Friday, 31 May 2013

Review:5.11 Tactical Rush Delivery Messenger Bag Black Back-Up Belt System Non Slip Shoulder Strap

5.11 Tactical Rush Delivery Messenger Bag Black Back-Up Belt System Non Slip Shoulder Strap


5.11 Tactical Rush Delivery Messenger Bag Black Back-Up Belt System Non Slip Shoulder Strap
Non-slip shoulder strap. 1040D water resistant nylon. Web platforms. Read More >>


List Price: $ 191.51






And below is why i think all of you should buy this item :
  • Rush Delivery Messenger Bag. Black.
  • Padded 17 inches laptop compartment.
  • Ambidextrous design. Back-Up Belt System.
  • Attaches to Wingman Patrol Bag.
  • Luggage handle attachment.



Special for our fellow USA citizen, get big discount and fast USA shipping for 5.11 Tactical Rush Delivery Messenger Bag Black Back-Up Belt System Non Slip Shoulder Strap this month.



Thursday, 30 May 2013

Something new, at least

Okay, enough of "School's Over."  I need to revitalize this blog, it's getting a little stale.  The problem is I don't have much to say at the moment.  So maybe some pictures? 
 Eating rocks. YUMM!
Jason teasing his sister by putting grass on her head.


Something feels weird up there . . .

We took a trip to Idaho last weekend and had a great time with my family. 

There was a huge hail storm which was really cool.  And yummy; the kids gathered it and ate it.
The best part was bringing home salamanders.  While we were there we had 3 in a container, which escaped during the night into the house (Milissa was not happy about that, and who can blame her, eh?).  So we got 2 more, then found the three fugitives.They are really smelly, and eat nasty slugs and worms, so I'm not sure how long they'll be staying.

 Allie wasn't always thrilled about Grandma.  She has no idea what she's missing out on.  It won't be long before she knows grandma is way more awesome than mom.
It was a good vacation.
Hmm.  Idaho.  That seems like a nice place to live . . .

Wednesday, 29 May 2013

lace leggings

I saw these lace leggings on Etsy and fell in love with them. Had to have some for Allie. And I knew I could make them easy enough, and cheap, too. But I was thwarted because I could not find any stretchy lace material. Where oh where do you get it?? But I didn't give up. I kept my eyes peeled. Then when I was walking through Burlington to get the high chair, I browsed through the clearance section of the Ladies department and found this (ugly) stretchy lace shirt that was perfect. Almost. Because it's "dusty rose" in color, which is not pink, white, or brown. It's somewhere in between all of those. Kind of like a barely pink mud color. So the adorable lace cuff on the bottom in any of those colors didn't match, and of course nobody has "dusty rose" lace. So they're cute, and I love them and can't quit looking at them, but my quest is not over.


So what do you think, you people that know more that I do? Do you think it could be dyed pink or maybe brown or black, or bleached white? I tried bleaching, but I think I diluted it too much because I was afraid they would disintegrate, and it had pretty much no effect. Slightly less pinkish-mud color. I have no experience dying anything, except my hair once at college. I tried to get it blonder and after that everyone asked why I dyed my hair brown. Is that the way it goes with fabric? What do you think?

Monday, 27 May 2013

I didn't forget. We've just had computer issues, and more importantly I ran out of ideas. I stayed up late last night to put a little video clip on here, only I couldn't find the wire thingy to connect the video camera to the computer. So then I had to delve into our very much hated "wire box" to search for it. We hate it so much because it looks a lot like that basketball-sized knot Clark Griswald finds in his christmas lights on National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. So then I had to organize said wire box, which is lovely now. If I were a serious blogger I would have taken a before and after picture, then covered the box in fabric. :)
And I didn't even find the wire because apparently it doesn't exist. So instead I had to order an adapter thing on ebay, and it's coming from China, so it may be awhile. But at least it was only 99 cents, plus free shipping.

