"I Thought I Saw a Puddy Tat"

Do you live within a two mile radius of our house? If you do, you know what I'm talking about. Oaks had an encounter with a black and white striped kitty cat tonight.

 

Ops! I guess it wasn't a kitty, you guessed it, a stinky skunk. Have you ever been sprayed by a skunk? We've personally never been this close to the odor before and, oh my goodness, that is a seriously potent smell. Mark kept commenting that it smelled like a chemical. Right after the spraying Oakley ran back into the house, clearly spooked. The odor actually hung like a mist in the house. He spent about half an hour in the tub with Mark.

 

We got a bottle of Joy from the neighbors and washed him down three times with that and then wiped him down with cider vinegar. He still smells. And, the house still smells. I've used up a whole bottle of Febreeze, spraying everywhere.
A funny side note, James was the only child awake when this all happened and he was complaining profusely about the smell. In all the commotion, I hadn't noticed he had disappereared. He came into the bathroom where we were working and announced, oh, this is so much better!! We turned to look at him and he has a plastic bag completely over his head, tied in a knot. Argh!! Safety first, that's our motto. I was going to snap a photo, but I thought maybe it wasn't a good idea to photo document that. I've gotta draw the line somewhere.

Making it all Fit

Here's my general contractor. He did the demo super fast.

 

 

 

My little painter enjoyed his time on the job. He actually only spent about 2.5 minutes at work, but he left his mark. I cleared out three bags of clothes and I still had plenty left over to pack my new closet. It's made me seriously reconsider the way I look at my wardrobe. Why do I have so much but constantly feel like I have nothing to wear? I think maybe I need to purge a little more frequently. Oh, and I am not going to allow myself any more shoes. I think I have an adequate supply. I know some people might not think that is possible, but for me, I can't take any more and still sleep peacefully at night.

 

 

 

This is my favorite part. I was a little nervous that the dresser in the corner of the closet might not be the best idea, but it's perfect. I put a lamp on top and now it's my accesory station. This part totally makes me happy!

 

So, that's it! I'm so glad I went on the Clutter Diet which inspired me to finally tackle this area of my home that has plagued me for so long. It's actually making me appreciate my home more, particularily our smaller square footage. The more areas that I feel I conquer and gain control over, the more content I become with where we live. It's like a twisted little puzzle and I just made one more piece fall into place. Yipee~!

Daddy Daughter Day at Disneyland

This is a great photo from Abby's newest favorite, the Buzz LightYear ride. Mark had some extra time on his hands to people watch and pontificate while she caught an afternoon nap. He came to some great conclusions:


Why I don't fit in at Disneyland:
1. I don't have body piercings
2. I don't have tattoos
3. My kids don't have Mohawks and/or bright colored hair
4. I don't wear Disney apparel
5. I don't look like I was just on Cops and/or out of prison
6. I don't wear jeans half way down my bottom except when I am working in the yard or working in the house.
7. I don't have anything designed by Ed Hardy. Ed Hardy? Who is that guy anyway?
8. I don't own a pair of Mickey Mouse gloves
9. I really miss the People Mover ride. Dang Star Tours!
10. I get frustrated because I can't find all of the hidden Mickeys. I take that back, I don't really care.
Why I like coming to Disneyland:
1. My kids love it
2. I stand out as "different."
3. People watching
4. I really love Mary Poppins. She is just so prim and proper. There is an ugly one that comes out occasionally and I don't appreciate that very much. Laura is, of course, my #1.
5. Can't get a tastier turkey leg anywhere!
6. I still am trying to figure out what animal is Goofy? Dog, Cow, a mix of the two named a Dow or Cog? I think Walt was working on some animal genetics something or other. They still have kennels and a ranch here. Hmmmmm.
7. They haven't taken out the shooting range. However, if tighter gun laws are passed, that may go to.
8. I still haven't been to Club 33 but my hopes are still alive.
9. They attendants have to smile and act like my jokes are funny, even when Laura tells me they aren't.
10. Some foreign tourists don't have space issues and usually end up touching me in line. I kind of like that because it makes me feel closer to the whole world.

