NOT pregnant, but nesting

I absolutely hate cleaning my house. One reason of course is because its cleaning, another is that I have 2 toddlers that can mess it up faster than I can clean it, another is that my house is very plain (undecorated) so its not cute and fun when its clean its just bare. Lately though I have been in this get organized, go through things, throw stuff away phase, that is usually what I do when I'm pregnant. I don't know if it was the bee, a sign of spring, that has made me feel this way but it is so out of character. I'm not a slob, but if I had an unexpected visitor chances are they'd see a messy house. I've been doing projects that will help my house in the long run but not doing a great job on the everyday stuff. I at least feel I am getting things accomplished so that's good. So anyways, the point of my post (or at least what I've been wondering), my couch is microfiber and it is so so so filthy, what do I clean it with? Its something I want to tackle soon but am not sure what to use. Any suggestions? It is, or was a very nice couch but it looks so junky. The kids have been very hard on it and I refuse to get another until they have all grown a bit, but I hate it looking the way it does. Help.

Ketchup is good with anything!

Paige and Drew love corn dogs, its one item that I can actually get them both to eat. This day Morgan was having a corn dog with them and put ketchup on her plate. Paige saw Morgans ketchup, climbed on the table and tried to share. I don't usually give the little ones sauce because its messy and they do just fine without it, but she wanted it and Morgan was not to excited about sharing so I gave Paige some. Well the corn dog made a nice handle and the stick made a great spoon. Paige had zero bites of her corn dog (which she usually loves) and ate her ketchup instead.

After pictures and watching her eat ketchup for a bit I decided to dip her corn dog in the ketchup to try to get her to eat the corn dog. She didn't, she just licked it off the corn dog.

Ketchup for lunch? I guess it could be worse. Silly Paige, Ketchup is a condiment not a meal.

Spring?

Is this a sign of spring or is mother nature just messing with me? Yesterday this bee appeared on my back window and sat there all day long. Then Justin's parents have had a Caterpillar crawling around their front porch the last few days. I know that we are supposed to have 6 more weeks of winter (according to ground hog Phil), but bees don't come out in the winter. I don't know about you but I think the ground hog is a very unreliable source for weather forecasts. 1- its a rodent, 2- its kept in a cage, and anything locked up for to long has the tendency to go crazy, 3-it cant be in tune with nature when its not in the wild surviving on its own and finding its own food (by the size of him I have no doubt that he eats better than most the population), 4-Phil is probably scared out of his fur, when he finally gets out of his cage there are hundreds of people staring at him expecting him, a ground hog, to predict the weather, that's a lot to ask of an unstable rodent (personally I'd do anything to be put back in my cage, shadow, no shadow, who gives a crap put me in my cage). I am hoping that spring is sooner that later, I am tired of cold and sickness, I'm tired of being stuck indoors, I'm tired of bundling and unbundling my kids every time I leave the house, and most important I want to wear flip-flops. So I think I'll take the bee as a sign of spring coming and try not think of it as some sci-fi wonder bee that was scouting out a new location for his summer home. Hurry spring!

My Drama Queen

My Morgans achievement days class put on a play this Saturday night. Morgan is a performer all the way and was totally in her element. She did an awesome job and of course after did another goofy face for the camera.

I never got a shot of her looking at the audience so this is the best I can post.

This night was not only for the play but also a recognition night for all the things the girls have done to earn their Gospel in Action or Faith in God reward (not sure what they are calling it these days). Morgan proudly displayed some stories shes written, art work, trophies (soccer because she decided softball was boring), and a quilt that shes started. Morgan is really a great kid and I am so very proud of her. I love you stink!

