So . . . um . . . yeah

I was once told there are two kinds of women in the world--one that sees their hair as an accessory; a mode of expression that can be done and undone and redone at any time. These women often change their color, length and style on a regular basis. They see every change as temporary. Often, they act somewhat impulsively and follow current trends.

The other kind of woman sees her hair as an extension of herself, something connected and ingrained as a part of her. The kind of woman often keeps one basic style for long periods of time. She might make changes, but they typically enhance her current style rather than create a new one. She will usually contemplate changes for a long time before proceeding and has a high dissatisfaction rating because, even when she makes a change, she often pines for the security of past styles and wonders things like "What the hell was I thinking?" When people tell her they like it, she assumes they are lying--if they tell her they don't like it, she cries. And even if there are things she DOES like about it, her insecurity about the drastic decision she's made is very hard for her to overcome, which then makes her feel like a vain prima-donna. She looks forward to next week when she's gotten used to it and swears she will never cut her hair again.

Take a guess which one I am?

Looking for Music for the Ward DVD

In the name of masochistic insanity, about five years ago I volunteered to put together a video montage (still pictures set to music) for my ward. I was activity leader back then and had heard the idea from a friend who at that time had 15 years of videos for her ward. I thought it was a great idea and my bishop agreed with me. The only problem was that I had no clue how to do it, no software, and no real direction. The first year was a big learning experience and the final result ended up being due a friend of a friend who bailed us out at the last minute. The next summer I took a class so that I could do it myself. Each year since has shown a little more improvement over the last one to the point where I now feel proud of what I've learned to do. I enjoy doing it and I have 5 years of our ward history that shows my own kids and many friends. However, I have a problem every single year that is only getting worse.

Music.

I know many people love music, always have it playing, and often use it to set a mood or fill the background or whatever. I'm not one of those people. My favorite groups are Queen and the Scorpions. My husband's and my song is "Turbo Lover" by Judas Preist--not quite the type to use on a church DVD. At home, the TV fills the background for me and I choose talk radio over music stations most of the time (especially if Dr. Laura or Dave Ramsey are on). So, each year I try to keep my ears open for good music. Things I've used in the past are:

Somewhere over the Rainbow (Iz)
100 years to live (Five for Fighting--I absolutely LOVED this one, it was a great fit)
I'm from the Country (Tracy Byrd)
Better Together (Jack Johnson)
Small Town (John Melloncamp)
Simple things (Jim Brickman)
My heart to yours (John Denver)
Warriors of Light (Afterglow--can't find the lyrics)
Where I come from (Alan Jackson)
Proud of The House we built (Brooks and Dunn (I think))
Shine (newsboys)
Be Thou Near to Me (Jim Brickman)

There are others but I can't think of them. I try to get ones that fit the part of the montage--so upbeat country music for the July 4th and ward parties, cute family things for the family photos, upbeat stuff for the kids, etc. But every single year it's a job to try and find things that work. Because I'm not a music person, I don't even know where to look and most of what I come up with is chance or friend recommendations. This year has been a particular challenge because anything I already owned and knew has been used--in other words, I have depleted my personal music supply which makes me that much more dependent on other people. So, I'm asking you guys to help me out. I will buy the CD's I need, so I'm not asking anyone to burn me something, but I'm just drawing a blank on several portions of the DVD. The ideas I've come up with so far:

*Jesus (Jim Brickman piano only) for "In memory of" section
*Dream Big (Ryan Shupe) for youth or primary
Two of the following for family:
*It's good to be Us--Bucky Covington (I haven't actually heard this one although I've read the lyrics)
*You're gunna miss this--Trace Atkins (not sure I like this one, seems a bit preachy/sappy)
*Roll with me--Montgomery Gentry (this one talks about an early death and I'm not sure that's what I want to do)
*If I only had Today--Hilary Weeks (I love this song, but I worry it's a little bit sad, but I'm not sure--it's probably the one I want the most. It's brand new and I couldn't find the lyrics although I already bought the CD)
**One thing about the family music is I try not to use anything too romantic, since it's families more than it is couples. I'm okay with a little bit, but want it more general 'togetherness' than romantic love.

I need something upbeat for the youth and considered doing Crazy but it might be a little too psychadelic. I also need something churchy, but not preachy, for sunday school/primary classes. And I still need a good ward activity one similar to Small Town and I'm from the Country. They have to clean, no talk about what happens in the dark, no words like 'lover' or any swear words either. They need to have a good message but not pointedly religious. Probably the biggest goal of this project is that it's fun--I don't want it to be boring and 'churchy' I want it to be something the youth and kids can enjoy, without crossing the line.

So, anyhow, I very much appreciate any help you guys can give me. Whether it's agreeing that some of my suggestiosn are good ones, or giving me more ideas--I'm all over. I'll start putting this together in a couple weeks and can use all the help I can get.

#2 Wants a New Room

(I don't have the dress winner yet, today's the last day to enter. Come back tomorrow)

*Background: About seven years ago our neighbor was moving. His wife had a tanning bed and since my husband and I were in our mid-twenties and not giving into grown up lives just yet, we bought it, had a 220 put into the guest room downstairs and have used it off and on since then. As the years have passed I've had some moles removed--whether or not it's because of the tanning bed I can't say, but I have fair skin and I've realized it's not a good thing for me. My husband uses it less than me but he's been unwilling to get rid of it. The guest room is a nice room--about 16x16 with a big closet. #2 child moved into her own room a couple years ago, and it's quite small 13x8 with a very small closet. This girl would live at the mall if I'd let her (I won't) and she's turning 12 next week. She's been BEGGING to have the guest room for almost a year. Last night when she asked me, I finally threw my husband under the bus and told her it was 100% up to her Dad and he was the one wanting to keep the tanning bed and that I, in my glorious goodness, would love nothing more than to have her take the guest room--but her villainous father was unrelenting. I suggested she give it a try to convince him. Here's what she sent him in an e-mail (he's out of town for a few days). Oh, and I'm funny about putting my kid's names online so it makes it a bit choppy:


Hey dad!
Well, when i had just turned eight, I had the privilege to move out of the room that #1 ( your first child) shared for several years. Yes it was a big room, but sometimes, when I needed to have my own space, #1 was there and so I could only dream of the day I could finally have my OWN room. Of course I was amazed that I could AT LAST have my VERY OWN room!!!! Yes, I enjoyed every moment of it ( kinda), but about a year or so ago, I realized something. Something that brings me to why I am writing you this.

I need a new room.

Don't get me wrong, I love my room. It's just that room is quite small. And as the years (and months) go by, I have received more stuff. Which doesn't go well with my room. OK it is my fault kinda that I have so much stuff. But the stuff is very important to me. Stuff I want to keep for a long time. And believe me, it's a LOT of stuff. So. . . I was thinking about where I could maybe move my room to. . . And faster than you could say 'supercalifraga--' I GOT IT!!!!! The tanning bed room!!!!! But. . . . . .

Your stupid tanning bed had already taken over that room. My room.

