Mystery of the Day

Where could Kadin be going with those socks? Hmmmmm I wonder . . . .

Oh! The sock stash . . . in the bathroom! Of course, why didn't I think about that!

MYSTERY SOLVED!!!!!!!

Take a peek

So we made it through the pictures with our realtor (the hardest part was keeping Kadin out of the pictures; he was convinced that she was really there to photograph him!) and we are officially on the market! So if you're interested, take a peek at our listing and see what our house looks like. Go to rmls.com and in the number search enter 8038942. We are not crazy about the pictures that she took, kind of wierd angles and we're not sure that it shows our house to the best advantage, but we'll see how it goes.

Must-see Boob-fest!

Jeremy and I just finished watching "Lars and the Real Girl" and I LOVED IT! Devin found it a while ago, some indie movie that only played in the Fox Tower downtown. He went with my mom and Ben and they all loved it. So I started watching it yesterday and finished it tonight and fell in love with it too.
The premise is about Lars bringing home his girlfriend; a fake, plastic woman, Bianca. No one knows what to do, but the people of the town really step it up and open their minds and hearts to Lars and Bianca. There are so many heartwarming moments through the whole show and by the end I was in tears (it doesn't take me a lot to get there!). It is so sweet and just shows how good people can be. I totally whole-heartedly recommend this to anyone, you could sit down and watch this with your 80 year old grandma and not be embarrassed! It is FABULOUS!

Fatty McFat Fat

That is what I feel like today; a total Fatty McFat Fat. Another side-effect of all this pre-moving craziness is that I feel too beat to even think of what to cook for dinner so we have been eating a bunch of take-out or quick and crappy food. I feel nasty as a result. But, I have had a couple really good things this week; good to eat, not good for me. So I thought I would share the yummies.

Raspberry Pretzel Salad
I made this for the birthday party we had for Justis and Kadin as an experiment and it turned out GREAT! Sweet, salty and almost a cup of butter . . . YUM!!!!

3/4 cup butter
2 1/2 cups thin pretzel sticks (I used the normal shaped ones)
1 (8 oz.) pacakage cream cheese
1 (8 oz.) tub Cool Whip
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
1 large package raspberry Jello
2 (10 oz.) packages frozen raspberries, undrained and slightly thawed
1 (15 1/2 oz) can crushed pineapple undrained

Melt butter and pour into a 9x13 inch pan. Break pretzels in half and pat evenly into the pan. Bake 10 minutes at 400. Remove from oven and cool.
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, Cool whip, and sugar. Dab on top of pretzels and spread to edges of pan. Refrigerate for an hour.
Bring water to a boil. Completely dissolve jello in boiling water and cool in refrigerator until syrupy. Add slightly thawed raspberries and crushed pineapple and stir. Pour carefully over top of cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate overnight or several hours until firm. Makes 12 servings.

The other taste treat I discovered were these Lemon Ricotta Biscuits. They are a yummy muffin/cupcake/biscuit!

I have enjoyed the food, but now I am going to start enjoying in more moderation!

Am I insane? (the sequel)

