Dancin' Queen

Look at that fancy foot work. You go girl!

The Great TP Debate

Maybe it's just me but I think something smells right rank in toilet paper land. Does anyone else think we are getting ripped off by toilet paper manufacturers? I knew it going to happen the first time I laid eyes on a double roll. I thought, "These people are messing with us" and sure enough they were. Soon after the double roll appeared the triple roll debuted. Then for a short while you could hardly find a single roll anywhere. Did you notice that by the time the single roll did appear again, it had gotten quite a bit smaller?

Now even the double has gotten smaller. So has the triple. Amazing. This is exactly what I thought would happen. These TP manufacturers have down-sized TP rolls and upsized the cost. So, now the double rolls are the size the single rolls used to be and the only thing double about them now is what you get to pay at the register! A single roll now is about half of what a single roll used to be but you get to pay full price for it. And with the triple . . . well, you get the point. It makes me really mad when companies do this kind of thing and get away with it, but then they kind of have us over a . . . toilet seat . . . don't they?

Friends . . . Ain't They Great

Tonight we had friends for dinner and they were soooo good! OK not really! Actually, we had Rob's famously good barbecued chicken for dinner and we had some really good friends OVER for dinner! Is that better?

Anyway, it was really fun. These were some friends from my old neighborhood of a few years ago. The whole family came and we had a great time. They hadn't seen the baby since she was pretty small so they were excited to see how much she'd grown. It was really nice to see them and just spend time together. Nice evening with family and friends. Yay.

Lexi and Carly

This is Lexi with Carly. They met at a Halloween party the other night. They both came dressed as witches. Neither one really got into wearing their witch hat much! Carly always gets a little shy in new crowds so there was no getting a smile from her but she really did like Lexi. Carly is 8 months old and Lexi is about 18 months old. Both of them are big for their age. Anyway, we found out we don't live very far apart so maybe they can play together. That would be fun! Lexi is a real doll! Her mom and I decided these two were born with a little extra spunk!

The Eyes Have It

Megan took this shot of Carly. I think she has the most amazing eyes. I cropped it close up just so I could stare at them. We went to a Halloween party tonight and she wore her witch costume and made a new friend. I will post a couple pictures on here tomorrow of her and her friend. They were both witches. They were so cute together.

The Terrible, Awful, Very Bad Diaper Malfunction

My poor Carly has had a round of diarrea for several days. I've taken her to the doctor and we are feeding her the BRAT diet and doing all kinds of things to help make it better. I keep thinking when I change her next diaper it's going to be a better. Well, it isn't yet but at least she is feeling better. On to the heart of my story . . . or should I say "end" of my story . . .

This morning I went to change her diaper and I undid one of the tabs and went to pull it across and fasten it and it didn't stick very well so I just pressed harder and thought I'd taken care of it. I then fed Carly and we played and sang and finally I knew she had gone poo so I went to change her diaper again. However, I realized I had left her medicine in the other room so I picked her up and carried her with me to get it. No big deal, right? Wrong! About half way there I felt something on the hand I was holding her bottom with. My hand had something wet on it and sure enough it was poo. "Crap, I thought she pooped so much, the diaper is full and leaking." No pun intended. So, I hurried back and put her on my bed to change her and realized she was leaking diareaa because the diaper tab had come undone. It was a serious leak, too. My baby had pooped all over kingdom come! Hang on, it gets better.

I realize I have a problem at this point so I am trying to keep her still enough to clean her up--but no, she wants to crawl away from me and is getting the poo on other things. I don't realize, however, that I am also covered in poo. I guess when I picked her up to carry her to go get the medicine the diaper was already undone and my shirt and pants were covered. I have now gotten it on the covers and sheets where my shirt and pants touched when I leaned over to diaper her and she has gotten it everywhere else. And all I could think was Holy Crap how did this happen?! And, talk about a wardrobe malfunction! Let me tell you this was a ton smellier.

Where Have All the Hours Gone?

Why is it the days are so short and the nights are so much shorter? I'm not sure when that started to happen but it makes it really hard to get things done. I always have such big plans-- well, for that matter they're not even really all that big. I just never seem to have enough hours to match the lists I make and my lists don't seem that long. It's very frustrating. Oh well, sometimes just holding and rocking my baby is all that matters anyway. Speaking of my cutie pie . . .