I have thought of possible ways I could somehow, just somehow, get that room. I talked to you and mom about it, but you said ' what will we do with the tanning bed?' I told you to get rid of it, sell it, donate it, move it, BURN IT! Well not the last one, but I was thinking it. Oh and your wife (josi) agrees that we should get rid of it. Haha. Sucks to be you. Just joking.

That room is the PERFECT size for me! It is way spaced and it has a BIG closet!!! Oh I need that too. I think it would be sooooo kewl painting and designing the room. Because it's all up to me. Me. Plus, mom said that she could totally sell the tanning bed on KSL.com! Haha. Yeah so. . . You want that tanning bed. Yes, you do. Well, if you just read on, and yes you have to, you might find out things you didn't know about EVIL tanning beds. Read on, you'll like it. . . .




TANNING BEDS

Just like tanning outside, tanning indoors damages your skin. That's because indoor tanning devices emit ultraviolet rays. Tanning occurs when the skin produces additional pigment (coloring) to protect itself against burn from ultraviolet rays. Overexposure to these rays can cause eye injury, premature wrinkling of the skin, and light-induced skin rashes, and can increase your chances of developing skin cancer. So, are tanning beds bad for you?
Found on: http://www.catalogs.com/info/b2b/are-tanning-beds-bad-for-you.html


most common reason behind the goof up is unawareness. Inadequate knowledge of how much time you should actually spend in the tanning bed leaves many people burnt or charred. In order to gain the best results, most of the people over tan themselves through over exposure to UV or ultraviolet rays emitted by the tanning bed lights. It results in skin cancer or permanent
damage to the skin. The local tanning salons use cheap tanning beds with cheap quality acrylic sheets, which fail to protect the customer from damages.

(this goes on for quite some time--about 2000 words that I'm sparing you)



So what do you think?! I am very proud of myself for doing this. Plus, I missed American Idol to research this, now you KNOW I am serious about this. I really really really really really want a new room! ( and IKEA has really nice designers furniture but for low low low low prices!) So PLEASE email me back! Please!

What I did for P-day

I'm a big believer in food storage. Growing up we had 9 kids and one income (my dad was a teacher, so 9 months of income) My mother was nothing short of brilliant when it came to factoring and figuring food for all of us. She spent weeks preserving fruits and vegetables in the summer and fall, she shopped case lot sales, and she baked bread 3 times a week. We had a huuuuuuge storage room called the fruit room, an under the stairs crawl space for veggies, and an extra freezer downstairs. Because dad got paid at the first of every month, we relied on that storage space a lot. We were not well to do, but neither were we poor and we never went underfed because of my parents diligence for food storage. At every phase of my married life I have tried to build up an 'excess' of things we use, but only in the last few years have I had the space and the focus to build up a true one year supply. We have some drypack stuff for emergencies, but I try to keep my focus on things we use and make sure I have lots on hand. The Grocery Game has improved my skills a great deal and I ran out of room, resorting to dropping cans into miscellaneous boxes in my storage room.

A few months ago I went to my mom's house. She and my dad are down to 1 teenager at home and the last few years have been all about downsizing. They don't need the 25 foot fruit room anymore. Instead she had a shelving unit that made me drool--really. I've wanted one ever since and finally, due to all the e-bay stuff I've been selling, I decided I was ready for one and we had the money. If you too are interested, here's how to do it in 36 easy steps:


Day One:

Step One: Spend 10-45 minutes pontificating about the importance of a shelving system that would help you inventory what you have, what you need, and put them in a place the kids can get them for me when you call out for "Cream of Mushroom soup!"

Step Two: Find a "Shelf Reliance" shelving unit. For some people, that means going to the website and ordering it, for me it meant going to walmart where they were on sale for $299.

Step Three: Purchase unit.

Step Four: Cause serious muscle damage trying to unload it from the car by yourself

Step Five: Bat your eyelashes and ask a big-strong-man to help take it downstairs.

Step Six: Open the box, lay out the parts, ignore the instructions because they will only slow you down.

Step Seven: Start putting the unit together on the carpet--the pegs won't fit into the rivets without a hammer but the hammer causes the paint to crack and the metal to vibrate which causes the crossbeams to bounce out of their rivets and smack against your forearms, head, and legs.

Step Eight: Surrender to the instructions which say 1) don't use a hammer because it will chip the paint and cause vibrations that will make assembly difficult. 2) Don't put unit together on carpet.

Step Nine: Go to bed grumbling about the conspiracy of do it yourself projects for which you have no chromosomal right to undertake. Give husband the silent treatment for having a meeting and not being home to help you.

Day Two

Step Ten: Continue to give husband cold shoulder because he has to work today even thought it's a holiday.

Step Eleven: Push boxes out of the way so you can put it together on the cement floor of the storage area itself which is way too small for a job of this size.

Step Twelve: Review the part about not using a hammer after a cross beam smacks into your thumb, rendering it numb.

Step Thirteen: Go to Home Depot and buy rubber mallet, not the nice one that doesn't bounce and chip, but the cheap $5 one that bounces and has pieces that break off--avoid anything that will make this job easier!

Step Fourteen: Ignore instructions again because having a rubber mallet in your possession makes you all powerful. Get to work on the cross beams and note that though the rubber mallet works better, it's not perfect and the crossbeams take a lot of pounding to make them fit in the rivets.

Step Fifteen: Swear a little.

Step Sixteen: Realize you put the crossbeams in the wrong rivets. Take them all out and reluctantly submit to the instructions again which say "Count rivets from the bottom not the top"

Step Seventeen: Attach crossbeams to the correct rivets, beware of impaling pieces of rubber mallet as they fly toward your face. Safety goggles are a wise choice--or if you happen to have sunglasses on your head despite being in the basement, use those.

Step Eighteen: Note that wearing sunglasses in the basement might lead you to miscounting the rivets you can no longer see.

Step Nineteen: Swear some more as you try and pound out the bend you inadvertently put into one of the crossbeams when you tripped over a box in the too-small room and hit your elbow in the other shelves before falling int. . . okay, in truth you have no idea how you managed to bend metal when you have to ask for your husbands help to open a jar of spaghetti sauce. But you did bend it so you now have to fix it.

Step Twenty: If you drink, now would be a good time to mix up a screwdriver. If you don't drink, take a few seconds to cry it out.

Step Twenty-one: With the cross beams finally in place begin putting in the plastic mounting bracket things--begin by trying to make the wrong size fit into the top row. Cry some more.

Step Twenty-two: Worship the instructions and sit down, take twenty minutes and review how this works.

Step Twenty-three: As per the instructions, begin putting in the can racks on the bottom row.

Step Twenty-four: Test one by using a glass jar of pickles.

Step Twenty-five: Grumble about the instructions not saying anything about not using glass items as you clean up the broken jar of pickles.

Step Twenty-six: Test with a can of oats.

Step Twenty-seven: Allow yourself to feel like the smartest freaking person in the entire world for making it work! Enjoy this moment because it won't last long.

Step Twenty-eight: Realize that all cans are not the same size after putting your racks all the same size.

Step Twenty-nine: Redo all the racks. Where is your husband!

Step Thirty: Realize it would make sense to have all the soups together, redo all the racks again.

