Merry Christmas

I hope everyone enjoys tomorrow.

Family Pictures

At the end of October we had our family pictures taken. This is a task I really, really stress over. Mostly because I have the worlds most active 2 year old and in all the pictures I have of her she is just a blur. I wanted them done outside so I was stressed about the weather, which also made me stress about how everyone's hair would do and how we would do outfit changes, etc, etc. I've had them back for over a month now and I still haven't ordered any. Not because they didn't turn out but because I love them all and I have a problem with making a decision. I always second guess myself. I come from a family of indecisive people. It's who we are, I think, I don't know, you decide. :) I just keep looking at all of them over and over thinking about why I love each one and in the mean time my walls are bare and the last picture I have of G is her first birthday which was over a year and a half ago. So here are a couple. I was going to wait until after Christmas cards but again, couldn't make a decision, therefore didn't get them ordered, therefore no Christmas cards.

Modbe Countdown to Christmas SALE

~Click here to order. Party code 1052 will still get you an extra 10% off of 3 or more items as well. And WNTRSVNGS coupon will get you 30% off of the sale prices listed above.

Modbe Sale

I have this in my side bar but I know a lot of people use the readers and don't see my actual blog so I wanted to do a quick little post. Everything is 30% off including the clearance items so the cutoffs are $14 with the sale and if you order three or more items you still get the 10% off if you put in the current party number making those cutoffs $12. Let me know if you have any questions on anything. Also if you are in my area I can put your order in and help save on shipping.
My favorite items right now are the wrap sweater, the cutoffs and the power pants. I always love the basics.
* just enter in code WNTRSVNGS for the coupon at checkout. You can get the additional 10% off with the party number with three or more items.
The current code is 1052 . Enter it at checkout after your credit card number where it asks for party number. It will give you 10% off if you order 3 or more items. Not ordering 3 items still put in the code and I do a drawing for all orders with the code once a month. (Be sure to leave your email on your order.) This code will change as I close parties so check back if you are not ordering right away.

Writers Block

Why is it when you have an important paper to write or have to say something your mind goes into shutdown, sleep mode. I have a 6 page paper to write for one of my classes that is due tomorrow. We have had the assignment for two weeks now and I'll just tell you I don't have much done on it. I am a big time procrastinator when it comes to papers. I just can't do it until I HAVE to. I work better under pressure I guess. I think the added difficulty to this paper has been that there is not an assigned topic. You would think that would be easier but for me it isn't. I do much better if someone just tells me what to write about. It's so hard to pick something from such a broad range of anything. Am I the only person that feels this way. Give me a blog and I can type your ear off. Tell me to write a paper and all of a sudden one sentence takes me 4 days. Well I better get back to pretending to write my paper. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Kreativ Blogger Award

Heather nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger Award and while I am honored I'm not sure I deserve the title. I feel like I should have some great acceptance speech or something to go along with it. I could go on and on about how great and talented Heather is but right now it just makes me sad since she is moving (far away). You can look at her blog and all her cute crafts and fun things she does. Plus her house is always so dang clean and cute. You are awesome Heather. Thanks for being a great friend and thank goodness for technology and airplanes to stay in touch.
So with this award I am supposed to list 6 things I love and then give away my own Kreativ Blogger Awards.
My LOVES

1. My husband (I know shocker and I probably copied everyone else who has ever done this). I am so lucky to have found a great man that supports me, loves me, and is so patient and loving. I can be a bit bratty and he just treats me like a princess. He is so good to me and loves me no matter what and I love having that complete love and trust with someone I get to spend forever with. He is such a good dad and I learn so much from him.

2. My kids~ They are my miracle babies. I am so thankful for them in my life and all they teach me. They make me smile each and every day. I love their innocence and their love for learning new things. I love how close they are to heaven and that they bring that into our home.

3. My home~ I always joke around and say things like "when we get a real house" we will do this or buy that. Well we do have a real house. And while it may be small and old it is our home and I love it. I love fixing it up and seeing what it can become. I am thankful we have a home that is ours where we can feel safe and our children can feel loved.

4. My parents~ I am so lucky to have been raised in a good home with loving parents that taught and raised me well. I'm so glad that they are still such an important part of my life.

5. My church~ I am so thankful for the knowledge that I have that my family can be together forever. That I know who I am and where I came from and why I am here. I am thankful for the unconditional love from my Father in Heaven and the sacrifice that was made for me by Jesus Christ. I love that I can draw from that strength during my weakest times.

6. My friends~ I am so lucky to have made some great friends. I'm glad that I have friends that strengthen me and pick me up on bad days. I'm glad I have them as such good examples of how I should be.

So now my nominee's. Drum roll please....(These are in no particular order)
1. Jenny~ I have known Jenny for practically my whole life. I love reading her blog because she has some great ideas and I also read it to help me remember that if she can do all she is doing with four children then I can't complain about how hard it is with just two.

2. Mandy ~ I met Mandy on a message board and I feel like she is a long lost best friend. We have been through a lot of the same things and she is so fun to chat with. She is beautiful and has the cutest kids. On top of all that she makes some of the cutest hair bows. Hopefully one of these days we will get to meet for lunch or something.

