Thoughts on Love

This was also among the writing I found today...

American Literature P2, 2000

Love is a subject that never goes of style. Shakespeare and Danielle Steele both have written stories, plays, poetry, and novels about it, and people still after all this time continue to buy and read them. It appeals to everyone because everyone has either loved, or been loved and those who haven't long for it.

I hated Titanic not because it was a three hour movie but because of the love story it tried to portray. It was totally unrealistic to me. There's no way these two people fell in love in two days and had last a lifetime. It just doesn't work that way. Love comes easily but maintaining a relationship with someone you love takes work.

My favorite stories are of enduring love. I like to hear about couple that have been married for fifty, even sixty years,raised children and retire to just travel and enjoy their last years together. To me, that's what counts. It's not sex in the back of a car, but a whole lifetime shared together. Yes, everyone still reads the Harlequin romance novels, but I think in reality that's what everyone hopes for. Those are the things authors, poets, and playwrights try to describe and can't. The best thing about enduring love is that even if you don't have it right now, it could being tomorrow and last forever.

These are two couples in our family that have fifty plus years together...

Grandma and Grandpa Webb

Grandma and Grandpa Smith

Us

Four years, nine months, 27 days...and going strong!

Who'd Have Thought...

I'm not all tough talk and spewage. There is another side to the Mayor. You just have to stick around long enough to see it. So in honor of a softer side, I thought I might share this with you. I found some journal entries from a few years ago while I was packing.

November 9, 2002

It wasn't until we were in Doctrine and Covenants that I realized the significance of this verse. D&C 36:2. The discussion concerned realizing and fully understanding who we are sons and daughters of God as well as our eternal potential. The verse reads, "And I will lay my hand upon you by the hand of my servant Sidney Rigdon, and you shall receive my Spirit, the Holy Ghost which shall teach you the peaceable things of the kingdom." In this verse Edward Partridge is told that he will receive a blessing from Sidney Rigdon. "His" hand will be placed upon him through his servant. Brother Perkins made a deeply touching comment. "My child, I wish I could be with you but right now I can't." That moved me so much and still to think about it makes me get a lump in my throat....Only a few days earlier I took my Home Teachers by surprise by asking them to give me a blessing. They gave me a blessing of extreme comfort. I was seeking counsel and advice and what I received was a surety that God loved me and heard me. That's all that was said. "Yannette. KNOW that your Father in Heaven loves you." It sounds horrible to say, but I was seeking more than that. Not until a few days later did the power and meaning of that blessing reach me. "My child, I wish I could be with you. But right now I can't." His desire to be with us is great. He loves us that much.

If you've been reading my blog and you're surprised to find an entry like this, well I'm not surprised. Sometimes (especially when it comes to my feelings on the Church) I surprise even myself. I'm no Mo-mo (Molly Mormon). If you are, good for you. You're probably further on in your progression than I am. Nothing against you, but you probably wouldn't like me very much.

It is no secret that I say damn, hell, and ass as part of my regular vocabulary. On occasion and if the situation warrants it, I also have back up phrases that are pretty common. I also have a tendency to speak my mind and be VERY firm in my positions. That probably also qualifies me as stubborn. I don't feel like you have to be friends with everyone. Maybe that makes me a snob.

But when it comes down to it, there really is another side to me. I really do try to live my beliefs the best I can. Who'd have thought?

The Results Are In

The polls are closed, however if you ever want to tell me what you think about my blog or anything I write, please be my guest. Most of you laugh and shake your head. A few want to start your own blogs, and a few of you want to call me. I am surprised however that there is only one of you out there that want to kick my butt. And probably the same person wants to call someone, ANYONE, screaming CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS CHICK! Hilarious. Seriously hilarious. If you'd like to waste your energy on kicking my butt, be my guest. I will have to warn you though that even though it's been a few years since I got in an actual fight, I think I could manage to scrap pretty well.

It surprises even me that I haven't gotten my butt kicked a lot more often in my life. The one fight I did get in was with a boy and he punked my sister. I have gotten in the face of lots of bully's, drunk patients, and even huge football players that I knew did not have a problem hitting girls. I think none of them actually ever kicked my butt because when they stopped and thought about it for a minute, they realized I was right. That's my suggestion to you whoever you are out there that wants to waste their energy kicking my butt. If you've got your heart set on it, go for it. But if I were you I'd spend my energy on something, someone, or anything that might give a damn.

Lurking

I'm not in the mood to post but I know some of you check back here once in a while and I wouldn't want you to be disappointed. I don't have anything nice to say so I'm not saying anything at all. Life lesson taken from the movie Bambi and the most recent place I'm lurking. If you have a few minutes check out this amazing chica at The R House. If she decides to run for public office I will vote for her. And I'm very sad she's no longer teaching in the public school system. We might have a chance if there were more teachers like her.

New Tricks

The newest and greatest tricks so far...She now grabs onto everything- including Mommy's very limited amount of hair. And she sucks on her bottom lip which makes her look like a little old man.

Hey. What's up?

Her headband was finished this morning with some cotton scraps and is my own creation. I had started a hat but there was no way I was going to finish in time. Having enough time to whip up something to match a Sunday dress is the only benefit of having church at 1:30 pm that I've been able to come up with.

