My Version of LOLCATS

Plees, 4 pennies a day, you too can help support da chilren...

Gardens and random thoughts from this week

If I could pick two talents to inherit from my parents, they would be gardening and sewing. Gardening is a particular hobby that I enjoy but doesn't always produce the best "fruits." However, despite my tendency to kill everything in pots, my little garden area, I am PROUD to say, is flourishing this year. I owe it all to a love of weeding and Miracle Gro. *Contented sigh...* My neighbor and I spent a whole year pulling out grass and Chinese Elm trees and making a rock border. This year, everything was ready to plant with no major changes. Anywho, my favorite feature is that this year a strange weed came up that looked familiar. I decided to leave it and see what it was. The result is the tallest plant in this picture. Mom says it's called "mullen".

This week, Jason has been waiting on his flight instructor who has been out of town, so we've tried to keep extra busy. It keeps us distracted from the impending doom/salvation of finding or not finding a job. The kids have spent a lot of time at the pool and Lizzy has learned how to play Mario Cart. I think she can handle the nintendo better than I can.

Side note: If anyone has any good ideas for family service projects that we could do with our little kids will you please share them? We've been trying to teach our kids about work and charity. I just can't think of very many service projects for us to do to enforce the new ideas.

Until We Reach The Valley O!

Our primary had a really fun activity day last month. The girls got to make dolls out of a piece of cloth and they all got bandanas to wear home. When I asked each one what their favorite part was, each one enthusiastically said that it was eating popsicles at the end. They had water balloon fights and everything. It was three hours long which made it possible for Jas and I to go to the temple. Free babysitting, and a fun time for all. You gotta love primary!!

The View From My Soapbox #1

I like to think of my blog as a place to express my views on subjects with out feeling bad about it. So, if you don't care what I think, don't read this post. (And why are you here anyway?)

Today's subject is Snails. EWWWWWW! My garden is FULL of these disgusting creatures and so (for some reason that I'll never be able to understand) it has become "cool" in our neighborhood to have a "pet" snail. WHY? We don't know. I'm just trying to figure out how to get rid of them without exposing my children or the neighbors to poison and, more importantly, without TOUCHING THEM! They give me the willies. Even more than mice which is really saying something. (For some really delightful stories on THAT subject, please inquire. Just be ready to be freaked out and disgusted.) There is a spot on the north side of my building where, I KID YOU NOT, there are at least 50 snails all happily living together and, dare I say it, breeding.

One website I found posed the question, "what is there to like about snails and slugs?" (In my heart I thought ewwwwwww") Their answer: "Watch a slug in the afternoon effortlessly glide across the ground with it's feelers swaying to and fro..." SHIVER SHIVER. Yuck!

In my endeavor to eradicate them, I have done some research. Here are some of the suggestions I found: (Which do you like?)

1. Soak a piece of cardboard in water and leave it in your garden. Wait overnight, flip it over, and scrape the live wriggling snails off into a tupperware. Freeze for 4 hours. Dump into compost heap.
2. Poke it with a sharp stick.
3. Put a pan with just enough beer in it to drown the slugs in your garden. They are attracted to the smell.
   
4. Put copper tape around your garden. When the snail passes over it, it will create a small electrical charge that is "unpleasant" to the snail. Human hair can work as well.
   

PARTAY!!

The fireworks this year were really good. None of the kids cried or screamed. Liam was pretty wired and had to keep moving to keep himself awake. He pretty much ran in circles until it was time to go home. The funniest thing was finding a whole giant box of fireworks that had been left in the house on accident. The next day, we discovered that Dad had put them in the back of our van so that he didn't have to deal with them. We missed Amy and the Daves. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for letting us come over.

Fourth of July

Usually on the 4th we go up center creek canyon for a picnic. This year we decided to do a pool party in my mom's front yard instead. The kids had a blast. Jane surpised everyone by getting in the pool and letting her face get wet on the slip 'n slide. My kids are freakin cute!

The best man for the job

Jason and I had a really great date a couple of weeks ago. He flew me to Brigham City to see John and Misa's adorable new twin boys. (Jason's brother.) There was a little turbulence but I didn't have a panic attack and I really enjoyed the trip. I was quite proud of myself. Turbulence in a tiny airplane is a lot different than it is in a big aircraft. It's always fun for me to hear Jas work the radio. He sounds so professional. Especially compared to a lot of other student pilots we heard.

Alec and Ammon, the twins, are absolutely adorable! I have no pictures because I was too busy getting my fix from holding them to take any! It became very evident how out of practice I am at having a newborn when I tried to redress Ammon. He got wet because I didn't change the diaper fast enough....

Jason took John and the boys up for a couple of joy rides. They all had a great time.