Counting my blessings in pictures...

Here are a few of our most recent family pictures from September 2010.

I've been struggling since Houston was born with postpartum depression. (more on that later) This post is a look at the blessings in my life. Today is a good day.

My sweet Heavenly watches Houston all night while I work and then on his days off he spends most of the day watching him so I can sleep. I'm the luckiest girl because He never complains, he doesn't think it's anything special. He doesn't realize that not all husbands are as willing to do their job as he is.

I wanted to remind myself of just how lucky I am to be the mommy of this sweet little miracle. (I promise, not even PPD could make me forget that!) I have a loving, hard working husband who loves me unconditionally. He is far better to me than I am to him. But I'm coming to realize that he is everything that I deserve as a beloved daughter of my Heavenly Father who sent them both to me.

I'm a little disappointed that Heavenly wasn't looking right at the camera for this shot since Houston and I look so dang cute.

I was so proud of this sweet little boy, he was such a happy, helpful little guy for all of our pictures.

Right now

I am:

Waiting in my car for Heavenly to be off work. Listening to Baby Houston wiggle and squeal from his car seat.

Listening to "Mrs. Robinson" by the Simon and Garfunkel.

Feeling my car being tossed around with each gust of wind.


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Red velvet cake pops!

My first attempt at making cake pops, yumm! They're pretty simple and pretty yummy. I've been eyeing them on Bakerella's website for months. You can find the instructions at www.bakerella.com along with lots of other recipes and ideas.

I decided to wash my hands and dig in.



That was a little messy. Next time I'll consider using the back side of a spoon. But then I won't have the fun of licking off my fingers.



Aren't they cute?



I can't wait to get her new Cake Pops book!!

Proofreader needed

Poor spelling is one of my biggest pet peeves. I will use a completely different word if I'm not perfectly sure how the one I'm thinking of is spelled. I point out typos in newspapers. I use a red pen and correct typos found in books. (My own copies, not the library's or my brother's, of course. That would just be wrong.)

In case you didn't know, the word "looser" refers to something that is not taut or tight, not fastened, ie. more loose. It is NOT the same, nor is it interchangeable with the word "loser" which is, in fact, a term for a person, team or nation who is defeated or slang for a misfit. After the tenth time (I doubt it even takes 10) of reading the word "looser" when "loser" is intended, I basically want to tear my hair out and scream at the author. At the very least I want to offer my editing services pro bono.

Being the spelling Nazi that I am, here are a couple of shirts I found highly entertaining. You can find these shirts and more by clicking here.

This one is spelled wrong intentionally, and so it's funny.

This one, is not. There are two reasons I can never wear this T-shirt.
First of all, I am rude. Secondly, your insignificant... what? Seriously, what?
Some of you may not even know there's a problem with the following t-shirt. But it's there. And it makes me crazy!
Do you know what else probably annoys his wife? The fact that he doesn't know the difference between THEN and THAN!

No misspellings, I just really like this one.

Houston, we have a problem!

Okay, so we don't have a problem, but we'd certainly appreciate your help. We entered our cute little guy into a beautiful baby contest. You can go here to cast your vote; one vote per email address per 24 hour period. You can find him by typing "Houston" in the search box.

We think he's pretty cute, we hope you do too.

Live the dream!

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My house... My touch

I realized that I've never posted pictures of the inside of my house. As it is, the pictures I'm posting are only a small sampling of the rooms in my house. Just the rooms I've had painted and decorated so far. The only room that's been painted you won't see here is our bedroom, #1 it currently looks more like a storage room since we've temporarily moved the bed downstairs, and #2 I just couldn't take a picture to do it justice.

I am lucky to have a daddy who used to paint professionally, a brother whose ex-wife made him paint and re-paint according to her current mood, a mom who sold Home Interior for years and still loves to decorate, and a husband who spoils me rotten because I get to make all decorating decisions. Really they all spoil me rotten.

(the front room before-ish...notice what used to be the strange red square?)





Front-room after





Front room close-up





Front room close-up






Monkey nursery











"Watermelon" bathroom





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Cream Cheese Cravings!

Last week I dreamed of giant, crumbly cream cheese muffins. I've never had them baked from scratch, just the pre-packaged variety from the local gas station. I grabbed one from the 7-11 baked goods case and it was closer, but just not the stuff dreams are made of. Here's the recipe I found online, I'll be using the vanilla flavoring and omitting the optional lemon.


