Look what I found!

Let's break down today. Got up, much to my surprise. Really I thought I would not be able to. But I did get my butt out of bed, half walked and half fell down the stairs to get breakfast ready for " Monster". "Trout" is still sick so she got to stay in bed this morning. So Monster and I ate breakfast together. Or I think we ate breakfast together, this mornings wake up was really early and I'm not a morning person. Heck I'm not a night owl either. Good grief, I think that I only have maybe an hour window when I'm productive, between 11:00 to 12:00. Lunch time! Then my friends it's down hill from there. Anyway, all the Little's got off to school, I think they had healthy lunches, I think their hair was brushed and I'm sure teeth were cleaned. Trout woke up and had her down 2 Advil ( she still has a fever Ugh!). Then off to sleep again. Bug wanted to play Candyland, surprise surprise. I told her I didn't want to play her anymore she keeps on winning. She lovingly looked up and said " Oh mom, I'll let you win this time I promise." Great my kids are already throwing games so that I feel good. I gave in, cause really how could on not, played one game of Candyland ( lost :( ), then off to gymnastics with Bug. Almost fell asleep while watching, yup it's that riveting, came home and gave Trout more Advil. I know you are reading this and just hanging off of every word that is typed. How could this day get anymore exciting. I know I live this life everyday. Got home did some chores, Mount Everest is no longer, now it's more like K2. I think all the fruit flies that I have flew away with a whole banana, and I had no idea what to make for dinner. I know, I know you are now on the edge of your seats. You really want to know what is going to happen next, how more intriguing can my day get. Oh man, it gets so much better.

 I went to the store to pick up what we needed for dinner ( hot dogs haha thought it was going to be something fancy didn't you) and found these beauties. It was as if angelic choirs were singing and lights came down from up above. I had to blink just to make sure my eyes did not deceive me. Ketchup Chips! I know, AMAZING! Most of you are probably sitting here trying to not get sick all over your computers, but I'm from Canada and man Ketchup chips is a way of life. I'm not saying that these suckers are amazing and the best chips ever, I'm just saying I'm so excited for a little taste of home. Daddy Warbucks was not as excited as I was but that is normal. I had to open them right when we got home. Was I disappointed. No my friends, ya they don't quite taste the same but they were good. As good as Ketchup chips can be. 

So that my friends was my big exciting day. Never a dull moment. Okay maybe a few, but when the exciting ones come they are exciting ( if you call finding Ketchup chips exciting,and I do). I hope that your day was just as fun as mine or maybe even better. 

A little side note. I'm so very happy and proud of a good friend who is running her first 5k. She is so happy, I'm glad to see her so excited and happy. Way to go! Holla that's for you friend ( at least that's how I think you spell it hee hee!) 

Well, I'm back in the saddle. Haha does anyone else think of "Sleepless in Seattle" when they hear that. I do but I'm back whether you like it or not. I've had to get things in order and life back together. I'm in a good place right now. Life is good, no life is great! There have been great things that have happened in our little zoo. Many great things. Too many to write about. The one thing that I find is that I need to get writing again. About things that have happened, things that I have thought of and life that is passing by so quickly. Soon I will blink and wonder where time has gone. I'll be sitting on my porch wondering what just happened, my zoo will be gone, the noise will not exists and I will be sitting in silence wishing and praying that it would come back. I know sounds weird but I'm sure that will happen. Or on the flip side I will be travelling the world and living the high life, the life that I have put on hold. Haha, nope I will be sitting on the porch wishing someone would drop by. Okay enough of the "life is passing me by" party, and on to the day.

I wish that I could write something profound and life changing. I wish that I had great words of wisdom to write, something that would change the world. But alas, nope, mind is blank, nothing grand, nothing earth shattering. I did find out today that I'm horrible at 'Candyland". Yup Bug beat me best out of 3. When did this game get so hard. I'm sure it's because she counts cards or has marked them. I'm sure of it. She's pretty sneaky!

