Banana Pancakes

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Banana Pancakes - Part Deux

I'm all blogged out...

I've decided to discontinue blogging, at least for now. Chris is working ALL the time, and I just can't find the time. If I decide to start up in a few months or so, it will be with Blogger... its free!

Thanks for hanging in there with me!

later

The Giving Tree

Have you ever read this book?

I hadn't until this week. We had to take Chris' car to the dealer up in Scottsdale on Monday. While we were waiting for a diagnosis, we went to one of my favorite malls on the planet, Desert Ridge Marketplace. (more on malls later). Chris was sitting with the girls in the children's section at Barnes & Noble while I perused the magazines. I came back to check on them and found Chris reading to Emilee and Caitlin. He was all choked up and had tears in his eyes! (yes, he would kill me if he knew I was sharing this with everyone!) He could barely finish reading "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. He says he cries every time he reads it... and this guy NEVER cries!

So, we bought the book. I read it later that evening at home. While I didn't weep, I did find it very moving! If you are looking for a holiday gift for someone special, this would make a great one! Here's a quick synopsis:

'Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy.'

So begins a story of unforgettable perception, beautifully written and illustrated by the gifted and versatile Shel Silverstein.

Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk...and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave.

This is a tender story, touched with sadness, aglow with consolation. Shel Silverstein has created a moving parable for readers of all ages that offers an affecting interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another's capacity to love in return.

And now about malls! As I said, Desert Ridge is one of my favorite malls on the planet (that I've been to!) My others, in no particular order are:

* Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois. Pure shopping nirvana! While the Mall of America is the biggest mall, Woodfield boasts the most retail square footage! This place has every conceivable store!

* Flatiron Crossing in Broomfield, Colorado. Love this mall for its amazing architecture. It's gorgeous! Huge fireplace in the food court, two story high water fall, and Craftsmen style design. It also has 2 play areas! One dinosaur theme squishy play area inside, and a GIANT sand box outside!

* Lakeside Shopping Center in Metairie, Louisiana. This mall is a favorite, mainly because we got our "kitten" there. It was 2000 and our kitty of 7 years had just passed away. We found this adorable orange kitten at the pet store that sold kittens from unwanted litters for $50. They get a complete check up and all their shots first. Not a bad deal! As I was cuddling the cute little orange ball of fur, Chris declared... "There is no chance in hell we are getting another cat!" His name is Chance, and he's now 6.5 years old!

We had a little party for Caitlin's first birthday last week. The neighborhood kids came over for cupcakes, presents, and merriment! For some reason, Caitlin makes this face whenever she eats cake!

December 2006

June 2006

later!

Its about time!

Yes, yes, I know...its been forever since I posted! Here's what happened: Chris left his Wells-Fargo check card at Arriba's in Scottsdale, so he cancelled it and got a new card. I hadn't realized that it was the card I had used when I started my TypePad account, so it went on hold until I updated the billing information. I was just too lazy to get around to it. I finally forced myself to do it today! I'm not going to update every little thing thats happened since then, because, frankly, I can't remember that far back. I'll just touch on the big stuff!

Chris is no longer with Cheesecake Factory. Long story short...on the same day I was flying to Seattle and our kitty was passing away, Chris got a call from a restaurant recruiter. He is now the General Manager of Olive & Ivy at the Scottsdale Waterfront. It's so stinkin' cool! He is working a ton of hours but loving every minute of it. To go along with his new position and the new image the restaurant owner wants Chris to convey (it is Scottsdale, after all!), Chris got a "new" car. Its a 2003 BMW Z3! I swear, he thinks he's James Bond in this thing! But, he's been driving his 1986 Alfa Romeo Spider since 1999, so I guess he deserves it!

Emilee turned 5 on November 9th! We had her party on November 11th, along with her best friend, Riley (boy), who also turned 5 on November 9th. Poor Em was as sick as a dog on the day of her party. While there were 25 screaming 5 year olds in my backyard, the poor kid was laying on my bed, between trips to the bathroom. I felt so bad for her! But, I was sooooo grateful I didn't catch the bug! It had run its course through the rest of the family, and most of the neighborhood. We promised Em we'd have a "do-over" birthday at Makutu's after the holidays.