Step Thirty-one: Realize you didn't put the shelf in the right place in the storage unit and keeping it where it is will not allow you to ever decorate for Christmas again. Cause serious muscle damage putting it where it belongs because you refuse to take all those cans off.

Step Thirty-two: Clean up storage area--it's amazing how much crap you throw into this room, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Step Thirty-three: Bring children and husband in the room to glory over your brilliance. It's so pretty!

Step thirty-four: When husband asks you how long it took, lie. God won't hold it against you, besides He's a bit embarrassed it took you 12 hours too. Three hours is an acceptable time.

Step Thirty-five: Leave door to storage unit open so you can smile every time you see what you made (at this point you're already starting to believe it only took you 3 hours so you're feeling lots better)

Step Thirty-six: Take a picture so you can blog about it.

Neighbor Gifts via. Utah Mormons

For those reading this that are not Mormon or are Mormon and outside of Utah, here's a little information that will make this rest of this blog make more sense. A Mormon congregation is divided along geographical boundaries according to members living in that area and is then called a ward. The clergy and auxiliary leaders for each ward live in those boundaries. Since Utah was settled by Mormons and that we reproduce at higher rates than most of the country (no, we don't do the polygamy thing but the average Mormon family has 4 kids and twenty years ago the average Morman family had 7)--we have a lot of Mormons here. A ward can be as small an area of two blocks depending on how many Mormons live in that area, which means that you go to church with your neighbors, you serve on PTA, carpool with, coach and cheer for your neighbors kids who, many of them, also go to your same church. Mormons worship weekly, and the youth have weekly activities so we're together A LOT just for church things. For Mormons outside of Utah, they might be the only Mormon in five miles, so it's different, but here we get tangled up in one another's lives. It's great, except when it's not, and it's not so great when you have to figure out who to give neighbor gifts to and who not to give neighbor gifts too--hence, the following insanity:

Most non-Utahns or non-Mormons probably give some cookies to your immediate neighbors based on the 2 house rule--two house to the left, right, and across the street. Yeah, that's how it starts for us too, but then . . .

Your visiting teacher who lives one door away to one of those ‘immediate’ neighbors brings you something and you realize you should bring her something too, she is your visiting teacher and directly related to your salvation after all. So you take her some and Sister Wilson, who is in her seventies and lives in between the VT and the immediate neighbor, sees you doing it when she comes out to get her newspaper. You go home all kinds of worried about hurting sister Wilson’s feelings since you realize that you just gave cookies to the neighbor on each side of her, and she SAW you. So you whip up another batch and take some to Sister Wilson, only then realizing that her real sister, Sister Larsen, who is a dour old bat and lives a street over, probably didn’t get many cookies this year since she made that comment about women who wear make-up were practically prostitutes. Yet, Sister Wilson will surely brag (they are your ginger cream cookies after all and when you made them for the ward social last year everyone raved about them so you know she'll brag too) so you make another batch and take some to sister Larsen, who gives you a dirty look before she takes the plate and slams the door while mumbling something about Maybelline and a curse of immorality.

Amid your grumbling about her rudeness, you realize it’s just wrong that you give and ungrateful witch like Sister Larsen cookies, and don’t give any to Sister Nebeker, who’s husband died last month. And right before Christmas too! So you take her some cookies, then feel even more guilty about not giving some to the Petersons who were a big part of George getting his Eagle this year. And if you’re going to give to the Petersons, well the Pinkstons teach Fred's Cub scouts, and by not giving them a plate of cookies are you basically saying that cub scouts is a wannabe organization? Isn’t a wolf as important as an Eagle in the developing of a boys self esteem? So the Pinkstons get some, and then you have to give something to the activity days leader so that you’re not saying your boys are more important than your girls—even if they do only meet twice a month and don’t give badges. The Young Womens president is next, and don’t the councilors work hard too? By now you’re out of butter and ginger, so you’re tying up microwave popcorn with ribbon and taking it over.

Then you realize that the kid’s primary teachers deserve some thoughtfulness (though you’re down using Kool-aid packets and a cute poem—mountain berry burst is really hard to rhyme to). And what about the Primary president? And your husband is in Elder’s quorum. By now you’re putting bologna sandwiches together, but you’re almost out of bread. The Bishop is way more important than the EQ president even if all callings are equal in the sight of the Lord, so you give him one too . . . And his councilors. And then that one sister—you know who she is—makes a comment about those nice ginger creams she saw at Sister Wilson’s house and you feel bad since she did bring you dinner when you had the baby two years ago, so you rob your local veterinarian clinic to buy more butter and ginger, then you feel bad about the burglary, even though it was for a really good reason, and so you take them some cookies too while they clean up the glass and tranquilize the kenneled dogs that haven't been the same since the break in.

On your way home from that you realize that the only people on the block that didn’t get something from you are the non-members. What kind of statement does that make? So you start pulling ornaments off the tree—they look new enough. Then you worry that those non-members will say something to the other non-members in the ward boundaries, so you throw the candy set aside for sockings into ziploc sandwich bags. After dropping them off you wonder if you remembered the women you visit teach? Did you get your husbands home teaching families? What about Sunday School teachers, high-councilor and recently returned RM who’s having a hard time adjusting and still wears his name tag? You give away the chocolate Santas, baking chocolate and the last bag of cat food, but it’s the thought that counts after all.

As you finish up the last few things Christmas eve, you realize you forgot to get anything to replace the stocking stuff you used, so you run down to the 7-11 and find a nice assortment of auto decals, Dr. Pepper and allergy medication. You also determine that next year you’re not going to do this, you’re going back to the two house rule since you've used up all your food storage and haven't yet wrapped a single present. And then you get home to find a sweet card from Sister Nebeker thanking you for the delicious ginger creams and you realize that this is what Christmas is all about, stressing yourself to the max and putting all your energy into something so stupid.

Timeshare Pitch--OY!

So last weekend I was at the chocolate show in Salt Lake. So was a timeshare company. I avoid these people like I avoid annoying relatives and each time I passed their booth I became fascinated by something on the ceiling. I am not one to be fooled . . . again. See, my husband and I have been to pitches before--you know, they give you a free dinner, or overnight stay in order to duct tape you to a chair and convince you that you're only chance at happiness is timeshare ownership.

We've done these before and when we said no, I felt like absolute garbage. I swear the guy had tears in his eyes. I felt horrible while eating my dinner, sure that I was responsible for this man's family having to eat from garbage cans behind the hotel (I was 22 and not nearly as cynical as I am now). Another time we said yes, and you'd think we cured cancer for the joy the whole office experienced. We were excited, until we tried to use our first bonus week. It was a nightmare, as was the next attempt, and the next, and the next. After a year I wrote a four page letter to the company demanding a refund for their having misrepresented the product. They responded with a form "sorry, but it's not our problem." I do not get ripped off quite so easily and so I wrote another letter, not only to the guy that responded, but to their main offices as well. I included the addresses for my local chapter of the Better Business Bureau and Consumer Protection so they would know I was serious. I got a full refund within two weeks and within the year helped my sister and my cousin with their own letters since it was a nightmare for them too.

