Tuesday Tell all -School Days

A School memory.

hmm Here's a good and a bad.

I remember second grade my teacher was super ornery. I don't know why she was still teaching. I remember she totally railed into a kid in my class and it totally freaked us all out. It was the beginning of the school year, not a good way to start the year. I know a bunch of kids started crying even though they weren't the one being yelled at. She did it in front of the whole class. It was horrible.

In third grade I had a great teacher. I also had a crush. The coolest part of it was that he had a crush on me too. It was all pretty cute, he'd give me gum and little gifties and we'd sit together when we could. I remember the last day of school we were outside to take a picture (the building was being torn down that summer) and just before the picture was taken he stood up and asked the teacher if he could sit by me. Can I tell you how special I felt?

six man tent?

So this last weekend we went camping. This would have been just fine... if Zurich was okay. He's still not sleeping, recently a trip to the doc showed he was loosing weight instead of gaining, and he is likely actually hungry and that is why he wakes up some nights. I was encouraged to nurse him at night because of this. He was also put on some meds to hopefully help him gain weight since the diagnosis sheet for the blood work listed "failure to thrive" and "Gerd" as possible issues. I think the meds make him throw up more and he's dizzy and ornery (I would be too if I was dizzy) he also sometimes gets a mask like face which can also be a side effect. Tomorrow we go to do a upper GI tract x-ray on him and Thursday we check his weight again. So... He didn't sleep good while we were camping which means Gary didn't and I definitely didn't sleep well. I felt bad because we were camping with friends. We thought in the future a bigger tent might help so someone getting up to go potty wouldn't wake every one else in the tent up. So Gary and I were surfing last night looking for a decent tent with decent price. We came across this.... You have got to be kidding me!
Who sleeps like that? Just imagine it. My head at two people's knees, or am I not supposed to move at all when I sleep? We're talking about people here, real live people, not Mummies even if the people are in mummy bags. And they call that a six man tent. Call it a 4 man tent with space for gear, not six man. The Kelty brand seemed like it was a fan of strange sleeping arrangements. We we just cracking up. It is so dumb.

Tuesday Tell All-Back to school

This year Olea starts a neighborhood preschool. 5 kids. 5 moms and we all take turns teaching for the week. Olea is very excited for "friends preschool."

Growing up we didn't really have the big deal over buying school clothes because we didn't really have a lot of excess for frilly new clothes we got what we needed and made do. I don't remember feeling all that deprived but I know sometimes I wished I had a week's worth of new outfits rather than just one or two days. I know I generally didn't wear something new the first day. I figured everyone would be so concerned with their new clothes they wouldn't notice if I had new ones or not. I was generally right. School was just the end of the summer. What I liked the most was new mechanical pencils and a binder full of clean paper. I love office supplies, good thing I get such a kick out of them because that was the new things I got in highest quantity. :)

Olea starts "friends preschool" next week.

Because He REALLY Loves Me

Because he really loves me
occasionally
he sends me flowers
orange
because he notices
how I'm growing to love it
gerbers and callas because he knows
they are my favorite

Because he really loves me
he braves it all
the unknown, the dangerous
dirty, and heavy
because he knows
it makes me happy to create
he builds a place for me
works everyday for me

Because he really loves me
a nap
he gives me, keeps them quiet
even if he's been up just as late
because he knows my fuzzy brain
and wants me happy
lives what I told him
Because he really loves me

Cut

So I got my hair cut last Thursday. I cut off 13 inches in braids... That goes to Locks of Love, what I am I going to do with the extra hair? Seriously. And for your viewing pleasure...

We went with Gary's parents to a wedding reception of my mother in laws best friends from Ireland, (her son). So we got some pics in front of our temple. We even did the "Gary Dance"The next day we went to Castle Valley Pageant. Olea got to milk a cow, we got prairie diamond rings and Olea and I got Ringlet ties in our hair. I don't know what is behind us... freaky looking personage though.
Gary was really surprised that he liked my hair cut so much. I like that I can flip it out or under and it works both ways. Olea then decided that she wanted her hair short too. I cut hers on Monday. I trimmed just a little off and asked if that was what she wanted, "No, Mommy I want it not to touch." She motioned to her shoulders. "I want it like yours." Ok. So I braided it off and chopped. She thought this was sooo cool. We cut off 6 inches in braids. The last few days she has been all surprised and pleased that it has been so easy to comb out. I gave her a slight A-line, not as drastic as mine. And I congratulate myself on it laying quite perfectly!
I'm a deer!

