2nd ice day this school year

Yesterday we had our second Ice Day of the school year. I knew the schools would close, because it was all over the news how bad the weather would be. The kids did okay, and I actually can't remember any huge fights. Today I stepped outside, at my husband's insistence, to take some shotsAll surface were "hairy" with ice. I don't know how that happened, but it was super coolI really haven't written any inspiring posts lately. Does anyone have any topics they would like me to write about?

Tonight's special

I bet you can't get this at YOUR local Italian Grill!

Nyquil on a date

Friday Joe and I had the opportunity to go to the temple. It had been a long time since we last went, and it was great to be back. Winter had a birthday party with her cousin, and Sterling and Ginger got a date night with grandma and grandpa. We joined the Morphises to the temple, as it was their ward temple night. I was amazed at the large group of people who were waiting to do a session,  it might have been as many as 100! The sessions are usually half empty.

Afterwards we went out to dinner. Thanks Mark and Kelly! I think the last time we went out to a nice restaurant was back on our Anniversary (July). We had delicious food, and a great time chatting with Kat and Matt. Oh, I almost forgot the most memorable part of the evening..... 

I had had a cold all week, and my sinuses, nose, and ears were all plugged up. My head was hurting, but I was determined to make it to the temple. I was at Joe's parents' house, and all I could find was Nyquil. I stayed awake, although I was a bit out of it. 

Since our date went kind of late, we decided to spend the night in Plano. Joe took off early Saturday morning, so he could be home when the duck hunters came ($200 easy cash!). The

 kids and I got an easy start, and then went with Liz to the gym. I just totally loved it! As soon as we move closer to town, I am getting a membership for sure (no, we don't have any moving plans) After that, Liz played games with the kids and we all headed to Tom Thumb for a good sale. 

When I got home, I was very happy to find this

I know it might not look like much, but Joe had been working all day on relocating the vanity lights. We want to have 2 separate light fixtures, instead of 1 long Hollywood style fixture. Now that's done, "I can just go in there any time for an hour at a time, and work on the walls" (Joe's exact words) Yippee. We might actually get the bathroom done after 2 years. Oh, by the way, we finished the floor in the breakfast nook a few weeks ago, so that project is almost done too!

Ginger 3 years

Okay, so Ginger really is almost 3 and 1/2, but better late than never right?

Blurb disaster

So I didn't only just accidentally delete my blurb book that I've been working on for hours.. Now I can't even slurp my blog entries, because the program keeps shutting down, and for some reason blogger is not one of the supported blogs right now!! I want to rip my hair out!!!!!!!!

Dance with Lisa

Today I danced with Lisa. I finally got an exercise DVD with latin dancing. For those who don't know, I did a lot of Ballroom Dancing in Highschool and College. The hardest part is finding DVD's that are challenging enough to keep me interested. I found this cool website www.collagevideo.com where you can search exercise videos by type, equipment, and level. I usually like the videos that are considered advanced choreography. That way, it will take me a little while to figure out the choreography, and keep it fun. I hate the ones where the instructor does the same moves over and over again, just to teach them. Because then the second time you do the workout, you get bored out of your mind. 

The Dance with Lisa DVD seems to be a good one. There are 5 dances, for 5 different days. Chacha, Salsa, Merenque, Rumba, and Samba. Today I did the chacha, and although it was fun, I can tell the moves might get kind of old after a while. But then I discovered a cool feature, where you can do all 5 dances in a row, which would help with the repetitiveness. The only dance that I am not as familiar with is the salsa, because all I have done with salsa dancing was at the clubs where most people only knew the basic moves anyways.

Under

So I have been a bit under the weather the past few days. It started with clogged sinuses, and has now moved to my lungs. On Monday the kids had the day off, and we visited our friends the Cullen's. Melody and AmyJoy used to live right down the street from Joe when they were in high school. Then, when we were living in Boise, AmyJoy moved into our ward. I remember that first Sunday they were there, when all of a sudden Joe got up, and started hugging this stranger. It was fun hanging out with her and her family while we were in Boise. Then, right about the same time that we moved to Texas, so did her sister Melody. I had met Melody a few times at AmyJoy's house. Unfortunately they live an hour from our house, so we can't visit frequently. But on Monday the kids had the day off, and I really wanted to take them somewhere fun. The kids had a blast, playing with her kids, and it was fun for me to catch up. We had some lunch, and walked to the lake, where the kids built sand castles. I guess I should have brought my camera, for a funner blog post, but I just wasn't in the mood to lug it around that day.

