Happy Birthday April!!

My oldest sister turns 41 today. I guess it is tonight now. It was a busy day and now the house is quiet. She is actually in Florida at Walt Disney World with her family this week. How fun! So glad you were able to make a trip with the whole fam.

Here are some things about April........

She has such a great sense of humor.
She can turn almost any disaster into a hilarious experience.
She is the world's best geneologist (if that is even a word....if not, it sounded good)
She takes pride in her heritage.
She is an accounting wiz!!
She can figure just about anything out. Wish I had that talent.
She is a great detective.
She plays the piano beautifully.
She has a great voice...very musically inclined.
She would do anything for you....literally drop anything to come and help you out.
She loves to be with family.
She is very smart.
She has a cute size 7 shoe. (Don't you?) I say that because I wear a 9 in most shoes. 7's are cute.
She does a great job of raising her 4 children.
She likes to have a good time.
She can make anybody laugh...just get her talking for someone else.
She has a red sports car (She had to have it when she turned 40) pretty cute.
Very easy to be around.
She loves her family.
She loves to watch Sponge Bob. :D
She has been through more trials than anyone else I know.
Is the ring leader behind Women's Conference...thanks for getting us all on the band wagon :D. We love it....wouldn't miss it.
Is very competitive!!
Makes a "mean" cheese ball.
Loves roller coasters.....I'm not sure after this trip that she is on. What d'ya say April?

I am so lucky to have her as my sister. It is so much fun to be around her. like I mentioned in the list...she will have a group cracking up in tears from hearing her "talk" for other people. Kind of like turning the volume down on the tv and she will talk for the people. She will be dead on with what they are saying. It is great entertainment. That is what she is....an entertainer. I hope you have had a great b'day! I wish you 41+ more years of happiness. Love you and am so glad that you are my sister.
HHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPYYYYYYYYYYYY BBBBBBIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHDDDDDAAAAYYYYYY!

SPT-Spring.....2 days late/Catch up

Well, I had the post and picture all ready to go and the kids started playing on the computer and off it went. I lost my post and haven't had time to redo it. Life has been very busy this week.

Spring is such a fun time for me. I love Easter and Spring Break. Spring for me is more about the excitement and anticipation for warm sunny days, the beach, able to be outdoors to exercise, picnics, park days, skirts, flip flops, icee's, frozen yogurt, trips, school is almost out(not the same feeling as a child...as a mom I don't look forward to school being out), Todd's b'day, Casey's b'day, my b'day.....and the list goes on. I sometimes feel like a kid with the excitement of doing all of those things that I listed. I remember as a kid or even teenager in high school looking forward to school being out, the long vacation, beach days with friends, etc. It brings back such fun memories.

I definitely enjoy looking at beautiful flowers but Spring for me is about what we can finally do outside without being too cold and uncomfortable.

***Do you love the token, slightly wilted flower I am holding for this "Spring" post?***

This week has been crazy.....Christina to answer your question about the baseball committment....yes with two boys we have 4 games a week and Mitch will have a practice in addition to the two games. It is big and we spend many afternoon/evenings at the ball field. The boys love it and look forward to each game. It's pretty cute. I have to say that T-ball is so fun to watch. Casey's team is really good and so it isn't as slow as I thought it would be. Good times. I remember being at the field a lot when my brothers were in Little League....enjoying many "chili billie's". Those are the best. Too bad there isn't a snack bar at all of the fields the kids play at. We had a game on Monday and Tuesday night, then the school ice cream night at Doc Burnstein's (the best), Mitch's award assembly yesterday and a church meeting last night for me. I am glad that there is nothing on the calendar for today. YEAH!!! I love empty days on the calendar.

I have been walking/pushing the double stroller every day this week on my 3 mile walk. I am getting used to my route and actually look forward to it. I have to document my feelings that I felt on Tuesday as I pushed the girls....I felt like a pioneer. It really made me think of the pioneers and what they did for their families. To preface this, I live in an area where there are micro climates(i think that is what it's called). There are pockets of different weather just 2 miles away from me. It can be sunny at my house and then 2 miles away at the park there is massive fog clouds. Same with the winds. Anyway, I started on my walk and it was beautiful and sunny and then as I got into the walk the wind picked up so strongly that I didn't feel us moving even though I was pushing the stroller so hard. It was painful. I immediately felt an ounce of what the pioneers may have felt and thought there is no giving up. I am going to make it to the finish. The kids were ok because they pulled the shades down and it blocked all the wind for them. I even made it up the small hill that feels like a mountain when you are pushing two kids. I am so thankful for the pioneers and there sacrifice. What an example they are to me. What an example of faith and enduring to the end they are for all. I love little moments that really make me appreicate what others have done that have gone on before me. Maybe this 3 mile walk everyday is what has helped the scale to go down. It excites me to see the numbers go down....especially after trying so hard and working my tail off.

