Feels so gooooooood

I got all of my Christmas shopping done today.

Every bit.

Every morsel.

Every Polly.

Every Pocket.

Now if I could just finish decorating my house.....

MY OBSESSION

I have a new obsession

I think that I couldn't get through a day without *this

or even *this

or *this

or *this

Can you blame me?


* Some content may be unsuitable for minors

Size DOES matter!

What's so wrong with wanting 10 inches??



Sometimes more IS more.

I can tell you this...it's hard to find but when you do, BOY OH BOY are you satisfied.

I found
this one
and I can tell it can get pretty darn HOT.


I'll definitely be back for more.


You can keep your technique, I'll take the 10 inches.

HEAVEN ON EARTH

Click HERE if you want to check out our digs on the trip. And YES!! it WAS that beautiful!


More to come

FAILURE TO LAUNCH

Today was finally the glorious day that my family and I were to wake up to a brand new day in Utah and lay down our weary heads in Maui. We were so excited to try to tie up those last minute details that always seem to come up when going on an extended vacation. We were beside ourselves when the time came to back out of the driveway and drive down the street knowing that we were not to see our beloved home for a fortnight. We couldn't believe our luck as we pulled onto good ole I-15 leading us on the pathway towards the SLC International Airport. We could hardly contain ourselves as we pulled up to the curb in front of the good men and women that wear the badge of SKY CAP, without whom our luggage would just never know where to go or what to do. Our luggage was swiftly tagged and about to depart from our presence when out of nowhere we were hit with the news that sends chills down the spines of fun lovers and business people alike.....

" The first leg of your flight plans have been canceled" the poor skycap squeaked out.

".................." I blankly stared at this sky cap.

"Ummmm...let me go in and find out what's going on for you. I'll be right back."

I could tell that my silence was a little unnerving to him. I tried to say SOMETHING, ANYTHING to ease his sorrow at my seemingly failed flight plans but nothing would come out of my shocked mouth.

"Why don't you come inside with me and talk to the ticket agent to see what can be done for you today, OKAY?????" he calmly suggested.

"Uh....Okay." I stated with authority.

As it turned out my flight from SLC to LA was canceled due to mechanical problems in the aircraft. I guessed I could let that one fly. However we then had to deal with the problem of actually getting us from point A to point C. It seems the other passengers on this particular flight were already re-booked onto other flights which made our traveling group of 5 harder to accommodate.

"I could put you through Phoenix that connects into LAX and from there you could TRY to catch your LA to Maui flight."

"UHHHH.....No, I don't think that would do. You see I have 3 small children that I am traveling with and I just don't think I could TRY to do that." I explained

"I see..I see." He typed with the speed of angels to try this way and that way to somehow get us to LA on time for our Maui flight. I suggested a game plan that actually sounded better to me.

"I can get you on a non-stop flight to Honolulu tomorrow afternoon and then you can take a puddle jumper over to Maui. It will give you time to make your flight and maybe you could take in a little airport sight seeing as well."

We have a winner folks. What was once a massive inconvenience turned out to be a better plan, in my eyes at least, then the original flight itinerary. Non-stop out of SLC to Honolulu was acceptable.

As we were leaving airport grounds we were trying to think of things that we could do that would help us not feel so bad about not leaving for paradise this day. And we all thought what better cure is there for a day like today than a pedicure.















































Now who could possibly say that they have prettier toes then my darling little lady #3???

HOW MUCH IS THAT DOGGIE IN THE WINDOW?

fg

<
Does anyone want a 2 month old baby Chihuaua that has just a hint of poodle in it?? I like to call it a poohuaua. They are the most cuddley puppies I have ever been around...Just take a look.





































Just look how happy child #3 is around them.....Your kids can be that happy too.




Status:

Blond one : for sale

Black one : for sale

Curly blond one : negotiable, willing to time share.

Guest post by child #2

this is a picture of a tower that I made

WE'VE GOT SPIRIT YES WE DO, WE'VE GOT SPIRIT HOW 'BOUT YOUUUUUUUU

To increase the pleasure of starting yet another school year I promised my little ones to a proper, mall purchased pedicure. Yes, I know you are all thinking "But, doesn't she have a boy?"....Well, yes I do and he LOVES them, but that's not why I'm here telling you this great story......As an added treat for the little ones I told them that they could each bring along a friend. Needless to say that my kiddo's promptly got on the horn and invited a couple of LO'S kids to come along. If any of you know Lo's kids you know how much fun they are to be around and how inventive and persistant #3 is, so this next statement will not come as a surprise to any of you.......

