Hunger

I'm constantly amazed how Kindergarten has thrown my children into a feeding frenzy. Rion's appetite increased dramatically once he started Kindergarten, and I'm finding that Hailey is now getting bit by the hunger bug. Today, for example, she got home from school just before 11:30. For lunch she had a turkey sandwich and a string cheese. Not even 5 minutes later, she was still hungry, so she had a bowl of cereal...and then she had a fruit leather. Wow! I asked her why she was eating so much lately and she replied, "Moooommm, (you have to add the little girl whine to that word...) Kindergarten makes me hungry!" I think my food bill is going to increase a lot this year with two in school!

Neglect?

Never fear! I have not been neglecting anyone. These last few days have been terribly busy! I've been elbow deep in making wedding invitations for a friend of mine from work. She is getting married in November and what better wedding gift than homemade wedding invitations at no cost? I am so excited about these. Eric helped me with the fine tuning. The initial design was just not working once I started the final product, but I think we make a great team!

First Day of School!

Today is the first day of school! Woo hoo! Hailey and Rion were the first to get up, of course. Hailey was pretty nervous during the night and ended up throwing up in the toilet (yay, she made it to the toilet), but she was just fine when we left. Eric went in late to work so he could share in this fun day. When we got to school, we went to Hailey's classroom and got her name tag, then they went out to play. Rion found his little group and they congregated in the field like they were 5th graders instead of 4th graders. Too funny. Haily ran off to the color playgroud and made a new friend. Emmitt and Emma from her preschool joined her shortly after. When the bell rang, Rion ran off to his class line while Hailey lined up in hers for the first time. She was all smiles, unlike some other kids in her line. One little girl looked like someone took away her favorite doll. Poor thing. We are so proud of how Hailey was holding up. I can't wait to talk to her after school! Here are the pictures from this morning.

Meet the Teacher!

Today was "Meet the Teacher Day" at Central Canyon Elementary. Hailey is starting Kindgergarten this year and was very excited to meet her new teacher, Mrs. Lords. We found her name and her cubby in her new classroom. She even put away all of her school supplies!

Then we went to Rion's new classroom. He is in 4th grade this year, and his teacher is Mrs. Mullanix. She is new to Central Canyon this year. After finding Rion's new desk (right in the middle of the class) and putting away his supplies, the kids were ready for school!

Tomorrow better come fast! My kids are ready!

Another Find

I have been very lacking in posting lately. The reason? Yet another CRAIGSLIST find! I'm horrible, I know. So this time I found a California King bed frame. Woo hoo! We sold our bedroom set back in 2006 when we moved to Idaho. We have not had anything since. When I saw this little beauty on craigslist for only $99, I couldn't resist, even though the color style was not our style!

This is actually a waterbed frame, but I love the four posts. In person they are so much bigger than they appear in the picture. (This is not our bedroom, by the way.) After a week of painting, adding a clear coat, and extending the bed rails on the sides by 4 inches so our bed would actually fit in the frame, it is nearly complete! I still have to sand and paint the portion of the extensions, but it is certainly usable until I get that done. Here is the "after" picture.

Our bedroom is so large (23.5 feet by 15.5 feet) that this fills in the space very nicely! We are so excited about it, and now that the smell of the polyurethane has died down, we are no longer hallucinating. (just kidding!) Once I get the rest of the room decorated, I'll add more pictures. After this find, we were joking that I should give a class on how to furnish your house for less than $500. Considering we were going to buy a bedroom set in about 6 years that is around $2K, I think I'm doing VERY well! I am extremely happy!

Food Storage!

It's Sunday! Don't forget to check out the sidebar for this week's list. :) I have added the dates to the weeks to make it easier.

Update on the Garden

I just had to give an update. Look how much it's grown! The green beans are all done now, but the tomatoes are turning red, the cucumbers are getting big, the carrots are growing long, and the corn has begun! So much fun! And check out that gorgeous lawn!

I have a few of these lillies growing in my yard. I'm not sure the type of lilly, though. Very pretty!

