August- A novel :-)

If you are brave...read on.  This is an epic post...close to novel size!!

Today is the last day of summer.  I thought I would be sad about it, but I'm actually ok with it.  We have had an over-abundant amount of fun, antics, and laziness this summer.  Fall brings a more scheduled life, cooler weather, and looking forward to holidays.  I start to think about craft projects, gift projects, costumes, more homemaking efforts and less keeping everybody busy-ness.  It's nice to switch gears. 

Here is the update for the past month:

JUSTICE
Justice has really been enjoying scouts.  We were finally able to get his uniform and he couldn't wait to wear it.  He has earned a few belt loops, but we need to pass off his Wolf before he can get them officially.  So we are working on that.  We had a really fun pack meeting picnic with water games after.  Wet Sponge Pass, Water Balloon Toss, Water Balloon Slingshot, Sprinklers, and Popsicles to cool off with.  He was soaked!  A good time was had by all.

Peace out, boyscout...at the Scout Store

Pack meeting

Cubs

Values Presentation

Justice's new pet...JAM

He loves this thing, I do not!

Justice had quite an adventure a couple weeks ago.  He told me he was going to play with his friend Marcus, and he took off on his bike.  About an hour later he comes home with a cage, a rat, and some rat food.  He had gone to the local pet store with his friend, they put their money together, and bought this thing.  Then came home and proudly presented it to me.  I was completely freaked out.  1- He crossed a busy street on his bike- Not allowed.  2- Bought a pet without a parent present (Is that even legal/ethical?) 3- Brought home a pet we did not even discuss having. 
I marched right back to the pet store with him and the rodent, gave the store owner a piece of my mind for selling a child a pet with out a parent and demanded his money back.  He said he could take back the food and cage, but they can't do returns on pets once they leave the store.  I was livid!!  So I hummed and hawed about what to do.  Justice was in tears, his friend was looking at me like I was the devil, I just decided we would make the best of it.  Hoping this thing would not live long anyway (like most of our fly by night pets ie: goldfish, frog, bird, cat).  After getting instructions on how to care for this rodent, I was told "rats are the smartest of the rodents" very proudly by the store owner.  I told him a smart rodent is not what I'm after.  Is he going to get out of his cage, how often do we feed him, etc.  It was not a pretty day.  But we have adjusted, and Justice is very good about taking care of this thing.  He has to keep it in his room as the girls and I are not ready to share space with a rat yet.  So...JAM is here to stay.  For about 2-3 years.  UGH!!

JENN
I was recently in charge of the Drill Team BBQ for the drill families.  I had a committee and we decided it would be fun to rent out the Taylorsville Pool and have the BBQ there.  It turned out so amazing.  We went with a Luau them.  We had flowers for the girls to put in their hair, little umbrellas for the coconut drinks, little hula skirts for the condiments (so cute! I wish I had some pics), paper lanterns, lots of bright colored table cloths and TONS of food!  It was assigned potluck and everyone also brought their own meat.  I was so worried that we wouldn't have enough food.  But we had more than enough.  Everyone spent the night swimming, gabbing, getting to know each other, and playing a few "minute to win it games".  Overall- a giant success.  And I am so happy I get to do those kind of assignments this year, rather than decorating lockers.  Phew!

My cleaning business has really been picking up lately.  I have donated a few gift certificates for raffle baskets, fundraisers, and sold a few for gifts, plus my regular clients.  So I have been busy. I have come up with a gift certificate that I will have on sale thru Christmas.  Also I posted a picture of a darling gift idea we did for a couple of raffle baskets, but it would be a darling gift for a party, birthday, holiday, what have you.  It's a Margarita Party Basket.  See pic below for details.  My friend Christal came up with it and I absolutely love it!!

New Gift Certificates available for my cleaning business
On Sale now for $65/normally $75 
Available now thru Christmas
Contact me if you would like to purchase for your loved ones!