My daughter #2 and Lo's #3 were waiting together almost patiently for me to finish primping. I guess I just wasn't primping fast enough for their liking BECAUSE I ended up having this conversation with them.....

My #2 comes into my bedroom with this stricken look on her face and says to me in a most urgent manner ...
"#3 said that we need to be in the car right now".
I look at #2 and said ...
"I'll just be a little bit longer"
#2 once again with heightened urgency stated...
"But #3 said that the spirit TOOOOLD her that we need to be in the car RIGHT NOW!"

A little bit weary of the query that I had to make to Lo's #3 child ( a cheeky child, only sometimes, I might add) I searched her out and asked.....

"#3, #2 just said that you think we need to be in the car????"
"YES!! The spirit is telling me that we need to be in the car and that you are taking too long to get ready"

WOW, was I humbled or what. How could I possibly feel good about myself if I didn't heed to the warnings of the spirit that inhabits the body of a first grader. My vanity was going to curse us all if I didn't act, and act fast.

After a little discussion about just exactly how much longer I was going to take (and a quick phone call to her parents to share the news) we were off on our way to the mall, spirit and all.

We had a grand time and all was well. And best of all we were able to start the new school year off on the right foot (pun intended). #3 is quite the spirited child!

I've been tagged 4 fun

A very, VERY long time ago I noticed that I was tagged by Wonderful Melody whom I adore. I have been so busy that I've had to delay certain parts of my life and this blog just happened to be one of them. So, now I will play......




4 Jobs I have held:

1. Phone girl at Domino's (first real job).

2. Receptionist

3. Mother's Helper (Lived in Lexington, MA., worked in Concord, MA.)

4. Instructor of On-site Training "IOT" (great traveling job!).




4 Movies I can watch over and over and over and over and over.......:

1. Pirates of Penzance (and I do)

2. Phantom of the Opera (and I do)

3. Sleeping with the Enemy (creeeeeepy)

4. Spinal Tap (These go to ELEVEN)


4 Places I have lived:

1. Vancouver, WA.

2. Lexington, MA. (See question 1, answer 3)

3. Orem/Provo, UT.

4. Salt Lake City, UT.


4 Categories of TV programming I enjoy:

1. Reality - FOOD NETWORK

2. Comedy - 30 Rock

3. Drama - Law & Order SVU

4. Wild Card - Anywhere from Court TV to Discovery Channel

5. Guilty Pleasure - "Sensuality and the Suburbs" (wink, wink)



4 Places I have been on holiday:

1. Jackson Hole, WY

2. Hawaii.....MAUI, Hawaii......HANA, MAUI, Hawaii

3. Oregon Coast

4. Martha's Vineyard YUMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYY!

5. California (Northern, Southern and Central)


4 of my favorite dishes:

1. Tomato/ Basil Soup from Ottavio's

2. Salmon...Grilled....Seasoned....YUM (the best I've had was at the OLD STONE CHURCH RESTAURANT in Castle Rock, CO)

3. Chicken Bryan from Carrabba's Italian Grill

4. Yet another wild Card (subject to change at a later date)


4 websites I visit daily:


1. Bank Account

2. E-mail

3. MSNBC

4. Foodie Websites



4 places I would rather be right now

1. Martha's Vineyard

2. Jackson Hole

3. New York City

4. Oregon Coast

5. Summer of 1996




Boy, I could have gone on and on and on with some of those lists. How do you choose just 4 places you would rather be....ANYHOO, I don't know who has and who hasn't been tagged but I think I would like to tag........This is hard, so if anyone is out there consider yourself tagged.

GIVE IT TO GRAAAAAAMMMAAAAAAAA

Last week I went to Sears with Hubbs, Child #2 and Child #3 in the hopes of coming home with a brand spankin' new SHOP VAC. Little did we know what was in store for us.......

After we had made our decision on which shop vac to buy we followed our lovely sears associate up to the checkout counter to complete our transaction. Now, I have to say that child #3 was quite lively this particular afternoon and was running around playing hide and seek with the card board cut out of Bob Villa. She was having a great time, well at least till we met this scary lady (SL).



