Amen To That!

This came in the mail yesterday and all I have to say is Good Marketing. No kidding. I having a hard time finding time to get it all done. I am thinking about cutting sleep out of my schedule.

Silver Lake

We finally made the trek up to take pictures of the fall leaves at Silver Lake. We have been meaning to for the past couple of years. Two years ago, we made it only to find snow...we were too late. Last year was just a wreck. With being pregnant, on bedrest and on more prescriptions than I care to mention, we barely made it to the grocery store let alone to take family pictures.

This year we made it. Our weekends have been very busy with baby blessings, familiy gatherings, and even more home improvements, we knew it was this weekend or bust. We actually got the kids color coordinated and in happy moods. When does that happen? We made it up the canyon with no fights and the kiddos actually sharing treats. We could nearly hear the angelic choirs singing from heaven.

I brought my stack of hats that I have been making to snap pictures to put on the website and list on Ebay. We got out of the car stretched our legs out and started walking. I put a cute hat on Kyra and turned on the camera to take my first shot. "Battery Low" and the camera shut off. Of course. Harvey had assured me that there were extra batteries in the car. The extra batteries he was referring to were in the Leapster....that was also blinking the Battery Low signal.

When all was said and done, we did get a couple of good shots of our cute kiddos by quickly turning on the camera, snapping the picture before the camera shut off. Needless to say, the hats will have to wait a day to be put on the web.

Tag, You're It!

I have received several tags over the past few weeks and haven't gotten to most of them yet. I was partly really busy trying to get family things in order (i.e. clean my house) and trying to set up my stupid scanner to my new computer. I can't get it done. I wanted to add some cute pictures from my childhood up, but it ins't working. Maybe it is the cosmos telling me to keep that part of my history under wraps! Anyway, here is one that doesn't really need pictures.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No, my parents were sure that I was going to be a boy so, they only had boy names picked out. My mom liked Mr. Darcy from Pride and Predjudice. So, I am named after Mr. Darcy. Hot, Dreamy, Mr. Darcy.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Yesterday. Sometimes motherhood gets overwhelming.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? SomedaysI used to. I broke my hand several years ago and now I have arthritus. Se la vi.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey Turkey Turkey!
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Three awesome kiddos.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I would hope so. I take it as a compliment that I have the friends that I do. I feel blessed that they want to be friends with me.
7. GREATEST FEAR? Not being the best mother that I know that I can be.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I used to want to. However, being a mom changes your priorities. I know that my kids wouldn't survive life if Harvey was completely in charge. They would eat Cheetos for every meal and bathe once a week.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Oatmeal.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? I try not to but usually fall over while trying to pry them off.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? In certain situations, I am a total rock. In others I am a total pansy. As for physically strong. Not a chance.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Used to be Raspberry Gone Coconuts by Ben and Jerry's then some numbskull discontinued it. Now I love Moosetracks.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their laugh. I love when people laugh.
15. RED OR PINK? Both! Red to decorate and pink to wear.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOU? My lack of situational motivation.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Two people. My grandma was one of my best friends. She passed away last year. I still have a message on my answering machine from her. My sister.
18. WHAT IS THE GREATEST THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF? I absolutely love to learn. I have lots of degrees but I really like to learn new skills.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW? No shoes (I just finished Pilates) and yoga pants.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Sloppy Joes (awesome recipe) and I am waiting for my popcorn to finish.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Everybody Loves Raymond. Marie looks and acts EXACTLY like my mother in law.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Depends on the day.
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Lavendar, Lilac, Coconut Lime Verbena, anything autumny.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My good friend Debbie.
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO TAGGED THIS TO YOU? Got tagged twice by two different people. I think that they are both amazing people! Love ya gals!
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH: Sports no. I watch Jazz games. Byu vs. Utah football. Superbowl and the Olympics.
27. HAIR COLOR? Blonde or atleast it used to be.
28. EYE COLOR? Kind of a blue, green gray combo.
29. Do you wear contacts or glasses? Oh yeah. I have both. My glasses are real hip and vogue and I am still timid about wearing them. They are black with diamonds on the side.
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Do not even get me started: Salad, Chocolate, Mc Donald's Hamburgers, Arby's Rueben, Cheese Enchiladas, Chocolate Eclair Cake, Seafood, Training Table, Popcorn, Diet Pepsi, Crystal Light, Clam Dip, Candy, Chocolate, Turkey Sandwiches. Jelly Belly. I am so sad that I am now on a salt free diet!
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Can't do scary or sad movies. I have nightmares.
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Fairy Tale: A True Story
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Red
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer. Are you nuts. It can snow on Christmas and that is it!
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Hello! Did you read number 30?
37. WHO IS YOUR HERO? My dad, my daughter and my friends. They love me for who I am.
38. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO? Sew, crochet, Spend time with the kids, Girls Night Out, Be Outside, Work on the Computer.
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Right now, I am reading some magazines on Halloween Crafts. Sally, recommend a good book to me!
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? A picture of money. Lots of it in high denominations. Sigh. If only....
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? Frasier and Office Reruns.
42. FAVORITE SOUND? My kids laughing, Water (as long as it isn't coming from upstairs or from the yard,) Train Whistles
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Neither
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? New Zealand
45. DO YOU HAVE A WEIRD TALENT? I can tell where I got every single thing that I own, how much it was and where I bought it. If it was a gift, I can tell you who gave it to us and when.
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? LDS Hospital.
47. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU LAUGHED? Moments ago when Harvey laughed. However, earlier today I was cracking up. I was talking to Leigh on the phone and she was typing as we were talking. She is the fastest typer that I have ever know. She is a typing pirhana.
48. WHAT TIME IS IT NOW? 10:40 p.m.
49. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU PRAYED? Today when my son knocked my new flat screen computer monitor over because he wanted to get an umbrella off of the computer amoir. I prayed that I wouldn't not kill him.
50. IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOU WHAT WOULD IT BE? My flakiness. I have become flaky over the past couple of years. I need to change that.