Storytime!

Addiction

I know, not a very happy topic, and mine is especially tragic! I am addicted to CRAIGSLIST! Someone send some intervention! Ok, not really. I love craigslist, though. I'm not on it every day, but I am on it quite frequently throughout the week. Over the passed year I have found the following items:

3 pictures frames - $12

nasty looking bench that was kept outside - $10 (now looks like this after some loving care)

end tables to use as nightstands - $10 each (we were using a large plastic container and a tool box with a flat top from Dec 2006 until a week ago)

two of these doors from an old china hutch that will go on the wall once I've restored them - $30

Find of the century! - a functioning hot tub for $150 that looked like this

and now looks like this! (that's a towel on the steps, it was COLD!)

And today, once again, another great buy. This elliptical for $100!

There have been other things, such as a twin/full wooden bunkbed with mattresses and matching dresser for $300, and a kitchenaid mixer for $95, but I have a hard time rembering the rest of them! Sad, huh? Somebody help me!

Say "No" to Crack!

Yes, his shorts were like this when I found them playing outside! There was no "foul play" involved!

Salsa Redeemed!

Yay! Thanks to Sarah, and her ability to coherse the recipe out of a friend in the ward, my failed salsa attempt while in Utah has been redeemed. I have now tried this recipe 3 times and it is fabulous! It tastes very much like Chevy's, or at least close enough that I am not craving Chevy's anymore. Here is the recipe according to how I make it...

7-8 green onion – use almost the whole thing, cut of top inch or two and bottom roots
1-2 heads of cilantro – I only used one since the bunch was so big. If you find your salsa is green when done, add more tomatoes or a can of diced tomatoes (drained).
10 roma tomatoes – cut them in half, then squeeze out all of the juice and discard
1 can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes w/ green chilis – I heard that this particular brand is best, and I actually use 2 cans
1 tsp-1 Tbsp salt – add 1 tsp at a time to taste. I actually used the whole Tbsp, as it sucks up the salt the longer it sits
Squeeze in lime to taste

Blend onions and cilantro separate from each other in food processor, then add together with tomatoes. Add remaining ingredients one at a time. Puree to desired consistency. If too tomatoey, add 1 more can Ro-Tel, if too spicey or too cilantro-ey, add more roma tomatoes. Let sit in refrigerator for a couple of hours to make the tastes mesh together. You may have to adjust things here and there, but overall it’s good!

Scentsy Warmer

Woo hoo! I finally have one of these. Thanks, Karyn!

Food Storage - August Weeks 1-4

I have decided to change the way I do my food storage list. I have created a sidebar post with an entire month all written out. I think this will help with advanced planning. I will likely post the next month's list a week prior to that month. Good luck!

Just for giggles, here is the list. As it moves down the posting row, you can always look at the sidebar.

August Food Storage List

We will see the day when we will live on what we produce."

Week 1 - August 3rd-9th

Back to school sales! Paper, pencils, crayons, envelopes, stamps, journals.

Week 2 - August 10th-16th

Baking powder, soda, corn starch, vanilla, bouillon cubes, cooking spray, yeast.

Week 3 - August 17th-23rd

Tomato Week! Salsa, juice, sauce, whole, chopped, paste, pizza and spaghetti sauce.

Week 4 - August 24th-30th

Do some fruit canning or drying. If not, then buy it! Watch for sales!

Brothers?

This picture doesn't really do the similarity justice. Chase and Calob Stone look so much alike that it's scary. They have a different complexion and different eye color, but their facial expressions and hair cuts are very much alike! As soon as I find another picture of them, I'll add it.

Preparation List - July 28-August 2

This week is a bit odd. We have several days left of July but not enough days of August to do August Week 1. So, we are going to work on something outside the box. Here goes!