3.Sharla ~ Seriously anybody that gets to go on my dream trip to Europe gets my vote. Not only that but she is the funniest person I know. (Okay well I don't "know" her other than online but she's dang funny! and I like to claim I know (aka blogstalk) cool people so I can look cool) Her blog always makes me laugh and brightens my day.

I'm going to end there. Not because I'm done with the 400 million blogs I have on google reader, because I would like to nominate all of you and tell you why I love your blog, but because I have a quiz due by midnight and I've procrastinated just long enough to have just enough time.

Our day with the Dark Side

The day before Halloween I was lucky enough to step into the world of Star Wars and meet these fabulous people.


Darth is not as scary as he plays in the movies thankfully. Chewy is just as hairy as he looks. Isaac had his photo op with these stars

Modbe 30% off

Modbe is having a 30% off sale! Go to www.modbeclothing.com/larafurniss and go shop. Enter the code MSHM69DF at checkout for 30% off your ENTIRE order. This code would be a great one to use to pre-order the denim. Enter in party number 607 for a chance to win the hostess benifits from the sale. (Winner will be notified by email so please leave your email address when you enter your information)

Free

I am out of the hospital and starting to get back to normal. I went in to the doctor and my blood pressure was 220/93. Yeah not good. So they sent me straight over to the hospital where my lovely room was waiting for me. I told the lady at admissions desk I didn't need to check in they already had a room for me and she said "everyone has to check in here first." I said nope I have a frequent stay card that gets me expedited services and I kept walking. I don't think she was very impressed. I had a very nice nurse to start with but I could tell she was still pretty new. It took 3 nurses each trying 3 times before they finally called the flight nurse to start my iv. I had angioplasty on Friday afternoon and it was the worst I can ever remember. My doctor said I had some really bad scar tissue on the arteries to my kidneys and they were really narrowed. My kidneys hurt so bad until saturday morning. I still have a little pain but it's no where near as crappy as I was feeling. I also had an iv iron transfusion while I was there. I am so anemic and it makes a huge difference in how I feel when I can have that done. My doctor said he is going to get insurance to pay for it 4 times a year (the most it can be done). I'm looking forward to not being tired all the time. By the time I was released from the hospital my blood pressure was back down to 116/60 so a ton better! Now I just can't lift anything heavy and have to take it easy this week and hopefully by next week I will feel like a whole new person!

One Guess

I will give you one guess where this gentleman in my story spends ALOT of his "spare" time.

I was at Target today. (I HEART Target, great retail therapy) I went to check out to see if there were any great Halloween clearance items and also to check on a shirt for Gray for our pictures tomorrow. Well I found her a shirt but the Halloween stuff still has not been marked down (weird). Well I go and check out and pay for my things and the guy turns and says "Thank you your honor, have a nice day." Well since I was not dressed up as a judge today (I know weird!) and the fact that we were not in a court room I can only guess what he's stressing about.

Never have to say

A 29 year old should never have to turn to her husband in bed and say I think it's time for another angioplasty. But for whatever reason this is my life. I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon with my cardiologist. I'll either be admitted to the hospital right then or I will be scheduled to come back the next day. I know how this works unfortunately. It was even worse at 17 years old. You would think I would be used to it by now.
I don't talk a lot about my disease. It's not because it doesn't effect me or my life because it does each and every day but it's mostly because if I don't think/talk about it it's easier to pretend it doesn't exist. I look fine from the outside so I try to force myself to put on the happy face. The way I feel about being sick is really hard for me to express. I hate it. I don't talk about it with anybody. I have a secret blog that I have posted on that is just me venting about this whole mess. For my peace of mind, to educate others and for my journal's sake I plan on trying to talk more about it here. I promise to not make this a totally depressing blog and have this consume my life but I do plan on sharing more about me and my thoughts. So here is to more enchanted tales, thanks for reading!

Off

I just sat down to come up with a great post since I've been a slacker recently and I just got asked out on a lunch date by this handsome boy so the post will have to wait.

Now taking Applications

Since my good friend Heather and her hubby have decided to go on a wonderful adventure they are trying to sell their home. I love their house! So as sad as I am to see them go I'm excited (and jealous) of their new adventure but I thought I would help them get the word out about their home for sale. If you know anyone looking pass on the link. They have to fill out an application with me first :) (j/k) but I want good neighbors!

October!!!

I am so excited for tomorrow. I love everything about October. I have been busy collecting new Halloween decorations as well as making some new crafts. I love the fall air (hate the cold and snow that comes after it but oh well) and the yummy food (I HEART pumpkin anything!). I have been checking out Halloween books from the library for a few weeks already. Today we picked up the movies Legend of Sleepy Hollow and The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. I love the ages my kids are at because they are equally excited and whenever they see anything Halloween related they get all excited to get my attention and show me. We have their Costumes and I plan on putting out our decorations tonight. Tomorrow to celebrate the month we'll probably watch one of our movies we checked out and eat Maple Bars and Hot Cocoa.
The Halloween Costumes I remember
E.T. & Wonder Woman The costumes back then were the plastic mask held on with the elastic string and then the plastic body suit that tied on over your clothes. I'm not sure why I remember those two. It may have been that they were the ones that were out so we played dress up in them. I wish I still had them oh what fun I could have.
I'm still trying to decide whether I am going to dress up this year or not. I have the perfect Belle (Beauty and the Beast) dress. Maybe I can talk the Mr. into being Gaston or the Beast.
What are your favorite costumes from your childhood? Do you love Halloween as much as I do? Are you dressing up this year? and if so as what?

