The Krazy Kissell's

Busy, busy, busy

2011-11-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

Yup, once again I have neglected this little blog. Don't mean too but we get busy. Here is a very quick update.
David - working too much, travelling a bit for work, working a lot.
Me - work, sleep, craft, wash, rinse, repeat.
Cole- high school........need I say more?
D.J. - Middle school. learning to play the French Horn and loving it.
Ally - Once a Diva....always a Diva
Jonny - loving the guitar, such a boy.
Ryan - happy, sweet, serious troublemaker.

Like I said, this is a very brief update.
More to come later....

Today I am grateful for the busy-ness because then I can pretend that I am doing something good.

Wait a sec, it's OCTOBER????

2011-10-07T03:24:00.000-06:00

How in heck did October get here all ready? I have no idea where the last, oh, FOUR months have gone? I feel very out of touch with people. I swear that if it wasn't for Facebook, I would have had no idea what is happening with anyone I know.

The biggest time sucker for me has been a very exciting project at home. We got new floors in most of our main floor. We got rid of the awful ~~stained~~ beige carpet and ugly tile and now have a gorgeous wood laminate floor. I have been taking pictures of the whole process that I need to go through before I post. And I finish putting everything back, lol!

Kids are doing well in school. I ~~like~~ LOVE having them back in the routine of school. Makes it so much easier for me to sleep during the day. Fall is officially here and the cooler weather always makes it easier for me to sleep.

Cole got her learner's permit. Exciting and Scary.

David has been gone a lot lately. It is exciting for him and frustrating at the same time. He has been travelling back and forth to New York city. He is helping with an install there. None of these trips has been quick so I am getting a taste of what being a single parent is like. I hate it. I truly admire everyone who has to do this all the time. I think I would lose my mind! He is there right now. He left Monday morning and we had hoped for him to come home on Saturday but now it looks like maybe next Friday instead. Thankfully we can use SKYPE to see him every day.

So busy is as busy does.

But today I will be grateful that I have not been bored in 17 years. Sound like a strange thing to be thankful for? Maybe, but I am always glad that there is something to do, even if I sometimes miss boredom.

The end is near

2011-08-18T00:23:00.000-06:00

Yes, the end is near. No, not the end of the world, just the end of the summer!
And yes, I am happy that it is ending.
I am not a huge fan of summers.
I never really have been.
To me, summers are too hot and I am not a fan of extreme heat,
It is too sunny and I sunburn.... all the time.
And because I am still working nights it is brutal having the kids home all day.

But we did have some fun this summer.
I think the highlight for all of us was our trip to Bear Lake.
It was fabulous!

So as a new school year begins, I am looking forward to the return of the routine.

But there are three things that are will make this summer great...
#1 - I get a new niece this Friday! Tara is having her baby early (not great, but she is in good hands)
and #2 - My BFF is coming to visit next week!!!! I CAN HARDLY WAIT!!!!
and #3 - we get to get rid of the terribly ugly stained awful carpet and tile that is in my front room, dining room, entry, hallway, and kitchen! I will try to post pics of it all as it happens. The before and after will be amazing to see.

So today I will be grateful for endings, beginnings, and good changes!

Four Score and Nine Years Ago......

2011-07-12T21:11:00.000-06:00

Well today is the 9th anniversary of the day that my mother and I became American Citizens.
For any of you who may have forgotten, I mainly grew up in the GREAT white North! I do miss Canada a lot. Especially my friends and family up there. (Yes, Cyndi, I am talking about YOU!!!!!)

The decision to actually become an American was not as easy as you may think. I was quite content with the knowing that I would have to renew my Green Card (it wasn't actually green.... it was pink!) every 10 years or so. I was fine with knowing that I had no right to complain about anything here since I was not able to vote to help change anything. I chose to stand only when the Pledge of Allegiance was recited out of respect, but I never once said the pledge until my swearing in ceremony. I thought it was disrespectful and insincere to pledge allegiance to country that was not really mine.

Then 9-11 happened.

I did not know anyone who was directly impacted by this tragedy and I don't personally know anyone who lost their life, but.....
I felt like my home was attacked. I had never really thought about the US as being my home before.
Since I married an American and all of my children are born here I know that it is highly unlikely that I will ever move back to Canada but I do still think of it as my first home. There is nowhere more beautiful to me.

When I first moved to Utah, I cried. For a long time. I was so angry at my parents for making me move, especially since I was 15 and had just started high school. It took me a long time to like it here.
And now I love it here in Utah.

Less than one month after the tragedy, my mother and I applied for citizenship. We anticipated this process taking a long time. Especially with all the national security measures that have come about since 9-11.
There were no glitches, no hiccups, no problems along the way. We were sworn in 9 months later.

So my gratitude attitude thought for today is hard for me to express myself. I get very emotional when I think of all I have because I am here. So I will instead use two thought from President George W. Bush.
"... we're not afraid. Our cause is just, and worthy of sacrifice. Our nation is strong of heart, firm of purpose. Inspired by all the courage that has come before, we will meet our moment and we will prevail."
“We will not tire, We will not falter, We will not fail.”

My dilemma

2011-07-07T15:39:00.000-06:00

Everyday I am faced with a frustrating dilemma.

How much sleep does a person really need and does when a person sleep make a difference?

I have been working overnights for a little over 2 years now. I am not complaining (very much) but summer is a tough season for me. I am not one who has ever really liked the heat or the sun. The last 2 summers have been especially hard because when the kids are home, mama don't get no sleep!

And I am so pleasant and fun to be around when I am tired!

N O T !!!!!!!!!!!!

I work from 11:30 pm to 3:30 am. Yes, only a 4 hour shift. Currently I am working 5 - 6 nights a week. So only a 20-24 hour work week. So this is where my dilemma starts to be a problem. I could sleep when I get home until the kids get up, that is a up to 4 hours some days. But it is soooo hard to walk in the door and immediately go to bed and go to sleep. Do you seriously know anyone who can do that? Most days it is not even worth trying.

When the kids are in school - yay!- I would sleep while they were gone all day. It works pretty well. But it is summer break. They are home all day. I don't like sleeping while they (read this as Ryan especially) are home and getting into trouble. Makes me feel like I am neglecting my family. And that makes me feel beyond guilty.

If I try to stay awake until David comes home I am usually grumpy, usually have gotten very little accomplished, and end up sleeping during the only time I get to see that hottie I married.

So when do I sleep? Any suggestions?

Today I will be grateful for what little sleep I get, whenever I can get it.

I say Hey! What's going on?

2011-07-06T20:16:00.002-06:00

So what have these Krazy Kissell's been up to this summer?

Nothing and everything!

Since a picture is worth a thousand words... here you go.

Basically it has been fun, birthdays, family, cousins, creativity, holidays, and more!

So today I will be grateful for the pace of summer. Lazy, active, relaxed, busy, and so many things all at once.

Here's Your Sign

2011-06-24T11:54:00.000-06:00

As I was messing around with my iGoogle homepage and changing up the theme and rearranging elements on the page, I found the always tempting horoscope button.
Now I am not one who puts a lot stock into daily horoscope readings or predictions, but I have always found the definitions of the characteristics of each astrological sign fascinating. And a little scarily accurate.
Not every person will fit every characteristic of their astrological sign, but often times the personalities described are astonishingly accurate.
Take my sign for instance. I have a July birthday (the 19th - send presents to my home address) so that makes me a Cancer. Here are the defining characteristics of a Cancer:

Cancer Strength Keywords:

- Loyalty
- Dependable
- Caring
- Adaptable
- Responsive

Well, that sounds right to me. I am fiercely loyal, mostly dependable, pretty caring, fairly adaptable, and somewhat responsive.

Cancer Weakness Keywords:

- Moody
- Clingy
- Self-pitying
- Oversensitive
- Self-absorbed

Sounds about right. I am definitely moody, clingy, and oversensitive. And have been know to self-pitying and self-absorbed. BTW, I got this info from http://zodiac-signs-astrology.com/zodiac-signs/cancer.htm

I like how this site summed up the Cancer personality.

Cancer is a mysterious sign, filled with contradictions. They want security and comfort yet seek new adventure. They are very helpful to others yet sometimes can be cranky and indifferent. Cancer has a driving, forceful personality that can be easily hidden beneath a calm, and cool exterior. The crab is Cancer's ruling animal and it suits them well, they can come out of their shell and fight but they can also hide in their shell of skitter away back into the depths of the ocean. They are very unpredictable. With cancer, there is always something more that meets the eye, for they are always partially hidden behind the shell. They are a have a deep psyche and intuitive mind that is hidden from the world. Cancer is deeply sensitive and easily hurt, this might be why they have their defense shell in place, to avoids being hurt by others. They are nurturers so they surround themselves with people, whom after a while can offend or hurt a cancer without even knowing they did so, therefore Cancer's protective shell keeps them safe from hurt. They are complex, fragile, unpredictable and temperamental and need constant support and encouragement, more then any other astrology signs, Cancer needs to be needed. When cancer gets the support it needs, it has a tremendous amount to offer in return. When cancer gets offended, they tend to sulk instead of confronting the persons face to face. This needlessly prolongs the pain and suffering. Cancer is very possessive, not just with material possessions but with people as well. Cancer will always want to stay in touch with old friends and anyone who has ever been close to them, because it is easier to maintain a friendship then attempt to learn to trust a new person. It is easier this way for them emotionally. If you befriend a Cancer, you will stay friends for a long time. Cancer makes the perfect mother, this is the sign that represents motherhood. They have unconditional love and caring more so then any other astrology sign. Cancer are very intuitive. Most of the psychics of the world are Cancer astrology signs. They have an excellent memory and are very observant and can read people very well. They can usually tell of other people's intentions are good or not. Never dupe a Cancer, they can see your motives. Cancer has a lot of emotional issues to deal with but once they overcome this large hump of shyness and insecurity, there is practically nothing they can't do. With their strong intuition, sensitivity, powers of observation and intelligence, they will have great success in anything they undertake.

Okay then, The part about cancer's retreating into their shells, especially as an emotional defense is so very true!

Look up your sign and tell me if it is accurate at all.

Today I will be grateful for my astrological sign, yes, I realize that sounds silly but I am glad for any insight into myself that I can get.

Feeling crafty

2011-06-14T21:01:00.000-06:00

So I have been feeling really, really crafty lately. I am hoping to actually take some pics of what I have been doing soon. I have been making a lot of jewelry (surprised? yeah, didn't think so!) I learned how to wrap wire into simple Celtic Knots yesterday and added a knot to a pendant that I love and didn't quite know what to do with. Here is the after pic.

I love this yellow pendant. It is a delicious clear icy yellow. And it is pretty big. It is about the length of a standard house key.

I have been enjoying the creative process and find it very relaxing and fulfilling.

so the obvious thing to be grateful for today is creativity........and google - where else can you find a plethora of ideas and instructions to aid the creative process?

In Good Company

2011-06-13T02:57:00.000-06:00

Mixed emotions for me today. I went to a dinner party for Citrine. It was a farewell dinner. Anne-Marie and Family are moving away......far away. To New York. I am so excited for her because this will be a good thing for her family but I am also sad that Citrine is over. I have truly loved every single minute of it. We did get to sing some tonight.