#3 was hiding around a display from us and chewing on a hand pump that we had brought in to the store with us when one of the cashier's was talking to #3 to make sure that she wasn't chewing on a store item (my assumption) when SL decided to take it upon herself to extract whatever it was #3 was holding onto with her kung fu grip and not giving up to anyone. SL held out her hand and said to #3
"Give it to gramma"
#3 held out and didn't give it up. Once more SL insisted
"Give it to gramma"
#3 was standing her ground while SL was getting more and more agitated by #3's defiance. Although you can't call all of it defiance since neither one of #3's "gramma's" call themselves
grandma.
Finally SL just wun't having anymore of this and said in her hard living gravelly voice
"GIVE IT TO GRAAAAAAAAAMMMMAAAAAAAAAA".
At this point after watching this go down I walk over to let SL know that I'm in charge and that she can back off all the while maintaining my composure (after all #2 was watching me) when I look at #3's face to see her reaction to this crazy SL. She had a look on her face as if to say "Excuse me , I don't know who you are and you're not getting my toy so take a hike?"
I say "Give it to mommy" and as I hold out my hand to accept the offering and as #3 is handing the pump to me SL grabs it
"Here, I'll take that " I say sweetly to the cranky ole' bat.
SL wouldn't give it to me. She set it on the display next to her, away from me, mumbled something while she turned back to the checkout counter and continued to argue with the salespeople why the sale price in the ad didn't start till the next day when she got it in the mail that day.
I know it was immature of me but I took the pump and made darn sure SL saw me give it back to #3. After all who the heck did she think she was???
She certainly wasn't grammmmmmaaaa like she had self appointed herself to be. Wherever she is I'm sure she is still mumbling about one thing or another.

Thanks lucky!!!!!

My pirate name is:

Captain Anne Rackham

Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

KIDS ARE SOOO CRAZY

We received a wedding announcement in the mail a couple of days ago, with it
was a lovely picture of the bride and groom smiling back at us (with dry lips).
I thought it such a nice picture that I posted it on our family info board for all to see.
Later that day I was driving my 6 yr old to her friends house to play
when we proceeded to have this conversation:

B: "Are those people in the picture getting married?"

Me: "Yes, they are."

B: "Well, there are a couple of things weird about it."

Me: "What things?"

B: "Well, #1 they don't look alike. And #2 She looks like she's 16 yrs old."



I didn't know what to say.
I smiled at her and dropped her off at her friends house to play.
What was a 6 yr old doing with these kind of thoughts.
Do married people look alike in her world?
Do I look like my hubby?

I was grateful that she thought 16 was too young to get married but I want to know
What age is a good age to get married?
I'm going to ask her these questions when she gets home from school today.
I'll post her answers later

Do you have any questions for an all knowing 6 yr old?

Al*ler*gy
-noun, plural -gies.

1. an abnormal reaction of the body to a previously encountered allergen introduced by inhalation, ingestion, injection, or skin contact, often manifested by itchy eyes, runny nose, wheezing, skin rash, or diarrhea.
2. hypersensitivity to the reintroduction of an allergen. Compare ANAPHYLAXIS.
3. informal. a strong dislike or aversion, as toward a person or activity: He has an allergy to hard work.

Dictionary.con Unabridged (v1.1)

Al*ler*gy
n. pl. al*ler*gies

1. An abnormally high sensitivity to certain substances, such as pollens, foods, or microorganisms. Common indications of allergy may include sneezing, itching, and skin rashes.
2 .Informal An adverse sentiment; antipathy: an allergy to cocktail parties.

American Heritage Dictionary

Allergy

noun

hypersensitivity reaction to a particular allergen: symptoms can vary greatly in intensity

WordNet

BLASTED ALLERGIES
n. pl. freakin' allergies

1. A sensitivity to some crap in the air that gives me a snotty stuffed up nose, splitting headache, itchy read swollen eyes that make me look like I'm HIGH, I JUST planted flowers and it better not be from that attitude, sore dry throat that no amount of water will cure, BUT I'M NOT AN ALLERGY PERSON whiny voice, and YES I lost my sense of taste and smell AGAIN thank you very much.

2. Informal WHO THE H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS THOUGHT THIS ANNOYING CRUD UP?????? I THINK I HAVE AN ALLERGY TO ALLERGIES.

Peef (v 1.1)

Guess what we're reading in book group this month?!?!

I know that I have seen this movie, the old black and white one, but I don't remember much about it.
NOW I get to read it for real!!!!!!
I think when I am done reading I am going to watch the new version of it,
but which one?


The Colin Firth BBC mini series?





The Keira Knightley movie?

Any suggestions???




Does anyone want to come watch it with me when I do??
I have popcorn.

WE ARE ON OUR WAY TO SCHLICKROCK .....WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

SMART A@#'s

After an eventful evening of FHE and a little Baskin and Robins goodness we brought our brood home and tried to reclaim some kind of order.


