parents and pastries. and camera ramblings.

Every year the elementary school does a "Parents and Pastries" morning. 

This means if you show up for school an hour early with a parent and a book you all get a donut.  And a coupon for bowling at Fat Cats.

Mostly I just like being with my circus.  Especially if it encourages reading.

It's time for me to renew my phone contract and upgrade my phone.  I'm struggling with which phone I should use.  I've had, and loved, a Blackberry for the past five years.  I am most definitely not a fan of touch screen.  I want buttons.  West is a supporter of the iPhone.  He has me hooked on some of the game apps.

I think what it's going to boil down to is which phone has the best camera in it.  Sad but true.  I'm tired of sub-par pictures because I use my phone all the time.

And while we're on the subject, ever since my water camera decided not to be waterproof anymore, it's been leaving white spots in my pictures.  Despite what a kind reader said to me about it being spirits in my pictures, I assure you, it's spots inside the lense.  I can see them.  So I need a new water camera too.  Because now that I've had the ability to take my camera into the water, I don't want to stop.

Also, I want a fancy camera.  But I don't know which one.  I just know that I'm obsessed with taking pictures of my family and life, and I'd like them to, you know, actually turn out good.

So that's my to do list.  Phone with a decent enough camera, a water proof camera, and a "fancy" camera.

Is it too early to have a Christmas list going?

it must be really hard having to do two things at once. I feel really bad for you.

Yesterday I came home from work and was bombarded for requests to help with Valentine's boxes from the circus.  Tayler had brought a note home from her teacher saying she needed one so we put our heads together and came up with this:

I only helped her with the hot glue gun and the card hole.  She did everything else all on her own.  I think it turned out great.

Sean came home from his time with his mom and informed us that he still needed his box.  They, of course, were due at school today.  Everyone else got put on the back burner since they only wanted one, not needed one.

So last night we pulled out paper and boxes and the hot glue gun and set to work, while I cooked dinner.  We had a small time crunch with Sean having Cub Scouts and me needing to get to Young Women's.

Sean watches me move back and forth from helping him cut and glue paper, to watching the taco meat cooking on the stove and says, "Man.  It must be really hard having to do two things at once.  I really feel bad for you."

His box turned out like this:

we even cut the bottom off the top box, and a big hole in the bottom box so his cards will fall all the way through and have more room to fit. 

This weekend I get to paint the kitchen.  I think The Man is a lot like me.  He just needs time to get used to an idea.  To warm up to it.  I have a green light on both of my color schemes, well, using the compromise of not doing whole rooms but accent walls, and I'm definitely okay with that.  It's going to look amazing, I can't wait.

The circus must have been hungry last night because they ate all of the taco meat before I was able to get any.  The Man offered to make more while I was at Young Women's and I could just eat when I got home.  How would I survive without him?

So off I headed (with Sean in tow for Scouts) to make these awesome puppies with the Laurels.

{original idea came from here}

I thnk the pink and white ones are my very favorite.  They look so... dainty. 

And they celebrated my birthday with me.

I keep fighting the fact that I know I should probably eat healthier, but I just don't want to. 

Confession: I don't drink water.  Except maybe at night I'll drink a glass before bed.  And it's not that I don't like it.  I do.  I just don't reach for it.

So I bought this:

I need to drink three of these bad boys a day.  The lid even helps me keep track of how many I've had.

I'm sitting here thinking of how much water that really is... 

That didn't last long...

My boss and the Chief Investigator gave me $15 in a gift card to McD's for my birthday.  It would be rude for me to not use it.  Especially when the card said it was for my cokes.  (Do they have me figured out already or what?)

No Super Bowl, Chocolate Fondue, and Mr. Popper's Penguins

Happy 33 to me.
Today's February photo project was "10 am".  I was at church with my circus.  This picture was actually taken a little after noon when church was over, but really, I wasn't going to pull out my camera and snap a picture in the middle of a Sacrament Meeting.  So we took one after church in the Young Women's room, which also doubles as the Middle School's Seminary, hence the desks.
Thanks for snapping the pic Ballison.  Love me some Laurels.

The Young Women's President gave me two papers to fill out for the new Beehives coming in.  New Beginings is next week and they want to spotlight the cute new Beehives.  They were for my daughters.  Can you believe that we have not just one girl turning 12 this year, but two?  It's like I always say... once one hits a a milestone in life, the rest are not far behind.  We don't do anything small around here.  Not even if we wanted to...

After church we headed home only to be greeted by this when we rounded the corner:

My dad and step mom drove 45 minutes to surprise me with this when I got home from church.  Apparently my step mom was being sneaky sneaky with The Man and was messaging with him over facebook about when we'd be gone.  When we rounded the corner we all gasped.  Cool Mom!  That Stephanie Rd. sign? Going on my desk at work.

The Man bought me a sewing machine.  I've never owned a sewing machine before and am super excited.  Especially since I've recently drawn up my first quilt pattern with the encouragement and email guidance of my aunt.  Who is a pro.  Really.  She owns her own quilt shop.  And the circus made me paper flowers with Granny Suzann.

We're pushing forward with the remodel.  Tomorrow a sheetrocker is coming to mud and tape the second laundry room we've created out of a large closet upstairs and the kitchen ceilling.  We've picked out the tile and West even said that while he was working on his project (the laying of the said tile) that I needed a project and could paint the second laundry room and kitchen any color I want. 
You are all my witnesses.  Any color I want. 

I'm thinking I should have gotten that in writing...

In preperation for the nasty dusty sheetrock mess we've emptied the kitchen, even putting the fridge into the dining room, and hung plastic.

When our house is finished, we're inviting you all over for a Hallelujah party.  See that pink counter?  It's next on my hit list.  Nasty thing.
All I wanted for my birthday is no Superbowl, chocolate fondue, and Mr. Popper's Penguins.

Check, check, and check.

And now that I think about it, this would go good with our kitchen remodel, don't you think?

Cali Turns 7

Cali.

Favorite color: Blue
Favorite food: Spaghetti
Best Friend: Anistyn
Favorite thing to do in school: Learn
Favorite thing to do: Play with my sisters.
Favorite movie: Mr. Popper's Penguins
What's something you want to learn how to do this year? Read better.
I made a master list of birthday activities for the circus to choose from for their parties.  All ranging with in the same budget, but bigger, or more expensive activities involved less friends, or family only, while cheaper or smaller activities where able to involve more friends.
Cali chose to go to Airborne, a trampoline arena.  She was able to invite 2 friends.
And in true Circus style, we took a lot of pictures, a few videos, and created quite the chaos which ended up being the time of our lives.  We jumped off the floor, the walls, played dodge ball, jumped off cliffs, tried our best to make it across the rope ladder (West failed, I conquered!), and did a lot of flipping in the air.  Even me :).