Good Vibes

So I'm asking you all to send good vibes our way on Wednesday morning. Ivan has a HUGE interview with Sea Ray that morning so yes....we definitely need to good vibes! Thanks in advance for the vibes.

Luck

So the title of my blog may imply that we are lucky but actually, the opposite is true. If ever there was an unlucky couple it would be us. Especially when it comes to winning things. Sure we have had many an opportunity to win things. Ivan worked for a certain MLM company (which shall remain nameless) for 7 years. Thats 14 chances we had for winning one of the many great prizes given away during either the summer or Christmas parties. That a lot of chances people. DId we ever win? OK, once, but we were so poor and the prize was golf clubs which we would never use so we took them back to Costco to get the money so we could pay our rent. Not exactly what I would call an exciting win. Oh yeah, and I did win a Barbara Streisand CD from the radio but never got it because you had to go to the station to pick it up instead of them sending it to you which again is lame-o.

So fast forward to tonight. Ivan's work Christmas party. The company is small so we knew our chances were good. I mean, they had to be better odds than at Noni (woops). Sure enough all employees were assured a prize. There were plasma TVs, IPods, digital cameras, envelopes with cash and even a couple of scooters (the kind you ride on the road, not the kiddy versions). So the prizes were being handed out...."number 191" "Ahh...that's us" I was totally stoked. Would it be an IPod? Or some much needed Christmas cash?? We were handed our gift. It was wrapped and inside was .......was........was.......a silly little brain teaser game that probably came from the dollar store.

How disappointed could we be? I tried to smile but I wanted to cry instead. Indeed we're still on our unlucky streak. So after being disappointed for a while I have decided that we really didn't need any of that stuff. It's true. Where on earth would we have put a 42" plasma TV anyway? And an IPod? What's the use of one without a computer that works well enough to have ITunes? See, none of it really mattered. It's all just stuff. Stuff that we want usually because someone else has it. That's not what Christmas is about anyway. Right?

Brown Mouse Brown Mouse

Let it be known that I hate mice. I especially hate them in my house. A few weeks ago we had a visitor of the afore mentioned species. Sighting number 1 occurred after I had gone to bed and "I" was still up watching TV. He made mention of it to me the next morning and I wasn't very happy about it but I wasn't panicked either. After all, I had not seen the mouse.

Sighting #2 happened 2 days later on Sunday afternoon. Again, I was asleep, taking my much deserved Sunday nap. The mouse came out in pure daylight and skipped across the kitchen floor while Lili sat at the table having a snack and while Ivan watched from the living room. Again, I wasn't panicked because I had not seen the mouse.

Sighting #3, Monday morning, in my bedroom. I saw the mouse run out from under my bed and then back under my bed and then back out and finally under my bed again. This time I panicked. I screamed, I wailed, I cried hysterically and then I set out to the store to buy every kind of mouse trap I could find.



What I probably looked like when I saw the mouse!

That evening after setting the traps we went out to get our final defense in the fight against the mouse: a relative's cat. Accept when we got home this is what we found:


I really wish he would've gotten caught in the other trap instead of us having to get rid of him alive. Poor thing. I hope he passed on peacefully inside of his plastic bag in the dumpster. RIP little mouse.

Holiday Treats

Just wanted to share something normal on my blog. Today we made a gingerbread house. Lili was insistent on us getting a kit and putting it together the second we got it home. So I put it together and Lili and Sofi decorated it. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be taking on such a project with 2 little ones. Sofi only tried to eat the icing a few times and only took one gum ball off to eat. I'd say quite good indeed. At least she didn't try to eat the gingerbread. Here's a look at our creation.


It's a beauty isn't it??

Pet Peeve#541

Moms who make their kids pay for their own stuff at the store. In Utah this results in short-line deception. What you thought was one person in front of you in line has suddenly turned into six people. To make matters worse the younger five have a little difficulty counting out change so what you thought was going to be a 2 minute wait has now turned into 20. Believe me, I'm all for teaching kids about money and spending wisely yada yada yada.....but maybe we could do this on an individual basis or perhaps playing store at home might be an alternative. Better yet, just send your kid to the store by himself, I'm sure he'd learn then.

All I want for Christmas is...

I bet you thought I was going to say "my two front teeth" huh? Luckily I already have my two front teeth and plan on keeping them for quite a long time. If I do lose them however I'm sure you all will know about it since it would certainly be a traumatizing event! Really though folks, what I REALLY want for Christmas is a job. Ok, not a job for me but a job for my "I". A real job. A job that will pay our bills and allow us to have some fun because as you all know, No mun..no fun! The last 6 months or so have been quite an emotional roller coaster for us with high hopes and dashed dreams. Now we are at a high hopes cycle again. Ivan will fly out to Florida next week for a job interview with Sea Ray boats.


(Picture of where we could be living if we get this job!)

(Just a side note, I am secretly hoping that someone, the hiring manager perhaps, might google SEA RAY BOATS and happen upon my blog and then hire Ivan because he knows how much we really really really want this job. Did I mention that we really want this job?)

(Side note of side note: Doubt it will happen! [the googling part, not the hiring part. I still have high hopes for that])

I can just see it. Our little family living happily near the beach and spending our weekends at Disney World. What a life that would be. Ok, so I doubt that would happen either because who can really afford to go to Disney World every weekend? However no doubt that it would be quite the fun place to live. Of course you would all be invited (friends that is, no lurkers!) to visit us in order to fulfill your Disney World dream vacation that I know you are all dying for!

So Santa, if you're reading this please note that Job at Sea Ray is numero uno on my Christmas list this year.

p.s. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure that girl lying on the beach in the picture isn't naked!

Funny kid!

Lili: Where are we going now mommy?
Me: To the craft store.
Lili: To the "crap" store?
Me: Uh....yeah...the crap store!

