Is It Naptime Yet

Trader Joe’s is one place I always wanted to peruse. I have a friend from my dating Jon days, really before I started dating Jon, and she lives by Trader Joe’s and when we get together, about once a year, we’ve often talked about it.
Now my friend Sam has opened my eyes. She’s a very healthy and world conscious person. She uses her own grocery and fruit bags and many organic products. Trader Joe’s is one place you can get organic food cheaper than the regular grocery store and if you can’t afford organic they have a lot of more natural food, or at least without the hormones, like milk and eggs.
I visited Trader Joe’s for the first time today. Now I bought just a few things because, one I didn’t have my grocery list, and two I don’t need to go shopping just yet, but we were in the neighborhood and I had a guide with me, AKA Sam.
I found whole wheat spaghetti, 16 oz, for .$99. I think at Smith’s it’s like $1.99 for whole wheat spaghetti. Naturally feed chicken eggs a dozen for $.99 and something we now need for Jon, the eggs white eggs, brand name egg beaters, for $3.49 at Joe’s and at Smith’s egg beater eggs are about $5. Plus a lot of good vitamins at descent prices. Those are some things that I found. Milk without the bad hormones is $2.99, which ain’t bad considering it’s $2.88 for milk lately if it’s not on sale, at least where I shop. Trader Joe’s is definitely a bargain for organic foods. I think I’ll have to make a monthly trip out there for our little family and slowly switch to more naturally processed foods for not that much more of a price. It’s the gas that would get me because it is a little far from my house, but if I visit my sister in Henderson I can just drop by Trader Joe’s on the way home.
My eyes have been opened.

I was tagged by Andrea 

Rules: Answer the following questions related to homemaking and then tag 3 people. Don’t forget to link to the person who tagged you and let the people you tag know they have been tagged.

Aprons – Y/N? If Y, what does your favorite look like?
I have one from when I was a busser at a restaurant and one from my pampered bride party. If I actually wore them regularly I might someday make or buy a real one.

Baking – Favorite thing to bake
anything tasty. I make good rolls and cookies though.

Clothesline – Y/N?
no. I don’t like the feel of clothes dried on a line.

Donuts – Have you ever made them?
no

Every day – One homemaking thing you do every day,
Dishes, almost everyday, or wiping down the table and counters.

Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze?
No. not enough room

Garbage Disposal – Y/N?
Yes.

Handbook – What is your favorite homemaking resource?
Um, Andrea said our mom, so I would agree with her. I’m not very good at reading instructions unless it’s baking.

Ironing – Love it or hate it?
I don’t mind it, but I did it for so long growing up that Jon doesn’t like to have me iron his things.

Junk drawer – Y/N? Where is it?
Yes. I have several. There’s the kitchen junk drawer and my computer desk junk drawer and I use to have dresser junk drawer, but it’s now been reduced to a box.

Kitchen – Color and decorating scheme?
uh still deciding, maybe someday it will get done.

Love – What is your favorite part of homemaking?
I think I have a long way to go to be a bonafide homemaker. Sure I sew, cook, clean, but nothing in a very timely manner.

Mop – Y/N?
I dislike it. Only because I have so much to mop and the water gets yucky and it gets dirty the moment the girls wake up.

Nylons – Wash by hand or in the washing machine?
Wash in a lingerie bad in the machine and air dry.

Oven – Do you use the window or open the oven to check?
I have no window so I open.

Pizza – What do you put on yours?
pineapple and ham

Quiet – What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
Sleep and watch tv, other wise I have things that need to be read for church or for book club, and those take brain power.

Recipe card box – Y/N? What does it look like?
no box, just a folder that needs to be organized

Style of house – What style is your house?
uh, I would say I live in a library full of crumbs. Is that a style? Add kid toys and free furniture and there you have our house. (We have bought our couch though.)

Tablecloths and napkins – Y/N?
HA…no and when I get a table cloth it will probably be a vinyl one and I don’t think those really count, they’re so not cloth.

Under the kitchen sink – Organized or toxic wasteland?
Uh kinda organized.

