ah, the great outdoors.

camping.
wow.
good times.
so glad we had that trailer-
with a heater.
even cooked microwave popcorn.
that is how camping should be!
this picture is the girls in the top bunk.
we thought we would get them both to sleep up there together, because cory was having a little Settlers party on the table that night, with a couple of the guys. it didn't really work, ( the girls sleeping in the bunk together) but fun for them to hang out up there!
We went thursday night, Friday was an okay day, a bit chilly- sweaters required, but Saturday- oh my.
very very cold. so grateful for that heated camper on that day, let me tell you! Sunday was beautiful, so we came home. haha. of course. but while cory packed the trailer up I took the kids to the beach. it was nice. no one else there, I even took my sweater off a couple of times. the kids caught leeches, snails, and ladybugs. well, the boys did. good times.

right off our campsight was a path down to the lake. Maggie could not get enough of throwing rocks in the water. I heard that request from her so many times. frow wocks in wata?

then the girls on a log by the lake where we went to throw rocks in the water.

glad we came home on Sunday, so I could spend all day today doing laundry!
I did get some onions planted in my little garden. the kids will appreciate that! haha. we went and got some new window coverings for our new windows! man. costly stuff for some fabric with tabs. Cory said I can sew some if they don't look homemade. hmm. I'll see what I can do. tomorrow- curtains for the girls room. yay.

Thursday 13

1. We are getting new windows put in our house right now! yay. they are nice. our house smells like caulking. not nice.

2.we are going camping- which is a good thing since our house smells like caulking.

3.we are borrowing our friends trailer- yay. sad that we couldn't find ourselves a fabulous one, but lucky that they offered to let us use theirs! I am hoping Cory will get hooked and want our own really bad. hmm. we shall see.

4. when I dropped the babysitee off at playschool this afternoon, one of the moms was saying she heard someone else saying that they heard it is supposed to snow on Monday. what?

5. my best friends sisters boyfriends brothers girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who saw Ferris pass out at 31 flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious. ( my number 4 reminded me of that. had to write it in.)

6.got my passport a couple of days ago. I am good to go to NYC! and Virginia, and Chicago- and maybe a stop in DC. now I just have to fork over the big bucks and book a flight, and beg someone to watch my kids. hee hee.

7. I took Jed to soccer last night- one of these times I'll take some pictures- he loves it! anyways, yesterday was hot, so we went there with a blanket to sit on, and hats to keep the sun out of our eyes, - well, here when there are hot days, we have thunderstorms at night, so saw a few flashes, heard some thunder, then a big wind started blowing, and it was by the new part of town, so lots of dirt to blow around, then it started raining, then it stopped , and the sun came out, and they played through it all. funny.

8. the misquitos are insane around here. everywhere. yuck. so it was nice when the wind and rain came, they went away, but when the sun came out, they were back.

9. I printed off a bunch of the wedding pictures to put in an album for the couple, and I am really not impressed. they look off. the color, or something. I am hoping it was where I got it developed and not me, but it could be me. not good.

10. the window guys were out for lunch, but they are back now, so it will be noisy, I hope Maggie will sleep through it.

11. Sadie wants to invite her kindergarten teacher over for lunch. is that and okay thing? or weird? I am not sure. we just live across the street from the school, so she could just run over. I don't know what to do. any advice?
could be fun to plan a little fancy lunch. maybe if I invited a couple of other girls and their moms? what do you think?

12. well it was hot today, but now I see the clouds coming in. maybe another thunderstorm. that would be fun camping in! we have like no rain gear. maybe now is the time!