The Things Kids Say

Our kids have not been exposed much to the opposite sex. Sure they have boys that they play with but since they don't have a brother they have never seen one... in the buff. Last summer we went to visit my sister who has a little boy Matthew who is about 2. He was in the habit of taking off his diaper and running around in his birthday suit while we were there. That was Lili's first real lesson in human anatomy. She never really made much mention of it. She just looked at him kind of funny and I told her that boys and girls are different. That was that and nothing more was said.

Last night she was in the bathroom washing her hands with daddy when she says: "I don't have a mustache." "Nope, you're right." says daddy. Lili: "I don't have something living in my bottom but Matthew does." So either she doesn't know how to describe what she saw or she actually thinks it's alive. I hope it is the former otherwise we could have a real problem on our hands.

My Ode to Josh

Those of you who know me well know that I am a true blue fan of Josh Groban. I would even consider myself a Grobanite even though I have not paid the $40 fee to actually join the fan club since I have never felt rich enough to do so. Believe me, if I had the money to join I would. Only my dear hubby knows how disappointed I was to not be able to go to his concert over the summer. I even secretly cried about it. Again it was a money issue (I hate money sometimes, or not having it). The last concert I did attend was when I was pregnant with Lili and it was a Josh Groban concert. It was the best concert I've been to and well, I've been to a few in my day. I'm sure that if I were a teenager I would have Josh Groban posters pasted all over my bedroom. When I was barely pregnant with Lili Josh came out with his second album which I went to buy the morning of the day it came out. I listened to it hundreds of times during those nine months that Lili was in the womb. I would even put it in my CD player and blast it through the headphones placed on my belly just to see what baby's reaction was. The result? She loved it and was born a Josh Groban fan.

Yesterday while at Target I passed by the music section. I have known that Josh came out with a Christmas album which I have been highly anticipating. I have wanted to buy it since it came out but again, no money to blow on a CD. Plus I figured that at the time it was a little early to start listening to Christmas music, at least that's what I told myself to ease the pain of not being able to buy the CD. So yesterday I did it. I just couldn't wait any longer and since Halloween is now over I figure it's fair game for Christmas stuff. Even Lili was excited when she saw the CD. "Mommy, it's JOSH GROBAN." (said in a very excited fashion.) We put the CD in as soon as we got to the van. I turned it up as loud as Lili and Sofie would allow (they often complain about the music being too loud or not being able to hear it. kids.) . I was not disappointed in the least. What I had been longing for for years had finally come to pass. What is better than hearing your favorite music sung by your favorite singer? The first song on the album is Silent Night. I couldn't help but be moved to tears listening to his beautiful rendition. I know, I know, what is my problem? What is my infatuation with Josh? I'm not sure. I think it's just that I love music. I always have. It is what most speaks to my heart. I have music on all the time at home and in the car. And well, Josh has a beautiful voice and it makes me feel good when I listen to it. It soothes me and lifts my spirits. If nothing else I'm grateful that he was discovered and is able to share is gift with the world. I know that my world is a much better place with Josh's music in it.

Compassion

Today I have been feeling a little stressed. Stressed because there was a lot going on today, my house is a mess, it's almost Halloween, we are still waiting for our job offer to arrive etcetera etcetera. After an already long day of activities we journeyed out to run some errands. Not exactly my favorite thing to do on a Saturday but sometimes necessary. We got home and were unloading groceries when Sofie decides to have a meltdown. She was quite intent on having us go on a ride in the stroller but as I mentioned, no can do because we had a load of groceries in hand to take inside. The meltdown continued for several minutes. As I was already feeling a bit stressed amongst my other emotional issues of the day, I myself felt the need for a meltdown. So upstairs I went to give myself a timeout and a good cry to let it all out. I always seem to feel a lot better if I can have a good cry, don't you? I've heard that it's good because it releases toxins. Anyway, as I'm having my timeout/meltdown/bawl session I hear my girls coming up the stairs. I knew it was only a matter of a few moments before they found me. Sure enough their radar was impeccable. There they were clamoring onto the bed within seconds. I assumed I would just get more whining and crying on their part but was surprised when the following happened:

Lili laid down next to me and said,"mommy, why are you sad? I don't want you to be sad. It's alright." Then I turned my head and my dear sweet little Sofie put her little hand to my face and began stroking my cheek all the while saying "is arigh, is alrigh mommy." She kept rubbing my cheek and saying it over and over. Lili then sang me "Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam" to help me feel better. My tears of frustration and self pity turned into tears of joy. How on earth was I blessed with such wonderful caring babies?

It always seems that when I am in my darkest moments and feeling awful that it is then that I am reminded of the wonderful gift I've been given and what the true source of joy is. Who cares if my house is a mess and we have no money to even pay our bills? That stuff is temporal. My beautiful family is eternal and I am oh so grateful to have them, meltdowns and all.

Popularity

Growing up I always wanted to be popular. Who doesn't? I wanted to be in, hip, cool, I wanted hair like Kellie McGillis in Top Gun (That was the must have hair style when I was in 7th grade). I wanted the coolest clothes Benetton, Esprit and of course a pair of Tretorns (if you don't know what those are then you must not have grown up in the 80's). I did get the tretorns and had my signature Benetton bag oh, and of course my GUESS jeans. That was what you had to have to be popular in those days. Of course, having all that name brand stuff got me nowhere in the popularity circles. Sure I had friends but I didn't have "the" friends. Looking back I don't think it would've been possible for me to be popular when I was a choir and drama geek. Maybe in some schools you can be cool and be in choir but it wasn't that way in mine.

As I got older my level of "popularity" didn't matter to me as much. Especially once I got to college. Actually, what I think it was was that I actually had friends, a lot of them, and it didn't matter to anyone really what you wore. Finally there were no more clicks and I had somewhat gotten over my need to feel accepted by "cool" people. I say somewhat because of course I still wanted to be accepted by "cool" guys. Who doesn't want that when they are 19?

When I was dating "I" I don't think I felt a need any longer to be so popular. All I wanted was to be with him so it didn't matter so much how many friends I had. Don't get me wrong, I have always thought of my friends as important, just at that time "I" fulfilled most of my social needs.

