Don't forget

RENT: DAN IN REAL LIFE. I know I blogged about this after I saw it in the theater, and it was almost gone and many of you didn't see it in time. You have to rent it. It is such a great show...men will like it too.

Weekend Surprise...

For my dad's 55th birthday, we planned a big surprise reunion. I was really amazed how close we were to pulling everything off, when the chickenpox set in. In spite of Chris and Alice not being able to join in the fun, it was a huge success. Robb and Heather hosted because they have room and they live the most central (though luckily, only 3.5 hour drive for me and it was a 9 hour drive for Braden and Amanda).

Heather is an amazing hostess. She prepared homemade salsa a head of time and also had the cake all ready too. She did all the shopping for all the meals and we chipped in our share to cover the expense. She really allows her house to be overrun with people and takes it all in stride, never giving off the impression that she's stressed or burdened. THANKS FOR THAT!

We had a nice little birthday celebration with this awesome ice cream cake that Heather made and decorated. Ice cream cakes are a family fave, but they've never been so fancy as this one! Usually, we just layer ice cream and oreos and fudge or carmel in a 9x13 pan and call it good. Heather really set the bar!

My mom rounded up two of dad's old birthday pictures and had them mounted onto foamboard and we signed them.

The grandkids helped Opa open a group gift...an outdoor fireplace for the new deck he built at home.

We had a lot of fun playing with the Wii. A lot. We bowled, played tennis, golf, boxing and we heard all about Heather's yearning for Dance, Dance Revolution as she begged Robb for it several times. It dawned on me Saturday night that Heather's birthday is in May, and we needed to get her DDR early so we could all enjoy some fun. Heather and I ran to Walmart and it really was a great time! I really like the Wii, and I never thought I'd want a gaming system, but I do. I really liked DDR especially (even though I am not so great at it).

Leave it to Oma to be prepared with a fun Easter treat for the kids. She had some nice new books for each of them and then she hid some candy-filled eggs all over the front yard and the kids were super excited to go claim a few. Ruby went for all the blue eggs.

It is so much fun to get the kids together. They were exhausted from having so much fun, and I didn't put a single fire out that wasn't between siblings. They got along perfectly! I was so glad to see Amanda with her baby belly showing and Mary about to pop. Little Carson is the baby we all wish we had (especially me!) and what fun to love on my dad a little and show him how important he is to us all. Happy Birthday DAD! (It is today.)

Tortilla de Patata

I have recommitted to making hot and varied meals for my family for dinner. I really enjoy doing it, but between Chris being picky and the girls being more of a handful at that time of night, I just gave up a long time ago. I'll never forget when we were newlyweds and after another dinner where he picked at the food (claiming he liked it) and then hit a box of cereal an hour later, I begged him to make me a list of things he would like to eat so I could focus on those meals. Here was the list: homemade pizza, homemade calzones, lasagne, spaghetti...do you see a pattern here? If these meals were pureed, they'd be the exact same thing!

Family dinner is important to me, and I really have regretted getting away from such an important tradition, so I am already 2 weeks into my new habit, and it is such a great thing! I love it!

This meal isn't that impressive, but it is a favorite because the kids eat it and Chris devours it (he calls it "Puerto Vallarta" because he never remembers the name, and anything Spanish is either that, or "mi casa es su casa"), and it is a nostalgic treat for me, as this is a food you find in every home, every day in Spain. It's basically potatoes, eggs, onion and salt. I add cheese for Chris. I can't put a recipe down because it's just something that takes knowing when it looks right.

Stair Sledding...

When you've been home with your kids for over a week, you get a little wreckless. The girls LOVED doing this! I loved doing it too when I was little. It really was Ruby's idea, she started out sliding down head first on her tummy, but of course that isn't all that effective. So I went for the sleeping bag and they had a great time.

I have been trying to post throughout the day, and 1/2 of my attempts to upload pictures fail. I'm really sick of it. I need to sleep! I hope I'll have better luck tomorrow because I'm getting behind!

I was tagged...

Rachel tagged me...

What were you doing ten years ago?

I was at BYU for my first semester, preparing to leave in May on a mission to Barcelona, Spain. I was hanging out with Bob and Amanda, who were dating, but were nice enough to invite me along pretty much everywhere.

What were you doing 1 year ago?

We were still settling into our new house and preparing for a visit from Chris' parents.

