Sweet like Sugar

Well, it's day two with my sick husband. I think I might survive this, but I don't know if he will. It's been pretty rough. I know I'm not alone however. It seems all the blogs I read, all the emails I get, or all the phone calls I make, the other end is dealing with the flu or colds right now too. Makes the world seem a little smaller to know we're all dealing with the exact same thing. Literally. So I hope you all get feeling better!

Tonight for dinner I made pancakes for the kids. This isn't unusual for us. I'd say we have pancakes atelast once a week. Don't judge me please! We also make our own maple flavored syrup to go with it. Why spend the money to buy the other cheap stuff when we can just make it. Unless of course you are talking about the real stuff! That we will buy. Anyway, I found this recipe hidden in my stack of still-need-to-try-because-they-look-so-good-but-haven't-had-a-chance-yet recipes for vanilla syrup. It was from a friend of my grandparents. How I ever came to have this recipe I have no idea. But there it was. So I decided I'd give it a try. Can I just tell you, this was the BEST!! I couldn't get enough of it. Forget Maple syrup. You'll never want it again after tasting this stuff. I love it so much, I just had to share it with all of you. Please enjoy, and let me know what you think! Pretty good wouldn't you say?!

Homemade Syrup from the kitchen of Phylis Aldis

1 Cup Water
1 Cup White Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
Bring these ingredients to a boil at med-high. Continue to boil for approx 6-8 minutes.
Add 2 Tbls butter and boil for two more minutes.
Add 2 tsp. vanilla and boil for two more minutes.
Ready to serve, so enjoy!

and Another One Bites the Dust

Matt had been gone for as long as I can remember and it starts. I was the first to get a cold. Then Bug got some flu. As soon as he was getting better Ase got the same flu Bug had. Just as soon as she started to recover, it was Nutmeg's turn. I have had two weeks of nothing but being stuck at home with sick kids. After Nutmeg started to improve I started to get sick myself. This time with the rest of the cold I fended off two weeks ago. Finally we were all starting to feel normal again today when..... Matt comes home from school early because he was so sick. He's miserably sick. And you know how guys are when they're sick. They aren't just sick. The world has stopped spinning. They are laying in bed pleading for help. No one has ever felt this horrible before. They are worse than the kids. It's his first day back in the state, and he brings this with him. And it's different then what any of us have had. If he shares this with us... so help him. He'd better get back on a plane and not come back for a very long time!

Elements in Dancing

I put on some music Saturday for the kids to dance to. They LOVE to dance to music. Nutmeg even had to go and get her "dance costume" on so she could dance. Funny how the clothing makes such a difference! I had been dancing with the girls when Bug decided he was missing out on all the fun. I was exahusted (yes, this is a sign I'm getting old) and decided I would just let Bug take it over. Little did I know he really would. Nutmeg grabbed his hands to start bopping around like we'd been doing, when he explained he was going to teach her how to "dance for real". He then placed her hand on his shoulders and his on hers. They danced around the floor like that. And every now and then he'd take her hand and twist her around, bringing her hands back to his shoulders. It was such a grown up thing for such a little kid to do. I didn't teach him this, and he didn't learn in it school (trust me I asked!) but he definitely knew how to slow dance. I grabbed the video camera for which he was very willing to perform, but naturally the battery was dead. So this was all I was able to get. Man, he's gonna get all the girls when he gets older!!

To be a kid again

I just love these photos of the kids. They are just so happy! It's not the smile-at-the-camera happy, or the smile-because-something-was-kind-of-funny happy. No, it's real genuine happiness. The kind we tend to forget when we become adults. The kind that is shoved beneath all the social "rules", all the "work", and the "reponsibility". But just think what examples we'd be setting for our kids if we were able to show them this kind of happiness. What would that tell them about life? My favorite moments are those in which I let myself be a kid again. I dare say these are probably their favorite moments too. Kids need structure, but they also need someone who can understand them. And what better to understand than to remember how to see the world through their eyes. Once there, the world is a much better place. I love it there.