Time to go set the timer and get to work around the house.

Baseball Season has officially begun.......

Baseball season is in motion around here. Saturday was the first day of games. We had Casey's game at 10:30 and Mitty's game at 2:00. Each game was about an hour and 15 minutes. Not bad at all. It was fun watching the kids play. Too bad that is where Ellie had to take both of her naps. I feel bad for babies when they don't get at least one nap in their own bed. They both got in some good hits which is always fun for them. I'm glad that they are both excited to play and enjoying their teams. Mitch has another game tomorrow at 5:00 and then Casey has one on Tuesday at 5:00. I'm not looking forward to next Saturday...picture day and a game for the boys and Todd will be gone. He may take Emily with him and so I would be less one child which helps in a big crowd of parents/kids at a park waiting to have their pictures taken. I'll make it through alright but just dread all of that hubub on my own.

I was able to work out on Saturday morning first thing before the games which is always nice to get out of the way. I said I was determined to add more activity to my days and so I walked home from the park on Saturday..2.2 miles. I don't think it is helping my any. But how can it really be bad for me to walk more. It can't. Oh well, I think my problem is that I worry too much about losing the weight. I want to lose it so badly that I think I'm stressing too much over it. Oh well, I can't help it. I guess just keep it up and see what happens.

Today, Todd wasn't feeling well...sore throat, sinus issues and just drained. He didn't go to church and so he kept Ellie home with him. It was so nice being able to hear the testimonies given during Sacrament (because I wasn't juggling Ellie). I actually went to Sunday School and was able to hear the lesson and then enjoyed Relief Society. It was strange not carrying the baby, purse, and the church bag full of stuff. I only had a purse to carry and it was nice!! Even better was that we were out of there at 5:35 and home by 5:55(usually the time we are finally able to get into the car to come home). I enjoyed our RS lesson....the topic was 2Nephi 31:20. We did our own cooking show with the kids tonight. They love to pretend that we are doing a show. Dad and Emily were the audience. The kids made cookies and had lots of fun doing it. Now it is time to wash the uniforms for tomorrow and get a head start on the laundry before I go to bed. I feel very tired tonight. I look forward to tomorrow.....a fresh start for a new week.

Obsessed?? Maybe

I decided to embrace the route I ran last night and walk it today pushing the girls in the stroller. Today was so gorgeous that I figured I could use some sun on my white arms/legs. It was like 75 degrees and just perfect! I enjoyed every minute of being outside. I walked the 3 mile route and it took me 45 minutes. Those girls are heavy to push. I don't have the lightweight double jogger so I had to push them in the front/back stroller. It was feeling a bit brutal as I went up the slight incline. I felt like I looked completely hunched over pushing this gigantic stroller up a hill. Anyway, I did it and I'm going to make this a routine route to walk with the girls during the day.

My sister Marilyn has me really pumped up to shed these last pounds quickly. She is incredible. She is my motivation right now. I just talked with her today and she has lost 20 lbs. since December...of course doing WW. She has been working out and lately walking her son to school and then trucking back up the hill pushing her baby in the stroller. She just reported today that for the week she lost 2.6 lbs. I'm so happy for her. I know she is so happy about it. We now have about our last 8 lbs. to lose. She just pushed me to a new level of motivation. She and the kids are coming up to my house during our spring break...2 1/2 weeks until she is here. We are both determined to be in bathing suit shape. After I hung up with her I got my running shoes on and did the 3 mile walk this afternoon and then went to the gym tonight and ran 2.6 miles along with doing some weights. I want to see if added activity will drop the pounds any faster. I'm probably totally nuts but I can get freaky about losing weight.

**This is to answer Christina's question on my last post**.....I run on the treadmill for 30 minutes which gets me to the 3 mile mark. I walk for 7...2 minutes before I run and 5 minutes to cool down. My speed is between 6.0-6.3. Depends on how I'm feeling that day. I think body type makes the difference in what speed each person can run/walk comfortably. Longer legs, short legs, wide hips, no hips, etc. I think that all plays a factor.