Nie Nie

I have been one of the many, many followers of Nienie Dialogues. As the silent auctions have been going on I have been again frustrated with my lack of talent in the creative, craft sense. All these wonderfully talented people that can give so much to help a family in need. I finally got over feeling sorry for myself and decided to find something that was one of my favorite things (yeah, like Oprah) to auction off. I have many favorite things so narrowing down was hard but I finally decided on Modbe True Rise Denim.
I have not been the same since these jeans made thier appearance. I no longer have to hold my shirt down when I bend over or sit down. I no longer have to pull my pants back up when I stand back up. I have all the benifits and cut of a low rise jean but with a higher back (that is "tatooed" oh so cute by the way) so they stay put. Modbe just relelased their Denim cutt offs with a new wash that is so fun.
If you are interested on bidding on a pair to help out Nie Nie go here. Thanks Leslie! Leslie obviously gets quite a bit more blog traffic than I do so I decided to put them up for bid on her site. She has raised over $3000 since the beginning of September and she's still going strong.
As I've read on many other blogs doing auctions don't think of it as buying something for more than you would at the store. Think of it as one of those memberships places that for your donation that will help so much you get a free pair of awsome shorts (or the car catch-all I'm currently bidding on.)

Hair

Okay I am setting up a hair appointment finally (it needs it REALLY bad) but I am at a loss of what I should do. I love dark like on Audrina from The Hills and it is my fall go to but I am loving the color's in J. Lo's photo below.
I'm also trying to decide what to do about bangs. Keep growing them out, cut them, trim them a bit. Any advice? I need all the hair photo's you gals can come up with.

Prayers and Auctions

I know a lot of us are following Nie Nie. I was having a really sorry for my self day today and was concentrating on the things I didn't have instead of the MANY blessings I do have. I immediately said a little prayer for my heart to change. I came online to check my blogs and emails and saw a link to this website.
http://sccsdecker.blogspot.com/2008/06/synopsis.html

I have never been so grateful in all my life for just the little things in my life. This poor mother went into have her baby and next thing she knows she's had 3 limbs amputated and is fighting for her life. My prayers have been turned to this little family today.

There are auctions going on here
http://auctionforcarol.blogspot.com/

Cloning

Do you ever wish there was more than one of you? It always seems that everything I want to do falls on the same day at the same time. The kids have somewhere they need to be, there is class, homework, house cleaning, friends it all becomes quite the juggling act. I have to say I feel I am much better at this task now than I was even just a year ago. I'm not quite sure what happened to change how I view my priorities and what I feel important but letting go of the "small" stuff sure has made my life a little simpler. It's become easier to tell people no and not feel guilty about it. I don't know if it's my older, wiser self or if it's from experience, or if I'm just gaining the I don't care attitude but it's so nice to know I have enough on my plate and not feel bad for telling someone I can't babysit or won't be able to teach a lesson on Sunday. I have been happier and everyone knows that a Happy mom= Happy Family!

Survival

Do you ever just feel like you are in survival mode. Not being proactive or setting new goals but just living moment to moment just to get by. I fell like that's how my past two weeks have been. It has been a crazy roller coaster since we arrived home from our summer in NY.
At some point in time when I bought our tickets to fly home I thought it would be a great idea to fly home the day classes started for me and just a week before preschool started for I.
Yeah well between grabbing my books from the bookstore and hitting classes as soon as we rolled into town plus getting two children switched to a new time zone, house cleaned from being empty for 3 months, laundry, friends and family to visit, pantry and fridge to restock. Let's just say I've been running and sitting down right now is the first time since we've been home that I feel like I might be getting a handle on everything. I guess we will see. I have the kids on somewhat of a routine (G's stomach flu this past weekend has thrown that off a bit) I have caught up in classes and my house is starting to feel like a home again. The only thing that's missing is the Mister.
It won't feel like home until he is home and I am counting down the days. He keeps me sane and puts up with all my crap. I love him dearly and am so thankful for all he does for our little family.
Hopefully now that we are home and life is starting to become more normal I will be able to not neglect this blog as bad as I have.

Mash Game: Predict Your Future at eSPIN-the-Bottle

		I will marry Jeff.
		After a wild honeymoon, We will settle down in Oregon in our fabulous Apartment.
		We will have 7 kid(s) together.
		Our family will zoom around in a Blue Land Rover.
		I will spend my days as a Nurse, and live happily ever after.

