Has anyone found a good place to purchase custom made valances for windows? I know of a few online places, but it's so hard to pick fabrics from the swatches they send. I know what I want--I just can't find it for the price I want to pay. (isn't that always the case?) I also want matching/coordinating throw pillows. That brings me to a whole new issue. The stuff I like makes me want to buy new accessories to make it all work.
Will it ever end?
Will I ever love my windows?
Will my main floor ever feel completely decorated?
Am I the only one with these issues?
I'm pretty sure the last answer is "yes" since I've seen most of your homes.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
for Jenna and Jesse
as per our conversation yesterday about what boys like to do...
My boys can dress up like princesses with the best of them! I think everyone appreciates a break from the normal routine every now and then.
Lucy loved playing with Josh. He made sure they went to the "store," and to do that they had to put their shoes on. It was quite comical to watch 3-year-old Josh try to help Lucy with her shoes. He was so sweet!
Monday, March 24, 2008
Easter weekend and Lucy's bonk
Camden's tiger egg
Cooper's Cars egg
The best strawberry shortcake ever! I borrowed the recipe from my good friend, an amazing cook, Jerianne. Everything she has made me has been divine! Here's the link to her recipe blog http://stiroccasionally.blogspot.comLook under desserts for the strawberry shortcake!
Moms love blue Robin Eggs! Lucy can't resist anything that could double as "lippies!" (lipgloss, lipstick, chapstick, etc.)
Lucy took a nasty spill down some stone stairs while thinking she was as big as the boys and all the neighborhood kids today. I don't think she was expecting them to be as uneven as they were. The goosebump over her right eye looked so much worse this afternoon. Poor baby!
The kids were so excited to color their eggs! They love to peel them and they only eat the whites. Kelly gave me the Martha secret to perfect hard boiled eggs. Place eggs in pot; cover with water. Bring to a boil and then remove from burner. Let eggs sit 8 min. for a soft boil and 16 min. for a hard boil. They turned out great and without the yucky greenish ring around the yolk. Good thing I even care since my kids don't eat it anyway!
Lucy loves to color
and be silly!
We had a great weekend with our families. It is a blessing to have both sets of our parents so close!
Tonight for FHE we went to the Hogi Yogi in Provo. They were introducing their new yogurt, Yoasis, to friends and family. It's supposed to be like a Pinkberry, which I haven't tried. The yogurt has active cultures and more health benefits than the old stuff. It was tart and refreshing. Kinda like vanilla yogurt--frozen.
Moms love blue Robin Eggs! Lucy can't resist anything that could double as "lippies!" (lipgloss, lipstick, chapstick, etc.)
Lucy took a nasty spill down some stone stairs while thinking she was as big as the boys and all the neighborhood kids today. I don't think she was expecting them to be as uneven as they were. The goosebump over her right eye looked so much worse this afternoon. Poor baby!
The kids were so excited to color their eggs! They love to peel them and they only eat the whites. Kelly gave me the Martha secret to perfect hard boiled eggs. Place eggs in pot; cover with water. Bring to a boil and then remove from burner. Let eggs sit 8 min. for a soft boil and 16 min. for a hard boil. They turned out great and without the yucky greenish ring around the yolk. Good thing I even care since my kids don't eat it anyway!
Lucy loves to color
and be silly!We had a great weekend with our families. It is a blessing to have both sets of our parents so close!
Tonight for FHE we went to the Hogi Yogi in Provo. They were introducing their new yogurt, Yoasis, to friends and family. It's supposed to be like a Pinkberry, which I haven't tried. The yogurt has active cultures and more health benefits than the old stuff. It was tart and refreshing. Kinda like vanilla yogurt--frozen.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
St. Patrick's Day Festivities
I usually don't make a big deal out of the smaller holidays. For some reason though, I wanted to make yesterday fun. Maybe it's because my boys have never really cared about wearing green until this year. They had been planning their (and my) outfits for weeks! They are so funny sometimes. One day I'm going to find out where the 10 pinches rule for not wearing green originated. Not today.