Catching up on the last couple of days/Good Mail

Today is beautiful. The sky is clear and so blue. I love days like this.....especially first thing in the morning. I feel very refreshed this morning. I guess that is what a good night's sleep will do. I got a full 7 hours. I went to bed instead of getting on the computer.

I went on a run yesterday evening.....oh my goodness how different running on a treadmill is. I really was beginning to wonder if I could really make it back home. I mapped out a run on walkjogrun.net and went for it. That is the coolest site for those of you who didn't know about it. You can map out a run in your area and it calculates the miles for you. It is really fun to create different routes. I mapped out a 3.2 mile run and by the time I got back I thought I was going to die. I have to say that a bit of that run is up hill some. Oh, hills aren't for me at this stage. I can do 3.2 miles on the treadmill no problem. It is much harder....much harder to run on the street than on a treadmill. In a way I am determined to conquer this route and really be able to do it with ease. I guess I am the one doing the pushing when running on the street. On the other hand, the treadmill is doing it for me. That was an eye opener. I literally felt like that was my first time out in a year. I wish I had taken a picture of my face when I got home. It was beat red too. A man at church told me if I really want a good workout to go and run the dunes. If any of you are familiar with the dunes in Pismo Beach than you will know what he is talking about. I replied with "I'm not trying to kill myself." We'll see if I try that route again.


Thank you Jill for sending me the "good mail" labels. I love them. I'm official now with labels.



Here is a picture of Emily with Pop Rocks. They are the best. Who doesn't like these. Kids just love them. This was a treat for going to bed like they should the other night. The boys enjoyed them also. I thought the picture was cute of her. She kept opening her mouth and putting it to my ear.

Emily was on the couch and asked if I would lay down with her. Ellie was asleep and so I did. Emily busted out her "Wanna talk?" I said what should we talk about? She said, "Well, we could talk about......modest." I laughed so hard. We had our talk about being modest. She is so funny sometimes. Then we had to sing "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam". She loves that song. Right now it's her favorite.

The other day coming home from school Casey said, "Mom, I have to cover my mouth with my 2 fingers when I see a police car." I said, "Why?" He said, so I don't slip and say a bad word....you know like stupid. I was cracking up. He was so serious about it and it just got me laughing so hard. Mitch said, "Are you afraid you will go to jail if he hears you?" There was no reply. I love the cute things kids say.

Tuesday night was our Relief Society dinner for the birthday. It was really nice. We had it at a sisters home. I loved being in someones home and not lost in the cultural hall. I guess that is a benefit of not being in a huge ward. I just found out though that we have about 500 people in the ward but the numbers are like 140 for Sacrament Meeting. Pretty bad. I had a nice time with good company at the dinner.

This is getting to be too hard with Ellie punching keys and wiggling all over the place. Time to lay her down and turn the timer on. I love the timer exercise. It really helps to get so much done around here.

SPT Challenge

this week's challenge is to show us a lucky charm. perhaps it is a piece of jewelry? or a talisman you carry in your pocket? do you have something on your desk or in your home that brings you good fortune? is it a baseball hat or a smelly old t-shirt? did someone give it to you? why is it meaningful to you? will you tell us about a time when it brought you good luck?




This may seem kind of funny to some but it says a lot to me. I could not think of anything that I carry around with me or that I have in my house that brings me luck until this morning when I looked down at my hand and saw my wedding ring. I thought....that's it! I do not ever take my ring off for anything. I haven't taken it off for years. As I see it daily, it reminds me of how blessed I am to be married for time and all eternity to someone I love. It reminds me of how much love I have for Todd and how happy I am with him. Looking at my ring floods my mind with so many fun memories even back to when he gave it to me. I was so excited and I just loved it. He picked it out and did an excellent job. I wasn't there with him and had no idea he was going to give it to me. My ring goes with me wherever I go. I love what it represents! That was short and sweet!

My Leprechaun Name....

Your Leprechaun Name Is:

Moneybags McNugget

What's Your Leprechaun Name?

Monday....a new start!

I love Monday for this very reason....it can always be the start of a good week or a new committment, etc. I only have a few minutes to write some thoughts down and then it is time to change laundry and make beds. The weekend was nice. I didn't have too many things to do and that is what made it nice. We ran some errands on Saturday....made some returns, grocery store, and p/u vacuum bags.

