Lost

Well, I have been waiting and waiting hoping I would not have to Post about this...at least not this way. But I have come to terms, finally, that Squeegie is not coming home. Squeegie has been a part of our family for nine years. We bought her when she was just a baby and have raised her ever since. I was hoping that when I had to post about this it would be because she had gotten old and passed away. The old part she was, but she ran away. So much harder to deal with I think. Death is something we have to accept, it will happen to everyone at some point in time, but running away...who does that? I feel awful. W e actually thought we found her once, someone picked up a dog looked just like her. I went to see, but it was not her. Then we scoured the shelter. I sent Brandon in cause the kids wanted to see the other animals, and i was feeding the baby. He came out a bit later and said I had to go in because there was a dog in there and he honestly couldn't tell if it was her or not. I thought aww crap, I'm gonna come unglued in the shelter. So I went in, walked passed all the kennels with sad eyes until the very end where this dog was. It took me a while, I had to do some searching, but in the end I determined it was not her. She had been missing for a month and her hair would have been long and probably dirty, but this dog didn't make the annoying, but cute little squeal our Squeegie always made when she wanted ur attention. And then I had to walk away in tears. People probably thought I was a nut.

I still have a hard time thinking she is dead. We live in the open wide country. We drove up and down the frontage roads, the freeway, the canals..everywhere. I was hoping to find her, even if it was that she got hit, at least that would be closure for me, but we found nothing. Come dark we drove around with a big spotlight calling her name....nothing. Squeegie was a very smart dog. If she heard us calling, she would have come.

She has been gone for 8 weeks now. I'm thinking someone saw her running up the road and thought she didn't belong to anyone out in the country, not exactly a country dog. I'm thinking someone picked her up thinking she was dumped off. I'm thinking someone has her. I have searched the country, the newspaper, and the shelter many times. When do I stop? I keep thinking she is gonna turn up. The most awful thing is Gus, her companion, is distraught. He sulks, pouts, sleeps, won't eat, and still constantly sits by the door..waiting. And when he goes outside, he sits on the lawn and stares out the direction she ran. Poor thing. All the extra treats in the world haven't helped him snap out of it. So, for my emotional sake I'm going to try to convince myself she went for greener pastures to pass from this life....ya know there is a movie like that, the dog goes to a nice quiet, pritty place to die. Perhaps there was just so much commotion going on here. I'd want to die in peace too.

She was a great dog. The most obedient dog I have ever owned. She has been on plenty of journey's with us. over a dozen moves, three more kids added to the family, and lots of love. She earned her spot in the family that's for sure. We miss her. We love her. And we will always have a special place for her.

I have never been called the crafty kind, but I love doing them! I have a lot I have started, and a lot I have yet to finish, but here are a few I've worked on over the last several months. The kids loved helping with this one...and it was a perfect "kid" job too! Conner was pritty intense here. Here is the end result! A great find at a thrift store, some paint, and baskets at Burlington. We did the crib too! Now if only I could paint my white walls...My sister introduced me to a fabulous wood shop in Sandy, Utah. Tons and Tons of way cute stuff! So far I have done a Summer sign, and a Witch sign. It was way fun painting and decorating...and not so much fun sanding. :) I have two more signs too do. Better put my sanding face on.

I have also been doing burp rags. have done a few different styles, but these ones were my favorite! so soft. And this is my homemade valance. The picture is horrible and totally doesn't do it justice, so if u wanna make em, drop by and get a better look! It was fun, and super fast!

I have a few quilts I've started and stopped and I made a tu-tu for my neice, that was fun. I love getting on craft kicks, i feel like I just can't stop! Happy Crafting!

October 29, 2010

Findlay Burke Heslop
7lbs. 9.8 0z
19 inches long

Perfect.

