It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Hollie, my SIL, emailed me these questions and I thought, "Hey, those would be great to put on my blog!" Of course, she beat me to it, but I'm going to put the questions and my answers on here anyway.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Well, it depends. If it's a present for the kids, wrapping paper. If it's a present for friends or older family members, gift bags. So, both!

2. Real tree or artificial? I like my little, three foot, fake Christmas tree that I just put up on a table. But even if I had a bigger tree, I wouldn't want a real one, because I don't want to have to vacuum any more than I absolutely have to.

3. When do you put up the tree? Right after Thanksgiving. I want to enjoy it for as long as possible.

4. When do you take the tree down? Sometime before I have to go back to work, but never before New Year's.

5. Do you like egg nog? Heck yeah! What's not to like?! Sugar and fat are always my favorite holiday treats.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I wonder what a "child" means. Does that mean before I turned 18 or before I left home or is it before I stopped believing in Santa? Maybe it's just the gifts that I actually remember receiving. That's what I'll put. My Cabbage Patch doll named Norma, my dollhouse made out of cardboard, and my stereo. Sorry, that's more than one.

7. Hardest person to buy for? TSH. I always try to get something that makes him jump up and down because he's so excited, but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe he just doesn't do excited.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Myself! I always know what I like the best! And my mom because she always tells me what she wants other people to get her for Christmas. And we have pretty similar tastes. (Hollie said, "Andria (she likes gift cards)." Well, it's true. I do like gift cards because I always know what I like the best!)

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Notice the emphasis I put on "a"? That's because I don't have just one nativity scene; I have multiple nativity scenes. I don't even know how many I have, but I'm going to try and remember now: eskimo nativity, cheap-o porcelin nativity from Big Lots, Charming Tales nativity, Precious Moments teeny-tiny tea cup nativity...I think I have others too, but I can't think of what they are right now. This year I only put up my Fontanini nativity that I bought on clearance last year and I bought 3 Wise Men for it this year on eBay. I'm going to see if I can find a star for it too.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I am so bad with Christmas cards! I've gotten to the point that I've just given up on them. But I love the cards I receive!

11. Worst Christmas gift you've ever received? An electric can-opener. TSH gave it to me the first year we lived in our own apartment because I had said that we needed an electric can-opener. And, now, five years later, I still can't figure out how to use the stupid thing, so I always just use a hand can-opener. The only present that I've received that was worse than that one was when TSH told me that he had a surprise for me after I had been gone for a week on a trip, and I came home to find that a vacuum cleaner was the surprise.

12. Favorite Christmas movie? I think it has to be a tie between White Christmas and A Christmas Story. It wouldn't be Christmas without Bing singing "Sisters" or without an evil Santa saying, "You'll shoot your eye out!"

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I usually start some time in September, but I'm slow this year and didn't start until just before Thanksgiving. I'm almost done. I just need to think of something for my SIL, Michelle.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Of course not! At least I don't remember doing that. That explanation would hold up in court, right?

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Honey-baked ham, funeral potatoes, and fresh rolls.

16. Lights on the tree? White only. I think they're so much more elegant.

17. Favorite Christmas song? BNL and Sarah McLachlan's "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" and Barry Manilow singing "Ave Maria."

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I like to do both. We usually do a year at home, and then the next year we go somewhere. This year we'll be home; next year is Disneyland!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Mmm, Olive?

20. Open the gifts Christmas morning or Christmas Eve? Christmas morning, even though, even as an adult, I can't sleep all night Christmas Eve.

21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? I think this is the one time of the year that I try really hard not to be annoyed. So, I can't think of anything.

22. Favorite ornament, theme, or color? I used to do lots o' snowmen, but I've kept them put away this year and I'm not putting as much out. So, I guess I'll just say red and gold are my colors. I have red and gold poinsettias on my tree.

23. What do you want for Christmas this year? I want for my entire family to be healthy and happy so we can have fun while TSH is home for 2 weeks.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Like Gone with the Wind...

but actually a little bit better! Yes, it is...Australia! (You thought I was going to say Twilight, didn't you? I'll talk about that in a minute.) If you know about my old obsession with Gone with the Wind, you know that it takes a lot for me to admit that something is better than that lovely old costume epic. But Australia really takes the cake. It's just a few minutes short of 3 hours and yet, an hour into the movie, I looked at my watch and was surprised that it had already been an hour. It moves really fast, the story is enjoyable, and Hugh Jackman is yummy, yummier even than TSH (but don't tell him that!). I don't want to tell you all too much about it, but go see it! Go see it. Go see it. Then we can talk about it!