Sunday was another good day. Todd didn't have meetings in the morning since the Bishop was out of town so he was loving it and so was I. The kids were good for me during Sacrament Meeting which is always a bonus! The lesson in RS was about Selfless Service. It was really good and the teacher only had that morning to prepare (she was filling in for someone). I wish I could bust out a good lesson like that with just a morning to prepare. The message that she taught hit home for me and really made me want to try harder to serve those around me....with a good attitude of wanting to help. She mentioned even service for our children. I know that us mothers are always serving our families but is it always with a good attitude of wanting to. I know my attitude isn't always the best so I am going to work on that so that a better attitude of serving shows through to all. I thought about what I want others to think of me when they hear my name or what will they say about me after I die. What will my children have to say about me? What example am I giving my children of service?? I know that if I make that sacrifice to serve others more often, including my own family, my entire family is blessed. I really want my children to understand what service is and how important it is for us to serve, even each other. Maybe this is a good lesson tonight for FHE. I am going to think of ways that I can involve the kids in serving others. It was a very good lesson. I was able to get so much out of it I think because Ellie slept through most of RS. I am now off to serve my family by cleaning up our house and washing clothes for them :D hahaha.

Today should be a pretty calm day for me....just picking up and laundry as always. Ellie is ready for a nap.

Random thoughts about this week

Here is Ellie holding her sippy cup. I have to document these things. These are major moments in the life of a little one and in the life of her mother. This is huge!! She is more vocal and will talk loudly when we are out places. She is so cute. I don't mind her loud noises. Can this child do anything wrong??? Never. :D haha Todd thinks I'm already getting that last baby syndrome of babying for too long. Oh c'mon :). I'm not sure if I documented that she is officially scooting around now. She is getting around. Ughhh...I'm excited to see her doing it but a little fearful with what the boys or Emily have left on the floor for her to find. I've been pretty good about keeping stuff up off of the floor.




Here is a cute picture of the girls yesterday at Costco. Emily was so excited to sit in the cart next to Ellie. The entire time in Costco Emily kept putting her arms around Ellie and hugging her and then just kept her arm around her shoulder. I was loving it. How sweet is that. I sure hope they will be close and best of friends throughout their life.



My truck hit the 100,000 mile mark. I can't believe it. I had to take a picture. Call me strange but I thought it would be fun to have. Now the worrying starts....am I going to start having problems or is it going to make it another 100,000 miles? Not that I want it to. hahaha ;D. It has been very good to us and I enjoy the truck and the space. I don't enjoy putting in gas right now that is $3.17/gallon. That kills me!! When is the madness going to end???



Baseball is in full swing this week for both Mitch and Casey. Casey is on the Dodgers and loving his jersey. He wanted to wear it to school today. I love that little ones get so excited about the uniform. He is doing really well. yesterday at his practice he hit the ball and off he ran toward first base. The only problem was that he would run and then turn it into a skip and then run and then skip. He skips everyday to his class at school. I think it is really cute that he does it on his way to class but on the baseball field it really isn't what the coaches are looking for. :D I saw the coach telling him to just run as fast as he can. His coaches are awesome. I am really happy with his team and look forward to a fun season of T-ball games. Mitch has a good team as well. There are some talented boys out there. Mitch is doing well and loving to play.

It is so nice right now because Todd took Mitch to practice and then of course Casey and Emily had to go. Emily had her pink/purple glove in hand ready to play catch with Casey. I think it is cute she wants to do just what her brothers do. She is having fun! The house is quiet....Ellie is sleeping and now it looks like it's time for me to get our dinner in the oven. Todd and I ate Loco for lunch today so we are cooking at home tonight. We have had a nice day out at the grocery store together and then lunch. Todd took the kids to school today so that was a break for me. I think I hear Ellie.......time to feed sweet girl.



i had to add this picture in. I promised the kids whoever went to bed last night without any trouble would be able to go and get donuts at the donut shop this morning. Emily heard that proposal and told me, "I'm going to bed because I want to get donuts." She literally walked right into bed and I never heard another peep out of her. She is the absolute best at going to bed. She goes in, lays down and goes to sleep. She is never a problem for me in that area. It is awesome. She has been getting quarters and now this morning it was donuts. The boys on the other hand weren't so hot for me last night. Todd was at a meeting last night so I was doing bed time on my own. Let's just say Emily ate her donut by herself this morning. We are trying to get the point across to the boys that when they obey, they get rewarded with something. Why is that a complete battle sometime? Anyway, Emily was dying to take a picture of the donut in the bag. So here it is. Pretty funny!

