Spring is here early!

My mom sent me this cool little thing.

Seriously. Way cool.

Especially right now, when we get teaser warm days that make us want spring flowers and sunshine....

But instead we get snow.

CLICK HERE to get a little bit of spring in your life right now. When you get to the black page, click anywhere. Or drag your mouse across the screen. And then repeat times as many times as needed.

Enjoy!

Funny, Sweet, and Purely Awesome

I didn't get a fish tank toilet or a grass car, but I have to say that my birthday rocked!

I awoke to the smell of breakfast cooking. And to a reminder of how unbelievably much I love that my husband has a sense of humor. He made Green Eggs and Ham sandwiches for breakfast! How cool is that? And tasty. I love that he is always someone I can laugh with.


He didn't just go for cool and funny, though. He also went for sweet.

I woke up to these on my kitchen table. He had also taken the kids shopping, and they each picked out thoughtful gifts that they bought with their own money.

One child (who shall remain nameless), suggested that we all stay home from church, so they could worship me all day long on my birthday. Another child suggested that we instead go to church and worship Heavenly Father and Jesus, to which the first kid agreed that was the better choice. Awww. I love that they understand which gift would mean the most to me. (And we'll just forget the part where I was way too sick to make it through any more of church than Sacrament Meeting.)

Later, some wonderful friends came over bearing wonderful gifts. They're a pretty darn amazing bunch of ladies. For my birthday two years ago, they gave me this blog! It's the gift that keeps on giving. :) I'd like to introduce you to one of the gifts they gave me this year:


A cordless mouse! His name is MOPA. That stands for "Made Of Pure Awesomeness."

Check it out--- He's even thinner than PAM!


I think that MOPA and PAM are going to get along great, and share many wonderful years together.


Of course, this next gift is made of pure awesomeness, too. I can't stop staring at it!


Are these not the prettiest things you ever did see? My friend Tammy made them, and friend Erin took some pictures of them in all their glory.


Look closely. She actually piped around each cookie with stiffer frosting before filling in the middle with softer frosting. Then she piped the details in chocolate! They are so stinkin pretty, I can hardly bear to eat them!

Except that I've eaten Tammy's food before, and it's not something you pass up. Ever. And yes, they are every bit as tasty as they look.


And speaking of people with AMAZING talents that they are willing to share, check out this card friend Kellie made! Isn't it just beyond description?


I mean, wow. Times infinity.



How is it possible that I know this many awesome people? I don't know, but I sure am grateful.

Stick Wars Castle Defense

My son came up to me and said, "Mom, want to play a game with me?"

I groaned inside. Mostly because I hate long games. "What kind of game?"

"Stick wars. We each draw a castle, and then draw things to defend it with."

Okay, immediately, I thought about the things I always hear my sons talking about--- Paladins, Druids, Shamans, Mages, Warlocks, Hunters, Elves, Dwarves, Undead.... and how they talk about having a character that is a healer, one that is a tank, one that is damage doer....

It took about a second and a half of imagining this game before my head wanted to explode.

"I don't know.... I'm not good at that kind of stuff."

"It'll be fun. We each only have five minutes to draw, and you can defend your castle with anything that will scare off the enemy."

"Anything?"

Okay, that game I can play.

This child didn't want his posted on the Internet. My other child would let me post his, if he could remain anonymous. Feel free to click on either picture to get a better view of their awesomeness.


Now, I'll admit: he nearly had me with all those archers, spear men, snakes, spiders, bramble fence, thorn moat, fog, elven warriors, and impenetrable castle walls. I think may have him beat, though. It was the confined spaces that turned the tide my direction. That, and having those butterflies drop the science fair project on the unsuspecting hordes. Those are scary things indeed.


Moral of the story for parents: If your kid ever asks you to play stick wars, give it a shot.

Moral of the story for kids: Talk your parents into it. They might find out it is way more fun than they ever thought it would be.

Mural Finally Finished!

Ever since Kyle started working at the Space Center two and a half years ago, I wanted to repaint his room with a space theme.

Yes, it really took me 2 1/2 years to get around to starting it.

And yes, the day Kyle turned 13, he was still sleeping in the room I painted for him when he was two years old. It was the perfect toddler's room. It's about time he got an older room.

There's really nothing like putting color on a wall, is there? Even though it's a big pain, and a ton of work, covering the wall with a bold color gives you a certain high, doesn't it? I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE full wall murals. I just wish I wasn't so very slow at painting them.



Painting over the old sun...

And the old tree....
And voila! All the walls, ready to go.


Now for the before and after pictures.

Before: A sunshiny day outside.

After: Deep space.

Before: A mostly empty wall.

After: A planet, a nebula, and a space battle!


Before: Clouds in the sky.

After: Planets, and the milky way.



Before: Sunshine and bright window coverings.

After: Planets and the lack of window coverings. Yeah... I guess I need to figure out what to do about that.

