In an attempt to bring new life to weekend blogging, I am jump-starting a new thing on my blog that I've always wanted to do. Introducing........

THIS WEEK IN HOLLYWOOD

Branjelina Expecting Baby #.....Um......

(Is it just me, or is Brad channeling Starsky?)



J.Lo Delivers Twins

They named them Max and Emme.




Here's the babies' first photo:

Mary-Kate Olsen

There is just nothing that I can say about this picture
that would make it any funnier.

Mariah Carey

Your 20's called....they want their wardrobe back.

I Am Loving...

My first order from Dandee Designs!

I knew I had to have this giant clothespin the second
I saw it. When I ordered it,
Danyelle told me she knew I'd snatch it up.
It will go SO PERFECT in my kitchen.

Had to have these fun push pins for my bulletin board.

And finally I will have my very own Spring-In-A-Can.

I am loving buying fun, new stuff made by someone I love.

Today as I was pulling out of my driveway to take Payson to preschool, I spotted these:

My tulips have popped up out of the ground! The joy this simple discovery brought me was no small amount. And to top off the perfection, I just happened to discover them on a gorgeous, spring-like day. I am so ready for spring and beyond ecstatic at the thought that I will soon be out working in my yard, making it beautiful again. Working outside in my yard in the fresh air of spring and summer is one of my favorite things in the world. I am loving that spring has sprung.


I also got "happy mail" this week. My friend had a blog giveaway and miraculously, I won!! I was so excited to receive this planner wrapped in a gorgeous handmade cover. When I saw the Oriental fabric, I knew I had to win, and I did!

Little did I know that I would receive this extra little
surprise as well:

A matching wallet/coin purse. I had to fight Macy for it. It totally made my day to get this "happy mail." Thank you so much Susan, and please, check out her blog and Etsy shop. She is one crafty, talented chica. I am loving my planner and wallet.

"I want to squish you, squeeze your head off and dangle you from my rear-view mirror," --Paula Abdul

I pride myself in always being ready and willing to admit when I am wrong. Before American Idol last night, I hated David Archuleta. I couldn't deny that he had talent, but his obnoxious personality and immaturity far outweighed my admiration for his skill. But after his performance last night.....well, I still can't stand him and cringe when I watch him talk and laugh, but at least now I can put those feelings aside because last night's performance ROCKED THE HOUSE. Oh. My. Gosh. Bill and I were blown away. And we both hate him. We both watched in silence, and I'm sitting there secretly thinking, "Oh my gosh, this performance is amazing, how can I admit to Bill how much I like it?" And as soon as the song ended Bill said, "I loved it and I hate that I loved it." In fact, we backed it up and watched it again....a FIRST for us in American Idol history (and we've watched every season.) We didn't even delete it off DVR in case we wanted to watch it again. So Kristen, I repent, I beg forgiveness for bashing your beloved David. THE BOY CAN SING. If you didn't catch his AMAZING rendition of John Lennon's Imagine (one of the best songs in the world to begin with), watch it here.

Now if he can just reign in the schoolboy giggles and goofy grins...he may just stand a chance.

Monday Musings

Well, I guess my movie-lovin' self will always come through. I loved the Oscars, every minute of it. (Okay, that's a lie. I skip over all the technical crap...really, does anyone care about those ones?) As soon as it started I was whisked away into my love affair with Hollywood. The women looked gorgeous, Jon Stewart was HILARIOUS, and the 80 year celebration brought with it several montages that showed us all the winners of the past 80 years. Those were the best parts. I loved seeing each winner and remembering when they won. (Well, at least the ones for the past ten years.) And, I only had to watch it on an hour and a half delay, so that's not too bad. At least I could skip all the categories and speeches I didn't care about. The only downside was Juno's lack of wins. I was sooooo disappointed that Ellen Page didn't win Best Actress, but not surprised. I was thrilled that it won Best Original Screenplay, though. Other than that, there was nothing and no one that I was excited about. But I still loved every minute of it.

So today is a typical Monday morning, I'm on the computer and Payson is laying on the ground playing Transformers. He has been cracking me up lately with the stuff that's been coming out of his mouth. (Okay, I just re-read this and thought that considering what he did all weekend, that might have been poor word choice.) Last week we were grocery shopping, just me and him as usual, and we were looking at all the toothpastes trying to pick a new one for him. The "boy" toothpastes were limited, with Cars and Spongebob being the only two options. I quickly directed him towards the Cars one (I'm not a big fan of Spongebob). He took it off the shelf and looked at it, then looked at me and asked, "Does it taste like Piston Cup?" I have no idea where that came from, but I thought it was pretty hilarious.

