Disneyland

I have decided that I want to go to Disneyland for our 2nd anniversary in December. I don't know if it will happen but I am going to see what I can do to try and make it happen. Does anyone have any thoughts on where to get the best prices? I used Get-Away-Today for our Honeymoon and a friend in San Diego said his best experience is with Costco. I don't want to spend a lot of money so I really don't know if I can make this happen or not. I thought I would blog and see if anyone had any ideas...also, we don't drive so we will be flying, if we go.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince NEW Trailer

Hat Give Away

I mentioned this site before but want to again...my friend Darci creates the most adorable hats. She makes them for babies all the way up to...well I bet adults. She is so creative and does each one herself. I can't believe how talented she is. Now she is going to be giving away 3 free hats! Check out her blog and her Etsy store. Just think, Christmas is coming up. What a fun and unique gift or stocking stuffer for your daughters and nieces. There are some really cute boy ones on the blog too. I know that if I didn't have so much hair I seriously would wear this hat all the time. (My hair would probably make it pop up and look dorky!) But seriously, they are so cute!!!

Quackers

For those of you that don't know, there is a pond on our property. Some mornings there are probably 500+ Canadian Geese out there and other days, nothing. It is pretty funny. We do have some ducks that like to hang out too. Last week I went out on the porch said something to Rick who was inside and from around the corner of the other building tons of ducks came walking over. Just to the sound of my voice. Saturday we were cleaning out our cupboards and getting rid of dead bread. We went out on our porch and saw two off in the distance. Rick decided to do his duck call. Low and behold, they were hiding just around the corner of the other building. They all came running. Yep, that was my excitement for Saturday!

Bunnies

I was looking through my photos from my old cpu when I found this photo... I miss Maddy's bunnies. They were cute. Glad they didn't live with me!

New Addiction

I have a new addiction

LDS TECH

Come find me on there... MicheleNell

A Tag I Stole Cause I Needed Something to Blog About

I am. . .Me Shel Sea Shel and bored at work
I think. . . way more than I should
I know. . . not as much as I would like to know
I want. . . summer to last forever
I have. . . the tireds and maybe even the hungries
I miss. . . going to the pool everyday
I fear. . . not much at the moment
I hear. . . 2 different meetings going on, including one with a guy who's voice grates on me worse that nails on a chalk board
I smell . . .the remnant of the stinky guy at work...why did he have to come to my desk?
I crave . . . not sure at the moment but you don't worry, when I figure it out I will eat it!
I cry . . . everyday
I search. . . for things to look at online
I wonder. . . why does it have to get so dang cold?!?
I regret. . . nothing!
I wish. . . I had a house not just an apartment
I love. . . that dood that comes home to my place every night. He is pretty cool.
I care. . . about my family & friends
I always. . . have to go to the bathroom
I worry. . .probably not enough but when I do, you had better watch out cause I stress
I am not. . . skinny
I remember. . . getting ready for Cancun at this time last year
I believe. . . in God
I sing. . . whenever I feel like it
I don't always. . . do a good job at listening to my friends
I argue. . . and often get a kick out of it
I write. . . on my blog
I win. . . you can't finish this statement without using improper grammar
I lose. . . most everything
I listen. . . to music ALL the time
I don't understand. . .why you would want Obama as president
I can usually be found. . . on a computer
I need. . .more time in the day to do my own things
I forget. . . everything
I am happy. . . period!

My Niece Katie

I asked Rissa to take a few photos of me with Katie since I really don't have any. These are what I got from here, no editing here. I think Marissa has a future in photography. What do you think?

Rock Band!

I still haven't figured out how to save my mini dvd files to my computer from my video camera. I can view them but they just don't want to save.

This was our latest adventure with Rock Band. Jimmy heard what a great time we had in Seattle with it so he decided to purchase Rock Band 2 which came out last week. (In Seattle we were on the XBox in Utah we are on the P3. Not that is really matters.)
We had a big family dinner with most of our cousins and Jimmy brought the whole hook up for us to play. As you can see, it was a hit! It was SOOOO much fun. It is great with everyone being old and taking turns too. There were no fist fights but then again, the mosh pit wasn't really that rocking. At least not before Rick and I left. I hear Jake (my cousin) does a wicked job at the Beastie Boys and his wife Monica, rocks on any 80's song at singing. We just need to unlock some more songs with some cow bells! These were the groupies

Fire! Fire!

