once upon a wissler

Oh Yes He DiD!

2012-01-24T18:46:00.000-07:00

It was a very moustachular event!
Cake. (delish... email me for the recipe!)

Family & a couple of good buddies.
Slightly creeptastic?

A wonderful day that we got to share with him.

And a smile and a special spirit that makes us so blessed to have him in our home.
He was born 3 years after Sebastian... so I really got to enjoy him as a newborn.
He swallowed cap-gun bullets and pooped up his back a little too often.. but he survived. I survived. And he continues to bring the perfect balance into our home.
He is a boy of very few word.
But his actions speak volumes.
~He got a set of scriptures from my parents for his birthday.
I woke him up the next day & saw them in bed with him. I was teasing him asking if he loved them so much that he wanted to sleep with them. He looks at me and says, I was reading them.
*ugh... talk about tear jerking moment.~

Happy Birthday Harris!!!!

update

2012-01-15T23:09:00.000-07:00

ohmy.
welll ummmmmm. to start off positively i am on day 15 of my scriptures! let's not focus that i am a day behind...
exercising. well that is about 5 days behind.
in SLIGHT fairness to me sebastian had safety patrol all week. this means i am up and out of the house by 8 am.. with 5 kids in tow. not the easiest or most delightful task for me.
this has only gone to show me how grateful i am that i don't work full time at 8 am every day. everything would suffer, not just my exercising.

big week coming up!!
morgans birthday AND baptism year.. then ellisons bday, then tessa's bday, then a new baby (ohmy not mine). so really a big year! yay :D

let winter really begin.

Happy Happy Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T22:35:00.000-07:00

I am feeling energized from a very welcoming Christmas break! We stayed with my parents for a few days and getting away from the phone, computer & tv were exactly what I needed.
I decided to pull out a few new year resolutions. Normally I try to stay away from things that will just make me feel worse about myself... but 2011 took a huge chunk out of my spunk and I thought to myself that this just can't happen again!
Sooooooo. I have a goal with the Book of Mormon. For me individually and for me with my family. We started tonight and let me tell you, it was a really good start! In fact, I have chills about getting it done with the kids TWICE this year. And really, when you get a promise like this:

"The moment you begin a serious study of {The Book of Mormon} you will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path... When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words you will find life in greater and greater abundance".

UMMMM HELLOO!!!! Temptation+Stephanie = bad results in 2011. So I was all over it.
But before you think I jumped on the cuckoo train, we are reading the books from the LDS bookstore.. that has lots of pictures on the page and little blurbs... not the full scripture. But I still feel like its a great way for the kids to learn and honestly, for me too.

Secondly I started exercising. Ya I did. I have never gone more than 2 weeks before, because frankly I hate it, I feel too busy (I sense a theme) and I fit into my clothes... so there is not much motivation for me. But I miss the healthy glow of umm errr, being healthy? So my minuscule goal has started at 5 minutes on the elliptical a day. It has since moved up to 6.5 and I don't think I will ever make myself go more than 10 max, unless, well nope probably never. I normally like to go big or go home and decided I am going to stay small and stay home instead. This is something I can do. In theory. Plus I like pushups, but Kelly Ripa arms scare me, so give me a heads up, cause I am so hard core that I will probably look like her in no time... and since I am already boobless it could come a lot quicker. (this pic is not close to as scary as i have seen those pipes)

Anyhoodles... To add a cherry on top of my every-so-exciting blog I would like to end with words from the lips of the one and only raunch-a-licious Lady Gaga and say:
I'm beautiful in my way, cause God makes no mistakes.

Sometimes even the Gags has some good words to live by.

x5

2011-12-12T22:57:00.000-07:00

its been very interesting lately.
i have been sooooooooooo busy with a gazillion jobs and commitments that most everything is lacking in my life.
but the one thing that seems to have magnified is the hilariousness of my family.
in funny hahah ways and in funny that is super cute ways and in oh-my-goodness you CANNOT have just said that ways.
tessa's insane love/infatuation with beiber & big time rush.. she giggles like a school girl every time she talks about them (but mostly big time rush) (who i think is like icarly, but with 5 of them and all boys??)
and kimball. how i wish i could share the whole thing but PLEASE use your imagination. insert oldest son+age 12+zit+puberty talk... then multiply it by 1000.
let's just say i am pretty pleased that he is so comfortable to talk to me about stuff, but YIKES!!! haha

there are other stories i could tell.. but let's be honest. they are never as cute/funny/adorable when they are not your own kids, right??

if my kids could stay all their ages and not grow an ounce for 6 months, that would be a little piece of heaven right here in brooks alberta.. whom my cousin referred to as the armpit of alberta. WHAT?!?!

the end.

f u double n y!

2011-11-29T23:04:00.003-07:00

we totally all think these things - admit it!!
*no idea if this is too small to read... so if you can make it bigger to get the full effect - do!*

darn it.

2011-11-22T22:32:00.001-07:00

I feel like such a debbie downer lately!
it all started when i decided i could not use my sarcastic nature to make my life more interesting and lo and behold... i became much less interesting.
sadly today is no different. but i decided that it was my blog. my "journal" and i need to remember stuff.
SO that being said.
the wissler/crapo fam has had some really rough time this past week. in fact tonight marks our week anniversary of awful, scary news... and as the days pass more comes to head and life sucks just a tad bit more.
i can't talk about it. so please don't ask. but i want to say i love my family.
my parents were raised by some pretty amazing people, who in turn (i think) raised some pretty amazing people.
we have been beaten down but stuck together. been strong for eachother and hopefully when it all ends we will be stronger & love eachother that much more.
my heart is super sad. i am extremely angry and i am not sure i have felt this much hate, ever.
so the everyday things in life make me grateful (this does not include kids fighting at 6:30 am).
getting out to volleyball - yay
smelling clean clothes - double yay
a computer to lurk on and forget about my woes - always has been and always will be YAY.
i am thankful for friends.
for my family.
and that i am normal. i really think i am. like i can see the real picture. even if it means that i am in the wrong or my kids are not perfect, i feel like i can acknowledge it, accept it and i think that makes me normal.
if you don't agree.. you can't comment because today its all about me being right, i'm sure ;)

anyhoodles. happier times must be ahead... but until then sorry for the lame-o drama. but i needed this for me today.. and probably tomorrow!

sometimes reality really does bite. boo.

perfect.

2011-11-17T23:36:00.000-07:00

“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind,

people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway. If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.” ― Mother Teresa

this came at the perfect time.

i have reread this in my mind about 1000 times in the last few days

and i thought that if i needed it, maybe some of you do too.

Just in case you didn't know...

2011-10-20T20:22:00.000-06:00

we're in love.

CHEESE!!!

Say a little prayer for me?

2011-10-10T19:18:00.000-06:00

So, belive it or not I try not to get "toooooo" personal on my blog. Maybe the odd fart, shart, dirrrty pharamacist anecdote or pit post.. but nothing to indepth or serious. But the Wissler fam could use an extra prayer or two this week!
So if you could just say a little prayer for me it would be greatly appreciated!

Gone European.

2011-10-06T19:21:00.000-06:00

Not necessarily by choice.. just by chance.
Laziness perhaps? Why shave, its almost winter?
Too busy possibly? Jump in, jump out!
Forgetful most likely. I jump in the shower and when I realize I could be shaving under the deliciously steaming hot water, I realize there is no razor and there is NO WAY I am jumping out, freezing my hoo haws and going to grab a razor.
Due to my lighter nature I fortunately do not look like this hairy canary: French braid anyone??

and I would never be caught raising my hand if I wasn't "sure"!!! Seriously Julia... I am SURE you did not shave your pits before this big event and as a multimillion dollar actress I think you could afford to scream at someone while you were in the shower and say: I FORGOT MY RAZOR AND AM NOT STEPPING OUT OF MY STEAMING HOT SHOWER AND FREEZING MY HOO HAWS OFF TO GET ONE... I WILL PAY YOU $500 TO DO IT FOR ME.
No? Dirrrty Julia.

So I am interested. Are you a hard core shaver?? Is it a necessity? My legs are normally the appendages that suffers. But 2011 is the year of the pits I guess. Do you care? Does your hubby/wife care? Scott has yet to notice. My overwhelmingly good looks keeps his eyes on the prize at all times ;)

Dear angry/irritating/impatient scentsy lady

2011-09-28T18:16:00.003-06:00

I just want to remind you that I have five kids, two Motherless kittens, 5 part time jobs, a house to clean, meals to cook, safety patrol, volleyball, and I make a lame attempt at having some sort of social life. So ummmm if I don't get to you right when you decide I should you are just gonna have to suck it up, take a trip to DQ in your fancy vehicle, with two kids and complain to them that there are not kittens in your bubble of life.
Sincerely,
De-scentsified.

inside. outside. upside down.

2011-09-18T16:37:00.001-06:00

The one thing I was most looking forward to is PNE Playland. I love love love amusement park rides & was even more thrilled to get to do whatever ones I wanted sans children. (I really do love them though)
The absolute best ride EVER I simply cannot remember the name of AND cannot seem to find a picture of it on the world wide web. But let me put it into perspective for my Albertan friends. Have you been on CHAOS at Calaway Park?? Chaos was my most favorite ride. Takes you in circles one way. Then you go up while you are doing circles, then you spin while you are up and going in circles. AWESOME! Well the mystery ride at PNE was about 500 times better. I know this because the smile would not leave my face! I honestly can't even describe which ways you went.. all I know is it should have not been possible to spin so many different directions so fast all at one time!!
Scott on the other hand: not a fan. It showed in his face. And was validated by the man who came up to him and said: "I looked just like you after I went on that ride." hahahaha
We only did it once ;)

We got to go on the corkscrew too! Both Scott and I are die hard roller coaster fans. This one I think is super similar (if not the same??) as Calaway Park. Sadly it only went around once & not twice. So that was kinda gayballs.. but the park was at our mercy so I didn't complain too much.

We took a small break and ate at White Spot since we had been golfing alllll day & Scott was starving. My snacks were tiding me over but I indulged anyway in a "White Spot, Triple O" burger.

Never do that.

I don't think this is the double shot ride we went on. We went on the smaller one. Thank heavens! I almost pooped my pants as it took about 5 hours to get me to the top.. or 5 seconds.. but seriously creepy, super high, i can't see my feet let alone the ground BUT i could see the whole stinkin' park. ugh. I did love it but the suspense almost killed me. The drop left me feeling a load lighter.. or heavier and I can't quite decide which.

We did the death roller coaster twice. Only because Scott wanted too and b/c I am such a good wife. I am not even exaggerating when I say I almost fell out. Don't ask me how 8 year old kids go on that ride and survive but I needed another arm to hold on with! If I wanted to splurge and spend $15 to remind myself of the terror on my face I could have shown you. But I was frugal and not willing to be reminded of what I looked like so near to death on a daily basis. The second time around I manage to keep my butt closer to the seat. So I know I can be taught something but an industrial Velcro suit should almost be mandatory.

We went on other rides.. some like the lamest-ferris wheel-known-to-man don't deserve to be talked about. We met the creepster of the year who managed to scare a little girl off the roller coaster before she was even close to the line, royally tick off that girls dad, strike up a random conversation about meth to 2 teenagers beside him & wear the most colors all at once. Don't be jealous.

caddying 101

2011-09-06T20:37:00.002-06:00

as the wife of a golfer you would expect that i am a wealth of golf knowledge. surprisingly this is not true. so when i agreed to caddy for scott while he played in a tourney this last weekend i was a tad nervous (which obviously i did not show) so i thought it best to do a small post of my new found golfing knowledge for those of you who might find yourself in this terribly long, hot & confusing situation.

1. it is VERY important to stock the golf bag properly.
when you are stuck for over four hours, watching 4 guys hit balls (spitting on balls, rubbing balls, rearranging balls, eyeing their balls from several different angles...) and you have no idea what is going on.. it is essential to have snacks.
when you pack those snacks it is also important to get a variety. being a chocolate lover i thought a nice kit kat would work. it didn't. it melted, had to be eaten quickly & it was bloody hot.
day two i learned: apples, water, skittles, peanuts. a nice variety is key.
along with snacks carmex & a cellular device (due to previously stated boredom, due to previously stated ignorance)

2. know the course. had i had time to prepare it would have been best for me to load a few of my kids onto a wagon and drag them up and down the Duke of Southerland hill in order to prepare my feet/calves/hips & arms for the laborious task of pushing a 40 pound golf bag, plus cart, for 4.5-6.5 hours a day. i may be little... but i am most definitely NOT in shape.

3. greens/fairway/rough: let this be a lesson. the rough is long tall grass. not ideal for pushing a cart on. in fact it is awful and exhausting and always choose the path. this may not be the case in the prairies where land is flat. but in the land of many hills.. the rough is not your friend. the fairway is less rough than the rough and is more a friend of the cart and is the ideal height for my yard lawn, although i have a feeling that's not going to happen. the greens are NOT the friend of your cart. do not push the cart onto the green. don't even go close to it b/c your husband who lacks a bit of faith in your knowledge of "green etiquette" gets a tad nervous if those giant wheels appear to be going the wrong way. *this lack of faith could definitely be due to my lack of knowledge BUT it could also be due to my inability to drive a cart straight for more than 5 seconds at a time.*

4. talking. this was a tough one as i knew nothing about golf and had many questions. but its hard to know the right time. how long do they concentrate? you can't open a kit kat while they are looking and concentrating.. less okay than the whisper and causes a few dirty looks. talking on the fairway proved to be the best area. talking whilst waiting many minutes for team ahead proves also to be acceptable. talking after a bad ball is hit usually proves to be okay if slightly inappropriate golf talk comes into play.

5. divots. i never quite figured out the caddy's job when it came to divots. sometimes i would grab them, flip & stomp, but mostly i let scott do it b/c seriously.. way too much walking involved. on a positive note unlike julia roberts in pretty woman, there were no steaming divots. for which i was extremely grateful.

6. geese. know your location. apparently the vancouver area is home to a LOT of geese. although i should be more familiar with seagull poop, i am not. but now i am quite knowledgeable in goose poo. and lots of it. so while there were no steaming divots i did see plenty of goose poo... some that looked like perhaps the goose had a case of steaming diarrhea at one point or another. sick and wrong. and very hard to avoid in large quantities!

7. snacks part 2. this actually goes along with knowing your vacation. these beautiful courses were lush with BLACKBERRY BUSHES! the first day i was too afraid to eat them in fear of being stuck on the golf course with berry-gone-bad illness. how am i to know all berry bushes are safe?? so i refrained from eating.. second and third day though? i ate to my heart content. handfuls of blackberries. blackberry on my fingers, blackberries on my shirt (not that golf "etiquettey" of me, my bad) handfuls and handfuls of blackberries. by the time the days were done i was an expert as to the perfect berry! deeelish.

