Skiing

Took all 5 kids.

Anxiety.

Friend to the rescue.

Thankfully.

Anxiety.

By more than one participant.

Lessons.

For all.

Skiing fast.

Lunch.

Anxiety by different participants.

Confidence.

Gained.

Super Awesome Ninja Skiing skills displayed by Super Awesome Recycling Boy.

Beware if you ever ski near him.

He can't turn.

Very well.

Well actually, his last turn was a perfect parallel.

Sweet.

Skills increased.

Fun had.

Snow.

Falling.

Patches of blue sky.

Was o.k.

Glad we did it.

Tired.

Skiing.

Home Repairs

Rule 1: Things will NEVER go as planned.

Rule 2: Accept that

Rule 3: Make do

Translation: Missing parts + Late night failed trip to Wal-Mart + keeping the Sabbath = No Kitchen Water until Monday. (Hopefully)

As an aside as I was taking pictures and Mike was giving me the 'stink eye' while he was patiently explaining to Tim what they needed to do, he turned to me and said, 'You're not getting me at my best you know' (brow furrow) and I replied..."Actually, I am getting you at your best...your very best." So glad I have this picture.

Maybe we shouldn't

have attempted to replace the faucet the night before inviting Brooke & Andy to dinner. There is no need for water when cooking...right?

Despite that, I have a little smile on my face because I hear Tim and Mike working hard together to get that faucet changed...(of course I hope the smile will be bigger soon so I can wash the dishes no one wants to eat mashed potatoes on a paper towel.)

Soon Tim will have another checked off home repair for his merit badge and I'll have a new unleaky, will actually work faucet.

YEAH! (THANKS GUYS)

P.S. Now we have a Winco

So after reliving the bagger dilemma (see post below) I realized after reading all the LOVE left for Winco that I understand it now!

We NOW have a WINCO!

It's Ethan's favorite store. He loves to be 'store manager' and bag the groceries. BUT, he can't just bag them, he has to scan them first.

Which, translated, means he finds all the barcodes puts them up to the little metal plaque thingy at the end of the conveyor belt and says 'beep'. But like any good scanner it doesn't work EVERY time so sometimes he has to do it again. Yes it frustrates him too. (You can hear him talking to the produces sometimes)

I LOVE Winco because it makes me smile big and wide to watch Ethan's imagination in action. Gotta love that kid.

Oh yeah and I love the bulk foods section too. :) Granola anyone?

A trip down memory lane

I bought a Groupon coupon (that sounds cool) for $60 @ Blurb.com for 20 bucks. Cool eh...yeah except there is an expiration date. THAT MEANS DEADLINE. Which I guess is good since I've been meaning to make a blurb book out of my 2009 blog for...well...a year now. So here I am blurbing away (it's harder than they make it sound) and I'm laughing and giggling and smiling and stimulating my mind with all the old blog comments. So thank YOU my friends for making my blog that much more fun.

And do you remember THIS POST? Baggers gotta love em.

I challenged them

to make a snowman taller than Tim.

I think they cheated a little. :) What do you think?

Of the day...

Gratitude of the day: So appreciative of Tim, who on his own thought to take the garbage cans out last night when he got home from scouts even though it was snowing and the driveway slippery. (If you've seen my driveway, you know why it would be easy to not 'notice' something like that needed doing.)

Explanation of the day: Ethan:Mom, Do you know how they make hot dogs? Me: um... Ethan: They take corndogs, take off the outside, pull out the sticks then stick them in a plastic bag and sell them. Me: Cool!

The Finally we have enough snow for a Random Picture story of the day:
Happiness of the day: Mike is home from California.

Book of the Day: Go, Dog Go (The Nook will even read it to you.)

Kudos of the day: Sierra's teacher for agreeing to stay after school in 2 weeks so she and her friend can host a 'Venture Olympics' complete with medals and everything that Sierra and her friend cooked, up and took the initiative to pull off. Way to go to my little organizer (and those that allow her to fly)

Fun of the Day: Visiting the Supermarket for Savanna's Field Work!

You know you're...

in Provo when the restaurant you are eating in is full of expectant missionaries and their families going out for their 'Last Meal', and they leave with a little care package with 2 cookies and 2 lollipops.

(Oh yeah and the waiter entertains said customers with the 'story about when I almost got killed on my mission, but ended up teaching a discussion to the most unlikely person.)

