Heather

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the most FAMOUS person I know.

I have been so very fortunate for the past few years to be able to call CHRISTY TOMLINSON one of my personal friends.

To me - she isn't a DESIGNER, a SCRAPBOOK EXTRAORDINAIRE, the FOUNDER of a SHOCKINGLY SUCCESSFUL kit company, a former CHATTERBOX employee or even one hell of a FANTASTIC TEACHER.

(and now Im getting teary)

To me - she is an HONEST BUSINESS WOMAN, a glorious MOTHER, a LOYAL FRIEND, a GENEROUS angel, a HARD WORKING church member, an understanding WIFE, a DOWN TO EARTH woman and someone who does not have a single shred of SNOBBINESS OR JUDGEMENTAL-NESS in her entire (little) body.

My life has personally been blessed in many more ways than just scrapbooking because of her.

I have often said that when I GROW UP - I want to be just like CHRISTY.

So in honor of her 25th birthday (lol) I gathered the personal photos that I have of her for all of YOU to enjoy. 
Although she is going to TOTALLY FREAK OUT that I am posting these - I DONT CARE.  To me, my grainy photos of a pajama clad Christy are the EPITOME of who she is! 
MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE
SHE IS COMPLETELY
NORMAL.

 
These were from shortly after she left Boise and had a little "retreat" at her house!  I STILL adore my projects from it.

 

And if you give her a GIANT PIXY STIX for a treat - she might find it a little sour at first, but she will LOVE IT regardless.

 
And if you are lucky enough to have her for a FRIEND then you KNOW that she is always up for a scrapbooking retreat, even if she doesnt actually manage to scrap anything - she loves to hang out with the girls!

 
Shockingly - for as beautiful as she is - even in her jammies, she DOES NOT LIKE having her picture taken.

And chances are, if you stop at her house WITHOUT CALLING FIRST - you are likely to be greeted at the door by at least one half naked little boy.

If its a good day - it will be this little boy and he will want to PLAY and LAUGH and show you all of his treasures.

If its a different day - it will be an emotional pouter who's life is being RUINED by some tiny little thing and you will be able to tease him until he finally laughs.

And if you stay long enough, the other kids will come home.  Some will sit and chat your ear off and some will hide in the other room.

Eventually you are bound to see Christy's SUPER HOT hubby come in from outside and he will talk to you like he has known you his whole life. 

But in my opinion - the best part of your visit to the TOMLINSON house will by far be the fact that there are toys on the floor, there are a gazillion shoes by the front door, there is always a child who wants to be with and talk to his wonderful MOTHER (dont count on having a moment ALONE with Christy) and while you sit on her couch and TRY to take a photo of her - you will notice that no one is RUSHING AROUND, OR CLEANING UP, OR ACTING ANY DIFFERENTLY than they would if you werent there.

THATS BECAUSE THE MOST FAMOUS WOMAN THAT I KNOW - IS ALSO ONE OF THE MOST NORMAL.

Happy Birthday Christy - you mean the absolute world to me and I miss you immensely.
HUGS AND KISSES TO YOUR WHOLE FAMILY.

Theres a new MAN in my life.

Although I plan to save formal introductions to all of you for a later date (dont worry - sooner rather than later).  I wanted to be sure that everyone knew of his utterly fantastic existence.  I dont think that my life has ever been more COMPLETE than it is currently because my biological father has been a part of my it for the past few months.

However - before you get your hopes up as to me giving details and such, I must warn you - THIS POST IS MAINLY FOR HIM. 

Dad, I found this poem on one of my internet purusing adventures and I KNEW that it was meant for us.  Im sure that the author wrote it with some sort of romanticism in mind - but I took it as what a daughter would say to her daddy.  Or at least what THIS daughter would say to her daddy.

I love you for giving your heart to me
and trusting me with your pride
I love you for wanting me
and needing me by your side

*

I love you for the emotions
I never knew I had
I love you for making me smile
whenever I feel sad

*

I love you for your thoughts of me
how I'm always on your mind
I love you for finding that part of me
that I never thought I'd find

*

I love you for the way you are
and for how you make me feel
But most of all I love you
because I know you're mine for real

Wednesday Word Day

A few of my family members post words and their definitions and synonyms on Facebook everyday.  I tend to enjoy it tons, especially when they are words that I dont know.  I know that I couldn't handle the "stress" (LOL) of posting a word everyday - so I thought I would post one each week.  So every Wednesday I will share a word with you.  I also thought that here on my blog it would be fun to share a photo or some sort of image that corresponds with my word.

DESPONDENT:
feeling or showing profound hopelessness, dejection, discouragement, or gloom

Synonyms:
bummed-out, cast-down,
despairing, disconsolate,
disheartened, dispirited,
doleful, down,
downcast, downhearted,
forlorn, glum,
grief stricken, hopeless,
in a blue funk, in despair,
in the pits, melancholy,
miserable, morose,
mourning, sad,
shot down, sorrowful,
woebegone, wretched

In memory of Melissa

I know this is a day early from the anniversary of Melissa's death (sorry - her MURDER, death makes it sound much less tragic) but I am already crying about other stuff so I figured I would just add one more thing to the list.

Im not usually one to enjoy re-posting or crap like that, but there isnt much more I can say about the situation other than what I said last year.  So I decided that EVERY YEAR ON OCTOBER 28TH I would re-post this same blog to remind me of a wonderful woman that should not have been taken from the world.

EIGHT years ago, October 28th was on a Sunday.  We had just moved into our house a few months before and didnt know many people in our neighborhood.  We didnt go to church so Sundays were a day for going to Rexburg to visit Blakes family.  Geez - back then we only had 2 kids, Garrett was barely a fetus.  That Sunday we got up and got ready and piled into the car (we didnt even have a van back then) and backed out of the driveway and drove down the street to get out of our neighborhood.  As we turned the corner at the end of our street we saw tons of police cars and news vehicles all around a cute little brick house. 

I remember the words that were said inside our car VERY CLEARLY. 

Ashley - HOLY CRAP!
Blake - Dang what the hell kind of neighborhood did we move into?
Trevor - Whats going on?
Blake - Well, theres news people, I guess we will have to watch the news tonight.
ME - OH MY HELL BLAKE - Melissa was staying with her parents, I bet thats where they live.
Blake - NO WAY!
ME - I bet he finally did it, I BET HE KILLED HER RIGHT THERE IN HER PARENTS HOUSE.
Blake - Come on, what are the chances of that?  And of her parents living so close to us?
ME - I KNOW THATS WHAT HAPPENED.  I guess we will see when we watch the news won't we?

Of course after that, we had to talk the whole way to Rexburg all about how I knew Melissa (a girl that I worked with) and why on Earth I would think that someone would kill her (her ex-fiance was also a co-worker of mine and had been stalking her and attempting to injure her already).  My sweet DRAMA QUEEN of a daughter was enthralled with the suspense of what could have happened.  I on the other hand was somber.  That night we of course did watch the news and found out that I was right (one of the few times that I would have rather NOT been right).  There was tons of drama throughout our community surrounding the actions of the police and of course the MAN-HUNT to find her killer.  Todd was definitely dragging out the process of being caught.  But as always, he eventually was. 

