Quiet Night

The calm after the storm arrived tonight. Lindsey left around 6:30 to attend a baby shower and the girls had already taken a bath. We read for a while, then they both went to bed without a struggle and fell right asleep. I've kept my eye on the thermostat to see if the guy fixed the a/c. Up until today it wouldn't go lower than 82 degrees. I did a victory dance when the display showed 81! (That will be offset by the next electric bill since the air has been running straight for several hours getting the temperature back down to normal).

Reflecting on this sudden deluge of break downs (did Lindsey mention the DVD player went out too? No more Charlie and Lola!), I realized we are experience something I warn people about at work whenever we start to improve a process: often there is a dip in efficiency before we become more efficient. Perhaps we are feeling that dip now because the Lord has something better in store for us later.

At least tonight, we will all sleep more comfortably.

More repentant now...

Well I recognize that we all have bad days, so there's my "one" for the next bit, okay? It's been a stressful last few weeks with everything breaking down on us...so I'm guessing everything just built up inside. I'm feeling much better now, thank you. But just so I feel justified, let's review:

1. The brakes on the car- fixed
2. The air conditioning in the car- not fixed
3. Ants in the kitchen- fixed, we think
4. The air conditioning in the house- fixed (we hope...he just left)
5. Last night we found ants in the girls' closet (my first thought was...oh my gosh, termites!)
6. Computer on the blink
7. Camera not working properly
8. Printer gone
9. New printer only works when it wants to...
10. My sanity, at present- intact! :)

You talkin' to me?

This was on Yahoo news tonight as I was working...
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/drmao/6715/going-up-7-pointers-to-lift-a-bad-mood
Ironic?

Somwhere between repentant & justified...

*RANTING WARNING*
I remember in college reading about a study done on heat & road rage. There is a direct link to high temperatures & higher tempers. I remember thinking at the time that Texas was in trouble! Today I witnessed what a little heat can do.

We've had a horrific day. As you may or may not know, our house air condition has gone out. Great timing, huh? So I didn't want to spend the day here melting away, but I'm also tired from yesterday (drove to College Station & back with the 2 little ones). So, the heat won out & we headed to Target for some baby shower shopping. At Target, Ava was not well behaved & kept running off. I could have skinned her alive <---a phrase my mother used. She was finally sent to the dungeon (the inside of the cart) to remain for the rest of the time, and was fine. A confession- a couple of weeks ago the lady checking me out had frustrated me by asking me some question I felt was dumb (I don't remember now) and then I had to repeat myself twice (which is a button for me) to answer her. I had to respond loudly & slowly, "NO I DO NOT"...to whatever question she asked. I'm sure she could sense my frustration in having to repeat myself while trying to maintain control over my 2 girls. She responded by saying, "I'm sorry." I felt her sorrow in that she didn't mean to cause problems & I felt horrible for speaking in an unkind tone. I had decided I would send her a card to apologize, but I had not been able to get my act together to do it due to all of the stuff going on...blah blah blah...anyways, she was there today. I thought, oh good, I can do this in person, but when I got up to her line (which took some courage) I couldn't do it. I felt embarrassed & humiliated & I knew I would start crying. So I was kind, said my goodbyes and walked away regretting my lack of courage. I did get her name, "Ha" ironic, isn't it? So I can send the card today.

Unfortunately, the day gets worse on all levels. I'm still feeling bad about my lack of courage...
On the way home I realize that we're going to need some fans or we'll burn up. Why did I remember at Target? Ugh. So I go to WalMart on the way home. Ava is immediately put in the cart- no negotiation. Everything is fine at WalMart, except the wait...which I have no control over, so I simmer. I decide to avoid coming back to the house as long as possible- so I think I'll take the girls to McDonalds, we really NEVER go there...so this is a little treat, I guess. Well I don't know what the problem was but McDonald's reputation for a "well oiled machine" was one rusky old clunker today! It took FOREVER to get our food, we weren't the only ones, there were tons of people just waiting there. One man told them they needed to get their act together, I couldn't agree more. So there were a lot of people just standing there, but I was the only one with an ill-mannered little girl. Okay, perhaps she was just a little girl who was hungry & could not understand what was taking so long! But after her behavior at Target, she was already on my nerves. So we get our food, the girls are doing fine. All is hunky-dory. Then Ava is finished & wants to play outside on their playground. (Breathe- I can feel myself getting mad again!) The door to the playground is locked. So I ask a lady who is cleaning up if there is a reason it is locked. She says the manager just forgot to unlock it & she'll let them know. So she finishes her cleaning job (yes we are just standing there waiting) and tells the manager. The manager does nothing, maybe says "okay" or something like that. The lady at the counter ask if I wanted to order something- I said "No, we are waiting on the playground to be unlocked." So after another several minutes I go up to the counter and ask the lady when the playground is going to be unlocked. She says the manager has to do it (this counter person, I can tell she knew I was about to blow)...it was well over 5 minutes ago that the other lady asked her to unlock it. So I turned to the manager- who is right there- continuing to make other people's orders. And say loudly, HOW MUCH LONGER IS IT GOING TO BE? She doesn't look up, she "apologizes" and says just a minute...and so I respond HOW ABOUT NOW? Let me just say I never behave this way. I am normally so patient! I know people are just trying their best- but what about a Mom just trying to do her best? Ava & Sydnee just wanted to play outside on the playground...at McDonalds! The manager did walk over to the locked door & unlock it, which took a total of maybe 15 seconds...
So that is where the title comes in. I'm sorry AGAIN for behaving badly. I am sorry that I wasn't as patient as I could have been, but I am still angry that I was blown off so easily. It took a matter of second to let us outside to the playground. Couldn't those fries just wait a second? Did I mention it's hot in here?

