So You Like To Paint? Try Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint!!

There's this product out that unless you live on either coast of the US
you may not have heard about
but oh baby,
you need to know about this
oh yes you do!

It's called "Annie Sloan Chalk Paint"--
no priming, no sanding.
Let me repeat that:
No Priming, No Sanding!!!!
It has been called, "The Best Paint in the World!"

You just clean whatever you're gonna paint real good--
use denatured alcohol if its something in your kitchen--
like cabinets, to get the kitchen greases/grime off
and then paint.
PAINT, Woman!
And get this!!!!!
It dries in about 20 MINUTES!

My home staging buddy and I are actually taking a class
this month from the only certified dealers/ instructors here in Colorado
at their shop called "Shades of Amber"
and we're painting our kitchen cabinets together!!
I am so stinkin' excited, I am squealing inside my noggin!

I happen to know a very sweet, awesome gal in Utah
that sells it too!
Her name is Sherry Laub.
She is the owner of Drab 2 Fab
in Pleasant Grove.
So beat a path over there
quick
quick
quick
so you can get back home and start PAINTING!!

Can you even imagine how many projects you can get done
in an afternoon??

Okay, so re-cap:
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.(here's her blog too!)
No Priming
No Sanding
20 minute Dry Time
In Colorado:
Shades of Amber
In Highland, Utah:
Drab 2 Fab.

Get it,
Got it,
Good!

A Favorite Things Party

So I can't take credit for coming up with the idea of a Favorite Things Party--
I found the idea on "Pinterest"--
loved it and ran with it.

What got my attention is the idea around the party
that by sharing our "Favorite Things"
we can get to know each other better.
What held my attention is how easy it sounded to throw a party together!
It's not expensive,
and can be easily tailored to fit any budget or group of friends.

In my efforts to live our 2012 Family Motto of
"Don't Suck"
I thought this could be a fun way to reach my goal
of not sucking.

So I made some lists--
who I wanted to invite was first.
Since my purpose in hosting the party was get to know
more women that I barely know
half of the guest list was made up of those gals.
The other half was made up of women that I know are comfortable
in their own skin and would have no problem welcoming the newcomers;
aka "my friends".

Does that sound cheesy or contrived?
That's not what I was going for,
but seeing it written makes it seem like it was less
than just wanting to widen my circle of friends.

Next, I planned the menu.
Since I was hosting this at lunch time,
I went with something easy--
a salad bar.
Lettuces, spinach, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, sliced zucchini,
carrots, sprouts, etc.
Lynnel brought a fruit bowl, cuz she's awesome like that.
And I had some soft rolls from Whole Foods.

The invitations.
At first I wanted to go all out and use the Sound of Music's
"Favorite Things" song
as my inspiration.
Brown paper, velum, blue ribbon--
but we had a stretch of bad weather and I didn't make it out of the house
to get the needed supplies.
So, I sent out Evites instead.
Not as impressive, but very convenient and Free!
I just had to get everyone's email address.

Included in the evite was the instructions on what a
"Favorite Things Party" is--
choose your favorite thing,
it should cost less than $6.00 w/tax. (you can adjust that to your budget)
Buy 5 of them.
At the party,
write your name 5 times on 5 separate slips of paper
then toss it in a bowl/hat/basket/whatever.
To start the "Sharing",
the hostess goes first and introduces her favorite thing.
In my case,
it was boxed soaps.

I love them because they remind me of my Granma Guy.
She had them in her special drawer of her bureau,
and they smelled so nice.
She gave me some when I was a little girl
and I've loved them since.
So I bought an assortment of them from Marshall's for $3.99 a peice.

Okay, so after the Favorite Thing has been introduced by the guest who brought it,
they draw 5 names outta the bowl/hat/basket/whatever
and those 5 guests get one of them--in my case, it was boxed soap.

And on and on it goes
until each guest has shared her 5 things and every one has 5 things
that they didn't bring with them!

