Snapshot Of A Mother

Since my sister in law Cami doesn't have a blog, she created this word cloud from random phrases from my blog. I think it reflects my life pretty well. Mucho thanks Cam!

Handmade By Little Ol' Me

I LOVE handmade things. It's a dying art. I thought it would be fun to do this post that I saw on my friend Melissa's blog. Here's how it works-the first 5 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a FANTASTICAL handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well-before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then come back, let me know you're going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Remember that only the first 5 comments will receive a gift from me, so be quick!"This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!

2. It'll be done this year (hopefully sooner than later.)

3. You will have no clue what it is going to be.

C'mon, you know you wanna play!

Inquiring Minds Want To Know...

Why do I feel obligated to do goody bags for guests at my kids' birthday parties? Is that a must at a birthday party? It seems like it is just a waste of time, effort and money. The toys seem cheap and never last long or you spend a fortune on toys that end up getting tossed or end up as junk in their rooms and the last thing kids need is a bunch of candy after binging on cake and ice cream. Do the kids even care if they get a goody bag or is it just a way to thank the parents for the gift? Isn't it enough that you get a few hours away from your kid while they go to a party and play games and eat cake and ice cream and run around crazy with their little friends? I admit that I am cheap and it is embarrassing to say that the only motivation I had for doing goody bags in the past is to impress the moms of the kids. I know that is lame but that is what it feels like to me, an unspoken competition of who gives out the best goody bags.

I am leaning on not doing goody bags this year. I hope I don't traumatize any little kids by my decision. What is correct birthday etiquette?

Octuplets...

I have been following the octuplet thing since their birth and at first I was so impressed and intrigued but as time has gone on and the more information I hear about the woman (I will not call her mother because mothers put the needs of their children before their own and the title of mother is one of respect and honor and I have neither for this woman.) that birthed them, the more I am angered and disgusted! I feel like I am pretty opened minded about people and how they choose to live their lives and how they raise their children, however, This woman has pushed me to my limits and I do not feel That she is fit to raise these eight babies let alone the six she already has. In the interviews I have watched, the woman claims to have no help from the government but when reporters find that she is on food stamps and her children are on disability she says that those are programs to assist needy people not government assistance. It wouldn't even bother me if she was on government assistance, that is what it is there for, just be honest about it. Her whole demeanor just made me cringe in these interviews!

Because of this woman's selfish obsession to be a mother because she was not loved as a child, so many people will suffer! Her children of course will suffer. If this is a woman that will work double shifts to earn money for invetro while she already has SIX children, then she definitely is not using that money for their benefit or daily care. She spent over a hundred THOUSAND dollars on these procedures!!!! Money that could have went to food, housing, and other needful things to provide for her family. She has no job. She is totally dependant on her mother, her church, and volunteers. How long are those resources going to last? People can only give so much before they feel used. Plus, she was informed of the many potential health risks to those babies and she chose to go through with invetro anyway! Those babies will have lifelong struggles and delays and she was ok with that because of her fixation to have children. Not only will her children and her community suffer but millions of people who legitimately can not have children will be affected. Laws will be stricter, their chances of using more than two of their fertilized eggs will be lessened all because of this selfish woman! Oh it just burns me up!!! I think it would be in the children's best interests if they were removed from her home and placed for adoption to families that are both financially, emotionally, and mentally stable. I also think that the doctor that proformed these procedures should have his license revoked for his lack of ethics. Oh I could go on and on about this subject... It's just a sad story all the way around!

HaPpY HaPpY BiRtHdAy HaLlIe!!!!!

My baby Girl is two!!!!

TWO!!! Seriously, where does the time go?!

My dad came by the night before Hallie's birthday with some birthday presents from my mom in tow! That was a great birthday suprise!!! We always love it when grandpa comes to visit!!!

Her favorite gift was the gum! She is ALWAYS sneaking into my purse and getting into my gum so I knew she would love her own pack! Two year olds are so easy to please!!!







Little miss Hallie also requested "chocowate" cake and pizza for her birthday dinner!

My Hallie is one special girl! Our family would just not be complete without her! She brings a sweet and tender spirit into our home and a LOT of spunk too!

I always think about Hallie's birth mom, Tiffany, on Hallie's birthday. It's like she has given me a gift that keep giving! I am always humbled by that selfless gift!

Hallie - Wallie Mac and Cheese, my most favorite things about you and what I will miss most when you grow older is your tenderness, the way you obey even when you don't want to, how you sound like Gollum when you sing and you know you are so funny while you are doing it, when you honk my nose expecting a sound to come out and thinking that if you squeeze harder the sound might get louder or change, your little gallop around the house, the way you out eat every one at the table and go around finishing up every one's plates, how you sneak underneath the table with loot that you know you are not supposed to get into, oh little one I could go on and on and on!

