a busy May 2014

Still catching up

In May we were so busy-

Who Isn't?

May & December are the two busiest months of the year for us.

We had our annual YW graduation fireside on the Bountiful Temple Grounds.

I'm so proud & happy for these two friends.

Hailey was in the chalk art festival for the first time!

SERIOUSLY! So fun & so exciting- Hooray for Hailey going way outside her comfort zone & doing something she has always wanted to do.

We went to Baccalaureate with Chloe & friends.

Its such an exciting time. 

Trent has been in a Social Dance class this whole year.

They had their spring recital - dance concert- at the University of Utah.

IT WAS HANDS DOWN AMAZING

We are so grateful for good teachers!

It was a lot of time sitting in a theater for mom- brought back memories.

Chloe flipped over it & was wishing her school had a program like this!

Brett & I celebrated 28 years of marriage!

Chloe & friends graduated from Seminary!

Busy - Busy - Great - Month

really... so long between posts?

It's been a seriously... 

busy busy

month here for me people!

In November-

I started redoing Hailey's room.

She moved into the boys old room in the basement & we (okay it was me) decided to turn her room into a guest room. We frequently have guests & it is only difficult because we always put them in Trent's room. That is a nightmare for me. So much work & it throws him off his schedule. So- In changing this room to a guest room-- my life will eventually be easier- right?

I have to say- all the wallpaper is down & I haven't even walked into the room since the friday before thanksgiving. No time.

One of Jack's best friends---

SETH CAME HOME FROM HIS MISSION!!!

So lucky for us Jack was home a little bit. 

He is so fun to have home.

Great News-

Hailey got a job at Cafe Rio!!!

FREE MEAL

-Oh ya-

She doesn't get to bring home free food I just love to yell free meal like they do.

Are you just sick about the whole Hostess going under business?

I may have ate my last raspberry filled powdered sugar donut?

I don't want to live in this kind of world? A world without twinkies?

Dear me--- can it be so?

SOMEONE FIX THIS!

A little update:

We LOVE having Brittany close & think she should eat dinner here every night.

Laura is on bed rest now-- she's 26 weeks--- much too soon for these little buggers to be wanting to come. So down she is!

I've been working nearly 30 hours a week & haven't had a day off in 10 days straight!

sigh- Christmas time + retail = crazy busy.

I've been in the last two Sunday nights after the store closed putting up Christmas floor sets.

Fun really-- but so tiring.

my window

ISN'T IT GORGEOUS!!!

I'm just a little over the top - proud of it.

I've also been making capes for Christmas- remember the super hero capes I made for Charlie & Joey?

Well-- I have had some orders & made 5 capes now! you know, just in my free time - still it's great for a little extra Christmas money & they are really fun to make!

Thank Heaven's for Brett- he is such a huge support & truly my sweet heart. 

I love to see him with his "other girls" Lavern & Shirley.

It just cracks me up!

They run to his as soon as he opens the back door. 

Thanksgiving Post 

(it was so much fun!) 

coming soon

catching up!

I never mean to go so long between posts..

it just happens!

It's usually a sign- a sign of my mental state & the state of affairs in the family.

This week = BUSY & HECTIC & I don't like it.

but what can you do?

survive

I have some talents-

I have some things I do okay, or well, or even just mediocre...

BUT can I just toot my own horn here & say

I make a Darn Good Pizza!

This isn't the most flattering picture- but last Friday night (pizza night) I made several to.die.for. pizzas. 

This one is the last one I made & combined all our favorite ingredients dividing the pizza into veggie- pepperoni/mushroom- pepperoni.

good stuff

Right now my favorite is a thin crust- with roasted sun dried garlic for the sauce, three cheeses & fresh basil. Oh mama

Brett & I were winding down & headed to bed Friday night when Hailey came home, ran upstairs and proclaimed -- "There is a porcupine in our front yard!!"

what?

Brett ran downstairs & sure enough next to the short fence that divides our yard from our neighbor's was a 3-4' porcupine! What in the world?

I'm guessing it is down from the mountain 2 miles up from our house? 

Unless some one's pet porcupine got out? Is that possible?

