EEEEK a mouse

So I know the whole when the weather gets cold bugs and vermin move to where it is warm but this was ridiculous. I picked up my coat off our den (not really used for much more than collecting stuff) and screamed when I saw a huge spider under the coat and another one dropped out of my coat. Of course my husband gives me this hard time about "it's just a little spider". Yeah, no it was two, major surprise factor and I almost put that coat on!

So a few days later I come home from an evening school board meeting and my husband calls down from our room "could I come up there"-sounding a bit off. So I come in to find him huddled in the middle of the bed with his laptop where he informs me that he saw a mouse run under our bed. OK, we are talking second story window. What is up with that? So long story short and much secret time from the kids in case I couldn't catch it, we corner this mouse in my sitting area with the screens we pulled off the windows to paint. Nate has barricade duty seeing as for some reason he really just can't stand mice, and I climb over the barricade with the bucket to try and catch it. I see it cornered behind my scrap booking stuff (who knows whats living back there since it has been so long since I touched it) and start in with "here, here little mousy". Nate very shortly tells me "don't talk to it!" So I had to proceed to chase this mouse from corner to corner until I finally finish it off with a box.

Thankfully, task was completed, I can now scoff at my hubby for making fun of me for the spider incident and we haven't seen or caught another one since.

Side note: as I am at my parents for my 20th reunion- my mother made the comment "most people try and loose weight for their reunion and you look like you gained weight". Yeah, I think I will go cry now.

Cool Hair Ideas

Ok everyone with cute girls-Mahina this one is for you. My sis-in-law sent me this link and it is very fun. I just thought you might like to check it out. http://babesinhairland.blogspot.com/

So I realize this is interesting coming from the mother who's children never look like they have brushed their hair, let alone sat still long enough for any of these elaborate do's, but a mom can dream can't she. Those of you with young ones still, get them used to the brush and rubber bands early because the older they get the more opinions they gain. Enjoy playing with bobby pins and bows. Maybe Sunday I will try and get Eliza to hold still long enough to do something. Funny, she seems to let her cheer coach do her hair....huh.

Pirates Hurting Stephenie Meyer

If you haven't heard, the first 12 chapters of Stephenie Meyers Edward Version-Midnight Sun was pirated and released on the Internet. She is so sad and frustrated that she has decided she can no longer finish the book and has but it on hold indefinitely. As fun as it would be to read the whole thing, she ought to take some time for herself and the family to get over it and then see. If you want to read it go to her home page, stepheniemeyer.com.

A Get-Away

Nathan and I enjoyed a weekend away for our 16th Anniversary. We went and stayed the night in Clackamas and went to the street of dreams. Thanks to everyone who helped get my kids where they needed to go for the day. I can't believe how hard it is to escape for less than 24 hours. We got to our hotel and found about 100 12 year old girl soccer players and their families staying with us for a tournament the next day. So much for escaping children. The homes were not as impressive this year as they have been in the past. I imagine the fear of not being able to sell them afterwards is a concern this time. It has gotten me motivated to start drawing designs for my kitchen. Ideas anyone!

Don't Scratch-easier said than done!

OK, so much for the supposed personal conviction that I am above being irritated by Poison Oak. I have family members who break out if they get within 10 feet but I have never had a reaction to Poison Ivy or Oak. Well my clean record has ended. I am so stinking miserable! Our back yard fence had a 20 foot section with Poison Oak growing into our yard. I didn't want to hire someone who might get it and Nate started clearing it and broke out. So thinking I don't break out I spend 3 days clearing it all back. Guess that wasn't so intelligent after all. At least I saved my kids and husband from the nasty stuff but boy do I ITCH!!!!!

On a more enjoyable note I thought I would give some in site into the difference between my two sons. We went to the library's discount day at Oaks Amusement Park on Wednesday. After a fun, long day I give Andrew and Zach the chance to pick one more ride each. Andrew picks the Spider and wants to ride with Becca "cuz she knows how to make it spin real fast". Zach picks the carousal and wants to ride one that "doesn't go up and down". Andrew put on his roller skates crying when I didn't do his first and went right out onto the floor without me. Zach couldn't stand up straight for anything let alone let go of a wall and spent most of the time crying in a corner to be done. I love all my children and it is fun to see them develop so differently.

