Knock on Wood

Giveaway on PoppySeed!!!!!!

2010-06-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

There is a giveaway over on PoppySeed today!! I urge you all to head on over there and enter to win!!

Just click on the link and follows the instructions to enter!!!

Will you be the winner??

Please share with your friends and help get PoppySeed going!

Thank ya!

AHHHHHH!!!!! EXCITING NEWS!!!!! To me anyway

2010-06-25T22:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have been busy. I mean really busy. I have started my Etsy shop. TRYING to learn how to upgrade my blog into one of those super fancy ones all the big crafters have. Maybe I can just hire someone to do it for me. Chelsea? You there? Help??

Anyway!!! On to my news. Like I said, I've been busy. Well I stumbled upon a contest on the blog Crafterhours highlighting SKIRTS!! Well I had just finished a couple and decided on a whim to enter them. For those of you friends on Facebook you have already seen them. But I will post a link for them in a min for those that aren't.

I entered them in the little girl's skirt category. I didn't win, BUT if you scroll down just three more skirts... TADA!!! There they are. Listed as one of their favorites!! My heart jumped in my throat!! I'm so excited I blogged about it! Even better another heavy hitter, Anna of Noodlehead listed my skirts as one of her favs in the Flikr pool!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I'm not going to be able to sleep now. They like me, they really like me! Well my skirts anyway. But it's all the same to me!

Just thought I would share this extraordinary news with all of you even if you don't get as excited about it as I do. Just smile and wave-just smile and wave boys.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are more photos of them.

A Day In Pictures

2010-04-03T10:26:00.001-07:00

My heart says YES but my head says NO.
Someone was longing for summer but the weather just wouldn't cooperate
Yes, it's on backwards

So she decided to have an indoor picnic

All items were gathered by herself and her sister.
Thus explaining the randomness

Ok forget the picnic. I will just get dolled up.
Pardon the contrasts between pics. I'm playing around with my settings

As you can see, we are suffering from cabin fever around here. I am letting my children run wild with their crazy ideas just to keep them entertained. Yes, this is leaving me with insane messes-but far less whining. The trade off is worth it for me right now. I am either stuck in my sewing room whipping out dresses or another secret project, so my kids tend to do whatever they feel like.

This is such a flash back of my own childhood. I remember my mother spending hours hunched over her easel, painting away in her studio. The three girls (at the time there were just us three, Sheena, myself and Cassie) would create childhood masterpieces (messes). Whether it was sprinkling flour all over the floor to reduce friction between our socks and the linoleum so that "skating" became far more interesting, or making the "two-man bed" that has so famously stuck with us through the years. Or the time when I (at 4 yrs old) scientifically stuck an unfolded paper clip into a light socket while simultaneously telling Cassie "this is dangerous and only big kids can do it" only to receive a shock so badly that it turned my pinky black. And what was my mother's response? "That's nice Amy, go play" she never even looked down at my poor finger. My first memory of my mom truly not hearing what I was saying. And yes, I in turn am guilty of doing it as well with my girls. Only, they haven't electrocuted themselves, yet.

It makes me laugh and maybe that's why I am not too disturbed by the creative messes my kids create. They are afterall, ME. And that's fine by, ME!

Knee Surgery

2010-03-04T09:44:00.000-08:00

So the dr.'s office just called me and told me they needed to bump up my knee surgery. To TOMORROW! ACK!! A couple positives: my house is clean already, and I can get it over with sooner! Negatives: scrambling to rearrange my "helpers". Not that it's a big schedule conflict or anything, I mean, I stay home all day! I occasionally do something productive, and hell I even try and make sure my kids eat lunch! So in short, I'm saying that this isn't that big of a deal. I'm actually looking forward to it. I love getting knocked out!! I don't have to hear, "I need hhheeEEELPP!" (my cue to come wipe a butt) for at least a half a day and that's something to look forward to right?! In my world, yes.

2010-03-03T13:20:00.000-08:00

What I love about my house...

Why I love it...

