Wow! We're doing great and it's been so long since I've blogged I hardly know where to start. So Darin called me Thursday night on the way home from work to tell me, "I'm feeling rather ambitious and I have several days off, I want to potty train Gracie. Should I go buy her some panties?" Well I told him he had my support but that I thought he would fail and that I refused to help. He understood--I don't believe in potty training. It doesn't work. So far Gracie has actually peed 3x in the toilet! Very exciting. However, not too impressive for 3 days. This is why I don't believe in it. At this rate it will take 6 months. Whatever, if he wants a project, he sure found one. She does look very cute in her panties though : )
So this fall I will be student teaching and one of my classes will be high school choir. Well, Firth hasn't had a successful (more than 2 people) choir in about 10 years. Because of this, choir is unfamiliar and has a stigma attached to it. So I decided to change that. Registration at the high school is in a few weeks and I decided to create some interest. I got a group together--6 girls and 6 guys and taught them a medley from Shrek. They had a great time and sounded great even though we only had 5 rehearsals. They sang at an assembly on Friday. It turned out awesome. Everyone loved it. Their parents came, and they loved it. Hopefully everyone will still remember it when they register. I had a great time with the kids. They were really great.
Coupons. Okay. So Darin and I had an unbelievable experience with buying soy milk at Freddies. I told my siblings about it and Danielle and Amy tried it too and it also worked for them. The milk was on sale for $1.25 a carton--a good deal. So I bought 2 cases--24 cartons. Well, after I bought them and my receipt printed it also printed tons and tons of coupons. One was specifically for soy milk and the others were for anything at Freddies. Well I went back and got more soy milk, used the coupons, and got more coupons. Now these coupons were good ones, $2 off your next purchase, or $2 off of 4 cartons. I couldn't seem to figure out how many I would get so I just kept buying, and when I got home to figure out how much I paid it was about 46 cents a carton--an amazing deal. Before this the cheapest we had ever paid was 92 cents a carton for the Kirkland brand. Well, Darin was determined to figure it out. The next week the cartons went down to $1 a carton. So Darin bought more. This time he figured out that if he bought 6 cartons he would get $6 worth of coupons. So after the first $6, everything is free and we just had to pay 6 cents a piece for tax. Well, we completely bought out everything they had 2x both in Idaho Falls and Pocatello. I have no idea how many we have. 100s for sure. Just in case you're wondering, we drink a lot of soy milk, and yes, we will drink it all before the expiration date in February. After this experience Darin and I were on a high. I would sit around and wonder if it was a once in a lifetime experience, or if we could find other deals like it. So I got online and found out with a little work, I could do similar things at other stores. I found a couple of great websites. On www.biblicalwomanhoodonline.com/blog.htm I discovered Crystal Paine, who is incredible and religious and wonderful in every way. Then she has another website www.moneysavingmom.com/.
So I have been reading and clipping coupons and went shopping for the first time this last Friday with Darin. So you can truly understand why I am going to all of this effort here is what I got for $12 at Walmart, using coupons.
1) 120 oz. of Mini Shredded Wheat, Malt o Meal brand (equivalent to 6 regular cereal boxes)
2) 2 boxes Honey Bunches of Oats (the new chocolate variety that has just as much protein and fiber and only 1 gram more of sugar than the regular Honey Bunches, it's really not that chocolaty, but my kids feel pretty special)
3) 1 lb of strawberries
4) travel size Kleenex
5) 1 can organic tomatoes, Muir Glen brand
6) 4 packages of flushable wipes (for the potty training)
7) 1 box Noodle Roni
8) 2 boxes Kashi crackers (a health food brand)
$12 for all of that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We were so excited. Then we went to Rite Aide and bought a special hair product especially designed for curling hair, some loose face powder for me, and a nice toothbrush--all for FREE because of mail in rebates. Darin sent the rebates in online as soon as we got home. So all it will cost us is tax. And I'm really excited about the hair product, because Anna has a dance recital this week, and her hair is so hard to curl, I'm hoping this will help. (Curly hair is literally required, and part of the "uniform")
So today after church Darin and I clipped our coupons, looked at the ads and made a plan for this week. I am passed being embarrassed and am now a proud coupon clipper! I hope this is not a fleeting hobby. At least until we get some bills paid. Also--I forgot. Aliese needed some new Sunday shoes, so we went to DI and got a brand new pair of leather shoes for $5. Definitely had never been worn. She loves them too. Size 4 in women's!!! Yikes she's getting old.
Darin has always been extremely cheap and not ashamed, I'm finally catching on. It only takes a few times of getting an amazing deal (like soy milk for 6 cents a carton) or that list at Walmart for $12 to be convinced.
