Category: Uncategorized (Page 38 of 118)

For those of you, who, like me, think that life would me much more fun if it were a musical, check this out.

Or this one. There should be more spontaneous dancing, don’t you think?

I watched Marley and Me last night.
It was Monday, and you know you can get one or more free movies from Redbox on Mondays, so when I ran through WalMart to buy fingernail polish remover, I picked up two movies. Hubby’s out of town, so I watched it alone after the kids went to bed.

Cute Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson and a cute puppy! It’s a happy movie, right? Yes, it IS a happy movie about a family’s journey and a dog. But then we get to the end, where that dog is getting old and feeble, and the family realizes that the dog is going to die. I was crying–no, Sobbing. Really. Sobbing. I was SO glad I saw that movie alone at home and not in a movie theater! As I reached for another Kleenex, I laughed at myself for crying so much over a movie about a dog. But, really, what did I think was going to happen? I can’t even watch Where the Red Fern Grows anymore. Even if I am flipping channels and see that it’s on (like it was the other night), the tears start to well up just when I realize which movie it it. And I don’t even have a dog! I did let my kids watch Where the Red Fern Grows, but I wouldn’t watch it with them. I know my limits.

But the love of pets is universal, isn’t it? We’ve had our lovable little bird since before Cole joined our family. At the end of the movie, when Jennifer Aniston says something about how they got Marley to prepare for a family, but they didn’t realize that when they got Marley they already were a family. That just made me bawl even more! Pets are wonderful additions to a family, but when a pet dies, it really is traumatic. The other day I couldn’t find our beloved old bird (he had flown off somewhere and wasn’t responding to our whistling) and I started to panic. He couldn’t be gone, could he? We found him, and he’s still there, but he’s not going to live forever.

I remember when I was on my mission, and I asked my parents about our dog, Butch. How’s Butch? I wrote in a letter, and I noticed I didn’t get a response to my question. Later, when I asked about it again, they told me that Butch had died. There I was, off in a foreign country, sobbing about my dog, who had been gone for quite some time.

Yes, pets are an important part of a family, and we love them, and we grieve for them when they are gone. Even if it’s just a movie.

Today I spent just over $100 on a pair of stockings. Yes, gentle reader, that wasn’t your eyes playing tricks on you. Stockings. Moderate Medical Compression stockings, to be more specific. Icky, uncomfortable, squeeze your legs all the time stockings. For my veins. My veins that don’t work. (More about my veins in a later post).

As I was in Provo, and the medical supply place is in Orem by the mall, I decided to make a quick stop and pick up my dumb stockings. And some WAY cute fabric for some curtains (hopefully more about the way cute curtains when I actually sew them–later. Much later). But what makes me laugh is the picture on the box.

Look at this lady. Do you believe for one second that this lady has vericose veins? I don’t think so. But they put this pretty lady in the cocktail dress lounging oh so comfortably leaning on a couch. She’s probably at a party or something, with her pretty legs in her MEDICAL COMPRESSION STOCKINGS.

Do you think if I put these stockings on (I’m hoping I can actually GET them on!) I will look that good in my little black dress, too? Of course I will!

They can’t put a realistic picture on the box, can they? Because then someone who’s going in looking for the stockings might see something like this:

But at least, then I’d know that those were the stockings I was looking for. It’s not like people are in a department store looking at these stockings. “Oh, look, honey, it’s those stockings I’ve been wanting. And they are only $100. Let’s get them instead of those flimsy little Hanes that are only $4.65.” No. You get these stockings because your doctor calls in an Rx, and you Have to get them. And no, the insurance doesn’t cover it. But I can take comfort in the fact that I’ll look sassy and sexy, just like the lady on the box, when I wear them.

I’m sorry for the lack of, well, anything here. I have a bunch of stuff in my head I’d love to blog about, but no time.

Today I’m off to BYU for my second day of a fabulous women’s conference!

I’m not usually a fan of Reese’s Pieces. I’d rather just have M&M’s, wouldn’t you? But my peanut butter levels must be low, because today at the store, I saw the little peanut butter guys and impulsively bought a package. And I ate most of them! What’s up with that?! Maybe I’m low on some vital nutrient found only in Reece’s Pieces.

I haven’t written much about my crazy dreams in a while, and maybe that’s a good thing. But last night’s dream was just too great to not share.

I dreamed I was shopping with some friends, and we found this FABULOUS line of clothes. They were well made, good quality, and just beautiful. The best part was, they made the wearer look Fantastic! I tried on a skirt and I felt instantly transformed–25 pounds lighter and toned, and even my hair looked great! I was BUYING that skirt, and maybe a shirt to go with it. Yes, they were expensive, but, as I could see, it was worth it. As I was trying to pick out my favorite (since the whole collection was amazing, and it was very hard to choose), and figure out really if I could afford to buy more than one thing, my friend casually said, “Oh, and don’t forget about the penguin.”