There was tons of freaking out at work and all over the community.  I went to the candle light vigil that they had for her.  The day of her funeral I could not bring myself to go.  I wish now that i had (of course, then I didnt know that I was having a panic attack about it). 

She and I were not BEST FRIENDS or anything, but definitely friends.

It has been my total privilege to become great friends with Melissa's mom - Debbie and the rest of her family.  I went a couple years being curious about what exactly happened that day.  But on the way home from a Relief Society Retreat one year, I rode in the same car as Debbie and I finally got up the courage to ask.  She told us the whole story.  HOW COMPLETELY SAD.  And on the other hand, there were so many things that happened surrounding Melissa's death that were WONDERFUL and a true testament to the power of the Lord. 

I read her obituary a few months ago online and totally wanted to post it here, BUT OF COURSE NOW I CANT FIND THE LINK TO IT.  If anyone has a link to it, please let me know.

I did however come across  a news story about Todd trying to get his sentence appealed.  What a freaking bastard.  

And of course, I am also friends with Melissa's sister Kristen.  She is so sweet and cute.  

So I guess as I sit here boobing to myself, my point is that life is so freaking short, and none of us ever know what lies around the corner for us.  

And I always tell friends who go through a tragedy like this, that if I were in their shoes I would have the hardest time with the fact that LIFE GOES ON.  At least for the rest of the world.  But for the person suffering right then, it feels like THE WORLD HAS STOPPED SPINNING and life will never ever be the same.  So to Debbie and Kristen and their whole family, let me just say that TODAY, FOR JUST A MINUTE, MY WORLD STOPPED SPINNING TOO, AND I CRIED FOR ALL OF YOU TOO.  

I bet Melissa is having a fabulous time right now!  Isnt it great to have a testimony of the Gospel and to know with a certainty where she is and what she's doing?????????????  

I LOVE YOU GUYS A TON AND THINK OF YOU ALL THE TIME.

WINNER & my FAVORITE costumes!

Sooooooooo, after I gave everyone a hint - we got ourselves a WINNER!  (not a weiner)  But a WINNER!  So my FAVORITE CANDY IS:

SMARTIES

And the first person to guess that correctly was my pal:

JANNA

Now Janna, in all honesty - I am really really hoping that you dont like smarties, that way I can keep the bag for myself - but you did WIN fair and square so I will give them to you if I HAVE to!

Now onto my very favorite (and very skanky) Halloween costumes!

 
  
 Im not sure which would be better for ME - skanky angel or half angel half devil?  What do you think?

.

 
I thought this one would be PERFECT for Jenell since she is a total Disney freak and she is way skinny now that she is like a tennis pro!

 
IS THIS NOT THE CUTEST THING EVER!!!!!!!!!!  This one is for my friend Brittani - mainly because she has the PERFECT bod for it!  But even if you didnt have the perfect bod - its a freaking MONARCH BUTTERFLY - how unique is THAT???????  love it!

.

 
OK - so I know I cant actually WEAR this one, I mean I hate it when I have to see big girls with their guts hanging out,  but I without a doubt am dying to be

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS

for Halloween this year!  How perfect (be quiet Blake) (LOL) would that be?  And since I am in love with CROWNS, it would totally fit ME!  Ok, since that one is a little TOO SKANKY (even for me).........

HOW ABOUT THIS ONE?????????????????
Oh my heck - it has EVERYTHING that I am currently in love with - thigh highs, corset top, hearts and crowns!  I LOVE IT!  I think I would probably have to add a little layer of fabric to the underneath, just to make it a bit longer (i dont want to be one of THOSE big girls!)  LOL

ALRIGHTY - so out of all the costumes on this post and the one below which do YOU THINK I should be for Halloween this year???????????  And since I am completley UNSELFISH and care about everyone but myself, i really want to know - WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE FOR HALLOWEEN?  LMK.
 
 

contest clue!

I am totally going to open this bag of candy soon if no one guesses correctly! 
Here is a hint for you - ITS NOT CHOCOLATE!
Janna and Robin have been the closest with their guesses of PIXIE STIX - but thats not it.
Im going to wait until tonight then I am either opening it - or giving it away!  LOL
And can I just say - the rest of you people should leave a comment and guess too - there have been almost 200 people who have gone to my blog since I put this up here and I only have a FEW guesses!  lol

contest and costumes!

I dont like Halloween.  Of course, I feel like the ONLY person upon the earth who detestes costumes and trick or treating and all that crap - but since I found out that I'm NOT the only Christmas music hater in the world, I must not be the only Halloween hater either.

ANYWAY -------- oh yeah, if you clicked over here JUST for the CONTEST, you have to suffer through (or scroll through, if you dont think my writing is as fantastic as I do) the whole post before we get to the CONTEST part.  OK?????????????

ANYWAY (again) ----- for some strange reason (maybe its the big girl panties that came with the divorce) this year, for Halloween

I WANT TO

DRESS UP,

WEAR A

COSTUME,

JOIN IN THE

PRETENDING

ETC ETC!!!!!!!

Yes - you heard that correctly.  Shocking but true (like most aspects of my life).  But I dont want to wear just any old costume - would that be ME????????????  NO WAY! 
Lately - I have been feeling a little..... well, lets just say HOT!!!!!! 
So I figured I needed a HOT costume as well! 
Now I realize that I am not of the SIZE or BODY TYPE to wear some of these EXACT costumes - but were talking ideas and things quite similar.

 

 

  
Are you seeing a theme here??????????????????
I AM TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH THE THIGH OR KNEE HIGH SOCKS!!!
They are the cutest!

I am not a huge sports fan - but how cute is that?  LOVE IT!

 

SWEET AND INNOCENT little red riding hood and snow white!

I would LOVE to find an ICONIC image of CHRISTINA AGUILERA and be HER for Halloween, but I cant decide what would be best.  I have even considered the Brittany with the red wig in the WOMANIZER video - but I could always go this route for BRITTANY SPEARS:

 

Are those not totally the old Brittany?????????????????????

Blake might like me in THIS ONE!  lol.  (or is that more his OTHER ex-wife?)

AND HOW HOT IS THAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?  and all those people on facebook getting MERMAID as their answer to the what you should be for Halloween quiz - this is perfect!

OK - I'm going to save my last few VERY FAVORITE ONES for the post that has our CONTEST WINNER IN IT!

I KNOW - you probably thought I was so wrapped up in the costume hottness that I was going to FORGET THE CONTEST right????????

HECK NO - I LOVE A GOOD CONTEST!  ESPECIALLY WHEN ITS ABOUT MY FAVORITE SUBJECT:
MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alright - the first person to answer this question correctly gets a PRIZE!  Now, I know that you SHOULD be able to guess the answer because I asked Blake and the boys the same question and they had one other guess too - but were correct pretty dang quick.  IF THEY CAN DO IT - ANYONE CAN!  lol

I HAVE A BAG OF MY FAVORITE CANDY SITTING HERE - THE FIRST PERSON TO GUESS CORRECTLY WHAT IT IS - GETS IT.  the only clue I will give you is that it is a common trick or treating candy.   

oh - and for those of you who dont know, click on the word COMMENTS down there and then you can leave your guess there.  dont be scared, its ok - its just a coment on a blog, no worries!  LOL

emotion bowl 2009

(edit - scroll down for the score!)

