He's Legal

Well, he is legal. Twenty-one. I meant to do this post yesterday, the real birthday, but I didn't. I actually keep postponing my posts until I can learn to post a picture (again), but that never seems to happen. But back to the point, there was a celebration in Murun, Mongolia yesterday for our favorite missionary boy. It is his Golden Birthday, which means he is 21 on the 21st, so this calls for 21 gifts. He'll get them in exactly one month when he returns....he had to settle for a silly package of things he can consume or throw away before the luggage weigh-in. So Happy Birthday Golden Boy...we could not be more proud of you or more excited for your return to us. Let the good times roll.

Trip to Target

I made a quick run to Target yesterday afternoon. I intended to be there only 5 minutes because ALL I needed was dryer sheets. I figured I had a better shot at an "in and out" experience there than at the grocery store, since the echo monster has taken up residence in the refrigerator. Incorrect.

I made the mistake of entering through the garden center. Of course. When I checked out I had in my basket:

Two hanging plants...an unusual pink and yellow petunia combo, and a stunning dark fushia-ish purple petunia basket. They were such a bargain.

Two 6 packs of dwarf snapdragons.

Two seed packets of marigolds. (Are you seeing a trend here?)

New gardening scissors. Mine have disappeared off the face of the earth.

One car (from Cars) for Devlin. (I think I enjoy collecting them for him more than
he does.)

A Christmas gift for Chloe. (Are you seeing another trend here?)

And last but not least, 2 packages of dryer sheets. Pretty expensive dryer sheets, wouldn't you say?

I think we can safely say that two of my weaknesses in life are my grandchildren and my garden. (And maybe Target!)

Speaking of grandchildren, happy birthday Zachary! I can't believe you are six!

TGIF

Probably everyone agrees we are glad the weekend is approaching. For some reason I'm really glad this week. Maybe because

a. it is conference weekend, and not only does that mean a feast of new talks, a chance to recharge the inner batteries, and relax, but also
b. there will be a lovely lack of meetings and excessive errand running...
c. it will mark the end of a less than fully productive week...
d. in between doses of conference, there will be grass to mow and dirt to dig. Wahoo! What more could I ask?

Go Friday.

10 Random Happy Things

1. Digging in the dirt. (Are anyone else's fingers itching now that the weather is changing?)
2. Sleeping until I wake up. Don't get to do it very often. One of life's simple pleasures.
3. Having a walking partner again. Such motivation to NOT sleep till I wake up. Thanks, AJ.
4. Emails from Mongolia. High fives for all things technical which stress me out but also bless my life abundantly. It is email Thursday, folks.
5. 3:55 p.m. when Holl-Doll gets home from school. Empty nests are highly over-rated.
6. When the dentist says "We're all done." Wahoo. Can you tell I went today?
7. 72 degrees at 7:30 a.m. vs. 92 degrees at 7:30 a.m. Did I mention I LOVE our current weather?
8. Grandkids. They really are grand.
9. Finished projects. Also one of life's (not so) simple pleasures.
10. Finding a rubber chicken in my makeup drawer.

Pretty Disappointed

I just took the quiz to find out which Harry Potter character I am. Ron. Yes, Ron. Of all the characters I wouldn't want to be, Ron would win...except maybe Snape. Come on...can I change my answers? At least he has one saving grace... his red hair.

So then I took the quiz to see which Hogwarts house I would be in. Hufflepuff. Kill me.

The Tag

What were you doing 10 years ago?

Ugh, I was struggling with mono, laying on the bed with my 3 year old, watching Arthur, Sesame Street, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility. My oldest was at BYU, four were in Robson, Taylor and Mesa High, and Holly was on the bed with me. It wasn't the most productive year of my life, but happily, it is behind me!

What were you doing 1 year ago?

I was a brand new YW president and feeling very inadequate and overwhelmed. Haha...some things never change! I'm taking it in stride a bit better these days.

Five snacks you enjoy.

Don't laugh.

1. Dry roasted, unsalted almonds (or other nuts...love cashews as well.)
2. Peanut butter sandwiches, or preferrably, a toasted, single piece of ww bread with peanut butter melting on it. Some kind of yummy jam.
3. Toast with butter and sugar/cinnamon.
4. Sweet&Salty granola bars.
5. Popcorn a la Holly.

Five songs you know all the words to.

1. Grandpa's Farm
2. When the Thunder Crashes
3. Almost all the Monkees songs: Hey, Hey We're The Monkees, Last Train to Clarksville, I'm a Believer, etc. etc.
4. There's A Kind of Hush
5. Jumbo Elephant

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire.

1. Find some way to feed starving children somewhere.
2. Fund a cure for cancer. (yeah, I know, a million wouldn't touch it, but I'd try.)
3. Hire someone to tear out my lawn and put in new sod. (Thus removing all the weeds from my grass.)
4. Buy 3 new cars with zero miles on them. Nothing that fancy, just new.
5. Try not to change my lifestyle....pretty much life as usual.

Five bad habits. Only five? Ah, there are so many to choose from.

1. Procrastination. Especially phone calls.
2. Going to bed without washing my face. I always brush my teeth, though, if that makes the gag reflex stop for you.
3. Walking around in my pajamas as long as possible in the mornings before I have to get ready to go somewhere. I inevitably leave the getting ready a tad too long and have to rush.
4. Staying up too late, getting up too late.
5. Not planning dinner ahead of time. I'm working on that one. Still. Did much better this week! Yeah for me.

Does this all add up to L-A-Z-Y? I'm really not lazy...maybe just wannabe lazy?

Five things you like to do.

1. Hang out with my family. Joy and Rejoicing!
2. Sit on my front porch and watch it rain.
3. Work in my yard.
4. Read
5. Get pedicures, play the piano, shop (sometimes) and go to church. Sorry that was cheating, but I couldn't leave some of those out. Again hard to choose only five.

Five things you will never wear again.

1. U-Knits. Oh heavens, remember those???? How embarrassing.
2. Polyester Pant Suits. Only the aged will remember, but they were the only "suit"able replacements for wearing dresses to school. Actually at the time they were pretty stylin', but I don't want to go back there.
3. Size small anything. Boohoo.
4. Saddle shoes.
5. Ribbons in my hair. Kinda too old, dang it.

Five favorite toys.

1. Computer. Although we have a love/hate relationship, I adore keeping in touch with my missionary, my family, and my friends via its fab magic. I love that I don't have to use carbon paper and white-out anymore.
2. Piano.
3. My garden scissors and pruners. :)
4. Lawn Mower
5. iPod

Where will you be in ten years?

Good question. Maybe in Mongolia on a mission. Who knows? Hopefully wherever I am it will be in good health and with my best friend/husband, surrounded by my kids and grandkids. Do ya'll want to go on a mission with me?

I'm Baaaack!

Well, I'm back in town, but having a hard time getting back in the saddle. Two weeks of no responsibility did wonders, but um, I really don't want to be responsible again. I thought I'd come back rarin' to go, but instead, I've been reading Harry Potter. I was quite behind, and the vaca seemed the perfect time to catch up. The problem is, HP just pulled me back in, and I have two more volumes to go!!! I so need to paint, clean, iron, do YW stuff, yard work, etc. Ah well, I suppose it will wait for me...I just need a wand to charm my chores to do themselves.