OK, OK, I'm Here

Wow, it has been a long time since I posted. What can I say, my life is pretty boring.

OK, my life since October, besides things I do all the time. Cleaning house, meetings, service, etc. Here goes... I pioneered in Nov. It was a great time to with the special campaign. A little difficult with two little ones. But I had great help as aways from my friends. I actually made my time and even got to go Black Friday shopping with Tina. We went to Memphis for a family dinner. Which was fabulously Southern. Everything you could possibly eat and much more. Delicious as always and great to all be together.

Hum, December, I don't remember anything special about that month except for turning 34 and a very busy day with a cooking with kids class at the school and then a Mudpuppies class at the conservation dept. followed by lunch at Panera and Bolt, I think it was even a meeting night.

This month we went on a road trip to Ohio. Just Heath & I. Mom & Dad came up and watched the kids. Heath had to go for business. We left Wed morning and were back by 7 Friday night. It snowed the entire way there. I went to Ikea in Cincinnati. LOVE. THAT. STORE. Stayed at a fabulous hotel that had an indoor pool with a waterfall. The water was very warm too.

I found out that I may no longer be in business next month with a new law that has passed which makes it illegal to sell any item geared toward children under 13 without it going through extensive and VERY expensive testing for lead. It's ribbon people! Come on. It's not even Chinese ribbon. They have been tweaking the law though so hopefully it will be adjusted for small businesses like me and the million other bow makers out there. Under the new law it was going to be illegal to sell any item (even clothing and shoes) that was made before Feb 10, 2009, even at a garage sale or consignment shop. They have adjusted that now. The economy is falling apart and now they weren't going to let people buy used clothing. And with all of the testing that will have to be done, clothing prices for kids are going to go way up for sure. It's crazy. I've spent hours getting Material Safety Data Sheets for every item I have to prove that what I make doesn't contain lead. In Nov. that won't be enough. I would have to send each bow that I make (I never make 2 the same) and they would test every component of the finished bow. Each component they test is hundreds of dollars. So to have one bow tested it would probably be around $500. I would sell this bow for $7. Needless to say, I'll be out of business soon if it stays the same.

We are leaving in a few days for a cruise. It's just a short one. 4 days. We're meeting friends in New Orleans and hopping on a boat. Hopefully it will be hot in Cozumel and New Orleans for that matter. I'm getting really tired of these Arctic Clippers. It was warmer in Alaska than it was here last week. Colton is very concerned about sharks. He keeps asking Heath if he is sure that he wants to swim in the ocean. He is determined that it is unsafe for any of us to get in.

I have seen a few movies. Bedtime Stories, Madagascar 2 (twice), & Australia. Australia was definitely the best of the three. Hello Hugh. The scenery was gorgeous. Australia I mean. Not Hugh, well, Hugh too. OK, I'll shut up now.
Bedtime Stories was OK, different than his other movies. I like that he uses the same people in his movies, it's always fun looking for them as different characters. It wasn't as good as I thought it would be. We went to an evening movie though and Ava was restless, that was probably part of it. Plus I had to take Colton to the bathroom during the gumball scene. We're going to have to stick to Matinees for now.
I really liked Madagascar 2. I normally wouldn't have seen it twice. My mother-in-law had my niece for the day and wanted my kids to go to see it with them too, but understandably couldn't handle 2 two year olds and a 4 year old by herself. Who could? So we saw it again. It is funnier than the first one I think.

Well, that's my life the past 3 months in a nutshell. I hope that this post has satisfied the Blog Nazis for a while.

