Things I have Driven (Part two)

About a year after I graduated (GO PIONEERS! Class of 1990 RULES!) I got fed up with working at the Mom and Pop Hamburger Stand that I had worked at since I was 16. I decided to try and find another job, preferably one that contained less grease.

I put in several applications around town, one of which was at the local bank. I didn't think much about it, until about two weeks later, when I received a phone call from the branch manager for an interview. I brought my nice clothes to the grease pit, and changed when my shift was over to go to the interview. I smelled vaguely of onion rings.

Gwen started this new thing. Back firing. It was a FABULOUS confidence booster, and much like acid reflux, it was unpredictable and uncomfortable. And embarrassing. So when I arrived at the bank, I parked about a block away.

I interviewed and got the job. The manager asked me if I had my own transportation. I said yes, and he looked at me funny. I just shrugged.

Every day I came to work and parked a block away. For two weeks.

Then...well, then I got my first paycheck. I couldn't believe all the money I had. EUREKA! I was filthy rich. I decided it was high time Gwen and I broke up, and I replaced her with a vehicle much more worthy of my newly-found high roller life. And my fancy bank clothes. And besides, I was sick of walking a whole block to work every day.

So I thought about my options for about 15 minutes. To please my Dad, I even went through the premise of test-driving practical vehicles, in which I had no interest. No siree, I had my heart set on a Geo Storm. Small and sporty and new. Bright Red. Gray interior. Stick shift. (Yeah, I mastered that one, even on a hill.)

We pulled into the car dealership, and I saw IT. I just knew. And I am sure the salesman knew. I didn't care. I just wanted it. So I signed the papers, and drove it home. Grinning ear to ear. That new car smell replacing the french fry grease that had long been permeating my clothes.

The radio worked. It had a CD player! And an airbag! The keys stayed in the ignition! It didn't back fire, or shake like it had palsy at freeway speeds. Yep, it had all the bells and whistles...and all of a sudden I went from "cute girl" to "hot chick in a sports car!"

My payment was $239.00. My insurance was like 50 bucks a month. I still has money to spare. Until...

...I got my first speeding ticket.

I was flying to the movie theaters on the freeway. I was doing 90mph in a 55. That put me on probation. I had to go to traffic school. In traffic school I learned that little red sports cars were cop magnets. And it was.

Also found out that the back seat wasn't all that comfortable. It was cramped, and was pretty much a total bummer for a post-date make-out sessions.

The final straw was when winter hit Utah. The snow fell, the roads got slick, and the Storm was useless in the snow. It was like a $10,200.00 toboggan. A couple of times I missed my freeway exit to work because the car slid right past the exit. Winters were awful. But still, it was such a darling car...

Time passed.

I met Sam, married Sam, got another job, got pregnant with Jayden. Decided the back seat wasn't going to work for a car seat and sadly, sold the Storm.

Bought a Honda Accord. Just like my Dad tried to get me to buy five years previously, when I insisted on having my frivolous youthful fling with the Storm.

Things I have Driven (Part One)

I failed my first drivers test.
I really did.
I was devastated! I begged my Dad to take me down to the DMV on my birthday so I could get my licence. Then I had to beg him not to tell anyone that I failed. Sadly, it was a full six agonizing weeks when I finally earned my ticket to freedom.

In fairness, I took my test late afternoon, when the sun was setting, and I could not see the red light on the fake drivers test course. I ran it. Apparently that'll fail you. Running a red light.

When I got my licence my Dad bequeathed to me his beloved old Toyota work truck. She was a sturdy gal. Back in those days cars ran until they literally fell apart. You just fed them some gas and oil, and they ran. And ran. Aaaaand raaaaan.

She had over 500,000 miles of experience on her. She wasn't much to look at. Her once blue exterior was savagely ravaged by cancerous rust.

The interior was just as rough. Her dashboard was cracked from hot summer sun magnified by the windshield. The seats were covered with a scratchy woven fabric that sent particles of dust floating whenever you sat on them. She smelled exactly how you would expect the truck of a hard-working construction man to smell. Sweat and sawdust, and the lingering aroma of talk radio.

Nevertheless, I was thrilled to own her. She was christened "Gwen." (It's a long story)

The first Saturday I owned her, I spruced her up good. I washed her, and even hosed out the interior. The rusted out floorboards were great for drainage. I polished the dashboard and gauges with Armor All. I attached all the key-rings I had been collecting for this rite of passage. I even added a Little Tree Vanillaroma air freshener to the rear view mirror.

I went into the house, drunk with freedom! And nonchalantly I announced: "Hey, I am going to THE MALL (in the BIG CITY!) anyone want to go?"

Stunned silence.

Finally, my younger sister fed into my ego, and said she would go. We donned our best duds, and headed off for the big city.

I guess this is the part where I tell you that Gwen was a stick shift. I had only driven a stick shift a couple of times. But I did real good! And really, you kill it a time or two...and it's all good, right? Everyone struggles with first gear. It's just hard.

I merged onto the freeway.

I did great. I checked my blind spots. I signaled clearly when I changed lanes. I kept the mandatory two car distance between myself and the other traffic. Gwen had a tendency to shake when she reached her top speed of 50. She shook a lot. Enough that eventually she shook the keys right out of the ignition. They almost went through the floorboards, had it not been for my plethora of key-rings, I am not sure how that would have ended up.

Everything was going great. Until I hit my exit. I merged off the freeway just as...

...the light turned red. I stopped, and my heart started pounding. This particular exit is on a HILL! And the realization hit me that not only would I have to do the whole first gear thing, but I would also have to NOT ROLL BACKWARDS.

A car pulled in behind me. Then another, and another, until there were a whole string of cars. Waiting for me to do first gear. And not hit them.

My palms were sweaty, and I was literally sick.

The light changed. I gave Gwen some gas. I eased off the brakes, more gas....too much gas....and killed it. "Okay, I can do this.." I try again. I kill it. Try again, kill...oh please...

By this time, the cars behind me are passing me, I am sure they were honking, I was so upset I can't remember. I just remember thinking that I would never get off of that hill. My sister was down on the floorboards. I figured she was just mortified, and trying to hide.

"GET UP! HELP ME!!"I was desperate.
"I AM!" she said, "I am praying!" She was desperate.

Finally, I got it.

I crested the hill, and coasted down to the next traffic light. It was just turning red. I ran it. It was survival.

We made it to the mall. We made it home.

It was a long time before I drove old Gwen again.

Eventually she took me through high school.
Eventually I had to share her with my younger sister.
Eventually, she went through more oil than gas, and started to die a slow death.

