Spontaneous

I haven't really scheduled anything this week because I knew we'd have company here and I wanted to be free to do things with them, but when Larry and Dani were spending the morning and having lunch with Gifford, that freed me up to meet Adam when he called to invite me to lunch.


Adam is rather critical of all things Utah County, especially our restaurant choices, but he approves of Los Hermanos so we met there. We had a good lunch with easily flowing conversation and lots of pebble ice.

Self-portrait #1.

Self-portrait #2--I like this one better.

Daniela called during lunch to say they were taking the kids to Salt Lake for the afternoon, so I ended up running errands with Adam. Driving in a car with Adam is not for the faint of heart, and really not for me, but every now and again I brave it. He drives a Porsche and LOVES it very much, so he takes great pleasure in zipping in and out of traffic, and he really enjoys scaring me! We ended up making a stop at the Orem City Office building then walking the mall for a bit.


After our time at the mall (I hate the mall) we drove down to East Bay to try out a bakery his sister-in-law loves.


He bought some cupcakes and then this tiny package of 6 cake bites for $5! I felt like I was holding gold or something. I tried one and it was mighty good, but really, that's a pricey bite! (It's a good thing I got 4 bites out of mine.)

We also went in to DownEast Home, Savers (like Goodwill), and the bank. He was cracking me up so much in Savers that I got the giggles and really never recovered. We were passing the dressing rooms and he said, "Really, you think trying on clothes here is a good idea? Wouldn't a guess and a good boil be a better idea?" I couldn't stop laughing. He made some more funny comments about itchy lady parts and flaking skin, but it was the thought of boiling the clothes that really did me in.

Our 3 hours of time together was highly entertaining and thought provoking. There's no such thing as a shallow conversation with Adam, so over the course of these hours we covered some uncomfortable life topics (SEP--searing emotional pain). He brought up the subject of having a "vision" for my life, and if I'm living by that vision. Hmm, trigger headache here...

I'm going to have to revisit this because my current conclusion is that I've given up on the vision I had for my life and am now like a rudderless boat hoping to reach a beautiful shore. That's not very promising. (Just to clarify: I am NOT rudderless in the grand scheme of life. I am centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ and know the ultimate direction I'm heading in the way I live my life. But as for my actual day-to-day living and cultivation of my best self, I fear I'm lacking vision.)

**Would you try on clothes at
a donation-type store?
Do you have a hard time
recovering from a fit of giggles?
Do you feel like you have a vision for your life?**

House of Ten

Our guests arrived Monday night at 9:30. I was totally wasted, but everything was clean and ready for them. We sat around and talked for awhile, then headed to bed around 11:00.


Landon, Peter and Spencer are camping out in the family room during their trip, so they got to stay up late playing Guitar Hero. Whitney pleaded her case for staying up late as well, but lost the argument and went to bed in our room when we did.


In the morning, Landon, Peter and Spencer entertained themselves outside for much of the day playing soccer, football and light sabers. Larry, Dani and Isabella went for a walk up to the temple.

I let Landon stay home from school, but sent Whitney because she wouldn't have ended up playing with the kids the way Landon did. She gets to do fun stuff and miss school when with her Utah cousins, so it evens out.


Daniela and I had to go to Costco, but were able to catch lunch at The Blue Lemon first. When I got up to get some utensils I ran into blogging beauty Crystal! I was so excited to see her (dang no self-portrait!). I always expect to run into her around town, yet never do so the one time I wasn't expecting to see her...there she was, woohoo!


Daniela and I were so thrilled to find Red Velvet cake at Costco, because Gifford had specifically requested that for his birthday dessert. This was the best tasting, time-saving $9.99 ever!


I spent much of my afternoon with vegetables...this is something I NEVER say or do. I was making a salad to go with dinner and then washing a bunch of the snack vegetables I'd bought for their visit.


Lori showed up while I was doing this, and could smell our garlic, rosemary pork roast cooking before she even got in the house. Daniela prepared the pork roast and red potatoes, so our house was garlic-filled and tasty.

I love that the kids all played together before dinner.

Who knew light sabers could unite all ages?

Gifford was 2 when Randy and I got married, so this freaks me out a bit.

I roped everyone into taking this self-portrait.

