Move Over Mary Kay

There's a new cosmetics diva in town...


This is what happens when you leave your purse down where a two year-old can get it. Holy makeover nightmare! Reminds me of a time I went to the Clinique counter at ZCMI.

Anyway, I love the lipstick mustache and the bold use of mascara. She even gave herself lowlights with the mascara. Wonderful!

Mason's Science Fair

Mason asked to participate in his school's science fair this year. I kind of cringed and said yes. Then I had the genius plan of having it be a fabulous father/son activity. Michael agreed and I was off the hook!

Mason wanted to do something with magnets so the two of them devised an experiment to test three different magnets to see which one was the strongest. Mason really enjoyed all the time he spend with his dad while doing the experiment, writing the report, and making the display board.

When it came time to go to the actual Science Fair at school, my boy got a little nervous. He was worried about what questions people would ask. In the end, he had a great time. I mean, it's not like people off the street are coming to the elementary school Science Fair. The room was packed, but it was primarily attended, of course, by families of the other participants. No one was really stumping him with deep probing questions. I could tell as the evening went on that Buddy was more confident as he demonstrated his experiment repeatedly. And I know we'll be back next year...

Ward Talent Show

So this year I participated in the Ward Talent Show (I've never signed up to participate before; I like to think of the Ward Halloween Party as my Ward Talent Show, but I digress...). A small group of friends re-did "The Worst Music Video Ever" of You-Tube fame. I don't know how to do that whole You-Tube thing, but if you click on my friend Cami's blog, you can catch the You-Tube version of us imitating the video. I was concerned that people would think that we were trying to be serious with our act, but when I heard laughter coming from the audience during our performance I knew they knew we weren't taking ourselves seriously. Anyway, enjoy!

Let There Be Light

Today I did a little fix-it project that was long overdue. I fixed the overhead light in Maia and Teensy's room. It's been broken for years. I'm not proud of that, but it's a fact. Someone in my house had a slight temper tantrum and pulled the pull cord right out of the ceiling fan so that there was no longer a way to turn the light off and on. I thought that someone should be the one to fix it. Well, that never happened and who were the losers in this power struggle? My poor girls (although it only really gets dark when they are in their room in the winter). Anyway, today I was feeling like some things in my life were uncontrollable (i.e. Mackenna Rose) and I looked at that stupid light and just couldn't take it anymore so I fixed it. I'm handy like that.

I got out my trusty power screwdriver and took the light fixture off the ceiling fan and took the whole shebang to The Home Depot. In my mind, visits to The Home Depot are just like the commercials. You're met at the door by a smiling apron-clad employee who is a general contractor/master electrician/master carpenter--you know, the whole nine yards--who just happens to want to work at a home improvement store. Then, the jack-of-all-trades sweeps you to the exact location of exactly what you need whilst telling you the three simple steps it will take to get your job done. Well, my visit didn't quite go exactly like that, since I was accompanied by Teensy and said uncontrollable two year-old. I knew where the lighting section was without an escort but then had to hunt down a worker. She/he (Teensy and I are at odds as to which this particular employee was) was as friendly as the ones on the commercials, but certainly not as knowledgeable. While I was busy threatening Kennna she/he looked through the fan light switches and grabbed one for me. Then she/he proceeded to tell me that "whoever took this part off" (holding the piece of the light I'd brought in with me) would know how to put the new part in. When I said, "Oh, I took it apart," she/he looked duly impressed and muttered something about how I sure knew what I was doing. Sure?!? (Side note: the part she/he gave me wasn't right and I ended up running back there to exchange it, sans assistance from an orange aproned friend.)

I did hit one little snafu when I discovered that the wires on the new part weren't compatible with the old light socket, itself, but it wasn't insurmountable. In the end, I changed that light socket, too, as well as the original fan light switch. Then I cut the power to the upstairs, reattached the necessary wires, turned the breaker back on and... voila! There was light! And Michael thinks I waste my time watching all that HGTV. I think this little payoff speaks for itself.