Lets see what else. Oh ya, a zoo of 7 makes a lot of laundry. I mean a lot. Crazy amounts. Mount Everest amounts. I need oxygen and a Sherpa just to summit the top. It's crazy. I know that we all know, that but just putting it into perspective. What else, I need a new computer ( hint hint) and I'm not the only mom out there that feels like we do nothing and is bored. Yay, I knew I was not the only one. Sometimes I feel that everyone I know is doing such cool and amazing things. And that I'm the only one sitting at home trying to figure out how to scale all the laundry with out ropes. The only one who has swept the floor for the 4th time ( who am I kidding I don't clean). The only one who falls asleep while reading to their kids. And the only mom out there wishing that someone would call that can carry on an adult conversation ( ok really any conversation that does not have to deal with a princess or going potty). You know what I'm not the only one. There are tons of us that go through this every day. We wake up wondering and feeling the same way. But Moms and Dads would we change this. Would we give up the snuggles, the giggles, the going through clothes and feeling the pangs of childhood marching forward. Would we give up the bright smiles, the snotty kisses, the " your the best mommy/daddy there is is". I don't think so. Those on the outside may look at our lives of one that is not glamorous, one that is mundane, a life that is full of well the same things everyday. But what job gives you the flexibility of maybe staying in bed a little longer with a little someone. Or change in the blink of an eye to kiss a boo boo. Or wear spirit wear all day because someone in your zoo is running in their first ever race. I would say no other job then this. Don't get me wrong there are days when I wish I went to an office. Days when I wish I could come home and not have work follow me. Days where I could wear something that is dry clean only. But this is the best job ever! I really mean it.I have never found such great satisfaction as I do right here, right now,in the trenches. I love my job, 24/7 I love my job.

Plus these little toes are not going to stay little forever :(



A New Year is upon us.

Well I have gotten Christmas done. Not put away yet, but the hustle and bustle is all done. Now it's time to get down to the nitty gritty. Yup with a New Year there comes "resolutions". I don't like the word "resolution", I like the word " goals". I love the thought of setting a target and trying your hardest to reach it. Sometimes my targets/goals are totally out of reach, and totally unattainable. ( really, at my age and situation, do I really think that I will be landing on the moon anytime soon. Not likely.) So like the rest of the world, I try to set goals that are going to make me better, healthier, smarter, faster, stronger and just a well rounded individual.
I looked back at my goals last year and well, I don't' think that I accomplished a lot of the them. In fact I don't think that I finished any of them. So with a New Year comes new resolve. I'm going to get at least one of my goals done. Just one, that's all I need.
For Christmas I got a lot of calendars. I love the calendars, one was made by "Bear". All the months have art work that she had put together in school. Love it. Another is a family calendar that my dear sweet sister in law put together. I opened it up and realized just how much I miss my family. I will keep it where I will always be able to see it. Then I got another calendar to help me stay organized. It's got a lot of space so that I can write things that are important. You know get the zoo here and there, make dinner, remember to breath you know simple everyday stuff like that.
I sat down to today and got my menu figured out for the whole month. Yup you read right, a whole month. I'm sooooo looking forward to getting cooking. Plus, "gasp"! The Pioneer Woman is on Food Network. I just found out. Maybe I'm the only one that didn't know, but I'm soooo very, very excited. So to pay homage to this news, most of my menu is taken from her. So this is what I'm making this coming week in January.
Monday--Roman Style chicken (Giada De Laruentiis)
Tuesday--Wild rice and cheese skillet souffle ( cookbook from a dear friend)
Wednesday--Chickpea/beef/ veggie stew ( cookbook and slow cooker recipe)
Thursday--Meatloaf ( my own creation, which is very good, not to toot my own horn, but toot toot)
Friday--Fish Stew ( very country french)
So that is the meals for this week. I'm so very excited. I will take pictures of the all the meals and let you know if they were good or not.
That is the goal setting for right now. There are more but I need to sit and think somethings over. I need to make sure that the goals are not just good goals but better goals. And of course things that I can accomplish.