See? Out of ideas.
But I did come across some really awesome old video clips that Jared's brother took. I will post one now, and think of something good for tomorrow.
This is Jason, with Tyler, Joey and their cousin Ashleigh in the background. It's pretty lousy quality, but oh my gosh, so cute! I hardly remember them this little.


Sunday, 26 May 2013

Voodoo Tactical Merced Hydration Pack 15-8173 with Bladder Army Digital Camo Cool Feature

Voodoo Tactical Merced Hydration Pack 15-8173 with Bladder Army Digital Camo


Voodoo Tactical Merced Hydration Pack 15-8173 with Bladder Army Digital Camo
The Voodoo Tactical Merced Hydration Pack 15-8173 is an enhanced hydration pack with padded foam comfort back and padded shoulder straps. Seven rows of universal straps on the 2 rear compartments, right or left side hose exits with elastic straps on shoulder pads. Measurements 9½"L x 3"W x 17"H. Includes deluxe bladder (screw top, bite valve) with color-matched neoprene hose cover. Available in Olive Drab, Black, Coyote Brown, Army Digital Camo, and Woodland Camo.


Voodoo Tactical Merced Hydra Read More >>


List Price: $ 69.95






And below is why i think all of you should buy this item :
  • Includes Deluxe bladder with color matched neoprene hose cover
  • Padded foam comfort back
  • Padded shoulder straps
  • 2 rear compartments



Special for our fellow USA citizen, get big discount and fast USA shipping for Voodoo Tactical Merced Hydration Pack 15-8173 with Bladder Army Digital Camo this month.



Friday, 24 May 2013

Tyler is 6

We started off the day with cinnamon buns/rolls, depending on which country you're reading this from. After school we went to Toys R us and he spent the money Grandma West gave him on this totally awesome car thingy. I was surprised he picked it because it seems like all the boys care about these days is Legos. But sometimes I think he's into Legos because his brothers are, but really he might prefer a "little boy toy," like this. Easy peasy cake. Got the edible topper off ebay. I love those things, and more importantly, the boys love them. I forgot to put prizes in the cake, but fortunately they forgot about them too! He was so excited about the Moon Sand he got.


Here he is playing with it, and you can see his lego-piece pinata. Love those things. I whipped it up in about 5 minutes. He's such an adorable little boy. He is most comfortable at home; he never wants to go play at a friend's house. He'd rather stay home than go to school. He is quiet. He can play for hours by himself, you can forget he's even there. But don't be deceived! That doesn't mean he is easy-going and complacent. He has strong opinions, and he won't let things go until the wrong against him has been righted. Or until mom flips her lid and makes him go to time-out because she sick of the crying, complaining and carrying on. Whichever comes first.


And now he's 6. I wish he was still 5. I wanted him to stay 5 forever. Some days it feels like it's all slipping away too fast, like trying to hold water in your hands.


*sigh*


Thursday, 23 May 2013

Tactical Backpack with Hydration Pack Compartment (Orange) (Red) Cool Feature

Tactical Backpack with Hydration Pack Compartment (Orange) (Red)


Tactical Backpack with Hydration Pack Compartment (Orange) (Red)
18.50" X 12.50" back pack in red or orange, heavy-duty material and quality zippers. Spacious pockets to fit everything you need, for all occasions from travelling to camping to school. Front pockets reinforced with clasps for extra security. Available in red or orange. Read More >>


List Price: $ 43.95






And below is why i think all of you should buy this item :



Special for our fellow USA citizen, get big discount and fast USA shipping for Tactical Backpack with Hydration Pack Compartment (Orange) (Red) this month.



Monday, 20 May 2013

Happy Birthday Tyler

This had to have been Tyler's best day EVER. He got Krispy Kreme doughnuts for breakfast, then at school he won an award called "Kids with Character" and at the school assembly he got to spin a wheel and won a prize (a bouncy ball, I think). He brought gummy bears for the kids in his class and they celebrated his birthday. He got a pizza Lunchable for lunch, and lost a tooth at recess, so he got a dollar from the tooth fairy. He didn't have to do chores, had hotdogs, chips and pop for supper. Top it all off with a yummy rainbow birthday cake, a monkey pinata, a new flashlight, play doh, and glow in the dark stars and planets for his room. What a great day!
What a great kid!

