25 Random Things About Me

This was posted on Facebook so, most everyone has probably seen this. However, I enjoyed writing it so much that I wanted to post it on the blog for a journal entry.
1. I have spent over three weeks in a hospital in a third world country for salmonella poisoning. It scared the daylights out of my parents. Everything looked like it was salvaged from WWII and the nurses work short mini skirts, massive plunging necklines leaving practically nothing to the imagination, high heels and teeny tiny white plastic canvas nurses hats.
2. I have a very low natural body temperature. I am constantly cold. I have the heater on in my car during the summer. I wear sweats nearly all winter if I am at home.
3. I would rather live in a small house with lots of character and charm than a large home with all of the new trendy amenities.
4. I LOVE vintage everything. Furniture, clothing, fabric, shoes. You name it, I love it. I love finding those really cute little stores that sell eclectic, interesting pieces. I rarely buy but I love to look.
5. My favorite room in my house is my sewing room. I can spend hours there. It is full of great old pieces of furniture that I have inherited and refinished and just has a cool feel to it. I am really looking forward to painting it and making it unique.
6. Although I have tried to get into scrapbooking, it is a complete lost cause with me. I wish that they would just magically make themselves. I have the supplies but I just don't want to invest the time to make them cute. So, I will stick with the digital version and call it good.
7. I have a terrible sense of fashion. I see that others look cute. I have the desire to dress stylish but, I just can't seem to pick it out for myself. I have to bring a friend with me when I shop so that I get the right size, color, style etc. That would explain why my entire wardrobe would fit into one large suitcase. So, thanks Haidy for finally introducing me to the perfect pair of jeans and Leigh for telling me that all of my clothes are ugly!
8. I didn't study like I should have in high school and my first couple of years in college. I am still embarrassed about that. However, I did end up kicking into gear my last 2 years in college and during my master's program and pulled off a 4.0 that entire time.
9. I have very artistically talented siblings. They paint, draw and create true masterpieces. I didn't get a stitch of that talent. I wish that I had. My kids can hardly recognize my stick figures!
10. My daughter was born on the same day as my graduation from graduate school (with my M.Ed.) It was the most life changing day of existence. I decided right there to drop the career path and stay home with her. I have never had such feelings of worry, delight, joy sorrow, anxiety, patience and complete and utter unconditional love in my entire life. My boys have only enhanced that. I wouldn't change it for the world.
11. I really enjoy home improvement. I am lucky to be married to a man who also enjoys it. I love color. I figure that paint is a relatively inexpensive, easily transformable way to create a great ambience. Once everything is painted, we go back through and start to repaint!
12. I have decided that my motto in life is to simplify. There is so much out in the world that you can get yourself caught up in. I have been guilty of getting caught up in the glitz of it all from time to time. However, I have found that I am the happiest when I keep life simple and take time to enjoy the small moments. Life is too short.
13. I am a recovering pack rat. I store everything. It has really got on my nerves that past couple of years and I have tried to work on it. I have tried to do a lot of thinning out but, I still have a ways to go. I have noticed that the more I get rid of, the happier I am. Strange huh!
14. I absolutely love to sew and do crafts. I have never been formally taught to sew but, I have really enjoyed developing this hobby over the past few years. As far as crafting goes, there isn't much (besides scrapbooking and cards) that I don't enjoy, have a book on and probably most of the supplies to do it with...hence part of my problem with #13.
