Updates

New baby, new windows. Last time, it was new baby, new roof.
Here are a few before and after pics of the windows. Installation is thanks to my father-in-law. We love it!
Samuel is four weeks old now.

Samuel James Harman

Haircuts

This is for all of those people who say that I shouldn't cut the girls' hair:

That's what it looks like 90% of the time. Eight percent is her fussing as I try to brush the knots out. Two percent is looking nice in the car on the way to church.

So as part of my simplify-life-before-baby philosophy, I took the Sophie and Kate to get cuts today.

naughtyyyyy me!!!

guess who's on this blog while she's at school? um, yeah, u guessed it! meeee!! i'm supposed to be editing my horrible story about this boring radio talk show host in mass communications, but i can't seem to focus....silly me i guess. isn't everybody else so glad they aren't in school anymore?

Letter from the School Nurse

Sophie brought this happy letter home from school yesterday:

Dear Parent:

We found evidence of head lice in your child's classroom today . . .

Home Improvement

I finally bought some curtains for Marina's room. It's such an improvement over mini-blinds that I wish I had done it years ago. Her room has been the easiest to do, since there is no corner window. Really, half the reason it looks so much better is due to the lovely new windows installed by my dear father-in-law!

Saving Money!

I have gotten more into couponing lately, although I am not quite the expert that some people are. Here are my shopping results from this morning - I'm so proud of myself!

This photo (with the socks) shows what I bought at Target for $0.85.

For these items, I only spent $0.32 at CVS, and I got $6.99 in CVS money to spend on another visit!

Thanks Holly!

Thanks for the message on the blog. It is uplifting to me.

I still want to have a reunion Labor Day week end to coincide with the Hypes Reunion. There are more of our relatives there that we all know than any other gathering.

Love,
Dad

We wish you the best

Back when we were supposed to have the family dinner to say good-bye to Jeremy and Mary Kathryn I had planned to read a little toast. But, that was when everyone was sick, and then didn't finish it for the last time I saw you guys. So here it is. Hope you are doing well!

In honor of your departure,
I raise my water for a little toast.
It was sad to see you go,
And, really, this may be more of a roast.

I do understand why you moved to “God’s Country,”
Utah does have a few pros.
Most of them being Café Rio,
And all of that beautiful snow.

We’ll miss little sneaky Grace,
But, she sure left her mark:
The crayon drawings on Dad’s stove,
And scars on cousins from being a shark.

We’ll miss our little red head,
Could you do us a favor, Ty?
When you learn to talk,
Tell President Monson, we say “Hi.”

Dad was glad to see you go,
Your trees are now out of his hair.
And, Heather’s jealous because she won’t
have as good a reason not to go to the fair.

We’re sure your neighbors will miss you,
But, not the diapers on the front stoop.
I think instead of door mats,
we should all greet our visitors with the smell of poop.

We’ll miss watching you play suck and blow.
And wish we could see the new baby.
We’re sure Jeremy will turn over a new leaf,
And volunteer to do all the diapers… maybe.

We’ll miss our silly brother,
And wish you luck in your new job.
We hope you find the home of your dreams.
And that it won’t be next door to a snob.

Enjoy being with family,
We know you’ll have so much fun.
Please remember your sun block,
It’s a killer, that Utah sun.

Mary Kathryn keep him in line,
Jeremy take care of your wife.
We love you, and wish you the best.

May you love your Utah life!

sunshine

found some sunshine on etsy.

sunshine

The big 60!

Dad's 60th Birthday Celebration.

We went out for Japanese the night after his traditional

beans and cornbread meal.

The onion volcano below.

Customer Appreciation Day!

I got an email from a past Etsy customer this morning and it made my day!! I didn't include the picture she sent me, but here is the picture of the one she bought.



"I bought a headband from you awhile ago, and just wanted to tell you how much I love it!! People are always ooohing and aaaaahing over it! It is very well made and will last forever! Here is a picture of my daughter wearing it! Thanks again!"

so cool

Here's another one.

cool

SNOW!!!!!! for once....

It's been a while

Here's another Etsy treasury for your viewing pleasure.

TEAL

I don't think you fully understand

what I am up against here...

(my guest bed piled with laundry, obviously we haven't had any guests in a while)

This is what a month of having a broken washer can do to a person. This pile does not even include the clothes in the picture below! When five loads come back from the laundramat at the same time, this is what tends to happen. Then add children throwing up on clothes, sheets, etc., and a monster has been created. Joyful!

I actually folded and put these clothes away on Tuesday. Trevan even helped match his socks and turn his shirts inside out.

Seriously? Why, yes. Yes, those are our Christmas lights still up in ALMOST MARCH! We are officially those people. (To my credit, that is totally John's department. And everyone thinks I nag too much... If I nag, things get done... I haven't done any nagging, and look what still adorns our house.)

What??!! This angelic face? I know that is what you are thinking. But, instead of a picture of vomit, screaming, teething, a billion poopy diapers, crying, puddles of yogurt, cereal, or whatever is for breakfast, lunch, or dinner on the floor, I posted a picture of Mallary.

