Letting my creativity out

Every now and then I feel the need to create. Today was one of those days. I decided to paint. I love daisies and have been wanting to paint a big daisy for a while now. So, I finally did!

While I was laying down the newspaper, so I wouldn't get paint every where (I have a tendency to do that), I came across what has to be one of the greatest inventions EVER! I want one...

I thought this was going to be the background color...

But, I changed my mind to dark chocolate brown. It matches our leather couches and kind of looked leathery since I didn't wait for the first coat to dry all the way. I am an impatient person...I hate waiting for paint to dry!!! I turned the fans on high to help the process out. I am a paint it in couple of hours kind of artist. I think that is why I am a painter, not a quilter. I would probably never finish a quilt. I am kind of an instant gratification crafter....

Here is the almost final product...(the lighting isn't great so the background looks black...it isn't, I promise.)
This is a shot of it above the fire place in the sun room. This isn't going to be it's final resting place, but I wanted to look at it from distance....I changed the yellow part a little and I am not sure if I like it this way or the other way better...(ignore the air freshener thingy...This is right above Sadie's crate. With the rain we got all last week, I needed something to get rid of the wet puppy smell. These were on sale and I had a coupon that doubled so I got 12 of them for $3...They actually smell really good.)

I kind of love it...but not totally. I am going to hang it in the living room for a few days until I figure out what I am missing...Aaron said I should paint some of the smaller petals in the center...I really am not trying to go for what a real daisy looks like completely and I like the way the shading came out too much to cover it up...So,that isn't it...It may be hard to tell because the lighting isn't great, but I used a teal to shade with, so there really isn't another way to bring in more color...Not sure why I did it the way I did, but I like the one funky petal on the right side...I am going to work on the center a little more...maybe that will do it...Sorry, I am just thinking and typing at the same time. I guess that is kind of like talking to yourself. I think it is a little less crazy to type it though because no one is obligated to read this and it is kind of my journal...Any way! Help...What am I missing?

This weekend we...

...Had a blast with the Martin's (Aaron's sister and family). Even though we only live an hour and a half away from them we haven't seen them since Christmas! We all have crazy schedules and we were glad when theirs brought them to Charlotte. Riannon (13) had a volleyball tournament and they stayed with us for the weekend. I have to admit, I only caught about an hour of the 1st session and 1 hour of Sunday mornings session of General Conference-but I recorded it. I usually watch the whole thing and I can't wait to go back and do that! I say "I" because Aaron may or may not sleep through some of it. :) We are going to start watching it today for Family Home Evening and watch some every day. I think that breaking it down will actually help Jake get more out of it...or that is my hope! Here are some of the fun things we did with the Martin's while they were here.

Saturday morning while Ranee, Jeremy, and Riannon were at the tournament, the kiddos did this:

While I sorted through: 13 pairs of capris, 6 (jacket and skirt) suits, 4 long sleeve tee's, 6 short sleeve tee's, 5 pairs of jeans, 14 pairs of pants, 2 skirts, 10 sweaters, 28 blouses and fancier shirts, 3 jackets/vest, and 4 pairs of shorts. Ranee lost 50 pounds (I am officially remotivated) and passed on her wardrobe to me. Way to go Ranee! I will be passing these clothes on soon because I am going to be right behind you!!!

After Riannon finished her Volleyball tournament on Saturday we went to Taco Bell for lunch...
...and went and saw "Hop". Jake loved it, even more than "Despicable Me"! I liked it, but I apparently didn't love it as much as he did...I dozed for a few minutes in the middle of it! Ranee said she probably would have too if Addie Kate hadn't been sitting on her lap and wiggling while she tried not to fall asleep! I was in good company at least! I got in trouble for taking this picture of the kiddos dancing to the credits. Apparently they thought I was trying to boot leg the credits or something...Live and learn.

The P.T.P.P.'s
That evening Ranee, Riannon, and I went to Ikea!!! This is Ranee with her future couch:
Riannon with her new desk. We were on a mission to redo her room. She has a small bedroom so this desk will help conserve space. I can't wait to help them paint and put the whole room together!!!
How cute is this stool? We were hoping to find a duvet cover or fabric to match, but they didn't have any!!! What's up with that Ikea? They didn't have any cute bold black and white fabric that Riannon liked...except this stool fabric.
We enjoyed some Swedish meatballs for dinner and Lingonberry juice mixed with Sierra Mist.

