It's Getting To Be That Time!

It's official~ I am sick of summer! I am wanting the heat to be over! I want fall!! I am feeling a little sad that there is not going to be a fabulous chill in the air and leaves turning spectacular colors!

Oh how I am going to miss a real fall.

One thing I do love in fall that Arizona will have is Halloween! We love it!

For years now I have made Halloween costumes for my kids. It is a pain in the butt and some years they turn out better than others! We have made a princess, a rabbit, a flower, a skunk, a ninja, a lion,a witch, a vampy vampire,(vampira..is that a word?),and a chicken!

I was debating making them this year. Then Grace found the head to the skunk costume I made for Bailey three years ago and was wearing it around. It has been a favorite costume and later dress up item for the girls! I love seeing them wearing it and I always think Dang that costume turned out pretty good! There is a sense of satisfaction I have when I make the costumes and see them wearing them for Halloween!

I have decided to make a few this year too. I think I am going to make Ethan the Lion costume that I had made for Zachary when he was a baby.I had loaned the costume to a friend one year and she refused to return it! Weird eh? That was the end of the friendship! Sad...over a costume! I guess it IS pretty fabulous! The stinking thing took me forever to finish. In fact I was sewing on the ribbons for the mane frantically trying to be finished in time for trunk or treat that night!

I bought a pattern of a ladybug for Grace and Bailey last year but Bailey wanted to be a princess in the end and I hated making Rachelle's princess costume! It was the worst one by far. So I bought bailey's costume and made Grace a chicken. Now I have all the material for a ladybug and the pattern and I am going to do it. Hopefully it will turn out cute. I'm thinking if I do something I love about fall maybe I'll not think about the things I am going to miss about it too!

Glad Grace found the costume and gave me the idea of a project to do!

Do you buy your kids costumes? Is it worth the effort to make them?

Do you love that feeling when you do make them and they turn out cute?

Dani is the queen of costumes. She puts me to shame. She sucks. Ok, she really rocks but I do hate that she is better than me!

Maybe I'll get started today!

Sick, Sick Scary!

Like I posted earlier, I had changed the sheets on my bed and was cleaning. Grace hopped under the covers of my clean sheets a while later and spilled her glass of strawberry milk all over the bed! I asked Bailey and her to go downstairs to watch cartoons while I changed the sheets again.
First I changed Ethan's diaper and put him to bed for a nap then I started on the bed again. When I was finished Tony called and I was talking to him for a bit. He asked me to bring him lunch at work. So I got off the phone and called the girls upstairs so I could get them dressed again.
Nobody answered when I called their names. I had a awful thought as my stomach dropped. I felt sick and thought what if they got outside and drowned in the pool! So I stood still and listened and sure enough I heard Bailey outside they had gotten out but were OK. Whew, just my mind playing tricks on me
I opened my window and yelled at them to get upstairs NOW!
They came upstairs with grace sobbing. The girls were both in their swimsuits and they were wet. Grace had boogers all over her face. Bailey told me they hopped in the pool and Grace was drowning! She said she got on Ethan's floatie and pulled Grace out! She said she saved her from drowning!
I thought I was going to puke. I have been crying off and on today. I know they are OK and it could have been tragic. It is the scariest feeling ever. I just keep saying a prayer of thanks that my little girl is OK. I am so, so grateful Bailey was able to pull her out. I want desperately to move to a house that has no pool or a fence that is dead bolted. Our landlord didn't want us to put a pool fence up saying the special door on the back is too hard for little ones to open. Guess she didn't think about them going through the garage to get to the backyard!
I think this will stick with me for awhile. I keep snuggling my two girls.Gracie is laying with her head on my leg as I am typing this and she is giggling because she is singing the song from my playlist. I love her so much. I am just so grateful she is OK! I think I'll be thanking my Heavenly Father that she is safe over and over.

