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Monday, December 22, 2008

Not much is going on right now. We have a ton of snow but we have had freezing rain the last 2 days and so Sydney can't play in the snow because it is one solid piece of ice. She just jumps on it and pretty much ice skates across the front lawn. boo. I wanted to make a snowman.

Christmas will be fun this year. I got Mark a secret present. Each year I am only able to slip one present under his nose. He is sneaky. He does the checking accounts and bills so I have to figure out a way of purchasing something under the radar. He trys to figure out everything he gets for christmas. This year I have him stumped. I am so excited. It doesn't help that I am a horrible secret keeper. So if you have a secret....don't tell me. I could keep it if I knew it would hurt someone if it was told....but a present.....nope. Well this year I am doing great. Oh it is killing me not to tell him. But it has kept the excitement of christmas high at our house. Sydney loves to see him try to figure it out and has joined in on guessing.

Rowyn is getting big and growing into a lot of that baby fat. She is beautiful. She is like a little upchucking machine lately. I keep a bib on her daily. yuck. Oh well. She spit up at church yesterday and the young girl behind me, home for christmas from college, gagged. I just laughed and said, "makes you want to have kids right away doesn't it." She said "NO!!!"

I love my girls. They are such a slice of heaven. They really make my life so full of love and laughter. We were playing a guessing game in the car yesterday and we were saying, "I'm thinking of an animal....." Well Sydney said she wanted to do people. So she started with a friend of ours named Chad. She said, "I'm thinking of a guy with a face and a great big head....oh and a big tummy." Mark Said Chad!!! We really laughed.

Merry Christmas to everyone. We love you all so much

I am going to try fudge and caramels this season. I have never tried but I have to try sometime right?? Thanks to Monica for the recipe for caramel.

:)

Wednesday, December 10, 2008



Fencing is insanely hard. Mark and I have been doing it for a while. Mark has been doing it for about 4 months and me 4 weeks. We fence for about 3 hours every Tuesday. when I walk out of Penn State my legs feel like Jello. Wow. I don't think I have ever done anything this hard before. It pushes me beyond my limit and then some. I am sure that it will get easier with time but wow right now I am really having to work. It really feels good to be doing something that really kicks my trash. I have been taking it easy for far too long.

After I get feeling better with this I am going to take a dance class. I am excited for that.

I have also been singing a lot lately. I really love to sing. It is the key to lifting the burdens in my life. It is like I sing away any stress and pressure it is an awesome vice in my life. I thank heavenly father for giving me such a beautiful talent. I love to help people feel the spirit through my songs. I think I get a great workout when I sing with the choir cause they always make me hit those High notes at the very end and it takes all I have to do it.

So I guess it really has been a few months all about me. Sometimes you need a me month. Where you do things that you love to do and feel good about yourself. So yay for me. :)

I am so excited for Christmas this year. Merry Christmas. :)

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Getting to Know You: Christmas Edition
Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. I got this from Melissa and thought it would be a fun post. Copy it if you wish...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper I love love love to wrap the presents with fancy ribbon!
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial. I love real trees but I have kids and that equals needles everywhere.
3. When do you put up the tree? Wellllllll......not yet, and it is Dec 3rd. arrrrggggg
4. Do you like eggnog? maybe...if it is really watered down with Milk
5. Favorite gift received as a child? A Shetland pony name Pudge....I loved him for about one day, until he ran me under the clothes line, then....not so much.
6. Hardest person to buy for? Mark, He ALWAYS buys whatever he wants so that leaves me with very little to get for him.
7. Easiest person to buy for? Sydney. She is easy to please.
8. Do you have a nativity scene? Used to...when Sydney was small we got a resin one which we thought she couldn't hurt. We were wrong, by the end of the season I don't think a single member of the nativity escaped unscathed. Headless and legless I had to get rid of everyone. :( We will try again this year. :) Oh wait....Sydney got a stuffed version last christmas. So yea we have a stuffed toy nativity.
9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. I am making my own this year. I love crafty people. (If you want one, I might need your address!)
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? There is no such thing as a bad present.
11. Favorite Christmas Movie? White Christmas. (Love that it is on broadway too!) Melissa and I have good taste.
12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? After black friday madness is over. I really don't want to get trampled to death.
14. Favorite thing to eat at lunch on Christmas? Leftovers. mmmm pie homemade noodles cheese balls with crackers. I'd go on but I am making myself homesick.
15. Lights on the tree? Yes. White no exceptions. no colored lights at my house.
16. Favorite Christmas song? What child is this?
17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Depends on the year. This year, we will be staying home but my sister is coming to visit!
18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?Easy Peasy, Sydney has been watching the old Christmas movies. Rudolph is one of her favs.
19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Actually niether. I have a beautiful father christmas that goes on top.
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We do both.
21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? When people forget the true meaning of Christmas
22. Favorite ornament theme or color? I like a lot of Silver with cool colors like blue or pastels. I also really love Red. Who doesn't?
23. Favorite for Christmas dinner? I like a simple christmas meal. We mostly just piece on sandwiches and snacks. The real feast happens christmas morning breakfast.
24. What do you want for Christmas this year? Joy and Peace.

