Apparently, I have an award winning personality!!

"Presented to awesome blog owners who keep their readers excited about their posts. Their blog posts are interesting and worth reading and keep their readers looking forward to each and every post."

I'm very confident that this award does NOT describe my blog at all, but HECK I'm not one to turn down, well, almost anything. So thanks again Randi! I"ll cherish it forevah!

I'll pass this honor along to.....

PRP

She was a pioneer in the blogging world here in P-town.

Enjoy your success Kiz-jo.

And this is why traditions are important

I was laughing so hard! Find out why.

Follow me for the recipe.

THE FHE

We love traditions in our family. So we have gotten together with the same people and carved pumpkins and ate homemade doughnuts for the last 4 years.

This year it was going to be kind of our last since every last one of our "friends" have jumped ship and swam over to the next ward. Anyway, since everyone in my household, except for me, is on antibiotics we had to call it off. All in all our annual carve off was a little quiet this year, but the doughnuts were still good (just ask our neighbors).

WE MISSED YOU!

Leaving her unsupervised... could prove to be a big mistake.

Kaden put "bling" on his Jack o Lantern's teeth.

Bandwagons and such

Thanks to Marilyn and her knowledge about Etsy, I took the plunge and made my first purchase this weekend.... (actually it was two) eeeek. Thanks again Marilyn- I'm totally hooked and can't believe it took this long for me to jump on that bandwagon! I'm working on a project and will post a picture if it doesn't look so junky that I'm embarrased to claim it.

Uhhh... and by the way HALLOWEEN is in two days!! I still have some pirate pants to stitch!!!

Burning Question

So if you were putting together a gift basket for a giveaway at The Women's Expo what would you put into it??

Addictions and Confessions

74%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

I got this from Stephanette, so let's see how you rate!!

Par for the course

So, yesterday was just a crummy day. A terrible-horrible-no-good-very bad day. I'm sure you have all had those, right??

Well, what makes it better than a friendly face showing up at your door to bring you a problem solving Carmel Apple Cider??

Nothing. It was awesome!!

That is, until Kaden asked if he could have a sip and then proceeded to place the cup back on the counter, only he missed by a few inches.

That's right.

My lovely trouble-drowning beverage splashed all over the floor after one measley sip.

Back to square one.

Sew Cute!

I couldn't resist the cliche line. So this is what I spent most of my Saturday doing- those "flounce" sleeves were no easy task. It will be so adorable paired with the hat and broomstick I got at Target. Now if only I could find the striped tights I have been searching for...

If Kaden turns out half as cool as Nick, we'll consider our parenting a success!!

What Do You Think?

Have you heard of SB777?

I have been really mulling it over in my mind since I heard about it on Monday night. Mejojac blogged about her concerns on Tuesday and that made me think even more because: "OK. There are people out there who are actually going to have to deal with this, soon." I read the actual document where they change the law, and it made me so sad and shocked .

And then I was talking to Jessica about it this morning as we ran (she hadn't heard about it). And it made me realize that our not-so-conservative Washington State could be following in those Californian footsteps in the not too distant future.

I wonder if lawmakers have thought about the situation this put parents into. There is no way I would feel comfortable sending my child to a school where is this in force, which makes me glad that I have so many friends who are teachers (one of you will establish a charter school for the TC, right???).

Anyway, I'm not one of those moms who gets totally freaked out by a lot of things but this really made me stop and think. It makes me realize how important it is to take every opportunity to teach our children. Once a week church, and FHE are essential- but hopefully I'm teaching Kaden and Brynnlee all day everyday by my actions and the way I live my life.

The Moral of the Story is...

Brooke brings up a great point- canning does have some drawbacks. It is not all fun and games.

I still am fighting the battle with fruit flies, (but I think I may finally have the upper-hand) It gets hot, and its a TON of work. And sometimes you get random surprises, like the jar of pickles Jeremy and I discover at his mom's house- they were a little dated. They were from way back in '85- the year I began kindergarten people! Whoa. Therefore, be diligent in rotating.

