Me and my Kindle.

In case anyone is actually interested...

My Kindle 2 came last Friday and I love it so far! I've already read 2 books on it. It's very user-friendly and easy to figure out. The "how-to" book was like 4 pages long, which is something I appreciate. I hate when you get an electronic device and the manual is like 300 pages long and comes in 4 languages. I pretty much just want to stick it back in the box at that point and go take an Advil.

Anyways, it came all programmed with my information in it... it knew my name and was connected to my Amazon.com account. It knew what books I had ordered recently and had some suggestions for me based on my apparent "likes." It also knew my account information so when I was ready to purchase a book, it only took 1 click and it was done. So easy!

There are currently around 300,000 books, newspapers, and blogs that have a "Kindle edition" with more being added everyday. One down side I can see about this thing is if there is something in particular you really want to read and they don't have it on Kindle yet, then you couldn't order it. But my logic is that with so many things to choose from, I can always find something to read that I will really like.

The most expensive book I've run across so far was $9.99, which is a pretty good price for a book. Most of the ones I've looked at were around 6 or 7 dollars, but a few are offered for 99 cents! Plus, once you choose to buy a book, the entire thing downloads to your Kindle wirelessly in like 10 seconds! I LOVE that! Immediate gratification. :)

You can search for books in the Kindle store by name or author or you can just scroll through the best sellers list. You can see the cover of the book and read the synopsis and review of the book. If you think you're interested in it, you can choose to get a sample of it sent to your Kindle. It seems like they send around 20 pages or so. It comes immediately and samples are free, so there's no risk. If you like it, then you can order the rest of the book for whatever price it's listed at. There's no limit to the amount of "samples" you can get so that's nice.

Like I said, it's all wireless so no matter where you are, you are always able to search the store and download books. There's no monthly fee or service that you have to sign up for. That amazes me!

The Kindle itself is super thin and light so it's easy to hold in one hand which is nice if you lay in bed and read like I do. :) There are "next page" buttons on both sides of the thing so you can hold it in either hand. You can change the font size of what you're reading really easily so if you want more words on a page or you want the text bigger because you forgot your reading glasses, then it's real easy to do.

It also has a "text-to-voice" feature. You can choose a male or female voice and it will read the book outloud to you. It has speakers built into it, or you can plug in any set of headphones. The voice is just computer-generated (it's not like the author reads the book or something) so it's a little funny sometimes, but if you're busy doing something else, but you're dying to know what happens next, it's nice to click on the voice and just listen to the story.

Once you purchase a book, it is automatically sent to your Kindle. All of your books and samples show up on your "homepage" and you just click on the one you want. When you're done reading, you can add a "bookmark" so you can go directly to where you left off next time. You can also mark favorite passages and save them in your notebook or just type in what page you want to go to.

The Kindle will hold hundreds of books, so you can just keep reading away! And the battery is supposed to last for three days. I charged it on Friday (you just plug it into the wall) and I've been reading a ton, but I haven't even lost any bars yet.

The only negative thing I would say is that it seems like the screen could be a little bigger. There is some white space on the front of the machine that they could have used just to make the viewing area feel more like the size of an actual book page. But, I don't really think it's that big a deal.

Anyways, like I said, I love it! I LOVE books and I wondered if I would be sad by not having the actual book in my hands, but it doesn't really bother me. My favorite part is that I can get books immediately! And it's nice to have them all stored in one place. I can just drop this thing in my purse and I've always got a book to read wherever I am.

So, if any one is interested in one and you're someone who reads a lot who would actually use it on a regular basis, I say go for it! I'd do a little research on Amazon.com first and make sure that the types of books you're looking to read are available on Kindle and if most of them are...or will be soon... then it's totally worth it. :) Happy reading!

Treasure the "doing"

"Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction.

Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: 'The biggest mistake I made as a parent is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of my three children sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.'"

-M. Russell Ballard
Daughters of God
Ensign, May 2008

The Weekend.

We finally finished painting the office! It was torture! I hate to paint...I think mostly I just hate the mess...moving all the furniture around...washing up sticky brushes. But, hooray! It's done. Someday I'll probably paint the laundry room, but it's not real high on my priority list. My next project is my kitchen cabinets, but it may be a while before I get the energy for that project. Talk about mess! :) Anyways, we just did the one wall in the office red and the rest of the walls the brown that I have all over my house. The office is a loft-style room...meaning it could be a third bedroom since it has windows and a closet, but for now it's just open to the rest of the upstairs. I sort of like it this way. Originally I thought I would hate is being open because I didn't want Sonnet to have such easy access to all my craft supplies, books, or the computer...but it's turned out not to be such a big deal and I really like the bright, open feel. Occasionally I find a roll of wrapping paper, the mousepad, or a stapler in an usual place, but Sonnet has been pretty good about leaving my stuff alone. And I'm really glad that the painting is done for now. No more white walls for me! (Nothing against white walls... I'm just glad my work is done. :)




