About ME

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Yes, 3 Grandmothers.

2. When was the last time you cried?
Last night. Aaron left for the weekend and we were having a heart 2 heart!

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
I don't dislike it.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Smoked turkey

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
5

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
yes

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
No way, not me!

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
yes

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Absolutely, wanna come?

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Special K red berries

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
I try not to wear shoes that require laces, but when I go walking I untie them half the time.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Yes!

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Butterfinger, Cherry Garcia, Chocolate PB

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Their demenor

15. RED OR PINK?
Deep RED

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF?
my weight

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
Mommy

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
I would love everyone to respond

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Black slacks and black sandals

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
A bowl of Special K red berries

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Y92.5 and Sarah talking with the President of her sons football league

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
royal purple

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Brownies baking, vanilla candles

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO?
A customer

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
of course! I got this from Cora's blog!

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
I only watch soccer when my girls are playing

27. HAIR COLOR?
Natural or currently?

28. EYE COLOR?
brown

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
no

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
Steak and twice baked potatoes with Nuggett brownies for desert

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy. I am a sap.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
An unfinished Life

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
White

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Do I have a choice?

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Both

36. FAVORITE DESSERT
Brownies

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
no one

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND
no one

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING
Digital Photography 302 (school just started)

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Do people still use mouse pads?

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T. V. LAST NIGHT?
I didn't watch tv

42. FAVORITE SOUND
Parker giggling

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
the Beatles

44. WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME
Ft. Lauderdale, FL

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT
I can do anything! Raise 6 kids, work, clean house, etc

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Provo, UT

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK
anyones

In stitches

As a result of an innocent injury while playing at daycare Parker ended up with 5 stitches. We are surprised it took him 13 months to do this! He sure is an active baby.
On the bright side this gives him the opportunity to sport some really cool band aids!

I had my cake and ate it too!

I LOVE my birthday. I love an excuse to get together with friends and family and celebrate. Since becoming an adult kids, family, work, etc hinder the celebration somewhat.

Not this year!

I will start with the work party. Sarah and I celebrated our birthdays together at the store. We had a blast with close friends and coworkers.

Being a photographer at heart and a scrapbooker by profession it only seemed fitting that we have a photo op during the party. We had our guest use provided props to pose for a month of the year. Then we are going to compile the pictures into a calendar for each guest. We had some great pictures. I will share some of them later.

I was a lucky girl. Kim made me a small sign in book that the guests could sign or write a nice message. In addition to this gorgeous hair (Liz paid for me to get my hair colored and cut).

She also made the cake and other goodies for the party and even got me a gift card to Starbucks. Cora and Patricia gave me a gift card to Panda Express and Linda and Tiffany gave me a gift card to Target. I am all set for a while! Thanks ladies.

The most awesome thing was the book they made us. Sarah and I each got our own 8x8 book. Robyn, Adrien, Robin, Dorothy, Liz, Frannie and Shelly put together the funniest book titled 'A day in the life of a Scrapbooker'. It was hilarious. They each did a spoof on an addiction. Then using scrapbooking supplies they created a scene and photographed and scrapbooked it. It is the best thing! I love it!

Saturday was my actual birthday. I got to go to the movies with my Mother in law and Sister in law. We saw Mama Mia.

It was very cute. I didn't realize it would be so silly. There were lots of funny, lighthearted moments. It had an adult theme but was not deep.

After the movie the 3 of us stopped for ice cream. I at a yummy sundae.

Later that night (after a short nap) DH and I went out for dinner. I have been wanting to go to the Melting Pot for at least 3 years. Last week I got an email for a free chocolate fondue for my birthday. So I called and made reservations.

We had a great night. Who doesn't like dipping in their food in hot gooey cheese or chocolate?! The spinach, artichoke cheese dip was delicious and the flaming turtle chocolate oh so decadent.

Sunday was my icing. Sarah and I went with Liz and Jen to the Daughtry concert. I think it needs its own post but let me just say it was a day to remember.

VIP

That's me. I am a Very Important Person. For my birthday (which is tomorrow!) Sarah and I are going to a Day in the Zone. It is a local concert put on by one of the radio stations. I got the tickets for our birthdays and Sarah's husband surprised us both with VIP passes. That means we get in early, get to meet Chris Daughtry and the other bands, take a picture with Chris Daughtry, sit through the sound check and get a signed poster and some other cool things.

this is what we get to do http://www.daughtryvipexperience.com/

Did I mention we get to see, meet, hug Chris Daughtry?

Thanks Sarah and hubby!

Google this Baby!

I got this from an friends blog.

Here are the simple rules: Google "your name needs" and describe the first ten results.

1. Helen needs your immediate attention. (Is this refering to my selfish ways? hmm)

2. Helen needs your help. (I am sure this is true)

3. Helen needs to be put out to pasture.

4. Helen needs stem cell therapy. (Am I sick?)

5. Helen needs dependable salaries.

6. Helen needs an attorny who can help file a trademark for her new business.

7. Helen needs a cookie. (Yep, a chocolate chunk with nuts)

8. Helen needs cooling down after opening her hunky-man calendar. (Don't tell DH!)

9. Helen needs to follow order to develope balance, greater awareness, and wholeness.

10. Helen needs a loan of $1,200 to buy more wrappers and jewelry to sell.

Friday night a group of us had fun looking up friends and coworkers names. I am not sure if I am easily amused or if it was because it was rather late at night, but I was laughing so hard I had tears. Mine were not nearly as funny as some others. Try your name and see what you come up with.

Misconceptions

Isn't funny the perceptions we have of other people and places. For instance all southerners talk with an accent, Californians are surfers, New Yorkers talk slow, etc.

I picked up the foreign exchange student from the airport yesterday. Today as we are driving to go look at her school I asked her if she needed to purchase some clothing for school. She only brought one medium sized bag with her so I figured she was planning on buying some things here so she could fit in. She told me her mom had told her not to bring much because Americans wear baggy clothes. She commented that she hadn't yet seen anyone dressed in baggy clothing. I guess hip-hop and R&B are very popular there.

I laughed that they thought the entire American nation dressed alike in baggy shirts and sagging pants!

I have a feeling we will have several more of these moments over the next few weeks.

Oh, she also wanted to know if even girls wore back packs at school. I told her of course, everyone has to carry their books. She said in her country the girls only have small books and the boys carry their books for them. She won't be seeing much of that here! LOL

Paint, garbage and Good Will

No it's not spring cleaning.

We are having a guest. Guests mean clean the house.

This guest is a little unusual. Through some rather strange circumstances we agreed to host a foreign exchange student for the school year. We found out last Thursday and she arrives on Wednesday. She is a 17 year old senior from Kyrgyzstan.

We have been frantically moving girls rooms around (all of them chose to go to a different room). After cleaning out over 8 large bags of garbage from under beds, behind dressers and bottom of closets and getting rid of unread books, unplayed with toys and old clothes I then had to deep clean. I wiped down walls, vacuumed floors and finally painted the spare bedroom.

We had fun shopping and getting the girls room ready. We painted the walls tan and bought a matching bed set that is blue with stripes. The room is finally complete with new garbage can, 50 matching hangers, towel set and laundry hamper.

I love any excuse to spruce up the house and do a deep clean. This has been great to go through the kids things I am limiting them to 5 toys, 1 shelf of books, 1 box under the bed of misc 'treasures', and 10 days worth of clothes.

We are almost ready. Now I am planning a few outings. What must she see to appreciate the USA?