Fun Idea for a gift:
Margarita Party Basket w/ all the trimmings
Chips/Salsa Bowl, Chips & Salsa, Margarita Salt
Margarita Mix, Napkins, 4 Margarita Glasses
And... a Gift Cert. for clean-up before or after the party

Patrick & his son Dallin

Up on the roof fixing the &#$*&^% AC again!
Thank you boys!

My sweetheart Patrick

Patrick and I are still dating, but sadly, we just don't have enough time to see each other much.  We work opposite shifts, and have different days off-- but we squeeze in time together whenever we can.  He is such a sweetheart.  He happily helps me with things around the house.  He calls it his "Honey-do" list.  Luckily, he is very handy to have around!  And seriously- anyone who can put up with me is a keeper!! haha

Dallin, his son, came with him a couple days ago and they had too much fun on the roof.  I'm not sure what all they did up there- but they were sure giggling and whispering a lot!  :-)

I'm so thankful for their help and for all the sweet things Pat does for me and the kids.  I'm a lucky girl to have him in my life. 

MONTANA
Tana is busy as a bee lately.  She is on the student council at school, and so she gets to participate in the weekly News Report the school produces called TNN.  Here is the link to the one where she is a featured anchor.  SO AWESOME!!

 http://www.youtube.com/embed/37b3YEHn_Cg"

She is starting dance with the Central Utah Stars this Thursday.  It's a once a week class she can do while she is visiting her dad in Mapleton (right by Salem).  She is pretty excited- and me too!  She is still busy babysitting every chance she gets.  The girl has more money than me most of the time!!
And since she recently turned 12, she has advanced from Primary to Young Women in our Church.  She was so thrilled.  They have activities every Tuesday and it is fun to see her come home so bubbly about everything they have done and learned, and talked about.  She's growing up so fast.  She really is becoming a women right before my eyes.

BEAR LAKE
My parents took us up to Bear Lake to do some camping for a last hurrah, before school starts.  So we decided we would make it Montana's birthday celebration and let her invite a couple of friends. Sierra couldn't come because of drill team stuff- so we really missed her.   The weather could not have been more perfect.  The water was a bit cold, but once you were wet it was just fine. 
There was a giant inflatable trampoline/slide/obstacle thing there the first day that the kids played on for hours.  We set up a tent just for the girls.  I thought they would be too scared or cold to actually sleep in there.  But they loved it! It was there little hideaway.  And they talked every night until VERY late. 
Mom fed us like royalty.  She even brought snacks and drinks down to the beach.  Seriously- she is the best!!! Dad took care of the RV, the fires, and the dogs most of the trip.  We had such a good time.  Roxy decided she was a racist while we were up there-  she was attacking all the White Dogs!! What is up with that!!??  We had to keep her chained up the whole time or she would take off and go for the throat!  I've never seen her act like that.  Weird.  But at least she wasn't barking the whole time!
The kids all behaved so well and didn't fight much.  It was a really relaxing trip.
On our way out of town we stopped for Raspberry Shakes.  YUM!  Tana ordered Banana Pie Shake.  I think that was probably the best one!  Getting that next time for sure!
Thanks for taking us Ma & Pa!  You know you rock!!

Bear Lake Pics Link

http://www.slide.com/r/l8vyqC8X7j-xACmV_Es8i8ul4huwLHDG?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

SCHOOL
School Started August 22 this year.  Earlier than I ever remember it starting.  But we were totally ready.  Sierra is a Senior, Montana is a 6th grader, and Justice is in 4th grade.  Both my elementary kids got paired with EXCELLENT teachers.  I couldn't be happier.  They seem to really be enjoying their classes and learning a lot.  Sierra has a couple of classes that she likes, but the rest of them seem pointless and a waste of time.  Half the time the teacher isn't even there and they watch a movie or something??? Not happy about that.  Hopefully, they get their act together soon.  She didn't get into a few of the classes she signed up for, but looks like she's got all her credits lined up so she can graduate in June!! 