We worked in the front yard all day Saturday. We kept getting letters from our HOA about the dead tree in our yard and how we had to replace it within 10 days or they'd leave flaming bags of poo on our doorstep (exaggeration). So, we went to the nursery (so fun--- Sonnet ran all over and wanted to bring every single flower home!) and picked out a tree and a few other plants and flowers. We've pretty much ignored our yard since we moved in because there was so much in the house that I wanted to do, but this weekend we gave it some TLC. Nate ripped out the old tree and planted the new one. I ripped out a couple dead bushes and replaced them with pretty ones. (I have no idea if they'll even survive the week--- I am the worst gardener ever!)...and I cleaned up all the trash that had blown in, all the neighbor's cigarette butts (they no longer live there, but when they did they must have flicked everything over to our side of the yard), and trimmed all the bushes. We checked all the bubblers to make sure they work, swept up the rocks, and scrubbed the driveway. We were out there all day and I got some serious sun (which in my case does not mean tan, it means splotchy heat rash and a Rudolph nose), but it looks pretty nice out there now. We have desert landscaping so now that everything is cleaned up, it shouldn't require too much maintenance.

Anyways, we're boring... but we got a lot accomplished.

And Sonnet managed to freak out in nursery again! Lovely.

My Wild Child and the cute Daddy! (Nate only has 6 weeks left of the Academy! Yay!)

The end.

God has a sense of humor.

I get a lot of forwards from a lot of people. I only have time to read a few of them, and some of them I really enjoy. But, I try not to forward things onto other people unless I really LOVE the message so as not to crowd everyone's inboxes or have them ignore my emails when I really do need something. So, I just decided I would share some of the funny/sweet/true emails I get on the blog and you can choose to read them or not. :) Here's a little joke for today...

There were 3 good arguments that Jesus was Black:
1. He called everyone brother
2. He liked Gospel
3. He didn't get a fair trial

But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Jewish:
1. He went into His Father's business
2. He lived at home until he was 33
3. He was sure his Mother was a virgin and his Mother was sure He was God

But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Italian:
1. He talked with His hands
2. He had wine with His meals
3. He used olive oil

But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was a Californian:
1. He never cut His hair
2. He walked around barefoot all the time
3. He started a new religion

But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was an American Indian:
1. He was at peace with nature
2. He ate a lot of fish
3. He talked about the Great Spirit

But then there were 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Irish:
1. He never got married.
2. He was always telling stories.
3. He loved green pastures.

But the most compelling evidence of all -
3 proofs that Jesus was a woman:
1. He fed a crowd at a moment's notice when there was virtually no food
2. He kept trying to get a message across to a bunch of men who just didn't get it
3. And even when He was dead, He had to get up because there was still work to do

Can I get an AMEN?!!

HODGE-PODGE

BLAZE CHEWED THROUGH THE WIRE THAT CONNECTS OUR A/C UNIT IN THE BACKYARD TO THE HOUSE...TWICE. WHICH MEANS THAT IF IT WEREN'T FOR OUR WONDERFUL BROTHER IN LAW (AN A/C MANAGER SUPERMAN GUY), I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE KILLED THE DOG LAST WEEKEND WHEN THE WEATHER GOT UP INTO THE HIGH 80'S. I HATE, HATE, HATE TO BE HOT! I KNOW, I LIVE IN THE DESERT...AND I'D PROBABLY GET TIRED OF SNOW IF I LIVED IN ALASKA OR SOMETHING, BUT SERIOUSLY, THE HEAT JUST MAKES ME GROUCHY. I PRETTY MUCH AVOID GOING OUTSIDE IN THE SUMMERTIME. AND I REALLY CAN'T SLEEP IF IT'S TOO HOT. WE KEEP OUR HOUSE AT 73 DEGREES ALL YEAR LONG. THANK GOODNESS I'M NOT A PIONEER. I'M THE FIRST TO ADMIT THAT I WOULDN'T HAVE SURVIVED. AND THANK GOODNESS OUR AIR CONDITIONER IS FIXED!

SPEAKING OF BLAZE, THE LITTLE GUY IS GOING IN TO GET A LITTLE NIP/TUCK PRETTY SOON. HE'S ACTUALLY 8 MONTHS OLD ALREADY (HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?) AND IT'S ABOUT TIME THAT WE CALM HIM DOWN A LITTLE. :) POOR GUY. HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HE'S IN FOR. HA HA!

SONNET GOT HER FIRST PEDICURE A COUPLE DAYS AGO! I WAS WORKING ON MY TOES, AND SHE KEPT STICKING HERS IN MY FACE AND SAYING "PINK" SO I PAINTED HER LITTLE NAILS. SHE KINDA FREAKED OUT AT FIRST, BUT THEN SHE DECIDED THEY WERE "PRETTY." SHE SAT REAL STILL AND LET ME BLOW ON THEM UNTIL THEY WERE DRY. NOW, SHE WALKS AROUND BLOWING ON HER TOES ALL THE TIME. :) I TRIED TO DO HER FINGERNAILS TOO, BUT APPARENTLY MY LITTLE TOMBOY FELT SHE HAD MET HER FEMININITY QUOTA FOR THE DAY AND SHE VETOED THAT IDEA.



