Life's little annoyances

Okay, today I finally caught up on my reading of every body's blog (shame on me for taking so long). I love reading every body's blog but I have to say...not a huge fan of the music thing. I have a very simple mind and for some strange reason - I cannot read and listen to music at the same time. Sadly enough, I just have to mute my computer. Don't worry- it's no biggie but I wonder if I am the only one to have this problem? Probably.

Today Jackson's friend that we carpool with informed me that there is a merit badge in scouting for video games. Seriously? I'm sure they just thought up one more badge the Boy Scouts of America could make money on. Did you know that every badge is $3-$4? Even if there were 1 million boys participating in scouting, that is $4 million for one badge that probably cost them 3 cents to make. I swear, Boy Scouts is a rip off. Jackson loves it and I think it is so fun but do they really need a badge for EVERYTHING?? Apparently the person who came up with this latest badge thinks so. Oh brother!

Bacon - eeww gross!

Okay, I am not one to eat bacon but last night I made a really yummy tomato basil soup that requires you to cook five strips of bacon at the beginning and it gets blended into the final soup. Anyways, while I am making the bacon, I am thinking how gross it smells so I open a window - it doesn't really help but after a while, I just start to smell all the other ingredients in my soup. Two hours later, Nathan and I are watching Survivor (Heroes Vs. Villains-so intense!) and all of a sudden I smell bacon and I realize it's in my clothes! The smell permeated my clothing - Nathan smelled it the whole time I was smuggled up to him but he never said anything - a case of true love but also so embarrassing for me. If I stink, please tell me - I'm a big girl - I can handle it (except for the times that I might be feeling rather sensitive- don't you DARE tell me then).

Audrey's first tooth fairy visit!

Audrey lost her first tooth about two weeks ago. She went to bed about 8pm and at 10pm, she walked into our room and told us her tooth could twist all the way around. Nathan did the final pull and it was out! What a cutie. I can't believe she was quietly working on it all that time in her bed. In the morning however I could believe it - her bed looked like a crime scene. There were spots of blood everywhere but hey - no pain, no gain. Now her piggy bank is just a little bit fuller. Actually it's not. That money was burning a hole in her pocket. We went to the mall and I introduced Audrey to a store she had never been in before . . . Claire's Boutique. She was in heaven! She had to touch every item in that store. We were there for an hour before she finally chose her item. A beautiful heart necklace. My little girl is growing up!

Know any Hypocrites?

How do I teach my children that they are being hypocritical when they aggressively insist I recycle every box, paper plate and discarded tissue yet they themselves declare a perfectly white and untouched piece of paper to be unusable if it has a slight wrinkle. Every morning they leave their bowl of almost-all-gone cereal with enough leftover milk for a small rodent to bathe in. All clothing must be washed if it has been on their body for five minutes (I can identify said clothing by finding it oh-so-conveniently on the floor).

I am so gratefully to our increasing liberal school system for brainwashing MY children on the importance of recycling - however, would you mind mentioning that they don't have to use a new cup every time they need a drink of water? My dishwasher and water bill will thank you!

I have thoughts . . .

Okay, so today as I was racing Audrey and Daisy (Audrey's friend) to dance, I passed by one of those impromptu, side of the road blanket stands. You know what I'm talking about - the scene always includes some old brown, customized van from the late eighties (they have blinds on the windows), a plastic, collapsible beach chair and a questionable guy sitting in it, just waiting for his next customer. Mean while, every fuzzy, polyester blanket he has is flapping in the wind on portable clothes lines.

As I drive past these blanket stands, I find myself asking the same question in my head "Who in the heck buys those blankets!?" Okay, so if you notice, there are always a few with a wolf howling at the moon, some with super heroes plastered across or a Native American scene. Once in a while I will spot the Disney trifecta (Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Cinderella) but not very often- they must be in high demand. Today I noticed one I had not seen at previous blanket stands - Marilyn Monroe from the waist up on what looked to be a king size blanket - Oh boy. Seriously - I would love to know the thought process one goes though in purchasing this kind of item . . . "I need a new blanket for my bed. If only I could get something that was made of synthetic materials, fuzzy on the top but smooth underneath and jeez- it would just be perfect if I could get one with a few deer on it. Yes, that would truly make me happy."