Oh yeah...The other 3 kiddos stayed home with the dad's and played the whole time I am sure! We didn't get back from Ikea until 10 pm. and they were still awake...except Addie Kate (almost 6), who fell asleep on the couch. They happily played in the backyard most of the weekend. They used the lawn furniture and each had part of the yard that was their own house. Della (10 1/2, Jake 9 1/2, and Addie Kate.) The girls camped out in Jake's room and we slept upstairs in my parents room.

We found a great deal in the "As Is" section at Ikea! I got this slip cover (it was a white couch before...It is my parents and we had a sheet over it to try and keep it white!) for $40! It is usually $100!!! That is 60% off people. Now I just need to cover my pillow in a cute fabric...
The 3 musketeers eating their breakfast by candle light...
I got these candlestick holders for 49 cents each, and the candles for $1.99 for a 20 pack. (You can flip the holders over and use them as tea light holders too.) We used to eat by candlelight on our "fancy dinner nights" a lot...I am bringing that tradition back!
Yummy...Ikea sells the best Swedish drink and preserves....
I knew we wouldn't have time to make cinnamon rolls for Conference, so we bought them at Ikea...They are REALLY good.
So, that sums our great weekend up! It has been a long time since we have really done anything, like go to the movies. Can't wait to do it again, but lets not wait so long to see each other again okay Martin's? :)

Ignore this post...

Just remember that this blog is also my journal, so I have to document things that I want to remember!...This is a post just for me. This is just to remind me in 25 years that I thought I was cool for a minute...

Simple Pleasures: Making Aaron cookies with my new hand mixer

I finally retired my old mixer. It only worked on one speed and then only if I held it securely in place. It always smelt like it was burning up, but it never did...not all the way at least.
In this picture it looks in mint condition, but it wasn't...Here is the old one:

One of Aaron's Christmas gifts was that I would make him home made chocolate cookies at least once a month, since he loves them so much. A few weeks ago I told Aaron that this was the last batch I would make with the old mixer. He told me I should go and buy a new one ASAP. :)...I have to admit while I was in Target I did stand for a good 5 minutes dreaming about buying the Kitchen Maid Stand Mixer (on sale for $199.99)...Reality of course set in and I bought the Hamilton Beach Hand Mixer ($24.99-more in my price range). I got it and it sat on the counter for over a week in the box...until Monday, when I came home to find 2 sticks of butter on the counter to soften. I got the hint and made cookies...And my new hand mixer worked like a charm! It made me realize just how pitiful my old one was. The beaters are bigger and it took half the time to mix! It even has a whisk and a stand that you can store the cord and all the attachments in. I love my new mixer...even if it isn't a fancy Kitchen Aid. Plus, Aaron said they were the best cookies he ever had. :) (He says that ever time, but this time I believed him.)


What is one of your simple pleasures? Check out other peoples at Chocolate on my Cranium.

R.I..P.

Today I lost a dear friend...Not a person, but my one and only black bag. It is (was) in the top 3 of my all time favorite bags...Do you remember when I posted about one of my simple pleasures being my bags? I showed you this one:

Well, it is now history. Let me explain what happened. Sadie happened. Sadie was taking a nap on my bag the other day. I thought is was so sweet and cute I took this picture of her:

I woke her up when I took it, poor thing. Little did I know she wasn't only snoozing...she was also taking the opportunity to eat my bag. Aaron said it is because she likes leather. I reminded him I bought it at Target and it isn't really leather...Take a look at the damage those sharp little puppy teeth did:


A close up on the damage:

Seriously Sadie? I wanted to beat her!!! But I don't beat dogs...or people for that matter, so I just grabbed my camera. I figure in a few years I can look back at these pictures and laugh!...Maybe. I will miss that bag. It served me well for MANY years. It was a timeless bag I would have kept for years to come...*SIGH*. I can't complain because I did leave it on the floor-anything on the floor is fair game for a puppy. Sadie has done a great job of only chewing on her toys up until this point...But, I don't even have a black bag now...yet. :) Aaron, I am on a mission to find a new (cheap, don't worry ) big mom bag. We will call it my Mother's Day gift okay? It could take a while to find the perfect bag any way. It may be Mother's Day before I find it!

