Wassup?

Just popping in to say HOLLA!!!
{that's "Holl-ah" not "O-lah" like in Spanish}
heeee heeee

What have I been up to?

Ummm, let me see...
took Felicia to dentist last week & today

Felicia couldn't eat for half-hour after dentist today and it had to be liquids, so we went to the store & made chocolate shakes at home for her lunch (just so I wasn't feeding her soooo bad I added a little protein powder to make it a little healthy)

went on Ward Campout over the weekend at Camp LoMia in Pine, AZ
SO FUN!!! pics coming soon

had lunch w/ my sister & the cousins last week
{I look forward to these every month}

started going back to the gym
got the OK from podiatrist to work in a little cardio slowly

grabbed price list for massages while at the gym
{a girl can dream right?}

played bunko with the girls
didn't win big prize but got cute door prize

went to the Cannery

went to Enrichment & learned all about being prepared for Emergencies with "Grab-n-Go" Binders for important documents
more info HERE

thinking about getting a haircut

finally bought the books "Vampire Diaries" (split cost w/ sis)
started watching "Vampire Diaries" on the CW w/ sis
{new weekly ritual}

enjoying new Fall tv shows, so far
{yep, I'll admit, I'm a tv junkie!}

still trying to get pool from green to blue. UGH!!

OH and the BEST day ever - BEN came home early!!!! So, he's been home for 2 weeks instead of just one week!!!! Yipeeee!!!

So tell me what exciting things you've been up to?

Jack in the Box

Have you seen this commercial?

Ben is obsessed with this commercial. He will stop what he's doing just to watch it. Then he'll rewind it to see it again, giggling the whole time.

{pause my playlist first so you hear it - the song is funny}



I'll admit, it is way CUTE!

The BEST Day Ever

Or is it?

First thing this morning I went to the dentist with Ashley for our teeth cleaning. It's always fun to feel the sharp pokey thing scraping your teeth! And to be reminded that I need a crown for one of my molars. Since I can't afford a beautiful shiny crown, the dentist recommended that I have my filling re-filled. So, they will drill out my filling that is chipped and then put in a new filling. Ashley has an infected tooth, so she needs it pulled. Wwe both go back on Monday to get our work done. YAY!!! NOT.

Anyone who really knows me, knows that I canNOT stand ANYTHING SpongeBob.

Why? UGH he is so ANNOYING to me! His voice especially drives nails into my brain. I honestly can't believe that show is still on.

So, you can imagine my DELIGHT when Ben shows me that he just downloaded THIS song (and THIS and THIS) for Rock Band 2. Now I get to listen to the kids singing those song over and over again. I have to admit that Anson was SO CUTE when he ran to tell me all about the newest songs and when he sang 'Best Day Ever' with the microphone. I think we may have to turn down the volume for these songs or I fear that my ears will begin to bleed. LOL

Ok onto something more fun. Yesterday we took the kids to the park to teach them to play basketball (half-court). Ben & I picked our teams, which of course went quickly because there aren't many to choose from. I ended up with the older kids and Ben had the youngers. Periodically, Anson & Ashley would take off to the slides leaving Ben by himself. Not like he needs more players but it was fun with all the kids. We ended up switching teams mid game, boys vs girls (the way the kids really wanted it). We had so much FUN!! The boys won 11-9. Then we played H-O-R-S-E. Ben & I kept giggling when the kids called each other by the letters they had earned. Nathaniel would say 'I'm a HO' and Felicia would say 'No you're not! You're a HOR and I'm a HO!' tee hee :) They kept asking what was so funny! HAHAHAHA We were dying! Anyway, it came down to Ben & me and I WON because Ben missed his last shot! WOOHOOO!!!!!!

I'm still here...

Thanks for remembering me and asking if I'm ok since I haven't blogged in 2 weeks! Yikes! So sorry I haven't been checking in once in a while.


I have been busy dealing with family drama {well it's actually lasted for the past 7 1/2 years} and it is FINALLY all sorted out. YAY!!! What a huge relief! Every time a new issue comes up it gets so stressful for me & I don't want to even think about getting on the computer. I'm so HAPPY that things are BETTER now! WOOHOOO!!! Now we can all get on with our lives and enjoy each other. I know none of you know what I'm talking about & I'm not going into details, so please just be happy for me & my family. Thanks ☺


I know this is *old* news but thanks for all the complements on my kids' valentine cards. They loved them & were so excited to pass them out to their friends at school. I told them that next year they're making their own because that's a big part of the fun & I thought maybe they were missing out on that part. Oh my gosh! You would've thought I was telling them I was never giving them candy EVER! HAHAHA They said "NO!!! Mom we LOVED them & so did our friends! They kept saying 'Oh Cool! I want one!' So see Mom you have to make them again next year!" They're so funny & sweet. How could I possibly say NO to that? I'm a huge sap for my kids' gushy love. Of course I'll help them again next year since they put it that way.