15. Growing up, my dad was the photography manager at KSL TV. We loved it. It gave us great perks. We got to drive around in a news car all the time. We were occasionally babysat by news anchors. We were put on the news all the time. Once, my soccer team was put on the news even though we had never won a game, only made one goal the entire season and once tied a game 0 to 0!
16. I am the oldest of 8 children and I love it! My parents had 5 children in less than 6 years, had a 10 year gap, then had three more within a year and 4 months. We are all named with D's. All of our names have two syllables and none of us have middle names. My youngest sister is 17 1/2 years younger than me.
17. With the above mentioned naming of children, I swore that I would never do that. Isn't it amazing the things that you promise yourself you will never do with your kids. Yeah, we all do it. Well I did it with this one. My kids all start with "K." In my defense, I wanted to name my youngest one something else but my hubby didn't want him to feel left out. So, I conceded and actually really like his name a lot now.
18. I really like to watch movies but, I rarely get out to a theater to watch them. Then, I forget what I wanted to see and miss it on DVD as well. I am a movie snob though and don't go along with the "fads." Some of my very favorite movies are odd ones that have been recommended and shown primarily at film festivals. However, my brother talked me into watching "Blades of Glory." I actually kind of liked it, for some moronic reason.
19. I enjoy making goals and resolutions. I am a very visual person though and I make vision boards (I know that they are getting a bad rap because of that chick on The Bachelor.) I think of the things that I want to accomplish, find a picture to match and attach it to a poster board. I keep the board in my sewing room and look at it every day. It is amazing how much that helps me accomplish my goals.
20. I am addicted to my kiddos. I absolutely in love with them and love spending time with them. Yes, there are times that I wish that there was an off button. For the most however, I really enjoy their personalities and the cute conversations that they conjure up. My favorite thing is when I give them my full attention, I notice how radiant their little souls are and it makes me want to be a better person.
21. Up until a few years ago, I had really long, blonde hair that was perfectly straight. I was able to wash it and let it air dry and it would dry and look great. However, I would put it up in curlers all the time. Not only did I look like a cotton ball through all of high school but, I didn't realize how good I had it to have straight hair. Now after having kiddos, it is SUPER curly and I no idea how to get it to look good that way. Straight iron all the way baby! Go figure.
22. I was robbed blind while I was living in the Caribbean. One night, while I was asleep, someone broke into my house and stole everything I owned except for the huge mega 200 count package of tampons that I had. I could tell that the thief had no idea what they were. It still makes me laugh and that was the one thing that I am glad that they didn't take!
23. I have learned from personal experience that it is possible to forget how to ride a bike. Not my most proud moment. After several years of not riding one, I hopped back on a bike and in front of hundreds of people lined up to watch a parade, I steered myself right into a electricity pole. Now coincidentally, bike riding is one of my favorite stress relievers.
24. I love to write and keep several notebooks at once. I started keeping a journal but stopped after I realized that I only wrote when I was angry or upset. So, now I have switched to a blog. It works for me. I keep it real, add pictures and at the end of the year I put it into a book. It keeps me sane. Let me know if you want an invite.
25. I had a hard time turning 30. Now, I wouldn't go back for all the money in the world. I have learned that life is to short for grudges, regrets, anger or resentment. Now, I love where I am. Living a simple yet extraordinary life. Cheesy but true.