Our First Date (without the kidlette)

Yay! We're here.


We drove for an hour to stand in line.


We were in line so long we missed the giraffe feeding. This is my impression of the giraffe feeding.


Us still in line.


John taking ring toss very seriously.

His prize.


Silvester the Cat is a perv. We were laughing so hard because I was groped by the creepy costumed creature. And then Miqui starts in on how there was this special on t.v. she either saw or heard about where people dress up in these costumes because other people like it. And well the conversation took a downhill turn from there and John swears it was a chick. Anyway...stay away from the cat.


Daffy is much better behaved.


My favorite ride.


I'm gonna be sick! This one did me in. No sympathy from John though. He won't go near anything that spins or goes in circles.

By the way...you should not eat two cheeseburgers, a salad, an ice cream sandwich, and a snowcone before going on the Hammer Head. It goes upside down. Blech!

Thank you Grammy and Gramps! Not everyone will drive five hours to babysit so we can go on a date!

Summer Kick-Off!

To kick off the summer this year, we started with a date to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. We had a blast! My parents came up to stay with Little Miss and Miqui came with us. We had so much fun! It took me back to the days of season passes at Magic Mountain and Lagoon (which was much further back in the day). The weather was awesome and I even got started on a summer tan. Most of all, it was much needed break from everything going on this week. I missed Little Miss but she had a great time with her Gramps and Grammy. And of course we brought her home a souvenir that's bigger than she is. We had to. It's her third mes-aversary today! I'll post pics in the AM. Handsome Husband is in need of some aloe vera. He got a little carried away in the sunshine and didn't bother to tan. He went straight to sunburn.

Writer's Block

I'm suffering from writer's block. And as you sit here looking at the following paragraphs you are thinking, "Gee, it doesn't look like writer's block. I don't think I'm going to be able to read this whole thing. " So technically I don't know if you'd call it writer's block or not. I know what I want to say, but I'm at a loss for how to say it. Do I get on my usual bitchy soapbox and let the expletives fly about how I hate everyone and everything except Little Miss, John, and the IFC? Or should I take a different approach and just be vulnerable and let out there that I am worn out, tired, completely deflated and discouraged and if you look at me wrong today I will cry? The second option is generally not my style. So I first took the first approach. I sat down to write and to express my frustration and this is what I came up with...

Blog Option #1 What Chaps my Hide?

O.K. I have to admit that 'chaps my hide' is not my phrase, but I'm borrowing it from a close friend. Dear Holly used it in a mock letter she wrote on her blog a few weeks ago in relaying her disgust towards her case worker and the entire process she is undergoing. I don't think she will mind me using it today as today should have been a better day than it is turning out to be.

So lets get on with it. What chaps my hide?! I will tell you.

#1. Loose wires in electrical sockets that pose a potential fire risk, cause all the outlets in most of the bedrooms to stop working entirely, and leave me without a computer for most of the day- for the last three days! Thank you Kermit for fixing it today. No joke, the electrician's name was Kermit.

#2. People (i.e. caseworkers) who don't return phone calls that are part of their jobs and then only do it when it has come to the absolute last minute and they have no other choice but to face up to you. Since the entire IFC is in the medical profession we just don't get this one. Imagine how ticked off you would be if your doctor's office did not call you back with the results of a life altering procedure you've just undergone?

#3. Infertility in general chaps my hide.

#4. Ignorant people who show disrespect towards our birth mother by referring to her as someone who was knocked up or ask other very personal questions about her history and her life. I will not even honor questions with a response anymore. It is none of your damn business! Have some respect. And while we are on the subject... quit asking "what happens if her mom changes her mind?" First of all, I am the mother. The woman who gave birth to my daughter will be the first person to tell you that. I will never be able to express my gratitude for the attitude she has. We love her. We respect her, and I expect that others do the same. Secondly, what do you think happens? And if you don't already know the answer to that question then probably you're not someone who will be entitled to that information.

That's as far as I got. Everything I wrote is true and I do feel that way, but there is more to it. So unlike my usual posts, today I will try the second approach.

Blog Option #2 Why Things That Shouldn't Matter Do.

I know that I shouldn't care that we wont be signing paperwork today, but I do. It shouldn't matter if the state recognizes me as Little Miss' official mommy, but it does. It shouldn't matter how large a check we have to write in order for this to finalize, but it does. And it shouldn't matter how long we wait to be sealed or give her a name and a blessing so long as it happens, but it does. It matters to me. And they may seem like trivial insignificant events five years from now, but right now, this seriously mattered to me and it's not happening. Oh it's going to happen, I know. But I wanted it to happen today. I wanted to eat Mongolian barbecue for dinner and celebrate that out there on someones desk there is a document that states Kensley Courtney is the daughter of Yannette Nichole and John Paul. I know it doesn't matter. What matters is that when Kensley is getting sleepy and only wants her mommy she doesn't sit around waiting for some strange lady to pick her up, she looks straight at me and blows bubbles. It doesn't matter what the costs involved will be. What matters is that I love this little girl so much I would sell my right kidney if I had to. It doesn't matter that there are people out there who just don't get it. What matters is that I have amazing friends and family who do. It doesn't matter that today was a sucky day rather than better one, because tomorrow I wont be anymore of Little Miss' mommy than I was today just because someone signed a document stating so.

