Dr. Bangart Did It!

I've had some pretty severe pains in my hobbit feet for quite a while. I just assumed it was due to my weight challenge, but Dr. Bangart disagrees. He says that I have NERVE ENTRAPMENT in both heels. He says that having it in one foot will ruin your life, but both feet will kill you. He described it as "gristle" that wraps itself around the nerve in my heel and strangles it until I want to cut my own foot off.

So I got one shot 2 weeks ago in my left foot (the one that hurts the worst), and then another shot in that same heel on Thursday as well as the right heel and on top of my left foot. So I got 3 bright bandages. One of Stella's friends that came over that same day kept pointing to my bandages and asking, "Who gave you the owie?" She was completely unsatisfied with my answer of, "Oh, it doesn't hurt anymore, I feel much better." She continued to ask me until I finally just answered, "Dr. Bangart did it!"

The Getaway

Elliot and I were able to spend 3 days in Winslow, Arizona to celebrate our anniversary (thanks for watching Stella Grandma & Grandpa). Our favorite little place to stay is called La Posada. It's an old Fred Harvey hotel that was built in 1929 along the Santa Fe railroad. It was place where lots of famous people stayed when railroad was the prominent way to travel. This was our third visit and it just keeps getting better!

We drove to Snowflake on Friday morning to do a temple session at the Snowflake Temple. We ate lunch at a little craft cafe. We played checkers while we waited for our food until Elliot threw a tantrum and quit because he thought I was cheating.

One thing we absolutely LOVE about La Posada is that it's so relaxing! When I tell people that we go to sit around and watch the trains go by, they think we're totally boring. We totally monopolized this swing all afternoon while Elliot wrote in his journal, watched the trains go by, and I took a little nap. We deemed the swing ours because our butts were in it for over 5 hours during the weekend.

If it's an airplane or a train, Elliot loves it. After our delicious (and over-priced) dinner in the world famous Turquoise Room restaurant, we went back to our swing each night to freeze our rears off and watch a few more trains.

The original hotel was only open for less than 30 years because of the depression. It was converted into an office building for the railroad office and all of it's unique designs were covered by the horrific 80's acoustic ceilings. The furniture was also sold, but most of it has been returned. We liked this chair that converts into a table. I think I'll build Elliot one.

The only reason we came back home was because we missed our sweet Stella! Here are a few of the other pictures I took while we were there.

Elliot's pouty look . . . he looked the same after he threw the tantrum over the checkers game.

Primary Program

Stella was able to participate in her first Primary Program this year (last week). She's had her part memorized for a long time and insists on repeating it during scripture time even though the program is over. She did such a great job!



Sorry about the sideways video . . . I haven't recovered from my mental illnesses yet.

Family Night

I need to make better use of our tripod.

Book Club

Couldn't read it. Bored out of my ever-lovin' mind! But I heard the last 20 pages were excellent.

Next up: The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. I do need to read a book by the end of this month though. Maybe I'll pick up Superfudge or Blubber by Judy Blume (one of my elementary teachers gave that book to me . . . hummmm, hint?).

Happy Anniversary Sweetie!

Elliot and I are celebrating our #9 anniversary today! I love you Elliot!

Dress-Up & Yogurt on the Veranda

I don't even know what a veranda is.





Sweet baby girl Hannah came over to play the other day while Lindsay went to a wedding. This little fairy dress that Stella about wore out when she was smaller now fits Hannah. She was so happy to dress up like Stella!

Have You Seen This New One?

http://www.twilightthemovie.com/

Other Things

I had my sewing machine out for over a week just doing random projects that have been sitting in my office for years. I did several hooded towels and even added cute ribbon to spice it up.

About 8 years ago (yes 8) I started making this little quilt for Elliot (it's obviously a baby blanket . . . wishful thinking). I got as far as basting the fabric and guts together, but got no further. This is one of Elliot's favorite things to tease me about . . . all of the gifts that I give him that are unfinished that I promise I'll finish shortly. So I decided that I would finish it before Elliot got back from his business trip last week! I am quickly narrowing down the list of things Elliot can tease me about.

Have I mentioned how I despise political signs posted at every corner on this green earth? OK, I know I have one in my front yard, but that's an important one. Second on the list is all of the political crap I get in the mail. Seriously, David Schweikert . . . you are so wasteful!

