Sunday Quote

Despicable Me

Agnes: "Look at that fluffy unicorn! He's so fluffy I'm gonna die!"

"It's so FLUFFY!!!"

Boxing!

Our camera was stupid so sorry the pictures are wierd.

At my brother-in-law's house he has this boxing-or whatever it's called- punching bag.

Those gloves look huge on her!
G-ma Jackie throwing punches with Christian.

Nayeli...

Some moments you just have to savor...

sometimes you wonder where they got their silly-ness...
and their sense of fashion...

or their organizational skills (must be Topher's side of the fam)...

but you always try to capture each of those moments!

Trouble At The Inn By Dina Donahue

My brother and his wife gave my family a notebook of 24 Days Of Christmas. This notebook has stories and songs leading up to 25 days of Christmas stories. This is one of my favorites.

For many years now, whenever Christmas pageants, are talked about in a certain little town in the Midwest, someone is sure to mention the name of Wallace Purling. Wally's performance in the one annual production of the nativity play has slipped into the realm of legend. But the old-timers who were in the audience that night never tire of recalling exactly what happened.

Wally was nine that year and in the second grade, though he should have been in the fourth. Most people in town knew that he had difficulty in keeping up. He was big and clumsy, slow in movement and mind. Still, Wally was well liked by the other children in his class, all of whom were smaller than he, though the boys had trouble hiding their irritation when Wally would ask to play ball with them, or any game , for that matter in which winning was important.

Most often they'd find a way to keep him out, but Wally would hang around anyway- not sulking, just hoping. He was always a helpful boy, a willing and smiling one, and the natural protector of the underdog. Sometimes if the older boys chased the younger ones away, it would always be Wally who'd say, "Can't they stay? They're no bother."

Wally fancied the idea of being a shepherd with a flute in the Christmas pageant that year, but the play's director, Miss Lumbard, had assigned him to a more important role. After all, she reasoned, the Innkeeper did not have too many lines and Wally's size would make his refusal of lodging to Joseph more forceful.

And so it happened that the usual large, partisan audience gathered for the town's yearly extravaganza of beards, crowns, halos, and a whole stage full of squeaky voices. No one on stage or off was more caught up in the magic of the night than Wallace Purling. They said later that he stood in the wings and watched the performance with such fascination that from time to time Miss Lumbard had to make sure he didn't wander on stage before his cue.

Then the time came when Joseph appeared, slowly, tenderly guiding Mary to the door of the inn. Joseph knocked hard on the wooden door set into the painted backdrop. Wally, the innkeeper, was there, waiting.

"What do you want?" Wally said, swinging the door open with a brusque gesture.

"We seek lodging."

"Seek it elsewhere." Wally looked straight ahead but spoke vigorously. "The inn is filled."

"Sir, we have asked everywhere in vain. We have traveled far and are very weary."

"There is no room in this inn for you." Wally looked properly stern.

"Please, good innkeeper, this is my wife, Mary. She is heavy with child and needs a place to rest. Surely you must have some small corner for her. She is so tired."

Now, for the first time, the Innkeeper relaxed his still stance and looked down at Mary. With that, there was a long pause, long enough to make the audience a bit tense with embarassment.

"No! Be gone!" The prompter whispered from the wings.

"No!" Wally repeated automatically. "Be gone!"

Joseph sadly placed his arm around Mary and Mary laid her head upin her husband's shoulder and the two of them started to move away. The Innkeeper did not return inside his inn, however. Wally stood there in the doorway, watching the forlorn couple. His mouth was open, his brow creased with concern, his eyes filling unmistakably with tears.

And suddenly this Christmas pageant became different from all the others.

"Don't go, Joseph," Wally called out. " Bring Mary back." And Wallace Purling's face grew into a bright smile. "You can have my room."

Some people in town thought that the pageant had been ruined. Yet there were others- many, many others- who considered it the most Christmas of all Christmas pageants they had ever seen.

Cake

Check out my Brother-in-law's cake I made on my cakes blog!

If you ever need the link it's under THE WORKS on the left hand side of this blog-

Jazz N' Cakes

Arizona at Sunset

Arizona may be hot, dry and brown but you can't deny the beauty of our sunrises or sunsets.

I love it!

2010 Ornaments

My parents had this tradition to give ornaments on Christmas day that kinda represented us kids and these ornaments were given to us for when we married/moved so we'd have ornaments for our own trees. Now I did that for the first few years- last year I believe I forgot to or something, I don't recall doing anything. Anyway- as I went shopping this past week at Walmart they had advertised these foam ornaments that people could make. I thought it'd be a great idea to do it with the kids and Daddy.

Ironically when we got home that day I didn't feel like waiting for my hubby, or dealing with kids at the moment so I just did them. LOL I know I should have waited! But here they be-

I like yellow so I got that, Christian and Daddy like the color green, and Nayeli doesn't understand favorites just yet so I gave her red no matter how much I wanted to give her yellow. LOL

Sunday Quote

O Holy Night

by Josh Groban

I know Josh Groban wasn't the first to sing this nor do I like his version better than hearing my father sing it. However, some versions of "O Holy Night" may be different and I don't have sheet music to compare so I looked Josh Groban's and since Christmas is offically less than a week away this is today's quote:

O holy night!

The stars are brightly shining.

It is the night

Of the dear Savior's birth!

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

Till he appear'd and the soul felt His worth.

A thrill of hope

The weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks

A new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees,

Oh hear the angel voices;

Oh night divine,

Oh night when Christ was born,

Oh night divine, Oh night , Oh night divine.

Chains shall He break

For the slave is our brother,

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy

In grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord, let ever ever praise Thee

Noël, Noël

Oh night, Oh night divine,

Noël, Noël

Oh night, Oh night divine.Noël, Noël

Oh, Oh night, Oh night divine

In case I don't see you- good afternoon, good evening and Merry Christmas!!

Cats

Now I may not like cats for the very fact that they make me red-eyed, sniffly and asthmatic but I still like to watch them like this:

This is Attila the Kitten- Surprised Kitty.


Static Cat vs Balloon


Hip Hop Kitty

Jan 3rd

Christian is officially registered for school and will start preschool Jan 3rd.

He even got to meet Ms Andi, his teacher.

