Well Where the (^*&+* Ya Been?

I am recommitting myself to this blog.  I swear.  I will do as I did with my 5th grade students many moons ago.

*Raising my right hand* "I, Brandy D do solemnly swear to update this blog for posterity and sanity, at least twice a month."

So without further ado (what's ado?  Is that even how it's spelled?) Here we all are.  Well and accounted for.  Fat and happy.  So what else is new?  I'll keep you posted.  I solemnly swear.



Dan & Red

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, but I think our family tree is on a hill and I hit the downslope.  As I write I'm simmering  a rendition of some vegetarian Indian dish.  Why am I not consumed by laundry, cleaning, and yard work that has piled over Noah's past month in the hospital?  Why am I not at the hospital right now?

My Mom.  My Dad.

The only laundry for me to do is my own from the last few days at Primary Children's.  My leaves were blown and taken to the dump last weekend.  My girl's bedroom is tidy because last week a bunk bed was purchased and assembled.  Even my blinds are clean.  Liv's teacher called yesterday to let me know she needs extra practice counting money.  I was already wise to it because her grandma told me the night before,upon finishing homework.

I have more food storage, laundry, cleaning and hand soap.  Olivia gets grits and eggs nearly every morning.  Jason reports that both Grandma and Mae light up like Christmas when they see each other in the morning.

They may invite me to leave once I bring Noah home.

Thank-you could never ever be enough.  But it's all I've got right now.  One day I'll take you on the trip of your dreams or buy you 4 acres of fencing or whatever your big hearts desire.  We both love you to pieces and so do your babies!!!

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

My kids this morning instead of attending Church.

Grab a snack.  This is going to be a long post.  In reading in the Book of Mormon I've been trying to impart the importance of journaling to my offspring, so I decided to "journal" in an attempt to make some good of the day.  And, my Aunt Louise cussed me out for not posting enough pictures of said offspring.  I'm also feeling guilty about sluffing Stake Conference.  

The Good: The girls are back in their room with new texture on the walls and ceiling, and new paint.

The Bad: Sans moulding.

The Ugly: Mae fell between the bed and the wall and shimmied under the bed as she wailed at 3:54 this morning.  She came to sleep with me which means that one or more body parts fall asleep, but not my entire being.

The Good: Sunroc had a $5 rebate on their awesome paint.

The Bad: It ended yesterday and I forgot to get the rest of it to finish the rest of the house after it's textured.

The Ugly: It's called "Solitaire"...as in solitary confinement?  Is it grey, is it purple, ugh?  It better look awesome when it's all done. 

The Good: I have a new pantry!   I knocked out a wall, framed the pantry and around the fridge. 

 I even moved an outlet, a light switch and a light fixture.

The door you see used to belong to a broom closet around the corner. 

The Bad: Don't tell a code inspector how low that outlet is now. 

We missed the era when that paint (yes it's paint, not paper) was awesome.

The Ugly: That big new fridge has been broken for 2 weeks.  The compressor that usually lasts longer than the hinges on the doors.  Gone. 

Sunroc and Home Depot have gotten 1/2 of our money this week.  McDonalds and local gas stations, the other.

And my kids look like hooligans.

*Refer back up to the last photo

The Good: She knows the meaning of  "potty", "toilet", and "bafroom", and has the most delicious booty you've ever seen in a pair of Elmo undies.  *we don't say "panties" it sounds so icky.*

The Bad: She will go when I take her, but not on her own.

The Ugly:  She's pooped this week at the library and Isaac's soccer game. 

More Good: Jason and his bro. Jeremy are awesome drywallers.

The  man and his mud.

I found this lenoleum under the carpet in the closet I was working on.  I like to call it "Walking on Sunshine"

The sunshine one gets from fried green tomatoes.  Thanks mom for planting this year since we couldn't!

Homemade bread.  When we were out painting baseboards yesterday, our self-proclaimed nosey neighbor brought us some homeade bread.  It goes swimmingly with our homemade apricot jam!  And I'm pretty sure it tastes better when you cut it on a cutting board that has sheetrock dust on it.

More Good: Jason re-hung the swing and now my kids don't feel nearly as abandoned.

The Bad: I missed pear picking.  Apparently it's not the same as any other kind of picking.  So when I went to see if they were ready I just found them all on the ground already.

The ugly: The project behind the swing that we can't finish without a bobcat.  A dog run that was very well made and very unneccesary.

The Good: My kids love school.

They all got great teachers and are making friends so now it's just Mae and Me in the morning.  We should start a radio show.

Georgia got to go to kindergarten at school instead of homeschool.

The Bad: It was- open the playdough and see ya' mom!

The Ugly: Note the refrigerator pictures once more.  One of those yellow papers magneted to the front lists the school schedule.  While tearing down walls Wednesday last (the second day of kindergarten), I watched the clock intently for 11:30 so I could pick up George on time.  Then I realized at 11:15 that she got out at 11:05!  Then I realized  it was Wednesday, which is early out day so Jorge had been sitting in the office waiting for me since 10:50.

The Ugliest of all:  I've been late to get her twice in two weeks.  I suck.

The Good: Chloe had her 2nd Birthday on September 9th.  Commemorated with a bath and a party.

The Bad: She hadn't had a bath since we moved in two months ago.

