Proof of: Good Deals, Resolutions, Sickness, Talented Mom

Just in time to follow up on my "I don't want to brag anymore" post, is my "Look at the great deals I found at DI post." I'm sure there's no irony in this.... :)

Proof for the skeptics among us! :)

So anyway, I was thinking today that I probably have some friends out there that cringe just a little when I mention getting Maddy's (or my) clothes from D.I. Maybe they feel like that means that we're so broke we can't afford other clothes. That we are knocking on poverty's door. The truth is we really aren't. There's a couple of reasons I love getting clothes from the thrift store. Today's finds illustrate my points perfectly. My number one reason is for the great price. I found a bunch of long sleeve shirts for Maddy for $1 a piece. That's right, that's like buying clothes from the dollar store. However, these are not dollar store quality. All but one of the shirts I bought (I think I bought four or five) were from Old Navy and look almost brand new--no joke. I'm not a brand name snob either, I just find that many brand name clothes do last longer. Hence the Old Navy mention. I also find Gymboree and Children's Place clothes frequently. Anyway, I love buying these shirts because not only does Maddy need new clothes every couple of weeks (it seems like with her growing and seasons changing) but because she is constantly spilling stuff on herself and ruins clothes faster than you can say, "Noooo!" :)

I like the little details on kids shirts.

So for my friends that have qualms about thrift stores, I say, give it a try. Don't look at it like you're somehow "slumming" or have the "poor me, what have I come to" attitude. Look at it like a treasure hunt--you get more bang for your buck, and you never know what you'll find!

I got these for Madeline because it's so sad that she's too small still for cold medicine. Dad tried some too...just to make sure they weren't poison.

Have I convinced you? Oh good. Now I can tell you what else we have been up to--sickness. Madeline and I both have pink eye. So glamorous. It looks like we're two very emotional women in this house, but it's the pink eye I swear! :) John has also come down with something, so we've been a little slow motion around these parts lately. We did find time to go and visit my friend Anne and from out of town Boston friend Dan. We had Kneaders, which made my heart extremely happy. I heart Kneaders. It's pretty much my favorite place to eat. When will Tooele be getting one of those?? Why can't Kneaders open instead of another fast food joint out here. I think it would do great. Maybe I should open one. That way I could eat all I want and make money still. Hmmm....

Lastly, everyone I know is posting reviews of the past year and resolutions for the New Year. Personally I love reading what everyone wants to work on because it shows that everyone is not perfect. It's like you get to see everyone's dirty laundry without it being dirty. Yeah...that's the kinda person I am. Oh well! As for me, well I don't know that I'm gonna do that. You already know I got a gym membership for Christmas. So that's obvious. Maybe I'll just say that my New Year's resolution is to be the most freaking awesome Mom on the planet. Or the block. Maybe just my house. That is something I always resolve to do, so I'll just try to keep it up. Maybe that will mean adding another baby to the mix this year (oh that sparked your attention did it! LOL). Maybe not. Maybe it means I will try to go the park more and finger paint with wild abandon. Maybe not. That's what I love about my ambiguous goals--No Pressure except to have fun! I suppose I could add to the list to be the best freaking wife, daughter, and friend too. (Sorry to use the word freaking Mom. It was the only one that would work for such a statement of intense feeling!)

I should really work on the friend one especially. I am kind of a hard person to really get to know (I'm a loner at heart, really I am!). I'm not one of these sorts that goes around to other people's houses and can just sit and chat, I really wish I was. I think a lot of people do that. I feel boring and restless when I do that. Which possibly makes me a lame friend to live around. People probably think I'm anti-social and don't like to be around them. Not true! I guess I'm just uptight/have ADD/feel like I should be doing something productive/be taking a nap. Naps always figure into it.

Okay, I have blogged way too much. I can't help it, I wrote the first part of this post a few days ago but didn't have pictures to go with it (I hate when people post about great finds and then don't pics--so it was for your sake friends) and then all of these days I have missed have been building up inside of me and have resulted in a long post.

