Is It Naptime Yet

I bought some regal tickets/ gift tickets at Costco not to long ago.
I thought we could use them for a movie date, since we agreed we’d go see Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
Well, Elizabeth: The Golden Age is not playing at Regal cinema’s, but Century. So uh, I think someone will be getting movie tickets as a gift because we’re pretty choosy about what we see in the theater.
I’ve already given a set to Judy as a thank you for helping me while Lilah was having her hives episode.

Yeah, that’s life.
On an up note I went shopping on Wednesday and I’m gonna look really cute for Jon tonight wearing my new clothes and shoes.
I guess it’s nice to dress up for your husband every-once in a while.

Of course he says I’m cute no matter what, but I know he enjoys the hair and makeup done Lacey too.

Let me correct this. We do have one regal theater playing the movie we want to see but it’s 16 miles away from us, one way, so what money we saved in getting the tickets from Costco we spend in gas and break even, unless we use my free ticket from a time I gave blood.
16 miles away though. I love and hate living in a big city.

So I survived my second enrichment meeting. The last one was stressful, but this one I felt more pressure, mostly because it was suppose to be more uplifting and motivational and not just a speaker telling us about crime, like our last one was.
We looked at family indexing. Something the church is partnering with other people and doing so you can essentially do genealogy from home eventually. Then we also looked at some ethical will questions and I had the women talk to a partner about their answers.

I think it went well. Without Jon I wouldn’t have been able to do either activity.

The ethical will he suggested and went off without a hitch.
For the family indexing we had a glitch because we use to have computers in the church building but that is no longer, so we couldn’t use a computer room to do a short tutorial. Then we don’t have wireless Internet so I created a PowerPoint where I essentially printed each screen and made it exactly what a person would see in the tutorial. (Jon was the brains behind creating the PowerPoint. He has been wonderful for bouncing problems and ideas off of.)
It worked out great and it seems like a lot of women are now interested in indexing.

I feel the night went really well.
I was over the ethical will portion and I just couldn’t help but be happy seeing these women take to one another about their life experiences.
It was really gratifying to watch.
It was wonderful.

I’m happy it’s over but I think it was a wonderful night.

Here are the Ethical Will questions I used for the night in case anyone wants to add these to there personal history or journal.

Ethical Will

1. Who influenced you most in your life and what did you learn from them that affected the way you’ve lived?
2. Describe the most important experiences of your life. What did they teach you?
3. What was the happiest time of your life? The saddest time?
4. What spiritual beliefs have guided and sustained you?
5. Describe the family stories you’d like people to remember. What meaning do they have for you?
6. What are you most proud of? Any regrets?
7. What do you wish you had learned earlier in life?
8. Who is the most important person in your life and what have you learned from him or her?

My lesson is done. It’s a short one so I hope we have a  long testimony meeting tomorrow.
I did shower. My hair was just too yucky to wait another day.
No laundry is folded.
Jon is staying late at the office so he can study. We have too small of a house and no where nice to concentrate.
I might do dishes.
I think we’re gonna have cereal for dinner because I don’t feel like cooking, and I can’t just run and get something unless I bring two girls.

Tomorrow:
I hope to clean our front driveway. We have no yard, just a driveway. That is covered with pine needles and trash that has blown in.
Maybe I’ll also clean out the inside of one of our cars.
I’m gonna go for the Subaru if I do clean a car. Just because it has never been vacuumed in our entire marriage. Well, maybe once right after we were married, but it is so yucky inside it. After being in my mostly clean car- it is getting pretty crumby in the Toyota, I get a slight ick factor when driving the Subaru and it’s our car! I’d hate to know how other people feel when they’ve had to ride in it.
Sue definitely needs to get some TLC.

(Sue is the name Jon has given the Subaru, very inventive I know. I have yet to name my car. The only car that ever had a name in my family was my father’s green jeep that was named Norman Greenbomb. It may have had another name in there too. )

Yesterday was a day that I got very little done.
I had nursery duty yesterday so I was with Eden and her class from 10-12.
Then our activity that goes on the first Thursday of the month, so I got home around one.
Naia only took a short nap, so she was awake enough that when I got home I got the girls fed and Naia fed. Then I did my Halloween post.
We called my parents house and the girls sang Happy Birthday to the machine for my dad’s birthday.
Then it was time for naps.
Eden went down and then Naia was already falling asleep.
I’m not sure what I did with the time before Lilah’s nap.
I may have been on-line.
I got Lilah down for her nap and took about a 15 minute one myself. (It’s now about 4:30)
I started getting our mountain of dishes in the dishwasher, then Julie came to get her sleeping Naia.
I finished dishes. Started dinner and then well, entertained Eden a little by watching Nemo.
Jon came home.
We ate.
I studied my lesson for Sunday.
The girls finished Nemo while I studied.
The girls were ornery as I watched a little bit of Ugly Betty.
Got the girls to bed.
Watched TV and ate lots of Halloween candy.
Did stuff on the computer.
Went to bed late.