I drove her to my first real job interview, and my first job, and clear up until eventually, in 1991, I bought my first brand new car.

Ringtones.

Since I am a modern woman of the 80's, I guess it should come as no surprise to you that I am so technically advanced as to have several personalized ring tones for my phone.

I downloaded them myself. For free.
You can get some too, for free HERE.

My friend Wendy gets her own ring tone...it is by Crazytown. She has seven kids. She is one of those kind of friends that always makes you feel better about your life. If you are having a crappy day, she can call, and tell you what is going on at any given point in her life, and instantly you feel a whole lot better about your own situation.

Like the time I called her, and she was getting pulled over by a cop. Right then. For swerving all over the road. Why? Because she was changing clothes in the car. She was late for her daughters graduation. And it doesn't end there. She couldn't find her drivers licence, so she just gave the officer her Costco card.

She is Crazytown. (Love ya, Wendy!)

The kids calling me from home call in the ring tone of The Wonder Pets!

All other miscellaneous calls ring to me in Maroon 5's "Wake-up Call."

All except Sam. He gets his own ring tone too. He gets Hot Chocolate "You Sexy Thing."Let me tell you, this song sticks in your head. He called this morning, and all day long I have been singing "I believe in miiiiracles, since you came alooooong, you sexy thang..."
Even Mikayla gets into it.

Except this morning she switched the words up:
"I believe in SANTA CLAUS...."

A new routine

I still don't like to exercise. Wish I did. But...I have been exercising. That is the good part. The bad part, is that Sam has been exercising with me. Okay, I guess that is not all bad. The motivation is great. If I put it off, he asks "Hey, are we doing a tape tonight?" So, I have been pretty regular about it. Almost every night, in fact. And yes, we do TAPES, as in VHS. Shush.

We put the kids in bed, and THAT is a term I use very loosely. They always end up getting out of bed for a million different reasons. Mostly for the sheer entertainment of watching both of their overweight 30-something parents huffing and puffing to an exercise tape.

Which leads me to the bad parts of Sam exercising with me....

Why.

Why do men have to make noise when working out? Why?? PLEASE TELL ME! Why is it, when he lifts weight he always has to grunt? We are both lifting weights. I am sure my weights are just as heavy to me, as his are to him (comparatively), and yet, physically it doesn't help me to Gaaaaaarrgh! Hmmmmff! and Yyyyooooorff! when I lift mine.

And when we are doing abdominal work, side by side on the cramped family room carpet, the intense crunches ALWAYS elicit a fart from him. Always. Sometimes a string of farts. To fill the small room.

And when we mix up the routine with those giant exercise balls that you sit on for core work-outs, you should hear him rip farts off those! In fact, I am sure you have. They are that resounding.

And then he laughs. It's so funny!

I just love working out with him.

I found a tape we both like. Please do not laugh as I make a recommendation for an exercise tape, and yes they sell it in that new-fangled DVD format. I like the tape because:
1- It requires no coordination. For which, I have none.
2- It mixes weights and cheesy lunges and stuff. And you don't even need weights, really. I have moved up to 5 pounders, but you could start out with like soup cans or something.
3- It is only 40 minutes long. Including warm-up and cool-down.
4- The tape has three workouts on it, two 40 minutes and a ten minute for when you don't really want to do much.
5- I can make it through the whole workout.
6- You will be sore the next day. But not the sore that you curse all exercise and never want to be sore again, just the "Whoa, I feel my thighs!( Arms! Butt!)"
7- It's only a penny on Amazon. And $2.98 to ship.

Are you convinced yet?

Sam likes it for the same reason that you all are going to make fun of me...
Please don't make fun of me...

Just spring for the three bucks, try it, and then shoot me an e-mail. Thanking me for changing your life and toning your body.

It's...um, Cindy Crawford.

Sam likes the eye-candy.
I wish she could smell his gratuitous fart offerings.

There's some talent!

Going through some brochures and whatnot leftover from Cancun. I found this.
Can anyone explain?

And how does one procure tickets to an event like this?

Here is the tally

The last twelve days I have completed:

41 layouts
12 cards
2 mini-albums
and
8 miscellaneous projects (those mailboxes, bag toppers, altered notebooks, etc)
(insert applause here)

I have four layouts, and two cards to go.
(insert booing and hissing here)

I am tired.
I still love what I do, but I am due for a break, no?
Maybe back to Cancun, without kids, maybe without husband(?)definitely without adhesive of any sort.

Sharing some stuffs.

New QuicKutz stuffs that I worked on forever ago, and finally released today. A new cookie cutter alphabet, called Diesel, and some new shapes that remind me of being a kid in the 80's (rainbows, mushrooms, cherries...)






In other news. I am almost done with my trade show stuffs. Almost. Hopefully by tonight. I am heading for a burn-out.

I will break for American Idol. It starts tonight, and this week and possibly next are the only weeks worth watching. When all of the kooks come out to audition. Yeah, I know it's probably 90% staged, but I find it entertaining anyway. And it makes me feel pretty hopeful about my own singing ability. I can belt out a good "Here Comes the Rain Again" in the shower.

I think even Annie Lennox would be proud of my stirring rendition.

Compliments that are also burns.

What do you call these?
I know people mean well, but sometimes you just aren't sure how to respond to certain statements.

Some recent gems:

"WOW! That is so awesome you actually get paid to do THAT!" (Said about my scrapbooking projects)

"I honestly didn't think you had THAT MUCH weight to lose!" (Said about my recent 25 pound drop)

"You look so great for having five kids!" (Um, what if I didn't have ANY kids? Then would I look like crap?)

I always just smile and say "Thanks." And pacify myself with a 100 calorie pack.

white trash snow fun

Sending the kids out sledding in the neighbors yard, because they have a slight hill. The kids buried the bike ramp in the snow and made their own sled jump.
Good freaking times!
I tried to clone out the house in the background to make it look like we actually took them somewhere to sled, and then I got a crick in my neck from staring at the screen in photo shop for so long, and thought...WHO CARES? Who cares that there is a garbage can in the background?

So here are the kids. And yeah, I am avoiding my scrappy deadlines for today. I have done a lot in the last week, and I needed a break. Don't tell.

Do me a favor--

Next time you are at the grocery store, pick up a 25 pound bag of sugar. Carry it around for a few aisles...see how it feels...

Cause that, my friends, is how much weight I have lost so far with Weight Watchers.

25 pounds! Almost a whole toddler.

Back to trade show work...

