Lots of happenings ... Since it's been about 14 days ...

Where to start?

Let's start where I left off ... Saturday, July 17.

• Mom and Dad C came and picked up the kids for their cousin's birthday party (which we totally missed, since ...)
• Michael and I went to the temple. We were the only people representing our ward for the EQ temple trip. Oops. 
• Michael bought me a Slurpee. I got the Pina Colada flavor. Yummmm....
• We missed seeing his J (my brother-in-law), T1 (my sister-in-law), and her husband, K, skydiving. Since we were driving home from the temple.
• It was really, really good to be at the temple. I needed that.
• The kids went down to their grandparents SATURDAY, instead of Sunday afternoon like I had expected. It was a good thing that I had them packed up. Still, I'd appreciate if, when there's a change of plan, I get something more than NO NOTICE. Oh well. I handled it. ...
• Even though Mom C did get a look at my face when they were packing up the kids and gasped out, "Don't cry!!"
• So, yes, even though my children have the ability to annoy the ever-loving whatevers out of me, I did miss them. 
• But they had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa and their two oldest cousins.

Sunday, July 18 - 

• People missed Bruise and Bucket at church. LOTS OF PEOPLE.
• I found out that I no longer know how to pay attention to the speakers in church.
  But I did read the Ensign, so it could be much worse!
• Michael and I barely knew what to do with ourselves, not having the kiddos around.
• We didn't eat Macaroni and Cheese for lunch, though. That's the kids' thing.
  (Not that I mind Mac 'n' Cheese ... But it's not Michael's cup of tea. ... Not that he likes tea. Even herbal tea. ... Oh well, more iced Raspberry Zinger for me! ... Though, when the kids are around, they steal nips of mine. *sigh*)
• I completed the last-minute packing for Girls' Camp.
• We watched HOURS of Daria. Which was nice.
  And it kinda made up for the fact that our kids went to see Despicable Me without us. :P

Monday, July 19 - 

• I got up and dressed, since one of our girls was going to be dropped off at my house early. Like around 7:30 ... and we weren't leaving until 10:30.
• She and I had fun with each other, showing each other awesome videos on YouTube. Some of these videos were our little inside jokes for the drive to and at camp.
• I was in the front, leading our little caravan of YW to camp. That was ... a bit of responsibility. At least I DID know where I was going. Out of the current YW leaders, I had been to our camp the most. And the most recently ... so ... Yay me, right? I didn't get us lost, though. YAY!!!
• I had fun with our YW president, the Mia Maid Advisor (teacher for the 14 to 16 year-old girls)/Ward  Camp Director (We were setting up the camp, putting on plastic tablecloths. She loves "The Office," so I asked if she had an applicable Office quote for that. Which started a string of "That's what SHE said" jokes. I love my people.), and the past Primary president (She came because it was her daughter's first year at camp. And she'd been involved with Cub Scout camp for YEARS ... but never Girls' Camp. I think she had fun. ^_^), who used to SERIOUSLY INTIMIDATE me (Not hard -- But really! She's so professional and completely talented! But I got to know her ... and she is wonderfully fun and hilarious. Good times).
• We had a great fireside that night. Sister Carlile talked about "Our Mission to be Happy" and her husband, our Stake President, talked about our potential and how dangerous virtual realities can be/inappropriate use of technology (Like sexting, but not in so many words). ... And that made me feel a bit better for giving up GaiaOnline ... though, thankfully, I do try to do the "what-you-see-is-what-you-get" ... Even my avatars look very much like myself (but thinner ... Since I am that vain. :P).
• Earlier, one of the brothers from the stake ... He's a police officer ... Can't recall his name ... BUT he gave a very good talk/discussion about personal safety. Most of it was about using common sense and avoiding dangerous situations. And about places to hit someone so that you can escape ... and to NOT use these in a fight at school. Because that will get you arrested. 
• After everything, a group of us went around to the YC's (Youth Counselor - the 17 and 18 year-olds who REALLY run the camp while we're there ^_^) camp and sang to them. Then we sang again outside the Stake Leaders' campers. One of the sisters came out and thanked us, telling us that we were an answer to prayer. That the leaders had just finished praying ... and then they heard us singing. That was very sweet of her to say. ^_^ And that started our habit of singing around camp every night. Very fun.

Tuesday, July 20 - 

• I was the only leader from our camp who didn't go on a hike this year. I stayed and ended up helping Shana and a couple girls who couldn't do the hikes to tear up rags to use for flag football that evening. It was fun to chat with Shana. I really had enjoyed working with her last year, when I was an Assistant Stake Girls' Camp Leader (so far, it's the only Stake calling that I've had. And I was rather shocked when I got it).
• I was calling to talk to the kids and to Michael every day. Mom C would give me a report and have the kiddos tell me about their day. I'd call Michael, usually while he was at work, and chat when I had a chance. For the rest of the time, except when K (my YW Prez.) needed to use it, I had my phone actually turned OFF. It did really help save my battery on it.
• Unlike the batteries to my cute little Disney Princess flashlight. Which ran out TWO SETS of batteries by Wednesday. Oops. So I had to rely on the kindness of strangers my ward sisters. Who were awesome enough to happily shed light when I needed it. ^_^
• H, our MM Advisor/Ward Camp Director, had some crafty things for us to do in camp. The official craft activities were very fun. But they took NO TIME AT ALL ... which was great in a way (that you could DEFINITELY do the crafts and still have time to swim, shower, do some archery, nap, visit with friends, etc ...) but ... well, it'd have been nice to have more things to do, too.
  I had finished my little magnet board (and glass magnets) and my cute little flower hairclips in maybe ten minutes. And I'm glad that we did those crafts, since I know now how to make those in the future. ^_^
  However, H also had lots of embroidery floss for making friendship bracelets. And, well, after I racked my brain (since the last time I had done friendship bracelets was ... eeps ... in SEVENTH GRADE ... back in 1992 ... Well, thankfully, it came back to me pretty well. I made four while I was there. I gave two away and I kept a couple.
• We also did the ward skits Tuesday night. Ours went well. Since the theme of camp was "Campus Courage" ... like a University, using the sections from "For the Strength of Youth," and we were the College of Modest Dress and Appearance (complete with ADORABLE sweatshirts with Greek Lettering [Mu Delta Alpha] like a sorority), the girls' skit was like an episode of What Not to Wear ... except the immodest/extreme clothing were all parodies. One of the girls had a "bare midriff" -- a teddy bear strapped to her waist. Fishnet stockings were blue socks with toy fish on them. The mini skirt was a skirt with Hershey's Minis wrappers sewn to it, etc, etc, etc. Our girls are so clever. ^_^

Wednesday, July 21 - 

• Bruise and Bucket were picked up by my mom to go up to her place. Where they were sufficiently spoiled by Mom, my Stepdad, and my Aunt J.
• Wednesday was Bishop's Night. We worked so hard to get our dutch oven dinner and dessert done on time ... and it was still late. But I thought that it was good. We (meaning the girls, under K's supervision) made chicken noodle soup ... and we also had peach cobbler with ice cream that Bishop and his wife brought.
• After/during dinner, Bishop gave a fireside ... sadly, I didn't write anything down, since I WAS listening ... and I don't recall what was discussed ... Wait ... PRIORITIES!!!! That's what he was talking about. And how our priorities should reflect our values (I gave that answer. Go me!) ... It was really good. And it made me want to reinvest in a new Franklin-Covey planner, since they are nice. ^_^
• That evening we did Singing Trees. There's a grove of trees by one of the outbuildings. We arrange the girls by years and the YCs and the Leaders  ... and we all are are different sections of the grove. Each of the groups is assigned a hymn to sing. The groups sing one by one ... and then we all sing together. It sounds pretty cool.
• As K and I were walking Bishop and his wife back to camp, he asked if he could talk to me a sec.
  "What did I do THIS TIME??" I asked (I was joking. And I'm so glad that Bishop GETS my sense of humor). And he replied, "Well, there are a couple stories going around ..." "Then it's probably the worse one. It's the most consistent." I rejoined. ... Yes, I adore our leadership. I'll be a little sad when Bishop P ever gets released. But it'll be SO NICE for him and his wife to get a little more time together again. (His wife? Is Bruise and Bucket's Primary teacher. And she's AMAZING. I love her to bits.)
  
  But, yeah, it was just a discussion about YW. Nothing huge. And nothing that I can talk about in detail ... for a little while. But it was flattering that he told me I was doing a good job in my calling as YW Secretary. I love my calling ... so it's great that I'm doing well in it. Makes me feel good. All special and everything. Especially since K tells me that I'm awesome at it, too. *preens* Hey, my slight OCD tendencies have to pay off somehow! (Since, you know, my house doesn't show it. :P)
• We sang to all the camps, except one. All their lights were out and we didn't want to wake them. Turns out that they WERE awake ... and were sorry that we hadn't sang to them. Oops!
  We would have sang to the YCs again ... except they weren't in their camp. We did sit in their chairs around their campfire for a while, waiting for them ... but they didn't show. We practiced a few songs, though.

Thursday, July 22 - Last Full Day of Camp

• Our big event this day was The Amazing Race. This is where (after the first year it was started, anyways) the girls are arranged into groups compiled of a pretty-equal number of all the years of campers (since each year learns new things in the Certification - survival skills, etc.). Each group has to race the others and pass off the requirement at each station (scattered around camp ... and found out through a clue they receive after passing off that requirement at the station) to be the first team to return to the amphitheater.
  This year, there was really a tie. H was in charge of one of the teams. She REALLY, REALLY wanted to win. Unfortunately, there were some issues ... So, even though H's team didn't get the cool prizes, they were still able to sign the winner's flag along with the other team. 
• The girls also participated in a service project -- camp beautification. Some opted to clean the dining hall. Others cleared brush along some of the trails and areas. Others cleaned and painted at the other building in camp. The last group repainted the signs marking the campgrounds. ... And these girls came back with hands COVERED in bright yellow oil-based paint. Thankfully, there was some turpentine and paint thinner ... though most of the girls didn't know about it at first. Oops!
• After dinner, we had our last fireside. It was about this year's Youth Theme:
  Joshua 1:9 - "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be though dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest." 
• Our little group, after all the camps were settled, went to the one camp we had missed the night before and sang to them. 

Friday, July 23 - 

• Before breakfast, we met in the other grove of trees for a testimony meeting. It was very nice. No, I didn't get up and bear my testimony. But I enjoyed hearing those that were shared.
• Then we ate brunch and were dismissed to dismantle our camps. After we were done, we had to get checked by Shana and the caretaker. Then we drove home. I dropped a few girls off and headed home, where Michael was waiting for me.

• I got a shower and collapsed into a THREE HOUR-LONG NAP. (I had been taking a nap nearly every day at camp. It was nice. And I had missed taking a nap Thursday. Obviously, missing that nap and all the late nights had caught up with me. Oops!
• Then we called up the kid and checked up on them ... And we got packed for driving down to pick them up.

