I thought I hated laundry...

I thought I hated doing laundry. And then it happened on this 

"...no good, very bad day."

The day was going to be great. 

We were going to leave home and head for the mall.

Meet my sister and her kids. Shop. Play.Eat.

Go to a park and play some more. 

But it didn't happen quite like that.

We were off to a good start. The kids were being so good as I got ready, and packed the diaper bag for the day out. T. even ate his eggs, which he had never had before.

So we get in the car and begin our 30 minute drive.We are almost to our exit on the freeway when...Power Barf. Explosion Barfing. Everywhere. Bristol says "Mom, Tytan is throwing up!" It finally stops and T lets out a big sigh. I can't pull over, so I take my exit and park in the parking lot. It's bad. Poor Big T. Those eggs didn't like him.I head to my Mom's house where I pull everything out of the car to clean. It took 1 hour. Why so long? It was everywhere, and to top it off the car seat cover wouldn't come off. Plan B: spray it off with the hose. And what does T do that whole time? Go inside and eat some bread and crackers while playing with my sisters. He is totally fine. I finally finish cleaning and head inside. Take off my shoes, and rest for a minute. I then decide to head to the mall again. But wait! There is dog crap on my shoes! I can't believe it. (Thank you neighbor dog for always pooping in my parent's yard.) So, to get the barf smell out of my nose, I go scrub some crap off of my shoes. I don't know which smells worse.

Well, we make it to the mall. Before heading in I check my face in the mirror. Wow, I already look tired! Wait a minute...I forgot mascara on the bottom lashes of my left eye. Great! That looks good. Oh well!

I buy T a shirt to replace his messy one, and we have a good time. We skip the park, and head home.

Laundry. It's catch up day. Lots to get done. First load washed and headed for the dryer. WHAT? The dryer didn't dry the last load. Argh. After another cycle through the dryer, the clothes still aren't dry. Heating element not heating! So, what happens? The clothes hang dry on the back porch. Thankfully my neighbor doing yard work made sure he wasn't creating  too much dust for my clothes. Haha! A smidget of humor for the day. It only lasted a second until I started hanging my underwear and began feeling humiliated. Don't worry, my mom assured me that nobody would be able to actually tell I was hanging my underwear. Thanks Mom...

So, there you have it. A long day. Grateful to laugh about it now!

A Fun Tag!

Surprise! It's a tag. I love these. I think that they prove to be relaxing, and slow things down a little bit. Not that I am good at doing them, but I love reading what others write down! Thanks Lara for tagging me! Enjoy!

Here are the rules of the challenge:

1 - you must post the rules.

2 - post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post.

3 - answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you've tagged.

4 - tag eleven people and link them on your post

5 - let them know you've tagged them!

Eleven Fun Facts About Me:

1. I can't sleep unless my hair is in a pony tail...on the top of my head

2. I drove a red VW Beetle in high school and college. I called it "Happy Car."

3. Had I not met my husband, I would probably be a water ski bum in Florida...or somewhere (I'll have to explain that later.)

4. I am very particular in how the dishwasher is loaded, and bathrooms are cleaned. very particular.

5. I have too many passions for the time in a day, or year. water skiing, rafting,snowboarding, fiddling, taking photos, scrapbooking, being mom, sewing, crafting, baking, organizing, blogging, reading, exercising,playing the piano, etc. Yikes!

6. I must not be very fun because I am having a hard time coming up with fun facts about me!

7. I don't go anywhere without mascara. Clinique's very black high impact to be exact.

8. I learned to row a raft and drive a boat before I ever drove a car.

9. I never feel like I have enough clothes. So if you ever need a shopping partner, I'm your main woman!

10. I love to travel. Love love love it!

11. I am the oldest of six girls, and the shortest.

11 questions for me:

1. What is your favorite color and why? Currently, Tiffany Blue. I can't explain it. It just makes me smile. A while ago royal red. And before that,  pink, yellow, gray. It changes a lot.
2. There is a fire and you have like 2 minutes to grab stuff. What do you grab? So this is actually one of my greatest fears. Hands. Down. First, my babies. Then personal documents (which includes my external hard drive with years worth of photos.) And at the same time I would grab my violin, banjo, and somehow wheel my piano out of the house. My house just better not catch on fire.
3. What do you listen to when you clean? My kids playing with toys! If it's nap time, it's usually quiet.
4. What is your favorite snack? chocolate. But if that classifies as a treat, my favorite snack would be  ice cream.
5. If you could have a super power what would it be? This one is hard. I think that I would be able to go back in time, or fly. Or how about travel in the blink of an eye. Those are good ones.
6. What is your favorite book? I have way too many! I loved The Help and The Hunger Games trilogy. Oh! And can't forget Twilight. And my daily reading that never gets old, The Book of Mormon. 
7. What is your dream vacation? I kinda like to think that I've been to my dream destination already. Switzerland. I would go back in a heart beat. But somewhere new...Anywhere where they have those little huts that go out over the water. Tahiti? Bora Bora? That would be nice.
8. If you could name yourself, what would be your name? I always loved the names Diana and Julie. But I'm ok with Stephanie! Well, Steph.
9. What do you think is your strongest attribute/characteristic? This is a hard one. I'm really faithful. Not just in spiritual matters. But I'll be a faithful friend, faithful worker, etc.
10. Who is your favorite celebrity and why? I love Keri Russell. She just seems so soft spoken and tender hearted. I also love Taylor Swift. Love her music, style, personality...
11. What is your favorite movie? I love August Rush, and chic flicks. Sorry I can't pin it down more!

I tag:

Emily

Diana

Kassie

Amber

Breanne

Kayli

Camille

Camille

Lauren

Lindsay

Kate

11 questions for you:

1. If you had a free day to do anything you wanted, what would it be?

2. What is on your night stand right now?

3. If you could go back and re-live one day of your life, what day would it be and why? 

4. What would your dream job be?

5. What is the Greek meaning of your name?

6. What is your secret favorite chore?

7. What is your favorite childhood memory?

8. What is your heaven on earth?

9. If a season described you, what season would you be and why?

10. What is your go to drink?

11. If you had $500 dollars given to you, what would you do with it?

Bristolisms

Kids say the funniest things. And sometimes amazing things too, things that make you think. Well my little Bris is no exception! She talks a mile a minute. Just goes and goes and goes. I like to call her my little "informant." She tells me everything that is going on. Everything! For instance...

While playing with the stapler (unloaded): "I said, stop biting the paper! It's not nice. Stop biting!" And the stapler continued to bite the paper, in a very playful way.

"I want a treat. I want a treat. And a happy new year!"

"Tinker Bells, Tinker Bells, Tinker all the way. Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh hay!" Repeat.

As we were starting to drive: "Mom, I want the car to sing Tinker Bells!"

(Ya, we are still stuck on Christmas.)

Getting Tytan out of his crib: "Mom, did Tytan go tinkle in his pants? Or do boys go pee pee? Did he poop in his pants? Did you go poop? Boys go pee pee and girls go tinkle."

Well this might need a little explanation. You see, I have 5 sisters. We were sheltered quite well growing up. We never said the word "pee." We said tinkle. (I'll admit. It is a funny sounding word.) Then I married Ty, oldest of 3 boys. It would surprise me if he had ever heard let alone used the word "tinkle" before he married me. SO, we had a little girl. She goes "tinkle." Then we had a little boy. He goes "pee pee." And that's as far as we have gotten. ;)

While saying prayers before bed: "And please bless Mary, and Joseph, and baby Jesus, and Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus, and Jesus." 

Isn't that the sweetest thing? She is very concerned about them. 

While helping me make dinner: "Mom, I am such a good cook!"