Waiting to Exhale

During my mission, I gained a substantial amount of weight. The funny thing was that I didn't even notice it. Upon returning, I tried on my old clothes...not a chance! So, I made it a goal to get myself into shape. I was so excited when I got married because I got the dress of my dreams (huge story behind the dress, remind me to tell you.)

Since that time, I have had three kiddos and been up and down on the weight charts again. I was so excited this past week when I finally made it back down to 3 pounds above my "bridal weight." While cleaning out my closet with my daughter, I decided to try on my wedding dress and show her what it looked like. I was confident that I would look stunning since I was so close to the same weight. WHATEVER!!!!

I couldn't even zip it up. I had to have my six year old help me and even she was coaching me "Mommy, suck in a bit harder." Harvey wasn't home but I was bound and determined to get that dress on. I finally did, and I literally couldn't breathe. What! How could that be? My rib cage has expanded tremendously. The dress was actually really comfortable when I wore it back in the day. And then, the hard cold sting of reality hit me. I am a mom and I have a mom's body.

What a curve life throws at you. Bringing these little children into this world and it is a truly wonderful and miraculous event. Having said that. I have some gripes. I need to complain at some board meeting somewhere and have this process changed. Who wants to sign my petition to have a few mom itenms altered?

1. After having a baby, our hips should go back to their original position. We have a great hormone to help them expand to give birth. Where is the miraculous hormone to put us back??? Instead we pour ourselves into jeans that cut off our circulation for two months trying to trick our minds into thinking that our hips are shrinking back.

2. We have an amazing ability to have our skin stretch to accomodate a growing baby. Why can it not be like a rubber band and snap back. Instead, we get the deflated balloon syndrome.

3. This is not everyone's problem but I must do a shout out to the boobies! Where did mine go??? I used to have them. Nursing three babies snatched them away. I went into Victoria's Secret to get fitted for a new bra and was told that I would have to SPECIAL ORDER my tiny size off the internet. They don't even carry the teenie bopper size. I guess I need to go back to shopping for another training bra. It bugs me, I thought that I already had mine trained. Try finding something sexy in the girls department.

4. Does anyone else have this problem? My hair all falls out after having a baby. Mine is just starting to grow back. In the morning I look like I have a small lions mane srouting from my skull. I have wierd little patches shooting out all over my head.

5. Sprinkling while you sprint. After trying to run a race with some friends, I realized (too late I must add) that I couldn't make a dash without leaving a trail. And not a dainty trail to boot. As a joke, a package of depends was left on my doorstep after the race. Haha funny...not.

6. Do my eyes make me look old? I don't know if it the lack of sleep or the increased parental stress that has taken a toll on my once kinda cute face. The crows have found their resting place and it is around my eyes. Don't look too closely at any of my close ups.

Having venting a bit into the void of space and to all of my great friends who read this. I will say that I am eternally grateful for the fact that I do have three beautiful children. They are the loves of my life and I would do it all again in a heartbeat for them. I am so in love with being a mom and humbled that I was able to have children. It is the sacrifices that we make for them that helps us realize their worth.

Something Different

I am still looking for decorating on a dime ideas. You are all crafty so send some notions my way! I did come up with this little number the other day and I love it. Thank Heavens for Modge Podge right!!