Alrighty - for all of those Idahoans or those former Idaho Falls Tigers out there (especially that sweet, ovary-acting girl in Provo, named Nicholas) here are a couple pictures of the weather currently:

The view outside of my apartment.  It doesnt LOOK nearly as bad as it FEELS.

.

And then I took a picture with the flash on so you could actualy SEE the freaking SNOW!  It isnt coming down very bad NOW - but around 6:00 it was like a BLIZZARD.

Luckily though (Im bad with directions) but I am pretty sure the wind is blowing towards the SKYLINE side of the stadium.  But still - there are gonna be some freezing fans out there on both sides!

I AM SO GLAD to no longer be a CHEER MOM!  I hate football and I really hate snow. I may be WEARING ORANGE today, but no one will get to see it because I will be TOASTY WARM indoors tonight!

GOOOOOOOOOOOO TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(will spray paint even stick to cold, wet goal posts?)

HOLY FREAKING CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!  IFHS IS THE BEST!
IDAHO FALLS 28 - SKYLINE 13
 
 

HOLY CRAP!!!!!!! (post secret rocks)

I know that most of my personal friends are POST SECRET fans and followers just like me.  I dont know how many of my internet or Facebook friends are obsessed with POST SECRET too, but if youre not - you really should be! 

I wrote a post on here last year about my adoration for POST SECRET and explaining what it was and who started it and all that good stuff. 

You can read all about it right here (you totally know you want to) and that I really want you to.

Dont worry - this post DOES actually have a point.

Well I mentioned in that post that you know you want to click on and read that I wanted to go to an event of Franks.  Blake took me to one in Logan last April.  It was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! We even got to sit right behind his wife and chat with her.  AND - Frank gave ME one of his books!  It was so fun. 

I also mentioned in that post that I was going to send in a secret of my own and that EVERYONE should do the same.

Then about a month later - I posted on here about how I wanted to show my favorite secrets each week AND THAT I HAD SENT IN MY OWN!!!!!!!!!!

Well needless to say, I never kept up with showing you guys my favorite secrets from each week.  HUGE SHOCK THERE - I KNOW!!!!!!!  lol

HOWEVER (and here is the point of my story) I have sent secrets in to Frank AND when we were in Logan, Blake and I even left our own secrets with Frank before we left.  He hasnt posted our Logan secrets (I know this because they were on matching postcards) so I am hoping they are going to be in his new book.  But for now, I will totally live with the fact that:

ONE OF MY POSTCARDS IS ON THE POST SECRET WEBSITE RIGHT THIS VERY MOMENT!!!!

Noooooooooooooooo - I will NOT tell a single soul (not even you madeline) which one it is, and if you try guessing I will NOT even acknowledge it.  But if you have been thinking of sending one in, but thought there was no use because yours would NEVER get chosen to be on the site - HERES YOUR PROOF THAT YOU REALLY SHOULD GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

COMPETITION

So - everyone is pretty much aware of my obsession with CHRISTINA AGUILERA.  She is shockingly HOT!!!!!!!!

Now country music girls dont tend to be as DIRRTY as other music type girls - HOWEVER.....
those pop singing chickies have got some new competition in the HOTTNESS department!  Yes, Taylor always looks good and in PICTURE TO BURN she was way hot too - but
this new video from CARRIE UNDERWOOD will definitely cause a stir (in more ways than one) and is totally able to compete with the other HOT videos out there! 

COWBOY CASANOVA............

Carrie Underwood   More CMT Music   More CMT Music Videos

.

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!! 

My Girl - CHRISTINA!

I think that CHRISTINA AGUILERA is one of the HOTTEST women EVER!  Well second to ME of course!  So in the spirit of DIRTINESS and BITCHINESS and NASTINESS i thought I would share with all of you a few of her videos!  Just in case you had missed them and were feeling like your life was a bit empty!

and there ARE advertisements before each one - but if you can survive those 15 seconds of torture - then the video starts!

How DIRTY huh?  That song is the reason why if you ask some people if they like Christina or not they will say "SHES SO DIRTY"!!!!!!!!!!!!

*

Say what you want about her - but she is such a creative genius!  Yes I know that she alone doesnt make her videos, but just in normal everyday life - she seldom looks the same.  One day shes blonde the next day shes bald (ok not really bald, but you know).  And is CANDYMAN not the cutest song EVER!?!?!?!?!?  If you listen close to the words, they are really quite NAUGHTY, but way cute too!

*

This is one of my very favorites from her.  I like to say that I have a THEME SONG to my life - but I guess that I should say that I have 2.  Both are from Christina, this one and another that is older and I cant find a video for.  Its called STIL DIRRTY.  I love it!

*

And this video would be for any of those SPECIAL SOMEONES in mine or any other girls life!
WINK WINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And dont worry everyone - I am totally still a COUNTRY GIRL!  Maybe tomorrow we will post some photos from the TAYLOR SWIFT or the BRAD PAISLEY concerts that we went to!

its been a while so we'll start slow

A quote from Marilyn Monroe:

"A woman is often measured by the things she cannot control.  She is measured by the way her body curves or doesnt curve.  By where she is flat or straight or round.  She is measured by 36-24-36 and inches and ages and numbers, by all the outside things that dont ever add up to who she is on the inside.  And so if a woman is to measured, let her be measured by the things she can control, by who she is and who she is trying to become.  Because as every woman knows measurements are only statistics, and statistics lie."

CANCER SUCKS ASS

Somewhere between real life, facebook and the blog world something has slipped through the cracks.  A very important little bit of information, I totally dont have time to go into all the details yet (there is a post down there about some of it) but for any one out there who doesnt know and for those facebookers who are constantly wondering why im crying or feeling like crap in my status':

STAGE 4
PANCREATIC
CANCER
IS INCHING
EVER CLOSER
TO TAKING
MY DAD AWAY
FROM US.

and yes - i said ASS up there!  there are way worse swear words that I COULD use to describe CANCER and my dad dying - but I thought i would spare you all and just say that

CANCER
SUCKS
ASS!!!!!!!!!!

SEPHORA

Why oh why oh why

will the most glorious store on Earth

NOT

come to Idaho Falls?????????????

I truly think that my seemingly normal

and peaceful existence

may start to deteriorate

and my life may soon end

due to the lack of

an amazing makeup store

in Idaho Falls or even

anywhere in the vicinity.

SERIOUSLY.

Am I really the only self centered/money wasting/makeup snob/bare escentual loving/pore hating/Sephora whore in all of southeast Idaho???????????????

Its derby time (again)

I am so excited to make my pinewood derby car this year!  I searched around for pictures so we could get ideas and also made a list of ones that I thought of myself:

 

Can of Diet Mountain Dew
Swimming Pool
Candy Bar
Putting Green
Jewelry Box

 

Bath tub
Bouquet of Flowers
Box of Cereal
Chick Magnet

 

Ice cream cone
Tennis Court
Stack of Books
Table set for dinner

 

Rocket
Camera
Loaf of Bread
Tool Box

Pocatello

The boys and I went to Pocatello today.

YES - we went there to visit my parents.

NO - I didnt kill anyone or pull any of my hair out.

YES - I am shocked by that and you should be too.