Saturday, July 24 - 

• We drove down to my mom's. We went out to dinner with the family (and my Aunt J). Yummy Chinese food. The Lo Mein was really good. J didn't like her Hot and Sour Soup ... so after I had eaten my Egg Drop Soup ... and Bruise had given Bucket and me HIS Egg Drop Soup, I ate the rest of hers. ... What? I LIKE soup!
• C, my stepdad, had given Bruise and Bucket some money. And Bucket was DESPERATE to do some shopping. So, Michael and C drove home in Mom's car while Mom, J, Bruise, Bucket and I went to the grocery store where I worked in high school in my van.
• J was teasing Bucket, asking her "What are you going to buy me? Are you going to buy me a candy bar?" And Bucket said that she would. I asked her if she'd also get something for Mutti (my mom). After Bucket answered in the affirmative, Mom and J told her they had been kidding. And Bucket (SUCH a funny girl) declared, "I'm going to do what I WANT to do!"
• She picked out a toy white tiger (immediately named "Batgirl") for herself. Bruise picked out a yellow stuffed dinosaur. He tells me that it's named for him. Well, that's one less name for me to have to know!
• We discovered that Bucket had left her sunglasses somewhere ... that she didn't have them when she and Bruise came up to Mom's. I was pretty sad. Because I LOVE her Hello Kitty sunglasses. (If you have access to my Facebook, those are the sunglasses she's wearing in the pictures of them playing in the fountains.)

Sunday, July 25 -

• We didn't make it to church. So the kids haven't been to church in two weeks. Oops!
• We were going to go to my Family Reunion (for my Dad's side of the family) along the coast. But we were very tired and Michael's back was hurting really badly ... so we just headed straight home.

Monday, July 26 - 

• What DID I do? ... I think I just made sure that the house was ready for my mom to come up ... 
• And we determined our plans for this weekend. It's going to be legen -- wait for it -- DARY.

Tuesday, July 27 - 

• Took the kids to storytime at the Carnegie Library (it'd been a while since we made one of Doris' storytimes).
• Mom, Bucket and I worked to put pink streaks in our hair in support of Cami (one of the girls I grew up with at church). She has cancer. Again. If you want to do pink streaks, do!! Then send me picture and I'll send them to Cami.
  (Bucket's pink streaks didn't show up ... except in JUUUUUUUUST the right light, at the right angle, you can ALMOST see some pink.  My mom's hair turned out really cute! She has a pink streak in the front, along her forehead, and one in the back. When her hair's pulled back, it looks SO AMAZING. And I'm loving my streaks. mine are under the top layer, so they're not completely obvious ... well, except for the fact that I had to bleach my hair to get it done. And bleaching my hair was so easy. So I have a few chunks on the side and one big one in the back. And I feel wonderfully adorable. ^_^
  What do you think? ... It looks a bit more vibrant than that ... As nice as it is, taking pictures with my webcam, it's not always true-to-life color. *shrugs* ... And if you look carefully, in front of that pink streak, you can see some of the bleached strands. ... Again, if you check out my Facebook, I have LOTS of pictures on there. Including pictures of my cute, gorgeous momma!

Wednesday, July 28 - 

• We went to storytime, then to McDonald's in the next town. The kids love going to that McDonald's, since they get to play on a HUGE indoor play structure.
• I volunteered at the library. After a two-week absence. It was good to be back. 
• While I volunteered, Mom took the kids across the street to the park to play. They were out there for nearly 1.75 hours. They drank lots of water. Thank goodness there was a good breeze going through the park, since it was a warm day.
• We attended one of the Summer Reading Programs -- Mad Science. It was all about water facts. And he showed the kids cool stuff about dry ice. They loved it. And I got to sit by one of my friends from college (Also, she and I had attended a few years of Girls' Camp together. One year, we were in the same cabin. How funny!), which was nice.
• We went to the grocery store for ice cream and non-iodized salt.
  The salt is for my neti pot. Yes, I got one for free ... and I've started using it. It's not nearly as bad/scary as I was worried it would be. I don't even make such weird faces when I use it as I do when I swish my mouth with peroxide (Srsly? That stuff FOAMS up! And tastes SO WEIRD! ... But I'd like whiter teeth. And I'm cheap.).
• Then we picked up dinner at Baja Fresh, since we were running late.
• Then we watched SYTYCD after the kids went to bed.

Thursday, July 29 - 

• Had to say goodbye to my mom. C misses her lots when she comes up. *sigh*
• Went to storytime.
• I established my "GOOD MOM" rep by taking the kids to play in the water feature on the riverfront in the next town (since we were there for storytime).
• Cleaned off my desk
• Made dinner - Chicken and rice doesn't sound so exciting ... Until I tell you that it was Chicken Tikka and Coconut Rice (Use coconut milk for 1/2 the liquid. And I used my new rice cooker. It turned out SOOOOOOO GOOD!!!).

And here's where I warn the menfolk that they might want to avert their reading eyes ... or to take notes ...

A package arrived in the mail. From a company that I'm aware of and even a little familiar with. But I knew that I hadn't ordered anything. And it had Michael's name on it ... So I just waited until he got home.
Since, who knows? Maybe I ordered some freebie but with his name ... I love freebies.

Well, when he got home, I mentioned it. And he was all, "Already?? ... You didn't call me to ask me about it?" 

And he had me open it.

My husband bought me lingerie! A very pretty bra and panty set from Bravissimo. And the bra's the right size (the panties are a little snug ... More incentive to work out, right?), since he looked through my drawer while I was at camp.

Seriously, he ordered them the day before I got back from camp. They arrived in a week!! 

Did I mention that they're so pretty? And, well, I've never had a bra that lifts and separates like this! The underwire actually rests against my breastbone! ... It kinda feels weird, since I'm not used to my bra actually being where it's supposed to be. (And the fact that my other really good bras aren't underwires. Though I do really like underwires. Good support. ^_^)

And it's sooooo pretty! He's got excellent taste.

(If you're wild to know the style, it's the Broderie. In pale violet. ... And I really don't look like the model. Not that I'd mind getting into shape again. ^_^)

But, yeah, if you're ... rather well-endowed. I'd totally recommend Bravissimo. The package was small enough to fit into our mailbox. Upon opening the box, the garments were wrapped in tissue, fastened with a Bravissimo logo sticker. Very nice.
And they have quite a few styles. They also sell sleepwear and shirts, dresses, and jackets.

It's just too bad that they don't have any stores on this side of the pond. All their stores are in the British Isles. *sigh* So I've just ordered their catalog for ... about two years now and dream about going to London or thereabouts and shopping in one of their brick and mortar stores.

No, I'm not receiving anything for singing Bravissimo's praises. Although, if they want to send me some swag, I'd be glad to review it! (I'd give my honest opinion, of course ... but if it's anything like what I've gotten, I'm sure that I'll love it. ^_^)

But, yeah ... I've got the bestest husband. I'm totally spoiled.

And I feel so pretty and special in my new pretty, pretty underbits.

If I'd have known what a confidence booster cute underoos really are, I think that ... well, I'd have more debt, really. ^_^

Okay, gotta close up. Need to read to mah baybees instead of waxing poetic about how excellent my man is and what good taste he has in knickers and such. ^_^

Ennui ... Gargh.

No, "gargh" isn't a real word. It's the sound you make when you're trying not to headdesk.

I'm just about all packed up for Girls' Camp on Monday. I have the kids packed up, except for toothbrushes. And pillows. And their booster seats. ... But, yeah, most of everything is done. Yay me.

I'm peeved at the kids. I was getting out of the shower and they asked if they could go out and see Daddy (Michael was working on the yard. Weed-whacking and such), I told them no. They went outside anyways. I didn't go after them since, you know, getting out of the shower ... I'm not dressed appropriately.

Pretty much, I told them that they're dead to me. Okay, I told them that, since they don't listen to me, I'm on strike. They can get their own food. They shouldn't talk to me. I really don't want to interact with them right now.

Yeah, I'm such a loving and Christlike mom.

I feel especially sucky, since this is the last day that I'll really see them for most of the day.
MOTHERING FAIL.

It's not like I don't have enough to think about today already ... we're going to get the oil in the van changed (about time! We keep putting it off since our budget still doesn't have tons of room for things like that), and I need to vacuum the inside of the van. It could be washed ... but after driving to camp, it'll be all covered with dust again. I have books to finish and books to return. There's our niece's birthday party ... and Michael and I are going to the temple.  ... At least the dishes are almost all done. *phew*

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In other news, when Michael and I woke up Wednesday morning, Bruise was in bed with us.
We have no idea when or why he climbed in. He had to climb in over one of us (usually me), so I'm a little disturbed that I was sleeping SO deeply that I didn't feel/notice him get in bed with us.

And he was asleep when Michael left ... and I was too tired to remember to ask him why he came into bed with us. So it's a total mystery. And it kinda weirds me out. Because I like to be aware of what's going on around me.

Okay. Closing up. Not like I feel excellent or anything. Oh well. But I figured that I'd share. I know you're so thrilled.

Writing Style ...

Well, according to a website,

I write like
David Foster Wallace

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

And I put in a few different posts of mine to make sure.

Same result. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

So ... I'm not Shakespeare or James Joyce or Stephen King ...

But ... um ...I haven't read any Wallace. So ... yeah, I really don't know. Hm.

Things that make me go, "Awww" ... for "awesome"

I finally got around to watching the video of people dancing at Holocaust sites.
Here it is:


Now, until I actually watched it, I didn't realize that (1) there is a Holocaust Survivor in it and (2) this is a three-generation family project. That's right. The sweet old man is in there with his daughter and grandchildren.

And, if you look at the captions, you'll see all the places that they're dancing. One of them is the Maisel Synagogue in the Czech Republic. The next subtitle reads "(Hitler's Intended 'Museum of the Extinct Race')."
Wow.

Speaking of him ... This article (from Neatorama) makes me love Groucho Marx even more: "Dancing on Hitler's Grave."

Two very different dances. Both just touch me.
And they make me remember last year when Alter Wiener came to town and spoke about his experiences. I still need to read his book. I listened to him for around an hour. I was able to shake his hand and give him a hug. I love this man. I really, really do.

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Other things that are neat/cool/awesome:

via Neatorama - Maggie and Mildred - A film (short) made in cross-stitch. It's quite cute. And, oh, it would have taken me .... well, if it were up to ME, it'd never have gotten done. Because I don't have that patience.
Holly Klein, however DOES have it. And creativity and talent, to boot! She spent NINE MONTHS stitching ... after that, she did the filming. Total time? TWO YEARS.

There's a new fashion movement -- for modesty. And I'm thrilled about this.
(1) My religion encourages a modest appearance.
(2) Nobody (except my husband) really EVER needs to see all of my body. (Okay, maybe my doctor.) And, really, I can't think of anyone who'd really, really want me to be letting all of my ...um... ZAFTIG curves be all hanging out/squeezed into tight/short things.