How Do You Spell Zerbert?

In priesthood opening exercises yesterady, I stood in the back of the chapel with Sydnee, trying to rock her to sleep. As she adjusted her head on my shoulder, she blocked my view so I raised my chin to see over her. After doing so, she looked up at me, then gave me a wet zerbert right on the neck and started to laugh. That still cracks me up as I write this.

Hmmm...not so sure

I thought I would follow suit & see what this said...I'm not so sure. :)
Normally, we get the opposite of what this says...Oh well!

My weekly report

It's been a crazy busy week preparing for everything this weekend, but I can't complain- I think it's fun. The girls have had a good week. Sydnee is singing Old McDonald- well, mainly just the Ee-Ii- Ee-Ii-Oh part, but it still cute. Ava's new thing is pointing out every one's eye color...and well an occasional eye in the process. I'm the loner in the family- blue, blue, blue, green?

My events on Friday & Saturday went very well. My slumber party friends- Melanie & Cori, kept me up till 3am! Those party animals! I sure love those girls! In fact I was reflecting earlier on how grateful I am for all of my close friends in my ward. I'm SO grateful for them. I love how we lean on each other when one needs help, how we lift burdens, are there for a talk, wipe away tears, laugh with and at each other, & celebrate the good times. I remember that not so long ago I was really praying for a friend & then all of the sudden I have a roomful. What a great blessing. May I be as good of a friend as you all have been to me. A quick funny story about this weekend, Cori needed to pick up Kylie from a friend's house when she got in from Six Flags...before she left, she slipped into go to the bathroom. I was chatting with Leah for a bit about her event she had on Saturday and then she left. Melanie & I were kinda straightening up things & chatting when all of the sudden we hear this noise. It sounded like one of the girls...and Melanie and I just froze. We were like- what was that? Then from the bathroom we hear, "Lindsey! It's ME, THERE'S NO TOILET PAPER IN HERE & I'VE BEEN YELLING For HELP FOR SEVERAL MINUTES!" We got a chuckle out of that one. :) Ahh, good friends.

On the less "sentimental" side- we are enjoying the "getting back into the routine of things". We've enjoyed seeing friends back from the summer break especially. Tomorrow all across Texas, school begins. Best wishes for a successful school year to all of you! This week will be a good one, my father & sister celebrate their birthdays on Tuesday. I'll need to get their fun birthday packages in the mail tomorrow, although I wish I could deliver it! :) I know they'll both love their gifts! :)

Alright, that's all for now...got to catch up on all of your blogs now.

Love- Linz

Marinara Sauce Recipe

You asked for it...so here you are! It's so good, you'll never go back to Prego again! I use it in spaghetti, pizza, as a dipping sauce- you name it! It makes a ton, so I freeze most of it...enjoy! Let me know if you try it and like it. :) It's not my originally recipe, my mother-in-law got it from a church Enrichment night that focused on pre-made meals or Mom's Meals for a Month.

Marinara Sauce

6 cans of 16oz tomatoes coarsely crushed
1/3 cup olive oil
6 cloves of garlic- pressed or minced
3 onions finely chopped (I've not ever used that much)
4 carrots- finely chopped
2 TSP dried basil
1 TSP dried oregano
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Heat oil in a 5 quart pot over medium heat. Cook garlic, onions, & carrots, stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in tomatoes and juice, basil, oregano, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat & simmer rapidly, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 1 1/2 hours or until sauce is very thick and reduced by about half.

Movie at the Park

I had such a great time with the girls this evening. We had dinner with Uncle Jim, then went to Hewitt Park to watch The Wizard of Oz on a portable, theater-size movie screen. Even though there were hundreds of people there, we didn't feel overwhelmed, and the girls enjoyed playing until the movie started at little after 8 pm. When we got to the part where Dorothy leaves Munchkinland, Ava said she wanted to go "nite nite." After a quick bath, they nearly instantly fell asleep. The only part I didn't enjoy was not having Lindsey there with me. :( I love you!

