Cat in the Box

So, new beds have been in the house approximately 24 hours. We have discussed the no jumping or wrestling on the top bunk as well as being careful on the stairs. I however neglected to lay down possibly the most important rule...DO NOT put the CAT in the drawers!! No matter how perfectly he may seem to fit this is not the place for him.

Miss Sadie sheepishly posing for the camera as I am about to open the drawer expecting the cat to hop out and scurry into the other room. Well no such luck there, I opened the drawer and there was no cat. I asked if this was the drawer she put him in, she said yes. We opened all the drawers, no cat. I asked Mya if she was sure Sadie really put the cat in the drawer. She assured me that it actually did happen. And then I heard it, Mr Figaro started to whine.

When the drawers are closed there is plenty of room for a little kitty to jump out the back and hang out in a nice little cave underneath the drawers. So now the puzzle began, how do I get the cat out. I fiddled with the drawers trying to find a release to get the drawer off of its glider. No luck. I tried to see if I could tip or shift the bed at all to let him slip out. Ha! Yeah right! So here I sit chuckling to myself because really it's too funny to be mad at them. My next idea was to get his bird toy he likes to chase and try to lure him back into the drawer and then out. Not a chance.  Well at this point I had tried to call Cody to see if he could instruct me on how to take the drawer out, but he was driving a rig and couldn't answer his phone. Mya was near tears thinking Figaro was stuck forever! I assured her that he wasn't and I had decided to call and see if my Dad would come over on his lunch hour and help me free the cat. (My dad works about 5 minutes from our new house) I was just praying that the little Figs wouldn't mess in there where I had no hope of getting it cleaned up.

Then it dawned on me, lunch meat!! Cody had caught a ferrel cat in his trap before he left using lunch meat. This is another story entirely, but none the less it served as inspiration. I grabbed some meat and put it in the bottom drawer and waited to hear his little paws inside. The first time I put the meat in just a little too far and he jumped back out before I could open the drawer enough.

The second time however I dangled the meat right at the very front and we were successful and relieved to have him free.

I'm at War!

My house has been invaded! Invaded by sneaky, nasty, buzzing, bug eyed, house flies! They are everywhere and it is driving me absolutely insane! I'm pretty sure these sneaky little beasts concealed themselves in their eggs on the pretty little wild flowers that my sweet little ladies picked for me the other day. Then once they arrived inside they launched a full scale invasion. There has to have been close to 100 over the past 4 days. I happened to have some of those awesome and totally decorative yellow, sticky fly strips left over from the fruit fly invasion of 2011. So I am looking delightfully upper class with them hanging in my downstairs window and near my kitchen.  They have served me well and are covered with fatalities. I went to 3 different stores looking for fly swatter...Target, Walmart and a dollar store.  They all failed me. In hind sight I probably should have gone to IFA or Cal Ranch first. I have been forced to be creative in my weapon choice. I started with the ikea catalog which was fine but to bulky. Then I discovered a fine piece of mail that was just the right weight and it has been fantastic.
I feel like after a few days the battle is finally swinging in my direction. There is something about their presence that makes me feel so yucky. I have almost emptied a Costco size Clorox wipes tub wiping down all the surfaces in my house multiple times a day. It has also forced me to become utterly OCD about having no dishes in my sink, I keep my daily cup of ice water safely hidden in my fridge to protect it from the little nasty beasts.
I'm also convinced that sleeping with flies in your house is an ancient form of torture. The noise, their landing on you, so disgusting! I felt terrible the other night, when Sadie was fussing in her bed because the flies kept landing on her nose. (This was after hours of swatting) I managed to get the 3 culprits out of the room and close the door and that made it a better night.
Sorry if you are disgusted and never want to come near my house again. The battle continues and I will be the victor!

Post Script~ Allred's Ace Hardware wins the gold star for having a wide array of swatters to choose from.

Just some randoms...

• Cody has been home for a week now and we have loved every minute that we've had to spend with our daddy! The girls were so thrilled to see him, especially Mya. It was just in the nick of time too because she had gone into an utter molt the morning he was on his way here. He walked in the door and with some snuggle time he made it all better.




• Sadie is slowly getting over the binki distress. We had some struggles, lots more vomit than I would like to have seen and a pitiful little face looking up at me. We tried moving her bed into Mya's room but that wasn't the answer. She would fall asleep if I lay on the floor next to her but that was a habit I didn't want to establish and then have to break. We had one night that we let her spend a large amount of time in time out screaming at us. In a fit of rage that night she figured out that she could swing her stubby little leg up over the edge and escape! We are seeing progress though! She still protests but with a routine and leaving her door cracked she is more willing. We will get there, I'm encouraged.




