trying to stay positive

Last night (at 8:15) I went into the laundry room to put in a load of laundry (because I realized I didn't have any clean underwear to wear anymore) and discovered water on the floor.

My first thought: "DAD AND STEVEN FIXED MY ROOF AND IT HASN'T BEEN RAINING, HOW IS THE ROOF LEAKING?!?!"

My second thought: "Oh crap, it's the water heater."

Turns out my second thought was correct.  As I inspected the water heater I noticed little trails of water running down (in multiple places) from the top of the heater down to the floor.  Anna-Lisa (roomie) had put a towel down earlier when she had been doing laundry, but it was completely saturated and not doing any good.

So.  After getting a few more towels out of the closet I called Mom because Mom and Dad had to replace their water heater a couple weekends ago and I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to things like this (THIS IS WHY I NEED A BOYFRIEND/HUSBAND!)  Dad was still at the church doing his Bishop thing, but Mom said she would text him to have him come over when he was down to take a look at it.  Meanwhile I dug out the paperwork on my home warranty, praying and crossing my fingers that the stupid thing covers water heaters.  Dad came over, took a look and said, "Yep.  It's leaking.  You can turn the water off here, but then you'll have no water pressure or hot water."

Awesome.

He said he'd help me replace it, but I called the 800 number on my warranty policy and put in a service request.  Gonna cost me $60 just to have someone come out and look at it and probably tell me the same thing Dad did.  But hopefully they can get it replaced.  The poor thing is probably 20 years old and it's a miracle nothing has happened before now.  I'm trying to stay positive and praying the plumber calls me soon so we can get everything fixed...

80 dollars

I went shopping today with Mom and Julia.  I needed some new pants and skirts for work and church because the few I have are starting to be too big on me.  We went to Stein Mart first because Mom had a coupon for 50% off their clearance items.  Then we went to Goodwill because it was 50% day.  For $80 I got...

...a new purse for my trip this summer (small, strap over the chest, with zippered compartments)
...2 skirts
...6 pairs of pants (one of which is purple jeans.  Purple jeans!)
...and 6 shirts

I'm pretty happy with my purchases.  I hardly ever find anything in my size that I like at Goodwill, but the majority of what I got today came from there.  The purple jeans, purse, and one of the tops (a silver cami) were from Stein Mart.

After we were done, we dropped Julia back off at the house because Esther had texted her, asking if she would be able to watch the kiddos this evening and she needed to be home for them to come over.  Mom and I went grocery shopping and I picked up items to try out a new salmon recipe from a new cook book that Mom got me earlier in the week.

I've only looked through the thing and tried out one recipe so far, but I really like it.  The recipes are super easy, with minimal ingredients and very low calorie!  Tonight I made the "Crazy Pineapple Terriyaki Salmon." I didn't do the math right and didn't multiply the sauce ingredients correctly, so the fish was a little dry.  But it was still eatable and good.  I roasted some red potatoes in the oven with olive oil and sea salt, and Mom cooked some fresh green beans that we got on sale at the store.  The potatoes and green beans were super yummy!

mormon funnies

pink elephant party

My family decided to do something different this year for Valentine's Day.  We don't normally celebrate this holiday as a family, but we're trying something new this year when it comes to planning holiday parties/activities.  Julia volunteered to be in charge of planning our Valentine's Day celebration.  We had a Pink Elephant Party.

When I think of pink elephants, two things come to mind.

#1. That crazy and slightly terrifying drunk dream sequence from Dumbo.

#2. The Care Bear Cousin elephant, Lots-A-Heart that I had when I was a kid.

Our party didn't include either of these pink elephants.  Ours was a white elephant gift exchange (turned pink because of the holiday) with some rules.  The gift had to be either pink, white, red, or have hearts on it or be chocolate.  It was really fun!

Julia did a great job decorating!

Aunt Fishy is home from school in Utah for the weekend!

Megan is having a hard time right now with stranger anxiety.  She was nervous and grumpy around us all last night.  This is the rare picture I was able to take where she's almost smiling.