So now we come to today. I am again feeling the need to be popular. I have been tracking my blog and I realize that pathetically, no one reads it. OK, like 3 people read it. I am considering going public again. Maybe it would help me feel more popular if even an occasional lurker read my blog. Anyway, if you do read it will you please post a comment so I can feel some love. I need some love people!

p.s. Here's a pic of the infamous Tretorns

Patience

I recently read a post that a friend of mine wrote on her blog about not being able to wait for anything and I was amazed at how much alike we are. My mother used to always say how impatient I was and that I was always in a hurry to grow up. When I was little I guess it made her sad to have me be in such a hurry. She wanted me to stay a little girl as along as possible. I have to admit that my lack of patience has always been my downfall. I am always wanting things to happen on my timetable. Like getting my drivers license (I failed twice before I passed on try number 3 and was 16 and a half before I got it!), or having my first date or first kiss (I won't tell you how old I was for that but let's just say I waited a LONG time!). I couldn't wait to get married but oh how my patience was tried in this department. Not only was I 28 when I got married but I had been dating Ivan for nearly 3 years when it happened. I think he just wanted me to learn more patience on that one.

Then of course came the time for having a baby which again I had to wait for. After nearly a year of trying we finally got pregnant with Lili. I really do have a hard time with this patience thing. I always like to look ahead at what my life will be like when.....(when I'm married, when I have kids, when we are done with school, you get the idea.)

About a year ago I started with this fantasy of what my life would be like when we graduated. I had it all planned out. Ivan would graduate in April, GM would call us a few weeks later and we'd be moving to MI by June. Ivan would start a design job there and we would live happily every after in Sterling Heights. This was my plan. I knew it had to work. Why wouldn't it? Ivan had worked so hard and had impressed a couple of big wigs at GM so why not? So thus far none of my plans have worked out in the least. Instead of getting a phone call from GM we instead lost the job we had. We spent 4 months unemployed and scraping the bottom of the barrel when it came to money. We have had trial after trial of our faith and still, no call from GM. OK, that's not entirely true. We have gotten calls from GM but unfortunately there is just no budget to hire us at this time. During all of this time Ivan has worked overtime on getting his portfolio out and applying for other design jobs. Frustration set in about July I think when we still had gotten no interviews other than an occasional phone contact. Then, it happened, a phone call from a company in San Antonio, TX. They wanted to fly Ivan out for an in person interview. Hallelujah! It wasn't the job we were hoping for but it was something.

Since then we have been anxiously awaiting any news and hoping that something would come of this ONE interview. About 2 weeks ago we got a phone call from Ivan's would be boss saying that an offer letter was on the way. YIPPEE!!! We were so excited to find out what it entailed. Everyday I checked the mail several times but when 5 days had passed and no offer I started to wonder. Again, another phone call. "Um, yeah, sorry, the offer hasn't been sent because it needed to be sign by so and so who is out of town....blah blah blah..., should be in the mail in the next couple of days." Hmm....so again we waited...nothing.....another 6 days had passed and nothing. So today the story was "oh, yeah, um....it hasn't been sent yet because so and so and so and so need to sign it first which won't happen until tomorrow" AHHHH!!! Can we just say that I have definitely now lost my patience. I mean really, does the CEO really have to sign off on a offer for an entry level design job?? OK, maybe he does, but still. I think that this perhaps is another lesson for me in patience. I hate being patient!! Ivan and I watched this movie the other night where God has a role (OK, Morgan Freeman has a role playing God) and he says something like "If we pray for patience, do you think God gives you patience or does he give you the opportunity to be patient?" Only problem is that I never prayed for patience. (I know better than that!!)

Facebook

I think I have found a new hobby. I don't know why really I am a little obsessed with facebook but it has become my new favorite thing. So what if it's mostly used by teens and college kids, I'm not that old right? I think my obsession stems from the ability to look up people. I LOVE looking up old friends and finding out what's going on in their lives. At this point however I have not found very many of them (although, I know some of them must be there). Speaking of friends, I can not believe how many "friends" some of these people on facebook have. I saw a girl with almost 700 "friends". How on earth does one obtain so many friends and how would you know all of them really? I can't quite figure it out. Perhaps this really is just because I'm jealous of all the friends people have. I am at a measly 13 right now. That's pretty pathetic. One day I aspire to having more than 13, perhaps I could even reach 20, yes, 20 friends could be my goal. So if you're on facebook please, please look me up so we can be friends and you can help me obtain my goal! (I really am pathetic aren't I?)

Name Dropping

Recently my hubby and I have had a bit of an obsession with playing the "degrees of separation" game. We've been quite amazed at how many famous (and infamous people) we are linked to. It also gives us a false sense of importance but we all need some ego stroking every now and again don't we? So here are some of our most famous connections:

1. The Prophet. We are just 2 degrees away from good ol' President Hinckley. "I" is good friends with the Gonzales family. As you may recall Elder Gonzales was recently called to the presidency of the Seventy so of course he must know the Prophet on a pretty personal level.



2. The Hummer "H2" (not a person but a celebrity none the less). Again "I" knows the guy who designed that beautiful automobile. In fact that "guy" has given a personal recommendation for "I" to be hired at GM. Too bad he has no control over the budget!



3. We are 2 degrees from the King of Pop!. That's right, the gender and racially confused Micheal Jackson himself! My brother in law's best friend (whom I happen to know as well) is (or was, not sure) Micheal's family doctor. Their kids even play together.



4. Well, since we are only 2 degrees from Micheal then we are only 4 degrees from "The King", Elvis Presley. (Are you impressed yet?)



5. Don't break my Achy breaky Heart baby! The "King" of the mullet that is. Billy Ray Cyrus. We are 3 degrees away from him. My aunt lived just down the street from Billy Ray's mama in Flatwoods, KY, Billy Ray's hometown.



6. Maradona! Only the greatest soccer player ever to walk the planet! Two degrees away from him. (man are we on a roll or what?)We know the guy who used to make fine apparel for the "King of Futbol".