Carly has learned to wave. It's not always really coordinated but she will do it when you say "bye bye". She sometimes does it with a closed fist or open hand and moving fingers. It's cuted to watch. She will also sometimes say Da' Da' by saying Ba' Ba' or Ma' Ma' but I think the Ma' Ma' happens more by accident. She is growing so fast and picking things up really quickly. She really wants to walk. She pulls herself up now but she is not steady enough to stand on her own or walk. Her crawling is getting really good, though. So we have to be really quick and alert.

I wish I had some funny story to share but nothing comes to mind. I hope you had a wonderful day!

Kind of an aside . . .

from our little garage clean-up on Saturday. One of the really nice older ladies in our ward stopped Rob in church on Sunday and told him she had driven by our house several times on Saturday and noticed our sale but didn't have time to stop. She said she felt really bad when she she drove by at the end of the day and it looked like we hadn't sold a thing!

JUST CALL ME PART OF THE QUOTA

I am so mad! It took me all day to get to the point where I could run a few errands today and so I finally got in my car about 3:40 p.m. and started running them. I headed for a fabric store to find some fabric markers to try to fix a brand new blouse I bought my daughter that she got some bleach on. I'm just driving along when all of the sudden I make a right turn and I notice police lights in my rear view mirror. I'm shocked! It's a motor cycle cop and I cannot imagine what I've done. He pulls me over. I roll down my window and I say (in my most genteel voice)--just kidding, I don't have a genteel voice -- "What in the world have I done?" He says, "School Zone." Holy Crap! (O.K., I did have the presence of mind not to say that out loud.) The thing really frustrated me was that I wasn't speeding! I was going a normal speed. I didn't see him. I didn't see a flashing school zone light. Aaarrghhh!

Apparently, it was just before 4:00 p.m. and the school zone ends at 4:00 p.m. He clocked me at 34 miles an hour in a 35 mile an hour zone--THAT IS UNLESS IT IS DURING THE SCHOOL ZONE HOURS--at which time it becomes a 20 mph zone. Then he asked me for my proof of insurance card which I'm always careful to put in my glove compartment--that is until the last time it came when it got lost and I searched everywhere for it and couldn't find it. I even wrote myself a note to call my insurance agent to have him send me a new one. Apparently the note got lost. Anyway, I still had the one from the previous time in there--but motorcycle cop wouldn't accept it even though it's the exact same policy. He says I can get a letter from the insurance company and the judge will drop the charge. Hey, motorcycle cop--good to know. I was not in a good mood by the time I got to the fabric store--even though MC did lower the ticket to five miles over the speed limit. I guess I have to give him credit for that. When I talked to hubby and told him about it and where I was when I got the ticket hubby told me that motorcycle cop sits in the church parking lot right by the turn I made waiting for people to go to fast in that zone. I hate speed traps and quotas. I'm not saying I'm never a lead foot--but by darn get me when I'm really being outlandish somewhere. There were not even any children to be seen.

Yes, it was my fault. I should have realized it was a school zone but I guess the bottom line is right now I just want to be mad. I think he could have given me a warning since there were no children in sight and no lights up--but I'm pretty sure it's the last ten days of the month and this guy has a quota to fill.

Cute, Cute Sisters!

Megan and Carly have a blast together! Carly loves spending time with her big sister.

My Baby Doesn't Feel Good

Carly hasn't felt good all day. We even stayed home from church today. I think she may have a virus or something. I'm going to take her to see her pediatrician tomorrow. She hasn't had a high fever -- she's just been a little warm and has been filling her diaper lots. She's not a happy camper. We have been passing this muck around the family for weeks. Not a good deal fer sure:(

Saturday--The Day We Clean The Garage

Howdeedo! Our garage has been a nightmare ever since we moved in to our house. We kind of just unloaded two homes into our garage except for the comfortable stuff and then stopped. Everyonce in a while we turn on the light and throw some food and water at it in case there is anything living out there. Otherwise we are just plain scared of it! Ha!

Today we actually opened the door and unloaded the whole garage and got through a good 2/3 of the stuff. Hubby is determined that I will park my van in it for the winter. We did get the riding mower pulled in and a space big enough for the van made--that is until we had to bring the other third back in at dark. Darn. Well, we are still going to get through it in the next few days! We are serious about this project. We took a huge load to DI. Yeah for us!

It feels good to unload a bunch of crud! Yahoo!

CRAZY MULTI-TASKING MAMMA!

