7 Wierd and Random Things Tag

I was tagged by Jan last week. Here was the challenge:

This is not as easy as it sounds. I had to really think about these.

7 Random and weird facts about me:

1. I really, really hate the fatty and grisly part of meat. I will go so far, as to cut a large area around it so I do not have to eat anything that was even close to touching that part of the meat. I also like my meat really dry, which drives my husband crazy. We have debates over that all of the time.

2. I dislike spiders so much that I do not like to even watch anything about them on television or look at a picture of them. For some school function we watched the movie "Arachnophobia" and I was never the same, and that one part in the Lord of the Rings trilogy where Frodo and Sam are attacked by the big spiders made me want to vomit. Same in Harry Potter where they are chased by all of the spiders in the forest. YUCK!

3. I really like the smell of shoe stores. There is something about that new shoe smell that gets me every time. If "shoe store" were an option for air freshener, I'd probably buy it.

4. I think I've broken my pinkie toe about 50 times. I'm not positive, but with all of the times I've bashed it on the piano bench or a chair, that could explain why it looks slightly crooked.

5. I do not like lemon flavored things. Not desserts, cookies or candies really. I like lemonade and that's about it. I do like the smell of lemons however.

6. I am a horrible artist. I did not get the artistic gene in my family at all. My drawing skills basically plateaued in the second grade and I really hope my children never need to rely on me to help them out drawing anything for class projects. But hey, if you ever need some flowers or stick people, I'm your girl.

7. From the time I was 17 to 18 1/2 years old I was in 3 car accidents. I was a passenger in all three and very lucky not to be hurt other than some bad whip lash. I had a strange feeling for a while though, that fate was not on my side. Four years later I was waiting to take a left turn at a busy intersection with my 6 month old daughter in the back seat on our way to see my parents. Our green arrow came up and just as I was easing off the brake, a thought as clear as day told me to wait and not go. Just then a semi truck ran a red light and came barreling through the intersection going WAY over the speed limit. Listening to the still small voice that day probably saved our lives.

So now it's your turn!

I tag Debbie, Nancie, Kristen, Tamra, Sara E. , Kim H. , and Lindsay

#1 Got Shot Down

I know I am in the minority here in the Tri-Cities when it comes to who I root for in college football, but I just can't cut my ties with my good old Oregon State Beavers.

Last night they played the #1 ranked team in the country USC, and basically embarrassed the heck out of them. It was A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!! I was just yelling and screaming and cheering at the TV like a crazy person and kicking myself that we were not there to see it in person. You could feel the excitement from the crowd through the television screen and after the game all the fans, a sea of orange and black rushed onto the field to celebrate.

Here is a clip of the end of the game:




I think my little sister was down amidst that crowd somewhere.

So now the big question is what will Oregon State be ranked, if at all?!

One tired boy

Riley took the kids to a soccer game last night and they didn't get home until after nine o'clock. Both Kendle and Morgan just crashed into bed. Before I went to sleep I checked on both of my little munchkins and this is what I saw in Morgan's room:




















Can you imagine being so tired that you don't even care if your feet are hanging out of bed? This just cracked me up. He is definitely my good little sleeper. And don't you just love footy pajamas?

Star of the Day

Kendle is LOVING school. Every day she comes home excited by something they did in class, or something her teacher said to her. I can already tell that this is going to be a good year.

Her teacher does so many neat things with them and one in particular is the Star of the Day. Each student has a day where they get to be the teachers helper, be first in line, sit on a special cushion on their chair, and other fun things. But Kendle's favorite part is that her teacher takes a big piece of paper with their name on it and helps the other kids in class write something nice about the Star of the Day on it. Well yesterday was Kendle's turn to be the Star of the Day, and I don't think you could have watched a happier little girl run home off the bus after school. She had so much to tell me, she just couldn't get it all out fast enough. She talked at light speed and showed me the big piece of paper that had nice things written about her. Kendle was so happy about it, she wanted to hang her paper right by her bed so she could easily read it.

































I just think that is one of the best ideas for helping kids to feel good about themselves (which in turn can help them do better in school). I am going to email her teacher and thank her. There are a lot of children out there that don't hear positive or nice things at home, and to have your classmates write that you are nice, or funny, or a good friend would mean a lot to some of those boys and girls. I really like this teachers style of positive reinforcement.

Kendle also said they were treated to chocolate milk and cookies for someones birthday, so all in all I think that will be a hard day to top.

