I Have This Idea

So, I have this little idea (ok, so it may not be so little)...and it involves a website. But, I'm nervous, anxious, scared, etc. about it. I've been thinking about it more and more lately, and it's starting to interfere with my sleep!
How do I get started, how will it all work out, how will I advertise, will it get so big that I can't handle it? I think what I'm most nervous about is, I know I like my work, but will everyone else...and would they be willing to pay for it? Are you beginning to see the problem now? These thoughts are running through my mind day and night!
I've talked to my husband...he thinks it's a great idea, but he supports me in everything that I do! So maybe I need some unbiased opinions.

Ahhh, maybe I'll be able to get some sleep now!

I'm not ignoring you...

We have just not had anything earth shattering, and exciting happen around here lately, but it seems like I have been insanely busy doing...well, nothing.
Rylie's T-Ball ended. I'm not sure if she loved it, (she still calls it the bat and ball game) but maybe if she practices more she'll like it.
We had our huge neighborhood garage sale last weekend. Thank you to everyone who came and bought my junk! No, I really honestly and truly appreciate it (my husband thanks you also!) I was beginning to feel like I should have been featured on an episode of hoarders there for awhile. I'm pretty sure this in an inherited trait, you will know this if you have ever visited my mom's house. She is moving out here next week and has completely filled a 28ft trailer, with two more trailers on the way out there as we speak. Not really sure where she is going to put all of her stuff, as she will be staying with my grandma (who probably has just as much junk, it's just more organized and labeled!) until she finds a more permanent place.
We have finally finished with the kitchen! At least as much as we can do ourselves. I found someone to do our countertops, but haven't been able to narrow it down to one that I'm completely in love with. Hopefully my mom can help me when she's out here next week. Once I've decided which countertop it'll take about 3 weeks for them to make it so hopefully within the next month or so it'll be done! When it is, I'll be sure to post before and after pictures.
I'm staying really busy with babysitting, and tutus. This is our busy boutique season, and have at least 2 shows coming up within the next month. I have also been doing flower girl dresses for weddings.
This is pretty much all that's been going on with us lately. We are going out to SLC this week for Jarren to work. Hopefully there will be some good fireworks somewhere!

Lunch Lady Surprise

Kitchen update:

We're into week 4 of the kitchen remodel. (originally this was something that I thought would take only a few days possibly a week....I have no idea what medication I was taking at that time!) We've got the doors all back on, and just have to do a few side pieces of the cabinets to even them out. I can't believe how much work this has been! I'm still getting estimates for countertops, and haven't been able to find one that I just absolutely have to have. I figure there's already a countertop there, it can wait until I find something I love.

I had to take these pictures. While painting the cabinet doors we raised them up on my cans. Needless to say, Jarren got a little carried away with the paint sprayer, and now this is what I'm left with. Dinner should be pretty interesting for the next little while.

Rylie lost her first tooth! This one has been loose for awhile, but we could never get her to work on it and pull it out. She was eating an apple for snack today and got it almost all the way out. She was so nervous to pull it, so enlisted her dad to help her out. I was outside and she came out half crying, half laughing with a piece of gauze in her mouth, mumbling that her tooth had finally come out!

I remember being so worried that she was never going to get teeth when she was little. I was so sure that I would be the one in 1,789,234,367..... cases who's child would not have baby teeth. (Hey she was my first, and you know how crazy first time mom's can be about this kind of stuff...trust me, I'm a lot more lenient with the second) Now, I'm worried about all of the orthodontic bills we are going to have with this one!

Thank you....

To the State of Utah. Over the weekend, we had to get our truck inspected in order to get it registered. We knew we needed to get the windshield replaced (gotta love Utah roads in the winter) and made sure we had this done before we took it in for the inspection. We've not had any problems with the truck, so I wasn't worried about having to fix anything..thought we'd pass with flying colors....WE DIDN'T!

Last summer, we had new tires put on the truck. We made sure we got the same size as what was on it before (stock) For one, we didn't want to spend the money on upgrading the size, and second, we would have to get a lift on the truck (more money, plus it would make it just that much harder to get in and out of the truck when I was pregnant...which I'm not...just wanted to throw that out there) and third, it would annihilate our gas mileage (again more money)

We even made sure that it was ok height wise, and wouldn't need to do anything special with it, like get the ever dreaded mud flaps. (Which I think look totally cheesy...unless you actually need them...so you're not spitting rocks at me while I'm driving behind you)

So Jarren calls me from the mechanic shop yesterday and says the truck is too high, and that we needed to, are you ready for it...put the DREADED MUD FLAPS on! My first thought was about how stupid I was going to look driving down the road in my non-jacked up truck, thinking that I needed to have mud flaps. Now, I'm not usually so concerned with appearances, but come on, MUD FLAPS!