Check me out on Mormon Mommy Blogs!

One of my photos (not sure which one...I sent in 3 or 4) is going to be the photo of the week tomorrow on Mormon Mommy Blogs!!! I am so excited! I can't wait to see which picture it is! You can click here to get there...or click on the button on the side of my blog that says "Live. Laugh. Blog. MMB". Hope to see you there!!!

Same boy. Different dog.

It is official: 2 out of 2 Black Labs (I use the term loosely...I think Sadie may have something else in her too...) love bubbles. Our first black lab, Emily LOVED bubbles. We found out yesterday that Sadie does too. Sadie however was a little harder to photograph enjoying bubbles than Emily was. In Aaron's words: "That is the most jumpingest (is that a word? No...but that is what he said...or something close to that any way and no Aaron isn't my child he is my husband. We make up words whenever there is a need in our house.) dog!" Jake had a great time blowing bubbles for her and Sadie had a great time eating them. I took a walk down memory lane today when I pulled up these pictures: (humor me people this is a lot of pic's...)

Jake and Emily blowing bubbles:





Jake (picture me sniffing and maybe even a tear...Look at how big my baby has gotten!) and Sadie blowing bubbles:






I am glad we waited almost a year to get another dog because it gave me time to get out of my mind I needed another dog just like Emily. She was...amazing. So, amazing I wrote a post about her here. (If you don't have time to read it you at least have to look at the pictures-she was a beautiful dog.) Sadie is Sadie. :) She is a crazy and loving little puppy. She is ADORABLE. She may end up being a little more Marley (I never saw the movie...yet-I still plan on it...but we read the youth version of the book and LOVED it.), than Emily but that is okay. Emily (don't tell Jake this) was my dog. We had a connection-like human and dog soul mates. Jake has that connection with Sadie and it is SO fun to watch. My friend from work, Sharlene, came over last week and dropped off a file cabinet her family was getting rid of (it will come in handy for home schooling and it was free!) and she brought her teenage son to help with the heavy lifting. While they were at our house they watched Jake and Sadie playing crazily in the front yard. Sharlene told me the next day at work that her son said Jake and Sadie feed off each other. It is so true. Jake laughs hysterically while they are chasing each other and I am sure Sadie is on the inside too. :) I almost forgot! Sadie is 13 weeks today-about the same age Emily was when we got her. They are so different, but they both won our hearts. I love dogs. Heavenly Father knew what he was doing when he made man's best friend. :)

Things I have learned this week...

*Never start a puzzle with your son, the same week that a long anticipated Wii game finally comes out. You will be doing it by yourself.

*1,000 piece puzzles are hard. It isn't done yet. Mostly because I have really only had 3 times to sit down and work on it...I will finish it, but I am slightly worried that one or two pieces may have been eaten by Sadie.

*If we don't wake her up, Sadie will sleep in. This makes me very happy. I enjoy (a lot) sleeping in on Saturday. I don't really get too because Jake always wakes me up to say good morning at around 6:30. I don't tell him not to, because in a couple of years he will be sleeping in and never want to give me my morning hug and kiss. He then asks if I want to sleep on the couch, while he watches cartoons or plays the Wii. I always do and then right as I fall asleep again he has to show me something funny on his favorite show or the new space cruiser vehicle thing he just purchased (on the Wii game). This goes on for a while until I just give up and join him. This morning however I slept though his comments (I did a lot of the puzzle last night...and stayed up late. For me at least. Is 12:30 late for anyone else or am I just a wimp?), but kept thinking I heard Sadie whining to get out of her crate. Jake would check and she would be fast asleep. Lucky girl!!! So, now I know if I can sleep through Jake talking to me, I can sleep in peacefully because the puppy likes to too. That's my girl. :)

*If you are focusing on a puzzle it is very easy to forget about the laundry and dishes...and the Spring cleaning I had planned for the day.

*Rainy days are perfect days for puzzles.