Soon we'll eat lunch, take our naps, then get Macy from school. I really need my nap today, as I was up til 2:30 last night reading Nicholas Sparks' Dear John. It's soooo good. And I'm babbling.

And The Oscar Goes To........

It's that time again.
The biggest night in Hollywood.
Usually the day I anticipate with glee,
the day I spend all giddy,
counting down the clock til they roll out the red carpet.

But this year.....
not so much.
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!
I feel like a part of me has died,
like I'm a traitor to the crown.
(Do you think they'll de-throne me?)

I've pondered my change of heart all month
and this is what I've come up with:

1. The Writers' Strike. Seriously? What else could they ruin? First they take away all the good TV and now my love of the Oscars? I think it's safe to blame all of the world's problems on the Writers Guild now, from Global Warming to Britney Spears.

2. The nominees. I can't even tell you who has
been nominated because they all starred in movies
I've never heard of. I hate that,
when the Best Picture Nominees are all
Rated R indy flicks that no one has ever heard of or cares about. Did any of these ever even make it to our theaters? I know there are some exceptions (Yay, Juno!)
but the rest just make it so hard to care.
I haven't even summoned the desire to Google the nominees.
Now you know how bad it is.

3. I CAN'T WATCH THEM LIVE!!!
You have NO IDEA what this is doing to me. Watching the Oscars DVR'd, to me, is like missing my baby's first steps
in real life and having to watch it on video.
Seriously.
What is the point?
It's all said and done.
I have to be there, up to the minute, IN THE NOW.
As luck would have it, I didn't even go to church today.
I'm home with Pukey Pukerson #4 (Yup, four people
in our house, four weeks, four cases of the flu).
And there is no family dinner tonight.
So that eliminates two of my three scheduling conflicts!
But there is NO WAY I can miss my
song practice/dress rehearsal for Stake Conference
at 6:30. It's like I'm being tested.
It's like someone's dangling the forbidden fruit
in front of me, daring me to eat it.
Just kill me now.

Oh, Oscar, why must you torture me so?

TEN THINGS NOT TO DO WHEN
ACCEPTING YOUR OSCAR


1. Don't be a weepy, crying mess

2. At least attempt to sound like you didn't memorize your speech.

3. Don't forget to thank your husband
(who is watching, bawling like a baby as you
stand and thank everyone else down to the caterer.)

4. Don't assume for one second that holding that statue
makes us care what your political views are.

5. Avoid sounding like you were preordained by God
to win your Oscar

6. Don't play the race card.
It just makes everyone squirm in their padded velvet seats.

7. Although it can be extremely tempting and instinctive upon
hearing your name called,
avoid jumping across the tops of the
occupied seats on your way to the stage at all costs.

8. Don't out your favorite high school teacher on national television.

9. Winning an Oscar does not make you the "king of the world."

1. Always remember that what you say in your speech will be recorded,
and probably picked apart, mocked, and ridiculed.
Choose words accordingly.

COME FOR A NIGHT OF
STAMPIN' FUN!

Tuesday, February 26
7:00 pm
at
my sis. Amy's house
(let me know if you need directions)

It's SELL-A-BRATION
which means
FREE STUFF!!!

For every $50 spent, you get to pick a stamp set or other merchandise from here.
No limit. The more you spend, the more free stuff you get!

Come and have a fun night socializing with fun people making fun stuff.
Learn new techniques, take home super-cute projects, and if you want, build up your stampin' or scrappin' supplies and get free stuff! It will be a blast!

To view the entire Stampin' Up Spring/Summer Catalog, click here.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

P.S. A HUGE shout out to Shayla for my FANTABULOUS new template!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

TAgGeD

10 Years ago...
I was pretty much hatin' life. All my friends were at BYU, I was going to CBC just killing time trying to find someone to marry, working exactly one and a half hours a day at my Dad's shop, my only friend in the world left me....for my brother. I was a sad story.

5 things on my list to do today...
1. Pick up my brown coat from Devil Woman
2. Pay bills
3. Take a fatty nap
4. Clean, clean and clean some more
5. Maybe take a shower at some point

Snacks I enjoy...
1. Ding Dongs
2. Cheetos
3. Clogged arteries and love handles

What I would do if I were suddenly a
millionaire...
I would be the first recipient of a full-body transplant. Giselle Bunchen would be the other participant. Won't she be thrilled when she finds out?