7. Tom Cruise, 2 degrees away from him. My cousin was in Top Gun with him. (so...he doesn't really know Tom but it counts anyway right?)



8. Since Tom is on the list then we have to add to the soccer category the best looking player (or at least the richest) David Beckham. Just 3 degrees folks! Ok...well, unless you count "I"'s encounter with Coby Jones who is Beckham's team mate now so that would make it just 2 degrees.



So I could go on and on but you get the picture. How impressed are you with our list? What does your list look like? I dare you to beat Beckham and Elvis!

House of Flies

So I've decided that when the world was being created and things were made to afflict and torment man that the first thing that was created was the fruit fly. How awful are these little creatures? I think they were put on earth just to torment me. Last summer when we lived in Cincinnati we had a BIG fruit fly problem (and ants too but that's a long story in and of itself). No matter what I did I just couldn't get rid of them. I would think they were gone and then they would be back. I got very good at killing them though. I developed a great amount of hand eye coordination as I would grab them one handed while they were mid flight. For anyone who has every tried to catch a fruit fly you know how difficult this can be. So anyway,I was determined not to have a fruit fly problem again. I have been very careful to make sure to put all my produce away and not leave anything sweet or otherwise tempting for them out.

All of that went down the toilet when I came home from the store with 2 tomatoes last week. I had seen them (the fruit flies) at the store hovering over the tomato selection so I carefully made sure to pick 2 that were not as ripe and looked otherwise healthy. As soon as I got home the tomatoes went in the fridge and that evening I used both of them in the salad I made. So where on earth did the fruit flies come from? It has been since that day that I now can not get rid of them to save my sanity. One day I killed 20 of them in my upstairs bathroom. Anyone know why on earth they would go to the bathroom to hang out?? That one stumps me. I think they like water and have determined that perhaps they are like Gremlins and multiply if they get water on them somehow. Yes, that must be what it is. So today I am still killing fruit flies and practicing my hand eye coordination. (I had gotten a little out of practice since last summer)Again, this must be what is meant to torment me.

Miracles

Over the past couple of years I have truly come to appreciate the small miracles that occur each and every day. Some days of course are more generous in the miracle department than others. Having 2 small children makes me appreciate little miracles such as getting through the day without a major meltdown. Or having both of my children sleep through the night (definitely a miracle at my house). I still even appreciate the miracle of being able to take a shower at some point during the day. Today has been no exception when it comes to miracles. The miracles that happened today :

1. I was able to fold and put away 2 big baskets full of laundry and wash 2 more loads (you have no idea how big of a miracle this is!)

2. Somehow BOTH of my children took a nap (again, I cannot emphasize enough the greatness of such a miracle!)

3. I stepped on the scale fully expecting to be depressed when to my delight I had lost 5 pounds and all without really trying. (maybe now I will put a little effort into it!)

4. I took the girls to "Pumpkin land" and everyone had a marvelous time AND we were able to leave without a meltdown.

5. Perhaps the greatest miracle of today was going to the mailbox and finding not 1 but 2 checks for money that was owed to us by the hoodlums that shot out our car window over a year and a half ago. I cannot honestly express how big of a miracle and blessing this is for us at this time. Our unemployment has run out and Ivan just barely started a job today but will not get paid until the end of the month. I have been wondering how we were going to make it with $100 left to our name and bills to pay. The only thing I could do when I opened those checks was to cry and then offer up a very heartfelt prayer of gratitude to my Heavenly Father. Coincidence that we got that money at this time? I think not!

6. Last but certainly not least, both of my girls were ready for bed by 8 o'clock and I was able to get Sofi to sleep by 8:20. (Hmm.....lots of miracles centered around sleep huh?)

I am sure there are other miracles that I am failing to recognize so these will have to do for now. It makes me happier when I realize the good things that have happened during a day. I remember once a letter I got from a relative when I was going through a rough time and her advice to me was to be grateful and show my gratitude. It is true that when we focus on the good stuff that the bad stuff doesn't seem so bad and when we find things to be grateful for we can be much happier. What miracles have happened in your life recently?

I've been Tagged!

So here it goes:

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Ten years ago I was starting my final year at Ricks College (yes that's Rick's not BYUI. I'm so old!). I had been home from m mission for about 6 months and was enjoying being a hot commodity at school. Back then since it was a 2 year school there weren't many of us sister RM's. I had a lot of fun that semester and enjoyed all the attention I got. I was taking 18 credits and did surprisingly well (must've been those great study skills I learned on the mish). I had my heart broken a million times but that's because I was in love with anything that moved. Ahh...those were the days! What a fun time in my life. I'm glad I had such opportunities to spread my wings. It has made me much more grateful to be settled down with a family of my own. No more drama! (OK, a little bit of drama, but who can get away from drama when you have a 3 year old?)

What were you doing 5 years ago?

I was still in newlywed bliss. Ivan and I had been married for 2 months, had enjoyed our wonderful honeymoon to Hawaii (sigh....) and were now living in a basement apartment in Orem. Ivan was working full time at Noni and I was looking for a job. I was enjoying my new role as wife and lady of the house.

One Year Ago. . .

Ivan and I had just come back from a lovely summer in Cincinnati. He was starting his senior year at BYU and I was busy taking care of Lili and Sofi. Sofi had just started walking and was into everything. Also, Ivan's dad had started to get very ill. This was a tough time for all of us.

Yesterday. . .

Can I blog about Saturday instead? It was much more blog worthy than yesterday. Saturday I got to go to the General R.S. meeting at the Conference center. I rode up with my friend Laurie and now new friend Kara. We were stuck in traffic for a long time and almost out of gas, not a good situation to be in plus we were running late. Kara and I wound up getting out in the middle of traffic on State street and running 3 blocks in the rain to the Conference center. Unfortunately when we got inside there were no more seats in our section so we had to wait for them to open up other seats which worked to our advantage since we got much better seats than we would have otherwise. Afterwards we went to the Lion House Pantry for a little after conference snack and to wait for traffic to clear so we wouldn't run out of gas in the parking garage. It was a fun girls night out. One I had been needing for a long time! Oh, and the Conference itself was wonderful!

