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Saturday, December 29, 2007
Thoughts for the new year
My thoughts for the new year:
I love New Year's. All new years. It seems like a fresh start; a clean slate. I have no resolutions this year, because I am still working on the ones from high school, I think. They are always the same: Eat better, excercise more. Now that I am 30 weeks preggo, I don't even care about that. Not yet, anyway.
I love my new camera- it takes movies! (I sound so old fashioned- I could've said "It shows movin' pictures!") I took a few minutes worth of video and it was amazing how clear everything was and the sound was great. My camera is a Canon SD 800IS and I love it. Not the same as our SLR, but I love it. And the movie feature is outstanding. I love seeing little clips of people and what they moved like and sounded like. I won't be able to post anything, because I have DIAL-UP at 24000bps. So SLOW. We are thinking of getting HughesNet. Anyone have it? Love it? Hate it? FYI: We have no cable or DSL. (or cell reception, or radio...)
Things I've done to get ready for 2008:
Organized the kids toys. (Waiting for the bunks to go up, then it'll be "done")
Figured out a budget and money plan for the year. I am "in charge" of the money, so to speak, and have a plan with some options that Ryan and I are going to go over tonight or tomorrow. It looks great on paper- we'll see how it works in real life. This plan includes savings, investing, and aquiring debt to build our house, and paying off our tractor. It's a John Deere.
That is it! I am going to spend the month of January obsessing over cleanliness and organization because that is what I ALWAYS do when I'm pregnant. Then in February, I have to think about moving to Bakersfield with the kids until Jessie is born. (Living in the middle of nowhere, with an hour and 20 minute drive to the hospital, not including time to ditch the kids... in town is better for all involved. We'll just hope Ryan makes it.) Then in March, Ryan is suppossed to take some time off and frame, frame, frame the house. I turned in our plans for a lumber bid, and that makes us completely nervous. That is fairly non-negotiable. Most everything else can be cheaper or more expensive- for example, we could put in $200 windows, or we could put in $1400 windows. We've seen both. So cross your fingers for us- we have no idea. Three years ago a guy we know had his bid come in at $27,000. His house is similar in size to ours, but it's still not the same house. The housing market is kind of bad right now too, so maybe lumber will be cheaper.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Tis the season



I am glad Christmas is over. I loved it this year-shopping online was the way to go for me, and I plan on doing the same next year. Maybe I'll get an earlier start, or put more thought into my gift giving. I have a hard time buying for men because everything they really want costs a fortune, and they probably bought it for themselves earlier in the month anyway. I was in the Christmas mood all month long, and I was relieved to see our little tree go into it's box by 9am on the 26th. It was time. NOW is my next favorite season- Tis the season to get organized! My kids got lots of toys, and with our limited space we have to keep it organized. Right now the toys are in fabric boxes from Target, and they hold the toys, but the kids can't see what is in the box so they dump everything. I am going to our hardware store tomorrow and buying more clear plastic storage boxes that have lids the kids can't open by themselves. This keeps toys organized by theme: dinosaurs, Little People, all things vehicle related, blocks, etc. and the kids can't open another box without cleaning up what they already have out. Plus, they stack nicely. I also used some of my Walmart gift card to buy some portable shelving for our little closet hoping that will help me keep our clothes neater. I love finding organizing solutions for my small space living problems. I'm looking into Command hooks next. And looking forward to our bunk beds to go up in a couple of weeks.
Unrelated-I heard my blog referred to as "the rants of a crazy lady". Maybe I should change the title.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Pics from my new camera
Monday, December 17, 2007
Musings
*I always think I have so much time before Christmas to get everything done, and then BAMM! it's a week before and nothing is wrapped and the one little craft I want to do isn't even started.
*If I hear the Mannheim Steamrollers or Whitney Houston's "Do you hear what I hear?" one more time... I have XM radio in my car because we don't have radio where we live (so primitive...) and I love Christmas music, so we listen to one of their special holiday stations. My favorite station plays too much of the afore mentioned songs. I did hear "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by the Bare Naked Ladies and Sarah McLaughlin (I slaughtered the spelling on her last name...) it was a great duet.
*I made Christmas cards. I addressed the envelopes. They are not sent yet, but will be today. I am going to post it on my blog so that my blogger friends whose addresses I don't know can get one, too.
*I am prefacing this one by stating the obvious fact that I LOVE COOKIES. (All you have to do is note my weight gain for evidence). I went to a cookie exchange and was disappointed in other people's baking skills. My no-bake cookies didn't turn out EXACTLY how I wanted them to- they were a little dry. But the taste was still how it was supposed to be. It just amazes me that a food that has essentially the same ingredients can turn out so differently. Now, maybe I am spoiled by my mom and mother-in-law's cookies. I love my mom's chocolate chip cookies, and my MIL makes a wicked oatmeal cookie and a snickerdoodle. It was just a little sad. There were a couple of chocolate chip cookies that were good, Costco brand included, but other than that, I was a little sad.
*Not holiday related- I am surprised that Ed is still alive. He has eaten two craft foam discs in the last two days. They were the size of quarters, maybe bigger. They only way I knew he ate them was when I changed his diaper. I refuse to dig out evidence for "fun" because that grosses me out. I have to say this about the boy- he has a really high metabolism. I think I'll find an example of the foam discs and the marble from last month and take a picture of those. He also had a very interesting diaper a few hours he ate three crayons. Where is his mother while he is doing this? (In my defense- I have pulled MANY, MANY items out of his mouth, including, but not limited to: more craft foam, crayons, hunks of play dough, money, small toys, rocks, dog food, Kleenex, cotton, fabric, string, and most anything else that he can find.)
*Last one- Ryan has finished all the digging for our house. This includes the house (finished long ago), septic, leech lines, and the trench for the wire, water, and phone lines. Our soil is so sandy, it's like digging in the dry sand at the beach. So the "trenches" are really more like canals and swimming pools. It's amazing how much dirt has been moved. The canal for our lines is 400 feet long, about 6 feet wide, and about 4 feet deep. If we had different soil, we would have used a trencher, not a backhoe, and the trench would have been something like 3 feet deep and 12-18 inches wide. Ryan was so happy to be done digging-so tedious and boring, and it doesn't seem like it helps in the actual building of the house. But, now he can start going UP from the ground. His goal is to be framing by March.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
100th post
*****Edit*****I did it again (12/17/07) and now it says my blog is high school level. Random!*****