Fine, fine, fine, so I get some extra crap in the mail . . . but PLEASE DO NOT PUT IT ON MY DOOR AS WELL!! Leave me alone! I was sort of napping yesterday afternoon when I was startled awake by the banging on my front door. By the time I gathered myself from my rude awakening, the person had left. Also left 3 more political crap flyers on my door.

I have story about that front door. It's actually on the side of our house, so when people use it, we assume that they are solicitors and we hardly answer it. Our friends come through the carport door. One random night probably 2-3 years ago, Elliot and I uncharacteristically went to bed early (around 9:30). Shortly after we had started dozing off, there was an extremely startling banging on that front door (which I swear has speakers in it to make it louder). Elliot is not exactly calm when he's been awakened. Before he opened the door, he started yelling at it and then opened the door and started yelling outside. There was no one there, but there was a plate of cookies and a paper with a ghost on it. A little Halloween fun.

The next morning while I was on my walk with my good friend Brooke, I told her an embellished story about the happenings of the night before. After 3 seconds, she sort of scrunched up her cute little face and said, "It was me!" She cannot tell a lie.

My First Business Deal

I made some bows for a friend's wedding last week. These were the one's she didn't take. I made 2 of each bow, and then a random curly one that she took. This marks my official first sale of bows (you know, that I actually got paid for . . . NAT!).

No one will ever set foot in here again!

After 4 years, we finally had our carpet cleaned. Thank the good heavens above! It's a little embarrassing when our fairly blind home teacher tries to pick up the spots on the floor.

We've Been Violated!

I love the Paint program. I also love police reports. I remember the first time we called 911 in Arizona (1999). It was actually Nat who called. I had locked my keys in the car with a hot pizza in the back while we were in the McFrugal's parking lot. Nat and I didn't know there was a difference between calling 911 and just calling the police, so she called 911. They didn't think it was funny that we said that the emergency was that our hot pizza was locked in the back.

I've had the opportunity to call 911 on a few other occasions. I feel like I call the police all the time now . . . prostitutes lurking just outside of our neighborhood area and the homeless sleeping and peeing at my park. I called the police a couple of times while Elliot and I lived in our condo because there was (on both occasions) a woman yelling for help just outside our balcony. I don't think that I'd be a good witness for identifying someone, but I do a mean report.

RED = crazy hit-n-run lady, BLUE = innocent little me and Stella

I had just arrived at Tempe Marketplace this afternoon and was circling the parking lot in front of Michael's looking for a spot. I saw 2 open ones just in front of the World Market store, but saw that there was a car in the way of me parking in one. I stopped to wait (1). She was stopped as well and I assumed that she was going to back up (because she'd already passed the empty spaces) and park in one of the spaces. Then she started backing up . . . backing up . . . backing up way past the empty spaces . . . she was backing up toward me, so I started honking right before she backed into my driver's side door (2)!

She pulled around down the next row of parking spaces and I followed her (3) thinking that she'd park and we could talk and she could give me her insurance information. Silly me, she kept driving. She circled around the cars 2 times (accelerating in the process) as I followed her(4/5/6), until I decided that she just wasn't going to stop.

As she made one more round through the parking lot (7), I parked in front of Linens-N-Things (7) to write down her license plate number. Seconds later I saw her speed off towards the Target area (9). Before the whole thing happened, I saw a guy that had just come out of World Market. For a second I thought he could be my witness until I realized that (although I didn't see him get in the car), he was now the crazy lady's passenger (8).

I wasn't scared, but I started shaking anyway (my natural response to something going wrong). I called 911 immediately (thank you Mother for the cell phone) and they sent out the brave Officer D. Lopez. He took my report, gave Stella some Junior Officer badge stickers, and then locked his keys in his patrol car. He wanted to take some picture of my car, but his camera was locked inside his car! So we ran our errand that took 17 seconds, and then waited for the security guard to come with his camera. It seemed like it took longer, but we were on our way home in our violated car an hour later.

Stella was really confused why the lady didn't stop to apologize and "could we go find her and knock on her car and say 'you bonked our car and you should say sorry' and then she won't be in trouble." Why can't people just be honest?

NEW POLL - Stella's Room

My baby is no longer a baby. We've decided to lovingly put away the nursery decorations and turn Stella's room into a big girl room! As she inherited from the Anderson side, she is unable to decide between the 2 comforters. We need some help! However, if my brother Miles decides to participate, his vote will cancel out everyone elses. Vote anyway!:)

Hooded Towels

I finally finished a project! Having to clean out my office is making me realize how many projects I start and never finish. I made this hooded towel for Stella that she LOVES! She's singing a Fergie song in this picture.