So today I will be grateful for an amazing year filled with amazing music!

More student teaching fun........

2011-06-04T21:22:00.000-06:00

One of the sad parts of student teaching for me was the end! I knew it was coming. The kids knew it was coming. It was not fun for me to leave because I REALLY loved being there.
One cutie pie who happens to have the same birthday as me wrote me a poem on my last day.
I am going to copy it just how she wrote it but I will add "translations" as needed. I love it!

Mrs. Kissell your hair is such and orange life without you in the

classroom is such a borage. Life without you is satenly (certainly)

gray I hope all (I'll) see you another day. I wish you could

stay and play with our class all

day.

I miss you alot but all (I'll) always keep you in my thoughts

Is that cute or what? I have more to share later. One cutie wrote me an awesome good bye letter and had the entire class sign it without me or their teaching noticing. Pretty sneaky!

So today I am grateful for the simple things like thank you notes. I am touched deeply by sweet and simple things like a thrid grader's effort to let me know how she felt.

More from school

2011-05-28T21:30:00.000-06:00

One of the things I got to do a lot during my student teaching were art lessons. My amazing cooperating teacher Mrs. Redd (Katie) had art for rotations while the other two teachers did PE and extra math. So I was able to do a lot of art lessons. One of my favorites was creating three dimensional sunflower pictures based loosely on Van Gogh's sunflower paintings. Here are the results:

We used chalk, pencils, glue, construction paper, tissue paper, black beans, and every one turned out to be different and unique! I love how they look!

Another project I did with my class combined using warm or cool colors, mosaic, their names, and a stained glass window effect. Each student did their name and mounted it on either matching or contrasting paper. I love how these turned out as well.

My example

It was so much fun to watch them make these. We also did one more art project with our names. I only have a picture of my example but the kids really got into this project as well.

I can hardly wait to do things like this ALL THE TIME!!!!

So today I will be grateful for art in general. Such a great way to let out all the creativity we have inside.

Ode to food

2011-05-27T22:14:00.000-06:00

I had a lot of fun during my student teaching experience. One of my favorite assignments that we did was poetry writing. We used food as a topic and wrote odes to food. We started with a class ode. Here it is:

Ode to Bacon

Oh Bacon,

How we love you so!

Your taste, your smell

Make us want to go

Down to the lunchroom

Where we will eat

This crispy, crunchy,

Mouthwatering meat.

Bacon sure does look like steak.

It also looks very, very great.

Bacon looks crispy, crunchy, and gold,

It stands out from veggies, very bold.

Bacon looks bubbly on the grill,

Eat it to avoid a chill.

Bacon looks very good from its juicy fat

And all the kids eat it, just like that!

Bacon reminds me of a juicy steak

Every time I think about it my stomach starts to ache.

It’s so good!

I want to hide in my hood.

Bacon is crunchy

It feels munchy

When bacon cooks the kids will swarm

Especially if it’s crisp and warm.

Bacon, oh bacon, we do love you so!

Some people hate the smell and want to go.

I would die if bacon fell from the sky

Then I would go outside to try

To start rakin’

For delicious bacon!

It smells so divine

It sends chills up my spine!

Bacon is so amazing! I hope you like it too.

Everybody should say, “I love it too!”

I Love it! The kids did an awesome job.

So today I will be grateful for bacon. Seriously - is there anything better?

Chicken Fried Rice

2011-05-27T07:35:00.000-06:00

Tried a new recipe last night. I liked it. Here it is:

Chicken Fried Rice

Recipe courtesy Robert Irvine
Total Time: 25 min.

Prep10 min.

Cook15 min.

Yield:6 to 8 servings .

Ingredients

3 large eggs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil, for frying

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into thin strips

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

4 cups cold, cooked rice

6 green (spring) onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish, optional

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions

Beat eggs with a whisk in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat very little oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat and make an omelette using half the beaten eggs. Turn out onto a plate to cool (do not fold omelette). Repeat process with remaining beaten eggs. Place 1 omelette on top of the other, fold and coarsely chop. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, toss chicken strips with the sesame oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over high heat in large frying pan or wok and stir-fry the prepared chicken strips until lightly golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes or until onion has softened. Add 2 tablespoons more vegetable oil and when hot, stir in the cooked rice and green onions, tossing and mixing thoroughly until very hot. Sprinkle with soy sauce and mix evenly. Remove from heat and stir in chopped cooked egg. If desired, garnish with additional sliced green onions

I added some celery and didn't have green onions so I used dries chives. Still turned out well. Enjoy!

Today I will be grateful for internet recipe searches. Saves me a lot of time!

Life in Limbo

2011-03-24T17:33:00.000-06:00

So I have been a little unmotivated lately. I finished ALL my coursework at the end of January and have been waiting ~~patiently~~ for my student teaching placement. I finally got my first placement today. I will get to spend 6 weeks at Lone Peak Elementary school in a third grade classroom. Lone Peak is pretty dang close to my house. I may even walk there some days. But it is up the hill from me so probably not. Don't want to get there all sweaty and stinky.
I am only a little bit nervous because I don't know any of the teachers there but talking to people I don't know has never really been a big problem for me, lol!
I am very very excited to get started. I expect to learn a lot in the 6 weeks I will spend there.

So today I am grateful that the limbo is over. I don't have to wait anymore. I just get to figure out how to keep my job while student teaching. I may just not sleep at all for 6 weeks, but who needs sleep anyway?

phew....... what a life

2011-02-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

So I have once again been neglecting this little bog. Not really on purpose but I have been very busy. The most exciting part of all this business is that I have officially finished all my coursework for my master's degree! Yahoo! Only 8 credits of student teaching left. Then I am done.....finished......it will be over! Phew..... I can hardly believe it.

So today I will be grateful for my education. and even more grateful that it is almost done.

Hold your children a little closer today

2010-12-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

I usually do not find myself at a loss for words but today I find my heart heavy and soul a little worn out. I found out this morning that a friend of mine from our old neighborhood in Kearns lost her daughter this morning. Rachel was only 7 years old. I remember when Rachel was born., She has a twin brother named Sam which is part of the reason I remember them so well. The are not sure yet what happened to Rachel. She had a headache, went to bed, woke up dizzy and started vomitting. Her parents took her to the ER and she stopped breathing and then her heart stopped and they could not revive her.

This is the third death of a child I know in the last 2-3 weeks.

The first was a little boy named Devaun who went to same school as my three younger kids. He had a cancer and was able to live out his last few months in the comfort of his home with his family around him. His older brother is in the same 5th grade class as my twins. His death was sad but not unexpected. They were able to make the most of the time he had left.

The second happened just before Christmas. A friend of mine from high school, Mike Bearden and his cute wife Jill were expected baby number 5 any day. Jill felt like something was wrong and went to get checked out. Jill's feelings were right and labor was induced. Max was born not breathing. They got him breathing but he died in Jill's arms two days later. I went to the funeral and was truly touched by the thoughts that Mike and Jill shared.

And now Brett and Angela Beyer have lost their precious little girl.

Part of me wants to question why this is happening and part of me all ready knows that I will never know but don't need to. I know that all these families will be reunited one day. That does not make the every day pain and loss that these families feel any easier.
As a friend, I feel very helpless to comfort them. I don't know what it is like to lose a child like they have. I pray everyday that I never have to know what that is like.
What I can do is hold my children a little longer, tighter, and more often today.
I need to ignore the insanity that my children make me fell and enjoy the few precious moments we have together.
These 3 families have taught me to stop and enjoy the moments a little more. I need to love these little faces with every part of me possible.

so today I will be grateful for what I have.....

Yeah it has been a little while......

2010-12-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

Crazy us as crazy does and crazy is a way of life. We have been very busy lately and I barely have time to breathe or cook or do laundry, let alone blog. But here is a very breif recap of our last two months.
school, school and more school.....I just started my last class and cannot believe the end is in sight!
David is working a ton, they have thankfully been very busy.
Nicole is studying hard, and a lot. She is anxiously planning out her future with some amazing ideas. This girl is amazing.
D.J. is enjoying junior high. He is learning to keep up with the workload and changes that middle school brings.
Ally is still our chatterbox and social butterfly. She loves to be a part of everything.
Jon is really lovuing Scouts and being a Webelos. He has some great leaeders who are planning fun activities.
Ryan turned 8 and got baptized. I have some great pictures to share a little later.

We managed to survive Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have a ton of great photos to share once I download them off my camera.

So today I will be grateful for the 3 spare minutes I had to blog this.... LOL! Sometimes you just take what you can get.

Boo! I'm gonna scare you!

2010-11-01T18:22:00.000-06:00

SO yup, here it comes. The Halloween post!

I was a total slacker mom this year and totally fine with it. We did very simple costumes and no crazy hair or make up. What a relief.

So here they are.

Cole was nerdy scientist. But she can't fool me, she is still dang cute!

Ryan was a snow tiger (again)

Samurai Jon......for the 4 th year in a row.

Ally was a witch with green hair....I think the wig is bigger than she is.

D.J. was a hippie.

So today I will be grateful for Halloween fun and be grateful that it is now over!!!!

Not much and enjoying the status quo

2010-10-19T03:14:00.000-06:00

So I have not blogged a lot lately because not too much is happening. It is wonderful. Everyone is settling in to the back to school routines, and there is something so beautifully normal about life feeling normal.

So today I will be grateful for the beauty of a normal and uneventful day.

One smart chick!

2010-10-04T16:22:00.002-06:00

So last week Nicole gets in the car and says, mom, I got pulled out of class today." What? My cutie girl got pulled out of class? What in the world could she have done to warrant that? Well, it turns out the middle school pulled out all the kids with a very high GPA and asked them to apply to be part of the National Junior Honors Society. Nicole definitely qualifies for that!
So ahe applied, went in for an interview and found out today that she was accepted! Way to go smarty pants! We have no idea what this really means because obviously David and I were never asked to be part of this group. But she is very excited and we are very happy for her. She said it is goig to look great on her college applications (*hello - she is only in grade 9 and has her whole academic future planned out). I did not even know what I wanted to be when I grew up when I was her age - which was only yesterday - I swear!
She is all ready planning for a cholarship and plans to go to USU and become an aerospace engineer. I don't think I even knew what an aerospace engineer was when I was her age (no, really, that was just yesterday!)
We are excited for her and for this opportunity.

So today I will be grateful for a sweet daughter who works so hard and is finally getting some recognition for it!

The road goes ever on and on

2010-09-25T08:07:00.001-06:00

life continues here at a crazy pace. Last Friday my baby sister Jen had a baby! Finally a little girl. Audrey Renee Jennings is cute as button. And I totally get to be the favorite Aunt.

I have only been able to see her twice because I have been sick as a dog this week. cough, fever, headache, runny nose.......it has been an awful week. Thank goodness for Nyquil.

Will I ever learn or Will they ever make sunscreen strong enough for a redhead?

2010-09-04T22:36:00.001-06:00

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.............

After a day in the sun wearing this.....