Just over a week ago it snowed. Rick decided to start a fire. We had a stack of papers sitting in the fireplace for several months now. (I cleaned out his school binders and put it all in there.) These are photos from our adventure... Since them Rick has cleaned out the fire place so well that it is white on the bottom. I don't think we will be having any more fires this year.

Flowers from a Friend

I know I have mentioned it before, and I will mention it again, I have found some friends on facebook from the past which has been a great blessing to me. A few weeks ago one of these friends stopped by my house to say hi. She brought with her some pretty yellow mums "to go with my blue walls". Check out how great they look on my table. I am so grateful to her and for her friendship. THANK YOU! (You know who you are and I didn't want to embarrass you by saying your name but I did want to "publically" thank you.)

Sunbeams - Everyone Needs a Sunbeam or Two in Their Life

Rick and I teach the CTR 6 class at church. We did last year too. We so love our kids from both years. It is so sweet to have the girls from last year come and give us hugs. We sit behind the sunbeams. The sunbeams crack me up! (Sunbeams are the 3-4 year old class) Some are just always so happy, some are so wiggly and some well...they are on their own planet. There are two little ones that made my day today.
Rick and I were sitting on the very back row during sacrament. We decided to sit back there because the families with kids come late and sit back there and therefore it is more entertaining. (Thank you LaDawn for being back there today. Your kids were great. Especially Conner and those sunglasses.)
Near the end of sacrament I looked up (I had been trying to sleep) and saw one of the sunbeams running towards me. It was my dear Annie! She was alone too. Her dad and older brother were way at the other end of the row but she came to me. She hopped up onto my lap and had to hug me. I told her that I loved her hugs. She said, I love your hugs too. She showed me her "hog" (A stuffed wart hog that was one of the funniest stuffed animals I have ever seen. He was great, squat and had a string for a tail.) Then she wanted to run her car over me to tickle me. She was just so sweet and loving, then again she always is. (She is the one that told me I smelled like candy one day. I think I blogged about that. She is also the one with the underwear incident from last week.)
Then we went to the "cultural hall" aka gym to practice our primary program next week. The last song that is sung is a medley with the young men and young women singing Sisters in Zion and We'll Bring the World His Truth aka Army of Helaman. The YM/YW sing their parts then at the very end the primary stands and sings the chorus.
We are as the Army of Helaman
We have been taught in our youth
And we will be the Lord's missionaries
To bring the world his truth
So there I am sitting watching the little sunbeams because they are in front of us and Emily decides to turn around and watch me. She knew EVERY SINGLE WORD and was belting it out. I could hear her over all of the other kids. She just kept singing and smiling at me. I couldn't stop crying!! That has always been one of my favorite songs and seeing this little 4 year old know it so well....I had to get up and leave. I couldn't stop shaking I was crying so hard. When I came back I had to stand to the side so I wouldn't start again.
It was so incredible to have this little 4 year old touch my heart today. Even now I am trying to not start crying again. Hearing primary children sing touches me deeper than almost anything in this world. Their pure innocent voices...Man I love being in primary!

Holy Moly! It's a Long but Easy Survey

What to do: Copy this list on your Blog, and bold the things you've done.

1. Touched an iceberg

2. Slept under the stars

3. Been a part of a hockey fight

4. Changed a baby’s diaper (Hundreds)

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Swam with wild dolphins

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a tarantula

10. Said “I love you” and meant it

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea - but I was on land

14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise

15. Seen the Northern Lights

16. Gone to a huge sports game

17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables

19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope- I was able to see the Andromeda Galaxy

20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Bet on a winning horse

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Taken an ice cold bath – not on purpose- the shower wasn’t working in Mexico

28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Ridden a roller coaster

31. Hit a home run

32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking

33. Adopted an accent for fun

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment

36. Loved your job 90% of the time

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Watched wild whales

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach

41. Gone sky diving

42. Visited Ireland

43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Russia

45. Bench-pressed your own weight

46. Milked a cow

47. Alphabetized your personal files

48. Ever worn a superhero costume

49. Sung karaoke

50. Lounged around in bed all day

51. Gone scuba diving

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Done something you should regret, but don’t

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Been in a movie

60. Gone without food for 3 days

61. Made cookies from scratch

62. Won first prize in a costume contest-

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Been in a combat zone

65. Spoken more than one language fluently- maybe? I can't anymore though

66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone

67. Bounced a check

68. Read - and understood - your credit report

69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy

70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did

71. Called or written your Congress person

72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over

73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

74. Helped an animal give birth

75. Been fired or laid off from a job

76. Won money

77. Broken a bone

78. Ridden a motorcycle - But I wasn't driving

79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph

80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing

82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days

83. Eaten sushi

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read The Bible cover to cover - I am working on it. I am done with the Old Testament. It was a killer!

86. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about

87. Gotten someone fired for their actions

88. Gone back to school

89. Changed your name – married!

90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands

91. Eaten fried green tomatoes

92. Read The Iliad

93. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

94. Taught yourself an art from scratch

95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt

96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language

97. Been elected to public office

98. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream- sometimes

99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care - I helped...

100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you

101. Had a booth at a street fair

102. Dyed your hair

103. Been a DJ

104. Rocked a baby to sleep

105. Dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours - No but that would be awesome

106. Raked your carpet

107. Brought out the best in people – I like to pretend

108. Brought out the worst in people – all the time!

109. Worn a mood ring

110. Ridden a horse

111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap

112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe

113. Buried a child

114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play

115. Been inside the pyramids

116. Shot a basketball into a basket

117. Danced at a disco

118. Played in a band

119. Shot a bird-

120. Gone to an arboretum

121. Tutored someone

122. Ridden a train

123. Brought an old fad back into style

124. Eaten caviar

125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need

126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant -No but riding an elephant is one of my few goals in this life.

127. Published a book

128. Pieced a quilt - It is sitting on my kitchen table right now!

129. Lived in a historic place - Is Salt Lake City or even Draper Historic?

130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage

132. Made a hole-in-one

133. Gone deep sea fishing

134. Gone roller skating

135. Run a marathon

136. Learned to surf - I used to want to do this, until I went to the ocean in my 20's. I don't like the sand so much so it isn't going to happen.

137. Invented something

138. Flown first class

139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite

140. Flown in a helicopter

141. Visited Africa

142. Sang a solo

143. Gone spelunking

144. Learned how to take a compliment

145. Written a love-story

146. Seen Michelangelo’s David

147. Had your portrait painted

148. Written a fan letter

149. Spent the night in something haunted

150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane -Thank goodness NO!

151. Ran away- no, but I always wrote notes that I was doing so.

152. Learned to juggle –two balls! hahaha

153. Been a boss

154. Sat on a jury- no -I said things to get myself out of it

155. Lied about your weight – who doesn’t?

156. Gone on a diet

157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget

158. Written a poem

159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox

160. Gotten food poisoning

161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission

162. Hiked the Grand Canyon

163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks

164. Gone to the opera

165. Gotten a letter from someone famous

166. Worn knickers

167. Ridden in a limousine

168. Attended the Olympics - No but I went to activities does that count?

169. Can hula or waltz

170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books

171. Been stuck in an elevator

172. Had a revelatory dream

173. Thought you might crash in an airplane

174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert

175. Saved someone’s life

176. Eaten raw whale

177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint

178. Laughed till your side hurt

179. Straddled the equator

180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing

181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival

182. Sent a message in a bottle

183. Spent the night in a hostel - Does a Nun's sanctuary count - cause it was cleaner than the hostel

184. Been a cashier

185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

186. Joined a union

187. Donated blood or plasma

188. Built a campfire

189. Kept a blog

190. Had hives

191. Worn custom made shoes or boots

192. Made a PowerPoint presentation - This used to be my life

193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course

194. Served at a soup kitchen

195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube

196. Know CPR

197. Ridden in or owned a convertible

198. Found a long lost friend

199. Helped solve a crime

200. Responded to a NJP newsletter a what?

HELP! - Christmas/Easter Traditons that Center around Christ or Other Spiritual Aspects Needed

I am on the enrichment committee at church. (Only heaven knows why. All I can do is stuff on my computer!) We are trying to put together a book that has holiday traditions (I think specifically Christmas but I figure Easter is good too) that center around the Spirit of the Season.
I know that most of my friends have little kids and so this is probably something that you don't have many of yet BUT I know that you are the type of moms who are so on top of this stuff that you probably really do have great ideas (I am specifically thinking about my friends from high school!)
Please share your ideas with me!!

