If you think about it, we are intrigued by stories – whether real or fictional.  We flock to the theaters to be entertained, we pick up a novel to pass our free time, and how do we spend our time with friends and family?  …. telling stories!

Our lives are stories – just some are a little more entertaining than some.  Is it because of the story?  Or is it in the way the person relates the story?  Usually in my case, it’s the STORY.  And because my children are witnesses to the “story”, they are stories that will forever be brought up in conversations with visitors.  “Mom, remember when you couldn’t find Caitlyn?” or “Mom, remember when you got that ticket?”   And the most recent request of storytelling is “Mom, tell your friend about my birthday cake.”

It really isn’t that big of a story to tell, and I don’t know why my 7-year-old finds such pleasure in watching me back pedal, and altogether shudder, at the sound of the incident of two weeks ago.  I mean, I was just baking a special birthday cake for my oldest on her 7th birthday.   Her only request was that it be chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.  A simple request from her, but with me visualizing amazing results.  Of course it would be chocolate.  But it would be so much better than any grocery story cake – especially since I would see to it that the frosting ratio to cake would be 100:1… at least.

Little did I know that the more frosting one spreads in between the layers of cake…

….the more it tends to slide…

…In separate directions.

Apparently, the princesses reached the weight capacity of the chocolate birthday cake.  I’m sure it had nothing to do with my ”over-zealousness” to apply the homemade frosting!

So, if you’re one who loves to hear, tell, or write stories, you won’t want to miss out on a local Conference taking place March 8-10, 2012! (in SLC, UT)  Workshops and performances by award-winning storytellers, performers and speakers, will help you explore ways to use the power of story in your home. You’ll be able to record your own story, start on some research to learn more about your family’s history, get started on a blog and learn how to tell your story through social media.  Sponsored by FamilySearch and CherishBound, this event will prove to be not only entertaining, but inspiring as well!

You’ll want to register for your tickets soon to be secured a spot, but before you do that, try your luck here at winning a 

FULL EVENT TICKET FREE!

**To enter this giveaway, you must leave a comment here telling me your most embarrassing moment. hee hee (I won’t tell anyone…)

For extra entries,

* “Like” the Story@Home Facebook page
* Tweet about this Conference and/or this giveaway
* Update your Facebook status about the Conference/giveaway
* Blog about the Story@Home Conference and/or this giveaway

Giveaway will end Saturday, January 21st at Midnight MST, at which time the winner will be randomly selected and contacted via email.

This giveaway is closed – random.org chose # 3 as the lucky winner.

Once upon a time, there was a young lady who was “somewhat happy” with the way she looked but wasn’t pleased with how her clothes fit. 

It may have had something to do with an overdose of cupcake intake, or it could have had something to do with her upcoming nuptials. Or maybe it was the inspiration received from weekly phone calls by her fiancee reporting an additional 2, 5, or 10 lbs that he had lost that week! Either way, she wanted to do something about her figure and “do something about it” she did!

She committed to the same healthy lifestyle program as her fiancee (and thousands of other Americans) and started eating 6 times a day and staying on top of her water intake.  In a month’s time, this young lady saw the scale lift 12 pounds and was able to fit into her designer jeans that hung in her closet as a weight loss motivator. 

But what happened directly after the wedding celebration was something that could not have been avoided.  A honeymoon to a tropical island, where she was confronted with a myriad of exotic foods and logical reasoning of taking advantage of  ”once-in-a-lifetime opportunities”, proved to reverse the habits learned through her weight loss program.  And, tragically, just as quickly as the weight came off, those poor eating decisions resulted in :

Needless to say, I’m she’s going back on the program!!  And what better time than at the beginning of the new year to resolve to lose weight and stick to healthy eating habits.  This particular program has proven to work… with multiple people.  On a personal level, my husband has lost over 60 pounds (and he has kept HIS off!).   We have friends whose regular health medications have been dropped due to results with this program.  It is the quickest, easiest, and healthiest way to lose weight and experience an improvement of your overall health.  (No, it is not the HCG diet….and yes, it does require sacrificing cupcakes on a regular basis!)  All it requires is to eat 6 times, and drink your required 8 glasses of water (at least) every day. 

I’m anxious to burn off this honeymoon weight and fit back into my pre-wedding clothes once again!

If you’re interested in learning more about decreasing your weight while improving your overall health, email me for details about this program.   makeitworkmom at gmail dot com.  I’d be happy to share my secrets!

Disclaimer: Some of these pictures may have been snagged from Google Images.

Remember when I used to blog?  Remember when you used to come visit and read what I posted?  Ya, those were good times. 

I’ve decided to give it another go.  Anyone else on board with me?

I’ve just been taking advantage of …. new schedules, colder weather patterns, upcoming holiday seasons, elementary school involvement, snuggly daughters, and doting husbands (singular). 

