Super Music Friend Show

I'm sure you guys remember me talking about "You Gabba Gabba" in the past, well it is one of my kids' FAVORITE shows. We watch it religiously & about a week ago I saw this & realized it is the band I have heard you talk about Britt-Mates of State. The song is really catchy & always gets stuck in my head. I have never heard any of their other stuff, but I really like their sound. I just had to do a little ghetto recording so you could see it. Sorry about the lack of professionalism! :) Enjoy!! Shan, does Ethan watch this show?? Grayden & Brinley seriously LOVE IT!!

I'm Ringin' the Dinner Bell

I was searching through my cookbook for a new and simple recipe. I came across this one & thought I'd give it a try. It was SO simple to make, the kids love it, and so did Matt. It reminded me of a super creamy lasagna. I took a picture of the leftovers (which were even better than the night I made it) but it doesn't do the meal justice at all! We also had salad & buttered bread with it-I'm sure it will become one of my "regulars" :) I hope you'll enjoy it as much as we did!

Company Casserole

3/4-1 lb. ground beef, cooked & drained
2 cans (8oz) tomato sauce (I only had one can, so I used a can of Campbell's Tomato soup as my other can & it was yummy!)
2 pkg. (8oz) cream cheese
1 c. cottage cheese
1/4 c. sour cream
green onion (optional)
3c. shell noodles, cooked
cheddar cheese, grated

Mix together. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

When I grow up...

This is a picture that was turned in by an elementary school student:

Here is the reply that the teacher received the next day from the embarrassed mother:

Dear Mrs. Jones,

I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer. I work at Home Depot and I told my daughter how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out of every single shovel we had; and then, I found one more in the back room, and that several people were fighting over who would get it. Her picture doesn't show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot. From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Smith

I have Lemons, but I'm not ready for Lemonade

So...I really need to vent about something that has been putting me in a bad mood for almost 2 weeks! I don't want to cause waves with anyone who was involved, so I have been trying to keep it to myself & haven't even whined to Matt about it because-well, there isn't anything he can do so why bother him with it.

Ok here goes...I am in charge of play group each week, and when it is cold we meet in the church so that the kids can play with all the toys in the nursery. There are usually about 5-10 "regulars" that come & every once in a while the nursery leader comes & hangs out if she has time. I have made pretty good friendships with all the "regulars" & felt like I had a pretty good relationship with the nursery leader too. Well, I noticed that she (the nursery leader-ok, let's just call her NL) had a paper & was going to a few people & talking about assignments & what they could bring. I wasn't tyring to be nosy, but realized that she had talked to almost everyone except for me? I figured it was no big deal & forgot about it.

So...the next week after playgroup I took the kids to a place in the mall & happened to run into one of my friends who is also a "regular" at playgroup. We were just talking casually & I asked her if she had any fun plans for Easter. She said something about the dinner at NL's house & wanted to know if I was coming. Dinner? What dinner I thought? I INSTANTLY felt crushed & knew that all the planning I had witnessed the week earlier was for this big Easter dinner & that I was not invited. I told her that I hadn't been invited & She was really surprised & said something like, "Well, I'll bet she just hasn't told you about it yet." She felt really bad for bringing it up, so I just said it wasn't a big deal & tried to change the subject.

So...Sunday rolls around & I had done my best not to be offended or upset by the whole thing, but every time I saw people I knew at church I would wonder if they had been invited too. I didn't say anything to anyone & when church was over I saw NL passing out little slips of paper & making last minute detail arrangements. I felt total rejection again as we walked out to the car & headed home. I kept busy doing Easter stuff with the kids, making a nice dinner, & talking with our family on the web cam. We had a really nice day & I went to bed content & happy, but it didn't last long because I checked all the updated blogs of my friends on Monday & saw all the fun that I wasn't invited to be a part of.

Another one of the playgroup "regulars" had posted pictures & talked about what a fun dinner it was & how amazing the NL was for hosting a dinner of 30 plus people. I would have been able to find some comfort in seeing that there weren't a lot of people that I was friends with, or if there happened to be other people that I knew who weren't invited, but there was only 1 couple in attendance that I didn't know on a personal basis at the dinner.

I don't know why it bothered me so much, but I had to hold back the tears. I feel like I am in High School again & I didn't get invited to some party with all the cool kids. Ya know? Its dumb, and I really shouldn't feel this way. I keep thinking of the talk given a while back at General Conference about not letting yourself be offended. (I think it was given by Bednar) But I don't know how not to be right now. I'm hoping that time will heal my lame wounds & I keep praying for help to deal with the situation, but I just need to vent. How do I make Lemonade? How do I act "normal" around NL when really what I want to do is ask her why my family wasn't invited?

Dumb...the whole thing is dumb & I hope that tomorrow I will have forgotten all about it.

It's Back!!!