Good News Minute

Why is it that the instant they announce the 'Good News Minute' in Relief Society my mind goes blank?

I think good things happen to me. I know good things happen to me...but nope blank.

Sometimes my blog is like a good news minute.

Enjoy...the loveliness of knowing there is good somewhere but I don't remember Who, What, Where, When or Why.

(Really I just can't stand having that picture up front and center. :) )

Oh my Heck...here's a little 'gem'

Nearly 2 years ago I wrote about Tragedy + Time = Comedy. Little did I know that the scary image connected to this scenario was hiding out in a friend's facebook album. And why not share it with more of the internet world. NOTHING is safe my friends....NOTHING!

Expressions

Focus on Expression.
Christmas Expressions 2010

Did I tell you....

why I'm not allowed in primary anymore?

I thought not.

You see sometimes I am a slacker mom. I know shocker. And it seems that nearly every week I have a little panic attack during sacrament meeting that my kid was supposed to prepare a 1 1/2 minute talk for primary. And now that the kids have to come up with their own scripture too, I get that little panic feeling twice as often.

One day Savanna had a talk. We forgot, BUT remembered at the last moment before leaving for church. We wrote it out at home. She lost her paper during sacrament meeting???? (HOW?) I forgot to bring the promised back up paper. We winged it.

THIS TIME I REMEMBERED @CHURCH. Savanna had the scripture. I had a vague recollection of what the subject should be and I scrambled to find one as I hurried her off to primary. She read it twice, did great and I promised I'd bring my Quad for her to read from. Only problem? Savanna was not sitting nicely up on at the front. Well really no one was sitting NICELY. They were kind of sprawled all over each other. What could that mean? It's was Ethan's class turn.

No problem right? I'll just have Ethan read the scripture. But he can't read, so I'll have to whisper to him. He'll mumble it out we'll be done and all will move on.

Problem? Ethan doesn't mumble. He's very good an enunciating his words and adding emphasis when needed.

The scripture had the word 'Yea' in it. And Ethan said it JUST like he should, with real feeling.

And I bust up laughing. Not the chortle in your mouth kind, but the full out I can't stop this for Mount Vesuvius kind. And the harder you try to stop volcanic laughter the more it spills and spills and spills over.

I am SOOOOOOO sorry to our primary presidency. I will never grace Primary again....If I can help it. You are welcome.

And I'm not a bit sorry that I happened to miss the time change for Savanna's scripture this week.

Of the day...

Quote of the Day: "Inside these pants it's fuzzy" Ethan

Gratitude of the Day: I am thankful for Mike for getting up at 0 Dark Stupid to go to work every morning in the much less than freezing temps. Made all the more impressive by his extreme DISLIKE (hate really) of morning and winter. Grateful for his self titled new attitude of January.

Dumb thing of the Day: After getting after my kids for forgetting their instruments and having to drive to school ANOTHER time to deliver them, I left my purse in the school library. ~Touche'

Random Picture of the Day: Santa brought Bop-Balloons


Resolve of the Day: I resolve to use my goodreads account much more this year. Last year I read books, I know I did but I can't remember more than 2 or 3. LAME.

Book of the Day: Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Political Musing of the Day: Rumors are that Ex-Utah Governor and now Diplomat to China may run for president. I would totally be on board. Mr. GQ didn't get my vote right off, but he won me over...though I would have liked to see him in action during the last few lean years.

Definition of the Day:

loo·fah

–noun

1.

Also called dishcloth gourd, rag gourd.

a.

any of several tropical vines of the genus Luffa, of the gourd family, bearing large, elongated fruit.

b.

the fruit of such a vine.

2.

Also called vegetable sponge. the dried, fibrous interior of this fruit, used as a sponge.


The Russians (the ones that lived at my house not the whole country) used loofas. They looked painful to me. And indeed in my mind Brutal Loofa cleansing is what it felt like to my soul last year.

I LOVE Laundry...

Ha Ha...made you look.

'Cause, you know me well enough to know that I. DO. NOT. LOVE Laundry.

But it's a new year, clean and fresh...just like I LIKE my laundry.

Last year was like a brutal Loofa cleansing. This year, I have the urge to do something unexpected.

Can't tell you what or you would expect it.

So happy New Year you deserve it. :) Yeah...you, you know who I'm talkin' too.