What's On My Happy List?

Tuesday, September 28, 2010
SHOES day
A little "zoo" inspired shoe post for you today...with a little giraffe, cheetah, snake and zebra!

I scored these shoes of Kate's for about $5 bucks...how stink'in cute are they? I thought for sure they would fit. I shoved and shoved. But its a no go. Feet. too. chubby! Boo. We are in a shoe crisis here folks!

While I'm on the topic of animal prints. I recently scored some animal print RIBBON. on sale. squeal. Seriously don't know what it is about ribbon but I could never have enough of it. Going down the ribbon aisle at the craft store...dangerous people. Its a dream of mine to have a wall, in my own little work space, where there are dowels and dowels with spools and spools of ribbon.

What's On My Happy List?

Monday, September 27, 2010

Tooth Fairy Magic

She's a believer! Just an update from last night's late post. The TOOTH FAIRY came! Left a trail of pixie dust (silver glitter works wonders) from her pillow, down the hall etc.. that ultimately lead to a little gift left from the tooth fairy herself! (Good thing Grandma had this newest Tink movie stashed away or else I would have been toast.)

B. Olivia grabbed her fairy wings for the pic to show off her smile. Of course we will be watching The Tooth Fairy movie and having pixie sticks to celebrate tonight. I sure try to make a fuss for the first lost tooth, whether its a new pair of fairy wings or a book about loosing teeth etc etc. but then its all downhill from there. haha! Apparently, I must of just handed Hannah some money one time when she lost her tooth for the umpteenth time (ya know after awhile it gets a little old) and that's why Brie knew the tooth fairy wasn't real because she remembered me doing that. What a little stink! However, my little magic last night has seemed to turn her into a believer. We will see how long I can keep this tooth fairy facade up. *wink*

And on to this buggy little project...

Kyleigh had to catch 25 bugs for her Biology project. She was dy'in! And I was right there with her. Out of all my girlies, I believe she is the one that hates bugs the most. So the task was daunting. Knowing I wasn't going to be much help in the "catching" of the bugs she enlisted the support of dad, who took her out bug hunting twice as well as her Uncle Braden. What a guy! He took her to Wheeler Farm to hunt wood piles and the back woods. He even found a black widow for her..ewww!!.. Almost like any project around here, it turns humorous in one way or another. Kyleigh found herself short a bug the night before the project was due. So when she arrived home from dance late, me and her had to go bug hunting...nothing like the thought of that at 10:45 PM at night! Luckily we didn't have to go further than the front porch where moths were fluttering around the porch light. We can do moths. Yet Kyleigh was still squealing and not with delight. Here we are in action...K with the net and me with the jar. What a sight!

That would be an A please..Ms. Thurman!

What's On My Happy List?

Sunday, September, 26, 2010
SUNDAYS
Gotta love Sundays around here! 7+ hours of church meetings for me today. And that doesn't include the General Relief Society Mtg last night! I've certainly been churchified this weekend. Not sure Sundays can be deemed a day of rest for me but my spiritual tank has been filled. And for that I am grateful. I must say I don't know if I've heard two better talks than I did tonight at Stake Standards night with Kyleigh and Emma and last night's talk by Pres. Monson. I love that man!

Another favorite moment today was in the middle of church when my five year old's FIRST loose tooth fell out. Priceless! Gotta love a little bit of drama during sacrament meeting! She is adamant that there is no tooth fairy. We will see if she changes her mind come morning. ;)

Other Random events this weekend...

Carnival Friday night at the Elementary school. FUN FUN!

Innocently happened on two situations this weekend where police were involved...I'm telling ya my life is never boring...I myself having to call 911 after school on Friday when a fire was started in the backyard of a home adjoining the school playground. Kid smoking or playing with matches? Not certain. But it brought a bit of drama to our afternoon. The other incident was Saturday morning at KID to KID, of all places. An angry mob of twenty + women disgruntled that they were thrown out of the store and not able to purchase their 2nd hand items at the 50% off sale. Something to do with the store having changed owners and the new one not having a license to sell yet due to tax liens and or debt. ???? So they closed the store. seriously. and filed everyone out of the 'kids only' door. Now if that wasn't an amusing sight! With a policeman by his side, a company spokesman had to come and speak to the crowd as one woman staffed off the hunger of restless kids by passing out fruit snacks. A petition for signatures and email addresses was passed around along with threats of calling their lawyer, the news station and "Get Gephardt"were heard. Are you kidding me? HILARIOUS! Kyleigh, I and my niece chuckled to ourselves as we silently observed the situation, having a front row seat from our car.