Back to work

I have a big case of the Mondays this morning. My house is a wreck. I seriously wish I could just take an eraser and wipe the slate clean and start over. Sundays always leave a trail of turmoil throughout our house and by the time we get home from church, cook dinner, and attempt to at least do the dishes (usually around 6:30 or 7:00) I'm too exhausted to do much about it, so it waits until Monday morning. I actually did pick up a bit as I was getting Kendle off to school, but as soon as Morgan woke up it's like a super speed tornado coming through - pulling pillows off the couch, toys out of the bucket, and anything else he can get his hands on. Have I mentioned before just what a busy little guy he is? Wow. Literally, in two minutes he can have everything torn apart. At this very moment, he is standing with one leg in the movie basket, one hand plugging adapter chords into the TV, and the other hand turning the TV on and off. Good thing for him he's too adorable to get mad at.

At least someone in our family will be doing something fun today. Riley and my dad are leaving this afternoon to go to a Mariner's game. So yay for them! It should be fun, and that means I don't really need to cook dinner tonight if I don't feel like it. That's always a plus.

So now I'm going to psyche myself up for some cleaning (which might involve eating a brownie), so I can have an afternoon of relaxation if that's at all possible. The life of a domestic engineer is never easy.

Happy School Picture Day

As I was fixing Kendle's hair this morning, I was telling her to remember to give her best smile for her pictures today.

She says to me, "Should I strike a pose like a diva mom?"

I replied, "No, not like a diva, just your normal cute smile." Then I'm thinking in my head, "wow Sarah, you really have your work cut out for you with this one."

Sheesh.....................

The "I" List

I stole this from Jan's blog. I thought it was such a great post and wanted to do it for myself.



I am: Constantly learning. Life holds many lessons for me.

I think: I should cut my hair, but everyone keeps telling me not to.

I know: I have a Heavenly Father who loves me.

I want: To be less of a worry wart, be more carefree.

I have: One leg that is longer than the other, and one ear higher than the other.

I dislike: Big crowds, pushy people, slow traffic lights

I miss: The sun, sand, and beach of a certain tropical island.

I fear: Losing my memory (and my mind). I think it's already happening.

I feel: Like taking a hike in the mountains

I hear: Morgan's babbling, music, construction (grrr.......)

I smell: Not much, I'm stuffed up

I crave: A good foot massage, a captivating book, and my mom's pumpkin pies.

I usually: Am not a morning person AT ALL. I like to have some lazy time in the morning.

I search: For buried treasure. Not really, but I wish I could.

I wonder: Why every time I go shopping, I can never find the right size. Is it some kind of conspiracy to drive me crazy?

I regret: Not standing up for myself more

I love: Quiet time, my children's smiles, a good deed

I care: Too much about what other people think.

I always: Procrastinate.

I worry: About everything. That is not an exageration. Will it rain tomorrow? What should I make for dinner? Are my kids normal? Mostly my family, my friends......just want everyone to be happy.

I am not: A fan of riding in the car for long trips. I get pretty carsick.

I remember: Going to lunch with my grandmother Eddis and visiting the high school she was a librarian at. I loved visiting my grandparents house in Idaho. It was the neatest place, and she always had a big jar of Oreo cookies on the kitchen counter. She had a really good sense of style and lots of neat books.

I believe: In the power of a mother's love. Many great men and women attribute their successes to their mothers.

I sing: With my kids in the car, or while I'm making dinner.

I don't always: Return phone calls right away. I'm horrible about getting back to people.

I write: An average of 8-10 emails a day. Thank goodness for the Internet.

I win: At trivia games, name that tune, duck-duck goose.

I wish: When I was a kid I always wanted to visit Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Now, I wish that..................Who am I kidding? I still want to go there.

I can usually be found: Reading, cooking, feeding hungry children, and "bloggin' it up" as my husband would say.

I am scared: Of Clowns, spiders, heights, hissing beetles, guys with chainsaws, tofu, jello with vegetables in it, and deep water where I can't see the bottom.

I need: At least 8 hours of sleep to feel human

I forget: To return compliments. Like when someone says: "Why Jane, that is a lovely sweater you are wearing." The polite way to reply would be something like: "Thank you Martha, and I just love those new earrings you have on." Instead, I usually just mumble some lousy thing like: "Oh, this old sweater? Ya, I got it on sale for like 5 bucks and it's been in the back of my closet for a year.....ramble, ramble. So I do apologize if I have seemed rude to anyone. I swear it's just a really bad habit I have.

