Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Stampin' Up a Storm

I know this is short notice, but if you've got nothing else going on
tonight, head on over to my sister Amy's house and learn how to
make this...

...and more!
It starts at 7:00 but you can come whenever.
Everyone is welcome, we have a blast and get to
take home super-cute stuff.
Hope to see you there!

Monday, April 28, 2008

24 Things About Me

Brenda tagged me and I feel so honored!

1) Four Places I Go Over and Over:
~ Walmart
~ McDonalds
~ church
~ Macy's school

2) Four People Who E-Mail Me:
~ Shayla
~ Noelle
~ Rachael
~ Kim

3) Four of My Favorite Foods:
~ Cheetos
~ fettuccine Alfredo
~ 7-Layer Burrito w/o guacamole
~ corndogs

4) Four Places I would Rather be Right Now:
~ Hawaii
~ in bed
~ at the movies
~ in bed

5) Four People I Think Will Respond:
~ Amy
~ Lisa L.
~ Rachael
~ Noelle

6) Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over:
~ Phantom of the Opera
~ Sense and Sensibility
~ Titanic
~ 13 Going on 30

Saturday, April 26, 2008

An Attempt at Redemption

I have been going back and forth for the last 24 hours whether or not to post about this. But my OCD has won out. Because I can't stop thinking about this, to the point of obsession, and I just feel sick about it. I know I won't be able to let it go until I have said what I have to say.

I just want to say that I apologize to anyone who watched Juno on my recommendation and was offended by it. I am mortified. Maybe I'm making too much of this, but I feel like I have a responsibility as the "movie reviewer" to apologize, explain, something! If you know me at all, you know that I care way too much what people think of me and I've spent the last 24 hours thinking that many of my blog readers are thinking badly of me and I can hardly bear it.

I'm not going to go back and say "oh, just kidding, I thought Juno was awful," because I did love it. But what I didn't put in my review was that, yes, the first ten minutes were shockingly risque and totally unnecessary. Yes, the way Juno and her friend talk is crude and raunchy at times. I don't know why I didn't put this in my review, I guess I was having a "positive" day and just said what I loved about it. I see now that this was a grotesque oversight on my part, and I can't tell you the regret I feel over anyone watching this movie based on my review and being shocked and horrified. If this caused anyone's opinion about me or my movie reviews to go sour, I would be devastated. I pride myself in reviewing decent, PG13-only movies. Yes, Juno was maybe a stretch, and I'll admit, I probably wouldn't have reviewed it on my blog except that I had already read so many people's comments about how much they loved it, so I thought it was safe. No, it is not a movie I want my parents to watch. No, it is not a movie I would EVER think a 13 year old should watch. No, I don't condone teenage pregnancy or making light of serious topics. No, I didn't always love the things that were said and yes, I was offended by some of it. But I guess I didn't see it as any worse than the nudity in Titanic, or the sexuality in Moulin Rouge. It's hard to find a movie--even PG13--nowadays that doesn't have some language and sex in some form. I'm not trying to make excuses or rationalize. I guess as a movie lover I've learned to still be able to enjoy a movie despite the worldly aspects of it.

Please see this for what it is--an apology, and explanation, me defending myself in the hopes that people aren't turned off from my future reviews or recommendations. This is in no way intended to be a backlash or anything of the sort. I guess I never in a million years thought that my little ole' movie reviews would ever be taken seriously, that people would go see a movie based on my opinion of it. It's incredibly flattering, but with it comes a responsibility that I'm just becoming aware of. Please know that in the future I will be more careful about giving any kind of a warning if I think the movie may not be for everyone, and know that I have never and will never review a movie that I feel is totally inappropriate. Of course people may disagree with me what is considered inappropriate, and that's fine. I just felt I needed to explain myself, and now I can finally let it go. Thank you for listening.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Can't blog. Too busy. Exhausted. No nap. Crazy woman. Back later.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Idolizing

Copying someone so blatantly goes against everything I believe in, especially when it comes to blogging. I would never be doing this except that 1) I honestly, truly was going to post about this today before I read this post, and 2) She seriously had the best picture I could have ever found, even if I'd searched the web for hours. So hopefully Lisa is okay with me plagiarizing.

How hot is this picture?!


How amazing is David Cook? He gets better every week, whereas Brooke, my original favorite, gets worse. (Starting and stopping and starting again? Not only has no contestant ever done it before, she's done it twice now. Ouch.) David Archuleta maintains his cover of Tiger Beat Magazine persona, and Jason, while I do enjoy his sound, is really starting to grate on the nerves. The "everything's groovy thanks to my doobie" act is getting old. Syesha is an amazing singer, but does nothing for me. Carly is an even better singer and I love her voice, but she never picks songs I like. (Jesus Christ Superstar? No thank you.) But David Cook...he may as well start practicing singing "Do I Make You Proud?" while wiping away the tears now.

