Bumble Tumble

Jefferson's parents went out of town yesterday and asked us to spend the night and make sure all the kids got to school okay ("all the kids" more like "the two kids" haha). We brought a change of clothes and Kimber, thinking this would be fun.

It was Jefferson's first day of classes yesterday, not to mention a full day of work on top of that, so needless to say, he was ready for a nice long sleep. Somehow Kimber got it into her head that eleven o'clock at night was a good time to be hyper and noisy and want to play (and this was even after she was a butt the whole time I was trying to give her a walk on her leash. That little girl is so stubborn. She's more than happy to follow you around, but as soon as you snap a leash on her, she drags her feet and whines the whole way.).

By midnight, Jefferson decided maybe it would be a good idea to put her in her kennel. Emphasis on the maybe. She whined and scratched, whimpered and pawed, incessantly: up at 2, 2:30, 3:00, 4:00 am, all spent disciplining, trying to give the poor puppy a crash course in kennel training. She's stoopid sometimes...this was one of those times.

Well, when the alarm went off at 6 am, it woke up Kimber. She started to whimper, so I took a turn and ran her upstairs and outside to go potty.

Let me preface this next part by saying, I have never been stung by a bee in my entire lifetime. I remember once, in the fifth grade, I was on the monkey-bars during recess, hanging upside-down, and a bee flew up my shirt. I didn't so much as breathe for the next however long it was until my friends gave me the all clear. (Thinking retrospectively, it was my friends who told me there was a bee up my shirt in the first place...hmmmm....well, it just goes to show you how seriously I take my bees!)

As I turned around to go up the porch steps and back inside, I felt a prick on the bottom of my foot. The intial prick wasn't too bad, felt sort of like a splinter (have I ever mentioned my ridiculous fear of splinters? The last splinter I had, I was 16, and my dad had to sit on me while my mom extracted the nasty thing. I screamed the whole time. Yeah....no pain tolerance whatsoever.) Then the burning started. It felt like someone was holding a match to the bottom of my foot, times ten.

It also didn't help that I glanced down to see what I'd stepped on and in my contact-less and glesses-less state, saw a blurry black bug-looking thing crawling away. Spider? Scorpion? I had no idea. I hopped up the stairs back into the house and started yelling for Jefferson. At this point I was bawling (I honestly had no idea that bee stings hurt so much! That is until today.)

Oh, and did I forget to mention that Jefferson's Grandpa Harvey is a beekeeper? Jefferson used to work summers at his Grandpa's place in Montana, so he is very well versed in the art of aiding a bee stung individual.

 First he ran outside to see what I had stepped on (I guess "big black blurry bug-looking thingy" wan't discriptive enough. Go figure.) Turns out it was a bee. He then showed me the correct way to extricate a stinger. Did you know, if you pull out a stinger it actually releases more of the venom, which is what makes it burn and swell, into your system? The proper way to get out a stinger is to scratch at it. Suprisingly, scrathcning at a fresh bee sting didn't hurt as bad as it sounded. Then he sopped a paper towel in vinegar and had me dot it on my foot.

After all that, you'd better bet I was awake! I'm just suprised I didn't wake up the hole house with all of my hollering!

Jelly Doughnuts Gross Me Out

Calvin never said truer words. I don't know what it is about Calvin and Hobbes, but Calvin reminds me of different family members in almost every strip. Usually he's a brother, but today, he was totally Jefferson!

Oozing, pussing, slimy, blech. I have never liked Jelly Doughnuts.

That is, until I discovered the Hostess Raspberry-filled powdered doughnuts. (Well, if we want to get techinical, Jefferson discovered them. Yes, he reads my blog and subsequently corrects me if I tell it wrong.) There's no oozing, no guts spilling out the other end, no mouthful of slime. Actually, it looks like a normal powdered doughnut, but hidden inside is a ring of seedless raspberry filling. Yummy!

Well, usually yummy. But not today. And Jefferson made sure of that. It could've been he was a little miffed  because I accidentally dried and so therefore shrank a pair of his favorite jeans (okay the favorite pair of jeans) so they're now too short and too tight on him (but boy do they look fabulous on me!). It could've been the lack of sleep we've been having lately what with the new puppy needing to go potty every couple of hours.

