August 27, 2008

Anniversary

Paul and I had our 5 year anniversary. It was one of the better ones. We do a big breakfast on our anniversary for two reasons: 1. I love love love delicious breakfast and search for excuses to have them, 2. Paul asked me to marry him in the morning and we had breakfast afterward. I know, I know, reason number 1 is more romantic. We had toasted sourdough orange craisin bread with your choice of honey or brown sugar-cinnamon cream cheese, grilled plums with spiced walnut yogurt sauce, basil scrambled eggs, and blueberry lemonade. No wonder Paul married me.

He bought me bouquets of 5 different flowers. He's a charmer. Here are the ones on our table.


Paul and I wanted to do something great for our date out. We have very different dating styles so we compromised on a two part date - 1 part scavenger hunt, 1 part movie.
We scavenged at the mall for:
  • the ugliest shirt
  • the best tie
  • the best perfume
  • the best makeout spot
Here are the results...... Ugliest Shirt

Except Paul somehow still looks hot in it. We found another shirt that I thought was possibly uglier with a pink skull and gold shimmering teeth on it for over $100, but Paul thought it was cool, so he vetoed it as an ugly shirt. But he does wear WEEKLY (washed it in the laundry every week for 5 years) an old blue T-shirt -now paint spattered- that his brother Bob got at youth conference at least 14 years ago with a tiny temple on the front and above it the words 'Beyond This Moment'. He will not let me throw it out.

Best Tie

We disagreed on which ones were best and neither could narrow it to one, so we each chose two. I'd appreciate your comments on which ties you like best.
Yes, I realize that I look hideous in this picture, but please note that the picture was taken at the mall, and everyone knows that the mall purposefully uses light to make you look fat and ugly in hopes that in a fit of depressed compulsion you'll buy overpriced clothes. Which I did. I'm the proud owner of the red ugly shirt, and I look like a supermodel in it.


Best Perfume


Paul knew all about this perfume. He read a book called 'Emperor of Scent' about a guy who has a heightened sense of smell and has become infatuated with perfume. His book is about perfume. Paul tells me its a good book. I remain unconvinced. Now he takes note of new and famous perfumes. At first I was unimpressed. It smelled too musky for me. But on the second smell I liked it a little more. Then I put it on. The more I wore it the more I liked it. I think it's the best perfume I've ever smelled. Definitely the sexiest. Try it out next time you're at the mall. Beware, you might be thronged by hot Italian guys who can't figure out why you're so mysterious and unattainable. FYI - it's the number one perfume in France.


Best Make-Out Spot

Paul picked the elevator. Though it is private, elevators lack romance, and can be stinky, though ours was not, still a good choice, Paul. My choice was very romantic. Paul agreed.

The chocolate was maybe even better than the 'Dark Knight'.


5 years. 5 good years.

August 23, 2008

Well, I've been waiting until something blogworthy happens in my life, to post. It's been a while since I posted. I have come to the conclusion that my life is pretty mundane. But I'm still happy. I think that's a skill. Being happy with a mundane life. That may be a more useful skill than blogging even. But don't go pitying me, there are occasional colorful bursts of excitement. Like this morning. I had to go to the dreaded stake primary training meeting. I usually go with joy, but this meeting happens to fall on our 5 year anniversary - today. So I went with cranky obedience. I put Maggie in the nursery, and took Lucy with me to the meeting. Of course she got hungry immediately, no problem, get out the trusty feeding blanket. 5 minutes later I feel warm goopiness. Oh no. I take a look. I'm dealing not only with a blowout, but with a nasty puddle of little Lucy BM cupped in my skirt. How do you even manuvre around this kind of a situation. Well, long story short, I got out of the meeting. I figure it was like a little anniversary present from Heavenly Father to me. Unfortunately I'm the one who has to do the laundry involved with the present.
So now I'm home with my two girls asleep, Paul and Axel at a birthday party. And I'm thinking of all I have to do:
clean the kitchen
laundry - 3 loads and I already did 5 loads this week
plan for tomorrows singing time in primary
clean up all the things I threw into the storage part of basement when I cleaned the house for a showing yesterday with 1 hour notice
prep the chicken for Sunday dinner

and all the things on my dream list:
finish the frame I'm making
sew some slings for dear friends
cut out a dress to sew
get a haircut (it's been a while)
do crunches until I get a marathon runner tummy (I keep hoping I don't actually have to run a marathon to get that tummy)
watch an episode of Arrested Development - Paul and I started watching them on hulu
take a nap

With any luck, I'll get two of the things on my have to do list done today. I could probably do more, but I'm choosing to blog right now. I keep thinking if get some sort of awesome system down for the kids they'll be able to practically take care of themselves and I can get all of my chores done on one day - like a preparation day - and then I'll have the other 5 days to devote to my hobbies. So far I have devised many failing systems. I've tried the pretend-your-kids-aren't- there-system. Usually ends in yelling at the kids and I feel guilty. I've tried the pretend-I-don't-have-chores system, which usually ends up in a hungry family and a husband who looks exhausted by the mess in our home. I've tried involving my kids in my hobbies, but that usually ends up in all of the pins stuck in my bed, all my fabric unfolded and thrown around the room (I have A LOT of fabric), me moving all the cans of harmful wood finishing chemicals out of reach so many times it seems as if my job is actually to move cans. I've tried the doing-my-hobbies-only-when-the-kids-are-sleeping, but I can never seem to get all the work done I'm supposed to while they're awake and we get the yelling/guilt conundrum going on again. I have come to the conclusion that perhaps there is no such system and I should instead teach myself to be content with taking care of kids, house, and husband. (Thank goodness we have no pets!) I'm sure as we have more kids, I will have less free time. We want 7. We want 7? Ask me at 5 if we want 7. I think we do. Anyway, I always tell myself, "You can't have kids and then expect them to raise themselves." So I am learning to be happy with the mundane, and I think that is a useful skill. Plus my husband is hilarious and hot and super fun to be with and I love to make his life just as good as he makes mine. And my kids are loving. They love me. Is there anything sweeter than two small sticky hands on your cheeks and a little face so close to yours your eyes can't quite focus on it, and a small voice that can't enunciate all the words telling you with peanut butter breath, "Mom, you have my heart". Yes, Axel does say that to me. But I did teach it to him, as a survival skill. It completely melts me. Sewing can't do that. So here are some videos of my perfect mundane life.

Sorry the sound isn't that great.

The last word is 'hassle'. Get your mind out of the gutter.