Every Five Years...

I hate to think what will happen in five years after my current history. 10 years ago, I lost my mother. 5 years ago, I lost my father. And today I lost my husband of 6 years. I was told it would be best for me to leave with Serra- so I am now relocated to Utah, living with my sister, in the house we were unable to sell last year. I guess God works in mysterious ways- not selling the house is a Godsend now!

I can't believe this is the subject of my post, but I wanted everyone to know what was going on- and where to reach Serra and I now. To be honest, I'm deeply depressed- sick at heart- angry- tired- and feeling betrayed and alone. I only wish Ian the best in his future endeavors- and ask for all of you to pray for Serra, my baby, and me. We sincerely hope that all of our family and friends are starting their New Years on a happier note!


To Ian's family: I would love to keep in contact- but for those of you who do not wish to, I understand. It has been an honor and a privilege considering myself one of your clan!

This Month

I figured I would let you all know what this month is before it's over! There are several things this month is noted for. First is Read A New Book Month. I've read lots of new books lately- I'm a member on the website GoodReads.com where I can post all the books I've read, books I want to read, and reviews on those books if I want. My list is slowly growing and the main reason I like using this site is because it helps me remember what books I've read! There have been times a librarian or friend has recommended a book to me; I've borrowed it and started reading it only to have a major sense of deja vu- I've read it before!

This month is also Hi Neighbor Month. We have a couple new neighbors that we haven't introduced ourselves to. We tend to be the type that keeps to themselves when it comes to our direct neighbors- I'm not sure why, we just don't reach out to strangers I guess. But this month I'm going to try and say hi to them when I see them.

Lastly, this month is National Stress-Free Family Holiday Month. LOL. Any of you feeling stress-free planning your Christmas? :) Well, try to stay as stress-free as possible this month and see if it makes a difference!

Also, just for fun the 20th is Games Day and the 28th is Card Playing Day. If you're on vacation, you should take advantage and play with your friends/family on those days!

Best and Worst

I got tagged by my friend, Chelle, to blog about what I think are the best and worst Christmas songs. I know a lot of people probably won't agree with me and that's fine- it's all opinion- but here goes!

The Five Best Christmas Songs

1. Carol of the Bells- pretty much any version of this song rocks
2. Hallelujah Chorus- I've always loved this since I was in high school and sang it each year in our ward's Christmas cantata
3. Greensleeves- also known as What Child Is This- if it's not dragged out to be too slow, this can be a great song
4. Percy The Puny Poinsettia- this is a funny song by Elmo & Patsy that I grew up with and have just always liked
5. O Holy Night- again, if it's not dragged out to be too slow this is another winner

The Five Worst Christmas Songs

1. Santa, Baby- I absolutely HATE this song- the music, the lyrics, the message all grate on my nerves
2. The Little Drummer Boy- This was close to the running of my least favorite Christmas song- it's like 4 minutes too long, doesn't sound at all like drums, and I have yet to hear a version that even sounds like it should have been recorded at all!
3. Do You Know What I Know- everyone does this song WAY too slow and it's just too repetitive for me to enjoy it
4. Mary Did You Know- I think it could be a great message behind the lyrics of this song, but the tune itself is probably one of the worst out there
5. I Am Not Just a Misfit- from Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer movie- it's one of those that's too easily remembered and sticks in your head for a month, annoying you to death every second of every day

I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you want to do this on your blog, go ahead- just let me know so I make sure to read yours!

Goodbye November, Hello Christmas!

I can't believe how fast time is flying! I have a lot to post about, so here goes. First of all, November was Peanut Butter Lover's Month- one of my favorites! To celebrate, we had peanut butter all throughout the month- pb&j, peanut butter on celery, on bananas, on French toast, peanut butter cookies, etc. Needless to say, I enjoyed this month. :)

We had a great trip to Utah for Thanksgiving- just a quick 2 day thing really. We went out to eat for our main turkey meal with some of Ian's family. It was nice to have it all prepared, and not to clean up after, but we decided that from now on we'll just make our own meal. They're turkey was a bit dry and they didn't have the variety of side dishes that we remembered from last year. But it was still great for us this year.