But whatever the reason, this morning, during breakfast, as I was scarfing down my second doughnut, he thought it would be fun to describe bodily functions, and show me pictures online of oozing sores and the like. Gag, gag, and double gag. As Calvin's mom says, "My friends ask me how I stay thin."

Audrey and Me

Towards the end of my senior year, I decided it was time for a change. Something fresh and different from other girls my age. After watching the old Sabrina, I followed her example and took the cover to my mom.

"Mom, cut my hair like Audrey Hepburn," I said. A couple hours and a million snips of the scissors later and voila!

Ever since that fateful day, Audrey has become one of my many inspirations. She was not only an amazing actress, but an amazing woman as well. These are some of my favorite quotes of hers:



Thank you, Audrey, for being so good and making me want to be a better woman!

Bringing Home Puppy

"What time is it?" one of us would say.
"Puppy time" was the answer.

We picked up Kimber yesterday at about 4:30pm. She was the first of her litter to get picked up and as soon as the car started up, all eleven of her siblings' heads came up as if to say, "Hey, wait a minute!"

Because our Passat was kind enough to blow out a tire on Saturday, we were stuck driving the soft-top Jeep on the freeway. Conversations in that car go something like this:

"HTOHOIHDIHOSDFGIH...."
"WHAT?"
"I SAID HTOHOIHDIHOSDFGIH..."
"I STILL CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

Yeah....all the way there, and all the way home. Kimber and I have come to a group decision: we don't like riding in the Jeep. As soon as the car started up, she curled into me as far as she could go. She only whined a little, but her body was shaking and her tail was tucked in between her legs. Poor thing!

We didn't take her directly home at first, having been invited to dinner at Jefferson's parent's house. We had to put her in the bathroom for the meal and she whined and howled throughout the entire ordeal. After the dishes were done, we let her out and she came running at me with this big smile on her face and when I scooped her up she licked my face. So many kisses!

Then we took her to see my family, too. My mother died. She has this thing with animals: if they aren't dead or fake, they don't come into her house. We brought Kimber in and Mom grabbed an old pull-up from back when there were babies in her house and made me put it on the puppy. There was no way in you-know-the-place that she was letting "that dog" pee on her carpet. She did however, still kiss my cheek when we left, so I guess we're forgiven.

My cousin, Jewels, was in town with her sister-in-law and their babies. Jewelyn was the only person who had her camera handy (I swear, mine is always dead and I hardly use the darn thing!). She snapped some cute pics!



Mama's and their babies!




This is Charlie (Jewelyn's Siter-in-law's Baby). She's scared of puppies, but she was so brave
 and gave Kimber a good pet or two. She kept asking me
the cutest questions, like, "Does she eat peoples?" Darling!

The last stop before we took the puppy home, was to our old apartment to grab a couple more things to bring to the new one. While Jefferson loaded things up, I let Kimber down to go potty and then she dove for the shade under one of the bushes in the lawn. (Did I fail to mention that Jefferson's Jeep has no air conditioning? Poor puppy was panting and trying to find a breeze but still stay close and safe with me.) She immediatley fell asleep and stayed that way all the way home!

We got her into our new apartment and showed her her new bed and toys. She dove for the stuffed elephant and the bed. So cute! We started to train her a little ("Siiit. No Kimber. Siiiit. Good Girl.) and took her for a walk around the apartment building.

She already has such an attitude. She hates her leash and refuses to walk once it's clipped to her collar. So when I say "we took her for a walk" I mean "we dragged her around until she got the idea."

Around 9, 9:30, Kimber was out, sleeping in her bed, curled up and snoring soundly.

I've heard from every source imagineable that puppies whine and howl that first night, that they don't sleep for more than a couple of hours, etc. Well we must have done something right because Kimber slept til around 3:30 am. She started to whimper and Jefferson hurried and took her outside to potty. Whew, one more accident narrowly escaped.