And, finally my workroom. And, trust me this is clean compared to what it looked like two weeks ago. Yes, I was supposed to clean it in January, and it is now February you say? Well, I am about a month behind in my life. I did get my first new product of the year in my store. But, I am still behind on wholesale price sheets, and making anything. Lovely.

This is what happens when you move to a new house pregnant and sick and don't unpack all of your stuff, have a baby, then you start a craft business when you haven't even unpacked your craft stuff, and never unpack it, and just dive right in. So, I am busy unpacking and trying to find homes for everything.

Not to mention making 80 invitations for the next Enrichment. Should have posted a picture of those too...

(have I mentioned I am going to start my own blog about only positive things?

No complaining, etc...)

new additions

I have some new items in my store. There are a lot more, but I only had time to put 3 of them in. Go check it out.

Laurajane saw Ian on Valentine's - they danced the night away....today they have been "goin out" for five weeks :) goody

Herb Mincer Use # 2,309

So, for all of you lucky ones that received one of my favorite things for Christmas from me, here is use #2,309.

Cutting toritillas!

I started cutting them with my pizza cutter, and then remembered one of my favorite things, and viola!

Fried them up and put them on my Cafe Rio Salad!

Absolutely divine! (the mincer, and the salad!)

In need of one of these fabulous divices? See here.

(Also available at some Williams Sonoma or Sur La Table)

changing my religion

Cue Justin Timberlake. (Though half of my family won't even get that)

I got this in the mail this week.

I may use it as an Enrichment activity this year...

Dentist

I took Kate to the dentist this morning, and she did great. They were very impressed with how mature she acted. In fact she was so good that they aren't going to refer her to a special pediatric dentist (like they usually do for kids her age) for her NINE cavities. I am so upset about this! And they're the kind of cavities that people get from drinking lots of soda and Kool-aid, which I never buy.

Random

A few things.

So, last night Trevan was helping John unload the dishwasher, Trevan handed him a glass, handoff failed, resulted in another shattered glass. How can one person (John) break sooo many glasses?

Here's the thing,

For our wedding my friend gave us a set of sixteen glasses... we have one left.

For our wedding Grandma gave us a set of 6 or 8 glasses... we have none of those left.

I bought a set of 8 glasses... we have 3 left.

I bought another set of 8 glasses, my favorite, they have some crystal in them... and we have 6 left of those.

So our glasses shelf is looking a little empty. Have you ever heard of someone breaking that many glasses? I think I broke one of them, I must confess, but not so much me, but the dishwasher, I think.

I refuse to buy plastic cups, can't stand them. Especially how they get water spots in them, and how they stain, all a little icky to me. I have two plastic cups that candi gave me, just because they were lime green to match my kitchen, for Trevan. I won a drawing at a tupperware thing and won 4 cups, and then I have a few from John's family reunion, that is it. Do I ever drink out of them? Yuck, no.

Is there a solution to this issue? Probably not. I get to enjoy an eternity of broken glasses.

The only bright side, I get to buy more dishes!!


Next random thing.

This morning Trevan asked me, "what color was your pee mom?"
I answer "yellow." "Mine was yellow too!" he said, "We are twins!" A few seconds later he says, "Mom, what does twins mean?"

i love the birds

i've got renovations on the brain...

going to rearrange some things in mallary's room, probably going to get one these things off etsy to add to her sweet room.

yes, another treasury. because i know you enjoy them so.

GUESS WHAT?

LAURAJANE HAS A BOYFRIEND, HER FIRST ONE IN FACT, HIS NAME IS IAN LEAKE AND UM THEY HAVE BEEN TOGETHER FOR A WEEK AND UNO DAYS.

It's a boy!

Naughty or Funny or Extra Work?

Last night while giving Marina and Kate their bath, Marina raised the naughtiness bar quite bit with violent splashing, etc. But I finally got her out, let her streak through the house naked for a minute (a tradition she insists on), and got her ready for bed. Then I got on the phone. Jeryl was working on the dishes. Sophie was taking her bath. What does Marina decide to do? Climb back into the tub, fully clothed! (To give her credit, if she could have gotten her pj's off, she would have. She prefers nudity.) Kate went and informed Jeryl (and me, about 5 times, interrupting my phone call), and Jeryl got a few photos of the guilty party. They don't really do justice to the the frolicking and splashing.

Hmmm. Something's not right here. And why does my diaper weigh ten pounds?

Mommy never lets me stay in long enough. This'll teach her!

Surprise Snow

I woke up this morning to hear the sound of someone shoveling the sidewalks at the school across the street. We were so surprised to see a light dusting of snow that even covered the roads. The schools were surprised too: there wasn't even a delay. It's quickly melting now, but I did get Kate and Marina out to play in it. Marina surprised me by loving it, and I actually had to carry her in kicking and screaming when we were done. Perhaps if it had been deeper, she wouldn't have liked it so much. This is the first snowfall we've had this year, sadly.
Now we just a need a decent amount so we can go sledding!

A Few Christmas Pictures

The Construction of Four Gingerbread Houses

The dedication.