Okay, this post was going to be titled "Twilight--So nice, I had to see it twice" but then I saw Australia and I had to start with it. But I totally loved Twlight. And it wasn't just because I was crazy with fatigue because it was 12 o'clock in the AM and it was almost 24 hours since I had woken up in the morning before I crawled back into bed for a long 3 1/2 hour sleep. It was so awesome! I laughed, I cried, I was on the edge of my seat! And then I told Amy that I wanted to go see it again, so we went and saw it yesterday. And I loved it just as much the second time. And I want to see it again. (Hey, thanks to my parents for watching my boys Friday and Saturday when I went to the movies with Amy and Tavia. I so owe you for it.)

Well, Thanksgiving weekend is now almost over. I actually got the boys' room and the front room cleaned and vacuumed this weekend, so I'm grateful for that. And almost all of my Christmas shopping is already done. Rock on! *head banging*

I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend and I hope you'll go see my two new favorite movies.

I Guess I Was Wrong...

to believe that this was a safe place for me to share my musings. I tell my students that we can disagree without being disagreeable, but I guess that's just in the imaginary world of my classroom.

I received an email from someone that wasn't very nice about something I've shared and, in fact, made me cry. So, I no longer feel like sharing.

I guess from now on I'll just post things of little importance that I don't really care about. Maybe then no one will make me cry.

We Have Overcome

"we have overcome"
Originally uploaded by globalpunditorg

Okay, I'm getting misty eyed again. Someone felt the same way I did on Tuesday night.

I hope the song gets stuck in your brain too. It's one that often is in my head.

A Few Musings

So, I have several things that I want to share, but I don't want to write several posts, so all of my musings (well, you know, for now) will go in this post.

First, I have to tell you how proud of myself I was on Tuesday. I went shopping (because I had been eating Fiber One bars and yogurt for a couple days in a row for lunch and I was tired of it) and I took my fancy Evil*Mart shopping bags with me so I could save the environment by not using plastic sacks. I was extremely proud of myself, as I put my shopping bags on the checkstand, believing that the bag boys must think that I was an amazing person because I was saving the environment.

Until I looked at my purchases (I spent $90, so I had a lot) and realized that almost everything I bought was wrapped up in tons of paper and plastic and metal (I bought a can of whipped cream...mmm, yummy, aaahhhh...). Then I didn't feel like I was saving the environment anymore. Instead, I felt like a stupid little girl with my stupid little shopping bags and I wanted to crawl under the load of groceries and disappear. But what can a person do?!

Second, I am admitting to the entire world now (because the five people who read my blog are "the entire world"), that I cried, or more accurately sobbed, Tuesday night when Barack Obama was elected. I have been a supporter of Obama since before he even started campaigning. In fact, I had a feeling he would run for president a year before campaigning even started. I read The Audacity of Hope and was very impressed by his politics and policies.

Tuesday night, I was so scared. I really didn't believe that white America would vote for an African American. I hoped that people would see past the color and look at the man, but I didn't really believe it could happen.

So, when CBS plastered it across the screen that Barack Obama had been elected, I started sobbing. I cried for quite a bit of that evening and then the entire drive into work the next morning, which, of course, took longer than usual because of that stupid snow storm we had.

I have only cried for joy three times in my life. The first was when Maribel committed to baptism. The second was when I got my first (and current) teaching job. And the third was when Barack Obama was elected president. I feel like it's "A Whole New World" and everything is exciting and new.

I was reminded of a line from The Secret Life of Bees when Zach (a black teenager) tells Lily (a white teenager) that he wants to be a lawyer and Lily just can't get her mind around that idea. She says that a person has to see something before he or she can believe it and Zach's reply is, "You gotta imagine something before it can happen." That quote has been stuck in my mind since Tuesday night. We (those who believed in Obama and who looked past race to something more important) imagined a world where anyone really and truly can become whatever he or she wants to be.