Truck Or Treat Update

So apparently our trunk or treat is a young men's/ young women's thing at church. They are going to a corn maze this year and therefore we will NOT be having a trunk or treat. This is all my home teacher's fault too. Don't you worry, I will be having a talk with him about it.
Thanks for all the great ideas. I guess it is nice to know I don't have to do anything but still, we had SO much fun last year.

Food? Yes Please

I like food. I like it a lot. I was able to lose 40+ pounds at one point in my life. I found most of them. I am keeping them safe now.
Rick and I have a deal, I cook, he cleans. I really like to cook. I enjoy finding new recipes. I enjoy checking out foodgawker.com That is where I found those awesome cinnamon rolls a few weeks ago. Today I found a mushroom pasta that I am now dieing to try.
I would love to hear your favorite recipes. That reminds me, Darci, I would like to get your Cafe Rio recipe...does anyone have their or Costa Vida's ranch dressing recipe? What about Costa Vida's chicken? (I think it is a billion times better than Cafe Rio.)
Here are my requirements though...
We do not eat ground beef and we rarely eat any red meat BUT we will eat ground turkey.
Rick cannot eat seafood. It used to only be shellfish but it is ALL fish now. He can't even walk near the seafood at the grocery store. He walks all the way around or once in a rare while will hold his breath and literally run past it.
Rick doesn't tomatoes = The Devil's Fruit. I love them therefore I am The Devil
Rick doesn't like really rich and creamy foods, I do (Have you seen my waist line compared to his lately? He has lost 50 pounds!)

What we do like...FRESH FRESH FRESH I wouldn't know how to cook a casserole if I had to. We do eat fresh veggies all the time. We both generally like pastas.

So you see the bind I am in? We are really picky in our own opposite ways and therefore I run out of ideas of what to cook. Anything you leave in the comments would be helpful. THANKS

A confession

I bought a sewing machine last night. Nothing special. Something that I hope works (we bought it from Rick's brother's pawn shop). I just want to do things here and there like make baby blankets for my sister or finish the quilt I decided to start.
My confession is this though...I have SO many craft projects I almost didn't want another option.
I have a cross stitch I started in March of 2000. Yes you read that correctly. It is more than 50% finished. Probably about 60% done.
Then I have a blanket I started knitting in Oct 2005. I work on it now and then. Rick makes fun of me now when I work on it.
I have so many unfinished video/scrapbooking projects on my computer. These I want to finish more than anything else since they are something I want to share with my siblings. Maybe this winter...
Then there is my genealogy. That will be never ending...
So my confession...I sure start a lot of things that I don't finish!

Photo Tag from Darci

Darci posted this awesome photo tag. I am so excited to have something to do this morning!
Here’s what you do: Image Google your answer for each topic and pick the picture you like best from the first three pages. Then post.

This took me over an hour to complete! I am not going to tag anyone to do it since I know most people don't have the time I do to blog.

My first name: Michele
This is San Michele in Jamaica. It is my winter home You too can rent it for a mere minimum of $4200 per week! (2 adults only)

My middle name: Anastasia
This is Anastasia Romanov of the Romanov dynasty in Russia which was killed in the early 20th century. The Anastasia movie was made about her, even though there has been proof found that she too was executed with her family.






Last name: Nell I SOOO do NOT like Jodie Foster. I think I liked watching Nell because I felt like she was just being herself it in and not even acting. I think she is a terrible actress and to be honest I avoid her movies!
There were lots of pictures of ladies with big boobies under the name Nell. Ladies that were associated with Kings and all that naughty stuff.



Bad Habit: Not putting things away. My office at home has stacks of paper all over like this. I know what is in which stack I just don't actually put things away. I even have a filing cabinet, files and a label maker. I just am not very good at getting around to getting it all done.






What I am doing right now: Working? Yes I googled the ? at the end.



















Grandmother's Name: (the tag wasn't specific and since I have time on my hands I will do both. Please feel free if you do this tag to pick only one. Heck I might even pick Rick's because their names are awesome) Maternal Grandma: Virginia This is a colonial map of Virginia. I just thought it was pretty darn cool.



Then we have my Paternal Grandma: Josephine I picked this photo because the title on it cracked me up, "Not tonight Josephine."








