Author: Superpaige (Page 88 of 180)

Jenna asked me yesterday if we could get out the nativity set and play with it. So, down to the basement we went to look for the nativity set. We found both the Fontanini set

and the veggie tales set.

Normally I would have said that it’s too early to get out the Nativity set. It’s the middle of November, for heaven’s sake! But Christmas seems to be starting early this year. Our neighbors have their yard and house COMPLETELY decked out and TURNED on, and they are not the only ones. This week is our bell choir Christmas concert.
We’ve been practicing Christmas music since…well, since July, actually. So, if you want to get yourself into a Christmas mood, you’ve got three chances this week to attend this concert this week. I’ve also been buying Christmas presents here and there, so I’m thinking about gifts. On Saturday we gave our Christmas gift to my sister and her family. Yes, it’s a month early, but it’s always the right time for giving, isn’t it? We hope they can use their gift for a long long time. I’ve been listening to Christmas music for a while, but the kids for some reason think that we shouldn’t listen to Christmas music in the car. Whatever. I think they were just ticked off that we wouldn’t let them watch a movie on our short ride from Pleasant Grove.

So, I say, bring on the Christmas cheer. I know we haven’t had Thanksgiving yet, and I’m not pulling out the tree and the decorations or anything, I’m just trying to prepare a little bit. I’m not trying to skip Thanksgiving, either. I LOVE Thanksgiving. We were going to go down to visit my brother in sunny Arizona for Thanksgiving, but that’s off now. So we’ll stay here and enjoy the time off from school and work. We’ll get together with extended family and have a wonderful day. And we’ll eat sweet potatos with marshmallows, thank you very much.

And if you’ve noticed that the blogging has been sparse lately, you are correct. And I’m so sorry. I’m sorry if you’ve rushed over here daily to see what kind of shenanigans we’re up to and all you see is my four day old post about spilled milk. No, I didn’t go to SanDiego this weekend with my husband or my friends. And no, I’m not at all offended that two of my friends went to SanDiego this weekend and no one even invited me to go along. I did have a friend invite us out to party with them this weekend, and I, brilliant person that I am, went to the wrong place and then wondered where they were. Oh well, maybe we’ll meet up NEXT time.

Well, I’ve been kind of swamped lately, and until I climb out of this mountain of work, I won’t be blogging much. We hosted a baby shower here on Saturday, and I was busy getting the house ready for that, (and speaking of babies, my sister had her baby on Friday–Congratulations, Chrissy!!) and I was trying to take advantage of the Oprah/Snapfish deal, and I spent hours downloading and then uploading pictures and arranging my book, only to have my kids close the window to play a game, then then arrange and arrange again and then them NOT credit me with the $29.99 for the book once I placed the order. I’m going to have to call them about that one). I’m just trying to tell you all that I’ve been busy. And I’m literally surrounded with piles of reflections entries in my office. A pile here, a box there, some prizes there, a box of medals there (medals that I ordered engraved, and when they came they were noticeably NOT engraved, so I’ve got to call about that one), a case of candy over there. I’ve got to get all reflections done by Thursday night, as our assembly is scheduled for this Friday. I’ve also got rehearsals or concerts or other obligations every night this week (except for tonight, and I think the theme of our FHE tonight will be…help Mom with reflections), so blogging is kind of low on my list.

So– wish me luck, send good thoughts, send food, send money, send help. Whatever. We’ll get through this and then we’ll get to blog all about it.

jocund
[jok-uhnd, joh-kuhnd]
–adjective
cheerful; merry; gay; blithe; glad: a witty and jocund group.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME jocound to help, benefit, please, delight

My fourth grader had to come up with a sentence for “Jocund”, and I didn’t even know what it meant. I had to look it up. Is that a word that’s in your vocabulary?

Last week, as I walked out of the house and into the garage, I saw a tiny streak of black running through the garage. I dropped whatever I was holding (probably a bag of garbage) and jumped back into the house.

No. No. Please don’t let that be what I think it was! No No NO! Because what I saw was either a mouse or a very large, very fast spider. I was hoping for the spider.

I went back inside to the supposed safety of the house and informed my husband that I was pretty sure I had just seen a mouse, and we would either have to get a cat, clean out the garage, or move.

You may think I’m overreacting on this little issue, but I’m not. Let me take you back a few years and fill you in on our history with the disgusting little creatures.

(Now the fog appears as we go to this flashback in time. Or, we could just have the words “ten years earlier” like they do all the time on Heroes.)

About ten years ago, when we only had two little kids, we decided to up and move our little family to Illinois. Ryan had a consulting job with Illinois power, and we thought it would be an adventure to move to the midwest for a year or so while he did the job. Plus, there were some pretty nice financial compensations to entice us to move, so we decided to go. Since we weren’t planning on staying there for very long, we looked for a renter for our house. My cousin had just gotten married, and he and his wife decided to rent our house while we were gone. We gave them a good deal on the rent, and they didn’t mind that we left our stuff in the unfinished basement. It made the move a lot simpler to not have to worry about moving our food storage, unopened wedding gifts, boxes of book, holiday items and the like. We packed those things into the basement, and packed up the rest of the stuff and took it with us. In fact, we packed our CAR into the large truck, then they built a wall, and we packed the rest of the stuff in the second half, to tell you the truth.

