Four....

I've been tagged by my friend Ali.

Enjoy!!

Four jobs I've had:
1. Stockgirl for a home improvement store
2. Hosting Staff at BYU
3. Dessert Line worker at my dorm at BYU
4. Fine Jewelry salesperson at JCPenney

Four places I've lived:
1. Detroit, MI
2. Grosse Ile, MI
3. Provo, UT
4. The city I live in now. :o)

Four Favorite T.V. Shows
1. 24
2. Heroes
3. Lost
4. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Four Favorite T.V. Shows of All Time
1. Crossing Jordan
2. Alias
3. Emergency!
4. Little House on the Prarie

Four Favorite Foods
1. Ribeye
2. Cheesecake
3. Lobster
4. Chocolate

Four Websites I Frequent
1. The local news station's websites
2. Mothers of Twins
3. Miscellaneous blogs
4. LDS.org

Four places I'd rather be right now:
1. Swimming with my kids
2. At home
3. Camping in the mountains by a stream or lake
4. At a lake in Michigan

Four Movies I love:
1. Raising Arizona
2. South Pacific
3. Somewhere in Time
4. A tie between Steel Magnolias and Fried Green Tomatoes

Four Bloggers I Tag Next

I'll let you decide who you are!

Mid-life Crisis?

Well, I did it. I took the first step to changing careers and becoming a teacher: I turned in my application for Alternative Routes to Licensing to the state office of education. I found out that with my bachelor degree in zoology, I can apply to get my teaching license after substitute-teaching for a couple of years. The first step is for them to review my transcript to see if I have sufficient classes and grades to pursue this route. That's the scary part. But, it's done. It's been turned in and we'll see what comes of it. If I could do this, it would be the first time I'd be actually doing something close to using my degree in about 13 years. When I first graduated, I taught biology and microbiogy labs at the local community colleges. I loved it. But, because it wasn't a benefitted position, I had to find something else.

The next step is to turn in my application for substitute teaching to the local school district. Then, start subbing. I would love to teach jr. high or high school science classes.

I've felt an urgency to get this done since about March of this year--especially starting getting in my substitute teaching application in.

If you're reading this blog, and you're the praying type, would you mind saying one for me? Thanks :o)

Here's a fun guessing game....do you wanna play?

I thought that the fun of trying to figure out cute words our little ones say or said was over. Silly me! My 7 1/2 year-old daughter came up with one a couple of weeks ago that I have to share. I'll give you the word and use it in a sentence and you can guess what it means. I'll post the answer on Monday.

Here it is: Urch. "Look at all those urch marks, Mom!"

Have fun!!

Two dental procedures, 1 week.....

Poor J!! My son, age 7 1/2 has had the pleasure of going to both the orthodontist and the dentist this week. He has been blessed with a small palate that needs to be expanded soon. So, this week he had impressions taken of his upper and lower jaw and had spacers put in so that he can be fitted for his appliance in a few weeks. Then, the very next day, he had his first 3 cavities filled! I feel really bad about that one, though. Like it's my fault. I know it's probably not, because if it was, C would have cavities too. But, I guess J just inherited somebody's soft teeth.

He was a real trooper, though! He said the only part he didn't like was the "stuff he had to breathe". I guess the laughing gas made it a bit hard to breathe, or gave him a weird feeling. I told him that it was so that he wouldn't feel the shot. "What shot?" "The shot they gave you so your mouth would feel funny," I said. "Didn't you feel a little pinch?" "Nope," he said. Wow. All my worry that he would come out of the appointment in tears and hating me were for naught.

Cousins....

Who'da thunk it? There is a 4 year, 6 year, 7 year gap between me and my cousins. There's a 7 year gap between my brother and I and a 9 year gap between his wife and I. But, guess what? Age totally doesn't matter. We are all basically in the same place. We all have at least a spouse or fiance, and all but 2 couples have children. Those of us that have children, have children who are close in age to each other.

I never dreamed back when I was in high school that my cousins who were 12-14 at the time would ever have anything in common with me. Never mind their younger brothers, or heaven forbid--my own brother. But, whenever those cousins come out this way, we have the BEST time! Talking for hours, playing dominoes.... It's so much fun. I love them all so much.

