Drool....

[Random old picture: My sister Michelle's birthday when I was probably about 11 or 12. Joe is also in the picture.]

Recently I got a chance to go to Jamba Juice for a smoothie. I LOVE their smoothies and haven't had one for ages. Lucky me, they currently have their "Pumpkin Smash" holiday smoothie. >angelic choir sings< Well, I can't just get Jambas every day. BUT, I found a recipe and I made one today. It is super yummy :D

1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup pumpkin pie mix (not just pumpkin -- make sure you've got your spices!)
2 cups vanilla frozen yogurt
1 cup ice

Blend together and enjoy!

I am pretty sure the Jamba version didn't actually include any ice, and maybe I'll try it without next time. Lizzie was adamently opposed to pumpkin so I got some frozen strawberries and made hers with strawberries instead of pumpkin. It was delicious too. Of course the Sabrina wanted some strawberry too, so Lizzie at S's pumpkin smoothie for her. Naturally Lizzie loved them both, little punk ;)

Winner!!!

The school Reflections contest this year was based on the theme "Beauty is...". Kate chose to do a video project about friendship. I got a call about a week ago that she was chosen as a winner on the school level. Since we had the head's up we were able to go to the assembly where she received her award. She didn't even know she was a winner until the assembly (we kept it a secret). She got a nice drawing pad and colored pencils along with a free ticket to a theater show and a really nice gold medal. She did such a good job choosing a project based on the theme and directing the whole show. Great job, Kate!

30th birthday party

Last week my sister-in-law threw a fantastic 30th birthday party for me. It was supposed to be Saturday, but I decided to spend the evening in the ER instead. So we did it on Sunday. Here are a few pictures of the event.

Happy Birthday to... me!

Yesterday was my 30th birthday. I had a wonderful day with my family :)
The girls woke me up asking if they could please bring me breakfast in bed. They brought me a glass of milk and a plate of graham crackers. Kate wanted to bring me a special chocolate graham cracker, so I told her she could use some of the chocolate frosting in the fridge. As soon as I tasted it I realized her mistake -- I had only baked half of the cake the night before and she mistook the rest of the cake batter for chocolate frosting! I have to say that a graham cracker sandwich with chocolate cake batter frosting is pretty yummy :).

Michael came home early from work and brought me a present. I didn't I was going to get presents this year, so that was awfully exciting. I got the newest Robert Jordan (written by someone else) book which I've been wanting to read since I recently listened to the first 11 books(!) of the series.

The girls got to spend the afternoon with the neighbors while Michael took me out for a date. We went to Tucanos (I had my free meal card for my birthday, so it was actually do-able) and had a delicious very early dinner. Then he offered me a few options for activities. We were both so full I actually opted to go see a movie. That's really quite surprising cause I don't usually like going to movies. I noticed a show I thought looked like it might be a fun flick so we went to go see "Love Happens". It's at the dollar theater which was just a nice bonus. We were so full we didn't get popcorn or anything. I have to admit we were both very impressed by the movie. There were a couple of bad words and one shot of "the finger", but nothing else objectionable. Wonderful theme even. I'd recommed it.

After the movie it was a lot earlier than we'd expected and we weren't so roll-out-the-door-full, so we went to Coldstone for some ice cream. While we were sitting and chatting a bunch of teenagers came in. That's when I realized I am ready to be 30. I'd much rather be 30 than 15! It's exhausting just watching the group dynamics.

We returned home at a reasonable hour to retrieve our kids and head home for a quick nibble of cake before bed time. I had made two little cakes (we really dont' eat that much cake, but you gotta have it). We sang and I opened a present Kate had wrapped for me two days earlier. It was one of her books and a set of pictures decorated with a cute note and some of the best of her Halloween candy. Really cute. Kate and Lizzie each got a turn to take pictures during the little family gathering.

Life is great :)

30: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly... but how 'bout we leave off the ugly stuff.