Now I need to learn how to put down all those "responsibilites" just for a bit each day, to show my kids how to love and live life. I have a feeling this is much easier said than done, but something I long to relearn.

I guess the best teacher would be my kids themselves.

Now to convince myself to let go....

I was tagged (by name even... !)

Things on my To Do list...
1. Figure out how to make these dang bracelets I'm working on
2. Laundry, but I think that's a permenant list item
3. Update pictures in their frames
4. Make some returns to some stores
5. Bay the bills and update our budget

If I were suddenly a billionaire...
1. I would pay tithing (I didn't think of this first, but after reading Heather's I realized this is what I would do first, so decided it was okay to copy
2. Pay off our student loans! That might take the whole billion however
3. Put money away for the kids and our future
4. Hire a house cleaner (small fee for the relief it would provide!)
5. Definitely set up some family vacations to Europe

3 Bad Habits I have...
1. Chew the inside of my cheek when stressed
2. Stay up until all hours of the night
3. Grind my teeth at night... which I can't help... and it doesn't bother me, just Matt!

3 Places I have lived...
1. Utah (Provo, Brigham, Logan)
2. Ohio (Bay Village, West Lake)
3. Michigan (Fenton)

5 Jobs I have had...(that paid a $) (Best job is wife, mommy and friend)
1. Candy girl at Walker theatre in Perry
2. McDonalds
3. Customer Service Rep for Sprint PCS
4. Trainer Sprint PCS
5. Spokes model for Tide and Olay

6 things most people don't know about me... (I really think people know most there is to know, but I'll give it a shot)
1. I brush my teeth while in the shower... it's really much more effecient!
2. I cannot live in the color blue. I love it in other homes, just not mine.
3. I am addicted to Flavor Ice/Otter Pops. Whatever you want to call them
4. I really want to go skydiving
5. When I was younger my eyes were a silver grey color
6. I love Sherbet ice cream.

3 of my goals in the next two years...
1. Start some type of buisness
2. Have this Family Night thing down
3. Actually be consistantly working out.

I now tag...Becki and Jo

you haven't seen the last of ME

Okay, so here are the last of my "ME's" I'm going to add for awhile. They are in no particular order, but then again, they say there is always something about everything you do... so maybe there is an order I don't know about!







Without a doubt I would have to include this, because I LOVE photography. As soon as I have a free minute I'm going to learn all there is about this thing (or maybe hopefully a newer one). That, and I don't want to EVER forget those expressions on my cute little ones!









I will have to admit, I really didn't want to put this up for a long time when we first got it. I hated the frame (and yes, the glass does need to be cleaned, I know). Matt's grandma painted this, and it's the one thing he really wanted. We were lucky enough to get it, but I wanted to reframe it. Now... I wouldn't touch it. I absolutley love it!











My grandpa, "Papa", had a bell route at his house. He would take all the little kids around the house and ring all the bells, or blow on the wind chimes. It was tradition. He also had one bell he always rang for prayers before a meal. When he passed, there was nothing that would mean more than to get a bell for my family. I searched until I found the one that felt just right, and now it's part of our family!










Speaking of Papa, this is his book. I love it. I think one of the biggest reasons is because it's the as close as I have to having one of his pieces in my home. Maybe one day. That and it's filled with poetry, so I can hear his voice any time I want.










Matt really didn't want this, I really did. Guess who won! And I'm glad, because it's one of my favorite pieces.











This one I love because it's one of the first pieces of furniature I bought once married. I loved it when I found it, and I still do. There is something about making a house yours for the first time.










Okay, so I know almost everyone has one of these now, but I didn't until my birthday. Now I do!











Okay, so I just really like this candle stick. And what do you know.. good 'ol walmart.











This was made for me, and when she made it I only had 2 kids at the time. There are three on there, and I have always loved thinking about that and how some things are just meant to be!









I have an attachment to this thing. It's more than just an external hard drive. It's the only electronic that made it through our break in a while back. If I could I would take this with me everywhere I go. All of our kids pictures from day one are on that thing and we would have lost them all. Agh!




