Cake Crumbs

Remember That Feeling?

2011-11-29T20:41:00.001-08:00

Sunday Funnies: False Advertising

2011-11-20T20:31:00.001-08:00

This afternoon as we were on our way up to church, five minutes late as usual, we turned our radio station to "The Sounds of Sunday" in an attempt to keep with the whole day of worship thing. As I tuned into the lovely sounds of Sunday the song that was currently playing on the radio came to a slow and dramatic end.

Next up was a long set of commercials, one among them was a very touching story of how one man's father lived through prostate cancer because of early detection through a prostate exam. The commercial then went on to encourage everyone to get a prostate screening every year beginning at age 40.

"Mom," says Kira in a frantic voice, "You're over 40, you need to get a prostate exam, 'cause we don't want you to die of prostate cancer!"

Oh Kira, you have no idea just how wrong that sentence was...

Sunday Funnies: Birds of a Feather

2011-11-12T20:54:00.001-08:00

Now I don't typically do posts on the various animal life that exists around my house, but I just couldn't pass this one up.

See this cat:

I know what you're thinking, what a lazy, spoiled little thing sitting there sunning herself in the nice warm heat of the afternoon sunshine. But, me, I'm thinking what an evil monster!
Let me explain, and maybe you'll see my side of things.
It all happened yesterday, my husband had come home from work exhausted and in desperate need of a nap. I took pity on him and rounded up the kids and took them up to my parent's house for a visit.
The kids dispersed once we got there to various activities, Izzy began jumping from couch to couch, then turned on Disney Chanel and was glued for the duration of our stay. Emma who had been accosted by my nephew Zachary, who is eleven months old, was walking him to where ever his little heart desired. So I was left to chat with my mom.

After a while my dad came home from work, the minute he was in the door he was asking the girls if they wanted to go somewhere with him. Of course, Emma being the goer and doer of the family loves when grandpa comes home and says this. Up she shot from the floor like a reverse bolt of lightening with her hand raised up in the air to a perfect point, "I do, I do!" she screamed (see she is learning something in kindergarten, you raise your hand before speaking, well OK maybe you raise and talk at the same time works too).

My dad started helping me round up shoes and jackets, which to my dismay I realised that I had let her escape from our house with no coat or jacket. Since the activity that she would be doing (collecting flags at our local Peace Gardens that had been placed there for Veterans Day) she was in need of some serious winter wear.

With the revelation of the missing articles of clothing I scooted her out the door and into the car to drive her home to fetch the needed items. My dad was going to follow us down so that they could get there a little faster.

Up we drive to the house, all seemed natural and normal. The ducks are waddling up to the car, the cat is creeping up the drive behind them, see typical, isn't this what greets you every time you come home?

I hopped out of the car nearly before I had it in park and ran to the front door thinking that I could get in get the stuff and be quick and quiet enough not to wake Kevin. I left the door open for Emma who was a little slower than I was and went straight to the coat closet to start the search through our enormous collection of mismatched mittens, gloves and hats to find something that would work for the chilly weather.

Emma breezed in through the door, but of course, forgot to shut it behind her. As normal when the door is left open, our cat, Snickers, thinks it's her personal invitation to come in. Normally she comes in to eat so this really isn't a big deal. But this time she brought us a little present.

That's right, she was being a loyal, slightly submissive member of our family hierarchy by bringing me a bird. Gross right! Well it gets better...

I walked up to my cat still trying to be as quiet as possible and trying to get her to take the flea infested, germ ridden thing back outside, but no, of course she can't do what I expect. She drops the stupid bird right on my entry rug and backs up, proud as a peacock. But then to my shock and horror the bird jumps up and starts flying across my living room!

Snickers was up and off like a rocket snagging the bird as it neared the ground on the opposite side of the room. I went running after her screaming at her to "Get that filthy bird out of my house!" Which of course she did nothing of the sort.

After downing the bird again and seeing my approach she let go and backed off. Stupid animal! Why couldn't she get the hint that I wanted the bird in her mouth so that I could throw both of them out on their back sides?!

Off shot the bird again, under the couch, which Snickers launched herself under, then up into flight again once it worked its way out, flying higher and higher until it was nearly to the ceiling of my hallway where Snickers snatched it out of mid air mere inches from the ceiling, Emma and I were hot on tails screaming and whooping and flailing our arms. Fat lot of good that did us.

In the heat of the battle that ensued on the hallway floor the little bird suddenly broke free of the death grip that the cat had her in, up it flew again in a desperate attempt to save its existence from being extinguished. It headed into the girls bedroom where again my cat downed in, on a pillow...

Thoroughly grossed out but thinking a bit clearer I grabbed a paper bag and ran to the scene of the attempted murder. When my cat backed off this time I swooped in with the bag and covered the poor frightened creature. I closed off the bag and ran out the door, only to find my dad walking up the steps of my front porch.

I really wonder what was going through his head as he watched me march with determination out my front door, down the steps in silence only then to open up a brown paper bag and watch as a bird flew out and away. Yeah, that's not something you see every day.

Well in the end Kevin woke up and Emma did get to go with grandpa and had a ton of fun rounding up flags, and me, well I got to clean up feathers and blood. Just what I wanted to do.

Winners and Losers

2011-03-10T20:32:00.000-08:00

While volunteering at school on Wednesday I overheard a conversation between two boys. One was a first grader and the other was a sixth grader that had been sent to "think time" (basically a time out where kids are sent to another teacher's classroom when they've done something wrong). The conversation went something like this:

1st grader: "So, what'd you do to get in trouble?"

6th grader: "Got in a fight."

1st grader: "Whoa, who'd you get in a fight with?"

6th grader: "Lots a kids."

1st grader: "Who won?"

6th grader: "Not me, or I wouldn't be here."

It's a Coming of Age Thing

2011-03-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

Every young girl feels that pull very early on that they need to take a stand and be independent of their mother. Although this is a natural wonderful thing to have happen, sometimes as a mother I struggle with the loss of control. Izzy has recently decided that her beautician skills have surpassed that of my own; she is insisting that, at the age of 7, she is old enough to do her own hair.

Ah, who needs cute hair with a smile like that anyway. :)

(And here's Kira's )

"Beautiful"

2011-02-09T21:45:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I was in the bathroom getting ready to go to church and as I was applying one last coat of mascara to my eyelashes I heard footsteps approaching and I glanced down. There was Emma struting her way into the bathroom in an outfit that she had picked herself. It was a lovely rainbow colored skirt paired with a beautifully patterned plum colored Princess Tiana shirt. To top it all off she had "done" her own hair and make up. She had soaking wet hair pushed back away from her face with a pale yellow headband and the brightest peacock blue eyeshadow smeared across one eye that I've ever seen. This of course was not to be out done by the silver streak that ran across her opposite eyelid.
As I stared at my proud, posing 4 year old I did the only thing I really could do, I smiled.
"Mom," she said as she did a half turn to show off her back side. "Do you like my makeup? Doesn't it look beautiful?"
"Oh, yes Emma it is 'beautiful'," I said with what I felt was only a hint of the sarcasim that was really bubbling through my head.
I went back to doing my makeup with a silly smile plastered on my face (and only letting slip a giggle or two), and Emma just stared at me.
"You know mom, it really hurts my feelings when people tell me my make up looks pretty and then they turn around and laugh at me."

Oops...

Rain Drops

2010-11-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if you could help me out. I am entering a photo contest and I just can't decide which of these I should enter. Let me know which is your favorite in your comment.

Thanks!

This One's For You

2010-07-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

We've been busy vacationing quite a bit this summer, but last week we stayed home to enjoy a visit from our brother-in-law and two nephews that came out from Chicago. We were all so excited to have them here that my entire family got together several times over the past several days.

One of those days was spent at a nearby softball field where the guys watched Jeff, my husband's brother, play a few ball games. The mom's and kids drifted to the little park that was connected to the ball field to probide a place for the kids to play while we chatted among ourselves.

Amid the laughter and games I caught sight of Kira wondering away from her two older cousins. She slowly and dejectedly came to sit by me.

She sat in frowning slience for a while but, after a bit of prodding on my part she finally gushed what was bothering her.

"Mom," she said in her very best Scarlet O'Hara voice, "when they're together I just turn to a speck of dust in the wind. They don't even know I'm alive."

Trying very hard not to giggle I attempted to comfort her by telling her that this kind of thing was very normal when there were three girls together. I soothed and hugged her until she felt her ruffled feathers relax, then with a last hug for me she got back up and went to try to play with her two cousins again. This time with greater success.

And so I'd like to take this opportunity to dedicate this song to Kira. May you always be my little Scarlet O'Hara...

Sunday Funnies: Special Effects

2010-06-17T23:02:00.000-07:00

A quick note to all of my loyal readers, thanks for sticking by me. :) I have to apologize for my lack of posting lately. I don't know if any of you have ever had that overwhelming feeling that life is just crammed too full of STUFF and nothing else will fit, kind of like my shoe closet. I have had so many things on my plate the past several months that blogging has had to take a step back. But hopefully I will be back into writing a full functioning blog again soon.

Anyway, back to the story... and yes I know it's not actually Sunday...

There I was, walking through the grocery store loading my cart up with ingredients for a rich ooey gooey chocolate cake; chocolate pudding, baking chocolate squares, semi-sweet chocolate chips, Hershey's Symphony milk chocolate bar with almonds and toffee chips and lots of butter for the frosting.

My mouth began to water as an intense desire to devour anything and everything made of sweet, creamy, smooth milk chocolate washed over me. Unable to curb the immense craving I gave in to my weakness and I quickly turned my very full cart around and headed back to the candy isle. I started down the green mile and had to cover my eyes to hide the scrumptious and tempting Reese's peanut buttercups, snickers, twix, and ghirardelli chocolate squares filled with carmel that leered at me. I refused to look up until I reached the sugar free section, yes my dirty little secret is out, I can't eat sugar. (Pretend you didn't just read that, and please don't tell any of my cake clients that I can't actually eat what I sell. But hey I figure if Beethoven can be deaf and write symphonies then I can have a sugar intolerance and still create mouth watering masterpieces. Or am I wrong?)

I located the sugar-free and no-sugar added section that held a small variety of chocolate candies. Most of which were Russell Stoffers chocolates, which have enough alcohol sugars to stop a diabetic dead in their tracks. Disappointment flooded from the top of my head and made it's way down the rest of my body. With down cast eyes I turned to go on my way, but then I saw it, a new kind of nearly sugarless chocolate bar called Simply Lite that flashed out a message in bold green letters SUGAR FREE, GLUTEN FREE. Further down the packaging boasted this was the best chocolate for those who were carb and health conscious. Well that sort of included me, so I picked up the package and read the nutrition label, HOT DIGGITY! Only 2 grams of sugar, what luck!!!!!!!

After waiting for what felt like an eternity to get through the line at the checkout stand I found myself nearly skipping to my car with anticipation of biting into a chocolate bar for the first time in years!

I sat alone in my drivers seat and reverently placed the first square of chocolate in my mouth, savoring every second we had together, it instantly started to melt. Words cannot describe how wonderful it tasted. I then proceeded to eat nearly the entire bar. As a second thought I decided to see if the package held more than one serving, I've gotten myself into trouble before by not paying attention to this little detail and I had a nagging feeling that this was whole thing was just too good to be true.

I searched the nutrition panel and found that the bar included 3 1/2 servings, well that would only be 7 grams of sugar. That is borderline for what I can handle but close enough that I thought it would be worth the headache later. So I popped another square in my mouth, by this point there were only three squares left.
I continued to read the package for curiosity's sake while I finished off another square.

And that's when I saw IT...

Warning: Excess consumption may cause a laxative effect

Yeah, turns out it was too good to be true. What they didn't tell you is that the "effect" happens rather quickly.

I'm thinking about sending an email suggesting they rename the candy bar to Hershey Squirts.

Wordless Wednesday: Heroes

2010-06-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.

— Benjamin Disraeli

Sunday Funnies: Cruella DeVille

2010-05-22T23:16:00.000-07:00

At the end of each and every school year my children take their empty backpacks to school for the last time. After a day of fun, games and goodbyes desks are emptied unceremoniously into tattered backpacks that have seen better days.

For some reason once these backpacks, full to the brim with papers, workbooks, pencil cases and glue sticks find their way home they are carelessly lobbed on the couch as my kids hit the door way. Thinking that the girls would come back and take care of their things I left them. Apparently Kira and Izzy were content to let them lay in a heap on the couch for the duration of the summer vacation.

After sitting for an entire day without being moved from their resting spot I finally gave in and sat down to sort through everything that had been sent home. I flipped through portfolios of art, math and spelling. I cleaned out glue sticks, crayons, erasers, scissors, and sharpeners. I found an abundant supply of sharpened and unsharpened pencils, they probably brought home an entire tree between the two of them. When I reached the bottom of Kira's bag I found a small spiral bound notebook. As I pulled it from the bag a loose page fell out. I picked it up ready to add it to my trash pile, but saw that it was covered in her "neat" handwriting. Neat is a perspective word...