Just another Saturday

I started my first Blurb Photobook today. I am excited to have more than just a photo album. 2008 was the first year that I wrote on my blog throughout the year. I will add additional pictures to the ones on blogger, so it will include everything important in our lives from this past year.

Then I went to a baby shower. My first one in a long time, maybe more than 2 years ago. it was fun to talk to the ladies in my ward, and get out of the house.

In the afternoon I planned my grocery shopping, and then decided I wasn't in the mood, or had enough energy for a 6 hour shopping trip. Instead, I cleaned for 2 hours, and made dinner. I think that was a good compromise. Now I am wasted, and all I want to do is vegge in from of the TV. I guess that's why I seem to have no inspiration for good quality writing.

Taking chances

It's nice not having to cut my son's hair. But when my husband does it for me, I take the chance of ending up with this
Now he doesn't only act like a punk kid, he looks like one too!

Although I was initially appalled, I secretly have to admit I am loving the look

My Old Friend

As I was sitting around last night, pittying myself for not having any friends to hang out with, my thoughts turned back to the Boise days. Sure, back then I hung out a lot with my friends, but another "friend" kept me busy for many hours. This friend is my sewing machine. Somehow, he has been locked in a cabinet like a common criminal for the last year and a half. He had done nothing to deserve this sentence, or cruel treatment. I had just become selfish, and devoted no time to his wellbeing. So I started by mending clothes, most of which my kids have outgrown by now. I reclaimed some of my favorite pants, skirts, and even a Sunday dress.

Today I am missing out on a fun sample sale, which I was invited to go to by Catherine. This would have been a day of girl fun, shopping, and new clothes. I just had 2 little problems. No money, and children to take care of. I decided buying myself new clothes was really a want, rather than a need, and made the tough decision not to go. But I still want new clothes!

Put my old friend together with my want for clothes.... and I get what I want! I kept busy all night, AND I have a fabulous new skirt. The coolest thing: I already had all the materials. Here's what I started withand this is what I ended up withI love you, my old friend! Welcome back in my life!

Since Joe was still in bed when I took these pictures, I took about 50 of them with my remote control. It's impossible to keep a 3 year old out of the picture the whole time. (but I'm glad I got this cute picture)

Sweep

Last night I wasn't feeling too good, but I contributed it to eating too many nuts and cornbread. However, this morning I was feeling even worse, and was having all the symptoms of either the stomach flu, or food poisoning. Later this morning Joe got the same symptoms. Then around 2pm, Ginger and Winter did too. Only Sterling has been able to escape the stomach pains, nausea, and other icky things. I slept the whole day away, and am feeling marginally better. I just hope all the other members of my family will have the same results.

As Joe and Ginger and I were all pathetically laying around, my thoughts turned to the early 20th century, and before. Many times plagues, and illnesses swept the country and killed hundreds of thousands of people. And they were defenseless. It scared me to think that if this was a more serious illness, without a cure, I might have to watch part/all of my family die. I know.... a grim outlook, but entirely possible. The scriptures warn us of plagues, illnesses, and other calamities which have to happen before the second coming of Christ. Will I be helpless for my family then? I guess if we prepare ourselves before then, it won't matter if we all die, because we will be able to be together as a family in the eternities.

After some research, I have determined we indeed have food poisoning. We had some meatballs the night before last, of which the meat didn't look too fresh. That just makes me mad, because I had to throw out $6 worth of leftover meat.

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Consequences

I know I am not always right, but sometimes I am.

Why not give a 5 year old boy a pocket knife? I tried to explain to Joe that it's not a good idea. He thinks it's good for Sterling, so he can get used to knives. What possible good could come from a 5 year old spastic kid with a knife? No good at all. I went outside to get a little exercise, and this is what I found
Does anyone else agree it's a BAD IDEA to give a 5 YEAR OLD BOY A KNIFE????? It's taking me everything I've got right now, not to scream on the top of my lungs, and wack him upside the head!

I try to teach my kids right from wrong, but wonder whenever something like this happens, if anything gets through their heads. The worst part is, that if I were to say something like: "Now you can't have a trampoline anymore", he comes back with"I didn't want one anyways". How do I make him realize that it's not about what HE wants. It's about the $150 it cost me to get him, AND my other kids, AND friends that come over, a fun thing to do outside. That it's about my sanity on the days that they are driving me insane inside, and all I can do is make jump to use extra energy. It's about his total disregard for other people's property.

