Here I am....

..somewhere..
Life has been so crazy around here, I am afraid I don't quite have the words to adequately describe the craziness...
I have prizes to send off, if I could find them..
I began the scrap room re-do.. and well.. I thought it would be quicker.
The hotel ate in to most of my time...
It's almost all put back together..
..and then you will have you fun new things!

My mess..

Old color (green) meets new color (fudge.. it does make me hungry!)

Diamonds in fudge are here now, blue tape is gone :D
Keep watching!!

So Much to Say....

So I will try to start where I left off.. not blogging daily (or multiple times a day..) is hard!! My fingers are out of practice when it comes to typing, and I am misspelling a lot..
Life has been quite busy, and it has definitely taken a toll on us.. we are trying to recover.. Peyton has trouble sleeping alone, Ashley is, well, Ashley.. and Lynnie-lou isn't feeling well and sleeping a lot.
I began to tear apart my craft room last week, thinking it would be quick.. not so. I have many things to get to many people, and I would, if I could find them in the mess that lies therein.. it is cute and will post pics when it is all the way completed.
Diamonds in the color of fudge (which make me very hungry by the way..) do exist on this wall now.
It was tricky, and not so quick, considering I was doing that while doing many other things, most of them at the hotel..
Friday I went snowboarding for the first time in seven years.. I remembered how to do it all, like I never stopped! My first crash came as I was goofing off.. I promised Merrill that I wouldn't venture off into the trees, and do crazy stuff. I did manage to return home with all appendages intact. It was a lot of fun, I think Christie and Julie had more fun..
Casey and I did go down the face for our last run on that foggy night.. there were multiple crashes there.. but that was the funnest run of the night!
The only sore spot on my whole body the next day, was my shoulder, the one with the arm that I use to steer myself as I fly down the mountain.
I was far more sore after cleaning the hotel...
I had to get a new phone.. my old one was like a gadget out of the 1900's.. "can you hear me Watson?"
It needed to be held by two hands to be remotely affective. Oh, and the antenna didn' t want to stay where it should. It also like to hang up on people just for the heck of it.
New one, much smaller, and it's a slider, not a flipper, not that "flippers" are bad.. (eh Juju and JFreeze ;D?!)
For our RS birthday social, I did a cake decorating demo (more pics on the other blog..) like I could think of three other women far more capable than I in this department... but it was fun.
After that, we went to the hotel, to bust our behinds some more, to prepare it for the QA (quality and assurance) walk through that took place the next day to ensure we were ready to open..
It was a miracle as Merrill would say..
So Friday, he wore his new accessory to his new job..
That's right, it says "General Manager".. I am so proud of him!!
There will be some more adjusting to come.. it's a 24/7 job.
Friday was also Hallie's 11th birthday!!!
Happy Birthday Hallie!!! (and Levi too!!)
..and because I had fondant to be used, I decorated a cake for her..
Last night, we enjoyed dinner, with Mer at the hotel.. then we enjoyed a swim. That spa.. oh my goodness.. I wanted to fall asleep right then and there..
The lights are turned on, and I have to admit, I got teared-up. It's been a road.. an emotional one these last couple of weeks. I am so thankful for such good friends and family to have helped us out so much!! Love you all!!!!

100%

Before Merrill and I got married, almost 9 years ago, my mom and dad gave us some awesome advice..
"You hear of 50/50 marriages.. make your a 100/100 marriage. That way, you both give all you can all the time, and when someone just can't quite make up their part, the other partner is still giving their 100, and you can make it."
See, awesome advice.
This has worked for us. When he's sick, I can fill in. When I am sick, or crazy busy, like I get a lot, he is there, doing what needs to be done.
This week is a 100% week for us..
The hotel is set to open next week. It's crazy busy, for both of us.
I have been down there every day this week. Either helping him with shipping (because he is still Warehouse manager..) or at the hotel.. me and my "cronies" (as Merrill calls us..) can make a king bed, to Best Western standards (mattress pad, fitted sheet, flat sheet with hospital corners, duvet, duvet cover, runner and four pillows; all placed per Best Western standards) in three minutes flat.. we are pretty awesome!
I do have awesome cronies.. ahem.. I mean friends :) We do have too much fun...Thanks, "sistas".. ;D
In all of this craziness, I don't mind it at all. I enjoy helping my husband.. increasing the love, teaching our kids what's important.
I have also learned that when you eat crap for three days, you feel like crap. McDonald's 3 days in a row.. bleh!!! How did that "Super Size Me" guy do it as long as he did?!
We all need foot soaks at the end of the day.. very long days..Caught Ashley checking herself out the other night...

Silly Ashley..

