0 Mud Pies

Last Thursday evening I was working in my garden, moving strawberry starts, when Kylie came to investigate. I was trying to hurry to finish it up before Nate's first softball game of the season so I didn't pay much attention when she started 'feeling' the dirt. Within seconds she had started taste-testing the dirt and rocks. "Oh, well" I thought, it will clean up easy enough. I snapped a few quick pictures & continued with my work.

In a blink of an eye Kylie climbed INTO the garden & was COVERED in dirt!!
I had taken the tags of the outfit as I dressed her not even an hour before. I resisted my first instinct to panic & snapped a few more pictures. Then it was off to the BATHTUB.


from Left -> Right: Alyssa, Allie, Ray, & Kylie

0 Zoo season has begun

Last weekend we went to Rexburg (on Allie's Bday) mostly so that Nate could work on a scrap heap job. While the men worked hard, Maren & I played with the girls. We took lunch to a great park she had heard of..YES, it was awesome. Then we roamed the Idaho Falls Zoo.

1 Tulips don't last nearly as long as I'd like them to

I took these pictures over a week ago. Today I noticed today that the blooms are starting to shrivel. It is so sad that they will be completely gone in a day or two.

I get asked frequently where I got my bulbs...Sam's Club! And they have been great. I planted them 3 1/2 years ago when I was pregnant with Allie. It was snowing that day and I wasn't feeling very good. I grumbled the entire time I dug in the mud, but the effort was well worth it. I love how every spring they come up without any effort on my part. As soon as the snow melts back, they shoot right up.

0 Allie turns THREE!

We celebrated Allie's THIRD birthday in Rexburg at my parent's home 10 days ago. It was the first time we've celebrated with our Stafford cousins.

Allie's cake was PINK, of course, with a Strawberry Shortcake topper & a Crape Suzette doll, too.

Instead of getting her a 2-wheel bike, we caved & got the ROLLER SKATES she had been asking for. She loves them. Now we have to work on getting her to stay up when she's not on the carpet.

*NOTE: the bottom-left hand picture is of my youngest sister Ellen holding Kylie.
Aunti Elle was officially proposed to this past weekend (not really a surprise, sorry Stoddard), so we are dying to see the engagement ring!

0 Allie & Alysa

Alysa is our next-door neighbor & Allie's BESTFRIEND!
They are truly 2-peas-in-a-pod.

Lately I've been re-teaching myself how to braid hair.
With her hair in 2 braids, I like to think that Allie looks like I did as a child.

This weekend we took a trip to Rexburg for Nate to work on a scrap heap there. My sister Maren was having her big MODBE open house and I couldn't resist ordering another of these great suits (click HERE to see the one I got last month before Maren started selling) and a couple other things.
THESE SUITS ARE THE BEST I'VE EVER OWNED!!!
They cover, support, flatter, and last forever.

3 This just gives me Chills!!!!!

I can't breath when I watch this.
I get tingles from head to toe!
Of course the movie can't compare to the books, but...

Despite my initial worries that I'd only see Cedric when I looked at Edward...I think I will be just fine!

1 Catchy tune

Thanks Brandi!

4 Now how am I going to make it till August 2nd ?

I feel like I am finally able to breath out! Last (crazy) week I wrapped up everything I've been working on for the past 6 months. The biggest relief; I finished up 2 HUGE projects for the Center for Epidemiologic Studies that I've been working on non-stop since November. I also finished up teaching 2 sections of statistics 1040 for USU, one for math/stat department and the other through the distance ed department. Writing & then grading the exams is a GIANT job! In addition, I made a DVD for the ward Activity Days Mother-Daughter dinner last Wednesday. What a relief to have it all done!!! Now that the semester is over, I've taking it easy (relatively speaking) and hope do some of the things I've only dreamed of the past 6 months. I'm only going to be working 20 hours a week for the Epi Center - no teaching - this summer. YEAH! Bring on going to the park, the pool, wakeboarding, crafting, sewing, scrapbooking...and of course READING.