Banishing the BaBa

Since Ava was almost two and way to attached to a bottle (baba to her) needing it first thing in the morning, during any stressful time, to go to sleep, and any other time during the day, it had to go. Pediatricians recommend that babies are off of a bottle by the time they are one, so we are a little behind. Don't get me wrong, I tried when she was about a year old. She did very well. I don't know when or how the set back occurred, but it did and how. Yes, I realize that this is my own fault for giving in to her screaming fits for one, so I could have a few moments of peace. My compliance just made her more addicted and unable to cope without it. One day, I decided that enough was enough. She wasn't eating well because she was always full from milk. I though we were going to have to find a Baby Bottles Anonymous support group or go through rehab to get her off. But no. She has done remarkably well. I told her we gave her bottles to the tiny little babies (she Loves babies) that needed them. I really gave them to the trash can. Except for one emergency one. The first few mornings were the worst. Every morning she gets up, she cries for a bottle and her lovey, she takes them and lays in the living room floor and watches a cartoon. Well, until last week, she now asks for a bottle, I tell her they are gone and she cries for a little while, declines her sippy cup of milk, sometimes very angrily, and finally comes to grips with it again that they are gone, and accepts the sippy cup. Last night she even asked for a sippy cup after of course she asked for a bottle and I told her they were gone. It has been 10 days since her last bottle. Hopefully we are home free. Now if we could just get Colton off the paci.

Random Ramblings

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted. I guess there just hasn't been too much excitement. Well, Heath and I went to NY without the kids. That was pretty major. It was really great. We got to stay at Bethel, at 90 Sands. Our room was amazing and it overlooked the Brooklyn Bridge. We ate at awesome restaurants, rode the subways, and walked until I thought my feet would fall off, and got to spend time with our close friends there.

Last night we went to Walmart for groceries. As if a trip to Walmart for a weeks worth of groceries is not stressful enough, they were remodeling. Not only did it smell like a poopy diaper (I kept checking to see if it was Ava, it wasn't), but nothing was where it was, and things I had come for (i.e. Cottage Cheese) they did not have. The deli was closed, the bakery was closed, the towels and other housewares are now outside in the garden area. Who wants to go out there in 100 degree weather.

Ava who doesn't tend to eat food too often, decided the other day that she would try poop. She got a dirty diaper out of the trash, opened it, and took a little bite, spit it out, and started gagging and saying YUCK! How exactly do children make it to adulthood? She is a handfull. Much more curious and into things than Colton ever was.

Colton was so funny yesterday. He loves to roll his window down and try to make truck drivers honk. Yesterday on our way home, he got the long haired trucker to honk. Heath told him it was nice of the man to honk for him. Colton replied, "Dad, that was not a man, it was a lady man." At least the man could not hear him. Unlike the old man that is always at the only restaurant that serves breakfast here. He has a microphone that he puts to his throat to talk (not sure what that's called). The first time Colton heard him, he told Heath, "Oh my goodness Dad, there is a robot in here". This is a tiny place and he is very loud. Heath- "Shhh, he's not a robot". Colton- "Dad, yes he is a robot, I see him, he is right there (pointing), he is a robot". I think Heath forgot to talk to him about it because the next time they went, he was there again. Colton- "Oh my goodness dad, the robot is here again".

I can't think of anything else too exciting.

Memorial Hair Mishap

Since I went dark with my hair a few months ago, I've started noticing a few gray hairs. This to my horror. I have always said that I will never have gray hair, they make hair color and I am much too vain not to use it. The day of the memorial was uneventful. We distributed invitations, cleaned the Kingdom Hall, and came home. I decided that I definitely should not go the memorial with gray roots. After all I was a professional hairdresser for several years, I know how to apply color, I have the professional color here. So I applied the color to my new growth as best I could and as far as I could see to the back of my head. Of course when applying color it is very difficult to not get it on your skin. It was covering most of my forehead, one ear, and a small spot on the tip of my nose. Not a big deal, since I'm remembering the rule from my hair doing days, "Color removes color". When it was time to rinse, I took some color and rubbed it where I knew it was on my skin. Color removes color, no problem. That is until I looked in the mirror. Evidently, color no longer removes color. At least not with the color I was using, which on my skin looked like I had applied dark brown shoe polish to my forehead, ear, and nose. Wow, I'm going to make a nice impression to newcomers to the memorial. Of all days for me to do this. I tried to get it off with alcohol, nail polish remover, even more color. I finally called a sister who does hair begging for suggestions for removal. Thank goodness she had a product at her salon that took most of it off. I don't think anyone noticed at the memorial if they did they were kind and didn't mention it.

Colton loved passing the emblems. I let him pass the bread with help. He wouldn't let go of the wine, he was holding on to it and I was so afraid it was going to spill even though I was holding it too. I had to tell him to let go. When he did he asked me, "Are we not going to drink any?". Then he asked, "What are we passing next?". We had 169 there, a nice size for our congregation of around 90.

