Visitors from Washington

Last night Darri, Pedro & Maleah Guinto stopped by to visit. They were spending the night in town on their way to the Grand Canyon. It was fun to visit with them. It's been 7 years but they've not changed.
Brett & Maleah were in Joy School together 10 years ago.

Pedro was our bishop in our ward in Lacey, WA when we moved. It was fun to see them again.

New sheets

The clearance aisle at Wal-Mart had a great deal on sheets. Since the sheets on Kylie's bed were the sheets from my brother's bed and had to be nearly 20 years old I figured it was ok to buy her some new $6 sheets! She was thrilled. Kim made her bed for her. Wonder if she'll actually sleep in it now?

High School Musical Dance Camp

Kim, Megan & Shailee took a 4 day high school musical dance class together. As soon as I get the time I'll upload the video from the performance and post it.

A Day At The Habels

Computers

Playing

Studying

More playing

Booking Through Thursday

It's been a while since I did a Booking Through Thursday post.

WHY?

Because I've read an insane number of books lately most of them by the same author. I read 41 books in 1 month. Yeah I know a little crazy. It took too long to blog about the books I was reading and I felt a little odd admitting how much I was reading so I stopped posting.

I found a new author who I absolutely adore, Marcia Lynn McClure. She writes clean romance books that are my new favorites! I read all 32 of her books in less than 2 months time.

Hard to pick a favorite because I enjoyed all of them.

Beneath the Honeysuckle Vine
Saphyre Snow
A Crimson Frost
The Time of Aspen Falls
The Highwayman of Tanglewood
The Whispered Kiss
The Touch of Sage
The Visions of Ransom Lake
The Heavenly Surrender
Shackles of Honor
The Fragrance of Her Name
Daydreams
Divine Deception
An Old-Fashioned Romance
To Echo the Past
Desert Fire
Love Me
Born for Thorton's Sake
Sudden Storms
Prairie Prince
Weathered Too Young
Dusty Britches
The Tide of Mermaid Tears
Kiss in the Dark
The Light of the Lover's Moon
Sweet Cherry Ray
Kissing Cousins
The Rogue Knight
The Unobtainable One
The General's Ambition
Indebted Deliverance
A Better Reason to Fall in Love

I own several of her books so if you're looking for book to read come borrow one!

Total books so far this year 136 and counting....

Work It Wednesday

I'm in my bedroom today - deep cleaning. So far I've cleaned Brian's side of the room and cleaned and vacuumed under our bed. It was so dusty along the edges and under the bed. Wish I was half way but I'm not there yet so I better get back to work so I can be done in time to shower and get to the Relief Society dinner on time.

Tackle It Tuesday

I'm going to tackle my office today. It's been a while since I've done Tackle It Tuesday and it's time. My office has been much worse on other occasions but I have a couple baskets of odds-n-ends and paper work that have been sitting in the corner for months. Once I get the kids off to their summer camps I'm going to get started on that pile.

Menu Plan Monday

Breakfasts
French Toast
Waffles
Eggs
Pancakes
Aebleskievers
Omelets
Cereal

Lunches
Left Overs
Quesadillas
Mac & Cheese
Tuna
Ham Sandwiches
Grilled Cheese


Dinners
Mexican Chef Salad
Pork Roast & Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Left Overs
Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo
Ham & Cheese Soup
Stir Fry
Potatoes & Chili

Weekly Wrap Up

Overall I'd say this week has gone better.

The Good:
I made it to the temple
I cooked at least 10 meals this week.
The kids did their chores almost everyday.
I started decluttering areas of the house that have needed dejunking for way too long.
I finally called the DI to come pick up the stuff that has been in my garage for months.

The Bad:
Bedtimes! It is so hard to get the kids to bed and me to bed.
My Patience - it was missing a few days this week.

Brad & Kim both have summer camps this week. We'll have to be out of the house by 8:45 so that should help with bedtimes and getting up since we've not been getting up until that time most mornings!

I've got my meals planned for the week other than summer camps and a Relief Society meeting Wednesday night the calendar is empty. I've got all the groceries I need for the week so perhaps I'll finally get all my house clean. Or maybe not!

Thankful Thursday

Yesterday flew by. I kept intending to make a blog post but kept getting side-tracked.
It was a beautiful cooler windy day yesterday. We nearly got blown away at pack meeting at the park last night but it sure beat 105 degree heat!
We had unexpected company last night and the dinner I was planning wasn't going to cut it. I had a couple dozen tomatoes I need to use up so I made spaghetti sauce from fresh tomatoes. I've never used fresh tomatoes in cooking except for salsa. My sauce turned out really good. Makes me grateful for the internet and the world of information that is available at the click of a mouse. I had no clue how to use fresh tomatoes to make spaghetti. How did I miss that tidbit of knowledge?