5 snacks you enjoy: 1. Popcorn 2. Pistacios 3. hummus and cucumber 4. ice cream 5. pretzels and cream cheese or saltines with peanut butter

5 things I would do if I were a Millionaire: pay off our house (ever since I saw Cinderella Man I've been aware of the blessings of truly owning the roof over your head), invest the rest until it is equal to a million again. Then start spending the interest (and the extra money since there'd be no mortgage to pay) on home improvements, trips to Spain, a timeshare and a car that isn't a minivan (Chris hates mine) or a monster truck (I hate his) so that we could drive around as a family in something clean and quiet.

5 bad habbits: 1. eating too much 2. procrastinating 3. staying up too late 4. not making the bed 5. biting my fingers

5 things you like doing: 1. lating dancing 2. spending time with my family 3. sewing uninterrupted 4. knitting 5. taking naps

5 things you would never wear again: bikini, a size 6, cheerleading uniform, jelly shoes, layered collar shirts.

5 favorite toys: camera, ipod (lost it), computer, sewing machine, soaking tub.

Idol Fashion Faux Pas

Unfortunately they haven't posted current pictures of tonight's performances, but it was a rough night in fashion in my non-fashionable opinion. Maybe I just became outdated overnight or something, but I was so horrified by some of the wardrobe choices that I almost didn't hear the vocals.

This week: Forgiving David, he's my pick to win, and I've never had a pick this early before. I don't really notice if anyone else is good or bad because he's the only one I tune in to hear. Love Brooke White, though I'll conceed that she'd be a little forgettable if I weren't cued into her becasue she's LDS. I really like Syesha! She's drop dead gorgeous and has a really strong voice.

Looking forward to tomorrow night's Blake Lewis performance. I was just wondering what happened to him and I can't wait to see the direction he's taking.

I'll definitely be posting the DON'T's of tonight's performances tomorrow.

Made Especially For ME!

My great-grandma Slingsby was a great knitter. We shared a birthday, and I always loved to be with her on our birthday. Thankfully, I have several things that she made for me: this sweater, a hat and a funky doll.

As you can see, the sweater is classic, and you'd never think it was almost 30 years old. I love the labels sewn into each of them, "Made Especially for You by Your Great-Grandma."

I loved seeing Alice in it...I hope others like it as well as I do because she's going to be wearing it a lot!

Breakout!

We finally escaped the house today to go feed the ducks and play at the park. I am amazed that Ruby's pox scabbed over so fast! I don't even think she is going to have any scarring on her face! She has one massive sore on her tummy, and I think it will scar, but otherwise, we are happily over the worst (well..for Ruby).

I am so grateful that at least one of my kids got a very mild case because I was really bracing for a nightmare, and the only torture has been staying at home...Ruby's been her happy self the entire time! I wish I hadn't put her piano class on alert already because she'd be fine to go today...and to ballet...and to swimming, but I already excused her from it all and she said she wants more time with mommy anyway. I'm sending her to preschool tomorrow if she'll go. She is somewhat self concious of the scabs on her face.

Anyway, they girls had a great time feeding the very aggressive ducks and playing at the park. Thank goodness for the nicest winter months I can ever remember in the northwest.

Love these!

I found this free Mary Jane Bootie pattern online, and had to try it. I'm not a really experienced knitter, and I know that there was some required knowledge that I don't have, like "rejoining" and casting on later in the pattern, but I usually forge a head anyway. I'm glad I did. Unfortunately, I made two right fotted booties, so then I was committed to two pairs. Then, I had my four booties, and I was doing the finish work and I finished three as right foots! Now I have to make a total of three pairs! I'm a little sick of white Mary Jane's! If you are going to try them, and you figure you are the same experience level as me...I'll be happy to consult!

I used some Louisa Harding yarn and got two and a half pairs from one skein. I did have to use size two needles to make them good and small to fit a newborn.

Sandy's Quilt and lifelong friends...

This is what I made during my "Sewing Extravaganza" with Sommer in January. I finally took pictures of it at my mom's house right before I ran to the shower on Saturday. I got to give it to Sandy, it was so fun! I love making things for people, and I hate waiting for the giving part.

