Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Mix It Up!

I love change. When I was growing up I was constantly moving furniture around, not only in my room, but in the living room, the family room and any other room I could change. My dad would come home from work and say "Annie, you changed it again!" (there was one time I rearranged my room... which including draining and refilling my waterbed... while refilling it I got destracted on the computer- which is SO easy to do- and flooded my room! Luckily it was over the garage, otherwise I would have flooded our family room and possibly our basement... yeah, that was the last of the waterbed!)
Anyway, I have changed my blog layout... as many of you have noticed. It was really easy, I went to another blog (scroll down and her link is on the sidebar) and she gives you a template to copy and paste, it is super easy for anyone who wants a change... who knows maybe next week it will be different...

Because I have changed my blog, I have learned a little more about HTML... it isn't as scary as I originally thought! But I also played around with it for like three hours last night (it is a good thing I was productive today!). And I will probably play around with it some more... so expect more change!

ps... (this is for you Jeannie) If you want to change text, go to layout: edit HTML. Scroll until you see "variable name" Then find ones that are associated with text i.e. "Bodyfont" "textfont" "pagetitlefont" etc. It will also say type= default = value= the first font listed in the 'value=' section is the default font, the ones following are alternatives (from what I understand, I just changed the first font to what I wanted). All you have to do is replace the existing font with the one youwant in the "value=" field like this 'Arial' There is probably a % also, messing around with that changes the size of the font... I believe the "normal normal" can be changed if you want italics or bold by just changing the 2 'normal' to 'bold' or whatever (but don't take my word for it!)...Hope this helps for anyone wanting to customize more...

Accomplished

Don't you love those days where you feel like you have gotten so much done? Today was one of those days.
Me and Sharla took our boys to the zoo today, they had so much fun. On the way home we stopped at the firestation (Sharla's husband is a fire fighter) to look at the "wee-ooo". We came home, Graham slept!!!, and I did some data entry (for an online subscription that helps you match up coupons with store deals to get cheap/free stuff... couponsense.com if anyone is wondering), did the dishes, took Graham and our dog Sophie to the park, went to a Relief Society Enrichment night, and updated my blog :)
Now, I know to some that doesn't seem like that much... but it is quite a feat for me! I will sleep good tonight!


...side note... at the park Graham was wearing a hat, it fell off, he put it back on and continued playing... but he put it on sideways, like he was a 'gangsta' or something... it was so cute, but I didn't have my camera... You will just have to imagine it...

Monday, March 24, 2008

Easter Fun

On Friday, we had a cousins playdate. Which we try to do once a month. We (meaning Sarah) had the idea to decorate eggs. We got the colors all ready, and about ten minutes into it the boys were done. We still had like ten eggs to do. So us moms had a playdate, and finished coloring them. Which I was actually glad, as I love coloring eggs (those that know me well, know I love doing all the "holiday activities" - like carving pumpkins and stuff). Grandma Easton had planned an egg hunt for the grandkids in her front yard. This was the first year that Graham was interested in participating. He actually got more eggs than any of his other cousins! Isaac (his cousin 9 months younger than him) dumped his basket out and Graham was standing there watching, he decided to take advantage of the situation and proceeded to pick up Isaacs eggs and put them in his basket. That night we celebrated Sarah's birthday. It is always really fun when we get together!
On Saturday, we got together with some friends that don't have family in town. We had another egg hunt, in which Graham (now knowing the object of the "game") totally ditched his basket and began picking up as many as possible with his hands, since he could get more that way. He remembered (from the prior egg hunt) that there was candy inside and decided he didn't want to pick any more up, he would rather eat the goodies inside. We later had an Easter dinner together. We each were in charge of specific dishes and it came together so well. It was really nice not having to do the entire meal by ourselves and it was so delicious! It was a really fun night!
Sunday morning we made a basket of goodies for Graham and put it in front of his door before he woke up. When he opened his door, he was so excited! He got Dumbo the movie (he is currently obsessed with elephants or "elphies"), and we put some candy in from his egg hunts. After church we went to my parents for dinner, and began watching, as tradition requires, the Ten Commandments. We came home before it was over, but I have seen it like... well, too many times!
It was a great Easter weekend, with lots of uplifting words at church about Christ and His atonement for us.

Tagged!

Seven Random Facts About Me:

1. When I am bored I use my saliva to make bubbles with my tongue. It makes a popping sound, and it drives Tommy nuts!

2. I have a new found hobby, reading. The only problem is I am reading five books at once: Pride and Predjuice, Wooden on Leadership, Book of Mormon, Harry Potter 4, and Arming Your Children with the Gospel. All very different but all very good.