I've now spent the last 24 hours driving around town looking at all the trucks, and getting mad at the really jacked up ones (that so obviously need mud flaps and don't have them) that I'm passing, secretly happy that when inspection time comes around for them, they will have to put ugly mud flaps on too.

Now, if you pass me on the road, and see my mud flaps flapping in the wind on my non-jacked up truck-don't judge me. The state made me do it.

Too Many

I have too many kitchen cabinets!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to everyone out there! It's been a pretty uneventful day, but it's been nice! We went to church this morning, and have pretty much lounged around all day. Well we went for a walk, (the kids rode their bikes) and we took Jax along. I should say that Jax took me for a walk! He is so strong he just kind of pulled me along. It was kind of nice having him pull me up the hills though!

I got the brilliant idea to remodel my kitchen earlier this week. (I don't think Jarren is too happy with me!) I think everything in my house is covered in a layer of dust! We have one more coat of paint to put on the cabinets themselves and then we'll have to do a varnish. It is a lot more time consuming than I originally thought! So my kitchen is in total chaos, and we have been stuck having to eat out for the majority of our meals. You'd think that I would like not having to cook, but I kind of miss the convenience of it! Hopefully we'll be able to start putting things away in a few days...then it's on to starting on the cabinet doors! Jarren was sweet enough to cook breakfast for dinner tonight. I could hear him up there cussing to himself about not being able to find anything, but it came out alright. (I've taken a lot of pictures, so when we're finally done, I'll post them start to finish!---It may be awhile though!)

This is what the kids and Jarren got me for Mother's day. Are these not just the cutest shoes ever!

Nevermind that when I wear these I'm almost 6' tall! I'm kind of surprised that Jarren got me these shoes because of this reason. His male ego gets crushed if I'm near the same height he is. I should also mention that I will probably hurt myself severely while wearing these, but it'll be so worth it!

Rylie also made a few Mother's Day things at school. She's been waiting on pins and needles since Friday to give it to me. She has such a hard time keeping presents a secret! This is one of the cards she made me. The writing is kind of small so look close, she is so funny!

I love this kid!

Rylie also started T-Ball this week. I think she was excited, but nervous because she didn't know what to expect. She had a practice on Thursday, and as I was doing her hair she says to me, "Oh man, I hope we don't have to wear helments, it will ruin my hair!" --I'm really concerned that she isn't mine! They had their first game on Saturday, and it was so fun to watch!

I had to take a picture of this. Everytime the ball was hit, regardless of where, every single one of the kids ran after it. It kind of reminded me of the fish you feed at the zoo. When you throw a piece of food in the water, 50 fish go after it! There was even some tackling!

Old Memories

Sorry this may be TMI for some of you.

I've just been reminiscing about things I use to take for granted before I had kids. For instance, this morning, I had to use the bathroom. The boys were watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so I got up and left the room. Nevermind that they hadn't talked let alone looked my way for the past 45 minutes, but as soon as I got in the bathroom, WWIII broke out in my family room. One of them all of a sudden needed a drink, one of them fell going up the stairs, they didn't want their sweatshirts on, etc. The way he was going on I thought his leg was broke, turns out it was his little piggy that he hurt. So I had to hurry and finish, and rush out to see what in the world was going on.
After all the crises were fixed, I sat down and started thinking. I don't even remember the last time that I got to go to the bathroom by myself, let alone close the door for a little privacy. It's funny how when things like this come up, the kids (no matter how much they have ignored me all day long) suddenly need something. I a lot has changed since I've had kids, but this one stood out in my mind. You would never think that something as little as going to the bathroom would be such a big deal, but it is to me! If only for a few minutes (I'll even go for seconds here!) of privacy! Ah well, maybe in a few years!

(Just a side note: I love my kids, and would not trade them for anything! Just wanted to mention that!)

Day 6

Today marks day 6 since having my wisdom teeth out. It has not been fun. I'm still pretty sore. I really thought that I would be feeling like myself again by now, but I guess not. The inside of my mouth has at least started to heal, but I'm still a little swollen. I was able to babysit for a few days this week, but am grateful that it was just a little here and there. This has really knocked me off my feet! Jarren has been really good about taking care of things and letting me rest. He has a scout camp tonight though, so it's just me and the kids so we're having a movie night so I can relax.