Trade Show Mode

The author of this blog will be temporarily unavailable due to overwhelming work loads. CHA winter 2008 is imminent and the author is in the arduous process of completing deadlines for manufacturer obligations. We appreciate your patience until we are able to resume regularly scheduled blog-casts. Please send condolences. And chocolate.
Thank you,
The Management

In case you missed it, or shockingly don't live in Utah...
They aired one of my projects on Good Things Utah (a morning variety-type show) during the craft segment.

This was the one that I kicked out in the two hours the other day.

You can see it HERE.

That coupled with my muy professional video demonstration segments for the Scraparatus by Karen Foster which are now on YouTube .

I guess I am pretty much famous.

I think I will start sending my laundry out to have someone else do it. Cause that is what we famous folks do. But wait...then would it be sold on eBay? Just because I wore it?

Fine. I guess I will have to do it myself. Like the peasants.

Impossible Pie

When I was a little girl, (in 1976 to be exact) I used to beg my mom to make this pie. I just thought it was awesome, and I could actually "help" make it. We found the recipe for it in The Friend and the recipe is still online, I looked it up.

I had forgotten about this pie, and found it in some old recipes. I made it last night with the kids. I mostly just instructed them, they can make it themselves. The coolest thing about it, is that you just throw everything into the blender, buzz it for a minute, and then dump it into the pie plate.

The pie separates while baking into a crust, and then a custardy-flan-ish middle, and the coconut floats to the top and toasts. It is quite delicious, and like I said before...entertaining for the kidlets.

Here is the recipe:
1 c. coconut
2 c. milk
4 eggs
1/2 c. butter
2 t. vanilla
3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. flour
Spray pie tin with pam. Dump everything into the blender. Blend. Pour into the pie tin. Bake 45 min. at 350.

Enjoy that.

In other news, I have been cranking out scrappy stuff. I can't share anything. It's kinda a bummer. CHA winter stuff can't be seen until after the trade show is over, and the QuicKutz stuff I have been doing is for the trade show and the February releases. Sigh.

I will share when I can.

I am thinking about getting a perm. What do we think of that? Opinions?

Weight Watcher friendly snack review.

These are Quaker Rice Cakes. They are not the rice cakes of the past. They are actually a pretty good snack. They have flavor and everything.



Ranch flavor--Pretty good.
Cheddar Cheese--Haven't tried it yet. (Anyone?)
Caramel Corn--SO good! I mean, really good.
Cinnamon Apple--Haven't tried, not really a fan of Apple Jack-y stuff. (Anyone?)

Chocolate--SO foul. They taste like butt. I would rather eat a whole plate full of beets.

I had to quickly cleanse my palate with some Hershey's Kisses.

Spam.

I get on an average 10-15 spam e-mails in my spam folder every day.
I just delete them...but sometimes while the computer is taking its own sweet time while disposing of them, I happen to catch a couple of lines.

Like today:

"shauntewadley Unleash the Dragon in your Pants."

I am not exactly sure what that means, but I am quite certain that I would need a prescription for it.

I am awesome.

Not only do I grow great hair...but...

I got a call late yesterday afternoon from one of my manufacturers with a last minute project request.

Of course I said yes. The trip fund is low ever since Cancun.

So the box of product gets sent overnight.

It had to be some sort of holiday themed home decor project. I can't be more specific until the segment airs, then I can share the goods. Anyway, Sam wanted me to go out with him and see a movie that night. We saw National Treasure II, which was entertaining, but that's about it, IMO.

Anyway, periodically during the movie, I am running ideas through my brain. I multi-task like that. I also thought about laundry. Working on that today too.

I had an idea so we stopped off at Target on the way home to grab some stuff for my project.

Next morning.

The Brown Truck drops off my package at 11:30. I open the box. Right then my manufacturer calls to make sure I got it...and also, that they had someone in my area checking on the new catalog...and possibly could they pick up the finished projects? (!!)

I needed to complete one project. Make another duplicate project half-way done, to be completed on air. And another duplicate, with all the fixin's un-adhered to possibly be completed on air. Three projects. Plus instructions.

So I crank on some tunes and dig in.

I meet the guy at 1:30 for the drop.

Two hours, people. Two hours!

But the real miracle here is that in that same two hours, I also showered, got dressed AND did my hair and make-up.

I think I need a medal of some sort.

P.S.

The kids FINALLY go back to school tomorrow.
Thank goodness.
They have been like locusts....descending on a clean room in the house, trashing it, and then moving on.
I have been on "pest control" since December 20th.
All cooped up in this house, with LOCUSTS. Messy, cluttery, bickering LOCUSTS.
And I swear...I just get through feeding them, cleaning it all up, and they need to eat again. It never ends. Ever. But it will tomorrow, oh yes, my tax dollars at work for my sanity.

On the plus side...they have been in the same pajamas since December 20th, so the laundry is down.

told you there were more pictures coming.

I think if you click on the pictures you can see them bigger.

Me and Sam in Kindergarten together. Awwwww, for cuuuute! Sam jokes around that he probably looked up my skirt in Kindy. But I know better. I never wore skirts. I was more of a tom-boy. I bet I kicked his trash at the monkey bars. That's more likely. Neither one of us remember clear back then.


Me and Sam in second grade. Don't remember much about him in this grade either. I know I was in the highest reading group in the class. He wasn't in my reading group. Which is not to say that he wasn't smart or anything. Just not as smart as ME. In second grade. Come to think of it, he still doesn't read. Unless you count off-road magazines. Which I don't.


And finally our first date. My future mother-in-law took the picture. I am so glad she did! I am happy to have something tangible from our very first date. And holy cripes! Look at my hair! Have you seen such hair? I bet there were live animals living in it at the time. That's some hair. And we matched. Awwwww, for cuuuute!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I am always confused. Do we say Happy New Year 2007? Or Happy New Year 2008?

And how would we put this in the scrapbook:
Photos of New Year 07...or 08?

Does it depend on if they were taken pre-midnight, or post-midnight?

Ugh, its all so confusing. Especially when you are all hung-over on the Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider. Heh.

This is the first year in a long time that I haven't stuffed myself with a whole bunch of appetizer crappies and felt bloated and slightly sick...then to write out my New Year's Resolutions; always including LOSE WEIGHT.

So glad I joined weight watchers back a few months ago. I felt pretty good about NOT writing down "Lose Weight" this year.

Now I am going to focus on "Get Rich." Or "Reverse Gravity."

the good old days....

I am working on a scrappy project and scanning in some olden day pictures of Sam and I. I am making a Lovey Dovey mini-album, about how we fell in love. (everybody sigh and say "awwwww, for cuuuuute!)

I ran across some pics that are really, too good NOT to share.

