Creature Comforts

I saw the funniest show last night! It's called Creature Comforts. The producers conducted interviews around the country and played them back. But the funny part is the faces you see are of claymation animals! It is hilarious. I think my favorite was a mother and daughter who were interviewed together. They were portrayed as pigs. The daughter was nursing several baby pigs and the mom was talking to her through the fence. They were talking about all kinds of things. What they liked or didn't like about their bodies, what they thought about flying. A bird with only one leg and a sling on his arm was talking about proper landing. It is just a funny show! Check it out on CBS!

A New Calling

In our church, we are asked to do different jobs at different times. We call these callings, as it things we are called to do. Well, for the last year or so, I have been working with the 8-12 year old girls. There is a program called activity days where they learn how to do lots of things and have a lot of fun (I hope!) along the way. That has been a lot of fun for me. The girls pretty much love anything we have prepared for them and are ready and willing to work hard! Well, once they get someone else to do this job, I'll be done with that calling for a while. The only problem is that we have had a mass exodus from our ward this summer. We are short a lot of people and we are waiting for others to move in.

I have been asked to be the relief society (women's organization) secretary. I am really excited! I haven't had a calling like this before, so it will be really new to me! I'll find out tomorrow and Tuesday what is involved! I think it will be really fun and I really like the relief society presidency! They are great women!

So, if any of you have any advice on how to keep yourself organized, pass it along. I have a palm pilot on the way...

This week...

Between recovery, having extra kids and painting the cabinets in the kitchen, it has been hard to get on here to post about it all.

I am feeling much better, now. I mostly just have to deal with the goop left in my nose and throat, though that gets better ever day.

The extra kids were pretty good. The 6 month old is a wonderful baby. She is so easy! She hardly even cried. It was easy to have her. Her older sister was not too bad, either. She is three and asks TONS of questions. The problem is that she had to go to the bathroom about every 5-10 minutes some times. That got annoying, since I had to go up the stairs with her every time to open the gate and make sure she washed up. Overall, it went well and I'm glad I was able to help out their mom!

Aaron came home with primer and paint to freshen and brighten up the cabinets in the kitchen. It is looking nice, but isn't done yet. (Pictures later, when we are done.) It has been a lot of work and hard to use the kitchen. We are at a point that we can actually cook and move around in there, so it is nice, now.

Wednesday and Thursday were really rainy, here. On Wednesday, a family in the neighborhood has invited anyone and everyone over to have fun at their home during the summer. Well, when in rains, outdoor activities are out, so they came up with a fun alternative! Someone had a moonwalk that they bought online. They brought it up to our church and put it up for the kids to play on!



The kids played for two hours on this thing! It was really fun! It was also nice to sit around and talk to all the moms!

Get a Free Cloth Diaper

I have been wanting to use more cloth diapers, but the only ones I own are the old-fashioned ones that you have to use pins and plastic covers for. So, I was excited to find an offer to get a free pocket change cloth diaper! These are supposed to be much better & easier! I have never seen or tried them before, but Drea has and she LOVES them! The Montana Diaper Store & The Natural Baby Company are offering a free diaper to spread the news about their wonderful diapers! I'd love to try them out, myself! So, go check them out! They have some great products!

If you want a free one, just blog about the diapers, add links to both companies and email them with a direct link to your post... I'm excited!

2 Extras

Today I am watching two kids from church. Their mom is at Disneyland with her oldest daughter! How fun is that? I hardly know these kids, so I hope things go well when they arrive. We'll have them from 9am-6pm! It could be interesting. One of them is about Belle's age and the other is a six month old. It'll be fun to have a baby around, today.

I am getting over a cold/flu that totally knocked me out this weekend. It came on really suddenly and then I was just wiped out for a day and a half. Now, I just have the gunk in my sinuses and throat! So far, no one else has caught it. I hope it stays that way!

Need a Lift?

5 Minutes for Mom is having a contest for a Belly Band. They are neat additions to your pregnancy wardrobe! They can go under or over your clothes to help you wear normal clothes longer, cover your belly late in pregnancy and get back into your pre-pregnancy clothes faster! It sounds like a great deal to me!

I know, I enter too many contests, (especially when I'm not expecting a baby) but I just can't pass up free (and useful) stuff!

SMART Habit Saturday

I have exercised more this week than I have in a long while. I am still not to the point of a habit, but I am working on it. Scripture reading didn't go so well. So, I am not adding anything new, I just want to maintain and turn these two goals into habits. Both are really important to me and they are also the things I tend to neglect the most!