So after doing this, I realized how much I do like design/art. Because most of what I picked out quickly, had to do with this. There is a whole other layer that sometime in the future I'll dig into more. But for now, I think I'm done here! There are too many other things I want to talk about!! Have a good one.

ME.... continued

I love this door. It's going to be sad to see it go. When I find my final home, I want it to have a door like this... because it's just me.

more of ME

a little something from my past that I just can't let go of!

more of ME

A few of my favorite

I've missed you all! It's been a few days, but I just really couldn't figure out what to write about. When I don't feel good, I always have a hard time with my feelings. They become really cloudy. So I figured I'd wait the storm out.

Today while scrubbing my bathroom (okay, pick yourself up off the floor) I saw this ceramic pot and became so happy inside. I do every time I see it. I'm not sure exactly why. Maybe it's because one of my favorite people in the world gave it to me. Maybe it's because of the beautiful warm brown color (I love brown), or the simple silhouette it sets. At first, I wasn't sure where to put it. Everywhere I tried it just didn't fit right. The size was off, the color was wrong, there was nothing to compliment it. Then I found this spot on my bathroom counter and knew this was where it had to go. I felt guilty at first, putting my gift in the bathroom. I was almost embarrassed the first time she saw it there on my counter. As if I had nothing better to do with it than the bathroom. The bathroom where I would be one of the only ones who saw it. But for some reason, this is where it belonged. I 've since learned why. Every morning when I get ready for the day, it fills my heart with happiness. Every night when I get ready for bed, it fills my heart with joy. I love this little pot, and know that it will most likely always be in my bathroom where I have the chance to pass by on more than just the infrequent occasion.

This ceramic pot brought me to thinking about all those little things that bring joy into my life. I'm not talking about "moments" or "memories". I'm talking about can- buy-it-with-money things. I feel that what is in our home should be us. People should almost know who we are when they walk through the house. There is no purpose of burdening yourself down with stuff that you don't love. We all already have too much stuff. And if we buy what we love, then we will love what we have. And our walls will be a reflection of what we are inside. Obviously this doesn't mean you have to have money. Quite the opposite. If you could have an entire room from Pottery Barn, you might like it, and it would look nice. But you wouldn't love it. You didn't fall in love with it, and then have to find that perfect spot for it. You didn't have to search it out, or save up to get it. It wasn't something tucked away, that you found by chance. Just like with our friends, our emotions, our love; you only want to let the best in, and let the rest find some else to take them home!

So here's what I'm up to now. I'm gonna find those things that get me excited. Those things that create emotion every time I see them. There are so many things I do love, which I've been able to acquire through the years, but there are a select few that create emotion in me. I want to see just how many things there are. You should try it. Tell me about you, by the stuff around your house that you love. Maybe we could do this together. And don't worry. You'll know "it" when you see "it". You just have to listen. -Which may be harder than you think!

a TOMATO rain

If he could remember to say it right, you would have read "tornado rain". But he can't so you'll still read tomato. Today is the perfect rainy day (like the picture? notice the rain is pushing up over the crack? Yes, that means it's starting on it's way into my garage. I might have to do something about that). We won't mention all the tornado warnings that have been blarring from the tv all morning long. Lets just say, despite what could have been, but wasn't, it is the perfect rainy day. It's been a downpour most of the morning, the weather is warm, and as hard as the sun has tried, it can't make it past the strategic blocking the clouds have so expertly managed. And I, well I have just wanted to curl up on the couch with a good book and nothing else planned but a nap. I've come down with something, most likely just your average cold, but just can't seem to pull myself together. These are the days you wish you could just help your kids to disappear. But only for a day. I wouldn't want them gone any longer than that I don't think. Give me my day, and I'll continue to give them my every other. But to explain to an 18 month old that your throat feels like it's been so badly sunburned you are about ready to drink that aloe vera, and your nose has inhaled a whale, or something to that affect.... they don't get it. Neither does the 4 year old. Okay, maybe she gets it, but the graviational pull she has in this world is naturally more important. Bug is currently at school, but as soon as he gets home he will want some attention, no down time, no attention, no down time. I don't think he knows what he wants when he gets home. School really wears the guy out by the time he gets home. And I think I hear the grocery store calling. Or is that our stomachs from the lack of food? We can live off instant potaoes can't we? I guess we'll find out.