Vacuum – How many times per week?
uh, weekly doesn’t always happen.

Wash – How many loads of laundry do you do per week?
at least 2 kids, 1 colors, 1 whites and 1 towels/sheets.

X’s – Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off?
ha…no

Yard – Y/N? Who does what?
I think we have a yard, that is why we bought this house. Jon does all the work and I sometimes lay out on it and enjoy the evening weather.

Zzz’s – What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed?
um, I usually have the girls clean up their messes. Does that count? Sometimes I sew if I have a project that I need to finish, but dinner is usually the last homemaking thing I do and sometimes dishes.

Um I’m not gonna tag anyone. I think I have Anna on my list of people who have not done this and who blogs semi regularly, but atlas she’s on vacation and away from electronics.

So I’m 24 today. I’m not going through any early mid-life crisis and I don’t mind being one year older. So no drama here, though most of you are probably saying that I’m too young to be dramatic.
This morning I went to clean the chapel. I almost didn’t go actually. My alarm went off at 6:45 and I just turned it off, but then at 6:53 Jon started mowing the lawn with the push mower and I was out of bed by 6:55. We had a good turn out so I chatted with my friend Danielle and vacuumed various rooms in the building. Danielle, her husband Rami, and adorable baby girl Eva (pronounce Ava, it’s spelled the Spanish way.) are moving in a month. She’s been so nice and I wish I’d been able to hang out with her more. 🙂

I got home and hung out with the girls while Jon fixed pancakes and we watched Spirited Away. Then Jon showered and took the girls grocery shopping. I said it was so he would see why I will sometimes be reluctant to go shopping with both girls during the day. Both of them listened and were very cooperative so he said I had no excuse if I always go shopping in the morning. 😛 I was hoping for at least one temper tantrum, but I am slightly happy that one didn’t happen because that means someone would have been in trouble.

I took a shower while they were gone and was able to take my time since I was alone in the house. They came home and finished my cake, we needed some lemon icing for the lemon cake.
I’ve taken a nap and am now relaxing since I swept and vacuumed. I needed to clean Eden’s high chair cover, but I just haven’t taken my opportunities this past week so I did it today.
So here I am 24 with nearly a 4 year old. What makes me feel old is having an almost 4 year old. I also get to substitute Lilah’s Sunbeam’s class tomorrow. She’s excited for me teaching so I hope she’ll be nice and willing to go to church tomorrow. Lately she hasn’t wanted to go, even though she has fun once there in Primary.

Lilah’s birthday is 3 weeks from today. For “Lilah day” I think we’re going to do Chuck e’ Cheese for lunch, take a nap and then do swimming and cake at the house my sister is watching. (We’ll probably do a small BBQ for just us.) Any one’s invited but know it’s pay your way since we’re poor with a car payment. I just don’t want the pressure of planning and getting food for a lot of people, like I’ve done in the past. I may do a small party with her church friends. (Sam volunteered to help me plan.)

(For Chuck e’ Cheese we’ll be printing one of their coupons online. it gives you so many tokens, a large pizza and 3 drinks. Just enough for an hour or so of fun.) (It may sound cheep that I’m not going all out for my daughters birthday, but really I’m just trying to be sensible with our tighten budget.)

This past couple weeks have been crazy. I’ve been researching used cars, where to get them and how much. It’s been nuts. Well yesterday we bit the bullet and went and bought one.
Here’s my new-to-me 2004 Toyota Camry LE.

All the cars I wanted were sold and one had frame damage. This one we liked and our mechanic approved but said it had some rust, due to it being from Salt Lake City. We got it for a descent price and a really good warranty from Toyota. We were looking at going to an LDS guy who goes to the auctions and another one from Overton, but we decided that being able to see the car, test drive it and have our mechanic look at it were important, plus we got a really good warranty, in which had we purchased a similar warranty we probably would have spent the same amount. It was more than we wanted to spend overall. In some ways I think I was being too idealistic. We still bought within Jon’s income so any money I make will go to paying down debts and beefing up the savings that we just took from. I’m so happy to be able to go places! Though I’m going to try to stay close to home as to save money on gas. I love it! Lilah likes that she can see out the front window and it will fit three car seats! Yes an infant and two regular car seats. I love it. Jon says we can have a third, but I remind him that we do have a lot of bills right now so it might be better if we wait. Not that I would delay a child because of money but that is a factor in being able to afford one. We couldn’t have a third until we had a car to fit three and now that we have a car that can fit three we can’t afford it! Isn’t it ironic.

