A million little questions, so little time

Beyonce

2012-01-18T12:36:00.000-08:00

I love Beyonce. I will be her in the next life. She's ridiculously beautiful. So talented and crazy HOT! We share the exact same birthday by the way so we're totally kindred spirits. I think we are alike in a lot of ways. Such as:

1-She's black. I'm not but I wish I was.

2-She's married to a famous rapper. My husband is also white and totally nerdy but he has sweet dance moves.

3-She's a multi-millionaire. I'm completely poor but I'm rich in blessings.

4- She just had a baby and named it a weird name. The names I chose for my children are totally normal and traditional but their cute personalities are weird and quirky.

See....we have a lot in common right?

She sings a song called "Love on Top." I love all Beyonce songs but really? There are at least 6 key changes in that song and I hate it. If you ever need me to do the Single Ladies dance for you, just ask. It would be my pleasure to make your day.

Oh life.....

2011-12-21T09:26:00.000-08:00

Does it ever slow down? No.

Here's my update:

Opened a store.

Took a leap of faith.

Still Primary President.

Tate is 2 and he is the epitome of "terrible two's."

Noah now runs his own Daddy Day Care.

The NBA started again.

AnnaBelle is a good little girl.

Her little sister Desi is sweet too but is a stinker at times.

Using the "Santa is watching" thing is working...

Sometimes life is overwhelming and hard but trials and hardships make us stronger.

Good things come to those who wait.

I love all of my family members and pray for them every day....all day.

I am grateful for wonderful parents and a wonderful Mother in Law.

I get to shop for a living. It's awesome.

Merry Christmas from Ashley, Noah, AnnaBelle, Desiree, and Tate McKinnon

Election Update

2011-09-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

I went to Meet the Candidates night last night. I didn't have much time because I had a baptism to hurry to. I did have enough time to talk to a few candidates. My mind wasn't changed on who I am voting for though. It's clear there are people there for their own ego, and there are people there with genuine desire to help the city. I also have a hard time with Candidates that re-think their positions on things and say they need to "do more research." Really?? If you're running for city office, you'd think you would have already done your research. And how many City Council meetings have you been to? None? Ok.

I spoke to Mike Southwich (who is quite literally one of the most amazing people ever!) and he told me that he does support the Arts Council. He even went on to say that he thinks we need a larger facility and he would support that if voted in to the City Council. Well shoot dang! You've got my vote! He suppors all existing programs that promote community. Love that!

I also read an article from the Daily Herald today that gives the stand of each candidate on the issues that were discussed the most at the Meet the Candidates night last night. Mainly the initiatives on the ballot, and the Lehi Main Street construction. Here are the responses:

Lehi Candidates

Mike Southwick

Downtown Lehi resident
Against initiatives
Main Street Renovation Project position -- I really like it because I think we need something to enhance our Main Street and hopefully that will have people want to come and be there

Johnny Revill

Southwest Lehi resident
Against initiatives
Main Street Project -- It needs to be revitalized to attract people back into downtown Lehi by doing what we are doing the businesses on Main Street will thrive

Ted Peck

Downtown Lehi resident
Against salary cap and reconsidering residency requirement
Main Street Project -- I want something functional, something that will work for businesses

Clay Peck

Downtown resident
Against salary cap and for residency requirement
Main Street Project -- I would have preferred to do something different, a bridge over the tracks, more parking

Curtis Payne

Downtown resident
Against the initiatives
Main Street Project -- From my surveys it's hurting businesses and the businesses don't like it, not every business. Frankly, I think it affects them the most and they should have the most say in how it's to be done.

Mark Johnson
Northeast Lehi

Against the initiatives
Main Street Project -- I think the Main Street project is critically important for the survival of our business area and to enhance our community

Paul Hancock

Northwest Lehi
Against the initiatives
Main Street Project -- I don't think it's going to give the benefits that they think it is. It would have been funds I would have spent differently. I think it will beautify the city but not much else.

Dale Gibson

No show

Mary Eka

Southwest Lehi
Against the initiatives
Main Street Project -- It is affecting businesses because of construction going on. Was it necessary? Citizens were they aware of it ? We need to find ways to involve the community

Ryan Dooley

North Lehi
Against the initiatives
Main Street Project -- A lot of people are unhappy about it. I will have to do more research. I think Main Street needs to be developed and in a reasonable manner

James Dixon

Northeast Lehi
Against the initiatives
Main Street Project -- Important. It's critical to the future and the viability of the area

Chris Condie

Northwest Lehi
Against the initiatives
Main Street Project -- I think the intent behind it is good but I think we committed a lot of money not knowing what the return is

Clint Carter

Northeast Lehi
For the initiatives
Main Street Project -- Terrible because it ain't wide enough to do anything with and we're blowing $8.75 million

Reldon Barnes

Northwest Lehi
Against the initiatives, for changing or enforcing the law
Main Street Project -- I think it was handled poorly personally, I'm afraid it's going to hurt the businesses.

Really Clint Carter? You couldn't even use proper English for your statement to the paper? Go to Lehivote.com and choose for yourself. I know who I'm voting for and I know that I am definitely voting NO on the 2 initiatives on the ballot. If you want more info on that, search "Vote No on Lehi Initiatives" on Facebook. Great insight there!

Political Post

2011-08-29T15:45:00.001-07:00

I'm not one to get too into politics and such but if you're running for city council or other public office and you're running your mouth about all the things that are done wrong in your city, state, or country....you might want to vote in the previous election. Just sayin: No Vote, No Voice. Know your candidates and ask them if they have voted in past elections.

Since this election obviously is biased because my brother is going for city council, I will be posting about the election, the initiatives on the ballot, and the other candidates. I will be voting for my brother (ovbiously) but the other 2 votes I get are up for grabs. The other 2 incumbents don't automatically have my vote. My neighbor, Mike Southwick is running for city council and he is a GREAT man! One of the best so he as of right now, has my vote. I need to hear his insight on the things I care about. Whether he supports the Lehi Arts Council, The Miss Lehi Pageant, and other programs I love and use like the Rippy Literacy Center. I plan to get information from each candidate and their views and post it on here. Have you heard about the initiative they are trying to pass on the ballot this year? Do your homework. It was presented by former Lehi city disgruntled employee and current candidate Clint Carter. This will affect your neighbors and their jobs. Read about it here:

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/north/lehi/article_95928091-0781-5907-b0a9-ef57b0596046.html

It puts a salary cap on city officials and requires that all city employees (including police and firemen) would have to live in Lehi City limits. We would lose over 30 policemen alone if this initiative is passed.

Again, do your homework. That's all for now but I'll be posting in the future.

xoxo

Update

2011-07-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I suck. I know. I've let time get away from me. I have good reasons though. June is the worst. I hate it. I love all the things that go on in June but it's just stressfull. Here's what we've been up to:

June 11th- Miss Lehi. Awesome show! Wonderful contestants. No problems at all. Only mistake: forgot the Lehi's Lady cd. Luckily our new 2011 Miss Lehi is awesome and didn't care :) (thanks Alex!)

June 21st-25th- Round-Up/Miss Utah. Sucks when they land on the same week! Monday was Lehi's Got Talent. Show was great. Ended on time and we had happy and good finalists. Thursday was family night at the Rodeo. I sang the National Anthem. Always a great experience. Leisel came up to me and said good job. Then he asked me if I was a Mormom. I said that I was and then he asked if we believe in Adam and Eve. I said that we do and that they are actually very important and he said "Good! I have a good joke about them but didn't want to tell it if ya'll wouldn't understand." Ok. Awesome. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday night, I was at Miss Utah. Cheering on the beautiful Sabrina, Miss Lehi 2010. She did fantastic and represented Lehi so well. Extremely proud! My mom and the Miss Utah committee did a great job and it was an amazing pageant!

And then we got to rest a little bit. Just enough for the 4th of July and family vacations and for the production of Joseph. Please PLEASE come to see the show. It's going to be AMAZING! It runs the 22nd, 23rd, 25th, 26th, 28th, 29th, and 30th at 7:00 pm. You can buy tickets online at http://www.lehiarts.org/ or at the doors at the highschool. I got lucky enough to be cast as one of the narrators and I'm so excited. The brothers in the show are hilarious and you won't be dissapointed! Promise :)

Emotions

2011-05-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

I am not a crier. I rarely break down. That's not very convenient when I want sympathy. Because I can't even muster up a tear to get it. My lack of emotion does come in handy because when I do get emotional, my husband takes me serious. Sometimes he calls me a robot. I never cry. Truly, I don't. There are few things that get me. Something spiritual, cute things my kids say, and when someone is suffering. Obviously the loss of someone makes me emotional. I really am not a complete robot.

I cried a lot this week because we lost our dog Chaquita. She was such a cute little dog. We already miss her a lot. I cried for my kids. They were there when it happened and it upset them so much. They are doing great though and I just love them!

Today I cried while watching The Biggest Loser and during a Hallmark commercial. What is going on? Sheesh!

Milestone

2011-05-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

Do you have something you struggle with? A funny quark or bad habit? I do. I have a really bad one. My sister struggles with biting her nails. My mom twiddles her thumbs. Just the little things that make us who we are. But mine is not glamourous and it affects me. I pull on my hair. Mainly my eyelashes. I hate it and I have done everything to stop it. But I usually end up failing and lashless. I've talked to doctors and they have told me that it's an anxiety disorder and there is medication. I don't need medication. I know I have anxiety but I like it. I keeps me ticking. So no medication please. So, I am left with self motivation. Having control over myself. So here you go:

I did it. I have not pulled a lash in over 2 months. Are you proud?

Are you righteous enough??

2011-04-11T21:07:00.000-07:00

Have you ever met someone that automatically assumes they are "more righteous" than you? That they are better than you? That they believe in more than you or believe more than you? That somehow they will be in front of the righteous line in the end? I read something today from our ward newsletter and I really liked it. It was from our wonderful Bishop. He wrote: "The great measure of a man, his heart, his very being, is not found in his knowledge of the gospel, it is not found in the amount of times he has shown up for church, it is not found in what callings he has had, it is not found in his accomplishments in life, but it is found in the way he treats his family and neighbors!" Some people automatically think that they are better than you....that they have more food storage. That they have everything figured out. Not true. This post isn't directed at anyone in particular. Just my rantings at some things I've witnessed throughout my life. As my wonderful Grandma Revill would say: "She thinks she's so righteous, she probably wears 2 pairs of garments!" (Directed toward a lady in her ward.) Get over yourself and serve.

