Friday FIVE

1. Walking with my ipod. Technology is an amazing thing. Remember when we used to make tapes of our favorite songs - we'd wait by the radio, hoping that ONE song would come on. I can remember getting so mad when the DJ would start talking before the song was over - didn't he know I was recording??? Now my ipod can hold whatever song I can think of and is catagorized according to my mood. We've come a long way.

2. Kids out of school. No more argueing over getting homework done, getting them to bed on-time, making sure they have money in their lunch accounts, fretting over grades, dragging them out of bed, missing the bus, driving them to school in my pajamas (with 2 sleepy little girls in tow). Need I say more?

3. Planting summer flowers. I get weak in the knees when I go to the nursery. I love selecting plants and thinking about where I will put them I love planting them and watching them take hold and hopefully grow big. The one drawback: weeding - hate that.

4. Laughing Cow Cheese. Not only is it low calorie - but it is so good! I love speading it on either pretzel chips or low fat triscuits. Pair it with some fruit and it's a healthy diet-friendly snack!!!

5. P.S. I Love You. Loved it - I am buying this movie. Hilary Swank isn't my favorite actress, but she is really good in this one and her co-stars are wonderful. It's funny, it's sad, it's romantic. And yes, it's a chick-flick, but Scott loved it too.

A-Z Now You Know Me

I've been tagged by Tasha - thanks! :)

A: attached or single? attached to Scott for 13 years (but I've known him for 20 years)
B: best friend? Holli Jones
C: cake or pie? chocolate cake with chocolate frosting!!!
D: day of choice? Saturday
E: essential item? rings - I feel naked without them
F: favorite color? turquoise or barn red
G: gummy bears or worms? bears - the mini ones
H: Hometown? Bountiful, UT (but I was born in Dallas, TX)
I: favorite indulgence? cake batter ice cream with brownie chunks from Cold Stone
J: January or July? July - LOVE summer months
K: Kids? yes: 4 - Kesley, Dallin, Hallie & Audrey
L: Life isn't complete without? family
M: marriage date? August 25, 1995
N: number of brothers and sisters? one brother, no sisters
O: oranges or apples? oranges - I love the little clementines
P: Phobias? really deep water; heights (I cried on my roof once hanging Christmas lights)
Q: Quote? I love Ellen DeGeneres - she is hilarious. One of my favs from her... “Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.”
R: reasons to smile? sleeping kids, finding money in my pocket, paid holidays, naps
S: season of choice? fall - love the colors
T: tag 3 people? Tonya, Kellie & Lisa
U: unknown fact about me? Actually this is pretty known, but I hate feet. The only ones I can tolerate are my own of course and my little kids. After about age 4 or 5, they are not cute anymore. And old people feet scare me.
V: vegetable? Sweet potatoes/Yams
W: worst habit? picking my nails & cuticles
X: x-ray or ultrasound? ultrasound - seeing my sweet little babies are such great memories!
Y: your favorite food? I love shrimp - battered, grilled, sauteed, chilled - I don't care, it's ALL good!
Z: zodiac sign? Leo

Wednesday Weigh-In

(SIGH) I am back to my original weight from 2 weeks ago. I think there are 2 reasons for this: 1. I just went off the medication that was causing me major bloating and thus weight gain and 2. this past week was PMS from hell. I hate that I have NO willpower during this time and I crave the worst foods.

But, I am doing really well so far this week. I am back on weight watchers and doing great with that AND I am exercising every day. I love that we live right by our community park with an awesome walking path. I've been power walking at least 2 miles everyday. Next week I am adding some abdominal work and weights to my exercise regimen.

I think I can... I think I can... I think I can...

So for this week: No weight loss to report, except for the loss of the .4 I gained last week. Next week is MY week - I can FEEL it!

This weeks TIP:
Keep a food diary of what you are eating and HOW MUCH you are eating (serving size). It is amazing to me how much I can eat and not even realize what I've just done. This forces me to evaluate each day where I am at and what I need to change. This is why I love weight watchers - I write everything down to keep track of my points - I can easily see what I am doing right and where I have gone wrong. Try it!

Made for Audrey

My sweet little Audrey LOVES the tags on her blankets. I know, most babies do. So today I was cleaning out my craft room and noticed I have A LOT of scrap fabric and lots of ribbon - hmmmm..... what to do? I made her a taggie blanket. Well, not really a blanket - it's only one square foot. The side showing is flannel and the backside is pink satin. So easy to make - I wish I would have made her one long ago! She LOVES it! In fact she cried when I took it from her to show to Kesley. Love it when I can make something great from things I have on hand - NO money spent! AND Audrey is 18 months old TODAY, so happy day to her!!!