WE WERE AT THE STORE A COUPLE DAYS AGO AND I WAS TELLING SONNET THAT SHE IS GOING TO HAVE A BIRTHDAY SOON. WE'VE BEEN PRACTICING HOLDING UP 2 FINGERS INSTEAD OF ONE. :) I TOLD HER THAT SHE COULD HAVE A PARTY IF SHE WANTED. SHE SAID "FRIENDS?" I SAID, YEAH, YOUR FRIENDS CAN COME. SHE SAID "POP POP?" I SAID SURE, POP POP WILL COME. "AND BLAZEY?" YEP, BLAZE CAN COME TOO. APPARENTLY THE REST OF US ARE CHOPPED LIVER, BUT IF SHE HAS HER GRANDPA AND HER DOG AT HER PARTY SHE'LL BE HAPPY. :) I ASKED HER WHAT KIND OF PARTY SHE WANTED TO HAVE. I SUGGESTED DORA OR ELMO... AND SHE SAID SHE WANTED A BALL PARTY. (THE WOMAN LOVES BALLS!). WE ACTUALLY FOUND SOME PARTY STUFF WITH BALLS ALL OVER IT, BUT THEN SHE SAID "NO, DOG PARTY." SO, WHILE I SHOPPED I TOLD HER TO DECIDE IF SHE WANTED A BALL PARTY OR A DOG PARTY. IN THE END, SHE SAID "WANT DOGGIES!" SO, WE'RE HAVING A DOG PARTY. :) WE'LL JUST HAVE A LITTLE OPEN-HOUSE STYLE SHINDIG (NO PIN THE TAIL ON THE DONKEY...ER, DOG... FOR ME). DETAILS ARE FORTHCOMING FOR ANYONE WHO'S INTERESTED. :)

I GOT NEW GLASSES! I ACTUALLY HAVE REALLY GOOD VISION...I ONLY NEED GLASSES FOR DRIVING AT NIGHT (I'M PRETTY DANGEROUS AT NIGHT TIME...I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING!) OR FOR STUFF THAT'S REALLY REALLY FAR AWAY. BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE TO WEAR GLASSES, I ACTUALLY REALLY LIKE GLASSES. :) (SEE HOW THAT WORKS?) I HAD MY FIRST EYE EXAM WHEN I WENT TO COLLEGE IN 2000 AND I STILL WEAR THOSE GLASSES FROM 9 YEARS AGO. BUT, SONNET SORTA GOT AHOLD OF THEM AND THEY'RE HOLDING TOGETHER THANKS TO SOME HOT GLUE, BUT I DECIDED IT WOULD BE FUN TO GET A NEW PAIR. MY PERSCRIPTION HASN'T CHANGED MUCH SINCE THE LAST EXAM I HAD, SO I'M LUCKY IN THAT DEPARTMENT. I PICKED SOME THAT ARE BLACK AND RED. THEY'RE KINDA FUNKY, BUT SINCE I DON'T HAVE TO WEAR THEM EVERYDAY, I FIGURED I MIGHT AS WELL BE A LITTLE WILD. :) I REALLY LIKE THEM SO FAR! :)


(DON'T MIND THE PICTURE. I ASKED NATE TO TAKE A PICTURE OF ME IN MY GLASSES AND THIS IS WHAT I GOT.... MORE GLASSES THAN ME, BUT I GUESS THAT'S A GOOD THING. :)

SO, I DID IT.... I BOUGHT A KINDLE 2. (FOR ANYONE WHO HAS NO IDEA WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT... CLICK HERE AND BE PREPARED TO DROOL.) NATE AND I USUALLY LET OURSELVES BUY SOMETHING SPECIAL WITH PART OF OUR TAX REFUND EVERY YEAR. (I KNOW, WE ARE SO IRRESPONSIBLE...WE SHOULD BE SAVING IT OR BUYING FOOD STORAGE OR SOMETHING... BUT DON'T JUDGE). :)
THE FIRST YEAR WE WERE MARRIED, WE TOOK A TRIP TO THE BEACH AND ATE AT A FANCY RESTAURANT IN HOLLYWOOD. THE NEXT YEAR WE BOUGHT A VIDEO CAMERA. LAST YEAR, I GOT A CHINA HUTCH FROM TAIPAN AND HE GOT A TRAILER FOR HIS MOTORCYCLE. THIS YEAR, HE HAD TO BUY HIS CLASS-A (FANCY DRESS) UNIFORM- NOT SO MUCH A DESIRE AS A NECCESITY, BUT IT'S EXPENSIVE, SO HE DIDN'T GET A CHOICE. BUT I INDUGLED MY WILDEST FANTASY AND BOUGHT A KINDLE!!! I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU HOW EXCITED I AM. I LOVE TO READ, AND THE THOUGHT OF DOWNLOADING A BOOK IN 60 SECONDS AND THEN BEING ABLE TO TAKE IT WHEREVER I GO IS PRETTY THRILLING. NO MORE TRIPS TO THE BOOKSTORE OR THE LIBRARY... NO MORE WAITING FOR MY MANY ORDERS FROM AMAZON.COM TO ARRIVE IN THE MAIL. I CAN DECIDE I WANT TO READ A PARTICULAR BOOK... AND BAM, IT'S HERE! MY LIFE IS COMPLETE. :) LOVE LOVE LOVE.