Grandma Revill

2011-04-04T06:38:00.000-07:00

I had a hilarious Grandma. She was the funniest person I'd ever met. She always had a story and such a talent for telling them. I'd like to share some every once in a while. Today I was thinking of the time an improptu visit turned into a day trip. My sister and I were in a boutique up in Bountiful, and before heading up there to check things out, we decided to stop in Murray and say hello to our Grandma. When we realized we needed to leave after hours of laughing, we asked her if she wanted to go with us. So we all loaded up in the car. Me, Cyd, my mom, and my Grandma. We got there and she was so excited to spend the rest of the day with us. She looked at every little thing and kept saying "I wouldn't miss this for $100!" I'm glad that day she thought our company was worth more than $100. Miss her today.

CWACOM

2011-03-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

Kinda like SYTYCD (So You Think You Can Dance.)

Except this time, it's Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs.

Please tell me you've seen it?! Funniest kid movie ever. If you haven't seen it....RENT IT! Netflix lets you watch it instantly. It's a crazy hilarious movie.

Funniest part? When he does an anagram for his invention. He calls it his:

Flint

Lockwood

Diatonic

Super

Mutating

Dynamic

Food

Replicator

Or the FLDSMDFR. I laugh out loud every time.

I also LOVE Megamind. Such a great movie. And I cannot tell you how excited I am that Will Ferrell is the new boss on the Office. My life is now complete.

Sewing

2011-03-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I like to pretend like I know how to sew. Which is hilarious because I know I thread by bobbin wrong but my machine doesn't seem to mind. I sure wish I was better at it. Or more patient.

But I want to make this http://simplesimonandco.blogspot.com/2011/02/5-fridayproject-2-with-white-kona.html

I know I could make some really fun things but there are 2 problems:

A: space. I hate getting crap out and having to put it away. I need a perminent spot for it.

2: I am not a patient person. I know I would have mess ups and un-stitching and just the thought of that makes me want to punch my sewing machine in the face.

I have a bunch of lace to make that skirt. And is it so selfish that I want to make one for me and not for my girls? They have enough crap. I need a cute flirty skirt out of mustard yellow stretch lace. Yummy!

xoxo

Tetris

2011-03-20T18:58:00.001-07:00

Sometimes late at night, I like to play Tetris on my original 1985 Nintendo. Let me tell you something very important....Ashley is a master Tetris player. If there were a national competition for Tetris, I would so enter and probably win. I am the Yoda of Tetris. (win you will!)

So last night, I was playing my nightly Tetris and I got to level 11. A level I have never passed. But honing all of my amazing skills and after eating a well balanced late night bowl of rice crispies drenched in sugar, I was all sorts of ready. I passed it. It. was. amazing.

I got the high score and then as I looked at the "computer chosen" high scores and names, I realized that I am not of middle-eastern descent and I had still beat them all. All of the names where similar to Shaheed or Roheim. Cool. I guess you don't have to be necessarily smart to get to level 12, just have awesome stacking skills and lots of time on your hands. Oh when that music gets faster and your heart beats like crazy. I love it.

Twins??

2011-03-17T17:40:00.001-07:00

Is it just me....or does Scotty McCreery from American Idol look EXACTLY like my awesome nephew who is on a mission in Argentina??? Seriously?? Separated at birth!

Tucker Don Bush

Scotty McCreery

A little creepy.

High Float anyone?

2011-03-17T15:54:00.001-07:00

I bought these balloons on March 4th for Noah's birthday.
They are still going strong 13 days later. I bought them at Pioneer Party. You should shop there for balloons. Good Grief!

New Job

2011-03-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

For the last 9+ years of our marriage, Noah and I have been lucky to get to spend a lot of time together. Self employment has its perks. You can work as much (or as little) as you want. If you need to make more money, you work harder to find jobs. Plus Noah could take any time off he needed. (There are definitely crappy parts to self employment too.)

So we were very blessed last year with a lot of work. Noah was busy all last year with 2 homes and a lot of remodels. He is EXTREMELY talented. For the past 2 months we haven't had any work come our way. Lots of bids and work for my parents but nothing substantial. Until his brother Abe called him last week. He told him that they are hiring where he has been working. Noah thought about it a little bit and asked me what my take is on it. I immediately told him that there are people out there looking for work, and we have it handed to us. So he thought more about it, prayed about it, and worried about it. We are so used to the idea of him being able to do what he wants that this is a big change for us. He's never had a boss, a set schedule, or a real pay check.

We weighed the negatives with the positives and he (with some answers from above) decided to take the job. He is now an employee for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He is extremely excited. The church is building a full size replica of Jerusalem. Essentially, it is a huge movie set that Noah will be building. You can read about it on the church website. I'll post a link at the end. The best thing about it is that he is with good people with his same goals and lifestyle. He'll even have interaction with the First Presidency and General Authorities (Pres. Uchtdorf is set to come check it out next week.) He had to have a current temple recommend for the job and they are even paying him more than other workers because of his experience. He LOVES it so far and I am so happy for that! It is a drive to get down there but another perk is that he gets to carpool with his brother, and build that relationship.

The job will only go until July but we have hopes that it will turn into other jobs for the church. That is his dream. Building temples would be the ultimate and we never know where this might take us. So that's my good news for the day. No negativity. I am happy as can be even though we miss him being around. I am so blessed in my life. I love the gospel.

http://newsroom.lds.org/article/Church-Constructing-Replica-Set-New-Testament-Film-Projects

Bra-less wonder

2011-03-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

Today I left my house fully clothed to head to Costco to buy all of the food for the Scout Blue and Gold Banquet tomorrow night. I finally realized about 5 minutes later that I forgot my bra. Nice. So I headed back home. If you've ever wondered if I've ever considered a breast enhancement, that should answer your question. When you leave your house, run down stairs, and don't even notice a lack of support...that is defiitely on your mind.

Yard Sales and stupid people

2011-03-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

Why do I have to be so negative you ask? I'll tell you why...because people are stupid. I do have good things to say about my recent "spur of the moment" yard sale. We made some sweet $$ to spend on.......let's see......nothing. Savings I guess.

But one aspect of our recent yard sale experience got me thinking. Why would one lowball someone when they have more than enough money? I had a lady offer $8 for a gigantic stack of items. Now don't get me wrong, I wanted that SHAT out of my life and garage so I'm happy she wanted to buy it. The approximate value of the items was around $20 but she said "will you take $8 for it all." I of course said "sure" since I just want the SHAT out of my life and garage. So I kinda thought to myself "well, she probably only has $8." But then she pulled out a huge wad of bills. $20's and $10's. But she offered $8. Not that I need her to pay the actual amount but if you have a $10, just say $10...why $8?? Noah and I were both boggled and laughed after she left. If she had children without clothing and food, I would have just given it to her. But her wad of cash and her Cadillac Escalade suggested otherwise.

Then I had another lady offer $8 for a huge box of scrapbook paper. Old nasty scrapbook paper that I had marked at $10 for the whole box. After I had said "sure" she said "what about $7?" Really? $1 less. Wow.

Yard sale folk never cease to amaze me. I LOVE me a good yard sale but I usually pay what it is marked at. I wasn't aware that people would come and bid me down on items. If I'd have known that, I would have marked them up more so we would agree on the price I originally wanted. This isn't Storage Wars or Auction Kings or the flea market in Honolulu for heaven's sake! It's my white trash yard.

Mom Jeans

2011-03-10T16:48:00.000-08:00

To answer Miss Natalie's question (or Aunt Natalie if my kids are referring to her,) here are Mom Jeans.

Never.

Adventures in Walmart

2011-03-09T13:30:00.000-08:00

So today I was at Walmart and the Crazy Cat Lady was in line ahead of me. She had a cart full of cat supplies. Huge bags of cat food, a giant box of kitty litter, and 100 cans of kitty food. An entire cart dedicated to cats. She also had another cart with bananas, apples, and tortilla chips in it. Then when she tried to pay with her debit card, it was denied. Might want to get rid of a few cats lady. I got allergies just looking at her.

Stupid Moms

2011-03-08T09:17:00.000-08:00

That is not a knock on my own mother! Just to be sure (my mom is amazing and I want to be her when I grow up!)

I can't stand stupid moms. There are 2 different kinds that I can't stand.

Mom example #1-

-Mom jeans.
-She lets the child dress themselves (the girl is in a princess dress, sweats, and hair not done. The boy is in basketball shorts, a cape, and slippers.)
-refuses to spend ANY money and wants everything on sale or at a discount. (HATE this mom at Swiss Days!)
-Says she'll just make it herself.
-Thinks their child is perfect and would never EVER believe that their child would hit or bite.
-Goes to her child's class to read and likes to make other moms feel guilty because they don't.

Mom example #2-

-Drives a crazy expensive SUV and thinks she owns the road
-Talks on her cell phone where ever she is and it's really annoying to hear about her local gossip in the line at the store.
-Wears designer skin-tight jeans, an obnoxious hat, and blinged out shirts to the school dance festival. Really? You think those pants are appropriate?!
-Puts on make up to go to the gym. Seriously?
-Talks with her friends and doesn't watch her kids.
-Dresses her children to the max and creates crazy hairstyles that are completely age inappropriate.

Ok, so I know that you're thinking. You just completely contradicted yourself. But my point is...isn't there a happy medium?

Treadmill Man

2011-03-05T21:19:00.001-08:00

So, I did a whole huge post about this guy that goes to my gym. It was not so much a nice post. Turns out he has been ridiculed for his not-so-traditional workout style. So much that it ended up on the news and a youtube video was the reason. So after I hit the "publish post" button, I had second thoughts and did some research. Turns out he was very hurt and embarrased by the harassment and it made me feel bad. So I deleted it. I'm bummed though because I so want to share the hilariousness that is "Treadmill Man." What do you think? Do you think he would somehow magically find out about my blog post and read it? I'm totally anonymous in it but he would have to know it's him. He's the only one in the gym doing backbends on the lat pulldown machine in full Rocky gear.

He is from Lehi afterall and I know I have like 500,000 followers so there is a chance.....

My kids are cute

2011-03-02T12:59:00.000-08:00

That's all.

Really?

2011-03-01T13:38:00.000-08:00

I know right? Really? I haven't posted in how long? Well, I could do a big HUGE update post but we'll save that for another time. For now I'm just glad to be back in the blogging world. A lot has happened, good and bad, but there a good times ahead!

First off, I would just like to say that from now on, I'm going to post from the heart. No bells, no whistles. Just truth. Take it or leave it. You are being warned though right now that they may include an obsentity every so often. I try and contain myself but sometimes you just have to say "OH MY HELL!" I know, I know. That's no way for a PP to be speaking.

Secondly, this is a healing time for me. I have been burned by people. Some I considered really good friends, and some I could care-less about, but I need to heal and forgive. When you truly believe in the power of forgiveness, and you are asked to do so, do you still believe in it? And are you willing to? That's where I am now.