13. well, I guess I should get packing. hope I don't forget anything important. chocolate and marshmallows. check. we are good to go!

as promised-

here is Ben's newspaper article he wrote for mothers day. such a funny guy. it is mostly true- except the part about the ambulance. I just drove him. and I don't think i was nervous. and I wasn't really babysitting- just watching some kids- without pay, so that doesn't really count, right? and it wasn't really that serious- they just bandaged it up.and he neglected to mention that the principal was so incredibly helpful- carried Ben to the van, then followed us to the hospital, then stayed with us, and carried him to the house. such a great guy. we were sad when he retired the next year. or maybe it was that year. I have a very bad memory. my favorite part is the picture- the doctor saying that Ben is going to miss some school and me saying- why me? so funny. I love school, I love the break from children I get when they are gone! them being home throws me off. anyways, other than all that stuff, it is all true!

so, our little tent trailer had a leak in the roof, and over the winter a lot of water got in, so it is not so nice inside, but after scrubbing it out yesterday, I think it is somewhat useable- though as I remind Cory all the time it sleeps 6, and we are 7- so, we have been looking for a larger camper, and kind of in a rush, since we are hoping to go camping this weekend- for the last 3 years a bunch of families in the ward have gone camping together on the May long weekend. anyways, the point of my story is that Cory was making some phone calls last night, and someone called him, not really knowing how he got Cory's number, and Cory has no idea either, he doesn't think he was one of the people he called- I think it is destiny calling. haha. anyways, that got me thinking about back when I did phone calls for Fabricland- they call all their members and tell them about upcoming sales, and being that I am a stay at home mom and welcome any extra income, I did it- for a measly $0.25 per call, but hey, money is money, and without fail, those evenings after making the calls I would always get a couple calls back saying- someone was calling here- oohhhh. that drives me crazy. I can see calling if my number was on your call display a few times, but I am sure I only called once a day. get an answering machine. sheesh. anyways. had to vent. thanks .

anyways, apparently it is supposed to rain this weekend, so now I get to decide whether or not we should go. great. no fun if it does rain, but those weather men aren't always right. right?

Happy Mother's Day!

I asked Cory to take some pictures of me with the kids, because- according to a poem Jack wrote for me for mothers day, I am a scrapbooking freak- hmm. he nailed that one.
anyways back to the pictures- well, this is one of the better ones. Jed being goofy. the rest are okay, Sadie not smiling. well, Maggie, Ben and I look cute. Jack, he's looking a little buck toothed!






found this little note on the counter made with pretzel letters. sweet.

an awesome magnet picture and frame thing for my fridge.
too cute. that's Jed's sweet little head. funny, huh?


On Friday when I was off taking pictures, MAggie was at a friends house for the afternoon. after she got home - after school, I guess she was a little worn out. and Cory, knowing I am the scrapbooking freak - took pictures. he's a good man. too funny. her sound asleep on the table with her cute derriere in the air.


Ben wrote a funny story for me- I will try to scan it and share with you tomorrow. but for now, my book is calling.

wow

I tried so many times to get on this blog to update it, but something was going on, that I couldn't get on, but this time I tried and it worked, so here it is!

I was so excited the other day to vacuum my bedroom, and all I had to move was an empty laundry basket. wow. that was nice!

if now I could get the rest of the house in that condition.

that would be super nice.

took pictures of the wedding.

it was scary, and fun, and good.

it was very sunny though, and there were shadows. gotta work with that.

learned a lot.

here's one.

good times.

well, we have a bit of sibling rivalry happening here.

Ben and Jed have clashed for a long time.

a morning last week, they were at it, neither of them letting it drop,

till Ben had reached his breaking point and threw a cup at Jed.

it was just a plastic cup, but the force it was flying at cut Jed's head and cut it open nicely.

Cory managed to come home, and spent the morning in the emergency with him while he got stitches.

such fun . I really don't know what to do about these boys.

yep. crazy stuff.

crazy.

and a couple more fun ones.

I have lots of editing to do.

wish I knew photoshop better.

Happy National Scrapbook day!

and what a day it is! check out this! what a great surprise!
I had such fun with that page!
and if you haven't been to two peas- let me guide you there-
I was chosen by a sweet garden girl- Amy Grendell to be highlighted in the user gallery!
and if you can't find me- I will help you out- look here.
that was fun!
I am secretly hoping I might make it to a scrapbook store today, but it is not looking too good, maybe I can scrap some tonight.
that would be fun too.
MAggie is napping, so I am going to nap too, then we will catch up with the rest of the fam at an activity at the church.
stayed up too late watching handsome Denzell Washington in Deja vu. I had to ask too many questions, but once I figured it out, it was a good show.

thirteen for thursday

1. I was reading on someones blog and they said they were having a laundrypalooza that day at their house. I think I could use that term for what is going on here- all laundry all day! sounds fun, huh?
not really.