CPSIA

I am sure that most of you have no idea what this is. CPSIA is an act that is going into effect in February. Simply stated, in order to sell anything for children ages 12 and younger, it must be lead tested. This is an iron clad law that at the moment has absolutely no exceptions. This sounds great doesn't it. As a mother of three little ones, I understand why they are putting into law.

However, there is another side of this law that has me spell bound. All of the cute little boutique things that you buy for your kiddos are now included into that law. ANYTHING that you buy whether it be a bracelet, hat, dress, toys etc. that are handmade will cease to be sold. The only way around this law is to have each piece lead tested before it is sold. This may sound easy but it ends up costing a fortune and in most cases will be anti productive.

I am in a bit of shock over this one not knowing what to do. As most of you know, I operate a small children's clothing and accessory business out of my home. I absolutely LOVE it and have spent quite a bit of money (don't tell Harvey) trying to get it established and have the supplies on hand to operate. I have literally hundreds of pounds of fabric not to mention notions, beads, accessories etc that will no longer prove useful to me.

I am not the only person affected by this. There are thousands of crafters that work in small volume and that sell primarily on the internet and in crafting boutiques that will be put completely out of business.

Although, I want for my children and the children of others to be safe, I think that the country is losing such a great commodity with the loss of handmade goods for children.

Tribute to Romantic Period Films

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlEInKe33zI

I am feeling better but not up and about yet so, that gives me extra time to waste on the computer. I found this on You Tube and loved it. It isn't for everyone but if you like periods movies, this is for you! You have to hit pause on my sidebar playlist!

Toad's New Smile

I finally have my camera back after leaving at my parent's house last month. I have been missing it but since I am still homebound, I have been waiting for them to drop it off to me. Yes, they have been here every single day for the past three weeks but, they have stuff on their minds too.

But I digress! About a week ago, Toad has developed a darling new little smile. Atleast we think that it is a smile. He doesn't say much yet but, he understands far beyond my other kiddos did at this age. He copies EVERYTHING. Harvey made this face at him once and he does it all the time. Every single time, it makes me laugh!

My Sewing Room

As we all know very well from my many whinging blog entries, we finished off our basement a couple of months ago. We are now left with the nitty gritty details of paint, doors and finish work. I think that we have pretty much decided on a paint color for the media room and the ex-play room. We are going with a basic tan, beige thing. Accent walls will come later. I don't really care to be honest with you. As long as it gets done is all that matters now.

However, I do care greatly about my favorite room in my house....my sewing room. That is by far the best place for me to relax. I have great vintage pieces that belonged to different grandmothers and I love them. I have two pieces that are painted a pale pink and distressed and two pieces that are painted black. So, I am going to go with pink Parisian theme. I really want to get it to look amazing but not over the top and hokie! I would love opinions on this one.

What color walls? What color trims? What sort of ........? Here are some ideas that I found on the net and like different elements of them, but I don't like any one theme completely.

Enjoying Youth

My Decision- Just a journal vent- You really don't have to read this one!

I have known for several years now that a hysterectomy was inevitable. I have had a really hard time coming to terms with it. I know that a lot of people are thrilled to finally go through with permanent birth control, but I have been very nervous about the whole thing.

I have a condition called Pelvic Congestion Syndrome. It is basically internal varicose veins. They run rampant inside the body making blood pool on the pelvic floor causing severe pain. It is not dangerous but makes life very difficult. I have had several surgeries in the past to try to correct this condition. These procedures generally work with most women. However, they did nothing for me. My only options at that point were to be put into early menopause or to have a hysterectomy. Neither were excellent options.

I had the surgery planned for two years ago. I went in for some pre-op work including and ultra sound. Miracle of miracles, they found my little Toad. He truly was our miracle baby. I am so grateful that they did that ultrasound.

I rescheduled it for February of last year. I never quite felt comfortable with it and kept rescheduling my doctor appointments. I had several phone calls from people, out of the blue I might add, advising me to maybe take a bit more time before going through with the procedure. I listened and rescheduled only days before I was supposed to check in. My doctor was a bit annoyed, but you have to do what is best for you right. Well, the day that I was supposed to have surgery, my little Toad ended up getting RSV and landed himself a two week stay in Primary Children's Hospital.

This time, things just worked themselves out. I have an incredible friend that lined up meals and carpools for my children. She also arranged for me to have someone at my house to help me with my children. My family kicked it into high gear and arranged for my brothers have come over nearly every day during their school breaks. My parents both took off time from work. Harvey's boss told him to work from home and has allowed amazing flexibility with his work schedule allowing him to get the children dressed and off to school before leaving for work.

The morning of my surgery, was rather intense. I received several blessings and Harvey and I drove to the hospital not saying much. We just enjoyed the peace and held hands. I was the first on the surgery agenda which was good so that I didn't have to obsess about it all day long. However, once I was taken back to start preparing, I was all tears. I cried the entire morning. Not because I was sad but just out of nerves. The cute nurse helped so much by telling me that a lot of women have that same reaction. I think that I had the hardest time when I had to sign a paper stating that I knew that I was going to be sterile. I have a terrible time with anesthesia and was scared to death about not coming out of it and not seeing my children again. I think that is where most of my nerves went.