I am rather pleased with myself, in case you couldn't tell. The whole project cost under $6 and took about a half hour (plus four years, but who's counting?). I should have done it ages ago. Maia is tickled to have a light again; she seriously does not remember a time when her room had a light.

New Meme

Tracy tagged me for this so here goes:


What time did you get up this morning?
7:03 a.m.
Diamonds or pearls?
Pearls
What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Juno
What is your favorite TV show?
Designed to Sell, The Office
What do you usually have for breakfast?
Cold cereal
What food do you dislike?
Rice
What is your favorite CD at the moment?
Enchanted soundtrack
What kind of car do you drive?
Toyota Sienna (love it!)
Favorite Sandwich
PB&J with Martin's chips smashed inside
Favorite item of clothing?
"Favorite Chino" pants from GAP (I have 4 different colors!)
If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
Disneyworld with my kids
Favorite Brand of clothing
Anything that fits well
Where would you retire to?
Near my kids
What is your most recent memorable birthday?
This year--many dear friends showered me with attention and gifts

Favorite sport to watch
Football
When is your birthday?
January 3
Are you a morning person or a night person?
Depends on when I went to bed the night before
What is your shoe size?
10
Pets?
Not yet. I'm too mean.
Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
I now have two blogging sisters-in-law and two blogging sisters. How fun is that? (Check them out on my sidebar!)
What did you want to be when you were little?
Mom
How are you today?
Just wonderful!
What is your favorite candy?
M&M's, Snickers
What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
Feb 26th--new Sophie Kinsella book comes out and my sister had it shipped to me for my birthday!
What are you listening to right now?
Mackenna rant about her Dora pajamas
What is the last thing you ate?
Orange
Do you wish on stars?
No
If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
Red
How is the weather right now?
Very cold--winter mix is a-brewin'
Last person you spoke to on the phone.
Tracy
Favorite Soft Drink
Gingerale
Favorite Restaurant
Red, Hot & Blue or Ram's Head
Hair color
Brown
What was your favorite toy as a child?
My sisters' and my Barbie House (my dad made it and it is AWESOME!)
Summer or winter
Summer, but Fall is my favorite
Hugs or kisses
Both
Chocolate or vanilla
Chocolate, no question
When was the last time you cried?
Today, I am one to cry.
What is under your bed?
Scary thought--some boxes of stuff, old backpacks, probably stray solo socks...
What did you do last night?
I did some laundry, read a little and watched Project Runway.
What are you a afraid of?
Death of one of my children
Salty or sweet
Sweet
Favorite day of the week?
I guess Saturday
How many towns have you lived in?
8--Glen Rock, Hoffman Estates, Shrewsbury, Provo, Bucuresti, Ploiesti, Brasov, Laurel
Do you make friends easily?
Yes

I'd love to hear from Sally, Wendy, and Whitney.

Holy Static, Batman!

Click on this photo to get a better view.


Do you think dry, winter air is a problem in our house? This is the standard condition of our hair!

Pete Sakes

On Saturday morning, Mackenna was toting two babies around, one in each arm. "This is my girl baby. She's Dora," she explained as she looked at her beloved Dora the Explorer doll. She glanced at her other arm which was holding her favorite naked androgynous baby and continued, "And this is my boy baby. He's name is Pete Sakes." World, meet Pete Sakes...and the funny two year-old who named him.

I did ask Michael, "Do you think she'll name the next baby 'Crying Out Loud'?"

Good-Bye, Ikea, Old Friend

Maia and Mason have been known to pose the question, "Mom, can we go to Disneyworld or Ikea again?" This has the unfailing effect of making me smile. Of course my response is always, "Ikea it is!" They love the play land. I enjoy meandering through the store and discovering all the things I need--things I didn't even know existed!

Well, yesterday the schools were closed in these here parts so I planned a little excursion to our favorite little Swedish store. Maia, Mason and Teensy were so thrilled! I didn't think Mackenna would be allowed in the play land because for some reason, I had it in my brain that a child had to be three to enter, when, in fact, entrance into the play land is entirely based on height. And she's tall enough!