2.Sadies kindergarten class is having a special lady spa day on may 11- for mothers day- sounds so good- manicures, massages, hairdos- wow. sadly that is the afternoon of the wedding I get to be the photographer for- so I have to miss it. my sister Jill is kind of happy about that- because she gets to be Sadie's special lady for the day. wah.

3. this saturday is national scrapbook day. I think you all should check out 2peas in a bucket that day. ;)

4. I think after I finish this post I will pull out the sewing machine and sew a bag. yep, I think so.

5. so, I am hoping to barbecue stuff for supper tonight- chances are good that it will be raining then. it is so grey and humid out there- right at supper time, I am sure it will start.

6. Cory has been busy putting up insulation down in the basement. One small step for the basement reno, one large leap for ... hmm. for what, I don't know.

7. he is planning on going out tonight to help a friend of his build a house. scary- Cory building. at least the guy knows what he is doing. he can teach Cory a thing or two!

8. Cory got hooked on the Settlers of Catan craze. not really a craze I guess, but nonetheless, he is hooked. a good game, fun, challenging. not too hard, but sadly I have not won, the whole 3 times I have played it. I might never play it again. but come on over, and Cory would love to play with you!

9. debating whether or not to commit myself to yet another challenge- stacy Julians spring into action challenge. good stuff in there. eating healthier, more exercise. I love the one day free to eat what you want- that is something I would need. hmm. check it out. tell me what you think. a good thing, no doubt!

10. just have to say- chocolate. so good. whoever invented that, or discovered it, or perfected it- pure genius. love it.

11.found my bag of no-name oreos half gone and got mad. those darn kids- getting into the treats all the time- so Cory figured he better get them while he could, and finished them off. then the next day I commented to the kids about it, and they said Grandma gave them some when she was here watching them, while I was off getting my passport. oh, well if Grandma said you could. okay.

12. alright, gotta catch up on some smallville episodes- the kids have watched a few on nights when I was out, so I am going to put that on and pull out the machine- and make a bag.

13. but, I will still be listening for that washer and dryer to quit, so I can reload them, and keep them going- party on!

the challenge

well, the organization challenge
is over today.
I chose my sad, sorry, messy bedroom
that was in serious need of some cleaning and organizing.
as you can see by the before pictures.







I would like to present to you my newly painted, organized and clean bedroom.
I hope to eventually get a real bed with a headboard, and nice matching dressers and bedside tables, but for now, here it is.



and also my ensuite bathroom that has a fresh coat of paint. I really love the colors- the bedroom is a shade darker than the bathroom.

okay, for the challenge I need to answer some questions-

1.the hardest part of the challenge for me was dealing with all the stuff. I overcame that by dealing with a little bit at a time. all at once would be way too overwhelming, which really is why nothing was getting done.

2. a big problem with my bedroom and the mess is that it is laundry central. that needed to change big time to help me be organized. I sorted, folded and stored in my room. baskets of clothes around- clean and folded, and put back in baskets rather than being put away, then no one knowing which baskets are clean and which are dirty- yep, a real problem. so, a new habit that I am getting into is putting the clothes away right after they are folded, and sorting them down by the washer- less mess in the room. the basement is in a state of renovation- that is why a lot of the stuff was up there, so when the laundry room is really done, that is where it will all happen! yay, not in my room.

3. I sorted through my clothes, passed some on to my sisters, some donated to charity, the sleeping bags that were in a huge pile were put away properly in the garage, and stuff put in their proper places elsewhere in the house.

4. when I walk in my room now it is such a nice, relaxing place, open and airy and clean. I really really want to keep it that way. to know that it can be easily maintained now, and if I clean it up every day it won't get to that horrible state again!

5. keeping my room clean and organized will give me a nice place to retreat to for peace, where I can really relax, and not stress from the mess! this is a necessary thing in anyones life- and I was missing out for a while!

thanks for the challenge to get me in gear! love my room! yay!

what a day

went downtown this morning- before the kids were even up

had to go get a passport.