Anywho, Merry New Years friends. Can't wait to read your semi-clean laundry resolutions. I love you for them. Sorry not to oblige. Didn't I spill enough?? :)

Oh, and what color should I paint my dollar thrift store mirror? It's going to be for Madeline's french themed room (which she will have someday in the future, probably not too close. Her bed is going to have a black frame--black mirror too? The rest of the room will probably be pink and white. Or maybe purple to go with the FABULOUS quilt my Mom made for Madsy for Christmas. Check it out!)

Yes, the mirror is still dusty...

I like this curvy part at the top.

Madeline had to model her new blanket. Thanks again Mom, it's gorgeous! (And if you want one of these, my Mom does sell them now at the website John created for her. Just click on the button on my sidebar. How's that for a shameless plug? :)

True Confessions of A Modern Perfect Housewife (that wears pearls)

(My favorite part of this picture? The magazine title says "True Confessions." That's what this is!)

I read somewhere that someone that is now a famous blogger didn't originally want to start a blog because she felt they were narcissistic. I have been thinking about that and whether or not I agree (and whether or not my blog is). I think my final assessment of that is: depends.

(Actual Picture of my house of course...)

I guess I could see how it could become that way. When all you do is brag about what you have done in your life. If you act like nothing bad ever happens. Like your house is never dirty (except that mine really isn't, sorry ladies! LOL). And that your way of life is the only good way to live a life. That, I think, would make it narcissistic. I think I've read a couple of blogs that are like that. I think my blog has even fallen into that occasionally. Gulp.

But, I like to think that most of the blogs I read (and hopefully write) are not narcissistic. I think most people just share about their lives because they want to share with family that is spread out, or to connect with friends that may not even live very far. It's like a tiny glimpse into somebody's life. Maybe even their heart at times. Or, if you like, a legal, fun, and maybe even endearing way to be a virtual Peeping Tom (an invited one) into people's everyday lives.

But it has given me pause nevertheless. It's probably always a good thing to evaluate the things you do on a regular basis. If I have bordered on sounding too braggy lately, I apologize now. I certainly don't want to alienate people by being annoyingly self-smug.
But what do you think? Have you ever felt like you're starting to sound too braggy or boring or anything on your blog? Do you agree with the narcissism thing?

Just some of those late night thoughts again...And isn't this shirt hilarious? I might just have to get one. :)

Pancakes and Productivity

I just had to come on and tell how productive we were today. Not only did I make fifty lovely pancakes for the Primary this morning, but I also coerced John into taking down our Christmas stuff and re-organizing our guest room so that it can be more of a play area for Maddy upstairs. That's pretty good for a Saturday if you ask me.

But my favorite part of the day was when I went downstairs to see what John and Madeline were up to, and what to my wondering eyes should appear? John, somehow mashed into Maddy's playhouse where she was handing him dainty pink teacups through the window shutters for him to drink. It was possibly the cutest and funniest thing I've seen in a long time. I told him I should take a picture of him in that tiny house and blog about it with only these words in the title: "This is what John has come to." Too bad I didn't take that picture. But I'm sure it will happen again, that guy has been wrapped twice around his daughter's finger. And she is such a Daddy's girl too. To the point where I think she's starting to have a little bit of Mommy hate. It hurts. :)

Just thought I'd post that because I know that I'm ready for all of my friends taking blogging vacations to come back. Please come back, I miss you!

The Aftermath :)

Merry Christmas everyone!

We had a wonderful time. Lots of wonderful presents. A funny coincidence. (My parents who are divorced bought all of their kids the same present--a wheat grinder. You can imagine how happy they were to learn that they thought so alike. Ha! lol).

Best of all was having Christmas with a toddler. Seriously, it was so fun. Every present (even those that technically didn't have her name on it) were opened with a squeal and hand clapping. So fun!