8. bathroom breaks. brace yourself. if you are pregnant or have the bladder the size of a strawberry (plum perhaps?) it is best to not indulge in several bottles of water after eating peanuts. there are only 2 choices. to wait til the 9th hole or to run back down a course searching for the clubhouse which is probably in the opposite direction that you are heading. one time.. that's all you got, and it takes approximately 2 hours to get there. drinks are not your friend. unless of course you are a man and can zip, pull, pee, tuck & rezip in approximately 2 minutes without a shred of skin showing where it shouldn't.

there you have it.. those are my tips & hard lessons learned after approximately 17 hours on a golf course over 3 days. that being said.. i did enjoy myself & it was a pleasure to seriously watch my husband golf for the first time.

i have a couple more delightful vancouver posts for your reading pleasure... sometime.

ready & waiting!

2011-08-31T19:17:00.007-06:00

Tomorrow after I drop the kids off here:

I will be leaving on one of these:

Without ANY of these:

To watch my husband play in this:

And I will be doing this: (although NOT wearing that!)

And we will probably eat somewhere delish like this:

But most importantly we will be going HERE!!!!

Our first vacation EVER!!!

i missed me

2011-08-20T21:02:00.000-06:00

it's true. i did miss me. i read on a friends blog recently about why she blogged.. she loved to be reminded of her life, her kids.. her doings. and i have missed that. so much has happened since the beginning of june and i have been known to have a slightly horrific memory so today i decided (and was super excited!) to jump on the computer and write about it. or at least post a pic or two to capture what i may not remember. i make no promise of regular posts or anything close to witty and/or exciting. but i come to the conclusion i just don't care. and i'm okay with that!

isn't she a beauty? i have enjoyed every second of summer this year. probably b/c i was frozen from the day football started until late march. so i decided to savor the summer and that i did! my savoring included: raspberries & peaches to my hearts content (i won't get into bowel shock this time) and of course right about this time... my garden foods! peas have come and gone, carrots are starting, lettuce indulged in along with monstrous zucchini's, potatoes and other deliciousness.

before you ask.. the red house belongs to Lashes. that is her name. she is super cute and i don't think of eyelashes anymore when i say her name. that out of the way.. see those light green things?? those are my roma tomato's almost deciding that they want to grow! what a horrid year for tomatoes. i think i'll still get a can or two out of those suckers. and yes.. to the left my ginormous zucchini plant. 1 out of the 4 i planted survived and she has produced past her potential and my zucchini bread was ummm kind of to die for. i will be shredding and freezing!!

ohhhhh my. the wissler family has added 5 more babies to the masses! penny had her babies yesterday. we had no idea when they would appear... but here they are and as cute as can be!! the orange one (i just learned today that almost all orange cats are males.. didya know that??) will be kept and enjoyed to the maximum i'm sure. scott and i apparently have a thing for orange cats much to the kids delightment (word??) so the craziness continues.. summer is ending.. i am in denial.

ps. i have mentioned that i love bleach almost more than life right? our pool.. that was green.. is no longer.. my full bleach bottle... is kind of no longer either.

gimme a break

2011-06-07T21:43:00.000-06:00

gimme a break
break me off a piece of that KIT KAT BAR!!

i won't bore you with how busy i have been this week b/c i am pretty certain you have all been there too. but let me just say this. i love tv. love love love. i watch it at night to unwind while doing other things, or doing nothing at all.
last week? no tv. not one drop. that is how busy and tired i was. ridonkulous.
anyhoodles that also means i have nothing exciting to report!
boooooo.
i am alive.
i am well.. minus a sore throat that won't quite get sore enough to complain about but lingers a bit longer than necessary.
i do have one thing to say though.
i love me some christina aguilera. i do. her voice is amazing!!
her short shorts? ummmm not so much.

Wisslers Got Talent!

2011-05-21T09:15:00.017-06:00

Here we are! Excuse the video quality.. But I am unable to find my stinkin video charger so I had to use my camera. Sadly you can't see how adorable the kids faces are while they are doing their thang!

(no matter how many different ways I try to upload this video of the 3 kids it won't work.. so if you really want to see them you have to copy the link and go to you tube... I think its worth it... just sayin')

http://youtu.be/8ght7sj2yIA

It was a fabulous night.. Fire alarm and all. I think a lot of love and effort went into all the numbers performed. It also was a great missionary night for our family. Morgan invited his teacher from school and kimballs piano teacher came!

Silver-Stars!

2011-04-20T18:33:00.000-06:00

Kimball and Jarom partnered up for the boys doubles in badminton.
I was SO EXCITED for Kimball to be in another sport where I could actually attend!
We packed up the kidlets and set off to see their tourney.
I got the BEST pic of the two boys before the game started.. I promise I did. Sadly, I have no idea where it is. I may have gotten a tad delete happy when attempting to organize pics. I hope to find it someday.
BUT.. do not fear. I video'd four of their games!
AND.. do not fear.. I only uploaded one for you to see. This is the one Scott actually video'd. It won't make you motion sick :D (I don't have those skillz I guess.)
Aren't they adorable?!

Toot Toot Its Your BIRTHDAY!

2011-04-14T16:20:00.005-06:00

the problem with having birthdays/anniversaries/christmas/birthdays/birthdays/birthdays.. is the poor little thing in the last month of celebration gets semi neglected. not out of lack of love, but mostly lack of oomph and inspiration.
here is our list: october - me, november - scott, december - anniversary/christmas, january - morgan, february - sebastian, march - ellison, april - tess........... break! july - kimball!
not only has it taken me ages to blog about her special day but it took us days to decide on her "day" and hours to make the stinky little cupcakes!

my vision is always sooo much better in my head. but, i have no pride and will post anyhow :D
april is not only her bday but also easter. she reallly wanted strawberry shortcake cake, but due to easter dinner, cakes already being made, and family availability cupcakes was our only option. i know in the end it really was all about the icing and candles and she seemed thrilled with her rabbits that were stuck in the cupcakes! but let me tell ya, when given a cupcake book with awesome ideas make sure your brain realizes that canada and the us DO NOT have the same supplies. and improvising, well... it just doesn't always measure up.
but all in all... they were a fun hit and eaten quickly.

i wanted to post a completely adorable picture of my perfectly groomed child.. but being #5. being messy by nature and me being exhausted at this point, got the real deal.. i still think she's pretty cute. (those bangs will grow out one day!!!!)
she got barbies and strawberry shortcake and was in heaven.
she had waited ages for HER burbday and it finally came and she reveled in every single moment.
she is fully poty trained.
she sleeps in a big girl bed.
she can run an ipad almost better than me!
she can't survive without breakfast.
she has several nicknames that suit her perfectly: tessa toot toot, stressa tessa, terrible toot, and tootsie.
she is full of drama.
she clings onto me like no other and does give some of the best smooches around.

i may have been late on getting her special day documented but she is most definitely a loved and cherished youngest child!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TESSIE!

i`ll whine if i want to

2011-04-13T06:33:00.004-06:00

Well I just want to complain. Hopefully the sun comes out today so my mood will improve but for now I am frustrated & annoyed. I get a call from the school yesterday because Morgan was complaining about his eye: red, swollen, itchy with discharge. Yuppers. Typical case of pink eye. I thought, no problemo! I have some polysporin eye drops here that work like a charm ALL THE TIME!!! Oh that's right... all the time except for this time. This time when I am not only babysitting today but have no vehicle. I have no vehicle. No husband. No grandma. No visiting teacher. NO ONE AVAILABLE TO HELP ME TODAY!!!!! What are the chances? Apparently great in my books. This is why I hate the country. I am stuck stuck stuck. Boooo Hooooo Hoooo. I know. I just hate being woke up at 6 am hearing: mom, both of my eyes have pink eye and I can`t open them. KNOWING I can`t do anything about it. So there is my rant. Now let me tell you how grateful you should feel that I posted a pink eye pic of cute little girl in the beginner stage. Don`t google pink eye if you get grossed out by red, swollen, absolutely disgusting eyeballs. I got the heebie jeebies after that.

****edited to add****
BFF to the rescue.. joanne is popping in and grabbing me some polysporin FOR red eye.. bless you!!

ahhhhh i can see the day improving!!

Bag it!

2011-04-07T18:00:00.003-06:00

There are approximately 17 days every month to make lunch. (i decided i wouldn't do 20 b/c we have months where we have "lieu" days and holidays) so that is a huge guesstimate but i'm sticking to it!

There are 10 months in the year that my kids attend school.

Kimball has been in school for almost 7 years.

17 days x 10 months x 7 years = 1190 lunches so far for KIMBALL.

ONE child.

I have 2 others in school and 2 more to start school.

17 days x 10 months x 6 years = 1020 for SEBASTIAN.

17 days x 10 months x 2 years = 340 for MORGAN. (I do realize they only go to kindergarten 2 days a week.. but I still feel like its pretty accurate)

So far I have made ~ approximately ~ 2550 lunches.

I still have Tessa & Ellison who have yet to start school.

Seriously. It's ridiculous. This is why I LOVE hot lunch day. love love love love you.

What I would love MORE is if the schools could join together and do hot lunch on the SAME day every month. Wouldn't that be nice?

For each child I will be making ~approximately~ 2210 lunches in their school life-time.

2210 x 5 = 11050 lunches.

Steph + Making Lunches = ridonkulousness.

the end.

*if my math is wrong please don't correct me.. sometimes i pack lunches for scott. even though usually that's only once a year.

let's make a memory.

2011-04-04T19:30:00.004-06:00

Sometimes I forget to be grateful for what I have. Sometimes I wish I were taller. Sometimes I wish I were richer (yaya i know that's not correct grammar) Sometimes I wish my family were all healthy as horses. Sometimes I wish we could enjoy eachother more fully. I won't lie. I have a really great family. My parents are loved by almost all who meet them. They love the gospel. My brothers & sister are artistically talented (notice how I wasn't mentioned there.) My brothers are excellent speakers. My sister has talent oozing out of her bones in every way u can think of. We all have a FABULOUS sense of humor. and most importantly (ok not really): We play a mean game of bean bag. But lots of times I forget those things. And I need to try harder.

We might give my dad a REALLY hard time for making us trudge through 4 ft of snow. For making us smile and smile and just one more time: SMILE. We might balk at him that our makeup isn't done, our hair looks crazy, we just sat down!.. the kids have mashed potatoes all over them... but in the end? Ya that's right. We are all grateful for memories made and for a dad who lurves photography!

don't pass out

2011-03-30T12:26:00.000-06:00

i know right... 2 posts in a week?! don't get used to it.

before i start can i just say i am really not impressed with the lack of love for the boots i loved.
its not like i would buy them.. i live in a small town/city?? and we just aren't that trendy here. but really, if i wore short skirts & funky dresses they would be the perfect foot accessory! so shame on you for not feeling the love. it cut a little deep.

onto my new blog.
its actually a lesson.
one you alllll must follow (mainly joanne & lisa) if you have no yet done so!

Go to your blog and click on “customize”

2. Click on “dashboard” in the upper right hand corner.

3. Next to your profile picture, click on “Edit profile”

4. Under privacy, click “show my e-mail” Under identity, make sure the public e-mail address you use is there.

5. Save

Now I can reply to your comments!

i just really like to reply to comments. and when i spend time writing a response and press send and then its says "noreply".. my angry face comes out and then i feel like my clever reply was wasted on me.

i think i love you

2011-03-27T22:06:00.001-06:00

lately i really am not into blog hopping.. no time, no desire... no time. but tonight i am tired. its been a busy weekend (yet super fun-filled: pics to come!!) and thought i would peruse long forgotten blogs whilst watching tv. multitasking at its finest. for those of you who know me WELL... you know that only recently have i become slightly addicted to looking 'trendy'. my life has been full of much-loved hand-me-downs and cheapies that will clothe me without holes and/or extreme embarrassment. BUT, i have started earning a few extra pennies on the side and felt like i should be dressed more appropriately when going to strangers homes AND lets not forget the fact that i no longer have puking, pooping, drooling, food-mooshing babies to hold & squeeze & love. so. i spoiled myself this year and have quite enjoyed it. then i happened upon a blog. and brace yourself lorissa (trendy sister of mine) i fell in LOVE with these:

Jeffrey Campbell Chives HI Brown Slatted Leather Boots!

DO YOU BELIEVE IT?! i know... almost insanity but its true. i love them!! not only that but this website is chalked FULL of the most fun, cute, adorable, delicious shoes/boots/whathaveyou i have ever seen.

http://www.lulus.com/

forgive me all you trendsetters if this site is old news but to me its new & tempting.

and then she was 5

2011-03-22T18:07:00.010-06:00

I have learned a few valuable things with this bday party planning.
Most important. ALWAYS hire a party planner. I prefer mine to be cheap.. but really "free" is best. And to have lots of ideas and how to carry them out. Sadly I cannot give you the name of mine as I have 1 more party to do and she needs to be free to help me out. BUT I will tell you she is FABULOUS!!!!
Barbie and I didn't get along well.. but she surfaced out of cake crumbles & icing and turned out not to shabby, if I do say so myself. Which I do. and did.
What matters most is the girls thought she looked beautiful ~ like Cinderella~ and what more can a mom ask for after hours of sweat, tears & angry thoughts?

Friends + parties = good memories & good times!

We played "pin the skirt on the hula girl".. poor hula girl, she was lucky this time but had a few troubles getting covered most of the time EEKKKKKK! dirty hula girl. I appreciated the fact that my party planner had more artistic skill than I had.. use your imagination ladies & gents.

We ate yummy goodness & had a reallllll tropical experience!

I might just be so bold as to say: it was a good time had by all.

Happy Birthday Miss Ellison.

We LOVE you!

oven + fire = cookies?

