Give It Away

I’m taking a chord from Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song and . . .

doing a give away.

For one lucky winner I’ll create a blog header (okay, maybe a couple of headers). Woohoo!

(Hey, I’m not a chick of many talents!)

How to Enter:
I am asking for you to pay it forward, for you to spare five “sense” you have gained from your personal experience as a homemaker.
I’m not even asking for a dime, just five sense!
The sense should pertain to the maintaining of the home or the preservation of the homemaker’s welfare (aka sanity).
President Kimball advised, “Whatever your circumstance, let your premises reflect orderliness, beauty, and happiness.”
Working, working from home, staying at home, whatever the circumstance,

how do you keep order, beauty and happiness within your abode?

Got any loose change?

The “sense” could be but not limited to…
positive affirmations, recipes, helpful websites, solace, household tips, advice, products, patterns, hobbies, books, whatever.

Give a Nickel, Take a Nickel

Here’s what to do…
Post your five sense on your blog, make sure you link back here in your post, and invite your friends to donate five sense.
Comment on THIS post, mentioning your blog post’s link (Blogger creates an address for each post you publish, click your post's hyperlink title to navigate to that blog post's address, use that address when commenting on THIS post. Whew. I've gone crossed-eyed.)
Check back often to borrow someone else’s five sense.

Let’s go dutch,
here’s my five sense:

1. Scripture Study – Out of the eight rooms in my house, FOUR of them have scriptures in them: the living room, dining room, bedroom, and upstairs bathroom. I use my downtime (like during breakfast or supervising Caleb’s bath) to search, ponder and pray.
2. Peach Freezer Jam – is the best thing since sliced bread (or in Kim's case, Magic Erasers) and easy to make.
3. Mundane Exercise – The crappy parking spot at Wal-mart next to the cart rack (you know the one, the one consigned to oblivion) is sought after by me. I have one handheld mixer and one upright mixer, I use neither. My whisk is my weapon of choice. Use mundane opportunities to exercise, as “kneaded.”
4. Youtube Playlist – Sign up for a youtube account and create a playlist of your family’s favorite video clips or just

THE SONGS IN YOUR HEAD.

5. Know your way around a chicken – learn how to cook a whole chicken. You’ll be amazed by how easy and affordable it is.

PS Do you dig the Homespun Nickel?
Bet you wonder what the back looks like…There’s always two sides to a coin. : )

GIVE AWAY ENDS: Wednesday, FEB 3rd
when I will randomly select a commenter as a winner!

Here we go. Ready. Set. Blog!

Rookie Mom Mistake #44

Just in case you forgot whose blog your were reading… here’s the

Rookie Mom Mistake #44

Forty-four, as in the number of ingredients in a tub of petroleum jelly or the page number I was on while reading A Prayer for Owen Meany. I picked up the book because of this list. After a friend posted the inventory on Facebook, I pledge to further chisel away at the “canon” of literature. Always use the term canon loosely.
The novel is pretty good so far like most of John Irving’s works.
It was during my expedition of Gravesend when it happened.
There I was reading on the couch, just minding my own business, when my son comes up behind me and starts stroking my head, petting me. I think

Aw, he is so nice

and tell him I think so. After several minutes of this I reach back to fix my hair and retie my ponytail (the official mom-do for those with more length than the matriarch bob)... I am surprised to feel something sticky on my hair. I sit up, distrubed and look at my hand.... Petroleum Jelly. Caleb had found the case, opened it and applied it liberally to my hair! And I was encouraging him to do so, thinking he was being nice to me!!!

Way. To. Go.

Worse, my son has the means to make a frustrating situation into a Hallmark moment by kissing my hair. He must have had chapped lips.

Well, at least I have something new to add to my mommy résumé.

The Trek

To commemorate Pioneer Day this year, our family will be taking part in a trek reenactment. Just like our Mormon ancestors we are heading West. Not to stay. Because although it is the place, it’s not the place for us.* Sorry Brigham.
But unlike the blessed, honored pioneers, we’ll be getting airline pretzels and a complimentary drink (I always choose cranberry juice, I could have any drink in the world and I always choose cranberry juice, why is that?).


Our plan is to arrive in Phoenix on the 23rd, and stay in Mesa. This is a good time to ask,

hey Dave and mostly Raquel
(because she is the woman you know, Keeper of the House),
can we crash at your place? : )
There's a cute nephew in it for you!

And we’ll be departing from Las Vegas on the 4th of August.

Here’s where we need your help!

We want to see as many as you as possible! We have been away for TWO YEARS, come June.
Please let us know what day, time of day and venue would work best for us to meet up!

FOR VALLEY RESIDENTS:
Mesa, AZ. Our first stop. We were hoping to be there from the 23rd -26th.
We were thinking of meeting up to catch-up at a restaurant for lunch or dinner. Have any ideas?
I prefer A/C. ALWAYS.

FLAGSTONIANS:
Flagstaff, AZ. Stop numbero dos. We were thinking the 27th-29th?
We’ll be staying with my parents. We’d figure one night we’d go out to dinner with just my family: mom, dad, Tommy and Jody and their families. I’m dreaming of thinking Salsa Brava. : )
Then on another day catch-up at the Institute of Religion (da TUTE!), just drop by to play some pool and ping pong like the good ol’ days.
We are open to other suggestions as well, just remember that we’ll have

a free-range toddler.

DIXIE:
St. George, UT. Aw, where our family began.
We’ll be staying with Michael’s parents for the remainder of our stay. Just relaxing, chilling with family. But if you are in the area maybe we can go to the dollar theater or do a session at the temple together?

So, PLEASE
e-mail me, facebook me or comment below and let us know!
For our Eastcoast readers, what complimentary drink should I get?

…Will Angela finally meet Heather?
… Will Caleb finally unite with his long-lost abuela Thomson?
… Will we have enough arms to hold all the new babies?!
(gulp, some of them are toddlers now or will be by the time we arrive!)

Stay tuned.

*I’m fully aware of the jinx I casted upon myself and my family by typing this sentence. Ten years down the line we’ll end up in Utah. Probably for generations. My posterity will say things like “real” this and “real” that, and have a rigorous diet of jell-o, J Dawgs (rated R) and peanut butter. On the up side, they won’t have to make funeral potatoes with tater tots.

Le sigh.