Cream Cheese Muffins - makes 12 regular muffins (I'll most likely convert this to 6 jumbo muffins)

8 oz. Philly cream cheese - softened
1/4 cup soft butter
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. vanilla - opt.
1/4 tsp. lemon flavor - opt.

Beat cream cheese and butter together; add egg and milk and mix well. Mixture does not have to be smooth.
If you want the flavorings, add them with the milk and egg.
Combine the dry ingredients and fold in just until moistened.
Batter will be stiff.
Fill greased or lined muffin tins about 3/4 full.
Bake at 400*F about 20-25 minutes or until golden on top.


While looking for said conversion from regular to jumbo muffins, I ran across this delicious recipe. I think I'll try this before I do the plain cream cheese muffins. Perhaps it's because my dad made carrot cake for his birthday last week and I didn't have any because he puts crushed pineapple in his. Yuck! (My mom usually spoils me and does 2 cakes, one with and one (the right way) without pineapple.)

Carrot & Cream Cheese Muffins

Carrot Muffins:
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup shredded carrots (about 8oz of baby carrots)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Filling:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare your muffin tins by greasing with cooking spray or using paper liners.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar; set aside.

In separate bowl, beat the eggs and oil together until lightened. Stir in the carrots, walnuts.

In another bowl, cream together the cream cheese filling ingredients; set aside.

Fold the dry muffin ingredients into the wet egg/oil mixture and stir until just combined.

Fill each muffin cup about ¾ full. Top each filled muffin cup with a generous teaspoon of the cream cheese filling.

Bake about 20-25 minutes*, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake part comes out clean.

*If making standard sized muffins, bake for 17-20 minutes.
*If making jumbo sized muffins, bake for 23-25 minutes.

Have you read a good book today?

(Is anyone else singing or humming the Reading Rainbow theme song? He he he)

I just finished reading the very thought provoking "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth" by Henci Goer. I have a stack of books I should read, I even have another stack of books I've been wanting to read, but none I'm actually motivated to read.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Anything at all. (Except my husband who is not allowed to suggest anything Star Wars)

A Perfect Brightness of Hope

I know that we are imperfect and our hope is included in that imperfection. Heaven knows my hope is imperfect. I believe through our own efforts we are but a glimmer of hope. But He is the perfect brightness of hope we seek.

The following was taken from a talk by James E. Faust, “Hope, an Anchor of the Soul,” Ensign, Nov 1999, 59

Everybody in this life has their challenges and difficulties. That is part of our mortal test. The reason for some of these trials cannot be readily understood except on the basis of faith and hope because there is often a larger purpose which we do not always understand. Peace comes through hope

Samuel Smiles wrote: “ ‘Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey towards it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.’ … Hope sweetens the memory of experiences well loved. It tempers our troubles to our growth and our strength. It befriends us in dark hours, excites us in bright ones. It lends promise to the future and purpose to the past. It turns discouragement to determination.”

The unfailing source of our hope is that we are sons and daughters of God and that His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, saved us from death. How can we know that Jesus truly is our Savior and Redeemer? In human terms His reality is almost undefinable, but His presence can be known unequivocally by the Spirit if we continually seek to live under the shadow of His influence.

Peace comes through Him and He is Hope.



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Confession:

I love Don Williams. I do. (but don't tell my dad!)

When we were younger my dad would make us listen to cassette tapes of Don Williams on long road trips. I can't remember now if the trips really were long or if the seemingly endless drone of classic country twang made them so. However long the trips I could think of nothing more pleasurable than yanking the cassette from its deck, crushing it and throwing it from the open window and watching as its ribbons streamed behind it like kite strings.

I think I was homesick and missing my daddy while perusing CDs at Walmart in Southern Utah when I came across an old familiar face. As my heart pined for home, my ears craved the hickory baritone of Country music's "Gentle Giant."

My parents took me to see Don Williams' farewell tour and while I may have been among the youngest in the audience, I sang along to every song. And I swooned with each make-your-heart-melt, rumbling note.

Of all the music on my iPod, lately I've found myself returning over and over to the romantic Country ballads I found so torturous in my youth. Perhaps it's still a chance for me to reconnect with my restless youth long gone. I suspect that his lyrics of love and devotion mean a great deal more to me now that I have someone who has left his own permanent imprintation of love and devotion on my heart.


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Apparently I bruise easily...

I had to have my blood drawn once last week and again this week, as you can see it bruised both times. The smaller bruise makes me laugh because she promised it wouldn't bruise. The larger bruise she promised would bruise and apologized profusely.

Wii had fun this weekend!

