So Grateful . . .

Tonight while Little was saying her prayers she thanked Heavenly Father for the following:

" . . Grandma,

her uncles,

Josh,

Daniel,

skootles (skittles),

mommy and daddy,

her candy,

mimi and papa,

Dana,

mommy,

poppy pony

..... and skootles."

I'm not sure ... but I may have even left out one of the skootle shout outs.

It's so adorable to see how her little brain processes and evaluates relevant information and I am just grateful that I made her list (twice, woohoo!!).

{I am also grateful that I have passed down the fine appreciation of those fruit flavored confections...taste the rainbow!}

Tag. . .I'm it!

I've been tagged
Tagged...by Wendy

10 years ago I :
1:Was having the time of my life at Ricks college
2: Thought I was pretty grown up.
3: Considered my parents my best friends.
4: Was better at living in the present.
5:Had way better legs.

5 things on today's "to do" list:
1: Go to Wendy's
2: Figure out what to do with my life
3: Do about 65 loads of laundry
4:Figure out what is biting McCall in her room
5: Bug Bomb said problem to #4


5 snacks I enjoy:
1:Leftover dessert of any kind (just polished off the peach cheesecake that Wendy gave me...this should be the I heart Wendy blog!)
2:Uncrustable PB & J . . . don't judge me
3: Goldfish crackers
4: Easy cheese...I don't buy it anymore after I realized it only takes me like 4 minutes to drain that bugger.
5:Lunchables. I don't know...i have an addiction with processed food.

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1: Go to culinary school
2: get the ladies fixed
3: get the mom belly fixed
4: hire a trainer so I could fix the thighs and butt on my own
5: Travel the world for at least a year.

5 places I have lived:
1:Anaheim, CA
2:Okinawa, Japan,
3: Virginia Beach, VA
4: Slidell, LA
5:Ann Arbor, MI

Five jobs I have had:
1:Barista at the Palladium Coffee House in Slidell, LA
2: TeleSurveyer/Housewife aggrevator at Western Watts in Rexburg, ID
3: Barista at the Underground in Rexburg, ID (I think I was the only one who knew how to use an espresso machine in the whole city)
4: Pest Control Sales...door to door...Fort Worth, TX
5: Staffing Manager for OfficeTeam/Robert Half Int'l


I tag...
Whoever. . . does anyone read this blog-o-mine?...

Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person that tagged you know when you've answered the questions on your blog.

Just the right amount of cuteness . . .

Little, TaylorBug & BriBella

I exercise all copyrights on their collective cuteness and subscribe that they get it from me.

More pics from my birthday week . . .

A view from the top. . . Camelback Mountain... For all you haters who think Arizona isn't GORGEOUS...take a bite out of this!





Two fabulous and cute ladies and one super cheesy Deb . . . I tried/failed at doing the head snap to look adorable and nonchalant at the last moment...Koren managed it just fine and I missed the mark completely. Maybe by 30 I will perfect it and take a normal picture.

When I can't hang out with my favorite Sue in the universe I will take her husband, dad, brother and brother-in-law in exchange. It's almost the same...almost.

A side of Deb at 28 years 363 days old. I have my mouth open, yakking . . . is anyone surprised by this? It's not a great pic...but there are so few pics of me floating around these days (I think that happens when you become a mom...you are always the taker and not the takee?..) that I take what I can get.

Side note....an absolute treasure of a friend told me to make a list of things I am going to do before I am 30. . . which I guess is not too far away.... so I thought I would follow her advice and start the list now and add to it as I come up with it...

