Friday, December 11, 2009

3..2..1.. out

sung to John Denver's tune "on a jet plane"

All my bags are packed I'm ready to go
I'm freezing here, living in the snow
I don't hate telling my students all goodbye
But the sunset's coming, time to be alive
The car's waitin'- an all night drive
Already I can feel the sand and sun.

I'm leaving on a long drive
Just hope that I survive.
Oh yeah, I smell the sun.

2 teenagers
+ 2 adults after a full day of work...
+ one 2 year old
+2 cars in our group
= ONE memorable crazy trip

Friday, December 4, 2009

Get me OUTTA DODGE!!!

I walked this morning.  Walked, instead of ran, because my foot and arch are still giving me trouble.  It was cold.  12 degrees.  I like running in the cold, but 12 degrees is ridiculous.
I have another location programmed into my weather section of my phone.
Mazatlan is 79 right now.  Low tonight is 70.  
Man... somebody... get me OUTTA DODGE!!
7 days 1 hour til departure for the long drive to California.  It's going to be a BLAST!


Thursday, December 3, 2009

My life... in pictures


My life is a sum of pictures...
On days that I live without my camera, I have no record of existence.
Some of my children went from age 2 to age 4 without any days being recorded in between.
Those days are left to my fading memory, which... sadly...  fades faster as the years go by.  

I'm grateful for my camera... I love it.
I love seeing the images I remember (almost) as vivid as when I lived them.
They help me remember how fast babies turn to toddlers.
How quickly a teenage boy grows 6 inches.
How much I age, and so I better appreciate still having more brown hair than gray.
I am just praying that when I get to the other side,  I get handed a big photo album with all the moments I missed capturing carefully tucked inside it's cover.


Monday, November 30, 2009

my Achilles heel



I have weaknesses.
I mean, other than those of the mere mortal man. 
There are certain things that are so hard for me to resist. 
My husband knows.  Poor guy.

Bath & Body Works, most candle stores, and lotion places are kept in business by my type of people.  My husband has a category on our finances called "smelly crap".  No run of the mill smelly stuff will do either.  It has to be the GOOD stuff.  Salt City qualifies (top dog).  For Every Body (close second place).  Bath & Body Works wins the prize for best lotion "smelly crap".  So I'm a smell snob, what can I say?

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has the best caramel apples.  Hands down.  There is an apple pie flavor that I was given by a student a couple years ago, and that's when the love affair began (no, not with the student).  The kid did get bonus points in my book for the rest of the year. 

How can I not buy patterns?  There are so many cool patterns out there, and somehow by buying them, it makes me feel that in some way, I will (someday) get around to making them.  Ok.  Some haven't been touched in years, but the ones that do get used, get used.  Besides, if I buy them on the $1 pattern sale that comes around every so often... how expensive of a weakness can it really be??

Friday, November 27, 2009

Thanksgiving stuff


What a great Thanksgiving!  Relaxed day with family, time for a walk, and I was able to finish up a couple more little projects Aspen and I have been working on.

The turkey shirt, the apron, and pom pom ball.

Aspen has been especially pleasant lately.  She loves stealing my seat in the car, on the couch, or anywhere she can.  Her favorite thing to do is to "steal" my nose and pretend like she is eating it.  I am still hoping the potty training thing comes together over Christmas break.



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Monday, November 23, 2009

Projects




I've become addicted to following blogs that post creative little projects.  In the past couple weeks I have made 2 hats for Aspen, and 2 flutter capes (or PONCHOS, as I know them as).  She and I have had a standoff (or two) with putting them on, but, I won.  Again.  I also made me a scarf since there was a bit of extra material.  I got my ideas from here (hat), here (cape) and here (scarf).

The look on Aspen's face in the top picture is SOOOO her.  Little stubborn girl... that I love.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

tick... tick... tick...

Countdown of 2's:
2 school days til Thanksgiving break (and both those days are "showing a movie" days!!)
20 days til departure for California (12 school days!!!)
22 days until we get on our ship headed to Mexico
2 weeks of Christmas break after that
2 more days of this weekend!

YAY!!
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Thursday, November 19, 2009

tired

I've been tired lately.  Tired and unmotivated.  I manage to get things done at school and around the house, but only just barely.  I haven't taken out my sewing machine for a couple weeks now... my spray paint cans have gone untouched for more than a week... and my scrapbooking... HA! Yeah, right.  I notice how quickly life passes and kids grow up and I try to hold onto every minute, and stop the world from turning (so Aspen doesn't get a day older).  However, lately, I just anxiously anticipate the oncoming weekend, the next break, the next reprieve from obligation and having to think.  Sleeping and crying sound really good about now.  Neither of which work while behind my desk at school.