Hey girls I've got a flash back for ya. I believe this is in Denver when we went to WGI regionals. We are standing in line waiting to eat at a Mexican restaurant. All I remember is that the line took forever and that they had this flags on your tables that you put up when you needed your waiter and down when you didn't. But maybe I'm totally wrong...maybe this is somewhere else.

Let's catch up-Shan

1. Ethan. I love my son more then anything in the world but man does he keep me busy. He'll be 18 months on the 28th and I can hardly believe it. He has quite the personality and is spoiled due to fact that he is an only child. He's climbing on and into everything, is trying to talk more and more everyday and gives me the biggest hugs and kisses. It's great being a mom but a lot of work.

2.Cleaning. When I'm not chasing Ethan I'm cleaning and sometimes I'm doing both at the same time. I'm still cleaning for Martha and I'm very grateful for the job. She's in North Carolina visiting her daughter this week so I have some time off and it's so weird. I don't really know what to do with myself. Our laundry is done, the floors have been vacuumed and mopped our cupboards are filled with food.

3. Scrapbooking. For awhile I was doing the Design Star contest at ScrapMatters so all of my extra time was creating new papers and elements and learning a TON! Now that I'm out I have time to do my own scrapbooking. I haven't done a ton of LOs but I have done a few. I'm still trying to find my balance between all of my roles... mom, wife, scrapbooker, housekeeper, cook, and the list goes on. But I love scrapbooking and I think I'll still try doing some designing. Designing is a lot of work but fun and rewarding at the same time. I totally have a new respect for all of the wonderful designers out there. Especially you Britt!

(My most recent LO)

4. Single Parent. Jared is in full swing of the busy, crazy and miserable time of year. He's way behind in his work and needs 2 more people to help him but Pinnacle made HUGE cut backs on their budget this year so he has to do everything on his own. Which means that he goes into work early and stays late. Most days I'm a single parent and it sucks!

(although looking at this sweet smile you wouldn't think so)

5. Decorating my kitchen. I'm on GG's Digital Designs CT (which I LOVE) and she has this beautiful kit called "The Happy Place" When I first saw it I know it would look perfect in my kitchen. So I created 3 LOs and glued them on to some tiles and put them up above my cabinets. I'm still trying to figure out what else I should put up there with them and I really need to make some curtains to go on my back doors. Last Saturday I sent almost 2 hours at JoAnn's looking at fabric and trying to decided what to do. I'm the worst when it comes to make decision.

So there you have it, 5 things about me!

Let's Catch Up-Leslie

Ok, here are five things that have been going on with me lately:

1. Out with the Old & In with the New

We sold our couches (that we have had since our first year of marriage) and bought a new one. Yes, we went from a couch and a love seat to just one couch. At first it was a little weird, but I really appreciate the extra space & look forward to adding a comfy recliner to the front room sometime in the future. Why? Well, the old ones had held up pretty well, but were starting to look a little droopy & getting more and more run down from our kids. We spiffy'd them up as best we could, stuck them on Craig's list, & they sold the next morning for $200.00! We were pleasantly surprised & lived without any couches for about a week. Our new couch is microfiber & the girls LOVE it! I am looking forward to how easily everything is supposed to wash off of it & Matt is glad not to have 2 couches to deal with when we end up moving again. Here is a picture of it from the Store's website. I think it looks much better in person-I'll try to stick a different picture on here tomorrow.

2. The first Step is Admitting you Have a Problem

I have made a personal goal not to go overboard with digital scrap booking this month. I got so excited with the challenges at Scrapmatters last month that it sort of overcame my life!! I ended up completing LO's for 14 different challenges & also did almost every speed scrap! Don't get me wrong, I had SO MUCH FUN, but my family suffered & I felt like my life was slipping out of balance. I now try to scrap on a reward system where I spend an equal amount of time cleaning or playing with the kids as I do scrapping. I haven't done a challenge for April yet, but I already have a few in mind that I am looking forward to doing. Oh, and I was totally surprised to find out that one of my LO's was a winner for last month, and it wasn't even random!! I was so flattered & still can't believe that I won. This is the LO that got picked: 3. If It's Not Broke-Don't Fix It

Matt finally convinced me to get a new phone. I've had mine for a couple of years now & have really liked it, plus there was nothing wrong with it! My time had come up for a new phone & it was driving him crazy that I wasn't jumping all over the chance to upgrade. He would hint about it almost every time we were in Costco (because they have a Verizon dealer booth in there), so I finally told him that if he would help me find a phone I liked that I'd switch. I decided on a new Motorola, and was nervous that I wouldn't know how to use a new phone very well. I actually LOVE it & am glad that Matt gave me the push I needed to get a new one. Plus we sold my old one for $40 bucks! Yea Baby!!

This is my old phone:And this is my new phone:4. Do You Believe In Signs?