And I disagree with Simon when he said last night that his rendition of "Music of the Night" was not his favorite side of him, that it was too different from his normal rocker image. I think this is exactly what makes him so amazing. I love to watch him rock out every week--he sounds awesome, and last night when I heard he was doing "Music of the Night" I was a little nervous. But I was blown away at how great he sounded singing a soft ballad. THE BOY CAN SING ANYTHING! And I don't think he seems cocky anymore. I think he deals with all of the cat-calls and "I love you"s modestly, not fakely. (Is that a word?) Anyway, he is far and away my favorite, and if he doesn't win it's a travesty.

And on a side note, I just want to say how much I have loved the last two weeks' mentors. I was the biggest Mariah Carey fan on the planet in high school and even a few years after. I still have all her songs memorized. I own every one of her albums except for her newest stuff because it just isn't my style anymore. But all of her 90's stuff and early 2 thou is so great and I know I make fun of her a lot on This Week in Hollywood, but that's just because I think she dresses like a street walker. Watching her on A.I. last week reminded me why I loved her so much. She really has the most incredible voice on the planet.

And Andrew Lloyd Webber...LOVE HIS MUSIC. Obviously, Phantom of the Opera is the best in the world, but I also love Cats, Evita, pretty much everything he's done. Last night was so fun. I hope they keep having fantastic mentors and gone will be the days of Dolly Parton and Neal Sedaka.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

OH. MY. GOSH.

Twilight fans: Prepare for some serious adrenaline pumping.

The Twilight movie: a small taste

Monday, April 21, 2008

All in the Family

Payson had his first t-ball game last Thursday.
It's the first sport or anything he's ever done, so I went a little crazy with the camera.

The Huddle.


The funniest thing has been trying to figure out if he's right or left-handed in sports.
He's left-handed otherwise, so we tried left-handed first.
We spent $20 on a left-handed glove only to discover he plays better right-handed.
(Anyone need a tiny left-handed mitt that says "Payson" on it?)

Here he is batting right-handed.


Here he is batting left-handed.
(One of these days we'll figure it out.)


No matter where the coach put Payson and Colton,
they wound up sharing the same base.


The best part of the game was when Payson and Colton were playing catch pre-game to warm up. Colton threw it and it hit Payson in the arm. Payson got mad and said (in his annoyed, whiny voice), "Owwwww....you're 'posed to get it in my glove!") It was hilarious.


This was about the only time they did an actual play,
everyone going for the ball.


This one's going in a frame.


After the game at DQ with Colton.
Seriously, how cute are they?



Then Macy had her indoor pool party on Saturday. Thanks to our Relief Society Birthday Dinner
Service Auction, I had it made in the shade. Two things I won were an indoor pool party out at
Natasha's in-laws house, and a custom-decorated birthday cake by Eden (see pics below).
All I had to do was make the invitations and buy the goody bags. It was so nice.


Macy and Abby


Macy's cousin Kaitlin


Abby


Ally


The happy swimmers


Okay, so when I told Eden I wanted something pool-themed,
I had no idea she would take it and run with it. I could not believe
my eyes when I saw what she had created. She completely out-did herself.


The pictures do not do it justice, you can't see all the tiny
detail she put into it. It was amazing.





I cannot thank her enough for the incredible cake she made for Macy,
and I seriously can't tell you how much the girls loved it.
(Not to mention it was DE-LISH!)
THANK YOU EDEN!!! (And yes, we are still digging away at it!)


Yeah, so I won't be getting Mom of the Year Award.
The one thing I forgot to haul out there? Candles.
Lucky for me Macy didn't care in the least. (The funny
thing is she looks like she's about to blow out something, but
she's just oohing and aahing over the cake.)


Here they are all claiming the Teddy Grahams they wanted
and requesting totally different parts of the cake.


Kenzie enjoying her cake.


Opening presents.


Abby and Ally


How much do I love this picture?
My daughter turns 7 and suddenly she looks 25.


From left to right:
Ally, Kenzie, Kaitlin, Marissa, Macy, Abby
It went great, and everyone had a blast.


In other news, I got a new ward calling. I am the new Primary Secretary!
I am so excited about it.

Which leaves Bill. His exciting news is that he went undefeated all the way to the Pro Bowl
on Madden '06 and he got 1st place in his 3rd PGA Tour Championship, beating Tiger Woods.
Yay Bill!

