Nail Polish

I read yesterday in a magazine (so it must be true) that one should discard their nail polish after one year.  Mascara every three months I've heard.  But nail polish after a year.  Wow.  I have nail polish older than Ethan . . . do you have old nail polish?

FYI

For those of you who may be interested, I am now in charge of WRITING the road show too.  How did I get roped into this?  Oh, but it's gonna be good.  hahaha

AND, photos on my photo blog today!  Hooray.

Shaving Cream

I have officially stopped using shaving cream. And I am oh, so happy about it. The whole shaving cream thing is a joke anyway. I always thought I was using it to protect my legs and make it easier to see where I had shaved and where I hadn’t. When my legs burned after shaving, I always thought to myself, “good thing I used shaving cream or this burn would be so much worse”. Ha! It’s all a joke.


If you use shaving cream, you should try going without it. The time saving thing is worth it alone. Mom, I always thought you were crazy to not use it, and now I know you were just smart. As moms always are!

Since I have stopped using shaving cream, I have cut my shaving time down by half. I can now save the money that the shaving cream cost. I can actually see BETTER to shave when there isn’t foam everywhere covering up the hair, and my legs burn LESS after shaving than they did with shaving cream.

How I Want to Be

Two things I've read this week inspired me.  Both come from President Thomas S. Monson.  When I think about how I want to be, what I want to become, these pretty much sum it up:

To express gratitude is gracious and honorable, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven.

Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down.  It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily.  It is accepting weaknesses and shortcomings.  It is accepting people as they truly are.  It is looking beyond physical appearance to attributes that will not dim through time.  It is resisting the impulse to categorize others.

Random Fact Friday

This little plate is attached to the inside of our piano:

Makes me smile . . . and,
Makes me wish I could play and sing just a little better.

A New Favorite

I have a new favorite store. If you live around here, you should go and visit. But take money with you . . . or maybe don't. I could really spend a lot in there without even blinking!

Osmond Designs! Located in Lehi (151 E. State Street)

Oh my heart! I am in love with just about everything in there (though I still think I like the chairs in Down to Earth better than any chairs I've seen), I can't get over their wall art and accessories, their amazing leather furniture, and the bedding that they have. One of each, please?!

I got out of the store having only spent $25!! That's the other great thing about it, it's WAY cheaper than The Black Goose. And just as gorgeous. I got a beautiful metal swirling piece to hang over my bed. Sorry, no pictures. (I know, I know . . . totally out of character!)

I think I could go there a lot and buy something every time, and be happy. . .

Random

I love the smell of fresh sage.

I dreamt about brownies last night.

I currently have 23 sewing projects lined up, some need to be done this month, some not until Christmas.

I'll probably add several more.

I love Ethan's laugh.

I call Madeline my sugar girl.

And today we'll be enjoying Lagoon!

Stadium of Fire

Tomorrow I am going to the Stadium of Fire! And yes, I am excited because I love Carrie Underwood!

Carrie Underwood won American Idol back when I actually watched the show. When I saw her audition, she was immediately my favorite and stayed that way the whole season long. When I'm driving, I always listen to Carrie Underwood unless Madeline is shouting, "no songs today" loud enough that I decide to turn it off. I really like her music, I really like her voice, and I also love that she sings in just my range. It makes it perfect for singing along with. It's just not as fun to sing along when you can't hit most of the notes (or have to keep switching octaves). So when no one else is in the car with me, I turn it up and sing my heart out.

Can't wait for tomorrow!

Surprise Clothes

If you ever need something to help your kids get dressed in the morning, I have a game for you.

We play it several times every week. And not only does it help the kids to like getting dressed (there is always something so much more appealing to them about pjs), but it also insures that they are wearing clothes that match and are right for the season (provided you can pick out matching clothes yourself . . . sometimes I wonder that about myself . . .) ANYWAY,

We call it “Surprise Clothes”. I sneak into their rooms, pick out their clothes, and hide them under a pillow. Then they have to close their eyes and keep them closed (this is the HARD part) while I dress them. The whole time I’m dressing them, they get to guess what I’m putting on them judging by the feel of the fabric. My kids love it! And Ethan guesses right about half the time, though it may be because he’s peeking! But they always giggle when they finally open their eyes to see what they are wearing.

