Fifth anniversary

Ben and I celebrated our fifth anniversary in December. We didn't make any plans to do anything, but we still had fun. We made pudding and fingerpainted with it. Julie loved it. I'm actually not sure, though, if she or Ben had more fun.

First, we had to show her how it's done:


She caught on pretty quickly.


All our colors, minus the chocolate. The purple wasn't very pretty. It was vanilla pudding (the yellow isn't dyed at all), and by day 2, the purple was a pretty nasty brain gray.


After awhile, Julie just started dragging her fingers from one bowl to another, and the colors got all blended up. She loved it, though.






Detail from my masterpiece:


The finished product:


Happy anniversary, babe!

My sister is awesome

I'm tooting my own horn a little by directing you here, but my sister is totally awesome.

Read here.

Thankful November: Day 27

I've saved the big one for today. The obvious one. The first one most people think of when asked what they're thankful for.

Today I am thankful for family. I'm thankful for my three families. I am thankful for my immediate family, and I've already highlighted Ben and Julie separately this month. I am also thankful for my own family -- my parents and siblings. I am thankful, too, for Ben's family -- his parents, siblings, and their families.

Today I am spending Thanksgiving with Ben's family. His brother is shipping off to Afghanistan on Monday, and this is the last opportunity we'll all have to be together for 15 months or so. We haven't seen him and his family since last Christmas. Our good friends Dave and Erin also came down to spend the holiday with all of us. Now that the day is winding down, I will add that I am grateful for good friends and good fun.

I am thankful also for my own family, my parents and brother and sister. It's been almost a year and a half since I've seen my sister, and she's never met Julie. We'll be heading there for Christmas. It will be lots of fun.

I hope you all have (or have had) a wonderful Thanksgiving day.

Happy Birthday!

Today is my mom's birthday. Today she turns 50. (Sorry Mom...it's a big one, though...I gotta share!) So here are 50 things I love/admire/learned about/from my mom:

1. The way she "speaks" Spanish ("¡Me hablas español muy bueno!" does not translate to "I speak Spanish very well!")
   
2. Her quilts
3. Her cooking
4. That she taught/teaches me how to cook (some things)
   
5. Her uncanny ability to always get you exactly what you want for a gift, even though you didn't know you wanted it
   
6. The way she just cracks herself up sometimes
7. The way she selflessly serves others
8. The parties she throws (she can throw a good party!)
9. She taught me the value of a good friendship
10. Her self-given nickname of "No-techno Mama"
11. She taught me moderation in all things (including big birthday parties)
12. She taught me natural consequences
13. She encouraged me to go on a mission
14. She taught me that more cinnamon is always better
15. She taught me to enjoy married life for a little while before having children
16. Her love of photography
17. The many hobbies she's had over the course of my life
18. She taught me couponing and frugality (even though I don't clip coupons at the moment)
19. She taught me the importance of keeping a personal history
20. She taught me modesty
21. Her love of all things pink (check this out, Mom!)
22. Her beautiful home
23. Her general creativity
24. She taught me the importance of prayer, especially with big decisions in my life
25. She taught me that if I live in Oregon (where it always rains), the answer to "Mom, do I need my coat?" is always "Yes!"
26. That she's able to laugh at herself when she needs to
27. She taught me to magnify my callings (and sometimes she taught me how to)
28. She taught me how to embarrass my children (and husband for that matter) almost effortlessly (click here and here to see examples)
29. She taught me the benefit of using scissors in the kitchen.
30. Her laugh when she's just cracking up
31. She taught me to buy clothes that aren't just cute, but also versatile
32. She definitely has her own style when it comes to interior decorating, which isn't my style, but she has a really good eye even for things that I love
33. That she has a trashcan in her minivan. Not just a little trash bag, but an actual trashcan
34. She taught me the value of hard work (I usually think of my dad when I think that, but my mom definitely contributed)
35. Her determination
36. She taught me goal-setting
37. She taught me never to use soap when cleaning her cast iron (Ben thanks her for that)
38. She taught me that my third child will be the hardest, because I only have two hands
39. When she goes camping, she really "roughs it" (except for the air mattress)
40. A well thought-out strategy can take a long time (especially if you're playing Rummikub)
41. She taught me to put money away for savings, and keep a little for spending
42. She taught me that in the Winter, it's better to cover up with lots of blankets and turn the heat down than just to leave the heat up
43. She taught me to turn off a light when I leave a room
44. She gave me a Californian's love of avocados
    
45. She taught me how to both give and receive service, and why both are important
46. She taught me that a mother's instincts are usually right
47. She taught me never to return a dish empty
48. There's no such thing as too many pillows
49. There's no such thing as too many kitchen towels
50. xcftrkli90kbhj ng d453thnmhjm d (I'm not sure what that means, but that's what Julie loves about Grammy)

Here are some Julie giggles for you, Mom. Happy birthday! I love you.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Reason number 237 why I love my husband

Because when Julie feels the need to scream herself to sleep at night for 45 minutes or an hour (like she did on Sunday night), Ben will stay with her while she does it, so that I don't have to. I don't do so well with the constant and non-stop crying.