And my third musing for the post (see, I stuck to a "few" this time) is actually a little bit related to the last musing. I went and saw The Secret Life of Bees last night with Amy and Tavia. I was disappointed in the movie and didn't cry even though I was sure I would and even brought tissues to quench the tears that I was sure would come). However, I was again fascinated by the concept of May's wall and I wish I had something that tangible to help me get rid of my sorrows.

I guess, my friends, you are my wall.

So, that's the end of this ridiculously long post. I hope that, if you choose to make comments, that they will be nice (not that anyone has ever made a rude/inappropriate comment on my blog), because I really have allowed myself to be a little vulnerable here. I don't want your sympathy or any thing like that. I just thought I needed the musings to be out there or, I guess, on here, because where else can I share my musings?

TSH--The Husband's New Name

So, my uncle Gary was harrassing me (in a nice, uncley sort o' way) about calling the husband "the husband," and suggested, instead, that I call him "The Husband." (Do you see the difference. Yes, it's a subtle one.) So, I was going to do that until I came up with a new nickname for The Husband. Introducting...

Tasty Soldier Husband (a.k.a. TSH).

If any of you watch Scrubs (yes, it's one of my guilty pleasures), you already know all about TCW. And if you don't, well, don't worry about it; not knowing what it means certainly won't affect your eternal salvation. But it did give me the idea for TSH.

I wanted to take a picture of TSH in his dress uniform today, but he took it off before I had a chance because a button had come off and now he'll have to replace it. I hope I can get a pic before he leaves on Friday.

I've been hit!

Okay, I've actually been "tagged" by Megan, but close enough, yes?





7 fun/weird things about me:



1. I am always in the middle of reading 2, 3, 4 or more books at a time. And yes, I can keep track of the stories and/or facts.



2. I often have the urge to correct signage at stores when I see grammar/spelling errors. I haven't done it yet, but one of these days I'll become so incensed with the wrong use of "there, their, or they're" and I'll do it, I swear I will!



3. My musical tastes are quite varied. Barry Manilow, Depeche Mode, Erik Satie, or even "Fish Heads", it's all good to me.



4. On a test of Multiple Intelligences, my Language score and my Musical score are exactly the same. The same goes for my Interpersonal and Intrapersonal scores. My lowest score is Logic/Math (hmm, not very surprising).



5. I had a dream last night that I found the perfect vintage hat to add to my headress for the Ya-Ya Sisterhood night at Thanksgiving Point next week. Too bad I don't believe in prophetic dreams. *sigh* (Not that I don't believe that there are people who have prophetic dreams, because I do. I just don't think that I'm one of them. My psychic powers must lie elsewhere. Perhaps my power is to sense when things go on Clearance at Michaels.)



6. I have a huge cardboard cutout of Orlando Bloom as Legolas in my classroom. Oh, and I have a little wall "shrine" of Twilight doo-dads. Random students will walk by my room and see the Twilight stuff and then ooh and ahh.



7. I'm an English teacher...on purpose. Yeah, that was actually my plan all along. I think that's probably the weirdest thing of all.



And I'm going to be like Bonnie (I guess I'm a bit of a follower) and not tag anyone else. Everyone I know has been tagged anyway, I think.

A Puddle Person

So, you may, or may not, have heard that the Wonderful Husband is coming home on Saturday for about 12 days. And I'm excited, but I'm also nervous. I just wonder what we'll be like now. We've both changed and probably for the better. I'm kind of getting used to being alone and making sure that everything is done the way I want. I'm not so reliant on him for emotional support and I'm definately not as moody as I used to be (which I don't think has much to do with him being gone and more to do with the fact that I haven't been on the Pill for over a year). And he's learned that he can accomplish something huge and he's had to be a whole lot cleaner than he used to be.

So, I wonder, "Will we both be so different that we won't know how to act around each other?" Is the whole thing with him being home going to be awkward? Or, even worse, are we going to fall back into our old patterns of him watching sports and me getting mad about stupid stuff?

And then there is the other thing that I'm concerned about. Again, I've gotten used to him being gone, but, after 12 days, will I be used to him being here? And when he leaves again, will I become a puddle person? You know, will I melt into a puddle of tears and not be able to pull myself out again? Will I have to start finding happiness by myself all over again?