Get a Cash Advance
This is my 100th post! That is more entries than I ever put in my journal. Now it's time to talk to SIL Jocelyn and see how to get it all in print. I think I'll do it once a year, and my blogiversary is in March.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Family Home Evening


Oh Christmas tree

We got our tree at Michael's, on sale. It is a fake four foot tree, undecorated right now. The kids LOVE it. Will insists it needs a star on top. Ed keeps saying "It's a tree, a tree!" (Think of that short guy on Fantasy Island- It's a plane!) and Kacy sings "Oh Christmas Tree" every hour or so.
Saturday I went to the temple, and the kids stayed with my cousin Caley. They had a great time, and Caley was still standing by the end of the day. We stopped at Claim Jumper to eat, and it was GREAT. I grossed out my family by getting my steak rare, only Kendra and I (Ryan likes it VERY RARE, but he wasn't there) like our steaks that way. It's because you can taste the beef. Any more cooked and it loses taste and texture. My dad said something about getting Mad Cow disease... I don't know about that.
This week is going to be BUSY- I won't bore you with details, but it involves appointments and parties. This is my busiest week of the season. After this, I have nothing going on besides Christmas and a December birthday party.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Monday, December 3, 2007
Not Twitching
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Little Devils, I mean Angels

Friday, November 30, 2007
All better!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Short and NOT sweet
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Puking, Pizza, and Speech
Today's lunch was pizza. I make a wicked whole wheat pizza crust- it doesn't take that long to make, you just have to give yourself the rising time. No last minute pizza making. The kids love salami and olives and lots of cheese. I make myself a different pizza. I use BBQ sauce instead of pizza sauce, a little bit of cheese, cooked chicken, and grilled onions. I have put olives on it, and pineapple, too. It's my new favorite, and I think it's fairly healthy because of the small amount of cheese I use. The closest pizza to us is at least 25 minutes away, so we do homemade.
One more thing for today, I have 90% decided to get Will tested for his speech/language after the first of the year. He'll be 3 1/2 at the end of Feb. (Wait a minute... that's when Jessie will be here... how am I going to work that out? I'll have to think about that.) Today he was trying to tell me something that he was really excited about (pretending with a helicopter made with 2 blocks of wood...) and he just couldn't find the words and said "mommy, mommy... uh uh mommy" A LOT. I have gone back and forth with him and speech because he has improved, but I am his mom and have learned to understand him. Others have a hard time. And, I'm not a speech expert, and I am not sure if there is an actual speech problem or if it's a language problem. (Two different things...) It's just so hard to tell, and since the county tests for free, I might as well rule anything out, or get him the help he needs. It might solve some of his crying problems too if he can express himself better. One thing I am working on is having him use a flannel board and stories to tell the stories- that seems like it should be helpful. Kacy talks over him a lot, and for him- ah, enough rambling.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Cartoons and Christmas

Christmas is fast approaching and that means my normally stressed personality will be positively mental until it's all over. I have to figure out what to get everyone, whether or not I should attempt a Christmas Card (and then, with or without a picture of the kids?), how much to spend on everyone, how crafty I want to get (found out that crafty doesn't always mean less expensive...) and then, where to store the gifts once they are here. Ryan thinks we need a tree this year (first time in seven years...) and our rule is it has to fit on the TV. On the plus side, December should fly right by, and then after that will be January, and when you are pregnant, any month that goes by fast is a great month. I look forward to meeting the baby who makes me sick with movement. I look forward to trying to get thin again. I hate maternity clothes. HATE THEM. And since this one is our last one, I semi-refuse to buy anything. But I might have to. I'm thinking a really decent pair of jeans that I can also wear for a couple months afterwards would be great. Biggest problem is that I am between sizes- Mediums are tight on my hips, and a large is just too big. Oh well, by the counter on the bottom of my blog, I have about 15 weeks left. Maybe I'll last.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Just an update...

Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Things to appreciate about your house
-having a closet
-being able to close a door on the hideous mess in my kids room (we are constantly cleaning it up because I think it looks so bad!)
-having hot water on demand (realized this the other day when Ed had serious diaper problems and we had NO hot/warm water to bathe him)
-having a dining room table so we can eat together, at a table (or a bar)
-having a full size fridge and freezer (OKAY! having a kitchen!!!!)
Things that have surprised me that they DON'T bother me:
-having only a dresser drawer for each kids clothes (makes me be more choosy about clothes, and since they have less, I do laundry more often, but less of it)
-not having a dishwasher- I thought I would miss this more. I will surely appreciate having one again, but it's not so bad.
-having my kids share a small space for their "room"-as long as everyone takes a nap together, we are super duper good. This happens 99.9% of the time.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
6 things
1)The smell and taste of a homegrown tomato makes me weepy. If I wasn't already married, I'd marry a homegrown tomato.
2)If I had to pick ONE CD to listen to forever, it would be Lynard Skynard's greatest hits.
3)I am even meaner when I'm pregnant. (Some of you already KNEW that.)
4)My favorite candy is dark chocolate, followed by candy corn.
5)I still hate pickles.
6)I am getting dumber with every kid I have. (Some of already knew THAT, too.)
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Halloween


Monday, October 29, 2007
archeological dig or house?

Our house is a rectangle with a bump-out in the back. This angle is from the side of the house where the kids rooms will be. Most of the footings where dug with a small back hoe. I personally dug the shorter footings by hand (so proud-that will be one of my last contributions for awhile) and Ryan dug out the big square footings. Two of them looked like small Jacuzzis when he was done. We both had to clean out the ditches- our soil is very sandy. He compacted the whole things before we dug and that has helped tremendously. (Didn't you know one of my hubby's many talents include the operation of heavy machinery?) Today he got our back hoe running and dug out the final bit. Next is digging the septic system. Or the forms. Whatever we want because we are building it.
Friday, October 26, 2007
A digging we will go
I ordered maternity pants online from JC Penny's for pretty cheap,(they were on sale for less than $20) and they arrived today. A word about maternity pants- they are ugly. Unless you pay $$$ for them, they are just pathetically hopeless, especially when it comes to the "rear view"- these pants are a little baggy in the WRONG places and have NO pockets. Even when I'm thin I don't have a flat butt, so these help nothing. I am going to keep them though, because I need pants badly, and they are a nice wash and look okay otherwise.
I just checked my stock portfolio and it has bounced a little for the last two weeks, as the DJIA hit 14000 and then went down again. My stocks closed at 47%. Too bad I didn't put MORE money in- you know, like a million dollars. Then I'd have 1.47 million. Oh well- my goal is still to keep it above 10%, and I'll be happy. This is still my furniture fund for when our house is finished. I want those front loading washer and dryers. And a dining room table (Ryan will probably build that) with chairs. And closet systems for all the closets.
Good- no GREAT news on the credentialing front- I was stressing about renewing my credential before I was ready to go back to work, and found out that all I have to do to renew it in 5 years is send in my money. None of the old "strings" are required! That means I can truly wait until all my kids are in school and not have to do daycare at all. I spent too much time getting the darn thing to just let it go- besides, my hubby has a somewhat dangerous job, and he has some somewhat dangerous hobbies, and if is ever maimed/killed it would be nice to support the family and not worry about what would happen. It's a great back-up plan that I need. If I didn't have that back-up I think I would worry about Ryan more. But I don't at all. Besides, he's a great shot.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
It's a...