I Think I Need To Chill

Tony and I went out to dinner last night and he was telling me I just need to chill. He thinks I let things get to me too much ( messy house, kids fighting, My ex,money, moving etc.) I told him I'm not sure that's possible. I've always been a worrier. Since I was a little girl. I don't like the unknown and I don't like feeling out of control. You just know that if you don't get a grip now you're a goner!
So we had a long discussion about this and I thought about it all night. I thought OK, I have to worry cause he doesn't. If I don't get upset at the house being a disaster and no one helping me..It's not going to get done. If I don't get on my ex, no money will come. If I don't figure out how and where to move it's not going to happen! See...I was still worrying and not letting it go.
Well today I was busting out my room. Changing the sheets, picking up laundry and getting toys out of my room. I heard Grace scream at the top of her lungs and so I ran into her room to see what the emergency was. She put her hand on her hip and said "OH MY GOSH! look at Ethan's bed! I just cleaned it and someone has messed it up. I am so angry!" She then showed me a spot on the bumper of his bed. Probably spit up or a spill from a bottle. I told her It's no big deal and I would fix it.
Went back into my room and she followed. Picked up a black and white photo of herself and once again screams! She says "I can't believe this It's disgusting! Look at all the germs on this picture of me! I am so mad!"

OK, OK, I get it...I really, really get it! I need to chill!

Decision Time!

Our landlord emailed yesterday to let us know she wanted to put the house on the market in October. She offered us a discount for having the house listed while we lived here and a bonus if the house sold.
Wow. I am so unsure what to do! I can't stand the thought of having people coming through my house, having to have it ready to show~for how long? 6 months? a year? that is a stressful thought. I have trouble keeping my house clean and I think it would be more frustrating.
So~ I actually had been looking at houses for rent before she even told us this. I know I don't want to live here. Too many things have broken and Tony has had to fix them and I just haven't liked being here. The house was filthy when we moved in and I still feel as if I haven't gotten it totally clean.
So, I have been praying and trying to find peace. To be content with where I was at. I thought we had to be here for at least another year. But this changes things. Is it a answer to my prayers? I know I will have to move eventually...it is just up to me if it is going to be sooner rather than later.
So here I am stressing. Wondering what to do? Look for a new place? Move right away(which is what I want to do)?
I want to make the right decision for my kids. Be where our family is meant to be. I can't deny that I prayed like crazy before we moved here and I knew this was where we were supposed to be. I want my kids to have good friends that hold the same beliefs we do. I think in a day and age with so much temptation and peer pressure having good friends that hold the same values as you do is key.
So..the dilemma rages on.. to move or not?
Am I where I need to be at to hear the answers? Is this an answer to my prayers or just wishful thinking? Maybe the indecision is the answer!I guess I will keep praying and trying to make the right choice for our family. It's strange when my kids are involved I stress so much about doing what is best for them. I just need to relax. I have the time.

Dirty Deadbeat Dog!

OK, this post is probably not going to be nice and I am just venting so be forewarned~You may just want to stop reading this now!

So Zach and Rachelle got back from visiting with there dad a week ago and it has gotten me pissed. See my ex has been a deadbeat or a barely paying deadbeat ever since we have divorced. He didn't pay me anything for years and once I got pissed and threatened him he has been paying $200 sporadically.He NEVER pays what he is supposed to and he has NEVER carried the insurance he was ordered to. When we went to court my lawyer didn't file the paperwork with the courts so I don't have a copy of the order to go after him and he knows it!


Rachelle just asked him to pay for a pair of glasses for her. Our insurance pays for the exam and part of the glasses he just has to pay the balance and Zach asked if he could help him buy a car (he proposed he will pay, we will , and his dad will) and the dirty dog refused to help! He won't help with braces, or Rachelle getting a replacement phone since hers broke! He won't help with football fees, or cleats, or school fees! He wants all the benefits of being dad (Disneyland dad) and none of the hard stuff. He sucks!


So anyhow the kids were telling me how well he is doing and how he has 3 different cars now. Trying to sell 2 of them.He buys them and guns for fun. Spent tons on guns. Right, can't help my daughter buy glasses so she can see, but what the heck..I need a new shotgun. Oh, and I don't even hunt!