Rylie had her end of the year Kindergarten program yesterday. I can't believe how fast this school year has gone! She has grown up so much. Their theme for the program was America. One of Rylie's best friends is Savanna. Her mom and I got together and got them matching shirts to wear for the program. I think they were pretty excited!

This is all of the Kindergarten classes together:

Rylie and Savanna. They were standing so close to each other that everytime they would do their hand movements, they would hit each other!

Rylie had her very own speaking part. She memorized it, and said it perfectly! I was so proud of her!

It's Official: I Am Now A Cowgirl

I had just sent off my last extra kid for the day, and sat down to work on other stuff, when I could hear the kids yelling and screaming outside. At first I was thinking it was the neighbor riding his horse down the road again, but the screaming was getting louder and sounding more excited. I walked outside, and there were COWS (yes, cows!) walking down the road and on the neighbor's lawn! Jarren (and just about the rest of the whole neighborhood) was out there trying to get them to go back up the road, so I jumped on the 4 wheeler and took off after them. (Thinking of how I wished I would have had my camara, and maybe a hat or something to make me look more official)

We got them on the canal road with me behind them, and another guy on a 4 wheeler in front. He told me they were his brother's cows, and we were just going to take them along the canal road on home, but not to push them too fast. Ok, sounded easy enough to me. So he took off toward the front again. Pretty soon another neighbor joined in, but also went to the front of the herd.

We're going along and one of the cows was kind of straggling behind (I should have known from the beginning that me and this one were not going to be friends). I didn't want to get too close, so I revved the engine a little and told him to go. I don't know why I was acting like this thing was a dog, and would actually listen to a command, but I did. Yeah, it was a cow and he just stood there giving me the evil eye. So I revved the engine again, and he still just stood there. Ok, so what now? He was looking more ticked by the second, and here's me wondering how fast I can reverse along the curvy road we've been following, or how bad it was going to hurt when he charged me! I was looking around trying not to panic, when he finally turned (looking very annoyed by the way) and started after his friends.

We got to a point where we had to cross a paved road to get back onto the canal road, and this is where the cows decided to get into the canal. (By this time another neighbor had joined in so there are 4 of us now) So we had spend the next 15 minutes trying to get them out. (I am now hoping that Jarren remembers the dinner that I've got in the oven and the house isn't in flames when I get home from my little adventure) When I say we, I really mean they. There was no way I was getting off the 4 wheeler so one of them could come after me. So I just drove around trying to block where we didn't want them to go. They were all waving sticks and yelling hee yah, and git, generally what I'm guessing is cow herding talk. It must work because they finally got them back onto the path, and we went along our way. We hadn't even gone about 10 ft, when my little 'friend' stopped again. I figured since the cow herding talk worked for the others, I could try it. So I gave it my all and yelled hee yah, but I think it sounded more like a fear-filled screech. Needless to say, my hee yah didn't work, but he must have taken pity on me and my poor skills because he turned around and started following again. It was pretty slow going, but we eventually got them back where they needed to be. All in all I don't think I did too bad for my first cow herding experience!

Rylie's First Haircut!

I finally got Rylie her first haircut a few weeks ago! I know she's 5 1/2 years old, but her hair was so long and pretty I didn't want to cut it! She was pretty excited and wanted to get it cut like her friend Savannah's. We didn't go quite that short, but I think she was pretty happy with it.

This is before:

Another Before:

Haircut in action:

After:



She loved her princess curls! She keeps asking me to do this again. I'm thinking that we'll need a few hours for me to recreate this!

I made sure to get a lock of her hair before it got thrown away. We probably cut about 4-5 inches off.

In other news...Jarren passed the last test for his journeyman's license on Saturday! We are so excited to finally be done! He's worked so hard for the past year to get through the tests, and I am so proud of him! We always said that when he passed, we were going on a big trip. Now we just have to decide where to go! Any suggestions?

Poor Jax

I was trying to get these pictures to post at the end of the post, but my computer illiterate self can't figure out how to do that! (Sorry the middle picture is a little graphic...so if you have a queasy stomach - don't look!)

I couldn't get him to keep his head still, but this is the wound. It's covered in an antibiotic powder so you can't really see it very well.

This is pretty much what he's been doing sice he got home. He'll wag his tail really fast when he sees you, but just doesn't have the energy to get up.

So Jax was in his first 'dog fight' today. I was in working on tutus, while Rylie was outside playing in the backyard with some friends. Pretty soon she came running in saying that Jax was bleeding. She tends to be a little dramatic, so I wasn't too worried about it.