The Lazy Days of Summer

Ok, I know I am a huge bum and haven't written in forever, but really-it is summer. So what is up with that anyway. When it is gray and wet outside and I am doing nothing but running kids here and there I find time to write. When I am actually doing things and being busy-possibly even doing something worth writing about but I can't guarantee anything, I don't write. Isn't that the way of life. We went and spent a week vacationing through California. Thank you for everyone who let us stay with them. We went on the best, crazy, intense roller coaster called X2 at Magic Mountain, saw Wicked in LA, went boating, beaching, and just lazy days with friends. It is good to be home. This week is dedicated to the obsession of the Twilight series. The fourth and final book is being released at midnight this Friday August 1st. Yes, the party is at Barnes and Nobles in Tansbourne Center off 185th 10-12pm. Get reading if your not done!

Vacationers return

So we took the family to that new water park Wolf Lodge up in Washington. It is what Roz really wanted for her birthday. It was fun but I agree with Dina who said it is a glorified Clackamas Water Park. It is a huge hotel and then the water park is all indoors and only people staying at the hotel can go in. It is still plenty crowded. They also had this "Quest" game set up on all the lobby's where you buy a wand and then you have these computerized quests and challenges that you run all over the place doing searches for gold, gems, pictures of things, etc. The kids liked that as much or more than the water. You got to save the fairies and fight off dragons with this wand which was computerized.

As for my sicko-Eliza is feeling great now and sees absolutely no need for the yucky pink stuff anymore. It's amazing how the first day she was happy to take it and it went down so easily and didn't taste bad. 5 days later and its not again, yuck and do I have to as she hides. Ah, the joys.

I want to add that my parents are still doing fine. I was happy to be able to go and help do some of those odd jobs around the house for them over spring break. My mom is a 24/7 care giver for my dad who still gets out and plants and works in the yard despite his physical limitations. It has been very fun to help update some of there rooms. It is always more fun to spend other peoples money! Mom, you have done a great job and the house is looking super. There are not two more wonderful people in the world.

sickness in our home

Well it has finally happened. View picture of Eliza sulking on couch. I have Amoxicillin in my home. Yes, that runny pick stuff that I have seen in so many other peoples homes but never in mine. I have 5 kids, my eldest is almost 13 and I have never been to a doctor for an ear-ache or strep, or any other drug needing illness. Broken arms: once with Roz and 2x for Zach, but never the nasty pink stuff twice a day. I feel like I have entered in to some right of motherhood somehow. You can congratulate me when my 8 year old quites melting down and telling me "I an going to die because I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't swallow and I have to much snot!" Yes, motherhood continues.

On a happier note, Andrew graduated from preschool. So the directions to the unknown location of said graduation were to take 185th to Farmington and church is on the right. Well, unfortunately for me, I missed that immediate church, drove for 20 minutes in horrible Farmington Rd traffic, called a friend and had her google the name which sent me to some other Westside church out passed 217 and then on my way home 45 min. later having majorly scratched up the newly replaced bumper on the car making an emergency u-turn, I see the church and arrive with about 2 minutes before they call his name. This is the graduation that I saw no real point in going to because, yah, he's 4 and still has another year of preschool. He got the all important promised piece of cake that he didn't end up eating and is still sitting on my counter wrapped in foil. Nice.

Becca goes to Boston

Well Becca and I made it through our exciting trip to Boston Town. We flew out the red-eye on Thursday night and came back late Monday evening. It was fast but we actually did quite a bit. On about 2 hours of sleep we walked the entire Boston Commons park and the walking tour. They have actually painted or placed red bricks throughout the city to make the trail. We went to the top of the bunker hill memorial, all 294 steps. Then I got to spend time with my amazing friend Judianne Peterson who was kind enough to let us stay with her. We made it to Plimoth and visited the reenactment sites of the Indians and Mayflower settlers. I think Becca enjoyed shopping for tee shirts and souvenirs for the siblings the best. It was helpful as Roz was studying the time and area right now and I had all this data to share. We also toured the mansions in Newport RI. Becca said she was a bit tired and creeped out by all the heads on everything. One home actually had heads for all the arm chair handles. It really helps you to understand what they mean when they say "the gilded age". I can't imagine all that money and trouble only to have a few months out of the year for a few years most of these families got to use and show off their homes. America's royalty were very interesting. We also studied many authors of the early 1800's and toured their homes, countryside and even grave yards. Sleepy Hollow really isn't that scary. I was glad to find all my family still alive when I got home. Of course it was cold and rainy in Boston the whole time and sunny and beautiful here.

