Six for Saturday

1. Amie had a very rare free day last week so we met up and went to Goodwood for a long, catch-up-on-life lunch and then went to IKEA so I could exchange something and get the new bedding for the kids' room. It was a fun day and a rare, kid-free treat.

2. What in the world is this? Your eyes aren't deceiving you, it is indeed some very good mail! Michelle must have mailed this the day she got back into town. Sadly it is a super rare treat to find good mail in my mailbox anymore so I never really even hope for it, so this was especially exciting to receive. She compiled a couple "Best of the Indigo Girls" discs along with a really nice thank you note and these cute cards. I've really got rekindle my good-mail sending ways because it's just nice to send and receive stuff like this.

3. Since Michelle had been out of town for almost 3 weeks we decided we couldn't wait for Creative Friday, we needed to catch-up before then. She and Eva came over on Friday the 22nd (with drinks) and hung out for 3 hours. It was so nice to relax and hear all about her trips to Hawaii and Denver.

4. Apparently Landon's new set up is working out well since he was able to fit 3 friends in there for some game time.

6. I took Whitney and Madison to D.I. the other day and found a few things for myself, woohoo.

6. Whitney scored this huge Fisher Price dinosaur (which is missing an arm but still lights up, roars and moves) for $1.75. Someone else's trash is truly her treasure!

Whitney has assigned all her animals to one of her huge new drawers, this girl just cracks me up.

June Bookclub

We were off schedule because of summer trips, so we met late in the month (which means next month's gathering is less than 2 weeks away).

We were celebrating my birthday so everyone brought their own take-out, plus Jenn picked up a tasty pork quesadilla for me.

Amy missed her 3rd month in a row because she was in New York for her anniversary.

After dinner we moved outside (my favorite) to discuss the book and watch the day turn into night, it's such a pretty view there.

We teased Jana that she looked like a kid in the grown-up chair because she looked so tiny sitting there.

We had a good laugh about Collette and Jana's disgust and irritation with the book The Peculiar Sadness of the Lemon Cake. It wasn't even a book club selection but Collette recently finished it and gave it 2 stars and Jenn proclaimed she'd give it zero if she could...meanwhile Michelle and I both gave it 4.

We covered a lot of subjects during our 4 hours together but didn't have a whole lot to say about our book for the month because it wasn't really a good discussion book. It was enjoyable, a solid 3 stars for most of us, but not very substantial.

The highlight of the evening was the glorious Ding Dong cake Michelle made! Oh I love it so!

They also gave me a $100 gift card to the mall so I can get some stuff for a little trip I'm taking next week, hee.

Kids Room Makeover

When we moved into this house the kids were only 3 and 5. We had bought the bunk beds from a family in the ward and were thrilled to have a room the kids could call their own. Meanwhile the years went on and the amount of toys in the room changed to make it look a little bit older, but we pretty much always hated the look of the room.

We began to dream about getting loft beds a few years ago, but cost, logistics and finances were always an issue. But with the kids turning 12 and 14 this year we had to do something.

I found these beds on KSL for $175 plus $25 to have them delivered (woohoo). Just putting these in the room and getting the other stuff out was a tremendous change.

Landon was at Scout Camp for this makeover and only knew about the beds, so he had 5 days of anticipation to enjoy while Whitney and I got down to business and outfitted the rest of the room. We spent almost 3 hours at IKEA finding the things that would meet their needs best.

We managed to get that 92 pound box into the car by ourselves (despite the male employees who passed us as we struggled) along with the rest of the stuff, it was very exciting!

Randy was gone that evening, so Whitney tried to put things together ourselves. It was mighty frustrating and I said some very choice words and had many more running through my mind. It was rough.

I had to wear a headlight while attempting to see the screw holes for part of the couch. It turns out the holes did not line up no matter what I did, so yes Landon's couch is missing one of its screws. It was an executive decision but seems okay.

Victory was eventually mine and the couch got put together! It folds out into a bed too, so we still have a place for a couple mini cousins to sleep.

Whitney was beyond happy to get a desk in her area. She is thrilled, but so are we because this means no more jungle set ups on the kitchen table!!! We should have done this years ago!

We also got new bedding and the cubby for Whitney's area, those white drawers hold a ton! I would like to get a new and bigger dresser for them, but that's not in the budget right now. (The Cheez-Its were a welcome home from camp treat for Landon.)

We need to do something about the pictures on the wall and possibly rig up some curtains so they can make their areas more private, but for right now it's fabulous!

I found these black photo ledge shelves at IKEA for $10 each and they are perfect for the kids' headlights, book and water bottle where they can reach them.

Another bonus to the high beds is that I can't see the mess on top very well, so Whitney's mismatched stuff and menagerie won't bother me so much. Woohoo!

Yikes!!

My leg (corpse-like) against Whitney's arm. She's been going to the pool 2-3 times a week and I haven't gone once. Oh my pastiness!

