i will bloom...

I Can Only Imagine (with lyrics) - MercyMe

2010-02-26T14:36:00.001-05:00

Love this song! Happy Friday Everyone

The Christmas Dare

2009-12-25T13:09:00.003-05:00

So this year Christmas started with a dare. Makenah told me that she was going to wake us up to open gifts at 3:00 AM! I informed her that there is NO WAY she could get up that early, even throwing in a dare. She set her phone alarm in an attempt to prove me wrong. I told Scott last night that all the kids were in on waking us up at 3:00 and he wasn't amused. I told him that it was a dare and I had to follow through. He told me to set my alarm to 2:49. I woke up in time to brush my teeth and heard the footsteps of Makenah running down stairs. I stood by the door in my room and just as Makenah opened the door, I jumped out at her and scarred her half to death. It was AWESOME!! Madisen came down, then Dalton came down, and then the biggest task was getting Scott up. We had fun opening our gifts, playing with our gifts, reading some of our gifts, and then we all went back to bed (except Dalton who stayed up to play his new Wii game). I think next year we will go back to tradition of not opening gifts until after 7:00 AM, then enjoying breakfast after a good nights sleep. I hope everyone has a VERY Merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. I am so grateful for such a tiny little baby that was born under such humble circumstances, and for the gift that HE ultimately gave to me.

Merry Christmas Eve 2009

2009-12-25T12:49:00.001-05:00

I know! Once again I have been MIA and I have LOTS of catching up to do over the next week. Last night was Christmas Eve and we followed through on our tradition of the kids opening up a gift. They (well, Scott and I) chose to have them open Grandma and Grandpa Tippets gifts. It looks like Grandma Tippets spent some time making cozy blankets for the kids and they LOVED them. Makenah's blanket has dolphins, which matches her room perfectly. So many of the items that make up the cowboy theme in Dalton's room are hand made from Dalton's grandparents, great-grand parents, and Scott. The horse blanket is so fitting for his room and one more thing to make up the love that surrounds him while he sleeps (or is in time-out). Madisen has a volleyball theme blanket. She found her love for volleyball this year and played on the 7th grade girls volleyball team. She is VERY good and I can't wait to see where the sport will take her. Happy Christmas Eve and the kids will enjoy the warmth of the season even more with Grandma and Grandpa's hand-made blankets.

Meet Lucy

2009-09-15T08:41:00.012-04:00

Yes, this is our new puppy Lucy. We have had her now for about 5 weeks and I LOVE this little thing. Scott knew that I wanted a puppy for my 40th birthday (which happens to fall on Thanksgiving this year),and he didn't believe me. Our last experience with a dog was an 8 year ordeal with a labor and service, the original Marly story. Well, now that we have had about 5 years to recover, I have been ready to have a dog again.

Scott was going to take some convincing though. I began doing some research on breeds after talking to a friend of mine who has a Shih-Poo. I looked at lots of breeds but had some guideline: small dog, not yippy, no shedding, good temperament, small poops, great with kids, playful and content. So, I told Scott that a Shih-Poo was the breed of dog I wanted. I went on for a couple of months about wanting a dog, then I said, "Maybe, if you are going to get me a dog, we should wait until Spring when my busy season is over." So one Saturday, I was having a team training and Scott told me he was taking the kids to Kentucky for a service project. I didn't think anything of it because him and Dalton have been going on these Scout service projects for a while now. I had a little "wonder" moment when they had been gone for 6 hours, but then thought, there is no way he is getting me a dog yet. Sure enough when they walked through the door, Scott had this little, tiny fur ball in his arms. I was SOOOO not ready for her. I didn't even have a name picked out yet. Of course they had a list of names ready for me, but I didn't really like any of them. It came down to Charlie or Lucy, and I chose Lucy. Scott had been looking online and found a breeder in Kentucky, so she was an early birthday gift.

I don't what she weighed when she came home, but is now up to about 3 1/2 pounds. Shih-Poos will weigh in between 6-8 lbs when grown. I'm thinking she will get close to the 6 pound mark because she is so stinkin' little. She went to the groomer for the first time about a week ago, and it was funny to see her without all her wavy hair -she was all shaved down. We are still working on the potty training, but crate training her has been pretty easy. She is now sleeping through the night, she loves to chew on cardboard and paper and is SOO playful. The kids are in love with her and she goes running for them when they come home from school. Scott likes her to sleep with us. We never really let the kids sleep with us, so I think it is funny when he takes her bed and puts her right up above our heads to sleep with us.

She discovered her shadow the other day and went running after it, and she is afraid of fire hydrants. Yep, we all love little Lucy.

Lucy slept in the bathtub the first week, easy clean up of accidents:

MIA AGAIN!!

2009-07-19T22:00:00.006-04:00

There are so many reasons I have been MIA, but the majority of those reasons have to do with my Scentsy business. I now have 67 members on my team, and it is crazy, but in a GREAT way!! I am having so much fun as I watch my team grow and be successful. Last month I spent a good amount of time getting my Authentic Wickless Candles blog re-done. I found a gal online and after checking out her work, I knew I wanted her to make my blog look amazing. I bought a couple of digital scrapbooking kits so she would have lots to work with, then I created some posts specific for the tabs that she would be putting up. It was quite time consuming, but I love the results.

After getting my blog done, I thought it would be a good idea to get a domain name for my website and candle blog:
www.iamwickless.com and http://blog.iamwickless.com

I found a domain host that is very inexpensive and with my own name, it will be easier for potential consultants to find me through tags(and it is working!!).

Another reason for my lacking is that not only have I been working on my website/blog stuff, but I have been trying to earn the Alaskan cruise. I needed to have 16,000 points to earn the cruise for myself, and 24,000 to bring my mom. I was bummed that at first I didn't earn it for either of us, and was only short by about 1500 points for myself. When I got on the Director's call a few weeks ago, we found out that Scentsy would be giving us an additional 4,000 points. Scentsy overbought thinking more would qualify so they had to "grade on a curve". I now qualify!! In September, I will be heading out to do some whale watching on an Alaskan cruise. My mom could have bought in for $1600, but that's not an expense she was expecting, so I'm a bit disappointed. I know I will have another opportunity, so I will try again next year. I would have taken Scott (of course), but he has no more vacation this year, bummer!! My Scentsy Sister, Christie P, will be sharing a room with me and we are going to have so much fun. One of the stops will be in Victoria Canada, so I am excited about that, along with 4 other stops in Alaska. :)

Scentsy has been such a blessing in our life and I am so grateful for the leadership position that I am in. I have an AWESOME team!!! It was a hard choice to leave school, but to see the difference Scentsy is making in other people's lives, it has been so worth it. I feel like Scentsy has become an extension of my family and have made so many close friends in the process of building a such a wonderful, fun, life changing business. I can't wait to see where Scentsy will be in the next 5 years as Scentsy Spirit continues to explode in the East, and will go international in the near future. What an exciting journey it will be and I am so proud to be a part of it :)

Makenah just returned from a week at EFY in Granville, Ohio. She made some great friends and memories, but wants to go back to the Indiana one next year. She went there last year and decided to check out Granville this year. She was supposed to have other friends going, then they flaked out after we already registered. She has been gone so much this summer. She had Stake Youth Conference for 3 days, then left for with a friend (and her family) to Florida for 9 days, then she was home for 4 days before going to girls camp for 4 days. She was home for 1 day to do laundry, then she was off to EFY for 6 days. She will now be home for a little over a week before starting band camp for the high school. She really wants to throw in a job, and would like to have her permit, but I don't know when she will have the time.

Madisen is busy reading and writing a book report because it is due 2 days after school starts. She is in honors English and is so proud to tell people that. She is also taking percussion lessons because she will be making a switch from clarinet in the fall. We are thinking about getting a drum set for Christmas because all three of the kids want to play percussion. Madisen will also be trying out for the Jr. High Volleyball team. I have no doubt she will make it -she is very determined (wonder where she gets that from).

Math continues to be a strength for Dalton, as well as anything related to the computer. He is in the gifted program for math, and will be tested soon for gifted English. He loves the Scouting program and is now working on his Webelos. I am also looking to start him on piano in the fall. I think it will be good discipline, and will get him out from the "screens". Summer is hard because there is no routine, and he THRIVES on routine. He continues to be an oral processor, so he talks from the time he wakes until he goes to sleep. He is so smart and likes to share with us EVERYTHING that he knows or thinks he knows. We are trying to work on his negativity, being accountable, and point out the positives whenever we can. There is a possibility we will be getting a small dog in the Fall. This would be a great diversion from "screens" and give him more responsibility. I also think it would be good for his positive outlook, and add an additional listening ear for him to talk to :)

Scott just came back from a 3-day business trip in Denver, and now that the rec. center just re-opened, he can play racquetball again on his lunch hour. He helps me with Scentsy whenever he can, and he is really enjoying being the Cub Master, having Dalton in the group. I think he will be buying a new mower soon -something just died in the old one. I told him that if he got a self-propelled, then I would have the kids mow the lawn for him -he is VERY excited about that!

Hope everyone is doing well, and I have so many more things to post about, but I figure this update is long enough.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-29T16:31:00.001-04:00

I'm a little late in this post, but it was a good Father's Day :) I was a bit worried because with our vacation plans, I neglected to think about Father's Day. I was so happy when Makenah came in with her gift. She had a few ties that she had pulled out from his tie collection (thank goodness she picked the inexpensive, old ties)and had taken them to Young Women's to decorate. I loved how the "green monster" turned out. He was a bit embarrassed to wear it to church, but there were a few other dads that had their Young Women ties on as well. It was fun to watch the almost envious dads that didn't have any daughters in the Young Women's program -they had the look of yearning for their very own sparkly, pom pom, flowery, eyeball rolling, sea shell glued decorated ties. Makenah was so happy that Scott was a good sport and wore her tie to church.

Madisen emerged later in the day with a candy filled decorated jar that she did in Young Women's. We all ate some of the candy before he actually remembered to take the jar in to work. It was nice of him to share ;)

Dalton got a candy bar from church to give to Scott, so he was happy he had something to give.

Scott made his own Father's Day dinner, because he is just so dang awesome at cooking ribs! I told him my gift was getting him on the Banff Trip with me -he agreed that it would be hard to top that trip. I will have to work really hard this Fall to make sure I earn next years Father's Day trip ;)

Happy Father's Day Scott! Most Most :)

Our FREE Scentsy Vacation!

2009-06-25T17:17:00.007-04:00

In January, I set some goals and earned the FREE "Rally in the Rockies" trip. On June 15, Scott and I, along with almost 200 other hard working consultnats and companions, left for our 5-day, all inclusive trip to Banff, Alberta Canada. This was a FREE trip that Scentsy gave to consultants that earned enough points during the qualification period. Every detail was planned out on this trip, and it was so wonderful that words can't even describe. We saw so many beatuiful places in Banff, made some life-long frindships, ate some AWESOME food, and came home with expiriences and memories that we will never forget. Scentsy is the BEST direct sales company EVER! Thank you for such a wonderful, amazing trip. I am excited to see what else Scentsy has in planned for us, and the growth that will happen over the next 5 years! Here are more photos of our AWESOME FREE TRIP!

My parents came to watch the kids while we were away and they seemed to have an enjoyable time. I tried to make sure that all the places they needed to go were programed in to the GPS, or they would get lost on these roads.

Day one of our vacation, we flew in to the Calgary Airport where there were 4 charter buses waiting for us to board. It was nice as my stomach was growling, that there were plenty of snacks for our 2 hour bus ride. When we got the the Banff Springs Hotel, our luggage was waiting for us in our beautiful room. This hotel is AMAZING! We registered and were given some money for the few meals that we would be eating out on our own (Scentsy covered all the meals!). After registration, we were free to roam for a few hours. That evening was spent at the "Welcoming Dinner" in the hotel where there were some "to die for" treats. We had a small presentation, then wrapped things up for dinner. We got together with Becky and Kevin Preece, and Casie and Doug Stevenson to play cards in the common area of our wing (which was HUGE, 2-story level with a bar). We played until we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore.

Before our trip, we were given options for different tours. There were almost 200 consultants and companions on the trip, and 5or 6 tours to pick from. There was the white water (too cold!), glacier national park (too cold, and a long bus ride!), bike and hike (not in shape for that one!), fishing (could have been fun), Lake Louise, and the photo tour -which is what we did since we have such an awesome camera. So day 2 was all about taking some awesome photos!

Check out the buffalo on top :)

After our photo tour, we toured the Banff Springs Hotel (with Marty and Angie Chipps), then went downtown and had some dinner with a group of friends. After dinner, we did some shopping -we saw some really fun things, but just window shopped. :) I was too tired to play cards by the time we got back to the hotel.

The third day was spent going for a 3 hour horseback ride, and I'm happy to report that my thighs have finally recovered. It was a beautiful ride and we went with Becky and Kevin Preece. My horse was named Pedro, but because he didn't want to keep up, and had a mind of his own, I called him "Juanita". He just didn't want to keep up in line and it made all the other horses mad.

Scott did awesome on his horse.

After our horse ride, we went back to the hotel, changed and went for a ride in the Gondola. It was a 4 seater and only took us 8 minutes to get to the top. There was a resturaunt with huge windows and the most breathtaking views, and the food was wonderful (I had salmon with this orange sauce -yum!).

After lunch, we headed back to the hotel to hand out in the hot tub for a bit. When we got in our room, we noticed a couple of cowboy hats and bandanas on our bed. They were given to us for the cowboy dinner we would be going to that evening -that was a fun find :)

At 6:30, we were all taken in the coach buses to a fun cowboy dinner. We started out with some virgin fun drinks and root beer. The meal was just some good ol' fashion downhome cookin'. After dinner, they had stuntmen come in and do a show for us, taking Orville (our CEO) as their "horse theif". We laughed quite a bit during that part of the show. Then came the line dancing, maybe not too good on a full belly, but it was a fun, great workout. It was good that we worked off some of our dinner because after the pie came smores outside. It was so beautiful to look up and see mountains all around us! We went back to the hotel on one of the first buses so that we could play some more cards. When we went to our room to get the cards, we noticed a top hat and a black and white boa on the bed with an invite to the Gala the next evening. SO COOL! I guess we got a little loud while we were playing cards because one of the guests came storming out of his room and yelled, "Are you guests here?" After we told him yes, he yelled to us "THEN SOBBER UP!". We told him were were so sorry for being loud, we didn't realize there were rooms where he was (up by the bar?), and that we didn't drink. He gave a small huff, then high tailed it back to his room. We were a lot more quiet after that. I felt a little like a rebel :)

Friday, the last day, we had breakfast at the hotel with everyone, then had a training session with Orville. It was great because there was an improptu panel discussion with Adie Mitchel, Becca Levie, and Diane Drayer. I learned so much, and it was so wonderful to listen to thier words of wisdom in how they are building their businesses. We then got on the buses and headed to an Indian Lodge for lunch. It was interesting food (I stuck with the salmon -again). We sat next to Becky and Kevin Preece, and Colette Gunnell and her husband. It was fun when Scott asked Colette a little bit about the Scentsy idea, and she told us the whole Scentsy story. Colette is so beautiful, and she is so humble and down to earth.