I don't know who's big idea this was-

a passport to get into the states. rediculous.

anyways,

since I have some big plans in store to visit the states I had to get one.

so I stood in line for about an hour,

then got a number and had to sit for about 3 more hours waiting for my number to be called,

then I was done in 5 minutes.

good thing I took a book with me

too bad I finished it in the second hour.

but at least- in 3-4 weeks, I should be good to go with my hot little passport in hand, for my trip -now in July- to Virginia, NYC, and now my trip includes a wedding in Chicago. I don't know the people getting married, but hey, it's a wedding in Chicago. I am game.

swim club starts tonight.

the dropping off and picking up. fun stuff. Ben is the only one who wants to join this year. I will have to see if I can convince the other boys.

soccer for Jed starts tomorrow.

usually my kids are in nothing. - except 2 of them in piano, which they walk to.

and they have informed me they will not be taking lessons next year.

I like not driving around everywhere.

but that is over- for a while.

and lest you think I scrapbook no more, here is a page I did, with a cute picture of my cute girls, by my friend Shellie.

It's Thursday again!

so lets go with the Thursday 13!

1. painted my bathroom on Tuesday. it looks fresh and springy and light.

2. hope to get to the bedroom on Saturday. need to be done the whole clean up, organizing thing by Wednesday for the organizing challenge. nice to have a deadline, I work better that way.

3. my throat hurts. it started to yesterday, I was hoping it would go away, but it didn't. I don't feel like eating. probably a good thing!

4. spring is here! yay. light sweaters is all we need. we have pulled out the capris and sandals. love it.

5. have my passport almost ready to go. just need someone to sign it for me, then the dreaded trip down town. hopefully will be good to go at the end of June to Virgina, and a couple of days in NYC with my sister shelley. fun fun fun.

6. wow, I am having a hard time coming up with things to say today.

7. oh- just finished a book called the Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls. very interesting, I got sucked in. finished it in just a few days. try it!

8. I was sitting in my back yard envisioning what it could be- a patio set on the little patio- us enjoying suppers and lunches out there, a badminton net set up, lots of vegetables growing, and some beautiful flowers. hmm. looks nice, yes? now, how to go about it. the one big flower bed has a huge tree at the back of it that provides much shade. not good for growing the veggies, I think I got one or two carrots last year, but quite a few cucumbers. something else I hope to get better at- gardening.

9. book club tonight. we read the 5 people you meet in heaven. by Mitch Albom. very interesting. so stressful to pick a book for everyone to read. it was my turn last month, so I am good for a while.

10. I am making baked potato soup for supper tonight. my kids don't like it, but Cory and I do. so good. the potatoes are baking right now. then I make potato skins with the leftover skin, you scoop out the insides for the soup. apparently my skins have something to be desired. maybe I will have to research potato skins on the internet this afternoon. yum. I hope I feel like eating tonight!

11. also making bran muffins. the kind you make a big batch of and keep the dough ( I don't think that is the word, the mix- I don't know!) in the fridge and just bake them up as you need them. some of my kids eat them, but some don't. I think it is because of the raisins.

12.laundry. yep. can it never be done? that is the sad thing about it. when you think you are done, there is always more. yuck.

13. the last of our two original fish died this week. he was old. now we still have a bunch of snails, one tetra, sadie's fish Ariel, and Jack's fish- shadow. I have learned that I am not a pet person. even though I don't do anything for these fish, I will not be sad if they are all gone. nope, not at all.

Monday, monday

so good to me.
actually, not such a good day,
but not that bad either.

that van- that crazy van, wouldn't start. yuck. Cory vowed he would take it in on Friday. yay.

had to do a swatch of the paint colors, sorry that one is sideways, meant to fix that, but forgot,
that is the paint color the ensuite bathroom will be- it is called sea drops


then the bedroom, a shade darker, woodland mystery.
sounds nice!
who comes up with these names?
I would not be good at that.
I will have to take pictures when it is done- this week! the challenge is coming to an end, must get busy!





a friend of mine has a photography business, and 4 boys, and needed some girls to come and try out her new backdrop and dresses, so we agreed to it, and just got the pictures today. pretty nice! got a few smaller ones that I have scrapbooked some, and one for the grandmas!
If I can get Cory to get my scanner working I will scan those in tonight!
I am so not computer, (or any techonology for that matter), smart. I would like to learn more, someday.