Etsy

I've been wanting to start a website for quite some time now and had even considered having a store on eBay. Since eBay is having a little trouble right now, or maybe I should say they are making a lot of trouble for sellers, I've decided not to sell on eBay anymore. That is unless they change their new fees. This is beside the point however. I have decided to open a store on a website called Etsy. For those of you unfamiliar with Etsy, it is a website that is exclusivly for handmade items. They have some awesome things on there and some amazing artisans. I recently found the most beautiful silver ring on there that is a large handmade silver ginko leaf. They have things for everyone, even some great clothing. So my store, Little Belles Boutique, is now a part of Etsy as well. And hopefully it will do well. Here is a link so y'all can check it out. http://www.littlebellesboutique.etsy.com There isn't much in there yet for sell but, tell me what y'all think.

Bert, Elaine, Baker Smurf, Iron Eagle

Sesame Street Persona Test

Your Score: Bert

You scored 89% Organization, 51% abstract, and 59% extroverted!

This test measured 3 variables.

First, this test measured how organized you are. Some muppets like Cookie Monster make big messes, while others like Bert are quite anal about things being clean.

Second, this test measured if you prefer a concrete or an abstract viewpoint. For the purposes of this test, concrete people are considered to gravitate more to mathematical and logical approaches, whereas abstract people are more the dreamers and artistic type.

Third, this test measured if you are more of an introvert or an extrovert. By definition, an introvert concentrates more on herself and an extrovert focuses more on others. In this test an introvert was somebody that either tends to spend more time alone or thinks more about herself.

You are very organized, both concrete and abstract, and both introverted and extroverted.

Here is why are you Bert.

You are both very organized. You almost always know where your belongings are and you prefer things neat. You may even enjoy cleaning and find it therapeutic. Bert is a big neat freak and gets quite annoyed when Ernie makes a big mess.

You both are sometimes concrete and sometimes abstract thinkers. Bert is probably a bit more concrete in his bottlecap collecting addiction and his love of the weather. He does show his abstract side when he sings and performs his "Doin' The Pidgeon" song. You have a good balance in your life. You know when to be logical at times, but you also aren't afraid to explore your dreams and desires... within limits of course.

You are both somewhat introverted. Bert is probably more introverted, because he spends most of his time either with Ernie or alone. Still he has no problem being around other people in his role as chairman of "The National Association of 'W' Lovers." Like Bert, you probably like to have some time to yourself, but you do appreciate spending time with your friends, and you aren't scared of social situations.

The other possible characters are
Oscar the Grouch
Big Bird
Snuffleupagus
Ernie
Elmo
Kermit the Frog
Grover
Cookie Monster
Guy Smiley
The Count

http://www.okcupid.com/tests/4525550649363613939/Your-SESAME-STREET-Persona

The Your Seinfeld Identity Test

Your Score: Elaine

You scored 22% Harsh, 52% Kavorka, 21% Sarcastic

This test measured 3 variables.

First it measured how harsh you were. By harshness I don't mean whether I think you are going to kill somebody, but whether you are a lollipop and happiness person, or a "shit happens" type of person.

Second it measured how much Kavorka you have. Technically Kavorka is the Latvian word for "the lure of the animal." According to Seinfeld at least. In my test it measured your ability to lure men or women and to a lesser degree how social you are.

Third it measured how sarcastic/cynical you are. Some characters like Jerry are very sarcastic while the Soup Nazi is much less so. It can be difficult to accurately measure sarcasm in a written test.

You scored low in harshness, medium in Kavorka, and low in sarcasm. In other words you are a pretty normal friendly person. You aren't mean to others, and you have a cheery attitude. You also have a tad of Kavorka in you. You can't get anybody you want, but you do have some appeal.

I bet you are thinking, why Elaine? It was tough to find a major character that fit you. Elaine isn't able to get any guy she wants, but she does have her shiksa appeal. While Elaine can get nasty at times, you are both mostly gentle people.

You may not surround yourself with only men, and you might be able to keep a normal job, but otherwise...you are Elaine.

http://www.okcupid.com/tests/9689055168657518336/your-SEINFELD-identity

The Smurf Personality Test

Your Score: Baker Smurf

You are 66 % Action Driven, 78% Interpersonal, 82% Street Smart, and 70% Artistic

This test measured 4 variables.