After lunch, we were driven to the Fairmont Palliser Calgary Hotel where we would spend our last night and have our Gala dinner. It was so elegant! They had a "big band" orchestra and Scott and I enjoyed dancing by ourselves on the dance floor for a few dances. We were treated to 5 course meal, with about a 15-20 wait between courses. We took lots of photos, then found a connecting reception area where we had some beautiful chocolate covered strawberries and hot drinks. We rounded up a group of people and had one last round of cards with about 20 people crammed into a downstairs board room. We asked the conciers desk if there would be a quiet place where we would not disrupt the other guests if we to loud. He hooked us up. I then went up and aksed if when our Gala was over, if we could have the extra chocolate covered strawberries where we were playing cards. About 10 minutes later, we were given 2 platters! They also provided us with bottled waters :) It was a VERY fun last evening.

On our way home, we got stuck in the Chicago airport that had closed down due to thunder storms and tornado warnings. So, this was really our last evning because we ended up having to stay the night in Chicago. We were going to sleep in the airport, but found one last room available. We actually found a few of our friends from our trip that got stuck in the airport as well, so they stayed in the room with us. I should have took pictures of how crowded the airport was -lines 4 hours long of people trying to get re-routed. It was okay though. I knew our children were fine, and I wasn't going to let a little airport mishap mess up, or foreshadow our awesome vacation!

Join my team, let's set some goals, and you could be on the next BIG Scentsy trip with us!

Feature Blogger Interview!

2009-06-19T10:43:00.003-04:00

Today I am the featured blogger on "I've Changed My Name to Mommy". I am very excited to have my few minutes of fame, and if you follow her, then you might have a chance to be the featured blogger on her site. Leave a comment and let me know you stopped by, and if you are so inclined to follow me, I would love that too! Click on the link to read my interview and watch in the near future, she will be doing a product review for me. Thanks so much for stopping by, you made my day! :)

End of the Year H.S. Band Concert

2009-06-11T08:03:00.000-04:00

The same night that Madisen had her band concert, the H.S. students had their concert as well. We (the parents, sibblings, friends, and loved ones) got to enjoy the evening of students playing, all while being squished like sardines on the bleachers in the gym. They combined concerts with 6th, 7th, 8th, H.S., and symphonic, and a few other bands. Makenah did a nice job with the flute, and even though she has a love/hate relationship with the vibraphone, she will always go back to playing the "vibe". All in all, it was a great night to get out and support our students.
You can hardly see our small Makenah, but she is there with a smile on her face. Did you know that "Makenah" in african means "happy one". I remind her of that all the time!

Makenah is playing flute (you can't see her in this photo though).

I started noticing the flags through my long-distance lense -look at the dates! This is one old school!

End of the Year Band Concert for 6th graders!

2009-06-11T07:47:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending Madisen's big "real" 6th grade band concert at the high school. This was the first performance that she was not sitting in front of the trash cans in her schools cafeteria. They brought together all of the 6th grade band students and they did really good (you know, for 6th graders!). She has enjoyed playing the clarinet this year, but next year will be moving on to percussion. She will be taking lessons this summer and we just invested in a "Bell Kit" for her to start practicing on. Way to go Madisen!
In case you can't tell by the smile, Madisen is in the second row.

LOST! (and New)

2009-05-28T10:09:00.006-04:00

I don't know if you have ever tried on a pair of Chacos, but once you do, you will never, NEVER go back to ANY other kind of sandal or flip/flop on your down time. These are the most comfortable shoes, and they can be adjusted to fit your foot because the straps are able to slide inside the sole as you adjust them. Once you have them where you want, they don't move. When I had my bunion surgery (too many years of ballet) at 19, the big toe on my right foot wasn't put back in place right. I have a rather large gap between my toes now, and can't wear regular flip/flops or they fall right off my foot. These little hipthongs are perfect for me though. When we moved to Ohio 2 years ago, I bought these Peony colored shoes and they were delivered to my door. You can't find Chacos in Ohio, lame I know. I lived in these and my Chaco ZX/2 Unaweep green sandals for the last 2 summers.

I wore my hipthongs to Idaho, and on my way home decided to wear my tennis shoes -I don't know why, I just did. Anyway, I put my hipthongs on the underside compartment of my suitcase, along with another pair of sandals. When I got my bag 3 airports and 7 hours later, I went to change my shoes back to my hipthongs and the zipper was OPEN ALL THE WAY on the underside. My brown sandals were in the bag, but one of my hipthongs was MIA. How could I have left the zipper open all the way! I was so mad at myself. At least I didn't miss my flight this time, but this was almost as frustrating to me. After a few weeks of not having my hipthongs, and summer heat getting ready to start, I gave in. I now have another pair of hipthongs. Of course the Peony color is sold out until next summer, so I settled for a BRIGHT apple green.

New:

Student of the Week: Dalton

2009-05-07T06:53:00.003-04:00

Scott making a visit to Dalton's classroom:

Dalton was Student of the Week a few weeks ago. He brought in a few things to share, but the highlight was having Scott come and tell the class about his job. The kids thought the poster that Scott brought in with the meat sections from the cow was very cool. They asked lots of questions about being a meat buyer and Scott was happy to answer them all. Scott finished up his visit by giving out Beef Jerky and Slim Jims -PERFECT! Dalton was so happy to have his dad come for show and tell.

It wouldn't be right to not give something "meat" to the students:

After Scott left, it was time for the quarterly student sale. During the year, the students can earn pretend money for turning in assignments on time, being helpful, and participating in class. They then can use the money to purchase items from other students during the sale. Items can vary from having your nails painted, to food items, to old McDonalds toys and playing little games. Dalton's (and my idea) choice was to sell paper airplanes. It was a great idea and somehow I got roped in to sitting at his desk making and selling paper airplanes while he went around to the other 3rd grade classrooms to check out what the other students had to offer. He came back with a soda and popcorn for me, so I guess that was payment of my services :)

Scott left to go back to work, and the student sale began:

Mary Kay Night with the girls :)

2009-05-07T06:49:00.002-04:00

In January, when I was trying to earn my trip to Banff, a friend of mine who is a Mary Kay Consultant, offered to do a catalog/basket tester party for me. I wanted to return the favor, so I finally had her come over and do her Mary Kay thing. I felt bad that I wasn't able to get the turn out that I wanted, but we still had a fun time. The girls learned a lot about make up and skin care, and I now have some awesome new skin care products. Dawn Waldman knows how to sell Mary Kay! If you are in need of some Mary Kay products, I can hook you up with Dawn :)

Happy Easter (a little late on this post!)

2009-05-07T06:47:00.001-04:00

Madisen got the book she has been waiting patiently for (or not!) Fabelhaven 4

Checking out the easter baskets.

Meridian Dance Festival 2009

2009-05-07T06:41:00.003-04:00

While at lunch the second day of Boot Camp, I was talking to Becky Preece and Heidi Thompson, and threw out that I didn't have any plans for Saturday night if they had any suggestions. I'm so glad I said that. While we lived there, our church had a big area dance festival with all the youth participating from the Meridian/Eagle area. It was a lot of work for the kids and the adults that sewed all the costumes. I didn't realize that we were in the same stake as Heidi and Becky, and I didn't know that the dance festival was going to be the Saturday night that I happened to have no plans. So, I was so happy they invited me to join them for the evening. I had the opportunity to sit next to Heidi, and for about 45 minutes was able to chat with her. It was so great to get to know her better. She is an amazing woman and I am greatful for her leadership example (and the invite to a fun, memorable evening). I even ran into another friend of mine from our old ward -Angie Batis. Angie's family was at our home on Christmas eve that night our little tea light decoration caught fire, and came so close to having our wall go up in flames. We were having dinner in another room. Small world and it gets smaller with every move we have made.

This is where I was going for the Dance Festival:

and this is what I was across from while waiting in line :)

Some photos from the Dance Festival -the kids worked so hard and it was a lot of fun to watch. I still miss Idaho!

Happy 4th Birthday Tristin!

2009-05-07T06:32:00.003-04:00

The kids at the Warhawk Air Meseum

I stayed an extra day to spend with Melissa and her family. It just so happens that Tristin was turning 4! We thought the Nampa Air Museum would be a fun place to take a 4-year-old boy for a birthday -we were right!! He loved seeing all the airplanes and was so happy to get to pick out an airplane from the gift shop. After the air museum, we took the kids swimming at my hotel, then had cupcakes and chocolate milk while Tristin opened his gift from me :) I didn't get a picture, but I got him a Cars backpack filled with some fun things. We had a fun day together and I wish I lived close to them again. I miss Idaho, but I am happy for the stability of Ohio.

Prints from the times:

Automobiles from the times:

Fighter plane (used in the Tom Cruise movie Valkerie)

Happy Birthday to Tristin!

Everyone Smile :)

This made Tristin's day!

2009-05-07T06:28:00.002-04:00

Trampus can cook! YUM!

When Boot Camp was finished, I went to go visit my friend and neighbor, Lisa and her children Matt, and Courteny (Mike was at work). It was so fun to see them and I sure miss having them for neighbors. I had dinner plans with Melissa, so I headed over to Kuna for a visit and dinner with Melissa and her family. Trampus is such a great cook -dinner was SO yummy I had a hard time stopping. It was close to 10:00 when I left. I realized that I hadn't gotten anything for Tristin's birthday, so I headed to Wal-Mart for some fun things. He was turning 4! It was then time to go check into my final hotel (3rd hotel -poor planning on my part!). I wanted to be closer to the airport was my reasoning for the 3rd hotel. Anyway,checked in and went to sleep.
(more to come!)
Cambri and Trampus

Myself, Meagan, Melissa, Cassedi, Cambri

2009-05-07T06:18:00.005-04:00

Scentsy Boot Camp was such a learning expierience. As the plane was coming in to Boise, I realized once again how much I miss the mountains. Not just because they are beautiful, but because they provide such a sence of direction for me. I have come to rely on my GPS here in Ohio. I rented a car and they gave me a Chevy Malibu, which was a decent little car. I drove to Meridian and stayed the first night at the Courtyard Marriott.

The next day I checked out, stopped in to see Melissa, and with so many things going on with school, home, work, and all the other things going on, she wasn't quite ready to have me see the house. It worked out fine though because her and I took a walk for about 45 minutes -a perfect way to start the day (a walk and a nice conversation with my sister). After I left Melissa's, I went over to Hunter Elementary (where I used to work) to have lunch with Kim (my sponsor). We didn't clarify that I was bringing lunch (goes back to you shouldn't assume), so I'm glad Kim brought something to eat because I didn't remember saying that I was bringing lunch. Oh well. It was so fun to see so many people that I used to work with.

I went to visit my friend and neighbor (I saw his wife Jennifer at the school and she said I should stop by and see him), Mike Paine (my ortho), then ran and checked into the Ameritel Inn where Scentsy was holding Boot Camp. I left a note for my room-mate, then drove back to Bridgetower to visit my friend Mindy Parker. After our visit, I grabbed a bite to eat and headed back to the hotel for the night.

I had a great room-mate, Elizabeth, and she was so fun to get to know. She had already eaten dinner, so her and I thought it would be a good idea to have a notepad for Boot Camp. We headed to Wal-Mart, and then decided that we wanted to go downtown (if you can call Boise downtown) to see the lights. We drove around for a bit, then headed back to the hotel for the night.

Boot Camp started at 7:00 AM with the continental hotel breakfast. We checked in, went to the Scentsy Success store where I found a few things, then headed back to base (across the hall in a conference room). Heidi, Orville, and Ann Dalton spoke for a bit, as well as a few others.

We broke for lunch and went to the Mexican place around the corner from the hotel. That was so fun, and I sat in-between Becky and Casie so it was fun to chat with them. When we went back to base, the room was ready for "round table" discussions. This was so great. We were broken into smaller groups so that our learning would be more personal. We finished up about 4:00, then had a few minutes to change before we were on a tour bus and headed over to the Scentsy Warehouse to get an awesome personal tour. What an incredible place to see!

After the tour, we were loaded back on the buses and on our way to Heidi and Orville's house for a beautiful banquet. The meal was wonderful and Casie Stevenson and I ended up at the same table (there were place settings) so we had a great time! When the buses brought us back to the hotel, it was close to 9:30. I didn't bring my swimsuit (well, I don't have one that fits!), but headed down to the pool with Casie and DeAnna. It was fun to get to know Casie and DeAnna and I can't wait to see Casie in Banff! I think it was about 11:30 when I finally crawled in bed. Beth had quite a few questions about the LDS church, so that was fun to chat about with her. We found a Book of Mormon in the drawer between the beds and so she took that with her :).

The following day we got up, Beth did my hair for me (she owns her own salon!), then we headed down for breakfast, more breakout sessions, took a group photo, had lunch with the ladies again, and then it was time to listen to Orville give the last talk of the day. For all of Boot Camp, I learned so much, but this last talk of Orville's was the kicker for me. I can't even explain how wise and what a gift Orville has in motivational and inspirational speaking. I think a good part of the room was in tears before he was done. After Orville's talk, then it was time for Scentsy Boot Camp Graduation. We each took turns going up and getting our certificates from Bob, then got a hug and a photo from Orville.

A month of travel...

2009-04-20T06:35:00.007-04:00

April has, and will continue to be, a month of travel for me. It all started with a trip to VA, and Washington D.C., then to Chicago for the Scentsy Spirit World Tour, and tomorrow I leave for Boise, Idaho for the rest of the week. Our trip back East was so fun, check out all the photos in previous posts! Chicago was only for the weekend, and it was so great to spend time with some of those on my Bloomin' Stars Team (check out my Bloomin' Stars Team Blog!). Even though it was a quick trip, I learned so much. You can't go to these Scentsy seminars without coming away wanting to do better with your business, and in your personal life.

Myself, and Dori (one of my Scentsy gals) at Ed Debevick's:

Scentsy Spirit World Tour Chicago getting ready to start:

Checking out some of the table display ideas:

A few from my team, along with Heidi and Orville Thompson (owners of Scentsy)

I'm sure my trip to Boise will be no different. I leave tomorrow for Scentsy Director's Boot Camp and will be gone for the remainder of the week. I can't wait to learn how to be a better Director. There are now 45 on my team, and as we continue to grow, it's important that I know how to do things efficiently for my business, and for my team, so that I can be more efficient for my family.

Walking in Washington DC

2009-04-16T06:02:00.008-04:00

Thursday we got up and out the door by 6:00. We took the metro down to the East Capitol stop and made our way over to the visitors center to pick up our tickets. I was supposed to have reservations for the 9:30 tour, and after a bit of a go around with the front desk, the tickets were in our hands.
Trying to find the visitors center at the Capitol Building.

The Capitol Building was so beautiful inside.

The Capitol Tour took about an hour and it was very interesting. I loved seeing all the artwork and I learned so much. I also enjoyed all the sculptures -incredible!

After the tour, Makenah wanted to check out the Library of Congress. We walked down the long underground hallway and there we were. Makenah was disappointed that she didn't have a passport into all the rooms. She thought there would be just one HUGE room -think National Treasure! I was surprised how beautiful it is on the inside. They had a few displays up, one being the personal library of Thomas Jefferson. Lots of old interesting books! We were in there for about an hour and had to drag Makenah out. She said she could just go there for a whole week and be happy.

We headed out to go get some lunch. Stephanie said the best place was at the Space Museum, which just so happened to be on the way to the White House. It was SO crowded, but it sure felt good to sit for a while. Max even napped on the way and we had to wake him up to eat.

Let's go find some lunch.