Halloween Approaching

I don't know about all of you but, I think that Halloween is rapidly approaching! I have realized over the past couple of weeks that I really don't have a lot of fall /Halloween decorations. Althought I LOVE the fall season, I have neglected to decorated for it for the past couple of years. So, I started looking through the internet looking for inexpensive cute fall projects that I could do to help me enjoy the season. I have WAY overspent my budget on sewing supplies this month. I found this website and thought that I would share it. If you have any good ideas on Fall / Halloween crafts....please send them my way.

http://www.allcrafts.net/halloween.htm

Snicker Salad

I hve had a couple of requests for the recipe to the decadent treat Snicker Salad. The title to this little devil is abit misleading. Ok, it is really misleading. It is not a salad but a fabulous fall time dessert. It is amazing. Here is the recipe. I ususally double it

Combine these ingredients:
1 regular sized container cool whip
1 package Heath Pieces (located by the chocolate chips)
about 8 large snicker bars chopped up (I used a package of mini's chopped up)

Let those items sit for an hour or so or overnight (I have skipped this step and it still tastes fine)

Then just before serving add in about 5 chopped apples

It is really really good and tasted like a creamy caramel apple. It tastes even better the second day.

Enjoy!

Franco's Go Camping Part II

What a great weekend. We took off on another fun camping trip. This was our second this year....and since we were married. We loved it. I think that our kiddos were meant to live outside. They enjoyed every minute of it.

Our good friends have a really nice property up Springville Canyon and they were nice enough to invite us up to spend a weekend with them. Thank you Todd and Debbie.

Let me just say, this is my idea of camping. It was a beautiful property with grassy areas, a lazy river, bridge and gazebo. They have a wonderful fire pit area and even a zip line. They even have built their own bathroom (which rivals my bathroom here at home) on the property so you don't have to worry about the out house scene. There is a huge covered picnic pavillion, a huge swing set area and TONS of room for the kiddos to run around. Can you say Utopia of camping.

Friday was spent having dinner ( I have learned to pre-make Snicker Salad...it took FOREVER to make up there,) roasting marshmallows and hanging out at the fire. The kids got glow sticks and spent the evening throwing them into trees and trying to retrieve them. Deb and her family were nice enough to let us sleep in one of their trailers. It was a cold evening and we were grateful for the surprise.

Saturday, Lou and Harvey went on their last long run before the St. George Marathon. The rest of us sat back at camp discussing their too short of shorts. I am taking Harvey shopping, ladies, for longer shorts this week. We had breakfast and the guys took off to go see an Elk Ranch. Sherrie made us all cute Halloween bracelets and we sat around the table chatting, eating and have the best girls day out in a long time.

The kids had a blast. They played in the river, swing set, and ran around on the grassy fields. My kiddos went on their very first 4 wheeler ride. Kaeson had a smile on his face for hours afterwards. Nearing the end of the day, the zip line was brought out. The zip line spans from one side of the property to the other and crosses the river. Lou put Kaeson up on the seat and swung him across the zip line. I about died. He loved it though. After he came across, they put Kyra up. I thought,"What was I worried about with him. He is my coordinated one." I waited for Kyra to fall right off the seat, but she was a champ too.

We did find out that our little fab four has a lot in common. Our men all have dark hair. We are all blonde. We all drive white cars. We all (until Kelty surprised us with his arrival) have two kiddos, a girl and a boy. Most of all, we are great friends and we love spending time together.

Thank you Debbie, Leigh and Sherrie for making my weekend so great. Love you guys!

Quirkly Little Me

My high school pal Michelle tagged me to come up with 6 quirky things about me. I wish that I could say that it took me forever to come up with wierd "Darci-isms" however, it was actually harder to narrow them down. Shel, you asked for it.

1. I have a very strict bedtime routine for myself. I can't sleep unless I have shaved legs. I have to stock my night stand with a glass of water (that I rarely drink,) a tube of chapstick (that I don't use at any other time of the day,) and lotion. I have to check on my kiddos one last time before going to bed, tuck my shoulder up under my pillow and sleep with one knee tight up against my chest and the other one straight out. TMI?

2. I am a bit phobic of chicken...food type. I had a bad experience once and I am just barely getting to be able to eat it again. I have to prepare it myself and cut off every single little "extra" something that happens to be on it. If I don't, I ALWAYS seem to chomp into chicken grissle and I can't think of anything grosser.

3. I am a water snob. I am very particular about the taste of my water. I do not like the way my tap water tastes. We have a reverse osmosis system in the house and I can taste the difference. Harvey tries to trick me by getting me normal tap water on occasion. It doesn't work. I know immediately. I am just as bad with bottled water. My favorite is Aqua Fina. If I don't like the taste I have to put in a Crystal Light single.