Happy Nursery Kids . . . sort of.

Wes is the Nursery champ. Just when we all thought that he'd cry every Sunday until he entered Primary, he goes and gets used to Nursery! I might even venture to say that he likes it now.

I'm sure that if Balen could talk he would tell me how utterly bored he is with the whole Nursery idea and could he please just move on to play time. Also stop taking pictures of me.

Melissa and Tim, you may be happy to know that I got at least 6 pictures of Hannah smiling. So either she really just likes seeing herself in pictures, or she's starting to like me. She was the super singer of the day and did ALL of the actions to the songs.

Carson was pacified with the repetitive singing of "Five Little Monkey's" and being tall enough to turn off the lights. Carson also did most of the actions to the songs, but he hid behind the table thinking that I couldn't see him.

Reagan was counting down the minutes until Nursery was over. She was not a happy camper, but she sure is cute! (She'll get used to it Lynnae . . . I'm not worried.)

This is the best I could do for Jane. The girl is quick. I did get a picture of her hand though. Janie gets the super stinker award for the day (as Stacy can attest to). She had to return to Nursery sans cute pink shirt.

Look what I did!

I just realized that most of my posts for the last week have started with the title "Look . . ." I need to be more creative.

This may not be funny. In fact, it's not funny. It still makes me a little teary-eyed. We were celebrating my Dad's #67 birthday last week at my uncle and aunts house. I was trying to catch Stella because it was time to go home, and each time I'd catch her, I'd sling her over my shoulder. One time I did it, she was suddenly falling very quickly to the hard ground HEAD FIRST! The poor little thing got the wind (and probably some sense) knocked out of her. Her head was already swelling. After she stopped crying a little bit, she asked me to sing her "Baby Mine" which is the song she usually cries through. I could barely choke out the words! She did that on purpose!

She fell asleep (concussion?) right after we got into the car. We checked her a few times in the night (because she woke up), and thankfully she is just fine. The bruise looks worse today than it did the few days after it happened.

Also not funny, that was actually the second time I'd dropped her that week. The other time was a lot closer to the ground. She likes it when I hold her like a baby and act like I'm going to drop her and then catch her really quick. We usually do this over the couch. I keep forgetting that my 4-year-old is 4-years-old and either she's getting too big for me, or I'm becoming weaker! So while I was in the process of acting like I was going to drop her, I actually did drop her. She wasn't very happy, but she was totally fine. I'm such a good mother.

Stella feels better now. I don't really know what she's doing in this video, but she's been doing cartwheels for the last 2 days. Pay no attention to my ironing pile.

Happy Birthday Elliot!

Elliot celebrated his #31 birthday on Monday! I'm sure you can all understand my confusion when all year Elliot makes sure that we all know that he doesn't want a big deal made out of his birthday and then the first thing he says as he's clapping his hands excitedly on his birthday morning is, "When do I get to open presents?!"

I had a present planned for every day of this week to celebrate his Birthday Week, but he didn't like that idea, so I gave them to him at the same time. Stella made him hunt for them though as she hid them around the house. We ate dinner at Joe's Real BBQ with Elliot's family because you get a free meal on your birthday.

So even though I'm counting on you becoming more confusing (or confused) in your old age, I'm sure glad that I get to be the one to try to NOT CELEBRATE your birthday henceforth and forevermore! Love you Sweetie!

Look Who Else is Visiting . . . or was

My parents were here for a week looking at homes in the East Valley. I didn't really take any pictures of them, but there's my Mom peeking around the corner. The realtor and two of my aunts are in the other picture (Aunt Lora & Aunt Sandra) of this beautiful home.

Look What I Found!

Last April when Stella had the nasty croup, I was also sick. And when I get sick, life shuts down and my family has an opportunity to see that I actually do accomplish things during the day though it may only be cleaning up after the girl.

When I was laying on my death bed (the couch) and Stella was hopped up on the steroids for the croup, I remember her showing me my wedding ring and then I haven't seen it since . . . until yesterday! Of course it was in the place I had already looked, right under our files in the office. It was right by my feet for the last 6 months.

That croup is a tricky sickness. Also coincidentally, Stella has the croup again. I'll hold tight to my jewelry next time she gets it.

I took her to the doctor today and there was a dead fish in the tank. The other fish were trying to eat it. Stella thought it was awesome.

We went to lunch at Buono's Pizza (Dobson & Guadalupe). They have THE BEST White pizza.