Are You There, Eyelashes? It's Me, Nat

Well, got my laser eye surgery done.  It's absolutely amazing.  You wanna hear all the gory details?  Okay!

So, you get a Valium, so you don't care about anything.  Then you go lay on a table and hold a teddy bear.  You look at a little green light, and then it gets dark.  They move the table to another area, then back to the green light.  You stare at the green light for about 10 seconds, and then you're done.  Rinse and repeat for the other eye.

Seriously.  It didn't hurt, it wasn't weird.  I could almost instantly see better.  (Right now everything looks as if I am still wearing my contacts.  Cool, huh?)  For a couple of hours following my eyes stung, but they told me to try and sleep.  NOOOO problem there-the Valium made me really tired.  And really, as a mom, when am I not tired?  So I slept most of the rest of the day, putting eye drops in whenever I woke up.  And they felt fine after I slept a little.

The next couple of days I had a hard time with sunlight and with headlights.  But I've been totally fine ever since.  If you're thinking about getting it done, DO IT!!!!  So, so worth it.

There is one downside: I haven't been able to wear makeup from three days before the surgery to a week after surgery.  It's a small price to pay for, you know, VISION.  But.  My eyelashes are really light, and when I don't wear mascara I feel like my eyes disappear.  My brother-in-law said I look "washed out".  Which is true.  I don't think I would want to be wearing mascara right now, anyway.  There are some eye drops you have to put in 4 times a day, and if I were to have makeup on and do that I would look like, well, her:

But in a few days I'll be good to go AND I'll be seeing 20/20.  Oh, and my eyes are a lot less bloodshot without contacts.  I even bought some new mascara to go with my new eyesight.  Fancy, huh?

In other news...well, not much going on.  Just kind of the same old.  Work, work, and more work.  Work at home, work at the office, work at teaching piano, work at keeping things, you know, working.  There are days that I feel like the hamster on the wheel-you just keep running, with no end in sight, and for what?  So you can keep running, with no end in sight.

I hit kind of a lull the last few days.  I'm very project/goal oriented, so now that I got my eyes done, I'm like, what next?  There is plenty to DO, but nothing that I'm really aiming for.  Monday and Tuesday days I felt kind of "meh".  Today I feel better.  Of course, I have all the ongoing things, but they're the hamster wheel kind of things.  Which are important as well, but... I don't feel like I have to constantly have entertainment, per se, but it IS nice to look forward to things, too, right?

Of course, Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming.  I like to do my Christmas shopping in November.  I find there are just as many sales but far less crowds.

Halloween was fun. Last year we were all matchy-matchy, which I loved doing, but this year the kids were all different things.  Ivy was "Gumpunzoh" (Rapunzel), Troy was Batman, Brock was The Count/a vampire, and Jake was a ninja.

Ivy's wig itched her a ton, so she didn't wear it all that much.  Brock's makeup, though very cool, was also very time consuming.  And there were about 20 other ninjas just like Jake.  I told him it was like a Ninja club, but I don't think he really liked that.

Next year the kids will all be different things again.  Brock already told me he wants to be Spiderman.  And today I went to the store and got some costumes for 50% off.  Even though I HATE keeping stuff around (it goes against my minimalism tendencies), I'd rather spend half the money on costumes now for next year.  Cheapness 1, Minimalism 0.

Well, that's about all for now.  I'm off to work!

My Thermostat is on Crack

I love fall.  But with the awesome weather comes some not-so-awesome thermostat fiddling.  You know, because it's cold in the morning (I need heat!), then warm in the day (uh oh, too hot-better flip on the a/c), then cold at night again (and back to the heat).  Not that I'm constantly flipping back and forth-I try to either hold out when it's too cold and don a sweatshirt and/or blanket, or just stay a little bit warmer than I would like.

But yesterday it was cold in our house at the kids' bedtime, so I decided to turn on the heat.  Now our downstairs vents are still closed (because we've been mostly on a/c, and if the vents are open then I would have to wear a parka).  I thought nothing of it, because the thermostat was set to turn itself off after reaching a certain temperature.  Pete and I watched a show, exercised, etc.  When I came upstairs, though, I felt like I was stepping into a sauna.  The temperature?  83 degrees!

WHY did the thermostat not kick off?  Dude.  It's done this every once in a while (like three times ever), but I've caught it before it gets too high.  So then I flipped it to a/c.  And...it did nothing.  So then I forced it to blow cold air.  We also opened a few windows to try to cool it down even just a little bit.  We slept with the windows open, which means that this morning-you guessed it-it was freezing cold in our house again.

But I didn't dare touch my thermostat, because I didn't want it to do the weird stay-on-even-though-I'm-supposed-to-turn-off thing.  Also?  I don't know where it senses what temperature it says that it's at.  There are times when I am boiling, and it says it's 66 degrees, and times when I'm shivering under a blanket when just the air in the house should keep me warm enough on its own.  What's up with that?

