Thursday, March 13, 2008

DUMB PUPPY!!

I'm going to be out of commission for a bit. My new puppy decided to chew up the power cord on my laptop. (I won't mention how "Dad" left it on the floor after playing computer games last night) It doesn't work now. After $100 for the new cord, next day shipping and taxes - it should be here soon.

Until then . . . . signing off. :(

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Actually thinking ahead!

My sister told me about Scrappy Notes a while back when I saw her cute notepad and I just had to have one myself. So, I went online to Scrappy Notes and ordered myself a cute notepad with my kids on it.

This is the vellum cover with my kids.
You can choose from over 150 different heads with different hair styles and colors, bows, hats, etc. And you can get so many different styles - gummed, perforated, bow, no bow, etc.

This is at the bottom of each individual perforated page! Such fun!!
Kylee got the first note for her teacher off the pad. She was so excited! When I gave her the note she said, "Circle the head of me so she knows it's about me!" What a silly girl - it's HER teacher! :) But I obliged.


Then I got a brilliant idea and bought these:

I will use them for end of the year teacher gifts! Use a little fun school-themed ribbon and tie on a personalized pen and Voila! Instant great gift and personalized! Who doesn't love that!?!?! YEA for me for thinking ahead!! 2 months ahead!! WOW!

I ordered them on March 3 and they came within 1 week! And great cust. svc. too! I had ordered some others for friends (great b-day gifts!) and had misspelled someone's name. They answered the phone (sounds like just a Mom running it out of her home) and was super nice! Fixed it and no questions asked. Scrappy Notes! Check 'em out!!

Goverment workers!

I'm so irate right now!

Since we have moved in the mailman has put my garbage can IN THE MIDDLE OF MY DRIVEWAY about 6 times!! Usually I am not home or teaching when he comes and don't have time to move the can from where it sits in front of the mailboxes. Well, today I had just finished teaching and went into the kitchen to fix myself some lunch and hear this loud noise out front. I walk to my front window and see the mailtruck sitting out front, the garbage can in my driveway - again!, and the mailman putting mail in the boxes. I stand at the door, apprehensive that I might lose control if I walk out there. I open the door, proceed out to get the can and say, "I JUST got home." He turns and looks at me and says, "What?" I then repeat, "I JUST got home! There is nothing I can do if I'm not home and I can't put it on the other curb because then the garbage man can't make the turn. So just deal with it!" He turns back to the mailboxes and ignores me!

IGNORES ME!! I guess I should be grateful he didn't yell back and we didn't get in an argument. And he was the better person who turned the other cheek. I walked in the door just fuming and probably way too oversensitive about it but it makes me angry that he can't just set the can aside, do his job and move on. He has to go out of his way to move into MY way, assuming I will "learn my lesson" or something. I don't think it's that hard for him to move it 2 feet rather than I move it 50 or more to a neighbors. Frustrating as it is - at least now he knows I'm upset over it. I have come home numerous times and found the can in my way so I couldn't drive in my garage. Apparently the gal who lived here previously was home all the time and pulled the can in immediately after it was emptied. I DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO DO THAT EACH WEEK!! I'm a WORKING MOM!

*BIG SIGH!!* I feel much better now. Thanks for listening!

Long Winded!?!?

OH MY!! I got online today and noticed how LONG yesterdays post was!! For those who read it - BLESS YOU! I owe you a beverage (the one you probably consumed while reading it!) Well, let's hope these pics make up for it! :)

My lovely stools which I adore. Geoff has promised I can get the next 2 this week! They were expecting some this weekend. I LOVE Potato Barn and think they are pretty reasonably priced. We love their beds, couches, tables, etc. I'm not real keen on everything - especially their entertainment centers. I feel those are not as sturdy as they should be. So we purchased ours from Timberpoint Furniture. This is a fun store too! They have raw wood furniture and then you can pick out your finish. We chose this red but now we want to find a professional to paint or stain it black. Anyone know of someone who does this? We also want to paint the mantel to match.
















(Don't you just love the missing door on the bottom? My kids thought it would be fun to hang on it while looking for a movie. It's being repaired. UG!)






The yard is so fun! Still have to decide on the daisy trees. What do you think? Plant in the ground or pot? I can't wait to get the pavers down so my students have a place to sit! We are growing to LOVE our little yard and enjoy the time out front with neighbors and friends! It is the prime spot for many a game of anything (baseball or football) these days!!