ELIZA JANE IS BAPTISED

OK, sorry I have been so out of the loop for a while now. I went to Cali to help my parents do some spring clean up. I was supposed to prepare and plant the garden and paint the main living areas inside the house. Well we got there and the lawn mower, rototiller and the garage door didn't work, the outside paint was peeling off, the wood work they had installed with the new floors never got painted, the window sills and door frames needed to be redone, the lemon tree taller than the roof of the garage needed trimming, the watering system had pipes broken all over..... and on. Yeah, I did a lot in one week only to come home and within half an hour have my in-laws come for the baptism. It was really nice of them to fly all the way from Chicago. I was very sad though because my dad spent half the week I was there in the hospital because my mom thought he had a stroke. It ended up being "his falling apart and there is nothing we can do about it" instead. That so upset my mother they decided she couldn't deal with coming. The first baptism in a streak of 15 so far they have missed.

The baptism went really well. The girls sang and my father in law put it on U-tube. I don't know if that is legal but he is an ex bishop and it could just look like them singing or practicing since it is not in the chapel. Legal or not-here is the link-http://www.youtube. com/v/GAxlFTYAEO Y

Three down feels good and no more little white dresses for me to find. Now I move on to suits. Thanks to everyone who came and who wished her well. It has been nice and after a week of digging a hole and hiding in it, I promise I will emerge again.

Hi Everyone

Just wanted to say Hi from Sunny California. Don't be to jealous, the rain is supposed to move in tomorrow night. I have spent my first 2 days here rotatilling the garden, planting-pulling weeds and painting. Sound familiar. Yeah, no matter where I go life doesn't change much. I haven't even started the projects I came to do. My mother had a whole list to start with. Moving through the list though and we are about to go to the park. Ah the forced rest of Sunday; I think I might keel over without it.

Announcement: Eliza's baptism is this Saturday March 29th at 2:30. Anyone welcome.

Savoring Life and Family

As we think about the loss for our community of Ross Barfuss, I want to remember what a wonderful, inspirational and kindhearted young man he was, and also draw closer to my loved ones I still have here. This is the first time I have been touched by a death of someone who wasn't old and ready to move on. I feel strongly that the Lord knows the greater needs and feel honored to have had Ross as an example for me. He truly lived a life the Savior would want in his quite testimony and service. I loved having him in my Sunday School class. I always had this impression that he was being very patient with my oddities, tangents and general obscurities. I really think he knew more than I did and helped be a terrific example and teacher in there. I want the Barfuss family to know what a blessing their family has been in our lives. Tyson is a darling home teacher-I love his cute smile and the sweetness he brings into our home.

Work in progress

I managed to put the room back together in it's introductory form. I call it me England corner. I have my English Tapestry and the paintings I have bought from there on the walls. Now I am in this spring fever phase of wanting to organize my life. Last night we-my two oldest daughters and I-went through every junk drawer in the house and threw out any pen or pencil that wasn't worth keeping. It was a terrific birthday gift to not have that looming over me. We also made popcorn "just like the Wights" for they the kids bought with their own money a whirly popper for me. It was quite the family event making the popcorn. It took 2 hours to finish the boxes of junk. Now I am going to buy one of those little drawer organizers for each desk. If I get one thing organized a day I have to make a difference eventually right!

Looking for some sympothy (see post below first)

OK, so I bath and get the boys to bed, practice reading with one child, do the spelling test with another, help another with her science test, put away dinner, debone the chicken, clean up the dishes, look for the lost form, fill out the found form plus several others and as I am just about ready to go up stairs and roll the room I have spent the last three days inbetween all my other activities edging to perfection Becca enters and says "hey, Dad's up stairs painting for you". Yes, that's right, he rolled the room for me. I know he was being helpful. I know he was trying to be nice. I just have to keep telling myself that.

Current project

OK, I have now torn my sitting room to pieces and have begun the trimming. I have finally come around to the using a brush theory rather than the tape and paint theory. My friend Nina has informed me that the "professionals" rarely tape. They use a good brush and a steady hand. It takes longer for me to edge but I don't know if that is really true when you consider the put the tape up, take the tape down and fix all the oops that leaked through. My husband is always such a great help with painting. After the edging job he did in our last homes master bath I wont let him edge anymore. I have discovered I am an edging snob. I hate when you "boff" the ceiling and of course I never know what color the ceiling is and have no ceiling paint. So instead I just try to be very very careful. So alas, I do the meticulous edge work, clean the walls, fix the holes, take everything off and out and then he comes home-picks up a roller and says-I'll help. I have finally told him he can't do that anymore because that is the icing on top of all the work. It's just not fair to do all that work and then not get to do the rolling. I will but up pictures when I am done. Next is the shared girls room. Since we have 3 girls and 2 rooms for them (the boys are the youngest so they will always share a room according to the girls) Becca and Roz will both be in middle school and will be sharing next year. To console my poor Becca from not having her own room she is designing, decorating and painting her room. She is doing it as a young women value project so we are on stand by until she gets the small requirements out of the way first. She also refuses to have the new bedding put on before she moves in. Eliza may contaminate it. As always, my house is in total disarray, the kitchen is a mess but I am painting!

