I hope she gets rich and famous

Ranell emailed me the ebay posting this mom did. It is quite funny. I am actually surprised she has time to blog. This is an article about her, on her way to becoming rich and famous.
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/08/28/Features/EBay_listing_a_bid_fo.shtml
Her blog is mom2my6pack.blogspot

Twilight

I am posting this quite a bit after the fact, but nevertheless, it may be news to some. We have started a very fabulous book club here in Boise. Our first meeting was at the lovely home of T.(who may wish to remain anonymous) We discussed "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer. Surprise, surprise we all loved the book and proceeded to cast our favorite actors for the hopefully soon to be produced movie.

T. made some delicious little tarts that we all wanted the recipe for, however she refuses to read my blog, so the said recipe may remain an unsolved mystery.

Second surprise, I didn't take any pictures. I have decided to post a random picture from my small store of existing pictures for any blog post that I don't actually have a picture for. It is quite sad, I know. This is me at the Grotto of the first proposal from "Pride and Prejudice." It is actually Stourhead Estate Gardens in Wiltshire, UK. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-stourhead/

Yes, yes

I went back to my original template after weeks of trying to "find" myself. I have admitted I am not computer savy enough to make my blog look the way I want it.

Does this template make me look thinner?

Babies

Newborn Baby Rhett

It's babies all over the place around here, between baby Deakan and Val's soon to be baby (Tessa?) and my new job at the hospital. I thought I'd share this Celebrity baby name match I whipped up for a baby shower tomorrow. Answers posted in the comments.

Match the Celebrities with their baby's names.

Celebs

A-Courtney Cox
B-Cher
C-Nicholas Cage
D-Erykah Badu
E-Tony Braxton
F-Richard Gere
G-Teri Hatcher
H-Kate Hudson
I-Helen Hunt
J-Gweneth Paltrow
K-Brangelina
L-Sylvester Stalone
M-Demi Moore
N-Jamie Oliver (chef)
O-Kelly Ripa

Babies
1-Seven Sirius
2-Emerson Rose
3-Elijah Blue
4-Shiloh
5-Ryder Russell
6-Coco Riley
7-Moses
8-Rumer Glenn
9-Poppy Honey
10-Sage Moonblood
11-Kal-el
12-Homer James Jigme
13-Joaquin
14-Denim Cole
15-Makena'lei Gordon

Bonus: Which 37-year-old actor just announced that he and his wife are expecting their 5th child. This “Batman” star married a schoolteacher in 1997. Their four other children are Lily 7, Chip 6, Charlie 4, and Finlay 16 months.

My New Job

I applied for a job on a whim, and lo and behold I was hired. I will be taking pictures of newborn babies at the hospital downtown a few mornings a week. I think it will be fun, and maybe help me to save up for another vacation. I'm certain it will be more pleasant than the paper route I did last year. My first day of training is Friday, so hopefully I get to posting the details over the weekend.

I have a very busy and fun week planned. Richard and the guys are going salmon fishing in the ocean for a week, so it is going to be a total girls week. Mom is coming to stay with me and its going to be crafty and girly all week. I am trying to talk Val into borrowing Tiffany's karaoke again. We has such a blast with it at her Birthday late-over. (another time I was having too much fun to take a picture) Maybe some chick flicks, any suggestions? Me, Val and Tiff are going to the Josh Groban concert tomorrow. Sooooo, Excited!!!

August Maven's Tips

Another Maven's has come and gone without me taking any pictures. I have had my camera in my purse for three months now. It really is sad.

Julie – the book "The Parenting Breakthrough" by Merrilee Browne Boyack is great for teaching your kids how to be independent adults

Becca – http://www.yourheart.com/ gives you the skinny on cool, cute shops in Salt Lake City

Mikelle – If you have greasy hair and don't have time to wash it, you can freshen it up by using baby powder (or special hair powder) on the roots to absorb the extra oil

Niki – 1. pouring Coke into your toilet will get rid of hard water stains, 2. adding baking soda OR vinegar to a load of laundry that's gotten that musty smell from sitting in the washer too long and running it through a rinse cycle will take the smell out

Nicole – 1. the book "The Peacegiver" is about forgiveness and is really good, 2. coupons plus rebates from Rite Aid and Walgreens gives you really good deals on cleaning supplies

Shimber – Bed, Bath and Beyond coupons don't expire, so don't throw them away (even if they have expiration dates on them!)

Jennifer – baby shampoo works great to remove eye make-up and WD-40 gets pen off of hard surfaces

Michelle – 1. Monday, August 20, is family day at the fair where there's no smoking or alcohol allowed. Also, you can buy a pass for $15 that includes admission plus all the rides.
2. Paying an extra $10/month on your mortgage helps you pay it off two years sooner.

RaNell – http://www.kidsinmind.com/ is an awesome website for movie ratings. It gives descriptions of what kinds of sex, violence, and/or language is in each movie out there.

Jennifer – baby shampoo works great to remove eye make-up and WD-40 gets pen off of hard surfaces

I'm back on the treadmill!

I'd rather die without back fat, thank you!

After a hideously long hiatus from regular exercise, I'm back on the wagon. My brother Joe agreed to meet me at the gym at 7 in the mornings to work out. I really need to feel that someone is counting on me to let them in to our neighborhood gym. This is why it doesn't work for me to workout with my neighbors. They have their own key ;-)
I have completed a full week of regular exercise and feel a little stiff, but triumphant. The side bonus to this is that my kids are really late sleepers, so when I come home at 8 the house is quiet and I can read my scriptures while I eat my cereal. See how I have maximized my habit development here? Now if I could just figure out how to incorporate flossing to the new routine, I'll be "practically perfect in every way."

