1)Regaining my optimism.
2)Being able to see my sweetheart, Liss and Joe soon.
3)Crafting skills.

1) Watching Warehouse 13 with my son.

2) Alex being able to eat some crackers today.

3) Shon being such a good Dad to our kids and the excellent care and love that Toby is getting from J&W while we are at the hospital so much. 

1) NG tube out....yahoo!

2) A new rolling table for the hospital room....yay...no more wrestling!

3) I found a new book to read in the trade closet in the Parent's Room. 

1) Two awesome friends were married today.  They deserve happiness after all that they have been through.

2) Being able to take some scrapbook stuff with me.

3) Certain books that are like old friends when you read them. 

1) Unexpected blessings.

2) My friendship with my children.

3) Better day for Alex. 

Yesterday's post....

1) Dinner with my cute Toby.

2) Going to the craft store and decompressing.

3) Stretching out in a BIG bed.....

1) Alex taking two short walks today and two wheel chair rides.

2) Finally getting to talk to Shon today.

3) Having my laptop in the hospital. 

1) Alex is able to eat a liquid diet now. 

2) An awesome family that makes sure that my kids are still having a good Halloween.  Lissie with Teresa, Joey with Kelli and Toby with Grandma and Grandpa. 

3) Hospitals with wifi.  I feel less isolated. 

1) Stretching out in a queen size bed after 4 nights in a narrow hospital chair/bed.  Then back to the hospital to be with Ali. 

2) Toby hugs. 

3) Beading.  There is something very soothing about making bracelets.

1) Visiting with Amy today. 

2) Priesthood blessings and righteous men who are able to give them.

3) Talking to my friend Maryann who called from Hawaii to check up on Alex. 

This is yesterday's post, since I couldn't connect to the internet. 

1) Orange juice.  I am glad that someone thought to look inside of the peel.

2) I wish it was for different reasons, but I am grateful that my photos have been getting organized.  For once I have large blocks of time to just sit.  Might as well use it constructively. 

3) Alex's epidural came out yesterday and the feeling returned to his left leg.

1) Shon made it home safe today. 

2) Joan and Wayne taking Toby out to eat and shopping for a costume.

3) My polar fleece blanket.

1) A physician who cares enough to call us late at night from his personal phone just to see how our son is doing and whether or not I have any questions. 

2) My in-laws for taking care of Toby and letting us stay with them.  I am so lucky to have a mother and father in-law like them. 

3) Modern technology that keeps my son alive and helps control his pain. 

1) I am so glad that Shon and the kids made it home safely.

2) The soup that we had for dinner was delicious and so welcome on a rainy night. 

3) The Unit Leader Surveys are finally entered.  Whew.

1) So happy that 13 years ago my wonderful daughter was born...I might be biased, but I think she is beautiful, talented, kind, creative and fabulous! 

2) Hanging out with family today.

3) Having a new book to start tonight.

1) Having a surgeon who is conscientious enough to know when he is too sick to operate and makes sure that we get called because he didn't want Ali to not eat.  He knows that is hard on 16yr old boys.

2) Being able to shop with Joan again.  I really miss hanging out with her.

3) Going to Archivers and getting a killer deal on a designer that I love. 

1) Priesthood Blessings.  Celestial comfort for earthly fears and worries.

2) Black walnut ice cream....yum

3) Going to the aquarium with my family today. I am in love with the penguins!

1) Going to Ikea today with Shon.  I love that store.  It was great to be able to drive and talk and just hang out. 

2) Dear Lizzie's today, and seeing some great Halloween ideas to try. 

3) Capping off a fun day with dinner at Cafe Rio with the grown ups. 

1) Spending 10 uninterrupted hours with my husband and kids in the car on our way to UT.

2) Still liking those children at the end of that time.  :-)

3) Arriving safely. 

1) Grateful that packing is almost over...because I give up.  :-)

2) Glad that my husband loves driving so I don't have to in the car.

