Where have I been?

Rock Band, Planet Earth and
a Storm Chasers marathon...duh!

I'm just settling down for my long winter's nap...

NOT!

But that does sound better that what I'll really be up to.

Have a joyous week and may we each be willing servants to our families,
as The Christchild was a Willing Servant for us.

Someone's on the naughty list...

Dear Jen,

I am very sorry I ate most of the treats Harlene has been baking. I am told some of them were going to you, and Allie. I didn't know. I have asked Harlene for her forgiveness, you see, I only ate 78 of the 100 lemon dream cups she made. I even took care to do it before she finished filing and glazing them. I didn't actually eat any of the fudge, I just drooled on it. I tried to tell Harlene she could give them out to my friends, who aren't so picky but she was still upset. I tried to go to Chris for comfort but apparently the green stringy toy I found was actually a scarf he was working on. How was I supposed to know? After a few minutes in time out, I have been told I'm grounded. I didn't know what grounded meant but everyone else said to ask Chandler, he's been grounded for years. No more play dates with my pals Squishy or Tahoe, for me. You see, the last time I went to Squishy's house, I figured out how to open the doors to her house, why should we stay in the yard anyway? Tabitha didn't want me on her counters either, so they tried to put me in the side yard, but I showed Squishy how to unlatch the gate. She's a chow chow and so she needed a little help. Harlene says if I promise to be good and stay so dang cute, Santa will still bring me something, maybe a pork chop, or some more of those enchiladas I pulled off the counter the other night.

So, Jen, can you give a pup a break?
Maybe ask Harlene to let me go out and play with my pals, in the spirit of Christmas and all.

The names Lucy, not Martha

I decided to make homemade marshmallows.
Why?
Because it has been a very long week and when I am stressed, I bake or cook,
or at least cook things with sugar.

Mind you no where in the recipes I've researched does it inform you that homemade marshmallow batter is the secret ingredient in Gorilla Glue!

Holy Moly, my neighbors had better appreciate the HOURS,
yes, HOURS spent unsticking my self, my kitchen, my kitchen aid,
and my Dieter today.

The result is totally worth it however.
Something along the lines of Williams Sonoma marshmallows,
except made by a person who cares.
A neurotic person, but a person who cares.

Yes, Jen, some are headed your way!

Gifts

I told Him it was broken, but it was all that I had
And He said that it was just what He wanted
And somehow I believed what He said
And it wasn’t gold or Frankincense like they gave Him from the start

It was just my heart; it was just my heart

These lyrics are from a song by artist Cherie Call.
Let's each remember the greatest gift we can offer.

Traditions- Because I have been given much..

Like most parents I feel incredibly blessed,
most of the time.

Like most parents, I do all I can everyday to provide my children with a scar free, trauma free, drama free childhood.
Like most parents, I often fall short.

Despite my faults, I do believe my children have it really good.
Part of my job as their mother is reminding and demonstrating to them how blessed we are.
Grateful children are happy children.

When my oldest children were old enough to start asking for things for Christmas I decided to start a tradition of giving.
It was good for them to see us purchase something they would love to have and give it to someone with less.
We would also have the kids go through their things and choose some things of their own that
they would then put under the tree for Santa to take with him to those children who didn't have as much.
A fond memory is of course the year they all wanted to give their most treasured stuffed animals. Or the year they went through their favorite books.
This tradition taught each of us so much about sacrifice and love.

We haven't done it in awhile.
We moved on to some others.
The Nativity Family,
the years we've hosted refugees,
(Don't I sound amazing?)
We'll now for the rest of the story...

We stopped leaving things for Santa to take with him,
because one year while looking in the garage for spare inner tubes (in March),
the kids found all the things "Santa" forgot to take with him.
there were their carefully and thoughtfully chosen gifts,
the old and new things we purchased, in a basket behind the crap.

Don't I sound amazing?

Flashback Friday!

Christmas 2004

Not exactly what I ordered.
Perhaps I should have gotten the extended warranty!