NO - I didnt even come a little close to overdosing on xanax.

YES - I did take the camera with me.

NO - We didnt actually take any pictures of my parents.

YES - I would definitely lose my head if it wasnt securely attached.

LOL - LOL - LOL.

We left far later then I wanted too - but that is a usual thing for anytime the boys and I go somewhere together!  We stopped and got gas and sodas before we left and a little lunch too - FROM THE GAS STATION!  The boys both had nachos and I had a hotdog - and can I just say that I had totally forgotten how utterly delicious gas station hotdogs are!  HOLY CRAP!  YUMMY!!!!!!

Then we headed down the highway.  My poor youngest child has been corrupted at school by girls and his teacher - they all sing MAMA MIA songs all day long and now he sings them too!  NOT ONLY DOES HE KNOW THE WORDS BUT HE IS OBSESSED WITH THE SONGS.  So of course we put them on a CD for him and of course he remembered to bring it with us to pocatello.  (that was so kind of him)  So I drove down the highway listening to these songs that I definitely dont like while a red-headed 6 year-old sat in the back seat singing them at the top of his lungs.  GOOD TIMES!!!!!!!!! 

For those of you who don't already know - my dad has CANCER again.

This time the prognosis isnt nearly as good as last time.  Now it is all over his LIVER where it mastasized from his PANCREAS and it is on the bottom of one of his LUNGS.  The time left that the Doctor said is about 3-4 months and that COULD be increased with the Chemo shots he's taking. 

NEEDLESS TO SAY - THAT KINDA SUCKS.

I dont feel like getting into all my thoughts and feelings about cancer, my parents, death or any of those other way personal things tonight but I do want to make sure that I am clear on one thing-
I DO MY VERY BEST TO LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT ANY REGRETS.
Those of you who know about my personal struggles with my parents may be wondering to yourselves if I regret struggling with them or regret having a far less than perfect relationship with them.  I DONT.  I cant change it - and even if I could - I dont think I would. 

So when I say that this SUCKS - I mean it literally and currently - I dont mean that it sucks because I have regrets.

• It sucks because Trevor will be devastated when Grandpa dies
• It sucks because cancer is a crappy way to die
• It sucks because my dad will die without ever being optimistic about life
• It sucks that my great grandpa lived to be 100 but my dad wont even get close
• It sucks because he doesnt have much life insurance
• It sucks that my grandpa will probably have to attend his own sons funeral
• It sucks that Garrett is so young that he will only have small random memories of grandpa
• It sucks because I havent ever had anyone THAT close to me die
• It sucks that my dad worries about my moms finances
• It sucks because he and Garrett arent nearly as close as he and Trevor are
• It sucks to think that it may have been caught earlier, but the Dr said he didnt need a body scan last year
• It sucks that my mom says that the worst part for her is to think that she doesnt know if my dad has ever been truly happy and felt real joy
• It sucks because even now he is in constant pain
• It sucks that Trevor and I have to talk everyday about cancer
• It sucks because as difficult as our relationship may have been - I will still miss him
• It sucks that Garrett thought you could "catch" cancer from someone.
• IT JUST SUCKS.

So we continue on. 

Sometimes its kind of hard to not dwell on all the things that SUCK about it. 

But all we can do is pray for him, visit him, make memories with him and LOVE HIM.

WE PLAN ON DOING A WHOLE LOT OF THAT.

Oops, I forgot to mention-

So speaking of Trevor getting his haircut, He needed it cut so badly because we had to wait UNTIL THE STAPLES WERE TAKEN OUT OF THE BACK OF HIS HEAD to even get his hair WET, let alone get it cut.

Yes, you heard that correctly -
TREVOR HAD STAPLES IN HIS HEAD - 3 TO BE EXACT.

A few weeks ago - I get a frantic call from the school secretary saying that Trevor FELL and hit his head and it was cut badly and bleeding like crazy and the paramedics were on their way.  Needless to say - PHONE CALLS LIKE THAT REALLY FREAKING SUCK!

 
So I jump in the van - with very little makeup on, non-blow-dryed hair, no bra, and my lounge around the house clothes on - and rush to the school.  Of course it WOULD have to be during carpool time!  So there was a teacher (Garrett's actually) out on the street waiting for me and when she saw me she stopped all the other cars and guided me in to where the ambulance was.

.

 
When I got inside the school all of the kids in Trevor's class were freaking out and a few had been crying and word had gotten around the whole school by now.  As soon as he hit his head and didn't respond to his teacher immediately - she got all the other kids out of the classroom, so when I walked in all I saw was Trevor, Carina and the paramedics.  I was glad that he was sitting in a chair instead of laid out on a stretcher thingy!  The paramedics said that they didn't know how bad it was because it had finally stopped bleeding and had matted his hair down and they didn't want to go digging around in it and have it start bleeding again. 

.

 
So we talked and signed papers and I took him over to our pediatrician.  Dr. Scott Smith!  He did a thorough job of checking Trevor for any other injuries and discussed with us things that can cause people to suddenly pass out and fall and hit their heads on the sharp edgeof a shelf.  He also said that he had a definite concussion, but since there was such a good sized lump around the cut - he wasn't worried about any internal damage.

.

 
Then he rinsed the hair and found where the injury was.  It definitely wasn't HUGE - only about an inch long, but he said Trevor must have hit HARD because it was pretty DEEP.  And I was informed that head wounds ALWAYS bleed PROFUSELY.

.

 
Dr. Smith put some numbing stuff on it (which Trevor said "didn't work at all")

.

 
Then he IRRIGATED it.  Trevor said THAT hurt BAD.  But he was a little consoled when Dr. Smith told him that he got to keep the irrigator - or SQUIRT GUN as it was often referred to as.

.

 
That is the STAPLER!  Al you do is squeeze the wound together and push the handle on the stapler and VOILA - staple in head! 

NOW AS GROSS AS THE PICTURES HAVE BEEN - HERE IS YOUR WARNING THAT THE NEXT ONE IS THE GROSSEST AND THE COOLEST!

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THAT IS WHAT 3 STAPLES LOOK LIKE IN SOMEONES HEAD!!!!!!!!  Pretty freaking cool looking huh?

So we spent the next week and a half not being able to get his head wet, having him forget and put his head down on something and he even said once that he shouldn't have to do chores as long as he has staples in his head!!!!!!!

He recovered quickly and even WANTED to go to school the next day.

Then I kind of forgot about the staples until 12 days later (they were supposed to be in 7-10 days).  Unfortunately it was a Saturday now, but the super fantastic office that we go to was OPEN and said to bring him on in. 

 
That is the "staple remover".  We of course kept the staples for his scrapbook.  He said it hurt to have them taken out, but not as bad as having it irrigated!

It healed up nicely and Trevor still says every time he showers how great it is to be able to get his head wet and wash his hair! 

MY GIRL

I would like to introduce you all to someone VERY VERY important in my life.  She means the world to meand somedays I feel like I would DIE without her.

 
This is Lindsey Nulph.  She is a stylist at Carlisle Beauty.  It is SHE who helps me to continue to have GREAT HAIR!  I totally trust her and she is super fun and so freaking talented.