We- Nayeli, Christian and I- went into the school and as we stepped up to the office counter, Ms Andi stepped in the the hall where we were. Heavenly Father plans down to the wire!!! LOL As I got the rest of the paperwork settled for the school, Ms Andi asked if Christian wanted to see the classroom. Surprisingly he let go of my hand and grabbed hers without complaint and followed her to the room.

As I watch him walking down the hallway, all I could think is my son is growing up. I didn't tear up, thankfully, but I knew they'd be right back. On his first day though I don't know how I'll do, I may need Chris for that.

When they returned I could hear Christian's protests from down the hall. I groaned, thinking- what happened now? He wanted to stay and play in the classroom. Yay-ish! He also seemed to like Ms Andi too so big pluses. He may not be like this when school starts, especially when a schedule is placed, but that is the point of this. Christian needs more structure with people who know how to do it.

YAY He's in school!

Barking Mad

So Chris and I were watching "World's Dumbest" and they showed this video of an old couple telling details of mad dogs. The old man's impression of the dogs are HILARIOUS!!!!!!

That'll Be 2!

I grab Nayeli to put her down for a nap. She yells and kicks as I carry her to the half-way point up the stairs. I strip her of her jeans to change her diaper.
She says, "Mommy, baffroom!"
I look at her, thinking she just wants to stay up longer but I'll let her if she'll stop her whining.
I say, "You need to go potty Ellie?"
She says, "Yeth." She has a very cute lisp.
"Okay," I say, "Let's go potty!"
I pull off her diaper and she climbs the rest of the stairs and walks over to the bathroom. I set her on the toilet, still thinking she'll sit there for some odd minutes and I'll put her to bed. Minutes later though she didn't go #1 but #2! I'll allow it!!
After she went, I made sure she was clean and she went to bed without a fuss. My little girl is growing up. Soon Nayeli will be out of diapers and that'll be two out of two kids out of diapers.
"Hee hee hee!!!" I say.

FOR SISTERS!

I couldn't resist putting it on here.



I love my sisters!!! And my sisters-in-law!!!

Sunday Quote

White Christmas

with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye

"If you're worried and you can't sleep,

Just count your blessings instead of sheep,

Then you'll fall asleep

Counting your blessings."

Sunday Quote

This comes from my favorite Christmas Carol movies- "The Muppet Christmas Carol". One of my favorite characters is the Ghost Of Christmas Present in the movie and when you first meet him he's filled up half the room-

Mr. Scrooge says: You're a little absent-minded, Spirit.

Present: No, I'm a large absent-minded spirit.

I love the Muppets!

Did You Know?

Did you know that the beloved Luke Skywalker from Star Wars was the voice for the Joker in the 90's cartoon Batman? I didn't until today. I was going through pictures of cartoons I watched as a child and I suddenly wondered who did the voice of Batman from when I was a kid. As I scrolled down the list of actors/crew for Batman I found Mark Hamill was the Joker. And I thought, "No...it couldn't be...could it?" Low and behold...



...it IS!!!!

Sunday Quote

Time to bring in the Christmas spirit. And for this quote I won't need to tell you where it came from.

"Silent night, holy night

Son of God, love's pure light

Radiant beams from Thy holy face

With the dawn of redeeming grace

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth"

Another Cake

I made another fondant cake!

Check it out and tell me what you think!

http://jazzncakes.blogspot.com/

Happy Thanksgiving ya'll!!!!!!!!!

Sunday Quote

In honor of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows I have to give this quote. This is from the movie, I haven't read the book, ironically enough, so I don't know if this is in there.

Fleur Delacour: "Don't look at me Bill, I'm hideous!"

The movie was very good! I think. I've heard that the book was very dark compared to the movie. I'm glad that the writer(s) were able to put in some good comic relief into this movie otherwise I'd be depressed the whole time. And I don't like a movie that depresses me.

That's all I'm saying about the movie I'm not giving any more away.

I Get Daddy!

This past Tuesday or Wednesday night I was fed up with Christian not going #2 in the toilet when he'd go when he would go #1. So we played the last card we had. After a bath I dried Christian off sat him on the toilet and said that he couldn't have Daddy or go to bed till he went #2 in the toilet. After an hour of me reading a book and Christian bawling I finally kept asking him why he wouldn't, or what was he afraid of, and telling him it was okay. After some minutes of that he told me he needed to go #2 but I needed to hold on to him. For all the crying that he did I didn't see a reason why I couldn't as long as he went.

He went.

As soon as he finished his face brightened and he said, "Now I get Daddy!"

Daddy was there and said, "Yes you do Christian!"

Chris, despite already putting Nayeli to bed already that night, took his son into Christian's room for bed. Christian still went #2 in his pull-up the next morning but I slept in so that was partly my bad. But Christian has gone #2 in the toilet since that night. YAY!

I only hope that with Chris going back to work this next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday or the Preschool won't make him backflip into going #1 and 2 in his underwear. For the next couple days I think I'll be giving candy or gum to Christian if he keeps this up!

Phineas and Ferb

Okay so I had to show you these songs from Phineas and Ferb. The writers of these shows are awesome! Both in song and out.
Now there's this evil doctor called Dr Doofensmirtz (I think that's how it's spelled) and his nemesis is Phineas and Ferb's "pet"- a platypus named Perry. Though the doctor is supposedly evil he's really not that bad.



This song is probably the first I heard from Phineas and Ferb and I liked the show since. The boys are trying to get a band together for their parents anniversary- because of the band their parents met at a concert.



These are just a couple by the way. :D

Bitter Sweet

Christian has finished his evaluations for preschool and he has qualified for Developemental Delay Services. It is not severe, thankfully, but we agree with the teachers that he will need more attention from teachers for a time.

Today he was great at first; answering questions to the best of his ability, playing, and acting on the teachers instructions. However as the morning went on he become the closed off child we see at home. Even cheesy Goldfish did not help nor did our leaving the room.

Throughout the time that I watched him start to close off from the teachers I have to admit my heart fell with each obstinate "no" he gave them. But in this way the teachers saw what we worry about and hopefully soon he'll be in school to fix that. We are happy that he will have the free preschool but we're saddened that Christian had acted in the way he did.

We will soon have the full report sent to us via mail and we'll soon receive a call from the district to get him settled through paperwork. We'll most likely have to drive him to the school at first then maybe the bus will come later. Depending on how things go Christian may start school before Christmas or start in January, so far its up in the air. We will let you know when we do.