Self Portrait Tuesday is now Thursday

Yeah!! Blogger worked for me this time. I had fun doing this challenge the other day. As you can see, I decided to take my picture by the Historic Swinging Bridge that is here in town. The kids love to walk across it. I just walk quickly and no problem. :D

Here are some facts that I found about it.......

Constructed in early 1875 by the Short family, whose land was divided by the Arroyo Grande Creek.
The Bridge is municipally owned and maintained by the City.
Only one of its kind in California.
Length: 171 feet; height above creek: 40 feet.
1912 - Bridge declared a nuisance by the City.
1913, 1918, 1947, 1953 & 1985 - Repairs made by the City.
1933 - "Cross at your own risk" notices posted.
1993 - Bridge vandalized.
January 7, 1995 - Tree fell on bridge; bridge closed.
March 9, 1995 - PG&E removed damaged bridge.
By May of 1995, with strong community support, the Swinging Bridge was completely restored.

I am really getting used to my small town now after a year of being here. I love that there is no such thing as traffic although everyone here claims that there is. They have never lived or visited in OC or LA. I love that I am minutes away from the beach. I love SLO and the downtown area there. The real bummer is that there is really no shopping here at all. The closest "mall" is 90 miles away. It has been a bit of a transition for sure but it has been nice. I have really enjoyed having a smaller ward (we could use some more kids) but it is a cozy feel. I love that I never have to wait in a line at Costco up here. Anyway, I am getting used to my town and definitely enjoy the beautiful weather that we have all year round.

Thursday...so glad tomorrow is Friday

Well, this blogger is not letting me upload my pictures. I am two days overdue on my self portrait but I still can't get my pics up. This darn thing. I will keep trying because I went out yesterday and took my picture in town by the Historic Swinging Bridge. I will keep trying to post the pics.

The last couple of days have been busy for me. Both boys having baseball practice, rushing dinner after that, working out, laundry, homework, cleaning or trying to, feeding children, having brakes done on the truck, bills....I'm sure most of you know what I'm dealing with. Just busy busy days. I am looking forward to tomorrow because Todd is home. That helps so much to have him home one day.

Today will be nice...only one baseball practice. I am on a mission to finish up all of the laundry today. As I talked with my mom last night, I ended up folding 2 loads of laundry lickety split. What is that about being on the phone that helps me do so much more around the house. Now, I'm off to set the timer and get the morning dishes cleaned up and feed sweet Ellie. She is done being by herself with her toys.

Ellie is 8 Months Old/More Good Mail

Here are the recipes that Allison put together and sent out. I got it in the mail today. :D YEAH!! THANKS to her for doing that. I looked through them today and so many sound so good. I'm excited to try many of them. I love getting new recipes.


Donna, your package was awesome!!! Thank you so much. As you can see in the picture, the WW candy was opened first thing. Very tasty and excited to spread the word to any fellow WW's. It is good and only 1 point. Those are a great find. Thanks for the candles, book, cookie cutters and yummy chocolates. You are the best. It made my day to get so many fun things in the mail. Thank you thank you!!!


Here is my Miss Ellie Jayne on her 8 month b'day. She is my sweet hearty. She is not yet crawling but gets on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth. I know it's coming soon. No rush for me. The time has really gone by fast since I had her. I can't believe in just a few short months she will be a year old. Not with any of my other kids did I feel that the time had passed so quickly as I do with Ellie. I guess more to do and more going on to keep us all busy. She is so fun to have. She is a great baby and loved by her family. The kids are so willing to help with her in any way. She loves all of her food and enjoys meal time. You should see her when she knows we are getting her bottle ready. A smile comes across her face and she starts motioning excitement. You know ...like a bunch of us when chocolate is dangled in front of us. It gets the same response. Ellie still is a good sleeper and takes 3 naps a day. She really never gets irritated unless she is tired or hungry. I have a good routine going with her right now that I hope sticks for awhile. She is precious and I am so happy to be her mother.

I am feeling guilty with all of the good mail that I have received and I can't get the packages that I have put together to the post office. That is pretty bad on my part. That will be my task this week/weekend. Todd is off Friday so I at least know that I can get there pretty easily then. My week feels busy to me so we'll see what I get done. I'm trying to be better organized with planning out dinners. Especially with both boys in b-ball, I really need to know what our dinner is going to be ahead of time. Casey has practice Tuesday & Thursday from 4:00-5:00 and Mitch has practice Tuesday & Friday from 5:30-6:30. I'm not quite sure how my kids are all going to last at the park from 4:00-6:30 on Tuesday's. Todd will have to relieve me. He is happy to and happy to help with the teams. Anyway, it should be lots of fun to watch the boys play ball.