We played a painful game of Pictionary later in the evening. I was tired, had a headache, and had Landon for a partner, so that was a rough combination. (Landon and I were never on the same page.)


Randy and Whitney ended up being the victorious team and seriously kicked our butts with their excellent drawing skills.

**Do you like Red Velvet Cake?
Do you ever look for bloggers around town?
Do you use garlic very often?**

Comment Window Tidbit: I think my bedtime needs to be earlier.

I Have A Problem...or Do I?

Whenever we're expecting company, which isn't very often, I go bonkers with the cleaning and organizing. I enjoy having the extra push in productivity and love getting a lot of my dreaded-major projects done all at once, but man it's exhausting!


I spent all day today cleaning out the pantry, washing bedding, getting groceries, and restoring order after all of that...our house has never looked this good before. Our recycling bin is bursting, so I actually sent a load of it home with Robyn when she picked Landon up to play today.

{I babysat 3 kids this afternoon}

My legs and feet are throbbing, and I'm ready for bed, so I may just have to leave the door open for them and head to bed. This is a common problem for me when I host something. I had actually started planning ahead for their visit, but I originally thought they were coming on Wednesday, so the switch to Monday night sped things up considerably.


Another bonus to having all of this stuff done now is that I'm a month ahead for Kristi's arrival for Women's Conference next month. Usually I'm scrambling to get everything ready for her visit, but all this work now has put me significantly ahead and has got me excited about our Women's Conference weekend.

**Do you go into hyper drive when
guests are coming to stay?
What is your most dreaded project?**

Comment Window Tidbit: Today is one of those days where I feel like I physically earned a good night's sleep!

Sunday Thoughts

Wednesday night was our Relief Society birthday party activity. It had a purse theme, which was rather cute. They weighed our purses as we came in (mine weighs 6 pounds) and gave us a little purse die cut with the number of the table we were to sit at. I know that sort of thing bugs some people, but I think it's a good idea to help us branch out and talk to different people.



We had dinner, then they awarded prizes for the various purses...heaviest, lightest, pinkest, polka-dottedest, and so on. Then we played a game where they would say an item and the person who could get it out of their purse the fasted won a prize. It was pretty funny, especially with the more random items like a speeding ticket, and most embarrassing item which ended up being a tiny pair of boy's blue undies (the mom is currently potty training her 2 year old). I won a candle for being able to find my mirror the fastest.

There was a spiritual program at the end of the night which incorporated the purse theme and talked about the spiritual things we brought with us to Earth (i.e., light of Christ). As part of her lesson, the woman teaching it read slips of paper with our names and a gift we've been given (according to her or the husbands).


She read a few of them, including this one about me, and then put the slips of paper on the table later for everyone to see. I got chills when she said my name, and actually felt panicked. It was surreal to hear something like this about myself in a public setting. Reading the slips of paper (dang, I should have taken a picture of those on the table) afterward was awesome. They said things like, "She's a great mother", "She's a good listener," "She nurtures our family," "She has a gift for friendship," "She teaches our children," and so on.


It would be nice if we were able to recognize and appreciate our spiritual gifts and talents easily so that we wouldn't waste time lamenting those we don't have and coveting those of others. Most of the time, we don't see these gifts in ourselves, and we're lifted up so much when we're told by someone else. This has got me thinking about all the wonderful women I know and the gifts and talents I see in them and has reminded me of why I love sending good mail so much. It's a chance to compliment someone and point out their gifts in writing.

How great would it be if we all sent a note (or 5) to various people in our lives specifically with the purpose of pointing out one of their gifts and talents?! Wouldn't that be the best good mail ever? I'm sure it would also end up making us feel great as well.

**Thoughts??**

Comment Window Tidbit: I LOVE primary! I visited 4 different classes today, and was smitten with all of them. The junior primary kids especially did a number on me with their adorable comments, lispy voices, and innocence.

She's Trying to Kill Me

Whitney and I spent all of today (minus my phone call with Betsy and an hour-long errand) thoroughly cleaning the kids' room. Landon was not required to help because he is not the one who stuffs all manner of random tidbits into every available nook and cranny.