Kyleigh's Bug Collection completed and turned in on Friday. Good riddance! More on this later. Then she had ANOTHER school project to work on this weekend which is due tomorrow. Are you kidding me? The projects never cease! For English she had to produce and videotape a commercial with a couple of her classmates about the town Maycomb, from the book 'To Kill a Mockingbird". I'm certain the neighbors were rolling their eyes at the ruckus they caused while filming it on Saturday. Which includes pants falling down. It was pretty entertaining I tell ya!

And like I said it's never boring around here....I plunged a toilet after midnight tonight or should I say morning? I'm pooped. Going to bed.

What's On My Happy List?

Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010
SHOESday...
is getting posted a little late this week...my good friend in the ward had a brain hemorrhage as she was driving her husband to the airport on Monday morning. She's in ICU and probably will be for the next 21 days! The news came as such a shock as she is one of the most healthy, vibrant, busy, do gooders you will ever meet. She's a gem and I love her like an older sister. It threw me for a loopty loop with worry and tears. She is making some progress though towards recovery and is in stable condition. I'm so thankful she is alive!!!

Now on to the shoes....Had to take a pic of baby Kate's summer shoes before I pack them away...so sad. Poor little thing has the chunkiest feet you'll ever see. Shes got cankles!!! (I'm afraid she takes after her mama's prego feet.) She's pretty close to not being able to fit into any shoes shes got right now....

other than these cutie patooties that Grandma and Grandpa recently brought back from Jackson Hole. They are so soft and comfy, AND I love the pink and white cow print! I can see her living in these all winter unless I find shoes wide enough to fit her feet.

What's On My Happy List?

Saturday, September 18, 2010

This morning I had another epiphany or "moment" as I like to call them. Actually I've had this thought come to me quite a bit of late. I honestly believe I'm in the prime of my life! and the thought makes me smile and shed a happy tear. Most days here are hectic and I'm bogged down with the demands of life, just like it is for any mother with a family of young kids. But I'm grateful for my life, I love it, and I'm certain that it is mornings like today that I will look back on, in my elderly state, and remember with fondness. Just a typical Saturday..one daughter getting ready for dance practice, another needing to detach herself from the computer and get ready for a friend birthday party...one daughter's flute music along with Disney cartoons blaring in the background, dad teasing his girls, the baby crawling on the dirty kitchen floor and me in my G's at the stove making pancakes. Sidenote: Just another reason I'm thankful for a household of girls. I'm notorious for running around in those things until I need to get dressed to leave the house. haha! Not that you really needed to know that but anyhow, life is good! No place I'd rather be than here at home...well, maybe Paris! *wink*

Another thing I'll look back on with fondness...friend gatherings of teenage daughter. We had about 13 giddy, loud teenagers romping around upstairs after night games at the park last night. Living next to the park can either be a blessing or a curse. After providing popcorn and pop (the boys always go straight for the Mountain Dew..as its a novelty for some of them) and making a quick batch of brownies at 9:30p.m., we were able to sequester ourselves downstairs but poor grandma and grandpa! Even Emma this morning commented, "Is this going to go on every Friday night?" She's sensing a pattern here as a huge group of them were together the previous Friday night over at the park. The twenty of them downed the four pizzas I brought over in nothing flat. And for ten minutes I was the coolest mom around.

Last night they supposedly came to watch the Princess Bride but after looking at the pictures on the camera this morning..I'm not sure WHAT all went on last night...

One kid was apparently hiding from the camera....

After seeing this picture below...can you blame him? I don't think there will be a Young Men photo shoot coming up anytime soon, but darn it these three boys were sure trying! Makes me laugh.

Good times for Kyleigh!

On another random note...thanks to Martha Stewart tutorial...I finally learned how to make a tissue pom pom last night. Need to hone my skills on that for some upcoming events...

What's On My Happy List? Wed. Sept. 15, 2010

Grandparent's Day...You must know by now that we'll take any chance to celebrate around here...Did YOU know grandparents day is a national holiday falling on the first Sunday after Labor Day? We do. While my parents were away, my kids and I sneakingly did our 2nd annual heart attacking of my parent's lawn. Handmade hearts with all 25 grand children's names...along with the 6 grand kid in-laws..soon to be 8 and 9 great-grand kids...42 hearts in all! That is quite the posterity mom and dad! You must be proud!

What's On My Happy List? Tuesday Sept.14, 2010

SHOESDAY!