3 bad habits......
1. Sleeping too much
2. Putting off phone calls I need to make
3. Thinking badly about myself

5 places I have lived...
1. Kent, WA
2. Pasco, WA
3. Richland, WA
4. Pasco, WA
5. Current Residence, USA

5 jobs I have had...
1. Little Caesar's asst. manager
2. Camp Counselor for the ARC
3. Waitress at Bamboo Gardens
4. Receptionist/bookkeeper for my Dad's shop
5. Domestic Diva

5 things people don't know about me...
Seriously, is there anything left you people don't know about me?
1. My lips are chapped literally all the time. Literally. I have at least six tubes of Chapstick floating around my house.
2. I wore men's cologne all through high school, up until I met Bill and he kindly said he wasn't so fond of it.
3. In 8th grade I stood outside a middle school basketball game on the pay phone with some friends, and every time an adult would walk by I started fake crying and begging "my mom" to let me come back home. (There was no one on the other line.)
4. I have started and quit at least ten novels.
5. I lasted one week without gum.

And...since I was the last person in all of Blogdom to be tagged for this, the buck stops here.

The Hottest Family on the Planet

There are seriously a million other posts I need to be doing today (working on my tag, Nikki!) but I HAD to post these pics of the fully cast Cullen family. Sorry for those of you who are sick to death of my Twilight posts, but I know at least some of you will appreciate these:

The Whole Fam

(Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, EDWARD, Carlisle, Alice, Jasper)



You may recognize some of these actors. All I have to say is SERIOUSLY?
ESME? PYLON GIRL? WHAT.WERE.THEY.THINKING.

The "kids"

For the names of the actors, click here.
It was surprising once I figured out who some of them were.
The last thing I'll say is...how perfect does Edward look?

Okay, so let me have it...what do you think?

"Well, if those are the teeth, and that's the tongue, then that must be the uvula!" "Ohhhh...so it's a girl house."

How many times have you actually used the word "uvula" in daily conversation? Yeah, me neither. But lately it's been the topic of discussion at our house:

Night before last, 4:00 am
Bill: Sweetie, something's weird. My hangy-down thing in my throat feels three sizes too big.
Me: Huh?
Bill: Will you come look at it?
Me: Uh, sure.

I looked inside his mouth and said, "Yeah, it looks a little red and swollen." Then I thought, well, I don't often look at uvulas, maybe I'd better compare it with mine just to make sure. After viewing my tiny little uvula in the mirror I responded with, "HOLY CRAP! THAT SUCKER'S HUGE!!" His uvula was literally at least three times as big as mine, almost filling up his whole throat. He couldn't talk without gagging and he couldn't sleep because when he laid down it felt like he would swallow it. I'd never heard of such a crazy thing in my life, so of course I ran to Dr. Google and searched "swollen uvula" (I won't deny the hint of weirdness I felt typing that in) and good ole' Wikipedia came through. Apparently a swollen uvula is nothing to worry about. It can be caused by snoring (okay, but why did it just happen tonight?) or a bacterial infection, among other things. It said nothing about causing difficulty breathing, which had been my first fear, and that it should last only a day or two. So I wished him and his uvula well and went back to bed. He slept the rest of the night propped up in our recliner so as not be suffocated by his over-sized uvula. It resumed its normal size yesterday, then started acting up again last night. So there was much discussion before bed about Bill's uvula.

Bill: I really hope my uvula doesn't swell again.
Me: Yeah, hopefully your uvula will let you have a good nights' sleep."

I was going to post a picture, (yeah, that was his first comment after seeing the engorged uvula taking up his throat: "Grab the camera!" So there I was trying to snap a picture as he's trying to keep his mouth open long enough for me to, but can't because he keeps gagging. I keep backing away yelling, "Don't throw up on me!" And he says, "I won't, get closer, get a better shot." So I zoom in as he starts gagging again. It's truly a shame no one else was around to witness this.) but I don't know what is considered too graphic for public viewing. It's kinda gross.


I won't deny that I'll be a little sad when the whole uvula fiasco is over. It's really fun to say.