It’s a simple game, but “Surprise Clothes” is a favorite at our house.

Of course, if you play it TOO much, you miss out on the fun time when they do in fact pick out their own outfits!

Random Things

She lined them all up in a row on the carpet and then looked up at me and said, "I wanna wear all of dem, Mama!"
I finished another dress for Madeline. This one is for an extended family picture. I couldn't find this shade of blue anywhere in little girl clothes, so I made her this same pattern again. I added little roses on the neckline, instead of a bow.

And in other news, Todd is back after a week long business trip. We were all happy to see him walk through the door. Ethan made him this little sign before he arrived:

And guess what else? I really like Down East Basics! A LOT.

Have a great weekend!

Some Random Facts

When I put the last stitch in Madeline’s dress, I had this much thread left:
Ethan’s favorite breakfast is a mix of Berry Berry Kix, Honey Nut Chex, and Honey Nut Cheerios.

My husband is currently taking the PE Exam, a test to become a professional engineer. It lasts eight hours and we won’t get the results back for four months. But I know he’ll do great. I love you, Todd!

A big portion of my downstairs is currently covered in primer.

My Daughter Babysits

We found out that there are 22 Beehives in our ward. That is the name for the girls from church who are 12 and 13 years old. 22!

Now I know why almost every woman who introduced herself to me said, "Hi, I'm so and so, and my daughter babysits."

Too many sitters in the area and not enough babies. Hmmm, maybe they can start paying me to tend my kids . . .

Chemical Engineers

Fact: Chemical Engineers can fix everything (because they know everything)!

I didn’t used to really believe this fact; I just thought it was a line Chemical Engineers like to play up. But after being married to one for over six years, I am now a believer!

Last night, Todd fixed my broken lens! What I thought was a break, actually turned out to be the two main pieces of the lens popping apart. I looked at it for a long time before he got home and couldn’t figure out how it even went together, but Todd looked at it and fixed it in about five minutes. Thank you honey, thank you SO MUCH!

Honey, when you took apart my broken washing machine a couple of years ago, and I saw springs literally fly out from it, I doubted you. I am now officially sorry that I ever did! You did fix the washer, using every spring (without the instruction book) and it worked like brand new.

I won’t doubt you again. You can fix anything! I guess you were right (yeah yeah, you knew you were), because you’re a Chemical Engineer. ;)

BJHS

I have Benign Joint Hypermobility Syndrome.

After posting a couple of weeks ago how I was a medical mystery, a friend sent me information via email that led me to read about joint hypermobility syndrome. I found the diagnosis criteria online and knew it was exactly what I have. Yesterday at the Rheumatologist, it was confirmed.

What does that mean?

It means I have chronic joint pain in multiple joints. It means that I have hypermobility in my elbows. It means that my shoulders like to partially dislocate. But I already knew that. And now that I have a name for my problems, I know what to expect for the future. My condition won’t get worse like so many other joint problems out there. And while there isn’t a cure or really anything that for sure will even help, I know that I won’t have to be in a wheelchair in a few years from a deteriorating spine! Of all the possibilities that my problem could have been, this is the best scenario. Everything remains the same as it was before I found out the diagnosis, but now I can have peace of mind and learn to deal with it.

I have a referral to go to physical therapy. I also have two meds to try. The doctor told me they may or may not do anything. But either way, it’s okay. For some reason, I just feel better now because I know.

Sherron, thank you so much!

We are Moving!

After renting a wonderful home for a little over a year, Todd and I finally found the perfect house for us to buy. We decided to start looking a little while back and didn’t find a thing that seemed right. Then in less than 24 hours, a house came on the market, we saw it, made an offer, and had the offer accepted! Now we only have three weeks until we close on the new house! Time to pack our boxes!

