While thumbing through St. Rose's Fall calendar, I found a Love and Logic Course.
And it's for a GREAT price!!!
I paid $90 bucks for a course which is average.
This one is only $25 bucks!
Course description:
I'm hiring a babysitter to come to my house, so If you live near me and want to split that cost, let me know. ;)
no, i would not be surprised AT ALL if this happened to me.......
i better snap out of it soooon! 
when you add tooooo many pictures to your picasa web album(which is where blogger stores your blog pics), you can not upload any more pictures to your blog!
lesson learned.
junk pictures deleted.
actual blog pictures posted.
the end.
i'm soooooooooooooooooooooo glad when daddy comes home,
GLAD as i can be.
and it's just a guess, but i think they are too....
as you can PLAINLY see!!!
out of the blue....
just when i was wondering when i'd get a chance to laugh so hard i would cry.
RIDICULOUS:
HILARIOUS:
*for full enjoyment, watch at 12:51a.m. when delirious and sleep deprived.
We are wanna-be freeloaders…..kind-of. So here's the thing. Our family is taking a trip up to most beautiful Bear Lake in Southern Idaho and to visit Grandma and Grandpa in Rexburg. It's far….like 12 hours or something absurd. Just since we'll be up there anyways, I thought it would be nice to spend a few days in Northern Utah. Were planning on staying in whatever motel we happen to be passing by at the time, but I like this plan of mine better! I'm not exactly keen on paying $70 or so dollars on amenities that I'll only experience with my eyes shut. Oh my…this getting to be WAY to long and full of T.M.I! In a nutshell: We want to stay with friends while passing though Utah. The Itinerary: We'd bring our own cereal and everything! Then, when you are passing through, you get to stay here and ask any other time too. J Deal??? Some may see this as begging…..it might be. Or some as cheap…..yeah, probably so. But me, I see it as getting to spend actual time (as opposed to blog/virtual time) with distant friends (which is always fun) AND getting a good deal (which I love.) Also….. I'd rather have someone volunteer to take us in than me push someone into a corner by asking if my family and I could and use their hot water and sleep on their living room floor. Believe me, I'm not picky about where I sleep….as long as it's not at a 45 degree angle in the car! I think that's it. And if not…there's always Motel 8,6 or 13. And ….If you ever want to stay with us or stay in our house while we are gone next week, you are TOTALLY welcome to…you could water my garden! :p While I'm on this note, I would like to make another proposal. Ever hear of House Swapping???? I have always LOVED the idea of house swapping….just not ready to do it with complete strangers…yet. If you ever want to stay here without dealing with us, I'd love to do a swap ….I'd even mop the floor for you! Just let me know when!
Stay the night in the Utah Valley area ish.
Stay the night in the Utah Valley area.
Spend the night after stocking up at Ikea.
Are you up for us?
9:00
20
9
As I swept my floor for the 22nd time today I decided something.
At my front door I need a sign.
It would be to inform those entering.
I especially need this sign to inform the oh so polite souls with soles that walk over my thresh hold.
I wished I had this sign TODAY....and yesterday.....and the day before.
It would say, most fittingly.....
.....or else!
{unless you'd like to take some of my dirt or cherrio chunks home with you on your soon to be gray socks or risk creating a permanent imprint of a lego on your foot!}
There are joys in motherhood.
Having a clean floor is not one that I experience very often.
Someday in the future my floors will shine....but thankfully not for a long time!
What is your favorite ice-cream flavor?
What is your favorite color?
ohhhh my.
at the very end of the night, my friend saw her lift her dress and asked,
anna is LOVING it!
then there was nose plugging, baby bathing, sink sanitizing, probiotic powder feeding and milk of course...to wash it all down. 
(illustration for demonstration purposes only!)
a highly specialized "sock mopper!"i type in the title, press "enter" and then, WHAM! it says that i have a post.
it's not true.
but....maybe if you are lucky i'll actually finish posting this one.
believe me, i don't need one more DRAFT on my list of posts!
am i the only one who does that????
Someday I'm going to be like those guys that wear a black coat, black gloves and boots that go past my knees in front but not in the back.
Oh really? When are you going to do be a biker guy?
I'm going to do it after I get married."
Why are you going to wait?
"I don't want to look too cool when I'm not married yet or no girl will marry me. I'll look too cool.
hmmmm....
for now, i'm just thankful to have my little boy.
i got home and told patrick about my plan to tame dallin's little alien with some skin glue.
Julie, Julie tell me truly,
How does your garden Grow?
uh...Believe me, I have my doubts, you know!?!?