The Choice

I just finished reading this,
and I have to say it felt a lot like this:

I thought it was going to be like most other Nicholas Sparks romance novels...pretty predictable but still impossible to put down as the love story unfolds....and it was, at least the latter part. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I was shocked. Then when I thought for sure I had the twist figured out, I was thrown for a loop again. It just kept doing this to me til the end. It was actually sort of like two stories~the typical, formulaic romance (the whole reason I read his books) and then this whole other story. Anyway, it was exactly what I needed from my first book after reading the Twilight series. Something emotionally charged that kept me guessing. If you haven't read The Choice, I recommend doing so....soon.

Oh, and she inexplicably mails me a cactus every Valentine's Day. And I'm like, "Thanks a heap coyote ugly. This cactus-gram stings even worse than your abandonment."

If I wasn't so bent out of shape yesterday about the devil woman's preggo comment, this is the Valentine's Day post I would have done. This was undoubtedly my favorite quote from Juno.

HAPPY MUSHY LOVE DAY!

For Valentine's Day I got this treat:

I finally made it to the tailor to have the sleeves on my brown coat shortened. Just before leaving I was standing there filling out the paper work when the lady asks me:

"So when's your baby due?"

Tonight's Valentine's Day celebration will involve burning my blue baby doll shirt followed immediately by 100 crunches.

Happy Valentine's Day.

i LOVE movies

Here are just SOME of my favorite mushy love movies. Some I've already reviewed before, some not. All are wonderful, and in no particular order. Enjoy.

A romantic classic. One of my favorite movies ever.

Ah, the sinking ship. It will always hold a special place in my heart. Love the love story in it.

A perfect mix of sheer humor and the sweetest love story.
I can watch this movie again and again.

This love story makes me ache inside. Once you get past the first twenty minutes of the movie where you feel like you're on acid, the love story that remains is one of the best ever.

You can't go wrong with Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant. Funny, sweet, perfect combo.

Heartbreakingly good. Awesome, awesome love story.
(Not to mention fantastic music and sets. And of course, Gerard.)

A classic. What better love story is there than Mr. Darcy falling for Lizzy after he totally snubs her? That would be none.

LOVE IT. A serious favorite of mine. Love Leo, love Claire, love the music, love the LOVE story.

This movie makes me love being a girl and there's something about love stories where the best-friend-that's-a-guy-and-not-your-typical-hunk gets the girl that does it for me.

Although it definitely has its cheesy moments, the love story is incredible. I'm a sucker for the Tough Guy Finally Finds Right Girl And Changes His Ways story. This is a good one.

What's hotter than jealousy, love and revenge? Not much, says me.

I just love this movie. Probably the first romantic movie I loved. The only movie they made as a married couple worth anything (Days of Thunder, Eyes Wide Shut? No thank you.)

What a great one to end on. This is one of probably two movies I've cried in. Hey, Jude. You rock. Kate, Jack, such a sweet romance there. Uh, Cameron, you were in the movie, too, so I guess I'll give you props for that.

And there you have it. I own all of these, so if you want to borrow, let me know. Cuddle up with your Valentine and watch a romantic flick tomorrow night!

Links of Love

Now would be the perfect time for me to tell the fantabulous story of how Bill and I met, except that I've already told the entire story on my blog so I'm not going to do it again. If you've never heard it or if you have and somehow are not sick to death of hearing it, click here.

For another snippet about us, click here.
To learn about my hubby, click here.
To learn even more, click here and here.

Tune in tomorrow for a review of my favorite romantic movies!

HimHim

You may not know this about me, but I LOVE Valentine's Day. So in honor of one of my very favorite holidays, I'm making this week "Mushy Love Week" on my blog. Every day will be devoted to either my husband, our marriage, or love in general, starting with this little questionnaire that I got off of Kristen's blog.



What is his name? William (Bill) Earl
How long have you been together? 8 years
How long did you date? Tricky question. Before what? Marriage? Three months. Engagement? Not at all.
How old is he? 29
Who eats more? I can't answer this...I value my marriage.
Who said I love you first? He did. Although "typed" would be more accurate.
Who is taller? He is
Who can sing better? It's a tie.
Who is smarter? Book smart-he is. People smart-me.
Who does the laundry? Me, unless he needs work clothes.
Who pays the bills? All me.
Who sleeps in the right side? From which perspective? If we're in bed, I am on his right.
Who mows the lawn? Mostly me, cause I love it and it's a break from the kids. He weed-eats cause that scares me. It's a family event.
Who cooks dinner? Me, unless he BBQ's.
Who drives? He does.
Who is more stubborn? So him.
Who kissed who first? I kissed him...within about five minutes of meeting him! (Oh, come on, we were already engaged.)
Who asked who out first? N/A
Who proposed? He did, although he only did it because he thought I was hinting at him to. (I so wasn't.)
Who has more friends? Me, but only because I'm a girl.
Who is more sensitive? Ooh...toss up.
Who has more siblings? It's a tie.
Who wears the pants? We both do. I hate dresses.