Because you can't see all this! I can fake a clean house for the occasional visitor that I don't allow past the carpet. For the rest of you lucky people you get to have your eyes burned out of your heads with this...

The kids bedrooms doors can be closed and you would never know they looked like they do.

Or that things like this

came from this!

But before you send an intervention crew, there's this...

I knew there was a sink in there somewhere! You now can sleep peacefully tonight.

As for the office, it will have to wait a little longer

I'm still trying to convince Colby I need track shelving, hmmm.

Watch Out!

2010-03-02T23:45:00.000-08:00

YUP! Watch out ya'll! I am inspired and motivated right now. I have been blog stalking and have found my muse/s so I am going to crack down on myself and do stuff! What stuff?? Anything I feel inspired to do! Crafting (not scrapbooking), blogging, cooking, photography, you name it, I'm game! Thanks Cass for the tips on my camera-I'm going to get it down! I have already made some pretty fun and super cute things and will post about them tomorrow. I have a draft written up for my next blog. Like I said-I was inspired

I think, what I like to call my "February Funk" has finally lifted and I am hitting the ground running! Maybe those trips to the tanning bed have given me the shot of vitamin D that my body was lacking.

My sister's reminded me of my love of writing and that blogging should be a no-brainer. But...for some reason it has always seemed daunting, just another task that I HAD to get done. But my brain has shifted; something like the Chilean earthquake and the Earth's axis thing. I am entering a new phase and I am not looking back. I have altered my attitude and am thinking positive. No more thinking I'm a procrastinator!! Fact? Yes, but remember the shift? I AM motivated, I AM crafty, I AM positive!

2010-02-22T17:26:00.000-08:00

Lacey watched my girls today while I went to physical therapy. During that time Lacey decided to paint Tess and Mayce's toenails. Here is the conversation Lacey and Mayce had.

Lacey: Mayce your toes are haggard!

Mayce: (very matter of factly) I know, that's cause I bite them

Lacey: You bite your toenails? Why?

Mayce: Cause

Lacey: When do you do that?
Mayce: On Tuesdays

Sheer Joy!

2009-12-10T21:28:00.001-08:00

Just a collection of some of my favorite pictures showing pure joy. How blissful and innocent it is to be small.

Where does the time go?

2009-12-10T20:53:00.000-08:00

Intent on getting it just right!

Paintin' pumpkins at Grandma "Loops" as Mayce calls her

Grandma Great Fran (GG) and Grandpa Sonny

Is it really almost Christmas? The last pics I have on here are from much warmer weather so you can once again tell I have been slacking! I want to really just make this a picture post because I don't have much to say.

A lot to catch up on

2009-09-17T22:01:00.000-07:00

Ok so I am super lame on posting lately! I have done so many things this summer and it would take me another month just to post about it all. We have been boating, gone to Lake Powell, more boating, camping, boating, and we are going to Colby's uncle's house on the Colorado River in AZ next week to do ...you guessed it-more boating! I will post some pics of the boating. I'm really excited because Colby bought me a wakeboard just in time for Lake Powell and I am already catching some air! I LOVE IT!! I did mess up my knee while in Lake Powell, but after a cortizone shot I'm good to go for a while now!

2009-07-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

We "LOVE" the 4th of July! I let the girls do some sparklers last night in celebration of our independence. Ellie burned her finger and adamantly exclaimed, "I don't wanna do it eh nee more, I quit!" Such a funny toad. So as she huddled close by my side I snapped pictures of Mayce while she played with sparklers. After loading them onto my computer I realized that she had inadvertently spelled "love". I thought it was pretty cute and a nice memory. Colby wasn't able to be here for it unfortunately. He is stuck in crappy Colfax, California. But he will be able to celebrate the 24th with us. We will make up for it then. So here is Mayce's "artwork".

