Collision Course ---

What would happen if all my world's collided together?

I miss the time when I could see my cousins at every gathering but now there are so many of us and we all have our own lives that these are few and far between.  I miss playing sardines through Grandma's house (okay given the choice today I would probably opt out of the game but I still miss it!)  Or when we were newlyweds and got to see all of my husband's cousins at every holiday gathering.  Life changes, we all get older and our priorities and focus change.

Am I the only one that wishes that I could somehow mash everyone I have ever loved into one big neighborhood?  I know it would get complicated but oh the joy of being able to see everyone I love anytime I wanted.


I visited where I grew up this summer and got to see lots of old (not old age) friends and some family and it made me want to move back to be able to see them all the time.  I had a great childhood and a lot of great people in my life.  LOVE THEM!!

I had all the in-laws at my house this summer and LOVED it. -- Yes it's tiring entertaining for two weeks when I can't get my naps in or else everything will fall apart.  Someone has to make sure things are running so we can eat and actually see the table and floors.  --  I miss family more than anything and don't like missing out on stuff.   If we're with my family and I know the other side is getting together without me it's hard.  Why can't I be in multiple places at once?  When do the superhero traits kick in?

My family, it's the greatest.  I know you are all jealous and wish mine were yours - okay, I know the beauty about family is that most everyone feels this same way and if you don't I'm sorry.  We're not perfect but we love being together. 

I have great friends in my neighborhood and in my old neighborhood.  Last month I was able to go to lunch with friends from my old neighborhood.  I was slightly nervous because we rarely talk anymore and I was afraid I might be the odd man (or woman) out because they all live near each other still.  It wasn't the case and lunch made me wish I still lived by them.  They get me (or at least pretend to) and it was so great to be able to catch up and chat as if I were still one of the group.

I know it's crazy to think that this could actually work but why couldn't it?  One big commune full of my friends and family ----- maybe because I wouldn't still love them all? 

I guess that's what memories are for ...

Farewell 1616 Canyon Oaks

My brother found out a couple of weeks ago that they were going to tear down my childhood home. I was fine with that until a different brother sent a bunch of pictures tonight and we found out they were doing to start demo tomorrow.

I will admit --- I cried a lot! I felt silly for crying but the tears started as I looked at the pictures and they just kept coming. As I type more are coming. My kids just looked at me wondering what was going on so I showed them the pictures my brother had sent.

What really set me off was seeing the gazebo in the backyard. What little girl doesn't dream of her wedding day? I did and I LOVED gazebos. I was so excited when my dad had it put in. We couldn't have an outdoor reception because it was cold in January but we did take some wedding photos in my gazebo. I know it wasn't really only for me but I've always thought of it as mine

The Family Room

THEN:
The original 12!

Here's the family room with my brother's family.

NOW:

The back yard.  We had a rope swing off of this tree with a trampoline under it.

Looking out the Master and into my dad's office.  My parents moved 12 years ago and these were their same curtains. Funny!

The main hall with the attic entrance.  Every time we went down the hall we ran and hit the attic pull.  Another favorite thing to do was climb the walls.  The hall was narrow enough that we would put our feet on one wall and hands on the other and make it all the way to the ceiling.  This is also the hall my mom had decked out in family photos.

My room!  One birthday 14 or 15 my mom said she'd decorate my room for my birthday.  I wanted black & white but she didn't like that idea so somehow I ended up with hot pink!!  I hated pink but did love the room once it was done.  Green walls were not included!

The Game room hall.

 This was the long hall that went from the main part of the house to the game room and at one point my bedroom. I was always scared at night because of all the windows so I would run down the hall as fast as I could!