Also, Santa's Workshop was finally opened to the public (my garage) and John saw the project that I have been slaving over for him for Christmas. He told me a while ago that he wanted a desk. Luckily he came to the right wife--and hopefully his only one. I found the desk at the thrift store for a mere Five Bucks. I'm capitalizing this because I don't think you'll believe me when you see it. Of course, it was in rough shape when I found it. The top was covered in a thick dried on goop, and I wasn't sure if it would come off (and was an 70's brown color). But a bottle of Goo Be Gone and ten minutes later, it came off without a hitch. I then sanded, filled holes, primed, and painted to my little heart's content. I also added some new hardware so that it would look a little masculine since the desk is white to match our room. This may be my favorite piece I've done so far. What do you think?
(All of the accessories on the top of the desk minus the lamp and silver dish were from D.I. as well).

As for Maddy, she got some lovely gifts from grandparents and parents alike. Our big gift was a thrift store find (of course), a lovely playhouse that we got for a song. We cleaned it up, and Maddy's reaction was priceless. I have a video that John took. So maybe I'll post that here too.


Perhaps you're wondering what I got from Santa this year? Well I only wanted one present, and I was pretty sure I wasn't going to get it, but it turns out that I did. I got a gym membership at a gym that is opening up here on January 1st. Just in time for some serious New Year's resolution making. I'm really excited. Honestly, it's lovely to just think about spending an hour at least every other day not having to think or do anything except just focus on exercising. Some down time. It's almost pathetic what I've come to think of as "down time." But I digress. I'm really excited. :)
So that's it. Hope Santa brought you a little something special and not a stocking full of coal, like I expected but somehow escaped. Guess I wasn't as naughty as I thought this year. :)

A little bit of frivolous and a little bit of serious

Today we are having a little Christmas Eve get together with my sister Kelly and her husband. And I took the chance to try something I've always wanted to try since seeing it in one of my magazines (you know, 100 Decorating Ideas Under $100--a classic). Here it is. I'm a little too proud of it.

I bought the urn from D.I. (where else) for about a buck, and spray painted it. Actually, I only got the primer coat on and decided it looked good enough while out in the garage. But now that I'm looking at these pictures, they look a little like a fruit platter that belongs in the Haunted Mansion. Maybe I'll rethink not giving it the final coat after all.

Also, for Grandma Weatherbee, here is a picture of Madeline in the Christmas dress you bought her. She wore it this past Sunday and she got SO mad when we tried to take it off of her after Church. I guess she's a velvet kinda girl.
Also found this picture while writing and had to laugh. Maddy found our fall wreath and did a little moonlighting as the Goddess of Fall. Or Puck. Not sure who, since she can't really talk.
Lastly, you cannot have a post on Christmas Eve without mentioning the whole reason for Christmas. I've read many lovely blog posts about Jesus being born in Bethlehem. I feel almost incapable to write how much this topic means to me. I set out my little Nativity scene last night (the Nativity I bought in Honduras while on my mission) and all sorts of memories and feelings came to me. I thought about the people from my mission and how humble they are. How those Christmases were some of the most beautiful of my life. I thought about how simple a holiday it really is in its essence--Jesus was born. We celebrate the humble circumstances of His birth. We celebrate the humble circumstances of His life. And we celebrate with solemnity the gloriousness of His death and resurrection. It makes my heart swell to think of how simply it all began. And how wonderful it will be when He comes again.
You might like this lovely song about it. Here are the lyrics. (This is Sissel singing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I got to see this concert several years ago, and it was breathtaking. The words are from an old 1800's hymn by the poet Christina Rosetti).

In the bleak midwinter, frost wind made moan,
 earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
 snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
 in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

 Our God, heaven cannot hold him, nor earth sustain;
 heaven and earth shall flee away when he comes to reign.
 In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
 the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

 Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
 cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
 but his mother only, in her maiden bliss,
 worshiped the beloved with a kiss.

 What can I give him, poor as I am?
 If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
 if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
 yet what I can I give him:  give my heart.

Matchmaker Matchmaker

Okay, first, I have to laugh about this image I found. I googled "Sleep in Heavenly Peace" because I wanted to have a Christmasy image to go with the fact that the whole family took a long nap on Sunday afternoon (a MIRACLE, since I can never settle my mind down enough to nap during the day). I thought in googling that phrase it would come up with loads of peaceful images with these words. What came up instead was this book. As soon as I saw it I thought, What's the worst crime a mother can commit? Taking a Sunday Nap??