Sandy has been my friend for almost 20 years. I don't talk to her everyday, we don't usually even spend any time one-on-one with each other. I don't know if very many people have the experience I do of having friends who you think of as sisters, but you don't really even see each other more than like once a month. It's just that we have been through so many stages of life together, or even apart...but always with an awareness of each other.

When we were sewing, Sommer was asking me essentially, why I was doing what I was doing. She's my closest friend, and she knows what I do with my time and it's not like I am spending every day with Sandy. She wasn't asking in a confrontational way, but just kind of surprised maybe because she doesn't necessarily classify my friendship with Sandy as presently significant. I know she understood then, but it caused me to think about it more...so here is a pondering of my friendship with "the girls", we go almost 20 years back (okay, 22 years, EDEN!) , here's a little history that makes my friendship with Sandy, Kelly, Leisha, Jenn and Eden as significant today as ever.

It did make me think though. I think that many people graduate high school and move off somewhere new and though they may (many don't) keep in touch with a few people through Christmas cards, the old friendships fade into the background. I definitely have close friends that I talk to everyday, who have kids my kids' ages, who I intend to be friends with forever, but I'm blessed with that and more.Eden, me, Sandy, Kelly, and Jenn the night before Senior Ball...manicuring it up! I tweaked with the original and can't find the "untweaked" version.
What about those friends who took swimming lessons with me, who broke up with a "boyfriend" for me, who cried with me when I skinned my knee and when I had my heart broken. They knew my husband when he was the nerdy class clown and was crowned Mr. CHS our freshman year. Heck...Leisha was his first love in elementary school and he took Jenn to Jr. Prom (much to my dismay)! The friends who went through the humiliating cheer initiation process (now known as hazing) with me, who snuck (I intentionally use snuck, not sneaked, okay? It sounds better, and I like it better) out with me at night and shared a twin bed with me at a sleepover. They got all dressed up with me in high school, older friend's IDs in hand and went (should I say took, like I was captive?) to an 18 years and older club in the U-District to dance the night away (shame on Marissa's mom). We've peed our pants, crushed on older guys, had our hearts broken, solved the world's problems, betrayed each other, forgiven each other--these friendships didn't graduate when we all tossed our hats in the air in June of 1995.

Me, Jenn, Kelly, Leisha, Sandy and Eden all together the summer after either freshman or sophomore year of college.

These are women who sent me store bought sugar cookies that they frosted themselves at Christmas when before I came home from my first semester of college. They wrote me while I was far away from home serving a mission for my church and were the only people besides my immediate family that came to see me at the airport when I came home. Chris was a groomsmen at Kelly and Danny's wedding...Danny was in my KINDERGARTEN class! They visited me in Salt Lake for skiing weekends TWICE when we were all dirt poor in college. They backed me when I had made up a pretend boyfriend to get back at Chris for breaking my heart our freshman year of college. They were there at my wedding, even if I was already married (in the Seattle LDS temple) and they weren't even able to be there...if they complained and talked about it (and I hope they did and assume they did, I know I would have, and that's another aspect of being this kind of friends...when you disagree with one, you can talk about it to another, and get over it...we are all very different and sometimes venting occurs) they didn't let me know. I had plans to be with them the day Ruby was born...because they were throwing a baby shower for me...but Ruby came early.

They are friends who don't get offended if you only call when you need something! I almost hit them all up for potential donations when I was working on the auction, and that might have been the only call Leisha received from me in a year! Recently, we needed some legal advice and Sandy's husband Adam (who we've known 10 years) was someone Chris felt comfortable calling...and Chris doesn't ask freebies of anyone...he and Adam have likely never interacted except to be thrown (happily) together when us girls plan a gathering. Sandy's my famous friend, who is more than willing to host my Webelo boys at the station in the fall when we work on the communication badge. It's just that kind of ALWAYS there for you feel. I hope they feel the same way.

These are people who were my friends when I decided who I really was. They were my friends before I knew, and after I knew, while I changed my mind again and again. These are friends who I don't always have time to share my every detail with, but it doesn't matter, because they know me. There is that whole package kind of knowledge. They know what my house was like growing up, what a saint my mom is and how loud my brothers were. They know what "The Pond" means, what evil cheer captain spells I went through and what it was like to come to school and find out that a classmate had died.

I hope that summarizes why it is a small and happy thing for me to make a quilt for my girl Sandy's first little baby, who will be gorgeous and who is going to be named Addison and who I got to feel move around in utero on Saturday.