Monday, December 1, 2008

new pics.










Loving the new pictures. We had a great holiday. My favorite was that Mark and I got to go on a DATE!!! We had a sweetheart (Meagan) babysit for us. The girls love her. She is an aspiring photographer. NICE I KNOW! She got some great shots of the girls. I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving. Bring on the Christmas Music. The Tree goes up tonight for Family Home Evening. Our good friend Rob gets baptized on Saturday. All is great. :)








Tuesday, November 25, 2008

month of Birthdays

Today I am wishing a Happy Birthday to the hottest man alive. My husband.
Mark and I have known each other since 1995. These have been the best 13 years of my life. He has graced my life and made me so very happy. We have been married for 10 of those 13 and we will be celebrating our 10th anniversary in Dec.
If you know Mark you know he is crazy fun. He always wishes everyone a Merry Christmas no matter what month it is.
He is an amazing photographer and I cherish every picture he takes (except the the ones when he catches me eating or pulling a wierd face). He is the best dad ever and I is more like the Mom at our house. He keeps us all together. Time has flown as we have 2 girls now and he is even more handsome than the day I met him.
We have been Fencing together lately and that has been fun. We are both on the Penn State Fencing Group. He is actually very good and kicks my butt very often. I am working on getting better so I can redeem myself.
Mark is going to be 33 and looks 25. Go figure.
He has 3 different books that he is writing and is always jotting things down in his journals. He has at least 5 current Journals.
His latest passion is Fencing. He is amazing at it. I love to brag him up. He is a wonderful Man and I just wanted to wish him the best birthday ever. I love you babe.










Thursday, November 20, 2008

Happy Birthday Dad.

Happy Birthday DAD!

I must blog today about a wonderful man in my life. For a long time the only man in my life. My dad put up with 5 women in our house for a very long time. He was and is the most patient man I have ever ever ever met. He has a heart the size of texas and he is so creative and hilarious. He can always make me smile. I really really miss him. He and I became best friends. When I was young he and I used to catch bugs together. He loved Botany and insects in college. When I got older he and i used to do a lot together. We rode horses, we shingled the garage, we put up a whole sprinkler system. I really don't know what I would do without him.


I always felt and feel so much love from my father. He is the best man I know. :)


I love ya Dad.


Monday, November 17, 2008


Last night we had a friend over for dinner. He is an investigator to our church. The missionaries have only been teaching him a few weeks and he is ready to be baptized. He is a great guy. He has been through a lot in the last 4 months. His wife had an opportunity for a job in Baltimore....and she went to check it out. She never came back.... she left him with 3 girls. He didn't know what to do. They are back in contact now and trying to figure things out. But when the missionaries came to his door he knew they would change his life. It is very touching.
It really makes you appreciate what you have when you know that it literally could walk out the door.
He is a stronger and better man than I could ever be. He will be a wonderful member.

In light of the experience this weekend. I would like to post pics of what I am thankful for. My family.














Thursday, November 13, 2008

picture overload...

I downloaded over 100 pictures today from Mark's archives and I would love to post every last one of them. but for the sake of time, which I have so little of lately...I will post the most recent ones. Halloween.

Sydney got to go two different nights the first night she was Cinderella. The second she was little Mermaid. She and Morgan ran around for hours And then little timid Sammy needed a hand for extra courage to go up to the houses and say trick or treat. Syd practically dragged her everywhere. :)
This is a picture of Rowyn in her blessing dress. She is so so so strong. she holds herself up and Loves to sit up. She has really found her smile.