It's still early, the children are still smiling :)

Happy little tourists:

Crazy lunch line in the Air & Space Museum

After lunch, the kids played for a bit at the Air & Space Museum, looking through telescopes (one of Madisen's favorite things to do). It was crowded, and since we had just done another Space Museum, we didn't feel the need to waste our whole day there. Off we went to see the White House. It was a lengthy walk to the White House and Max was getting a bit restless when low and behold, a Merry-Go-Round jumped out at us. Madisen took Max and that made him happy -until it was time to get back in the stroller.

Madisen and Max on the Merry-Go-Round:

I love this photo that I got of the Washington Monument

The National Christmas Tree - Naked!

Look close and you can see the gun and cameras up there - it's not a good idea to jump the fence!

We walked some more to the World War II Memorial and rested up our feet again.

This was at the WWII Memorial and I loved the words:

The girls look so happy

Resting up.

World War II Memorial:

Max: Gotta keep a close eye on this little guy, he's a runner!

Dalton and Max -Cousin Buddies

My camera battery died at the World War II Memorial, and Stephanie's camera died at the Capital Building, so we found a souvenir shop that had batteries, disposable cameras, drinks and ice cream -all necessities!

We didn't have a camera at the Lincoln Memorial, but we went on to glance over at the Korean Memorial, walked past the Vietnam Memorial, back past the Washington Monument and back to the Smithsonian metro stop where we all were so happy to get on the train and head for home. It was such an interesting day, and even though our feet, legs and hips were so tired from walking, it was so worth the education, memories, and photos. When we got back to Stephanie's, we all sat and watched National Treasure -except Max who had been sitting all day in the stroller, and was wanting to bounce off the walls and do flips.

Oh come on now, all this sightseeing is so fun!

Thank You so much Mark and Stephanie for such a great, memorable Spring Break in VA,and D.C.!

The National Zoo

2009-04-13T14:55:00.001-04:00

Wednesday was spent driving up to the Metro train and heading to the zoo for a few hours. We saw lots of birds, otters, deer, elephants, hippos, panda bears, gorrilas, monkeys, reptiles, wild cats and lots of other zoo animals. We didn't see the giraffes or tigers (we were all getting tired). We made our way out of the park, stopped at the 7-11 across the street for some drinks, then headed back to the metro. We decided that since it was pointless to sit on the freeway during rush hour traffic, we stopped for some dinner at a local diner before heading home. Thursday was going to be our early day, so we needed to get everyone to bed.

Happy Doodler:

2009-04-13T14:01:00.001-04:00

This is how Makenah looked for a good part of our trip. She doodled in the car all the way to VA, doodled at the table, on the bed, on the couch, on the phone, with her iPod, on the Metro, and even on a few park benches. I told her I was going to frame a few of her pages because they looked so neat. She was even good to let Max take a turn to doodle in her sketch pad. I love my happy doodler :)

The DC Metro (train)

2009-04-13T13:53:00.002-04:00

Wednesday the kids were excited to take the Metro train to the DC Zoo. Getting around on the Metro wasn't too bad. It's a fun thing to do if you enjoy people watching for sure. We didn't realize that the garage we parked in requires that you have a SmartPass to pay meaning NO CASH, NO CREDIT CARDS! When we got back to the station after the zoo, we were in prime time of people getting off work and leaving the lot. We get up to the window and realized that we didn't have the right form of payment. Of course traffic was going in one direction to get out, so we had to back up and make a U-TURN against traffic. Oh well, we got it all figured out after having to go back into the station and buying a pass. At least we had that figured out for the following day of the Metro train. Dalton thought it was cool to stand and hold on to the bar. Max was excited to get out of his stroller and sit like a big kid on the seat. Lots of tunnels, elevators, and steep escalators.

Cookies with Aunt Stephanie

2009-04-13T13:40:00.001-04:00

After driving back and forth from VA to D.C two days in a row, we decided that Tuesday would be spent relaxing. The girls and I had fun making plates with Stephanie. The boys stayed home for a while while us girls went to a local shop where Stephanie has her plates for sale. Stephanie made cookies with Makenah earlier in the day, LOTS of butter cookies. After dinner, the kids all decorated cookies with Stephanie (I was the photographer). They had a great time and I am going to have a new recipe now.

Spring Break Continued: Dalton is 9!!

2009-04-13T13:12:00.003-04:00

Us at the Space Center

Monday we were going to go to the zoo for Dalton's 9th Birthday, but Dalton said that was more like a 5-year-old thing to do. We switched days and headed to the Space Meuseum and Dalton was happy about that. Another hour and a half drive away, but a great thing to do. There was so much to see and we splurged a bit and went to the IMAX movie "Blue Planet", and also into a fighter jet simulator. Dalton and I went in the simulator together and ended up upside down a few times -I was laughing so hard the tears were coming. It was great! Madisen was wishing she could have gone in to the space shuttle.

We went home and had a feast of BBQ steak and hot dogs (hot dogs were Dalton's request), along with all the fixings. Thanks Mark! The steak was so tastey :) Dalton also requested a chocolate cake with blue frosting and a number 9 candle. We ate so late that night, and so much. I had a hard time going to sleep, but it was worth it. YUM!

Dalton and Justin waiting for the feast

The meat -YUM!

Dalton and his cake

Lighting the #9 candle

Aunt Stephanie cutting the cake

Max wanting his frosted hands washed!

Spring Break in VA and D.C.!

2009-04-13T00:24:00.003-04:00

I know I haven't been so good lately on getting to my blog. Scentsy is keeping me busy (I now have 40 on my team!), and just the day-to-day stuff that needs to get done -I'm a blogging slacker!

We just had an awesome week in Virginia visiting Stephanie (Scott's Sister) and her family. Scott was unable to go because he couldn't get the time off work. We loaded up the car last Thursday night and the kids went to school on Friday for the morning while I finished up getting things loaded. I think it was after one in the afternoon when we finally got out of here, and the drive is a little over eight hours. I kept telling the kids we needed to get there as quickly as possible because there was no way Max would go to bed until we all got there. The drive was nice (I love road trips anyway), but I especially enjoy having the 2 video screens in the car. It makes for a much more pleasurable driving experience with children. Anyway, we got to Stephanie's about 9:30 on Friday evening, and were up until about midnight chatting.

Saturday, Stephanie's neighbor was having a craft show and Stephanie had invited me to go and do Scentsy. Stephanie does there very cool Modge Podge plates, and my girls had so much fun learning how to make them. I don't think I took any pictures of the girls decorating plates though. For the Saturday event, I just brought a suitcase to do my table display, and not much cash and carry. There were a few other events going on in the area, so it was a bit slow, but I did manage to meet Shanan -the Stampin' Up gal. She joined my Scentsy team while I was there so it turned out to be a great event after all.

Sunday we headed to Washington DC (about a 2 hour drive), along with about 500,000 other people to see the Cherry Blossoms in bloom. It was crazy crowded, but worth it. We also managed to go into the Holocaust Museum to go through Daniel's Story. I think it made a small impact on the kids about discrimination. The kids had fun trying to climb trees, then we walked to the Jefferson Memorial. The blossoms were beautiful!

Mark, Max, Justin, Stephanie

Max and Stephanie

Kids helping Dalton to climb

Max in deep thought (most likely about where he could run)

Jefferson Memorial:

Oh the crowds!

Cherry Blossoms -WOW!

Makenah, Madisen, Dalton:

Madisen:

Makenah:

Dalton:

Washington Monument and Cherry Blossoms

Jefferson Memorial

Justin, Dalton, Makenah, and Madisen:

Madisen and Makenah listening to the iPod

Max, so sleepy!

The kids and I

More to come!

Kidnapping Cari!

2009-03-30T22:34:00.002-04:00

See the lady in the pink. Her name is Cari and she is a dear friend who needed a night out! (I didn't get a close up of her -dang!) My friend Siri and I decided to have a girls night out in Cari's honor (of course it was a girls night in for me). I called Cari's husband about a week before to make sure that he would be good to hang out with their 5 children for a few hours. I then called a bunch of Cari's friends and we planned the whole thing. About an hour before Siri picked up Cari, Aaron (Cari's husband) got a bit giddy so Cari knew that something was up. Siri tried to get her to leave on her sweats, but no deal. She ran up and changed before Siri could get her out the door. Anyway, we had quite a few ladies here and had a wonderful evening of conversation, food, and lots of Wii Guitar Hero World Tour.

Angela on guitar

Carri (a different Carri) on base

Sina on Drums

This is Siri, the Cari kidnapper.

Braces Done!

2009-03-18T06:48:00.004-04:00

Makenah got her braces off last week and her teeth are beautiful. It's funny because she can't stop looking at them in the mirror. We have a large mirror that sits half way down the stairs and she will stop, smile, turn her head from side to side -slide her tongue across her top teeth, smile again, and run down the rest of the stairs. She didn't know that I was in the family room one morning and watched her go through the process.
I picked her up from school on Monday, dropped her off at the ortho and had to run home to grab my camera. Can you believe I forgot my camera? I then ran to the store to pick up some fun, sticky, chewy items that she has lived without for the last 18 months. When I went back to the ortho about an hour later, she was mostly done.

Scentsy Incentive Trips and Getting things done...

2009-03-01T19:04:00.006-05:00

Februray was a month of getting things D.O.N.E. I still feel like I am playing catch up from when I was sick and recovering. I went from being sick all of December, to having my surgery the end of December, to recovering for 6 weeks after the surgery, and getting not much done around the house, or with my business. During my recovery process (mostly the last 2 weeks of January), I did manage to have one of my best months ever with Scentsy. In order to earn the all-inclusive, week-long Scentsy trip for Scott and I, I needed to earn 45,000 points. There were different ways to earn the points and by the end of December, I had a little over 16,000 -definately not enough for the trip. In January, the last month to qualify, Scentsy came out with "DOUBLE THE POINTS". After thinking about it for about a week, I thought, "Well, the probability is slim to none, but I'm going to give it my best shot!". I called quite a few people that were willing to do basket parties (because I couldn't actually go out and "do" parties, -still in recovery mode) for me. Anyway, because I had so many people help me, and my team did some great things as well, Scott and I ARE GOING TO BANFF!! Our trip is scheduled for June, and I can't wait! Scott and I should be getting our passports any day.

Now I am working on earning the Alaskan Cruise :)

How I wish...

2009-02-26T09:25:00.005-05:00

Even though it is still a bit chilly outside, I was reminded once again that spring is coming. I am a frequent visitor of the Pioneer Woman blog, and today I was checking out her "Home and Garden" posts. I was SO happy to see what she posted. "How to make raised beds for your vegetable garden". The neighborhood we live in is not very conducive to making such things. Not only do the yards slope like crazy, but there are no fences, we have wild bunnies all over, deer, moles, and other little critters that come out at night. So, even though I can't make a raised bed garden right now, someday I will. It is definitely on my list of "to do's". In this economy, I think it is a GREAT idea. Not only will it help your food budget, but growing a garden is mind and body friendly, it's a GREAT inexpensive family activity, and it's a fun science experiment for kids. So if you want to give it a try, here is the link.

May I just point out...

2009-02-24T14:00:00.000-05:00

As I sit here getting over my horrible head cold, I realize that I have way to many posts relating to the freezing cold, crazy wind storms, tornado sirens, and horrible curvy roads with lots of road kill. Here is one more for you though. Just in case you missed out on all the other snow and ice pictures I have put up. This is a picture of our house with snow that has been melting down for about 4 days. Notice that there are no snowmen, snow caves, mittens and scarves left for me to pick up after, sledding gear all over the driveway, or ice chests full of snow balls. Nope. You know why? Because it got to the point where the kids were even S.I.C.K. of the snow. They had enough. The novelty wore off and they were all back inside watching t.v. and playing on the Wii. The snow is all melted now, and the sun shinning is promise that spring will be here soon. For that I am greatful. Have a wonderful, warm day. I'm off to go blow my nose.

Let's Celebrate (continued)

2009-02-22T07:48:00.003-05:00

After Scott checked out the shoveled driveway, he came in for some tasty carnitas -YUM!

He didn't even take the time to sit at the table and eat -that's how good they are!

Besides the driveway, the kids and I gave him another gift:

Madisen's brownie cake (the kids ate most of it, so this was Scott's piece)

Scott needed more raquette balls, and a sticky glove. He plays everyday at lunch!

Inspite of the snow, and the over 3 hour delay, we had a fun night. February 4th, the next evening, we had carnitas again, only this time we sat down as a family and enjoyed the meal together :) Happy Birthday (week!) Scott!

You're Late! Let's Celebrate!

2009-02-21T22:01:00.000-05:00

February 3rd was Scott's birthday. I made an awesome dinner, pork carnitas, and Madisen made brownies. The snow started coming down about 2:30 in the afternoon and didn't stop. All the roads in the area were on a "level 1 emergency" -I think that's the term they use around these parts. Anyway, you were not allowed to be on the roads unless you were on your way home from work or school, or it was an emergency -otherwise you would get a ticket. It took Scott three and a half hours to get home from work (normally it is a 20 minute drive) because people DON'T know how to drive in the snow here. I gave Scott a birthday present -I shoveled the driveway. I'm not kidding! It is a LOT of work to shovel the driveway, and I really HATE doing it (mostly because I hate to be cold). He was happy to come home after being in the car for over 3 hours, and not have to shovel. More on Scott's birthday to follow :)

Sledding...

2009-02-21T21:42:00.002-05:00

My friend Cari invited us to go sledding a few weeks back. I couldn't convince the girls to go, but Scott had the day off and he took Dalton. I was only there long enough to take pictures because I had a hard time being convinced too. I wasn't brave enough to go down either, still a bit too soon from my surgery, but it was so fun to watch and take photos. The memories of being a kid and my parent's taking us to Reno for a little sledding action. I remember being that kid who always hit the big bump and went flying, only to get the wind knocked out of me. I would cry and sit in the car for the rest of the afternoon. I don't remember my Mom being much for the snow either, as she and I would both be in the car. I don't like to be cold, but I love the photos!

Mason and Dalton, best buds!

Cari and Connor -ready to go home.

February Snow...

2009-02-21T21:20:00.003-05:00

We had so much snow this month. Scott got quite a few shoveling workouts in. The kids seemed to really like the first couple of snows, then we all were just tired of the snow and cold. The kids had 5 snow days in less than 2 weeks. If they have any more snow days, they will have to make them some before the end of the year.

This is the back deck, that was just after a few hours!

Let it Snow, Let it Ice, Let it Snow

2009-01-28T09:06:00.014-05:00

This is the beautiful fun snow!

This are the beautiful girls that got to play in the fun snow!

Madisen had a great time in the snow yesterday. Dalton only went out to get his shoveling done, and Makenah hung out with Haley watching T.V. and playing Guitar Hero (until she wanted a sleepover at Haley's, in which case she had to clean her room so she managed to get that done -and her portion of the shoveling). Anyway, yesterday was a snow day, today we woke up to ICE. Lots of ice. As I type, it's snowing again -big flakes of snow. The kids have another snow day (this is why we let Makenah have a sleep over) and did pretty good to sleep in. Scott on the other hand, had to go to work. I can't believe that they made the staff go in, when they can, and do have the technology to perform their jobs from their laptops at home. I don't understand the mentality of that!! In Minnesota, I wouldn't feel this way, but here in Ohio the roads are D.I.F.F.E.R.E.N.T. -in an unsafe kind of way. I hope he will be able to come home early. I'm thinking soup and grilled cheese for dinner.
This is the ICE that we awoke to -beautiful in it's own right, but not so good for the trees:

Okay, one last photo with NEW SNOW on TOP of the ICE (poor trees):

Meanest Mom Award!!