I sent out Christmas cards today- so family, look for those in your mail. I went to the post office to send something else and the lady saw my Christmas cards and insisted that I needed to put extra stamps on them because they have a gem that makes them stick out a little. But it fit through her little slide-test thing and she still wanted me to pay extra. So you'd better appreciate them! :)

Lastly, I had a doctor's appointment today and I had been avoiding all of your questions of when I'm due until now. I had been due June 17th, but I swear I was feeling the baby [which it's way too soon for, so I thought I was early]. Well, I go in for my appointment and she decided that she thinks I'm even less along! So my new due date is June 30th. But these things change all the time, so I'll keep everyone posted- I'm definitely having this baby in the early summer though, so plan on that!

I think that's everything for now- we hope you all have a great December and wonderful Christmas holiday season! [I'm sure I'll post before then, but just in case!]

Tough Times

I'm glad the holidays are finally coming to distract me from other things! A lot has happened last month- I talked a little bit about what Ian was going through, but didn't even mention anything I've been going through.

October is a rough month for me. My father would have celebrated his 56th birthday on the 30th. And the 15th marked the 10 year anniversary of my mother's death. I still can't believe it's been 10 years, and yet at the same time I barely remember that time of my life and think- really, it's only been 10 years? It seemed like a lifetime ago. I've been thinking a lot about them lately- especially when I'm dealing with Serra. I have a whole new gratitude in my heart for what my parents did for me and am amazed at how much patience they had with me- because, let's be honest, I was probably their "tough" one.

I wonder what it would have been like to watch them play with Serra- to have them here for those kinds of moments. But at the same time sometimes I think that it's easier for me to think of the distant future because I have a very clear goal in mind. Not only do I want to guarantee my place in the Celestial Kingdom, but I have two parents who have already passed through the veil that I need to work towards being with again. It puts a whole new perspective on why I need to endure to the end. I don't think I would ever choose to have them leave so early, but since they have it kind of gives it a little bit of a silver lining to think that way.

I love my parents very much and hope they are still proud of me- I try to think when I'm making choices not only about what would Jesus want me to do, but what would my parents have me do- what would they have done- what would they tell me to do if they were here. In a lot of ways I feel like they are still guiding me in my life, just in a different way from most people. I have felt their presence a lot when I needed it most and I'm thankful that I've been able to have those opportunities.

I've also been thinking about them a lot again because of another big change that has happened in my life. Ian and I have found out that I'm pregnant! We're very excited to welcome this addition to our family. As of right now my due date is in June, but that may change at my next doctor's appointment- we'll keep everyone updated. I was hoping to keep it hidden for a while longer, but I've already started showing- and anyone who knew I was trying to lose weight would question the sudden change in my belly! So, it's announced earlier than I might have liked, but that's okay- it's fun to get the congratulations from everyone.

Speaking of the holidays, I guess I'll spill the beans on what we're doing for that. Thanksgiving we've decided to drive down to Utah and stay with Paige. But we'll be going out to eat for the big meal [it's cheaper and that way we can get all the food choices we want without buying it, making it, and cleaning up after it!] We'll be doing our Black Friday shopping in the Orem area and probably coming back home that Saturday.

Christmas will be here in Idaho with Ian's brother and sister-in-law and possibly a friend of Ian's from high school and her little boy. It should be a fun group and we look forward to having company- even if we'll be a little cramped in our townhouse. I hope each of you have some happy holidays! We'll be sure to post pictures and stories of our fun- hopefully each of you do too!

Housewife Day

Today is housewife day and I thought what better day for me to post pictures of my new house! So here is the townhouse we are currently living in temporarily while we wait to put our house in Lehi back on the market.

The front room- with Ian's new leather recliner.


The front room from a different view.


The other side of the front room.


The half bath downstairs.


The back door leading to our patio.


The kitchen and our barstools.


Some of the few decorations I've hung- to avoid putting too many holes in the walls. These are our family pictures for each year of our marriage.


Another view of the kitchen and dining area.


The laundry room filled to capacity with cleaning stuff, food storage, water softener and central vacuum systems. [And currently Serra also.]


Our stairs.


The upstairs hallway and full bath.


Our master and my "craft" room together.


Another view of the master/"craft" room.