Simon Says

Memorial Day

Today was rainy and cool. We had planned on going to visit my dad's grave with my mom in the morning, but rain, then in the early afternoon, but still raining. It cleared long enough for me to go to Walmart, but when I came out: pouring rain. Finally we just went to the cemetary in the rain and put our flowers on my dad's and my grandpa's graves. My mom met us there. We stood in the rain for a few minutes remembering my dad (there are even raindrops on our camera lens so the pictures are a bit blurry). The kids were cold so we didn't stay long. This is our 3rd Memorial Day decorating his grave - surreal. I cried when we left. On our way home the sun came out.

Downstairs bathroom - DONE

This is just a tiny little bathroom in our basement, but it was horrible before - thick stripes of emerald green & cream wallpaper - EW!!! Amazing what a fresh coat of NORMAL paint and some accessories can do. Hard to get a good picture cause it's so little!



And I also got the kids game/playroom cleaned and organized. You can see they are loving having a place to hang out. Audrey thinks she is so big playing video games.

Friday FIVE

1. Home Improvement Projects. From landscaping & gardening to painting and redecorating - I love working on our home. I love looking for new ideas and inspirations and I love the satisfaction of the finished product. Today I am repainting & redecorating our basement bathroom - so excited!

2. Pajamas are the best. I love days where I never have to change out of them or if I do, it's just to another pair. They are just so comfortable and cozy. I love buying pajama pants and I love just hanging out in them. Anyone ever stumped as to what to buy me for a present? This would be a good idea!

3. Drink Mix Singles - I like the Great Value brand from Walmart - much cheaper than Crystal Light, but just as good. I am trying to drink more water, but sometimes can only take so much. Shaking these little sweethearts into my water bottle is the variety I need to keep chugging, plus the sweetness helps curb my craving for something I shouldn't be eating. My favorite flavors are cherry limeade and raspberry (but use a straw, they turn your lips red!!!)
4. I love getting the mail. I get SO disappointed if the mailbox is empty. Now don't get me wrong, I despise bills and credit card offers. But I love getting just about everything else. Even the ads and valuepages are fun to look through. Ever want to make my day? Mail me a note!
5. Our dog - well, our old dog. After my dad died and my mom was so lonely, we gave Browning to her for company (I was struggling to give him enough attention along with 4 kids anyway). It has worked out really well - she has a little companion and we still see him. This week he's been staying with us because she is out of town. I love that he cleans up any crumbs my kids drop - OK, he eats whole sandwiches that they drop, but it's great clean-up. I just hate the "surprises" he leaves on the lawn - yeah, don't miss that at all!

Tagged

My SIL Kellie is unemployed & bored to tears (if anyone knows of any jobs for a newly graduated social worker - let her know!) So I'm completing this tag for her!

The rules: List 6 of your favorite things; then tag other people.
6 of my favorites:

1. Laughing. I love to laugh so hard I cry. There is nothing quite like uncontrollable laughter. The kind where you almost pee your pants (TMI?).
2. Newborn babies - especially my own. I love their soft snuggly little heads and their scrunchy little bodies all wrapped up tight like a blanket burrito. Mmmmm... I can smell that sweet scent right now.
3. Alone time with a good book. This seldom happens with 4 kids, but every once in a while Scott can be conned into taking them and I get a hot bath in my garden tub with a sweet book. Ah, I love that!
4. My computer. I am hopelessly addicted to surfing the web. I love all of the information at my fingertips. It is such a fabulous learning tool and the fact that I constantly know what is going on in the world is amazing. I love staying connected to friends and family.
5. Traveling. We traveled a lot growing up and I wish I still had the means to do some fun vacations. We are taking the kids to Disneyland this fall, so I am really looking forward to that. Someday I really want to see more of the world - there is SO MUCH out there.
6. Magazines - Scott always buys my the entertainment news magazines for my stocking at Christmas. I'm a sucker for knowing what's going on with celebrities. No matter how lame, I just must know. I also like my Papercrafts magazine. I get lots of inspiration from it.

OK, anyone who reads this, you are officially tagged.....