So, there's a blog. For Tznius-istas. Tznius is the Hebrew word for "modest." It's not active YET. But I'm eager for it to be.
And, if you're interested in what it's about, go to the article about it over at Modestly Yours. (Hint: FASHION SHOW!! ... Which outfits did you like best? I especially like #2, #3, #7, #8, #11 and #12 -- if the first image is #1 ... since they aren't numbered). ... I thought it was great that they had modest outfits that I'd WANT to wear. ^_^

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Lastly is "A Bovine Gift From the Heart" from the Mental_floss blog.
This brought tears to my eyes. Both when I read it to myself AND when I shared it with Michael.
Empathy and love FTW (for the win).
If only all the people in the world could show the kindness and caring that the Masai village of Enoosaen did for the United States, to help comfort us after the tragedy of 9/11 ... Bless their sweet, sweet, wonderful hearts.
They are a lovely people.

... Really, the more I learn about Africa and its people, the more I love them. I know that Alexander McCall-Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is a fictional work, but it is based on the people of Botswana. And, as in the book, not all of them are moral and upright citizens ... still, I really, really want to go to Botswana someday. I read those books and it feels ... like home. Even though it's wildly different from my home of temperate rainforests, with desert on one side and the coast on the other. (Oregon is a lovely place.)

But I am grateful that there are such good and wonderful things in the world. I'm grateful for survivors, for a return to modesty, for selfless and generous people in the world, for books and the internet (that tell me about such excellent things) ... Life is pretty good. And I'm glad for it.

I'm blogging a second time in a week?? Whaaaaaaaat???

This post will have bits of TMI. Just warning you.

So, like I mentioned, Thursday featured me getting out of the house, sans children. (If was after their bedtime, anyways). I had a great time with a few friends, including one who's moving. D: ... Still, a great time. It was small and not planned much in advance.

I had posted on Facebook that I had a great time at the Girls' Night Out, and gave credit to the two gals who had hands in the idea for it.
One mututal friend had posted that she was sad she wasn't cool enough to get invited. She was joking. Another friend (on vacation) also posted that she wished she could be there.
One of the friends who planned it commented that she was uncomfortable calling it a "Girls' Night Out," since there were people feeling excluded.

I, being on my period -- read: being a hormonal mess, really--, suddenly went through a cycle of self-doubt, self-pity, and general crapishnessessence.

So I deleted the original post about how much fun I had ... and posted one about how I felt stupid because I referred to a spur-of-the-moment gathering of gals outside our homes as a Girls' Night Out, but I'd been told that it wasn't. And that I seem to specialize in alienating and offending people. And that I don't have a social life. And I started crying. And Michael comforted me, telling me that I'm not offensive or alienating; that I wasn't trying to hurt anyone's feelings; that I needed to concentrate on the fact that I did get out of the house and had a good time.

And my dear friends (including some of you) did comment and tell me that, no, what I had gone to did fit the definition of a Girls' Night Out. Which does help me feel a bit less socially-awkward and stupid.
(Though, I'm REALLY good at feeling dumb. And I'll confess that I did cry a little as I typed this whole stupid incident out. I should go take some Valerian. And my fake Zyrtec.)

But, yeah. So, that's that. Now I just need to overcome my tinge of Agrophobia a bit more and plan a Girls' Night Out and make sure to invite a few more people. Sometime after Girls' Camp.

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In other news, we're battling fleas. Diana-cat had a bath, is back in her flea collar (removed for that bath), and we sprinkled the carpet with Natural Defense carpet powder, which does smell kinda nice/kinda funky. And has removed any lingering odor from when Diana decided that peeing on the dining room carpet was the BEST. IDEA. EVER. (It wasn't. At ALL. *glowers*)

Since that, we keep finding some baby fleas on Michael and the kids. I think there's been ONE on me. Two on Bucket, three on Bruise, and about a gazillion on poor Michael. (He is a sweet man. Even though he's rather heartless. Never cries at movies or anything. Seriously. I've been married to him for nearly a decade. He's cried ONCE. ... If he didn't laugh and have a great sense of humor and all, I'd worry that he might be a psychopath. :P [Love you, Honey!] ... But, yeah, the fleas swarming him is total proof that he's really a sweet man. ^_^) SO, I'm pretty sure that this is the new generation of fleas hatching. Grrr. I HATE fleas.

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So, I've vacuumed almost all of the house. I'm getting caught back up on the dishes (and, once those are done, I'll clean up the rest of the kitchen) and the laundry. The bathrooms are nearly clean. I'm feeling rather productive. ... Oh, AND I'm getting books finished!! ^_^ (Some of them. There are others that are due and I haven't even cracked open. D: ... *sigh*)

Bruise did his cutting and pasting work that my mom brought up for him last week. And he wrote his own name. That was pretty awesome. And he's getting lots better with the scissors.

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Found a teacher from high school on Facebook. My old Biology I teacher. I knew that he had moved to this area about 15 years ago. He's still around. Which makes me happy. Especially for his current students. He's a really awesome teacher. ... As you can tell, since I still am very fond of him ... and it's been over a decade. ^_^

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I helped the kids organize their boxes of toys. Again. After THEY had cleaned their room well. It does look much better in there. Phew.

I also got some songs back on my iPod. That'll make driving nice.

-------

The kids have a birthday party tomorrow. We have a present for that. Thank goodness. ^_^ And we need to buy another present for their cousin's birthday this weekend.

Michael and I get to go to the temple. It's been a while. When it's been longer than a month, I really lose track of when I last went. ... One of the things I miss from the pre-kid days is going to the temple once a month. (Well, that and not having to vacuum under the dining room table. Or wonder WHO didn't flush the toilet. Or going out and buying books every payday. ... Oh well. They're worth it. Really.)

-----

I think that is everything that really is pertinent.
It's nice sitting in a mostly-clean house.
It's nice that my kids love each other.
It's nice that Bruise did his cutting and pasting with a minimum of whining (this time) ... and that I was able to unload/reload the dishwasher as he did it.
It's nice that Bucket is not such a picky eater. She asked for a cracker/nut mix. Specifically, "the one with the little green balls in it."

Those "little green balls?"
WASABI PEAS.
That's my girl. ^_^

Now, if Michael's back heals up quickly ... and if we get more money ... life will be pretty darn perfect.
For the most part, anyways.

That and if I can stop kicking myself in the butt for things that aren't totally and completely my fault.
Even though I'm really, really good at it. :S

Independence and such ...

Our Independence Day was rather quiet. Just sparklers and some small fireworks outside our house (because doing them inside would be really, really stupid, right?). The kids got to stay up later than usual. Which they always enjoy. ^_^

Best quote of the night?
Bruise: (regarding the Black Snakes after they were done) "Dey wook wike dog POOP!"
Heh. He's too funny.

Monday was spent cleaning up the house.

Tuesday, we finished cleaning up the house and my Mom came up. We went to Costco and had a good time. Bruce is now OBSESSED with playing LEGO Batman on the Nintendo DS. It was only $15! (I really now need to get the LEGO Harry Potter. ^_^)

Wednesday, we went to storytime, McDonalds, and then, while I went to volunteer, Mom and the kids went to the park by our house. The power went out during SYTYCD. (BUMMER), so we went to bed early. At least we only missed the quickstep and the African Jazz numbers. But I found them online later. Phew.

Thursday, Mom went home and I took the kids to storytime. In the evening, I got to go to a girls' night out. And it was within walking distance, so I walked. And I had a great time, even though it meant that one of our friends was really, REALLY going to be moving away on Monday. :( But there was good food and great conversation. It's nice to get out with the girls. ^_^ I should do it more often. ^_^

Yesterday .... we mostly stuck around the house. Michael was supposed to help a gal get furniture from St. Vincent's to her house (since he's Elders' Quorum president in our ward/congregation) ... but there was a lot of ... well ... a LACK of communication between St. Vinnie's and the lady. Poor lady. Poor MICHAEL. He drove out there TWICE and neither time did he get anything accomplished. Through no fault of his own.

Today, Michael went to help a family move (and his back is feeling it now. NOTE TO .... EVERYONE: Don't be the only person picking up one side of a piano. Ever. Okay? Just remember that. You'll thank me.). While he was doing that, the kids had a Primary (church) activity. I got to drop them off at the church ... and then figure out what to do with myself for the next couple of hours.

I had some options. I didn't want to be in the house, since I'm at home so often, anyways. And, also, since I had washed the cat and sprinkled the carpet with flea-repellent stuff.

So, instead of going home and playing LEGO Batman on the DS, I went out.
I went to a used bookstore in town and picked up Danny, Champion of the World, Coleman (Monica Furlong), Summer Switch (the sequel to Freaky Friday), and C.S. Lewis' The Pilgrim's Regress.
Then I went to try to go to the OTHER used bookstore that I like in town. But since it's a special occasion for our downtown, there was NO WAY that I was getting through there.
So I went to St. Vincent's. And their children's/YA paperbacks are (for the most part) 50 cents. SCORE!
So I got The Phantom Tollbooth, A Royal Pain (Ellen Conford -- Blast from the past. I don't think I've read this since I was in middle school), Five Children and It (Nesbit), and Cold Comfort Farm.
Then I went to the library, since it's not too far from the church. And it's air-conditioned. And I wanted to return some books and pick up one hold (Leap Year, with Amy Adams, if you are really curious. Or even if you're not). And I checked out the parking lot sale. Bought a Cinderella dress-up dress for Bucket (since her Cinderella dress is starting to show its age) ... how could I NOT? It was $3!! And it's in good shape. And, if I bought one new at Target, it'd be around $25.
Then I went back inside the library and read until it was time to collect my munchkins.

They were pretty quiet/shy. They had fun. And (maybe more importantly) they listened well. ^_^

We met Michael back at the house. Then we went to get a gift for one of the munchkins' friends from church. His party is this coming week. Can't go to a party without a present!
Then we went to A&W, since they had a special on their slushies -- 99 cents for a small.
HOWEVER, they ran out of sugar and couldn't make them. So they gave us our money back.
And I made strawberry-lemonade slushies at home. And they were good. (Helps that I have homemade strawberry syrup. Yum. And a blender.)

Then we watched Monsters vs. Aliens with the kids. ... Until I started blogging, anyways. ^_^

And, yeah ... for the most part, that's been our week.

Any questions?

Scammer Alert!

So, we were cold called (depsite being on the DoNotCall registry since, oh, WE BOUGHT OUR HOUSE THREE YEARS AGO, say) by a company.

I picked up the phone and got the opportunity to speak with a quite nice, albeit HEAVILY-ACCENTED (Seriously, I couldn't understand most things he said, bless his heart) man ... who was VERY, VERY interested in making my computer run faster.

I talked with him as he had me open my computer's EventViewer (eventvwr.exe ... who knew? ... Not me, obviously.) and scroll through and start COUNTING the errors and warnings. For an EXACT COUNT.
(Since I practically LIVE online, there were TONS of things to scroll through.)

Michael was suspicious (as was I ... calling across the room, "Hey, honey? Does this sound suspicious? No, I DON'T KNOW who's calling. Should I hang up? Oh, OKAY!!! *click!*) ...

And, after I hung up, they called back. We let it go to the answering machine.

And they called back AGAIN!

So, I let Michael deal with it.

Best part of it? Michael made the dude give him his contact information ... and the best quote from Michael, "That's what I'm TRYING to do. Now, are you going to tell me your number??"

Love that man of mine.

SO, if you get a call from Online PC Care, don't trust them. We checked out their website (easy to find, really) and it doesn't look very ... trustworthy.

