Super long post with pics of non-family: you can skip it if you want

I want to be THIS cute.


This is Zooey Deschanel, one of my style icons.

She has pale freckly skin and awesome blue eyes.

She has a unique style that ranges from classic, quirky, flirty, and really fun. She isn't afraid of color, or mixing things together in a way that no one else would think of.

Pictures of her always make me want to dress up cute and go outside and play.

See what I mean about her awesome eyes??

I've seen this ad in every magazine I've ever purchased, and I WANT THOSE SHOES!! (and the super-cute sweater, obviously, since it matches the shoes :)

She is just too cute for words, which is why I uploaded way too many pictures.

I want to look like that when I grow up.

GAAAAHHHH!!!!

After 34 years living in this skin, you'd think I'd know better. I can't be outside for more than 15 minutes without SPF 50. Which is what I had on my face, and no burns there!

Event Location

I've had a few questions today about the event details, including the location.

It's today, March 27, from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM.

Location: the front lawn at 336 N. Frasier Dr. West, Mesa, 85204

Quick directions: East on University, go through the light at Horne and make the next right, Frasier Drive. Make another quick right to Frasier Dr. West. The event is on the front lawn at 336, so it'll be hard to miss!

The number of participants has grown, so there is going to be lots of fun stuff to look at. It's a garden party style event, so you can dress up in your spring best :) There will also be yummy food for sale, and chocolaty snacks at every table.


The more the merrier, I hope to see everyone there!

Practice Makes Perfect

I put together my display table today for the craft bazaar I'm participating in on Saturday. I wanted to practice and make sure I had enough room for everything.

I over prepared... I don't have enough room, because I have so much stuff. I've been crocheting a lot lately as a way to reduce my stress, and looking at it all in one place makes me realize how stressed I've been. (There's four boxes under the table with even more stuff that you can't even see!)


I still have to make room on that table for my bowl of chocolates, to entice people to come visit me! (or to eat shamelessly if I'm unsuccessful).


According to my receipts and my remaining inventory, I've made at least 120 of those flower clips. They're on the hats and headbands, and they're sold separately. I'm never going to sell 120 flowers, what was I thinking?


I'm pretty nervous, but I feel a lot better now that I've done a practice setup. All I need is a comfy chair, a beach umbrella, and a never-ending supply of lemonade and clonazepam.

Ben + Basketball = Awesomeness

Ben is in the Youth Hoops Basketball League this spring, and here's a short video of his warm up. His first game was 26 - 4... his team was the 4. The next week it was 26 - 18, and his team was the 18. They did much better the second week, and Ben even scored two points! I'm so glad Ben has finally found an outlet for all his energy, he's very good at basketball, and more importantly, he's having fun.

Way to go Hoosiers!

Here's one of my FAVORITE pictures of my ball playing boy:

My kids are motivated? Huh?

This is the new currency in our house. Instead of allowance, the kids are given three of these Wii Bucks at the beginning of each week. They earn additional Wii Bucks for doing their daily chores, and then completing their assigned weekly chores. I've never seen my kids be more motivated to clean stuff up.




During this process, we have discovered that Ben is a saver. Previously he was the kid who played for hours after his homework was done each day, often taking time away from the girls. Now he hasn't played in over a week, saving up all the Wii Bucks he can because he'd rather have those than spend them on video game time. He likes to watch them accumulate. His bank account will be in better shape than mine when he's just a little older!

So he's learned to do what I say, not what I do. Good boy.

Raising Grace will literally pay off

I started writing my children's book series about Grace today. This was an idea Emily had, that I needed to capitalize on her "adventures". Here are some possible titles:

Grace and the green marker
Grace: the queen of owies
Grace is a copycat
Grace: the musical
Grace and her rainbows (and I mean rainbow colored body parts or furniture)
Grace and her siblings
Grace the picky eater
Grace puts things in her nose
Gracie at bedtime

I have pictures to accompany each story, which I'll use for reference when I'm searching for an illustrator. Who knows, maybe this will turn into the next Curious George and become a PBS Kids cartoon series and I can retire by the time I'm 36.

Or maybe I'll just have documented proof for her husband that she can really drive a person crazy, and to keep a close eye on her... she does her worst damage when no one is looking.

And despite all the "adventures", one can't help but love that little girl to pieces.

My best coupon day EVER!

Using the Grocery Game dot com today, I saved..... $165.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I saved 42% off my total grocery bill.

I'm super awesome.

Elphie is VERY interested in the food, she must smell the dog treats I got using coupons.

Did you know that food tastes better when you don't pay as much for it?

Seriously, this is a scientific fact.

Plus, did you know that food is more fun to eat when it's the same color as the bowl it's in? Who knew?

Strawberries, pineapple, and carrots... oh my!

Basketball Training Camp, go Hoosiers!

Today was Ben's basketball training camp for his Youth Hoops League. His team is the Hoosiers and he's lucky number 3, because there are 3 kids in our family :)

We got to see the kids run drills and show off a bit today, and Ben is very talented! He was hitting three point shots, and he's four feet tall and weighs 50 pounds soaking wet, and he's got TALENT!

Great shot of Dad seizing the opportunity for a random free-throw.

He made it too :)

The entertainment was Joseph Odhiambo, who holds several world records, including dribbling a basketball for 26 hours, spinning the ball on his finger (4 hours 15 minutes), most free-throws in one minute (48), and most three point shots in one minute (20). There are others, you should google him. He said that after dribbling a basketball for 26 hours he could still feel the ball in his hand when he tried to go to sleep that night. He was very entertaining, and Ben's jaw was on the floor.

