Adventure's in Mommyland

latest haul...

2011-02-01T20:29:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't call myself an addict yet... but holy moly I'm LOVING this couponing thing!

Today I tried my hand at Walgreens. I've learned that the best way to utilize coupons is to "stack" them together. Stacked means that you use 2 coupons for an item... one store coupon and one manufacturs coupon. So when my I got the weekly ads in the Sunday paper I was able to look at the ads and store coupons and then see which items also had a manufacturers coupon as well.

Today I was able to buy quite a few items with LARGE coupons and can now throw a couple of these into my long term emergency storage! (LOVE THAT!)

Here is what I got:
4 bottles Herbal Essence hair products, 2 bottles Palmolive dish soap, 2 boxes nyquil, 2 boxes dayquil, 2 LARGE bottles of fish oil suppliments, 2 bottles of acidophilus suppliments, 1 Gillette fusion razor with shave gel, body wash and cooling after shave.

Total value before coupons and in store sales: $97.87
What I paid AFTER coupons and in store sales: $26.41

THAT kind of savings is worth an hour or so of my time looking for the deals! WOO HOO!!

my new couponing adeventure...

2011-01-12T14:56:00.000-08:00

HOLY MOLY it's been WAY too long since I've blogged! Life as usual has taken over... but I've made a goal this year to keep up on my blog... so here goes!

I've started to learn more about "couponing" in the last few weeks. I've read a few blogs... spoken to a few friends... searched a few sites... and found that while I may not be the person who scours ads for coupons to get everything for 20 cents or free... I do have a goal to get as many of my staple items for $1 or less.

I lucked out because the Fred Meyer circular this week has some AWESOME coupons! So I went yesterday... and again today to buy the same items. Why go back again you ask? So I can stock up on everyday items that I buy regularly for SUPER CHEAP! And these items are not generic off brand random things... these are items like Barilla whole wheat pasta and tillamook shredded cheese. Today I walked out of the store with 29 items in hand and spending $30.05!!

Here is a list of what I bought:
10- 1/2 lb bags of shredded tillamook cheese
2- 5 lbs bags of sugar
2- bottles of suave clarifying shampoo
6- boxes of Barilla whole wheat pasta
* 2 spagetti, 2 mini fusilli and 2 penne
2- cans of Grands Bicuits
3- boxes of Nestle hot chocolate mix (10 packets each)
4- boxes of kleenex

To me that is an awesome addition to my stock pile and even a little extra for my food storage!!! I love when I feel accomplished!

life is ALWAYS an adventure!!

2010-09-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

WOW!! I just realized that it's been WAY too long since I posted a blog post!! YIKES!!

So to save both myself and all of you the craziness of reading through my life in the last 6 months I'll make a list of highlights that have happened in order as I can remember them... if you have questions just ask!!

1. Relay for Life was a HUGE success!! $150,000.00 raised!
2. Got my waterfront lifeguard certification!
3. Started teaching swimming lessons and lifeguarding at the local YMCA
4. Despite major layoffs, Neil is still at Harry and David
5. Summer vacation started
6. Started working for Parks and Rec dept running a local little league
7. Kids played in said little league all summer
8. Went to girls camp with my church... FUN FUN FUN!
9. Went to Family Camp with my family... FUN FUN FUN!!
10. Celebrated Neil losing 55 lbs!
11. Got ANOTHER JOB as a DJ for KOOL 103.5 in Medford! (LOVE IT!!)
12. Abby took a header and had a concussion and a stitch
13. Chloe and Mason started back to school
14. Did my first LIVE radio show!
15. Got a new puppy. SO CUTE!!
16. Abby started KINDERGARTEN!! All 3 kids in school!

Thats it in a nutshell... I'm still loving life and staying CRAZY busy! Relay For Life 2011 is just getting underway and of course heaven only know what other projects I'll dip my hands into!

Hope everyone is having a great year! Here comes the FALL!! My favorite time of year!!

Frugal Fotos: Lithia Park Photo Shoot

2010-07-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

I've started a new blog for my photography!! I am working on building my portfolio and hoping to help suppliment my families income as well!!

Fees are $30 for a 30 minute on location photo shoot and you get a disk with all photos and rights to the prints.

Email me if you are interested in having your families pictures done! :)

Frugal Fotos: Lithia Park Photo Shoot: "Great day with some GREAT people! These shots were taken in Lithia Park in Ashland, Oregon. Many different locations around the park were us..."

Pear Blossom 5k!

2010-04-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

I promise I haven't fallen off the earth... just got WAY busy and had to cut down on computer time... so my blog has suffered. But I am back!!

This past month has been a crazy one with many ups and downs... but today I want to post about my great success... at least I think it's a great success!!

Yesterday I participated in the local Pear Blossom Festival 5k run. I've NEVER done a 5k in my life and I've been WAY out of shape... but I set this goal last year and needed to accomplish it!

I am happy to report that I DID IT!! My goal was to complete the 5k and do it under the "time limit"I walked the majority of it and jogged the last mile or so. My husband got some great shots of me at the tail end of the race... it was 30 degrees outside so I did most of the event wearing a wool hat with gloves on.

Today... I hurt... but it hurts good!! Happy April everyone! :)

Result by the numbers:

I was 991st out of 1118 participants

My time was: 50:45

I was 651st out of 754 women

I was 104 out of 111 in my age group

Join us for Musicians for Life!!

2010-03-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

Music, Food, Purpose

DOZEN+ Local Bands Perform

Off the Wall Music Joins with American Cancer Society volunteers and local bands to create a charity event in Central Point.

MARCH 6th, 2010 12noon- midnight

The Brick Bar and Grill

311 E. Pine St.

Central Point, OR

thebrickbarandgrill.net

$5 donation cover charge

Guitar and Art Raffle

Bands play for ALL music lovers -- from Country and Bluegrass to Rock

ALL AGES (bands set up in restaurant and bar).

BANDS:Nail, Hamfist, Off the Wall Band, Rogue Rage, Step it up and Go, David Pinsky, Hired Gun, Buzzard Songs, Dandelion Jo, Constant Tourists, GreenStone, The Key of Three, The Syndicate, Joe Medina, Merle Staton, Gary Carlson, Dan Doshier, SOSA Southern Oregon Songwriters Association.

BAND LINEUP

Constant Tourists (Gypsy Jazz, Originals) Bar 12-1:30

Hired Gun (Rockin' Originals) Patio 12-1:30

Hamfist (Folk/Country/Americana) Rest 1:30-3

The Key of Three (Folk/rock originals.Harmony) Patio 2-3:30

The Syndicate (Rock) Bar 3-4:30

Dandelion Jo (Americana/Folk Trio) Rest. 4:30-6

David Pinsky (Blues Duo) Patio 4:30-6

Off the Wall Band (Classic/Mod. Country) Bar 6-7:30

NAIL (Hard Rock/Christian) Rest. 7:30-8:30

Buzzard Song (Rockin' Originals) Bar 8:30-9:30

Step it Up & Go (Rockabilly) Rest. 9:30-10:30

Greenstone and (Rock) Bar 10:30-12

FUN FUN FUN MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC FOOD FOOD FOOD GIVE GIVE GIVE

Merle Stayton, Dan Doshier, Gary Carlson, and Joe Medina will entertain during any breaks in the music.

2 goals down! 34 to go...

2010-02-16T17:15:00.001-08:00

The last week has been very busy and productive for me! As many of you know I set some goals for myself to accomplish over the next year. If you haven't read about them... then check it out here!

In the past week I have accomplished goals number 2 and 14! First I turned the big 3-0! I had a great few weeks before my birthday and went into my 30th year of life with a BANG!! I had a fun filled day of pampering... got a new tatoo... and my sweet husband threw me an awesome 30th birthday bash at one of my favorite restaurants 4 Daughter's.

Pictures of goal #14:

Goal #2 was to organize my garage so I can park in it... check it out!! DONE!! I have a few boxes of things that will be gone once spring comes and we hold a garage sale... I love accomplishing things!!

2010-02-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!! Feel free to celebrate!!

Goodbye 20's.... Hello dirty 30's!!

Murder on the DISoriented Express!!

2010-02-07T00:02:00.000-08:00

Neil and I had a BLAST last night attending a murder mystery party at our friends house!!

We played the rolls of "Phil Ming" a chinese photographer with an obsession with Europe... and "Jemma Stone" and Austrian diamond trader who lived her life covered in jewels!

We rode aboard the "Disorientated Express" along with 5 other couples and solved the murder of Werner Von Black who was found hung in his luggage car.

It was a great time and we had fun dressing up! Here are a few pictures from the evening...

Ivan Igo and Kiki De'Leggs... SO FUNNY!!

Our wonderful hosts!! Lida Hosen and Sigmund Froid

Jemma and Kiki... little did I know I was hugging a MURDERER!!!

I HATE "hunting"!

2010-02-03T23:19:00.000-08:00

One of the goals I set this year is to help contribute to my family financially from home. I've been looking into different home work options... sales, sewing, baking, etc. I requested information from online universities and found some great programs that I think would be great. My 2 favorites are dressmaking/ fashion design and catering.

But in this search the reality hit me that we need my contribution NOW!! So I hit up craigslist, talked to people I know who are owners or managers of companies, spoke with friends, emailed, mailed and dropped off resumes, made follow up calls and every other aspect that is the joy of job "hunting". I'm happy to report that I was actually offered a job working for a local womens Gym. If would be a set schedule that works with our family dynamics, not alot of money but commission potentials and a free gym membership. BUT I'm just not sure... I won't go into details but there's just something....

Then came TODAY!! I went on the local radio station to talk about Relay For Life and spoke with the station manager.... he told me they were hiring and encouraged me to put in an application and resume. So I did!!! And I now have an interview for the position of... RADIO PERSONALITY!!!! It's pretty much a dream job for me! They are looking for a co-host for the morning show on the oldies station... HOW STINKING KOOL!!! (KOOL is the name of the station.)

So who knows... my next post could be about a new job... or no job... or more job options... or just an update on the hunt... 'til then!!

My big 5 year old girl!!

2010-01-28T22:57:00.000-08:00

Abby turned 5 last Saturday!! My little Zues who had such a hard start is happy, healthy, spunky and 5!!! So here are my 5 favorite things about my Abigail...

1) She makes the best "faces" she has a silly face, scary face, creepy face, funny face and crazy face... they are all very different and distinct.

2) She is my helper!! She loves to help around the house.

3) She cares for everyone in our family. She's the first to say "are you ok?"

4) She loves to read... she can't read by herself but she'll look through a book and tell herself the story outloud. She loves to have her big sister and brother read to her.

5) She's my baby... she will always be my last child and that holds a special place in my heart!

Happy Birthday Abby!!

36 goals in 365 days...

2010-01-20T00:11:00.000-08:00

I was reading a friends blog... and of course was lead to one of her friends blog and in following this trail I've been inspired!

These women gave themselves 101 goals to complete in 1001 days. Whether or not they achieved all 101 goals on their list they did accomplish many awesome things that they were working towards in their families, businesses, personal and spiritual enrichment and many other areas. And in achieving these goals their lives were enriched!

Alot has been happening in my personal life over the past month and a half and I think that setting goals to achieve over time is an inspiring feat! So inspiring in fact that I and going to jump on the wagon!

While I admire the number and time frame these women have set I'm going to shoot for a shorter period of time and goals within it. So I officially announce my 36 goals that I would like to accomplish in the next 365 days... here we go!!

1) Find a way to contribute financially to my family from home.
2) Organize my garage so I can park in it.
3) Write a handwritten letter once a month for 4 months to my little sister.
4) Take an hour EVERY WEEK for myself for pampering (bath, massage, facial, pedi)
5) Have a girls night out with friends once a month for 6 months
6) Raise $2000.00 for the Relay for Life event in Medford
7) Continue to write weekly articles on food storage and emergency preparedness.
8) Document my food storage success better with photos and videos to share with my followers
9) Read one book every 2 months
10) Read a classic work of fiction that I've never read before
11) Take a SLR photography class
12) hold myself accountable to workout 3 days a week.
13) go a whole week without letting myself get stressed out
14) enjoy the last few weeks as a twenty-something and start my 30's off with a bang!!
15) Spend a weekend with my husband with no kids
16) take each kid on an individual date each month with mom
17) audition for the Rogue Valley Chorale
18) start writting my book and work towards getting it pulished
19) focus on my beauty not my flaws
20) Visit my sister while she's still in law school
21) book a vacation with our best friends for 2011
22) prepare my son Mason to be baptized in June.
23) not use credit cards unless it's for an emergency
24) find something in my husband every day that I appreciate and love about him for a month... writting the findings down and presenting them to him
25) finish painting the interior of the house
26) hang artwork, photos and mirrors in the master bedroom and office
27) Win a blue ribbon at the county fair
28) Win an a award for volunteerism
29) get my CPR certification
30) get my lifeguard certification
31) go through ALL my clothes and shoes and re-vamp my wardrobe
32) plant a vegetable garden that could sustain us through the summer
33) make a book/binder of family favorite recipes
34) hold once a month family all day outings. (snow, coast, farms, etc)
35) go apple picking
36) go to girls camp (well have to be invited first) :)

My 9 year old Chloe

2010-01-13T21:53:00.000-08:00

This is about a week late... but my oldest baby Chloe turned 9! I can't believe she has blessed my life for 9 whole years already! TIME FLIES!!