The husband goes back on the 24th. I guess I'll let you know by the 25th...if I can pull myself out of the puddle.

Free "Vote!" Poster

I don't know how I found out about this, but I received an email today saying that this free poster that I wanted was in stock. I thought you might like one too! Even shipping is free. I'm going to put mine in my classroom to remind students who are 18 that they need to vote. Enjoy!

I am the only me!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 1 or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

I am Yellow!

You Are a Yellow Crayon

Your world is colored with happy, warm, fun colors. You have a thoughtful and wise way about you. Some people might even consider you a genius. Charming and eloquent, you are able to get people to do things your way. While you seem spontaneous and free wheeling, you are calculating to the extreme. Your color wheel opposite is purple. You both are charismatic leaders, but purple people act like you have no depth.

What Color Crayon Are You?

Don't Vote!

To the Real Me...

I know you're there. Every once in a while, you slip out, and while you're out, I laugh and have fun and do silly, crazy things.

You're the brave one who signed up for Artfest, even though you knew you'd be going by yourself.

You're the one who dreams of high heels and skinny dresses.

You're the one who asks others for favors, even though you know how much I hate asking for help.

And yet, too often, I squish you. If I had allowed it, you would have forced me to go to my mission reunion.

I also would have been a famous author and I would be touring the world right now.

But, more likely, I would have been a starving author. So now I'm a poor teacher. And my family is eating.

Oh, and if it had been up to you, I probably would have waited for "my prince" to come and sweep me off my feet. You know, the kind of love that you read about in books and see in movies, but that isn't real.

And I probably wouldn't be married to the husband/best friend now and I wouldn't have 3 handsome boys.

So, to the real me, I hope we can come to a compromise: I'll let you loose whenever it seems appropriate and I'll let you push me to do things that I want to do but don't have the strength to do on my own. And you'll let me be a responsible adult and you'll let me be happy for the good things I have in my life and you won't pine away for what might have been.

Before September Ends...

I guess I better post to the blog before September ends. I've just been so busy and I think, "I have so much to write; I'll do it later when I have more time." And yet there isn't ever time to make up all that I need to write, so I guess I just won't do it. But here are a couple of things.

The school year is going surprisingly well. I enjoy all of my classes, for the most part, and, according to parents at Parent-Teacher Conferences, there are students who actually enjoy my class. I looked around to make sure they were speaking to me when they said that, and they seemed to be totally serious.

I saw The Women with Amy and Tavia. It was a fun flick and I loved Meg Ryan's character's "What do I want" board. I think I need one too.

Um, I talked to the husband again on Friday. He's doing well. And so am I.

The baby was sick most of last week and just started getting better yesterday evening.

I think that's all for now. Oh, wait, I exercised today! Wow! That kind of kicked my butt; it felt good, but now I'm exhausted. I guess it's time to get ready for bed.

Have a good week, everybody!

About the Husband...

I thought I should tell you all that I've finally spoken to the husband again. The first, and until this time the last, time that I spoke to him was July 29th. Friday (Sept. 5) he called and we were able to talk for about 4.5 minutes. He was given permission to call to let me know that his graduation date for Basic Training was moved up a week (thank goodness! They screwed up by making his graduation date a couple of days after he was supposed to start his Advanced Individualized Training and he wasn't going to get home until March!). I asked him if was happy and he said yes, so that made me happy. I know he didn't mean that he doesn't miss us, because every single letter is filled with how much he misses us. But I just wanted him to be happy with the decision he had made, since his happiness was the only reason I let him go.

On Friday, before the husband called, I was talking to some other teachers I work with, and my friend asked me if I ever am glad that the husband isn't here. I had to think about that for a minute, but I honestly answered that, no, I am never glad that he isn't here. I always miss him, even though I'm not always crying and upset about it (that only happens about once a week at the most now). But I have discovered that the whole thing is easier than I thought it would be. I thought I would have been committed by now, but I'm actually doing really well, mentally and emotionally. I'm glad to know that I am capable of handling this life on my own, even though I don't want to do it for the rest of my life.