Now that Kyleigh is second year Starlette Company she gets to add pointe to her dance repertoire. She is stoked! These are her newly purchased point shoes that she loves. On top of her hefty school load she is at dance four times a week now, soon to be five when every day tennis is over. I don't know how she keeps up with her schedule. I barely do and I'm just the driver! She loves it though. All I know is that she is one determined and dedicated girl!

What's On My Happy List?

Baby Kate is 6 months old!

Oh my goodness do we ever love her!

What's On My Happy List?

Uncle Ryan
who I now call Mr. Butler! as he found himself doing all sorts of things for us on his latest trip here. Too bad he can't be home more often as we clearly could use an extra set of hands around here. His visits come few and far between as he is usually overseas with work. We maybe see him once or twice a year, so when he comes it's a real treat for my girls. They all adore him... well, maybe not Kate, quite yet. She took one look at him when he arrived here from the airport and screamed bloody murder! We understood.
Wouldn't this scare you?

Not only does he like to take pictures of himself, as in the pic above, but he was called on several times to be the designated photographer... for such things as birthday jaunt pics and BYU photo shoots. Poor guy! He bleeds red and not only did he endure taking the little girls for an outing decked out in their BYU but then came home and helped me hang the "Y" flag from the house. gasp! What true Utah fan would do that? That has to be an honor code violation. Oh wait..there is no honor code there. :0 HA! It must have been the less than pleasant mental image of me dragging the ladder from the garage and my big fat butt dangling from the rafters trying to hang the thing that persuaded him to help me. Either that or he's just a nice guy. I almost got all this action on camera but he said he had his limits.

He saved the day several times with Kyleigh. Chauffeuring her from school to tennis when hubby and I were away up North for the day seeing my brother Brad get pinned an Air Force Colonel (way to go Brad!) and then again when I was stuck at the store and found myself majorly inconvenienced by the actions of a disorganized tennis coach. Don't think the three of us will ever forget that fiasco with both Ryan and I separately driving around the city trying to figure out where K's match was supposed to be! Kyleigh with him and her racket and tennis shoes with me. Not the most ideal situation. He is most positive his chauffeuring around town in a mini van limited his dating possibilities while here. I don't blame him. Furthermore, he not only played tennis with Kyleigh but assisted in the shopping spree for her tennis outfits with daddy and grandma.

On another night, he helped Kyleigh with an "egg" science experiment for her Biology class. Which included running to the store to buy needed materials to make their contraption so her egg would not "break" when dropped off from the roof of the junior high. (Hers was one of only 8 out of 24 that didn't break) While they were working on that I was feverishly editing her Honors English paper while dad was up with the baby who was not cooperating on said bedtime.

Just a few other things why he was on our "happy list"....

*He made a great Scooby Doo Wii partner for Brie...

*He took the girls miniature golfing. He doesn't let a trip go by now without fitting that activity in as its their favorite thing to do with him. If they get a hole in one (or not)..Wendy's Frosties are a given afterwards.

*They also love going to the Training Table Restaurant with him where they order their food over the phone...the "I love you's" he says to random people on the other end of the line after said ordering is one of Hannah's favorite things about her weird (her words) uncle. He took the four older girls there one of the Saturday night's he was here when Jaren and I had a spontaneous trip to Midway for dinner at Zermatt's Schneitters with friends.

*He left one of his laptops here so the older girls could use it for homework purposes.

*He bought me a "Paris" CD loaded with French music for my birthday.

*Attempts at cable fixing throughout the home...

*The gifts and trinkets he brings back from his visits and stays around the world. The latest being the coolest kaleidoscope and history book from Lebanon.

*He left portable i-pod speakers for our car and home use

*Whenever he's here its guaranteed we will have our sushi California Rolls, along with baguette bread topped with olive oil, European cheese and prosciutto. YUM!

He's now left again and its back to "Where in the World is Uncle Ryan?" He's a traveling fool. We will miss him, his help, his sense of humor and zest for life. We think every family should have an "Uncle Ryan"!

What's On My Happy List?

More birthday celebrating...

ummm..I think I seriously gained 10 lbs on my b-day last week either by eating and or looking at all the good food that surrounded me. Five days later I'm still indulging in food heaven with a birthday brunch this morn at my favorite restaurant with my RS ladies..took camera..forgot to take pics.

However, did take a pic of this heavenly sweet roll and See's Candy GC that a friend brought by for breakfast at 8:00 a.m. last Thursday. On a normal day healthy breakfasts are a must for me so this was just plain sinful woofing this baby down at such an early hour. I managed nicely though.