Oh and Look what my hubby brought home on Valentine's Day (he had to work all day).

Isn't he the sweetest? Well I think so! They're beautiful Chrysanthemums and they're still alive! WOOHOOO!!

Check out my little guy who suddenly decided he wants to wear a tie to church. It's a little long and a clip-on but he loves it!

A couple weeks ago, guess it was Valentine's weekend (on Sunday) all my family came over for dinner, then we all played a little Rock Band. My Dad is so funny because he was really looking forward to jammin' on the guitar! I even got Christy to try it out! WOOHOO!!!
That was a FUN evening!!

Nathaniel got really silly and gave himself a mustache. You're lookin' at the next Rico Suave! LOL

Yesterday my Mom called to ask if we wanted to go to dinner at Native New Yorker with them because she had some discount certificates. The only catch was that we had to go to a particular location - all the way to Phoenix (it took us about 45 minutes to get there in traffic). Not a big deal because she heard that we should be able to get appetizers half off and the kids eat free if adults order entrees. There weren't very many people there, actually it was kind of quiet there. But the waitress didn't take our order until happy hour was already over. Ok fine, guess we didn't really need appetizers. So we get our drinks and finally order some dinner (we had already been there half hour & that's how we missed happy hour). It took forever to get our food - we had already been there an hour. Somehow, I got my side salad before anyone. Then the kids' dinners were ready before my Mom's Salad. The kids were almost done eating by the time our food finally arrived. Anyway, it was a huge disappointment and the food wasn't that great. It was a fun adventure though. And THANKS MOM & DAD for including us and trying to have a good evening. We can laugh about it now that my stomach isn't aching from eating so late at night. HAHAHA

I had Art Masterpiece again today. I am really enjoying visiting the kids' classes and being part of their day every 2 weeks. A BIG THANKS to my Mom who has been watching Anson during my presentations (and sometimes longer because Anson doesn't want to stop playing with Grandma)!

Ooooh I had this new season of LOST on my DVR and hadn't watched any yet. So earlier this week, Felicia stayed home from school Monday & Tuesday for upset stomach, and we watched all the new episodes together, well most of them together. She had to go to bed so I continued to watch til I saw them all. I LOVE this show!!! I haven't watched last night's episode yet and I'm dying to see it!!! Probably won't get to it til this weekend though. I have the hardest time waiting for new episodes, that's why I had waited to watch them all at once last summer. I saw the whole last season in a couple days online. I almost wish I waited so I could do that again because now I have to wait each week like everyone else. LOL

Ok that's enough rambling from me today. Guess that's what happens when I don't post for 2 whole weeks! In case I don't update again for a few days - HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

We have the school carnival this weekend! The kids are so excited!

Primary Practice & Bday Party

Today we have the Primary Program Practice {tomorrow is the program}! The kids are mostly excited because they're going to have pizza & root beer when they're done! Way to get the kids there - - offer yummy food! LOL

All my kiddos have their parts memorized, even Anson. YAY!! Hope they all remember them tomorrow & can sit still. Anson is in the very front on the little chairs and during every practice, he is SO wiggly! hahaha Gotta luv the little sunbeams! They always add a little humor to every program!

Later today we're going to celebrate my nephew's birthday! He is such a cutie! And his younger brother is Ashley's little buddy!

Somewhere in between those, I need to get some laundry done. Yep, I have been perfecting the art of procrastination this week!

Oh and by channel surfing last night, I came across some fun Christmas movies on ABC Family channel. I guess they're having one every night. Felicia & I watched one and it got late, so I recorded the 2nd one. Then on the first day of December, they're doing 25 days of Christmas specials. I just LOVE Christmas movies!

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!

Yatta!

Ben & I LOVE Heroes! Last week's 2-hour Season Premiere was AWESOME!!! So much happened & it was really fast pace! Can't wait for tonight's episode! We are so locked into this show! We love to hate Sylar and our favorite Hero is probably Hiro Nakamura. His power is really cool & he cracks us up!

Do you watch this show? Who's your favorite character?

Discoveries & Fun Times

Oh my gosh! Have you seen this show on the Discovery channel?

I saw my first two episodes yesterday! {this was the only pic I could find - the dvd set but I watched on tv} I was totally glued & freaked out a little! Chilling goosebumps constantly on my legs! These shows are re-enactments of 'real' haunting/ghost stories but names are usually changed. WILD & interesting!

