Popcorn Popping

Here are some alternate words to the song "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree" I hope you like them.

I looked out the window and what did I see?
Figs are growing on the fig tree.
Spring had brought me such a nice surprise,
figs are growing right before my eyes.
I could take a handful and throw them in the sea,
A great big wave would bring them back to me.
It wasn't really so, but it seemed to be,
Figs are swimming in the Sea of Galilee.

A Wonderful Christmas!!

This was a wonderful Christmas! We spent yesterday evening with Karl's family, which included everyone at one point or another, except for Jay. Hopefully he'll be around next year. We visited Grandma at the rehab center and then had pizza and presents with everyone else.
This morning Karl and I opened presents with our boys. They were thrilled with their toys and excited about all of them. Tomorrow we'll buy some batteries for the new train. I think Von was disappointed it wouldn't go for him. After we all got dressed we went to visit Grandma again and dropped off her present.
Next we went to my parents house and it was fun. We opened presents and watched presents be opened. We hung out and cooked dinner and enjoyed everyone being there.
In the past there have been times when I didn't write up a Christmas list because I knew I wouldn't get the things I wanted, so I didn't see a point to writing them down. Yes I know that is not realistic, but it's what my mind said. This year I wrote up a Christmas list that was actually more of a wish list: things I wanted at some point, not necessarily now. I think my attitude towards it really helped. Anyway, I ended up with quite a few things from my list and some things that weren't on my list as well.
Some of the things I got that were on my list are:
A normal size crockpot
Stainless Steel Bowl set from IKEA
A ceramic dutch oven
12" round cake pans
A pretty arrangement of silk flowers for one of my crystal vases
A kids table and chairs (we actually got a cool one that has rolling storage bins underneath and is the right height to kneel at)
Tales of Beetle the Bard

I also got a box of white chocolates from Sees, a really cute set of salt and pepper shakers, some Christmas hand towels, a gift card to Deseret Book, a silicon pad for baking and some gorgeous pearl earrings and necklace (the jewelry is from Karl).
I know I'm leaving out things (and I only listed what I got), but my brain isn't coming up with everything right now. I actually feel very overwhelmed at everything I received this year. I'm so grateful for loving family and friends who make my life so great. Thanks everyone for being a part of my life! Heavenly Father sure has blessed me! I'm so happy right now and especially grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ and all that he has given us!
Love you all!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Since those I gave quilts to have opened them I can now post pictures of the quilts I made for Christmas. Unfortunately 1 quilt didn't get done yet, so it will be a birthday present next month. These are the two I did get done:

Cars

My boys love to play with their cars. Sometimes I'm amazed at what arrangements they get left in. Here are some examples






Only 2 days till Christmas!!!

Gifts that don't fit in a box

Today in sharing time the Primary president had a box on the table and asked the kids to tell her about gifts that don't fit in a box. The first answers were an elephant, a horse and a cheetah.
Eventually they got around to the answers she was looking for: love, the gospel, family and friends.

By the way, our house got delayed again. We have to have 2 paystubs that are dated after the 19th of December. That means we can't close until after January 6th. That also means we don't get the interest rate we were locked in at: 5.95. Instead we get 5.25. That will end up saving us $63 each month. WHOOO HOOOO!!!

Only 4 days till Christmas!

Lost is Found

Well, after hours of searching everywhere we could think of, we finally found the ornaments. We asked our upstairs neighbor if she had seen the ornaments and she hadn't, but she asked her mom, who had mistakenly thought they were hers. So we got them back, and the tree is so pretty!

Only 1 week till Christmas!!!

Picture Tag

The object of the picture tag is to:
1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer
2) Select the 4th picture in the folder
3) Explain the picture
4) Tag 4 people to do the same
NO CHEATING! (cropping, editing, etc!)
I had a small problem doing this though, my pictures are in extra folders, so I had to go to the 4th folder in the 4th folder and then the 4th picture.

This is a copy of the ultrasound pictures from Kaleb when I was about 7 months along.


I tag..... YOU!

Only 8 days till Christmas!!!

Our Tree is Up!

I've been procrastinating getting our Christmas tree up, but I finally did it. I put it up last night and Karl fanned out the branches (yes we have a fake tree). It is really pretty, I'm debating leaving ornaments off it this year, partially because of something really sad that happened.
A little background: Before my mission I went to Germany for a few weeks with my parents to visit my brother and family. While we were there I bought a set of Christmas tree ornaments. They are plastic crystals about 5 inches long and vary in width, but at the widest are about 1 inch. They are very pretty and I have enjoyed having them on my tree. I also got some pretty silver ornaments very similar to the traditional silver balls, but made into other shapes. That Christmas I got some hand carved wooden ornaments from Niki and Mike as well as a Christmas pickle and a santa ornament. After Karl and I got married we bought silver ornaments from Things Remembered that have our names on them as well as one that says "Our first Christmas". When Kaleb and Von joined our family we had ornaments made for them too.
So since these ornaments are all very special to me I had them all in the same tupperware box. Last night when we were getting out our Christmas stuff the box was nowhere to be found. We have looked everywhere we can think of, including Karl going out to the shed in the freezing cold multiple times to see if we missed it in a different box.
Hopefully we will find the box as we move. Sometimes I know that things that are important to me Karl does just because they're important to me, last night I found out that while the ornaments are very special to me, they have become special to him too. Which is wonderful to know. I sure am lucky to have such a great husband.