June Mavens

Ahh, the wonders of Vinegar!

TOP TIP! Valerie – Freeze leftover soy sauce or other packets for mini ice packs for kids boo – boos. Put left over dryer sheets under car seats for a fresher car experience.

Jennifer – Vinegar removes hard water, disinfects, cleans windows, cleans out naughty mouths and can be used to rewash stale laundry.

Shimber – to keep lettuce fresh put a paper towel in with the lettuce in a Ziploc bag. Fabric softener also gets the onion smell off of hands.

Ranell – Her favorite cleaner for laundry / carpet stains is “Awesome” from the dollar store.

Amber – Put Vicks on the bottom of children’s feet and cover with socks to keep kids from coughing in the night. Also use newspaper for cleaning windows.

Mikelle – Direct Buy, saves you money if you’re building or remodeling.

Becca – Swiffer duster!

Jana – Schedule a private party at Graples and you don’t have to fight for stuff.

Susan – Monster sale at Childrens Place, and 75% off Toys R Us Online.

Julie – Her friends amazing web site http://www.executivehomemaker.com/ & free newspaper rolls for cleaning or packing from Julie.

Which Housewife are you?

This is a fun little quiz. I have taken it 3 times and the questions vary, but I always end up Lynette. I originally took this quiz with 3 other girls. One was a Bree, one a Susan, and one a Gabrielle. We thought about making t shirts, but never were that ambitious. http://abc.go.com/primetime/desperate/quiz/index.html

Four Favorites

I can't sleep tonight, which is good for my blog because I never seem to have time to do fun little ditties like this. So here we go . . .

Four Jobs I've had:
Farm Labor, Potato Harvest (I did this four year in a row, 5 weeks in the fall, all through high school and didn't work the rest of the year) CRAZY, in a sick way.

Nanny in Pacific Palisades California. One 3 year old boy whose mother didn't work and they had a maid. This was the summer before college and when I met Richard.
Travel Agent, thought I would love it. Ended up hating it, as I did all jobs except the best job of "mom."
Loan Processor for Trans coastal Mortgage

Four Movies I watch over and over:

Pride and Prejudice
Princess Bride
Far and Away
The Notebook


Four Places I have Lived:
Fairfield, Montana
Blackfoot, Idaho
Denver, Colorado
Fort Worth, Texas

Four TV shows I watch:

Lost
So You Think You can Dance
Desperate Housewives
The Office

Four Places I've been on Vacation:

Yellowstone National Park, the family vacation, almost every year
Los Angeles, my first real vacation, age 16, Disneyland, Universal Studios, and my first real Broadway play "Phantom."
Lake Tahoe, Valentine's weekend, ski getaway with hubby
England, what more can I say, this was my dream vacation.

Four Favorite Foods:

Soup

Sandwiches

Cookies

Diet Coke (is this technically a food)

Four Websites I visit:

http://www.executivehomemaker.com/
http://www.familyfun.com/
http://www.myfamily.com/
http://www.goodreads.com/

Four Places I'd Rather be right now:

Asleep

Fort Worth at a girls night

At the spa getting a massage, my back is killing me!

At a sleepover at Chatsworth house with my BFF what's her face.

Valerie's Big Day

So my birthday tribute is a few days late, but still heartfelt. My lil' sis just turned 30. She was having a little bit of a hard time during the few weeks previous to the big event. The good news is that on the eve of the big day she was watching a TLC program about a paraplegic, pregnant woman who was on bed rest, flat on her back the whole pregnancy. :-( Suddenly being 30 and gorgeous with 3 1/2 super cool, zany kids, a terrific husband and the home of her dreams, didn't seem that much of a hardship :-) We celebrated the day as the tres sisters with mani/pedi's and lunch out sans kids (of course little Deakan tagged along and was a perfect gentlemen.) Our own Mr. Ross acquired the most wicked chocolate cake I have ever encountered, and we finished the day with a round of Rumicub which the birthday girl fittingly won. Good times, I'm glad I was with her to enjoy it.

One of the reasons I haven't been posting much lately is because I have been out having so much fun. Richard and I went to see Arsenic and Old Lace at the Shakespeare Festival. Didn't think Arsenic was a Shakespeare play? Well you were right ;-) They mix in a few modern plays to lure in the more low brow crowd. I had really wanted to see "The Tempest," but it wouldn't have been Richard's cup of tea. We both really enjoyed Arsenic and even laughed out loud. They did a fabulous job of it, and the venue is just beautiful with the mountains in the background. Before the show started we had a light sprinkling of rain that cooled things down beautifully and made for a pleasant night. If you live near or are ever in Boise please check this out, we can't wait to go again. http://www.idahoshakespeare.org/

American Idol Concert!

Richard surprised me with tickets to the American Idol Concert. It was so much better than I had anticipated. Blake was so, so awesome in such a cool way. Richard and I both agreed that he stole the show. Jordan, Lakisha, and Melinda were very good as well. Chris Richardson was very enjoyable. I liked him better "in person" than on TV. I would totally recommend this concert, and can't wait for Blake's CD to be out. You can check out clips at http://www.poptarts.com/americanidolslivetour/#home