Happy St. Patrick's Day

(don't mind the date; I'm still trying to figure out the new camera!)

I'm a day late, but I was too busy all day yesterday to post this. Squeak and I painted our toes to celebrate our Irishness. Irishness? Irishhood? Whatever. The fact that I'm 1/4 Irish and she's 1/8. Thanks, Grandma, for the Irish heritage!

Who doesn't love free stuff?

I am addicted to bargain shopping. I love finding a great deal. My Grandma was legendary as the "Coupon Queen" and I am trying to fill her shoes. Not to brag or anything (yeah, right), but I got everything in the photo below during Thanksgiving sales FOR FREE. Including the cordless electric razor. At first, D didn't want me to get it, saying he already had an electric. "But this is cordless!" I said and got it anyway. He is so thrilled--I see the glee on his face every time he can shave in the car or walk around the house shaving.

Sometimes I get things for free and then give them as gifts. If you receive such gifts, please know that you are even more loved and cherished than someone who receives a "purchased" gift. Believe me, it takes a lot more time, effort, and creativity to get something for free. Oh, but it is SO SATISFYING!!!

My Shrine to CVS

Destruction of the Shrine

How did I get roped into this freebie giveaway???

D signed up for a freebie on someone else's blog, but he doesn't have a blog. Which means I get to offer the following:

I Love This!

The first 3 people to respond to this post will get something made by me. My choice. Made especially for you.

Restrictions and Limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It will be done this year.
4. You have no clue what it's going to be, because I don't even know what it's going to be!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The Catch: You must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 3 people who comment on your post and agree to do the same! So get ready for your mystery treat but be prepared to share the love! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you get when you get it.


other caveat: I reserve the right to make D make your treat. If you're local and it's food, lucky you!!! If you're not local right now, you might be later on this year.

Curly, Moe, and Larry

February was an exciting month here--we had visitors THREE times during the month and loved it! We've also had camera and computer issues, but here's a shot of Squeak, Pip and Xinlan (one of our visitors).

About those awesome costumes...

Yes, Michelle, you've seen them before. And so have thousands of other people. I acquired the cat costumes around six years ago on a successful dumpster diving adventure with my roommate Micah. I had received a tip from a coworker whose wife did costumes for Young Ambassadors of BYU--they were getting rid of the costumes used for their "CATS" number.

Micah and I headed to the appropriate dumpster under cover of darkness. We wore dark clothing and had headlamps and plastic trash bags. We climbed in, shut the top, and couldn't believe our eyes! So much furry fabric! I had been expecting a handful of costumes, but this was better than I had imagined. We were laughing and rejoicing in our good fortune. I peeked out of the lid and saw a security guy about 50 feet away. Oops! We fell silent and stopped rustling around. After about two minutes, we felt someone lifting the dumpster lid--it was our security guy! "Uh, what's going on here?" he asked. I straightened up and (sounding all official) said, "Mary Smith (name has been changed) is the costume director for Young Ambassadors and she found out they were disposing of the costumes. She couldn't be here tonight, so we're acting on her behalf to save the costumes." What could he say to that? "OK, well, don't make a mess then," was his response. So Micah and I stuffed our bags full and took our loot home. We ended up with eleven complete cat costumes! Costumes that had been seen on stage hundreds of times (don't worry, we washed them!). That year, my roommates (Michelle was one of them) and I were all cats for Halloween. I've been a cat many times since then.

The dogs...well, not quite as exciting. One dog costume (Squeak's) was given to me by my sister-in-law when she was downsizing her costume stash. I made the other dog (Pip's) from fabric donations from my mother-in-law. I decided after that adventure that, although I find it highly satisfying to make family costumes, I'm sick of doing it without a pattern. I'm too slow and not skilled enough at sewing to sew without a pattern. We'll see what we come up with next year!

Old Halloween Photos

I can't believe I never posted these! We were cats and dogs for Halloween. It was pretty fun! The weather was just a touch too warm for furry costumes though. Maybe next year we'll wear togas or something...

Happy Birthday to Me!

My sweet babies made me feel extra special today by sleeping in, which meant that I also got to sleep in... till almost 9:00! Then we went on a birthday hike with my wonderful sister and her kids before they drove back to Utah. It was a lovely hike (I'll post photos later). We all hugged goodbye and she took off on her journey and I took off on a few errands before returning home--get gas, pick up some coupons, and pick up a few groceries. About a mile and a half from the gas station, my car kind of started to cough. "Oh, no," I thought, "I couldn't be out of gas!" My car can go 400 miles on a full tank and it had only gone 295. "Please help us to arrive at the gas station safely," I prayed. The light in front of me turned red; I had to stop, and when I did, that was all she wrote. I couldn't even pull over to the side (although I'd at least had the foresight to pull into the right lane).