First, this test measured if you place a higher value on words or actions. Both have their own advantages. For instance a skilled negotiator and a skilled firefighter both save lives.

Second, this test compared your intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences. Simply put intrapersonal intelligence means you understand yourself, while interpersonal intelligence means you understand others.

Third, this test measured if you are more book smart or street smart. Book smart people may be more interested in a variety of topics, while street smart people focus on the most relevant information. Smurfette is very street smart, while Poet Smurf is not.

Fourth, this test measured if you prefer an artistic or functional approach to life. Artistic people may concentrate more on details and ambiance, while functional people focus on if it works. In this case Vanity Smurf would be considered Artistic while Hefty Smurf just wants to lift stuff up.

You are more action driven, more interpersonal, more street smart, and more artistic.

Congratulations, you are Baker Smurf! Let's find out why.

The master of culinary inventions, Baker Smurf is a smurf of action. He enjoys creating masterpieces for others to eat. Too bad Greedy Smurf is always trying to steal them. Like Baker Smurf you are not the type to just sit around. Baker Smurf knows his talent in life. Your high intrapersonal intelligence score suggests you also know your own strengths and desires.

Your high street smarts score suggests you are comfortable in new situations. Baker Smurf could create his dishes anywhere, as long as the proper ingredients are around. Of course art and beauty is very important to Tailor Smurf. A true chef, he knows that good food is not only about taste. You also seem to appreciate art, creativity and design.

The 16 possible smurf categories are...

Lazy Smurf, Slouchy Smurfling, Hefty Smurf, Papa Smurf, Jokey Smurf, Grouchy Smurf, Sassette Smurfling, Grandpa Smurf, Handy Smurf, Dreamy Smurf, Painter Smurf, Poet Smurf, Baker Smurf, Vanity Smurf, Smurfette, Tailor Smurf

http://www.okcupid.com/tests/17485837933297914632/Smurf-Personality

Which 80's Action Flick Are You

Your Score: Iron Eagle

You scored 37% Justice, 28% American Way, and 54% Truth!

Break the sound barrier. Break the speed barrier.

There's really not very much about you that's good. You're derivative; a cheap knockoff. But you do have Larry B. Scott (Lamar from Revenge of the Nerds,) so that has to count for something. Despite all your flaws, somehow you still manage to rock.

Totally Disneyfied

I am officially in love with Disney. I hadn't been in 3 years and Colton was 4 months old. It was fun then, but this time was great. Seeing Disney World with a 3 year old is wonderful, magical. We went to Magic Kingdom and pretty much walked onto every ride. Both kids loved the rides. Ava would sign more when we got off of one. We saw the parade but could not meet any of the characters because the lines were always too long, I guess that's why there were no lines for the rides. We wound up going to Epcot on our last day. About 20 minutes after we arrived, it started pouring rain. It rained very hard for at least an hour. We finally bought ponchos and walked in the rain. It must have scared a lot of people off because there were very few people in the park after that. We got to meet Donald, Minnie, Mickey, Pluto, the mice from Cinderella, Alice, Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Beauty and the Beast. Colton loved meeting all of the characters. His favorite was Alice. She played with him, danced with him, and looked at toys in the gift shop with him while were were waiting to meet the Pooh characters. It was so sweet. Ava was scared of the characters (except Alice since she was a real person) and cried every time we got near one. I am looking forward to going back when she is a little older.

We could have not asked for better weather. It was in the 80's every day and only rained that one time. We went to the beach one day and to the Everglades where we saw dozens of alligators very close up.

It was almost a perfect trip. We had to say goodbye to our friends and the flight home were the only bad parts. We were the family that no one wants to be near on their flight. About 30 minutes into it, Ava puked all over me and herself, including her lovey blanket that she can not go to sleep without. So we smelled great. And since her lovey was covered in throw up, she screamed the next 2 hours. I was very happy to land even if it meant being in the cold again with an Arctic front coming in in a couple of days. Woo hoo!