He lives in Mesa and is a P.E. teacher, but he is also a great entertainer! Here's a short video of some of his tricks, enjoy!

spines are stupid

So here's a picture of the base of the spine, 5 fused vertibrae that make up the Sacrum.

This is the snotty little bone that keeps slipping out of place in my lower back, and I hate it.

Every time I go to chiropractor (my new best friend... yes folks, that was sarcasm)
it costs me a $25 co-pay for him to put that stinking bone back again.


Here's a little bit of T.M.I. F.Y.I.
(too much information, for YOUR information)

The terminal Ilium is where the small bowel meets the large bowel in the digestive tract, it's very small, and in me that's where my Crohn's disease likes to settle in. It's loaded with scar tissue. I don't know why I told you that, maybe because the word Ilium is in my diagram. I'm easily distracted.

Back to my spine:

I'm pretty sure it's trying to kill me. And, it may very well bankrupt me. How many friggin' visits is it going to take before that stupid bone stays where Dr. Sartz puts it???

Even Mommy needs her mommy sometimes.

Over the course of the last 18 months or so has Jill has been struggling with various and sundry trials--some of epic proportion. During this time period when the kids have asked "what's wrong with mommy?" I have told the kids that "even mommies need their mommies sometimes".

This week has been one of those times.

As mentioned in other posts on our blog, Jill has recently "gone under the knife" and had a couple medical procedures done. These, however, didn't actually involve any knives. They did, however, involve anesthesia and heavy pain killers; not to mention down time for recovery.

I was able to take two vacation days for each of these procedures. The first, however, also ended up needing a sick day too so I could be here longer.

She seemed to be recovering more quickly after her second "surgery" than the first. This was good. We were pleased. Then, all of a sudden, her back decided it was going to go on vacation--by itself.

This was not a "take a load off and put your feet up" vacation, it was more of a "sorry, I'm leaving you to fend for yourself; and good luck surviving without me" vacation. She was basically bed ridden and immobile for several days.

I had been doing the best I could to keep up with the house while she was totally down and out (many times literally out). However, let's face it....I am a man. There's only so much I can do.

I couldn't keep up on all the laundry. (There's only so much laundry that can be done on Saturdays when I'm home all day.) I did manage to keep us with clean dishes to use--that's not to say all the dishes were clean, just that we had some clean dishes to eat off of. Speaking of eating, I had to also ensure everyone did that too.

Long (messy) story short, I couldn't keep up.

So what's the point of all this? Am I just complaining? Airing my grievances? Explaining why my children looked the way they did? (Does that kid ever wash their face?) Oh wait, I know. How 'bout looking for sympathy?

Well, no.

Actually, this is more like one of those thank-you-mom-for-coming-to-the-rescue-because-I-was-losing-it-and-don't-know-how-much-longer-I-could-hold-on posts.


Yes, the point is I want to send a BIG THANK YOU to Jill's mother, Janet.


Last week I was just chatting with her and happened to ask her if she knew about Jill's back. After a bit more discussion she offered to come over and help.

Now for those who don't know, "coming over" doesn't just mean hopping in the car and driving a few miles to spend a few hours assisting. No, in her case it actually means getting a substitute for early morning seminary, doing her husband's laundry and preparing meals for him for while she's gone, packing a suitcase, and driving for six hours. Janet lives in Orange County, California.

That's right, she put her life completely on hold to come to Arizona to help her daughter and her family.

While here she did laundry, dishes, laundry, dishes...(you get the idea), shopping, cleaning, entertaining (and occasionaly disciplining) children, cleaning bathrooms (yes, plural). She was so incredibly helpful. She went walking early in the morning with her friends who live in our neighborhood. And, like a true grandmother, she even made time to visit all the other grandkids and their parents while here.

I know I speak for both Jill and I when I say that when I grow up, I want to be like her. Janet has always shown Christ-like love. She is one of the most caring people I know. She does all this service for one reason and one reason only: because she loves us. She saw a need and took action. Tell me that's not why Jesus Christ did all that He did for you, me, and everyone else. He loves us.

Yes, when I grow up I want to be both able and willing to drop what I am doing to fill the need of someone else. Janet is an example of the believers; she epitomizes Christ-like love.

James writes in the New Testament of showing his faith by his works. "[S]hew me thy [love] without thy works, and I will shew thee my [love] by my works." Janet has definitely done this.

Mom, thank you for coming over.

Thank you for all you did for us.

Thank you for being an example.

We love you.

Chim-chim-cheree!!!

Ember finally got her Christmas present today... she opened the tickets Christmas morning, and she finally got to use them.


We went and saw Mary Poppins at Gamage Auditorium at ASU, and it was fabulous! It was just Ember and I, a mother-daughter date. First we went out to lunch and then we drove to the theater. I told Ember that I called Gamage the "cake building" when I was growing up, because the outside of it looks like a birthday cake.



You'll have to forgive the poor photography, I was using my camera phone in a dark auditorium.


This was Ember's first experience seeing a musical onstage, and it was so perfect. I am glad I got to spend an awesome afternoon with an awesome girl :)

Ouchie

Had my HTA procedure done today... endometrial ablation, no more lining of the uterus. Too much information? Yea, ok, ok.

Know what the pain reminds me of? Contractions. So ironic. Now I'm hurting physically AND emotionally. Sometimes it stinks being a girl.

Yup, that's my girl :)

I was in Party City today picking up supplies for my boss's retirement party, and Grace was in heaven! My little girl is a performer and a diva, she really will be on a stage somewhere someday. I'm taking bets, but I have to warn you, the money will probably end up in the same state as our Social Security; gone by the time you win it, or need it.

Open for Business!

My crochet website is finished (for the third time, so who knows when I'll decide to redecorate again?).

The cool part is, I have online ordering through paypal set up.

I'm a business woman!