We’ve been incorporating new family traditions:

And the silliness has increased.

We’ve been spinning “cookies” (rather than doughnuts), going “snowmachining” (aka snowmobiling), and have been drinking “pop” (other than “soda”). 

We take pride in our potatoes, snow drifts, and especially…

I’ve been told that THIS is “God’s Country”!!  With all the time we’ve been spending out here, I’m beginning to believe it (EVEN despite the fact I only have access to ONE cupcakery!… which is the really the best so it’s a wash)

Side note: I’ve also been helping out an amazing mom blogging community on something pretty exciting, which will be revealed at the beginning of next year (2012)!  Stay tuned!!!

Ever feel like time goes past so quickly that it’s almost non-existent? That’s exactly how November has felt to me this year. One day, we’re donning costumes and begging neighbors for candy, and the next, we’re lighting a pine tree and wrapping books to put underneath. However, although it filtered through my fingertips so quickly, it created an amount of memories and milestones that deem November worthy to be my favorite month of 2011.

Why? Well it has something to do with birds of paradise, getting the meat sweats with my entire family, 2 little girls in purple dresses, 85 degree weather, rain forest shelters, mofongo, a snorkeling mask that got away, a baby grand piano performance, Shirley Temples and pina coladas, the radio station 106.1, salsa lessons from Osoty,  free breakfasts (but eating as if to get my money’s worth), star-gazing under palm trees, unreserved bali-beds by the pool, waters that glow in the dark, personal butlers and cabana boys, feeding Dunkin Donuts to a homeless guy, no alarm clocks/schedules/restrictions, freestyle dancing to Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker,  peanut M&M’s, male-chauvinisticiguanas, 8 different means of transportation, and panaderias (to name a few).  

The focus of all the attention, glory, and spotlight actually was directed at a creation masterminded by two ingenious minds (208 and Ryley), and brought to reality by the talented Ryley.  (I HIGHLY recommend her for any cake occasion!)

But for me, the focus and attention went to a 6′6″ tall, dark, and handsome man I found about a year ago who created and shared all of these experiences with me… including the varying climates:

In just three weeks, we went from this:

To 10 days of this:

And then got settled back in to this:

I have a lot for which to be grateful this Thanksgiving season (now moving into Christmas).  How was YOUR Thanksgiving (and month of November)??

P.S. More pictures of the wedding and honeymoon will be on my Facebook page, where I can control who sees pictures of me in a bikini…or not.

October – a month that bids farewell to the blistering sun and lazy days of summer, and welcomes the vibrant colors that blanket our mountains; a time that boasts of my two favorite food flavors (apple and pumpkin) in the form of breads, desserts, cupcakes, breakfasts, shakes, etc. (However this year, the only way I can enjoy them is vicariously, thanks for a special “diet” that I’ve started 3 weeks ago. But that’s another story for another day). 

October, in all your purple, orange, and black glory, amidst all the preparations for Martha-Stewartesque costumes, parties, and concoctions, you have proven yourself this year to be claimed as my favorite month.

Because someone manned up and “put a ring on it”!!

Yes, friends, during this time of sporatic blogging hiatus, I’ve been cheating on you with a man!  A tall, dark, and handsome, IRL man whose quick wit, loving attention, and Bobby Flay-ish grilling abilities distracted me.  And I soon found myself making weekend drives up north for romantic and adventurous get-aways on a 4-wheeler, boat, or kayak.  Or inviting my northern guest south to my hometown with adventures in cupcakes, shopping, and donuts.  Oh, what an exciting life I lead! 

Well, it must have been the cupcakes that won him over because last weekend, while watching a vibrant red sun setting in the west, this amazing man knelt down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. 

This was AFTER a weekend of showering me with amazing meals (Alaskan King Crab drenched in a candied garlic butter sauce, homemade 9-grain/cranberry bread with wheat that was GROUND by HAND made into french toast, and lean cod baked in candied garlic butter and drizzled with a citric BBQ glaze, to name a few), scheduling me for a 2-hour massage, putting a french manicure on my fingernails, and picking out a new outfit for me from the local boutiques!  Oh, and did I forget to mention the FIREWORKS? 

 Yes, once I accepted his proposal, we kissed, and fireworks lit up the sky!  Literally.

This man is something else.  He genuinely loves me and my girls as his own.  We’re ready to start a new adventure all together… in less than a month!

Yes, November…. you will soon be my NEW favorite month of the year!

All photos courtesy of Kim Orlandini, my sweet friend and photographer.

