Damn Toy

One of the things Brinley asked for was this walking FurReal Pup.
(its NOT the one that poops)
I picked this up in early December at Wal-mart
it is acitvated by light or movement and barked and shook my entire shopping trip.
I was quite annoyed with it...
and I hadn't even left the store.

This should be a sign for any sensible parent....
if a toy annoys you in the frickin' store....don't buy it...just imagine how it will annoy you later!
I am not sensible

I get home and get it inside
without Brinley hearing the damn thing

Later that night I was wrapping it
and noticed that it wasn't barking and shaking
"Good, the batteries ran out. Now it will be quiet until Christmas morning
and then I will just put new batteries in". I thought.

At one point I did lay awake worrying that the trip home from Wal-mart might have some how broken him...but decided to worry about it later.

That box has been moved and rearranged by each of my kids
at least 800 times
...with not a bark, pant or woof.

it is now two days before Christmas...
This afternoon Brinley bumped the box
and wouldn't you know it...
it barked, it panted, it shook.
I tried to pretend nothing was happening...
I left the room...
before she could ask.
then I heard her giggling....
and I knew she figured it out.

She told emily and daddy about the barking present...
she even told dad it walked

Now she is worried that it is the puppy that poops.

Holiday Plans

Its VERY early...
before 5am
and I am wide awake.
and super excited.
Only 3 more school days until Winter Break!!!!!!

I have so many plans of what I will do the next 2 weeks.
So many projects that need to be completed.

In hopes that I will stay motivated...
and NOT spend the next two weeks
on the couch
drinking cocoa and watching Elf, The Grinch, and It's A Wonderful Life
Here is my goal list:
(so that all of you will keep me off the couch)
1. Finish book 5 of Fablehaven
2. Start and finish the Hunger Games (i have been trying to read this since summer)
3. Finish my 12 month of Snowmen Quilt (I am about 1/3 done)
4. Finish the baby's quilt. (I am 1/2 way finished...and it is super cute)
5. Finish my Holiday table runner (so I can actually use it before christmas dinner)
6. Bake banana bread for all of Brad's work people
7. Bake cookies for santa with Emily and Brinley
8. Think of and deliver an economical and clever neighbor gift
9. Make the plaque to go next to my nativity set ( I have planned this for over a year and it's still not even started)
10. Christmas Cards ( I don't even have a picture yet)
11. Sew baby shoes (I found a really cute pattern on-line and have been thinking about making these soft sole shoes for MONTHS)
12. Decide on those last minute presents...buy them...wrap them...
13. Finish organizing recipes
14. Organize craft dungeon
15. organize Brin's room (so we can put up the crib)

on second thought....
cocoa and Elf sound way better!

never say this in front of teenagers!

what a week
i am pooped
but...
only 5 more school days until winter break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(the exclamation points are so you will know how excited I am)

Funny story happened this week

*warning*
if you are a prude...
please click on a more family friendly blog!

So my Foods 1 classes had to learn about eggs
so we went over the usual...parts, nutrition, color, etc
and then I had to demonstrate the three stages of beating egg whites.
For some reason, it was taking a long time to get to the third stage, which is stiff peak
So to cover the time I stopped my hand mixer and said,
"the longer you beat it the stiffer it gets"

So the kids at the naughty table started giggling.
(there is always a naughty table...the naughty kids flock together...
these are the kids you hope your kids aren't friends with...
because they are so "worldly" and know way more than a 15 year old should)

I am honestly confused by the laughter.
and must have looked puzzled
it made them laugh harder
so in my head I back-track what I just said....
and realize why the preverts are laughing...

and then I found it a tiny bit funny...
but under NO circumstances was I going to laugh.
so I had to turn around and pretend to look for a wisk....
it took me a while to find it...so I could compose my face...
when I turned back around I had my most disgusted teacher look on
and said, "you are all sicko perverts and should be ashamed of yourselves"...
then the whole class laughs and I can enjoy the fact that I said beat and stiff in the same sentence!

there is a 15 year old boy in all of us

90 days!

I have this pregnancy timer on my computer.
it keeps track of what week we are on
today, i clicked to see how many days are left...