I end up getting a sunburn like this. UGH!!!!

Yes, I was wearing sunscreen and yes, I did re-apply

This will hurt in the morning.....

So today I will be grateful for sunscreen because that crazy burn would have been so much WORSE without it!

Diary of a weekend away.

2010-08-29T19:39:00.000-06:00

Dear Diary...... just kidding.

This weekend was awesome! We went on a family trip to our favorite little hot spring in southern Idaho. Maple Grove is a beautiful place for some time away from reality.

We had a three car caravan drive up Friday night. Our family went, my mother went, and David's parents came along as well.

We managed to set up a tent, the trailer and get dinner on and swim for a while. We managed to have everyone in bed by midnight though.

Saturday was beyond busy. David and I got up before everyone and snuck in some time in the hot tubs before we woke the kids. Perfect way to start the day.

We had a quick breakfast and headed out to Logan to a Celtic Festival.

We had fun at the festival. It was hard to sing because of the wind! Wow! The wind was painfully strong and I think we ended up with windburns and sunburns. If you look at some of these photos, you may get a sense of how bad it was.

Good thing I wore the long skirt......

The kids snuck in some fun between shows. We walked around the festival and they had some fun activities for the kids. Two of my boys fought a knight, and three of my kiddos got to ride a pony.

watch out Ryan!!!!

This video is extremely quick because Jon defeated his opponent so quickly!

It took Ryan a lot longer. The man he was fighting with was such a great sport!

Ally, Jon, and Ryan going in circles.....

Here are some more pics from the Festival:

After the Festival we went here for a late lunch/early dinner:

Anyone who knows us well, knows exactly what David ordered.

That's right,

Tiny Spicy Chicken......

Totally worth the drive up to Logan!

We spent the rest of Saturday playing in the pool.

You can see how sunny it was. Check out that sunburn!

Here is one more video of Ryan teaching himself to swim. He uses the noodles, plugs his nose, dunk his head, and then kicks his feet. It ends up looking like a turtle running under water. He wore himself out doing this.

We packed up Sunday morning after a very hearty pancake and bacon breakfast.

We broke down the tent and found this:

Can you see what they are looking at?

Here is a close up:

Yes, that is a snake!!!!! It was under the tent.

It probably slithered under there to get warm.

and yes, it is dead.

It was a tiny little thing. Those are Ally and Ryan's hands next to it.

Ryan said the snake had a happy face.

Well, maybe we would have a happy face if we pass all warm and cozy? LOL!

Ally liked it's blue eyes.

It was a fast but fun weekend. Can't wait to do it again.

So today I will be grateful for family, fun, and weekend getaways!

And grateful that I can sleep in my own bed tonight!

One Week

2010-08-18T04:51:00.000-06:00

We are down to one week left until school starts for my kiddos again!
Can you hear the Hallelujah Chorus? I can....
I love the lazier pace of summer, no homework for the kids, hanging out, staying up late, etc....
But this summer has been so very busy and I am looking forward to the forced routine of school.
Maybe I will even have time to blog a little more often.
I am excited about my kids teachers so I am pretty sure they are in for a great year.
Cole starts early morning seminary this year and D.J. starts middle school.

WHAT?????? How in the heck did I get old enough to have two kids in middle school?

You know what they say about time flying..........

Where is the pause button? I am not ready yet.

So today I will be grateful for end of summer, cooler days, and the structure we gain from another school year.

so what else has happened?

2010-08-12T17:21:00.001-06:00

I mentioned before that this summer has flown by. It feels crazy fast.
So for my own ~~sanity~~ memory I am going to try to remmeber a few things.
Citrine performances.....almost every weekend.....
campouts - Evanston, Green River, Jordanelle, and one more coming up
Cole also went to Trek, girls's camp and she is Oakcrestright now. I also went to girl's camp for two days. Jon went to cub scout camp, and D.J. went to scout camp at Bear Lake for a week. Jon and Ryan did a basketball camp for a few days as well.
We went to a funeral in Green River. David's great aunt Hazel passed away. She was a truly amazing woman.
I had to take THE test. The Praxis II. The test I have to pass in order to be a teacher. Still waiting for the results.
No sleep, doc appoints, orthodont appoints, church callings, kids home all the time.... no wonder it has gone so fast. I hope I remember to enjoy the ride.

so today I will cheat a little and be grateful that summer is almost over.......I am not a fan o the heat...

Kissell Reunion Campout

2010-08-08T20:43:00.000-06:00

What do you get when you combine an August weekend + 2 pop-up trailers + 8 adults + 9 kids + great food + a couple of fishing poles and a boat?

A Kissell Family Reunion Campout!

This weekend we had a campout at Jordanelle. David's parent's, Darin and Shell, Mindy and Steven, and all their kids went too! We had a lot of fun. We stayed in out pop-up trailer. I had to leave Friday night to go back to work and did not get back up to Jordanelle until Saturday afternoon. But we had great food, fun games, sparkly crafts, and cute kids.

Here are some pics taken by me, Michelle, and Mindy. And they are in no particular order.

Jon, Ally, Cooper, and Bridger making their hot chocolate mugs.

D.J and Ally getting crafty and covered in glitter.

All the kids made hats, and hot chocolate mugs, and cute little bags, Thanks Michelle!

Bridger and Mason, best buddies most of the time.

Cole and her finished hat.

Ally's hat turned out pretty cute, but not as cute as she is!

Farmer Tan! Steven saved the day for Jon. Ask Steven about it.

Jon, Lia, and Mason helped to set up the tent.

Eating breakfast outside Darin and Michelle's "camping house." Mason called our trailers camping houses.

Cooper really wanted to go fishing.

Ryan, Lia, and Ally in our camping house.

Mason inside his tent.

Grammie and Cole walking with Lia

Cooper and Jon shared a tent. Those are two of the sleepiest smiles I have ever seen.

Yup, it's first thing in the morning and it is nature....what else should a boy do?

Mason counting to 10 while the other kids hid. Hide and Seek is always a fun game to play.

Jon, still smiling on the last day.

Ryan...................pouting.

Bridger made a new friend on the beach. They played fetch for a long time.

Jon "Fish" Kissell - fisherman!

Ally fishing. She caught one. Cole caught one too. Way to go girls! None of the boys caught any.

Trying to set up a tent with strong winds is always an adventure.

Mindy, Lia, and Mason decorating their bags.

Mason and Grandpa doing what they both love to do.

Can't wait to do it again!

So today I will be grateful for family and for the fun we have when we are together.

what the........??

2010-08-04T11:12:00.000-06:00

wait just a minute here.
I just looked at my calendar.
How in the heck did July come and go soooooooo quickly?
I have been unusually busy and now July is gone. So I will have to do a catch up blog.....
later though.
I have to get over the shock of summer being more than half gone.

Is that good or bad?

Today I will be grateful for air conditioners. Utah is a very hot place to live......

Eclipse

2010-06-28T16:00:00.000-06:00

So it is no secret how I feel about the Twilight book series. I am not a big fan. I read all 4 books in 4 days. I had to force myself to read them. I did not like how the character of Bellas is written. She comes across as whiny, boring, and way too dependent on her man/vampire. She has no lie with Edward in it. I think she needs to get a life and function without him. She has no business being in a relatinoship if she can not stand on her own two feet. But that is just my opinion.....

However......
the movies are so much fun! I love them. I love going to to see them, and then watching them over and over. They are just good, cheesy, predictable fun!

Eclipse opens tomorrow night at midnight. and yes, I have my tickets. My sister Jen and I have front row balcony seats. A friend on mine from high school is also coming along as well. I think it will be great fun. I have my vampire girl t-shirt. The only down side to the whole mindnight showing. I have to stay and work after......

but today I will be grateful that I have a job and even more grateful that my boss is not makig me work during the actual showing so I was able to get tickets to enjoy the show!

Double Trouble

2010-06-22T20:55:00.000-06:00

I married into a family with many sets of twins. My hubby's uncle has 2 sets of twins (out of his 10 kids).

Two of thos kids have twins of their own. His great grandmother was a twin. And his family history is full of double trouble, including a set of twins named Homer and Omer. Yes, I am serious about the names.

In my family history, we have found one set of twins, and they were brought in by marriage.

So ten years ago when we found out we were having twins, I cried for two days.

I was completely shocked! and excited! and terrified!

But since then, I have learned to appreciate the unique challenges of raising two kids at once.

I have certainly learned to appreciate the humor that comes with twin pops.
My mom just sent me this picture.

HOW TWINS ARE REALLY MADE

So today I will be grateful for the adventure of having two kids at once!

Music to my ears

2010-06-15T11:44:00.001-06:00

Last Saturday Citrne sang at the Highland games at Thanksgiving Point. It was soooooo cold! It felt like it was going to rain all day. We sang under the same pavillion as the food vendors. It pretty much garunteed us an audience. We sang at 10 am and 1 pm. The first show had almost no one there watching us. The festival had just opened and people were still setting up. It was a great warm up for us.
The second show had a packed crowd because it was lunch time and the lines for food were really long. People sure seemed to enjoy what they were hearing though. One giant man in a kilt actually called out requests! Then he sang along with us. It was fun to see him enjoying the music.

The games themselves were really fun to see. I walked around al ittle bit between shows. Each Scottish clan sets up there own booth. Many just have a bit of the clan history, some have things for sale, others have things to do. I called my dad to double check which clan we belong to. We are a sub-sect of the MACKAY clan.

I stopped by the MACKAY tent and talked to the guy there. He gave me a brief but colorful history of the clan colors and the how our tartan has evolved. It was fun to hear.

So today I will be grateful for family history and the unexpected places where you find family.

100 Random thoughts

2010-06-11T16:12:00.000-06:00

Want a glimpse into the mind of an AHDH person? A friend of mine tried this and she said it was hard. Write down 100 things that pop into your head as you are writing them.
Ready?