2009-01-27T14:49:00.004-05:00

Yep, I get the award!! The kids have a snow day today, which means they have NO SCHOOL (I just thought I would clarify that for those of you that do not understand this concept). Today I asked Dalton to shovel the driveway. Well, not even the whole, long drive way. Only a portion of the driveway. You would have thought I was asking for the impossible. He threw a F.I.T., and said it was supposed to be a pajama day. I looked all over for all the snow gear, and finally found it put up in the garage. I told Dalton he got the first "shoveling shift". HE WAS NOT A-MUZED! He went outside and barely got a few shovelfuls before he was back in the house. He said he was all done with his part. I went to check, this time modeling for him what the expectations were. He cried. He yelled (screamed) at me and told me that I was being mean, so I gave him a little pop on the mouth and told him that was unacceptable to talk to me that way. I again told him what the expectations were, and came in the house to grab my camera. He came in again when he was half way done to tell me he was half way done, then asked if he could have some hot chocolate when he was finished. I guess when he figured out that I wasn't going to cave on the task I gave him, he changed his attitude. He finished the job and is now enjoying a hot cup of hot chocolate. In case you are wondering, he took his gloves off because he said his hands were too hot. HE DOES OWN GLOVES!! Here's to the mean moms who make their children shovel, clean toilets, do dishes, and mow the lawn. :)

Our (MY!) dog...

2009-01-25T23:05:00.004-05:00

After the experience with our last dog, Mocha, we (I) have some STRICT guidlines about the next dog we get. NO! We are not getting a dog anytime soon, but when we do, I have found our (My) perfect dog. (Somewhere in the back of my crazy mind, I'm thinking about a dog again) She is called a Shi-Poo. These dogs only get to about 10-12 pounds, they DON'T shed, they are GREAT with kids, they are NOT yippee, they TRAIN EASILY, they don't poop a lot (at least they are small poops), they can be crated for the evening, and I am in LOVE with these little things. A friend recently got one, and I happened to have the chance to play with her one morning. A Shi-Poo is the perfect size for me. So, someday when Dalton can aim in the toilet, and my children have stopped fighting, AND I can convince Scott that he won't be cleaning up dog poop (because I am no longer changing diapers) - this will be the dog I get. She will be my dog because I know I will be the one to take care of her. A sigh of wishfulness. Hey, my 40th birthday is this year ;).

"25 Random Things".

2009-01-23T11:35:00.009-05:00

I was tagged on facebook with "25 Random Things" about myself.

1. I love, love, LOVE musical theater. I spent my teenage years on the stage performing in various community theater musicals, and loved that it provided me an outlet. I have seen 7 different productions of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". I saw "Miss Saigon" and "Phantom of the Opera" at the Kennedy Center, "Les Miserables" at the Curran Theater in San Francisco, and most recently -"The Lion King" and "Wicked" at the Arnoff Center in Cincinnati.

2. I started teaching dance classes when I was 16, and taught until I was 21. I hated classical ballet, but had to take classes if I wanted to perform in hip hop, lyrical, and tap. Tap was my favorite, and I was REALLY good. I was on pointe for about 3 years before I quit dance.
3. I love to sing. I won a vocal scholarship when I was 18 and my vocal coach wanted me to go to Star Search, which was an 80's version of "America's got Talent". I never went because of my family circumstances.
4. I lived with a foster family for 10 years, and the best part about living with them is that I met Scott, who was serving as a full-time missionary for our church. I no longer speak to the foster parents I once lived with, but I am close with the sisters that I gained while living there. My parents and I have a close relationship and I wish we lived much closer.
5. I love to go fishing. I don't like to take the fish off the hook once I catch one, but I love the quiet before and the rush you get reeling one in.
6. I'm pretty good at water skiing, really bad at snow skiing. Although I only skied once shortly after Scott and I got married. I took him night skiing for his birthday on a hill in Colorado, between Cortez and Durango, that had pretty hard snow. After doing the bunny hill, I thought I would be brave and try the "real" thing. I went down a few feet before I fell all the way down. I HATED having to go back up and get my skis. I spent the rest of the night in the lodge watching from the window and drinking hot chocolate.
7. I enjoy taking bubble baths -this is the ONLY time I will still light candles.
8. Scott and I were married in the Washington D.C. Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints in August 29, 1992 -this also happens to be my brother Jeremy's birthday.
9. I am the youngest of 4 children -Bejel, Tyrone, Jeremy, and me.
10. I wish I knew how to play the piano, cross-stitch, quilt, scuba dive, knit, and how to decorate my home. Scott's mom can do all but one.
11. I didn't vote for Obama, but I'm over it now that he has won. I'm hopeful that he will fulfill his promises and that we will continue to be a strong nation that will be united, safe and free. He sure knows how to give a GREAT speech, and I love that he loves his family.

12. I was forced to drop out of school the beginning of my sophomore year in H.S. to work and take care of my foster family. After Scott and I got married, I went back and got my diploma before Makenah was born. I had a feeling that our children would be as stubborn as Scott and I, and I was afraid of them throwing that out at me. A great decision!
10. We have moved 11 times in 16 years. We have lived in Colorado, Utah, California, Minnesota, Idaho and now Ohio.
11. My favorite place to live so far is Meridian, Idaho.
12. I was a child care provider for 10 1/2 years while my children were home.
13. I love road trips!! My favorite is taking road trips with my children. They open up and it has been so fun to get to know who they are without being rushed.
14. I'm going to earn the Scentsy trip to Banff, Canada at the end of the month!! I'm working my butt off to get it done.
15. I need to read more.
16. I love babies -sometimes I wish we would have had one more, although my back couldn't take another.
17. I have scoliosis and was in a back brace for 7th, 8th and part of 9th grade. I had a feeling I had it before I was even tested because my sister used to tell me all the time to stand up straight.
18. I think Ohio drivers are the worst. Idaho comes in second.
19. I miss the warm, non-humid weather. I love the soft feel of the warmer east-coast ocean waves. The west-coast has harsh, cold waves that almost sting when they hit you. I also love the feel of getting into a warmed "by the sun" car on a cool day. Oh, and the feel of clean, warm sheets are the best too.
20. Baby belly laughs are the best sound EVER!
21. I enjoy that I can have "real" conversations with my children. I miss them being little though.
22. I am so glad that my husband and I lived in Colorado, away from family and friends, when we first go married. It forced us to "talk", work through all those newlywed issues, and communicate. He is my best friend and I would marry him again in a minute.
23. I love baby feet, but don't like feet after about the age of 4.

24. I love new socks, and won't wear white socks if they are stained dirty from being worn outside. I hate shoes and socks in the summer -in the winter too, but my feet get too cold.
25. I had bunion surgery when I was 19 on both feet. I have gone under general anesthesia 5 times, the last was for a total hysterectomy a few days before this last Christmas.

I'm not going to tag anyone because I already did on my facebook. If you want to participate for fun, I would love to read more about YOU :)

Show and Tell - brought to you by Pure Romance

2009-01-22T13:17:00.003-05:00

In December, I attended a wonderful Direct Sales Networking Christmas dinner at the Olive Garden. I was going through my severe month of pain, however I didn't want to miss this opportunity. After taking a Torodol, I was able to have somewhat of an enjoyable evening. There were some really fun gifts in the white elephant exchange. One of the gals in our networking group sells "Pure Romance". You can look them up online, but I tell you -it takes a certain kind of personality to sell that stuff. Anyway, her gift in the exchange was a Hot Heart Massager, and although I had it once, it was snatched from me. I don't know if you have ever seen these things, but they are science breakthrough for anyone that has cold hands and feet, or that may wish to have a heating pad without the cord. I'm sure there are "other" uses for them, but I was all about getting some heat on my lower back during the month of December -when I felt like I was in back labor. So, I didn't win this gift and was kind of bummed. Then, low and behold, I look over when we were wrapping up the evening and the Pure Romance gal had a whole bunch of cash and carry of "unmentionables" out on the back table (we were in one of the banquet rooms). I was only interested in something that might relieve my back pain, and she had a few of these massagers left. I purchased one and went home to place it on my back. Oh, the relief and NO CORD! The kids thought it was the "coolest" thing ever, and Madisen kept playing with it. When you first hold it, it looks like a pink liquid of some sort. There is this little metal small coin looking thing, that when you wiggle it fast, it creates friction in the liquid causing a harder gel type substance to form, and heats up to about 140 degrees. After a few hours it hardens, then you boil it for 10 minutes to cause the liquid to go back to the original state. So Madisen has just about taken claim to this thing and was trying to explain how it worked to her teacher. Her teacher told her that if she brought it in to show the class, he would give her "teacher" bucks (used for the class sale at the end of the year). She came home and as she was leaving for school one morning, she told me she wanted to take the heart thing to school. I was a bit hesitant at first, but with the rush of the morning, she was out the door with the little thing in her bag.

When Madisen returned home from school, I asked her how the day went. She told me her teacher thought the heart warmer was neat, however he had to ask the principal if it was okay to share it with the class. I think the back of the heart says something like "loving through touch". Anyway, I guess that might not be appropriate with a bunch of 6th graders. The principal didn't think sharing it with the class was a good idea (which was understandable), and Madisen ended up with her "teacher" bucks anyway. Maddie didn't seem embarrassed, hopefully she won't be scarred for life. I know, it's all about appearances and I may get some funny looks next time I go to the school, but hey -I still think the little thing is awesome for heat therapy without a cord. Maybe they should sell these little things in a square shape without all the "romance" connotation attached. Next time the teacher might ask a few more questions when he tells a student to bring something in for show and tell. ;)

Busing Returns!!

2009-01-14T12:14:00.010-05:00

Since moving here, we have not had busing. We didn't have busing in Idaho either, but we were very close to the school. We actually are even a bit closer to the school than when we were in Idaho, but because of Cook Rd, being "famous for road kill, Cook Rd", everyone drives their children to and from school E.V.E.R.Y.D.A.Y. Most of us in our neighborhood had a carpool, so it wasn't bad. The bad thing was trying to drive to and from the high school everyday. Most days, Makenah has seminary (bible study) so she is able to get a ride with a fellow high school driver. Going to pick her up though -man I tell you what. They built the high school and Jr. high kind of sort of on the same property, with one road that connects all parking lots -5 of them. There are 2 major streets that feed onto the road that goes between the two schools. They are both small 2 lane roads with neighborhoods coming out all over. In the morning, you have people trying to get out for work, buses and cars trying to get into the school, and buses and cars leaving from the school. It is C.R.A.Z.Y.!! From what I understand, there was busing right before we moved here, then with the budget cuts, it was one of the first things to go. As the driver on my carpool day, I would take the kids to school by 8:45, then pick up Makenah at 2:15 (except that I would have to get there by 1:45 or forget about it). By the time I get home from picking Makenah up, it's about time to pick up the kids from the elementary school. My day was so broken, I felt like I had a kindergartner. So, in November the levy finally passed. Actually it ended up having to go for a recount because the numbers were only off by less than 60 votes. So, now that the levy passed, we have busing! YEAH!! The cool thing is that the district was able to implement busing on the first day back from Winter Break. On January 5th, this was a welcome sight!!

Good Bye Children. Have a wonderful day at school and I will see you when the bus brings you home :)

Happy Birthday to You x2!!

2009-01-05T12:12:00.000-05:00

No, there are no twins in our family. Just shared birthdays. Two Birthdays. On December 29th. Both the girls, 3 years apart. 2 Birthdays between Christmas and New Years, on the same day! I swear we did not plan it like that. It was God's scents of humor for sure. It's a hard time to celebrate your birthday, and then to have to share it -well, it is what it is and we make to most of it. The girls have BIG "even and a half" partys in the summer, getting a turn every other year. This way, all the friends could come, and the party could be outside if they wanted. On their birthdays though, we have a small family party. The girls get to pick what they would like for dinner. Beleive it or not, both of them picked, well the same as last year, Corned Beef and Cabbage. What kid in their right mind, when they can have ANYTHING for their birthday dinner, would ask for cooked cabbage? Makenah, who is now 15, just so happened to have a few friends over, and though they weren't too excited about the dinner choice, they celebrated with us anyway. After dinner, the girls decorated their cakes, then we sang happy birthday. I think we sang happy birthday and had candles, but I was medicated and can't remember. Hmmmm. I'll have to ask the girls about that. I don't have pictures of the candles, so I'm thinking that maybe we didn't sing. I'm feeling a bit sad now. Okay, moving on. Makenah had said she would like a keyboard for her birthday. A nice one with a stand that does a thousand different things. I just so happened to pick up this one on Black Friday for a smokin' deal at Target. Madisen, now 12, recently bought herself an iPod, and so I thought it would be a perfect gift to get her a new stereo that has a docking station for her iPod. She agreed!! Madisen, who because it was her 12th birthday, received a special gift from Grandma Tippets in the form of a beautiful cross stitch. She loved it! Makenah's friends helped put her keyboard together, and before I knew it, the keyboard was in Makenah's room. That seemed to be the end of the evening, but wait, there is more.

About a month ago, I receive an email from one of the band moms that there would be an "all night laser tag" for the band students on December 29th. If I shaproned, I would get in for free. I was excited to do this. Laser tag would go from 11 pm until 5 am! YIKES! Anyway, with my surgery, there was a change in plans. Scott would go in my place. I don't think either of us realized until right before, that Scott would have the same day, and the next day after laser tag. Afer the party, Makenah was able to invite her friends to laser tag and off they went with Scott as one of the chaperones. I thought for sure that he would be able to work it out once he got there, to come home for a while and sleep. That was his plan anyway. At 5 AM, I hear them come through the door. He said that once he got there, he didn't want to turn around and come home, then get up in the night again to pick them up, bring them home, then turn around and go back in the same direction to go to work. Since I could'nt drive, I couldn't help him either. The kids had a great time. Scott came home the evening of the 30th from work and took a much needed nap.

Makenah on the other hand, had been invited to go with her friend's family to Gatlinburg for a few days. She left on the afternoon of the 30th and had so much fun, but was exhausted when she got home.

Madisen is now in the Young Women's organization at church and was so excited to get out of the Children's organization of Primary. She had her first youth get together on the Tuesday before New Years. A few days before her birthday, she attended the YMCA youth night. I can't believe she is 12!!

Christmas Day 2008 (Lots of Photos!)

2009-01-05T10:38:00.007-05:00

Christmas Day started with Scott getting up at the crack of dawn to make a breakfast casserole. The kids woke up and of course wanted to dive into their stockings. Dad said, "No way. You must wait for your mother." I had just come home from surgery a few days before, and since my sleep is so broken up, I didn't get up until about 8:30 or 9. I did the best I could to hurry and shower, thinking that the kids had already been into their stockings. When I came out of the bedroom, the kids were looking at me all puppy dog eyed. I hurried and grabbed a plate of Scott's casserole (I needed to eat so I could take some meds). The kids dove into the stockings and enjoyed everything about them. There were gift cards, toys, candy, small flashlights (Santa was thinking about the 72-hour kits), and books for all. After The stockings were opened, and I got some meds in my body, it was time to open the gifts under the tree. I have been planning this Christmas since September and was SO excited. This year, Scott and I decided to approach our Christmas gift giving a little different. Our children are in need of nothing, and they really don't want for anything either. The kids bought for each other, and they each had their usual Christmas Eve pajamas that had their names on the packages. Those were the ONLY gifts with names on them. This year we wanted to focus on EVERYTHING family. Every package under the tree that was from Scott and I had no name, only beautiful wrapping. There were puzzles, games and of course, since it was all about we, as in WE the family, we got a Wii and just about everything Wii related. This has been my favorite Christmas so far. It wasn't about "I want" or "ME, ME, ME", it was all about family and bringing us together to play.