Why I Have Fallen Behind...Ugh

AM
6:00 "Ty, the dog is barking"
6:10 back asleep
7:00 shower
7:15 get Big T out of bed
7:16 change diaper
7:17 feed Big T breakfast
7:25 get Big T more breakfast
7:30 Dog needs breakfast
7:31 watch dog eat
7:36 take dog out
7:45 Bristol wakes up
7:46 Bristol goes potty
7:48 get Bristol breakfast
7:53 I eat breakfast
7:57 dog is barking again
8:00  change diaper
8:03 get ready
8:25 change poopy diaper
8:27  dog barking, actually has to go out
8:30 Bristol needs more milk
8:33 receive phone call
8:37 make Tytan bottle
8:43 put Big T down for nap

Well...you get my point eh? It's been a bit busy around here. Nothing new, it's always busy. But the added stress of the holidays, going out of town for six days, and having a sick puppy have just added to it. However, you are about to get a complete update on the last couple of weeks. I won't be falling any more behind!

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas!! And check back tomorrow!

Whoa!

Did you ever have to make a wish at 11:11 o'clock when you were younger?

I always did.

How cool is today's date? I LOVE it!

I'll be wishing all day for these things:

(in no particular order)

good health for my kids

success in business for my Mr.

a happy home always

safety for me and mine

safety for my Sister Missionary, Ashley

happiness for all of our Veterans and those currently serving

a Happy Holiday Season (13 days 'til Thanksgiving!)

a grateful heart

health, safety, and happiness for all of YOU!

Enjoy today's date. It'll never happen again in your lifetime!

(Okay, so we could say that about every day, so just enjoy the journey every day!)

Trusting Mail Carriers

Did you know that mail carriers used to deliver children for 56 cents?

That's a story opener isn't it? Here is what I know...

Last week my mom went to her local USPS office to deliver two packages to my sister Ashley in Cambodia. This was a long process. When delivering large packages over seas you must list each item separately on special forms. There were so many different items in the packages that it took 5 forms. THEN the USPS employee must enter each item into the computer along with the address, weight, etc. This process was going to take a long while, so this employee handed my mom an article to read while he processed all of the information.

My mom first noticed the black and white picture of a mailman with his mail carrying bag slung over his shoulder. In the bag was a toddler. Yup, a toddler. The article explained that "back in the day"(not sure of the time) mail carriers were so trusted that people would send their children in the mail. All for a cost of 56 cents. If it was an overnight trip, the child would stay at the mail carrier's house. Isn't that bazaar?!

It got my mind whirling around a bit. If I decided to send my kid to Grandma's house, I could just ship her off for a lovely little price.

YA RIGHT! Like that would ever happen these days. My Grandpa thought..."There's a new way to take my Grand kids to Guatemala fishing!"

This just cracked me up. And, it doesn't stop here. I plan to pay a visit to this post office and read this article for myself. (Hopefully make a copy too!)

Obsession Understood

I LOVE PICTURES.

Does the phrase "Organize photos" make you cringe? Not me...

So, maybe I'm not so good at taking them all of the time (getting better). But that doesn't mean I dont' love them! Flipping through pictures whether in my hands, in a book, or on the computer is just awesome. I could do it all the time. And here's why.

I have a very crappy memory. I didn't realize this until my  husband was talking about his younger years, and I seriously couldn't remember a thing from that time period. I'm not joking. I have what I like to call a "trigger memory." Let me explain. A certain current event, or photo will usually have to trigger a memory from the long ago past for me to remember it. And then I'm on a roll. I can tell ya what I was wearing, who was with me, often the smells in the air, etc.

It was my "Aha" moment. I finally realized why I obsess over going through photos. It is complete nostalgia. And so with that, I have no fear and a lot of excitement for the task I have taken upon myself.

My Mom has about eight huge boxes of unorganized photos in her house dating all the way back to 1984. Guess what I just offered to do? Organize them...dun dun dun. I have already gone through one box in just a couple of hours. I group them by year, then by event. And let me just say, I am so grateful that I have most of my pictures on my computer and backed up in a couple of places. I group them by year, and then in sub files by month. That is just how my brain works. I love it love it love it.

For Mercy Sakes

Mercy sakes alive!

This is a Timber wolf killed in Sun Valley, ID by the fish and game.

I don't know why they killed it...

but would you really have to ask?

'Nuff said.