So, I am kind of pissed right now. He didn't want to pay me anything last month cause the kids were coming for a week and we got in a big fight when I pointed out he doesn't even pay me the $500 he is supposed to and that if he doesn't pay at least $200 I am not going to send them.

When we got divorced my attorney did not file the paperwork with the courts. Although we were divorced the only record of it is in the court minutes and it takes lots of time and money to locate it and file. So I have no order to go after him through the state and he knows it!

So...What to do? I have let this slide for 13 years now. He owes me thousands of dollars and he has been a butthead. I am tempted to unleash my anger on him I swear.

So I am thinking if I can't get him to pay financially Maybe I need to find other ways to make him pay. Here are a few I thought might be affective!

1. I am going to go down to 7-11 and get all those magazine subscription cards out of them subscribe him to as many magazines as I can and mark the bill me box

2.Have a accomplice go to his house and toss a dead fish under his seat in the car

3. Place popcorn kernels in his tailpipe along with some cooking oil. Idiot will leave a trail of popcorn behind him!

4.Take out a bulletin board along the freeway with his picture on it..have you seen me? #1 deadbeat dad!

5. Contact the local KKK office and get as many KKK pride bumper stickers as I can and decorate his car with them

6. Look in swingers magazines for homo prostitutes or "masseurs" that make house calls and send them to his house

7. Call the local police and give them a "tip" that I have become aware of my good friend trafficking drugs in his car and that they are "well" hidden

8.Call a local landscaping company, and have them bring a few tons of granite rocks to his house, and re-landscape his front yard while he's at work. Have them rip up the current grass or whatnot, and dump rocks there

9. Periodically call taxi and limo services to his house. Not only will he have to deal with pissed off drivers who aren't going to make any money for the drive, he will eventually get flagged in their databases as someone who has ditched cabs in the past.

10.Use anti-freeze on grass. Spell out dead beat lives here or pour antifreeze all over, so he will wonder why his grass is dying off in spots.

11.Cover his lawn in shredded newspaper, then douse it with water. Picking it up will take him days.

12.Go all around his neighborhood and steal all the 'for sale' signs (realty, yard sale), and cover his front lawn with them.

So~ As you can see I think I have something here! I might need to enlist the help of family and friends in his area for this covert mission but I think they would enjoy it as much as I would!

He told me after we got divorced that he was surprised in court to actually see me stand up for myself! Hmm.. I don't think I have that problem anymore. Stupid , Stupid boy.He doesn't pay..I want to make him pay~ Just not financially!

Freakin Dirty Deadbeat Dog

"If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?"
- William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice

Ps ~ Lighten up!! I'm not really going to do these things... I just like to think about mean things I could do to make his life not so nice since he has caused me 13 years of frustration. I have a mean streak and the thought of doing these things gives me a giggle!

Morbid Fascination!

Hannah's older cat Oliver is a avid hunter! He loves to be outside and quite often he uses that time to hunt. He loves to catch birds and put them on our front porch to show us!

Well yesterday Oliver decided to dismember the poor bird. Bailey and Gracie were delighted to see just the bird's head! No body, nothing, just the head. Sick, sick. They had it in a paper towel and were carrying it around until we made them flush it.

A little later I was finding feathers in the kitchen, in the family room,etc.. The girls told me they had found the poor birdie's feathers. I begged them to leave it alone~ the bird would give them a disease! We gave them a bath and thought we were done.

I thought for sure I had scared them into leaving it alone! Wrong!! They were trying to sneak something in from the garage. I asked what it was and they told me "nothing, just a stupid scorpion, you don't need to see it mom." Yikes! So of course I made them show me.. They had gone outside and found bits and pieces of the bird. The latest find was this delightful foot!

I feel sick! Yuck! I am just hoping there are no pieces left to discover!

52 Blessings Project ~ Week 32

This Week I am Grateful For~ A Clean House!

I was a little irked with how messy my house was getting and the fact that I was running the kids all around and yet they didn't want to help out by doing their jobs. Well Tony had promised that this weekend everyone would work together and bust the house out. I was a little skeptical but to my delight they did it!

