Not Much to Report

My days have looked a little bit like this lately:

Get up for work (after hitting snooze at least three times)
45 minute commute to work
9 hours of work
45 minute commute home
errands
dinner
homework
bath time
head to bed and start it all over again.

I am completely worn out by the time Saturday gets here. This Saturday is going to be AWESOME - we don't have a single commitment ALL DAY!!! Don't tell anyone but I just might stay in my pjs all day:)

I'm getting really excited for the upcoming holidays and I'm trying to switch my crafting into high gear. I'm going to make several of these cute little hats for gifts. They can be completed in the time it takes to watch two episodes of CSI:)

Here's a little tutorial -
I used a medium-ish yarn and an I size hook. Chain 50 (or less or more depending on the size of the head that will wear this hat - I think my head is about average:)) Double crochet 12 or 13 rows. You'll end up with essentially a rectangle. Sew together the short ends, and run a gathering stitch along the top, pull it tight and knot it off. VOILA! You're done:) I've also made them in single crochet and topped it with a pompom. For a child size hat I would start out with a Chain 30 or 35.



Nothing fancy, but it's quick and easy and nice and warm:) OOOHH wouldn't it look cute with a crocheted flower tacked to the side?? I'll have to try that on the next one. PS i got my eyebrows waxed last week - don't they look pretty?

Our Weekend

Miss S and I started our Halloween festivities this weekend. Hubby had study groups on Saturday and Sunday so we hardly saw him at all this weekend.

First up was the Trunk or Treat at church - it was a lot of fun and Miss S came home with a huge bag of candy. She's a veterinarian this year and I'm a pink lady:)

Another sweet little girl was dressed as a car hop so we had to get a picture togeter. Isn't she precious!!!! And wow - I think I can really pull off that 50s look:)


After church today Miss S and I carved her pumpkin. OOWW slimy pumpkin guts.





Our little ghost.

The dogs could have cared less about all the commotion in the kitchen while we were carving:)

Why, hello!!

I just uncovered a black widow crawling up my screen door. YIKES!!! Good thing my brother Chadwick wasn't here as he is deathly afraid of spiders. I actually quite like spiders and usually don't kill them, but I made an exception for this little one. Under no circumstances do I want a black widow in my house:)

PS I stole this picture from online somewhere - it was too dark to take an actual picture of my black widow:)

Happy Snacks

Work kicked my butt this week. We are short two paralegals so that means an extra heavy load for me and the other paralegal. Friday was especially crazy. I barely had time to leave my desk to pee. My coworker brought me snacks throughout the day. ... I love this little pretzel she brought me with it's cheesy little grin. I'm seriously thinking about participating in national blog posting month for November. Want to join in with me??? I've never posted every day for a month but I think it might just be what I need.

Puzzlemania

One of Miss S's favorite hobbies is puzzles....which is totally awesome because I love to do puzzles too. It's pretty common to see at least 3 or 4 puzzles in progress on our living room floor (another benefit to having wood floors). This is the most recent puzzle she finished - a 500 piece one that she finished in 3 days - all by herself. We are always on the lookout for new puzzles at garage sales and thrift shops. Every summer when we've gone to Durango we always buy a new one there and spend time putting it together in our little KOA cabin. It's been really fun to see her progress from the little 24 piece ones to wanting to tackle 500 and even 1000 piece puzzles.

Crafting

Yes, I have been crafting....just a little. Actually I've been doing quite a bit but most of it is for Christmas presents and upcoming birthday presents so I don't want to post photos quite yet:) I made this fabulous banner using a kit I ordered from the ultra fabulous Kerry Lynn and her new Kenner Road collection of goodies. Isn't it fabulous? Someone please get me a thesaurus so I can learn a new word besides "fabulous"!

Go Cougars!!!

We had one of our best friends over for dinner a couple nights ago. Frank is a BYU fanatic....he had just gotten home from spending a few days in Provo to go to the BYU vs. UNM game and he came bearing goodies for me and Miss S - a nice little Y sticker for my car and a blue and white pom pom for Miss S. when I was younger I never had the desire to go to BYU...I've never been one to do the "typical" mormon things but now I kind of wish I had gone to school there. Frank spent one year at BYU and has spent the last several years trying to get back there to finish school and he's not even LDS. My parents both went to school at BYU and that's where I was born so I guess the connection to the Y is just in my blood:) For now Frank and I will just have to be content to wear our Cougar blues to BYU vs UNM games:)

Notice a Pattern?

Two random purchases....months apart....but surprisingly similar:)

My First Mobile Post!

I'm still learning all that my new phone can do so this is my first attempt at posting from my phone. At least it's nice and sunny today. Miss s is #9.

Scripture Sunday

As I sat in Sacrament meeting today, this scripture kept coming to my mind...

Matthew Chapter 6: Verses 14 & 15

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

pretty appropriate don't you think after the brouhaha at work on Friday?

It's so hard to forgive someone who really could care less what I think of her, nor will she ever ask for my forgiveness, but for my own well being I have forgiven her.

Just a Funny

Another fun picture from Balloon Fiesta last weekend....we made a quick trip to Texas half way through the morning:)

My Lovely Workplace

Just when I thought my week could not get any worse....Friday I had a disagreement with our office manager and she told me literally...
"let me get the envelope out of the trash so I can slam it in your f***in face".

Isn't that just peachy?

I turned around and walked away lest I turn into this


then proceeded to cry in my office for the rest of the afternoon.

PS Click here http://www.framefree.com/hulk_app/hulkify.php?m=HcdRZ1Ka1dVk to see me really turn into the hulk...TOTALLY cool!!!!

The Wisdom of Hot Chocolate

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were
talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old
university professor, now retired. During their visit, the
conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.

Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the
kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an
assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain
looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to
help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the
professor said: "Notice that all the nice looking, expensive
cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones.
While it is normal for you to want only the best for
yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.
The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the
quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more
expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink.
What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the
cup; but you consciously went for the best cups. And then
you began eyeing each other's cups.

"Now consider this:

Life is the hot chocolate;
Your job, money and position in society are the cups.
They are just tools to hold and contain life.

The cup you have does not define,
nor change the quality of life you have.
Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup,
we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us.

God makes the hot chocolate,
Man chooses the cups.
The happiest people don't have the best of everything.
They just make the best of everything that they have.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.
And enjoy your hot chocolate!!

Brotherly Love

My mom called about a week ago and said she was sending me a package. Well it arrived Friday morning at work and was personally delivered by my brother, Chad!!! I was so surprised to see him that I started bawling at work. Everyone kept asking me if I was okay....I just kept saying "happy tears, happy tears, happy tears". Chad came for the balloon fiesta this weekend which was rained out last night and this morning. BUMMER!! He's going to stay an extra day so we can try to go in the morning and I don't have to be in to work until after lunch.

We did go the to balloon fiesta field yesterday afternoon to just walk around and see all the exhibits and other stuff.....it was fun and totally not crowded which was nice.

One of the coolest exhibits was a huge display put on by NASA. I love me some astronauts.

Got Junk?

I've got tons of junk...and not all of it is the good kind of junk:)
I am so tired of junk mail.....I just found this great article.
Reduce Your Junk Mail
I'm especially excited about the e-mail opt out option:)

War Sucks

It appears my brother will be deployed to Iraq again very soon. What more can I say other than this SUCKS BIG time?