Thank you for all of your support of our family. We love you all!

Sunday Quote

I hope I haven't repeated a movie yet but I thought about this movie for some reason yesterday and I thought of this quote from "Scared Stiff."

"My best friend kissing my best wife, my wife."

Makes me wonder if that was a mistake but ended up adding it in the end or if they wrote it in. Personally I hope that it was a mistake and added it to the script. Hee hee hee!

Football Bag

I doubt you could see the little bag I made for Nayeli for Halloween and I finally transferred the picture from my phone to the computer. I made this out of a $5 football, cut a strip out and put straps on to complete Ellie's costume.

By the way if you want to see the Sprinkled Decoration got to my Cakes blog.

My Nephew's B-day Cake

So my oldest sister asked me months ago if I could make a cake for her son's 8th birthday. His 8th birthday is also when he's getting baptized. When she asked me she told me that she and her son came across the show "Cake Boss." Her son was intrigued by the idea that people could make buildings/people/things from cakes or food. She asked him if he could have a cake like that what would he like and he said, "The Temple."

Considering I have made certain cakes before my sister asked me if I could make it. This past week I had gotten ready to make the cake and have finally finished a little more than 13 hours left till the Baptism.

All I can say is my praying paid off.

Check my cake blog for pix.

http://jazzncakes.blogspot.com/

Ouch!

Thursday Ellie took a tumble at Grandma's house while playing. She rolled/ jumped off the couch resulting in a small but bloody lip. Hopefully she won't end up with the same scar my does- but wouldn't it be appropriate if she did? *Sigh* Kids!

Oh and get this- despite her tumble she acted like a monkey throughout the rest of the day like it never happened. I swear that kid will end up bruised and bloody from all the chances she takes. And again I say *Sigh* Kids!

Sunday Quote

First of all - Happy 400th Blog Post! Yippee!

I've posted 400 posts since I've started. It's not huge or nothing but to me it's cool. Hee hee!

Anyway,

on to the Sunday Quote. Lately we have become fans of the Disney show Phineas and Ferb. And to support that fan-ness Chris bought a few DVDs. On one of the episodes they're having this chariot race and they have a few pairs of people to drive them. There is this one pair a bully like kid and a high-pitched Indian kid who drove one chariot.

Bully says to the Indian kid: You're going down!

Indian kid says: But we're on the same team!

Bully says: Then you're going down with me!

Chris wanted me to put this on here. It's a lot funnier in the show but I hope you get a laugh from it anyway. The show Phineas and Ferb is fun for both kids and adults. At least we think so.

Author Advice

First of all I have to say that I am sort of a fan of P.C. Cast. She has written and in the process of writing a series called The House Of Night. This series is about vampires and fledglings that do not grow fangs but end up having a cresent in the middle of their foreheads and meaningful tattoos to complete them. Her writing is very worldly with cuss words and the like but besides that I like the way she writes this vampire series. Because I like new views of vampire characters.

Anyway I was looking at her blog and I noticed she had a link called "Author Advice." Curious, I clicked on it and it led me to advice for aspiring authors. She is blunt and she has me thinking about how these qualities that an author should have, to the ones that I lack or have myself. So far her words have not derailed me but actually made me more determined despite my lack of backbone to criticism. I pray that I will read what she suggests and push forward in the direction of an author.

P. C. CAST’S ADVICE ON BEING AN AUTHOR

1. If you want to be a professional author you need to approach the career like you would any other job. RESEARCH THE WRITING PROFESSION. You can begin by reading: BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lamott, HOW TO GET HAPPILY PUBLISHED by Judith Appelbaum, THE WRITERS MARKET, and THE AGENTS MARKET. Ignore the romanticized idea that says being an author is something magical and mystical – that you lay around, waiting for your Muse to whisper in your ear, or for your dreams to coalesce, and then you’re simply the vessel through which all the stories flow. Ugh. Being an author is a job. Writing is work. Period.

2. Speaking of work – please remember that whatever you write represents you. No one is going to correct your errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. That’s not an editor’s job. Your editor is there to guide you into honing an already well written manuscript into the best work it can possibly be, and not to be a remedial writing coach. You need to work on the mechanics of writing and be as perfect as possible BEFORE you submit work to an editor or agent. Spelling counts! Even in emails. Get serious about that or no one will take your writing seriously.

3. What do I do to overcome writer’s block? Answer: I don’t believe in it! Again, writing is a job. When I was teaching there were many days I didn’t particularly feel like showing up at school and teaching 100+ teenagers, but it was my job and I did it (and did it well) whether I felt like it that day or not. That’s what writing is, too. Some days it’s a pleasure to be an author. Some days it’s hard as hell. Actually, most days it’s hard as hell. But I write whether it’s a breeze or whether it’s sloughing through mud, and so will you if you’re a real author.

4. How do I get inspired to write? Again, it's my job. I have contracts and bills to pay. It's what I do for a living. Yes, I love creating worlds and telling stories. I believe people are happiest doing what they're passionate about - and I'm passionate about storytelling. That doesn't mean it comes easily. I've found inspiration is part research, part imagination, and part good old fashioned work. If you're continually coming to a dead end in your work, perhaps you need to tell a different story. Or perhaps writing isn't for you. I wanted to be a veterinarian, but when I got serious about the career I realized I really didn't like dealing with parasites and poop, so even though being a vet seemed like a good idea, it really wasn't the right job for me.

5. Should you ask me (or any other published author) to read your work in progress, idea, summary, essay, poetry, etc.? NO. Okay – here’s the truth: another author can NOT get you published. Agents and editors can. Focus on them. Oh, and regarding allowing tons of people to read your work as you write – my advice is DO NOT. If you need feedback get into a writers’ group, or a creative writing class, both of which you can find by searching the internet. Honestly, if you're so insecure about your writing that you have to be told by others whether you're good enough to write you probably need to look at another career. Professional authors are tough and tenacious. If you manage to get published you need to have a firm backbone and thick skin because it's like putting your child out there for everyone to take potshots at - and, yes, they will blow holes in your baby. So if you don't believe in yourself before you're even published I'd run screaming from attempting writing as a profession.

6. For the record – no, I don’t read unpublished work. First, I can’t read your work and still

have time to write my own. Second, my opinion doesn’t mean anything. I can’t get you published!

