I looked out the window and what did I see?

White stuff falling on the apricot tree....

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a... lion?

btw, soccer boy didn't win after all that. he's very sad. Won their soccer game though...

Pay off

Zoolander made it past the preliminary round of voting! It's down to 8 people now. I guess there were a bunch of people running. He may not make it, but hey, he made it to the final 8, right?

I have the Mother of all headaches. Too many late nights. Last night I was painting stars and moons on a cub scout space derby. I need to finish with the suns and he can put the fins on. The derby is tonight. I've been working on getting "My Life's Journey" book put together enough to show at the Stake YW leadership meeting tonight. We're giving our ideas on what we're doing to each ward. We've got our New Beginnings Theme "Constant as the North Star" with the star book for lesson handouts, a star necklace, etc, Our 'This and That' book for our life skills how to's , and our Personal History book that I already mentioned. No time for anymore than that.

This is our little star book. It holds 4x6 cards (or pictures, it's actually a mini photo album, holds about 36) I cut the stars on my cricket out of silver vinyl. Peel and stick. Very easy. We make our handouts to that size. They will have a fun little record of cool quotes, pics, and lesson reminders for the year. We hope they will use the little book and not throw handouts away. We presented all this at New Beginnings.

This is the necklace we gave each girl for the year. When you buy in bulk, it's amazing how inexpensive it can be.

This is the Personal History book or "My Life Story". There are 3 sections. First, Year by Year, two page spreads on each year of life. Left side has a typed Year in the News column. Right side has a column for special events for that year in the girls life. The rest of the space is for a few pictures. (We didn't want to overwhelm them)

Second section is Ancestors: Where I Came From with geneology charts, places for pictures of family members etc and stories of their lives.

Third section is the Spiritual things: Certificates like blessings, baptism, partriarchal blessings, YW recognition etc. We in our second year of working on this book. I also think they should put a copy of their birth certificate and future marriage in this section. If you want more details, let me know.

I will probably include either another section or add to the last section for other achievements like camp certificates, school certificates etc. Individual personal progress recognition.

I don't have a pic of our "This and That" book, only individual pages so far. Still putting that together...

Gotta run. Have a missionary assignment to take care of, primary lessons to distribute for sunday, and phone calls to make. Love to all

What some mothers will do.. round 2

Hello again. Just an update on yesterday. The poster fell off the wall. Yep, should have used duck tape. ( I thought we weren't supposed to use duck tape. sticky residue and all that)

Last night after 4 hours of preparing for a dinner for the Senior Citizens in our ward for the YW/YM, and running cub boy to scouts, zipping over to Soccer boy's game for a little bit, I got home at 9:15pm to make another Senior Class campaign poster. He wanted Zoolander.

What that means? Taking enough photos in 9 different shirts-- with the same expression in all of them and reviewing...

Soccer boy snickering, "That one is stupid"

Me, "It looks fine"

Soccer boy, "Let's take another."

"click"

Soccer boy, "That one I look like a dork"

Me, "I thought that was the idea."

Soccer boy, "let's take another."

"click"

Soccer boy laughing, "That one is funny"

Me, "You look like you've been zinged by a cattle prod."

Soccer boy, "I like it."

Me. "Ok then, next shirt!"

Here is the final product...


Don't know how he got them to stick to the wall since he left before I found the duck tape....
Good luck Zoolander man.

What some mothers will do for their children

6:45 am this morning. High School lobby area. Where to put the posters for Senior Class officer campaign? Hey! How about above the vending machine! Everyone goes there. Everyone will see it! "Check it afor Checketts!"

Problem. How to reach the brick above the vending machines. A passing teacher offers a chair. Still can't quite reach. Soccer boy won't climb up on vending machine. Doesn't want to get dress pants dirty.(game day: nice shirt and tie etc). Friend says dust on top is narly, and won't do it either.

Mom says, "I'll do it!" (wimps!) Mom uses arms to lift upper body up and realizes as she's suspended on edge of machine, that she's not as young as she used to be, or as thin. Hanging by pectoral muscles feels like positioning for a mammogram. She makes a desperate swing with one leg, remembering that the pair of levi's she's wearing are a bit on the too tight side, but manages to get a knee up (with grunts and much effort) and plants her bum in the a plume of dust on top. Unfortunately for her son and his friend it is not without exposing her religion, a midsection tire, and heaven forbid, a possible plumbers crack.

The boys may need a therapist after what they witnessed, but hey, Mission Accomplished !

It's snowing again

My missionary was in a car accident this morning. He is fine.

I'm a little rattled, however.

I tired

2 talks and a lesson. Done. Great times. Glad it's over.

I spoke at one of my YW's baptism on Saturday afternoon. Very happy day. A long time coming. Can't express feelings.

I spoke in Sacrament meeting the next day. Missionary Mom talk. Easy. Glad it's over.
Taught YW lesson in class. How to appreciate your parents :)

Looking forward to relaxation class on YW activity night. Hope I don't fall asleep and snore on my yoga mat.

Daylight savings in force now. Set the clock wrong and was 10 minutes late to Correlation meeting this morning at 7:30am. Hope I was tucked in and sort of put together. Reminds me of a few weeks ago when we had a ward temple night. My neighbor and I were hurrying to get changed into our regular clothing after a wonderful evening. We walked side by side out towards the prayer rolls where I stopped for a minute to add some names. The next thing I knew she was calling my name. I turned to look and she turned her back to me. There, exposed to all the cute little temple workers was her backside with her dress and slip caught up completely in the waistband of her nylons. I choked back my laugh, we both started laughing so hard I had to plug my nose to stifle my giggling. I was leaning over the prayer roll desk, trying to gain my composure, but I was laughing so hard I was crying. I guess some cute little matron stopped her before she went out into the foyer. "Sister, oh Sister! Don't leave yet!" The more we talked about how she could have possibly gotten her entire skirt caught including her slip without feeling the bulk in her waistband, the harder we laughed. This is my neighbor who repaints her house so often, we joke about her rooms getting smaller with all the layers. This is the neighbor who accidently sprayed her pizza pan with pledge instead of pam. And who walked around town with the fly of her pants open. She also managed to get herself locked behind the gate in one of the canyons when she came back from a hike too late and had to spend the night in her jeep (they high centered it on a boulder trying to go around the gate and had to back it down and stay overnight. Her husband was with her) She provides the neighborhood with endless stories and big laughs. Oh that everyone could have a neighbor like that...unless that neighbor ...is you.

How's the saying go?

If you teach a fish to eat.... no that's not it.

If you teach a girl to knit, she'll knit her own scarf, no that's not it..

If you help a frustrated girl with her scarf...

(finished scarf given back, this was yarn)

Another girl will follow....

And another...

And another....

And another...

(this one is no dummy, she has ordered two scarves)

Additional life skill: If you push the right emotional buttons, the YW Pres will give you a pretty scarf to wear to school. This skill can be applied to parents, friends, and future spouses...

The Purple Hippo is gone

We no longer have a purple hippo hanging on our house (courtesy of the neighbors)


We seized the opportunity, when other unsuspecting neighbors were gone, to share...


They came home just before we finished. Hubby and soccer boy hid behind the hippo, while youngest and I ran like the grade school pranksters that we are. :)

Those are green shamrocks we added for March and the hippo came off a 24th of July Float of Noah's ark last year. In case you were wondering...