My only conclusion: crack.

Lazy/Crazy

Nothing new to report. We've been really lazy. REALLY lazy.

And it has been AWESOME.

Sleeping in. Watching movies. Playing outside. Playing inside when it's too windy or cold outside. Just doing the day to day, but it's filled with a lot of free time.

Jake woke up today, and said, "Mom! Today is the first day of summer!" He ate really fast, got dressed really fast, and then ran outside. After 3 minutes, he came back in and said, "Um, it's cold and windy out there!" I think he thought that, because it's now officially summer, it's automatically nice and warm out. Not so for Idaho.

Today is Pete's and my 8th anniversary. YAY! Pete sent me some crazy beautiful flowers. Getting flowers rocks! And tonight we're going to go to Toy Story 3 with our kids to celebrate.

And wanna see something way crazy? Watch this, from here:



Crazy, huh?

Like I said, nothing to report. Just being crazy and lazy.

A Smattering

There are about 4 million things that I haven't blogged about. Because I'm a winner like that. But now I wanna, so I'm gonna.

-I love my calling. And the ladies I work with are A-MAZ-ING. End of story.

-Jakob had a dance competition last Saturday. He was awesome. I seriously had tears in my eyes that I had to choke back while watching.

-My parents, who are The Awesomest Parents of All Time, have taken me and some of my sisters to a couple of different plays. One was "Forever Plaid", which is one of my favorites, and the other was a Shakespearean improv by a group called iO Theater. Seriously, so funny.

-I suck at improvising.

-My parents also paid for a hotel room in our town, and we swam at the really warm pool and ate pizza and watched a movie. Did I mention that my parents are the awesomest of all time?

-My cute sister Brianna, who I call Beej, came to visit from New York where she lives. We watched the Olympics, and we went skiing, and it was so very very fun.

-I'm in love with the men's skating now, more so than the women's.

-Pete and I are going to go out to New York beginning of June to visit Beej and her hubby Spencer. We're going to see the Sacred Grove and Niagara Falls. Cool huh?

-We paid off our minivan with our tax return. YAY!

-Pete and I went skiing for an afternoon a while back. It was the first time for both of us in years and years. It was really fun, and a beautiful day.

-I've had an awesome cough/cold/sinus thing for the last week and a half. It's been oh-so-awesome. But I finally went to see the doctor, and he gave me some stuff, and it's finally going away.

-I hate waking up during the night, but I especially hate waking up coughing.

-Ivy has been talking more and more, which is wonderful.

-I was totally going to potty train Ivy this month. I'm thinking it's not going to happen. I should. But she's so little.

-Sweet moment #1: Troy was trying to teach Ivy how to pray the other day. "...say 'thank you for this day'..." And Ivy says, "...dis dahey..."

-Sweet moment #2: Jakob realized that this fall, Brock will be going to the same school as he is. He just got so excited. Jakob: "And we can eat lunch together, and go to recess together, and I'll help you on the bus!"

-I love that my little boys are all buddies. Sure, they'll fight, but it's not very often.

-Funny moment: In the car, on the way to Brock's preschool, Troy was singing "Twinkle twinkle little dragon", instead of "star". For whatever reason. And Brock says, "Troy, sing it NER-MAL!"

-I have zero drive to digital scrapbook right now. I know that once I start, it'll be great and it will go super fast. But it's just getting started on it.

-I have a ton of other more pressing "projects" that I always have to get done before even thinking about the digital scrapbooking. So not only do I not have the drive, but it's also really far down on the priority list.

-Other projects that I want to do but am clearly not finding the time to do: spring cleaning, repainting my walls, and practicing some new piano songs.

-I can't wait for it to get warmer outside.

-My tulips are starting to poke out of the ground. Just barely.

-Tulips make me happy.

-I love teaching piano.

-Lately I've been taking a little afternoon nap, before Jakob gets home from school. Ivy's down for her nap, and the boys generally let me sleep. It's awesome.

-I got my hair cut a little while ago. And I love it. I can just blow-dry it, and it looks fine for the most part (well, to me, anyway). I used to hate how fine my hair was, but now I'm at peace with it.

-I'm also at peace with my super duper white skin. Porcelain. Or reflection. Either or.

-I need some new books to read. Not that I have time to read, but still.

-The Sherlock Holmes short stories were really fun to read. Maybe I should do one of the Sherlock Holmes novels.

-I have a massage/pedicure gift that Pete gave me for Christmas. I used it today, and it felt AWESOME. And now I have 5,000 gallons of energy. It's amazing what a little relaxation and some painted toenails can do for a girl.

-I helped in Jakob's class on Monday, and the kids had to make up a math problem about cookies. After listening to 18 stories about cookies, that's all I could think about. So my boys and I made chocolate chip cookies after dinner that night.

