERE YOU!"

I knew she had probably been on her own for five minutes, but I could tell she was okay as she was eating a granola bar and had another one in her other hand.

She probably had decided she was going to starve and had to start foraging in the pantry.

Tonight Cali let me know that she is praying for me, and I can always try to do better.

Thank you, Cali, I really do need that.

what's black and white and black and white and black and white?

Did you think "a penguin rolling down a hill?"

Not this time.

It's my stairwell banister.

Remember how I asked if anyone knew anything about painting one of these black?

Apparently I should talk to the previous owner, because they painted it a time or two, or three.

One night when Scott was gone my curiosity about whether or not I could just strip off the white paint and have a nice metal banister got the better of me, and I attacked it with a razor blade.

I promise this is the only thing I have ever attacked with a razor blade.

After I got some white paint off I was excited to see black under it. Hooray!

But wait, the black started coming off revealing another layer of white, laughing at me.

Honestly, I have dealt with this house long enough that it shouldn't have come as any surprise.

I worked on it a few hours and then decided that this was going to require better tools and/or powerful chemicals.

Watch out,banister, you may have won that round, but I'm not finished with you yet.

losing a safety net

Just took about 30 lbs of clothes that I vow to never fit into again to the DI.

It was liberating.

some things shouldn't work in reverse

A few minutes ago, I heard a big truck running outside and knew there was some work going on somewhere.

Then I heard our toilet downstairs burp.

I looked outside and saw a truck from the water company.

Then I heard the toilet throw up.

I ran downstairs to see if water was everywhere, but luckily the lid had been closed so it had all been contained.

Phew.

The truck just left.

I am happy about that.

Once there was a snowman

He lasted about five minutes.

We got a skiff of snow on Monday morning. Scott and Cali had the day off so they finally got the chance to get outside and make a snowman.

I have the self-appointed job of staying inside where it is warm and taking photos from the doorway.

I was trying to get a picture with everyone in the frame and the snowman. I told them to look at me and say cheese.

Ian ran to the middle of the yard to pose and smile.

He stayed there, frozen, smiling in that spot, so everyone had to come over and join him.

Nice picture, but it was missing a snowman.

Scott worked on convincing Ian to go back over to the snowman so I could get their picture there.

Cali ran over to give Frosty a hug. Why? We don't know. We asked her and she didn't know.

Cali's hug knocked the head off and it smashed to the ground.

All the king's horses and all my kids couldn't pack him back together again.

He wouldn't have lasted anyways because since then its just been windy and rainy.

January is such a lovely time of year.

(By the way. Have you ever read through a post you wrote and thought "that doesn't make much sense; none really.?" I did that on a few things I wrote in my post about cakes the other day. Please let me apologize for not proof-reading and thank everyone for being kind enough to not point it out.)

for all my fellow potter fans

Watch this and try not to laugh.

Or sing the song all. day. long.

point of view

Ian often wakes up, shall we say, grumpy. If I can just get some food in him, he perks right up.

The problem is that he is not easily persuaded to do anything he didn't think of himself. We have power-struggles quite often. Ian sees it as his duty to keep me feeling clueless about this "mom" business.

So after another long "debate" this morning on whether or not he had already eaten or if it was really lunchtime I finally got him to the table to eat what he picked out. HE decided to eat "frosting with cereal on it."

I should tell the shredded wheat people to try that in their marketing.

a few thoughts on fruit and cake, and musical-fruit cake

These are just some things that have been on my mind. I should offer a prize to anyone who manages to read through my posts like this. ( "Should" being the key word.)

Our insurance does a program to encourage healthy lifestyles where if you participate you can earn money and rewards that Scott and I both participate in. You have to exercise and do a different challenge they set every two months like eat the daily recommendation of whole grains every day, or do strength training twice a week. Most the time it isn't that tough to do.

For January and February this year it is don't eat any cake, cookies, desserts, or candy and to replace that with fruit. Also, drink water in the place of soda.

Giving up soda is easy-peasy since I only drink it on rare occasions anyways. Check.

The desserts on the other hand. . .

I was doing good on my own sweets-ban until Christmas rolled around so really this is a good thing to get back on track. My one rule for myself has been that if I can make it all week by the rules I can have a treat on Sunday. But January and February also hold three birthdays and Valentines day (HAVE YOU SEEN ALL THAT CANDY?). Traditionally, these events call for treats right?

Luckily we only have to follow the challenge 80 percent of the time. Double luckily my birthday and Valentine's Day fall on Sunday this year so along with the other two birthdays I can still have my Sundays and those other days which equaled exactly 20 percent of the days. Phew.

I have also developed a new appreciation for oranges which seem to be the only fruit in season right now. Then I went grocery shopping and all the Christmas candy was on sale for 62 cents each. I think this should qualify as fruit:

I still have to peel it, right?

