{Crazy Buzy}

The past six weeks or so have included such crazy buzy things as...

Youth conference. 

Photoshoots

Birthdays.

Runaway Wives Club.

Remodeling projects.

And just when I thought we were finally getting our routine down, a new church calling was extended to me.  Relief Society Secretary.  Nothing too huge, just big enough to require a super cute new church bag.  

From the super highway to the toilet...

Arriving at St. Marks hospital 2nd floor surgical waiting room last Wednesday morning, we found the room packed with people and dad and sister #6 (his chauffer for the day) sitting not in some remote corner like I would have been, but right in the middle of all the action... the superhighway. Also known as the direct path between two major hallways of the hospital. We asked dad why he chose these bank of chairs from all the chairs in the waiting room to sit us in for the next few days. His response? "Why not?" Some people you just don't argue with!

This is where we sat all day Wednesday and then again on Thursday morning before I left to come home, and again on Friday morning after I had returned (I enjoyed driving four hours home, visiting the family for six emotional hours, then driving four hours back in the middle of the night with a different sibling than I brought home. Who wouldn't?).

I tried to work on a project... reading a book... but as luck would have it... my sisters brought hand sewing and it's quite simple to sit and talk while you do hand sewing. Not so easy to sit and talk while you read a book. Thus, I didn't get much reading done. I knew I should have taken my laptop. I could have digi-scrapped and talked at the same time! But NO... I didn't put that much thought into things. Not even on the second trip back when I knew for sure I wouldn't get much reading done did I think about bringing my laptop. Of coarse, I left approximately five minutes after deciding to leave, so that could have had something to do with it.

Sister #6 got a lot of embroidering done on her blocks she is making for what will one day be a beautiful quilt. She became quite popular, too, as perfect strangers would stop and admire her work. At one point, we were downstairs in the cafeteria area when a hospital worker asked "how's the quilt coming?" Have you ever had someone ask "how's the book coming?"

By Friday afternoon, mom was finally released from the ICU and we gathered our belongings and made the trek to the third floor and waited for mom to come. I arrived to see sister #5 (the one I brought with me on the second trip) deep in conversation with someone who I just assumed she knew from somewhere. I asked her later who it was and she replied with something along the lines of "I don't know. We were just comparing sewing projects." What is it with the sewing, already??? Does nobody care which book I'm not reading? It's a really good one, too! I think. I'm only on page four.

We finally got mom into a room... it was small... very small... so small that we made sister #6 sit in the bathroom to do her sewing. The toilet made a good thread holder anyway. It was sure a lot quieter than being on the superhighway. I even got to read a few pages of my book.
By the way, mom will be home tomorrow. She has a long ride home to Idaho, though, so I hope she can handle it. I'm also on page 104 of my book now... but then I get more reading done here at home than at the hospital anyway.

Password password, what is the password?

For Christmas, my middle child got one of those cute little password diaries. She has fought with it non-stop since then trying to set the date and the time and even the password. She has no speech problems at all, yet this thing would never say anything but "Oops, begin again" in this recorded voice that mysteriously sounds just like Cat Deeley from "So you think you can dance" fame. I heard it so many times, I was ready to toss the toy, despite the wonderful accent.

Well, she thought about it for a few minutes and decided maybe she'd just copy the Cat Deeley Australian accent.

Guess what?

It worked.

Who'd a thunk?

A little bit of this, and a little bit of that...

Without anything profound to blog about, instead, I am stuck blogging mindlessly today. So here goes!


The fish that my neighbor gave me died within 24 hours. We were all sad, especially Monkey girl who had named the biggest one Gregory. I had to pick up a new heater for the tank, so while in the pet department, GM and I also picked up a couple of fish. Nothing exciting, just an algae eater and some funky little shrimp.

The cat found them all rather boring as did GM. Nothing like looking across the room at the fish tank to see... nothing.

Well, Tuesday, it was colder than an old whores heart here, just above 20 below zero... not too bad really. Needless to say, school was cancelled. So we used the time after GM came home from work to go to the pet store and pick up a couple more fish. A severe shortage of calico nightmares around here found us coming home with this snazzy little calico goldfish the kids promptly named Googles... after the search engine and his oogly googly eyes. It's quite an entertaining little creature that swims for it's life pretty much non stop, because when it stops, it floats to the top of the tank. I don't know how it stays so fat.

We also got a silver molly named Ice and a red molly that Ishee named... ajacajacal. No B's... apparently I say it just as wrong as I spell it. Duly noted!

