Going, going, gone.

Thanks everyone for being so excited with me!

See Ya!!

Vexillology- The study of Flags

The National Flag of Scotland: St. Andrew.

Plus:

The National Flag of England: St. George

Plus: The National Flag of Ireland, St. Patrick

Put them altogether,

"The Union Jack"

The Flag of The United Kingdom

Bon Voyage

Some people aren't sure the difference between

England, The United Kingdom, and Great Britain.

Great Britain: The big island comprised of England, Wales and Scotland.

United Kingdom: The countries of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland.

England: The country south of Scotland in Great Britain.

Even though these countries are close, they are very different in accents and customs.

For example, in England a groom might wear an outfit similar to what a groom might wear here. Sometimes hat and tails, depending on how formal the occasion is.

In Scotland, they dress in their most formal attire: KILTS. Brent was suprised (to say the least) to learn that the groom, father of the groom, and father of the bride are all dressing up for the wedding.

Yes, they are wearing kilts.

I jokingly told him that this was to be the expected dress, and if he wanted to fit in and be respectful to the bride and groom, he too would have to wear a kilt.

I couldn't keep a strait face for long.

Will Brent show some leg?

If he does, I'll be sure to capture the image.

Bon Voyage!!

My Job.

It's the greatest job in the world.

It takes a lot of patience,

but I LOVE IT!!!!

Make it a Haven.

I love houses. When I look at a house, I know if I love it. I have to really study it though to figure out exactly what it is I like about it. I'm not detail oriented like this master, but I know what I like. There really isn't one particular style I can pinpoint as "MY STYLE."

About a year ago, we were thinking we might have to move to Utah. I immediately got on-line and started cheking out homes in the Salt Lake area. Even though we are now sure that we are staying here, I still love this process. Here are a few I found today that I adore.

I just wanted to share something that inspired me today. Brother and Sister Mouritsen in a 1980 Ensign article said,

"As we set about to make our home a holy place, we discovered that turning a house into a haven takes more than being active in the Church and participating in its programs, important as that is. Home beautification and orderliness Just as we feel the Spirit of the Lord in the clean, orderly surroundings of a chapel or a temple, we can more easily invite the Spirit of the Lord into our homes by making them clean and orderly."

We, in the Pasco Stake, have been challenged to do this by our Stake Presidency. This is my focus as I start Spring Cleaning, to truly turn my home into a haven.

We is Cwaf-Tee!!

All You Need Is Love!

and a little craft project

The assignment from Kenley's teacher was:

Bring something to put your Valentine's in.

She decided to decorate a Valentine Tree. Ever heard of a Valentine Tree?:

I haven't either.

She scavenged the backyard to find the doll her brothers buried last week, fashioned him a little loin cloth, wings made out of old curtain sheers, a bow and arrow and perched him atop the Valentine Tree. I should actually have taken a video of this because the box plays love songs. (MP3 player under the tree)She always does her best work. When an envelope might have been sufficient, she made a tree. I love that about her.

Isn't he a cute little feller.

Elizabeth's Valentine Craft included making magnets for her teacher, Mrs. Miller.

And I made some cookies.

Just a reminder on this day,

don't forget to give:

to those you care about, andthe one you love.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Tagged!!

Thanks for the tag LISA,

#1 Ten Years Ago: We were living in our first home, with two little girls, loving life, cooking and ironing and cleaning and doing laundry. Sounds similar to my life now, except I cook for a few more and am A LOT happier. (not that I was sad, life just gets better.)

Here's some of the "extras" I cook for.

#2 Five Things On My To-Do List: Well, my to-do list today includes: fixing dinner tonight for the missionaries, getting Dallin to Scouts, grocery shopping, volunteering in Dallin's classroom for an hour and ironing that stack of 15 shirts of Brent's, which won't get done. Oh yes, and make Valentines.

#3 Snacks I Enjoy: Yogurt, peanut butter granola bars, snack bags (mixture of pretzels, golden raisins, m&m's, life cereal, cheerios), apples and bananas, and raiding the Halloween candy (we still have a ton)

#4 Three Bad Habits: procrastination, not keeping in touch with relatives that live far away, Neglecting house work to blog or read magazines.

#5 If I Suddenly Became A Billionaire: I would make a generous donation to BYU ( I would love a building named after me.)

#6 Places I've Lived: England, Georgia, California, Utah and Washington

#7 Jobs I've Had: Lingerie dept. at Sears in Northridge, CA. : Pier 1 Imports in Valencia, CA. : I was a nanny for a family for 2 years in Utah.

#8 Things People Don't Know About Me: I can fix a whole meal holding a baby (one hand egg cracking and everything) , I hate scary movies, I love unexpected rain (within reason), I could watch the Food Network 24/7 (good job we don't have cable.) I love uninterrupted sleep.

