Liquidation Sale!!

In order to make a little extra money to help cover some bills, I've decided to sell my entire collection of Stampin' Up! stamp sets. I'm listing them on eBay if anyone is interested. My seller name is jilll3429 (yes, that's THREE L's. Hard to see when they're all rammed together like that). Click on the picture to go to sight.

*sigh* It's hard to let stuff go, but I really haven't used them in years. I do all my crafting digitally now.

Emily this is for YOU!!!

Goals: revised edition

Ok, you're right. 10 pounds is too much. But... I only did 5 pounds for a lot of the exercises, and 10 on the muscles that were stronger to begin with. And today I am SORE!! I guess I did it right :)

And about the chocolate... yea, that's not gonna happen either. I love it too much. We've had a long and fantastic relationship that I'm not ready to end. I'm just cutting back :)

Tomorrow's exercise plans? Taking down all the outside Christmas lights.

Goal for 2010...

My goal, which I started today, is to work out and get healthy. My husband's insensitive surprise at my recent weight gain was kind of an eye opener (in addition to a mood killer). Today I started the weight training portion of my plan, and tomorrow will be aerobic/cardio exercise. My muscles hurt, and I only used 10 pound weights! And I'm NOT doing this so my husband can be happy, I'm doing this so I can be happy. I could use a little happiness after the dreariness that was my holidays. Now if I could just give up chocolate....

The best of Christmas so far...

On the 10th Day of Christmas...

... my sweet child gave to me:

throwing everything up,
really high fever,
aches and pains all over,
dizzy spells with movement,
painful chronic fatigue,
one... pounding... head!
too much time in the bathroom,
loss of my appetite,
inability to swallow...

and the worst virus I've had in years!

To clarify:

Green child: Grace wanted to be a cat, so she drew whiskers all over her face with a green marker.

Last time this happened, she colored her entire face green the day before a ballet recital. She wanted to draw herself and she was too big for paper.

Why does she always pick green?


Night time is my time too, Kathy. I swear, if the Temple was open 24 hours a day I'd go at 3:00 every morning :)

Insomnia strikes again: discoveries of motherhood

Yes, it's 5:00 in the morning and I haven't been asleep yet. Not for the lack of trying, but it seems like the harder you try to fall asleep to more difficult it becomes. To sleep you can't really concentrate on anything, so it's counter-productive. Any-hoo, here I am again. Awake. All-nighter. I'm too old for this.

As I have previously documented, I make lists when I can't sleep. Today (tonight?) I made a list about motherhood, about some absolutes that will happen in every home that has children. They are universal truths that I have experienced first hand.



Whenever I lift the toilet seat I will always find a surprise inside.

Whenever I cook a meal, someone will ALWAYS be hungry.

No matter how many loads of laundry you do, there are at least two more complete loads waiting for you under the bed, behind the dresser, under the couch, and on the bathroom floor. Let alone the clothes on their back.

Kids don't know how to clean. They ask for your help, and then they sit and watch you do all the work.

Modesty is a myth perpetuated by children's clothing manufacturers. My kids would rather be naked.

No matter how many crunches I do, my babies have ruined my waistline forever.

Kids want to be grown up enough for privileges, but are childlike enough to be incapable of deserving them.

It's scary to let them ride their bike down the street to a friend's house.

Blood coming from me is no big deal; blood coming from my child is scary.

One more story is never enough... after "the end" they will always want just one more.

Sometimes the big yellow bus looks like a tin can that you are entrusting your children into traffic with.

Sometimes kids are so honest they make you cry.

Working moms will NEVER have a clean house. Ever. Let it go.

Hearing a child pray for you is one of the Lord's tender mercies.

Yogurt on the dog is the least of your problems.

"I was just trying to figure out..." is the answer to every question you ask. A question you shouldn't have asked, because there was never going to be a good answer.

Moms can't take naps. I've tried, disaster always strikes. One child was green once when I woke up. Don't ask.


"You're the best mommy I ever had" is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.

Being a mother is the best thing I've ever done. (besides marrying you, Babe... without you the kids weren't even possible :)

so you think you can dance?

The girls had their winter ballet recital this past Saturday and they did fantastic. Ember is really turning into a fantastic dancer, she if very graceful.