I have to thank my parents, though, for initiating contact. Sometimes it's easier to "visit" the aunt/uncle rather than the cousins. I know I have a hard time initiating contact with cousins for some silly reason. But, because of the get-togethers my parents have planned when they are here, my cousins and I (and my family) are forging a bond that will last long after our parents are gone.

Walkin' on Sunshine....

I have finally been able to start walking and commit to it. It took me a good month to "gear up" for it, lol. But, I started on Thursday and only missed Saturday (I took the kids swimming and spend 2 hours in the pool in near constant motion) and Monday (didn't get much sleep, so I was too tired). But, last night I got to bed really late, but managed to get up and walk this morning. Yay for me!!

I'm walking about 3/4 of a mile so far. Next week, I'll add my Nordic Walking Poles to the mix. Here's a website about Nordic Walking. Here's another. I can really tell how it ramps up the walking when I use them.

So, it's been one week and one day that I started daily excercise. I really needed to do this. It has helped get me off of my plateau. I can't wait to find my new and improved self!!

What kind of sandwich?

You Are a Grilled Cheese Sandwich

You are a traditional person with very simple tastes. In your opinion, the best things in life are free, easy, and fun. You totally go with the flow. And you enjoy every minute of it! Your best friend: The Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Your mortal enemy: The Ham Sandwich

What Kind of Sandwich Are You?

Art festival report....

It was so much fun. There were some beautiful pieces of artwork there. The kids were impressed! For their trinkets, they picked out the following: a mini "pan flute" made out of reeds that C picked and a recorder type flute that J picked out. The pan flute was bound by some bright Native American-style yarn and the other flute was yellow with some cool carvings on it. From their own money, they each bought a scrap of fur with little eyes and a nose and a squishy ball that looked like it was a balloon filled with sand. J also found a really cool crystal that he bought. I purchased a small bottle of grapefruit-scented lotion on Saturday (I wasn't able to on Friday because I got sidetracked--see final paragraph).

For their art project, they decorated balsa wood airplanes. Saturday we stopped by again and they made mini sand castle bottles with layers of colored sand.

We ate Snowies and cotton candy (just the kids ate those), and I had a bowl of chicken curry. We each got a giant pickle on the way out to our car. Oh, and on Saturday, we picked up a giant bag of kettle corn and a small bag of cinnamon sugared almonds. YUM!

The highlight of our art festival trip actually started out as a tragedy. I was looking at the lotions and they were checking to see if they had something that was lime-scented. C looks into her purse and states that she can't find her wallet! It has $5-6 in it. We backtracked the best that we could and no one has seen the wallet, or turned it into any of the booths. I was beginning to think that there was no hope, and that some selfish person had pocketed a little girl's wallet. At that point, I gathered them together, and we said a prayer--right there in the middle of the booths. Pretty soon, we happened upon a sherrif and it dawned on me to ask if he knew if there was a place for lost and found items. He told me that he believed that it was in the front corner. So, we go over there and ask if anyone has turned in a wallet--a denim one with a sparkly butterfly on the front. One lady starts to nod while the other lady opens a drawer and pulls out the wallet. I shouted, "THAT'S IT!!" I told them I couldn't believe someone had turned it it. My faith in humanity had been restored. I gathered them together one last time so we could give a prayer of thanks.

Artsy, fartsy.....

Tonight we're going to the local arts festival. This has become a yearly tradition for me and the kids. Hubby doesn't care so much for walkin' around in the heat lookin' at stuff. But, I love it. So do my kids. Strolling from tent to tent in the cool grass shaded by the big trees in the park. Music lilting from the bandstand. Aromas that make your mouth water...

I'm not sure if the reason that they like going with me is because of the cool artwork they will see, or the chance to spend some money on a nifty trinket or two. Somehow, I think that it's probably the latter. I'm not sure if they remember that they will probably get to make a couple of free crafts at the art barn while we're there. And, I'm not sure about them, but I'm excited about the food that will be there...Fry bread, bratwurst, roasted corn-on-the-cob, fresh lemonade.... Nothing better than "fair fare", LOL. I will be good, though, and choose the healthiest choices that I can because I don't want to lose any ground in this battle I'm fighting (and sloooooowly succeeding in, I might add).

