Saturday, May 24, 2008

KIDS

Today the kids played, and played, and played! they went over to grandmas and played all day in the dirt, yes the dirt. It is amazing how such a simple, dirty, brown ground cover can keep kids occupied for hours!, especially when you add water! I did not have my camera during this play time, and by the time I got ahold of it they were done, sorry next time.

The kids were so cute riding the four wheeler. Ava looks a little nervous, but those two really have a lot of fun!
We had a rather productive day today, busy. I got all my flowers planted, got the mulch layed down, finished the herb garden, hit a few garage sales,mowed the lawn( which takes me about 2 and a half hours, yes that long; not because I'm slow, it's a huge lawn!) cleaned the house, signed taylor up for preschool, watched a dog catch and kill a rock chuck( it's like a gofer, but bigger, kinda like my dog.) no i did not see this voluntarily; folded five baskets of laundry, and put them away- yeah for me, went to dinner and the Spanish branch festival, colored my hair, finished a craft, bathed the kids, and posted a blog!!!! whewwww! i should sleep well tonight. In fact poor little Presley was so tuckered out by the time we got home, she fell asleep on the floor!, too tired to even drink her milk, poor thing.

It feels so good to get things done around the house, getting ready to play all summer!

Friday, May 23, 2008

BIRTHDAY



So, i woke up this morning and was pleasantly surprised that Brandon remembered my birthday! He even went as far as to give me my birthday gift BEFORE nine p.m. I had seen these cute aprons online and was soooo excited when I opened it up and found one!






Brandon decided to throw me a barbecue with my playgroup pals, it was great. We had so much good food, and Brandon even managed to escape a small grill fire, yeah for him! He cooked me his famous shish-kabobs, yummy. He has this secret sauce he bastes them in and it's too die for. we also did grilled pineapple, congratulations korbi for tasting it, I'm so proud of you! we had some really yummy salads also. Katie was great and made my cake, which was a cheesecake, and it was DIVINE! I loved those little white chocolate chips, yum. Brandon also made homemade root beer, one of our summer favorites. After appetizers, food, and dessert, we managed to get ourselves to the couch for some pictures. might I say, we are a lovely bunch!

I really enjoyed my birthday, thanks to all who helped make it special. one year older, and wiser too? happy birthday to me!

Sunday, May 18, 2008

FINALLY, HEAT!!!

This picture is worth a thousand words to me. This is exactly how I feel all winter long, until spring!!! I love spring and summer and fall! i know we have to have the winter, it's just a part of the whole process, but i love when it gets warm! And it feels like it has taken FOREVER to warm up, and then WHAM! one day its 90 degrees, crazy!




Presley decided today that she likes watermelon, which is good cause we basically live off of that and sweet corn on the cob, all summer long! yummy!



Summer brings sports and this year, for the first year ever, we are PLAYIN! Yeah for Conner. We are doing tball this year and brandon is the coach, yeah for dad! Conner likes it so far, its fun to see all the kids running around trying to learn the name of the game. this year we are focusing on not throwing the bat, running to first base, not third, and throwing the ball to first base after someone retrieves it. we gotta lot to learn, but kids are resilliant and fun and they just like to play.


Even Taylor likes to play!

Most of all I love Summer for relaxin! It's probably cause we get so tired from the heat, but there's nothing i love more than sun, swimming, and barbeque!!!! Brandon makes a great barbeque, and we love to just sit outside and eat. our yard swing has become one of our most favorite hot spots during the summer. We love to just sit and talk. We have a great view out here and it's so peacful to just sit and watch the kids play. Last summer i used the swing mainly to lay on in agony wishing someone would push me off and pop my nine month huge belly, so hopefully this summer I can enjoy it more! Chasing the toddler right? Hope the summer lasts as long as it's taken to finally get here!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

CALLING ALL FLOWER GIRLS!


