This Is The Year

I hope you'll bear with me as I get through this difficult post.  It has been on my mind for months, and it's hard to know what details are important to include, and what can be left out.  There is so much that has been going through my mind, and many details that I want to make sure I don't forget with time. I'm sure this post will be quite long. After the bad news about my dad and the scare with the baby , I was ready for life to calm down.  I was ready to start having more energy, and to enjoy the rest of my summer.  Life had other plans for me. Thursday was the day I was finally able to get off bed rest.  I had missed my birthday and we had postponed my family birthday dinner which was to have taken place the previous Sunday.  It was okay because my brother, who had been in North Dakota for 5 months was returning, so by moving the dinner back one week, we would be able to have a Welcome Home dinner for him, along with my birthday dinner, and everyo...

Well...here we are nearly 3 months since the time I last posted. What can I say? I'm a slacker. I mean I truly do miss blogging, but when I think about sitting down and trying to get caught up, it is just SO overwhelming! But I still have a lot of things to get recorded that happened over the summer and I am determined to get it all down! I also have some fun stuff going on right now that I want to share with all my friends, so I've got to figure out how to fit blogging back into my days! After my awesome girls left, I had just a couple of short weeks before Tanielle's and my Summer Boutique we had been working on. Remember I am totally exhausted from this pregnancy at this point... We had some fabulous vendors lined up that were all coming to Tanielle's to set up booths in her fabulous yard, and we started promoting it like crazy. The day of the boutique arrived, and we were exhausted but also excited and above all, NERVOUS! It was our first event, and...

This summer, not only did I have the treat of having some awesome blog friends stay at my house, but I got the chance to meet Emmy , a blogger I have been "friends" with for years, but never met in person! An added bonus to this meet up was another of HER blog friends becoming my friend as well!  I had not "known" Involuntary Amy before our little get together, but I am SO glad we got to meet through our mutual friendships with Amy. We planned on getting together for a late dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Salt lake.  Emmy was going to pick me up and we were going to ride together and meet up with Amy. A few days before our meet up, I got a text from a very good friend of ours (mine and Hubby's), he was throwing a Birthday BB-Q for his wife (also a very good friend), and wanted to make sure we could be there.  Yep, it was the same night as my bloggy friend meet-up. Luckily, we were already meeting sorta late, so I asked if we could bump it an extr...

After enjoying a fabulous visit with 3 Awesome Girls, I was pooped out! I had been ignoring my pregnancy fatigue to prepare my home for visitors, and then was riding high on the fun of having them here and showing them around my community, and staying up all night visiting.  So when they left...I crashed! I was feeling particularly drained one Sunday afternoon, when my dad called us all into the living room to talk.  We had gone to my parent's for Sunday dinner.  We had been talking on the phone to my brother who had moved to North Dakota, and Dad asked us to put him on speaker phone so he could talk to all of us. He informed us that he had visited a new lung doctor the previous week, and gotten some news that he didn't feel that he should keep from us.  I wrote about my dad's health problems here . He proceeded to tell us that the new doctor told him that even though he was on oxygen, because his lungs were not functioning at full capacity, they were not abl...

So, as many of you know, I had 3 amazing ladies come visit me at the beginning of the summer.  Amanda, Macey and Myya are all blog friends whom I couldn't wait to spend some girl time with.  I had met Macey previously, and couldn't wait to hang with her again, and it would be my first time meeting Amanda and Myya. As you can imagine, I was both excited to meet them, as well as anxious for the impression myself, my home, and my family would make on them!  I was going crazy trying to get my home ready for TEN house guests (the kiddos were invited too)!  In the middle of the scrambling, Hubby and I got the surprise of our lives: That's right folks....baby number 5 is on the way!  To say that we were surprised and also a little overwhelmed would be an understatement.  Readjusting our mindset from the idea that we were done having children to the idea that we will soon have FIVE kids has been an adventure.  But we are thankful for this blessing, a...