A Re-Post

I'm having a hard time getting in the mood for Christmas.
Not the true meaning of Christmas, just all the other stuff
that seems like extra work this year.
In an attempt to "de-grinch" myself I am re-reading and therefore re-posting some of my thoughts from last year.
If you've been reading my blog that long,
this is old news.
I do have some great new friends I though may need a "de-grinching"
or uplift, if you will, themselves.

Here's to 'the most wonderful time of the year'

My name is Harlene and I'm admitting I saw

Twilight!
Granted, I went with one of my favorite dates, Christopher so I couldn't refuse.
We expected a Monty Python feel and it did not disappoint.

Actually I tried to go in with an open mind, but come on...

here are some random observations,

When Brett Michaels agreed to play the part of James did he know he was going to have to share his awful wigs with the rest of the cast?

Do you think Edward consulted with Luke on how to carry Bella around a swamp?

At what point do Edward and Bella go under cover looking for "aliens"?

Bella has as much enthusiasm for life as Scully.

I knew Ziggy lived most of his life in a "mist",
but who knew he'd come to the aid of The Cullens?

and last but not least,
apparently Jasper is some kind of Josh Groban/Alpaca hybrid.
Very attractive!

In fairness the movie wasn't the worst I saw this weekend.
"Australia" caused us all to yearn for a walkabout!

This...

plus this...

we may have a problem.

Thankful Thursday!

With much to be grateful for,
today I want to express my thanks for my sister in law, Susan.

For her friendship, her example, her love,
her faith, her hugs, her joy,
and most importantly today,
her hospitality!

Thank you Susan!
I love you.

Christmas Wish List

Wish # 1
Matching shock collars for the family.
I've typically done pj's on Christmas eve,
but this year I'm thinking of something I'll get more use out of.

My so called life...

You may not believe it, but here's how it happens...
My alarm goes off at 7:03 am.
I am not kidding, I have mastered the science of figuring out the exact least amount of time to be up in the morning.
Before this one of the phantom teens has come in requesting cash.
He has mastered the exact science of getting up and always asking for cash while mom is still asleep.
I then venture forth to see just where Dieter and his enclosure ended up this time.
This is the thing he rams around the house , the thing hunky hubby built and was convinced Dieter would NOT be able to turn corners in.
If I'm lucky, Dieter is still on the main floor of the house. He has figured out how to push the thing over to the stairs, and climb out from under the cage.
He really likes Chandler's room.

Next I let Dieter out of the crate and we run around in our pj's for a minute.

When the planets align, I then make breakfast.
Actually we try to make the kids a hot breakfast everyday.

Next is the daily race to find matching socks.
Today, Hunky Hubby is our winner!
(notice his enthusiasm to be in my blog?)

Someone wants to play again.

Check the provisions for lunches,
nothing but food storage, (thanks Jennie) so it's hot lunch today.

The crew "enjoying" each others company.
Yes, that is Seth in a school uniform, he would like it acknowledged that he hates his school.
He reminds me everyday.

I didn't get a shot of it, but I do dress and shower after they've left the premises.
Next up is blogorama and a walk with Dieter.

I do at least 3 loads of laundry a day,so I rotate that around before hitting the computer.
I also never make it to 10 am without my diet coke.
If I don't have to run to a meeting for my church assignments,
I bake.
As often as I can.
Today it was homemade bread.
baking is one of the few things I do, that seems to disappoint
NO ONE!

I also typically have to adapt something, as I seldom follow the recipe exactly.
Sometimes it's because I want to try something new,
sometimes like today, it's because I don't have the right ingredients.
I mistakenly bought "bread machine" yeast, but I don't have a bread machine.
That's hopefully why my loaves were so small.

Around 3 I start to psych myself up for the invasion.
Seth goes to a Charter school so I have to pick him up, Cameron moved so I pick him up and bring him here everyday,
( I can't stand the thought of him completely unsupervised and alone all night.)
Annie and Geoffrey walk, the SCENIC ROUTE everyday.
It's Chaos for several hours.