But even if you are good at rotating accidents can still happen. Just yesterday I was rotating the 06 juice to the front and the 07 to the back a lid "flipped" off. "Weird." I thought. As I was carefully bringing jar to the front I was hoping it hadn't been unsealed too long. Not much luck. It apparently had been fermenting a while since it had a generous amount of white mold growing on the top of what looked like purple refrigerated gravy that has turned into a solid mass. The smell was fantastic!!

So, beware- every silver lining is ALWAYS around a dark cloud.

A Weekend to Upstage All Weekends, or at least get mentioned on the blog.

There is something so amazing about picking grapes. If you haven't tried it, call me. I'm going again later this week. I don't know. I guess it brings back memories of that movie "A Walk in the Clouds". I think it is so fun... but then again I only do it for like an hour.

After the fun part of picking grapes came the less interesting part of juicing them. Although juicing grapes is by far the easiest canning, hands down.

Since I was detained in the juice factory Saturday I sent Jeremy to Costco for some clams and 1/2 & 1/2. Guess what our plans for Sunday dinner were (clam chowder). They had their Adidas running pants for a cheap- $19.99. Jeremy surprised me by bringing home a pair for me... Love it. He was probably sick of me borrowing his running pants the last few mornings.

It was a long day. Picking grapes and hanging around the kitchen the rest of Saturday AFTER those darn early morning piano lessons and getting a mere 3 hours of sleep the night before, Jeremy thoughtfully sent me to Kohl's Saturday night. All. By. Myself. It was so nice, and weird. But I got a super adorable sweater, and I'm glad that I have great friends that complimented me on it, because I did have someone ask me on Sunday when I was due. I hate when that happens!

About that 3 hours of sleep. The rouge Relief Society party was so fun! Despite all the crazy karaoke in the background I still managed to have some great conversations and catch up with people I never see, even though we are in the same ward and live 3 minutes away. I guess that's how it goes when your ward is permantly stuck with 600 (+or-) members.

As I meandered out of Nichol's house shortly before 2 am the other Nicole and I had real intentions of going home. BUT you know how it goes when you get into a really great, deep conversation. Needless to say I arrived home about 3:30, and didn't get to bed till almost 4.

But the lack of sleep was totally worth the great conversation! That was my weekend in a nutshell. Like you care, but hey I may publish this as my family history and I wouldn't want to spare my posterity the amazing details of my life!!

Pink Projects

Recently our good friend Rochelle has been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. This has been a huge shock to our family, to say the least. However, when you see Rochelle's faith and trust in our Heavenly Father's plan for her you can't help but be filled with hope and faith as well. Her determination and positive outlook are amazing!


Danielle emailed me this and I thought I would post it here, just in case any of you haven't gotten it:



There are some fundraising activities for the Bassett in the works. I wanted to give everyone a heads up and see if there some other ideas out there.

1. Coming up on Tuesday, October 23rd from 4-9pm is a Ralle't Design Show. It is the new fall and winter jewelry collection with wholesale pricing. There is 25% off the retail price and 25% donated to the Rochelle Bassett Cancer Fund. There will also be a donation box for thoe who would like to donate straight to the fund. It will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn (701 N. Young St, Kennewick - Off Grandridge, behind Sports Authority). You can visit the website at http://www.ralletjewelry.com/

2. There is plans to have a yard sale....looking at the 1st weekend in December. So for those wanting to go through and get rid of some stuff before Christmas, here's a perfect excuse to get going. More information to come.

3. There is also talk about a scrapbooking night..details to come.

4. Thinking of having a fun run/walk. I have contacted Richland Park n Rec and planning to talk some of the local high school cross country coaches (heads up Giana) and the Three Rivers Road Runners. There are so many people who love to pay to run....... I will try to have some more details about this by the end of the week.


There is also the Rochelle Bassett Cancer Fund account set up at Bank of America if people are wanting to help in another way. You do not need an account number just the name.

Obsessed??

Do you think you have a problem if you start dreaming about The Office? And more importantly, if you start dreaming that YOU are in The Office?

It was a pretty funny episode last night... and the one NBC showed wasn't half bad either.