What I need to get done.
My lesson foremost, so if Jon needs the computer I can oblige since he has a test on Monday.
Fold two baskets of laundry that I should have been folding instead of eating candy last night.
Dishes.
A shower would be nice.
Maybe some cleaning.
It’s already almost 10 and I fell like I’m not gonna get anything done except my lesson.
Hopefully I can shower.

A shower would be really nice.

It’s Nevada Day observed. Nevada Day is the 31st, but a couple years a go they passed a law to make the last Friday of the month Nevada Day observed instead of giving us Nevada Day or Halloween off, totally bites. I loved having Halloween off as a kid. So Jon has today off and we’ve been busy.

Jon’s going through all his books. Yes we’re actually getting rid of some books! If you’ve never seen our house we have two six foot tall book cases, then four three foot tall book cases. All full. With books. Overflowing.
We have duplicate books, like two of each Teachings of the Presidents, and lots of doctrine gospel study manuals.
We have about 5 sets of Scriptures that we’re keeping. (our first sets, our seminary sets etc.)
Our books haven’t been organized since we moved here 2 years ago, so even though it’s not a immediate ‘wow, look I organized the books’, like ‘wow I cleaned the kitchen’, I’m still very happy it’s getting done. Especially the getting rid of some books. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me.

I’ve also done slightly needless things today but it makes me feel good to get things done. Like I organized my sewing stuff so I could neatly pack it away. Though I still need to make drapes. 🙂
We’re also doing tons of laundry and two loads of dishes, and I’m planning on cleaning our bathrooms today.

I wish I could take a picture of the book chaos, but our camera broke. We do get to ship it free to Cannon and they’ll fix the sensor, but it won’t be fixed for about 2 weeks. So you only get this picture of the girls in their costumes from yesterdays party. It broke when I went to take a second one.

Lilah as Glinda the Good Witch and Eden as Dorothy.

Yes, I made both costumes. I did Lilah’s Monday and Tuesday, with hand sewing Wednesday. I hate costume satin. It frays like nothing. Despite difficult fabric I think Lilah’s dress turned out nice and shiny.

Anyways, if anyone has a digital camera I can borrow for Halloween, give me a holler, otherwise we’ll be recreating the event. 🙂

I love holidays. I love baking. I love giving. I love receiving.

I’m in a rut this year. As the girls get older learning toys get more expensive, and we’re not big on giving tea sets or other more frivolous things. I leave those toys for my sister to have and my girls to visit at her house.
I just don’t know what to get the girls this Christmas. We’re not big spenders and most of what I want is kinda expensive.
I’m just at a lost of what to do. I have a couple ideas of things they would love.
Then I don’t know what to put on my wish list. I mostly want clothes but Jon will never buy me clothes, and he doesn’t like to give cash or gift cards. I do have some jewelry and watches, but that’s it besides movies or new cookware, which is expensive.
My husband’s wish list is so full of books that I never know which he wants to have bought, or which ones are just there for him to remember to read someday.
I also have to get gifts for my eldest brother and his girls. Since he’s divorce it’s hard to know what to get the kids and I never know what to get him.
Christmas gifts, blah.

Jon came in before his shower to tell me that Eden was awake and that she had woken up at 6:15 am.
Lovely.
It did work out in the end because I put her down for her nap right after lunch and she woke up a little after 3, just in time for us to get ready and leave for Chuck E Cheese. (It was Howie’s Birthday party tonight.)
In the end I really enjoyed today.
It was breezy and cool so I left the windows open. I closed one because the scent of dirt was too strong. I think we need a new screen on it.
I turned on the CD with the Primary songs for the presentation and the girls “read” church magazines. They got along well this morning while I did things.
I got my kitchen clean, including cleaning my dishwasher with the jet dry cleaner.
It seems like I do dishes and still have more that need to be done. Then I take a day off and the cycle begins anew.
Today I had no dishes in the sink until lunchtime.
I did laundry and I put a new bed skirt on our bed. I had to iron it though. Boo for bed skirts that have to be ironed.
With getting a new bed skirt I can now get rid of my full size comforter set.
I’ll miss it, but I have no reason to keep it. It was one of my first big purchases for myself as a teenager. Hopefully some one else can enjoy it once I get it to DI.
I also tidied in our room today.
I’m happy I got so much done, even though it was just a little, because I’ve been in a funk. I haven’t wanted to do more than necessary, hence taking a day off from dishes until I had to have dishes done because we’re out of something, usually having all dirty bowls get us in a bind.
I’m also excited to start working on Halloween costumes. Lilah informed me she now wants to be Tin Man and Eden can be Dorothy.
Great. Good thing I just got the pattern and haven’t started cutting.
I’m happy because I think I’m emerging slowly from my funk.
Doing one nice thing , like cooking real meals, leads to another, like organizing just a little.