Pictures

2009-06-18T23:18:00.000-07:00

We finally got a new camera that kicks butt! I have taken many many pictures on it and it will take me some time to go through them and post them on here so you will have to hold tight. I don't like that I don't have pictures on these last three posts. I'm a big fan of having at least one photo with each post. It just seems to make the memory better. So I have Mayce and Ellory's combined birthday party, the zoo, and the aquarium all to sort through and post. Mayce's official birthday is on Friday (19th). After 3 weeks of being the same age as Ellory she will be 3!!! Grandma Viv is planning on taking Mayce, Ellory & Tess to McDonald's to have lunch and play on the toys. I think she is just itching to let Mayce have her own day. Which is perfectly fine by me. I did start to feel bad today about not having anything special for her day tomorrow (like I said we combined their birthday's this year, see upcoming post for explanation) So I am happy that G-ma Viv is doing that for her. I think I will bake her a cake and maybe have hamburgers or something with whatever family can come tomorrow.

2009-06-17T11:09:00.001-07:00

Hahaha. It makes me laugh! The ads on the side of page are all about recovery and addicts and drug rehab. But there is no Farm Town rehab! For those of you that are unaware of Farm Town-good! It's an app on Facebook and it's ridiculously addicting. Whatever you do, don't start your farm!! You will be hopelessly stuck planting and harvesting and improving you farm.

Addicts don't prioritize well!

2009-06-14T22:54:00.000-07:00

Why?? Because their addiction becomes their only priority. Laundry piles up, beds go un-made, dishes stacked in the sink, kids get raised by Noggin. So the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, right?
Hello, my name is Amy and I am a Farm Town addict.
I wanted to wait until I reached the final level, 34 (currently 27) to admit my problem. But, my kids need clean pj's.
So step 2 is realizing that someone greater than myself is the key to getting out. Hmm, apply this to Farm Town...maybe my husband threatening to shut off the internet? Ya, can't have that! I need to see my grocery lists!
Ok, ok. Tomorrow is a Farm Town free day!

This week's grocery deals!

2009-04-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

14 Healthy Choice Frozen Dinners

10 cans Manwich

10 Warm Delights

5 Hunt's Spaghetti Sauce

5 Van Camp's Pork & Beans

5 boxes Taco Bell Shells

5 bottles Kraft salad dressing

4 Hunt's diced tomatoes

2 Old El Paso refried beans

2 Old El Paso enchilada sauce

2 Orville Redenbacher's Natural popcorn

2 Suddenly Salad

(not pictured 10 lb bag potatoes & 1 lb of broccoli

Total Paid: $42.84

Total Saved: $118.37

7 bags of Quaker Quakes

5 bottles of McCormick Grill Mates

Paid: $.36!

Saved: $30.28

The $.36 is all tax!

That Corner is Calling Me!

2009-04-23T15:43:00.000-07:00

So the corner of the closet is begging me to come and play (the one I wrote about earlier)! Colby's docter told him that he couldn't go back to work til May 7th on his first follow-up appt. Well after his therapy today he called his work to make sure his doc faxed the needed paperwork for his upcoming release back to work. That is when he found out the doc doesn't want him back to full duty til JULY 6TH!!! What?!! The RR won't let him come back on light duty because they don't want him bumping someone out of a job that can actually work without restricitons. What we don't understand is that they made that call without another appointment to check his progress or talking to the physical therapist!! The PT thinks that his is fine to go back, he has full range of motion, no pain, and can do what he needs. The doc, or rather the physician's assistant that has sent in the paper work for Colby told his work that he can't lift more than 5 lbs twice a day! OK what is going on? Did they mix up the paper work at the office with some old guy or what? He has spent the last week changing out a transmission in his mother's Durango, picked up his children daily (and more than twice a day!), mowed the lawn, rode his motorcycle, yard work, pulled his summer car tires out of storage to get them put on the car, and many more tasks that weigh more than 5 lbs.!

Freecycle!

