angels I tell ya

So tonight, when I was cleaning up dinner, and checking my email, the girls went into my room. Then they locked the door, and Kizzy wasn't in, so she started crying, and then Beck because they couldn't get in. So I yelled at them of course, and I kept telling them to get out, but they said they were doing a surprise. So I left it alone. Earlier, I had asked Annabelle to take the laundry into the bedroom for me. So I thought they were attempting to fold it.

So then I made milkshakes for dessert, and called them out to enjoy them with me. And Josie was using a spoon and dripping it everywhere, and she had on a ring of Kizzy's so Kizzy was yelling and so I yelled at the both of them.

Nice . . . I was an angry mother.

Then they took me to my surprise.

I'm an ass.

They cleaned my ENTIRE room. Not just folded the laundry, but put it away (it should be fun to see where the stuff ended up)

They also cleaned up Hy's pile of dirty clothes that had been there for days, and made the bed.

Angels.

So tonight, they'll get to do whatever they want.

And by that I mean they get to stay up late and watch a movie.

But for real? I have THE-COOLEST-KIDS-EVER.

I'm not down with that

OK, while at BYU, I saw this poster on one of the message boards in the bookstore.

I have a HUGE beef when girls wear these tights to church with really short dresses. Actually I don't like it when ANYONE wears these to church at all. It all goes back to my mother's strict dress code of what is proper for church and what is not. I tell you, my mother would NEVER in a million years let me wear these to church. And if I did so, she probably would have destroyed them so I couldn't wear them . . . ever.

I think it's too casual. It's not Sunday best.

So I was shocked to see this poster, because it seems to me that they are saying that it is proper.

I know other people think it's no big deal.

But for me . . .

It bugs

What are your thoughts?

Free Download!

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Effective Immediately

DEAR FRIENDS,

Effective Immediately we are back on our very strict cash only budget. And although we love doing super fun things with you like going to movies, or plays, or vacations, or getting pizza etc. etc, we no longer have funds to support such lively behavior. So I'm just letting you all know. Please don't invite us to anything fun that costs . . . well. . . .anything really. Super fun/up for anything Hyrum and Jill family no longer exists. And although you might want to invite us just so we feel included, please don't. It just makes us feel bad that we can't go. However, if you want to invite us to something that is free and/or really cheap, we are down. Like Barbecues. We can do that, because it's just like us fixing dinner, but at someone else's house. This is actually working out well with one of my new philosophy's which is being less of a consumer and more of a saver. Except the saving part, because all the money we do have is going to school. But the end is in sight. Then, maybe, just maybe, we'll take you all out for pizza.

But don't count on it.


xoxoxoxo Jill and Hy

Pictures from my Adventures in the Beehive State

My dear friend whom I like to call Swissily, requested I post picture of my Adventures in the Beehive State.

Ta Daa!!! . . . .

I made an effort to be in the pictures instead of taking them


Courtesy of Josie


Beck in the 1960's backpack


Girls at the Provo Temple


Remember my Zippety Do da Super mom story? After they sang, we went and read books ont he lawn. Yes I am a super mom.


Soda Pop the best clown ever, painting Annabelle's face


Hy and I at the Homestead where we stayed


My girls and cousins at Laggon


fun rides


Re-post of the same picture, there are too many for me to go back and figure out which code this one is and delete it


My girls with their Great Aunt Bonnie and their flower creations (this is the same place of the picture everyone thought was the cemetery)


Aunt Bonnie's super hip flower shop/boutique in Provo--check it!


Us at the hot long parade


Kizzy the assistant to soda pop the clown at the fam reunion in Midway


Soda pop best clown ever (more pictures of the final product to come later on my photo blog)


The bunk house at the Homestead (Two queen beds and a set of bunk beds. Perfect for families!)


More pics of homestead


and different cottage you can stay at there


Me and the Becker


Annabelle sacrificed herself to save her cousins flip flop that was speedily floating away downt he creek. Notice soaked skirt. And that water was cold

Princess Bride

We don't have cable in our house so our kids watch a lot of movies. One of their most recent favorites being the Princess Bride. So while in Utah, we were walking around the Provo Temple and they wanted to roll down the hill. We thought that was inappropriate, so we walked off the grounds to a big green area that had hills. And ON THEIR OWN, Josie and Annabelle recreated this scene from Princess Bride. Then of course I made them recreated it.



And no matter how many times we tried to coach Josie to say "Oh my sweet Wesley", she always says "Oh my sweet Nestles, what have I done?".

I love my kids. Truly, entertaining at all times.

