Of hammers, fans, and furniture

On a scale of 1-10 describing the amount of work that was needed on our new home we originally thought we were moving into a 2 (not much at all). Carpet was new, walls looked freshly painted, roof was only a year old, yard is fenced. Of course the list started as soon as we moved in that pushed it to a 4 or 5, not things that made the house uninhabitable and not luxury improvements either....the master bathroom had no vent fan which made it smell damp and stinky all the time, there were flea and ant problems, trees and bushes needed trimming badly, the swingset was in need of some safety maintenance. It was a bunch of little things that added up.

Mom and Dad W were kind enough to drive up for a visit and assist with these repairs. I know it was a lot of hard work, but I can't help but think that Kirk and his dad enjoyed their time together making trips to Home Depot and Lowes, raking insulation and crawling in the attic so they could install a vent fan, putting together shelving to organize our garage and make it look awesome, and trim our unruly trees and bushes among a lot of other minor repairs.

Not to be outdone, Mom and I hit the furniture stores in search of a big boy bed for the boy before baby #2 arrives. It took some searching and finally a trip to KC's furniture superstore, but we found a great set that can be used for a long time.

And the new house, we're loving it!

Up

During Family Home Evening tonight we are discussing the Aaronic Priesthood. Bruce is struggling, we're making him sit with us and not get into the computer cords and breaker box...poor kid. Anyway, I ask him "Where does the authority for the Aaronic Priesthood come from?" His response, "Up." The boy is a genius. Not even two years old and he knows where it's at.

Now for a thought from our lesson...we were discussing the ministering of angels and what it means that the Aaronic Priesthood holds the keys of the ministering of angels. In additiona to a physical appearance of an angel, there is the unseen ministering of angels. Dallin H. Oaks ("The Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament,” Ensign, Nov 1998, 37) explained it quite well in this article. He explained that Aaronic Priesthood holders administer the ordinances of baptism and the sacrament. These allow us to be cleansed from our sins and have the Holy Ghost to be our constant companion. Anyway here's what he says and it is much clearer than any explanation I can give.

"In general, the blessings of spiritual companionship and communication are only available to those who are clean. As explained earlier, through the Aaronic Priesthood ordinances of baptism and the sacrament, we are cleansed of our sins and promised that if we keep our covenants we will always have His Spirit to be with us. I believe that promise not only refers to the Holy Ghost but also to the ministering of angels, for “angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ” (2 Ne. 32:3). So it is that those who hold the Aaronic Priesthood open the door for all Church members who worthily partake of the sacrament to enjoy the companionship of the Spirit of the Lord and the ministering of angels."

These are a few of his favorite things...

Diapers Anyone?

I apologize for not blogging this earlier to alert you, if interested, to a great diaper deal that Walgreen's was having. My guilt almost overcomes the deal high I am riding from buying 28 packs of diapers for $2.30 each! My plans for stocking up were almost foiled until I convinced Kirk to make a shopping trip for some. He came back to the car convinced, converted to the ways of good deals, and asked why weren't getting more. So I finished out our diaper deal week with another 8 packs. Today's activities consisted of counting, stacking, knocking over, and re-stacking in a corner in Bruce's room...sorry Bruce.

A Few Confessions

I have been scrolling through the many pages of this website lately. And when I say scrolling, I'll spend several unnecessary minutes reading page after page. I haven't actually made anything from it yet, but I'm fascinated to see that there are many typical meals that can be cooked in the Crock-Pot.

Yeah, just finished drinking a Carnation Instant Breakfast made with whole milk instead of my usual fat free. Not really a huge thing, but certainly not a normal thing around here. It all started yesterday when we ran out of our milk and I dipped into Bruce's whole milk for a Carnation. We got a half-gallon of fat free today at the store, but I talked myself into not using it so Kirk would be sure to have some for his breakfast. It think I want another one! lol

I say I don't want anything for holidays (birthdays, Christmas, Mother's Day, etc), but I totally love getting a little something that shows I was thought about. So yeah, got a special homemade gift from the hubby that really just topped off the day! And the Primary had these for the children to give their mothers. Awww, it was my first...sent me to tears, course I do that unexpectedly sometimes. The whole pregnant thing I think. Like when we were watching The Biggest Loser, I mean really? Crying?

Calling all Crock-Pot recipes

With the whole morning, really evening sickness I'm on the hunt for some yummy Crock-Pot recipes so we actually have quality dinners. So, whatcha got? Feel free to e-mail me!

So you suggest I wash my hands?

...that seems to be the thing I'm hearing over and over regarding this swine flu epidemic. My poor dry hands. And I expect to hear all of you singing "Happy Birthday" while you do so.

Positively....

...pregnant! I am 8 weeks along, due December 7, 2009. I looked up stork pictures and this guy from Vlasic showed up, lol.

"Give me the Edward look"

I bought these on a silly whim today. They taste terrible. I handed the box over Kirk and told him to give me the Edward look...

Five Guys

Burgers and Fries

We ate there Saturday. They have burgers and fries and peanuts to munch on while you wait for your food. The line flowed to the door the whole time we were eating there. Reminded me of the Chipotle lunch line in Columbia. While Kirk was in school we would often meet there for lunch. My order is always the same...burrito, rice, black beans, grilled chicken, guac, cheese, sour cream, and lettuce. Funny thing about those Chipotle burritos, Kirk seemed to insinuate that it was disgraceful if he couldn't finish it in one sitting...silly guy.

Oh, I have this annoying habit of being sensitive to smelling like a place we've eaten at. And yesterday I reeked of Five Guys. I forgot that I had to wear the same white cami to church on Sunday so it got doused in Heavenly (by Victoria's Secret..love it!). Back to memories of Columbia, Saturday during lunchtime you could always find us at El Maguey's splitting an order of steak or chicken (sometimes both steak and chicken) fajitas for $5. You couldn't beat the price or taste, but we sure smelled after that. We always wore something there we didn't want to wear for the rest of the day. What restaurant do you love to go to, but hate to smell like?