How's that for a short post? I woke up way too early for the first day of summer for us. I slept great until Belle woke me up at about 3:30. I got up to use the bathroom and turning on the light gave me a headache. My neck also got the point that it was hurting in any position I tried. So, I got up to read the posts of you lovely ladies this morning.

So, if you want to join and start making life-changing habits, go over to see The Lazy Organizer!!!

Good Yarn Karma

I found a great new site!!


It is called Good Yarn Karma. They list yarn, accessories and books that people want to give away or trade! It is wonderful! All you have to do is find something you like and follow their directions! I got my package today!! The yarn is a gorgeous boucle blend! I wish the colors were more true on this picture!



It came from Chelsea!! It came super fast, too! I can't wait to get working with this yarn!

Thanks Chelsea!!!

I wish I had some yarn to offer, but my stash isn't really worth having! Someday, perhaps!

My Big Accomplishment, Yesterday

I hurt my neck...don't feel too bad for me, I think I did it playing a dumb game on Aaron's Palm Pilot! And, I wasn't exercising most of the time. It is really addictive and I think I must hold my head wrong when I do it. So, anyway, I hurt my neck and had a hard time doing very much around the house. I did get one major thing done though! I got to the bottom of the laundry basket! I even put the clothes away after dumping them on the bed! So, I did it legitimately!



I am really bad about filling up a basket and letting the clothes sit there for WEEKS! When I do finally get around to the clothes, I find stuff I didn't remember Belle even had! The thing is, I do really well at taking the shirts and most of the pants right out of the dryer because I hate to iron! If I take the rest right out and fold it then it gets done right away, but if anything is left in the dryer or goes straight to the basket, it gets to live there for quite some time! I really hate that I do this, but sometimes it just happens that way!

My Crochet Trick

I wanted to save up all my little tricks for crochet and have a post about them. I have been saving one for so long that I thought I'd just post about it and be done. I guess I don't really have any other tricks! (Other than organizing my stash in a big tote in the closet so that I can find everything when I need it. My craft books and other stuff are all in another container so I don't have to search through several boxes to find the one thing I need!)

So my tip is this: When you need to mark a stitch in a pattern, instead of using a spare piece of yarn, or buying stitch markers, I use a pin! You don't have to keep finding new pieces of yarn and tying them in, or buy something with only one purpose. I have tons of pins around. They are easy to pin on my crochet hook case for anytime I need them, too! Pins are also really easy to move when you have to keep track of the row you are on.

The picture is of my newest brilliance!! I can't wait to show you the finished product!

Memorial Day

We had a really nice Memorial Day. Every year we go to the cemetery in Aaron's hometown. We go to the graves of his ancestors, starting with the most recent.
This year, Luke was old enough to understand and start learning who many of these people were. It was a really nice day. Belle thought it was great fun to walk on all the gravestones! We had to be really diligent to keep her from it.

After putting flowers on the graves, we went to Aaron's uncle's home (the old family home) for a barbecue. We had a really nice time visiting with family. The kids had fun playing. They were the only little ones, so they had to enlist cousins, aunts and parents to play with. There is this circle of trees in the backyard. It is really cool and makes a great play area!

Belle had a wonderful time smelling the flowers! She loves to smell any flowers! I love it when I can get her to do it for the camera!

(I had fun playing with this picture!! I think it turned out really neat! ---Even if I do say so myself!)

They also had a fountain she had fun looking at. I am amazed she didn't splash around in it!!

It was a good day!

SMART Habit Saturday

So, last week's reading the scriptures goal didn't go so well. I want to work more on that one! Exercise and scripture reading seem to be the things that I lack the most! I want to work on those two until I get them to be REAL habits!

I have been feeling pretty frumpy lately, and last night I jumped on the exercise bike with Aaron's Palm Pilot and "Crazy Daisy". The time just flew by! I need to get me one o' them! So anyway, that's what is going on here!

Good luck on your goals and if you haven't started, yet, come join!!

The Lazy Organizer is the ring leader!! She even gives away prizes! Good stuff, too!

--My blessings! I am so blessed to have the home and family that I do! Our home isn't fancy, but it is warm, dry and comfortable! We live near a lot of outdoor activities and stores, so we don't have to drive very far to enjoy the things we like. We also have a very loving and supportive family. I am also blessed to have the Truth! It is really comforting to know of God's unending love for me! This world can be a rough place, and to know that God is there to love and comfort me is an amazing thing!

--Good weather! For a couple of days we had really stormy weather and it was yucky! I think the gloomy weather makes me feel like doing nothing! It is just crummy! I guess though, since we pretty much live in a desert, we really need the moisture.