-Cookies are one of my vices.

-Coke is another one.

-Last time I went to the store they were completely out of Coke. Inexcusable, Walmart, to keep a girl from her Coke.

-All of my boys' pants have holes in the knees. And of the pants whose holes I patched, new holes have appeared below the patch, because my boys have grown.

-I'm thinking I'll just leave the holes in the pants. Because white trash can be a statement, too.

-There are also holes in my couch.

-I want new couches. I'm trying to convince Pete that that's what he wants for his birthday.

-I'm in a purging mood. There is SO much that I want to toss out the window!

-I teach my last week of Troy's preschool next week. Hallelujah! (Don't get me wrong; they're cute kids. But the six of them plus two more of my own plus me equals pure chaos.)

-My boys have all drawn pictures for me in the last few days. I love it.

-Life is good.

The end.

The War on Drugs

I would love to write more that just a smattering of ideas that randomly come through my mind, but I'm still heavily medicated, so smattering, partial ideas is really all I get right now. I'm slowly trying to wean back on the pain meds, but my tummy is a bit tender and my back is a bit sore. And sometimes, "a bit" is "a lot". But the drugs are driving me crazy, because I can't think well. Seriously, I don't know how people get addicted to pain meds. I mean, sure, it gets rid of pain, but it makes my brain feel like a roller coaster ride that I barely remember. I guess if you like to be dizzy and stupid, then being addicted would be awesome.

I've been renting and watching "Friends". I'm on Season 3. It's like comfort food.

I'm in love with "Glee". After the first 5 minutes of the first episode, I was hooked. Go watch it! (Follow my link-it takes you to Hulu, which has some of the full episodes).

Before my surgery my fam got some pics taken down by the river by Megan Blethen. They turned out really well! This one is one of my favorites. I'm just having a hard time deciding which ones I want, and in what sizes. And since my brain is SO good at concentrating right now...grrr. Go take a look!

I'm glad that my kids already have Halloween costumes.

I love naps.

The end.

This, That, and the Other

-These are Pete’s ANGRY shoes.  He wears them when he’s mad.

Or, he wears them all the time now because they are his new shoes.  But maybe he’s mad ALL the time, and I just don’t know it…
See?  He’s like a raging volcano:

Just how I’m sure he wants to spend his Friday night- studying for the CIH.
-Brock got a dollar from his Utah grandparents for his birthday.  I wonder if he’ll spend it on getting a Coke for me.

Well, he didn’t.  He ended up with a candy bar, which I got at the store, when Tobey Maguire checked my groceries.
Seriously, the dude could have been his Peter Parker twin, with the glasses and everything.
-Sometimes I feel like this is all I do:
One of these days I’ll get around to potty training Troy.
-We moved our trampoline outside.  I took a picture of it last night.  Wanna see?

See, it’s right there, in the middle of our yard.
You know what else is in our yard?  Green, growing things.

I love tulips.  I wish they would last all summer.  Of course, right now those green things are covered in white stuff.  The winters can be a little long.
-I picked up our food storage the other day.  And someday it will make it down into our basement.
So one of us can survive for a year!  Or all of us for 2 months.  Same diff, right?
Also someday, I’m going to paint our walls, one of these colors:
Yep, brown.  REALLY going out on a limb, there.  But first, I should probably fix the gaping hole in the wall:

Gotta love removable door stops.
-I have two zits on my face.  They look like this:

Say it with me: AWE, SOME.  I also got a mild form of pink eye.  Yep, America’s Next Top Model is knocking down my door right now.

100% Awesome

• This picture:
  

• This post, by Mindy. Seriously, Pete and I laughed our heads off for a good half hour.
• Ding Dongs. YUM!
• Brock, because he llOOOves everything.
  
• "Scrapbooking", but online! I signed on to blurb, and I've been doing 2008. No mess, just clicking stuff and moving it around...very nice. To "clean up" I just close it. Voila.
• Running into my old seminary teacher last night during mutual at the ice rink.
• Pete quitting WoW. Maybe one of these days he'll blog about that.
• Ivy completing a rite of passage in our house-falling down the stairs. She started crawling, and was playing with Jakob, and when he went downstairs she tried to follow. (Not that her falling was the awesome part, more the crawling thing.)
• Troy drew an "e" on a little magnadoodle board, pointed at it, and said "E!" He also did "o". It may have been a fluke, but still very cool.
• Hot cocoa. Although I burned my tongue a little.
• Jakob finishing his homework packet Tuesday morning, when it's not due till Friday.
• Having more money in our account than we should. I don't know how, but it's there. The better to pay for Pete's CIH test, my dear.
  

Things You May Not Care About. (But SHOULD.)

You know that Christmas story, "The Little Match Girl"? She totally dies at the end! What's up with that? She's all peeking in at other people with their happiness and warmth and presents, and all she has are matches that she lights, and then she dies. "Hey, Merry Christmas, a little girl died!" (My kids keep picking the Christmas stories for me to read at night.)