So I've been doing fairly good with the reading. Okay, I'll quit being so modest, I'm kicking butt right now. I'm actually ahead of the nearly 6 pages a day. Atleast a couple of days ahead. Good time to not be feeling well, because all I want to do is read. I have to brag about this now because, who knows how long I'll keep this going. I will get finished on time though. Mark my word!

Okay, well it's my down time for the day. Ase is taking her nap and Nutmeg is in her quiet time. So I have a couple of options. Eat, then nap? Eat then shower (if you could smell me this might be your vote!)? Or Eat then read? I don't know. I guess I should start with the eat and we'll see how the wind blows.

Just one more thing

So I was sent this email. A challenge as a memorial to our belated prophet Gordon B. Hinkley. To read the Book of Mormon in 97 days. That is how old our prophet was when he finally joined his wife. That's 5 pages per day. I barely made it when Hinkley challenged us to read it in a year. 97 days? So I did it. Completely lacking in confidence of myself, I did it. I decided, along with the currently over 16,000 others on this quest. It's been said this could be a "set-up" to get your information. But I figured, what is there to loose. You don't give any information out, so why not try it. What's the worst that can happen, you read the book? If this were a set up, then the jokes on them. Look at all of us who are going to be reading more than we have in a long time, while they think they are going to "get us". Bring it on! I've managed to completely de-junk and organize my house. I've managed to keep it clean for over 3 weeks straight now (with a trip in the middle of it) and if I can't do this, then none of that other stuff matters. Here is where I will find out where my priorities are. Wish me luck! No. Wait. I won't need luck. This is something I WILL do! Maybe you should too. Good night!

The only one

I don't know why I can't get this photo more clear, it really isn't supposed to be so blurry (grrr) but I just had to add in here one more time how much I love this guy. He just left for another 5 days, which I wasn't too happy about, but atleast I get to be home. I can go nearly all day without getting dressed if I want to, and the most converstaion I have to have is with the computer. Well okay, and with the kids if you count that as conversation! He is out there having to work his butt off, and still look like he's enjoying every minute of what he's doing. He has more than a 5 year olds expectations looming over him. I love him, and all he does. It was so wonderful to have him home for an entire evening. I did have to share him with the kids for part of that, but it's more than we've had in awhile. Mmmmmmm. I loved it.

Being little is only Thinking little

Today I think it hit me. She is no longer my baby.

She folds her arms by herself for prayers, and keeps them folded the entire time. She cleans up everything in sight as soon as you mention the words, "clean up". She finds an item laying around the house and then wanders around trying to find the one who it belongs to. She can now ask for help whenever she needs it. She is starting to go potty in the toilet. She laughs at herself when she thinks she did something funny. She got the dirty dishes out of the dishwasher today and set the table. She pulled me to the table asking to eat. She's just growing up.

It always suprises me when I walk by the mirror while holding her, and realize how big she really is. Other people don't see this little baby in my arms. I think I'm the only one who sees that. I called her "Ase Baby" yesterday and she was so confused. She said "baby?" wondering why I was calling her one. She has all of her baby teeth (except those 2 year molars), and will eat anything you throw at her. She loves cuddly soft things, loves baby dolls, and loves her big brother and sister. She is the happiest go lucky kid, as long as she can keep in motion. She will play with anyone who will play back, and isn't scared of anything.