We also bought the car from a UNLV quarterback.(That was an old picture.) Well, we didn’t know who he was, even though Jon works at UNLV and I went there, but Jon researched his name after he told us he played. I hope he wasn’t too insulted. He was very nice, it was the manager that had the very typical cars sales man attitude. Yuck.

I’m so excited!!!
A while back I applied online for a nanny/ babysitting job. Well their online application process is a little screwy and didn’t work so I was needing to go pick up an application and apply in person. Life got busy and I never got around to doing it. I was just wanting to do it for extra income and I also felt guilty because I can be away quite often during the week and Jon gets lonely not seeing me.
Well now the opportunity has arised that I’ll be watching a friends baby girl twice a week during the day starting June and I’ll be able to gain that extra income I’ve desired. I’ve known her for around 12-14 years, however long her and my sister Carolyn have been friends. She had a daughter in February and is now wanting to return to work part time. She works in the real estate business so she can make her own hours.
We’ve agreed on an hourly rate and a minimum monthly amount. Since I’ll be watching her daughter on Thursday’s, the day of Lilah’s class we’re going to be getting a second car!!! I’m more excited about that than anything else! We had recently decided that we would save and get a car this June/ July before our road trips, but this just means we are able to get one sooner. I’m wanting a Toyota Camry, around 2004, or a similar car. I’m hoping it can fit a booster, a car seat and an infant seat, or that we can find a car that can. I’m really not ready for a minivan yet.
We’re planning on staying within our income, so whatever I make will go to saving for house projects or paying down debts. This job just makes decisions easier. I hope the babysitting goes well and shows to be a blessing in our life.
I’m just so excited! Now I can stop car dreaming/ lusting and get one!!

It’s my hubby’s birthday. He’s old. How old? Well if you know my age then reverse the numbers.  😉 (I know some of you are around his age, but to me that’s old, or at least I tease him about being old even though I know it’s not that old. It’s fun when your hubby is eight years older than you though.)
Lilah can’t wait for him to come home. We baked the cake and she wanted him home immediately so she could sing and have cake with him. It’s not even 11 right now so she has a long wait.
Lilah loves birthdays. She keeps asking when hers is. I tell we have Daddy’s, Grandma Blake’s, Mommy’s, Aunt Carolyn’s and then her birthday. She then asks when Eden’s is and I tell her after her birthday we have Katy’s and then Eden’s.
She can’t wait. She loves cakes and balloons and no doubt presents, but mostly cake and balloons.
I plan on having a pretty small gathering for her this year. Cousins and whoever wants to come that’s family.
Anyways I’m making a special dinner tonight, I can’t say what because Jon checks the site during the day. 🙂
Then we’ll have cake. Jon bought his own presents, so I didn’t get him anything. In a way I like it this way. We spend our birthday money on what we want and then the family can relax and you get exactly what you want or need.

I love you honey. Have a great day at work and know you’re family loves you. Don’t get too old. 😉

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My sister Andrea has finally announced to the blogger world that she’s pregnant!
In a very subtle way. Quote “36. He will make a great dad come this October.”
She’s due October 29th. I’m sad they live in Ely. We won’t know the baby very well but once we get a second car I may take during the week trips to see the baby, that is if she’s a stay at home mom, otherwise I guess I’d be babysitting while she’s at work.
I do envy that she’ll be able to enjoy the cool Ely air in the summer rather than a terribly hot Las Vegas air summer while being pregnant, we’re suppose to get to 94 degrees this weekend and it’s only April, but I do think it’s funny that she’ll be pregnant for Carolyn’s wedding this August. This will mean that someone has been pregnant for three out of the four Harvey girl’s weddings. Kristi was pregnant at both mine and Andrea’s wedding.
I wish you a happy and healthy pregnancy Andrea!