Review:Unisex Tactical 5.11 All Hazards Backpack BLACK O/S

Unisex Tactical 5.11 All Hazards Backpack BLACK O/S


Unisex Tactical 5.11 All Hazards Backpack BLACK O/S
The All Hazards Prime Backpack was designed with direct input from MACTAC instructors. Featuring padded laptop and tablet sleeves, hydration compartment, compressions straps and tear-out medical pouches providing a fully functional tactical bag. Designed with direct input from MACTAC instructors. Padded laptop sleeve. Padded tablet sleeve. Hydration compartment. Compression straps. Tear-out medical pouches. Interior web platform. Side pockets for storage. Grab and go handle. Read More >>


List Price: $ 130.00






And below is why i think all of you should buy this item :
  • Designed with direct input from MACTAC instructors
  • Padded laptop sleeve
  • Padded tablet sleeve
  • Hydration compartment
  • Compression straps



Special for our fellow USA citizen, get big discount and fast USA shipping for Unisex Tactical 5.11 All Hazards Backpack BLACK O/S this month.



Sunday, 19 May 2013

Just a picture for today

I've been busy, and I have a lot on my mind.  We're at a crossroads in our lives, with Jared graduating.  We are doing a lot of waiting and seeing, which is annoying. 
I also have an idea for a project that I want to undertake, but that is a post for a different day.
For today I thought I'd share this picture, even though it's not very good, because I think it's funny.  It shows that she can walk under the kitchen table without ducking and without hitting her head.


Saturday, 18 May 2013

A Memory: Christie

Ah, the memories! My cousins were some of my favorite playmates! Christie is a couple years older than me, and her sister Catherine is my age. My sister and I loved visiting them in Calgary.
One of our favorite games was "Town." We set up a little town in their unfinished basement and we each had a role; post office, banker, store, etc. Christie was the police officer. She was Officer Jones. I don't remember what her first name was. Jim, maybe. Only it wasn't Jim Jones, it was Gjim Kjones: the G was silent, like in "gnat," and the K was silent, like in "knife." That still makes me laugh all these years later.
One day we were playing outside and Christie had a container with some sort of blue fluid in it (we had no idea what it was, but now I realize it was antifreeze, maybe?) and she dropped it and the container cracked. Well she was sure this spelled certain doom for her if her dad found out, so we decided to bury the evidence. We probably got spoons from the kitchen (I know, Auntie Betty is horrified at this story, but remember the statute of limitations has passed. Besides, it wasn't as bad as our Fish Creek Adventure). While we were covering up the thing someone commented that it seemed like we were having a funeral. We looked at eachother; what a brilliant idea! What could be more fun than a funeral?!
We found a little plastic guy to be our newly deceased. My sister, Laura, was the grieving widow. We picked some flowers and found a nice rock for the tombstone, then stood around the gravesite and Christie offered kind words about how nice and round his head was, how well he wore his red shirt and blue pants, what a great toy he was, and how much he would be missed by us all. There was weeping and wailing, and great anguish of soul, and . . .
"This is getting boring."
"Let's go play Town!"
"I'm Officer Kjones! Kjones with a K!"

I'm sure we left the spoons outside.

Thursday, 16 May 2013

A Memory: Katie

This post took forever for me to put into words because I have so many great memories of my friend Katie, and I could have chosen any number of them to write about, but one of the most meaningful to me was one she may  not even remember, and it was just a small moment in time, and kind of hard for me to explain.

My first year at Ricks College was fantastic.  I love that place!  I had the best roommates, awesome friends and neighbors.  One of those awesome neighbors was Katie.  She was my first ever visiting teaching assignment (I was nervous, felt weird doing what old ladies do).  We went on big group dates together, had water fights, our apartments had dinner together, all sorts of fun stuff.  She was just fun to be with. 
One of her memories of me was that we were over having dinner and I poked my rommate Maegan in the boob, though I plead the fifth on that one.  That goes for the blue darts adventure, too. 