Sometimes I'll be spiritual (but not sappy, cross my heart.) And sometimes I'll be funny (or at least try.) And sometimes I won't follow grammar rules (don't judge me.) Because it's my blog.

Random thought....living in the past sucks. Let's all move forward. MmmKay?

xoxo

On a lighter note....

2010-05-25T17:06:00.000-07:00

So...my last post was somewhat depressing and didn't bring out the best in me. Let's change the subject eh?

My beautiful sister is in the hospital in Vegas. She has a really bad kidney infection and her spleen is enflamed. She has been in the hospital for 4 days now. I wish I could help her but she's so far away! I want to send her flowers or something. What to do?

I went tanning the other day and burned my bum. It really hurt for a while. I'm sure you didn't want to hear that but ya know..

Miss Lehi is next week and as I typed that, I got butterflies and my stomach churned. I can't believe it's almost here. Working on the program and having the girls text me 100 times a day is getting a little old but....we're almost there and I will certainly miss their texts when it's over!

Airbrush Tans by Ashley is growing. I even ordered some business cards because I get so many referrals and people want to give my card out. I guess I'm official if I ordered business cards.

So much to do...so little time.

VENT!

2010-05-20T12:32:00.001-07:00

***Disclaimer....I use offensive language in this post but only in defense of my dad and brother. It's the mother-bear syndrome in me but really the daughter-bear, sister-bear***

I just need a minute to vent. Have any of you heard of the city prosecutor and city police problem? It's on ksl.com if you want to read it.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=358&sid=10838017

I don't know the facts of the story. I'm still gathering information so I won't say who or what side I am on. My problem is that NOWHERE in that story is anything written about the city council yet some idiot decides to bring my family into it in the discussion board. Here's his retarted post:

"The city of Lehi, its’ city council, its’ police department, its’ building and park department has been a “Good Old Boys Club” for a long time. I am glad to finally see someone stand up and take a stand.

Several years ago I lived in Lehi. It was at a time the city started to see vary large growth. It seemed as if there was a new subdivision being built everyday. I was new to the area and wanted to get involved more in my city. That is when I started to discover the “Good Old Boys Club”. Not once, not twice but three times I reported to city police cattle running free on the streets in the Pioneer Subdivision. The officer who responded to the first called blew the issue off saying, “Those are Bishop Revill cows.”

A few years after the Pioneer subdivision was built the home’s basement began to fill with water. The issue was report to the city in the hope of finding the source of the water. Many residents attended a city council meeting to discuss the issue. I was surprised to hear our Lehi elected officials tell the people to just forget the issue and go home.

I and others learned there had been springs running in the area for years and everyone who had grew up in the area wondered why the city let them build homes there. It was the "Good Old Boys"... Someone knew someone who was on the planning board.

Lehi City has been a club for the “Good Old Boys” and still is. City Councilman Johnny Revill has on the city’s web site as his qualification “Serves in the High Council in the Lehi Jordan River Stake” The Revill's sold their land to build Cabels, now on the city council and over the police mind you.

I hope when this is all over the “Good Old Boys” change the guard. "

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Just so you know, Johnny and I both commented on his comment. Here they are:

Johnny's- " Maybe you need to get your facts straight before you accuse myself and my family, the chief and everyone else in Lehi for being corrupt and part of the "good ole boy" club. Your blind assumptions and accusations make you look like a fool. I'll only address one of your mis-informed statements and that will discredit all of your others; my family never has and never did own the property, nor property anywhere near where Cabela's is now. I find these posts amusing. It seems a place for people to go to make themselves feel better by hammering on others without disclosing their identities. Real brave of you Dry Fish. I would love to sit down with you and truly discuss what is happening in our wonderful city of Lehi. It's unfortunate for you that you don't live here anymore and I wish your stay would have been better. But sometimes no matter how hard some people look, they just can't enjoy life. Do me a favor, cheer up and go take a happy pill."

My response: "Dry Fish...do you have a problem with my family??? Please fess up and tell us what your problem is. Just like my favorite brother wrote, we have never owned any land on or near Cabelas. My husband and I bought my parents land when they were ready to move somewhere that my dad could farm and have horses without outsiders bugging him. I'm sorry my dad's cows got out 10 years ago. Yes...he was a Bishop 10 years ago. Move on. We pride in the fact that we are still that community that has roots and values. I will NEVER understand anyone who think it's wrong to be that way. We were founded on values and still have values."

I am a non-confrontational person. "Can't just everybody get along" is truly my catch phrase but as soon as you go attacking my family, most of all my father who is the greatest man I know....oh HELL NO! It's on!

I don't know who this guy is but seriously, get your facts straight, get a life, and sleep with one eye open bitch!

Hi! Remember me?

2010-05-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest about me:

My new favorite show is Modern Family. I laugh out loud at it. I haven't laughed at a show like this in a long time. The Office hasn't done that it a while.

My husband is so supportive.

My son is starting to take steps. When did he grow up?

My kids want a Wii and the game "Just Dance." I admit, I want it too. But that's all I would do all day....and if I had guitar hero, my children would starve, my house would fall apart, and I would do nothing else. That's why we don't have gaming systems in our home. Not because Noah would get addicted, but because I would. I was addicted to tetris in college.

We are seriously thinking of moving to St. George. Noah fell in love with it last weekend and it sounds pretty good to me too.

I don't think I could hate anyone more than the stupid Lakers and their stupid coach and stupid players and their stupid fans. They're just stupid.

Stupid is a stupid word.....

I need to do yardwork. In the worst way! We are so white trash but there's never time. I made time for it today but it's raining so there goes that.

My new favorite store is Winco. It rocks my world! They have those awesome bulk bucket things that you scoop stuff into plastic bags. They have pumpkin seeds and granola and organic food. It's nice to have healthy alternatives that don't cost and arm and a leg.

I gave an arm and a leg to the bank last week.

I go to the gym with Traci 3 x's a week. We have fun and laugh. I peed my pants yesterday in class because they made us do a bigillion jumping jacks. Then I peed my pants because I was trying to hide it. Then I peed because Traci and I didn't know the step routine and watching her try to figure it out made me pee. Then we saw "treadmill man" and he was doing neck exercises and that made me pee more. Maybe I need medication for that?

That is all for me. Out!

Week Update

2010-05-02T17:24:00.000-07:00

Here's my week in a nutshell....

Drove many hours on Sunday. Left Cali at 6 am and drove into Lehi at 6:30 pm. Got dressed and immediately left for the Jazz game that started at 7. Came home to a dirty house but my kids were alive. Tried to get caught up on my dirty house all week. Hasn't happened yet. I've been dealing with Miss Lehi stuff all week. Paperwork was due. I counted and I had over 100 text messages this week. I think it's awesome that they want help and guidance but I'm just glad it's all turned in. :) Now we get to do the fun stuff. My kids drove me crazy this week. Am I the only mom this happens to? All I do all day is break up fights and tell them they can't have any more snacks. Anyone have any advice on how to get them to stop asking for and sneaking snacks? Locking up the food isn't really an option because of our pantry situation. They just snack all day long and then won't sit down to eat organized meals. But I just can't deny my children food. They also don't stay occupied for more than 10 minutes. I need some ideas on how to keep them happy and busy so I can actually get something done. If they weren't so gosh-darn cute....I would sell them. :)

Prom

2010-04-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

I have prom on the brain. Why? Because everyone I am around seems to be talking about it. My sweet niece is preparing for it, the Miss Lehi girls are talking about it, I do spray on tans so I have a lot of clients this week, and my young women in my ward are ready for it. They came over and were talking about it and asked to see pictures from my prom. I dusted off the good ole scrapbooks and we laughed at my pictures. I reminisced about my prom experiences.

My sophomore year, I went with a senior that I barely knew. He asked me in the weight room at the high school. He had been dating one of my good friends up until that point, so I think he asked me because he wanted to get back at her. Not a great start. I also was dating someone but he had already asked his ex-girlfriend a while back so he needed to take her. I was in a group of all seniors and then me. I didn't say much (I know that's crazy hard to believe!) We went golfing for our day activity (bad idea!) My date accidentally ran me over with the golf cart (yeah...it's true.) I wore a baby blue satin gown with a long chiffon scarf (it was not modest.) I had a good time but at the end of the date, when he tried to sneak in a kiss, that wasn't so good. We never really spoke after that. **If Lindsay Barratt is reading this......you know this guy.**

My junior year, I had a boyfriend and I was super excited for him to take me to prom. We had been going out on and off since 9th grade. The day prom was announced, a bale of hay was on my front porch and it said "Hay, will you go to prom with me?" I figured it was my boyfriend and didn't dig into the hay to find his name (mainly because I have insane allergies.) The next day, my dad was feeding our horses with said hay and found a piece of paper with a name on it. He brought it in and I realized that it was not my boyfriend. It was my best friend that had asked me. He was the "effeminate" friend that was in choir and theater with me. He was the funnest guy to be around and I never stopped laughing when I was with him. I will admit that I was somewhat disappointed when it wasn't my boyfriend but I had a blast. We laughed without having to worry about romance. He wore the craziest suit out of everyone at the prom, and I wore a hot pink number with sequins from head to toe. We didn't stand out at all with our crazy outfits and laughing. My boyfriend was disappointed too but ended up taking one of my best friends. The reason....because earlier that year, we had broken up and he had dated her to get back at me. He was mean to her and wanted to make it up to her. It ended up being a good thing. :) It was fun!

Senior prom. I actually went with a boyfriend this year! Yay! Every year I looked forward to prom and it was a big deal to me. Probably because I was the prom committee chairman and we started planning months in advance. We did a fun dance this year for the promanade dance. Usually it was a slow dance but we did a fast pop dance. My sweet date was NOT a dancer but he was a good sport. I wore a black strapless gown (again with not modest.) I also crimped my hair. What was I thinking? We went to dinner at a fancy restaurant. The guys rented a limo and we went to a friend's house after to watch movies and eat junkfood. It was my favorite prom because I was actually there with someone that I cared about. We had a lot of fun and a lot of my friends were in our group.

Oh prom.....it takes me back. I am so glad though that I am not in that stage of life anymore.

p.s. go jazz!

List

2010-04-27T17:38:00.001-07:00

Magic Mountain- Check
Next on the list: Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. Best roller coasters in the world.

Top Thrill Dragster- 120 mph in less than 4 seconds. 420 feet high. Sign me up!

Goodbye

2010-04-22T14:12:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Lehi, UT.
Goodbye Resposibility.
Goodbye children.
Goodbye husband.
Goodbye Round-up.
Goodbye Miss Lehi.
Goodbye laundry.
Goodbye Dishes.
Goodbye stress.

I love some of you, but I'm leaving.