However, the best part of that search was finding this story:
 http://timtrent.blogspot.com/2010/04/online-pc-care-just-spam-cold-called-me.html
Quite entertaining. ^_^

Now, the question really is ... where did they get our number?

And WHY IN THE BLOODY FINGERS OF THE ZOMBIE BALLERINA NATRILLA did they think that calling people with an iota of intelligence (or, merely, internet access) would result in anything good for them?

So, if you need some fake phone numbers for the creepers in bars or something, let me know. I have a couple you can use. Especially if you pretend to be from New York. *significant look*
(Since, if you're going to be giving out a fake number, you might as well have a good cover story. And a number that you really want to be used. Heh heh heh.)

But, yeah. Thought you should be aware.

(Though, I'm sure that poor Torrus is a very nice man who has found himself in a very bad situation -- telemarketing. ... Which, if you're bored and don't mind some ... worldly humor, there's a game on AdultSwim's website where you play a telemarketer. I'm not wild about it. I prefer the Amateur Surgeon. Although it's HAAAAAAARD and frustrates me to no end. *sigh*)

In which I attempt to catch up ...

Yes, it's been way too long since I last posted (notice a pattern? Grr. I sure do. Blargh.).
I apologize for that.

I really should make more of a schedule about blogging.
(However, I won't be near a computer for about a WHOLE WEEK, really, later this month. HOW WILL I SURVIVE???)
(Answer: I'll be surrounded Monday-Friday by amazing Young Women and their leaders. Then I'll be with Michael, getting MAH PRESHUSSSS BAYBEES, and we'll take my Nana to a family reunion [My Dad's side, obviously. ^_^] ... so I'm going to be a busy Llanna.)

So, what's gone on since I last blogged?

For bedtime stories, we've gotten through:

• Esio Trot
• The Fantastic Mr. Fox
• The Twits
• The Magic Finger (all these are by Roald Dahl)

Now we're getting through Beatrix Potter's stories (which actually makes sense to follow Dahl with Potter ... he was quite a fan of hers). Looks like after this, we'll move onto Treasure Island. Which I've never read. Then we'll read Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-glass ... which I personally love. 

I've been reading books. If you really are interested in which ones I'm getting through, just look at my Goodreads account. ^_^ 

What else have we been doing ... We've gone to the coast one weekend. Always fun. Finally got to the new Swampland exhibit at the aquarium. It's nice. I still miss some of the Oddwater exhibits (seahorses, clownfish, cuttlefish, horseshoe crabs, and being able to pet baby sharks and skates), but the kids did enjoy it. Thank goodness, since it'll be here for a while. ^_^

We went and visited family and went to the Umpqua Valley Summer Arts festival near my hometown. I bought a pound of Garlic Lover's Garlic from the Oregon Spice Rack booth (this company makes GOOD stuff. Mom and I have been loving their garlic mix for the last ... FIFTEEN YEARS? Oh. Em. Gee. I'm OLD.) and Bucket had fun in the Children's area, decorating a crown.
The kids were a little cranky, so we didn't stay all that long ... But we were there long enough to look at all the booths ... and for the kids to pet a tortoise and a ball python at the Wildlife Safari booth.

But, back to the Oregon Spice Rack, I know I'm going to sound like I'm trying to make you buy their stuff ... but, really, it's GOOD. I especially like the Garlic Lover's Garlic (duh), the Cajun Spice (GREAT on fries!), and the Cinnamon Toast Sprinkle. We've also tried the Caribbean Sunshine (it's like a relish/dipping sauce But GOOD. Since I don't really like regular relish), the jalepeno relish (I like to mix it with cream cheese and eat it with crackers. ^_^), and the Cajun catsup.

If you're interested in buying in person (especially so you can sample the products), the website lets you know where their booths will be. Which makes it nice. ^_^

But, yeah, enough about the AMAZING, BESTEST garlic mix ever ...

Last week, we had the missionaries come over for dinner. I made pizzas. A BBQ chicken and a taco-style (which Michael did the work on). And Michael made pudding for dessert. The elders were scheduled to come at 7:30 ... which is later than we've usually served them dinner. But, this time, they were late. So the kids went to bed SO LATE. 

Which meant that they were quieter than usual when my mom was up. They were so tired. Poor kiddos. But they had fun. They got to go to the VERY LAST part of a library-sponsored picnic/concert in the next town. Then we went to McDonald's for lunch, where they got to play. And Bucket got the EXACT TOY that she REALLY WANTED (well, after I exchanged the first one). Bruise ... well, he wasn't wild about his toy at first. But after we talked about it (since he'd ripped open its package, so we couldn't exchange it), he likes it. ^_^ Then they got to play at the park with Mutti while I volunteered. I left a few minutes early, since I had nothing left to shelve at the end of my shift. Which was perfect since I met Mom and the kids, coming back in, as I was ready to check out my holds that I'd picked up.

Then we went to T.J. Maxx and got the kids shorts for the summer (since Bruise had, what, ONE PAIR LEFT that still fit him. Oops. And Bucket needed some, too.) and I found a pair of capris that I can wear (and take to Girls' Camp). Then we went to the Farmers' Market. We picked up some fresh pastries (the kids got a blueberry scone to share. I opted for a Cherry Cheese pastry. Mom got Cream Cheese-swirled brownies for herself and Michael), some salad, and some berries (this time we're trying Golden Raspberries, along with some fresh strawberries). And some Kettle Corn. Yum.

I got a new rice cooker. It looks small, but it's really cute. It's red. And it's supposed to hold 10 cups of cooked rice. ^_^ AND it's NON-STICK ... which isn't really the case with my older rice cooker.

Thursday, Mom and I got some smell-good stuff at Bath and Body Work's sale. I got lotions and body sprays in Forever Sunshine (the new scent. I really like it), Cucumber Melon, and Twilight Woods. And I feel a little dirty for buying something with "Twilight" in the name. Because, really, I don't care for "Twilight" all that much. Yes, I've read the books. Yes, I have friends who are Twihards (I also have friends who HATE Twilight with the passion of one thousand burning suns) ... I'm somewhere in the middle, really.
(Personally, "The Host" had stronger writing. ... But I've liked vampire fiction since I was in, wow, JUNIOR HIGH ... And I think that L.J. Smith's "The Vampire Diaries" --all four books-- are better. I'm not all that into Anne Rice's vampire books. But I do like Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series [actually, just about EVERYTHING that Harris writes, I've enjoyed] ... along with some others.) ... I rather like to make fun of Twilight.

If you haven't seen the HISHE for Twilight, you MUST WATCH IT!!!

It never gets old. I could watch that over and over. Though it is missing the awesome Muse in the soundtrack. ^_^

I'm feeling fat again. Big surprise. But I'm trying to handle it ... and work up the motivation to actually make time to work out. So far, I haven't had much success. Besides walking down the street to a restaurant to pick up something they'd forgetten to give us (and they were so, so sweet about it).

Last weekend, we went to a party for a friend of Bruise and Bucket -- the son of one of my besties. They had a pool party. Bruise barely got out of the water -- paddling about in his water wings. Bucket's water wings had a hold in one of them, so I had taken her out. She went underwater, NOT of her own volition, and spent some time cuddling with Michael, getting her courage back up. She did swim with me ... clinging like a spider monkey with a DEATH GRIP. (She's a strong little munchkin). But she did have a great time, too. Then we went to our friends' house for a BBQ with the BEST POTATO SALAD (It had dill pickles in it. I really hate sweet pickles. They taste so gross to me. I know that I'm a freak of nature. So this potato salad was GREAT). And there was a really good broccoli salad. Strips of tomatoes, crumbles of bacon, and some vinagrette. SO good.

ANNOYING THING: The kids' spring horse (like a rocking horse, but on springs? Did you have one of them as a kid? I did. So did Michael) broke. AGAIN. And the company that originally made it went bankrupt and was bought out by a DIFFERENT company ... which doesn't make them any more ... and is out of replacement parts. Because the parts were made of plastic. Ugh.

So Michael -- my big, strong, Mr. Fix-It man -- is figuring out some way to fix it. With I-bolts (or is it eye-bolts? I wouldn't know). 

Yes, I don't deserve him. I know. I'm aware.

So ... yeah ... that's just about everything really pertinent that you might have missed. If you really care. (Which you must, since you're reading this. ^_^ Thank you. You know I love you. ^_^)

At least, I THINK that's everything.

If you have any questions or whatever, do feel free to leaven them in the comments or something. ^_^

Random Crap

So ... let's see ... what else is really new?

Bucket cut her hair the other day. A couple days after I got my hair cut. ... (Did I mention? I got my hair cut. It's shorter than I've ever had it before. I like it. I got the kids' approval before I went out and did it. I asked Michael if he cared. He doesn't. He likes me regardless of what my hair looks like. Bless the man. ^_^)
Here it is:

(Featuring my awesome Hello Kitty barrette ... which is, like, a DECADE OLD. Oy.)

So then Mom and I took her to get her hair fixed. All in all, her self-inflicted haircut could have been MUCH worse. She cut the hair on one side of her head. So she had ... chin-length bangs on ONE SIDE. I tried to even up the other side. ... I called Michael and talked it over with him. Let him get a look at her and all. Then we went to Precision Cuts and she got the "Young Dakota Fanning" bob. It's cute. It's different. She looks older and younger all at the same time.

Well, I've been all hormonal and having insomnia ... And having crazy dreams.

In the last one, one of my friends lost her (currently-in-utero) baby AND her mom died. On her mom's birthday.

Now, I've been a little worried for this friend. It isn't her first miscarriage. So I've been praying. And the kids are praying (though I haven't told them WHY. They just ask for a blessing for their Auntie [since I have a dearth of biological siblings, I just adopt my besties ^_^] in their nightly prayers.), too.

I knew that her mom couldn't have just died. Since her birthday already had passed. Phew. (Thank you, Facebook, for posting people's birthdays. Phew!)

And it looks like Michael will have to take that HUGE test again. Ugh.
I've cried about it already. And I think I can handle it.
(Though I am still praying and praying and praying and hoping and praying that some mistake was made and that these Standardized Test groups involved will find that some mistake was made [wrong answer key, perhaps?] and that he really DID pass and life will be good. He'll get a [MUCH DESERVED] raise and we can progress with our life. Instead of having to push his career plans back a year. *sigh* *looks up and fans eyes*)
It's just (more than) a little frustrating. 

I know it's stupid to whine about it ... but ... we pay our tithing. We work at following the commandments. Overall, we're decent people.

There must be something, SOMETHING BIG, that we're/I'm supposed to learn from this situation.
Hopefully, I figure out what the heck it is ... and LEARN IT. FAST.

She's still cute. And she's seeming to enjoy it ... Even though we CONSTANTLY remind her that if she wants a hair cut to TELL US and NOT DO IT HERSELF!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!one!

I would report on what BOTH of the kids did in their Sunday School class last Sunday ... but I've somehow lost Bucket's paper!! *GASP!!*

Crappit .... I've just looked EVERYWHERE and I can't find it!!! D:

Well ... (I hope it turns up) ... The kids' lesson was obviously on "I can do many things." And they each got a notecard that listed what they can do. Bucket's answers included (but there were MORE!) "I can lay on the floor and take a nap." and "I can feed Diana-cat." and things like that. ... I have to find that card. It's driving me crazy!!