It's too bad you can't see me right now. You would laugh hard! And no, I won't take a picture for you and post it. That's the joy of being the author of this blog! Control! Hee. Hee. Anyway, I am the Queen of multi-tasking and the reason you would laugh is I am in my glory at the moment. Let me give you a description:

Some of you will not be surprised at all by this scene. I am sitting cross-legged on my bed surrounded by opened bills and papers, my checkbook, my cellphone (which I just answered while I was typing this message to have a conversation with one of my daughters.) It's late and she called to check in and let me know she was on her way home. Yeah! Anyway-on with my multi-tasking show . . . I obviously have my laptop open and before I began doing my blog I was working on some emails, researching some flights, checking a few websites for information all while while listening to a book on tape (yes, I did say "tape.) It's a really good book and the library didn't have the book on the shelf but did have it on tape so I figured "what the "hey." I had an old beat up boom box that has a tape player on it that I've almost given to D.I. or thrown in the trash a half a dozen times -- you know the ones that came out before they'd even thought of CD's. While I'm listening I'm also writing out checks to pay bills and I just love it that my cell phone doubles as a calculator!

Of course, occasionally I do have to turn on the television to see what new election assault is being made on voters by the liberal press and their hired guns. Yes, I do this even while I'm listening to my book on tape. Isn't that what the mute button and the closed captions on the TV are for? Hey, it works for me!

Well, it's been a long day and for some reason I can't quite figure out my brain is fried! I'm exhausted. I'd better go check on my cute, sleeping baby!

ALL SHOPPED OUT

Today and tomorrow are the teacher's association days for our state so our kids are out of school. I got a wild hair around noon today and decided it was a good day to go shopping at the outlet malls that are about an hour away from here. My sister-in-law has been wanting to go so I called her and she took her 5 month old and I took my 14 year old and my 8 month old. We left at 2:00 p.m. and got home at 10:00 p.m.

I've been needing to get Julie a few more things. We didn't find a ton but she loved the things we found so I guess it was a hit! I did find a few things for the baby, too. More than anything it was just good to get out and shake up the routine. The baby's were both really good, too. I was surprised they weren't cranky or anything.

It was good to get home tonight. I am ready for bed. I guess this is what they mean when they say "Shop till you drop!"

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN SUCH AN ADORABLE LITTLE WITCH? ADMIT IT. YOU'RE SCARED!

Hey everybody I'm all dressed up! Like my costume? I'm Witchy-poo! Emphasis on "Poo!"



How long do I have to stand here, Mom? Are you done taking pictures yet?

I am smiling. Mom. Can I take this crazy hat off? Puh-leeaassee?

This skirt itches my legs. Oh forget it! I can't take anymore of this. Enough already!

I'm all tuckered out. Can I have a nap? Will someone please take me back to my room?!

NICE QUOTE

"WE NEVER TOUCH PEOPLE SO LIGHTLY THAT WE DO NOT LEAVE A TRACE."

OOPS!

Sorry, I fell asleep last night before I did my blog. That's not a good excuse--just reality. Rob came home sick last night and wanted to go straight to bed. Although it didn't work out that he got to go straight to sleep--not with an eight month old. Then this morning Julie woke up throwing up, so she is home for the day. We have had two straight weeks of sick people. It's yucky to be sick. But then you know that!

Carly has just graduated to temper tantrums when she doesn't get her way. That's fun. Not! She really does not like the word "No!" However, it isn't enough on its own. You have to say "no" and then pull her away from what she's attempting to put in her mouth or grab to make your point. If you just say no she laughs or smiles at you. But when you pull her away or take the item away from her she goes into a full fledged temper tantrum. Oh my! Why do I think the terrible two's are going to be really TERRIFYING!? She really knows what she wants and when she doesn't get it boy is she unhappy!

Oh, I bought the cutest Halloween costume for her last night. I've been looking for weeks for one that would be cute and kind of girly on her but all I could find were fuzzy animals. It was always something wierd like a cow or a pig and I didn't want to dress my little girl up like a farm animal. I found a cute outfit last night that is more "Halloweeny!" I'm going to surprise you, though! It's really cute! I'm not going to be able to wait until Halloween to show you--so as soon as I get a chance I will dress her up and take a picture and post it. I'm excited! Yeah!

Have a lovely day everyone!

I Got the Whole World in My Hands . . .

Here Comes Trouble!

She's got grit . . .
and determination . . .

and she's headed your way!

Watch Out Everyone! Here I come!

SAY IT WITH ME . . . "I WILL NEVER COMPLAIN ABOUT MY JOB AGAIN!"

OH NO! IT'S SNOW!