OK, so i'm not a poet
and i don't think i'm a gardener either.
yet.
but i'm giving it a whirl.
the odds are stacked since i live in a HOT desert.
a garden, in Las Vegas?
i reminded myself...it IS possible.
others have overcome our climate amazingly well....and maybe i will to.
Gardening notes
Water dirt once a day for a week or two, as needed, to get the dirt working
I would keep your very first garden small so you don’t get discouraged if something doesn’t go quite right.
I put my garden along my west wall to shade it from the brutal, summer afternoon sun
Your garden will need full morning or early afternoon sun, at least 6 hours of direct sunlight.
The soil composition is very important. You want to have lots of organic material, meaning manure and compost. The more dead, organic matter the better the soil, which means better produce.
You also don’t want to step on the garden dirt and compact the dirt
Don’t plant right after you add the amendments because the soil needs time to release all of what the plants need.
When shopping look for the words compact, patio, pixie, tiny, baby or dwarf. Just because the plant is bred to be small doesn’t mean that the fruits will be small.
If you want green beans you can get more yield from a pole variety than a bush. You can let them climb up instead of on the ground, using less space.
WATER: when it comes to watering your plants, you might look for a “weeping” hose. These can be found at Lowes’s and Home Depot. They use less water and actually give your plant a drip that saturates the root zone and water better than all at once. Be sure to water regular at least every two or three days.
SOIL: Make sure your soil has enough compost and fertilizer. Soil is important. Vegetables need a rich organic soil to mature and produce good tasting fruits. Remember, if you are going to eat it you have to feed it!
SUN: Vegetables need a good 6 hours or more of sun in a day. Without sun the fruits will not ripen and the plant will be stressed.
For those of you who don’t have any compost of your own, be sure to buy a good quality compost like Kellogg’s or a similar brand. The cheap compost-mulch is just that. The forest magic is mostly ground up bark and does not do much in the way of adding to your soil.
Now is the time you should have already gotten your soil prepared for spring planting. If you haven’t, not to worry, you still have time if you act quickly.
Now is the time you should have already gotten your soil prepared for spring planting. If you haven’t, not to worry, you still have time if you act quickly.
i have another confession.
yesterday, was st patricks day.
but my kids had NO CLUE that there was even a holiday going on in their midst!
no green.
no pinching.
no clovers
no clue.
which reminds me....
i have NO CLUE why we celebrate that holiday anyway.
i'm not irish.
i think i'm not at least.
and, this isn't Ireland. right?
so, i've observed this "holiday" for like 3o years now and i still have idea about it all.
well, scratch that. i've observed st. patrick's day 29 years.
every year cept this one.
oops.
bad mommy.
i deserve to be spanked with a 4 leaf clover or something!
i guess i could make ammends and tell them tomorrow is st. patrick's day!?
or not.
Dear Abby, I need HELP! I have a confession. I like blogging, a lot. I have thought on occasion, " Oh blogging, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways." I've counted the ways before. Believe me, there are lots. Blogging is my drug of choice. It makes my mind whirl with delight to actually be thinking, growing, expanding, gleaning, sharing, communicating, relating and creating. It's wonderful. But there's a problem I have. I feel like Ariel when she stated so poignantly, "how could a world that makes such wonderful things be bad?" Relating to my circumstance I say, "how could a blogworld that shares such wonderful things be bad for me at times?" Blogging never fails to cure what ails me, but I'm sick of it's pesky side effects. And I've felt more than a few. For example, I have Blogsession. You know, a blogging obsession. Sometimes, I just don't stop. It starts with just one little click, then before you know it, and hour (or 2) have gone by and I'm reading some stranger's blog that lives in Arkansas about making homemade laundry detergent. Then there are side effects of the side effects. It's not pretty. (See figure a, b, c and d.) Why is it that wonderful things are just so addicting!?!? The worst side effect of all is bloguilt. As it is with other things, when I overindulge, I feel guilty. I should feel guilt for Pete's sake, seeing how it's a natural indicator that something is amiss. So my question is, "how can I blog away freely without these unpleasant side effects!?!" I would appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks a lot. Sincerely, Julie the blogger.
anna KNOWS she can get away with anything when i'm overdosing on blogging.
did i do that???
I just needed to write to somebody….anybody.
Except Dr. Laura.
She'd just yell at me and tell me to get over it.
Really, this is just so trivial that I would never bother anybody with this.
As a result I was left to figure it out myself.
So I pondered and decided it was up to me so find a solution to my dilemma.