Thus, based on my past experience--you can imagine my surprise when I found my husband in the grips of this timeshare saleswoman.

"We can get a two night stay and dinner just for listening to the presentation," he said as if he hadn't been sitting next to me through our other pitch experiences.

I wanted to say "You've got to be kidding me!" instead I said, "Are you sure?"

"We can go for my birthday next week.

Well, how do I argue with that?

So last night we checked into our hotel in Park City. It's very nice here. After we checked in and peeked in on the football game in triple overtime, we went to our presentation. It was supposed to last 90 minutes. I was hoping for one of the skanky girl salespeople, or one of the gangster looking male salespeople. I can say no to people like that. I got the fresh faced nice guy. I knew right then we were in trouble. However, the following things kept me secure in our practices answer of NO:

We have no money.
We already own a timeshare at Snowbird that we love.
We hate complicated reward programs.
We don't want to be tied into one type of vacation.
It was very very expensive.
We are not spontaneous decision makers (unless my husband is looking for a get away for his birthday)
We know sales, we know all the tricks.
We are educated, smart people
We'd already decided to say no.
We had no reason to say yes.

We beleived all these things. We said all these things. We said no several times, but that only got us a sweeter deal. We were there for almost 4 hours. Mr. Nice Guy was very very nice.

So, did we buy? Of course we did--but at least I can say it was my husband's fault. There is security in that.

That KISS!!

This isn't a tag or a meme or anything like that, but I just finished watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy (again) and read Julie Wright's blog (which if you haven't read, you really really should) and I was thus inspired on a blog topic--kissing, or more specifically, kisses. Those great movie kisses that make your toes curl. I've thought of four that are my absolute favorites, and would love to hear from the rest of you which ones I missed.

4) Beauty and the Beast--Disney Cartoon. This is probably my favorite Disney cartoon, and a big reason for that is because of that ending kiss. You can picture the scene, right? The beast has just been levitated and rays of light has shot out of his fingers and toes (which I thought was a little odd looking) and he twists and the cape wraps him up in a cocoon and then he holds out his hands and realizes he human again. The first thing he does is turn to Belle, and she narrows her eyes suspiciously, then reaches toward him and says "It is you" and then they share a fabulous (even in cartoon) kiss. Breathtaking.

3) Princess Bride--The narrator even preps us by telling us there have been five kisses in the history of the world (or something like that) to outdo all kisses and this one tops them all. Buttercup and Wesley are on horseback after just having escaped Humperdinks castle and they move in slow as the sun comes up behind them, sealing the love they have both suffered without for so long. Very well done.

2) Spiderman 1--yep, it's the one where he's hanging upside down and MJ peels back his mask and they have a big ol sloppy passionate kiss in the rain. I saw Toby on a talk show and he said that was the most uncomfortable scene because he couldn't breathe with the mask pulled up and nearly choked on the water. But, hey, it looked AWESOME. I tried really hard to talk my husband into recreating it for me--no dice. Good thing I own the DVD.

1) Having just finished Return of the King, there is simply no better kiss than the one between elf-girl (Aerowen--can't say it or spell it but you know who I mean) and new king-man (Arogan or Strider or somthing like that. I'm really horrible with the names in that movie) and he's just been crowned and she emerges from behind a banner. he takes a step toward her, incredulous that after all that's happened, she's here. And just as you think they are going to draw it out and end in a sweet kiss of tenderness, he dives in and captures her mouth in a passionate, all-telling reminder of just how strong their love for one another is. Wow--it just doesn't get better than that.

Don't ya think? So which kisses am I missing?

***disclaimer: I may have gotten scene details wrong, but this is how I remember it. If I'm wrong then it only means this is how they SHOULD have been :-)

108 Things About Me~kidding!

So I mentioned pizza in my last blog and would like to reiterate that I'm nothing if not obsessive. Being obsessive can be good thing when it comes to cleaning bathrooms (I don't have that symptom of the disease, however) or being on time (I try to do this one but I'm not great at it), but it can get out of hand.

Since last Friday I have made ten homemade pizzas. We've had one or two pizzas every day. I've tweaked several recipes for sauce and dough, and I'm not done yet, but I'm taking a break. I called my husband this afternoon and begged him to get a Cafe Rio salad for me on his way home. I realized that other than a Winger's salad on Saturday and some broccoli I had with my pizza-for-lunch on Tuesday, I haven't had any green vegetables for a week. And yes, that means my kids haven't either. I'd feel worse about that if they actually ATE green vegetables when I served them. I'm a really crappy mother sometimes and I know it's not healthy to have such a monochromatic diet. In addition to the pizza I perfected garlic bread sticks and sticky buns using the same dough recipe. Yes, I'm drowning in gluten. And actually I'm feeling so tired and almost sick. Whether that's due to all the white flour I've ingested or it's just a fall time cold and the fact that I'm waking up at 5:00 in the morning and am so busy with my dough recipes being just right that I'm not exercising, I can't be sure, but I'm not ruling it out.

I'm also not writing. I've worked on a few things and tried to catch up some digital scrapbooking that I really suck at, but this whole pizza thing might be my way of avoiding cutting some scenes I really really like. So sad.

I will share my recipes when they are perfect, and thank you A. Riley for your recipe, I changed the sugar to honey in the recipe I was working on and it's MUCH better for it. Honey always tastes better than white sugar in breads but I needed to be reminded of that. And Ronda, I'd love your recipe too.

Anyway, I think maybe next week I'll obsess on the perfect steamed veggie concoction--wish me luck!

107 things about me

Okay, so I've seen the "100 things about me" all over the place and thought it was a meme no one wanted to tag me for. Then Annette Lyon did her 100 things and I realized that it was something you did to memorialize your 100th blog. Unfortunately, I learned this as I was posting my 105th, and so here I am, 107 posts into my blogging career and, as is much of life, I'm trying to catch up. After writing this I was amazed it was possible to write 107 things about, basically, nothing at all. Go figure. And I'm probably doing this all wrong, but that's just like me as well. So, here goes:

1) I wear a size 7 ½ shoe
2) My arches are falling
3) Some shoes make my toes go numb
4) Especially cheap shoes
5) There are some really really really expensive shoes out there
6) And I own a few pair
7) And they do make a difference
8) I prefer Dansko clogs to about anything else
9) Even though they look funny with my skinny ankles
10) Other than my Danskos, I can’t wear most shoes for more than a couple hours
11) Ironically, one of my favorite shoes is a pair of “hooker” boots I got for $5 at Kmart 7 years ago--they are stretchy black heeled boots.
12) They’re even better than my Danskos and fit my feet perfectly
13) But the fake leather is starting to flake
14) So I color it with magic marker
15) Yep, just Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman”
16) I’m not really a hooker
17) Although sometimes my husband will leave his tithing (church donation) on the bed so I’ll remember to pay it for him
18) And then it kind of seems like I’m getting paid
19) But I’m not
20) Otherwise I’d be a freaking MILLIONAIRE
21) It’s a good thing he’s not reading this or he’d fall out of his chair laughing
22) He loves to laugh at me
23) And I indulge him by giving him ample opportunity to do so
24) And if I don’t give him a reason, he laughs at something I once did
25) And they say women have great memories
26) I don’t have such a great memory
27) But I’m pretty good with names, unless I learn the wrong one, I can't seem to change my mind and reconnect a face with a new name
28) My husband is great with phone numbers
29) He’ll sometimes remember someone's phone number and not have a clue who they are
30) It’s really weird
31) He’s a math-wiz.
32) I’m a cheese-wiz
33) I love cheese
34) And beans
35) But I don’t like chili
36) I think it’s the actual chili powder I don’t like
37) I make a kickin' white chili though
38) It doesn’t have chili powder, just cumin
39) I like cumin
40) It’s a far more versatile spice than most people realize
41) I’m 33 years old
42) My birthday lands on memorial day sometimes
43) I don’t like having a birthday on a holiday
44) Everyone already has plans
45) My sister, however, really got reamed
46) Her birthday is on Christmas
47) If you HAVE to share your birthday with someone, He’s the not the guy to share with
48) More than once my family forgot all about her birthday
49) Then my other sister had a baby on Christmas a few years ago
50) And my cousin had a baby the Christmas after that
51) It’s a curse
52) I’d choose memorial day over Christmas
53) My sister that has a birthday on Christmas, her name, because of the holiday and all, is Crystal
54) Her middle name is, like mine, Snow
55) And she married a man with the last name White
56) Crystal Snow White
57) I tease her about it all the time
58) She’s my younger sister so I can get away with that
59) But at least she didn’t marry that guy she dated with the last name Ball
60) Then her name would be Crystal Snow Ball
61) I have 4 sisters
62) Two older and two younger
63) Then I have four brothers
64) One died
65) The other three didn’t
66) I like them a lot better now than I did when they were stealing my candy when I was younger
67) However, I became a pro at hiding it
68) Wanna know the best way to hid candy from anyone?
69) Hang a grocery sack on a hanger, then cover with a shirt, or better yet a jacket
70) The ugliest one you have will often work the best
71) Who thinks to look on a coat hanger for your stash of halloween candy?
72) Actually, little brother’s can
73) So I started hiding it in my dad’s brown and orange coat in the upstairs closet
74) Supreme irony that to truly hide my candy from the little monsters I’d put it outside of my room, in a common closet
75) After I moved out my mom found a stash
76) I was so ticked I hadn’t remembered to take it with me
77) I was a candy FREAK growing up
78) Which is why I’ve had at least 30 cavities and why I have 4 crowns and will likely have two more by the end of 2008.
79) I hate the dentist
80) But he loves me
81) As he should since I finance many a vacation
82) We just lost our dental insurance
83) Right before we went in for our cleanings and x-rays
84) We didn’t find out we didn’t have insurance until the insurance company denied the $800 of charges
85) This after paying $120 a month for 6 years.
86) Being self-employed sucks when it comes to insurance
87) And when it comes to getting a mortgage
88) And filing taxes
89) And paying bills
90) Other than that, it’s great
91) I’m on a pizza obsession right now
92) I’ve made 6 different homemade pizzas in the last 4 days
93) My kids are in heaven
94) And I’m eating too much
95) I’m on the quest for the best crust and pizza sauce
96) I’ve never made homemade pizza before
97) I’m a quick study in the kitchen however
98) I like to cook
99) But I only like to cook things that I like to eat
100) Drives my poor family crazy
101) So I tell them to do the cooking
102) And we eat hot dogs
103) They’re enjoying the pizza fetish though
104) I like pizza better than hot dogs
105) I like hot dogs better than chicken
106) I like fine chocolate better than just about anything
107) It’s time to go make a pizza for dinner

And the truth will set you free! (answers to the Liar meme)

I'm glad so many of you think so well of me, however it puts me in an awkward position as I hate dashing peoples good impressions. Unfortunately I do it quite often and today is no exception. Anyway, here it goes.

#4--The Mikes--Only one person guessed this one and Newnorth only guessed it because no one else had (she's such a rebel :-). I really thought this story was rather unbelievable, but maybe it's one of those truth is stranger than fiction--that many Mike's would never work in a book. And yes, the husband was kind of jerk to insist on the name thing. Anyway--it's true.

#3--Gambling--I'm sorry (kinda) to say that my husband and I really did win $800 playing blackjack in Costa Rica. Yes, I know gambling is bad and against my religion, and I know several people that will lose thousands and go right back to it, my hubby and I don't gamble this way. Fact is, my husband is a professional gambler--not in casino's but in profession. He's a real estate investor and is constantly hedging his bets in one business or another. He loves the rush and is very good at what he does. He was a quick study in blackjack and thank goodness for our religious beliefs that keep us cautious. The trick is that he knows when to hold em and knows when to fold em and he taught me how to do it as well. I'm a baby and I only play with nice dealers though, and the other people at the table hate me because I constantly split tens--it's my favorite trick. Really we do it once a year, if that, and won't lose more than $40. But we were on fire that night! 12 people thought this one was a lie. (this is not an endorsement for gambling in anyway and the writer of this blog is not responsible for anything you may lose at the tables)

#2--Free trip to Mexico--I had no idea this 'payback' program existed and went back and forth about even calling them when I got the bill because I thought it was a mistake and didn't want to fess up and have them remove the credit. But I did call and it was awesome--the only thing we paid for was souvenirs and a couple meals, oh and braids that made me look like an 11 year old girl--doubly discomfiting since I was 5 months pregnant. Six days in Mexico for $200, not bad. The fact that the other five transactions I'd made that month weren't the winners was awesome since they were all under $30. 9 of you thought this was a lie.

#1--Hans Solo in my car--Yep, this was the lie. I've never met Harrison Ford. However, the trick to telling a good lie, make it as true as possible. The situation happened just like I said, only it wasn't me, it was my sister-in-law and she wasn't sure it was him until the town was wild with the news. I would NEVER have mistaken Harrison Ford for someone else, are you kidding? Also, did you know people are less likely to guess A in multiple choice? They have a hard time believing the right answer is the first one they read and by the time they read through all the answers, they've nearly forgotten what A was. B is actually the most common answer, mostly because people THINK C is the right answer most of the time, but it actually comes in second. Just some tips for all y'all in case you want to hone up on your dishonesty.

The three that picked it off were Holly, Jen & Tegdir92. My 5 year old is in bed already so my 13 year old drew after rolling her eyes and saying "fiiiine." The winner is . . . Jen!! Yeah Jen.

Please follow this link to my website, click on books and read up on which of the two you would like, Earning Eternity or Tempest Tossed. Then send your address to kilpack@gmail.com and I'll get the book in the mail.

Thanks for playing everyone, that was fun, and I hope no one's testimony was bruised in the process.

I'm a Liar--meme

Jenna at Cranberry Corner tagged me with this one. The game is that I'm going to list 4 things about me, one of which is a lie. You're job is to guess which one is a lie. I'm gunna make a contest out of it and offer a free book (Earning Eternity or Tempest Tossed) to one of those that are correct. I'll enter all the names of winners into a drawing and have my 5 year old pick a winner. So be sure to make a guess.

