Catching Up

Hmmm. Haven't blogged for a while. So here's what's been going on in our lives.

May 8th was Mother's Day and Mike's birthday. The girls made dinner and did the dishes for me, and Megan gave me a neat paper box she made at school and a little booklet she made at Primary with some "coupons" in it. I don't have pictures, but I thought they were really cute.

 For Mike's birthday, Megan did a "Daddy Day Spa" for him. He would rather be pampered than get presents.

 Don't ask why, but the girls started this thing of writing on his bald head with dry erase markers...and he likes it. (???)

May 15th was Megan's 11th birthday. We took her and Kassidy mini golfing on Saturday. She had never been before, and had a fun time. I made her an ice cream cake, and she opened her presents on Sunday.

Megan's soccer team finished up there Spring season. Megan scored the only goal her team got that day! We were pretty excited!

And I spent the past 2 weeks tiling our kitchen backsplash. Glad to have it done finally.

And lest we forget, Mike finally got the LAST doors and baseboard painted. That was a huge relief--it's been hanging over our heads all winter.

It stopped raining long enough to have the guy come over and start spreading out our giant dirt pile to get ready to start on the yard. But it started raining again, so we have to wait until it dries out again. I am chomping at the bit to get some green in!

Prom...the Sequel

Last weekend was Prom for Danika. It actually turned out to be fun, with only one minor hitch! I was happy that she had a good time, because she was dreading it. This was only her second date since she turned 16, and the first one was the Christmas dance. So she really hasn't had a chance to break into the dating scene casually. I guess it would have been nice to go out a few times before being thrown into the formal dress-dinner-dance scenario!

First, I should tell the way she answered Karter. Her idea was to use Justin Bieber's song "Never Say Never" since he's kind of a joke with the high school kids. She got a big poster of Justin Bieber at Wal-Mart, and while we were there we hit the jackpot! We found a Justin Bieber doll that sang the "Never Say Never" song! So she made a sign that said: "Karter, I'd never say never to go with you to prom," and taped the poster to his front door and put the doll on the doorstep. We found out later that night that he was in St. George for Spring Break, so she went back and collected the stuff. (I should mention that it was raining during this whole scenario, so the poster ended up a little water-damaged!)

Then we went to St. George for a few days, and when we got back she called Aimee and McKenna again and they went over at night to drop off the stuff. When they were putting it on the door his little sister came over to the window and saw them, so they ran to the car. McKenna, however, chose to run into his backyard for some reason. So after a few minutes Danika drove back past the house and picked her up from her hiding spot.

I don't know when or how dates for formal dances evolved into a 2-day or all-day event. When I was in high school you just went to dinner and the dance. Now these kids have a "day date" either the day before or the day of the dance. Karter and Danika went miniature golfing with their group on Friday night. That was a good thing to break the ice.

Saturday was the prom. Danika had an appointment to have our hairdresser do her hair at 3:30. She didn't know the plan of when the guys were picking her up (Karter and Chris Wirthlin...who incidentally was her date for the Christmas dance--awkward! And yes, if you are wondering, he is Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin's grandson). Mike, Megan and I went to Megan's soccer game, and Brooke was playing tennis. I texted Danika at 4:55 to see if she knew when they were coming. She said they had to be at Lincoln Holt's house at 5:15. Then I called her, because I wanted to tell her I wanted to take pictures of her before she left. She told me Karter was already there, and she was leaving! She had just put on her dress when he rang the doorbell! So she grabbed her make-up and a change of clothes and left! I was ticked, because I wanted to be there, but she told me they had to pick up Chris's date and to meet her at Karter's house. So I ran home and grabbed the camera and drove over to Karter's. They showed up about 10 minutes later and we got to take pictures.

Notice Karter's shoes? They are Vans (at least they were new and clean). He absolutely refuses to wear the tux shoes. For the Christmas dance I think Danika said he wore white temple shoes. How that is any less goofy than tux shoes I'm not sure. Kids!