I am being summoned to go watch a softball game over at Brandt's. Playing sports on Sunday seems to be a major part of keeping the Sabbath day holy around here.
Love you all.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Wishing Upon a Star
Oh I wish I was in Disneyland. Still wishing, still wishing. My question is when will it go away. I need something new to look forward to.
Update. Still playing percussion, and now playing the saxophone--way easier than the clarinet--no comparison. Started pasting my pictures in an album, so excited, I was listening to MOTAB singing "When you Wish Upon a Star" and then before I was even a quarter of the way through my pictures I ran out of the sticky things. Looked all over the house in all of my girls scrapbooking kits --no more sticky things! I debated over using tape, and decided against it. So I was really mad for a while, until I started reading blogs. Blogs. So fun. How empty our lives must have been before blogging. So Lizzie tagged all of us. Here it goes. I really enjoyed reading Lizzie's.
How did you meet your spouse? Provo, BYU, Campus Plaza, in front of Darin's apartment. He asked me, "Is that the real color of your eyes?" To this day he insists it wasn't a line but totally and utterly sincere.
Where did you go on your first date? He asked me to go ice blocking and I turned him down flat. "I don't do dangerous things, " states Rebecca. "It's not dangerous," replies Darin. "Everything is dangerous for me," insists Rebecca.
So he took me miniature golfing instead. We doubled with a very grumpy couple, so after golfing, we dropped them off and went out to ice cream at Carousel. Then we went back to Campus Plaza and talked in his car until 2:00 in the morning. We honestly couldn't stop talking.
How long have you been together? 11 years. Wow.
Who eats more? Darin eats more at one time, I snack more.
Who said I love you first? I did. Darin told me later on that same day immediately after our first french kiss. He insists that is not true, but I know it is.
Who is taller? Darin
Who sings better? I don't know. I know more about singing, but Darin has the biggest set of lungs, and the hugest range. He can be very entertaining. Especially at dinner.
Who is smarter? I don't know about that. Grammer--Darin, Math--Me, Music--Me, Science--Darin (by 100xs), Politics and History--same, Literature--Me. I.Q.--According to Darin--him and Aliese, then me.
Who does the laundry? Both. I sort, and spray with Shout on every conceivable stain, and start it, but Darin usually keeps it going. However, he does it my way (this took many years), and occasionally when I don't have time, he will give up and do the sorting and spotting himself, which is really a small miracle when I think of the way he did laundry when we got married. Darin usually folds, and I put away, it's a real team effort.
Who does the dishes? Me. Darin used to do so many more, but he will help when I ask him to. He is always good at putting his own dishes in the dishwasher though. The girls put away the dishes.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Darin.
Who pays the bills? Darin. If I did he would be looking over my shoulder the whole time.
Who mows the lawn? Darin, and I am so grateful. We have so much lawn, and will have even more over the next few years. It takes hours. I have never once mowed the lawn. I have a vague recollection of trying to do it once as a teenager, that's as far as my mowing experience goes.
Who cooks dinner? Me, my friends, and Darin. Another group effort. I belong to the world's greatest freezer club. We all cook 2 entrees for each other, meet once a month and trade. I end up with 8 meals a month from my friends, and several that I made and froze. Then depending on the day, Darin will put it in the oven, or I will. On Sundays we always have roast and mashed potatoes, Darin makes the potatoes. Thank goodness. I personally think making mashed potatoes on Sunday is breaking the Sabbath for me, because I hate it so much.
Who drives when you are together? Darin. Always. I never drive. Not even on the way to Oregon. It's a beautiful thing being a passenger, I love it.
Who is more stubborn? Neither. We really aren't. We compromise a lot. I think we both are lucky in that the things we feel really strongly about, we agree on.
Who is the first to admit when they’re wrong? Oh good grief. Me.
Who kissed who first? I suppose I waited for him to kiss me. However I was tempting him with every skill I could muster. It was less than a week after our first date.
Who proposed? Darin I guess. But the poor guy asked me what I would do if he didn't propose and I flipped out and stormed down the beach away from him, and he ran to catch up and then proposed (a few minutes too late), and I said, "So is this for real, or are you just teasing me." So he proposed, but I kind of forced him into it.
Who is more sensitive? Me. He is very sensitive for a man, but still a man.
Who has more friends? Me. I love to talk and meet people, have parties. Darin lives next door to his best friend though. Lucky duck.
Who has more siblings? Me.
Who wears the pants? Darin. But I'm trying to learn from Lizzie and her ways. She could write a book on how to be a good wife, but always get your way. She is the master.