I should warn you that I'm a very very good liar, it's why I write fiction :-)


1) I once met Harrison Ford--well, met might be a strong word since he didn't tell me who he was and I didn't tell him who I was. He has his own plane and sometimes stops as the airport in a little town called Milford Utah where my parent's used to live. It's really a podunk airport, but it was a good mid-stop for small planes leaving California and celebrities liked to stop there because they didn't get mobbed (John Travolta stops there sometimes too). My brother's friend's dad owned the airport and called my brother to give a guy a ride--he'd just radioed in--to the Chinese restaurant in town. There is nothing to do in Milford Utah, so I went with my brother and we picked up this guy. The sad part--my brother didn't know who he was at all and I was unsure enough that I didn't say anything--he looks a lot older in real life--later that day the whole town was buzzing about it. I couldn't believe I didn't trust my gut.

2) Ten years ago, my husband and I had never had a real vacation and we finally decided to go on one cause this travel agency by our house was giving a great deal. We used our credit cards now and again, but never for purchases we couldn't pay off in 30 days. But we were desperate to go on this trip so we charged the whole thing and had a good time in Mazatlan. The next month, I get the bill and it shows the charge AND a credit for the exact same amount. I called the credit card company and it turns out they had this program where every transaction made goes into a monthly drawing and then they pull out a few charges to credit back to the person. Somehow, our charge for the entire vacation package was drawn. We went to Mexico for free.

3) My husband and I went to Costa Rica on vacation about five years ago, and one night took a taxi to this little casino--little means about 4 tables. We're the only people there and figured we'd either lose or make $40 before we left--we are both great blackjack players, though we don't do it very much. We ended up winning over $800--enough to pay for the hotel stay for the entire six days we were there. They actually made us leave, telling us they closed an hour before they really did. We stayed in Costa Rica for free.

4) I once babysat for a woman who had a ten year old son named Mike. He was named after her first husband, Mike, but they divorced and she'd married another man by the name of Mike. Her second husband had a tradition that the first son is always named after the father, hence, this man was named after his father and grandfather--all named Mike. The woman I babysat for was pregnant and scared to death that it would be a boy; her husband was insisting that they would name it Mike, even though she already had a son with that name. Sure enough, she had a boy, and they named him Mike. So she had an ex-husband, a husband, a father-in-law, a grandfather-in-law and two sons named Mike. I think she also had a brother named Mike, but I can't remember for sure. Incidentally, I have a brother named Mike as well.

So, what do you think? Which one is a lie? I'll wait one week for the answers to file in. AMENDMENT: Because I got such fast responses, I'll answer it on Friday, November 2 :-) Thanks for playing.

As to who I'm gunna tag--let's tag Kathleen, Julie Wright, Traci Abramson & Carole Thayne Warburton.

Halloween Sucks and Other Inspiration for your Friday Pleasures

Inspiration #1)

One of the most positive things that will come from my children leaving home (in, oh, fifteen years) is that I can come out of the closet and put a big sign in my yard that says "No Tricken or Treaten you greedy little Monsters" I'm sure my own kids will find that hilarious by then.

It's not the candy--I'm all about candy--it's all the other crap. The cheap costumes, the freaky movies and TV shows, and the horrible decorations that just muck up my house. I hate carving pumpkins, I hate candy corn, and I hate being scared. My city does Trunk or Treat because the houses are so spread out it takes hours for kids to get a decent sized haul, so instead we have 40 cars that stick there back ends into a horseshoe shape and then 300 kids cycle through like the zombies--oh wait, they ARE zombies, and other creatures of death--they don't even say trick or treat. And it's cold out there. A couple years ago it was snowing and there we are serpentining through cars so we can get candy--much of which is nasty and will end up in my carpet or my child's hair.

I liked it when I was a kid--it was lots of fun--but I also bathed once a week back then whether I needed it or not and I thought Micheal Jackson was super cute. My opinions from that time can not therefore be trusted.

So, I'm having dinner with a friend last night and she hates Halloween too--there are few things better than holiday bashing with a kindred spirit--so a few years ago she says in her nephew's presence that she hates Halloween. He looks up at her with these big doe eyes and says "But you go to church. You can't hate Halloween."

Inspiration #2)

Allyson Condie left a comment on my blog the other day. She wrote a book that it getting all kinds of great reviews called The Yearbook, and she reads MY blog. Is that not awesome? Kinda freaks me out with people I know of, but don't really know, turn up on this place. I mean, it's awesome, but then I wonder who else is reading my blog. We know my mother isn't (else she'd have claimed her $100), so that's probably a good thing, and I don't think any of my neighbors do, also a good thing, but if Allyson Condie reads it--who knows. Very cool thing to consider. She doesn't have a blog though, so I can't respond in kind, so I'm doing it here--assuming she'll come back. However, if she's a Halloween lover she might not have made it this far. Bummer.

Inspiration #3)

I broke my Mighty Mouse which is the best mouse every invented. It goes with my mac and I love it, or at least I did. I only dropped it four feet onto a tile floor--you'd think it could have a bit more forgiveness in it's heart after all the months we've been together. I'm rather dispondent about it, and disappointed, dismayed, disgusted, disheartened, disllusioned, distraught, discombobulated, discommoded, and disharmonious about it, which only goes to prove that I put far too much affection into material things. I'm also rather dishabille today, especially when one considers I ought to try and be a bit more diseuse than I am, but perhaps that's to be expected when one is as disonant as I am this morning. The reason there are typos in this blog is because without my mighty mouse I don't know how to access my spell check and I'm a really nasty speller. I did try and fix a few but if I don't know how to spell them, how do I fix them? It's a quandry.


Come to think of it, two out of three of the "inspiration" of this blog are rather dis-inspriational, so I suppose you can consider yourself tricked. Tis the season.

Blog Action day--the Environment

Hey all, did you know yesterday was Blog Action Day? Well, me neither, and now I'm a day late but I've actually been wanting to post about this topic and so I'm gunna take the chance now.

I'm not a huge environmentalist--I don't want to get hate mail, but I've been to rain forests and they seem to go on forever. I 'm not convinced global warming is a result of pollution or if it's a natural cycle of the earth. I can see the stars at night and contaminants don't keep me up at night. I know that in some ways that's horrible, and someone somewhere is putting me on their prayer roll, but I think I'm like most people in the world--because I'm okay I don't look to far beyond my own backyard. That said, I definitely want to do what I can (short of devoting my life to it) and I want to teach my kids to do the same. I hate waste--be it a shirt that doesn't fit but will fit someone else, or six pounds of packaging for a cracker sized electronic divice. So I try and make wise choices and live certain principles but I'm far from perfect. Here's what I do.