So far here are some things that I've thought of:

• A backpacking trip (I got left out as a child on all my parents trips into the Uintahs . . .)
• Take another dance class (Latin Ballroom or Swing)
• Yoga/Pilates . . . to help me lose 4% body fat (BTW, I WILL NOT publish your post if you argue with me on this. It needs to be done.)
• Take a parenting class (I think this will help me find inner peace as well if I am not constantly threatening my almost 3 year old . . . there are better ways to go about this...)
• Read through the Book of Mormon, start to finish. I know that I have done this throughout my life but I think it's about time to delve a little deeper.
• Go to the temple at least 1 time every month (Wohoo. . .I am on track already!!!)
• Join a running club. . . which will also help me accomplish . . .
• Run a marathon. Operative word, RUN . . . which means that inevitably I will have to train.

A moment of patience now= a lifetime of breakfast in bed . . .

Little has skills to pay the bills :)

Go Shorty . . .It's my Birthday . . .We're gonna party like it's my birthday. . .

This is how glorious the sky looked on my birthday . . . coincedence?. ..I think not!

So on my birthday (August 24th for you people who want to send me "Happy belated 29th . . ." cards :) ) we took a road trip to Payson . . . . . . . where the temperature was about 30 cooler than Phoenix. . . the drive was gorgeous . . .

. . .and we found a cute little lake where we sat on the cool grass and had a picnic, fed the ducks and geese and watched people fish.

This is Little running away from the hungry ducks. . .she wasn't scared of them-while she is running away she is actually screaming with delight. . .she happened to run out of bread and they advanced . . .and she didn't stick around to see if they were the friendly type!

A Little video . . .

More Little pics . . .

A new twist on a sad theme. . .

Little has been known to stop herself mid cry/tantrum/sadness to say " I need to wipe my tears . . .". This is followed by a quiet trip to a box of tissues to dab and wipe until she is satisfied the tears are gone.

Who does that?!

It's awesome & adorable and just goes to show she is a little dramatic like her ol mom.

So . . . recently she was throwing down a cry fest and noticed her little toy blowdryer on the floor and stopped the torrent of tears to announce "I need to blow dry my tears".

Awesome....and lucky that mommy always has the camera nearby...I was able to capture it for posterity.

Goodbye House. . . .

You finally sold on Monday...

Hopefully your new owners will take good care of you. . .

....and enjoy all of the fancy shmancy upgrades you have . . .

....and your beautiful drapes, curtains and other fine linens my talented mother in law and G-mother in law made for you. . .

....And the sponge painting we labored over for 2 days on 20 foot scaffolding (okay I was there...even if I wasn't a driving force...I HELPED!). . .

....and the gorgeous knotty alder doors Ryan installed to make you even more beautiful

...and the view of the mountains (hills). . .

....and the cute splash pool that Mccall peed in...I mean swam in. . .

...and the HUMONGOUS water spider that Wendy and her kiddos found jumping across the pool on one of our last days of ownership. . .

Good times......

http://www.topscottsdalevacationrentals.com/condos_detail.php?ref=13

http://www.obeo.com/Public/Viewer/Default.aspx?ID=331026

(PLEASE NOTE:I am afraid to save pics on my computer for fear of taking away any last chance of finding some of my old pics on there...so until that hope is gone I am only putting the link that shows the house).

I was feeling especially lazy and was thinking about running/exercising, etc. . . so instead I decided to see what I could find about my has been days as a former runner in high school. It was almost as fullfilling as logging some real miles...almost. I only found these two stories but at least it is something.
Wow, I think I broke a sweat.


BBBNorthshore sweeps 7-4A cross country meet
By Butch Badon / The News Banner / November 14, 1996Published on Monday, April 17, 2006 4:22 PM CDT

