I am thankful for....

During this holiday season, I thought it would be appropriate to express my gratitude for a few of life's trivial things that I love. 

     One of the greatest things ever is the tiny little button labeled ONSTAR in my suburban. Just last week I used it twice.  Once for detour driving directions during a massive accident on I-20 on Thanksgiving day, and just yesterday to unlock the doors so I could drive my kids to school at 7a.m..  I get so excited when that nice lady answers my pleas for help.  She is so quick and efficient and she never whines.  Bryan says I shouldn't be proud of the fact that I lock my keys in the car so often.  I'd like to see him do better...the stupid car locks itself!!

     The second thing I am grateful for is the insurance that is available for my teenager's cell phone.  Who knew we would take advantage of it after only 4 weeks.  Blake swears his friend's dog ate the phone.  I am more convinced that it is under a pile of leaves somewhere on his friend's property.  Just a note..when you are playing capture the flag at night, don't leave your cell phone in your hoodies' front pocket.  And if it does happen to fall out, make sure it isn't on vibrate so that you have a better chance of finding it!!  There was never a better $5.00 spent this last month!

      And lastly, I am grateful for the Robie Comb that costs $29.95 at Walgreens.  It can zap a lice dead in seconds.  I have never washed more sheets, vacuumed more carpet, boiled more brushes, or pulled out more nits than I have the past two days.  Don't believe what the school nurse tells you.  Chances are, if she tells you she only found three eggs, there are probably more like 200.  Thanks to good neighbors that don't care to inform you that their children have had lice for 5 weeks!!!!  I think I have a handle on it, but if you happen to see Sarah walking around bald soon,  just know that I have lost it!!!  The only thing that would make this any better is if that nice ONSTAR lady would come and help me pick the nits and fold the laundry!

The worst turkey cupcakes ever!

I've never ever done anything ahead of time.  I am a last minute, fly by the seat of my pants gal.  I thrive on seeing just how close I can cut it!  For some reason this past weekend I lost all sense of who I am and how I operate best, and decided to get some of the food ready early for Jacob's feast on Monday morning.  You see, I am his room mother and I don't like much help, because nobody does it how I want it!!!!  (one of my I want it perfect therefore, I need control issues!)  Well, feeling quite proud and confident, I went ahead and baked and frosted the chocolate cupcakes for the cute turkeys I was creating with cookies and licorice sticks.  Then I went ahead and baked the pumpkin tarts and the corn muffins.  On Saturday night I decided to go ahead and assemble the turkeys.  I went to bed feeling like I worked hard and it would pay off!  Well, when I woke up Sunday morning, half of the turkeys had molted!  Their licorice feathers were everywhere all over the counter!  One turkey even lost his head.  I was so mad, but knew I had to work with what I had because I didn't have any more supplies.  So, with a whole lot of frosting, I tried to glue the suckers back together.  I popped all my popcorn, put the turkey and cheese skewers together and went to bed.  This morning, when I woke up, two of the turkeys lost their heads but looked decent.  Off to school I went with all of my junk.  This is when the fun began.  I got the whole feast set up and carefully put a cute turkey cupcake at every child's desk.  I felt confident that the 2nd graders wouldn't notice the trauma the turkeys had been through.  Oh, how I was wrong.  One little boy asked me if I had made the turkeys.  After I said yes, he told me his looked awful and was falling apart!  I almost threw the cupcake at him, but instead I told him there were starving children in Africa and he needed to just shut up and eat it!!  Then another little boy, told me that his popcorn was the worst he had ever tasted!  Needless to say, I left the feast deflated and swore to never do anything ahead of time again.  

A few of the reasons I don't post more often!

Or get any thing else accomplished for that matter!  

An Oompa-Loompa....Really??