Grace was still recovering from a fever so she wasn't her usual flamboyant self, but she did great too. The first half of the song she just stood there, but halfway through she decided to start dancing. I'm very proud of her. :)

Style icon

Ok, I admit it... I am a huge fan of Glee. I love love love the music and the storyline, but I also love Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays). If I had enough money to buy an entirely new wardrobe, I'd buy hers.

Clean lines, bright colors, funky jewelry, classic style... she's my favorite :)

Arlington National Cemetary at Christmastime

I received this in an e-mail and was awed by it's beauty. A man in Harrington, Maine, donates over 5000 wreathes at his own expense and even takes care of the transportation to get them there. His name is Merrill Worcester. He's my favorite person of the day.

Holiday Happenings

Grace got a new haircut yesterday and looks FABULOUS! And she wanted to pose for me in her new winter dress. This is a little fashionsta in the making :)



Ember's first orchestra concert was last night and it was wonderful. Not as squeaky as you'd expect from 4th graders :) It brings back a lot of memories for me, playing in an orchestra. I'm so very proud of my talented daughter :)



Ben came to the concert undercover... literally. (Yes, I swear that's him in there)

Singin' in the rain!

I love Arizona rain!! But I'm going to have to have a talk with Grace about proper rainy day attire.

Annual Lawlor Christmas Party

The annual Christmas party with all of Austin's family is an awesome tradition. There's dinner, dancing, and the retelling of the Christmas story by about 100 great-grandkids. Ember and Grace were angels, and Ben was one of the three wise men.

Christmas Decorations

Our annual tradition is to put the tree up the day after Thanksgiving, but it had to be postponed this year. I worked Friday and Saturday, and then Austin and the kids took an impromptu trip up to the cabin because snow was in the forecast. They got about an inch, but the kids got to see the snow falling. (Austin forgot the camera)

Decorating the tree was our Family Home Evening after Thanksgiving. It turned out great, I didn't correct any of the kids placements this year!

Thanksgiving awesomeness

I cooked my own Thanksgiving this year and it turned out yummy. :) We invited Preston, Josh and Shelby to join us and it was so great to have family together. Grace and Shelby had lots of fun with each other, especially when it came to jello. :)

Austin and I were in our room taking the regular Sunday afternoon nap and we heard Ben and Grace go into Grace's room, right across the hall. Ben shouted, "Grace! What happened to your room?" Of course Austin and I had a moment of panic until Ben said, "It's so clean!"

It's sad when it's a shock that it's clean, and not when it's a disaster.

Okie Dokie Noelle, here ya go!

My Fives:

5 Things I was doing 5 years ago:

1. Pregnant with Gracie
2. moving into a new house
3. potty training a 2 year old boy who thought peeing outside was acceptable
4. celebrating my five year anniversary at my job
5. no seven year itch for our marriage, thankyouverymuch! 7th anniversary

5 Things on my to do list:

1. Put away empty Christmas decoration boxes
2. start cleaning out the garage
3. mail Christmas newsletters (they're already done!)
4. refill new prescriptions so I'll stop feeling so crazy
5. wrap Christmas presents and buy stocking stuffers

5 Things I would do with One Million Dollars:

1. I liked Noelle's, shop without guilt (after I paid off debt)
2. pay off all my family's homes (and mine, of course)
3. travel
4. buy something other than a mommy-van (I mean minivan)
5. buy Austin every technological gadget ever made (and get him some sort of subscription to get all FUTURE gadgets as well)

5 Places I Have Lived:

1. First Place... Arizona
2. Second Street... Arizona
3. Flagstaff... Arizona
4. First Street... Arizona
5. Second Street... Arizona (I don't move around much)

5 People I Tag:

I dunno, anyone with extra time during the holidays. Ha!

When the boss is away, the employees will play!

At work tonight I don't think any of us did anything productive, or at least anything 'work related.' Our decorating was certainly productive! And it was a lot more fun.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out

THIS little sweetheart, innocent looking child, first of my posterity... thinks she is the mother of this house. My services are no longer needed.

Well, thank you very much, I was getting a little bit tired of the job today anyway! :)

Some of my favorites...