On one side was a journal entry where Kira went on and on about how much she "loves spring" and how wonderful it was to have warm sunshine on her face and sunshine to help the flowers grow. I smiled to myself and thought about how cute she is and what a fun thing this little journal entry was to find. I quickly flipped the paper over to see if I had missed any other messages about spring.

This is what I found:

A closer look:

Translation:

Dear Diary,

Mom isn't so bad after all she's being nice today.

This may affect my reputation as the meanest mom ever.

Sunday Funnies is a weekly theme here at Cake Crumbs. If you would like to play along just think back through your week and find the funniest thing that happened to you and jot it down. Then simply leave a comment with your link address and join in the fun!

Photo Story Friday: Spun Gold

2010-05-21T16:14:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that there is one thing that I absolutely love about my daughter that I think nears perfection, her long, luscious hair.

Her hair streams like fine strands of gold, and shimmers in a bit of sunlight. I love to braid it and pull it into various hairstyles that can only be achieved with a large amount of hair. She has sworn that she would keep her long princess hair forever.

Last week Kira came home from school and announced that she wanted to cut off 12" of her hair to donate to someone who had cancer. I didn't quite know what to say at first. I had that momentary thought that I could never let her hair go. But after some quick thinking I excitedly told her that we would find someone that could cut her hair and donate it to locks of love. How could I ever really have said no to such a request.

There was one condition that I insisted on before she had her hair cut, that she let me take a few pictures of her in her baptism dress with her long hair still intact. It was too short notice to hire a professional photographer so my meager pictures will have to sufice. I took the pictures on Saturday.

When she got up Tuesday morning we did her hair the way she liked best, in a braid. Her hair appointment was scheduled for after school and she was nervous and excited all at the same time. When she got into the chair at the hairdressers the lady asked Kira if she was ready and she answered with an excited nod. Then she snipped twelve inches off Kira's braid.

The remaining hair fell like a waterfall around her face and down her back. There was more left than I had expected.

After a bit of cutting and styling Kira had a brand new look.

I am so proud of Kira's decision to give something that was precious to her to someone in need. Thank you Kira for being such a good example for me.

Ruby Tuesday: Once There Was A Snowman...

2010-05-16T22:37:00.000-07:00

Now it's your turn...

Stack three golf balls on top of each other and have them stay standing for at least 3 seconds.

I did it in under 60 seconds...

Let me know how it goes!

Wordless Wednesday: A Shining Star

2010-04-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

For more wordless fun stop by Wordless Wednesday HQ

Photo Story Friday: Empty

2010-04-11T22:24:00.000-07:00

An empty desk stares across the aisle at my nephew. It's emptiness weighing heavily on his heart. There has been a hushed silence that has followed him in the halls through the past week. A few brave students approach and say hello and to say how sorry they are. The teachers and staff have all been careful to give a kind word or squeeze to his shoulder when they see him.
On the Thursday before Easter Tiger and his best friend Zachie laughed and joked and played. They teased the girls in their 5th grade class and planned what they would do for their long break from school.
On the Friday after Easter, Tiger dressed in his Sunday best and walked into a chapel where he received a carnation boutonniere and sat as an honorary pall bearer for a boy that was his best friend.
It has been a hard week as I've watched my 10 year old nephew try to understand and accept that he will never see his friend again.

I have watched Tiger as he came to a new school struggle with shyness and making new lasting friendships. I have seen what a good kid he is, how caring and loving and giving he ALWAYS is.

I have watched him as he has cared for everyone around him. He is so sweet when I drop him and my girls off at school in the morning, he waits and walks Izzy to her class everyday, making sure that she gets to where she needs to be.

I remember one morning I dropped them off late and as they were hurrying to the doors that would lead them to the school the national anthem started playing over the loudspeaker. I watched as he stopped the girls and had them turn and face the flag. With their hands held over their hearts I felt such pride in him.
I have truly learned to love my nephew, I hate to see him so hurt and sad, I wish that there was something that could be said or done that would take the pain away.
I am grateful for my religion and the comfort that it has brought in this very sad and difficult time. I know that one day Tiger will see Zach again and that they will once again be able to run and laugh and play. Until then I will pray that Tiger will find peace.

Sunday Funnies: Definitions and Family Portraits

2010-04-04T10:52:00.000-07:00

Emma is at the age where she wants to know everything, especially what words mean. She quizzes me all day long about what this and that word mean.
A few days ago we were sitting at the table eating breakfast and she got that quizzical look on her face and her eyes sought mine.

"Mom," she said, "what does fightin' mean?"
"It means that people aren't getting along, they might be mean or hit each other."
Right on the heels of finishing my sentence, "Mom, what does mean, mean?"
"It means that you are being unkind to someone." I said with a monotone voice. I could see where this line of questioning was going, she would pick a word from my answer and ask for the next explanation, this can go on, and on, when she's in a mood."
"Mom, what does lice mean?"
Caught off guard I raised an eyebrow at Em and said, "A little bug that gets in your hair."
With an appalled look she said in a know-it-all voice, "No, mom, I said NICE!"

For Easter my family made a trip down to Arches National Park yesterday. It was windy, cold and fun, fun, fun!

The scenery was beautiful and the hiking invigorating. It was wonderful to be out into the great outdoors.

My kids had a ton of fun running and playing in the red dirt and climbing on the slick rock.

This trip provided so many photo opportunities that it was amazing! My sister, Annie, tried all day to get everyone together for a big family picture. But no matter how hard she prodded the picture never seemed to happen.

Late in the day my siblings all decided to hike the trail up to Delicate Arch, all the little kids had gone home with my parents who were done with the day.
The hike was strenuous on the way up, but the hidden treasure at the top was well worth the effort.

As we trekked back down the trail my sister tried several more times to get us to stop for the long sought after picture, telling us that we could use it as a mother's day gift for my mom.
At the very end of the trail we finally all gave in. The result:

So much for a nice picture for mother's day.

Sunday Funnies is a weekly theme here at Cake Crumbs. If you would like to play along just think back through your week and find the funniest thing that happened to you and jot it down. Then simply leave a comment with your web address and join in the fun!

Sunday Funnies: Flat Out Fun

2010-03-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Every family on the face of the planet has one. A great story teller. In my family we are fortunate not only to have someone that can draw you into a story and make you feel like you are the one who experienced all the drama, but my aunt can tell a story that will have you laughing so hard that you will be literally rolling on the floor holding your stomach trying to keep every thing in (which, I've found, gets increasingly hard with every child that you give birth to).

This is my Aunt Susan, and she is always the life of the party.

I was reminiscing about a story that she told once when I was a young teenager and thought that I would share it, since I seem to be having a hard time coming up with something from my own life lately.

Susan woke in a terrible mood. All she wanted to do was stay in her nice warm bed and not get up and get the kids ready for ANOTHER day of school. But being the mom she had no choice and heaved herself out of bed and walked into the kid's room to start the day.
After fighting and wrestling her kids into clothes, shoes and coats Susan feed them a cheerful breakfast of burned toast and chocolate milk made with powdered milk. Yes, it was that kind of morning. She shouted and shouted until everyone was finally on their way out to their trusty brown chevy. The bickering in the back seat nearly sent her over the edge. But she breathed deeply and shut her eyes and counted to ten. And then she reopened her eyes only to discover that she had drifted to the other side of the road. And so she gave up trying to achieve any semblance of calm and just dropped the kids off at their elementary school and headed back home with her preschooler in tow.
The preschooler of course was sick. And so upon arriving home she called the doctor's office and set up an appointment for her youngest son. They for once weren't running way behind schedule and told her that they could see him at 9:00.
That left her an hour to shower, primp, and get her son looking presentable. Not much time, but she hustled as much as she could.
At 9:05 she was mostly ready with only a few pieces of hair still uncurled, but she had on clothes, shoes, and had brushed her teeth. It would do.
Her son on the other hand was lolly gagging in a way that only he could. He had on his shirt but that was about it. And so with a longing for a cattle prod and an eye roll she started with the lawnmower engine motivator.
(Now imagine for me the sound of a gas powered lawn mower as it starts up, the sound when you first pull the rip cord)
"Come on. Come on. Come on. (then suddenly the engine catches) GET THOSE PANTSSOCKSANDSHOES ON NOW!!!!!!
Well, the pants were on and so were the socks. But he was still fiddling with his shoes at 10 after nine.
"Mom," her son whined. "There's something in my shoe."
Susan had hit her boiling point, "I don't care if there is something in your shoe," she hollered, "just GET THEM ON!"
And he did. And he stomped in an angry huff all the way to the car. But he quickly forgot the offense as they traveled the seven minutes that it took to get to the doctors office. He was his happy smiling self when he got out and in his joy, and much to his mother's annoyance, he skipped the whole way to the office. Singing the entire way "there's somethin' in my shoe, there's somethin' in my shoe".
At last they made it through the waiting room, nurse assessment and were simply waiting for the doctor to show.
Much to my aunt's dismay her son had continued his little song the whole time, but his song was quickly becoming more of a whine again.
"Fine," she said in an exasperated voice, "give me your foot and I'll see what's in your shoe."
He obediently lifted his shoe as high as it would go. Susan took hold of the heel and pulled perhaps a bit to forcefully. Suddenly a gray mat of fuzz flew through the air then bounced on the floor, then like a coin on it's side it spun round and round until it finally stopped in the middle of the room.
Susan's mouth dropped to her toes as she watched in horror as a squished flat mouse stared up at here with it's dead lifeless eyes.
Just at that moment a nurse walked through the door. She looked puzzled at the expression that she saw on Susan's face. Then she followed her line of sight and screamed. The whole office was in an uproar as the flat mouse was placed in a Ziploc baggie and gingerly disposed of in the dumpster.

Susan quietly packed up her son and ducked her way out the front door of the office.

Sunday Funnies is a weekly theme here at Cake Crumbs. If you would like to play along just think back through your week and find the funniest thing that happened to you and jot it down. Then simply leave a comment with your web address and join in the fun!

Project 365: Week Ten and Eleven

2010-03-19T22:33:00.000-07:00

Week 10- Unexpected
This week was filled with unexpected surprises. Some good some bad.

Day 64

March 5th

I unexpectedly ended up setting up the book fair for school. I also got some unexpected help from some wonderful teachers. And all it cost me was a plate of brownies. :)

Day 65

March 6th

Kira performed her piano piece at her piano recital. She hadn't practiced a whole lot so her great piece was a little unexpected. Great job Kira!

Day 66, 67, 68, 69

March 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th

For the second time in my life I unexpectedly caught strep throat. I didn't get out and about much so I took a picture of where I spent the majority of the four days mentioned.

Day 70

March 11th

An unexpected lunch date to my favorite Greek restaurant. They have the best Gyros I've EVER tasted.

Week Eleven: Spring Has Arrived

Day 71

March 12th

Spring colored paper at the book fair was taken down and the books all packed up and ready to go back to Scholastic.

Day 72

March 13th

Spring always brings with it the exciting St. Patrick's Day parade. We actually had two real floats this year. The girls' favorite were the horses, as always.

Day 73

March 14th

Finally something green in my garden instead of white!!!!!!!!!!

Day 74

March 15th

Warm spring sunshine allowed an afternoon of yard work to be done. I love to play in the dirt!

Emma found a new pet, diamond, the earthworm. But it somehow got lost so she had to look for it again. Naturally she had to take all the dirt out of the flowerbed to find it.

Day 75

March 16th

More signs of spring! We planted a new tree last summer. I was terrified that it hadn't survived the harsh winter, so I jumped for joy when I saw that there were buds popping out on our baby tree. I'm so proud.

Day 76

Ok, so I didn't technically take this picture on St. Patrick's Day, But it was my favorite from the parade. And it felt festive enough to cheat. Is that ok?

March 17th

Since the sun decided to make an appearance we made a trip to the Wave Pool. They still have the bubble up so it is really, really hard to get a picture to turn out. My lens was so fogged up from the humid air that this is the only picture that turned out.

Day 77

March 18th

A farmer's field that we pass everyday has gained a brand new occupant. I expect any day the people behind me will have their goats giving birth to new kids. Now all we need are some rabbits. Janae, can we borrow yours?

Wordless Wednesday: Parade!

2010-03-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

For more wordless fun check out Wordless Wednesday HQ

Sepia Scenes: Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T07:45:00.000-07:00

To join Mary T. visit her at Sepia Scenes.

Wordless Wednesday: Unmarked Police Car

2010-03-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, I live in a very small town.

To join in the Wordless Wednesday fun follow this link here.

Sepia Scenes: Abandoned

2010-03-09T23:55:00.000-08:00

Join in the fun with Mary T. at Sepia Scenes

365: Week Nine

2010-03-09T12:54:00.000-08:00

This was an uneventful week-

Day 57

February 26th

For the life of me I couldn't figure out why I had foot prints on my pantry wall.