I absolutely hate PAYING for haircuts - I can cut my own hair pretty good - but this girl could charge an arm and leg to do my hair and I would give it to her happily!  And not only is she GOOD - but shes FAST too - and I cant stand sitting in that chair for very long so that is so wonderful! 

 
I like her so much that she even cuts Trevor's hair too.  (which he HATES - but the poor kid just doesn't have the right kind of hair to grow it out long).  I forgot to get an after picture though - dang. 

 
She and the rest of the girls at Carlisle also offer other SERVICES too - NO not THOSE kinds of services!  LOL!  But things like nails, color, products and WAXING! 

Although Trevor and his pizza covered face look scared and upset - he was actually a very willing participant in the waxing of the eyebrows.  He decided that it would probably be WAY better than me PLUCKING them!  HE LOOKS SO GOOD WITH TWO EYEBROWS!!!!!!!!!!!  And he said it only hurt for a couple minutes.  I would give Lindsey TEN BUCKS any day to NOT have to listen to him whine and yell when I pluck them - it was fantastic!

And to let you all know - although Lindsey is the girl that keeps MY hair in its CONSTANTLY GORGEOUS STATE - tonight it was ME who got to put someone elses hair in that same state!  YEP - a few hours ago I CUT ROBINS HAIR!  It was way fun and she looks super duper cute!  THANKS FOR A GREAT NIGHT ROBIN!  

LASTLY - 
ARE YOU ALL DYING TO KNOW WHY I LOVE HAVING CONTACTS??????
No one guessed a totally right answer - so I will tell you-

THE ABSOLUTE BEST PART OF HAVING CONTACTS IS THAT I CAN NOW SAFELY DO MY MAKEUP WHILE DRIVING! 
(taking OFF my glasses to do eye makeup isn't very safe or smart when your vision is as bad as mine is!) 

Happy Birthday Mr President

First of all - NONE of the comments on my last post have been correct yet and I WANT MORE PEOPLE TO GUESS!!!  (can you totally picture me stomping my foot as I say that????) LOL!  Anyway.....

Today was ABRAHAM LINCOLNS birthday! 

I am not going to jump on the LETS COMPARE OBAMA AND LINCOLN bandwagon or anything, but I just wouldn't feel right if I didn't at least commemorate today in some way. 

The 16th president isn't one that we talk about alot at our house (and YES we DO talk about alot of presidents here) but we tend to focus on the first few and the last few.  I suppose we should discuss him more - some poll somewhere said that when asked who was the most important president a majority of people will answer LINCOLN. 

I myself wont go THAT far (this is one of MY all time favorite presidents) but Lincoln is up near the top of the list for sure.

 
I went to Fords Theater and the house where Lincoln died when I was in High School, but in all the times that our family has been to DC we have never gone together.  Unfortunately on our last trip in 2008 the theater was being renovated (for the 200th birthday celebrations) and we got to the house across the street FIVE MINUTES AFTER CLOSING TIME!!!!!!!!  So my family has still Never seen where he was shot or where he died. 

 
We have been to the Lincoln Memorial MANY times though - so many, that this time we didnt even take decent pictures of it.  This is a picture of the view looking back towards the rest of DC with your back to President Lincoln.

 
And facing him, this is what I saw - NO - I don't know who those people are.  We have TONS of pictures of the memorial, but they were before we got our digital camera so they are not easily shareable.

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There was a nice exhibit celebrating the connections that Lincoln had with Idaho that was in Rexburg a few weeks ago and of course the boys and I went to see it.  Here are a few pictures from it:

   

 

 

 

 

I heard an interesting view about Lincolns anti-slavery-ness today.  Many people automatically assume that he wanted equal rights for everyone and hated slavery because it made the black people unequal to the white people.  However - one scholar said that Lincoln (like anyone in that day) wasn't THAT much of an equal rights advocate.  He hated slavery because his father had been a poor farmer who couldn't compete with all of the plantation owners who had tons of free labor.  So Lincoln wanted to end slavery for more economic reasons than racial reasons.  I had never heard that - I always just assumed that he loved everyone the same.  INTRIGUING.

No matter what - he still had a huge impact on our country and humanity in general.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRESIDENT LINCOLN!!!!!!!!

post viral update

I have once again averted a slow painful death caused by the disgustingly powerful common cold virus.  This time he was far more chesty (and not in the good female-ish way either) than usual.  In some ways thats good (no head exploding or nose pounding and runniness) but in other ways it is just as bad (my ribs actually ache from coughing so much and so hard).  And did you know that the stuff that is stuck in your chest while a virus has its death grip on you DOES NOT TASTE GOOD AT ALL?????????????  I will not go into any more detail, other than to say it is almost as bad as onions!

I also managed to shock my poor body by drinking a few QUARTS of water everyday since I started feeling crappy on Saturday.  I dont know why though - it didnt do anything.  But at least now I have a permanent record of the time I drank water! 

So I am still alive and I have received a few emails from friends who were wondering a bunch of things that I hadn't updated.  So here are a few of them.

All of our prayers have been answered and our sweet girl TAYLOR has been rescued from her automotive captivity!  Our withdrawal symptoms have ceased and her amazing voice has since filled our van as we all sing along (well 3 of the 4 of us - there is ONE person in our house who REFUSES to sing along with her - ANY GUESS WHO THAT IS?????) 

Our anniversary (which was on SATURDAY) was pretty low-key.  We did do something a little different however.  I always feel bad that anniversaries are more of a couple type holiday then say a birthday is - sure most people don't care at all - but I know a six year ld who cares ALOT.  So I wanted to do something that was still personal to US but that the boys could be involved in too. 

So we went to our 2 favorite restaurants (TEXAS ROADHOUSE AND JOHNNY CARINOS) and bought gift cards to each.  Then I wrote a note inside each one that said
"It's our anniversary and instead of giving gifts to each other, we decided to give gifts to strangers - ENJOY!" 

Then we headed to Winco to get some groceries and give our cards away.  We let the boys carry the cards and pick who the random people were that got them.  We had 2 criteria - they had to have a baby and look tired.  pretty random I know - but it worked and was fun.  I went with each boy when they gave their card to someone and explained briefly why a stranger was handing them a gift card.  Then away we went.  It was pretty nice.

Lastly - I GOT CONTACTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now before we go into all sorts of details about what I got, how my appointment was, how funny the Dr was, what an eye abuser I am, how bad my eyes are or anything else------

I have a question for you - a question that if you answer correctly could win you a prize!  (what the heck that freaking prize might be - I have no idea - but a prize no less).

DO YOU KNOW WHAT I THINK IS THE BEST PART ABOUT HAVING CONTACTS INSTEAD OF GLASSES?

Leave a comment with your guess and we will see if anyone out there knows me THAT well.

YUCKY!

I managed to survive the day with the MORNING PERSON and get most of our errands finished, however - I have to say that I havent felt too great for the past few days.  Just kind of YUCKY.  Well today the feelings in my stomach, head, throat and back went from yucky to absolutely HORRENDOUS. 

I hope I feel better tomorrow. 

Speaking of tomorrow - IM GETTING CONTACTS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I have been DYING having to wear my glasses for the past 10 months or so (no money for an eye exam) but now I will be back to my normal glasses-free self. 

Blake and I decided what to do for our anniversary!  It is something kind of unexpected and does NOT involve getting each other any sort of gift.  I am really excited - I will tell you all about it tomorrow. 