The kids woke up and I made green eggs for breakfast. I make Lucy eggs every day anyway, so it wasn't that much of a stretch. We had also been planning to see "Horton Hears a Who" that day with some Taylor cousins, Nana and Grandma. We all met up at the theater at 3:20 and enjoyed the show. It was darling!
Thanks to Kelly, we had a fun meal last night. She brought the steamed veggies (leeks, cabbage, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and potatoes) while I made the beef (actually London broil and not corned beef), pistaschio pudding with Cool Whip and marshmallows, green drink, and green salad. It was festive for us.
After our yummy meal we watched "Waking Ned Divine" together. It's become a tradition for St. Patty's Day. I was pretty proud of how the day went and how entertained the kids were.
Today has been spent doing pretty mundane stuff. Cleaning four bathrooms is never exciting when compared to going to a movie and spending time with family. At least it's done though!
The kids woke up and I made green eggs for breakfast. I make Lucy eggs every day anyway, so it wasn't that much of a stretch. We had also been planning to see "Horton Hears a Who" that day with some Taylor cousins, Nana and Grandma. We all met up at the theater at 3:20 and enjoyed the show. It was darling!
Thanks to Kelly, we had a fun meal last night. She brought the steamed veggies (leeks, cabbage, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and potatoes) while I made the beef (actually London broil and not corned beef), pistaschio pudding with Cool Whip and marshmallows, green drink, and green salad. It was festive for us.
After our yummy meal we watched "Waking Ned Divine" together. It's become a tradition for St. Patty's Day. I was pretty proud of how the day went and how entertained the kids were.
Today has been spent doing pretty mundane stuff. Cleaning four bathrooms is never exciting when compared to going to a movie and spending time with family. At least it's done though!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Hit me with your best shot!
Update...the boys did so well! Shea and I picked them up from school, and as we were driving to the doctor's office, Shea started the explanation.
"Boys, the nurse at your school called mom this week. (True) There is a disease at your school (then he defined "disease" and its subsequent levels of severity.) We are going to the doctor to get protection from the disease."
They immediately caught on and asked if they were going to get a poke. I had to admit that that may be a possibility. They were all right with it once they learned that Little Shea didn't cry last time she had to get a shot. They're obsessed with her lately.
As a side note, Cooper asked me the other day if he could marry a cousin. I said no. He then asked if he could marry a friend. I said he could. He then told me he was going to marry Little Shea. That sounds great to me--but he'll have to get used to having a father and a wife with the same name!
Anyway, after the hour wait at the doctor's office--which really irks me and infuriates Shea--Cooper jumped up on the table, dropped his drawers, and barely flinched when he was poked. Camden was a little more emotional and cried for a few minutes, but they haven't been affected since.
We will be taking them to the Kangaroo Zoo tomorrow to fulfill our end of the bargain, so anyone can join us!
All that worry for nothing. Ah the life of a mother!
Seeking advice...
This Fall, after their kindergarten check ups, I made the silly mistake of telling Camden and Cooper that they didn't have to get any more shots. Well, today they have to go and get a booster for one of the vaccines. What do I do? They are going to have a complete melt down when we pull up to the doctor's office this afternoon. I'm feeling like the worst mom ever since now I have to break my promise. I've been worrying about it since the school nurse called and reminded me and I then called and made the appointments on Tuesday.
Does anyone want to nominate me for the worst mom of the year?
Does anyone want to nominate me for the worst mom of the year?
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Do you ever not want to blog?
I do. I still check others' blogs, but sometimes I'm too lazy to write what we've been doing.
With that said, we've been playing outside a lot lately. Lucy and the boys are in heaven when they can run around with the neighbor kids and play make-believe. Camden and Cooper are always very sweet and very inclusive of their little sister. It warms my heart to see how much they want her to love them and how much they want to protect and entertain her. (I wish they were here since she is hitting the keyboard with a sword right now--makes it a little difficult to blog a coherent sentence.)