2011-03-03T16:41:00.000-07:00

Months and MONTHS ago (i dare not say quite a year) i made french fries (well, mccain made them i baked them) and a few fell out.
well, ~~i am lazy~~ the oven was hot.. so i was not reaching in, under the rack, under the element thingy to grab them.
time passed.
the french fries semi-petrified and other delights accumulated along the bottom of the oven with them.
scott seemed to complain every time i baked, asking what that smells was.
UMMM HELLOOOOOOO ITS COOKIES ~~moron~~ silly man!
doh.
anyhow.. he obviously didn't appreciate my good cookies and must have some sort of nasal blockage not to smell the sweet goodness i created every time the supa encrusted oven was turned on!
time continues to pass to present day.
i was melting wax in a tin pie plate to make fun wax samples and i noticed it dripping out the bottom.
DOH!
so i pulled it out, let it cool. pulled out another pie plate to continue to melt wax in. added more wax to the punctured pie plate, melted the wax, pulled it out and said DOH! bad pie plate BAD!
so. enough waxy time. fast forward to an awesome sun-shiney day of awesomeness in cleaning, children & life. why not make cookies right?
so i cranked the oven to 350, put a load of laundry in and come back to smoke billowing out of the back burner.
doh.
open the oven, try to air it out.. thought i fixed it. closed it up... smoke NOT disappearing. open it up:
FLAMES. oohhhh not good.
i thought water? nay. baking soda? baking powder? i couldn't remember... so i grabbed the tongs, pulled out the largest flammable pieces, grabbed the oven cleaner, sprayed & closed it up. (maybe i opened all the windows and stuff and put my shirt over my face... maybe)
scott of course yells STEPH ARE YOU BURNING SOMETHING?!
i calmly reply: yes and carry on.
fast forward 1/2 hour. oven cleaned!!!!
then i made cookies.
in my clean oven.
they smelled like cookies.
and they tasted just as good as the batch before ;)
and for heavens sake that oven looks spanky!

turning point

2011-02-16T17:54:00.000-07:00

Last year you MAY remember this post.... me, eating foods that never before had touched my palette!
Wellll, not that i can remember anyhow.
It is February and i have now already tried TWO new items!
Oh yes.
It's true.
I have turned adventurous & slightly MAD in my old(er) age.
You might laugh....
You might even think i'm lying, but i promise i'm not.
AND my sister will attest to it!
drum roll please.
*
**
***
****
*****
******
*******
********
*********
**********
***********
************
*************

#1 was at Larissa's tres awesome baby shower where pink & green were the theme.
Well.... this was pink (odd but pink)
it was a DEVILED EGG!! i actually don't know how to spell that since i never eat it har har har.
Lisa promised me she would eat the rest if i couldn't finish it.
BUT i did.. imay have gagged but i ate it all. oh yes i did.

#2 was random and not on my list of things to try BUT my neighbor made this awesome dinner that i informed her i would not like due to item on top... but she brought some over anyhow for Scott to try b/c this said item is one of his favs.

Well... he had eaten lunch. i was starving to death and so i ate it and LOVED it.

~stuffing~

mind you.. it was stove top stuffing. i think i must prefer things like that in packaged form instead of seeing the onion chunks, mushed bread and unsavory seasonings added ;)

Anyhow.. the dinner was a chicken breast with shredded cheese, stove top & diced tomatoes all on top. IT IS SOOOOOO GOOD!!!!! try it. you will love it if i did. promise.

f.y.i.

2011-02-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

i feel really sick today.
and my back hurts.
:(

that's all.

say hello to my little friends!

2011-02-02T22:08:00.003-07:00

aren't they the most adorable things ever?

baby a & baby d are sporting my first attempt at earflap hats & i must say they did a fantabulous job didn't they?!

~love~

no picture ~insert thanks~

2011-01-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

I try to not post "cheese" too much b/c I feel like I am not a supa cheesy person.
I joke.
I use sarcasm.
I tease.
It's who I am.
But I need to make sure I have this in writing.. and to make sure I can look back & remember to be grateful.
A few blogs ago I talked about getting a new calling in our church.
It was to teach adult Sunday School. A calling I swore I would never say yes to b/c it scared the poopers out of me.. and really, only "certain" people got callings like that!
smart people. inspiring people. confident people... you know those kind of people!
Here I am week 3 of teaching (I have been team teaching for this month & next week) and am overwhelmed by the love & support & encouragement.
I remember each & every compliment & critique I have been given... all have been good.
Today a visitor was there. I just received a message on facebook thanking me for inspiring her & bringing the spirit to our class.
I was humbled and so grateful that she would take the time to let me know that.
As I prepare mentally to spend hours each week pouring through the scriptures all these words of encouragement I have received are what I will be turning to when I am feeling unworthy of a calling I see as so important to our spiritual growth.
I belong to one of the best wards I have ever been too.
I am surrounded by loving friends & family.
I am overwhelmed by the challenge and excited by it all at the same time.
I am really learning the scriptures for the first time in my life and every week my love for my Savior grows.
what more could a girl ask for...

despicable - i think not!!

2011-01-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

Mr. Harris turned a whopping seven years old on the 17th.

We had his partay on Saturday at the gym club.

Just what ~~moms~~ kids need when it has been -5 gazllion out with 3 million cm of snow and 4000 km/hr winds for month and months!!

Morgs had picked up some really fun cupcakes but Scott was determined to test out his baking skills (too much Top Chef/Ace of Cakes/Next Cake Boss shows?? and did MINION cupcakes. Due to the lack of ingredients in Brooks we couldn't get all the stuff we needed for them but

I think he did pretty good!!

The kids loved them allllllllmost as much as they loved their take-home partying gift!

(i tried to post the flarping video but couldn't get it to work, boooo)

Morgan (aka Mr.Harris) is one sweet yet serious little guy.

Soft as can be with his sisters.

Loves to write notes whenever he can find a pen (paper optional, the bunk bed has some 'art' on it)

He is completely ungreedy, no joke.

He cannot be bribed (not always a benefit to a mother)

He used to kiss me like James Bond and sadly grew out of that.

I love his teeny tiny, now seven year old, guts.

happy birthday to you!

Found It!

2011-01-20T18:08:00.000-07:00

Let the ~~games~~ CHORES begin!!
My kids are now ages 11.5, 9.75, 7, 4.5 & alllllmost 3!
It has taken me YEARS to find it.
It has taken a lot of thought.
It has taken a LOT of clicks of the fingers browsing through blogs.
Seeing something close.... but alas, no cigar!
And then it happened.
I clicked here and saw this fabulously OCD blogger (whom I love stalking).
I took her idea with her 2 kids... and turned it into something that would work for me and my 5 kids.

It's: Interchangeable & Flexible.
I can add or take away as I please.
It looks fun..
It makes my life easier.
It makes my house cleaner.
Now.... just to put it to good use!

makin' memories

2011-01-06T21:19:00.000-07:00

Fun AND Easy. It's the name of my game.

I cut out envelopes on my cricut (love you). And measured the kids height with a piece of string.. taped it in.. and had them trace their hand print.

I thought it was a perfect way to capture their height & size for the new year. I can just tape this into their baby books & open it up at the end of this year to see how much they have grown.

Cute AND Practical... it really is how I roll ;)

Just in case you thought I had more kids.. I didn't... I babysit a few extras now & then.

Because I like to keep it real..... reallll busy!

Wrappin' it up!

2010-12-31T17:12:00.000-07:00

Well a few years ago I started doing "one thing" every year so I could actually look back at something and say I DID THAT! Instead of look around and wonder ~ what the heck do I do all day?~
Now I do realize that I did do A LOT of stuff. I have a lot of kids.. I clean.. I cook.. I wash.. I play.. I teach.. I preach..I garden.. blah blah blah. But I felt like I had nothing to show. So I made a denim ragtime quilt. I love it. Yes Yes I Do! So that started me on making sure I did at least one thing each year that I could look back on.. that wasn't temporary and showed I had either learned something or created something I loved. I think I accomplished that several times over this year.
So, to wrap up 2010 here it goes:

I made another denim quilt.. this time I put backing on it.. quilted it.. and the seams are not coming apart!

I learned how to crochet more than just an AWESOME blanket.. I learned how to do a sweater.

I made a few extra dollars making these horrid blocks.. but I love mine & showcase them proudly.

I started my own business and must admit... am rockin' the scentsy world (let me know when you need to place an order! hehe)

I also learned how to make a lot of different kinds of hats and made a few extra $$$ doing that too!

annnnnnnnnd brace yourself people!!

I ATE GUACAMOLE for the first time in my life.

YES. Yes I did.

2010 was a lot of firsts for me and I am quite proud of the little things & big things I have done.

Next year stay tuned for when I eat an actual avocado allll by itself!!

ho ho ho

2010-12-29T20:04:00.003-07:00

well the technical holidays are over and i am now enjoying kid-less days at home (and by kid-less i mean only my 5 and not the other wee ones i babysit during the week)... i have finally had the opportunity to sleep later than 6:15 and it is quite delicious.
i can lounge in my pj's without my fabulous neighbor laura bringing her kids over by 7:55 all snazzed up for work and me feeling like a cover shoot for teen vogue gone wrong.
although some of those models to have an excess amount of make up under their eyes... why don't i look hot with mine like that?
christmas holidays started out with a bit of a pooper scooper.
scott called at 3:00 (just as i had finished meticulously packing the WHOLE van) to say there was no way he could get out of work and we had to leave tomorrow morning...
so i headed downstairs with tess... only to fall down over half of them, scare the poops out of kimball b/c i am crying on the stairs. (might i add we have "old" non-carpeted stairs, ouch?) hobble upstairs to cry there for a while, whilst my children watch slightly horrified.
my head was sick.. my body felt broken and i had nothing planned for dinner.
scott came to the rescue with pizza bread & wings and we all sat, snuggled (some of us snuggled with ice) and enjoyed a quiet night.
we celebrated in true crapo (for those of you unfamiliar with my maiden name CRAP is not part of it... cr-ay-po) fashion with a serious game of bean bag, chinese gift exchange & enough food to feed the neighborhood.
i relish our family time completely but there is also something to be said about coming home.. and i lurve it.
i have a week left of laziness before early mornings, lunches & schedule start and i will sap every last little second out of it that i can.
i hope your days were merry & bright and that santa was good to you!
happy new year my friends!

(no pictures due to laziness and the fact that the only GOOD bruise i had was on my butt and i did not want my blog to be flagged due to cellulite exposure)

As my bowels turn... so do the days till Sunday

2010-12-12T19:31:00.005-07:00

Well. Apparently I am on a weight loss program.

You are guaranteed to eat minimum one less meal per day.

Bread is almost non-existent due to the fact that it won't even go down.

Fruit is appealing, and since you just poop it out that works even better.

So, my frame of -0 is going on -1 and by Sunday I should be at least at a -3.

Mind you there are a few drawbacks.

Late nights of your nose in a book.

Hair loss due to you pulling it out.

And the bags under my eyes are not putting me in the running for Miss Mom of Brooks!

Sadly, this diet is only for Mormons.

Only one person per 3-4 years approximately.

And, yes I was chosen!!!!

Chosen to be Adult Sunday School Teacher. *insert vomiting & crying*

You just gotta hate those phone calls, from special people whom you once you to look forward to phone calls from.

I thought the call had potential.

I thought I could be excited. Although really.... what calling in church beats primary pianist?!

NONE I TELL YOU - N O N E !!!!!!

That being said.

I still accepted.

Which is when my weight loss program started.

I get continued love and support.. because let's face it, our church here in Brooks might just be the best ever. But that only leads me to more stress b/c I feel as though they are expecting things from me that only come when I am in my "element". You know... when I am eating yummy food, have no kids around and am full of ~get up and go~. AKA a night out people!!!

Teaching things I feel like I have not studied for over 12 years is a tad daunting. Stressful. Intimidating. Overwhelming... shall I go on?

That also being said.

I will do it.

I will smile. I will study. I will pray. and pray. and pray. and pray.

And possibly, if you could pray for me I would appreciate that.

This is one task I swore I would say no to without hesitation!!

So now I'm a liar on top of it all!!!

I just breathe in.. breathe out... and decide to blog in the midst of my turmoil.

And...

2010-10-24T19:34:00.000-06:00

ever feel that way?

i have days of cranky (yup, lisa, amy, kathy & tracey got to see it first hand)

i have days of extreme awesomeness.

i have days where i wake up and think... my oldest is a babysitter

stephanie= old

i cut my hair and dyed it.

its bobbed, with bangs, and caramel.

marlan thinks i can pull off caramel

jason thinks i look more french

scott is creeped out and thinks i look like my mom.

i miss my days of looking super young and blonde.

although a fab lady at church today said i looked 16 (i secrely got lots of enjoyment out of that)

don't expect a picture any time soon!

crazy daisy

2010-09-30T13:21:00.005-06:00

i was looking for a different type of flower than what i did for tessie's hat.. i came upon the 5 petal flower and fell in love!

my gf and i both did some and totally laughed that they looked like starfish stuck to the side of the head... amazingly enough, these hats are a HUGE hit and i have 10 orders right now to do!! who woulda thunk?

thankfully tonight is: grey's, csi & a few other shows previously pvr'd and i will have nothing but relaxy time to whip a couple more of these suckers up for the adoring sea loving folk who have orderd them!!

Look what I made!

2010-09-24T08:13:00.000-06:00

Well, techincally I made TWO things.. one just took 9 months and the other about an hour or so ;)

Last year I attempted to crochet hats and ended up crocheting wavy saucers! This year I have made a hat for each of the girls and 2 of the boys (boy #3 is being worked on!!)

Tess... you are a poser!

BLUE 42!!!

2010-09-19T17:03:00.000-06:00

Child #2, who we often refer to as Sebastian, Batch or Bashy... Who we were informed this summer is also referred to as Sebee (CB?) in school is now in PeeWee FOOTBALL!!
On the first day he was sent to the back of the trailer to find a "special" set of pads... he must get his small shoulders from me?? His age was questioned by the gal who was trying to fit him for pants, after I told her his age she quickly replied "oh well then are you excited to play?!" (nice recovery!!)
Believe it or not he is NOT the smallest kid on the team... or if he is, it is only by mm's that a mother's eyes cannot see :D
This pic was taken before the players were put onto teams. Sebastian now is red & black: The LIONS!! Who Sebastian informed me HAVE ALWAYS WON!!! (I have feeling the coaches all tell their players this little line hehe)

Kathy & I have come to the conclusion that sitting for 2 hours each Saturday for the next 8 weeks in freezing cold weather is going to require: boots, sweaters, parka's, hot chocolate and a heavy duty blanket (along with every ounce of I AM PROUD OF MY CHILD AND WILL ENDURE TO THE END we can muster up)!! May the force be with us and with my little man in all his padded glory!

My bags aren't packed.. I'm not ready to go!

2010-08-29T23:34:00.002-06:00

Seriously. School?! ALREADY???
No thanks.
I am not ready to make lunches every day for 3 kids.
I am not ready to HAVE to get up 6 days a week (Sundays counted).
I am not ready to do homework, practice piano with Kimball, listen to Kimball play the clarinet, listen to Sebastian honk on the recorder, listen to Tessa fight with Sebastian when he honks on the recorder.
I am not ready to listen to my kids whine about gross lunches (which btw are NOT gross), to hear the whine about being tired.
To be tired.
To have kids out the door by 7:38 each morning.
To volunteer.. to find babysitters so I CAN volunteer.
Let's call a spade a spade people.
School means fall.
Fall means winter.
Alberta falls mean winter.
Alberta is COLD.
I feel like we never got a good summer, which is why I am not ready. I need a tan. I need my garden to grow properly. I need my flowers to not die yet. What have I been doing for 2 WHOLE MONTHS?! No idea. I didn't blog about it, therefore I have forgotten.
The one thing I AM ready for: tired kids & early bed times.