Before now- I've only seen a porcupine in the zoo. Actually the porcupine didn't get me out of bed- so I didn't really "see" it at all. Apparently, it takes more than a wild animal in the front yard to get me outta bed.

Moments after the porcupine incident quieted down-

this showed up on the doorstep.

Chloe was asked to the Homecoming dance!

Her first school dance- exciting! Even more so than a porcupine in the front yard?

-You decide-

***

Sunday we were invited to dinner with Marcus & Brittany's family down in Lehi!

It was so kind of Brittany's mom to invite us & so much fun... no photos... but so fun. 

Trent was in true Trent form - not bad- just Trent. Brittany's mom was so sweet & patient with him. They have a GREAT DANE!!! Trent was in complete amazement & very curious.

Monday after work & driving carpool etc...

I made Chicken Pot Pies for dinner in my new Breville Mini Pie Maker.

Very exciting- for a self proclaimed food addict  anyway.

Tuesday after work & driving carpool

 (it takes almost an hour to drive Trent's carpool- because of the location etc! It's exhausting frankly)

I met the former missionary Jack AKA: sick - still sick & getting sicker BYU student-

at the U of U hospital.

We are back to the Post Travel Clinic & Dr. Scott Benson.

He is a wonderful doctor & he is trying his hardest to help Jack & find out just--- what is up?

He is losing the weight he gained since he got home- suffering from severe chronic headaches, body aches, fever, chills, constant stomach issues (I won't give the gory details- besides vomiting), nausea & lack of appetite, and inactive malaria.

mother fear on steroids

In the mean time-

I got an Instagram account!

Notice the difference in the photos-

before

after

This is Jack leaving the hospital with his bag o' fun. 

(bottles for stool samples)

Yes- we are back to looking for pesky parasites.

Let me make myself clear- I'm not looking for them- the lab is.

 Thank heavens for that.

In other news: The first most beautiful child in the world started Joy School.

Oh how I miss him!

-what a week-
my instagram name
pjmesser

it's really just embarrassing...

Today I did it!

I finally cleaned out my linen closet- all this junk was in there!

It's embarrassing really how many junky ol' blankets & non matching sheets I had. Years & years of old stuff that we just-plain-don't-use. Not to mention my college bedding set. I don't think I'll be going back to the freshman dorm anytime soon-- it was just a little outdated.
I'm on a roll I tell ya- tonight I cleaned out all the old VHS tapes- wow.

It's really just embarrassing~ but it feels so good.

30 for june

1. it's been a long day
2. yes, thank heavens! I'm feeling better
3. amazing - since last week I felt like hell. really bad. I'm still a little tired, but oh man so much better
4. funny, Jill commented on yesterday's post... how could I pull off a BBQ if I was sick?
5. HA! brett was thinking the same thing-
6. he took me out of the house to target yesterday, we walked around for 10 minutes & I was wiped. out. hmm? maybe he had a point?
7. so later we went to see WEnde's new house & sat on her new couches.
8. it was glorious to be out of the house.
9. I guess what I really missed yesterday, was that we had no plans & rarely do on holidays unless I work really hard to make it special.
10. I guess sometimes it just stinks knowing you don't have plans & even if you could do something there is no one to do it with anyway. that's just not cool.
11. today scouts was canceled.
12. it's the last week of school, everyone is over the top busy, and I knew I would be exhausted
13. I was right.
14. Besides visiting trent's class to herd a group of kids through rotations of "mountain man" activities... (Thank goodness I sat most of the time watching, I'm not contagious- just tired.)
15. I went to the H.S. talked to teachers & counselors
16. then spent the rest of the day on the phone trying to get doctors on the phone, referrals for doctors and appointments with doctors. (who knew this was so hard to do??)
17. because this weekend Hailey had two seizures-- at home.
18. hard
19. I love hailey
20. i hate seizures
21. so we will be spending some time this summer with doctors.
22. that is if we can get in... ? thank goodness we have health insurance & a are so blessed to live close to Primary Children's Hospital. Sad & shocking -there are so many other kids sick -that there is a line in front of us. It's easy to take good health for granted.
23. What a great hospital- we are so blessed to live close enough to go there!
24. after school, Hailey finished some HUGE homework projects- YAY hailey!
25. Brian finished painting the living room & mowed the front lawn- YAY Bri!
26. He starts his new job tomorrow...
27. teaching at the Provo MTC
28. he is so excited to be teaching an advanced Spanish speaking class of missionaries!
29. today missionary jack emailed & we got a wonderful letter
30. going to bed now....

a day in the life... well, not quite

Early Friday morning I thought it would be a good idea to take my camera around with me & document a day in my life...