I hate being in funks, though they do give me an excuse to be miserable and not get anything done. I still feel like I’m having a hard time with the girls but I’m feeling better about doing things.
Lunch time is the worst with the girls. They know how to annoy each other to no end and that annoys me.
I hear “Mom, Eden’s talking to me”, “Mom Eden’s making a noise I don’t like.” and “NOOOO LILAH!” as Lilah does something like touch Eden’s high chair tray, or she takes Eden’s food, when Lilah runs out of animal crackers Eden’s a good target, also Eden is good at mimicking so it’s also “Mommy Lilah talking!”
I tell them to ignore one another like I ignore them when they whine, but it doesn’t work.
It’s great. I feel the sisterly love.

The day was good overall.
I feel a change in the air, and it’s not just my crazy sick voice possibly getting better or the cold air we’re getting.
I think I’m getting back on track. I think the holidays will be good for me.
Lots of things to keep me busy and to focus on.

Today I went to do some major clothing and miscellaneous shopping. I needed to return a couple shirts and I needed to buy winter clothes and shoes for the girls and a few things for me. (Jon and I had a discussion that I have never bought socks since I’ve been married. I’ve been given socks, and I only wear socks during the winter, but my socks are getting pretty old. I use to buy a lot before being married, another reason why I haven’t needed to buy socks within the last 5 years. What have you not bought since being married?)
Back to the regular topic.
I live near a shopping center that is a U shape. One store was at one end of the U , one in the middle and the other store at the other end of the U. I parked in the middle of the U so as to be in short walking distance from each store in case I needed to drop bags off before I hit the last store, or Target.
The girls were pretty good. At the first store, or Mervyn’s, Lilah found a marble and it kept her and Eden occupied as I waited in line.
Then we went to see about shoes for Lilah, and she lost her marble, so she got upset before we went to Target. She was “tired” so I told her as long as Eden continued to behave she could be in the shopping cart. Eden was pretty good, but she did knock a few items over that were on low display shelves. Luckily nothing was breakable.
I left Target after getting most of what a needed and a couple of things  that I wanted.
I started to go to the side parking lot and then the the front left wheel stops working and cart stops. I thought that something was stuck in the wheel. I tried to pull the cart, but that wasn’t working and I realize, duh, there was a locking mechanism on the cart so you don’t take it off the property. My car was not viewable where I was with the cart. I had one isle to go and then I was on the opposite side of the next isle.
I was frustrated because I was parked to the side of Target, rather than the front of Target where the main parking is for Target.
I debated on what to do. I had to much stuff to take my children and my bags to the car easily, otherwise I would have left the cart inside the store.
I brought Eden and did a quick run to the car and then I went back for Lilah to get the other half of our things and her. I’m sure the couple cars that drove by were wondering why a little girl was being left in the parking lot.
I am also a person who always, except on those very lazy or rainy days, puts her cart in the designated areas but the wheels would not unlock so I just put the cart out of the way of traffic. Lilah ask why we were leaving it there and even had a little bit of concern in her voice, it was kinda cute.

It was so annoying in the end. I was in the same parking lot as the store and no farther, if not a shorter distance,  than what their parking lot goes in to the front of their store and I couldn’t get to my car! I probably could have taken Lilah out instead on leaving her. I was able to see her from where I was parked. But if I had tried to take all the stuff and the girls I wouldn’t have had a hand to hold for two girls who tend to wander away from me while we’re walking.

It was fun. Carts with locking wheels are a blast.