Before:
After:

Before: Flying things Kyle loved when he was two.

After: Flying things Kyle loves at thirteen. We went from a yellow, fluffy bird to a Bird of Prey. The space center bases all of their stories on Star Trek, so naturally, Kyle wanted Star Trek ships. Here we have a Federation ship firing on a Klingon ship. Since I'm not a space ship designer in my free time, I'm way happy he chose to have ships that someone else already did the hard work of designing! Kyle would love if there were more ships battling it out around his room, and I think it would be pretty darn cool, too. You know... if someone else painted them. Those puppies take FOREVER to paint!


And... whew! So very glad to finally cross a project off my list that has been sitting on it for WAY too long. Or can I still cross it off when we haven't gotten the new bedding we gave him a gift certificate for as a birthday present? Um, yeah. I'm crossing it off. But dang. Bedding could be hard to find.

I Heart Valentines Day

Wondering What to Get Me?

My birthday is coming up. I'm sure that at the front of your mind, the wheels are turning, trying to figure out what to get me. I'd like to be helpful and present my birthday wish list:


My upstairs bathroom is blue and yellow, with a fish theme. Wouldn't this toilet go perfect there? I'm not quite sure what happens when someone flushes, but I can think of nothing that will make me more happy than to have googly fish eyes on me whenever I'm in the room.


I'd love to be able to do Parkour (CLICK HERE if you don't know what this is, or if you just want to watch a great video). I'd also love to be a ninja. I figure if I got one of these installed in my backyard, and I had one of these outfits, I'd get a little of each. I could totally imagine I was a parkour ninja if I had this.


I like to read. Often though, if I read in bed, I fall asleep as I am reading. Then I found this insightful solution! No more cheek creases from hardback books for me!



My van is a gas guzzler. If the government knew how few miles to the gallon it got, they'd probably send an op team to "make it disappear" during the night. I really should be doing my part to keep this planet green. That's why I'd like to replace my van, as well as my outfit, with this:


Mmm. I love swimming. I love heights. I have a flat roof on my house. Enough said.


I've always been intrigued by the Snuggie. My biggest problem with it is that if you have to stand up to get something, your backside gets cold! It seems like such an oversight on behalf of the Snuggie innovators. But, never fear, I found something to fix this problem, along with the problem that the Snuggie doesn't keep your head warm if you're by a drafty window. This seems like the perfect alternative to me:


I just can't picture my hubby wearing one. So, if you decide to get one of those for me, please consider getting the man version for Lance, so he doesn't feel left out:


I hope this list has been helpful for you as you shop. I always try to do what I can.

The Dealmaker's Apprentice

I am not one of those people who can get a screaming deal on things. I can not talk people down. I can't keep my eye out for the sales. I can not spot a great deal from a mile away. Sadly, I just don't have the gift.

Which makes me appreciate even more when others share their gift with me! My mom bought some $5 off any purchase at Kohl's coupons from eBay. Right there: Something I'd never even think of! She invited me and my sister to tag along, and shop the clearance sale.

I have now experienced the high that expert shoppers get!

I bought all of this stuff.... $102.96 worth of stuff....


For $3.48. !!!!! I'm not even kidding. (We won't mention the fact that NONE of it was stuff we actually needed. That takes all the fun right out of it.) If someone took me on as their shopping apprentice, I might find that I actually like shopping.

As long as it didn't take too long.

A New Inner Editor Set Up Shop In My Brain

Remember THIS POST where I talked about my inner editor, Miss Stakeless, and how I wanted to get her fired?


Well guess what? She quit!! I started this new book, and she said, "I'm way too old for this. I really can't make it through another one of your books." We had a tearful goodbye, and then she left.

So, I called Dood on his cell phone and asked if he wanted the job.


He was in Australia, shredding some serious waves. He said that he was unwilling to leave such perfect crests, but more importantly, I wasn't ready for him as an inner editor yet. (Whatever, Dood.)

For someone who seems so one track minded, he can be surprisingly astute. And he did recommend someone else to do the job. I am happy to report that I hired her.

She's an Editing Magician, or E.M., but she likes it when I call her "Auntie Em."



So far, we've gotten along great! I give her free roam of the brain kitchens, and she likes to bake cookies while I write. My brain likes the smell of cookies while it works. While I'm writing a first draft, she only stops by to tell me I used a passive voice, or that I haven't varied my sentence structure enough every 9 to 11 minutes, instead of constantly, like Miss Stakeless did.

I love her. I love her cookies. I love her smiling face. I hope she likes living in my brain. I gave her a room with lots of windows, where there is always sunshiny days. There are big, comfy chairs, and lots of yarn for knitting. I even placed her in the part of my brain furthest from my imagination, so she can go for an evening stroll and not worry about bad guys or monsters suddenly appearing on the paths through my brain.

Until she's ready to retire, or I'm ready to have Dood for an inner editor, I hope we can do good things together.