My Spooks

I am finally revealing what my children are going to be for Halloween.

No, it's not been a huge secret . . . . . It's just that I delayed finalizing the costumes.

I use to be so good at doing Halloween. I handmade costumes for the boys for years.

Until . . . I burned out.

Now we do Halloween last minute. And frankly, it turned out okay!

Here's Emma as Princess Jasmine.

I'm still eeking out use to cover the $100 we shelled out for costume, makeup and hair when we were at Disneyland.

I am practically Mother of the Year with Ethan's costume.

After denying him the opportunity to be Link (from Legend of Zelda) for the last three years, I finally caved. And it worked out great.

Ethan thinks I walk on water now . . . . . .ah! Success!

Costumes for 13 year olds gets a little difficult. But we took home the gold with Josh's rendition of Michael Phelps. He wouldn't go shirtless and low rider with his jammer. Still, it worked pretty nicely.

Happy Halloween to you all!

Enjoy it while it lasts, because they are selling Christmas in the stores as we speak.

Reflections of Christ Update

Remember back in May when I posted about the Reflections of Christ display at a temple in Arizona?

Well . . .I'm so excited! They are now selling this production at Deseret Book. They have a book, DVD and music. Also, it is on display at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and the Washington DC Temple Visitor Center.

The song is enough to take me to the place where my spiritual bucket gets filled. Come Thou Fount is really one of my favorite songs! And the photos only enhance those feelings. Add to that my upcoming journey to Israel and I'm over the moon with excitement.

I think some of my Christmas shopping just got done . . . . Meanwhile, take another look at the production and fill your bucket today.

Day Book Entry

It was so fun the other week that I thought I'd do it again. From The Simple Woman here is my rendition of a daybook entry:

For Today...

Outside my Window.... It looks like it's going to be a beautiful fall day. The kind of day that makes autumn my favorite season.

I am thinking..."That was a great party Friday night. Thanks to everyone who played along and I think we'll do it again next year!"

I am thankful for...my personality, with all its quirks and issues. I'm also thankful that my personality matches so well with Jeff's personality.

From the kitchen... Spinach salad with poppy seed dressing and homemade rolls

I am wearing...USU shirt (although a BYU fan) and jeans. Also, a hoodie that has become my favorite article of clothing. It's too big and bunches funny -- but it's so gosh darn comfy!

I am reading..."The Gospel of Mary Magdala"

I am hoping... That I can create a bonding and educational meeting for the arts commission next week. After attending a meeting that was the opposite of my hope . . . I'm worried!

I am hearing...Nothing. Makes me wonder if Ethan is going to make it to school on time . . . be right back.

Around the house... I see unfinished projects; a quilt needing binding, doors needing painting, carpets needing cleaning. No going back to bed today.

One of my favorite things...Lotions from Bath and Body. I really can't start a day with out putting some on. I'm not really picky about the smell, although I do have favorites.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... Worry as little as possible and try letting each day surprise me. Ha ha ha -- that's not going to happen. I'll just stick to my nicely numbered to-do list and stress at everything that comes up.

Here is a Picture Thought I'm Sharing With You . . .

(Emma & friend, Sidney, opening her first Barbie birthday gift)

"Sick" of School

* * * {Guest Post by Josh} * * *

I am not really "sick" of school, i just happened to be sick on the last day of the term for school. It sucks and rocks. It rocks because I don't have to go to school, I get to lay in bed and watch movies or TV, play guild wars, my mom makes me turkey sandwiches and gives 7-UP or does anything that I can't get or do.

The reason why it sucks is because my mom gets to pop my zits because "she's doing a lot of stuff for me". It also sucks that I can't go to school. It sounds a little weird but, like I said, it's the last day of the term. I still need to turn in my homework so I can get straight A's. I didn't get to go to my band concert to play my clarinet, 100 points of my grade. I was sick which means, my body was sore, I couldn't talk, I had to cough every 17.48 seconds (which hurts), and I have to miss my campout tonight where we get to make our huts for the winter.

Then again, I guess I am just "sick" of school.

The End.

The Power of Three

Look who's been tagged . . . . ME

That's right! I'm IT!