Compost: I don't throw food away. Table scraps and uneaten leftover usually goes to the chickens, who eat it and love it and save me from having to buy chicken feed. I get better and healthier eggs when they eat a good variety of food. They even eat egg shells and chicken. The only thing they don't like to eat is lettuce and banana peels--they love watermelon rinds and pasta. The goats eat a lot of leftover too--they don't like anything with vinegar.
.
or, if the chickens and goats are overfed, leftover food goes to the compost. Because it's fall and my garden isn't in season, I dump left over food in my grow beds. Over the winter the scraps break down to give me great soil for the plants I'll grow next year. When my garden is growing, I put compost in a different pile that I haven't quite figured out how to work yet. It's supposed to create heat and break down into great fertilizer, but I haven't got the mixture right yet so it's kind of a mess . . . okay, not kind of about it, it IS a mess--but I'm working on it. Not only does composting reuse my leftovers, but it keeps me from needing to buy commercial fertilizer and put the chemicals in my plants. (see photo of chicken eating dumped compost--this adds even more fertilizer to my garden as said chicken processes what it eats--ain't nature beautiful?)


Home Canning: I love to bottle tomatoes, pickles, peaches, pears and anything else people will give me. This no only preserves the best quality produce for later in the eyar, but I don't buy the canned derivatives as much which cuts down on the use of cans and bottles bought from the store.


I reuse the canning bottles each year. This is economical and highly rewarding. I absolutely love home canning. there is a magnificence about looking at quarts of peaches and knowing they'd have gone to rot if not for me saving them. And come January, there is nothing like peach cobbler made from home canned peach pie filling.



Recycling: I keep a garbage can under the sink and it's child #3's daily chore to divide it into the slots in an old laundry hamper in the garage.



We live in a rural area and don't have curbside, so about once a week I load the bags and boxes into my car when I'm going to drive into town for other errands. Once I got the system down it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be and it really only takes me a couple extra minutes a week. Not only does it feel good to be "A Good Citizen of the Earth" but we went from two garbage cans to one--which is awesome.


So there you have it, what I do. could I do more? yes. could I do less? Absolutely. I'm comfortable where I am right now with it and foresee that I will continue to improve as time goes on. Every little bit helps, right?

What I did this Weekend . . .

Do you remember the HUD commercial from a few years ago where the woman with the Spanish accent says "I luff my keetchen." Well, I'm right there with her. I have a fabulous kitchen--including these beautiful Corian countertops:


No, that brown ring is not a chocolate cake stain (though I nearly ate one in mourning). See, I had put a pan on the stove to heat up for scrambled eggs--Friday night dinner at the Kilpack's, something to be anticipated. I'm not picky, but very particular, and I don't like putting eggs in a warm pan, I want them in a hot pan so they cook fast and in nice big clumps. Well, I forgot about the pan for about . . . oh, ten minutes--it was smoking. So I moved it to the counter to cool down. For eight years I have put hot pans on the counter and had no ill effects because Corian is not supposed to scorch. WRONG! It totally burned, and totally stunk. Did you ever light a Barbie doll on fire? Yeah, it smelled like that. And no, it's not on warranty anymore because it was the original owners of the house that put in the counter tops and the warranty was for the length of their ownership. No worries though, new counter tops will only cost $10,000.00! I'll just take it out of next month's spa budget and call it a draw (if you missed the sarcasm . . . I have no idea what to say to you)


But the weekend was not a total loss:

Like many women--maybe men too, I don't know--I play favorites when it comes to things like brands of mayo, neighbors, and clothing.


These are my two favorite pairs of pants. The blue hospital scrubs I have owned for 15 years. I put the elastic waistband in them myself about nine years ago. They are reversable and anyone that has worn good, shapeless, cotton scrubs knows that they are pure comfort. I have likely worn these pants over 2000 times. I love them so much.

The Jeans cost me $60 five years ago after I lost my baby weight from child #4--I've since gained back ten pounds and they have been kind. They are from Buckle and are perfection in denim. They are stretched in all the right places, washed so many times they are soft as a shammy and I just love em, love em, love em.

However, within days I tore both of them on the fence of my chicken coop while making repairs. I was more upset about these pants than I was about the counter top--you can buy new countertops, or at least stratigically place a vase or something--but perfect jeans and comfy scrubs? Priceless. BUT, all was not lost.

With my masterful skill with a needle (It is called a needle, right?) I managed to mend them both. I know, I know, not everyone is as talented as me, and it really does look quite professional, but I did do this myself, I swear.












So, I lost a counter top but I regained two wonderful friends that have not let me down! Long live small pleasures!

General Conference--the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

*Disclaimer: For those blog-readers that are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, General Conference is a bi-annual conference for all members of our church. At this time the leaders of our church give talks about doctrine, current issues, scriptures etc. It is broken up into two hour segments, with two segments on Saturday and two on Sunday. The conferences are televised world wide. The fall conference is this weekend, October 6 & 7 and because of that we don't attend our regular church meetings.


I hate a lot of things (like PTA, Disneyland & most meetings in general) however, I absolutely love General Conference.

As a child, this was not the case. I preferred just about anything to being forced to sit in front of the TV and be bored out of my mind. As a teenager I was very outspoken of my supreme dislike of conference. It was my opinion that conference was rather blatent brainwashing by a bunch of old geezers--no worries, I have repented of that and all else my teenage years were rampant with.

And then, around the age of 17, after a lifetime of religion, I really found Jesus for myself, and through Him I finally understood what conference was about. I no longer watched the two sessions dictated by my parents, I watched them all and I took notes. I realized that these men and women, who had dedicated their lives to the gospel, were talking to ME, and they were imparting those things that my Father in Heaven wanted me to know. It was, for lack of a better word, and awesome realization.

In the last 16 years of my life I have missed exactly one weekend of conference, and my sister was supposed to record it, so it wasn't my fault. I committed to never go out of town for conference again (which is tricky because my wedding anniversary is the same week as Spring conference).

When I had kids I wanted to do all I could to keep them from having the same negative impressions I had of it as a child. And I am pleased to admit that so far, it's worked. Here's how we do it:

*WATCHING: They are only required to watch two sessions. Any two they want, I don't make them chose one or the other. We try to make sure they see the closing comments because they are usually given by President Hinckley, but the rest is totally up to them.

*GAMES: I printed off bingo cards from lds.about.com and have little candies I give out when they complete a line. We'll also let the kids put together a puzzle if they want to--something that can be done silently.

*FOOD: Everything in life is better with food. For confernece we have all of our favorites: A shrimp ring, 7 layer dip, 2-6 varieties of cookies, easy cheese, wontons. I prepare a lot of it during the morning session on Saturday, but everything only comes out when conference is on and you can only eat it if you're watching conference--they can't take a plate and disappear downstairs. The kids are so excited about the smorgasborg that they are more than happy to take their plate into the living room and pig out in front of the TV. It's also the only Sunday of the year we can stay in our jammies all day.

*OPTIMISM: My husband and I are very positive about conference. If something is said that gets our back up, we discuss it ourselves later and seek for our own answers. If we aren't in the mood for it, we are not allowed to say so. I'll crochet or do something with my hands because it's impossible for me to sit still these days, but we are there for every session.


My kids are 5-13 and they were all ecstatic when they realized conference was this weekend. We've been talking about what treats to have, they've been planning their weekend around the sessions they will be watching.