Tony and Rachelle pulled all the clothes out of the laundry room and sorted them and cleaned the laundry room. Zachary cleaned out my downstairs closet. I keep my holiday stuff in it and the girls keep some toys in it but people have been putting junk in it and you couldn't even see the floor of it. It was something that drove me crazy!!

Rachelle did the bathrooms, and Hannah did the office. I worked on the kitchen, and laundry.

Today Zachary decided to finish what we started and he cleaned the toy room! It looks fantastic. I feel so much better when my house is clean. It brings me a peaceful feeling. When I am feeling overwhelmed having a messy house really, really stresses me out.

When I woke up today, I went into the kitchen and saw a clean sink with my towel on the counter to wipe the sink out whenever I used it ( a flylady thing) It is so strange how happy that made me to see it clean! It actually motivated me to keep up on it all day. I have been picking up and doing laundry. I finally feel as if I can do it again!

What a blessing my husband and kids have given me. Not only a clean house but a feeling of peace as I start my week and for that I am very grateful!

Quick Update

When I decided to post about struggling with depression I was irritated and tired and probably not in the best frame of mind. It seemed like a good thing to do at the moment.
When I woke up we had to leave early and I didn't have the time to remove the post. I was totally stressing about it. I just kept thinking ~ Great~ Now I've waived my freak flag high as can be for the entire world to see! Kind of embarrassing.
Well, by the time I was able to log on I had a ton of comments. I felt so much better and not quite so embarrassed!
So, I just wanted to say thanks for all the support. It definitely made me feel better!
Also, I had a lot of people asking me if I was on medication etc.. what was I doing, so I thought I'd take a moment and give a quick update. I did go to the Dr and he is running some test ~hormones, thyroid etc.. My hair is falling out like crazy, I am tired and dizzy, emotional, and having panic attacks. He thought maybe hormones are a major culprit. I hope so. I was put on medication to deal with the depression and he told me it would take a good 30 days to feel better. I AM feeling better. Still emotional~ A little weepy not much energy but I am not sobbing uncontrollably anymore. I feel hopeful now like I can get a grip which is a good improvement. So..I am just glad to be feeling a bit better!
This is not the first time I spoke first then was embarrassed later and I am sure it won't be the last . I think I could learn to use a little restraint! Oh well Ü

Weekend Fun~ Part 2

Here are the final pictures of our fun getaway to Payson. The last day that we were there we went out to breakfast then to the park in town. It was fabulous! Isabelle~What is it with Vidal's and the fishing obsession? Bailey has been bitten by the fishing bug and Toti couldn't be happier!

New Crockpot Recipe

Since things have been a little chaotic lately I have been crockpotting it a bit around here. I found this recipe a while ago and made it last night. Forgot how much my kids liked this recipe so I thought I'd share it with those of you who like crockpotting too!

It is made similar to chicken and rice but has a whole different flavor.

Golden Angel Crockckpot Chicken

2 cans Golden Mushroom Soup

1 Pkg chive n onion cream cheese softened

1 pkg Italian seasoning mix (the dry stuff.. good seasons)

1 c. white cooking wine (alcohol burns off during cooking )

1/2 c melted butter

3-4 carrots~ Julienned

enough chicken for you family. I usually do 8-10 pieces like thighs

Melt butter in a saucepan.Add the rest of the ingredients except for the chicken. cook until melted. Put chicken in crock pot. Add carrots Pour sauce over top. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 4-6 hours

Serve over Angel hair pasta,rice or noodles. I like it with noodles~ Zach says definitely with the rice.

I use chive and onion cream cheese but you can use regular too.

Very good ~ super easy. If you try it let me know how you like it!

Just Some Random Crap!

