Adorable

While on vacation, I found out that I had won Joan's blog contest. Mini-me is getting this for Christmas. Isn't it cute? In fact, all of my kids are getting one for Christmas. Go order yours today!

My Happy Place

I love Target. It's my happy place. The lighting is bright and cheery, the aisles and shelves are full of tempting items, and the carts are red. One day we were going over our budget and Curly asked me if it were necessary for me to stop at the snack bar every time I went to Target. I gave him a withering look. He then said, "We'll just count that as 'entertainment.'" Indeed. I go in, get a popcorn combo, two bags, please, and then we walk up and down the aisles. Sometimes we go to look at the kitchen supplies. We check out the seasonal section, my favorites being Halloween and Christmas. Always we go look at the cars. Most of the time we don't even buy anything. We just look and talk. I write down book titles I want to add to my library list. We find movies we want to rent from the RedBox. Patch and Mini-me talk about what they want for their birthdays or from Santa. And then I dream about the giant house we'll have in Pittsburgh* someday. A house with a linen closet. A house with at least 2 full bathrooms, one of which will have a soaker tub. This house will, of course, come with maid service. The lawn will be green and lush. I'll be able to park my car in the garage. Ah, Pittsburgh. They have a nice Target there, too.

*We have no plans to move to Pittsburgh. Curly's company is headquartered there. Mini-me's favorite football team is there. The most delicious sandwiches are there. When anyone says "I wish we had ______," I tell them: "When we move to Pittsburgh." I hope we never do.

Did You See That?

I am no fan of storms. Last week we had a day with very strong storms. As in, more than one in a day. The first one was so violent, and our house so full of windows, that we went down to the basement. The afternoon storm had actual rotation and reports of tornadoes close by. In both storms we got nearly 3 inches of rain and this picture shows what 3 inches in 20 minutes does to our lawn. Yup. That's our front yard, folks. I wish we had brought our ducks home from Sun Valley.

First Day

Mini-me started 1st grade this week. She just seems so grown up to me. She loves to start the new year in a dress. I think she would wear a dress every day of the week if she could.

I love this toothless mug of hers. She loves school. The other day she said, "Mom, they've gone easy on us this week." I'm sure it won't be easy all year, but she'll be great. She loves to learn. She thinks math is "awesome." Yeah, she's my kid alright!

Sew and Tell

I actually got to sew this week. It's definitely something to:

I'm teaching a sewing class at church and I am teaching them to sew this adorable banner. I made two of them. Sew much fun! I'm also hosting a party at my house the third weekend in September. My friends Shannon, Julie, and Joan will be there with their wares, as well as me. I'll have plenty of fabric banners on hand, as well as some other great stuff. If you're in the area, stop on by!
I also did 3 Kindle/Nook covers for a custom etsy order. It was a good sewing week. Hopefully next week will be grand as well!

I'm linking up to Amy's blog. Better late than never :)

Weight Loss Wednesday

All the worry about going on vacation that I was going to gain weight was for not. After coming home, I am down I think 3 pounds. I think. It's a total of 29.6 pounds. I am super proud of myself. I don't always make the best food choices, but I'm learning.

Having the kids go back to school has thrown me a little. Getting used to the schedule is tricky for all of us. I am having the hardest time getting up when the alarm goes off. Maybe I need to go to bed earlier. I'll try it tonight. It would also help if Miss Ginger would stop waking up during the night. Having uninterrupted sleep would do me worlds of good.

I had lunch with two great friends today. There is something about going to lunch with your girlfriends that is reviving to the soul. We talked and laughed and ate yummy Spanish tapas. Then we went and tried on jewelry at a cute little boutique. It was a fun day that I hope to repeat often this fall.

Photo Friday

Patch isn't the only one to fall asleep at the dinner table.

Vacation, Part 3

What you're looking at there is the remains of the fish Flower caught and ate. It was a rainbow trout. She said it was delish. I took her word for it. I don't eat things that live in water.
This is Rex. He speaks Canadian, so we had to add things like "eh" and "hoser" when we would talk to him so he would understand. We shared a condo with my sister and her little family. It was so fun. We spent most nights staying up late and chatting. I like my sister as a grown up. That is, as long as she didn't tattle!
Ah, ice skating. Again. Could there be anything more magical than ice skating outside in the summer? We have been to Sun Valley in the winter, and ice skating while snow gently falls is pretty magical as well, but a little colder. At one point on the rink, Flower turned to me and said, "Do you think I would do better as an Olympic skater or as a Broadway star?" Always thinking big, that Flower.
A few reunions ago, ducks were provided for all the kids to race in the streams that run through the resort. This may have been Patch's favorite activity. Even the big boy cousins got into it.
Finally, a look at Patch all worn out. Every day at about 5:30, he would start drooping and sagging. Then he would fall asleep wherever he was. Twice it was sitting eating dinner. It's definitely a sign of a day well spent.

The TV

For those on the edge of their seats, waiting for more vacation footage, relax. I'll post some more tomorrow. But tonight I wanted to post about something near and dear to my heart: The Television.