Planning a Trip

So my current fun is planning a trip to Boston with Becca. I got this idea from my friend Corinne who takes all her chlidren on a mother/child trip when they turn 12. We are studing the writters from the area during the early 1820-40"s and then going to see the places they wrote at and about. Currently my list includes Nathnaiel Hawthorne, Henry James, Edgar Allen Poe, Thoreau's Walden Pond, Mary Swensen, Alcott, Emerson and Washington Irving's The legend of Sleepy Hollow. This should keep us busy for awhile. Most importantly is a trip to Kimball's icecream. They normally open on Patriots day and that is the day we leave. It might have to be our last stop on the way to the airport but I can't go all that way and not go!!!! I am actually very nervous about the trip. We rarly go on vacations that aren't driving to see family in CA or Utah. This will be the first time I am the one renting a car and being in charge. Wish me luck! We don't go until April 10th but I think the planning is just as fun as the trip itself.

Boys Room Done

So I was just getting ready to post the new pictures of the boys room when I heard about President Hinckley. Now I don't feel to much like writing about my never ending painting escapades. Doing the boys room was much harder than the other rooms as they want to sleep in there. When they are asleep is my best time to paint. Thankfully we will be replacing carpet in there in a year or so (since the stock market decided to leave us with no money we will be waiting now). The odd thing is the blue smeared hand prints in the carpet that no one seems to have done. I even checked hands and they were all clean so at least they know how to clean up after the crime. Hope you all have a good week.

CHECK! The Bedroom is Done.

So we finally picked a color on the blue side and painted the bedroom. All is dusted well (I love having to move furniture) and put back together. I have been back and forth to Kohls so many times buying things and returning them I am afraid they are going to put a hold on my account there. Don't they track people who return stuff to much as possible thieves?

I decided to get a pass to OMSI today. I really wanted to do an "outing" with my kids and lets face it-It is just to darn cold to go outside-so I returned the really cool matching sheets my husband vetoed and rationalized buying the OMSI pass with the money instead. So if anyone else has one and wants to go let me know. It was one of those I can't let my children sit in front of the computer and TV all day but I searched on the Internet for fun things to do and there just wasn't much out there that fit all the age differences. What does everyone do for fun around here when it is freezing outside?

Sunday was a big day for Becca. She was made Beehive class president, finished her dress she is wearing for her first young women value project and gave a talk in sacrament meeting. She did great on all accounts and we are very proud of her.

Well next on the list is getting new carpet for the den. Whittling away on the home improvements continues one little project at a time.

Bathroom counter is done!

Christmas vacation in our house was all about ripping out the old shiny pink tile in my spare bathroom. (It is supposed to be our guest downstairs bathroom but because Becca has taken it over as her own, everyone refers to it as "Becca's Bathroom") I am thinking that this whole possessive thing is going a bit far. She actually tried to have an opinion on what the new tile should look like and Nate told her he didn't care what she wanted. I don't live in a home of opinionated people do I?! Now I keep buying rugs and towel sets and taking them back because no one can agree on that either.

After much discussion we picked the tile, ripped out the old (my job cuz I like destroying things) and then cutting and putting in the new. Of course we couldn't just add the new tile on the old base so we ended up stripping and sanding and then more stripping and finally refinishing the cabinet. Of course it actually doesn't look any different cuz we couldn't decide on a new color. Fresh and clean is something anyway. So now we are almost done, it looks great, I am so excited. My husband puts in the grout and after it dries it is the wrong color. Now I debate for days and decide, yep, I can't live with the wrong color so grinding we a go and out comes the old and in went the new. We still have to seal it and it wasn't done by the Pride and Prejudice party but I like it much better. I finished painting the new very boring off tan color because my husband wouldn't let me keep the yellow I liked. I just keep saying clean and fresh, clean and fresh. Besides, neutral base means I can decorate whatever color I want right!

Now if I can just pick a towel color and find a good rug to match!

Next-the bedroom. I have 6 shades of gray that are all actually shades of green and blue. More to come.