Yeah..I think..School has started! It's kind of a mixed bag for me right now. Zachary and Rachelle have to take a 0 hour class. For those of you who don't live here~ When you take seminary as a class in school you have to add a extra class to your school schedule. This sucks big time because I have to take the kids to school every morning and leave by 6am! Ugh~ I am so not a morning person. I think it may kill me! So...Is seminary that important? I'm not sure since I hated it so much growing up and I slept in the bathroom most of the time during seminary.I want my kids to gain a testimony to learn about the gospel etc.. but if they are like me (and Zach says he is..ditching sometimes, sleeping the other times)is it worth the struggle?
Hannah was complaining of her head itching. I took a look and found 2 bugs!! YUCK~Lice! We think she got it at the hair salon. We got her hair cut the day before school and on the first day of school we found the bugs. There aren't any eggs yet so she must have just gotten them! SICK,SICK,SICK!!! Treated her hair twice now and they appear to be gone but I am freaked out now. I will probably be checking every one's hair for weeks to come!
So, I am tired like crazy right now. Ethan has learned to mix it up with the girls now. What the freak?? My 14 month old baby is trying to beat the crap out of his sisters. It has been melt down after meltdown today.I am afraid the next one will be me throwing it. I am exhausted by the time the older ones get home from school. Zach has football practice everyday after school so it is a race to have everyone pick up the house, go get Zach, get dinner on, feed everyone, get the kitchen cleaned, then everyone to bed! I know I did alot better last year. I just need to get in the groove again. I think I need to try Flylady again. Help me OBI ONE Flylady...help me!
If she doesn't do the trick Tony swears he will do it! Keep your fingers crossed. He seems to think we can bust out the house on Saturday. I hate having it out of control.
It has been storming here tonight. The monsoons have kicked up. Every time it rains here the news channels get their panties in a bunch I swear...Stay inside if you can...Unbelievable...NEVER drive through standing water..Dangerous...A full inch of water has fallen(gasp)..Weather alert has been issued. It's like this great natural disaster is happening. I swear Tony and I crack up when we hear it. I think since there is no other weather to report for 10 months out of the year the news casters get overly excited that they finally have something to do.
Even if it isn't life threatening I still love a good storm!
Oh, Oh~ tonight was the season finale of so you think you can dance! It was awesome. Loved that Jeremy won! Who were you rooting for? I liked all four in the finals so I would have been OK with any of them winning but I thought Jeremy was so sweet and I loved that he wasn't professionally trained yet he kicked butt! Yeah for the underdog!
So..How are you all adjusting to new schedules. Is it smooth going for you or are the first few weeks kind of hairy?
Seminary??
Do you totally sick out over lice? I swear I feel dirty.

Tomorrow is my day I can just feel it~Flylady and me...we can. Yes, we can....
I so so wish I could just be one of those super on top of it organized women. it just isn't in the Proffitt family genes I just know it!

Weekend Fun~ Part 1

I thought I'd post a few pictures of our fun weekend in the mountains!

We decided we wanted to try a new lake we hadn't been to before called Knolls Lake. It is about 21 miles past Woods Canyon that you travel to on a awful gravel road. Good thing the kids were excited because they were great on the way up. Even Ethan was so good. He thought he was funny trying to make everyone laugh!





When we got to the lake it was amazing! Absolutely beautiful. We set up some chairs and had a picnic of KFC (As you can see..Ethan loves chicken. Even hot wings.)

After lunch the girls had some fun exploring everything. Grace of course had to pick up pine cones everywhere and Hannah and Bailey were climbing on all the rocks and tree stumps.

After a bit of playing Bailey was over it! All she wanted was to go fishing! We kept telling her we weren't going yet and to just put her rod down, but she wasn't having any of that!

Finally Bailey got her wish! Fishing at last! She was funny, she was so into it. Didn't want to leave her "fishing Log"

She didn't catch one but when daddy did he let her real it in and that was the highlight of the day. When they threw the fish back he was floating, Not gonna make it,so we got him and put him in my super big gulp cup and she played with him while he died. Nice eh?

Hannah and Grace didn't have the patience for fishing so they took cups and water bottles and tried catching minnows and crawdads! They didn't have any luck capturing a minnow but we did snag this juicy little crawdad! Terrifying and Delightful all at once!