Memories:
•Haunted house in game room
•Soapy trampoline time
•Swimming & jumping off roof into pool
•Kickball in front yard
•Rope swing
•Zip line
•Telling Paul & Phillip everyone was gonna drop there drawers on the count of 3 & then Liz and I laughing when they did it
•Playing hide & seek & using attic to get to the other side of the house
•wedding pictures w/ my sweetheart in the gazebo - this one makes me the most emotional
• taking baths w/ preschool friends (in swimsuits) in my parents giant tub - it was like a swimming pool & b4 everyone had giant tubs

Childhood has come and gone.  I don't think daily about my childhood but when I do it is with fondness.  I know it wasn't the house that made the difference but wonderful parents, fabulous brothers (lots of them!) and sisters, and a foundation in Jesus Christ that made the difference.  We had the house that everyone was always at and my parents welcomed everyone. 

 I just had to throw this one out there b/c everything is bigger in Texas and that cake was pretty impressive!

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Playin' in the Mud!!

I sat down to write this last night and after 2 sentences realized my brain power had gone to bed a few hours before! Here is what I had come up with ---

My sister sent a link to this race (The Dirty Dash) a while ago but I forgot and never registered. I found out my sister did register so we decided to go watch.

------ I know blah blah blah blah blah blah ------

Anyway I didn't run the race with her but on a whim signed up all the kids, cousins, & an aunt for the piglet plunge. It is just a small loop of the race that includes running up & down a mod bogged hill, then off to the enormous 4-lane slip in slide that ends in a mud bath, and finally down the hill to the mud pit (the kids stayed here awhile)! Everyone had a blast!!!

So now you can understand why I find myself washing out the washing machine tonight. I washed everything twice then removed it all from the wash to give the machine a good scrub. Now for the third and hopefully, final wash.

Little Debbie

I recently watched Dr. OZ talk about the 5 rules to lose 10 lbs.

RULE #4 - You will not eat snacks larger than your fist

This counts right?

I have a problem. I don't eat in the mornings so then I head to the kitchen once I realize I'm starving and before I know it I've scarfed something down. Today it was a creme pie. NOT part of my healthy eating plan!!

Movie Star!!

I was looking at  LDS.org     to find my next talk for my Conference blog. The front page has changed has changed since yesterday.

The first thing I noticed was a new section for mobile applications. I tried to install them but it's not working yet, but still VERY COOL!

Then the next section says they are looking for actors for the NEW TESTAMENT film. I clicked on the link and went to the sample head shots.

THERE WAS MY SISTER-IN-LAW!! She's the 6th one and her mother is the second to the end.
The New Testament Film

Anyway ... I thought it was pretty cool! I knew they had taken some shots but I was still surprised when I came across them. My niece had hers done also but it wasn't in the sample pics.

OUCH!!!

Sometimes you just have to bite your tongue .....

Like when one of your daughters uses your entire thing of eyeliner to turn one of your other daughters into a lion ....

For a little play called "Daniel and the Lion's Den"

Pass of all passes! & Prayer

My sister called and told me to get the deal of the Century ... so I did! (Well I don't think its as good of a deal as Paul and Serena's all you can fly for $500 - but I can't afford that so this had to be the deal)

For $34.95 we got a season pass to:

2 different Trafalga locations - mini-golf, roller-coaster, laser tag, bumper boats, go-karts
2011 7-peaks pass - waterpark
owlz games - not sure exactly what sport they play but its all good
flash games - indoor arena football

Anyway, we went last night and the kids had a blast.  To make sure we get good use out of these passes they will be used for weekends, holidays, date nights, and family nights.
________________________________________Yesterday, we "thought" Jacob had a soccer game at 5:30 which meant we needed to leave the house by 4:15, but he doesn't get off the bus until 3:45 or 3:50.  He walked in the door and I told him to run up to get ready for his game.  A little while later he came down and told me his jersey wasn't in his soccer bag, so I told him some other places to look.  He looked in those places so I told him some other places to look.  He looked and looked and then I started looking. 