The Zoodoodis

Yep, I have The Zoodoodis. And as far as I remember this is the worst I've had it. "What is Zoodoodis?", you may ask. It is basically any illness that one may have. A term coined by my grandfather, better known as Bop.

I have been without a voice for 2 days and have a severe sore throat. I finally went to the doctor today and they gave me an antibotic, although they had no name for what I have, just a list of things it could possibly be, ranging from Strep Throat to Sinusitis. And since they didn't know, they gave me an antibiotic. Usually I am not willing to take antibotics unless they are certain that what I have is Bacterial and not Viral. Since my throat feels like it has been blow torched, and I'm leaving for Florida tomorrow, I was happy to get something. Hopefully it will help soon. I've not had strep since I was a kid and if it isn't strep that I have, I would hate to know what strep feels like. But, hooray, we're going to Disney World in 4 days.

AMAZINGLY SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES

I got this e-mail and thought I'd share it here.

1. If you are choking on an ice cube simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat. Presto! The blockage will instantly remove itself.

2. Avoid cutting yourself slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold while you chop.

3. Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat by using the sink.

4. For high blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember to use a timer.

5. A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.

6. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives, then you will be afraid to cough.

7. You only need two tools in life - WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.

8. Remember: Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

Daily Thought: SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES. NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS.

Advice to Moms

Yesterday I learned a lesson. To know every type of plant that you have in your home. Ava's new favorite place is the bathroom. She is obsessed with playing in the toilet and taking the tissue off the roll. So I am constantly pulling her out, closing the lid, and re-rolling the TP. Our house is old and the bathroom door doesn't latch, so keeping her out of there is difficult. Yesterday I heard her in the bathroom and went in there and she was eating a leaf off of the plant on the back of the toilet. I never thought of this plant getting her attention since she is so obsessed with the other things in there. I immediately called poison control, although I doubted they would be able to help me since I had absolutely no idea what type of plant this was. They advised me to call a local greenhouse and describe the plant to them and see if they could tell me what it is and to call them back. I called and explained to the extremely unhelpful and uncaring lady what had happened. She said the only advise she could give me is to take the leaf to the hospital and let poison control see what kind of plant it is. To which I told her that if the plant was indeed poisionous my daughter would be dead before I could get the leaf to the hospital. As I burst into tears I thanked her for not being willing to help me. This woman obviously is not a mother, a mother would have tried to help the best she could. I got online and finally found a website that had pictures of poisionous plants, which this one was. Thankfully it is not a plant that can kill someone, it has crystals that can cause discomfort in the mouth. I called poison control back and they told me to give her milk, which must be a cure all. In all of my experiences calling poison control (and there have been many) the solution has always been milk. So what I have learned is, to know your plants and always have milk.

Little Belles Boutique

First of all, I am very annoyed about the fact that I am unable to organize the pictures on this post. And it looks terrible.

I have been meaning to do this post for a long time now. I wanted to get Ashley's things to her so she wouldn't know what her gift was before I sent it. So this one is a long time coming. As most of you know, I started my own business a few months ago. I started out making bows for Ava and people started asking where I got them. Well it turned into a little business. It is a lot of fun and I have quite a few regular customers and I sell in 3 local shops. I'm going to be doing a craft show in a few weeks. Since the bows were going over so well, I started making other things, like Swavroski Crystal pacifier holders, burpcloths, wipes cases, and tutus, I've even made a couple of outfits. So if you hear of anyone needing bows, I can set them up.

It's Been A While

Mainly just because there hasn't been a lot happening in my life. Nothing new, nothing exciting. The most exciting thing that we have done is this past weekend we took a trip, a very long trip, to Lexington, VA. We met our friends there that recently went to Bethel. It was very nice getting to be with them. It felt like no time had passed and it was like all the other times we were together, it just felt normal. Then I remembered, this isn't how it is anymore and next weekend we won't be doing this, we will be back in MO, and they will be back at Bethel. They are happy there and it was really nice hearing all of the experinces that they get to hear about and learing about Bethel life. We got the news while we were there about the plane crash that killed 5 brothers on the East TN RBC. One of the brothers was my cousin's father-in-law.