So I went and got Gracie a haircut yesterday. It needed to happen. I wish I would've done it before our trip, the pictures would've been better. Tip for the future-- get haircuts before trip! Anyway, I couldn't handle it anymore and so I told our hair person to do a bob. It's layered, its short, I will never have to fix it, and it looked 10xs better and thicker. So here she is.
The pictures don't do the hair justice. Oh well. A few pics from her birthday.
I can't believe she's 3! She still loves to be a baby though, and I love to baby her--a perfect match.
I love you all. I'm so glad it's the weekend. So grateful for weekends.
Update. Still playing percussion, and now playing the saxophone--way easier than the clarinet--no comparison. Started pasting my pictures in an album, so excited, I was listening to MOTAB singing "When you Wish Upon a Star" and then before I was even a quarter of the way through my pictures I ran out of the sticky things. Looked all over the house in all of my girls scrapbooking kits --no more sticky things! I debated over using tape, and decided against it. So I was really mad for a while, until I started reading blogs. Blogs. So fun. How empty our lives must have been before blogging. So Lizzie tagged all of us. Here it goes. I really enjoyed reading Lizzie's.
How did you meet your spouse? Provo, BYU, Campus Plaza, in front of Darin's apartment. He asked me, "Is that the real color of your eyes?" To this day he insists it wasn't a line but totally and utterly sincere.
Where did you go on your first date? He asked me to go ice blocking and I turned him down flat. "I don't do dangerous things, " states Rebecca. "It's not dangerous," replies Darin. "Everything is dangerous for me," insists Rebecca.
So he took me miniature golfing instead. We doubled with a very grumpy couple, so after golfing, we dropped them off and went out to ice cream at Carousel. Then we went back to Campus Plaza and talked in his car until 2:00 in the morning. We honestly couldn't stop talking.
How long have you been together? 11 years. Wow.
Who eats more? Darin eats more at one time, I snack more.
Who said I love you first? I did. Darin told me later on that same day immediately after our first french kiss. He insists that is not true, but I know it is.
Who is taller? Darin
Who sings better? I don't know. I know more about singing, but Darin has the biggest set of lungs, and the hugest range. He can be very entertaining. Especially at dinner.
Who is smarter? I don't know about that. Grammer--Darin, Math--Me, Music--Me, Science--Darin (by 100xs), Politics and History--same, Literature--Me. I.Q.--According to Darin--him and Aliese, then me.
Who does the laundry? Both. I sort, and spray with Shout on every conceivable stain, and start it, but Darin usually keeps it going. However, he does it my way (this took many years), and occasionally when I don't have time, he will give up and do the sorting and spotting himself, which is really a small miracle when I think of the way he did laundry when we got married. Darin usually folds, and I put away, it's a real team effort.
Who does the dishes? Me. Darin used to do so many more, but he will help when I ask him to. He is always good at putting his own dishes in the dishwasher though. The girls put away the dishes.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Darin.
Who pays the bills? Darin. If I did he would be looking over my shoulder the whole time.
Who mows the lawn? Darin, and I am so grateful. We have so much lawn, and will have even more over the next few years. It takes hours. I have never once mowed the lawn. I have a vague recollection of trying to do it once as a teenager, that's as far as my mowing experience goes.
Who cooks dinner? Me, my friends, and Darin. Another group effort. I belong to the world's greatest freezer club. We all cook 2 entrees for each other, meet once a month and trade. I end up with 8 meals a month from my friends, and several that I made and froze. Then depending on the day, Darin will put it in the oven, or I will. On Sundays we always have roast and mashed potatoes, Darin makes the potatoes. Thank goodness. I personally think making mashed potatoes on Sunday is breaking the Sabbath for me, because I hate it so much.
Who drives when you are together? Darin. Always. I never drive. Not even on the way to Oregon. It's a beautiful thing being a passenger, I love it.
Who is more stubborn? Neither. We really aren't. We compromise a lot. I think we both are lucky in that the things we feel really strongly about, we agree on.
Who is the first to admit when they’re wrong? Oh good grief. Me.
Who kissed who first? I suppose I waited for him to kiss me. However I was tempting him with every skill I could muster. It was less than a week after our first date.
Who proposed? Darin I guess. But the poor guy asked me what I would do if he didn't propose and I flipped out and stormed down the beach away from him, and he ran to catch up and then proposed (a few minutes too late), and I said, "So is this for real, or are you just teasing me." So he proposed, but I kind of forced him into it.
Who is more sensitive? Me. He is very sensitive for a man, but still a man.
Who has more friends? Me. I love to talk and meet people, have parties. Darin lives next door to his best friend though. Lucky duck.
Who has more siblings? Me.
Who wears the pants? Darin. But I'm trying to learn from Lizzie and her ways. She could write a book on how to be a good wife, but always get your way. She is the master.
