3 1/2 Hours

I've been working on "redecorating" my blog (check out my cool buttons - some take you to other pages or links while others are just for labeling purposes).

Maybe next time it'll be faster (because hopefully I'll remember what I'm doing).

I am, however, very happy with the results.

Nice and clean and fresh for a new year.

A bit girly, but that's my life . . . with a little splash of Nate - who's definitely not girly in the least.




Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I may be able to salvage the day and get a couple things done before Nate comes home. Perhaps.

blog list

Favorite Things Party

"Brown papered packages

tied up with string,
these are a few
of my favorite things...."

This was the theme of a brunch at Janae's house this morning (Sista #2)(actually now it has become yesterday - Saturday). We each brought six of our favorite things and then exchanged. Price limit of $5 or less forced creativity. For me, though, it was easy. I knew immediately what everyone in the world needs that's under $5.

Favorite things opened:

Me: sleep mask & Hershey's chocolates
with almonds & toffee (I always have these
in my pantry). Can't sleep and get my REM
without the mask - it's a lifesaver!!!
Had to share the secret.

Sherri: Burt's Bees Strawberry lip gloss.

Michelle: Picture of 3 dresses. She knows the artist
and has a large print of it in her home. Beautiful.

Amy: Scrub brush that holds dish soap.
This is the best one that you get at
Cost Plus World Market.

(everyone's favorite store)

Janae: Make-up bag and Wet N Wild lip liner in 666 color.
Her story of a mad search around Mesa for
666 lip liner was hilarious. But it is a fabulous
color that she and her sistas have been wearing
for years. Guess that secret is out too.

Modeling the Favorite Things...

Amy testing the chocolate and nobody could resist the sleep mask!
(Michelle, Janae, Sherri, and Amy)

Amy trying Sherri's lip gloss

Janae with Michelle's "3 dresses" picture

Michelle doing dishes with
the new brush from Amy

and finally, me, trying out
WetNWild 666 lipliner

So, thank you, Janae, for the great get-together.
Food, fun and friends -- it was great.
Oh, and I absolutely LOVED your new home!
It's beautiful (thanks for the tour).

Why Blog????

I have been reading (and enjoying) blogs since my sisters started - Amy and Megan (sorry, JoDee, but you're just not a blogger with six entries in six months). I've also been pestered (in a good way) quite a bit from the most unlikely of corners -- Megan's sister-in-law (Susan), my brother-in-law (Amy's Jim), and of course, my sisters. JoDee even went so far as to say that I was not allowed to comment on her blog unless I had my own. . . I guess rules were made to be broken because I commented on all her posts (maybe that's why she stopped). So, JoDee -- you can now start blogging again so that, with the grand debut of my blog, I can comment on yours and not feel guilty !

Seriously, though, I did resist a little, not wanting to do everything everyone else was doing, but then I realized I was writing my own blog in my head every time I read the others. The only problem was that my mind-blog would go away just as quickly as it came (I have a bad memory - can't remember a movie I saw two years ago bad). Then, a couple weeks ago, I was reading Kelly's blog and it hit me like a ton of bricks the reason why I felt a pulling inside to blog. Here's what she wrote that caused my mini-epiphany (if any epiphany can be called mini).

It was one of those experiences where you just wonder how and why this event was necessary for my further growth and progression as a human being. How is it possible that this much of my life involves unpleasant human biproducts? And why in the world am I writing about it? I'm writing about it so that someday, when my girls are moms and they have a day with an abundance of yuck and cleaning products they can pull out a leather bound volume of Mom's Blog (Ha!) and know that it happens to everyone.

Leather bound volume of mom's blog. The words stuck with me and I realized what I'd been putting off for so long (knowing I would eventually do) was the perfect answer to an elusive gospel principle that I've been trying to get better at ever since getting married: JOURNALING (is that the word?). So whoever chooses to check in on me every once in a while, be prepared for lots of stories about my crazy little girls who say the darnedest things!

Oh, and congratulations Kelly on being the final straw the broke me down!

The last reason I have decided to start blogging is FAMILY. I have siblings who live in Utah and Iowa and it's hard to keep tabs on them and I'm sure they feel the same. So here's my valiant step forward in the communication department (since I'm not much good on the phone calling thing).

Nate also has an amazing family that lives far away and whom we rarely see -- from Denver to South Carolina to Paris, France. I love Gran who lives in South Carolina and want her to be able to keep up on our family. Nate also has two brothers who live in Denver and Paris and who have the cutest kids ever and I rarely get to see them! So, I'm hoping to convince my sisters-in-law to start something similar so that I can get to know my nieces and nephews better and keep up on their lives and feel like I know them a little better next time I see them.

Megan and Staci .... ready....set....go! Save as Draft