So in honor of Chloe's 9th Birthday here are 9 of my favorite things about her!

1) She is a wonderful sister, daughter and friend!

2) She is very thoughtful and always thinks of others (in fact she gets in trouble in class for trying to help people when she's not supposed to!)

3) She is my first born and will always have that special place in my heart

4) She is a STRONG girl who sticks to her standards

5) She can power through a cheese pizza like it's no body's business! (Thought she won't eat much else)

6) She loves to write stories and songs and make up dances... so creative!

7) She loves her heavenly father and strives to follow his teachings

8) When she's sad she likes to cuddle her mommy or daddy... I will treasure that while I can!

9) She's like Mary Poppins's "practically perfect in EVERY WAY!"

Happy Birthday Chloe!! :)

Curly Jenn...

2010-01-10T19:15:00.001-08:00

That would be me now... me and my full head of curls! One of my new goals is to make myself look better daily FOR MYSELF! I know there are days when I get dressed nicely and actually do my hair and makeup but those days happen about once or twice a month. I like the way I feel those days but HATE the work!

So I decided to needed a hair change. I didn't want to change the color or the length because I've been happy with both. But I needed a style that would be easy to take care and wouldn't make me want to throw it up in a knot everyday! So I did some research, talked to a few people and decided I was going to perm my hair!

AHH A PERM!! It made me think of my crazy pyramid frizzy hair days back in Jr High with the big bangs and the crazy waves in my unruly hair. Those thoughts made me VERY NERVOUS!! But then I looked into all that perms can offer "now-a-days" and felt more comfortable in my choice.

So I brought my pictures, had my consultation and just did it... ripped the bandaid off... no anesthesia! And I LOVE IT!! Of course we're only officially about 30 hours into having the curly hair but so far I really like the way it lies, the texture and the volume! I'm excited to have my new hair adventure and look forward to playing with it! Here are a few pictures of the new hair.

Snow Fun!

2010-01-05T22:53:00.001-08:00

Last weekend Neil and I took the kids up to Hyatt lake to go sledding. It was SO much fun. We had all our gear and brought thermos' full of hot cocoa and snacks! We started on the "big" hill and quickly chose to move to another spot that was less crowded and more "family friendly". There were numerous adults and teenagers that would slide careening down the hill and some kids got knocked down. So instead of taking a trip to the ER which was sort of inevitable with the crazies out there.... we chose a better spot that was less crowded and more appropriate for the kiddos.

We defiantely plan to head back and also check out some more local hot spots throughout the winter. Hopefully do more of a day long trip that includes warming by a fire built in the snow, roasting hot dogs and of course hot chocolate!

Here are few pictures at the end of our day.

A new year and a New me!!

2010-01-01T22:17:00.000-08:00

I am very pleased to say it's 2010!!!

I could go on about the past year and boast of vacations and celebrations or whine about health issues, societal woes, or whatever... but I am not! That is what a NEW YEAR is all about! Started anew... going forward and creating more memories for a lifetime of fabulousness!!

I have been thinking ALOT about new years resolutions. I have never really "believed" in them... but this year is different. I've had a profound thought process with wanting to realize who I am and what I accomplish on this earth. In that process I turned to the scriptures and was reminded over and over again that I am gift from God. My life is in his hands. As I trust in him trials will be sure but blessings will abound. I NEED THAT!!

So I am not making resolutions this year. Well... I am but they are more like affirmations. I want 2010 to be about positives!!

So here are my 2009 affirmations:

~I will have a healthy year! I will do all in my power to facilitate a healthy body, mind and soul.
~I will celebrate life's blessings by living in the now. Not wondering what could be or could've been.
~I will love and honor my husband and our marriage.
~I will love and honor my children as they have been entrusted to me by God... and they are a gift! (even when I COMPLETELY disagree with that statement!)
~ I will take time for me... to appreciate myself as a women, wife, mother, and all around bad@$$! :)
And last but not least...
~ I WILL DANCE!! Til my body can't take anymore!! :)

I think that adding those affirmations to my life will help me be happy, healthy and have a better outlook on all aspects of my life. I'm ready to start the new me and be the best person I can be!!
Even if I jiggle a little bit... :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

2009-12-25T00:47:00.000-08:00

This year I am feeling especially blessed!! Blessed with love, friendship, family and friends! I have much to be thankful for... especially the gift of Christ in my life! Remember that he is the reason for the season!!

Today (Christmas Eve) the girls and I went ice skating with my mom and sister at the local outdoor rink. It was SO much fun! The girls went out on the ice with brave faces and unsteady feet. Thank goodness the rink had little walkers that the kids can use for support so mommy, frammie and pippi didn't have to break their backs!

After our skating adventure we drank some hot cocoa to warm up and then went to the yogurt hut for ice cream... I know... get warm and then eat frozen yogurt?! Typical fun girls day out! :)

We went out to dinner as a family tonight and came home and played Uno and watched a really random kids Christmas movie. After much argument the kids finally went to bed. They were asleep 2 hours later and Santa FINALLY came!

Now that's officially Christmas, and "A Christmas Story" is on TV it's time for santa to head to bed!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!! May your holiday abound with blessings and be filled with family, friends and happiness!!

Crop share...

2009-12-21T13:31:00.000-08:00

Sounds interesting huh??

What is a crop share you ask?? We purchase a "share" of a local farmers crop. In turn we get twice monthly boxes of fresh organic veggies, fruits, flowers, herbs, etc! Usually farms only offer CSA's (crop share agreements) in the spring/summer seasons... but this year a local farm offered a winter one!

We decided to split a CSA with some friends down the street and it's been SO FUN! We don't know what comes in each box so it's always a surprise. But it's encouraged me to think outside of the box when it comes to cooking! (which my husband is thoroughly enjoying!)

We got our second box a few days ago and the bounty was PLENTY! In the box we got: carrots, red and yellow potatoes, red onions, leeks, kale, spinach, mixed salad greens, squash, cabbage, a rutabaga... about 15 lbs of veggies in all. The farm also sends some great recipes that we've been trying. Tonight I'll make veggie barley soup using many of the veggies... don't know how it will turn out but it's something different and I'm excited to try it! :)

If your family likes veggies and you want to help the local economy I would suggest looking into farm shares in your area! We go through the Barking Moon farm in the Rogue Valley (which is full for the winter)... but come March start looking around... it's a great investment!!

Off to figure out how to cut up a rutabaga... should be interesting! :)

withdrawls...

2009-12-17T23:30:00.000-08:00

So in the midst of my holiday life adventures... I've decided to take a break from the black whole that is FACEBOOK. Now I love facebook and have been quite enjoying connecting and reconnecting with friends, family and random people who I've crossed paths with.

I have to admit that I've been having some serious withdrawls from that which sucked up all my non-existant free time! So I'm committing myself back to my blog. I can share my day, week and overall life adventures with those that would like to keep up with it and not get sucked into the quiz taking, mafia shooting, sorority spatting, bejeweling craziness that is facebook.

Instead I plan to use my black hole moments to get healthy, do projects with my kids, and putting more time into my volunteer work.

So be ready for the updates... and have a Merry Christmas!!!!!!!
May God bless you and yours during this holiday season!

Holiday fun has begun!

2009-12-13T13:45:00.000-08:00

We've had a week full of holiday fun activities!
Last Sunday we attended Omar's Staff holiday Party. We are "unofficial" Omar's guests at this party ever year with my mom and step-dad. It's always a fun time to eat good food, celebrate the season and of course get a visit from Santa!!
They close the whole restaurant down told hold this party. It's the ONLY day out of the year that the restaurant is closed to patrons. They makes tons of food, keep the drinks flowing and always give generously as far as Santa is concerned. It's so cute watching my kids sit on Santa's lap and get their sweet gift. This year Mason got an air hockey set, Chloe got a paint your own piggie bank and Abby got a "betsy wetsy" doll. You know... the ones that go "potty". They all LOVE THEIR PRESENTS!! And I love that their gift opening excitement is put at bay for at least a week!!

Then Friday night we were able to enjoy our first ever Central Point City Christmas celebration!! The City put on an adorable event for the kids! We went to the Grange Hall downtown and upon walking in the door the gifts were handed goody bags and tickets. When we got into the "room" the kids matched their ticket number with a wrapped gift. We made Christmas cards, ate cookies and juice, got pictures with Santa, made jingle bell bracelets, made ornaments, got to choose books from the Kiwanas book room and of course got to open presents! It was well run and alot of fun for the whole family! Mason got to take his friend which was an added bonus.
We then went to our wards victorian Christmas celebration! The decorations were BEAUTIFUL, the food was wonderful, the atmosphere magical and the spirit abounding! The kids had a great time doing their activities including ornament making, special dinner and a "snock" fight! (snowballs made out of socks!!) The program and music was a perfect way to portray the blessings that Christ bring us in our lives. It was a wonderful evening!

I'm looking forward to the rest of December to be full of love, blessings, service and Christmas miracles!! I feel so blessed to be surrounded by family and friends who have so much love and support to give!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Not even Dr. Pepper can cure this...

2009-11-22T21:43:00.000-08:00

Well my blogging friends it has been QUITE THE WEEK!!

* I started putting up Christmas decorations! It's the first Christmas in the first home that we own! So it's been TONS of fun finding new nooks for decos I already have, adding a few small things to my decoration collection and turning our new home into a yuletide wonderland!!

* I dressed my little angels up and took them out for a Christmas photo shoot. Which ironically ended up at the mall around "Santa's Village" so I get capture some holiday cheer in the background. (I then proceeded to use some family pics from 4th of July for our Christmas card... go figure!) :)

* I had a bunch of friends over to decorate holiday wreaths with all supplies generously gifted from Underwriters Labratories... GREAT COMPANY!! It was a total blast to gab, listen to Christmas music, drink hot cider and cocoa and let the kids run a-muck while the mommies got to be crafty!

* All 3 of my children participated in the children's Primary Program at church this week which is my favorite Sunday out of the whole year! It was so good!! The kids spoke and shared messages with passion and spirits... and their sweet little voices singing songs of love for our Savior, familes and friends... it was PERFECT!! :)

My "broken" baby....

2009-11-05T23:27:00.000-08:00

My poor little Abby broke her wrist!! Last weekend her and her sister were playing and she "fell"... actually her sister pushed her!

She was upset when she fell but could move it, no swelling, just a big bruise at the base of her thumb. Well today I picked her up from school and she was complaining about her hand hurting. When I asked where it hurts she pointed to the cruised area... which was now a little swollen.

I took her to a friends house and her imput and decided to take her in... just to make sure...

IT WAS BROKEN!!

I feel like a TERRIBLE mom today. But she's doing much better! She now has a pretty pink cast and isn't really in pain anymore. The nurse was SO SWEET... she even gave her stuffed animal a matching "cast" so they could heal together. I LOVE good medical professionals!

So here's my brave little girl getting her cast on. She was so brave (and I was feeling SO bad) that we went and got special hot chocolate afterwards.

Halloween fun!

2009-11-01T13:38:00.001-08:00

This past week has been FILLED with Halloween CRAZINESS! It all started last weekend with a party at a friends house. Then this week we had the moms group party here at our house, school day festivities, school carnival, pumpkin patch trip for Abby's preschool and it was all finished off with a night of TRUNK or treating at church!

BUSY WEEK!!

Mason our little Mario

I dressed up as "swine flew"

Abby our little moo cow

Chloe as a fairy with her BFF

Our happy kids at the pumpkin patch at Harry and David Country Store!

Fun fundraising photo shoots...

2009-10-24T01:03:00.001-07:00

The past 2 weekends I've had a ball taking family portraits to raise money for the Relay for Life! I raised over $500.00!!!! WOOT WOOT!!