This is our most recent family picture. lol. Mark wasn't very happy with it (perfectionist) He won't put it on the wall if he isn't happy with it. I like it because the day was so much fun. we went to the pumpkin patch to pick pumkins and went for a hay ride. rowyn got cold but sydney had a blast. she even got to cuddle up with Benny.
so cute.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Cheryl came to visit

Amish weekend




So we had a wonderful time this weekend with my sister and her family here. We enjoyed good amish countryside and food and had a good time catching up. They are wonderful. I think they really enjoyed the quaint victorian town we live in....and the Amish community not far from where we live. Jillian...their little 2 year old girl and Sydney had a great time together.
I love the Amish People. They are usually so meek. except for the boy that flipped us off because we were trying to take a picture of him.
This is the Reynolds Mansion. One of the many bed and Breadfast mansions in our neighborhood.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Sooooooooo.......

Wow. We have a long 4 years ahead of us. I am personally going to focus on preparing my family for anything. Food storage and 72 hr kits. This year will be my Food storage improvement year. I worry for our Country. I worry for our future. But mostly I worry that I won't be prepared.

These are the Last days.

I read an article that said the food storage is to protect you from yourself. It said people do the most unimaginable when they are starving....and they will do just about anything to get food when they are watching their children starve. I believe this. So I do think it very important to make sure I have enough food and heat for my family.

Mark thinks I over react when it comes to this stuff....I do.....but I would rather that I over react than not react enough. :)

It is my goal to start canning this winter and next summer. I have a great canner, thanks to my great friend Steph.

God Bless America. We are going to need it.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

I stole this from Monica's Blog. Sorry Monica....I had to. It is so true.
Vote today.
I am.

I will have loads of pictures tomorrow. Yay.



Twas the night before electionsAnd all through the town
Tempers were flaringEmotions all up and down!
I, in my bathrobeWith a cat in my lap
Had cut off the TVTired of political crap.
When all of a suddenThere arose such a noise
I peered out of my windowSaw Obama and his boys
They had come for my wallet
They wanted my pay
To give to the othersWho had not worked a day!
He snatched up my moneyAnd quick as a wink
Jumped back on his bandwagon
As I gagged from the stink
He then rallied his henchmenWho were pulling his cart
I could tell they were out To tear my country apart!
' On Fannie, on Freddie, On Biden and Ayers!
On Acorn, On Pelosi'He screamed at the pairs!
They took off for his causeAnd as he flew out of sight
I heard him laugh at the nation Who wouldn't stand up and fight!
So I leave you to thinkOn this one final note-
IF YOU DONT WANT SOCIALISM
GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!

Monday, October 27, 2008

This is our little Rowyn. She is growing. I still can't believe it has been 5 months since we were in the hospital waiting for her to come. I remember thinking time was going so slow. Now time has gone too fast to measure. She is teething. Yesterday she chomped down so hard on her finger that she scratched a big cut on her gums. She was bleeding and I couldn't figure out from what. goofy girl. She looks like a Murdock.

This weekend was a crazy cleaning frenzie. My sister Cheryl comes to visit from Utah next weekend so we are cleaning up the guest room.
The Missionaries came by and one of them had a pair of shoes that were falling apart. So Mark got rid of 2 pairs of shoes, hurray. Mark is a shoe monger. So I think it was great that he was able to give them to the Missionary. They will be put to good use. We made the Missionaries carve our pumpkins for us. Elder Hess got the tough task of carving the Gourd that Sydney had picked out. Sydney loved it.
Mark's brother Cecil is in town so we will be out and about playing with him all week. Lots to do.

Monday, October 20, 2008

the great pumpkin

We had a wonderful weekend. We got up early Saturday and went to Wasson's Farm where we took a hayride to a pumpkin patch. Once in the pumpkin patch we were allowed to pick whatever pumpkin we found...big or small. Sydney searched the whole patch and chose the smallest little....wait for it.......gourd. Mark chose a gynormous Green/almost Black Pumpkin. And I chose a pumpkin for Rowyn. We got woopie pies, amish yummieness, and apple butter. I lost Sydney in the Corn Maze because I was Carrying Rowyn and couldn't keep up with her. She is fast, And Boy I am out of shape. I will post pictures as I get them from the photographer. He is super uber uber busy right now. Weddings and Senior portraits really keep us busy during the fall. I love his fall weddings though. They are so beautiful. The colors are gorgeous.

