25 Things

It has been a while since I have done a tag. Corrie shared 25 random things about herself on her blog and invited others to follow in her footsteps. How could I refuse (especially since she kindly mentioned me in hers). So, while I don't promise to be as witty as Corrie, here are 25 random things about me.

1. Right now I am eating leftover chicken cacciatore. I made the recipe up one day by just dumping things that sounded good into my crockpot. After I was done, I realized I'd come up with cacciatore. I often cook this way. It is much more a function of my laziness than it is my creativity. Well, maybe a little creativity...

2. I once killed a mouse in a bag with a hammer. You'll have to ask me if you want the details. (It was a mercy killing though.)

3. When I was young I wanted a daughter named Tiffany. I never considered the name "Eden" until I was about 6 months pregnant with my little Eden.

4. My husband once dated a girl who ended up marrying (someone else) and having a daughter whom she named Eden. (hi, Sarah) Ok, that isn't really about me, but an intersting fact, don't you think?

5. I LOVE to make snowflakes. You know, the paper/scissors kind? Above my computer desk I currently have approximately 35 snowflakes I've made (well, I forced Phil to make two of them). Snowflakes have six points guys. Just in case you didn't know. Yeah, my snowflakes are anatomically correct.

6. When I was growing up (well, getting older anyway) I loved that my mom crocheted us slippers every Christmas. I never learned how until I was in college. My cousin taught me how to do it (my mom taught her). Phil hates crocheted slippers.

7. I like red.

8. I love efficiency.

9. I have six brothers who are all high-achievers. Mark - MBA from Harvard; Michael - Master of Teaching (I don't know what the real title is) and a Vice Principal; Andrew - MBA from Duke; Paul - MBA from Duke; Jon - in Dental school (after getting an MS in biological engineering); Josh - attending USU, speaking Russian, and avoiding marriage.

10. I once wrote in my scriptures: "interesting idiom for a prophet to use prior the the birth of Christ." Yeah, that was in my intellectually snobby graduate school years.

11. I love going to youth dances. I'm the coolest, nerdiest chaperone ever! Oh yeah, I boogie (and I even get Phil to boogie with me sometimes).

12. One time a guy told me the best quality I had going for me was that I was "sly."

13. My parents are two of my biggest confidants, advisors, cheerleaders, and heros.

14. As far as I know, I still hold the record at West Gresham Grade School for hanging on the crossbar (chin above the bar) for the longest time. I think it was 2 1/2 minutes or something.

15. I love sweets and waffles and ice cream and cookies and bread and this cacciatore is gone and I'm having hankerings...

16. I had a crush on Little Joe (not Michael Landon though) from Bonanza.

17. I have three incredible sisters who are raising some amazing kids. I love that all of my sisters and SILs are awesome moms and that the men in their lives support them as stay-at-home moms. My sisters are some of my best friends.

18. I like to sing. I pretty much sing all day long. Phil didn't know this about me until after we were engaged. I was always very threatened by his skilz and so I wouldn't sing much around him. He asked me (after we were married) if I had ever thought about doing choir when I was in high school. I was like, "yeah! I was in ALL the choirs in high school! Show choir, madrigals, jazz choir, concert choir, symphony choir. I wasn't just some girl who was in a few choirs. I WAS the choir-girl."

19. I blog when I'm avoiding cleaning. Yeah, that is what I'm doing now. What I'm NOT doing is cleaning my bathrooms, cleaning the windows, and vacuuming.

20. I once came home from an elementary track meet with a 3rd place ribbon. My mother was so proud. Before I could sleep that night, I had to confess that there were only three kids in the race. I'm not much of an athlete.

21. I did play basketball for three years in Jr. High. The coach played me fairly often. I never made a point in a game. I'm not sure why she played me as often as she did.

22. At my Jr. High graduation, I was awarded some award that was something about being the outstanding physical education student of the class. Same coach. What was her deal? Did she really think I just lacked encouragement?

23. In my first job interview (to be a receptionist of a medium-sized corporation), the HR director asked me if I had any experience. My reply, "well, when the phone rings at home, I'm always the first one to answer it!" I was 18. I got the job. The HR director was not my former BB coach, I promise.

24. I love to laugh and I love hugs. Laughing with my husband and daughter is only second to hugs from my husband and daughter.

25. I am one blessed girl!

Conjunction Junction What's Your Function?

If you want smart kids you gotta raise them right.
You need smart DVDs.
You need School House Rock, duh!

Lately (as in yesterday and today) Eden has been very aware of the conjunction "and."

Last night as I was saying the prayer over dinner she interjected into my thank thees:
"and kitties"
"and doggies"
After I had sufficiently thanked Heavenly Father for these most important mammals she was fine.


Today at the store I was buying a bunch of folders for New Beginnings. These are brightly colored folders. She kept saying:
"I need orange."
"and purple."
"and lellow."


After her nap this afternoon she informed me that she needed to see Corrie (it IS her birthday after all)
"and Erin"
"and Carter, funny" (yeah, Carter is funny!)