I vote no. :) It's the best crime a mother can commit. Just thought that was funny.

Anyway, today was the first day of John being home, and it was wonderful. I got to stay home while he ran "errands." I think they might have involved getting me a Christmas present, which I am strongly supportive of--Take all the time you need honey! :)

Just had to tell one other cute thing Maddy has started doing lately. Whenever John and I hug or kiss she wants us to pick her up. We then shower her with hugs and kisses as a little family. But the cutest part is that she now puts one hand behind John's head and one behind mine, and pushes our faces together so that we have to kiss. She plays this game over and over and always laughs and laughs. It's so darn cute. Luckily, we don't mind playing along. And we shower her with kisses in between her matchmaking.

Anyway, I should be off to bed. Christmas is almost here! I'm starting to get excited!

Christmas Came Early-- John got me a Maid!!!

Not only did he get me a Merry maid service for a Merry Christmas, but she's so cheap that I can't feel the slightest bit guilty about it. Aren't I so lucky?


Well, I suppose I could feel guilty for breaking child labor laws....Nah!! (And besides, if you turn up the volume, you'll hear that after I ask her to get a "spot" for me, she enthusiastically replies, "Yeah!").

I wonder if we paid her extra if she would do toilets too?

Or just use one. I'd take that as a Christmas present instead. :)

Deacon Shuffle

Here's something you may not know about my John. He is a beatlemaniac. It's cute. I didn't know anything about the Fab Four until I met him, and I grew to love a lot of their music too. Mostly because John used to sing me their songs when we were dating. It was romantic, it really was. :)

Sometimes I think it's easy to forget to create those little romantic moments once you're married. You get busy, you get a toddler. Life just kinda happens. You still love each other, but sometimes those moments get passed by. But tonight John was listening to some Beatles music while burning a c.d. and he got up and we just started doing the deacon shuffle around the living room. I got butterflies. It reminded me of us dating. How uncertain it all was. So exciting, so new.

And then I got to lay my head on his shoulder and we sang the words together (and did some occasionally crazy dance moves), and this time it was even more romantic than when we were dating, because he's all mine.

This song is one of our favorites. I love the words. They're simple, my english professors would have made fun of them as "trite," but I think the words say just how love really is. And no matter how cheesy this post may seem, it's meant as true. I love you John.

I give her all my love
That's all i do
And if you saw my love
You'd love her too
I love her

She gives me ev'rything
And tenderly
The kiss my lover brings
She brings to me
And i love her

A love like ours
Could never die
As long as i
Have you near me

Bright are the stars that shine
Dark is the sky
I know this love of mine
Will never die
And i love her

Bright are the stars that shine
Dark is the sky
I know this love of mine
Will never die
And i love her

Mr. Spock Would Be Proud

Well, you can laugh at me if you must, but today I had a really bad hair day. It lasted all day. Pretty much I forgot to brush my hair. Honestly, this is a rarity for me (although you may think it doesn't look brushed, that's just my "natural style" going on for the most part), but today, I cannot lie, it was because between running after Maddy and lots of other stuff, I forgot to brush it.

This wasn't an issue until I was getting out of my car to go into walmart. All of the sudden I was mortified by one look in the car window. I had a cowlick. It would not be tamed by patting it furiously downward. So at that point, I did what any self-respecting non-hair brusher would do. I put on my snow hat (or beanie for you westerners).

I thought I was so smart. I looked kinda homeless chic. Edgy. Artistic. "Hey," I said to myself, "You should do this on PURPOSE sometime."

Of course you know my story must end tragically. There were too many people in walmart. My quick trip started taking a bit too long. I started getting hot. But I could not remove my hat. That would have been too embarrassing. Not embarrassing at all to have sweat drip down your face as you're buying gingerbread house supplies, no of course not.

Seriously... sometimes I wonder about myself and my powers of logic. But you know the good thing about me? I am the queen of deep justification. After all of that trouble, and feeling pretty foolish about keeping that infernally nerdy hat on, I figured something truly wonderful out. I'm pretty sure I sweated off the pounds that I will acquire while "decorating" said gingerbread house. It was not in vain! Or as I said to myself before, "You should do this again sometime, but on PURPOSE!"