Back to School Night

New Giant Pix that decorate the School

Lookin Sharp

New Backpacks

Drill Team-first day outfits
Sierra is back row, far left

SIERRA
She always has so much going on, I don't even know what she is doing half the time.  She is starting a semi-permanent dance teaching job this month with Xcite Dance Studio in Sandy.  She is subbing for a month or more for a teacher who is out for surgery.  Then they are keeping her on their list for when they need subs.  Wahoo.  She is choreographing for a lot of girls that are doing solos this year, cutting their music, and still doing team choreography occasionally.  She worked with a team in Houston, TX (her dad's friends daughters team) The Klein Oak Strutters.  She choreographed two routines for them and they have her fly back occasionally to clean things up.  Luckily her dad has those flight benefits!!  She loves it so much! 
Also...we found out she is in the running for Homecoming Queen.  The Pageant is tomorrow night.  The girls wear a gown, answer a question, perform a talent, and bake a cake and decorate it??? I'm so excited for her.  For her talent, she put together a Power Point presentation with her Thailand pics.  A lot of them are from the time she spent with the Tribe.  There will be music playing in the background, and the words on the pictures say things like; There's a time to give, There's a time to share, There's a time to love, There's a time to laugh, There's a time to dance---and then she will come out and dance.  Can't wait to see it.  Here is a pic of her dress.  It is gorgeous!! She borrowed it from a friend.  Prettier than anything we saw in the stores!

Sierra and her boyfriend Mark @ the party

Homecoming Dress :-)

Happy 80th Birthday Grama Dodie!! We love you to pieces!

And, lastly...We had a wonderful party for Grama Dodie in celebration of her 80th birthday!  All the family came and celebrated with her.  So lucky to have her alive and kicking still!  She is ornery as ever-  haha-- but we love her anyway!  She is going to be around a long, long time.  At least 20 more years!! :-)

Never a dull moment

August 1st rolled around, and that was the first day this summer that I heard the dreaded phrase, "I'm bored", from the kids.  We almost made it to the end of summer!  Maybe year round school is the way to go, with short little vacations here and there...maybe not.  We've escaped it for this long.  I'm hoping we can avoid it all together.  We absolutely love our summers!  Spending time with the kids, being carefree (for the most part) with our schedules, and letting the day unfold naturally is so fantastic. 
Here's what we've been up to for the last month!

Justice & Montana were able to go to Disneyland with their dad.  They had an absolutely fantastic time.  Justice was super brave and rode most of the BIG rides.  Montana absolutely loved it and said they were able to get on everything they wanted to several times.  Even several trips on California Screamin- the best coaster ever!  Glad they had a fun trip. 

Cap'n J-Dog

My beautiful Baby Girl

Sierra  and her drill team went to a camp called "Basic Dance Training" up in Park City.  It is based on military type training, and they work their butts off from morning til night.  Sierra was chosen as one of the top 5 dancers at the camp (out of probably 250-300 girls).  They call it Top Corp.  This is the third year she has been chosen.  She is an absolutely talented being.  So proud of her and her team!  They were so cute when she was chosen- they lifted her up like she had just won a football game.  It was awesome. 
Mom went up with me to watch the last day of camp performances.  We were able to sit with Alisha Peters from Bountiful Stars (her daughter dances with Davis High) and the three of us talked "dance studio".  Studio drama, What's new with Stars, Vegas Nationals, etc.  It's such a fun part of our lives that follows us everywhere we go.  A lot of the girls on Sierra's team and the other school teams, are girls I have taught.  It makes me so proud to see them as they grow up and continue their dance training.  I'm glad I got to share it with my mom.  Also, I recently found out that Britnie Thompson is the head coach for  Kearns High this year.  :-D  Love it! 
Mom & I had dinner at the Blue Iguana after the performances and enjoyed the Park City scenery and the yummy food.  I love spending time with her!

Congrats Baby Doll

"THE" Jacket

Team Lifting her up!