Monday, October 22, 2007
Barney is 20
I am going to be busy the next couple of days- tomorrow we are going pumpkin picking. Wednesday I have my fetal survey (ultrasound!). According to the poll on this blog, I'm having a girl! Which is totally funny to me because I am expecting to hear "It's a boy!" Seriously. However, I have been wrong the last three kids, so maybe it is a girl. But I doubt it. We will see Wednesday and I will post Wednesday night or Thursday. Hope everything is formed up okay. Jocelyn and I agree that the more kids you have, the more you realize just how much can go wrong and how lucky you are when everything is fine. Not pessimistic about it or anything, but with Kacy all I thought about was the heartbeat and her gender. With ever kid you realize more and more what they check for during that ultrasound and it is amazing when out of 142 things (I think that's what I heard with Ed's ultrasound) all 142 are great.
Quote of the day provided by Will. The kids were talking about my "belly" and Kacy said "Wow, mom! Your belly is getting SO big. Maybe that means the baby will come put soon!"
"It's not THAT big Kacy. The baby won't be here for awhile. My belly has to get even bigger."
"BIGGER? Like dad's?" asks Will, eyes wide.
Friday, October 19, 2007
A new game in town
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Another day, another dollar?
I looked at the poll results today, and we find out for sure next week. I'll post it for sure, possibly with the unabashed genital pictures for proof. We only care about modesty after they are born!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
fire station, kindergarten, and online groceries
Will is upset that he can't go to Kindergarten next year with Kacy because he wants to go to Aunt Kendra's house and play too! (Get it? Kacy says "Kendra-garden". "No Will, you can't go to Kendra-garden until you are 5!" Will: "Yes, me too mom! I want to go to Aunt Kendra's house and play with Benjamin and Jack!" (crying, of course)
Amazon sells groceries online. This I found out after spending time in the car thinking "I HATE grocery shopping. I NEED to go today. The kids are tired and hungry and they will be a big PAIN right now. I HOPE we have food at home." Then, while warming up soup for lunch, I saw a commercial of a loaded shopping cart driving itself to a house. I stop and stare, mouth agape. I look up amazon groceries right away. (As fast as I can with dial-up in the boonies, which is slower than dial-up in the city.) What a great idea, free shipping options... fairly reasonable prices, especially if you consider the mental toll of taking kids shopping. TOO BAD they sell some weird stuff and all of it is in large quantities. I simply do not have the space for 6 boxes of Lucky Charms. I looked up angel hair pasta just for fun, and they don't sell regular ol' white flour pasta. It's all organic or egg free or whole wheat. I don't do organic because it is more expensive and I love to eat pesticides (so tasty... LOL) and egg free might be okay, except expense, and whole wheat is so healthy, I'm sure, but not for our family. I may continue looking into online grocery shopping. I live far enough away from any store a little shipping or not getting the best price would be a great trade for getting all my non-perishables without the kids.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Happy Birthday!