5 snacks that I enjoy. . .

1. Chips and salsa
2. popcorn
3. Cauliflower with ranch dressing
4. fruit (apples, peaches, strawberries...ect...)
5. ok...i admit....chocolate!

Five things I would do with a million dollars

1. Pay off all our debt.
2. buy my husband a newer car so he wouldn't have to drive little red anymore.
3. Go on a humanitarian trip to central/south America
4. Take all of the adults in my family on a very nice vacation (sorry, no kids. There are too many of you and your parents are the ones who deserve a vacation!)
5. Save save save so my posterity would have nest eggs

Five places I would run away to. . .

1. Hawaii
2. Shenandoah National Park
3. Puerto Iguazu, Argentina
4. Spain
5. the south of France

Five TV shows I like

1. American Idol
2. Amazing Race
3. Dancing with the Stars(I am a reality show junkie, I even vote!)
4. Old re runs of Little House on the Prairie
5. Antiques Roadshow

Five things I hate doing

1. Wiping snotty noses
2. getting up before 8 am
3. doing laundry
4. Dishes
5. drying my hair (it takes forever)

Five biggest joys of the moment

1. knowing that soon we'll have a "real" job. ( I know we will, I know we will!)
2. my hubby and 2 beautiful girls.
3. Fall weather!
uhh....I'm having a hard time thinking of 5. Does that make me a pessimist?

Five people I tag

Shauna

She is the only person I know of who has a blog who has not already been tagged.

Creativity

Sometime last week I went on one of my little "get out of the house without my kids" outings. I decided I would head out to my local favorite craft store Roberts. I love Roberts. I especially love their continual 40% off coupon! I was dying to do something creative and had a whole $7 in my pocket. I perused the crocheting section for a time but decided that to get started would cost me much more than $7. Then I found these cute little cross stitch kits that come with a little frame and everything. It was very tempting but eventually I decided to pass. Then on my way out I noticed the advertisements for classes at the front of the store. I have always thought about taking one of those classes but either never had the nerve to sign up by myself or didn't have the money. I really didn't have the money this time either but I did it anyway. They were having a card making class "Make 5 cards for $7". Bingo! An answer to what I was looking for. Never mind that I didn't ask Ivan if it would be alright for me to sign up, I just did it. So Friday Night I had my little girls night out sort of. I even convinced my friend Laurie to sign up too (must be some sort of weird hang up of mine left over from my youth to not be able to do things by myself!). It was way fun and I am so proud of the fact that I made something cute and crafty. Here are some pics of my creations:

My DH

So I have discovered that my honey has quite a few hidden talents. Besides of course his remarkable artistic ability he has a knack for photography. In particular photographing creepy crawly things or just plain old gross things. He finds it fascinating to get up close and personal shots of bugs and so forth. Then he likes to zoom in really close to see all the disgusting details of said slimy things. But who am I to discourage his new found interest. Perhaps if he got good enough he could make a career out of it. Maybe one day he could be the Jeff Corwin of spiders and snails. And maybe if we never find a design job he could become a photographer for National Geographic. Here are a few samples of his latest work. Enjoy!


This is a fly that was just about to die and crawling around on our floor.



This is about the biggest spider I've ever seen and he lives just outside our living room window. So far I have left him alone but I am quite tempted to relocate him. If only I were brave enough.



Let it be known that I hate snails and after this picture I think I hate them even more. GROSS!!



Another beautiful arachnid. I'm just glad neither of these creatures were inside my house.

California Deamin'

I haven't written in a while since I was out of town visiting my sister. Lucky for me she lives in about the coolest state, California. I love California. What's not to love? Miles upon miles of beautiful shore and cool stuff to boot. I love it. I had hoped though that my trip would be more than just a trip and more of a vacation. Since my hubby decided to stay home and work on some things it wound up being pretty much just a trip. There were some fun things that happened though.

For the first time in 4 years I got to go to the beach. I can't say enough how much I love the beach. I love the smell of the salt water and feeling the sea mist on my face. I love digging my toes into the cold sand and hearing the crash of the waves on the shore. It's so relaxing. I think my dream would be to live at the beach in one of those awesome beach houses and be able to take a walk every morning with the waves crashing against my feet. One day that is what I would want. To me the sounds of the beach are the most serene sounds there are in this world.

I was so excited to see how my girls would react to being at the beach. Lili couldn't stop talking about it for 4 days and was so excited when we were FINALLY at the beach. (And then she didn't stop talking about it for the next 3 days, she's still says sometimes how much fun it was at the beach) How much fun it was to see my girls so happy and entertained all day without any effort on my part. (Another reason I would love to live on the beach, or at least close to it.) They loved playing in the sand (Sofie also loved eating the sand) and running in and out of the waves. Lili couldn't get over how the waves would chase her. Every time a wave would come in she would run away and squeal, such fun. I myself did not lack in the "fun" department. My teenage nieces taught me how to boogie board.

Strange as it may sound with all the times I've been to the beach I have never been boogie boarding. All those years wasted! I think that was the most fun I've ever had playing in the ocean. It took me a few tries to get it right but when I did finally catch a wave it was one of the most awesome rides of my life. I felt like screaming out "Gnarly, righteous and totally awesome dude!" After a half hour or so my nieces decided to head to shore but I wasn't done yet, the fun was just beginning. A few minutes later while waiting for my next wave I notice out of the corner of my eye a lifeguard coming into the water after me. I though "wow, I know I'm not that good yet but does it really look like I'm drowning?" He got closer and I was thinking "man, too bad I'm not 17 again!" I mean, this guy could have easily been cast on Baywatch! He had the look I tell you, super blond hair that was just long enough and of course that California tan. And too bad for my nieces who bailed out early, they missed out on what I'm sure would've wound up being the highlight of their day. Instead the lifeguard encounter was wasted on a slightly wrinkled, graying 33 year old. The truth is I felt kind of sorry for the kid. From far away perhaps I looked like Bo Derek in my brown plunging neckline swimming suit(which I bought at Walmart for 12 bucks after I lost my my other one at the pool), but when he got closer he obviously realized he was dealing with a lady who resembled a sea lion more than any Hollywood starlet. He apologized to me and told me kindly to stay far enough away from the rocks and he was on his merry way. So there was no dramatic rescue, no being dragged to shore on his little red floatie thing and no mouth to mouth but it made for a good story anyway. When everyone asked me what the lifeguard wanted I told them that he said I needed to watch the bathing suit. That other patrons of the beach were complaining about too much skin which in all actuality was not so far fetched. Let's just say I understand a little better the importance of wet suits.