4. I have very busy hands. I feel like I constantly have to be doing something. When I wind down at night, I do it at the computer. I type away and watch TV or a movie. I crochet, knit, write, cross stitch, sew constantly if I am just sitting.

5. I love to look through books at Borders and Barnes and Noble. I am really into crafts and sewing (who woulda guessed that one) I can sit for hours and look at the new books and magazines that they have. I like to get ideas of crafts that I definately want to do, buy all of the stuff to do it and rarely finish.

6. Hats. I am obsessed with hats. I got my first hat, a cream colored cabbie hat, from my dad when I was 17 and I am now hooked. I seek out patterns for cool and unusual hats. I notice everybody that has one on and wonder how I can make it for myself. I will buy a hat just because it has a cool shape, design or color combo. Kyra loves hats too and we can spend hours trying them on.

Tags Tags and More Tags

Over the past couple of weeks I have received several tags. They have all been so much fun but I haven't particpated up to now. I was really hoping that I would figure out how in the world to hook my scanner up to my new computer to get cute pictures into my tags (like Heather constantly does and I love it) instead of just the words. So, I am going to do these one at a time to see if I can eventually get the olden day high school pictures up. Sorry Michelle and Heather. I haven't been ignoring you! Just slow on the uptake lately:)

Franco Family Fun At The Fair

As a little girl, we had a tradition of going to the fair just me, my dad and my sister. That tradition slowly faded but Harvey and I have decided to keep it going with our little family. We started going with my sister when we were first married. We specifically sought out the day that they had the ice cream tent.

The ice cream tent was a wonderful, magical place that had all you can eat ice cream for $2 a person. What a bargain. 30 mintues of sheer indulgence followed by a month on the treadmill. But I digress.

Once the kiddos came along, our goal in going to the fair has changed. We now go for economical. We go on Thursday, dollar day. With $2 entrance, you can't go wrong. We eat dinner (at Arby's 5 for $5.95... we love it) and then have fun heading into the park. We have to make sure that we visit the art exhibits and all of the handicrafts. I love to see what people are able to do.

The last couple of years, my dad and brothers have come with us. It makes it so much more fun. We can relax and enjoy the sights around us. We love to watch people and there is no better place to do it than at the fair. My kids were elated when Grandpa bought them snow cones and cotton candy. Thanks dad!!!

We go and look at all of the animals. It still amazes me how big cows are when you are standing right next to them. We skip the bunnies for allergy reasons. Then, we head on over to the pony rides. Now, I ask you, what responsible parent sticks their kids on pony rides when they are severely allergic to horses. The operable word being responsible, we certainly did. We plopped those kids right on top of those ponies and they loved it. Now, we aren't terrible. We were quick with the hand washing and the Benadryl chasers.

After my mecca to the Bernina booth at the Vendor Building, to see what machine I absolutely need (this year it is a $10,000 amazing embroidery machine that can embroider a table cloth, clean your house and do your grocery shopping in under an hour) we run over to the Art display to see how my brother did with his newest water color. 7th Place this year. Way to go Dalton. I think he was disappointed but 7th over all... out of all of the paintings....from all of Utah is pretty cool. Way to go Bro!!

Oh Say Can You See

Nearly every time we go to the pediatrician's office we are met with a surprise. It has gone from Kyra's mild hearing loss to Kelton's RSV to Kaeson's eyes.

This year at Kaeson's 4 year check up, all went as expected and his health was A Ok. That was until the eye exam. The nurse told me that his vision in one eye had changed substantially since his 3 year old check up. Being the super mom that I am, I didn't remember them even doing an eye exam at 3 years. Regardless, they recommended having him seen at Primary's or the Rocky Mountain Eye Center. We decided to bypass Primary Children's this year and go somewhere nearby.

After a 3 MONTH WAIT, we made it in to see the doctor. At first they thought that it was a mild nearsighted perscription that was borderline on needing glasses. Then after dilating his eyes and doing some additional testing, the truth came out. He has a lazy eye. It surprised me, his eyes weren't crossed. The doctor explained that not all lazy eyes are crossed but he would require intervention.

So, Cute Kaeson has a new pair of specs to show off to everyone. He will be wearing them for a while. There is a chance that he will need to have his eye patched in a couple of weeks if the glasses don't make a good enough improvement. He is stoked that he may become a pirate come October (admittingly that would be an easy Halloween costume.) I am trying to avoid that for the obvious reasons but we will see.

I will say that I feel sorry for the poor kid. The doctor held up two lenses for me to look through to simulate the way that he is seeing. It was awful. I don't know how he was functioning. I couldn't see a thing. He was a bit wobbly when we got the glasses and had to hold on to my arm because he couldn't keep himself upright for more than a few seconds. Huge change.