Ivy totally has a rooster-tail hairdo naturally.


One of Troy's nicknames is "Stumpy", because he's, well, stumpy. Just short and little. When he's angry we call him "Grumpy Stumpy". The other day he called Brock a Grumpy Stumpy when Brock was upset.

Brock was very aware his picture was being taken. He's such a non-poser.


Jakob totally rocked his reading assessment this last time. We just got his report card. Apparently his after-school reading program and Title One have helped him out. Although, if he ever hears any foreign language, he calls it Spanish, I think because he's in the after-school program with a lot of Hispanic kids where Spanish is their first language.

Jakob drew this sweet picture, of a skeleton playing a lead guitar. He's becoming quite the artiste. (Pete drew the one on the right.)


You know the movie "The Village"? It's Brock's favorite movie, but he calls it "Billage". (I already know I'm a bad mom for letting my kids watch PG-13 movies.) We were asking Troy about colors, and we pointed at red and said, "What color is that?" And he replied, "The bad color." Yes, that would be my two-year-old.

Troy can fit in a garbage can.


My abs will be made of steel by the time this cough is out of my system.

I love cookies. A lot.

IN Famous

You know the game about the 6 degrees of separation? If you don't know what it is, it's the theory that every human being is separated by every other human being by only 6 degrees, or 6 other people. It's also known as the Kevin Bacon game. Because Kevin Bacon has been in about a trillion movies, you can connect pretty much any actor or actress in a movie with others in that movie, and then in movies that they've been in and so on until you get to a movie with Kevin Bacon in it.

I've realized, through the six degrees theory, that I'm basically famous, because I know people that know people that are famous.

For instance, I know the reigning Miss Idaho, Elise Davis. She's my best friend's little sister. I've known her since she was probably 5. I also know last year's Miss Idaho, Sadie Quigley. Her mom was my piano teacher for several years, and I remember when she was born. (Elise is on the left, Sadie on the right.)













I also found out on Saturday that Shera knows Stephenie Meyer. So because I know her...you get the idea.

And my brother-in-law, Spencer, works for the Buffalo Bills. Here's a video of him helping the Quarterback, Trent Edwards. He's in a gray shirt and blue shorts, and you can see him at about 20 seconds in, and then a couple of more times.

So I'm almost famous!

And because I'm not creative by myself, I stole my post title from "Three Amigos". They get a telegram from a lady in Mexico that thinks they are real gunfighters instead of movie stars, and she's asking for their help to defeat their local "bully", El Guapo. The telegram calls El Guapo "infamous" (a really bad guy), but they think it means more than famous, like extra famous or something. They say it "IN famous". I couldn't find that clip, but I found another one that I like.

Okay, I couldn't help it. Here's a second clip from "Three Amigos". Enjoy!

Things I Can't Get Enough Of Today

The Good "Can't Get Enough" List:

Butterfinger. Curse you, Pete, for buying them! (But not really, because I had Ramen for lunch. I need something of substance in me today.)
Kristy's writing. I don't know why this girl isn't published yet! She's posting a story right now. She's put up 4 of 5 parts. Here is part 1; here's part 2; here's part 3; here's part 4. Seriously. Can't get enough!

And the "I've Definitely Had Enough" List:

Troy's messes. The kid just doesn't stop.

The whining. "Mom, I'm just hungry!" "You ate 10 minutes ago, though." "But Mooooooommmm..."

Holding Ivy until she falls asleep, then one of the boys coming over to me and waking her up, then she starts crying and won't go back to sleep. It's awesome.

(At least I have my Butterfinger(s) to help me out today.)

Where Were You?

