The search is over...

I have searched many weeks for a white dresser.  Rachael has been in need of one for quite some time.  However,  I have been told that I am a bit cheap.  I have looked every single day on KSL for one, I've searched the papers and gone to garage sales.  This last Friday though, I found the perfect one.  I scanned the paper for the upcoming garage sales.  One stated they had a dresser, and they listed their phone number.  I begged to come that very minute because I was to be in some far away city for football the next morning.  They allowed it.  (This may be a helpful note to future garage sale holders.  I think it is very beneficial to leave a phone number listed when advertising the upcoming sale).  Anyway, back to my story.  It was the night of the homecoming game, and the dresser was right above SV.  I told Blake he had to come with me to make the purchase.  The dresser cost me ten dollars.  The knobs were old and brass and gross, but I was thrilled to finally find one.  The day before I was about to give up and spend three hundred smackers on  one.  We decided to grab something to eat to celebrate.  I was sitting at Firehouse pizza, relishing in my new purchase, when I remembered I had friendship bread baking in the oven.  (I think I have early onset alzheimers.)  I called hoping someone would answer at my house.  Ethan was of course hootchy-cooin' with his friends at the game.  Supe and Rachael where home with their friends.  I called and walked Supe through taking the bread out.  That darn amish bread takes ten monotonous days of sitting on my counter before I can bake it.  I was bound and determined not to ruin it.  The excitement of the dresser merely through me off course. 

The next day I went to Lowes, Walmart, and Home Depot to find new knobs.  They were all so expensive.  They would've cost me at least thirty dollars.  I gave up and was settling for the brass beauties.  Then Blake gave me the idea of putting two small knobs instead of finding the big expensive ones.  So back to Lowes I went.  The knobs ended up costing me seven dollars.  The lamp I bought to go on top cost more than the dresser!  Rachael was thrilled, and I was thrifty.  The bread was pretty good too!  

Gratitude and other ramblings

Saturday I was thinking about some advice a good friend, and fellow blogger, told me about gratitude journals.  She said that one  day all she could think to be grateful about was that she had been able to put mascara on for the day.  I have been bad lately about keeping up with my gratitude journal.  All too often I dwell on the bad things that are going on in my life.  It's easy to focus on our trials.  So this week I am making a strong effort to focus on the good things of life.  There is so much to be grateful for!  One of those things is definitely family.  Yesterday we went to Sunday dinner at my sister-in-laws house.  Our husbands and my dad are fishing in Alaska this week.  It was so fun to be together with my mom.  My mom is just one of my most favorite people in all the world.  We had a yummy dinner and then watched an episode of "The Love Boat".  For any of you needing just a great laugh, and good show for kids, this is it.  It brought back floods of memories.  The kids laughed about the high  white knee highs, and the short shorts.  It was great.  Check it out sometime!  Have a very grateful week!  

NYC

Okay, I was waiting to download all our NYC trip photos to my post.  But I think my computer ate the photos.  They are lost forever.  So, Blake and I had a great trip.  I realized that I love tennis lots and lots.  I wish I could play more, but tis' not my season.  I got to finish "Persuasion" on the plane, and also got caught up on the presidential debacle.  Blake and I also tuned into "The Office" on the plane.  I was laughing so hard in my seat that I snorted.  With earphones on and laughing loud, I am sure passengers are still telling stories about me.  It's nice to be back, and I am so grateful for family and friends who helped out with the kids.  We went to ground zero, and my heart went out to all the victims of that terrible ordeal.  It is all too easy to forget things when they don't affect us personally.  9/11 is very personal to all New Yorkers.  I felt such a sense of respect and reverence at this site.  I vowed to remember more the people behind the tragedies of life.  I will pray for them and their families with greater fervor.  I am grateful to live in such a beautiful place.  America truly is beautiful!  

Back To School Blues

I have no great picture to share.  Nothing really amazing has happened to even post a blog about.  I am now left at home for the first time in a very long time of mothering.  Only to realize that I am not done with this phase of my life.  I am needing another child somehow.  Hopefully the Lord will guide hubby and I in the right direction.  I'm also all in a tailspin about Biden being the vice presidential candidate.  I have never liked  Biden, but I really like Obama.  What's a girl to do about that situation?  