The carpets are done and look great! Amazing how nice it is under your feet when it's clean. Even under the couches had dirt that I could not believe!! Geoff has decided whether spotted or not - we should make this a bi-annual thing. Then it won't be so bad in between! Kinda like emptying/rotating your 55-gal water barrels around General Conf. Now we'll also clean the carpets. We'll see how long this idea lasts! But for now, we'll just lie around and enjoy the clean carpets!

Last night I went and auditioned for a show. I won't mention which one until I hear if I made it or not. :) Although I'm unsure if they found enough Asian-decent actors in the valley to cast the majority of the roles. There's your hint! They are to call in the next day or two. I'll keep you posted!

I'm tired and ready to nap but must teach a few lessons, do a few loads of laundry, etc. Oh! And figure out something for dinner. Anyone else dread this like I do? I really need to get on the ball and work on my list again. It's been 2 weeks and I can't find the time to sit and work on it. Need my menu and grocery list done!! Any volunteers? :)

Monday, March 10, 2008

Weekend Update

This weekend was . . . umm . . . productive?

On Friday, Geoff was off work and so we hit the town. Well, we ran around enjoying the time together. We went to Home Depot and then Potato Barn. We found the bed we want for our room but decided to wait until we could do it all (flat screen tv, new bedding and the bay window seat we're having built, etc). So, instead we bought two of the stools I'd been eyeing for some time. They were $10 more than I'd found online but I didn't have to pay shipping and no worries if they would make it or not, in one piece.
On the way home, we stopped at Wal-mart to walk through their garden area for edging. We can't decide what to do out front. I have these great planter pods on each corner of my lot but we are on a bit of a slope. So when the sprinklers/drips go on - the water and soil run out. I hate to do too much while we are renting but hoping when we buy it we can raise the yard. But for now, we thought of putting edging. We didn't find anything we really liked that wouldn't look odd next too the rolled curb they put in. So, we just opted for some soil, flowers and and "oh well". We got home just before kids got here. It was funny to watch as the kids came in. The girls first. They noticed their magazines from Limited Too and Justice came in the mail and were on the counter. They pulled out the new stools, hopped up and proceeded to look at them without saying a word about what they were sitting on. About 20 minutes later I mentioned how did they like the stools? It was then they noticed what they had parked themselves on and oo'd and ah'd! HA!

I finished teaching at 5:30PM and after dinner was started I headed outside. The girls wanted to plant the flowers so badly. I was trying to explain to them that you have to prep it first when I realized all the flowers were moved to the lawn by the pods. So, I quickly worked to prep the corners. Added new soil and some blood and bone meal to it. With last years soil prep and this year on top, I'm hoping it will get better and better. It was not pretty when we moved in. I actually hated the corners and asked Geoff if we could just take up the edging and make it one big lawn. But after the weeks of removing the clay, rock and weeds - I love them. When there are flowers - they look gorgeous! Geoff still has to fix 2 more bubbler heads but for now, they are getting enough water and I'll help them along as needed. Well after an hour or so of working outside, I headed to, none other than, the theatre. After the show, visited with some past theater buddies who came to see the show. Arrived home to find - a mess. Unusual? Nope. I started to clean and got the "Stop it or you'll make me feel guilty - I'll do it in the morning" comments. I ignored it and proceeded to finish cleaning, insistent that I wasn't going to wake up to a messy house. He helped . . . a little. :)

The next morning I got up and did a little more cleaning on the house. I didn't have much to do since Geoff did as he promised and had vacuumed and folded some laundry and done the dishes - all before I got up! I swept and mopped the floors and put more laundry in (does this EVER go away?) and then headed outside. I prepped the other corner lot for flowers. The girls helped as we planted a few flowers before I had to teach. After 3 lessons and 2 hours later, we were back outside working. We planted most of the flowers and they were looking good. At 1:30PM I ran in and took a quick shower (love how easy and quick my hair is now!), "pur-teed" up a bit and I left again for the theatre (matinee). I returned around 5PM after stopping for more soil on the way home and an outfit from Old Navy for my church meeting. (I'm in this crappy 'tweener' size. Too fat for my old clothes but too thin for some of my newer ones. HATE IT!) I got back to planting - with my girls help. We finished up and the yard looks so much better! Geoff bought me a daisy tree and I think we're gonna get one more. We'll bookend my bench with them. Just can't decide if I bury them in the ground or plant them in a pot. Either way I'll have to water them. So, who knows. Also, depends how how hard the ground is (needs to be at least a foot deep) and how much the pots are that I like (could get rather pricey).