This was announced earlier to the blogger world but Andrea had kept it off her blog until now.

Well we finally did it. We went camping as a family. I’m not much for camping. Really it’s the dirt and the outhouses I don’t care for, and those were the main two things we had to put up with while camping at the Valley of Fire this past week, luckily it was just one night.
It all started when I said I wanted to go to this store in St George Utah. I wanted to try on the swimsuit, tankini short set, and rather than just order online and take the risk of not liking it or it not fitting right, I thought a day trip to St. George would be fun along with some good ole Chuck A’ Rama, which I can never pass up, in which you all know that. Jon thought a trip to St. George followed by a night of camping at the Valley of Fire would be fun. I saw an opportunity to go to Utah and I took it. So we went to Utah this past Thursday and the Valley of Fire to camp and came home on Friday. It was good that we went on the trip and I tried on the swimsuit outfit. Thanks to my large hips and small boobs my body was disproportioned for the shorts and tankini set, in which the store doesn’t sell them separate, just as a set. Hello! Most women do not have uniform bodies. I have a size medium top but a size large butt, sometimes I can get the small top and the medium butt, but then I’m labeling my boobs small and that’s no fun, but my butt does like to be a medium. Anyways enough about my body. I didn’t buy the swimsuit combo but I did buy some cute board shorts.

We ate lunch and headed back to the Valley of Fire. We got there by way of Overton and visited the Lost City Museum while we traveled through. (Jon had seen the sign on the way up and thought it might be fun.)
It was $3 for each adult and free for those 18 and younger. ( I wonder if we’d gone there when I was 20 if I could have convinced her I was 18?) I don’t know if the museum was worth $6 plus another $6 for the corn necklaces we bought the girls, but I know they mostly just need the support of income rather than surviving on just donations. We like to support things like this so we did.
Lilah had fun looking at the Indian homes and was asking lots of questions. She loved looking at the representative archaeological sight and asked a million times what the woman was doing. (It was as statue of an Indian women grinding maze, or corn.)
We left the museum and set off to the Valley of Fire to set up camp.
Once to camp Lilah couldn’t wait to hike. I occupied her by having her find animal tracks around our camp, she then started making tracks and would tell us to follow the Lilah tracks, or the Mommy tracks or the Eden tracks. I helped Jon set the tent up and then as he got the sleeping bags ready I went hiking with the girls.  We spotted a jack rabbit that came withing 10 feet of us and also yelled for Daddy when we reached the top of one of the “mountains”. Of course I didn’t have the camera due to carrying Eden most of this time.
After Jon was done setting up camp we all went hiking.
When we were at camp the girls occupied themselves by playing in the beautiful red sand. I did let them play in it but I drew the line at laying in it. I didn’t get any pictures but they sure had fun with it.

It was a beautiful night. We enjoyed a tinfoil dinner of salmon with yummy broccoli, cauliflower and carrot. They turned out great.
The night was windy though. Even though I was spoiled with an air mattress and a new sleeping bag, I felt as though I was awake more than asleep. The wind rattling the tent made it hard to sleep and Eden was pretty restless during the night. Luckily Jon was next to the girls so I just had to nudge him to have him take care of them. 🙂

I was going to take a picture of our tight sleeping quarters but I forgot. Our tent, which we inherited from Jon’s brother Conrad when he had to leave it behind, is just 8×8 feet and about 4 feet tall at it’s highest point. We fit a twin sized air mattress, that I was willing to do without but Jon thought we should use it anyways, Jon’s sleeping bag and the girls bags were folded in half and took up the space of one sleeping bag. We initially borrowed bags from Jon’s parents but they were too light and so we plundered my parents camp stuff Wednesday night before we left and found heavier ones which came in handy on the cold night.