I've had my hands full of DIY projects lately.  And none that I intentionally planned to do.  The first was trying to get my car registered and inspected for the year.  They told me my window tinting was too dark.  Really?? I had no idea what to do about it.  I initially thought it would involve new windows (geez I'm such a girl sometimes!! haha).  So I did some research and found it was actually pretty easy to do.  Just some special spray- plastic- and a razor blade.  So if anyone needs it removed...I'm your girl.
Ended up fixing the fence gate that blew off into the yard during a pretty intense wind storm.  There's nothing I cant fix with some putty and a drill!! Quite proud of that project!!
Then one day, I thought I would replace the AC vent on the ceiling.  It was pretty old and yellowing.  And for some reason it wasn't staying screwed in tight to the ceiling.  So I got all the supplies and ready to do the job.  On further inspection, I noticed that the ceiling was bowing a bit.  I wasn't sure if it was my eyes, shadows, or an actual problem.  So as I removed the old cover- I discovered that we had a leak in the air conditioner that was in turn getting the drywall/ceiling wet.  My dad came over to discover how bad the damage was.  And it was pretty bad.  The ceiling basically collapsed into the kitchen with just a few pokes.  And that began the month long process of fixing the AC for the millionth time this summer, tarring the roof around the AC unit, replacing the copper piping, rewiring the power switch, replacing the AC float, patching a rusted out piece of the AC unit, tearing out the drywall all around the AC vent, replacing the insulation, drywall, taping, mudding, sanding, texturing, painting, putting up a new light fixture, and then....back to the original project of replacing the vent on the AC.  And now it is beautiful!!  My parents are absolute saints.  My dad insisted on doing the work rather than claiming it on my home insurance.  I'm sure many days he wished we would have gone the other route, but it was a "fun" learning experience for all of us.  One we don't wish to repeat!! They came virtually everyday for the last month and we would work for a few hours on the project.  Yesterday we finally finished!!! I took them out to dinner to thank them for all their help.  Paltry pay for such hard work.  But I am eternally grateful!!

The bowing, lovely ceiling

After tearing it out

Making it all perfectly straight

The lovely assistant

Drywall up- mudding begins

Finished Walls after minor painting problem

Finished Ceiling!!

Montana has turned into "Babysitter Extraordinaire"!!  She is in demand all over the neighborhood.  Making good money, and having fun doing it.  She has made a babysitting kit with stickers, certificates, pages for coloring, crayons, markers, and charts for information to jot down.  She's the first one to volunteer when she hears of a need.  It's so cute.  My neighbors call almost weekly to have her come over for a couple of hours.  A lot of times she is with her dad or off with friends-- so I am her personal secretary.  Scheduling her next available appointment, turning down gigs she's not available for.  It's been a great summer for her!

Blonde & Tan

Her new Aviators

Sierra traveled to Thailand with her dad for a couple of weeks and had an absolutely amazing adventure.  She kept a blog of her entire adventure as well as hundreds of pics.  Here are the links.     Blog link:  http://www.goodbyetville.blogspot.com    Pics link:  http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.10150268656408673.337181.686568672&type=1  If you aren't her facebook friend, just request it and I'm sure she will add you.  I will add a couple of my favorite pics here, but there are so many amazing ones you should see.  She was able to trek through the jungle, stay with a native tribe for a couple of days, play with tigers (at a petting zoo), ride an elephant, river raft, stay in the hustle and bustle of Bangkok and visit many temples, as well as spend some time at a luxurious resort in a remote city.  I think she learned a lot about how incredibly blessed she is here in America.  She has been a different person since she came back.  I love that she can have adventures like that.  But I am a complete basket case of worry the entire time she is gone!

Justice was able to go to his first Cub Scout Day Camp.  He had such a good time.  He learned about space, wood burning/carving, bought a little Swiss army knife, made friends, went on hikes and had a great time being with just boys.  He told me "The best thing about Cub Scouts is there are NO GIRLS!"  haha.  I don't blame him.  He is stuck with girls most of his life.  A man needs man time!  I hope he can have more adventures like that.  He is really enjoying Scouts and the leaders are so great and caring with him.  They really want what's best for the kids.  They work hard to make sure the kids learn a lot and have fun.  I've started driving the Scout carpool, so it's fun to see how excited they get on their way there. 