Hurt So Good

If they say exercise gives you more energy doesn't that seem a little backwards? I want the energy now so that I will want to exercise, not later. And while were at it...why does it have to hurt?

In Provo at any time of day you will find someone running. Even in the wee hours of the morning and in the freezing cold. I always wondered "where are you going?" and "why are you running? Do you need a ride?" I love yoga, pilates, swimming, and hiking, but I never understood running. I just don't get it. My friend Ang is an avid runner. She has recently had to cut back and she misses it dearly. She talks about this runners high you get and the energy she feels when she does it. (Mind you she does it at 5 A.M.) So I thought, "Ang is a reliable source." Maybe I will give it a try. My stomach is feeling better so why not. This morning I left Little Miss with Erica and John and I jogged our usual walk and then some. Chest pain and the taste of blood in my throat later, I'm still not a fan. If it wasn't such a fast and free way to burn body fat I'd never run anywhere again.

Overdone It

I must have overdid it yesterday because it's all catching up with me today. Maybe the last few months are catching up. I'm cranky, sick to my stomach, nauseous, and have a horrendous headache. Sound like the flu to you? Thank goodness I'm not plagued by the epidemic of obnoxious foul that seems to be going around. Apparently both my sister and in-laws are suffering from cock-a-doodle-doo in the mornings thanks to some inconsiderate neighbors. Thankfully I've been spared because today I would have let Ani or Jedi bring home dinner. On the brighter side, it has been hilarious to watch Erica try and learn how to put a cloth diaper on Little Miss. I should be nicer to her and help her out rather than laugh since she did give me a Coach purse this afternoon. (Jessie, this is me trying to break the news to you gently.) I think she's trying to buy my love because she knows my favorite sister is coming into town later this week. It's no secret. Miqui is everybody's favorite.

A Traveling Circus

A few years ago I asked John to take me to the circus for my birthday. And like the kind husband he is, he granted my wish. We ditched school and work and drove down to see Barnum and Bailey's Circus. It was one of the most awesome things I've ever paid money to see!


Today I decided we are a lot like a traveling circus. I am the balancing act. (I also asked for a hula-hoop that year). Today was my debut. I handled my first performance rather well I'd say. I had Chevy (our cat) on one arm, the diaper bag on the other, and Little Miss in the middle (cozy in her sling), as we trekked to the vet. Since Chevy decided to start peeing blood yesterday we decided that first thing this morning we'd haul our show over there.

Next was the tire place, because of course we would have a flat tire today. Again, not bad. Diaper bag on one arm, Little Miss in the middle (again in her sling) and laptop on my lap. I needed to finish up some charting from yesterday.

Last but not least on our list of performances was Costco. This one was cake. We've performed here lots of times! Little Miss in the sling (as always) and the cart up front. It seemed to be going pretty smoothly until uh oh! Where is my cell phone? I am expecting a VERY important call today and I don't have my cell phone. As I start to panic, Little Miss swoops in to the rescue. No one dropped the ball on this one. Little Miss had it covered. Literally. I found it by calling it with my other cell phone. I wish I had my camera to capture the look on her face when my cell phone started to vibrate underneath her. After doing my best to find something I didn't really need at Costco, I only came home with what was on my list. At the recommendation of my Grandma I had to pick up my copy of A New Earth in honor of Earth Day. I almost completely missed Earth Day today!

Our final performance will be this evening as I attempt to get dinner on the table, Little Miss bathed and ready for bed, all while getting to the airport in time to pic up my sister. Aunt-Eee will be here the next few days for a visit.

Not bad, eh? I have a feeling this is my new calling in life. Only trouble is that all this balancing takes concentration which zaps your energy and leaves you a little ditsy at times. I noticed this side effect when I went to pour myself a glass of Almond milk and grabbed the carton of chicken broth instead. What can I say? I'm still new at this.

To Blog or Not to Blog...

Isn't that the question of the day? For those of you who blog I know you're thinking it. You think "hmmm, should I write about this? No, too boring. Should I write about that? No, too personal. Should I write about these? Guess so. So then you write. Sometimes you rant. Vent. Sometimes you rave. And sometimes you spew.

Spewage is raw unfiltered thoughts and emotions that are expelled from your fingers through the keyboard before they become a toxic buildup in your head. It can happen. Ask anyone with a husband. Actually ask their husband. If you don't let the spewage out on a regular basis the pressure builds up causing a back flow which then can cause you to lose your patience, your mind, and worst of all your temper. Many a husband have experienced the flinging of spewage at one time or another. It can cause a lot of damage.

In order to reduce the amount of spewage flung around our home, I have taken up blogging. And for the first time some of my thoughts that were previously only shared at high decibels in my own home are now sometimes posted in Cyberspace.

The reason I bring this up is because my sister-in-law recently published an apology on her blog. Apparently, she had received some flack for some of her postings. But I can't for the life of me figure out why. I looked and looked and seriously could not find a single thing that would cause someone to giver her such grief. My comment to her was "Rumors and gossip probably good to stay away from, but other than that...I say it's your blog. Write whatever you want. If people don't like what you write they don't have to read it. But don't send any of them my way because if they don't like your posts they'll think I'm the biggest wench on the planet."

