I'm tired. But it was worth it!

The kids did their bake sale again today. It was so hot I drove them. We did these rice krispy treats shaped like popsicles, put them on a stick, dipped the top half in chocolate, and covered them with sprinkles. Yummy!

Problem was it was hot enough to melt the chocolate if you even stepped outside. So I had to keep shuttling rice krispy popsicles back and forth between the kids and the fridge.

We were out for awhile. I will admit it was kind of nice. I stopped in on my friend's house that I've been helping with to see how things are going. I got to pick the paint colors and it's going to be painted next week. Yea! Then the cabinets go in (which I also picked) and then the counter tops (yep, I picked that out too). I got to listen to the radio, Facebook my friends, read the news, and not work!!! Yea! That was the best part.

All in all the kids did well. They had their best day ever at $64.75. After costs from last week that they owed me, money for next week's supplies, and money they have to pay me back for giant bears, I think all they really got out of it was the slushis they bought from their friends and the left over rice krispy "popsicle" they got to eat. Although they are closer to earning their bears (gianormous teddy bears from Costco we bought them--they live in the crib in our room until they pay for them).

What I Learned in High School is Actually Useful! Who Knew?

When I was in high school, computers were still new. Most people didn't have them. I wrote my papers on a typewriter until my family got a computer my senior year in high school. Wow, this makes me sound old. I just had to explain to my teenage daughter today how you communicate with friends if you don't have facebook or a cell phone!

So anyway, I loved computers, and wanted to learn more about them. So I took a programming class my senior year. The only good part were the guys. A room full of guys, and me. After that it was all down hill.

I loved the logic of programming, but the syntax was killing me. Anytime anything went wrong, the computer would throw it's hands (figuratively speaking of course) into the air and give up. I would then have to hunt through my code looking for the missing semicolon or improperly nested statements. It was infuriating. I was ready to thrown the dang computer across the room.

Later, they invented programming for Windows and much better programming tools which would actually help you code and help you find what was wrong. My husband has one, and I just look at it in awe. It would have made my life so much easier!

So now I'm trying to update my company web sites but my Dreamweaver skills and software are out of date. My cousin Jake told me about Word Press, but the templates they have just weren't cool enough. So I found a site that gives me unlimited templates for $60. Cool. And they're pretty.

I picked one, installed it, and then couldn't figure out how to customize it. I contacted the company, and they told me to hunt through the various .css files until I saw what I needed and then change it. Haha. Very funny. I don't understand, nor read css! Considering my predicatment, they suggested I consult a web designer. Even funnier. The only reason I'm doing this is becuase I can't afford a web designer!

Well, I've been spending my days, and many nights learning how to customize a css website. And you know what? I feel like I'm back in high school pulling my hair out dealing with a computer who is nitpicky about every small detail and ready to throw my computer across the room. I'm back where I started!

Careful, you might just get what you wish for!

About a week ago, Peter came to me and told me that Ursula's roommate Susan was going to California for a week or so and that we would have to take care of her.

My first response (that I thought in my head--don't worry, I didn't say it to him) was that I was going to move in with my parents for a week so I could avoid her. As you know from my previous posts, things don't work out well for anyone, especially Stephanie, when she stays here. So I started thinking about how many of the kids I could take with me, etc. and realized that would cause its own set of problems.

Before I could work out the details, Peter, who recognized the same problems I did, volunteered to move in with his mom until Susan came back. We couldn't figure out anything better, so Peter has been living in Provo for the last week.

He comes home for dinner in the evening and leaves at bed time. Well, except for the last couple nights he hasn't left until about 1 AM becuase there is just so much to work on together and so little time together.

So here's hoping Susan comes back sometime soon so my husband can move back in!

Happy 4th of July!

We had an awesome BBQ at Dad's house today. Of course. Get-togethers at his house are always fun. Poor man. We got together for Memorial Day and Father's Day, and then he just got back from Boston and we all invaded. We did try to clean up our mess! It was fun though. Tons of food! It was very yummy. It seems I only eat a lot when I'm at his house.

There was also bubbles for the little kids, badminton, horseshoes, a fire pit to roast your hot dogs and make s'mores, movies, a sand box for the little kids, and kites. They decided to stop flying the kites when they started flying over the road and confusing traffic. It was fun!

We had to take Ursula though. Her roommate Susan went to California for a week. Fortunately she doesn't have any intentions of moving there this time! We're hoping she'll be back by Friday.

In the mean time, we can't have Ursula at our house because she tries to control the kids and they end up in yelling matches. The worst part though is Stephanie. She sleeps in the room next to a bathroom to make it easier for potty training. It's her bathroom, and it's set up the way she needs it with stools, etc. So when Ursula comes, Ursula has to take over Stephanie's room because she needs to be upstairs and close to a bathroom. But when we move Stephanie downstairs with her sisters, it messes her up and she regresses. I've had her potty trained several times now, and as soon as I get her doing well Ursula moves back in just long enough to mess everything up.

So we finally had Stephanie doing well again and we get the call that Susan's leaving for California. Aaaghhh! So Peter decided enough of this and he moved to her house for the time being. He brings Ursula home for dinner, and then takes her back. So we're not going to see much of him for a week. :(

And then there was Sunday dinner. I'm having fun trying new recipes. I was watching a cooking show and they demonstrated chocolate waffles. Well, Julia and Mandy were watching and they wanted me to make them. Sunday was the night Peter usually cooks, but with the aforementioned Ursula problem, I had to cook for him.

So I decided to try the chocolate waffles and do breakfast for dinner. That was definitely a yummy decision! We had fresh strawberries, chocolate and caramel sauce, powdered sugar, the works. Everyone loved them! I served them with cheesy fried potatoes, hard boiled eggs, and bacon. It was definitely a hit!

Anyone actually reading this blog may wonder at the number of posts related to food. I started a website, www.recipes.biz, where I can put all of my recipes in one place, as well as lists of ideas of what to eat. It's mostly for my daughters, but I have people ask me for recipes and so it's open to anyone who wants to view my tried and true recipes (and I'm hoping they reciprocate by sending me some of theirs!).

My family has a difficult time with food. I have a house full not only of picky eaters, but gourmets as well. They think it's fun to sit around and watch cooking competitions.

They all got tired of food, and so I started trying new recipes. At the same time, I needed somewhere to put them where I can access them easier than a pile of Internet printouts in my cupboard. I can get recipes.biz on my phone in my kitchen so my recipes are just a click away! Added bonus: It's going well! Most of what we try the kids actually like, and so I'm sharing my success stories. Since there are usually so few of them, I get rather excited! Hence, the posts on blogs.

Posts and Tweets and Blogs, Oh My!

Goodness. When Peter said to update our company web sites and bring our corporate image into the new century, I knew it would be a challenge. But oh goodness. I mean I have a blog or two (or three...) and a facebook account and a twitter account and so on. But to go and set up everything for the other comanies took all day!

I spent most of my day wrestling self hosted Word Press sites, facebooking my dear cousin for help, and trying to decide which route to go. Well, it's after 2 AM, and I do know what direction I'm going now. I have a backbone skeletal structure and I now know where I'm headed. So that's a good thing. Now for the new sites and new content . It's going to be a long week!

The kids aren't doing their baking day tomorrow, so I get to (have to?) keep working on web sites. My only break will be to go buy food for the upcoming 4th of July BBQ at my Dad's house on Monday. At least I have something to look forward to!

So not that anyone cares, but I just wanted to show someone what I did today, even if it is just going to get dumped into cyberspace and no one will actually see it.

I created a blog for Variety Games.
I created a facebook page for Variety Games.
I created a twitter account for Variety Games.
I created a Digg account for Variety Games.
I started the skeleton for a new website for Variety Games (it will move to the real domain name when it gets finished).

I created a blog for PerfectNotes. Well, actually I created it years ago. I just updated the look and did some more posts.
I created a facebook page for PerfectNotes.
I created a twitter account for PerfectNotes.
I also created a Digg account for PerfectNotes, and myself.

Ok, now that I put it like that, I did get a lot done today. On top of fiddling with technical glitches!

Tomorrow: onto more sites and content. Goodness. I'm going to bed!