My last surgery, my anesthesiologist gave me a medicine as I was leaving the waiting area. I remember being wheeled down the hall and having my eyes close, and my body become paralyzed but I was still able to hear everything around me. At that point, my airway closed. I couldn't breathe but I was still completely aware of what was going on around me. Everyone was taking their time and the anesthesiologist was taking his time and talking to people as we walked down the hall. It couldn't have taken very long but it seemed like an eternity. I remember thinking that I was going to die right there on the table and no one would know. The last thing I remember was my OB/Surgeon yelling at the Anesthesiologist and saying that I was a light weight.

Anyway, this time, after hearing that story, the anesthesiologist did things differently. I wasn't put out until the very last second. They moved me to the operating room, taped my arms down and put my legs in compression boots all while I was awake. That was different.

Coming out of anesthetics was really rough. I went into convulsions and was thrashing around. My body temperature dropped and they couldn't get me to respond. It took them a good portion of the day to get me stabilized. Then, the pain. By far the most painful experience I have ever had. I have never been so sick in my entire life. I am so grateful that I have complete trust in my doctor and that she is such an amazingly competent physician.

After having such an emotional, traumatic day, I was very grateful to have such a feeling of peace the next day. I kept thinking about the fact that I can never again have a baby. However, this time, I just kept thinking how grateful I was to have three beautiful, healthy, spoiled rotten kiddos. I am so lucky. Then I would think to how hard pregnancy was and be grateful that I never have to go through that again. Then, I would think about this world that I am trying to raise three kids in and I have no idea how I am going to keep them on a good and clean path. I don't know if I could do it with one more. I am frightened to do it with three.

The last thing that was a bit of a relief knowing that I was going to be ok with the whole situation was when I heard the lullaby music at the hospital. The lullaby music goes off every time a woman has a baby. When I would hear it, I would just smile. I wasn't jealous at all! That made my day.

You know, we all look forward to getting older, getting married and having a family. However we don't really look past that. I remember how thrilled I was when Kyra came into my life and I was a mom for the first time. It was a whole new chapter. Well, I have now officially ended that chapter of my life. I clearly won't be having more children. That was hard for a little while. Now, I am really looking forward to being out of diapers, travelling and enjoying my three beautiful angels....and getting to hold all of my friends and families baby's!

Slowly Coming Back

I am slowly coming back. I had my massive surgery a few weeks ago. It has been in the works for a couple of years but this time, I finally got it taken care of. Thank you so much to all of you for your well wishes, calls, meals and visits. I can not tell you how much they have helped! This surgery was a lot more intense than I had thought and it has really knocked me on my kiester!

People have asked what I had done. For you ladies, you will understand. After Kaeson, I had was told not to have any more kids. Later we were told that we wouldn't be able to have more kids. Well, kids don't listen to doctors and Kelton made his way into the world.

Pregnancy and child birth really did a number on me and my body paid the price. I ended up having to have a hysterectomy, bladder repair and a complete posterior reconstruction. Don't want to go into too many gory details, but if you are interested, I will be happy to tell you about it! I was expecting the surgery to be like having a baby. Boy, was I off on that one. It was easily 10 times more painful.

Since coming home, I have managed to get a slew of other stuff that has made recovery only worse. I had had a UTI, two yeast infections, the flu and strep throat. It has really knocked me to the ground. As for recovery, I am pretty much home bound for the next several weeks. I am not on complete bedrest but I have to be down a good portion of the day. The rest of the time, they want me walking around a little bit so that I don't get blood clots. Fun! To boot, I can't lift anything over 10 pounds for 8 weeks! How do you do that with a 15 month old?

Thank you so much to everyone for all of your help. I had no idea how much this was going to put me out of commission. Every single act of kindness has not gone unnoticed. Thank you so much for all that everyone has done. I never realized how many friends I really had! I am so blessed!