Thursday thirteen

I was just reading on someones blog that did a thursday thirteen every thursday- 13 things. I thought that was a good idea.
so,
1. walking into my room makes me happy.
it is almost all clean. I tied up the sleeping bags that were in a huge pile, I even vacuumed- sadly, it has been a while, and now it makes me smile.

2. I am buying paint for that room on Saturday, and hopefully can paint next week.

3.is spring ever coming? it snowed last night and this morning. really, snow. the whole glbal warming thing? I am not feeling it.

4. I love cupcakes. love them.

5.making some hamburger soup for supper tonight. need some warm comfort food for a day like today.

6. as the mom dropped her daughter off at our house to be babysat today, the tv was on to clifford, and she said that she wished she could be home and watch clifford, and I smiled, and was glad that I got to be home and could watch clifford, if I so chose, which I didn't because that is when I was vacuuming. but the fact that I could have, was nice.

7.I scrapbooked one page on Saturday. wow, it has been a while. all my stuff is tucked deep in the depths of the boys closet, and doesn't come out much, but I am planning in my head a layout for the goodie box! must get busy!

8. hoping to make some banana cupcakes for the kids for afterschool. yum. I love cupcakes.- oh, wait, that was #4.

9. Ben is going on his first scout camp this Friday. hope it warms up. man, he is growing up too fast. had to fill in his choices for options for Junior high. he didn't want band. hmm. art was his first choice. not a surprise.

10. Jack hates piano. he was the one who wanted to take lessons, and after I told him over and over he would have to practice every day, and he agreed time and time again that he would, now he hates it. he says after his last lesson he is never touching the piano again. I bet he is the one who will play it the most all summer.

11.I could really use a nap.

12. etsy. oh, etsy. everytime I try to get in to my shop to change things up, maybe add an item or two, it won't let me. I don't know if that is because my time has expired, but I think they would let me know. I am so not a computer person, and cannot figure out these things. I think it is a great thing, that etsy. I just wish I could harness all the goodness, and sell something!

13. wow, coming up with 13 things was kind of hard. but good. I might have to keep that up!

off to make some soup and cupcakes, and if I have enough time, have a nap!

this week

-warmer weather
-bag of hand me downs- love it!
-time at the park
funnily, I found a fabulous place to take pictures, that I have walked past who knows how many times and never even knew it was there!

my house is in such a state - I just don't know where to start, so I usually choose not to start! ha ha.
how is the bedroom coming, you may ask?
very slowly.
I just need to spend a bunch of time in there, and get it done. I usually just pick up a few things, put them away, then move on.
must focus!
the van is starting now, thank goodness! we really should get a professional to look at it! but in the mean time, I am going to always have a stroller in the back in case of having to walk across town again. would be much easier with little Maggie in a stroller.
okay, 15 minutes in the bedroom, now! really!

a warning, a complaint, and a cute baby

first the warning.
these are dangerous.
dangerously delicious.
in my opinion.
I will not be held responsible for weight gained from eating them- I think what is gone from this pan- I ate - no, actually I put some in the freezer and ate them the next day.
that good.
okay,
so I will share the recipe. because they are so good.

Eatmore bars- got it from a Sobeys flyer, so they tell you you have to use their brand stuff, but I will just give you the basics, and you can use whatever brand of stuff you like!
3/4 c honey
1c peanut butter
1 c chocolate chips
4 c crispy rice cereal
10 large marshmallows.
melt honey and peanut butter on stove top or in microwave. bring to a boil. remove from heat and add chocolate chips and marshmallows until melted. add rice cereal. pat firmly into 9x9 inch pan. cut into squares and enjoy,
- but make sure you share them. soooooo good.


a cute baby. isn't he sweet.
I am loving taking pictures lately, but realizing that I have so much to learn about my camera and lighting, and how to do things right.
but it is fun.