What Makes My Day (Today)

-Daddy/Daughter day at Disneyland
-Glute firming hike up to the peak of Mount Woodson
-Discovering Honey Mustard dressing at Subway
-Securing a fabulous swim coach for the boys
-Entertainment at school variety show
-New flat screen 19' tv on my computer desk (not in my closet)
-Boys curled up in my bed giggling at above mentioned tv
-Dog curled up at foot of bed (totally tuckered out after above mentioned hike)
-New closet completion is so close I can almost taste it....
(p.s. not that I'm superstitious, but is it odd that my last three posts have each received 13 comments? and not all the same 13 people...)

Counting Calories

I haven't had time to blog since I went on my clutter diet. It's consuming my every waking moment. (Other than the moments where I'm doing laundry, being a fabulous mother and wife, etc..) I'm just brave enough to share a photo of my current project.
Ok, here I go. This is my closet.

 

 

Gulp. Ok, so it's pretty bad. But, tonight we started the project. I emptied the closet, Mark demolished the shelf and rod and patched up the holes. Tomorrow I'm painting the inside of my closet. After that, Mark will be installing double rods and a shelf for me. I was spoiled with a walk-in closet as a teenager and I have lived in deprivation for my adult years. Now I've decided to fully embrace my lack of a walk-in closet and face it straight on. (I have to face it that way because I can't turn around in it.)

P.S. Let me explain the tv in the closet. It's a dumb idea and it only serves as a symbol of our family's unhealthy television attachment disorder. It's been relegated to the playroom. But really, isn't there somebody out there that needs a tv that I can give it to? Clearly I have issues with getting rid of a functioning television. Help me!

Spring Break St. George

We got the St.George bug late this week. We couldn't resist the call of the slopes and the dessert. We left town on Thursday and got into SG late in the evening. We snagged some Cafe Rio and then headed home to get some rest. The boys woke up early and headed for BrianHead. They had a blast. David tried hard to get a hold of Grandpa on his "cellphone" (it's really a folded resort map, he's got a good imagination!)

 

Unfortunately James doesn't acclimate too well. He got some serious altitude sickness.

 

Here's a sight I'm not entirely comfortable with. Mark and Grandpa took the boys shooting. They all thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I was nervous the whole time. I soothed my fears by leaving the scene and getting some shopping done with Abby at the outlets. Retail therapy at it's best!!

 

We decided to head home on Saturday night instead of Sunday morning. It was a good choice, the ride went very smoothly as the kids slept most of the time. We pulled into San Diego around 2am. That gave us plenty of time to fix ourselves up for Easter Sunday.

 

I loved this Spring Break, makes me want to start the countdown to summer!

Only the Nose Knows

It all started with a bicycle, a curb, and a perfect nose. They all came together and it wasn't pretty. David's nose took the brunt of the injury. I was in Connecticut at the time so all I got to see was a photo text of the injury. (Excellent picture by the way Michelle!) Last week we paid a visit to a special nose doctor. (That's how we described him to the kids after their confusion over the official title of Otolaryngologist.) He recommended a closed reduction for David's nasal fracture. The procedure was scheduled for 1:40pm today. David was not allowed to eat anything from bedtime last night. He actually did really well. (Better than I would have done!) He drank clear fluids and sucked on popsicles all morning. He really wanted to bring James along with him, but we insisted that it would be better if he stayed home with Abby. We compromised by taking lots of pictures of the experience so David could show everything to his big bro.

 

This is the part where they hooked David up E.T. style to the monitors.

 

Of course, he had to change out of his everyday uniform into hospital jammies. He was too "shy" for me to take a picture right away in his new outfit so he suggested I take a shot of the very cool bag with his regular clothes in it.