I know why I'm this way.  But knowing it doesn't help.  It comes from having a front row seat to a train wreck that is inevitable.  There is not much I can do about it, except for have my medic kit ready to help any survivors...  the one survivor... the ONLY survivor that matters.

Maybe if I could step in front of the train, I could save the passenger on board.  I would.  Mothers do that sort of thing, if necessary.   I wish it was possible.  I can see why the Savior was willing to do what he did for us.  His pain meant ours was lessened.  For this I am grateful...

That which does not kill us will make us stronger.  Right?

Monday, November 16, 2009

Things I love & don't love (hate is a bad word)

I love mornings.  Not the getting out of bed part. However, once I am outside in the cold morning, whether running or walking, I am in heaven.  I love seeing all the stars.  I love the quiet of the morning.  I love feeling my body temperature rise, while the air all around me is very cold.  LOVE IT! 

I really hate don't love it when people are supposed to follow through with plans and DON'T.  And don't call to let you know they aren't going to follow through.  Or meetings that some people think aren't worth attending, but I make the time to show up to (at 7am, mind you).  HELLO!! Other people's time is at stake here!  It should not take a month and a half to drop something in the mail (and many other examples which I'll keep to myself). I have strong feelings about this, and just don't understand how this is not just a basic human courtesy.

Anyway...

**sigh**

I love snow (for the first 3 days, anyway).  Nothing beats the first snowfall.  It feels comfortable.  It feels like Christmas: with the wind blowing outside and all my family inside.  Hot chocolate, the first Christmas music of the season, and baking with Wade & Aspen.

I love having my relief society lesson DONE.  I enjoy teaching, love the insight I get from other sisters in the ward, and like having more lesson than time (I had more time than lesson once... never again!).

I delight in having a get-away to look forward to.  In 24 days, 21 hours and 2 minutes (less by the time I'm done with this post) we will be headed to California to take a cruise to Mexico.  When it is past day #3 of snow... I'm ready for some warm weather, beaches and SUN!!   Aspen has been informed of what is coming, but I don't think there is any way she even comprehends.  She talks about it... "da boat... and Weed (Wade)... and Bennen (brenden)... and da slide... and SPLASH (I'm assuming she is referring to going down the slide and splashing into the water)... and gamma... and Aussin (her cousin Austin)"  It will be fun to see her see it all.

Not bad... 4 LOVES to 1 pet peeve.  As long as is stays with that much of a balance... life is GREAT.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

home work at home


I spent the weekend working on homework.  Not mine.  Apparently my son was about 20 assignments behind in math, 9 in orchestra, and about 12 from language arts.  How does this happen??  In the day and age of technology, when a person can see what has been graded, what is coming due, and what the current grades are day to day.  HOW??  (this would not happen if he lived at my house!!!!)

One way or another... it meant that we spent our ENTIRE weekend doing homework.  We finished about 12 assignments.

It still left us enough time for a good walk and some time to cook together.  I sure love spending time with the boys. 

Thursday, November 12, 2009

All the pretty little ponies




The new IT thing for Aspen is horses and her barn.  On a daily basis, they get lined up, counted, and moved into the barn so that each of them have their own window to look out of.  "sit, mama, sit" is what I get whenever I walk into the room while she is playing.  She is going to be SO easy to shop for this year for Christmas.
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Saturday, November 7, 2009

only slightly OCD

I confess:  I mow my lawn in November, not to mow up the remaining leaves, but because when it snows I want the snow be flat.

I confess:  I gathered leaves today, and it looked so nice and pretty (especially since I mowed afterwards... see above).  So when a breeze came today and blew more leaves off the trees, I went out to the lawn gathering them up so it would continue to look NICE.  Pointless, but made me feel better.

I confess:  My driveway drives me crazy.  It is pitted and chipped, and doesn't allow me to effectively clean it.  My leaf blower and power washer have had to settle for cleaning the front sidewalks.  I think I'd give just about anything to have it replaced... but my husband thinks I'm being silly.

I confess:  as soon as sheets are no longer crisp, or if ANY crumbs get in the bed... I have to change the sheets.  If I had the time and patience, I would change them every 3-4 days.  Nothing is as great as the smell of fresh sheets.

busy day of avoidance


It is amazing what I get done in a day while trying to avoid doing something else.  I have an assignment for a class on Monday that needs finished, and I have been putting off running all day.  In the process of avoiding, I managed to get a few things taken care of.
  • lawn mowed
  • leaves raked
  • house sprayed for bugs
  • floors vacuumed
  • floors mopped
  • laundry done
  • ceiling fan out/light fixture in
  • driveway/sidewalks blows off
  • bedroom cleaned
  • kitchen cleaned
  • walls & baseboards cleaned
  • kitchen table disassembled for painting
  • spray painted part of the table
Still haven't gotten around to touching my assignment.  It's too dark now to run... bummer.
There are still lots of things I can continue to do to avoid doing what I should be doing.  Windows, blinds, finish the table... at least my house will be clean, one way or another.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Too many YYYYYYYYYY's

Not sure how I ended up with this many BYU fans in my house at one time, but it happened.  In fact, I even fed them and let them hang out for awhile.  Man, I must really like you Brenden... cause that was pretty painful.  Whatever will my students think?  I'll never live this down.

