Since 2006...

I have no idea how to add a photo from my iPad to this post. I took a photo of a very important piece of my bathroom decor, where it has had a designated home on the mirror for almost SIX years. I hear it's popular to post motivational thoughts and quotes on your mirror that remind you of who your are or who you want to be.... But mine says, "We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup." That's right. Very motivational.

Wendy cut it out of a Real Simple magazine for me long, long ago.

All About Me - #4

The Fruits of Your Labor

Your children - Bug and Robot, 5 years apart in age

Your pets - Darla & Thor, the pups; Toby, the cat; and Bubbles, the fish no one cares about

You live in a - townhome

Your transportation - Toyota Snob

Your approximate income - I never expected to make what I make

Approximate number of hours you work each week - 40

Your watch - don't wear one

Your perfume - Mariah Carey, I think

Something important on your desk - pens

On your wall hangs - photos

Under your bed you hide - treats, usually chocolate

Something important on your night table - lotion

When you sleep, you wear - whatever I grab first

If you had a safe, you would keep - extra copies of Pride & Prejudice and emergency craft supplies

Things you like to buy - craft supplies

If you could afford it at this moment, you would buy - craft supplies

You collect - ideas

You don't have a lot of - ideas

Your strangest possession -squirrel bride and groom

Your most expensive possession - wedding ring

Your prized possession -photos

Material possessions are - for memories, not for wealth

If your house was burning down and you only had time to rescue 3 things they would be - other than people/animals, Christmas ornaments, scriptures, photo albums

whether or not....

Recently, we have been working extra hard with Abbi on her school work, especially her spelling tests.  We made a chart to fill in each week with her score and she picked her own reward for an 8, 9, or 10 on her test.  Since last Friday, we have all anxiously waited for the spelling test to come home to see if the extra study efforts paid off.  Last night, Abbi brought a spelling test home in her coat pocket and ...... it was a 10/10!!!

I made a huge deal out of it!  We celebrated all night.  First we stopped at Grandpa Hansen's office to show him.  He gave her a balloon and $2 and Abbi was a good sister and gave Noah $1 and even her balloon when he lost his outside.  Then we stopped at Wendy's and got kids' meals with chocolate milk!  Abbi ate her dinner all gone so she treated herself to a yummy dessert of a brownie and her frosty!  Then, after a little homework, we made a dragon out of paper and put in How to Train Your Dragon to celebrate the Chinese New Year, the year of the Dragon!

All three of us had such a fun night and the kids were so happy.  Abbi and I had a good visit too, after Noah went to bed.  I was so happy all night and I excitedly reported the evening to Jake via text.  This is the response I got.  "She totally buffaloed you.  That spelling test is Alana's."

Whether or not Abbi knew she was tricking me, we had such a good night together.  It's such a good feeling to have everyone happy at home.  Next time we celebrate, we'll save it for a night Jake is home, just in case he knows something I don't know.  :)

p.s.  My dad enjoyed one of the brownies too.  I told him it was a brownie with brown frosting.  He loved it.  It was actually a cream cheese frosting brownie.  Supposedly, he hates cream cheese.  :)

All About Me - #3

Favorites

A color you like to Wear - Green

Regardless of size or circumstance, an animal you would like to own at a pet - Penguin

A flower you would like to grow in your garden - Gerbera Daisies

Your Lucky Number - 13 or is it 17, I wish I knew

A smell that makes you pause - Jake's cologne

A taste that makes you melt - A juicy, perfectly cooked piece of seared chicken

A hobby that occupies your time - www.pinterest.com

A sport you enjoy watching - Basketball

A sport you enjoy playing - Hopscotch

A city you like to visit - New York

A country you like to explore - U.S.A. or Ireland

Your favorite meal - Chicken Critter Salad at Texas Roadhouse

A drink you often order - Diet Coke, hot chocolate, or a Shirley Temple

A game you like to play - Angry Birds or Telestrations

A book you strongly recommend - The Book of Mormon

An author who has affected you - Gerald Lund

The magazine you read most frequently - Real Simple

The newspaper you prefer to read on Sundays - The Standard Examiner

Music you prefer to listen to when you're alone - Andre Bocelli

The singer or band you listen to the most - Mormon Tabernacle Choir

The film you could watch over and over - Pride and Prejudice

An actress whose performance you admire - Kiera Knightly

An actor whose performance you admire - Cary Grant

A TV show you watch regularly - the Office

An artist whose work you highly respect - Simon Dewey

A view you would like to have from home - the temple

Your favorite time of day - The second I get home from work

What you most like to do on Sundays - Spend time at home

Your motto - When the time for action comes, the time for preparation has passed.

a few things

Toby and Bubbles made friends, until Bubbles left us.