The deeper we get into this house selling thing, or at least the preparing to sell thing, the more I question the sanity of our choice.
I have been cleaning like mad trying to get the house put together and organized so that our realtor could take pictures today. But yesterday the sheetrocker came and the house EXPLODED!!! Furniture got moved, clothes were everywhere in our bedroom, and the dishes were starting to pile up (ok, so the dishes had nothing to do with the sheetrocker, but if I can pass the blame on that, I will). Kadin was thrilled to pieces though. As soon as the guy and his fiancee/helper showed up, he was running around and talking up a storm with them. My favorite was when they were in two different rooms and he would run back and forth between them saying "Hi!" in the most cheerful voice. Thankfully they were both very patient!
They started around 5 and didn't finish until close to 9:30, which was not such a good thing for either Kadin or me. We both have early bedtimes (Kadin crashes at 8 and then I go down shortly thereafter), so by the time they packed up and left we were struggling. And, they didn't quite finish.
This morning Jeremy and Devin took on the job of painting the outside of the house (not all of it, just where we had some cracks fixed a while ago) and painting inside where the sheetrock had been fixed. They did a fantastic job, but ran into a slight problem. After Jeremy had gone around and painted over the misc. sheetrock fixes on the walls in the halls and stairway, we realized that it was the wrong color paint. Jeremy had taken the paint can that the builder left us to the same paint company that originally mixed it, but somehow they got the mix wrong so we have splotchy walls. So we have to have them try and mix it again and hopefully we get it right this time!
On top of the exploded house, stinky sheetrocking, plastic covering nearly everything upstairs and splotchy paint; Kadin has been so difficult today. Today was one of those days when I think he woke up with the goal to see how many of my buttons he could push. And I think he set a record today. I won't list out all of the struggles we had today (it makes me want to scream just thinking about some of them), but needless to say it got to the point where dropping him off somewhere, anywhere, and running away, was beginning to look like a viable and fairly attractive option. Luckily at the end of the day he gave me a big hug and a kiss and said "Wub 'ou" (love you), so I guess I like him again. Until six o'clock tomorrow morning when the chorus of "Mommy . . . . Mommy . . . .MommyMommyMommy!" begins again!

Am I insane?

Jeremy and I made the decision to put our house on the market this week (after talking with our realtor we decided that even though the market isn't that great right now, we aren't in a position where we have to sell so if we don't get a good offer, oh well). Wednesday our realtor is coming to take pictures so it is a mad rush around here to get things cleaned up and moved out. We are packing some of our extra "stuff" up (like old baby stuff and winter clothes) and moving it to Mom and Dad Sherwood's to make our house look more spacious. Then tomorrow we are having a sheet-rocker come and fix these HUGE cracks in the back rooms of our house from the settling of the house. After the sheet-rocker finishes tomorrow night (did I mention he isn't even starting until 5 pm?), Jeremy is taking a personal day Wednesday and doing the touch-up painting right before Vicki comes to take pictures. Then hopefully everything goes well and our house will be up and listed by the weekend. Which means that then we will start (hopefully) having people coming to look at our house; which means that I need to get on top of keeping it "show-ready" all the time! Really? Keeping a house immaculate with a two year old boy? Again I say, AM I INSANE?!?!?!?!

What I miss

I am sitting here at 10:30 at night waiting for my magic Ambien pill to kick in watching old episodes of "The West Wing" and remembering just why I loved this show so much. The writing is so witty and the actors are so quick and perfectly fit their characters. . . it has drama (they are about to blow up a Syrian ammo dump in reponse to an American plane being blown up), comedy (the snarky personal assistant and the ex-girlfriend who was trying to elect the presidents opponent being hired to report to her ex-boyfriend). It made me realize that I miss good TV. In my opinion, "good TV" is that which doesn't play to the lowest common denominator ie. jokes about bodily sounds, racism, or crude sexuality. Shows that have qualified as "good TV" for me are: (in no particular order other than the one in which they pop into my mind)
1. Fraiser
2. Gilmore Girls
3. West Wing
4. Studio 60
5. Pushing Daisies
6. House

The list is short, and I think that is too bad. I miss good tv. I'm not trying to be a laugh snob or an elitist TV watcher, but I would like to find more than a handful of shows that don't focus on crude humor, obvious 5th grade jokes or denigrating humans for the enjoyment of everyone else in the world. Is that really too much to ask? If anyone out there has any suggestions for something I might enjoy, I am more than willing to give something a shot.


Really, why am I whining about this? It's not like I have time to watch TV anyway!

by the way . . .

Just thought I would let you all know that Jeremy has his own blog too. He is doing something kind of cool, at least I think so. His blog is snappynewday.com and instead of writing about his life, he chooses a quote from Mr. Rogers (a personal hero in our family) and talks about what that quote means to him. Check it out; I think he's got some pretty great things on there!