After that, she was not happy sleeping in her bed. She crawled onto ours (my mother would die) and started to lick Jefferson's face and hair. After rubbing her tummy and giving her ears a sound scratching, she was totally content to sleep between our legs all snuggled up.

6:30 came and I jumped into the shower while Jefferson took her potty again. She really is so good about letting us know when she needs to go.

We had time before I had to go to work and so we introduced a new toy: the rope. Kimber was adorable! Jumping and chewing on it. Turning her back and then pouncing on it. We got quite a few laughs, especially when she got turned around and couldn't see the rope behind her. She started to whimper, then saw it out of the corner of her eye. She growled and jumped on it!

Jefferson didn't have to come into work until later, so he dropped me off at work, and then took Kimber with him to run a few errands.

It was so funny this morning, though, when we tried to walk her to the car. With the leash on, she would not take one step out the door. But as soon as the leash is off, call her name and start walking and she's more than happy to follow or stay to your side the entire time. She really is such a good little puppy....so far.

Anyone Know Where to Hire A Crane?

No seriously. I am about this close to taking a chain saw to that stupid booth! Every other piece fit except this one:

Each section of the booth comes in three parts: the base, the cushion,
and the back. We've gotten every peice except the
back to the section shaped like the one pictured.

and we've tried everything but sawing it in half, which is our "last resort" as Jefferson calls it, just in case we can't think of anything else. Nope...I got nothing.

We tried getting it through the front door. No dice and I've got the bruises to prove it.

So then, we decided maybe the other entrance would work better. What other entrance? The balcony, and we're on the third floor.

We hoisted that bad boy down four flights of stairs to ground level, then proceeded to take it to the back of the apartment complex. Jefferson has climbing ropes and cables so we attached a carabiner to the balcony above ours and proceeded to drop a rope to the ground and booth below.

We thought we had the rope wrapped around the booth in a secure fashion, but as soon as it got three inches off the ground, gravity came into play, and all the knots started slipping. Not to mention the fact that Jefferson doesn't weigh enough to pull it up alone, even with all his fancy climbing equipment.

So we're back at square one. I was the one who suggested sawing the D@#$! thing in half, but Jefferson is positive that there is another way to do this. Any suggestions?

More Puppy Paraphernalia

Jefferson and I have been trying really hard not to eat out excessively. Yeah...this week, what with the whole moving thing, that didn't work out so hot. Sam's Club has been our regular lunch hang-out, but today, Jefferson thought it would be fun to actually go on a date for lunch.

We went to Bajio's Mexican Grill, which is saying a lot because I love the place (their sweet pork on anything is divine!) and Jefferson doesn't (let's just say he had a "bad" experience) so for him to even suggest going there is a miracle! After ordering and eating (delicious) we still had half an hour.

"What do you want to do now?" love asked.
"Let's go shopping for puppy stuff!" I said.

We bought the following:

Of course she'll need somewhere to sleep,

so we picked her up a bed.

Jefferson says that puppies whine and

cry all night long that first night! Sadness! :(

Food is also one of those "duh" items,

but what I didn't know is that puppies have to have

special food, just like babies!

We got some chewy treats for her, too!

I can't wait to teach her some tricks!

Leash for walking. My plan is to walk her to the base of Y-mountain

every day until she's big enough to walk there

and then hike the Y! We are going to be so buff together!

Bones for her teeth, but no yard to bury them in. Sorry puppy!

I had never heard of these before, but maybe it will help us

not have oodles of messes! They have a special smell that the

puppy looks for when they need to go potty.

I wonder how many of these we'll have to go through

before she's trained!

Even though Golden Doodles don't shed, they still lose

 hair strand-by-strand like people do,

and, when they're about 4-6 mo old, they lose their baby fuzz,

so we thought a grooming brush would be appropriate.

Not to mention the fact that they have super curly hair that tangles!

Tearless shampoo for bathing. Did you know if you

let your dog outside (especially in the winter) when their coat

is still damp from the shower, they can get sick?

Just like people. (I know, I'm starting to sound silly,

 but it's my very first dog, so bear with me!)

Ear Cleaner. I had no idea dog's ears were so prone to infection.