Our closet. I hate closet pictures because your closet can't look very organized with all the different clothes that don't match, etc. But I think our closet is funny because if you look at the floor to the right, you'll see there is a large raised area. Not sure what they intended it for, but it's made storage interesting.


Serra's room and toy area- usually a disaster area like it is now.


Another view of Serra's room.


Ian's computer room [also usually a disaster area].


The front of our unit.


The back. The tarp is covering all of Serra's outdoor toys that it has become too cold to use- we didn't want them getting damaged during the winter season.


And while I was walking around taking pictures, Serra came out with one of her favorite snacks and says, "mommy! cracker please! cheese!" [the cheese was for the camera- she wanted her picture taken.] :)

October

A lot has happened this month and I've been a little lazy in posting the details- so here comes a lot of stuff!

First of all, after a couple of doctor's visits and prescriptions Ian is cured, but he did have a bacteria in his stomach called H. Pylori which can cause all kinds of issues. He's probably had it for years and just now broke down enough from the pain to do something about it.

Unfortunately, they think it may be hereditary, so those of you closely related to Ian: if you have frequent stomach pains or indigestion-type issues, you may want to have a blood test done to see if you have H. Pylori too. It's easily curable [a LOT of pills, but pills are easy to take, right?] Hopefully Ian doesn't get any of the other possible side effects. Also, if Ian continues to have pain, he'll have to go back in to have his gall bladder looked at.

Anyway, on a lighter note, here is my favorite picture of Serra from this month. Not only does her hair curl perfectly without any effort on my part, but you can see how much she loves her baby- she's watching a video clip on the computer, but HAS to be kissing baby [who is propped up only by the table and her lips!]

Serra also went to her first birthday party this month. It was My Little Pony themed. They had a make-up parlor and face-painting.
And here is Serra wearing her "pony tail".

October- Craft of the Month
I made Serra a little jewelry pouch that she LOVES for all her jewelry that either she or I have made.
And I finally finished my second quilt wall hanging [the only difference is that I was running out of material, so the border is a little smaller on the second one.]

Serra's dance class told everyone to come in their costumes right before Halloween so I took a few pictures- also to show how cute Serra is in her dance class. Here they are working on the barre during ballet. [Serra is the one furthest left.]
Now it's Serra's turn to walk across the room on her toes- she's actually pretty good at this one!
They also have tap, but they always stay in a circle for it so it's hard to get a good picture.

And here are our Halloween pictures. Serra is a pirate [or as Ian kept prompting her to say, "I'm a wench!"] and we're "rockers". My original shirt didn't have long enough sleeves to work with the tattoo sleeves, so I had to change last minute- wish I'd known sooner cause this shirt doesn't look as good!
Here's Serra up close- she LOVED her costume!
Serra at her first door- she didn't trust the dinosaur that made noise and opened its mouth. :)
And here's Serra with all of her "booty". :)

Hope you all had a happy Halloween!

Coming soon: pictures of our townhouse. I know, it's WAY delayed, but they'll be up today or tomorrow.

Desperately Trying Not To Hate The Police...

Luckily, I got away with nothing but a warning intended to scare me because I'm apparently a "Utah-aggressive" driver driving wrecklessly on the calm roads of Pocatello Idaho- full of road rage. I got the scare of my life driving down these supposed calm roads being targeted by one of Idaho's own SEVERAL times- for no reason that I could understand. And in my 1 moment of retaliation, she phones the police and tells them I'm a nuisance on the road- and I GOT PULLED OVER FOR IT! Apparently, they were "letting me go" THIS time, but NEXT time [like I do this all the time] I will get fined, have to go to court, and possibly get probation duty which apparently amounts to wearing a yellow jacket and picking up trash on the side of the road.

I will admit that I have a temper- but Ian is my best witness that my temper has died down considerably over the years and my driving has become very mild also. I know we have to have police to keep us safe from real troubles- and that we have to have someone to judge the circumstances in not-so-real troubles. But it just seems to me that I'm always getting the rotten end of the deal when cops have to deal with me. I totalled Ian's car when we were dating and it was completely my fault according to the cop, but anyone present [and those told the story] can see that it wasn't. I had my wallet stolen a year ago and gave them everything they needed to track down the person- TWO different police stations did nothing, and they continued to use my credit cards AT THE SAME PLACE that I told them to find the person. [Luckily, I got reimbursed of course, but still...] And now this.