Well I have not been on here for a while. I have had a lot of things to do, and as you can see my computer is in pretty rough shape. The 'G' is not the only key missing and the space bar does not work all the time either. I was going to see how long I could write this with out using the "G" but I have not succeeded. And if I could write with out spaces it would go so much faster.
So this month has flown by. Christmas is almost upon us and I have really done nothing. A wedding is done (yay). It was beautiful and the two are very happy. School Christmas parties start this week and so does the ward party. So much to do in so little time. I think that I have gotten most of my shopping done but I really have no idea, the baking has fallen by the way side and my house with it. And to top it all off, we have no snow. I know I should be happy. But it does not really feel like Christmas with out just a tiny bit of snow. Just to get me in the mood. What I really need to do is get off my broken computer and start baking. Yup that is exactly what I'm going to do. Go bake something nice. No really I'm going to go running ( cause I have not done that in a while either), then bake something ( so I can eat it, remember I just ran), then clean my house, feed the hungry, cloth the naked and end world conflict. Now that is just the mornings activities. HAHA! really I'm going to run inside on the hamster wheel. Probably not bake anything and waste my time on Pinterest. This should be a productive day. HAHA!

A Good Day!

Look what I found on my front step. Yummy! My favorite. Salted Caramel Hot chocolate. That made my day. Everyone loves getting surprises. That just made my morning on this cold wet day. Now to keep the momentum. I get to chat with a good friend today and make good choices. I choose to be happy today. I choose to pass it on. Do you remember the show Evan Almighty. I thought it was pretty cute. God told Evan to build an ARK. Now that is a hard task to build an ARK. Later on we find out that all of us are asked to build an ARK ( acts of random kindness). We do all have the task to build. So I'm going to start doing what I have been asked. Acts of Random Kindness. It can be anything from a text ed saying " have a good day" to little notes in the mail ( who does not like little notes) or like an angel this morning, dropping off a Starbucks at someones front door. OK world, watch out here comes an ARK. Ahhh, now that you all know, forget that it was me who told you. And don't be surprised if you get something. Duh. Now I've really told everyone. Man I hope Jedi mind tricks work over the Internet. HAHAHA!


As you can see the chocolate did not last long. YUMMY!

The power of sisters.

Everyone should have sisters. I love mine, they are kind, thoughtful, spiritual, loving, silly, warm, sometimes fuzzy and always know what to say. I have had great moments with my sisters. Since moving away from them I have had a void. But I must say that I now have found a whole handful of sisters. These women would drop everything to help, they would cry with me, laugh with me, sometimes laugh at me. ( I'm not very graceful) I love my new sisters just like the sisters that live so far from me. I had an experience with one the other day. She sent me a beautiful talk. It was truly amazing and I was touched that she thought of me. I knew the talk was for me, for in the first few sentences my favorite scripture was quoted. How beautiful and lovely the mysteries of God are. She is a very inspired women. With all that is happening in her life she has time to think of me. She is a dear friend and sister.
As I was thinking about sisters, I was thinking about trees. I know totally random. I was thinking about the little trees that sometimes I see that are growing in the strangest places. I'm sure that you have seen them. The ones growing from cracks in rocks. Growing in the middle of wind and sun scorched deserts. The ones that grow where it would be impossible to grow. I was thinking that I was like those little strange trees. All alone growing in the most impossible climates, on the steepest cliffs. Well I opened my eyes. I was not a lone little tree. Struggling to find purchase in the environment I was given. No, I'm in the middle of a forest. My roots have been in tangled with the other trees around me. I thought about that. My roots are not reaching for purchase in sandy soil, rocky terrain. My roots are reaching for security and safety in the roots of the other trees around me. That is way when the winds and torments of the weather arise forests don't move, yet lone trees sway and break, and ultimately die. I opened my eyes and saw all the sisters standing round me. They are the trees that I'm talking about. I'm in a forest of strong, amazing and spiritual women. I'm in a forest of regal saints that I get to call sister. Their roots are strong. Their roots have knit together through service, prayer, laughter, tears, heartache and joy. I don't stand alone, I stand in the presence of giants. I'm intertwining my roots. When the storms of life rage around I know that I will not be blown over. I am in a forest of strong women, my roots may not be as deep as others right now but we are weaved together and together we will weather life. My mother, my sisters, my sister friends they stand by and give support. Not to forget the amazing man who stands by me and has grown with me this far and forever. He is my greatest support, my greatest cheerleader, my greatest friend. I opened my eyes and saw his. I'm so thankful for all the Lord has placed in my forest. Thank you.