But that was not all. GM decided we also needed a bigger fish tank in which to display our new pets. Not to mention that if we want MORE fish, we would need a bigger tank anyhow. He's always had a secret thing for fish, as have I, so I didn't argue when he picked out a nice bowfront 28 gallon fish tank. I spent a good hour yesterday moving the other fish tank onto the kitchen counter and setting up the new tank in it's place in the living room which just annoys the whale out of the cat as she can't see the fish from the floor and her mean owner refuses to let her climb on the kitchen counter. Poor puddy pat.


In other news... my inlaws have reached a point in their house when all that is left is inside finish work! Yippee kie aye! Finish work is to be done by all of us. Yippee kie aye!

They have a giant, loud, and very warm heater in their house, since the furnace is not actually installed, and in case you already forgot, it has been in the below zero digits around here. It is well insulated, though and this large heater keeps it nice and warm.




(looking in to the master bathroom/closet from the bedroom)
The tub has been installed and they hired GM's cousin Jake to come and do the tile in the showers, so that's one less thing we have to help with. They are however, tiling the floors of all three bathrooms and roughly 800 square feet in the kitchen/laundry area, plus the backsplash.

The cabinet maker has yet to show his face and my inlaws seem confident that despite the miles of cabinets they will require in their kitchen, he can have them built in a few short days. I keep telling them they know more than one cabinet maker (including my most excellent cabinet maker brother in law), but they have confidence in this guy they talked to on the phone one day.

Thus, we are left with only two things to do... work on the siding outside (it's too cold) and ... paint. And guess who they hired and are paying with very much un-needed experience? Me.


Turns out I'm the ONLY person in the family that has held a real paint roller in my hands.
My father in law bought $1500 worth of cream colored paint (to be painted on every wall and ceiling throughout, including the garage), and a boat load of rollers... one for each of us, including four year old niece girl next door.

I just hope we don't kill each other before this whole process is completed and I hope it doesn't take too long as I do have a life that does not include their house... hard to believe, isn't it?


The week also includes lunch at the Olive Garden, really bad Wii bowling scores, a not so great parent teacher conference visit and a much better than last time parent teacher conference visit. But that's another post for another day. Peace out, people!

One two, buckle my shoe...

1. My GM has been cranky as of late. I know why. He has to do something he really doesn't want to do but has to anyway. I'd be cranky too. If he wasn't cranky, I'd be shocked about it. One of my "resolutions" this year was to not let his crankiness get the best of me. So far I'm doing really well with that. In return, it is helping him be less cranky than he normally gets when he has to do this sort of thing that is making him cranky in the first place! Got it?

I hope I can keep this up... go me!

2. I'm usually pretty good at remembering things in my head, but sometimes, I just forget. Especially when I have too many things going on at once. Thus, I rely heavily on a calendar to help keep myself organized and help me remember what I did on what day, etc. Usually, my husbands company sends out some handy 8 1/2 x 11 desk calendars, and this year they didn't do it, so I went out and found myself a nifty little book called Mom's family desk planner. Naturally, the next day, GM's company finally sent out the big desk calendars, so now I have two. One I keep in my desk, one I keep in my purse.

That's apparently not enough.

Yesterday I had a hair appointment, and if it hadn't been for GM, who called to remind me of it, which also makes me think he had obvious hair issues with me since he doesn't normally remember anything, I would have forgotten about it all together.

This is so not like me. He asked me what my problem was? I'll tell you what it is! In addition to needing a much needed vacation, every year my local newspaper sends out a calendar that is perfect for hanging on the fridge next to the phone, so I can glance at it all day long and the kids and the husband can look at it and see what's going on as well. This year... if they sent one out, I totally missed it! Without it, despite having two others at my fingertips, I'm completely LOST!

I have now remedied that situation by printing out a very cute calendar from the Executive Homemaker. Here's hoping I never almost forget another appointment!

This Padawan has much to learn...

Due to some unfortunate circumstances, I have made the decision to become a "born again blogger." I'm simply, in an attempt to ease my frustration with some personal issues, "starting over". My archives are still available to read as they remain a personal journal to me, they have just been simply moved to a different location. If you feel you have a valid reason for viewing my archives, please let me know and we will discuss and I will pass on the link to you.

At this time, I have included no links to my favorite daily doses of the outside world... other blogs. If you would like to be linked to me, just let me know and I will gladly add you. If you prefer not to be linked to me, that is fine as well. I will still read your blog and comment to you anyway, and I invite you to comment as often as you like (me like comments, makes me feel all sorts of special).

With that being said, I feel that re-introductions of me and the purpose of this blog need to be made.

Originally, I created this blog as a place to showcase my jewelry. As much as my bank account wishes it would, my jewelry does not and cannot consume my life so it was placed on the back burner while I slowly opened my life up to the world. It can now be found next door at Butterfly Daydreams, flickr, or etsy.