I made my bed.

Picked my room up a bit.

gathered all the towels in the house
(I wash all the towels on sanitize every friday.)

made chloe & trent's bed-
Yes, I often make my kid's beds- so what?

and wrote a letter to the missionary.
all this after:
breakfast for six
lunches for three
starting the first of six loads of laundry
reading with trent
kissing brett & brian goodbye
(brian's not quite so willing so it's tricky)
and taking hailey to school
(she goes late every other day)

When I got home I got an immediate phone call from chloe-
she was on a field trip with her art class making sidewalk chalk art-
not far away- & freezing her buns off.
I ran her a jacket & fresh piece of bread-
did I forget to mention I was making bread?
When I came home I decided I was done documenting my day.
I started feeling wiped out & just a little sorry for myself. In my efforts to capture my day I felt stupid- like a silly little maid picking up after everyone. Like, my job wasn't that important or impressive, or any good but very boring.
My mind wandered to
Maybe I should get a part time job? For an airlines? We could travel??
All of these years instead of waisting time here, what could I have made of myself?
I said a prayer
An hour later there was a huge lightening storm.
the power went out.
I quickly said a dozen prayers for Trent- his lightening phobia comes back full force every spring. I sat on the couch... thinking & praying. Should I go get him? check on him. Only an hour left of school (early out day) ... but it was huge lightening- we found out later it hit & knocked out a power line just a couple blocks from his school- ya it was loud & powerful.
I had a spiritual confirmation that it was okay- good for him to experience these things without his mother. He was in good hands, and I was in the right place doing the right thing.
An hour later... lightening had passed- and the phone rang. It was trent wanting me to pick him up even though his school was 1 1/2 blocks away. I walked over with his jacket & we talked. We talked about the lightening & how he was okay & how his friend Nic said he was okay because it is safe indoors. (peers have such influence over us, don't they? I've told him that a million times)
For the gazillionth time in my motherhood career, I felt grateful to be home. It was important for me to be "here." NOt just to do housework, but yes to do house work & yes to be "here."

Hailey came home & shared with me her newest itunes selection.

I love my job
Even when I hate the housework part of it.
Even when I wonder what I could've been,
because I know one thing for sure-
I'm blessed.

eight for friday... wait it's saturday, but feels like a friday

1. last monday was the first real snow of the season. I think I like snow... until March- then snow makes me overwhelmingly angry. 2. After Brian spoke at church about gratitude- we had a light lunch at our house for the load of young adults & teens that wanted to come by to see him.

3. I would've been a complete mess except for so much help from my nieces & wende & brett & my girls... & the blogger moms... so many helpers- thank you!

4. this photo confirms the inevitable... I need to go on a diet in a big way. Please don't anyone send me dieting tips- I know what I need to do- but thanks anyway.

(hailey & friends)

5. The blogger moms brought pots of soup or desserts & saved my bacon (again). Janae brought mint brownies. I've wondered for a while, but now I know Hailey must have been switched at birth... no child of mine would declare they don't LOVE her mint brownies! What in the world?

6. I love that wende brought here kids because I put them right to work- I can boss them around like my own & they were so GREAT! Allie was in charge of rolls & the boys helped with chairs etc.

7. Brittany was here & trent declared her "brittany the school teacher brittany," to help with the multiple brittany dilemma.

8. Our home computer is on the blink- which means I haven't been able to blog much because I have to wait & fight for my turn on my own laptop... aaargh! I hope we can fix it soon, or that school starts or something! It's rough...