$500 fine for glittering

So I just have to write this real quick. It's one of those things that you always want to remember so you can tell your kids some day how funny they were. We were driving home from dance today and Emma asked me to roll her window down, so I did and I rolled down Prestons as well. Well within about 30 seconds, he had thrown his cup out the window. In a very stern voice, I told him that we didn't do that, that it isn't good to throw our garbage out the window. Then Emma turned to him and said "Yeah Preston, we don't glitter." I thought I misunderstood her, but she went on to tell him that glittering isn't good and that he had just glittered and he shouldn't do that. I just laughed but let her think that Preston had just glittered. Good thing I didn't get pulled over for glittering.

While I am on the topic of funny things kids say, we were at church yesterday and the sacrament bread happened to be wheat. I guess we usually have white, but I didn't really notice. Well Emma did. She leaned over to my mom (who was visiting for the primary program) and said, "We usually have white bread, but I guess they toasted it today." We all had a good laugh at this too.

TV

Don't you just love premiere week? Can you name all the TV show theme songs without looking at the answers? Just listen for a minute.

Bryce Canyon

So we took a little trip with the kids this past weekend to Bryce Canyon. It was amazing and everyone had a great time. The first day, we hiked the Navajo Loop. It was a 1.3 mile hike half of it steep down and half of it steep uphill. I was impressed with how great all the kids did. The scenery was beautiful and these pictures don't even do it justice.Here is our little Presto overlooking this awesome canyon.

Here we are hiking down the canyon. We had fun looking at all the rock formations and telling each other what we thought we saw. The colors were breathtaking.


Taking a little break.


Can you say "Mini Justin"?


We made it!

The next day we set out for Calf Creek Falls. All I kept thinking this day was... "The things I do for love".  I would never choose to do something like this on my own and certainly not with 5 kids but Justin talked me into it and I did it for him and the kids. We hiked @ 7 miles round trip. Talk about troopers, our kids did awesome. It only took about 5.5 hours to accomplish this amazing feat. But well worth every step.

Dane found a little lizard before we started the hike and thought it was cool when the tail came off and wiggled around in his hand.

Our little hikers. We only carried Preston and Emma for maybe a mile of the trip they did the rest on their own and even had enough energy to run some of the way.

Rest Stop

Another rest stop.

The Falls. The water was a little bit chilly, but it certainly didn't stop these kids from getting in and splashing around.

Right before the hike back to the car.

The last day of our trip, we headed over to Zions National Park. Another amazing sight.

We decided to do a shorter hike this day only about 2 miles up the river to the Narrows. Once we got to the end of the trail, Justin took the three older kids and hiked another mile in the river. I waited with Emma and Preston and almost got attacked by the psycho squirrel that was determined to get into our backpack and eat our easy cheese and crackers. It honestly would not leave us alone. The kids thought it was funny when it started chewing a hole in the backpack. 

Sadly after this hike, our trip came to an end. The kids begged to stay one more day, but school and work beckoned us back. We all had a really fun time (I know I can't believe I said that but I actually did enjoy myself). 

The enterance to the park.


Here's Dane just testing out the waters. This boy has Justin blood running through his veins. Next stop Aconcagua.
The kids hiking up the river. The girls did pretty good not getting wet, but when Dane came back, he was soaked head to toe. He just couldn't resist the adventure.

Top 10 favorite things in my house

So, it's funny. I have actually been wanting to do this for a while now. Then just this week I saw on Tip Junkie that she has this segment called "Talk to Me Tuesdays" and this week she is asking people to share their 10 favortie things in their house. What a good excuse for me to finally do this. So here you go and luckily my house is actually clean today so even better (If you know me, then you know I watied for my house to be clean before I took the pictures).

#1 I love my glass jars. They either sit on my kitchen island or behind my sink, but they are always filled with something fun. As you can see I rotate items for different occasions. Right now I have Halloween candy.

Last year my glass jars held skulls, bloody eyeballs, black licorice and a brain.

For Maggies Chocolate Party they had an assortment of chocolate candy. I love these jars.

