My Mom. I Love Her.

So I don't really have anything new to talk about but my mom did share a tidbit of how- to with me over the weekend. Usually she like to "mom" people when they're sick, "Have you taken anything for it?" " Have you drank enough water today?" My personal favorite especially when she says it and she's not really listening to what you're complaining about, "Put some bactine/ aloe vera on it." :) Sometimes she does have a tip that even though it may seem weird, it is actually a good idea.

Situation: You just used the last drop of glass cleaner on the picture frames and don't have any to clean your bathroom mirrors with and your neighbors are coming over for a (insert neighbor activity here) night. They are bound to use the bathrooms and you don't want to be the one who has crap all over their mirrors. What do you do?

Well a normal person would say: "Send someone to the store for some glass cleaner"

And then what if your neighbors come while they are gone and they have to use the bathroom? What then hmmmmm? Would you try to stall them until your grocery runner got back? Apologize profusely about the mirrors? Then you would either be the crazy lady who won't let you use her bathroom or they would notice the mirrors where they might not have noticed them in the first place. You're trapped! What ever should you do?!!

Have no fear! The tip that you would probably never use is here!

Cut a potato in half and rub it on the glass. Instead of using paper towel which would probably just stick to the starchiness on the mirror, use a newspaper (on newsprint) and rub it in circles. Then take a almost damp paper towel and wipe it off, immediately drying after. It works, trust me. My mom told me this and I was all, "That's the silliest thing I've ever heard", but then I got curious and tried it. And it does work!

Situation: You're cleaning is almost done and you've just run out of glass cleaner (I don't know why it's always glass cleaner but it is isn't it?) but you still have to do wash windows!

Well, a NORMAL person would say "Oh well I'll just wash the windows next week and it'll probably rain anyway."

Well Contrary Person, I have some news for you. Dirty windows are not only an eyesore from the outside but an eyestrain from the INSIDE as well. Wouldn't you feel TONS better if they were just cleaned?

Contrary Person; "But you just said I didn't have any glass cleaner. How am I supposed to wash windows?"

Well listen and I'll tell you... geez pushy.

Anyways, don't go out and but that expensive stuff you hook onto your hose and spray; while it's very handy to use, not all of us have money to spend on washing windows. So mix dishwashing detergent into a bucket of hot water (as hot as you can stand to touch not like boiling or anything)and wipe down windows on the inside and the outside, immediately drying the ones you can reach.

Awesome! two tips in one post! Now if you're mom hasn't given you more than one piece of advice you'll never use in one day then well, I hate to say it, but she's slacking, or she just doesn't love you as much as my mom loves me... or my mom just thinks I'm an idiot, which now that I think about it, could be the case.:) Oh well, useless advice or no, I love my mom.

My First Bloom

Check it out, it's my first dahlia bloom. i was a little worried after I planted these beauties because it frosted in the middle of May remember that? Yeah I was none too happy about that, but I think they turned out really cute. I was under the assumption that they would be more red than purple, but it's just as pretty as I would have hoped. I have at least ten more blooms growing to blooming size, and I'm really excited to see what they all look like. Next summer I'm doing yellow and orange and red and pink and whatever color i can get my hands on. I LOVE dahlias because they grow so tall and the petals actually glitter in the sun.