3) Going to see family tomorrow. 

1) I love 11 o'clock church.  I love that my kids are old enough to not miss nap time because of it and get grumpy because it is over the lunch hour.  I love that we were able to sleep in today....makes for a nice start.

2) Bejewled and Mahjohng.  "Nuf said.

3) Being able to dye my flash drive with alcohol ink so that it doesn't look identical to Shon-O's.  Crafting supplies rock yet again. 

1) Getting a chance to meet with Sister Jean Stevens of the General Primary Presidency today.  Six Activity Day Leaders and six Scout Leaders total from both stakes were asked to meet with her and discuss our programs.  What we thought worked, and what we thought could change.  I was asked to discuss both Scouts and Activity Days.  It was a great discussion and I came away with new ideas to try with my girls and a further strengthening of my testimony of how true this church is. 

2) Toby's Webelos leader Catherine Christensen is a wonder.  She tailored and sent home a plan for Tobbers to stay caught up while we are gone. 

3) Lissie's Girl Scout Troop was invited to hand out flowers and greet people at the Billings Symphony tonight.  In return the girls were given great seats and a chance to watch the performance for free.  She loved it and they loved the girls and invited them back for next time.  Wonderful chance to both serve and be able to listen to beautiful music.  Win~win!

1) A hot shower after the dusty, windblown 11 hours at the maize today.  I would not make a good pioneer.  On the plus side, maybe the dust and wind combo will scour away the wrinkles.  loll

2) Having a Heavenly Father who loved me enough to send me to earth now and not in the pioneer days. 

3) Shon loves his job.  When he is happy we are all happy. 

1) Having older children responsible enough to not only feed their little brother, while I was out at the maize and Shon and Alex were out of town, but they also helped him study for his spelling test, read him a story, said family prayer and tucked him in.  Wow.

2) Having a good relationship with the personnel in our children's schools.  It has made getting ready to leave easier.

3) Continued good weather at the maize....dare I say 77 degrees today!?!  Last year at this time we were ankle deep in sticky cold half frozen mud.  Hope it continues. 

1) I am so thankful that the Chilean miners were all rescued today.  It is such a miracle that they survived.

2) Beauty...The sight of the pumpkins in the field against the blue sky was breathtaking today.

3) Living in a country where we are fortunate enough to have clean water.  I know we take it for granted...but I am so thankful. 

1) So glad that Shon's boss encourages him to let the kids go on his trips as long as Shon can get his work done too.  Since they are all older, it hasn't been a problem AND they get that extra one on one time with Dad.  Today Alex went so it was triple bonus...Alex got to get out of the house and not do any English homework, Shon and Ali spent time together....and I got some alone time!  loll

2) Hanging out with Kelli today it has been a Kelly~Kelli week...Kelly B yesterday and one of my best friends Kelli Clark today. Much needed girlfriend time. 

3) Bedtime....love my comfy bed, can not wait to go and stretch out in it and watch the latest Bones on Hulu.

1) Making Halloween treat boxes with Kelli, having lunch at Soup 'n' Such, then crafting some more.

2) Hanging out with my kids tonight after family prayer.  I am so glad that they still like to talk to me about their day.

3) Recording a 30 second radio ad with Shon and Alex about the importance of donating blood.  Strangely I felt really shy doing it, so I said as little as possible.  :-)  We nailed it on the first take. 

1) It was so wonderful to spend the day in Fairview with Shon and the kids.  Long drive, but we had fun hanging out, singing to the radio and goofing off.  A nice escape day.

2) Being able to get two books read in the car.  One I really liked.  The other I would have really liked too, except the author threw in unneeded crass swearing.  The book didn't need it. 

3) While we were waiting for Shon's meeting to be done, the kids and I found the playground and took some great photos. 

1) I am glad I was able to be able to spend the evening home with Lissie, Joey and Toby.

2) I enjoyed going to lunch with Alex today...and he treated.  :-)

3) I am so glad that our cub scout leader training is done...I received good reviews for my section and we had a huge group show up. 