And I mean that. So lets clear something up right now. This is going to be my disclaimer. This is my blog. It's not John's and it's not Little Miss' (I don't want them catching any heat from my writing.) This is where I post my thoughts, feelings, emotions, and opinions on whatever subject I find even remotely interesting enough to write about. I may at times seem hypocritical and hyper-critical. We all are. I am not always politically correct when it comes to expressing certain views. I will not intentionally attack, demean, or demoralize another person, but I may express my opinions/beliefs regarding some of their actions. I will do my best to remain accurate in the description of those actions and reference where possible. I will do my best to avoid gossip and rumors. But I will not apologize for my beliefs and opinions. If you don't like them, you do not have to read this. This is not required reading for any course anywhere on the planet. From one of my favorite movies "Now I'm not gonna sit here and blow sunshine up your ass, Lieutenant. " (Top Gun)

I was recently asked for my opinion on some writing, and true to my character I laid into the author giving my pure unaltered, unfiltered opinion. Needless to say we could not hold more differing view points on the subject matter and disagreed to our very cores. In the end, we agreed to disagree and remain polite and even friendly towards one another.

I don't expect any of you to agree with or even like everything I write. This is merely the form my spewage is taking these days. And by all means, spew away. I will not be offended so long as you show the same respect to not attack, demean, or demoralize me. I give you my full permission to comment on any of my actions or beliefs that you may or may not agree with or that you may or may not have an opinion on.

There. That should about cover it.

It's a Record

If you still read my blog either #1. You really love me, #2. You like cute kid pics or #3. You're sick and need to get a hobby. I'm leaning more towards #3 because the post about buying tampons got the record number of comments I've ever had on one post. How personal do I have to get in order to get 7 comments on one post?

On second thought, I will spare you.

Totally off the subject... most of you wont understand this, and I apologize for leaving some of you out of the loop... For the first time in a long time I have something nice to say about social workers. Mr. W. You're a gem! But only for today! Love to the IFC.

Bubbles!

Look Mom! Watch what I can do. No not blow bubbles. Post a video.

Ox in the Mire

My ox was in the mire this afternoon, i.e. feminine supplies were a must. And even though I am supposedly this mature medical professional there is still something about buying your own tampons that's awkward. Maybe its because they still ask you whether you want paper or plastic. Hello? Take a look at me. I am standing in the middle of the grocery store still wearing high heels. Do I look like I give a damn? But yes, I'll take paper please. You can't just buy tampons by themselves though. That's weird. So I bought two Snicker's bars and another purple plant. When I came out and John saw my bag and newly added member of the family he laughed and laughed.

Me: I don't get it.
John: You bought Snickers and tampons. I thought you were trying to make it LESS obvious.

Saturday is a Random Day

If you really think about it, Saturday is a random day of the week. You do the most random things on Saturdays. Most other days have their routines and don't necessarily vary from week to week. But Saturday....that is a random day. One week you may paint floorboards, the next get on a plane, clean the garage, get a haircut or manicure, or even go to the zoo. So in honor of Saturday here is some randomness for you.

1- Rocking out to Queen, well...rocks.

2- I took my own advice and planted something. Meet Lola the Lavender (I hear they are hardy.) And my garden frog. He currently doesn't have a name so I will call him Nomad. He has been with us since the beginning. He was on our wedding registry. I never in a million years thought someone would get him for us, but I thought he was cute. Imagine my surprise when someone I didn't even know very well showed up at my shower with him. Guess she thought he was cute too.


3- Forbidden Kingdom is not the best movie I've ever seen. And Jackie Chan is my secret boyfriend. John described it as a cross between Never Ending Story and Karate Kid. But it has both Jackie Chan and Jet Li so you're bound to come out of there wanting to "hiyah" and do superflips.

4- Diaper bags are a fabulous way to sneak treats into a movie theater.

5- I want a hysterectomy for Christmas.

The End.

Harry's Best Friend

We used to have a plant named Harry who lived in the bathtub in the guest bathroom. Every time I cleaned the bathroom I would remember to water him and would turn on the tub. I just had to remember to get him out before company came and I only forgot a few times. After having some friends stay with us last year I remembered that I hadn't taken Harry out of the tub. Harry had been watered and was back in the tub when they left. I'm not sure if they took him and just watered him for me or if they really did shower with him. I think it's funny to think they showered with this great big fig tree in our bathroom.

Well anyway. Harry is no more. He drowned. Don't laugh. It's the only damn plant I've been able to keep alive. I used to have a few plants from my Great Grandmother that were over 40 years old. I was afraid what their fate would be if they stayed, so they now live with my sister. The reason I bring this up is because yesterday I noticed that Georgia has her leaves back. Georgia is a Japanese Maple that John's aunt and uncle gave me last year. (Her name is Georgia because I love that name and there's no way John is ever going to let me use it on our kid.) In the fall when her leaves fell off I was afraid we'd seen the last of her, but she is thriving and getting bigger. I'm so relieved.

So if you have a green thumb (which I certainly do not) please plant something today. It is going to be a beautiful day. And do it for Harry.