Today you get to find so much more about me. Which is a blessing, since I never speak very personally on this blog.

Thanks to Kristy E. who tagged me on her blog, which is private. Which means it's exclusive. Which means I am in her exclusive group. Which means I was rude enough to ask to read it when she drove preschool car pool. Awkward!

Anyway, on to the Tag of Threes:

3 JOYS
* Reading a good book in bed, with no interruptions
* Emma's sweaty curls on her pillow while she's sleeping
* Laughing so hard that I snort (which I do, whenever I see that Friend's clip from yesterday's post)

3 FEARS
* That Josh and Ethan are going to suck the helium out of Emma's birthday balloons and get pneumonia
* That someone will break in the house while I'm taking a shower and I'll have to karate kick them and subdue them while I'm naked.
* That making snarky comments about other drivers on the road, will in fact, keep me from going to heaven

3 GOALS
* Throw away birthday balloons today before the boys get to them
* Learn to shower fully clothed
* Reduce snarky comments

3 CURRENT OBSESSIONS/COLLECTIONS
* Diner Dash
* Mob Wars
* Diet Coke Cans

3 RANDOM SURPRISING FACTS
* I have never owned an actual Barbie ~
* I love Gene Kelly. At one point I had memorized the year and title of every film he had been in.
* I have every note and letter I've EVER received during Jr. High and High School saved in a HUGE box.

Finally, I'd like to tag some other participants. People whom I'd love to hear their answers to these topics. And those people are:

My husband, Jeff -- sorry no blog, so you'll not see his answers

My neighbor, Damon -- sorry no blog either, but odds are he'll find away to give his answers

Sarah Palin, as played by Tina Fey -- that's just funny entertainment!

" " = Funny

Okay, so no photos of the party yet. I'm too tired this morning to pull them up on the computer.

But last week while I was listening to UPR (Utah's version of NPR). . . .

By the way, what does the fact that I listened to UPR say about me?

Does it make me seem sensible?

Or knowledgeable?

What about bored?

Actually I was listening to TAMN from Seriously So Blessed do a blogging interview.

Anyway, while listening to UPR about blogging I surfed the blogosphere and came up with a blog that I like. It's all about the weird use of quotes. It seriously reminds me of my FAVORITE bit from Friends.



Anyway, the website for the quote blog can be found by clicking HERE

4

Ah! I'm finally past the point of having a three year old in the house. You remember how three year olds can be . . . .

Parenting specialists describe three year olds as:

. . . more cooperative and capable, (s)he exudes confidence and generally feels more at ease. Occasionally, (s)he may have setbacks, but for the most part, 3-year-olds are friendly, talkative and downright helpful. Oh, and yes, they want to see and do everything.

But I can pass that busy body stage up now that Emma has turned four. I get to look forward to:

Your relatively calm 3-year-old has grown into a firecracker. On occasion, his demeanor -- boisterous, bossy and belligerent -- may remind you of those turbulent toddler years.

For crying out loud, is there no reverting back to this stage?

Happy Birthday Emma!

And look forward tomorrow to photos from the big birthday party!

Night Time Reading

My friend, Taffy, asked on her blog about what books were on my bedside table.

I thought I'd list them all out and maybe then I'd actually get around to reading some of them.

Have you read any of them?

• Class Matters


• North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell


• Big Russ & Me by Tim Russert


• He Did Deliver Me From Bondage by Colleen C. Harrison


• The Forgotten Man by Amity Shales


• Simple Genius by David Baldacci


• Papa's Wife by Thyra Bjorn


• A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah


• Rebuilding the Front Porch of America by Overton


• Breaking Dawn for Stephenie Meyer

Guess I should sit in my room and read all day . . . . .

My Vote Belongs To . . . .

Been wondering who I'll vote for?

I don't need to hear the debates tonight to know.



My Vote is For

Does voting for Winnie-The-Pooh make me a conservative?

Or does this extremely short dress make a liberal?

How Long Will I Live?

Yeah, um - I'm paranoid.