Hello Fun. California....here I come!

Hamm and Buble

2010-04-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

I love this video! It makes me laugh. Michael Buble is nice to look at....and he's talented too.

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/hamm-and-buble/1198004/

Lazy Sunday

2010-04-18T15:49:00.000-07:00

It's been a lazy Sunday. This week we had a busy week. Trying to recover from Moab and get back to normal after insane amounts of laundry. I had a lot of Miss Lehi stuff going on last weekend. Noah was gone on a Scout camp out so it was interesting to have to organize without him around. AnnaBelle had her final soccer game and I had the honor of being the coach of the 11 cutest kids in the league. They were so cute! I will miss them.

I can't even wait until Thursday. Can I just tell you why I am so excited?? Because I am going to Six Flags Magic Mountain in California with my sisters! Yes....that is correct, just us. No kids...no husbands....no responsibility. Just fun. Just sisters. Lots of laughing. I'm sure some pant peeing. I can't wait. I. am. so. excited!

Sister Spotlight

2010-04-13T09:35:00.000-07:00

So...I was the sister spotlight in the RS newsletter in my ward. They gave me a copy of it and I thought I would post it because I think it's pretty cute because Noah wrote it :)

Once upon a time this cute little girl grew up in little old Lehi. As a little girl she loved to sing and play. All of a sudden she just started to grow and grow until she outgrew her awkward teeth stage. Suddenly she was a young woman. Then soon she met the man of her dreams. Upon seeing her I remember thinking...whoa, she's hot!! Of course I couldn't stay away from her so I asked her out. We splurged on our first date going to dinner at TGI Friday's and hiking in the mountains. I knew I was hers forever when she proposed (just kidding!) My wife has all sorts of days: her perfect day is spent doing pageant stuff, and her not so perfect days are spent eating sugar creme cookies. She has all sorts of talents, her most annoying one is pulling out all of her eyelashes. Her best one is: leading, teaching, singing, and being a friend. Her most sinful one is watching "Friends" (I hate that show!) Her most spiritual one is great faith and love for the church. She has proven how amazing she is at every turn by doing things like being a great mother and loving wife. But I love her now and forever because she loves me. And so this cute little girl and this lucky little boy lived happily ever after.....

He does hate that show and no.....I didn't propose! He's pretty sweet. I kinda like him. :)

You're Too Little!

2010-04-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

I just literally turned away for 2 minutes and came back and couldn't find my 9 month old. Anywhere. I looked all over the main floor. Then I heard giggling up the stairs. Not only did said 9 month old climb one set of stairs, but 2 and was upstairs giggling about it. Once I found him and started to bring him downstairs, he started throwing a fit. I told him "you're too little." I meant that for both things: he's too little for climbing stairs, and he's too little for fits. Stinker!

Weekend Update

2010-04-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

It was a fun week! We left for Moab on Wednesday. Myself harboring a high fever but I am no longer a Diva and knew I had to stick it out. We pulled up to Moab at about 9:00 pm and I felt better that night. Noah was the lucky recipient of my fever but he was better by Friday and took on Slick Rock while I hiked with the kiddos to a waterfall. On Saturday we visited Arches National Park and it was a blast. We hiked to Delicate Arch and Sand Dune Arch. Our little trailer makes camping bearable and we had a lot of fun. I am no longer a diva.

Ew....gross!
Cutest kids in the park!

Feeding the crows

Riding the wildlife

Hip Hip Hooray!

I conquered it! (yes.....my G's are hanging out!)

I am Woman!

Trucker Desi, what a trooper!

AnnaBelly at the top

Tater Tot enjoying the view

The Fam Damily. It was amazing to be so close to such an amazing wonder of the world!

All the clan at Delicate Arch

I hauled that baby the whole day. Diva....I think not!

Life Changing Workout!

2010-03-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Ok....so Katrina asked a very good question about what I have been doing for my workouts.

Let me start out first by explaining what I used to be like. I hated exercise. I even hated the word exercise. I hated to sweat. I hated getting in workout clothes. I hated wearing freakin underwear. I hated getting my heart rate up. I hated looking like I was straining. I hated being weak. I hated wanting to be able to do something and not being able to do it.

Let me show you my new love:

No...it's not a novel! It's a workout routine. It's a 30 day workout that will kick your a$$! You can do it for 30 days, or if you're like me.....just do it over and over. I love it because she explains what to do. You do short reps of weight training and simple cardio in between. So much more fun than running on the treadmill for 30 minutes. Now...for my 1/2 marathon training, I do add more cardio at the beginning or end. Either running, walking on an incline, or swimming.

Now I love to exercise. I crave it because I see my results. My butt is so much smaller, my arms are getting buff, and my belly isn't buldging as much. I also like getting in my underwear now because I look good in them! I didn't get to the gym today because I had other things to do but I try to make it there at least 3 times a week. If I don't get there, we go for bike rides or I go for a jog. Gold's Gym is the best because their daycare is heaven. My 90 minutes to myself is the greatest and I cherish every minute. I do have a couple of workout buddies that do this workout with me. If you ever want to join us at Gold's at 10:00 am on Mon, Wed, and Fri, we would love to have you. I know you can get a free 1 week membership to come try it out. We also play raquetball or go watch a movie in the cardio cinema room. Their classes are awesome too!

If you're looking for an awesome workout that is basically written out for you from the BEST PERSONAL TRAINER IN THE WORLD, then I highly recommend this book.

**Disclaimer*** Do not seek me out and look for my amazing results because they're not that amazing. To me they are because it's just about how I feel and how my clothes are fitting. I also eat like crap and that isn't helping the situation. :)

Holy Cranoly!

2010-03-21T18:17:00.000-07:00

Has it seriously been since August since I blogged? How lame is that?

Well, this 3rd child thing has thrown me into a loop! I am just trying to make it day to day. He is the sweetest, most wonderful baby but my time is stretched thin with AnnaBelle in school, going to the gym, being AnnaBelle's soccer coach, directing a play, getting ready for Miss Lehi, and doing my round up duties. Not to mention church callings on top of that. It has been a crazy time!

We bought season tickets to the Jazz this year. It's kind of our thing. We do it together and it's something the 2 of us love! I also bought a spray on tan machine and that comes in handy often! I get free babysitting for spray on tans! The young women in the ward love it!

I have been trying to get my butt into shape and run a 1/2 marathon in June. I can definitely feel a difference in my body. I love it that my arms and legs aren't giggling as I walk. I feel strong but I have a long way to go to get ready for the run. Someday I will get to full marathon status but let's not bite off more than we can chew. Speaking of which, I need to start watching what I eat more!

Why am I watching "Minute to Win it?" What a stupid show!

Anyway, I am back and will be better. My layout was having problems. I tried changing my background but it didn't work. Turns out it was my layout so I changed that and Voila! It worked! I'm back baby!

Lake Powell '09

2009-08-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

Why oh why did it have to come to an end???? Funnest Lake Powell trip EVER! We're going back in September. Anyone's invited if you'd like to come! :)

Reflection

2009-08-02T21:17:00.000-07:00

I hugged my little ones a little more today. Held them a little tighter. I've heard of 4 tragic passings in the last 2 weeks of children from 0-2 years of age. 4 different reasons they are not here any more. 4 families that will never be the same. Grateful I haven't experienced that trial and hope I never do. My heart goes out to the families.

Back in the Day

2009-07-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

We used to buy whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted it. Money wasn't an issue. I spent what I wanted, and so did Noah. It's a different situation now. If we want something, we have to save and work for it. Some might look at that and wonder why. I think it's a great learning experience and it's taught me a lot of lessons. Plus is makes me appreciate everything more. We're saving for Disneyland and this time when we go (someday,) we will appreciate it and know how hard we worked to finally get there.

My first crush...

2009-07-13T18:25:00.001-07:00

My very first crush happened when I was 4 years old. His name: Michael Jackson. Of course I loved the Thriller video that my sisters taped and watched religiously, but it was the Beat It video that got me. I thought I would marry him. He was replaced by Matthew Broderick when I was 6 years old after I saw "Ferris Buhler's Day Off." Who was your first crush?

New Car

2009-07-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

So....we're all really squished into my teeny tiny, white trash Ford Focus. It's really interesting to have to push the 3 carseats together to get the doors to close. I really love my little car but it's getting time to upgrade. In all reality, my current car is fine and works for us but having a bigger vehicle would be nice. Here are my thoughts on this subject. Sorry if I bore you :)

My car's positives:
Gas milage is around 35-40 mpg
No car payment-it's paid for
Fits into any parking space-it's like little go-kart
Runs great-Never, EVER had a problem with it in the 5.5 years I've owned it
Fits in our teeny, tiny garage
I pretty much only go to the Arts Center and Walmart. Why need a new car for that?
I really do love it and am weirdly attached to it

My car's negatives:
Teeny, tiny
Not super safe for my family
Stick shift- I would love an automatic
AnnaBelle can't put on her seatbelt by herself because it's so squishy!
Can't tow anything (obviously!)

I'm still not sold on the minivan thing yet. I really can't bring myself to get one, even though they are the most realistic and it fits all of my needs. We looked at a few SUV's last weekend but I have some fears about that. Gas milage, won't fit in the garage, another car payment, buying a lemon.

The built in carseats and automatic doors from a minivan would be so nice! Who of you has a minivan? What make and model and what's the gas milage? Tell me your thoughts on your minivan. I love the Mazda 5 but can't find a used one ANYWHERE! Why don't they make stationwagons anymore? Those were awesome!

Waiting......

2009-07-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

I'm still waiting for this to get hard. Every day I wonder when the world is going to start crashing down around me but so far....it's been pretty great! I am REALLY tired but Tate is already sleeping really good and growing like a weed. I can't believe he'll be 2 weeks old tomorrow. It makes me sad to think that this phase of his sweet little life will be over before I know it. He is such a sweet bundle of joy!

Speaking of time flying by.....AnnaBelle's birthday was yesterday. I can't believe it's been 5 years!! Where does the time go? Before I know it, Taten will be 5 and that kills me! I just wanted to wish my sweet little AnnaBelle a Happy Birthday! Yesterday I gave her a hug and a kiss and with teary eyes said I'm so happy that she came to our family and she started to cry. I asked her why she was crying and she said "They're happy tears mom." I love her more than words can express!

We've been doing the same old stuff. Every day last week we had to take Tate to the hospital to get his little feet pricked to check his jaundice. Luckily that's over with and we don't have to deal with that anymore. My sister Wendy was here for the 4th and we had lots of fun family things to do and celebrations so that meant getting up and out the door. This week we've had a little more down time which has been nice to try and catch up on housework and responsibilities.