Then, one especially guilt ridden day, I was thinking while driving and had the feeling that I need to limit my computer time.
I just hate it when I realize that I have yet another thing I need improve on in my life.
But then again, I do love overcoming issues and being in control of my life.
I had to come up with a remedy that would NOT resemble hitting the delete button on my blog or banging my computer with a hammer.
Instead, I've come up with a more reasonable solution so that I can still enjoy something I love without all of the negative side effects.
You know, a pro without the con.
My plan is a bit over the top.
Many of you may not need such a drastic intervention.
Well, I do.
Believe me, I've tried other means.
They just take more self control than I have developed.
Luckily I've finally found the solution for not overdosing on a wonderful thing.
It's name: K9 Web Protection Alert. Here's what I did.
I've done this for a week now and my side effects….bloguilt, blogsession, and blogoverdose are gone!!
I can now blog away to my heart's content.
Oh the joy I feel.
I can do something I love, WITHOUT FEELINING GUILT.
That is, until this dreaded alert pops up. Over and over and over and over and over again. Until I just give up trying to click back and decide to actually decide to give in and click that little red x.
http://www1.k9webprotection.com/
p.s. this may not work for me forever.I wan't to know how you avoid bloggermania side effects. i can use ANY help I can get. :0)
p.s.s.....karen Kondos and other privatizers. pleeeese let me into your blog!!! i miss you! my email is morjulie@gmail.com
patrick and i have been attending a marriage course sponsored by our stake [church group-not restaurant] on Sunday nights.
there is nothing like going to a class about improving your marriage to make you realize you have issues. not so much the big ones for me. just little ones.my issues are usually like a few grains of beach sand in your sandwich . yuck. [i HATE it when i am enjoying yummy food and i chomp down on a crunchy piece of dirt. it's kind-of a pet peeve of mine.]
i've got enough dignity to not spill my whole can of beans, just a few of them, so lets just say that i ALWAYS have room for improvement.
back to the story.
this past Sunday the main topic was on communicating things to your spouse. and seeing how i am married to a man [and we think VERY differently] there is never too much i can learn about the topic.
we learned fun stuff about.....
not giving unsolicited advice.
how husbands don't like nagging. [ha! i would never! :) ]
how to give encouragement.
how we should be able to say what we think feel and believe openly.
how to address issues without criticism and contempt.
and other good stuff too.
then, at the end of class we had an anonymous question and answer time.
i always like to hear the questions that others have because i just love to relate.
but then, the very last question [which was more accurately a statement] hit WAY to close to home. it was a statement that i wished i couldn't relate to.
as she read the statement, i just couldn't help but think, "that's something that patrick must feel sometimes." and then i started thinking..."what if patrick DID write that?" then i thought..."probably not. i know that i am a bit too picky at times, but it's not at that point."
and that was that. i felt better after i reassured myself, but i still made a little mental note and realized i could take the statement to heart and do little better about showing appreciation more and nagging less. [that's a no-brainer.]
the class ended and i felt a renewed desire to be a nice little wiffie.
then patrick went and gathered the kids and babysitter from the nursery while i waited for my turn to ask the teacher something to clarify.
as i stood and waited my turn, i spied the little question basket directly in front of me.
and it called my name.
i just couldn't squelch my curiosity.
i picked up the note on top, opened it up, and to my horror, i recognized it as patrick's handwriting!!!
emotions started running through my veins as i read,
"Nothing I Ever Do Is Good Enough?"
i thought, "could i really be THAT bad? why didn't he tell me directly instead of going the back door route to be noticed? if he would have would i have listened?" and so on and on went the thoughts of guilt.
then it was my turn to ask the teacher my little question.
i did.
then i blurted out, "and i just realized while waiting, that my husband wrote THIS question."
i handed him the slip of paper.
as he read, my eyes started flowing.
[yea, right there in a room of lingering people.]
and so did my mouth.
i went on, "i had no idea that he felt this bad. i really do try to show appreciation and tell him how wonderful he is. i just need to more often i guess. and he is wonderful. he's a good man."
then i showed the teacher how in my notes from the class where i had written in the margin, "i'm sooo grateful you are a good provider-very good!" [and i meant it.]
the poor teacher clamored to know what to say to this emotional woman standing before him. he did offer advice, but all i can remember him saying is that i should talk to him about it and really listen without "defending and explaining." i remember him saying as i walked out, "good luck."