Only 10 days left till Christmas!!

Snowflakes

Here are some AWESOME pictures of snowflakes:






To find out more about what makes each type of snowflake visit Snowcrystals.com

Only 13 days till Christmas!!

Quilts II

These are some pictures of quilt's I've made or people I know have made:

Here is a quilt given to Von after being in the NICU:


This is a wedding quilt for Mike and Elise:


This is my Mom and friends quilting a double wedding ring quilt (I don't remember who it was for):


This is a quilt I helped my Mom make for my Uncle Lyman:


A Quilt my Aunt Ruth Ann made:


A wedding quilt from my Aunts:


This is a Christmas present for Lydia and Brian:


This is Kaleb showing off the Cars Quilt I made him:


This is a wedding quilt for Brian and Cindy:


This is a Christmas present for Della and Chris:


This is a quilt Della made:


This is a Christmas present for Merrill and Iris:


I hope this helps you Lillie.

Quilts, quilts, quilts

I've been working on quilts lately. While I've really enjoyed it, I'm glad that I'm almost done with the ones for Christmas. One is in the mail (sorry for the spoiler Lillie). Another is done, except for the binding. And the last one has the top done but isn't quilted yet. Hopefully I'll get that done later this week, or early next week. In addition to those I've quilted a few for Mom, as well as one for the NICU. I'll put some pictures on soon.

Only 15 days till Christmas!

Cheesy Potatoes

On Saturday we had a ward dinner. I took Cheesy Potatoes. In an effort to make them so Karl would like them I used Mozzarela Cheese instead of Cheddar. Then I added little pieces of cooked bacon to add some extra flavor. They were way yummy!!! Chef Simon would be proud.

Only 17 Days till Christmas.

Countdown continues

19 Days till Christmas!

Foto Friday

Doesn't this look fun?

Can anyone tell who's in the canoe?

20 days till Christmas!!

Thoughtful Thursday

Here's a poem I like:

Human Gadgets

We all have a place in the world it is said,
And some are the leaders, and some are the led.
We all are the parts of a great big machine,
Where wheels, great and small, work with pieces unseen.

Consider your watch... which part would you choose
As the most necessary... the spring or the screws?
The nuts or the bearings, the large cog, the small...
Which one makes it go? Which part most of all?

Take your car... could you do without wheels, without tires,
The batteries, magneto, the spark plugs, the wires?
If you'd take off the steering wheel, take off the clutch
Or remove all the brakes... would it then be worth much?

No, the greatest fly-wheel could not spin without grease,
And it's held in its place by one small simple piece.
So don't be dismayed when you seem in a rut,
You're important... though you may be only a NUT!

Only 21 days till Christmas!

What kind of pie are you?

You Are Apple Pie

You're the perfect combo of comforting and traditional. You prefer things the way you've always known them. You'll admit that you're old fashioned, and you don't see anything wrong with that. Your tastes and preferences are classic. And classic never goes out of style. Those who like you crave security. People can rely on you to be true to yourself - and true to them. You're loyal, trustworthy, and comfortable in your own skin. And because of these qualities, you've definitely earned a lot of respect.

You can take this quiz and find out what kind of pie you are:

What Kind of Pie Are You?

22 days till Christmas!!

The best tree ripper

Last night was my work Christmas Party. It was for all the people who work at Missionary Mall, Sister Missionary Mall and Eden Company (a women's clothing store that is owned by the same owners). My family sat at the same table as Jordan and her hubby, which came in handy when we played some games. The first game was a contest for the managers/owners. They were supposed to compete to see how fast they could eat a caramel apple, the apples were actually onions though. For the second game each person was given a piece of construction paper and we were told to rip the shape of a tree. Each table chose their best tree, and then they were narrowed to three by the waitresses. Then the winner was chosen by the group. I thought it was pretty cool that mine won. This is what it looked like:



I won a $50 gift certificate to one of the Missionary Mall stores, how's that for cool? Overall, it was a pretty fun Christmas party, and since we ate at Smokehouse, the food was great.
Only 23 days left till Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving

This was a really pleasant Thanksgiving. Karl and I discussed what to do for it around the beginning of the month. We decided to have our own Thanksgiving dinner and invite his mom. So we did. Along with her we invited his brother Mike's family. So it was going to be 5 adults and 3 kids. The Saturday before Thanksgiving we talked to Karl's Grandma and ended up inviting her to dinner, along with Karl's Uncle Gary and Uncle Max who both live with Grandma. I knew that we would be a little crowded, but figured we would fit ok. The next day we talked to someone who was coming and they suggested inviting Karl's brother Brian and his wife Cindy, so we did.
Everyone brought something, so the biggest part of getting ready for dinner was getting out my crystal and china. The table looked really nice with all my nice stuff.