My sister Cyd told me something the other day and I am really taking it to heart right now. She said that it's time to surrender to motherhood. Well....now that I have 3, I'm surrendering. Nothing else in the world is as important than being the best mom I can be. I have a LONG way to go and a mountain to climb but that's my goal. After all, I'm sent these sweet little spirits to take care of and what a wonderful blessing. My heart is full right now and I'm so grateful for my little family. Especially my wonderful husband who is so supportive with everything I get myself into and he's so helpful with the girls. How did I get so lucky to have him fall in love with me and continue to love me more each day? He truly makes me feel like I am the most wonderful, beautiful, greatest wife in the world. What a great blessing he is to me. I'm so glad I get to spent all eternity with him. :)

Alright......seriously with the cheesiness! I'm done now.

Introducing Taten Cache McKinnon

2009-06-29T19:27:00.001-07:00

Here's our new little bundle of sweet joy. Can I just tell you that he is the sweetest little thing on the planet! We are enjoying him so much! (Not so much are we enjoying my ginourmous hard boobs! OUCH!) Sorry TMI!

He was born on June 25th, 2009 at 5:49 am weighing 8 lbs 1 oz and he was 20 inches long. He had some breathing troubles at first and had to be rushed back to the nursery and put on some respiratory machines and given steroids but he turned out just fine. We are so thankful to have him in our family. Desi is having the hardest time adjusting to the change. She is not so fond of mommy right now. I think she thought I abandoned her while I was in the hospital. She doesn't want much to do with me but she's coming around and I actually got some snuggles from her today. AnnaBelle is my little helper and wants to know everything about the baby including the "weird thing between his legs." That was an interesting learning experience for the both of us.

I am so grateful for my sweet little family and I am trying to cherish every single minute!

13 more days!

2009-06-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

I am really nervous about having a 3rd child! It's freaking me out a little!

Wow! It's been a while!

2009-05-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

So yeah....kinda lost track of time. It's just flying by! I know these last few weeks are going to probably drag on and on but the rest of it has flown by. Actually, I have been super busy with Miss Lehi and Miss Utah stuff. Our pageant is in one month tomorrow! Holy crap! We have 8 contestants this year and it's going to be so great! The time may fly by which is a good thing. No use in sitting home....waiting to have a baby! Right after Miss Lehi is Miss Utah so that week will be awesome! Then it's Round-Up and then BAM!!!! Induction day! Hooray! My doctor told me she would induce me as early as the 24th of June but I don't want to miss out on Round-Up. Especially since I'm in charge of 2 events. YIKES! I'm scheduled to be induced on Monday the 29th. This pregnancy has been a dream! It's been so easy. I was more sick in the beginning than with my other 2 but I just feel great right now. Apart from being tired and getting exhausted after not doing much. That's a bummer! Of course I'm anemic but what pregnant lady isn't? My doctor is fantastic! I didn't think I would find another doctor that I liked as much as Dr. Lawrence but it's possible I like Dr. Smith more. She's so wonderful and helpful!

So, I can't believe it but my stupid dog Chaquita is pregnant again. STUPID DOG! The vet says we can't spay her because of her age. Go figure! Isn't having puppies even more of a risk to her? For real! So in about 2 weeks, I get to deal with that again. Good gravy people! I will be finding a new vet as soon as they're born. Even if I have to go to a clinic in an ally to get her parts taken out.

My good friend Edyn is having her baby a week from today! I am so excited for her! She has 3 cute boys and is expecting her first girl. What a fun time! I have such great friends that take such good care of me. Thanks to all of you! (Thanks Traci for always being my venting go to person!) Seriously..........life is so good!

Update

2009-04-07T07:59:00.000-07:00

Well, life is good. I don't have much to say but I feel bad that my blog is being neglected so much! I hate this weather. MAKE UP YOUR FREAKING MIND MOTHER NATURE!!!! Seriously...it's cold, then hot, then cold, then freezing! Ugh! Today it's supposed to actually be really nice so we are going to the zoo. My sister is here from Vegas so we are partying it up all week. We went to Ikea yesterday. I got some cute stuff for my future little bundle. This poor little boy has nothing. I cleaned out the changing table and moved Desi's clothes to the closet to make room for his stuff. So far, he has a pair of socks in one drawer. How sad! I am having the hardest time buying for him. I am WAY more picky about my boy stuff. I don't like anything with bears or ducks or dinosaurs or dogs or trains or firetrucks or.....you get the point. Why does everything boy have to have some kind of character on it? Girls are easy, pink, pink, and more pink! Someday I'll do some serious shopping and get the things I need. I think Cyd has enough stuff to last me a while though so we should be good. I've decided that light blue is only allowed for the first 3 months of his life. I am not a baby blue fan. Like I said, I'm so picky!

Well, I need to go charge my camera for our adventure at the zoo today. Hopefully I don't go into labor pushing my double stroller up the rolling hills that are all over the zoo. I'll recruit my mom's help. :) Hooray for Grandmas!

Grocery Smarts 101

2009-03-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I've had a few people ask about how this works. Without going into crazy detail, I thought I would give a beginner lesson. Basically go to the website http://www.grocerysmarts.com/ and put in the password g84ccl. This will help you access the Utah stores. After you enter your password, you can pick your store. I don't usually shop at Albertsons or Smiths but on this program I find some great deals there. You will want to look at the deals that are highlighted with red stars. 4 stars means it's a good deal so if you need it or will use it, go buy it. If it's a 5 star deal, get your butt in your car and buy it! Some of the deals require no coupon so under coupon index it will say N/A. If you get the Sunday paper (which I do. Infact I get 3 for more coupons) then it will tell you what coupon to look for in our coupon packet you recieved ie: Snuggle Créme Liquid Fabric Softener or Dryer Sheet product, any $1/1 (4-12-09) RP-1/18. That tells me the product, what discount I'm getting ($1 off of one), the expiration date (4-12-09), and that it's in the Red Plum packet that was sent on Jan 18th (RP-1/18.) You usually get a Smart Source and Red Plum packet in your Sunday paper. Smart Source is listed as SS. When I get the papers, I take out the coupon packets, write the date on the top in bright marker and put it in a binder for the future when the website tells me I have a coupon in there. The other way to get coupons is by printing them online. They will give you a link, you go there and print your coupons and most of them let you print them twice so you can buy more than one. If you have more servers (like your husband's computer at work) he can print them for you too so you have more. The way the program works is that everything goes on sale in a 4 month period. You don't really save a lot of money by clipping a few coupons and saving a little money off of things that are regular priced. The way you save a lot of money is by buying things on sale and then using a coupon on top of that price. The website tells you when something is a great price.

If you use the all in one button, you can get all the stores in one and get each deal for all of the stores and then take that into Walmart and they will price match. I am not sure if this works on programs like "buy so many items or spend so much money, get money back" though so be careful with that. When you click on a store or the all in one, push start. That will turn the list grey. Then you can click on the deals you want and they will turn white and when you're done, click on shrink and it will shrink your list to only the items you want. It's very handy. Then it will tell you where to get the coupon. That's the basics of it. It takes some practice and some time to work up your coupons, especially if you're getting the paper. It's completely free and the way they keep it that way is that they get a kick back from the paper. If you want to start getting the paper, go through their customer service number. It's cheaper and they get the money for bringing the paper another customer. It costs me $12.30 a month for my 3 papers a week and it's well worth it!

Let me know if you have any questions. I'd be happy to help. I know the program is in Las Vegas and Utah and hopefully will expand to surrounding states. Happy savings!!!

Swiss Days Update

2009-03-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

So Cyd and I have been going back and forth about how we feel about the news we got about Swiss Days. A part of me was relieved but another was so incredibly bummed! Cyd decided she was going to contact them and just ask a few questions since we have been in the fair for 4 years. Particularly about being an 'alternate' and what we could expect with that. She called them and left a message just asking for feedback. She got a call from them and they said that they only choose a few alternates and that our chances were very high. They called all of their alternates last year so we are going to plan on it at this point. We will have to re-design our booth a little because we aren't guaranteed a corner booth as an alternate and our booth is made to be a corner booth. Anyway, that's what has been on our minds the last few weeks. One of my friends has been doing Swiss Days for 3 years now and they didn't get in either and were not chosen as alternates so I guess count your blessings that we have a little chance. I also have another friend that applied with her cute jewelry and she didn't get in either. We aren't sure we're going to be taking the squeaky shoes this year so we're going to have to get creative and start thinking of cute new products that we can sell. Any ideas are welcome. :)

Follow Up

2009-03-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to do a follow up to my previous post. Today I went to Smiths to take advantage of some good deals they were having. My total was $112. Then she started scanning my coupons and my rebates (buy so much, get so much back) and my total was $40. I bought 6 boxes of name brand cereal, 6 snack pack pudding 12 packs, granola bars, chicken nuggets, and a huge cart load of other things (48 items) and that was my total. I was stoked! Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that it really does work. :)

I also wanted to note that Cyd and I got the Swiss Days letter today and unfortunately we're not going to be participating this year. We were bummed but oh well.....life goes on. We are an alternate though in case someone drops out. It's kind of a blessing because I will have a 3 week old baby when Swiss Days actually happens and I was really worried about that. We have been thinking lately about the future of our little business because of our growing families. I look at this as an answer to prayers. Although it's my favorite time of year and we love it so much, we'll be just fine. Saving all that money today on my groceries has made the blow a little softer though. :)

What have I turned into?

2009-03-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

I really hate to admit it but I have turned into the lady that usually drives me crazy at the checkout. I am the one who brings a stack of coupons and annoys everyone behind her. My sister told me about this website that she uses that has helped her cut her grocery bill in half. I've decided to try it and I have saved so much money. I know it's only available in certain areas. The website is called grocerysmarts.com. The passport to access the website is g84ccl. It's completely free and they don't even ask for your email. The only cost that I have is the Sunday paper that I get each week for additional coupons but that's not necessary to save money. Last week I went to the store and my total was over $90. Then she started scanning my coupons and my total was $37. I'm a believer!!! The website takes practice and a little bit of teaching to master. If any of you are interested in learning about it, I would be happy to show you. If there are enough people interested, we could have one of their consultants come and teach an actual class. Like I said, it's free and there's nothing to buy. They get paid from advertisements on the website and by a kick back from the paper. There's a consultant coming to my ward enrichment in May as well and my ward is so excited that they don't want to wait that long! It's really a fun thing and it's made me enjoy grocery shopping (which I usually DREAD) but now I look forward to it to see what kind of savings I get every week.

