Seriously...

(this is not going to be a nice post. Please, read at your own risk)

So, I had to do a quick errand at this store:


Now, I know what many of my friends who live near me are saying: it's a brand new store, it's super clean, and now it's super close. Yes, so true, and none of that is the problem.

I wanted the errand to be quick. So we didn't get a cart. Alayna never wants to sit in them anyway. So, we walked back to the shoes. Well, we all started walking and Alayna was quickly distracted so I picked her up and carried her. She didn't like that at all.

I however was smart.

I brought snacks for her.

So, while Tyler tried on his new shoes (I refuse to buy him expensive shoes anymore because even they don't last. He was rubbing salt into the wound as we were walking into that store by saying, I've only had these shoes since November. That's only 6 months.)

The shoe part went fine.

It was paying.

We finally ended up at the 20 items or less line. It really should read that the cashier has an IQ less then 20. Did I really just say that?

Anyway, so Alayna decides that she wants the candy. I decided she didn't need it. Remember, I was smart and brought snacks.

She didn't like this at all and started to walk away. Both arms folded, as she does when she was upset. Ethan decided to chase after her to bring her back to us. So, now it is a game to her and she is running. And she is fast. If you don't believe me, just ask the people who see her at the gym.

Finally, I get Ethan to come and stand by me.

Would it be obvious to you that my kids are misbehavin? I would have thought. If that wasn't obvious enough, just look at my face. I can not HIDE what I am feeling.

When I needed to get my wallet out I placed Laney's blankies on the counter. Then I stepped to the side and swiped my card. At this point the girl asks me if I am buying those too.

I could only look at her dumbfounded. Seriously...

I responded with a: Those are my daughter's blankies.

To make matters worse, the girl says: We sell scarves that look just like that.

I could only stare at her.

I was afraid my mouth might catch up with my mind.

Did you look closely? See how ratty they are.

Walmart lady, do these look like your pretty, new scarves (said in sarcastic voice)? I should hope not!

I Was Fed with Manna

Have you been there?

It's a must do for your bucket list (you know, the list to do before you "kick the bucket").

I was so lucky to have the chance to go to Women's Conference at BYU this past Thursday and Friday. Actually, I picked my friends up from the airport on Wednesday and we headed down the highway for memory lane. Included in that was lots of laughter and 3 late nights.

Here are the 2 wonderful, amazing friends that I went with:

Carrie Olson, Me, and Kristen Lorton

When I started packing my bag, here is the sight that greeted me when I came out from my closet:

Oh, I missed my baby bear soooooo much!! And from what I understand, she missed me too. My heart is going to break when she goes to school. I also think I was missed by my boys (all 3) as I was greeted with hugs and happy shouts of, "Mom" when I walked in the door today.

Back to conference:

We were able to listen to some amazing talks. Of course some were better then others, but each offered something that I could take away with me.

Here are a few things that stood out to me:

SITTING in the Marriott Center

LEARNING:

how to Nourish and Protect the Family from General Relief Society President Julie B. Beck. She basically reviewed the doctrine on the family (Plan of Salvation, Proclamation to the Family, and the Atonement). She also talked about the threats facing the family. And let us know our responsiblity is to keep our focus on the blessings of eternal life and to prepare our children to make covenants, and to build the kingdom. And to do this by taking the formal and informal teaching moments. I absolutely loved her sincerity and heartfelt love for the sisters that she showed. I wonder is she thinks that we as women aren't living up to our potential. She admonished us to fight, fight sisters fight.

what it means to Go Forward in the Strength of the Lord from BYU International VP Sandra Rogers. And that when you walk into a room, you either add to a room or take away from it, whether you speak or not.

how to Become Not Only Good, but Holy from Sister Nyland. I loved when she shared that there was no new doctrine that accounts for the translation of the city of Enoch; what accounts for this gerat story was their willingness to live the gospel.

how to Stand in Awe, and...Be Still from Sister Susan Jones a member of the YW General Board. I thought this sister was amazing and hope to hear more from her in the future. She loves the scriptures. When her 16 year-old son was having some frustrations, she asked him to read the Book of Mormon with her. He said yes. She said it brought a peace into his life and he now loves it too. I loved that she shared this story. Especially as the mother of two boys it touched my heart and hope that I can do this with then when they are teenagers. I also thought it was interesting when she said that is it easier to feel the spirit in the still of the morning. She provided a quote from Elder Packard that supported this. Maybe because most of the world is still quiet. Not that you can't feel it in the afternoon or night, just that it was easier. She made me want to study my scriptures more and with more sincerity. I thank her for that.

Spiritual Strength in the Challenging Times from Camille Fronk Olson. She taught us on the power of faith. She talked about 2 boats and how Noah was asked to build an ark when there was no water and Nephi was asked to build a boat when he didn't have the craftsmanship or hte experience. She even pointed out the faith of Laman and Lemuel when they got onto the boat to go to the promised land. She talked about the parable of the unprofitable servant. I loved her perspective.