Sunday, April 20, 2008

THIS WEEK IN HOLLYWOOD

So with the news this week that Ashlee Simpson and her fiance, Pete Wentz, are expecting a baby, I decided to do a This Week in Hollywood: Baby Edition. (Yeah, I know I was supposed to do one of all the celebrities I like, but the storm cloud over my head is making it hard for me to be all cheery and positive right now. I have a feeling that making fun of celebrities is going to make me feel a whole lot better.) There seems to be a slew of stars with "baby bumps," and I know some of you have been wondering what you could send these happy parents-to-be for a baby gift. So, having the insider knowledge that I do of the goings on in Hollywood, I thought I'd give you some ideas of stuff I think they'd appreciate.


Ashlee Simpson
Prevacid (for that pesky acid reflux), eyeliner (for him, not for her),
and a gift certificate to Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery
(where they "treat everybody like a celebrity.")


Angelina Jolie

Baby's First Passport and a school bus converted into a van



Gwen Stefani
A L.A.M.B. romper and a bottle of peroxide


Jamie Lynn Spears

Fortunately for her, Jamie Lynn doesn't need much.
Just a diploma, a husband, and about four more birthdays.


Tori Spelling

Their own reality show (cause two just isn't enough), Season 3 of
90210 on DVD (Donna Martin graduates!), and a guest appearance on Cheaters


Nicole Kidman

Sunblock, Unisom, and man hair for her husband


Angela Kinsey

A poster of her baby wearing sunglasses and playing the saxophone.


Jessica Alba

A DVD of Into the Blue, so she can always relive the glory days:
her body, pre-baby


Minnie Driver
A onesie that says Who's Your Daddy?


Lauren Conrad


Okay, she's not pregnant.
That's the nicest thing I can say about her, Nicole.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Bloggity Blah Blog

I have so much to blog and so little desire to blog about it tonight. Mainly because I'm too lazy to get up and get my camera. I am exhausted. Macy had her birthday party today and I was up til past 2:00 last night (this morning) watching Juno and chatting it up girl-style. (For those of you who were there and are wondering why I was up past 2:00 when we left Kim's house at a quarter til, it's because I get home from social functions and my brain continues to go a hundred miles a minute, replaying every word said. So I lay awake in the middle of the night willing my brain to stop working so I can FALL ASLEEP FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S HOLY!) I have a million and one pictures of Macy's party to blog about, but I'm not going to. Tonight.

Payson had his first T-Ball game Thursday night. Pure. Comedy. I have lots of pictures of him, in his florescent orange shirt and tiny white baseball pants (who knew they made such little athletic gear?) and giant batting helmet. But I'm not going to blog about it. Tonight.

I considered doing This Week in Hollywood. But I swore to myself that my next This Week in Hollywood would be positive, that I would highlight the celebrities that I truly like and admire. But I'm not feeling it. Tonight.

I'm sitting here feeling the effects of the day--no, the week--take hold and hit me like a ton of bricks. The house is silent and I'm seriously considering attacking the leftover birthday cake with a fork. No plate. But that would mean getting up off this couch. Not even birthday cake can motivate me to move right now.

As melancholy as I'm feeling, I can't find too much fault with the world right now, as today is Saturday, the dreaded week mark from when Payson got sick, the day that has been haunting me now for a week. It came, I'm fine. And I'm sure now that I said that I just completely jinxed myself into getting it. Whatever. I'm too tired to worry about it. Maybe I should just go to bed. But that would mean getting up off this couch...

Friday, April 18, 2008

GIRLS' NIGHT OUT!

Juno.
Like the city in Alaska?
No.

Come watch a rockin' flick with some rockin' chicks.
Tonight at Kim's.
Flick starts at 9:00.
Feel free to tell your husbands it starts at 8:00.
Bring something we'll all regret eating in the morning.
(If you want to. We'll still let you in if you don't.)

Seriously, come.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Happy Birthday Macy!

Seven years ago today I was deliriously happy at the prospect of getting out of the hospital in Utah where I'd been trapped for two weeks on bed rest. (For the complete story of Macy's grand entrance into this world, click here.) Macy came into the world on her own terms and has lived that way ever since.

~Her doctor called her the Colic Poster Child. She screamed for the first two months of her life.

~Of course she wouldn't crawl the conventional way. No way was she getting on all fours. She
opted instead for her own personalized crawl: The Scoot. She scooted everywhere on her
bum, with one foot bent in and one foot bent out. She did this until she walked at 17 months.

~Apparently the ordeal she put her mom through at birth was not enough. She decided at a
year that she was going to vomit anything resembling solid food. She threw up her own first
birthday cake when she tasted a tiny bit of frosting. We ended up having to take her to a
feeding specialist.

~Macy has eaten a peanut butter and honey sandwich for lunch every day since she started
eating (and keeping down) solids. She called it a "wanchinch" until she was 3.

~At four, Macy started pulling out her eyelashes, followed by her eyebrows. She started
Kindergarten with virtually no hair on her face. Much to her parents relief, she outgrew this
habit by the time she was 6.