--Summer!! Aaron is a public school teacher, so summer starts in just a few days! It will be so nice to have him home and be able to play for the summer! He has a lot to do and so we'll be busy as well, but it'll be nice to have the time to do some of the things that never happen during the school year.

--My crochet skills! It is really nice to have something that I can work on while the kids play and that I can quickly and easily put away when they need me. I also applied for a job as a crochet instructor! I think that will be a lot of fun, if I get the job.

Lost Finale

If you haven't seen the Lost finale, stop reading this post! And, go watch it at abc.com!!

I was totally blown away MANY times last night! I have only read the post at Rocks in My Dryer and the Hanso Foundation letter , so I don't know what the message boards or anyone else is saying. So, here are a few of my thoughts, in random order, because that's how my brain works:

I just have to say that Hurley is my new favorite! I liked him before, but after getting in the VW bus and plowing down the Others, I am impressed!! I started out the episode feeling really bad for him, but he is awesome!!

Why did Charlie have to die? I think he is a lot smarter than that! He could have gotten out. I guess though that Desmond would probably have tried to get in to talk to Penny! And, Des also told Charlie that if he didn't die, they would have never been rescued.

On that note, I think that the people in the boat off shore are the Hanso foundation coming back to work on the Dharma project and maybe retaliate for all of their people that the Others/Hostiles killed!! They could have perhaps been turned to the side of the survivors, but maybe not if Locke killed Naomi!! Idiot!

Speaking of Locke, Woo Hoo!! He's alive! But, maybe that isn't such a good thing... Who knows? How did Walt do what he did? He does have some kind of weird powers...

What made Jack want to go back so badly? Had his life been made so horrible that he thought it was caused by the island? Who could he have cared about so much that his dying made Jack want to kill himself? My husband thinks that it may have been Ben. That if Ben died, Jack saw no way to ever get back to the island. It would make sense that no one would have gone to Ben's viewing. Most of the others would have had at least a few people there.

Kate looked like she was free. Had she been freed because all that she had been through? That doesn't sound likely. We wonder if she was still on the run.

Last of all: I know that there wouldn't be a mystery or much of a show if they explained things to each other, but they would have a lot more things go the way they wanted to. If Ben had told Jack why he knew that they'd all be killed by those on the boat and who they were, maybe Jack would have taken him more seriously. The same goes for Locke. All they had to do was use that dramatic pause to tell each other what they knew and things could (maybe) work out. On the other hand, if I am right and the boat is the Hanso people, maybe that would make Jack want them to come even more!

Oh, and I was really excited to see Claire carrying Aaron in a sling of some sort while they were trekking up the hill to the radio tower! Everytime I saw her I thought that it was so cool that she was carrying him that way!!

Okay, so there's what I have to say!! I'm excited that they've been renewed for next season and to tell their whole story!!

Wanna Wubba?? I do!

I just saw a contest to win a Wubbanub! They are the cutest pacifiers, EVER! Go here to see a picture of them! They have a small stuffed animal attached for the baby to hold!! Cute!

No, I am not expecting a baby, but I want to be and I know plenty of people who would love to use one!! So, we'll see what happens!

Is there something wrong??

Maybe this is vain or arrogant of me but when I look at the visitors to my page, there aren't ANY listed since the 16th. I used to get at least a few everyday and now it seems there is nothing! It is just weird. Even when most of you didn't comment, there were people checking things out just a little bit!

So, I am wondering if I have done something to make my blog go private or something.

So, please, if anyone is reading this, please leave a comment to say that you can see me. I just want to know if there is a problem. Even if you have nothing to say, but let me know if you can see this.

Thanks!!

Going Green in Moderation

I am all about moderation. I try not to work or exercise too much!! ;) I also am trying to find a balance for my kids to be independent, but still need me enough to want me involved in their lives, dreams and questions. That can be a tricky one and it is hard to know if I am doing it right until they are grown. So, I guess we'll just have to keep trying and praying on that one.

Lately, I have been reading a lot about being more environmentally friendly, or "green". There are some who are willing to give up electricity, toilet paper, buying anything new, packaged items and many other things. I am not so willing to go as far as some people. (I admire their efforts and I think some of them are doing really amazing things!!) I do want to do better in my efforts. I am working on crocheting more grocery bags. (of my own design, since what I what isn't available or at least not easy to find) I want to reduce the amount a packaging that comes into our home. Just this morning, I was shopping for flour and the 25 lb bag was the same price by the ounce as the 5 lb bags. I thought about it...the smaller bags would have been a lot easier to deal with, but a lot more trash! So, I hefted the big bag into the cart!