2009-04-13T23:26:00.000-07:00

So I just discovered this website called Freecycle. I'm already hooked on it! The previous owners left us some random things and I have posted some on there and someone already came and got them. This will make my spring cleaning go faster I'm sure. You have to post things on there for OFFER before you can post a WANT. It has definitely given me incentive to get things organized. It's in nearly every state I believe, and there are several groups in each state you can join. I'm in two groups because they cover a geographical area near me. There are some great things that you can find on there for FREE! That's what this site is all about. There is no buying or selling, it's all free. Yes there is stuff that is junk and you have to beware, but you can also find great things as well! Plus when you post a WANT you get what YOU want as long as someone has it! I'm more addicted to finding things to get rid of and just browse all the OFFERS. Some of them are quite interesting! I guess it's like taking things to the D.I but instead of you loading it up and taking it, someone else comes and gets it! Funny story: One lady had someone come and get a bottle of Suave body wash (used twice mind you) and a bottle of Got2B styling wax (used once)! I guess when it's FREE people will go for anything! I couldn't do it! But it is a great way to find anything you can imagine! Furniture, housewares, plants, cars, carrots, grape vines, etc. Go check it out, it's entertaining if nothing else! www.freecycle.org

No Rest for the Weary!

2009-04-09T18:05:00.000-07:00

So, we will not be going on our vacation this weekend! I'm a little bummed but at the same time relieved. I wasn't getting anything ready and hadn't made any plans to do so. For me, prepping for these things is sort of cathartic in itself. I love to make lists. I had started one in my head. It was a mental list on how to make my list. Ridiculous? Possibly, but it would have produced a GREAT list. I mentally saw it play out and was so excited. I don't like making lists on my computer. Sure it's faster but I like my handwritting and I love how it looks on paper in list format. I don't really get a kick out of checking it off either. If it doesn't get done, fine, it just goes on the next list! Yeah! Another excuse to make a list! DORK!! Anyway, as the title says, No Rest for the Weary, we will not be getting any R&R.

On another note, Colby got his staples out today and the doc said no work for another month! ARGH! BLAH! EEE! What?!! Wait, he has to go back to work! Not just to get a paycheck, but for my sanity! I need MY "week off"! It has been nice so far having him home, a lot has gotten done. The lawn is mowed, the landscaped beds are cleared of all deadfall, and the cars washed. But my mental recharge has been delayed. I enjoy that week where no one asks what I'm making for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and the dishes don't become a daunting task! I think I can do it for 1 more week and then I will start to go crazy! I love my husband don't get me wrong, but I love my "me" weeks! Ha ha! If I don't post in a week or so, send the dogs, I may be curled up in my closet!

Vacation

2009-04-03T00:10:00.000-07:00

Colby's uncle Leon has invited us down to his vacation home on the river. Don't remember the name of the river right now sorry. It's either in Nevada or Arizona. He lives in California and they go there nearly every week. I am soooo excited just to get out of town for a bit. Colby has his follow up appointment on the 9th so we will leave on the 10th and stay a few days. It should be in the 80's while we are there. WARM WEATHER YEAH!!! It is going to be so nice to get out of the house. I hoping to come back with a sunburn. It's my little way of sticking it to the snow and crappy weather! POW! Take that! POW POW!! That's for you Cass! POW!

In other news, we got rid of our dog. Yes we got a dog. We only had her for what, 2 weeks or so? We just are not dog people. We love other people's dogs but we get irritated to easily with our own. The girl's on the other hand ARE dog people. Mayce and Ellory loved that dog! Her name is Pixie Lu. Or as Ellory say, "Picki Luuu" in the highest pitch voice you can imagine. It's cute though. We sold her to some people in Sandy that had a male Bichon Frise (Pixie's breed). I did realize tonight after she was gone that she was the source of my recent mood slump. It is a sense of freedom I am feeling now! She is a cute, fluffy, soft dog, but we just can't devote ourselves to another being. See I told you all that I can only handle 2 kids! One benefit of owning that dog for the short time we did; sippy cups! She helped us rid our dependence on sippy cups. In a matter of days she reduced about 8 sippy cups to a mangled mess. No longer serving a purpose they found their new home in the trash. Too bad she didn't get ahold of some blankets around here!