The whole day was really pleasant, everyone was happy and got along great. And there was plenty of food for everyone to take home with them.
Now I can start the countdown: 24 days till Christmas!

Urine Test

I got this as an email and thought it was worth posting.

JOB - URINE TEST
(Whoever wrote this one deserves a HUGE pat on the back!) Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test with which I have no problem. What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test.
Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them? Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a! problem with helping someone sitting on their butt, doing drugs, while I work. . . . Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check? Pass this along if you agree or simply delete if you don't. Hope you all will pass it along, though . . . Something has to change in this country -- and soon!!!!!
I guess we could title that program, 'Urine or You're Out'. Just a thought.

School

This last 2 weeks have been rather stressful as far as school goes. I had to write a paper about a pretend individual and their psychological problems, then explain how I would help them fix those problems. I had to tape an interview with someone and use the 6 skills we've learned in my Interviewing class. And today I had a test in my Saturday class that covered 6 theories of therapy. Now that's they're done I can relax and be proud of myself.
The interview I got 100% on. The test I only got 48/60, but only 3 people got better scores than I did so hopefully the teacher will curve the grades up. And the paper I got 15/15. The teacher even wrote "Great Job!" on it. WHOOO HOOOO
Last week in Primary I taught about being pride and we discussed how it is good to be happy with yourself when you do good as long as you're not putting others down or saying that you're better than the other people because of whatever you did well.
So I can say. I did good!!

Holy Screaming Monkeys Batman

Well, my sister is giving away screaming monkeys on her blog, and in order to get more chances to win I'm putting this post on my blog.
Imagine this, a nice demure seamstress working quietly in the sewing area at Missionary Mall. The salesmen are taking a short break between customers and decide to tease the seamstress. Out of no-where a scream sounds and a furry monkey comes flying over the divider and hits the seamstress.
I'll admit, this didn't happen to me, it happened to my co-worker Jordan, (and I might have exaggerated some of the details), but the result was Jordan getting hit by a screaming monkey. Wouldn't it be fair for the seamstress to have at least one screaming monkey to do a defensive assault with? I would love to have some, just in case it ever happened to me.
Have a great day!

Cool Stuff

When I was in high school I took some sewing classes. One day I was at a sewing store with Jordan and I pointed to a magnetic pin cushion and said: I've always wanted one of those. That year for my birthday or Christmas she gave me a purple one. They are awesome, if pins drop on the floor you just have to turn it upside down and hold it slightly above the pins and it picks them all up. It also is easier to use than a traditional pin cushion because you don't have to push the tip of the pins into the cushion.



Last week I was helping a friend, Kendra, work on a wool outfit she's making. At some point she ran out of bobbin and I said something about wanting to have a SideWinder to wind bobbins on. If you have more than 1 spool of thread then you don't have to unthread your machine to wind a bobbin. They are also nice because they use a different motor, which is good for your sewing machine. Yesterday Kendra came over and brought me a SideWinder. It was exciting and really nice of her to get one for me.


It's good to have good friends.

Quilt Give-away

I found a quilt giveaway and thought I'd let others know about it. To enter go to this site. They are gorgeous quilts, and who doesn't like a chance to win something?

Things I've done

I found this tag on Della's blog. I have done all the things on this list that are in bold, but none of the regular print things. You can participate by copying the list to your blog and bolding the items you have done in your life. I think that many of the things you haven't done are as telling as the things you have done. .

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

I'm not sure about David or the Grand Canyon, so I marked that I'd seen one and not the other.

Christmas List

Each year I make a Christmas list of things I want to give for Christmas. I have that list mostly complete, I've even completed most of the shopping. I'm really bad at giving ideas for what I would like to get for Christmas, it seems kind of presumptuous. However, I decided to write a list this year to help anyone who would like to give something to me, but don't feel any pressure. Really, REALLY.

