Love/Hate relationships

I love having a cell phone. I get to call Popeye from garage sales asking him for permission to buy things.
I hate that the garage sale on Craig St. was the last place I remember using it - because I can't find it ANYWHERE!

I love having Popeye home so much during the day. His help is what keeps me from losing my mind.
I hate that he's not feeling very well because now he's grumpy.

I love that our little town has a WalMart because I love having a store open 24 hours a day.
I hate that our little town has a WalMart because I hate being sucked dry every time I leave that store - even if I go in there only for a box of Tylenol.

I love getting organized. Everything is getting a "home" and it's just so wonderful!
I hate that I can't remember where some of those "homes" are and that much needed battery charger is nowhere to be found.

I love swimming pools in the summer time where I can take the munchkins for an afternoon of wet bliss.
I hate that none of my children can swim even though they are the offspring of 2 self-proclaimed fishes - and they are afraid to even try!!!

I love playing catch with my boys.
I hate that they can't catch.

I love blogging.
I hate that I have such a hard time coming up with witty things to say - I feel like I have the vocabulary of a first grader.

Come Participate!

No, not in our ward's first annual triathlon (even though it's gonna be great!) - but in the Favorite Things Swap over at La la la la laaaahhhh! See, you email Sara your particulars, she pairs you up with someone else and then you send that person (and that person sends you) your/their favorite things. It has to be a minimum of 3 items, but I have never been a minimal person (well, for the most part). When it comes to gift giving, I like to think that I'm a little more generous than my pocketbook allows.
So go check it out at Sara's blog & get on board! Hurry - the sign up closes on July 7th!

I've been tagged!

So Alison over at Haley Monkeys has issued a tag. She actually didn't tag ME, but I accepted the challenge to post about myself. So here you are!

Four things I'm looking forward to this year:
~My family vacation in Lyman, WY
~Finishing my quilt
~Thor going to nursery
~Finishing the to-do list for my house

Four joys in my life:
~Finishing projects and them turning out as good as (if not better than) I expected
~Watching my children play happily together
~The Gospel of Jesus Christ
~Finding a good deal

Four movies I've watched more than once or twice:
~P.S. I Love You
~27 Dresses
~The Holiday
~Music & Lyrics
(Do we see a theme here?)

Three fears:
~Popeye being deployed for more than a year
~Never getting "ahead" enough to build up our food storage or emergency essentials
~Popeye not coming home from work

Four favorite foods:
~Seafood; mainly shellfish
~Pasta; anykind. If it's a noodle, I'll eat it!
~Haagen Dazs strawberry ice cream. Mmmmm.
~A good cheese sandwich with a hot bowl of chowder. I'm just salivating right now thinking of it!

Three goals I've set for myself:
~Stay healthy
~Be more patient with my kids
~Be more frugal in my spending

Four tv shows I watch:
~Ghost Hunters
~America's got Talent (this one is new for me)
~Throw Down with Bobby Flay
~Ace of Cakes (actually, a lot of Food Network Shows)

Three current obssessions:
~My Dyson and other cleaning wonders
~Garage sales
~Decluttering

Four places I've visited:
~Hawaii
~Mexico
~Boston / Cape Cod
~Alaska

Three places I'd like to visit:
~New York
~Italy
~Creating Keepsakes University

Four random facts about me:
~I sang back up for Barry Manilow for 2 concerts when I was a Sophomore in high school
~I have to have my milk straight from the fridge, I hate it if it's been sitting out for longer than 30 seconds before a meal.
~I "play" the lotto/PCH just to dream about how I'll spend my winnings (I don't really play, but dream about it)
~When I have a runny nose, I put tissue up my nostrils instead of blowing my nose incessantly

Four embarrassing facts:
~I've passed gas and blamed it on my baby
~When I was a little girl I was needing to use the restroom and couldn't take off my dress. A woman in the stall next to me told me to lift up my dress instead. DUH!
~I've had a baby puke/pee all over me just before going out to dinner and had to walk into Old Navy to by an impromptu shirt. I was a mess!
~When I was in high school I asked my Geometry teacher when her baby was due - she wasn't pregnant.