Once again, my powers of logic prevail. I win. :)
Goodnight!

It's My Blog and I'll Brag if I Want To, Brag if I Want to....(you get the idea)

Just found out that my hubby has two weeks worth of vacation days that won't rollover into the new year. Hence they are forcing him to take the last two weeks of December off.

Yes ladies, that's right. Two weeks of me not having to change a diaper. Not having to retrieve my own bon bons from the fridge. Not having to wake up until ten thirty (when I will only wake up to eat my breakfast in bed, get a pedicure) and then go back to sleep.

Oh wait, did I write that out loud? Honey, if you're reading this, I'm just so glad you'll be home for the holidays. Your company is the thing I crave most. I wouldn't dream of making you do ALL of those things...but you could think about it if you want.

Ten Things I Realized Lately

Some things I've realized lately.

1. I like this.

2. I don't like this.

3. Maddy is obsessed by this. (How did this happen to me???)

4. And we got a great deal on these last night because I always eavesdrop on people couponing at Walmart and am not ashamed to ask to use their ad after them (usually works!) Only five bucks a piece. I'm not even joshin' ya.

5. This makes your house smell delightful when you don't have a real tree. The website's description of it's scent? Scent: warm, spicy fruity blend of cranberry, orange and balsam. In a word. CHRISTMAS!

6. Am going to attempt to build one of these. From scratch. Heaven help me.

But don't worry, not anything this fancy. They could send you to the loony bin for trying something like that!

7. Last night I informed John before dropping off to sleep that I was a genius for having spent three bucks on one of these at D.I. And I am.
(The white coverlet)
8. I went to my book club's first Christmas party and got this as a white elephant gift.
I know it was also wanted by another friend who was kind enough not to steal it, although she had the chance. I'm so excited. Buttery Spritz cookies are one of the few must make cookies for me at Christmas since my Mom always made them. I have very fond memories of making these cookies with my Mom. Thanks kind friend for giving the present, and kind friend for letting me keep it!
9. These (below) are harder to make than I remember! Of course it was probably in fifth grade when I last made one, and that probably means that my Mom and Dad mostly made it. But sheesh! (Also, I was dumb and used a roll of wrapping paper put between two wrapping paper cardboard rolls instead of wooden dowls like in the picture...seriously, what was I thinking??) I don't think you get as many blessings doing a project like this for Primary and then cussing through the hard parts....I'm just saying.
Also, kids don't find it humorous when you tell them it's like an "old-fashioned movie." Halfway through my sharing time an unimpressed Sunbeam called out, "Hey, where's that movie you said we were going to watch??" Umm, yeah.

10. And since I was up to 9 things, I thought I would an even ten. I'm afraid all of this
is going to make me like this
or maybe more aptly, like him. I really don't like being stuck inside!
What a way to end this post! Don't worry, I'm not depressed! I'm just feeling all of that snow piling up outside and I'm getting antsy!

Don't know why I wanted to post all of these things. Just was thinking about it, and thought it would be fun. WHY, I think I've created my very own Tag!! Without even meaning to--that takes talent. I suppose that means you could therefore consider yourself tagged without even meaning to as well...that's pretty awesome. You're welcome. :)

Tell me my fortune please (long drive or not)

Hey, quick post to ask my Tooele friends a question. Do you know somewhere in town where you can buy those chinese take out box type things that people sometimes load with cookies? Next week is my sister and my "Cookie Extravaganza" and I'd prefer not to drive into Salt Lake just for cookie boxes. Any suggestions? If not Tooele, what would be the closest place? Just thought I'd ask!

A Little Bit Serious, A Lot Amazed ( or A Study on Miracles)

Just wanted to let everyone know that we had a little Christmas miracle happen today at our house. Okay, it was a HUGE one. I don't want to go into specifics because it might seem like bragging or be indelicate somehow :) but I wanted to say that prayers are heard, and they are heard right down to the last syllable you utter. I'm so amazed as I sit here. Sorry to be so secretive, but I thought it at least better to let you all know that there is some serious Christmas cheer at the Savage home tonight.