After all the deep thoughts this morning, Kadin provided the usual comic relief tonight. I got him out of the tub as usual and let him run around in the buff while I was mopping up the lake he created with his splashing. He stopped running and started tinkling on the floor. Seeing a "teaching moment" I grabbed him and plopped him on the potty. "This is where we go pee-pee" I said, and turned my back for a second to grab the towel and get the last bits of water. I didn't expect anything to happen, peeing or otherwise, but I was wrong. In the time I was turned around, Kadin stood up on the potty and just as I turned to look at him and figure out what was going on, he continued the tinkle he had previously began; from the potty to the floor. At least we're in the vicinity!

morning to make me think

So I went visiting teaching today and I was there before my visiting teaching partner so I was just sitting and talking with the woman we visit teach. My partner showed up and I could tell that she was pretty stressed out and upset. We asked her what was going on and she just broke down and started crying. She said that her husband had decided that he didn't want to live by the "restrictions" of the church and had gone out drinking last night. I had no idea what to say. I could not even imagine being in her shoes and facing that kind of situation. What do you do? I could not even imagine looking at a future where Jeremy and I weren't on the same page about something so fundamental as our faith and lifestyle choices.
My mom has a small decorative square on her dresser that says "If you are handed it, you can handle it" and I totally believe it is true. So many times I look at other people and their struggles and just go "Wow; I am soooooo glad that is not me!", and I'm sure other people look at us and say the same thing. Life is tough for everyone, but it is tough in the way that is specific for you and what you need to learn and grow and progress. Jeremy says all the time that he would have been an awesome pioneer because he can handle physical challenges and discomfort and all of that kind of stuff. But his challenge has come in having to be on the outside looking in; watching me struggle physically and knowing that he can't fix it. We have talked a lot about how me being sick has really been a learning and growing experience for the both of us, not just me. I told him once that he needs to hurry up and learn the lesson so I can get better, but I don't think it works that way!
The other thing about this situation that really struck me is that my visiting teaching partner talked about how her husband told her that he was making these choices for himself and that it didn't need to change anything in their marriage or family. He was seeing what he was doing as an individual action and didn't realize or didn't want to realize the impact it would have beyond himself. In our society we want to think that the choices we make only impact us and who cares what I choose to do because it's my choice and doesn't affect anyone else. What a short-sighted point of view. Even if you don't factor in marriage (which pretty well eliminates the whole "me" and "I" concept), the choices we make have such a ripple effect, even if we can't immediately see it.
Anyway, the whole morning just taught me to really appreciate Jeremy and how blessed I am to have such an amazisng husband. Even though we may have our occasional disagreements and may not see eye to eye on everything; we are headed in the same direction and want the same things for our marriage and family. How grateful I am to have a worthy priesthood holder who can bless our family and lead us in righteousness. Thank you, thank you, thank you Jeremy! I love you tons and tons and tons! I NEED YOU!!!

Easter pictures

Make a photobook - it's easy!