Emergency Car Kits

Since winter transportation becomes more difficult, keep your car in top operating condition and the gas tank as nearly full as possible. Also, it is wise to carry a "winter storm car kit" for safer winter travel.

tow chains
whistle
extra batteries
ax
signal flag
extra gas
siphon hose
flares
army shovel
jack
jumper cables
road map
rescue rope
flashlight
ice scrapers
pocket knife
compass
fire extinguisher
first aid kit
pencil
paper
tool kit
spare tire
oil & extra fluids
extra wiper blades
blankets
water
food


Many of these items are good to have on hand no matter what time of year it is. And most importantly, know how to use the items you have! It is useless to carry tools when you don't know how to use them in the event you are stuck out in the middle of nowhere. Plastic totes work well to carry these items in your trunk. Make sure to rotate your food and water and any other items that have an expiration date.

Ouch!

Poor Hailey! She was swimming at the Christopherson's the majority of the day yesterday and got her first bad sunburn. DON'T FREAK! The picture actually looks worse than it is. She was pretty tan prior to this sunburn, so it isn't really that bad. I suspect she'll be tan again by Wednesday.

Mommy, Wow!

....I'm a big boy now!

For those that know the commercial jingle, you probably know where I'm going with this. Yes...Chase went potty on toilet tonight! And the best part is...I didn't even try to get him to go!

Lately Chase has been fascinated with sitting on the toilet. With/without clothes on, doesn't matter. The last few days, though, he has gotten in the habit of taking off his diaper and saying , "poop" before he sits down. As far as I know nothing has come of any of this until tonight. It was the same routine - diaper off, "poop" and climb on the toilet. I walked out of the bathroom, then walked right back in and there was a solid stream flowing into the toilet bowl! Oh how excited I was, and by the look of Chase's face, he was pretty surprised! As a reward for the first time tinkler, we went to Baskin Robbins. Yum!

An hour later, we got home and he wanted to sit again. Nothing happened. He got off, ran around with a bare bum for a few minutes while Daddy went to the bathroom, then climbed back on the toilet and pottied again! I'm really hoping this is the start of something. If it is, then that will make 3 in a row easy potty trainers!

100th Post!

Wow, I can't believe I have made it to 100 so fast! I've only been posting since March. I guess I just have a lot to say! So in honor of my 100th post, I am going to write 100 things about myself. This should be interesting. If by chance you are reading this and I have not made it to 100 yet, keep checking back. I'll think of more things!


1. Born April 18, 1978 - 6lbs 8oz, I think 19 inches long

2. I am the 5th child of 7 kids - 5 girls, 2 boys - Paula, JoDene, Larry, Richard, me, Kelly, Lori

3. I have more than 20 nieces and nephews, and 3 of them have kids of their own!

4. I was a major toe-head growing up. Yes, the blond is my natural color, I just like to highlight with lighter blond.

5. I was hit by a car while riding my bike when I was 7. I had a 6 inch hairline fracture on the right side of my skull.

6. During the skull fracture recovery, I lounged on the couch and ate Skittles until I got sick. To this day I can't eat an entire bag of Skittles.

7. Shortly after I recovered, I was running to the phone, tripped on the cord, and hit my eyebrow on the wooden radio cabinet. (you know, the ones with 8-track players in them) I had to get stitches.

8. Needless to say, I don't remember much of the beginning of 2nd grade!

9. In 3rd grade I made it to the school wide spelling bee. I missed "alligator" in front of the whole school!

10. In 4th grade, during the class spelling bee, I missed "doctor" by spelling it "docter" after 4 other kids spelled it that exact same way. I redeemed myself by being the first of 15 kids to spell "parentheses" right.

11. In 5th grade, Jeff Beal and I would constantly get hit with the long white chalkboard erasers because we talked too much. Tee hee hee.

12. My best friend since 4th grade is Jessica Simpson, now Jessica Simpson McCalvy. (No, not the singer - she wanted me to clarify this.)

13. I started playing piano at the age of 10, flute in 6th grade, and bassoon in 7th grade. My senior year I sat as the 2nd chair bassoonist in the Idaho All-State Symphony Orchestra, as well as participated in the Boise State Honor Band.

14. I was scarred for life (not!) and had this incredible urge to stay on the thin side after my brother Larry wrote "Kim has a big butt" on my bedroom window in that Christmas snow stuff. The window faced the driveway. To this day he denies he did that.