Man I love that girl.

an Anything but free fall

One of my best friends, well, her husband is in the army. Right now I am so blessed as to have her living 30 minutes from my house. As much as we are both moving around, it's more than luck that we are here together at the same time, even as short as it may seem. A couple of weeks ago the kids and I went with her to watch the guys jump out of helicopters. Secretly I think I was more excited than the kids were. There is just something about me that loves to border on the dangerous, and this is something I would love to try sometime. I say that now, but if I were up there I'm sure someone would have to push because I know I couldn't jump. The choppers flew right over us, landed in the field right in front of us, loaded up the guys, flew back above us and dropped them out. The benefits of friends in the military. As you watch them fall from the sky, you alomst envy the lazy, slow drift it looks like they are caught in. How awesome would that be to fall so effortlessly from the sky, free from everything that awaits down below, lost in your own thoughts and a view you share with no one else. Then as they hit the ground in an anything but a gravity free lazy way, you realize these guys are really dropping fast. And I'm sure they weren't thinking about how wonderful it felt to be so weightless during their casual float down. As their feet pounded the grassy field below, something pounded inside me. I realized just what these guys have to do for each and every one of us. I've always had such gratitude for all these men and women do, but for some reason, to actually see my friend fully geared up ready to jump, and watching them do what they do, something changed in me. Knowing that I am one of those he is fighting for....The respect I had before is just that much richer, and is now accompanied by something of an awe. And awe for the respect they have for life. A respect that they are willing to give their life to save another. That's what it's really all about.

Rushed into Insanity

So Friday night around 7pm Matt and I bought tickets to leave for Connecticut. Our flights left at 6:15am the very next morning. This meant we had to find someplace for the older two kids to stay for the weekend, and pack for us and our youngest for this quick 3 day trip. Wow! I didn't know that could all happen so quickly. Lets just say we have some really good friends and family who we owe big time!


We flew into NYC and then drove the short hour to get to southern Connecticut. It's a whole different world up there. We thought we had some idea what it might be like (Boston-ish?) but were in for a huge shock. Little town meets New England, meets rural, meets the ocean, meets old, meets money, meets lots of roads, which then meets some of the the friendliest people. Ever. Realestate in Connecticut is insane. They said the only comparable market is San Fransisco. WOW! This isn't a good picture below (we had a hard time finding roads we could stop on to take pictures, without blocking the cars behind us) so this is all we could got. Yea, we're not too happy about this. But these homes are atleast $900,000. Atleast. They were in Fairfield, which is where many want to live, so they may be over 1 million. Yup. There's some cheap houseing for you! If we were ever to live there, you wil not see us in one of these. We will be in more of a glorified trailer way more inland, where we can affored the 1500 square foot box we would live in!



Okay, so I do have to tell you about my favorite time we had. I absolutely loved it. We met some friends in New Haven(?) area and went to a little restaraunt called Bills seafood. First let me tell you, in Connecticut they don't let the chains come in, so all the places are little ma and pa restaraunts. This is a good thing. Usually this means good food. It also means atmostphere. We had both. We pulled up to this little shack-ish place which was packed. We were lucky to find someplace to squeeze in our party of 7. We ended up right in the middle of the room. There were booths all along the outside walls, and a bar in the middle of the room. The tables were found someplace inbetween. Upon taking our seats, the live music shows up. Bills has live music every night on the weekend. Now these guys were some 70 something, up there rocking out some bluegrass. They were actually really good. How they fit in there, I don't know because I thought we took up the last of any space in there, but they fit. The best had just begun however. Once the music started, this couple in their 80s (atleast) who began dancing with eachother. There's no stage or dance floor. No. This was dancing between, around and through the tables. This is something this couple did every weekend! And it didn't take long before others started to join. I'd like to say I got out there, but no. I was too busy enjoying Ase out there. Once she caught on to what was going on, she went and found the lady sitting at the table behind us, with whom she'd been playing with all night, and pulled her up to dance. So the two of them went around the restaraunt dancing with eachother. It was so fun. The whole scene was like something out of a movie. It was crazy. No, it was wonderful! These people genuinly were happy, and loved to have you there. They actually loved having kids around. Instead of getting scowled at every time our kids didn't act like a little adult, we could have tables rolling in laughter every time Ase pulled a funny face. It was all just too much! Why can't we be more like that?