So long story short (like I ever really manage that!) I'm up at 12:30 am on the day of my birth. Well, not the exact day -- it's been a while since that *actual* day. [Editor's note: I've taken heavy meds and I'm still awake, so I plead a Mamma-lee if this gets bizarre]. Birthday cake is in the oven right now so I really had better not choose this moment to finally fall asleep.



Approaching this birthday wasn't a big deal to me. I'm not really worried about age -- after all, the best cheese and meats are aged, right? Hmmm, I don't think I want to be likened to a stinky cheese or slab of meat. Bad analogy I suppose. Anyway, I thought it was no biggie. Then all of a sudden it started to hit me that maybe I should be slightly traumatized. So now I am. Don't worry, it won't last long. ;)


This has got me thinking, however. 30 years of life on this good ole planet. What have I accomplished? Do I have any regrets? Would I like a "do-over"? Well, let's see what my wandering fingers are thinking....

Expectations by the age 30:
THE GOOD
*I have a college degree in a field that could be easily applied in case that became necessary. Also, I enjoy learning new things and continually self-educating. I enjoy the degree I got (Elementary Education) and give or take a few psychiatric issues 8-P I could enjoy doing it again someday if the need arose.




*My crafting hobbies are wonderful. I need to get my health and motivation under control so I can keep up with it to turn the corner into actual "business", but that may need to wait another couple of years. Family first.


*I am very happily married for time and all eternity to a wonderful man. We get on each-other's nerves sometimes, we forget things, step on toes (literally and figuratively)... but we have a lot of fun doing it. I am content. Actually happy! I could not imagine a husband better prepared and suited to handling me than the one I have. And guess what? I love him too :")




*I have three beautiful daughters. We never intended to stop at three children, (thinking 4-5 or maybe even 6), but because of physical conditions beyond our control it simply isn't reasonable to attempt it. We feel very much at peace with this decision. One benefit is that I can buy three special matchy-matchy heirloom type thingies and not worry about any later kids being left out :D So while it wasn't our original plan, it is a plan that works for us. Being a stay at home mom is what I've always wanted to do, and I'm loving the opportunities that arise as a result.


THE "LESS-THAN-WHAT-I-HOPED" (Or for the sake of parallelism: THE BAD)
*I really wish we owned a house. This isn't a huge deal, but it is something that I'd always imagined. I wish I could settle down and spend time on making custom curtains, room decorations, bead spreads, coordinating whatsits, etc. Even though we're living in a house and have the space of a "grown up", I still feel frustrated by the transient feel. I know we're going to move at least one more time. I just want to know I can start ruining things on my own! I'd love to freak out about Sharpie on the wall and stains on the carpet for my own self, and not on behalf of some landlord. Someday. I hope.

*I never imagined I'd be living such a sendentary lifestyle. I was so active for so many years, I assumed it would continue to be a part of life: dance, walking, stretching, etc. I claim complete responsibility -- it's my bad choice. Finding the motivation to make this change has been difficult. My body is so far past what it used to be that it is physically uncomfortable to attempt the things I used to do on a Tuesday afternoon without breaking a sweat! I am really disappointed in my physical appearance. Due to metabolic changes, lifestyle changes, and dietary changes (none for the better) I now am heavier that I was when any of my three babies was born. That's really hard for me to swallow (No pun intended, honest). I have to accept responsibility for allowing these changes to occur, and I am capable of turning this around; but it will take conscious and significant change to do so.

*My physical health is just not what I would expect for an active, healthy 30 year old. (That's when I assumed I'd be active, of course) I've had two actual cut-you-open surgeries (one a c-section, the other for gallbladder) and probably about half-dozen non cutting general anesthesia procedures to try to keep my body on track. YES, I know that if I get the above mentioned issue taken care of, this should help. But in any case it's not going to happen over night. I didn't expect to have a pill sorter by this age. I take 10 pills daily. If I skip one for more than a day or two (it has happened to me with each of the pills) it reminds me of why I bother to take them anyway. 6 of the pills are identical, so it's really only 5 different meds. Fortunately none of my medical concerns have been severe chronic conditions. Chronic, sure, but severe? not so much. Not until I start to think of them all at once. Then I probably have an anxiety attack and add another pill in for the day.