In a tragic twist of fate, on the very same visit where I learned that Mackenna can, indeed, go into the play land, I also learned that Maia is now too tall to enter. (How can she possibly have grown 3 inches in the last 4-6 months since we last went?) Poor Maia. Her shoes were already off and she was ready to go. How disappointing...for us both. And, because Maia wasn't going, Kenna wanted nothing to do with it (which was fine with me, she is only two after all).

Maia did a great job dealing with the change of plans. She walked through the store with Kenna and me and played with her little sister at the little play spots. I know it wasn't very much fun for my nine year-old, though.

So, I have to say "good-bye" to my dear old friend, Ikea. We've passed many days off school together in what I have long considered a mutually beneficial relationship, but I think our glory days together have passed. While Mason and Teensy still reveled in their time in play land, emerging sweaty and smiley, my bookends didn't enjoy the morning quite as much. And I was still shopping with two kids. At the end of the morning only 2 out of the five of us had had the time of our lives. That's just not big enough of a percentage to make it worth future trips. On the bright side, hot dogs are still $.50 so we did have a cheap lunch!

Where have I been?

Admittedly, I have not been the best blogger in the new year. So far, 2008 has been a whirlwind year. Why is that when you have the most things to blog about you have the least time to actually blog?


So, a few days after my sister's wedding, I boarded a plane and flew to Utah. You may remember that I have a new nephew there. I went to help out in his house. I actually got a little nervous right before I left; I was scared that something might happen to me and I'd leave my children motherless. Thankfully, the worst thing that happened is that their father took the girls to church with their hair hanging in their faces. If I had a nickel for every person who's said to me, "I saw your girls at church last Sunday and knew you had to be out of town!" The good news is that Michael and I discussed it and if I do die prematurely, the girls are all getting bobs and endless packages of headbands. Until he remarries. This is the best solution we could come up with. Sigh...


Back to Utah. Basically, I was doing all my regular chores in a new locale. I did laundry for six people, scrubbed bathrooms, swept and mop floors, helped organize some stuff and cleaned out the food cupboards. Oh, and I did the girls' hair for school and held a tiny baby lots and lots. Little Jackson is off oxygen and gaining weight now so all is well with him. I could hold a little baby all day, I tell you. He is so sweet.


Along the lines of "sweet" was my four year-old nephew, Easton, whose voice would raise 4 octaves whenever he spoke to his little brother. "Hi, Jack (voice becomes so high it is unrecognizable to human ears) son!" It was adorable.


I did manage to squeeze in some fun, don't you worry. One evening, my sister-in-law and I ran out for a quick smothered burrito while my brother stayed home for an hour with the kids. Also, my old Laurel, Jamie, came over a couple of times to watch Lost with me and to hold Jackson. It's always fun to visit with her; I love that girl.

On Saturday afternoon, I ran to the BYU Bookstore (I could spend all day there--many a poor college student dollars were spent by me in that place) and then off to some visits.


My first stop was Cafe Rio in American Fork. I met my friend, Sally, there to have lunch. I also met her there to meet her. That's right! Up until February 2, we were merely "cyber pals," but now we are friends in the real world, too! She treated me to a fabulous lunch and we chatted away for two hours like we've known each other forever. It was quite fun. I look forward to future get-togethers with her. And next time is my treat, Sal!

After meeting Sally, I cruised up to Bountiful for a quick visit with my dear friend Amy N. It was so fun to chat and laugh with her like we used to do. Amy and I get along so well now--it's hard to believe she didn't like me and wanted nothing to do with me for the entire first year we knew each other. Thanks to the visiting teaching program in my church, she had to get to know me and eventually succumbed to my charms. I am blessed for it!

My final stop was Whitney's new digs. Since she got married, she moved into Shawn's bachelor pad and has been trying to de-bachelorize it. It looks really cute, especially in her dining area where she has a darling table that she refinished complete with chair cushions recovered in toile. Too cute.

After a final stop at Sonic (don't worry--I had cherry lime-aid daily while in UT) I went home to my brother's house. The next morning he drove me back to the airport, through a terribly windy snow storm, and I flew home. I was really excited to see my kids and husband again. I sure did miss them while I was gone!