90 days!

holy cow

90 days

on one hand that still seems like a REALLY long time!
(haven't I been pregnant FOREVER already)
on the other hand....
90 days is comin' pretty darn fast.
I still have so much more to do...
so many more packages of diapers to buy...
finish my two quilts...
put up the crib and bassinette...
wash the bouncer and swing...
find a carseat...
make sure the breast pump is working...
(sorry if that was too much info)

oh boy
90 days....

90 days until maternity leave!!!!!!!

90 days until my mom will come and stay with us
and make potato soup just for me!!!!

90 days until I have an excuse not to leave my house for at least 4 weeks!

90 days...
and then I will get to snuggle and cuddle and sniff the little man
we have been dreaming about for YEARS...

Black Friday Adventure

I seem to have a fan base that misses my blog posts! "'chelle, when are you going to update?" I keep hearing...granted this fan base is solely made up of my mom and my sister, Amber...heck I have to give the people what they want!

I LOVE black Friday! It is like my Christmas. I am one of the "crazies" that goes out at 3 am to stand in a line and freeze all in the name of Christmas Giving. In fact, one year I was sick and in serious pain, and still went. I the middle of my shopping, my mom finally convinced me to call my doctor...I did, set up an appointment, and went to 3 more stores. By the last store, I could barely walk and had to lean on the shopping cart. Later that day, I was admitted to the hospital for diverticulitis and had to stay for 3 days! Brad loves this story, because it shows that I am either very dedicated to Christmas Giving or Crazy...I can't remember which angle he goes with...;)

This year was different. i really wasn't up for standing in lines. I have completed a lot of my shopping on-line. There was nothing in Target's ad or Wal-Mart's that I really needed. My partner in crime, my sister Stephanie, had surgery on Tuesday and wasn't ready to stand in lines either. So I opted out...however...Old Navy had a few things Emily had asked for...and they opened at Midnight. I figured Brad and I could drive to Jordan Landing, after leaving my sister Jacki's (thanks for hosting Jacki, It was wonderful!) He and the kids would wait in the car and I would "run in and get the things I needed." I am not sure why I thought this...I am a Black Friday VETERAN...I know that one does not simply "run in and get the things one needs".

As we were leaving West Haven/Roy, Brad said, there is an old navy in Layton, we could go to the movies to kill a couple of hours and then go to the old navy there. Then came the task of finding: a) movie we both wanted to see and b) one we could take the kids to. In the end, Brad and Em wanted to see Mega Mind and Brin and I wanted to see Tangled. So off we went to purchase tickets. Now both movies we went to see had 3-D times...did you know you pay more for 3-D?...neither did we...when our cashier said, "38 dollars please". I gasped... Brad pooped his pants....Needless to say, we did not purchase treats. Brinley and I LOVED Tangled. and the 3-D was AMAZING! At first, Brin kept trying to touch things. Brad and Em thought MegaMind was "good".

We left our expensive movie memory about 11:45 and went to the Layton Old Navy...the line...oh my...I tried to text my sisters and mom....Finally they said they were near the front, but I didn't want to leave my spot, because the doors were going to open any second. My sister, Amber asked what I most wanted so she could grab it for me. If I got out of line, they could be in the store and then I would be a girl without a spot...so I waited and got in the store.

It was crowded. I found my mom and sister, they had the item I wanted most. And then I shopped, pushed and bumped into people. My arms were full, I lost my mom and sisters, so I just got in line to pay...only to discover this wasn't the line....I moved...where the store associate told me I should....only to have another associate move us again....I put my stuff on the floor, dug out my cell phone to find my mom and sisters. They didn't seem that far ahead of me...so I stayed put...only to have the line move AGAIN. I tried to find my mom, couldn't see her and wasn't willing to loose THIS spot.

At this point, I did not feel good. I was hot and tired and thinking that Brad was right...I am CRAZY for doing this! I put my stuff down, dug out my phone and told him I was starting to question if this was worth it. He reminded me of the time I had spent and the 38 dollars we spent to see a movie. So I picked back up my stuff and continued to wait. The people in front of me were really bugging me. and the line NEVER MOVED...for over 20 minutes...it was at a stand still, we didn't even shuffle. I was hot, bugged, and feeling dizzy. Then my sister called and said they were ready to pay, i looked up and saw my mom looking for me through the polar fleece...

now I may be in my thirties, I have my own home, my own kids and a career....but when I saw her...my heart jumped for joy and I thought, MY MOMMY is here to save me!