Ok, the only reason I even found this show was because the tv was still on the same channel from Sunday evening. Ben and I (and a kid or two) watched several episodes all about Dinosaurs. Not just any show though, it was all about the creatures who roamed the earth before dinosaurs and the evolution that led up to dinosaurs. It was so interesting & cool! It wasn't all boring talk it was computer generated dinosaurs & what the earth probably looked like WAY back then! We also watched Secrets of a Dinosaur Mummy, which was totally AWESOME! Some paleontologists found dinosaur remains {they named him Leonardo} that were fossilized & mummified in the Badlands in Montana! They theorized that the dinosaur died & fell into water, then was immediately entombed in mud {mummified} then when the water dried up it fossilized. SO COOL!! They went thru great lengths to get x-rays & gamma-rays & even special time at NASA to use their equipment. They were able to see the dinosaur's organs & whole digestive tract & scales on their skin, etc. It was really incredible!

Ok 'nuff of interesting discoveries! LOL

Yesterday Ben & Anson went swimming. I was tired from *power yoga* & didn't feel like it. So I watched them {from inside the house}. They were so cute playing together! Then one of the times I went outside, they were both chillin' on their own rafts! TOO CUTE! Sad I didn't get a pic of them!

Nathaniel was in charge of Family Home Evening (FHE) last night. However, we started finding fun songs online and the kids migrated quickly to the computer room for singing & dancing! So, we considered that our family time! haha Suddenly it was bedtime. We told him he could do the lesson another day this week. He was ok with that.

Today went to lunch at Barro's. Ben came with me and turned out that Alicia's hubby & Julie's hubby both came too. It was like a 'couples lunch'! It was so much FUN!! We should do it again! Thanks for the great time ladies & hubbies!!

I'm excited because tonight, I'm going with some friends to see the movie The Women. It's full of wonderful actresses & looks funny!

I'll let you know what I think. Have you seen it?

How It's Made

Have you ever watched THIS show? We watch it periodically, only when flipping channels & come across it.

Apparently, no matter what they're showing being made, Ben & I canNOT look away!

In the last couple of days, we've learned how these things are made:

glass/acrylic eyes

{and that totally doesn't look like a round marble like in the movies - it made my eye twitch when they had to put plaster in the eye socket to make a mold and then when they inserted the finished artificial eye}

wooden brushes/brooms

wooden & aluminum blinds

dog/cat food

candles - various sizes

wooden-spoked wheel for a horse-drawn carriage

neon lights

Ok, I'm forgetting some things (so Ben if you're reading this, please remind me what else we've seen).

We are glued to the tv like little kids watching cartoons! ha ha So, if one of us has to get up, like go to the bathroom, during the episode, we will *pause* it to wait for each other! (thank goodness for the DVR)

We LOVE to learn how things are made! It's so fascinating! I think it's almost more intriguing to see the types of machinery that are used to make things. Someone had to invent a machine to do things that used to be done by hand. It's amazing!!

Have you ever watched "How It's Made"?? If so, what's your fave episode?

HOLEY MOLEY

I just finished watching the last 2 episodes of LOST! WOW!!! It just blew me away!! I canNOT believe that I have to WAIT until January 2009 for the next season!!! (Felicia watched the finale with me and said the same thing...we have to WAIT?) And they ended it with an even BIGGER cliffhanger!!! I think this was the BEST season ever! Lots of new discoveries, secrets revealed, and some people made it off the island! And now they want to go back?!

***WARNING*** spoilers if you haven't seen the finale yet
(even tho it aired a month ago)

Ok, so I was sad when Sawyer jumped out of the helicopter!!! I'm totally split in my vote for the Jack-Kate-Sawyer love triangle! I hope Jin survived the boat explosion, even though he probably didn't. Poor Sun. Why the heck did Claire stay in the cabin w/ her (& Jack's) dad and supposedly the ghost of Jacob?? But now she 'visits' Kate to warn her to NEVER take Aaron back to the island! Ok, and what the heck or who is JACOB??? And how does he know so much?? Poor Juliet, she only wanted to go home and see her sister! YAY for Desmond reuniting with Penny!! Where the heck did the island go?? A few minutes into the future to make it look like it disappeared??? How was Ben getting on and off the island, oh well I guess it was the submarine? But how did Mr. Friendly aka Tom get off the island (and back) to visit Michael when the sub had already been destroyed? When Sun talked to Mr. Widmore (Penny's dad), she made it sound like maybe he'd been to the island before?? And Charlotte, trying to find her birthplace (on the island perhaps)? And who are the 'Others' really? Why were they there before the Dharma people? What were they doing? Why can't everyone just get along???