Ok there has to be somebody out there willing to help me in my time of desperation. As many of you know i'm in a rental home right now, so my alterations are limited on my part, and limited because i'm not the homeowner. it's so hard to invest time and money into something that you'll have to leave behind, but i like to make it comfortable for my taste as well, as much that's allowable, legally. so the yard is big and green, most of it, and there are some nice trees and shrubs surrounding the house, but no flowers!!! there is some ground cover that was suppose to come up, but has yet to make its debue, but nothing else. there are these two trouble spots I'd like to invest in, reasonably, and get something planted, but what? yes, that's where the girls come in. i need someone who is knowledgeable in what to put next to what, and what will last, and what will look good. i tend to stick with hostas and pots, but i really wanna get something different in. Anyone who is willing to go to the store with me and help me pick stuff out, and then tell me where to plant it would be such a big help. I would be so happy to just show up with the cash and maybe buy a few drinks or something. I know this is a lot to ask, but I'm just not a flower planter, i love flowers, I just don't know what to put where. That is why I'm taking the initiative to delegate this great task to someone who can do it better than i. So, if you feel sorry for my sappy green yard, next to my green house, let me know if ya wanna help! happy planting!

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

PRITTY IN PINK?



So, just when you think you've instilled all the precious values in your children, WHAM! you capture a photo like this. Brandon was begging me not to, as he was demanding conner de suit from the fairy costume, but really i couldn't help myself. I should have known he was up to something, taylor had hannah over to play and they were being so cute, playing in the princess tent in their gowns. Conner wanted someone to play with to, so I assured him it was o.k. to go play with the girls, painless really right? In my defense, i didn't know he would take me literally! I tried to explain to him he was suppose to be the fiery dragon that locked the princess in the tower, but he said that was too scary, little did he know the tutu he was sporting was just as scary. His little escapade ended shorty after his father saw him, but i got some photos just for kicks!

Just a shout out to all my friends, i want you all to know how grateful i am to have you. I have had an experiance of a lifetime here in moses, with so many people i feel so close to. i love all of you and i look forward to many years of friendship. it truly does make life complete to have friends. my favorite quote on friends "truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget." so many good memories i'll always have. and hopefully yall will have some of me! some of you are probably scarred for life with my little secrets, but atleast we laugh, right. to the grave ladies!

Saturday, April 26, 2008

ITS WHAT'S FOR DINNER

SO LATELY I'VE BEEN REALLY SICK OF WHAT I'VE BEEN EATING LATELY, I'M IN DIRE NEED OF NEW RECIPES! I HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT HOW TO DO A RECIPE BLOG, BUT SOMETIME SOON I'LL GET IT DONE. I FOUND THIS RECIPE ON THE BAG OF BISCUITS I BOUGHT, WELL BRANDON BOUGHT. I USUALLY MAKE MY OWN, BUT I'VE BEEN LAZY LATELY, SO HE BOUGHT SOME, SHAME ON ME. ANYWAY, THIS RECIPE WAS SOOOO EASY, AND SUPER FAST. I WAS DEFINATLY IMPRESSED. IT WAS PRITTY GOOD TASTIN TOO. SO FOR ALL YOU QUICK COOKERS, OR A NIGHT WHEN YOU GOTTA GET SOMETHIN ON FAST, TRY THIS!

QUICK CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

2 CANS PROGRESSO RICH AND HEARTY CHICKEN POT PIE SOUP
1 CAN PILLSBURRY REFRIGERATED BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

CHOPPED PARSLE, IF DESIRED

1. IN 10-INCH SKILLET, HEAT SOUP OVER MEDIUM HEAT, STIRRING OCCASIONALY, UNTIL BUBBLY.

2. SEPERATED DOUGH INTO 10 BISCUITS; CUT EACH INTO QUARTERS. PLACE BISCUIT QUARTERS ON TOP OF HOT SOUP. SIMMER UNCOVERED 10 MINUTES.