A new house
A TV for my bedroom
NBA 2K9 for PC
Beds for Kaleb and Von, either bunk beds like Sonja and Emma have or the ones from IKEA that can either be on the floor or about 3 feet up with a place to play underneath and can attach a tent over the top.
A washer and Dryer
Red Kitchen Towels
Blue Kitchen Towels
A normal size crockpot
Good Rubber Spatulas
A strainer lid so you don't have to find a colander when you want to strain something
Stainless Steel Bowl set from IKEA
Magnetic utensil/knife holder for wall from IKEA
A red Kitchenaid
A ceramic dutch oven
Chair cushions for Kitchen chairs
All the attachments for a Kitchenaid that I would need to grate cheese and slice potatoes
Tupperware containers for cereal
12" round cake pans
Flower drying trays for cake decorating
A 3 way mirror for my bedroom with a dark wood frame
A shoe rack
Dark wood nightstands that match or at least go together
A neutral bedskirt for a queen bed
A pretty arrangement of silk flowers for one of my crystal vases
A pretty lamp for reading at night
A dark wood headboard for queen bed
Celia Garth by Gwen Bristow
A pink UVU Hoodie
Blue Rug for Living Room floor
Chocolate brown chaise chair that would look good next to my couch
A framed picture of Karl and I on our wedding day with the temple behind us
A birch floating wall shelf from IKEA
A birch hall tree
A sign that says "Remember who you are"
The light wood picture frames from my living room stained to match the frame around the sacred grove picture and Karl's diploma frame
A pottery pot to plant my 6 foot tree in
A kids table and chairs
Dressers for Kaleb and Von that the drawers open easily
Colorful rubber connecting puzzle pieces that you can cover a floor with
An Easel with Chalk and Eraser
Hitch
Other movies you think I'd like
Tales of Beetle the Bard
The Hiding Place
The Host by Stephanie Meyer
The 5 love languages by Gary Chapman
The Appeal by John Grisham
Mary Higgins Clark Books
Other books you think I'd like
An upright deep freeze
A kitchen stepstool
A matchbox car suitcase
A mousepad with a picture of my boys on it
James Bond Movies (preferrably the new one and ones with Pierce Brosnan)

I Voted

I took Karl this morning to go vote at about 8:15. It only took him 45 minutes of waiting in line before he got to vote. I waited in the car with the boys. About 2 hours later I went to vote and only had to wait for the election judges to realize someone was waiting, not too bad. Since we have touch screen voting Kaleb got to help me by pushing the green button which takes you to the next page. The boys were both excited that they got stickers as well as Me. I hope the bond for a new Springville Library Passes, and I'd like Hunstman to stay Governor...

I can be a therapist

I've been frustrated at my current classes. They are both about interviewing skills. I really haven't enjoyed them as much as I thought I would. I realized it was because I don't have the same style that my teachers do. Once I realized this I started to question myself and whether I'm going into the right field.
Tonight at class I was feeling down about it. At the end of class we split into pairs to practice using the skills we've been learning. The girl I was paired with brought up something that was actually happening in her life. Rather than try to use skills the way we were supposed to use them for class, I decided to try to help her my way. I was amazed at how well it worked. I could tell the change in her attitude about her situation. And the cool part was that I helped guide her to that change.
While I know I still need to master the skills my teachers are teaching, I know that I can be a therapist and help those who need it. It feels good.

Quilting

This has been a busy week. I finished a quilt top and did something I've never done before, took it to be machine quilted. I feel like I'm cheating, but I don't have time to quilt it right now and I have a deadline for it. The woman doing the machine quilting does wonderful work, so I think it will end up beautiful.
I also helped my mom sew together a quilt top in a new pattern. It's a buggy barn quilt, which means the pattern doesn't include sewing allowances and isn't supposed to. This gives variation to the quilt blocks.
During cleaning I found some quilt blocks I sewed when I was pregnant with Kaleb. It is a block of the month quilt, and I have 3 of each block. But no fabric to sew them together with. So Mom and I went shopping and found fabric to use for sashing and backing. That quilt will be for me, mostly because it has purple in it, and I want it.

Tagged

One Word Tag

Jordan, tagged me. Here goes!

Here are the rules: I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and one word only! Then I must pass it on to others.The questions are as follows:

1. Where is your cell phone? Purse
2. Where is your significant other? Work
3. Your hair color? Brown
4. Your mother? Busy
5. Your father? Playing
6. Your favorite thing? Family
7. Your dream last night? None
8. Your dream/goal? Home
9. The room you're in? Living
10. Your hobby? Sewing
11. Your fear? Sadness
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? LCSW
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. What you're not? Sad
15. One of your wish-list items? Kitchenaid
16. Where you grew up? Utah
17. The last thing you did? Stirred Peaches
18. What are you wearing? Tennis Shoes
19. Your TV? Huge
20. Your pet? None
21. Your computer? x3
22. Your mood? :)
23. Missing someone? Family
24. Your car? Minivan
25. Something you're not wearing? Sweater
26. Favorite store? Sam's
27. Your summer? Nice
28. Love someone? Absolutely
29. Your favorite color? Purple
30. When is the last time you laughed? Yesterday
31. Last time you cried? ??

I'm tagging Della and Drummer

Chet and Liz

My oldest brother's anniversary is coming up. Here's a picture of him and his wife on their wedding day. Happy Anniversary Chet and Liz.

Busy!