Thursday was cloudy, cold and windy. Our luck with dinner the night before was just that, luck. Jon wasn’t able to get the coals hot and keep them hot on Thursday so our eggs were cooked just enough and the sausage not enough, though Lilah ate it before I could tell her not too. ( Some of the sausages were done more than others and she and Jon never did get sick. ) This was our first time cooking with charcoal, so I think one meal success out of two ain’t bad.
With all the wind I had Eden in the car for most of the take down. She kept getting upset because the table cloth was being blown by the wind and she didn’t want to move from the bench so I put her in the car. She was a real trooper and sat in her seat for the hour or so of taking down the camp. Of course I was in and out of the car. I also gave her books to look at. I think she was just tired form not getting a good nights sleep or a good nap the day before.
We left earlier than anticipated because of the wind.
Instead of doing lots of hiking on Thursday we packed up and drove around. We hiked a little at the White domes. The girls liked sitting in a cave.
Then we went to the visitors center before we left. By this time Eden had fallen asleep so I stayed and took a nap with her while Jon and Lilah went to the visitors center and climb a few rocks.

It was lots of fun. Lilah didn’t take to well to the outhouse but she still used it. Anytime we had to go she’d cover her nose for the whole walk there, but once out she’d breath deeply. I think I hid my disgust for the outhouse pretty well and never vomited while there.
We hope to return there again. Lilah had so much fun climbing and Eden did too. We need to enjoy God’s beauty more often. I think they’ll just be day trips though. I’m not fond of camping, though it was a little fun.

We didn’t take any pictures until later in the trip. Lilah picked flowers while I changed Eden’s diaper. It was very fragrant.

We visited the lost City Museam on our way to camp.

Eden was looking through rocks, or at least holding them up to her eyes. I thought it was funny.

The girls outside a Pueblo.

Outside the original part of the Lost City Museum.

A basket weavers home/ hole in the ground.

Our camp surroundings

Strong girls, high climbers!

Where Jon was taking the pictures from.

Our yummy dinner.

Day 2

Crazy windblown, slept in hair.

I wasn’t able to comb it because of the wind outside and the static electricity in the tent and car.

The cave we found on our hike at the White Domes located at the Valley of Fire.

A picture Jon took while they were climbing at the visitor’s center.

My husband and I had a conversation last night. It was about him knowing at least 100 things about me. I told him he needed to recite the list and his reply was that he didn’t know their would be a pop quiz. Some how the challenge of whether or not I know 100 things about him came up. I then started listing things and he said I should right them down if I wanted them to count. So here are 100 things about my husband.