As an aside, I have been watching Discussions on the Book of Mormon, and Discussions on the Old Testament on the KBYU channel and have loved the insight and depth that it provides to my understanding of the scriptures. (If only I could remember what I know. ha) And, Sister Olson has been one of the commentators on the show. I have always liked them so I was especially interested in her talk.

And from Elder L. Tom Perry, I learned that our church is so misunderstood by people in the United States and abroad in the world. He says that for every person who strongly likes us there are four who don't. And then he provided statistics from non-members polled in the United States. Of those polled across the United States:

51% had little or no awareness of Mormons
47% did not have a favorable impression
31% believe that Mormons aren't Christian

He went on to say that many of the misunderstandings and wrong impressions are our fault because we don't talk about who we are and what we believe clearly enough.

He says of the four sources for people to hear of the church--church media, outside influences, members, and missionaries--members are the primary source for people to gain a clearer understanding. Again, wow!

AND, BEING REMINDED

of how yummy BYU mint brownies are. I was reminded two times. yummy!!
Women's Conference was such an uplifting and positive experience that I would love to do it again some day!

Call Me A Betty Crocker

Did you know there is a difference between being Betty Crocker and being called a Betty Crocker? If you want to know the difference, you can check it out here on my husband's blog. He'll let you in on the secret.

I, along with my dear friend Celeste, spent the morning creating in the kitchen.

We had so much fun.

A few weeks ago, I had a birthday lunch for Celeste. We were suppose to watch a girl movie, but we were distracted by a few websites. Celeste, Shavonne, and I (it was small, but intimate) had so much fun perusing a few websites. Once of which was Bakerella. If you haven't gone there, it is a must. We were quickly enthralled by her cakepops (blend the words cake + lollipop). She has made some darling ones for different holidays, cartoon characters, and just because. We knew we wanted to try them.

Plans were made.

Plans were kept.

And, they turned out so cute!! Don't you think:
Sorry my pics are a little blurry. I can't seem to get a good picture of them. Oh well! They taste as cute as they look. The inside is cake mixed with cream cheese frosting. Could it get any better then that?


If you go to the Bakerella website, you can see step-by-step instructions and pictures that turned out better then mine. For some reason, I couldn't get a good close up picture.

Warning: they take a long time, but are fairly easy. It's just time consuming. But, well worth the energy to make them, especially when it's time spent with a friend.

I can't wait to see the reaction when we take them to Bunco tonight.

Oh yea, here is another little something that I am taking with me. We had leftover chocolate, so I made some almond bark. I love it with the pink swirled into the chocolate. And, I wish I had thought to make more the the pink sunfloweres in my candy mold to line the platter. But, I think it is darling! I love the pink and brown swirled together.



I always tell Steve that we will cook together when he is retired. But, I think he should do the cooking and I should do the baking. I love sweets.

Anyone want to come to Bunco and try these yummy treats?

Easter at Our House

Here we are dyeing our Easter eggs:


Here we are Easter morning before the basket search.


And after.
Here's what our Easter breakfast looks like:


Now we are getting to the true meaning of Easter.


Ready for church.

I loved church on Easter Sunday! We had a truly amazing Sunday School lesson. Our teacher pointed out that Easter should be as spiritual and meaningful as Christmas. If not, more so. And, that Easter is just not a day, but a week full of events.

Did I think about the Savior as he would have returned to Jerusalem in the beginning of the week? Did I think of him teaching at the temple? Did I think of the Last Supper with his disciples? Did I think about the Savior as he would have entered the Garden of Gethsemane? Did I think of him bleeding from every pore? Did I think of him as he would have been lifted on the cross? Did I think of him as he atoned for my sins? for your sins?

Very powerful questions.

He also asked us to read John 20 before we went to bed that night.

Next year's Easter will be very different.

Trauma at the Easter Egg Hunt

Well, it didn't start out that way. See:
IT TURNED BAD

When the bell rang, Ethan got trampled. By whom, I am not sure.

That ended it for him.

He came crying to me, but I was trying to encourage Laney to get some eggs. (Parent's supposedly weren't aloud on the field.) So, my friend (thanks Sandy), was trying to encourage Ethan to go and get some eggs. I didn't handle it very well. I couldn't understand why he was crying and not focusing on the eggs. In the end, he just wanted to cry while hugged into my side. I was still trying to help Laney who was completely overwhelmed.

Did I mention that the printout that I read, was wrong. It said the hunt started at 10 a.m. It really didn't start until 10:30. And for those of you that know me, I am chronically early. We waited for about 45 minutes in the cold, drizzly weather. And two of my 3 kiddos either got no candy or barely any candy.

Which begs the question: Is it really worth it?