NO, I HAVEN'T CUT MY HAIR YET. I'M STILL THINKING ABOUT IT... AND I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE FEEDBACK I GOT FROM EVERYONE. I THINK I WILL END UP DOING IT EVENTUALLY, BUT I'M STILL WAVERING SO MUCH ON THE DECISION, THAT I DON'T WANT TO DO SOMETHING I'M GOING TO REGRET. I HAVE TO BE 100% SURE BEFORE I GO AND CHOP OFF 8 YEARS OF GROWTH. (YES, SERIOUSLY, IT TOOK ME 8 YEARS TO GET THIS SAD MANE). OF COURSE, I'LL FREAK OUT AND TELL EVERYONE ABOUT IT ONCE IT ACTUALLY HAPPENS.

I STILL HAVEN'T FINISHED PAINTING MY HOUSE. I KNOW, WE'VE ONLY BEEN HERE 2 MONTHS, BUT I'M ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO DOES THINGS FAST, BUT I JUST CAN'T SEEM TO GET MOTIVATED TO FINISH THE LAST FEW WALLS. I HATE TO PAINT AND I HATE THE MESS AND SO I'M JUST BEING LAZY. I REALLY WANT TO GET IT DONE THIS WEEK, THOUGH. THAT'S THE GOAL. BY SUNDAY! WE'LL SEE. THEN, I WANT TO WORK ON THE BACKYARD. IT'S JUST COVERED IN ROCKS (UGLY ONES, NOT PUT THERE ON PURPOSE). I WANT TO PLANT TREES AND DO SOME TURF AND BUILD A PATIO AND GET SONNET A SANDBOX AND A SWING... SERIOUSLY, I DON'T KNOW WHERE I THINK ALL THIS TIME AND MONEY IS GOING TO COME FROM. I'M JUST DREAMING....

I WENT TO MY WARD'S BOOK CLUB TONIGHT. IT REALLY IS HARD TO BE THE "NEW PERSON." I'VE NEVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT IT BEFORE, BUT FOR SOME REASON I'M REALLY STRUGGLING THIS TIME. I HATE THAT I DON'T KNOW ANYONE... THAT I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE YET... THAT NO ONE KNOWS ME. I HATE THAT SONNET ALL OF A SUDDEN HATES NURSERY. I KNOW, I'M JUST WHINING. IT'LL COME... IT JUST TAKES TIME.

I THINK PART OF MY BAD MOOD IS THAT I'M DEPRESSED THAT I LIVE IN VEGAS AGAIN. I KNOW THAT SOUNDS WEIRD, BUT I JUST NEVER REALLY THOUGHT I WOULD STAY HERE FOREVER. I ALWAYS IMAGINED MOVING SOMEWHERE ELSE... SOMEWHERE NORTH... LIKE UTAH, IDAHO, MONTANA, OR WASHINGTON. PLUS, I THINK I GOT SPOILED LIVING IN ST. GEORGE FOR THOSE 2 YEARS. IT SOUNDS DUMB, BUT I HONESTLY FELT SAFE THERE. IT'S NOT LIKE UTAH IS PERFECT (I'M THE FIRST ONE TO MAKE FUN OF IT), BUT SERIOUSLY...I COULD RUN TO WALMART AT 10PM AND THE WORSE THING I WOULD SEE IS A GROUP OF POLYGAMISTS DOWN FROM COLORADO CITY. I GO TO WALMART HERE... EVEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY, AND I'M JUST REALLY GLAD THAT I PACK HEAT! IT'S SAD TO FEEL THAT WAY. THERE'S THIS EAGLES (YES, I'M OLD SCHOOL--- LOVE THE CLASSIC ROCK!) SONG THAT I WAS LISTENING TO TODAY THAT TOTALLY HIT HOME...