I am happy: When the house is spotless, the laundry is done, and my children are impeccably clean. HA! Ya right, I'd never be happy in that case. Really I am most happy when I am spending time with my family and we are having fun together. Even if it is just hanging outside in the backyard or going to get ice cream after dinner. I love it when Kendle tells me, "Mom, this was the best day ever!"

Going to Oz (well sort of)

I am so excited that my aunt got my mother, myself, and my sister tickets to go see:

I have been dreaming of seeing this musical since it's debut on Broadway and I think the months are going to creep by very slow now, the show isn't until March. We are going to see it in Portland, and although it will not be the original cast (Idina Menzel, Kristen Chenoweth) it still didn't stop me from jumping up and down and putting a large bright red circle around that weekend on my calendar. The songs from the soundtrack are awesome (playing on my playlist for the day).

I've always loved anything to do with "The Wizard of Oz" and this musical, which is adapted from Gregory Maguire's book, takes a totally original spin on what we think we know about the Wicked Witch of the West and how she became the person she was.

Wicked tells the story of Elphaba the future Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with Glinda the Good Witch of the North. Their friendship struggles through their opposing personalities and viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, their reactions to the Wizard's corrupt government, and, ultimately, Elphaba's public fall from grace. The plot is set mostly before Dorothy's arrival from Kansas, and includes several references to well-known scenes and dialogue in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.

I -Just - Can't -Wait! There is just something about seeing one of your favorite stories come to life that is so fun and exciting. So aunt Alaina, even though I know you don't read my blog, THANK YOU!!!

A Feast For The Eyes Only

I know this in no way makes up for the real thing, but it's fun to look. Really I just love cupcakes because there are so many things you can do with them. I would love to make cute cupcakes all day, but then I would probably weigh 500 pounds from eating them all. They are just too tempting to me in all of their bite-sized goodness. Enjoy.



~These would be fun to make for a football party to watch the big game:

~Decorating with cupcakes? I thought these were so cute.

(from Real Simple)

~Caramel Apple Cupcakes? Yes Please!!!
(recipe at the end)

Another yummy one for fall, Pumpkin Spice cupcakes:

(photo via flickr)

My cupcake soul-mate, chocolate peanut butter with vanilla frosting:

(photo via flickr)

Too pretty to eat:

(photo via)

These would be really cute for a little girl's birthday:

Caramel Apple Cupcakes:

1 package butter-recipe yellow cake mix plus ingredients to prepare mix

1 cup chopped dried apples

Caramel frosting (recipe follows)

chopped nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 24 regular size muffin pan cups with paper baking cups.

2. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Stir in apples. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

3. Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove to racks to cool completely.

4. Prepare caramel frosting. Frost cupcakes. Sprinkle with nuts if desired.

Caramel Frosting:

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 3/4 cups powdered sugar

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

1. Melt butter in 2-quart saucepan. Stir in brown sugar, evaporated milk and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.

2. Beat in powdered sugar until frosting is of spreading consistency. Blend in vanilla.

*recipe came from "Cooking For Kids" cook book

How Morgan helps

If I had a little helper........

his name would be Morgan.

He'd water all my plants, and pull the hose around for me......

then need to take a break from all that hard work.

Ahhhhhhhhhh....

But he won't sit still for long........

That's my little helper.

Random Thoughts...

-I gave my blog a new face lift, I was getting restless.

-There was a pretty big fire in our neighborhood yesterday. A family farther down the street from us had a car catch on fire in their driveway, probably about 2 minutes after Kendle walked past their house on the way to the bus stop. I'm beyond thankful no one was hurt. Blessings are all around us on a daily basis if we stop to look.

-My favorite thing about getting Morgan out of his crib in the morning is that he will let me hug and hold him for a few minutes. This morning he was so sweet and just snuggled into me with a big smile. I love that he wakes up happy. It makes my day start off so much better.

-I was actually cold this morning. Brrr.....the chilly mornings are upon us. My feet are cold, which they will be until April probably. Is there such a thing as cold feet syndrome?

-The constant home construction behind our house is driving me nuts. The soundtrack to my day is loud trucks, beeping, hammering, yelling, loud music, and sometimes I can even feel the ground vibrate from the backhoes digging. I long for the quiet of the country.......

Something to celebrate

It seems like I've been writing a lot about Kendle lately on my blog. We have been pretty busy with her birthday, school, and other activities, but I promise Morgan is still alive and as mischievous as ever. I've got some good material to share about him later this week.