Because of my high emotions, I decided Joe needs to be the one to give Sterling a consequence. And it better be good. Like... no nightlight for 2 months. Or no allowance for the next 10 years. Or no duck for his birthday, which he has been wanting for almost a year. Or maybe he can unload the dishwasher for the next 3 years. Or fold my laundry, clean my bathrooms, or start a paper route?

Disaster

When you are an avid couponer like me, the worst that can happen is for your coupon folder to go missing. Luckily my big folder with all my coupons isn't missing, but my little black -take to the store- folder is. I know I last had it on Saturday night when Ruth and I went shopping. I vaguely remember seeing it in my purse at the movie theater, and also vaguely remember not seeing it on the way out of the theater.

The folder is not what I care about, it's what's in it. There are gift cards, register rewards, extra care bucks, cash, and rebate receipts. I bet there's at least $50 worth of stuff in there!!! I simply can't loose that. I still have some hope of finding it, by calling the theater. We were the last ones out of the room, and they clean after each showing, right? So supposing that the workers are honest, and put it right into lost and found, I should be able to get it all back. But, at the same time, there's a good chance I got a not so honest worker, and lost all my cash and giftcards.

Update-- I found it! It was at my in-laws house after all.

Dutch Food

I have lived in the United States for over 10 years now, but there are still several Dutch Food items I simply can't live without. Well... okay, some I live without most of the time, but others I always have in stock.  One of those is Hagelslag. Hagelslag are sprinkles for sandwiches. The original hagelslag is made from chocolate, milk and pure. However, there are now many other kinds. Including fruity flavors, licorice flavors, and also different shapes. Any time I am close to running out of hagelslag, I either buy it online, have my parents bring some, or buy it in Holland (those rare occasions I go to visit). Somehow, none of these methods had happened lately, and I found myself out!!! The tragedy! My kids love it too, and were asking for it. A while back, when we went to a Dutch restaurant in Dallas, the owner told me about a German deli that also sells Dutch groceries. I had never really had the need to go there, but now the need was there. It just so happens that this Deli is located down the street from Joe's cousin Katy. We visit her regularly, and we were there the day after Christmas for her daughter's party. Katy and I made it over to the Deli, and I was just delighted. I didnt' think they would have as much stuff as they did. I

 wanted to buy it all. Katy, who is a loud/outspoken person, was a little shocked at my reaction. I was just sooo excited. Some of the things they had sell, and I bought:

• Hagelslag - they had like 8 kinds I just bought 3.

• Ontbijtkoek - breakfast cake that is made with whole grains and delicious with butter
• Roggebrood - Pumpernickel bread that is unlike any American pumpernickel bread. Made with whole kernels of rye, great with whole brown sugar, or Dutch Gouda cheese
• Pannekoeken mix - Dutch pancake mix

• Licorice - nothing like American licorice. It's very salty (actually there are sweet kinds too), and strong. It made my BIL Josh's eyes water
• Appelstroop - another sandwich topping, it's a type of apple butter, but more syrupy

• Schenk stroop - molasses syrup for Dutch pancakes

Other things they had, which I really wanted to buy, but I didn't want to break the bank:

• Cassis - carbonated currant soda YUM! -they wanted $1.99 for a tiny bottle

• Indonesian Komex ingredients including Kroepoek! ketchap, nasis, etc
• Chocolate -of course, but they really sell good chocolates all over the place these days
• Bitterballen -That's right! They have a little Deli, and bitterballen is one of the things they serve. I want to go over there one day and have some bitterballen for lunch
• All kinds of great cookies
• Sinterklaas food including pepernoten, speculaas, gevulde spijskoek, chocolade letters etc
• beschuitjes - crisp bread, served with licorice sprinkles when you have a new baby
• stroopwafels - honey wafels that are a hit with all Americans that try them

I have truly been enjoying the little food I did buy. Especially the ontbijtkoek (at a hefty price of $4.99) and the roggebrood. It's too bad the store is an hour away, yet at the same time it's a great blessing, because if I lived close, I might just spend way too much money there!

Pics from my camera card

Since I seem to have been lacking inspiration for my blog, I decided to go to my camera card, and just pull off some random pictures from the last month, and explain a little bit about them

The Brooks family is a family in our ward, who is just overall fun and loving. I think they have like 9 kids overall, their youngest being 6. Her youngest two, are the same age as my oldest two, so we wanted to get them together for a playdate. The reason it was a big undertaking, is that even though they are in our ward, they live at the opposite end of the bounderies. It took me about 50 minutes to get there!!