We spent a couple of weeks on vacation this summer. All of my sisters were able to come into town for a week, and it's the first time in several years we have all been able to see each other, apart from two days for my sisters wedding. We took a day and rode up to Bear Lake, which as a child was a yearly tradition for my family. There was hardly any beach this year, but the water and the wave runners worked just the same :)

Here is Grandpa taking Presley and Kylee for a strole in the water.
This is Presley and Kylee, both three...both trouble makers...but cute ones.
Uncle James seems to be the clone for Conner. They look so much a like. Conner just loves hanging out with the big boys.
This is Conner's cousin Hunter.He was so cute. He would only sit on Conner's lap if he got tickled. We went to the Dinasour park, very much different from when I went years ago. Kids all had fun.

Well, there's not much to say. So I'm just going to pretend my last post was not six months ago, and go on blogging like all the other faithful bloggers do. :) It has been an Extremely busy summer. So much has been done, so much happened, and so much to tell. So hopefully now that I have regained my rightful access to my blog I can start posting like crazy to get caught up! First off, we have Taylor and her cute cheerleading adventure. She pulled out my cheer stuff from way back when and all it took was one look at a pom pom and she was hooked. She really enjoyed doing the mini molahiettes, and it was a good experience for her.

The parade was super long, and ended in the dark, but she was a trooper all the way, even when her mother forgot to bring her jacket and also failed to think about putting a long sleeve shirt on her. Taylor was so cute. She just marched and danced and smiled.

And when it was all over, we got in the car, and turned around to ask her questions and she was out cold. Diva and all.

We also had some birthdays! Taylor turned six and six days later Presley turned three. We had a quick party for taylor before we left outta town, parties are sure a lot of work, and poor presley had her big day in the car on the start of our trip. She did get cupcakes eleven hours later upon arriving at Grandma's house, so I think all in all everything worked out.

This photo is just plain self explanatory...kids are just cute.

There is a frog in my house...in my kitchen...and I cannot find it.
Every time I set my purse in its spot on the counter I hear it croak...
Do you think it might be in my purse????
Why would a frog be in any one's purse?
I take that back....a FAMILY of frogs could live in plenty in the bottom of my purse, and never starve I'm sure.

What's Going On

Well, a lot has gone on lately. Just gonna briefly touch up on a few events. First off, who is spreading all the sickness??? I am hear to publicly request that you stop it...I am tired of all the sick people...in my house. With sick people comes a rare opportunity for me to stay home, I am indeed grateful for that. Staying at home is not a luxury I enjoy all the time, even when I'm home I'm working. So needless to say despite the decline in income over the last few weeks, I have enjoyed getting to know my "turf" again. So everyone got the flu...yes everyone, except Dad. Dad never seems to get sick except for headaches. So we had a week full of vomit, tears, coughs, belly aches, fevers, chills, dehydration and zombies. And of course this was spread out over the entire week, Gosh it would just be too easy to have everyone sick at exactly the same time. That would mean we would only have one day at the doctor instead of three and a few days of zombies instead of a week...funny how that works.

So a few things we got done while reminiscing in our sickness. First things first, girls got pedicures.

And manicures...been a long time and the five layers of touch up polish on my toes desperately needed to be removed and re applied.Taylor made it to a birthday party the week before. They did some fabulous face painting. She was way excited.
I have taken the opportunity to cook while at home with zombies. I actually like cooking, it just seems like whenever I get a cool new recipe something comes up and I don't have time to cook it. Or kids always seem to desperately need my attention when dinner making time rolls around. Excuses I know, but anyhow I have made a goal to try cooking with something new every week...or so. There are so many products out there that I have no idea what to do with or how to cook with, so I have decided to expand my cooking horizon.

This week I cooked a delicious recipe. It called for a Serrano hot pepper.

I have never used one of these, in fact I have never heard of it. It was easy to find in the produce department. It looks like a mini jalapeno. It was delicious. This recipe also called for hoisin sauce. I have seen this around, but always strayed from using it because I was unsure of the taste. I used it and it was great. The recipe I used was an Indian and Asian dish. It was good, didn't take too long to prepare and I think I'll cook it again!