P.S. I have not read the book that is the picture. Sorry

Had a great day yesterday!

So I thought that I would write this earlier in the morning so that I don't forget my epiphany. A couple things before I rain beauty and clearer understanding in your life this morning. ( HAHA ya right, it's more like you already know things and a mud puddle, but it seemed clear to me). So to start things off, I made my bed. Yes you heard me I made my bed. Now for some of you that is no big deal. For some of us who may have some morning get going struggles. This is a huge accomplishment. It's so easy to leave the bed unmade, so that when you feel down or sad you can just crawl back in, pull the covers over your head and try to forget that the world outside is still turning. Having a made bed takes more effort to get into. Try it for your self. Then you will understand. There is some kind of beauty that comes from a made bed. It's like you got something together even when things are falling out of the sky around you. So YAY me, my bed is made. Now onto the meat of the post.
I had a great day yesterday. Gator Girl invited me for lunch. It was fabulous. She is so talented at making things look so pretty, and effortless. Not to mention she is fabulous and gorgeous and just brings sunshine in your life. You know one of those people that they just have to smile at you, not even say a word and your day is so much brighter. Well, we did lunch. It was so fun. I had no animals from the zoo with me. It was just Sandy time. No mommies were in sight. ( I love being a mommy, but sometimes we need a break.) She made a fantastic lunch, so tasty and the conversation was inspiring and life changing. To me it seemed like the worlds problems were solved. Of course we figured out how to end world hunger, how to achieve world peace and do all great things in the world and still look fabulous and accessorized. Haha, naw but to me it changed things. Our conversations were inspired and it made me look back and contemplate some things. One, I adore so many people. I find strength in seeing the wonderful strength in other people. In knowing what wonders they perform, no matter how great or small. Was just in awe of some of the great women that we both love. They are meek and humble sisters. I love them
Two, I need to look into the mirror and see what my Heavenly Father sees. This is a hard task. I would love to black out a mirror and just leave a strip visible. A strip where when you look in the glass all you see are the beautiful eyes looking back. None of the other stuff we fill our heads with, just the eyes. And I really want to look. Study those eyes, let the eyes study me back. Truly our eyes are the windows to our souls. If we can get past all the "fluff" that we surround ourselves with. All the nonsense and noise, I'm sure that our eyes will tell us things that our brains don't understand. I'm sure they will tell us and show us where we came from. The glorious life we had before earth, learning at our Savior feet. I'm sure that they would tell us of the strength and power that we possess. I'm sure that they would show us that we are literally daughters of a King and that we are entitled to all that He has. I'm sure those eyes would shake the enemy that we all have waiting to destroy us at every turn. There is much power in our eyes, we just ( OK I just) have to learn to get past the "fluff" and look at my eyes.
Third, my lunch uncovered many scares that I have. ( not literal scares, I do have some of those) but spiritual and mental scares that I thought I so expertly hid, under layers and layers of bandages. Yesterday, I removed those bandages and you know what I found. I still have those scares, some are deeper then others, but they are healing. They don't seem as deep and horrible as they did. Some are still fresh and sore. They still hurt constantly, but some are almost healed. All that is left is the mark, but that mark is something not be scared of. Something not to cover up. It is a battle wound that I bear proudly. Or I should bear proudly. It is a healed scar that may just help someone else who has the same scar, but much newer then mine.

Yesterday was a good day, no yesterday was a great day! I was touched by love, tickled with laughter, I was re bandaged with sympathy and lifted up with kindness and compassion. Yesterday was a great day, I want to make today even greater.