I want to know ALL the answers to this show!!! HA HA HA

Movies, Food, Shopping

We had Summer Movie Fun yesterday. It was the TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) movie. We had already rented it, so we knew it was pretty good. It wasn't quite as chaotic in the theater because I think the families with mostly girls may have stayed home thinking it's just a 'boy' movie. Most of us got there about the same time & there were plenty of seats for us. So we got to sit together again. The kids LOVE sitting with their friends! They are really enjoying going to the movies, even if they are older movies! So, THANKS for talking me into it JULIE and ALICIA!

After the movie, Alicia and I strolled over to Bath & Body Works to reap the benefits of their HUGE Summer Clearance sale (that ends soon). I got a couple wallflower refills (only $5 each) in my fave scent - Cinnamon & Clove buds! They were all out at another location. I already stocked up on their anti-bacterial soaps (5 for $15 or 7 for $20) the day before. They also had a really cool new product, so of course they were all out of it, but the kids got to try it.

It's called POP Culture Celebrity Shimmer Body Mousse - Coconut Crush scent. The lady sprayed it on the kids' arms - it looks like mousse and it crackles (like Rice Krispies in milk). It crackles while you rub it in too. Then it's shimmery (esp in the sunlight) and smells really good! Now I want to find it somewhere. If you find it, please let me know. So far, Stapley/Baseline and Tempe Marketplace didn't have it. Maybe at the malls.

I've taken the kids to the FREE school lunch this week (we missed Monday, but made it Tues-Thursday). They don't do it on Fridays, but another location does it. The kids love it because they've never really eaten school lunches. They always take a lunch. So this is fun for them. It's just for kids, so I watch them eat then we leave. I wouldn't want to eat it anyway. Not a big fan of school lunches, that's why I pack their lunch. But this is free (only in June) and it's fun for them!

BTW - if you're looking for some great scrapbooking inspiration, check out DSO blog. First of all, there's a daily designer spotlight and a FREE download-a-day mini kit (or half of one - get the other half on another day). This month's theme is BOYS!! And now, they're starting gallery highlights of some really beautiful layouts that stand out! You should check it out! These layouts are really incredible and inspiring!! You can also browse thru the gallery too.

Now I'm off to eat a late breakfast and finish my season finale of LOST!!

LOST

Ok, I am enjoying my LOST marathon! Very revealing & awesome episodes!!! I just finished Part 1 of the finale. Now I MUST watch Part 2 & 3 tomorrow! Then it will be over until next season. Dang the summer hiatus!! Make us wait for months before it comes back again!!! Someone already commented on my last post & said they cried during the season finale. Dang it! That means it's a given that I will too. I get emotionally wrapped up in fictional characters because it always makes me think "what would I do in that situation?" {esp when it involves relationships and babies/kids} And I've been watching this show from the very beginning (I think I missed a few episodes in season 2 - when Michael betrayed his people to find his son Walt) so I feel like I know these people. Totally silly but this show is so intense and great! Gotta go to bed because I'm so tired, but I'd love to stay up another hour and a half (the episodes are shorter online cuz you only get 1 or 2 commercials) to finish the finale!!! But it will have to wait until the morning, probably while I eat my breakfast!

Catching up

Are you a LOST fan? I love it, but I haven't watched one single episode of this season. I have every episode on my DVR except the season premiere! So, I haven't been able to watch any of them yet. Last night, I went to abc.com and finally watched the first episode. But then I couldn't stop there, especially since online it was enhanced! (Did you ever watch VH1's "Pop-Up Video"? Remember how little tid bits of info would pop up regarding the singers or location of the song, etc? Well, these episodes are the same, it has a bar on the bottom of the screen that gives background info, some important some silly - like what song is playing or what's on tv in the background. Anyway, it's cool, but also kinda hard to watch, listen to the conversations and read the pop-up info all at the same time. That's what rewind is for. ha ha)

I watched several episodes last night instead of going to bed at a decent hour. Felicia watched a couple with me, then got tired and went to bed. I should've stopped & went to bed, but couldn't. I was hooked. I love being able to watch more than one episode in a row because it's more like a movie. Plus I don't have to wait until next week to see what happens. And EVERY episode ends with a cliff-hanger. I watched a few more episodes this afternoon trying to keep from taking a nap (due to my late night). I LOVE this season!!! I kept hearing people say that, now I know for myself. Lots of secrets revealed plus flash-forwards (about who actually gets OFF the island)!