Somewhere out there on that horizon
Out beyond the neon lights
I know there must be somethin' better
but there's nowhere else in sight
It's survival in the city
When you live from day to day
City streets don't have much pity
When you're down, that's where you'll stay
In the city, oh, oh.
In the city

I was born here in the city
With my back against the wall
Nothing grows, and life ain't very pretty
No one's there to catch you when you fall
Somewhere out on that horizon
Faraway from the neon sky
I know there must be somethin' better
And I can't stay another night
In the city, oh, oh.
In the city

I KNOW, I'M BEING CORNY, BUT IT'S HOW I FEEL. I KNOW THERE ARE GOOD PEOPLE AND GOOD SCHOOLS AND GOOD INTENTIONS EVERYWHERE... I JUST HATE THAT I'M HERE WHEN I DIDN'T WANT TO BE HERE. I HATE THAT I'LL HAVE TO SEND SONNET TO SCHOOL IN A FEW YEARS KNOWING HOW BAD IT WAS WHEN I WAS THERE...AFRAID TO IMAGINE WHAT IT'S LIKE OUT THERE NOW. I MEAN, I AM INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL FOR NATE'S JOB HERE AND THE CLARK COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT IS A GREAT DEPARTMENT AND WE FELT REALLY GOOD ABOUT TAKING THE JOB HERE AND I KNOW THINGS WILL WORK OUT... I'M JUST SORT OF HAVING A QUARTER-LIFE CRISIS. I'M NOT AN AUTHOR OR A LABOR AND DELIVERY NURSE OR A FRENCH TO ENGLISH TRANSLATOR (OR ANY OF THE OTHER THINGS I THOUGHT I'D BE). I DON'T LIVE ON THE PUGET SOUND OR TRAVEL A LOT. BUT, I AM A MOTHER...I DO HAVE A HEALTHY HAPPY LITTLE GIRL WHO ADORES ME, A SUPER-FINE HUSBAND WHO WORKS HARD AND LIKES HIS JOB, AND A NEW LITTLE HOUSE WITH A MORTGAGE PAYMENT THAT'S ONLY SLIGHTLY MORE THAN MY RENT WAS. I'M FAT, BUT I'M HEALTHY AND STRONG. I'M NEW TO MY WARD, BUT AT LEAST I HAVE A BUILT-IN NETWORK OF FRIENDS WHO ARE THERE TO SUPPORT ME. WE'VE GOT GOOD FAMILY HERE AND THERE'S MORE THAN ONE TARGET... :) LIFE IS GOOD. SERIOUSLY. I THINK WE ALL FEEL LIKE THIS SOMETIMES. I USUALLY JUST EAT CHOCOLATE, BUT TODAY I DECIDED TO TALK ABOUT IT. :) SORRY FOR THE DEPRESSING TANGENT.

ANYWAYS, SPEAKING OF EATING JUNK FOOD... MY ROOMMATE IN COLLEGE AND I WERE DYING FOR COOKIES ONE SUNDAY NIGHT, BUT WE HARDLY HAD ANY FOOD IN OUR HOUSE AND BEING THAT IT WAS THE SABBATH AND ALL WE DIDN'T WANT TO RUN OUT AND BUY ANYTHING. BUT, ME MANAGED TO RUSSLE UP SOME SUGAR, PEANUT BUTTER AND AN EGG AND WE MADE UP THIS COOKIE RECIPE THAT ACTUALLY TURNED OUT TO BE REALLY GOOD AND IT'S SUPER EASY. I HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT IT IN A LONG TIME, BUT THE OTHER NIGHT SONNET KEPT SAYING SHE WANTED A COOKIE (WHICH OF COURSE, MADE ME WANT ONE TOO) SO I MADE THE "KARREN/HOLLY SPECIAL PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE RECIPE" AND THEY WERE YUMMY! I FIGURED I'D SHARE IN CASE SOMEONE WAS FEELING DESPERATE ON A SUNDAY NIGHT... :)

MIX UP 1 CUP OF PEANUT BUTTER (CHUNKY OR SMOOTH-- I LIKE CHUNKY, BUT BOTH WORK) WITH 1 CUP OF SUGAR AND 1 EGG. SERIOUSLY, THAT'S IT. IF THE DOUGH IS A LITTLE TOO OILY, JUST ADD MORE SUGAR UNTIL IT IS A GOOD CONSISTENCY. NOT DRY, BUT NOT GREASY. DROP BY TABLESPOONFULLS ONTO A COOKIE SHEET AND THEN USE A FORK TO SMASH THEM DOWN A LITTLE (LIKE MAKE THE CUTE LITTLE CRISS-CROSS THINGS ON THE TOP). BAKE THEM AT 350 DEGREES FOR AROUND 8 MINUTES. TAKE THEM OUT AND LET THEM COOL FOR A FEW MINUTES ON THE COOKIE SHEET. (IF YOU TRY TO TAKE THEM OFF TOO SOON, THEY'LL CRUMBLE).

I KNOW, IT SOUNDS CRAZY! DON'T EXPECT GOURMET, BUT IF YOU LIKE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES, YOU'LL LIKE THESE! :) I BET THEY'LL SURPRISE YOU. :)

ANYWAYS, THAT'S PLENTY OF RAMBLING FROM ME. I'VE SHARED WAY TOO MANY OF MY NEUROTIC THOUGHTS WITH THE WORLD-WIDE-WEB. GOOD NIGHT. :)

"A Woman's Only Flaw"

My Father-in-Law sent this to me and I thought it was really sweet! :)

By the time the Lord made woman, He was into his sixth day of working overtime.

An angel appeared and said, 'Why are you spending so much time on this one?'