  In a few days Blake and I are off to NYC to see the US Open.  He knows I have always wanted to see these big matches, and set up the whole thing.  If I weren't in the throws of back to school depression, I would be head over heels excited.  I am excited to have a husband that really cares about me.    I am blessed with a great family.  I love them probably too much.  So enough of my ramblings.  I am sure I will pull myself together before you know it!  Unless that is, I get mugged in NYC.  Now that would be awful......

Have You Seen this Suspect??

Okay, so I think we are ready for school to start.  Ethan was down getting his room ready for his new clothes and stuff.  He kept coming up with these various outfits on.  I think I need to get him into a school counselor ASAP.  If Saudi Arabia saw clips of this photo, Ethan would be transported to their brainwashing tanks fast.  

On a different note.....I am most excited to have this be my first post from my brand new apple computer.  Our old computer got an awful virus.  Actually, I feel very blessed that I was the one to see this virus.  I was checking my email, and all of a sudden, this horrible porn picture downloaded onto my computer.  Soon after, several other pictures popped up.  I hurried and turned my computer off.  I called several computer stores who assured me it is a common virus.  I called the apple store, and they said that it wasn't an apple computer.  He said, "Apple's don't get viruses."  He said it very matter-of-fact.  So, Blake came home with a new apple computer.  It is most awesome.  The screen is huge.  My i-tunes and i-pictures are just built right in.  I highly recommend it to anyone.  Let's hope it remains virus free!  Happy back-to-school everybody!  

This post is dedicated to my son, Supe. It was his birthday August 2nd. He turned 11 years old. It seems like just yesterday he was born. I know parents say that all the time. But I especially remember Supe's birth. He was born in 45 minutes at Logan Regional. He had nucal X4. This means that the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck four times. At that moment he earned his nickname, Supe. He has been a superman every since day one. At two weeks, we found out his right eye was all mucked up. We went down to Primary Childrens Hospital and he had a surgery at one month. They tried to see the extent of the trouble in his eye. They soon had to do another surgery to try to see if the first surgery worked. Go figure. Soon after this surgery, his retina totally detached and he is now blind in that eye. I remember taking my sweet, new little baby down and handing him over to the anesthesiologist, wondering what in the world was happening. Post-partem moms are a wreck in the first place. This was just frosting on the cake. I remember waking up at 4:00am to drive down for the surgery. I had to keep him fasting, and I wondered how in the world I was going to do this. The Lord heard my fears, and Supe slept the whole way down. Little miracles like this kept happening over and over again. We were told that we had to put this shell into his eye to keep the shape of the occipital orbit growing. For the first two years of life, every morning and every night was spent trying to shove this awkward shell into his eye. He would scream uncontrollably with pain. For at least an hour after inserting the shell, he would weep and his whole eye would swell. A big red patch of rash would soon spread on his face because of the foreign object. For each of these events, we would have to strap him down. I would sit on top of him, Blake would hold his feet down, and Ethan would hold his arms about his head. It was dreadful. Doing this every day to my sweet little boy was very hard. It broke my heart. Finally, one day, I gave up. I said "no more". We were living in Lehi at the time. About a year after, we found a doctor practicing in Provo that offered to do a surgery on Supe's eye that would hopefully alleviate the pain of the putting in the shell. We did the surgery, and it was successful. I know it was successful because of the fasting and prayers of family and friends. Today Supe is still able to wear his shell. He is a spunky, troublemaker. I am so grateful for him in my life. I am grateful for all that I learned from him. Last year he lied to the PTA worker doing vision screening. Almost gave her a heart attack. I am grateful to Heavenly Father for blessing me with this child. I know many of you blog readers have much harder pregnancies, births, troubles, and trials. I am in in no way complaining about my plight. I am just merely expressing gratitude for all I am blessed with. Supe- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Holiday Fun

Every year we participate in the 24th of July parade in Hyde Park. I am now down to only one parade a year! This year Ethan drove Rachael on the 4-wheeler, and Supe and his cousin rode the go kart. This year, Ethan thought he may be "to cool" to actually participate in the parade. He was a good sport to take his little sister though. We assured him he was way cool. Rachael loves "mothering" her little cousins. I am not ready for it to be August already. Summer is such a fun time. The 24th of July is one of my favorite holidays! No presents, no over-planning- just a time to kick back and relax with family and friends. I hope you all had a great holiday!