I'm tagging Sarah J : Megan W : Jeanette M : Amy O.

Have a lovely VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

This is going to seem like a total letdown after all the "creative" guesses.

(You are right Emily, the "apply" thing was a little obscure.)

I'm Dreaming of:

Flip-Flops

because I've found my perfect pair: and not just for summer.

Sun Glasses

I wear these all winter anyway, but it would be nice to put them to use.

Capri's

get the air circuating on those pasty legs.

Warm Breezes

because I can close my eyes and be anywhere.

Sending the kids out the door with no coat

and not having to negociate with anyone to wear one.

Daylight in the evening

This one is huge, I love it.

Straightening up the yard (?)

Not so much the process, but I love everyone in the neighborhood out there working.

Beautiful green springing up everywhere

Such a clean, crisp color.

Tree buds

Spring is amazing to me. How do they know it's time?

Daffodills, Tulips and Hyacinths

Hyacinths are my absolute favorite, I wish this blog had the scratch and sniff option.

(Sigh!!!!!!!!!)

Ask my kids what I love and they'll say,

"80 degrees with a warm breeze."

What do you love about SPRING?

Guess What I'm Dreaming Of?

I didn't used to be so attached, until I found the perfect pair.

My Lil' Sis has always been a lover.

She even wore a white pair with crystals on her wedding day.

I wore a pair this week, even though it was slightly premature.

They are easy to apply and give long lasting comfort.

They range in price from $1.99 to whatever you are willing to pay.

You either love 'em or you hate 'em.

I'm dreaming................of WHAT?

Any Guesses?

Picture Perfect Weekend

Three shots! and 24 lbs.

(mostly in his belly and cheeks)

Britton's 15 month check went well.

Here he is a few hours later with his signature CHEESY SMILE!

Saturday morning Elizabeth performed a solo at a choral recital.

"Soldier, Soldier, Will You Marry Me?"

Here she is right before her performance. Cool as a Cucumber. I don't get it, she's amazing. She was critiqued by a lovely lady, Mrs. McFadden, who offered advice on how to use more expression and dynamics in her singing.

Saturday evening, Brent and I went shopping. (Not one to ever be left out of a shopping excursion, Elizabeth tagged along.) Brent loves to go shopping with me, and I love him coming. Here's a snippit of a conversation we had.

Me coming out of the dressing room trying on clothes to find the "wedding outfit" I say,

"It's nice and I really like it, but it's not right for the wedding."

Brent: "Well, it looks so nice on you, you ought to get it anyway."

SCORE NUMBER ONE

Next outfit choice Brent goes, "That looks really cute too."

Me: "I like it, but it's not weddingy"

Brent: "But it's such a great deal and it looks nice, just get that too."

SCORE NUMBER TWO

This is why Brent and I have FANTASTIC shopping trips!

Just for kicks I decide to try on a hat or two. I don't mind telling you that I am totally willing to eat my words. I FELT LIKE A MILLION BUCKS TRYING ON THESE HATS!! With the right outfit maybe I could pull it off?

This dark gray wool hat with a black satin ribbon was really quite nice and probably appropriate for the occasion. I couldn't do it though.

What's your favorite way to shop?

Husband? Alone? With or without kids? Not at all?

Proper English Wedding Attire

So, you know, everyone thinks a little more about their outfit when they are going to attend a wedding, especially for a family member. Well, an English wedding is a whole step above. For example this british hat designer said,

"Wearing hats to a wedding, especially an English wedding, is exciting fashion that is highly anticipated by all the guests." Gina Conti-Milliner

Highly anticipated by all the guests? This scares me. Are all my english relatives expecting their now American cousin to come with this amazing hat from America? A place that they think is bigger and better at everything.

"Most of the guests - certainly family - will have gone to town with buying the perfect hat!" Jill Curtis-Psychotherapist

I like to take my fashion cues from the best. The Queen Mother, who is rarely seen in public without a hat, wore a blue hat decorated with feathers to match her outfit. Here she is at the wedding of her grandson Edward a few years ago.

Some things to consider when buying a hat:

Do have confidence

Don't be put off

Do Shop around

Don't think about buying a hat until you have the dress

Don't wear a black hat until checking with the bride

Do avoid a large brim if you have a small face

Do consider your skin tone before deciding on a color

Victoria Beckham caused quite a stir at the wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes

Believe me, this has all been for a good laugh, because

Call me a fashion miss, but

I AIN"T WEARING A HAT!!

Pay It Forward

How many times have you thought to do something nice for someone else, but didn't. Life sometimes gets in the way of accomplishing the things we want to do. Maybe we are too busy, maybe we really don't want to do the things we ought to do or sometimes it's even fear.

Yesterday, (I hope she won't mind me mentioning her name) this thoughtful gal dropped by with a real treat for me. Did she wake up and think,

I'm going to go and do that?