Well that was our weekend. Lots going on but still time to play and be together as a family. Blessings are abundant. I love life.

Happy Halloween.

Oh yeah....I was going to post about costumes.
Rowyn is going to be a Pumpkin...very original...Syd is going to be one of 3 things. 1. Cinderella (with a little pumkin named Rowyn) 2. Little Mermaid 3.Tinkerbell
Mark's Mom loves to buy Syd costumes for dress up so she has so many to choose from. I will let you know. and lots of pictures are to come. :)

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

forgotten things



i have realized over the last Months that I have not been a very good blogger. I have had some great experiences that I haven't written in. Now that my family is checking the blog I wanted to make sure I got those in.




Baby Blessing....


Yes we blessed her August 31st. She looked so beautiful in her white dress. Mark gave a beautiful yet surprisingly short (if you know Mark you know he can TALK for great lengths of time). I expected it to be a lengthy blessing. It was beautiful though. When he brought her back to me she was sopping wet. Mark had accidently unlatched her diaper so that one side was completely undone. So in the middle of the blessing....she peed all over him. Then she also spit up all over him. So both of his arms were quite wet when he handed her to me. I had to immediatly take her out and change her clothes. It was a short lived moment for the beautiful dress my mom bought for her. :(




Sydney is growing like a weed. I have some new pics I am posting. She says the cutest things. She repeats everything we say. She asks the sweetest questions and she gives her love so willingly. She is very emotional and very dramatic. She cries easily when you are repremanding her, and she laughs every other moment of the day. She loves to laugh. She sat on Marks lap the other day and said " I love you gorgeous man " which is what I call him. It made us laugh so.




We are keeping busy and the baby is growing so fast. Time flies.

Monday, October 6, 2008

tagged

I was tagged by Jalee. This is my first tag. So bear with me. It is to tell 6 unspectacular quirks about you and then Tag 6 following bloggers by linking to them . Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged.

Yikes. I have a few doozies!!!


1. I am a picker. I know I know ewwww gross. If my husband or I have a pimple..... I have to pick it. It drives me nuts not to get the ugly thing. I think this is my worst quirk so breath easy the rest are more mild.


2. I love to run my fingers through my hair. I do it all the time. I had to stop lately though because after I had the baby my hair started falling out. Naturally. But when I run my fingers through it it started coming out in large masses. So I try not to touch my head.


3. I have a terrible habit of not knowing the right word for the right meaning, so I tend to make up a word that sounds close to the word I am trying to think of. For example...... I might say succinctly rather that sequential. Or turbid rather timid. Or eccentric rather than intrinsic. I have a hard time saying what is in my head. it is like my lips don't connect to the mother board. oh well. Those who love me understand me. That is all that matters.

4. I love sweets but I try to hide that I eat them. I will get a candy bar here at work and hide it and take nibbles of it. Even if there is no one around. Goofy. I try to do the same at home. Sydney always catches me and says me too me too. I look like a binger sometimes cause I will shove a whole cookie in my mouth and chew it up fast so no one will see me eat it. I am sure there is some phyco-analytical term for my quirk....but I don't really care. To me it is just an insecure quirk.

By the way....this is harder than it sounds. Naming all of the things that can embarrass you takes some guts.

5. I love to kiss babies. my babies, and sometimes nieces and nephews, and even an occasional close friends baby. I hold them and just kiss their little heads over and over and over. I breath in their little baby smell and it is like I am in a kissing trance. Baby lotion makes this quirk even worse. I just have to kiss them. mmmmmm I love kissing baby heads.....and cheeks.....and fingers....and toes. I love it.

6. Last of all. I talk to myself. I think I get lonely for decent conversation when Mark and I are so busy. I just end up having full out conversations with myself. I don't neccessarily answer back.... I just need to hear what I am thinking out loud.. Sydney asks me what I am doing all the time. And I just say...Mommy needs to hear how she is doing. lol. She says ok. Then she asks how I am. I give her a great big hug and tell her I am doing wonderful. Then she and I talk for a long time. Kids are wonderful.

Oh I almost forgot....when I was younger I used to walk around with my head slightly tilted to the side. I later found out I had a spinal condition and it takes a few visits to the chiropractor but I don't walk like I forgot my V8 anymore :)

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

give away













they are giving away a bedroom set for the best picture of your baby sleeping. Under 12 is the only stipulation. Go ahead....try it. :)


I would go for the Summer breeze one cause it goes with the nautical theme we have going on.