Sunday Thoughts

Once again the Lord has shown patience and chosen to help me even though I continue to be blatantly mortal. As I mentioned in last Sunday's post I was given the assignment to speak in church next month, thus giving my aimless scripture study a clear direction. It has been over 2 weeks since I was given that assignment, and though my topic has been in my mind daily I still haven't done any solid scripture study!

So Friday afternoon I checked my email where I was asked to substitute teach Whitney's primary class this Sunday. I said yes (of course) and printed the lesson out. But as I read the scriptures for this lesson (Alma 37-38) I felt the Lord's hand in my life again, because this lesson was just what I needed. I was particularly struck by Alma 37:39-44.

 39 And behold, there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship. And behold, it was prepared to show unto our fathers the course which they should travel in the wilderness.

 40 And it did work for them according to their faith in God; therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles should point the way they should go, behold, it was done; therefore they had this miracle, and also many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day.

 41 Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works. They were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey;

 42 Therefore, they tarried in the wilderness, or did not travel a direct course, and were afflicted with hunger and thirst, because of their transgressions.

 43 And now, my son, I would that ye should understand that these things are not without a shadow; for as our fathers were slothful to give heed to this compass (now these things were temporal) they did not prosper; even so it is with things which are spiritual.

 44 For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.

I have been slothful, I have forgotten to exercise my faith and diligence, thus marvelous works have ceased and I have not progressed on my journey! I have hungered and thirsted after righteousness but haven't traveled in a direct course because I haven't given heed to the words of the scriptures. 

The thing that really kills me about this is that I have done it to myself. My complacency turned into a stupor and I lost any momentum or drive I had going for me.  It was a remarkable message for me and was made even more so as I taught the 6 girls in Whitney's class today (no easy feat). I felt the Spirit strongly as I testified to them of the importance of reading their scriptures and living worthily so they can have the companionship of the Holy Ghost. We are lost and alone without it and that is a miserable way to live.

Six for Saturday--iPhone Edition

1. I had to set my alarm for 3:40am so I could get up to see Landon out the door for Scout Camp on Monday, he had to be at the church at 4:00am. I'm so glad this isn't my normal wake-up time!

2. We've been wanting to get loft beds for the kids' room for years and finally found some on KSL, they were delivered in pieces on Monday, woohoo.

3. Whitney bought herself another squishy dinosaur to add to her collection. She loves these and plays with them all the time. We had a scare with 4 of them at the pool this week because she thought they'd been stolen. Luckily when we went back later that night to see if anyone had turned them in we found two on at a life guard station and the other two back in the guard room where the teenage life guards were playing with them!

4. Now that the loft beds are in the kids' room we had to move the futon out. We put it out front with a sign that said "FREE" on it. I watched these people struggle to fit it in their car for about 10 minutes before they gave up. Another guy in a truck came a few minutes later and took it.

5. Whitney and I tried out a New York style pizza place before going to IKEA for bedroom stuff, this is their cheese slice!

6. While driving Cathy and I home from the trail we walked on this morning we got stuck in some race traffic, it was kind of funny.

3 for a Dollar

Whitney and Madison have been wanting to make and sell cookies to earn money to go to the movies and today was finally the day...even though it was 93 degrees outside.

They made this sign last week in preparation for the big day.

Customers were slow in coming for the first hour and Whitney was a little flustered that the $10 in change I gave them to use wasn't actually theirs to keep. She had a hard time processing that she was looking at $12 but they had only made $2 of that. It was funny.

They took turns holding the sign and trying to flag down cars, but they got more business when Madi did it (my theory is that she looks like a cute, little kid).

I hung out in the office and would go to the window each time I heard someone pull up. It was touching to me that people are kind enough to stop.

I couldn't believe a guy in a huge diesel truck stopped by but he did, then he even came back later and bought 6 more cookies so he could take some home.

The girls were out there for at least 3 hours but they ended up making $20.79 (
Apparently someone gave them extra change for a tip because they were selling the cookies 3 for $1). Their plan is to go to the cheap theater next week and be able to buy their ticket for $3.50, a large popcorn for $3 and a drink for $2.

Father's Day Weekend

We gathered at Adam and Amy's house on Saturday afternoon to celebrate Father's Day and my mom's birthday (which is this week).

My dad was engrossed in golf! Who is this man? He has been an avid watcher of football and basketball over the years, but golf?! Also, my parents had spent the previous night at their new place for the first time and my dad slept in until 9:50 on Saturday!! I asked my mom if she thought he was dead! Seriously, I don't know what is up with the universe. It will be interesting to see what downsizing their house and eliminating yard work means for them. Weird.

We were missing Robyn and her kids because she was running in a race and the kids were with Jared for Father's Day Weekend.

My lovely plate of carbs, there is actually some chicken behind the corn.

The girls played outside and then went to play night games with some neighbor kids, we hardly saw them.

We sat around and talked for a long time, then ended up playing Quiddler after my parents left despite the weariness most of us were experiencing.

Look at who won!!

On Sunday we treated Randy to breakfast in bed, and then took our traditional Father's Day photos after church.

The kids are getting huge!

Oh so sweet!

Can you even handle the amount of teenagerness going on with this kid?! He's almost 14!