Cute Kristy tagged me with this one:
20 Years Ago…
1. In 1988 I was in 4th grade, sporting permed hair, sweet feathered bangs, and too-large-for-my-face eyeglasses.
2. Mrs. Farman was my teacher (one of my all-time favorites) and Heather H. was my best friend.
3. I wanted to be a professional piano player or a teacher.
10 Years Ago…
1. In 1998 my missionary just left for his mission. (Soooo glad that didn't work out.)
2. I was majoring in accounting at Utah State University.
3. I was working at Zuka Juice. I totally wrote down all the recipes and still have them...somewhere.
5 years ago…
1. In 2003 I had just had Jakob.
2. We were super poor, living in an apartment smaller than our now garage.
3. I watched Oprah and Dr. Phil, both of which I hate now. I also watched Clean Sweep, which unleashed my subconscious into my minimalist ways.
3 years ago…
1. In 2005 I had just had Brock.
2. Pete graduated from Utah State University in public health with an emphasis in industrial hygiene with a minor in chemistry. That meant a new job, a new city...basically a new life for him and me and our family.
3. We bought our first house.
1 year ago…
1. In 2007 I was in charge of my 10 year high school class reunion.
2. I was pregnant with Ivy.
3. We went to Lake Tahoe with my parents and siblings and their families.
This year so far…
1. I had our fourth and final kid, Ivy, in May.
2. I started blogging in January.
3. Jakob started kindergarten, and I volunteered to be a room mother. No idea what that entails as I have yet to get the courage up to return the phone call about it.
Yesterday…
1. I cleaned under my stove. Yikes!
2. My mom came over to help my sad sad lawn, and we couldn't get the mower started.
3. I called the hospital about our bill for Ivy-there was a mix up of insurance coverage and all sorts of good stuff.
Today…
1. I've been dealing with Troy and his really stinky diarrhea.
2. I'm going to have frozen lasagna for dinner. (That doesn't sound right; it's frozen right now, but I'll stick it in the oven to cook for the actual eating of dinner.)
3. I need to do tons of laundry, as always, but I'll probably watch shows with Pete instead.
Tomorrow…
1. I really want to clean out my garage.
2. I'll either go to the store to buy, or will be implementing, mouse poison. Right now they're still outside, but...
3. I'm gonna vacuum downstairs. I hope.
Next Year…
1. My lawn will be okay!!
2. I will have some semblance of food storage.
3. We may or may not move, depending on if/when Pete passes his CIH (Certified Industrial Hygienist). It depends on who is willing to pay the salary a CIH is worth.
I tag…
1. Kar
2. Lex
3. Beej
But only if you guys want to do it.

The Three Tag

Cute Alyssa tagged me, so here we go:

List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names.

3 Joys
1. Ivy's laughter. Well, any of my kids' laughter. But Ivy's is so fun because she's new at it.
2. Cuddling with Pete when we go to bed. Lately I've been SO stinking cold! I think it's still the post-pregnancy hormones at work. Pete says that I'm warm to the touch, but I feel really cold. I'm glad I have a heater for a husband.
3. Coca-Cola. I'm a die-hard, 4th generation Coke lover. My great-grandma drank it every day, and it's passed on to my kids, too. There's nothing like a good Coke to make life seem better.

3 Fears
1. Don't know why, but mirrors at night scare the crap out of me. If I have to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, I have to look down at the sink while I'm washing my hands. If the light is on I'm all good-usually.
2. I'm always scared that my kids will get kidnapped. Only recently have I allowed Jakob to ride his bike out front without me out there. I constantly check on him while he's out there though. Or when we're at the store I have to make sure I see my kids at all times.
3. Spiders. A big huge spider made its home by our sliding glass door, and its web was just getting more and more spread out. I was hoping it wouldn't lay eggs there or something. Luckily Pete went outside and sprayed it down, and I cringed while watching. I hate the movie "Arachnophobia".

3 Goals
1. Start an exercise program of some sort. I'm thinking of doing a little Dance Dance Revolution or something before the kids wake up in the morning. That game can really get your heart pumping.
2. Getting our food storage. We have a little. Very little.
3. Someday I want to be a Certified Financial Planner and work out of my home. But first I have to relearn my degree (it's been a while since I've used the stuff), get licensed, etc. etc. And I don't want to do it until all the kids are in school, so it's a few years down the road.

3 current obsessions/collections
1. We collect turtles, apparently. People just started giving us turtles from trips that they went on. Not that I want 400 of 'em, but we have 5-ish, and they're cute. (Um, not real turtles. Like, little figurine turtles. Just to clarify.)
2. My awful yard. I don't know what we've done or haven't done, but it's so, so sad looking right now. I sit and stare at it, and get frustrated, and shake my head in disbelief that we can't even keep grass alive.
3. Today I was obsessed with cleaning my house. Probably because it was beyond disgusting. I vacuumed up and down and the stairs, I cleaned all three bathrooms, I did a couple loads of laundry, I cleaned my kitchen sink and stove top...Yeah, I think that's all, but that's a lot for me for one day!

3 Random Surprising Things
1. I've had a really hard time drinking milk lately, unless it's chocolate milk. I used to guzzle milk down when I was a kid.
2. I have found virtually no difference in Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup and the Great Value (Walmart's) kind. I use it in casseroles a lot. The bonus is the Great Value one costs half as much as Campbell's.
3. I love to be organized, but looking at some areas in my house you wouldn't be able to tell that. Like under my stairs, my pantry, my scrapbook stuff...wow, the list keeps going. Maybe I'm not as organized as I thought...

I tag
1. Brianna
2. Mindy
3. Pete
4.
5.
I'm only doing three. This whole tag is all about three, so why mess up the rhythm and do 5? (YAY, OCD!!!)

Skydiving

Because it was my birthday, and because I'm still a young spry thing, I decided to go skydiving. It was so amazing! There's a little place out in Rexburg that takes you up. They run you through the whole thing before you go into the plane, and you do a test run simulator, so you know what cords to pull and all that. They send you out with an instructor, too, so that you don't get hurt.