Justice and Montana were both able to go to camping at Mill Hollow with their school this summer.  It's a recreation camp between Kamas and Duschene owned by Granite School District.  They have cabins, and such.  So it's not too rustic.  They stayed for three days.  The mosquitoes loved Tana's blood, Justice did not get sunburned but Montana did- weird- J is the one with transparent skin :-).  They loved the hikes, campfires, food, their bunk leaders Rain & Skye (nicknames I believe) and of course, shopping at the camp store.  I was so glad they got to go together-- but it sounds like they barely saw each other.  Which was fine with them! 

Marcus & Justice

Waiting for the bus

Ready to kill each other...as usual

Anna, Montana, Julia, Kylei

We are planning a trip to Bear Lake in a couple of weeks so finish off our summer.  It's been packed with excitement, but we can definitely fit in one more adventure.  We are going for Tana's 12th birthday.  She is going to bring a couple of friends.  Can't wait! 

Happy Trails ;-)

Summer Fun!

We are thoroughly enjoying our summer!!! Swimming, Vacations, Camps, Sports, Hanging with friends, movies....seriously, can't it last all year!! I know, I know...too much of a good thing is no good.  But we, especially me, can't get enough.

As usual, I have waited to long to write a post and now there is so much to write that I don't know where to begin.  I guess I will start with the "good" news.  We have decided to take our home off the market.  We were getting a lot of lookers, but no one willing to seal the deal.  It's so much stress keeping the house ready to show, and we were having showings 2-3 times a week.  So we have decided to wait a year, continue with the improvements, and try again.  Hopefully the market will have improved by then.  There is just no way I am willing to drop the price to where I would be loosing money.  So we are super happy to be in our home sweet home for another year.  Sierra can finish high school, Montana can finish grade school--and then we will see where life takes us.

Work at FOX has been so insane lately.  Our systems have been crashing and we have been stressed to the max trying to keep things on air- doing things 2-3 times because they keep getting kicked out of the system.  But now, we are back on line and it is such a relief.  For the most part I love my co-workers and am so blessed to be working in a field I enjoy.  I have also been crazy busy with my cleaning business- but that is a good thing!  I have decided it is my therapy time.  I can think, and work out my anger, and make someone happy in the process.  I can only take on probably two more homes- and that will be my limit. 

Here are some fun highlights of our summer so far.  Kids are happy, busy, and miraculously...I have not heard the phrase "I'm bored" yet this summer.  But I know they are looking forward to heading back to school.  Justice and Montana were able to travel to Idaho with my mom and grama Dodie to see Danee Dee graduate and attend the family party.  They had a blast.  Right now they are in Disneyland with their dad.  Sierra has travel plans with her dad, but they haven't decided a destination yet.  I'm sure it will be somewhere fabulous.  I hope to at least squeeze in a camping trip here or there.  We will see.  For whatever reason I can't post video here, which stinks!! But visit my facebook page to check out more of our goings-on!  Happy Summer!

Swimming at Kearns Rec

Mr. Happy!

Out in the deep!

Help!  haha..what a ham!

Little Miss Smarty Pants!

Getting dolled up for a day at the park w friends

Started his orthodontist work...Retainer first!

Blonde & Tan...must be summer

Sierra's birthday pedi!  17 Y'all!!

After 6 mos. they finally put her bottom braces on!  I LOVE this pic!

Sierra's drill team marching in the T-ville Days Parade

Team before the parade!  Cuties!

5 games in 2 days...4 wins...and still smilin'!

Warriors!!!

The Real Salt Lake Mascot! 

Tana & Amalia--They may look sweet & innocent...

Waiting for the next game

Cool soccer ball painted on the grass!

At the drive-in movies

Before heading to Drill Camp