Of course I got grumpy at him that it wasn't where it was supposed to be. (The kids like to hide the laundry I so neatly wash and fold for them - it's a conspiracy, I swear!  I can't count the times I have found folded laundry in my dirty laundry baskets.)  Back to the story, I enlisted the help of the rest of the family and told them to hurry b/c it was getting really close to the time we had to leave.  Meanwhile, Jacob says okay I am going to say a prayer. 

Being the good mother, that I am, we continue to go about our business of searching while Jacob kneels in Prayer.  At the same time he comes back into the room, Hailey comes down the stairs with his jersey in tow.  It, of course, was in his soccer bag, where it rightfully belonged and where we had already looked twice.

Prayer works - next time I will stop and join him instead of being in a hurry.

Then last night he could not find his pass of all passes at the end of the night.  I was gathering them all up for safe keeping.  I, of course, scolded him and told him to retrace his steps and go find it.  (I don't like the pattern I'm seeing here)

He set off on his way and came right back with it.  He had said a prayer that he would be able to find it quickly and so he did. 

I know that prayer works but sometimes it is the last thing that I think of for the trivial things.  I am so glad I have such wonderful kids to teach me of its power.  Lesson Learned!

He's getting a lot better at walking.  It is so fun to watch!

Gratitude

I love learning new things. Ask anyone -- I am constantly talking about my next great idea or business. This love of learning is what took me to Education Week, and the fact that my husband so graciously surrendered his time for babysitting. While there I took a class by Sheri Dew about leadership.

She mentioned that for about a year she had been reading a conference talk a day and what a difference that had made in her life. I thought, hey I can do that! It is especially easy now that I have such easy access to the Internet on my phone. So I started that week and after a little bit decided that I might as well post them on my LDS blog that I had started a few years ago. I am proud to say that I have stuck to my reading goal but missed a few blogging days on the weekend.

Anyway, for the last week the thought keeps creeping into my head that I needed to post the link to the blog on Facebook. I kept mentioning this to my husband but was worried about starting a religious debate on Facebook. I am not sure why or for what purpose I am supposed to share the blog but I knew I was supposed to because I kept getting a prompting. I struggled with how to introduce the link so as not to create any debating or mockery.

Because I had that on my mind I was on Blogger a lot yesterday and noticed a tab for stats. It was so fun to check out how many views I had and where they were coming from.

I was so happy to see that someone was actually looking! and from other countries! It gave me new found determination to reach my goals.

And today I even got a **comment! - It was from my brother but still! Excitement!





** Okay I have received many emails, especially from my wonderful mother-in-law, but this was the first comment on the actual blog & it just sounded more dramatic! :-)

I'm in LOVE!!!

I know your thinking cheesy right? Yeah, yeah we know you love your husband. That is most definitely true but that is not the source of my new found love. I got me a Shark!!

Last month when I was in Texas my sister-in-law whips out this handy dandy machine and I knew I was destined to have it.



Mopping is my least favorite of ALL chores! Give me a toilet any day but hand me a mop and ugh! I have tried lots of things over the years to try and simplify my life and nothing has really stuck. I usually resort to hands and knee and a rag. It's just easier but not easier on my knees. I have a big table and it is no fun to crawl around under it. With 7 kids there is always a mess to be cleaned!

Most recently I had tried the Swiffer wet-jet. It showed promise until it left streaks all across my floor and the cost can get expensive. We easily go through a $5 bottle of cleaner in two moppings. My husband, the resourceful man he is, even poked a hole in the top and filled it with our own homemade cleaner but then when we didn't use the entire bottle in one mopping it left a puddle when the kids inevitably knocked the mop over. Oops!

Anyway I can't say enough good things about this little machine. Lightweight, easy to use, only had to use a scraper to 1 spot on the floor, cut my job time in half! What more can I say? I had even thought I could get an affiliate agreement (they pay me to sell their product) and start a website with me mopping up a new spill everyday like an infomercial. It wouldn't be hard to find a mess in my house. We have many a cup of spilled milk around here!