If my kids spent half the energy they spend avoiding doing their homework and chores and just actually did them, ugh!

I spend the afternoon in a desperate attempt to keep people on task.
One way I get Annie and Geoffrey to do their homework is by playing games.
Sometimes it's school, sometimes it's The Office, (Geoffrey makes a great Michael)
Today they are TV talk show hosts discussing what 3 rd and 6 th graders do for homework everyday.
Hey, whatever works right?

By this time of night I just want to enter the witness protection program,
but then he comes along and wants to play, again.

What didn't I get a shot of?
The video Seth made of how long it would take Geoffrey to get himself out of being hog tied in the basement (13 minutes), anonymous teen not understanding why his parents are completely insane for expecting him to have asked permission before going to a middle of the night showing of Twilight. He claims he didn't want to wake us up because I'm always complaining about needing a nap.
How thoughtful!

I didn't get a shot of me throwing up from food poisoning on I15 at 9:30pm with my husbands clients in the backseat,

I missed Christopher getting fired from his job so he could go trash talk BYU on the radio in hopes of winning tickets to the big game this past weekend.
He did win the tickets by the way, so much for teaching him about responsibility.

You can send donations in my name to;
saveharlenefromherlife.com

I know...

The anticipation is killing me too!
What exactly does a day in the life of this chick look like?
A (not so) little bout of food poisoning has put me back a few days,
but I will be back to indulge you all soon.

Harlene wants to know...

What do you guys think about Surrogacy?
Would you use a surrogate mother?
Would you be a surrogate mother?
How do you feel about adoption vs your own DNA?

If possible, I am really curious about what everyone thinks and feels on this issue.
No, this is not something pertinent in our life right now, but it is something that has come up with people we love, and I'm still processing my thoughts on the issue.
I also really want to understand all the different aspects to this.

So please, do tell...

A Day in Pictures!

Jennie
introduced a great idea on her blog today. She's full of great ideas; food storage, homemade bisquits, even her own line of beauty products. Anywho, she challenged each of us to record a day in our lives in pictures and then post it on Friday.

Now I'm sure everyone is thinking I don't do anything to take a picture of...
that's the point, we all feel that way, but I'll bet we all find each others hum drum lives fascinating.

Here's to the ultimate lurking adventure.
Please play.
Yes, Jen, I'd like to see a photo of you in Starbucks drive thru.
Mindi, we'll be watching for a shot of you and your bug gulp of diet dr. pepper.
Rachel, will most likely be stalking some horses while drinking something from an
El Pollo Loco cup.
RhondaLue, what will you reveal?
How about Erin, Jendoop, Karen, Susan,
even the divine Queen Kristina.
If I didn't mention you by name it's more than likely I didn't feel I had permission to publish your where abouts in cyberspace, but please feel free to play.

Who can resist being your own Paparazzi?

weekend wrap-

I was so excited to see the new Bond film...and then I left the theater so mad! I won't go in to any details here, as some of you may still be on your way to the theater, let's just say I was disappointed.

This weekend was our local community theater's production of Peter Pan. Of course my kids were in it. Some call it a gift, some call it a disease, this whole theater thing, either way they had a great time. The production was top notch and I so appreciate the efforts of all those who put together stuff like this for our kids.

I spent all week, no I mean ALL week trying to please Sir Chandler by finding him the right tux for his winter formal this weekend. Holy Moly he is high maintenance! At first he wanted a custom made tuxedo, turquoise and white plaid. I am not kidding. I managed to keep a straight face as I explained that was not an option. I did canvas the valley going through every DI, vintage store, and everything else I could think of trying to find something acceptable. It wasn't until Friday night at the mall that I decided I may be just as crazy as he is. I spent Saturday morning tie-dyeing a dress shirt for him, pink of course, to match her dress. After all that i endured for this kid, he wore the Napoleon Dynamite 3 piece suit I bought him LAST year for Christmas! He did look good though, and I mange to tie-dye the shirt to match his poor dates dress perfectly! My favorite photo is the one with Dieter of course!