I loved this idea
and the results were just perfect too.
I got to know something different about my friends,
and they enjoyed it so much,
we sat around tossing out ideas for the next party:
They suggested making the next one in the evening
so more women can come,
making it a potluck,
rotating it around to other women's homes,
having one every month,
telling every one to invite 5 friends too--
all great ideas that I personally like.

Now, you can g**gle "Favorite Things Party"
and get more ideas from others who've hosted them too.
Some I've seen included party games,
different themes,
fun decorations and food as well.
I kept it simple
because that's the way I roll,
so if you decide to host a Favorite Things Party,
please post about it and share your ideas!

A Study of Peepers and Puppies & Favorite Things

So the Caboose got some new glasses this past weekend.

Unbeknownst to us,

they're magical glasses...

        They have had a transforming effect upon yon maiden that is impossible to ignore--

she has been washing and styling her hair every day for three days in a row.

A less-seasoned mother might overlook this new trend,

but hey, we all know I am nothing if not a well-seasoned Momza.

I noticed and cannot in good conscience call her the pet name of

"Dirt Ball" this week.

 When she got ta fixin' her new 'do, she enthusiastically asked if I'd capture this moment on film forever...
and apparently, even though I did oblige her, she got her big sis Daisie to also take some snapshots too,
and someone took some of a sleepin' Riley and Kota too. Do you ever find random pics on your camera card too?

Aside from The Caboose and Dirt Ball (when she doesn't want to wash her hair), her other nicknames are

Fruit Bat, Wingnut, The Bee, Beebo, Beeps, and Bee-bop-Anonymous...