I shall leave Rick's grandmas for another time. (Seriously you just can't be Thelma and Winifred aka Winnie)



First Job: Pet Set I was never actually hired there. I just hung out there all the time and started getting a check. I guess that counts as a real job if I was being paid and did received a W-2 at the end of the year. Pet Set was where we bought our dogs. I used to take home pets for a few days then return them because I decided I didn't want them. That place was a total dive and I have no idea why I used to hang out there. And no, we did not have doggy contraptions like this one for "Spirit"





My age: 32 - Good thing I told you because I don't think you would have figured it out from the image, even though it is image 32-3


Where I grew up: Salt Lake City, Utah

This photo is taken from the approximate area where I spent the first 13 years of my life. The next 17 were spent on the foothills of the mountain there in the center of the photo. (Mount Olympus.) If you can see the white speck in the middlish part of the photo at the bottom of the mtn, that is right near my old home.

One of my favorite places to be: Disneyland! I did not have the opportunity to go to Disneyland until my honeymoon. I had such as awesome time there. I can't wait to be able to go back again. And this time I won't feel scammed when I see Sleeping Beauty's Castle. They sure scam you in the commercials. (I had been to Disneyworld before I was 8 a few times and so I remembered that castle.) I didn't realize there were TWO DIFFERENT castles. I was pretty ticked at first.




If I went back to school I would become: #1 Been then, done that. I went back to school after 3 or 4 years for Landscape Architecture. You don't see me doing that now do you? No seriously, I love what I do and won't change it. But as for my dream job...well you can't go to school for it... I would like to be a person who goes to hotels and evaluates their swimming pools and pool service. Tells them why their pool sucks since it is positioned on the north side of the building and doesn't get winter sun or their pool staff keeps lots of drinks in my hands. The tells them them they have a leak in a spot that is making the area stink or that their water falls bring tranquility to my time by the pool. Yes that is my dream job so I am going to google, swimming pools.

A place I would like to visit: Petra, Jordan. I know that I will never visit because honestly I am too scared of anywhere in the middle east or most of Eastern Europe for that matter but I have always thought it would be so cool to see Petra. This is where Indiana Jones finds the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. There are so many interesting monuments in that part of the world that would be incredible to see. Realistically, I don't think I will ever go further east than Germany. (I have NO desire to ever go to anywhere in Asia.)










Favorite Color: Pink These flowers sum it all up and need to explanation. (I am smelling the lilies that happen to be on my desk and they are making this photo seem so real!)

Favorite Food: Tacos For whatever reason I love tacos. I do not eat ground beef but I do like ground turkey. I like taco salads, I like crunchy tacos. I didn't used to but now I like soft tacos too. I just LOVE tacos!


Favorite Pet: We already had a discussion about me and pets.... But for the sake of the blog, Tomba and Picabo are my favorite pets.










Favorite Thing To Do: Go on Vacationn!

3's - A Tag

LaDawn tagged me with this interesting tag. How To Play This Game of Tag: 1. Post these rules on your blog. 2. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. 3. Tag 3 people at the end of your post by leaving their names.

JOYS
1. Being able to do things with Rick, pretty much every day!
2. Being with all my siblings and not have my mom be mean.
3. Being able to go out to the pool and have someone bring me drinks/food all day so the only thing I need to move for is to roll over or go to the bathroom.

FEARS
1. I admit, I am afraid of the pain I will feel when Rick dies and hopefully that isn't for a VERY long time.
2. That I will never be able to really get along with my mom
3. That I am not prepared for the Second Coming

GOALS
1. To actually finish all of the scrapbooking/video projects I have started and think about
2. To lose 50 pounds...yes 50! (Doesn't mean I am obsessed with it at this point in my life.)
3. To be totally out of debt

CURRENT OBSESSIONS/COLLECTIONS
1. The never ending scrapbook/videos I want to create
2. Genealogy - You have no idea how obsessed I really am about this.
3. What ever is coming along today...I obsess about something new every day.

RANDOM SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT ME
1. I am the oldest in my family - maybe that isn't so surprising
2. Apparently I am 2 different people, my siblings think I am domineering and controlling, the rest of the world, not so much
3. I really like to read the BBC News

Who do I tag:

Maddy, Darci, Heather

Home Ideas

I remembered something this morning related to my last post I wanted to share. It is actually something serious and it works!
When it comes to keeping socks straight...before my sister got married all 3 of us girls basically wore the same underwear and the same socks. Our names all start with M as well BUT our nick names do not. We put our first initial of our nick name on the tags of our panties and on the ball of our socks with sharpies. This way it wouldn't was away nor would it be seen. This totally worked!!