Friday, October 12, 2007
candy detox

Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Two cop stories, long and maybe gross
Here are a couple of fun stories, compliments of Ryan. Anyone who knows Ryan knows he has the gift of story telling, and these happened to him, but I am going to share without trying to botch it all up.
Last week, Ryan came home from work late two nights in a row. One night, at 2am, I hear him call dispatch and say "Put me 10-10, I'm out of the mountains now. Search and rescue are there." I THINK that's what I heard, it is 2 am after all. The next morning I ask what the phone call was all about and this is it in a nutshell: A motorcyclist crashed in the mountains. He has cell reception somehow, and called 911. Ryan has the 4x4 patrol car, so he and some Sheriffs go looking for this guy. They called about 10 search and rescue guys who were on quads and dirt bikes to help. There were helicopters involved. It gets really cold up here at night, it was really important to find the guy. The whole idea to find this guy is to have everyone drive to different points in the area and flash their sirens/lights, and he is supposed to call 911 back and tell them he saw something, and they would figure it out from there. Ryan went down a path that was very much an off road path. Steep. Rocks. Down a mountain. Turned on lights, no report back. So he turns around (he has no radio reception at this point with anyone, he's all alone, just him and his Durango)- he starts up the mountain, things are going well, if not slowly. All of a sudden, his transmission goes out. So, the next two hours of Ryan's life from this point consist of winching himself up a mountain. Pull out winch cable, climb mountain, tie around tree, go back to car, winch, and repeat. Winch and repeat. For TWO hours. Needless to say, he hates his Durango and swears we will never own a Dodge. (In his defense, his Durango has been in the "shop" for tranny problems, brake problems, and an airbag thing for four or five months of the 13-14 months he's driven it.) Warn winch company, on the other hand, is his new favorite.
Next night, Ryan comes home at 2am. I am a little more awake this time, and ask if Ryan has been partying. He relates the fact that he has been on the scene on a bloody, bloody homicide/suicide (it was TBD by the detectives) and related his theory to me about what happened. For the best story, ask Ryan. From my point of view, it went something like this: Ryan telling me about the copious amounts of blood. Me feeling a little ill. Ryan saying that the guy shot himself in the head, there was one casing in the revolver, and the shell was in a puddle of blood on the porch, the guy was in the house. A leatherman tool was nearby the shell, maybe the guy pulled the shell out of his head. Me feeling like I'm going to puke. I try not to remember the rest, because it makes me sick- I'm a blood wimp. Anyway, Ryan tells the story, falls asleep snoring loudly, and I lay there picturing this scene, feeling like I might puke. NICE! Oh- as for Ryan's theory about it being a suicide and not a homicide- the guy was found in his living room, the gun was on the front porch with the one casing, and the one shell was on the porch also. Remember in psychology class the story of the guy who had a railroad spike go through his frontal lobe and he still lived? Ryan said this guy probably did the same with a bullet, lost all reasoning, and then wandered around all bloody, doing weird things (pulling the bullet out of your head anyone?) and then bled to death. Ryan has a job I absolutely could not do.
Monday, October 8, 2007
My inner Pollyanna is missing!
Funny, the difference between Ryan and I. This was us this morning. We were digging footings.
Me:"Ryan, do you think there is 'men's work' and 'Women's work?' "
Ryan: "You think too much. You know what I think about? Shear walls."
Maybe I needed this reality check. I'm hoping it's the pregnancy hormones (can only use that excuse for a good 4 months or so more...) but sometimes I feel sorry for myself and get a martyr attitude. Last week I had a bad attitude week. Poor me, I do EVERYTHING, blah blah blah. Now, not to discount myself, I do A LOT. Jack of all trades, master on none- that is me. And I think living with four other people in 320 square feet of living space, with another on the way, only makes the tedious chores I do repeatedly throughout the day, well, more tedious. When space is short, there is no "getting away" even for a minute. After two years of this, sometimes I think I've reached my point. You know, THE POINT. The point when you think you'll be in the loony bin any second. Take all this, ask your husband when he thinks the house might be done (grasping for hope, that's me) and discover/reaffirm you and your spouse have opposite views on how to get things done. (I'm a stress case, he's not. Lucky guy.) Think our discussion in the car last week that ended with a "Let's not talk about this anymore." couldn't have gone any worse and fell on deaf ears, mumbling in my head all week long about living in a trailer for the next ten years, thinking at least it will be paid for when we move out... negative thoughts. This weekend I decided to change my attitude, slipped miserably on Sunday (I don't know WHY I get so bad around Ryan's family, maybe deep down I'm hoping they know something about him I don't and can give me a hint. Maybe because they lived in a tiny trailer while building a house...) anyway, while digging footings today, I told Ryan I put all my sewing stuff in storage. He said "That's good, after talking last Sunday I decided to pawn off the living nativity to so and so, he'll do a good job, and finish this trailer and that's it. Nothing else but house." That was followed by "Kacy, Will, get OUT of the mud!" and we went back to our normal stuff. I leaned on my shovel while watching our kids make hideous messes of themselves. Ed came crying over to me and I checked his diaper- it was full of dirt. Dirt and a rash make a sad, sad baby. I took off his diaper while outside and he just smiled and laughed- ah relief. Anyway, I love Ryan, even when he threatens that the house will take five years to get done. (He was joking, I think...). I do take myself way too seriously way too often and forget to be fun a lot of the time. He reminds me relax. I need that. He once teased me when we were dating that I was Pollyanna because I USED to be positive. Not so much anymore, but I know my inner Pollyanna is somewhere, probably lurking in my pinkie toe. I'm going to dig her up.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
What I learned today
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Why, oh Why?
Why do the kids pick the one "Materism" from Cars that has the potential for disaster? "Holy shoot!" anyone? My kids new favorite word.
Why isn't my laundry getting as clean as it should be? My whites aren't white, and my kids clothes are always stained. Any laundry hints or tricks out there? Should I bug Ryan to fix the water heater so we have hot water for laundry? I bought some "bluing" for whites. I bought "Shout" spray.
Why does a pedicure and an eyebrow wax/shaping make me feel so much better? Oh, and real jeans. I did those things yesterday, and WOW! I felt almost like a girl again. I went shopping for jeans in my friend Amy's closet again, and I have two pairs of jeans that might get me through the winter. They are low rise, so I can wear them under my belly (which is getting quite obvious now) and if my butt doesn't get any bigger, I'll be super happy all winter. Yea! Now if I can just get Ryan to get our wagon out of storage, I can take walks while pulling the kids.
Bargain hair find: Those who know of Biosilk hair serum, it is awesome stuff. I found a cheaper version that works just as well: Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine anti-frizz serum. I found it at Rite-Aid on sale for 4.99. Biosilk is like $20.00. It works!
Last side note- went to the Dr. yesterday and everything is fine. It was a 5 minute appt. where they measure your belly and find the heartbeat. The heatbeat finder thingie was so quiet I could barely hear it. This cracks me up- the look the nurse had on her face, I've seen it on the Dr.'s face too: they look at you like you should jump up and down or cry at the wonder of it all. I'm just always relieved. But, not being very sentimental, I pretend to be thrilled. "Oh yea, I can hear it, that's really neat! Wow." When I'm thinking "Whew. There's a heartbeat still. Let's go." I am much more interested in the ultrasound and the end product.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Stock Market update
Here are the stocks I own:
Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD)- heard it was a good restaurant, and it is expanding into the untapped WEST- Maybe CA will be next!
Global Sources Lmtd. (GSOL) Wild Card- has done very well for me- has big ups and downs with a steady upward trend. Company located in the Bahamas that matches companies with foreign markets.
Nathan's Famous Hot dogs (NATH) Love their hot dogs, small company (micro) with steady performance.
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (RMCF) I have to own stock in chocolate, and since my favorite See's candy is under the Berkshire-Hathaway umbrella, this was it. Pays small dividends, and has yummy product.
Meridian Bioscience (VIVO) Bought on a hunch just before it split. Steady performer that has treated my well. Plus, I like their ticker symbol- not very logical, I know.
I want to own stock in Chevron, which helped to make my grandparents rich. My grandpa worked for Standard Oil for years and had stocks as a perk. During the years (50's-80's) the stock did very well. I will start slow since it's kinda pricey for me. So there you go. My 25% performers, as of yesterday.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Running with the bulls, and more