Wouldn't that be cool.


Here are my pics.






sleeping like a baby


Here, Sydney is playing Sleeping Beauty on the couch

she could really use a bed.... Her prince is here to rescue her

Prince charming saves the day.


And finally my favorite.....
Sydney likes to sneak in
and get the new baby
and take her to her bed
to sleep. they are sweet.

Life

Life seems so uneventful right now. There is so much happening but so little. Does that make sense. Mark has his last two weddings this month. And I have a new calling. I am the Relief Society Newletter Guru. I just finished up 5 years in the Primary Pres. I hardly know how to communicate with adults. It is nice to be back with the adults though. I do miss the funny things that kids say in Primary. And I miss that amazing spirit that dwells with them.

We are thinking of taking a fall foliage trip. We do this every year. Last year we went to Maine. It was so so beautiful. We went to the white mountains and visited so many light houses I lost track. So this year we want to go somewhere to take pics of the fall. New England is notorious for it's gorgious falls. We have narrowed it down to North Carolina, cause we have friends with a house there, or New Hampshire, cause we have friends with a house there. ;) Funny... you know you are broke when your vacations are limited to free lodging. Oh well.

Some day we hope to get to England where Mark's sister in-laws parents live. We really want to do a tour of Europe. I have a feeling the girls will be in College by then. Maybe the US dollar will be worth more than 23 cents then. Someday. I can wish...right. :)

Thursday, September 25, 2008

better

AAAAAhhhhhhh that is better. Thanks to all the good advice from Monica and Sister Dean. I am up and flowing again. Such a sensitive area. Who knew that could bring to me the edge of my pain threshold. I am a dramatic person to begin with, but I am really not exaggerating too much. :)

I will have pictures to post today (not of the Mastitis.....lol) of Syd and Rowyn. So I will put them on as soon as work lets up a bit.

back to playing with my Chemicals.

I finally got my family hooked into this blog so they can read the updates. Hi guys. I love you all so so so much. I miss you and hope that this blog will give you some daily connection to us drifters here in Pennsylvania.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Holy Mamiferous Mastitis

OH MAN. Why did no one tell me about this blasted problem. MASTITIS!!! I thought I had breast cancer with moments to live...it hurt that bad. Hurts that bad. You can see the enormous lumps. Sorry...a little graphic. This cursed thing. Ok. Now I have looked it up and done all the suggestions to help make it feel better but it isn't working. I am going home to ask my husband for a blessing, feed the baby....if she will take it, and sleep for the rest of the day. Wow. Now I know why women stop breast feeding when they get this. Please keep me in your prayers cause I could use a little extra help on this. And if you don't pray......start. :)


post later.

Monday, September 22, 2008

booklist

A good friend of mine posted this list. It is a good one. You are supposed to bold the ones you have read and put the ones you want to read in italics. I used Italics for the ones I have started but didn't finish.
24 out of 100 boy I need ot get reading. :)

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (some of them)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery (another one I started)
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (Yet, another one I started...)

Friday, September 19, 2008

What do you all think of this Haircut???? This is similar to what I have done in the past... and I think it is a better length for me. Basically I am just going to cut off the shaggy part of the Shag haircut I just got. :) Tune in tomorrow.

never satisfied

So first thing I have to do is apologize for no picture of the new do. But.... I don't like it anymore. I am having the hardest time styling it. I have a bit of natural curl in my hair and it makes the do just look like a mess. So.....I am going to have a new stylist cut and do my hair. No offense to Mark's mom..... my first haircut.....but I need a current professional. Mark's mom used to be a beautician but I need someone a little more familiar with the trends. I definetly love her for doing it though. So....again. If you have any suggestions on a cute do. Let me know. I will probably go sometime this next week.

I wish everyone a happy weekend :)

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

pizza mmmmmm

So who likes Papa Murphy's Pizza????? Well I love it. Especially the gormet chicken one. Well here in the east they only have Papa Johns, which isn't anywhere near Papa Murphy's.... and no one in this part of the country does a chicken pizza like them. So....i went to good old copycat recipes and I made it myself. Oh man..... it was just like it. Sooo sooo sooo good. Mark and Sydney and I pigged out. Needless to say we will be makeing it again.

Here is the recipe... if you want it.