1) Dark chocolate hot cocoa.  I don't normally like hot cocoa because it is too sweet, and I don't normally like dark chocolate because it is not sweet enough....but somehow when it is mixed together, it works. 

2) I like polar fleece.  I heart the person that invented it.  :-)

3) I am so glad that the food show went so well for Matt and Colett.

1) Lissie, Joey, Toby and I hanging out in my room eating popcorn and red licorice while reading our books before I had to go out to the maize.

2) I'm glad Alex was able to go to Fairview and Miles City with Shon today.

3) The incredibly cute hat that Lillian made me.  She brought it over today and I am in love.  :-)

1) That I have well behaved nice offspring (usually) who don't act like some of the heinous poster children for birth control that we see come out to the maize.  :-)

2) I am so happy that Sidona was able to go to France for two weeks.  She loves it so much and misses it.  She really deserved to be spoiled.  She is always thinking of other people. 

3) It was in the seventies today.  Beautiful.  Love it. 

1) My mini date with Shon today.

2) Getting our household chores done so that I can go to bed early tonight and read.  The corn maize is taking it out of me. 

3) The fact that the rain held off while we worked at the maize today.  I like listening to it while I am cozy in my room...but not working in it. 

1) I loved having time in the car with Shon today...sometimes we talked, sometimes we didn't.  I love that we are equally comfortable with each. 

2) Samantha Walker (a stamp designer I like) checked out my Kee-rativity blog and actually commented on the butterfly mobile.  :-)

3) Coming home to my children safe and sound...asleep.  loll

1) Having a good friend who is willing to watch our kids so that I can go with Shon to Glendive for a day trip.  Can't wait to have nothing to do for all day....read, stare out the window....read.

2) A slice of cheese and a crisp Gala apple eaten for a snack while reading.  I felt just like Jo from Little Women.

3) Working on crafts with my daughter today and then watching a movie with Toby.

4) I have to add an extra, I can usually think of more things, but limit it to three so I can be consistent.  I couldn't choose today, I am so grateful that already conference is online so that I can go back over certain talks.  It makes so much sense that we have continued revelation, I am so grateful that we are lucky enough to have conference twice a year and  living prophet to guide and love us.

1) Having a husband who doesn't consider watching his own kids "babysitting" and is more than happy to hang out with them so I can have a little alone time. 

2) I went for a long drive today by myself, down streets like Rimrock, Poly and 32nd.  It was a gorgeous day, blue, blue MT sky.  I didn't turn on the radio, I just drove, window down, and looked at all of the beautiful, stunning leaves around me, molten gold of the mowed hayfields stacked with huge round bales waiting to stuff hungry cows a weathered red barn hunkered down and dug halfway into the hillside and the Rimrocks stark and textured, old and weathered, but dotted with new flowers, growing in such hard conditions.  I couldn't believe how lucky we are to have a Heavenly family that loves us enough to give us a beautiful world...one that feeds the artistic side of our spirits instead of just a useful one to feed our bodies.

3) I love having a fridge with ice and water in the door.  I drink so much more water now. 

1) The inventor of laptops.  I heart him (or her).  Thanks to them I can blog this post from the comfort of my own bed at 12:20 am while resting my corn maize exhausted feet. 

2) The teachers, principals and counselors at my children's schools.  They are more than supportive of our family and  are going out of their way to help make sure that my kids are taken care of during the craziness of Ali's surgery and recovery.

3) The clever minds and nimble fingers that write the books that I can not live without reading.  After reading 3 Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools, it makes me doubly glad I not only can read, but have a wealth of materials at hand. 

1) Salad for dinner tonight.  Yum.

2) Remembering just how lucky our family is.

3) Getting the new boy scout training form done for Montana.  It was scary, in some ways.  I have been out of the work force for a long time and I needed to design something that every district in MT will use.  It had to make sense, be efficient and look professional.  Done, done and done.  Whew!