I hope I did not offend any of you with my comments. Just remember...these are my own personal views and do not reflect the opinions or views of others in the Red Brick House.

We are the champions, my friend!

Jackson was in heaven today. I honestly think Las Vegas is his favorite vacation destination (yes, we really don't travel much). BYU blew out Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl and so all the BYU fans rushed the field. Nathan just sent me this photo from his phone and I had to post it. It is with Colby Klausen (I have no idea on the correct spelling) and he felt like he met a real life celebrity. Here's my little guy with one huge football player. Jackson, Audrey really misses you and keeps asking when you are coming home. Nathan, Jane has walked into your office several times today saying "Da? Da? Da?" What can I say, we three ladies are missing our men! Drive home safe tomorrow and we can't wait to see you. XOXO

Yes, I actually do care about this blog....

My boys just left for their annual pilgrimage to the Las Vegas bowl game to cheer on the mighty Cougars. I honestly can't think of two bigger fans of BYU sports. They bought season tickets for BYU basketball and once (sometimes twice) a week they head on down to the Marriot center, grab a cougar tail (a really long maple bar) and very intensely watch, discuss stats and cheer for their team. Nathan is such a great dad, I hope Jackson realizes how lucky he is!

So what am I to do? Well, Audrey, Jane and I are going down to my parents to spend the night. My dad is having surgery today and I just wanted to be there to help my mom take care of him. She has been having a lot of problems with her knees and I think she could use a little help. Honestly, old age is not for wimps! I did not coin that phrase but once I saw it, it stuck. I love my parents and I wish them less doctor visits for the upcoming year.

I have totally neglected my little space on the world wide web for some time now and it has been really difficult even wanting to start blogging again because I feel I must write about all the things that have happened since my last post. So here I sit and start pondering what has happened and quite honestly, my mind is drawing a blank ----- yup - not much up there. So don't worry, you don't have to read about all the stuff that apparently didn't happen. The one thing that did happen is Jane finally decided to walk. . . okay, run. It's amazing - she never plays with toys, she just walks around my house, stopping only for meals and for naps. She does spend a large amount of time in my pantry and as a side effect, I change a unusually large number of messy diapers. She is so fun and sweet - she knows a few words such as "sit" (I guess that's a given with having a large dog) and "meow" (thanks to Rose the cat for that one). Babies are fun we just can't wait for February 8 (Nursery - yea!).

Jackson has been very busy with Junior Jazz basketball this season. He loves it and their team is really quite good. He plays on a team with a bunch of his friends from school so it is a lot of fun hanging out with the other kid's mom's who have actually become really great friends of mine. Total bonus. Audrey is, as always, still one of a kind. We can't imagine our house without her - she is so kind and is always drawing little pictures for me. I often bypass Nathan and ask her opinion about an outfit I am questioning - she gives it to me straight up. She has yet to encase her foot in a sock of any kind this winter - if it is really cold outside, I will bribe her to wear tights but they have to be footless. Once a California girl, always a California girl.

I have been in my sewing room nonstop this season. Sometimes I wonder if everything is right in my head. I made Christmas dresses for Jane and Audrey and there was a lot of tulle and lace involved and Audrey even had a little black wool jacket. I took some photos but I don't know if you can see all the detail. Then, a few days ago, I decided that I too wanted a new dress so I made just a simple red wool dress, classic Jackie O style. Nathan was impressed and said that even rich people don't dress their kids this nice. Maybe that is why we are not rich, I just would have no need to sew. Finally, one of life's burning questions has been answered.