Here are a few things I'm grateful for this morning:

Boredom Busters - Kylie and her friend Cooper have been going to a class at the Rec Center called Boredom Busters this week. Kylie loves it and counts down the minutes until she can go each day. I'm grateful it gives her something to do each day.

Commission Check: Brian got a nice commission check this week. Not only that but he has been really busy showing houses and writing contracts the last couple weeks. Hopefully a some of those contracts will go through.

Silk Tree Circle: I love the street we live on. We've discussed moving and still may in the future but I love the cul-de-sac we live on. It's a great street to live on - lots of kids, right by the park, little traffic.

Bountiful Baskets: I love the produce co-op. Each Saturday I pick up our double order of fruits and veggies and then try to plan meals to use up all the wonderful produce. I was so lucky this week. I forgot to place my order on Monday. Tuesday morning I got on the computer on their were 2 baskets left at the site closest to our home. Snagged those quick!

Summer is flying by. The first 3 weeks are already over. I love being able to sleep in and have the kids around all day.

It's nearly 10:00 am so I better go start some dishes & laundry and get the kids to do their chores.

Tackle It Tuesday

Day's almost over and I can't report that I've accomplished much around the house. In fact I've done NOTHING! (edit: done nothing on my house - as my friends pointed out I did accomplish things today)
We slept later than we should have. I did make breakfast but half the kids were still asleep. Then I got ready and went to a Temple session at noon. A few errands afterwards and suddenly it is nearly 4:00 and I'm worn out.
I have a Primary Presidency meeting tonight so it's not looking like one of the most productive days ever.
Well at least I made it to the temple, the bank & JC Penneys.
Maybe tomorrow will be productive again.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday
B-Pancakes
L-Chicken Burgers
D-Tacos & Black Bean Salsa

Tuesday
B-Eggs & Sausage
L-Quesadillas
D-Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

Wednesday
B-French Toast
L-Tuna Sandwiches
D-Mexican Chef Salad

Thursday
B-Aebleskievers
L-Ham Sandwiches
D-Pork Roast & Red Potatoes

Friday
B-Waffles
L-Mac & Cheese
D-Ham & Potato Soup

Saturday
B-Cereal
L-Potatoes & Chili
D-Stir Fry

Sunday
B-Pancake Puff
L-French Dip
D-Comforting Chicken

A New Week!

Thanks to the fact that it is flag day I'm awake. I guess I should be thankful Brett & Bryce had to go put flags up at 7:00 because it meant I actually got up at a reasonable time. Actually Brian got Bryce up and I went back to bed but when someone knocked on the door I got up to see Bryce off only to realize they were there to pick up Brett who was not yet awake. Since my goal was to start getting up earlier and making breakfast so we can eat as a family I figured I better just stay up.

So what's in store for me today?

New rule: Scriptures or an Ensign article and personal prayers before I can eat.
Breakfast together as a family & Family Prayers
Get the kids to do their chores
Laundry
Dishes
Clean my bedroom/change the sheets
Deposit check
Plan meals
Get a new planner
That's enough for now!

10:30 am update: Wow my bedroom is clean! It didn't even take very long it was most just a pile of clutter that needed to be dealt with. Brian should be happy that my side of the room is now clutter free! Waiting for the dishwasher to finish drying so I can get the rest of the breakfast dishes loaded and waiting on the dryer so I can wash the sheets from my bed.