Cookies

I love sweets. I love cookies, cake, candy, and especially cup cakes (white with white frosting, YUM!) Well my all time favorite cookie is meringue. They are crunchy but light. They melt in your mouth and are so smooth and wonderful. There was a grocery store in my hometown that always had them while I was growing up and my mom would get them for me. Well that store went out of business and finding these cookies since then has been no easy task. There have been a few occasions that my mom or I have been able to find them but the stores don't usually carry them for very long. I haven't had a meringue cookie in years. Well a few weeks ago I was really wanting one and I got to thinking that maybe stores here in NJ carry them. Well when I was at the grocery store a few days later I had forgotten about looking for the cookies and was just trying to hurry and grab the things on my list. I was passing the bakery in the store and what do I see out of the corner of my eye, buckets and buckets of my favorite cookies! I get closer and notice all of them are broken. I don't care little pieces taste as good as big pieces. Then I get even closer and all the tubs of cookies have a heavy layer of dust on them. My spirits are sinking. These have obviously not been touched in quite awhile. I'm standing there trying to justify the pieces and dust. Well maybe the store just did some remodeling and they got dusty and this shelf hasn't been cleaned off. Then I catch the sell by date on the package. Yeah it was January 22, 2007!!! Not even 2008 but 07!! They had been sitting there for a year and a half! I was devastated. I finally find my wonderful cookies and they are expired, dusty and broken. Who would do such a horrible thing. I kept thinking I was in a bad dream that was just teasing me because I have been wanting these cookies. The sad thing is even with the dust, the expiration date and them being in crumbles I still stood there holding the package forever trying to decide if it still might be worth buying them! Sad, I know. I put them back and sadly walked away but now I really have been having dreams about the cookies! How mean! So now I am on the lookout for non-expired, non-dusty, whole cookies. Wish me luck on my hunt and if you know of any stores that sell them I would gladly pay shipping to have you send them to me.

Lost

One of the biggest differences between NJ and good old Idaho is the traffic. It is insane to drive anywhere. It's not impossible and not as bad as I imagined but it's still insane. I don't think anyone planned where they were going to put roads. It was just a oh here's a open spot, throw it there type of idea. It is the biggest mess getting around. Even Ms. Garmin (that's what we call our nice little helper GPS lady) gets lost here. If you miss an exit there isn't an easy way to fix it. You usually have to wait for a exit or two get off then drive around until you get to an on ramp and get back on and hope you get off on the right one again. It's also bad because the highway splits and then merges back together and if you don't take the right split you can't get off on the exit you need so you are just out of luck.
So after we first got here Jeff's phone broke. Well he can't work without a phone so our second day here I put the kids in the van, plugged in Verizon into the GPS and headed off to the closest one. Since his phone didn't work he took mine so he would have one to use that day. Well I get to the first Verizon on the list and it is in the scariest neighborhood. There is no way I am getting my kids out of the car. Well upon further investigation it wasn't even a store it was one of their corporate shipping offices. So I have my GPS direct me to the next one. No Verizon store at the address Ms. Garmin gives me. Either it had moved or it was never there I don't know. Third on the list, another corporate office. Keep in mind that none of these are even remotely close together or in the same direction so I was driving all over the place. I was getting frustrated so the kids and I stopped at McDonalds for lunch and a break from our treasure hunt. We had been in the car for almost two hours. So we get back in the car and continue our search. Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth on the list were not stores either. Isaac needed a potty break so we stopped at a CVS. Nobody spoke English to even remotely try to help us with finding a Verizon store. The radio kept teasing me with Verizon adds because it's huge back here. Verizon does not only cell phones but TV and all the pay phones are Verizon. So why couldn't I find a store! The only Verizon on my GPS list that said Authorized Dealer was in NYC. I was so frustrated and just wanted to get the phone fixed that I said what the heck, why not. I started following the directions and then we hit traffic and my estimated time of arrival was 2 hours later! That's when the tears started. It was 4:30 and we had been in the car all day long and all I needed was to get my husbands phone fixed. I decided to just head home and borrow a phone and get directions to one in NJ. So I push return home onto the GPS we get off the highway and are going to get on another one that will take us back home. I was so mad and frustrated and with traffic and not being able to find one stupid Verizon store it really had me emotional. So I get in the left lane (which takes forever because everyone here is out for themselves) to get on the onramp to head home and what do I see right off the street on the right hand side. A VERIZON STORE!!!! It took me another 10 minutes to get back over to the right hand lane and then another 5 minutes after that to quit crying and compose myself enough to go into the store. I have never been so relieved to walk into a business in my life. Of course nobody in the store spoke very good English because I happened to find the Chinese Verizon Store. (All the signs and pamphlets and everything were in Chinese) but I didn't care. It took them forever to troubleshoot his phone and I didn't care because I was just so happy we had found Verizon at all. They weren't able to fix his phone so we had to buy a new one. His old one was so broke that they couldn't get any of his contacts or photos or anything off of it. I have never been so thankful that I listened and didn't try driving into the city that day. I have gained an appreciation for my cell phone and learned never to depend on my GPS getting me to where I need to go. Since that day I have seen a million Verizon stores that are fairly close to our house. Figures. Well not a million but at least three and that day I only needed one of them. I respect all the people that live here and go through the traffic and driving each and every day. I can't even imagine.
Have you ever been lost? How long were you lost and how did you end up finding your way?