Now THAT sounds like heaven!

It's Time.

2010-08-21T22:53:00.000-06:00

You may have noticed I have been a bit MIA lately.
This is definitely due to spring.. gardening.. end of school crazy.. outdoor delights after winter grossness.
BUT I have another reason.
I was hesitant to share but have finally decided that, why not?! I will.
NO. I am not sick and tired and pregnant (crossing fingers, toes and butt cheeks!)
But I did start up a little business for myself.
For those of you that know me, this might come as a bit of a shocker but it's true.
I, Stephanie W*ssler (those spamies will never figure out my name) am now a Direct Sales Consultant for
SCENTSY!!!!

Isn't she a beauty?
If you haven't heard of it, well my friends now is the time to sit back and let your nose-buds go wild.
Scentsy candles are Wickless! No Wick. No Flame. No Soot. No Lead.
They are fabulous for mothers, such as I who lack in brain cells and forget to blow out "real" candles.
Your husband might forgive you for burning down your house, but mine certainly would not. When I was introduced to them I instantly fell in love and decided that since no more babies were entering our house of 7 (butt cheeks still crossed) I could do a little something for me. Scentsy not only has 80 scents to choose from, but tons of beautiful warmers, air fresheners, travel tins (a must have people!!) and coming in Sept. antibacterial foam & stuffed animals with scent paks! I really love that Scentsy is affordable to everyone. Whether you want to spend $4 or $140 anyone can get something and that was really important to me.

I love doing parties.. I love learning that I am capable of doing more than laundry, dishes and burnt dinners. I love that it is a product I am proud to sell and let's get real ~ my house kinda smells pretty fabulous all the time.
I am playing with the idea of joining e-commerce and selling to the US too... Are you American? Would you buy from me?!
Anyhoodles. March was a Scentsy write off for me.. I was fully consumed. I have since learned the art of balancing work/friends/children/husband & all the rest of life. Thank you to those who listened to my constant rambling and endured neglect!!
I am still learning the ins and outs of a home-based business and would greatly appreciated any tips, advice and a lot of prayers.
And, because I can:
If you are looking for any last minute gifts ~ you now know where to come right?!

My goal is to have Brooks and area completely scentsified by next year and make my way to Disneyland... wanna help me??
Feel free to check out my website ~anytime~!!

http://www.stephaniewissler.scentsy.ca/

insert cheesey ending: have a SCENTsational night

A Necessary Evil ~ booooo

2010-08-16T14:02:00.000-06:00

So I just got this comment on my blog (which yes I realize has not been updated in eons!) from a post back in March 2008! Granted it was a great post... all about how fabulously clean and helpful my children are, but it was about 3 pages long!!!
Oh yes, spam has now become a fan of "once upon a wissler"... so I can either go back to being private OR add the word verification to hopefully filter through the dirrrrty little spamy's that are trying to get through.
I opted for the word verification so, please leave your mark still AND just for fun, feel free to tell me what the word was you had to type in.
Sometimes they are clever little suckers and I get a chuckle so savor it people!
As for what I have been up to this semi-warm summer we have been having??
Trip to Edmonton, Coaldale, Pincher Creek, Calgary...
Enjoying the lake, garden, housework (yup, just kidding) friends and lots of family.
Attending a TRES fun family reunion.. pics to come ~ someday?
Neglecting my dishes, laundry, crafts and anything else that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

School is approaching and my sister is school pants shopping for my kids..
My parents asked if they could buy some school supplies for the kids..
Tupperware has provided me with fabulous little lunch-friendly containers
AND.. I still am not ready for school to be upon us! Booo to lunches, schedules and homework.
But knowing the past several years, around August 25th I will be saying YAY to all of this. no question.

Please leave me a list of good books to read.... I'm suffering from withdrawal!

Ode to Summer

2010-07-06T20:07:00.000-06:00

Summer summer you're so hot
Except in Southern Alberta.. where you're not.
Tis the truth, what more can I say
Except there was ONE hot day, way back in May.

There is my ode to summer. I don't think its technically an "ode" but I haven't the time nor the patience to google it, so let's just go with it.
Summer has only begun YET the Wisslers have been having some fun.!.

BURN IT UP 2010!! We started out doing it solo this year... but our friendly neighborhood, errr ummm neighbors popped by and joined in on the fun! It was Morgan's first year and he was quite thrilled with it all, minus ingesting smoke. Fair Enough.

That's right. We took the kidlets on the L. R. T. otherwise known as.... the lrt. Pronounced just as its spelled ;) We ran into more than a few wackos, bringing me back to my old Edmonton days of living in the ghetto. No lie.

The funniest part of this experience may have been how Sebastian kept talking about our tickets being violated. Nope, our tickets were not violated... just validated. WHEW!

No idea why Tess is humongoid up there.. but I also don't know much about this new blogger layout thing so no surprise!

We took in the fireworks in Millwoods. They were spectacular ~ loved their guts. I do think that this has been the first time I have seen fireworks since I had only the 2 boys. Stacey swears I saw them in Eckville with 4/5 kids lol. Sadly, she is probably right. Although I will say, I have no pics to prove that night ever happened. ;)

We had a great time up in Edmonton, minus me missing several turns, plus Kimball navigating like an old pro, minus the kids being super whiney all the way home....

~just in case~

2010-06-16T16:07:00.000-06:00

just in case you missed me...

today i ~
craved jell-o
missed michael jackson (ya i did)
saw that the remains of the gopher guts on my lawn were slowly being consumed
inhaled a bueno
enjoyed flushing my toilet with the scrubbing bubble gel attached to the side of it

tonight i will~
pretend to sing
enjoy someone else (a.k.a. my husband) putting the kids to bed
and savor a few hours of no whining :D

betcha don't miss me now!

My ~Groove~ it's coming back!!!

2010-05-31T21:59:00.001-06:00

September hit me like a ton of bricks.
It has been an upward struggle since then and today... almost magically I felt myself coming back.
It could be the sun finally peeking through the clouds.
It COULD be the fact that I laid in bed sick ALLLL day Saturday and got some much needed R & R.
It could be because I planted 50 strawberry plants after mine died so tragically at the hands of the rototiller manned not by me but by my very loving, not very observant, husband (ohhhhh tragedy struck that day!!)
It could be that Saturday is my last day of Cubs (although it is at 7:30 AM... it will still be a really fun day!)

Whatever it is... I feel happy and ready to be back.
And while I celebrate Stephanie.. I also need to mention the sadness & miracles of today:
A cousin passed away suddenly about a week ago and his funeral was held today. Although we were not close, he was a son (which I have three of) a brother (which I have 2 of) and special to more people than he probably ever knew... and was only 19. I was thankful for my life, for being a mom, for my childrens' lives and heartbroken for Sandra and what she must be going through.
I celebrated today for a childhood friend who's precious baby of 1 finally got a heart transplant after months and months of being in Edmonton while her family was home in Lethbridge. It truly was a miracle ~ how blessed we all are.

*insert smile ~ hugs ~ laughter ~ and all that comes after*

It's official ~ spring is HERE!!!

2010-05-20T08:55:00.000-06:00

Actual pictures!!... in no particular order.

Three little kidlets all in a row, being bitten by mosquitoes and watching the show!

Ok.. soccer is no quite a show but its the best I could do.

Hi. This is Tessa. She pouts ALL THE TIME.

Feasting on baguettes, cheese, meat, cookies & banana's... who says soccer 4 nights a week isn't FUN!

Lunch time was fun time ~ except for Sebastian who puked after going on the merry-go-round!

We met up with some friends and indulged in good weather, good food and a quick break from school!

Soooo this is Jana and I, sans makeup, sans church, sans 5 kids, avec my own 5 kids! Seriously my bilingual-ness really impresses me. With a 2 hour ward conference (not our own wards) and a very sick little boy I stayed home from church only to get a phone call from someone else (who shall remain nameless) who also stayed home! It was good bonding times!!

The long weekend is almost here and I am sooooooooo ready for it! Call me ~ let's do a bbq!!!!

Miss Me?

2010-05-17T21:21:00.000-06:00

i tried to pull of shakespeare a la stephanie
i tried to think of a clever little lymric
neither worked!
my legs are going to fall off and my house is going to be condemed.
wanna come over?! it will be a legless dirrrrrrrrrrrty partay.
my days have been consumed with:
scentsy
soccer
sebastian's sickness
and family (which does not start with an "s")
i have also been enjoying the likes of:
puke
poop
and flowers.
ok, well i didn't love the puke and poop BUT getting 24, 4 packs of flowers for free made me smile.
i have become addicted to:
texting.
i love it.. i don't have more than 3 people to text BUT i fell into the trap and love to hear the ring of my retarded ringtone (seriously can't telus get better ones?! - nay)
i have been asked to:
do the bulletin board at the school because i am "creative" (sebastian's teacher doesn't know me well yet!)
i have volunteered to:
plant the dead bush infested flowerbed at the older kids school (because i am a glutton for punishment)
i treated myself to some dark touch-ups and a nice little trim-a-roo to rid myself of pigtail hell.

how's that for catch up!
its not all me... my computer has tortured me for weeks by not working properly. so i lurve you all and even though i may not have commented b/c it takes 20 minutes to load ~ I WANTED TO!!!!

doh

2010-04-27T22:12:00.000-06:00

So I went out on Monday and pur-chassed a cellular phone.
I stood there like a dummy and then saw the pay and talk. Thank goodness I can read.
Almost needed help switching the plates, but that too I figured out.
I have a gay phone number... whatever.
So, I was oot and aboot today with Kimball at the eye doctor and needed to use the phone.
I thought "geesh i wish i had a cell phone!"... then i realized i did... at home.
I might get the hang of it one day.
Until then, I will keep 60 cents in my wallet at all times!

Reluctant to find she's stuck in the 90's...

2010-04-23T08:03:00.000-06:00

Tuesday was a frustrating eye opening day! grrrr.
I don't know if I failed to mention months ago I went to use a pay phone and paid over SIXTY CENTS!!! to use it.
So, the cub emergency kits we prepared are obviously are a few cents short of a phone call ~ it so ridiculous. Seriously? You would think with all the cell phones people have they would lower the cost so people would use them more.... or maybe just sanitize them a bit more often, I dunno.
Anyhow.
Tuesday was crazy crazy busy day. I can't quite recall all that I had to do (my omega 3's have not quite kicked in yet!!) but I KNOW I was oot and aboot all day long.
Errands at the bank, bottle depot, lunch @ the park w/friends... something along those lines.
But some of these errands required a bank card.. which my husband had. Why? Can't quite remember that either.
So I called before I left so I could meet up with him. No answer (on his cell phone - why do we have them??) So I left and did errands that I could do w/o one and carried on. Well finally I was errandless without my bankcard. I drove around town a bit looking for him, ~~like a stalker~~, and went to the gas station to use a payphone.
Oh wait. They didn't have one!!!
SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?!?!?! What gas station does not have a payphone? Is that not a prerequisite for a gas station? I was slightly annoyed and ticked off that I had to drive around to find one. So I carried on to some little mini mall to find a germ infested, scum coated cell phone to use. This payphone happened to only be FIFTY CENTS. gah.
Dialed and dialed and dialed.... no answer. Why? Because he is a mutton head! grrrr. I think the lady sitting in her van waiting for her son in the movie store enjoyed watching me repeatedly hang up the phone, before the answering machine picked up, so I wouldn't be spending $1.50 on listening to his message. Whatever.
So I head out to the park, errands unaccomplished but my face repeatedly kissed by the blessed sunshine, my children expelling energy in some place other than my dirrrrrty house and soaked up a lot of good conversation!
Scott ~getting my message~ on his cell phone met us at the park thankfully!!
So, after we are done I run around finishing all I need to finish and finally make it home at 2:30 (I left at 10) only to hear Scott say: There is a package for you at your grandma's. Well it was my Scentsy order. I HAD to get that!!!!
I huff and puff and say ~ k I'll be right back to which he replies: you need to get a cell phone.

ya ya ya.
I didn't want one.
But... it is 2010.
I guess its time.

Toot Toot Turns Two

2010-04-15T22:07:00.000-06:00

Baby #5, the one we call Tessa Toot Toot turned two!

Here are a few of my fav pics of little Tessie who has tried my patience like no other this past week! Good thing my heart loves her to pieces!

It is best to initiate them early into embarrassing photo's. You have to admit she does make the cutest little pig ever!

oink.

Tess sporting her shades. ~this was a good day~ thankfully we have pics to remember these days!

This is more what I am used to lately. Crying, whining, pouting, screaming, pinching, hitting, mauling...

Have I told you lately that I love her?

This is something Tessie gets from her Auntie.

No no no.. NOT the nakedness (as far as I know!) her love of shoes!!

She is always in shoes. She wakes up and puts them on. She sleeps with them and she changes them several times a day.. she does have a pair of red Mary Jane's that are her most favorite!

We are hoping she grows out of her fondness for being naked.

For those of you who have known Tessa since she was born.. she has had this "eyeball" thing. One was always bigger than the other and she looked CONSTANTLY scared. It was unfortunate LOL.

Since then she has grown out of it and once again we are thankful for pics..

We will treasure this pic always!!

Happy Birthday to a little girl who:

loves cereal.

loves shoes.

loves to give kisses.

loves to tease.

loves having baths.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TESSA TOOT TOOT TABOOGIE WOO WOO CHABOOGIE!!

g is for ginger

2010-04-08T15:03:00.000-06:00

About two weeks ago I was introduced to the word "gingers". I had never heard of a 'Ginger'. BUT when my lil sis, came to visit about 2 weeks ago, 2 weeks before she was due to give birth; my mom and I were educated.
I don't watch south park. I have never had the urge to kick anything with red hair. BUT apparently this is a problem, especially in Australia ESPECIALLY since South Park. Funny? Only if you don't have a child with red hair I s'pose.
So.. after getting induced. Enduring only minimal labor, my sista gets her water broken only to find ~pea soup~ a.k.a. serious poo infested amniotic fluid leakng out of her!! She was rushed to the OR for an emergency c-section. One of the many things she refused to have. Are you wondering what the other things might have been? Well... here was her list. She did NOT WANT to:
be induced
have a c-section
have a boy
have a child with red hair.
What she got:
induction
c-section
boy with red hair!!!

And would we trade any of that for a girl? Ummmmm no, no we wouldn't. He squeeks and grunts and eats and sleeps and is the sweetest little red headed gaffer ever! You can't quite tell by this pic, but he is a GINGER and we luuuuurve him to bits & pieces.
Welcome Mr. Beckett Nolan Hurt

I do have pics of all the kidlets taking their turn holding him but for some reason the mischevious smiles these girls have won out on the blog today! I have a feeling little Tess has a few ideas in store for the newest little cousin!! I also have a feeling that Ellison has some ideas she would like to enforce on him later on ;)
Pray for him.
We love his teeny tiny little guts and are so excited for him to learn all that my 5 angels have to teach him!
how to pet animals "nicely"
how to lift the lid when he pees
how to suck up to grandpa & grandma when he "needs" something
how to say excuse me after he burps or ummmm does little tooties
BUT until then we will just oooohhhhh and aahhhhhhh at him while he:

Having my BABY!!