I realized, it's not the streets, or the houses that make it quaint there. It's the people. They are what make it what it is. And that's the best way to have it.

the Guilt ridden Traitor!

Matt has been out of town now for a couple of days. Nothing new. In fact, it's pretty much the regular. As long as we've been married he has always had a job that's required a lot of travel. Bug was born into it, Nutmeg was born into it, and now Ase has known nothing but this. However, without fail, everynight they will ask for their dad to tuck them in. Especially Nutmeg, who is a full blown daddy's girl. Then something very sad happened. The last two days, not once did they ask for Dad, or when he was coming home. They didn't ask for him to tuck them in, or to call him on the phone. They didn't ask. This would be the first time in the last 5 years no one has called out his name. Then last night as I tucked Nutmeg into bed, she gave me a big hug and said, "Mommy, your my favorite and I love you more than anyone". I should have been jumping up and down. I should have been elated with this news, if you remember how hard I've been working at building our relationship. But I couldn't. I just felt horrible. Like I took something away from Matt. They had something very special, and I feel I walked in, took it away, while Matt was blind folded with his hands tied behind his back. I don't think Ill mention any of this to him, and he'll never have to know it happened. This is between you and me. I will say though, it does feel good to actually hear the words "I love you".

Have I mentioned how much I love this guy. Right now he is juggling so much. Family, Church, School, Traveling, An old job that won't go away, A new job to figure out, Job searching, and preparing for a move.... to name a few. Amongst all of this he is worried about me. He want's to do what he can to make me happy. Me and the kids. I always knew he'd take care of me, but I had no idea. With all of the decisions he has to make right now, the first thing he thinks about is what would make me the happiest. If I told him I wanted to move to New Mexico (he hates the dry HOT climates) he would do it. I know he would. I think that's what scares me most. Without meaning it, or wanting it, I seem to be holding a lot of power. Ahhhg! But I guess, when you think about it, there is no better power to have. It's embedded in love. It's the same type of power I so willingly hand over to him when I let him make these decisions. I trust him so fully to make the right decision, I don't worry about the choice that he makes. If I do, I can say something, anything, and he'll do everything he can to change course. He's not the best at doing the little things, like bringing flowers home for no reason, or makeing "romantic" gestures (although he will try :P) but he does the big things. He takes care of me, and always will. Love ya babe.

Tag, I think I'm it.

I have been tagged requesting for 7 random facts about me:

1- I hate speaking in public, or with public... which makes it really hard since I'm also a really "wanna be" social person.

2- I really really dislike feet. It's getting a little better now that I've had baby feet to kiss for a while, but still. Yuck!

3- I am a perfectionist. So anything I do well, I can't see it, but only where I need to improve it. This is something I am trying to overcome.

4- I don't like milk chocolate. Blah.

5- I once dated this very good looking actor. Too bad we didn't have the same religous views. Well actually I'm glad, because otherwise I wouldn't have the family that I do now. However, we would have a huge house in hollywood somewhere!

6- I always said I would NEVER drive a minivan. Guess what I drive now!

7 -I hate to follow the crowd. If I didn't like something before it was the "it" thing, I just can't bring myself to like it. But if I think I found it before the crowd, then I still like it even when it is the "it" thing.

I'm Dreaming...

I want to remind you that this is Georgia. "Hot-lanta" as we're called. We don't get snow. We don't do snow. Georgia does not own a single snow plow. So what happenes when we recieve an inch and a half of snow on a school night? We drag the kids out at 8:00pm to go play in it. That's the logical thing to do right? My friend and I thought we were the only ones crazy enough to do this, but as we head outside we notice all the kids on the entire street are out playing. In fact, a couple of houses up they already have a 5 foot tall snowman built. Since we aren't quite geared up for snow (fabric mittens don't hold out the wet) and the kids are past tired, we head in half an hour later in tears. Fingers are TOO cold! So a round of hot chocolate does the trick and we are all off to bed. It snowed again two days later, with atleast 2 inches this time. Again, this is Georgia, so church was cancelled and we all stayed home to keep warm. You've got to love it!