Someone commented that I haven't written on my blog for awhile. Sorry about that, I've been extremely busy. Life is going great, except that my neck is really sore. It has been for a few days. My dad massaged it and helped me do some stretches, hopefully it will improve. I'll try to write more soon.

Jinxed?

Well, the house fell through. On Tuesday we had a meeting with Provo City Redevelopment Agency, who informed us that because Karl might get a raise sometime in the next year, we are overqualified for the house.
It took me awhile to write this post because I was so frustrated about it. Since then we have come up with a few other options, one of which would be to wait until December, (when they think Karl will get a raise), prove that he didn't get it, and re-apply. If we do that though we may go with a different house, that's one of the things we're debating.
While this was really frustrating to have happen, there are worse things that could have happened. I feel like Heavenly Father had a reason for the house not happening, and although it is really frustrating, I know he has things in control. For now we'll stay in this apartment and keep praying to know what to do.
Have a great day.

Moving

I have been hesitant to write a post about moving because I'm scared to jinx it. Karl and I are working on buying a house in Provo. We have been looking for houses for quite a while and finally found one we love. It is in south Provo, about 5 blocks from my parents. It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, with a garage and a fenced yard. We are buying it from Neighborhood Housing Service. They recently finished doing a complete overhaul on the whole house. The only thing they left was the claw footed tub in the boy's bathroom. So it is all new electricity, paint, plumbing and they also did some additions to the house so it is about 1400 square feet instead of the 620 it was before they started.
We are currently waiting on the appraisal and approval from the bank. Assuming everything goes right we will sign papers on the 7th and move it soon after. Please pray that everything goes well for us.
In answer to Sisalee's question, no we're not expecting any children in the next 9 months. :)

Tupperware

I have a dilemma, we are soon moving, and in the process I want to organize my pantry. I currently have my white flour and sugar in these:

Actually the ones I have are red lids instead of blue lids. I am planning on buying another one for wheat flour, and possibly one for macaroni and one for rice.
Now the dilemma. When I was growing up we had sugar and flour in things like this, but one was mostly clear, but with a pouring spout that was red. I always knew that when I needed sugar it was the one with the red lid. Would it be worth getting blue lidded ones for my new ones to keep them separate, or should I buy red ones that match the ones I already have?

Fun Video

Here is a fun video my sister had posted on her blog and I thought it was good so I decided to put it here.

Our Deal

Karl and I have a deal regarding sports. I have always said I didn't want to be a "sports widow" and discussed it with Karl. We decided that when I was home he would only watch Jazz basketball. If I'm not home he can watch whatever he wants of course. In exchange I wouldn't complain about him watching the Jazz and occasionally would watch them with him. This has worked pretty well, but we decided to update it this weekend.
The only other team Karl really likes to watch is BYU football, but he has refrained because of our deal. This weekend I told him that I didn't mind if he watched them, but I probably wouldn't watch with him. He was happy with that change, although he probably would like it if I watched with him. We'll see...

Back to Normal?

After the craziness of the last few weeks I think my life is starting to get back to normal. Kaleb is back in school, I'm only working a few days each week, I only have one load of laundry waiting to be done. The dishwasher has been run and the sink is empty except for breakfast dishes. My bed is made.
This week I have a lot planned though. I'm making salsa with one of mom's neighbors who has a bunch of tomatoes today. I have 2 baptism dresses that I'm working on making. I have reading to do for both of my classes. I need to start writing down all my books so I have a list of them. Actually I'm planning on writing down everything we have so that next time we move we'll have a list of exactly what we own. Hopefully I'll never need it, but for our insurance we are supposed to have a list of what we have so they know what to replace if we need to.
So although life is crazy, it's back to normal crazy.

Funeral

Today was Merrill's funeral. It was a pretty nice one. The talks were the right length and the funeral overall wasn't too much longer than an hour. I sang a song at the funeral and I think I did pretty good. I would have done better if my accompanist and I had practiced together more.
I typically don't cry at funerals, this one wasn't an exception. The hard part came at the cemetery. Merrill was in the National Guard, so he qualified for Military Rights. That is something that always touches me.
I could say more, but the last week has been extremely exhausting and I'm tired, so I'm going to bed. Hopefully soon I'll get to talk to my family members that I haven't gotten to talk to for awhile.

Haircuts

Yesterday we went to get haircuts for my boys. While cutting Kaleb's hair he fell asleep, and I had to hold his head up. We thought it was funny so we took pictures of it. Here they are:

5 Wonderful Years

5 years ago I married my Prince Charming and life has been wonderful since. I knew he was the right man for me, but didn't really know how right he was. It is amazing how well we get along and the strength of our relationship. I still tingle when I remember kneeling across the altar from him and staring into his eyes.
It is crazy to think that five whole years have passed since that wonderful day. Life has given us some ups and downs, but we've made it through it together. I'm constantly grateful to have such a wonderful man who loves me, takes care of me, lets me take care of him, understands me and is sealed to me for eternity.