Also...Rick keeps a tooth brush in our basket with all the cleaning supplies. I don't know what he uses it for but he uses it regularly. Whenever our grout starts looking bad, he rips it up and re-grouts. When cleaning the floor...he sprays it with windex when he is done so that it has a shine to it. It totally works too! I don't know what I would do without him. I just don't clean floors!

A Lot of Words - Which is Sort of a Tag

Recently a friend posted all of these questions. Now many don't apply to me as I don't have children. It actually was very interesting to see the answers of my friend Heather and Darci since they seem to be in very similar situations in their lives. I thought I would follow up and post what answers I could to take things from the stand point of someone who is married but doesn't have children.


1. What is a smell that reminds you of home? I don't think there is any specific smell for me. Rick used to get migraines from anything I burnt so it doesn't happen very often.
2. How do you keep socks organized? There are only two of us...makes it easy
3. How do you keep your whites bright? Bleach and the occasional Mrs. Smith's Bluing. I am going to check out the Oxyclean/Borax mix!
4. What is your favorite boredom buster? I am usually the bored one. Rick can watch sports for endless hours. My hours do have ends. When I am bored I usually fall asleep, get on the computer or find something to watch in the other room. I read all the time too.
5. What hints would you give a young mother for sacrament reverence? Sit by people who don't have children. I LOVE to have kids by me to entertain me. In fact today one of my favorite families was by me. The oldest took the 3 year old out to the bathroom. She came back with her panty hose and panties in her hands. She said, they are wet and I don't want to wear them anymore. I think Rick about fell off the chair laughing. He said, that just made my entire day. Man we love you!!
6. What tips do you have for painting? Pay someone to do the outside of the home. As for inside, I agree with Darci. COLOR! That is why we painted our apartment. Growing up our mom let us paint our rooms as often as we wanted in whatever color we wanted. At least I know she let me do this. It was great.
7. How do you remove hard water and rust stains from sinks? His name is Rick...I will rent him out if you would like.
8. What's the best way to kill weeds in a flower bed? Pull them, every week. Trust me I have done this for many years. I have a degree in horticulture and I know that it really is the only effective way.
9. What is the best parenting advice you have been given? None thank you very much =)
10. What is the most fun date you have been on in the last year? Well...Rick and I believe in going on dates every week. Sometimes it is just watching a movie together but we spend time together every single week. Not that we hang out with anyone else. As for a specific date...For my birthday we went and spent the night at the Marriott City Center. I know we also went out to dinner but I can't remember where. We tried to go to the pool at hot tubbing but there were too many people. It was fun to go and sleep somewhere else for a night.
11. How do you keep a car uncluttered and clean? #1 Use Harmon's Drive and Load. They give you a little garbage bag every time you go and will take away the old one. #2 Rick - He details my car for me. I am a slob
12. What is you favorite cleaning product? Soft scrub
13. Favorite two or three step recipe...easy but good? Thank you Darci for the recipes. One or two of those I shall have to try. We eat baked potatoes all the time. We also eat chef salads regularly. Does that count?
14. What is the most helpful cook book you own? There isn't one. Kraft sends out a magazine that has good dessert recipes. I have found lots of good things on Kraft.com as well.
15. Any food storage tips? Toilet paper! You will ALWAYS need toilet paper. If you are picky that we are and will not eat any canned meat and I mean that NO canned meat...we bought protein powder mix from Costco and figure that if we had to we could just eat it. Also, don't live in an apartment. There isn't enough room for everything you want. Fruit...I think most people don't realize how important it is to have some fruit. I would recommend canned manderin oranges. They are good at room temperature.
16. What is the favorite thing hanging on your walls? My wedding flowers
17. What do you use for Family Home Evening lessons? Not so good at this one...
18. Grocery shopping hints to save money? I only buy cleaning supplies at Costco. I have issues buying them at the regular store in such small quantities. I must admit, I shop where the place is clean. That means the brand new Harmon's by my house and if that means I spend more, so be it. I just can't eat produce from a store that feels dingy or smells
19. What is something you admire about your parent's relationship? HAHAHAHA
20. Do you have a family motto or mission statement? Dude!
21. How often do you do laundry? I need to organize this better. Rick does laundry every single day. He refuses to let it sit in the washer for more than 30min nor in the dryer at all. Seriously he pulls out a shirt, turns the dryer back on, hangs up the shirt, puts it away then starts all over again. He told me just this weekend that he does it every day so the loads are smaller and he doesn't feel so overwhelmed.
22. What is your favorite family tradition or vacation? We have tons! So many family members makes for a lot of fun. Rick would say his favorite vacation is one where he sees me acting like a little kid...our honeymoon at Disneyland when I started to cry I was so excited to be there. He sure did love Seattle too. As for me...I just want to be warm. If I can live in my swimsuit while on vacation all the better. Yes I know our perfect vacations aren't the same but in the end...they always are wonderful!
23. If you had only ten minutes to tidy what would you do? Vacuum. Nothing beats a vacuumed floor
24. How do help motivate children to do chores? Kick their butts?!?
25. What is your most read children's book? LOL Walter the Farting Dog. Our kids at church ask us to bring it all the time!