People I tag:
~Anyone who wants to
~But hopefully Jamie, Sara & Amy will take it on!

Calling all book readers!!!

So, I have my headphones in for a minimum of 3 hours a day. Usually it's more than that. I love my new MP3 player that Popeye bought me for our anniversary. It's a Sansa, 2 GB and looks just like an Ipod Shuffle. Same size but has a screen and files and everything that I need.



Cute, huh? So, I'm wanting to not just listen to tunes on this pretty little thing. I'm thinking of expanding my mind a little bit more. I want to have someone read to me. Well, because I don't have the time to read for myself except for my scriptures at night. But here lies my dilemma. I don't know of any good books out there.

The last book I read for pleasure was Harry Potter #7. I finished it in 2 days. Couldn't put it down. And by the time I did, I realized that I hadn't fed, bathed, clothed or really taken care of my children for those 2 days. They were savages, fending for themselves. Practically foaming at the mouth for something more than cold cereal and peanut butter sandwiches. And I'm thinking, "At least they got THAT!"

But it can't happen again. Thor is unbareable if he doesn't eat. And Princess has a whine on her that only gourmet cheese would love to be paired with. So I must fix this problem.

I don't want any sort of self-help book. I want something that will keep my attention (like Harry Potter). Something that will make me think a little bit (like The DaVinci Code). Something that will make me want to go kiss Popeye (like PS, I Love You - is it a book or just a movie?). Something that won't have foul language or sex scenes. Oh yeah, and I have to be able to get it downloaded from the internet or checked out at the library on CD so I can rip it to my hard drive.

So what books do YOU love? What books do you recommend? Please help me!

Two days and counting...

Lyrics | Barenaked Ladies lyrics

I love the band "Barenaked Ladies". Their lyrics are funny and witty. The tunes are catchy. Not to mention going to their "Stunt" concert was my first date with Popeye. This song, Who needs sleep, is pretty fitting today.

I've been up since 2:30 this morning. Yesterday I woke up at 1:30 and didn't get back to sleep until almost 5:00. The fact that there was a major thunderstorm going on outside didn't help, either. Huge flashes of light with little flickers in between followed by crashes of thunder. And then came the hail. Plink. Plink. Plink. on the air conditioning unit just outside my window. More wind. More rain. More light. More sound. MAKE IT STOP! Popeye sleeps through it like it isn't even happening. Luckily the kids didn't wake up, too. But still.

What is up?!! Why can't I get back to sleep?! It's not like my creative juices are flowing this early in the morning, so scrapbooking is out. The house is already clean so I can't even do that! I just sit here with lists of things to do and things I'd like to do but can't because it's 4:45 in the morning and tearing up the tile in the entryway kinda isn't an option right now. Maybe in a few hours. But not right now.

SO - let me bore you with the things I would rather be doing when sleep is deprived.

1. Demolition on the bathroom. It still isn't finished and it won't get finished until we are done tearing down the walls.
2. Sanding down the base cabinets in the kitchen. Too noisy - will wake up the whole house. Not too mention that it's a pretty messy job & breakfast is in just a few hours.
3. Sewing my quilt. Not that I can't do it, it's just that I'm a little too tired to do something so tedious.
4. Exercise. Don't mind watching it on tv this early in the morning - but again, a little too tired to participate.
5. Make my list of things to do today. Which I probably WILL do here shortly.

But really, people. I want to sleep! Popeye's in there sound asleep. And the kids will be getting up in an hour or so and I'll have to make pancakes because we're out of cereal and my client from yesterday's job stiffed me on my pay and I have to pay my electric bill that was due last Sunday so I need to track her down so I can get my pay so I can pay my bill so I can know how much money I have left to buy some cereal. Yes, these are all thoughts that go through my head while I'm laying in bed TRYING to go to sleep. My brain needs to turn off and it doesn't know how.