This is how our family looked ALL day on Christmas, and most of the days since.

Putting up the Christmas Tree 2008

2009-01-05T09:51:00.003-05:00

We usually put up our tree the Monday night following Thanksgiving. Scott and I tried the real tree thing, but we didn't like the mess, the cost, or the fact that the tree would get so dry. Our dog (Mocha), that we once had, used to drink out of the base of the tree as well, which I hated. So, we are artificial tree users now and have been for sometime. The first artificial tree that we owned was our tree in California. It was a 6-footer and was not pre-lit. When we moved from California to Minnesota, we left our 6-footer up in the attic, along with all of our Christmas decorations and a few other assorted items. We sent my parents to go fetch everything that we left in the attic, and have since claimed just about everything except our first tree. My parents now proudly use this tree every year. We bought a beautiful artificial tree from Costco the Christmas after we moved to Minnesota. There are well over 1000 lights on our pre-lit 7-foot tree. It is so nice not to have to worry about putting the lights up. I rather enjoy setting up the tree, and just putting our decorations on with no fuss of the lights. We don't have a themed tree either, keeping it very simple. I once thought about how nice that would be to have a different themed tree every year, then I thought about all the children who don't even get gifts, and what a waste of money that would be for me to have two trees, when others don't even have one. So, there you go. We have one tree that is filled with years of our children's best hand made ornaments. Our tree also includes ornaments that were given to us by family and friends, and the olive wood nativity scenes that I picked out about 12 years ago. When we were driving from Minnesota to Idaho (a few moves ago), we stopped at the famous Wall Drug. We found these thin metal, gold looking decorations and they had one from every state. We picked one one of each of the states that we lived in (we are now missing Ohio) and I love these on the tree. The other fun thing that we do, as of a few years ago, is after we set up the tree, we go to the store and each pick out a new decoration. Anyway, it's a fun time talking about the decorations as we hang them with Christmas music softly playing in the background. This year, I put the star on the tree.

Madisen must show dominance over her older sister by sitting on her.

Our new ornaments for 2008 (brought to you by Meijer)

The Thanksgiving apple that wasn't..

2009-01-02T03:12:00.003-05:00

The month of November was EXTREAMLY busy with Scentsy events. I had 8 basket parties, and 11 vendor events. Typically when doing these vendor events, it is my rule NOT to buy other vendor's merchandise. Afterall, the whole reason I am there is to try and make money and promote the Scentsy products. So, here I was minding my own business, and this GIANT, De-lish-ous, Choc-o-late, beautiful wrapped apple jumped out at me. I really tried to restrain myself, even thinking how fun it would be to make similar apples at home with the kids. I thought about the fun we would have together, in a Wonderful Life dream. Then, all of the sudden reality set in and I began to think about the mess, the fighting, the sticky all over the counter tops, and WHAM, that was the end of the dream. I did think one of these would be so great for Thanksgiving though. I also thought of my friend Cari who does these amazing gift baskets and how lovely something like this would look in one of her baskets. "That's it! I'll buy it so I can show Cari" (justification is reality for me sometimes, I'll admit it). Anyway, after showing it to Cari I brought it home to enjoy for Thanksgiving Day. I placed it carefully in the pantry, along with our sparkling cider and that's where it stayed. Until Friday morning. When I woke up. When I realized we didn't get to enjoy THAT apple (or the cider) for Thanksgiving. We ended up enjoying it for our Family Night desert. It was tasty, messy but tasty. Sorry I didn't get to share it with you Cari. You should have reminded me because I am a multi tasker, and unless it gets put here, I forget. Did I mention IT sure was tasty? :)

Madisen's wait is O.V.E.R.!!

2009-01-02T02:38:00.003-05:00

Madisen has never been very good at waiting, nor at saving her money. Last year was when she first discovered that she can save for things when she had enough to by this. She has become a saver though, and although it is so hard for her to be patient, she knows it pays off when you can have what you really want. She has been wanting an iPod for sometime. Not just any iPod either, she wanted a 4th generation that has video. We had been watching the sales before Christmas, and they weren't going down to where she wanted. Her and I spent some time on eBay and found one that was perfect and in her price range. Sure enough she won the bid!! When it came in the mail shortly before Christmas, well let's just let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

(no, those are not fingers growing out of her head)

Thanksgiving 2008 :)

2009-01-02T01:44:00.002-05:00

Still playing catch up, and I have to for my blog book, so here is more catching up. Thanksgiving was so much fun. We had our friends Cari, Aaron, and their five children over. It was kind of a spontaneous thing as neither of us had family to hang out with, so we just hooked up for a great meal. We had a lot of fun before the meal, and the kids just played (mostly in the basement, so the noise level wasn't so bad). After the meal, we watched some football of course. Cari and I claimed the couches, I wasn't feeling well, and we both quickly fell asleep. . When I woke up, Scott and Aaron were in with the kids playing card games. It turned out to be an enjoyable day of giving thanks for all of our blessings, but especially for good friends and family.

The fixings.

The turkey.

Fixing up our plates.

Fixing more of our plates.

Playing cards.

Cari's Chocolate Pie -YUM!

Twisted, AGAIN!!

2009-01-02T01:25:00.003-05:00

I think since Scott and I have been married (over 16 years now), he has twisted his ankle no less than 6 times. There is not an ankle that he favors, so they both get to have turns being twisted. This time, early in December, he chose his right foot. We just returned home from church, and it had been raining. After parking in the garage, he grabbed the umbrella and was going to walk down our lengthy driveway to get the Sunday paper. I went to go in the house, and just as I turned around to walk in the door, I hear this loud thud on the ground. I turned around and saw Scott laying there behind the car flat on his back in his nice suit, while the umbrella was a short distance away. I ran over to help him up (secretly I wanted to go grab my camera to take a picture, but I refrained. Apparently he mis-stepped on the little lip of the garage where the door comes down. It didn't sprain, but it sure looked bad. Needless to say he didn't play racquetball for a few weeks.
This is what it looked like a few hours after the fall, after some ice therapy.

This is what it looked like a few days after the fall.

Not your ordinary stool.

2009-01-02T01:06:00.001-05:00

If I was to go back to school to finish my teaching degree, this is what I would want for a graduation gift. A stool just like this. Only I would rather have it in a rocking chair version. This was given to Dalton's teacher a few years back as a "class" gift. What a fun gift to receive! I love the detail and all the small bits from various children's books. She is also a Stealers fan, can you tell? How fun! I just had to get pictures of it:

Presenting The Whiz Kid...

2009-01-02T00:18:00.004-05:00

Once a week, Dalton's teacher assigns one of the student's in the class as "The Whiz Kid". Dalton has been looking forward to his turn since school started. This Whiz Kid gets to take home a backpack with all the information and ideas for a science experiment. Dalton chose the soda carbonation gas idea. The bottle with the pink balloon was refrigerated, quickly opened, then the balloon was placed on top and put back into the fridge. The bottle with the blue balloon was room temperature, and the balloon was placed on top. The bottle with the red balloon was room temp, then opened and had a small bit poured out before the balloon was placed on top. It was then placed in warm water and then we waited for about 10 minutes. The results are in the photos. As you can tell, when the soda is placed in the warm water, the carbon dioxide gas is released much quicker, causing the balloon to fill up much quicker. Dalton had so much fun doing this experiment.

Once the experiment was complete, he had to bring it in to show the class. Since his teacher and I are friends, I made a little phone call and asked if it was okay to have him do his presentation on Thursday morning, after Madisen's Christmas concert, since Scott had the day off and we would already be at the school. She said that would work out just fine. Dalton did a great job:

Angela is 39! (wait, what?)

2009-01-01T23:28:00.006-05:00

I told you I have a lot of catch up to do! Be ready! My birthday was November 26th, well, and it still is. Do you know that for my whole growing up life I thought my birthday was ON Thanksgiving Day. The reason I thought this was that my mom would tell me that I was a "turkey baby". I guess I just assumed. One day, I had to do a research paper (shortly after Scott and I got married) to find out about what happened on my birthday. This was before Internet, when you had to go to the local library and look up such things on microfiche. Look it up. It's a real word I swear. Anyway, come to find out that I was NOT born ON Thanksgiving Day, but the day after. So this year, I celebrated the day before. It was hard to concentrate because I really wasn't feeling well, but it was still a fun evening of surprise. I figured something was up when Scott began making crab dip one on Tuesday evening, the day before my birthday. I was putting a large Scentsy order together and I heard him in the kitchen. I went in to see what all the clatter was. Earlier in the day I had been looking for something in the garage man fridge. I noticed the Sherbet, a very large tub. Dalton had asked me if he could have some of that 7-Up that was in that same garage man fridge. When I saw 4 or 5 bottles of 7-Up and the sherbet, I knew there was going to be some sort of party going on. Anyway, so I went in the kitchen and trying not to give my knowledge away, I said to Scott, "Oh Cool! Crab dip for Thanksgiving. It's kind of soon though don't you think?" So the evening of my birthday, he takes me out to Kohl's to find some pants (I needed a new pair!), then to Kroger for a bit of grocery shopping. He looked at his watch a few times, before coming home. When we pulled into the driveway, I see a shadow down the road of our friends walking up across our grass. Hmmmmm. So when we walked in to the house, the kids had done their best to make it a surprise with Scott. We had a fun night of cards, food, and conversation. Next year, my birthday will most likely involve the Wii so you all better brush up on your skills this year!

Me and my cake, YUM! Also, Madisen, Dalton, my friend Lisa, Makenah, and my friend Cari.

Friends and food!

Let's get the card games going!

Do you recognize this little guy from here and here? (He is with his mom, my friend Carrie) Carrie and I joked around about how we should have the kids come over for Thanksgiving as well. Then they would really start looking like they were part of our family ;) Madisen and Dalton do love having their younger "siblings" over.

This is Scott's buddy, Mike. You wouldn't know it by the look on Mike's face, but when the two of them are together, if you have "pee" issues when you laugh, you better wear a pad. They are SOOO funny together. Our bishop thought it would be a good idea to have them speak in church on the same Sunday. It was a spiritually fun meeting. One of the best meetings I have attended in a while.

Scott's crab dip. The BEST!

Here's to 39!! Next year will be BIG!

Madisen's Christmas Concert 2008

2009-01-01T22:56:00.004-05:00

Scott had the day off on Thursday, December 11th and was able to attend Madisen's Christmas Concert. It was so much fun to watch her play. The teachers were explaining how much they loved this group because of their quick witty and humorous ways. The go to a few other elem. schools to teach (these are some busy teachers because they also teach at the Jr. High and High School!), but they are not nearly as fun of a group. It is true. They are hilarious to be around. More importantly, they play pretty well as a group for their first band year.

This is Madisen setting up her clarinet.

This is Madisen and a few of her quick witted friends.

This is Madisen and the whole 6th grade band. Don't you love the stage? You're right! What stage? The garbage cans in the background offer so much to the production :)

Madisen playing away.

This is Madisen's clarinet that we found on eBay for a deal, and it is N.I.C.E.

Happy New Year Everyone!! More updating to follow :)

Where have I been:

2008-12-28T23:25:00.004-05:00

It's a long story, but to answer your question as to my absence, I spent 4 nights in the hospital a few days before Christmas. For 3 weeks prior, I was in severe pain and was on pain meds every 3 1/2 to 4 hours, which impaired my ability to write, let alone to be awake enough to think without haze. It was a surprise gift from my body, a cyst the size of a softball on my left ovary, which had also attached itself to my intestine. The first doctor I was going to was happy to just keep me on pain meds for whatever reason, I'm still trying to wrap my finger around. I have a wonderful friend who recommended the best "girl" doctor EVER and in 3 hours was able to take care of what my doctor couldn't take care of in 3 weeks. It was endometriosis, and it ended with me having to have a full hysterectomy. I have started with hot flashes, and every other menopause symptom you can imagine. The doctor started me on hormone therapy- at least until my body heals and I can spend some time doing research on natural alternatives, and the pros/cons of synthetic hormone therapy. I have insomnia now, and my body seems to shake quite a bit, but this could be due to the major vicodin withdrawals I'm going through. Hopefully this will pass over the next few days. I can say this has NOT been a very good way to loose weight either. I am on my way to a full recovery and will try to update during the week. Thanks so much for your prayers, get well cards, beautiful flowers:

basket arrangements:

and not to mention all the meals brought in, and play dates set up for Dalton. I have been so blessed with wonderful family, friends and neighbors. I never made it out to send gifts, nor was I able to concentrate long enough to get Christmas cards ready. I do hope you all had a wonderful Christmas filled with love, peace and hope! God bless you and your family always, -A

Twilight

2008-11-23T19:36:00.006-05:00

Before our permanent road trip about 18 months ago, I stopped into the local church bookstore looking for a few books for Makenah to read (that's one of her passions!). I looked for sometime with no luck. After getting a bit frustrated, I asked the gal that worked there if she had any suggestions for my teenage daughter that has read just about every non "churchy" book out there. Her suggestion: Twilight. I called Makenah at home and asked her what she thought -"NAH", it didn't sound like something she wanted to read. The employee said that it such a great book, and if she was an avid reader, and a teen-age girl, she would LOVE the book. I hesitantly paid for the book, along with a few other items, and off I went- back home to continue packing. Not more than 20 minutes into our trip, she announced that Twilight was the best book E.V.V.V.V.E.R.!! She finished it in a few days and was ready for the second book, which we found at the Wal-Mart on our way out of Cortez, Colorado. Needless to say, she flew through all the rest of the books. When we heard that Twilight would be a movie, the excitement set in all over. Madisen happens to be a fan of the Fabelhaven series, but after reading those books a few times she was looking for something different. She picked up Twilight, and ploughed through all the books as well. I have yet to read them, but didn't want to miss the opportunity for a Mother/Daughter afternoon outing at the movies. Saturday, yesterday, we went to see Twilight. I'm sure if I had read the book, the movie would have been much better for me. I think I missed out on quite a few of the details that I would have gotten in the book. The girls LOVED it, and of course Edward and Jacob are the "HOTTIES" in the movie. There were SO many teenage girls there, too fun! I'm sure I will be reading the books once I finally get through Harry Potter (I know!)
A link you may like to visit if you are a Twilight fan: click here!

About Bella: New to Forks, Washington, Isabella Swan arrives to live with her father after her mother remarries. Intelligent, caring and perpetually clumsy, Bella has a habit of finding herself in distress... all the more convenient that she has a vampire to look after her.

About Edward: Edward Cullen was adopted by Dr. Carlisle Cullen as a 17-year-old. Super-fast, charming and a talented musician, his unique gift is hearing what people are thinking. Everyone except Bella ...

About Jacob: A Native American from the Quileute tribe, the ever-cheerful Jacob strikes up a friendship with Bella that grows more complicated as the saga continues.

About James: James is a skilled tracker, who hunts for sport. Unlike the Cullens, he primarily feasts on human blood.