Bruise's answers cracked me up:

• Play with robots.
• Play with Star Wars Legos.
• Play Star Wars game on the DPS.

(It's a Nintendo DS ... not a DPS. I think he got DVD, GPS, and Nintendo DS mixed up. Which makes sense going with how he refers to Star Wars characters: Dark Aver [Darth Vader], C330 [C-3PO], DR2 [R2-D2], and Bo Fett-Fett [Boba Fett].)

Of course, his sister calls the remote the "MA-rote," which is composed completely of pure adorablenessessence.

I managed to make it through this month without the return of the nasty allergies-turning-into-sinitus AGAIN. Yay for me, remembering to take allergy pills.

(I also managed to get, via a sweet Facebook link, a FREE Neti Pot. Which I am determined to try to use sometime this weekend. Wish me luck that I don't trigger my gag reflex or anything!)

We are taking a little break from the Oz books (Frank L. Baum. We've read though to "The Emerald City of Oz" ... which is where HE originally stopped the series. Then started up again.) and have been reading Roald Dahl to the kids. So far, we've done "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" and "Esio Trot." ... We'll read "The Twits" and "The Magic Finger" next. Then we'll figure out where to go from there. Maybe "Mrs. Piggle Wiggle." Or Grimm's Fairy Tales or something like that. ... So many options. So little time ...

Yeah ... what else is there?  Um ... not a whole lot that I can think of. Sorry. I'm kinda boring and/or forgetful.

Reasons I love my family ...

As Michael and I were heading to bed, our conversation turned to where he was singing a modified version of "You Are Sixteen, Going on Seventeen" from The Sound of Music.

(Also, it's a running joke between us that he has no heart. Seriously, he NEVER cries. Or gets insanely angry or throws tantrums [like yours truly]. ... Really. I've seen him cry ONCE. In a DECADE. I've seen him get very upset [as angry as he gets] MAYBE twice. In a DECADE.)

I remarked that he's really destroying his cred by singing from a Broadway musical.
He countered that he wasn't.

"What are you saying about Broadway musicals, then? They're totally full of heart and emotion!"
"But," he rebuffed, "The Sound of Music is not a musical. It has JULIE ANDREWS in it. Therefore, it is A WORK OF ART."

THAT, right there, people ... THAT is why I keep falling in love all over again with this man. ^_^

--------------

This morning, Bruise TOTALLY cracked me up.

He came to me, wearing his Jedi robe ... and I have to share the second one first. Just bear with me.

Bruise: (in Jedi robes, bearing a green light saber) Dis is wike YODA.
(And he's right! Yoda has a green light saber and wears a Jedi robe.)

The FIRST one --- are you prepared for this??

Bruise: (a minute earlier. In the Jedi robe and holding his red light saber)
             "Dis is wike Down Koo-koo."

I had to think about it for a sec ... "down koo-koo ... down koo-koo" ....

Then it hit me.

COUNT DOOKU.

(Who does bear a red light saber while wearing the Jedi robes. See??)



Oh. My. HECK ... I have the best family EVER.

"Down Koo-koo." *snickers*

My Own IMMD

I don't know if you read It Made My Day ... But I do and I enjoy it.

So there.

JOKING!!!! (But I do read and enjoy it.)

Here's mine. Had me laughing SO HARD.

Michael had left his laptop on the floor in the living room. He's been working on a proposal for work.
He called me over to look at his spreadsheet.

Typed out in one of the boxes was one of our kids' names.
In other boxes were various letters.

All of his work was fine, thank goodness.

But seriously, our daughter just totally narc-ed on herself! Ha ha ha ha ha!

...

...

...

Maybe you had to be there.

On being an aunt again ...

My niece was born this morning at 7:54 AM.
(Obviously the doctors were on schedule, since my SIL's C-section was scheduled to start at 7:30.)

She's 5 pounds, 9 ounces and 18-1/2 inches long.

Mom C sent me a picture on the cell phone.

This is a good thing.

-----------

I remember the first time I became an aunt. With this little baby's oldest sister.

As an only child, I was completely and totally resigned to the fact that I'd NEVER be an aunt. EVER.

(Obviously, I never considered the fact that I might marry someone with siblings. That's me. Completely egocentric.)

And, so, when my first niece was born, I really had NO. FRIGGIN'. CLUE as to HOW to be an aunt.

I really wanted to be the cool aunt. One that she could come to for advice as a teenager and all ...

But, seeing as how I was (again egocentric) and a little bitter about not being able to have the first grandbaby (Because, dammit, I'm older. Just saying. ... And, yeah, I'm still a little bitter that, on my dad's side, all [two] of my younger cousins are taller than I am. Didn't used to be that way. ... And, really, things aren't looking so good for me on my Mom's side, either.) ... Well, let's just say that it's hard to be a cool aunt when you're a bit resentful and trying to hide it.

Of course, it was really helpful that I had to opportunity to email with one of my aunts (who I do think of as my "cool aunt" ... even though she left our family (since she divorced my dad's brother) before I got to use her as a confidant, really.
But I asked her if she ever felt that way. Since my mom did have me before Aunt S had her two kids.
No, she never felt resentful in regards to my mom and me ... but she did feel that way in her family, since one of her siblings beat her to having kids.

And, knowing this, I felt better. I knew that I wasn't alone. And that I wasn't the only person to feel bad (and feel guilty about not feeling more positive).

So, when the second niece was born, I was pregnant with my duo ... and that did change things. (Of course, it did help that I had the first grandson on this side. On my side of the family, I was the first to pop out any kids. Not hard when you're an only child, I assure you. And my step-sisters had their kids a bit ago. I think the last was born when I was in high school or college.)
(And, oh, my Nana was so cute when I let her know we were expecting. "I never thought I'd live to be a great-grandmother!" *lol* And now she has three great-grandkids ... since my Cousin S has her son, too.)

Of course, this second niece and I have never really seen eye to eye ... We have very conflicting personalities. ... Of course, talking with family, it seems that I'm not the only one to feel that way. Ha ha ha. But, yeah. I'm SO NOT the cool aunt with her.

I'm still getting used to my nephew. He's so QUIET (and who could blame him since he has TWO very verbal older sisters?) ... so I never really know what he's thinking.
And, also, I'm distracted by my own kiddos.

So ... well, maybe this little miss will think I'm a cool aunt.

She certainly is unlike her siblings (I don't think that there have been HALF the scares during pregnancies with ALL the others put together. We were worried that she had a birth defect at one point. Then there's the fact she had to be delivered by C-section ... all the others were natural [mostly because my SIL has FAST deliveries]).

Hopefully I'll be cool enough that she won't just think of me as "[Bruise] and [Bucket]'s Mom, the chubby aunt."

(Argue as you will, but I am much more "zaftig" than Michael's sisters or sister-in-law. And, unless J marries an Amazon, I do outweigh them all. ... I try not to think about it all the time. I mean really, Michael married himself a pale, pale, educated blob. ... Yeah, that link takes you to a picture of what I FEEL I look like when compared to his sisters. If I really think about it.
It just captures the pale excesses of skin and the large nose. ... And THAT is why I do my darndest to NOT dwell on the fact that I am not cut from the same cloth as my dear, sweet, darling sisters-in-law.)
(Because, face it. It's downright depressing. ... And I don't like to be all sad.)

(Of course, if I really took up exercising, I could change that. Right? ... Although, I'd be tempted to FIRST tone up doing weight-lifting. This way, when I FINALLY start shedding fat, I'd have these nicely toned muscles to show for it. Instead of blobbly, skinnier appendages. I'm just saying.)

BUT, back to the topic at hand ... It'd be nice to be a cool aunt. Maybe this is my chance.

Though, honestly?
It's SO much easier when they start talking.
Just saying. ^_^

Another sorrily belated post

Let's see, what all has been going on?

• Bruise is doing better on his word box (sight words).
  
• Bucket is actually reading (Dick and Jane and theBob books. Pretty cool.
• We had a great weekend visiting family.
• Michael and I are both sporting (peeling) sunburns.
  His forehead totally peeled in the shower. And, during my shower yesterday, my chest totally peeled. My arms (TOTAL FARMER'S TAN) feel fine and look nicely tanned. My forehead and nose were peeling ... and made my makeup look so strange. But the burn there has faded. It's just my chest that still looks a bit lobster-y.
• My latest niece is probably born by now. (My SIL, A's C-section [placenta previa] was planned for 7:30 this morning.)
• I still haven't caught up in folding laundry.
• My mom and I are eagerly awaiting packages. Books and trains (for Bruise) from Amazon. Shoes from Crocs. I've never had real Crocs. And I'll have some that'll be great for EVERYTHING (like church and my volunteer stint at the library). Yeah, I didn't order the clog-gy type shoes. I got the Malindi in Silver and the Olivia in black. Mom got the Farrahin Espresso. Aren't they CUTE? ... I DID look long and hard at the Sately in Mushroom/Espresso and the McCall Coral in Oyster/Blue. Aren't they CUTE??) We had a coupon for free ground shipping ($4.99 elsewise) and then, by signing up for their newsletter, I got a coupon for 20% off the whole order. ^_^ Pretty awesome, huh?
• Bruise had a BLAST on the Jetboat ride. As you can see from the picture above. ^_^
  I think of all the kids on the boat (in our family group. There were seven kids total), Bruise had the best time. He did get a little wet, but he didn't mind it near as much as the other kids. Princess Bucket, included. (She, actually, FELL ASLEEP on the boat. Not all that surprising, since the kids were all staying up until around midnight and naps were just NOT. GONNA. HAPPEN. ... That's what goes on during these sleepovers with their cousins.) ... Now I really, really would like a boat. Sometime. Sooner.
• Using the Mary Kay microdermabrasion kit last night really DID help with the peeling on my face. I mean, my nose is still a little peel-y ... but it's SO much better.
• While down visiting family, some of us went to Target. And I smacked my J-head (the brother-in-law that I consistently get along with. And I do adore him. He always makes me laugh. And he gets to work on VIDEO GAMES! ... Not that I don't adore my other brothers-in-law. Because I do.) with pillows that Cousin K was buying.
  It's a good thing that J-head and I get along so well. Because most people would probably get annoyed with me. But J and I can just laugh about it. This is one reason why he's so awesome.
• Tomorrow, I get to see my Pie (her nickname) for the first time in YEARS! (Like, in over FIVE years!) ... She and I will get together for a playdate, since she and her daughter are in town (well, a nearby town) for her sister's graduation. ^_^ I'm looking forward to seeing her. Can you tell?
• I have a couple pregnant friends. Who have both miscarried before. One's pregnancy is official. The other is getting closer to announcing hers. But, when I checked with her yesterday, everything is going well. I'm SO, SO, SO glad for prayer. (I actually have quite a few friends who've miscarried in the past. So this is really sufficiently vague. Trust me. It's enough that I do feel rather guilty for not having experienced a miscarriage myself. Not that I want to. Nor do I wish that anyone would experience one. But I know that they're really common. And I feel sad that my friends have gone through this. Well, that ANYONE'S had to go through it.)
• Still, I'm SO GLAD for my friends.
• Another of my friends miscarried this last month. :(
• My Nana's brother (well, her surviving brother -- as opposed to the one who died in a car crash before she got married) passed away last week. He'd been sick, so it wasn't a huge surprise. Still, it feels like everyone around me is dying. ... Mom said, when I told her that, I must be hanging around with my stepdad too much. Since, being in his seventies, he feels that way a lot.
• I read Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games. Now I just have to wait for MockingJay to come out.
• At the library, I found the fifth book in a series that I like just sitting on the shelf. Brand new. And I didn't even know it was coming out. That was fun. So was finding a CD of Glee songs on the shelf.
• At Costco the other day, we were shopping. I mentioned to another shopper that her perfume smelled amazing. She gave me what was left of the perfume sample (since she had a full-size of it at home). A complete stranger! Wasn't that lovely of her? (For the record, it's Daisy by Estee Lauder Marc Jacobs ...
  I haven't tried it on me yet. But it does smell wonderous. ^_^)

Okay, if I'm going to get to story time, we have to get dressed and leave.