So after a few more attempts on the boogie board I called it quits for a while. I did get back in the water once more but after a few wipe outs I decided that perhaps the days of my youth really are behind me now. I am definitely not 17 anymore.

The best part of this whole day had to be the feeling of complete exhaustion. It feels good when you've played all day and are so tired you don't want to move for a few days (or in my case, can't move for a few days from being so sore after boogie boarding. It's quite the workout!)and being lulled to sleep by the sensation of rocking up and down on the waves is the cherry on top. I hope that it doesn't take me 4 more years to see the ocean again and next time I hope that my dear hubby is there with me.

Sofie Lyne

I couldn't resist the urge to blog about my sweet baby girl. Lili has seemingly received quite a bit press time in comparison to her little sister. I just have to say how much I love this little girl. She is SOOO cute. Yes I am biased since she's my baby but other people often mention that she's cute so it must be true. I have to say the best part of her is her hair. What cute, wild, crazy hair she has. I love it. She of course will hate it when she grows up but luckily mommy has already figured out how to tame her own wild hair so she can teach her everything she knows.

Lately her favorite thing to do is dress up. She dresses up in anything she can find. If she sees a hat, she puts it on. Shoes, on. Even Lili's panties, on. Her most creative outfit had to have been when she had on Lili's snow boots, Lili's underwear on over her pants and a pull up on her head as a hat. So cute. And she thinks it's great.

I also love the way she dances. It looks like an African tribal dance mixed with a little hip-hop. She moves her arms around and bends down and spins around. She jumps up and down like a rabbit. She is definitely entertaining. Her favorite song to dance to is "The Final Countdown" (don't ask about that one, but it's daddy's favorite song too) but anything merengue is starting to catch up in popularity.

The way she talks too is soooo cute. I have to laugh every time I ask if she wants something and she says in her cute little voice "OK". Obviously it doesn't do it justice but trust me, it's cute. And of course her very enthusiastic "Gink You" (translation "thank you") when you give her something she wants or has asked for. She says so many cute things that I would be here all night if I wrote them all. Just know that my Sofie is about the cutest 20 month old in world. I love her so much and could not even begin to imagine how boring my life would be without her. She brings me so much joy and I can't thank my Heavenly Father enough for sending her to me.

Stargazing

I thought about titling this blog "Construction (The Final Chapter)" but I thought that I might like to focus on the positive aspects of my sleepless nights. Sunday night I was again awakened at 2 am by the monster machines in front of my house. Instead of getting riled up and pacing around the house like a mad woman I decided to take my neighbor's advice to go watch the meteor shower. So I got dressed and headed out the door to make my way up the canyon at 2:45 in the morning. It felt pretty good actually to be out so late all by myself. It was vaguely reminiscent of my single days and staying out until all hours of the night. However back then I think there was probably more fun associated with being out so late and I could also sleep in as late as I wanted.

I thought I might find my neighbor somewhere but instead I decided to pull over at what seemed like the perfect spot for stargazing. It was quite beautiful I must say only I think it might have been better had I not been too scared to get out of the car. I have longed for peace and quiet so much in my world and the one time I am in absolute silence I am freaked out of my mind. I had to constantly check to make sure my doors were locked and frequently looked at the mirrors to make sure no mad man was sneaking up on me. I was parked in gravel so I kept thinking "I should be able to hear someone sneaking up shouldn't I?". So after fifteen minutes or so of psyching myself out I finally relaxed enough to at least stare out my window long enough to actually see some meteors. Again, I think I may have seen more had my line of vision not been limited to a 2 foot opening. Oh well, it was cool anyway. I even saw a meteor that looked like a big ball of fire shooting across the sky. Very cool indeed. I actually hated to leave but after an hour of staring up out of my window I had a huge crick in my neck and decided I could no longer bear the pain.

The best part of all of this was that when I got home the construction was done. Finished. OVER WITH! YAY! I couldn't have been happier. Well, I might have been happier if I had actually gotten a good nights sleep but at least I can thank the construction workers for allowing me the opportunity to see something I would not have otherwise. So hooray for big noisy machines that vibrate my house and make it impossible to sleep! NOT!

Construction (Part II)

I am beginning to understand a little why people wind up going postal. Perhaps tonight if I had a shotgun I might have myself, fired a few shots. I wouldn't really hurt anyone, I'd just want to get somebodies attention. I might have gone after the the big rolling machine that was going back and forth in front of my house all night long.

At 1:30 this morning I was jolted awake by what I thought was an earthquake. My bed shook and the windows rattled. I sat up and thought "maybe I had a dream". "Maybe I just had a bad dream and thought the bed was shaking" . I sat there for a moment and didn't hear anything. I looked over thinking maybe Ivan of Lili had shaken the bed but no one else was in the bed so it couldn't have been that. I laid back down and started to drift off to sleep again. A few moments later I thought I sensed a faint smell of asphalt. Again I thought "it must be my imagination. They wouldn't be paving the road right now, right?" WRONG! "WHAT? I thought they weren't supposed to do this for another 2 days at least." "I thought I had time to figure out a plan for me to leave for the night so I wouldn't have to endure the torture!" ARGGG! As if my life isn't miserable enough. I laid in bed trying to go back to sleep for what seemed an eternity. (actually it was about 2 hours) During that time I kept thinking about what I could do. "Maybe I could call the cops. Do they take care of stuff like this? It is disturbing the peace isn't it?" Then I kept thinking about the nasty email (or phone call) I might make to whoever is in charge of this whole stinking operation. It might go something like "Sir, do have any idea that you kept me up all night long with this ridiculous road work? WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU THINKING?" I mean really, I see no reason whatsoever why this could not be done during the daytime when everyone is AWAKE!. So here I sit four hours later, after my fourth failed attempt to go back to sleep, writing this while my frustration is still fresh (I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on the real emotion behind all of this!).