"oh boy, this might get interesting," i thought.
i stood in the dark hallway of the church and composed myself, wiped my tears dry, put on a happy face, then proceeded to the car. i just thanked the heavens that is was dark outside. [mainly for the babysitter's sake, but also for mine since i did NOT want to talk with patrick about the note...yet.] patrick didn't even notice my red eyes! yeah!
-and so, i carried on with life.
-and i thought about why he wrote that statement.
-and i did some soul searching to think about what i could do to show more love to patrick.
-and I wondered why he felt so bad.
-and i felt bad for my weaknesses. [that i've not overcome. yet.]
-and i wondered why he made a statement during a 'question' and answer time ["he's smarter than that, isn't he?"]
-and i devised a plan - a way to bring up "the note."
-and i agonized.
-and i thought about all the times i had failed to say thank-you for____________ [fill in with one of the things he does on a daily basis around the house. like.....cleaning up the dinner mess and doing the dishes 3 days in a row without my help because i was taking care of little dallin who has been sick. or always putting the kids to bed or ....]
-and any chance i could find, i praised & thanked him.
-and i noticed how much he really does do for us.
-and i prayed for help to know what to say so i could right the wrong.
-and i felt disappointed in myself for all the times that i nagged him about ___________ [just fill in the blank. i'm sure i've nagged about it at some point.] :)
-and i realized that i need to be WAAAY more grateful for my wonderful husband.
then, this morning as he was getting ready to leave for a nice job interview [just an upgrade], and since spirits were high, i spilled the beans and said,
"i know you wrote that question!"
him: [w/ a puzzled look and a chuckle] what question???
me: that one from the marriage class.
him: what are you talking about???
me: you know, the last question.
him: huh?
me: it said, "nothing i ever do is good enough."
him: I DID NOT?!?!?
me: i know you did. i have the note.
him: you are crazy! i would never write that!
me: look. it's your handwriting!
him: you've got to be kidding me! this isn't my handwriting.
me: it sure looks like it!
him: look at how i write that same sentence.
me: you didn't write that?!?! [with tears in my eyes, feeling a huge weight being lifted off of my shoulders.]
him: they don't even look the same. now do you believe me?
me: yes.
[and i did even more after i looked at his handwriting from his journal. i was way off!]
and then, we laughed.
and he shook his head in disbelief considering how crazy and paranoid i had been.
and i felt much, much better.
and he said, you are just crazy. you should blog about this.
and i NOW grin when i think of torture i put myself through over the past 4 days.
and i have learned a very important lesson. [the hard way.]
and because he thought i was so off my rocker, and has a twisted sense of humor, he sent me this e-mail:
| 3:20 PM (2 hours ago) |
|
Does this look like my writing?
Nothing I ever do is good enough?
Patrick J. Morris
Application Developerit's this awesome channel i just found on you-tube.
(which i might say, was a huge blessing for me today.)
today is the day that i've decided to STOP pulling out my gray hairs.
i'm going to let go of my "inner child's" desire to pull out the silver....
and STOP contributing to woman pattern baldness. (is that even a syndrome?)
i'm no spring chicken anymore i guess. hmph.
soooo. this is my official welcome to going gray. (which i think should actually be called staying gray!)
go to her site and see what in the heck i'm talking about.
randi is here.
this is serious stuff.
oh, and it's political.
we've gotta say something!
disappointment: when you have cooked a yummy meal for your husband (which doesn't happen enough) and had it ready at 5:45 only to realize that today is the day he doesn't get home until 7:30 since it's his school day
and the only thing serendipitous about it all is that i could actually clean up my cooking mess before we eat.....that is if i wasn't blogging instead. :)
(this is actually very similar to how i cook....but i don't remember to use an apron)
As you all know, way too well:
Laundry is on my mind.
A lot.
Especially when the Mountains o' Laundry start crumbling. (As they always do.)
Well, once again, it is on my mind.
Sorry about this, but I must share....again.
Let me explain OUR system.
In all of it's PATHETIC glory.