Tuesday Tell All-Summer Blockbusters

I don't typically see movies in the theater. It costs too much... just as it is, and then having to find a babysitter so I can drive 30 mins to a theater. We rent. So this summer I haven't seen hardly any movies because we have been consumed in the evenings finishing our basement. So what joy when now that we are finished Redbox is doing it's Monday and Wednesday free movie codes. So we've rented Spiderwick, because I read that this summer, I was so shocked they are such bitty books. The movie was quite different from the book but they did what they could for the format I guess. We just rented Dan in Real Life. I don't know who's opinion it was but they didn't like it much. I thought it was great. There were some woven values that I appreciated (like no sharing a bedroom till married). It was a cute love story and other things. I liked it. Gary and I are really looking forward to seeing The Dark Knight. We hope to actually see that one in the theater. Gary wanted to see the indiana Jones one in the theater but it didn't happen. We'll just have to rent it.

Read this on Morgan's blog, it's a good one.... Here are my blanks filled in.

I am... an artist, and a poet, I am ready to admit that and deal with people's opinions.
I think... most when I am going to sleep.
I know... God loves me, that He listens and cares.
I want... time to slow to my thinking speed, my ability speed, and my enjoyment speed.
I have... joy.
I wish... medical bills would disappear and that I could stop creating them.
I hate... people who like to make babies but who don't take the time to love and raise them. And unalterable past, like forgetting an appointment, or reformatting a back up drive... that I needed.
I miss... my husband when he is gone.
I fear.... falling, heights,
I feel... whimsical and light.
I hear... worse than I wish I could.
I smell... my baby and my husband.
I search... for gratitude at each day's close.
I wonder... what my children will face, and what they will choose.
I regret... original womanhood, chivalry, and the loss of world virtue.
I love... my Gary and when I can make him laugh.
I care... about taking time to enjoy life, to watch it in it's splendor, to remember the blessing it is.
I always... stay up too late.
I am not... unwilling.
I believe... that all things work out in the end... I just have to work it to the end.
I dance... with my kids, or with my husband in the kitchen and I remember that I am exactly where I want to be.
I sing... when it strikes me, usually when I am alone.
I don't always... exercise, but I try.
I write... journals in many forms, for my kids, for myself, for my marriage, for reference, for fun, for gratitude.
I win... when I wake up every morning and re-decide to be in love, to be happy, to be a mommy, to live, and to be married.
I lose... track of time.
I never... want to be complacent or loose my "poetry" again.
I listen... for baby coos and 4 year old crashes, and the garage door.
I'm scared of... my husband dying young, having to raise kids by myself, and being unable to do the things I love most.
I read... mostly teen fiction and children's books.
I am happy about... my life as it is now, and every day.

I tag anyone who takes it upon themselves to be tagged.

Tuesday Tell All - Olympic Spirit

Am I competitive?
I didn't think so... but I am learning that I can be, as long as it is not confrontational competition. I ran track in high school the other runners were my competition but it was an inner competition and they were just there to show me where I was at. I compete against myself and my own expectations.

If I was in the olympics...
(HA!) I would compete in the 100 or 200 meter dash. I know I was good at it in HS. I think now without a tumor to stop me... and training, I could do decently.

Something will always happen

Today I took a trip to town with the kids. This means something will happen.
Zurich threw his binki which was on a clip which he ripped off his shirt, it's lost. It sucks because it was a clip my friend had made for him, beaded and all manly cute.
Olea threw a small fit about the kind of fruit snacks I bought. (there were at least 4 varieties to choose from) I choose because she whined to me about buying them at all.
I had to push the 300 lb cart plus kids all by myself at Costco... and then unload it all into the house and put it away.
Zurich was fussy with teething and kept throwing everything that he got his hands on. I gave him a paper to keep him occupied and he liked to drop it and watch it float down, then a pen=drop, and his binki=bounce. He is a super sweet child who is very pleasant, but when he is unhappy there is no mistaking it. He was ornery the last hour or two of our trip. He screeches and burrows his head where he can.
We ended up buying two boxes of ice cream cones because Olea threw it in the cart when I was taking care of Zurich.
Zurich got a bruise from Olea's elbow on top of his goose egg on his forehead.
We ran out of water.
My rings that I had in for rhodium plating didn't match when I went to pick them up, One was PURPLE! So I don't get my rings for another week. They'd never seen that before.
Kiddie Kandids has "never seen a stretched picture" but it happened to me. We got it fixed and reprinted but they couldn't get rid of the white line on the bottom of the matte.
It took us 5 hours to go to the Mall (jewler and kiddieKandids), Walmart and Costco.
Gary called but we couldn't hear him because of bad reception.
When I went to unload the car the groceries had shifted and upon opening the hatch the crate of nectarines dumped and nectarines rolled down the driveway, in the garage and in the lawn.