Getting there

I got some of this material from IKEA months and months ago to make curtains for my window. Then I changed my mind and decided to use it to cover the closet, because the closet doors don't shut with my shelf-reliance food storage contraption inside. So then I needed more material and couldn't find it here or Utah. Since I am part of a photography forum, I put it up there, and one of the lovely ladies bought it in New York and mailed it to me (thanks Stacey!) anyhow, I finally got around to making these curtains, with grommets and all. So easy! They are plastic and just snap together. Then I used the remnants to cover these chairs that I got years ago from my friend Cami (Thanks Cami!). Actually, Hyrum recovered them, and he did a fab job. My walls are a light grey (they look tan in these pictures because of the poor lighting). Just thought I'd clarify.

I love them!

Me me me

I'm a thinker, an I can't ever shut it off, and so when people aren't talking to me I'm talking to myself, and as I was washing dishes alone while Hyrum went to get Sonic ice I started thinking about random things about myself. I usually find these things interesting when they are on other people's blogs so i'm sharing

I get immense satisfaction from pulling hair out of bathtub drains with a bent paper clip

I always have to have something covering me when I sleep

Even though I'm pretty chill, I'm a worrier and I make up crazy things that might happen to me or my family

When I have the money, I can shop all day from opening to close and then start again the next day, and then do returns the next day.

I am completely fulfilled with motherhood, and I wish others could be, and I understand that some are not, and I don't judge them, I just wish they could be, because I think they wish they could be.

I judge people whose kids throw fits in public, however, I sometimes give them the benefit of the doubt that their kid may be autistic. Come on, you know you do too.

I don't take my kids into public for the aforementioned reason.

Just kidding.

I'm not on Facebook, and refuse to, because I don't want to be found.

I love drinking chocolate milkshakes my husband makes with sonic ice and a hint of Pero. (like right now, mmmm)

I'm currently getting an "F" in parenting, in the last week I've yelled at my kids to Shut up (which I don't think is right) and I've threatened to beat the #@!* out of them if they didn't stop fighting.

I'm judging myself on that one--Parenting for the past week F

Sometimes I reach my limit of being touched for the day, and when my kids are in my face and all over me I flip and do weird ticks and things.

I love 100+ degree heat outside.

I a group of friends that I think are golden, and I really don't bother making new ones, because I'm good with the ones I have.

I make friends easily.

I'm kind of like Mr. Darcy on Pride and Prejudice, "My good opinion, once lost, is lost forever."

I'm not that bad, but I don't bother keeping bad energy around.

That said, I'm also a fiercely loyal friend.

I currently have a successful basil plant in my backyard, so if you live around me, please come by and get some for your cooking.

I've decided not to worry about my weight and measurements until Fall.

I've had 4 cream cheese frosted cinnamon rolls in the last 24 hours.

It took me 3 tries to spell cinnamon correctly.

I really want to open an etsy shop.

I wish I were more spontaneous than I am.

I want to sew, but have realized that I hate sewing. It's too frustrating.

I'm bummed that only 2 people responded to my last blog post.

Oh, and as for this picture, it was taken in Utah by Josie who told me to pose like that, do my hands like that, and although you can't see it, she had me close one eye. She wanted me at my best.

Vinyl

I've been obsessing with this Etsy shop for vinyl. I love everything, and can't choose what I want to do.

So what do you think?

This:



or This:



What sucks is that my house is an ugly brown color and needs painting, but that won't happen for a few years, we have to wait until Hy's done with school for the funding.

I want to put either of these on my front door. I REALLY want a HELLO, but I really need the No Soliciting, my neighborhood is full of unwanted knockers.

And what color?

Thoughts?