I am going to bed - at least for a little while - until I have to go potty AGAIN.

Fridays

DID YOU KNOW THAT I GET STRESSED OUT EASILY???????????
lol
lol
lol
lol
lol
IS THERE REALLY ANYONE IN MY LIFE WHO DOESNT KNOW THIS?????????

Anyway - since Blake has Fridays off, we usually run errands and stuff like that on Fridays.  Well today we have A BUNCH OF STUFF TO DO!!!!  Not much of it is REALLY urgent and neccessary - but things weve been putting off for a while.  I'm sure your thinking - well thats no big deal - just do it and be done with it, right? 

Well it is not that easy.

Blake happens to be one of those horribly sickening MORNING PEOPLE - needless to say I AM NOT.  So he is always wanting to get up early and get our crap done while I am wanting to sleep, or put on makeup or watch CNN.  So our day begins.  Then when we do finally leave the house, I usually have all of our errands mapped out in my head as to which is closest and which is on the way to that and where we need to be at the end of the day and such - Blake on the other hand is NOT A PLANNER - so in his head we will get the stuff on the list done in any order at any time no matter how inefficient it is. 

My point is - I am already stressing out about it! 

OH YEAH AND SPEAKING OF THE ERRANDS WE ARE RUNNING - one of them is to go to a stereo store.
WHY??????
BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN A HORRIBLE, HORRENDOUS, AWFUL, LIFE ALTERING TRAGEDY IN THE LIVES OF ME AND THE BOYS!

Our TAYLOR SWIFT CD is stuck in the car stereo!!!!!!  Now - it wouldnt be so bad IF IT WOULD PLAY!  But noooooooooooo - it wouldnt want to do that, so there has been much sorrow and confusion and symptoms of withdrawal going on in our house.  We love that girl - and without her - our lives are seeming kind of empty and hopeless.  Please pray for our van, cd and us to all have a quick recovery!

Happy Birthday Gary

A few days after Christmas I got a call from my friend Robin - this in itself isnt unusual, but getting a call from her at 10:12pm is HIGHLY unusual (shes NOT a night owl), and to top it all off - she was calling from her dads house. 

When I said "Hello" all I heard on the other end was an out of breath voice say "Can I bring the boys over to your house?"  To which I replied "Yes - is everything ok?"  And she said "NO - we'll be right there". 

I instantly knew that her father must have had a heart attack.  He had one years ago and had all the surgery stuff that goes along with it but since then he has always been in FANTASTIC health and has taken very good care of himself. 

When she got here I ushered the boys inside and asked her if it was Gary - she said yes and that it wasnt good.  She would call me later.  The boys both looked scared and upset and sad so we chated for a while and then I tucked them in bed and knowing that their family is a prayerful one I asked them if they wanted me to pray.  They said yes.  Throughout the whole prayer all I could think to say was things that had to do with Gary dying and what his family would need, for some reason I even talked about where we go when we die and that its ok.  To me, it was such a strange feeling prayer.

They went to sleep quickly and it was less than 2 hours later when the phone rang and Robin said - "i'm on my way- he's gone."  She came and got the boys and I was left feeling so helpless knowing that she must be hurting so bad. 

For the next week or so I was so proud of Robin and the strength she had to make funeral plans and family plans and business plans and EVERYTHING PLANS all while still being a good mom and a good friend.  The Lord was truly watching over her. 

January 2nd we went to Garys funeral.  Many of our girlfriends came to the visitation time to show their love and our friend Sheri even stayed for the whole funeral with us - just to be supportive.  There were tons of people there, not just family and business acquaintances, but friends and friends of friends.  I knew that Robin would probably not be in any state of mind to document the event and as strange as it seems - I knew she would want photos of the funeral so I brought our camera and took a ton of photos. 

Some of them are not THE BEST - but I was trying really hard to not be disrespectful or intrusive so there wasnt the normal oppurtunities to focus correctly or do many retakes or even use the flash in the dimly lit funeral home. 

This is Christopher, Taylor and Doug bringing Gary in. 

Trevor and Garrett both had a hard time when we first got there with the fact that Gary had been cremated and his remains were in that little box. 

One of the owners of the funeral home was nice enough to sit down with the boys and I to discuss cremation and how it works and what they do and everything.  Luckily he was L.D.S. too so when Trevor had a couple more spiritual questions surrounding the ressurrection - he was able to kindly and thoughtfully answer them.  It was really nice.   

 
Garys life sketch was FANTASTIC AND FUNNY AND FULL of wonderful stories.

One of my favorite part of funerals is when they have time for the friends or family to get up and share a memory or thought or story about the person who died.  I got photos of most of the people who spoke - but there were a few that were more moving than others-

 
Like Robins son Taylor AND her ex-husband C.J.  Even HIS words were kind and loving.

 
And when Gary's step-son Doug got up and could barely speak.  When he finally got his words out - they made even ME get a little teary.

 
Then we all went outside into the FRIGID cold to see the military rites stuff. 

 
Here is the guy giving the flag to Gary's mother while his "wife" (girlfriend) looks on.

Gary would have been 70 years old today.  Thats pretty old - but dang he was still a young guy at heart.  I didnt get the chance at his funeral to stand up and say what I wanted to say so I guess I will say it here.

The thing I will miss most about Gary Hoyt is kissing his cheek, especially if it was on the side that he was blind on because then sometimes he wouldnt see it coming!  I will miss teasing Robin (in front of Gary) about how HOT her Dad is.  But most of all - I will miss patting his belly and asking him when his baby is due.  He was a wonderful man and I cant wait to see him again.

I feel like a guy!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO - not in any sort of physical sense of the word - so don't even go there with some guyish or male anatomy related comment, OK???? 

But I really do feel like the classic, stereo-typical GUY.

YOU ARE DYING TO KNOW WHY RIGHT??????

Well, when you think of things like birthdays and more specifically anniversaries and then you throw a guy into your thoughts, what do you instantly think of????  If your anything like ME (which everyone should be of course)(LOL) then you think of the fact that guys seldom ever remember the actual dates of these things. 

Which brings me to my current feelings of guyishness.  In my last post, way down at the very bottom I mentioned that my anniversary was Friday and waswondering if the traditional gift for the sixth year was Littlest Pet Shops.

As difficult and disappointing as it is to admit, I must say that not only is the traditional gift for year number 6 NOT Littlest Pet Shops but also
MY ANNIVERSARY IS NOT FRIDAY. 

 

Yep, I can hardly believe that in all of my womanly fabulousness - I actually misquoted the date of my own anniversary.  But I was at least close - ITS SATURDAY.

Now on to even more pressing issues concerning the lack of LITTLEST PET SHOPS on the list of traditional anniversary gifts.  Here is a listing of what gifts go with what year:

Year	Traditional	Modern	Flowers
1	Paper	Plastic	Pansy
2	Cotton	Cotton and Calico	Cosmos
3	Leather	Leather	Fuchsia
4	Fruit and Flowers	Linen, Silk, Nylon	Geranium
5	Wood	Wood	Daisy
6	Candy	Iron	Calla Lily
7	Copper and Wool	Brass	Jack-in-the-Pulpit
8	Bronze	Pottery	Clematis
9	Pottery	Willow	Poppy
10	Tin	Aluminum	Daffodil
11	Steel	Steel	Morning Glory
12	Silk	Linen	Peony
13	Lace	Lace	Hollyhock
14	Ivory	Ivory	Dahlia
15	Crystal	Glass	Rose

With this list in mind lets do some pondering and remembering.