They went to Z Tejas for dinner at the Gateway, and then on to Prom at the Capitol. Afterwards they went to Lincoln's for a movie. Danika said they didn't even watch the movie because they just sat upstairs and talked. She got home about 1:30 (yikes!). She had to get up and be at BYC at 8:00 the next morning, and then we had to speak in Sacrament meeting. It was a whirlwind weekend!

Our Heartless Chambers of Isolation

A few weeks ago at church a lady in our ward gave a talk on Pres. Uchtdorf's talk, "Of Things That Matter Most" (Oct. 2010). Part of her talk focused on his quote: "Printed material, wide-ranging media sources, electronic tools and gadgets—all helpful if used properly—can become hurtful diversions or heartless chambers of isolation."

She told a funny story about how she went on a trip with her family, including her married kids and grandkids. She said in the car on the way there she downloaded a new game to her phone. She got so caught up in it, that she spent every spare moment of the trip playing it, and sat in the car during one activity to keep playing while everyone else went in together! She even got all of her kids to download it on to their phones so they could try to top each others' scores. It didn't dawn on her how bad it had gotten until they were all sitting at dinner on the last night of their trip, and she looked around and everyone who had a phone was playing the game instead of talking to each other. She felt so sad that she had wasted a good portion of the undivided time she could have had with her family.

So now they quote Pres. Uchtdorf every time they are paying more attention to their digital devices than each other and ask..."Are you in your heartless chamber of isolation?" It was kind of a funny story, because she is a pretty charismatic person. It has become a little catch-phrase in our ward now. So I just had to laugh a couple of days ago when I looked up and this is what I saw:  Brooke reading her Nook (electronic book reader), Megan using the iPad, Danika on my laptop, and Mike looking at Netflix on the TV! All in the same room, but each in their own "chamber of isolation." GUILTY! And even though I'm not in the picture, I am the worst one of all!!!

p.s. do you like our dog kennel "entertainment center?" lol :)

PROM!

Last night was entertaining.

Danika got asked to Junior Prom (by Karter Chisholm).

Danika did NOT want to get asked to Prom.

Danika has only been on one date since she turned 16 last April.

Danika thinks dating is awkward and avoids it like the plague.

The backstory:  Her friends talked her into asking a guy that she barely knew to the Christmas dance (Davis High's version of Sadie's). Jordyn (the friend) wanted Danika to go with their group, and Chris (the date) wanted to go but didn't have a date. Danika only did to because she said she "couldn't say no" to Jordyn who had just had her wisdom teeth out and looked like a forlorn chipmunk. So Danika asked Chris, and rented a dress, yadda yadda yadda. They went together--Danika chauffered 3 couples--and she only danced with the poor kid once on the whole date! She barely even talked to him. So ever since then she has been vehemently anti-dating. I think it was a bit too stressful of an event for her first date!

Last night Danika, Megan and I went to the library. Right after we got there Mike texted me and said "Danika is going to be surprised when she gets home." I asked why, and he called and told me there was a white bunny stuffed animal, a big chocolate bunny and a note on our doorstep. Meanwhile... Jordyn had texted Danika and asked her if she liked what was on the doorstep. Since we weren't home, Danika asked her what she was talking about, and Jordyn (who had helped Karter deliver the stuff) filled her in. So Danika was in the library quietly banging her head against the bookcase saying "I hate my life!" She likes to act melodramatic about these things.

So here she is again in a similar predicament, except she isn't the one asking and paying for the date, and she actually knows Karter and says he's a funny guy. I think she'll be fine. What she needs is to go on some dates that aren't formal dances, so she doesn't feel so awkward around guys. But I can't control that. I guess I should be grateful she isn't boy crazy. I hope eventually that she'll figure out that dating can be fun!

Fresh Snow

We woke up this morning to a few inches a fresh snow. It was just breathtaking! It looked like someone took a giant powdered sugar shaker and sprinkled it over everything. I love it when the striking white branches against a crisp blue sky. It makes me want to get out and go snowshoeing!