Speaking of Dieter, he's 8 months old now and 122 lbs. None of the "experts" I've talked to seem to know how to get him to stop walking around the house in his crate. You see, crates are supposed to keep a dog contained, but Dieter just pushes his around the house with his forehead. Anyone out there have any ideas on this one? He has also developed a habit of barking over anyone trying to read the scriptures or say family prayers. Have I already mentioned this? When the person reading stops , Dieter stops, when the person reading begins again, Dieter starts barking like we are being attacked. Apparently he's just another Beckstrand that likes to be the center of attention.

I'm not sure what it says about us, but hunky hubby and I were both in bed watching
"Storm Chasers" and knitting by 9 o'clock last night.

Flashback Friday!

Does anyone else remember playing Chinese Jacks for HOURS?
I remember Cindy Carlson and I trading and assembling these on the weekends in preparation for the showdown that was planned for recess on Monday.
They were the perfect thing for us 6th graders who couldn't let the word out that we still played with Barbies. Alisa Kenton of course got all my purple ones, because Donny was totally HERS!
Speaking of Barbies, did anyone else have a Darci doll?
She was absolutely my favorite, but kind of a diva.
None of her clothes fit any of the other dolls.

Thankful Thursday!

Today I am thankful for Friday and my date with Hunky Hubby!

Number 202 seems to be the most effective and I came up with it myself...

hit the #!@%ing teenager in the back of the head with it!

A light at the end of the tunnel...

We had a fabulous weekend. I can't remember the details of most of it, but what stands out most in my mind was how much time I got to spend with my husband. We are reaching a season were most of the youngins' have places to go and people to see. Christopher was judging at a debate tournament, Chandler was playing at a high school football game, Seth, Annie and Geoffrey are involved in a play and had practices all weekend. That left Chris and I with time to be with each other. Not "vacation" time, I mean we did have to keep driving people back and forth and texting teens non-stop to make sure what they were up too, but still lot's of time with just the two of us.
We took the dogs to the dog park first thing Saturday morning. Why I hate to get up every other day of the week but Saturday is still beyond me. I hate to sleep in on Saturdays, I feel like I'm missing out on something. I love dog parks, you can imagine, lots of other people who love to talk about their dogs. Fortunately, I married a guy who loves dog parks too. I feel so blessed that I'd still rather run errands with Chris, even looking for computer parts, than not be with him. I'm grateful that he always asks me to come with him...anywhere.

Don't get me wrong, I do love my kids, and I love hanging out with them. I'm just really touched and grateful that Hunky Hubby is still my favorite.

...or BLACK when the occasion calls for it.

VICTORY
IS SWEET!!

It snowed!

Which means we stay home and bake cookies in our pj's all day!

On the agenda today,
Chocolate Chip,
Peanut Butter,
Cut out Sugar,
and Rolo cookies.

We are still polishing off this yummy creation.
A 4 layer German Chocolate cake I made from scratch for Hunky Hubby's Birthday.

It's not exactly how Martha would have it looking,
but it was my first attempt at this frosting,
and it tastes REALLY good.

Halloween!

You knew we dressed up!
Chris and I were Todd and Sarah Palin,
Annie was Prom Queen 1985,
Geoffrey was Disco Duck,
and Dieter was of course an Angel!

Now

20 years ago...

I had just met this really cute guy, a guy one of my girlfriends had written to me about while I was at school in fact. His name was Chris and she had had a crush on him. I could see why.
I met Chris at a Halloween dance at Church.
I was dressed as a "flapper", he was dressed as Robert Smith from The Cure.
We had "run" in to each other at parties all weekend and at church on Sunday he asked me out.
I was thrilled.

We were going to a museum and dinner on Thursday.

