Finally done

We added two extra rooms upstairs in February...of 2008! It took soooo long to paint, but I finally finised Maddy's room today. Since it's all clean and won't stay that way, I hurried and took some pictures. It's nothing spectacular, but it's cute and FINISHED! I'm betting that in a few years, she'll want to redo it, so I didn't want to spend too much time with extravagant painting.

It's strawberry time!

I love it when strawberries are cheap! I don't quite understand why one store has them for 97 cents while another has them for $2.50, but anyhow...

This is a recipe from Paula Dean, you know it can only be good for you! BUT, it was fat free:

Angelfood Cake, Whipped topping mixed with a can of Condensed milk and cream cheese, strawberries and the red gel thingy....Yum! That was last Sunday. Stop drooling!

Got it going on!

I just feel like I've got good things going on with me:

First of all, I've decided to kill myself. I signed up for a Volleyball league here in Queen Creek. We seem to have a pretty good team, but I'm afraid I'm one of the oldest in the whole league. I think we can beat some other teams, but next week, we play the "Sledgehammers" and the "Bruisers", I think one of them is made of ASU Volleyball Alumni! One girl on our team is 17...I could be her mom. I'm usually a setter, and I can feel my poor little fingers aching after setting for a while, wondering why I am putting them through such torture, after all they've gone through in life: cliff hanging as in grabbing a child by the shirt as he/she falls off the shopping cart; opening birthday gifts as in going through 100 twist-ties behind Barbie's butt and shoes and hair; nipple pinching - not my own, that's not my job; twizering endless splinters and recent chin hair -yes, my own-; typing hundreds of words of blogging, facebooking, emailing (it's tough to stay in touch, it's a full-time job) and so forth. If the ball falls at a reachable distance, I'm there. If it's at a reachable distance requiring a dive (a face plant by now), it's not gonna happen! So that's my first activity, and that's our team shirt, since they lamely call us "team 7", we upgraded ourselves to 007, as in so sneaky, you'd never know we are KILLERS!!!!

Second of all, I decided that I want to jeopardize my eyesight! I'm considering Lasik. I'm not there 100% yet. I went for the free eye exam, where they probe your eye, put it asleep, dilate it so big that I had to avoid the freeway on my way home because if I had been pulled over for any reason, I would have ended up in jail for being a druggie: "pupils are large and driver seems under the influence of some sort of recreational drug...but officer, look at the pamphlet on Lasik they gave me, seriously, I'm not lying."

I read so much about it, I feel very informed. It's just that, it's my eyes! I see blurry, I have 20/30 in my left eye and 20/60 in my right, so it's not that bad. Tommy broke my glasses. They tell me I'll have 20/15 afterwards...but, it's my eyes, I need them to be good for me....

And last, but not least, I decided to go through the humiliation of becoming an American Citizen. The citizenship itself is, of course, the greatest gift that can ever be bestowed upon someone (as it is stated in the documents)...but the process is a bit treacherous. After $675 sent to the Immigration services, I went to be fingerprinted. The security guard, who has probably barely finished elementary school, thinks that he has all powers in the world...and he kinda does: if he thinks you can't come in, then you can't come in! I hadn't seen that you weren't allowed to have any electronic devices with you, including cell phones (Heaven forbid you'd find something else to do during your wasted time in their hands). Since I was too honest (it will kill me to be so freaking honest, I tell ya) and told him I had a phone, he suggested not so nicely that I put it back in my car. I didn't have a car, Reed dropped me off. Anyway, he let me take it, but "don't turn it on"...or what????? But, once you step foot in their presence, you become a sheep and suppress all idea of rebellion, only thus increasing their sense of power! I am now studying for my test of citizenship, on May 26th, at 10:15 ("being late will only compromise your application further...but don't be too early either as seating is limited"). Do you know who was President during WWI? Do you know who the Head of the Supreme Court is? When was the Constitution written? Who is the Speaker of the House? Do you, do you , do you? Well, I do :)

Happy Birthday Tomtom!

Another milestone

For sale!

He's turned around, it's time, he's too big to fit in the old carseat, so of course, it's time. BUT, it's hard on me! It is so hard for me to see my babies grow fast. When I had Alex, it didn't seem that hard: I figured he was only my first, and that I would be doing the carseat thing, the diaper thing, even the nursing thing again, and again. But now, Alex is 15 1/2 and my last baby will be 1 next Wednesday, and it's time to close the door on the baby thing (so Reed says anyway). I have this little tiny thing in my heart, not very big, but a little bit there, hurting, wanting to repeat the past over and over again. I was putting the threads of the Infant carseat back to the newborn stage (prepped up for Craigslist) and the little hurt was there. Will I ever do this again, for my grand-babies? What if my daughters-in-law hate me and don't let me be the crazzzy spoiller Gma that I plan to be? What if my kids all move away, far away, like I did? What if, what if, what if? But I must...or Reed will leave me ;)))

Wiener Schnitzel und Spaetzle

This our Easter Dinner. Walmart and Basha's had no more hams or hash brown (for Cheesy potatoes). So I made this.