15. I was the drum major for the Eagle High School Marching Band my senior year.

16. That same year, since my grade was the first graduating class of Eagle High School, I helped write the High School Alma Mater with 2 classmates.

17. I was also on the Seminary Council that same year.

18. I began working at a nursing home when I was 14. This was before Idaho labor laws. I worked in the kitchen doing various duties until I was trained as a cook at the age of 19. I still have dreams that I am working there.

19. My siblings, Larry, Richard, and Kelly, all worked at that nursing home in the kitchen at various points. My mom was a nurse there on one of the units. After work during the tax season, since Larry was my ride to work, I would go around with him after work and help him clean the H&R Block offices for my dad. He would pay me in Taco Bell.

20. I no longer eat Taco Bell.

21. I started dating my high school sweetheart Memorial Day my Freshman year - though I was too young to actually go on a date. We dated until the end of Senior Year, then was off and on until the summer following Freshman year of college. His name was Eric. Go figure.

22. The Eric I did marry, the October following the Freshman year of college, dated a girl named Kim for 2 years prior to his mission. Go figure even more!

23. During my Freshman year of college, I was at Linfield College in McMinnville, OR. Such a blast! I loved it!

24. I skipped class a couple of times to go hiking near the ocean with Monty Grow.

25. My good friends that year were Trina Palmer, Tanya Spurgiesz, Marianne Swafford, Allison Marrs, and my roommate Jennifer Hubers. There were others, but I'm having a memory lapse right now!

26. I still stay in close contact with Trina and Jennifer.

27. Trina got me writing a missionary in March 1997 that happened to be serving in the Boise area. His name was Elder Warren.

28. I visited Elder Warren during Spring Break and unknowingly tried to poison him with homemade peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. He's allergic to peanuts, but his companion loved them!

29. I married Eric Brian Warren on October 3, 1997. I guess he didn't hold a grudge about those cookies then!

30. I was 19 1/2 when I got married.

31.

Cute Scout Skit

We had Pack Meeting tonight, and Rion's den did a little skit. It was so cute that I had to post it. Rion is such a ham! It's no wonder he took the 'starring role' in this one!

Victory at Last!

To start off, we live on a corner lot. We love it because we only have one neighbor on the one side of us, a currently empty lot behind us, and the road on the other side of us. We never have to worry about whether or not we mow the lawn at the same time as the neighbor so it doesn't look funny because we poured a concrete slab all the way to the property line on the one side, and with the empty lot behind us, well...we just have to worry about the weeds.

The downside to living on a corner lot...cars like to park on the street on the side of the house. Now, normally, this is sooo not a problem. However, since November we have had the same truck parked on the side of the house. We're not talking about a situation where the owner parks there when he gets home every night...we're talking constantly, unmoving, always. After a series of calls to our HOA in February, we were finally able to see that it at least moved back 30 feet, but then there it sat again. Even after an attempt to talk to the family, of which apparantly doesn't speak English, it still sat. Until yesterday.

I was so frustrated with having this beat up truck by my house, with hornets flying around it, that I finally called code enforcement myself. HOA wasn't helping at all, so it was up to me. I called on Monday and by Monday afternoon they were out there. They tried to tell me that since the truck had current tags they had every right to park there. Yes, that is true, but according to city code they have to move the vehicle every 48 hours, not every 6 months. Once they arrived, however, they realized that the tags had expired back in May. I know this sounds bad, but Yay! That was what we needed to finally get the city on our side! So, we waited and waited...Monday night, still there, Tuesday, still there....Tuesday night at 11:00 - finally parked in front of their own house! Woo hoo!

I know this really sounds petty, but it's about time. Between the horets, the difficulty in mowing my lawn in any direction but along the lot line, and the street sweeper not being able to clean the gutters properly right there, it was a pain in my backside! Like I said earlier, I had no problem with them parking there - as long as they actually drove the truck at least once a week. Now, I can breathe again.