Sunday Shopping

Growing up in Idaho there was not a lot of opportunity to do a lot of activities on Sunday. Most places are closed or have shorter hours for the day. Even in the small communities however there were still places open. Target, Walmart and the mall are open on Sunday as well as most of the restaurant chains. The smaller locally owned businesses were closed but other than that you could eat anywhere you wanted. With that said it was on a very rare occasion that we did much shopping or eating out on Sunday. The shopping was only done for emergencies like medicine. I can count the number of times I've eaten out on a Sunday in Idaho on one hand. It's not because we couldn't but because we were choosing not to. I didn't plan on changing those practices when we made the move to NJ a month ago but circumstances have changed our plans a bit.
Sunday is Jeff's only day off which means Sunday is the only day I have a car to get groceries or anything else like that. I know what the recommendations will be. Go before he leaves or when he gets home. Those are GREAT ideas! but a no go. You see he leaves at 9 am. That means I would have to have my two kids and I out the door by 6:30 to get to a grocery store by 7 and that would give us an hour to an hour and a half to get the shopping done and be back home for Jeff to leave. While that does sound like a great time I'm not sure it's physically possible. I'm pretty sure myself or my children would not survive the trip. Since he doesn't get home until midnight that's not an option either. Plus I stay up until he gets home so waking up to be out by 6:30 would be impossible for me.
So the first Sunday we were here we decided to run to Target to grab a few things that we didn't bring and we needed. We pull into the parking lot and it is completely empty. Wow, Target is closed on Sunday. I made some comment about did we move to Provo and I just thought we were in NJ. (HA!) So we go look for a few more places, closed, closed, closed. Even the malls here are closed on Sunday. No shorter hours they just do not open. I never thought we would have a harder time here than in the west trying to find a place open on Sunday. I decided to Google why the stores are closed on Sunday here and this is what I found.

Many stores in the United States have reduced hours of operation on Sundays (most often 11 a.m. or noon to 5 or 6 p.m.), although the recent trend has led to expansion. A few local municipalities still prohibit Sunday shopping, and many others prohibit it until a certain time (most often noon or 1 p.m.), especially in regard to selling alcohol.

One of the last major areas to completely prohibit Sunday shopping is Bergen County, New Jersey.^[21] This area contains one of the largest and most popular commercial shopping cores of the New York metropolitan area (for example, one of three local Ikea stores is found here, the store is the only one in the United States to be closed on Sunday). Ironically, the area is not considered to be particularly religious compared to the U.S. population at large; and it also has significant Jewish and Muslim populations whose observant members would not be celebrating the Sabbath on Sunday. But attempts to repeal the law have failed as many locals either like to keep the law on the books as a protest against the growing trend of increased Sunday shopping activity in American society or fear the potential increase of Sunday traffic on major local roads such as Rt. 4 or Rt. 17. Some local Orthodox Jews who are off both days of the weekend have complained about the law because it limits their ability to get shopping done on the weekend without having to travel to a neighboring county as religious beliefs prohibit shopping on Friday night or on Saturday before sunset, which in the summer can be right before most department stores and malls close.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunday_shopping

So there you go. We have moved to the only place in the United States that requires every store be closed on Sunday. Any thought of shopping on Sunday has been taken care of for me unless we decide to drive somewhere else. Our Sunday drives are quite entertaining to say the least. Any thoughts from my readers on stores being closed on Sunday and it making it harder or easier to get things done. And if you were me living in a completely different world for the summer would you take advantage of your husbands day off and see the sites or would you go to church and have a family day at home? I am torn with both. I will NEVER be here for this time frame again. There are so many things to see and do and so many things I want my children to experience while we are here. Unfortunately that means those experiences are on Sunday. But at the same time we are together as a family and learning about our great country so it's not all bad right.

The sweetest things

I have spent a lot of time these past few weeks just enjoying my children. We are lucky enough to be spending the summer in NJ/NY. Because of this my one and only responsibility is playing with my children every day. It has been the biggest blessing in my life. I completely expected to move here for the summer and have a busy, action packed summer with every day full of activities and sight seeing. I never dreamed it would be here that I would learn to slow down in life, to simplify, and to enjoy the little things. I have been able to learn patience, although it will probably always be one of my biggest weaknesses. I have been making a effort each and every day to see my children the way their Father in Heaven sees them. They each have their own personalities that are so different. Instead of comparing how different they are I have been enjoying what makes each of them unique. I always want to remember each and every thing that they do. It breaks my heart to think that I will never be able to see G be 1 again and all the funny things she did but I am loving all the fun and wonderful things she is doing at 2 years old. I look at I and wonder where all the time went and how I went from having a baby boy to having this little man.
Some things I want to remember about each of them right now
I~ He LOVES Monster Trucks and still loves to tell everyone that he had a monster truck birthday party.
His sweetness and patience amaze and humble me.
He listens and hears everything. He is so observant to the world around him and wants to know how and why everything works the way it does.
He has a memory that just wont quit. He can remember peoples names, the color of shirt they were wearing and things they said days later.
I love that 99% of the time if I ask him to do something he does it no questions asked. Even if he is having the best time somewhere if I ask him to get his shoes on because we need to go he will. If two weeks ago I told him no running in the hall he will remember and ask his sister to not run because mom doesn't like us to. His obedience is such a wonderful quality and saves me from having to chase two children down and drag them home.
He loves to make people laugh.
He has a smile that can brighten my day no matter what.
He is my example of being Christlike. His love and acceptance for everyone and his patience are just amazing. He always tells me to not talk angry if he even senses the slightest impatience in my voice. It his through his example and encouragement that have made me want to be the best person I can be.
I still love the reactions we get when he tells people how old he is. Its been that way from the time he was 6 months old. Everyone always thinks he's older than he is because of how tall he is.
I love the way he plays with the tassels on his blanket while he is sleeping.

