Me N' Target

I have a troubled history with our Target store. It's a dangerous place. Don't forget, 

The Target Toilet

 ate my phone last year. However Hailey and Makayla needed some sandals, so I decided I'd be brave and head to my favorite store.

 After all they have these nifty feet-measurers.

As well as thousands of shoe choices, which Makayla lost no time in trying on.

Hailey fell in love with white dress sandals with a 1/2 inch heel. Makayla fell in a heap on the floor when she couldn't find sandals in her size with any amount of heel.

 Somehow we managed to come home with a couple of pairs of sandals each, as well as a few treasures from the dollar bin.

That dollar bin is just full of can't live without items.

We also managed to find a few headbands....

for holding all of that long, flowing, luxurious hair out of our way.

As long as we're shopping it makes sense to whip out my 25% off coupon and get some spring-weight jackets, right?

As I punched in my debit card PIN number, I just couldn't help but marvel at how expensive those sandals were.

Yep, that Target is a dangerous place!!!

I'm Looking Forward to....

I have a dozen tempting sour cream chocolate cupcakes with homemade sour cream frosting leftover from our Stake events of this past weekend....

 ...as well as a couple dozen fruit kabobs from the same event

I"m looking forward to the day I have the discipline to reach for the cantaloupe

instead of the chocolate.

On Monday we got 4 inches of snow.

Today it's going to be in the 60's and my flowers are beginning to seriously break into bloom...

I'm looking forward to a more permanent spring.

On Tuesday, Hailey's crown fell off her tooth. I took her to the dentist right during lunch time, meaning we had to stop and get non-school lunch type food before returning to school. You can see how disappointed Hailey is.

After school, Hailey drew me some pictures: this one of me smiling because I "put my reading glasses on and can see the sun"....

...and this one of me running in terror from Angry Birds.

I'm looking forward to seeing Hailey's future works in The Louvre.

Makayla and Amy have been really sick. Today they tested positive for Influenza A. Don't let Makayla's sweet smile fool you--she's been keeping her sick mom up all night with a 104 temperature.  I ran into them on the way home from the doctor, getting Tamiflu at the pharmacy.

This is no fun. I'm looking forward to the day they feel better, and I'm pretty sure Amy is too.

This is the Joneses' exercise hill. It's about 1.5 miles round trip from our house. It's steeper than it looks. Stan and I have been running jogging walking crawling it several times a day in an effort to get in shape for all the walking we may do our spring trip.

Now THAT is something I'm REALLY looking forward to!!!

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda

I should be looking for my recipe for chocolate cupcakes for our Saturday Stake Relief Society birthday temple session/luncheon.

I ought to be working on the talk I agreed to give for our ward Saturday night Relief Society birthday dinner celebration.

/

 I need to be working on the talk I'm giving in Colstrip on Sunday.

 But, alas, spring has sprung in Montana.

 I know this because the deer have eaten my tulips down to the ground. GRRRRRR!

And my rhubarb is striving to provide Stan's favorite pie material.

The girls could hardly wait to go outside after I picked them up.

We planted a spring planter for

 the front porch.

 Then we decided to go for a little drive.

 Sunshine just brings out the nice in all of us.

 We spent some time climbing the rocks at Castle Rock Middle School.

Our temperatures were in the low 70's today.

It was a fabulous day for expending some of that boundless energy.

Megan, you'll be happy to know I told Hailey and Makayla that little story about your first of many exciting encounters with the fine policemen of Billings which occurred at this very school. 

Even though that was your first run-in with the law, it remains your most exciting--at least of the ones I know about.

I've been promising the girls I'd take them to a playground as soon as the weather warmed up. Hailey and Makayla, who can't remember how to wipe up the milk they just spilled, never forget a promised made to have fun. I took them back home, put them in the stroller, and walked the mile to Eagle Cliff Elementary. Hailey made it all worthwhile when she kept saying "This is awesome! This is so awesome!"

I wish I was feeling half as awesome about all of the things I should be preparing for this weekend...

Winter Doldrums

I really don't like this time of year in Montana. By this time of year, I'm tired of snow and cold. I'm tired of winter driving and wind-fried hair.

Most of all, I hate how yesterday it was 69 degrees, encouraging my tulips to grow in inch, and today it's 40 degrees colder and by tomorrow morning my tulips will be buried in snow. 

Yep. I've been hit with Late Winter Despondency. 

Fortunately, I've had plenty of indoor stuff to do while I wait for summer to come and rescue me. We rented the 34 side of the duplex in October to a couple we knew who were building a house. They thought it would take 10-12 months. It only took 5. We've spent the week getting ready for the new renters--they moved in today. Stan is still working on putting in the gas fireplace insert we bought off of Craigslist.

We raised the rent $50, and still everyone who looked at it commented on what a good deal it is and can they be our new renter and live there forever. I guess we should have raised the rent by $500 so people don't secretly think we're nuts for extremely undercharging. 

Our new renters are a family from Washington who have three young kids, and they promised to stay for at least one year, maybe ten.

Hailey, Makayla, and I are feeling a little stir-crazy being stuck inside all the time. I am guaranteed it will be too cold and snowy to go out any day they are spending time with me. 

Makayla always wants me to pull out her "mooster seat" when she comes so she "can see".

Makayla is into pretending. She especially loves to be a cat. Here's "Fluffy", eating her sandwich.

Hailey prefers to eat in a more dignified way.

Makayla likes to pretend to be "the Mommy" and carries this lovely doll everywhere she goes. She insists I whisper so I don't wake her baby, then loudly informs me "She's not a real baby." Does that mean I don't have to do a real whisper? Her baby is always in need of a nap, but is afraid of the dark and has to be put to bed in a well-lit area of the house, which just happens to be the master bedroom.

In other winter projects, today I finished the next quilt top for the next grandchild to be baptized. I used the same quilt-in-a-day pattern, and I was faster this time, but still didn't take a day. I wonder if I get points because of the interruptions to find Hailey crayons and take Makayla to the bathroom and keep her company while she's doing her thing?

This quilt is the same as the last one, except that it has a blue inner border instead of a pink one. I have 10 months till someone turns 8 to quilt it and bind it. Do you think I can get it done?

As I wait out the winter, my head continues to heal. I'm still dizzy from time to time, but less everyday. I have a little nerve damage, meaning I'm numb on my wound side: I feel pressure but no pain and 

I can't raise that eyebrow.

 That means my look of surprise is only half surprised. 

Backmans, are you having triplets? Pearsons, are you moving 6000 miles away? Megan, are you engaged? WHAT?? WINTER IS OVER FOR THE YEAR????

Since I can only look half-shocked, this may be the best time to give me the news!

Don't get excited, everybody! I'm pretty sure most of those are not true!