Adventures in the Beehive state-The FINALE

*Caffeine Free Coke is nasty, nothing like the real thing
*Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper is just like the real thing
*That is ironic
*BYU Creamery makes a good Guacamole burger
*We never ate at the same burger joint twice, we're on a quest to find the best
*Beck got the barfing thing, and is a sad little baby
*We had a fun little picnic up South Fork canyon (I call it South Park Canyon)
*Hyrum had a bummer time with his bike tire and had to bail on the boys outing
*My girls made fun flower arrangements at Hyrum's Aunt Bonnie's Shop --the Flower Basket
*Did I ever blog about the parade? Fun, but hot and too long
*Sub-Zero ice cream is the coolest. It's just made with milk or cream and the flavor and then they feeze it with liquid nitrogen right in front of you. Creamy, cold delicious. Please open in AZ
*My girl's got the COOLEST face painting at the reunion, pictures will be posted later
*Stadium of Fire Fireworks---disappointment, not as cool as my good ol' small town Heber
*Chillin with Hy's Fam on his sister's lawn for the fireworks---Good time.
*Sparklers for the kids--always good, except for the one year Josie got a big black burn, not good, but this year, good
*Ditching church two weeks in a row really screws up my ability to know what day it is
*Sunday dinner with all of the fam and celebrating birthdays was fun
*Left at 3:30 am to come back to AZ, sounds crazy, but I love it because the kids sleep for half the journey and you get home about mid day
*Discovered that Josie is fun even at 5:00 a.m. when she became my front seat travelling companion while everyone else slept. I tried to get video of her but she couldn't find my purse.
*She read Nursery Rhymes to me, except she can't read, so those were funny, she laughed a lot, and she danced a little.
*As she was "reading" Jack Sprat (you know wife fat husband lean) she said "Is Daddy lean?" I said, "well, pretty much". And she said "Are you lean?" and I said, yes. (you know what's coming) and she said "You're lean, except for your big FAT belly". Which of course I said, "sure Jos".
*She's also rude at 5 a.m., and any other time she's awake
*Breakfast at Burger King in Cedar City didn't make me sick. YAy!
*Drive through Dixie National Forest in the morning light--breathtaking
*Stopping in Flagstaff at the "Crystal Waters Sandwich Company" or something like that, was spectacular, a nice healthy sandwich, a great break from days of burgers and fries
*Nothing like being home, we're doing a whole bunch of nothing for two days--at least
*Even with sickies it was a good trip

AIBS round four

Are you freaking kidding me?

Yesterday we got all loadedup and ready go to Lagoon and get there before noon so we could get discount passes with this cup we had, so we load the burb with all our junk, put the kids in, and START to back out of the garage.

CRASH! BREAKING GLASS!

I knew, I knew right then, I forgot to put down the back window. Glass everywhere, and a big open back window. SUCK! Totally my fault.

We were undeterred, however, and everyone sprung into action.

Hy on the phone with Allstate
Bro in law on cleanup
Me on washing all the tiny shards off of EVERYTHING
Sis in law to Costco for discount passses since we were going to miss the noon deadline
And I figured out where everyone could squeeze in with everyone else.

So about 1 hour later we were on out way. There was room for everyone (with one double buckle)

Lagoon was fun as always.

Kizz cried and begged not to go on rides, but we made her and then she loved it from the first ride on.

Josie and Annabelle rocked the park

Beck was a good kid, mostly hanging out at "camp" with G'ma and G'pa --who were babysitting rockstars

Hy and I got to ride on Wicked, colossus, the blue spinny one, The Samurai, and Blast off. I wanted Re-entry but no one would go with me.

Weather was fantastic--being with cousins and fam was fun

Headed home and tried to find Chinese in Provo.

Hy pulled up at a stoplight and I asked the guy next to us if there were any good Chinese joints, he suggested "PF Changs" and I said "cheaper and faster" and he said "Panda Express" and I gave him a thumbs down, then he said "we're more of a hamburger and pizza sort of place"

That I had noticed, and hamburgers they are good at.

But as we had resigned to eat hamburgers Hy spotted a little sign down a little street. YAY! Yummy chinese for dinner. Egg rolls were de-lish

OH, and I had forgot, for breakfast we had cinammon rolls from Shirley's. LOVELY.

Oh, and Kiz barfed once in the middle of the night. All on her pillow. Pretty skilled. Still sucked.

Then everyone slept like exhausted people should. I lay awake randomly from 4-5 o'clock AZ time, just THINKING. Dumb. But I did come up with some good ideas for a poster print I want my rockstar graphics friend to do.

But then I stlept until 7:30! That is 8:30 in Utah, which sounds lame, but it was a success considering the super crap previous nights.

So today we hit the bookstore again, tried a new hamburger joint with good onion rings, I finally found a store that carried my Clinique lipstick, and now we're chillin with fam at the Homestead resort in Midway.

I love hotels. Don't know why, but I LOVE them.

OH, best news of today, back window fixed for $0. Thank you glass coverage.

And shout out to my super FAB husband who was awesome with the kids in every way, I knew I maried him for a reason.

And randomly, I miss my friends, and I think how fun it would be to do a big Vacaition with all of them and their fams. Lagoon would be a riot.

Sweet, I'm off to watch TV in bed with Hy---CABLE!, kids are sleeping, just wish we had milk for the Double Stuff Oreos I bought.