I also have found a store that I love. They sell awesome produce at crazy prices. I've started going there since stores don't usually have coupons for produce. You just get the price per pound that they are advertising. Wednesdays are their "produce specials" day so I go on Wednesdays. Last week I bought 7 oranges, 9 apples, 12 roma tomatoes, 2 onions, 12 kiwi, a head of lettuce, a cantelope, 2 boxes of pre-cut mushrooms, and 3 cucumbers for $10. I thought they had made a mistake but they hadn't. It's just that cheap! It's called Buy Low and it's in Provo by Movies 8. www.buylowmarket-utah.com/. We are all really excited. I even got my mom on board. She saved $40 last week. :) Anyway, I just wanted to let you know about my adventures in coupons.

My Appetite

2009-02-21T18:06:00.000-08:00

Dang this boy inside of me can eat!!!!

IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-19T15:13:00.000-08:00

I vow....

2009-02-17T13:39:00.000-08:00

to never take Spring and Summer for granted again. I have never had Spring fever so bad as I do right now. I CAN'T WAIT until the grass is green and the flowers are blooming. Winter needs to end ahora!

I've decided that I really enjoy cooking. I don't necessarily like to make difficult or time consuming things. Just good, old fashioned, rib-sticking food that makes you feel good. I love the sweet thank you's I get from my girls as I dish them up something warm. "Thank you for making this yummy food mommy." AnnaBelle says that at every meal. I like to make up my own versions and I never follow a recipe exactly. I am always on the look out for easy, good things to make. We have a few staples in our house that are family favorites.

Sloppy Joes
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Enchiladas
Chicken Alfredo Macaroni
Tomato Hamburger Macaroni
Bean Burgers
Burritos
Spaghetti
Fajitas
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Tonight I am trying out French Dip from a left over chuck roast from Sunday. Please pass along any easy meal ideas you might have and tell me your family favorites. :)

Update

2009-02-12T08:21:00.000-08:00

Hi All!

I figured it's time for an update. I feel like my life hasn't been very blog worthy lately plus my laptop has had a virus and it's acting up on me constantly. Anyway, life is good. Sweet little Desiree had her birthday on the 10th. She's definitely in the terrible two's but at least she's still cute! We started workshops at the Arts Center. AnnaBelle is in the Aristocats. She plays Abigail the Goose. She is so excited and she loves it! I am teaching the Cooking 4 Kids class and it's been a lot of fun! Cyd and I are waiting to find out if we made it into Swiss Days again. It was so much easier to win the booth award and automatically know. Oh well! :)

We find out in one week from today what we are having. We are so excited to know. If it's another girl.....we are set. We have all of the stuff. If it's a boy......oh dear! I don't even know where to start or where to put him. I don't even know how to wipe that! He'll be sleeping in a pink room, in a pink bed, with pink blankets. Maybe I can make him a camo blanket or something to at least make him a little manly. Poor guy! Real men wear pink right? We will let you all know what we are expecting once we find out. This next week is going to drag on and on. I can't wait to see the baby too. Ultrasounds are so amazing!

Anyway, that's what's been happening here.

Oops!

2009-01-29T14:34:00.001-08:00

I once had a rug named Whitey. He got a little too friendly with a red towel in the washer. His name is now Pinky. Bummer!

Toilet Paper

2009-01-08T09:38:00.001-08:00

Every time I think we're getting close to the end of the roll or when I know we are out because I used the last square, there always seems to be a new roll. I don't know why, but that is a chore that I despise. Noah always changes the roll and it makes me happy. I love my husband. :)

Desi's new words

2009-01-05T08:18:00.000-08:00

Princess Desi

Desi is starting to talk a lot more but there are a few words she uses frequently:

No!

Mine!

No Mine!

Hey!

No Dad, Stop it! (she says that whenever Noah sings.)

Sissy did...... and then mumbles something (that's her way of tattling on AnnaBelle.)

No Kika! (No Chaquita!)

No Kika! (No Tica!)

Hi Mom or Dad or Sissy!

The cutest is when you say "I love you!" and she says back "You too!" She's a little monster but oh we love her so much. We call her little gremlin.

Diaper change

2009-01-04T20:18:00.000-08:00

Noah changed Desi's diaper tonight. It was guacamole-nastiness and while he was changing it he asked "Oh Des, are you kidding me?" and she replied "Nope."

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-24T09:33:00.000-08:00

Just wishing everyone a safe and Merry Christmas!

Here is a funny Christmas memory I have. I was thinking back to 5 years ago Christmas morning. Noah and I decided we would head over to my brother's since we didn't have any children at that time and life was pretty boring. We took a side road to get there (it was that year with the really bad snow storms and my work was cancelled for a week after Christmas because of it.) We were traveling in our 4x4 vehicle on a snowy road but didn't really think anything of it because we were in 4 wheel drive. Suddenly we hit a snow drift in the middle of the road and some black ice. We started spinning out of control and next thing I remember, we were upside down in a ditch. I was so out of it, that I didn't realize that we were upside down. I was only interested in knowing Noah was alright and getting out. I un-clicked my seat belt and landed on my head which resulted in a back injury. We couldn't get out because our doors were jammed and Noah didn't have cell service in the ditch. Windows were broken all around us. The back window was still in tact and luckily we were able to get that down to crawl out through broken glass every where. I was crying at that point because I felt like I was stuck in there. Finally we crawled out and were able to call for help. We called 911 and Johnny to let them know what happened. They didn't believe us for the first couple of minutes because I was crying in the background and they thought I was laughing. They soon figured out that we weren't kidding and quickly came to the accident. There were no cars around and neither of us were dressed very warm. We just had to wait in the cold, bleeding until someone came. We had cuts on our knees and hands because of the broken glass. The ambulance showed up soon and the county sheriff. They checked us out and asked us questions. That's when it occurred to me. "I'm pregnant!" I yelled. They told me I needed to get to the hospital asap because I was having some pains. They offered us an ambulance ride (but we were worried about the cost because I've heard horror stories. Little did we know that the car insurance would have covered it.) My parents drove us to the hospital and they immediately did an ultrasound to make sure everything was good. We got to see our sweet AnnaBelle for the first time and everything was fine. I had some major back problems for a little while and literally thought I was going to die but we made it through it. In the end, our cute Toyota 4runner was totalled and we got Noah a new truck. That was a very memorable Christmas morning. I hope we never have to experience that again! PLEASE drive safe this Christmas!!!

Christmas Tag

2008-12-19T14:50:00.000-08:00

-Wrapping paper or gift bags? I prefer wrapping paper but I did buy a cute gift bag set of 20 at Costco this year. :)
-Real Tree or Artificial? I LOVE real trees and we had them until we moved to our current house. I am allergic so breaking out in hives is awesome while decorating it. Someday we'll go back but I must say that artificial is very convenient, especially pre-lit.
-When do you put up the tree? The Saturday after Thanksgiving.
-When do you take the tree down? After New Year's and "I cry the day that I take the tree down." I HATE that song!
-Do you like eggnog? No, I try every year but just can't do it. Tastes like dirt/milk.
-Favorite gift received as a child? An entire set of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. All 4 of them Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo, and Rafael. Sweet!
-Hardest person to buy for? Noah's rough. He likes the top of the line stuff that I can't afford.
-Easiest person to buy for? Both my girls. Anything pink basically.
-Do you have a nativity scene? I have 5 or 6 small ones.
-Mail or e mail Christmas cards? Neither this year. I'm lame :(
-Worst Christmas gift you ever received? The "motion picture" things I got one year from Noah. Those pictures that sound like water and move. Yeah, I got 2 of them. Apparently we're white trash and have a nail/tanning salon in our house. They wouldn't return them either. That sucked! Noah learned his lesson though. Buy from the list!
-Favorite Christmas movie? National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Need you ask?????
-When do you start shopping for Christmas? The day after Thanksgiving. I'm one of the crazy's, although I did have an anxiety attack in Wal-mart this year.
-Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Probably a neighbor present or two.
-Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Mom's chex mix. Any yummy treat.
-Lights on the tree? pre-lit baby
-Favorite Christmas song? Uh, just one? Oh Holy Night
-Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home cuz everyone lives here. Who would we visit?
-Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Sure can.
-Angel on the tree top, or star? Rustic star. So cute!
-Open presents Christmas eve or morning? We usually open pj's on Christmas Eve but I'm not buying them this year because they have enough jammies. I can't even close the drawer.
-Most annoying thing about this time of year? Annoying people.
-Most favorite thing about the season? Family, tubing, the magic.
-Favorite ornament, theme, or color? Cute hand-made things I get from AnnaBelle to put on the tree.
-Favorite food for Christmas dinner? Anything my mom makes.
-What do you want for Christmas this year? Nothing, Noah and I have made a deal that we aren't going to get eachother anything. I just want my family to be safe and happy.

I tag you!!

Crazy dreams

2008-12-16T07:22:00.000-08:00

I don't know why but I have some crazy, whacked out dreams and it's not just lately. I have them when I'm not pregnant too. My young women ask me to tell my dreams to them because they are pretty funny and entertaining. Their favorite is when I dreamed (while I was pregnant with AnnaBelle) that I had a litter of puppies and I grew multiple sets of "boobies" and I had them all nursing down me. I also dreamed that her hand came through my belly and we walked around holding hands.

I have some dreams over and over.

-that I am at Lake Powell and we hit a rock that we can't see underwater and we sink. I have a lot of sinking boat dreams.

-that I am back in high school or college and it's mid semester and I haven't been to class all year and I am failing. I try to make it up but it never seems to help.

-that I am in a play or have to do a musical number and I don't know my lines, song, or have anything prepared.

-that I forget my locker combination.

-that a train I am on or that is near me crashes. (Probably because we live a block away from the train tracks.)

-that I am being chased and I can't run. My legs are like sandbags. I also dream a lot that I am playing soccer or some other sport and I SUCK! Hate that dream!

I also have a lot of dejavu which freaks me out! I've had a lot of crazy dreams in my life. I'd like to hear about yours.

Trujillo Temple

2008-12-15T09:42:00.000-08:00

They announced a couple of days ago that the church is building a temple in Trujillo, Peru which is where Noah served his mission. He is so excited and couldn't stop thinking and talking about it. We really want to go to the dedication when it's all finished. We'll have to see when that will be and how long we have to save up. A ticket to Peru is not cheap. We won't be taking any children with us. Peru is not much for tourism. Even the water is not great. My mother in law went to every mission her sons served in and out of all of them (Russia, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, and the Ukraine) that Peru was the most "3rd world" of them all. I am so excited to go there and see all of the amazing things in Peru. Machu Picchu , Nazca, Saqsaywaman (pronounced sexy woman.)

Noah is very excited and it has been what he has been talking about for 3 days straight.