Now, at 7, I am amazed at how "normal" she is. She is an unbelievably sweet, good-natured, easy-going little girl with the most beautiful blue eyes and the craziest, thickest hair ever to be found on a child. I thank my Heavenly Father every day for giving me the honor of being her mother.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Verify Me

For awhile now I've suffered in silence, biting my tongue for the sake of my fellow bloggers, telling myself that how people blog is their prerogative, it's not my place to judge. But I'm not sure how much more I can take, how much longer I can handle the irritation, frustration, RAGE!! What, you ask, has me so worked up?

WORD VERIFICATION

It has become the bane of my existence, people. Please forgive me if you are one of the overly paranoid, super-precautious people who have word verification on your blogs. I cannot agonize in silence any more.

I HATE WORD VERIFICATION!!!

Why? Let me count the ways...

1. It's just an extra step. An unnecessary addition to comment-making. What, we don't spend enough time blogging, we have to add five seconds to each comment we make? Some bloggers (you know who you are) read 75 blogs daily. That's 6 mins. 15 seconds (no, I did not do the math. This is where living with a math genius comes in handy) of time spent on the computer that otherwise could be spent, oh, I don't know, reading another blog.

2. What is the point of a code if no one can crack it? I get the idea behind it...make the word in a funky font all wavy and stuff so that mass emailers can't send you spam. Okay, but if you make the word so funky and wavy that no one in their right mind can read it, you may as well put a commenting block on the blog altogether. Is that "m" an "m" or an "r" and an "n"? Is that two "v's" or a freaking "w"? It's madness people!! And the thing is, I swear there's no right answer. I think that whatever you put will be wrong. 9 times out of 10 they will make you type in a new word, just for fun. Somewhere the word verification people are sitting in a little room, talking about all us idiot bloggers trying to guess the letters and laughing obnoxiously. Curse the letters! Curse ALL the letters!!

3. And finally, the main point to my rantings. In my humble blogging opinion, it serves no purpose. I visit many a blog that graciously has forewent the word verification and never, ever gets spam comments. And once (I swear on my computer, this actually happened, it is not an urban legend) I saw a spam comment on (gasp) a word verified blog. So, see? There you have it. No need for word verification. Go ahead, turn 'em off. Oh, what's that? You don't care what I say? You're going to keep your heinous word verification? Fine. Just know I'm sending evil thoughts your way the next time I'm typing in the word frxlm. Followed immediately by the word plgss.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

At Least I Can Say "I Told You So"

Sorry in advance for the million pictures. Apparently I blog like I scrapbook. The following catalogs our half a camping trip with my family to Sun Lakes.



I had to blog this. My kids packed their backpacks without me knowing
the day before we left and drug them around all day.


This was what Payson deemed necessary for our 4 day camping trip:



Two Transformers, the pants he wore the day before, and of course,
Giraffe.


This is what the kids did 90% of the time:
(explored the "big mountain", as Payson referred to the hill by our camp site)


Payson all cozy in the tent trailer we borrowed from my
brother, Landon, who was the only sibling not there


Branson (My sis. Amy's baby) and Audrey (in front) on our walk to the play area


Payson jumping to Daddy


Sadie (my sis. Alison's daughter) and Owen being helped by their daddies


Payson


Uncle Ryan helping Macy on the zip line


Payson again. He's just so darn cute.


Ryan climbing between the two towers of the playset.
I tried to get a picture showing how high he was but was too late.


Playing down by the lake


Throwing rocks (Alison's daughter Kaitlin in the background)


Bill being Bill


Sweet Audrey, who sat happily watching everything from
the stroller the entire time.


Macy



So here's what I did not get a picture of:

~ Payson, slamming his SAME thumb in the door of the tent trailer, in the SAME spot.
He got a brand new gash just below the scab. Huge cut, bleeding everywhere. The
poor kid didn't stop crying for an hour and didn't smile for the rest of the night. I'm
fairly certain that if there was a chance the nail was going to grow back, it's gone now.

~ Having one of the most miserable nights of my life due to extreme winds shaking our
trailer and making it sound like it was going to fall apart at any moment.

~ Having all my fears confirmed when Payson woke up yesterday morning and started
throwing up. And throwing up. And throwing up. We instantly packed up and left.
(Everyone else comes home today some time.) My parents graciously offered to
keep Macy who absolutely did NOT want to leave. I spent the next 24 hours
holding a bucket for Payson, who literally threw up every half hour until about
six hours ago. Poor kid. Needless to say, this will not be a trip he will look back on
with fond memories.

Shockingly enough, I will. Apart from the less-than-pleasant, too-early ending, it was the best. We had so much fun and I can't tell you how much I loved being with (almost) all my family for two days, something we haven't done in a long time. I will, however, love to see anyone try to get me to do it again.