A couple of Sundays ago, I was sitting in Sacrament meeting and I started thinking about the pioneer women and how they coped when their husbands were called away on missions or when they were sent to be part of the Mormon Battalion. I think my situation is actually kind of like theirs. Okay, I don't have to go plow the fields by myself and harvest the wheat by myself. But I feel like I understand how they felt and also how they were able to accomplish everything they did. They did it because they had to. There wasn't another option.

And now people ask me, "How do you do it?" And I can only answer, "I do it because I have to."

Mamma Mia! Here I go again!

Okay, yes, I had already seen Mamma Mia!, but my mom emailed me yesterday to tell me about the sing along that they were doing at Jordan Commons and Megaplex at the District. Tavia and Amy had been talking about going to see Mamma Mia! a second time, so I said that I wanted to go to the sing along version. And it was so much fun! They showed the movie with all of the words to the songs at the bottom of the screen, and people were just supposed to sing along. There were quite a few people in there, but only a handful were singing. It was a little disappointing. Tavia and I got up and danced and then a lady with her two cute little girls got up and danced with us. I think we may have embarrased Amy a little, but she didn't seem like she was never going to talk to me again when we left, so that's good. And, of course, we had to have our picture taken with the cast of the movie.



Now I'm thinking that we need to get an even bigger group to go see Mamma Mia!, so we can get more people singing and dancing and giggling. If you want to go, let me know, and we can plan a date to go. The more, the merrier!

Have you seen this yet?

Because, if you haven't, you really need to! Enjoy!

Do you need an ink cartridge?

Because I have a brand new HP 56 that I'm willing to give up for a mere $10 (or if you don't have $10 but would still like it, tell me what you would be willing to do to get it, but it has to be legal).

I bought the wrong one because the husband said one time that he knew that our printer would take a 56 cartridge even though it says on it. So, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and I bought it. And it didn't work. And, of course, he's not here for me to yell at right now so he gets out of having me freak out at him because I believed him and, in the process, wasted my money. (Okay, I was really using his money, but still!)

So, first person to offer me $10 for it will get it. Or the best thing that you would do left in the comment box before Monday night.

Some more videos

The boys saw my video, and they wanted to have their own videos, so here they are. You'll probably want to pause the Playlist at the bottom of the page so you can hear the music.

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Daniel kept saying, "Look at my pants; they're funny," and laughing when he saw his video.

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Andrew said, "Look at me; I'm tall!"

I Am the Champion!

Before you watch this, turn down the volume on the JibJab video and turn up the volume on my playlist (at the bottom of the page) to get the full effect.

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I think I hear you all asking, "Andria, are you wearing a tiara as you win 3 10s for this dive?" Yes, I am. And now you ask, "But why? Why are you wearing a tiara?" And all I can say is that I march to the beat of a different drummer.

And now you should all go and see my friend Whitney and her medal-worthy performance with her husband.

To the Wives of Home Teachers and Elders Quorum Presidents...

Please do not let your husbands do their home teaching and other "visiting" of members after 8 o'clock at night. I am already in my jammies and I have to put on some clothes that are fit to be seen by gentleman callers when they come to my door. I wouldn't have opened the door, but I'm pretty sure they heard my kids yelling, "Who is it, Mommy? Can I open the door?" and then the giggling.

But I did appreciate them coming by, because now they know that the husband is gone (I guess the fact that he hasn't been coming to church for almost a month escaped their notice), and now I have someone around who might be willing to do some heavy lifting, not that I'm planning on it, mind you. Of course I do have 5 strong brothers who could do some heavy lifting for me if I needed it as well. But 7 strong men are better than 5, right?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

I just got my letter today from the school with my schedule for next year. And I'm freaking out because I thought I wasn't teaching Creative Writing until next semester, but it seems I was wrong and I start teaching it in TWO WEEKS!

So, I may not be writing or reading much as I am so unprepared for this school year, it actually frightens me. I have a feeling the back to school nightmares will start tonight.

Park City, Here We Come!

Hello, everybody!

The boys and I are headed up to Park City for the week to stay at a condo with my parents. So, if I don't read your blog and comment, don't worry, I still love you! I look forward to reading them next week!

