I hate appliances!!!!

Well it has been since May 14th that we had the microwave fixed and guess what?

It is not working again!!!

I am so frustrated and to make things worse, I am leaving for a girls weekend.

(I know are we not all just jealous that I get to leave again.?)

So here I have made so many nutritious meals that just require re-heating for my family to enjoy. "The Man" looks at me and says that it will be another PB&J weekend till I get back.

Poor guy, but they do seem to survive when I am gone.

Why are things not built to last?

Planned obsolescence really stinks!!!

The day Daddy got really scared.

Sunday is Church day.

But, Sunday I decided to take some time and pamper the "Drama Queen". She has the longest, strongest nails ever, compared to my paper thin things. She lets them grow so long and then decides that during art she is going to chop them off with those awful blunt edged scissors. Makes me crazy. So there were her hands with long glamorous nails, so we french-tipped them.

Wow!

They looked good, almost professional good.The "Drama Queen" has decided to grow out her bangs and make her hair all one long length. This has produced many dilemmas as to what to do with the bang-in-the-face problem. So I decided that since we are glam'ing the nails we will do the hair too. So I get out my 3rd degree curling iron and 50 or so bobby-pins and go to town.

We are both having the time of our lives.

Me, because she so rarely lets me do this -but at the moment she cannot escape cause her toes and fingers are wet.

"Drama Queen", because mom is actually making her look good and she likes it - very grown up.

Last bobby-pin is placed and I give her a good coating of hairspray and we are off to select just the right dress and shoes to accentuate the whole look. When she is done, I am so pleased. She looks beautiful, wholesome and so gorgeous.

"Drama Queen" descends the stairs as I rally the guys to come and witness the transformation. "The Man" is speechless, in fact he has an almost green tint to his face. He compliments "Drama Queen", telling her that she looks wonderful.

Several moments later I am getting ready for church and "the man" corners me in our room. He is shaking.
"Honey, are you alright?"

"Did you see our daughter?"

"Yeah! I kinda had to to do her hair."

"She looks so grown-up."

"She looks beautiful."

"I am not ready for her to be grown-up."

I kinda stop and look at him. I guess that I have been more aware of the change as I see the other kids in her classes maturing. Next year we deal with Maturation at school and I know that I am already wigging out about that one. But she is going to grow up. I guess he just did not see it or that he just does not want to start thinking about what that means. Regardless it was the day that Daddy really got scared. I watched him with the kids that day, he kept looking at them so strangely almost as if he had not seen them for a long time. I guess there is a time when you look at your kids and suddenly they are so grown-up. When did they change and were was I when it happened?

All I know is that I want to be there and that if I can help my kids grow-up better then I did, stronger than I was at their age and hopefully instill in them the tremendous love that I have for them, then that is the best that I can hope for.

Look what happened in ten short years:

What is that?

The "Drama Queen" asked me the other day what a rolly polly bug was.....having no response I went to my all knowing computer and Googled it.

Pillbug
Description, Elimination of Pillbugs, Roly-Polys
Pillbugs and sowbugs though similar are different bugs that fall into the pest category of occasional invaders. Sowbugs and pillbugs are crustaceans and are closely related to crayfish and shrimp, more so than to insects.
Often confused with sowbugs, one of the distinct differences of sowbugs and pillbugs is that a pillbug has the ability to roll its body up into a ball resembling a small pill; a sowbug does not roll into a ball.
Pillbugs prefer damp areas, which is why they are often found invading homes through openings close to patio doors, laundry rooms and basements. These bugs feed on decaying vegetation most often found in mulched areas around homes. The damp conditions and decaying organic debris are contributing factors for several occasional invaders such as millipedes. Elimination procedures for Pillbugs parallel those for millipedes and sowbugs.

Now we all know what it is.....
Have fun playing with the rolly polly next time you garden.

Things that make you go EEEEKKK!!!!!!

I will be the first person to admit that I HATE snakes!!