“What?” I asked, not really listening, as I picked out another outfit to go and try on.

“You know, the free penguin you get with each item purchased,” she said. How she could say that so nonchalantly, I do not know.

I gave her that “Wha’ chu talkin’ about, Willis?” look, she laughed and said, “It’s an environmentalist thing. The penguins are in danger, and this company wants to be environmentally responsible and help out the penguins.”

“Oh, so I ‘ADOPT’ a penguin, and part of my purchase price goes to help out the penguins,” I said.

“No,” she said, “you ADOPT a penguin and it goes home with you. They’re really quite cute.”

What? I have to take home a penguin and take care of it so I can buy these really really cute clothes? Well, I guess I can take care of a penguin. “What do you feed a penguin?” I asked.

“We feed ours cat food and sometimes tuna for a treat. They really prefer fresh fish, but that was getting too expensive,” she said as she looked through the rack.

A penguin. At my house. These clothes had better be worth it. I decided that they were, picked out the favorite skirt and a shirt to go with it, and went to pay. At the register, the lady rang up my ridiculously expensive ensemble, gave me the total, which I paid, and then said, “Let’s see, it looks like your penguins are…….Stevie, and…… Brooke. I’ll have someone go and get them for you.”

Wait. Penguins? As in more than one? I have to take home TWO penguins? Oh, my husband is going to kill me. He already thinks I’m on the verge of being one of those crazy bird ladies, but now I’m bringing home two penguins? Trying to hang on to some measure of composure, I asked, “Do they come with some sort of instruction manual. The penguins?”

The lady at the store acted like it was the easiest thing in the world to take care of penguins, and that I was getting a special prize! Like when you get a free toy in your cereal box. Free Penguin with Purchase! Only I wasn’t really thrilled about the penguin.

I did take my two “lovable” penguins home, and, no offense to all you penguin lovers out there, but in my dream (let’s all remember this was just a dream) they were awfully hard to take care of. They made a mess out of EVERYTHING, and since I had no special penguin pond or penguin cage or anything, they kind of just took over the bathroom. They did NOT like the cat food I bought for them, and I believe they caused quite a bit of marital discord at home. (You think?).

Eventually I could take the stress of the penguins no more, and I took them AND the darling clothes back to the store. And what do you know? But penguins are NON RETURNABLE! Are you KIDDING me?

That was the end of the dream, thank goodness. When I realized it was a dream, I was actually really sad about those clothes. They looked SO good on me, I’m tellin you! But I was relieved about the penguins. *Sigh of relief* We don’t really have penguins at home that I have to take care of.

When I sat down to write this post, my kids came tooling by with penguins in the stroller.
They even put birthday hats on them. Oh, how cute.

And I had a little bit of a panic. It was a dream, wasn’t it?

My daughter probably wouldn’t like this. Mostly because she says this song is on ALL THE TIME. But I like this song, even if it is overplayed on the radio right now. But THIS version is Amazing.

They call it Taylor Swift meets Cold Play. I LOVE it!

I Love, love, love it! Jon Schmidt, you rock!

What do you think?

I turned on the oven to preheat at 425 to heat up some chicken nuggets for John and his friend. I left the room to do something, and when I came back, the entire kitchen, the family room, and pretty much the first floor was filling up with smoke. Smoke coming from the oven.

Oops!

I forgot about the cinnamon roll goop that glopped out onto the bottom of the oven when I made cinnamon rolls Sunday night.

Turn off the oven, open windows, turn on the fan.

And never use the oven again.

Before I go into details, let me just tell you that I’m breathing a big sigh of relief that the week is over.

But what a week it was!! We had Easter celebrations all week, as well as a concert to prepare for and perform. Let me share some pictures that might show off all the fun we had.

These pictures are from the egg hunt we had at my parents’ house last Sunday. We also had a fun family dinner. The next day we had a neighborhood egg hunt.

Complete with rides on the train.

And bull rides.

Later in the week we colored eggs. With 5 kids, they only got to do 6 eggs each, although they would like to have had more.

More later….

I totally forgot my kids’ piano lessons today. DOH!

I guess I’m just in “Spring Break” mode.

Or maybe it’s those paint fumes I’ve been breathing in.

Or maybe I’m stressed about the concert tonight, and it slipped my mind.

Who knows. My kids are outside playing. I wonder if THEY remembered that it was piano lesson day, but conveniently didn’t bother to mention anything. Yeah, I’ll bet they are thinkin they pulled a fast one on me.

I wonder if she’ll charge me for the missed lessons. Dang.