Just kidding! I bet you read that title, and thought about not visiting my blog today….considering that my previous, VERY STALE post was about laundry too. You may have asked yourself, "does this gal think about anything other than her crazy, out of control laundry?" Well, sometimes. :) I've been thinking about how I wanted a theme word for the year. I wanted a word that defined my life in a nicely tied little package and would create a sense of purpose.. The winning word: serendipity Frankly, I find the word a bit quirky...but I love it's meaning! And I had never understood it's meaning…until now. (One of my few encounters with it was seeing it on a book that I read as a child with a pink dragon on it with the title "Serendipity." Does anyone else remember that??) So….why this word, and what on earth does it mean anyway? (Or maybe you and your dictionary are better friends than I am with mine and already knew what it meant.) Let me explain…for those who actually read blogs all of the way through. ( Brace yourself....it's a long one.) I was fortunate to be in my car the other day when I turned on a.m. radio (because I'm a nerd like that) and found Glen Beck interviewing Richard M. Eyre about his book "The Three Deceivers". Can I just say that I need more real brain food? You know, brain food. The stuff that makes me actually have to think!?!? So, anyway, while listening I got really excited because they were describing exactly how I try to/want to live my life. I went to Glen's site (we're on a first name basis you know) and found the transcript. I even liked the conversation more the second go around. I would like to share a most poignant quote by Eyre. I totally loved what he Eyre had to say and might even get his book…when I promise myself to use it for it's original purpose instead of as a paper weight as I do with most of our book. Sigh To learn more i went to Wikipedia and it gave a simple, concise definition.
Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely.
While researching I even picked out a couple of cool examples in history to share.Corn flakes and wheat flakes (Wheaties) were accidentally discovered by the Kelloggs brothers in 1898, when they left cooked wheat untended for a day and tried to roll the mass, obtaining a flaky material instead of a sheet.
The Slinky was invented by US Navy engineer Richard T. James after he accidentally knocked a torsion spring off his work table and observed its unique motion.
Cyanoacrylate-based Superglue (a.k.a. Krazy Glue) was accidentally twice discovered by Dr. Harry Coover, first when he was developing a clear plastic for gunsights and later, when he was trying to develop a heat-resistant polymer for jet
canopies [disambiguation needed].
The microwave oven was invented by Percy Spencer while testing a magnetron for radar sets at Raytheon, he noticed that a peanut candy bar in his pocket had melted when e xposed to radar waves.
Hooray for serendipity!
I'm now noticing that serendipitous experiences are plentiful!
Here's another definition of serendipity
A punctured ball becomes a very fashionable hat(and solar head warmer, I might add.)
Paint stir sticks become a manger for the Baby Jesus.
I even noticed that at times, I already apply the principal in my life.
For example:
On Monday I woke up started my day with a proverbial match lit under my toosh.
I WAS ON FIRE!
I don't know about you, but I EMBRACE those mornings when I just can't stop the thoughts and plans from flowing through my dusty brain.
It's the type of day when you say to yourself, "self, I could practically accomplish ANYTHING!"
And then….life…..it happened. And it happened to me.
Up until that fateful hour, everything had gone according to my plans.
5:15-5:45 Roll over and feed Dallin.
5:50- Slide out of bed.
6:10-7:00-Workout...which actually starts at 6:00 but oh well.
7:15-Come home and jump in the shower.
7:25-Get dressed and put make-up on.
7:30-Finish breakfast preparations started by Patrick and sit down to eat some yummy oatmeal/nurse Dallin/read scriptures together.
8:00- scoot the hubby out the door with a kiss and clean up breakfast.
8:15- Sit down to read scriptures (well, technically I listen to them and follow along in the B of M) while kiddies play happily…. (remember…it's still before 9 a.m. The fighting/whining/tattling hadn't started yet.)
8:30- I look over at Anna (still in her 10 pounder from the night before…which I was going to change NEXT and notice it.
A prize winning
DIAPER EXPLOSION!
When I surveyed the scene, I immediately thought, "they just had baths last night! It is not in my PLAN to clean up the HORRIBLE mess (which most defiantly would require another bath.) At that point, on a bad day, my progress could have come to a screeching halt . Thwarted by my own disappointment…..but in this instance (thankfully) I did the right thing.
As I peeled the stench infested green dinosaur jammies off of her warm little body, I reminded myself that this unfortunate (and very stinky) event didn't have to become the bane of my existence (as long as I was covering my nose.) That's it.
This seems so trivial and inconsequential, but it's huge.
Tremendous even.
So, without any further adieu, everyone happily piled into the bath tub (after the little remnants had been purged) and had a wonderful time.
That's my story.
Nothing profound, just a conscious decision to respond correctly to the things tend to pop up sooooooo frequently as a mommy.
So my word 'o' the year is, SERENDIPITy, may it live on…
So I spend fewer days this year than last, wondering where my days have gone, shouting, I've been robbed!!!!
I HOPE YOU (AND I) HAVE A MOST SERENDIPITOUS DAY!
I know I'm not using the word exactly as it was intended, but you catch my drift, right??
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.~John Lennon
Since the house is on fire let us warm ourselves. ~Italian Proverb