Northshore Panther cross country stars Nick Van Geffen and Debbie Hansen have two things in common - asthma and winning.Both won their respective races Wednesday at John Slidell Park in Slidell as Northshore High School swept the boys and girls titles in the District 7-4A Cross Country meet."I'm happy with the performances, they were excellent, excellent, excellent," said Panther Coach Pat Doyle. Doyle said the key was his 4th and 5th runners on both teams were winners. "My 4th and 5th runners beat their 4th and 5th runners, that was big," Doyle said.
= 1211432400) && (nAdsysTime
Nick Van Geffen of Northshre finished first overall in the boys three-mile run with a time of 15:37. Team mate Bill Price finished a close third with the time of 15:47. He was nosed out at the finish line by Jimmy Wiggins of St. Paul. Wiggins' time was 15:45.Van Geffen said he was not bothered by asthma at all Wednesday. "It was totally out of me, the weather was not cold and I went in with a positive attitude," he said.He said he was pushed by Price and that helped. "Bill and I push each other," Van Geffen said. Price said he was not satisfied with his performance. "You can never be satisfied until a win, but I am not unhappy with the overall results," Price said.Northshore placed first with 26 points, St. Paul second with 29 points and Hammond came in third with 79 points.Hansen's asthma problems this year have been bothersome, but not Wednesday. Hansen turned in a sparkling two-mile time of 12:46.She nosed out team mate Julie Schumacher, whose time was 12:57. Heidi Heidingsfelder of St. Scholastica finished third with a time of 13:08.Hansen also has had a knee injury for much of the year. However, Wednesday was her day. "I have not been happy with my times this year because of the asthma and knee, but today it wasn't cold. Today was a really good running day," Hansen said.Hansen also had some kind words for third-place finisher Heidingsfelder. "She didn't know the course too well and that accounts for her finish," Hansen said.Heidingsfelder and Hansen have beaten each other this year and a real battle was expected. It was shaping up that way as the two were neck-and-neck about 200 yards from the finish. But Heidysfelder ran out of gas and stopped momentarily and walked for about 40 yards.As she was passed by Schumacher, Heidingsfelder picked up the pace with a trot to the finish line."I have never run this course before and we arrived too late to get acquainted with it before the race. Along the backside I got off course and had to run to make up some ground," Heidysfelder said.Despite losing time to the course, Heidingsfelder's time was her best effort of the year. Though despondent, she is confident she will do much better at the state tournament.Northshore's team score was 27. St. Scholastica Academy finished second with 39 and Salmen finished third with 63 points.

Panthers set sights on state meet
Slidell Sentry-News / November 21, 1996
NATCHITOCHES - After sweeping the District 7-4A cross country meet, the Northshore Panthers will set their sights on state.Northshore's girls and boys team won the District 7-4A meet held at John Slidell Park last week.
Today, they'll be running on the campus of Northwestern State University in the 1996 State Farm/LHSAA Boys and Girls State Cross Country Championship Meet.The state meet gets underway at 10 a.m.Here's the schedule:10 a.m. - Division V (Class 1A) girls.10:30 a.m. - Division VI (Class B-C) girls.11:00 a.m. - Division V (Class 1A) boys.11:30 a.m. - Division VI (Class B-C) boys.12:00 noon - Division III (Class 3A) girls.12:30 p.m. - Division IV (Class 2A) girls.1 p.m. - Division III (Class 3A) boys.1:30 p.m. - Division IV (Class 2A) boys.2 p.m. - Division I (Class 5A) girls.2:30 p.m. - Division II (Class 4A) girls.3 p.m. - Division I (Class 5A) boys.3:30 p.m. - Division II (Class 4A) boys.Behind Nick Van Geffen and Bill Price, the Panthers won the boys district meet in a close finish over St. Paul's. The Panthers won by three points.Debbie Hansen and Julie Schumacher finished 1-2 in the girls District 7-4A meet to lead the Lady Panthers.The Slidell High boys finished second to Ponchatoula in the District 6-5A meet.Beau Veazey, J.J. Martinez and Jason Thomas will lead the Tigers' chances at state.Mathias Truempler, who set a new school record in the District 10-3A meet, will be Pearl River's best chance at state. Truempler turned in a 16:50 effort for the Rebels in the 10-3A meet.Amy Gill was the top Lady Rebel finisher.

i thank you God for most this amazing...
E.E. Cummings

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

. . . . Even when I have a bad week there is still MUCH to be grateful for . . . .