So, basically -- Am I 30, flirty, and thriving?

Well, I am now 30. Flirty? Maybe with my husband sometimes ;). Thriving? I'll go with a definite yes. Besides how I've disregarded my physical condition I have no regrets. I would not have wished to travel the world while single. (I'd rather do that with my best friend. Awwwww.) I wouldn't wish to spend more time in the dating scene >shudder<. I wouldn't wish for any major changes in my life. I am indeed, content.

I suppose there really is nothing to worry about. I am 30. And That's That.


***Note -- I just pullled the cake out of the oven and managed to walk into three walls. I think it's time for bed :) I may add more pictures tomorrow -- cause you know me and pictures :P***

Halloween all cooked up.

My mom had a gorgeous garden this year. Tomatoes, squash, peppers... I don't know what all else. There was so much delicious produce, though! One of the really fun parts is that she put in a some pumpkin plants. Enough pumpkins grew so there was one (or more) for each family. We got three small pumpkins off the "pie pumpkin" vine. The pie pumpkins are smaller, finer textured, and sweeter. Now that Halloween is over I've been wanting some pumpkin pie. So I found a recipe: http://www.pickyourown.org/pumpkinpie.php and gave it a shot with one of the pumpkins. Well, actually with 3/8 of a pumpkin. That made two shallow 9" pies. Besides the fact that I butchered the crust (bad idea to start reading one recipe and finish reading another recipe! Same basic recipe, but half the size.) it was good pie. So this morning I cooked the other two pumpkins and mixed up the other 5/8 of the first pumpkin into baby pies. I made crust for a double crust pie and rolled it really thin and lined two dozen muffin tin spots. A generous 1/3 cup of filling fits perfectly. Then I baked it up. I just finished eating one. Yum.
I do like a good crust, but not too much of it. The thing I like about these baby pies is that the crust is VERY thin. It's more of a slightly crunchy wrapping for the filling than an overpowering floury cup.

I've been buried...

under a pile of sewing! Since Sabrina's birthday I've had at least half-dozen sewing projects of varying urgency to get done. I'm happy to say that as of last night, I'm done! for a couple of days, at least.

On top of all the sewing we also did the whole H1N1 thing. Sabrina, Lizzie, and I all got good and sick for several days. It's really hard to be productive when it takes all your energy to just keep everyone alive! I'm glad we're feeling a lot better now.

Halloween is finally over with for another year. I'm exhausted, but everything did get finished (the night before!). The girls chose to be BYU cheerleaders. I made their outfits, leggings to go underneath, and hair accessories for Kate and Sabrina. Thursday was the school Halloween parade, parent-teacher-conferences, and ward Halloween Carnival. Friday was a costume party / potluck at lunch time at Daddy's work (and a birthday party for K/L to go to in the morning -- no school cause of the PTC). Yesterday (Saturday) was actually Halloween -- we went to Grandma Abuela's house (Grandma Jensen) and had dinner and did trick-or-treating with Peter and Marisa's kids in south Provo. They got some great candy. No smarties, only half-dozen suckers each, and three full sized candy bars each! Today is a birthday party at the Grandparents Southern's house so the kids will wear their costumes there. Then those costumes are going to get a very thorough washing!

Parent/teacher conferences went really well. Lizzie's teacher said she's really smart, right on track with her reading and ahead of things with her writing skills. She's a good friend and doesn't disrupt the class. Kate's teachers said that she's very popular with the other kids, a perfect student, and a hard worker. She should be about level "H" in reading and is currently reading at level "O"-"P". It's been very busy, but a lot of fun. Glad we lived through it, and ready for the holiday season :)