Pioneer Day July 24th

This last Saturday was Pioneer Day for all us here in Utah so all the folks who work for federal based companies didn't get a day off like we did, ha ha! Take that mail men! Unfortunately it was too hot even move so we didn't do much. We met up with Tim's family to watch the Day's '47 parade and it was actually really fun. It IS fun to have a float in the parade and we did have one. At least Tim and I did, well our stake did. It was funny to pull into the church parking lot the next day and see it sitting there all alone. After the parade, we went home and chilled in the air conditioning for a while. Then when it had cooled off outside and we decided our skin wasn't going to melt off our bones, we ventured out to my parents house who were setting up for Justin's Sunday Before He Left on His Mission in Two Weeks Cause the Week He Leaves is Fast Sunday.Whew, that was a mouthful. Now why can't we call it a farewell again? Wouldn't that just be easier? Oh well, I guess they had their reasons. Anyway we helped set up for that in the back yard and then we went home. Riley didn't sleep well that night. Not at all. She decided she wanted to wake up screaming at 2:30 am and come in our bed. Apparently she sleeps better when she's thrashing around, smacking me in the face. We had given her motrin for her teeth, fed, her changed her diaper, walked around with her and rocked her. Eventually she fell asleep in our bed all hot and sweaty, but that wasn't until about 3:30 and then she woke up again at 5:30 after Tim had put her back into her bed. My parents church starts at nine so we had to be up in 4 hours. 4 hours??? I couldn't stay up 4 hours waiting around for church to happen. So I got Riley back to sleep around 7:30. Tim was still asleep in bed and as I was falling asleep he gets up and says " We should probably get up and ready to go soon." I didn't move. "Mel? We need to shower and stuff."
"No." Was all I could say, mostly because if I said anything else I would have said naughty things that would've hurt his feelings.
So I got to doze until about 8:30 when Riley came crawling into my bedroom whining at me. Guess what she wasn't dressed for church either. So I got up, got in the shower and got ready as Tim got Riley dressed. Then we packed up the car and headed out to West Valley. Remember how I said my parents church started at 9? yeah guess who wasn't late? That's right, US!!!! We live the farthest away and I even woke up super late and we were still there before my siblings. We even had time to drop off the food at my parents house. They hadn't even left for church yet!!! Yeah I know. We're amazing, you don't have to say, it'll just make me blush. So we go to the church sit down and as soon as Riley she sees Justin up on the stand she starts laughing her can off, as Steph would say. She loves her Uncle J and will miss him dearly. Lucky us we get to keep him for another week before he has to go! She also had a good time playing Abi and sharing snack cereal. I love seeing all my family together, even though it's sometimes awkward, cause I never know what to say or how to say it. Oh well. When sacrament meeting was over we went over to my parents house for an early Cafe Rio lunch. Yes, I know it's breaking the rules to have that sort of thing, but my mom felt she was kind of expected to. Then around noon we headed back to our church so I could get sustained and set apart in my new calling as Visiting Teaching Representative, so I'm the one who gets to call people I don't know and hound them about visiting people they don't know. Should be exciting.


Abi Riley and Rowan. Rowan was all stoked to get his picture taken but the kid wouldn't hold still for two seconds!


Riley and her Uncle Trev. She LOVES her uncles... Unless it's Spencer or even Chris some days.


This is our parade float from our stake. It's totally cool to have one in the parade.


Look it's Mr. Talbot!!! He was my band teacher in Jr. High. He has been the leader of the letter carrier band for a long time and it looks like he going to keep on doing it.


This is from Heber Valley Railroad, which I've heard is really fun to go experience. they are having Cowboy Days in November and I'm totally rallying for that. Don't you think that would be fun? Of course it would be.

My UnBorn Baby's Quilt

So a while ago I went to the fabric store and my mom was kind enough to buy me project. Because that's what I REALLY need a project, cause I have absolutely NOTHING to do at my house.:) (just kidding, love you Mom.)She bought it for me because I was complaining I really didn't want to do what I had to do at my house and that I wanted to make something for the baby that we're pretty sure is a girl, but since the doctor visit on Tuesday we're not 100% So I had a really hard time picking out the fabric blocks that I wanted, (I just got one of block bundles from the fabric store) and when my sister Dorthy pulled out this fabric I nearly peed. NEARLY. Don't judge me.
So this is the finished product for my new baby which is hopefully a girl cause it's kinda girl but I suppose it could be used for a boy. I'm going to quilt on each square a little bug or a snail or something, I haven't decided.



And the back side is also patterned so it's REVERSIBLE! I'm a genius! That way when baby throws up on one side just flip it over and it's like having a clean blanket against them!!!



Now I know what all the little, old arthritic women who invented sewing are saying, "Your lines don't match up, your thread didn't sew in cause you didn't choose the right color and your edges are all uneven and wavy cause you can't sew a straight line."
Well to them I say, DEAL WITH IT. My baby will be glad he/she is warm and I'm holding them and that's all I care about. For something that's going to get thrown up, pooped and peed on, I think I'm making it look really nice, and I like the uneven edges and the fact that my lines don't match up. It's called character. Now don't you have some cards to play with your friends?

Now on a Serious Note...