For his birthday Mashuga got coupons and one of those coupons was for a sleepover at our house. On our way home we met Grandma and Grandpa at Costco where Grandpa bought him a dinosaur book and a churro. Then we went with them to Olive Garden for dinner. Spoiled!! I was exhausted when we got home (having only had 2 hours of sleep after a graveyard shift) but luckily he has an awesome uncle who stayed up past his bedtime to ski jump on the Wii fit.

He played and played Wii fit on his own the next day with me before we headed to Grandma's house for breakfast. While we were there he bowled with Grandpa on the Wii. (and kicked Grandpa's butt I might add with a nearly perfect score!)

Mashuga wanted to go swimming. Actually, he wanted to go swimming twice because his dippy aunt made the mistake of saying she'd take him once while Heavenly was at work and then again when Heavenly got home. Ummm, I don't have that kind of energy, I don't know what possessed me to think I could do that! We had planned to wait for Heavenly, but instead I took him with Uncle Jar-bear to the pool. I think he liked having Jar-bear there, he doesn't play with us nearly as often as we'd like.

While Heavenly and I headed to the Jazz game, Mashuga opted to stay home and play more Wii with Grandpa and watch the game with Jar-bear on his big screen TV. I'd say this kid had enough Wii, but the pictures to follow will show you otherwise.
I got them both to take showers... then it was right back to the Wii!

Scud came home from the Jazz game with us even though we found out afterward that he had a talk in Primary. (Sorry Haha!) We even got Scud to get up and play Wii fit. Those who know him will know this is pretty spectacular.

Such handsome boys! Wii had a lot of fun this weekend, thanks Grandma for buying the Wii fit and balance board for Christmas. Now you know it gets used. (I use it too... I just don't want any pictures of that and neither do you!)

10 Things someone loves about me.

I've been fighting the ugly depression monster lately, for quite some time really. My thyroid levels are elevated and so they've adjusted my dose. Again. And my doctor even suggested that I start back on anti-depressants. I'm not happy with that prospect and I appreciate that she left the decision ultimately up to me.

Apparently I haven't been very nice to myself lately because I got an email from my mom after one of my posts. I love her! She just gets me, she sees the best in me she knows who I really am. From now on I'm going to start doing a regular post that contains at least one good thing about me. For now, here's what she had to say:

Hi! Just read your blog. I don't know how to add a comment. I know, I know, I drive you crazy because I am so computer illiterate.

Okay, so I think, why would you want to run away from beautiful, wonderful you? I think you really want to run away from sick and miserable you. So I think you need to tell me 10 nice/good things about you. Remember when you and Jared were little and were so snotty to each other and I would make you say something nice about each other? Well, this is a version of that. Quit dwelling on the negative. Tell me 10 nice things about yourself - you know kind of like "name 10 fruits"!!!!!

Okay, so I'll tell you 10 things I love about you. If you can't add to my list, you can use some of my things.

1. You are beautiful - physically & emotionally.

2. You can think of the words that I can't! Better vocabulary - better memory.

3. You are kind to others.

4. You are thoughtful of others.

5. Your are nurturing. You take care of everyone - even your brother who probably doesn't deserve it. You take care of me and I do deserve it!

6. You are funny and witty and fun. Is that one thing or three?

7. You are smart. I am amazed at all that you know; about life, about people & relationships, about book smart stuff, about the scriptures. Oh, and you know more about computers than me.

8. You are spiritual - yes, you are - don't try to deny it.

9. You are loved - by your parents, your siblings, your niece and nephews, your aunts, uncles, cousins, cousin's wives, friends, co-workers, past co-workers, ladies in the 14th ward, and just about everyone that comes in contact with you.

10. You are spunky and irreverent. I know it sounds like that is contrary to #8, but it seems to work in you. You are such a fun mixture of sweet and sour, soft and strong.

Heavenly and Coco

When I asked Coco if Heavenly could come to his house with me, he said "Him loves me lots." I'm so grateful for a husband who loves my favorite kiddos as much as I do. I don't know how I ever would have gotten along with someone who didn't. These are just two of many pictures I've snapped of these two cuties together.

Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?

One of my all-time favorite books is "Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are" By: Dr. Seuss. Seriously, all-time!

I was introduced to it when my niece was little and I would listen with her as her mom read it aloud.

It's pages are filled with examples and reasons, in true Seuss fashion, why we are so lucky. The message is clear whether your 7 or 27. And sometimes, probably more often than when I was 7, I need to be reminded just how fortunate I am.