I went out to check on him, and saw that there was another dog in the backyard. I got up to Jax, and the whole right side of him was covered in blood. I started freaking out, thinking that it was his neck that was bleeding, but then noticed that his ear was dripping. I looked closer and could see a small gash in his ear about 1 1/2 in long, but I could not figure out why it was bleeding so badly. I went back and got my phone and called Jarren to see what I should do. I know in humans that head wounds always bleed a lot, but I wasn't sure if I should take him to the vet, or just try to stop the bleeding. I ended up calling the vet and it was decided that I should bring him in. By this time I had tried to wash him a little so I could get a better look, and saw that his ear had been completely split through.

I had to wake Trey up from his nap, and get the kids loaded in the truck. (Luckily I didn't have any babysitting kids today) The vet told me they would have to sedate him to do the stitches, so he would need to stay for awhile. When I got back in the truck, both kids were really upset. They kept asking me if the stitches were going to hurt, and would we ever see him again...etc. I kept telling them he would be fine, and that they were going to have Jax go to sleep so he wouldn't feel the stitches.

We were able to pick him up about 4 hours later, and he was still groggy from the anethestic (sp?) Poor guy was so excited to see us, but couldn't control his body movements. His front legs kept going one way, while the back ones were going the other way. He's perked up a little since we've been home. This really made for an eventful day!

Funny Blonde Moment (Yes, I can say that now!)

I never thought that the color of my hair would cause that much of a change in my life, but it kind of has! Not only do I give myself doubletakes, other people are too. This is probably just because people that knew me are used to seeing me with dark hair, so they have to look twice in order to recognize me! So here is the funny story. I went to visit one of my old roommates from Dixie (who now lives in Riverton) We actually lost touch for about 6 1/2 years (wow, that really ages me!) She is the one who introduced Jarren and I. Jarren has one more test to pass for his license, so I decided to take the kids and go out to the city. We had a really fun day with shopping and catching up. Anyway, back to the point of this post. I didn't get away until late, and stopped in Heber for gas. It was really dark and there wasn't anybody else around, so it was kind of scary. I hurried and got out of the truck, and was trying to get done as fast as I could. I got the nozzle put in, and turned around to hop back in the truck and saw a blonde girl staring back at me. I about had a heart attack! It took me a second to realize that it was just my reflection in my side mirror!

Hair

Happy April Fool's Day!
So I finally got brave and went and got my hair done. I've been wanting to get it done for a long time, so I finally bit the bullet and made an appt. I went to Ooh La La Salon (I added her blog to my list)
I have really dark brown hair, and wanted to try something different. So now I am blonde...really, really blonde! (No this is not an April Fool's Joke) It's going to take some time to get used to! My neighbor was nice enough to watch my kids for me, and when I went to pick them up I don't think they recognized me! Rylie just keeps staring at me, and telling me I look beautiful, and that dad is just going to 'flip out' because he'll like it so much. Treyson on the other hand, said that he didn't want to go home with me! I'll look over at him every once in awhile, and he's just staring at me with a scowl on his face. I think the change has made him grumpy! (That or not a long enough nap!)
I've been straightening up the house and will catch myself in the mirror and have to do a double take because I don't recognize myself! We'll see if I can keep this 'new do' up because you know it never looks like it does when you leave the salon, and are styling it yourself!

Vacuum (I had to look up how to spell that!)

So Jarren threw away my vacuum. I will admit that it was on it's last leg, (and I have needed a new one for quite awhile) but I probably could have gotten a few more weeks out of it! Now, when I say that he threw it away, I mean he threw it on the ground (smashing it to bits...seriously, I'm still finding pieces everywhere) before he threw it away. That way I wouldn't be able to sneak out when he was at work, take it out, and vacuum with it until garbage day on Friday. So I guess Trey and I are going vacuum hunting this morning. Wish us luck.

LivN'Chic Boutique

Americana Tutu


Brown, Pink, Aqua Tutu

Spiked Strawberry

Minnie Mouse Tutu

Minnie Mouse Tulle/ Fabric Flower

These are a few of the tutus that are going to be available at the LivN'Chic Boutique. It is here in Vernal, and starts tomorrow and goes through Saturday. There will be other crafters there with Home Decor, Jewelry, and other accessories. It is at 882 W 1500 S. Be sure to stop by if you get a chance!