Day 58

February 27th

Daddy's Girl

Day 59

February 28th

I LOVE landscapes!

Day 60

March 1st

Anyone for a game of Phase 10?

Day 61

March 2nd

I have heard several stories as to why there is a teepee perched on the top of this hill. My favorite is that the husband and wife weren't getting along. The husband, out of spite, built the teepee for all the world to gawk at as they drive past it on the highway.

That is so something I would do!

Day 62

March 3rd

It's a party at Big-O

Day 63

March 4th

Will it stop, will it stop, will it stop?

Photo Story Friday: Fun for the Whole Family

2010-03-06T10:08:00.000-08:00

In the process of completing my Photo Hunt for this month I had to scramble and take lots of pictures in a few afternoons. One of these afternoon's was spent in downtown historic Helper. This is a tiny little town that is just north of where I live. It has a very charming, ghost town feel to it. Which provides a perfect opportunity to shoot pictures that you normally wouldn't see in this century. I love going there!
As we pulled onto Main Street my husband, who was driving, took on a dry monotone voice suited to a tour guide as he started pointing out buildings and explaining their history.

Like the old grocery store turned cabinet maker shop that was owned by a friend's grandparents.

On the other side of the road was Echo Bridge. The tradition is to honk whenever you go under it. I'm sure that the people that live at the bottom and top of the road LOVE this tradition

Then there is St. Anthony's, the most quaint little chapel you've ever seen.

Of course, Helper wouldn't be Helper without it's Library/Auditorium/City Hall. Who has Big John keeping watch just outside it's doors. This also used to be the elementary school, but obviously those 20 kids couldn't be crammed in along with the books and political members.

Soon after passing City Hall you have the Fire Station, abandoned bars, the band stand, a few restaurants, several business and empty buildings.

The railroad station is close to the end of the road, but it holds some wonderful vintage photography opportunities, so we of course had to stop there.

And last but not least, as we drove down the road with my husband still giving us historical tidbits we approached the last building in the row.

"And here," my husband said. "We have the Hotel La Salle, the last legally operating Cat House in the state of Utah."
What?! (Double Take)

The shape of that sign just took on a whole new meaning with that little tidbit of information.

And the kicker-

Photo Hunt Challenges #6

2010-03-03T10:12:00.000-08:00

Another month has ended before I was ready for it to.
This hunt was very fun to participate in, but I found myself scrambling at the last minute to finish up all the categories. It really felt like a scavenger hunt when I crammed them all into two days.
Here is the month of February through my eyes:

#1. A Tower

#2. "Main Street"

#3. Five

#4. A Dog or Cat

#5. Two of a Kind

(Locally known as the "Dolly Parton Domes")

#6. A Clock

#7. A Game

#8. Something Sweet

#9. B&W with Selective Coloring

#10. Your Own Reflection

#11. A Mirror Image

#12. Night Image

#13. Something Homemade

#14. Something Pink

#15. Something Romantic

#16. A Candid Shot

#17. A Portrait

#18. A Symbol of Love

#19. A Landscape

#20. Chocolate

Sunday Funnies: Baskets and Goodbyes

2010-02-28T12:24:00.000-08:00

Goodbyes
I was busy ~~doing nothing~~ cleaning on Friday when Emma stomped into the kitchen where I was ~~sitting~~ scrubbing and with that little pout in her voice and lip demanded a piece of paper. I told her where to find one and she stomped away.
A short while later she stomped back into the kitchen and slammed this down in front of me.

"Oh this is pretty, what is it?" I asked

"It's a note." She said with a little huff. "And it says,
Mom,
Nobody likes me and ever' body is bein' mean so I'm goin' away.
From Emma

And then she promptly burst into tears.

Baskets-
For any of you out there that have read even one of my six posts for the month would have probably picked up on the fact that I got roped into heading a fundraiser for my school's PTA.
The fundraiser was one of my own suggestions from last year, during parent teacher conferences we would have the book fair and to go along with it we would have these wonderfully creative themed Book Baskets.
Each teacher picked a favorite book or series of books, then using parents help they created a gift basket which had a theme centered around the book that the teacher had chosen.
It sounds all well and good, right?
It would have-except that they asked me to head it with only five days until the auction would start.
I offered to make a run up state to Barnes & Noble to help out with the short notice. This wasn't enough, I had so many teachers that were VERY upset with me the entire week.
By the time Friday rolled around I had teachers, parents and PTA members yelling at me, saying nasty things behind my back, and generally just being mean to me. I went home and cried.
So, now you know why this fundraiser keeps cropping up in my posts. I was traumatized, but I was trying to down play it.
After a long week of dealing with THAT CRAP and working late hours at the flower shop for Valentine's Day, Wednesday rolled around and I was exhausted. So I decided to read a book instead of deal with real life.
I picked up a book that my sister has been telling me I really needed to read, "The Hunger Games".
I started the book that morning and finished it by 10:00 that night. It was the most disturbingly, addictive book I have read in a long time.
*Spoiler* It was about a post apocalyptic world where the government that took over had total and complete control. The way that they kept this control was by requiring each district, there were 12 of them, to randomly choose a young teenager between the ages of 12 and 18 to be a tribute in the Hunger Games.
These 24 tributes, two from each district one boy and one girl, would then be thrown into an arena and they were forced to kill each other gladiator style until only one remained.
I have to tell you that this book really made a lasting impression on me. So much so that, that night as I fell asleep it was all I could think about.
When I woke up I didn't feel very rested and my husband, shaking his head in dismay, asked, "What on earth were you dreaming about?"

"I'm not really sure, I just know that there was a lot of blood, screaming and running around going on, why do you ask?" I said in an offhand way

"Because you sat up in the middle of the night and yelled, 'Just throw the basket on their head and kill them!'"

Apparently that book basket auction really did traumatize me.

Sunday Funnies is a weekly theme here at Cake Crumbs. If you would like to play along just think back through your week and find the funniest thing that happened to you and jot it down. Then simply sign up with Mr. Linky and join in the fun!

Project 365: Week Eight

2010-02-26T16:04:00.000-08:00

Day 50

February 19th

Iz had a birthday shout Hooray!!!

For any of you out there that are contemplating throwing a bowling party for someone who is turning 6, don't do it, they have waaayyy to short of an attention span. :)

Day 51

February 20th

Driving through a world of snow, mist and clouds was like driving through another world.

The very ground in Moab looked like it was bleeding through the snow. It was beautiful!

Day 52

February 21st

A day of much needed relaxation.

Day 53

February 22nd

Back to the dentist AGAIN! Emma is the one in the torture chair this time.

Day 54

When I stopped by my mom's on Tuesday I had a bit of a shock.

You see my dad is getting up there in age, and apparently his receeding hair line took an extreme turn for the worse.

(Really he buzzed his head for a fundraiser for a girl at his school who has cancer)

February 23rd

My 10 year old nephew, Tiger, asked me if I would help him make a cake for his blue and gold banquet celebrating 100 years of scouting.

We got together and planned what he wanted to do.

I baked the cake and he frosted and decorated it. He even drew the designs on the bandanna. I thought he did a great job!

And Chris it was rich, creamy, buttery, sweet and smooth REAL chocolate frosting. No Contents under pressure cans here!

Day 55

February 24th
After practicing writing the letter "m" in shaving cream, Emma decided to try her hand at shaving her chin.

Day 56

February 25th
Really how much do I need to worry about this one?
Izzy's new favorite way to play with her stuffed animals, well and her cupcake.

Hosted by Chris

Project 365: Week Seven, The Week That Slipped Through The Cracks

2010-02-24T22:13:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to look like I actually did something productive the week before last I finally got my lazy butt in front of the computer and decided to post the few pictures that I had on my memory card.
By the time I reached the end of this week I had to admit to myself that I am not superwoman and that I had taken on way too much in too little time. And so with this in mind my week looks a bit like a cyclone with a few missing days. Hopefully by next week I will feel like a human again. On the plus side I actually got dressed and put on makeup today. Small steps are good, right?

Day 43

February 12th

This was the strangest Valentine's Day that I have ever seen. Because it was on a Sunday and the flower shop where I work isn't open on Sunday's everyone sent Valentine Flowers all week long.

By the end of the week I had made so many bouquets I felt like I could whip up a dozen roses in my sleep. In fact that's what plagued my dreams most nights.

Day 44

February 13th

Aren't Grandma's the best?! This little laptop is the result of a shopping expedition with G-ma J.

Day 45

February 14th

There are a few moments in my life where I've felt sentimental and all mushy. These moments don't come around very often so enjoy this one while it lasts. My husband snuck home from church on Sunday and made a wonderfully romantic dinner with rose petals strewn across the room and table, candles and little heart shaped ice cubes. My heart melted when I walked in. The only draw back, the three little kids that burst into the room before I could. In the end they just added to the fun!

Day 46

February 15th

Who doesn't remember making fishy faces?

Day 47

February 16th

I was dealing with the book basket auction at the school. I had unhappy teachers, parents, PTA, and bidders to contend with. The End.

Day 48

February 17th

I couldn't take anymore people today so I dove into a world of fantasy where everyone's problems can be solved in under 400 pages.

Day 49

February 18th

I finished my book the day before and I honestly can't tell you what I did on February 18th.

(Oh, Kevin just reminded me I was baking a birthday cake)

Hosted by Chris

Project 365: The Missing week Six

2010-02-22T20:45:00.000-08:00

Day 36

February 5th

After spending an entire day setting up a Book Basket Auction for a fundraiser

for the PTA, Emma and I took a few minutes to relax and eat INSIDE Wendy's

This was very brave, considering the last time we ate INSIDE a restaurant one

of the girls threw their Binky and hit the waitress in the head.

Day 37

February 6th

I never thought I would pay money to take my makeup off in front of 300 women.

My friend and I drove up to Salt Lake City through a huge snow storm

to have a guy teach us how to do our makeup at a Mary Kay Conference.

Day 38

February 7th

Our Valentine Day party got a little wild. My Aunt left a little tipsy by the end.

Day 39

February 8th

I know you can't really see them, but I was trying to shoot two bald eagles that were flying over my

neighborhood. This was the only picture that I caught both of them in. I think that I had blind

sun spots in my eyes all day.

Day 40

February 9th

A week of flowers. A week of roses, carnations and lilies. Lots and lots of roses.

Day 41

Why oh why do we always have something break right when things are the most crazy?

February 10

Our resident plumber, and his, um, plumber's essentials.

Day 42

Last minute Valentine run. It was the only box of actual valentine's left. That's what I get for procrastinating.

February 11th

The conclusion of the drippy faucet. My dad and Emma working hard at changing out the new valve. She is such a big helper! Just ask Grandpa

Sunday Funnies: Smart Cookies

2010-02-14T21:15:00.000-08:00

I woke up exhausted Sunday morning. I felt like I had been hit by a truck and left for dead. Between organizing a fundraiser at school with less than one week's notice, planning a birthday party and working long hours all week in preparation for Valentine's Day I wasn't sure if I really wanted to walk among the land of the living. But I had to, this was the last of a series of church meetings that I absolutely HAD to go to.
I dragged myself from my warm inviting bed to the whines of my three girls wanting me to start a movie for them.
I wandered down the stairs and started "All Dogs Go To Heaven" and headed back up the stairs to take a shower. One look at the very large bags under my eyes told me that I should really think about going back to sleep. But I bit the bullet (what does this saying even mean?) and got in the shower.
After I hopped out of the bath I took dresses down and got Kira, Izzy and Emma dressed then went back up to fix them breakfast. I hollered and hollered for them to come up. Big shock, they ignored me. I got tired of begging so I went on with my routine of making myself presentable to the public eye. It was harder this morning than usual.
So when my kids came up and 8:55 holding their stomachs and groaning about how hungry they were, me being the wonderful parent that I am told them that church started in five minutes and they were out of luck. So they ate cookies and chocolate milk for breakfast. (anyone from DCFS pretend you didn't read that last sentence) And off we went to church with instructions that they weren't to tell anyone what they had eaten for their early morning meal.
As part of my church obligations I had to observe how well our teachers were teaching the kids about Jesus. And so because I was there Emma had to sit on my lap through the whole meeting.
At one point the lady that was teaching asked the question "who are supposed to obey?" Emma whispered "teachers".
I was quite proud that she at the age of 3 could come up with this answer so I prompted her to raise her hand and say it louder. And so she did.
After she was called on and gave her answer I leaned down and said, "How did you get so smart?"
Emma's response, "Because I had smart cookies for breakfast."

Sunday Funnies is a weekly theme here at Cake Crumbs. If you would like to play along just think back through your week and find the funniest thing that happened to you and jot it down. Then simply sign up with Mr. Linky and join in the fun!

Happy VD day!

2010-02-11T21:06:00.000-08:00

Wondering where I'm at? I'm slaving away making bouquets, what are you doing?

Only 2 more days to go!!!!! Yay!

Sunday Funnies: Haven't You Ever Seen "The Christmas Story?"