First anniversary is PAPER!  I definitely should have gotten a whole lot of scrapbook paper that year!  I guess I could have given Blake like a newspaper or something or maybe TOILET PAPER?!?!?!? lol.

2 through 4 are kind of random in my opinion, but I do have thoughts on last year and this year.

Last year was our FIFTH anniversary.  The traditional AND modern gift for that year is WOOD! All I will say is - I DEFINITELY GOT WOOD given to me that year - just not the kind that they mean on the list!  GET IT????????????  ha-ha-ha!!!!!!

And as far as this year goes - CANDY?????????????  I just lost 30 freaking pounds, there's no way in HELL that I need CANDY for a gift! 

Realistically, I could probably do without all my Littlest Pet Shops too - but they are just so cute and fun.

What WOULD be a good anniversary gift this year?

Hmmmmm.  I might have to get back with you on that one.

I KNOW - WHY DON'T YOU LEAVE A COMMENT GIVING ME SOME IDEAS OF WHAT I SHOULD GET FOR A GIFT THIS YEAR! 

little known fact about me

Just so your aware - the title of this post is something that Trevor would totally refer to as an OXYMORON!  Amidst his sixth grade sense of humor - he is currently OBSESSED with them, his favorite is one that a kid in class came up with MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.  To which I HAD to ask if he really knew what that was insinuating and he said yes, but he didn't necessarily AGREE with it - he just thought it was funny.  But back to ME - I mean, are there REALLY that many things about ME that are not widely known? LOL. 

Anyway - did you know that I collect Littlest Pet Shop Pets?  Yep I do.  I know, it probably sounds childish and dumbb for a "grown up" to collect little plastic animals, but they are just so cute!  And since the boys like playing with theirs too - its something that we can do together.  (What the heck am I talking about?  Am I seriously JUSTIFYING my reasons for collecting something? - I must be getting sick!)  

Unfortunately I don't have a current picture of the pets that I OWN - mainly because they are scattered throughout the house intermingled with the boys' ones and I am WAY too lazy to gather and sort them all just so I can take a picture of the ones that are mine. 

But my point is that I WANT MORE!  So I thought I would post the ones that I WANT and if anyone out there wants to leave one on my doorstep someday - FEEL FREE TO DO SO! 

 
This little cutie comes with his "nook" - not many pets do anymore, now they come with cute little accessories, but I miss each of them having their own little house.

 

 

 

 

 
HOLY FREAKING CRAP!
See what I mean by CUTE LITTLE ACCESSORIES!  A wheelbarrow for the bunny, a wagon for the kitten, a trike for the panda (he would look so cute on it), an actual little hive for the bee (how cute would that be for someone who goes to BONNEVILLE!) and a tent for the doggy! 

 

 

 

Some of them are just ADORABLE.  The puppy with the poopy even comes with a pretend newspaper for you to potty train him with.  I think that ANY skunk is cute and the bottom one that comes with the tree and the eye mask is a BAT!!!!

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And the best Littlest Pet Shop pets are the ones that are unusual and more rare animals. 
I think I may truly DIE if I don't get the ARMADILLO and the set with the DEER AND OWL. 

HMMMMMMMMM - my anniversary is Friday, I wonder what the gift for the sixth year is?????

Weirdo

Thats what people call me when I tell them that we give our cats BATHS! 

Which surprises me because I cant imagine NOT giving cats baths.  I mean they are kinda yucky little animals (yucky animals that I ADORE) Between the litter box, and their inability to clean many spots on their bodies - they can get pretty dirty. 

So today was cat bath day! 

 

This is Aisha - luckily she doesnt have claws so she is way easy to bathe.  And NO she isnt trying to escape in the photo - I was lifting her up so I could wash her belly.

 

And when she was done and we were drying her off.  She looks so pretty now!

LIVE AND LEARN

That's what I do - LIVE AND LEARN!

And OF COURSE share the things that I live and learn with everyone I know. 
I mean what good is learning something if you don't share the knowledge with others? 
There you go - I'm the missionary of mundane crap! 
And just like missionaries share the Gospel - I share mundane crap!!!! 
(No I am NOT actually comparing the Gospel to something mundane)

BUT I AM GIVING OUT FANTASTIC ADVICE!!!!!

 
If you need to remember something important that is to be done at a later time, you can write it on the top of your hand.  Especially in colors that are bright enough that you will see them all the time. 

NO- that isn't the advice part, I don't know many people who haven't written something on the top of their hand before.   

HOWEVER - the good advice/live and learn part is that you really should be sure and get the note off of your hand BEFORE you go to bed that night, otherwise when you wake up in the morning, you might just have the mirror image of the note ON YOUR CHEEK!!!!!!

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This is one of those bits of advice that a person may not REALLY want to know - but for that matter I didn't really want to discover it either. 
This is a wonderful MENS electric razor.  Blake shaves his face with it often and it is always left feeling smooth and soft and it only takes him moments to accomplish this. 

Well if your brain works like mine - your probably thinking - wow, if it shaves a mans face that fast and that well, then it would be PERFECT for other parts of the body too. 
(that IS what your thinking RIGHT?) 
Well let me just tell you that a mans face is VERY DIFFERENT than other parts of the body.

ESPECIALLY THE MORE INTIMATE PARTS OF THE FEMALE BODY.

The fabulous LIFT AND CUT aspect of this MENS razor is what makes their faces so wonderfully soft and smooth.  HOWEVER - when it is not used on a mans face - that very same LIFT AND CUT system is what will cause the MORE INTIMATE PARTS OF THE FEMALE BODY to be left in a state that is far less than desirable OR comfortable.  That uncomfortable state consists of BUMPS, REDNESS, ITCHING AND PAIN. 

Take it from me - NO LIFT AND CUT ON ANYTHING OTHER THAN A MANS FACE!

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Mmmmmmmmm!  Yummmmmmy! 

If you look closely at the bottom of the box, you can see where it says:

"Three grams of soluble fiber daily from whole grain oat foods, like Honey Nut Cheerios cereal, in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.  Honey Nut Cheerios cereal has .75g per serving."

Sounds pretty beneficial right?
RIGHT.
Sounds like a healthy cereal right?
RIGHT.
Sounds completely harmless right?
WRONG.

I'm sure that a yummy cereal in the hands of a NORMAL person is completely harmless - but in the wrong hands it can become a weapon - maybe not of mass destruction or anything, but a weapon no less.  So are you sitting there wondering where on earth the advice is????  Well here you go-

Eating an entire box of Honey Nut Cheerios in less than 48 hours can cause severe stomach pain among other less than desirable and very miserable symptoms that can make you want to spend the entire day in bed (when your NOT in the bathroom). 

Fiber is good for us all - but in large quantities - it isn't quite as good.

My last bit of advice is one that some of you may not want to read.  If you have a queasy stomach or are grossed out easily please stop right here - unless you like punishing yourself - but remember that I warned you.