1. it is Friday
2. Fridays used to be fun
3. now I work every Friday night
4. I don't mind working
5. I can not wait to work during the day like regular people though
6. I am usually up late so working nights is okay
7. I just miss being able to do things during the day like everyone else
8. But working nights has advantages....I think.
9. That is why I go to school online
10. I am almost halfway through my graduate degree.
11. I never thought I would goback to school.......ever......not ever.......not in a million years
12. It is a lot of work.
13. but should be worth it
14. I worry that it will nto be worth it
15. Jobs are still hard to come by
16. it is rainy outside today
17. I LOVE rain
18. it smells good
19. it makes the earth feel a little cleaner
20. I think my dream job would have to be a cartoon voice
21. I don't want to be a cutesy princess or heroine
22. I want to be the voice of the villian
23. I think that would be the coolest job ever
24. I want to sing some cheesy song about ruling the world
25. I want slimy sidekicks that obey my every commnad
26. That would be so much fun!
27. I love to sing
28. I have three performances tomorrow
29. Two are at a the Highland games at Thanksgiving point
30. I think it will be fun.
31. We will have the band perfomring with us
32. Having the band there gives us a very different energy.
33. Energy is an elusive thing to me
34. I think that is because I never have any
35. That is probably because I have not had a good night's sleep in a year and and half
36. And then not having a good night's sleep for most of my adult life
37. Being diagnosed with sleep apnea changed a lot of that though
38. I sleep with a machine now
39. And no, I don't mean my hubby ;-)
40. I am so NOT going to go there right now......public blog and all.....
41. Citrine's thrid performance tomorrow is at the Ogden Arts Festival
42. I am looking forward to it all
43. My oldest kiddo has the best giggle when she gets going.
44. My baby has the best evil laugh I have ever heard.
45. His whole body tenses up and you see it in his eyes.
46. I need a haircut.
47. Last time, I went almost a year between hair cuts
48. I don't want to wait that long again.
49. It really stink when your hairstylist gets deported
50. It stinks more when that hairstylist is your sister.
51. Especially since it means I have to dye my own hair now
52. But I liked how it turned out last time.
53. A much, much darker brighter shade of red than I usually go for.
54. I was inspired by the movie Twilight and New Moon
55. I came out of New Moon thinking....I want Victoria's hair!
56. Being a redhead can be a tricky thing.
57. It means sunburns
58. Freckles
59. wierd guys in college who have strange obsessions with girls with red hair....
60. but that is a story for another day
61. My kids are obsessed with the old nickelodeon cartoon Avatar, the last Airbender.
62. They want to watch it everyday
63. I am excited that the live action movie is coming out in acouple of weeks.
64. It has only been about five minutes since I started writing this
65. Makes me realize what a slow typer I am
66. Is typer even a real word
67. Words are a funny thing
68. I love the word silhouette
69. I am not a fan of the word waffle
70. Although, I really like waffles
71. I think I will make some for dinner
72. I had some incredibly yummy waffles at a PTA breakfast
73. They were stuffed with a light cream
74. and topped with strawberries and raspberries
75. I had a hard time eating the whole thing
76. But it was worth every bite
77. It was from Mimi's Cafe
78. I should google stuffed french toast and try to figure out how to make the cream that is on this inside
79. I should be doing homework right now
80. I wish I had a break from school sometimes
81. But every break pushes back my graduation
82. That is why the only break I have had is during Christmas when the school shut down the online campus
83. wow. I am still thinking about waffles
84. I don't think I ever had waffles for breakfast growing up
85. Waffles were always a dessert item
86. My mother has an incredible recipe for Nowegian waffles
87. She makes them on a heart shaped waffle iron
88. We eat them drowning in butter
89. So freakishly delish!
90. I should take a nap
91. I have to work tonigh
92. Please, please, no one bring any gum to the movies tonight!
93. I get really tired of scraping up gum
94. You can read my true feelings about gum in an earlier post
95. It is my favorite thing in the world!
96. Sorry, can you hear the sarcasm from where ever you are
97. I need to do more laundry
98. Might be more fun to run around naked becuase then I could get all the laundry done
99. But I am a rehead and would not want to sunburn in unusual places
100. Shutting up now and going to go make waffles.

Yeah, so that took maybe ten minutes to write up and only covered about a quarter of what is running through my head right now........

So today I will be grateful for the fact that I have a mind of my own, no matter how screwy it is, no matter how random it gets, no matter how rapid the thought processes are, it is still mine!

School is out.....now what?

2010-06-04T12:26:00.000-06:00

Okay, so yesterday was the last day of ~~peace~~ school for my kiddos.

Summer has officially started for them.

Now what?

I am not so sure I am looking forward to a long summer break.
I am glad they are with me more, but I will miss being able to sleep when they are at home.

David

2010-05-22T16:08:00.000-06:00

Two days ago was May 20. May 20 is a fun day for me to remember. Besides it being my friend Sara's birthday, May 20 marks the second time I ever met my hubby.
Yup, having it be Sara's brithday is what helps me remember.
16 years ago we went on our first date.
Been a crazy ride since then!
Here to forever!
Love you!

Jump in where you are

2010-05-22T15:56:00.001-06:00

I love the FlyLady. Google her if you don't know who she is. One of her many little tidbits of inspiration is the you are never behind! Just jump in where you are.
I love that!
I need to remind myself of that everyday.
It does not matter that I did not finish what I started yesterday (a totally ADHD thing).
I can start fresh today.
One of my favorite books of all time is Anne of Green Gables.
You can never go wrong reading about a redhaired Canadian girl!
One of the life lessons that Anne learns early on is "Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it. "
It is a good thing.

So life is still as busy as ever.
There is only one and half more weeks of school for my kids.
I do not get time off from school for a summer break.
The summer movie season is starting so work is getting really busy again.
Citirine is getting booked for more and more performances (YAY!)
My in-laws just retired!
I get to go to girl's camp with the Young Women this year but am struggling to figure out which days to go because I have to work a lot. Wish I could go the whole time.
I am slowly learning how to say no to every volunteer opportunity. That is a hard one for me. I like to help.
My sister Jen found out that she is having a girl in September! Woo-hoo! I have one niece on my side and one niece on David's side. All the rest are boys! I have 8 nephews. So it will be awesome to have another little cutie girl.
I still need to paint and finish up Ally's room. But I am going to wait until school is out for her. She has a lot of crap in her room that I am going to make her clean up and throw out.
And yes, this list could go on and on and on......
but I won't bore you or overwhelm myself thinking about. Just gonna jump in where I am.

So today I will be grateful that I have things to do. I will attempt to be grateful that I have not been bored for over 15 years now.

From Crazy to ?????

2010-05-07T09:08:00.000-06:00

When the pace of your life is crazy, and you add mor to it, what does it become??

I have not had time to breathe, let alone blog in what feels like forever.

Since my last post.....
Cole turned 14! I do not know how I got old enough to have a 14 year old daughter, that is just not possible! Wasn't it just yesterday that we borught home a tiny (I mean tiny, 5 pounds when she came home) baby girl?

Now, she is growing up way to fast!

And she is way too beautiful!

Ryan started soccer. There is nothing funnier than watching 6 and 7year olds run around a soccer field.

I love watching Ryan run! It so cute watching his arms go way up like this.

He is #6 on the grey team. They named themselves the SILVERHAWKS!

Dad, D.J., Cole, and Grandma watching his first game.

Gotta love the views in this valley.

I also had my first performance with Citrine. It was so much fun! I forgot how much I love perfomring.

That is me on the right of the wood beam.

We have a several shows coming up this summer. I will let you know when.

I also just finished a huge class! It has been been my longest class so far - 8 weeks - of big projects. The end result was an integrated literacy unit that ended up being 45 pages long for me! UGH!

I am glad I survived. That class was a great class, I learned a lot, but I am also glad it is over.

I considered taking a break because I am really starting to feel a bit burned out, but it is more important to finish. I am still on track to finish next year.

Soothing the Savage Beast

2010-04-07T23:32:00.000-06:00

It has been said that music soothes the savage beast.
I love music.
I really, really love music.

I also love to sing.
Can't claim to be very good at it but I love to do it.

Last Saturday Citrine was asked to be the opening act for Emily Hope Price. (check her out on myspace -a m a z i n g!)
Wow, was that ever fun. We sang at Avenues Yoga studio.
Yes, I said yoga studio.

It made for a smaller, more intimate audience.

I liked it.

I forgot how much I love performing.

I can't wait until our next show. I am hoping to take pictures then.

Oh well.....back to the to do list.

Today I will be thankful for music, and everything it makes me feel.

Here we go.....

2010-04-01T17:18:00.000-06:00

So I finally have three days off, in a row. I have worked the the last 10 days in a row. So I am extra tired. Go figure.
But there is no rest for the ~~wicked~~ weary.
We have so much work to do at home this weekend.   So I am going to use this frightful little blog of mine to get my to do list in order, or at least written down so I don't forget all the ~~crap~~ stuff I have to do this
weekend.
so in no particular order:

- write ward newsletter
-write the middle school newsletter
-clean out basement storage room - the cold one under the porch
-paint said storage room to prevent further leakage from the outside world
-add shelves to the storage room from my mother's house
-bring over all of my mom's food storage and put it in the icy cold storage room
-now that I have emptied the storage room, throw away a ton of crap and organize the rest
-put together shelf for the garage...
          - oh wait, the landing for the new shelf is one inch too short so David has to add a ledge
          - one little inch is causing me grief and stres - grrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-clean out Ally's room - the whole room - not a thing left in that messy little hole
-take down the boarder in Ally's room
-cover up all the marker ~~artwork~~ scribbles all over the wall. What covers up black sharpie marks?
-take down the rotted door jam in Ally's room
-paint, paint, paint.   It is a pretty sahde of lavendarish lilac purple. We also have glitter paint to add a fun top coat layer to the Diva's room
-steam clean the carpet since the room is empty......hopefully this won't be too gross.
-put Ally's new room together.....new bed, bigger bookcase, less toys, get rid of the clothes that don't fit or that she refuses to wear because they are ~~ugly~~ ~~not cool~~ not her style.
-put the new door jam up in Divas room
-find a small section of baseboard at my mother's house to replace a three foot section in Ally's room.
-fix the truck - okay David has to do this one
-fix the van - and he gets to do this one too
-get a load ready to take There are days when I love getting rid of stuff we don't use or ever need.
-get ~~crap~~ ready for bulk pick up. Only two weeks away....
-clean out laundry room storage
-clean up a bit of the disaster in the downstairs bathroom
-add the plumbing and wiring for a second washer and dryer - yup, that is David's job as well
-put up sheet rock
-paint the laundry room
-put up a shelf in the laundry room
-pretend my laundry is done
-so much more to do in the bathroom downstairs that I can't even think about it or write it down. too depressing
-listen to conference
-be spiritually enlightened
-try not to have massive allergy attacks from stirring up all this dust
-sleep - at some point this weekend......
-do my homework
-try not to panic because the kids are home for the next five days

But there is one major fun activity this weekend.

My first performance with Citrine is this Saturday. i will blog more about it later. so excited that I can hardly wait!!!!!!!

So today I will be grateful for making lists. I am a cumpulsive list maker. I have lists for everything, scribbled on everything. I think it is an ADD coping mechanism. Helps me out a little bit anyway.

Ode to Insanity

2010-03-27T20:01:00.000-06:00

Dear Insanity,

You and I are much to well acquainted.
I am beginning to believe that I can not live without you.
It is truly a love/hate relationship.
Every time I think I have you under control, you manage to get away again.
It is as though we are children playing cops and robbers.
The cop catches the robber but the robber always manages to escape.
Your prescence can not co-exsist with sanity, why is that?
It makes me feel like a dog on a track chasing the rabbit around in circles, never quite catching it.
So round and round we go.

Shut up and enjoy the ride.

the inside of my eyelids.......

2010-03-16T08:03:00.000-06:00

I have decided that my favorite scene to look at is the inside of my eyelids......
Lots of crazy things can been seen there.
Especially in those rare moments of sleep.
Those moments are extremely rare lately.
I have been working a few extra shifts because the other part time guy at work quit.

But dreams are a funny thing.
They can leave you more worn out than you were when you are awake.
especially if your imagination is as ~~strange~~ ~~weird~~ active as mine as.