Photo Tag

The rules: Go to the fourth picture folder on your computer and post the fourth picture in the file.
How stinking boring... like i haven't already posted this photo. It is the Concorde taken at the Air and Flight Museum in Seattle last month. It actually is 2 photos hooked together (panorama). We were able to go inside as well. It was SOOOO skinny!

Think Geek

My boredom has led me to thinkgeek.com today. I just don't think to check it out very often. I thought I would share some items of interest to me with all of my fans.
We shall begin with one of my most favorite items in the entire world, Astronaut Ice Cream. I have known of this tastee trip as far back as I can remember. I remember wanting it for my birthday and for Christmas. (One year I even had my birthday party at the Hansen Planetarium. Such a grand time was had by all.) If you have not have this before, you get your pants on, your keys in your hand and you head down to the Clark Planetarium TODAY. I highly recommend the neopolitan flavor. I always eat the strawberry last.
Next we have an item that every Mormon families needs, and not just one. The Titanium Spork! How can you serious have food storage and not have a spork? The spork is the most univesal utensil in the the universe, hence it's universality. (And I did not make up that word because spell checker did not pick up on it.) I know that I will be investing into these beauties. On to items that are just silly such as this cubicle doorbell. I do not have a cubicle anymore but if I did I would need one of these. If for nothing else than to irritate my neighbors. The gamers' glove. I had never seen this before and thought that it was just a fabulous idea. I know there are many times when my thumb has started hurting even before my tendonitis kicks in. It is difficult to tell the value of this in only a photo. Just think of this being on your hand and you flexing and then contracting your fingers. (This reminds me of a gadget a lady I know had to wear. She wore it for the arthritis in her fingers. Maybe if she had had this long before she wouldn't have needed surgery.) I can't tell you have many times I have sufferred from "Nintendo Thumb". I wonder if this really would have helped and would have cut down on my down time from playing games. Now one of the great inventions of the geeks. The Plasma Ball. I never had one of these BUT Marissa had what we liked to call the Borg Disc. It was the same thing but a big flat disc. Like the ones that were stationed above the borg heards when they regenerate. I remember spending lots of time at the planetarium with my hands on the plasma ball seeing how far out my hair would stand because of the static electricity. Such a wonderful toy for all ages! And last but not lesat...the Princess Leia Poster. I remember when Return of the Jedi came out. I LOVED that movie. I wanted to be Princess Leia. I found the only brown clothing item I owned and cut it up and did what I could to make it look like the pncho type thing she wears when she is on Endor. But even before we get to Endor, we see the lovely Carrie Fisher hanging out with Jabba. I also wanted to look like this Leia. I did not own a bikini growing up so I had to roll up my shirt to try and look like her. If I had had any idea when I was 6 years old what boys were thinking when they saw her I probably never would have done that. Nevertheless, such fond memories of wanting to be cool like Leia!

Flypaper - What's In The Name? PART DEUX

Since Monica happens to be the only one to comment on this blog and want to know what is up with the name, she is the only one that can read this blog. hahaha

We all have nicknames in life. My grandpa used to call me Shelly-o-nee (At least that is it phonetically.) Marissa = Rissy= Pissy Rissy or Rissa = Rashes. Maddy = Poco
Rick's family had them too. For the 3 younger boys there were/are Cory = Cory-ory-um-phan-tree, Scott = Scotty Tissue and last but not least Rick= Ricky Sticky Flypaper.