Weekly Wrap Up

Why is it that all to often the areas of my life I plan to focus on and become better at are the areas I end up struggling with the most? I start out strong and doing well and then life falls apart & I too often I end up worse than when I started.
I know one of my problems is I have not been using a planner or a to do list. I can't seem to find a system that works for me. I think I made a mistake a couple years ago when I move my main calendar from my planner to the wall in the kitchen. It's not portable and there is no good way to keep track of a to do list. And going digital doesn't work for me because if I sit down at the computer to check a to do list & calendar online I also check email, blogs, goodreads, facebook, etc., etc., etc.
I have a very obsessive all or nothing type personality. I throw my head and heart into something and then end up out of balance in other areas of my life. Stages of my life can be chronicled by the thing I was obsessed with at the time. Here are a few examples:
Family Home Evening packets: When Brett was just a toddler I started making family home evening packets. I literally had at least 150 FHE lessons in files. Most of them colored, cut out, laminated. I spent forever making packets and enjoyed it. But I RARELY used them. I much prefer opening the Friend magazine and reading from that on Monday nights. With the invention of the internet FHE lessons were available at the click on the mouse so I eventually gave away all but my favorite half dozen lessons.
Scrapbooking: Again when Brett was young I started scrapbooking. I spent endless hours scrapbooking. For years I enjoyed this hobby. At least until I kept having children and I realized what I'd started and would never be able to continue. Brett has 6 full scrapbooks for his first 3 years of life. Bryce & Kim each have 3 or 4. Then came Bradley - poor Bradley is my child that was born and then went to 2nd grade if his scrapbooks are an indication of his life. By the time Kylie came along the world had gone digital and I had no desire to ever scrapbook again. A computer crash means that most of her first 2 years of life are non existent as far as photos go.
And so it goes - one hobby or obsession after another. Blogging, Facebook, Family History, Reading, Twilight, Exercise, Organizing, Couponing, Healthy Eating. etc., etc., etc. Some of the obsession last for mere weeks others for years but ultimately I have burned out, given up, moved on, lost interest or found something else.
Current obsession - Reading but I'm about burned out. 126 books since January 1st. That's a lot of reading. I've always loved to read and read a lot but I've already read more books than I did in all of 2009.
So what is the cure for someone like me? How do I find and keep better balance in my life?
I was listening to Christian music on the radio this afternoon and the chorus to one song said something about today being a new day. It struck me that all I can do is keep plugging away and doing the best I can each day. So I decided to start fresh this week at doing my best to find balance in all areas of my life. I decided to pull out my 2010 goals that I've not really looked at since January. So here we go...

Read Preach My Gospel as a family
Gave up on this and went back to the scriptures. It just wasn't the same as scripture study. And with summer we've not been very structured: up late, sleeping in. Brian suggested today we need some kind of alarm to go off each evening to remind us to start bedtime. The sun going down just doesn't work in the summer because it goes down too late. So this week at least 5 days of scripture study as a family.
Have Family Prayers Together Every Night and Have Prayers with Each Child before they leave for school each morning.
Lack of structure means lack of family prayer.
Have a well planned Family Home Evening each week
We do have FHE every Monday. At least that is a habit we haven't lost.
Family Fun Activity Every Week
We have lots of fun around here but not always as an entire family and too often with friends involved.
Do something active as a family at least once a week
Still haven't done this at all this year and I'm not going to start worrying about it this week!
Eat at least 7 meals Together As A Family each week
Epic fail. I think getting back to meals around the table will really help with things like scriptures and prayers. Brian asked me last night if we could have dinner as a family but I was tired and the kids had been snacking all afternoon so I had no desire to cook a meal that wouldn't be eaten. Meals make such a difference I'm going to go back to Menu-plan Monday and plan out meals for this week.
Get the kids to bed on time on school nights
How about get the kids to bed before midnight? It's summer but we've got to start getting them to bed earlier!
Encourage the kids to limit their Media & Video Gaming time
Bradley, Bryce & Kylie need my attention here. Kim & Brett do well on their own.
Chores – Teach them to work
I need to start inspecting because their version of chores done and my version are not the same.

Now for the personal goals
Kneel in prayer each morning and night
Most days but I should change it to meaningful, heartfelt prayer not rushed just pray because you are supposed to pray kind of prayers.
Read my scriptures every day
I've been reading the Conference Ensign the past week as my scriptures but need to get back to the BofM.
Attend the Temple at least once every month
I was going at least 2 or 3 times a month until the start of May and then I haven't been since. I'll get back this week.
Read the Ensign cover to cover each month
Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr & June are done. Almost done with the conference Ensign.
Read at least 100 books
Goal accomplished already which is not necessarily a good thing.
Spend at least 2 days a week at home without leaving to run errands or grocery shop
Need to edit to say stay at home and CLEAN!
Lose the 20 lbs I gained in 2009
I'm finally back on the eating better wagon but that exercise wagon is elusive.
Blog daily and keep in touch with extended family and friends
Blogging sporadically and not keeping in touch much.
Make time to Be Still & Ponder each day
I need to get up earlier than everyone else because otherwise there is no such thing as quiet time around here.
Start doing family history work
This was an obsession for a few months earlier this year but then I ended up with so many names needing work done I need to focus on getting the names I cleared done before submitting anymore.
Weekly date with Brian
We went out on his birthday this past week but I should plan something for this week and surprise him - except that he reads this blog so now there will be no surprise ;-)

Well enough rambling for today. I'm sure there is no one left reading at this point but since this blog is for me that's ok. It was theraputic for me to put a few thoughts down and regroup to tackle this week ahead of me.

What the heck!