2010-03-31T16:32:00.001-06:00

Ok, ok. Techincally it is NOT ~my~ baby.. BUT it is my first niece ~~or nephew~~ from a sibling!!

Sooooooooo excited.

It is her baby:

She is currently in labor... I'm not sure she can quite believe it. LOL

This is what "she" looked like the last time we saw her ~ in all her beautiful belly glory. The next time I see her she will be holding that little bundle in her arms instead of that tum tum!

BUT

No one is calling me to update anymore which can mean one of two things: they are completely selfish and not understanding my need for minute to minute updates. OR she is in some good labor and prefers not to huff and puff and blow my head off whilst contracting ;)

I choose to go with the "she is way more thoughtful and concerned about me right now" theory.

Good luck baby sister - I'm sooooooooooooo excited!!

Edited to add: IT'S A BOY!!! Riss was taken in by emergency c-section and woke up to a precious baby boy! Both Riss & Little Man Hurt (still nameless) are doing really well. He was 7 pounds 7oz and has fair eyebrows and fair eyelashes. Now for those of you who don't know - Riss & Darren are both kinda dark. Big D is not supa dark.. but darker than Scott and I. Love how those genes come out! I am hoping to get a few pics of the little gaffer while I head out to Lethbridge for the second time in a WEEK solo. Many thanks to Miss Kathy for watching my kidlets & Amy for helping out in cubs! I have the best life.

~the art of turning four~

2010-03-24T08:57:00.000-06:00

So I kind of lied. There really is no ~art~ to turning four. The days progress. Your mother who has birthday's/anniversary's starting in October through till April thinks: oh my. You are turning 4, we should celebrate. She picks up the phone, calls friends... deal is done.
I DID make cupcakes. Sadly patience was not on my side. BUT do kids care? Nay. They lurve to eat all things full of chocolate and sugar. Cupcakes-success! (don't ask me why they look elongated in this pic)

What? I have to plan games for a party?? Oh no, says mother-with-too-many-birthdays (that is my new native name) They came. They squealed. We painted. They smiled.

Then as Melia so kindly asked: Stepanie (you read right - no "h") are we going to have cupcakes?

They ate. I smiled.

I almost forgot!! NO party is complete without the "pooper". Not sure if should be grateful or sad BUT there was no literal poop. She just whined and complained. Her nails didn't get painted fast enough (ummm hellooooo 8 kids+1 mom-gogo gadget arms=time needed to paint 80 fingernails) she wanted all the cupcakes, the kids took toys away.......... She survived.

And... even with lack of planning. Lack of energy. Lack of arms.

Ellison STILL turned four and had a blast!!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Ells.

just eat it.

2010-03-21T13:56:00.000-06:00

bacon bacon it my thing
the thought of bacon makes me sing.
i cook it up, with toxic rays
and snarf it down on sunny days.
or fry it up in its greasy glory
the effect on my bowels is another story.
crispy, crunchy, cook it up good!
i'd eat the whole pack.. if i could.

i was once again told i haven't blogged in a little too long.
so, there you go.
wasn't that better than hearing about my crazy week ahead?
or the yummy candles i'm now selling?
or the stress i am under due to moving?
or the cat poo i cleaned out of the litter box?
or the dreams about my dirty bathroom that haunted me until i actually cleaned it?
or the vehicle that i could have planted a garden in b/c it was so dirrrrt-y?

i thought so.

go eat some bacon.

as simple as that.

2010-03-10T08:08:00.000-07:00

I have been subbing a lot as primary pianist this past year (which I LOVE!!). I literally took one year of lessons around the age of 14.. and didn't progress much from them due to years of teaching myself bad habits. The left hand is not my forte and therefore I turn to chording to play a song quite often.
I mess up as often as not and duck behind the piano as much as I can to hide my red face from constant mistakes being made.
All that was put behind me last Sunday when one special little guy warmed my heart with one simple sentence.
Brayden is my BBFF (brooks best friend forever LOL) Joanne's son. He has a kind little heart and a sneaky little smile when life strikes him funny.
After church on Sunday.. after my many repeated mistakes in the SAME song I walk out promising myself to learn the song better for the 21st and to not embarrass myself.. little Brayden comes up to me, taps me, looks up at my with his killer brown eyes and says: "Sister Wissla (so cute) you play the piano really good".

SERIOUSLY KID?!

Made my day left right and center.

It made me realize the kids don't hear the mistakes.. they hear the spirit.

and then there were 9...

2010-03-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

You know how kids just "know" stuff? They will say things to you, then it happens and you think
I have a bloody genius on my hands!!
Well here is a TRUE story about such a comment that no mother wants her to child to be right about.

My sister and I were chatting the other day via facebook. I was complaining how my stomach has been out of sorts lately. Kind of like drinking hot sauce after everything I consume. Bread, chocolate, dinner.. whatever.
She says, maybe you're pregnant. I replied that no, it wasn't a pregnancy kind of sick. To which she replies: "Well you've never been pregnant with TWINS!".

Sadly this statement was not a funny one as Scott and I both have twins in our families.

So we continued on chatting about whatever and left it at that.
Later that night, Ellison, our night time buddy, was laying in between Scott and I feeling under the weather. She had her head on my tummy as we were watching a show. She pops up, looks at me and says "Mommy has a baby in her tummy". Scott gets a shocked look on his face and says WHAT?! I calmly say, noooo mommy doesn't. To which she replies "no, she has TWO BABIES in her tummy".

ummmmmmmmmmmmmm

i don't think so.

Lesson Learned..

2010-03-04T07:53:00.000-07:00

My sister informed me yesterday that I hadn't blogged in forever.
I responded: "I have nothing to say". And its true. BUT just b/c I want to keep you all enthralled with my daily life I shall tell you a story.

A few weeks ago we were driving home from my parents house in Coaldale. It was one of those days that makes you excited for summer. The sky is clear, the air smells fresh and the sun is just setting. My kids were being SO GOOD! I remember thinking of how I was going to praise them when we got home for being so amazing the whole way home.
About 20 minutes from home the boys started picking at eachother. Kimball touched this, Sebastian's teasing me blah blah blah. Then it happened. They just went crazy on eachother. Kimball pulls out Sebastian's DS games, Sebastian retaliates by hitting... blah blah blah.
Calmly I slowed the vehicle down. Came to a full stop. Turned around and told them to get out. They both looked at me quizically and did it semi reluctantly, but as ignorantly as a child who had never been told to walk home ;)
Reality set it when they were standing outside the vehicle and I told them to SHUT THE DOOR. They both screamed NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I repeated louder, SHUT THE DOOR N O W!!!!! They did.. while they were crying.
Then. I drove.
Before you report me, I literally drove a meter. That was all it took. {The images of my children being smooshed by another vehicle or attacked by wild antelope grazing not far away held me back from going further.} They screamed like they were being abandoned forever.
I stopped the vehicle they opened the door and were silent the rest of the way home.
Sadly, when I turned around to look at them I noticed Mr. Harris in the back seat crying. I asked him why he was crying, to which he replied "I want my brothers..".
Poor guy.

go figure.

2010-02-23T11:27:00.004-07:00

So I was dutifully cleaning my house today.. which has not been done well for longer than I care to admit, and vacuuming was part of that duty.

So I am sucking away and thinking, geesh, my vacuum is sounding bad.

*my vacuum was bought in 1998 and I never want to get rid of it b/c the newer versions SUCK

(and not in a good way)

Then I started vacuuming up the dirt the cat spilled climbing into my plant and it wouldn't suck!

Well, I decided I should investigate.

Note to self: vacuum will make funny sounds and not suck anything else up when the bag is so full you have to ram your fingers in the hole to pull it out.

Yup. I'm disgusting.

And it was about 5 pounds lighter when I lifted it.

here i am... new and improved?

2010-02-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

here i am.
in the superstore change rooms
posing for a picture
because every pic i have taken up till this second has been SCARY!!!

but i do lurve anna octavia ;)

qualifying

2010-02-13T11:23:00.001-07:00

today i am qualifying.
sadly, not in the olympics since my winter skills are severly lacking.
BUT
i am going to meet anna octavia (ummm don't you love that name??)
and she is going to fill me in on what we can do with my hair.
my sister informed me last night that anything is better than the color i have going on now.
SO MEAN!
so, wish me luck.
the next time you see me i may still be blonde because i failed the qualifying round for
"looks good in brown".

you've got mail!

2010-02-11T11:44:00.001-07:00

so just recently my brain began to function properly once again and i got my blog to email me the comments that you send.. in return i can comment back to you - YAY! BUT i cannot comment back to you if you have not inputed your email address into blogger... can you do that for me?
if YOU want to get your comments emailed to you just:

Go to Dashboard

Hit Settings

Click on Comments

Scroll down to the bottom where it says Comment Notification Email

Add your email address

Save Changes

SO EASY. then if someone asks a question you can actually reply! love it.
love that tonight is thursday.
love that we are having tuna metls so i can get things cleaned up quick and ready for thurs. night tv.
i know all of you don't watch thurs. night tv, but you should. and if you loved it as much as me you would love thurs as much as me too!

love is in the air.

L is for the way you look at me...

2010-02-06T09:02:00.001-07:00

WHICH is the reason we have five kids... so let that be a lesson to the rest of you!!

L is also for Livingstone. The name of the gal with whom I 'GET IT DONE'!!!
L could also be for: LOVE LOVE LURVING MY NEW CRAFTIES!

Take a gander.. they were finished late last night, after a spontaneous "let's get it done phone call".

adorable right?! and pennies - it cost me PENNIES to make! Up close it is not creme de la creme.. but on my wall it looks fah-bu-lous-o. It really does. Probably my new fav crafty!

And you love me! Joanne came over last night. We just happened to whip up a few crafties. I do need to tweek this little guy up a bit. I think change the ribbon up and add some more love somewhere, I'm just not sure where yet. (also made for pennies due to wood lying around in Joanne's garage!)

Ok. I forgot. I think THIS might be my favorite. Joanne found the idea of "love birds" on a blog. I found the new modern birds on another blog. THEN we used my newest love -le cricut- cut out a supa cute heart. Modge podged those suckers on and watched the love flow.

This I finished earlier yesterday. It looks really cute in my window. Hearts on the cricut. Sewed those suckers all together and watched the love flow.

It overfloweth.

SO FUN - RIGHT?!

I love how I could create a little love around the house without breaking the bank. Not only did I not break it.. I didn't even have to visit it!!

This might be the first time I have decorated for valentine's day. Not too crazy but definitely spreading the love.

I'd like to solve the puzzle Pat.

2010-01-30T20:20:00.001-07:00

I have decided my best time to blog is when my fingers are shaking in madness, my brain is exploding because it is so confused and irritation is running through my veins like a hamster in a vacuum hose.

So really. I want YOU to solve the puzzle. I have no answer as to why children act the way they do and why the male gender is unable to use their brain in a way that is logical.
I guess I just don't understand. Is it not easier to be given a list of things to do. ~~Finish it~~. Finish it right. And be done with it?
Apparently I am the odd one out. Because really, it is MUCH easier to do a half-ass job (oops did I say ass) (twice??) my bad. Doink around for hours.
Dictionary definition for doink: walk away to "do something" when really you are attempting to fool your mother into thinking that you are going to do a job when really you are trying to waste time and suddenly appear at your PS2, Wii or computer with no memory of how you got there.
Okay, that is my definition but whatever.
Oh yes. I don't think that we should just sweep the floor really good so mom will say "wow great job *insert childs name* that was fanstastic" or "wow *insert childs name* you tried your best - you rock!" (and yes I would say rock). Nope. I think that we should hold the broom at the top of the handle, not bend our knees, or waist for that matter and say "UGH I can't get it" or just plain or pretend you are sweeping and then pop the broom back into the closet and try to make the great escape only to have your mom go to inspect and have to redo it.
WHY WHY WHY
You could be done every.single.chore. in less than 30 min.
But a talent of my children is to drag it out to THREE HOURS! THREE!
Maybe I should just be grateful they have talents??
By then my blood is boiling, my nerves are fried and my angry face comes out. Really. Don't you get enough of my angry face? I don't even have to look at it and I get enough of it.
Because I hate to ramble *insert chuckle* I won't even get into the extra chores Sebastian and Morgan had to do this weekend because they couldn't do a chore without fighting or whining. And I also won't get into the fact that the extra chores didn't phase them and then they had to sit on the couch for 20 minutes practicing being reverent and quiet. But feel free to use your wildest imagination and I'm sure you might almost reach the surface.

exhale.

R is for recipe or ROCK ON!!!

2010-01-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

It could be in the water
It could be in the air
It could be mental lapses
But really.. do I care?!

Nope. I surely don't. This past week plus all this week I have been on fire. Not sure what happened to me but I am milking it for all its worth and blogging about it so that I can look back and say "yup I definitely DID something". You might not want to read it.. but I for-surely am recording it!
So, here is the list:
organized: all my fabric, scrapbook area, my storage area, movies, cub badges (believe it!), toy area
cleaned: top to bottom, left to right: livingroom, morgan's room, my room
baked: brownies, 2 batches of cookies, puffed wheat squares, rice krispy squares and cupcakes
created: 2 banners, 4 scrapbook pages, a card box with cards inside!
finished: MY DENIM QUILT!! 4 pairs of jammie pants
Between cubs, kids, church, delivering the news and all the other mommy/wifely goodness that comes with each day - I think I done good. Everyday I did a minimum of one thing and got at least 2-3 done everyday WITH a good attitude. I know - what the heck right?! Here are a few pics to please:

Oh, did I mention I GOT A CRICUT?!?! I did. I lurve it. Sadly I opened it and sat there for a few days before I got inspired to do something. This is the banner I made for Sebastian's teacher.. hoping she might hang it on her door or something for the classroom. It was my tester and it turned out cute; too bad all these pictures didn't. I need to learn to "Bobbi-Jo" them! LOL

Here is a close up of a few of the letters but the colors still are a tad bit poop-a-licious!

This is the one I did for my mantel. Quick, easy and adds a touch of LOVEliness.

This is the "family tree" we did at homemaking. I am waiting for my dad to send me some pics to add to it but still.. looks REALLY fun on my wall. I did mine different than the one shown at enrichment and was extremely pleased that my "vision" became a reality! Happens so rarely. (homemaking/enrichment/relief society.. whatever you want to call it!)