Part of my senior photo portfolio.
Yeah, my hair was large. (Thank you Aqua-Net) And oh yeah....that IS an acid washed mini-skirt. And if you sniff, you can detect an ever-so slightly lingering scent of Primo or was it Exclamation!

Here is Sam in his glory days:
Although I remember him being less Oompah-Loopah Orange. But maybe he just got sucked into the QT vortex along with all the cheerleaders in the 80's.


There are more pictures coming. I bet you can't wait.
F5
F5
F5

Crap picture warning.

I should wait another day, and take some perfect lighting/artistic shots of THE DOLLHOUSE to do it justice, but I am suffering from blog neglect guilt and felt the need to entertain all five of you readers on your lazy Sunday afternoon.

You're welcome.

I am bringing you what just may be the ultimate SCORE from Santa. Ever.

We got THE DOLLHOUSE.

Nay, not just a lowly dollhouse...but my strapping, manly boys have clocked in as much time as the girls with this thing. Except they call it THE MAX! STEELE! ACTION! MAN! FORTRESS!! There are zip-lines running from the roof, and the Barbie office is a "command center."

This is not your ordinary dollhouse, we are talking, if this sucker was a tad bigger I would move in myself.

After all, THE DOLLHOUSE has a flat mount big screen TV, and Internet access in the office.

Here is the children's playroom:

You can see Max Steele (the hotter and bad-boyish version of his wussy counterpart Ken) is hanging out waiting for Barbie to bring him a Mountain Dew. With extra ice. Cause he is so hot. Don't you think he is hot? I like to play Barbies when Max Steele is my date.

Mmmmmm.....

Oh, Max...I see someone moved you to the bedroom for your headshot? Did you need a nap?

And in the playroom you can see all the necessities are covered, ceiling fan...check, toy box....check, and every dollhouse needs it's own dollhouse. Heh. (I did a cool arrow to point out the little dollhouse. In THE DOLLHOUSE. Be impressed with my 'shopping skillz.

I can't believe the details of THE DOLLHOUSE.

There were matching faux fur rugs for the living room.
There were teeny towels in the bathroom.
There was a velcro to the ceiling chandelier in the dining room.

Probably my favorite room of THE DOLLHOUSE is the laundry room. What woman wouldn't be impressed with the state of the art wooden appliances? It came complete with a vacuum, a swiffer (you can see it in the closet) and a treadmill.

Yes, because every health-conscious Barbie will want to remain fit and firm with Max Steele around.

Amid the chaos...

We are still in our pajamas.
Just hanging out.
Playing with all the new stuff Santa brought.
Eating treats.
Tomorrow might be the day I lose it, and we put it all away and take the tree down.
Then again, it might be another pajama day.

Christmas is finally here!

We started a 1000 piece puzzle last night, so I can guarantee I won't be around the computer much. Heh. I stink at puzzles, but it is awesome to have the TV off, and the whole family gathered around talking and laughing, (and concentrating) even Mikayla helps by sorting the colors into piles.

Go buy a puzzle. You won't regret the conversations and time spent.

I hope everyone has a peaceful holiday.

The peace of finally finishing shopping--and being pretty sure the kids will love what you picked.
The peace of being surrounded by laughter, family, and friends.
The peace of a warm home, and good high-calorie, sugary delicious snack foods.

The peace of our Savior, born 2007 years ago, in a humble little stable.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

You too, can be impressive.

Last night I had to go to SATAN'S WAREHOUSE.

Guess who I saw while I was there?

EVERYONE IN THE TRI-CITY AREA.

I had to go pick up a certain item that they don't carry in the local store, so I ordered and paid for it online, and then they ship it "Site-to-Store" for you to pick up.

The "Site-to-Store" area is in what used to be the Layaway area, and do they have that anymore? I am not sure. It is in the back, by those other bathrooms. You know, the ones a zip-code away from the front of the store...that you always have to do that walk/run thing to when you have a bursting toddler bladder waiting to explode, and conveniently that stupid cleaning cart along with the yellow "DO NOT ENTER. CLEANING IN PROGRESS" cone is blocking the front checkout bathroom.

Why is that?

Why does it seem like they are CONSTANTLY cleaning the bathrooms in SATAN'S WAREHOUSE, and yet, the few times I have been desperate enough to cautiously hover above the toilets to use the facilities, I have felt as if I needed to stop on my way home at an INSTA-CARE to get a booster shot of tetanus?

If they clean so often, why do the bathrooms always smell like an old-folks home? Stale urine is a bugger of an odor to mask! We use these industrial strength TOILET CLIPPIES! You TOO! Can have toilets that smell funeral rose fresh!

(Aisle 666!)

I worked briefly at SATAN'S WAREHOUSE. I am not proud of it. It was a short-lived career spanning three months. Enough time to know some ins and outs of the inner workings. Part of "training" and I use the term loosely, none of Satan's minions actually received any training helpful to their particular department.

Take electronics- if you ask them any type of technical or semi-intelligent question about mega-pixels, or Blu-Ray, their eyes will literally glaze over, and mentally their brain retreats deep inside their skull to wait this crisis out. Their "training" you must understand, was completed on a "CBL" (computer based learning system), with handy tutorials on "How to Properly Set up a Yellow DO NOT ENTER. CLEANING IN PROGRESS" cone. This is to be done for any wet spill. And the proper procedure after proper installation of the cone, is to call a member of maintenance, or a manager to come over, assess the situation, and perhaps administer a paper towel to the area.

I passed my CBL's, as you can see.

So back to "Site to Store."

I am waiting for any one of Satan's minions to help me. No one comes after I rang the bell. So I wait some more. I wait for 22 minutes, in fact. My kids are climbing the benches and messing with the 3M packing tape/box kiosk. I have pressed the "Help" button numerous times.

Finally I decide to take this to the next level.

I pick up the paging phone and page myself:

"Could I get the associate working "Site to Store", or a manager (pulling out the big guns-) to come back to "Site-to-Store" for customer assistance, customer waiting. The associate working "Site to Store" or a manager, to come back to "Site-to-Store" for customer assistance, thank you."

My kids look at me with reverent awe on their faces. Their eyes sparkled! They COULD NOT believe that I had the authority, nay, the POWER to page!

"Mom! That was soooo coooool!"

And even cooler, was that an associate/manager scuttled back there post-haste!

My three month stint paid off, at that very moment, me beating the system, and impressing the kids all in one fail swoop.

This is what we will be having on the Christmas menu:

French Toast Casserole (I will make two of these, my kids licked the pan out last year)

1 1/2 stick butter
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 loaf dense bread (1 pound) (Pepperidge Farm)
6 eggs
2 c. milk
Maple syrup

Use a 9x13 dish, Melt butter, add brown sugar and cinnamon. Make a paste, and spread on the bottom of dish.