Wednesday Weigh-In (Part II)

I have been stewing about this all day and I realized something else about my gradual weight gain over the past couple of months. I recently started a new medication and one of the side effects is... (drum roll please) weight gain and bloating. Duh! Why didn't I realize this earlier??? I'm not sure if this is the sole cause of my woes, but I am going to have to reevaluate if I really want to be on this particular medication, especailly when I have other options that have lesser side effects. Something to think about anyway.

Wednesday Weigh-In

All I can say is uhhggggg! After a week of watching what I am eating (not totally dieting, but trying to stay away from no-no's) and exercising 5 out of the 7 days, I didn't lose anything - in fact I gained .4 pounds. What?????

I guess it just goes to show that this weight didn't show up overnight and it ain't leaving quickly either. Fine - game on. I will NOT lose this stupid weight war and I will have good news to report next week. Truth be told, the .4 I gained overall is actually not as bad as I was fearing - I had weighed myself on Sunday and had gained 1.6 pounds since last Wednesday. THAT was so depressing, so at least I am losing that weird gain.


I hope the rest of you have had better success this past week.

This week's tip...
Don't skip meals.
Skipping meals is one of those dieting mistakes most of us make at one time or another. But meal skipping does your diet more harm than good. You'll be more likely to eat too much later on, plus your body may go into "starvation mode" if you skip too often -- which will cause it to actually hang on to weight rather than lose!


Most meal-skippers forgo breakfast. It seems to be the easiest meal to do without. But in reality, breakfast may influence weight loss more than any other meal!
If you aren't hungry first thing in the morning, have something small. Do you actually forget to eat in the a.m. hustle and bustle? Set an alarm to go off some time after you normally rise to remind you to stop, take a breath ... and eat.

Friday FIVE

1. These new little snacks are wonderful: Pringles Stix. They come in vanilla, pizza or wheat. And best part - they are only 100 calories. They are crunchy and flavorful. Funny thing is - I love them, but my kids don't care for them. At least I don't have to worry about them trying to steal my "diet" food!

2. I have so much fun watching Dallin's baseball games. He is finally really getting it this year and he hardly ever strikes out. In fact this week he hit a home run. I was so proud! I love sitting at the park watching the games. The atmosphere is just fun!!!

3. I love daisies. They are so cheerful, you can't help but smile at them. I love all sorts of colors of them, but something about the white shasta daises with their sunny centers just makes me happy. I have transplanted some from my mom's yard to my own and I hope I picked a good spot and they will bloom this summer.

4. Maybe it's the scrapbooker in me, but I love stickers. I love to make cards with them, scrapbook with them, stick them on notes and letters, they are just fun and they come in SO MANY styles. I have hundreds of them just waiting for the perfect project or occasion. My favorite site to order them or just browse: stickersgalore.com (where else?)

5. Love going out to lunch. Weather it's picking a new place or visiting an old favorite. It's so much fun to go out. And it's especially nice to go with good friends. I work with some great people and I love to go out with them. My favorite places to go to lunch right now?

• Thai Siam or Sawadee (I LOVE Thai food)
• Paradise Bakery
• Little World (Chinese)
• Orbitz Cafe
• Caputos

Can you tell it's getting close to lunchtime????

Wednesday Weigh-In

OK, so this isn’t as bad as it sounds. And no, I am not going to add a blogging item for every day of the week: i.e. Monday Mania or Saturday Snapshots. I need help people – and I am enlisting YOU to give me the help I desperately need to get my butt in gear and lose some extra pounds.

I was doing great and was losing weight at a fairly steady rate until the end of March and then I don’t know what happened. That’s a lie, I know what happened – I got lazy. Wasn’t eating right and didn’t get up and move like I should have. And I am really struggling getting motivated again – I mean REALLY struggling.

So here is my plan. I am going to be held accountable for my weight loss goals. I am going to report each Wednesday on my progress – NOT my actual weight, that would be very uncomfortable for me and probably you! What I will report is how many pounds I lose each week. There are enough people paying attention to my blog, that I feel like this might work.

AND, any of you are WELCOME to join me. Please feel free to check in via the "comment section" and let us know YOUR progress as well. We can have success in numbers and we can find support and encouragement in each other! Plus, if you have any dieting/exercise/weight-loss secrets, please feel free to share … I need ALL the help I can get! I will try to share at least one tip each week .

So, for today – this is the STARTING POINT. I weighed myself this morning and my weight loss goal is to lose 13.8 pounds (and yes, I will count every one-tenth!!!) I am not going to set a completion date for this goal because I firmly believe that sets you up for failure. As long as I am losing each week, I am progressing towards my goal.

