Win a Free Handbag

I just read on my good friend, Jolene's, blog about a fun giveaway. Wanna win a free purse? Then click on this link and enter yourself into the contest. I mean, who wouldn't want a new purse? Do you like the one I picked to win? I hope not because it will ruin my odds.

Recipe Book Etiquette

Etiquette Rule #1: When typing up a ward cook book--do not allow recipes to be turned in at the last minute--otherwise your book will go from 10 pages to 150 pages in no time flat--and inevitably there will be shenanigans.

Etiquette Rule #2: Watch for typos. Nobody wants to bake a Chocolate "Mouse" Pie.

Etiquette Rule #3: Correct ingredients are of the utmost importance. 14 teaspoons of lemon extract will pack a powerful punch when the Sugar Cookie recipe calls for only 1 1/2 teaspoons.

Etiquette Rule #4: Copyright laws are null and void when it comes to a ward cookbook at least that's what I plan on telling Cafe Rio, Lion House, Olive Garden & Pampered Chef.

Etiquette Rule #5: I don't care how good a recipe is--you'd better change the name of it if it involves the word "Mole". Regardless of the fancy pronunciation--when I see "Chicken Mole Pizza" it brings to mind nasty visits to the dermatologist. Do you buy them by the pound or what?

Etiquette Rule #6: If you are not sure who the author of a recipe is, it is quite alright to attribute the recipe to your neighbor--she most likely won't notice--probably--unless she reads your blog--which she doesn't.

Etiquette Rule #7: You must save your recipe book document. I repeat. You must save your recipe book document. So then, after you have promised many, many RS ladies an emailed version of the cookbook--you won't have to spend 2 hours reinventing the wheel--you know, the one you already invented the first time around?

Etiquette Rule #8: If you complain enough about your calling--and the business therein such as typing up a monster of a recipe book you will receive a delicious bundt cake from your BFF and it will make breaking all of the above etiquette rules worth every bite. Tally-ho.

Crafts, Late Nights, & Plumbers

Saturday night was the ultimate witching hour for finishing up the Fabulous Friday crafts for display on Sunday.

It started out that we were only going to do four crafts (I'd be in charge of two and our fab enrichment leader in charge of two). Then, I felt guilty because we didn't have any inexpensive crafts--so I threw in a couple more. Then, I got this fabulous idea to make a family monogram picture.

One thing led to another and just before midnight on Saturday I was madly trying to finish up 5 not so fabulous crafts.

Of course, at that moment, I hit a crafting roadblock. I needed supplies--and I needed them right then. I did what any girl desperate for crafting supplies at midnight would do--I texted my RS President "CALL ME ASAP IF YOU ARE AWAKE!!"





Luckily, Mary, is as big a night owl as I am. So she called. I gave her my short list of things I needed to finish up my crafties:

A can of colonial red spray paint (which she amazingly enough had the exact same color & brand).

A caulking gun & paintable caulk (which she found without having to wake up her husband--who would've been about as impressed as my husband was with me and my crazy shenanigans).

And water based stain (which she didn't have--but then found on Sunday morning--not that I was still crafting Sunday morning, in the kitchen at the church, during another wards sacrament meeting).





Mary delivered the goods and ended up helping me finish the crafts until about 2 am {I am a wiley one}. At one point we were out on my deck spray painting the family monogram sign--and I said, "That would be awkward if my neighbors were looking out their windows right now." {I was bending over in my low-riding old navy pj's---which, if I 'm not wearing a long shirt, provides quite a show for casual onlookers. Think plumber. Think crack. Think me. Or don't.}



At church, Sunday afternoon, as we were putting on the final touches of our cutie-pie display--my next door neighbor, Petal's husband asked me {with a big grin on his face} what my stance on Sabbath Day observance was. Did I believe it was midnight Saturday to midnight Sunday? Or did it just start when I woke up? Or what?



The jig was up.



Brother Petal had been shutting his boys blinds and noticed my back patio light on. And me. And Mary. {Thankfully, he didn't mention my friend, Mr. Plumber.}






{Ironically, I found out that Brother Petal had actually been up watching movies & playing Xbox till 130 am. It appeared we were both in the same Sabbath Day boat--mine just happened to have red paint sprayed all over it--and the deck--which is another story for another day--and please don't mention it to El Jefe or I will be El Dead-ay}.


PS Dontcha just love a story with pictures? I'll be posting details on how to make the above crafts sometime this week--and by sometime this week--I really mean--sometime before Halloween.