2010-02-07T16:30:00.000-08:00

The morning was not going well. It seemed like every time I turned around another stumbling block had been placed in my way, preventing a timely arrival at school. We had no milk so there was no breakfast, Izzy wouldn't brush her teeth, Emma didn't want to get her coat on and Kira was still trying to squeeze in a few more minutes of lolygagging. And school was scheduled to start in FIVE minutes. To top it all off I still had to stop and grab my nephew on the way to school.
So Sgt. Mom stepped in and took control. Orders began flying from my mouth before my brain even had time to contemplate what I was saying.

"SHOES! TEETH! SOCKS! COAT! BACKPACK! NOW!!!!! AND GET OUT TO THE CAR!

As I herded all my little duckies out the door we paused when the door was opened. It was beautiful! The frost was so thick that it lay on top of the world in what looked like perfect little snowflakes. It was so cold that the air shimmered with glittering frozen condensation. It was breathtaking. Literally, it was so cold that it took your breath away.

With our moment of awe in for the day I started giving orders to get moving when I realized that I had left the keys in the drawer of our entryway table. And so with instructions to the girls head to the van I quickly stepped back inside to grab the missing keys.
And that's when I heard it.
"Izzy, go ahead and eat one." Now one thing that you have to understand about Izzy is that her favorite thing in the world to eat is, snow.
"Don't you dare!" I screamed expelling every bit of air and exasperation in one breath.
I ran for the door but not quickly enough. There before me on the porch stood my five year old with her lip and tongue stuck to the metal railing in her attempt to lick up a snowflake.

WHY ME? I thought to myself as I rolled my eyes heavenward.
"Izzy, what were you doing?" I yelled at her (I know I'm a horrible mother). "Haven't you ever seen "A Christmas Story"? Don't you remember when that boy stuck his tongue to the pole?! What were you thinking?"
In my impatience to be on time to school I forgot to be the loving kind mother that I should have been. My tirade and advancement to help scared Izzy so much that she pulled herself back so hard that she ripped her tongue and lip off from the metal railing.
The blood and tears came in earnest. I bent to inspect her mouth it wasn't too bad, so I gave her a hug, told her she would be fine and scooted everyone to the van.
Izzy's tongue stopped bleeding very quickly, and the tears abated until next time. She was calm and composed by the time we stopped to grab my nephew.
When we got to my mom's she kindly allowed my children to eat breakfast at her house, where she had milk. And we finally made it to school, 15 minutes late.
And so I learned a valuable lesson for the day. When life is throwing everthing at you just remember, the blood and tears will only last a little while. :)

Project 365: Week Five

2010-02-05T10:43:00.000-08:00

Another week come and gone.

Day 29

January 29th
The moon rose so large and full that the chance to take it's portrait couldn't be missed.

Day 30

January 30th
The girls decided they wanted to jump on the tramp Saturday morning. But after they were cold
they didn't want to go tromping through the deep snow again.
So they did the only thing they could think of, holler for dad, until he came and rescued them.
Kira tried to jump on Kevin's back last, and missed.

Day 31

January 31st
1 jar of body glitter + 2 girls = sparkly blizzard in the house

Day 32

February 1st
Back to the dentist. Here's Kira taking a nap while waiting for the Doctor.

Day 33

February 2nd
Every year in July we hold a big family reunion where we raffle off a quilt. Every person in the family is given
a few squares of fabric and we make a 12 inch quilt block that reflects our personalities.
We then send back to our official quilt maker and she works her magic and creates a beautiful masterpiece.
These are the quilt blocks that my parents and siblings are turning in. Can you guess which one is mine?
(hint: It's the one that has the goof up)

Day 34

February 3rd
There are no words other than "Emma"

Day 35

February 4th
The beauty of puddles!

Hosted by Chris

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday: Buttons Blogger Should Invest In

2010-02-02T21:01:00.000-08:00

I have diarrhea of the mouth (or keyboard) today, so my Wordless Wednesday is going to be, well, wordy.

I have invented a few buttons that if Blogger would be so kind to include in their tool bar I would be ever so grateful.

This first one is for people like me that have a problem sticking their foot in their mouth.

Open Mouth Insert Foot Check

Have you ever tried to place a picture or an HTML code into your post and blogger tells you that it is impossible? Just click this button and ha ha, the impossible becomes possible!

Just Make It Work Button

And for all of you out there that have ever sat down to the computer and just can't come up with an idea for a post this is the button for you! This also works well when you find yourself mid story and your mind goes blank. Or if you really need to impress someone you can just:

So if anyone out there has a connection to Blogger HQ, would you please pass along the message. Thank you in advance. :)

For more Wordless fun check out Wordless Wednesday HQ, and for more Wordy fun check out Wordful Wednesday at Seven Clown Circus.

Sepia Scenes: Positive Thinking For Groundhog Day

2010-02-02T07:48:00.000-08:00

For more great photos visit Mary T at Sepia Scenes.

Sunday Funnies: Night Terrors

2010-01-31T00:00:00.000-08:00

Silence fell all around in the deepening darkness of the night. The only sound that could be heard was the deep steady breathing of my husband who lay beside me in the comfort of our warm blankets. The familiar sound lulling me closer and closer toward oblivion. Dreams filled my head as scene after scene played across the screen of my subconscious theatre.
Darkness touched my dream, noises reached out through the night in ways that seem unnatural. Through my sleep fogged brain I heard the piano playing, but that can't be. I hear my husband say something that I can't quite understand. "Oh it's just the maid," I mumble into the pillow. "She'll stop in a minute." I say.
"What?" My husband says loudly. "What are you talking about?" Instantly my mind snaps to attention.
"Oh, sorry was I talking in my sleep again?" I asked. As my mind becomes more and more clear I realize that notes are being slowly and clumsily picked out on our keyboard in the front room.
"What is that?" I asked as I felt a peculiar ball forming in the pit of my stomach.
"It's the keyboard, is Kira in there?" Kevin asks. We both tilted our heads in the direction that the music was drifting from, but there was no sound of movement that either of us could tell.
Slowly we both rose from the warm comforter into the crisp cool air of the pitch black night.
As we cautiously made our way down the hallway the light from the streetlamp outside the window lent it's light to the eerie scene before us. There sat the keyboard, keys still being played at random but no one was next to it. The room was empty
My husband, being quicker and closer than I was reached the piano first and quickly turned the power to the board off.
We headed back to bed slightly disturbed. Climbing back onto our respective sides of the bed we both said at the same time, "That was kind of creepy."
And so we tried to find our way back into the land of restful sleep. Soon my husband resumed his slow rhythmic breathing. But sleep continued to elude me.
Now if there is one thing that I have always prided myself on is the thought that I don't scare very easily. Scary movies rarely make me jump, sometimes they make me want to gag because they're gross, but they really don't scare me. People jumping out from behind doors doesn't make me jump ten feet in the air, and creepy things in the night never keep me awake.
But here I was, creeped out. the minutes stretched by slowly with a growing sense of unease. What would have made the piano start playing? had something fallen and hit the keys? But that couldn't happen because it was playing different notes. I was plagued with question after question. My mind trying to wrap a reasonable explanation around the event that had just happened.
I scooted closer to my husband surrendering my pride to the fact that I was down right, well, scared.
I stared absently at my closet hoping the answers would come, suddenly out of the darkness at the end of my bed rose a spectral white disembodied head. It began slowly floating closer and closer towards me.
Shear terror gripped me like I had never felt before. I screamed and tried to climb up Kevin's left arm.
"Whhaat?" Cried a terrified voice from the direction of the ghostly white figure.
It was Kira.
Why on earth did I have to give birth to such very pale white children?

Sunday Funnies is a weekly theme here at Cake Crumbs. If you would like to play along just think back through your week and find the funniest thing that happened to you and jot it down. You can leave your story in the comments box if you would like. Or if you decide to do a post on your own site just mention it in your comment and we'll be sure to come check it out!

Photo Story Friday: Motherhood

2010-01-29T11:09:00.000-08:00

Tuesday evening came, the kids were finally asleep and the hubby and I popped in a movie that we had rented. Motherhood with Uma Thurman.

I have been so excited to watch this movie, I just knew that I was going to find a movie that I could really connect with. A woman who could show the world the joys and sorrows that come with this ever shrinking occupation, the SAHM. And to top it all off she was a blogger. Yes I admit that I was excited when we pushed the play button.
That enthusiasm lasted about five minutes. This was not the stay at home mom that I thought would be a crusader for our cause, but an angry, resentful woman that didn't seem to enjoy anything about her life.
One part of the movie was that she wanted to write for a parenting blog, she had to send in 500 words about what motherhood meant to her. When she finally finished it and it was read at the end of the movie all I could think was hypocrite.
And so today I would like to give my thoughts about being a mom. And I can sum it up into one word:

I picked this word, because even though it consists of only three letters, it is a powerful word. Joy consists of much more than just happiness. Joy is a deep feeling that causes you to be moved. Joy cannot exist without feeling sorrow, deep sorrow. Joy is something that is earned. It takes commitment, hard work, and LOVE.
And this to me is what motherhood is.
NO, it's not always easy, there are times when I would like to go back to work and leave the daily chore of raising children to a babysitter. I mean who really wants to clean up after a toddler learning to go potty? Who really wants to do dishes, laundry and clean for everyone that lives in the house? Who really wants to watch Spongebob? Who really wants to read The Big Hungry Bear 11 times in one hour? Who really wants to have their two year old throw their binky at the waitress? Who really wants to have to apologize to someone because their daughter has just whispered "that lady's fat"? Who didn't sit down and cry the day that they realized that the fairy tale ending was never going to happen?
I feel confident that I am not alone in these feelings. But I hope that I am not alone in wanting this life despite the dark side of it.

When we have the opportunity of becoming a mother we are given a chance to work hand in hand with God in creating a wonderful little body for one of his precious children.

I LOVE being a mom.

I love being the one who my kids want when they are sick.
I love that I am their comfort when they are scared or hurt.
I love reading "The Big Hungry Bear" to them 11 times in one hour.
I love to watch them learn, I love to help them discover the world from a gentle perspective.

I love fixing them dinner and having each one of them tell me they love my cooking (granted this one doesn't happen very often, so that's why I love it when it does). I love to read them bedtime stories.

I love to see them play.

I love when they pile on their dad
I love the adventures that we find ourselves in.
I love to see them laugh.
I love the way that they make me laugh.
I love the things they say.
I love their unique personalities.

I also love the sorrows that we have had with our kids. I feel that these obstacles, even though they cause sadness for a time, bind us together as a family unit. Making us stronger than we are by ourselves.

Motherhood is my life, and it's a life that I love.

What does motherhood mean to you?

Hosted by Cecily

Project 365: Week Three

2010-01-29T08:38:00.000-08:00

Day 22

"Emma"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

January 22nd

This is how Emma's portrait session for last week's Photo Story Friday Really went.

After she destroyed her lovely hair do she proceeded to drape the broken

ponytail holder over her lips. She then told me that they were her "vampire teeth".

Day 23

January 23rd

We attempted to pack up our TV to send back to get repaired.

We pulled it off the stand wrapped it in the provided bubble wrap that my children had

nearly cleared of bubbles. And tried to stick it in a box that ended up being

ten inches short. Oops. Guess we should have measured before we started.

Day 24

January 24th

We had a little poodle attend church with us today.

But she didn't want to get her paws wet in the snow.

Day 25

Jaunuary 25th

Izzy passed off her first 25 sight words!!!! To celebrate we went to get ice cream.

She picked strawberry with bubble gum. A LOT of bubble gum.

Day 26

January 26th

Izzy's class got to go bowling for their read before bed reward. I was invited to go along

and so Emma and I headed out to enjoy in the chaos!

Strobe lights, glowing socks, dropping bowling balls, who doesn't love a great Kindergarten field trip?

Day 27

We had a Sun Dog in the sky this morning.

*Sigh* I did have hopes that the groundhog would announce that winter was at an end.

Day 28

January 28th

Not much to say other than, POPCORN!

Hosted by Chris

Wordless Wednesday: If I Can't See You, You Can't See Me

2010-01-27T09:17:00.000-08:00

Stop by Wordless Wednesday HQ for more wordless Fun!

Sepia Scenes: The Wonder Of Winter

2010-01-26T15:35:00.000-08:00

A carpet of white stretches into the distance

What will be found at the journey's end

A cottage with chimney and warm comforting fire

Sunday Funnies: All Aboard The Bipolar Express!

2010-01-24T18:14:00.000-08:00

There I was, one day left to go and still 144 tissue paper flowers to whip out, with so little time remaining. I suppose I could have forgone all sleep in order to meet my dead line, but I chose another route. I put my kids and husband to work, that's why I have them right? I know sweat shops are frowned upon, but I needed help!
My fingers ached with the pain of twisting petal after petal, and I thought to myself 'how do I get myself into this ~~crap~~ craft?' And so when the morning came my sweet husband was sent to work with a pile of pretty pink tissue paper and a bundle of wire with instructions on how to create a delicate carnation. He worked tirelessly and in the process whipped out 24 flowers and gained the nickname of princess.
By the time school was out I was starting to sweat bullets because I was only half way to my goal. So an assembly line was formed. And my kids were bribed with a trip out for dinner (mostly because I had no where to put diner because the counter and table were covered in ~~crap~~ craft supplies).

