Snap Out of It!

I have a hard time coming up with things to write every week and, sadly, I've got the blues. The second computer is still having internet troubles (so tired of IT difficulties) and we're all trying to share time on Helen's. I finally got a turn! Here's a brief overview of my mundane existence:

1. Lots of rain. Upside? Everything is green and growing. Downside? Lots of mud to watch out for on Charlie's paws when he runs in and out.

2. Getting ready for camp. It's down to crunch time, only two weeks left. Time to find all the equipment, make sure everyone has their forms filled out and, gulp, make sure we have enough room to take everything and everyone up into the mountains.

3. Keeping things going. Trying to motivate myself is hard lately.

4. Worry and stress... I feel great about Chris in Maine (no worry). Allison and Emily have stellar grades and are anticipating their mother looking into insurance and taking them to get their driving licenses (stress). I'm so sad about Michael (worry and stress). He's tried everything to get a job (hasn't he, Marianne?) and still no luck. He's really down about it and worried about how to continue school. Sadly our unemployment woes have followed us and our credit took a hit so we can't even cosign for a loan. I hate not being able to help him!

Not the happiest post I've written but I'm trying to look for a silver lining in all the thunderclouds we're under (figuratively and literally). The quote "most people lead lives of quiet desperation" keeps running through my mind and I'm trying to banish it! I have so many blessing to be grateful for and I need to snap out of it!

It's Not Over Until I Sing

I believed I was ready for last night's Girls Camp clinic and the wrapping up of the craziness that has been my May. Snort!

Our sample was to be dutch oven cooking. Everyone does the "cobbler" thing so I chose to use one of Helen's tricks; biscuits from the dairy case dipped in melted butter and cinnamon sugar. Original and delicious. When last I posted I had already experienced the fear of running out of butter (became distracted in the store by daughters' desire for Dr. Pepper) and sugar (ditto). After coating half of the biscuits I realized I had run out of cinnamon (never happened before!). I scrambled with Alli and we realized we could mix colored sugar sprinkles in with the sugar for fun. The sugar actually coated much thicker without the dusty cinnamon in it.

The other sample was to be Hot Chocolate Grasshopper Shots (thank you, Michael, for introducing us to this one). Using a Thin Mint, or the Keebler equivalent, you take a tiny bite off of opposite sides. You then use the cookie as a straw to sip the hot chocolate through, flavoring it slightly and giving you a yummy cookie to snarf down. As I was throwing things in bags to take to the church I found we were out of hot chocolate mix. I've had tons of the stuff from my dry pack canning and it had to be last night that I ran out.

I dropped the girls off at the church, Allison in the kitchen willing water to boil, and ran to the store to get the drink mix. There and back in 15 minutes, thank you very much, and the "gas tank empty light" turns on. I realize I wouldn't get stranded but it scares me every time it happens.

I run into the cultural hall with minutes to spare, feeling prepared at last, to find all the CPR dummies and bandaging materials laid out. It was First Aid Night, not camping skills night. What are you going to do? We had yummy, sugary biscuits and we'll have the hot chocolate next week.

ps. There's nothing wrong with the food pictured above... I thought it would be a nice touch to use some Halloween black sprinkles to simulate the ashes that will inevitably be in all the food they cook at the campfire. Pretty clever if you ask me.

Where in the Heck Did May Go? I'll Tell You...

It's the end of May and I was wondering where it went. Do any of you have the same feeling? I raced from the middle school to pick up the girls. We then raced to the grocery store to get things we need for the Girls Camp Clinic tonight. We've thrown together some dutch oven cooking. As I sit here I've been thinking "why is the month gone?" I pulled out my planning calendar and realized I've substituted 10 out of the 20 school days this month and then I noticed the activities we've been involved in. wow.

Above you'll see a photo of Allison singing at Ralston Valley High School's "Jazz on the Green" festival. The sunglasses were not a cool jazz statement but were worn because they were facing the sunset. They did look cool though.

I spent two days sewing/altering formals for the girls. It was a fun and creative outlet even if it always feels a bit rushed.

Don't you love how Emily's jacket turned out? I was rather pleased with it. She looked totally gorgeous in it.


As Allison was walking out she stepped right out of her shoe. This was an honest act of gallantry on Christian's part. Could we have set up a pose any better? Yeah, but it would definitely not be an "awww" moment.

Threw this one in because they have such cute tushies. Didn't tell Emily that's what the shot was for until after I took it.