Kadin birthday pictures

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Opposition in all things

The title isn't supposed to mean opposition like struggle or challenge, but opposition as is opposite. It has been a day of opposites all the way around.
The day began with joy (well maybe not began that way, because it began at 6:30!!!) because we celebrated Kadin's 2nd birthday today. His birthday isn't until Monday, but since weekdays are crazy, we decided to celebrate today and make a day of it. So this morning we got up and decorated the house with streamers and balloons and kept talking to Kadin about what was going on today. Everytime we would tell him it was his birthday party day he would say "Cake, Yuuuum". As we were making his cake the other day, Jeremy gave him a piece that I had cut off and he was absolutely enthralled with it.
After his and my nap in the morning, both sets of grandparents came over for lunch, cake and presents. Everything was going really well and Kadin was having a absolute blast with the bunch of helium ballons that I had had my parents pick up from the store and bring with them. Everything was "Finding Nemo" themed because that was Kadin's favorite movie for a long time (of course, right after I started planning and getting everything ready for a Finding Nemo party, he starts loving another movie and abandons Nemo . . . fickle child!). He loved all his presents; my parents gave him some really fun Diego toys and Mom and Dad Sherwood gave him this totally adorable farm tractor. Jeremy and I gave him a sand/water table for him to play with outside on our back deck (hopefully independently) and the little time he played with it (in the rain) he was loving it! Unfortunately he got some sand in his eye and rubbed it so we think he scratched his eye. So most of the cake/present pictures are of him mid-cry.
So the party was really great and then everyone took off and Jeremy went to priesthood and after he got back, he left again to go to the Jax game. After I put Kadin down to bed, I got in bed and just turned on the tv to detox from the day and just shut my brain off. I started watching "True Life" on MTV and it was about young adults who are in charge of taking care of their siblings. It was so heartwrenching to watch young people, my age, have to take on raising their teenage siblings in incredibly challenging situations. I watched them do math gymnastics with how much all their bills will cost and which ones absolutely have to be paid and which can be put off just a little bit longer. I watched as a girl younger than me stood in line at the grocery store, mortified because the blank check her friend had given her was rejected and she had to leave without any groceries. I ached for all of them to have to be in that situation and it made me sad because I am so blessed. I don't know, a lot of things that have happened that in other situations would have made me angry or frustrated, now it just makes me sad. Like the Oprah show the other day on the "pregnant man" (I won't go into it now, but I promise to say what I think on another post!) just made me so sad.
So we started off the day joyfully and ended it with some sadness. Opposition in all things. . . .

Joy of accomplishment!

Some days I look around the house and see dishes in the sink, toys everywhere, and laundry spilling out of the closet door and wonder "Where did the day go and what exactly did I do all day?" Then I remember that most days are spent in immeasurable but important things like singing "popcorn popping" 32 times, playing hide-and-seek, pushing a swing at the park and splashing in the tub. But there are some days when it is nice to have something concrete accomplished at the end of the day. This is my accomplishment for today . . . I finally got my scrapbooking space organized and clean! For a long time I have just been pushing stuff around, kind of making space when I find the time to do something. But for the last little while I have been steadily working at getting things organized and put in specific place so I can find everything I want. I am so happy! Now I (almost) don't want to do anything in there so I don't mess it up again!

(And yes, that bright yellow glow in the background really is the color of our wall. Jeremy's pick!)

Hiding in the closet

Today has been one of those days; one of those days when I wish I could just crawl into a dark corner in my closet and have the rest of the world just GO AWAY!!!
Kadin has decided to live up to the moniker of "terrible twos" with a vengeance! For the last couple days, my angel baby has swung to the other side of the behavior spectrum, and to make things even better he waits to be naughty until about 4 in the afternoon, when I am starting to crash and counting the minutes until Jeremy gets home! The last couple days have been especially exasperating, but I think today took the cake, by far!
I have been waking up really early the last few days coughing up nasty stuff so I am a little sleep deprived, so I haven't really had the energy to cope with everything as well as I might have otherwise. But, even on a REALLY good night's sleep Kadin's behavior today would have pushed me to the edge. Here's a quick rundown:
- Kicking and wiggling during a particularly nasty diaper change, getting poop all over his legs, his socks, my hand and very nearly the carpet.
- Pulling the tablecloth off the table (with dishes still on it)
- Throwing every one of his 14 mini play-doh cans on the floor as hard as he possibly could, followed soon thereafter by all of the play-doh accessories
- Throwing two big handfuls of dirt from the garden into the house
- Pulling the egg container off the counter while I was checking something in the oven, breaking four eggs all over the floor
- Refusing to eat without sitting on my lap
- Screaming for 45 minutes at the top of his lungs because I wouldn't pick him up and carry him everywhere he wanted to go

Sounds exciting, right? Keep in mind all of this happened in 2 hours time. Am I going to survive a two-year old boy? We had some friends over the other night and they have a little girl who is just a couple weeks older than Kadin. They were playing together and Kadin had his "spotting scope" (an empty paper towel roll) and was whacking it all over the floor. Ireland was looking at him like he was insane and sat on the floor looking at books peacefully. What would it be like to have a kid who didn't feel the need to destroy/throw/hit anything and everything in sight? I wonder . . . .