Crazy Dream Chronicles - May 26 night/ 27 morning

This dream was one that I was actually a bit bummed to wake up from.

In it, we had been seeing Gingi-cat's ghost. We apparently saw it so often that it was totally normal.

"Oh, there's the ghost of Gingi again." "Look. Ginger's ghost is there now."

And then, for whatever reason, our ottoman was near the computer. And Ging jumped on it. And I reached out, out of habit, to pet her.

And she was tangible.

And I held her.

And I pet her.

And Michael could touch her, too.

And Mom and the kids got up. And they could see her and pet her.

....

And then I had to wake up.

Dammit.

Yes, it's been 300 days. Exactly. 9 months and 27 days.
And I still miss her.

Most days I do okay.

Then I get something wonderful like this and it hits me.

Dammit.

Michael just says maybe I'm having this dream so I'll be ready for the resurrection.
I'd better get ready a LOT faster than I've been doing lately. Because, in my dream, I didn't look much older than I presently am.

But, yeah. That's the only dream that I had lately that really sticks out.

Besides the REALLY crazy one where I was a pretty Asian girl. Who liked kissing other girls. WEIRD. Really weird.

I don't like dreams where I want to wake up and scream, "But I'm NOT a lesbian!!"
(It might make Michael a little worried.)
(And no offense if you are a lady who's attracted to other ladies. I just don't swing that way. You're still a lovely person and the Lord loves you very much.)

These pseudo-real dreams are starting to wig me out.
Because either I don't want them to come true and they DO. :(
Or I'd REALLY like them to be true and they AREN'T. :( :(

Stupid subconscious. Why can't I just have the regular-crazy-butt type dreams?

Um ...

I can use the excuse that I've been a little busy. If you were here, you could look at my house and attest to that statement's validity due to the fact that almost all the laundry is washed, we no longer have laundry piled on our bed (it's on the couch only. Score!) and almost all the dishes are done.

And that I was sick in the head and had the bright idea (which, truly is a good thing) to organize the food in the bottom cupboard (and refill the olive oil and baking powder containers near the stove. Which needed to be done).

I've been using oil to clean my face for most of last week. Grapeseed oil. I didn't break out. Even though it was THAT WEEK. If you know what I mean. And I think you do. (As of today, I'm back to normal. Yay!)

I did have a couple zits. I started using some Mary Kay stuff that my lovely, lovely sister-in-law squared (she's the wife of my brother-in-law, you see) gave me since she's dropping out of the Mary Kay business. And, oh, I've been having SUCH FUN with the load of stuff that she let me have. (Also, I owe her TONS of babysitting.)

In fact, this morning, I did the microdermabrasion for the second time (I think the last time I did it was Saturday). I've had this weird rough/textured spot along my jawline for AGES. It's ALMOST TOTALLY GONE! (I think it's like a callus from my resting that side of my chin on my hand so often. That's my theory.) And my pimples are quickly leaving due to the Acne Treatment Gel (I LOVED it when I used it back in high school. ^_^).

Tuesday through Thursday morning, we had fun with Mutti (my mom). We took the kids into town Wednesday (that McDonald's has an indoor play place) when I volunteered. They were watching "The Clone Wars" on the portable DVD player while I was shelving books upstairs (they were in the van, out of the rain) and it ran out of batteries. So Mutti and the kiddos got to explore the library a bit. ... Bruise was getting a little cranky. Poor Mutti.
After volunteering, we went to Trader Joe's (I picked up Jojoba oil and the Orange Blosson scented liquid soap. Smells SO GOOD!) and stopped by a family farm on the way home. I got lip balms (Berry pear, Vanilla Almond, and Eucalyptus Lime) and lavender body mist and massage oil. Mom picked up some DELICIOUS strawberries for dessert.

We headed home. It was SO WINDY! So windy and rainy, in fact, that as we were cooking dinner (chicken in orange sauce and brown rice. Along with mashed cauliflower, salad, and edamame), the power went out. For an HOUR. So dinner was late. Oops! Oh well. It was still pretty tasty!

Thursday, it was actually nice enough outside that, after storytime, the kids got to play at the park. Which made up for my being the MEANEST MOTHER EVAR!!!!1!!one! last week when I felt too much like figurative crap to let MAH PRESHUS BAYBEEES have fun in the sun at the park. So, yeah. My kids love me again. ^_^

I'm still hacking a bit. I'm sure it's not pneumonia (which my mom was worried about). It's probably just sinitus that's REALLY wearing out its welcome (not that it's EVER welcome).
(In fact, Michael's home sick today. Poor guy. :( ... and poor me. I can't even have fun with him since he's sleeping off the nasty plague. Oh well. We'll have fun later.)

Friday, we went and picked up Bruce's train table (It used to be one of their friend's train table. But he wasn't playing with it much. So his mom offered it for sale on Facebook. And I was lucky enough to jump on that first! _^ YAY!!!!) ... which is now sitting in the middle of the living room. At least he's playing with it every day. And, hey, once we invest in some bunk beds for the kiddos, it'll move into their room.

While we were up north, the kids got to play with their friend (and Michael and I got to chat with his parents. One of whom is one of my besties since sixth grade). Then we went to drop off some things at their cousins' house. And we stayed and played and I got the aforementioned FUN FUN Mary Kay things. (Seriously, my feet and hands are SO SOFT between the Satin Hands and the fact that I've been using Jojoba oil on them. And I've been having fun putting on makeup this weekend. Such fun!)

(Now, to feel any prettier, I just need to drop about fifty pounds. ^_^) (Or tone up my fat and stretched-out skin. That'd help.)

I've also been playing a LOT of Plants vs. Zombies. It's crazy-addictive.

I've also had strange dreams. In one, a friend of mine who was just barely pregnant, told me she miscarried. I woke up hoping that this wasn't true at all. ... It was. :( She got hold of me a few hours after I woke up and told me.

I hate it when I have unhappy dreams that come true.
Of course, Michael asked me if it wasn't better to have some advance warning for bad things. He does have a point. ... Though, honestly, I just never want bad things to happen AT ALL.
Because I'm SO realistic like that. :P

But she's really doing well. And they'll try again in a few months. (They're going to make such CUTE and FUN kids.)

We took the kids to the park on Saturday, in between rainstorms. They had fun. Even though the slides were wet enough that their little buns were SOAKED. Poor Bruise was walking like how I did after I rode a horse (YEARS AGO), all wide-legged. Poor guy. And Bucket loves to run. I hope she doesn't lose that. It'll help her to stay in good shape. ^_^

Sunday was a good day. Church was great (as always). We were home-taught. And, in the evening, we got to go visit with a few of our friends that we haven't been able to get together with for a while. We ate delicious food. Everyone's kids played together (after ours finished playing shy). Lots of fun adult conversation. I got to hold a little baby (who slept just about the entire time I held him. Even though I warned him what a scary old woman I am. ^_^).

No, I really don't have baby fever. I do wonder if I SHOULD have more kids sometime. I mean, I feel really fulfilled with Bruise and Bucket. But am I supposed to have more? What if I have one with Cystic Fibrosis or Down's Syndrome or something?

(I hate having possibilities like those up in the air. I mean, I COULD think of it more like, "What if I will bear the future scientist who cures cancer/philanthopist that ends world hunger/etc.?" instead of just focusing on what could go wrong. But, yeah, I'm kinda scared to have more kids. And our house is small. And, really, I'm selfish. I know it.)

(And there's the fact that I don't have insurance and it costs way too much to get my IUD out right now. Yeah. A money tree would solve all our current problems. Anyone have a money tree? ... Though, to be completely honest, if all our problems can be solved by throwing money at them, they're not THAT BIG of problems.)

But, yeah. I've been reading books, playing computer games, cleaning the house ... and not blogging a whole lot. Sorry!

But did I mention that I have VERY soft skin? I totally DO! ^_^
And I got to socialize! That's pretty amazing!

... Now I just have to make time to finish my library books (and watch the movies from the libraries) and Daria. Oh, I've missed Daria so, so much.

And I get to eagerly await when "Backseat Saints" comes out. Then I'll get a signed copy of that (and of "The Girl Who Stopped Swimming") sent to me. Exciting!!!

And I really, really hope that this stupid allergy/sinitus/cold/PLAGUE is completely gone by then.

Hey, at least I'm not dry-heaving due to the cough anymore. That really freaked out Bruise Thursday morning. And he IMMEDIATELY ran down the hall, "Mutti!!! [Bucket]!! Mommy frew up in da SINK!!!" ... Which freaked my poor mom out, "Allanna? Do we need to take you to Urgent Care? I have money."

I declined. I just am drinking more water to flush out the nasty nastiness. Besides, of the last few weeks when I've had this (off and on), I've only brought up food, like, ONCE. No biggie.

Well, I should get the laundry folded. And all this water really makes me have to pee. And I really don't want to do that while I'm sitting in my computer chair. Because that'd be gross and messy.

My week ... where did it go?

Okay, let's see. So I last wrote on Monday. ... What went on the rest of the week?

Tuesday: I know that Glee was on. And, oh! TOMORROW is the JOSS WHEDON-directed episode with NEIL PATRICK HARRIS!!!!!!! ... Yes, I'm a little excited.

I know that I did some housework. Yup. That was really about it. Did I read any books? I mean, I've been working at getting through books this week. And I've done a decent job! ^_^

My allergies turned into a cold. But that wasn't TOO OFF-PUTTING, since I didn't go in to volunteer on Wednesday. I did take the kids to storytime at the library here. And that, really, was the highlight of the day.

Bucket was waking us up EARLY-EARLY in the mornings. She'd have to go pee and couldn't open the door (you have to turn the knob ALL the way, HOLD IT THERE, THEN PULL the door open). And then Diana-cat had puked in the hallway. And she stepped on it.
And Michael, bless his sweet heart, was the one to deal with all that. I was SO zonked out.