I was bringing in some freshly cut shelving for our re-organized food storage area, and Ash was waiting for me in the doorway..
"Mom.. I'm stinkalicious.."
"So, does that mean you want a bubble bath?"
"Yeah..."
Silly girl.. enjoying a bubble bath in the middle of the afternoon.. what a posh life!

More funnies...

Yesterday, right was Sacrament meeting started, Ashley whispered to me, "Mom.. can you teach me to walk in the light?"

It was Laker appreciation day the other day at our house.. it must have been.. the girls both wanted to wear their cheerleader outfits.. Lynn took hers off, to don her swimsuit. We needed to get to the bank, and take care of our deposit, so I told her to get her other outfit on. She had everything on but the tank, to go over the turtleneck. When I told her to put it on, she got mad. So I put it on her. She said to me, "Now I look like a 'public school' girl!!" Hate to break it to you babe, you are one.

After watching "Pirates of the Caribbean", Ashley went about setting "booty traps" around our house :)

Lynn saw the sprinkles on our Valentine cupcakes, and said, "I think they must be mini gumballs!"

I burned the bacon, one night when we were having french toast for dinner.. the girls were grossed out. I kinda like it. I asked them why they didn't. Lynn answered, "Because it tastes gross!" but Ashley answered, "Because burned bacon tastes BORING."

Another movie one.. we watched the "Back to the Future" series, which confused the girls immensely (entertaining us..) but gave them their new favorite line to say to all of us, "Heeloooo.. McFlyyyyy!!"

After Peyton's latest doctor's appointment, we went to have lunch down at the warehouse with Merrill. I was telling him all about the appointment, what the doctor had to say, and I must have been using the word "issue" quite a bit, because soon, Ashley was fake sneezing: "ISSUE!! ISSSSSUE!!" With the head movement and all.
Right after that, Lynn says to me, "Have you talked to Dr. Rootbeer lately?" She would always call Dr. Bierer, my OB, "Dr. Rootbeer" or "Dr. Pepper". She remembered his name differently, and Beer is bad for us, she says :)

Lynn blessed the food last Sunday, and threw in, "Bless that we will be nice to our BORHTERS AND SISTERS... if we have them.." I had to ask her if she knew something that I didn't know ;)

I offered the girls some pineapple juice the other day, I love it.. Ashley says, "I don't like pineapple cause it tastes too spiky."

So here's the best, part two of Ashley's "honkey" fetish:
We were shopping at the neighborhood Wal-Mart, on the baking isle.. or was it the cereal.. anyways, I stopped to examine my list, and a woman, a very nice (I am sure) African American woman, stops right behind me, looking at something on the shelf. My back was to her, but if I turned to the side, our shoulders would have been touching, she was that close to us.
Ashley proceeds to say, "Mom, I'm a HONKEY, huh?"
Fully conscious of the woman behind me (very nice, and smiling I am sure..) I say quietly, "Not now Ashley.."
"But mom!! YOU ARE A HONKEY TOO!!"
I am blushing, yet giggling silently now, as I hope this very nice woman (which I am sure of..) is as well, and I am telling Ashley to sush.
"..and dad's a HONKEY... and Lynn's a HONKEY.. and Pey's a HONKEY..."
At that point, I began pushing the cart away, and hoped that this woman (very nice I am sure..) didn't think that we have taught our four year old, every racial slur possible..

And right now, they are laughing hysterically at "Superman Returns" being televised in Spanish..

It's over!!!!

My headache is still a ragin'.. I thought it would be gone.. but I think it's hormones.
Yesterday was the Blue and Gold Banquet for Cub Scouts.. I was slightly stressed, as all the prep did not work out the way Christie and I thought it would.. there were a few small miracles though! I also had the Arrow of Light Ceremony to perform. It is the highest award (equivalent to the Boy Scouts Eagle) in Cub Scouting.. that equals a big deal.. I was slightly worried about that. I am told it was good..
I started my day of with a chocolate nutrition bar (aka fudge brownie from Paradise Cafe and Bakery.. go there.. yum!) and glass of milk.. a good start to any busy Saturday. I had Peyton, who wanted to live on my hip, so I did things that required only one hand. I suddenly got the urge to deep clean the kitchen, the WHOLE KITCHEN.. that was nice.. took my mind off the stress to come.
So here we are.. Sunday night, living with a headache, but excited to start the day tomorrow.. re-decorate the scrap room :)
We ate stir fry for lunch.. I am sure the chicken breasts came from a chicken that answered to the name "Mindy" when she was alive ;)...
Funnies from the girls to come tomorrow..

Playing catch-up..

This month, I will be posting at least 21 layouts..
So keep watching..
Thanks for all of your kind thoughts.. life just got too busy..
Has anyone seen the month of February?! I lost it..
I am beginning the month with a scrap space face-lift.. I am super excited!!