Raindrops on Roses

I have had a couple of depressing blog posts (unintentional) so, I am cheering myself up. Here is a list of some of my favorite things:
*Dark Chocolate Truffles
*A good haircut
*Chick Flicks
*Fresh, clean socks
*Cute shoes
*Anything vintage
*Warm Autumn days
*Taking a bubble bath while reading a magazine
*Really good books (I need a suggestion by the way)
*Clean and organized anything
*Disney
*My family
*Flowers
*Sewing and crafting
*Reading with my kids
*Snowmen
*The color red
*The color pink
*Christmas
*Dolls
*Fairies
*My childhood memories
*Scented oils
*Well fitting jeans
*Lunch with friends
*Biking
*Playing piano
*Imagining
*Writing
*Cute inexpensive jewelry
*Garage sales
*Being punctual
*Yoga and Pilates
*Home Decor
*Pineapple lifesavers
*Jelly Belly Jelly Beans
*Salad

Getting Ready

Years ago when I was getting ready for my mission, I left it all to the last minute and was caught off guard with all that I had to do. I remember the day that I left to go to the MTC, I was running around purchasing items that I needed, meeting with my bishop, packing and even running to my college professor's house to pass off an exam. AN EXAM. In fact, I even took some of my school papers with me into the MTC with hopes of getting it done in my MTC spare time.

The day after arriving, I realized that there were a few things that I had neglected to pack. I didn't have a towel, a blow dryer (my hair was past my hips at that time) and several other no brainer items. I had to write home and ask for these items and wait for them to get there. It was an awful feeling to be unprepared and knowing that there was nothing that I could personally do about it.

I am starting to feel that now. I am going in for my big Mack Daddy surgery on Tuesday and there is still so much that has to be done. I have really let the house go over the past few months. With the holidays, out of town guests, finishing the basement and trying to keep the kids from burning down the house, I have kind of let the house go.

Now I am a stuck with an enormous to do list and not nearly enough time to take care of it. I have been working on the laundry for nearly two weeks, just to get caught up. Yes, we really do have THAT much laundry. It is embarassing. The dog needs to be washed and groomed, the kitchen cabinets have to be cleaned out and the fridge has to be detoxified. The kids clothes have to be rotated, the bills paid, my room cleaned (or atleast be able to find my bedroom floor) and carpools arranged (all of the plans that I originally had in place have just fallen apart...today.) All the while I am trying to spend as much time with my kids as I possibly can.

Now, ordinarily, I would not be this panicked about trying to get everything put together but this time I am. I am nervous about my surgery, ok in some senses, terrified. After I come home, I just want to be able to sit back, relax and not worry about things. In all actuality, that is what I have to do because I will be down for nearly 8 weeks. However, I know me and I know that it is going to drive me crazy that things are not taken care of. I feel bad that I have not been able to relax more over the holiday and enjoy time with my kids. I really just need to slow down, realize that it is not going to get done. As long as the laundry is done and I can find where things are in the house, I will be ok. Right?

My Pet Peeves- Feel Free to Skip this Post...Just Venting

So most people start off the year all happy and jolly. Although I truly am on several levels, I have also encounted several of my pet peeves over the past few days. Instead of throwing them ragingly at hubby dear, I am throwing them out to you!
1. Throwing dirty laundry into the laundry room...that is what hampers are for.
2. Not tightly fastening the lids on 2 liter bottles of soda....if you want to keep them fresh, tighten the lid. Not that we should be drinking soda anyway.
3. Keeping things in the microwave (bread, cereal, candy)...It is a microwave for crying out loud. You cook in it not store things in it.
4. Filling the oven full of pots and pans....ditto for above PLUS...we have plenty of cupboard space.
5. Not throwing away your own candy wrappers....I am NOT your maid.
6. Keeping the tree up past New Year's.....still up!
7. Clean, folded laundry that doesn't get put away and ends up in the laundry basket (or laundry room) two days later....come on....I already did the hard part.
8. Leaving a dishwasher full of dirty dishes overnight without starting it.....I go to get cereal bowls in the morning and they are dirty!
9. Not scraping off the dishes before starting the dishwasher...I know that some of you have those amazing dishwashers that can also clean your cars but, mine (albeit nice) still requires some work on your part or else you have to start all over!
10. Offereing to do the dishes and then leaving the pots for someone else to do....thanks!


Ok, I am done with my hissy fit. Thanks for skipping over this post. I just had to vent.