I'm up for air

This week I have focused A LOT on my stamping projects. I usually stamp throughout the week, but I've made some goals for myself & I really want to see them through, so I am stamping a little everyday. It's good practice for me. I feel that I am continually improving, and the better I get, the closer I get to some of my big goals. As of this second, I have a lot on my mind & I've stamped a lot today...so I'm taking a little breather to talk to you- you lucky duck!

One of my big goals for the year is to get published. I have only tried to get published through the Stampin' Up contests and today I found lots of contests out there, so I thought- why not try a little harder & do some others? So hopefully I will get lucky & someone will like a design & chose me for a spotlight. There are also some other little stamping goals I have, but I'm afraid I might be boring you...so I'll leave it at that. You can check out my other blog for my daily work.

I take Sundays off, of course. :) As a side note, I think it's funny that I require myself to take Sunday off. Most people would think of scrapbooking & cardmaking as a perfect Sunday activity, but since I do it as my "other little job", I take Sundays off..unless I'm doing a service project or something like that.

Okay, so about normal life. I made these cute little pizzas the other day & I thought I would share. I have a fabulous recipe for homemade spaghetti sauce & I made it on Monday. So Tuesday I baked some refrigerator biscuits, pulled them in halves & made little pizzas with my marinara, cheese, & Italian Seasoning. The girls LOVED it...I'll have to do that again sometime. I have to admit, I thought they were yummy myself, although my face wasn't nearly as dirty. :)

A Sweet Little Moment

After sacrament meeting today, I was chatting with a couple of people up on the stand when they suddenly looked down at my side. I turned my head to see what they were looking at and found Ava there. When she saw that I knew she was there she said, "good job, Daddy" (because I had given a talk). My heart just melted! The other speakers and the piano solo had done such a fantastic job inviting the Spirit into the meeting, Ava's compliment simply put the icing on the cake.

Old Blog

My first attempt at blogging was when Ava was born. I had hoped to blog about my thoughts and experiences about becoming and being a daddy. Most of the content of the posts (at the time) I kept from Lindsey because I wanted to surprise her with a year's worth of experiences. You will notice the last post dates November 2005. That was around the same time Hurricane Rita passed over our home, we moved to Waco from a home (Nacogdoches) we loved so I could start a new job, and we found out Lindsey was pregnant. Blogging took a backseat.

Since this blog essentially replaces my first one, I'm going to archive those old posts, but I wanted people to read them before deleting them. Enjoy!

http://mindofdad.blogspot.com

Sprinkler Fun

So I was turning on the sprinklers to wet the flower beds so PJ (friend's son) could weed the out-of-control zinas & the girls thought it looked like fun. So I changed them into their bathing suits & well, I think it's safe to say they had a good time. Too many ants & two tired little girls meant it only lasted about 30 minutes, but it was a fun way to spend the afternoon! :) Thanks for stopping by!

Forgot to knock

on wood that is...
Yesterday we took the Pathfinder, or JP as we can him, into get the brakes fixed. I noticed when I drove it last that they didn't seem right. Well Just Brakes has a deal where they will replace brake pads & shoes on all 4 wheels for $99. So they pulled JP in & the guy said to wait while they made sure it was just pads & shoes needed.
Let me just add here that JP has been an incredible car. It has never been anything but reliable, in fact for being as old as it is- we've really never had to fix anything that wasn't due for a change (tires, starter, battery, etc...in other words things that you are suppose to replace). It's been a real blessing. Here's where I should have knocked on wood...
We waited for the guy to give us the okay for the $99 and it was taking a lot longer than expected (or maybe it just felt like it since the girls were very hungry & unhappy to be buckled in sitting for more than a stop light.) He came back with a much larger figure- try x5 the $99 deal...apparently there are major brake problems that need to be fixed for a mere $500+...the car's value is at around $1000 so we're paying half its worth to fix the brakes. Ah, isn't that just life? Did I mention the air condition isn't working either?

Cool Way to Cool Off

Yesterday I went out back to mow the lawn with Ava (Lindsey and Sydnee left to run errands). While mowing, I turned to check on Ava playing on the patio and found her cooling off.
She took Toby's food dish, filled up both bowls with water, removed her shoes and stood with one foot on each side. I thought it was funny, although Toby didn't seem to think so because Ava had emptied his water dish to do this, and he was pretty thirsty.

Look familar?

Tried to mow again...

Found the bunnies again....

Bunny Parents Moved them again...

They were so cute! We hope they are okay! We may never get to mow again...

10 Year High School Reunion

We had SUCH a good time at the reunion. There were definately a lot of people I was so happy to see & catch up with, even if it was just for a moment & screaming over the extremely loud band & bikers. :) **Note: Friday night's mingle was at a Biker Bar***
Here is the one & only picture we took. I hope to post more as people send them to me.We are holding the camera, you can see Wilhoyt's behind us... As you can tell I, I need to work on my camera pointing skills, although Todd looks great!