Rope for fun tug-o-wars with daddy. (Wow...that was wierd to write!

Maybe next time I say that, there will actually be a baby attached to it!)

Tennis Balls. We got these colorful ones. So cute!

We also got a stuffed elephant toy for her.

 Jefferson's parents dog (who happens to have

the same name as my sister) loves stuffed animals.

Maybe Kimber will, too.

One thing we couldn't find was a good dog bowl.

We want a nice metal one with a good solid base, l

ike the one above, but KMart didn't have any so

we'll have to look somewhere else.

The other thing she has is a quilt I made. It's an I SPY quilt,

just meaning that it's all random squares with no rhyme or reason to it.

 It's not soft enough for a baby, but maybe the puppy will like it!

Yeah, we're pretty sure she's going to be the sweetest dog ever! Can't wait to bring her home! And then, soon after we get her all settled, we going to Montana to see Jefferson's Grandparents. It'll be Kimber's first road trip! Seeing as a 2 mo old puppy has to potty every 2 hours, this might be interesting. 

Whistle While You Work

For the past couple of days, I've been really stressing about life. What if this doesn't happen? What if this does? How am I going to deal with this? But towards the end of this week, things have started to turn around. My sister, Bonni, as well as my sweet husband have been especially helpful through all the madness.

Bonni is such a trooper. She has helped me clean my house (okay, okay, apartment) so many times. Well, yesterday, Jefferson took me over to our new apartment in Provo, to help walk him through what we want to put where, and boy! The guy who had the place before us, had two dogs and was a guy. 'Nuff said. The house was decent, but smelled horrid! It was also quite disparaging to look in the cupboards and closets and see mess. (Men never think to clean inside of thing as is evident by the state of their ears! *shudder*)

Today, before anymore boxes or furniture got moved over the weekend, I was determined to clean that apartment and spend some good hours scrubbing and mopping and scouring. (I mean there is nothing appetizing about dog hair stuck to the shelves and drawers of the fridge, is there?) Bonni needed to run to Walmart to get some groceries and she was willing to help me clean if I'd take her there.

Two hours later (the apartment can't be that big, can it really? 600 sq. ft.) and we could almost breathe. I sprayed all carpet with febreeze, (God bless whoever invented the stuff!) we mopped all the hard floors, and then, to top it all off, we plugged in a ScentSationals Warmer and dropped in a cube. It smelled so much better by the time we left, but, because I'd used up all my febreeze, I went and got another bottle and some aireffects, too. Maybe, if I hit it with enough chemicals, the stinky cat/dog smell will go away, You think?

Hello Cupcake

For those of you who don't know me super well, I'm a bit of a worry-wort. Yeah, that's right. And I'm not afraid to say it...

...however I am a bit worried that once the news spreads around people will start talking...okay not that bad, but I do worry and a lot. There's just been a lot on my plate right now, what with moving and buying a new car, not to mention owning a puppy in the very near future, and school starting and argh!

My sweet husband, seeing my frustration and at the same time knowing that I have a notorious sweet tooth (since I'm confessing, I might as well own up to all my other faults, too)...

...he decided I needed a worry intervention and the best way to counteract worries? I mean, besides ice cream? Cupcakes! And the best place to get cupcakes that just so happens to be conveniently located less than two blocks away from work?

The Sweet Tooth Fairy, of course! Love and I have been there maybe twice since we got married. The first time we went, we ordered half a dozen cupcakes....yeah, that was a bad idea. We ate three cupcakes apiece in less than twelve hours. I could feel the pumping of my heart slowing with all the sugar and calories, but for the flavor, it was totally worth it!

After that first fateful day, we've restrained ourselves and only been once more but I already know my favorite cupcake is the Strawberry Shortcake. mmmmmm! Yummy!

A vanilla cupcake with strawberry frosting and a chocolate-dipped strawberry on top! Zowie! They are so good (Seriously, how can you not be drooling just thinking about it? I know I am!)!

Well, Jefferson came back from his break today and brought me my very own cupcake. Now not only do I have the sweetest husband, but I'm having a pretty sweet day, too.