So I went and got Gracie a haircut yesterday. It needed to happen. I wish I would've done it before our trip, the pictures would've been better. Tip for the future-- get haircuts before trip! Anyway, I couldn't handle it anymore and so I told our hair person to do a bob. It's layered, its short, I will never have to fix it, and it looked 10xs better and thicker. So here she is.
The pictures don't do the hair justice. Oh well. A few pics from her birthday.
I can't believe she's 3! She still loves to be a baby though, and I love to baby her--a perfect match.I love you all. I'm so glad it's the weekend. So grateful for weekends.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Disneyland!
I recently returned (on Saturday, but this is the first chance I've had to blog) from 5 wonderful and fabulous days in
Starting with the truly most magical--
1) Monday night staying at the park with Anna alone for the fireworks where they repeat, "Dreams come true" like a mantra, and then walking down Main Street and her saying in a dreamy, hopeful, half afraid to ask way, "Mama, do dreams really come true?"
2) On our last day (having already gotten autographs and pictures with Cinderella, Jasmine, Snow White, Belle, and Ariel) running into Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) unexpectedly, getting pictures and autographs and Aliese holding her autograph book close to her heart, letting out a big sigh and saying with a twinkle in her eye, "I'm so relieved. I was so worried we wouldn't get to see her."
3) And last, but surely not the least, watching Ariel sing Part of Your World on top of her gorgeous float, and then look down at my Gracie, who had dirty stringy hair in her eyes, chocolate ice cream all over her face and shirt, and a snot nose to boot, but nevertheless, waving and smiling with all the excitement of being 20 feet from Ariel, look down at Gracie and say with all the sweetness, sincerity and grace of a perfect princess, in front of hundreds of people, into her microphone, "Oh, your so cute!" Gracie knew Ariel was talking to her. It was possibly the most magical experience of my life and I almost cried. Truly the happiest place on earth.
The most exciting experiences with rides--
1) Ridemax, ridemax, ridemax. Saved our hinies during one of the busiest weeks at
2) Getting up at the crack of dawn to beat the crowds and then truly beating the crowds.
3) Doing fantasyland everyday in under an hour because we were there so early.
4) Gracie going on Dumbo 8 times and loving it more each time.
5) Going on the Go Go Coaster 3 times in a row in Toon Town, because it was the most thrilling ride my girls had ever gone on.
6) Riding Finding Nemo, first thing in the morning with almost no line, because Lizzie ran all the way there from the gate, in her flip flops, pushing a stroller, that we found out had locked wheels the whole time. Simply amazing. The ride normally has 2-3 hour wait. We felt like royalty the rest of the week. "Oh, yea, we rode Nemo, with almost no line. Yea it was amazing. You have to go really early in the morning. It's the only way." We thought we were cool.
7) The girls finally braving Splash Mountain on the last day. They loved it of course, dughhhhhhh, wish we could have talked them into it sooner.
Food Highlights--
1) The Blue Bayou in Pirates. So delicious, so much atmosphere.
2) The chocolate muffins at the bakery-perfect.
3) Fresh sourdough rolls at the nice restaurants.
4) Pooh Corner, unfortunately discovered our last day. Best treats in the park. Best cookies, fudge galore. Yum. I'm hungry.
Character Highlights--
1) Princess Luncheon in Ariel's Grotto. We met Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, Belle, and Jasmine. Gracie talked about "my Snow White" all through lunch. They were all so beautiful, gracious and kind. We got autographs and pictures with all of them.
2) Minney and Mickey. Truly the stars of Disneyland. Fabulous, adorable. We all fell in love with them. Gracie didn't even know who they were, but after she met them, and got hugs from Minnie, it was "where's my Mickey, where's my Minnie?" the rest of the week.
Entertainment--
1) Wow. In a word--perfect. The fireworks, both parades, Fantasimic, and Alladin. We did them all and I couldn't tell you which one was my fav. They were all exquisite.
Other special highlights--
1) Mom being with us.
2) Mom taking her camera and using it almost every 5 minutes!
3) Everyone being so nice. The employees at Disneyland, the other families at the park, the people we met in line and on the bus. Truly, everyone there was so nice.
4) The wishing well by the castle that sang "I'm Wishing" from Snow White.
5) The castle at night when it turned pink.
6) Drinking in the fragrance of the flowers at California Disney.
7) Beautiful music everywhere, and I mean everywhere!
8) Main Street at night.
9) The candy shop and their almond roca.
10) And finally, Anna saying wistfully as we were leaving the park for the last time on Friday, "I don't want to leave this place."
Love you all. Mom or I will post pics later. I don't have them yet.
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