Emma was put to the task of threading buttons onto wire. She picked up the task with vigor and finished 15 of them before she got any help.

Kira's assignment, making pretty petals. She really wants to find a job this year (her new year's resolution) so if anyone out there needs a seven year old to fold tissue paper flowers, she's your girl.

And Izzy, well, Izzy somehow got out of doing anything except the puzzle on the floor.
So the race began. With encouragement and whining set to full speed we made it through most of the remaining flowers before we went to bed. And boy were my kids tired. They did a whole twenty minutes of work.

The next morning Kevin again made flowers at work, this time they were dainty little tulips, this did nothing for his reputation. (you have to understand that the guys that he work with wrestle with alligators for sport) I sat at home and watched Alvin and the Chipmunks (my ears hurt by the time it was over but don't tell my kids that). But all of the flowers were finished. And so the bouquets were started.
The goal, 12 bouquets in 40 minutes. I enlisted the help of my mom who glued black satin ribbons and bows to each square vase, while my husband completed the remaining tulips needed to complete each bouquet. And so I taped and taped and taped and reached number 9 before I realized that we were 6 carnations short. And I only had 4 minutes left.
Oh well to hell with it. We'll only set up 10 tables.
Up to the church I flew like a banshee and made it just in time to get the tables covered and centerpieces set before the girls began to come.

And so my manic episode came to an end, and as I climbed off The Bipolar Express and fell into bed that night I realized how wonderful my family is. Thanks for all your help and patience. And the next time you hear a jingle bell ring, just remember, someone, somewhere is having a manic episode and dragging their family with them too. :) Your not alone.

Photo Story Friday: Last But Not Least

2010-01-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is the last addition in my introductory series. Aren't you glad I only have three kids.

This is Emma.

Emma was born with red hair, and she has the fiery personality to go with it. She inherited the spirited Irish blood that flows in my families veins, it's also been known to cause stubbornness.

She shows great potential as a leader. She runs our house with an iron fist, she gets what ever wants when she wants it. She can get anything out of anyone. And if pure persuasion doesn't work, she simply smiles.

She loves to be the center of attention. She is a performer, she loves to dance and sing for a crowd. She also loves to have her picture taken. She runs every time I have my camera out, whether I want her in the frame or not.

Emma's favorite thing to do is sit on your lap and intertwine her fingers in yours. She calls it "holdy handy". It's how she goes to sleep at night and the first thing she wants when she wakes up. It's her security, and her affection all wrapped up into one. She also hates to be alone, she loves to be in a room full of people and chaos.

Emma has an inquisitive mind. She watches everything and misses nothing. She can solve any problem that faces her. She stands back and looks at a problem, thinks for a short moment then barrels in head first until she gets the result that she wants.

Emma loves kisses and hugs. She loves her dad and grandpa. She makes me laugh. She is sweet and loving, and very physical in her expression of these emotions.

Emma is independent, smart, and a tease. And what a joy she is to have in our family, it wouldn't be complete without her.

Hosted by Cecily and Michelle

365: Week Two

2010-01-22T20:24:00.000-08:00

I have really enjoyed getting out and taking pictures this week. It was quite a busy one so taking a break to take a few pictures of the things that we've been doing was a welcome distraction. And so the trail continues

Day 12

Jan 12th. This is my TV. With the power off.

Day 13

Jan 13th. The icicles that hung down from my mom's roof began to melt creating the most lovely little puddle that caught the drips from the slowly shrinking ice.

Day 14

Jan 14th. This is what happens when Kira wanted to play target practice with the squirt bottle. Please ignore the dust, I do.

Day 15

Jan 15th. My very good friend Mimi sent me this essential oil that smells like bottled Christmas. It's wonderful! It took a little longer than we both expected, arriving on Friday. After seeing the package I am impressed that UPS found me at all. Hurray for Brown! I love it Mimi! Thank you!

Day 16

Jan 16th. Flowers from my husband. Aren't they beautiful, I love gerbera daisies. They are my absolute favorite.

Day 17

Jan 17th. Nothing compares to the thrill of sleeping on the hard floor with nothing but a pillow and a blanket. And of course Grandma usually makes pancakes in the morning. Yay, for sleepovers! Did I mention that I slept in?

Day 18

Jan 18th. A trip to the dentist is the best when they make you a cute little poodle to bring home. But the 7 cavities between the two of them wasn't so fun.

Day 19

Jan 19th. Kira is taking her 5th year of dancing. She has graduated to the barr this year, she is so excited for the day that she gets to start pointe. She is so graceful when she puts her mind to it.

She just moves like a ballerina.

Day 20

Jan 20th. The ~~crap~~ craft that I get myself into. These were the handmade tissue paper flowers that I made for a formal etiquette dinner that we held for all the young girls at my church. It was a ton of fun, so I think I may do a post on it later this week.

Day 21

Jan 21st. Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow. But will it ever stop?

Hosted by Chris

Wordless Wednesday: Spoke To Soon

2010-01-20T08:44:00.000-08:00

See yesterday's post.

For more wordless fun check out Wordless Wednesday.

Sepia Scenes: Winter Thaw

2010-01-19T09:30:00.000-08:00

As the sun peeks out through the cold winter clouds

the snow begins to melt, making puddles

and rivers in unexpected places.

Vist Mary T to join in the fun at Sepia Scenes.

Sunday Funnies: Human Anatomy From A Three Year Old

2010-01-16T21:10:00.000-08:00

Every year I think that the majority of human kind hears the word resolutions and simotaniously we all think the same thing.

DIET

For most of us the new year feels like starting fresh, a clean slate, no more snickers bars before breakfast, and the sundae before bed will never cause heart burn again!
Some of us have more motivation for changing our diets than others. I want to do it for health reasons.
My sister on the other hand has a three year old who started the ball rolling for her.
While sitting in a very quiet chapel last Sunday, surrounded by silent worshipers, Kerstina (my sister) had her loving little boy climb up on to her lap. He snuggled up to her for a moment, then pulled away looking at her in a very curious way.
He started patting her gently, then in a boistrous voice he patted her boob and said, "Mommy, this is your little boob." Then pointing at her stomach he shouted "And this is your big boob."
And then he smiled.
Now if that isn't motivation to loose a few pounds I don't know what is.

Sunday Funnies is a weekly theme here at Cake Crumbs. If you would like to play along just think back through your week and find the funniest thing that happened to you and jot it down. You can leave your story in the comments box if you would like. Or if you decide to do a post on your own site just mention it in your comment and we'll be sure to come check it out!

Photo Story Friday: Our Second Introduction

2010-01-15T10:15:00.000-08:00

Last week I had decided that I was tired of trying to keep up with my kids' code names. So today is a continuation of the family introductions:

This is Isabelle, but she gets mad when you call her that. So we just call her Izzy.

Izzy is tenderhearted, helpful, imaginative, creative and very sweet. She is my easiest child, demanding less than should.

She has a very tender heart, she hates to hurt those around her, preferring instead to make them as happy as she can. (of course this doesn't always apply to her sisters) She is constantly drawing little pictures and cards to send to everyone she knows. She is becoming quite the little artist.

She loves animals of every kind (except dogs that jump on her). She has had a passion for horses since she was VERY little. She would like nothing better than to have a horse she could call her very own. When she was little she asked if she could have a real horse for her birthday. I told her that we had no place to put one so we couldn't get her a horse. Her suggestion, it could stay in her bed.
She has no fear of horses at all, I will catch her running under the belly of a horse without a care at all. She just glows when she is near them. She could just sit and stare at them for hours.

When she grows up she wants to be a cowgirl and a doctor for animals.

She loves rocks, puzzles, little toys, food, books, stories, pencils, writing, notebooks, and pictures.

Izzy has a very unique sense of style that fits her unique personality perfectly.

Izzy is sweet and kind and caring, and I don't know what I would do without her.

Hosted by Cecily

Wordless Wednesday: "Spell Check On Aisle Three, Please"

2010-01-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

For more Wordless Wednesday check out their HQ HERE.

Project 365: Week Two

2010-01-12T12:23:00.000-08:00

Week two, dropping a few more crumbs along the path from this week:

Jan. 6, Day 6:

Letting the last Christmas light shine before it all goes back into storage.

Jan. 7th, Day 7:

Finished the last page of the book

Jan. 8th, Day 8:

I love when I have my Grandma with me, we get all the best parking spots!

I took my Grandma up for several appointments up through the canyon. I was lucky enough to get a chance to pick up a few necessities at Barnes and Noble. I live in the middle of nowhere and we are deprived of any kind of a book store. So I never pass up a chance to slip in and get something new.

Jan. 9th, Day 9:

The sun has begun eating away at the piles of snow. I have been trying to figure out the whole Infrared thing for my photo hunt, this is one of the MANY that I played with.

I've also been trying to take a self portrait that I could use for a new profile picture. As you can see it's not going so well.

Jan. 10th, Day 10: A weekly tradition! Every Sunday my entire family (aunts, uncles, cousins and their kids) gathers at my Grandma and Grandpa's house, we visit, play and eat ice cream. I hope that this tradition will live on forever.

Jan. 11th, Day 11: A Mosaic art project proudly made by my Kindergartner. She gave it to me a few days after Christmas.

If you'd like to see the beginning of this project and what its about visit my first
Project 365 post here.

Hosted by Chris

Be My Guest! at Out Of The Extraordinary

2010-01-10T23:00:00.000-08:00

"Hey there! Did you know that your very special cake-maker is honoring me with a guest post on Out of the Extraordinary today? Well, she is! Please stop on by and read her phenomenal post. My blog is all about recognizing how even the most "ordinary" things in life are, actually, extraordinary, and Heidi's post is spot-on. Come check it out!"

Inspired Dreamer@ Out of the Extraordinary
(Click link above to go directly to post)

Janet (Inspired Dreamer) asked me if I would be her first guest blogger on her lovely blog today. I was a little floored that she would even ask me to do something like this. I was a little nervous to be writing on someone Else's blog. I mean I can post whatever I want here and not worry about tarnishing anyone's reputation but that of my own (well, and my kids and husband). But to have someone else hand their blog over to me is just brave. I hope that what I have written for her will keep her reputation as an Inspirer with words in tact. :)
I have really enjoyed getting to know Janet since this project began. She is very upbeat and fun. And to top off the honor of being featured on her blog she also graciously gave me this wonderful award! Thank you so much Janet! I can't tell you how warm and bubbly you have made me feel. You have certainly made an ordinary day for me become extraordinary:

I am supposed to pass this on to 15 bloggers that I have recently discovered and think are fantastic.
I will have to follow up with a few more later on but I would like to send this award out to just a few today.

Mimi@ Mimi. Who has become a very good friend. I always love stopping by to see what's going on in Ireland. She is wonderfully entertaining. And her pictures always have a story to tell.

The Girl With the Flour in Her Hair@ Peeling An Orange With A Screwdriver- Who has such a way of entertaining with her words! Oh and she makes fabulous cakes!

Jen @ Hey Ya'll. Her posts are always fun to read and she has the best recipes, I tried this one with sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving. It was to die for. :)

If you three would like to accept this award, simply copy the award and post it to your own blog and if you'd like to pass it on, please share it and make somebody's day!

Sunday Funnies: POP Goes My Ego

2010-01-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

This story actually happened a few years ago but I couldn't resist posting it after Lisa from Boondock Ramblings sparked the memory from one of her own similar stories.

Let me just begin by admitting the humiliating truth that when I was pregnant I puffed up like the Michelin Man. I was even as white as he was, I could put a Cullen to shame. That tends to happen when you lay in bed for seven months. So after having my third child I was a little scary.
One warm and sunny afternoon in June my family decided that we should go to the lake and take our ancient boat, Herman, out for a little paddle around the puddle, I mean lake, that is near our home. After searching for a bathing suit I found to my horror that the only one that I had in my possession was a blue and green tie-dyed one from my teenage years, when I was a size 0. Yeah, that was a blow to my ego.
Discovering such a depressing piece of clothing still in my wardrobe put the plans for the day on hold for a bit. I called my sister and told her that we could meet them over at the lake but first I was going to have to go to the store and find a swimming suit that would fit my big fat butt.
So I packed my three kids up and we went shopping. Kira was so excited to go shopping, she loves shopping. And she particularly LOVES swimming suits. As I flipped through the dwindling supply of basic colored bathing suits Kira was on a hunt of her own. After several minutes of intense searching she pulled this hideous suit that was a black,green, pink, and blue swirl of nauseating colors off the rack and walked over to me. She held it up to my back side and looked at it with a critical eye.
"Mom," she announced in a very serious voice. "I think this one will fit your big fat butt."
It was an Extra-Extra-Extra Large.
Kids have such a way of destroying your ego.