Admission to art festival: $0
Trinkets for the kids: $10
Delectable fair fare: $20
Exposing my kids to and sneakily instilling a love for art: priceless

Another summer salad.....

I haven't tried this recipe, but I think I will tonight. It's from Wild Oats

Colorful Couscous Salad with Chicken

This exotic salad is a delicious way to experience the extraordinary taste of couscous. Couscous is made from refined durum wheat and looks like tiny grains. It is often used in North African cuisine. If you don't eat every last morsel, try the leftovers cold for lunch the next day.


Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cook Time: 15 minutes, Serves 6

1 cup couscous
2 cups Wild Oats Organic Chicken Broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tsp. Wild Oats Organic Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 organic green bell pepper, cut into chunks
1 organic red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1 organic yellow bell pepper, cut into chunks
4 organic green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh black olives, pitted, for garnish

Prepare couscous following package directions, using chicken broth for liquid. Drain and set aside.

Combine wine, olive oil, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon cumin and garlic together in a large skillet. Add chicken, then simmer over low heat until the liquid has evaporated and chicken juices run clear, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Transfer cooked chicken to a large bowl and add 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, bell peppers, green onion and couscous. Toss mixture well, and garnish each serving with a few black olives.

One hundred things....

One hundred things about me....

This was harder than I thought it would be. I started this list back in February, 2007....

• I have hazel eyes
• I love my birthday...the date...the 23. I think it's a cool number
• I love the number 3
• I have a set of boy/girl twins who are the loves of my life
• I grew up on an island in Michigan
• I played the clarinet in high school and college
• I marched in the marching band through all four years of high school and 2 years in college
• I've been to Disneyland and Walt Disney World one time each---a perk of being in BYU's marching band
• I could see a rollercoaster on an island amusement park (Bob-Lo) in Canada through a window while sitting in my jr high math class
• I taught myself how to play the guitar during finals week one year in college
• I had so many crushes my freshman year in college that my theme song was Tears for Fears' "Something Happens and I'm Head Over Heels"
• I really liked teaching various science labs at UVSC and SLCC after I graduated from BYU
• My favorite colors are mauve and dark green--those were actually my wedding colors
• I have one younger brother
• I have 3 sisters-in-law that I love dearly
• I'm shy
• I love to laugh
• My first car was a 1978 lt blue Chevette with a brown left fender and a red hood
• I've had only 2 years of piano lessons, if that.
• I wish I would have stuck with piano lessons so I could play well now
  