And the Lord answered, 'Have you seen my spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable and able to run on diet coke and leftovers, have a lap that can hold four children at one time, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart -and she will do everything with only two hands.'

The angel was astounded at the requirements. 'Only two hands!? No way! And that's just on the standard model? That's too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish.'

'But I won't, ' the Lord protested. 'I am very close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick AND can work 18 hour days!'

'The angel moved closer and touched the woman. 'But you have made her so soft, Lord.'

'She is soft,' the Lord agreed, 'but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish. Sometimes she may even surprise herself!'

'Will she be able to think?', asked the angel.

The Lord replied, 'Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate. She will run her home, her family, her business and her community with astounding grace and organization.'

The angel then noticed something, and reaching out, touched the woman's cheek. 'Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one...'

'That's not a leak,' the Lord corrected, 'that's a tear!'

'What's the tear for?' the angel asked.

The Lord said, 'The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love, her loneliness, her grief and her pride.'

The angel was impressed. 'You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything! Woman is truly amazing.'

And she is!

Women have strengths that amaze men. They bear hardships and they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy. They smile when they want to scream. They sing when they want to cry. They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous. They fight for what they believe in. They stand up to injustice. They don't take 'no' for an answer when they believe there is a better solution. They go without so their family can have. They go to the doctor with a frightened friend. They love unconditionally. They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards. They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding. Their hearts break when a friend dies. They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left. They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart. Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you. The heart of a woman is what keeps the world turning. They bring joy, hope and love. They have compassion and ideals. They give moral support to their family and friends. Women have vital things to say and everything to give...and they give it willingly.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE TINY FLAW IN WOMEN, IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

Woman, you are a chosen creation of God, imbued with all of his most precious traits. Remember who you are!

Stop and smell the roses...

I love that hanging out with a little kid everyday reminds me to enjoy the small, simple things of life. Sometimes it surprises me to realize that everything is so new to her. She's only been on this planet for 2 years and there are millions of things that she has yet to discover. I remember how excited I was to give her her first strawberry. I LOVE strawberries and I was excited to see what she would think of them (turns out she loves them too).

Tonight I was thinking about walking on the moon and the first time I learned about Neil Armstrong (I know, random train of thought), but I remember being so intrigued when I heard about it for the first time when I was in elementary school and that got me thinking about how many things Sonnet has to look forward to as she grows up. She's still a kid and everything is amazing to her. Things are exciting and promising and new! As adults I think we take a lot of things for granted, but to someone who is new to the world, the world holds endless possibilities. There are so many things she has yet to learn that may fascinate her and I'm glad that I get to be the one to teach her some of those things.

Today we were at my grandparents' house and Sonnet LOVED their rose bush in the front yard. She kept smelling them and touching them and saying "pretty flowers" over and over. I probably would have walked right past the rose bush had she not stopped and fussed over it. But because of her, we spent 10 minutes sitting on the grass examing the pink flowers and talking about plants. I'm glad that I get to see the world through the eyes of a child, through my daughter's beautiful blue eyes... she teaches me so much!

Good Flick...

I don't know how to post a YouTube video on my blog, but I wanted to share this. I LOVED it! It's one of those things that makes you happy and touches your heart!

Click here to watch it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Easter 2009

WE WENT TO BEAVER FOR THE WEEKEND TO GET OUT OF VEGAS AND TO GO TO CHURCH AND EAT DINNER WITH GRANNY JANNY AND POP POP. SONNET AND BLAZE DID PRETTY GOOD ON THE CAR RIDE. OF COURSE, I PLIED HER WITH OREOS AND ELMO DVD'S, BUT HEY, YOU DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO. :)

SONNET HAD THIS GORGEOUS PINK EASTER DRESS. IT LOOKED LIKE A POOFY WEDDING CAKE! I KNOW I'M PARTIAL CAUSE SHE'S MY KID AND ALL, BUT SHE IS PRETTY DANG CUTE! SHE GOT SOME FUN TOYS AND BOOKS FROM THE EASTER BUNNY. OF COURSE, SHE LIKED THE BOUNCY BALLS THE BEST AND SHE HELD ONTO ONE OF THEM ALL THE WAY HOME IN HER CAR SEAT. SUCH A LITTLE TOMBOY!

SHE HAD FUN PLAYING WITH HER GRANDPARENTS AND CHASING THE DOGS AROUND. I GOT TO FINISH 2 BOOKS AND NATE GOT TO EAT MY DAD'S WORLD FAMOUS RIBS! :) IT WAS A FUN, QUICK TRIP! AND OF COURSE, WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE TRUE MEANING OF EASTER... THE SAVIOR! "HE IS RISEN INDEED."

Happy Easter!

"The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimonies of the Apostles and Prophets concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it."
-Joseph Smith





"He is not here: for He is risen."
-Matthew 28:6

A laugh a day...

Sonnet has started talking more and more and with her expanded vocabulary come precious moments of Funny where she says things that totally catch me off guard and make me laugh out loud. Here's a couple from this week...