One person's hope can lift another's, right? I hope this helps those who are struggling right now (probably in secret) to know that Heavenly Father is mindful of you. Miracles have not ceased.

Should I Bow to Peer Pressure??

Good Morning Everyone!

So yesterday I got another Christmas card in the mail. I was so happy. It was from my friend Kendra (cute picture K-lo!) and I got another card from my other friends Katie and Jeff and their new little girl too. It made me start re-thinking my idea NOT to send out Christmas cards. All of the sudden, it seems a very scrooge-esque thing to do.

So what do you all think? Do you send out Christmas cards every year? Any creative ideas for the actual letter part? I've seen some cool things, like my friend Katie did a newspaper type page with their pictures and words. One year my brother had their letter written from the perspective of their cat (which wouldn't work for us unless we got an imaginary pet just in time for the holidays).

And lastly, if I did do Christmas cards, would YOU want to receive one? If so, leave me a comment and email me your address. I'll have to think about it. Missy, want to trade photo shoots of our families again? I have a great idea for a photo shoot..... :)

p.s. The card at the top of this post? Interesting trivia fact, it was the first Christmas card to be made. The year? 1843. :)

And yes Mom, before you ask, I did take the first picture in this post! :)

We decorated our little house last night. Finally. :) I felt like I was the last person in Tooele who didn't have their tree up and their Christmas spirit in full swing by the day after Halloween. But last night we finally heard the siren call of Bing Crosby, and we put up our tree and had Maddy on hand to put on (and take off again) some ornaments. (Which is apparently a tradition that she will be keeping up daily until said Christmas tree retires to the basement in his cardboard box again). (And please tell me that you are as in love with that picture of Maddy's little hand as I am. She's so darn cute. It doesn't get any more Christmasy than that!)

Here's what's sad and funny about setting up our tree. Our little townhouse is so small, I mean cozy, that we had to rearrange the entire room to make space for it. But I like it how it is now. We moved our "old tyme radio" (pronouced timey in our house for dramatic effect) over by the tree so that we could hang up our stockings with care. It looks so cozy. We're a regular Normal Rockwell painting by george.

So here are some pictures of the festivities. Isn't Madeline cute. I know. And her designer dress is Old Navy, courtesy of two dollars and our local thrift store. Don't you love people who donate great stuff??

Santa Baby....

So today I have been thinking about Christmas, and how lovely a time a year it is. I have also been thinking how nice it is to simplify. So that's what I'm hoping to do--but before I do that, can I just tell you how OBSESSED I am by these toys. They are reminding me of being a little kid and loving to play. The thing I love about old toys (namely vintage Fisher Price toys) is that they are not only built to last fifty years, but that they make kids use their imagination. They don't talk, they often don't make much noise, yet I remember loving these toys in their "simplicity."

I own a few vintage toys at my house (lovely finds at DI of course), but I don't keep them locked away. I let Maddy and other kids play with them (albeit carefully). And you know what's funny? I always notice that the kids without fail play with the old toys first, and for the longest. I don't blame them. Santa, these are on my wish list (I'm totally not kidding. I told you I'm obsessed!) I've decided this love is my new hobby. Enjoy this blast from your past! (And don't skip the pictures because I have a big piece of family news at the end.)

My sister and I had one of these and played with it forever. LOVE it.

Wish I could send Maddy to her first day of school with this cute lunchbox. :)

Goldilocks and the three bears. There's a little kitchen on the inside.

I would buy this one for my step-dad Gordon, because he's a bee keeper.

I remember these desks with chalk and magnetic letters. So fun.

I had these skates! They go on over your shoes. Basically the most genius skates ever because they also adjust. I really want to get a pair of these for Madeline someday.

Doesn't this just look like fun to play with?

I could just picture a small John playing with something like this. For the young scientist in your life. Or the old one that is still young at heart. :)

This one is the love of my heart. I never had one, but anyone that knows me, knows that I love carousels (I think it's a Mary Poppins thing). So cool!