Saturday, September 15, 2007
A joke for Jimi
Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Cow says.
Cow says who?
Cows don't say who, cow says MOOOO!
We are thinking about you!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Updated at last
On the positive side, I have some pictures of the kids to post soon to appease the family. I have some fun facts about them, too. Kacy's new words for the last week are retirement, transportation, and now oxidation. Will loves to have "Little bunny Foo foo" sung to him, and tried a spinach leaf today. He spit it out, but he still tried it. Ed tries to sing his ABC's, he has the tune right, and I can hear the letters abcd, hij. All the rest sounds the same.
Update on the adults in the family: Ryan has been very busy doing everything he's supposed to be doing. Stuff keeps getting in the way of more progress on the house: Example- Saturday he worked extra late (read: by the time he gets home it's dark outside...) because a drunk guy lost a wheel in the canyon, kept driving causing lots of sparks, and caught the canyon on fire. NICE!
My update: I'm still pregnant, I think I'm 15 weeks along (what day is it???) and my normal pants are getting tight. I am thinking it's about time for maternity pants, or at least this cool new band thing they have so you just unbutton your pants and wear it over... should get those for Thanksgiving dinner gifts for the family. The way my belly is growing is weird, but being pregnant can be weird, too. That's just me. Oh- and today I had a really simple spinach salad for lunch, followed by countless double stuffed peanut butter oreos. Don't be jealous.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
you know you hang around law enforcement when
Kacy: "Mom, see that white truck up there?"
Me: "Yes."
Kacy: "They are bad. Bad drivers."
Me: "Why?"
Kacy: Because they crossed over that line. They must be drinking."
Monday, August 27, 2007
Confessions of a tired, crazy pregnant lady
Yesterday was Will's birthday. He turned three! To see pictures, I'm sure my MIL has some on her blog, or will shortly- see my list of buddies and click on cherie and david. If she doesn't have anything, she's very busy right now!
Today a few things happened that I want to document for posterity. Nothing really important.
I went to my favorite restaurant with my friend and visiting teacher (and the kids). This little Mexican restaurant is very good in my opinion, and I get one of two dishes. Today I got my favorite carne asada tacos with onion and lime juice. I enjoy this monthly lunch date. Jenny is a good friend with a lot of common sense. I enjoy her family, too- her brother and sisters and parents are in the ward. I sat by the women at our Relief Society luncheon on Saturday and had a lot of fun. The hi-lite of the luncheon was tasting the chicken salad, which was a perfect combination of ingredients. Some chicken salads are heavy on one thing or another, but this one was just right to me. Look forward to the recipe.
Today I exercised. I have a great set of DVD's that got me in great shape after I had Kacy. You don't have to shake your bootie or be talented in anyway- it's a no nonsense kind of workout. I was having this odd mental conversation with myself while doing it, and thought it was worth recording. I could always use a good laugh, especially when it's at myself.
1- should I even workout? Expanding waistline and butt scream yes! My brain says no. My throat says no (I think I might be sick- I feel fine, except for my throat which kills me every time I swallow. Wondering if I should go to the Dr. Probably wait.) I do end up exercising.
2- get thru stretches- no problems. I'm a little stiff.
3- Power Yoga- Don't do upward dog, need to see if plank and downward dog are preggo safe. I know just enough about yoga to know that some poses are not recommended for preggo ladies. Can't remember which ones though...
4- marchy leg lifty type things for lower impact, warm up. Used to hop thru it, today did low impact version. Still got tired.
5- high impact section- jumping jacks. I do ONE. Opt to do a jig instead. Do running in pace okay (does shuffling count?) and the run/lunge exercise. (like pretending you are on a climber. Kinda fun)
6-Take break with DVD- love those built in water breaks. Notice foul smell from kitchen and decide to locate asap. Pause DVD and recover a decomposing mouse in forgotten mouse trap. Remove trap to outside and resume DVD.
7-Kickboxing section- love kicking and punching, again choosing low impact versions. Contemplate future career as boxer. Remember I don't like pain or scars on my face, and my IQ has already dropped from having kids. Reconsider future career.
8-Finish DVD still standing. Managed to narrowly avoid kicking both Kacy and Ed in the head. Finish thinking I am really out of shape.
There is a thought that you start showing earlier in subsequent pregnancies because your body "remembers" what to do, including your belly muscles. IF this is a true phenomenon, WHY can't my muscles remember being 17 years old?
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
more news and thoughts
My thoughts are these: I think I'm rich! Ha ha, not really, but I came to terms today with the fact that my kids cannot attend any of the preschools up here because Ryan makes too much money. I know he makes a lot, but where does it all go? We never seem to have any at the end of the month. But that is a personal problem we've have whether we made 50,000 a year or 110,000 a year (our record when we both worked and had no kids...) Anyways, my gripe is this: the ladies at the state run preschool led me to believe that my kids could go there. Every time I talked to them I told them I didn't qualify for income, and every time they replied "don't worry about it". So the week before school starts I run around Bakersfield getting paperwork, spend two horrific hours at the clinic doing TB stuff, and was told they would call me on Tuesday when they worked something out. Today is Wednesday, I called them, and was told "We have to take all the low income kids first. We haven't forgotten you". So I email the big boss at county superintendent (who taught a class I took at CSUB) and told her and she called me and we worked everything out. By that I mean she told me that there was no way my kids can go because of their state funding and our income. I said "Thank you for the straight answer" and that I was led along and wasted a bunch of time. She is going to talk to them tomorrow and set them right, I guess. I hate complaining, but I don't like wasting my time either. Raise your hands if you have ever sat with a crying one year old in a clinic for an hour while your 4 and almost 3 year old tried not to think about the shot that was coming to them. The county lady suggested I do a parent co-op (have a degree in Child Dev)... but I hate the licensing requirement of a director having to take this icky 3 unit class on how to be a manager of a preschool. I've attempted it twice, and the class is soooo lame. I have jumped through many hoops, but this is a hoop I'm not willing to go through. Looks like I'll try to find that playgroup again we tried last year. Maybe I'll put an ad in the paper to see if anyone up here is interested in a play group. I would love to do a playgroup twice a week AT a place. A building. I loved the field trips we took, but the parks could be windy and with little ones it's hard to watch everyone. At any rate, I need to go find my figurative "preschool teacher/child developmentalist" hat and brush off the dust. And wear it. But then again, I never went to preschool, and I took naps in Kindergarten and played and played and I think I'm fine... maybe a little mental, but otherwise fine...
Monday, August 20, 2007
Is it a...