"Thank goodness for all of the things you are not! Thank goodness you're not something someone forgot, and left all alone in some punkerish place like a rusty tin coat hanger hanging in space.

That's why I say "Duckie! Don't grumble! Don't stew! Some critters are much-much, oh, ever so much-much, so muchly much-much more unlucky than you!"

Sometimes you need a gentle, albeit silly reminder of just how very lucky you are to be you. Pick up this book, find it at the library or buy it at a children's bookstore. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.


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Did anyone see that?

Tonight I was headed down my parent's sidewalk on my way to work when I tripped, over... my own two feet, a crack in the pavement, nothing? I had to catch myself on my mom's chain link fence that started out two feet away and got closer and closer, faster and faster. I rolled my ankle, scraped/bloodied my wrist and took a big chunk of flesh out of my palm. I said naughty words, quite loudly. When the falling was over and I'd taken inventory of my bleeding hand and aching ankle, what was I worried about? I looked around to see if anyone else had seen. I was already terribly embarrassed because there were 3 men paying soccer across the street.

When I walked back in through my mom's front door I left my pride outside. My nephew took one look at me and knew something was wrong. I sat on the antique chest just inside the front room while he ran for the kitchen and my sweet husband. Heavenly dropped everything and came to find out what was wrong. My pride was hurt, but in this instance so was I. Heavenly patched me up with antibiotic ointment and bandaids and a kiss. (Yes, kisses make you feel better, even when you're 27!)

It happens all the time. Walking down the stairs you miss the last step and stumble. While riding your new bike the chain falls off as you hop a curb and your face is introduced violently to the asphalt. (It happened to me, I admit it.) But before I even took the time to worry about my own injuries, I surveyed my surroundings to see if anyone had seen the stunning show as I launched over the handlebars.

So, why is it that when we fall we're less concerned about our physical well-being than we are about what others might think of us? Is it pride? I'm sure it is, I've found in my experience that pride frequently results in acts of stupidity.

Is there such a thing as a Happy Groundhog Day?

I don't think there is such a thing. I can't remember a single one where that dang groundhog hasn't seen his shadow. Six more weeks of winter? Bah!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, that Punxsutawney Phil is a real bastard!

Really, Phil's just a tool... his handlers are the real bastards. Bastards I say!

Think I'll go to Boston

Lately I've felt like I need a change. I don't really want to move to Boston. Or even leave my home. I just want to run away from myself.

Gotta love Augustana... this song is chocolate cake for my ears. Yum!

When skies are gray.

Lately I've been in quite the funk. I think many people get that way when the weather turns cold and the sky is dark and gray. Mostly I just sleep. A lot. And wake up when it's time to get ready for work.

The past few days have been exceptionally difficult for me, I've been neglectful to my body and the rest it desperately needs. My depression is always worse when I'm tired. Even the soft sounds of my husband sleeping peacefully do little to soothe my loneliness. I often find myself thinking thoughts I am too ashamed to put into words and eventually, out of sheer exhaustion cry myself to sleep.

Today I felt a crash coming. Hard. And after being awake for way too many hours I did crash, waking up only a few minutes before Heavenly got home from work.

I opened the door feeling ashamed that I'd wasted an entire day in bed, again. And there, to my surprise, was my sweet husband with a bouquet of sunshine yellow tulips.








Heavenly Father sent me this wonderful man to bring sunshine into my world when skies are gray. And for that I will be eternally grateful.

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If God were on Facebook

If God were on Facebook...

He'd request to be a friend to everyone and we'd simply have to choose to accept Him.

If I ever had a problem, I could post it on His wall, or send it to Him as a message if I didn't want anyone else to know. And He'd answer me the next time He logged on. I'd get an email to notifye that my question was answered, my prayer was heard.

If God were on Facebook, I think He'd be logged on all of the time. So really anytime we needed Him, we'd just pick him out of our list of buddies and send Him an instant message.

So maybe He isn't on Facebook, and maybe He isn't online, but He's always ready to chat with us. We just have to take the time.

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Speechless

I understand it's hard to believe that I could ever be speechless, but I am. Or I should be. After 3 weeks of a sore throat I broke down and went to the doctor. I actually hoped for one of those "call the doctor and your sickness miraculously disappears" didn't happen. Instead I got some antibiotics and almost instantly got worse. My sore throat has been lingering because of a sinus infection and my symptoms worsened instead of improving with medication.

So, I'm at work with laryngitis. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to talk on the phone and the radio when your voice is barely above a whisper? And why is it that people think it's funny to whisper back at you?