In Cinderella, she sings a song that says "A dream is a wish your heart makes when you're fast asleep."

Do you agree or disagree? What about dreamless nights? Does that mean you have no wishes?

What about those truly insane dreams where you are doing things are part of things you only vaguely remember?

I once had a dream that I helped Val Kilmer escape from prison.....and it was 1930. And his mom (or someone who said she was his mom) drove the getaway car.

What does that mean?

Too much to think about.

But it is now 8 am, the kids have left for school and I get to embrace my favorite view.
the inside of my eyelids.

see you on the other side of whatever dreams are heading this way.

Today I will be greatful for the ability to dream, over-active imaginations, and creativity in general. How boring would we all be without those attributes?

The road goes ever on and on.....

2010-03-06T15:11:00.000-07:00

What is Saturday like at your house?

At our house it is a strange day.
Growing up I really did not like Saturdays...not at all!!!! Saturdays meant getting up earlier than I wanted to and cleaning all day. I am not a big fan of cleaning. A little mess does not bother me nearly as much as it should.

At our house, Saturday is truly the only day I get to come home from work, go to bed, and stay in bed. I don't have to wake up for meetings, for school, for car pools, for church, not for anything.

There is one exception.......my children. They have yet to master to art of sleeping in on Saturdays. Cole will sleep in a little bit but no one else seems to have to the ability to sleep in.
So they get up, make noise, make messes, and I hope make some memories in the process.

It is a good thing to be as broke as we are because our Saturday mornings are not filled up with football, dance, or soccer.

We get to just hang out and be us. Chaos and all!

I'M NO SUPERMAN!

2010-03-05T15:25:00.001-07:00

Ever watch that show "Scrubs?"

I LOVE the theme song of that show.....I can't do this all on my own,

I'm no Superman...

That is what I feel like lately. I get asked all the time how I do it all. It always makes me laugh because I like to do a lot, but do not think I do it all. I don't think I do any more than any one else. I know my friends are just as busy as I am, they do just as much as I do.
So I was totally shocked and flattered that my friends on the PTA had nominated me for the Golden Apple Award. It is a the highest honor the PTA can award. I was given a copy of award application and three letters were attached, one form the principal, the pta prez and a teacher. The winners will be announced in May.
What they wrote was so sweet and nice and flattering. No I am not going to post it here, this blog is not for telling you all how great I am, cuz I am not great....not by any stretch of the imagination. But their words made me very teary.
I wish I could give my family an award instead. They are what my insane level of volunteering possible. They make me feel like a superwoman.

So today I will be greatful for my family (no surprise there.) and be thankful for opportunities to volunteer at school. I LOVE doing it!

pictures are worth a thousand words

2010-02-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

Every now and then it is nice to have a professional photogrpah taken. So here is the latest Kissell Family photo:

Barrus Photography did an awesome job!

the newlywed game

2010-02-13T21:51:00.001-07:00

I love games - usually. I am totally addicted to the Settlers of Catan. But tonight at the ward valentine party we were randomally selected as one of four couples to play the newlywed game. Of course, we came in last palce! My mind always blanks on those silly questions! But it was a lot of fun and we learned a lot about some of the other couples in the ward that we don't know very well. And we won a fabulous prize!! A day at the spa together......which of course was really a bottle of bubble bath and a loofah. It was a nice night with good food and good friends.

Declaring War against Germs!

2010-02-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

I really hate being sick. It just thows off my whole groove!

Makes me want to the Emperor's New Groove just so I can hear them say "You've thrown off the Emperor's Groove" and watch them throw that guy out the window. That is what I want to do with this stomach bug!
Everyone but Jonathon has come down with it. Don't know how he got to be so lucky. But I am not complaining about that.

I just live a very crazy- choatic- busy is an understatment sort of life. I like having good things to do.
But being sick makes it so all I have the energy to do is sleep.

and sleep.

and sleep.

I don't have time to sleep.

So here is to Lysol and Bleach and scrubbing away to germs.....just gotta get out of bed to do it.

So I am trying to think through the fog and be grateful for something. Oh I know, I am grateful for a very comfy bed to sleep/recover in. And also grateful for heavy duty ckleaners that clean up the smell of being sick (you alll know what I am talking about - the vomit, the poop, the sweat....ewww. I know!)

The real co$t of ADHD

2010-02-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

We are a family of 7 ADHD folks trying to make our way through the chaos. We don't hide the fact that we all have ADHD, but we don't really advertise it either.
Having ADHD comes with a cost. A lot of research has proven what the emotional costs are, what the educational costs are, and what the personal costs are.

I am going to gripe a little abot the financial cost of ADHD.

I don't like complaining on my blog.....I am trying to have a positive and grateful attitude. But I was gathering all the information we need to do our taxes. I sorted all our reciepts, and added up how much we spent this last year on perscription medications.

Over $5200.00!!!!!!!

No - I AM NOT KIDDING!

These are just the perscription reciepts. I did not include all the doctor visits needed to get those drugs.

But every time I thik about how much of our income goes to support our pharmacists, I remember what life is like without the meds.

no one can concentrate

no one can finish anything they start

no one can sit still

no one can stop talking

no one can stop running

no one can focus

we fight more

we yell more

we sleep less

we make bigger messes

we are all more irritable

there is no peace

there is no quiet

there is no order to anything

we don't get along

our grades fall

etc...

etc..

etc...

blah

The money we spend on those drugs is nothing compared to the benefits of having those wonderful drugs.

It is worth every penny!

So today I will be grateful for health insurance, no matter how crappy or limited, and be grateful that we only spent over $5200.00 and $12000.00 for the drugs that make our life a little more "normal."

A penny for your thoughts.....

2010-01-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

So a friend of mine asked once how much money do I reallly find on the floor at the theatre?

So just for fun, I thought I would keep track. I started keeping tabs on January 1 and so far this year I have picked up $5.48. I am adding a ticker to my blog to help keep track of how much change I pick up. Ahhh....the small things I do to amuse myself....
And no, I am not actually saving any of this change. I have to keep my caffiene addition going.

So today I will be grateful for dropped change and Mountain Dew.

Remembering Amy

2010-01-26T00:01:00.002-07:00

Dear Amy,

Two years ago today you left us. You left too soon. I know you ~~wanted~~ needed a break from the craziness and did not intend to make it forever. I know you loved your boys and your husband. I am sorry that I can't do more to help your boys. I am sorry that I have not been back to your grave. I was there when they lowered your body in to it but can't bring myself to go back. I don't know if I ever will.
I miss seeing you out my garage, miss hearing you yell at your dogs, and your boys. I miss going shopping at midnight in our p.j.'s. I miss the girl talk. I miss the sewing. I miss your ups. I even miss your downs. I miss your cynacism. I miss your creativity. I miss having someone save me a seat at all the school functions. I miss having someone who could pick out my clothes for me whenever I have a hot date with my hubby. I miss your smile. I miss your laugh. I miss you complaining about all our neighbors. I miss the peppermint hot chocolates. I miss the crazy crafts, the constant sewing, and painting. Most of all, I miss having you here. You may be gone, but you will never be forgotten..........

Amy Beth Hancock-Rudd "Giver of Gifts and Sower of Dreams" Our beloved wife, mother, sister and friend died at the age of 38 in her home after a long battle with illness on January 26, 2008.Born August 26, 1969 to Wayne and Judie Hancock in Salt Lake City, Utah. She attended West Jordan High, LDS Business College, and the University of Utah. She was an honor roll student and earned two degrees. She married the love of her life, Mark Rudd on Feb. 4, 2000. They had two beautiful boys together, Avery and Asher. They were all sealed together in the Salt Lake Temple on June 25, 2004. Fun-loving, smart, generous, loyal and talented, she excelled in sewing creating beautiful wedding dresses and baby-blessing gowns. She loved fashion and worked as a model for many years and enjoyed a successful career in retail management. Amy was always looking out for the other guy and was always more than willing to lend a hand or give of her time and talents wherever she was needed. She loved tutoring and volunteering at her kid's school. She had a big heart and loved her family and friends dearly. Survived by her husband, Mark: sons, Avery and Asher; mother, Judie; father, Wayne and step-mother Annette; mother-in-law, Mary and father-in-law, Jack; brother, Taylor (Kim), as well as brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins and friends. Preceded in death by her grandma Cleo, grandfather Cleve, and grandfather Rudy.

Today I chose to be grateful for life. You never know when yours will be cut short.

The results and something else to brag about.

2010-01-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

So the results of D.J.'s science experiment were not a surprise to either of us. Ammonia worked the best at getting out the stains in the carpet and also really good for burning your eyes and clearing your sinuses.

Something else to brag about....
Cole is in the eigth grade now at Indian Hills Middle School and we got a letter from the school last week. I always get just a little nervous when you get those letter addressed "to the parents of..."
But this is Cole, no need to worry. She has been selected as "CITIZEN OF THE MONTH!" We are so exicted for her. She got to attend a special lunch, parents were invited as well, where she recieved a cool plaque, certificate, and goody bag. I couldn't attend because it was on a Wednesday and that is the one day of the week that I work at the elementary school during lunch. So David took an extra long lunch to see her get the award.

She is such a cutie-pie!

So today I am grateful for great kids!

Risks and Rewards

2010-01-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have known me a long time, you know I LOVE to sing. I sing all night long at work. The bathrooms at work don't really have very good accoustics, but it is still fun to sign while I clean them, makes the time go even faster.
So I saw on Facebook that a certain singer/songwriter I know is holding auditions this month for female singers for her group. I thought, what the heck, why not audition. What is the worst she could say....maybe just that my voice is not going to work for her style.
So I went ahead this morning and auditioned for her and she asked me to join!
So you are now reading the blog of the newest member of Anne-Marie Hildebrandt's group CITRINE!!!!!!

I am so excited!

Her music is very cool sounding, celtic, earthy, rock, folksy. Rehearsals start in a month and I will let you know when performances are. I love the sound of her music so I am excited to learn it and start singing a lot more regularly where I will reall y have a chance to improve the skills I am good at faking :-).

YAY!

So I today I am grateful for music and taking risks!

Adventures in Science with ulterior motives.....ooohhhh......ahhhhhh

2010-01-20T02:15:00.000-07:00

It comes as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I am a procrastinator. It truly is an ADHD thing, It is simply too easy to find 600 other things to do. Does not help the situation at all when hubby and all 5 kids have it too!
So what did we wait to the last minute to do? D.J.'s sixth grade sciene fair project. I probably shouldn't admit that we knew about it before Christmas. But as usual, life got in the way. So here we are, the night before the final project is due and we still don't know what to do.
So good old google came to the rescue. We simply typed in science fair projects and voila! More ideas than we know what to do with..... also not a good thing for the ADHD mind.
Once we eliminated all the ones that were going to take a lot of time we ended up with D.J. picking a product testing project. He decided to findo ut which carpet cleaner works the best. Can you see where this would secretly delight me...I want to know. Christmas trashed my carpets!