My Purple People Eater

It was a sad day as it was the last day Little Miss will wear my favorite booties in the whole world. She has officially grown out of them. I don't attach to much and I love change. If I had to leave everything behind and start over the things that mean the most to me would fit in a box. In fact it's almost time to pack that very box. It is the last out, first in box. Most people put copies of documents and other necessities they may need while the mayhem of moving settles, but not me. Mine has my Hummels, my Lladro ballerina, two very small antique pictures from my great, great grandma, a few pieces of jewelry, and the rose my Husband proposed to me with. And now the purple booties. (Sorry about the pic. It was taken a long time ago, and not with the greatest camera.)

I knit them way before Little Miss came along. They were started the very same weekend John and I decided to build our family. Ironic eh? but purely coincidental. I bought the yarn and pattern to knit during Conference a few years ago because I thought they were cute and I wanted to learn how to felt. At the time, we didn't know how Little Miss would come to us, but I held to on the booties knowing that I would have a little girl. I even packed them once and got them ready to send to someone else, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. They were for Little Miss. So I kept them. I knit some blue ones- just in case, but never finished them. Now I know they were for Floyd (who's Mama is so busy she probably doesn't even have time to read my blog. Yes, I'm talking to you Wife of Bubba.) Funny the things you get sentimental about.

Now I've bored you with nostalgia. Too bad I can't bore you with the knitty gritty details of today's purchases because today was the day for Christmas yarn! I must be the biggest sucker on the planet because one of my faithful readers has conned me into knitting the afghan I fell in love with for them for Christmas. Seeing as she is importing some fabrics for me from England I figured it was only fair.

I really wanted to go to Filati. Ooooh! Filati! 3600 square feet of nothing but yarn! Oh the texture! the color! the creativity of it all! But it is an hour's drive away. And what I needed could be found at Lofty Lou's. Lou's is not the knitting magnificence that Filati is, but they hold their own and it's not an hour's drive. So in order to conserve more project time, I opted for Lou's. This tiny little shop is in one of my favorite towns and it was a beautiful drive in that direction. They must have seen me coming because they had all of their cutest samples out. In one afternoon I have knocked out a chunk of my Christmas shopping.

I took it as a sign that the lady in the shop today fell in love with Little Miss' booties so much, she gave me a free pattern. That makes the fact that my baby is growing up way too fast a little better.

Kicking as fast as her legs will go.

It's a Green Thing

Apparently I am green. Not as in recycle everything, buy organic, biodegradable-toilet-paper-user, Burt's Bees-bather, save the planet type green, but green-decorating-personality type green. At least according to Better Homes and Gardens Color Quiz. And if they don't know a thing or two about decorating, then who does?

I wasn't sure if I bought it or not, but then I took a look around. These are just a few of the things around my house that are this color. And did I mention they were just a few?

So, the blah white chair from yesterday is now the lovely green chair of today.

It is crying out for a lovely Amy Butler's Midwest Modern or Heather Bailey's Fresh Spirit print pillow. I will have to see what I can do about that. I chickened out on the hot pink. But should the urge return, all it takes are two cans of spray paint.

I need a break though. The song Champagne Supernova has been running through my head for two days. "Where were you while we were gettin' high?" La, la, la. And my poor Husband has been singing Everclear's "She's high. High above me. She's so lovely." Had I lived in a different generation I might have been a groupie, but huffing paint has got to be dumbest thing I've ever heard of. I look like a bagger though. My hands are covered in gray primer, white paint, and then newer looking green paint. I almost look like I know what I'm doing, but I've never been high or done an illicit drug in my life. What's funny is that I think some of you are going to be surprised by that. I talk tough, but truth is- I'm really a chicken. That and spraying toxic paint into the atmosphere from an aerosol can is not exactly green.

Fab Finds and a Little HGTV

HGTV.com in my case. We found this chair while on our walk a few months ago. Seriously, it was sitting on the side of the street with a sign "take me home," so we did. Husband was not too happy when I told him we'd be taking it. I don't know why he was complaining. He only had to carry it four blocks. I love it. It is comfy, swivels, AND rocks. Awesome! But it was not my favorite shade of green. So....I painted it. I'm not totally loving the white. What do you think? I think it needs a pale shade of turqoise. It's hard to tell from the pic but the arms are stained dark mahogany color. I don't know. Maybe I'll leave it white and get a bigger pillow. Any suggestions?

Before

After

And since Marshall's is next to Home Depot (where I got the paint), I had to take a look. My dad hates Marshall's and Ross. He says it's like shopping at a giant garage sale. Which is exactly why I love it! Look what I found today....

Turquoise throw $7.00
April Cornell cups $1.00 a piece.
Shoes and a sweatshirt for Little Miss $8.00.

The feeling I get when I find an awesome deal. Priceless.

Knitting Journal

Toddler Jacket

Started: August 2007
Finished: April 16, 2008
Pattern: Plymouth Toddler Jacket Free pattern with purchase of yarn
Yarn: My Big Baby by Muench yarns
Gauge: 2.5
Weight: 50g, Super Bulky Weight
Fiber: 100% Super Soft Acrylic
Needle: Ginormous Size 17 straights

It's still being blocked so sorry about the blah background.

My favorite part of this jacket are the buttons. Handmade in South Africa. Love them, love them, love them!