1) All of our fun free stamp stuff came in today.  The glass glitter makes me want to go make something right now!

2) We were able to go fill prescriptions today.  So grateful for insurance.  It made so that it was only very painfully expensive instead of incredibly expensive.  Loll.

3) Two good friends are getting married.  They both had rough marriages the first time and it is so awesome that they found eachother.  Both of them are two of the nicest people I know and it will be great that they finally will have some well deserved happiness. 

1) Glad Shon is home safely.

2) Things are moving forward for Alex to be able to meet some of the blood donors that saved his life.

3) Hanging out with my friend Kelli today.

1) My little sister was born on this day.  Totally one of my best presents EVER!  She is awesome.

2) Shon is safe in Great Falls, the kids are safe and asleep in bed (score!) and the house is quiet.  Ahhhhh.....

3) Getting another wacking huge load of pictures restored and organized...is there an end in sight?  And yet I take more.......

1) Celebrating Daniel's birthday over at the Boelens. It is so fun to have family nearby again to do things with. 

2) That Joan and Wayne had a chance to get away and have a wonderful vacation.  They deserve it.

3) Having the chance to speak in sacrament.  I know it sounds crazy, but I would rather give a talk in church than to socialize at a ward party.  Speaking in church ~ not scary....trying to make small talk ~ terrifying!

1) Watched the season premiere of Bones today, and the season finale of Warehouse 13.  Also caught episodes of a couple of mindless sitcoms.  Got to love Hulu.  Hmmm...that is more TV in one day than I usually watch in a week.  :-)

2) Having our kids out at the Corn Maize with us tonight and not having to worry about them because not only are they old enough to watch out for each other, they had better manners than most of the kids out there.  They were a great help...over a 1000 people came through today, 850 of them from 6-10. 

3) I am grateful for the lucky fact that even though I hacked 4 inches off of my hair while I was so sick, for some reason I was fortunate enough that it was still even.  Good thing I craft so much and eyeball measurements.

1) Watching the 3-4 year old class field trip out at the corn maize today.  That age group really understands the meaning of spontaneous joy.  It was so funny to watch them run and just leap in the air and spaz out because they couldn't contain their excitement.

2) Shon-O is home safe again.  His team also won  gift certificates  for Cabelas because of their awesome clay pigeon shooting skills.  Clay pigeons everywhere beware.

3) I am glad for rice bags.  My feet are sore and freezing after being out there tonight and it feels so good to have one by my feet in bed.

1) My monthly stamp group at the house tonight.  Some of us have been crafting together for 12 years.  I really feel like these ladies are part of my family.  We have all seen each other's kids be born, grow, graduate....laughed at kid stories...cried with one another when one of them lost her spouse to Parkinson's disease...prayed for each other...Sisterhood is seriously a gift.

2) Yay it was my month at stamp group which means I get to pick two free stamp sets and a $100.00's free!

3) Sitting in my room reading and daydreaming.  I like to look out the window because all I see is leaves.  An ever changing, shifting, living painting of light, shadow and color.  I feel like we sleep in a tree house.  No BOYS ALLOWED...except for the cute one I married. 

1) I am so glad that my sister is one of my best friends.  I am also so lucky to be be friends with my sister in laws.  It will be fun to see everyone in a couple weeks.  I'm hoping we slip some craft days in there.  I wish Bobbi could come too.
2) Even though our kids get along better than most, every family has the kids that butt heads.  I am so glad that tonight Joey and Toby figured out how to work out their argument without me. 
3) The kids had the kitchen clean and chores done before  we got home from the maize tonight...and I didn't even have to ask them....and they didn't do it to kiss up or because the wanted something. 

1) Shon is home safe and had a very successful trip.  A happy husband means a happy family. 
2) A quiet mini melt down and then taking a deep breath.  Now I can deal with things again.
3) A very productive and fun meeting.  Lots of decisions were made.