Another way that we have talked about conserving resources is to drive as little as we can. We live in a part of town where we can walk or ride a bike to most of the things that we need. Our church is only a block away. The stores and parks are only a short walk away as well. Some problem comes in when you consider that I don't like to grocery shop and so I only go about twice a month. Trying to haul two kids and two weeks worth of groceries could get tricky. We'll adapt, I think. We all need the exercise and fresh air anyway!!

By necessity, we already don't consume lots of things we don't need to. We don't have a lot of disposable income, so we just don't buy a lot of useless things. I also love to make things, so rather than going straight to the store to buy something when a need arises, I try to think of a way to make it if I can. I have a bit of a stash of yarn and fabric, so many times I don't even need to go to the store for the materials.

I am going to add a list of links to green sites I have found in my wanderings around the Internet. There are tons of them out there!!

If any of you have suggestions for things you do to be a little greener, comment and let me know!!

Tirzah Needs

I've seen this a few places...recently it was on Kathleen's and Kim's blogs!! (Sorry Kathleen, I thought there wouldn't be enough for a fun post, and there were some with my real name...see bottom!!) So, if you want to do one, all you do is Google "(Your name here) needs" and see what happens. I noticed that it worked better with quotation marks. Have fun!!

Tirzah needs to feel that the board is committed to spiritual growth and increasing our educational level. ---I do need that...SO deeply! I need a board, first, then I definitely want to feel their commitment!

Tirzah needs to shake things up so she can be the center of attention. ---Oh, yes, that is where I belong!

Tirzah needs 4 to finish!!! ---Yay!!! (Wait, to finish what??)

Tirzah needs attention. ---Is anyone else noticing a pattern, here?

Tirzah needs to cook some of the meat in a rotisserie grill. ---I would need one, first...but that sounds wonderful!

What Tirzah needs is that one from 'Little britain' which goes: What i'd go for some cake oh cake mmm Cakeee CAAAKKEEE CAAKEEE ... ---This one kind of scares me...

Tirzah needs to narrate her response. ---I'm trying to!

Tirzah needs your help. ---Yes, please send me lots of money!! (In lieu of cash, I'll take lots of comments!!)

Tirzah needs to pack. ---I really need to put some stuff in storage, so this one is true. I have to go through and organize most of it, first. Anyone what to help?

Could someone please let him know Lady Tirzah needs to speak to him about next weekend? ----Yes, I have to talk to him immediately! It is SO important! Wait, who was it I wanted to talk to again?

TERSA NEEDS TO BE BORN AGAIN URGENTLY???? ---Okay that was just weird and I think someone misspelled Mother Teresa.

Tersa needs to face facts. ---I do, I really really do!

Tersa needs no introduction. ---Never!! I am amazing!

One of those moments...

I had one of those glad-I-was-with-mostly-children moments. It could have been really embarrassing to have say, a whole room of adults notice that most of the buttons on my shirt came open! Kids don't notice or care why that would be a problem. One or two were open and a friend pointed it out, then, as I was putting those back, several others came open!! Wow! I had the same problem this morning. I think the shirt may have shrunk...okay, so maybe the wearer needs to lose some pounds... ;) Either way, I think I'll leave that shirt in the closet for a little while. I really like it, too!!

SMART Habit Saturday

Okay, I am really tired, so let's make this short! Last week didn't go so well with the cleaning up toys. It happened all of...wait for it...ZERO days! How's that for a habit starter? So, I am going to abandon that one this week, because I don't think I am ready to do that. Maybe I need a better plan. I did okay with less blogging. I didn't always stick to the strict only once rule, but I was still able to be quite productive and I had a pretty good week over all.

This week I want to do two things. I want to read my scriptures everyday. I really want this one to be a habit! I have tried it quite a few times and it hasn't stuck yet. I know I need to do it for at least 21 days in a row to make it a real habit, so I am starting this one again.

My second goal is to clean the house well enough on Friday that I don't come downstairs to a hurricane zone! This yesterday I tried this, and so far it is okay. What happens is that we are usually gone on Saturdays and we tend to be lazy when it comes to housework on the weekend. And I try not to do many chores on Sundays, so we get a disaster on Monday, and sometimes in oozes over to Tuesday as well. For some reason, we seem to make bigger messes at our house when we aren't there...maybe we got the bad kind of elves instead of the ones that clean up or make shoes while you're not looking!

So, if I can have most of the laundry and dishes done and try to get/keep the toys cleaned up on Friday, there isn't as much for the elves to destroy!!

Wish me luck and good luck on all of your goals! What you aren't a SMART girl yet?? Go over to the Lazy Organizer's blog and join in!! It's fun, you make great goals and habits AND Lara gives away prizes!!!