The Booth

No not this one...though I wish.

More like this:

After our Garage Sale the other day, we had close to $200 dollars burning a hole in our pockets. Jefferson had seen a booth very similar to the one above at a nearby thrift store and he wanted it so bad. (What can I say? I'm a sucker for the puppy-dog face!) It was for $80.00, which I had to agree was a total steal, and it would give us so much space to seat our family and friends. (I have eight siblings plus parents, and Jefferson has four siblings plus parents. We've previously only had a loveseat and a kitchen table that had four chairs. We've had our families over all at once maybe three times, because honestly, there's no place to seat everybody!)

I was convinced that it would be a cool edition to our new Provo apartment, but after we'd purchased it, I was starting to rethink that whole idea: the thing is a beast to move around! Jefferson will tell you it's not that bad, and it's true that the thing breaks down into several more manageable parts, but still! There was one piece that we could not, try what we could, fit through the door. It'll have to be modified to fit, for sure! Then there's the extra four foot section that we thought we'd need but ended up as extra once we got it all set up! Now we just have to find a spot to put it in our new place!

Garage Sale Sillyness

I don't know why we had so much crap cluttering our apartment. Going through it all and trying to decide what to keep and what to sell was much easier than I thought it would be. After a year of having a lot of this stuff, I'm surprised at how unattached I am to a lot of it. I even put my wedding dress up for sale on ksl.com. (I mean, I don't really see the point of hauling around a dress that I wore once and will never fit into again just to have my daughters tell me they would never wear it in a million years, when I can sell it now and actually get some mula out of it! Besides, the pictures hold more value to me anyway.)

But the funny part? I had to practically twist my husband's arm to have him get rid of anything! I mean, I'm selling my wedding dress for pete's sake, and he won't let go of a fishing pole! I never knew my sweetie was such a pack-rat! Oh well.

The garage sale was a pretty good success, oh, .... yeah, except for the part where I put 6am as the starting time on the online ad. My parents said they got up at six to start getting things ready and there were already people there! As soon as my brother got the garage door open, strangers started rifling through the shelves, saying, "Is this for sale? How about this?" Ahh! Get out! Yeah...I still haven't lived that one down. Oops.

Then there was my silly husband. I asked him to make us a sign to post on Springville Main Street. We had borrowed the company van for the weekend to help us get our stuff to my parents for the garage sale. Jefferson used a big box and a lot of duck tape and we wound up with the biggest, and most ghetto sign on Springville Main: Sharpie on cardboard, duck-taped down the broadside of an 18-seater van!

While he was off doing that, I was sitting with my mom and sisters, manning the sale, when here comes Dad and boy did he have a bone to pick with me. "Why aren't you having kids yet? You've been married a year. It's your responsibility to multiply and replenish the earth. If you're old enough to get married, you're old enough to have children." Ahh! And with no husband to back me up, my excuses fell on deaf ears, but I mean, seriously? One minute, all my parents (in-laws included) are getting on my tail about school. Now it's all about the grandbabies. Can you see how I'm getting mixed messages here? I want to finish school and get a degree, not to mention help Jefferson finish his schooling, before we start a family because do you know how hard it'll be to do that after the babies? I thought my parents, who put my dad through school for twenty years or so, would understand. Sheesh. Remind me to go with my husband next time!

After we'd made about $200 at the sale and things started to slow down, Jefferson and I, along with my sister and her boyfriend, took the remaining things to DI. When we went home much later that night (we went furniture shopping and then, after spending an hour or so trying to haul our new booth-more on that later-into our home, we took all the kids to the Resevoire in Spanish Fork and then out to ice cream) our house actually looked bigger and the stack of boxes full of things we're keeping in the corner looked so small. Again I ask, why did we have all that crap in the first place?

8/8, 8:08 AM, 8lbs 8oz, & Eighteen Already

Mandy,

Remember when we were little and we'd play games when we were supposed to be napping? We'd find a spare pair of pants and put them over our heads, pretending our hair was as long as Rapunzel's. We'd take our blankies and stuff a corner in our pants, and prance around like My Little Pony's. We'd play don't touch the ground tag and run around on top of all the furniture.