Well, we were up in the plane, and I was a little nervous. It was time to jump, and I made a little "eeeee!" noise. But once I was out there...holy cow! It is the most amazing feeling! You're falling, but you don't really feel like you're falling. Then it came time to pull my cord.

I pulled...and nothing happened. I tried again, and nothing! I started to freak out. My instructor, Bill, who was holding my arm tried to get my emergency cord to pull, and still nothing! I was going to die.

But then, at the last second, Bill wrapped his arms around my waist, and pulled his cord, and we made it down to the ground. It was kind of a bumpy landing since the parachute was carrying two of us down. When we landed my leg twisted a little, and I hurt my knee. Nothing to be alarmed at, but I had to use crutches for a couple of days and get it checked out.

....

....

Okay, I really, really wish the above story was true. It's not. Except for the hurt knee thing. Friday Pete and I went to get haircuts, and as I was stepping out of the van my knee buckled under me. I wasn't jumping out, or leaping out, or doing anything cool. Just...getting out. I rubbed my knee a little, tried to get out again, and I couldn't put any weight on it. I could bend it, but not straighten it. The doctor said, "Well, it's not broken. You could get an MRI done for $800, or just ice it and use crutches and see how it does." We took the latter option, and now it's mostly better. Friday I couldn't do anything with it so Pete carried me around. Saturday I used one crutch and gimped around all day on it. By Sunday night I could put some weight on it and limp a good deal. And now it's still a bit sore going up and down the stairs, but I'm crutch-free and back to normal (as normal as I can be, anyway). Very random.

Pete and I still need haircuts, but now I'm a little paranoid. And, I feel like an idiot. And I don't even have a cool story.

But I think I'll go skydiving next year for the big 3-0.

Open Mouth...

After reading this post, it got me thinking, have I ever said something that offended anyone, or that made me feel like a complete idiot?

Uh, yeah. Totally.

When Pete and I were first married, my cute sister-in-law and brother-in-law were purchasing their first home. They were in the midst of re-painting and cleaning and all that jazz. They were kind of mocking the colors the previous owners had picked out for rooms. So I decided to join in, saying, "Yeah, so they had bright red in one room, and some kind of celery green color in the other?" And they replied, "Um, the green is what we just painted today."

Yeah, I'm an idiot. I tried to play it off, like, "Yeah, I was just noticing all the different colors, it's so nice to not have everything be white..." or whatever I said around the foot that was now in my mouth. I hope they weren't offended, and if they were they just played it off. I really didn't think the green was bad; in fact I really like it, and half of my house has different shades of green in it. I was just trying to fit in to my new family, you know, building relationships, joining in the fun... Um, still feel dumb, six years later, typing about it.

So, have you ever said something so totally mortifying, or had someone say something like that to you? If so, I'd love to hear it! (This is the part where you hit the "comment" link below this post.) And if you're way embarrassed to share, share it anyway- just leave the comment as anonymous.

Memories

Here are the directions:
1. As you comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Reality Bites

So, I got tagged. Which, by the way, I think that tag posts are supposed to be called "meme" posts. Don't know why; I figure it's short for "Look at me! Look at me!" Something like that.

Anyway, this is about random right now shots, which can be kind of embarrassing. So, here we go...

1. Laundry room. Ours is part of our storage room. I LOVE my washing machine and clothes dryer. We had some leftover carpet from when our house was built, so I stuck it in front of the machines, for which I'm glad. I almost always end up sitting on said carpet to separate clean laundry into the kids' piles, and then fold it there as well. See the cute baskets piled high in front? That's a standard part of my laundry room scene. Oh, and I can pretty much guarantee that there's a load sitting in the dryer, too. Two big thumbs down for doing laundry for six people!



2. Favorite room. Like Kar and Arin, it's my bedroom. My bed is never made. Unless I just cleaned the sheets. But I love our bedroom furniture we purchased about 1 1/2 years ago. It's just...kind of a haven.


3. Favorite shoes. My Mary Jane Dr. Martens. Love them. Wear them with just about everything unless I'm wearing black.


4. Toilet. Shot in the most flattering position I could come up with. I hate toilets!


5. Kitchen sink. Mine's fairly clear of dishes right now. But that pile of clothes sitting in the left side would be the peed in pile, thanks to Brock and his potty training. Awesome, huh?


6. Fridge. Looks like I need to go shopping.


7. What the kids are doing. Jakob, Brock and Troy were watching Spiderman 3 when I took this. Brock and Troy were also eating fruit snacks. Ivy had just gotten done with a nap and was crying for some love and a bottle. Okay, mostly just a bottle.




8. Self-portrait. Hair not done-no time this morning. Eyes super bloodshot-not enough sleep. Kinda fake smile, because I was trying to make sure my camera made the "focused" noise. Now I know why I don't have many pictures of myself.