Train Up a Child

Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he shall not depart from it. -Proverbs 22:6

What can I say? We start younger and younger with each generation.

I'm In Trouble

To break up the monotony of cleaning bathrooms, finishing my charting, and moving, I love, love, love to surf the web for decorating inspiration and of course knitting projects. Today I came across a few that are going to get me in trouble. And by trouble I mean my husband is going to come home and just shake his head.

1. I'm going to paint a desk and a dining table. And slipcover dining room chairs. Yikes!
2. This afghan is calling my name, but so is this one.
3. And of course, since it's not like she doesn't have enough to wear, I'm going to start on this Sunflower dress for next year for Little Miss.

I better hurry up though. July is coming fast. And July is when Christmas knitting starts.

Get A Move On

Unlike most people, I love moving! I like the change, the new place, and most of all the re-decorating! The only thing I don't like is the packing. I would be perfectly happy leaving everything and starting over. New clothes, new furniture, and of course new shoes. But that's not very practical. At least that's what my husband tells me.

A few years ago I learned my lesson about complaining (especially about moving) while at the dog park. We were moving back to Utah the next day and I was taking Jed to get some extra energy out. I had met a few girls who were there regularly and we had become pretty friendly. One of them asked me how the packing was going and I told her I was at the point where it's just the little stuff left.

I said something like "I'm ready to just set a fire and start over."
Her response- "Oh, don't say that. My house burned down last year."
In my mind- "I am an idiot. An absolute idiot."

Since then, I will never complain about moving again. And it was probably a good thing I learned that lesson that day. It was the year we moved four times and even slept on a family member's basement floor for three weeks and lived in a hotel for almost three months.

I remember the day we "moved" into the hotel. John and I thought it was hilarious. You know the bus benches with the Rent a Bench painted on them? We always joked about renting one and then just setting a tent up over it. It really wasn't that bad. We'd tell people we had 100 room house and a maid service, which was partially true. Mind you we did this with a Weimaraner puppy. If we can do that, we can live anywhere. As Pumba says, "home is where your rump rests." (I seriously want to cross stitch that.)

I'm grateful now that we don't live in a hotel but it was one of our grand adventures. Three weeks from today we will be off on another one. I wish is was to the other side of the world (i.e. Isreal), but we will see. This puts us one step closer to being able to just pick up an leave should the opportunity arise. For now I will continue packing up a little at a time. Today I packed Little Miss' room. I took the picture to prove to myself that I am making progress.


For some reason she doesn't look too pleased. She is ready for a morning snack and a nap.


She has a wider range of facial expressions now. She even giggled for the first time yesterday. I was thrilled! I had been jealous all week that she was smiling more at John than at me. It had become this big thing to see who could get her to smile more. Don't get me wrong, I love that she loves her Papa and that he adores her, but it was getting to be a bit much. He would walk into the room and she'd immediately 'coo' and 'ahh' and get all smiley. For me it was just the "hey, what's up? Where's my food?" look. But now I know she loves me too because she laughed.

Death and Taxes

The only two things you can't escape in this life.

Happy April 15th Everybody!

P.S. Wanna know why there are so many jokes about attorneys? It's because like most stereotypes, much of what is said is true. Doesn't that make you want to ask me about my day? Didn't think so. I'm going to take a nap rather than spread the love.

Knitting Journal

One of the hazards of knitting (actually any hobby really) is that you get all fired up about a project, then another, then another, and another. And pretty soon you've got multiple projects going on at once. It doesn't take long before you can't remember what was done with what and what size needles were used. The big thing right now in knitting is having a knitting journal. I don't need one more notebook to carry in my project bag so I'm using my blog to do it instead. Which kind of sucks for you who think knitting is boring because then you'll think my blog is boring too. Oh well.

Date Started: November 2007- Thanksgiving at my in-laws. Then I lost the pattern so it was put on hold knowing I put it somewhere safe and then forgot where that was. But I knew I'd find it someday. :)
Date Finished: April 12, 2008
Pattern: Plymouth Bella Colour Toddler Jumper
Yarn: Bella Colour
Brand: Plymouth
Fiber Content: 55% Cotton, 45% acrylic
Yardage: 104
Weight: 50g
Gauge: 41/2 sts =1”
Needle: 7 24 in. Circular

Also completed were the fabric blocks- made with Monkey N Around fabric line. (Which matches a quilt her Grammy is making.) They need to be shaped a little more so they are more square. I added ribbon loops so that they could hang on her play gym and link together with rings.

Petal Bib Complete

On my to-do list this weekend was the Petal Bib from Oneskein by Leigh Radford. I used some Bernat Cottontots I had and embellished with some buttons. For those that are interested, I used 7 circulars and 5 double points. I knit almost everything on a circular needles.

Kind of a random pic, but I love the Jellies. Did you have them when you were a kid?

Ready for a close up. Me playing with the camera again. I should have had it brighter but I didn't want to wake her up.

A Calling

Let's just be honest...some callings are more fun than others. Husband thinks his calling is the best. O.K. second best. Our friend Dave has the best calling. He's in the Sunday School presidency which means he patrols the hallway for Sunday school. Being that his wife is one of my best friends, it means I get a free hallway pass when we ditch and go gab in the parking lot.