A LOUD SLEEPER
A couple nights ago, Sonnet woke up at 2am and started yelling at me from her crib. I, of course, had just barely fallen asleep and I was completely delirious. I stumbled to her room, scooped her up, and collapsed back in my bed with her on top of me. I hoped she'd just go back to sleep.
After a few minutes, and just as I was sinking back into oblivion, I hear her say "Hi. Hi, Mom." She was whispering because she knew she was supposed to be sleeping, but apparently she just couldn't resist the urge to engage me again.
I said, "Sonnet, it's night time. You need to sleep. See, the lights are off and it's dark and quiet. Now sleep."
She whispered back, "Daddy asleep?" I said, yeah, and pointed to the other side of the bed where Nate was sawing logs.
She asked, "Blaze asleep?" I pointed to where Blaze was sleeping in the corner, on his back with all four legs stuck in the air (seriously, that's how he sleeps-- it's hilarious), and snoring so loud I'm surprised he didn't wake himself up and said, yeah Blaze is asleep too.
Sonnet sat up, looked over at Blaze, thought for a minute, and then said "Blaze sleep LOUD!"
I had to cover my face with a pillow so she wouldn't see me laughing! :)

FREEDOM
A few minutes before bath time every night, Sonnet starts ripping off all her clothes and her diaper and runs around the house naked. She gets all hyper and silly without the restraint of her clothes and it's pretty funny to watch her skip around her room like a butterfly.
A while back, she started saying "I free!" (like, I'm free because I don't have any clothes on and nothing is holding me back- I guess) while she ran around nude.
Well, this morning, Sonnet walked in on me while I was changing my clothes. I was in the most basic state of undress, so the poor little thing saw all the cellulite and stretch marks that I have to offer the world. She stared at me for a minute while I fumbled with my underwear and then she got a big smile on her face. She threw her arms in the air and said, "Mama, you free!"
I laughed my head off.

Cute Cousins

Last week we had a Spears "girls day out" in Boulder City. We just walked around to some of the fun little shops, had lunch, and played at the park. Sonnet and I both got a little pink in the cheeks from the sun (poor thing has my skin), but she had a lot fun playing with her cousins and I enjoyed being with the girls!

I didn't get any great photos, and my camera was on B&W mode half the time, but I do like the ones of Sonnet and Gabi holding hands. :)

Unmended

After a weekend filled with excessive amounts of bodily fluids, Lysol wipes, and Words of a Prophet, we finally all crashed at about 5:00 Sunday evening. Nate doesn't allow himself Sunday Afternoon Naps because he has to go to bed early to get up early the next morning. And though I frequently indulge in the them, I try to be up by 5:00 so as not to add to my excessive insomnia. But today we were too exhausted to care about logistics and when Sonnet fell asleep watching Dora, we scooped her up, and stumbled upstairs to sack out too. Three glorious hours later we all woke up feeling much better than we had since the whole food poisoning/influenza/Law of Opposition epidemic began.

I was feeling so sure of my health, that I drank about a gallon of water and ate a bowl of ice cream. I finished washing my sheets, and snuggled up in a clean bed expecting to watch The Apprentice and doze off again as soon as Sonnet did. She kept up her end of the bargain, but I got so hooked on the ridiculous episode of the Trump that I was laughing out loud, which brought Nate in from doing his homework wondering whether all the sickness had gone to my head. I started replaying the contents of the show to him which had us both laughing-- not because I'm that funny or because the show was even that funny, but because we were both way past our sanity quota for the day. That led to fits of hysteria about things long since forgotten and before we knew it, it was nearing the unholy hour of 3:30 AM.

We finally convinced ourselves to roll over and shut up until Sonnet started yelling from her crib that she was "dirty" and she needed a "change." We decided to tag team her and found the most disgusting display of liquid poo ever to be found in a Huggies size 5. With my weak constitution, I decided that I better add hurl #27 to the tally and ran straight to the toilet. Once we got every one cleaned up and calmed down, we all snuggled together in our bed for a catnap. One short hour later, Nate's 3 alarm clocks (yes, it takes 3 to get him up- even on normal days), the pacing of the dog (the only one in the family who could claim a decent night's sleep), and the sunrise drove home the stupidity of our actions from the night before. We were awake, experiencing the pain and regret that I imagine would accompany the worst type of hangover.

Nate set off for the station looking very dapper yet nearly dead in his uniform and Sonnet and I decided to get back in bed for a long day of laziness. Thirty minutes later I was rudely awakened by her spewing partially digested Cheerios in my face. I'm usually not the sympathetic type, but watching her throw up with the disgusting array of sounds and smells that accompany such an act, I just couldn't resist. We had a mommy/daughter bonding moment unlike any other as we repeatedly shared a barf bowl and messed my freshly washed sheets.

So, we're at it again. Apparently yesterday was a fake out-- and the ice cream a really bad idea-- because this evil is back in force. I have the worst headache of my life and my spine feels like it's been fractured from all of the force of the wretching. My poor baby girl is terrified and smelly, but she'll go into a full blown panic attack if I set her down. But, hey, at least I've got my health. Happy Monday.