Caitlin turned one year old today! CANNOT believe it! She started walking late last week. She's getting really good and is so pleased with herself and her new talent! We're going to have presents and cake tomorrow night, Daddy had to work late today. I'll post pictures of the cake aftermath!

Let's see, what else? We had a quiet Thanksgiving at home, just the 4 of us. Caitlin was quite taken with the whole "pumpkin pie and whipped cream" treat!

My friend and neighbor, Ashley, had this cute little guy late last night. I got to drive her to the hospital and went back today to visit and hold sweet baby Peyton!

That's all I've got for now. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but I have to get up EARLY in the morning to watch a friend's 2 year old at 5:30am while Mom & Dad take big sister to the hospital for a minor procedure. Keep them in your thoughts!

later!

Goodbye My Friend

My best buddy for the past 13 years passed away last Wednesday, while I was on a plane bound for Seattle. Chris and I got Lewis, and his brother, Clark, right after we started dating in college in 1993. Clark left us in 2000 due to a fatal heart condition. Lewis was diagnosed with an overactive thyroid in 2002 and had been on medication ever since. The past couple months, his health had been rapidly deteriorating and we had come to the decision that it was time to put him down. The only appointment available was for 1pm on Wednesday, while I would be in Seattle, so Chris would have to take him in alone. As the time for the appointment approached, Chris chickened out and cancelled, deciding to wait until I got home the following week. But Lewis knew it was time to go. He passed away at home two hours after his scheduled appointment. I'm glad he's not in pain anymore but I miss him dearly. He was a good cat.

I will post about CK Seattle and all other craziness around here later.

Vote YES!

I am not a political person, and would normally be the LAST person to push my political views on anyone. But this one is a no-brainer, if you ask me. Yes On Proposition 204. Get out there and vote on November 7th!

Queen Procrastinator

It has taken me forever to get around to posting about my ultra-fun trip to Memory Trends in Las Vegas last week! I had such a good time, with such good company! I went with the Devine Memories gals, Sandy, Michelle, and Kim. Vegas is really just a feast for the eyes. So much to see... sometimes a little TOO much! *wink, wink* We stayed at Treasure Island and saw their new live show, called "Sirens of TI." Very cool!

Also, the buffets are killer! I am pretty sure I ate my weight in creme brulee! YUM!

One of the highlights was getting a FREE limited edition SIGNED Tim Holtz Christmas stamp! He is such a cutie and just exudes charm! love him!

Love this random shot of the cutie patootie Devine Miss M! (even though I snipped the top of her head off!)

Lots of cool architecture to been found around Vegas too. Though I think Kim cornered the market on architecture photography!

We met some super fun gals at the VIP reception the first night there! There were 4 empty seats at their table, and we just started talking and all just "clicked" right away! The two blondes are Deb and Deb from Illinois, and the other two (in the middle) are Lisa and Lisa from Canada! Yes, those are their names!

 

And speaking of meeting people! There were some GREAT gals there! My favorites:

Joanna Bolick, aka Tuesday's Frog. She was working the Fiskar's booth, though her layouts of her adorable kiddos, Cole and Harper, were all over that place! I've been secretly stalking Joanna's blog for quite some time. She is just a lovely person!

Greta Hammond- 2006 Hall of Famer and Imagination Project DT member. Kim and I chatted her up FOREVER! She was so nice to talk to, genuine, and sweet. And, she has the most beautiful little girl!

Helle Greer- How do you describe Helle? You don't! She is just larger than life! What a darling lady! Such style! She's from Denmark, or Sweden, or one of those Scandinavian countries! love her!

Vicki Chrisman- Met Vicki in the Crafty Secrets booth. She had the most adorable projects there, and in the Fancy Pants booth as well. She does the cutest little "fairy people" with the "party hats" that apparently a lot of people just don't "get." But I get them, so we hit it off right away. She is a major talent!

Stephenie Hamen- Met Stephenie in the Fiskars booth too, doing make & takes. This girl CRACKS ME UP! We have the same wicked, albeit naughty, sense of humor! I think we could cause a lot of trouble together!

OK, and one last thing to leave you with. I am pretty sure this will guarantee me a one way ticket straight to H-E-Double Hockey Sticks, but.... IF they ever release a DVD called "Mormon Girls Gone Bad," I've got the photo for the cover:

sip, sip, sip

Guess who knows how to drink out of a straw now?