About the musical-fruit cake. I just went to a class on cooking with food storage that was taught by a girl named Crystal Godfrey who has written a book and has this blog. It was AWESOME. My diet revolves around fiber and protein now so I have been using a lot more whole wheat and beans in things. I especially have grown to love beans because they pack such a fiber and protein punch, and yes they can be yummy especially when you put them in:

CHOCOLATE CAKE. It was awesome. Maybe you guys already knew you could puree beans and substitute it for oil in recipes, but it was news to me. It actually made it more moist, plus you can't eat too much of it unless you want some undesirable side effects.

So I have been trying to decide on what dessert to make for my birthday. Should it be a bean cake? Some more fruit? The first picture at the top of the post is a fruit pizza that is a contender on my list. Or how about some thing like this:

So many choices, only one birthday.

reach for the sky

I have a hard time capturing the best moments on video. For instance, Natalie starting dancing (Wiggling her body and hips) to music when she was only about 6 months old. For a long time I didn't believe that was what she was doing until I realized she did it whenever music came on or we started to sing.

Still haven't got a good video of it. She stops and stares as soon as the camera comes out.

We have a lot of video of her staring at me.

I did get this a couple weeks ago. She probably thinks its funny because she can get everyone to start raising their hands over their heads whenever we eat. Her cuteness holds a power over us.

a quest for the good life

(Amber, I swiped this picture from your blog. I hope you don't mind.)

You may have noticed that I changed the title of my blog. I wanted to change it to reflect more of what I am trying to do with my life personally and with my family, and "living the good life" is what I came up with.

I know that I said it is by our own definition, but I was reading an old Ensign on Sunday morning and found a definition from Pres. Monson.

"A quest for the good life. I speak not of the fun life, the sophisticated life, the popular life. Rather, I urge each to seek eternal life-- life everlasting with mother, father, brothers, sisters, husband, wife, sons, and daughters, forever and forever together."

That's really what I'm going for.

these are a few of my favorite things

Here a just a few random things I love.

Finding random drawings and notes around. I know its hard to see, but this one is an invitation which says,"Come to the musicle on Sunday its about a cow in space at ten aclock" Sounds like an interesting plot line, and it's a musical no less.

Plaid pants. Not to wear, just when they are on this little bottom helping me unload the dishwasher.

Scott convincing everyone to play "the pretend-you're-asleep-game" on a Saturday afternoon. It doesn't last, but we get a few seconds of peace.This movie. Why did they make a new movie when this one was so good? I picked it up at the library yesterday and watched it with Cali and Kimi last night. It brought back all my old longings to have the ability to talk to animals with my mind and move things by playing my harmonica.

COOK BOOKS. I picked up a few cookbooks again. Okay, twelve. I think I might have a problem. I am just looking for the right support group. Right after I finish reading.

Ten for 2010

I love going outside in the morning when everything is so still and fresh. I went out this morning to shovel after I finished working out  so I could get it done before the kids were out of bed. It was beautiful.

New Year's eve is going the be spent quietly here at home. I actually can't remember if I have stayed up to see the new year since I started having kids. I see enough of the middle of the night all year and not enough of my comfy bed.

So I decided to try to set some goals for the new year. Ten things to accomplish by next December 31.

1. Maintain my weight loss. (It feels good to not say "lose weight.")

2. Read the Book of Mormon again.

3. Run in some kind of organized event. (Let's say 5K for now.)

4. Learn to knit

5. Paint my kitchen

6. Learn to bake really good bread

7. Grow a garden

8. Have a dinner party

9. Bear my testimony (besides in Family Home Evening)

10. Go on a vacation


Some of those things give me the willies as I write them down, I won't tell you which, but you might be able to guess. I am looking forward to this next year and hope that it can be as good as 2009.

HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

on christmas day in the morning

I really don't need to say much about Christmas morning. You all understand what its like. This one was as fantastic as any I remember.

Everyone was so happy that they were about ready to implode. The older girls were much nearer to imploding, as we made them wait over an hour for the two others to wake up. In the end, they helped them wake up.

The wrapping paper was flying.

Ian amassed a small army of star wars guys. At this point he was less than half-way done unwrapping and we were trying to convince him to keep going.  Now he keeps looking around for any presents he might have missed.

Natalie just knew that something fun was going on.

And she got to play with whatever she wanted.

Then I got to spend the next eight hours, or so, untwisting a bazillion little wires and elastics. I am just now starting to regain feeling in my fingers.

This is probably my last chance to say this for this year, so I'll say it one more time: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

the most wonderful day of the year

Just wanted to take a second to send out one more wish for a Merry Christmas to all!

Today is my favorite day with anticipation at its peak and a day filled with fun and togetherness!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!