Twilight

2008-12-10T13:07:00.000-08:00

So I finally went to see it, not by my choice. I know I am going to get some slack for saying this but I didn't like the book. I could see the appeal but I couldn't get over 4 things:

1- Bella's whining. Seriously??
2- The fact that he is white and cold. What's that all about? Hot guys are tan!
3- That he sparkled in the light. My "sparkly vampire?" Sounds a little sweet to me. (and by sweet, I mean gay!)
4- That he was a stinking vampire. Couldn't do it.

Anyway, to my surprise, I did like the movie. I only went because my friends in my ward bought me a ticket and dragged me to it (I'm a little anti-social right now.) Edward had to grow on me because he's not so cute. I pictured a "Kyle Korver/Ashton Kutcher" but whatever. I also thought Bella was not such a brat which was refreshing. I didn't venture into the next books because it took all I had to finish the first one. Especially now that I know that there are werewolves in the next one. Really? I might have to give it a go though since Jacob was hecka hotter than Edward and I guess he's a big player in the next one but a werewolf? Can't she find a normal guy? Anyway, hope no offense to those that love it. I know I love things that you probably can't stand. Like Gordon Ramsey. :)

My Husband

2008-12-02T14:51:00.001-08:00

I saw this on Traci's blog. I wasn't tagged but I wanted to do it cuz it looked like fun :)

1) Where did you meet? At a single's ward camp out. I saw him emerge through the fog and it was love at first sight.
2) How long till you got married? About 8 months. We met on July 13th and got married on Feb 2nd. Worst 8 months of my life!!!
3) How long have you been married? Almost 7 years. Crazy!
4) Your favorite feature of his? He's very athletic and can do anything. He's extremely handy and smart. He blows me away every day. Come see my new fence he put up over the weekend. I love it!
5) Your favorite quality of his? His honesty and integrity. He tells you like it is but does it with class.
6) Does he have a nickname for you? Honey or Babe. He calls me Ash too.
7) His favorite food? Anything. He will eat anything I make. It's really nice he's not picky!
8) What is his favorite sport to watch? All of them! Probably golf the most but we love to watch Jazz Basketball together. We both also love football.
9) When was your first kiss? August 2nd while laying in the grass in my parent's yard. It was very sweet and that was when it was confirmed to me that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.
10) What's your favorite thing to do as a couple? Go to Jazz games. It's a little expensive though so we settle with just watching them at home. We also love to just hang out with the kids and laugh.
11) Do you have kids? Sure do, AnnaBelle (4) Desiree (2) and little fetus (10 weeks.)
12) Does he have a hidden talent? He's pretty obviously talented. He's a VERY good singer and most people don't know that. He sounds like Trace Atkins.
13) How old is he? He will be 32 in March. But his grey hair would suggest otherwise :)
14) Who said I love you first? He did, and I immediately said it back
15) What do you admire most about him? How hard of a worker he is and his integrity.
16) What is his favorite type of music? I would have to say country but he likes everything except my favorite, gangsta rap!
17) Do you think he will read this? Nope. He could care less...another thing I love about him. He doesn't care what anyone thinks. :)
18) I tag: Carlie, Jenner, Bridgette, and Suzie

Thankful

2008-11-30T08:03:00.001-08:00

I didn't get a change to post what I am thankful for over the holiday, so here's it is (in no particular order):

-my family....immediate and extended.
-my house
-work
-DVR
-garbage disposals
-chemotherapy
-vehicles
-washing machines
-friends
-food
-the gospel
-flushing toilets
-epidurals

I could get all mushy but I'm not in the mood. I'm thankful for a lot more than this but these are just a few things that make my life better and easier!

What's going on.....

2008-11-20T08:31:00.001-08:00

A whole lotta nothin!

I've started to feel better. Not enough to actually do housework and laundry. I'm boycotting that. Actually, I found a cleaning lady that is going to come to my house twice a month. I can budget that in! She was supposed to come today but had to cancel last minute. I was bummed but we'll re-schedule. I thought Noah wouldn't go for it but he told me that if it's really something I want, then I can do it. Uh....duh?!?!?!

I've started doing application process and data entry for the United Way and their Sub for Santa program. It's a fun work from home thing and I get paid so that's nice! Obviously it's a seasonal thing since Sub for Santa only comes once a year.

Sweet baby Luke is so dang cute, I could just squeeze him!

I can't wait for Thanksgiving, even though it's a McKinnon year. It's just not the same as Renita's but it'll still be fun. We set the time to meet for 1:00 pm. Who wants to place a bet that we don't eat until at least 5:00? Any takers? I also can't wait for day after Thanksgiving shopping! I LOVE IT!!!

That's what's happening here. A whole lotta nothin!

Laundry

2008-11-13T11:23:00.001-08:00

I hate it!

Ugh

2008-11-09T20:43:00.000-08:00

Not feeling so great today. It comes and goes. I am due the end of June (so basically forever away!) I get a little over anxious to tell people and never get further than 6 weeks before blurting it out. It annoys Noah but guess what I told him????

"It's my body, I'll tell whoever I want, whenever I want. Your job is over, mine is just beginning." So there :)

I'm kinda mean when I'm pregnant. Especially when I'm hungry.

I got to see sweet little Luke Stanley Vernon born. You never really appreciate or fathom how absolutely amazing birth is until you see someone you love do it. It was so exciting! I am going to return the favor by letting Cyd watch mine. It's something else I tell ya! That sweet baby is heaven sent for sure.

October Fun!

2008-11-04T10:34:00.001-08:00

Sweet AnnaBelle

Dog the Bounty Hunter and Beth endorsing Sarah Palin

Raggedy Andy and Anne

Desiree

My 3 loves!

We had such a fun October!

Oh good.....more candy

2008-11-02T19:09:00.001-08:00

She already has 5 cavities, a broken tooth that needs a crown, and a dentist bid over $1200. Why are we giving her more candy????? Stupid Halloween!

Hooray!

2008-10-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

From the mouth of babes.....

2008-10-26T14:18:00.001-07:00

comes singing/yelling. We had our primary program today and right before AnnaBelle left to go up to the seats, I told her to "sing loud." Little did I know that in her mind that meant "sing at the top of your lungs, completely off key and louder than the entire primary." It was pretty cute. The Sunbeams sang their own little song into the mic and AnnaBelle was the only one singing and she knew the words. Even if there was a part of a song that she wasn't sure about, she still sang oober loud while yelling gibberish. At one point, the entire ward turned to look at our red faces. We were proud. :)

That's just the way I feel....

2008-10-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

Johnny has a song on his cd called "That's just the way I feel." It talks about views on family, country and even Nascar. I really like this song. This is just the way I feel......

I hate abortion. I have a problem with anyone who thinks it's okay. However, I do think that women should have the right to choose. If someone is raped and becomes pregnant, she didn't have a choice. If a woman's life is in danger, she has the right to defend herself. A woman who engages in un-protected sex or sex in any way, made her choice at conception. I guess I can be called pro-choice???

I also have very strong feelings about Proposition 8. Let's just pray that it works out how it should to protect marriage and the family. I don't have a problem with homosexuals. I do however have a problem with gay marriage.

I don't agree with socialism, affirmative action, government healthcare, and people wanting something from the government because they think they are owed something. I think government programs are good for people who really need them. I have no tolerance for people who use and abuse programs like that.

In the song it says "I'm not out to change the world or tell some other person how to think." This is how I feel. That's the beauty of living in this great nation, we all have a right to our own opinion.

At the end of the song it says "You shouldn't fly the flag to simply decorate your place, you don't show up to church on Sunday just to show your face, and even if we don't deserve it God still loves the human race with all His heart, that's just the way I feel."

Some may call me close minded. If clinging to my guns and religion means I am closed minded, then I welcome that statement. That's just the way I feel.

Tagged

2008-10-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Cyd because my birthday lands on an even day.
Okay, here are the rules: Go to your pictures, go to your 6th folder, pull up your 6th picture and post it! Here is what I found:

Desi's 1st birthday and her digging into her cake. What a sweety!

Now I tag anyone who loves chocolate or cheesecake :)

Lake Powell here we come!

2008-10-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

It's time for the Revill Family's annual Lake Powell Extravaganza!!! I know what you're thinking.....isn't it butt-freaking cold??? Yep.........and that's the best part! It's around 75 degrees in the middle of the day which is the best time to pull out the wakeboard and/or tube (and you have the WHOLE lake to yourself!) Other than that, you don't feel guilty about not getting in the water. You can just eat and sleep and eat and read a book and eat and sleep and go on the boat and then more eating and a little more sleeping, maybe throwing in a dumb gossip magazine and cross-word every once in a while. It's fantastic! We play lots and lots of games! Noah and I look forward to this trip every year. I love singing Halloween songs on the top of the houseboat and watching scary movies late at night! The candy is in adundance because of the holiday. This year is kind of a bummer because Cyd is so extremely pregnant and won't be joining us. Darn that cute little stinker inside of her! We will return next week!!! Hasta la Vista......Placido Domingo!

My quirks

2008-10-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

I liked Suzie's post about her quirks. Here are a few of mine:

- My favorite music is hip hop/rap and I know every word to every song of Eminem's first album (not that it's something to be proud of.)

- My least favorite chore of all the chores is getting gas. I HATE IT!

- I could live on doughnuts and cake alone. No lie!

- I hate swimming.

- I would love to be a mother and baby nurse, a detective, or a special ed teacher.

- Baking is not my forte.

- I like the smell of cigarettes, coffee, and skunk (thanks to Pa.)

- Exercize is not part of my vocabulary.

- I get a "want to die because it hurts so bad" pain in my side while I am pregnant-hence the reason I am not.

- I pull on hair on myself and my family-hence the reason I have no eyelashes.

-I never forget movie and tv quotes. I have a top score in The Office quote game.

-I have a photographic memory and whenever I tell someone that, I usually say photogenic memory for some reason. Duh!

-I am allergic to everything!

-I don't like most chocolate.

-My most embarrasing moment was when I was trying out for SUU's show choir and they made me sing Rockin Robin and I said Roppin Roggin every time.

I'd like to hear your quirks now!

LDS Commercials

2008-10-06T07:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday as I watched conference, I decided that someday....when I write an LDS book or have an LDS cd, or star in an LDS film (which is totally inevitable right?) that I am going to have a commercial that says "buy your copy today....unless today is Sunday, in that case, buy your copy tomorrow." I noticed that every commercial told me to buy it today, and I was like "Uh, it's Sunday, and Deseret Book isn't open!" I think it'd be funny to say that. :)

John McCain

2008-10-01T07:15:00.000-07:00

No....this is not a political post. I just wanted to tell you all that I have a crush on John McCain. The one from 30 years ago. He was HOT!

The Office!!!!

2008-09-27T11:31:00.001-07:00

All hail the return of The Office! Who watched it????