Kendle started soccer this week and Riley once again got roped into coaching their team. Really, are there no other parents that want the supreme joy and privilege of coaching U-6 soccer? They had their first game on Saturday and can I just say what a turn around it was from last year. Riley was "concerned" because he had 4 girls and only 2 boys (one of which we are fairly certain does not speak english), but the girls totally dominated. Kendle scored 5 goals! That's more than all of last year combined. She tore it up, and by that I mean she was literally tearing her way through the other players and knocking them down to the ground. I had to reprimand her a bit, tell her not to be too rough, to which of course Riley told her not to listen to me. Hmmm...., sometimes it's not so good to have your dad as the coach.

It was a really fun game and all of the kids did well. My mother came up to cheer Kendle on, and she even commented on how much she enjoyed it. I think almost all of our players scored at least one goal so everyone felt good about the game. I of course did not have my camera, but I so wish I could go back in time to get the perfect shot of Kendle jumping in the air after she made her first goal. Classic. Last year she did not even want to touch the ball and would just meander around after everyone. I think this should be a much better experience (for her and her dad). We decided to celebrate and went out for some lunch and ice cream afterwards. It was a really fantastic day.


Later that evening this is what I saw:

































Oh, it's amazing what a small fleeting moment of your children getting along can do to your heart. They were laying there and laughing together for quite a while and so I had to quietly sneak and go get the camera because these moments don't come along very often. I'm glad I did. This was also a moment to celebrate.

My little example

photo via flickr

The other night Kendle was coloring at the kitchen counter and singing a variety of songs like she tends to do. She sang "I am a Child of God" and then stopped and said:

(Kendle) "I really like that song mom."

(Me) "Me too. What is it that you like the most about it?"

(Kendle) "When I sing it, it makes me feel reborn. I just feel so good."

She went back to singing and coloring and I just sat there for a minute and said a little thank you in my heart to my Heavenly Father for sending this little soul to our family. I don't know if she even really knows what being "reborn" means, but she has a shiny little spirit that is a constant example to me.

Kendle is one of those individuals that are totally black and white with no gray area. It is totally one way or the other for her, and she won't just take a one line answer for something, she wants to KNOW. Our children are meant to teach us, as much as we are here to teach them. That is a major mom lesson that I am learning.

Grade School Flashback

Today while I was on the treadmill I was watching "The View" and their special musical guest was..........


get ready.........


oh no they didn't...........





New Kids On The Block

They have gotten back together and are attempting to make a comeback. They performed their song "Single" off their new album "The Block" and I have to say that I was bopping along with it as I ran. Not only that, but they brought back some of their sweet dance moves for the performance. At the end of the show they performed "Step By Step" from the old school and I'm not ashamed to admit that I remembered all the words.


Them back in the day:
















Now:

















While interviewing them, Elizabeth Hasselback was totally flustered, because like me she had been a huge fan back in the day. I always had the biggest crush on Joey McIntyre and I used to have a large poster of the NKOTB on the outside of my bedroom door that I think one of my brothers ripped off in some disagreement we had. (anyone want to fess up to that one?) I probably had it coming after making my family endure endless hours of "Hanging Tough" and "The Right Stuff".

As I was watching the grown women in the audience singing along to the songs, I thought back to an Oprah show where she had David Cassidy on and all of the middle aged women were going wild. I couldn't believe they were still ga-ga over some guy that was popular in the 70's. Now, admittedly, I am one of those people enthralled by the possibility that my favorite boy band from grade school could be making a come back.

I remember in the third grade I literally thought my life was coming to an end because I wasn't able to go to the Tiffany/NKOTB concert. I had to listen to my friends talk about it for weeks while I seethed in silence.

Yeah, I know there is a certain amount of cheesiness that is associated with boy bands, but sometimes I like a big slice of cheese. It's that inner-suppressed-teeny-bopper that's just dying to get out.

Easy Monday

We're still at the 'rents for the weekend.

Kendle enjoyed camping out with grandma last night, the wind blew against the tent all night but grandma says she slept soundly.

Riley got up at 4:30 to do some hunting.

Morgan has had his fill of licorice, suckers, cookies, and other treats grandma has spoiled him with.

The wind is blowing here in Eastern Oregon and it is chillly. Did I bring a jacket? NO.

It feels like fall.

Making our way back home this evening, and will spend my night preparing for the school week ahead.

Hope you've all enjoyed a nice, relaxing weekend!