7. How can you get published? That’s a question you need to research and work on yourself. See #1 above for more info. Here’s the deal: you wouldn’t walk into a dentist’s office and say, “Hey! I want to be a dentist, so could you tell me how to drill on that guy’s teeth and let me have a whack at him?” Same thing about being an author. I can’t tell you how to do it. I can’t tell you how to write a book. Those are things you need to research and then do for yourself.

8. How do you start writing? JUST WRITE. Sometimes doing an outline helps. Sometimes drawing a chart helps. Sooner or later it all comes down to the writing. There is no magic pill that makes it suddenly happen. Read a lot. Write a lot. That’s all you can do. And is any age too young to start writing? Hell no! I wrote my first book in first grade. It's not about age; it's about talent and drive and tenacity. Teenagers: yes, you can begin trying to get your work published! BUT do your homework first. Know about manuscript format and how a book gets published (by a real publisher, which means you don't pay for it - they pay you). Understand an agent's role in the process. Hone your skills. Then go for it!

9. Go to book signings and buy books signed by someone with a pulse. Don’t ask anything of the author – just go. It builds up good Karma and it helps support the career to which you aspire.

10. Don’t ever download a pirated copy of any book. It’s stealing from an author and her publisher. Yes. It’s seriously bad Karma, whether you ever want to be published or not. If you can't afford to buy a book visit your public library.

So, in summary: writing is a job like any other. Educate yourself about it. No, that doesn’t mean you have to be a literature major in college. It means you need to read writers’ resource books and become knowledgeable about how the publishing business works. Yes, it’s a lot to know. Just like in any other job. No, there are no shortcuts to being published. Yes, you have to have a completed, rewritten manuscript – in an acceptable format – before you begin looking for an agent or an editor. No, an “idea” won’t sell unless you’re a celebrity, and then it’ll be ghost written anyway, and that’s a whole other issue. Oh, and be careful of Karma...

I wish you much luck in your quest!

PC

Disney on Acoustic Guitar

I was looking up some sitar music for research on my book and somehow it led to Disney songs on acoustic guitar which ultimately brought me to "Beauty and the Beast"- one of my favorite songs and Disney movie. After listening to this man play it on his guitar the song has captured my heart again. I hope it does the same for you.



For "The Little Mermaid" fans here's a man playing "Part of Your World"



For "Aladdin" Fans- "A Whole Knew World"



And last but not least- "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"

Sunday Quote

As some know I'm working on a book. These quotes are from what I'm writing.

" 'What if I could believe you?' I asked suddenly, unsure of where it came from.

'Then you and I would have a connection beyond anything you could imagine. We’d be inseparable.' "

So far I'm only on Chapter 4. I just hope it turns out to be as good as can be when I'm done.

Halloween Nights October 29th & 30th!

I'm sorry if any of these are repeats from my sister's blog.

So on Friday the 29th we went to my sister's Trunk 'R Treat all dressed up in our Halloween costumes. Christian was Anikin Skywalker (sorry if I spell it wrong) with a Darth Vader bucket. I was yes, you guessed it, a vampire but hey I'm a good vamp and I hadn't been one in a few years. Nayeli was a Green Bay Packers Cheerleader with a homemade football bag/purse/bucket.

Trick or Treating at the Trunk 'R Treat. Christian quickly learned to say "Trick or Treat" and held out the bucket by himself. He did sooooo good that night! I was so happy!
After we were done we met Chris at my sister's house and ate some candy and cheesey popcorn. YUM!

Yes I had a wig on though you couldn't see it in the first picture. Oh well.

October 30th
Chris and I were invited to join the cast of a haunted house. In this house people were warned not to keep going or they would run into Bubbles the Clown. I forget the whole story I'm sorry. Forgive me. Anyway we had a blast being part of it- here are some pix.

Chris and me.

Some of the "cast" of the haunted house.

L-R: Me, Chris, my sister Lindsey(in front), Ammon's brother Landon (was Bubbles), Lindsey's hubby Ammon, and Landon's wife Katie.

More A B C's

A video for you. We got the Leapfrog video The Letter Factory and they kinda sing songs for kids to remember how the letters sound. So although it sounds like he's stuttering his B he really isn't I promise.

A B C's

Christian is learning his A, B, C's and writing them too! We're so happy that he's learning them quickly....

But what does it mean when he writes over Mommy like that?

Sunday Quote

Today's quotes comes from "How To Train Your Dragon."

We love this movie! It's totally cute, funny, creative, and witty. If you haven't seen this I recommend you buy it and then watch it! Good Movie! "Thanks for nothing you useless reptile." -Hiccup

"I can't miss! What's wrong buddy? Got somethin' in your eye?" -Snotlout

Assessment

I wasn't going to mention this until there was more info but here ya go anyway.

This last Thursday, October 21st Chris and I took Christian to get the assessment done. He did fine for most of their tests but they're concerned with....big surprise- communicative and social. Which in Christian's case we've known this fact. So we have another appointment on November 17th and Chris has that week off so he'll be able to go then too. This appointment will be focused on those two problems and we'll see if he "qualifies" for free preschool.

Sunday Quote

Today's quote is from the 1949 version of 'Little Women'.

Professor Bhaer:

"But then you will not be here. I will not see you. Whom will I go to the opera with? Who will sew on my buttons...when you are gone?"..."You will write, but...Go, Josephine, go back to your home and write your stories as you can write them. And maybe someday, I will see you there, in your home."

The sentence in red is my favorite little snip in this but I also wanted to add in the part about Prof. Bhaer's support for Josephine; to write what she feels in her heart and do so the way only she can write them. Considering I'm hoping to do the same it's nice to feel the same message is being said to me.

As it is, I was debating on working on my stories and my cousin said I had potential and I should work on them. Despite the encouragement I said, "You say I have potential, yet you have not read anything I have written. LOL."

She wrote this to inspire me further,

"Honey - as much as i have seen you say just on the forums and as well-written as you are when there is no real requirement for it - to see some of the literary exercises you have done here online - and all the books you mention when you've... completed them and discussions you've had about them - brief correspondence regarding a storyline you were considering - and also remembering the imagination and inquisitiveness you had when i had the chance to visit your family on Christmases long gone by - these are all qualities of a writer.