Here are a couple of the shots that were my favorite. I shot from 2 locations. One at beautiful Lithia Park in Ashland, Oregon and the other at White's Country Farm in Medford, Oregon.

Thanks to all who came and donated! I had a blast and we raised money for a GREAT CAUSE!!

RIP Blackberry...

2009-10-15T00:47:00.001-07:00

Today a terrible tragedy occured! My blackberry phone... which is a pretty big lifeline for me... died. Rest is peace dear Red! (That was it's name because it was pretty and red)

Red was a part of my life, social calendar, sanity and annoyances for the past 2 years. It will be sorely missed.

And while the mourning process is still in effect the joyous recovery has shown it's lovely face... in the form of an iPhone!!

Let me tell you... I feel SPOILED ROTTEN with this new phone! But it will be VERY beneficial with the craziness that is my life. Plus I feel like my sanity could be helped as I'm listening to "Girls Just Want to Have Fun!" through the streaming music player on the new iPhone!!

I'm sure will be pics... but that is for AFTER the mourning period. :)

Here piggy piggy piggy!

2009-10-07T08:29:00.000-07:00

And... another one bites the dust!

Chloe has been struck with high fever, head and body aches and overall miserableness. My poor girls! On Friday we found out that Abby has confirmed H1N1 flu virus. So she was in quarentine all weekend. The Dr's told us that it would run through the family and start with a fever. So here we go AGAIN!!

I've always thought little piglets were cute.... but this is just sick and wrong!

5 minute mug cake... YUMMO!

2009-10-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

This recipe is on my friends Audrey's blog and it looks SO AWESOME that I HAD to post it on mine!! Thanks for sharing Aud! I'm going to make this for dessert tonight!
ENJOY!!

5 minute mug cake

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well..
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.

The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

Crumpled Fun!!!

2009-09-28T21:41:00.000-07:00

That is the name of my new Etsy store!!

Yikes... yet ANOTHER adventure for this crazy momma... but hey! I wouldn't be me without a crazy life full of adventure right??

It all started when I decided to make Chloe's halloween costume. I made a cute tinkbell "tutu" skirt. She calls it her fairy skirt and I had to PRY it off her skinny little body!

I was very proud of my new creation and posted pics of said fairy skirt on my facebook page. Within 24 hours I had 5 people asking me to make one or two or THREE for them for Christmas gifts. I evaluated costs, time, etc and figured out... I can do this!!

So.. I decided I would try my hand at Etsy and see if there are any takers.

I'm even more proud of the fact that I made my own shop "banner" with photoshop. I've NEVER done that before!! I've got Mad Skills!!

http://jennhedge.etsy.com/

Check out the banner! There is only one skirt listed now... but more are being made daily! And I love making them!! FUN FOR ME!!

Neil's new "RIG"

2009-09-25T14:18:00.001-07:00

Yes... Neil got a new car! Actually a truck. It's pretty and RED and holds the whole family... we love it!! We got an AMAZING deal on it... you know I have awesome negotiating skills!

Here's our pretty new rig!!

2009-09-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

Check me out here!

I've officially been introduced on the Family Home Evening Blog!

That's right friends and followers... I'm a contributor of another great blog and I'm SO EXCITED!

I'll be writting a weekly article on food storage and emergency preparedness. So come check me and the other GREAT ladies out over there!! WOOT WOOT!! :)

feeling a bit "porkish"

2009-09-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

Yes... that was a hint, inuendo, reference, perception, etc. I have been hit by the FLU!

It all started with a scratchy throat and headache. So I popped some vit C, started chugging water, got lots of rest. 48 hours later it's a full blown, throat killing, ear ringing, head spinning, face exploding pandemic. Thank HEAVENS it hasn't passed to the kids!! All I want to do is lie in my misery with some warm broth, a chick-flick and gallons of NyQuil... but alas I am a mommy... NOT going to happen!

But I can wish and dream right?? The best part you ask?... we were exposed to the swine flu... LOVELY! So if I'm worse tomorrow... thought God knows that I wouldn't do well with that "blessing" I'm heading to the Dr to get checked. Can anyone say "oink"?

Oh.... yes... one more thing! Hubs was "not feeling well" yesterday when he got home. So I made baked potato soup and served him, he layed in bed all evening. MEN?!?!?!?

I must sign off with "de-bde-be-de... that's all folks!" ~ it's just TOO perfect!

2009-09-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Katie is making progress and is off sedation. They hope to have her off the ventilator by tomorrow evening. With no sedation she has become more aware of the gravity of the situation and was told this morning about the loss of her husband Ryan.

I can't even begin to imagine what emotions she is feeling right now! Her progress is nothing short of a miracle... please continue to pray for this wonderful family!

Updates can be read at: www.thealders.org

PLEASE PRAY!!!!!!!

2009-09-06T16:34:00.000-07:00

My dear blogger friends and fans... this is a desperate request for fasting and prayer!!

Our world has suffered a tragic loss. My friends, Kate and Ryan Alder were in a car accident on Friday on their way from Oregon to Utah. Ryan suffered a major head injury and was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident despite efforts to revive him. Kate also suffered head trauma and was airlifted to a trauma center in Reno where she is now. She had undergone surgery to relieve pressure on her brain. She is also being treated for numerous fractured bones, cuts and bruises. Their beautiful 3 month old daughter Cora did not suffer ANY injuries and is with grandma and grandpa right now in Reno. Kates parents, brother and sister in law are all there with her now.

This young family suffered a terrible loss! They need prayer!! Please pray for Kate's continued recovery and health, also for peace in her heart when she learns of her loss. Please pray for baby Cora and the wonderful grandparents that are her current caregivers. Please pray for all of those that are helping this family in Reno and those here at home that they may continue to do so.

My heart is aching and the only think I can think to do is pray... please join me!!

The BEST Salsa recipe EVER!

2009-08-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

At my recent housewarming party, I made my homemade salsa which always seems to be a big hit! After NUMEROUS guests threatened to take the entire salsa bowl and hoard it I promised to post my recipe here on my blog so everyone can enjoy it at home.

My family makes a similar recipe that I have made changes to called is Bobby Sox Salsa. I don't have a name for mine yet... So if you think of the perfect name post it in a comment here! :)

In a blender mix:
2 cans Mexican style tomatoes
1 seranno pepper (top cut off)
1 bunch of green onions (greens and roots chopped off)
1 bunch of cilantro (stems chopped off)
1 clove of garlic
salt and pepper

Blend for 10 seconds on high and serve with chips! (Juanita's chip are our favorite!!)
THE salsa gets better as it sits! If you're serving it at a party I would make it a few hours ahead of time and put it in the fridge.

I'm telling you... once you try this recipe you will never go back to whatever salsa you were having before!!

Enjoy!!

Back to School!!!!

2009-08-13T00:55:00.000-07:00

Well not quite yet but since that was the activity du jour I thought I rant about it!.

I LOVE back to school time! The change in weather, the kids excitement and the QUIET HOUSE... well for a couple hours anyway! I love the smell of freshly sharpened pencils and new shoes right out of the box... I know I'm weird but hey... you've all had fair warning!

Now as much as I love back to school I do have one gripe... I am back to school BROKE!!

The supply lists seem to get longer each year, the kids are growing like WEEDS and need not only a school outfit but new shoes, etc. Then of course there are the registration fees, sport fees, room party money, field trip money, lunch money.... AHHH!! Does it EVER end?!

I've spent over $150 in the last 2 days on supplies and fees and the kids haven't even stepped foot in their classrooms yet! OI!!

So... let's just suffice it to say that I'm greatful for the public school system and the education my kids have been getting. Because if this is what public school costs IMAGINE what private school would run me! YIKES!!

See there is always a silver lining!! Happy back to school to all parents and kids out there.... thought I'm pretty sure that some kids won't think it's "happy" :)

I WON!! I WON!!

2009-07-29T00:14:00.001-07:00

You read it right!! I WON!!

All 3 of the baked goods I entered won a prize ribbon! I now have 3 award winning yummies I can brag about whenever I make them!! :)

My chocolate, mint, chocolate chip cookies won 2nd place in the "other cookies" category.

My Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies won 1st place in the Chocolate Chip cookie category... beating out 26 other chocolate chip cookie entries!! (none of them GF!!)

And last but not least my Lemon Decadance Cake won 1st place in the "other cake" category, 1st place in the "Cake" Lot and Reserve Grand Champion (2nd place) in the "BAKED GOODS" category!!!

Now I have a whole bunch of cool ribbons, bragging rights and a very family!! I can't wait until next year!!! :)

Do we have a winner??

2009-07-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

I sure hope so!!

Today is the BIG day! I'm taking my baked good and photo entries down to the county fair. Now when I was growing up in CA the county fair was no big to-do. I think I went maybe twice in my life before I moved to Oregon. NOW... it's a don't miss event! (If for nothing better than to people watch because boy do people come out of the cracks for the county fair!!)

SO... wish me luck! I'm entering 2 gluten free cookies: chocolate chip oatmeal and chocolate mint chocolate chip. I also have my lemon decadance cake which is TO DIE FOR! I'm even over coming a fear by entering 2 photos...

I'm so nervous!!

You know you're from Oregon when...

2009-07-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

My sweet friend Tana had this on her blog and I was laughing and agreeing through the whole list.... I had to share! :) ENJOY!! :)

You know your from Oregon when....

*If you've worn shorts, sandals and a parka at the same time, you live in Oregon .
*If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number, you live in Oregon .
*If you measure distance in hours, you live in Oregon .
*If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you live in Oregon .
*If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' and back again in the same day, you live in Oregon .
*If you install security lights on your house and garage but leave both doors unlocked, you live in Oregon
*If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Central, Southern or Eastern Oregon .
*If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a 2 layers of clothes or under a raincoat, you live in Oregon .
*If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow and ice, you live in Oregon .
*If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you live in Oregon .
*If you feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash, you live in Oregon .
*If you know more than 10 ways to order coffee, you live in Oregon .
*If you know more people who own boats than air conditioners, you live in Oregon .
*If you stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "Walk" signal, you live in Oregon
*If you consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain, you live in Oregon .
*If you can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and Dutch Bros, you live in Oregon .
*If you know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon, you live in Oregon .
*If you know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup , Abiqua, Issaquah , Oregon , Yachats, Yaquina, Takelma, Umpqua, Yakima and Willamette, you live in Oregon .
*If you consider swimming an indoor sport, you live in Oregon .
*If you can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food, you live in Oregon .
*If you never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho, you live in Oregon .
*If you have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain, you live in Oregon .
*If you think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists, you live in Oregon .
*If you buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time, you live in Oregon .

I'm famous!!!

2009-07-05T21:24:00.000-07:00

Well I consider it fame! 2 of the COOLEST people I know have a GREAT blog called Year of No Fear. They encourage others... along with themselves... to conquer fears and tell them about it! It's VERY uplifting!!

So the FAME part... they have "spotlighted" me on their blog!! I feel so special!!

And the topping on the cake is my nickname from them... FIRECRACKER! I think it fits well! :)

Love you both YONF and MRS. B!! :)

ps: I think I have a JR. Firecracker on my hands here... what do you think??

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.... YET!

2009-06-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

Life is just one crazy ride!! And I'm grateful that Heavenly Father has blessed me with an abundance of seat belts because OI!.... there would be some SERIOUS blood shed!

Don't have alot of time to go on and on about the last couple weeks but in a nut shell.... here you go:
1- loan file was "randomly" selected for auditing in underwritting... SO FUN!
2- Weddind anniversary came and went.... woot! 8 years!
3- Mason turned 7 and had a very explosive day... like explosive puking ALL OVER!... again SO FUN!
4- Relay For Life... SO AWESOME!! We have raised about $103,000.00 to date with couple months of fundraising still to go! YAY MEDFORD!!
5- Signed loan papers with the title company yesterday.... our app finally escaped "audit-land" we get keys on Thursday!! WOOT!!
6- Survived Chloe's 2nd grade park day today! Hot dogs, soda, soda, and soda... throw in a few water balloons and it's fun for all!

ok... that's the gist of it all... enjoy your week! I'll be offline for about a week while we move and get everything set up at the new house... so until then! STAY COOL!! And DO NOT get struck by LIGHTNING!!

VERY flattered!

2009-05-20T15:52:00.001-07:00

Today I received a phone call from the American Cancer Society here in Medford.

They have offered me the position of Team Development Coordinator for Relay for Life 2010!! I will be in charge of recruiting and training participating teams, as well as the assistant organizer for the WHOLE EVENT!!