Last week was a book club at my house, sharing time, baptism preview, a date to Tepanyaki and Old Navy with my wonderfully handsome husband, housekeeping, laundry, and other exciting events. This week has been slower. Shea and I have colds, so I'm happy to just hang around and stay home. I did exchange books on Monday, volunteer in kindergarten Tuesday, and clean the entire kitchen after the kids spilled powdered sugar all over and then tried to mop, vacuum, and sweep it up before I got out of the shower. That was fun. At least my kitchen is clean.
With that said, we've been playing outside a lot lately. Lucy and the boys are in heaven when they can run around with the neighbor kids and play make-believe. Camden and Cooper are always very sweet and very inclusive of their little sister. It warms my heart to see how much they want her to love them and how much they want to protect and entertain her. (I wish they were here since she is hitting the keyboard with a sword right now--makes it a little difficult to blog a coherent sentence.)
Last week was a book club at my house, sharing time, baptism preview, a date to Tepanyaki and Old Navy with my wonderfully handsome husband, housekeeping, laundry, and other exciting events. This week has been slower. Shea and I have colds, so I'm happy to just hang around and stay home. I did exchange books on Monday, volunteer in kindergarten Tuesday, and clean the entire kitchen after the kids spilled powdered sugar all over and then tried to mop, vacuum, and sweep it up before I got out of the shower. That was fun. At least my kitchen is clean.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
A Perfect 10
In case you didn't already know, my husband is the most amazing person on the planet. He's hot, he's incredibly spiritual, he's brilliant, he's fun, he's kinda nerdy, he's hilarious, and he is a computer genius! He brought my old computer back to life! All it took was a little love and some magic skills and the thing works again. I couldn't be happier.
Monday, March 03, 2008
awestruck...
is the best word I can think of to explain how I feel about my new washer and dryer. Who knew the cleanliness of your clothes was so directly related to how fabulous your appliances were? I'm a believer.
I had started to tell people that I was inept at doing laundry. I washed, soaked, pre-treated, hand washed, air dried, scrubbed, bizzed and whatever. I tried everything everyone ever told me to try and get my laundry to look as clean as other people's. (The scary thing is that I have a mental list of friends whose laundry skills I coveted...my mother,Shannon, Candy, Jane, Jenna, Jerianne to name a few.) Why couldn't my whites be white? Why did EVERYTHING Camden, Cooper and Lucy wore get stained and ruined beyond recognition? I was baffled. Now...bring on the Lucy-sized, white pants, man!
Today, my perspective and my self-esteem has changed. I can do laundry! I put a load of the kids' clothes in, pushed all sorts of fancy buttons for brilliant settings (like stain cycle and pre wash.) You should have seen how clean the kids clothes came out! They were things that I have washed a hundred times before and could never get clean...think boys' sleeves. Wow! I have a new favorite pasttime.
Granted, Shea and I have never purchased a washer/dryer. We have always inherited them from my parents or grandparents, for which we will always be grateful. That was an expense I didn't want until I was ready, and it was so nice to not worry about it. My time came. I chose new appliances over a new computer, and they did not disappoint!
I thought I'd be sad to see the old ones go. They were born in 1984. 1984!!! That is older that some people who read this blog. I'm trying to scan the photo of the lady in the instruction manual so you can all appreciate. She has big hair.
So, I'm one happy girl today. If you need me, I'll be in my laundry room!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Happy Birthday Matt, Marc and Holli!
Happy 17th birthday to my twin brothers. I can't believe it's been that many years ago since I became a "mother." They really are good uncles to my kids (most of the time.) Who knows what they are doing today--we hope to get to see them at some point. 17-year-olds don't exactly schedule their birthday festivities to include their family. Cam and Coop have asked repeatedly if they are invited to the party. Matt and Marc will have some explaining to do if not.
I hope you have a good day, guys! We love you.
Happy birthday to Shea's sweet sister, Holli. She's not 17. I couldn't ask for a better sister-in-law. She is an amazing wife, a wonderful mother, and a perfect example to everyone! I love her so much. We hope your day is fabulous, too.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Happy Birthday, Judd!