The Ugly: She peed on the plastic in the dining room and we had to clean the plastic and the floor.  Ick.

The Good:  I get to do flowers for a really cool couple next weekend.  I did a bouquet for pictures this week.

There is no bad or ugly in this situation!

The Good: Finished my first Half Marathon in 2:36!  No resuscitation or iv fluid required!

Apparently my kids are singing barbershop and Jason is beat boxing.

Everyone was at the finish to cheer me on!  Last time George had to use the can and they missed it.

The Bad: I've only been running once since my race.  If I'm going to make a habit of it I should really make a habit of it.

The Ugly: Which, it turns out is VERY good.  My running pants sagged as I ran.  I spent a good portion of the race tugging them back up :) 

Phew!

Hard Things

"We Do Hard Things"

I don't know where I heard it first, but it is my favorite quote of all time.

I want that to be our family motto this year because it applies to so many areas of our lives and helps us to keep a clear perspective.

There are hard things that just flat out need to be done. 

There are hard things that we are forced to do.

There are hard things we do just because they are right.

Some hard things are to be done because we will be better and stronger when we do them. 

It keeps us from feeling entitled to have it easy.

It reverberates in my head if it empties while I'm deep into a run and can't remember for the life of me why I'm so far from home.

No one is spared hard things in this life.  What we are spared is going it alone if we prefer to have company.  We spare the people near us if we approach things with a good spirit and gratitude. 

The New Joint

We got the house everyone was rooting for, still feels like a dream!

I love it more every day!  I haven't even had time to step out and enjoy a meal on the deck, but that time is 'a comin!

These are, of course, "before" pictures.  The wallpaper is already down, hooray!  Thanks mostly to Isaac, Liv, and Liv's buddies, Penina and Kallysta.

Liv said, "I do not like their fish," when we saw the house the first time.

3, yes 3 family rooms in this house. I guess if we get sick of our family we'll just choose a different "family" room to be in. 

Front room, 2 views

Got to keep telling myself that these fruit (pear, cherry, and apricot) trees are a blessing.  Just ask the troops!  Georgia kept trying to get out of the action.  It took more work to keep her going than it did to pick the 809,983,290,321 apricots.  And there are still more on the tree!

My kids look like hoodlems, and will continue to do so, I fear, until school begins.

P.S. That's my mil, Helen and beautiful Naloni, you all know them, and the big guy is Cousin Dakota.  He deserves his own post.

And getting me through it all, blessed nectar of the gods.

House Hunters

Heaven forbid we have to continue looking for a house.  But this one fell through. .  .

Our mortgage guy has a sign in his office that says, "No Reason, Just Rules."  This place has our offer on it (for the asking price), as well as one even higher and it will be forclosed upon on the 12th of next month.   NO REASON.

Heaven seems on our side because Jason and I were ready to build.  EEEK!  The Good Lord knew I'd be lonely when my children and husband left me because of my bad attitude.  So it was this or that.

I'm no hippy, but I am fundamentally opposed to subdividing open land, especially when there are so many houses on the market.  HOWEVER, have you seen these houses?  After about the 70th one, my realtor's down to $5.00/hr and it leaves me wondering if I'm not normal for expecting to be able to stand up straight in my laundry room and guest bath, or for preferring not to have my guests walk into the basement of our house because there's no front entrance. 

But if it's between commuting to my marriage and building a house on some corn farmer's field, the farmer's going to get the raw end. 

So today, in a last ditch effort to rule out every home on the MLS in Utah County, we found these two gems.  Either one would make me giddy! 

Which would you choose?

8 is GREAT!

Miss Olivia is 8 today, HiP hIP HoOrAY!

For her Birthday she asked for a

day at the spa

with her best friend in the whole, whole,

WORLD, Penina.

You should have seen those little sweeties lying with white-towell turbans on their heads while the aesthetician cleansed and massaged.  Then it was toes and fingernails across the board.  Complete with polka-dots.

She also asked for ice cream cake, which is yet to come with Daddy tomorrow.  He's a spoiler.

Today she also asked for hamburgers, bowling and a birthday photo shoot.  

I obliged. Even added some rootbeer floats.

She even lost her sparkly tooth at the alley.  Natural causes, not a wild throw by Georgia.

I love you, love you, love you my sweet Liv!!!

The other kids got in on some photo action too

Christmas '09

Christmas Rewind...

swdlolrrllrrpopp! (rewind sound)

Lego Rock Band (Thanks a MILLION Uncle Colt and Aunt Lisa), jam with our buddy Zach on guitar. Notice the technique.

Chloe playing Lego Rock Band.

The song of choice is "We will, wE wiLl Rock YOu!"




The aftermath. Taken with my new Nikon 10-24mm wide angle lens from by sweetheart. He always knows. How does he always know?

Georgia could just not get enough. We had her unwrapping presents for everyone to try to satiate her.

This one, who looks like she should be on the short bus, perused the goods without a sound on her new pony, eating organic fruit twists, mittens still attached to her new snow hat.

What do you get the men who have everything? Coveralls and...

Hair clippers. I'm a lame present giver.

Santa's Thank-you note.

The calm before the storm. Taken by me, wishing I had a wide-angle lens.

This was he first year things really started to get tough for Santa and his helpers. It's rough trying to be that sneaky.

P.S. Grandma and Grandpa are spoilers!!!