3. COVER; SIMMER AN ADDITIONAL 8 TO 10 MINUTES OR UNTIL BISCUITS ARE NO LONGER DOUGHY.
SPRINKLE WITH PARSLEY

I MADE THE MISTAKE OF OVERCOOKING MINE, THE BISCUITS DON'T GET BROWN, AND THEY ARE REALLY SOFT WHEN YOU POKE THEM WITH A FORK, SO TASTE ONE TO TELL IF THEY ARE DONE, OTHERWISE THE SOUP STICKS TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN AND BURNS. IT WAS STILL YUMMY THOUGH!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

KEEPING IT TOGETHER

I recieved this cute little book as a gift a while back and right now i have really been using it. Sometimes i just feel like life is falling apart, and this book really had some nice pointers. Lately I feel like i'm going nuts! I was informed by what they call a specialist these days that i need some extensive surgery done on my nose to clear my nasal passages, fix a crooked septum, and dig out polyps, nice i know. before he actually commented on my nose, he asked me how i got the "horrible" scar on my lip. he then said" it's too bad it's so noticeable, lips are fragile" i didn't take that as a comment to the plastic surgeon who fixed it! Talk about a self confidence check! I opted not to schedule the surgery, but was told my sinus infections would never clear up and polyps can be cancerous, nice again. well, i have not scheduled the surgery, try to get by as long as i can and WHAM! I've got a fabulous sinus infection which has also managed to take my voice, going on a week now, still can't breath, still holding out though. Then, the other day i insisted Conner put on pink cowboy boots for school, and was very frustrated that he was arguing with me, we were going to be late! then i realized NO ONE should make their seven year old son wear PINK cowboy boots; we then retreived the brown ones. then last night i went down stairs and called after presley to follow me, it wasn't after she fell down the first step( thank heaven it was a small one) that i realized she was ten months not 4! i erupted into tears, and after i made sure she was o.k. i thought maybe a fun bath would make it better, but after 15 minutes in the tub i noticed i put her in with her socks on! today i woke up to ankle deep water in my basement and I gave my daughter a cookie for breakfast, i'm not sure this was a good battle not to fight though, cause now she wants one for lunch too!, yeah my bad. I was in the dr. office this week and they had to call my name four times before i realized my last name was heslop, good thing they knew us otherwise they would have counted us as a no show! and no way was I going home after what I had to go through just to get there! so anyway, this book was talking about how NOT to do EVERYTHING, just concentrate on some things, and how not to feel guilty about it. it talks about knowing your limits. there are some things you just can't say no to( even though it would really cut down the stress if you could say no to laundry!) but each of us can probably find ways to trim our busy schedules. most of us have likely said yes to something we knew we didn't have time for, or sufficient energy or other resources equal to the task. the book then gives examples to creative excuses to help you say no when you need to. i thought these were great!

- I'm doing my annual dust ball inventory
- I'm counting and measuring all my gray hairs; this is going to take a while
- I'm training for an acronym marathon, lol
- I'm memorizing all the zip codes west of the mississippi
- I can't say yes to anything until I lose thirty pounds
- I'm organizing my paper clips
- I'm pasting S&H green stamps in my little books; it's something i've been meaning to do for such a long time
- I have to floss my dogs teeth
- I'm still savoring my jet lag
- The ragweed is too high this time of year
- I have to name my flowers
- I'm thinking about having grandchildren (I'm looking for a book with the title Grandchildren for Dummies)
- The man on TV told me to stay tuned
- I'm trying to see how long I can go without saying yes- thanks for helping
- I'm attending the grand opening of my neighbors garage door
- I'm sculpting a frog out of cottage cheese

The book states how some of this are really rediculous, ya think? but it says we need to try one or two just to get the feel of how effective they can be. it also gives a quote by Anne Morrow Lindberg, " My life cannot impliment in action the demands of all the people to whom my heart responds" It talks about taking time for you, which some of us still have not mastered to do much, even if it's just a few quiet moments. As i was reading this part and reflecting on my week, looks like i need more than a few moments, i've lost my head! It asks if youve had moments when you've hardly recognized yourslef, was that me? did i really do that? it talks a lot about stress and how to overcome it. it seems as though we have these lists of things to do, only they were suppose to be done yesterday, today, and tomorrow. the book refers to it as the List Collection ( doesn't it sound like a line of beautilful towels or something?) Mary Ellen Edmunds is the author, i like her, she's down to earth it seems. So back to cleanup in the basement, man I hate the smell of wet stuff! better tomorrows right?