{This is how it's supposed to look.}

I have been talking to Whitney about this day of cleaning all week, so she was mentally prepared and willing to help. (I'm pretty sure she thought it would be easier than it ended up being.) She even seemed a little bit excited about it because she enjoys the results. Hmm, if only she could see the cause and effect involved with this scenario.

She started with the 4 toy bins, then cleaned out under her bed (both were big jobs). Then I vacuumed behind the furniture and we washed the walls. We thought we were in the home stretch with only the closet left to tackle, but it turned out to be the never-ending closet of doom!


Seriously! There were so many toys, wrappers, pencils (we have an insane amount of pencils around here), Legos, and clothes shoved on both sides of the game shelves in the closet that when I pulled it all out it heaped up and covered the entire open space of the floor! Poor Whitney was quite defeated by this, and poor me had to deal with the frustration of it all AND her defeatedness. It was grim.


I'd like to say I was a "Snow White" kind of girl (whistling while I work and having woodland creatures perch upon my shoulder), but I am NOT. I tend to be a "Good grief, how can you complain, you're the one who made this mess!" kind of cleaner. Not good.

We also found a substantial number of mouse turds in the back corners of the closet (sickening) which was a first for us. I have only ever found those in the garage, so this felt like a major violation and made me rethink the sympathy I felt for "Bubbles", his poisoning, capture and subsequent death ride in the Hyundai.


This is the small space that she managed to cram a garage-sized mess into!

We finished the room just after 9:00pm, so all is well. I have a trunk full of stuff for DI, a lot of trash, and the kids now have a really clean room. Now if only it can stay this way!

**What kind of cleaner are you?
What did you do today?**

Comment Window Tidbit: I have definitely earned some quality time watching MI-5 on the couch with Randy! Now if only he would offer to rub my feet...

Five for Friday

1. I love that I caught this daffodil before it opened. Spring time feels magical to me.

{Landon is the 5th kid on the left, he's wearing black.}

2. On Monday morning, I spent 45 minutes covering Landon's class while his teacher was at a PTA breakfast for Teacher Appreciation Week. It was exhausting! All I had to do was guide them through making a thank you card for the teacher and then 2 math worksheets, but keeping 30 kids on task and under control was definitely work for me.

I know several of the kids from church, so they kept calling me "Sister Stuart" which was funny in a school context.


3. After helping at the school, I drove out to freakin Eagle Mountain to work on photos with my mom. But we are at a hard part in the project and weren't feeling it, so she suggested we go to lunch instead. Um...okay! We went to Chili's (that means I went there twice this week) and had a most enjoyable lunch. Eventually we'll have to suck it up and move on to the next step of the photo project, but this was a good alternative for us this week.



4. I got my first ever front row parking spot at Costco this week! I've been going there for so many years without ever getting a good spot, so this is news worthy! I even got the pull through, which I love. Does anyone else have issues with Hummers (they're basically tanks right)?


Here's another angle to show just how close to the doors I was.


5. This is classic Whitney with her jammie t-shirt inside and backwards, she just doesn't care.


Or does she, this was the next shot I took and had to laugh that she tried to cover the evidence...I mean tag.

**Do good parking spaces make you happy?
Did you go out to lunch this week?
How do you feel about Hummers?**

Comment Window Tidbit: There is a smashed bird in the street directly below our driveway, it's gross, grim, and a bit sad. I hope we didn't back over an unsuspecting, deaf bird or something.

Good Times

Today was my day to help in Landon's class again (it comes around quickly no?) so I met with the usual suspects to time their Fry Phrases. My odd little friend did NOT check in with me to see if I had pondered last week's profundities, instead she told me about the 3 cakes she will be making for the upcoming talent show. It would appear she has warmed up to me substantially.


The teacher then had me read "The Devil's Arithmetic" to the entire class for a little while. As I read to the kids I automatically stopped to ask them questions and explain things just the way their teacher does. I couldn't help myself. I am so used to doing that from teaching at church and at home that it just happened. It was fun and a bit surreal, like they were my class for those 10 minutes and I was actually teaching them something. I probably should have been a teacher.


After that, she had me do a reader's theater in the hall with 9 of the kids so they could practice their fluency and expression. It was highly entertaining, plus I got to be Eurylochus in the play. My odd little friend was Narrator 2 and decided to infuse her part with all sorts of crazy inflection. I don't think she realized she was making the rest of us laugh.