9. Closet. LOVE my closet. Nice and roomy. Very organized.

10. Dream vacation. A tie between Grand Cayman and Disneyland. Pete and I want to go on a cool trip for our 10-year anniversary, and we've mentioned Grand Cayman. Lots of white soft sand, lots of warm water...ahhhh. I went there 11 years ago with my parents, and it was what I hope heaven is like. And I want to take the fam to Disneyland or Disneyworld when Ivy is old enough to go on all the big rides. So we're looking at maybe 4 years down the road. Jakob should still be young enough to enjoy it all, too (going on 9 in 4 years). We just need to get out of debt a little bit first...

So there you have it. A glimpse into my chaotic/messy life! I tag...anyone that wants to do it!

Sharing Time

I'm so awesome and thoughtful. (And HUMBLE.)

I just wanted to let everyone in on some things that I find utterly amazing, while I wait for Brock to pee in the toilet. Yep, just started Brock for now; if Troy shows interest I'll start him, too. Yesterday was the first day, and it was hit and miss, literally. And today, well...

ANYWAY, just so you know, the pumice stone thingy that I found in the cleaning aisle worked wonders on my hard water deposits in my toilets. Just ask Pete. I think he read my quirk post about how I hate toilets, and so he used it for me. I asked him if he wanted gloves to do it, and he looked at me like I was crazy. He was like, "What? The toilets just got cleaned. This is just the hard water buildup." And I puked a little in my mouth at the thought of no gloves while sticking the hand in the toilet. Ugh.

And for your stalking pleasure, I'm pleased to bring you more blogs that I am now stalking. One is Navel Gazing at Its Finest. One of her posts, or I guess the comments on her post, you have to check out. If you're having a crappy day, read it! I guarantee you'll be laughing and feel way better about yourself. And really, any of her posts are a crack-up. The other is She Just Walks Around With It. This chick is an ultra-talented writer. You must read about her, and then read this post. I have literally laughed out loud reading her blog. Not LOL, which is I think what people write when they go "Huh, that's kinda funny" in their head, or when they say something nasty that they really mean and then don't want it to be taken so hard by the other party, like "You have stinky feet LOL". Yeah, they really do mean you have stinky feet. (Sorry, random tangent.) I have wasted multiple hours stalking her blog. But is it really wasting time when you're enjoying every minute? (Wow, I should be in advertising, or marketing, or something.)

And to share a little something about my very bright children, namely Jakob: he made a Bat mobile. Cool, huh?


Okay, I'm done sharing for now. But if you want to share anything with me (other cool products, other cool sites, things about your cool kids, etc.), feel free. But you don't have to LOL.

Welcome to OCD land!

So, I got tagged about my quirks. And I have a lot of them. A LOT. But because we're limited to only listing 6, you get to hear the six that I want to share so that you don't think I'm too psycho. But maybe you think that anyway, and so here are six more reasons to confirm my craziness.

1. I'm a minimalist. I love to get rid of stuff, so much that I even fantasize about getting rid of other people's stuff. If I got a call from a pack rat telling me that they want to have me help them organize and dejunk, I think I would do the "Ford leap" and drive to their house that second. (It's Ford, right? I can't remember for sure...) And I can't wait until Ivy is older, because then I can get rid of the bassinet, and the high chair, and the saucer toy, etc., and I won't have to store them anymore. The Clean Sweep professional organizers are my heroes.

2. I have a conundrum about water. I can totally stick my face in the shower water, but I have a really hard time doing it in the swimming pool. I can't turn somersaults underwater to save my life-I come up sputtering and with a weird feeling in my ears. It took me forever to learn to breathe right while swimming the front crawl. Yet the full-powered spray of the shower doesn't bother me.

3. I hate toilets. HATE them. Well, I guess I should say I hate cleaning them. To clean the outside I use about 4 rolls of paper towels, because using a washcloth would be sick and wrong to me. The flushing chain thingy broke in Jakob's bathroom a few months ago, and for the few days he used our bathroom until it was fixed just totally grossed me out. Little boy pee-ew ew ewww!! If I'm downstairs and I have to go, I will go up to my bathroom (instead of using the downstairs bathroom), because it's cleaner, in my mind. My toilets currently have hard water buildup on the inside, and I bought some rubber gloves and a pumice stone thingy to try and scrub it off. And have I done it? No, because that would mean I would have to put my hand inside the toilet bowl! EWWW! Even with the gloves on I can barely stomach sticking my hand in there.

4. When I'm preparing food, I use the least amount of dishes possible. At lunchtime, I will use the same knife to cut hot dogs, slice cheese and apples, then also spread mayonnaise and mustard on a sandwich. I will use the same measuring cup or spoon as much as I can; if I need 1/4 cup of one thing and 1 cup of another, I will only get out the 1/4 cup and dip it 4 times for the 1 cup ingredient. I make a homemade pizza, and I will mix the extra spices into the tomato sauce in the can the sauce came in instead of putting it in a new bowl, just so I don't dirty a clean bowl.