Remember when me, you, and Bonni all got Rapunzel Barbie Dolls? You decided it would be more fun to play hair dresser and so you took a pair of scissors to your dolls scalp and then, when that turned out terrible, you convinced Bonni to let you try on hers. I kept mine perfect for a while, and then , one day, I got back from school and my doll had met the same fate as all the others and by your hand.

Remember when we had long tangled brown hair, dirty cheeks, and bare feet? How we used to laugh all night long? When staying up til midnight was so cool? When we would go to stake dances together? When we'd help each other do our make-up and hair?

Things have changed a lot since those days, but one thing hasn't changed: You're still the best sister a girl could ask for. I love you, sis!

Happy Eighteenth Birthday to my sweet little sister!

Mr & Mrs Smith

Introducing Camille:

Gorgeous, sweet, adorable, fun-loving, Camille and I have been BCF's (best cousin's forever) for as long as I can remember.

Every summer, my family travels to Missouri to see Granny and Grandad. We've always stopped and stayed a week or so with Camille and her family. We'd stay up late watching Taken, and Aunt Elaine's favorite, The Count of Monte Cristo. We'd go swimming almost daily, shopping at least once, and not get a full night's sleep for the entire week!

Today, Camille became Mrs BJ Smith. Jefferson and I got to go to their sealing in the Salt Lake Temple and what a sweet day it was for the both of them! I wish them the best in life and that they will always cherish each other. Congratulations Cousin!

Puppy Pandemonium

Remember how I said our new apartment is pet friendly? Tiny, but pet friendly? Jefferson and I were thinking of getting a puppy. Okay...that's a lie. We thought of getting a puppy and actually went and got one. We decided on a Golden Doodle. Never heard of the breed? Take a Standard Poodle and a Golden Retriever and you get:

We really liked them because they're smart and don't shed like a Standard Poodle, but they're sweet like a Golden Retriever! We found a batch of twelve golden doodle puppies nearby and went and took a look at them today. We decided on a little girl one. We've already named her Kimber, and on the drive home I wrote down a grocery list of all the things we need for her.

The part I'm most excited about? Having someone to come home to everyday, someone who's excited to see me, wants to go outside and not sit in and watch TV all night long. Jefferson will be in school this next semester (my plans for school this semester kind of fell through, so I have to wait til winter) and he'll be schooling til 9 o'clock at night or so. What does that leave me to do for four hours when I'm home alone? Well, aside from keeping the house spotless, sewing like a banshee, and having friends/family over, we'll now have a dog who needs to go out and exercise! There'll be no excuse for me to blow up like a blimp (which sadly is what happened this past winter).

And the best part? We're keeping it a secret. Our parents know we want to get a dog, they just don't know we already got one. Jefferson and I kinda want to keep it that way, too, at least for a little while, that way we don't have to deal with the lectures and all the trying to talk us out of it.

All in all, we're really excited to bring Kimber home and add her to our little family!

We're Moooo-ving

After having lived at our current residence for a year and then some, Jefferson and I decided this month that moving closer to work and school would be a good idea.

It was only reinforced in our minds by our landlord. More and more lately, he'll come and knock on the door, stick his head in, and then complain about the dishes in the sink, or the conditions of the bathroom.

Listen, bub. I'm at work nine hours a day. When I get home, all I want to do is cook something quick and go to bed. I'm sorry I'm not a little old lady who has nothing better to do than pick up after her husband, clean house and darn, but I'm a working woman, so back off!

He told us just the other day that we're the worst tenants they've ever had in terms of cleanliness. I wanted to smack him upside the head! As long as we're not damaging your property, the state of our home is none of your concern! Grrr!

After house hunting for a week or so, Jefferson and I decided on Lookout Pointe Apartments in Provo. Pet friendly and with a pool, we were more than happy to sign the lease on that bad boy and inform our current landlords that we're outta there!

That night, we went home and started sorting through all of our junk (we actually titled the spare room the "junk" room because that's all that's in it!) and we're thinking of having a yard sale soon!