It actually snowed here today. Sure it started out cold and rainy but all of the sudden it was snow spitting from the sky. No fair, it's only early October. It's freezing. I thought we had at least until November until the cold hit. Darn.

Carly Grew Up A Bit Today

I put Carly down for a nap and I heard her yelling for me to tell me she was awake but there was something different in her voice. I thought "that little stinker better not be standing up in her crib!" But I already knew she was. Sure enough I opened her bedroom door and she gave me this wry look that said "Look what I can do, Momma!" I was secretly pleased, but don't tell her that!

I Do Not Like That Sam I Am

Baby has a definite aversion to the word "No." She would just as soon we not use it especially if we are aiming it at her. She tends to pay much more attention when Daddy tells her "no" than when any of the rest of us do but she still doesn't like it. I now understand why that is one of the first words children learn--so they can tell you "N0" about telling them "No.!

Carly is at that get into everything she can touch age and since she just started crawling that is just about everything. There really isn't any way to avoid the "No" word. It has to be said. Luckily we say lots of words she loves to hear too!

I Have No Voice!

My whole family is sick. We have been coughing and sniffling for more than a week and it's been at least 3 days since I've had my voice. The funnest part is that we have been passing it back and forth. Just as one of us starts to get better someone else gets it and then round and round it goes. This is my second time through and it's definitely been worse this time. Arrgh!

Rebuilding New Orleans---First Thing I've Seen That Makes Sense!

For complete description of materials and how to build it, please refer to:

Genesis, chapter 5:14-16

Things Got You Down? Well Then, Consider These . . .

The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez Oil spill in Alaska was $80,000.00.At a special ceremony, two of the most expensively saved animals were being
released back into the wild amid cheers and applause from onlookers.
A minute later, in full view, a killer whale ate them both.

Still think you are having a Bad Day? A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen shaking frantically, almost in a dancing frenzy, with some kind of wire running from his waist towards the electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current, she whacked him with a handyplank of wood, breaking his arm in two places. Up to that moment, he had been happily listening to his Walkman.

Are Ya OK Now? - No? Two animal rights defenders were protesting the cruelty of sending pigs to a slaughterhouse in Bonn , Germany . Suddenly, all two thousand pigs broke loose and escaped through a broken fence,stampeding madly The two helpless protesters were trampled to death.

What?!? STILL having a Bad Day? Iraqi terrorist Khay Rahnajet didn't pay enough postage on a letter bomb. It came back with 'Return to Sender' stamped on it. Forgetting it was the bomb, he opened it and was blown to bits. God is Good!

Still Having a Bad Day? In a hospital's Intensive Care Unit, patients always died in the same bed, on Sunday morning, at about 11:00 a.m. regardless of their medical condition. This puzzled the doctors and some even thought it had something to do with the supernatural. No one could solve the mystery as to why the deaths occurred around 11:00 a.m. Sunday so a worldwide team of experts was assembled to investigate the cause of the incidents.

The next Sunday morning, a few minutes before 11:00 a.m. all of the doctors and nurses nervously waited outside the ward to see for themselves what the terrible phenomenon was all about. Some were holding wooden crosses, prayer books, and other holy objects to ward off the evil spirits. Just when the clock struck 11:00, Pookie Johnson, the part-time Sunday sweeper, entered the ward and unplugged the life support system so he could use the vacuum cleaner.
There now, feeling better?

So . . .

Who's going to bailout the bailout?

My Day

I spent today with my sister Sarah helping her get things ready for their big move. There is still a ton to do and only a couple of days to do it in. We haven't really had time to get too sad yet. We were too busy cleaning and packing. I'm sure it will come. Arrgh. I hate goodbyes.

I came home tonight and watched the debate, had pizza with the family and got a few things around the house. Ummm very few. . . Time for beddy bye!

My Baby Sister is Leaving Me :{

Since we've been adults my baby sister has always lived within ten or 15 miles of me, that is until I got married and moved almost and hour away. But all of the sudden she is moving a whole state away. True it's only a two hour drive but still! I've been trying to put it out of my mind and not think about it because it makes me sad to think of having have her so far from us. She's actually leaving in just a few days now so I kind of have to put it on the front burner. Darn. It's supposed to only be for a couple of years while my brother-in-law gets his doctorate. Hopefully they will come back. But tonight I am feeling rather sad thinking of it.

Just a little update on baby Ryan. He had a pretty good day today and is holding his own but still needs lots of prayers. Thanks everyone.