The saddest part about tonight is this: tonight was the ward camp out, which obviously we didn't attend. I thought it would be too much work and too hard to do with the girls. I thought I might have a terrible nights sleep. Boy was I dumb! The only other thing I could think about while I was lying in bed plotting my revenge was the fact that I could have been sleeping peacefully out in the woods to the sound of crickets and a babbling brook.

The moral of this story: ATTEND ALL CHURCH ACTIVITIES!

SCARY!

One of Sofie's latest words is scary. I think she knows the meaning of it pretty well. Like she'll bring me a video that I won't let her watch because I have said it's too scary and she says "scary". And the other evening while playing outside a group of loud motorcycles drove by and she said "scary". I say she has a pretty good grip on what the word scary means. This morning while sitting on my lap examining my face she came across the monstrous pimple on my chin. All she could say was "scary. scary. scary." (followed by her little whine/cry). Yes Sofie, that pimple is indeed scary and I would definitely say now that you know the meaning of the word.

Mean Kids

For some time now I have worried about my little Lili being hurt by mean girls. She is a sweet kid by nature and very social. She thinks everyone is her friend and will go up to about anyone to start a conversation. I love this quality about my little Lil but have worried that one day it could make her an easy target by mean kids. Last week as I sat watching my baby romp around in her ballet class I realized that it was beginning. The other girls in the class were a little older and it seemed, had known each other for some time. They weren't "mean" per say but there were a few things that I saw that just made my heart sad. Like as they were cleaning up the orange cones and Lili was helping, the older girls wouldn't let her put hers away until after they had put theirs up. I know, it doesn't seem like a big deal but it brought back a flood of memories from my youth that were anything but pleasant.

Yesterday at the park there was another apparent run-in with a mean girl. I don't even know what she did or what she said but my Lili started crying and said she was being mean. On first impulse I got up from the park bench and ran over to comfort her. I picked her up and let her cry on my shoulder. After my initial reaction (and wanting to go yell at the "mean girl") I realized that maybe I was not doing Lili a bit of good by running to her rescue. Sure she is only 3 and doesn't understand yet why people are not so nice sometimes, but she has to start learning to stick up for herself. The last thing I want for her is to be a target like I was.

I don't remember very well what I was like as a child. I can imagine that I was much like Lili and thrived on social interaction just as I do now. Only back then when kids were mean to me I didn't do anything other than cry about it for a while. Too many times I was the subject of abuse by my peers like the time when I went swimming at Jennifer Bailey's pool (my best friend at the time) and Jan Caplis stepped on my head while I was under water in an attempt to drown me. Who knows why but I continued to be friends with those girls. That wasn't the only incident. In eighth grade some girl named Kim (luckily I can't remember her last name) spread nasty rumors about me to make everyone hate me. Like eighth grade isn't hard enough. There were many more incidents most of which I have blocked from my memory because of how traumatic they were but I do know they happened. My only defense was to become less social, less trusting and more withdrawn. It wasn't until I got to college that I was able to come out of my shell again and trust my peers. Other than a few room mates from hell, the people were nice. Maybe though it was that I had changed, that I had matured enough to know who I was and to realize that other people should not determine my happiness.

Now my challenge is to somehow instill in my little girls that other kids are not the dictators of their world, that they are.And that they can choose to let things affect them or not. What a challenge that will be for me since I myself didn't know how to do it. I'm not even sure what to teach them to do when someone says or does something mean. Maybe I'll just enroll them in karate! The hardest part is knowing that I cannot protect them forever from the harshness of this world. The only thing I can hope to do is teach them how much worth they have as daughters of God and pray that they will have confidence in knowing how much they are loved by Him and by me. And as I send them out into the cold cruel world I also hope that their run ins with mean kids are few and far between.

Who Knew

Who knew I was so beautiful? =) What an awful picture of me but somehow I came out looking like Kate Bekinsale, Heather Locklear and Jessica Beil. How great is that? Although, I'm not quite sure where the Japanese person came from. I would never think I look Japanese. Oh well.

Construction

So for the past 10 months we have been living in a construction zone. What a joy it has been. I don't know what has been the most pleasant thing about it. Maybe it was being awakened at 7 every morning to the constant banging of big steel beams into the ground. Or maybe it's been the "beep beep beep" I get to hear all day as those big machines go up and down the street ( Who knew they could do a whole days work in reverse). No, I think the most pleasant thing has been the feeling of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake shaking my house every time one of those big roller machine things stops. Anyway, it has certainly been memorable is all I can say.

Today I saw a "Construction Notice" on my neighbors door. There wasn't one on our door which leads me to believe that somehow the construction workers knew that if I received the notice I might raise hell. The "notice" started with something like "construction is nearing completion". HALLELUJAH! No news could have made my day more. Unfortunately I kept reading. I really should have stopped with the good news. Somewhere about half way down the page I saw 8 pm to 6 am. What was that about? I had to read the whole thing. "We will be paving August 13-15 from 8 pm to 6 am". WHAT???? In the middle of the night. 15 feet from my kids bedroom windows? I can just imagine what it will be like. A stench of asphalt in the air, big lights on all night and of course, the beep beep beep and earthquakes! So, I think the construction workers were right in assuming that I would raise he!! because darn it I'm going to! I haven't quite decided what I will do to raise "you know what" but I will surely think of something. Perhaps I will demand a hotel room at the Marriott for those nights which they think they can disturb my sleep. Maybe I will storm into the construction company's office and demand an explanation! Yeah, I'm sure that will get 'em. Maybe I'll start a petition, yes, a petition sounds like just the thing! Or...maybe I'll just get myself out of here.