"I also seem to recall once or twice a mention of familial pride in the accomplishments you had in high school - or was it jr high? can't remember - knowing you it's probably both. I don't need to read any specific work - these are qualities a lot of artists and writers share. Just seeing the glimpse of what i see of you here is sufficient - to me i see potential there - whether you tap it or not is up to you. There are many aspiring writers, however in comparison, there are very few who actually write. I'm wanting to encourage you. If this is a dream you have and are serious about, I for one, would like to see it realized."

Now my debate is which story do I want to finish first. LOL

Atomic Tom

These poor guys. It was on Yahoo! that I found this article of this band- Atomic Tom -whose instruments were stolen. Thankfully through today's technology the have come up with a new way to still sing and play.

Wild Target

I want to see this movie!

Sunday Quote

From Cyrano de Bergerac the 1950's version.
I don't know why I like this line so much. But I like a lot of the lines and Jose Ferrer does so well.
"Blessed above all others be the hour when you remembered to rememeber me, and came to tell me...what?"
How could Roxanne not know?

Another of my favorite quotes is the "nose" monologue in the theatre. Despite Cyrano's dislike of his nose, he doesn't hide and meets his dislike in the face. No pun intended.

The monologue starts around 2 minutes into it.

Scheduled & Bonded

Oh I am such a DORK!!! I forgot to mention that this last Thursday, my sister came over and watched Nayeli at my house while Christian and I went to get him scheduled for assessment to see if he has certain needs for preschool. When we got there I had no idea where I was supposed to go. And Heavenly Father knew it cuz after staring at the buildings signs for a minute a lady came from behind me and asked if I was looking for the preschool.

I said, "Yeah, well sort of. I have this application..."

She said, "Oh, well that's me you need to see. Follow me."

Now if that isn't God-given then what are the odds? Very slim, I say.

Anyway, he is scheduled on October 21st at 9:30am. I kinda hope that Chris will be there with we go to support Christian together. However, bringing Chris may also put Christian into a shy state. Which, if anyone has seen Christian with me and then Christian with Daddy, well, let's just say he's not so clingy to me. So on that account we'll have to play it by ear.

After we scheduled Christian and I went home, I dropped him off and left my sister with both my kids and headed over to my brother's house to see, for the first time with my own eyes, our new niece- Evelyn Reed. She had been born, I believe, 2 weeks ago at this point. I would have seen her in the hospital but the morning that I planned to go Evelyn was taken to a different hospital for breathing problems and I was detained otherwise. Thankfully with all the prayers and blessings, Evey has been taken home since then. And since kids are prone to sickness Evey has only been visited by the adults in the family to keep her safe.

When I got there Evelyn was waking...slowly, but she was. I was able to hold her, feed her and cuddle with her. This little girl is SUCH a snuggler! I SOOOOOOOOOO miss that. Nayeli gives me good hugs but snuggling? Naw. When my hour was up, I didn't want to leave but my own kids awaited their own stomaches to be filled.

Don't think this will gear me toward having another baby soon, unless He says otherwise, so don't ask. I'm content with our kids at the moment and loving the nieces and nephews we get. :)

Slow Cooking Surprises!

Again on Yahoo! I come across this-

When you think of your slow cooker, these foods most likely immediately come to mind: roasts, chilis, soups, stews, dips, and fall-off-the-bone meat. A slow cooker is a foodie's dream come true, as you can infuse a medley of flavors and deliciousness into a meal just by leaving the Crock-Pot on all day while you're at work or chasing after the kids.
Then when you're getting ready for dinner, all you have to do is open the lid, stir in a couple more fresh ingredients, and serve. Imagine enjoying a meal that was able to simmer for eight full hours, bringing out all the flavors and/or tenderizing the meat so you don't even need a knife to cut it.
But there's one thing you probably would never even consider using your slow cooker for.
Desserts.
Stop gagging. It can be done deliciously. Here are 10 of our favorite slow-cooked desserts. As your mom always used to tell you: Try it! You'll like it!

Rocky Road Chocolate Cake: Heaven on a plate. Mark my words, people will be begging you for this Southern Living recipe. It's perfect for those long winter nights when you need your chocolate fix. Moist and gooey, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and you'll be a slow-cooked dessert convert in no time.

Pumpkin Pie Pudding: Whip up this slow-cooked version of a pumpkin pie; you definitely won't be disappointed. All the sweet flavors of fall will be pouring out of your slow cooker with this recipe from AllRecipes.com. You could make this for dessert for your Thanksgiving meal, letting it cook in the Crock-Pot while you get everything else ready. You'll love not having to use your oven to cook your dessert!

Slow Cooked Winter Bread Pudding with Dried Pears: This dessert from the Food Network is a mouthwatering twist on classic bread pudding. It's so good because it's got whiskey in it. Indulging in some warm bread pudding straight out of the slow cooker topped with yogurt or ice cream sounds perfect for the cooler months.

.......

If you want to see more tasty options and the recipes that are above go to this website-

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/slow-cooking-surprises-10-warm-gooey-wonderful-desserts-in-a-pot-2397634/

And despite the fact that I'm back on the 6 Week Body Makeover again, I WILL eventually try this. Afterall...Thanksgiving is coming up. Hee hee hee!

Johnny Depp Surprise!

Saw this on Yahoo! and couldn't help share 1) cuz it's freakin' awesome and 2) Johnny Depp has moved up on my scale of genuinely good actors.

Beatrice, a 9-year-old student at a school in London's Greenwich neighborhood, wrote a letter to Captain Jack Sparrow, the character made famous by Johnny Depp in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie series. The letter made its way to Depp -- who's in England at the moment, shooting the fourth film in the franchise, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" -- and he made a surprise visit to Beatrice's school, according to BBC News.
A 2-minute clip of his in-character visit (below) has made it to the Internet, but reportedly he spent 15 minutes in all with Beatrice and her classmates. And though the reason for Beatrice's letter was to seek Captain Jack's advice on staging a mutiny against her teachers, Captain Jack went against his renegade principles, diplomatically recommending to Beatrice that a mutiny would probably get her into trouble.
Here's a glimpse of the event, captured by what seems to be a cell phone camera.

We Got Hailed!

Okay normally I wouldn't blog about this, but this was BIG!