Remove crusts from bread. Layer two slices of bread, and fill in sides and cracks of dish with torn bread until filled.

Beat eggs and milk. Pour over the top. Cover and refrigerate. Bake 25-30 minutes at 350. Drizzle maple syrup over the top (go really light here, the bottom goo will be plenty sweet) and run under broiler until brown and bubbly.

Sausage Breakfast Casserole (I am the only one who likes this kind)
3 c. cubed french bread
1/2 lb. bulk turkey sausage
1/4 c. green onion
3/4 c. reduced fat cheese
1 c. skim milk
1 c. egg substitute
1/2 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper

Spray bottom of 8x8 pan. Cube bread, and place in the bottom. Brown sausage and onion, drain. Spread on top. Add cheese layer. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over the top. Chill overnight. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes.
6 servings, 3 points each.


Plus, Santa always brings the kids their very own box of name-brand (read not in a Malt O Meal bulk bag) cereal. They are allowed to eat it all day, whenever they want. They have usually finished their whole box by the next day. Heh.

We are pretty classy like that.

I like to plan being over at grandma's house around dinner. There is always good food to be had there.

What are you doing for food?

Food Storage Powdered Milk Cocoa Mix

Back in the day, Sam and I worked at building a one year food supply.

I spend evenings at the local cannery, canning soup mix, flour, sugar, and lots of powdered milk into #10 cans. We collected cases of beans, and corn, and filled our whole basement with food!

The twins were babies at the time, so I did a whole lot of powdered milk. I wanted to make sure we would be okay with the babies if we needed to use the food storage to live on.

So, now the twins are 8. And I still have a whole lot of powdered milk. The shelf life on this stuff is debatable. I have been trying to rotate the food supply, so it stays relatively fresh. And honestly, nothing is nicer than having staples on hand, all the time, for those nights when you don't feel like running to the store.

Anyway, I was happy to run across a recipe online that used powdered milk as a base for hot cocoa mix. We did a test run tonight. It wasn't sweet enough for us, so I tweaked it, and tweaked it again to make it convenient with the measuring, and the end result was a rich chocolaty hot cocoa that we all loved.

So, if you have some powdered milk in your food storage that needs to be rotated, this recipe is for you. Otherwise I guess you could just go out and buy some Stephen's or whatever.

1 #10 can non-fat dry milk (approx. 12 cups)
1 (16 oz.) bottle non-dairy creamer (I used the Walmart, Great Value Extra Rich)
3 c. Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder (I always use Hershey's only, I think the taste is way better)
2 (2 lb.) bags powdered sugar

Mix everything together really well. Store in an airtight tupperware container. Or two. Or three. Mix up 1/4- 1/3 c. mix to one mug full of hot water. (Depends on the size of the mug)

I tried to find one of those coolio Cocomotion machines, but everyone is sold out around here. Sigh. We had to resort to plain old peasant mugs o' cocoa. Nothing frothy.

Enjoy!

Schweddy Balls

Yes, all you dirty minded blog lurkers are coming out of the woodwork cause of my last post.

The multiple mentions of the word "balls" was not lost on me. Trust me. But, it was a lot easier to type than cylindrically shaped dough pieces.

This one's for you--

Holidays Balls.

Cake Balls.

I found the recipe for these last year, and I forgot all about them until a few weeks ago. They are easy to make, and I think they look pretty impressive for the low effort they take.

I wanted to share the recipe, so if you still have some parties coming up, you too can make some, and hear all your friends "Oooo" and "Ahhhh" over your Martha Stewart-esque culinary skills.

Cake Balls

One cake mix (make according to package directions, bake, cool and crumble cake into a large mixing bowl.

One can ready to spread frosting

Dump about 2/3 of frosting can into the mixing bowl with the crumbled cake. Using your hands, mix all together, until it holds its shape (like play-dough) Roll into walnut sized balls. Place on small cookie sheet, and put into the freezer until solid.

At this point you can put the frozen cake balls into a zip lock baggie and freeze until the day of the party. They are nice to have on hand that way. For that neighbor that drops you off a gift, and "oh crap" I don't have them anything. Viola! A small plate of balls. Heh.

Day of party:

Remove cake balls from freezer. <---obvious. Or I guess you could climb into the freezer and complete the next few steps, but it would be rather cold, so I guess it is good that recipes clarify each step.

2 bags (12oz each) white chocolate chips
2 T. crisco
Place in bowl and melt in the microwave. It took mine about 3 1/2 minutes. You take the bowl out every 30 seconds and stir it, otherwise I think it could burn. Just keep stirring, and melting, until it is all melted. I think you could use Almond Bark too, I never have--I think it tastes waxy, but that is just my opinion.

Then take a toothpick, or skewer, and stab a cake ball, and dip it in the melted chocolate to coat it. Place the dipped cake ball onto waxed paper. The chocolate hardens pretty quickly. If you need to re-melt during the dipping process, just stick it back into the microwave.

After all the balls are dipped...I found that there was a little spot on the top of all the balls, where the skewer was that didn't get dipped, and looked kinda ugly. Spoon some melted chocolate on the tops, and before the chocolate hardens, put a pinch of sprinkles on the top. I happened to have rainbow, but I bet some holiday kind would look even better. Or colored sugar. Or maybe spoon brown chocolate on the top? Hmmmm...I just thought of that when I was typing this up. Like little chocolate hats.

What kind of cake mix?

Well, what do you like? Anything works. I have used strawberry cake with strawberry frosting. I have done chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting. My favorite is french vanilla cake with coconut frosting.

Each batch makes about 68 cake balls. If you don't snitch dough while making them.

Enjoy! Let me know if you make some.

The Nativity to "Breath of Heaven"

Do you have five minutes? Do me a favor and watch this clip.

This video clip is so well done, it was filmed on location in the Holy Land.

I never thought about how badly Joseph must have felt bringing Mary to the stable--the only safe place he could find for her. The look on both of their faces...

Anyway, enjoy!

Do YOU know Wendy?

Remember my fabulous purse? Lime Greenie. Greenie the BEST PURSE EVER?

Well, I went and ordered one for a Christmas gift for someone who reads the blog, so I am not going to say who, but anyway, ordered it. Got free shipping. I was happy.

Then a few days later, the brown truck drops off the package, and I tear into it, and WTH? I ordered the blue one, and in the box was a luscious warm chocolate brown. Ah crap. Joann's screwed up. So I set it on the counter, and put it on the "stuff to do tomorrow" list.