Thank you for choosing me to be your mommy! I love you more!

And just a little side note, I now have TWO two year olds!!!

It's like having twins for five months out of the year! This is going to be super fun!

Mmmm Fabric!

My fabric booty!

Unfinished projects here I come!

"Esc-a -pay". Hey, it's spelled just like escape!

I ran away with my mother in law and my sisters in law to St. George a couple of weeks ago for a sisters' retreat! It was Betta's brilliant idea and she paid for the condo, gas, and food for the four days we were down there! We stayed at the Las Palmas Resort and enjoyed the warm weather of southern Utah! It was weird not having to wear a coat and snow boots in the middle of January! It was really nice to have a break from the snow of Colorado! Friday I stopped in Cedar City on my way to St. George to visit my good friend Kyle at college. He made me dinner at his apartment. It was your typical college meal of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It is amazing how a simple pb&j sandwich tastes better when you don't have to make it!

Friday night, my sister in law Denise was itching to play or do something wild and crazy. We got dressed up and headed out for a night out on the town, but to our shock and dismay, we discovered that St. George doesn't have much of a night life. I guess it kind of makes sense when you think of the thousands of senior citizens that flock down there for the winter! That town shuts down when those old folks are finished with their early bird specials at Village Inn! So at 11:30 pm Cami and Denise suggested we head to Mesquite. I was game! I have never gambled and I had a few bucks to throw away! I had no idea that my sisters in law were so much fun! Especially Denise! Give her a Monster energy drink and she is the life of the party! Everything we said that night was turned into a dirty joke! Denise killed it at the roulette table! She won a hundred and forty bucks and only put twenty bucks into it! My luck was not so good and I am pretty sure that I will never gamble again. All I kept thinking was " I could be buying fabric with this money!" but it was a blast hanging out with my sistas! We drove through three states in one night and technically I drove through four. Colorado,Utah, Arizona, and Nevada! We found this sign on our way to Mesquite and we couldn't pass up the picture opportunity! We didn't get back to St. George until three in the morning!

Yes those are tampons! If you have a dirty mind you will get it!

I crossed four states in one day! Yup I get around!

The next day we had our spa appointments! I settled for a pedicure but it was much needed and well deserved! I was saving my money for more important things like fabric!!! After a day at the spa we went out lunch at a quaint little Mediterranean restaurant. The food was really yummy and the dessert was even better! They had a baklava that was to die for!

Flaming cheese!!! OPA!!!

Cami thought she would be funny and put the phone book on top of my excursion the night before after our adventure in Mesquite and it stayed there as I drove all around town the next day! We all got a kick out of that! Silly Cami! We also did some shopping at the mall and we bought groceries for Sunday. I got a ton of new shirts for super cheap!

Sexy bi#@$es ha ha!

Sunday was so relaxing! Betta, Kathy, and I attended a ward nearby and it was packed to the back of the gym with vacationers while the others enjoyed the pool. we took long uninterrupted sunday naps too,which is huge for me! we also made a really good dinner. Cami made this amazing Parmesan chicken and we had couscous and steamed veggies and frozen yogurt pie! I met up later with my friend Kyle and his new love interest for dinner. We had a good time eating and catching up. I came back to the condo and watched movies with all of my lovely sisters in law.

Monday we packed up and parted ways with Cami, Randi, and Denise. Betta, Kathy, and I planned on going to a session at the St. George temple but got there twenty minute too late. We settled for pictures and a walk around the temple grounds. We went to the distribution center where I picked out a new set of scriptures. I have had the same set since I was eight and they are ready to be retired. I have grown so attached to those things over the years. It will be hard to use the replacements but I was thinking that it will be nice to read brand new scriptures because your eyes aren't drawn to the marked verses and past spiritual experiences. I won't go "Oh I remember when I had that experience in seminary or institute." I can have new insight and revelation with new scriptures and that I look forward to.

Betta and Kathy took off after lunch and I was left by my lonesome to hunt for quilt and fabric shops! I got some fabric so that I can finish my Shaggy Star quilt and a few other projects I am working on! I also went bra shopping and found some very supportive yet sexy ones at Lane Bryant. Who knew that a plus size store would have good bras for big boobed women?! I just can't believe I never thought of going there! DUH!

This really was such a great idea and I hope that we make it an annual tradition! I have learned so much about each of my sisters and feel like we are all closer for the trip!

Where to next sisters?!