Here are my favorites:

Dwight- "I'm going to randomly select three names, and these three people will get liposuction...okay......Stanley, Phyllis, Kevin....and you will be responsible for your own medical expenses."

Kelly- "I'm on the 3rd day of my cleanse diet. All you have to do is drink maple syrup, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and water for all three meals. I just bought some bikinis online, size 2 so....I'm gonna look amazing."

Jan-"Remember last week when that girl went missing? Guess who's candles they used for the vigil?"

There are so many more!!!! What was your favorite quote or part??

Here's my favorite of all time! (I am apologizing in advance for the language.) Sung to the Oompa Loompa song.

Andy-
"Oopma, Loompa, Doopidy Dawesome,
Dwight is now gone which is totally awesome!
Why did he leave he was such a nice guy?
No he was not, he was a total douche. Doopidy doo."

Ha ha! Yes! Now you.....go!

In memory

2008-09-25T08:08:00.000-07:00

Baby the dog passed away 5 years ago. I know it may seem lame but I loved that dog. She was the closest thing I had to a child at that time in my life. She came into our family when I was 7 years old and passed away when she was almost 17 years old. I still miss her and think about her all the time. She was a good dog!

On that note....I still have a cute chihuahua pup available if anyone wants her. She's super cute and almost potty trained. :)

From the mouth of babes....

2008-09-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

AnnaBelle-"Mommy, is the baby in your belly a boy or a girl?"

Me- "Sweety, there isn't a baby in my belly."

AnnaBelle-"Are you sure? It's fat enough for one to be in there and it's soft."

Awesome! My kid just told my I'm fat. Where's the nearest gym? Oh yeah....it's a block away!

Q&A: AnnaBelle

2008-09-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

Favorite color-pink
Favorite movie-Cinderella
Favorite tv show-Tom and Jerry
Favorite animal-elephants and giraffes and puppies
Favorite food-macaroni and cheese
Favorite snack-oreos
Favorite toy-"my new Barbie, but I lost it."
Favorite game-candyland and chutes and ladders
Favorite inside activity-playing with Desi
Favorite outside activity-playing in the sandbox
Least favorite thing to do- my chores
Favorite place to visit-Liverty (liberty) Land
Favorite holiday-Christmas
Halloween costume this year-Raggedy Andy
What do you want to be when you grow up-a mommy and have babies
Best friend-Avery

Our booth

2008-09-16T22:40:00.000-07:00

We've had a few requests to post pictures of our booth. Here they are for your viewing pleasure...

Emily and Sarah (good job mom for making such cute girls!)
Our chicken coups

Cyd getting ready to make a major sale!

We duct taped the grass to the roof and they fell of mid-day. Maybe that's why we didn't win the award this year. Hmmmm....

BTW, if the "Chick it out" signs look familiar...yes....they are from the Target Easter line. Nothing like getting free signs from Target. :)

Seriously????

2008-09-15T07:54:00.000-07:00

Can they get any cuter?????

Remembering 9/11

2008-09-11T18:49:00.000-07:00

I will never forget the way I felt when I watched the news 7 years ago. What was happening? I couldn't believe this was real. 6 days later, I boarded a plane heading to Newark Airport, across the harbor from New York City. We had this trip planned for months. We were going to Altantic City, NJ for the 2001 Miss America Pageant. We also planned to visit Philadephia and New York City. We headed for New York and I will never forget the people of that city. The fliers of missing people posted all over. Yellow ribbons and posters showing support. Dust and debris every where. Seeing the volunteers come and go from ground zero. Those who had just finished searching after many hours were tired and down. Those who were going in were optimistic to find someone in the rubble. The air was hard to breathe. Cars and buildings were shaken and damaged but the spirit and hope I felt in that city that day will never leave me.

I will never forget.

Today's highlights/lowlights

2008-09-10T12:59:00.000-07:00

1-Having my first hot chocolate of the season (it was rainy and a little chilly today.)
2-Putting vaseline on a sore bottom (not a great wiper yet.)
3-Packing up all of AnnaBelle's clothes and realizing we are WAY too blessed.

To move or not to move?

2008-09-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

We are in a crazy moving situation right now. The bank wants us to sell something to prove that things are moving along on our 13 lot subdivision. Since NOBODY is buying right now, our solution is to sell the spec home that has been sitting up there in a construction loan to us. Weird? I know but that's what we need to do. We posted our current home on KSL for rent (the downstairs and the apartment upstairs.) Within a day, we had both of them set up for renters. Then today, someone showed interest in the spec home for the first time in 9 months. We are so confused as to what to do. Thinking of moving made me sad but really excited at the same time. I would love a new house with actual closets but I am sad to leave this great ward and neighborhood and I absolutely LOVE my house. My Beehives took the news pretty badly tonight but I assured them that everything will work out and things happen for a reason. So, I guess we will see if the people will buy the new house but then we don't know what to do about the renters. I guess....we'll just see. In the meantime, I am starting to pack the non-essentials. Moving is great fun :(

Happy Birthday Kassidi!

2008-09-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my cute niece Kassidi! We have a little bond, because we share the same birthday. :)

Top 10 Best Swiss Days Moments Countdown

2008-08-09T08:40:00.006-07:00

10-Pulling out the booth from the "coop of dispair" and getting that butterfly feeling.

9- Watching my amazing dad lift heavy walls at his ripe age (thanks dad!)

8-Setting up the booth in the dark (3-5 pm set up time isn't enough before dark.)

7-Waking up on Friday at 6:30 to techno music on Cyd's phone alarm. Waking up Saturday morning to the announcer for the 5K.
Announcer-"Wake up campers, let's get this party started"
Me- "SHUT UP!!! It's frickin 6:00!!!"

6-Making hot chocolate, getting stuff ready, trying to start the scooter in the cold (to no avail,) walking in the cold to the booth, taking down the stupid tarp, having people buy stuff before the tarp is even down.

5-Compliments from shoppers on our cute stuff and booth.

4-Spooning with Cyd in one sleeping bag cuz it was FREEZING!

3-Riding scooby to 7-11 and Mountian Top Restaurant with my pregnant sister hanging on for dear life behind me. Almost wrecking 17 times.

2-Making more the first day then we made in the last 2 years, COMBINED!!!! AH!

1- Having an awesome time with "the best sister in the world!" Laughing until we peed and reaping our rewards for hard work.

Thanks Cyd! It was a great time! Thanks to Noah, Rich, Dad, and Mom for all of your help. It WOULD NOT have been possible without all of you! We owe you a big steak dinner.

Swiss Days 2008

2008-08-09T08:40:00.005-07:00

Hi ya'll and guten morgen (good morning.) I just wanted to extend an invitation to you to join us at Midway Swiss Days 2008 on Friday and Saturday. We are so excited and honored to be a part of it again. This is our 4th year and we LOVE it! Our booth is located in the furthest North section on the end of the row. We have never been in that area before so it's exciting to see how this year will turn out. We have lots of new products this year and I know you won't be dissapointed in the other booths. The food is reason enough to come. Come find us if you come up and say "hello!!" We set up Thursday night from 3-5 pm and then Cyd and I will be staying in our sweet camping trailer in the church parking lot. We will also be using scooby (our scooter) as transportation through the week. It's going to be a blast! Hope to see you there!

More sleep...

2008-08-09T08:40:00.004-07:00

I felt really lame going to bed last night at 10:30 since there is nothing to watch anymore.

Change of mind

2008-08-09T08:40:00.003-07:00

I have changed my mind. I am trying out for the badminton team or the ping pong team. The trampoline is my back-up. I also thinking rifling is cool. (Kidding.)

Intervention

2008-08-09T08:40:00.002-07:00

Hi...my name is Ashley....I am an Olympic addict. It should only last for another week or so.

I am going to try out for the olympic trampoline flip team. That's been my favorite event so far. Noah said that he has never even seen me do a flip on our trampoline so at 11:00 pm last night, we went outside and I showed him my mean back flip. I immediately went back inside and changed my underwear.

New battery???

2008-08-09T08:40:00.001-07:00

Well, my laptop died and I need to buy a new battery but they are around $300 which is insane! Now I have to go downstairs and use the dumb pc which I hate. Hopefully I can find one that is not as much and we will be back on track! :)

We are heading to go camping today. Should be fun! I am excited. Luvs!

WOW!!!

2008-08-09T08:40:00.000-07:00

Wowness indeed! The Opening Ceremonies were insane! I am not a huge fan of them but I have to say that I was in awe (Noah as well) at the amazingness that was the Opening Ceremonies. The box things the lit up....the box things that the people were inside...the karate guys and their perfect circles....the guy with the torch that was "running" at the top of the stadium. INSANE! I very much enjoyed them. Fine holiday fun!

Puppies!!!

2008-08-07T12:22:00.000-07:00

Hooray! The puppies are here! They arrived between 10:00 and 11:30 this morning. Chaquita had 3 puppies, all are girls. One brownish/tan and 2 black. They are so incredibly cute. She struggled with the first one so I had to assist a little bit. I had rubber gloves and birthing pads on hand and they came in handy. The second baby came very easily and about 5 minutes after the first. The 3rd puppy was a little difficult and we almost lost it. She pushed for about 10 minutes and finally had it. It wasn't responding so I rubbed it for a little while and it finally came to. We are so relieved that Chaquita is doing good and the puppies. It's going to be so fun! Come see them if you like!

Puppy #1
Puppy #2 (sorry, kinda graphic)
Puppy #2
Puppy #3
Mom and her cute pups!

Twins....

2008-08-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

Noah and I were watching home videos the other day and realized just how much Desi looks like AnnaBelle did at her age. I found some pictures to compare. What do you think??

AnnaBelle

Desiree

Bummer....

2008-08-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

I know this is going to sound ridiculously stupid and I might lose a friendship over it or even respect from people but I am totally bummed that shark week is over on the Discovery Channel. I love shark week. I should have been a marine biologist or something because it totally intrigues me (even though I am scared to death of all marine life and deep water.) I will try to figure out how to post the video of us swimming with the sharks in Hawaii. I have literally never been so scared in my life. We also went snorkeling with turtles on that trip but the absolute worst was when I went scuba diving in Mexico on the free trip I won from R.C. Willey with my mom (she got pooped on by a giant lizard.) After 1 hour of scuba instruction, they threw us in the water and basically said "good luck." It was the worst hour of my life. I breathed in so much salt water and got stung by a jellyfish on my face, right below my mask. When I asked them what I should do because it hurt SOOOOO bad, they said "uhhhh???? we don't know." So I peed on my own hand and put it on my face. It was sick but it helped. Okay....maybe it's a good thing I didn't venture into marine biology but I still like shark week. I'll stick to my couch and tv to enjoy marine life.

American Idol Pictures are here!

2008-08-01T15:16:00.000-07:00