We have a roll of extra carpet that came with our house and it has been sitting in the garage since we got here. We cut off a few strips and had fun staining them.
D.J. rubbed dirt in them, ink from a stamp pad, and grape juice. All common household "problems" that arise around here far more often than I want to admit.
He washed one with water, one with straight ammonia, one with a generic (Wal~Mart) brand carpet spot remover, Resolve, and Spot Shot.
Wanna know what works the best...... I will tell you tomorrow after all the samples have dried! LOL!

Since I keep forgetting to include my gratitude list......I think I will change from doing 5 every time to just one. A little less pressure on my cluttered mind.
I am grateful for GOOGLE! saved the day today!

yes, It's been a while

2010-01-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

I have not been very good at blogging lately. Seems like life is racing by too quickly again. The holiday season came and went too quickly and I don't remember a lot of it right now. I know we kept it simple and tried to make it all about fun rather than gifts.
We tried to keep up with the usual traditions. Every year we got o Temple Square with our good friends the Margetts. We have gone every year for, well, I don't remember how many years now. we always try to go out for dinner or something before if we can and then just have fun walking around and talking.
New Years came and went quickly too. I spent it at work.
We have spent most of January trying to get settled back into routines and back to normal, whatever normal is.

Just another Day...

2009-11-28T21:11:00.000-07:00

I am decidedly thankful for ordinary things.
I did not do a Thanksgiving post party because I was totally wiped out from work and partly because I am trying to be grateful everyday, not just on turkey day.
I have decided that one of the things I am the most grateful for is the choas we call normal.
I am grateful that we have a mountain of laundry becuase it means we have clothing to wear.
I am grateful that I am tired a lot beacuse it means I am working hard and have a job.
I am grateful for all the dumb computer glitches that make me ~~cuss~~ yell at my computer because I am glad to have a computer.
I am grateful my pants are falling off beacuse it means the extra weight is finally starting to come off.
I am grateful for homework because it means we are learning something.
I am grateful that my van is falling apart because it means we at least have some sort of transportation.

I guess it all about the attitude right?

We have to keep a sense of humor going.
the other day I got home a little late from work to find a very upset David sitting at the computer.
Turns out he had fallen asleep and Ryan did not. So Ryan, our ~~little~~ BIG trouble maker decided to play with one of the phones. He called 911 multiple times. So at 3:30 in the morning Ryan wakes David up by telling him that a policeman want to talk to him. What? daivd did not know at this point that Ry-Guy had been playing with the phone. He thought something had happened to me. So he was angry but relieved to find that it was just Ryan playing with the phone. I got home around 4 am and David was trying to calm down. The police gave Ryan a good lecture about not calling 911 unless it was a real emergency.
Ryan won't even talk to me about it. He just keep saying that he "forgot" what happened.

Ah, the hair raising joys of raising boys.....

The Man in the Moon

2009-11-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

Ah, it is finally here...NEW MOON! I have friends going absolutley crazy over this movie! I got to go see the midnight premeire with a huge group of people I know. That part was fun. I knew a lot of PTA friends were going to be there, but I was happily surprised to run into a whole bunch of David's cousin's (on the Brown side). It is always fun to see them. David has a gazillion cousins. Not really, it just feels that way. I have 3. Yup, just 3. And yes, that is including BOTH my Mom's side and my Dad's side. My Mom has 1 brother, he has one son. My Dad has one sister, and she has one son and one daughter. I couldn't begin to do David's side without the family history books ready.
As for the moviem I thought it was a lot of fun. MUCH better than the book and anyone who knows me well knows how much I LOVE the books (you should be reading an extreme tone of sarcasm in that). I find the books a little painful. I don't mind the actual story line, I just don't like women characters who can't survive without a man. Life goes on people, and we must also. Men bring a whole mew dynamic to our lives and I would never want to be without it, but seriously, not even functioning without one? I can't imagine that. But then again, no one has ever accused me of being a romantic.....
I am not so excited for the aftermath of the movie

My GRATITUDE LIST:
1.

November 11

2009-11-11T19:36:00.001-07:00

Today is Veteran's Day, for my U.S. friends, or Rememberance Day, for my Canadian friends. Anyone who has ever seen my house knows that we are a tiny bit Patriotic. Okay, so everything is decorated Americana style. But my favorite Veteran's Day poem was written by a Canadian soldier during World War 1. Here it is:

In Flanders Fields

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)

Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

I remember memorizing this poem in grade 9 for a special play. I still remember every word.
I found a little bit of history about this poem as well. It makes it even more meaningful for me. I found it on the Arlington Cemetery website. Here it is.....

Although he had been a doctor for years and had served in the South African War, it was impossible to get used to the suffering, the screams, and the blood here, and Major John McCrae had seen and heard enough in his dressing station to last him a lifetime.

As a surgeon attached to the 1st Field Artillery Brigade, Major McCrae, who had joined the McGill faculty in 1900 after graduating from the University of Toronto, had spent seventeen days treating injured men -- Canadians, British, Indians, French, and Germans -- in the Ypres salient.

It had been an ordeal that he had hardly thought possible. McCrae later wrote of it:

"I wish I could embody on paper some of the varied sensations of that seventeen days... Seventeen days of Hades! At the end of the first day if anyone had told us we had to spend seventeen days there, we would have folded our hands and said it could not have been done."

One death particularly affected McCrae. A young friend and former student, Lieut. Alexis Helmer of Ottawa, had been killed by a shell burst on 2 May 1915. Lieutenant Helmer was buried later that day in the little cemetery outside McCrae's dressing station, and McCrae had performed the funeral ceremony in the absence of the chaplain.

The next day, sitting on the back of an ambulance parked near the dressing station beside the Canal de l'Yser, just a few hundred yards north of Ypres, McCrae vented his anguish by composing a poem. The major was no stranger to writing, having authored several medical texts besides dabbling in poetry.

In the nearby cemetery, McCrae could see the wild poppies that sprang up in the ditches in that part of Europe, and he spent twenty minutes of precious rest time scribbling fifteen lines of verse in a notebook.

A young soldier watched him write it. Cyril Allinson, a twenty-two year old sergeant-major, was delivering mail that day when he spotted McCrae. The major looked up as Allinson approached, then went on writing while the sergeant-major stood there quietly. "His face was very tired but calm as we wrote," Allinson recalled. "He looked around from time to time, his eyes straying to Helmer's grave."

When McCrae finished five minutes later, he took his mail from Allinson and, without saying a word, handed his pad to the young NCO. Allinson was moved by what he read:

"The poem was exactly an exact description of the scene in front of us both. He used the word blow in that line because the poppies actually were being blown that morning by a gentle east wind. It never occurred to me at that time that it would ever be published. It seemed to me just an exact description of the scene."

In fact, it was very nearly not published. Dissatisfied with it, McCrae tossed the poem away, but a fellow officer retrieved it and sent it to newspapers in England. The Spectator, in London, rejected it, but Punch published it on 8 December 1915.

Canadians celebrate today by wearing poppies. I wish American's would do that too. It was always so fun to see all those red poppies on everyone's lapels.

My Gratitude List:

1. Soldiers - who else is so willing to give their lives for all the freedoms I take for granted? Saying Thank you just doens't seem like enough.

2. Freedom - something else I take for granted but what would we do without it?

3. Those who are left behind - the families of soldiers. your sacrifice is greater than the rest of us can understand, and am grateful for you.

4. Holidays- like the one we are celebrating today. It is great to have a reminder of all we hold dear.

5. Two Countries - I am grateful today to have lived in two amazing, FREE countries. What a blessing.

Fall Fun

2009-11-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

My favorite season is Fall. I hate that it is the shortest season here in Utah. I love the colors - hey they are the ones that flatter us redheads! I love the clear, crisp air and chilly nights. I love wearing long sleeves and boots. Fall is the best!
The only part I am not really fond of is raking leaves. We have a lot of trees on our property, and a lot of trees mean a lot of leaves. I had my kids out raking last week. All 5 of them helped and they got a lot done! Here are some pics to show what I mean when I say we have a lot of leaves.

D.J. worked so hard!

Jon helped too

Ally even helped - instead of directing. (-:

Ryan was smart and wore his dad'safety glasses

Cole was the smartest though, she used the leaf blower!

So many leaves that it was easier to shovel them!

Then the real fun began - Jumping in the leaves. D.J. took this picture

Jon took this picture of him and Al

Cute 12 year old!

Brothers are the best!

We ended up with 19 bags full of leaves.

And there are still leaves on the trees.................

I talked to my supervisor this morning. Half of the balloons are gone. He doesn't think they are going to take down the rest of the balloons until the gas leaves and the start to deflate. So, he is going to move all the balloon bridges to the North side of the theatre since the employee entrance is on the South side. So hopefully I can go to work tonight - although - it has been nice to have a few days off. He also said that if my allergies start to act up that I can leave. He has no problem with that at all. Thankfully I have tried to be a good employee. I try not to ever be late, I don't call in sick, I have only ever taken 5 days off in 6 months and I gave plenty of notice each time. So I hope they know that I am not flaking out on them, just a victim of my own body. Dang Allergies!

MY GRATITUDE LIST:

1. kids who like rake leaves - selfish, I know!

2. music - makes any job go faster!

3. socks - my feet are always cold, so I love my socks

4. games - I love playing 'em

5. hugs - they work more miracles than anything I know of!

The rest of the Halloween pictures

2009-11-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

Here are the rest of the Halloween pics. Our kids had a lot of fun!

Jon dressed as a snow tiger for trick or treating. D.J. was the tooth fairy and Ryan was a knight!

Ally was the cutest lil pirate!

She even had a pirate tattoo!

The girls went trick or treating with our friend Emme and her friend Nicole.

They all had a lot of fun. I could hear them laughing from half a block away!

My GRATITUDE LIST

1. rain - love the smell, love the feel, love the rain!

2. movies - love em! what's your favourite?

3. garlic - makes food taste so much better, love it on bread!

4. down comforters - if you have one, you know.

5. Ikea - I just really love, LOVE, LOVE IKEA! I am so glad we have one here now!

yes, I am am still alive....barely

2009-11-05T19:40:00.002-07:00

So I had a little bit of a scare at work last night. I walked into the theatre, and walked into a death trap. The whole place was decorated with purple and gold balloons. They were everywhere! It looked amazing. So why is this a deathtrap? Sounds more like party right?
W R O N G !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For those who don't know, I have a gazillion allergies. One of which is latex. I am deathly allergic to latex! It is not just "a don't touch it and you you won't get a rash" sort of allergy. It is more of the "little tiny particles in the air make my eyes swell, my nose get super stuffy and my lips go numb as a precurser to my throat swelling shut and my stopping breathing" sort of allergy. I hate it. I took two allergy pills (cause I always have them in my purse). I was foolishly hoping that if I stayed out of the common areas and stuck to the inside of the theatres I would be okay. I was soooooo wrong. Within the hour I could barely see, couldn't breathe out my nose, and my lips were starting to tingle. So I told the supervisor that I had to leave. I clocked out and went home, ran straight for the Benadryl, and jumped into the shower. That was a very long drive home. I was so itchy! So this morning I called the director of human resources and explained to her what happened. I have never walked off a shift before. People who do that usually get fired. I need my job still. So after talking to her for a while she siad to not worry about it and to not come back to work until they call me and tell me the balloons are gone. I was very grateful that she wanted to make sure I was okay. So I get a few nights off. YAY!
So what were all those balloons for? This week in the ten year anniversary of when the Megaplex first opened. So, a good reason for them to celebrate. But their party is my worst nighmare. It did get me thinking though, when I die (probably from sort of allergic reaction to something) I do not want any one of you to send flowers! I want balloons instead. I want the whole dang place to be completely decorated with balloons! Hopefully my spirit can come down and enjoy them because this body does not!