The very idea that they slither, and slide across the ground just makes me want to find a place to crawl into and hide.

I came home from work late and went to kiss my "babies" good night. "Drama Queen" was waiting for me.

"Mom!"

"What Honey?"

"We got a pet."

"Really...?"

We have no pets, in fact my efforts to talk "the man" into a dog have been for not.

"What pet would that be?"

"We found a snake! It is so cool mom, we made it a bed and took it for a ride and tomorrow I am gonna feed it."

Feeling my skin begin to crawl, but ever the supportive Mom.

"That is great Honey, now go to sleep......A, um, you did wash your hands right?"

So I come down from kissing them and hearing all about the new pet to "the man" who is waiting to show me our new pet. Luckily for me it has escaped and is somewhere slithering happily far away from our home, much to my husbands disappointment. He loves to watch me WIG OUT!

Next day. I decide that it is time to mow the lawn since it is going to seed. I begin by trimming - in my bare feet. YES, I know that is really dumb, but I hate shoes!!! So I am trimming along and take one step in some really long grass and there he is.......the new pet. I let out a death-curtling-scream. This of course falls on deaf ears as my kids are over at the neighbors home. So I run/walk in my bare feet over to get my kids so they can save their whimpy Mom.

Ring-ring-knock-knock! Door slowly opens...........

"Where are my kids, I need the kids to come home and get their pet!!!"

Cute little neighbor girl. "What pet, you got a pet?"

Drama Queen really annoyed that I am there. "Mom, we don't want to come home."

"You will get home right now and get your pet out of my yard!!!"

"Snakey! Snakey is back?"

"YES!!!"

So my kids, Maddie down the street, and all my neighbors kids, 4 to be exact- come pouring out of the house to come see Snakey. Of course when they get there, no snake. He is gone and I am standing there a fool.

"Mom, are you sure that he was here?"

"YES! I will come and get you if I see him again."

Off they all go, back to play and await Snakey's next apperance which did not take too long. First time around the yard with the lawn mower, Snakey decides to make his apperance. That was it, me or the snake. Luckily for them my kids were coming in the back door or he was going to see what my mower does to stray things.

"Mom, do not mow Snakey!!!"

"Then come get him cause it is either me or the snake."

So as I mow, my kids happily play with Snakey, loving him, putting him around their necks and using the cut grass to make him a nice home in the wagon.

When it is time for Maddie to go home we let her take "Snakey" to show what fun things you get to play with at our house. Her parents were less then thrilled.

Out there, somewhere in my vast yard, there is a snake - Snakey. I am sure that he does a very good job eating bugs. I am sure that he does have a purpose other than scaring me. I know that at some point I might have to resolve my issues with him, although I am sure that he is unaware of any issues between us. But for now I would be quite content to just have him venture into anothers yard and find a safe refuge there, but that is not the way of my life. Once plagued I know that I will be visited yet again by our snakey friend.

Anyone want a snake?

Microwave Urban Legends

Parts arrived......

Man in van showed up............

$180.00 magnetron tube replaced..............on a $200.00 Microwave.

Advice dispensed.................................Priceless!

Here is the 411:

Microwave popcorn DOES NOT burn up your magnetron tube, it is the heat.

Under cupboard microwaves do not have the airflow that allows then to function as well as stand alone units. So if you want your microwave to last get a stand alone or an extended warranty so they have to replace your expensive magnetron tube.

Choo......choo.....cool

Salt Lake has a cool new commuter train system called the Front Runner.

We live close to RXR tracks and have watched as they have worked on laying the tracks for this new "traffic relief" train.

The first week that it was up and running rides were free. The lines were so long that we gave up most days. The first night being Family Home Evening night - most went down and braved the waits. It was reported that they were 2 hours behind schedule due to a child going missing. All trains had to stop and get searched till he was found. What a mess!