For my next trick I will teach her the process of a bill becoming a law...

Oh What a Day!

Thursday night Eden just couldn't settle down. We'd spent the afternoon having Thanksgiving dinner with our friends the Dewsnups. Eden loves these people (as do I). Seriously, Eden often prefers Corrie (and she says her name so well and cute) rather than mommy. She likes to watch football with Brian (the dad) and plays with all of the kids. It is so fun for her to have such good friends. Anyway, she was quite excited and when we got home she just didn't want to settle down. Finally around 9 I convinced her she had to try. For the next hour we heard content-but-not-tired noises coming from her room. They sounded like this:

"Corrie, Corrie, Corrie"
"all done, all done, all done, all done"
"kitty, doggy, kitty, doggy, kitty, doggy"
"night-night"
etc.

until 10:30!

You'd think she would sleep in but that is where you'd be wrong. At 7:am she was up and ready to go! She took a pretty good nap in the morning (a rare thing these days) but didn't take an afternoon nap. By evening she was irrational, cranky, and trying the patience of her parents.

At dinner she wanted a "cookie, cookie, cookie" and didn't want to eat good food. She dropped her bowl of chowder on the rug. She poured her water all over the table. She attempted to dump her yogurt all over but I had put it in a container with a lid and straw (sometimes I'm smart). Finally she ate some yogurt, about 8 raisins, sucked the juice out of a tangerine, and had a pumpkin cookie (does that count as a vegetable?).

Next it was off to the bath. I made the comment to Phil that it was brave of me to bathe her right after she had raisins. Yeah, I'm dumb sometimes. Sure enough just as I was getting the towel she relieved herself in the tub.

Poor Phil, he got to clean up all the messes (the chowder, water, and poo).

It was good to say goodnight to her.

Older

Last Friday was my birthday. It was a very nice weekend. For a while it looked like our plans to celebrate wouldn't happen because all eligible babysitters were involved in some sort of graduation (HS, seminary). Finally on Thursday I was beginning to surrender to the sinking feeling that we wouldn't get to get away at all. Just at that moment, Corrie called and said that although she couldn't watch Eden on Friday, she could that night. I called Phil and he made arrangements for us to eat at the nicest restaurant in town. Then Alisha called and said that her weekend away got canceled and she could watch Eden Friday if we wanted to go forward with our original plan (to go to an Indian restaurant in B'ham and then the temple) on Friday. We decided to stick with our plan to go out on Thursday and then go to the temple this Wednesday morning (the B'ham temple only has limited sessions each week). So, thanks to some wonderful friends, my birthday didn't have the stench of self-pity.

After our very nice dinner, we went to see Prince Caspian (really liked it). When we got home it was after midnight so Phil indulged me and allowed me to open my gifts then. As always he was very thoughtful in his gift-giving. Eden even "signed" her card (scribbles artfully applied to the writing surface). Friday morning Phil and Eden let me sleep in and made me delicious waffles with strawberries. Yum! Then I looked here and found a fabulous poem written in my honor!

We spent Friday preparing for a yard sale. Phil made some stylish Yard Sale signs that we posted around our community. We tracked down all our treasures and put price tags on them. It was a busy day. Then Saturday we arose very early so that we would be ready for our 7 a.m. visitors. And they came... they just didn't buy much. Clearly we don't understand the yard saler mentality. So those of you who frequent yard sales, what is it that makes for a good one? We didn't sell a single book but got rid of most of our CDs (even some LDS artists ones - little do those buyers know...).

Saturday night we went to a concert in the park with some friends. Eden was adorable. She loves to try to keep up with the other kids. It was fun. The Alabama Symphony Orchestra played music from films such as Harry Potter, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lord of the Rings, etc. There was a fun atmosphere. Phil made me a delectable chocolate cake with penuche frosting. We took it and shared it with those around us (some friends from church and some from JSU). It was a grand time.

So there you have it. Turning 41 was pretty spectacular.

Happy Birthday Corrie

Today is Corrie's birthday. Here are 7 things about Corrie that you should know:

1 - She has awesome eyes and a great smile.

2 - She is an imaginative mom who inspires creativity in her kids.

3 - She is a diligent disciple of Christ. She serves as our Primary president and works hard for those kids!

4 - She LOVES, LOVES, LOVES chocolate. (you know that creates a bond for us!)

5 - She is kind. When she thinks of something kind to do for someone, she just does it, quickly. She doesn't make it complicated.

6 - She is from Canada/Colorado but is making Alabama her home. She moved here about 6 months after I did and we "bonded" at our first Visiting Teaching conference - she got lost driving to the church and I could totally relate because I got lost driving to the church for YWs the first time.

7 - She is a devoted and compassionate friend. When Phil started chemo and was so very sick, she cried with me - not sobs, just tears of compassion and empathy. I will forever remember and appreciate that.

Happy Birthday Corrie!