*** These pictures were some of the only "stock photos" left on my computer after I accidentally restored it's factory settings. ****

The Picky Eater. . .

The girl who will only eat chicken nuggets found a new food that she enjoys.... Edamame!! She enjoyed dinner at a Sushi joint (she is not sophisticated enough for the spicy tuna roll...just give it time...I will make her a fan yet!) but she LOVED the shrimp fried rice and the deliciously salted Soy beans.... MMMMMMmmmm! She is also pretty handy with the chop sticks. Maybe watching Kung Fu Panda so many times taught her something?

~~~ Dame Family Assembly ~~~

McCall ID, July 2008

Some of the highlights in photos from my camera phone

*** I love my Little Fish! ***

She has turned into such a little swimmer this summer. The only prob is that mom wants to sit poolside with a book (don't worry . . . I am paying close attention!!) and Little wants me to be in with her so she can play pretend with me.





I typically get to be "Mommy Ursala" and she is "Baby Mermaid" or "McCall Ariel Mermaid" and in her rendition I always have to take her "mermaid clothes" and we go back and forth taking them off and putting them back on. She also loves to rescue her "babies", which are typically floating leaves or flowers, and put them to bed.





Another favorite pool pretend is making food- her specialties being fried rice (which we made after swimming one day) and noodles (that obsession courtesy of Kung Fu Panda). It is adorable to see her playing pretend even when I get dragged into it. And of course I have passed the cannonball legacy down to her. One of these days she will figure out how to grab her knees and do it and not just scream "Cannonball"!





You will notice the knocked over cactus in the pics and video...that was courtesy of Monsoon 08 at our AZ house!

What a funny Little munchkin I have . . .

First, she picks out this dress to wear today and won't be persuaded to wear anything but this....pretty sassy for a Thursday, I must say.

Then she decides to wear these shoes and helps herself again. Wrong feet, wrong toes...how is that even comfortable....? Atta girl though...start a new trend.

Tonight she was asking me where she got her bum bum and I told her Heavenly Father and also mommy and daddy. That probably confused her. I am not prepared to answer a child intelligently.

The discussion progressed as I was trying to explain that her bum was special and for her only and that is why we call it part of our"privates" b/c we are n't supposed to show it to everyone (I know...that is the pot calling the kettle black... but I am a changed woman...no more mooning . . . post baby butt) . She then said"Like my boobies--- do you want to see them?".

I don't know how to get through to a 2 1/2 year old.

This is when the ol instruction manual would come in handy.

McCall got dressed down to watch Barney. Apparently in order to have the most viewing pleasure she needs to be sprawled out in the buff on Mommys bed, surrounded by carebears, eating popcorn.

This is the life.

I wish I was 2.

So.... as Little and I were unloading groceries from the car (okay . . . that isn't a true statement...I had about 8 bags and was screaming for McCall to get out of the car before everything defrosted...she wasn't exactly "helping") she told me that she wanted to watch Little Mermaid and eat popcorn. When we got into the house I told her that if she ate a hot dog she could do that... and I went out to get the next load. . . .

As I am cramming as many bags as possible on my arms Little comes walking out of the house pretty somberly. She comes up to me and says "I am afraid of the light". Hmmm, okay?..... "What?", I ask ...she says again "I am afraid of the light". I just assume that she was trying to go to the bathroom and had a hard time finding the switch (this is a weekly occurrence and is usually onset by a looming bedtime and stalling tactics), so I say "You are afraid of the dark?" She says "I am afraid of the blue light".

I figure she is jibber jabbering as two year olds do and continue in with my bags before I lose all circulation. Immediately as I step into the house I smell the smoke. I do a mental checklist of what it could be... (I don't iron..so that's not it, I don't curl my hair, so that's not it...what could it be?!) and as I get closer to the kitchen I realize that she has started the microwave... the same microwave that was housing the metal pan of delicious peanut butter brownies I was hiding from her. ARGH!!!!!!!