G~ Oh, where to start with my busy little bee.
She is so independent it's crazy. She wants to do things herself and on her time schedule. There is no other option.
She is so self sufficient. She depends on nobody. If she wants or needs someone she will not ask she will get it herself. The things she can do at two is just mind blowing. I have often found here putting the straw into a juice pouch or sitting with a box of crackers.
She can climb anything. I knew the day I found her hanging from the fire place mantle (when she was only 1) we were in trouble. There is no place high enough if it is something she wants she will find a way and she will get it. She loves hanging from anything. The table, the counter, a handrail, the shopping cart. I think she really thinks she is a monkey. She loves to climb and be up high.
I don't think she has any fears. If she does she hasn't let us know about them.
She LOVES kitties and puppies and animals in general. I have never see a child get so excited about any and every dog she sees.
Even as independent as she is she still loves to cuddle. I am so glad I have a cuddly baby. She has loved to be held from day one. She loves sleeping next to us. We have gone through many times of having to break her out of the habit and get her to sleep in her own bed. It's hard when I enjoy cuddling with her as much as she does.
I love that when she gets hurt even if it doesn't hurt that bad she will do her cute little fake cry and come to me for loves and kisses.
I love that if she is doing her fake cry because I have told her no about something that she peeks at me through her fingers to see if I'm watching.
I love that she says hi to everyone she sees. She is quite the little social butterfly and wins peoples hearts in an instant. With her cute little hi and wave and those wild curls everywhere and her dark brown eyes she captivates the room instantly.
She loves to put on a show and she loves it when people laugh or encourage whatever she is doing.
I love that even though she can talk she still uses her sign language.
I love that when she hears a baby cry she looks at me and says baby, cry, baby sad? then she says baby and does the sign for milk.
I love the little hand signal she does when she wants to go swimming and the way she says swim is just the cutest thing ever.
She can stay up all night if there is something going on but no matter what time she goes to bed she is up bright and early in the morning. We will never know where she got that trait from. Neither J or I are morning people.
I think it's so funny that she wiggles her feet while she is falling asleep. It's only funny because I do the exact same thing but I don't ever realize it unless I'm holding her while she is doing it and then I notice I'm doing it too. She has done it from the time she was brand new. I don't have any idea how long I have done it. Jeff brought it to my attention after we first got married so at least 9 years.
I love that she calls herself baby. If you ask who everyone is she tells you their names and then if you point to her and say who's this she will say baby. If there is something she wants she says baby's and takes it. She is my baby and I just want to enjoy her that way so I love it.
She has taught me so many wonderful things. I am constantly wondering where she gets her energy from. She is the busiest little thing. But I know it's because she doesn't want to miss a single thing in life. She is so excited to see and experience each and every little thing and I have completely enjoyed seeing the world through her eyes. She loves life and has shared that love with all around her.
My biggest challenge of being the mother of these complete opposites is how to raise and guide them without breaking who they are and who they can become. With I he needs a gentle push and encouragement in life and he will be a great silent leader and a very devoted and loving person. I don't want to ruin that. I want him to have that love and compassion and trust in the things around him. With G I have to learn how to be her mom and set rules without breaking her spirit and holding her back from her greatness. Her drive and stubbornness will do great things for her some day and she holds many of the qualities that are needed to be a self reliant, driven person.
I just need to be the best mom because they deserve that. They are the best kids.

Fashionista Advice

Okay ladies (if I still have readers) I need everyone's opinion on a white shirt. I have found white shirts for the rest of my household but haven't been able to find one for me that I love. I would like to get family pictures taken while we are at the beach here in NY and then some outdoors ones when we get back home with everyone wearing white shirts. The boys have a very casual button/snap up shirt with white on white design. G has a cute little girls white shirt with puff sleeves. Now I just need something for me. I don't want a button up shirt because they are cute but I think it would look too stiff in beach pictures. I want something with a little more class and eye candy than just a basic white cap sleeve. So I need you're vote and if you can find others that aren't on this list please, PLEASE, leave a link in the comments. Thank you, Thank you!
The photo above is a shirt at Aeropostale and it comes in white. The white just doesn't show up very good on here.
#2 from Anthropologie

#3 from Anthropologie (it doesn't come in true white would ivory stand out too bad?)

And while we are on the topic of anthropologie can I just say that the dresses on their site are amazing. The shapes and colors and cuts I could look at them for hours. Too bad I was born with a tall body and dresses never hit me in the right spot and end up looking really funny on me. They are still pretty to look at though.
While I'm talking about pretty things I am in love, love with this shirt. I love the cut and the girly details.