Spaetzle (sh-pay-t-s-l-ae) is a sort of noodle, very popular in southwest Germany, originating from Stutgart's area.

It takes 4 eggs, 4 cups of flour, 1tbs of salt and 1 cup of water. You mix it together, then push the dought through a colander with big holes (unless you have a Spaetzle maker laying in your house, right!).

The Wiener Schnitzel are breaded pork loin chops.

Always served with a mushroom sauce. Very authentic, very good, very Deutsch!

The Great Phoenix

Reed and I dropped off the kiddos at Grandma's in Surprise on Friday. Then we headed off to our long far away trip, alllll the way downtown Phoenix. We stayed at Hyatt Regency. I hadn't been downtown in a long time, probably close to 10 years and it has changed a lot. They still have the hobos sleeping by the bus stops, but it just looked nice overall. ASU being there makes it even nicer and younger. It was a wonderful little getaway...and I didn't even miss the kiddos!

Here is Elly's room!

Our hotel

The light rail

Reed in the fast elevator

Turn down service, even.

View from the 21st floor...hmm and me in the tripple glass reflection


The Phoenix Museum of History...so glad I wasn't a pioneer!

But some poeple had money in the early century in Phoenix: the Rosson House in Heritage Square (where Bianco Pizzeria doesn't open until 5:00 PM, darn it!)

Preparedness

I have planned on doing a 24 hour emergency bag for a long time; it was part of my procrastination list (along with getting skinny, exercising, never skipping Family Home Evening, always having Family Scripture Study, hmmm, I'll stop before I put myself down more). So we finally did it. I got a few back-packs from Goodwill, supplies from Big lots and so forth. Every 6 months, at the time of General Conference, we'll eat what will expire before next Conference and hopefully replace it. It was hard to get it through the kids that this will NEVER be used (we sure hope so) and that if you stick your favorite doll in the bag, it's like throwing it away. Maddy suggested we put fruits or bread, I suggested her to put Ice Cream too (hmm, yes, I can't help myself and answer a dumb suggestion with a dumber one: there are NO teaching moments in our home, only sarcasm). So there, we're ready for the next snow blizzard or the next hurricane that hit Phoenix: bring it on!

Each bag has an extra assignment: get water, get gas tank, take care of Tommy, get Important Folder

And they are waiting in the laundry room, for the "just in case" time.

New scale

I bought a new scale today. Sam's Club had a great scale that measures your weight, your body fat and your water...and takes the trash out and do the laundry and folds it and puts it away and dream on...but the first part is true. So, of course, I had to try it out and now, I'm crying. Well, no, I knew that it would be different from my old one, and that chances were, the old one was going to be off by a few pounds, because that is how it always is: your old scale is never the one weighing you heavier. It's a well known fact that doctor's scales are always meaner that yours, and that it's never a happy moment to step on a scale anywhere else but in your bathroom, butt nacked, right after you peed, before you eat, drink or even brush your teeth (farting doesn't change a thing, it's air and you can thus abstain...someone had to say it!). But, this super- high- tech-guaranteed- for -175 yrs -of -accurancy -scale is ONLY 2 lbs off, 2 lbs more than my old one, of course, but I can take it, it didn't bring me down! So, now, I have more to lose today than I did an hour ago, BUT, it showed that my body fat is at a healthy place, oh so happy place :) I will only go with my new scale from now on, make it my BFF so that it doesn't piss me off too much and see if we can have a happy and healthy relationship!

Spring Bug

Here are some of my last projects. This is a daybed that I refinished, I didn't take a pix of it before (duh) but it was all oak, plain brown. I got it off Craigslist for $40.00. I just have to put it together, so the "after" picture will come soon. Maman, c'est ton futur lit, ca vous ira, il sera beau assez? This is the upstair's hall, finally finished.

This is towards the play room, that used to be twice as big, but we added a room for Nicky (blue on the picture) and one for Maddy further (not painted yet). Voici a quoi ca ressemble en haut, une fois fini. Reste encore la chambre a Maddou et la porte.

The pantry before (not too horrible, but in need of help still)

The pantry during ...and I see that I haven't taken that Winter sign down yet!

The amazing bag! I had the girls pose next to it to show its size. How can so much crap come out of my pantry??? Love the poses girls, love it!

Et voila, TADAAAAA!

I feel soooo clean, haaaaaaaa! I also cleaned my window, but since to most people it is NOT a great accomplishment, I didn't dare to take pictures. After 4 years in our house, I finally took the screens out and wash the windows. Yeah, I know, gross, but hey, if I have to chose between washing window or watching Oprah, well...