1. Jon has lived in Las Vegas his whole life.
2. Jon has 7 siblings. He’s third from the youngest.
3. Jon’s best man at our wedding was Jason, his younger brother who has down syndrome.
4. Watching  The Electric Company helped him learn to read.
5. He learned to swim at 16.
6. He never got his eagle scout.
7. He has three adopted siblings.
8. Jon’s first major in college was mechanical engineering.
9. Jon’s graduating major was computer engineering.
10. He went on a mission to Rochester New York.
11. He went on a trip to the sacred grove while in high school.
12. Jon went and graduated from Western High school, as well as all his older siblings.
13. Jon took German in high school. (I think, he’ll call me on it if I’m wrong.)
14. Jon took weightlifting in high school and was pretty buff if he dare says.
15. Jon played viola in high school
16. He was first chair viola his senior year in all state orchestra. (I think, either that or at his school.)
17. The main food Jon knew how to cook in high school was scrabbled eggs. When his father had a heart attack he feed the grandkids scrabbled eggs for a week until his dad was out of the hospital and his mom was back home.
18. One time a neighbor boy came to his doorstep naked wanting to play.
19. Lacey was Jon’s first kiss.
20. Jon only had one real girlfriend before dating Lacey.
21. Jon went to Redrock elementary.
22. Jon took 10 years to graduate college. He had no motivation to graduate till he got married. He was on his mission for 2 of those years.
23. Jon loves to read.
24. His favorite series of books as a kid are by Joe Dever.
25. He currently works with a team of volunteers to put Joe Dever’s book online.
26. Jon does not affiliate with any political party.
28. Jon use to be a Republican.
29. Jon use to be a Mormon.
30. Jon is a naturalist.
31. Jon has no favorite color, but his wife likes him in blue.
32. Jon has no favorite food, but he most often likes fish a restaurants.
33. Jon does not like sports but will watch them with Lilah.
34. Jon likes to play and spend time with his girls.
35. Jon is even tempered.
36. Jon wants to hike the grand canyon with his family.
37. Jon doesn’t want to go to Italy.
38. Jon likes learning toys for his girls.
39. Jon doesn’t like Wal-mart for political reasons.
40. Jon thought Lacey was cute from the first time he saw her, even though she was under age. 🙂
41. Jon has never gambled.
42. Jon puts the toilet set down.
43. Jon has a crazy tie collection from his mission.
44. Jon has a crazy shirt collection from his mission. Most are unapproved by his wife and will become a quilt eventually.
45. Jon is an excellent writer.
46. Jon knows a lot of two dollar words and even five dollar ones. 🙂
47. Jon is very good at math.
48. Jon has shared a room his whole life, except the few days when he stayed at our apartment before we were married.
49. Jon is a good money saver.
50. Jon has about 100 CD’s, or a least a lot.
51. Jon is a lover of almost all music, though his favorite band is Jethro Tull.
52. Jon was introduced to Jethro Tull while on his mission by another missionary.
53 Jon had three mission presidents while on his mission.
54. Jon had many pets growing up. One was as dog named Blackie who was protective of him.
55. Jon become an uncle at the rip old age of 3.
56. Jon types very well and fast.
57. Jon tries to teach his stubborn wife typing shortcuts but she’s stubborn.
58. Jon wants to retire before he dies. 🙂
59. Jon wants to adopt a child or two someday.
60. Jon enjoys gardening.
61. Jon enjoys the outdoors.
62. Jon cooks wonderful omelets.
63. Jon mostly cooks breakfast foods and bread.
64. Jon doesn’t like cooked carrots.
65. Jon helps his wife by doing dishes.
66. If you ask Jon to do something and you’re perfectly capable of doing it he it won’t do it, or won’t like doing it.
67. Jon wasn’t ticklish until Lacey tickled him.
68. Jon likes to buy tools. Something we didn’t do until we got a house.
69. Jon likes mowing with a push mower.
70. Jon thinks global warming is a crock.
72. Jon sleeps mostly on his belly.
73. Jon wakes up early now that’s he’s old. 🙂
74. Jon enjoys doing yoga.
75. Jon never wants to be in a management position.
76. Jon took Latin in college.
77. Jon has a Qur’an
78. Jon collected bottle caps for a time.
79. Jon has long toes.
80. Jon likes his wife the best.
81. Jon didn’t use his AC when driving alone before he dated Lacey, unless it was really hot.
82. Jon worked at a machinist type shop that built a few robots when in college.
83. Jon had a some smarty pants scholarship when he first started college.
84. Jon has 15 credits towards a masters degree.
85. Jon enjoys working in the higher education system.
86. Jon reads a lot of different blogs daily. He introduced his wife to Bloglines
87. Jon shaves with a straight edge safety razor.
88. Jon is 5’6
89. Jon is the shortest man in his family, and mine.
90. Jon fold clothes for his wife.
91. Jon lets Lacey hog the bed.
92. Jon gets Monday headaches. Sometimes other days of the week also.

93. Jon likes to listen to KNPR public radio.
94. Jon likes it when his wife sings to their daughters
95. Jon doesn’t like to make small talk.
96. Jon likes to take photographs of his girls.
97. Jon likes to brake the sex barriers by letting his girls have boy pajama’s
98. Jon got married when he was 26.
99. Jon loves hugs from his girls when he comes home.
100. Jon doesn’t like American cars. Subaru is his favorite car maker.

So I did it. I was able to list 100 things about my husband, unless I’m wrong a on a couple. Oh well.
I love you honey!