The start of my second year was different, though.  To make a long story short I ended up living with 5 girls I'd never met before, 1 of which was really great, 2 were okay, and 2 were freaks of nature that made living there unpleasant.  When I arrived in Rexburg that first day and met the people I was to live with I was a little sad.   There wasn't a happy, home-like feeling that I was used to. I put my stuff away in my room, and shoved my food into my assigned cupboard and little section of the fridge (there would be no friendly sharing of meals in this apartment) and decided to take a walk and find some friendly faces. I walked along the shared balcony, said hi to a few people I recognized, but was getting more and more downhearted. I was at the point that I wanted to lay down on my bed and have a good cry, but there isn't any privacy for that sort of a thing at college apartments.

I poked my head into an open door and finally saw some old friends. I hugged Jamie and Heidi and we were chatting excitedly about seeing eachother again when I heard an earsplitting "Jenn!" from the kitchen, and Katie ran at me and threw her arms around me, and was SO happy to see me.  She could hardly contain her excitement, an it was infectious.  Now I felt like crying again, only it was for a completely different reason. This is what I was looking for, this is what I needed.   I was far from home and missed my family and old friends, but at that moment I felt like I was home at last.

Halfway through the year I moved into her apartment, and was so much happier there.  We had great times.
She always had fun, creative ideas; remember the FHE when we did the scripture stories? (Oh Sampson, you're so strong!)  She set me up on a blind date with Jared (and the rest is history) and she later married his roomate.  While they were dating she came and stayed with Jared and I in our little apartment and we always loved having her there. 
Now we are still good friends, and she takes beautiful pictures of my family (can we do it again this summer?), and we get together (not as often as we should) amd we talk on the phone and lament over our babies' sleep habits.  And I love her so much, and cherish the memories, especially that one time I was so sad and downhearted and she lifted my spirit and made me feel like I was at home in the place I love.  Now I see it is the place I love because of the awesome people I met and loved there.  Awesome people like you, Katie!

Tuesday, 14 May 2013

The events of this day

Crazy day.
Started crazy with a kid slacking off on his homework that was supposed to be done the night before, and was supposed to be done properly, not random guess work with illegible answers. Am I asking too much?
Squeeze in an appointment that I went to on the wrong day (not the first time I've done that, I'm starting to wonder if I have a screw loose), and a fun afternoon of making pizza and playing with my friend, Darla.
Then an impromptu trip to the doctor's office for Allie because of an ear infection (poor, sad baby girl).
Hot dogs for supper.
Top it off with an awesome class I signed up for at the local university called "Point and Shoot: Maxed Out!" It's to teach you how to take really great pictures with a not-so-expensive-run-of-the-mill type of camera, which I have. I'm so excited about it! I've always wanted to be able to take beautiful pictures, especially of my kids, but I know absolutely nothing about cameras or anything, and this is going to help a ton.
So it was a crazy day, but a good day, overall. The kid and I are working on something to improve homework habits, and the poor, sad baby girl is sleeping peacefully. See?

She has been sleeping in the pack and play for months now because she always kicks herself into the edge or corner and when she's in the crib she cries about being against the hard cold bars. She usually sleeps on her tummy now with her bum in the air and her thumb in her mouth.


I hope tomorrow she feels better. And to make up for my crazy day maybe I'll have an extra-lazy day.

Sunday, 12 May 2013

Pinewood Derby 2012

Waiting for the races


Time to load the carsAnd the winner is . . . Not Joey's car. I think his car was the slowest one there. But he still had fun, and he loved his "tank" car. These trophies were made out of dollar store cars painted gold, glued to a wedge of wood. I think they're so awesome! And cheap enough that all the boys got one.After is was over I was happy thinking that this was his last derby. Then I remembered Jason will be in Boy Scouts next year. Then Tyler. I'm not really a big fan of Scouts, if you can't tell. But it's good for the boys, and I should change my attitude.