The blog.  Sigh.  It's been a long time since I've been here.  I've missed it - but also been overwhelmed by the thought of jumping back in because so much has happened that I don't even know where to start.  Just as I would be thinking over in my head that I needed to get back and get stuff recorded, some new major experience would begin to unfold, and not only would I not find the time to get to the blog - it would also add a pile of more material that I would need to cover! My summer has been interesting, to say the least.  I won't cover it all in one post, but just so you know, I haven't been neglecting you for no reason!  Here's a list of the things that have kept me away from being a good blogger: An unexpected surprise A fantastic week of blog friends visiting Upsetting news Meeting a long time blog friend, and making a new one The drowning of a Boutique A scare Saying goodbye to my dad A family with the plague If you read over the list ...

I know I'm a little late to the party - but I really miss blogging!  So I'm squeezin' in a post before it's time to pick the kiddos up from school! I'm linking up with 2 parties today - check the buttons at the bottom. Ten things to smile about: 1 - One more week until school is out for summer!  It has been a loooooong year!  I'm excited for that first morning of NOT setting the alarm!  Also, really excited to spend some fun time with my kiddos.  The school year is so hectic, and it will be nice to relax a little! 2 - Freedom.  I am so grateful for the privilege of living in this country.  And humbled by the great sacrifice of those who gave all to defend my freedoms.  We spent part of our day yesterday attending a Memorial Day tribute put on by our city.  There were touching words spoken, beautiful songs performed, the reading of the names of those from our state who have given the ultimate sacrifice since last Memorial day, along wi...

It is a crazy week for this mama, but I wanted to take just a few minutes to whip out a quick FMM post. And I apologize for my visiting slackerness!!  I'm working on getting back into the groove! Here are the questions from Kenlie for today: 1- Three of your favorite movies: Clear and Present Danger A Knight's Tale Son's of Provo 2 - Three of your favorite things to drink: Water Dr. Pepper Cherry lime-aid from Sonic 3 - Three of your favorite songs: So hard to narrow down!  I'll go with: All In - Lifehouse The Spirit of God - Hymn O' Holy Night - Christmas 4 - Three people who have recently been a positive influence in your life: Elder Samuel W. Clark (LDS General Authority who spoke in our Stake Conference this weekend) His wife My primary children I serve in church. 5 - Three things you do to keep yourself entertained: TV texting crafting 6 - Three things you are attracted to in the opposite sex: Hotness Intelligence Hum...

I haven't really gone into detail too much about my family outside of my husband and kids.  But today I'm going to share a little bit about my dad. I have mentioned a couple of times that he is in bad health, but I've never really shared on my blog the extent of his health issues. My dad has been unable to return to the workforce since I was 9.  He was placed on a medical retirement after his second back surgery, which damaged the nerve endings in his back and promoted the growth of scar tissue all around his back nerves, left him unable to do activity for more than a few hours at a time without having to lay down for a couple of hours to recouperate. As time went on his pain got worse.  He now suffers from chronic pain pretty much around the clock.  He ended up going from being able to be up for a good part of the day, and lay down for a couple of hours occasionally, to being in bed for a good part of the day, and only being up for a couple of hours occasional...

Our family had the great honor this weekend to attend an evening of celebration.  It was an event to honor an amazing musician.  Jack Ashton. My son is amazingly fortunate to be taking private violin lessons from Jack.  He had to audition to get a spot as one of his students.  When his previous teacher first referred us to Jack, I googled him.  I found that he was quite the accomplished musician, principal violinist in the Utah Symphony, and was highly admired within the Utah classical music scene. We have been with Jack for about 2 years, and have come to know that he is much more than an amazing violinist.  But it wasn't until last night that we all realized just what a privilege it is for Bookworm to be studying under him.  He is truly a legend among elite musicians. The night was put on by several former students who have gone on to become masters (maestros even) in their fields.  As we were sitting watching a skit/musical number being p...