With wanting to stick to the budget I didn’t go grocery shopping the last week of September even though we needed a few things. I had spent the final part of our grocery budget at Costco. Milk was the main thing we needed. So this last week to make it last we had a lot of oatmeal and the girls got french toast twice within 4 days. We had plenty of eggs and bread, just not a lot of milk.
So yesterday being October 1st, I can’t believe it’s October, I went on one of my normal long shopping trips. First to Food -4-Less, where nonperishables are usually cheaper and then to Smith’s where I can find the store brand bran flakes and shredded wheat that I can’t at Food-4-Less and where dairy is cheaper.
I took the girls along and since Lilah found a penny that I pointed out to her. She was actually very happy and didn’t complain about being tired. Then at Smith’s I let her pick her own yogurt as a reward for behaving. (Before the penny happened and before we even got in the store she started to say she was tired!)
I’ve decided that many people do a month’s worth of shopping on the first day of the month. I saw a lot of people with two shopping carts full of groceries and the lines took forever to get through.
It reminded me of when I would got o the commissary with my mom for our monthly shopping trips for groceries.
It was crazy.
Smith’s was busy but not nearly as bad as Food- 4 -less.

Anyways, I bought a whole chicken and roasted it in my crock pot last night. It is delicious and was perfectly falling off the bones this morning.
I did it during the night so I could cook it on low, as to not rush it, and because I have Lilah’s gymnastics class tonight and I don’t like leaving things like crock pots on when I’m not at home, even if that’s one reason to use it. If a fire is gonna happen I’d like to be here to call the fire department.
I got the idea of roasting the chicken in the crock pot from Sam, and I figured now we have chicken to do whatever we what with. Put it on sandwiches or do a salad.
I feel like I’m finally doing something extra special for my family since they’ll be getting two not usually made dishes in a row.
Monday night I made black bean enchiladas, red peppers were on sale, and tonight we’ll have chicken sandwiches from homemade roasted chicken. This is a lot of cooking for me in two days. We have rice and soup like once a week, or rice and pot pies, or pizza. I cook the same things over and over again, so these dishes are nice changes.

Jon’s diet changes have kinda put me in a funk. I don’t know what to do to spice things up, though I have been making different stir fry’s which we find delicious but Eden does not like. Oh well.
Since the chicken was cooked with the skin it’s slightly fattier than what Jon should eat, but he can still have small amounts and the breast meat is still really good for him.
I’m just happy to do something extra for us.
The chicken was also hormone free and farmed raised so that’s one extra thing I also did. Now I just have to start buying those kind of chicken breast. The frozen ones I get are huge and obviously hormone injected!

Also with trying to save money I also took our coupons. We’ve been getting a condensed version of the coupons you would get in the Sunday paper, so I’ve been cutting the ones I’d use. I’m also keeping the good store coupons that are relevant to what I buy. Like if I buy this brand of soup I will probably buy it again. So I’d rather get a coupon for that brand of soup and not some random thing that’s associated with it. Like you often get store coupons for formula if you buy diapers, or a different brand of diapers.
Anyways. I love to look for the bargains and I’m liking getting the coupons each week in the mail.

Also here’s the recipe for Black Bean enchilada’s, it’s from the Pillsbury cook book. Enjoy, it’s delicious!

Black Bean Enchiladas
prep 20 minutes (ready in 40 minutes)- really it takes an hour

2 (10oz.) cans enchilada sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced separated into rings
1 small red bell pepper, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained , rinsed
8 (6 inch) soft corn tortillas, heated
8 oz. (2 cups) shredded colby–monterey jack cheese

1. Heat oven to 425 degreed. Spoon 2/3 cup of the enchilada sauce in bottom of ungreased 12×8 inch (2 quart) baking dish.
2. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender.
3. In medium bowl combine onion mixture and beans; mix well. Spoon about 2 tablespoons beans mixture down center of each tortilla. Top each with 2 tablespoons cheese; roll up. Place, seam side down, over enchilada sauce in baking dish.
4. Spoon remaining enchilada sauce over filled enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.
5. Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

my way- I use regular flour, or whole wheat, tortillas.(If you use larger tortillas use a 13×9 pan.) I also use an added 1/2 green bell pepper and a large red bell pepper so I can have more filling. I also end up using more cheese than the recipe calls for because I love cheese and it balances out the extra filling.

Sometimes you wake up from a dream and think it’s hilarious. I had one of those today.
It may not be as funny right now, but I thought it was funny when my children decided to wake me up shortly after I had it. I think it was  thought after I had the dream that made me laugh besides being a little sleep deprived.

I had a dream where I was in a large warehouse store with a platform type cart. One women was behind me and another was in front of me and we were racing to see who could get the most food for food storage. The women behind me, who was a SNL performer, decided that she would try to run into me. So I would jump up and ride her cart while she angrily, and competitively, pushed me along.

I then had a thought about people competing for who had the most food storage and then I thought it would be funny if people really did compete. “I have 2 years of food storage” “I have 5!” In my sleepy state I thought 5 years would be the winner.

I think my conscious is getting to me. We don’t have 5 months of food storage let alone 5 years. 🙂