@#$% body parts!

2009-03-22T16:12:00.001-07:00

So he has to have surgery! Dr. Findlayson took a look at his MRI and was shocked that he had gone 8 years with this pain. Once again good ole Brigham City hospital deserves a round of applause for their amazing lack of talent and skill. Because they didn't do anything for the collar bone and allowed it to heal completely overlapped (about 1 inch of overlap), his entire shoulder is out of alignment and causing major problems. The fix will be to go in and saw the bone in half, spread it, plate it and then shave down the rotator cuff that has been causing an impingement, then close him up. Luckily the recovery time will be about 2 weeks he said. WOW! 2 weeks?!!
As for me? Well my knees remind me on a daily basis that they need some attention. I put it off last summer because I didn't want to be on crutches for another summer. So I planned for the fall. We sold our house so I put it off again. Now it's getting warmer and I will inevitably put it off once more. I have to have a lateral release done on the right knee (already had a torn miniscus repaired) and they said it is much more painful and the recovery is longer. ARGH!! As if 6 weeks for my miniscus wasn't bad enough! I'm sure I will end up getting this done on the left knee as well but we will see what my recovery and pain level is for the right one. When did we get so old that our body parts stop cooperating?

Updates

2009-03-01T18:49:00.000-08:00

K so here are the updates I'm sure you were all anxiously awaiting! LOL. Anyway we will start with Kmart. It was a little picked over I think we needed to get there at the crack of dawn but we still managed to get our limits. Crest Pro-Health FREE!! Quaker rice cakes FREE, Secret Flawless Deodorant .$29, Soft soap $.59 Rimmel mascara FREE Rimmel eyeliner $1.35 Bic Soleil Razors $1.49. It was great!!! I will be using some of the things I purchased as a visual at my coupon class this Thursday.
Next, Mayce and the dentist. I should have gotten a pic but I am terrible at remembering to take pics. Any way, she did GREAT. She just sat there quietly and let the girl polish her teeth. She sat holding this crazy dinosaur with dentures and brushed his teeth the whole time. The dentist came in to check them out when she was done cleaning them and said they look great. They even took X-Rays and she sat perfectly still. I was so proud of her. When it was over they gave her a bag with a Dora toothbrush, SpongeBob toothpaste and some floss. She also got to pick out two treats, she got a sucker and a yellow bead bracelet. She was so excited to come home and show her dad everything she got. She gave him a big cheesy smile to show him her clean shiny teeth.
Lastly, Colby's shoulder. The Dr, didn't have his MRI films so he had to go just off the report and basically he has to see another Dr. that specializes in shoulder injuries. We have to visit him now to determine what the next step will be. Most likely surgery because therapy is pointless. His bullet bike accident he had a few years ago while going 120 mph is the root of the problem. He broke his collar bone and the doctors never did anything to help it heal properly so it healed overlapping something fierce. It nearly poked through his skin! Idiots!! Anyway this has created less room in his shoulder joints to move and subsequently pinches the rotator cuff and pushes his shoulder blade out in the back. This in turn causes him a lot of pain in the muscles because they are stretched to their limit 24/7. OW! His Dr, appt. is on the 12th so we will update more then!

As a final note, I may have to open a new blog under which my couponing madness will be posted. It is bleeding into my personal posts and I'm not sure I like that. So if and when I get that going I will let you all know in case any of you care more about my coupon stories than my family stories. :P