Lindsey, my sister, txted me this morning to go to the playplace at the Fiesta Mall since she was already out there. I didn't have a problem with it, especially since our kids never go to the Fiesta Mall. So I get ready, get the kids fed and ready and out the door by 10:30am. I get there a little before 11 at the playplace and all the kids are playing. La-dee-da!

After awhile we feel it's time to go eat and go upstairs to the food court. We got some yummy food from Maggie's Pita Palace. The kids were hard to feed, cuz Christian was in a bad mood, Ellie would get bitter (I realized she needed a drink, so she was better than Christian to persuade), and poor Lindsey forgot Kaleb's (her son) sippy cup and he didn't like the straw. :(

Anyway, another reason why Lindsey invited me this morning was to drop off the paperwork to get Christian's assessment scheduled and done. So after lunch we head downstairs to get to our cars.

Low and behold, it was raining! I didn't think that would happen today but it did. So we rushed to our cars as fast as our kids would let us. In the rush I forgot the extra food box on the roof of the car. Luckily I remembered before I left the Mall streets before the highway. *Phew*

Linds and I both get on the freeway and get onto Gilbert and headed to Elliot. I'd say somewhere between Baseline and Guadalupe it started raining and I lost my phone to gravity under my seat. I had groaned internally with the thought of running into the rain, since I straightened my hair this morning, just to drop off paperwork.

Not long after it started to hail. They were little, as big as rain drop and falling just as frequently. Around Elliot Rd when Lindsey called and I said we should call off this drop-off for a different day. Right before I make a U-turn the wind was blowing feriously. Hail started falling in bigger clumps; the size of bottlecaps, and rain pelted our cars enough for fear that our windows would crack or shatter. There was also debris: branches, rocks, leaves, etc. The rain and wind were so incredible that I could barely see in front of the car. After a few streets I noticed the van Lindsey was driving and followed her down a street and into a parking lot to wait out the mircoburst. I called and talked to Lindsey while we waited and didn't have to wait too long before it passed to the north. My kids weren't screaming but they were nervous as I was. But poor Kaleb screamed.

At that point we could've taken the paperwork over, but Kaleb needed a nap and I could do it another day. So we went home and thankfully we are home and safe.

This video is from Lindsey's phone. You can't see a whole lot but you can hear the hail all too well. Oh and imagine what you're seeing as a sheer gray cover, barely seeing the road ahead and the hail, rain and/or wind shoving the vehicle a bit-THAT woud be the worst of it.

Sunday Quote

My mother, sister and I watched "Princess Diaries 2" last night and couldn't help but want to post a quote from it.

Nicholas: Rapunzel, Rapunzel, with hair so fine. Come out your window, come down the vine.

Mia: The feat you ask, dear sir, isn't easy. And I won't respond to that line, it's far too cheesy.

Mia's line is the one I liked but I had to add Nicholas's line so that you'd know where in the movie to find this quote.

And to my dear niece whom was named after such a princess, Mia, I hope you are this cheesy when you grow up. ;-) Love ya!

Not So Punishing Punishment

You know how I said Christian went #2 in the toilet awhile back? Well, that no longer applies...and apparently neither does the shower punishment. Christian has put on a brave face and has been taking showers for the past week. And poor Nayeli is enduring it with some cries, but whatever gets them out sooner I suppose we'll endure. Although with showers every night I'm sure she'll get used to it too.

Now we're back to square one with Christian's #2 problem.

LOL I doubt on a list GOING #2 is not Christian's second problem, but maybe it is.

Clairaudio

Because I was bored, I did this quiz on Facebook. It's called- "What's your sixth sense?" I didn't know what I was expecting when I finished it but the answer, I liked, and I do think it's me. Or at least it's intriguing. What do you think?

What's Your Sixth Sense? - Clairaudio
Result: Clairaudio
Sound is your sixth sense. You're probably not surprised since you might be found rockin' a pair of headphones at anytime. So how does this relate to your inner voice? A person gifted with clairaudio (clear hearing) is someone very in-tune with sound...s. Often a clairaudio "hears" their inner voice or gut feeling. For example, if you were about to do something you might regret (like, hooking up with your best friend's sweetie), you might hear a voice telling you to watch out or reevaluate your choice. You might also hear music at odd times or someone speaking even when no one is around (or when you dream). According to some, you might even be able to hear voices when someone is passing or has died. Now, we probably wouldn't advertise the fact that you hear voices, but you have to admit, it's pretty cool...

Sunday Quote

From Star Wars!!!
This isn't the quote but this helped me find THE quote!


Yesterday my family were at the Golden Corral (or however you spell it). And we were discussing Halloween costumes. My sister and her husband are planning on doing Star Wars Theme and thought our fam would like to do the same. But we couldn't figure anything out for me- Jess- in case you didn't know who typed this. LOL Anyway, my sister mentioned I could be a character from amid the backround that wasn't popular or whatever and my brother said, "Yeah, you should be the Storm Trooper that hits his head." And I was like, "What?!" Apparently, I'm the only person in the Reed family not to know about this. SO they told me about it and I bust out laughing, imagining it. So I watched it today and I still busted up laughing because of the *THUNK*. AWESOME! So I found it on YOUTUBE and embeded it. Hope you like and here is the quote from STAR WARS:

"What a wonderful smell you've discovered!"- Han Solo

Sunday Quote

Quotes from "The Stooge."

Ted-Could you ask her to ask me to ask her to marry her, cuz I wanna ask her.

Bill- How 'bout 'For You'?

Ted-For you? How 'bout for me?

Bill- No. What about it?

Ted-How 'bout what?

Bill- 'For You.'

Ted-You said that!

Bill- I know it.

Ted-What about it?

Bill- Sing it!

Ted-Sing what?

Bill- 'For You!'

Ted- I don't know it!

Japanese Precision

This is so awesome!!! And Glenna- maybe you could translate?

Sunday Quote

Since I read the novel "Sense and Sensibility" I thought I'd throw in a few quotes from the book and the movie. First, the book.

Now in the book, Jane Austen made the drama more complex than the movie portrayed. One of those little drama snakes would be an assumed intimite fondness between Colonel Brandon and Elinor. But considering how often Marianne ignored Colonel Brandon and spoke with Elinor it wasn't surprising from an outsiders perspective. Either way it seemed like a private joke. Anyway, the reason I am saying this is at one point both in the movie and in the book Elinor tells Edward of Colonel Brandon giving him a living/house close to the colonel's mansion. Edward being stunned by such a gift compliments the colonel he does not know too well. Elinor does confirm the colonel's generosity to be a man of great worth. The next line confirms a reader of Edward's jealousy of Colonel Brandon and his want for Elinor-

"Edward made no answer; but when she had turned away her head, gave her a look so serious, so earnest, so uncheerful, as seemed to say, that he might hereafter wish the distance between the parsonage and the mansion house much greater."