Random Blogging Excuses

Okay. So, I realize that my blogging has been few and far between for the past month. This new job is killing me with the whole new time management saga. I'll be honest, I had poor time management issues before the job. So, you can imagine with my shortened day--the struggles I'm having in just even keeping my kitchen clean.

Then, you throw in my RS calling--and I feel like I've been getting my fanny kicked for the past 2 weeks. I even told my Bishop that I wanted to be called into the nursery--and he informed me that if anyone was getting called to the nursery it was him. So, it's a no-go there.

A couple of weeks ago we had a really fun recipe sharing enrichment which somehow ended up involving me organizing a 150 page cookbook. It was only expected to be around 50 pages--but at the ultimate witching hour (2 days before the event) there was a great outpouring of love {via emailed recipes} for the cook book.

{Of course, I wasn't feeling the love after the 20+ hours I spent formatting the dang thing. But, it did turn out nice--and we do have some FABULOUS cooks in our ward. }

Then, I spent most of last week (okay and most of Saturday night/Sunday morning) getting some cute crafties ready to display for our Fabulous Friday enrichment craft night. I have literally been crafting my little heart out for the past week.

We also had our Visiting Teaching conference on Sunday which required of me to make handouts, visiting teaching cards--oh & singing a song.

Yesterday, I finally had time to blog--and halfway through this post--my mouse stopped working. Who knew that little thing was so necessary to a computer's livelihood?

So, what things have prevented you from
blogging lately?

The Sunday Funnies: Uncensored

Last week, when I picked the kids up from swim team, Aussie said, "I saw two disturbing things in the locker room today."

"Uh-oh," I said. "Did it involve nudity?"

"Yes," he answered. "First I saw a 2 year old running around naked in the locker room. Then I saw an old Japanese guy coming out of the shower. He was all old and wrinkly and he had hair all over his privates."

"Aussie, when you see someone naked you aren't supposed to stare," I said (speaking from experience).

"Okay," he said.

"Hey! There he is!" Aussie shouted, pointing in the direction of the doors.

{Yup. We all stared.}

But, at least he was fully clothed.

*******************************************************************

Tonight after scripture reading, we were having a discussion about the resurrection.

Savvy summed it up best when she said, "So when we get resurrected--we will be in a perfect stage of life, we will see Jesus, and we will be able to pet sharks and not get hurt?"

The Sunday Funnies

Before Sacrament meeting today, one of my friends came up to me and said, "Thurl Bailey loves you!"

"What?" I asked, wondering how he even knew who I was.

"Thurl Bailey. He loves you. He thinks you are so awesome."

"Thurl Bailey?" I questioned, trying to play it cool, in case he was around the corner.

"Not Thurl Bailey, you goof," she said. "You know, **Carol Bailey, in our ward?" (at this point she was laughing hysterically, along with everyone else within hearing distance).

Sigh.

Guess that's as close as I am going to get to

my 15 minutes of fame.

**Name has been changed to protect the innocent

Going Postal

We receive our next door neighbor, Petal's, mail on a regular basis. We don't have the same last name--but our husbands' have the same first name (El Jefe).

You would think the "El Jefe" mail would be the only mistaken mail we get. Nope. It doesn't seem to matter the name...we get the old mail switcharoo

on a regular basis.

It's really not that bad of a gig--I've looked through some pretty great magazines, catalogs--and I always appreciate her Christmas cards...they are friends with some cool people (just kidding, mostly).

Now, don't you fret. It's a two-way street around here. Petal has benefited countless times in receiving my mail--Victoria's Secrets coupons, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition, Emergency Preparedness ads--

we are definitely givers.

Usually, I notice the wrong mail and make the transfer before I've even left my mailbox (our mailboxes are side by side). But, occasionally the kids bring in the mail--and it's game over at that point.

{For some reason, my kids and the mail end up like

my socks in the dryer--lost.}

Last Friday, I decided to make a quick trip over to Joann's to check out some crafty things. I brought my coupon that I had received in the mail a week or so ago. As the girl rang up my items, I began to

get my coupon ready.

At that moment, I really and truly promise!

I tell no lie! I noticed that it wasn't my name on the coupon--but Petal's name. I did what any good neighbor would do...I partook of her 40% off savings. I know it was naughty of me--but it was going to expire the next day {besides, I saved 4 whole dollars!}

{And then can I tell you what a good Samaritan Petal's coupon turned out to be? The lady behind me bought over $200 worth of scrapbooking supplies {I've never seen so many scrappy paper pads bought in my life--it was quite amazing} and she forgot her coupon! So, I offered up Petal's coupon--

and she saved $8! }

So, what's the worst thing you've ever stolen

from your neighbor?