Then I was picked up by my friend in her new Saab convertible and me and the girlfriends went cruising to lunch

at Normandie Cafe in Holladay. It's French inspired. Oh so good, and on my list of new favorite places! (pic taken by my new butler, haha! more on him...later)

I'm not kidding when I say we ate dessert first...

Heather bought an assortment of different pastries to taste test from here...

and then I had the Monte Cristo sandwich...which is a heart attack waiting to happen but oh SO delicious. The ginger butternut squash soup was my favorite though.. Yummo! I'd go back just for that.

My friends must know I love food and sweets..because it consumed my day...This little bit of afternoon goodness below was dropped off by a dear friend along with a Nelson's Frozen Custard gift card. (Concretes with malt and almonds from there...another favorite!)...but that indulgence must wait for another day.


And there's a little story behind why she gave me this red cupcake above...in a nutshell its payback for some "Y" body art I gave her at the Regional Seminary Social I was helping out with a few Saturdays ago. She's a big time Ute fan. Which many of my friends are..including my hubby.

Little did I know that I would be sharing him with the 'U' on my very birthday. We were planning on going out on my birthday night to Francks, a French Cuisine restaurant. However after finishing the monstrous lunch with the girlie's I found myself waffling on the idea. I was up to going another night and spreading out the fun and food. But all this was unbeknownest to hubby at the time he got an invite by a friend to the huge U of U season opener against Pitt. So of course he doesn't think he could or should go because it was MY BIRTHDAY! Well, hubby calls from work and said "You know how much I love you?" thinking he has to turn down his friend's offer. Not so. I willingly let him go. gasp.

Now how many wives would let their hubbies get away with THAT on their birthdays? And it was my rival team no less. In all truthfulness I was happy for him that he had the opportunity to go. He had a blast. I'm now on record as the best wife ever. And I'm thinking I'm one smart and lucky woman.


The cupcake wasn't the end of it...the sweets kept a com'in! makes me laugh. The rate I'm going I'm never going to lose this baby weight! Coldstone Birthday Cake Ice-cream came my way that night by a friend who is about as sweet as her gift was..

and then this delightful dessert cookbook and tastefully wrapped chocolate came packaged from New England today from my shoe lov'in friend who I believe loves sweets as much as I do. ;)When you see a package from her in the mail you squeal because you can't wait to see whats inside. I do know it will always be thoughtful, detailed, and color coordinated.

I must say I have wonderful family and friends who made my day special. I appreciate all the birthday wishes, gifts, visits and cards.

What's On My Happy List?

It was a BYU themed Birthday and I was in heaven...

Kyleigh and I scored some tickets to a sold out game

Even though I follow "Y" football faithfully on TV it had been years (possibly 11?) since I attended a home game. So going to this home game for me was not a mere activity but an EVENT...loved everything about it...and always have....the pilgrimage down there, the traffic, hoards of fans, the hype, and listening to the pre and post game shows on KSL radio. I even like the smell of the football programs..no lie. (I'm weird, I know). And then...ALL those memories of going to the home games growing up ...Gah! I tell ya I lived for Saturdays and game day back then.

Both my brothers have season tickets so we went with them along with two nieces and nephews...had an absolute blast!

We sweated like pigs in the heat until night fell. Night games are my favorite! We successfully cheered them on to victory in a close game over the Washington Huskies. I yelled until I gave myself a headache! It's been a darn good week for Cougars fans....this unexpected win along with declaring our INDEPENDENCE. Halla-freak'in-lujah. It's about time.

All the former BYU ALL American quarterbacks were there for a special halftime presentation with LaVell Edwards. We ended up seeing Gifford Nielsen around this broadcast booth after the game and shaking his hand. Sweet!

This was my send off mid afternoon prior to leaving....how stink'in cute is this?

Poor daddy was outnumbered that day. We are a house divided as he's a little red blooded.. along with his brother who graciously helped me hang the "Y" flag, but then mischievously slipped in this bottom picture with his Utah hat. Even Jar was being a good sport with all the "Y" hoopla and went with to help me pick out a new BYU shirt and who also held down the fort with the babe and other kiddos while Kyleigh and I partied for hours. Thanks luv. What a trooper!

We had Y face tattoos, and sparkly blue nails....

and I even found new tennies with the blue and tan BYU colors....On a side note I guarantee this will be my first and last "SHOE" post of me wearing tennis shoes. I'm never in them ..ick!..unless I'm exercising outside.

Happy Birthday to me!