now for my complaint.
went to do a bunch of running around this morning. groceries, sending off some pictures- to you Heather, if you read this- they are on their way! my last stop was the post office and library, which are right behind each other.
in and out, had to hurry. just enough time to get home to the boys and have lunch.
dumb van would not start.
I just filled it up with gas- in all my running around.
and here it wouldn't start for me.
how rude. so I call on my handy cell phone for Cory. he's not at work, he's not at home. where is the man when I need him?
I call the school- kids are already gone home.
no key at the house, doors are locked.
must get a key hidden for the boys for occasions such as this.
so,, Jack called me from the school to see what was going on, and he said it was okay, they would just eat at the school. a mercy lunch from the supplies the principle has on hand for occasions such as this.
the sad thing is this is the second time- you might recall a previous post on me not being here for lunch time. that time was my fault, this time, not my fault at all.
so me and the girls walked all across town to get home just in time to get Sadie a sandwich and get her to school on time. crazy stuff. my feet hurt. should have worn my walking shoes.
I am just hoping cory will check his messages at work, or show up at home soon so I can get the groceries out of the back of the van!
and I think we need to get it a little tune up. this is rediculous!

for Kayli

my favorite kissing picture for Kayli's challenge! two of my sisters showing Jed the love. so funny.

a challenge, a picture, a happy easter.

these pictures,
yep, I am embarrassed by them.
that my house could be in such a sad state.
like at the beginning of clean sweep,
i always wonder how people can live like that-
well, here it is, my bedroom.
horrible.
but, it is going to change this month. I am joining a challenge-
to organize this room.
all thanks to the organizing junkie!


this room will be tranformed into the bedroom of my dreams.
well, probably not, but hopefully it will be clean.
I mean, yes, it will be clean.
I must add- it isn't always this bad.
a lot of it is due to the basement renovations,
but that will take a while, so I might as well deal with this now, as live like this for a few months.
right? right.
I will do it!




the weather this weekend was crazy.
we had snow the whole way driving down south.
Friday was cold. cold cold, very cold. so, pictures that were scheduled for that day did not happen. well, I did happen to take a bunch of two super cute girls, here's one of them.

for our family pictures we decided to see what Saturday was going to be like, and it was warmer, but still a cold wind. and an uncooperative husband. yes, you Cory. you know it!
then, wouldn't you know it,
sunday was gorgeous. kids played outside all afternoon with no sweaters, a few with no shoes. warm. like it should be. yep. then we went home.
I was sad not to get our family pictures done, but we will, oh yes, we will.






we had a easter egg hunt in the school in stirling. Maggie was so funny. she only found a few eggs, then just sat and ate all the goodies from inside. as happy as could be. love it.

happy Easter!

the snow is melting- hurray!

we're going to Grandma's for easter- yay!

taking some pictures and getting some taken.

a long drive,

but the dvd player is fixed and we have season one of Smallville that we are all looking forward to watching.

should be a good time!

April?!?

looking out my window,
I would think hmmm-
November, February maybe
nope, it's April. and there is snow,
and slippery roads
and they say highway travel is not recommended.
crazy stuff.

so, on Sunday, we were talking about sushi-
asking the kids what it was made of,
if they wanted some-
Ben started freaking out- he really dind't want to have to eat sushi ( he is really quite picky) then I pulled out these beauties,
and the protests continued, till Jack looked closer and realized it was rice krispies, fruit by the foot and gummy worms. haha. april fools day!
thanks Shelley! then the kids just couldn't get enough of them. they were really quite good!

then, since this weekend was general conference, I had the time to sit and finish a few things-
a little sweater for my new nephew Kai,
a scarf for my niece,
and all the while being inspired to be a better person by the leaders of the church!
what a weekend.

spring!

heres one from the shoot.
oilers fans!
too fun.

warming up a bit, still lots of snow around, but it is melting- yay! puddles everywhere. yay for rubber boots!
must remember to tuck the pants into the boots next time!









baby blessing for my sweet neice on Sunday.
she is such a good little baby.

yesterday two of my sisters, and my mom came over and helped clean up! I can move around my living room much easier now! yay.
and Jill and Andrea cleaned up the girls room. so nice. I hope we can keep it clean for a while. so hard for Sadie to clean up. too much stuff in there for sure. pollies and ponies, and a toy kitchen, and clothes, those seem to be very hard for her to put away.
so, yesterday we had a bunch of 2x4's delivered for the basement, and when the truck pulled into out driveway, I ran so fast around the corner to go talk to him, that I slipped on the laminate floor, and knocked my chin really hard on the floor. right now I have a big blue and purple bruise on half of it. nice.
do you think my kids might listen more when I tell them not to run around? probably not. but I know not to run around now!

we are on spring break now, and let me just say how much I love school.
it is a good thing.
and not having a basement to send the kids to, is not helping the situation at all. and those 2 extra babysittees= tons of fun for mom.