Anyway, part of what makes John's calling so much fun is that he gets to act like a kid again. These were taken on Friday on their camp-out. They are going to go repel the slot canyons of Zion this summer so they are practicing their climbing skills. This is nearby at Mosquito Bridge.

Not sure why he's not wearing shoes. I don't even ask anymore.

Rick is one of our favorite people on the planet!

His kids are the greatest. And he's pretty O.K. too. Who would have thought you can actually really like your Home Teacher. He's become a great friend to us. I told Jonah his son, (who is 13) we wanted to adopt him. And he says "Cool. You have a dog named Annie, too." When Meghan (who just turned 11) was over one day she says, "Uh! How come you don't want to adopt me too?" :) No worries Meghan. We'll take you both.

We are really going to miss our ward when we move. I don't think I've mentioned that yet. We're not moving far. Just down the hill a bit. 7 miles closer to the Outlets and Mikuni's. Our place will be smaller, but in a better location for us. No worries though. We'll still have plenty of room for people to come and visit. (Hint, hint.) Plus we'll have a pool so the IFC will be getting a tan this summer! Little additions and the California housing market are somewhat spendy so we're buckling down for a year to prepare for the future. We're that obnoxious couple that is thrilled the housing market is falling. Some day Little Miss will need a brother or sister and I would like walls I can paint without asking permission.

I am woman. HEAR ME ROAR!

Tawanda! (Go watch Fried Green Tomatoes if you don't get it.) All it took was a little hacking of PVC pipe and wallah! My very own creation- a play gym for Little Miss. She is content to lay on a blanket and stare at us, or watch Ani and Jedi but I thought one of those play gyms where the toys hang above them would be great. That is until I went to go purchase one. What is with all the creepy baby toys? Seriously. Forget the bug eyes and hideous colors. Everything makes noise, flashes, and has enough buttons it looks like it could orbit in space. I was overstimulated. Not to mention the $75.00 price tag. Um, I don't think so. I'm not about to pay seventy-five bucks to give my kid a nightmare, or ADD. I may be a little extreme in my thinking, but I'm not a fan of all the baby crap. I love the clothes and cute accessories, but all the STUFF I can do without. You wont find an Exersaucer or swing at this house. Sorry! And if you're a fan, then you'll have to bring your own when you visit. It could take over your house. So my solution was to make up my own. I picked a fabric that will coordinate with the quilt in her room (which happens to have the ABC's), added a few handmade wooden toys, and now she has her own customized activity gym that wont give mom a headache and cost me less than fifteen bucks to make. Now that I can live with.


Sorry the pic is a little bug-eyed. I'm still playing with the red-eye remover in my camera. One thing at a time. Oh, and she peed on the cute coordinating blanket.

What are you doing?

I'm up early and I was up late because Handsome Husband is camping with the scouts. As you know, I don't sleep well when he's gone, but I don't really mind. All the more waking hours to get some projects finished.

This weekend's motto is use-your-stash weekend followed closely by finish-the-projects-you've got.

So this is what I'm doing. What are you doing? I love, love, love to see pics of other's projects. Can you say Flickr anyone?

Completed:

#1. Play gym for Little Miss- My own creation with supplies from Home Depot. You don't know how many looks I got with Little Miss in her sling as we wandered through the electrical and plumbing departments at Home Depot looking like we knew exactly what we were doing. :)

#2. Fabric baby blocks- On-line tutorial

#3. Toddler Jumper- Plymouth pattern (I started this at Thanksgiving, but lost the pattern.
Miracle of miracles, I found it yesterday!)

Still to go:
#1. Market Bag : Elisa's Nest Tote from Purl Bee using the linen I got for Easter
#2. Petal bib from Oneskein by Leigh Radford
#3. Cupcake hat
#4. I've been commissioned by someone in the ward to make a hat for their son. I'm using this pattern from Etsy.
#5. Spiral Bag from Oneskein by Leigh Radford
#6. Toddler jacket (I love Plymouth's children's patterns. They are so simple to follow and yet turn out so cute!)

and many, many more! See, to-do lists are always longer than what you've actually gotten done. I will post pics of the end results at the end of my craft-abulous weekend!

The Gospel According to Me

This is going to come back and bite me, just watch. This morning on a blog of someone who I hope doesn't read my blog, I read something that didn't sit with me well. So brace yourself, here it comes, I've been pretty good this week, but I'm about to rant. She posted some thoughts on the most recent General Conference, which is great! There were lots of great talks, and I'm glad people were uplifted and comforted by them. The only thing that disturbed me just a wee bit is that she makes the comment regarding one of the talks that if she has enough faith, her desire to have children will come true. Which is only maybe true.

In the gospel according to me, that's not how faith works. And in my opinion having that attitude towards faith can set us up for a whole lot of heart break and disappointment in ourselves and God. Don't get me wrong faith is hugely important. It is the basis of much of our beliefs and great miracles can come from it. But what about when they don't?