*I get excited when I find a piece that fits...I think I may have chosen one of the hardest puzzles ever, for an amateur at least. It has a lot of water and sky...Dumb I know but it was cute and it was only $4.04 at Target. The easier looking ones were more money...

*Aaron asked me if puzzles are going to be my new thing...I am still deciding. But I have learned that I really like painting my nails a different shade every couple of days (that is as long as it usually lasts.)

*I learned that even if I had the money I wouldn't spend it on manicures. It would be a waste of money because I wouldn't want to keep the same color on. Pedicures...I would pay for though-at least the part when they massage your feet. :)

*Soaking dry, cracked feet in warm water and lemon juice is a miracle worker. (Papa Harmon told me this trick and it is a WINNER! You may want to go buy stock in lemon juice because I will be buying a ton of it from now on!) Seriously! I have no photographic proof of the miracle that took place on my feet because I don't want to scare your children if they walk by your computer while you looked at the horror that my heels were before. After taking my feet out of the soak (about 15 minutes) I thought I would have to scrub off the dead skin. I didn't have to. It literally feel off my feet with just a little rubbing and itching. Is this TMI? Sorry, but if this helps just one person with cracked dry heels like mine than it is worth it. :) If you have this problem try the lemon juice soak. It will blow your mind!!!!

*I stink at painting my toe nails and Aaron thinks it is hilarious. He won't even paint my toe nails for me because he would rather laugh at how pitifully they turn out when I do them. At least I can make him laugh! :)

For anyone interested in trying the Lemon juice soak I used one of those plastic lemon shaped bottles filled with lemon juice-the whole thing! I don't know if I needed to use that much but I wanted to make sure it worked...and it is still way cheaper than a pedicure! I used about a gallon of warm water and soaked for 15 minutes. Hope it works for you too! :)

Day 3 and 4: An air cast, and a Dr.'s note to his professors

I didn't get a chance to post day 3 pic's of Aaron's ankle...I didn't even ask him if I could take one today. He is a P.T.P.P (I guess there is no need to do that if I am still going to tell anyone who doesn't know, that that stands for picture taking party pooper....) so I was glad he let me take as many as he did!

Day 3: Sadie was very interested in what I was doing and evidently thought there might be some food on the bottom of Aaron's foot while I was taking this picture...
The doctor was convinced it was broken, even though Aaron told her he didn't think it was. Aaron was right, no broken bones. Just a VERY sprained ankle. He got an air cast and a note to his professors to tell them why he missed classes today. He did decide to stay home from work one more night and he is wondering after 4 nights off in a row how he is ever going to get back in the 3rd shift routine! It is less swollen today thanks to the prescription for swelling from the doc. I think he enjoyed his days off (besides the pain) because he has gotten to play an awful lot of Lego Star Wars III. :) Did I mention the cute pillow Aaron's foot is laying on is newish? I got two of them after Valentine's day, at Target, for $5!...I feel the need to buy a canvas and paint a picture to match for the wall. Another project to add to the list...but that one wouldn't take long-those are my favorite kind! Did you know I like to paint? I haven't done it for a while...Gotta go. American Idol is one and Aaron is home to night to watch it. That kind of counts as a date night right?

Wordful Wednesday: Myths about Women

This will be short and sweet today...and actually fits in perfectly with the myth I want to talk about. The world believes that women can have both a career and a family. I am here to tell you that if you have both, something will be lacking. I only work part time and there is a lot lacking in the house work department. I know it will be there tomorrow. But, you do have to wash the dishes when there are no more forks. And you do have to do the laundry when there is no more clean underwear. There are also things lacking in the family department. Date night, movie night, game night, making it to all the basketball games & field trips, when Jake is sick and I go to work because Daddy is home (but sleeping because he worked 3rd shift.), time to play, dinners that aren't out of a box, traditions crashing and burning...You get the picture. No these things aren't going to scar my family and we are blessed...but it is hard and I feel guilty EVERY day for something I could do better or more if I wasn't always busy trying to juggle it all. Yes, it is a reality in the world today that women have to work outside the home. I know my time working outside the home is temporary and I am happy that I have been able to be home for so long. I am so lucky that I was able to get a job that works so well with my schedule. I am extremely blessed for that reason. But as I talk to people at work and watch the news, it is evident that families are suffering in this country and I believe that mom's having to work is a big part of that. I hope I am not offending anyone. We all do what we have to do, but it is true. Families suffer when mom's have to work. Don't hate me for keeping it really people...If I weren't tired I would think of a better way to put all this, but you get it right? Now I have to go and open up a can of hot dog chill and pears for our awesome dinner, since my guys just finished their level on Lego Star Wars III.... (I had to work a longer shift than usual so that is the best I can do...)