I think I did something to my shoulder too, in the big fall, it is kind of stiff. crazy old lady!

update

well, a few walls gone in the basement.
did that last post confuse you all? I live here, and I was trying to figure it out!
it is too tight to get good pictures to show you all what is going on down there- I will try to update it regularly, as the work porceeds, hopefully in a timely manner!
we have moved a bunch of the stuff from the living room into the garage, but it is still a mess,.
and Ben and Jack are moving their bedrooms into the livingroom.
aaahhh. it is madness.
I think hiring people to get the job done fast, is not a bad thing,
but I will let Cory work, and we will see how long this takes.

I have a little photo shoot set up for tomorrow!
exciting to get out there a bit.
scary too.
I need to be more confident in myself.
and know they wouldn't ask me to take pictures if they didn't like what I do! right? right!

okay, I hope to start sewing some easter dresses today! and clear out some more of this livingroom. and maybe try my hand at pulling down a wall. could be fun!

a mess

well.
we are in the process of emptying the basement
fun stuff.
cory gave the boys a great idea to pull out their rollerblades, and they race around the empty basement.
and the girls chase after them.
this room they are going into will be my laundry/craft room.
unfortunatly it is the room you come into when youcome down the stairs. on the other side of the wall to the right are the stairs.

this is Jed racing around the loop,
Cory just pulled the drywall off that wall, it will all be open to a family room, then where they are coming out of will be a huge room that all the boys will share. to their dismay, I am sure.

and this picture is my livingroom. I am really hoping the basement will be done soon, because I really don't like living like this. really don't like it, and it has been about 2 days. AAaaarrrggh.

this morning I finished reading My Sister's Keeper. wow. what a book. it is good, but just so you know. lots of the f word, and a bit of hanky panky, but a good story. great ending. wow.
in part of it, the girl was talking about a wall full of pictures, and how there was lots of her older sister and brother, but hardly any of her-
then she says-
"A photo says, You were happy, and I wanted to catch that. A photo says, You were so important to me that I put down everything else to come and watch."
I like that. and on that note-


Jack and ben had a handbell concert on Monday, because tomorrow is that teacher who is in charges last day. she is going on maternity leave.
these pictures are from the back of the gym with my big old lens! wow. I was impressed.I always have to laugh when they are doing the handbells because the teacher stands there to conduct them and counts 1-2-3-4-2-2-3-4-, etc, not really loud, but you can definitely hear her.

good times.

tidbits

- bought a big old lens for my camera. having fun with it!

-had our traditional green milk with our breakfast on Saturday. love it! also a little leprechaun left some chocolate coins under the kids pillows. - there's only so much you can do for St.Patricks day- well, you could do more, I am sure, but that is about as far as we take it. - and always wear green. for sure.

-we might have a small crew of guys coming over on Saturday to frame our basement. wow. so, have a whole lot of emptying out to do so that can happen. yay. progress. a good thing.

-my van wouldn't start this morning. we left the interior lights on when we got home last night, so I will have to walk - not really far, but with two little girls it will seem very far, to the school across the big feild to pick up the babysittee after school. yay for that. me and that van have a few issues. not good.I will have to work that out. Cory says it is telling me to take better care of it. hmm. interesting.

-I was home every day at lunch for the rest of the week. I am a good mom, I am a good mom- positive affirmations.

-well, that is all I can think of to share right now. not much, but that's where I am at right now. same old same old!

two much fun

here she is.

my sassy little 2 year old.

ready to start the terrible twos

she's getting into the tantrum thing.

has it all figured out.

silly little girl.

so. today I was a bad mom.

wow.