#2 My home/family wall. When we moved in I started unpacking and realized I had a lot of signs that looked very similar. For a long time I had them spread throughout the house until one day, I had a vision. There is a little area above our lockers in our mud room that was just the perfect size for my collection. I loved the outcome.

#3 This one also came to me in a vision (just one of those crafty ideas that pops into my mind on occassion) It is my magnetic white board calendar. The best part of this is its hugeness. It is 4'x6' and hangs in my laundry room. Each days' square is 8"x 8" and easily holds party invites, appointment cards and flyers. I made it by myself which makes it even more fun for me.

#4 My houndstooth loveseat. Actually it is a chair and a half. I have two of these. I saw it in the store as is and I knew I had to have it. I bought one and went home and decided that I needed two. It is just the right size to sit with one or two kiddies and watch t.v. or read.

#5 My black and white wing chairs. I bought these beauties on a girls trip to Seattle. It is hard for me to invision  what a completed chair will look like when I only have a 3" square of fabric. So if I see something finished and I love it, I have to have it, so was the case with these. I said in an earlier post that one of my quirks is that I have big purchase commitment fear well, these two furniture pieces were an exception to that. I have never had any buyers remorse for these or the houndstooth chairs.

#6 I am a sucker for tulips. I lived in Holland for 18 months and I think my love of tulips stems from that. I found these pots a Target a couple of years ago and splurged to buy all three at once. I was worried if I only bought one and went back for a second they would be gone. They sit on my black entry table and are a pleasure to set out in March when we are ready for spring to arrive.

#7 Tulips Again. These were a birthday gift from my Mom a few years ago. They are huge. The first picture is actually in our old house, but it gives you an idea of the size. I would have taken a picture of both of them where they are now, but they hang in my dining room and it is now emmie cakes central and I would be embarrassed to take a picture of that right at the moment.

#8  My pottery barn bedding. This was something that I waited a long time for. I love  the red and tan with my brown walls. The thing I love most about this picture is that my bed is actually made. It doesn't happen often because even if I take the time to make it in the morning, my kids think it is funny to mess it up as soon as I do. I spend more time yelling at them than it is worth having my bed made, so now I just don't do it unless I am home alone.


#9 The faucet in my kids bathroom. We chose this not knowing if we would like it, but we thought it was a good choice, because they wouldn't have to turn two handles to get the right temp. The water comes out like a waterfall. I am absolutely pleased with our choice.
#10 It was a toss up so you're actually getting 11 favorite things.  I love my big black front door. It is bigger that your normal size entry door. When we first bought our house it had been sitting all summer unstained and I told them I wanted it black and shortly thereafter the wood started to warp. We had to completely replace the door. Everyone tried to talk me out of the black again to avoid another problem, but I would not give in. So here stands my big black door and I love it!

#10 1/2  The picture of the San Diego temple that hangs above our piano. I grew up in San Diego and was married here so it has very special meaning to me. I saw this in a store and immediately came home and told Justin I wanted it for Christmas. Much to my surprise (since I usually don't get what I ask for) there is was Christmas Morning. I should have taken a picture of the piano too so you could see how well it fits here, but is about the same width as our piano and the frame is black like our piano so it really looks amazing.

So there you have it a little glimpse into our fun home. Glad to share with you all.

Tagged: 6 unspectacular quirks

So, this is my first tag. Becky tagged me a few days ago, but I've been trying to think of these. I finally have 6.

1. I hate to talk on the phone. I don't listen to my messages and as many of my friends know, I don't usually return calls.

2. I love to go to sleep with the TV on especially if Justin isn't home, but I can't sleep with the light on. Why the light from the TV is any different I don't know, but for some reason it soothes me to sleep.

3. I love to shop online and add big purchase items to my cart (pottery barn furniture) but then I don't ever buy it. I guess it makes me feel good just to have it in my cart.

4. Along those same lines, I think I have big purchase commitment fear (I just made that up). I have no problem going out and any given day and spending $300 at Target or Gap, but ask me to spend$300 on a piece of furniture and I can't do it. I guess if I have buyers remorse on something small it's not a big deal, but if I actually spend money on something of substance I have to stew over it for weeks or even months.