This is not a position that they offer lightly and I'm VERY flatter that they chose me to fill very big shoes!! I get to attend a weekend training conference with the whole West Coast in Reno in September... all expenses paid of course! LOVE IT!!

I'm so glad to be apart of such a great organization and I'm honored to be envolved at this high level!! YAY RELAY!!

May Week 3

2009-05-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

I know it's HOT outside which makes this week's storage item pretty funny in my book!!

BEDDING!!

Yes... go around your house and pull out items that you no longer use and put them in your emergency preparedness!

Blankets, sheets, pillowcases, comforters, sleeping bags, etc.

I keep all my camping bedding in a rubbermaid bin in the garage that has towels, warm blankets, sheets, etc in it. I keep all my camping supplies next to my food storage so it can be grabbed along with everything else in an emergency.

If you don't have or don't want to grab stuff out of your house hit the local Goodwill or DI. Even TJ Maxx, Marshall's or Ross will have these items at REDICULOUSLY low prices!!

Hasta la Pasta...

2009-05-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

Well that's a little backwards this week in our food storage adventure! More like BONJOURNO!

May week 2 is ALL ABOUT PASTA!

macaroni
spagetti
ragitoni
fussili
etc, etc....

Make sure to buy pasta that your family likes!!

*tip- noodles containing egg do not have a long shelf life so READ LABELS!!

Yard Sale THIS WEEKEND!!!

2009-05-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!!!!

We are having a HUGE moving sale tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday from 9am-2pm both days!!

There are MANY great items!! Furniture, appliances, clothes, scrapbooking and crafting stuff, books, software, toys, and much much more!!!

Come check it out! If you need my address just shoot me a comment and I'll get back to you!

May week 1... sorry for my slacker-ness

2009-05-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

OI! It's May 6th and I haven't posted yet... SORRY!!

Your assignment for May week 1 is: Prepared Foods

ideas:

Ravioli

Spagetti O's

pork and beans

BUY WHAT YOUR FAMILY WILL EAT!!!

I went down to our local grocery outlet and bought 10 cans... they were 50 cents each. I bought 5 cans of spagetti o's, 2 family size cans of ravioli and 3 family size cans of chili with no beans (I'm allergic to beans)

Have fun!! I've added these to my storage shelves and already want to crack a couple open.

WE GOT THE HOUSE!!!!

2009-05-01T23:19:00.000-07:00

Yes AIM followers.... we FINALLY got a house!!

Our realtor called us this morning to give us the great news! I spent a large part of the day on the phone with our mortgage broker, realtor, inspectors, etc to get the ball rolling. We hope to close escrow before memorial day!

YAY!!!!!!

Here are a couple pics I snagged of the MLS site listing. We're doing a walk through tomorrow and I'll post more pictures then.

My New kitchen... SO much room and a HUGE pantry!! :)

April week 4

2009-04-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

Is all about FLOUR!!

yes people... flour... not wheat... FLOUR!!!

So go forth and stock up! My $5 bought me 20 lbs at the local grocery outlet. It's now out on my foodstorage shelf. Since I don't have a large plastic bin to keep it in and the paper case is just too flimsy for my comfort I put each sack in a zip lock bag. I buy the 2 gallon ones from Walmart to store larger items in.

Post what you buy!! :)

April week 3!

2009-04-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

Are you feeling accomplished? Are you spending your designated amount weekly on the specified items to slowly build your storage?

I'm proud of myself for actually sticking to all this! I spend my $5 and have to hold myself back from pulling out my little "guide book" and buying the next weeks stuff. But the budget, timeline and everything else have proven to work really well for our family!

So here's the challenge for week 3:

Build up your medicine chest

Ideas:

sunblock

peroxide

rubbing alcohol

thermometer

Asprin

Tylenol

Ibuprofen

Pepto Bismol

Ipecac

cough drop

antihistamine

laxative

gas relief

These things can be spendy so I checked out our local dollar store and stocked up! They had chewable pepto, ibuprofen, aspirin, ipecac, peroxide, alcohol and many more items!

I personally added items that were not pain relievers. I bought pepto, ipecac, antihistamine and laxatives. I also took a couple days worth of prescription medications and added those in well marked bags.

So go forth and stock! Get ready for those moments in an emergency when you know you'll need a little something for your tummy, head or whatever else ails you. (Don't forget about the kids!!)

a day at the park

2009-04-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

It was SO beautiful today that we decided to take the kids to the park for a while. I told the kids that it was HOT outside but the only one who listened was the little zeus... so the bug and the little man were sweating!

Needless to say it was alot of fun watching them. The little man turned into the ring leader for a group of smaller kids. They were "treasure hunting" on the play structure. This one little girl took to him like a fish to water and just kept asking him to hold her hand and help her down. She was so stinking cute!!

Though the trip was a brief 20 minutes it was nice to get out and enjoy the sunshine... 90 degrees in April... yoikes!

April prepardness WEEK 2

2009-04-12T20:26:00.001-07:00

Look at me being on top of things!!

Your prepardness assignment for April week 3 is

JAMS AND JELLIES

You know that eventually you will be making bread and what goes better with bread that jam? Or peanut butter and jelly? mmmmm!!

Jelly and Jam are great homemade canning opportunities to help save money. Get a couple friends together to split the costs! :)

JELLO AND PUDDING MIXES

You can purchase pudding cups but the mixes are cheaper and easier to store. I would also recommend having unflavored gelatin in your food storage. It's great to have to make many things, it's a great thickener in a pinch and can even be used for health benefits.

Go forth and prepare!! Remember stick to your limit because you will have other opportunities to stock up this year. You need it ALL NOW.... just get started and you will build and excellent storage!!

Good luck! :)

Big Girl Panties.... for mom!!

2009-04-10T21:39:00.001-07:00

Holy heck... I am about to put on "the big girl panties"... are you ready?

Tomorrow (Saturday) we're officially making an offer on a house! OMGoodness!!!
After all the Pear Blossom craziness our realtor is coming over and we're writting up the offer.
SEE?! BIG GIRL PANTIES!!

ok... I can breathe through this. We're so excited and scared and excited... I can't choose an emotion right now! Imagine what my ramblings will be like if we actually get the house!! OI!!

So for those that I KNOW are going to ask... here are the 'tails:
Medford 3rd ward boundries
Still in Med but close to CP
Good yard
GREAT neighborhood

And yes... there will be a HUGE party when we move into where ever we end up.
Pray that the bank will accept our offer and we will be home owners by the summer!!
HOLY COW!! wait I already said that....

April week 1

2009-04-09T23:34:00.000-07:00

SO sorry this post is SO late!

I've been so wrapped up in the thought of being a home owner that I forgot to share this weeks food storage items with my blog people... please except my deepest apologies!!

April week 1 is all about GARDEN SEEDS!!

Yes you read it right... seeds! Having a ready supply of garden seeds is a great asset to your food storage. They are cheap to buy and keep and will provide you with the opportunity for fresh produce! (Now if N.Korea get's all hyped up on this nuclear missile thing then the ground may have too much radiation for vegetation... but just in case that doesn't happen!)

Tip of the week: Radishes are great in an emergency!! They grow super fast and are full of vitamins, minerals and WATER. So make sure to grab at least one package of these!!

OFFICIAL GOAL SETTING HERE!!!!!!

2009-04-09T23:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend is our local Pear Blossom festival. Every town has something.... where I grew up in CA it was the Prune festival... go figure! But here in the sunny Rogue Valley it's pears!

They hold great events including a scholarship pageant, parade, street fair, spagetti feed, BBQ, and of course the dreaded RUNNING... 5k and 10k races along with the little 1 and 2 milers for the "kiddies"

Now last year I did the 1 miler with my kids then 5 and 6 and enjoyed our little trek... super cute and fun! This year we are doing the 2 miler as a family and as of about 30 seconds ago I've decided that next year... Pear Blossom 2010 I will be doing the 5K!! Holy crap... it's out in cyber space and I'm committed.... OI!!

So... you medfordites... who's with me?! Anyone want to committ to WALKING the 5k with me next year? Just to say that we actually finished a 5k race? I need someone to stand beside me that isn't "THE MAN" (no offense computer geek of mine!)

More house hunting....

2009-04-09T09:00:00.001-07:00

Today Abby and I are going to look at 8 properties! I am very excited about the progession of the whole process and we are having fun "shopping" for houses. We have a great realtor who has taken much time to help us on our search... we love him!!
Please keep in your prayers that we will find the right home for our family.

Happy Thursday!

store deals for the week

2009-04-06T17:52:00.000-07:00

Since my budget is ever-shrinking I've started scouring the local ads for deals! Not only for my family weekly meals but for food-storage and household needs as well. I sent this list to my ward website person and thought I would share it with my cyber friends as well!
(These are all specials I got off each stores website... these are the circulars for Oregon... you may want to check your local store for any differences.)
Happy Shopping!

Walgreens:
Coke product 12 packs are 5/$13
24 pack Spring Water $2.99

Albertsons:
Gerber baby food 2 packs: 10/$10
Post Cereal: $1.57
General Mills Cereal: Buy one get one free
Albertsons Brand white vinegar: 10/$10
Albertsons brand ketchup and mustard: 10/$10
Jiffy muffin mix: 2/$1
10lb c&h sugar: $4.99
Green Giant veggie steamers (frozen): 10/$10
Umpqua ice cream 1/2 gallon: $2.99
Ajax dish detergent: 10/$10
Butler toothbrush or flossers: 10/$10
Dial liquid hand soap: 10/$10
Basics 3 pack bar soap: 10/$10
TIP: butcher block ground beef MUST be sold the day it's made... all leftovers are put in the meat case marked down to $1.39 lb. after 7pm.

Safeway:
safeway brand hot dog and hamburger buns: $1.00
5 lb. C&H sugar: $1.89
duncan hines brownie mix: $1
5lb. gold medal flour: 2/$4
progresso soup: 10/$10
500ml listerine: $2.99

So excited!

2009-04-04T00:07:00.001-07:00

Today we were pre-approved for a home loan... we are house hunting with our agent tomorrow... holy cow! I'm about to put on the big girl panties! :}

March week 4

2009-03-31T23:26:00.000-07:00

It's here! March week 4! Are you ready? Have you already spent your $5?

Today I was pricing sales ads for my weekly $5 food storage spending. If you remember this week is all about MIXES! That's right... cake, muffin, pancake, bisquick, etc. You can purchase them premade or make your own! I split my money by doing both!

Jiffy mixes are on sale at Albertsons this week 2/$1 I bought 6 mixes and spent $3. I then came home and made "mommy" mixes. Since I can't eat gluten I wouldn't benefit from those that I bought... so I made pancake and cornbread mix with my special "magic flour" and added it to the food storage. We have to remember to accomodate all in our families.

Example: Chloe our oldest is SO PICKY!! So I know that if we had to rely on our food storage I better have items that she'll eat! (She'd eat choc chip cookies all day everyday if I would let her!) They may be different from what other people buy but it's important that everyone has the things they can and will eat.

So go forth and buy! Spend your weekly food storage allowance on MIXES! Make sure to report back and let us know what you bought!

Next week we will begin April shopping! Check back for next week's items! :)

Happy shopping!

My 50 random things

2009-03-29T23:23:00.000-07:00

I was reading through my facebook notes a few minutes ago (because there's nothing better to do at 11:23pm... LIKE SLEEP!! OI!) Anyhoo.... I was giggling at my 25 most random things about me posts and laughed even harder when I realized that my friend Nina challenged me to do another 25... they are RANDOM! I thought you would get a giggle out of my randomness!

So here they are straight from my facebook page to my bloggings fans....
Jenn's 50 random things! :) (one or two were changed to represent today not the day I wrote the lists!)