Daddy Love, Chickens, and Other Random Stuff

Valentine's Day Dinner

When Danika and Brooke were little they used to yell "Daddy!" and run to the front door as soon as they heard him turn the key in the lock when he got home from work. They would hang on his legs (one on each) and he would drag them over to the kitchen and give them hugs. Sometimes they would hang on his biceps and he would try to lift them up. It was so cute! Now they've outgrown that, and we're lucky to get a mono-syllabic grunt from them when we walk in.

After they grew too old to display such unbridled affection for a parent, Megan took over the "Daddy's home!" routine. But at ten years old, even she doesn't run to greet her old dad anymore. Thank goodness for Trixie! Every time one of us walks in, she greets us with a "hello" howl and nearly shakes out of her skin with her tail wagging. It's nice to still have someone be glad to see us.

However, Megan still loves us and isn't ashamed to show it--especially Mike. They are buddies through and through. Since February is the month we celebrate love, I wanted to post some pictures of things they shared this month.

Nap time

Megan likes to give her dad "piano lessons." He willingly submits :)

Mike and Megan went to a Daddy-Daughter dance hosted by the city with the Oylers and Fuhrimans.

Other happenings this month included Megan's History Fair project--which she did NOT enjoy. It was like pulling teeth. She just kept saying "I don't like history." I pretty much had to do most of it, although once we got to the point of putting it all on the board she finally got excited about it! Ha! She wouldn't pick a topic, which was supposed to be something to do with the theme "Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, and Consequences." How does a 5th grader relate to a theme like that? It was interesting to see what they came up with (I was one of the judges at the Fair). I suggested Megan do Susan B. Anthony, and how she voted illegally and was arrested, and fought her whole life for women's suffrage. I think she learned a couple of things, and was surprised that women couldn't vote in this country until 1920.

Doesn't she look excited?

On a totally separate topic, I finished painting the baseboards upstairs--hooray!

It was a happy day for me when I got to pull off the last of the blue tape--I'm so sick of seeing that tape everywhere!

And on a final note, we had a random experience with a neighbor's chicken. Meet Phyllis Diller. She was in our yard one afternoon and wouldn't leave. Trixie was going berserk. It was getting dark and she was bedded down on our porch. I called around to see who she belonged to. Turns out it was our back neighbor's "pride and joy." I really didn't want to wake up to a frozen chicken, so I wrapped her in a towel and had Danika drive me around the block so I could return her. Turns out she has a sister named "Dyllis Philler." Now those people have a sense of humor.
Incidentally, a few days later we cracked this egg into the pan for breakfast one morning. I don't know what's going on, but we are having some weird chicken karma lately.

My One Little Word

I've been giving it lots of thought, and I think I have finally decided on my "one little word" for 2011. It is:

Prioritize

I really, really wanted to pick a warm, fuzzy word like "nurture" or "enjoy," but this is where I need to improve, so that's why I settled on it. It's an intimidating word to me. I hope to figure out how to make peace with it this year :)

The Messy Bits

One of my favorite new quotes is from the movie Letters to Juliet (Thank you Hollywood, for actually making a clean, sweet movie. My faith in you is restored). The best part of the entire movie for me is when Charlie flippantly says to his grandma how great it would be if her long-lost Lorenzo was successful and rich, because then she could "skip all the messy bits" of life with him and just enjoy the ease and fortune. Vanessa Redgrave--in her perfectly British way--retorts: "Life IS the messy bits, Charlie."

How profound. Even though we wish it weren't so, life is the messy bits: the bits that make us tired, wear down our patience, scare us to death, make us laugh and cry. The mundane bits, the bits we don't think we can take one more day, and the bits of beauty and love that help us keep going.

I'm sitting in a big, ol' messy bit right now wondering where to start. Lest I sound spoiled and ungrateful, I'm so thankful for this beautiful new home! I realize how blessed I am, and that what I have to worry about is so insignificant to most of the problems people have. But now that the dust has literally settled, I can see how easy it would be to just leave all the unfinished business and just live with it like it is. I need to get working on all those little bits that need finishing, or I will lose momentum and never finish them. I want to do many things that take money and time, and I wish they were all finished RIGHT NOW! It's a good exercise in patience for me.