Noah's odd yoga pose.  No one knows why or what was going on.

Jake pours the kids and I cereal every night so it's ready for breakfast.  The mixing bowl is mine.

I made this Valentine's banner with my new Silhouette.  I'm hooked on cutting stuff now.

Debut of the 2011 printed Paperless blog

Abbi and I devised a new way to practice reading.  The smile is only partly from reading.

My Life With Cheese

Tonight, for one million reasons, I found myself making macaroni and cheese for dinner.  This is a past time that I have experienced as many times as Mr. Rogers has zipped up his sweater.  But this time, it was different.  By Jake's recommendation, I was using a block of Velveeta as the star ingredient of tonight's meal.  I've never cooked with Velveeta, except the "Shells and Cheese," you know.  And unfortunately, the Shells and I had a less than amicable parting.  Nevertheless, I decided to give it a redeeming chance tonight.

I added milk and a ton of pepper but I just couldn't look past the "Velveeta" part of the macaroni.  I thought this was a way for us to get back on track, making dinner a cheesy delight for years to come.  I was fooled.  I fell bait the the "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me" routine.

The problem is that I'm getting a little nervous.  If anyone has known me longer than, let's say 24 months, you would know that my past is filled with countless meals of Kraft macaroni and cheese.  Over the years, I would take the road less traveled and eat store-brand or Western Family macaroni but it never stuck and I always came crawling back to the blue box.  I've even tried all of the Kraft variations because they know their target market grew up, and we have to pretend to eat like adults sometimes.  Here's the point:  I don't like it anymore.  It tastes like you've poured a fake cheese over, what used to be, good noodles.

I know, I know.... I haven't always been like this.  During a cruise in 2000, I turned away gourmet macaroni that I'd give my left lug nut for nowadays. For you long-term readers, you'd know that more than once, I've posted pictures of beautiful dishes of macaroni and cheese with a juicy piece of seared chicken laid over it.  I live for a nice, small bowl at Noodles and Co. 

I'm just facing a quandary.  Abbi loves macaroni but how do I make a quick meal for the kids if I just want to barf the product of my cooking?  How do I fill such a large gap in the staples of goodness I enjoy?  I'm so confused.

p.s.  I've recently taken quite an interest in cottage cheese.  Our relationship has had its ups and downs but we're on a full up-swing currently.  Jake's been begging me to quit the dairy...  But a nice cool dish of cottage cheese with season-all salt is a refreshing late night snack.

All About Me - #2

Historical

Mother - I call her Mom, sometimes Mommy

Birth - California in the 50's, can you imagine?

Father - Dad, BFR, Oxford

Birth - Idaho in the 40's, whoa

Siblings - #1 is 8 years older than me; #2 is 7 years older than me; #3 was in Kindergarten when I was born; #4 is 4 years older than me; #5 is 2 1/2 years older than me - that's the biggest age difference in our family :)

Maternal Grandparents - Betty was born in Minnesota and adopted and raised in South Dakota.  Bill was born in Riverdale, Utah 1923.  We went to the same elementary school.

Paternal Grandparents - LaVaun was raised on the Idaho side of Bear Lake while LaVarr was raised on the Utah side of Bear Lake

Famous or Notable Relative or Ancestor:  Martin Harris and Tom Thumb (aka: Charles Stratton)

All About Me - #1

Personal

Name - Joey, Jubb, Jubby, Jubbo, Roo

Address - Wherever my family is

Phone Number - I wish I had an old orange rotary phone and no cell phone

Today's Date - January 4, 2012

Place of Birth - St. Ben's (no such place anymore)

Date of Birth - I'm an October girl

Astrological Sign - Libra

Profession - Some days I'm not sure what it is, but I'm a job coach

Education - Roadrunner, Minuteman, Laker, Bruin, Wildcat, Aggie

Height - 5 ft. 1 in.

Hair Color - Generally brown

Eyes - Blue, the best kind of blue

Distinguishing Marks - This made me think of something funny

Blood Type - I don't know because I prefer it stay inside me

Allergies - I don't think any