Sunday Funnies is a weekly theme here at Cake Crumbs. If you would like to play along just think back through your week and find the funniest thing that happened to you and jot it down. You can leave your story in the comments box if you would like. Or if you decide to do a post on your own site just mention it in your comment and we'll be sure to come check it out!

Photostory Friday: An Introduction

2010-01-08T15:07:00.000-08:00

When I started blogging back in August I had this paranoid thought that if I was to expose to much personal information about my family that someone would become obsessive and find out where we live and hunt us down. I now realize that I was probably over reacting to a situation that will never happen. I suppose that if it does we can always take Kevin's approach to solving the problem.

Anyway. In hopes of deterring any of you from finding out who we truly are I decided to give my kid's code names. But I'm finding it harder and harder to remember to use their silly names when I am writing about them. And when I use just their ages even I get confused about who I'm talking about.
So I am going to throw caution to the wind (mostly because I'm lazy) and use the next few Photostory Fridays to introduce you to my three girls.

This is Kira.

She wishes that she were 16, a vampire, and knew Edward Cullen personally.

She loves to make herself pretty, what started out as dressing up like a princess has turned to dressing up like a teenager. (sometimes It really makes me sad)

She's a sucker for a love story. And she cries when movies and books have sad parts.

She loves animals. Especially cats, horses and dogs. She wishes that we had all three.

Her laugh is contagious and is the most wonderful sound in the world.

She loves sewing, crafting, cooking and making crazy concoctions of all kinds.

When she grows up she wants to be a model, an actress, a clothes designer and a hairdresser. She wants to be busy, which is something that she always is.

Over all she is a joy to be around, she is happy and helpful and beautiful. And I'm glad that she's mine.

Photo Hunt Challenge: December 09

2010-01-06T20:02:00.000-08:00

December brought another chance to put my photography skills to the test. Here are my results!

I really struggled with the Infrared. I played with so many pictures that I included three with the hopes that one of them is right. I hope this doesn't disquailfy me. :)

1. Holiday Lights

2. Holiday Spirit

3. Holiday Treat

4. An Ornament

5. A Wrapped Gift

7. Holiday Icon

8. A Tree

9. A Tradition

10. Something That Says Noel (I know this one is a stretch, sorry)

11. Something Precious

12. Something Peaceful

13. Something Hot

14. Something Cold

15. Something Red

16. Something Green

18. A Black and White Photo With Some Color Variation

19. A Photo in Infrared

20. A Macro Shot

Wordless Wednesday: Why All Fairy Tales End BEFORE Midnight

2010-01-06T08:52:00.000-08:00

365: Light (1-5)

2010-01-05T16:26:00.000-08:00

My friend Chris, from Life...or a Reasonable Facsimile Thereof, has graciously invited me to play along with his year long photo commitment (if you haven't been to visit him you really need to, his blog is everything that mine is not. It's fantastic. His pictures are inspiring and beautiful, and his words are as well, plus he has a great sense of humor). Project 365 is 365 pictures shot one per day over the next 365 days, posting your collection of pictures once a week on your blog. If that's not commitment I don't know what is.

I feel a bit like Gretel today. Looking down an unknown path with a pocket full of crumbs, but I don't know yet what the crumbs will look like. I don't know what course the path will take, or what it will have in store. Will there be sadness? Will there be joys? Will I find the inspiration to keep me on my way?
I am embarking on this journey with the hopes of creating a trail that will enable my children to find their way back home when they are grown. To see the path where they started and hopefully to bring back treasured memories. Whatever is ahead I will see it through to the end.
So here are the first few crumbs, if you'd like to follow them one by one you'll find me at the end.

A Week Of Light

December 31, Day 0: Light can transform the simplest objects into shining, brilliant celebrations.

Jan. 1, Day 1: Through the darkness, there is always light to be found.

Jan. 2, Day 2: Light can be playful and full of fun. Turning up rainbows in unexpected places.

Jan. 3, Day 3: There's never a dull moment when there's a Sunbeam around.

Jan. 4, Day 4: Highlights are what make the week worth trudging through.

Jan. 5, Day 5: Light can inspire.

Without it we are left wandering, lost in a state of unknowing. Light gives us purpose; fills us with strength, warmth, comfort and joy.

Look for the light in those unexpected places.

Sepia Scenes: Christmas Was A Hit!

2009-12-31T10:32:00.000-08:00

Every year a bowl is quietly passed around my ever growing family. As each member of the family reaches into the bowl they swirl around all the little folded pieces of paper until they feel that they have mixed them efficiently enough to get the person that they want.
When the small papers are opened and their secret person is revealed all the fun begins. For an entire month we scheme and plot and plan what to give our secret person. We also have a month to see if we can trick anyone into revealing who they drew out of the bowl. My kids didn't quite get this concept. Everyone knew who they had. ^shrug^ maybe next year.
This year my husband drew out my nephew TIG's name. I watched and waited until something was slipped to see what we should get for him. One afternoon he went on and on about how much he loved "The Christmas Story" and how he would stay up for the full 24 hour marathon that was on TV at Christmas time. Well the wheels started turning, and a gift idea was born.
I was going to get him that leg lamp.
But it proved to be more difficult than I had hoped for. So, after talking to Kevin about the idea of a BB gun he jumped right on board. We started looking online and then at the store trying to find something that we thought would work. That's when we stumbled across this beauty! It couldn't have been more perfect!
So Christmas Eve arrived and the presents were sprawled under the tree with their pretty papers and shinning festive bows.
When it was my nephews turn to open his gift, Kevin handed him a small cylinder shaped gift and told him that we had heard a rumor about how much he like the "Christmas Story" so we decided that it would be fun to give him a few things from the movie.
As my nephew tore into the package he found to his surprise a bottle of BB's. My husband continued, "Now we didn't want you to shoot your eye out with the actual gun so we thought you could just throw these at things and no one would get hurt."
His parents laughed and said that he used his grandpa's BB gun all the time.
TIG tore into his next gift and exclaimed with excitement. It was the movie "A Christmas Story".
"Alright, now I can watch it all the time."
After a few seconds he started to sit down and Kevin interrupted him mid sit.
"Oh, wait, what's that behind the tree?" He teased him. TIG ran to the tree and circled as best he could until he found the package in question. Waisting no time on the pretty paper he tore into it with the energy that only a ten year old boy can possess.
"Whoa, it's a Red Ryder BB Gun!!!" He exclaimed with a huge grin spreading across his face.

For More Visit Mary T at Sepia Scenes.

Wordless Wednesday: The Road To Happiness

2009-12-29T21:39:00.000-08:00

Sunday Funnies: All I Want For Christmas

2009-12-28T08:48:00.000-08:00

I know I'm a day late. Sorry, I've had a hard time getting to the computer this last week with the holiday and all.
Anyway, back to the story...

A few weeks before Christmas when the idea of receiving a gift had reached a fever point with my three year old, she wandered into the room where I was folding laundry and sat down with that gleam in her eye that told me I was going to hear a continuation of that ever growing gift list.
She sat beside me and took my hand in hers, and looked up through her soft brown eyelashes and batted her eyes at me once or twice as a smile formed on her cherry red lips.
"Mommy," she said. "I know what I want for Christmas."
"You mean besides the Pooh Bear Computer, Leapster, horses, and a new puzzle?" I asked in mock curiosity.
"Yes, I want a Purple iPot. And Crystal (her imaginary friend) wants one too."
"A 'Purple iPot', huh."
"Yes, I REALLY, REALLY want it. Do you think Santa will bring me one?"
"Well 'Purple iPots' may be hard to find." I said sarcastically.
"But I really want one, and it would be sooooo fun to have one."
"What exactly is a 'Purple iPot?"
"Oh, it's a sculpture." She replied in a very buisness like tone.
"Oh," I said as I tried to hold back the giggles that were trying to erupt.
So later that night just out of pure amusement I decided to google Purple iPot. This is what I found...

I had no idea they started this young. Am I in trouble?

Sunday Funnies is a weekly theme here at Cake Crumbs. If you would like to play along just think back through your week and find the funniest thing that happened to you and jot it down. You can leave your story in the comments box if you would like. Or if you decide to do a post on your own site just mention it in your comment and I'll be sure to come check it out!

Wordless Wednesday: Jolly Old St. Nippolas

2009-12-23T08:25:00.000-08:00

Here's Wishing You The "Breast" Christmas Ever!

Check out more Wordless Wednesday Fun at wordlesswednesday.com!

Since December has started I have found that I have had less and less time to post anything on my blog. And I am going through withdrawals. So I have decided to post a wintry or Christmas picture every day this week. I hope that I will be able to come back to this wonderful community when the hustle and bustle of the Holiday's is over.

Thanks to everyone for being such great friends and neighbors! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Heidi

Angels Among Us

2009-12-21T20:42:00.000-08:00

By Small Steps They Become Men

2009-12-20T20:44:00.000-08:00

Walking In A Winter Wonderland

2009-12-20T08:50:00.000-08:00

There is nothing so peaceful as freshly fallen snow.

All sound becomes hushed and reverent.

The crisp cool air dies down.

Allowing a moment for time to stand still.

Christmas Tradition: Australia, I Need Some Help!!!!

2009-12-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone out there in bloggy land. This is a totally random post but I need some help.
You see every year for Christmas Eve my family picks a country or culture that we use as a theme for the evening.
We find out what their Christmas Traditions are and then we learn a little bit about their culture and history. This year my oldest daughter decided that we needed to spotlight Australia. So if any of you wonderful and lovely folks that reside way down under happen to find this little blog post (I know there are a few of you) would you please, please let me know what some of your Christmas Traditions are? I would like to be able to play some games that are commonly played, and I would like to know what Australians like to eat.
Thank you to anyone that can help! Until then I think that Google is going to become my best friend!

Wordless Wednesday: A Nativity Just Isn't A Nativity Without Naked Women

2009-12-09T08:31:00.000-08:00

Ruby Tuesday: Tackling Mishap

2009-12-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

Yes we are huge BYU fans here at my house so I couldn't resist posting this and getting in that jab at U of U.

But somethimes I think this is how my life is. I try to tackle a problem head on and end up trashing myself.

Sunday Sentiments: The Nativities

2009-12-05T22:11:00.000-08:00

I thought since this was such a sentimental time of year I would change Sunday Funnies to a kinder more gentle post. (Plus nothing really funny happened this week, hopefully something will happen for next Sunday)

In the shadow of the Creche lies a newborn babe, swaddled in tightly wound clothes of the purest white. A mother's angelic face looks down on her heavenly child as a strong supportive hand rests on her shoulder, it's owner letting her know that he will do all in his power to provide and protect.

Several years ago my mother-in-law started attending an event every December where a group of families would gather together and bring with them a nativity that they owned.
There was always something new and different at each one of these wonderful evenings and my mother-in-law seemed to really enjoy attending this as a way to start off the holiday season.

A few years ago they stopped hosting this event and it has, like many traditions, gone by the wayside. But my MIL seemed to have a new interest as she started shopping around the holiday season. She started picking up nativities and started a collection of her very own. Instead of going and seeing what new pieces someone else has discovered, she started picking up new and wonderful sets of her own each Christmas.

It has been so fun to watch as her collection has grown in size and number. Her nativities are of all shapes and sizes, made of several different mediums such as wood, ceramic, porcelain, and glass. They are beautiful and each one is unique.

I love to watch as the grandkids discover the new nativity that she has picked up. Every time we visit and a new nativity has been added the grandkids stare and absorb all the details of the newest set, and then they have to look at all the other sets, and then they want to touch them and explore them in any way that they can.

I think that this has been a wonderful thing for me and my kids to see how much my MIL loves the setting of Christ's birth, and how she has placed it as the focal point of her Christmas. If only all of us could let Christ be the most prolific part of our own holidays I think that all the hustle and bustle of the season would settle into a still and quiet night on which we could celebrate our Savior and all that He has done for us because He loves us. I think that if we used that day for worshipping and a renewing of our promises to be faithful to Him, that the world would see peace and prosperity instead of war and recession.

But I also know that this is easier said than done.

Thank you for your inspiration and your example Grandma!

Sunday Funnies is a weekly theme here at Cake Crumbs. If you would like to play along just think back through your week and find the funniest thing that happened to you and jot it down. You can leave your story in the comments box if you would like. Or if you decide to do a post on your own site just mention it in your comment and I'll be sure to come check it out!

Sepia Scenes: Pioneers, Pickles and Pies!

2009-12-03T10:49:00.000-08:00

Every year for Thanksgiving we go to my husband's Mom and Dad's to enjoy a wonderful dinner with all the family. My kids love to see their cousins and I really enjoy visiting with all the adults.

Every year my daughter's also insist on dressing up as pioneers, since it was in honor of the pioneers and Indians that we have this great feast. I only got a picture of my oldest, K, with her bonnet on, IZ wouldn't leave hers on long enough for a decent picture and we don't have a bonnet that fits EM anymore. So she wore a BYU beanie. It worked.