Upon leaving the school, I called Amie to see if she was out and about today and if she wanted to meet for lunch. She was at the bank and heading my way, so I ran to DI for her, then we met at Chili's...you just can't beat that Express lunch deal. In fact, lunch beat us today because we ate too much and had to waddle out of there.

{Our windy self-portrait.}

We ended up going into Ross for a couple things, then to Costco. I love it that our hours together were unplanned and oh so fun, being with Amie is always a good time.

After I left Amie, I got a bag of ice, registered Whitney for softball, then went back to the school to deliver this box of chocolates to Whitney's teacher as part of teacher appreciation week. I had printed the card at home before I even knew what treat I was going to get her, and was tickled to find (it's the small things really) that the text matched the bow so well.


Later, I had just gotten home and unloaded the car and sat down at the computer (priorities) when there was a knock at the door. I'm always a little nervous/curious when I get a random knock at the door when I'm home alone...who could it be? It turned out to be Madison's mom bringing me a vase full of tulips to thank me for watching her kids. What a great surprise! I think everyone should get flowers delivered unexpectedly at some point, don't you?

**Thoughts??**

Comment Window Tidbit: My last visiting teaching appointment today went rather long (though it didn't feel like it at the time) because we were having a good time talking and laughing, but now I feel like I should apologize for staying so long. Oh dear.

Call Me Productive

I went visiting teaching by myself this morning because my partner is too busy to go this week (though she is the reason we were going so late in the first place) and I had one of those visits that make you feel so glad you went, yet totally helpless at the same time. I left in tears (of sympathy) and felt overwhelmed for this woman. Does anyone know a good lawyer who will work for free?


I called in my order to Cafe Rio and cracked up at this latest version of my name. The order taker (English is her 2nd language) is the same one who heard "Joel" not too long ago, but "Jilo" was a first! I must not be able to pronounce my own name.


Wednesday is now my bread making day. I can do it on other days, but since the creation of my
"Brain Box", this task has been assigned to Wednesdays then as needed--I no longer buy white bread.

I am listening to the book "Outliers" and think it is fascinating. I just started it yesterday, but am already 6 hours in. It's amazing how that time adds up when I'm working at the same time. I finished listening to "Boys Adrift" last week and must say it left my head spinning and my heart full of fear for the future; it's definitely worth a listen.


Randy's brother's family is coming to visit next week during their spring break (a rare treat) so I am working on some of the bigger clean-out projects that usually get ignored. I like having the extra push to get these things done, yet feel overwhelmed while doing the tasks.

{These items were under the blankets!}

You would understand this is you saw our hall closet in real life. No matter how many times I have weeded things out and reorganized, there's just no way to survive the force we call Whitney! She has a way of tucking and stuffing things as she "cleans" that leaves us speechless and amazed. It's a good thing I usually tackle this project while she's at school otherwise there would be yelling and tears.


When she saw the finished closet this afternoon she said, "I love what you've done with the closet!" So she is capable of recognizing and appreciating the clean, she just hasn't gotten the application of the concept down yet.


These blankets are causing me a lot of grief. They were gifts from Randy's grandmother, but they are (dare I say it?) u-g-l-y! The only use they ever get is when Landon builds a fort and needs every possible blanket in the house. I would love to give them to D.I. and be rid of them once and for all, but that seems harsh. I should probably get another big bin so I can store them in the garage right? Please help!


Landon woke up totally fine this morning, so he went back to school and is at his first soccer practice of the season right now. I saw him lying on his bed this afternoon and was all happy to find him reading, but when I came in to take a picture this is what I found.


Whitney's cute friend Payton came home from school with her today and they are totally adorable together (he's the one who gave her the Lemur webkin). I love it that she has several really good friends, and love it that both Madison and Payton are sweet, well-behaved kids from nice families. Who knew that would be so hard to come by?

**Ever have one of those VT appointments?
Can you believe "Jilo?"
Can you believe that hall closet?
What would you do with the afghans?**

Comment Window Tidbit: I have grown another crater on my forehead. What is up with the universe? I have resisted attacking, so I'm still able to cover it with make-up, but it feels like I'm sprouting a horn. Good Hell!