The next day...brown truck comes again. Another box. From Joann's.

I open it, and inside that box was the blue purse.

So now I am in a quandary. I check my bank account, and I have only been charged once. They have sent two. What to do?

So I dig out the packing slip to find a phone number, and lo and behold...on the bottom of the brown purse packing slip it says:

"It was so great to meet you, Merry Christmas, Love, Wendy Inman."

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?

I almost burst into tears right there.

Back in 2005, I made the design team for a now defunct scrapbooking magazine. There were 12 of us. We all went through a pretty rough time with the demise of the publication. I am not going to lie, it was emotionally draining and frankly pretty awful. But, what a great bunch of ladies! I think we all pulled out of it a little wiser.

Wendy and I hit it off immediately. We have e-mailed and chatted online, and laughed until we cry--each at opposite ends of the country behind a keyboard and monitor. I have come to depend on her for support, and second opinions on design team work or just home life in general. I appreciate her honesty and value her opinion.

We finally had the chance to actually meet in October. I was a little nervous--what if we only get along online? Am I weird for flying half-way across the country to hang out with ladies I don't *really* know?
<---crappy picture alert
And then, when we met, it was like I had known her forever--it was instantly comfortable. And without sounding like an ad for eHarmony or some strange stalker, I loved every minute I spent with that girl. Girls at the Getaway didn't believe we had only just met.

Got me thinking about the whole online thing. About how small it shrinks the world. About making worthwhile connections. About ALL the friends I have met through this hobby. About how nothing is coincidental, and how good things happen sometimes in the middle of what seems to be such a dark time. About how lucky I am.

About thoughtfulness and friendship and new brown purses.

So here's to Wendy! I am so glad we met.
(Thanks for the purse!) Smooches.

PS: Is this the best picture we have together? Meh.

Merry Christmas...with Broccoli.

Do not watch if you have a full bladder. Or are afraid of vegetables.

Let's Wrap.

These are the gifts Shianne wrapped last year. She used four rolls of tape. On seven gifts. Yes, she did. And there were still exposed areas of "gift" with no wrapping. She did it all herself!



She takes after her mother...I am the self-proclaimed Crappiest Wrapper Ever. I don't care. I really don't. I used to. When I was a teen, my uncles paid me to do all their wrapping for them. I was meticulous about folding, and mitering corners, and cutting straight and clean. The gifts had matching bows, and curly ribbon. I even had a ribbon shredder! And matching gift tags! I would carefully write "To:" and "From;" in beautiful calligraphy with a fountain pen (okay, that last one is a little bit of an exaggeration)

One would think, with all my crafty supplies I would love to wrap! Nope. Hate it. I think because no one looks or appreciates, the kids rip into things without a seconds' hesitation. They could care less if it were still in the white plastic Walmart bag it was purchased in.

With the years of non-use, my skills are lacking. I always seem to underestimate the amount of paper a gift requires. I am not above patching. Cutting a two inch sliver of paper to go underneath the short side, and then taping the crap out of it. For a final detail, I cut a random scrap of paper, scribble a name on it, and slap it on the package. They most often don't match the wrapping in any way. I say, easier to find who the gift is for!

I am not above using masking tape when the scotch tape runs out.

I am the reason gift bags were invented.
Here is a gift I wrapped. In fairness, it was an odd shape. But you can see my style.

So, I am feeling somewhat like a loser for my lack of effort, especially when I see beautiful gifts wrapped like these:
Kelli Crowe
Rebecca Sower
Nichole Heady
Not loser-ish enough to re-wrap though.
I am officially finished. With everything! Just waiting for a couple more packages to come from my online shopping spree. Wheeeee! Then I can wrap those, and take some holiday naps in the afternoon, instead of shopping and then patiently cutting and taping.

That my friends, is my gift to myself.

We woke up to rain.

Here is a Mikayla funny.

"Mom, does Jesus have a cell phone?"
"No, why?"
"Cause someone should call him and tell him it's raining real hard down here."

Greetings from the New World.

This morning I had a PTA meeting.

Get this...we had it at Wingers, cause it was actually not so much of a meeting, but more of a breakfast with a bunch of loud, chatty, stay-at-home mom's who busted out of the house to eat free food (paid for out of the PTA fund) for working our heinies off running the school functions. (And apparently I missed the memo about run-on sentences and blogging, but we'll let that one slide.)

I scanned the breakfast menu, trying my darnedest to find something that wouldn't make me feel weight watcher guilt for the rest of the week.

I was a little distracted by our waiter, whose face was covered with large warty mole things that looked like cocoa puffs.

So my choices were:
The Humongous Omelet (cheese, BACON, ham, onions and BACON and some other stuff, probably eggs) that was served with fried potatoes.
or
Orange Crepes with strawberries, cream cheese filling and Whipped Cream. (with cream. And cream.)
or
Belgium Waffle (With more cream. And possibly chunks of straight thigh-sticking fat)
or
The FULL breakfast. With everything. BACON, sausage, pancakes, eggs, triple-bypass, fried potatoes, deep fried butter quarters.

I could choose the "Healthy Fare" which was a bowl of oatmeal.

What to do??

I went with the omelet. (shrugs shoulders)

I asked for water to try to balance the force.
Cocoa-Puff messed it up anyway, and brought me a Veggie Omelet. No bacon. Sigh...
I have never seen so much cheese in my life!
I ate like a quarter of the omelet, and ate the potatoes, and tried to feel like I did the right thing. But the grease...when I drank water, I could feel it coagulating in my mouth, and coating my teeth.

I had heartburn all day. The heartburn of guilt. The guilt of SO MUCH cheese. And grease.

When did I become this? Has breakfast food always been this way? Or have I morphed into Perky Girl?

I am feeling better about myself.
And even Sam has mentioned a time or two that I am looking good.

But he does it in a man way. Bless his heart.

No offense to my male readers. Sometimes men choose wording that is double edged. Take for instance:

"Wow, honey! Your stomach has gone down a ton! It used to be huuuuuge." (Nice.)
"Have you noticed anything like it's easier to bend over now?" (WTH?)
or, the classic from Sunday-

"You look really sexy...like a Pilgrim!"

Somehow, I failed to see the compliment in that statement, and frankly, I am a little freaked out by whatever creepy fantasy he has brewing with the chicks that were on the Mayflower.

And I bet those chicks never ate Omelets.

PSA

Hot Rod is the dumbest show ever made.

And this coming from someone who truly liked Napoleon Dynamite.

It's not even worth the $1 Red Box rental.
It's not even worth the gas you would need to pick it up--using a free rental code at Red Box.