Sick Day :(

Is it "going around" or is it just us?

(Warning: this is a whiny, graphic, yucky post.)

Sonnet picked up a cold last weekend and so we just let her mope around and do whatever she wanted. She had a super runny nose, a cough, and a tiny bit of a fever. By Thursday, she seemed like she was feeling a lot better. She still had occasional coughing fits, but the clouds seemed to be parting. Yay!

Of course, I caught her cold a couple days after her and so I moped around for a day, but by Friday, I was feeling pretty good too.

Then, last night at about 9:00 I started feeling really dizzy and nauseous. I ran to the toilet a couple times expecting to kiss the porcelain but nothing happened. I put Sonnet to bed and finally around 1:00, I fell asleep. I woke up 30 minutes later and did an exorcism of my lunch into the toilet. This went on ALL NIGHT LONG. Every 30 minutes I would have to vomit again. YUCK!!! We started counting after the second round and it turns out that I threw up 26 times last night. AH! I felt MISERABLE!

I HATE to vomit. It's like my brain starts to panic because I can't breathe and I can't control my body and well... I'm just a wuss. By 10:00 this morning, I seemed to be doing better. I was still feeling junky and weak and my throat is on fire from all the stomach acid, but I things are coming out the other end now, which is much less traumatizing.

I kept checking on Sonnet to make sure that she was OK... and Nate said that he felt fine, so I figured it must have been something I ate. (Of course, pregnancy did cross my mind a couple times- which for me was almost as terrifying as the vomiting.-- I am SOOO not ready to go through all that again.) I know, I'm a wuss.

But, a sibling for Sonnet was ruled out when she started throwing up a couple hours later. Poor thing has been yakking all day and I hate that I can't fix her. I hate that she doesn't really understand what's happening to her. She's being a trooper, and hopefully she'll feel better soon. Of course, she didn't have as much food in her tummy as I did (her being a picky eater is a blessing today), so I'm hoping she'll get over it soon. We finally got her to nap, so that's a good thing.

So, is it just us? Is anyone else out there suffering too? Maybe it's the cookie dough I ate. Or maybe it's the flu. Or maybe we were just due for some trauma. Either way, it looks like we're going to spend our weekend quarantined in our house doing laundry... all the sheets and blankets and pillows and towels and clothes that ended up as collateral damage. Lovely.

Today...

Sonnet and Blaze playing in the backyard... It has no landscape and there's not much for them to do, but Sonnet likes to pick up rocks and just walk around and throw the ball for Blaze.

Crazey Blazey chewed through the wire that connects the thermastat in the house to the AC unit outside. Bad Boy!!! Good thing it's not July or I'd still be mad. :)

Sonnet is getting over her cold, but she still has this flemmy cough (I know, gross) and now I think she passed her symptoms onto Nate and I. We both feel like junk. So fun! :)

Sonnet's new favorite phrase is "no don't want it." She says it all the time. She doesn't want apple juice or the orange binky or the white blanket or the Dora DVD. She is one picky little thing! :) I do like that she can express her desires now... it's pretty nice to have a TWO-sided conversation with her. And of course, it's lovely when she says "I want it please!" :)

Lately she's been loving bagels with cream cheese, bananas, and fruit snacks. It seems at any given time there are 3 or 4 things that I know she will eat and everything else is just a waste of time. Those are her favorites right now. She's still a picky little eater with bad table manners (cause she never actually sits down and eats anything... she lasts through a bite or two and then she's off to something else. Am I a bad mom?) But she is showing less interest in her bottles and a little more interest in real food, so that's good. We'll see if she decides to grow up any time soon.

She totally loves American Idol! She's been into singing lately... she loves "row row row your boat" and "down down baby." She sings and dances so cute! I can only understand every couple words, but it's adorable how into it she gets. She dances and "sings" along with the contestants on AI and then she claps like crazy with the audience. And it's nice to have something on the TV other than Elmo. :)

The End.

THE HUBS

Can I just gush about my husband for a minute? (He never reads the blog, so he won't be embarrased). :) I am just soooo proud of him for working so hard at becoming a firefighter and still being such a kind, helpful husband and daddy. He's crazy busy, but he's juggling everything so well and he's doing great in the academy. This week marks his half-way point...10 more weeks and we're counting down the days till graduation!

I just know how much he wanted this (we both did) and how much time and effort he has put into getting to where he is. I can tell that he loves what he's doing and he is so sure that he picked the right career for him. It's tough, and there's risk, and the hours are crazy, but Nate has always had such a desire to help and serve other people (plus, he's fearless) that I know he will be a great firefighter! (Not to mention the fact that he looks H-O-T in his uniform!) :) I am very proud of him and so happy for him and I just want to say how blessed I feel that he has the job he wants with such a top-rate department and that he's MINE! :)

(Totally a joke... no one get mad)! :)