It sure seems like we love moving too. Todd and I have been married six years and this will be our fifth place together! The longest we have lived in one place is two years. Just about the time I start feeling settled, I move again! I really hope that we can stay in this home for a LONG time. I have enjoyed living in all the places we have lived. And I have discovered that there are nice people everywhere. I am particularly grateful for the friends we have made here while renting. Sometimes it is hard for people to want to invest in someone that they know won’t be there for long, but I didn’t feel that way. Everyone has been true friends to me.

Five places in six years . . . yeah, I just hope that in the next six years the number of places never changes!

I’m a Medical Mystery

I’ve been seeing a Rheumatologist this month. I’ve always had joint problems, in all my joints, and daily discomfort. But the last few months have gotten worse. I always wake up in the night from the pain and can’t go back to sleep. But so far, all that my Rheumatologist can tell me is what I don’t have.

I don’t have Rheumatoid Arthritis. I don’t have Lupus. I don’t have Fibromyalgia. And I don’t have Ankylosing Spondylitis. Don’t worry, I don’t know how to pronounce it either. It’s a spinal arthritis. I had X-rays done and my spine is perfect. That’s good news, despite no diagnosis still. And all my blood tests came back normal too. I’m currently taking a second drug to see if my pain will respond to it. Sometimes no diagnosis can be found, but meds still help. It’s too early to tell if it’s actually helping yet, but the first “test” medication I tried did nothing.

Too bad Dr. House isn’t real. He would surely be able to figure out what I have, especially after testing my house for toxins. Of course, if I were a patient to Dr. House, I’d probably have to almost die at least twice before he figured it out and that doesn’t sound too fun. Because one thing I do know is that whatever I have won’t kill me. And let's be honest, I'm really glad about that!

Dry

You know your skin is too dry when your microfiber dish towels stick to your hands.

About Pie

I love pie. Pie is the mother of all desserts. But only if it’s cold. Pie, in all its varieties, is far superior cold. The end.

Black Friday

Today was my first experience ever with Black Friday Shopping. I was just sure I would not like it, but it turned out to be surprisingly fun. Though I don't recommend going to Walmart before 6am. I ended up going to four stores (my husband wishes ever so badly that I would post which stores they were) and had success at all of them!

Next year, I would probably go again . . . those of you who know me well, don't faint! In the last year, I have almost started to like shopping.

A Fun Award and some Random Facts

Emmy awarded me with this the other day:

Her blog is the one that is really Over the Top fun, so check it out here. Thanks for the award Em.

In order to accept this award, I'm supposed to answer the following series of questions with just one word answers. So for my Random Fact Friday, enjoy my award accepting answers . . .

1. Where is your cell phone? Nightstand
2. Your hair? Brown
3. Your mother? Selfless
4. Your father? Dedicated
5. Your favorite food? Indian
6. Your dream last night? Late
7. Your favorite drink? V8 Fusion
8. Your dream/goal? Photographer
9. What room are you in? Computer Room
10. Your hobby? Sewing
11. Your fear? Arthritis
12. Where do you want to be in six years? Utah
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. Something you aren’t? Short
15. Muffins? Delicious
16. Wish list item? Clothes
17. Where did you grow up? Utah
18. Last thing you did? Photoshop
19. What are you wearing? Jeans
20. TV? Sometimes
21. Your pets? None
22. Your friends? Cherished
23. Your life? Simple
24. Your mood? Grateful
25. Missing someone? Yes
26. Vehicle? Camry
27. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes
28. Your favorite store? Hobby Lobby
29. Your favorite color? Purple
30. When was the last time you laughed? Today
31. When was the last time you cried? Yesterday
32. Your best friend? Raelynn
33. One place that you go over and over? Harmons
34. One person who e-mails me regularly? Family
35. Favorite place to eat? Out