Thoughts

I have been super crazy busy lately and have been just trying to keep up on my family blog so I haven't made much time for myself. Part of that is this blog. I have been recently thinking a lot about all the changes in weather and storms/natural disasters we have been seeing. That combined with the state of our economy I have been really worried about taking care of my little family.
I have been mentally making a list of things I need to start getting for our storage. Even if we don't experience a natural disaster we never know what can happen. I want to have my family be okay if something were to happen to myself or my husband. If he were injured and unable to work I want the peace of mind that my children would not go hungry and we would still have a roof over our heads and a vehicle to drive.
We have our cars completely paid off which is a huge thing for us. We have not had a car payment in 5 years. It's such a relief to know that no matter what we have a vehicle and if worse came to worse we have something of value to sell to get money.
I have worked a little on our storage but have gone through some times when we have needed it so it has been used and not replenished like it needs to be. We are hoping that this summer job helps out the financial things for a bit so we can get everything in place that needs to be.
As far as a roof over our heads we are really lucky to have such a small mortgage payment. It's something that could be manageable in a bad situation. With all the foreclosures and the housing market the way it is I am so thankful for my little home. It may not be everything I dream of but it is our home and we have made many memories there. I'm hoping that eventually the market will improve and we will be done with school and be able to get some equity out of the house to keep our payments low on our next home. I guess only time will tell that part.
Anyway here is a video clip I found today that really hit me hard and increased the urgency that I already feel. It is produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints but they are talking about our nation and economy. I particularly love the speech by Ezra Taft Benson. Since he was the Secretary of Agriculture it makes it all that more valid. Not only was he inspired but he was witnessing all of it himself.


His full speech can be seen all over the internet and is very good. This is a link to a good version without the hum.

Time

Wow! Where does the time go?! One minute it's the beginning of April and I'm swimming along in my classes and at home and the next minute I blink and the end of May is here. It's been a crazy couple of weeks. Both kids had birthday's along with Makah and Grandma F. I had finals that I'm glad to say I survived but it was one of the worst weeks ever. We started a minor bathroom update that has turned into a whole house redo and I've been busy packing and cleaning. We have a wonderful adventure waiting for us if we can get all the construction stuff done. I will post before and after pictures it will blow you away. I just wanted to update that I'm still alive and kicking!

Yummy!!

A special thank you to Laura for helping me with my craving last night. I was blog stalking last night as I usually do around 11:00 pm and I really wanted some cookies. I didn't want the mess or the time of cookies however. Plus my kids room is right around the corner from the kitchen so I didn't want all the noise of my mixer and all that jazz either. Well it was fate. I was catching up on Laura's blog and saw this recipe. I looked at it for a second and thought for sure she had accidentally left off some ingredients or maybe not accidentally so people she didn't like would try to make them and have them be a flop. After seeing all the comments about how good they were I thought what the heck. They were so easy and SO good! They are a soft peanut butter cookie which as far as I'm concerned should be the only kind. I hate dry, hard cookies, period! So if you have nine minutes to spare make some delicious cookies. FYI it made about 2 dozen. I always wonder that when I look at recipe's and it's the first thing I write on them if it's not there just so I have a reference for next time I want to make them.

Blink of an Eye

It's really scary how fast life can change. Today I went from being stressed about my Anatomy and Physiology exam that I have tomorrow to a much bigger, deeper worry. I hate those phone calls. The ones that make your stomach drop and your heart race. I have received three of them. The first one when my Uncle died. That was the first personal experience I have had with death. My grandfather died when I was very young so I don't remember much about that experience. I remember exactly where I was when my dad called to tell me my uncle had died. I remember the feeling that rushed over me and the ache for my aunt and cousins. The next phone call was when my Grandmother had passed away. That one was harder for me. She was my grandma. She was the nurse that was going to help me through school. I wanted both my grandma's to see and hold my babies. I know they did, just not on this earth. I experienced the same feeling today when my stepmom called to tell me my dad was being rushed into surgery. It's amazing to me how fast all the things in life that really don't matter slip away in that moment and all that matters are the things that REALLY matter.
I'm so thankful for the faith and example of little children. Being so far away from my dad there was nothing I could do but pray. My little boy was so concerned and sat with me and talked with me about Grandpa being sick. Then he prayed with me. After the prayer he said, "Mom, Grandpa will be better now." What faith and love they have. It was shortly after that I received another phone call and this one was much better news. Everything went well and Grandpa is home resting.
I learned some valuable lessons today. Never put off that phone call to loved ones to tell them you love them or just to talk. My dad has been on my mind this past week because I haven't talked to him because I'm never home between school and running around kids and everything else. I also learned family is the most important thing. These things are things I already knew. They are things I think about and am thankful for daily. It's things like this that really put it all into perspective and help us remember to say I love you before leaving or making sure to give your kids a goodnight hug.
I love you daddy. Thank you for all you do and the many things you have taught me in life. Most of all thank you for being my wonderful example and teacher. Get feeling better and I will see you soon.

Thank Goodness

Some of you may or may not know about the computer virus I managed to get on the computer a few weeks ago. I cried. Every day I would remember something else I needed that was on my computer and couldn't get to. All the money and time (downloading music and scrapbooking stuff), all the school papers, all my Modbe stuff, all the pictures of the kids. I was sad. Funny thing it only deleted my things. Yeah all of my dear husbands documents were still there. It was a gender specific virus I guess. Well since his stuff was there he wasn't in a huge rush to call his computer buddy to come fix it. I begged, I reminded, I pleaded, I cried, I threw temper tantrums (not really but I really wanted to), and I nagged. All with the same response. Nadda. So what do I do? I take over his desktop. I made his wallpaper the most girly, bright, floral pattern I could find. I downloaded and flooded his desktop with new scrapbook icons, I reset his home page, I re-organized his favorite list, I pretty much made everything as much of a reminder and point that I was going to take over his space if he didn't help me get back mine. Guess how long it took him to call his buddy after that. Instant! So my computer is back and I was so excited. Everything is still there! He thinks a windows update saved and restored everything. I'm sure my husband was glad to get his desktop back.

Goals

Last night I had Bunco. It is very low key and just more of a fun ladies night than anything else. It's always very refreshing to get out of the house even just for an hour and be a grown up. I love my children, I love that for the most part I am home with them, but I think for me to give myself to them 100% I need to take care of myself as well. It's nice to get out and visit with everyone but I feel even better when I get home. It's that little boost I need and that little time away so when I come home and see those beautiful smiling faces I truly appreciate them.
I do have classes and get away for school but for me it's not the same. School is stressful and it's my "job" right now. I do enjoy it for the most part. I love learning new things, I love reading, I love the knowledge portion of it. The stress and the tests I could do without. I have been in school for what feels like forever. I am in no way a traditional student. Lately I have been seeing all of the time and money I have put into this and not having an end in sight is just really getting to me. I feel like I will never be done and be able to move on to the next chapter in my life. I know that's not true but that's how I feel about it right now.
Last night being Bunco in itself was good for me but it was also good for me because one of our girls couldn't make it and the substitute was just the person I needed to meet. She is the director of the flight team at the major hospital here. She was a flight nurse for I think she said 8 or 9 years. That is my ultimate dream job! I don't care if I just make one flight as long as I do it once in my lifetime. Just talking with her reminded me that this is just a brief moment in the grand scheme of things. I will have my time to be a nurse and possibly a flight nurse, and most of all I was reminded that all of this stress, time, money, sacrificing, and all of the other fun things that come with being a mom and going to school, is worth it. There is something wonderful at the end. My goal is reachable. I think it's hard for me to remember that because it's so far off (it seems) and all the people I talk to about it are either in my same boat or in the nursing program with all of that additional stress and time and it's really easy to see the negative and get down. It's really easy to think this will last forever and it's too hard and I can't do it.
So today I look forward to the application process, the nursing programs, the time away from my family, the all night study parties because what I want is at the other end and I will be better because of it.

I heart Vitamin D

I have a million things I should be doing today, like studying for an exam I have tomorrow, but the sun is finally shining and it's not totally freezing outside. We got out I's bike and the chalk and the kids and I have spent the past few hours soaking up the sunshine. It is really nice (well nice compared to the weather we've had) and I think the kids were as excited as I was to be out there. I kept feeling guilty and thinking I needed to be doing other things so I would say okay guys it's time to go in and they would both beg for a few more minutes. I was secretly wanting them to because I really didn't want to go in either.
I cleaned out the flower beds that are no longer covered in snow and frozen (I still have a few that are). It felt so good to be outside and working in the yard. It is a chore I completely love to do. There is just something rewarding and fulfilling about it. Now I don't have a beautiful amazing yard (someday) but I love working with what I have.
I love working with my children. I think it's so important to have a common goal to work towards even something like raking leaves in the yard. It brings us together as a family. I got to just enjoy my children and see the world through their little eyes. I love that they are so excited about things I have forgotten about. I love that they remind me to stop and enjoy looking at the funny way the clouds are moving or watch the birds and try to figure out where they are flying to. There are so many amazing beauties in this world and there is something very refreshing and calming to stop and enjoy them with a child. Their wonder and curiosity makes me smile and sparks my inner wonder and curiosity.
I remember planting flowers and gardening with my parents. It was always a family activity and they involved everyone as much as possible. It was time we got to spend as a family, talk and have fun. It's those memories I cherish. Those are the foundations I want to pass on to my children. I want them to know that work can be fun and rewarding.
So today, instead of studying for my all important exam, I was making memories with my children. Probably memories I will remember more than they will but I got to see my children laugh and play and help their mom and that's more rewarding than any A on any test.

My enchanted tales

I have been planning on doing this for some time now. I wanted my own place. My own place to be me and share my ideas, thoughts, feelings and tales. I love my family blog but I want it to be that, a family blog about my family. Because there is so much information about my family on there it is going to be private very soon. There are too many scary things in this world. If you would like to be a part of my family blog email me at enchanted[dot]tales[at]hotmail[dot]com. I look forward to sharing my enchanted tales of my life as a mommy, student, wife and woman with all of you.

Modbe Giveaway

What a great way to start out my new blog. I'm switching over the Modbe gift card to this blog.

I am doing this raffle through my email contacts and I decided to open it up to my blog as well.

Enter the Raffle for a $20 Gift Card...

Now through April 15, 2008...

1. Leave a comment and link this contest on your blog for one entry.
If you link here from a different blog leave their name in your comment for an additional entry for each of you. (If your blog is private be sure to invite me so I can come on over and contact you if you win)