Shelly-o-nee is just lame for using when setting things up like a blog name. Somewhere along the line Rick and I call me Mrs. Flypaper. (That is my name on my PS3 if any of you want to find and add me. I have an awesome icon of a little fly.)

The rs in our domain techinically stands for Rick and Shel Flypaper but it could always be ricky sticky.

So there is the explaination...this comes from this and that comes from that...Greek. The root of all words are greek. (Yes I watched my Big Fat Greek Wedding just last week.)

I Am a Dog Person - NOT

I made a little run over to Thanksgiving Point today to pick up some treats. While there I saw a person sitting out by their car with their dog. I have no idea what type it was...it looked like maybe a mini-greyhound = UGLY! It got me thinking about dogs...I am just not a dog person.
I sure love the dogs that live with my mom, Tomba and Picabo and really miss their baby Keely BUT I don't miss them. I don't miss their barking, their shedding, their pooping, their shedding I think you get the picture.
Rick has also had dogs in the past. We both agree that we will never again have a dog. We both love knowing that there is no dog fur on our clothing. I don't care if your dog "doesn't shed." There will be dog hair. People don't shed, well most people, but there is still people hair all over. (We happened to have a hairy monster that lives in the Jeff Gordon toilet. It has hair the EXACT same color as mine and often as long as I mine. I have no idea how it got in there. We flush it away every day but it keeps coming back. Dang Hairy Monster!)
Back to the dogs, I think about Maddy and her cat this summer. She had to find a baby-sitter for her cat for the 8 weeks she was in Mexico. It led to weeks of horrible torture for her. Even now she refers to Lexy as The Devil. When I still lived at my mom's, we had to find someone to come and let the dogs out any time we wanted to go out of town. Fortunately Tomba and Picabo do not need someone there all the time with them. They seem to be happy to be alone all day but still, making sure someone would let them out twice a day wasn't always easy.
Then there were the people who had me house/dog sit back when I was 18. They had a St Bernard and this was before Tomba and Picabo. This dog hated me! He barked so much and he was way bigger than I was. These people wanted me there all the time with this dog. It just wasn't going to happen. I had to have my boyfriend who was 6'8" come over and help because I couldn't stand to be around the dog.
Growing up our neighbors mostly had dobermans, rottweilers and german shepherds. Those dogs used to scare me. They don't so much anymore but still, I don't LIKE them. I SO did not like going to my cousins' house with their variety of german shepherds. I am told that the first was just the sweetest dog in the world. Well if that is the case, why was my uncle outside yelling at the top of his lungs at it?
I don't like dogs that stink and slobber. Way too many of them do both. Tomba and Picabo, they stink a good portion of the time.
There are many good things about dogs, I loved spending time with Tomba outside while I worked in the yard and he protected the compound by barking at anyone that happened to come into his view. Picabo, well Jimito sums it up: He was sleeping over one day and told my mom he was scared of the monsters and bad guys. (This kid plays WAY too many video games with his dad and has created such an imagination that we have to ask if he is real scared or pretend scared.) My mom said well don't worry I am here to protect you. That wasn't good enough so she told him that Jesus would protect him. Again, not good enough. Then Picabo came barging down the hall as the polar bear she is. Jimmy said, "Picabo Bites. She will protect me." She climbed up on the bed with him and they both had a peaceful night together.
The other things about dogs...I think most of the are ugly. Sure puppies are cute and so are kitties BUT they grow up. Cats are NEVER cute. Dogs, well not most of the time. More often than not they are not cute. Heck the only dogs I think are cute are Tomba and Picabo and most of the time it is only Tomba. (Sorry Picabo)
Honey and Hunter at my dad's house weren't too bad either. They mostly kept to themselves unless you were on the couch and that is pretty much their home. They didn't bark so it was easy to forget they were even around. Besides, there were enough people around to pet them that I didn't have to do it.
The moral of the story...I am just not a dog person and I am happy to be married to someone who also is not a dog person. Ok yes I like "my" dogs but I sure don't like other people's dogs. I shall never again have to worry about taking care of a dog. (And don't worry, cats will never be considered either. If we have children, they will just have to go to friends and relatives to play with pets cause they aren't going to be in our house!)

(Tomba was named after Alberto Tomba. Picabo after Picabo Street and Keely after Jean Cluade Keely even though she was a girl. She was THE cutest dog ever! We couldn't name our dogs snowball and fluffy or other lame names like those.)