I never did post Halloween pictures. So here are a few of Cole. I will post more of the others later. She was a dark fairy. We bought a black fairy outfit and added the colored skirt layers. We cut the eye "wings" out with my Cricut and added glitter to them and glued them to her face with spirit gum. Her hair even has star glitter in it. I think she looked great!

And before I forget.....

MY GRATITUDE LIST for today...

1. Benadryl - if read the post, you all ready know why

2. Blue jeans! - seriously the best pants ever.

3. Halloween is over! Always grateful when that holiday is done

4. M & M's - we are making cookies using all the Halloween M & M'ssleep as chocolate chips. sooo goooood!

5. sleep - always, ALWAYS grateful for a few extra zzzzzz's

Life is a Drag.....

2009-10-15T20:11:00.001-06:00

The title of that post would be referring to our weekend getaway to Boise. Specifically Eagle, Idaho and the Firebird Raceway. It was quite the adventure. We went camping with our pop-up trailer and stayed at an RV resort. We picked the resort because it has Wi-Fi and I need to stay current with my homework and class attendance requirements.
So bear with me here as I describe our little trip and include a bunch of pictures.

DAY 1 - Thursday.
I got home from work about 4 am, hurried and cleaned the bathroom, took out all the garbages, showered and we left around 5 am. David had loaded the trailer and car the night before. It was about a 5 hour drive to Boise - I think - I was asleep for most of the ride. We pulled into the campground around 11:30 or so and set up the trailer and made lunch, etc... The trailer has eletricity and David bought a small space heater which was a life-saver!!!
We headed out to the raceway right away so we could find our neighbors - Brett Winberg and Travis Gaylord. Anyone who has driven past our house has probably seen their trailer outside. If we ever can't find David at home, he is usually next door in the garage helping them work on their cars. he is over there so much that they painted his name on the trailer.
We watched a few races and walked around to look at the race cars. Some of them get really creative with the paint/sticker jobs. They are also incredibly loud! even with earplugs, the cars drown out your thoughts.
The kids had fun except for Ryan who did not like the noise.
We returned to the campground to BBQ some dinner (which was DELISH! Thanks Dave)and get ready for bed. The kids were pretty tired and fell asleep pretty quickly so I was able to get some homework done before I crashed as well.

DAY 2 - Friday
The space heater kept us warm enough! YAY! David made breakfast while we took turns showering and getting ready for the day. We were gong to take the kids on a fun activity in the morning but ended up driving all around Boise in search of another cooler. It seems like every store we went to had clearanced them out. David found some flexible lunch bag style coolers for an amazing deal and bought the last 3 ($3 a piece!). We filled them with ice and drinks and started on our way back to the track. I ad one of the coolers on my lap and suddnel felt very, VERY, cold and wet. The silly coolers leak!!!!!!! We found a Wal~Mart and found a "real" cooler there to store all our drinks in.
We spent the rest of the day at the track. The wind was almost unbearably cold. We stopped for pizza on the way home because it was late and we were all tired and windblown.
I put the kids to bed and started my homework while David went and hunted down a Redbox and rented a couple of movies. I didn't even make it through the first movie before I fell asleep. I think I could easily get used to sleeping at night again.....

DAY 3 - Saturday
We took our time getting up today because isn't that what vacations are for? We went out to the track for a while and then came back to the campsite for lunch. David BBQ'ed some chicken and it was divine! I got some laundry done and a lot of homework. The kids played games with each other and ran around the camp for a while. There was a small playground so they spent most of their time outside.
The racing event is called The Halloween Classic. One of the fun parts for the kids is a trick or treating event on Saturday evening. The race track enforces a no motor policy for about an hour while the kids dress up and go trick or treating from car to car or trailer to trailer. The kids ended up with WAY too much candy, but they had a great time. After the trick or treating we stayed and watched the air show. The air show has nothing to do with airplanes... The cars get up on the back two wheels and they see whose car stays up the longest and whose car goes up the highest. That was pretty cool to see. Ryan did not like the noise and was getting pretty tired so he and I went back to the car and stayed there for a few minutes while the rest of the fam watched the ending of the air show.
We let the kids watch the movie Dave rented for them and we all slept pretty soundly that night.

DAY 4 - Sunday
Pretty much just packed up and went home. We took our time and enjoyed the day together. Gratitue List will come later......I gotta get some sleep before work.....
Here are a few pics. All the trip pics are in an album on my facebook account.

gotta love the dollar store for cheap costumes!

Ryan lost a tooth on the ride home!

Burnt toast

2009-10-06T19:49:00.000-06:00

Ahh......the joys of parenthood. The sights, the sounds, the smells????
I was in my bedroom this afternoon listening to my Ry-guy read. He is improving so much and will hopefully be at grade level by the end of the year. Ally-bug comes running in my room, calm as can be, and says, "Hey mom, there is smoke in the kitchen, I think something is on fire."

This can't be good.

I run to the kitchen and the whole room is filled with smoke. Jonny-fish had decided to make toast and put the toaster setting to the highest setting, and then walked away.

I hurried to unplug the toaster and dropped what now resembled charcoal out the back door. We had to leave the door open and put all the fans in the kitchen to blow the smoke out.

But the smell lingers on.....

My Gratitude List

1. the PTA - yes, I am serious about this one. I love the PTA. I have met so many amazing people through the PTA.

2. good painkillers.

3. flannel pajamas

4. online schooling- I get to work at my own pace - sort of- and on my own time.

5. mascara. I have white eyelashes without it! The joys of being a redhead.

oops!

2009-10-05T21:42:00.000-06:00

Almost forgot my list for today:

My Gratitude List:

1. My BFF Cyndi - need I say more......

2. Rain. I actually really like the rain. It makes the air smell better, kinda like giving the earth a bath.

3. Blue jeans. Everyone looks good in a pair of blue jeans. Thank you Levi Strauss!

4. Long Weekends. We are making our own this weekend. I will let you know how it goes..... if we survive!

5. Contact lenses. I wore my glasses yesterday, the are 2 perscriptions old, have a slightly broken piece and slide off my nose every time I look down. Makes me grateful for contacts because I also get to pretend to have periferal vision with my contacts in.

because I don't have enough to do....

2009-10-05T21:21:00.000-06:00

I have heard again and again that people think I am a little nutty and do soooo much. I don't really think I do, but what I do I know? When I start making my laundry list of things I am doing it does start to sound a little intense, but it isn't like I have to do it all at once.

I have 5 kiddos and a cute hubby.
I am going to graduate school.
I work a graveyard shift.
I volunteer at the school.
I have a church calling.
I am on the elementary school's PTA - I write the quarterly newsletter, and am in charge of this year's reading week/event.
I am on the PTSA executive board at the middle school, historian and I also write the monthly newsletter for them too.
I am the Chairperson for the School Community Council at the elementary school.

yadda, yadda, yadda. That does sound like a lot. I now get to add another part time job to that list!
Yes, I am serious.
From now on, every Wednesday, I will go to the Elementary to be a recess aide. I am totally going to brag, but I was the first one they called. It is only an hour and half, once a week, and it will give me chance to spy on my own children.
Too much fun!
So when does a lot turn into too much? Thoughts anyone?

Derby's, Dentists, and Dishevelement

2009-09-26T16:19:00.006-06:00

So I promised my SIL a few pictures of this week's Pinewood Derby. David and Jon created a fun car and designed the stickers for it. He did not place in the top three this year but he had a great time racing. He won the "fastest looking car" award though!

Ryan had a bit of a rough week. He had a filling fall out a while ago. We do not have dental insurance so it is really frustrating when things like happen. The tooth was hurting him and even keeping him up at night. We ended up taking him to the Dentist and we had him pull out the tooth. Ryan was amazing at the dentist's office. He sat still! He even smiled when it was all done!

My mom has had a small setback in her recovery from knee surgery. She is allergic to the pain meds the doctor gave her. She has not been able to stop the itching and scratching. She also developed a low fever. Top that all off with her knee starting to really hurt as the muscles try to heal. She got a new painkiller from the doctor but it makes her really nauseated. I am pretty worried about her. I wish her house had allready sold and she was here with us. I could take better care of her that way. Her house is back up for sale and we are constantly praying that it will sell soon. It would make life easier for all of us.

The twin pops had a really incredible experience at school this week. They have participated in a prgram called RAD KIDS. It is a personal safety and empowerment program. It is sorta like an anti-bullying program as well. They learned so much and learned how to protect themselves if they feel like they are in danger. The "graduation" included a demonstration for the parents. The simulation was put on by a police officer who was all dressed up in full protective padding. the kids were able to practice their RAD KIDS moves using their full force to get away from this potential kidnapper. The officer really made them work to get away from him. It was so cool to see our kids escape from this would-be-kidnapper.

I have not had much sleep this week, feels like even less than normal. I have had a lot of homework and had to work an extra shift on top of the surgery, dentist visit, and derby. I am so looking forward to getting away for a few days in October. Just keep praying that my supervisor gives the time off.

So this week has been more than a little crazy, but I guess that crazy is normal for our house.

My Gratitude List for today:

1. Chocolate covered strawberries - someone gave my mom a giant edible fruit arrangement as a recovery gift. She couldn't eat all the fruit and we were lucky enough to get more than half the basket. There were several chocolate covered strawberries in the mix and I enjoyed a few of them.

2. My church calling - I currently am the ward newsletter editor. This is probably the only calling you can do at home in your p.j.'s, on your own time frame. I am grateful that this calling does not require me to be anywhere or awake at any specific time. I don't think my life could handle anything else at this point.

3. No kids in diapers - I just glad my kids are a little older now. Silly thing to be grateful for, but I am grateful nontheless.

4. Facebook - with my hectic schedule I can rarely find time to talk to everyone I want too. Facebook allows me to know what is going on with everyone and keeps me a little bit connected and keeps me from feeling too isolated.

5. Good GREAT neighbours! I live in a truly wonderful neighbourhood. We are a corner house. Both the neighbour beside us and behind us want to install a new fence. This is soooo not in our budget right now. So they are letting David work off our portion by removing the old fence and posts. We are truly blessed that they would let us do that.

2009-09-23T17:17:00.000-06:00

September

2009-09-23T16:30:00.005-06:00

If I believed in past lives, I was probably the Grinch from Dr. Suess's books, before the whole Christmas thing. I have been very cranky lately with no real reason why. I have a deecnt life, awesome family, great friends......
So I am trying to not be so grouchy. Life is a *little* stressful and when I am grouchy, things seem worse. Who thinks clearly or rationally when they are grumpy? So here is my ~~lame~~ attempt at being optimistic today.
I love fall. It is finally here. I love the cooler air. I love that pollen is not so abundant now. I LOVE the colors, they are the colors I look good in....greens, oranges, yellow, browns. I love that the sun is not nearly so dang hot! That is a very important thing for us redheads. I love having the kids back in school. I love sleeping more during the day. This is very important for those of us who work all night.