shopping in hand me downs
Me holding red/blue stripe: "No mom, already have one" (he does, similar)
Me holding yellow/blue stripe: "no mom, it's yellow" (hates yellow)
Me and Jocelyn holding various Mickey Mouse shirts: "no mom, those are Ed's"
Me holding plain red tee and plain blue tee: "that's cool"
We were cracking up. He was true to form, and his favorite outfit is jeans and a plain red tee shirt. He still makes an exception for his Thomas shirt though. He'll be three this Sunday!
Two interesting (to me) bits of conversation I had yesterday: Jocelyn and I were talking about the parking situations at the IKEA stores, and Will says to his dinner plate : "Parking lots? What parking lots?" You had to be there. Then when we left I called my mom and asked if we could have a family party for Will next Tuesday at her house. When I hung up, Kacy asked who I was talking to, and I said "Your grandma Sorensen." Kacy: "You mean your mom?" Me:"yes, your grandma" and she said "But you are too big for a mom" I told her everyone has a mom and that when she gets older she'll move out of our house and be married and I'll still be her mom. She got teary eyed (she was very tired...) and said, "But mom, I don't want to move out! I'll miss you!" It's cute and heartwarming when a four year old says that. We may have to have a chat when she's 30 though.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
What I did today...
Today I took all three kids to the clinic up here to get Kacy and Will tested for TB. An hour after we got there we finally got in. Ed was the worst behaved. Poor guy, he is 14 months old and wants to RUN around and explore. He can't do that in a medical clinic. He was also very tired, and let everyone know about it by being very fussy. When we got to our room the kids got their tests right away. The nurse asked who was going to go first, and Kacy said "Will!" He went first, cried, and had to be held down by myself and a nurse. Then Kacy went, held her pink bear, and bravely laid there while being poked in the arm. She didn't cry. When we got to the car I asked Will why he cried and he said "I no cry mom."
"Yes you did. Did it hurt?" I asked him.
"No, it no hurt. I no cry."
"Yes you did Will, I saw you" chimed in Kacy.
"Nope." insisted Will.
That's his story and he won't change his mind.
After the awful clinic mess we went to the Pizza Barn for the all you can eat buffet. My kids are restaurant trained and the last two times we have gone somewhere they have been extremely well behaved and even helpful! I have walked out of both places thinking "what happened to my kids?" Oh yes- the whole reason for the TB tests is because the two are going to start preschool. Three hours a day, five days a week. WHAT am I going to do with the time? Kacy wants to start school so badly, and Will needs it because he is a little immature and could use someone else giving him instructions. He is the boy who in his nursery class at church had a lesson on being obedient, and when they played "stop and go" he stopped when he was supposed to go and went when he was supposed to stop. This from the boy who tells me to go when the lights turn green. He thinks it's funny. I heard him counting to 30 today (from 20, he doesn't know his teens, I think) and I thought "Is that Will?" He is my silently smart kid. Kacy likes praise, Will doesn't really care what you think.
Monday, August 13, 2007
our house is growing?


