Category: Uncategorized (Page 91 of 118)

How sweet is it that?

1-Jenna still always includes in her prayers “And bless the people who lost their homes in the floods that they will get a new home. And bless that they will like our stuff and our card.” When Katrina hit, I tried to use that as a teaching moment for my kids, and get them to donate a bunch of clothes and stuffed animals for the misplaced Katrina evacuees. Jenna drew a card to go with the things, and was very concerned that they would like it. She is a sweetie.

2-John came and asked in the cutest, sweetest voice, “Mom, can I have cocoa peddles?”

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Going camping today. I’m taking the kids and all the stuff I can fit into the van up to the family reunion camp as the lone parent, and hoping my DH will come up (and bring the tent trailer) after work. I’m hoping not to forget things. I’ve got all the craft stuff, all the food stuff for the potluck, we need to make lunch stuff, I’m packing for almost all 7 of us, swim stuff, suncreen, forgot the bug spray, so I need to find some of that, and I’m hoping to remember my sense of humor and sanity. It’s only two days of constant dirt and couting my children to make sure not one of them has wandered off with cousins and is lost somewhere. I can get through it. Camping is just not as much fun as it was when I was a kid. I wonder why.

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If certain friends of mine (you KNOW who you are) don’t soon get ON their lazy butts and post something interesting, I’m going to have to take the links off my blog. I know you live very interesting and busy lives, but could you just slow down for a minute or so to blog about it so the rest of us who have nothing to do but blog will have something to read about? Come on!

How hot is it? Too darn hot!

I just finished shopping on Coldwater Creek and used my 50% off coupon code and then signed up for a Coldwater creek credit card to save an additional 20%. Whooo Hoo! The code to save 50% is SALE50. Check it out and buy yourself something pretty ( I say as I’m sitting here in my pajamas).

Wow. The family guests came last Sunday, and left yesterday (Sunday), so they were only here one week, but boy did we make the most of the time we had with them. We:
–Had a family party with every member of my family (except my mom and dad and Scott) here at my house
–Had a picnic in the park
–Went to the utah Children’s museum
–Took LK and the boys downtown to go to the Church History Museum while I went to Bells practice
–Went to the temple
–Went to the Children’s Garden at Thanksgiving Point
–Went to the grocery store. Twice.
–Went to a wedding reception
–Went to church in our brand new building
–Had a neighborhood Sunday night potluck

Yet still the kids had time to be bored, even though they had cousins here, spent the entire time NOT WORKING, played every available board game they could (I think the boys played Risk about 10 times), and even jumped on the trampoline in the few moments a day that it wasn’t too hot.

Today they woke up listless and sad that they don’t have built in playmates, and they know mom’s really going to make them clean up their rooms today since mother has been going just a little bit crazy with all this mess. The good thing is, we’ll see them this week, even though they aren’t staying here. We’ve already got a fieldtrip planned for Tuesday, and Friday we’ll go up to the Coleman family reunion and hang with them again.

While I loved having them here, I realize that there’s a reason I don’t have 9 children. Actually, there’s a whole bunch of reasons! I felt like I was cooking and making food, or cleaning up from the cooking and eating, the whole day. It wasn’t actually the whole day, it just felt like it. I went to paper plates for lunches, just so I wasn’t running the dishwasher three times a day in 100 degree plus weather. And the noise they all generate–oh the noise. Two 2 year old boys alone is more noise than I can handle, and add two 5 year old girls and 3 almost teen-age boys? Yep, it was fun. I sent them all outside Friday night even though the outside temp was probably still in the high 90s–I just couldn’t take all the noise while I was trying to clean up after them.

Today is a recovery day. Or maybe I should say an uncover day. I’d like to uncover my kitchen counter. And the floor in the girls’ room. And the laundry room. No. Not the laundry room.

So, if you were planning on coming to stay at the Erickson family hotel, you’d better not make your reservations this week. This week we’re closed. (would you believe it? I actually was planning to have another friend come and stay sometime between today and Thursday while they were in town, but we just found out on Friday that they AREN’T coming this year–I’m kind of relieved) Check back next week, because even though I sound like a whining complainer, we really did enjoy having guests. We always love having friends or relatives come and stay. It’s kind of like a vacation for us, too, while they are here. We get to visit and play with friends and do fun stuff that we may not do on a regular basis.

And for those of you who knit, here’s another great entry from the “you knit what?” blog. It makes me want to sing…

It was red and yellow and green and brown
And scarlet and black and ochre and peach
And ruby and olive and violet and fawn
And lilac and gold and chocolate and mauve
And cream and crimson and silver and rose
And azure and lemon and russet and grey
And purple and white and pink and orange
And red and yellow and green and brown and
Scarlet and black and ochre and peach
And ruby and olive and violet and fawn
And lilac and gold and chocolate and mauve
And cream and crimson and silver and rose
And azure and lemon and russet and grey
And purple and white and pink and orange
And blue

Last night, as I dragged myself into bed after a very long day of cooking for,cleaning up after, and putting up with the a whole lot of noise from the 12 people living in my house this week, I turned on the tv and started flipping through channels. Hey, there’s Meg Ryan and Rosie O’Donnel talking about “You don’t want to be in love, you want to be in love in a movie.” Only one of my favorite movies! Hooray! I started watching just in time to see Tom Hanks and his lovely wife Rita and Victor Garbe discussing the finer points of “An affair to Remember.” That’s about my favorite part of the movie
“And she was there on the couch, with her legs all shriveled, and then he sees the painting, and he KNOWS.”
And then comes this converstation:

Sam Baldwin: Well I’m not looking for a mail-order bride! I just want somebody I can have a decent conversation with over dinner. Without it falling down into weepy tears over some movie!
Greg: She’s, as you just saw, very emotional.
Sam Baldwin: Although I cried at the end of “the Dirty Dozen.”
Greg: Who didn’t?
Sam Baldwin: Jim Brown was throwing these hand grenades down these airshafts. And Richard Jaeckel and Lee Marvin
[Begins to cry]
Sam Baldwin: were sitting on top of this armored personnel carrier, dressed up like Nazis…
Greg: [Crying too] Stop, stop!
Sam Baldwin: And Trini Lopez…
Greg: Yes, Trini Lopez!
Sam Baldwin: He busted his neck while they were parachuting down behind the Nazi lines…
Greg: Stop.
Sam Baldwin: And Richard Jaeckel – at the beginning he had on this shiny helmet…
Greg: [Crying harder] Please no more. Oh God! I loved that movie.

(Isn’t google great? I found that in about 30 seconds!)

Anyway, then I channel surfed during the commercial, and lo and behold, I find another one of my favorite movies with the word sleep in the title starring Sandra Bullock–do you know what it is? Yes! While you were sleeping! So it warmed my heart that ‘Walter’ from Sleepless in Seattle, even though he didn’t win Meg Ryan’s heart, managed to get the girl in While you were sleeping (and then later goes on to save the world from aliens with Will Smith–Bill’s a busy guy!)

So, it was a nice way to end the day, and go to sleep.

Wow. My Brother Scott’s family is here visiting for a week or so (Scott’s not–he had to go back home and work), but there are 2 boys about Cole’s age, a little girl around Jenna’s age, and a little boy younger than John. The kids are in cousin heaven! So far they are just playing playing playing. There’s a lot of noise, but no fighting (yet). Tonight my two sisters and their families, and my aunt and uncle came over for a barbeque. Lots of fun! I’m so thankful for my family–all of them.

I feel a song coming on. I think I’ll try this one.