So my sisters made a big deal about my looking so sick and pulled me into the line with them...I am not sure if they played this sick card for the people behind them or because I actually did look awful...but I really didn't feel good and let them make a fuss. I payed for my purchases...argued over a sale price...payed for the argued items...and left...to hug my sisters and mommy for saving me from the WORST BLACK FRIDAY ADVENTURE EVER!

I love this time of year...
I can't wait for next year...

Eating Healthy

I have been reading these books by Michael Pollan and he talks about how unhealthy the American diet is. The main idea of the books is we need to get away from so much of the processed crap we put into our mouths and return to how our great-grandparents ate. He states, "if your great-grandparents wouldn't recoginize it (or the ingredients) as food...don't eat it". It makes sense, if your grandma wanted waffles in the morning, did she throw an egg-o in the toaster? No, she got out of bed and made them...from scratch...and she probably had to walk to the chicken coop to get the eggs!

In an effort to "return to basic ingredients" I have tried to get my family to eat more of the "basics". I do not buy quick rice mixes anymore, I read labels on juice and don't buy ones with corn syrup, and I have been trying to use half whole wheat flour when ever I can sneak it in.

Now I am FULLY aware that for weeks, I have been obsessing over mcdonald's pumpkin pie shakes, which are not "basic"...but we are taking baby steps, here people(...and don't judge my pregnancy cravings.)

Anywho, on Halloween morning I made pumpkin pancakes. I used a recipe I got from the twopeasandtheirpod website. They were good, everyone liked them, especially my niece Madison. They had half whole wheat flour and no one knew! The cinnamon syrup was also good...but even better if you did a little maple with it. Well, I found another recipe on line for pumpkin pancakes which claimed to be SUPER healthy and delicious. Since I was awake at 5 am I whipped them up.

they called for whole wheat flour, I can't do that...Emily can tell everytime. So I did half and half. The recipe went on as usual, but then it called for aguave nectar....dang! i used up the last of my aguave nectar last week. (just kidding...I am not 100% sure what aguave nectar is, let alone if I can find it in Tooele, Utah!) The recipe said I could substitute honey. I had that.

As i was heating up my griddle, I tasted the batter...it was NOT good.
Now, I teach Foods; I know that pancake batter does not and is not supposed to taste good. It's not cake batter, but it should taste like SOMETHING! So I added more honey.

After all the pancakes were cooked, I ate one...WITH LOTS OF SYRUP. (I need to ask Mr. Pollan is this counts in the "back to basics" movement)

Conclusion: the pumpkin pancakes from two peas were way better...and while maybe not as "basic" they are made from scratch and did have some whole wheat.

Maybe it was the lack of aguave nectar?
Probably not.

sick days

Sick days....oh how I miss thee
I will be the first to admit it,
in the past i have been somewhat reckless in using my sick days.
Brad and I joking called them, "mental health days".
I would claim that me or one of the kids was sick and take the day off of work.
I would clean or craft or watch Law and Order:SVU marathons

Sometimes I took so many "mental health days" that if my kids (or I) did actually get sick
i would panic that I had any leave left.

But this year, I have to save all my sick days for maternity leave.
Which means I have not taken one, not one "mental health day"
and it's second quarter!

Some mornings, the alarm goes off
and I want to call in sick
oh yeah-need those days for maternity leave.

Some nights, I wonder...Is Brinley getting sick?
oh yeah-she can't...I need to save for maternity leave

My 1st class will be obnoxious
and I want to leave
oh yeah-need the day for maternity leave.

Tomorrow, my two friends from my department are going to a sewing conference in Park City.
We get to stay overnight.
the principal paid for it
(it did not occur to him that two of us do not teach sewing...my BRILLIANT department head said things like, "we collaborate with other teachers, it gives a chance to network, etc"...and he paid for it)
I get to sew and listen to one of my favorite crafty bloggers talk

I am hoping this conference will rejuvenate me,
just like a good old "Mental Health Day"!