I fully admit I am a binge reader. I do not have the ability to stop reading a book once I start. Once the cover opens, I have a one track mind. I am an addict. Usually I don't eat or sleep much when I'm 'IN' a book. And in true addict fashion, I want the biggest fix I can get, a series! This is something Nate just doesn't understand in the least. He takes months to read a book, if he finished it at all. He gets EXTREMELY grumpy with me when don't want to "do" anything else and don't come to bed because I'm reading . So, between my work load, caring for the girls/home, and my spouse's disapproval, I haven't touched a book since the final Harry Potter installment came out last summer. (yes, I was a complete HP fan)

So, how did I celebrate checking everything off my 6-month "work to-do" list? I read an intense series of THREE 600+ pg/each novels, cover-to-cover in about 48 hours, of course. I've heard so many rave reviews about the Twilight series, but HAD to wait till I was working less than 50/hrs a week (not including full time mommy/homemaker responsibilities). This was my chance. I started at 9pm Thursday night & was done before midnight Saturday. AND that includes sleeping both nights (against my will), doing laundry/dishes/meals, and taking care of my family.

I LOVED the books. They were everything everyone told me they would be and more. I actually finished #2 (New Moon) Friday night, but had to wait till noon on Saturday to get book #3 (Eclipse), so in the down time I did housework and read EVERYTHING on the author's webpage. Boy does she have a lot! There are chapters she had to cut in the editing process & re-written chapters from other character's points of view. A reading addict's playland.

The real downer is that although I thought that there were only 3 books in the series, I found out half way through #2 that there will actually be a 4th book that won't be released till August 2nd. UGH!!!! I don't know if I can wait that long to see what happens with Bella & Edward! If you know of another great series (hopefully completed) please let me know. I need some distraction here.

Note: the movie for book #1 (Twilight) will be released Dec 12, just a few weeks after the next Harry Potter movie hits theators

0 So exciting!

I have to share some fabulous news! My sister, Maren, is now a "fashion consultant" for ModBe clothing! Click HERE if you have no idea I'm taking about. I HATE going to parties where you feel like you have to buy something so a friend can get 'free' stuff, BUT this is only party...I mean "boutique"... that I like attending. In fact, I might -gasp- have Maren do a party at my house.

I L-O-V-E the swim suits. They are the best I've even had. MODEST, CUTE, & HIGH QUALITY! I got one two years ago and wore it TEN-times more than any other suit I've ever had. If you know us, you know we go to the lake EVERY week, usually more than once. Between wakeboarding & the kiddie pool my suit sees a lot of sun. Here is a picture of the one I got this year. DARLING! {Thanks Hayley} Too bad it snowed today...YES, tomorrow is MAY . At least that gives me a bit longer to procrastinate loosing the 'baby fat, right?.

If you want to order anything I can hook you up with my sister. She's started a blog just for this: http://modbefashionmom.blogspot.com/

8 Well hidden?

So, tonight while I was giving the final exam to my stat 1040 class I officially changed my blog to private (a few hours ahead of my May 1st deadline).
CONGRATULATIONS!
The fact that you're reading this is evidence that you got my invitation & figured out how to accept...something I've been worried about.
What do you think?
Was it a pain to get here?
Am I going to regret this?

3 Walk Along!

Kylie is on the verge of walking, but it may be a while before she chooses to. That's how she was crawling.

6 A few of my favorite things

I aspire to be a great chef, but must admit that macaroni & cheese graces my table all too often. (please say I'm not alone?) Tonight, however, I whipped up a wonderful meal of just meat & potatoes. I'm loving my new electric pressure cooker (see previous posts). Tonight I cooked the pork ribs on the 'brown' setting for a few min & then added a bottle of the best Famous Dave's Sweet & Zesty BBQ sauce & set to 'pressure' for only 20 min. Then, since they were still runny, I popped them into my wonderful stone baking dish (best B-day gift ever!) for a little baking while I decided what side dish to make.