 
I LOVE CATS!  And I especially LOVE my cats. 

Cats are pretty weird little animals though, they have bad attitudes, they are demanding, and they shed.  Speaking of shedding - cats that have longer hair (like Aisha on the back of the couch) tend to have a yucky health issue called HAIRBALLS. 

Now, I am not here to discuss the ins and outs of the feline digestive system, but let me just say that hairballs get caught at the bottom of the stomach and cause the cats digested food to not be "released" from their body.  So the cat is left to THROW UP the food because there is no room for anymore.  Although my darling Aisha does have problems with hairballs occasionally, my advice is not about the hairballs themselves.

My advice/live and learn is this:

IF YOUR GOING TO HAVE A CAT, YOU BETTER HAVE TWO.

That way when one of them throws up - the other one can eat it. 
THEN YOU WONT HAVE MUCH A MESS TO CLEAN UP.

a month or so

WOW!  A lot of crap goes on in a month or so.  I doubt I could sit and adequately retell every event that has occured since the beginning of december and if I did, my girlfriends would all be bored and screaming "I already heard about THAT - give me something NEW!"  So - I wont put them through that torture.  However - there are a few things that just HAVE to be shared - what those things are for sure, I have yet to figure out, but anyway-

Garrett lost his very first tooth ever on December 6th!  He was so excited.

 

Do you LOVE the pizza and dorito covered face?????????

Can I just say that I HATE the tooth fairy.

Seriously - I dont know what the heck she does in her spare time - but I know that it is NOT pay attention to my kids' teeth.  She seems to urge my children to lose the baggie that their tooth is in or sometimes she likes for them to lose teeth very late at night when she KNOWS that there is no cash anywhere and that there is no one who wants to find some for her.  And then to top it all off - there have been NUMEROUS times when she has completely and totally FORGOTTEN to show up at our house to leave a cherished treasure under someones pillow.  Believe me - that is a BAD situation that takes a whole lot of explaining.  And a tired, disappointed 6 year old is not one who likes to have things explained to him first thing in the morning. 

That tooth fairy can go somewhere really really HOT for all I care.

But the boys sure do like it when she does her job correctly.

LOL.

Its about time

I have been wondering what event would finally get me out of my blogging slump and now I know.  I guess it isn't quite a blogging slump because I ALWAYS have things that I COULD blog about, but I have found that whenever I am in a less than stellar mood - my brain refuses to release anything at all. 

So needless to say, I have spent the past month or so in a less than stellar mood.  Thats even kind of hard to admit - I mean I'm a happy optimistic person - why the heck would I even allow myself to feel crappy?  I know that I'm in charge of my emotions, why haven't I been in charge of them lately?  I would suppose that "less than stellar" might even be an over-exaggeration, my mood lately might better be described as:

• down in the dumps
• irritated
• un-appreciated
• pretty crappy
• depressed
• scared about the future
• melancholy
• dreary

WOW - thats a pretty YUCKY sounding list! 

Now I really don't want to get into all the reasons why and things that have caused me to feel this way for so long, but I will say this, I have done alot of soul searching (that sounds so cheesy) and alot of praying and pondering and thinking and all that crap.  I would be totally LYING if I said that everything was all better and that my happy mood today will continue indefinitely and I will be back to normal. 

But I will say that all of that thinking and crap has definitely helped.  I know that life will probably get worse before it is better all the time, but I know that I will be OK.  I have figured out what one of the main difficulties and problems has been in my life, it wont be easy or quick or even fun to fix things and make my life be what I want it to be, but I know that I can do it.  And knowing exactly what the problem is - is the first step to fixing it Right? 

OK - so with all that said - we can get back to what it was that caused me to sit down and blog today.  You are all still dying to know what it was right?  

Last night I went to bed at a decent hour (at least decent for ME) so I got a few more hours of sleep then I usually get.  You would think that this would cause me to be bright eyed and bushy tailed when my alarm went off at 6:30 this morning.  But it didn't.  You might think that when my second alarm went off at 7:15 I would jump right out of bed.  But I didn't.  There was also no jumping out of bed OR being bright eyed when Trevor informed me that they were ready to go OR when Garrett asked if they were riding the bus OR when Trevor asked if they were going to be late for school (to which I answered "heck no").  What finally yanked my poor self out of deep peaceful slumber was the sudden quiet in my house.  My brain started racing and wondering where my kids were and what time it was. 

HOLY CRAP!  It was 8:45!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And upon inspection of the house I discovered my boys outside playing basketball in the snow! 

Now normally this situation would send me into a sheer panic.  But today (since I have had such glorious revelations lately) I stayed calm and yelled out a window asking Trevor to start the van and for them to come in and get their school stuff.  I threw some clothes on and grabbed a soda and out the door we went. 

It is about 10 minutes to the school and in that time we jammed out to Taylor Swift's Fearless CD and sang all the words to the songs.  It was just enough time for each of us to pick our favorite one and sing it at the top of our lungs.  We stopped a few times to talk about this or that but mostly we sang and laughed.  It was such a HAPPY 10 minutes.  Not just for me - but for them too.

As much as those little boys bug the crap out of me - I LOVE THEM LIKE CRAZY.  They are both so special in their own ways and the relationships that we share are just as special.  (aren't self portraits fantastic!)

When we got to school it was so late that I HAD to walk them in.  Unfortunately when we left the house, I wasn't thinking that I was going to be going any place where I would actually be SEEN.  I was far more concerned with staying warm.  SOOOOO I was wearing:

• Black crocs (with fur inside)
• knee high lime green argyle socks
• bright green workout pants (that are like 3 sizes too big now)
• an old holey yellow t-shirt
• dark gray VELVET jacket
• Not a drop of makeup on my face
• and to top it all of slept on formerly poofy hair

When we got inside I asked Trevor if he wanted me to walk him to class (thinking that he would FREAK OUT and say NO WAY) instead he laughed and said "I DARE YOU TO!"  Well Mom rules explicitly say that you can NEVER turn down a dare from an 11 year old so I DID IT!  The kids in his class all know me from volunteering or subbing so when I said to them and Mrs. VanPelt that he had dared me to walk in - they totally understood and they all LAUGHED!!!!!!!!

That was the beginning of a pretty good day. 

And I think this post is the beginning of a pretty good life.

GORGEOUSNESS

OH MY HECK!

HOLY CRAP!

I CANT BELIEVE IT!

HOLY FREAKING CRAP!

Noooooo - I didnt win the lottery or anything.  But something ALMOST as good has happened! 

Do you see that GORGEOUS banner up there????????

Isnt it beautiful????

And to top it all off there is even a BACKGROUND on here! 

Typepad is not very user friendly when it comes to customizing your blog with your own stuff - but I found someone who was able to figure it out! 

And even better - she is this like digital guru (Robin - your still at the top of the creativity list since you are a paper and camera guru - and I do owe any of the small photoshop skills that I do posess to YOU) so she showed me a few different banners to choose from and she even posted them all for me!

WHO IS THIS GLORIOUS BEING???????????

My online (and soon to be in real life) friend JANNA!

You can visit her blog here.

JANNA - thank you, thank you, thank you.  I adore it and I will forever be grateful.  You totally freaking rock.  Let me know when you want me to bring you guys dinner.