The Quest for Breaking Dawn

The quest for Breaking Dawn began yesterday morning. I leaped out of bed, ready to fight ornery children and morning traffic to be in line at the Sandy Barnes and Noble by 9 o'clock in the morning so I could meet my companions for the day's journey, my brave and fearless friends Amy, Tavia, and Whitney, as well as Amy's sister Heather.

As I drove up to the Barnes and Noble in my noble Ford Escort, I was shocked by the sight of a long line of faithful Twilight warriors.





But I was not to be thwarted and I stood, tall and true, as I waited to get the first token that would open the world of Breaking Dawn to me--a red wristband with the magical number 11 on it and the even more fabulous number 2, which would indicate to the wizards of the cash registers that I was allowed to obtain two copies of the book.





After a quick nap to restore my energy, I dressed in my uniform consisting of black capris and a black t-shirt which read, "My *heart* belongs to my husband but Edward can have my neck!" After a short delay at the in-laws, I drove to meet Amy, Heather, and Heather's friend Tiffany so we could drive down to the valley known as Happy for our Breaking Dawn celebration, held at the castle (and I'm not really exaggerating that fact) of Tavia's sister. There, we feasted on a delicious catered meal and chocolatey delights before we began the games of the evening, which only showed me that my Twilight trivia skills were weak, so very weak. I was proud however, that I was able to answer the question of who said this line, "I was standing right next to you, Bella." It was my Edward, of course!



















While at the celebration, we were all blessed with the presence of Edward, who allowed us to take our picture with him.










We were then off, with Amy, Heather, Tiffany, and Tavia all leaving with prizes beyond compare, such as tote bags and magnets and a coffee mug. We drove to the Sandy Barnes and Noble, which we believed to be our final destination on our quest, and put on the magical wristbands so we could claim the Holy Grail of the evening--our very own copies of Breaking Dawn. However, exhaustion had begun to set in, and the four of us were unwilling to push our way into the crowd of frenzied warriors to catch the bouquet.





We then found ourselves thwarted by who we had believed to be the wizards of the cash register; they were holding us all hostage, yelling at us to be quiet or no one would receive their prize, and locking out our faithful companions, Tavia and Whitney. Tavia and Whitney, however, were not defeated, and they went in search for other sources of the elusive Breaking Dawn. It was 12:30 in the morning and the evil cashiers were only on number 6! The chaos was unimaginable and the grumbling among the warriors smelled of mutiny. Amy, Heather, Tiffany, and I were starting to murmur as well, and words that I usually do not use in polite company were on the tip of my tongue.

It was then that we received the fateful call from Whitney; she had obtained her own copy of Breaking Dawn at...

Walmart! Yes, the land known as Walmart was selling copies of Breaking Dawn for less than $14.00 and they had enough copies for all. We ran out of Barnes and Noble, breaking from the spell of the place as we wripped off the cursed wristbands and handed them to others who wanted to take our places. As we left, a knight on a black stallion yelled out the window, "We got ours at Walmart!" We were off!

We met Whitney at the Walmart in South Jordan as she held as many copies of the book as she could...which was only four because they would only let her hold four. We made sure that each Twilight warrior and her own copy, and the kind wizard at Walmart took our picture for posterity.



We then all traveled weak and exhausted to our own homes. Almost too tired to read...almost.

I Wanted to Believe...

that the new X-Files movie would be any good...and it was! I think it was actually better than the first movie. There was more story to this movie and fewer action scenes. But maybe I was just so excited to see Scully and Mulder again that if it had been an absolutely horrible movie, I still would have loved it. I don't know. I guess I'll have to go see it again, you know, just so I can be objective about it!

In other movie news, I also saw Mamma Mia with the husband before he left, and it was a lot of fun. And of course I got to look at Pierce Brosnan for an entire movie, so that was a nice bonus. And I got to sing ABBA music through the whole movie as well! In fact, after seeing Mamma Mia, I started singing "Mamma Mia" a lot. I sang it so much that Sunday during church Daniel, while holding the hymn book, asked where "Mamma Mia" was and he wanted to sing that instead of whatever we were singing at the same time!

I had to do it!

I had to change my background to celebrate the release of Breaking Dawn. Sorry, but I had to do it!

The Edward Onesie

Here's something else I've created at Cafepress.com (way too much fun, I tell ya!): The Edward onesie. Okay, it actually says, "My mom named me Nathan [in very small font] Edward. I think she's obsessed." And I am going to buy it for my Nathan Edward! How fun is that!