Funeral Arrangements

To those who are interested:
Merrill's viewing is Monday night from 6-8pm at Wheeler Mortuary at 211 E. 200 S. in Springville. The funeral is the next morning, Tuesday, at 11am at the Mapleton 8th ward at 1215 N. 1000 W. Mapleton. Interment will be in the Springville Evergreen Cemetery following hte funeral.
Thank you everyone for your love, concern and prayers.

Last Night

Last night I had a sad experience. Karl's Dad has had cancer and has been slowly declining. About 2 weeks ago he fell which accelerated his declining. He stopped eating on Saturday and we knew the end was coming soon. Last night all the family that was nearby came to say goodbye to him. Karl had to work today so we left about 11:00 and came home and went to bed. Merrill passed away at around 2:30. Iris called and said she needed me so I went back over. After everything she needed to take care of was done I brought her home with me so she could get some sleep.
This morning I checked my family blog and found out that my sister had her baby this morning. It is nice to see the Lord send a fresh new spirit to the world after he took one home.

Movie Title 2

I found it, the title to the movie from a few weeks ago is "Til there was you". I put it on my Netflicks que (sp) to see if it is as good as I remember. I'll let you know.

Look Mom, No Cavities

A few weeks ago I had one of my front teeth chipped and had to go to the dentist to get it fixed. When I made the appointment I also made an appointment for a checkup. I have a deep rooted fear of dentists, probably because I need more anesthesia than most people and because I have had so much dental work done. I don't know many other people who have had 5 root canals, much less by the age of 18 like I did.
Luckily at around that age I had a dental hygenist teach me a more effective way to brush my teeth and have only had small cavities since. I was worried to go to the dentist because I didn't want to have to deal with the paranoia of going, but also because we don't have dental insurance and going to the dentist isn't cheap.
Anyway, I had my front tooth fixed a few weeks ago and yesterday I went in for my checkup. My dentist tries really hard to stay up on the current techniques and they used a new technique for cleaning my teeth. The last time I went in for a cleaning the cleaning part took at least 30 minutes, probably closer to 45. This time it took 15 minutes, and it felt much more thorough and hurt less.
Once the dentist had come in to look at my teeth (and tell me I didn't have any cavities) and I had paid and left I was there for less than 30 minutes.
This was the best dental experience I have had in years, I will definitely use this dentist again.

My sister

My sister Della and her family came for a visit last week. Karl and I went on a triple date with Della and her hubby Chris and Della's best friend growing up- Holly, with her hubby Tim. One morning Della and Holly and I went to get pedicures, which is something I only indulge in when my sister's are in town. Here is a picture of Della and I the night before she went home:

Here is a picture of us being silly.

I enjoyed her visit and I will miss her. With any luck they'll come visit again soon, or I'll win free tickets to Virginia to visit her... I like coming from a large family, but when we're all spread out it makes it hard to visit often. Fortunately I have unlimited long distance on my phone, that makes it possible to stay in touch with my siblings, along with email, and of course blogs...

Toilet Paper

Today we had something funny happen at work. I got there at about 9:30, one employee, let's call her M, was already there and was really frustrated at the lack of toilet paper. M asked me to go buy some, because she had asked two other employees, T and C to buy some and neither had. So I went to Sam's Club and bought a 36 pack of toilet paper.
I got back to the store to find that M had walked across the parking lot and borrowed some toilet paper from another store.
About an hour later T arrived at the store, carrying a 50 pack of toilet paper. I laughed when I saw it and explained that M had asked me to buy some, he laughed too and said it was ok because we'd use it eventually.
About another hour passed and C showed up, carrying.....toilet paper. This one was only a 12 pack. T was nearby when C showed up and the 3 of us had a good laugh. I decided that next time M says we have an emergency that I'll wait and see if it really is one.

Total Medal Count

Here are the Total Olympic Medal Counts so far:

Olympic Medal winners at NBC Olympics.com!

Name Meanings

Today I was having fun looking up names and this is what my family member's names mean. I've seen other versions of what my name means, but I liked this one.
Karl Lee: (The doer or creator of many things)(Plum, poetic, field meadow)
Carrie Ann: (Song of joy) (Grace, mercy)
Kaleb Karl Allen: (Faithful, bold) (The doer or creator of many things)(Handsome)
Charles Von-Franklin: (The doer or creator of many things) (From) (Free man)

Memories

For fun!!
Here are the directions:
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

Breaking Dawn 2

Well, I'm done and it is definitely a good book!

Breaking Dawn

So in 30 minutes the 4th book to the Twilight series goes on sale, and I'll probably have it read before I post again. I have been reading some fun things about the book release tonight. There are parties at tons of book stores and of course people are dressed up as vampires. The part I think is funny is that there are also multiple blood drives as a part of the book release. I think that's great. Hope you all enjoy it too.