Kim wanted to see some pictures, and I wanted to post some pictures of how it looks now so that when I get the projects finished I can see the difference. So here goes. All my messy bits laid right out for all to see. (I have to admit, I decluttered my kitchen before taking these--but the rest of the place is pure messy bits).

First, and probably the biggest job, is that I need to tile my back splash behind the cooktop area and between the counter and bar. The actually tiling doesn't intimidate me, but figuring out the tile color and design. I'm loving the big, open kitchen though.


I opted for a single basin sink. I'm not sure if I like it 100%, but I do love not having that stupid divider in the middle. It's much easier to wash large pots and pans.


The desk is great, but we have the big ugly computer hidden under it, so it's hard to push in the chair. Some day we will get a smaller hard drive, or a Mac (in my kids' dreams!) to eliminate this minor annoyance.

We also need to find some taller bar stools and a new kitchen table (with actual matching chairs). We may build in a bench along the wall to eliminate having to push chairs in and out.


I love these hidden pull-out spice racks, and the deep drawers for pots and pans.


We need to find and install a black microwave.


Second big project: the fireplace. I need to decide what I want to do around the "floating black square" and what kind of mantle to get.


The family room (adjacent to kitchen) needs to be made useful and livable--furniture arranged, pictures hung, and be "accessorized."


Here's the front entryway. I need to do something here that makes it feel inviting. We have never bought much furniture in the likes of coffee tables or end tables, and now with a little bigger house I'm thinking it's time to accessorize. I'm so NOT good at that.


Here are my bookshelves filled up. They need some tweaking, but overall I like this cozy room.


The painter finally came back and finished the banister. It looks really nice.


But, in the process he chipped one of our tiles. In a way it is good, because we wanted to put nosing along that top step to prevent this very thing. So now we have the motivation to fix it I guess!


We're still waiting for the building supplier to bring a replacement for our cracked front bedroom window (all the windows need to be washed too, by the way. Thankfully it's winter, so I have an excuse to not worry about the outside right now).


Some parts of the mudroom have to be sanded down again and repainted due to drips and big streaks in the paint. Mike sprayed them in poor lighting, and now we can see the mistakes.

This side will have hooks too once it's repainted.


Here's the half bath across from the mudroom when you come in from the garage. Nothing exciting.


Third big job: the baseboards in all the tiled areas need caulking and painting. We didn't finish them before moving in.


I need to paint this shelf in the laundry room.


I'd love a new washer and dryer set someday. We included our new front-load LGs as part of the deal when we sold our old house, and now have a couple of old clunkers. But they work!


The doors of the exercise room closet and one of the linen closet need to be painted and hung.



Good news: I got my food storage unpacked and organized in the cold storage room. It's the first time I've had a designated space for food storage, and it's so nice to have it all in one place. It's nice and cool in there too.

We are planning on having a small counter installed in the downstairs bathroom for curling irons, and hanging mirrors above the towel bars so the girls can keep their electrical stuff away from the sinks.


Their sinks are on the opposite wall:


Danika's and Brooke's rooms are huge and need decorating--especially rugs and some seating, and possibly desks. Someday when I have the money, I would like to have some bookshelves built in on each side of their windows. (That may never happen, but it's fun to dream, right?)

There was a dead space right outside their bedrooms, so I had our finish guy build a bench for their shoes and coats, etc.


This is our family room in the basement. Eventually we will put in a kitchenette. Right now it is the dumping ground for all our mismatched furniture. It is really echo-y due to all the bare floors and walls.


I want to do something fun in Megan's play space under the stairs. It has lots of potential.


Here's Megan's room (see, I left it messy!)--it still needs some decorating:


And the upstairs main bathroom:


Last but not least is the master bedroom, which will probably be very last on the "to do" list. It doesn't really need anything done to it. I would just like to do some decorating--like getting towels that match my rugs, hanging some pictures, replacing the comforter I've had on the bed for 10+ years.


That's it! I've got all my projects for 2011 laid out right here. Not to mention we need to put in our front and back yards! And plan Stake Girls' Camp! Gotta love the messy bits!