1. I am totally and completely addicted to Dr. Pepper
2. I can count the bones I haven't broken quicker than ones I have
3. Yes... I know that #2 is pretty pathetic!
4. I LOVE my husband with my whole being... though some days I want to hate him with my whole being!
5. I regularly feel certain I could die at any moment for no logical reason
6. I think I'm funny... do you?
7. If you don't like me... your problem! :)
8. I love to play the drums on Rockband... It's my way of getting agression out.
9. I love to swim
10. I hate bathing suits!
11. I am Gluten Free and proud!
12. My oven is no longer in the kitchen... no more buns for me!
13. I love to sing!
14. I'm so proud of my sister and her accomplishments in life!
15. I'm totally jealous of my sister
16. My favorite movie is "So I Married an Axe Murderer" hello! Campbell's Cup-o-ccino?
17. If I could sleep all day I would... seriously!
18. I feel incomplete if I'm not reading a book. I love to read!!
19. My husband is the biggest computer geek I know and I love him for it.
20. All 3 of my children are named after my family members.
21. I am the tallest girl in my family with the smallest feet! (6'1" size 9.5)
22. I am a Cancer Survivor
23. I have WAY TOO MUCH crap!
24. I love my relationship with Christ and try to nourish it daily
25. I hope one day to win an award as a community member or mother... I think those people are SO COOL!
26. I have recently found an amazing tummy holding tank that I now CANNOT live without called Yummie Tummie... try it!
27. It's 11:3890 and I've had 8 cans of Dr. Pepper... not good!
28. I'm the Vice President of my kids school's PTO
29. I hate lipstick! I can never find the right shade and only wear it when deemed "neccessary" tinted chapstick is a must though
30. My husband and I were married 3 months after our first date... yes VERY fast!
31. We've been married for almost 8 years now
32. My children are my life but I'm almost positive that they will someday be the death of me
33. I've lost 5 lbs in the last 2 weeks!
34. I handle money poorly. My own I mean. I want to be wise, and I can be, but being wise is so boring, and you never get to go to Agave or the movies when you are wise.
35. I was a cheerleader in High School. I was the only freshman on the cheer squad my freshman year. (there were a couple freshmen on the Song Squad)
36. My favorite color is RED! I love it! If my life could be enveloped in red I would be a happy girl :)
37. I hated high school... 'nough said!
38. I have 2 tatoos... winnie the pooh on my back which I got when I was 18 and 3 lady bugs on my big toe that I got last summer. The 3 bugs represent my kids... as I call them my little bugs. :)
39. I love flip-flops! If I could wear them all year long I would... freezing temps limit the foot function so I try to wear shoes during the winter.
40. My birthday is February 12th... feel free to make a big deal of it!
41. I am very envolved in my community. I have been on the board for our local ACS Relay for Life for the past 3 years. I volunteer for the local opera company and the local independent film festival. This year I will volunteer with the Britt Festival.
42. The real reason I'm envolved with all the artsy stuff is because I REALLY want to attend the shows but can't afford it... volunteering gets me free tickets! :)
43. I don't drink. I have before, but don't now. Mainly for religious and personal reasons but I just don't like it... it makes me feel sick even with one sip.
44. I once ran down my street naked on a dare... stupid stupid stupid!!
45. I own my own company.. Gluten Free Gourmet! Check it out! www.gfgourmet.net
46. I love my car! It's a TOTAL mommy mobile but it's very comfortable and is perfect for my family.
47. I love parades. But I hate how political they've become! I like current politicians riding on backs of cars but I hate that people have to walk down parade routes telling people they are overpopulating the world and to stop at 2 children... I want to walk behind them and scream "Families are Forever! Procreate and Replenish the Earth! Have 10 kids!!" oi!
48. I hate stupid people! I think that Bill Engvall's sign thought it BRILLIANT!! I wish I could enforce it!
49. I think bathing in a neccesary evil! I know that sounds gross.... but it takes up so much time! I don't want to stink or be dirty... but sometimes I just don't want to take the 5 minutes to hose myself down... I do it anyway!
50. I am an organized mess... it's drives my husband NUTS!!! Yes everything may be in piles but I know exactly what is in each pile and where in the pile it's located... he just calls it crap... boys... they just don't get it!

So there you go.... me listed in 50 random things! Feel free to add any in comment form ... I love hearing what others perceive of me! :)
Happy Blogging!

Challenge for you....

2009-03-29T14:24:00.000-07:00

Make your own laundry detergent!!

I was going through our budget a few weeks ago and realized that I was spending at least $30 on laundry supplies every couple weeks... that's obsurd!! So I did some research and found a great way to make my own laundry detergent. I made it a week ago and I LOVE IT!!

My laundry is fresh, soft and smells great... the best part... it's clean and CHEAP!!

After I figured the costs it works out to be 3 cents per load. My initial $12 investment will give me 6 gallons of detergent. I use 1/4 cup of detergent in each load. That's 384 loads for $12. The best part is the next time I buy supplies I'll already have the $7 bucket with lid so I'll only need to invest $5... EVEN CHEAPER!! LOVE IT!!

So here is your challenge... find something in your home that you can made to help reduce your budget! If you want to make laundry soap I've included the directions and pictures. :)

Please post what you are going to make and share your results!!

You'll need the following:

5 gallon bucket with lid

20 mule team Borax

Arm and Hammer Washing Soda

Fels-Naptha bar soap

Directions:

Grate 1/3 bar of fels-naptha soap

Add soap to 6 cups of water in saucepan and heat until melted

Add 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of washing soda

Stir until dissolved.

Pour 4 cups of HOT water into 5 gallon bucket

Add soap mixture to bucket and stir until well mixed

Add 10 drops of essential oil (optional!) We like Sweet Orange or Eucalyptus

Final product looks like "egg drop soup"... it may be a bit chunky.

Store covered and stir once a week.

Have fun experimenting!!! :)

Salt and Pepper

2009-03-24T23:52:00.001-07:00

That is my accomplishment for the week!
I know I know... you're thinking... accomplishment? Salt and Pepper? WHAT GIVES!

This year our relief society (church women's group) has challenged us to be prepared through food storage and self reliance. At our last enrichment night they passed out these great booklets that give you a week by week suggestion on things to purchase or set aside in preperation.

Now I've always wanted to build up a years supply of food and water and have all my 72-hour emergency kits ready to go if I needed to run out the door with my family in tow. But sadly... I've yet to accomplish that.. but there's hope! I have been inspired by this wonderful weekly breakdown. I no longer feel overwhelmed at the thoughts, "what do I buy?" "How much will I need?" "Should I really have all that wheat that I myself can't even eat?!"

I am now spurred on by thoughts like, "I can spend $5 a week and gradually add things!" "I am comfortable with what I am buying and how I am storing it" "It may not be a years worth now but in a year it will be alot!"

So that is my accomplishment this week! For March week 3 we were challenged to buy spices. I bought salt and pepper with my $5 for our food storage. It may sound minuscule compared to the big picture... but I now have something that I can spice up my potato pearls and macaroni with. :)

If you would like to join me on this food storage and self reliance adventure please check back frequently! I plan to list every weeks suggested item and let you know what I've done with that suggestion. The key here is to make a plan and stick to it! I chatted with my husband and we agreed that for now $5 a week/$20 a month was something we could do without flinching. Now that amount may grow but it will be discussed and thought about before it changes.

Next weeks assignment.... MIXES! Spend $5 on mixes that you can put aside and store. IE: cake, pancake, bisquick, muffins, or make your own!

Yay for accomplishments!! Make sure to let me know if you want to join me on this adventure!! We're all in this together! ;)

another new adventures!!

2009-03-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited! I've been invited to be a regular contributor to the Modern Molly Mormon blog! Click the button to the right to check it out!
I will be known as "Mojo Molly" which I think is the perfect title for me! I just typed my "molly" intro that will be added to my profile and I get to contribute to the blog every month... actually at least 3 times a month!
So I get to share my witty repartay with the Modern Molly Mormon world! SO FUN!! So please go support this great site! I find something fun and uplifting every time I log onto it.

YAY!! :)

my big blackberry mess

2009-03-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

I wish I was talking about food! My phone... my pretty, red blackberry curve is having tanrums that I cannot calm. You'd think having 3 children I could handle this small piece of machinery that is my sanity most days but no! And here's the best part... I'm one month out of my warrenty. SERIOUSLY!!

I decide that I can fix this problem!! Hello I'm super mom... nothing can defeat me!? I take my sweet berry down to the battery store to check the battery... I'm brilliant right? WRONG! NOTHING wrong with the battery! Even when the phone "caputs" the battery has a full charge... this is not going to be easy is it?

So my sweet loving computer geek husband (he actually gave me permission to refer to him as that... love him!) said he would try to "swipe" it for me to re-set it and hopefully get it back on track. Well that would involve erasing all my contacts, messages, emails, calendar, etc. to get it working again... ummm... YIKES! I'm scared to china that I'll lose everything on my phone! It would be like killing my second brain!! NOT SO MUCH! So I try to back-up all the phone goodies onto my computer so as not to lose them in the "Swipe". BRILLIANT! I upload the software onto my computer, get it all set up to go, grab the USB cord... oh wait! There is NO usb cord for the phone!! Now we're on day 9 of barely any phone existance and I have to find this cable so I can save my second brain and it can be swiped and be good as new!

HOPEFULLY!! This swipe may or may not detox whatever crack my phone has been smoking.
oi!! I love modern technology but some days I wish I was churning butter with a wooden crock.

d-land day 3 details

2009-02-28T15:43:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm back in the land of the living I can share our final disneyland adventures! We had a GREAT last day! Because we had the goal of staying until the midnight closing (I know we're NUTS!), we decided to head to the park around 11am. We were there for 13 hours of fun filled... well fun! The morning started out at Splash mountain which is now one of Abby's favorites. Then headed to tomorrowland to gather toy story buzz blaster fast passes. We then took a journey on It's a Small World which has been revamped a bit but is still as classic as ever. The next trip was on the train which took us back to tomorrowland and the monorail. Heading to lunch we rode the monorail into downtown disney. Let me tell you... I wish we had used the monorail more on the first day. It was a great way to travel out of the park for less expensive and quieter meals. We ate lunch at the Jazz Kitchen which was DELICIOUS!! They had a great kids menu and Neil and I enjoyed yummy fare as well.
After lunch we headed back to park and used our fast passes... obtained more fast passes and then used those. I don't exactly remember the order in which we went on rides but we hit all the kids favorites which were basically the "mountains". IE: Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Railroad Mountain. We had hoped to get on the Matterhorn which opened the first time at about 9pm last night but the line was INSANE!! The highlight of the evening was watching the Fantasmic show!! We got our seats an hour early and are glad we did... it was packed!! The show was WONDERFUL and we all enjoyed it... highly recommend!!

Here is the synopsis of our daily "adventure". We are now proud owners of $50 worth of disneyland kids pants! That's right... Abby decided she had to go pee NOW while we were doing the sleeping beauty castle walk through... 1 set of narrow stairs and a whole lot of people. I grab her and as fast as I can get out of the walk through all the way yelling "toddler needs to pee... excuse us!" She made it to the potty but not before wetting enough that she needed new clothes. We took a trip to the baby care center... my new favorite d-land find! (Jill, we'll chat about this great place before you leave!) Bought a pull-up and some wipes (much cheaper than the $12 panties in the store) got all cleaned up with brand new tinkerbell pants on and we were off to the next adventure. After we saw fantasmic we got on Pirates of the Caribbean. While we're about to get on the boat Mason starts jumping up and down, "mom I got to go NOW!!". So we rush through boat out the exit and run to the nearest bathroom while mom is yelling yet again, "kid who has to pee... excuse us!". He makes it into the mens room (because he won't go into the ladies with me) and I'm thinking great we made it! WRONG!! He comes out 3 minutes later with his pants SOAKED... mom I didn't make it. There was a line for the potty. I later learned that there was no line just someone in the big ie handicapped stall. OI! So we meet the rest of the fam and ride pirates with Mason's soaking pants, and then head back to the baby center with newly purchased pants in hand to clean Mason up.
Joy of Joys! So Abby and Mason got lovely clothing souvenirs and I got a whole lot of laundry! :)
We're sad our Disney adventure is over but we look forward to heading back next year sometime. Signing off from the land of Happily Ever After! :)

Last day at Disneyland :(

2009-02-28T00:43:00.000-08:00

We did it! We made it through 3 whole days at Disneyland with lots of fun happenings, a few mishaps and a WHOLE LOT of memories!! I can't wait to get home and post some pictures. Seeing that it's 12:45am and we just got home and I can barely keep my eyes open let alone lift my fingers off the keyboard I'll bid a goodnight with no "details" But fear not! I'll be back to write the whole final day story when I can function... well when I "think" I'm functioning. :)

D-land day 2.... California Adventures

2009-02-26T21:44:00.000-08:00

Today was another dawn to dusk day in sunny southern California! We awoke this morning at 6:45am to get ready, fed and out the door by 7:45am. I HATE early mornings... let me say it again.... I DO NOT DO MORNINGS! It's pathetic really. :(
We drive to D-land, park, tram it into the theme park and get in for early admission Magic Morning.
While Neil, Felicia (cousin extraordinaire), and the girls head to fantasy land to ride rides, Mason and I head to first aid... yes just moments after entering the park... because what we thought was a slight sunburn on his face turned out to be a MAJOR allergic reaction to something. Hives all over his face, ears, neck, chest, tummy, behind his knees and in his arm pits and elbows... itching everywhere... and we have NO CLUE what's caused this. Fun huh? So Mason has a little chat with d-land nurse about itching, what does your tongue feel like? can you swallow? do you feel dizzy? the whole sha-bang. Everything checks out and we're off to the enchanted something or other store to buy childrens benedryl. We pay for our $10 bottle of meds, get him a dose and are off to join the rest of the family in the now PACKED fantasyland. My poor little man was so well behaved! Especially considering the crowds, noise and the fact that his body was being invaded by little bumps everywhere. He's a trooper!