There I was on a busy street with my two little kids, far from any gas station. I turned on my hazards and started pulling my kids out of the car. Nobody stopped to see if I needed help. I had no phone, knew nobody in the area (within walking distance), and had no phone numbers for anyone who could possibly help. Pip was in the backpack and Squeak was in the stroller, and I was about to head to the closest house and beg for some help when a stranger stopped. "Ma'am, will your car move if you put it in neutral and I push it?" Then another stranger stopped and offered to help push. I steered, and they got my car off the busy street. "Do you have a phone?" they asked. "No," I replied, "And I'm kind of embarrassed to say this, but I think I ran out of gas." Stranger number two said, "I live right around the corner. I've got a gas can in my garage and I'll bring you whatever's in it." He returned in no time at all and gave me enough gas to get me to the gas station. He told me if I needed anything else, his house was around the corner and his wife was there and could help me. They were both on their way somewhere, so they took off.

I thought, as I drove (safely) into the gas station, that my prayer had been answered in such an odd way. Yes, I ran out of gas in the middle of a busy street. But two strangers, both busy and both on their way to something important, had helped me arrive safely. It totally made my day!

A Testimonial

Two pregnancies
Zero stretch marks on my belly

Thank you, Annie's Handmade Skincare!!


My friend makes her own lotions and creams (as Nacho Libre would say). And she makes soap and lipgloss and other delicious-smelling treats for the skin. She uses natural ingredients and does not use mineral oil (it's very difficult to find a lotion at the store that doesn't have mineral oil, which, she told me, doesn't really moisurize because it just sits on top of the skin instead of being absorbed).

My personal favorites for pregnancy were the sugar scrub and the hand & foot cream (extra-thick lotion) that I rubbed on my belly daily. Her fragrances smell so good, I feel like I could lick myself!

Here's what she says:

All of Annie's Handmade Skin Care products are made from scratch with high quality ingredients that won't dry out or damage your skin. You can customize them with any fragrance or combination of fragrances you choose. Wow, what a deal!

Check her out:

http://handmadeskincare.biz/

Feeling Victorious

Are your running buddies as cute as mine are??

So I ran a 12-miler last week. Big deal. I've done that distance dozens of times. But this time I did it pushing a double jogger. We were not fast. I had to stop to let my 2-year-old pee. I had to keep handing out cheerios and water and bread. I pointed out red cars and white trucks and bicycles and ducks. I even sang primary songs to quell the boredom. And we made it! I was so proud of my munchkins for being such good sports about it all.



I remember feeling victorious last month too. I only ran 7 miles that day, but it was my first long run in preparation for my BIRTHDAY HALF MARATHON on February 7. I had been waiting for the perfect day when D could be home with the kids while I went running, but that day never came--he had to work every Saturday (and every weekday too). I finally decided it was up to me. I picked a day, got up early, and after an hour and a half (including breastfeeding, getting all of us dressed for the "cold" in AZ, getting us fed, packing snacks, changing the last-minute poopy and taking care of Squeaks potty needs, etc.) was able to get on my run. Gone are the days when doing a long run just means setting aside the time! Then, less than a mile into my run, I realized my Baby Jogger was getting harder to push. I looked down. Flat tire. I'd been runing with it for 8 months and had never gotten a flat tire! I briefly considered just pushing through the 7 miles with a flat. What a dumb idea! So I turned around and ran back home. I fixed the flat (Pip was screaming at this point), went back out (Pip calmed down once we started moving again) and finished my run. YEAH!

These photos were taken during a short run, not a long run!

Oh, the mockery!

Let us all vow together, right now, to stop eating Crisco from the can.

Thank you all for your great ideas. Not only did they help me with this year's choice, but now I have so many ideas for future years. Yeah! So I decided to try something a little bit different this year, because the comment above got me thinking--I have a real problem with eating Crisco from the can. I see the glossy, beautiful, white paste and can't help sticking my whole head in the can and having a big lick. Mmm! Just kidding. But I do have a problem with eating peanut butter from the jar and chocolate chips from the bag. So that's what I decided to give up this year. If chocolate or peanut butter has been prepared in something, it's OK (and surprisingly, I don't really have a self-control issue with prepared stuff, but I've been known to down a lot of PB or chocolate chips straight from the jar or bag). So happy new year, folks!

HELP ME, PLEASE!

I need ideas. The new year is fast approaching and I need some help. Those who have known me for a long time are aware that each year I give up one type of food (just for the year; I start eating it again the next year). This tradition started when I was in high school and all my Catholic friends were giving something up for Lent. I decided to join in and gave up chocolate, and then I decided to just keep going until the end of the year. Thus the tradition was born. I love doing it because it reminds me that I have self-control.

I've been doing this for so many years that I'm running out of ideas though. So far, I've given up: chocolate, soda, candy, chips, ice cream, peanuts, donuts, cookies, yeast breads with 100% white flour (I was really running out of ideas!), M&M's... Can't remember every single one, but that's most of them.

So I need some ideas. It has to be something that is unhealthy and also a food that I would miss (i.e. I'd have a hard time giving it up). So not something like pork rinds since I don't like pork. Also, it can't be overly inconvenient to give it up--like sugar--I'd never be able to eat anything made outside my house...

Anyway, help me out, people!