It was an 11 hour drive, 11 hours if we didn't have kids that is. Mapquest doesn't figure in kids. Especially a 10 month old that hates riding in a car. The trip home Monday was a nightmare. We decided to go through TN, instead of West VA, just to change it up a bit. We got to around Knoxville and Ava had had enough. We rode though another 175 miles to Nashville and spent the night there, and drove the rest of the way home yesterday. The kids were really happy to be home. We took Heath's truck on the trip and when I went to get in my car yesterday it wouldn't start. A tow truck had to come a tow it to Honda. And Colton wanted to lay in bed with us for a little while last night because he had a tummy ache. At about 9:30 he threw up all over Heath, twice. He was sick all night and still feels bad this morning. Welcome home.

Daisy

A few days ago, I ran an ad in the paper to give my dogs away. Bart I've had since he was 5 wks old. He is 10 years old now. And Daisy we had since she was a pup and she is 5. After no less than 50 calls, Daisy got a new home today. An older couple took her that live on a farm. She will be with another lab and will live in a barn and get to run. It was still very sad seeing her go. Even though I think good people got her and it has to be better than living in a small pen in the back yard, I still cried as she rode away. I don't think I can let Bart go. We brought him in and gave him a bath. We are going to try him inside again. I got so many calls on him. Everyone wanted a free Min Pin even if he was an old man. It's been a sad month pet wise. Our cat died and Daisy got a new home.

California

I tried to get the pictures in order, but it just didn't work.

Rhe, Ava, and I drove up to St. Louis Monday morning to shop before the trip. We were shopping in one of our favorite areas when we saw a stage set up in the parking lot and a big sign that read, "Fergie, Live, June 11, 3:00". We looked at the clock and it was 2:55. We got a spot and got to see her sing Big Girls Don't Cry and Fergilicious. It was really cool that just by chance we were there at the right time.

Tuesday morning we flew out at 6:55. We had a layover in Phoenix and an unexpected stop in Orange County. The take off from there was very strange to say the least. They warned us before we left what it would be like. Literally at the very start of the runway they opened up the engines and we were off the ground in 5 seconds, straight up in the air. Then there was a slight drop to level out. They had to do it because of noise regulations. Since I'm not the greatest flyer, it was very intense. When I use to think of Orange County, I only thought of a great movie starring Jack Black. Now I will think of this crazy take off. We were so exhausted when we finally got to Vacaville. Omar, Heath, and Anne went with Craig to San Francisco to a Giants game.

Wednesday was our day in Napa. The scenery was just beautiful as were the Tuscan inspired buildings. The wineries we visited were Cakebread, Baringer, Maryvale, and V. Sattui. Baringer was really cool. They gave us a private room with a dining table and had us taste the wine with different things, like an apple slice, lemon, and salt.

Thursday, we went to San Francisco. First we stopped at Muir Woods to see the Redwoods. The scenery on the way was amazing. We crossed the Golden Gate bridge and went to Lombard street. This is the curviest street in either America or the world (I can't remember). We drove through China Town and tried to find a parking spot to no avail. We finally found Ghirardelli Square, after going the opposite direction on the map, but we did get to see rainbow flags lining a street. The best thing about Ghirardelli Square was not the chocolate at all, it was a trendy little shop called Kara's Cupcakes. These were the most heavenly cupcakes, perhaps even the most heavenly dessert, I've ever had. My favorite was Fleur Del Sel (salt). It was a chocolate cake filled with caramel ganache, topped with chocolate frosting and a sprinkle of salt. YUM. We went from there to an art gallery. Keene Eyes Gallery. This is the witness artist that drew children with HUGE sad eyes until she learned the truth, now they have happy eyes. Still HUGE. We met a brother that runs it that is in one of her paintings. She now lives in Napa. We went to Pier 39 then and saw the sealions and the other touristy things. San Francisco was a really cool city. It reminded me of New York.

Friday was the beach day. I have never been so cold at a beach. The scenery was beautiful, but it was in the 60's and the wind was blowing hard. I prefer Florida beaches, more packed with people and no pretty scenery, but it's warm.

Saturday we rested and toured the Jelly Belly factory then we went to Sacramento to Ikea (my all time favorite store). And to Mark & Rhonda's for dinner.

Sunday we went back to Napa. Back to V. Sattui, did the tour and tasting. Had a picinic on the grounds by the vineyard under the shade trees. We went to a couple of other wineries too.