So after a quick jaunt on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and It's a Small World we head over to California Adventures. FUN PLACE!! None of us had ever been so every ride was new for us all. Our favorites were Soarin' over California and Toy Story Mania. Both were loved by every member of our family! HIGHLY recommend if you go. :) Neil, Felicia and I LOVED the California Screaming roller coaster. Great for adults... not so much for younger kids. We had a yummy overpriced lunch, rode a few rides, saw a few shows and then headed back to D-land for Finding Nemo's submarine ride and Fantasmic. It got REALLY cold when the sun went down which was a bit stinky but had very little effect on the overall attitude of the gang. We watched the show, busted out of there and are now safely back at the Villa with popcorn and hot cocoa. Who could ask for anything more? .... well maybe a bit more sleep right?
Stay tuned for more vacation adventures!

Chillaxin'

2009-02-25T21:53:00.000-08:00

Today was our "chill" day. We slept in, looked at tidepools on the beach, swam in the beautiful resort pool and ordered snacks and drinks poolside. We ended the evening with delicious dinner at my Aunt and Uncle's house. The kids loved seeing their second cousins and I enjoyed visiting with my family that I rarely get to spend time with.
It's been nice to have a day "off" full of chillaxin' activities. Tomorrow it's back to the vaca grind with another full d-land day! 'Till then! :)

Shamu, sunburns and sleepy mommy...

2009-02-24T21:28:00.000-08:00

Today my hubby was teasing me because I'm writing a "Travel Blog"... now I don't consider myself a travel blogger because you would have to actually travel more than once every few years to count yourself a blogger about travel. So who knows... maybe I'll have a new profession... maybe some famous publisher will want to make my Disneyland travel adventures into a famous book!
Well... I can dream far fetched dreams can't I?

Anyhoo... on to the adventure of the day! Today we went to Sea World in San Diego. The day started with my awesome cousin who decided that she would let Neil and I sleep a bit and she fed the kids breakfast and put them in front of cartoons... Yes Felicia is a rockstar! Can I bring her back to Oregon with me? PLEASE?!? Again I can dream right?
We drove the hour down to Sea World and got our day started with the Dolphin show. The kids loved! We took the pre-show time to lather on the sunscreen and make sure everyone had a sun hat. Abby was very excited because we bought her one there. Sesame Street is big at Sea World so she got an Abby-Cadabby hat... she thought she was a star! After the dolphin show we went onto the sea lion and seal show... again super cute. The main drama of the day happened in the middle of that show when Chloe realized she left her wallet at the dolphin stadium. So Neil and Chloe went to look for it and file a claim at lost and found. (BTW... wallet still MIA) But the loss of said wallet and it's contents were quickly remedied when we bought stuffed Shamu's which were the intent of her money in the first place. oi! It was a quick lesson learned that when mommy says keep your wallet in your pocket until you are paying for something.... YOU STINKING LISTEN!!
On with the day... we then went to the Sesame Street kids area and the kids rode on a couple rides. The spinning stars were a bit much for mommy's tummy so I sat out on the next couple kiddo adventures. (oh too bad!) After the kiddie rides we went for the big guns and rode Journey to Atlantis... Abby rode it and loved it. We have the photo and it's HILARIOUS!
Overall there were many adventures, a sunburned mommy and daddy, and yet another great day in the land of the INSANE DRIVERS!! So 'til tomorrow... this is wanna-be blogging momma signing off and heading to bed! :) I can barely lift my fingers to type.

surviving the "mouse ears" literally!

2009-02-24T08:16:00.000-08:00

Well we made it folks! The trip down was uneventful and we are now settled into our BEAUTIFUL accommodations in Newport Beach. Yesterday we started our week long craziness with our first day at D-land accompanied by my sweet cousin Felicia who is along with us as a "nanny" of sorts. She has been a wonderful and fun addition to our crazy crew!
The kids were AMAZINGLY well behaved and we no meltdowns or freak outs...it was WONDERFUL! We enjoyed lunch at the rainforest cafe which we had never been to. And rode every rollercoaster in the park. Abby's favorite was the thunder mountain railroad. Mason's Favorite was "all of them!" Chloe loved splash mountain.
Now you're reading this thinking.... surviving? This sounds like it was a cake day! Well the mouse ear hats... that's what we had to survive!
Frammie aka my mom, gave each of the kids money for mouse ears and a treat. Of course they needed to buy their ears right away but we were able to persuade them to wait until lunch. So we purchase said ears and continue on our adventure. Within moments the first set of ears if flying off on the Roger Rabbit cartoon spin. We tell the cast member and they say come back at closing and we can look when the ride is shut down. No problem. So we continue on our day and about 5 hours later Chloe leaves her hat in the pocket on the Indiana Jones Ride. She comes outside devistated so mommy goes in to save the day and the cast members search every car and again say come back at closing and we search the ride when it shuts down.
So we continue on our day knowing that we need to hit these 2 rides at closing on opposite ends of the park with 3 kids who have been disneyfied for 10 hours and are beat.
SO at closing Felicia, myself and the girls head to toontown and Neil and Mason head to Indiana Jones. No hats to be found... but of course Disney writes us vouchers for free replacement hats which was above and beyond fabulous! They even gave us a fast pass for our whole party for our "inconvienience". Here's the kicker... while waiting for the voucher in toontown Mason's ears were stolen off the stroller outside the ride. So they give us a 3rd voucher to replace is ears. Can I just say that Disney totally rocks my world and made my children's day!!
The moral of the story is... just give all the hats to the 4 year old... she's the only one who still has her original pair!! Stay "tooned" for more vacation updates through out the week. :)

2 days and counting down...

2009-02-19T13:22:00.000-08:00

This is what I hear every morning upon waking this past week... "mom we leave to go to disneyland in 2 days!!" And promptly remind them that they don't get to go unless they get their little tushies outta bed, dressed and ready for breakfast. ;)

Don't get me wrong... I'm TOTALLY stoked about our grand southern CA adventure! But I've been spending the last week making lists, checking them twice, reminding my kids that only nice ones get to go... the rest get left at the kennel. J/K!

I've already accomplished packing all 3 kids including raincoats, hats and bathing suits. (Even Abby's life jacket) I have all our d-land "uniforms" packed (ie: matching shirts so we can all see each other) I packed myself last night and got all the toiletries set out to put in my bag. I encouraged DH to pack but he just looked at me like I was smoking something and went back to his video game... typical! I printed out all our confirmation stuff and made sure the tickets, confirmation numbers etc are all together. I bought snacks and loaded them into a big rubbermaid bin... yes I know sounds pathetic but snacks for 6 people for 7 days... it's alot!

So am I prepared? Am I missing something? DH thinks I'm nuts with all my preparedness and lists but I'm telling you he's going to thank me when the kids start puking after the mad hatter tea cups and I'm prepared with pepto and dramamine. :p

Scrabble..

2009-02-16T21:37:00.000-08:00

This is for my friend Sue. She is as amazing person, friend, seamstress and apparently a SCRABBLE FIEND! So I have to make a confession that Sue may deem sinful but I feel I need to make none the less.
Ok... prepare yourselves... I have NEVER played scrabble. There I said it! I have never, ever in my life played scrabble. I pretend to know what people are talking about when they speak of triple word score and amazing scrabble feats but I honestly have no clue!
So feel free to berate me, scold me, laugh 'til you pee your pants or whatever you may... but someone PLEASE educate me on the fabulousness that is "SCRABBLE"

Today is my birthday....

2009-02-12T08:30:00.001-08:00

I'm gonna have a good time!! :)

Baptism pictures

2009-02-10T08:20:00.001-08:00

Here they are! It was such a special day! Chloe was BEAMING after her baptism. We were surrounded by friend who love Chloe and she was overwhelmed with the emotions of the day. It truly was a blessing to experience with her.

Baptism

2009-02-06T16:05:00.000-08:00

Chloe is getting baptized tomorrow afternoon at 4pm.

I am so proud of the decision she has made to become a member of the church and be baptized. She woke up this morning SO excited yelling: mommy, mommy tomorrow I'm getting baptized! She's been telling all her friends about it and why she wants to do it. I love how grown up she's getting.

We'd love to see you there!

picture fun!

2009-02-06T13:28:00.001-08:00

My friend Jamie tagged me in her Picture fun game and I thought it was pretty cool! So I'm playing along!

Picture Fun-
1. I choose the 4th folder where I store my pictures on the computer. 2. Select the 4th picture in the folder. 3. Explain the picture. 4. Tag 4 people to do the same. 5. No cheating (cropping, editing, etc.)

We call this picture Mason's Trick. When he was little he was FACINATED by spoons... so we were teaching him fun things that spoons could do like work as a catapult and of course sit in your nose. It wouldn't stick on Chloe's nose or Neil's nose but I got it stick and it stuck to Mason first try. He loved it!

I Tag:
Jenn Hunt
Sue Quackenbush
Danette Schwarz
Tana Lacy

Have fun ladies!! :)

blogworthy?!

2009-02-03T16:46:00.000-08:00

So I was flipping through a magazine today and about half way through I noticed an add where a product was advertised as "BLOGWORTHY". Seriously?!! Has blogging gotten so big that now the advertising specialists are sending out ad's for products they deem blogworthy?

This new form of reaching the customer brings a few thoughts to mind...
1) Who determine's that said product is blogworthy? Is it the company, the marketing people, a panel of customers, the blue people who live on the moon? WHO?
(I certainly would not try the one I saw... it looked like I would bite into carboard bread with chewy chicken and cheese... yuck!)
2) Once said product is deemed blogworthy does that mean that when you try it you'll instantly run and blog about it to your friends and online pals?
3) Then when said products is finally blogged about does it matter if the review is good or bad? OR is it just to get the name out into cyberspace with little or no effort of the marketing folk??

Hmmm... what are your thoughts?!

withdrawls....

2009-02-01T21:04:00.000-08:00

I've been participating in the Year of No Fear this past year. And I've LOVED feeling motivated by it... knowing that the possibility of YONF or Mrs. B hearing of my bravery or my non-bravery makes me think about every situation differently than I did before.
So here's my beef... They haven't posted this week! I love reading about their own challenges and over coming them... I countdown the days until Weds. when I know they'll post... and it's now Sunday and sadly... no posting!!

Come on girls!! I need my fix!!

The sick one...

2009-01-30T08:30:00.000-08:00

My poor Abby was up ALL NIGHT last night throwing up! My sweet hubby took the 1-3am shift as I lay in bed hearing her gut rejecting whatever was in her little body. :(
As of 8:30am this morning she had thrown up 15 times... about every half hour last night. My poor sweet baby!
She is now resting on the couch with her "bucket" if she needs it watching playhouse disney. I hate when the little ones get sick! They are so helpless!

The Big D!

2009-01-27T23:37:00.000-08:00

OH MY HECK!!!
DH actually agreed to spend a very large amount of money and take a trip down to Disneyland!! I am SO EXCITED!! We haven't really taken a "real" family vacation since we've been married. Either the kids were too little or too sick or I was too pregnant... always a reason not to go... But Abby can ride 90% of the rides and the big kids are stoked!
We'll be staying at a beautiful SoCal resort courtosey of g-ma and g-pa... gotta love family! I love it because it's a 2 bedroom unit with full kitchen and laundry in our room. Talk about saving money on meals and room in bags! The best part is that we get to do this as a family adventure! We leave in 3 weeks and I can't wait to come home and blog about it with TONS of pics!!

YAY!!! :)

Ode to the baby one... Abby is 4 today!

2009-01-23T10:50:00.000-08:00

Yes my littlest wonder is 4 years old today. I'm having very mixed emotions about my baby growing up... but alas there is not a thing to be done except ponder the wonderful tributes of my last born. (And yes... she is the LAST one!)

Here are the top 4 reasons I love Abigail in honor of her birthday today:

1) She is my "Zeus"! She has fought through major medical issues and still lives life with a huge smile on her face. She, to me, is the epitome of strength.

