Miscellaneous Monday--Phone Photos

Landon has such a hard time smiling like a normal person in photos.

I found this funny message from Whitney waiting for me when I changed the roll of tp one morning.

My last two Secret Pals have been pretty lame, but we got new assignments last week and it looks like this time around I have a good one.

Whitney is supposed to read a book each month for her English Class but is not very keen on that assignment. Last week she needed to have her 215 page book finished by Thursday, but was only on page 67 on Monday. I tried my best to help motivate her, but she put up a lot of resistance...it was maddening for me.

I met my mom for lunch at a new place in AF called Wild Zucchini. I had a steak wrap with all kinds of tasty things inside it and she had a steak salad.

Our parking lot self-portrait.

I finally washed my car after about 6 weeks of filth, it was delightful and stayed clean for 24 hours before the next rain/snow fell.

This is a screenshot of an Instagram post I did of Whitney's nonreading activities...she is the queen of stalling!

When I pulled into the driveway from work on Thursday I actually said a prayer because I feared I would be fighting her all evening to finish her book. Miraculously though, when I entered the house she was sitting on the couch reading and only had 20 pages left! She ended up finishing the book before dinner. I was elated, thrilled, flabbergasted, delighted, tickled and euphoric!

I didn't go to Michelle's house on Friday because she is sick with bronchitis, so I ran errands instead. I hadn't been to Costco since before Christmas, so I had to pay to renew our membership (never fun) and stock up on a bunch of stuff...ouch!

I experienced a bit of a time warp when I saw this car on my way home...oh the 70's were so ugly!

Landon has been taking practice tests online so he can get ready for his Learner's Permit, so I decided to take one too and failed twice! I've been driving for 26 years, but can't remember how many feet away from train tracks I must be and so on. It was embarrassing.

We are finally having Landon's Eagle Court of Honor next Sunday (along with two other boys from the ward) so I had to go to the Scout Store to buy the Eagle Kit ($30, plus $15 for the bandana and $8 for two extra mentor pins). I am hoping that's the last time I will ever have to go there!!

Miscellaneous Monday

Over the MLK weekend I cleaned out our pantry, this is one side of the finished product. It took a long time and meant throwing away A LOT of canned good (the oldest having expired in 2005). We have a can rotation issue that I'm hoping will be remedied now that everything is current. Good grief!

I also cleaned of the desk in my room and dusted this tray Claudia gave me awhile ago which houses my necklace chains and pendants; so pleasing.

While cleaning I unearthed this frightening find from 1994!

These are the supplies I carry with me to Michelle's every week for Creative Friday. I usually have them dumped into 2 or 3 different bags and it drives me crazy, so I emptied the bags out onto my bed so I could weed out and organize everything.

This is the finished stash! It all fits into one large bag and is divided up into Ziploc bags so I can find things!

Whitney joined me for to eat lunch in the car one day last week, that was a first.

One of our new office aides (a great, 9th grade boy) showed me his phone cover, I was impressed.

I tried to help Whitney with her math homework and it nearly did us both in. I have since hired Landon to be her official tutor (for $5 an hour with the expectation of finished assignments and good test scores).

I also found that most of Whitney's math assignments are covered with drawings like this, so it's no wonder she may be missing quite a bit of class instruction. I was telling Randy about this and sharing my desire to have her hands tied to her desk so she couldn't draw but he said she was just draw in her head (like he used to as a kid)!

Landon has been playing Rec. basketball on a losing team, but they finally one a game (by one basket)! 

I made cookies on Friday (since Michelle was too sick for me to come over) and ended up taking her family a plate of them, putting a bag of them in the freezer along with 2 logs of dough for future use.

On Saturday I went to the annual Stake Relief Society Women's Conference with my visiting teaching companion Jill B. We have become good friends over this past year or so of teaching together and I am so happy about that.

3-Day Weekend Euphoria

Guess who spent the majority of her day off cleaning her "office"? That would be me.

BEFORE

AFTER

This photo really doesn't capture the amount of work that went on, but I cleaned out the wrapping paper station which is on the side of the filing cabinet, I sorted through all of our stash of gift bags (there were many that were too ugly to keep), and sorted through a bunch of church pictures and things which normally live on top of the filing cabinet. I hadn't realized how much that mess had been bothering me until I actually cleaned it up.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

This project is not a one day affair, but I made serious progress and feel greatly relieved by the elimination of much of the clutter. 