3. I wait to do laundry as long as possible... i.e. until I have nothing clean to wear, or until it is piled too high to fit in the hamper. Today, for instance, I did 9 loads... and I still have 3 left to do!

4. If I eat something I shouldn't (because I have already had some or it is not healthy or something), hiding the wrapper in the garbage means it never happened!

5. I like to drink milk out of the carton... (if my mom reads this she will freak! But I do have three brothers, so I am blaming them)

6. I have webbed toes. Actually only two are webbed together about half way up. It is actually genetic on my mother's side of the family. My uncles toes are way more webbed than mine... and no, it doesn't make me a good swimmer.

7. I would love to go back to school... to become a photographer, or interior designer, or CAD drafter, or artist... the list could go on and on. I have a great desire to learn things, of the arts especially. I am hoping when our last child is in school and we can afford it, that I can go back and get my degree... in something.

I tag Jill.

Bitter Sweet

Yesterday was a day of mixed emotions for me. I got released from my calling as Young Woman 1st Counselor. It is actually wierd, I kind of felt it coming on. I was called in before sacrament meeting and was told I was being released and asked how I felt about my year of serving there. I was fine through sacrament and sunday school, but lost it in YWs. I guess you don't really realize how much you will miss something until it is gone.
I had the opportunity to lead the same group of girls almost the entire time I was in Young Woman's (I was in Beehives when they were, and then was called to Mias when they moved up). I have formed such a great relationship with those girls. And I love each of them in their individuality.
It makes me reflect on the one Young Woman's leader that had a profound influence on me... Annette Rucker. She is such a righteous woman who taught me many important principles when I was a Mia Maid. But more importantly she took a particular interest in me and became my friend and an adult I knew I could turn to if I needed it. Even to this day I will see her in the hall and we will chat and laugh. How grateful I am that she was my leader in a critical time of my life. I only hope that I was a glimmer of what she was for me. Thanks, Annette!

I Took the Plunge

So I do something now that I thought (and always swore) I would never do...





I drive a MINIVAN!! And I LOVE IT!



We sold our Scion XB about 6 weeks ago with the full intention of only having one car for about a year to save and all that good stuff. Then about a month ago, one of my friends from high school (who coaches cheerleading at our old high school), called and asked if I would consider coming back to coach. I thought long and hard about it... and decided that I would really enjoy doing it again. Needless to say, we needed to get another car for this to happen.

We originally we going to a $2K beater that Tommy could drive to work and school, then it changed to a nicer $4K beater... after not much luck finding a car that fit what we needed, we decided that it would probably be wiser to get a van (if you have kids, it is the practical thing to do!) since we will be growing (NO that is not an anouncement, I am NOT pregnant... I am just saying...), and I want to have this car for a while.

We ended up getting a 2005 Honda Odyssey, and let me tell you, I am spoiled! Tommy made sure I got a pretty nice car... I mean van. He is so thoughtful!

It was pretty funny, as we were leaving church yesterday Tommy asks "Can I drive the van home?"

Monday, March 3, 2008

4 Things You Don't Know

This is from an email I got (thanks Jeannie), I don't like replying/forwarding them; so by posting it, everyone still gets to see what a cool gal I am! lol!

Four Jobs I have had in my life
1. Baskin Robbins Ice Cream "Scooper"
2. Wedding Coordinator at Little Chapel of the Flowers in Vegas
3. AutoCad Drafter
4. Cheerleading Coach

Four Movies I could watch over and OVER
1. Pride and Predjudice
2. Count of Monte Cristo
3. Becoming Jane
4. The Holiday

Four Places I have lived
1. House -Aurora
2. Dorm - Las Vegas
3. Apartment - Aurora & Vegas
4. Condo - Aurora
(I know... I have a crazy life!)

Four TV Shows I watch (only 4?!)
1. Men in Trees
2. October Road
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. Private Practice

Four Places I have been
1. Seattle Zoo
2. Butchart Gardens, BC
3. Walt Disney World (the happiest place on earth!)
4. NYC Twin Towers (prior 9-11)

Four People Who Email me Regularly
1. Tommy
2. Pam
3. CouponSense
4. All of the companies I "subcribe to"

Four of my favorite foods
1. Nutela
2. Pizza
3. Cereal
4. Ice Cream

Four Places I would Rather be RIGHT NOW
1. On a Beach in Hawaii
2. Taking a nap by the pool (assuming it was 80+ degrees, not the 40 degrees of today!)
3. Any place I could wear shorts comfortably
4. At Cheesecake Factory, eating avacado eggrolls

Four Things I am looking Forward to This Year
1. Breckenridge trip
2. Going to the zoo A LOT
3. Going swimming A LOT
4. Coaching

I TAG Sarah and Devony.