TA DAAAA! My first finished quilt. This one is really special because the denim blocks were half cut out and given to me by my grandma who passed away. The fleece was all GIVEN to me by my aunt who was going to use it for a bean bag but never got around to it - bless her heart! Kathy & Marlan helped me quilt it AFTER the ladies at enrichment helped set up the quilting frame. Thank you thank you thank you!! We love to snuggle in it and its heavy and deliciously warm. mmmmm nap time.
I do have to admit one small thing.
I didn't have the internet this whole past week+. Isn't that sad?
The computer calls to me and I usually answer. So I am going to try to be strong and resist the temptation because HOLY CRAP I'VE BEEN BUSY!

memory maker

2010-01-17T17:24:00.001-07:00

Apparently I have NO IDEA how to work blogger with the new updates.. so the pics are now in the wrong order showing up in weird spots and frankly... whatever! Now it won't let me press "enter" to start a new line so there are no spaces. Just read and disregard! **** Morgans birthday was supposed to be EASY and FUN. Well it was kinda fun and only slightly easy. We went to the gymnastics center so the kids could run off steam and play to their hearts content. 20 minutes in.. Sebastian gets hit with a ring, blood gushes, I want to faint and Scott takes him to the ER. Then 3 other kids get hurt 2 of those 3 to do with the rings. THE RINGS ARE OFF LIMITS!! No more rings. Then my cousin/niece comes in and tells me there is "like poo on the toilet and stuff" (she is 11) and I think - just go to the bathroom who cares how clean it is! Nope, not clean. In fact, one of my lovely little people from the party diarrhea'd (word?? who cares) all over the lid of the toilet. poop and blood. what a fun party.

Now I just erased the picture of Morgan with his creepy cupcakes. SERIOUSLY can someone give me a tutorial on this thing please?! irritating.
Morgan had a blast. He had some great friends come celebrate with him and loved the gymnastics club. Probably because he didn't get hurt or have diarrhea or get in trouble for running around the gym yelling "dammit dammit".
So to sum it up in case you missed it:
we had blood and ER trip
3 minor injuries
diarrhea toilet
and a curser.

*did I tell you that I still have birthdays in Feb, March & April coming up?

ps can someone tell me where the spell check went on this thing?!

Blondes have more fun.. but I think brunettes are hotter

2010-01-11T19:17:00.001-07:00

So I have been wishy-washing for MONTHS on my "to doo" or not to "do".
First I must reiterate how much I HATE my haircut.
Its helmut head in the back, peacock on the top and free flying in the front.
I do admit half of it is genetics.
I have wispy fly-away thin stranded light hair with a double crown to boot.
Which is why long hair and a ponytail worked.
Then I decided to try to be all fashionable and trendy and funk-i-fy my hair so I cut it.
I tried to look as though I do actually make an attempt at my hair.
Now I have realized my hair is slightly un-doable and I am un-talented in the do-able area.
SO, that being said.
My hairdresser really does rock. She did what I wanted but now I hate it and I want to get it recut back
into an A-line which my double crown LURVES to pieces and let's just be honest I do the best
hump with an A-line cut.
For those dirrrrty minded like myself, I don't mean hump hump. I mean hair hump. You know, at the top of your head hump? Whatever, if you don't get it... chances are I can't explain it without getting more dirty.
But I have this burning itch (not to be mistaken with real burning itches) and am DYING to go brown.
I'll admit it though.. I am ~~afraid~~ terrified of the looks and comments I will get behind my back at church!
Mostly from my grandma as she is a tad bit brutally honest, but from others too.
IT'S TRUE. I care.
I want to be fearless in the hair department but I'm not wild and crazy, well not with my hair anyhow.
So my dilema. I cannot dye it until I cut it, because there is no way I am going around with peacock helmut chesnut head. But I can't cut it until I truly decide to dye it because that is not the plan.
So all you brunettes out there have even as close to as much fun as us blondes?!?!
And more importantly: are they all gonna laugh at me?

ps... i got 17 comments when i talked about bums and pee. what does that say about you people!!!!!

Rated A... for AWKWARD!

2010-01-06T21:56:00.002-07:00

I promise. This is no joke of a lie. So Lyndon, Woody... please refrain from reading this post until AFTER your wives have read it. If they feel comfortable enough for you to read this I can promise: you will never look at me the same way again.

Now that I have built it up big and dirrrrty like.. I am only posting this to bring myself back to reality. It has been a bit of a crazy time lately and I miss the "old" Stephanie. The one who could tell you about Pharmacists, poop, sex and all those other little nasties that come in between, with -hopefully- a sense of humor and a LOT of reality.

Which now brings me to today. It was a good day. Until 7. Then the kids got wild. A nose was bloodied, kids were screaming so I sent them ALL to bed. At 7.
Scott came home. We bonded.

No, bonded is NOT my secret word for sex.

And then we decided to have a WiiFit competition. BUT I really had to pee.
So, I'm not sure how all you other mother's out there are but, when I hear water.. I gotta pee. When I run the shower I REALLY gotta pee. When I hit the bathroom and really gotta pee my poor keigal (sp??) muscles are so close to failing me I often check those undies! (eeekkkk TMI right? - sorry). So, I thought I better pee before I play the Wii so I can be at my best.
I ran into the bathroom.
Pulled my pants down.
And much to the disappointment and utter dismay of my bladder found the toilet to still be full of left over Lucky Charms (they take at least 2 days of flushing at our house to go all the way down) pee water, pee paper (we live on an acreage and really - we let it mellow when its yellow!) and bloody nose toilet paper.
Our toilet is not our best friend. It plugs easily and I felt like I should flush before I peed myself.
Well... it didn't flush.
So here is the visual you have all been waiting for:

Stephanie in the bathroom,
Pants pulled down,
Plunger in hand,
Legs slightly bent in to avoid an "accident"
Butt cheeks jiggling as I plunge that sucker.

Do you feel better about yourself now?
I surely don't.. but do feel a slight inward giggle coming on.

We played the Wii.. I lost anyways.. then I scrapbooked THREE pages.

and a happy new year!

2009-12-31T13:38:00.005-07:00

As I looked through pictures last night from the beginning of the year I questioned my ability to label folders. This picture couldn't possibly have been taken in 2009 - it was way before that!... wasn't it?

But alas, my folder labelling abilities weren't as shady as my poor memory seems to be.

Thankfully I have the attention span to write a full blog, upload pictures AND label the folders correctly because I truly am losing it (or throughout 2009 lost it altogether).

No matter what "word" you choose to focus your year on. What "goal" you set for yourself. What "journey" you wanted to accomplish.. life throws you some curve balls that give you a wicked laugh and say... I know you thought you almost made it through didn't ya?!

Stinking curve balls.

Along with the loss of my grandma on Christmas we also lost a beloved, hilarious, quick witted, sassy great aunt less than a week later.

I have no goals, words or plans of journeys for the coming year.

The object of my year is to hold fast to what I have.
To savor the small moments that end too soon.
To thank people just a little more often.
To encourage just a tad bit more.
To write that letter when I was inspired to do so.
To love with my whole heart.
To take the little things and make them big in my memory.

And mostly... to stop crying every time I write a blog!!! gosh.

Every year seems like it will never end. And then one day it is the last day of the year and I wonder what the heck I have been doing this whole time!

cleaning, yelling, napping, crafting, cooking, squishing, eating, kissing, organizing, talking (and talking), gardening, jumping, swimming, laughing, typing, reading, loving, living

and all those other little things squeezed in between.

Thanks for loving, laughing, crying, singing and reading along with me.
Thanks for many comments of love, support, critiques and many words of empathy.
Thanks for patience... lots of patience through long and mundane writings.

To my sister, cousins & friends.

To a year filled with much growth.

Here's hoping 2010 will bring a bit more laughter, a few less tears and a lot more learning!
happy new year to YOU!

My Christmas Story

2009-12-25T21:50:00.004-07:00

It is amazing how many months of build up, days of excitement and hours of daily preparation go into Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
The anticipation the kids feel.
The exhaustion the parents feel.
And the joy that is shared by all.
Every year has something new. Each new year brings memories from the last. This year Christmas leaves different memories in our hearts.
We left for Coaldale on Tuesday the kids bursting with excitement to be at granny & gramps. Play with the endless amount of stuff my parents get ready for them and eat all the tasty food my mom makes sure she has in store.
It was to be a busy week! I had plans of attending the Nativity Tuesday night that my brother was in and my dad was working the lights on. Then I had last minute stocking stuffers to buy and things to help my mom prepare for Wed morning. Wed night I had a much anticipated Christmas party at one of my good friends house.
Monday night/wee hours of morning: Ellison puked.
Tuesday she had a bit of a fever and was pale pale pale. We opted to stay home from the nativity because she was sleeping AND a couple other kids were complaining of "not up to par-ness".
Wednesday I DID get my stocking stuffers done, but Ellison had puked again and I opted to not pass on any sickness to my friend and all her family. :( stinky bones.
Thursday, Christmas Eve.... Kids are pooping their pants with belly's full of sugar plums! My mom and I exhausting ourselves with food prep, house prep and all that other festive goodness.
My dad, on night 2 of working on the live nativity gets a phone call that his mom isn't doing well, and isn't going to make it much longer.
My grandma Crapo has been sick for a good 3 weeks and was rushed up to our neighboring cities hospital a week or so ago.
So my dad leaves the nativity and rushes to Medicine Hat to be with her, his dad and his brothers and sisters.
The mood that night wasn't completely somber. We had fun, we laughed.. but always our thoughts were: did my dad get their safe, is he coming home tonight, is my grandma okay, is my grandpa okay? It was hard.
My dad arrived home early Christmas morning (meaning 1:30 am) and we all wake up with happier thoughts and of course present craziness! Gifts were gifted. Tears were shed (by Tessa who loved her present until she saw Ellison's). Laughs were laughed. Garbages filled. Kids played. Parents wilted.
At 11:30 my dad comes down and tells us his mom died at 10:30 this morning.
My heart break for my dad.
For my grandpa.
And for the hole a talented lady leaves us.
My heart rejoiced knowing she is finally at peace.
She is with her 3 children that passed on before her.
And that she is in a place we all probably would like to celebrate Christmas in.

To a lady who birthed 15 kids.
Raised 14.
And Lost 3.
Who had more self taught (and God given) talent than any other person I know.
To a strong minded, kind hearted & determined lady whose struggles surpass those any mother or daughter should ever have to go through.

To my Grandma Crapo who raised one of the greatest men I know.

merry Christmas

2 days before christmas my lovely gave to me:

2009-12-23T09:05:00.003-07:00

puke

ellison has now puked twice

morgan woke up "not being able to walk" because he felt sick

sebastian said he -almost puked-

kimball said he doesn't have a sick tummy.. just a bad cold.

tess is still irritating everyone as much as possible, so apparently she is still good.

m e r r y c h r i s t m a s *insert vomit*

booooooooooring

2009-12-16T23:34:00.003-07:00

just wanted to let you know i already have my goal for 2010. (first off can we say how FUN it is to type 2010?!) way more fun than 2009. try it. you'll agree.

anyhow, just got back from some late night wally world shopping and decided after sunday, which means it is really a pre 2010 goal, that i am going to start saying no.

and

i wanted to show you my new haircut.

don't say you don't like it if you don't.. i've had several "off" comments and that's okay.. or none at all, and that's okay too.

its short. its new. its soon to be daaaaaark brown.

for some reason this was the only semi decent pic i could find of myself... i'm working on getting the others loaded.. sad, i know.

Tessa

2009-12-09T22:55:00.004-07:00

Often times I focus on the "shamey" things my kids do... that is mostly because this one in particular is quite shamey!
She does bite, and pinch, and throw tantrums at the drop of a hat.. I admit it.
BUT.. she also gives millions of kisses, squeals in delight when I finally understand what she is trying to tell me and gives the best hugs ever! She's got her brothers wrapped around her finger and daddy right behind them. She is always willing to clean up with me, even though
her idea of cleaning and mine are quite opposite. She tries to talk and even though it doesn't really come out even close to understandable she tends to get what she wants.
She dances when we sing "her" song and is absolutely in love with shoes.
She is "little toot".

a little bit of this

2009-12-01T11:05:00.004-07:00

what do stacks of dishes, piles of clothing, mounds of dirt and dirty kids make?
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
well.. obviously it makes for an extremely messy house and cranky mom and irritated husband BUT, this is what I have been doing (amongst a few more lovelies yet to be photographed) while the dishes, laundry and dirt have been accumulating.

Lots of balls. Balls of balls and button on balls... seriously, too many in my house! And some fun hair bows, merci buckets to Randa for teaching me and for letting me use her cricut to make the fun bags to sell them on!
Our last craft show in Brooks is tomorrow and I am so excited to get my "area" (not to ever be photographed) cleaned up and resembling a basment once again.

thanks for your love and for proclaiming it through comments on my last post.. always nice to be missed! mwah

eating a potato

2009-11-24T17:37:00.002-07:00

sadly.. that is what i am doing. but, happily it is so yummy that i am glad i made 3.
so, to catch you up on what has NOT been going on with me.
i am preparing for another craft show.
i am gutting my house looking for a book that will never be found.
i am now working once a week for 2-2 1/2 hours which really seems to be irritating but rewarding.
i am making my sil's christmas gift - holla?
i am having only MILD and i really do mean mild withdrawal issues with the lack of internet in my home.
so i want to say that i want to comment on your blogs, i want to read your blogs, i want to get lost in blog world once again... someday, someday when my internet gives me more than 5-10 minutes every other day.
so, lest you think i am a snob (which i am but try hard to cover up) i am not being rude and snobby by not commenting.. i just have tres unfortunate comoputer situation.
think of me?

your potato loving, snobby friend in disguise.

what's going on

2009-11-15T19:52:00.004-07:00

it's been a while since i blogged.. and as i popped my piglet earphones in today and was greeted by the 4 non blondes, i locked myself in my bathroom and sang along and decided this was as close as i could come to letting out what IS in my head. if i was smrt i could add a song to my blog so you too could lose yourself in the song, if only for a minute.

25 years and my life is still

Trying to get up that great big hill of hope

For a destination

I realized quickly when I knew I should

That the whole world's MADE UP OF this brotherhood of man

FOR whatever that means

And so I cry sometimes when I'm lying in bed

Just to get it all out, what's in my head

And I, I am feeling a little peculiar

And so I wake in the morning and I step outside

And I take A deep breath and I get real high

And I scream from the top of my lungs,

What's goin' on

And I say hey.... hey....I said hey, what's goin' on

And I say hey.... hey....I said hey, what's goin' on

Ooh, Ooh, Oooohh, Oooohh, what's up...Ooh, Ooh, Oooohh, Oooohh, what's up...