We showered and cleaned up for our Stake Conference Adult session. We went with our neighbors, and enjoyed the ride visiting. Afterwards we went to dinner at Red Lobster with them and another couple. Geoff and our neighbor had a bet about who could give up the "carbonated" stuff. Geoff won and they had bet dinner at Red Lobster. We felt guilty taking dinner but they insisted and we couldn't try to give them money. We'll just have to take them out sometime in return, I guess. We felt a little out of place since the other couple were long time friends of theirs and closer to them in age but we enjoyed the company and tons of laughter!

We arrived home to find the house still picked up. YEA for Jonathan who was babysitting since Kylee had a party to go to. They watched the new DVD we bought - Mr. Magorium's Magic Emporium. They said they liked it. Bedtime was after that and we hit the hay.

I had to be at the Red Mtn Instititute Bldg at 8AM for choir practice. That's just too early to sing; especially the high notes she kept throwing at me! But it was nice to have a good seat and be able to enjoy the spirit closer. Our stake is rather large (as most are here) and I would consider quite active. Unable to fit everyone into the stake center, they opt for this larger bldg. It's nice but further than I'd like to drive (even though it's still only a little over 5 miles) and I HATE having to fight my kids. Geoff dropped me off and returned home to get everyone ready. The meeting started at 10AM and was so nice! The facts shared about Pres. Monson were so fun to hear. The stories about "quickly obeying" and "It's all about ME" were enlightening. The rest hymn with all the primary kids singing I Am A Child Of God (and the adults joining in on the 4th verse) was emotional! The Temple Pres. and Matron's remarks on being better about temple attendance was encouraging. We are so blessed to live in times like these and have such wonderful leaders so near!!

After the meeting, instead of playing hide and seek with Geoff and the kids, I caught a ride home with a sister in the ward that sang in the choir. She tried to convince me, yet again, to buy the home next door to her. :) It's so hard to tell her no thank you. We love our little house but I know she is praying for a good LDS family to move in next door to her. When I got home, Geoff had left me a message saying that he and the kids went to his dad's office to clean (it's our weekly extra income - although right now Kylee is doing it for her CA school trip money). So, I had about an hour to myself. I folded yet another load of laundry and fixed myself a yummy beverage with Sonic ice!

When Geoff got home, he insisted that we get another project crossed off. So he proceeded to begin cleaning the carpets in 2 rooms. UG! I know it's not the best Sunday activity but I have to take the moments when I can and we spent a lot of time together as we went through drawers and closets in the boys and Maddi's room. Geoff came in after us and shampooed. As they dried we napped and enjoyed some "quality" time. This is where my girls sat at the counter trying to plan Maddi's birthday party, I napped on the couch with 2 puppies and Geoff sat on the floor watching the game and the boys went to the backyard to work on their Pinewood Derby cars that were ready to be painted. (Stickers and decals come tonight and this coming weekend is when the heavy stuff of weighting and graphite come in - only 2 weeks away!) Geoff and I ran to his brothers to stop and say hi. I needed to set up another appt for laser and a time for my neice to come over and have her weekly 'piano' lesson. (we pick music that she wants to learn and work on it until she gets it - teenagers!)

We visited for awhile and then headed home. After dinner, showers and talking of the weeks plans, it was prayers and bedtime. I left to get lasered. Love this! Can't wait til Fall when I can do my legs. Right now I'm doing underarms and bikini. But you can't be exposed to sun while doing it - so I don't have time to get the legs done before summer hits. I'm doing it in exchange for the above mentioned music lesson. She is really reasonably priced and I'm already seeing the difference! LOVE IT! If you live in East Mesa, contact me and I'll give you her info.

Got home late, from all the visiting we did too. Geoff and I went to bed and now it's Monday. He left for work early this morning (4:30AM) and I slept for a couple more hours. I just finished shampooing the family room and hope it dries before the kids come home from school. Looks so nice! I love a clean house!! Deep cleaned is the best but who has time to do that all the time? Not me!

My dinner is in the crock pot and I'm gonna get ready to teach in an hour. Lucky for me, I'm done early today, so we're gonna do something fun for FHE! Have a great Monday . . . well, what's left of it!!