• I love to sing
• My favorite concert was Michael Bolton
• I love watching old musicals
• My husband has gotten me hooked on John Wayne movies
• I love to write poetry
• I love to read
• Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson rock!
• I like to fish with my kids
• I'd like my dad to teach me how to fly fish
• I love listening to mourning doves in the morning
• I love falling asleep to the sound of crickets at night
• I love to smell the rain
• I love watching thunderstorms from my front porch with my kids
• I met my husband after I graduated from BYU
• We were married in April
• The Manti Temple is my favorite temple 'cause that's where I married my sweet husband
• My favorite wedding picture is of my husband and I sitting on the hillside with red and yellow tulips in front of us and my veil floating in front of my face
• The Washington DC Temple is also a favorite temple because that's where my parents, brother and I were sealed
• My parents were baptized members of the LDS church when I was about 3-4
• My favorite show when I was little was Emergency!
• I had a huge crush on Little Joe from Bonanza when I was about 5
• I love lilacs
• I also love lilies-of-the-valley
• Carnations, tulips, hollyhocks and pansies, too
• I'm proud of my Polish, German and English heritage
• I like things in matched sets or "one of each"--good thing I had a set of boy/girl twins!
• My favorite family vacation was spent on Houghton Lake, MI when I was a teenager
• I loved that my mom let me take mini-vacations during the summer to visit my aunts and uncles
• I LOVED spending a night in the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, MI (where Somewhere in Time was filmed) with my husband of 2 months
• I love shrimp tacos with lime juice and fresh salsa
• My dream house will have a wrap-around porch, and a turret with a witch's hat (but not if my husband (a former house framer) has anything to say about it, lol)
• I drive a Kia Sportage, but wish I had a Prius
• I loved my ballroom dancing classes in college
• I wish it was easier for me to make friends
• I love my name (with an "e", like Anne of Green Gables), but don't like it when people call me "Annie"
• I love chocolate
• I've decided that 40 is a pretty great age to be
• My daughter has my eyes and smile
• My son is a spittin' image of my husband
• I love large dogs, but we have 3 cats
• It's comforting to hold a soft, warm, furry kitty cat at the end of the day
• I love it when one of the cats falls asleep in my arms. I guess I miss having my babies do that
• It's hard for me to make friends. I'm not quite sure why.
• I wish that we had been blessed with more children
• I would love to live on a farm or ranch
• I'm trying to find my healthy, fit body. Slowly, but surely I'm succeeding
• My university years were a magical time for me
• I once made a crisp-type dessert out of red chard because I didn't know the difference between red chard and rhubarb
• I love going to yard sales on Saturday mornings
• I'm proud to say that most of my kids clothes come from yard sales
• I love English ivy
• I like fruity scents, not floral scents
• I just barely started scrapbooking last year
• I taught myself how to knit
• I love doing counted cross-stitch, but I'm still working on the same sampler I started when I first got married--13 years ago!
• I love playing Scrabble
• I enjoy doing crossword puzzles
• I started dying my hair a dark reddish brown a few years ago, and will probably keep it up
• I love antiques
• I've started collecting Franciscan Ivy dishes (after I started collecting, I realized that they were the same dishes used on the set of "I Love Lucy").
• I think glassware and kitchenware from the 30's and 40's are so cool
• I also love pink depression glass
• My mom and I are in the same "place"--she's dealing with the care of her mother who has dementia and I'm starting to help my father-in-law deal with the care of my mother-in-law who has dementia.
• If I could have lived during another time period, I'd choose to be an adult in post-war 1940's
• I also wouldn't mind living in the mid 1800's but wonder if I would have had it in me to trek across the plains
• My favorite goofy movie is "Raising Arizona"
• My favorite chick flick is "Steel Magnolias"
• My favorite sci-fi movie is "Independence Day"
• My favorite body of water is a stream or small river
• I love camping in a pine forest
• I hiked to the summit of Mt. Timpanogos a few weeks before the start of my sophomore year in college. Not sure if I want to attempt that again.
• I used to love to drive from Provo to Park City (the back way) when I needed to "think"
• I have very fond memories of all of my elementary school classes, except for 2nd and 3rd grade--the time period when my paternal grandma got sick and was dying of throat cancer. The teachers in those grades called my "Lazy Anne" and "Tardy Anne" to my face. It still hurts to think about that.
• My various usernames that center around the 'rosebud' theme have to do with the fact that when I was about 10, I told my older 2nd cousin that I no longer liked my nickname. When asked what I'd like to be called, I replied, "Rosebud". I have no idea where I pulled that nickname from!
• I used to play the soundtrack of "Saturday's Warrior" and sing to it while I did the dishes when I was in jr high/high school.
• I prefer the radio to listening to cd's
• I grew up listening to Neil Diamond, my mom's favorite singer. I still like Neil Diamond
• I have very fond memories of the records my mom used to play at Christmas time: Nat King Cole, The Firestone singers (or something like that--it was a promotional record from Firestone), Mormon Tabernacle Choir, etc.
• My mom, at my request, made me blueberry cupcakes with lime frosting to bring for my birthday in 1st grade. They weren't really that bad!
• My favorite birthday treats now are either blueberry pie, rhubarb pie (no strawberries, please) or german chocolate cake

Yummy, cool summer salad....