NOOOOOOooooOOOOOoooOOOOooooooooooo!!!!

So looking over the crime scene this is what I surmise: In the 1-3 minutes I was back and forth from the car she took a bag of popcorn, intent on helping herself since mommy was occupied and had set restrictions on her popcorn consumption.... climbed up on top of the counter, covered the length of the countertops, scooted across the stove and hit a few buttons on the microwave in her attempt to get it open (plus she really likes to hit buttons) ((I am assuming she couldn't get the door open as there was no bag of popcorn inside it)). I am also assuming the "blue light" to which she was referring was probably the fireball that happened right after the tin foil and metal pan interacted with the microwaves..... There is a 3 inch scorch mark across the back of the microwave and burn marks all over the pan and burn holes thru the foil.

The brownies are goners.

*sob*

Smoke damage.

Little....I am so glad you were not hurt in a microwave explosion...but did you have to kill the brownies?!!! I wonder what the insurance company would say if I filed a claim for them?... Don't worry....I did make her eat a hotdog and we had a little "discussion" about not climbing on the counters and playing with the microwave. I have to give her props though for being so independent. The girl wanted some popcorn.

The poor brownies...they never saw it coming.

***** R.I.P *****

Peanut Butter Brownies with hidden chocolate chip cookie deliciousness.

6/6/08-6/7/08

You will be missed (but not by my thighs and mom belly).

Another recipe email I sent out. . . BLONDIES . . . McCall thinks that they are named after her hair...we make Brownies a lot and I told her we were making blondies instead and she said "Like my hair". Fair enough.

Also a "Little" baking side note... those of you who witnessed can attest that it was adorable....I let Little help me bake and cook whenever it isn't too much of a hassle.....so last week up in McCall, ID the Dame sister-in-laws were in the kitchen and Cristi let my McCall help out with the cupcakes she was making. She handed me the eggs so that I could crack and Little could mix them and while I was cracking the first one Little decided to help out with two of them and cracked them both- one handed- no less!!! She got just a few egg shells in (probably the same amount I did on my first one handed attempt)...but she was eager to do it and try something new. Keeping your kids involved does make a difference and gets them excited about trying new things. Plus I am hoping I am grooming a little baker so that I have lots of baked goods in my future :)


BLONDIES WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS

Preheat over to 350. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan with butter.
Yield- 2 dozen bars
Start to finish: 4 mins prep, plus approx 20-30 mins baking time and 20 minutes cooling.

2 Sticks butter (1 cup)
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 large eggs
1 cup chocolate chips (I use milk choc....insert whatever floats your boat here...semi, toffee, peanut butter, cranberries and white chocolate....)
1 cup chopped pecans (optional..I opted out this time)

Melt the butter and pour in the brown sugar. Stir well. Add the baking powder, salt and vanilla, stirring until completely incorporated. Stir in the flour, again stirring until it is well mixed.
Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat them then add to batter and stir with a spoon until they are completely incorporated. Stir in choc chips.

Spread the batter in pan. It will be stiff and sticky. You may have to spread it to the edges ...but don't worry about getting it exactly even as the batter will spread as it bakes.
Bake until the top begins to get golder brown and the blondies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan...about 20-30 mins (It seems like mine took longer in the oven I used... so keep your eyes on them..I had to put mine back in). Do not overbake. COOL for at least 20 minutes. They will set up better. Cut into small squares and store in an airtight container or cover well with plastic wrap. These bars freeze well and improve in flavor after the first day.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO CARE. . . .(if you don't... I suggest not reading the following...if you do..I suggest not reading it as well).
Dietary info
Per blondie: 216 calories (41 % from fat), 10 g fat (6 g saturated), 38 mg cholesterol, 2 g protein, 31 g carbs, 1 g dietary fiber, 59 mg sodium.

Cheers to the Greatest Show on Earth!