This week’s tip…
When you feel hungry, try drinking at least 8-12 ounces of water and wait 15 minutes. Often, our body is just dehydrated, but it manifests itself as hunger. After 15 minutes, if you are still feeling hungry, eat a healthy snack and drink more water. I was amazed how many times this worked for me!

4 years ago this week...

I found out I was expecting. It was surreal. After eight years of trying to get pregnant, we were just amazed at those words from my cute Dr - who just about did cartwheels down the hall for us ... "Congratulations, you're pregnant!" I'd gone though 6 attempts at artificial insemination, 2 invitros (IVF), and 3 frozen embryo transfers. My first IVF landed me in the hospital for a week and gave me 3 failed frozen transfers. Saying I was devastated doesn't even begin to describe it. Trying again was such a difficult decision - emotionally and financially, but thankfully and mercifully the second IVF was successful.

I've been thinking a lot about my feelings four years ago and how much I've grown and learned through my experiences with infertility. One thing is for sure, once infertility is a part of your life, it is always a part of who you are. It doesn't have to define you, but at times it truly does encompass you, almost to suffocating.

I love the following song about infertility. It truly is how I felt - I would die for that.



I know many of my friends are still trying; some with invasive medical treatments, some waiting for the miracle of adoption, some are struggling with secondary infertility, some have recurrant miscarriages. I just want anyone who reads this and aches for a child to know that you are not alone. I have been in the depths of despair and have plead for Heavenly Father to send me a baby. I will never forget how I felt not knowing if Scott and I would ever create life. I love each of my children and I love each of the ways they came into my life and taught me more than I ever thought possible to learn. But there were days I didn't want to learn anything, I just wanted it to end. My trial with infertility is now over, but I am always aware that for others it is ongoing. For you, I pray it will also end soon and that the outcome will be wonderful.

Happy Mother's Day

Just want to give a big shout out to my mom and mother-in-law. I love them both and I am so thankful for the good examples they are to me. (BTW, my mom and I have had a heart-to-heart about the issues from earlier this week - don't know if it will help, but at least we are not upset anymore).

This picture was taken summer of 2005 about 6 months before my dad died...


I am aslo so thankful to BE a mom to four great kids. They all came into my life in such unique ways and some were really hard to wait for and get here. Thank you Heavenly Father for giving me this oppprtunity. Sometimes it is a very thankless job, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

This is one of my most favorite pictures of all my kids together. Audrey is only 1 month old, Hallie is almost 2, Dallin is 6 and Kesley is 13.

Family Room Complete - FINALLY!

Just a few shots of my family room. It only took me 6 months to get all the ugly wallpaper off from the previous homeowner and paint it. This was BY FAR the biggest project I needed to do in our new home - and I am thrilled to be moving on to some other less stressful projects/ideas. I feel like I can finally move on with my life - and I have a beautiful room to enjoy!

BTW, as you look at these pictures, imagine dark hideous wallpaper on ALL of the walls. It was so ugly, I couldn't even bring myself to take "before" photos.

Friday FIVE

1. I love spring (now that I think it is finally here to stay). I love the rain especially. It makes everything so green and my flowers are loving it. My favorite is taking an afternoon nap when it's raining outside (every once in awhile my kids let me do that!)


2. My favorite dessert in the whole world is Tres Leches Cake and the best place to buy it is Cafe Rio (although Z'Tejas comes in at a close second). I also have a from scratch recipe that is pretty good. But the cake in a box version from Betty Crocker is less than desireable. If you ever have a chance, try one - or if I really like you I might make you one.


3. Love the color turquoise. I wish I had more clothes in that color. Aren't these dresses cute? I need a new summer dress too!


4. Dallin made this cute bead bracelet for me at cub scouts this week for Mother's Day. He was so excited he couldn't wait till Sunday to give it to me. I love it!


5. This one is practical, but I really like Cascade 2in1 ActionPacs. No more spilling dishwasher powder all over or trying to get the last of the liquid out of the bottle. Just grab a little plastic covered soap pouch and pop it in the dispenser. The plastic dissolves and Dawn prewashes the load, then the Cascade soap is perfectly proportioned for the wash. AND they come in several scents!

New Book to Read!!!

So, I've ordered my copy of the new book The Host by Stephanie Meyer. I am so excited to begin reading it. Love her, love her books, love that they are making a Twilight move. Time magazine has even named her as one of the 100 most influential people of 2008. (click here) Can't wait for August and the next book in the Twilight series. I'm SO hooked (thanks for loaning me your books Jennie!).