5. Numbers. I can memorize phone numbers after dialing them only a couple of times. I still remember the S family's phone number that lived down the street, and I think I called them twice ever. I will remember birthdays of really random people. I love it when I look at the clock and it's 3:33, or 12:34, or 5:43, for example. My checkbook has to balance. I've heard of people rounding up or down in their checkbook for kind of a mindless savings; I tried it for a day and it totally drove me crazy that it wasn't exact.

6. Another contradiction quirk: food. Ham sandwiches are my favorite, but I hate cooked ham, like at Christmas or whatever. Maybe it's the slice thickness, but I would choose deli ham over cooked ham any time. I love corn, but I hate corn on the cob-I hate shucking it, and getting it in my teeth. I won't eat watermelon unless it's with a fork. I love tomato-based things (tomato soup, tomato sauce) but hate tomatoes. This quirk goes on and on.

There ya go. And because it takes one to know one, I tag...anyone that's on my list under Sweet Sites to list your six crazy quirks!

Tag

P.S. I don't know these girls. I just haven't put a picture on a post for a while, so I thought random people would be a good option. What, had you forgotten that I'm a winner?

For the first half, put an X next to the things you have done in your life so far, and leave it blank for the things you have never done. You know the drill for the second half. Have you ever...

(X) Gone on a blind date?

(X) Skipped school?

(X) Watched someone die? (if my dog counts)

(X) Been to Canada?

( ) Been to Mexico?

(X) Been to Florida?

(X) Been on a plane?

(X) Been lost?

(X) Been on the opposite side of the country?

(X) Gone to Washington, D.C.?

(X) Swam in the ocean?

(X) Cried yourself to sleep?

( ) Played cops and robbers?

(X) Recently colored with crayons?

(X) Sang Karaoke?

( ) Paid for a meal with coins only? (I did pay for a car boot removal with all coins once-$50, baby!)

(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't?

(X) Made prank phone calls?

(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose?

(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue?

(X) Danced in the rain?

(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus?

(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe? (on the cheek)

(X) Watched the sunrise with someone you care about?

(X) Blown bubbles?

(X) Gone ice-skating?

( ) Been skinny dipping outdoors?

1. Any nicknames? Nat, Nattles, Nat Scat
2. Mother's name? Mom!

3. Favorite Drink? Coke!
4. Tattoo? Nope
5. Body Piercing? Not anymore (just ears previously)
6. How much do you love your job? Love it, though sometimes I wish it had vacation and sick days.
7. Birthplace? Idaho Falls, ID
8. Favorite vacation spot? Grand Cayman, in the Caribbean
9. Ever been to Africa? Nope, and if I ever go I think I’d only want to visit Egypt.
10. Ever eaten cookies for dinner? Uh, did I go to college??
11. Ever been on TV? Like, in crowd shots for two seconds-at the zoo in elementary, and in high school for Multicultural Week. Actually, Pete and I got interviewed right after we moved here, about Friday the 13th or something like that-luck and whatnot.
12. Ever steal any traffic signs? Nope
13. Ever been in a car accident? Several, most of which are not my fault!
14. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4
15. Favorite salad dressing? Ranch.
16. Favorite pie? Pie.

17. Favorite number? 7. Because I’m super holy. And prime.
18. Favorite movie? Yikes! Um…probably “The Princess Bride”-it’s the one I know the most.
19. Favorite holiday? Christmas.
20. Favorite dessert? Dessert.

21. Favorite food? Food. (This is like the 5th question about food! Maybe the questionnaire creator was hungry.)

22. Favorite day of the week? Friday
23. Favorite brand of body wash? When I spring for it, which is never, Bath and Body Works. I use Dial soap.
24. Favorite toothpaste? Colgate brand.
25. Favorite smell? Lilacs.
26. What do you do to relax? Sleep, play Sudoku, take a long shower.
27. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Hopefully I’ll be one of those “cool” moms, but most likely I’ll be the embarrassing mom. And hopefully I’ll also be working out of my home as a financial consultant/planner.
28. Who are you tagging? Arin, Heidi, Kristine, Zoe. But only if they want to. But I’m going to double tag Pete because he hasn’t blogged in forever.

Sense and Sensibility

My cute sister Brianna put this quiz on her blog, and I decided to be a copycat and do it, too. My result:

You are Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are practical, circumspect, and discreet. Though you are tremendously sensible and allow your head to rule, you have a deep, emotional side that few people often see.

All possible results: Elinor Dashwood, Marianne Dashwood, Elizabeth Bennet, Fanny Price, Emma Woodhouse, Catherine Morland, Anne Elliot
Take the quiz!