Today was hot and beautiful...85 degrees. The sky is so blue and the sun was shining so brightly. I almost took the girls to the beach but decided I needed to get a handle on laundry for the week. I think I'll plan on the beach tomorrow after I drop Casey off. Emily played in the water out back for a while this afternoon and had fun. Ellie watched and giggled. I can't wait until they are playmates. They will be so cute together.

I'm off to make Pork Tenderloin, potatoes and salad.

Weekend Recap/First Sewing Project Since 7th grade

Here are my 2 sweet girls. I just love pics like this and look forward to some fun days together with them. Emily is very good with Ellie. She is very protective of her if any other little girls come up to see Ellie. In this picture she told me that Ellie was going to walk with her. I can't wait to see them playing together.



Here is a picture of Me, my mom and Emily over this weekend. Ellie was asleep so she missed the "girls only" picture. I realize that I am never in pictures because I am always taking them so I had the boys start snapping shots of me in pictures with my family. I thought it turned out cute.



This is my first sewing project since the pillow I had to make in home ec in 7th grade. I bought some flannel material to make a basic blanket for Emily and Ellie. I was just looking to make something that I would only have to sew straight lines. This was perfect! I am so happy and feel so proud of myself for being able to do it. THANKS MOM for teaching me!!!!! I'm excited for my new sewing journey. I have wanted to learn for sometime now but have not signed up for a class and don't live close to my mom for her to show me. Not to mention the busy lifestyle I have with 4 children. My mom showed me how to work my sewing machine and now I'm set! I'm excited to make my next project. I will enroll to take a sewing class pretty soon. Eventually, I would love to be able to make some really fun quilts. Todd is excited to see me learning how to sew. Emily loves her blanket and put it on her bed right away. So cute :D.

As for the weekend with my parents, we had a great time as usual. It is so nice to have parents around the house. The kids loved having gramma and grandpa here. My mom and dad slept in the boys beds and the boys slept in sleeping bags on the floor. The room was full but the boys loved having each one of the grandparents in "their" beds. The boys and Emily just loved playing games on Grandpa's phone and using his chapstick. My dad always has a stick of chapstick in his pocket. We enjoyed many tasty meals out and then topped it with Yogurt Creations, otherwise known as YC. that was for Barbie. Lady, we missed you while we went to "our favorite spots". Next time for sure!! We even went by Avila beach and let the kids play at the park. Of course I forgot to bring my camera. The weather was beautiful all weekend. We were in the 80's yesterday and today...Beautiful!!

Thanks Mom and Dad for coming and making your stay so enjoyable for me and the family. We had a great time and miss you already. Casey and Emily said to me, "We miss grandma", 3 seconds after you drove away.

I indulged way more than I should have so I am back on in the morning for sure. Guests, stay away so I can lose my weight :D hahaha. I love having guests. Off to start a busy week in the morning.

Thursday....

Today I spent most of my time getting my house picked up in between making a million meals for kids. Does anyone else feel like they spend so much of the day in the kitchen making food, cleaning up, getting snacks, etc.?? I guess that is just my life right now with 4 children. I have really been trying hard to set my timer for about 45 minutes each morning to run through the house and get all of the odds and ends picked up from the morning rush. I love to work against the clock. I feel like I accomplish much more. I start in my bedroom and make my way to the front of the house (I'm in a one story). My little girl, Emily, loves to have me set the clock. She tells me it's time to quickly pick up. I love it!! That has been working for me. I do the same thing after lunch while Ellie is sleeping and just 45 minutes before I have to pick up the boys from school. It really helps to keep the house in decent shape. Yes, life for me right now is all about cleaning and picking up. It is a constant in my life. I actually love to go through a room and just watch everything get put into place. It feels good.

I vacuumed the house this afternoon just before I had to take Casey to t-ball practice. His team is so cute and such a great group of parents. I am so happy. He knows 4 other boys on the team from school. He gets so excited to go to practice. I am happy for him. My life is going to get really crazy real soon with both boys practicing during the week and games on Saturday. I don't look forward to the stress of getting each boy to their team at probably the same time at different fields. We'll see.....hopefully they practice on different days. That would be ideal!! Mitch just found out he is on a team that has 2 boys from his class at school, who he is friends with. Yeah!! I love when we know somebody already on the team. This should be a fun baseball season. I really look forward to the games and watching my handsome boys play ball.