Oh man, it was rough. That was 88 minutes of my life that I will never get back.

what's new?

Did you know they made chocolate mint M&M's for the holidays?
Well they did...
Too bad you didn't get any.
I just ate the entire supply for the western hemisphere.
In one sitting.
They are that good.

In other news...been working on some stuff for QuicKutz. The new January release. I don't think I can say anything, but I will say it's cute stuff. I have cranked out a lot of layouts this weekend.

Hold on, and I will go count-
14 layouts, 6 cards.

I am taking a break from the studio tomorrow, and I think I will go nuts and clean something. Maybe cook dinner. That would be weird.

I suppose I'll have to go running, or do Taebo.

Stupid Hershey's.

I am done Christmas shopping.

I went out this morning.
It was snowing.
I had to scrape the windows and mirrors of the car.
I used a piece of junk mail, cause I can never find what I need when I need it.
The snow was blowing side-ways, and then it was melty when it hit the windshield.
My mascara was already running down my face.
It was cold.
Very cold.
I went to the first store.
I could not find parking that was even in the same zip code as the store.
I stepped out of the car, and into a big slushy pile of ice cold water.
The window scraper fell out of the car.
Apparently it was hiding under the seat.
My shoe was wet for the rest of the day.
It made me cold.
I remembered how a couple days ago I was on a beach in Mexico.
It made me sad.
And then mad.
And then sorry for myself.
So I got back into the car and drove home.
I changed into pajamas.
And warm fuzzy slippers.
I got on the computer.
I loaded up my cart online.
I gave them a credit card.
I hit send.

And I am done shopping.

I just love being a woman of the 90's.

abridged trip log

Got back last night. Such a great trip. I wish we could have stayed longer, or found Sam a local job, so we could live there forever.

Came back to Utah to snow. Ugh.

We took the kids to Mexico with the intention of showing them poverty, to make them understand how grateful they should be for all the blessings they have. For running water, and carpet, and even the privilege of attending school instead of selling chicle to tourists all day in the blistering sun.

Anyway, we ended up nabbing a last minute killer deal in an all-inclusive resort hotel. Sigh. This thing was like being on a cruise, on land. There was a water park for the kids, gourmet restaurants, and buffets 24 hours a day. A spa. A gym. Room service. All free.

Needless to say, the kids never went hungry, and were never bored. It really was awesome!

We did drive further into some small villages on our way to Chichen Itza and were able to show the kids the small cane houses with clean wash hanging outside, and children dressed in tattered clothes...with huge beaming smiles on their faces. It is always amazing to me, to see how happy the people are in such humble circumstances.

Seeing the ruins was amazing! We had a guide point out some really cool things to us, things that coincided with the Book of Mormon, a record of the Lamanite and Nephite people who lived in the area so many years ago. There were rock carvings on the walls of the temples depicting "The Great White God" (Jesus Christ) descending from heaven to visit the people. Even the kids thought it was cool, to see where certain parts of the Book of Mormon, their favorite stories could have taken place. A lot of symbolism, and history.

And on a side note, I tried to eat good, and stay somewhat within my points. I skipped dessert, which believe me wasn't a huge sacrifice. Not really into Flan or jello-y cheesecake. I did love the seafood though. And the fresh fruit.

The Mexican tooth fairy is alive and well. Shayne lost his tooth while we were there, and got TWO PESOS under his pillow! He thought it was the coolest.

The hotel had a great gym. I went down three of the nights we were there. Not because I like exercise. Cause I hate it. And I hate people that exercise on vacation. But the gym was the only place that they didn't allow children...and after being cooped up with all the rug-rats either in the hotel or van- 30 minutes of alone time was looking pretty fabulous! I ran on the treadmill for 35 minutes. I ran hard. And I sweat. A lot. They had no air in the gym. It was like the bowels of hell. I was so stinking proud of myself, running...and I actually went 5 miles in those 35 minutes!

Not bad, huh? A 6-7 minute mile?

Until I discovered that they measure everything in kilometers, not miles, so really I only ran like 2 miles in 35 minutes. But oh how sweaty I was. My gym clothes wouldn't dry out, and smelled like toxic waste. I was afraid they would throw my bag off the plane. So with that little bit of too much information, I leave you with some pretty photos of Cancun and get on with my laundry...

photoshop fun

It seems like I rarely get a chance to just play around with some of the features in photo shop. Had a little downtime when the Internet was broken.

Gradient Map anyone? With a side order of Gaussian Blur....

Some soft focus on a textured canvas.

A Watercolor effect with some added saturation:

And just for kicks, some, well, I am not sure what this is, other than really, really cool looking. I am not sure if it is something I would actually print and scrap. Unless I needed to do a layout on the study of complementary colors in monochromatic.
<---that sounded way too intelligent for this SAHM.
And I am not sure if it made sense anyway.
I am picturing photos just like this one, if I ever fulfill my dream of having a lava lamp room, with no doors, only beaded curtains...soft bean bag chairs and long shag carpet, the smell of sandalwood incense... Duuuuude.

And this last one, I didn't really play with, cause I liked it so much just how it came out of the camera.

Sometimes when I am involved in photo shoots for other folks, I forget to take pics of my own kids. Cute aren't they?

I think I will shoot my boys next.
But first I should take some pictures of them.
Har,har.

weigh in day

Down 2.6 pounds. YAY!! I am 1.4 pounds away from a Goal Weight KEY CHAIN, baby!

Today they talked about surviving the feast that is Thanksgiving, without going all hog wild, and they gave a handout with point breakdowns and portion sizes for all of your more traditional Thanksgiving foods.

2 oz. Turkey= 2 points
Stuffing 1/2 c.= 4 points
Gravy 1/4 c.=2 points (1/4c.????? I usually need about a cup, but whatever)
Pumpkin Pie (this killed me) 1 slice= 9 points!

I am on board with this. These are traditional foods. And then....there is....

Fruit Cocktail, 1 c.=2 points

Now I ask you...
Fruit Cocktail? Who in the...

Does anyone really just open up a can of Del Monte and stick a serving spoon in it?
Really?

Fruit cocktail always reminds me of school lunch. The lunch ladies would slop that crap into one of the sectioned squares in the green lunch tray and feel all warm and fuzzy about all the children getting their daily serving of fruit.

I think there was like one maraschino cherry in each number ten can, and the rest were those gritty pears.

Fruit cocktail for Thanksgiving.

Another reason to be glad that I am going to be in Mexico.

Paging Jen--Lance's Wife...

I can't send you an e-mail, Blogger doesnt let me respond to any comments. Stupid Blogger.