All lovely nicknames that evoke true familial love and acceptance

n' all that other mushy stuff.

~~~~~~~

I also wanted to throw in a few glimpses of

"My Favorite Things" party 

from last week.

It was really fun--

so much so 

that the gals that came want to do it again in April.

I regret that I didn't take pics of the salad bar 

or of my friend's faces as they shared their 

"Favorite Things"--

I'll do better next time.

 Some "Favorite Things": boxed soap, notecards, pumice stone and heel repair lotion, Sharpie pens, Post-Its, and even uncooked tortillas! 

Can't wait 'til the next party!

Coming 'round to a Full Circle

If you live long enough,
you truly come to the amazing, even bewildering-at-times
conclusion
that many things and people
come around again.
Karma, they call it.

I have always felt that way about people in my life--
there are few chance meetings
and more people are actual "cog wheels" in our life's story
than we realize.
We truly are, I believe, the product sum of those around us,
whether invited into our lives,
or met by happenstance.

In the summer of 1998,
the yahoos and I went to England
to hang out with Mr. Wonderful,
who had lived and worked over there several years,
specifically in Nottingham.
Mr. W had only recently come back to the LDS Church
after being away nineteen years,
and had taken a liking to several young missionaries over there.
When the yahoos and I planned our trip over there,
Mr W would ask the missionaries to give him a list
of American food items they longed for,
and then he'd email the list to me
to purchase and bring with us to England.
We had one full suitcase of nothing but food stuffs
for the missionaries:
Jolly Rancher candies
Root beer extract
HoHos and DingDongs
beef jerky
Grape Kool-aid
cheese cake mixes
jello
All kinds of goodies, mostly.
The missionaries so appreciated our efforts
and we so enjoyed doing it for them!

One young man, Elder Eric Sharp from Evanston, Wyoming
was especially excited about the treats,
so much so,
that once he received the treat-filled luggage,
he helped himself to what some thought was more than his share
of American goodies
and it was noted that he was not to be the "go-between" anymore.
So when the yahoos and I came that summer,
we loaded up yet another suitcase full of treats.
When the elders came over to pick up the treats,
we made plans to have them over for some "home cookin'"--
finding our ingredients from
 their local Sainsbury market.
We made spaghetti and meatballs and had ice cream and berries for dessert.

The time was well-spent and we made fast-friends with the missionaries there,
including the sweet-toothed, Elder Sharp.
Something just clicked between us all
so that even when our family was touring around England and Scotland
we thought of him and brought back gifts for him--
including this tie we got on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

We also brought back shortbread cookies
for Elder's Taylor, Gleason and Hadley..
other missionaries we so enjoyed meeting.

As for Elder Sharp.
I am happy to report that he is a grown man with a family of his own
and lives in good 'ol Utah.
We had stayed in touch with him all these years.
And when our family was sealed in the Salt Lake Temple,
it was "Elder Sharp" who met us that day and took us to his home and family
and fed us Spaghetti and Meatballs and homemade ice cream.

Later today,
Diana is flying out to his house
where she will be the Nanny for his children
while he and his wife go on a cruise.
That's a wild burst of karma right there,
isn't it?
She was just seven years old when we met Eric
and now she is tending his babies.

These kinds of things reinforces my belief that people
come into our lives for a reason
so I should pay close attention and be careful not to overlook someone
'cuz you just never know.

Honda Wants You To "Make The Choice" Between a FAMILY and a CAR

Have you seen these commercials?
Has it struck a nerve in you?
Did the message even get your attention?
Honda, the only foreign automobile company to have a sales increase
at the same time American auto makers were suffering double-digit losses
in a weak US economy and climbing fuel prices--
wants more of your money...and wants you to Make The Choice.
Their marketing campaign right now is directed at young couples
who are at the point in their relationship where growing their family
is the next big decision they're going to make--
and they're very blatantly playing into a juvenile-minded attitude of:
 "Wait. I wanted to go spelunking first. Make a robot. Buy a new car."
The audience they're targeting is the young guy
who just got off the sofa from playing video games--
and it makes the young woman seem too mature and out-of-touch with her spouse,
so much so
that his reaction is one of surprise,
as in a "Whoa! Don't go there yet, I'm not ready."

This commercial angers me.

Families are under attack.
The very idea of families is under attack.

Not only is the nature of what a family consists of--
a marriage between a man and a woman, under attack--
now, we've entered a realm where even including children is seen
as irresponsible or at the very least a less-desired pursuit.

I've been reading "Marriage and Family Relations"
that's put out by the Church,
and just read this by Spencer W. Kimball:

"I have told tens of thousands of young folks that when they marry they should not wait for children until they have finished their schooling and financial desires...They should live together normally and let the children come..."

I noticed that there is no mention of how many children one should have,
but that where possible, children should be welcomed.
Financial "desires" is not the same as financial stability--
but with preparation, sacrifice and prayer,
you can know if you're ready to start a family--
and it shouldn't be based on whether you have a new car,
or have had the opportunity or not, to go on luxurious vacations.
The most precious commodity for having a baby is TIME.
You definitely have to be willing to give a child all the time
you think you can--
and then double that.
Aww go ahead and triple it and you might come close.
It will be the sweetest way you can spend your time though,
I guarantee.

And yes, there are what finance guys call
"Opportunity Costs" to having a family--
but that's not the point I'm trying to make here--
Honda wants you to purposefully delay having a family
based on your selfish temporal desires...
as if bringing a child into this world will crush your every dream.
That makes me nauseas, it's so untrue.
Yes, if you're a selfish, self-absorbed wingnut
having a child is gonna "crunch your style"...
but seriously, if you want a life worthwhile,
getting kids in the mix
is as near to flat-out exuberance as you can get.
Even the greatest athletes, the most wealthy, the most brilliant minds in the world
have also been parents...
and they didn't wait to become well-known to have children.
Nope, they had kids along the way.
N' I don't know about you,
but that says something to me.

And what it says is the answer to Honda's
"Make The Choice" campaign--
The obvious choice is
not
a car, or spelunking, or building a stupid robot in your garage.
The obvious choice is
creating a family.

The moment a car leaves the lot,
it begins to depreciate...
cars are not investments.
That means whatever time, talents or means you use to buy
that brand new car off the lot
is not going to benefit you in the long run.

Which, again, makes the choice
in the
MAKE THE CHOICE campaign all that much easier to answer,
right?

*For more information on car depreciation, go here.

My Favorite Words about the importance of Family is
found in
The Family: A Proclamation to The World.

BRAIN BINGO BIOPSY!!

Quick reflections while they're still tumbling 'round the ole brain rolodex...
think of it as
BRAIN BINGO.

Tumble
Tumble
This morning, Mr Wonderful decided to go into work late--
for two reasons, really
ONE- He's a little cheesed at his boss this week
n'
TWO--Boofus asked him to go to McBarfo's for breakfast.
Once the decision had been made that, yes, instead of leaving for work at 5:15am
Mr W would leave at 7:45am,
Boofus asked the Caboose if she wanted to join them for breakfast,
to which she replied,
"What time are you going?"
"6:30."
"Hmmm. I won't be up by then, just bring me something back."

{Insert hysterical laughter} That right there, proves she is, in fact my child,
and was not found under a rock, as her siblings like to attest.


TUMBLE
TUMBLE

Diana has been on a NO-CARB diet for a week
as part of a two-week challenge with one of her BFFs, Kait.
This convo happened at the table last night.
Daisie: "SO, with all of the OCD'ing--counting calories and carbs n' stuff
have you gotten any better at Math?"

(har har score one for little sister)

TUMBLE
TUMBLE
Before McBarfo's this morning,
Boofus came to give me a hug "good morning",
I said, "C'mere n' let me smell you..did you wash your hair?"
He leans in for another hug, and smells good and not like the pre-teen boy
he is.
"You smell nice, Joseph. Mmmm. Is that Axe?"
He replied in his best Barry White voice, "Unhunh. It's for the ladies."

(heaven help me. I am not ready for this.)

TUMBLE
TUMBLE

Remember when I told you I work for an incredibly talented Designer
who is also the worst boss I've ever had?
Yeah, I gave my notice the same day the manager gave her notice,
and within days after that,
another employee gave hers.
She has one employee left,
who is now the manager and could care less what the Designer Boss says,
which will probably end badly;
and she's wondering why noone wants to work for her.
Boggles the mind.
Karma is a reality.
You treat people badly,
it will come around and kick you in the bahooey.

TUMBLE
TUMBLE

Every morning, I call Dani to see how she and her babies are doing.
The whole time we are talking,
her two year old is tearing the living daylights outta
their tiny little student apartment
to bits.
"Garrett just emptied the book shelf in his room."
"Now he's dumped the diaper bag all over the place."
"GET DOWN!"
"He just climbed up on the counter and put an apple into the microwave!"
"No! You cannot throw couch pillow/football/stuffed bears to Isaac. He can't catch them yet!"
"Hold on Mom. Aw, forget it, I'll have to call you back. Garrett has to go to time-out."
"I hate kids. Why do people have children? Sheesh."
"How did you do it, Mom?"
That's my favorite.  In fact, there must be some small part of my ego
that is soothed every time I call her, because at some point in the conversation,
she will probably utter those words.  And I just get this amazing sense of "BooYeah!" all over.

The truth is, I didn't have a kid like Garrett. He is adorable, smart, and the biggest mess-makin' fool
I've ever seen for a two year old.  Duct tape and DimeTapp would be my ammo every day for about 3 more years.

TUMBLE
TUMBLE

I'm so stinkin' happy that February is half-over--
what with January being the "Month that Never Ends",
it's great to see February flying by
and leaves me anxious for Spring--
which will get here in May. If we're lucky.
My jasmine plants are taunting me with tiny little buds.
Since this is the first year in this house, with these plants,
I'm almost skeptical that they'll make it thru the harsh temps
that I know are still coming now thru May, ya know?
Also, my favorite holiday is coming up in March--
remember "I HATE MOM DAY"?

It's comin' up on March 4th--
I asked the yahoos what we were going to do to celebrate it
and they had the nerve to suggest that
THEY GET THE DAY OFF FROM ALL CHORES
and that I BUY A CAKE FOR THEM!
BAhahahaHA!
I'm not sure what I'm going to do,
so I'm taking suggestions...
feel free to share your ideas.

TUMBLE
TUMBLE

I've been reading a Church manual about Family Relationships...
in case I've been doing this mothering gig all wrong
or just to get a tune-up,
which is highly likely since I'm getting so stinkin' old anymore.
Anywho, reading this talk by Elder Jeffery R. Holland
entitled "Because She Is A Mother"
made me feel awesome and loved and acceptable...
take a moment to read it and see if you don't feel the same way.
Seriously, it's better than any blog you may read today.

TUMBLE
TUMBLE

Because life just ain't the kind of fair they sell tickets to,
my body is holding it's own sort of Revolutionary War against me.
I've never smoked, nor drank a drop of liquor--
well, that ain't exactly true...
I did lick the cap of my mom's Boone's Strawberry Wine once
in the 8th grade.(fyi, It did NOT taste like strawberries!)
But I've been clean ever since, I swear!
So, for whatever reason, my body is giving me fits
and I get to go in for an internal biopsy.
Bi.Op.Sy.
That is such a cute word for a plum awful procedure, yeah?
"Hey! I'm having a BIOPSY! Everyone's invited! Bring your favorite dessert!"
It's just too happy a soundin' word for what the real deal is...
anywho, that's staring up at me from my plate of Life.
I already freaked out, then decided MEH.
I've got too many other things to think about than what's going on with my guts.
Or my "innards" as my dad used to say.

TUMBLE
TUMBLE

I am actually hosting a party next Tuesday.
It's called a "My Favorite Things" party--
have you been to one?
I'm way excited, I think the idea is awesome.
What motivated me to have it?
Well, January's "blech-ness" combined with my cruddy health
and hearing too many women I know say they're also being gyp'ed (or is it jipped?)
on their plates of Life and needed more friends
got my Self to thinking,
"Self, let's do something to cheer us up and break up a blech-y winter."
So I am.
And what's funny is that some of the sisters that I purposefully created this party for,
have declined to come.
I am not kidding.
Next time they start to whine,
I will give them the look I give my yahoos--
"You're kidding right?  I am SO not the right audience for your act."
As my friend Nan says,
"Nothing changes if Nothing Changes."
But I am going to have a blast with the gals that are coming,
and am fully anticipating bursting into song--
"when the dog bites!
When the bee stings!
when I'm feeling saddddd
I simply remember my
favo-or-ite things and then I don't feeeeeeeel
soooooo baddddd"  come Tuesday.

And it's now 11:32pm.
I went to bed at 8pm because I was plum wore out,
but Mr W wanted to watch a movie (Harry Potter #29)
and I instantly fell asleep before he even got out of the Goblins Bank Vault
and woke up just in time to see Professor Snapes' tears in the Sink of Revelation.
Once we saw Haddy Pottah usher his son onto the Hogwarts train at Platform 9 and three quarters
Mr W started snoring before the credits were done
and there I was,
left with the fan blowing on me,
right sock already lost at the end of the bed
and wide awake with nowhere to go
but here.

If you've read to the end of this Post,
then I will tell you that I've been asked by Deseret Book
to host a wonderful Musical Trio, "Mercy River"
on my blog the first week of March.
In fact, it is the day after "I HATE MOM" day--
March 5th.
There will be music, party favors and maybe even a biopsy!
Woo Hoo!

Have a great weekend.

February Meal Sharing Menu

We're two weeks into February and I'd meant to share what our monthly menu is earlier,
hmmm
better late than never, right?

2/6 Connie-Caesar Salad Pizza
2/7 Karen-Burger heaven casserole
2/8 Dawn-Cabbage rolls
2/9 Jen- Pasta Encrusted fish (she changed this to Salisbury Steak and it was good)

2/13 Connie-Pad Thai
2/14 Karen- Sweet n Sour Pork
2/15 Dawn- Thai Chicken ( I changed this to Oven fried chicken because my family had had enough of red bell peppers and onions w/meat over rice or noodles.)
2/16 Jen- Tortellini

2/20 Connie- French Market Soup
2/21 Karen- Baked Ziti
2/22 Dawn- Baked Fish w/sour cream and dill
2/23 Jen- Beef Diablo

2/27 Connie- Tandoori Chicken
2/28 Karen- Chinese Pulled Pork
2/29 Dawn- Turkey Tostadas
3/1 Jen- Grilled sandwiches w/ fun fixin's

So, we'll meet at the end of the month and discuss which meals were hits with our families
and which meals missed the mark.

I love the convenience this meal sharing group affords me and would recommend it to anyone.
Here's a more detailed post about the whats n hows of menu sharing.

P.S. I've lost 7 pounds since January!

Bon Apetit!

My Valentines

Night before last,
Mr W and I went out for dinner to celebrate Valentines Day.
We chose the restaurant based on a gift card we'd received at Christmas.
Something told me that I should have the hostess check the amount on the giftcard
to make sure it held what it said it held on it...$50.00.
But my head just shook that idea off,
and looked at the menu in front of me.

Did we want an appetizer?
Sure! Why not?
Did I want steak and shrimp?
Sure! Why not? I could take the leftovers home to a 12 year old boy that loves both
Steak and Shrimp.
Did we want dessert?
Heck yeah, bring it on over!

I wasn't hungry when I got there,
but I so needed a night away from the yahoos,
that this was a great excuse.

Mr. W and I talked and laughed about our life, our kids, US--
sometimes,
no make that ALOT of the time,
we just have to laugh at how things go in our lives.
Kent lived quite the life before meeting me--
travelling all over the world
Greece,
Italy,
Germany,
Brussels,
Amsterdam,
UK,
Dubai,
and every place in between.
He's played golf at wonderful places like St. Andrews,
Pebble Beach, and a myriad other places that he accounts for by having a
different golf shirt or golf towel from each place.
He's been to concerts by the biggest names in the music business,
and flown in helicopters over and around National Monuments,
he even had the privilege of building the first tank that liberated Kuwait
during Operation Desert St*orm.
The man had quite a life before he met me and my band of yahoos.

We finally finished up and asked for the check--
I handed the waiter the giftcard, straightened up the table like I always do--
do you do that?--
Put the salt and pepper back,
put the used napkins on a plate,
you know, just make it easy for the wait staff to clear
once we're gone.
The waiter returned with the check and the card
to let us know that there was only $2.30 on the card.
There should have been $50.00.
Mr. W just laughed.  He wasn't even fazed by the surprise.

That's the kind of life-ride he's had since he's been with me--
never take anything for granted,
life is exciting and joyful
and most of the time you gotta hold on with both hands
for the ride's unexpected twists and turns.

Last night, after dinner,
Valentines' gifts were given-
in our family,
Mr. W gives gifts to the girls
and I get the boys.
Since we're down to 1 boy (Joseph) left in the house,
my gig is pretty easy, so I gave him his own big box of chocolates.
The Caboose received her own as well--
the best thing about getting your own box is
that you may take a bite out of every single chocolate
and put it back in the heart-shaped box if you want.
Now that Diana & Dara are getting older,
Mr W thought to give them goodie bags with
fun pink tones of nail polish and a smaller bit of chocolate.
They both liked that alot.
Diana brought home a german chocolate cake--
in her effort to be known as MOM'S FAVORITE CHILD--
which I did, indeed, declare for the house to know
because German Chocolate Cake is my most favorite kind of cake deliciousness.
Diana also brought home huge chocolate-covered strawberries
and bottles of Knudsen sparkling apple and strawberry ciders for the family to share.
Mr. W and Joseph brought home a bouquet of spring flowers and chocolates for me.

After dinner,
we poured the sparkling drinks,
passed out the strawberries,
and sliced the chocolate cake to everyone--
then went around the table sharing something we love about everyone sitting there--
including the dogs.

There was laughter and a few tears as we shared the tender things
we love about one another.
Mr W thanked me for being part of his life
and declared I have ruined him forever
from being a hermit and living in a cave in Montana.

All of the yahoos said
"I love you Mom, because you're my Mom."--
then thanked me for specific things that show them my love for them.
Which, as you might guess, just called forth lots of tears.
The good kind.
Nana said I know her better than anyone else,
which is both comforting and annoying sometimes.
Dara agreed and asked,
"How do you do it, Mom? How do you know what each of us needs,
and when we need it?"
I smiled, "Because I love you all, I want to love you in the way you need to be loved.
I practice alot--and you all know, sometimes I get it right, sometimes I get it wrong,
but I never stop trying to show you that I love you."
"That's what Moms do.", the Caboose said.
Yep. That's what moms do.
Valentines Day is over and life goes on...
hopefully we're all feeling more loved
because that's the point of the day anyway.

I hope your day was as nice as mine.

Staring Into the Future

Joseph: "Mom, can I ask you a question?"
 "Sure", I say. "What's up?"
Joseph, shyly: "Well, there's these girls on the bus and they're touching my hair n' stuff...and a girl in school is always staring at me. What's that about?"
Hmmm. I look at him and think for a moment. I knew this day was coming--he's twelve years old, stands 5 foot 8, and altho I see him as my sweet baby boy, in reality, he's in middle school.
"Their flirting with you.  That's what girls do when they think a boy is cute."
Joseph grins, "Oh. It's weird."

I look up from my chair
into his eyes and know this is an important teaching moment.

"Joseph, girls mature quicker than boys. That means that their bodies and minds are thinking about the future.  They notice boys in a different way. And honestly, it kinda makes 'em a little crazy. For the next few years, they're gonna be giggly, loud, travel in packs like wolves, and smile at you alot.
And you'll probably get attention from a few of them because you're a handsome young man, but there's also something else about you that will draw girls in--it's your goodness.  And that's the most attractive thing in a young man.  You shine from the inside-out because you're so kind and girls won't know what it is about you that they like, but really, it's because you hold the Priesthood too. That's a big deal, Joseph.  And you have to protect the Priesthood by keeping yourself clean and honoring it.  So (big breath), girls may ask you to do things with their bodies or ask if they can do things with yours and you're going to have to tell them 'No' to protect yourself so that the Holy Ghost is always with you and you'll always have that glow inside that, someday, will attract the right girl for you to take to the Temple. That's the goal--to go to the Temple with the most beautiful girl in the world."
I stand up and put my hands on either side of his soft cheeks, and look deeply into his beautiful brown eyes,
"I love you. If anyone, I don't care who they are, wants to touch your body in ways that makes you feel uncomfortable or in a way that you know isn't right, you have the right to say 'No', Okay?"  Then I kissed those baby cheeks and held him in my arms.
He looks side to side, smiles at the wonder of the changes a'comin his way in life and nods his head, "Yeah."

To All of the Twelve-Year Old Girls in the World, or at least in the State of Colorado:

If you have to privilege of meeting my brown-eyed boy,
please know that he has 5 older siblings and two parents that adore him.
You may admire him in all of his adorable manliness,
but you may NOT touch him or sully him in any way.
Or, as Diana says, "We will take you out--mafia-style."
We love this brother and son of ours and want to see him
kneeling across an altar of the temple someday
with the most beautiful girl in the world--
which may indeed, be one of YOU.
But that's not for a long time,
so be patient.
He's worth it.
Sincerely,
Joseph's Momza

The Kind of Girl You Wanna Marry?

In the car, on the way to Church meetings:
Dad: "Joseph, you wanna know how to be happy? Marry a girl just like your Mom."
Joseph: "Soooo, don't marry a hooker?"

Snow Days While They Last

One thing we look forward to in the Rockies

are Snow Days.

Seriously, there are fewer things my yahoos get excited over

as much as a day off school.

So when reports of 20" of snow was on the way last week,

we all sorta held our breath and whispered a few words heavenward,

"Please Oh Please Oh Please"--

fingers and toes crossed just in case.

 Snow started falling on Thursday evening...

and by Friday morning 

it was clear that we would not only meet the forecasted twenty inches,

but we'd probably exceed those!

Wahoo!

 Mr W called into work,

as the snowstorm only intensified up to Denver where he works.

YEA! I love it when he gets a snow day too!

Snowdrifts in the backyard were pretty neat.

Some climbed to the very top of the fence.

You know I'm from Miami, Florida right?

Yeah, this beach-baby loves snow.

So, you may be wondering what we do when everyone's home

and there's nowhere to go?

 We take pictures of the hounds...that's Runaway Riley in all of his golden glory...

And there's ol Kota girl who is afflicted with SHS...Selective Hearing Syndrome...

we diagnosed her with this after several months of observation.

When she's in the house, she comes immediately when called,

but when she's outside, she is acts as though we are complete strangers to her

and runs in the complete opposite direction of us.

Unless.

Unless we're getting into the car,

then that girl is all about goin' with us.

Don't tell the yahoos, but for a buck-fifty she's all yours.

I'll even pay in cash.

What else did we do?

Aside from staying in our pj's all day,

watch movies, taking catnaps during the movies,

poppin' corn and sipping hot chocolate with extra marshmallows...

We played games.

First up was Apples to Apples,

but then we got adventurous and decided to teach the youngun's 

how to play:

 I've been playin' this game since I was a young girl with my Dad and cousins Habib, Benny, Burle, and Joni

way back in the day, in their Florida room.

It is the classic board game of all time,

I do declare.

 The kids got into it and once they learned how to bid on properties,

 buy hotels, 

and how to

 Go To Jail, Go Directly to Jail, Do Not Pass Go

Do Not Collect $200

 Well then there was nuthin' left to do but have fun!

Arianna built her own little private Monopoly Street by buying Baltic and Mediterranean

and all of the light blue lots: Oriental, Vermont and Connecticut--

THEN she put houses and hotels on them

and nearly drove us all into bankruptcy!

She giggled uncontrollably at her success--

it was awesome!

~~~~~

 I also had some time for crafting this plaque above her bed:

 It is made from a piece of wood 

we got at Home Depot, scrapbook paper, modge podge and vinyl lettering.

 We're in the process of creating her new bedroom...she wanted green and pink.

Her walls are a light lemon yellow--but the camera I used stinks on ice

and I can't find my good one, (shhh don't tell Mr W that) so it looks way more yellow than it is.

Anyway, her room is coming together--

we got the hanging light from IKEA,

the drapes from JCPenney's Waverly collection ON CLEARANCE for $14.99 

for the pair, and we're going to paint the wooden headboard a nice creamy white.

And yes, I know the dresser shouldn't be in front of the window,

but Ari likes it there this week, so it's there instead of across the room 

from her bed where there is plenty of room.

I also found identical fabric as the scrapbook to make a lumbar pillow 

for her Great-Granmother's chair that is many decades old

and she says will be nice for her pillow pet giraffe, "Steve".

~~~~~~~~

There was also time for silliness:

 Static electricity is alive and well

in our very dry winter climate,

as Joseph is demonstrating with a clothes basket.

Thanks, Joseph.

I also get shocked every time I touch the TV

which only adds to the excitement of my day.

~~~~~~~

I'll call the next series

"Whistle While You Work"

or

"Dancin' in the Kitchen Fer Reals":

 The girls take doing the dishes to a whole 'nother level--

music pumpin' while they sing at the top of their lungs

with Adele...

Noone was harmed during the filming of this incident

and most of the dishes got clean.

~~~~

Lastly,

Arianna worked on her Science Fair Project,

which is an exercise in training Kota.

"Treats VS. Love Training".

I'm hoping it works better than our previous method

of 

"Yelling and Threatening Training".

 Riley came to us very well-trained. So he was mostly used as an example for Kota,

who is oblivious to how under-trained she is and if she could talk would utter,

"Whatever."

~~~~~

We also watched the Super Bowl and munched on spinach artichoke dip,

hot wings, veggies and dip, sweets and treats.

Joseph let me know I get too carried away when I hollared at the Patriot's defense

"just like the Fiesta Bowl when the Broncos won, Mom."

So I may not be allowed to watch football for awhile.

~~~~~

 And this is the house today...

Snow is still in place

altho' we have had a few nice days of sunshine,

but truly,

there was ALOT of snow...

 Hard to believe that little bunch of sticks to the left is a lilac bush and next to it,

way underneath the snow,

are bunches of daylily bulbs.

Before I know it,

the snow will be gone,

just like game nights,

Snow days,

Dancin' in the kitchen with music blaring and girls giggling...

so I will hold my breath and hope for a long long winter.