 

You'll have to use your imagination for the next part, which entailed 90 minutes of waiting in a crowded waiting room/play room with suspicious toddler toys. David was experiencing major anxiety as the time went on. When they finally called us back 15 minutes before our appointed time he started to lose it. We visited with the doctors, and after all that.... they sent us away~! Apparently, his nose has healed perfectly and the doctor said there was no way she could fix it any better than it already was. All along I have thought it looked ok, but the other doctor had said he felt a bump and if nothing was done it could grow more crooked as he aged. I guess in the week between when that doctor evaluated him and today, that bump and any crook has resolved itself. Needless to say, David was thrilled! And, I was emotionally drained for the day.
Definitely warranted a trip to Mickey D's.

 

Morale of the story: Don't mess with Perfection.

The Creative Juices are Flowing

We've got the whole food object lesson thing going on right now. For Family Home Evening we made cupcake tombs. I don't want to come across as disrespectful or irreverent towards the sacred holiday of Easter, but my kids have a difficult time with heavy concepts like resurrection and the like. So this activity was right up their aisle. We hallowed out the snowball cupcakes and put a little note folded up inside that read, "He is not here. He is Risen!". Then we put the cupcake on a bed of grass(tinted coconut flakes) and placed a stone(a mini vanilla wafer) in front of the "tomb". As they worked on their creations we talked about the importance of Easter and why we celebrate.

 

 

It was a simple activity, but they really loved it. And hopefully, they will remember the meaning behind it all.

 

 

On a similar creative note, Melissa gave me this idea for a treat. It a Rice Krispie treat with grass(that clever tinted flaked coconut again) and jellybeans on top. It turned out real cute and I hope my Young Women will enjoy. Thanks Melissa!!

I have a new idea. I am going to try on post things as soon as I can after they occur. We just got home from the beach today so I'm going to post right now, before I go take a nap. Today was the picture perfect day at the beach. Abby spent most of the time playing the water. She loved jumping in the mellow waves.

 

James did a lot of boogie boarding. He was initally discouraged the first time he went out, claiming he "couldn't remember how to boogie board". He kept at it though and it all came back to him. We even remembered to bring the boogie board home today.

 

David had fun playing with his posse in the sand and on the rocks. And I had a fabulous time relaxing and chatting with my friends. It just doesn't get much better than that.

 

 

I did bribe these guys(except for Carson who doesn't care for cookies) with cookies to pose for me. David's got his David Hasselhoff pose going on. Do I really nedd to fix that nose? (I'll explain more about that later. My pillow is calling my name....)

Priesthood Prep 2

I love the semi-annual tradition we've got going where the ladies get together while the boys go to the Priesthood Session of General Conference. We all gather at someone's house with our takeout food and our kids and we sit and chat the evening away. The kids bond over war games. The women bond over chick chat.

 

I can just picture this group years down the road. (Look closely and you'll see eight heads in there, all gathered around one game, two controllers. Times like this I'm grateful for our retro big screen tv!) We're raising boys who will, all too soon, be men. I'm so glad my boys have their Dad, Granpa, uncles and close friends Dads to look up to and follow in their footsteps.

 

(We missed Sushine, Michelle and Heidi this time around. There's always October!)

Dog Beach

We've found a new favorite destination spot here in San Diego. There is a whole dog culture out there that I was totally oblivious to until recently. We have now spent the past two Saturdays at the Dog Beach in Del Mar. It's a fantastic spot to go with the family. If you love dogs, this is the place to be. If you have any aversion to any type of dog running up to you, jumping on you, etc. you should avoid this spot for sure! Oakley was sure he had died and gone to heaven. The combination of water and tennis balls was an absolute delight for him.

 

 

He seems to love the social interaction too. (I've decided that he is the dog version of Mark Mendenhall. He loves to greet everyone that crosses his path.)

 

The kids love this place too. James made a new friend. He commented on how he wishes we had a little dog too. Hmmmmm, what a great idea, we should have thought of that before we got the 90 pound dog!

 

The rocks are perfect for climbing and the pool was just begging to have "Ariel" jump in.

 

 

Wanna join us? I'm sure we'll be there next Saturday too...