On a sad note though it is so hard for me to feel happy being back at work after a productive Monday off of work. It felt like a mental battle all day today and then I had a Scout meeting after work that proved frustrating as well. I just want to go to bed and it's not even 7:00 yet. Calgon, take me away!!

Comment Window Tidbit: I don't know how I'm going to make it another 6 weeks until Spring Break!

State of Affairs

Remember when I used to be able to blog daily?
I do.
But for now I'm just plain busy.
Yesterday I worked 8.5 hours with only one bathroom break and
not even a Wheat Thin passing my lips.
It was crazy.
I got 45 minutes in the cozy (for regrouping purposes) before heading out for Landon's flag-football game and Randy's birthday dinner (Whitney had to miss art class).
I haven't watched TV for 11 days (not by choice).
I was in bed at 9:20.
I'm spent.
Serenity now!!

Comment Window Tidbit: I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful, I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful.

Wordless Wednesday

Comment Window Tidbit: Both the kids woke up sick this morning (very rare) so I ended up staying home with them and spent most of the day dozing on the couch. I guess we all needed to rest.

Creative Friday--Many Visitors Edition

Claudia was in Park City for a week with her family for a reunion, and decided to stay in Utah for an extended vacation after her parents (and ride) went home. She has been staying at her cousin's house, and is now at her friend Hilda's, and then will be staying with us a few days next week.


I invited her to join us for Creative Friday this week, so I picked her and her boys at South Towne mall Friday morning.


Eva was excited to play with the boys, and luckily they cooperated!


When I asked Claudia if she wanted a diet Coke, her son Alexei ( age 7) said, "I thought you were off diet Coke!".

One of our self-portrait attempts.

Michelle had this cute, framed photo Claudia had recently sent us out on display. The photo was taken when Claudia joined us for Creative Friday 2 years ago.


Claudia's purse holds a vast array of very random items, this time she pulled out a thesaurus and a dictionary! What the?!

This is blurry, but captures the kids playing the Wii.

Michelle grilled burgers for lunch. I love the way the Swiss cheese wrapped itself around the patty.


Michelle gave Claudia an enlargement of her fabulous Paris flea market photo of French letters. Claudia was totally thrilled of course.


Michelle worked on a fabulous embroidery project using these supplies (the project is a gift, so I can't show it to you).


I brought some tasty chocolate-chip cookies for us, and managed to eat more than anyone else. I blame the plate's proximity to me.


We had some bonus visitors when Michelle's aunt Denise, daughter Emily and their friend Linda stopped by (they're in town bringing Emily back to BYU).


We had some failed attempts at fitting us all in for a self-portrait, but then Max got home and took this one for us.


It was rather comical that we were all standing right there when he got home from school.


I found this self-portrait of Claudia and Alexei on my camera.

Our delightfully messy table.

I provided Claudia with Paper Source cards and a new batch of good mail labels, but she brought postage and her fountain pen so she could work her magic.


Things started to deteriorate for me at the end of the day when the chaos quotient went up. Lucas came home from school and immediately started practicing piano right next to us, meanwhile Max was downstairs practicing cello, and Claudia's boys and Eva were going in and out of the sliding door near us every few minutes!

Every time the door was opened the damn dog had to race in or out, usually before the door was all the way opened, which meant he had to squeeze himself through. Aargh! The boys found the dog's antics enjoyable, but of course it wasn't their activity that was being interrupted for the millionth time, they were just on their way to more trampoline fun.

Serenity now!! Michelle took this picture of me "handling it well".

Claudia gave me this little message.

Apparently it was too much to ask for a peaceful day of creating with friends. I should be a well-seasoned pro by now, but I got bugged this time instead. C'est Ma Vie!

**What's the most random item in your purse?
Have you ever had an extended vacation with no car or plan?
Would the kid chaos have gotten to you?**

Comment Window Tidbit: I've decided I can't take being in the sun, even when I think I'm enjoying it. I ALWAYS end up with a killer headache. I must find an acceptable hat situation or take to carrying a parasol!