My mom and dad are coming in the morning. This should be a fun weekend. I haven't seen my mom since Christmas. I know for many that is probably not bad at all. They should be here bright and early. They are my babysitters for my 8:00 dentist appt. I know how rude of me to put them to work in their first minutes here. The kids are off from school tomorrow so I hope to enjoy a full day of family together. Maybe a visit to the beach/park if the weather is nice. It sure has been pretty here this week. Or any week. I'm off to fold some laundry....again.

Mirror Mirror....self portrait

I was experimenting with different mirrors that are in my house. I chose the ones I like the most.



Here is another picture of me in a mirror that hangs right by my front door. I love a toile pattern. My most favorite pattern...and this is the only toile I have in my house. I need to work on that. When my son Casey looked at the picture above he said, "Mom, that is Giada". She has a show on food network. I said, "that's me." I will take it as a compliment because I think Giada is cute.

Here is the Tuesdays challenge...Mirror, Mirror. I know I am a day late but I decided to check my camera again and see if I could get lucky. I banged my camera on my hand and a clear screen came up. Ahhhhh! Now I know I just have to give it a "bump thump" and I'm set.

Well, not sure what to write but here it goes. I'm not sure what people think of me when they see me and really I don't think much about it anymore. I am who I am and I am very comfortable with myself. I don't think I come off to others as friendly as I feel inside. I don't know what that is all about. I'm doing better though.

When I look in the mirror, I know that I am a daughter of God. I know that I am loved by my husband, children, myself, my parents, siblings and other family members. I know that my Heavenly Father watches over me and my family. He does answer my prayers and has blessed me with good children, healthy bodies, a wonderful husband who loves me and the kids and who honors his priesthood. I always fall back on that when I feel that things are getting tough for me. I have realized that I can't please everyone. I can do my best at what is most important....taking care of my family. And they will always come first. I don't play into the guilt game. I have no room for that. I guess I have learned to weed out the stuff I have no control over or don't have room for. I tend to be self conscious about my appearance. I am obsessed with losing weight/WW. I think I always will be. There is a certain weight that I am most comfortable at and my clothes all fit right. I am most happiest when I acheive my goals. I never talk about weight and image in a negative way around my children. They will never hear me say that I need to lose weight or my butt is too big. I never want my girls to feel that they aren't just darling no matter what shape they have. I am very particular about what I wear and how it makes every curve on my body look. I know that I can't change certain things about my body and I'm ok with it now. Growing up it wasn't easy with a butt that headed straight out the back. In third grade, I was called shelf butt and asked why my butt sticks out. Well, I wish I could go back and answer the girl who said it to me now. All in all, I am comfortable with who I am. I have a good head on my shoulders. As I have gotten older, I have learned to accept compliements and really believe what others will say to me. I like my eyes and get compliments on the color often. I have been compliemented on my hair many times. I have thick hair and in high school we called it a horse's tail, blanket, etc. I think I am a good friend, sister, daughter, wife and mother. I am constantly trying to do better in all of those areas. Well, as much as I can find time for during my busy days. I love that I am a mom to 4 beautiful children.

Ok, this is kind of a mess as I just read back on it. Well, it wasn't too easy to write. My thoughts don't flow smoothly but oh well. I get that gene from my mom :D. See mom, you aren't alone. I better spare the rest of you any more mumble jumble and post it. Bottom line, I am happy with who I see in the mirror. Of course, just like all people I have flaws and am in constant work of doing better in many areas of my life. But to me the most important is that i never give up and continue to be in constant work of accomplishing my goals.

"God the Father is merciful and has infinite love for you despite your
faults. Only the voice of Satan will cause you to feel of no value. In
contrast, the Holy Ghost will cause you to feel 'godly sorrow' unto
repentance in a manner that fills you with hope of positive change."--quote from LDS Gems

I had to add that in. I thought it was excellent and appropriate for these self portrait posts.

Good Mail/Good Weekend

First off, I received "good mail" from Kristen over the weekend. I actually got it out of my mailbox this morning. We were so busy over the weekend that I never got to the mailbox. What a fun way to start my Monday. Thank you so much. My camera is broken so I can't take a picture. Kristen, I bought some of those same notepads to send in some good mail. She sent such cute ribbon...I love it, chocolates, a notepad, pen, I think it is a chip clip which I totally needed and such a nice note. I feel like I have friends everywhere and yet I have never physically met some of them. I love it!! Thanks again.