I'm an Idaho girl through & through, so I grabbed a couple spuds I pilfered from the monster cellars on my last trip to Rexburg. I chopped them up (skins & all) & cooked them with a cup of water in the pressure cooker (what else) for 8 min on 'pressure'. After draining them I even mashed them by hand with a little butter & milk in the cooker itself. Gotta love making only 2 dirty dishes! So in just over a half hour I had fluffy-smashed-spuds & fall-off-the-bone-BBQ-ribs. The only additions to make a great meal: fat-free sour cream & a cold diet Pepsi. WHAT A MEAL! I hope it re-heats well for Nate when he gets home in a few hours.


P.S.- Did I mention I L-O-V-E my electric pressure cooker?

9 Attention Readers

After much thought & debate I have decided to make my blog private. I love keeping in touch & sharing with all of you, but don't want any evil strangers to have any information to lure my children away with. So, if you want to visit after this month (May 1st) then comment on this post or email me. I'd be glad to let you keep viewing (family & friends -old & new), I just want to keep my kids safe from predators.

1 Time for bed...where is Allie?

Yesterday was a gorgeous day! We had a high of 77 degrees! I took the girls to the park, played outside, & worked in my flower beds. Good thing we enjoyed the moment because it is SNOWING today.


When I went to read Allie her bedtime story, I couldn't find her. She was out enjoying the warm evening in her 'new' (hand-me-down) nightgown. What a sweet girl!

PS - I actually made the gown for my niece...well I made about a dozen for Christmas gifts a few years ago, but didn't keep one for Allie who was only a few months old at the time. The pattern is one that my grandmother made for my mom & my mom made for my sisters and I when we were little.

5 Merry Christmas to me!

THE PITCH: The Deni Pressure Cooker is safe and simple to use. Cook fork tender stew in 30 minutes, roasts in under an hour, and fruits and vegetables in minutes. Put the ingredients in the pot, set the timer, and enjoy a delicious home cooked meal. Brown your meat in the cooking pot before cooking under pressure to make cooking time even faster. The Deni Pressure Cooker combines steam, heat, and pressure while retaining the nutrients and flavor of the food. The removable five quart non-stick cooking pot provides even heat distribution while the outer housing remains cool to the touch.

THE SALE: My generous In-Laws gave me a GIFT certificate to a local specialty cooking store, "Kitchen Kneads", for Christmas. Since this is a VERY UN-kid friendly store, I've only been in it a few times so I decided I'd better buy something last Saturday when Nate was home watching the girls. It turned in to quite a hard thing to do. I had decided that I didn't want to get several little things, but use the opportunity to get ONE nice something that I wouldn't have bought myself otherwise. After several times around the store with a great saleswoman (actually a grown up high school student I taught years ago!), she sold me on this new appliance. The TIME-factor was the main selling point for me, but it all sounds so GOOD.

THE MEAL: Tonight was my first time pressure cooking anything. I set it to BROWN & seared my 4 pound lump of pot roast right in the cooker. I then added my sliced onion. SLICK! When they had started to cook I added 2 chopped potatos, 4 sliced carrots, a packet of dry onion soup mix, & 3 cups of water. I set it to 'hi' pressure for 55 min & pressed START. At first it sounded like a ROCKET getting ready to lift off, but as soon as pressure was reached it went nearly SILENT. I'd read when trying a new recipe, start with less time than you think the food will need, since you can always add time. Tonight I added 10 min & then 10 min more...I wanted my meat nice & tender.

THE VERDICT: NICE! Next time I'll go with less water and an initially 65 min, but everything was TENDER & full of FLAVOR. It was plenty tender for Kylie to MUNCH. There was plenty of juicy GRAVY- my favorite part. Nate loves roast, especially on a roll with cheese the next day. YUMMY! Clean up was EASY, too. I can see myself using this every week.