Happy Day!

He called! Of course, when he called, I scrambled to pull my phone out of my bag (all day long I've had the phone in my hand until I went to the hospital to see my sister-in-law) and in doing so I think I hit the "decline" button and I didn't get to talk to him! But he did leave me a message, so I feel a lot better now. Whew!

Saturday Shopping Therapy

Ah, shopping. It is truly one of the greatest therapies in the world. I think it might cost as much as a therapist sometimes as well.

Today, I went to the Downtown Salt Lake Farmers' Market (yes, again!). We didn't spend as much time there today as we did last time, but we'll be going back again soon. I did manage to spend some money there, however. Things I won't show you pictures of are my raspberries and blueberries (they got a little squished) and the scone from Great Harvest (because it's in my tummy now). I also got some more pico de gallo from Rico along with some cheese tamales and I bought some delicious pesto sauce from Liberty Heights (yes, it is a bit expensive, but I figure I can mix it with some more tomatoes and make it last longer and, dang it!, I'm eating alone (I'm not counting the children since one of them only drinks formula and a little rice cereal and the other two live totally on pizza, chicken nuggets, and toast with butter and jam) so I'm going to eat yummy stuff.



I met a great lady who sells the cutest pillowcase dresses for little girls (once again, I'm a little jealous of those of you with girls; I was so tempted to buy one for my neice) and other items. I bought a receiving blanket that has a vintage fabric on one side and super-soft flannel on the other.



She has an Etsy store at Vintage Fern, so you should check out her fun items. Or, of course, many of you who read my blog live close enough that you could go to the farmers' market yourself and buy her items in person.

After the Farmers' Market, we ran to the Don Aslett store (not as much fun as the Farmers' Market, but I did get some stuff to clean my bathroom with and some microfiber cloths) and then I ran into Roberts to buy a lamp that I had been thinking of since I saw it on Thursday (which is when we first went to the Don Aslett store, but it was closed because of Pioneer Day). And the lamp was on sale! Yipee! The original price was $60, but I got it for $24. Nice! I love when you get exactly what you want and get it on sale. The lamp is part of the redecorating of my bedroom, so I won't take a picture of it until I finish my room, or come close because I don't know how long it will take me to do my quilt.

We made one last stop at The Quilted Bear. We went there on Thursday as well, but our trip was cut short (and you know how long you can spend in the Quilted Bear if you've ever been there before), so we went back today. I bought a couple more things for my room (once again, I'm not going to show you yet :D), and got even more inspiration (I took pictures so I could actually remember things I want).









Ah, it was a good day. It was nice to get my mind off all of stuff and just enjoy a day of shopping with my mom.

Oh, and if you ever go to The Quilted Bear and decide to eat at the little Hungry Bear cafe in there and if you decide to get the Navajo Taco because you want some yummy frybread slathered in meat and cheese and sour cream, don't be too surprised when your food comes out and your Navajo Taco turns out to be served on a piece of white, homemade bread. It was a little disappointing. It was still good, but it was disappointing.

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Us Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Us Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

Our Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free family tree software - Family reunion

Almost 3 days...

And still no phone call.

Well, the husband left this morning at 4:30 and I have yet to hear from him. He told me that when he got to Fort Something-or-other in South Carolina, he would be able to call me to let me know that he arrived safely.

And even though it's been 16 hours since he was supposed to fly out of here and I haven't heard from him, I'm not really worried that something would happen. My mom reminded me that no news is good news. What I'm most worried about is that I was somewhere in the apartment where I don't get a good signal on my phone when he called and that I actually missed his call. I would hope that he would leave me a message if that happened, but sometimes he doesn't think.

I really hope he calls soon, because I would like to go to bed since I've been up since he left this morning, but I can't fall asleep waiting for his call. I guess I better go see what's on TV.

Sad

The husband left at 4:30 this morning. I'm sad. There's not much more I can say about it.

More Twilight Shirts (and a bag!)

So, I was playing around today and I made a couple more designs for Twilight t-shirts and I even did one as a totebag! So, if you don't want your love for the Twlight saga spelled out across your chest, you can get the bag instead!

See my Cafepress store for details!