I just read in the news that there was an apartment fire near Tim's work which is only 15 minutes from my house. This got me thinking, "If my home caught on fire, what would I grab other than my dog and my children (cause there's no way I'm leaving them)" So as I sit here thinking about it and worrying myself about it, several things come to my mind. Clothes. Cause I don't wear pajamas, which is probably a bad idea. Shoes. Good sturdy walking shoes. I would grab my computer and the external hard drive because all my pictures of my kids are there, My phone, so I can call my parents letting them know we're going to need a place to stay, cause my parents or in-laws wouldn't let us out in the street, Extra clothes and blankets for my children (ideally we're suppose to have a kit with all important things in it), because they matter more than I do. My temple recommend, My purse with all my stuff in it (i.e.; keys, wallet, etc..), my kids identity things, and my husbands and my identity things which would hopefully be in a fireproof safe or something, my wedding pictures which would also hopefully be in the fireproof safe and my family pictures which would also be in there. Of course people are thinking what about the basic necessities, Melanie? Food and water I can find or make, but the things I chose are the things most important to me. Of course my husband would be able to help himself, but if he wasn't he would go on the list as well, near the top. Think about it. What would you save? What can you do without? Because as some 20 people in Midvale found out this morning, it can be taken away in a few hours. Luckily, no one was hurt or killed in the fire and all managed to get out of the building. Unluckily, the building is now condemned and the residents will not be allowed to go into the building for any reason at all. Please pray for these people. Pay your tithing as it helps to help them. Donate what you can, time, money, food, clothes, whatever to help these 20 people, because you never know when it could be you standing out in the street in your pajamas watching your house burn down.

Kay I'll get off my soap box now.

Just for Fun

I took some pictures over the last few days and I haven't had anything to blog about so I'll just put them up and comment on them.

Rowan turned two yesterday so it was a fun time to get everyone together; especially the babies. Dorthy had made cupcakes and this was the result:





So in turn Sarah was enlisted to give the babies a bath. And of course somehow, they all ended up in the bath at the same time.





I got my ultrasound yesterday but baby#2 wasn't being too cooperative so there wasn't a definitive yes or no on the girl thing. Sarah got to go with us to the ultrasound because she had never been to one before and I think it's something EVERYONE should experience. Whether you have kids or not, ultrasounds are just cool.

Then we went back to my parents house and I colored Sarah's hair and I glittered her toes and I did her nails to match her toes! I'm not a pro and I don't claim to be the best, but for the second time trying, I think they look pretty darn good!!!






And my baby just because she's mine and she's so cute... even when she's zonked out in the car.

Take Me out to the Ball Game!

We took Riley to a Bees game on Thursday night and we invited Steph and Kevin to come and bring Abi, because Abi and Riley are pretty much best friends, and they don't get to see each other much since we moved away. The sun was HOT! Right up until it dipped behind the stadium and it was perfect and we could actually see the game. Tim's company bought out a entire section along the third baseline so we saw a few familiar faces like Tim's buddies Matt and Warren. I'm of course more interested in keeping the food that's on the ground on the ground rather than in the little girls mouths so I was able to snag a LOT of cute pictures of the two hoodlums together. Riley really loves all her cousins and these snuggle pictures just prove it.:)






My two personal favorites. They're pulling the exact same face.

Target, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways...

I went shopping at Target this morning. Everytime I go there there's always some really cute toy or really cute outfit that I want to grab, but unfortunately that requires money. So every once in a while when Riley has been exceptional or I feel like I really need to spend some money, I go and I hit the Clearance sections of the store. Now a lot of people turn their nose up and go ewww clearance sections, that's where they put all the stuff nobody wanted to buy so it's there for a reason. And to this I say, BOOO!!! The clearance section is my best friend because when you're poor you can't just go grabbing things willy nilly like you can in the clearance section. So anyways I was meandering around the store with my sad lonely two bags of frozen broccoli in my cart when I stumbled into the toy section. Call me stupid, but I wasn't aware they had a toy clearance. And to tell you the truth, it's got some pretty good stuff. So anyways, we were walking through the isles and Riley starts to just freak out grunting and pointing clapping and squealing. Now yesterday we went to the same Target and I wanted to get her a baby doll that she could take in the tub with her so she knows how to help when Bridgette comes along, but that was nixed by the husband. So I thought that maybe she remembered it from yesterday and wanted to hold it again. So I turned to grab it and I saw this little gem:


Isn't it adorable?! And to my great surprise this is what Riley was clapping at, because her hands went to her head and she squealed like "That's it that's it I MUST have it!!!" (which means she's related to me.) So I HAD to buy it for her because when I handed it to her she HUGGED it like it was the best present in the whole world! You know like you did when you were little, and you were going through your presents and you hugged all of them except for the underwear that your mom INSISTED on buying for you? So I walked triumphantly to the front of the store and got in line, Riley hugging her little tea set the whole way, and me feeling like the best mom ever. So the lady scanned it and it was... this is the best part... 2.50$!!!! So not only did I make my little girl happy, it only cost 2.50. Take that you overpriced, over packaged 20.00$ toys!!! We don't need you! We have(angels singing) THE CLEARANCE SECTION at TARGET(angels singing). Here's some pictures of Riley excited to get the thing open( yes she IS biting the table, she does that sometimes) and then her playing with her spoils. I love my little girls and seeing them happy.

Finally!!!!! I Found It!!!!

Question have you ever read a book so long ago that you remember distinctly what it looked like, felt like even smelled like but can't for the life of you remember what the flippin title was? Answer: for me yes.. many times. My Grandma had the COOLEST books at her house and I remember reading them over and over every time I would go over there as a kid and even now as an adult i look for them to read. My sister Dorthy and I were talking about one such book called "Topsy-Turvy" or something like that, a book that I ALWAYS look for when I'm at my grandma's house in Sanpete county. But to my dismay I can never find it. So not only can I never find it to READ it I can never find it to actually figure out the actual title. Enter Internet. Duh.. Why didn't I think of this before? All these years I've been afraid of the fate that may have befallen upon the book that I don't know the title of, during the move my grandparents made from Sandy to Fountain Green, and this whole time i could've have just looked up what I thought it was online through the internets... oh silly me. Unfortunately "Topsy-Turvy" only brought up those stupid upside down tomato planters. sigh. Maybe try something else... what about Upsy Downsy? TADA! Success Is MINE!!!!!! (Evil laughter and lighting w/thunder clap) Ah hem, okay anyways it's called "Welcome to Upsy Downsy Land" it's made by Mattel and has the most awesome retina burning colors of all time! Now here's a picture.. can anyone tell me where I might be able to find a copy of this gem?

Riley Turns 1!!!!

The day is finally here and Riley is officially one year old! We had her birthday party on Saturday at Murray City Park and it was so nice until about the last half hour when the sun came out from behind the clouds and it was HOT!!!!! but Riley had a lot of friends there and she loved having them all there and we all had a lot of fun playing frisbee and croquet, and eating lunch. Thank you to everyone who came out. Here's some pics of Riley opening her presents. any other day when she wasn't hot, tired and cranky I'm sure she would have LOVED her presents but because she was all of those things looks can be a little deceiving.

And it's a.... Another Girl!!!

At Riley's birthday party we announced the sex of our next little baby which as far as we know is another little baby girl. There is only one... yes, I know sad, maybe next time. But we are really excited for this new little baby to come and meet her just as excited big sister. Riley loves to look at babies but not so much if Mommy is holding them, she tends to be a little jealous. Here's the ultrasounds courtesy of Fetal Studios. Like I said, as far as we know it's a baby girl but there's always that chance the little boy was just shy... But either way we love babies here, so it doesn't matter what they are.:)

New Way to Think About Your Dirty Dishes

I found this poem online at a blog with recipes for people to share and thought it was a good healthy way to look at your dirty dishes rather than dreading them.:)

"Thank God for Dirty Dishes,
They have a tale to tell.
While others are going hungry,
We're eating very well.
With home and health and happiness,
I shouldn't want to fuss.
For by this stack of evidence,
God's very good to us.”
~ author unknown ~

Happy Birthday America

The Fourth of July came and went this year without much thought or planning and I think I preferred it that way. here are some pictures taken of the days celebrations the day before and the day after as it was on a Sunday and we do live in Utah.:)since Riley turns 1 this month, (holy cow it's already been a year that means kindergarten and that kind of stuff is only a few years away:( (tear) But anyways since it is her first birthday this month most of the pictures are of her.