This step happens all the time, but the difference here is that she did it: And you'll never know how much I appreciated it. It was a generous, sincere expression of friendship and love. For everyone reading this today (commenters and non-commenters), the next time you think to yourself, "I should go and do that" (whatever it is) don't think or delay:

Just Do It.

I already know what I'm going to do.

What about You?

If You Are Interested!

Food and Family

This wonderful friend introduced me to this about a year ago. Published four times a year, this fabulous cooking magazine is delivered right to your door, absolutely FREE! They assume you will use Kraft products to make their recipes. It really is a pleasure to look at and contains great recipes. All yours for the asking!! I know that this is a weakness of mine, I really have to be disciplined every time I pass the magazines at Wal-Mart. But you've got to feel good about something free and lovely. Check it out. (I am not employed by Kraft- HaHa) And I haven't noticed any junk mail come as a result. Sign up for your subscription at: Kraftfoods.com/share

My Parents are in for a Real Treat!!

Update: The Madness Continues! But it's getting better.

At the beginning of October I posted a picture of my three little boys sleeping in my bed. They always start out the night in their OWN beds. At some point during the night, and it's always different, they migrate into our room.

This picture was taken yesterday morning, four months later, and the madness continues.

We take some responsibility for this occurance. If we would have started taking them back when they first started, I think they may not keep coming. Maybe not though.

My parents are staying with the kids when we go on our trip.

They are in for a real treat.

Any tricks or secrets to stop this in the next two weeks?

I love tag, this is my first game: thanks Becky M.

Where were you born? Heanor, Derbyshire England

Middle name: I don't have one

How old will you be this year? 37 (wait, I need to double check that)

Nicknames: Deb, Debs, Debsters, Debsie

Are you taller than your mother or father? Taller than my mom, shorter than my dad

Do you cry often during movies? Only some: but I cry every time for my fav. one (Life is Beautiful.)

What is your biggest pet peeve? Injustice, shoes on the floor next to the shoe rack and coats on the floor next to the coat rack.

Favorite color: yellow, greens.

Favorite foods: It would be easier to name what I don't like: green olives, grapefruit and strange stuff.

Favorite beverage: Room Temp. water, cold orange soda

Favorite cold cereal: Chex with a sprinkling of granola and craisins and vanilla soy milk.

Favorite Smells - Hyacinths

Favorite time of day: when I'm up, dressed and the house is clean

What brand of shampoo/conditioner do you use? Whatever is on sale

Make-up products? Whatever is on sale. And I use them until they are absolutely and completely gone.

How many pillows do you sleep with? 3, which may seem excessive but they all have their place

Do you play an instrument? No, I know one song on the recorder I learned in Elementary school

Have you ever been skinny dipping? No comment

Did you do any sports in High School? Tennis, but I wasn't on the official team

What was the last movie you saw in the theater? Hannah Montana: The Best of Both Worlds. I highly recommend this for any little girl who likes Hannah Montana, I even loved it.

What is your favorite article of clothing? A warm sweater when I'm cold and fuzzy socks.

What is your dream vacation? I guess I'd like to see New York

What was your first impression of your spouse? I thought his sweatshirt with an embroidered duck on it was very stylish

If you were an animal what would you be? Something that could fly

What is your favorite "me- time" activity? hot bath, magazines, cook-book searching, and now blogging

What is your dream car? My retirement car is already picked out. A Lexus RX330

What is one of your weaknesses? I have to have my daily sugary treat and it's got to involve chocolate

What do you fix for dinner when there's nothing to fix? Quesadillas

If you could live in a different decade/era which one would it be? My muscial preferences are still stuck in the 80's, but I couldn't go back to the hair or outfits

What is the emotion you feel the most? Contentment

Do you consider yourself outgoing? I have had to make myself and I'm getting better. I have a really hard time talking face to face with people, I'm often stuck for words even though I'm thinking a lot

What is something you are constantly working on? Laundry

Any hidden talents? No

What is a word or phrase you overuse? Do you want to go the the "naughty bench?," (0ur time out place) and "Do you think I fell off a turnip truck?," (when my kids think I'm clueless.)

What was the hardest thing that happened to you this past year? Honestly, I can't think of anything

What is the best thing that happened to you this past year? Two highly capable built-in babysitters

What is one thing you hope to accomplish this year? Finish my Book of Mormon challenge I started

The best piece of advice you learned this past year? Take time to enjoy

Who are the 6 people you are going to tag to do this survey? Sarah J., Terra J., Terri M., Lisa S., Michelle S., and Emily S.

It's the Best of Both Worlds.

Motherly Bliss Is.......................

.......A night out with these fun girls

..........Dinner at Azteca and the Hot Sauce challenge.

.......Watching these three awestruck and amazed.

.......Watching them have the time of their lives.

Motherly Bliss Is..............
Knowing for at least tonight, I'm cool!