Then Diana kept throwing up at nights. I mean, she usually has a puke once every few weeks. Not every night.
Then I noticed that she hadn't been eating or drinking. So Wednesday night/Thursday morning, _I_ couldn't sleep, and I looked up her symptoms online. We can't afford a trip to the vet's office, so I just prayed (and prayed) and forced water down her throat and gave her hairball remedy ... and, by Thursday evening, she lapped up some tuna water (since I made tuna noodles -- ooooh, SO exciting *eye roll*) and has been fine since.

Except that she's MEOWING. LOUDLY. In the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!
So, yes. She's alive and healthy.
And now I'm wondering if it was really worth the effort.

(Joking!)
(mostly.)

Thursday ... I think I folded clothes. And read. And was nursing Diana-cat back to health.

(8reads my Facebook posts*) ... Oh, yeah! Bucket threw up as I was getting out of the shower. All over the (thankfully TILED) bathroom floor. Just drank too much water too quickly.

We went to storytime. Where Bruise was in fine form. I think he threw two fits there. And another fit when I told them that I was really just too tired to take them to the park to play when they were acting so overly-tempermental and (in Bucket's case) fake-shy. I really didn't feel like snuffling away on a park bench, surrounded by pollen, when I felt like crap.

So the BOTH threw a fit. In the library. That was fun.
(Yes, that last sentence was SO dripping with sarcasm.)

The big excitement that night was that I took a huge mouthful of NyQuil and a couple snorts of Afrin (best nasal spray EVER) and had to go to bed about ten minutes into the movie Michael and I started watching in the living room. And then I slept like the DEAD. That was around, what, 8:30 that night.
I finally woke up Friday morning around 7:30. I felt better ... but still groggy and snuffy.

And we went to the zoo. Which was busy. Seriously, the parking lot was PACKED.
We stayed there for a couple hours and headed back home. And Michael helped a family move out of the ward. :(
And then he came home and we watched Whip It. (Which was a FUN movie. ^_^ ... Of course, it was made even better by Michael's outbust of, "No, Ellen, don't do it!" when Ellen Page's character is making a bad decision. Yes, the show was a bit predictable. But it was quite fun.)

Saturday, we went to farmer's market and I bought DELICIOUS Blackberry honey. Then we went to storytime at the library. Then we came home and cleaned the van and the truck. Michael and I SCRUBBED the crap outta the stains in the work truck. It looks MUCH better.

We took the middle seats out of the van and I vacuumed the heck outta the van. It looks SO NICE now. We've left the back seat down (after we got all the needles from our Christmas tree, what, almost SIX MONTHS AGO) vacuumed out for Friday. We're buying a train table from one of our friends. Bruise is going to be SO EXCITED. When we told them last night that we were going to drive to [our friends' son]'s house, they were all excited to play with his train table. Heh heh heh.

And, yeah, I didn't make it to the Stake RS meeting. It was 30 minutes before it started ... and I would have had to get cleaned up, put the seats back in the van, give up on finishing the vacuuming or washing it (which we did after we cleaned the inside), and put on church clothes. And tried not to blow my nose, sniff up my snot, or hack my lungs out the whole time. Just wasn't feeling it. I suck. Oh well.

Sunday, I didn't go to church. Because, really, hacking until you start gagging? Well, it's just not really conducive to the Spirit. So, I stayed home and Michael took the kids to church. I rested and finished some library books and drank hot cider. And blew my nose about a BAZILLION times.

My voice is still crap right now. But my nose is clearer today. It's now just a cold.
Still, I'll be happy when July hits and my allergies should be OVER.

This is the second month in a row where my allergies spiraled into a nasty cold. I don't much care for it. ... I'll just have to really make sure to keep taking my fake-Zyrtec.

Oh, and feeding the kids lunch today? Bruise threw a fit because I was making them apple slices with caramel dip.
"I NO _YIKE_ DAT!!!!!!" He pretty-much shrieked.

And I was calm and collecte ... Yeah, I can't keep a straight face even just TYPING that.

I yelled at him that he was giving me crap attitude and I was NOT going to accept that.
And then I made him try the caramel sauce (Srsly, the boy's ADAMANTLY opposed to any kinds of dip. Yes, it was sauce from McDonald's. ... And when we go to McDonald's, he won't dip his fries in ketchup or use ANY dipping sauce for his nuggets! ... As opposed to his sister, who dips her fries in BBQ AND KETCHUP ... Or me. Right now, I LOVE dipping my fries in the Tangy Honey Mustard sauce. YUMMMM. And I'm known to dip my burger in the ketchup. I like sauces! Even Michael uses sauces when he eats! ... I just don't get it. Maybe it's just a phase?)

Well, it's after two now. I should eat something today. ... It just hasn't been on my list of priorities. That and, when I can barely smell/taste, food just isn't all that exciting. :(

Mother's Day Aftermath ...

It was a pretty quiet Mother's Day, really. Pretty quiet weekend, all truth be told.

Since paying off all the credit card debt and getting caught up on tithing, if I said that money was a little tight, that'd be a bit of an understatement. But, by June, we'll have money. We can start SAVING, which will be GREAT.

The big news is that my mom saw a GREAT DEAL on a computer (CPU and monitor for $399) and that was my Mother's Day present. From my wonderful Mom. And a printer with wireless capabilities. (I really think that she covered Mother's and Father's Day ... since Michael has his laptop back AND is able to print from anywhere in the house. Which he's wanted to do for, oh, FOREVER. ^_^)

We looked around Farmer's Market Saturday morning but didn't get anything. We missed most of the Family Fair at the library ... we had tried to get the kids to take a nap. And Michael thought the fair STARTED at 4. (It was from 2-4. Oops.) And Bruise spilled half a cup of juice in the hall at the library. Urgh! (<-- That is SO a word. I JUST used it.)

Also, speaking of words ... I was THRILLED that on Glee last week, they TOTALLY used the word "man whore." REPEATEDLY.

I started using that back in, like, 2002. That is MY WORD. And it's famous now!
(Hey, I think it's absolutely hypocritical that girls who sleep around are called bad names and that there wasn't a word for guys who do that, really. I mean, "player" comes close ... but "man whore?" TOTALLY describes a guy like that.)

(It's so MY word.)

Back to the weekend ... In Sacrament Meeting at church, Bucket wouldn't get up to sing with the rest of the Primary kids. She clung to my arm and was all, "Noooo. I want to stay with YOOOOOOOOOOOO!" So Bruise was the only child representative up with the rest of the group.

And did he sing?

Nope! He just stood there, trying to hide behind the taller kids (easy) and smiled at me. Didn't open his mouth once, silly boy.

The kiddos made cards/pictures in Sunbeams (paint on their hands to create a flower). Bucket's flower is, of course, purple. Bruise's is red, naturally. Bucket didn't want to give me hers. Ha! (I won. They're on the fridge right now.)

On the way home, Bruise declared that he did NOT want Mac 'n' Cheese when we got home (Sad, but true: Our Sunday lunch tradition is Mac and Cheese ... so that the kids don't ask for it EVERY SINGLE DAY. ), he wanted a PB&J.
Michael: Okay. But what does MOMMY want for lunch? It's Mother's Day. What does she want for lunch and dinner?
Me: ... Oh, gosh, I don't really know. Let me think ...
Bruise: Moooom??
Me: Yeah, sweetie, what?

Bruise: You want fish-eye sooooop.
Me: *laughs and laughs and laughs*

Now, if you're wondering about that, this is a bit of an unspoken family tradition from MY childhood. When I'd whine about being hungry and wanting to know what was for dinner, my mom would tease me by telling me we were having fish-eye soup or worm pizza. ... And I've continued the family torture.

And I was GREATLY AMUSED that Bruise is carrying out this joke. Good job, little man. Good job.

So, yeah ... that's a lot of what's keeping me busy.

And, for the record, Michael made me stir fry last night. Yum!

Also, I'm incredibly behind in folding laundry and doing dishes. That's what this week is for, right?
In other news, my brother-in-law and his wife have gotten me addicted to playing Plants vs. Zombies. (Michael is, understandably, less than thrilled.

In other, OTHER news, I'm actually back on the Windows Instant Messenger (What is it, Windows Live Messenger? I still call it MSN IM. Because I'm OLD SKOOL. ... Or just old.) ... but I'm still on GoogleTalk. I just have less family on Gtalk. *sigh* But I LOVE the Google! Oh well.

But I hope that all you moms had a wonderful Mother's Day. And that everyone was able to wish their mommas a happy Mother's Day (as far as circumstances allow, of course. I think shouting it to the sky or whispering it totally counts if your mom/stepmom/grandma/whoever has already passed).

Okay. I think that's all I have for blogging. *sigh*

For Jocelyn

Here it is! I finally loaded and got Writer to work! ^_^

Now I get to have the pretty font, just like you! ^_^

Seriously, for the rest of you who aren’t Jocelyn, I’m kind of a font dork. I usually load tons of different fonts onto my (or Michael’s) computers … I like having options.

Hopefully this one (Segoe Script) isn’t too hard to read. Because it’s just pretty.

And, really, if you’re looking for free fonts, I’m sure that I could help you find a few sites. Because free is my favorite price ever. ^_^

... Now, if I could just edit the labels in Writer ... for those of you who use it, any hints? Right now I'm just too lazy to look it up for myself. Sad, huh? Oh well. :P

Unveiling ...

Here's the new haircolor ... thanks to the magic that is my dinky little (BUT WORKING!) webcam.

I had to color it twice to get a really good color. I first did Feria #40 (Espresso) ... and, well, it looked like I missed a few spots and it wasn't as deep of a color as I was hoping for.

So I went and grabbed some Clariol Perfect 10 in #5 (Mochalotive) ... and Michael was kind enough to put it in my hair and make sure that EVERY. SINGLE. STRAND was covered.

And, as you can tell, he did an awesome job. We joked that he may have missed his calling in life as a hair stylist. ^_^

And, I'm glad to report, my mom likes it! She didn't even bemoan a little that her baby wasn't blonde anymore. ^_^

And Michael likes it.

I'm lucky to have a husband who supports my little forays (Woot! That WAS the word I was looking for! I looked it up, just to check! I am the WORD MEISTER!! :P) into messing with my hair and nail polish color. (Seriously, China Glaze Thataway (tangerine with a gold shimmer) looks AMAZING with my favorite pair of Birks. In case that's ever on Jeopardy or something. :P)

He did mention that it's kind of fun when I color my hair, since each different color seems to highlight a different aspect/facet of my personality.

So I had to quiz him about how I'm different with each hair color.
Here's the breakdown for the colors that I've had:

• Blonde: More sensual (whatever he means by that ... I was going to guess that I was more bubbly as a blonde. Guess I was WRONG. :P)
  
• Red: More vibrant
• Black: More aggressive. And he hastened to clarify that being aggressive isn't a bad thing.
• My natural hair color (a dark blonde): More subdued.
• This color: ... Well, I've only had it for a couple days. We'll see. ^_^
  

Kind of funny, though that my hair color does effect my personality.

But, I guess it makes sense that when I get kind of bored, I usually break out of that funk by changing up my hair and/or nails.

Maybe I just am subconsciously trying to act however a gal with [color] hair would act?