Todd's aunt came into town on Friday night and so we all went to Taco Loco....chicken tostada and I can't believe I only ate 2 chips. That really means I'm serious. On Saturday, we woke to such beautiful weather...75 degrees. It was totally a beach day. We got ourselves out the door and on to looking for some furniture for the kids before I had to go to my hair appt. We found some things but are still looking to make the right decision. I then went to my hair appt. and Todd and his aunt went on to take the kids to lunch at CPK. They met me back at the salon just as I was finishing up...perfect timing. I felt a bit guilty because I guess Emily had a melt down and they just had to deal with tired kids at a restaurant and Barnes & Noble. Not fun. Nothing a box of girl scout cookies didn't fix. My hair turned out great...it is back to the blonde that I've been trying to achieve since August. Long story on the hair color but I am happy it is back to what I like. I will never mess with trying to make it any other color. After that we walked around downtown SLO looking in different furniture stores. Massive sticker shock. I saw a kitchen table that was just a style I love. It was a round table that seated 8 people. The table was $4,000.00. I am assuming that included the 8 chairs but wow, that was crazy! Definitely not in my price range for a kitchen table. We moved on and had to hit Costco before they closed. Costco is always an experience! I love that place. It is one of my favorite places to shop. Aunt Nan bought the kids some dvd's and so they had some entertainment for Sunday morning that kept them from fighting and getting into trouble. She bought Flushed Away and I can't wait to see that. So many adults say that the movie is so funny! We then were able to call it a day as we left Costco. It was a long day for everyone...especially the kids. I hate dragging them from place to place all day long. It is very hard but we didn't have a choice.

Sunday was a good day. It was nice to have some extra hands during Sacrament meeting. Ellie is now getting to that point that she doesn't want to sit on my lap. She wants to be moving, wiggling, arching, and making screeches all during the meeting. She isn't crying thank goodness! It's a workout keeping her entertained and happy. My time is almost up here on the computer. I have to do some work while Ellie is asleep. Anyway, the day turned out nice with roast, salad, veggies and rolls all smelling delicious when we walked in the house. That can make anyone happy :D!! We had a great weekend with Nan.

This is for Amie.....Todd has every other Friday off. It is the best. I love the schedule that he has. It was really nice when we first moved here to have that schedule so that Todd could watch the kids while I had appts. I don't have to find babysitters for day appts. I just make them on a Friday that he has off.

A new Monday...a new start. I didn't do so well on my diet on Saturday. It's too hard to keep to a diet when you are out of the house the entire day. Oh well, it's the start of a new week. I love it. I'm back on track this morning. I'm off to start tons of laundry that piled up over the weekend.

Life is Good

Well, today the scale was down another 1/2 pound. I love my scale. I think last week I was about to chuck it far... I've stuck with my program and feel content and happy with it. I love this feeling. Why do I stray from it ever? I guess because I'm human.

Today was a good day. The weather was beautiful..cool but sunny. I love that. I received a couple packages today that made me smile. First, this morning was some Arbonne products. That always makes me happy. Later this afternoon came a package from my husbands aunt, Nan....bonus that it was addressed to me. I was getting excited and even more so when I saw a pair of running shoes. YAAAAA!!!!!! I love a new pair of tennis shoes. She totally surprised me and I am so happy. Emily kept saying how they are so pretty. She is so cute. I love what 3 year olds say. Today was a good mail day....even better when the cell phone bill came and it was $15.00 less than normal. Gotta love that.

What I am thankful for today:

*A healthy family
*A few minutes that I got to read some scriptures in the bathroom
*Ability to exercise and enjoy it
*My husband who does so much for our family
*A stable mind
*Fun blog sites to visit and read....there are so many to read these days. It's all good!
*A weight loss
*Casey and I having fun together :D
*A calm house now that the kids are asleep
*My truck that takes us everywhere we need to go. It just made me think how there are so many people who do not have transportation other than the bus or their feet. I can come and go when I need to.
*The relationship that I have with Todd.
*Game Boy...I had some fun passing levels today with the boys.
*Ellie's laugh...it cracks me up
*Ellie sleeping very well for me during the day and night. That is a blessing to me.
*My siblings and parents.

It feels good to write all that down. Tomorrow is Todd's day off. The kids look forward to his Friday's off so much. Casey gets so excited that he is going to pick him up from school. I love it because I can then workout in the morning and not have to rush around in the morning getting kids to school. I'm out of words...not feeling like much to say. Time to watch Idol on Tivo.