THE FUTURE: Now I want to try EVERYTHING in my pressure cooker & can't wait to take the class on using it in June. I need a rack so I can steam all kinds of VEGGIES & a bowl so I can make STICKY RICE. It even comes with a recipe for making DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE in 20 min...gotta get a 7-8 in spring form pan for that. It has a 'crockpot' setting, but with the ability to delay cooking by up to 8 hours - why? Oh, what fun we will have!

6 Call me paranoid

I'm going to blame my frequent anxiety attacks the past few weeks on the premise that I'm swamped. Go ahead, feel free to laugh. - I'm trying to.

An Example:

Last night we went swimming at the Sky View pool for family home evening. It was a family affair with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle, Aunt, and 4 cousins. The girls had a blast! Kylie is a born swimmer. Allie even went off the diving board FIVE times...with Nate dropping her in against her will each time. But hey, at least she was okay with it (until the last second) & wasn't traumatized too much, as she wanted to go again after each time. I even suppressed my intense fear of heights to jump off a few times. {I don't want my girls to follow in my fearful footsteps.}

Anyway, I digress. When we got home Allie tried to go to the bathroom before bed, but screamed that "my pee-pee's are hurting me"! All evening, all night, & all morning she would proclaim she had to go (every 5 min), but scream & cry...and not be able to go. I immediately determined she had a UTI and whisked her to the doctor this morning quickly before teaching my USU class. Nate followed us into town 1/2 hr later to retrieve Allie so I could teach. All morning I had tried to get a urine sample, but there was none to be had. However, the smart doctor got Allie to go with the small promise of THREE suckers. My smart little girl hopped right up & filled the 'catcher' without one tear or twinge. Hum, my diagnosis was crushed. Most likely cause of pain: chlorine irritation. Hum, sorry Nate. Lesson learned: don't jump to conclusions. Relax.

My motto for the year: To everything there is a season.

4 I did my "Honey-do"!

I am NOT a home decorator. I really WANT to be, but I have a hard time deciding what to get and an even harder time PAYING money. So, although we built this home over 6 years ago, I only have about 3 things hung on my walls. LAME!

One thing I have hung up was a small shelf in my bathroom (see pic on right). I did it in a hurry years ago & just tapped in two small NAILS...no studs. It held good for a while, but Allie pulled it down a few months ago. I've been HOUNDING Nate to hang it up right with sheet rock thing-e's & screws, but he's been too busy. Finally today I decided to TACKLE the job myself. I found all the supplies & tools in the garage. So easy!

While I was in the mood I also hung up my great Tipan Trading shelf (see at top) I bought LAST SPRING! I've been debating for a year where to put it...DOUBLE LAME! I finally decided on my room, since I love it so much. I am quite proud of my job. I used the lazer level, measuring tape, hammer, and drill. I even got it perfect on the first try! It is level AND the perfect height. Go ME!!!

3 March Scrapbooking

Most of these layouts were done while I was in Rexburg this month. I took the girls for an extended weekend at the first of the month while Nate was on his annual St George golf trip with his brothers. A week later I traveled back with my daughters for another 9 days over USU's spring break. It was great to visit with family and get some adult time in with my sisters.



I am eternally greatful I was able to visit with my Grandfather Henry several times before he passed away at the end of my visit. He'd been sick for a while, but was actually doing better, so it was a bit of a shock. I felt a bit weird spending half the month in Rexburg, but I knew I needed to be there...now I know why.

5 Strawberry Shortcake all the way

Allie latched right on to Strawberry Shortcake months ago.

She watches the DVDs,
sings the songs,
sleeps on the pillow,
carries the dolls,
loves the coloring book,
and now sports the apparel.
It is shameless.
The sweat suit was on clearance for $5,
butI can't believe I actually purchased the character shoes...but she loves them.
The berries on the velcro tabs light up when she walks,
but she's rather stomp so that they light up more.
I think she's worn the entire ensemble for 3 days straight.
Time for me to pry it off her body to wash it.