I think the brown hair does look a little more elegant than what I was sporting (a redder shade of my natural color) ... and I do like it. I've always wanted to be a brunette. And, truly, that month where I had black hair? That was FUN. (In fact, Michael always suggests that I go for the black hair again. Maybe because he noticed how fun I found it?)

And, yeah, it's fun to have nail polish on ... and to shake it up.

This is yet another reason why it's really good that I don't have a tattoo or any body piercings. I get bored of things. And it's so cheap and easy for my to switch up my nails and/or hair. ... This was one of the more expensive dye jobs I've given myself ... and it was just around $20. (I can think of two, maybe three, other times that I've used more than one dye. Still, every time, it was under $40 total to fix whatever I've done to my hair. And that even covers trying to go from Jet Black to Platinum Blonde ... which you really SHOULD go to a salon or a professional to do it successfully. ^_^)

But ... yeah. So ... who loves my hair? ^_^ I do!

My presssssssssshussssssssssssh!!!

Michael will get his laptop back.

Because, for Mother's Day, my mommy bought me a new computer.
Staples was having a GREAT deal. We got the last one in stock, even.

(Compaq Presario CQ5320F, if you really want to know. With a new monitor. So it's all matchy-match and gorgeous.)

And it's so, so, so pretty. Wonderfully pretty. And fast. And possessing Windows 7.

And did I mention that it's PRETTY?

Also, my mom let me pick out some plants at Home Depot to replace the (now-dead) butterfly garden sprouts and the geranium she gave me for my birthday. So I have some lavender, violas, and two lovely flowers that I don't recall the names of. My bad. ... but I LOVE the lavender. It smells SOOOOO divine.)

Also, in shopping, I spent most of the money that my dad had given me. (Well, after the tax rebate came in, I was able to be reimbursed for the cash Dad had given me ... which had originally [and UNFORTUNATELY] went to paying for gas. BOO! ... BUT my husband is awesome and let me spend that same amount of money however my little heart chose. ^_^)

SO, here's what I ordered online this morning (it's all preorder, so I won't get it for a while, really):

• Daria: The Complete Animated Series -- Seriously, I've been WAITING for this for OVER a decade. And it's HERE!!!!! It should arrive around May 17 or so.
• Joshilyn Jackson's Backseat Saints, her NEWEST book ... and, since I ordered it from the link for her virtual book tour, I'll get it (and The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, which is the other book of hers that I hadn't already bought) AUTOGRAPHED. TO ME. WITH MY NAME. Oh, yeah. ... Now, I won't get these until around the middle of June.

So, yeah, I'm VERY EXCITED about my birthday presents. ^_^

AND MY MOTHER'S DAY PRESENT ... I mean, I only got my mom some flowers and some hand soap (which smells GORGEOUS, I must add) from Trader Joe's ... IS AMAZING.

And we got a new printer. It's wireless and I haven't yet set it up ... I REALLY hope that it works. Because that'll make life WAY EASIER. ^_^ ... And I'll be able to print in color again. ^_^

But, yeah. Things like this really do make up for the past money woes. ... Well, at least until I think about how we've never had a big family vacation.
(However, the kids REALLY want to go camping. I think that I can swing that. ... But I really don't do HARDCORE camping. I like being able to use and toilet and a shower VERY MUCH. ^_^)

Oh, and I was a nice mom. We played at the park after storytime. Yup. I'm feeling pretty good.
And I had jerky for breakfast. Mmmmm. Salty, dried meat. Good stuff. ^_^

Just a note ...

So, YES, I'm VERY late to jump on the awesome-trend that is NieNie (Stephanie Nielson of The NieNie Dialogues).

I mean, I've known about her for a couple years, since I used to be a regular reader of a couple bloggers who are related to her (they're both friends of Eric D. Snider, who is amazingly hilarious and snarky ... and, in his blog, he recommended some of his friends' blogs.), so I was aware of when she (NieNie) and her husband were in the plane crash.

But I really didn't start reading her blog.

And I have a few friends who RAVE about her blog.

And I kinda put it off.

But, after the newest MormonMessages on YouTube, I HAD to start reading.

She is truly inspiring.

Reading her blog ... well, it makes me want to be a better person and a better mom.

And, seriously, some reader sent her hate mail about getting her hair and a pedicure. Ouch! Even if her family WERE living solely upon the donations of others (which they're NOT. The donations go to cover their medical costs), (1) it's not really anyone's business and (2) seriously, she LIVED through a plane crash, is a good mother of a large family, has daily medical issues ... Heck, if I had the funds, I'd send her to a spa for a month!!

But, yeah. I'm not at all caught up on her blog. And I'm reading going back, which is a little crazy for me.

But if you want a glimpse of an amazing lady, you should go and check it out.

Unlike me, she actually posts pictures. Like, EVERY DAY.

A week and a day ... in one post ...

Yes, I know that I suck at posting regularly right now.

I was going to blog yesterday morning ... and I had nothing to write about.
At least nothing that I could think to write.

We are now out of credit card debt! YAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!
We are caught up on bills. YAY!!!
We've paid our tithing (MOST IMPORTANT, really.)

Good stuff, huh?

And I got around to spending some of my birthday money from Grampy and from Nana.

I bought myself a new purse, a metal water bottle, a new pair of tweezers, some face stuff (new moisturizer and face wash) and a Soap and Glory lotion (Hey, it was on clearance and it smells WONDERFUL!) ... I also bought some things at the YW Garage Sale (along with getting a few things for free, since I was there all day and got to pick through some of the things that didn't sell. AND WE MADE OUR GOAL! YAY!!!!).

What all did I get? A gorgeous teddy bear for Bucket, a stuffed Darth Vader for Bruise's bed, a copy of The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, a couple plastic glasses for Bucket (since Bruise has more cute cups), a little Strawberry Shortcake flatware set for Bucket, some hangers for the kids' closet, a pool noodle, a pair of shoes ... a couple other books. Really, if you missed it, you missed some great deals. I almost got Bruise a Star Wars tent and a couple of radio receivers (STILL NO CALL SIGN, by the way. LAAAAAAAME!) ... but I waited too long and they went to other homes (and truly, I do have a LOT of stuff in our house. I really don't NEED all the things that I COULD have bought and didn't).

I'm getting ahead of myself, I'm sure. ... Well, not really. I told you about getting out of (most of our) debt, getting bills paid (I know, our life is TOTALLY EXCITING! You're SO jealous, huh?), the YW garage sale (which I woke up at FIVE IN THE MORNING for ... so you KNOW that I love my Young Women).

As the garage sale was closing up, I got a call from Michael (who had dropped by and brought me lunch, that wonderful man), telling me that our sister-in-law (who's pregnant) was in the hospital. And that I needed to meet him in the next town, where he was with all the kids (our two and their three cousins). So, I helped ferry some boxes across town, gave up hope for a relaxing bubble bath after nearly nine hours of helping run the garage sale, and scurried over to the park they were at. (Michael's brother had run back to his home to get things for his wife and to get stuff so the cousins could sleep over and attend church with us the next morning). We finalized plans with Michael's brother after the kids played for a while, got a pizza over at WinCo, and met Michael's brother back at the hospital.

Turns out that with this pregnancy, my sister-in-law has placenta previa, so she will have a C-section when this daughter is born. She was in the hospital, being monitored and all, a couple days (she got to go home yesterday), and they'll be meeting this week with a high-risk doctor. She's 32 weeks along right now. The local hospitals around won't have her deliver here for at least another month. So, if you can pray that she and the baby can make it to at least 36 weeks, that'd be AWESOME. If not, they'll have to go all the way down to Eugene (which is the closest NICU) to deliver ... and find someplace to stay down there for a few weeks. And make sure that their oldest daughter has someone to stay at their house, since she's in school ... But, yeah. Life will be LOTS easier if they can make it to at least 36 weeks.

So, we took the kids to church with us. And we sat in the SECOND row (we ALWAYS sit in the first row, since it's by the door and we can take our munchkins out quickly and without much of a fuss if we need to) ... which was noticed by QUITE A FEW people.
You KNOW it's bad when an 11-year-old girl asks you, "WHAT? You ALWAYS sit in the front!!" *lol* Maybe you had to be there. ^_^

But sacrament meeting went rather well. One of our nieces really doesn't have the concept of whispering down. And there were a few squabbles over crayons and books. Bruise cuddled in my lap and told me that he wanted to go home and play. Our nephew snuggled in Michael's lap and nearly fell asleep.

And, OH, but our kids' Primary teacher is AMAZING. She handled having our two nieces in her class with no warning with such grace. She's completely full of win and I do adore her so.

Our brother-in-law came at the end of church and followed us home, hung out for a bit, and then took the kids home. Poor guy, had to hang out in our messy, messy house. I have fallen SO behind on housework. Just not motivated to do it (I'd rather be reading, you know).

OH! Friday evening, we had a ward (congregation) potluck. While people were cleaning up, the kids are running around, chasing each other. Except for Bucket, who's just standing by my side as I chat and wait for Michael to get back from helping fix a leaky sink for a gal who must moved out of the ward. And SUDDENLY Bucket's crying and has a bloody nose. So I have to try to get her (1) to the bathroom, (2)to stop crying/screaming, and (3) to STOP WIPING HER NOSE ON HER JACKET FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!!!! ... oh, and (4) to clean up the bathroom so it doesn't look like there was a massacre in there ... ALL while working at stopping the blood and getting her cleaned up. It was .... a little nuts.

Yesterday, I tried to get the kids to nap. Didn't work. So I was irritated. But, when Michael got home, we ran some errands (went to one library to turn in books and pick up holds. Went to the other library to do the same ... and pick up one non-hold book. Stopped by Borders to buy the latest issue of Mental_Floss) and went grocery shopping. Good stuff.

Then I colored my hair. It's a color that I haven't done before. I haven't taken any pictures and since I haven't left the house right yet, I'll be a brat and have you guess what color I did.

(My mom's so cute. When I told her that I dyed my hair last night, so she wouldn't be shocked or anything, she immediately asked, "Purple??")
(HINT: It's not purple. Though that might be fun. Maybe I should get some purple chunks, though?)

And did I mention that my girl is reading? It's crazy. ... I suppose that it's not all THAT crazy, since the kids see me reading, like, ALL THE TIME. But she's my LITTLE! Bruise, if he applies himself, will totally catch up. Speaking of, he needs to do his word cards.

I did a load of dishes. I need to do more. And fold TONS of laundry, vacuum, sweep the kitchen, clean the counters, clean the bathrooms, recover the drip pans on the stove with fresh foil ... well, that'll get me just about caught up.

And I'm going to try to get caught up ... but I have some REALLY GOOD BOOKS checked our that I really want to read. .... CONFLICTED!!!!!!

But, I have today and early tomorrow to get things cleaned. And then my mom'll be up. ^_^

Also, I have very few ideas for what to make for dinner. Any suggestions are awesome! (Or I'll just make homemade tuna helper. It does sound pretty tasty. ^_^)

Oh, also, I cursed at my daughter today. Bad me, huh?
(She didn't want to clear her dishes from the table because she might miss some of her DVD. So I told her to go watch her damn show ... and to not talk to me for a little. Yup, stellar parenting there, huh? Ugh. I need to be more patient and awesome. *sigh*)