As we were waiting for everyone to arrive the follow conversation took place, after which Mom told me that I need to always be wired so I can then come home after every family get together and transcribe everything that's said in our crazy convos...

Mom: Does he need to go to the potty? (pointing at John)

J.R.: No.

Mom: He looks like he's dancing.

J.R.: He's walking on the tile lines.  Obviously none of you have been a three year old boy. (laughing)

Steven: He looked like he was doing the poop dance.

Cheryl: The poop dance? (laughing)

Dad: The party hasn't even started yet and we're talking about poop.

J.R.: Grandma started it.

Mom: Well...I did ask if John needed to go, so I guess I did start it.

Steven: What?  Grandma's doing the poop dance?

Dad: The poop dash?!

Cheryl: Grandma's doing the poop dash!

Everyone: laughing

Everyone's pink elephant gifts! 

Barbara went first and got a pink stuffed monkey and heart fruit snacks!  She was really happy and excited.  Papa photobombed her picture.  LOL

Papa opened a pink aluminum wallet!  But Faith ended up stealing up.  

Julia got drinking glasses and some red V8 Splash juice and some Ghirardelli chocolate. 

I ended up with a "Design Your Own Wooden Heart Chest" hit.  Super cool.  Kristen got some strawberries and fruit dip (after stealing them from JR).  Steven got a Valentine's Day mug and a sock monkey.  After Faith stole his wallet, Dad got an M&M Valentine's book and Sweethearts math book (with a bag of M&Ms and a box of sweethearts).  Esther got some Godiva chocolate bars and some bath bombs.  Mom got a color and design Disney Princess mailbox.  John got a red Valentine's Day teddy bear.  

After J.R.'s strawberries and fruit dip got stolen, he opened the last gift.  It was three matchbox VW Things, and one of Dad's old practice chanters!  It was the gift of the night!

As he opened it, the conversation went like this:

Mom: (to Dad) You did not follow the rules!
Dad: It's chocolate colored.  (pointing to the chanter)
J.R.: Is there a reed?
Dad: Yeah, it's rolled up in that paper towel.
J.R.: Do you lick it?  (proceeds to lick it)
Dad: All the Scottsmen lick it.  Might not be a good idea...
Steven: They keep it under their kilts.
Cheryl: That's what's under the kilts?!
J.R.: (after a few unsuccessful attempts at making the chanter chant) (in a Mexian accent) Uhg...this is the worst chanter I ever had...
Everyone: laughing


After we were done with our pink elephant exchange, we celebrated John's birthday which is in a couple days.  Can't believe he's already three!!  Esther brought rice krispie treats with M&Ms in it as his birthday cake.  Faith drew a train engine on it with blue frosting.  It was cute!

As John was opening his presents he kept saying, "Another one!  Another one!  Another one!" 

Grandma made John and Barbara both a Care Bear pillow and pillow case.  So cute!

After all the gifts were opened we had a dessert pot luck: brownies, gluten free cookies, cupcakes, muddy buddies, popcorn, and miscellaneous candy.  

Julia trying out her new drinking glasses.  "It's a neck cooler downer and I can talk to people while I drink!" 

John trying out the chanter.

Steven and Kristen left, since baby was still having a hard time being around everyone.  Julia put in a Charlie Brown Valentine DVD for Barbara and John and the rest of us watched this movie:

Kind of cheesy, but really cute.  It was a fun night.  I hope we do a pink elephant party again next year!!

they say

They say that day three is always the hardest when you're trying to break or start a habit.  They lie.  It's week six that's the hardest.  Good gravy, this week kicked. My.  Butt!  But, I did it.  I met my workout goal of going 4 times this week, and I was under my calorie goal every day!  I'm exhausted and hungry, but my pants are falling off!!

i want

I want to feel confident about the way I look.
I want to be comfortable sitting in an airplane seat.
I want to be able to wrap a regular sized towel around me and have it go all the way around.
I want to not constantly feel the need to wear layers in order to hide my body.
I want to feel worthy of love and attention.
I want to travel the world.
I want to not have to stress about money every single day.
I want to be kissed.
I want to not have to battle my addiction/obsession with food.
I want someone else to help me make the tough decisions of life.
I want a more comfortable bed.
I want to not have a pool in my backyard that is a major pain in the butt.
I want to not be afraid to finish writing my book.
I want to not be ruled by my scale anymore.

i'm happy

Those are words I haven't been able to say in awhile.  But I really am.  Even though nothing has really changed in my life and there are still things I wish were different, I'm happy.