The FAB green bag is online at Joanns.com.
That is the link, and it looks like it is on sale for $29.99!
And they have a 50 percent off coupon, but it will not let you apply it to the tote. You could always get something else for the 50? And search online, sometimes they have free shipping deals out there.

How's that for enabling?

You will not regret this. I love my purse! The straps do fit over your shoulder, but they aren't long, like over your shoulder and hit you right in the chest, under your pit...does that make sense?

Let me know what color you get, for practical reasons I considered the chocolate brown...

an answer to my infrequent prayers

I went off the Dew a few months ago when I started Weight Watchers. Then I moved on to diet soda, which to be honest, tastes like butt. The only one I like is Diet Dr. Pepper, and even it was getting old. So I have been BFF with bottled water.

Sam and I have had many arguments over my bottled water. He thinks it is silly, that we have a water/ice dispensing fridge, and WHY? do I need bottled?

I dunno. But I do.
I have been really tired lately. And unproductive. And tired. And then, whilst in the neighborhood Walmart, in the Crystal Light aisle, I heard a choir of Angels, and I beheld:

You add it to your bottled water, in individual packets.
It's sugar free.
It's zero calories.
It's non-carbonated.
It tastes okay.
But it has caffeine! So I am no longer all day, dragging my butt around like a sack of forlorn potatoes.
There is a spring in my step!
A smile on my face.

And I am still Weight Watchers approved...

My last tagging. I mean it.

I was tagged. Again. Which reminds me, I never did get that Treat Ghost this year, that usually makes the rounds in our neighborhood.

Being blog-tagged is sort-of like the chain letters of the 80's. The ones that if you broke the chain your leg would fall off or something, but if you kept the obligatory annoying copied to death thing going, you would find your fortune in a long lost relative. Or get to level 12 of Frogger.

But since my blog has been devoid of anything interesting lately (as has my life) I am participating. But this is the LAST TIME people. The last time I am playing Tag.

Here are the rules which must be posted on your blog if you are tagged:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself (some random, some weird).
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

Link to Tagger:

Peg Graham http://pegola.typepad.com/


Here are 7 "quirky" facts about me:


1. I don't like to mix chocolate with fruit. I don't care how good your chocolate covered raspberry sticks are. I don't like them.

2. I don't like to touch food. As a result, the dishes do not get rinsed when I load the dishwasher, cause that would mean I have to scrape the plate off. Sam has taken over this duty, cause my way grosses him out.

3. I am still rooting for Britney Spears.

4. I hold my breath when I weigh in at Weight Watchers, like somehow the extra oxygen in my lungs makes me lighter...(?)

5. I hate people ringing my doorbell. My good friends know to just walk in and find me...it annoys me to drop what I am doing and have to answer the door.

6. I have always wanted to take a ceramics class and throw clay. It looks so relaxing...

7. I miss my Grandma Hunt and my Grandma Alavon, especially during the holidays.

Here are my 7 friends (if I have 7) that I will pass this along to:
Laura V. http://lauravegas.typepad.com/
Laura M. http://lauramendoza.blogspot.com/
Ashley http://ashleygailey.typepad.com/is_this_thing_on/
Candi http://www.thentherewere5.blogspot.com/
Wendy http://scrapsampler.blogspot.com/
Ursula http://ursulacpage.blogspot.com/

These are the girls that need to update their blogs ThankYouVeryMuch. Get on that.

And YOU! If you are reading this, and in need of blog fodder, then please, consider yourself tagged. And if you don't want to be tagged, I get that.

Guess where we will be spending Thanksgiving?

Nothing like celebrating the history of the first settlers in our country by heading out to MEXICO! Heh. Enjoy your turkey, and your sweaters...

monkey love

I am sure there is a joke here somewhere. Some tasteless Junior High immature joke.
And all I am saying is this...yes, this is the reason I check in on my kids after they fall asleep.

Sometimes you get some great future blackmail photos.

He's nine, and boy, oh boy...can't wait to show these gems off in a few years. Maybe to his fellow football team studs. Heh.

nothing to report today.

I figure I have left all ten of you loyal readers with nothing since Tuesday, so I better at least make an appearance over here, even if there is nothing exciting or blog worthy to report.

Sam went out of town this weekend. He went to Mesquite. Why? you ask? I am not sure. I know he told me at one time...and I heard "Blah, blah, blah, GONE, blah, blah."

The "gone" part was all that stuck.

And then my mind raced at the thought of being thrown to the wolves all by myself, I wouldn't do well being a single parent. Hat's off to those of you out there who take the kids on by yourself. I would be a raging alcoholic.

Every time he leaves we have some health catastrophe. Once I got gallstones. Usually its the kids though. An emergency room visit, or like this time, just the Croup. I spent two nights sitting outside on the porch with Mikayla praying for her to get enough oxygen to turn her lips back to pink. That was Sunday night and Monday night. Then Tuesday she woke up vomiting.

Wednesday, I got that flu.

I think the Lord does that, so that I miss Sam, and I am so, so, so grateful to have him home again.

Since I had all that fun this week, I was backed up on a couple of deadlines, and scrapped all day yesterday to get it all done.

That is why I haven't been around.

And I realized how addicted I am to Craisins. I finished the bag Saturday, and I have been craving something all week. You know how you open the pantry and look, and then open the fridge and look, and the cupboards...and nothing looks good, but you want something...

It's Craisins.

avoiding work

I really, really need to clean my studio today.

I have been avoiding it. And I have a couple deadlines I need to work on, but can't even find a 12x12 space in which to scrap.

Yesterday I started cleaning, and then flitted off to Target, Ross and Walmart. So good at avoiding...And also because after we showered I told Mikayla (remember this girl is four) to go get herself dressed for the day. She came back up twenty minutes later naked.

"Honey, where are your clothes?"
"Well, Mom. (heavy disgust in her voice) When we run errands today we need to buy me some new clothes, cause I have been looking, and I don't have a damn thing to wear."

She gets that potty-mouth from her father...

But I got some great deals!

A Halloween costume for Shianne for next year. Some skanky Punk Rock Princess thing for $4.99. I got two new bra's for $4.99 each. A new pair of jeans, and yes...a couple outfits for the apparel deprived toddler. That's the thing about shopping. You get deals when you aren't looking for them. Like the bra's...I have been looking forever, and finally paid full price for one a while back. Then today, at Target, I had time to browse all the clearance end caps and found two good ones for cheap.

If I didn't hate shopping so much I could probably find deals all the time. I hate shopping!

But I like shopping a whole lot more than cleaning my studio.