House for sale!

Well, it is official. We are moving. Brian, the kids, and I are packing up and moving to Utah this summer. Just in time for gas prices to get a little higher! Sorry for that sarcastic comment, I'm just very disturbed/perturbed/annoyed/disgruntled about the gas prices.

So if anyone knows of someone looking for an awesome starter home, send them our way. In fact I'll give you the details right here! Asking Price $144,900 !!!

3 Bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 car garage

Tile entry, Formal dining, Large kitchen

Beautiful gas or wood burning fireplace, Amazing Natural Light, Open floor plan

Nice backyard (hand weeded!)

You can check out the virtual tour: VIRTUAL TOUR

It's a great house. I'm gonna miss it here.

I'm a brownie!

You Are a Brownie

Decadent and intense, you aren't for the weakhearted. Those who can deal with your strong flavor find out how sweet you really are.

What Dessert Are You Most Like?

The Scriptures are for our day

Setup: At night after family prayer we have the kids go sit in their bed and play with a toy or read a book while Brian and I sit in the hall outside their rooms and read the scriptures to them. This is the best way we've found to get them to "listen" to the scriptures.

Scenario: Ethan was in trouble for messing around during family prayer. He was in his room pouting because he wasn't going to get a story after scripture time. Brian was already reading the scriptures, but becoming increasingly annoyed with Ethan's disobedience.

Brian: (pausing from reading the scriptures) Ethan, get in your bed now! And stop making all that noise and listen to the scriptures! (we know how to invite the spirit into our home)

Ethan: I'm not gonna. I get a story! (continues to make every noise he can possibly think of)

Brian: Get in bed. (at this point Brian goes back to reading the scriptures, Alma 54)

12 And behold, if ye do not this, I will come against you with my armies;

Ethan: You're just kidding, right dad (in a kinda worried voice)

Brian:
...yea, even I will arm my women and my children, and I will come against you, and I will follow you even into your own land,

Ethan: Dad you're just a joker, right!? (at which point I begin to snicker)

Brian:
...yea, and it shall be blood for blood, yea, life for life; and I will give you battle even until you are destroyed from off the face of the earth. (My body is shaking up and down because I'm trying to hold in the laughter, and Nora has begun to laugh)

Ethan: I know you are just joking, dad. (he begins to laugh, timidly)

Brian: (still reading)
....Behold, I am in my anger (I loose it here, and laugh so hard tears are coming out of my eyes)

Ethan: Are you really mad?

Then we all have a good laugh, and magically the spirit really is there. The scripture couldn't have been more appropriate. Ethan stayed reverent until we finished the chapter. And no, he still didn't get a story.

Warning: This post will give you the heeby-jeebies

The following are 4 different emails I received from my mother in law:

Dad and I just came home to thousands and thousands of BEES going into our roof by the laundry room! There were so many flying around, so I opend the blinds behind my desk and this is what I saw! We just freaked! Tara, you would have died right then and there. Big D Pest Control is on their way. The creepy thing is that now, they have all gone in to the roof! That mass of bees is now gone! AUGH!
MOM


Well, the bees are dead. Now, what are we going to do with all the dead bee bodies that are laying inside the roof? Are they going to stink when the weather gets hot? I'm hoping they didn't have time to set up shop and start making their honey. If they did, we're in a real sticky mess. Because now it's mixed in with pesticides and dead bee bodies.
MOM

Just an update on our bees. Obviously, we didn't commit bee-ocide like I thought. A few of them were dead, but not very many. Our friend is a bee-keeper and he is helping us take care of them. When he opened the roof, this is what we found. They are alive and well, setting up shop and making a hive and honey. He is going to take all of them away. Can you believe this? Just some info on bees that I read on the internet--when they are busy making honey like this and full of pollen, they have little interest in stinging you. You could pick them up and they won't hurt you. That why you see beekeepers make those "beards of bees" on TV and stuff like that. But our friend is wearing a net over his head "just in case". Smart.
MOM

I'm sorry to keep sending you guys pictures, but this is the last one. This was so interesting, I had to share it. THIS is the waxy honeycomb that the bees were making! Look how white and new and fresh it looks, not old and yellow like we usually see them. I guess that's because they didn't have time to put honey in it. Earl got the queen out and the remaining bees are losing interest in the hang out. Hopefully, by morning, they will almost be gone. Now we have to figure out how to rebuild the little roof! Chris? Wanna help?
MOM

Baby Stories Part 1

I have a friend who asked for my baby stories. So without further ado, here is Ethan's story...

We had been trying to have a baby for about 3 years, and with the help of clomid, we were able to get pregnant. I just knew it was a boy. I started bleeding early on, and on many occasions I was absolutely sure I had miscarried. I had what the doctor called "Venus blood pools"....Uhh...Basically I had pools of blood around the embryonic sac that would leak. That is the name the doctors came up with, I think they made it up right there in the office at my visit. Anyway, despite my crazy body, the baby grew perfectly. We were able to tell it was a boy by week 12. We had a heck of a time coming up with a name. I was put on partial bed rest (decreased activity) for the last three months because of the bleeding and also because of all the contractions. So leading up to the end of the pregnancy, I was already dilating two months before the due date. My friend Jen and I 3 weeks before we had our babies (same day, she was 2 weeks late, I was 2 weeks early)

Two weeks before our son was due I had my regular doctors appointment. I had already decided I'd had enough, so that morning, I cleaned the house, did the dishes and laundry, and put my hospital bag and pillow into the car. I told the doctor I was going to have the baby that day. She seemed to believe me. I was dilated to almost a 4. She broke my membranes (eeewww) and then the contractions started coming! After a non-stress test, a nice woman walked me over to the hospital, hooked me up to an IV and broke my water. I called Brian and told him it was time to get his tookus to the hospital. About 5 hours later we had our son, and two days later we finally picked a name. Ethan Blaine.

I speak midlandish

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland   "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West
Boston
North Central
The Inland North
The South
Philadelphia
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Ok, this is freakishly accurate for 13 questions. In my life I've lived all over the stinkin place and I haven't picked up too much of an accent from anywhere. The two places I've lived the longest in my life would have to be Illinois and Dallas. Take this quiz, it's fun!

PS Every once in a while I say something with a Chicago accent, like backpack or basketball. And I get in trouble for the way I say warm and root....