About Charlie: Chief of police in Forks, Charlie enjoys fishing and watching sports on TV. He warily accepts Edward as Bella's boyfriend but is concerned about her becoming too consumed with him.

About Victoria: A nomadic vampire with flame-red hair who travels with James and Laurent, she becomes a primary threat to Bella in New Moon and Eclipse.

Off I go to get some reading done :)

Orange Belts...

2008-11-14T20:16:00.008-05:00

A few Saturdays ago, Scott and Madisen were able to test for their orange belts. I wasn't able to test becuase I have had Scentsy events lined up just about EVERY weekend since October. They did very well though, and were presented with their orange belts in class last week. Once my busy season is over, watch out!

Wow Maddie, you need to re-do those nails girl!

Makenah decided that she was too busy with band to continue with karate. This is the last week of band though, so we'll see if I can convince her to come back. Dalton is still working on his orange with one stripe. He has a hard time focusing, but is improving.

Grand Nationals:

2008-11-13T22:14:00.003-05:00

Well, I don't have photos, but Scott and Makenah have made their way to the Bands Of America 2008 - Grand Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana. Makenah boarded a very nice charted bus this morning, and Scott carpooled with another dad. They will be staying there a few days and have quite a few activities they will be taking part in. This is a HUGE band competition and Scott sent me a text earlier this afternoon saying they did very well on their first round. Scott was able to get a few days off work, and the band got a few days off school. Tomorrow night, they will get to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe, can you imagine over 100 kids (teens) walking through the door of the Hard Rock Cafe. I'm kind of glad that Scott is taking this one. He was good to sign up for all the band trips, and I signed up for all the High School dances. That seems fair -except that I recruited Scott to help with the dances too :). Makenah was adamant about us NOT being so involved in the high school events, so we thought it was a good idea (and a parental necessity) to be even more involved then we had originally planned. I'm sure they will have a great time!

Halloween Party!

2008-11-13T09:19:00.008-05:00

A few days before Halloween, we had a fun party at the church. It started off with a chili cook-off. There were some good looking chilis there, however I was not in a chili kind of a mood. Before we left, we ate dinner at home. Pork Chops, hot cinnamon apples, mashed potatoes and green beans. That's what I was in the mood for -MM, MMM, YUMMY! After dinner, we hurried and got ready, I grabbed the camera and out the door we went.

The kids (well, Dalton) went from classroom to classroom playing games and trick-or-treating. Makenah hung out in the hall socializing with friends, and mooching candy from her siblings. Madisen hung out with friends as well and must have played some games, because she came home with some loot as well. It was a fun evening, and we saw lots of great costumes.

Here we have a bubble bath. I asked her if I could throw darts -she didn't think that was funny though. :(

A small part of the evening's crowd:

Boys will be Boys:

And Girls will be Girls:

and then there is the cute little lederhosen:

This is my friend from Life, Love and Linvingston's little boy. He is so cute!

Happy Halloween! (a wee bit late)

2008-11-12T20:27:00.009-05:00

Happy Halloween 2008

We have been so busy lately, we didn't even have a chance to go to the pumpkin patch this year. Scott did pick up some pumpkins at the local Kroger's (isn't THAT so fun and filled with memories), then sat them in the garage for later use. Normally, we carve our pumpkins on the Monday night before Halloween, but again, we were too busy. We remembered the night before, but as usual, Makenah was at her second home (aka -the band room practicing for more competitions). Madisen had a babysitting job again with a few of our favorite little people,Kylie and Walter. I think we are just going to claim them as part of our family :) It worked out well though becuase we she was watching them at our house. We did have a fun evening of carving pumpkins. Scott likes to help by cutting the tops of the pumpkins out, and because he loves me so much, he even does the cleaning out portion of my pumpkin. I get to do the fun part of carving though. Again, this has NEVER happened in 16 years, but I forgot to take pictures of our carved, finished pumpkins. They all turned out so fun too.

We sure do love pumpkin seeds (when they are cooked with lots of fun seasonings).

Band Competitions!

2008-10-27T09:28:00.003-04:00

Lately we have been busy with football games and band competitions. I had the opportunity to watch our band compete at Mason High School the other night. It was amazing to see such a variety between the competitors. One high school had an oriental theme going and the costumes were very cool. The drum line wore ninja costumes, while the conductors were a warrior and some sort of princess. Even the pit wore some sort of traditional costumes. It was fun when the marching band from this same school put down their instruments to have this choreographed "stick" fight. There were a few other schools that did very well. I still like our school's theme of "sfere". During the performance, we had a balloon pop and one that flew away -ooops, that was a deduction. Of course Scott helped get the band ready on the field. I got a few pictures of him helping to set up, but they turned out a bit blurry. I can't believe it cost so much to get in to watch. It was $8.00 for me and $5.00 each for Madisen and Dalton. Yep, welcome to the next 10 years of our life.

Notice the warrior and the ninjas:

Our Weekend with Kylie and Walter:

2008-10-12T20:16:00.004-04:00

My friend Carrie called on Friday night and needed to make a quick trip to California with her husband, but without the children. She was in a bind, and since we had so much fun with Kylie and Walter last time, and we didn't have any major plans ourselves, I was pretty quick to say bring em on over. Saturday, early afternoon, little Kylie and Walter were knocking on our door. Again, my children, and myself, have had so much fun. Last night Scott and I were supposed to chaperone the Homecoming dance. I was thinking when I said it would be no problem, that Madisen and Makenah would be fine to hang out with the babies until Scott and I got home. Makenah had a last minute invite to Kings Island for the Halloween shabang that they have going on this time of year. So, off she went. The more I realized how tires and busy the little ones were, the more I realized that with Dalton home as well, Madisen might have a difficult time. It worked out for the dance anyway because they had an extra volunteer. I was able to stay home and have some fun with the kids. Kylie and Walter were so tired by about 8 PM. Walter had a bit of a nap about 5 (ish), but he was ready for bed. I borrowed a pack and play from my other friend Cari, and Walter was so happy to see it there after I got it set up. I layed him down, and he was out in about 5 minutes.

This is Kylie, so tired. Notice she is playing with the Brio builder sets.

This is Walter, looking at me upside down. Notice he is playing with Kylie's Barbie.

This has been Madisen since they showed up at my house. She is SO great with little ones.

This was Walter this morning. He looked so sweet when I got him up out of the crib. I actually tried to snuggle with him, but just like most guys, there was NO snuggling to be had. He was off and running and wanted breakfast NOW!

Did I mention he wanted food.....NOW!

Here is Madisen again. The kids LOVE her.

and again...

After church, we came home and ate lunch, had naps (Walter slept for almost 3 hours!). I thought it might be a good idea to head off to the park after dinner.

This is as close to a little brother that Dalton will have, he sure was lovin it!

I love this picture of Kylie in the swing :)

Makenah and Scott had a fun time with the frisbee...

I tried to play for a bit, but after 4 or 5 throws, it was apparent that I wasn't needed.

I really am not very good at throwing a frisbee.

Makenah has taken after her father with the whole frisbee thing. That okay, I had to attend to something else...

This is the playground Walter would have liked to play on (it made me too nervous)

This is the playground he got to play on. The Vance Family was at the park, so their kids started playing house with my kids, and Kylie and Walter had so much fun. Then it was off to the sand! OH, how I have forgotten how much fun it is to wash off sand. When the kids were good and tired, we headed home for bathtime.

Walter and Kylie had so much fun taking a bubble bath in my BIG bathtub. Kylie kept wanting to "swim" and it would about knock Walter right over in the water. I let them both play for a bit, then got Walter out and ready for bed so Kylie could just "swim" to her hearts content. Of course she was happy to get out so she could go find Madisen

When I got all the bathtime cleaned up, this is how I found Madisen and her shadows.

Madisen and Kylie have just gone off to bed, and Walter only took about 3 minutes to quiet down and is off to neverland until morning. I will take the kids to school and then take Kylie to preschool in the morning. Carrie and Darren will be home tomorrow evening and I'm sure Kylie and Walter will be so excited to have Mommy and Daddy back. It's amazing that after 5 years, I have forgotten how busy they can be. I have had so much fun, but I'm having a difficult time keeping up. :) I'm glad Madisen and Dalton have been around to help out, they have been GREAT!

National Fire Safety Week...

2008-10-07T11:08:00.013-04:00

This past Saturday, our local Home Depot kicked off the start of National Fire Safety Week. I actually knew about this week, and even ordered a shirt to wear at my events for the next few weeks. When I worked in Dalton's class on Friday, I did the Friday folders for the students, and saw a flyer that went home to each family. I immediately started brain storming about how I could get involved last minute. Earlier in the week, I stopped by a few local firestations to see if I could get some stickers or information to put on my table for upcoming events. No luck. After seeing the flyer though, I called Home Depot and told them I would like to promote candle safety. The manager said that would be fine as long as I was not promoting a business. I told him I was an Independent Consultant for a wickless candle company, and would like to attatch a business card to my fliers about candle safety. The manager told me that should be fine :) I was so excited. I went to Office Depot and had about 900 copies made of the flyer I wanted to hand out. I had some extras made for my upcoming events. Anyway, when I got there I pulled out my camera and started shooting pictures. It was so fun. I actually left Dalton at home, and after I saw how the whole set up was done, I knew he would have a great time there with me. What 8-year-old wouldn't want an unlimited amount of FREE cotton candy, FREE hot dogs, and FREE wooden kits to assemble. I called my friend, Cari, and her family was coming over for the activity, so they stopped by and picked up Dalton for me. Scott had to work this last weekend. Dalton was able to go in the "smoke house" 5 times, and made a firetruck and birdhouse. I was able to get some information out to the public, introduce the wickless products to the local fire department (which they loved), and had a fun time with Dalton too.

Just some random shots (Home Depot will be using some of these for thier promos):

My new Bracelet -from MJ Designs!!

2008-10-05T11:31:00.004-04:00

Last weekend I had a vendor show in Kentucky. I was outside all day in the sun, and of course I didn't use sunscreen so my face and arms got SUNBURNED! I did very will and sold about 15 warmers and quite a few bars. Just when I was about ready to pack up, a lady that had purchased $80 worth of products a few hours before showed up at my booth again. She told me she had gone home to plug in her new warmer and liked it so much, that she had to come back for more. She then purchased another $175 worth of products for some family events coming up that she would need gifts for. She is thinking she may like to sign up as a consultant. YEAH!! Another fun thing that happened while at this event is that my friend, Melissa Jennings from MJ Designs, was able to meet up with me. We have been wanting to do a trade for some time, and it finally worked out. She made me one of her beautiful bracelets with the words "Scentsy Spirit". I will keep this one (yep, it's all mine), and as my team grows and they hit some goals, I will purchase more for them. Thanks Melissa, I really like how this bracelet turned out and have already received many compliments on it :)

Madisen Babysits :)

2008-10-05T10:45:00.008-04:00

Kylie, Madsien and Walter -Chillin

Madisen took the Red Cross babysitting course earlier this year, and has only been able to babysit a few times since. The thing is, she is an EXCELLENT babysitter and really enjoys being around the small children. She reminds me of myself when I was her age, and just has a knack for the little ones. She has put so much time into making her babysitting kit, filling it with all kinds of fun activities for the kids. When my friend Carrie called and told me her babysitter cancelled for Thursday night, she asked if Madisen could sit. I was so excited for Madisen because she has been waiting and waiting for a babysitting gig. Since Carrie lives about 35 minutes away, we decided to have the kids come to our house rather than having to have Madisen brought all the way back home late. It worked out perfect and Madisen (and I) had a great time with Kylie and Walter. I made playdough and then Madisen (and Dalton) entertained for the evening. In addition to playdough, they played with the Kinex, Light Bright, then watched Beauty and the Beast while enjoying popcorn, LOTS of popcorn. It was a fun evening. The kids were SO well behaved, and Madisen was able to put some more money towards her iPod.

Dalton got to have a "little brother" for a few hours :)

My children would have NEVER sat to watch a movie at this age -NEVER!!

Time for a Trim...

2008-10-05T10:04:00.009-04:00

The last time I trimmed the yard was on Halloween last year. I have done a few small trimmings here and there, but it has been a while since the yard has had a good trim. Last year, on Halloween, I noticed the children would have a hard time getting around the overgrowth of the bushes, so as the kids were getting their costumes on, I was out trimming. I did not want a repeat of last year. So, last week, while Scott was out of town, I found my gardening gloves and went to work. These types of things I wait for Scott to go out of town to do, because I like to do them MY way. Of course when he gets home he is happy to see the job done, but says he wishes that I would have waited because he would have liked to have some input on how much I trimmed off.
There really were no before pictures, just during and after. So, I started with the tall grass plant that I don't particularly like. The Pringles can is left over from the big wind storm.

Take a look at this thing! We shall call it "Thing One":

Oh, much better!!

Then there was the dead-heading of all the flowers. This is one of MANY!

Well now, this is something. If I knew how to knit, I could make a sweater out of this stuff. Maybe I should leave this up for Halloween.

Now we have "Thing 12-17":

I think I ended up with only one blister, but after it was all cleaned up, things looked so much better. I found some bolders under the kitchen window I didn't even know we had.

Life With Dalton :)

2008-10-05T09:37:00.006-04:00

When the girls were little, they enjoyed playing board games. They would beg and beg, and I would tear myself away from whatever unimportant task I was doing, to try and be "in the moment" with them. They enjoy the occasional board game, however usually I'm the one to ask. Dalton has been on a board game kick for about 2 years now, maybe even longer. If I stopped to play board games every time he asked, I would get NOTHING done. At lease 4 times a day, "Mom, will you play a game with me?" Though I try as often as I can, it's just not enough. When we do play, he is so stink'n smart and anylitical, he can just about whip my butt at every game we play, with the exception of Stratego (one of my all-time favorites), and Scrabble. Well, the other night we played LIFE. Of course he won, but I thought it funny that he had to cart around two cars through a good part of the game because he had SO many children. Here's to the game of LIFE, and all the other board games and card games that get played at our house.

Off to the right is my green car, while we see to the left BOTH of Dalton's cars. He did pick all boys, even though he was supposed to have 4 girls. ;)

The "SEAT SAVERS" Battle!

2008-10-03T07:09:00.012-04:00

My children have been into the whole "SEAT SAVERS" mode now for about 3 years (I know, I keep thinking they will grow out of it), and it drives me a little crazy. In case you are not from this planet, "SEAT SAVERS" works like this: If you are sitting down in a comfy spot in front of the T.V., and you get up, you better call out "SEAT SAVER" or your seat is fair game and anyone can take it. There is one rule though: The only time "Seat Savers" doesn't apply is if you get up to use the restroom, then you get your seat back (or if you are the parent, cuz parents rule). So the other day, Makenah and Madisen were at it with the "seat saver" thing. This is how it all went down:

Makenah got up for something other than the restroom and Madisen took her spot. Makenah jumped on the inner side of the couch and attempted to "wiggle" Madisen right off.

Yes, those are teeth coming out. You should have seen the blood as I threw down my camera. No, just kidding. There were no teeth marks I promise.

Makenah moves from the "wiggle" strategy to just pushing her sister right off. Love the black nail polish Makenah. It's beautiful!!

And Madisen gets back up and jumps in for more. Notice Scott on the other couch -the three person couch with lots of room on either side of him. "Hello Dear!" "Should we put a stop to this?" Why would we want to put a stop to this? It's how our daughter's express their love for each other. It's also entertainment around our house.