Now this is from the movie and Alan Rickman played Colonel Brandon very well.

"Give me an occupation Miss Dashwood, or I shall go mad."

9/11

Tuesday, September 11, 2001

I got up that morning for school. Still groggy from my usual lack of sleep and irritable to get up so early. My mother had the news on as usual when we first heard about the first plane crash. The second plane crashed not long after. I don't recall what I did, or heard, from home to school. But I do remember being in a daze watching the news in my first hour sophomore science class. I saw the buildings fall, despite how they said the buildings should last. But the fuel of the airplanes kept the flames alive and melted the thought-to-be-fire-resistant metal which made the buildings collapse. We later found out about the other planes. One sliced through the Pentagon. Another fell before hitting its target- the Capitol or the White House- because there were people that were determined not to be used as a weapon against their own country.

Unarmed civilians, pilots, flight attendents, workers, firemen, policemen- people, acquaintances, co-workers, friends, family were lost. Most unknown individually by the country but still heroes. My heart and prayers go out to them and their loved ones.

I will NOT forget 9/11!!

Dreaming

Found this article through Yahoo! Health and thought it so interesting, I had to share.

Everyone dreams—every single night—and yet we tend to know so little about our dreams. Where do they come from? What do they mean? Can we control them and should we try to interpret them? We spoke to the dream experts to bring you nine surprising facts about dreams. Read before snoozing.
1. Dreaming can help you learn.
If you’re studying for a test or trying to learn a new task, you might consider taking a nap or heading to bed early rather than hovering over a textbook an hour longer. Here’s why: When the brain dreams, it helps you learn and solve problems, say researchers at Harvard Medical School. In a study that appeared in a recent issue of Current Biology, researchers report that dreams are the brain’s way of processing, integrating and understanding new information. To improve the quality of your sleep—and your brain’s ability to learn—avoid noise in the bedroom, such as the TV, which may negatively impact the length and quality of dreams.
2. The most common dream? Your spouse is cheating.
If you’ve ever woken up in a cold sweat after dreaming about your husband’s extramarital escapade with your best friend, you’re not alone, says Lauri Quinn Loewenberg, a dream expert, author and media personality. “The most commonly reported dream is the one where your mate is cheating,” she says. Loewenberg conducted a survey of more than 5,000 people, and found that the infidelity dream is the nightmare that haunts most people—sometimes on a recurring basis. It rarely has anything to do with an actual affair, she explains, but rather the common and universal fear of being wronged or left alone.
3. You can have several—even a dozen—dreams in one night.
It’s not just one dream per night, but rather dozens of them, say experts—you just may not remember them all. “We dream every 90 minutes throughout the night, with each cycle of dreaming being longer than the previous,” explains Loewenberg. “The first dream of the night is about 5 minutes long and the last dream you have before awakening can be 45 minutes to an hour long.” It is estimated that most people have more than 100,000 dreams in a lifetime.
4. You can linger in a dream after waking.
Have you ever woken up from such a beautiful, perfect dream that you wished you could go back to sleep to soak it all up (you know, the dream about George Clooney?)? You can! Just lie still—don’t move a muscle—and you can remain in a semi-dreamlike state for a few minutes. “The best way to remember your dreams is to simply stay put when you wake up,” says Loewenberg. “Remain in the position you woke up in, because that is the position you were dreaming in. When you move your body, you disconnect yourself from the dream you were just in seconds ago.”
5. Even bizarre dreams can be interpreted.
While it can be hard to believe that an oddball dream about your mother, a circus and a snowstorm can have any bearing on real life, there may be symbolism and potential meaning to be mined in every dream—you just have to look for it, says Harvard-trained psychotherapist Jeffrey Sumber. "The meaning of our dreams oftentimes relates to things we are needing to understand about ourselves and the world around us,” he says. Instead of shrugging off strange dreams, think about how they make you feel. “We tend to dismiss these dreams due to the strange components, yet it is the feeling we have in these dreams that matters most,” he explains. “Sometimes the circus and the snowstorm are just fillers that allow us to process the range of emotions we feel about our mother and give us the necessary distraction so we can actually experience that spectrum of emotion.”
6. Recurring dreams may be your mind’s way of telling you something.
Do you have the same nightmare over and over again? Loewenberg suggests looking for underlying messages in recurring dreams so that you can rid yourself of them. For example, a common recurring nightmare people have involves losing or cracking their teeth. For this dream, she recommends that people think about what your teeth and your mouth represent. “To the dreaming mind, your teeth, as well as any part of your mouth, are symbolic of your words,” she says. “Paying attention to your teeth dreams helps you to monitor and improve the way you communicate.”
7. You can control your dreams.
The premise of the new movie Inception is that people can take the reins of their dreams and make them what they want them to be. But it may not just be a Hollywood fantasy. According to the results of a new survey of 3,000 people, dream control, or “lucid dreaming” may be a real thing. In fact, 64.9 percent of participants reported being aware they were dreaming within a dream, and 34 percent said they can sometimes control what happens in their dreams. Taking charge of the content of your dreams isn’t a skill everyone has, but it can be developed, says Kelly Bulkeley, PhD, a dream researcher and visiting scholar at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkley, California. The technique is particularly useful for people who suffer from recurring nightmares, he says. Dr. Bulkeley suggests giving yourself a pep talk of sorts before you go to sleep by saying: “If I have that dream again, I’m going to try to remember that’s it’s only a dream, and be aware of that.” When you learn to be aware that you are dreaming—within a dream—you not only have the power to steer yourself away from the monster and into the arms of Brad Pitt, for instance, but you train your mind to avoid nightmares in the first place. “Lucid dreaming enhances your ability to learn from the dream state,” says Dr. Bulkeley.
8. You don’t have to be asleep to dream.
Turns out, you can dream at your desk at work, in the car, even at your kid’s soccer game. Wakeful dreaming—not to be confused with daydreaming—is real and somewhat easy to do, says Dr. Bulkeley; it just involves tapping into your active imagination. The first step is to think about a recent dream you had (preferably a good one!). “Find a quiet contemplative place and bring a dream that you remember back into your waking awareness and let it unfold,” he says. “Let the dream re-energize.” Wakeful dreaming can be used as a relaxation tool, but Dr. Bulkeley says it can also help your mind process a puzzling dream. “It creates a more fluid interaction between unconscious parts of the mind and wakeful parts of the mind,” he says.