1) Shon's recruitment tonight went well.
2) I love that my kids are old enough to teach FHE and that they really get into discussing it.
3) We finally have a surgery date for Ali.

1) Shon's pot roast with potatoes and carrots.
2) My labeler
3) Being able to recycle metal.

1) I am glad that I finally found a great paper glue that doesn't kill my paper.
2) Little creative jobs that come my way right when we need them.
3) So thankful my friend's son will be okay. 

1) Chilly nights knowing that I am lucky enough to have my family safe, and warm blankets to snuggle under.
2) Lemon and vanilla yogurt smoothies.
3) Listening to my kids hang out with each other by their own free will.

1) A mini date which involves a cup of well made french onion soup and my hubby.
2) A hubby who is willing to vacuum the stairs. 
3) The new episodes of Psych and Warehouse 13 are on Fancast tonight.

1) My hubby home safe again.
2) The Corn Maize to supplement our income.
3) Fresh kettle corn and a new book.  Or, maybe I am not thankful for kettle corn, okay thankful for kettle corn, but not kettle corn butt. loll

1) Living in a country where even though it may pinch our pockets, good dental care and doctors are easily accessible. 
2) Having my kids choose to all hang out together with me in the living room, lounging in our pajamas while we read our own books and shared out loud the funny parts.
3) Tutoring Daniel in reading.  It is really thrilling to see him be excited about reading and gain ground.

1) Breakfast for dinner.  Even more fun was making it with the kids.
2) FHE on the New Era 2008 Oct. edition with Pres. Monson's talk about choices.  I love that the kids are old enough to have discussions, and mark things in their scriptures.
3) Washing dishes with Alex because our dishwasher is broken.  Not thankful that it is broken, but thankful for the chance to work side by side and visit about some things that have been on his mind.

1)My husband cheerfully taking care of the kids.
2) My pillow.
3) Herbal tea soothing coughs.

1) DIY Shows, esp. the craft ones, although they seem to be a dying breed.
2) Being able to watch almost any show we want on the internet
3) People who are clever enough to write books.  As a book addict I thank you.

1) My hubby for shuffling kids around while I get over this bug that is kicking my hiney.
2) That Shon's job encourages him to take our kids with him when he goes out of town for activities.
3) My kids are so great at amusing themselves.  I feel like a noodle and couldn't amuse them if I tried right now. 

1) NyQuil for stupid colds (Did you know NyQuil is actually in spell check? loll)
2) Sweet Joey for bringing me ice water with out me asking and offering to make dinner so that I could lay down.  He then worried because I wasn't hungry and offered many suggestions ~ all of which he offered to make.
3) Early morning seminary...not because I like to get up, but because our teens have to choose to go and get something out of it.  There are some pretty cool testimonies growing out there.

1) Seeing my friends at the scouting roundtable tonight. 
2) Being involved in scouting, we have met some really amazing people.
3) Having the knowledge and comfort that even though we will never be rich or famous with scouting as our jobs, we can make a difference. 

(Guess what was on my mind tonight?  loll)

1)Looking at our friend Tony's amazing pictures from his trip to England and Ireland. 
2)The lovely surprise that he brought us back beautiful intricate scout patches and shamrock seeds.  They make me happy just to look a them.
3)Apples.  I'm just sayin'... crispy, yummy and good for you. 

September 5, 2010

1) Facing my fear of public crying to bear my testimony today.  I think it is important that my kids see this and I only cried a little bit.  :-)
2) Creating a beautiful butterfly mobile in my craft room today. 
3) A spinach salad with pico de gallo and fajita chicken for dinner.  And hearing my kids say pico de gallo five hundred ways and listening to them crack up at themselves.

September 3, 2010

1) Letting my daughter miss school because of a milestone in her life...then spending the day visiting with her about that and life in general as we crafted together. 
2)My husband having a job that he loves more everyday.
3)Reading the scriptures with my family and hearing just how much my kids know.  They really are amazing.