Biggest fears

I just got home from a pressure cooking meat and beans class that my friend Yolanda taught as one of our wards mini classes for enrichment. Holy crap! that stuff is so over my head, its ridiculous. I could have been listening to Japanese and understood that, as much as I did about pressure cooking. The other people there knew what she was talking about, even gave what I am sure would be helpful hints, if I spoke Japanese. Some of them have even used a pressure cooker to make a roast for a regular every day dinner. I do think the whole idea of it is great, already cooked meat, open up a bottle throw it in enchiladas, or stew, or whatever, its fast and easy. Price wise its a very good idea as well, canned chicken is very expensive, I do not think I have ever seen canned beef before (never looked for it). It keeps for a long time, so if some thing did happen to the freezer (where I now keep all my meat until needed) I would have another option. So the concepts of storage, price, convenience all make sense to me, actually using a pressure cooker totally freaks me out! I have bottled 1 time in my life and was very nervous about it, and it did turn out to be easier than I thought it would. Maybe using a pressure cooker will be too. NOT LIKELY!!! You have to think about altitude, and how much water, and how much heat, and a bunch of other stuff that I am apparently to stupid to understand. I really want to be able to do this, I think the results (if I don't blow anything up) would be really beneficial and a good skill to know. So I will conquer my fears, and pressure cook chicken (as soon as it goes on sale at maceys) and with Yolanda holding my hand the entire time, I will have bottled chicken and maybe beef. As a side note I am told bottled deer and elk are actually very good when you add some special pressure cooking voodoo to the mix. For us that would be great because we never eat what Justin kills (nor does it go to waist because we usually give it to his workers) but for food storage for my family, if it does taste good, that would be great. I don't know why I am so worked up about this, maybe its because I know so little about canning foods, fear of the unknown? Lately I have seen how fascinating cooking can be, and how much cooking is really a science and I feel like I have so much to learn. I can store wheat and beans and whatever, but when disaster strikes what do I do with it all? Step #1- find out where you can buy a pressure cooker, Step#2- buy a pressure cooker, Step #3- read all instructions, Step #4- call Yolanda because I CANT READ JAPANESE! Wish me luck! I'm going to need it! One more question, Does it confirm that I need to get a life when I'm posting about pressure cookers?

Remember the Drive-in movie?

Paige and Drew are always playing with our laundry baskets, sometimes they use them to reach something that they are not supposed to have but usually they just pull a bunch of toys around or sit in them. This day they were cars, so I made them more comfortable for them and put on a movie so they could watch it from their cars. They both had fun and actually sat in them for almost the entire movie. I got thinking though and decided that I miss the drive-in movie. True they were always kind of dirty and the sound was horrible, but they were always a good time. I remember going as a little girl and my aunt Susie would pop tons of popcorn and separate it into individual brown bags for us. We were not given them until after the entrance of course because you were not supposed to bring in your own treats. Seriously though, who didn't sneak in treats? You have not a purse, or a coat pocket, but a trunk! Anyways, when I became a parent we used to take Haylie and even Morgan a time or two before they closed down and turned into houses. I liked the fact that we could watch a movie as a family and the kids that normally don't sit to well during a movie could wiggle and even talk a bit and it was not a major annoyance for the person in the chair next to you. It was relaxed and even more relaxing when the kids finally fell asleep. So this is Paige and Drew at the Drive-in movie, playing that day was Lilo and Stitch.

Are there any more Drive-in movies left? Do they still exist? If you've seen one let me know I think everyone should go at least once, other wise Grease might be confusing. We cant have that!

Monster trucks!

What's cooler than a boys night out? Drew's aunt Lisa saw that Monster trucks was coming to town and thought that Drew, Justin, Brady and J would have fun going and boy she was right. I made the mistake of telling Drew a few days in advance that he was going and after that it was a constant question of "are we going yet?" Every time I put on my shoes it was "time for Monster Trucks?" But the day finally came and he loved it! The best part for me was that Justin took some pictures and I decided to post some. Drew said it was loud but Justin said that he took out his ear plugs half way through the show.

Drew and Brady

Justin and Drew, Red Neck Boys Night Out.

I've got a great idea!

This is how I am going to keep my house clean! OK, fine, not really, but I wont lie, it did cross my mind. Actually, I was in my room and heard giggling, Drew and Paige giggling together has the tendency to make me nervous. Giggling kids can be so sweet, or so scary, or so messy depending on what they are laughing at, but always camera worthy. To my delight there was not cereal all over the floor and they were not soaked from the refrigerator water, they were just having a visit with Mojo. My sweet kids how could I ever think they were getting into trouble.

Handsomes Haircut

I know that a little boy getting a haircut is not exactly front page news, but this is the first time in the last 3.5 years that Drew has been getting haircuts that he actually went without a fuss. Drew has hated every single haircut hes ever had, that is why we always go so long between cuts. He will be a perfectly happy boy in a perfectly good mood and the minute we walk into a salon he is the biggest turd imaginable. Not this time though, I asked him if he wanted a hair cut so we could make his hair spiky again (he likes spikes) and he said "OK because haircuts are not scary, they don't hurt they tickle" So I know he has listened before he just did not care. So I took him not knowing what mood he would be in when we arrived and to my surprise he stayed as happy as can be. He climbed up in the chair all by himself without having to be coaxed or bribed. He held still and did everything thing the stylist asked and had a nice conversation with her during the cut. Front page news? I think so, if you had ever been around during any of Drew's other cuts you would totally understand how exciting this really is. Here is Drew's before picture.

And here is the handsome after shot. Lookin' good!