One Giant Leap

Warning: This post contains comments of toilet training, if you can't handle it do not read!

Lately we have been stressing a lot about Christian going #2 in the potty. We thought for awhile that he just needed incentives to go. We bought trains and tracks; when he'd go in the potty he'd get a train or tracks as a reward. If he went poo in his Pull-up we took the trains and tracks back. But he just wouldn't go in the toilet.

This last Friday or Saturday night Chris thought up this experiment to let Christian go poo in his Pull-up while on the toilet- to see if the toilet was the problem. To our surprise, his fear wasn't the toilet in paticular but the entire bathroom. Christian- with his Pull-up on- wanted to squat in his room going poo in there. His daddy convinced him to go behind daddy's back in the bathroom. We thought we'd have to do this for a week at least.

Today, Christian told me he needed to go potty. I didn't think anything of it because he does really well with going #1 whenever he needs. So I'm on my laptop in the kitchen and hear some odd noises from the bathroom, not the kind of sound you'd expect when someone needs to go #1. I was about to ask Christian what he was doing when he yells to me-

"Mommy, I went poopy!"

I practically leaped from the kitchen chair and rushed to the bathroom. In all honesty I would've been happy with just a little #2 but he laid a good deuce. And I screamed in delight, "Christian you did it!!! You will get your trains you've earned and your tracks!" I put his head in my hands and kissed his forehead.

After we cleaned him up, I called Chris up, grabbing Christian's earned trains and tracks along the way.

Chris: Hey!

Me: Hey! You will not guess what Christian just did!

Chris: Did he go poop in the toilet? (Of course, he'd guess right.)

Me: Yes, he did!

Chris: Yay!

Me: Yeah, he told me he was going potty and all I expected was for him to pee and then I hear a plop plop and he screams at me 'Mommy I went poopy!'

Chris: That's awesome!

*I grabbed a cookie for Christian for an extra treat.*

Me: Yeah, so I gave him his trains and tracks for a reward...and a cookie.

Chris: Cool! Well, I have to go...I'm driving.

Me: I know but for this I had to call you. It wasn't something I could tell you by texting!

Chris: Yes thank you for calling me, I'm really happy to hear it. But I'll talk to you later.

Me: Okay, talk to you later. Bye.

Chris: Bye.

Could you tell I was excited? Blogging about it came soon after. LOL Now I don't expect this to be fully formed in Christian's actions and thoughts to go #2 from now on but it is....One Giant Leap for Christian.

SUN!!!

This morning on our way to church, Christian looked out the window and saw the sun and he cried, "Daddy, there's the sun we need to get out of here!"

I laughed and said, "Oh, he must know we're vamps."

Chris laughed too. "Is that what he thinks? It might be because when we're out in the hot sun I always say 'We need to get out of the sun.'"

My poor kids may end up like me- very white. LOL

Tired?

Ellie didn't get an official nap yesterday because I wanted to put her to bed earlier. But she still got those few minutes in when I put in "Care Bears." Chris said she looks so tall in this picture, and I have to agree with him. She is 85% in height afterall.
She didn't sleep long cuz I was stupid and wanted to hold her so I got a blanket and picked her up, set her on my lap and she was grumpily awake in a few minutes. :(

Sunday Quote

"Efficiency is concerned with doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right things."

Peter F. Drucker (1990-).

Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices, 2, 1974, abr., 1977.

Treats!

I have made a brownie cake and cupcakes recently but I am without pictures so-

Hey Lindsey! Can I have the pix you took at Kelli's baby shower of the cakes? Thank you so much!

However I do have pix of a project I did yesterday afternoon. So go to my other blog-

http://jazzncakes.blogspot.com/

Books

So I've read the third book of "The Hunger Games" Series. I was disappointed by how it turned out after I read it, and considering that Suzanne Collins is a fabulous writer, it depressed me. But upon talking to my sister, she told me that maybe the writer wanted it to be more realistic than the usual happy ending. I kinda like that viewpoint but I think I will not be reading this particular book for awhile.

Now I am trying my hand at reading an old classic "Sense and Sensibility". Considering my reading comprehension isn't the best and my vocab of Jane Austin's wordage is hard on my brain, I'm doing pretty well at reading the story. Thankfully I have the movie to help me piece together my understanding better.

Kid Pix

These pix are to brag how cute my kids are. LOL

This is before church.
After church (after I had to take her white tights off for her diaper leaking, yes eww).

After church.

Again after church,

Look, I actually put her hair up!

So cute and ready for the playplace!

Time to see Gma and Gpa Runkel! So beautiful!

Then halfway through the day her hair was out of the hair band. *Sigh* Just can't last forever can it?

Mormon Bishop Killed

There are certain things I'd like to believe about churches.

1) That they can't be defiled.

2) That they keep people from getting hurt.

3) That they bring happiness to those who visit.

Sadly this article goes against all that and my heart goes out to the family, ward, and stake.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700061255/Mormon-bishop-fatally-shot-in-California-chapel-gunman-killed.html

Please read.

Candy-flies!

Candy-flies, candy-lady, and candy-frog!!!

Yes, Llama- FROGS!!!

I made some with purple lining, pink ins, and yellow outs. (Below)
Purple lining with yellow ins, and pink outs. (Below)
A yellow lining with pink ins and purple outs. (Below)

Now I wanted to make pink lining with purple and yellow ins and outs but the baggie I was decorating with for the dark mint chocolate started to melt. Which is also why the yellow butterflies don't look as pretty as the others. :( That and I forgot. :D

So I made one pink and yellow vanilla and dark mint chocolate frog. One all dark mint chocolate frog and one all dark mint chocolate ladybug. Actually I made a yellow and pink ladybug earlier but I didn't take a picture...my bad. LOL

And I'm still not done getting ready for Kelli's baby shower! Hee hee hee- I'm having too mauch fun!