And I try, oh my God, do I tryI try all the time in this institution

And I pray, oh my God, do I prayI pray every single day

FOR A REVOLUTION!

And so I cry sometimes when I'm lying in bed

Just to get it all out, what's in my head

And I, I am feeling a little peculiar

And so I wake in the morning and I step outside

And I take deep breath and I get real high

And I scream from the top of my lungs,

WHAT'S GOIN' ON!!

And I say hey.... hey....I said hey, what's goin' on

And I say hey.... hey....I said hey, what's goin' on

And I say hey.... hey....I said hey, what's goin' on

And I say hey.... hey....I said hey, what's goin' on

Ooh, Ooh, Oooohh, Oooohh, what's up...25 years and my life is still

Trying to get up that great big hill of hopeFor a destination

and for the record, i don't get high... but most of the other stuff isn't far off ;)

Where art thou Georgie?

2009-11-04T14:46:00.002-07:00

Remember the cat I was going to post about that I never posted about?
You probably don't remember since poor Georgie never was posted about.
Little Georgie has been missing since about 3 am. I KNOW that it doesn't sound odd for a farm cat to be gone.. but Georgie eats here. His food is in the house. His loves come from our house.
So, now I feel bad for throwing him out of the house at 3 am for playing with who knows what kind of hard plastic object all over my laminate flooring in my bedroom ... at 3 am :(

spOOktacular

2009-10-25T18:17:00.011-06:00

Talk about pre-Halloween GOODNESS! I am sitting here watching TWILIGHT! with the kidlets.. Scott taped it for us last night (holla) and obviously uploading a gazillion pictures while I do it! Here are some pics to get you in the MOOD for Halloween this coming weekend :D

Adorable? Yes. A one shoed sunflower. Storm Trooper. Unicorn. Spider man turned Superman at the last minute (who knows) and Skullface (who is really going to be pumpkin head for Halloween but since he wants a REAL pumpkin on his head I told him he could only be pumpkin head one time)

FUN F U N fUn times at the church Halloween partay!! Had to capture this moment: Scott making candy necklaces with the kids. Ellison obviously knows how to work her daddy!

This pic does not do Ellison's moves Friday night justice! She was shaking her bootay like nothing else. The real reason for this pic: look at her aDORAble shirt!! My sister makes these shirts along with a zillion others that are to die for cute. She hooked me up!

He wants to suck her blood... or make out, I can't tell the difference.

Had to post these little cutie pies enjoying their candy necklaces, after enjoying cupcakes, before enjoying FLOATS!!! It really was a fun party.

Now on to CRAFTACULAR!!! Featuring, spOoOoOoOoOky embroidery-ring-boobgirl: Joanne.

Also starring: crazy netting head: Stephanie.

We cut and we cut and we tied till we cried. And VOILA: our Halloween masterpiece!!!

sorry for the bad pic.. we finished late and i just haaaaaad to take it!!

Happy Birthday?

2009-10-13T13:19:00.007-06:00

Isn't this the most fun thing you have ever seen?! I won it on a blog waaaay back in June and it finally arrived a few weeks ago. JUST in time for me to put it up for my birthday ;) It is gender neutral and will be such a fun "tradition" for every party we have.. and umm we have parties from October all the way until April now: so party time is HERE!!!

If you haven't noticed lately, my new favorite word is dirrrrty. In fact, Tessa has even learned how to say it, chuckling every time she attempts! Little did I know my friends thought I was just plain ol' DIRTY!! So, trying to change my image I am cleaning up the kitchen after making Joanne lunch ;) with my NEW snazzy broom that Kathy got me, which my kids are all in love with and played with for over 45 minutes! And, attempting to keep my palmolive hands soft, wearing the purrrrrrrfect gloves from Joanne. Can you saw "rrroooooaaaaarrrrrrr"???

Little do they know I can only keep up an image for so long, alas I have fainted with a designer broom and rubber gloves on. Tres chic.

No fear my friends. Dirty is not a word in our house.. but dirrrrrrrrrrrrty definitely is! I am learning to walk the walk with my new accessories. ME-OW!

Yup. It's now a love love relationship ;)

Might I add that both Joanne & Kathy know me quite well and gave me a fun crafty and chocolate bar to make me feel better about my dirrrrtyness!

I have a fantabulous birthday with TONS of family and even more food!! I was spoiled spoiled spoiled in the gift department, which can I say: I obviously deserve!!! ;)

Hope all you Canadians had a tres delish Thanksgiving and that all you American's could smell the turkey wafting down your way!!

dirrrrty news coming soon!

2009-10-12T00:01:00.000-06:00

Can you see it?

Ya, that is me after eating a marshmallow.

In fairness to me, I think it was a no-name brand one that I bought when I obviously was not in my right mind. No-name mallows DO NOT roast the same as Jiffy. Not even close. That golden brown that is now my specialty, did not happen this year due to fakies. Don't get me wrong tho.. I'm all about good fakies every now and then if you catch my drift ;) Marshmallows you just can't cheap out on unless its for someone else and you don't have to ruin your image due to the inability of being able to roast a marshmallow the way to claim to be able to. And speaking of image.. apparently I have a very dirrrrty one. More to come when I am not celebrating the fact that I am now thirrrrrty two years of age (said with a Scottish accent dreaming of Jamie and wishing I were wearing bloomers) and eating another turkey din din filling up my tum tum.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

This really is the most wonderful time of the year!!

muah

A Little YUMMY for your Tummy!

2009-10-08T07:07:00.002-06:00

In a mad attempt to get my life back to "normal" (and I do use that term extremely loosely) I perused through the Kraft Kitchens cook book to come up with a few NEW and hopefully IMPROVED dinner ideas for my family. Last night was test #1 and it was a hit!!! Thought I would share the recipe with you for those of you unlucky enough not to be able to get that magazine (ahem.. Kathy!).

ALMOND CHICKEN & RICE
what you need
4 small boneless chicken breasts
1/4 Kraft Extra Virgin (eekkk) Olive Oil Tuscan, divided
1 can chicken broth
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup instant white rice, uncooked
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted, divided (I did not measure, toast or divide - rebel I know!!!)

make it
cook chicken in 2 tbsp dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium heat for 4 min on each side or until golden brown
(I, not reading carefully did not realize it was OLIVE OIL dressing and could not for the life of my find it in the Kraft Foods dressing section, so I used Golden Italian and Sundried Tomato & Parmesan mixed.. I think any dressing you like would work!!)
stir in broth, garlic powder and remaining dressing; bring to boil, cover; simmer 5 min or until chicken is done. Remove chicken and keep warm.
add broccoli to skillet; cook uncovered 3 min. Stir in rice and 3 tbsp nuts. Remove from heat; cover. Let stand 7 min. Serve chicken over rice; top with remaining nuts.

I do not like my broccoli over done so I just cooked it with the rice and felt like it was still a tad overcooked.. Next time I might cook it separately or just steam it up nice!
I also only added the nuts at the very end and the tad bit of crunch was perfect! I was hesitant to add them, which is why they got thrown in at the end but I would definitely say do it! I also added a bit more water so I could add more rice since a family of 7 and 1 cup o' rice is a bit frugal ;)

I wasn't sure how the kids would like it... but everyone LOVED IT!!!! Seriously the whole skillet was gone in less than 10 minutes and it literally took under 1/2 an hour to make (my chicken was thawed).

Definitely give it a try and use your own dressings to make it more family friendly.. although I do think if you are wise enough to find the Tuscan dressing that it would be sooooooooo good!!

Enjoy!

From Blah to.... Blah-er?

2009-10-05T11:43:00.001-06:00

So I have absolutely nothing to blog about, but I just can't handle seeing my big fat pregnant belly on my screen anymore so I had to switch it up!
Note to friends: my birthday is in exactly one week. Don't forget I am going to be 32 and in need of a lot of love and attention ;)

Do not adjust your screens, this is only a test.

2009-09-30T20:57:00.003-06:00

Upset stomach.
Compliments: you look glowing today!
Dreams of pregnancy....
these don't make me feel good.
The only positive right now is my itty bitties are not tender wender.
Ugh. I leave baby producing up to the rest of you.
Where are those scissors when I need them.
Snip Snip Scott - now is the time!!!!!

*this is not an announcement.
*i am not pregnant
*lisa wanted a new blog and this was all i could think of
*computer is not up to par (along with my innards) and my imagination is on vacation.

When desperation hits...

2009-09-22T07:51:00.003-06:00

Ever had to eat a slice of humble pie before?
Sometimes it has that bitter aftertaste as a reminder... you know what I mean?
Thankfully my humble pie is a tad bit more tasty than usual this time around.
Life is very busy right now with a million and one things on the go. I would list them.. but then you might retort with a list 5 million miles longer and then I would feel bad about myself ;)
So, I always need an 'escape' from life into a book to wind down and take up time that could be used for much more important productive things. Unfortunately the books I got from the library sucked dirty bones and I was at a loss.
So. I swallowed my words and sheepishly looked at Joanne and said: "Can I borrow your Twilight books please".
And, even though I had no desire whatsoever to read them, I knew that if I did I would like them.
So really. I guess this has a great ending because: I WAS RIGHT!!!
I am quite enjoying this read.

*gulp *gulp *swallow

To Know Him... is to LOVE Him.

2009-09-16T07:28:00.003-06:00

Mr. Harris, as Morgan is often known as around here, melts my heart!! He is so soft and serious all at the same time. He is the kid who gets a bar of soap from Sunday School and thinks it is the best thing that has ever been given to him.
The other night at dinner we are eating chicken and corn. Ellison wanted more chicken and of course I was the only one who had any left. I cut off a piece and shared with her and went on my merry way munching on corn. Morgan turns to me a few minutes later and says: "mom you're a bucket filler". I vaguely knew about filling buckets from Joanne and said "how come I'm a bucket filler", he looks at me and replies "because you gave Ellison some chicken so she wouldn't cry".
bless his bucket filling heart!

Put {MANNERS} away when the friends come to play!!!

2009-09-11T22:55:00.013-06:00

Sooooooooooo Jana came to visit eeeeons ago and finally in the wee hours of a dateless Friday night I got the pics posted.
When you are in a house with 9 kids, its hot and life is good.. you just have to forget the rules and go with the bff flow!!
Ellison & Macey ate chips for breakfast.

Morgan and Ellison fell in love... with the DS's!!

Jana went and bought Colton a gun so the boys could entertain themselves the whole entire time shooting eachother.

Two little guys found a best buddy!!

Hot dogs. I'm sure there are nutrients in them.. we seemed to have survived the summer on them *insert barfing noise*.

And yes, I am a good mom & photographer by making them all squint into the sun.

This is NOT how it was. They were kind of amazing. It was a fab visit but definitely not complete without:

Pictures of Jana and me filling our faces with marshmallows.

Pretending to be sad for some retarded reason I can't remember!! (Jana??)

Pretending we are gangsta's even though we are hicktown moms in our 30's with 10 kids between us.

And a picture to show how much we love each other.

In case you can't tell: its lots ;)

missing:

*hot pics of us at the beach getting burned..

*pic of some 10 yr old kid taking a wizz on the grass

*pic of giant sized ice cream cones that made us all sick to our stomachs.

*pic of the FUN visit with Lisa & Kathy... reliving old times of Taber!!

*the hot pic of my butt that Jana said looks like my mom's (not a compliment LOL!!!!)

*the bags under our eyes from staying up till 2 am (yes, a record for me)

*pic of the tub after the kids were finished bathing

Until next year my friend!! mwah

Perfect.

2009-09-05T22:00:00.004-06:00

Do you ever just have one of those days?
Today I did.. and its been a bit too long since the last one I must say.
It was the kind of day I think every summery/fall day should be like.
The air is warm.. with a hint crispness.

I got up bright and early. Made beds, fed kids, cleaned the bathroom, whipped up some cards for the craft show and then headed out to the garden. ALL before 9 am.
I know. Perfect.
The kids played happily outside while I dug and dug and dug all my potatoes (at least 40 pounds, no joke). Then quite willingly the kids filled 3 burlap sacks full to take to my granny's to store for the winter.
We stopped for a mid morning snack.
Chips. Perfect...ly salty and fatty and crunch-a-licious. and after regaining a bit of energy I picked that beautiful bowl of strawberries.
The kids laughed and played in the background as little Tess and I worked on the harvesting.
Nap time came next... always perfect ;)

If I could have hand picked a day to end the summer today would have been it.
I laid on the grass and rested my weary back and thought: life is good.

and really, it is.

Just Kidding??

2009-09-03T07:55:00.007-06:00

It happened.
Summer ended and 'fall' began with a bang! (or a dizzying whack over my sleepy head)
The bus driver called and informed me my kids would no longer be boarding the bus at 7:56 am... but now 7:36 am.
Kill me now!!! Twenty minutes is a lot in the Wissler House.
But as day 4 has already started - we have yet to be late ;)
Sebastian (bad pic sorry!!) - Yep, you guessed it: grade three. Found his class on the list in the hallway and was gone before I knew it... literally, ran down, found his locker, grabbed a soccer ball and was out of there. I did manage a small smooch though. Kimball in his usual non-toothy smile preparing for grade FIVE!!! (I remember grade 5... gosh) He got his fav teacher choice and I got a couple hugs ;)

Little Harris had to get in on the 'before school pic' action. He was SO excited for his turn!

And then.. his day came!!! He was soooooooooooo excited. He got up before I woke him up and dressed himself (Morgan is a creature of extreme habit.. he NEVER gets dressed before breakfast) but Wednesday morning he did. He was so cute. We got all ready to go and I walked the boys to the end of the driveway.
My heart melted a bit.

I saw little Harris off and shed a few tears. (never had shed a tear before!)

We quickly finished getting ready and I headed to the school with Scott and kids in tow and made it just as the bus arrived.

He sees us and comes with a big smile to greet us!

I find the teacher so we can show him how to get off the bus properly and make it to his classroom.

Longer story shorter: he doesn't start school till next Wednesday.

This really isn't another notch I needed in my sad little "mother with no brain" belt.

It's a bust

2009-09-02T00:03:00.003-06:00

and no.. not my bust. gosh, get your heads OUT of the gutter.

my internet is fag-tastic, which is NOT a good thing. driving me insane working at midnight apparently but not during the day.

here is a shout out to the kids being back in school... with No pictures.
it's way too late to upload them right now and really, little harris goes to his first day tomorrow, so i shall post the trio the next time the computer and i hook up for a rendevous ;)

the boys did amazing on the first day. sebastian took off before we even found out all the info and was outside kicking the soccer ball.
kimball got the teacher he so desperately wanted (whom can i add i have never seen before!!!) odd, yes.
ellison is driving me nuts.
tessa is, how can i say this nicely.. a bit of a she-devil.
the thought of having my kids out the door each morning for the next year by 7:36 is enough to almost make me want to induce a coma.

but. i shall carry on: pj's on, make up under my eyes, large sleepless bags also under my eyes and cold cereal. those are things i am envisioning.
may the force be with me... as well as sleep inducing drugs, wake up enducing drugs and possibly a nanny? or at least a sister wife (they don't cost as much)

M.I.A.

2009-08-29T09:16:00.001-06:00

I've been missing a lot of things lately.
Most importantly:
my internet connection for almost 2 weeks (I know you miss me)
and.. second on the most important list:
my brain.

Thankfully I have friends with brains who know that school starts on Monday and not Friday (yesterday) thank you my friend for telling me when school started so I didn't have to get up extra early and embarrass myself in front of the "new" teachers.

Mary Mary q u i t e Contrary

2009-08-11T08:33:00.011-06:00

How does your garden grow?

With lots of sweat
and lots of weeds.
A bit of water
and a couple seeds!!

My little peppers that could! (they got eaten by the deer and still made it through!!)

Khol Rabi - planted for my sister.. enjoyed by all - YUM!!

My peas... apparently I fed them steroids this year. I've got peas coming out my ying yang!!

You say potato... I say: please come eat some!!!

(neighbors back yard.. not mine)

Mmmmm strawberries!! I love them.. finally they are deciding to produce for me! And my delightful rhubarb in the background - love you little ruby!

These are my tomato's.... also on steriods. Insane in the membrane.

My little zucchini.. do you see him? Mmmmm delish!

GiRLS just wanna h a v e :

2009-08-05T08:52:00.003-06:00

a night out.
with no kids.
without having to make dinner.
eating food not prepared by their own hands,
not scoffed at by children not hungry enough to eat it.
a mini getaway that doesn't cost thousands.. but leaves you feeling
uplifted, rejuvinated, relaxed... and just plain happy.
a chance to be silly.. to laugh.. to cry.. or just plain 'be' if necessary.

and its nice to have girls to be able to do that with!!!

untitled: due to lack of creative genius.

2009-07-30T12:33:00.003-06:00

So.. first off my computer keyboard once again has gone ÈfrenchÈ on me.. yup, you see those eeeees. French. It is supposed to be quotation marks.. whatever. Try to work around it okÉ - that was supposed to be a question mark!) By the end of this blog you will be bilingual!! You can thank me with a trip to Paris later.
SO.. my insane bilingual-ness put aside I have been busy. Busy with what you might ask. Swimming, gardening, trip to the zoo - 5 kids - crafting- the works. AND oddly enough I am having a hard time sitting because I just want to -do-.
So, do I did.. and this is what I have done so far!!!

It is far from perfect.. as I was nearing the last letters I figured out how to get those cotton picking bubbles out of the letters, but sadly I was too far advanced to start over. SO imperfectly wonderful it is. Ellison LOVES the pretty in her room. I love having something on the wall finally. And.. I need to give a shout out to J-balls I mean Joanne, for helping me hang it all levelly! I am level challenged I think.

Song of the day:
When your butt is really sore
And youèd rather sit on the floor....

nope, not diarrhea.
TIME TO FIX THE CHAIR!!
(bad I know.. but you have no idea the chuckles that is giving me right now)
Bad nasty 10 year+ old chair that has a ouchy hole right where it shouldnèt be and is dirty to boot!!
Improved chair. Clean fabric. Added layer of foamy goodness for the days when your butt just canèt take anymore!!
AND, side note: new dresser, one of THREE my fab friend gave me.. now put away in boys room ;)

Soon, Ellison & Tessaès dresser will be done and I can show you my handy dandy work inspired by ModPodgeRocks... no idea what the link is. Ièll find it for you when the ants get out of my pants!

Happy Summer days my friends.
Now I have to go cough up a hairball. (yes.. hairball, new cat, another post - I need a cat brush)

Ohhhhh what have we done in the summertime?

2009-07-27T15:34:00.005-06:00

JULY is almost done.. which is kind of disgusting- only to me? I think not. The weather has NOT been exceptional to say the least BUT have no fear.. the Wisslers perservered through it all and came out with some memories ;)
Food.
Family.
Fun!!
Watch out August: here we come!!!
Hope your summer is filled with marshmallows, swimming lessons, gardens, lakes, camps, walks, bubbles, parades, petting zoo's... and everything in between too!!

no longer a table for two..

2009-07-21T22:02:00.003-06:00

I've been getting some much deserved flack? about not posting pictures of my new table.
Is it odd to have mixed feelings about a bought and paid for table that fits your whole family including food at the same time?
We waited and waited and waited for this table to come in... and when it finally got here I breathed an inward sigh of relief that I would be off getting groceries while it was delivered. I have no idea why. I love running my fingers down its already dented top. Peeking through the little squares cut into the chair tops.. I'm not sure if I don't believe its actually ours. Finally, after 10 years we can all sit down together and eat a meal AND invite someone over w/o putting 3/4 of the kids a the table, adults in the living room and the straggles - wherever they would land.
She is a beauty.. to me at least. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it. I loved the distressed look of the wood.. the two tones of the chairs, the modern yet 'cozy' feel it had. It is a bit ginormous I will admit. And this is WITHOUT the TWO leaves that can be added. I look forward to our first Thanksgiving dinner here this October where we can sit, extended family and all and feast in comfort!! Although that being said my couch is quite cozy to enjoy a few meals on ;)

As you can see, my table runner bought lovingly for my old table from a fab friend!! is a tad bit dwarfed now but I love it to pieces and need to find a spot for it that makes me happy! And then I need to get on making a table runner for this ginormous table!! Nothing but projects around here I tell ya.

Anyhoodles.. there she blows folks! She's all mine (ummm ours?) And I do quite enjoy gazing at her as I sit here typing...

Gotta Pee Gotta Pee Gotta Pee Right NOW!!!

2009-07-16T00:05:00.002-06:00

Peeing is not normally something I have an issue with.
Granted, it is not a chore I like to do 3-7 times a day (really I don't count) as it tends to get in the way of what I am doing. But ever since a long ago friend in high school told me she got bladder infections from holding her pee I try not to deny the urge.
Since having kids, I will admit it: I am a shower pee-er. Too much information you say?
I say: stop reading my blog fools.. I talk about vagina's and birth control a la Dave and boobs... what's a little pee topic going to hurt?! Just your bladder folkies.
So, back to the shower. I find it to be a great multi tasking habit. AND I use less toilet paper. So, don't knock it before you try it.
Anyhow, I'm off topic.
My bladder is still recuperating from holding pee for over FOUR HOURS!! I thought I was safe. I peed before I left the house tonight, and did not drink an excessive or even CLOSE to excessive amount of water today (maybe I should have?)
Kathy arrives promptly well before 7, saving me from impending post dinner fights due to lack of humor tonight in my house, and we toot on down the highway to the lake for scrump-dilly-umptious eats and hooney-dooney delightful conversations.
Not even an hour, possibly 1/2 hour into the night I feel my bladder, which apparently is the size of my breasts (meaning much to small for my needs) starts to fill. Its kind of like that trickle you ignore in your bathroom until you realize your toilet is on the verge of overflowing with expelled delights, which really are far from delightful.
The 'roasting of the marshmallows' could only distract me for so long, especially since I seemed to only smoke mine instead of roast them tonight which was NOT delicious to my taste buds.
Then we got into some juicy detailed conversations of a few ladies which slowly depleted to only 3 of us.
It was bittersweet.
I am ALWAYS up for amazing deep funny intriguing conversation... but my bladder was rebelling and the cold air was not helping. Sadly due to a natural fear of the dark AND outhouses (ok I'm not afraid of outhouses.. but outhouses in the dark.. where things could be lurking in the toilets.. like snakes wanting to bit my bum?? nope) (not that I sit on the seat, cause I don't)I did not move from my chair. Instead I huddled up and used my ability for ignoring the obvious (that being learned from having 5 kids) and kept on keeping on ;)
Finally, the night won us over and we headed home approx 10:50- ish.
Sadly, for my bladder AND Kathy's I have a tendency to not want a deeeelightful night to end.. so we talked until midnight.
It was worth it.
Don't get me wrong.
But never my friends has my toilet looked like a little piece of porcelain heaven. Majestic if you will.
I peed
and peed
and peed some more.
Then I sat down at the computer.
Got back up
and peed some more.
My toilet is my new best friend.
Until I have to clean it.
The end.

NO ONE can call me vain after this post...

2009-07-10T14:30:00.002-06:00

I am ONLY posting this because I said I would.. and because I am a retard... obviously. In fact, I have to write this in 'edit html' mode so I don't have to gander at myself whilst I write.
This is my haircut. This is AFTER my aunt fixed it for me, since my "hair cut" experience was not one to be appreciated. Bless my aunt's heart for saving what was once hair jowls (who knows how to spell that) stuck to the side of my head so less fashionably than princess laya's (who knows how to spell that either, not a fan) bun jowls.

I only took about 3 gazillion pictures trying to get one where I don't look like death with Casey (off of Mr. Dressup) hair.
I breathe in and I breathe out.. and then I leave my house.
I don't feel fabulous like I did with my last cut - which I LOVED!
It is short short short and I feel like a waifey teenager (male, if you ask Scott).
I look at my long haired pics and long for that again, which I did NOT with my last cut.
But, this too shall grow out.
I do however LOVE my color and am thankful that although my hairdresser was not present during the cut, she did in fact attend the coloring part of my $100 experience. (I could not post a color pic to show my fab hair color since my sun-tan moustache was a bit too prominent today... yes, not a good day lol)
Now I am off to take myself to my parents for a weekend of candy parading, animal petting and fun family times before I exhaustedly (spell check informed me that is not a word.. but I still think it is) drive home for the last week of swimming lessons!
Have a wonderful weekend my fine feathered friends!!
I will come home in 2 days with my hair having grown 1/100 of an inch.

That's right.. I too have a MoJo!

2009-07-05T19:39:00.008-06:00

I really have no idea what a MoJo is... but if Bobbi-Jo & Joanne have one - I want one too!!
So I love my garden (pics to come someday) but sometimes I just need an indoor release that is not cleaning, ironing, laundry or kids! I go in spurts of "whatiwannado" and this week this is what I have been up to!!

Just today I finished cutting over 200 blocks for Morgan's disappearing 9-patch quilt. My first ever "real" quilt and I am so excited to be done the cutting!!! All the blue stickies on the tops are to tell me how many is in each pile - seeings how math is not my forte ;)

For Ellison's little friend Chelsea (I pray I spelt her name right) we made her a crayon roll.. Can I say I am a tad bit more in love with her colors than the first one I made for Ellison :( I can. I'll say it.. I love these colors more! The one I have "instructions" for was for crayons, so I winged this one and ended up with an extra spot which I dutifully put a little handy dandy treat into for church ;) YUM!

Because I tres suck at sewing up edges I thought it would be fun to put a "tag" on her roll JUST in case it gets lost ;) A very talented wise blogger said she swears by Sharpie's on tags... her don't bleed. Mine did. I don't think Chelsea will mind.

All rolled up and paired with a Strawberry Shortcake coloring/sticker book. Ahhhhh to be little again.

I saw another (wayyyyyyy cuter version) of this hair clip kite on a blog.. I attempted my own in hopes of not losing any more of Ellison's clip (note sad little pink flower all alone) It turned out okay. Not bad for my first attempt but not nearly to die for as the real deal. BUT it matches my bathroom and adds a little pizzaz where there was once just pi (you can pronounce that pee, since it is hanging just over le toilet).

So.. now I am off to do swimming lessons, kids camp, birthday parties, visiting with the relatives and hopefully some serious weeding as to not turn my garden into the jungle it was last week!!
Soon I will be posting pics of my new hair cut.
Just a little foreshadowing.... Scott said to me when he saw it the first time: you just have to wait for it to grow out a little so you don't look like a teenage boy!!!
Granted it is short, and I have no boobs to speak of (literally flat *sob*) - I wouldn't go so far as to say teenage boy ;)
So I did ask Scott later on how he felt about making out with a teenage boy. He didn't like that so much ;)
LOL
chowfornow

b u r n b a b y b u r n

2009-06-28T23:22:00.019-06:00

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?!
I have no idea.. but I did make these grade 4 GRADUATES!! (holla) haul wood across the "pasture" for the FIRST ANNUAL "burn it up" partay!

Remind me to pick friends with waaaay less kids than myself. Feeding 9 kids + 2 husbands (which usually feels like 2.5 more kids) makes for a hungry momma by the time my cold weenie comes round ;)
Stinking weiners.

But. Ate we did. With smiles and messy faces all around!!

Once the tummies were full.. the "real" fun began!

To start festivities off, we called on the rain gods et fire gods to:

1. let it not rain

2. give us fire

Voila. If you need a job done just call us. We've got junk in the trunk that jiggles when we wiggle and I really think that mixed with our amazing posture and melodic voices, we got it going on. You can't deny it: look at that fire!!!!

Let the burning begin!

I have a funny feeling that Joanne was a 'tad' bit more excited about purging the papers via fire than Tamarin.. I COULD be wrong, but it so rarely happens that you will just have to trust me on this one!

These boys had SO MUCH FUN with the matches and paper and fire. Who woulda thunk it? (as each mother of a boy jumps up and down screaming I THUNK IT I THUNK IT!!!) It's true. It was like a little piece of heaven in Brooks Alberta for these guys. Amazingly... only one burn injury (due to hungry tummy, hot marshmallow) and it was my child (oldest of course) so I think the friends will be returning.

Soon it was a child infested affair to remember.

adorable.

and eating grass?

well... better than smoking it I always say.

as football time

trampoline time

brother being bullies time

and girls being girls time

ended...

their faces were dirty

their bums were bare.

and the party was over!!!

A sweet sigh of relief escaped my lips and I crawled into my cool covers that night.
School is done. Summer is here.
Happy Days.

Happily Ever After

2009-06-24T22:08:00.000-06:00

copied and pasted this from a friends blog today... too good not to share!
Ribbit.

The World's Shortest Fairy Tale
Once upon a time, a guy asked a girl "Will you marry me?" The girl said, "NO!" And the guy lived happily ever after and rode motorcycles and went fishing and hunting and played golf a lot and drank beer (or Dr. Pepper) and left the toilet seat up and farted whenever he wanted.THE END

I think a rebuttal is in order.

Once upon a time, a guy asked a girl "Will you marry me?" The girl said, "NO!" and the guy wore all his clothes until they were all dirty and kept wearing them because he didn't know how to wash them, then he lost his job because he was a slob, and he went bankrupt because he forgot to pay his bills, his credit score was in the toilet, he gained a ton of weight eating fast food all the time because he was too lazy to figure out how to cook, and he moved back into his parent's basement. And the girl lived happily ever after.THE END
sorry for the Debbie Downer last post!! feeling loads better thanks to friends, food and the phone! holla.