So, of course when MSNBC had an article with "14 signs You'll Live Longer Than You Think", I clicked on it quick. I figured with this helpful article I could divine my future death date and save years of worrying.

Sadly, no.

But it was interesting. Here's the signs you could live to be over 100:

1. Your Mom Had You Young.
Add a few years on my life, my mom is 22 years old than me! They say you double your chance to live to see 100 if your mom was 25 or younger when you were born. The best eggs get used first . . . . true even when you fix breakfast!

2. You're a T(ea) Lover.
Check! I love T-Shirts, I love T-Bone steaks and I even use to like Mr. T.

3. You'd Rather Walk.
Hello? I roll around my kitchen in an office chair. I'm to lazy to get off my butt and get my Diet Coke out of the fridge when I can just roll myself over there. (be right back . . . ) Subtract a few years!

4. You Skip Soda (Even Diet!)
I'm planning my funeral service as we speak. They suggest the caramel coloring is what's doing me in. I should drink either tea or sparkling water. Is life really worth it?

5. You Have Strong Legs
This is so me. The fact that my thighs are half the size of an elephants should speak to their strength! Add back the years from drinking soda.

6. You Eat Purple Food
Just when I thought this article was legit ~ Purple food? Come on. I do like the Skittles that come in the purple bag and grape slushies though.

7. You Were A Healthy Weight Teen
Let's not discuss this - I'm not in a good mental place yet . . . . .

8. You Don't Like Burgers
I don't like burgers. Really. I LOVE them! With lots of cheese and onions and juicy tomatoes. Wendy's is my favorite - I think they put extra salt on the meat too.

9. You've Been A College Freshman
Yay! I was one of those - for 3 months - then I dropped out - and got married - at age 18. That's got to add years to your life . . . or not.

10. You Really Like Your Friends . . . . .
It's true - I do really like my friends. No jokes, no sarcasm -- I am blessed. I dedicate my 98th and 99th years of living to them.

11. . . . . . And They're Healthy
Thank goodness for Jenny! I count her as a good friend and there is none healthier. She is adding years to my life just by her being healthy - I'm taking her a treat.

12. You Embrace The Challenge
I am an overachiever. Not only do I embrace the challenge -- I try to choke him it.

13. You Don't Have a Housekeeper
Tah-Dah -- No housekeeper here. Not even me.

14. You're A Flourisher
True Confession: I try to be a flourisher. Someone who tries to find meaning in life, enjoys family, nurtures spirituality and does things for others. Blogging is part of my flourishing - it's adding years to my life. Or at the very least, adding meaning to the years I am having.

Hope to see you all live to be 100!

Party Planning

I have one mandatory thing to do today . . . . get Emma's birthday party planned!

Sound fun? It's not. It's torture.

In fact on the History channel the other day they talked about torture methods: the Iron Maiden, the Rack, and the Birthday Party.

My social anxiety level for an adult party is fairly significant, but for whatever reason a children's party catapults me out of my mind.

I'm certain that my entertaining skills can't measure up to a four-year-old's expectations. The hierarchy of "entertaining" ability looks like this:

1. The Doodle-Bops
2. Chuck E. Cheese
3. Barney
4. A Dog Licking Itself
5. Me

I think in the end I'm going to opt for a Halloween Birthday party. At the very least I'll be able to scare the kids enough to make us all feel the same!

Identity Crisis

I think Emma is having an identity crisis and the idea of Halloween isn't helping.

"Who do you want to be for Halloween?" has led Emma to think that she can be whoever she wants.

Whenever she wants.

And you must address her as her new persona.

Examples from this week include:

"Hot Girl"

"Princess Jasmine"

"Your Highness"

"Your Majesty"

I'm not liking where this is headed . . . .

My Favorite Place

Ethan has done another exciting essay that I thought I'd share with you:

My Favorite Place

My favorite place is most likely my living room. Mainly because of the Wii and T.V.. [ As you can see, I like video games.] My living room is radical!

There is a wall that is directly across from a half wall window with a nice view of the mountain, has picture frames of all the children in our family, also including Wayde. Wayde is my little brother that was taken away from my family. I miss him. The living room is where we have guests sit when they come over and we are finishing up something that needs to be done. There is a couch and a chair the color of a football, it is fluffy and very comfortable too. There are two plants much larger in height than me. To me it smells like a Jamba Juice store.