That gave me 4 days to obsess about what I was going to wear!

6 hours and $241.00 later I had decided on a new pair of jeans and a sweater from The Gap.
He picked me up at 4 o'clock.
He smelled great.
What I really noticed were his hands.
Masculine hands, great nails, and manly arms while he shifted.
He had jazz on the cd player, Dave Brubeck.
Conversation was easy.
He mentioned we would be going to the Egyptian Museum around the corner from his Grandfather's house where he lived.
I had seen him with his Grandfather at young Adult activities.
Chris lived with his Grandfather after his mission.
Keeping him company and keeping grandfather out of trouble.
He told me a little about his Grandfather and I could tell how much Chris admired and loved him. He informed me we Grandfather would be joining us for dinner.
The tour of the museum was great and I was so impressed with how much knowledge Chris had about everything there.
(It was months later before I figured out he kept taking me to museums on dates because of the art history class he was taking. I just thought he was incredibly cultured.)
We went to a quaint neighborhood grocery to buy things to make dinner.
Yeah, he was making me dinner too!
After meeting Grandfather, quite possibly the cutest old man on the planet, Chris asked me to help him with dinner. "Why don't you start the salad?" he asked.
As I started to slice the cucumbers I accidentally sliced my finger.
Chris bandaged me up, so I started slicing again, only to slice the tip off my next finger.
Another bandage and plenty of blushing, I attempted to finish my task...
yes, you guessed it, only to slice the top of my ring finger too!
"Why don't you watch the pasta? I'm out of band aids."
(He had full disclosure on my homemaking skills.)

Dinner was wonderful, Grandfather was delightful.
After dinner Grandfather invited me to watch "Wheel of Fortune" with him.
I so didn't want to go home, but the evening was winding down.
I was trying to think of a way to hint that I would love to spend more time with Chris when he said, "I really don't want to take you home, how about a movie?"
JACKPOT!
We went and saw Bambi.
I was more than twitterpatted!
Chris dropped me off after 1 am, but my evening was not over.
At dinner it had come up that the next day was Chris' birthday. When I asked if I was invited
to his party, he responded, "This is it."
(His Mom was out of town and they were planning to celebrate when she got back)
Not one to pass on a chance to celebrate, I took it upon myself to celebrate for him.
I did worry that it had only been our first date and I didn't want to scare him off,
but I decided that's who i am, the type who throws a party for someone I just met and it doesn't have to mean more than that. If he doesn't like my efforts, he probably won't like me, so I went for it. I headed to Safeway around 2 am and begged the guy to blowup some helium balloons for me. I got streamers, a card, and supplies for a homemade 3 layer chocolate cake.
I baked and frosted and got to Chris' house around 4 am. I decorated the garage, the front yard and placed the cake on the porch under a fancy picnic dome thingy to keep the bugs out.
I got home by 5:30, jumped in the shower to be at work by 7:15.
I waited...all day...wondering what he thought and hoping I remembered the right house.
In the morning Grandfather woke Chris and told him to get up,
"There's a mess all over the front porch for you!"

Chris says he opened the door and knew he had fallen in love.
That was 20 years ago today.

Happy Birthday sweetheart!
I love you, and you have another "mess" waiting for you when you get home!

I can't be the only one pulling hundreds of these out of the dryer today!
Hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween!

Mystery solved!

Devon
has discovered the cause of this ailment!



I know what I want for Christmas!

Are you ready for some football?

The stage had been set, the plan in place.
Mimi(grandma) took Geoffrey to lunch and shopping for his birthday.
While they were out, the rest of us decorated, baked homemade pizzas,
filled the cooler of gatorade,

and hid.

Geoffrey was genuinely surprised!

It was time for the game to begin. Even Mom got to try being quarterback.

Geoffrey takes his football VERY seriously.

Christopher saved the day as both coach and referee!

This WAS the cake...

hmm...

all forgiven.
Everyone had a great time, including Dieter.