Up until a few short months ago, I was receiving very few hits a day. I feel so blessed in these past few weeks to have found such wonderful new friends. The blogging world is filled with a tremendous amount of people and what a pleasure it is for me to be part of it.

I am... the one in charge. I am a (mostly remote) control freak. I am a tad OCD. I am a bit neurotic and I can be a bit of a backseat driver. I have a very thin skin and can be offended easily while being quick to offend in return. I am trying a little harder to be a little better every.single.day.

I am a proud Mormon, but I am also not a very good example of one. I am FAR from perfect. Please do not base your opinions of Mormons on what you read in my blog. Things written here are my opinion only and do not in any way, shape or form, represent the opinion of any one in my family or any of my friends unless otherwise stated as such.

I am a part time jewelry maker. I love to cruise etsy and eBay. I enjoy reading blogs and checking the weather. I can even be found on facebook. I don't like to cook. I don't enjoy cleaning. I do however, enjoy organizing things and redecorating my home. I still have yet to perfect either of those talents and doubt I ever will, which is why I keep having to reorganize and redecorate every few months. I wish I was a web designer, or graphics designer, but so far my talents seem to fit better with designing my own simple headers.

I am married to my best friend and the love of my life, the hot blonde guy, the "golfer man" and GM. He enjoys a good round of golf, ESPN news, World of Warcraft and home remodeling slash repair slash building projects, but only if they were his idea first. He prefers not to be referred to as "DH" because the "D" can have more than one title you know! Forgive me, GM, if I slip at times. Old habits are hard to break!

Together we live in our humble home in the northwestern United States nestled quite comfortably, and generally crazily between my husbands sister and family, and his parents who are building a house next door that currently consumes a big chunk of our time and energy. We have 1 1/2 dogs that I do not enjoy, and Cali-Foosa-Calico Pig-the cat, who is like one of our children and is generally well represented in my blogging, as well as various other critters who hang around our rural homestead.

We also have three real live children to keep us insane, I mean, entertained.


The scouter boy-Boot-Bootie-Booter-Booter Bob is also known as my almost perfect 13 year old son. Part of me thinks he is only behaving in an almost perfect manner out of guilt over the cost of his one day to be perfect smile. Part of me also realizes he is a teenage boy and they tend to lose their heads at some point and are unable to find them until their 20's, so I cherish every moment with him while I still have his head in tact.

The monkey girl-drama queen-tween-Air-bear-squirrel girl is also known as my 11 year old daughter. She is an avid writer who hopes to one day grow up and be an author. Not a journalist like her aunt K. An author. She's obsessed with monkeys and drama queen is an understatement when it comes to her. I chalk it up to her age and kinardly wait until she is a real teen with real issues. I may have to move out.

The Ishee-Ish-meister is my attached at the hip partner in crime seven year old daughter. A crime is never committed in this household without her being involved in some way, shape, or form. Her and her invisible friend "It wasn't me." She has numerous phobias... the dentist not being one of them, including but not limited to yellow cups, buttons, denim, and at times, shoelaces. She loves school and begs me every day to come with her just to "hang out, and maybe eat lunch with me." She recently decided she wants to change the spelling of her name to include "eye" at the end instead of just "ee", as "ee" is just too boring and everybody spells it with a "Y" anyway so she is simply saving them the trouble, and it might as well be extra unique... just like her. I am unable to convince her that it would also change the overall sound of her name. Her obstinate little personality will not let her think otherwise.

It is the Ish-meister who must take credit for the official title of this blog... abjacabjacal. It is her nonsense word that she uses when she can't think of anything better to say. It is an adjective, a noun, and a verb, perhaps even a four letter word ... depending on the moment. Kind of like me... and this blog.

I am blessed to be part of a huge family. I have ten older brothers and sisters (nine still living), and countless nieces and nephews, and great nieces and nephews who live all over the country, many of whom are just the cutest thing since sliced bread and sometimes I just have to brag on them because of it.

I love each and every one of them and am so proud to be able to call them my family. My husbands family, which consists of his parents, one sister, her giant husband and quirky daughter and a couple of hard to figure out grandparents, has welcomed me in to their lives and treats me like I have been a part of it from the day I was born. Sometimes that is difficult for me to accept that, okay, a lot of times that is difficult for me, but deep down, I wouldn't have it any other way!

I also count a huge majority of my friends as my extended family, for they are the best friends a person could ask for, and a great support. I am proud to share this blog with all of my readers, and I hope you enjoy it, even when it's boring and blah, because it is guaranteed to be as such most of the time... which is why my own GM doesn't read it.