(Judd is on the left. After the great Computer Crash of Jan. '08, this is the only photo I can find!)Happy birthday to a wonderful, playful, loving, and strong-stomached brother-in-law! If we have any medical questions, we ask Judd. If we need band-aids, we ask Judd. If we want to have a great time, we ask Judd to come.
Thanks for being so great to us and our kids! We hope your day is wonderful!
Friday, February 22, 2008
I needed a day like this
And I'm not talking about the constant precipitation we've received today. Could it be Spring already? I'm done with coats, boots, salty cars, slick roads, shoveling, monitoring Lucy's dirty snow intake, and wearing shoes with socks.
In spite of my unhappiness with the weather, I did get a nice day to hang out at home and read.
Let me explain. I LOVE having my husband work from home. It is one of the greatest blessings in my and my children's lives. I love spending so much time together. But every once in a very long while, I like to have a day where he is busy and I can just do my thing. He always lets me do my thing, but sometimes I feel guilty for excluding him or leaving him to work while I do whatever I want.
So, today he was busy with work and gone from 9 to 5. I missed him when I had to reheat leftovers for lunch and get the boys to school, but I really enjoyed my time while I held Lucy while she napped and dove into a good book. I'm reading Pope Joan for a bookclub next month. While it is depressing because of the repression of women in the 9th century, it is informative and gripping. I remember now why I enjoy reading historical fiction. I love reading in general, and it's nice to read something outside of my normal genre. Aside from 150 pages in that book, I was also able to read my scriptures. It was so nice!
Now, it's 9:45 p.m. My whole family has been asleep for an hour. Shea always falls asleep early when he's been busy with work like this. I'll forgive him, and continue exploring another world!
In spite of my unhappiness with the weather, I did get a nice day to hang out at home and read.
Let me explain. I LOVE having my husband work from home. It is one of the greatest blessings in my and my children's lives. I love spending so much time together. But every once in a very long while, I like to have a day where he is busy and I can just do my thing. He always lets me do my thing, but sometimes I feel guilty for excluding him or leaving him to work while I do whatever I want.
So, today he was busy with work and gone from 9 to 5. I missed him when I had to reheat leftovers for lunch and get the boys to school, but I really enjoyed my time while I held Lucy while she napped and dove into a good book. I'm reading Pope Joan for a bookclub next month. While it is depressing because of the repression of women in the 9th century, it is informative and gripping. I remember now why I enjoy reading historical fiction. I love reading in general, and it's nice to read something outside of my normal genre. Aside from 150 pages in that book, I was also able to read my scriptures. It was so nice!
Now, it's 9:45 p.m. My whole family has been asleep for an hour. Shea always falls asleep early when he's been busy with work like this. I'll forgive him, and continue exploring another world!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
playing catch up
Last week was a busy one. Valentine's Day, another kindergarten party, Jake and Andrea's wedding plus all that goes with that, a soccer game, and church duties pretty much filled our week. I feel like I haven't been home forever! This week will be a little slower with only a Blue and Gold cub scout banquet, donating blood, visiting teaching, and stake women's conference. That's all that's on the calendar at least. We'll see how it goes.
We took the kids to the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy today. They liked it, but Shea and I thought it was pretty lame. We did get to see jelly fish, sting rays, seahorses, and small sharks. We also went to a show where they brought out a hissing cockroach (it was the nastiest thing I've ever seen), a tarantula, an empire scorpion (I don't know how you deal with those things, Jane), a nasty snake, and some birds. It was funny to hear one bird talk, sing, and burp. My boys were laughing their heads off.
After the aquarium we ate at Texas Roadhouse and watched the boys play soccer. Cooper scored three goals and Camden scored one. It was so fun to watch. They had to play on opposing teams some of the time because the other team only had a few players show up. How does a mother of twins cheer for one son on each team? It was exciting to watch anyway.
Stay tuned for some wedding pictures!