DIRT cheap

We took a drive to Marion (little town a few miles from Kamas) this weekend to see the project Hayden has been working on lately, and before we left Aspen found her new version of a playground. A dirt pile. She insisted that each and every one of us make the trek up the dirt pile to the top with her.

Up. Down. Up. Down.

When I ended up being the lucky one that had to pull her off the pile and put her in the car, she was less than pleased. Gotta get me a pile of dirt apparently. Much cheaper than the run of the mill playground.




Tuesday, November 3, 2009

sad

What happens when a girl gets a 30 minute nap and wakes up on the wrong side of the car-seat.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

mission accomplished

A month or so ago, I ordered the most adorable costume. Unfortunately, from the moment it arrived, Aspen decided it was not going on her body. Period. The only thing worse than 1 stubborn woman in the house is a stubborn woman vs. a stubborn 2 year old. I sat the costume on her bed for the past couple weeks, so she would get used to having it close to her. Once, I strapped the little feet on her while she wasn't looking and a complete and utter meltdown followed. Still... I was going to win this battle of the wills. The day before Halloween I told her how the next day would go: we'll put the pig costume on, then go get some treats. "No Pig, No Pig". All day on Halloween I told her how it was going to go down, always with the "No Pig" response. We managed to get the body suit on her, but the hat and feet weren't allowed. She figured out the body suit had a tail on it, and she LOVED it. While she was watching tv and distracted, I put on her feet, and slipped her hat on. No complaint. Wow. The power of suggestion.

She had figured it out after one house:
Knock
step back
door opens
hold bucket out
wait for candy
repeat

Not sure what I am going to do tonight when she insists on putting the pig back on and insists on going out for more treats.




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Thursday, October 22, 2009

for Wade

We did some cool "carvings" last weekend, but knowing it wouldn't make it until Halloween, we took some pictures to document how well it turned out. Nice job Wade.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

unfulfilled expectations


The long awaited day finally arrived. State cross country. After watching warm ups and anxiously awaiting the starting gun, the race began. Brenden's goal for the race was top 10 at state. At the first mile, he was #9, at mile 2 he was #13. But something was wrong. Dreadfully wrong. He was pale, and looked like he was at the last leg of a 15 mile run. Dragging himself along. I went toward the finish line to see how things would play out. Runner #1 came through... #2... #8, 9, 10... #20??? Where was he?? After a few moments, I saw his yellow shoes coming, and started taking pictures. Then I stopped. He was in bad shape. He looked white. He was running in slow motion, wobbling from side to side, and looking totally disoriented. He would slow down, stop, then start moving in slow motion again. I RAN to the finish line, and for the next 20 minutes helped try to get him to back to normal. After he came around, he said he didn't even remember the last 1/2 mile of the race, and doesn't remember finishing the race at all. He was taken to a clinic and looked over. Still not sure exactly what happened. Nerves? The fact that he had eaten only a bowl of oatmeal at 8am and didn't run until 2pm. The "running your heart out" part, that happens with state tournament. Whatever it was/is, I have never been more frightened as a parent than I was today. I was sad about his race. Sad for the expectations he felt others had for him, as well as his own expectations. He's ready to be done with races for awhile. Ready to think about other things. I'm just glad he's ok. Relieved. Grateful. Elated. Thankful for my in-laws who looked after Wade and Aspen when I had to run help play medic. Until next year. Or at least until he has forgotten the pain of the day...

update: he had an ekg to check for a possible heart condition. We have to have an ultrasound done later to check. After watching the video of his finish yesterday, I'm grateful he is alive and ok today.
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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

school pics + 1

Not sure why boys have such an aversion to smiling, but mine definitely do. Aspen sure doesn't. She has had enough cameras in her face that she now has developed "the pose", and then asks to see the results on the camera afterwards. These are this years school pictures.


Sunday, October 18, 2009

Region Champs


Yeah, I'm pretty proud of my runner. Region cross country was on Wednesday, and he ROCKED. He took 4th overall, but considering that his previous time on this course was a 7:18, and his previous best time before this meet was 16:58... he really ROCKED. His current best time is 16:37. And he didn't even have to throw up afterwards. Not too shabby. Hayden was able to make it after a job, Aspen came with me, and my parents made it out. It was a pretty cold day with a bit of wind to make it colder. Nice job Brend... Good luck at state on Wednesday!

aspen & hayden rolling down the hills @ the park

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