Nothing really to say....it's raining again today..cold and wet....Elodie is sleeping...{sigh}...nothing to scrapbook...nothing to read..still sick...I need to sweep my floor and windex..could use something sweet...Chris needs to clean off his computer desk......rainy days always get me down!

As was predicted it drizzled while me and Elodie were out running our errands...I am proud to say I stuck to my only cardstock purchase at the scrapbooking store. I purposely went to a scrapbooking store that is smaller but closer to the house...I knew they would have what I need without all the new and gotta have stuff. I was right. I did feel kinda silly only spending $2 and having to put it on my debit card....oh to the 21st century..I never carry cash with me!

We stopped at Costco and got our usual...chicken, sandwich meat, and fruit. I just have to say that the fruit at Costco will brighten any rainy day!! I mean, look at these strawberries and tell me you could find prettier ones some where else..they just don't exist. I absolutely LOVE the fruit at Costco and vow to never shop anywhere else for my fruit....I'm never disappointed!! I {heart} Costco! :)

When Elodie and I got home from our errands, we ate lunch, and then she snuggled in my lap...this was alittle out of character for her but I figured since we both haven't been feeling good and with the weather, she felt like snuggling.....it was funny because I had a bag of chips sitting next to me and she kept sticking her hand in and taking a chip...never made a peep but I could hear her chewing on her chips..then all of a sudden, I heard nothing....Poor little Elodie fell sound asleep on my lap with a chip in her hand! I can't remember that last time she feel asleep on me..it's been a while. She's more the put me in bed with my bears and my music type...It was a sweet moment and thankfully I was able to get her in her bed without too much disruption and she is sleeping as I type..hopefully it last for a while!

One thing left on my "to do" list for the day...still not sure what I'll fix for dinner..maybe I should add that to my "to do" list! :) Finished my valentine cards too...will post a picture of them later....off to enjoy the rest of my peace in quiet until Elodie wakes up! Happy Rainy Tuesday!

-A

Top 10...

10. Still sick....didn't have to take any Nyquil last night so hopefully I'm getting better....

9. Work tonight....18 hours this week...holy cow! It will make for a crazy week but the paycheck will be nice...especially up against the 8 hours I got last week! :)

8. Love my new things from my Stampin' Up order....got the wrong size ink cartridge for my jumbo roller..I didn't know what I needed so I left it in the hands of my stampin' up lady...just a simple mistake but my mind was boggled yesterday when I was trying to fit the standard size ink cartridge into the jumbo size roller.....even Christopher gave it a try to make sure I wasn't dumb.....waiting for the new order to come in now...Valentine cards for the ward aren't until the 8th so I have plenty of time....hopefully!

7. Happy 1st Birthday Aidon! Our little nephew Aidon is one today! He is such a cutie and I'm so sad we live so far away from him..he is just a doll! Talked to Caissy this morning on the phone..everyone is doing well and for that we are happy! Not sure yet if we are going to go down this summer or wait for pawpaw's birthday....big 94!

6. Errands of the day: Target, Costco, Scrapbooking store for pink cardstock....and ONLY pink cardstock!!

5. What's for dinner...haven't figured that out yet...

4. It looks like it's going to rain today...BLAH...nothing like running errands in the rain with a 2 year old! Hopefully it will old off until we get home....

3. I want to read the book "Wicked"

2. Going to Snowflake this weekend to meet the new baby! Need to make some bows and buy some cute outfits!

1. Did I mention I'm sick!!! BLAH! Please go away!!!

Pictures from this weekend...

Elodie and Grama Friday Night at our house...

At the zoo...

Saturday night, before bed, reading scriptures...

Weekend Update

As always we had a great weekend. Mentioned in my friday post, Christopher didn't get home until 6pm friday night...sigh..I knew this was going to be a long semester. We knew Christopher's mom was in town for work but didn't think we would see her at all since she was busy at school and we thought she would be heading back that afternoon. We were pleasently surprised to get a call from her friday afternoon saying she was staying the night and asked if she could stay with us. Of course. Elodie was super excited to have grama stay the night....we went to Olive Garden for dinner and spent the rest of the evening relaxing at home. Mostly because Elodie woke up friday morning with a cough and runny nose! NOT AGAIN! Yes, our family is sick AGAIN! It just felt like we were getting over everything when the stupid germs came for another visit. By friday night I was stuffy- nose, head, etc. Yuck! I was saved by a dose of Nyquil and I got through the night okay.
Saturday morning Elodie had a birthday party to go to at the zoo. Very fun because we all got in for free! That was a special treat since the weather is so nice out here right now and we had wanted to take Elodie to the zoo for a while now. The party was for a little girl who turned 2 that is in Elodie's nursery class. Elodie had a great time and after the party we got to walk around and visit all the animals. It was super crowded, but to be expected since it was a Saturday. Audrey and Derek and their little family went too so we got to walk the zoo with them. We had a great time and by the time we left all the kids were completely pooped!
Saturday evening I made tortilla soup and invited Audrey and Derek over. The girls had fun playing together and for a first time tortilla soup, it came out really good! Will definintely have to make it again. Besides the fact that I had to get up early Saturday morning to make it because it had to sit in the crockpot for 10 hours, it was a super easy recipe to follow. It was definitely a hit and Christopher and I ate it for lunch Sunday afternoon and there is still enough for my lunch today! And I didn't even double the recipe or anything! Saturday we were all still sick except for Chris..which is no surprise..he hardly ever gets sick! Took Nyquil again to help me sleep!
Sunday was church....still sick....went hometeaching with Christopher since his companion is out of town...I was Christopher's home teaching companion for the last 6 or so months so I didn't mind going with him this time....it was so nice visiting with his families and since he just got reassigned a new route it was even more fun.....
And now we are on Monday...Christopher's 3rd week of school and at his new job. He sais everyday he likes his new job better and better so I am relieved with that. I can't believe February is around the corner! Maybe this semester will go by faster than I think....but then again...I need to enjoy the here and now..my biggest struggle!
OOOO....I hear the UPS truck...my stampin' up order is here! It's going to be a great day! Happy Monday!

Pictures of the Day...

I kept up with my goal to take a picture(s) a day of Elodie doing some random things..now I just need to keep up with posting them..here are Wednesday thought Friday..and more to come over the weekend I'm sure!

I've been doing pilates every other day for the last 2 weeks and on Wednesday Elodie came into the room where I was doing my pilates, curled up next to me and stuck her feet in the air. Of course by the time I got up and got my camera this is the pose I caught..."You excersizing mommy?" I took a bunch more of her on the mat but one is enough....

Thursday, Elodie and I walked to the mailbox and look what we found! A package from MawMaw Brumfield...lots of good stuff inside...

a cute little lunchbox....

a sweet little pink bunny rabbit..not shown was a puppy dog key chain and the ever so popular Hello Kitty chapstick...chappa as Elodie calls it..and it's ever so popular because Elodie LOVES chappa...now she walks around with her chappa asking everyone if they need some..even Ginger!

Sigh.....will she ever learn to pick up her room..and notice all the cute pink and green storage....and notice they are ALL empty! She doesn't really play too much with all of it..I think she just loves the sounds it makes when she dumps the storage buckets out and it all hits the floor. She will learn..I have to tell myself that as we spend an hour (atleast) each night picking it all up...atleast it all looks nice and put together while she is sleeping..this is what it looks like most of the day! This picture (and 3 other close ups) are screaming for a scrapbooking layout....

And this one is from today..your suppose to SIT on it Elodie...not STAND!! The toilet has now become a playtoy...great! :)

One more thing to get use to...

When Christopher worked for the Schneider's he only worked a half day on Fridays...less than a half day because sometimes he would be home before noon. It was so nice. It always felt like a 3 day weekend because he was home so early...we would go to lunch, shopping...sigh...the good old days!
Well, that's not the case now that he is working for this new engineering firm. He works a full day on Friday's...GASP....can you believe it! There are companies out there that work a full day on Fridays? It's not fair....I use to look forward to Friday's...now their just like any other day.... Chris won't get home until after 5pm tonight!
Just one more thing to get use to now that Christopher is in the corporate world! Sigh....
On a good note, I guess it gives me one more day to clean my house....before I was squeezing everything in Monday through Thursday so I didn't have to do anything outside of the kitchen on Friday through Sunday...now I can space my "To Do's" out a bit...that's a good thought!
-A

Did some scrapbooking yesterday...I {heart} these pictures of Elodie....already time to order more pictures! I'm seriously on the hugest roll! I think being on a roll is the best motivation to stay on a roll...hmmm....

Hosting February's Scrapbooking group for our ward. We are going to make valentine cards and this is one of the sample ones I made...we are making 3 cards but I had to order stuff from Stampin' Up so the other 2 cards are on hold until my things come in. Hoping they come before this weekend so I can make those last 2 cards and put the samples and sign up out on Sunday....

I {heart} my new sewing machine!! And Stampin' Up....oh the little things in life that make you happy. I was thinking about this today....if I had 50 bucks in my pocket I automatically want to spend it on scrapbooking or stamps..New jeans? Nah! New shirt? Don't need it! A new stamp set? Gotta have it!! Is that weird! Christopher asked me what I wanted for Valentine's Day and I told him a new stamp set....I think that's what I got last year! I'm hopeless!

I {heart} scrapbooking!

Top 10...

10. Got refills for my Bath and Body Works air fresheners....ahhh..I love the smell of "Warm Vanilla Sugar"

9. Making hot pockets for dinner..thanks to my old roommate Stephanie and her mom's recipe... I don't make them often but when I do, they take me right back to Ricks College! I love them!

8. Speaking of Ricks College...they called last night for a donation...they have called the last couple of nights but I've been at work so Chris just kept taking a message..it was funny because of course they said my name wrong but they used my maiden name....it's been a long time since I've gotten that! As for the donation, $20 a month..yea, right! Maybe once my husbands an engineer! I would seriously like to donate though...I loved that place!

7. Elodie calls Hearts Loves..or in her words "Lubs"

6. Making valentine cards today for our upcoming Scrapbooking group on the 8th of February...need to have the samples ready for this Sunday...my cards are turning out so cute and I even placed an order with stampin' up to make even cuter cards...can't wait for that package to come in!

5. I don't work tonight or this weekend..tomorrow I work and that's it! Woo Hoo! I'm excited about a relaxing weekend!

4. Drank the last coke today..thank heavens...those are the devil and needed to be out of our house for good!!

3. Christopher is back on the protein shakes for lunch routine. I think it's great for his health and even better is cheaper than buying a meal for lunch everyday! :) Hopefully this summer we can start running again. Hopefully!

2. Did pilates again this morning and caught the cutest picture of Elodie on my yoga mat immitating me..."Mommy, you excersizing?" So cute!

1. Rereading "Twilight"...sigh....just as good the second time around!

Our girl...

I've made a goal to take atleast one picture a day of Elodie....more the day to day stuff as opposed to all the posey pictures I usually like to take...here are a few from the last couple of days....

Elodie and I went to the grocery store yesterday and this is the cereal Elodie picked outall by herself. It was a tough choice between these "Little Einsteins" and "Disney Princess" Cereal....sigh...to be a child again and these be the tough decisions to make!

2 great things about Elodie...she loves PINK MILK and BANANAS..and she can eat a whole banana all by herself! As soon as she woke up from her nap yesterday these were her request...The girl definitely knows what she wants!!

And finally, welcome to my world....princesses, strawberry shortcake, and kitchen!! The life of a girl! Just imagine the noise these shoes make all over our tiled house! My mom got her these shoes when we were down in Louisiana over the summer..she loves them and is in them as I type! As you can see our princess has a problem keeping her shirt clean after lunch..hence the "In training" part!! We sure do love her and it's so fun to watch her grow and become more independent....slowly hopefully!

If this doesn't put you the holiday mood, I don't know what else could!! Happy Scrappin'!

Here she is!!!

Anistyn Rose Atwood- SO CUTE and we can't wait to meet her! Here are a few shots that Barbara sent to me....I talked to Amanda this afternoon and everyone is doing great and going home tomorrow evening!

Welcome to the world...

Anistyn Rose Atwood was born last night around dinnertime...we got the call just after 7pm that the baby had been born! It's crazy too because Christopher talked to Heath around 5pm and Amanda was 5 centimeters....the baby came at 6:44pm....very fast! 6 pounds 5 ounces, 19 inches....from what everyone sais, she looks like Bridger. We haven't gotten any pictures yet but once we do I'll post them here....super excited to meet this little girl! We are hoping to go up to Snowflake the first weekend in February...Super Bowl Sunday...we will see! Can't wait to buy some outfits and make more bows!!
Congratulations Amanda and Heath on baby number 5!! We are so happy for you guys! This makes 8 grandbabies and one on the way this summer. It's so fun to watch our families grow..

Pink Milk...

I don't think I have ever mentioned Elodie and her love for milk..it's crazy! It's a must have when she first wakes up in the morning and when she wakes up from her afternoon nap. She will drink milk with every meal, request it at odd times of the day, and chugs it like it's her last cup!! It's crazy....She especially loves pink milk...something she picked up from "Charlie and Lola". All it requires is a small squirt of strawberry syrup and she is good to go. But it's all the same...pink, brown, or white...she'll take whatever you've got. I hate to see the day when she wakes up and we don't have milk in the house....scary thought! :) Speaking of...I hear a little voice coming my way..."I want some pink milk mommy!"....I love it!

Waiting....

This morning Heath called and said that Amanda was being admitted to the hospital to have their baby girl. She was suppose to go in on Thursday but Snowflake had a really bad snowstorm and at her check up today she was 4 centimeters. The hospital was afraid if they sent her home and she went into labor she wouldn't make it back to the hospital. It took them 45 minutes just to get Show Low from home Amanda is one of those lucky ones that hardly gets sick and has great deliveries. With Bridger she didn't even have time for an epidural...that part not so lucky...but the rest of it is! I know she is really excited..they haven't had a girl since Aubrey so they were really happy when they found out this one was a girl! All those ovulation tricks must work!
So, now I'm just waiting for some news. They were going to hook her up to pitocin and get her started soon after Heath called so I wouldn't doubt if we were Aunt and Uncle again before dinner time! Exciting stuff!
Chris' other sister Kasey is pregnant and due in June or July (can't remember which). So we have missed the baby pressure once again! YeeHaw! :)
Until something happens!
-A

Christopher's...Birthday???

Not really but it sure did feel like it! We went shopping this afternoon for some new work clothes for Christopher. We came home with 2 new pairs of pants, a new pair of doc martens, and a brand new PALM PILOT!!! Yeah, Happy Birthday to him! :) The pants and the shoes were the only real thing on the list....the palm pilot was not! My husband and his new toys...of course he used the whole "it's for the whole family" bit when he was making his spill about why he needed a palm pilot..when not even a month ago he was convinced that he didn't want one for Christmas! And you think I'm wishy washy! :) I love him still and I'm happy when he is happy....off to look through my stampin' up catalog for payback! I always love when he gets something really expensive....even though I give him a hard time, I always get something new too! :)
Busy day for our family...this morning I went to a baby shower for Brooke....me and Audrey went together..love Audrey.....made Brooke a bunch of bows and gave her 4 outfits. It's so fun shopping for a girl! Kinda miss all the baby clothes! But then again, it's fun to shop for a 2 year old too. After our shopping spree we met up with Michael and Sarah for dinner...love them.....are use to be future neighbors are doing great.....PREGNANT...which we are super excited for them and know they will make excellent parents! Congrats friends! Babies everywhere!
Happy Saturday....

Last Nights Productivity...

Last night was our scrapbooking group for Relief Society. We usually don't have a huge turn out and unlike other interest groups, it's actually a good thing. Since we do it at someones house, it makes for more room. And I'm a messy scrapbooker so this is always nice. I was unusually productive last night. I did one layout while Elodie was sleeping in the afternoon and finished the other 3 at the scrapbooking group. Woo Hoo! Here's my damage...

Feels good to be so productivity...especially in a 2 hour block!
In other news....went to pick up Christopher's last check from the Schneiders....it wasn't bad until we pulled into the parking lot and Elodie yelled "Yea, Daddy's work!"....then when we got into the office, Elodie headed straight down the hall to see daddy.....I couldn't convince her Chris wasn't there....it wasn't until she went to Chris old office and realized there was someone else sitting at his old desk. That was kinda sad! Day 3 of School, Day 4 of work....almost the weekend!

My thoughts on American Idol...

Actually, only one thought. Day 2 of American Idol....set in Seattle. Some of these kids HAVE to be actors...right? I mean I would like to think that this is all for real and EVERYBODY thinks they are fab singers but come on.....I woud really like to think they are actors, because if they aren't...sigh...then we have some serious problems in America and I'm not as safe as I use to think. Some real wacko's out there if you know what I mean!
More wacko's than good singers that's for sure...but kudo's to them...I'd never get up there and audition...let alone stand in the line! The again, I'm no Kelly Clarkson when it comes to singing.
In other news...Scrapbooking group last night, very productive....helped because there were only 3 of us there....will post my layouts once some pics are taken.
-A

Top 10

10. Elodie is sleeping...Ahhhh

9. Christopher's 2nd day of school and 3rd day of work...I feel like this semester is going to drag by..hopefully it surprises me.

8. Scrapbooking tonight at Brooke's...hoping to get some good layouts done...I don't usually work well with others. I always forget something at home or feel like I can't complete a layout because of something I have at home...plus I tend to do more gawking and chatting and less scrapbooking. It's still fun and the inspiration you get is nice.

7. Hump day!

6. Have to miss my stamp class tonight...being supportive of the scrapbooking interest group but super bummed I have to miss Stampin' Up....next month for sure. Might have to buy a few things to make up for what I miss out on. :)

5. One more thing on my "to do" list for the day...love my little "to do" list notebook I have...and love even more when I can check things off. Very productive!

4. Fend for yourself night in the kitchen. Chris won't get home until 7pm and I'm scrapbooking..looks like PB & J's all around....once in a blue moon won't hurt anyone.

3. No books to read...sigh...wishing I would have enjoyed my Stephenie Meyer books a little longer...waiting for this months book club book to come in the mail..hoping it comes today. Sequel to "Twilight" and "New Moon" doesn't come out until October..may have to read both books again to hold me over! Definitely hosting February's book club and everyone is going to love "Twilight"

2. Took 30 minutes and helped Elodie clean up her room this morning...she has some great little pink and green storage buckets for her books and kitchen stuff...it was all scattered on the floor. Neatly put everything away and about one hour later she dumped everything out again...sigh...patience is a virture. I need to be persistent....one day she will know how to pick up her room on her own.

1. Can hear Elodie calling "Mommy, where are you?" from her bedroom. It makes me smile..she moved on from crying in her bed a long time ago. Now when she wakes up she sits in her bed and sais "Mommy (or Daddy-depending on her mood) where are you?" over and over again until someone comes in and gets her. If it's Chris and she is calling for mommy, when he walks in she sais "Your not mommy, your daddy!" So cute...alittle repetitive but very cute!

Bonus Thought: Did pilates this morning on my new pilates mat Chris got me....going to try and do it atleast 3 times a week...need to do something....feeling a little lazy these days...Elodie was watching Disney in the other room while I was doing my dvd..she kept coming into the room and would say "Mommy, you excersing?" Yes, Elodie..trying to set a good example...like not having cokes in the fridge! :) It's very bad when your little one knows the difference between coke and dr. pepper just by looking at the bottle...very bad

-A

And so it begins again...

Today was Christopher's first day back to school...it's crazy to actually be able to say now that Chris will graduate at the end of this year...it use to be December '07....now it's this winter!! Officially our last year of school! That's pretty exciting...it doesn't exactly ease the blow of his crazy schedule and the fact that I won't see much of him during the day. The big down side of him not working for the Schneider's is that he isn't close enough to home to come home for lunch....working in downtown now it makes it completely out of the question to come home at all...There is hope in other areas though...
Initially we thought that Christopher was going to be driving to school and work everyday...there is a shuttle that runs from this campus to the main campus and he was taking that pretty much all last semester and leaving me with a car. Very nice for errands and if Elodie and I just started to get cabin fever we could get out to Target or something...
We didn't think that would be the case this semester...especially since work is now closer to school. I faced the fact that it was going to completely suck being stuck at home 5 days a week with Elodie and no way to get out at all....but there is a light at the end of the tunnel..atleast I hope so, I may be speaking too soon since this is just the first day of school.
There is a ASU bus that runs from the ASU campus to downtown Phoenix and actually drops off a block from where Christopher is working....runs every half hour and is free. We are hoping that Chris can get on the shuttle here out to main campus and when it is time for work he can hop on that ASU bus that will take him to work. It might work it might not...and even if it only works out 2 or 3 days out of the week....we both win..I get the car for errands and such, we won't have to buy a second car (which was an option-one I didn't want to even think about since we just paid off our civic), we are saving money on gas, Christopher doesn't have to drive, and I know he is safer on a bus than driving through rush hour traffic in Phoenix. Nightmare!
We will see...this week will be a trial and error week for us to see how it will work out. Cross your fingers!
In other school news, Christopher dropped almost $500 on books today..and the sad thing was 3 of them were used. Stupid university and their plots to drain poor students of all the money they have. It's just rediculous. And then they will come up with a reason not to buy the book back from you at the end of the semester! Any way to get a dollar! As if tuition alone wasn't enough!

Weekend Update

Outside of being completely preoccupied by my books, our little family had a great weekend. Lots of lounging and taking it easy. With it being the last weekend before school started, it was nice to just hang out...no plans unless we made them ourselves.
Friday, was Christophers last day with the Schneiders...he took it well, I cried as to be expected and is as I type he is at his new job Carter/Burgess. I've talked to him once and he is liking it so far...lots of paperwork and a bit overwhelming but I'm sure once he gets into a swing of things, he will enjoy it just fine. Christopher and I went to the mall, I got a new pair of jeans at the GAP. I went through my closet and really cleaned house....got rid of atleast 20 pairs of pants...a couple still with the tags on them...my favorite pair are long and lean from the GAP. I told myself if I got rid of most of my pants, because I'm so partial to my long and leans, that I would go and buy myself a new pair of long and leans. And that's exactly what I did. I wanted 2 pairs but their 50 bucks a pop so we will have to space it out. As for all the cleaning out...the big pile of clothes are sitting in the middle of our bedroom and I just need to decide what to do with them. I'd like to take them to DI but I think if I took them to a resale store, I could get some money for all of it...all of it's name brand and practically new...I just have to do it! Hopefully I could get enough money to buy that other pair of long and leans! :)
Friday night we went to dinner with Audrey and Derek and their little family. We were going to go to Oreggano's but it was super crowded and the wait was over an hour long...no thanks..we opted for Barro's instead and it was great, especially since Audrey and Derek had never eaten at Barro's before. A real treat since we love the place and Audrey and Derek said they liked it too!
We enjoy so much hanging out with them..great family and excited that they are planning on staying here in AZ. after Derek graduates.
Saturday morning I worked until 1pm..Christopher and Elodie hung out around the house, playoffs for football so Christopher was on cloud 9. Saturday afternoon I went to the scrapbooking store..by myself...and later Chris,Elodie and I went to the book store to get my "New Moon" book. I was holed up in our bedroom the rest of the night....and itched through church till I could get home and finish it. It seriously was all I could do to get through lunch!!!
Speaking of church...Sunday morning we woke up to no running water..Christopher initially thought we didn't pay our water bill...but we never pay our water bill..it's included in our rent! Ha!Ha! Apparently it got cold enough in Arizona the night before that the pipes froze! Luckily, it was fixed with enough time for us to get ready and go to church! I was grateful we made it and on time....our bishopric spoke and all of them gave great messages...of course the one that stuck the most came from our Bishop...I could truly feel his love for all of us as he bore his testimony. He gave some wise counsel about school, work, tithing and fast offering, and putting our families and marriages first. He also talked about temple attendance and scripture study. All very basic principles of the gospel but definitely motivating and encouraging. Christopher and I need to work on setting dates to go to the temple, not just saying we are going to go that month. We also need to encourage each other on our scripture study. It's so important and I really want to be better at both of those! It is 2 of our resolutions afterall! :) Good talks in sacrament. Talked about goal setting in Gospel Essentials.....all around a great church day and I'm so grateful we made it with showers! :)
Christopher woke up this morning to no running water again!! I can't believe it got that cold last night here in Arizona! Crazy!
School starts tomorrow...then I'll really never see Chris again....Boo Hoo! On to single parenting for a while! I keep having to remind myself..."Only 2 semesters left!"
Work tonight, Chris is going on splits with the missionaries....and now we are fully updated!
-A

Where Have YOU Been?

It felt like for a while there I was really on a roll with the whole blogging thing....pretty much updating everyday....until I got my hands on 2 books!! "Twilight" and "New Moon"....the second being a sequel to the first...and I found myself indulged in these books...couldn't put them down. And when I was forced to leave them on the side of my bed, I daydreamed about what the story would unfold into.....needless to say, from Thursday until last night I have been the hugest bookworm. Christopher has enjoyed the bachelor pad while I have been glued to my bed and Elodie was all over me!!
Both books are about 500 pages each and I didn't have one problem finishing either one in about a 24 hour period. The first book came as a recommendation from another blog....ordered from Amazon and waited paitently for it to come it. Got on Thursday afternoon and had it finished by Friday night....because their was a sequel and the first book left you completely hanging, Christopher was nice enough to take me to the book store Saturday evening and get the sequel "New Moon"....I couldn't handle the anticipation of waiting for Amazon to send it to me...that would have been torture....so I sat down Saturday evening and finished the sequel Sunday night...
The best 2 books I've ever read, another sequel to come out this fall....UGH!!....and I'm in love with the main guy character Edward. Don't tell Chris!
The only sad part about the whole thing is I finished both books so quickly. I was torn between wanting to savor each page and enjoy the process..to wanting to hurry up and get through it because I loved it so much and couldn't put it down!!
So that is where I have been....what can I say? I love to read and I absolutely loved these 2 books...now if I can just wait until the fall for the 3rd addition to the story....
Hosting book club next month with this book and I hope everyone else loves it as much as I did....Weekend Update to come!

Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end...

Today is Christopher's last day with the Schneider's....sigh...my heart is sad and my emotions are extremly mixed up right now, and have been since Chris decided to leave and go to a bigger Engineering Firm. I know that this will be a great experience for Chris. I know that he will gain alot of knowledge and information that he couldn't get from the Schneider's. I know that he is excited about the change and the opportunity so I need to just suck it up.
It's hard though...The Schneider's have taken us in and treated us like family, taking care of us and being concerned for our family. You can't deny that....and to stay strictly because of what they have done for us is a little selfish but you can't not think of how much they have blessed our lives. It makes it harder to leave them....not for selfish reasons but because they are good people and I know Christopher has had a very pleasent work environment with them....it makes me sad to close this chapter..or move to another chapter. Chris has worked for them for almost 3 years...the first engineering job Chris has had....before Elodie was born...lots of good memories because of the Schneiders...they have truely blessed our family.
Anyone who knows me knows I don't handle change well.....it takes me a while to warm up to something different and as with everything, this too, I will get through! May take a couple of weeks but it will come.
Gratefully, Christopher will still be in contact with the Schneiders...he is hoping to pick up side jobs for both their help and some extra spending money...and thankfully, no bridges were burned. If Chris decides the corporate world isn't for him, the Schneider's have already said that he is more than welcome to come back to work for them. Aren't they wonderful..see why it is so hard to leave? They haven't done a thing wrong...I know it would have been easier to leave if they would have kicked us out and we had a reason to resent them. BUT NO! They have to be super nice and supportive! Love those Schneiders! Thanks for the memories...I know Christopher will take what he has learned from them into his new job....WAHHHHH!!!

Update on Ginger...


Back from taking Ginger to the vet this afternoon....overweight with dirty teeth...I'm the worst mother ever! She weighs in at about 13 pounds and the average pom her size should be about 6 to 8 pounds...oops...She is just a happy, healthy, inside dog....So the vet gave us a perscription dog food that Ginger is suppose to get only twice a day...poor girl..she is use to having her food out all the time available when she wants it....and she doesn't usually eat that much so the whole weight issue is a huge mystery to me. We have to start exercising her more which is a good thing for me...I've been wanting to get the girls out for walks more often so this will be a good motivation..hey, maybe I'll even lose a few pounds. I have to wonder though how much of that weight is hair...she must lose atleast 1 or 2 pounds when we get her shaved...I'll have to reweigh her after we take her for her spa day on Saturday...the vet's office is right in the same store.
We also had to buy a toothbrush and toothpaste...poultry flavored!! Ginger's teeth were looking pretty yucky but I had no idea you were suppose to be brushing dog teeth everyday like people teeth..who knew the once every couple of months to the groomers wasn't enough...I didn't, and I'm Ginger's mommy! She let me brush her teeth tonight...kinda reminded me of the first couple of times we started brushing Elodie's teeth..."what is this thing in my mouth but it taste good"....she's a good sport and we love her. Besides being over traumatized by all the other big dogs at the vet's office, she is doing great...pooped out from her experience and sleeping as we speak! We love you Ginger, the $125 was well worth it!

Fruity Girl

Lots of errands ran this morning...picked up 3 kits from Heidi...woo hoo! Can't wait to get some time this weekend and scrapbook! Finally have the perfect paper to scrapbook Elodie's Christmas pictures from LAST year..I told you I was behind.
Went to Costco and dropped $150....you can't leave that place without spending atleast $50...and with everything in my cart, I still looked like I didn't buy half as much as all the rest...one women was walking out with 2 carts full of stuff...maybe they live really far away and only get to Costco once every 2 months or something...Costco is just up the street from us so I pass it all the time..it's nice.
Bought a bunch of fruit at Costco..I love their produce..Strawberries, apples, and grapes....all absolutely wonderful. Have I ever said before that Elodie is a fruit eater? She will eat a whole apple by herself and then ask for more. For lunch today she ate 10 strawberries all by herself. Chris and I are constantly saying "Elodie, eat your chicken, or eat your meat"...what parent has to keep fruit off of their childs plate so they will eat everything else.you have to give Elodie her fruit last because she won't eat anything else...It's like candy for her. I love that she loves fruit so much...she also LOVES green beans...straight from the can, a little salt and pepper..she will eat all of hers and then ask for the ones on your plate...crazy girl..healthy girl but still crazy! And it's funny because when she was a baby she hated green beans..who wouldn't I guess when they are mashed up! Uck..
So our fridge is stocked and it will probably only last us about a week and half if that. I love having lots of fruit..good for the body!!
Ginger has shots this afternoon...we are behind on those so I am relieved to be getting them done today.
Christopher's second to last day with the Schneiders....blah...they were taking everybody to lunch today..glad I'm not there, I would have just been a huge basket case....can't talk...getting teary eyed AGAIN!
Christopher is feeling the stress of starting school and a new job...he's a little on edge lately but I need to be sympathetic..supportive....
On to laundry!

Random Thoughts

Family's back to normal almost from all the coughing, sneezing, and runny noses..Hurray!
Christopher's hump day...only 2 days left with the Schneider's...and I'll stop there because I'll start to cry...
New job on Monday, School starts on Tuesday...WAAAAH!! I'm never going to see Chris again!
Elodie is sleeping....
Ginger shots tomorrow and a bath and haircut on Saturday..the poor girl is in some real need of a spa day....speaking of haircuts, so am I.
Just finished mopping and my floor rugs are clean....AHHH!!! The smell of Lysol!

Layout o' day...

Here is another layout I started last night and finished today...still loving my new sewing machine and the dimension it adds to my pages...don't know if it shows up on this layout since it's alittle blurry....took a bunch of different pictures and each one came out blurry..don't know if it was the font or what but that hasn't happened to me before..especially with my new camera! Still trying to get through some pictures before I develop new ones....all of this stuff came from our experience at the scrapbooking store Saturday night...atleast the layout was about Chris, that should count for something! Love everything from Elodie...even though it's from me....Chris is a great dad and I love their relationship!! Happy Belated Father's Day Chris! I love you too!

I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired!!!


I think our family has been sick off and on since November!!! It's been so draining and I am so tired of it!! Today we are home from Church sick...I've been fighting a cough and stuffy nose for the last couple of days but have been taking medicine and vitamins and thought I was fighting it off..except for the last 2 nights that I've been taking Nyquil to sleep through my cough. This morning I work up and couldn't move!! I just wanted to sleep, feeling so weak and exhausted!! Well, I did just that..slept until almost 11am and have been in and out of sleep all afternoon on the couch. I feel so useless and drained!! I hate it! I'm feeling better after all the sleep but I just needed to get up off the couch and feel like I accomplished something today...so an entry was needed!!
Hopefully we can start feeling back to normal again soon..it just stinks because it feels like we keep bouncing germs off of each other..I'll start to feel better, then Elodie will get sick, then Chris has a sore throat and it just starts all over again! YUCK! The worst is for Elodie..I would much rather be the sick one that have her sick..it just breaks my heart! We got her some vitamins and I have been washing her hands like crazy so we are hoping to build up that immune system slowly but surely!!
In other news...we bought Elodie some Little Mermaid undies the other night...hoping to start potty training soon....I went to try and put them on her today and she screamed.....not looking to traumatize the poor girl and drag this process out even longer....maybe daily trys are in order instead of all at once..we will try again tomorrow. I would love for her to be out of diapers before she turns 3. I know she is aware of it and I know she knows what it all means....it's just going to take that one time and hopefully smooth sailing afterwards!! I asked her the other day before I bought the little mermaids if she wanted undies and she asked for a Little Mermaid diaper...apparently we aren't off to the greatest start!! Slow and steady...like the immune system!!

Note to self...

Even though it might sound like a good idea..even if you think you'll be spending time together.......don't ever swing by the scrapbooking store with Chris in tow....his patience span is about 5 minutes and then he freaks out after that!!! Not a happy camper!
We went up to Randa and Mike's wedding reception tonight. We thought it was over in more downtown Mesa. I had wanted to go to the scrapbooking store and we thought, we'll just stop on our way to the reception. Got to the scrapbooking store, left Chris and Elodie in the car...thought I was being super quick (note to self again, this would be another reason not to take Chris to the scrapbooking store..I put added pressure on myself to hurry. It's much more enjoyable when you can take your time!), got back to the car and Chris informed me that I had been gone for 30 minutes!! Oops! And I thought I was hurrying!!
I had to make it up to him by buying him dinner..and the worse part is the reception wasn't even near the scrapbooking store like we thought...come to find out it was actually closer to our house. Oops again! That one wasn't my fault though...we just thought we knew where we were going!
So after 5 years of marriage you would think I would have learned...this is to remind myself. GO TO THE SCRAPBOOKING STORE ALONE! Even with Elodie is a stretch....GO ALONE!! Much more enjoyable and no guilt trips envolved!! I did feel bad though, I didn't mean to stay that long and I felt like I was going quickly!! And since I gave Chris a hard time this morning because he drug me all over looking for a calculator...he was in and out of so many stores that me and Elodie just stayed in the car. I'm so mean!!

Sometimes she is braver than me...

Today we had to take Elodie to get blood work done. We've known about it since we took her in for her 2 year check up. Since we live in old military housing, the ped. wanted to test for lead poisoning...it's pretty common for most kids but since we live where we do it's even more important. Honestly, I've been putting it off. I hate the idea of her having to get poked at and the idea of her being pinned down and screaming makes my stomach turn. Especially as she gets older and is much more aware of her surroundings!!
Last year when Elodie turned one, our ped. was concerned about her weight and wanted blood work done on her. I had a RS Presidency meeting so Chris ended up taking her by himself. He didn't find out until we got there but once a child turns one, the nurse draws blood through the arm...no more pricks on the foot...this would be one more reason I was dreading this visit!!
Thankfully Chris knows how I feel and is always willing to go with me. And since we only have medical insurance through the Schneiders until the 1st of February we were put on a deadline and it needed to be done. So reluctantly, we did it today.
I cried in the waiting room...cried harder when I heard her screaming...cried more when Chris and Elodie came out and she wanted me to hold her...and in a few minutes she wanted some gum!! Completely over her ordeal and on to something else.
And of course the idea of her being okay made me okay but man just once I'd like to hold it together for her. I am so thankful for Chris and the ability he has to put that wall up....he is always so strong when it comes to things like this and I am so thankful he is willing to put up with my weakness...even though he still gives me a hard time about it!! It makes it easier to deal with when both of us aren't complete basketcases!!
I guess it just comes with the territory!!
Elodie is doing great...other than a little bruise on the inside of her arm she is back to her normal self and hopefully we won't have to go through that again! I'm so grateful that she is healthy...that we are healthy!! My heart goes out to parents who have to deal with my couple of minutes everyday!!

Layout of the day!!

day 2 of my New Years Resolution....on a roll and actually motivated to do more!! Love my new sewing machine..it's got 60 different stitch options. This stitch is a SNOWFLAKE!! How fitting is that! Super cute too!!

Do you go to Higley?

Today Chris, Elodie, and I went to Barro's pizza for lunch. When we were getting our order, I handed the girl our Higley Gold Card (a discount card sold by Higley High School) and the girl behind the counter asked me if I went to Higley High School!!!
Ya know, at 26 I just have to laugh about it...I use to get SO offended when people would ask me how I old I was...especially when I was like 20....I would get mistaken for a 16 year old all the time. Now I just take it as a compliment. If someone wants to think I'm 10 years younger than I really am then by all means!! I knew it would eventually work in my favor!! I just hope my luck doesn't run out when I'm 40!!!

Another resolution....

Told you I would find some more resolutions I need to work....I need to buckle down on my scrapbooking....I'm not really the type to stay up to date if you will ( I also don't feel the urgency to get through a certain project as this is a hobby and I'm in no hurry!) but I'm WAY behind and I haven't scrapbooked in a while.I still haven't done last years Christmas pictures...and I have so much supplies to use up there really isn't any exuse! And today when I sat down to scrapbook while Elodie was sleeping it was so nice and relaxing and quiet...it was really enjoyable!! I need to do it more often for me! So here are 2 quickie layouts I did today...I need to use up some pictures before I get new pics developed! It's a good system for me. I only get a certain number of pictures developed and I don't get more developed until all of those pictures are scrapbooked. It's a good process for me..not too overwhelming and I feel like I accomplished something when I get to get more pictures developed!! Plus it helps me scrapbook those pictures I put off.....you know those one you don't really know what to with...sometimes those end up being my best layouts!

Happy Scrappin'!!

Resolutions?

We started our new year off really well today!! Christopher and I started our first day of the '07 by first taking down all of our christmas stuff....it's always bittersweet to me to take down the decorations...you think when you put them up the day after Thanksgiving that it's going to be forever before you take them down..I always think that by the time I take all this stuff down that I'll be sick of it all....that's just not the case....time just goes by too fast. Now all of our decorations, tree, stockings, etc are neatly stored and my house feels bare and empty. Can't wait to start putting up my Valentine decorations! :) We moved on to organizing spaces in our house that haven't had much attention...mainly Christopher's office and my scrapbooking/Elodie's closet. We keep Chris' desk cleaned off and the junk mail shredded but areas like his closet and his book shelf needed some major help. Mine and Elodie's closet was the same way....it was descent but I knew if we got in there and organized it a little better we would find that we have way more space in there than we thought...and we did. I was able to fit my scrapbooking suitcase and my sewing machine in nicely and left extra space on the shelves. I was super pleased with the results. It actually motivated me more to organize my scrappin' stuff! I'll be getting some jars to seperate my ribbon and then I'll be able to put those jars on my shelves! Stinks that I have to put my stuff in Elodie's closet but after organizing it today it's no big deal. Atleast until I can get my own ROOM! :)

Christopher spent all of his day in his office...shredding, throwing away, dusting, and rearranging. It's crazy how even a little space can feel roomy when it is organized properly! I can breathe a little easier in this room now. We took all our food storage out and plan on putting it under our bed....my scrapbooking stuff came out and into my closet....I even have enough room to put my cake caddy in there too. Crazy what alittle attention can do for a room or closet!!
It was a good day....we stayed home until about 5pm, went to Target for some folders and a new basket for Elodie's kitchen food and then went to Golden Corral for dinner....a buffet that is very similar to Ryans from La. We enjoyed ourselves...ate too much but we were celebrating! :)

We talked about resolutions and what we wanted to accomplish for our family this year. Nothing we are already trying to do....or know that we need to work on.

1. Continue saving for a house....We should be in an even better position a year from now.
2. We opened a new account and are starting to save for a family vacation to Disneyland
3. Attend the Temple as a couple atleast once a month....once the holidays hit we really slacked on our Temple attendance....it was weighing on me so I'm excited for us to make this a goal.
4. Scripture Study...why is this so hard for us!?! I think we are going to have scripture study right after dinner each evening because nothing else is working...early morning doesn't work and after I get home from work doesn't work for us either! Very frustrating when a day turns into a week turns into a month...etc.
5. Going to bed on time....atleast by 11pm....these crazy late nights are killing us!! And I blame most of it on Kohl's holiday hours.....
6. Eating better....we were doing really well over the summer...running and watching what we eat. We weren't drastic, just concious. It really helped and we felt so much better...and slept better too! :)
7. BUDGET!! This year Chris and I are going to sit down and caculate everything out....something we haven't done before.....not so much for bills but groceries and extra spending. We usual just spend if we need it or if the money is there. It hasn't gotten us into too much trouble since we have still been able to save money but we really need to buckle down this year so that we can buy a house....and since Chris will be graduating in 2 semesters. It will definitely be here before we know it!


That's it for now....I'll probably think of a million other things I want to immprove on this year and accomplish....not just this year but overall. The New Year is just a good time to start!!
I am so excited about this new year...we have alot to look forward to and have been so blessed in this past year. I know Heavenly Father has blessed our family...sometimes undeservingly and so for that I am doubley thankful!
I love my family. I'm happy where we are right now and I am excited about our future together as a family. We are blessed to have our extended family happy and healthy and can only ask for that to continue through this new year!! Our life is good and together I know that we will be happy!!
Happy New Year!