Kim got a migraine last night. She came to me crying and whining that her face hurt. I couldn't figure out what in the world was wrong with her until her hand started to feel numb. Thankfully after a couple hours of feeling terrible she slept and woke up doing better. She's still a little nauseous today but doing better.
I'm apologize to my children for the genes I passed on to them as far as migraines go. I well remember having horrid migraines as a child. Thankfully Bryce's have improved and he only get them occasionally now. Not a couple times a week any longer. Hopefully Kim won't have them like Bryce did! Time to restock the medicine cupboard because I realized yesterday as I was searching for something to give Kim that I'm about out of liquid & chewable pain killers.

Made by Brad

It's always interesting when I upload pictures to see what the kids have taken pictures of. Often there are various upclose pictures of body parts from nostrils to earlobes to elbows. Or pictures of random things around the house or yard. At least with digital cameras they can take all the pictures they want and I can just delete them. This morning I found aliens made by Brad on the camera.

Happy Birthday Brian

Yesterday was Brian's 42nd birthday. We started the day with crepes for breakfast, he & I went out to lunch and then we had comforting chicken for dinner.

Cake & ice cream & some computer game playing rounded out the evening.

Kylie gave Brian a Mr. Potato head. She thought he needed it.

He bought most of his own gifts this year. New clothes & shoes. And the I got him and audio book he wanted.

Happy Birthday Brian. I love you!

Kim's Ears

Kim convinced Brian she was old enough to get her ears pierced. He told her she could get them pierced the day before his birthday. So Wednesday I took Kim & 4 of her friends to the mall so they could see Kim get her ears pierced. She was so excited and nervous at the same time. She picked out a cute pair of blue flower earring. I bought her a dozen pairs of earring and she's way excited to wear them in 8 weeks when she can take her studs out.

EFY

Saturday morning I picked Brett up from EFY. He had an awesome time! I hope we can send him every year. I also wish we had sent him a camera so we could have had some more pictures. I snapped just this one of him & his counselor before he jumped in the car.

Hanging Out with Mike & Wendy

We spent a couple days in Highland with Mike & Wendy. The kids had a great time hanging out with their cousins, playing in Mike's awesome backyard & swimming at their gym. Wendy, Callie & I spent time reading and visiting and eating too much.

Remembering

On the way back south from Idaho Falls we drove through Preston, ID to visit mom's grave & to drive by the farm (and Napoleon Dynamite's house). We didn't stay long. Since the farm has been sold we couldn't stop and walk around so we just pulled to the side of the road and looked for a minute. The cemetery only brought tears so after a few minutes we loaded up and headed back to Mike's in Highland.

Sand Sledding & Kite Flying & Idaho Falls

We had hoped to float the river but it was way too cold and windy so Kristen took us to a sand dune to go sledding instead.

Other than a little sand in your eyes it beats snow sledding because it's a much warmer and just as much fun.

It was a great day for kite flying and surprisingly the $1 kites from Walmart held up well.

Bryce had a great time playing football & basketball with Uncle Tim.

Kristen made goo for the kids to play with.

We had a great time visiting Tim, Kristen & Amelia. They have a beautiful home and are great cooks! Thanks for the yummy BBQ steak, homemade pizza and yummy breakfast.

Memorial Day

Memorial day found me dropping Brett off for EFY. What a blessed morning it was. We arrived a little early and pulled up at the same time as Janee Warr. We were waiting in line with her when the boy behind us in line said he thought Brett was one of his roommate. Ryan Banner from Fruitland, Ut had arrived the night before and knew one of his roommates was named Brett. After visiting for half an hour and then checking in we learned that indeed he was in Brett's dorm room. We got Brett settled in Kimball Hall in Heritage Halls and then I took Ryan, Janee and Brett out to lunch at Taco Time. After lunch I left Brett at his dorm room for what I hoped would be a fabulous week at EFY. It was so nice to have had a chance for him to meet one of his roommates so I wasn't leaving him not knowing anyone. He was bummed that his friend Hayden from WA couldn't go this year.I then headed back to Shaun & Callie's house and we loaded up to go swimming at Veteran's pool in Provo.

After a couple hours of swimming we loaded up and headed north to visit Tim & Kristen in Idaho Falls.

There is no place like home!

Piles of dirty laundry...
Vehicle full of sand, crumbs & clutter...
Exhausted, sunburned children & mom...
No food in the fridge...

The results of a wonderful, fun filled week away.

As much as we enjoyed our vacation I can honestly say there is no place like home! It's good to be home with Brian again, sleeping in my own bed and not living out of a suitcase.

Pictures and posts about our week away will hopefully be up tonight or tomorrow or when I find the camera and a half our of free time.