Did you lack faith? Did you not pray enough? Did you not serve enough? Did you not attend your meetings? Did you not pay enough fast offering? Did you miss reading your scriptures one day? I mean, what did you do to demonstrate your lack of faith? The comment was harmless and it's her blog so she can think/believe/write anything she wants, but can you see how dangerous believing that about ourselves can become? This doesn't just apply to infertility, it applies to every event in life. In the gospel according to me, faith is not believing so we will get what we want, faith is being able to trust that God knows us better than we know ourselves and having faith that we are strong enough, good enough, and worthy enough to handle what life throws at us. But again, this is only the Gospel according to me.

I've Been Tagged

This is for Naomi, and Andrew, and Bryson, and Catherine. Oh, and Levi. She's the one that inspired some of my greenness (but I still wear cosmetics, some probably have been tested on animals, and I love beef- the rarer the better), converted me into a whole hearted home birth supporter (which only means that as a nurse if you want to do it, I say "go for it", but I've never done it myself), and officially kicked Doritos out of our diet. We love them! The Cambridges I mean, not the Doritos. They crack us up. Whenever we show up at the door one of the boys yells "Yes! John's here! Now we can wrestle!" See what I mean about bad example? We show up as close to bedtime as we can get, and rile them up. I also taught them a few choice phrases their mom is still trying to repair. They also are famous at our house for saying some of the funniest, most insightful things I've ever heard. And did I mention they are seven and four?

These are some of my favorites.

- I was hanging out with the boys while their Mom recovered from delivering Catherine, and the subject of babies came up. Bryson asked me about when I'd have a baby and Andrew tells him, "John and Yannette don't have babies. They have dogs!" :)

- Last year they very sweetly invited us over for Easter dinner. And wouldn't you know it, the Easter Bunny found us there. Knowing that we had started our adoption paperwork, Naomi had put some little white socks in our Easter Basket. When Bryson saw them he exclaimed, "Look! Puppy socks!"

- I was invited to watch Catherine be born, and as I mentioned, Naomi delivers at home, so I was excited. I had to work the day she went into labor, but hurried as fast as I could and flew down the freeway from Dixon in 30 minutes! By the way, that's very fast if you know where we live in comparison to Dixon. I arrived just as her head delivered and the cord was still attached. I came in the door and Bryson runs to the top of the stairs and yells "Hurry Yunet! (which is what he adorably calls me) and at the top of his lungs, "WE ARE WAITING FOR THE PLACENTA!" Later in the kitchen he explained to me that "the white yucky stuff is vernix." Did I mention he's four?

- One day while we were playing outside and digging in the grass Bryson looks up at me and says "You know Yunet...some people, who are nurses, have babies that grow in other people's tummies." I was totally blown away and asked if his mommy had been talking to him about adoption. He looks up at me and says, "no, I just know it." I later asked Naomi about it and she says they'd never even talked about it. See what I mean about insightful?

- Andrew calls John's telescope a "moonscope." Cute.

I could go on and on. They have been good friends to us and very good examples. And so, for her, I will go along with being tagged. It's green because she's the "Greenest" girl I know.

Rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I love Elvis Presley!
2. About a year ago we kicked MSG, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial colors out of our diet. (For the most part. Unless Husband does the shopping, which he rarely does, for that reason.)
3. I have never been to a formal high school dance. No Prom, no Preference. Nothing. I still turned out O.K. I think.
4. I got married on a Thursday.
5. I have wedding pictures on a tractor.
6. I have had so many pets I can't even remember all of them, or their names.
7. My greatest regret in life is quitting the violin.

Tag. You're it....Jessica, Holly (haha!), Dad (double haha!), Christa, Natalie, Charlene, and Rachel! And I know how to count, but Diana too.

Fake It Till You Make It!

Since posting my weekly menus I've gotten all sorts of comments like "Wow! You're so organized!" or people wanting to come and eat at my house. For the first time ever, people are asking me for recipes. Um... thanks for the ego boost, but it started out as a joke. That way Handsome Husband would know whether or not to come home early and make it for dinner or be late and eat Mac and Cheese. I'm really I'm not some ooober-organized mommy chic. I'm mostly lazy and only want to think about cooking as little as possible. I sit down for 15 minutes once a week, break out Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals 2 and make my grocery list. If it doesn't have a fancy name then it's either pretty self explanatory or it came out of 0.99 cent Recipes. Then I don't think about it again until it's time to make dinner. I don't get frustrated in the kitchen figuring what to make and mostly stay within my grocery budget. So there you have it. The truth is out and I feel better. The key to organization is fake it till you make it!

Before Shot

This is the before shot and probably the only semi-smiley pic I'll get all day. I'm about to become the meanest mom on the planet. It's her two month appt. today(and only two weeks late), which means I'm going to have to let some mean old nasty nurse/medical assistant poke my baby. I hope she will forgive me. I've put it off as long as possible, but I'm dying to know how much my little Amazon weighs and how long she is. We have important things at stake. She'll either be a volleyball-playing-architect-pianist or WNBA-star-turned-engineer-pianist. Notice that either way she will be playing the piano. Come hell or high water I will make her play till she is 12 then she can give it up for life! It may be a battle, but I invented stubbornness in our family.


Just to prove my love to her I stayed up all night embroidering her onesie. Actually, it only took a few minutes, but I like the way it turned out. I love the baby legs. I am a firm believer in Baby Legs. And even though you can't see them, yes those are farm animals on her booties.