Movie Title

I remember seeing a movie a long time ago and I can't remember the name. It is about a woman who moves into an apartment complex named the La Fontana (or something like that). The owner of it is going to tear it down to build some big building and she is really upset about it. The owner of the complex happens to be writing a book about her life with the help of a ghost writer and that fits into the story somehow too. The main character smokes, but wants to stop and she falls in love with an architect who designs really weird nightclubs.
Does this sound familiar to anyone? I remember loving the movie, but I don't remember the name. If you can remember it, PLEASE tell me what the name is.
Thanks

1930's Husband

Drew commented what his score was as a 1930's wife was, so I thought I'd take the husband's test, this is my results:

154 As a 1930s husband, I am Very Superior Take the test!

Kind of scary that I'm a better husband than wife...
Karl just took the test and he is also a 154 on the husband scale, and a 83 on the wife scale. I think this shows that Karl and I are pretty well matched, neither of us is domineering, but instead we're both thoughtful to each other and do things to make the other person's life easier. I sure am lucky.

Happy Pioneer Day!

Today has been a pretty good day. The little boys and I went to see the Spanish Fork Parade, which was the first parade I've seen since I was in High School. WE went with Karl's stepmom, Margaret. Kaleb had lots of fun running into the street to get the candy that was thrown to him and the other kids.
When the parade was over we went to the carnival in downtown Spanish Fork. I was hoping for something that kids could do, and was disappointed. So we got our faces painted and then went to Margaret's house for lunch.

After lunch we went to the cemetery and dropped off some flowers at Karl's dad's grave. Today is his birthday so we thought that would be appropriate.
Then we took Karl some lunch and came home and went swimming. Here are some pictures we took earlier this week.

Facebook

I am a member of facebook. This is an online way to keep in touch with people. The nice thing about it is that people can only see your information if you say they are your friend. Here is a funny video about it, most of it is jokes you would only get if you've been on facebook, so if you have; I hope you enjoy it. If you haven't, try it out. The only thing I really don't like about it is the emails they send you when you add extra applications to your profile. You can avoid these by unchecking the box that gives them permission to send you emails. Anyway, hope to see you there soon... www.facebook.com



By the way, add challenge sudoku so I can play against friends!

Family Picture

1930's Wife

I just took a quiz on "What kind of 1930's wife would you be". This is how I scored:

74 As a 1930s wife, I am Superior Take the test!

I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not...

Primary Class

I teach the CTR 4 primary class in my ward and it has been a crazy endeavor. At first I was excited to be out of nursery, but then I realized I got one of the hardest ages. Most weeks I'm so exhausted after church that I go home and take a nap (the only one I usually get in a week). We recently had a training on keeping your class reverent and it helped me tremendously.
This week was one of the best weeks I've had in this class. My co-teacher wasn't there, so Karl came in to help me. The kids were extra wiggly because sharing time seemed longer than normal, and it's hard for 4 year olds to sit still for that long.
I taught about being thankful. First we talked about the 10 lepers (only 1 went back to say thank you). We had talked about them last week when we discussed gratitute and I think that helped. Then we talked about the importance of letting people know are thankful for what they do. Then we colored Thank you cards for the Bishop, Primary President, Primary Chorister and Library worker, as well as a card for each of them to take home to their moms that said thanks to them. When we were done coloring we talked about some of the things we are thankful to have and then made them out of playdough.
While we didn't cover all of the material in the lesson I felt like the kids enjoyed being in Primary and they all knew what the lesson was about at the end (which isn't always the case). I think I'll have to find more ways to make the lessons hands on, because I think that really helped.

Recent Acquisitions

I have had a great weekend. It started on Wednesday, because Karl had a few days vacation he had to take this month so we had a 5 day weekend. As he was leaving work on Tuesday Karl's boss told him he was getting a bonus to help him enjoy his weekend more, how's that for cool. The bonus, along with the money we had saved made us decide not to wait to buy a TV. Karl did a bunch of research on brands and styles but we couldn't quite make a decision on which one we wanted.
On Wednesday we drove to Ikea to buy a table to put the new TV on, but ended up deciding to re-purpose our new bookcase instead. We also went to Boondocks which is a gaming place similar to Trafalga (but a lot bigger). Karl and Kaleb rode on the go-carts and then we all played in the arcade for awhile.
Thursday we spent awhile at my mom's house while she was getting Comcast installed. Then we went to do in-person pricing on TV's. We didn't find anything at Walmart that we really loved, so on to RC Willey. Karl fell in love with one of the TV's and was taking forever talking about pros and cons with the salesman, so I took the boys on a walk around the store. I found a couch that I loved, but didn't think Karl would like, but I showed him anyway. We put it on hold and decided to come back the next day when there was no sales tax and the couch would be 20% off.
So early the next day we cleaned out the living room, and gave our entertainment center and old TV to our upstairs neighbor (she was thrilled). Karl took our couch over to his mom and then our neighbor watched our boys while we went to pick up our couch and TV.
The couch almost didn't fit in our van, we finally got it to by moving up the driver's seat as it would go. Our van is awesome! Getting the stuff inside our house was a bit of a pain, the couch took 4 adults to move, but it looks wonderful.
This is what our living room looks like now:

10 Year Reunion

Last night was my 10 year high school reunion. It was pretty fun. I got to see people I haven't seen in 10 years, and others that I haven't seen in the last year or so. We had questions on our achievements and whoever had accomplished the most won a prize. I won a duffel bag for having lived in more cities than anyone else (9). I don't think everyone was counting mission cities, which is probably why I won, but oh well.
One of the funny things that happened was 2 of my old boyfriends asked Karl if I still make great cookies. He said that I do occasionally, but usually I just buy the dough and bake it. I think I need to do more baking for him.
Since high school I've wondered if I had really influenced anyone and had no idea that I had. As I was getting ready to leave a girl ran up to me and started talking to me like we had been great friends in High School, which was interesting because I wouldn't have put us in the same group even though we knew each other. Maybe that means I influenced her in a positive way. It felt good.
I would have liked it if more of my friends were there, but some of them were and it was good to see them.
I think everyone has an idea of what their lives will be like when they graduate high school, mine hasn't really been what I planned. But I think I'm happier this way than I would have been if my plan had happened. I wouldn't change anything.

Happy Birthday Sisalee!!

Yesterday was my friend Sisalee's birthday. I was thinking about her and wanted to share how awesome she is. I first heard about Sisalee from my sister Della. I was preparing for my mission and she said she heard a girl from Hurricane had been called to go to Anaheim California on an ASL mission also. I thought that was cool and figured I might meet her. Little did I know what the next year and a half would bring.
I met Sisalee in the MTC, she was my first companion. We had some struggles, but they were mainly from the fact that we spoke in ASL all the time and didn't really have the vocabulary necessary to communicate well in that language. After a few weeks we worked out the kinks and got along wonderfully, (this was good because one of my main concerns about going on a mission was that I didn't know what kind of companions I would have.)
Sisalee was very patient with me and helped me learn ASL very well. She didn't even complain when I had arm problems and couldn't sign.
I was amazed at her strength throughout my time in the MTC. She had the relationship with Heavenly Father that I wanted, and since she was nearby all the time I was able to emulate her actions, which helped me to improve my relationship with him.
I was sad when our two months in the MTC were up, but I figured I would still see her occasionally in Anaheim. We flew to Anaheim together and got a surprise, we were still companions, although now we had a trainer as well. I stayed with the 2 of them for 1 week, and then was transferred English. The 2 months I spent in the English program were the hardest/least fullfilling months of the mission.
I was thrilled to get back to the deaf branch and a stable companion who made me happy. We were together for the remainder of the mission. Sisalee was patient with me through all my health problems, although she did get mad at me a few times for not letting her help me. It was amazing how well we worked together. She has the amazing ability to make everyone feel like the most important person in the world. She has so much love for everyone and is amazingly good at listening to the spirit and following what he tells her to do. Sisalee is also fun to be with. All the members loved her and the other missionaries all looked up to her. She was extremely obedient and I believe that obedience was part of our success on the mission.
Although the work was hard, I was doing it with a friend and we had the spirit, those 2 aspects made the whole thing easier, and more fun.
Sisalee can teach the gospel so that anyone can understand it, and she has the patience to answer questions that others may consider silly, (like: is the iron rod from Lehi's dream really a pipe that is watering the tree of life?)
The last day in the mission was one of the hardest in my life because I felt like I was loosing my best friend. Luckily we both got cell phones soon after we got home and talked on the phone whenever we missed each other. Sisalee married one of the best Elders from our mission and they were very evenly yoked. They matched each other perfectly and love each other intensely.
Unfortunately he died in a scuba diving accident and she was left with two sweet little boys, a lot of memories and a knowledge that she is sealed to Daniel for eternity. That knowledge has kept her going through all the hard times. I have never heard Sisalee complain. Sometimes she is frustrated and expresses it, but she never complains (there is a difference). She has stayed focused throughout all she has gone through, and her testimony is stronger than ever. I am amazed when I talk to her, every time she lifts me up.
I hope she knows how amazing she is and how much she is loved by many people.
Thanks for being my friend Sis!

Vacuum

A few weeks ago our vacuum stopped picking up stuff, which makes it rather hard to keep floors clean. Luckily we bought a warranty when we bought the vacuum and got to have it fixed for free. This is a picture of what was stuck in the vacuum that was stopping it from sucking:

Apparently our vacuum is strong enough to suck up a car, but not strong enough to get it into the dirt holder.