The job out there actually only lasted 7 or 8 months, and then it was time to move back again. I’m sure my cousin wasn’t too thrilled with moving out of the house, but they knew it was just a temporary thing, and they graciously moved out so that we could move back in.

Once we got ourselves settled back in our own home, we realized we had some unwelcome visitors. It started with some suspicions whenever we’d go down to get something out of the storage area. There it was, the tell tale mouse poops on the shelf. Then we’d discover the entire box of granola bars–empty. Sugar and flour strewn across the shelf. Living in a dream world, we hoped that there had been mice, but they had all left. Ryan set some traps. When I saw one of the creatures run across the floor, I had a little caniption fit.

More and more traps were set, until Ryan had trapped and killed at least a dozen mice in the basement. He also discovered their secret entry way into the house–the foundation zigged where the framing zagged, and there was an open overhang where the tiny troublesome creatures could easily gain access to the basement, and therefore the rest of the house. That corner was fixed, more traps were set, and eventually we felt like the house was livable once again.

Back to the present–I am NOT going through that again. When I complained to my dear hubby, he informed me that HE was the one setting all the traps and disposing of the deceased critters, and I did none of the dirty work. But I had to LIVE in the house that was infested with rodents! With my little kids. I lived in fear that one of those disgusting things would bite us, or we would all catch the Hanta virus and die! And NO, I’m not overreacting. So, when I discovered that streak of fur, it was like reliving the nightmare. And in order to not let that happen again, I suggest we get a cat. Or borrow a cat. Or rent a cat. Something with a cat.

Of course, that idea doesn’t go over real well with Ryan, who is allergic to cats, and he doesn’t believe that I could get an OUTSIDE cat and not let it come in the house. But I’ve talked to lots of people who say that cats CAN live outside, and they won’t die. Besides, if we don’t name it, we won’t get attached to it, and then if it decides to run away or dies, we won’t be all that sad, right?

So there you have it. Clean the garage, set traps, get a cat, or we could just move.

My daring husband set some traps in the garage on Saturday and caught ONE mouse that day. He assures me that it was just one, and the mouse problem is all over, and I don’t have to live in fear and not go in the garage anymore. But I don’t believe that it could only be one mouse, and I’m going to check into borrowing a cat while he’s at work. Cat play dates. Only we don’t have a cat for your cat to play with, only mice in the field. Or the garage.

I encouraged my kids to enter the contest for a new musical instrument from a local music store. I had to help some of them, but Cole did his own.

He wrote:

I should get a new instrument because as a flautist I am never taken seriously. If I could get a piccolo, then my peers and my family would take me more seriously. If I got a piccolo then I would be able to further myself as a musician even more than I would have been able to with only my flute. If I had a piccolo, then I would be able to reach new heights in my musical career. Without a piccolo, I may have to live in a cardboard box. With a piccolo, I may get a music scholarship.

Well, now. That’s a winning entry if I’ve ever seen one. Maybe.

Cole is actually with the band on their tour right now. They got to march in the Main Street Parade at Disneyland, go to the beach, and attend workshops. Today they are recording in a sound studio at Disneyland. It sounds like fun. Although I’ve only heard from him once. On Wednesday night. I think he forgot about his instructions to “call me every day.” Hmmmm. Well, let’s hope he’s having fun.

There are a lot of things that could be getting you down today–that nagging cold, your childrens’ grades, the mortgage payment, that PTA assignment, or the state of the economy. Well, all is not doom and gloom, my friends!

Sit back, relax, and enjoy this number from a ward talent show.

Doesn’t that just add a little sparkle to your day? I hope so.
I just wish that ALL ward parties were this entertaining.

Did you get your Albertson’s ad in the paper yesterday? Well, they’ve got some GREAT deals going on this week. If you buy $30 of the featured products, you’ll get $15 back to spend on your next purchase. Then you can use that $15 to turn around and get another $30 in food, and use the $15 on your next shopping trip.

(Just make sure you get EXACTLY the items it says in the ad, or else you’ll be like me wondering where your coupons are, after your carefully calculated groceries ring up for more than they were supposed to. Just saying.)

And then you can donate the extras to the Food Bank. The scouts are doing an emergency food drive on Saturday, because all of the Utah Food bank locations are dangerously low. When our youth did a food drive a few weeks ago, we learned some surprising facts about hunger in Utah.

# Currently 1 in 10 Utahns live in poverty. A family of four living in poverty makes just over $20,600 a year to cover health care expenses, shelter, food and other household expenses (U.S. Census Bureau, 2003).
# Utah is ranked 5th in the nation for the highest rate of food insecurity. More than 345,700 individuals are at risk of missing or skipping a meal due to a lack of resources (US. Department of Agriculture, Household Food Security in the United States, 2006).
# Over 134,000 Utahns receive food stamps, which are not even half of those who are eligible (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2005).
# In Utah, over 63,000 people a month eat dinner at a soup kitchen (Utahns Against Hunger, 2006).
# 1 in 8 children in Utah live in poverty (U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2005 Annual Social and Economic Supplement).