5. I think there are many things that I do that are OK but if anyone else in my family does them it is unacceptable. For example, I can take off my shoes anywhere in the house and leave them there, but if my kids do it or Justin does it I am all over them. It drives me nuts. Same thing with keeping the house clean. I can leave it a total mess, but if I go out and come home to a mess they all hear it from me.

6. I hate to wear socks. I think I may have that restless leg syndrome and my feet feel so claustrophobic when I have to wear socks. I don't even like to wear them when I am out walking through snow.

I tag Julie, Emily, Cami, Harmony (when she feels up to blogging again, she just had a baby), Jennifer and Nicole.

Tag RULES:

Tell us about 6 unspectacular quirks that you have. Tag 6 following bloggers. Leave a comment on each of their blogs to let them know they’ve been tagged.

When Dad's away

So Justin took the weekend off and flew to Seattle for the BYU football game and left me home alone with the kids. We had a great weekend but today was a long day. We had stake conference, and judge me if you must, but I was not about to take 4 kids to church for 2+ hours alone, so needless to say, it was a very long day at home. So anyways, sometimes my kids get out of control and I thought this might be a good way to deal with them while Dads away.

(BTW for those of you who really think I am a terrible mother, I didn't actually do this to Dane, they got into the tape themselves and had a heyday. Then when he was all done, he took it off his legs without tearing it added a bottom to it and made a little basket for himself to hold legos in.)

Tribute to Friends

Last weekend I discovered Facebook, I know one more thing to keep me from doing what I should be doing. I jumped right into it searching for old friends, reading about their lives, looking at their family pictures and reconnecting with long lost friends. It is amazing to me how quickly I have been able to find friends from high school that I haven't seen or talked to in over 18 years (yes I have been out of high school for that long, thank goodness I don't feel that old). Friends that I grew up with that I had completely lost track of and friends that I knew in college that moved away and moved on. I have found them all (well a lot of them). Each day as I check my email a smile comes to my face to see who has accepted me as a friend and left a message for me. I am so lovin the fact that I am reconnecting with old friends (no I don't mean they're old, but you know).

I am so glad that I have been able to figure all this blogging and facebook stuff out so as to get in touch with you all again. You know how we all wrote in each others year books KIT, Keep in touch, well it's about time we did it. I don't know I guess I have had a happy week because of it and I just wanted to share it all with you. So if you are an old friend reading this for the first time, or a new friend just checking in, leave me a message so I can see how you are doing.

Thanks to all my friends who have made me laugh, who have made me smile, who have helped me through, who have struggled with me. Thanks to all my friends who have been stupid with me, who have listened to me and who have cried with me. Thanks to all my friends who have played with me, who have strengthened me, and to all my friends who have loved me. What a great blessing you have all been in my life.

"I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you:

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good"

-Wicked "For Good"

County Fair Enrichment

So we had our big enrichment for this quarter. Our theme was County Fair, "Because I have been given much, I too must give". We had a good turn out and had a lot of fun. We served county fair food, good old BBQ chicken sandwiches, corn on the cob, watermelon and lemonade. We had sisters bring the dessert and then had a bake-off. Our wonderful presidency offered to be judges (like that was a big sacrifice). We had a display of wonderful talents that sisters in our ward have. Who knew the cool talents that existed right here in our ward. We also heard from our Stake Humanitarian Specialist and then topped it all off with an opportunity for service with our two humanitarian projects. It was a fun night and helped us all to get to know one another a little better than before.

Our great judges tasting all the delicious desserts entered in our bake-off.

Our winning entry. Erin Parkers amazing Chocolate Layer Cake. Yummy!

Our centerpieces included homemade white chocolate popcorn, and a variety of fair snacks, taffy, peanuts and circus peanuts all placed in galvanized buckets.

Freshly picked Corn on the Cob.
Good old Fashioned Lemonade served with pellet ice in a classic Glass jar.

Berry Pie
Our array of delicious desserts waiting to be tested and judged.

More yummy entries for the bake-off.