Do you remember these? You put the different shaped blocks inside or a letter. See, great pretending play!

We used to have one of these. Hickory Dickory Dock Clocks. So fun.

Okay, we never had one of these, but what cracks me up is that the gas pump only has two price slots. Gas wasn't even a dollar when this toy came out! LOL

My sister had one of these and we had long hours of good fun playing with it.

Okay, I had a friend that had this, and I was always jealous. You put it together and it makes different instruments. My personal favorite? The kazoo sounding one of course!

Okay, I swear I had one of these! If not, then the nursery did or one of my friends did. Do you know who the three men are? The butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker of course. :)

Okay, that was a long list, and I'm not even done! I remembered what my huge piece of news was that I forgot last night. Maddy used her potty for the first time ever!!!!!!!!!
Okay, to my non-parent friends, I'm sorry to go on about pottying, but at this house, that is pretty amazing news. We were so surprised when it happened that we freaked out, made a big deal out of it, and gave her a treat of course. I don't know if she really got it, but it was fun anyway. She's still a little young for us to expect anything really, but we have just been trying to get her used to sitting on her winnie the pooh potty for a few minutes in the morning and night. So that was huge news. I'm not expecting much more of an encore, but if it happens, you better believe we'll be having a potty, I mean, party. :)

This post doesn't really deserve a title :)

Dear blogworld,

Tonight I am tired. Today was a majorly long day, but not in a bad way per se (except I was late to an appointment and I knocked over and broke a glass at Lindy's house....Sorry about that Lindy!) But other than that, a mighty fine day.

Here's the brief synopsis: John's work rented out costco for a couple hours and handed out gift cards (couldn't miss that), photo shoot (I'll post a few pics tonight on my photo blog. Lindy's sister's adorable kids!), editing pictures all the rest of the day (plus playing with Maddy and John). That is a full day, although when you type it out, it doesn't sound so full.

I think there may have been a ward christmas party tonight too. We forgot. It probably wouldn't have mattered anyway. We're both so tired that we probably would have missed it on purpose anyway. I'm too tired to even say bah humbug. :)

Sheesh, why did I even come online to write this out. This is pathetic people! I'm sure I had a good story to tell. Maybe my story tonight is that I'm still alive. :)

Sisters, Shock Therapy, and Cardboard Toboggans

Today is a non-serious day. Aren't you so relieved after yesterday?? I know I am! So today is a fabulously happy day because it is my sister's birthday, aka my bff's birthday. My sister Kelly and I have always been close since we are the only sisters each other has got, and we both like it that way. Even though I slightly tortured her as a child (it was for your own good of course Kelly), it was a whole bunch of love underlying it all!

So in your honor Kelly, here is one of my favorite memories of you. Let me think....Oh yeah. How about the time when you were about four and I walked into the boys' room. You were sitting on the floor, and your hair was sticking straight up. Kinda like this.
I walked up to you and you were in a daze, just sitting there. I couldn't figure out what was wrong until I saw some burnt looking keys in your hand. Then I asked you, "Did you stick these keys in the socket???" To which you looked at me confusedly and said, "I don't know?" LOL! So I guess we should all just be glad you survived to this birthday at all!

Also for you Kelly, here is one of your family pics that I took. Happy Birthday, I love you!

In other news, I also went with my sister today and we got our hair cut at the beauty school. Hence I will now show you my sexy pose and my "I'm so surprised I cute my hair so short" pose. My sexy pose isn't so much sexy as me contorting my head weird, but you know, I thought you might get a good laugh out of it like I did. :)

Lastly, I was remembering all of the fun things that we have done lately. Want some ideas for free fun? The other day I drug Maddy around in her diaper box like it was a tobaggon. It was the most fun she has had in a while. It's really true, kids have more fun with boxes than any store bought toy. Maybe I'll wrap a diaper box for Christmas. :)


Also, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, John and I were relaxing, reading books while Maddy was sleeping. John was upstairs and I was down. All of the sudden I realized that it was lunch. So I made up some turkey sandwiches, grabbed some bottles of water and chips and a tablecloth. We had a quiet picnic upstairs, on our bed. It was so nice and quiet and cozy. One of the best ideas I've ever had. A new family tradition. Try it! You'll be glad you did. :)

Ned Ryerson is NOT my hero

Two posts in a day. That's a roll, in case you were wondering. :)

Now, I'm afraid I have to get just a trifle serious here. But I hope that won't make you skip the post.