We took the kids to the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy today. They liked it, but Shea and I thought it was pretty lame. We did get to see jelly fish, sting rays, seahorses, and small sharks. We also went to a show where they brought out a hissing cockroach (it was the nastiest thing I've ever seen), a tarantula, an empire scorpion (I don't know how you deal with those things, Jane), a nasty snake, and some birds. It was funny to hear one bird talk, sing, and burp. My boys were laughing their heads off.
After the aquarium we ate at Texas Roadhouse and watched the boys play soccer. Cooper scored three goals and Camden scored one. It was so fun to watch. They had to play on opposing teams some of the time because the other team only had a few players show up. How does a mother of twins cheer for one son on each team? It was exciting to watch anyway.
Stay tuned for some wedding pictures!
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Saturday morning
Shea and I went to the 9 a.m. broadcast of the worldwide leadership training. It was all about families and living in today's world. I loved the message that as faithful members of the Church, we should not live in fear but in faith. I sometimes wonder what I'm thinking when bringing and raising children in today's times. No matter what problems we face, and there have always been problems in the world, we can be happy and have a full life when we live according to the Church teachings.
President Monson taught us in our families to
1. Make our homes a place of prayer
2. Make in our homes a library of learning
3. Live with a legacy of love
I am grateful for inspired leaders and for a newly ordained, living prophet. My advice for the day...go to the broadcast!
Now there is plenty of time to go to the store, make Valentine boxes with the boys, fold laundry, and watch Meet the Robinsons as a family.
Happy Saturday!
President Monson taught us in our families to
1. Make our homes a place of prayer
2. Make in our homes a library of learning
3. Live with a legacy of love
I am grateful for inspired leaders and for a newly ordained, living prophet. My advice for the day...go to the broadcast!
Now there is plenty of time to go to the store, make Valentine boxes with the boys, fold laundry, and watch Meet the Robinsons as a family.
Happy Saturday!
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Monday, February 04, 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Farewell, old computer friend
So, finally Shea moved his office to the basement about two weeks ago.
Finally I got the old desktop in my "new" office/mom room upstairs. It was a happy time.
Then, I was checking my email yesterday with Lucy, when my computer shut off. No,it didn't do it by itself, Lucy had switched off the power strip. Apparently, the red light is tempting. You just have to push it.
So, I tried to reboot my computer. No worky. I tried several times. Nothing. I called in my professional technical support staff (Shea). Dead. He broke the news to me yesterday. My computer died.
For those of you who don't know this, computers don't have a very long life expectancy. I want to buy one and have it work for 15 years, but my loving husband tells me 3 years is about right. Most non-work, computer question people he gets calls from are trying to revive their dinosaur machines, and it drives him crazy! He doesn't mind fielding the calls; he just gets annoyed when people use the excuse that they bought "a brand new part xyz only a few years ago!!!" It's pretty funny to me; I try to explain to him that not everyone knows what he does about computers. We all want them to work for a long time, especially when we spend so much money on them.
I'm just going to count my blessings that I have a gifted computer-literate husband. I'll get a new computer soon, I hope. Now to decide on the options I need...a new Mac perhaps?
Finally I got the old desktop in my "new" office/mom room upstairs. It was a happy time.
Then, I was checking my email yesterday with Lucy, when my computer shut off. No,it didn't do it by itself, Lucy had switched off the power strip. Apparently, the red light is tempting. You just have to push it.
So, I tried to reboot my computer. No worky. I tried several times. Nothing. I called in my professional technical support staff (Shea). Dead. He broke the news to me yesterday. My computer died.
For those of you who don't know this, computers don't have a very long life expectancy. I want to buy one and have it work for 15 years, but my loving husband tells me 3 years is about right. Most non-work, computer question people he gets calls from are trying to revive their dinosaur machines, and it drives him crazy! He doesn't mind fielding the calls; he just gets annoyed when people use the excuse that they bought "a brand new part xyz only a few years ago!!!" It's pretty funny to me; I try to explain to him that not everyone knows what he does about computers. We all want them to work for a long time, especially when we spend so much money on them.
I'm just going to count my blessings that I have a gifted computer-literate husband. I'll get a new computer soon, I hope. Now to decide on the options I need...a new Mac perhaps?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)