So obviously I just need to grow some more and just ignore people when they slam on their brakes, swerve into my lane repeatedly to scare me, and then tailgate me while calling the police on me. And I know no one is perfect, so I can't expect it of police just because it's their job... this just really made for a bad afternoon- and another tally on my list!

On a lighter note- Serra told her first "joke" yesterday. Out of nowhere she says "knock, knock". So I look at her and say, "uhhh... who's there?" [not expecting an answer, because I really can't think of how she's ever even heard a knock knock joke] and she turns to me and says, "is it daddy?" and starts giggling! What a silly girl we have.

National Card Making Day

It's National Card Making Day- and I got some more Christmas cards done! But I'm not going to post them because I want them to be a surprise when my family gets them. Anyway, I also had a lot of other things to post about, so here goes....

Here is our updated futon- with a new cover [that I bought instead of made] and new throw pillow covers that I made all by myself- no pattern! And they have invisible zippers on the bottom so I can take them off to wash.

Here's a close up of the pillows- it's hard to see the black edge on the black futon.

And I made them flippable- this is the back side.

Serra was also kind enough this week to come up with a new project for me- reupholstering my rocking chair and ottoman! She found a Sharpie and proceeded to "draw" a picture for me.

Also, this morning, Ian changed something- see if you can guess what. [Other than taking off his glasses.] Here's a before picture:

And here's the after:

Finally, here's Serra in one of her cute new winter outfits because it's turned to cold weather already! And she's jumping on our mini trampoline- such a big girl!

Craft of the Month - September

For those of you who didn't know, September is National Sewing Month. So I tried to focus this month on getting a lot of my sewing projects done. I managed to get all of my fabrics cut out, but only finished a couple of projects. Still, not bad considering I've been too busy with moving, etc. to get anything done for the last couple of months! Anyway, here are some pictures of the projects I finished.

Another apron I made for me.

And an apron I made for my sister, Paige.

This one is Serra's favorite: baby blankets and diapers!

And finally, a pink quilt for Serra- I need to finish the binding and attach the backing, but at least the front is done!

When I finish my other projects, I'll post pictures. I still have a lot of outfits for Serra, a pin cushion bag, throw pillow covers, a blue quilt, and a quilt wall hanging to match the one I made with my mother-in-law, among other things! Hopefully I can get them all done soon. What did you sew this month?

Mystique Dinner Theatre

We just went on a great date- not only was it great because we dressed a little nicer than jeans or because we had someone else watching Serra, but it was also 2 for 1! So for $40 [including tip] we each got a delicious dinner including salads, rolls and cheesecake- AND a 1 1/2 hour magic show by 3 magicians from Hollywood and Vegas! As it turned out, we sat across the table from some of the owner's best friends- and the owner himself joined our table. It made for some interesting conversation and a completely different experience from everyone else. It was a great night- very fun and very memorable. And thanks again, Joan, for watching Serra- you have no idea how much I really appreciated it! :)

Serra's First Dance Class

We signed Serra up for dance this year- since she is always dancing, wanting music, and posing for pictures in dance-style. She loved it so much she didn't want to leave- but she wasn't exactly following what the teacher was telling her to do either. They say it takes a few weeks for them to actually get what's going on. But she was so cute in her outfit that I had to take some pictures and post them!

Serra posing still half-asleep from her late nap.

SO stinkin' cute!

Here's the backside- with her cute tiny bun!

We're obviously taking pictures on the sidewalk outside and a guy walked around the corner just minding his own business- certainly not planning on seeing us taking pictures of our 2 year old in a dance outfit. But Serra immediately sees him and shouts a VERY enthusiastic "HI!" :)

Happy Anniversary, Ian!

Today was our 6th wedding anniversary- time really does fly! We didn't do anything spectacular today since it's a Sunday [makes it kind of difficult to celebrate], but Ian bought me some flowers and we went out to eat yesterday. We decided not to do anything too big because we've been having a lot of purchases lately with furniture, etc. for our new place. Also, I bought us the next in line of House, The Office, and Everybody Loves Raymond to add to our collections. Otherwise, it was just nice to note the occasion and share the moment with Serra.