• Cody and I had a little mini 3 day vacation at a cabin in Heber the beginning of this week. It was a beautiful place! We both commented to each other when we first arrived at how quiet it was. It felt like I needed to turn on the TV for background noise. We were really old and went to bed early every night and I slept late every morning. Pure luxury for me. We sampled the local breakfast joints and decided that The Hub has the best scones and that Chicks has THE biggest pancakes I have ever seen! I'm talking dinner plate size and 2 inches thick! We ate at our favorite BBQ joint in Park City. Cody was a good sport and let me wander around all the fun shops. I love when we can just talk and enjoy each others company. I love my honey!




• We spent last Saturday at Cody's favorite fishing pond up in PG. It was a gorgeous day, and of course I was a neglectful mamma and forgot sunscreen. The result was some very pink faces, arms and for Mya some impressive flip flop lines. The girls had a great time. Daddy has indoctrinated them and they jump at any chance to fish. We only have one princess fishing pole and monitoring the sharing of said pole is a full time job for mommy. They are great helpers; always willing to help reel in the catch. Papa even convinced Sadie to kiss the fish, nasty.




• We are building a house. It is exciting, overwhelming and terrifying to me all at once. It is moving along; they started framing this week. I haven't said much because I don't want to be the braggy blogger. Any way, I had to laugh at Mya, I took her to see it the other day and she was so excited about our new house and the 'digger' that was parked in the lot next to us. I asked her if she wanted to move to our new house when it was ready and she told me she did. Then a couple minutes later she teared up a little, looked at me and asked if we would bring her Max and blanket with us. I assured her that we most definitely would be bringing them with us along with all our other things. That made her feel much better, but she keeps checking with me to make sure we are taking things with us like her DVDs, toys, our books, etc.




• So there you go. Just a little peek into our silly lives. I'm sure I will have some fun pics of Easter weekend.

Irrational Fears

So my sister in-laws and I have had long conversations about the irrational fears that live inside our heads. What they are, why on earth we have them swimming around in there and why are they so strong are many of the topics we address. As we talk about them we laugh because we know how utterly ridiculous they are but at the same time we all are terrified of them happening.

Here are a few of mine...

The Garbage Disposal... great invention, I wouldn't want to be without it but I am pretty sure that if I ever have to reach down inside of it to retrieve something I'm sure it will turn on and shred whatever digit or appendage happens to be in it's way. In fact I have only recently mustered the courage to actually reach inside with my hand instead of getting my tweezers or tongs.


Cyclists... I really don't love driving by them. Because in my warped little mind I'm sure that they will choose that one moment in time to tip over and land right underneath my car. I know that this is super morbid but it terrifies me.

Railroad tracks... I don't like to stop in my car on the railroad tracks. Because that bullet train we have running around is sure to appear out of nowhere and I won't be able to get off the tracks in time. I realize that if there were a train actually coming toward me I would probably be able to see it coming and have time to move/evacuate my vehicle. Hence my title, Irrational Fears.

Cody thinks it's hilarious to mess with me, when we had his manual truck he would make a game out of seeing if he could get it to roll up and stop right at the top and then rock back and forth. All the while watching me squirm in the passenger seat.

Deep Water... I always get the creepy feeling that there is some giant fish or shark or other beast swimming just beneath me. Especially at lake Powell, I can't think about how deep the water is beneath me because then I have to kick really hard and fast to get all the 'beasties' away from me. As if that would really do anything if there was a giant sea creature about to grab my leg.

Heights... to be more specific holding a child near the edge of a high ledge or next to a balcony. For example, carrying one of my littles up to the top of a water slide, you know all that see through stairway and fencing. I am sure that I am going to trip and drop them, or get bumped or they will ask to see over and then... well you know. Talk about hold on for dear life.

Isn't it amazing the power of our minds?

Corporate Challenge Take 2

Team 1-800-FLOODED

Cody was recruited this year by his old co-workers, in the restoration biz, to compete in the Kids on the Move and UVU sponsered Corporate Challenge. AKA field day for big kids. It is a wonderful day of competition that benefits a great cause. Click here for a recap of last years performance. This year they did not dissapoint. For the first time in the history of the games a team repeated an overall victory! They also took first place in the golf competition and the tug of war which was their goal.


Brenda, Chelsea and Wendy (cute ladies from our neighborhood) were there competing with their co-workers as well. It was fun to have a few other people to cheer for.

Way to go daddy! We love you!