Well, just in case I don't post again before Christmas, I want to wish the few readers I have a very Merry Christmas. I love the holiday season and truly a highlight for me was being able to do Black Friday with my sisters. For the record, Stephanie did invite Brandon (our brother) and Debbie (his wife) but neither of them had the desire to get up at 4am and fight the crowds. Bah humbug. We had such a great time laughing and laughing and looking totally unkempt and homeless the entire time. I can't wait till next year. They should have a Black Friday every six months but honestly, what would we shop for in July? Fireworks and hot dogs at rock bottom prices!

A case of the giggles...

I am in desperate need of a dress form - you know - the kind professional fashion designers use (as seen on project runway). I am constantly looking on Craigs list and KSL classifieds for a used one but because they are pretty pricey - once you buy one, you're not likely going to sell it for pennies (boo for me).

So from time to time I will google "dress form" and view website after website trying to decide which dress form would be best - just so I can narrow down exactly what I am looking for. Well today, because I am just confused as to what would be best I "googled" what is the best dress form for designers. One of the first pages that pop up is this link to the Threads magazine (magazine for sewers like myself) detailing how to make your own dress form so I think "Wow, now that would be a lot more economical! I think I'll check this out".

So as I am reading through the instructions, I am seeing that basically it involves putting your body in a cast and then cutting it away and using the shell as a dress form. I am thinking "Okay, so does this really work? It seems kind of crazy." Then I proceed to scroll to the bottom of the page where people have left their comments and about the third comment down, I see in large capital letters . . .NEVER MAKE A PLASTER BODY CAST!!! Okay, this ladies post made me laugh so hard and I have laughed several times through out the day. Maybe I'm crazy and It's not as funny as I think it is but you just have to read it. What lengths we seamstresses will go to!
Here's the link:

http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/3659/clone-yourself-a-fitting-assistant

Okay peeps - More photos of fashion show

So I thought I put this link on my last post but apparently I am too technically challenged to make that happen so here is my second attempt to direct you to this link. It is a link for all the professional photos taken at the Fashion Remix fashion show. Not only can you see better pictures of what I did but you can see pictures of all the creations. So cool - definitely check it out.

http://gregneilphoto.smugmug.com/Fashion/Fashion-Remix-2009/10101705_3vezp#693731053_qVyeA

Have a great day

Halloween is over so I think I can now get on with the rest of my life!

I honestly think October is the busiest month of the year! How many times did I have to get my kids in and out of their costumes? And what exactly is the message of Halloween?
"Gimme, Gimme, Gimme and then when I do finally get my boat load of free candy, I am going to be grouchy and grumpy for a few days - Happy Halloween MOM!"

Really, my kids are pretty good. They went to some houses in my parents neighborhood and were pleased with what they got - they weren't too greedy. One house we went to gave out fresh cotton candy. They were making it in their driveway - What a great idea. We ate it as we went from house to house. So much fun.

Another house we went to displayed over 60 intricately carved pumpkins. I wish I had my camera with me. They were AMAZING but honestly I have to say that carving pumpkins is just about my least favorite activity. It was fun to look at but gave me a headache to think about all that carving. But hey - at least that person enjoys it. If you've had difficulty discovering your special talent - I can give you this ladies address (I'm just sayin').


In case you couldn't tell. . .Jackson is BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall and Audrey and Jane are BYU Cheerleaders. GO COUGS!
The few pictures that follow are ones I took when we went to Cornbellys. I love that place - it was so much fun. They had an entire barn filled with corn kernels that the kids were able to just dig and play in (like sand). So great - kind of pricey to go but I have to say they had so many fun activities that it was worth it.
Who doesn't like to have their picture taken on a plastic cow?
Apparently Audrey. Thanks for not smiling.


They had princess dress ups for the little girls. That was Audrey and her cousin's favorite station. The dressed up and then did a little performance for us. I love this age!
Jane LOVES anything to do with wheels. She climbs on the kids bikes and has me push her around. She would not get off these go carts and I had to keep pushing her on them. It's okay - I'll do anything for that gummy grin of hers - even break my back.
Jackson participated in some serious races on the go carts - he even beat a few grownups. Go Jackson!