EM's favorite part of dinner was pie, more specifically, the whipped cream. I think the kids ate half a pie with an entire bowl of whipped cream.

It was great!

*******As pointed out by my lovely mother, and then by my loving husband, yes I screwed up, I live in Utah and we have pioneers here. Yes I do know that it was Indians and PILGRIMS that were really in attendance at the first Thanksgiving. Thank you for looking past my blond moment.*******

Wordless Wednesday: Simple Pleasures!

2009-12-02T10:57:00.000-08:00

Join in the fun at Wordless Wednesday HQ!

Sunday Funnies: Movie Maddness

2009-11-29T09:14:00.000-08:00

Last weekend my husband and I packed all of the kids plus a few more into the trusty old van, popped in a cartoon and we started off for an adventure.
The plan, the adult women and my oldest (K) would all go to Twilight. And Kevin would take the two younger girls to Planet 51, thus avoiding having to hear 50 year old women gasp in orgasmic pleasure every time a 17 year old kid took his shirt off.
(Or so he said.)
So we started the 4 hour round trip with excitement and anticipation of a great afternoon.
After the usual potty breaks and snack stops we arrived just in time to find a parking place in the overcrowded theatre parking lot and rush to the ticket box to buy the tickets for Planet 51.
Of course we wouldn't chance Twilight selling out, my mom had ordered us all tickets weeks ago. The one thing we didn't count on, Planet 51 was completely SOLD OUT.
There were no other kid movies and the show was about to start so we just bought a few more tickets to Twilight (yeah they weren't even close to sold out). And started packing everyone in.
IZ, my five year old figured out that she wasn't going to be going to a cartoon and said, "But mom, you promised that I wouldn't have to see Twilight!"
She is TERRIFIED of the first movie and promptly burst into tears, dug in her heels (literally), and started shaking with fear.
I was flustered, I didn't know what to do. So my Dad volunteered to MISS Twilight and walk around the mall with IZ. (Yeah, he took up that offer a little too quickly)
So off they went to window shop for two hours while the rest of us sat down and got comfortable in our seats.
I watched the movie through my three year old's head, listened to all of her commentary and her questions, had to explain lots of things that I shouldn't have had to explain to a 3 year old. And I had to listen to lots of moaning.
It wasn't from 50 year old women though, it was from my husband, every time that 17 year old boy came on the screen he would shake his head and groan that deep throated growl that tells me he's rolling his eyes at the same time.

So my overall experience with Twilight (what I could see of it)? It had way better graphics than the last one, the dialouge was still terrible, the acting was slightly better, and overall I had a ton of fun just going somewhere with my sisters, mom, friends, husband, and my kids.
But next time, I think I'll leave the kids home. And I think we'll pick up my husband's brothers so he can watch something with lots of guns and kung fu and blood.
Although, in my defense, there was killing, and blood and fighting in Twilight, I don't know why he's complaining.
Thanks for the trip mom! It was fun, and I can't wait for the next one!

The girl's visiting Santa before we left.

(It was also the only smile from IZ that I saw)

There Was A Big Fat Turkey Down On Grandpa's Farm:

2009-11-28T14:07:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!

And I hope that you stuffed yourselves silly!

Sunday Funnies: The Secret Box

2009-11-21T21:49:00.000-08:00

"Mommy, what's in that pink stripped box in the top of your closet that says Victoria Secret?" I was a little speechless when I heard these words come out of my seven year old daughter's mouth.

"Um, why?" I asked.

"Well, it fell on the floor and there are some weird squishy things in them."

"Well honey, they're fake boobs." I replied hesitantly.

"Why do you have fake boobs?"
Why am I having to have this conversation right now, she's only seven she doesn't even have boobs of her own yet!

"Well, when mommy got married I had to wear them so that my wedding dress wouldn't fall down." I felt I had to be honest.

"Well how do you wear them?"

"Uh, you just put them in your bra." I said as quickly as I could

With that uncomfortable conversation out of the way I thought the topic was closed. So I went to get EM who was downstairs for this entire exchange (thank goodness) to get her dressed for the night.

About ten minutes later as I was putting them to bed and I was sitting on EM's bed. She started patting my bulkier than usual sweatshirt.

"What are you doing?" I asked her.

"Where are your boobs mommy, I can't see them."

"Apparently they're in the box on the floor of my closet EM."

Sunday Funnies is a weekly theme here at Cake Crumbs. If you would like to play along just think back through your week and find the funniest thing that happened to you and jot it down. You can leave your story in the comments box if you would like. Or if you decide to do a post on your own site just mention it in your comment and I'll be sure to come check it out!

Photo Story Friday: I Swore I'd Never Say That

2009-11-20T08:34:00.000-08:00

What do you do in the exact moment that you catch yourself acting just like your parents? I know when we are all in our teenage years we swear very strongly that "I will never be like my dad!" (or mom depending on the moment) We all said it, and as we have grown older, married and had children of our own we swear we will still not be like our parents.
So what do you do when you catch yourself midstream in a sentence that you know you've heard come straight out of you father's mouth?

Last night after dinner it was homework time. But my girls felt like it was still time to play and that they were being picked on. Well they probably were, I know I felt that way when I was a kid too.
But the parent prevailed and everyone was seated around the freshly 409'd table and started their individual homework packets.
After about 10 seconds they were tired of it. And started horsing around. I tried and tried to get them back on track.
For the next half hour an intense battle of wills ensued. I won over the 5 year old and she finished her 6 pages of homework. But that 7 year old has developed an attitude and her ONE page of homework was still uncompleted at the end of the 30 minutes.
I was furious and frazzled by the end of the 20 minute mark becuase I just couldn't get her to bend to MY will! So I gave into the anger that was bubbling like lava in my brain and slammed my fist down on the table a few times to make sure that my point was getting across "If you don't stop horsing around and finish that homework I'm going to..."
And that's when the moment hit. I very vividly remember sitting around an old sign board set up on saw horses in my dad's paint room in the basement of my childhood home. There I was with my 4 other siblings with our homework laid out around us while my dad stood and painted a sign at one end of the room.
I remember horsing around instead of doing homework. And I remember my dad taking as much as he could and then when the last straw broke, he would turn around, face beet red and he would pound his fist on that old board (which would send all of our homework and pencils flying-much more impressive than just a boring old table). And shout, "If you don't stop horsing around and finish that homework I'm going to paddle your butts!"
And well, we would get to our homework. And I would swear that I would never be so mean when I was a mom. My kids wouldn't have to do homework unless they wanted to. And I swore, I would never be like my dad!
So last night I found myself eating crow as those exact same words were flying from my unthinking mouth.
What did I do? At the time, nothing. I couldn't show my kids that they had gained the upperhand, right. So I did what any parent would do. I laughed hysterically when the kids weren't around!
And then I realized how grateful I am to my dad. I am grateful that my dad taught me a good work ethic. And how important it is to do something well and to do it right the first time. My dad is a very quiet man (unless we had pushed that last nerve over the edge). He doesn't have a lot to say most of the time. But whenever we needed help with anything he was there for us showing us the most rational way through the problem.
I could say so much about all that he has taught me and all that he has done for me. But mostly I am so grateful for the example that he has alway shown me.
And I would love to be just like him.
Thanks dad, for everything. (Even though I know you don't read my blog, so I will have to tell you one day.)

Hosted by Cecily and Sue

Sepia Scenes: Tumbled

2009-11-19T08:26:00.000-08:00

In a small canyon not far from my home is an old ghost mining town called Standardville. There once stood a grand Post Office proud and strong.

Even the most sturdy of stone is eventually worn down by time.

Wordless Wednesday: Preference Ball Horror

2009-11-18T00:48:00.000-08:00

The ugliest thing I've ever been forced to make for a high school dance.

Ruby Tuesday: Frosted

2009-11-17T10:21:00.000-08:00

Can you guess what it is?

If you'd like to join in the fun with Mary, visit Ruby Tuesday!

Photo Story Friday: What Goes Around Comes Around

2009-11-14T13:51:00.000-08:00

I have made a very important discovery about blogging. Whatever you put out there in cyberspace has a way of coming back to you. On some occasions I have really enjoyed the outcome of this particular principle. But I find myself this week wanting to take this little gem of advice and smashing it with a backhoe.
Let me explain.
Do any of you remember this little picture that I posted a while ago, so cleverly titled (or so I thought) "Evidence of State Budget Cuts"?

Well, I recently discovered this little picture floating around in someone else's postings. I don't remember where it was and I don't really care that someone snagged this particular picture. I got a kick out of it and I hoped that it would bring a smile to someone else's face.
I have decided that someone at my city's Construction and Fix It Department somehow stumbled on my little picture and didn't think it was very funny.
And neither did God, apparently.
These two have gotten together and conspired against me. Leaving me helpless and in a mess.
Wednesday night I went to a training meeting around 6:30, had a very wonderful time, and then came home in a wonderful mood only to discover this:

Now for those of you that can't tell what that is, its A LOT of water spraying like old faithful up out of the ground in front of my driveway. This little discovery had me running like a mad woman into the house to get my husband.
We live in a marshy area of town and we frequently have MAJOR flooding issues when the ground gets too wet.
Well we called all the appropriate people to try and get our new geyser taken care of.
After 2 hours of waiting, a few city trucks finally showed up, this was about midnight. They told us they'd have the whole thing fixed before my husband had to leave for work at 6:00 the next morning.
Yeah! I thought, how efficient they are!
Well, this is what we found in the morning, it took them 4 hours to do this:

Yes, it took four hours to locate my power line and insert 4 blue flags that showed where the water was shooting up from. Oh, yeah, and it took 5 workers to get that far.

I was a little irritated. That's all I'm going to say.

I came home from running kids to school with the knowledge that I was going to have to clear everything out of my basement that I wanted to salvage after the flooding began. But to my surprise 2 City workers had shown up with a backhoe and had started tearing into the ground.

I set to work on my basement and they continued to dig, and dig, and dig. 12 feet under the surface of the earth they discovered the problem. A shattered main water line. They assured us that all would be taken care of within a matter of hours.

Two days later, I'm still clearing out my basement and my driveway promptly drops off into a 12 foot deep hole. I have contaminated water and haven't done my dishes in three days. That same water has to be turned off during the afternoon while they "work" at the problem and then turned back on when their shift ends. Which because of budget cuts isn't very long.

Who's laughing now? Not me. Or my dishes. Or my living room stacked to the ceiling with everything that we own. Or my poorly bathed children. (please don't turn me into social services!)

So in the end I have decided that if I can't post anything nice I won't post anything at all.
(See God I apologized, now can I please, please, please get my water fixed?)

Hosted by Cecily and JENNIFER

Wordless Wednesday & Sepia Scenes: A Little Spot Of Sunshine

2009-11-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

To join in the fun stop by Wordless Wednesday

or Sepia Scenes!

Ruby Tuesday: Getting Ready For Apple Pie

2009-11-10T07:58:00.000-08:00

If you'd like to join in the fun, visit Mary for Ruby Tuesday!

Sunday Funnies: The Killer Dream

2009-11-08T06:20:00.000-08:00

Sunday Funnies is a weekly theme here at my blog. If you'd like to play along, look through your week and find the funniest thing that happened to you and jot it down. Either leave your story in the comments or send me a link to it and I'll come check it out!

(Sorry B I had to twist your title. Hope you don't mind.)

Last night my 7 year old K came in to my bedroom in a rush. The noise that she made as she entered the room was enough to have me wide awake and the rest of the neighborhood as well.
As she approached the bed she said in a shaking voice "Mom, I had a nightmare!"
"Oh, I'm sorry." I said as I pulled her up into my arms and tried to calm the shaking that had taken her.
"It was a scary dream, I dreamed I had to bake you. And I had to shove you in this really big (is she trying to tell me I'm fat?) oven with a fire. And then you wouldn't get out."
"Well was that because I was already dead?" Ok, ok I know that this didn't help the situation but sometimes things just leap out of my mouth before my brain really thinks about what I have just let plop out of my mouth.
"I don't know mommy. But I promise that I won't kill you again." She said as she hugged me tightly.
Well I guess its good to know that my daughter never plans on dressing me and stuffing me with Mrs. Cubbison's stuffing and shoving me into a giant oven to be baked until I'm well done.
Makes me wonder what on earth I've been letting my children watch...maybe it was that episode of NCIS and the amount of baking I've been doing the last several months. And this is her way of telling my I'm spending too much time with my cooking range that would better be spent with my children. ^shrug^
Anyone out there that is a child psychologist (or not), please help me out here. Or is it already too late?

Photo Story Friday: Twelve Hours Of Halloween

2009-11-05T21:42:00.000-08:00

So to celebrate Halloween coming to an end I decided to do a post dedicated to the Carnival from last Friday. I promise this will be almost the last one.
So to start off I decided to do a little quiz, now its not hard so don't freak out and get sweaty palms just because I said the word quiz. This one is a no brainer, I'll even make it multiple choice.