Happy Easter from the Hospital

This is what happens when you give each area in the hospital a styrofoam egg with the challenge to decorate it to represent their area. Labor and Delivery presents 'Bertha'

NICU - Pump for your Peeps!
They won the grand prize!

Medical / Surgical

O.R.

Cardiac

Happy Easter from all us medical nerds.

What would you do?

So, while browsing the Internet earlier today I happened across the Disney blog that was posing the question, "If you could work at Disneyland what would you want to do?" I was intrigued by the answers people had. Many wanted to be Princesses, more than a few wanted to be Jungle Cruise guides (which kind of surprised me), many others said they would do just about anything to be a part of the Disney Magic. These responses took me back to my younger days when I really thought that was something I wanted to do... Study abroad Disney...yep I checked into it. I would have LOVED to be any of the Princesses; Cinderella, Belle, Sleeping Beauty. It would be so much fun to see the joy on the kids faces when they met who to them was the real Princess.

So here is my question for all my blog passers-by, I don't care if you normally aren't a comment leaver. Now is the time...I want to know what your dream job at Disneyland is.

What would you love to do.

Here are some of mine....

~Princess, yep still would love that.

~ I would love to be the cute old lady that gets to play the Fairy Godmother! (Maybe I can retire and do that)

~I'm sure there has to be some official first aide person.

~Haunted Mansion worker, probably mostly for the costumes

~Tour guide; I would love to know all the random Disney facts like the members only club is the only place in Disneyland with 2-ply toilet paper.

~ photographer

Love! Love! Love!

The aversion I have to shopping for swimwear for myself has not hindered my weird obsession with swimwear for my girls. Everything is darling on a little girl, even a little chub so why not flaunt it during swim season.

I am currently head over heels for these adorably vintage swimsuits from Janie and Jack.

Can I justify the price? Not really sure, but I can still adore them.

Reflection

Reason's I'm in a love/hate relationship with these books.

Well, any series of books for that matter.

~ I can't put them down. It's book 'crack' I tell you! They are always in the back of my mind. I keep wondering when I will be able to take my next 'hit', hoping the girls will sleep just a little longer than usual so I can read just a few more pages.

~I am far less productive than I should be. My spare time becomes reading time.

~ I get way too attached to the characters. I find myself rooting for their success and even shed the occasional tear.

~I am a hopeless romantic, pretty much I'm instantly sucked into those plot lines and want to know who will choose whom, will they get together, what does their future hold. Yes, I am kind of pitiful.

~I couldn't wait to get to the last book to find out how everything was going to turn out. But then, the closer I got to the end I couldn't stand the thought of it being over. I felt kind of empty the day after I finished, had to go through my 'withdrawal'.

I'm on the search for my next fix so if any of you have any suggestions let me know.

I am not a runner...

But, this amazing lady is!

And I am so proud of her, she ran her first 1/2 marathon today. She has been working so hard and has been absolutely dedicated to her goal. I am amazed by her, I really can't even begin to think about running that far / long. It kinda makes me cringe. It does however inspire me to make myself better, which is the first step.

Aunt Kimmy we love you!! We are so proud of you and wish we could have been there in the warm Texas sun to cheer you on!

Just some randomness

We had our first real fun snowfall the other day, the bigger the flakes the happier I seem to feel. Mya was so cute she asked "I uh touch it mom?" So we ventured out onto the balcony so she could feel the snow. After a few minutes she was ready to come back inside because it was cold! She then wanted to know when we could build a snowman. I'm sure it will be sooner than I would like.

Nibble Nibble like a Mouse

I was grocery shopping today and apparently Mya got a little bored.

I discovered her gnawing away at the spaghetti box and boy was she chapped when I took it away. I don't know whether she was starving, curious, or just bored. The cashier's face when he picked the box up to scan it... priceless!

Notice any similarities?

Just thought we'd share some of Mya's hair star potential.

Exciting isn't it!

I love these curls, even when they get a mind of their own.