Me and my VIG Status

Very Important Guest. Yep, that's me.



Last night Jeremy and I loaded the kids up to enjoy our high ranking status in the retail world. Since Jer's brother works for Target, we got invited to friends and family opening of the W. Richland Target.



Which means not only were we lucky enough to shop the store 16 hours earlier than most "regular" customers we sampled Starbucks Smoothies, ate petit fours, got rocking Pharmacy Gift Bags, and even a $10 gift card. Eat your heart out Oscar Hosts, we may not have Prada in our gift bags- but we got a whole lotta Pepsid, Tums, razors, contact solution, and Burts Bees Lipgloss.



Oh yeah, how cool was it to be me last night??

Bad Blogger, Good Person

I feel like I have been the worst at blogging lately. It's not that I'm "over it", believe me I love it. However; I feel like I don't even have a minute to sit and write out a rational thought, much less an entertaining, or uplifting, or at least non-mind mushing blog.

Is it just me?? I read all your blogs and am greatful no one else seems to be lacking in the thinking department- it is my one reprieve. Some read the newspaper, I read the news of the people I love and enjoy.

By the way, I loved conference. I always have, always will. I can't pinpoint a favorite talk- It's just the same for me with scriptures and hymns. (In Relief Society were are supposed to fill out a Q&A about ourselves and mine is filled except for those parts, so I haven't turned it in yet. It's not like I hate hymns or don't read the scriptures. I just can't choose one as "MY FAVORITE" because I feel like its evolving all the time. Some things are more meaningful during certain times of my life than others.) Anyway, back to the original thought I was following.... All the talks had something that was especially for me, and I can't wait to read them next month.

In other news I have gone back to running, and as much as I hate the early morning rising and the cold I love the time I spend with Jessica. I will admit to anyone that I am socially motivated by many things, and running is at the top of the list. Now that we have scaled back to a few days a week and short leisurly runs it has been more enjoyable, less pressure. I'm sure this isn't flowing real well, but I did start out with a disclaimer.

I also canned 67 pints of spaghetti sauce with Jessica this weekend. We started Friday morning and finished about 8pm Saturday night. Unfortunately when I opened a jar for dinner on Sunday it wasn't the glorious experience I had been dreaming of. Don't get me wrong it was ok, but a little disappointing for two days of hard labor... you can't win 'em all.

This week is crazy and as Jeremy kept watching me add stuff to the calendar yesterday he said "Good thing you have the Relief Society Retreat."

Yes, it is a good thing.

Ok. Enough. The End.

The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta 2007

Go Here

to see why I can't bring myself to go to the balloon stuff here in WA. Can you spot the WWJC balloon?? Nothing but sweetness in NM...

And when you are finished with that go here to see my

legacy continued...

Death Notice

It's official. I'm dying and you are all cordially invited to my funeral. It's been going on for over a week and I can't ignore the fact anymore. I just can't.

Everyday Kaden grabs my face and tells me he doesn't want me to die, or go away. It breaks my heart everyday- and so I ask him, EVERYDAY, why he thinks I'm dying.

"Because you are old. You have a line in your forehead, when you do this." (then he scrunches up his nose).

Thank you. More presents, please.

When you are four, Birthday's are a big deal- and that's what makes it so fun!

Kaden's big day consisted of a birthday lunch with dad, at his new favorite- "Eatza Pizza". Kaden opted to take Brynnlee with him, even though Jeremy told him he didn't have to. (I think Jeremy's motives were a little selfish since the first thing he said when he walked back into the house was "Do you know how hard it is to take two kids through the buffet line?")
Hmmm... I can't imagine what that might be like.



For dinner Kaden chose Subway and was so excited to eat his sandwich on the special Birthday Plate. The family came over later for cake and ice cream.


Kaden was so excited about his cake! All day he kept asking if it was time to eat it... He even made me take a ton of pictures as soon as I was finished with it! And blowing out the candles?? Just watch the video below.

Can You Believe This Guy?

He keeps saying,

"I'M SO EXCITED TO BE FOUR!"

Happy Birthday Kadester!