Maybe a hershy's kiss was not the best choice for a costume for Emily this halloween.  I thought it was cute and it was in Sarah's closet, so it was also free.  But after a neighbor and a friend mistaked her for an oompa-loompa, I felt bad for Emily and a bit flustered at my neighbor and friend.  After all what mother of a dwarf child would dress them up as a dwarf for halloween.  And if you happen to forget to use your brain, then perhaps you could just open your eyes.  It was quite obvious to me and others what Emily was.  So for clarification purposes only, here are a few more pictures of Emily as a Hershy's Kiss!!

Halloween-Lots of Treats-Not many Tricks

We had a super fun Halloween.  It was pretty typical.  We spent lots of time getting our costumes on and makeup just right.  Next, we had to take photos of course.  Then without any arguments from the kids, it was off to collect the candy!  Emily made it to two houses and then she just wanted to sit down and eat her collections, so we went home and passed out candy together.  Bryan took Jacob, and they made it to every house in the neighborhood.  Sarah and Blake went trick or treating with their friends.  They didn't come home with much candy, so who knows what they did with their time!

Tag, I'm It!!!

I've been tagged by Jaime, and I really think these things are funny, but I've never had time to disclose my answers.  Emily is down for a quick nap, so I have a few minutes.  Here goes...

10 Years Ago, I...

1.  Was completely relieved because Bryan finally finished Medical School.  I thought the hard part of life was behind us, little did I know!

2.  Gave birth to my beautiful Sarah...wow how time flies.

3.  Packed up and moved to Tyler, Texas when Sarah was two days old.

4.  Watched Bryan walk out the door to start his residency program, therefore leaving me a single mom of two small children for three years.

5.  Was a lot more organized!

5 Things on Today's To-Do-List...

1.  Get Sarah signed up to play volleyball this fall.

2.  Pick up Emily's clothes at the alteration shop.  (I really need to get my sewing machine and scissors out and dust them off.)

3.  Finish putting together Jacob and Emily's Halloween treat bags for their classes.

4.  Make Taco Soup and Corn Bread for dinner tonight.

5.  Pick up some styrofoam balls at the store so that Blake can get his project on mitosis done. (NO I'M NOT DOING IT!)

5 Things I would do if I were a Millionaire...

1.  Pay off all our debt.

2.  Set aside money for my kid's educations.

3.  Go on some amazing vacations to Europe,  Hawaii, and Alaska.

4.  Make sure that our family members and friends are taken care of.

5.  Give to charity.

5 Places I have lived...

1.  Houston, TX. 

2.  Provo, UT 

3.  Whitehouse,  TX

4.  Tyler, TX

5.  ?

5 Jobs I've had...

1.  Data Entry for Redken (beauty supply warehouse)

2.  Lab Assistant for a Geneticist

3.  BYU telephone operator

4.  RN at Primary Children's Hospital

5.  Mommy...by far the hardest!

I tag Hannah, Deborah,  Leah, Jamie Handy,  and Carrie

Pitiful, Sweet, Emily!

Emily has never been known for her happy disposition.  From the day she was born, I have had to stand on my head, bounce her around, walk, and offer candy to get her to stop whining.  Any normal parent can understand how emotionally and physically draining this can be.  Well, after this last weekend, I thought I was going to lose all control and pull out my hair.  We went to Dallas to see family and attend the horrible BYU game.  Emily cried and whined most of the 4 days we were there, not to mention stayed completely glued to my hip and wiped snot all over my shirts.  She even mentioned to fall several times and bang her head the few times she let me put her down.  Of course this led to more crying and more strings of snot!  So...out of desperation, I made an appointment with her pediatrician, because for some reason her own father, the doctor cannot figure out why she's crying.  When the doctor informed me that Emily had a double ear infection, I breathed a sigh of relief and almost felt a little giddy.  I also felt justified for wasting my $20.oo co-pay because her father doesn't have time to look in her ears!  I often wish Emily would be a happy bubbly girl, but if she cries because she's sick, then I will deal!  Now all I have to do is figure out a clever way to get her to take 20 doses of of "yucky" antibiotic.  Candy bribes don't work, trust me I've tried!