Monday we had lunch at the best Mexican restaurant I have ever eaten at. I will crave that place forever! Mexican food in CA is really nothing like it is here. We went to a great little market in Dixon on our way to the airport and got dried fruit and nuts. Our flight left at 5:30. We had a layover in Las Vegas. Colton got sick at the airport and our flight was delayed 2 hours. We landed back in St. Louis at 3:00AM. And pulled into our driveway at 5:30AM. We were going to spend the night in STL, but there was a Baptist convention and not a room in the entire city was open. Almost a week later and I still have jet lag.

We had a great time. It was non-stop but very fun and exciting. We need a vacation now from our vacation. There is just so much to see. We needed at least a month to see everything we wanted to. I'm sure there will be more trips to Cali.

The Soundtrack of Your Life

Here's how it works: Open your computer music files, ipod etc and set to 'shuffle'. Whatever song plays first goes in the first slot (no cheating!). When you go to a new question, hit the 'next' button' and continue doing so until all blanks are filled.)

1. Opening Credits: Be Yourself- Audioslave
2. Birth: Crazy Little Thing Called Love- Stray Cats
3. First Day At School: Hey Ya- Outkast
4. Falling In Love: Doesn't Remind Me- Audioslave
5. Fight Song: Remember When- Alan Jackson
6. Breaking Up: I Want it All- Queen
7. Prom: Pump It- Black Eyed Peas
8. Life: Heart Shaped Box- Nirvana
9. Mental Breakdown: Right Here- Staind
10. Driving: We Will Rock You- Queen
11. Flashback: Crash Into Me- Dave Matthews Band
12. Wedding: Blow Away- Staind
13. Birth of a Child: Smells Like Teen Spirit- Nirvana
14. Final Battle: Creep- Radiohead
15. Death Scene: I Alone- Live
16. Funeral: Rooster- Alice in Chains
17. Ending Credits: Hemmorage- Fuel

Goin' Back to Cali

Ok, so not exactly in the words of LL Cool J, since I've never been, I can't really "go back". But there isn't a song, "Goin to Cali", hmm, I don't think so.

We decided today to go on a little farewell trip with our close friends who just got accepted to Bethel. We were planning a trip there with them anyway, but since they have to be at their assignment in early July, we had to move it up, A LOT. Now we are leaving in less than a month. We are flying into Sacramento and are going to be spending time in Napa, San Francisco and Vacaville (where they lived for a while). One last adventure together before they go.

The Never Ending Survey part2

FIRST NAME? Heather
WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No. But I have the same name as about every other girl born in the 1970's
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Don't remember
DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Sometimes
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Peanutbutter
KIDS? 2 little uns
IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I hope so. I try to be a nice person
DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL ? No, but I have a blog
DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? hum...
DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yeah.
WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No. I hate heights.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cracklin Oat Bran & Rice Krispies.
DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No, and like Brooke, I'm always irritated at myself when I put them back on. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yep, I work out! I can kick yo butt!
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Mint Chocolate Chip
WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? probably what they are wearing
RED OR PINK? Red
WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I don't speak my mind to anyone except my immediate family and many times I wish I could or would. I hate confrontation so I guess that's why.
DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Bop
DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? No, definatly not
WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARIING? Red sweats with a big bleach mark on the leg and no shoes
THE LAST THING YOU ATE? coffee
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Ava making noise
IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Red, it's my favorite color
FAVORITE SMELL? Fresh-brewed coffee in the morning, watermelon, my bebes, Heath
WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Tina
DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I stole it from another blog but I do like them
FAVORITE DRINK? Coffee, Iced Tea, Coke Zero, & Gin & Tonic
FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? Baseball but only the Cardinals.
HAIR COLOR? Blonde, I don't know what my natural color is anymore
EYE COLOR? Green
DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No
FAVORITE FOOD? Sushi
SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy Endings
LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? All the way through- Happy Feet, The beginning of The Pursuit of Happiness
WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Royal Blue tank top
SUMMER OR WINTER? Definatly summer
HUGS OR KISSES? hugs unless you are Heath or one of my babies
FAVORITE DESSERT? pie , dark chocolate, tiramisu
WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? I would like to say the bible, but I'm not currently reading any book over 10 pages long and involving lots of pictures.
WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? IRS e-file, a freebie.
WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST ON TV LAST NIGHT? some of American Idol, I just can't get into it this year
FAVORITE SOUNDS? Ava lauging, Heath's truck getting home, Colton playing, Silence
ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Neither, how bout some AC/DC
THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Alaska or St. Lucia not sure which is further
DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I don't think so at least not that I can think of
WHEN WERE YOU BORN? December 25, 1974

Ten Names

Ok, so I swiped it too. It's too funny not to.