Fresh Asparagus Couscous Salad modified from a Meals.com recipe

1 cup onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
2 cups couscous
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
6 scallions, white parts only, finely chopped (reserve greens)
6 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground pepper
3 pounds asparagus, sliced diagonally into 1/3'' slices, tips reserved
3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 1/3 cups radishes, cut into 1/4'' slices or finely chopped
1 pound small shrimp, cooked or more, if desired
1 cup lettuce leaves

In a medium saucepan sauté the onions in 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat for about 4 minutes. Add the stock and water. Bring to a boil, then stir in the couscous, remove from heat, and cover. I actually omitted this step, as we aren't real onion fans. We just brought the water and broth to a boil and added the couscous.

After 5 minutes, fluff with a fork and allow to stand 5 more minutes, then fluff again. Transfer to a large dish and refrigerate. As other ingredients are readied, remove and fluff every 10 minutes. In a small bowl mix the garlic, chopped scallions, lime juice, salt, and pepper for the dressing. Set aside. Blanch the asparagus until tender but crisp. Place into iced water for 2 minutes, drain and set on towels to absorb extra moisture. Whip 1/4 cup oil into dressing with a fork, then stir in the dill. Mix the asparagus, radishes, green portions of scallions sliced diagonally, shrimp, and dressing into the couscous. Serve over a lettuce leaf base, garnishing with the asparagus tips. We omitted this final step as well, as we aren't so fancy, schmancy as to serve our salads in lettuce cups. Eating it in a bowl or on a plate works for us! We also just mixed the asparagus tips into the salad, rather than use them as a garnish.

Red Letter Day....

I was just looking at my blog archive and noticed that if I posted something today that I would now have more entries written in 2007 than I did in 2005 and 2006 combined.

I think I'm coming back to the blogging world!!

40....

I'm 40 now. And, guess what? I like it. Really. I like being 40. I don't feel old. I don't think I look old. Not that 40 is old, at least from my perspective today. I used to think that it was old. I was afraid of 40. Afraid that I wouldn't have accomplished enough by the time I reached 40. But, you know? I've accomplished plenty--so far. I have 2 beautiful children, a home, a wonderful husband. I have a great relationship with my parents and parents-in-law, my brother and his family, as well as my husband's brothers' families.

I've got a lot more to accomplish. But, heck. I haven't even lived half of my life yet!

Farewell, Kylie.....

I happened upon some very sad news that a friend that I never met in person lost a very difficult battle with depression yesterday. I feel so bad...one, because I never knew why she stopped posting about 2 years ago on a board that a whole bunch of us LDS friends posted on. I guess I know now. I wish I could have gotten to know her more over the past two years, like others have. But, I know that she was a very sweet, sweet person and was loved by many. Two, because I was never able to offer her any support. Not that it would have helped, but I sure would have liked to have been there for her, you know?

It's so awful that the evil disease called depression had to claim such a beautiful, sweet person. My heart is broken.

Lots of prayers for her family and all of the dear, dear friends she left behind.

Do I look fat?

I was wondering when I was going to get that question!

My beautiful 7 year-old daughter, C, asked me that very question while she was taking a shower yesterday.

C: "Do I look fat?"
Me: (Thinking someone from school told her...) "Ummmm....well...did someone tell you looked fat?"
C: "Yeah, J did." (Her own brother told her that???)
Me: "Well, um....your tummy pokes out a bit, but I wouldn't call it fat. But the way we can make sure it's the right size is to make sure you run around lots and lots, and to choose healthy foods instead of junk foods."
C: "I chose a granola bar and milk for dessert today!"
Me: "I noticed that! That was a great choice!"
C: "I'll only ask for ice cream once and a while."
Me: "That sounds like a perfect idea."

So, I leave C to her shower and go into the bedroom where J is reading to Daddy:

Me: "Did you tell C that she was fat?"
J: "Um...yeah. But she made me!"
Me: "What do you mean, 'made you'?"
J: "She asked me if she was, and I told her 'Yes'."
("Snort, snicker, giggle", says dear husband in the background, knowing that this is the first lesson on women that his son will receive....)
J: "Why is Daddy laughing at me?"
Me: "He's not laughing at you, sweetie. He just thinks it's funny, because all men get into trouble when their women ask them that very same question. It's just, well, girls don't like to be told things like that. Even if they ask you the question. You kind of don't have to tell them the truth when they ask you stuff like that."
J: "I can lie??"
Not-so-DH: "If they ask you that, just say, 'Oh my GOSH!!!' or 'HOLY COW!!!!' (snort, snicker)"
Me: "Don't listen to your Daddy (glaring in DH's general direction). Just tell them 'No', or if C asks you again, just say, 'Ask Mom'. Ok?"