I remember hearing about gratitude journals before so in another ~~lame~~ attempt at staying positive, I am adding a new section to this blog.

My Gratitutde List

Everytime I post I am going to add five things I am grateful for.

So here is today's list:

My mother's sucessful surgery. Modern science is amazing. They have given her a whole new knee.
My job. - My job is a pretty crappy job. I spend four hours every night cleaning up everyone else's ~~%#$!~~ stuff at the movie theatre. But it is an easy, mindless job that gives me the flexibility to do what I still have to do get to do during the day.
My hubby. No one works harder than he does. He deserves so much more than he gets.
Good shoes. I don't need, or even want, anyting fancy, just a good support shoe will do for me.
Scrapbook paper. This is a small taste of heaven for me. So many colors, so many sizes, so many patterns, so many projects. I LOVE paper.

So that is it for my attempt at being optimistic today. Think I will go make a snarly face at someone now.

A Whirlwind....

2009-09-22T21:29:00.003-06:00

I kinda feel like a tornado has run through my life over the last few months. It feels like too much has happened and I can't always keep up. And my house is totally showing it! I need a house fairy to wave her magic wand and get me caught back up.
School started. My babies are getting old! Cole is in grade 8, D.J. in grade 6, twin pops in grade $ and my baby boy is in grade one! They are all gone all day! I have started catching up on sleep, sort of.
I am still working, way too much.
Still volunteering at the school, not as much as I want.
I am still going to school, still really liking it.
David still works too much, not appreciated enough.

My mother had surgery yesterday. She had a knee replaced. I spent most of the day with her at the hospital, until the orthodontist called and could squeeze Jonny in to fix a broken wire. Luckily it was a long surgery and I got back just a few minutes after they had brought her back to her room. She did extremely well and came home today. That is a day earlier than predicted. Way to go mom!!!!

I am so bad at this

2009-07-30T10:53:00.003-06:00

I do not know why I find it so difficult to blog. I just find Facebook to be easier. Go figure.
So the insanity at the moment...Nicole is off to Oakcrest - an LDS girl's camp for girls who have finished 7th or 8th grade. I am sure she is loving it. Ally has been doing a cooking day camp every morning and I know she is loving it! It is all she talks about. So it has been mostly me and the boys at home,and all they want to do is play video games, which sorta works for me because all I want to do is sleep. Yes, I am a bad mother some days.
But onthe flip side, I finally got the official grades fro my first class and I got an A! Yay me! Now the trick is how to keep that up for 45 more credits.....

Fun

2009-07-06T11:22:00.003-06:00

What a week. I just finished my first week of grad school. I still can't believe how fast everything fell into place. I am in a communication class and so far it has been interesting. I like being to go to class as soon as I get home from work at 4 am.

D.J. also got his braces off this week and now has a clear retainer. It is soooo awesome to see that boy with two front teeth! it has been such a long process for him. The top picture is his new smile. I love it! He is so cute.

We also got to take all the kids to see the new Ice Age - Dawn of the Dinosaurs movie. I really liked it. I thought it was funny.

Monday nights are date night for David and I. I usually have Sunday and Monday off from work so late night Mondays are our date night. We usually go to a movie. One of my job perks is free movies. 2 weeks ago we saw Night at the Museum 2, last week was Year One and tonight we are going to see Transformers 2. We have a target on our backs at the movies.....let me explain. Our movie theater lets you chose your seats when you buy your tickets. I like assigned seating, you don't have to line up early or fight to get a big group together. So when you buy your ticket it shows you what seats are available. Because of the time we go, there is rarely any one else in the theater. So guess what happens.... people always buy their seats either right next to us or behind us, or a seat or two away..... not a big deal....unless, every other seat in the theater is EMPTY! If you can sit any where in the whole place, would you chose to sit so close to other people? Then the worst thing happens..... these folks who sit so close to us start talking, not whispering, talking through the whole movie, or they are playing on their cell phones the whole time. SERIOUSLY!!!! What is wrong with people? I have started yelling at people to turn off their phones in the middle of movies now. I don't mind if you have to take a quick peek, but the light is so distracting. Am I being picky? What are your movie pet peeves? Hopefully tonight will be good... not holding my breath though. lol!

workshops are done, I am a phoenix!

2009-06-26T16:12:00.003-06:00

So I just finished my first online workshops for school. YAY!!!! Luckily the University of Phoenix has a very easy to navigate website. Made the classes a lot easier. I officially start grad school this coming Tuesday!
Work has been insane lately. Why? Transformers 2 opened this week. WOW! Talk about messy theaters. All 17 theaters were basically sold out for the midnight premiere, and the big Imax theater also had a showing at 3:20 am. Who goes to a movie at 3 in the morning? It was crazy and cleaning up took forever. My shift usually ends at 3:30 am. Opening day I got home at 6 am! I am tired. Does no one throw away their own trash anymore?

2009-06-18T11:49:00.000-06:00

So I totally keep forgetting that I have a blog. I love reading everyone else's, but always forget to post on my own. I have come to realize that life will never slow down, ever. Not even long enough for me to catch my breath. And because I don't have enough to do with kids, family, work, etc.... I just applied to grad school. What was I thinking? All of my kids will be out of the house all day long starting this year. My baby will be in first grade. So maybe it is time for me to grow up a little a pick a career instead of a job. So I have applied for a Masters degree in early childhood education so I can grow up to be a kindergarten teacher. The whole program is online so hopefully it will work into my crazy schedule and I won't lose too much sleep doing my homework. ugh, I all ready do not like the sound of that. I haven't been to school for myself since 1998. wish me luck.

and the beat goes on.....

2009-05-11T20:34:00.000-06:00

It was a long weekend. Not long as in an extra day off, just long. Star Trek came out this weekend. Trekkies are messy. I think their minds got "beamed up" and they forgot how to throw away their own trash. Made for a few long nights at work.

On the up side though, I got to go out for dinner with a couple of my girl friends (Kelly, Dawn-Marie and Jen) on Saturday. We went to California Pizza Kitchen down at the gateway mall. I never go to the gateway so this was my first time there. The food was pretty good and the company was even better.

Mother's Day was pretty okay. I was so far beyond tired that David let me skip church and sleep until 4 in the afternoon. That was the best present ever.

Ally got her braces put on today. She is pretty excited about them. She also had a retainer put in on her bottom teeth and it is kind of funny to hear her talk now. She will be used to it in no time. She is not one to slow down for anything....ever.....

I will never chew gum again. Ever.

2009-05-05T08:46:00.000-06:00

So most of you know I work at a movie theatre. I get the glamorous job of cleaning up after everyone has gone home for the night. I am always amazed at how many people are incapable of throwing their trash away. Seriously, it is not a hard thing to drop your popcorn bucket in a garbage can on your way out the door. I spent all of Saturday night flipping over the tables in the f0od court and scraping off all the gum that people stick to the bottoms of the tables. 4 hours and I didn't get all the tables clean. That is a lot of gum. I don't think I will ever be able to chew gum again. EVER! My back and wrists hurt like nothing else for the next two days.

I have decided to take advantage of of my job perks - free movies. I saw 3 yesterday and am planning on seeing one today. I took Ryan to see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D. He loves that movies. It is always so funny to listen to little kids react to 3D and watch them reach out to grab the objects flying at them. i also took Ally to see Hannah Montana. She LOVED it! I thought it was cute but predictable - very predictable. I think what annoys me about Hannah Montana and most of Disney's live action stuff is how badly they over-act! It would be a lot better if they could all just dial it down a bit. But the music was fun and Ally had a good time. Then David and I saw a movie called Fighting. I had never heard of it. It was also fairly predictable. Not great, but not bad. They kept the violence/graphicness (is that a word? it should be!) toned down. Our show started at 10:15 and when we got the tickets we were the only ones in the theatre so w sat in the back row. By the time the show started 4 other people came in to the theatre and they all sat on the back row as well! Why? they had the whole theatre to chose from and they all sat by us! Annoying and amusing at the same time. Would you sit that close to someone else if every other seat in the theatre was empty?

attempt at adding some pictures

2009-04-30T08:58:00.001-06:00

Nicole's 13th birthday - she is such a great girl!

Jon's braces

Jon getting ready for his braces.

Ryan lost his first tooth. He has since lost his second as well. They grow up way too fast!!

insanity - it's not just for breakfast anymore

2009-04-30T08:42:00.000-06:00

So I have decided that my life is getting way too busy again. Cole is 13 now, Jon just got his braces, and Ally is in the process of getting hers. I am constantly running between the orthodontist and the speech therapists and trying to ssqueeze ina few hours of sleep every now and again. It is getting easier to find those moments to sleep. David is exceptionally awesome at letting me go to bed as soon as he gets home. A lot of things are getting pushed aside, but once I adjust to these crazy hours, I can pick them up again.
I actually used one of my job benefits this week. I get to take a guest to almost any movie I want for free, so David and I went to see Fast and Furious. It was exactly what I expected it to be, action packed and lots of car chases. It was just fun to actually go out with David and no kids.
The plus side of working at night is I get a lot of exercise running up and down the stairs of all the theatres. I sweat all night long. For me that is a good thing. I don't like exercise, I can't breathe half the time. Mainly from allergies, if there is any dust or pollen in the air, it is pure torture to exercise. Luckily the theatres are big enough that I am able to get a good workout in and still breathe okay. Tonight will be a very busy night at the movies. X-Men - wolverine premieres at midnight. They are expecting a pretty large crowd. I have to go in an hour later and stay longer as well. I guess it is okay. I do what I have to in order to help David provide.

Trying to keep up

2009-04-10T15:47:00.000-06:00

So I have just started my job at Jordan Commons Megaplex 17. It is soooo not a hard job. But I think the perks will make up for it. We will get to see a lot of movies, and I will still be home for my kids during the day.
My kids are enjoying spring break. Ryan lost his second tooth. He looks so cute without those two bottom teeth. I will try to post a picture. I am still trying to figure out this whole blogging thing. Wow, that almost sounds like a cuss.
My baby girl turns 13 years old this week as well. Where did the time go? I can't believe I am old enough to have a teenager.

New Beginnings or I finally have given in.

2008-10-26T15:20:00.000-06:00

So I have finally given in to all the peer pressure and started a blog. I may even add pictures later on. I don't get to an actual computer very often so I may not get to update this blog as often as some of you may like.
So we have been enjoying the fall weather lately and have been playing a lot of games with friends and family. I have recently learned to play "Settlers of Catan." I love this game. It is driving me crazy though because I have not been able to figure out a good strategy yet. But I think that is what appeals to my slightly competitive nature. I have yet to win the game and that drives me a little crazy, but I do enjoy the challenge. I hope to teach Nicole how to play. She is a fun one to play games with.
Well, that is it for today.