I've been busy the past couple weeks. I am not typically a busy person, so it was tough for me to juggle everything. BUT I think I managed to get it all done! First, I am planning a baby shower for my neighbor and friend, Ashley. She and her husband are expecting their second baby, a boy, on December 15th. They have an almost 5 year old boy, Shawn, who is soooo excited to finally become a big brother! Baby Peyton is a very anticipated addition to the Moore family! Here are the invitataions I made for the party!

Then, there was the National Card Making Day event at Devine Memories last Saturday. I have a pathological fear of teaching scrapbook classes, so this was a BIG step for me to just "do it already!" It was a lot of fun, and with the classes being small, about 15 people, it was very manageable. I might be persuaded into teaching some more classes! We will see! I'd post a picture of the card, but I haven't scanned it yet. Another time.

My scrapbook room is soooooo close to being done. It just needs a few finishing touchs. I've been reluctant to post any photos until I felt it was finished, but who knows when that will be! So here are some before and after shots!

Still needs some touch up painting around the red square and the nails need to be counter-sunk and filled in and painted over. We plan on hanging Chris and Emilee's daddy and daughter acoustic guitars in the square. That part is still in the planning stages. Chris did all the cabinet and table top installation himself. We got the counter tops at Ikea, in the As-Is section for $10 a piece! And the cabinets were on sale at Lowes! Most of my supplies are tucked away in the cabinets or the amoire, that we also got a  year ago at Ikea in the As-Is section, as well as the computer armoire and the book shelf! Need to get a couple more chairs at Ikea so Chris can have one at the computer, I can have one at my desk, and Em can have one at her desk!

I also had a couple of projects to do for a new venture that Kim and Michelle are starting. Its called friendZfinds and will  be an online monthly embellishment kit. Keep an eye on their blogs, as well as the DM site for more details! These kits are chocked full of super cute found objects that the girls have scoured flea markets, antique stores, garage sales and Ebay for. Can't wait for them to launch their site!

I leave tomorrow morning for Memory Trends in Las Vegas with the Devine Memories gals; Sandy, Michelle, and KIm. I'll be gone 3 days, so Chris will be on Daddy Duty! He does such a good job and is soooo much more appreciative of me when I get back! Its my first time in Vegas and my first time at Memory Trends! Should be a darn good time!

have a great week!
later!

Go in peace...

                                             As those sweet girls are laid to rest, I am amazed by the forgiving hearts of their families. To be able to reach out and show compassion to the perpetrator's family is a virtue so far beyond me. May the young girls and their families find peace. We have 5 new angels in heaven now...

Photo from www.amishphoto.com

Who doesn't love Matt Camden?

OK, first a note of clarification.... Some people thought maybe I was referring to my husband Chris in my previous "men suck" post. I was being cryptic because I didn't want to go into all the gory details of what I was upset about. Chris was not the culprit, he is one of the really good guys. I was referring to a group of Chris' co-workers who thought it would be funny to get to Chris through me. It was a very mean joke and one I won't soon forget or forgive, but am dealing much better with! Thanks for all the kind and supportive words!

NOW, for the really important stuff...What About Brian is back this fall on ABC. Its season premiere is October 9th. I am OH SO HAPPY about this! The show started as a mid-season filler last spring, and only aired 5 episodes just to unexplicably disappear. No one was sure if it would be back and there was much speculation that it would not be. I had quickly become addicted to this show and could not fathom not knowing what happened to Brian and the gang! The lead is played by the cutie, Barry Watson, who previously played Matt Camden on the l-o-n-g running 7th Heaven.  Give it a shot! Tune in on the 9th and tell me what you think!

My scraproom is coming along wonderfully! It is sooooo close to being finished. I want to post photos, but I am going to wait until it is all done. Hopefully that will occur tomorrow morning! Can't wait to start scrapping in it!

later...

Had to add this later in the evening.... I had completely forgotten about Miss Swan on Mad TV. I came across this clip by accident today, and it brought back many happy smiles and memories of seeing Miss Swan Eyewitness for the first time! And of course, Miss Swan at the ATM!