I don't know why but for some reason Minnie Mouse keeps popping into our lives lately. My niece Sierra was Minnie Mouse for Halloween, and her picture pops up on our screen saver occasionally & the girls always get so excited when they see it! Then, one day when it was snowing like crazy here I opened our curtains & noticed something weird down by the dumpsters. I was so curious to find out what it was, so I threw some shoes on & ran down with my camera to investigate. After I brushed the snow away my assumptions were correct-a HUGE paper mache Minnie Mouse! Then, about a week after that I woke up to find a mysterious plate of cupcakes on my counter that had been decorated with Jr. Mints, Mini Oreos, & Purple Frosting bows. Yup-Minnie Mouse again!! My visiting teacher had dropped them off at our door the night before. I haven't really been a big believer in signs, but I think someone is telling us to go to Disney Land! :) I'm ready for a vacation?5. Life Comes At You Fast

So, it seems like I was in High School yesterday & today I have 3 kids-THREE! Trinity somehow went from being 3 months old to 4 years old & Brinley went from being my cuddly little mamma's girl to a very articulate 2 1/2 year old. Then there is Grayden who thinks he can turn one in 3 more months & I just don't know how I feel about that! How did the time fly by so fast?? I feel so lucky to have such energetic, curious, determined, smart, beautiful, and healthy children. The girls LOVE to help out with Grayden anyway that I will let them, so I finally decided to give them the opportunity to feed him. Brinley was armed with squash & Trinity with carrots-both ready to give Grayden the best meal he had ever had. Unfortunately more of it ended up on his face & the floor than in his mouth. Oh well, they all had such a fun time & now the excitement of "feeding Grayden" is old news so I can do it more efficiently in peace!

Let's Catch Up

Ok everyone has to do their own post with 5 things they've been up to lately. We really need to catch up.

1) New entertainment center. We FINALLY got a new entertainment center.  No more TV sitting on an ugly old coffee table.  We got it at Ikea for a great deal, but it was a little crazy getting it together.  Good thing Josh is smart.  I'm trying to fill the shelves, decorate it and make it cute. As soon as its cute, I'll post a picture.

2) Soccer. Josh plays soccer at least once or twice a week these days. He's been on a team for a while now called the Hooligans. But some guys in the ward just found out he plays so they've invite him to play with them too. Plus he watches soccer games on TV like everyday. So - yes, soccer has become quite a big part of our lives these days.  In fact, he's off playing soccer right now.

3) New nieces coming soon. Tami (my SIL) is due in about 2 weeks and my cousin Morgan is due in about 3 weeks. Both are having baby girls!! It's Tami's first girl. She has three boys, so its super exciting. I think they are naming her Ava. And then we even get to go to Phoenix to visit Morgan at the end of the month. Josh can't stay the whole time, so I get to stay longer and fly home. So, I'll be there for the birth of her baby. They are naming her Addison.  I know technically Morgan's girls are not my nieces, but they might as well be. They call me Aunt Brittney! So - we have two new little girls coming to meet us very soon!

4) Taxes. Don't they suck?? Being self-employed is the worst. You have to pay so much and you have to be super responsible and save up all year to pay them so you don't all of a sudden owe a ton of money and not have it to pay. The great thing this year is, since its my first year with a substantial income as a digital designer, I get to write off/deduct all my office expenses like my computer, my new desk I got for Christmas, all that jazz. And my dad does our taxes for free so that's awesome too. So - we aren't having to pay much at all this year!!! WOO HOO. It's like getting a tax return sort of because we have all this money saved thinking we were going to owe a ton. We haven't had a tax return in a REALLY long time, so we're stoked. Too bad we can't do something fun with the money. We'll be paying off some old debt instead.

5) Work. Things with ScrapMatters have been busy lately. I've had a TON of new kits out lately, as you probably noticed. But I feel a little scattered behind the scenes. I just get easily stressed and annoyed. I don't want to get into the full details here on the blog, but there are just things that could run so much more simply and smoothly if it were up to me. You know? I really really love my job though and I LOVE working from home. I'm ruined for ever having to work outside the home again. I set my own schedule, wear sweats, sometimes go without makeup (today). It's the best. PLUS I love that when we eventually have kids I'll be to able to keep up a little income without leaving the home. Not that there's any way I could keep working the hours I currently do after I have kids. But still - its nice to have a job that allows such flexibility.

Ok girls - your turns. Make a post and tell me 5 things you've been up to. You've read mine, so you know they don't have to be exciting. We've had NOTHING exciting going on at all, but there are still at least 5 things you can tell me!

What did you learn?

So this weekend was pretty good but hard at the same time. It was much harder to listen to conference then I thought. Jared had to work Saturday and Ethan was very tired and grouchy all day Sunday. I recorded everything so that I can go back and watch it but I was wondering what you learned this weekend? Did anything stand out to you? From what I did listen to I gained a better appreciation for temples. I love the temple and after listen this weekend I'm making it a goal to go at least once a month. So what inspired you?

(ps have you ever been on top of the conference center? I had no idea there was a garden on top)