Here's to NOT looking like an Oompa Loompa

It's been getting warmer around here and I've been pulling out the capris. I got a good look at my legs the other day, and I am SO white! I decided that I needed to get a tan. Instead of actually tanning, and frying my butt off (plus I've had to have a few moles removed...some of them in unmentionable places....sorry bout the TMI!) I decided to just get a spray tan. They are supposed to last 7-10 days, and I figure I can get 2-3 spray tans a month for cheaper than regular tanning, plus I won't get fried!

I dropped the kids off at the neighbors and went to the salon. After getting all of the instructions from the girl, getting my lunchlady hairnet on, I was ready to step in. I pressed the start button, closed my eyes, held out my arms and waited for it to start. When it shot out, it surprised me so gasped and I opened my eyes and got shot right in the eyeball. I happened to have my contacts in so the spray got all over them. When I gasped I inhaled all of the fumes plus a little spray, and pretty much gagged for the rest of the time.

I got dressed and went out to the front was informed that I can't shower for 6-8 hrs, and that the full tan probably won't show up until tomorrow. So I'm sitting here, and I smell (it smells like burnt skin) hoping that I don't look like a little orange dude tomorrow!

Post for the Ogdens

The Girls


Showing his muscles!

The whole family (These were taken around Christmas)

Trey decided that they only way he would get his picture taken was if he was standing/sitting on this stool

Or tying his sister up with Christmas lights!

Whenever we do pictures Rylie always has to do her attitude poses.

And gives her cheesiest smile!

So the pictures loaded backwards. The ones from the bottom I did first, I still have to figure this whole blogging thing out! Jarren has gotten better with the BBQing. Although he hasn't BBQ'd lately because our sweet little dog (can you sense the sarcasim here) chewed through the cord on both the BBQ and our dutch oven. So you probably are still a better BBQ'er (but we'll just pretend that was never said! I'm glad that he'll probably never read this!)

We've decided that we need to take more vacations, and for one of them we'd love to come up and see you guys. I know I've said that before, but this time I really mean it! Hopefully we can plan something for this summer. Do you guys ever make it down into Utah? We could try to make it out to Provo or SLC or something. You guys are more than welcome to come and visit us here in Vernal (please try to contain your excitement) We even have a bedroom that is wheelchair accessable (sp?)

So I hope this has caught you up a little on us. I'll try to get some other pictures posted soon!

New Year: New Me (Well, An Updated Version)

As I was lurking among blogs yesterday (you know you all do it too!) I decided that I needed an outlet. An outlet where I could get out what I was thinking and feeling. The kids were running wild, and I decided that I needed more to my day than just saying: No, don't do that, don't hit your sister in the face, get down from there, etc. (You get the idea) Since I already have this blog, but have basically been ignoring it for the last 5 months or so, I'm going to put it to use again. There may be days that I update several times a day, or there might be times that I don't write for several weeks. I don't even know if anyone will read what I'm writing, but since I already feel better getting all this out I'm going to keep doing it. I don't even care if strangers comment about stuff, just comment. (Like I did on a strangers blog this morning. I hope she doesn't think I'm too crazy!) When I get ideas in my head, I tend to ramble, but just bear with me. There may be serious posts, and others you might be thinking WTH?!?!? So I'll just apologize now for those times.
I've decided that this year, I am going to devote more time to me. That might sound selfish, but I've pretty much ignored myself, and how I look ever since I had Rylie. As much as I might complain about the kiddos, I want to be around to see them grow up, so that means I've got to get it in gear and get healthy. Since about the beginning of the year, I've lost about 15 lbs. I've got a lot more to go, but it's a start.
I loaded up the kids in the truck and went to the store this morning to buy new makeup. I saw a commercial for a new mascara the other night from Cover Girl. Now I'm not usually one to buy into all of the hype that they have on these commercials, but hey this is a new me, and I need to try new things. I even bought a different color...other than black! So anyway, this new mascara is supposed to make your lashes 80% longer. I didn't really care about the longer lashes part, this was just the only brand that had the color I wanted. (All you Vernalites know how hit and miss the stores are out here) As soon as I got home I went into the bathroom to try out my new purchase (I also got some new eyeliner in the same color) I have to say that it actually looks like my lashes are longer! I'm really liking it so far (for the whole 15 minutes that I've been wearing it)
We're going to be doing crafts tonight at church, and I'm excited. I've still got to take the kids with me because Jarren is doing a side job, but I'm ok with that. I've never really gotten excited about church activities, but I've decided that since people don't always come to me, I've got to get out there and go to them.
Well, that's probably enough for today. If you've read this far, thanks for reading!