I will battle Pokemon cards with Nelson. Sometimes I play my old Game Cube games. But, I always am playing a Nintendo game,[Sega isn't that fun besides Sonic.] My favorite game is Super Smash Bros. Brawl. My living room is so awesome!

My living room is kind of small but I love it. I bet some of my friends do too.

AYP

Adequate Yearly Progress -- Yup! That's what I want to talk about today. No, not the elementary school's AYP (although there's a great article at Shauna's Celestial Circle about this important topic!)

Today I'm talking about how to calculate your husband's Yearly Progress. Until now there's been no standard. But Popular Mechanics has given us the tool to grade our husband and his skills!

I'll check back with you all later to see how your spouses did -- Jeff has yet to take the test. I, however, did take the test and I was 6 for 10 - "When using power tools I have just enough knowledge to be dangerous" . That's not enough to pass AYP.

Not A Simple Woman's Day Book

No, I'm not a simple woman, but this nice lady from the blog world does a fabulous Monday post. I am choosing to follow along this morning. It goes like this:

For Today...

Outside my Window...I assume that when the sunrises this morning, my neighbors will not have mowed my lawn. Therefore, there is long grass outside my window.

I am thinking..."Why am I awake this early in the morning?" (it's 6:30am, I've been up for an hour)

I am thankful for...The opportunity to go to Israel in December !!

From the kitchen... Something that will be purchased from the grocery store today - possibly Malibu Chicken.

I am wearing...Pajama pants and a hoodie (my wardrobe staple)

I am reading..."The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets"

I am hoping... That the bleaching trays for my teeth are ready and that my newly whitened teeth will improve my social standing

I am hearing...My smoothered laughing from my last comment

Around the house... Only a few misplaced items, which is good after every pillow and blanket was pulled out for the semi-annual "Watching of Conference"

One of my favorite things...Sleeping in a warm bed with cool air drafting in from the window.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... Trip to the dentist and eye doctor. Dance class and art class. Soccer practice and soccer games. School work and house work. A weekend away with Jeff.


Tah-Dah! I did it. Now I'm considering crawling back into bed where I'll stay until it's time to drive the carpool.

Personal History

My Aunt Pat is coming to town this month! I wish you could all meet her - she is amazing. Aunt Pat is coming for the Personal History conference being held in Salt Lake.

Pat is a writer, editor and also personal historian. She helped me through my first 'fashion show' appearance, she helped me realize that you CAN say the word 'guilty' too much on a trip to the Grand Canyon. Pat has an amazing collection of mail order catalogs and has given the BEST eulogy I've ever heard when my grandmother passed away. I really admire Aunt Pat!!

With all that said, if you have an inclination to write, a desire to write your personal history (or someone elses) or capture personal history in any method . . .you should check out the conference in Salt Lake!


Here's the link to the conference:

CLICK HERE!

Here's a link to an interview the Daily Herald did on a Utah native who will be at the conference:

CLICK HERE!

** Friends - I intend to go up for some of the conference to see the vendor displays. I am curious about what will be presented. If you are interested in hitching a ride with me -- email me **

Recipe Exchange

It's that time of year - when the 'Girls Go Wild!'

Except, that we aren't this time. Apparently the condo wasn't available ~ and frankly, I was struggling with going since Kim wasn't going to be there this time.

And once I got thinking of Kim ~ I remembered how much she LOVED doing recipe exchanges. And so I am planning one in her honor. Here's the details:

1. You send me 20 'scrapbook style' recipe cards and I'll send you back 20

2. Each card should be 6 inches X 6 inches

3. Use whatever recipe you want!

4. The first 20 people to sign up get to participate and you can have more than one spot if you'd like.

5. All cards are due to me by November 29th. This way you'll have time get them back before Christmas.

6. Lastly, these fit great in scrapbooks from the craft store.

Email me at owendelin(at)gmail(dot)com to get on the exchange list!

Samples from previous exchanges: