I have not yet posted about Easter, mainly because the camera with all the good pictures on it is still at my Mom's, and who wants to read about Easter egg hunting without pictures? Not me. But apparently I'm going to make you do it anyway.
Easter was fun, kind of low-key. I ended up making parts of four different dinners and taking them all over town. A friend of mine isn't feeling well, so I took some food to her family. Then Forrest's Mom just had knee surgery, so we made some more food to take to them. Then we were going to have dinner with Mindy & Pete, but the Colasurdo clan wound up hunkering indoors, under flu lockdown, so we swappend food with them, too. (And Mindy, I must say the little homemade shortcakes you created for our strawberry shortcake ROCKED! Too bad we couldn't see you in person to praise you!). We ended up eating a hodgepodge dinner, just us an the kids, but it was kind of nice.
Oh, but the day BEFORE Easter, I got to go to the Whitney's, a fancy shindig where the awards for the best LDS writing of 2007 were handed out. I blogged about it on Segullah today. You can read it here if you'd like. (Oh, and if any of you, my loved ones, would like to nominate my book for next year, you can do it at the Whitney site. Not that I'm asking or anything. :-)
And that's all I have time to write right now. I'll update more when I have what you really want to see--the pictures.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
I just ate three Samoas
and washed them down with Diet Coke, and I feel a little sick to my stomach.
Why do I do these things?
So first things first, Wyatt Dean does NOT have eczema. Nosiree. His rash is the rash that will not subside, so I brought him back to see the actual pediatrician who took one look at him and said, "Hmmmm . . . . Dunno what that is."
Which is always very encouraging to hear. He told me to find a dermatologist, so after much calling ("Booked until June" was a common response), I finally squeezed him in this morning. And I'm glad, because yesterday the rash traveled all over his back and up his neck and onto his ears (bless his little neck and ears, as my mom is wont to say) and my nerves just couldn't take it. I think there is something lodged in our reptilian brain that makes us simply recoil at the sight of rashes.
Beep, beep, beep, alert, alert, all hands on deck, something is afoot! Like that.
I am so pleased to say, though, that the dermatologist is "99.9% sure" (his words) that Wyatt has a "post viral exanthem"--fancy doctor talk for "he had a virus, then he got a rash." I was skeptical about this at first, since the rash has lasted almost two weeks, but the Dr. is (as he said) 99.9% sure. He said it should go away on its own soon, and hopefully it will.
So that was a relief.
Also had Elise's Big 10th Birthday Bash today.
Contemplating the meaning of 10 candles.
Cute girls gabbing.
It was a houseful of girls. Twelve of them. It was a "Rock Star" party, and I did the whole decorating thing with balloons and shiny curlicues hanging from the ceiling and confetti. We spray painted the girls' hair and they all got lip gloss and body glitter. (Hope no parents were mad. C'mon parents! Don't be mad!) Then the girls did Sing Star and danced around and I'm going to eventually make a little "music video" with my video editing software that we'll give to them when we hand out thank yous. Should be cute. And Elise had a great time. And I'm glad it's over. :-)
Now onward and upward to Easter! And Forrest's Birthday! And Jonas's! Ahh, March.
Why do I do these things?
So first things first, Wyatt Dean does NOT have eczema. Nosiree. His rash is the rash that will not subside, so I brought him back to see the actual pediatrician who took one look at him and said, "Hmmmm . . . . Dunno what that is."
Which is always very encouraging to hear. He told me to find a dermatologist, so after much calling ("Booked until June" was a common response), I finally squeezed him in this morning. And I'm glad, because yesterday the rash traveled all over his back and up his neck and onto his ears (bless his little neck and ears, as my mom is wont to say) and my nerves just couldn't take it. I think there is something lodged in our reptilian brain that makes us simply recoil at the sight of rashes.
Beep, beep, beep, alert, alert, all hands on deck, something is afoot! Like that.
I am so pleased to say, though, that the dermatologist is "99.9% sure" (his words) that Wyatt has a "post viral exanthem"--fancy doctor talk for "he had a virus, then he got a rash." I was skeptical about this at first, since the rash has lasted almost two weeks, but the Dr. is (as he said) 99.9% sure. He said it should go away on its own soon, and hopefully it will.
So that was a relief.
Also had Elise's Big 10th Birthday Bash today.
Contemplating the meaning of 10 candles.
Cute girls gabbing.
It was a houseful of girls. Twelve of them. It was a "Rock Star" party, and I did the whole decorating thing with balloons and shiny curlicues hanging from the ceiling and confetti. We spray painted the girls' hair and they all got lip gloss and body glitter. (Hope no parents were mad. C'mon parents! Don't be mad!) Then the girls did Sing Star and danced around and I'm going to eventually make a little "music video" with my video editing software that we'll give to them when we hand out thank yous. Should be cute. And Elise had a great time. And I'm glad it's over. :-)
Now onward and upward to Easter! And Forrest's Birthday! And Jonas's! Ahh, March.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Exzumuh
This is what Wyatt has. Exzumuh (phonetic spelling of eczema.) Or, if you are like my nurse practitioner, Exzeema. Like Noxema, only it leaves you with the opposite of smooth, creamy skin. You end up rashy, bumpy, itchy, altogether miserable. Poor baby. Here's a pic:
And then here's another pic of him looking hilarious with his hair sticking straight up after a bath:
And another pic of him looking handsome once I smoothed his hair back down:
Wyatt's bout with eczema has me a little distressed--I feel so bad for him that he's so itchy and splotchy. And there's not much we can do about it, other than to give him topical steroids (fortunately he's not pitching for Major League Baseball) and slather him in expensive lotions and hope for the best. After two days of steroiding and slathering, we haven't seen much of an improvement. And I've done my googling best, but folks are decidedly torn over whether his form of dermatitis is due to a food related allergic reaction or not. It's so hard to tell. The ped told me that it doesn't have anything to do w/ milk, but I wonder.
Also, this week I had my RS Birthday Social to pull off on Tues. Went swimmingly. "A Celebration of the Arts" was the theme, and women in the ward performed and displayed their multitude of impressive talents. We decorated in all black and white with cool swirly tree branches spray painted black and put in loverly tall vases (the tree branches were hacked from a gaggle of trees running along the side of 3200 West, near an Elk/Buffalo farm. We are still really in the country out here.) Over 60 ladies attended, and we had to frantically set five more place settings in order to accommodate everyone. A good time was had, however, and now it is done. This is my 3rd RS Birthday party, and I'm starting to think that once you do something three times in a calling (three sacrament meeting programs, three Youth Conferences, three Visiting Teaching Seminars, etc etc etc) you start to think, "Hmmmm . . . running out of ideas, here!" Itchiness (metaphorical itchiness, not eczema-like itchiness) begins to set in. Perhaps we could call it the "Church Calling Rule of Three." At any rate, if I'm still in this calling next year, I might need to ask the bishop if we can call a "Relief Society Birthday Party Idea Specialist". It's a big ward. It could be done.
Also had kids' parent teacher conferences. All three are doing great--improving and behaving themselves. I have very little to complain about right now as a mom, which is nice. Elise is even holding her own with long division, and I'm so proud of her. And Ethan is holding his own at baseball practice, and I'm so proud of him. And Jonas is pretty much busy being charming and (mostly) good--the only thing his teacher had to suggest was that he speak up more in class discussions. (Somehow, Ethan's teachers never mention this. :-) I said to Jonas, "Hey, bud, remember, when the teacher asks a question, you can raise your hand and answer, too." And he said, "Yeah, Mom, but sometimes I worry that I talk a little too much. And I don't want to take up anyone else's time, you know?"
My six year old feels like I do during a lull in the Relief Society lesson. Ha!
And now, tonight, Forrest (the lean, mean, running machine who has lost about 10 pounds and has been training for his half marathon with singleminded zeal) has taken Ethan to his first official Scout Camp. Even though Ethan's 11, they decided to let him come if his dad came too. So now the both of them are spending the night at the Sand Dunes in Central Utah, crammed into a tent with a bunch of stinky pre-and-post pubescent males. Ah, the rituals of manliness. Hope they have fun.
Now I have to go and bathe the baby, lather him up, and say a little prayer that his rash looks better in the morning.
GLARING EDITORIAL OMISSION: I am adding this to the end of this post just in case you've already perused it. I forgot to blog about the AML Conference. Well, I didn't forget: I was just too busy madly rushing to baseball practices/piano lessons/children's theater rehearsals, throwing a giant party for sixty ladies, attending parent teacher conference and dealing with a rashy baby. Now almost a week has passed and I think I *thought* I blogged about it but didn't. Anyway, it was great fun. Spent all day Saturday there. And Forrest managed not only to hold down the proverbial fort, but to clean out the fridge AND the master bedroom closet while I was away. (Digression: While living in MN, I went on a Girl's Trip to Vegas and Forrest built a picnic table while I was gone. He continues to show me up in almost every way, but luckily he still loves me. And at least I regularly best him at Boggle. There's something.) I met some great people, had some great conversations, sold some books and went to Eugene England's incredible and supremely professorial house for a reading. Good times.
And then here's another pic of him looking hilarious with his hair sticking straight up after a bath:
And another pic of him looking handsome once I smoothed his hair back down:
Wyatt's bout with eczema has me a little distressed--I feel so bad for him that he's so itchy and splotchy. And there's not much we can do about it, other than to give him topical steroids (fortunately he's not pitching for Major League Baseball) and slather him in expensive lotions and hope for the best. After two days of steroiding and slathering, we haven't seen much of an improvement. And I've done my googling best, but folks are decidedly torn over whether his form of dermatitis is due to a food related allergic reaction or not. It's so hard to tell. The ped told me that it doesn't have anything to do w/ milk, but I wonder.
Also, this week I had my RS Birthday Social to pull off on Tues. Went swimmingly. "A Celebration of the Arts" was the theme, and women in the ward performed and displayed their multitude of impressive talents. We decorated in all black and white with cool swirly tree branches spray painted black and put in loverly tall vases (the tree branches were hacked from a gaggle of trees running along the side of 3200 West, near an Elk/Buffalo farm. We are still really in the country out here.) Over 60 ladies attended, and we had to frantically set five more place settings in order to accommodate everyone. A good time was had, however, and now it is done. This is my 3rd RS Birthday party, and I'm starting to think that once you do something three times in a calling (three sacrament meeting programs, three Youth Conferences, three Visiting Teaching Seminars, etc etc etc) you start to think, "Hmmmm . . . running out of ideas, here!" Itchiness (metaphorical itchiness, not eczema-like itchiness) begins to set in. Perhaps we could call it the "Church Calling Rule of Three." At any rate, if I'm still in this calling next year, I might need to ask the bishop if we can call a "Relief Society Birthday Party Idea Specialist". It's a big ward. It could be done.
Also had kids' parent teacher conferences. All three are doing great--improving and behaving themselves. I have very little to complain about right now as a mom, which is nice. Elise is even holding her own with long division, and I'm so proud of her. And Ethan is holding his own at baseball practice, and I'm so proud of him. And Jonas is pretty much busy being charming and (mostly) good--the only thing his teacher had to suggest was that he speak up more in class discussions. (Somehow, Ethan's teachers never mention this. :-) I said to Jonas, "Hey, bud, remember, when the teacher asks a question, you can raise your hand and answer, too." And he said, "Yeah, Mom, but sometimes I worry that I talk a little too much. And I don't want to take up anyone else's time, you know?"
My six year old feels like I do during a lull in the Relief Society lesson. Ha!
And now, tonight, Forrest (the lean, mean, running machine who has lost about 10 pounds and has been training for his half marathon with singleminded zeal) has taken Ethan to his first official Scout Camp. Even though Ethan's 11, they decided to let him come if his dad came too. So now the both of them are spending the night at the Sand Dunes in Central Utah, crammed into a tent with a bunch of stinky pre-and-post pubescent males. Ah, the rituals of manliness. Hope they have fun.
Now I have to go and bathe the baby, lather him up, and say a little prayer that his rash looks better in the morning.
GLARING EDITORIAL OMISSION: I am adding this to the end of this post just in case you've already perused it. I forgot to blog about the AML Conference. Well, I didn't forget: I was just too busy madly rushing to baseball practices/piano lessons/children's theater rehearsals, throwing a giant party for sixty ladies, attending parent teacher conference and dealing with a rashy baby. Now almost a week has passed and I think I *thought* I blogged about it but didn't. Anyway, it was great fun. Spent all day Saturday there. And Forrest managed not only to hold down the proverbial fort, but to clean out the fridge AND the master bedroom closet while I was away. (Digression: While living in MN, I went on a Girl's Trip to Vegas and Forrest built a picnic table while I was gone. He continues to show me up in almost every way, but luckily he still loves me. And at least I regularly best him at Boggle. There's something.) I met some great people, had some great conversations, sold some books and went to Eugene England's incredible and supremely professorial house for a reading. Good times.
Friday, March 07, 2008
I Looked Up My Book in the Library
So I went onto the Salt Lake City and County library sites and looked up my very own book, and it was there. And checked out and on hold in the SL City system (still in cataloging in SL County).
I have a library book!!
If you haven't seen some of the good reviews lately, I have links to them on my website. You should check out the one on a blog called C Jane Enjoy It!--her review two days ago helped my Amazon number sink below 5,000. She's one influential chicky, and her blog is hilarious. (So hilarious that she's able to sell advertising and basically use her blog as a part time job.)