Disclaimer:  My family speaks very candidly about death, and other topics that some may find morbid.  Sorry. So my mom recently informed us that she has decided to be cremated when she dies. Really? The rest of us aren't really sure how we feel about this decision.  I mean, I know it's not like she'll be doing anything with her body anytime soon after she's six feet under.  But I always thought it would still exist , you know?  And she'd have a nice little grave marker that said something lovely about her, that we could bring flowers to on special days, or just because.  I mean I don't think about it OFTEN, but I guess I just didn't think of her as being a pile of ashes in a vase after she was gone.  You know? But she insists that it is just too expensive to buy a burial plot in a cemetery, purchase a casket, pay for a grave marker.  And she is being stubborn. So I'm thinking about looking into some senior burial insurance , or maybe ...

I thought I'd join up today with Emmy Mom and Kmama , to do a little braggin' on my son. If you remember here , I told you about our school's Pedals for Hope cancer research fundraiser.  As part of the event, my son committed to ride his bike 40 miles and collected pledges from friends and family.  I was a little unsure if he'd be able to complete the full 40, since he doesn't really get a chance to ride much, and he had only been on a bike ONCE since winter got over. But I'm proud to say my boy did it!  He completed the full 40 miles. Not only that, but we picked him up from the trail and immediately dropped him off at his Scoutmaster's to head to scout camp.  He returned from Scout camp and changed his clothes and immediately went to his soccer game (they won!).  Let me tell you that that boy was sore for a good couple of days after!! Thank you to those of you who helped him pass his fundraising goal.  He ended up having the highest amount of ...

I just wanted to let you know about a fun little hop that's going on over at MiMi's , and Mindi's . It's a Pinterest party where you can show off and discover fabulous Etsy shops!  Go check it out!

Remember how I told you all I've been taking French lessons?  I am having so much fun with them.  I know I'm not learning as quickly as if I were younger, and taking lessons every day, but I so appreciate my weekly visit from a dear friend who takes the time to teach a slow learner a beautiful language! I took French class in middle school, and my teacher told me I had a gift for the language.  Back then my bestie and I used to say that we would live in twin chateaus in France.  We knew the names of the boys we would be married to, what they looked like, how many kids we would have, and their genders and names!  Man we had it all figured out! Back then, I imagined that because of my gift for the French language,  I would one day be working for a translation agency contracted by the government.  Or maybe I would get to be an undercover intelligence agent that used my bi-lingual skills to infiltrate international criminal organizations and help b...

It feels like it's been forEVAH since I've done a fun printed craft.  I recently participated in a weekend boutique, and besides my usual hair accessories/baby items, I wanted to have some cute framed art to sell. Rather than just stick a cute print into a frame, I decided to turn to my ever trusted Mod Podge and give it a little more character.  Instead of prints behind  the glass, I mod-podged the print to the front  of the glass, then put a couple coats of Mod Podge over the top of that.  It gave a glossy, fun texture to the finish of the picture.  I included a couple of shots with the flash on, just so you could see the reflection, and get an idea of what the finish looks like.  I SUPER love how they turned out: And for my Mormon peeps: I have soooo many ideas for variations on this project.  I created the above prints in several different colors, and I have a few more that I created, but haven't yet made into the fina...

Meeting blog friends has got to be one of the best experiences out there.  Seriously.   My meet up with MiMi still remains one of my best memories. And now I have a new best memory to add to my list. 2 weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet and spend time with beautiful Vivienne !  Viv is one of the first blog friends I made back when I started blogging in 2009.  She quickly became an online friend and I always felt that she was someone I would love to spend time with in real life. Guess what?  I was right!  Vivienne is not only beautiful, but warm and funny and sweet.  She is smart and sassy, but completely down to earth and real.  I always got that vibe from her, and it was so nice to see that she is exactly what she seemed. Stole this picture from Vivienne, because I have a dumb phone that takes dumb pictures! I first got to spend time with her at the airport while she was waiting for another friend to get in.  They were both c...