Friday, 10 May 2013

1st 4th

I forgot to take my camera to the fireworks, so I had to take a picture of her today, because I can't get enough of this adorable dress.  See her sad scratched-up nose?  The day we got home from Colorado we were unloading the car and she was inside.  We propped open the door so we could go in and out easier, and when we weren't looking she walked outside and fell face first off this step she's sitting on. 

She didn't like the firecrackers, they scared her.  We bought a bunch that we never used because we didn't want to make her cry anymore.  When the fireworks started she almost jumped out of her skin every time one went off, but soon she got used to it and didn't care anymore.  She was really tired and kind of cranky, and just wanted to go to bed.  I'd say it was a better 4th of July than last year, though when we went and held her in the hospital, then had to leave her there.  Much better.

Wednesday, 8 May 2013

Allie's First Birthday

Remember this little shrimp?  A year ago today, after a whole lot of drama, she came into our lives.  From  3 lbs. 11 oz. to 15 lbs. 1 oz.  Pretty good, don't you think?  She's finally on the chart!  (1.27 percentile).  She is healthy and happy (when she's not cranky).  Her ears are fine, she's gaining weight well, and she's walking all over the place.  Her communication and her cognitive skills are slightly behind for a 1 year old:  She hasn't said any real words and she doesn't understand a simple command (like "go get the ball") and she doesn't yet do things like pass a ball back and forth with someone or put toys in and out of a box.  So in that respect she's more like her gestational age, 10 1/2 months. 

Here she is when we brought her home:
Can you believe this is the same baby??

I didn't want any elaborate cake so I did these easy cupcake "balloons." 

She approved. 

She didn't get the whole 'unwrap the present' thing.  Fortunately her brothers were there to help her out.


Tuesday, 7 May 2013

Best Price for 5.11 Tactical RUSH 24 BACKPACK BLK Soft Exquisite

5.11 Tactical RUSH 24 BACKPACK BLK Soft Exquisite


5.11 Tactical RUSH 24 BACKPACK BLK Soft Exquisite
20 H x 12 W x 7 D
Water-resistant 1050-denier nylon
Flexible main storage compartments
Internal dividers
Compression straps
Hydration pocket
Fleece lined eyewear pocket
Sternum straps
Molle-compatible webbing on front and sides
Elastic keeper for strap ends
Name tape and flag holder
YKK® zippers
58601
844802117753 Read More >>


List Price: $ 215.88






And below is why i think all of you should buy this item :
  • 5.11 RUSH 24 BACKPACK BLK.



Special for our fellow USA citizen, get big discount and fast USA shipping for 5.11 Tactical RUSH 24 BACKPACK BLK Soft Exquisite this month.



Monday, 6 May 2013

Lucky Bums Snow Sport 25L Backpack (Digital Camouflage) Cool Feature

Lucky Bums Snow Sport 25L Backpack (Digital Camouflage)


Lucky Bums Snow Sport 25L Backpack (Digital Camouflage)
Back country styled pack engineered for kids with the unique Lucky Bums straps and loop system for kids to carry their own skis, snowboard, or skateboard. The pack's durability, quality & features work outdoors and for school. Read More >>


List Price: $ 65.99






And below is why i think all of you should buy this item :
  • Capacity: 25 liters
  • Features: 2 exterior board straps with hidden loop for skis, padded airflow back panel, moisture wicking shoulder straps, integrated safety whistle on sternum buckle, kid friendly zipper pulls with reflective loops, top orange carry handle
  • Cargo: Main large compartment, 3 exterior compartments, 2 side stretch mesh pockets, cinch cord with reflective loops, 4 exterior attach loops, 2 D rings on shoulder straps
  • Fit: Adjustable shoulder straps, cargo compression straps, adjustable hip belt, sliding sternum strap
  • Sizing: Kids with torso measurements 12 - 15 inches (approx. ages 8 & under)



Special for our fellow USA citizen, get big discount and fast USA shipping for Lucky Bums Snow Sport 25L Backpack (Digital Camouflage) this month.