Zurich made me laugh though with his fascination with watching things fall. Olea earned lots of tickets (good behavior rewards system) hence we bought the ice cream cones. Olea sent me into a giggling fit today because she was so talkative at dinner she wasn't eating at all. I enjoyed sitting on the swing with Olea eating icecream cones in the dusk. Zurich was clawing at me in the store after he'd lost his binki like he hadn't eaten in days (it wasn't even hunger, just wanted his binki to chew on). I think it's funny that I seem to create anomalie situations. We made it home from our walk in time to make sure Olea didn't have an accident. We made it home safe and the kids are in bed. I am thankful for bed. Hopefully when Gary calls again I will be able to hear him. Life is good and despite the "somethings" that happened today, It's all good. I had fun with them and appreciate so much their personalities and Olea's desires to make good choices.

p.s. Notice how Gary grows a mustache over the pictures in the basement post. He promises it will be gone when he gets back from work in Hawaii. I think I will cut my hair too... Ohhhh So comments are appreciated. Here are some ideas I have, let me know what you think. I want it shoulder length or shorter. I played around on photoshop with some options. I am thinking #4 would be impossible for me and I don't much like it.

Tuesday Tell All - Summer is Sweet

I like smoothies a lot during the summer, probably becuase my husband likes to grill and the lighter smoothie just sounds refreshing, and it's cool.

My favorite smoothie:
about a cup of frozen or fresh fruit, (I like the rainbow mix at Costo)
2 cups of Activa Yogurt
1 can of Fresca

in the blender till it's all smooth (obviously) this makes enough for my husband and I and my daughter and if there is leftovers we make Popsicles out of it. They are my daughter's favorite.

Gary gets credit for this one, I'm pretty sure he concocted it off of a Fresca smoothie I really liked. The yogurt is a fab addition.

The Large PROJECT

Gary laughed at me every time I brought down the camera. He admits he appreciates it though. Mr. Uncle Sam gave us a nice little stimulus check and so Gary put it toward finishing our basement. Over all it has turned out more expensive than he first anticipated, not me though, I like to think I am smart. I generally figure everything costs more than I expect so I mentally thought about what we had in savings and added that to the stimulus, (excellent head math for me) so I agreed to let him start. Thankfully Gary is a smart guy and all too capable.

When we first got married Gary had a job for a summer doing dry wall. He hated it. Looking back we don't know how he got the job, (I am not being racist here, these are the FACTS) he didn't speak Spanish, and had never done the job before and none of the Mexicans on the crew spoke English. He managed to learn quite a lot and put up with a lot of trumpet polka music and here we are five + years down the road being thankful he had that horrible hot job. He's not an electrician and had no training in such yet he successfully and safely wired our whole basement, smoke alarms and C/O detectors that tapped into the whole house line, 3 way switches, GRC outlets, you name it. It's all up to code. He and his Dad framed it while Olea was in the hospital, a good project to keep his mind busy and not worrying so much about Olea. We did a cool texture and enjoyed picking out paint other than white. :) Gary was able to borrow tools from friends and family and now it's all done. YAY! We are so excited to reclaim our evenings. Since May 17th we have been working on the basement almost every evening since. Ah but "evening" doesn't even cover it usually we have been up till 12 or 2 am. Needless to say we are exhausted and in much need of sleep. But it's done and now I have an art studio and we have a nice private guest area and a place for the weight set. It's all good. Sigh. I still have some organizing work to get all my stuff in my studio where I want it but it's mine and a lock on the door to boot. Which I need with Olea since she likes to play with my art supplies so much.

The best part is, Gary did all of it because he loves me that much. And that's a pretty good example of why I love him so much. We had a friend congratulate us that our marriage was still intact, because he said nothing tries a marriage like a remodel or finishing a basement. :)

The following are progress pictures. I'm not in most of them because I am the photographer, and I think of it. But I was down there working with him when the kids were taken care of or down for bed.

before, nice work-out outfit huh?

framing (May 17th begin)
Plumbingthe bathroom fan ventsheetrockolea helping (yes, I let my 4 year old play with a dead battery power tool, coordination skills, look at all those screws she's sinking!)Mudding
oh the backwards hat is key I think,
A mud dropping, Great pic, I know. These are the things we giggle over though.
This was like 2am, I can't be held accountable for what my eyes do.Sanding, Gary hated this, for good reason.And now lets just mess up that smooth work with Texturing
Scraping the floor was fun. Gary did most of it, because it was a icky hard job and I couldn't do it for long with out my wrists having issues, look at that mess!Paint primerPainting
basecoat Main area Bathroom (it had a lighter base coat but turned out darker because of the glaze technique)Glaze Touch upsOlea helps with Painting baseboardsFlooring (we had this done Fixturesstorage shelving Done!Olea can't believe she can use the toilet down here
Oma and Zurich play in the Art Studio