HA!
I should have known


I finally got the baby out of her diaper but the excitement that was going on around us was making it next to impossible to get her back into another diaper.
Out of desperation I ordered my two oldest kids to


"FIND YOUR CHI!"






and this is what the smart a**'s did

The kids are going to be out of school in 30 min and my house still isn't clean The laundry is piling up like it's trying to escape out the window.

Damn the computer, Damn the blogs

Why, WHY do you have to sit there looking all seductively?!?

Why do you look as if you're saying to me "COME, Come see what everyone else in the world is doing. Leave your life behind and join me and I will make sweet, passionate words to you"


WHHHYYYYYYYYYY?

CHEERIOS OR TOASTY O'S

As I was pouring myself a nice and fruitalicious bowl of Tootie Fruites™ after church this afternoon I was suddenly transported back in time to when I was but a young , impressionable, sweet thang. This bowl of heavenly delight had me thinking about what I expected in my cereal when I was a child.
I remember the shame and embarrassment I would feel for my friends if I saw that they had......bagged cereal.
We never had .....bagged cereal when I was growing up. Bagged cereal didn't have prizes inside. Bagged cereal didn't have fun things to look at on the outside of the packaging. Bagged cereal was..... bagged. If I was expected to eat the cereal it had to hold up to my strict standards:
#1 It had to come in a box, not a..... bag.
#2 It had to have commercials that I could see on the TV.
#3 It had to have a cute and lovable character associated with it.
Nutrition be damned.
I know of one family that had quite a large brood of chillin's and they would try to fool the kids into thinking that their .....bagged cereal was in fact boxed cereal by filling up the empty boxes with the ......bagged cereal. Had they gone MAD?? When I found out that bit o' info I was horrified that this kind of insanity was going on in the world.

Times have changed.

Now that I am the one holding the purse strings AND the one that has to keep the family in a nutritious upswing I have found that my strict standards have changed:
#1 It has to be nutritious (well, mostly).
#2 It has to be economical.
#3 It can come in a bag.

I can't help but wonder if my kids self-esteem is affected by our purchase of ....bagged cereal. Do they feel shame and embarrassment when they see that their friends know they have ......bagged cereal? Am I denying them the pleasure of digging into a brand new box of cereal to find the prize? Are they going to be emotionally stunted because they don't have fun cereal facts to read on the box while they eat said cereal? Is their sense of competition going to be under developed because they don't have to fight tooth and nail to get just one handful of Cap'n Crunch?

I asked my 9 yr old son how he felt about.....bagged cereal. He said that he liked the .....bagged cereal good enough but that he liked boxed cereal because it's easier to keep it organized. WHA....?!?!?!?!
I then asked my 6 yr old daughter whether she preferred ......bagged cereal or boxed cereal. She liked the boxed because of the little boxes and she thinks that they don't cost as much.
My hubby also said that he preferred the boxed cereal but that he didn't feel any bad feeling towards the.....bagged cereal.
"Hey baby, I'm just a cereal slut. You know that." he stated.
This made me wonder why I had such a prejudice against .....bagged cereal.

When you know that you have something for sure you say "It's in the bag"
We have tea bags (well not personally), duffel bags, at the movies I buy a bag of popcorn, I love when I have shopping bags full. Who doesn't enjoy a grab bag?
So why did I feel so strongly against .....bagged cereal?

But when people park so close you can't get out you say you are boxed in. Some car's are described as being "BOXY", and not in the good way. When people beat the snot out of each other and get paid for it, it's called boxing.

I can't help but wonder...did the shape of my cereal container also shape my self-esteem? Who know's?

Do you have a preference? Please, let me know!

MY TRAINER LAUGHED AT ME TODAY

LAUGHED at me, not with me, AT me today. Normally this would not be something that would happen, she is very kind even if I look like an idiot trying to mimic what move she is attempting to teach me.

Today , I got a laugh AT me.

I don't blame her because I laughed too, right after I was shocked at what I had done. I was in the middle of a hamstring pull where my heels are on the edge of a platform and my toes are on the ground so as to make it look like I am in stilettos. I then take a weight bar with light weights on it, with slightly bended knees I bend forward as far as I can holding onto the weight bar towords my toes to create a nice hamstring pull.
When I bent down I noticed something wierd but I couldn't place it. I bent down again and then it all came to me what had gone horribly wrong. As I was coming back up I was making that shocked, breathing in noise and my trainer was worried that I had been hurt.
"WHAT'S WRONG?" she worried
"OH, MY GOSH" I exclaimed with shame and disbelief coursing through my veins
"LOOK AT MY SHOES" I ordered

We laughed our way through the rest of the session.