My Ten Names.

YOUR REAL NAME: Heather Jennings
YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle.) Heaizzle
YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (fav color and fav animal) Red Monkey
YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (your middle name and the street you live on) Denise Elmwood
YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) Jenhe (sounds more like Forrest Gump)
YOUR SUPERHERO NAME: (Your 2nd favorite color, and favorite drink) Green Gin and Tonic
IRAQI NAME: (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, any letter of your middle name, 2nd letter of your moms maiden name, 3rd letter of you dads middle name, 1st letter of a siblings first name, and last letter of your moms middle name) Ensovte
YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (parents middle names) June Elvin
YOUR GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one of your pets) Black Daisy
YOUR ADULT FILM STAR NAME: (your first pet's name plus your mother's maiden name) Mitzi Robertson

Initiation Into Motherhood

Yesterday evening was so nice that despite all of us having colds we decided to play outside in the back yard. Heath was up on the hill with Ava and Colton and I took Bart out of his cage to let him play. I was walking Bart around the yard on his leash. Colton comes running up to me holding a dandelion (the seed ones that you blow) so I bend down to his level to remind him what to do. I then notice that he is gagging. He evidently remembered from last year that you do something with these but didn't quite remember and he inhaled instead of blowing out. He had the seeds all over his tongue. This boy goes nuts when a hair is in his mouth and freaks out. The seeds were no different. I told him to stick out his tongue so I could wipe it off with his shirt. I didn't get the words out of my mouth and he threw up all over me. This is the first time I have been puked on by one of my kids. Now I can't count the number of times I've been spit up on but actual throw up, this was a first. I felt sorry for the neighbor guy who was eating his dinner outside and saw the whole thing.

Babes, Bags, and Bed Bugs

This past weekend I along with 13 other girls from our congregation took a girls only trip to St. Louie. It is the first time I have done anything like this since having my babies. A very sweet sister kept Ava for me so I could go. And Heath kept the Bean.

We left around 8:00 AM on Friday since the stores open at 10:00. We shopped all day and then had dinner and shopped some more afterwards. Then we went to Embassy Suites where we had 4 rooms. At about midnight we had security called on us. So we went to one of the other rooms to continue our party. When the girls sleeping in that room were ready to go to bed we all went back to our room. I haven't laughed so hard in a very long time. It was a blast. This is a crazy bunch! We finally went to sleep at 3:00 AM.

We got up at 8:00 the next morning and the girls from the room we went to when we had security called on us were complaining about there being ticks in their beds. They said that they moved really fast though. I had recently read an article on bed bugs and this is exactly what they were. It said that most people mistake them for ticks. They have become increasingly popular in the US again because of international travel and the ban of a pesticide that had eliminated them pretty much from here. They are horrible little critters that feed on your blood while you are sleeping. They first inject into you something in their bodies where you don't feel them biting. Many times you take them or their sticky little eggs, home on your luggage without knowing it and then you have them in your home. They are extremely difficult to get rid of. Ever since I read that article I have been so phobic about them. Since I found out they were in that room, I have not been able to sleep. I will never stay there again and absolutly dread staying in a hotel again. And hooray, the one we are staying in for Circuit Assembly and District Convention is right across the street. I will not sleep until I do a thorough check of the mattresses. I am so OCD when it comes to bugs.

We had breakfast and then shopped some more. Then it was back home.

Other than the bed bugs, our trip was a blast. I got to know some sisters better that I didn't know very well, and just had a great time with the ones I know well. I came back with lots of bags of loot (mostly for Colton and Ava) and lots of memories that I will never forget. I hope we can do it again soon.