Cinco de Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!
Not that I'm really into celebrating other countries holidays, but it's a great excuse to make some yummy mexican food tonight. Love it!

Frustration

I am so completely overwhlemed right now. I have a lot on my plate and last night my mom in her oh so lovely way added another heaping spoonful of guilt. Scott says I should just consider the source and forget it, but she is my mother and I hate it that she thinks I don't appreciate her. I try SO hard to make sure she knows I am grateful that she watches my kids two afternoons a month. She's mad because she feels like all she does is "give, give, give" (her words, not mine) and she get's nothing from us in return. I just feel so bad. I'm not sure what she wants me to do. I always say thank you and we have her over for dinner and try to include her in everything we do. She wants me to take her to the airport next week, but I can't - I have to work and can't take time off right now. I am picking her up the following week, but that doesn't count apparently. She also wants Scott to mow her lawn, which just isn't fair to ask of him. He's working 6 days a week right now - 10+ hours on weekdays and until late Saturday afternoon. He can hardly keep up with our yard and she is acting like he just won't help her. I just feel like she only helps me if there is something in it for her, otherwise forget it. I just wish she'd watch the kids because she loves me and loves them. It really doesn't feel that way. In fact, now she says she wants to move to St George, but can't because I need her (then why did you already buy a lot to build on here?). I do need her, I need her to stop acting like a 2-year old and get some help. She is not coping well with my dad's death, but it's been 2+ years now. She is so negative, my kids don't even want her to tend them. I've got to figure out some other options. It just isn't worth ruining my relationship with my mom.
Last night's phone call with her was so frustrating, it made me cry. I miss my dad and I feel like not only did I lose him, but I lost a big part of my mom too. I just don't know what to do.

Friday FIVE

1. Strawberries. I bought a huge container of fresh strawberries from Costco yesterday. They are beautiful! Last night Hallie and I made chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. I had a very happy family.

2. I am addicted to ebay. I love to sell things, I love to buy things, I love to watch things, I love to hunt for things, I love ebay. It's a sickness - and I don't care if I am ever cured.

3. I love to look at homes for sale. Even though we have been in our home only 1 year, I love to see what's out there and I love to look at photos of other people's homes (inside) and get ideas for my own house. I have copied several things I have found on real estate listings for decorating my own house.

4. This is my favorite lipstick. It is Cover Girl Lipslicks in Precious. Yes, it's purple. I don't look good in reds, I wish I could wear them, but I look silly - like I got into my mom's make-up drawer and didn't know what I was doing. I have one of these in every purse and diaper bag - plus one at work. I love them.
5. Someday I am going to Scotland. Scott promised he would take me. Last week I saw a special on the Travel Channel about Scotland and it is my trip of choice right now. BTW, any of you familiar with Samantha Brown on the Travel Channel? She travels all over the world and shows the best places to visit, stay, eat, tour, etc... I want her job.

My Addiction

With 2 little girls (one with long hair and one with the hopes of growing hair sometime soon), I am hopelessly addicted to hair things: bows, clips, barrettes, pony-o's, korkers, headbands, etc...

You name it, I probably have it and in at least half a dozen colors. I can match ANY outfit and ANY occasion.

Here is out current inventory of lovely little girl hair items (NOT including any of Audrey's hairbands, or the little tiny clippies & tiny rubber bands)...

So I probably have enough, right??? Here is what I got in the mail today...

I can't tell you how excited I got opening it. Imagining all the outfits they would go with - AND they are non-slippy, which means they will even stay put in little Audrey's wispy hair. :) If anyone is interested, I ordered them from a seller on eBay - she custom makes them and has TONS of colors to choose from. 10 sets (20 bows) cost me about $20 with shipping. SUPER great deal! Here is a link to her Ebay store http://stores.ebay.com/Blue-Monster-Bows

What's your addiction, I mean collection???

Dentist visit

Today was Hallie's first visit to the dentist. It didn't go quite as planned, but was exactly what I expected. I went first and she watched as I got my teeth cleaned. The whole time she kept saying, "I don't like the dentist", "I don't want to be here", "C'mon mom, let's go home." Seeing me go first did NOT calm her nerves and she refused to get in the chair when it was her turn. After some big crocodile tears from Hallie and major coaxing from me, she finally let Dr Kim look at her teeth (clenched) and he counted them. So glad I paid a co-pay to find out she has 20 teeth. Oh, well - I have 6 months to prepare her and practice for our next visit.