Check out other ladies feeling on this very topic over at Chocolate on my Cranium.

Stats...

I am a computer illiterate for the most part. I just stumbled upon the whole "stats" thing on my blog a few weeks ago (I have been blogging for 2 years and just noticed it....) ,that tells me how many people look at my blog and where they are from. I knew about the people in the US (obviously) and Canada...But the people in Russia, Brazil, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Italy; that have looked at my blog really surprised me! Thanks for stopping by! I wish I could check out your blogs too, but if they aren't in English, all I could do is look at your pictures. :) If you don't mind...if you are one of those people from another country...can I ask you a question?..or maybe a few...? How did you find my little, tiny, blog? Are you mom's too? Members of the LDS church too?..or just people wondering what we crazy American mom's are up to lately?...Are you out there? :) I can't wait to see if you are! I guess more people than I thought stumble upon my randomness on occasion... I guess I shouldn't be surprised that people blog stalk my little blog sometimes-I do it all the time! :)

Where are people from that have look at your blogs, my blog friends that I actually knew where reading? :)

Aaron gets a night off, Project #1 for the week, and Sadie is 12 weeks old...

...Yes, I am behind on my posts, so here is the past few days of our lives in a nutshell:

*Aaron doesn't have to go to work tonight! (If you don't already know this: he works full time 3rd shift and has Monday and Wednesday nights off). He has 3 nights off in a row!...And there may be more (he doesn't think so, but we will see), due to this injury:

Day 1 (last night):



He has rolled his ankle several times and when he does it he does it good...He is very athletic. It isn't because he is uncoordinated or anything. Harmon's are just...occasionally accident prone...I know it REALLY hurts because he asked me to call and make a doctor's appointment for him to go to tomorrow. He had to hobble around on crutches (that were made for at the tallest a person who is 5'10''...He is 6'2'') all day at school today. He had an exam and when you are taking classes like Calculus 4 you really can't miss a class. The doctor's office (the one Jake and I go to already) asked who his current doctor is..?..Oh that's right they don't know Aaron yet! They don't know that the last time he went to the doctor was to see Jake's ultrasound...Oh wait that really wasn't an appointment for him. It was actually several years before Jake was born, when he tore his knee to pieces and had to have major surgery. Aaron says he had to go a few years ago, but I really don't remember it. But any way! The doctor's office wants to get his "medical records"...I didn't even say anything. I will let him explain it to them when he goes tomorrow. :)

Day 2:



*Jake and I have started a new project. We are putting together a 1000 piece puzzle. A friend mentioned on her blog a while ago that they did a puzzle and then I read in a book about how good it is for your brain to do puzzles. I need all the brain power I can get so I was inspired!

I do however fear that this project has been slightly derailed...Jake has been saving up for the new Lego Wii Star Wars III game. He saved $20 (it was supposed to be $25 but Aaron took my advice and knocked off $5 since he didn't take Jake snowboarding this year.) and Aaron was going to pay the other half (because he wants it just as bad as Jake does). It came out today...We usually don't play the Wii during the week (we are mean parents like that) but since Jake has no homework this week (they are taking the practice end of grade tests this week...don't even get me started on what I think of those tests!), and Aaron is laid up with an extremely large and purple ankle, they are playing it. I get to blog so you don't hear me complaining! :) Aaron stipulated that Jake could play it during the week if he put the $20 he saved into his savings account by Friday. Done. I don't think Aaron realized that I have Jake's savings account on line so I just transferred it on into his account and put the cash right in my pocket! That isn't nearly as fun as it sounds though. I have to run to the grocery store to get a couple of things tonight (they go off sale today and I have a coupon so I can't miss them...Deodorant for 13 cents and eggs for 99 cents... Why doesn't the computer have a cents button?)
My guys with the new game:


*Sadie is 12 weeks old today. She had to go to the vet yesterday for her puppy booster shots and she weighs 19.2 pounds. That is 6 pounds she has gained...in 3 weeks. She is going to be a big girl. Sadie figured out how to jump on the couch. She hasn't done it since though since she got in trouble because she is not supposed to be on the couch! :) She loves ice cubes and Granny Smith apples...which I am hoping dogs can eat. Our other 2 didn't like any fruits (Daisy did like grapes-which dogs are not supposed to eat. It didn't effect her in the least though. She had an iron stomach.) or veggies (if we gave them a plate to lick off, it would be completely spotless besides a stray green bean or piece of lettuce.), so I am going to have to do some research. She also got to eat her first Dorito and piece of cheese also. Both of which fell on the floor and she instantly retrieved. Sadie loves to eat rocks...(she may not be as bright as our last 2 dogs were) or at least retrieve them and chew on them. Jake claims he did see her eat one, which really wouldn't surprise me all that much...and is starting to go out in the backyard and hang out by herself. She used to be scared if no one went with her. :) She is still afraid of the dark, or at least shadows in the dark. And she still sneaks into Jake's room after he goes to sleep to try to sleep in his room with him. She lays down with her head under his bed...I have a feeling she thinks I can't see her, but I can. One more thing I have learned about he recently is that if she goes into her crate (which is wire...meaning we can see her...) and is very quiet she probably stole someone's shoe and doesn't want us to know. Sadie is a mess! Okay, this has been a long and rambling post so I will end with a few fur ball shots and call it good. I have to go see how this new Star Wars game is... :)

Sadie after she came inside. It looks like she was enjoying some dirt...and probably a couple of rocks...Check out her tongue
A demonstration of her "laying down" on command. She really only does it for treats, but she has figured out "sit" perfectly. She knows "come" too, but she doesn't always do it...thanks to Jake, her favorite game is chase. If you tell her to come she looks at you, thinks about it, wags her tail, and then doesn't come...I just trick her by running to were I want her to go (she likes to chase us, as well as being chased), or opening up the car door and acting like I am leaving...
Best friends.
This was a shot after I made her leave Jake's room 3 times after he went to bed. For whatever reason Jake's sweat pants were in the hall way so she laid with those instead (she had 2 comfy and huge beds she rarely lays on. She prefers the hard floor). I saw her outside the other day taking a nap with a pair of Jake's underwear...I sprayed them both with the hose last week and he striped down outside so he wouldn't get the floors all wet. Don't worry the back yard is fenced in like a secret garden, no one saw him...Why his underwear are still out there, I don't know, but that is a whole other story!
I just had to add this picture of the pretty flowers Jake picked me...Spring is here!
How stinking cute is she?!?!

It's 8:47 on Saturday night...What are you doing?...

...I am getting ready to get our clothes ready for church. I am going to pack up my bag tonight with everything I need for sharing time. I am going to get our Sunday meal all prepped. In other words I am going to be ready for Sunday! On Saturdays I should be singing the Primary song (Primary is kind of like Sunday School for the children at our church), "Saturday is a special day, it's the day we get ready for Sunday!" I am actually ready (or I am about to be) this week. You remember that song from the 80's that says:"just another manic Monday. Ohhhhh. Wish it were Sunday..." I have to admit I don't always feel that way about Sunday. Not because I don't like going to church-because I do! Just because I always forget to prepare and we end up running out the door after a crazy 30 minutes of trying to pull it all together. Sometimes we play too long with Lego's or sleep in too long... :) But not this week! I am going to be ready!!! The house is clean (ish...you know what I mean...There is always room for improvement! We did pick up, dust, sweep, and all that jazz today.) and we are ready to go...Except one thing I literally just remembered. Jake is going to give a talk in Primary and he never did write it. No problem he can write it in the morning when we would normally be running around trying to find his other church shoe...which, by the way, is where it is supposed to be with the other one ready for Sunday. I even have the Primary CD in the CD player to set the mood...I am excited to start the week off right. Here's to non-manic Sunday's and starting the week off in the right frame of mind. Have a great Sunday whatever you and your family will be doing!