After several hours we were wiped out so we called it a day and headed back. On the way back we stopped at the mogollin rim for some pictures. (I am just as scared today as I was as a kid getting close to the edge~only this time I didn't cling to some one's leg screaming even though I wanted to!)It was beautiful and amazing.

After the rim we drove to Willow Lake just up the road to check out one more lake and the campgrounds. It was pretty amazing also. Good future camping trip. As we were leaving the campground a HUGE storm blew through. This picture doesn't even do it justice. We tried driving, but couldn't see anything in front of us so we had to pull over and wait a bit for the storm to calm down. The lightning would strike and then immediately the thunder would boom. It felt like our car was shaking. Scary and fun all at once!

Something else cool about the storm?? Look at the temperature!!! 53 degrees! I haven't seen that in a while and I was lovin it! Tried to roll down the window to feel it but was getting pelted in the face by the rain. Not too smart!

By this time the kids were exhausted and fell asleep and Tony and I had a delightful, scenic, quiet ride back to the hotel! It was wonderful.....

Ahhh and back to reality again...I guess we still are in Arizona! 100 not bad although we still were in Payson!

Good News!!

Zachary and Rachelle got home last night from their trip with their dad. They were pretty pissed about the house and car and said if it was one of their friends they were going to kill them. Hannah was a mess. She was hysterical when we got home and found the kitten gone! Before we had left she had cleaned the litter, gotten fresh food and water and made a bed for the cats. She was devastated to find the kitty gone.She loves them and thinks they love her best. She says they really are kinda just her cats cause she takes care of them best and loves them best. We were so sad for her and when the older kids saw how upset she was it made them even madder!

Zach was outside talking on the phone with his friends at about 1:30 am when he heard a little meow. He found the kitty! Apparently when whoever broke into the house they had let the cat out. We had already searched the neighborhood and couldn't find him when we got home so it is awesome that the kitty found it's way back home!

He woke Hannah up and she was thrilled. She came and woke everyone up to share the good news!

I was really upset last night so this takes a little sting out of it!

Yeah~At last good news!

52 Blessings Project ~ Week 31

This Week I Am Grateful For ~ The Mountains!

Ever since Tony and I have been married we have shared a mutual love of going to the mountains. When we lived in Utah we went weekly up the canyon to our favorite fishing hole or to the silver fork lodge for some apple crisp or just to the lake for a evening walk.

In Colorado we didn't go up to the mountains as often only about once every three weeks but we made it a point to make sure we went often enough.

I love finding wild flowers and putting them in my scriptures to dry out. When I come across them I am reminded of our adventure. I have a columbine that is dried out that whenever I open my scriptures I remember our trip in Utah that I found it where we drove for hours and hours exploring a area we had never been. We just love driving and finding new places and enjoying the beauty of the trees, rivers and lakes.

This weekend Tony took me and the kids for a much needed break up to the mountains. We stayed in Payson a small city that is in the pines just outside of the White Mountains. We went up to several lakes and fished, we gathered flowers, swam, had a picnic and just relaxed. It was wonderful!

Although my cheeks are sunburned and my lips are chapped, I feel a small measure of peace that I haven't felt for awhile now and had been longing for. And for that I am very thankful!

A Rude Homecoming!

Talk about a total bummer! We had such a wonderful day today, relaxing, cool, just really nice and we come home to finding our home Tp'd and our car and home broken into! What the freak?
Our water bottles were thrown into the street, our house tp'd in the front and side, and someone had broken into the car and taken all of Tony's work files out and threw them all over our porch!
We had not locked the dead bolt on the house just the lower lock and the deadbolt was now locked , our kitten is gone from the house, and our desk drawers were all open with our files! Sighhh..
Tony is being really sweet. Running around frantically..cleaning up the front yard and then the house. He said we had such a good weekend he didn't want me to get totally stressed out after coming home to that!
If I find out it was one of Zach or Rach's friends, so help me I will go nuts. Breaking into our home and car took it way too far. I am not sure what to think since nothing appears to have been taken other than the kitty(Maybe he got out when they opened the door?) and things were messed up.
Bummer

Question? To Blog About It~Or Not?