IT TURNED GOOD AGAIN

Afterwards, as we were driving home, I saw my friend and pulled to car over to say thank you for helping my son. At this point, she says that when her children found out that Ethan hadn't gotten any candy, they wanted to give him some. Could there be any better kids out there then that?

Me, being the emotional giant that I am--boy do I hate this about myself--got emotional. To see the happiness through the tears in Ethan's eyes when I told him was more then my little heart could bear!

I can only hope that my kiddos would so willingly do the same thing if the situation was reversed. Maybe they will have the opportunity one day to be so kind, and to make another child smile so brightly.

Outing Myself

So, today I was picking up around my house and I found a little toy that I have seen on the floor a hundred times since it came to live with us.

I threw it away.

It was easier to throw the toy away, then to put it away.

This, along with a similar post on another blog, started my wheels rolling, about things that I do, that I wouldn't want to be outed for. But, I've decided to out myself.

1. If I don't like the clothes that my children develop and obsession for, they mysteriously disappear.

2. I have re-gifted many items. Just because I can't use it or don't like it, doesn't mean somebody else can't or won't.

3. I drink the milk out of my cereal bowl.

4. Okay, so a friend of mine showed me that eggs have umbilical cords. Did you know that's what they were? I didn't. So now, I have to remove them before I eat them; a messy process. However, if I am making omelets for my family, I don't remove theirs. What they don't know won't hurt them.

5. My children have posted many hand drawn pictures on their walls. Once in awhile to make it look neater, I take a few and hid them. If they don't ask for them, I assume they don't miss them, and they go in the circular basket. (Trying Randy Pausch, I am trying.)

6. I may give my kids the beaters, but I always take a BIG spoonful of batter for myself.

7. I have bought treats intending that they be for the kids, but have hidden them in mine and Steve's secret hiding places where the kids won't find them.

8. Have forgotten to place the reward for a lost tooth, only to have to secretly place it there while "looking" for it with a distraught child who thought the tooth fairy hadn't come.

9. On occasion, I have let my boys take care of their sister so I could get a little more sleep.

10. I have let my children have chocolate cake for breakfast once to twice.

Now it's your turn. What things are you guilty of?

Some People are Clever, I am Not

Okay, so we all know that my sense of humor has a lot to be desired. Steve always says I am funnier when I don't try.

All, I can say is...my sister gets me. (me sticking out my tongue here).

I love humor that has a clever twist to it. The stupid humor, as displayed in movies such as Dumb and Dumber, or What About Bob all leave me shaking my head wondering how anyone could find humor in it because it is so...well, stupid. Oh, but they do; my husband is one of them. I, however, love my husband so much that I am willing to sit through "one of those movies" just to hear him laughing.

One of the best sounds in the world if you ask me.

So, I really am not a man basher. We all have our faults, some just more then others. jk. If I ever meet anyone for the first time, I am the first to tell them that I really have no reason to complain about my husband. He is great. He cooks amazingly, he cleans, he reads to the kids, gives hugs for boo boos, and all at the same time.

So when my sister sent these to me, I immediately appreciated them for the clever little twist they offer. I wish I were as quick witted as this. Like my son. Like my husband.

I am digressing here. One morning Steve was on our computer and I was sitting on the floor, Indian style (I know, not PC) beside him. A 5 year-old Tyler came and sat on my lap. I love those morning cuddles. After a while, Tyler became Tyler and he started to wiggle. He just couldn't sit still. After what seemed the hundredth time of adjusting my nightgown, I said, "Tyler, stop wiggling! Your bony bum is hurting my legs." Without missing a beat, he says, "Well, your pricklies are huring my bum." Clever kid.

Back to what my sister sent to me. I laughed out loud on the in-law one of these. Enjoy.

THE SILENT TREATMENT

A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each
other the silent treatment.
Suddenly, the man realized that the next day,
he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight.
Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper,
"Please wake me at 5:00 AM " He left it where he knew she would find it.
The next morning, the man woke up, only to discov er it was 9:00 AM
and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and
see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed.
The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM. Wake up."
Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.


WIFE VS. HUSBAND

A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word.
An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position.
As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, "Relatives of yours?"
"Yep," the wife replied , "in-laws


UNDERSTANDING WOMEN

(A MAN'S PERSPECTIVE)
I know I'm not going to understand women.
I'll never understand how you can take boiling hot wax,
pour it onto your upper thigh, rip the hair out by the root,
and still be a fraid of a spider.


CREATION

A man said to his wife one day, "I don't know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time".
The wife responded, "Allow me to explain.
God made me beautiful so you would be attrac ted to me;
God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!"

WHO DOES WHAT

A man and his wife were having an argument about who
should brew the coffee each morning.
The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first,
and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee."
The husband said, " You are in charge of cooking around here
and you should do it, b ecause that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee ."
Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible
that the man should do the coffee."
Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me."
So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament
and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says.........."HEBREWS"