Now off to the doctor, again. Presley has pneumonia and a wicked ear infection. Oh my goodness, where is the sunshine??

January

January...The one month out of the year I simply dread. All the festivities are over and there is just plain nothing to do till summer...of which I long for. Oh I am definitely a heat person, and this rotten wet, muddy, cold, but no snow weather is really ruining a good start to my new year. Speaking of new year It has happened again...a new year. I know it's coming every time December rolls around, but there's just something about January and a new year that buggs... Oh yeah, it's the whole resolution thing. Now don't get me wrong I think making resolutions is a great idea. It gets people motivated, pumped about a goal, and for some reason everyone seems to be happy about it. But honestly, who actually keeps their resolutions??? O.k. probably most of you are good that way, but I can't think of one time I have actually kept a resolution all year and looked back on it at the end of the year and patted myself on the back. When December rolls around I always remember those nice resolutions but I tend to kick myself in the butt for not accomplishing them...instead of the old pat on the back. Last year I came up with the solution to my resolution problem. I simply would not make a resolution and then I would not have anything to be disappointed about. But in the end friends, I was just as disappointed that I had not accomplished much...or at least I didn't have that " I did something productive " feeling.

So this year I have waited till the end of January...because that's suppose to be the resolution month right? And I have come up with a solution. I am not going to write a resolution telling myself I will lose weight..cause I'm tired of that one. I'm not going to save extra money, cause something always comes up and seems to steal that nice stash away. I 'm not going to say I'm going to ditch sugar and make my diabetes better, cause I love sugar and frankly why get all bent outta shape over something I know I'll never give up? no sense in that. I'm not going to say I'm going on a nice trip...cause I never do. I'm not going to promise I'll have an excellent attitude all year...cause who does? Basically I'm not going to set myself up for failure. And I know I would fail at all of those things. So hears what I'm going to do.

My new years resolution is....To TRY.

Yes friends....I promise this year to try. I'm going to try to be healthy. With that comes better decisions of what I eat, How I exercise and how much I educate myself on my issues. I'm going to TRY to have a better budget this year. I'm going to educate myself on finances and how to get the most out of your money. i am going to TRY to make better decisions on what, when, and where my money goes. I'm going to TRY to eat less sugar and TRY to remember my pills three times a day to regulate my blood sugar levels...which in turn will help me feel better physically, and mentally. I'm going to TRY to go for a get away. Not a fancy trip, because that's too unrealistic for me. Just maybe a weekend getaway. I'm going to TRY to have a better attitude. I'm going to TRY to be a better person. I was looking through some quotes and pictures of days gone by and found one that I received a long time ago. Over the years I have forgotten about the message of this poem and I felt it was such a good time to have stumbled upon it.

" When you get what you want in your struggle for gain,
and the world makes you Queen for a day,
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
and see what that gal has to say.
It isn't your father or mother or friend,
whose judgement upon you must pass.
The one whose verdict counts most in your life
is the one staring back in the glass.
She's the one you must satisfy beyond all the rest,
for she's with you right up to the end;
And you have passed your most difficult test
if the one in the glass is your friend!
You may be one who got a good break--
then say I'm a wonderful gal;
but the one in the glass says you're only a fake;
if you can't call that person your pal.
You may fool the world down your pathway of years,
and get pats on the back as you pass;
but your final reward will be heartaches and tears
if you've cheated the girl in the glass."

I love this. It makes me want to be a better person. So among all the other things I'm going to try this new year, I'm going to try to make the girl in the glass my friend! I'm going to TRY to be a better wife, a better mother, a better sister, a better daughter, a better friend. I'm going to TRY to love the girl in the glass.

So I'm sure some people have real nifty, productive resolutions this year, but the only promise I'm going to make is that I TRY. This leaves lots of room for error, of which is bound to occur, but if I at least TRY to do these things I know I will become a better me. And when I look at that gal in the glass I can smile.