So, if you can stock up, save, and then give, it’s good for all of us.

I was all worried about how long the voting lines were going to be, and was arranging a kid swap so I wouldn’t have to take John with me. I had heard of people waiting two to three hours to vote early, so what would it be for the regular voting day? Then my friend called me right after our exercise class and said, “forget the shower, come and vote now.”

So, I went directly to the high school, where there were TONS of cars, but once inside, the line, especially for A-K, was SHORT. In minutes I had my little voting card and was waiting for a ballet box. It was quick, painless, and I exercised my right to vote. I guess 10:30 is the time to go. Even if you are in your scroungy work-out clothes with no makeup.

I hope you all do the same. Well, the voting part, not the scroungy no makeup part.

And then let me know. How long was your wait?

And, once you’ve voted, you can go and get your free chick-fil-a sandwich, your free Krispy Kreme donut, your free Starbucks coffee, and your free Ben and Jerry’s ice cream cone. Seriously.

To whomever picks up my neighbor at 6 am:

While I appreciate that you are carpooling, saving gas and resources and all that, must you honk? And while I can get over the initial honk-honk, if they don’t come out RIGHT AWAY, could you please NOT honk some more? Just get out your cell phone and call them and say, “Hey, dude, I’m outside”, then you are only disturbing their family and not the whole neighborhood. And this morning, when you had to do the whole HONK-honk-honk. Honk-HONK-HONK! That really is uncalled for at any hour of the day, but especially in the wee hours of the morning.

Don’t make me get out of bed and look out the window and SEE who you are honking for. That would Really be uncalled for. Let’s just get our honking under control, please. And remember–people are sleeping out there.

It’s been a busy and fun week here. Monday we had our own pumpkin festival.
We had soup in pumpkin bread bowl for dinner, ate pumpkin bars for dessert, and carved our pumpkins.

On Thursday, we had our church halloween party, where the young women and young men host the party for the primary kids. Here I am with Kristy, young lady in my class. Don’t we look “bewitching?”

There were games and prizes for all the kids, and it was fun, fun, fun.

Of course, it was the same night as the Junior High band concert, so Ryan took Cole and Megan to that, and he got to stay and listen to all their spooky band songs. It’s my favorite concert, since they all dress up in costumes, and play fun songs.

On Friday, we all dressed up again for school parties.

After school, we piled into the car and went to Ryan’s work for the office trick or treat. It’s fun to take the family to Dad’s work, and they get LOTS of candy in a short amount of time. So if you’re in it for the candy, this is the way to do it.

When we came home, we got to go out trick or treating around the neighborhood, and I can’t remember a more pleasant Halloween. There was no snow, no wind, no bitter cold. In fact, the kids went out in just their costumes, not even a jacket. Of course, it did start to rain on us, but even that wasn’t too cold. It was just fun to be walking around in the near darkness and seeing all of our neighbors also out walking around. My friend DaNae made homemade donuts, so her house was a gathering place for people to stop in and chat, and in the other end of the neighborhood, they were serving hot chocolate. Cole, who really is too old to trick or treat, stayed home and gave out candy, while Ryan and I took turns taking the kids out. It was really a fun evening.

Not one to let the holiday pass so quickly, we even had Halloween plans on Saturday. Actually, I won tickets to a murder mystery dinner theater, and the only night we could go was on Nov 1st, so it just stretched the festivities out a little longer. When I called to make the reservations, I was told that “most” of the people dress up either in costume ball attire or in Halloween costumes, since it is “Dracula’s ball”. Well, if it’s a “ball”, we were going to, I couldn’t just wear my same old witch outfit, could I? And what would Ryan wear? Have no fear, I consulted with my friend Lisa, who is the queen of all things spooky, and has enough Halloween costumes to outfit the entire neighborhood (I should know, we were using three of her costumes this year). “Lisa,” I said, “Ryan needs some kind of a costume for Saturday. Do you still have that warewolf costume?”
“Oh, my warewolf is already loaned out, but I do have this Dr. Dread costume RIGHT here,” she said, and she seriously opened a box right there and pulled out a costume, complete with a mask and hat that would fit Ryan. She’s amazing, I tell you.
For my costume, I called my friend Janene, who is an amazing seamstress and sews all these incredible costumes to wear every year. I knew that she was about my size, although shorter, and wondered if I could borrow a fancy ball dress from her. She had TWO for me to choose from. One was a Scarlet type dress, complete with hoop skirt. The other was a victorian type dress, with a bustle in the back. I chose the bustle dress, because it was red and beautiful, and I’m glad I did. The whole hoop skirt would have been a problem.

Here I am getting ready, with a side view of the whole bustle thing. And no, my butt really isn’t THAT big, thank goodness.
Here’s the full view.

Can you believe she made that? Amazing!
We had a great time at the Hunt Mystery Theater for Dracula’s Grand Ball. We met some very interesting people.

There were fun people at our table, too, but I guess we forgot to get their picture. We enjoyed the night out, and it was fun to dress up a bit, too.

So, that wraps up our festivities. I hope your fall fun was just as wonderful.