Question:
What exactly was Heidi for Halloween?

A. A mom that has gone far too long with no sleep.

B. Elvira

C. Was supposed to be a Vampire but EM the three year old dropped her fangs on the bathroom floor and there was NO WAY she was going to put them in her mouth after they touched that!

D. A wife who accidentally walked in on her husband using the bathroom going #2 after eating the night before a plate of Mongolian Beef with extra garlic noodles, a twelve pack of Mountain Dew, and chased later that night with a glass of milk and a bran muffin, or two, or four, he may have lost count.
(Can you guess who came up with this suggestion?)

Ok now think about it really hard and leave your answer in your comment.

Now for all of you that are just dying to know how the Carnival turned out I have composed a ~~terrible~~ wonderful song to help you get the whole picture.
Now just hum the tune to the Twelve Days of Christmas for a moment and then you'll be ready to begin.

The Twelve Hours Of Halloween

In the twelve hours of Halloween

When Chaos reigns supreme, I had

12 pounds of pumpkin

11 kids puking

10 Auction baskets

9 11 was called

8 Michael Jackson's

7 kinds of sweets

6 games of Bingo

5 hours of Cleanup

4 cow parts in jars

3 daughters with swine flu

2 fire alarms buzzing

And 1 lost preschooler!

There, I hope you got a feel for how the day went. Other than the fire alarm going off and having to clear all the kids out of the school twice in 20 minutes the day went pretty well. And I have to say the Fire Marshall was very understanding, and so was the wonderful young man that answered the 911 call.
Did I mention that I took a Xanax when I got home?

Hosted by Cecily and Emily

Neno's Award: Thank you Anni!

2009-11-05T20:47:00.000-08:00

I received this very flattering award from the ever kind and considerate Anni over at Hootin' Anni's. Her site is filled with the most wonderfully entertaining posts. And if anyone is deserving of this friendship award it would certainly be Anni. She has really reached out in friendship to me in the blogging world and has made me feel very welcome here. Thanks Anni, you are too sweet!

Here are the rules for this award:

Neno’s Award—-Rules and Regulations
1. As a dedication for those who love blogging and love to encourage friendships through blogging.
2. To seek the reasons why we all love blogging.

3. Put the award in one post as soon as you receive it.
4. Don’t forget to mention the person who gives you the award.
5. Answer the award’s question by writing the reason why you love blogging.

6. Tag and distribute the award to as many people as you like.
7. Don’t forget to notify the award receivers and put their links in your post.
Now...to pass this on to others who I feel really likes the same concept of 'loving to blog':

This is a very hard one for me, there are so many of you that I would love to give this award to. I just sent quite a few people an award not to long ago so I think I will just pick a few this time and I will probably choose someone that I didn't last time. :0)

I have to admit that I do LOVE blogging. I rarely go a day without looking several blogs. I'd say I was addicted but I could stop anytime I wanted to. Really I don't check the computer three or four times a day to see what everyone else is doing. I don't pretend that my children aren't screaming "MOM, she pulled my hair" in the background as I peacefully visit my new found friends. It's not a problem, I PROMISE!

Anyway why I love blogging is simple. I am a stay at home mom and I need to talk to adults every once in a while and blogging is a great way for me to meet other people to talk to. I love visiting so many of you and hearing about what you are doing and what's new in your lives. I also have a serious obsession with pictures. I love looking at pictures and taking pictures and blogging provides a wonderful way for me to view lots of photos and also to share a few (or a lot if I'm being honest) with someone. They may not be great, but they make me happy.

So I guess that right there is a great way to sum up why I love blogging, it makes me happy.

Thanks to everyone who stops by and makes me smile everyday! I appreciate it more than you could ever know. I wish I could give this to everyone that comes but I promised to keep it to three.
And the winner's are:

Honey at Honey Mommy
Ralph at Airhead 55
Cecily at My Chaos My Bliss

Thanks so much for making great conversation and starting friendships over the web!

Wordless Wednesday: Smile Pretty For The Camera

2009-11-03T20:11:00.000-08:00

Oh, come on, you can try harder than that!

Photo Hunt Challenge: October

2009-11-03T19:57:00.000-08:00

Here are my enteries for October's Photo Scavenger Hunt with Kristi at Photo Hunt Challenge and thank you for hosting!
This was a crazy busy month so my pictures aren't the greatest. And I've used a lot of them in post's through the month.

1. A Fall Activity

Picking Pumpkins

Fall Hikes

2. A Fall Treat

3. A Harvest

4. Leaves

#5 Fall Colors

6. Something Orange

7. Something Spooky

8. A Cemetery

9. A Costume

10. A Black & White Photo

11. A Critter

12. Symmetry

13. Contrast

(An old time swinging belt bridge and a modern cement bridge over the same river)

14. Texture

15. A Logo

16. Something Neon

17. Something Inspiring

Beyond the Grave

18. Something Entertaining

19. Something Fast (childhood)

20. Something Slow (time)

The Monster Mash

2009-11-03T19:53:00.001-08:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

"The List"

2009-11-02T08:42:00.000-08:00

Well my weekend of Chaos is at an end! I survived, my children barely survived and my husband is ecstatic that its over.
As anyone who read any of my posts in the last two weeks knows I organized a carnival for my girls' elementary school for Friday.
This year was a little more difficult than last because I have a hard time keeping track of things. I collected the most wonderful list of people (about 20, that was really, REALLY good for our school) that were willing to help with whatever I needed help with to lighten the load. I was so happy that I decided to get started calling at the beginning of October (see I can at least think about doing things on time). So I brought that wonderful list with nearly all of its lines filled out with real names and real phone numbers in to my living room and placed it in a place of honor next to the phone so that I could start calling all those fantastic parents right after dinner.
While I was in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove (dumping a box of mac-n-cheese into boiling water and popping chicken nuggets into the oven) I hollered at my kids to start clean-up. They finished their room quicker then I expected so I told them they needed to start on the front room.
To my surprise they did. The entire room was clean when I walked in to tell them to come and eat. Wow, that had never happened before! I felt the pride bubbling up inside my chest as I looked down at my children with love and affection.
We ate our gourmet meal (Yeah, McDonald's would be jealous) we started bedtime routine, homework, baths, jammies and so forth. By the time we finished it was too late to start calling people so I decided to wait until tomorrow to call from my "list".
The next morning I was wakened by the garbage truck picking up the trash. I leaned out my window to double check that our can had been taken out, it had so I went on with getting kids to school.
When I finally got a minute during the day to start calling for excited volunteers I went to the phone and picked it up, and looked in the place where I had "the list" and found the spot empty. I searched and searched and searched but alas, it was no where to be found. Apparently my girls "cleaned" a little to well and threw away my list along with everything else in the front room the day before. I almost cried when I realized that the garbage truck had pulled away with my precious "list" just this morning.
So much for more help this year at the carnival, sigh.

Sepia Scenes: Beyond The Grave

2009-10-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday: Haunted

2009-10-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

Sunday Spookies: What's Lurking In Your Basement?

2009-10-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

YES I KNOW I'M A DAY LATE! BUT LATE'S BETTER THAN NEVER RIGHT!?

Since it is the spookiest month of the year I have decided to go with Sunday Funnies alter ego and try my hand at writing something spooky. If you would like to play along, which I would love for you to do, write something spooky that has happened to you, an urban legend or make it up as you go! Let me know in your comment if you are participating and I will be sure to stop by!

In a dark and dangerous corner of Heidi's house a terrible secret lies hidden. For those that are brave enough to learn the truth you must descend down the treacherous stairs that are littered with toys, wrappers and horrible DUST BUNNIES that lie in wait along the path, you will come to a room where vapors of green spiraling smoke spew into the congested hallway. As you step closer to discover what the cause of the mysterious coiling smoke could possibly be you find yourself facing the great Mount Saint Laundry. It is piled so high that the door to the dryer has completely disappeared beneath it's great mass. And the smell, oh the smell, not only do you smell month old dirty socks and underwear from a three year old just learning to go potty, but the pee trap is dry, sending a horrible stench worse than a dead dog through the entire house! Hurry turn around and run before it reaches out its filthy claws and tries to trap you in its clutches! Quick GET OUT BEFORE IT'S TO LATE!!!!

Ok, so at my house hell week officially began last Monday. I am in charge of the Halloween Carnival at my kids' elementary school. Now normally this wouldn't be too bad, but I was so busy at the beginning of October that EVERYTHING has been squished into a two week period instead of two months. With everything that has been going on, my basement has taken a beating. No one can see it when they come into my house unless they CHOOSE to go down there. So not much has been cleaned over the course of the last two weeks. My laundry, as described above has also been a bit neglected. I haven't been blogging much the last two weeks and that just happens to be the time that I do my laundry.
I knew that things were getting really bad when two days ago I was happily taking a steaming hot shower and relaxing for the few moments that I could without someone calling me, me calling someone, or my kids screaming for some lunch. Aah! Absolute bliss! Until I reached out to grab my towel only to discover that I had forgotten to get one. I gingerly stepped out and walked to my linen closet only to again discover, NO TOWELS! I had to dry with the one remaining washcloth. And then I tried to wrap my hair in it. Suffice it to say, it didn't work well.
Ho hum, I thought to myself, I guess unless I want to dry off with a paper towel tomorrow I was going to have to take a minute and attack Mount Saint Laundry today.

So, what's the dirty little secret at your house? I would love to know! Someone please tell me so that I don't feel like quite as much as a failure this week!

Cake Crumbs

Remember That Feeling?

Sunday Funnies: False Advertising

Sunday Funnies: Birds of a Feather

Winners and Losers

It's a Coming of Age Thing

"Beautiful"

Rain Drops

This One's For You

Sunday Funnies: Special Effects

Wordless Wednesday: Heroes

Sunday Funnies: Cruella DeVille

Photo Story Friday: Spun Gold

Ruby Tuesday: Once There Was A Snowman...

Wordless Wednesday: A Shining Star

Photo Story Friday: Empty

Sunday Funnies: Definitions and Family Portraits

Sunday Funnies: Flat Out Fun

Project 365: Week Ten and Eleven

Wordless Wednesday: Parade!

Sepia Scenes: Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Wordless Wednesday: Unmarked Police Car

Sepia Scenes: Abandoned

365: Week Nine

Photo Story Friday: Fun for the Whole Family

Photo Hunt Challenges #6

Sunday Funnies: Baskets and Goodbyes

Project 365: Week Eight

Project 365: Week Seven, The Week That Slipped Through The Cracks

Project 365: The Missing week Six

Sunday Funnies: Smart Cookies

Happy VD day!

Sunday Funnies: Haven't You Ever Seen "The Christmas Story?"

Project 365: Week Five

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday: Buttons Blogger Should Invest In

Sepia Scenes: Positive Thinking For Groundhog Day

Sunday Funnies: Night Terrors

Photo Story Friday: Motherhood

Project 365: Week Three

Wordless Wednesday: If I Can't See You, You Can't See Me

Sepia Scenes: The Wonder Of Winter

Sunday Funnies: All Aboard The Bipolar Express!

Photo Story Friday: Last But Not Least

365: Week Two

Wordless Wednesday: Spoke To Soon

Sepia Scenes: Winter Thaw

Sunday Funnies: Human Anatomy From A Three Year Old

Photo Story Friday: Our Second Introduction

Wordless Wednesday: "Spell Check On Aisle Three, Please"

Project 365: Week Two

Be My Guest! at Out Of The Extraordinary

Sunday Funnies: *POP* Goes My Ego

Photostory Friday: An Introduction

Photo Hunt Challenge: December 09

Wordless Wednesday: Why All Fairy Tales End BEFORE Midnight

365: Light (1-5)

Sepia Scenes: Christmas Was A Hit!

Wordless Wednesday: The Road To Happiness

Sunday Funnies: All I Want For Christmas

Wordless Wednesday: Jolly Old St. Nippolas

Angels Among Us

By Small Steps They Become Men

Walking In A Winter Wonderland

Christmas Tradition: Australia, I Need Some Help!!!!

Wordless Wednesday: A Nativity Just Isn't A Nativity Without Naked Women

Ruby Tuesday: Tackling Mishap

Sunday Sentiments: The Nativities

Sepia Scenes: Pioneers, Pickles and Pies!

Wordless Wednesday: Simple Pleasures!

Sunday Funnies: Movie Maddness

There Was A Big Fat Turkey Down On Grandpa's Farm:

Sunday Funnies: The Secret Box

Photo Story Friday: I Swore I'd Never Say That

Sepia Scenes: Tumbled

Wordless Wednesday: Preference Ball Horror

Ruby Tuesday: Frosted

Photo Story Friday: What Goes Around Comes Around

Wordless Wednesday & Sepia Scenes: A Little Spot Of Sunshine

Ruby Tuesday: Getting Ready For Apple Pie

Sunday Funnies: The Killer Dream

Sunday Funnies: POP Goes My Ego