And just when you thought Makenah had lost her place...

the parents decide enough is enough, and they are both OFF THE COUCH!! Mom and Dad prevail!!

Pumpkin Cookies -The best ever, promise!

2008-09-28T13:11:00.015-04:00

There are many things I enjoy in life, and homemade cookies are one of them. Then again, I'm good with just about ANY food that uses butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and chocolate chips. I'm not sure why Dalton is so picky about his choice of cookie, but he turns his nose up to chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, and just about any other kind of homemade cookie. He has a passion for my pumpkin cookies though. I have tried to tell him that pumpkin cookies are really a "seasonal" type treat, he enjoys them no matter what time of year it is. Pumpkin cookies are the ONLY homemade cookies. So, in honor of the leaves beginning to change, crisp evening air, and honey crip apples abundantly available (my favorite kind of apples), here is my recipe for pumpkin cookies. If you would like chocolate chips, I recommend the mini's. I don't know what it is about mini chips, but I like them -A LOT! You may want to think about doubling this recipe or you may not get any!

Dalton will be my helper in the kitchen this time:

Ingredients:
1/4 lb butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed, cooked pumpkin
(1 tsp. lemon extract!!) Don't forget this step!

Sift together in a seperate bowl (if you are a sifter):
2 cups flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. of each (salt, cloves, nutmeg, ginger)
1 tsp. soda

Directions:
Cream together butter, sugar, eggs & pumpkin. Then, add only dry ingredients. Blend in extract, then if desired, MINI Chocolate chips (and you should desire). Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.
Bake @ 400 for 10-12 minutes.

Isn't he so stink'n cute when he wants to be:

Cream together butter, sugar, eggs & pumpkin:

Yes, I still use the old kind of mixer -no Kitchen Aid here (SOMEDAY!)

Then add your dry ingredients and mix till blended:

Oh, don't look! What horrible manners he has. (I was licking the other one)

This is what the batter should look like(only if you doubled it, otherwise you will only have half this much):

Now, if you forget this little step, your effort will be for naught. Don't forget this!! I've done it, and my pumpkin cookies didn't taste right. Just stir in the extract, no need to mix:

Another important step -MINI CHIPS!! Only use MINI CHIPS!! Lots of MINI CHIPS! I can't tell you how many because I just have them in a large container that I grab from. So LOTS of MINI CHIPS.

Place by the spoonful on a cookie sheet in a pre-heated oven:

Bet you can't eat just one!

MMMMMMMM:

I'll also bet you will need some of this to go with it:

Kentucky Governor's Cup Band Competition:

2008-09-25T11:40:00.001-04:00

Well, for all you band people, MHS came away with the Kentucky Governors Cup on Saturday night. Saturday was a bit of a crazy day because all the band members had to be at the school for practice bright and early. Scott is now offically a member of the PIT crew, so he goes on all the band trips and helps get things set up for the kids. A friend of mine took Dalton for the day and he had a great time. I had a vendor show/fundraiser for Scentsy, so I was there for the day. Poor Madisen was board for the day, watching TV and reading. I'm sure she played on the computer for a period of time as well. I tried to pick up Dalton about 7 (ish), but they hadn't eaten yet, AND they were doing smores in the backyard firepit. He actually got to hang around that firepit for a good part of the day, helping to pick up lots of sticks from the ground left over from the windstorm. Anyway, he stayed and I came home to hang out with Madisen. Scott called earlier in the day and said that the high school had taken 3 of 5 awards, and they also made it in the finals that evening. MHS would be playing at 9:30. I knew Dalton needed a shower and that he had a VERY busy day helping out around the Hutchison's. He HAD to shower when he got home. I was pretty tired and didn't want to drive the 35 minutes to watch, because I knew Dalton's coping skills would be G.O.N.E. by 9:30, definately by 11:30 when we would be home.
I had a bit of a "Come to Jesus" meeting with myself. Would sitting in front of the TV with the 2 at home, getting Dalton to bed on time be better than driving out to watch Makenah? Who would benefit more by my choice of where I needed to be THAT evening. It was with Makenah. She needed to see us there. I needed to be there cheering her on! I was soooo dog tired, but most of the time, cheering on your child trumps being exhausted. I made the announcement to hurry and get your shoes on. We were going to make it down to Kentucky to watch the band play. We arrived as the band was walking out on the field. I'm so glad I made the choice to go. The other 2 were just fine, and it was so fun to watch the kids play. All the hard work, effort, and time was apparent in the whole show. In the end, MHS won the championship. They brought home the coveted Kentucky Governors Cup (to Ohio!). They will get the keep the cup for one year, then it has to be returned. I found the performance on YouTube if you would like to watch. Makenah is the second one in from the left (and the shortest) in the PIT. She is standing in front of the drum things playing the vibraphone.

Friday Night Win!!

2008-09-24T22:09:00.010-04:00

Our extra-curricular life seems to be tied up with band these days. Sure we squeeze in karate once in a while, along with scouts, fall baseball, activity days, and youth group. I posted earlier about how I managed to keep it all straight. As a matter-a-fact, we forgot Dalton had a game on Friday night (he ALWAYS has a game on Friday night) becauce it didn't get put on the board, or in my planner. The game was played against Mt. Healthy, and we SMOKED them! I think the final score was 32/14. It was the first night I got to see the band in uniform and they looked GREAT! Makenah even had her hair up, and a little bow on her head. Makenah is NOT the hair up, little bow on the head kind of a girl. She is FREAKING out right now about having to wear a skirt to school tomorrow (She neglected to tell me, until 10pm, that the band had to dress up tomorrow, and wanted some nice dress slacks. She will be wearning a skirt.) I must warn you that in the following photos you will not see one smile from those in the band. Someone told the kids not to smile during shows. They have since gone to smiling and I'm so glad.
Come on, show us braces!

She's got skills!

Dalton enjoys a pretzel from the $100 food stand. It's all for a good cause, right!

OOOOPS, forgot to switch my setting (the little girls got to cheer with the big girls, the little girls were ALL smiles):

Come on, just a little smile.

They have a HUGE band, and they sound GREAT!

How do I do it all?

2008-09-22T09:32:00.004-04:00

I made the mistake of making 4 dentist appointments the first Monday after school started. They were supposed to be for the kids and myself. I set up my carpool so that I would drive in the morning and pick up my own children early, before school was out. The gal I carpool with would pick up her children at the regular time.

Monday morning, when I picked up Cindy's children, her daughter ("C") says, "My mom will be picking us up today after school." I said, "Oh, are you going somewhere?" C says, "Well, I'm not sure, my mom just said she was picking us up". "O.K.", I said.

That afternoon, I went to pick up my children and here come Cindy's children as well. "I thought your mom was picking you up." C says, "I thought she was too. I don't know what happened." I told here I would call her mom to find out what was going on. As I am calling Cindy from our one way in, one way out parking lot, I pass her. I swung around on the first street just outside of the parking lot as she answered her cell. "Hey Cindy, what's going on? C said you were picking them up this afternoon and I just passed you. Is everyting okay?" Cindy then says, "Angela, I was picking up the kids because you said you had dentist appointments." "OH CRAP!! DENTIST APPOINTMENTS!! FOUR DENTIST APPOINTMENTS THAT STARTED AN HOUR AGO!" I called the dentist real quick and promised NEVER to forget again. This was our first visit (well, it would have been) and I'm sure I didn't make a very good first impression. OOOOOPS! I can safely say it is not a good idea to schedule dentist appointments during the first week of school.

I have a great planner, and I use it -ALWAYS. Usually we will go over the planner on Monday evening, just to make sure we have everything covered. I'm not always so good at looking at my planner every morning though. I just think I can remember everything that is going on. Well, something happened at the start of the new school year that has changed, and I have a hard time keeping it all straight. It's called high school band.

(notice what time Makenah was out till)
After the dentist incident, I went out and bought a HUGE white board for the kitchen. Now, every evening before I go to bed, right before we lock the doors and turn out the lights, I plan my "tomorrow". So far, it is working out great. The kids have even stopped asking what is for dinner because it is on the board.

Hurricane IKE leftovers!

2008-09-15T20:59:00.009-04:00

One of the many trees that have fallen on to homes and cars in the last 24 hours. We have had a few deaths in the area due to falling trees.
We got the leftovers of IKE yesterday about 2:00 in the afternoon. We lost our power, along with over a million others in the tri-state area. The news stations are calling it the Tri-State Blackout. Duke Energy reported that it could be this weekend before everyone has power restored. We were one of the lucky neighborhoods this time (last time, it was 2 1/2 days) and won the power lottery, only being without power for 9 hours. If you were watching the Bangles game yesterday, you would have seen the wind coming through the ballpark. Winds got up to about 75 mph, downing LOTS of trees and power lines. Schools were all cancelled in the area. We had some friends come over for dinner and to use our showers before they returned home to the dark. This is what it looks like right now for Duke Energy:
County ** Total Customer
Outages since
9/14/2008 10:41:18 AM------------Current Customers Out
Totals 1,111,844------------------------591,124

Boone 29,271-----------------------------14,998
Brown 8,372-------------------------------2,718
Butler 176,721--------------------------105,970
Campbell 42,216--------------------------31,547
Clermont 119,816-------------------------55,222
Clinton 1,556-------------------------------965
Grant 1,625----------------------------------96
Hamilton 549,006------------------------289,143
Kenton 103,153---------------------------36,281
Montgomery 13--------------------------------13
Warren 69,338----------------------------45,518
* County not associated 10,757------------8,653

We are in Clermont county, and the kids will have school tomorrow. Oh well. Gas jumped up to $3.99 a gallon in a hurry. Since you need power for the gas pumps, and a lot of gas stations are without power, the lines for gas are CRAZY. I was pretty lucky when I got gas today, finding a pump right away when there were lines 4 deep. I'm glad we are prepared for such emergencies with flashlights, batteries, and fun games on hand. Scott has had a headcold for the last few days and stayed home to work today. He was happy because they are running off a generator at work where they have no air conditioning and you need a flashlight to use the facilities. Anyway, I'm glad we are all safe, that we have power, that we were able to help out some friends, that the kids will have school tomorrow, and that Scott is feeling much better. Here are some photos I got off the internet from IKE in the tri-state area:

One of the many fires caused by Ike in the Cincinnati area.

If you look close you can see the power lines in the distance. CRAZY!

Check out the power lines -a very common sight for the next week.

It's Saturday Night Live!

2008-09-15T12:02:00.003-04:00

I'm not a big fan of SNL, but I am a fan of Palin. I had to watch just to see Tina Fey play Palin in the opening. "I can see Russia from my house!" Too funny! Enjoy!

The Fork in the Road...

2008-09-12T06:14:00.005-04:00

Since going to convention a little over a month ago, I have had "WICKLESS" on my brain. There were a few poignant "aha" moments, but honestly, the whole 3 days was an "aha" moment. The funny thing is that I was going to cancel my trip because I thought the money could be better applied to other areas of our finances. I talked to Scott about this and he told me I should go to convention. He said by going I would set the example for me team. My little team of one (me) has grown to 14! That made "scents" to me. So off I went to convention to be an example, to learn a few things, and to visit some family. WOW!! Was I in for so much more! My eyes were opened to possibilities, my spirit was touched, and the paradigm of my life's goals began to shift.

So, with that in mind, Scott and I went to lunch last weekend and I told him my dilemma. I have hit a fork in the road. I need to decide where my efforts are going to be. I see so much potential with what I am doing with my business, and yet I have this goal -to be a teacher. I can't be effective and good at both, and still have time to be there for our family and church obligations. Scott told me I needed to "DO" whatever was going to make me happy (and pay off my business credit card). I see so much more with my business, I can feel it, and it is going to be BIG. I have prayed about it. There are people out there that need this opportunity way more than I do, and I need to be the resource for them. I told Scott that I don't want the kids to think that I set this goal for myself -to teach, then not "finish what I started". He said, "The kids need to see you happy. Goals change and that is a good thing for them to see too. If you quit school, it's not because it's getting too hard, you have made the DEAN'S LIST every quarter so far. Besides, you will still be a "teacher", just not in a formal classroom with a bunch of disrespectful children." Okay, I'm going with that. As of two weeks ago, I no longer will be going to school. I am "DOING" my wickless "hobby" full-time. I won't be looking back. I am excited to be in the moment with my business, and my family, and really set some goals for myself.

I have joined WIN, a woman's business organization, as well as a Direct Sales Network (which is EXCELLENT!) and have committed to 13 craft/vendor shows between now and the first of December. I have quite a few parties booked, and there is still so much WIDE OPEN space for this business. Just a little FYI: Afer 4 years of a lot of hard work in this company, my upline sponsor's commission check for the month of August was $13,000. That is pretty exciting to me because the company is is still just getting started!! It took our company over 3 years to have 1,000 consultants, and a little over a year later there are now over 13,000 nationally, most of the growth is still out west. I get to watch and be a part of the growth as the wickless spirit moves east! I'm grateful to have the support of Scott and my family. I will let you know how things are going from time to time, but this is still my family blog. You will have to check out my "wickless candle blog" for more updates. For more information about my wickless business, click the business link on the right to take you to my website.

Driveway Obstacle Course

2008-09-11T13:55:00.006-04:00

Maddie and her friend were outside a few nights ago rollerblading. I went out to check on them because it was getting a bit dark, and I found a whole obstacle course set up on the driveway.

When asked where her helmet was, this is the look that she gave me:

She said her helmet was filled with spiders and webs. Don't believe it for one minute!

Her smile just sucks you in I tell you!

16 years!!

2008-09-06T20:59:00.012-04:00

Our engagement photo :)

This is the Washington D.C. Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. This is where I married my best friend, and eternal companion 16 years ago.

Scott and I celebrated our 16th anniversary on the 29th of August. It doesn't seem that long, unless he is snoring or passing kidney stones, or passing certain noises. :) Scott and I met while he was serving a church mission in California. I met him while I was shopping at a nearby Walgreens (or something like that). He was there with his companion and they were up to "no good". They lived with their zone leaders and apparently wanted to play a trick on them. The zone leaders would be playing in a golf outing the following day, and Scott (Elder Tippets) thought it would be funny to make EX-LAX browies before the event. The only problem was that they needed someone to do their dirty work. I happed it be at the right place at just the right time. Recognizing these "elders" (this is what we call our missionaries) from my ward, I said, "Hey Elders, what are you doing here?" Before I knew what was going on, I was on my way home to make EX-LAX brownies. A few hours later, I took the evil brownies by, and the "zonies" loved them! They were hating life while out on the green the next day. Poor guys, having to run to the port-a-potty every 20 minutes. Scott and I corresponded (that's what we did back then -correspond -it means letter writing with a stamp, or a phone call) a few times after he went home, but life circumstances weren't right.