The kids had a lot of fun together. We pulled out the play-doh, the kids dressed up, and played in the bitter cold. Overall a huge success. Now if only we lived a little lot closer, we could do it on a regular basis!

Every year, Liz buys a gingerbread house kit for the kids to decorate. This year, with Nancy and her kids being there too, she bought 2. One for the boys, and one for the girls. It almost become a competition to see who could make theirs the prettiest/coolest.

Our kids had a lot of fun playing with their Worth cousins. Whenever the whole family gets together, Winter and Naomi don't really play together, because of other cousin dynamics. It was fun for me to see them get to know eachother, and play so well together.

Since (good) pictures of my are hard to come by, I thought I would post the ONLY picture of me on this camera card! Here I am on Christmas day with Winter and Naomi. Oh, and I found this super cool curling gel that keeps my hair curly for days! (instead of minutes)

Joe's brother Josh got out of the navy recently, and it has been great to have him around. He comes to visit us on our "farm" regularly. He always brings his guitar, and even gave Winter one for her birthday!

I guess he liked it so much here, that he decided to go into the cattle business. He bought 4 little calfs, 2 Jersey, and 2 Holstein. They are all very skinny and sickly. So far we have given them a bunch of medication, some milk replacement, and lots of love. Some of them are doing better than others, but overall they are a pathetic bunch. I really hope they pull through for the sake of Josh and of course the cows too.

For New years we had a great Gourmetten/Fondue party with the Morphis, Josh, and Nancy. First we did a large bonfire with the kids, and after that the adults had their own fabulous party. We didn't get done with eating stuffing ourselves until fairly late, so by the time we were playing Colonisten (Settlers) van Catan it was midnight. Some fireworks, and more chatting later, we brought in 2009 in a wonderful way.

Last weekend, we had 14 - 12-14 year old boys at our house. Well, not really at our house, more on our land. Joe's cousin Allison has a son who likes to get together with a group of his friends to do soft-bullet shooting wars. I guess they set up 2 groups, and attack each other. They battled it out all night, and in the morning we served them a nice pancake, eggs, and toast breakfast. It was so fun to have the Allreds over to visit with them! We were lucky too, because it stayed warm all night

Texas winters are the strangest thing! One day it's 84, and the next it's 28 with freezing rain. I like the 84 days, but they make the 28 days so much harder. It seems that when your body can get used to the cold gradually, it's not so hard.

So there you have it. That's what we have been up to lately. Maybe this year I can be as good as last year with writing my blog. I know I enjoy other people's blogs better when they are current!

Habits

Habits are formed after repeating an action 7 times. I guess I have formed a new habit of NOT writing on my blog. I am not happy with this new habit, and strive to resolve it. It's so easy to get behind with blogging, and when I get behind, it doesnt' seem fun to catch up. I hate catch up posts, so I will simply skip Christmas, new years, and the rest of the vacation, and jump ahead into 2009. 

I am somewhat of a TV addict. I'm not nearly as bad as I used to be, but I am still hooked to certain shows. It just happens that this year brings several shows I'm really excited about including

• Lost
• The Bachelor
• Superstars of Dance
• Scrubs

When I say I'm not as bad as I used to be, I better explain just how bad I was. There was a point when I pretty much watched TV every day from 7pm-10pm. Then, if multiple shows aired at the same time, I would record those, and watch them after the others were over. 

It became a real problem when for some reason or other I wasn't going to be home. I always set my VCR, and usually that worked great. FYI, we don't have cable, satelite, or DVR, so recording multiple shows at a time was out of the question. However, sometimes I would forget to set the VCR, or other problems would arise. Several times we were at a restaurant or other place, when all of a sudden I realized I would miss my shows if immediate action wasn't taken. I relied heavily on friends (thanks Monica) to record it for me. Sometimes I would make my whole family rush back home.

I am better now. Online episodes, combined with scaling back, has lead to a much healthier TV watching life style. This past Fall season, I didn't follow any shows, and would only occasionally watch Law & Order, or CSI. This coming season will be a little harder, just because there are several really good shows. For some reason NBC and ABC wanted to bug me though, and are airing superstars of dance, and the Bachelor at the same time! But I'll manage just fine, and waste hours and hours of my life watching (in reality) dumb shows that are of no real significance. 

How about you? Do you drop everything to watch your favorite show?