Kmart

2009-02-21T20:59:00.000-08:00

Just a preview to those following my blog and my coupon thing. Kmart is having their double days. Meaning they will double coupons up to and including $2. So that $2 coupon turns into $4!! There will be a TON of stuff that will be getting for free because of the coupons I have. I will probably be going Tuesday because we have to go over there for Colby's follow up appt for his shoulder that day. They will FINALLY tell us the results of the MRI. In other upcoming new, that same day Mayce will have her FIRST dentist appt. I have been building it up for the past couple day. "You're going to love it! They have a T.V. on the ceiling so you can watch Wow Wow Wubbzy while you get your teeth cleaned!" "He's going to look at your teeth with a little mirror and say how clean they are cause we brush them everyday!" and so on. She usually just looks at me and through her clenched teeth and big smile she says, "but I don't want to go". Even though I can see the excitement all over her face. We will see how it goes. Maybe if he sings Ole McDonald Had a Farm hile he does it she will be ok with it, (that's the song we sing when brushing) ((any more farm animal suggestions cause we have pretty much covered them!)). I will post the happenings of these three "BIG" events later.

My coupon trip

2009-02-18T14:09:00.000-08:00

I bought all this for $37.83! Let me just list what I purchased today using my grocery smarts!

30 boxes of fruit snacks!
5 bags cookie mix
10 warm delights bowls
20 cans of Progresso soup
5 boxes of cake mix
72 pkgs of ramen
2 pkgs sliced cheese (not pictured they are in the fridge)

The total of these purchases had I NOT used my coupon techniques would have been....... drum roll please........$224.66!!!! I saved $186.83 dollars!

If any of you are interested in how to do this I now teach the classes. They are FREE classes!! Get a group of your friends and get a hold of me to book a class now! This is a great way to get your food storage done quickly and for a fraction of the price people! Let's get saving!!

Best Friend

2009-02-15T14:06:00.000-08:00

So for those of you that remember her, Naomi stopped by our house last week. She was in Idaho Falls for her grandfather's funeral and on the way back to AZ they stopped and had lunch. Her daughter Melodee looks just like her and is quite the character. She puts herself in time out when she does something wrong and it is hilarious. She hit Mayce over a toy or something and Mayce came crying to me (more out of fear of this new girl than pain) and in between sobs said, "Mom, people hit me!" She couldn't remember Melodee's name. What a crack up. Anyway, we did get to catch up on a lot and reminisce on the good old days. We decided that we lived in our own little world and loved it. Who needs popularity when you have friends like Naomi? She is doing very well in AZ. Her husband is a lawyer and she is going to school to be a psychologist if I remember right. She has accomplished so much in her life when so many cards were stacked against her. I miss her so much. We are planning to take a trip to Mesa in the Spring or Fall to visit them in their new house. From what Bryce (Naomi's brother)says we will have our own wing! LOL Bryce is pictured with Naomi and I in the second pic. I can't believe how tall he is. I remember him as little Brycie! I'm 5'3" so you can guess at their heights from that. I felt like a dwarf. I wish we could have had more time together than we did, but I am grateful I got anytime at all. It is nice to know that time and distance has not changed the closeness that we share. Nothing can replace a true friend and I am glad she is mine.

Coupons!

2009-02-11T19:05:00.000-08:00

So I have been doing this coupon thing for a few months now and I love it! Then again who wouldn't want to get $250 worth of groceries for $50?! My sister's Cassie and Lacey got me hooked on it and I ran with it. It is an amazing way to get your food storage done quickly and for a fraction of the price. I shop out of my pantry now and love it! I'm currently in the process of trying it a little differently so that I can then pass the info on to all the other friends that are hooked as well. For those of you that know me well, you know that I make lists like my life depends on it. Actually at this point it does. But this is perfect for me, because I get to do that and then some. I honestly look at prices completely different. If I spend more than $50 in a grocery trip I feel like I spent $1000. Pennies seem like $100 bills to me now. I don't buy anything without a coupon or it being a 5 star deal (see grocerysmarts.com for an explanation of that). I am learning things about it everyday. The most recent being freebies and how to get them. I can't believe that I thought a $200 grocery trip was a good trip. A $200 grocery trip would only be good if I got that much worth in groceries and only spent $10, now that's a deal!! It's not about being a tight wad or cheap skate or whatever else you attach to coupon shopping. It's FREE money handed out by the manufacturers themselves and the grocery stores too! Why wouldn't you take it? Why did it take me so long to find this?