Friday, August 10, 2007
a shot of spring

Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Our house is started!

Next week is girls camp. Both Ryan and I are going, as well as 5 other family members. I have to get the kids ready for their trips to the grandma's houses too. It should be fun. I'll be gone for a week and I'll be busy there, but it might be a nice break from the daily life of cartoons, laundry, cooking all the time in a kitchen too small. In fact, Ryan and his fam will be cooking for me twice a day! How awesome is that! I am planning to take a biffy box with me- I am going to fill a box with wipees, a little trash can, lysol, and glowsticks for night time lighting. This is mostly for myself, as I plan on showering as little as possible while there. There are no real showers, and my memories of heating water over the fire and then showering in the midst of tarps is vivid. It's not terrible, but since I've had kids and discovered the wonders of baby wipes, I think you could possibly go a whole year stink free and clean using wipees. Hair will be a different story, but hey, we are camping! As I've told Ryan, I should probably make more of an effort to look in the mirror everyday. But for occaisions like camping, my lack of caring about my looks is just right! We will not be here next week to update the blog or anything. I am looking forward to the downtime! I am still a little nervous about leaving the kids for a week, but I know they will be fine with the grandmas. They will have fun.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Goodbye Honda
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Kacy's latest news
No amount of explaining or milkshake bribing could convince her that a shot was okay.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Two posts in one


Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Today I made...

This is what I did today, along with a couple of dresses that are half done. With the scraps, I gussied up this onesie and attempted my first hair clip. I tried the clip on Kacy and it is really cute on the head. Looks a little funny laying there all lonely, with no hair to complement. I didn't have a girl model in the house that would fit this size 2t, and Ed would look funny... Now, do I try to sell it, or give it to someone I have in mind at church?
Monday, July 2, 2007
What a day

Saturday, June 30, 2007
1952 dress

Monday, June 25, 2007
turning 30
Monday, June 18, 2007
Who needs Disneyland?

A few random thoughts
First, I made my niece SaraJane a cute dress/shirt with bloomers- I love the bloomers. LOVE THEM. Here is link so you can see her in it. You can't see her bloomers, but they are made of the polka dot material. http://www.michael-kendra.blogspot.com/ Kendra wants a matching set for her other daughter Gracie. Which brings me to my next subject...
I am opening an Etsy store. I am going to make children's clothing. I'm not looking to make big bucks, but maybe fund my habit (of sewing and looking at fabrics...). I have a few ideas in the works, and am working on my pricing. I can't sew for free, because the materials I use cost money, and since I've developed a skill, that skill is worth something.
Jocelyn and I are official insane. We have way too many ideas in our collective heads for what is good for us. I will keep you posted on THAT later. Think "CRAFTY"
I have quit the triathlon. It was stressing me out that I couldn't workout everyday like I wanted to, and I was starting to grow resentful of my whole family for not cooperating with me. So, I made a mature decision that I will just have to wait until my kids are old enough to watch after themselves for 30 minutes or more. I guess my goal for fitness will be to just be healthy. And fit. My new goal is to become "hot"... hee hee. I am going to work on doing my hair regularly, wearing nicer clothes when I go out, all the things "hot" girls do. I should probably wax my eyebrows too.
Last thing- I love the blogs. I read other people's, and I feel like I know all these people! For example- there is this girl Emily that I was friends with when we were freshman in high school. I transferred to a different school when I was a sophomore, but still saw her in seminary (but that doesn't count because who is really awake at that time in the morning???) I saw her a few times after high school before we both left town, but we never really talked. Why? I know on my end, I was like "Hey, there's Emily!" but I let the bad part of my personality take over. The part of me that was like "She probably doesn't remember you" and "what are you going to say to her anyway?" and "you're just a big dork, no one cares what you say." and "your wearing ugly clothes and your hair is frizzy." I saw her last week and a family function, because is this really weird way we are now kinda sorta related. We talked, and it was fun. All because of the blogs. You can see that other people are just like you, have the same stuff going on, and that there is nothing to be intimidated about. I've gotten over most of my insecurity, so that I don't care what people think anymore, but I'm still not as friendly as I want to be. I want to be one of those people who sees someone new in church and says hi, welcome, how are you... instead I am the girl who smiles and walks on by. But I'm getting better! oh, and I still know that I am a dork and I will always have frizzy hair, but I don't care. Isn't self acceptance great?