Some of the best times as a family are around the dinner table, with everyone gathered together, enjoying conversation, and discussing the day’s events.  What I don’t hear much of are compliments to the chef.  Part of it could have something to do with my “cooking abilities”, and the other part is mostly that we have picky eaters in my home.  What they don’t realize is the privilege WE have to select what we eat, and have enough food to keep us satiated.  Unfortunately, not everyone has that luxury.  There are many struggling to even keep food on the table, let alone get to choose what they eat.

That’s why I’m excited to help advertise for Libby and Habitat for Humanity of Salt Lake City and their new project!

Habitat for Humanity Salt Lake City will complete 3 new/refurbished homes for less fortunate families this year.
To help these families get back to the table, Libby’s will provide each of the families that move into these homes with:
o   A pantry stocked with Libby’s products to make simple, easy meals for the family
o   A dining table for 6 to have a place to enjoy a meal together
o   Place settings for at least 6 family members

Libby’s is encouraging shoppers to stop by their local Fresh Market between now and Saturday, October 22  and donate their non-perishable items to help Habitat for Humanity families make mealtime a reality.

Visit GetBacktotheTable.com for a variety of recipes and tips for making mealtime even easier!

You can do your part by either donating non-perishable at any Fresh Market location from Logan to Provo and in Park City, UT through October 22nd.  Or, you can help spread the word by tweeting the following:

I’ve never considered myself a fearful person.  Apprehensive, maybe!  But afraid, no.  However, in my older years, I’m finding that I DO have a phobia.  Two, to be exact: heights (probably common for most) and small, enclosed places that don’t accommodate for a quick escape.  (i.e. elevators, ferris wheels, amusement park rides with an automated lap bar or harness)

The best way to overcome those phobias is to face them, right?  That’s what 208 thought, and arranged for that to happen.  In preparation for that weekend, all he said to me was “be prepared to face your biggest fear!”  I had no idea what to expect… until the morning of, he drove me to a secluded place alongside what looked like a large shed…and I saw this:

A 2-seater airplane that would be elevating our bodies up to 8000 ft above the ground!  My heart started racing and every pore on my body started to sweat as I looked at the cockpit.  Imagine a 2-door car, with a small backseat that is only accessible after pulling the passenger seat up.  Only the width of the cockpit is half the size of the car.  And there is only 1 door, which is not accessible from the back seat.  And that’s where I sat.  Behind two grown men, whose shoulders were overlapping.

As long as I stayed focused on the windows and didn’t think about the fact that we would not only be hovering miles above my comfort zone (where my feet are firmly planted on dry ground), but that there was no way for me to escape! Even if I were sitting by the door!

So, calmly, and collectively, I put on my headset, looked out the window and started breathing…

….heavily. And that’s when I lost it.  Just as the plane found the runway and accelerated for take off, I frantically grabbed 208’s shoulder (which was 6 inches in front of me) and gave him the “hand across the throat” gesture meaning, “GET ME OUT OF HERE!”  And just as soon as I thought I’d implode, I relaxed and realized I’m still alive and I’ll make it through…as long as I just kept taking pictures and enjoying the beautiful scenery:

After an hour in the sky and buzzing a fisherman on the lake, a dirt biker on the dunes, and 208’s dad’s house, we found the landing strip and my safe haven.

And just like that, I “conquered” my biggest fear.  Would I do it again? hmmm…. 

Sadly, just 2 weeks after this flight, Norm (the pilot and good friend of 208) was involved in a tragic and fatal plane crash with his 16-year-old son.  In the same plane.  My heart goes out to the rest of his family who he left behind.  And I will be forever grateful for his involvement in helping me overcome my phobias!

It never fails… September rolls around.  The school year starts.  Our life becomes routine. The mornings get darker and the evenings grow cooler. 

And I start longing for the summer once again.

First day of school.  Every child experiences it… including me!

Here’s proof: my twin sister and I in our backyard, donning our homemade matching overalls lovingly sewn by our mother.  (She was always able to make clothes 90% cheaper than those found in the stores! And she reminded us of that talent all the way through our high school years!)

Every mom looks forward to it. I just want to know at what year will it not affect me emotionally? I mean, it’s understandable to become verklempt watching your child transition to Kindergarten in the “big school”, the very first year they’ve spent time away from home, independently walking through the double doors, donning the Dora Explorer back pack they picked out themselves.  But every year after that should be a breeze, right? As a mom, I should look forward to sending her off! Yet I still got a little choked up this time around as well.

Maybe it’s the signs of growing up and taking responsibility:

Maybe it’s because I took the day off of work, to spend some ”quality time” with C8 (remind me to tell you at another time what happened at the self-serve car wash… code words: “a 3-year-old and a power water trigger”)

… and anxiously awaited Ad’s return and to hear her impressions of 1st grade, extended schedule, school lunch, friends, etc.

Or maybe it’s just because this event serves as yet another reminder that my first-born is growing up….

…WAY too fast!!…

Quit growing already, Will ya??