Suggestions anyone?!

Kung Fu Krazy!

Last night I took the three older kids to see Kung Fu Panda at our little movie theater. The boys have always thought that they know karate/kung fu/tae kwon do/etc... But seeing this movie put them over the edge.

We HAD to get there early. We live a 2 minute drive from the theater but the kids insisted on being 30 minutes early. It's not like we have a Goovies to keep me preoccupied. So I sat in the theater with the kids waiting for the movie to start. Princess ME kept asking when the lights would go out. The kids finished off their sodas and popcorn before it even began. Go figure. But it was exciting. Princess and Optimus Prime had never been to the theater before - so this was great! Mr. Fantastic had been once before and was really looking forward to it again.



So we get all situated. Popcorn, candy & drinks at the ready. The movie begins. And the kids are loving it. And about 10 minutes into it Mr. Fantastic sneaks over to me and says, "Mom, my battery died." I didn't have an extra one. So he had to go through the whole movie not hearing a thing. But, good kid that he is, didn't mind. Kung fu is super fun to watch - who needs the sound effects?

The movie ended. We went home & they practiced their kung fu all the way to the car, into the house & are still practicing it now. Who knew that after watching a kung fu movie one could become a master instantly? Well, they can. Because my kids are, with sound effects AND moves.

Hiatus is over...

So I've been having some depression issues and have cut off my computer time immensely. But, since I'm feeling better - I feel the need to catch everyone up on the goings-ons of the Super-hero house.

Summer is here. The kids are wishing that the weather would stay consistently warm. I, also, am wishing for warmer weather. It's been so nasty out that we don't even think about going swimming yet. Hopefully this week will be better.

I've been busy. The counter-tops up are finished in my kitchen. It looks good. Now hopefully this week I can get Popeye to sand the base cabinets so I can finish those and be done with it. It's looking nice, though. As soon as I'm done, I'll post before and after pictures. (Does that sound like a running theme around here? Start one project, promise to post pics, never post because the project doesn't get done...) I also went garage-saling yesterday and bought a beautiful mirror for my dining room. Well, POTENTIALLY beautiful. I just finished painting the frame and will hang it in the morning. It'll look nice, I hope. I'm also working on the flag for our girls at girls camp. They are the Sidney Ward Roof Raisers. Their mascot is a frog. Popeye drew the frog & painted it & I'm finishing the rest of it. It's gonna look Sa-weeet!

And on Thursday Popeye & I celebrated 9 years of marital bliss! Nine years. For a lot of people in the world, that's a long time. We foresee many more years together. I'm proud to say that we have NEVER gotten in an argument. Popeye doesn't raise his voice at me EVER and we've learned how to compromise. And basically, our way of compromising is, I get what I want. Seriously, I do. And when he feels strongly about something I back down. He has to have his way at least once in awhile. We didn't do anything special Thursday night but Friday I made us some ginger-terriyaki salmon, wild & brown rice, a sun-dried tomato salad, some appetizers & bread. It was yummy and quiet. And we spent the evening together. It was nice. I have to tell you, my husband is the best. And let me tell you why. He cleans the kitchen, no questions asked. He doesn't yell at me, even when I bounce a check or not pay the bills. He loves me despite all of my many flaws & mood swings. He's just the best. Period. I love him and am SOOOO happy I married him.

Moving on. With garage sale upon us, we are going to have our own in a few weeks here. The kids are all on board with it and have helped clear out a majority of the toys. As much as I want to get rid of the baby toys, something inside of me tells me to wait. So I got rid of some and kept others that the babies actually used. No, I'm not making any "announcement", I'm just saying that 'something' is telling me to wait on getting rid of my baby supplies. And that makes me feel sick. Really.

So, I've bored you to tears. I understand. Go, get a tissue and dry those eyes. If you feel so inclined, I'm going to try posting ever few days now. Really, I am. I know, you've started crying again. Deal with it already! :)

Until next time, thanks for checking in!