Now glance up at Emily's wrist corsage and Christian's boutonniere. I do good work, no? The afternoon of the dance I did three faces of makeup, three heads of hair (with Alli's help) and made three wrist corsages and a boutonniere. What was I thinking? Oh, yeah, that all the flowers and supplies together were the cost of one corsage?

Isn't my Mom cute? Or as Allison and Emily say, "It's my cutesy, wootsy Grandma!" She keeps complaining that there aren't any good pictures of her. I beg to differ and here's my proof. I have no idea how annoying my life would be without her but I sure don't want to find out. We need our "Lucy and Ethel" moments to keep us both young, and humble.


Last choir concert of the year, The Collage Concert. The kids have a lot of fun with it. Emily above? "Dig in the Dancing Queen." Oh, baby, it was cute!


Shades of Blue sang a beautiful rendition of "Skylark." Tie dyed shirts? Seniors. Navy blue? Juniors. This group will include Emily next year!

The Collage is a fun show because there are different acts that perform in addition to the choirs, kind of like a talent show. The groups or individuals must audition to get a spot. Well, Allison and Emily grabbed one of their friends performed a song I found called "The Alto's Lament." It was absolutely hysterical and the crowd loved them! The video won't fit on blogspot (too many MB's) but it is posted on my facebook wall. I couldn't be more proud of how well they did. Emily commented "I really feel like I've come out of my box." Any of you who know her and watch the video would agree exponentially.

Today was a six hour recess with 120 7th graders. I'm tired but I have a smile on my face and a song in my heart for my awesome Young Women and can't wait to go over camping skills in an hour. I will sleep well tonight!

Mother's Day is Over, Thank Heavens!

I've always been anti Mother's Day. I believe in loving and honoring my family every day and I tend to go into sugar shock at all the sticky sweetness of it all. (and WHY is this all underlined and HOW do I turn it off? I can't! I'm sorry). My family did it just right. It all began with a toasted bagel in bed, cut into thirds; one with cinnamon sugar, one with PB&J, and one with cream cheese, diet Code Red Mountain Dew and Rx's on the side.

Later, I opened this featured card from my sweet missionary in Maine...



So how was the rest of the day? Present for Mother-In-Law not finished (but really close). Tears. Church. Made cookies. Had a steak dinner. Watched some of the "America's Next Top Model" marathon. Took a great nap during the ANTM marathon. Started a puzzle with Emily (Star Wars Empire Strikes Back, harder than it sounds, people). All topped off with a good night's sleep. Can't get much better than that.

I don't know karate, but I know kuh-razy, and I will use it! (Shanghai Noon)

My April was kuh-razy and I didn't take the time to appreciate it. Therefore, in no particular order, I am posting some things that have made me smile thus far in May.

1. People who comment on my blog. Thank you for letting me know you're there!

2. I found my lost mix Cd's from Brittany! They make housework rock!

3. All the positive feedback I've received from teachers I've substituted for. I've missed teaching more than I realized. And I really smile when students come into the classroom and say, "Yes! It's you! You are my favorite substitute!" That and kids who run up to me in Sam's Club and Target and hug me.

4. My adorable husband. He is so loving and so good at making me feel special and beautiful. He also makes me laugh and smile, hence the goofy picture (please, no one tell him it's here!).

5. The Weight Watchers "Hungry" Muppet. Oh, and Flo from the Progressive commercials.

6. Michael surprised us with a visit home. He'll be here for a whole week! Thanks Nick and Diana!


7. Thankfully I mop my floors because I turned with the girls' Birthday Chocolate Cheesecake in my hands and it SLID right off the plate and onto the floor (darn cardboard packaging!). As I tried not to cry I was reassured that it was all good. The floor was clean, Charlie was held at bay and Steve, Helen, Allison, Emily, Christian and, yes, even I ate a piece of an extremely good chocolate cheesecake. Hey, don't judge! Do you know how long it's been since we had a cheesecake in the house?

8. My adorable, precious 17 year old daughters. They are pretty easy to please. The final remnant of the garage sale? A 4x4x4 foot box that made Emily squeal. Yes it's in our basement. Yes it's been cushioned on the inside. Yes, they're listening to music as they sit in it. No, Charlie does not like getting in it with them, and YES Emily has slept at least one night, that I know of, in it.

9. My missionary son, Chris, who writes to me and makes me happy. His last letter? All about numbers. "259- total number of e-mails I've saved, 39-ties I have (I came out with 12), 135-days until I fly home, 8-months worth of pictures on my current SD card, 46-Reese's pieces I just ate..." It's really hysterical. And if you knew about his greenie companion he's been trying to train you'd admire his ability to have a sense of humor. Huge jerk of a kid who has been called on the carpet by the Zone leader (Chris is his District Leader) and the Mission President many times and still was a, well, a bad word. I said 'was' because I heard in Chris' e-mail this morning that the bad word is out of there.