2) She is way to smart for her own good! I love her curiousity and yearning to learn.

3) She is the "little mother" always the first to comfort or console (even if she caused the issue in the first place!)

4) She is my last baby and I get to enjoy every "growing up" moment with her.

I love you Abigail! Happy Birthday Abby!!

my new addiction...

2009-01-15T15:39:00.000-08:00

Sorry that I've been MIA! I've found a new addiction thanks to my lil' sister... FACEBOOK! I love it! I can't believe the amount of time I've spent connecting with friends, loading pics, sending flair... I LOVE sending flair!
I plan to be more on top of things here so no more long sabaticals.
This past Sunday I started a detox cleanse called the Master Cleanse. It's basically lemonade, purified water, and laxative tea for 10 days. Well I had every intention of going all ten... but couldn't make it past 3. At 3 days I was throwing up and almost passing out. So I decided to stop instead of push it.
But I was remarkably happy with the way I felt after the 3 days! I lost 7 lbs, and I don't "crave" anymore which is nice. I don't wake up and instantly reach for a Dr. Pepper... the love of my food life! I've been eating heathier and paying better attention to the way my body feels and when I really feel hungry as opposed to bored.
So that's the update! My pirate boot still resides on the "mommy ship" and will for another couple of weeks.
Onto the land of making dinner and folding laundry!

My new Pirate boot!

2009-01-07T17:34:00.000-08:00

Arggg Matey's! According to Mason I am now officially a pirate. That is due to the fact that my fractured ankle requires me to wear a fracture boot.

Yes folks... she's done it again! I've added yet another bone to the broken bones list. I turned my ankle on Monday and it was sore but I thought nothing of it. Yesterday is was still sore so I took motrin and soldiered on. I woke up this morning with it throbbing and hurting even more. By this afternoon it was swollen and I could barely walk... so off to urgent care I went. $150.00 and a few x-rays later the dr says you've fractured your "whatever it's called" and we need to cast it and you'll be on crutches for a few weeks... ummm... NO!

So I ask if there are other options and he mentions the walking boot... after I say, "well Dr I have 3 small children so crutches would not be the supreme choice for me." Oh is his response. SERIOUSLY!!

So I'll be Pirate Jenn for the next 3 weeks until they can x-ray it again. If there is still significant pain and swelling then, they will send me to an orthopedist to make sure there is no tendon or ligament damage.

At least with this boot my husband can watch me shake it a little more. ;)

Another day in the life of Gimp!

Happy birthday Chloe!!

2009-01-05T16:39:00.000-08:00

My big girl is officially 8! She's had a wonderful birthday so far that has been captured on film and will be posted about later... but for now... 8 things I love about Chloe:
1) She always knows when someone is sad and is the first to comfort them.
2) She is an AMAZING big sister to both her little brother and little sister
3) She can power through a cheese pizza like it's no body's business!
4) She's creative and thoughtful... she like to make notes and cards and leave them for family members.
5) She my first born... there is nothing more special than that!
6) She is smart and witty and works really hard.
7) She always tried to be her best and whatever she is doing. She tries not to give up and will try anything once (except food... PICKY GIRL!)
8) She loves her Heavenly Father and has chosen to be baptized on Feb. 7th... I am so proud of her!

Happy Birthday Chloe!!

back to school.... YAY!!!

2009-01-04T21:17:00.000-08:00

And the countdown has begun... the kids are tucked tight in bed with stories read and teeth brushed. Backpacks are packed and lunches made, clothes are layed out and mommy is seriously jumping for joy with the thought of the kids going back to school!
Chloe is very excited because her birthday is tomorrow so she starts the new year off with cupcakes at school (they are baking right now... it's nice to have a certified kitchen at home!)

Oh I cannot count the ways in which my life will go back to normal... starting with some morning time that will not include work, cleaning or yelling... maybe heading to the gym or doing some reading... who knows? The opporunities are ENDLESS!!

So to all you mom's out there that are also counting your back to school blessings... congratulations! We all survived Christmas Break! YAY US!

The AMAZING sewing Susie Q!

2009-01-02T17:23:00.000-08:00

I know that I've mentioned my dear friend Sue before on my blog. She is first and foremost a dear friend but she is also an AMAZING seamstress! With Chloe's 8th birthday on Monday we decided we wanted to get her a baptism dress... well nothing fits the incredible tall and skinny one so who better to ask to make her one? Sue Quackenbuch seamstress extroidinaire!
So Chloe and I headed over to her shop and gave a VERY brief description and Sue took measurements and off she went. Today we went in for her fitting and both Chloe and I were flabbergasted at the beautiful creation Sue made! There are still a few minor adjustments to be made but holy heck.... I was almost in tears! And cute Chloe didn't want to take it off. I just can't believe the talent of this woman!

So thank you Sue! You are not only a wonderful friend but you have talents I only dream of posessing!!

Here are a couple pics from the fitting today:

She's just walking out of the changing room

the biggest smile! She's so excited!

The AMAZING Susie Q making some adjustments

Chloe's first look in the mirror... her jaw dropped it was SO CUTE!

New Years Eve...

2009-01-01T23:45:00.000-08:00

So much fun! It was my daddy's 54th birthday... Happy Birthday Daddy!
Neil and I went out for a family birthday dinner with my dad, stepmom, sister, step sister and her boyfriend Steve. It was a nice evening out with adults. We then went to my dad and stepmom's house for a game night with their friends. Lots of good food, good people and good golf! Yes... my dad got a Wii for his birthday and him and his regular golf "foursome" played Wii golf... it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen! They played for 3 hours... we were playing yatzee and dominoes while the "men" were entertaining themselved with the big boy video games.
About 11:30pm and well into heaven only know how many bottles of wine we broke out the Rockband game that Neil and I brought! Now I was one of only 2 sober people there (the other being my underage step-sister) and we had so much fun taking pictures of the "adults" rocking out.

So here are a few shots of the evening to get your 2009 off to an entertaining start!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

a couple shots from dinner

The golfing buddies... birthday boy is on the right

Lisa really got into Rockband...

No... she REALLY did!!

Santa came through!!!

2008-12-30T20:54:00.000-08:00

You know how that little kid saw mommy kissing santa claus... well I'm glad he didn't see this mommy kissing santa claus because he would have been scarred for life!!! TEE-HEE! ;)
Santa aka the father of my children came through with the new camera! And let's just say that mommy is uber happy about her new toy!!
Neil researched and looked around and asked questions I never thought he would ask and found me an amazing camera. It's a 10.8 megapixel Sony ax200 SLR camera. For those that don't speak "camera" it's a REALLY fancy one that most people would be scared to use!! The best part is that I can get lenses and flashes and all that jazz as the years progress... Can you tell I'm stoked!!! :)

Now Santa wasn't too shabby to the rest of the family either. Everyone got what they wanted and more... well except Abby who is still sad that her "talking doll house" wasn't under the tree... she got a Barbie Dream Castle instead. Now let me preface this mean santa act with the fact that said dollhouse is $300.00... now would you buy your 3 year old a $300 plastic doll house... I don't think so!

Overall our holiday was filled with blessings and merriment that was enjoyed by all!!

On another note... you will not be surprised to hear that I'm making a new busines endeavor... still in the Gluten Free industry but a little off my current path... but you will get no more details until after the new year! HA! So keep you eyes peeled for the unveiling.... I know... I know.... you CAN wait!

Happy New Year to all!!!

Here are the first shots from my new camera! Abby was so tuckered out she fell asleep across our pillow. Didn't even make it under the covers. :)

I'm so sad!

2008-12-19T14:57:00.000-08:00

Today I had to put my poor poor camera to rest. :(

Abigail decided to have a little photo session with her big sister while I was out last night and the result of this fabulous childhood activity is my only working camera... dead and not coming back to life!

So let's have a moment of silence for my poor trashed deceased camera... may it rest in electronic heaven peace!

On a happier note... I had a TOTAL BLAST last night at my friend Mrs. B's house! She hosted a girls wrap night and I went with my friend Staci. Feel free to check out her blog to catch a glimpse of the craziness! I don't know what I was thinking trying to wrap my husbands massive gift but it quickly became the evening's entertainment making bets on whether I could actually wrap the beast of a box and then if I could get it to the car without ripping the paper! Well I'm happy to update that not only did it get to the car but inside my house without rippage!! So nanner nanner poo-poo to those that had no faith (aka TANA)!!

Have a wonderful weekend! Here's to hoping that Santa brings mommy a new camera for Christmas otherwise there will be money spent afterwards! ;)

holiday craziness!!

2008-12-14T22:24:00.000-08:00

I know it's been so long since I've posted... I feel like a whole month has passed with all that's been on our calender! But alas... it's only been a week and a half!
GEESH!!
A bit of a re-cap of our past few weeks. Neil and I attended our ward adult Christmas party which was lots of fun. I was able to sing which you all know I enjoy doing. :) We then went on to attend papa bears work Christmas party at Omar's in Ashland. (Papa is my step-dad) We've been invited every year and the kids LOVE IT! Santa comes and brings a gift for each child and they are never disappointed... here are a couple shots from that party.

After that fun we went on to enjoy more holiday grandeur! Of course I've been living in Christmas land at Harry and David... most days... the days when people don't really have the holiday spirit... that's when I feel like a grinch! :(
But beyond the crazy people who I randomly get I've been enjoying my job and I'm grateful for the extra cash-o-la. I got to attend a great mom's night out with some new friends and had a blast! I also was able to enjoy having friends and family over for my annual wrap and craft night... if you missed it we missed you!! On saturday we took the kids to St. Mary's high school for their annual kids craft fair! The kids had a great time and it was a nice mellow event! (Thanks Mary for the invite!) The kids made all sorts of crafts from marshmallow snowmen to glitter covered ornaments.... they even had hot chocolate and sat on Santa's lap... and it only cost us 3 cans of food per person to get in! WHAT A DEAL?! Mason's favorite part was painting the murals... overall a fabulous event! Here's a couple pics...

Tomorrow morning I'm going in to have a lasik enhancement done on my left eye. I'm excited to see the same in both eyes again!! :) So it'll be a few days before the next holiday craziness update... until then... MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Oh and ENJOY THIS BEAUTIFUL SNOW!!! :)

My beautiful babes...

2008-12-03T20:18:00.000-08:00

I dressed the kiddles up last night much to their dismay to take some Christmas card shots. They didn't turn out too bad and work for their main purpose... to put in the few Christmas cards we send to friends and family that are far away.
Here are couple of the cute shots:

2nd annual wrap and craft night!!

2008-12-01T00:36:00.000-08:00

I sent out an email and then realized that I don't have some of friends emails... so Tana, Jenn H, Jenn F and the other's who didn't get this in your inbox...

You're Invited!!!

To the 2nd annual "Wrap and Craft Night"

Join us for a fun filled girls night out and get something accomplished at the same time!

Bring your gifts to wrap (I'll have plenty of tape and scissors), your holiday crafts to complete or just come to hang out with the ladies and enjoy a break from the holiday craziness!!

Stop by for treats and of course hot cocoa and cider!

We'll have the fireplace lit and plenty of Christmas music to brighten our holiday spirits!

When: Thursday, December 11th

Where: My house

Time: 7-10pm... drop by whenever!

Please RSVP as soon as possible so I can get enough tables and make enough food.

The evening was alot of fun last year and I hope to see some new faces this year!!

I look forward to celebrating some sisterhood with you soon!!

~Jenn :)

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!!!

2008-11-29T19:28:00.000-08:00

YAY!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas!! Last night we went and got our Christmas tree. I love the fresh ones! (Even though they are all dry and crusty by Christmas morning they are still so nice to smell and touch all month long!)

Our tradition is to get our tree the day after Thanksgiving and then decorate it together as a family that night. Well since Neil had to work this year we had to get the tree at night and then we waiting until tonight to decorate it. It's my favorite time of year when all the lights and decorations go up. I even did a little display outside in our front yard... don't come see it, it's REALLY pathetic!!

I was up until 2am last night putting up the decorations and finished them all today. I hung the stockings, laid out the garlands, set up the nativity, put the all the red, green and white I could find! It's taking everything I have to wait until I stuff the advent calendar for the kids. (I know they'll break into it early if I tempt them.)

I also have to share my CRAZINESS by letting you know that yes... I was up at 4am yesterday and on the road at 4:15 to get the good deals. My sweet friend Jenn F let me drag her out and we had SO MUCH FUN!! We avoided the crazy places like the plague! (ie: target, walmart, the mall!) We started at Old Navy and were 2 of the last 3 tickets given out in line for free MP3 players which was cool! (Chloe will get it for Christmas... gotta love a free Christmas gift right?!) Then after our 1/2 hour shopping there we headed over to Fred Meyer. The main thing I wanted they were out of. So they called the Freddy's on my side of town and low and behold... they had one left and they were willing to hold it for me!! So we emptied our partially stuffed cart and headed across town for the beloved item. We got there and it was SO MUCH less crazy!! The people were so helpful and sure enough the toy dept guy had stashed my item under the paint counter with name on it. (Gotta love it!!)

After 3.5 hours of our shopping madness and feeling pretty good about the items we bought we headed over to Rooster's for breakfast so I could introduce Jenn to the amazing cinnamon rolls the size of your face!

Happy shopping to everyone! Enjoy the blessings and meaning of this wonderful season!!

Thanksgiving cooking!

2008-11-27T10:59:00.001-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!
I have so much to be thankful for and could go on and on and on about everything that has blessed my life this year. So to sum it all up here is my generic thanks:
I'm thankful for all who have crossed my path, I'm thankful for our country and the men and women who serve to protect and defend it, I'm thankful for my husband and best friend who is there with me through good and bad, I'm thankful for my beautiful children and the blessing they are in our lives, and lastly I'm thankful for family, fun and FOOD!!

I LOVE thanksgiving! The eating all day, the parade, the football... it's my favorite! And I LOVE to cook thanksgiving dinner. We stick to a pretty traditional dinner of turkey and the fixin's. But the pre-cooking fun is the best part!

Here are a few pics of the "prep". Last night Chloe, Abby and I trimmed the beans to get ready to make the bean dish today (fresh beans are the ONLY way!). So Neil picked up the camera and caught the moment. As you can tell... I got a little sick of the camera. :)

And then of course the TURKEY!! This year I'm baking a 20lb turkey... I had to take a rack out of my oven for it to fit! So too bad you're not eating at our house! If you were your turkey would have herb butter spread under the skin and a blanket of bacon to keep it warm and moist... YUMMO!! Eat your heart out Rachel Ray! :)

THE TURKEY:

Multiple tags by Jenn... come on share the wealth here!!

2008-11-24T22:13:00.000-08:00

Okay so I have been tagged multiple times and I am now making the time to do this...sorry for the delay....I am going to do all three tags in this one:

7 Random or weird facts about yourself

1. I am perpetually COLD... it never ends! Joys of low blood pressure.

2. I HAVE to sleep in socks... yes weird I know!

3. Eating gluten makes me sick, but everytime I encounter it I ask myself, "Is this worth the tummy issues?" The answer depends on my mood.

4. I cannot wait until Friday... yes the day after Thanksgiving because that's when we get our Christmas tree up and the house all decorated.

5. I have to keep my toe nails rediculously short! If I can feel my shoe pressing on the top of them at all I get all freaked out.

6. I'm a totally and completely addicted to Dr. Pepper... can't even deny it!

7. If I have to say "put the I want monster away" to my children one more time this week I'm calling Santa and telling him not to come!! (And yes... I've actually threatened this!)

TAG #2

8 Favorite Shows

1. Grey's Anatomy

2. Desperate Housewives (I know!)

3. ER

4. Amazing Race

5. Dinner Impossible

6. John and Kate plus Eight

7. 17 kids and counting

8. Survivor

8 Things I did (Saturday)

1. Laundry, Laundry and Laundry!

2. Watched the Beavers win by a nose!!

3. Cleaned house

4. Hit Costco... milk, eggs, the usual! (Gas is only $1.79!!!)

5. Helped a client with a Shade Party by phone

6. Baked some GF yumminess! (cinnamon bread and pump choc chip muffins to exact!)

7. Tried to not beat my husband for wanting to clean my entire day off!

8. oh yes... cleaned

8 Favorite Resturaunts

1. Red Rock (Italian Eatery)

2. TGI Fridays

3. Olive Garden

4. Outback (LOVE their GF menu!)

5. PF Changs

6. Senor Sams

7. Wiley's Pizza and Pasta

8. Agave... SO GOOD!!

8 Things I look forward to

1. An actual whole day where there is NO WHINING!! (it may take decades!!)

2. Christmas...I just love this time of the year...it's my favorite...

3. No insomnia... I hate sleeping pills!

4. A nice vaca with my hubby... we keep talking about a cruise but we'll see what the year brings... we gladly accept donations! :)

5. The Hoover playground makeover to be complete! We've been working so hard and I'm ready for some pay off!

6. Being 100% caught up on housework for more than 10 minutes. (Again... may take decades!)

7. Christmas morning and the joy on our kids faces.

8. Being with family for the holidays.

8 things on my wish list...

1. A good nights sleep without medication!

2. Someone to do laundry... I HATE IT!

3. Someone to massage away my stress for free! ;)

4. An elf that could come in everynight and mop my kitchen floor.

5. An endless supply of sanity... aka... Dr. Pepper

6. For my business to grow and bless more people!

7. My children's health to stay good

8. For the continued opportunities to serve and bless others.

Tag #3 - Husband Tag

WHAT IS YOUR HUSBAND'S NAME? Neil

HOW LONG HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN MARRIED? 7.5 years

HOW LONG DID YOU DATE? our first date was in February and we were married in May... you do the math!

HOW OLD IS HE? 31

WHO IS TALLER? we're the same height

WHO CAN SING BEST? He's completely tone deaf so I'll say me

WHO IS SMARTER? Book smart... him Street smart... me! ;)

WHO DOES LAUNDRY? ME... I HATE IT!

WHO PAYS BILLS? Right now me

WHO SLEEPS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BED? Neil... always has!

WHO MOWS THE LAWN? Definetly Neil!

WHO COOKS DINNER? We both do

WHO'S THE FIRST TO ADMIT THEY ARE WRONG? Me, however, he may disagree!

WHO KISSED WHO FIRST? He tried to kiss me but missed... I corrected his aim :)

WHO WEARS THE PANTS? Hmmm...depends on the event. I think the kids would tell you me, but when it comes to discipline him.

So I know that most of my friends have already been tagged so I will Tag all my "followers" who I have never met in person!! :)

Twilight

2008-11-22T18:06:00.001-08:00

Last night I went with my friends Jenn and Jenn to see Twilight. We had a great time eating Dibs waiting in line to get our seats. The show started at 10:05 and I was in line at 8:15. When I got there there were already 60 people in line... some of which had been there since 3pm. CRAZY!!!
Anyhoo... I really enjoyed the movie! I thought they referenced the book in all important ways and loved the characters. I know that there are people who seriously disagree with me but I thought it was great and I'm already excited about the next one.. maybe next year?

the friends...

2008-11-20T18:58:00.000-08:00

And you know who you are... thank you for your comfort, support, prayers, friendship, etc. As stated in my post below I'm really struggling... which I DO NOT do! My poor friend Jenn must have heard me tell her that "this is not me!" about 10 times on the phone tonight. OI! (Thanks again for listening Jenn!!)

So I've decided that I'm done stewing and just need to kick my own butt...

So here it goes! My new afirmations:
1) I am a happy and healthy mother.
2) I am a good friend and surround myself with good people.
3) I work hard and enjoy the little moments in life.
4) I do not let petty things effect my feelings about my self.
5) I spend time with uplifting and supportive people and friends.
6) I am the luckiest woman in the world who is blessed with an amazing, supportive husband and beautiful healthy children.

There you go YONF!! I'm overstepping the fears and taking the bull by the horns!

Feeling left out...

2008-11-18T21:24:00.000-08:00

I've been really struggling lately and I need to just get it all out! I been feeling EXTREMELY left out by friends. I know I sound SO pathetic right now but it's been hard for me. I'm usually the one who jumps right in and plans things, etc. But lately I feel like when I plan, my friends don't respond... and then they go do the thing I was attempting to plan without. I feel like a teenager griping the "popular" girls but it's really starting to hurt.

I don't want to bring it up because then it's "oh my heck Jenn in whining and blah blah blah" I just can't handle the drama right now! I feel like it's "the group" and then everyone else... and I don't do well being the everyone else.

Blah! I'm really jsut ranting... who knows if I'm even making sense. I'm lonely and really would like some genuine girl time... not where people feel sorry and invite me out of pity... I would like to be invited because someone actually wants to spend time with me.

I REALLY am pathetic!

So please advise me and I being rediculous and emotional?

To end this rambling of "pity party paradeness" I would like to thank those that are always there no matter what! The my visiting teacher who just called and listened to me babble and hysterically cry about this very matter for the past 1/2 hour.

I'll cry it out and be over it!

The new J-O-B

2008-11-16T14:34:00.001-08:00

I started my new job today at Harry and David. I don't like the fact that I have to work the next few Sunday's but after training I thankfully get them off. :)
Training day one: an INTERESTING day full of giggles, grins and pure bordom! Seeing that I've been through the training before I pretty much knew what was going on and how things worked. I then get to sit and listen to people say "what's the alt key?" and "how do you spell Smith?" OMGoodness!

I survived... and consiquently asked to be transfered to a more "advanced" training class so I can get on the sales floor and make bonus money!

OI!

No Opera for me.... :(

2008-11-13T08:21:00.000-08:00

Well it's official! I did not get into the Opera workshop. But all is well! I'm bummed that I don't get that opportunity to learn from greats but will work on my skills and maybe try again next year. The biggest thing is that I actually tried which was an accomplishment! :)

Plus as my dear friend Staci pointed out.... it's one less "time zapper" on my schedule and as most of you know... I'm pretty full up of those! :)

So moving on to my next adventure! I'm preparing for a local bazaar this weekend... actually tomorrow and Saturday. So I'm baking up a storm and praying that the time I'm putting into this will be worthwhile.

Have a blessed day!

Table Rock

2008-11-09T20:01:00.001-08:00

Today we hiked up the Upper Table Rock as a family. Neil wanted to go and was planning to take the kids knowing that I wouldn't want to go... but I went anyway! (See YONF moment post below)
Anyhoo... it was family fun with a few moments of fear and panic on my part but overall an excellent family outing. I think we conquered an interesting life moment when both little girls had to pee in the woods.... needless to say I now have 2 expert "squatters" on my hands! :)
Here are the pictures from the day... read the quotes they are all pretty fun shots.

Oh! and for the "kids say the darndest things" segment of this post here is Mason's quote of the day:
Chloe: "Dad why do they call it Table Rock?"
Mason: "Chloe! Because Jesus eats there!"
Out of the mouths of babes!! :)

Getting started up the path... Abby is cold and wants her jacket she refused to wear on now.

The big kids on huge rock next to the path.

Me and the kiddos taking a breather

These beautiful red barked trees were everywhere up there! The kids loved pointing them out as we went up the path.

The kids IN the beautiful red barked trees.

Daddy and the kiddos heading up the hill... big climb!

Me and my man.... taking a "cute" shot

Neil showing Mason how he could perish falling over the edge of the rock... notice that me yelling and screaming in the background that it's too far is not pictured!

Again... another child being educated to LOVE the edge and not be afraid of heights... GEESH!

My YONF moment

2008-11-09T16:01:00.000-08:00

As many of you know I am participating in the YEAR OF NO FEAR challege. (Don't know what it is? Check out the blog links to the left.) Anyhoo... in my rash decision to accept this challenge I didn't think of the fears I would be facing over the next year. I'm an outgoing person who isn't afraid of much socially. But today I faced one of my biggest fears... Heights!

Neil wanted to take the kids and hike Table Rock... umm ok?! So I decided that I would get off my butt and join my lovely family on a trek to an eventual panic attack with the hopes that neither myself or any member of my family would be dialing 911 because someone fell off the path or mommy totally flipped out.

Well with little more than the grace of God we made it to the top... Neil didn't even have to drag me!! I did it all on my own accord. We get to the top and Neil is like "let's go look over the edge!" ummm..... HE-L-L NO!!! But he proceeds with the kids while I'm pleading with him to help me keep my hair and my sanity and not go any further.

"But Jenn it's so beautiful! Let me take your picture on that rock"... yes the rock on the EDGE of the table rock! He had to hold my hand while I'm white knuckling it to said rock. I sat down and holding my tears back smiled for the camera.

So thanks to YONF and Mrs. B's little voices in my head repeating: NO FEAR NO FEAR! I DID IT!!!

Here's the picture to prove it! YAY ME!! :)

The edge that my sweet husband so nicely perched me on.

Can you see the panic in my eyes... YIKES!!