I have a love/hate relationship with the TV. I love to watch it, I hate to pay for it. In our house, we have 3 TVs in use. All three are at least 10 years old. We don't have high def. We don't have wide screen. And we certainly don't have digital capabilities. A few years ago we subscribed to DishNetwork. We have been relatively happy with them. But lately, the cost has seemed a little steep. We called and explained that we have been loyal customers for going on 5 years, and if they would give us the same price they give new customers (nearly $30 difference), we would gladly stay. They did not, so we did not.

Curly and I told ourselves we could just watch anything we wanted to online. Well, almost anything. Not sports. Did I mention my husbands love affair with the NFL? No? Oh. I should have. We love the Redskins in this house and hope they actual win a few games this year. I digress... I went online to see a show I had missed (So You Think You Can Dance). Guess what? Hulu is not my friend. I couldn't get anything to load. So, there goes that idea.

With our old TVs, we can't just watch network channels anymore. We don't have digital converter boxes, nor do we have an antenna on top of our house. Today I called the cable company. Basic cable is $22 a month. 130 channels is $29 a month. Which one do you think I chose? There is a change coming for our family: 3 TVs are going to 1. We will just be able to watch 1 TV. I am looking forward to it.

This, much like Seinfeld, is a post about nothing. Thanks for reading.

Vacation, Part 2

I'm sorry to say that this will be a short post today. I have had a stomach bug since Tuesday night that I just can't shake. However, if you would like a quick way to lose 8 pounds, come on over and I'll lick your face.

One of the fun things about Sun Valley is the outdoor ice rink. Our family tradition is to meet up there every evening after dinner. Lots of us skate, but those that don't sit in cute Sun Valley chair and chat while they watch. There is also a weekly ice show, featuring an Olympian or two. The week we were there, it was Sasha Cohen. They have a new feature which has been added since the last time we were there: After the show, the skaters stayed on the ice for autographs and pictures. It was awesome.

Vacation, Part 1

When we were planning our trip this summer, we realized that Curly couldn't take that much time off work in order to drive out with us. The plan was to then have me caravan with my brother's family. Two days before we were to leave, my sister in law (who I lovingly refer to as the "spinster sister") called and said she could drive with me. Hallelujah! The trip was much more enjoyable with her in the car. I will dedicate a separate post to Colleen, the Spinster Sister, and will welcome all set-ups on her behalf. Thank you.

We arrived in glorious Salt Lake City after three long days on the road. We decided to stay at Little America because, well, who wouldn't want to stay at Little America? Flower was especially taken with the chandelier in our room.

On Friday, I spent a few minutes with some of my missionary friends on Temple Square. It was lovely, and I didn't take any pictures. Right after that, Curly arrived on a jet plane. We picked him up and headed south to Provo, home of the Cougars. Curly and I were there at the same time and didn't know each other. Weird, right?

We took a tour on a huge golf cart and got to see all the changes to the campus. It's actually kind of pretty now. And yes, that means that when I was there, I found it to be less than attractive.

We lunched at our favorite Brazilian restaurant, Tucanos. Patch enjoyed the tongs. Flower enjoyed the meat on a skewer, brought in a non-stop fashion. We wish there was a similar place near us, but really if there was, we would eat there way too often and be very fat. Mini-me and Flower loved the thing we used to tell the master swordsman that we wanted more meat. Green means go, people! Flower ate more than me. Mini-me didn't eat much of anything, and neither did Patch, but they were free, so that was okay.

Our last stop on our Provo day was to the cemetery. We try to go every time we head out to Sun Valley. I know I have talked about Angel before, but in case you are new to the blog, Angel is Curly's oldest daughter. She was born while he and The Ex were in college. She didn't live very long, but the impact of her little life has been profound.

Flower balled the entire time we were there. She never knew Angel, but she misses her in her life. Curly talked to the kids about our faith that she is with Heavenly Father now, and that she is aware of our little family. It is sad and tragic to be sure; but life is not about the tragedy, it is about the joy. We know where she is and that she is happy. Knowing that makes us all work a little harder to be a little better so we can be where she is someday.

I have to admit, this last picture makes me a little weepy. Curly and his kids. He is such a good dad. The drive out as fun, but the vacation truly started when we picked him up from the airport.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggetty Jig

We arrived last night at about 8:30. The drive was uneventful. I even sat in the back for a little while and got this gem of a photo of Ginger. That face she makes is hilarious. I crack up every time. We had such a good time and it's kind of a bummer to be home. But there is much to do. Flower starts school next week, Mini-me starts in two weeks, and Patch has yet to find out if he's going to school. Curly has taken the three older kids to a movie while I am home folding laundry and catching up with Gracie. She had a good time at the pet sitter. Be prepared for some picture heavy posts in the next few days!

Where Am I?

I'm on vacation in a sunny valley. It's heaven on earth. I'll be back to regular postings sometime next week. Until then, I hope your days are full of blue skies and sunshine, just like mine.