One afternoon, "sweet-boy" and I were driving past our station and there were no lines. So disregarding all that I needed to get done, we parked in BFE and hiked to the station. Hoping that not too many would see the break in the action. We waited for our train...20 minutes, 25 minutes and I noticed that "Sweet-boy" had that face that we all know means we are in trouble.


"Mom?"

"Yes Honey."

"I need to go real BAD."

"Are you sure?"

"I really need to GOOOOO!"

So the good mom that I am, I look around for an obliging bush, nothing, no out buildings, nothing, but a small Mom & Pop restaurant. So we start walking to this restaurant and just as we make it to the door we hear the train whistles.

Now at this point I need to explain that we had to walk down a ramp, across the tracks, thru the fenced in maze, around a parking lot and then finally to the very back of the restaurant to find the bathroom.

We look at each other and decide that we are up to the challenge. Breaking all "Bathroom" records we exit the building, retrace our steps in what can only be described as a frantic dead run and I HATE to run. We are just turning the corner where we have to cross the tracks when I look to see a train, a very big train and decide right there that this is worth dying for. "Sweet-boy" right on my heals, reaches out and we clasp hands and he becomes suspended in air as I am pulling/running him across the tracks in front of the train. Just at this moment the conductor decides is a good time to let me know that they have arrived and blows out my hearing with a long whistle.


Gasping for breath we stop on the ramp and watch as one of two trains stops at the station - one going to Salt Lake, the other to Ogden. We hop on the Ogden bound train and begin to press our way to the upper deck. Arriving on the upper deck we spy 1 seat and plop down. Me to say a quick prayer of thanks that we are still alive and "sweet-boy" to finally ride the train. Thank fully we are surrounded by Grandparents' that understand the excitement of a young boy and "Sweet-boy" moves to the window seat. What fun it was.

I got nothing done on my "To Do, list....." but I didn't care - I spent an afternoon making a wonderful memory with my little guy, who will not always be 6, and who will not always think that risking life and limb with mom is cool.

You can't trick it.......

YOUR AGE BY EATING OUT
Don't tell me your age; you probably would tell a falsehood anyway- but your waiter may know!
YOUR AGE BY DINER & RESTAURANT MATH
This is pretty neat

DON'T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST!
It takes less than a minute. Work this out as you read .
Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out!
This is not one of those waste of time things, it's fun.
1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to go out to eat.
(more than once but less than 10)
2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)
3. Add 5
4. Multiply it by 50
5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1758...
If you haven't, add 1757.
6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.
You should have a three digit number
The first digit of this was your original number. (I.e., How many times you want to go out to restaurants in a week.)
The next two numbers are

YOUR AGE ! ------ (Oh YES, it is!)

THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2008) IT WILL EVER WORK.

Appliance Disaster

Have you ever noticed how much we rely on modern conveniences such as the stove, the washer and dryer and say the must have for every kitchen - the microwave?

We'll my microwave, that is less than a year old, has decided that it does not want to warm things up anymore. So right before Women's Conference it broke down. While I was away being spiritually fed, my sweet hubby was without his most important "Daddy survival friend".

Side note: As the Prophet opened his remarks on Friday afternoon, he remarked, "that looking out into the audience and seeing so many wonderful women, that he could not help but wonder at the amount of PB&J that was served over the last 3 days..."

Needless to say that the microwave is still broken as we are waiting for the magnetron tube to arrive. I guess that is the "thingy" (yes such a technical term) that makes everything work in your microwave. I have since found out that the quickest way to burn out your magnetron is popcorn, bummer! I guess that I will have to get a spare cause I am not giving that up.

Anyway, without that very necessary kitchen appliance I was planning on making cookies today. So when I was done making lunch and the cook top was still warm I placed, on a plate, the butter. Thinking that it would soften faster then waiting hours to achieve the same result I carelessly forgot about it and continued on my 6 loads of laundry. Hours later when I remembered that cookies were on my "TO DO" list, this is what I found.

What a mess!

The worst is there is no cookie dough, nor fresh baked cookies for the weekend. Ah Well, there is always next week, right?