Do you remember that guy from Groundhog Day, Ned Ryerson? Let me post a picture so you can remember who I'm talking about. Here he is.

I'm afraid I've been his twin in some ways today. But let me explain how. We'll get back to Ned in a moment. But keep him in mind.

So today I happened to say something to a good friend that ended up hurting that friend. It was one of those moments where you say something, not meaning it the way that it came out, and then the look on your friend's face immediately tells you that it came out even worse than you thought. You wish you could take it back immediately. Yikes, it's the worst, you know? I had one of those moments. I felt horrible about it and apologized (about five million times), but I just couldn't get the thing that we had been talking about out of my head. Mind you, we hadn't been arguing or anything at all, but we had been discussing some religious things and I felt so frustrated. I wasn't frustrated with this person mind you, but with the situation that we were talking about and trying to resolve. I kept wondering why the situation wasn't being resolved like I thought it should. Surely God wouldn't want the situation to remain as it was. Surely He would want us to do something. And I was convinced that if I kept trying to pray for the answer and push people into trying to find that answer on my timetable (aka RIGHT away lol), that it would come--come hell or high water basically.

You're seeing the error of that thinking right? Oh boy, I wish I had. Here's the sad lesson I had to learn (so basic it hurts!): You cannot force God into anything. In fact, I tend to think that if you try, He will take it as an opportunity to teach you about patience, and timing, and humility. Oh it seems like the worst timing in the world to learn such a lesson. I guess that's how most of Heavenly Father's best lessons are learned though--in the heat of the fire. It helps you remember it. Helps you really understand with a great clarity.

So that's how I was like my friend Ned. I kept asking God, "This is what you want, am I right or am I right? Right? Right? Right????" And thanks to my kind friend, I was able to see what I was doing. It was a hard lesson to learn because I hurt someone in the process (you know who you are, did I mention I was sorry? Oh, yeah, I did. Well, still.I'm so Sorry!) and I finally only felt the Spirit touching my heart once I realized that I was wrong. Isn't that strange? But it felt so good to see the truth that I didn't care.

See, it was a serious story, but it ended with a happy ending, so that's what matters. Am I right or am I right? Right? Right??????? :)

Oops Let's Try This Again...

Sorry about the photo slide show. John is uploading it now. Darn that youtube. Hopefully it will be working in a couple of minutes. So don't lose up! Go back and see it! I stayed up waaaay too late on this brainchild!

Blinded by Flashes, or My Two Seconds of Fame

I can guess what you've been thinking--why have I been such a lame blogger lately. Well if you weren't thinking it, I'll just tell you that I have been. But I have a good reason. I have been putting some serious blood, sweat, and tears into my friend's wedding pictures. I took too too too many pictures. I always do that so that I can be sure to have at least a few great ones turn out. Unfortunately for me (fortunately for my dear friend) she and her husband are extremely photogenic. Almost all of them turned out really wonderful. Which means I have been editing my fingers numb.

And. I'm. Still. Not. Done. :)

But I will post some of what I've been doing on my photo blog so that you and my dear friend can see what I have been up to these past few days (besides Thanksgiving and having wonderful family visiting).

In fact, I have some good pictures to post from said family visiting, but I am so tired tonight, I just don't have the strength. So I will post those soon. I dragged (drug?) my mother-in-law Jane out to shop early morning on Black Friday. Um...mistake! Didn't get anything I wanted, and we were exhausted and annoyed by greedy shoppers. But at least Jane was extremely fun company!

Lastly, did you see Maddy and John (and hear my voice) on t.v.? Me too! It was pretty darn exciting. Like I told my friend that texted me tonight, The paparazzi were horrendous, but it was still worth out three seconds of fame.

Okay, that's it! Goodnight!