2 cups ranch dressing- (prefferably homemade with the hidden valley packets, with buttermilk)
1-2 tsp minced garlic. go by your taste. If you like it garlicy go with 2.
put this in a food processor and cream together. This is your sauce.

Then boil 1-2 chicken breast (depending on size of pizza) boil till the pink is almost gone. Then chop them up into little pieces.
Dice 1-2 tomatoes (again according to size of pizza)
Dice 2 sprigs of Green Onion.
Top the pizza with Sauce, then Mozzarella, then tomatoes and onions.
Cook in oven for about 20 minutes on 350.

I use the premade dough from the good old freezer department in Wal-Mart. Any dough will do.

enjoy.

PS. They also have a make it yourself Cafe rio Salad Dressing. So so so good.
I am drowning myself in saliva, so I have to go now.

Monday, September 8, 2008

cut cutty cut

So I did get it cut. I used the picture I posted in my last post. It isn't exact, but no hair dresser is perfect. I really like it . It frames my face in and makes me look nice. I can just run my fingers through it and tada!!!! I havn't had my hair done in a long time. I have been pulling it up for about a year straight. So I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that no one even noticed I got it cut, cause I always wear it up. I will post a picture soon so you can see it.

I love this blog thing. I love seeing what my old friends are up too. I love to see how blessed you all are. What a testimony that the Lord blesses us all and knows us so well. It is apparent that he is actively blessing each of us.

Love you guys.

Friday, September 5, 2008

new hair

It is that time.....when you get sick of the old hair and need something new. I am challenging all my friends to find a cute medium short to short hair style for me.
this is the one I am considering today. Tomorrow.....who knows. I will let you know which one I choose. :)


Darn I really wanted to win the cute hair stuff at girly do's but oh well. Sydney loves to look at her little girls princess hair dos. Have a great day.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

give away

The sweetness of Girly Do's is giving away prizes. Go and see. http://girlydos.blogspot.com/

We love to try all the cute hairstyles.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

great weekend

So we had a great weekend. WE took Syd to her first water park. She was cold. But I think she had fun. We got there at 11:00 and went home at 8:00pm. Long day but not bad when you have two angels. Both the girls were wonderful. I couldn't believe how good they were. I guess it makes it easy when you are having a great time. Rowyn was the best. She was so laid back sometime I forgot she was even in the stroller. She loved the colors and lights. Needless to say we will be going back. I don't have pictures yet but.... here is one from last weekend at Chocolate World.


Rowyn loved being a factory worker.

Friday, August 29, 2008

http://www.reliv.com/US/EN/Health.html?id=3552

I have been checking it out and it is tempting. Reliv. A little pricey but it seems very legitamate. Anyone ever try this stuff/?? I am trying to decide if I should try a classic suppliment or just go straight for the weight loss stuff. If anyone has any experience let me know.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008















Fun Crazy weekend.

Our friends Josh and Jalee and their kiddos all came to see us from ST. George. Wow they must love us to come that far just for us. We had a blast.
Syd finally found a prince phillipe who would kiss her and wake her up. He even carried a sword everywhere he went.
We love the Scotts.
Rowyn didn't know what to think of all this excitement.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

so similar



I was looking at pictures of Sydney when she was Rowyn's age and I think they look a lot alike. It will be interesting to see as Rowyn grows how similar they will be. These are some of my favorite pictures when Sydney was a baby. See if you can tell which one is Syd and Row.

Monday, August 18, 2008

new pics




Thanks to everyone (Monica and Jen) for the great advice. I am on my way to healthier eating and taking on the Treadmill 4 times a week. Has anyone ever heard of ReLiv??? My mom might get me some so I think I will try it. Thanks for the tips on eating Monica. I am looking forward to a yummy smoothie every morning. It has to be better than eating dry cereal at work. I can make it and take it with me. So hurray. My amazing friend and her family are coming all the way from St. George just to see us this week. We are going to do all the fun stuff in PA. First we are going to go gawk at the amish. It's one of my favorite things to do. They are so intrigueing. Plus sometimes the uber religious group will have a rebel boy who will flip you off if you try to take his picture. lol. They have beautiful homes and make the most amazing food. We go to the buffet and eat until we can't eat anymore.....then we have homemade ice cream. Then after that we will try to go to either Gettysburg or Washington DC. Both are amazing to behold.






Here are the latest pics. Mark's aunt Lori came to visit.