Are they getting anything out of it? Yeah, they are--I don't doubt this. They are listening to the prophet and his counselors. Much of what's said isn't really pertinent to them yet, but they are listening, they are learning, and they are making it a habit. Better than that, they have positive feelings about conference and they look forward to it.

Now, my oldest is just barely a teenager, so I know the real test is yet to come, but for us, this is working and fulfilling my goal to have my kids feel better about conference than I do.

Do you guys have any tricks? I'm all about adding more tools to my box-of-tricks.

Cre8buzz

Cre8buzz is a new social networking site geared toward adults, with no ads, and, the really unique part is that it 'ranks' you according to how many people are coming to see your page, how many comments you leave on other people's pages and how many freinds you have. Right now I'm #4 in the fiction community. They have a nice crisp look that, while it allows for some personality, it's over the top. I've been on it for a few days and it's a lot of fun. Many of the same people I read blogs from are on there as well.

Another big difference between it and other sites like My Space or Facebook, is that it's in Beta. That means they are still testing it out. Just anybody can't join up, however, if you happen to know someone already on there, they can invite you. Annette Lyon is the one that invited me, and I'm enjoying it. I'm sending this out to see if anyone else wants to be a part of it. If you do, send me your email address and I'll get an invite out to you.

If you want to know more about it, go to this article written by one of my new friends made at cre8buzz. It's kinda fun.

Also, my exclusivelylds.com blog posted yesterday if anyone wants to take a peek.

And I've eaten about 8 sugar cookies so far today, in case you were wondering.

Middle Name Meme

Annette tagged me for the middle name meme, so here we go. My middle name is Snow. Because most y’all are Mormons, you probably already assume it’s because I’m related to the famous Snows of Church History lore (Erastus Snow to be exact. His cousins, Lorenzo and Eliza are more commonly known). I once fantasized that my parents chose Snow because they were wigged out hippies determined to raise me with a love of all things free and natural. Not so. My mom was a Snow and all but 3 of my siblings have Snow as their middle name. No creativity at all.


S—It’s a really bad sign when the very first letter stumps me. Sweet (Julie, stop laughing!) Snotty (someone please start laughing?) Sarcastic—ah, that’s it. Sarcastic works.

N—Nerdy. But not in the cool “Let’s ask Josi, she’ll know” kind of way, more in the “Did you see what she was wearing?” kind of way. I’ve never been the cool kid, the one that got asked to the dance, or even the teacher every kid wanted to have in Sunday school. I tell jokes people don’t understand, say things I shouldn’t, laugh when its not funny, and get things stuck in my teeth. I think I’ve had less than 2 dozen days in my whole life where I felt like I was wearing the right thing. Oh well, me and the guy I’m sleeping with don’t mind too much and my kids don’t know the difference since I’m the only mother they’ve ever had. What do I care what other people think? If only I were nerdy enough that not caring was an option.

O—Overwhelmed. There is so much in life to do, to learn, to write, to read, to accomplish, to discover, to experience, and to watch. I have not yet learned to take things slow, do one thing at a time, and so I spend most of my life completely overwhelmed. I often tell my husband I’ve run out of room in my brain, I can’t hold anything else. And then I see a flier for Jazzercise and I’m juggling my calendar again.

W—W? What can I do that starts with W? Wonderful is out. So it Wholesome. Weird works, but honestly—have you met my friends? They have the corner market on Weird ☺. I’d like to use Wise, but I had a friend in high-school that was struck by lightening and he said it really hurt. Hmmmm. Whiney might be the best I can do. I love to whine, I’m actually trying to make it a nationally recognized sport. I’m going for the gold.

I’m tagging Ajoy (since she’s forgiven me for being negative toward her friend Stephanie Meyers) and Carole Thayne Warburton, my paradisiacaly glorious friend who has greatly blessed my life.

What is wealth?

I think it's an accepted truth that most of us live better than our parents did at our age--at least in terms of temporal things. I'm sure our parents look at us and shake their heads at how good we have it. Even the poorest among us are wealthy in many ways.

My parents were master budgeters when I was growing up. We had nine kids and my mom stayed home, meaning that she also managed to sustain a family of 11 on a school teacher's salary. We had a big garden, didn't get a lot of new clothes, and had oatmeal for breakfast--except on the weekends and at Christmas. On Sunday, we'd get COLD CEREAL (and yes, I capitalized it on purpose). It was either rice puffs, corn flakes, or rice crispies--nothing fancy, but at least it wasn't oatmeal. My brother once had six bowls on Sunday, wiping out the entire bag and having to live in fear of his life should he ever do that again. Cold cereal was a treat, and we all knew it. And then there was Christmas.

Every year, beneath our stockings we would each get a box of SUGAR CEREAL (Please note the capitalization). The good stuff, like Lucky Charms, or Cocoa Puffs, maybe even Trix. When I was little I once ate the whole box in one day, then pouted for the next week as my older sisters carefully used their's as slowly as possible. Every one of us kids looked forward to this on Christmas, it was a big deal that made the best day of the year even better.

When I moved into my own apartment right after high-school graduation I went out and bought six boxes of sugar cereal. I felt like the Queen of England--however, by the time those boxes were empty, I'd realized that I couldn't afford such indulgences. Instead, I lived off of bulk spaghetti, Raman and the Malt-o-meal bags of honey nut cheerios--an unfulfilling substitution for Captain Crunch, but, well, I was poor. My lack of sugar cereal made that an impossible truth to ignore.

So then I got married, and with both my husband and I working (and having no mortgage, yard care, children, life insurance, gym memberships, etc) we could afford sugar cereal. The high life indeed. I had two bowls a day for about a year, until they all started tasting the same, then my obsession tapered off. However, to this day when I open my pantry and see sugar cereal in there, I feel rich. I'm reminded that whatever my hubby and I are doing, it's working out pretty good because I can smile at the Toucan and wink at Lucky any time I want to (although now I don't buy them very often because my kids don't need the sugar--but that's another blog)

Another sign of wealth and prosperity in my mind are batteries. When I was dating my husband I went to his grandfather's house. My Walkman had run out of batteries and his grandpa pulled out a huge basket full of every size battery imaginable. There must have been $40 worth of batteries in there, and he said I could take as many as I needed. I was tempted to take them all, it was like a year supply! However, I also wanted these people to like me, so I didn't. But a few months ago I was at Sam's Club and they had these mondo packages of batteries. They weren't cheap, but way less than if I bought the same amount in the little four packs. So I indulged and bought a package of each kind--AA, AAA, C, D and 9V. I came home feeling on top of the world as I dumped them in a drawer. Every time I open that drawer I just smile and feel as if I've arrived.

And of course I have my family, which is really wealth beyond measure, but in addition to that lucre, the little details really make me feel as if I've accomplished something, and I love it. It doesn't mean that I don't get late fees on my other bills sometimes, or that we don't eat a lot of casseroles by the end of the month, but I take heart in my cereal and battery supply. So, I'm hoping I'm not the only one that has this--little milestones that make you smile and feel as if you've 'made it' even if you still stress over the mortgage and have to choose one kid a month that can get new shoes. What are those things for you?