And that's a really good thing.

in a pickle

I taught today in Relief Society.  It's not my normal week, but they are in the process of calling a new teacher and needed someone to fill in today.  I taught chapter 3 from the Lorenzo Snow manual that we are using today.  It was a really great lesson on becoming converted to the gospel and making sure we are continuing to remain converted by study, faith, and the continual seeking of spiritual strength and testimony.  At the very end of the lesson Pres. Snow said this,

"I will [present a] figure in regard to bringing about and getting this spirit in us, and digging deep that we in the time of storm, may not be driven off.  Place a cucumber in a barrel of vinegar and there is but little effect produced upon it in the first hour, nor in the first 12 hours.  Examine it and you will find that the effect produced is merely upon the rind, for it requires a longer time to pickle it.  A person's being baptized into this church has an effect upon him, but not the effect to pickle him immediately.  It does not establish the law of right and of duty in him during the first 12 or 24 hours, he must remain in the church, like the cucumber in the vinegar, until he becomes saturated with the right spirit, until he becomes pickled in 'Mormonism,' in the law of God, we have got to have those things incorporated in our system."

I really liked this analogy and it immediately made me think of the General Conference talk that Elder Bednar gave a few years ago about this same thing: how pickles can be related to us in our conversion to the gospel. So, I decided to print out a copy of Elder Bednar's talk, "Ye Must Be Born Again" for everyone and I made a little handout of the above quote from Pres. Snow, but I wanted to do something else.  On a whim I Googled "pickle treat" to see what would come up.  Thinking, and hoping, there would be a recipe of some sort that I could try and make something for everyone to try.  What I found, however, was pretty awesome.

PICKLE CANDY CANES!!

WHO KNEW?!?!

I knew I had to buy them as soon as I saw them.  I quickly ordered several boxes and paid extra to have them over-nighted to me, to make sure they got here in time.  They came on Friday afternoon and everyone thought they were so awesome!  I told the girls it was totally up to them whether or not they wanted to eat them, or just keep them as a reminder to "be a pickle."  Several girls tried them right away.  I still have not worked up the nerve to give one a try.  It makes me gag, actually, to think of eating one.  But they were definitely a hit and I think the lesson went pretty well.

It's always interesting to me to see where my lesson ends up.  It never goes exactly how I plan for it to go.  I rarely get through all the material that I prepare and often end up on some other line of questions and topics that I wasn't ready for.  Afterwards, everyone always tells me I did a good job, but I can't take the credit because I didn't prepare what we talked about.  It wasn't me.  It was all thanks to the Spirit.

national pancake day

In honor of National Pancake Day....

Gluten-free pancakes with raspberries.  Yum!!

allergies

I hate them.

4 pounds

I stepped on the scale this morning and was down 4 pounds since yesterday!  I'm not sure if it was a fluke, or my scale was just playing an early April Fool's Day joke on me, but since it was Fast Sunday today and I hadn't eaten anything since my sweet potato and broccoli for dinner last night at 5, I'm not counting it.  I don't think it's accurate.  My official weigh-in day is tomorrow, so fingers crossed that the scale still says I lost those four pounds because then I can count it!  :)

month in review

In January I...

...joined Curves and did 11 workouts
...tried 5 new recipes
...started going back to institute
...stayed for Break the Fast for the first time
...willingly ordered salmon at a restaurant and really liked it!
...read 17 books toward my goal of 200
...tried greek yogurt for the first time
...gave up pop/soda
...lost 10 pounds!