The peasants rejoiced.

And I smiled.

The Latest Tag

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To

1. School being out so I can sleep past 6.
2. Christopher coming home from his mission in September.
3. Not cooking dinner tonight because the girls want Panda Express for their birthday dinner.
4. Saturday so I can stay home.
5. Steve coming home from work ('cause he has a job!).
6. Having a few paychecks under our belts.
7. Teaching my very own class someday, soon I hope.
8. When my mind and body can agree on things.

8 Things I Did Yesterday

1. Substituted for the Vanderhoodf Elementary Librarian.
2. Went to the Stake Girls Camp Meeting (2 hrs. of my life I won't get back).
3. Picked up three more sub jobs.
4. Saw our Home Teachers.
5. Picked up some prescriptions.
6. Said my prayers.
7. Brushed my teeth.
8. After washing my face I crashed into bed.

8 Things I Wish I Could Do

1. Not be so tired all the time.
2. Fix up anything in my house regardless of the cost.
3. Buy some new clothes.
4. Beat Emily at Mario Party 8.
5. Spend a week, with no interruptions, organizing and cleaning to my heart's content.
6. Go shopping for shoes and accessories and make-up with Allison, guilt free.
7. Get a new family portrait taken.
8. Not worry.

8 Television Shows I Watch

1. Lost
2. The Office
3. 24
4. Bones
5. America's Next Top Model
6. In season- Top Chef, Project Runway, Flipping Out
7. Food Network "Challenge" and "Ace of Cakes"
8. The Unusuals

8 People I'll Tag

Whoever reads this and wants to spill it.

There. Now I'm off to Panda Express.

My Sister, Sharon

My sweet sister passed away two years ago. I miss her. Ours is a strange and unusual family, you all know us, right? So I'm going to share part of my strange and unusual relationship with Sharon.

Imagine a four year old Gena standing on a kitchen chair rinsing and stacking dishes while a nine year old Marianne washed. Gena looks up and sees three children, Jalyn, Edwin and Norman, running across the lawn with their parents, Jay and Sharon, close behind. All she could think of was the mess of toys she had to clean up after they left.

Gena: "Here comes that bossy woman with her kids again!" (Sharon did tell me what to do... a lot)

Marianne: (with lofty disdain), "Don't you talk about our sister like that!"

Gena: (belligerently) "Who's our sister?!"

Marianne: (rolling her eyes) "Sharon's our sister!"

Gena: (growing indignant) "She is not!"

Marianne: (insert what you know this would sound like) "Go ask Mom!"

Yeah, turns out Sharon WAS my sister. I was so incensed! Why hadn't anyone ever told me? This explained a lot. I mean, why would my Mom let one of her friends tell me what to do so much?

As one of the "grown ups" I enjoyed getting to know Sharon as a sister. I realized we were so alike in many ways. I love her and I miss her.

The Queen Has Spoken!

Being a member of the ruling class has it's advantages. I get to boss people around. I can throw a royal fit now and then, blaming it on the aristocratic hormones of course. Let's face it, I rule.

But there are many tasks left to the queen that can dampen the regal spirit.

This week, first and foremost, has been the Arvada 3rd Ward YW's Camp Fund Raising Garage Sale (say that three times, heck, one time, real fast!). It was supposed to be this past Saturday but our latest blizzard put it on hold until the upcoming Saturday. This also mean that during said blizzard my car was outside. Try talking Helen into staying home sometime! I worried so about the Queen Mother stubbornly walking through the slush! Silver lining? More donations are piling up in my garage which will, hopefully, pile up more money. The photo on the right? That's a week old and I've had the items increase by almost 50%. Most excellent. I just wish I wasn't allergic to dust (hack, cough, wheeze...). But the best silver lining? Our cars are shiny and dazzling, even the windows! Now to get the inside to match the outer shell.

To greatly brighten the spirit... drumroll, please... Emily Faria was accepted into the exclusive singing group "Shades of Blue" for her senior year. She joins her sister, Allison. They are both very excited and are starting to scour the internet for dress options to present. Allison is also excitedly scouting out shoes. They are also knee deep in preparations for an audition Tuesday for a spotlight performance in the year end concert. The song is "Alto's Lament" (check it out on youtube, it's hilariously true to what altos face in music).

The royal mind is spinning and the Queen Mother is impatiently waiting to be taken to the post office. We love you all!