Two and a half years after he was home (in his last semester at BYU actually), a piece of paper with his phone number came popping out from a drawer. I guess I saved it for all that time, and somehow it ended up in my "junk" drawer(even after a couple of moves). One day, I noticed the paper, had an overwhelming feeling that I should call, then shoved it to the back of the drawer. Somehow, it would make its way to the front again. After a few months of repeating the process, I finally got the nerve to call LATE one night. I got off work at 11 pm (my time), and being the clueless 22-year-old that I was, and filled with some nerve that came from somewhere else, I called that phone number -only it was 2 A.M EASTERN TIME!! In Delaware, where Scott is from, his parents were sound asleep. They were so nice when I called. After explaining who I was, Marie (Scott's mom) told me that he was at BYU (Utah), and that she would let their son know that I (psycho-girl) had called, then she graciously hung up. Personally, I would have hung-up on me! Anyway, I did finally get ahold of him (obviously) from BYU information. We had a long-distance relationship for about 4 months before we actually "met" again. This was before email, text messaging and all the other ways to communicate electronically. We would talk on the phone a few times a week, but after GI-NORM-IC phone bills, we decided to only talk once a week. We wrote letters though, LOTS of letters. I think this really helped us learn to communicate with each other. Scott came out for a week-end during Christmas break (we looked at engagement rings, and played tourists in San Fransisco), then it was back to long-distance again. I came out to see him for graduation, met his family, then I was off to Californina again, with NO ring! He had many opportunities. What happened? Why didn't he ask? I was somewhat heartbroken. Afraid that the stranger sitting next to me on the plane would see the tears streaming down my face, as we lifted off the ground I looked out the window.

The Oakland, California Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

I was sad because we had looked at rings, talked about family and our future together, and with his family all there for the graduation, in my mind it was the perfect opportunity to announce our engagement. There was no ring, no proposal and no announcement that weekend. He sure didn't use his time wisely. As I recall though, it was less than 48 hours and he was on the phone. He was trying to propose OVER THE PHONE! "Ang", he said. "I have a question for you..." Before I let him fall on his face, I told him that if he was going to ask me what I thought he was going to ask me, he better get on a plane. Scott was on his way less than 48 hours after that phone call. He could have saved some time, and some of my tears, had he asked while I was in Utah less than a week before. It's all good though. While he was out, we went to the Oakland Temple and walked around for a while. I kind of hobbled because I had just had some screws removed from my bunion surgery, I was on crutches. We went up to the second level area of the temple where there is a GORGOUS view of the San Fansisco Bay, when it's not overcast. Anyway, it was a beautiful evening. After spending some time up there, Scott did get down on one knee and proposed. I still have to give him a hard time every once in a while though for trying to ask over the phone. Do you know that Scott brings me flowers almost every month, just because? He does, and I love that about him.

The most WONDERFUL time of year: (I'm still behind)

2008-08-28T21:18:00.014-04:00

Well, I wasn't able to get everyone together because we have to drive Makenah to school, leaving by 6:25. School is only 10 minutes away (driving), and she starts at 7:15 this year. If we don't leave by that crazy time, then we are waiting in a massive line for 45 minutes on a very small, very congeted, narrow 2 lane road. I know things were different 50 years ago when the schools here were built, but who was the brain that decided to build the high school and jr. high right next to each other. In our school district, the parents are being punished for not passing a levy (1/2 the kids in our town go to private school and they are provided with bussing, so why should they vote to have their taxes raised), so most of our transportation is gone. The line of cars is so long in the morning with people trying to get out to go to work, and others trying to get in to get their kids to school. It is CRAZY!! Anyway, that is enough of my complaints. Scott was able to take the day off so we could take the kids to school together, then go out to breakfast. This is a tradition in our neighborhood and he didn't want to miss it this year. It was nice to have him home for the day.
Makenah got up and seemed just fine about starting high school. She had been trying on outfits and finally came up with this:

The ninth grade center is in portables, so most of her classes are there and she has a few classes in the main building. All in all she had a good first day and only got lost I think she said "once".
Smile Makenah!! Are we old enough to have one in High School? Wait, don't answer that.

This is Madisen's last year in elementary school. I think I feel some tears coming on(oh wait, I think that is a new wrinkle under my droopy eyes).

Madisen is in 6th grade and seems to have a pretty good teacher. He is a bit strict and a lot of kids talk (whisper) that he is SO mean. I guess if you are a well-behaved, respectful child, who get all of their work in on time then you will have no problems with him. It's a good thing Madisen is that kind of a kid.
Bye Madisen, we love you! Have a great day!

Can you believe my baby is in 3rd grade? He is almost as tall as me! Dalton has puppy feet. He wears a size 7 mens shoe. Yikes!

Dalton had a great first day. He has a GREAT teacher, and the fun thing is that his teacher's daughter and Madisen are really good friends. For Madisen and Dalton, school is not out until about 4:00, so they are really hungry when they get home from school. That extra hour in the afternoon really makes a difference in how tired they are. They start now an hour later (because of the bussing thing, or lack there of).
An endless amount of school supplies. Most of them we brought in the day before.

Next week should be CRAZY because we will start with a bit of a time change due to Madisen's band practice 3 days a week, and Makenah having to start Seminary (bible study) at 5:45 AM. Poor girl. It builds character, right? Or will it cause a cranky teenager?

2 Surgeries in 1 Week:

2008-08-28T17:22:00.005-04:00

Doesn't Scott look so L.O.V.E.L.Y. in his house dress, I mean tent, I mean hospital gown. The thing was huge.
Two Fridays ago, Scott went in to have that stinkin kidney stone removed -whew finally. They put him under, got the snake with the claw on the end (they call it a scope), and snatched that baby right out. The wait time to go in to surgery was longer than the surgery itself. During the surgery, they inserted a stint between the kidney and the bladder that would need to be taken out. When I got back in the hospital room, Scott was fully awake and anxious to go home (well, he was still hooked up to the IV and in a hospital gown), so it was another 45 minutes before he was released. I asked Scott if the surgeon had been back in to talk to him. Nope, he hadn't. Apparently, the doctors don't go back in the room after the surgery. I didn't ask a lot of questions because I thought the surgeon would come back in and talk to Scott. I guess I should have asked, because Scott didn't realize that he would be needing to use the bathroom every 20 minutes. They wanted to leave the stint in until sometime in September, but Scott called and said "NO-WAY" are you leaving this thing in that long. Then, then last Friday they had Scott come back in, they put him out, and retrieved what I had begun calling his piercing. They actually told us that it would be an in-office procedure to get that thing out, so I'm glad they put him out for the removal. He is all better, and back to smoking his racquetball buddy on his lunch hour.
As I was leaving to go get the car (while they wheeled him out in a wheelchair), I noticed a "flying pig" in front of Bethesda North hospital. I had to take a picture of one of the flying pigs. These are located (in all different poses and decorations)all over the Cincinnati area. The "flying pigs" are very popular around these parts.

Also, I really loved how this ENORMOUS pot was decorated so I took a picture of it too.

Pack Meeting:

2008-08-28T15:21:00.007-04:00

Dalton has been working so hard to earn his wolf badge, and in the process has earned himself a few arrow points. Dalton signed up to play Fall Ball (baseball) and the first pracitce was a conflict with Pack Meeting, so he missed the practice because he was getting quite a few awards. I wasn't able to make it because it was the 9th Grade orientation for Makenah, so we had to tag team (I'm thinking this will be a regular occurrance). Scott brought the camera to take lots of pictures, but according to Cari, I missed out on some highly desireable "MOMMY" kisses. I am so proud of Dalton for making scouting a priority. Kudos to Scott too, because ultimately, Scott is the one who REALLY enjoys the Scouting program, and Dalton is eating that up. He loves getting little awards for accomplishments too.
Waiting:

His Moment to Shine:

Show us the Goods:

Warts:

2008-08-28T14:52:00.005-04:00

I don't know what it is, but it seems that all of us (except Scott) have had wart issues the last year or so. I have a planter wart on the bottom of my foot, Madisen has two on her feet, Makenah has one between her toes, and Dalton has one on the side of his foot. In preperation for the school year, I thought I would give this "freeze" products a try. Acting as the guinea pig, I did my foot first. It wasn't too bad. I then did Madisen's and she seemed fine with the treatment, then I went on to Dalton. When I put the applicator on his foot, he lasted about 6 seconds (not even long enough for a bull-rider to place)before he pulled back his foot. Makenah did great and by the time I got the process down, I realized that I didn't leave the applicator on mine, Madisen's or Dalton's (well I knew about Dalton) warts for nearly long enough. I'm sure I will have to repeat the process next week. Dang Warts!
My wart:

Madisen's wart:

I decided to spare you the other images. After all, a wart is a wart.

My Crafty Girl:

2008-08-24T18:37:00.006-04:00

Madisen has spent a good part of the summer swimming, playing with friends, having a bit of band camp for her clarinet, reading (she just finished Twilight), having sleepovers, playing on the computer, watching TV, and playing outside. Madisen has also spent a bit of her summer being a crafter. While looking in a beading book, she came across a fun door hanger thingy majigger. We went to Wally World and bought a bunch of straws and beads. She was slow to get it going, working on it diligently for a week or so, then just letting it sit for over a month without touching it. One day (after hearing the dreaded, "I'm bored") I suggested that she pull out her door hanger thing and finish it up. We had to make a few more trips to Wally World because they kept running out of the beads she was using. I helped her with a few strands, but she did a great job to get it finished. The night that she finished (I think it was about 11:00(ish), she begged Scott to get it hung right then. Like the great Dad that he is, and his love and empathy for his "middle child", he got right to it.

This is the finished product :) Yeah Madisen!!

Another of her little craft projects was this little cross stitch. I had all the Activity Day girls (kind of like Girl Scouts) try one of these little cross stitch kits, and 10 of the 12 girls really enjoyed the challenge. Madisen finished hers up in just a few days, and is working on her second. She must get that cross stitch thing from Scott's mom, Marie, because I don't have the patience for it, but Marie has done some BEAUTIFUL cross stitches. One of these days I will have to post about that and put up some photos. In the meantime, this is what my little Madisen has finished:

Madisen's New Toy (and a little lesson on tithing):

2008-08-24T18:14:00.005-04:00

Madisen has been saving for the last 6 months for a telescope. She has had a fascination with space for about the last 18 months, and most decidedly wants to work for NASA. She found her telescope at a craft store (Hobby Lobby) for $100, and once she earned her money, she was on me to go get her toy. The morning we were going to go, she realized that she had exactly enough to buy her telescope, but that she hadn't paid her tithing. She came up with a plan of how she would wait a few more weeks until she had enough and could pay her tithing (if you know Madisen, she is so impatient at waiting for what she wants, so this was HUGE). I was so proud of her for working out a plan to be able to do both. Call it a coinsidence, but I call it a blessing because about 5 minutes after she set her tithing aside, I realized that Hobby Lobby usually has these 40% off coupons that you can print from their website. Sure enough, there was! Not only did she get her telescope for $60, she had enough to pay her tithing and some money left over for a few other crafty things that she had her eye on. After we got home with her new toy, she spent a few hours putting it together (all by herself). She has brought it out a few times now and has even invited a few of her fellow science buff friends to come over for a viewing.

"Hell Week" (aka: band camp)!

2008-08-24T17:39:00.007-04:00

July and August were very busy months with 3 weeks of band camp for Makenah. The first week (the last week in July), band camp went from 9 to noon (not too bad). The first week of August, band camp went from 9 to 5. Makenah has made the switch from flute to vibraphone, and seems to get a bit frustrated with her new instrument. I think she would be fine, but one of the teachers is more of a drill sergeant, and if they mess up, are late, talk back, or have bad attitudes, they run or do push-ups. I know this is helping her to build a relationship as a team (and it's REALLY good for her), but to her credit, it doesn't make her understand or learn the notes any faster. OH WELL for her. The third week of band camp was "hell week". I think she came home twice crying because she was exhausted and her coping skills were GONE! They were going from 8 in the morning until 9 at night. She learned a lot, but was so tired (and a bit sunburned). The last day of camp, they finished up about 5 in the evening and had a parent show. It was so fun to watch what they had learned in only a short amount of time (of course for Makenah, it wasn't so short at all). When the parent show was over, she came home and ate dinner, then headed out for a swim party for all the band members. With three children, welcome to our life for the next 10 years.

Girls Camp:

2008-08-24T17:20:00.005-04:00

Makenah went to girl's camp a few weeks back and had a great time! Located about 40 minutes northeast of where we live, when you go back roads there are some VERY small towns that you drive through. I actually saw the house of my dreams on my way there. I didn't take pictures, but next time I go that way, I will be sure to bring MY camera so I can show you what I mean. I sent Makenah to camp with her camera, and of course she didn't take any photos. I had to go up the second day to bring her back for an ortho appointment. She was happy because we stopped at McDonalds before I brought her back to eat dinner at camp. Apparently they serve classic camp food, and being the picky eater that she is, she hadn't eaten much in 24 hours. Her favorite part of camp was cleaning up her Cheez-Its with Abby and Christina on the floor of the canoe when the box spilled. She received a bunch of lip gloss and other make-up goodies from her "secret sister". When I picked her up on Saturday morning, she had no photos so I took a few with her camera. I've decided that I don't know how to use her camera because everytime I try, I end up with blurry photos:

Crisp and Comfy!

2008-08-19T15:21:00.004-04:00

Besides laying next to my husband at night, this is something that I look forward to at the end of the day. A freshly made bed with clean crisp sheets, oh it feels so good. Sometimes in the winter I try and time it just right when I do the wash, and just before going to bed I pull those sheets (all 400 thread count) out of the warm dryer and quickly make the bed. I love that feeling. If I can manage to change the sheets every 3 days to get that feel, you know "that" feel:

I will admit that there are days when the bed just doesn't get made. If I can squeeze the time in though, it is one of my life's little pleasures.

WHEW!! That was quite a week!

2008-08-18T13:52:00.003-04:00

Since my last post:
Makenah has gone to girl's camp
Makenah has gone to band camp (Hell Week!)
Scott had another baby, Kidney Stone Tippets III (he has been working on this one for 2 months now, and it was delivered by a surgical claw).
Back to School preparedness in underway.
I have froze 7 warts from 4 people in our family.
AND, last but not least,
We are officially done with lice eggs (as of a few weeks ago actually), doing no less than 68 loads (one box of laundry detergent and then some) of laundry, spraying, making and remaking beds, vacuming, then repeating the process, spending at least $200 on product (and never once seeing anything "live")and buying another $75 on new hair things such as brushes, combs, ponytail holders, headbands and clips. I actually wonder if we really had any eggs at all, and that it wasn't dandruff that my hair friend, Amy, found. I have a few reasons of why I would believe that. One of them being that when I looked and saw what could have been "possible" lice eggs after using the RID shampoo for the second time, Makenah used a dandruff shampoo and there was nothing on her hair or scalp after that. I don't know, but I do know the "issue" is gone. Makenah went and got her hair cut the other day and it turned out cute :)

Friday Funny:

2008-08-08T15:21:00.007-04:00

So today while we were running erronds, Dalton says "Mom, have you ever gone skinny dippin?" I thought for a minute, almost hoping that I had, at some point, enough courage and self-confidence to do that in my younger years. "Nope", I said. "I have never gone skinny dippin". Dalton says, "I wonder what that feels like". I said, "I'm not really sure, maybe like taking a bath in colder water and having lots of room like a swimming pool". Funny. I love how kids just come out with random things that are running through their brains.

So Dalton has a couple of little friends over, Mallory and Shayla. He has quite a little girl following. I think it's because he is so adorable, but I'm sure it's because I'm his mom. These little girls follow him around because he is so good at talking, and he can carry on a conversation better than most girls. So anyway, Mallory tells a joke and it goes like this:
"What is the difference between a coyote and a flea?"
Do you know, do you know?
"A coyote howls on the prairie, and a flea prowles on the hairy!!"
Okay, well I thought it was funny. Have a great weekend everyone :)