Windsday

I feel like I'm trapped in a tornado. My house hasn't stopped shaking and rattling in three days. Everything is so loud it makes it hard to sleep. Macy even came in early this morning and said the wind woke her up and wouldn't let her sleep. Seriously, what is with all the wind? It's given me more of an excuse to sit around and do nothing. Who wants to go outside in this? So Payson and I are sitting here watching our second movie of the day (it's 11:00). We did just get dressed, though, so, kudos to us. I wonder how much more I can squeeze out of the Sick Card. Technically I've been better for 32 hours, but, who's counting? "Recuperation" + blustery days = a very lazy me. So....when's nap time?

"I didn't vomit on you, did I?" "A little on my shoes, but luckily, I was wearing your shoes."

The last two days have been swell. Wait, nope, I meant hell. You all know how much I love throwing up, and I got to do it all day yesterday. Just lovely. I'm feeling so much better today, just weak with a headache, but my stomach is fine, thank goodness. It's so awesome when you have to face your biggest fear head-on. No, I mean awful.

I don't know what I would have done if my mom didn't come rescue me. The minute I woke up I felt it and I still had to get Macy ready for school. I called her and she came immediately. The minute she walked in the door I turned around and went back to bed. She got Macy ready, took her to school, took Payson home with her and had them the rest of the day till Bill picked them up after work. I always survive the pukes (barely) but one thing I CANNOT do is take care of my kids while I am, or even have anyone there. I so needed that empty house to drown in my misery and heave at will. (Sorry. Apparently making light of it is my way of coping.) So thank you a million times over, Mom.

And I am so grateful that today, although I am back on my feet and functioning, I was granted an extra day of rest and recuperation by a wonderful friend who voluntarily took my kids so I could sleep or do whatever. Another day of no kids, lots of rest, this time no vomit. That's always nice. Thank you SO MUCH Kristi.

And thank you to Nicole who took pity on me and not only picked up the kids from school but shuttled Macy to wherever I needed her to go. SUCH a lifesaver. You rock, Nicole. I think I'll buy you a giant bottle of Purell as a thank you.

I have just been so grateful for people in my life who help me out when I really, REALLY need it. I seriously don't know what I would have done.

Eye Candy

Here's a little sumpin' sumpin' I thought

I'd share with you all...

Edward and Bella

(Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart)

I found it on someone's blog although I have no idea where it came from because you cannot find this picture anywhere else and now that I look at it I'm pretty sure it's photoshopped, but, whatever. It's still a glimpse into the future Edward and Bella...

*I was forwarded a fan's idea of how the series will end. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I wish I could post a link but I'm too computer illiterate, it's just in my e-mail inbox. Let me know if you're interested in reading it.

Friday Fiddle Faddle

Well, it finally hit us. I'm shocked we were able to avoid it as long as we did, but Aunt Flu (you know, Aunt Flo's evil twin) made an unwelcome visit to our house last night. Poor Macy. After emptying the contents of her stomach, she said, "I think I'm sick." So sweet. So I get to spend the rest of the weekend tied up in knots waiting to see who else might get it. YEE-HAW!

On a brighter note, LOST IS BACK!!! Who watched it? I thought it was awesome, although at this point they all could have turned into flesh-eating zombies who sporadically broke into song and dance and I probably would have loved it, as desperate as I am for some tv drama. (Lost: The Musical? Eh? I think I'm onto something here.) Anyway, I love the angle they're taking now and I enjoyed every second of it thoroughly.

Also....I HAVE GONE OFF OF GUM! Can you believe it?! And pop. Yeah, when I hit the two-week mark with this uber-headache I desperately searched Google for any answers and for the first time stumbled across something....just one little word: ASPARTAME. Apparently it's known for causing headaches and migraines. So after fifteen years of wondering what the constant flow of aspartame through my veins was going to do to me, I may have found out. Now I'm wondering just what else is being affected by this. The list of problems aspartame can cause included anxiety, depression, fatigue, nausea, dizziness.....hmm....sound familiar? So, just like that, I was off gum. It's been hard, but not impossible. I'm 1 day, eight hours, 47 mins. sober.

Enjoy your weekend. It's gotta be better than mine!