I confess.... The 2 weeks prior to this one were 2 of the most insanely busy and high-pressure weeks I have had in as long as I can remember. I confess... Making it through was such a huge relief that this week I have been a total slacker.  Seriously no motivation to do anything (including blog - so sorry). I confess... I can't imagine making it successfully through, and with my sanity intact if it weren't for the new Mind Organization for Mom's program that I have been implementing.  Not even kidding.  Check out my review and your chance to win a copy for yourself here . I confess... I participated in a boutique last weekend and it was lame.  I barely made back my booth fee and the gas it took to travel back and forth for set up and tear-down. I confess... The fact that I now have a bunch of product made to list on my Etsy site doesn't give me much comfort, due to the fact that I now have to actually photograph and list all that product. I confes...

Hello darlings!  Have you missed me?  I have missed you SO!!!  But I had some life that had to take priority for a little bit. I'm back though - and I've got a bunch to tell you.  But first things first.  Remember I promised you my honest opinion of a new program called Mind Organization for Moms (M.O.M.) ?  And that if I liked it, I would be giving away a copy to one of my lucky readers? Well guess what?  I LOVE it!  Really I love it. If you know me more than a little, you know that my trial in life (or at least one of them) is lack of organization. It is something I have always struggled with.  And I hate it.  As an adult it has become even more of a struggle, as I try to balance motherhood, my board member responsibilities, church responsibilities, and owning and operating a small business with my husband.  I have missed weddings, and forgotten about appointments until the very last minute, and then scrambled to keep them...

Today for WWTK , Crazymama wants to know about food: 1 - What is your favorite go-to breakfast recipe for special occasions or company? This breakfast casserole is hands down the best I have ever had, and we have it frequently for family breakfasts or brunches during the holidays: Breakfast Casserole Ingredients: 10 eggs                                                 1 pint small curd cottage ½ cup flour                                              cheese 1 teaspoon baking powder      ...

Remember last week when I told you that Cowgirl was getting her hair chopped for Locks of Love, and Bookworm was riding his bike 40 miles to raise money for cancer research, and Pixie was anxious to see if her grade would once again win the Penny wars?   Are you ready for an update? Bookworm's ride is Friday, and he is excited, but also nervous - wondering if he will be able to ride the full distance.  I have faith in him!  But he also hasn't ridden much at all since winter got over, so we're not sure what level his endurance is at right now!  Fingers crossed! Once again Pixie's grade won the penny wars!  This makes 4 years running - I think the rest of the school is beginning to feel a little bit humiliated by this group that started out as Kindergarteners, and has continued to beat them every year!! The penny wars raised $1,009.38!!  A total of 50,000 coins were collected! I know you're all dying to see Cowgirl's hair.  Here's a remi...

I thought it was high time for another embarrassing story.  Only this time it was my son who was embarrassed.  And I thought I'd extend the experience for him by putting it online for all the world to see. A little background:  The director of our charter school (we'll call him Rick) is also our neighbor and friend, and he is my son's scout-master. The assistant director/part time math teacher (we'll call him Dan) is also a family friend, whom I went to school with and then reconnected with a few years ago, and had him come apply at the school.  He is also my son's geometry teacher. Last week I was in the school doing prospective teacher interviews for our new campus with the new director for that campus.  Since the new school isn't yet built, we were using Rick's office.  The interviews went long, so my kids were left sitting in the lobby for about an hour and a half after school got over!  I finally had to leave the last interview before it was d...

For anybody who has been around my blog for the long term, you know that each year our school does a big fundraising, multi-activity event called Pedals for Hope , to raise money for cancer research.  It kicks off with an assembly where they start their penny wars - a fun competition where each grade tries to raise the most money in pennies.  Grades can sabotage other grades by putting monies of larger denomination in each other's collection jars.  So however many pennies they collect count FOR their total, but then whatever they have had put in their jar that is larger (quarters, dollar bills, 20's) counts AGAINST their total.  Between the students collecting pennies, and then adding larger amounts to each others collections - we always have quite a fun and successful "war".  Pixie's grade has won every year. She loves to remind her brother and sister of that fact. The next thing is the Locks of Love assembly.  Anyone who has a minimum of 10 inches of h...