It's times like this when I really wish I'd win that Disney Vacation sweepstakes I entered. Not that a Disney Vacation is my ideal but it certainly beats living in a construction zone!

My Room

My bedroom is by far the worst looking place I've set eyes on. No matter how hard I try it is never clean. Admittedly I haven't tried really at all lately. Lately meaning the last 2 years, OK, 3 years. But cleaning your bedroom is low on the priority list when you have 2 little kids. For real though, my room could probably qualify for federal disaster aid if viewed by anyone from FEMA. I have decided that my biggest fault actually is keeping up with laundry, or actually doing any at all unless otherwise necessitated (like we don't have any clean underwear). There is a pile of clothing on my floor which Lili lovingly refers to as "the mountain". She adores her mountain. Her and Sofie spend many an evening playing on top of "the mountain" and rolling down it. It is great fun. So who am I to ruin their fun? Besides, every time I even attempt to deplete the mountains height by doing 1 load of laundry Lili gets very upset and says "no mommy, not my mountain!"

The laundry is not the only problem area in my room. There are of course toys strewn about and even a couple of dishes. Luckily I have finally deported most of those back to the kitchen but there are a few remaining. There are books all over the floor and most of my husbands "studio" is taking up the floor on his side of the bed. No joke, the printer and scanner and...um....3 laptops, all on the floor. (All of them are broken, well, accept for this one that I'm writing on which only runs on battery which we have to charge through another laptop! arrg!) My side of the bed boasts a big bag of mismatched socks (another laundry problem) which I feel no need to go through since it's summer and who wears socks in the summer? The vacuum is also on my side in case by some reason I feel possessed one of these days to actually vacuum. (that would constitute actually having the floor clean enough to vacuum!) The top of my dresser is filled with......stuff...I don't even know what stuff...just stuff. Ivan's dresser too, and my little desk (which isn't really a desk but a sewing table I have attempted to use as a desk) is well, also filled with stuff. I have contemplated calling one of those cable shows that comes in and makes you organize your space and get rid of all your junk (I can't remember the names of any of those shows since we haven't had cable for over a year) but I think even they may be turned off by what they see. OK, maybe it's not that bad, but it is pretty darn messy.

So I've decided that today is the day. I will clean my room! I will I will I will! I need a place of refuge, a place of serenity, a place to go to get away from the world, or just a place that doesn't make me want to puke every time I look at it. I will get organized. I will dejunk. And...I will vacuum! I think beforehand I should probably say a prayer so that I can accomplish my goal since by the looks of things it doesn't seem like it could ever get clean in a day. I had been praying about it before but I guess God isn't going to send me a cleaning fairy after all. I will have to do it on my own. So off I go into the abyss. Hopefully I don't get eaten by the dirty laundry monster!

Vicarious Living

My husband says that I am totally living vicariously through my children. I beg to differ. I look at it as giving them opportunities I didn't get as a child. Liliana has recently showed an increased interest in dancing. She's has always loved to dance ,well, ever since she was physically able to anyway. As soon as she was able to pull herself up she figured out how to turn on the stereo and would then ensue to baby dance. She would bounce up and down and I must admit she had extraordinary capabilities! As of late she has really begun dancing around the house and saying "look mommy, I'm dancing like a ballerina". I just happened to make mention to her that perhaps she could go to ballet class on of these days. That's when it began. Lili would walk around the house talking about going to ballet class. So what's a mom to do? I looked into her taking some classes. Grandpa had generously sent her some money for her birthday and I thought, how much could it be, she's 3?
Well, our first thing was to look for some ballet slippers, if nothing else she would feel like a ballerina and could dance around the house in them. So after a little shopping and 40 dollars later (we wound up with a dance outfit too) I decided that now I have to put Lili in dance. The countdown began, lucky for me the first time is a trial and it's free because I would have really been put in the poor house this week with how much it costs. ( I had checked it out and knew what the price is per month but no where on the website did they mention the registration fee. Blah!) For 4 days Lili could talk of nothing else but going to ballet class. Thank goodness Tuesday finally came. Now I have to say, there are cute kids and there are cute kids. Not that I'm biased or anything but...my Lili is definitely a cute kid. She was trying so hard and doing her little plies and jumps. I just could not have been more overwhelmed with a sense of pride for my sweet baby. I've never seen a cuter ballerina! Even the other moms were laughing and commenting on how incredibly cute she was.

So I wouldn't say that I'm living vicariously. Definitely not! I just love to see my kids have fun. All I can hope for in my role as a mother, other than that my kids turn out perfect, is that they have the chance to find what they love and pursue it. If I were living vicariously I would be sending Lili to Italy to study opera! (Who knows, maybe that might happen in 15 years or so.=) )

My First TIme

Blogging that is. My husband finally convinced me that it was time I started my own blog. This thanks to my friend Kristi who's blog I am reading and quite enjoy. I haven't decided even what I will say most of the time. It may become my soapbox for various issues and as those who know me well would testify, I am quite opinionated. Maybe it will become therapy [as my blog title suggests] since I may need some. I don't know how much of current life stories will be involved since I think my life is really rather boring and even a little depressing at the moment. Ok, maybe not boring. Life with 2 little kids is couldn't be boring.

Take right now for example. Lili is having a temper tantrum even as we speak. I thought it would be great today if she took a nap. She hardly ever takes one except maybe sometimes in the car. I finally got her to go to sleep and after an hour and a half of glorious silence she awoke crying and hasn't stopped. So is taking a nap good or not? I haven't decided. If she doesn't take one she is in a bad mood all afternoon and is mean and hits her little sister. If she does take a nap she wakes up in a terrible mood and basically has a meltdown for about a half hour after waking up. I think we'll stick with no nap and getting her to bed early. More free time for me.