Kindness

Today I had an experience that reminded me that there are so many people that surround us every day that are such good kind people. Since we were gone most of last week at a family reunion and were in dire need of groceries, I decided to check out the new Winco Foods in Orem. It is a huge store, slightly overwhelming, but that isn't the point of my story. I have found that when shopping I like to have Mya buckled in and contained, heaven forbid I drive one of those carts with a car or extra seat on it... I'm just not ready to go there yet. So this leaves the dilemma of where to put little Sadie lady. Ta Da! My front pack! I'm sure I'm a sight but it works for me. So I'm getting checked out and start to bag my groceries (Winco apparently doesn't have baggers), and Sadie starts to fuss since it's getting close to lunch time. Well the sweetest lady, who was next to me in line swoops in with her daughters and informs me that they are going to bag all my groceries for me and then proceeded to do so. I thanked her over and over and we parted ways. The girls and I get to our car and pop the trunk and who do you think is parked 2 cars down... that sweet lady and her girls who notice me again, come over and unload all my groceries into my car and take my cart to return it. It was the nicest thing ever! It wasn't like it was a hard thing, I've managed to do grocery runs before without any big deal. I was so touched that this lady would go out of her way to help a total stranger. It definitely taught me a lesson about loving my neighbors and being a little more outgoing and helping those around me. Thank you again to my sweet Winco friend, you made my day.

Jeam On, Pease?!

For Fathers day Mommy and I bought Daddy a CD with songs from Glee. We think it is a funny show and like to listen to the music and I like to shake it while we watch the show or listen to the music in the car. This new CD has a great song on it that I call 'Jeam On!' and I really like it a lot, it's by some guys called Aerosmith. I ask mom to play it again and again. She always makes me say please and sometimes that really bugs me. But, she won't play it unless I do, even if I cry and throw a fit. If you click on the picture of the Glee people you can listen to 'Jeam On' too.

Field Day for Big Boys

5th Annual KOTM & UVU Corporate Sports Challenge a Success

"OREM, Utah - The fifth annual Kids on the Move and Utah Valley University Athletics Corporate Sports Challenge took place Friday, May 21, at UVU and it was a big success as a number of local businesses helped both Kids on the Move and UVU Athletics raise much needed money.
This year, the sports challenge was able to raise more funds than ever before. The money raised will go towards Kids on the Move as well as provide a number of athletic scholarships at UVU.
The teams competed in ten different sports; tug-of-war, dodge ball, quarterback challenge, soccer cup, basketball, home run derby, golf chipping, Frisbee golf, canoe crossing, and the eliminator relay.

This year's champion was 1-800 Flooded, as they edged out Provo Land Title by two points."

Seriously! How fun does this event sound?! And to have it count as a work day made it even better for Cody and the rest of the champion 1-800 FLOODED team. They made a very good showing this year; thanks to a full day of practice that his super competitive boss set up a week before. As well as winning overall, they took first place in the Golf Chipping competition (all their business meeting done on the links helped with that I'm sure), Cody was proud to report he belted 2 'home runs', and they took 2nd place in multiple other events including the Tug of war. In the tug of war it came down to our boys VS the team from Action Target, who was anchored by one of the biggest guys I have seen in a long time. He pretty much just stood there and then when he was ready he walked back a few steps and bowled over the other teams. Our guys gave them a good fight and after a few minutes of neither team moving the other teams on the side lines, sick of the big guy winning, rushed to our side and finally moved the big guy!
Congratulations Sweetie! Your girls are very proud of the hardware you brought home.
If you want to see more pictures from the days events click this, and go to the photo gallery.

Shakers

What do you do when you inherit 47 sets of Salt and Pepper Shakers that document the travels of your great grandmother? You blog about them of course!

About 8 years ago before my great grandma was moved out of her home she packed up all these little treasures and sent them home with me. Until about a month ago they made their home in a corner of my parent's basement. But, a remodeling project brought them once again to me. I had completely forgotten how many there were and how entertaining there were to look at.

Good old Smokey the Bear, I'm guessing you came from Yellowstone.

I wish I knew how old this set from Disneyland was. It looks like it came from Main street U.S.A, the other shaker has a policeman that looks like he stepped out of Mary Poppins. Love them!

I bet this was a fun trip Grandma!

I'm not sure where this little set came from but I thought they were hilarious and thought about how it would probably not be considered acceptable to sell this set today.

Cody thought these rustic sets were great and made me promise to save them just in case we ever have a cabin.

Viva Las Vegas!!

Don't these kind of remind you of Cinderella or some other cartoon?

Windmills and Pigs from Holland?!

Not a combination I expected.

I saw this set and thought, "Wow, I didn't know Grandma had been to England!?" But, then I took a closer look and discovered... Just kidding they're from Lake Havasu.

There were multiple sets from British Columbia and New England where she served a service mission for the church as a nanny/secretary for President Boyd K. Packer and his family.

Many a set were truly delights from the 60's - 70's sporting some great orange, yellow, brown and green.

I have no idea what I'm going to do with them or where they will end up but I can't bear to part with them. So for now they have been documented, wrapped and put back in a box and are moving to a little corner of my garage. I love and miss you grandma! Thanks for sharing your memories!