I felt so bad.

a friend called this morning to see if the girls and I wanted to come over and play, and since all I had scheduled was cleaning, I was all for it,

so we headed on over, played, ate lunch, then I dropped of Sadie and her little guy at kindergarten,

then the minute I opened the door,

I knew.

I knew I was a bad mom.

all three boys had not taken lunch to school,

had come home to a locked up house,

and no mom, for lunch.

wow. I felt so bad.

there was a message on the machine from Jack stating that they had come home, and I wasn't there, and they were eating at the school.

to top it all off, I went over to pick them up after school, and the principle asked if I got the message from the boys! nice. they have extra food around for such occasions as this. I think I will have to contribute a bunch of juice boxes or something.

and I think we need to get a key where the boys know where it is, so if this happens again, they can get in and make some sandwiches.

yikes. bad mom.

so tomorrow night I have the book club at my house. I guess I will be doing some cleaning tomorrow!

having some fun

after a very sad morning, at a very nice funeral,
for a very nice man,
I got to take some engagement photos for a cute couple.


they were lots of fun,
easygoing
and cute
reminded me a bit of back in the day.
long, long ago.
when I was dating.

hopefully they will like them. these two were my favorites.
fun stuff.
oh, on Friday night we went out on a date.
a real date- not just a church function.
but it was a function, none the less.
a "safety celebration" for Corys place of work.
funny huh?
they are all about safety at the plant.
and for good reason I am sure,
but we got a great meal,
and some funny entertainment.
a comedian guy came and did a speel. had some good laughs.
so, in two days my baby turns two.
wow. where has time gone!

today

what a productive day-
so far,
but that is coming to an end!
I have worked hard
time to rest!
here is maggie twirling in a little three tiered skirt I whipped up for her,
from the instructions I found here.
easy and cute. you can't really tell, but the bottom red has tiny white polka dots on it. cute stuff.


the weather was so nice yesterday, we spent a bunch of time outside, and Ben was busy making a snow man. I think the kid reads too much Calvin and Hobbes. a murdered snowman on my front yard. nice. red "blood" and all. real nice.
finally finished my stip quilt I made way back when our ward first started having a quilting group- well over a year ago. it is now done. I machine quilted it with a meandering stitch, and stars thrown in every so often. cute. but don't look too closely. I sewed it with some red white and blue veregated thread donated from my sister Shelley. so sweet.

here is one of my knitted flower hats-

avaliable at my shop. shown is the newborn size on my newborn niece- I don't think she liked it so much,

but if she only know how darn cute she looks!

love it.

on a sad note, the man in my ward who was sick died on Monday night.

funeral on saturday. sad, sad stuff.

on a happy note, my sister in law who was due at the end of April had her baby a couple of days ago. he is 4 pounds, tiny, but doing really good.

I will try to stop in and see him tonight on my way to my sisters to get my hair highlighted. so exciting!

and that is the latest and greatest around here.

deep thoughts

It's been a little while.

funny.

I always get annoyed when the blogs I read aren't updated regularly.

I mean, come on.

I want to know about your lives!

but does anyone really want to know about mine?

probably not.

hense, the no update.

but I am here now.

to let you know about my non exciting week.

sorry.

someday.

this is Jack and his cub car.

not a very fast cub car.

he didn't win many races.

but he was a good sport.

I figured out how to move pictures, but not how to rotate them.

one thing at a time.

so, just turn your head,

to check out the cute boy in uniform.

on Saturday our stake had a womens conference.

We had Shari Dew and Wendy Watson Nelson come and talk.

wow. such inspiring women.

they make it sound so simple to be good,

then you get home, and reality hits you, and you realize it isn't too easy, but it will definitely be worth it.

there is a man in our ward,

the sweetest man,

who has stomach cancer, and isn't doing well, at all.

so sad.

he was the priesthood leader at the last girls camp.

he let the girls paint his finger, and toe nails.

that kind of guy.

so sad.

makes you think about life, and death, and the way you are living your life, and the direction you are headed in, and all the things you don't do, and should, and all the things you do do, and shouldn't.

wow. pretty deep, eh?

okay, I am off to play some Mario Kart with the family. good stuff.