THE GOLDEN CARBONATED BEVERAGE

I was turned on to this little golden nugget of liquid love by Cjane's sister NieNie. We were all standing in line waiting to pay for our plate's of masterful cuisine when NieNie spotted this winking at her from the beverage cooler. She had suggested that I take one home to try. "It tastes like bubble gum" she claimed. How could I pass up on that kind of endorsement. I am very aware of our destiny in life and I just couldn't leave this golden treasure behind. It needed to fulfill it's destiny and I needed to be the one to help it. Cjane expressed her concern with me "You know that it's just sugar and caffeine, don't you?" Oh how I was excited to learn that not only will this carbonated beverage taste of bubble gum but it had caffeine to boot.
I have to say that I am trying really hard to become a healthier human but there comes a day in everyone's life where, if they're honest with themselves, they need something along the line of a caffeine boost to complete their day. A pick-me-up, if you will (and I know you have, don't lie to me). After all it had water in it and we all need water to live, so I was giving myself what my body needs to survive. It WAS healthy, I just knew it had to be. I have tried many a caffeinated product and have grown to love them, but I do have a roving eye and am always on the lookout for a new love to add. I knew that when I did infact try this "KOLA" that it had to be a very special day. Well my friends, today is THAT special day.


I have a lot to do today and I don't have the sufficient amount of energy to do it with. After all it was JUST the spring forward day and although my clock has sprung forward, my body has not. Don't get me wrong, J'ADORE spring forward day. I love that when I get up the sun is already there to greet me like a loyal friend with a special little treat of sunshine just for me. I love that my body clock adjusts and I can rely on it's alarm to wake me from my night's slumber. I love that the flowers take the winter's storm to make a nourishing cocktail to charge forward out of the packed soil and give us new life again and again.
What I don't love about spring forward day is that it takes a few PFLOWER days to catch up to the level of energy it takes to adjust to my new schedule. I do think that part of that is the fact that when I do wakey it still feels like winter. When I am cold I am s-l-o-w. And as a mother of 3 darling offspring I can't afford to be s-l-o-w.

I picked up the glistening, golden can from my refrigerator, felt it's heaviness and knew I was in for a grand, caffeinated treat. I popped open the lid and heard that tall-tale sizzle that happens when new oxygen is breathed into it's fine carbonated fizz. I took my first sip, and then my second and sure enough Nie Nie was right. It did taste like bubble gum. It also tasted like cream soda. This can of golden goodness was the love child of these two enjoyable flavors. Somewhere out there is the creator of this INCA KOLA and you know what he/she is doing at this very moment? I would bet that they are lying on a white, sandy beach somewhere very tropical, sipping a wholesome pina coloada ( sorry , I don't know how to make an accent mark over the n) reminiscing on how he/she brought these two crazy kids together to make this fantastic beverage for the world to enjoy.

I have to report that I am still waiting for the caffeine kick to surface but I will patiently wait while I reflect back on my exquisite experience with this GOLDEN KOLA. If I had to write a review I'd say
"Beautifully crafted and impeccably blended to create this bouquet of flavors that dance a nice rumba on the tongue and titillate the senses"

Thanks for the heads up on this yumminess, Nie Nie!

Fun With Photo Booth

With a drop of imagination and a dollop of Photo Booth
the world becomes your oyster.
Here are just a few examples of the fun pic's that
one can do on PHOTO BOOTH>

TWO, FOUR, SIX, OH, OOOOOOOOOOONE!

I have to say that I have a huge Les Miz obsession.
To know me is to know that about me.
I know every word
I know every breath
I could perform this as a one woman show

That's all I have to say.

I HAVE A TWO YEAR OLD

"I HAVE A TWO YEAR OLD".......that's all you have to say
to achieve full sympathy from anyone.
Even if you don't have kids. You know.
I have to say that I firmly believe that our little babies come to us as gifts.
Gifts from our Heavenly Father.
I also firmly believe that at exactly midnight on the day that
these little darlings turn two, THE DEVIL takes over.

I believe that he (of course the devil IS a man) whispers into their ear
saying things along the line of
"See that printer over there, push the green button a bunch of times.
the big machine will give you lots of fun papers your mommy will love."



This is my daughter C. She has a garbage fetish.
She has thrown away bottles, cups, sippy cups,
My Cell Phone, shoes, toys, camera's, candy,
scissors, keys and just about anything
that she can get her mitts on.


Is there anything more lovely or of virtuous report than a TWO YEAR OLD?

OK, here's my "Self Portrait".
I used my Photo Booth to do it.
You can scroll down to my last blog
and see a different pic too.
Thanks Cjane
This was fun