It is 2 am and I can't sleep again so I thought I am just going to write about this. I am sure there are others who have probably felt like this. Or not.

These past few weeks I have been walking a emotional tightrope and I have finally fallen off.


I had felt low, sad, but I thought I was OK and then finally~I crashed.


I can't seem to quit crying all the time. I have found myself telling my family I was going to the Circle K for my soda, and then find myself in the church parking lot where no one will see me curled up in a ball, praying,crying,trying to get a grip so I could return home and try to act normal. Sometimes I can't breathe! Why can't I just get up and get stuff done? Why am I in a panic and can't draw a breath?


I think my husband is embarrassed by this. Our home teacher came over and my heart was racing as I was trying to figure out how to ask for a blessing without being humiliated or sobbing uncontrollably. I almost didn't. He was standing to go and I mouthed to Tony do you think it would be OK if I asked for a blessing from him? I did, and of course, I did cry uncontrollably. Humiliating.


The other day Tony was talking to his mom and they were discussing all of the trials his family is going through now. I asked him if he told his mom I was having a hard time.(she has been very supportive in the past when I had postpartum depression) He looked at me like I was crazy (which I kinda am)and said of course not!


When I told him I love blogging but worry my mood will show through he suggested I give it a break. And definitely~Don't post about being depressed!


So~ this has me thinking here. Why is it so shameful to admit we are struggling with something? To admit not only am I not perfect, but I am far from it?



If you read other people's blogs, I am sure you have read this quote~President Gordon B. Hinkley: "You will have significant experiences. I hope that you will write them down and keep a record of them, that you will read them from time to time and refresh your memory of these meaningful, significant things. Some of them may be funny. Some may be of significance only to you. Some of them may be sacred and quietly beautiful. Some may build one upon another until they represent a lifetime of special experience."

I agree wholeheatedly with this quote and blogging for me is how I record those memories. I have never been one to keep a diary or journal but blogging for me is kind of like a online journal of our lives.

So do I only write happy thoughts? Do I acknowledge the struggles? Do I look back on these hard times and see how far I have come?

The other day I had to take this picture of a Halloween project I did that someone wanted to use and email it to them. Tony commented on how if you look at this picture you see my pretty table with the cute picture frame Bailey and Hannah made for me and the scroll work on the clock. He thought it looked so nice and how if someone looked at it like he did they would think wow look how nice that is.Her house must be like that. But ~ they don't see the rest..the mess I just haven't been able to tackle etc..
When you are looking at other people's blogs you just don't get the whole story just a glossy veneer.

But I am me...and I struggle with the good, bad, and very ugly. My blog won't have a glossy veneer because it's not who I am.
So, I have decided to post this because I think OK ~this is where I am at. So what? So what?
No more worrying whether to blog about it~or not!

A Delightful Escape!

I have been going a little buggy here these past few weeks.Tired of summer and feeling a little blue that we won't get a fabulous fall like we did in Utah and Colorado. It hasn't helped me with the fact that our upstairs AC went out again! Well, Tony (and mom!) talked me into going up to the mountains this weekend! We are staying at the Majestic Inn in Payson. Our bishop had recommended it as a quick escape to the mountains that is not a long way to travel!
When we got here I was so disappointed because when we left Gilbert the temp was 112 and I was expecting it to be a lot cooler here. The temp here was 102. What?? Well fortunately after about an hour the winds picked up and the skies turned grey and a nice rainstorm hit! It was fantastic and a added bonus? It lowered the temps to a bearable 85! Excellent!
We swam and then we went outside to the picnic tables. I loved the smell of the pines and the sound of the wind in the trees! Grace went a little wild picking up every pine cone she could find.
It was heavenly and I feel a little better already!
Tomorrow we are going to head up to Woods Canyon Lake for a little fishing and then we are going to do a little exploring. Should be a fun day all around.
I am glad we decided to escape!