Wow....I didn't think she was old enought to be concerned with her body image. But, I can't be too surprised, I guess. She's among the tallest and oldest in her class. She's got a muscular build, but I really wouldn't call her "fat". Her tummy does pooch out a bit...a teddy bear tummy. She definitely has my build, though, and that scares me. Me, my mom, my aunt and my cousins. We all have the same build. It must be the genes coming through. But, I'm armed with more knowlege than my aunts and mom had. I'm working to find my new body, and I can teach C how to treat her body, so she won't have to worry about finding herself a new body when she's in her 30's.

A 25lb bag of sugar....

That's what I'm not carrying around with me every step I take. I started losing it about 1.5 lbs at a time in October. It's a wonderful feeling. I only have 3 more bags to go (well, probably a bit more than that, but that's my first goal)! Thinking about it in those terms almost makes it seem do-able! It's something I want, and it's something I can and will achieve!

Sweet Snuggles...

It doesn't matter how big they get. When they're sick, they still need me. I'm so grateful!

My big 7-year old boy, J, was sick yesterday---fever, chills, aches. He finally broke his fever--a couple of times, actually--between 10 and 11:30 last night. He soaked his jammies with sweat both times. The final time, he was just shivering and cold. So, I put dry ones on him, and took him to the couch to snuggle until he warmed up again. He put his arms around my neck, nestled his face right up to my neck, and fell asleep with the Beatrix Potter quilt I had made for him when he was born across his back. I rubbed his back until he was asleep. He melted right into me--his whole 53" frame--just like he did when he was an 18.5" newborn. I kissed and sniffed his big boy head, just like I did his sweet baby head. Gone is the sweet baby smell--- it has been replaced by sweaty boy smell. I love that smell, too.

HAPPY Valentine's Day!

I knew that this year would be oh-so-much better than last year when:

• My husband IM'd me and asked me what I wanted for Valentine's Day
• I replied that I wanted flowers, but not a flower shop bouquet--grocery store is A-OK!
• I made the kids' day by ordering heart shaped pizzas and surprising them each with a small heart shaped box of candy and a heart shaped Krispy Kreme doughnut (with sprinkles, of course!)
• We enjoyed the pizza together as a family
• I went through their box of valentines with them and we commented and giggled on the ones they got from certain classmates (C giggled and blushed when we found that a boy she has a crush on (also with the initial C) sent one that we could 'read-in' meanings to. A girl has to start reading intentions sometime, right??) J rolled his eyes and said, "But I don't like her...." when I read his out loud. Just to be sure his intentions could never be misconstrued, he made sure that he sent "the boringest one" to a certain girl, M, that bothers him incessantly. But, I did notice that he put a smiley on one particular girl's....)
• We got the kids bathed and to bed at a decent time
• We enjoyed watching "Lost" together
• The subject of last year's debacle never even came up :o)

It's been a while, but here I am!

I had the most wonderful vacation last week! It was the first "vacation" we've had as a family since our honeymoon, and the first vacation for the kiddoes. We went tent camping in Hyrum, Utah for 3.5 days where my son J caught his first two fish--a couple (or maybe the same one twice?) of small big-mouth bass. The fishing bug has definitely bit that boy! Poor C didn't keep her line in the water long enough to catch one, but she was OK with that. I plan on taking the kiddoes fishing at least twice a month through the summer. Ahhhh.....dangling your feet in cool water while holding a fishing pole and reeling in a trout or two.

Part 2 of our vacation landed us in Ovid, Idaho at the Bear Lake Ranch House for a mini family reunion with relatives from Provo and Spanish Fork, UT, Michigan and Florida. Oh, to find 100 acres in Bear Lake County, Idaho to raise hogs and beef and our kiddoes. Sigh...

We absolutely had the time of our lives there. We should have tried the vacation thing a long time ago.