Ethan has baseball tryouts today. Jonas had them on Monday and things seemed to go well. We've had a stray cat decide that she lives in our backyard (much to Buttercup's chagrin) and the kids have named her Snowball and are devastated that we won't keep her. I start to get persuaded, but then Buttercup wakes us up three time a night to go in and out and in and out, and throws up on the carpet, and claws the living room furniture, and I remember that I'd have to be a crazy woman to add one more cat to the mix. No matter how often those kids look at me with their wide, sad eyes . . . We're taking Snowball to a shelter today to see if she has an electronic tracking chip. She's not much more than a kitten, so I'm sure she'll be adopted if she doesn't. Ethan, if you're reading this: We're SURE she'll be adopted. Don't be sad.
Wyatt continues his rampage. Yesterday we took him to Home Depot and he had this maniacal glint in his eye and went straight to a display full of Draino and started unloading it. He LOVED the Home Depot. Also tried to rip off all the "sale" tags attached to the washers and dryers--just his height. He's become obsessed with books and won't stop bringing them to us, over and over and over. "Where is Baby's Mommy?" is a favorite. ("Where is Baby's Mommy?" "On the computer, honey, in the office. Now don't play in the toilet until she's all done.")
Now I have to go to BYU and drop off a shipment of my books. They've ordered 12 (and I'm bringing them, long story) and the nice lady said she'd put them on an end cap. Cool deal!
I have a library book!!
If you haven't seen some of the good reviews lately, I have links to them on my website. You should check out the one on a blog called C Jane Enjoy It!--her review two days ago helped my Amazon number sink below 5,000. She's one influential chicky, and her blog is hilarious. (So hilarious that she's able to sell advertising and basically use her blog as a part time job.)
Ethan has baseball tryouts today. Jonas had them on Monday and things seemed to go well. We've had a stray cat decide that she lives in our backyard (much to Buttercup's chagrin) and the kids have named her Snowball and are devastated that we won't keep her. I start to get persuaded, but then Buttercup wakes us up three time a night to go in and out and in and out, and throws up on the carpet, and claws the living room furniture, and I remember that I'd have to be a crazy woman to add one more cat to the mix. No matter how often those kids look at me with their wide, sad eyes . . . We're taking Snowball to a shelter today to see if she has an electronic tracking chip. She's not much more than a kitten, so I'm sure she'll be adopted if she doesn't. Ethan, if you're reading this: We're SURE she'll be adopted. Don't be sad.
Wyatt continues his rampage. Yesterday we took him to Home Depot and he had this maniacal glint in his eye and went straight to a display full of Draino and started unloading it. He LOVED the Home Depot. Also tried to rip off all the "sale" tags attached to the washers and dryers--just his height. He's become obsessed with books and won't stop bringing them to us, over and over and over. "Where is Baby's Mommy?" is a favorite. ("Where is Baby's Mommy?" "On the computer, honey, in the office. Now don't play in the toilet until she's all done.")
Now I have to go to BYU and drop off a shipment of my books. They've ordered 12 (and I'm bringing them, long story) and the nice lady said she'd put them on an end cap. Cool deal!
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
BYU Galore
On Friday, I went with my fabulous friend Darlene to go see the former poet laureate Billy Collins read at BYU. It was wonderfully fun, and I'm happy to say Darlene has written the perfect blog post describing it all. You can read it here if you'd like (and you should, if only to get the chance to bop over to Darlene's great blog).
Thanks Darlene, for the great day and the great post!
Thanks Darlene, for the great day and the great post!
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Favorite Reality Stars of All Time
So as I sat in my living room and got misty-eyed listening to the darling David Archuletta of Murray, Utah, singing the third verse of the Beatles "Imagine" (the verse that doesn't dis on religion), it caused me to think about my favorite reality stars of all time. The ones I loved because they were so cute or smart or funny or all around charming--or even the ones that weren't any of those things, but for some reason I loved them anyway. In no particular order, here they are:
Colby from Survivor:
Setting aside the obvious hunky factor, Colby not only loved his Mama, but he was so chivalrous that after winning the final challenge, he chose to take friendly Tina with him to the finale instead of a really annoying guy (I forget his name) whom he most certainly would have beaten. Instead, Tina ended up taking the million--and Colby ended up the nicest Survivor ever . . . and did I mention the hunky factor?
Clay Aiken of American Idol
Alright, so my enthusiasm for Clay has waned over the years, especially after his weird appearance with Kelly Ripa where he put his hand over her mouth
. (I was watching that day and the whole scene was awkward from the beginning.) He seems to have gotten a little surly as the fame has taken hold. But during that season of AI, I was rooting for the goofy kid with the big ears and the FM 100 voice from the very beginning--and HE ended up being a runner up too, just like Colby, graciously losing to Rueben Studdard even though he ended up more famous in the long run.
Julie from The Real World
Julie was one of the very first famous Mormon reality stars, and back in the day (I think it was 2000?) I would still watch The Real World every once in a while. It was fascinating to see a sheltered Mormon girl on the show and to watch her honestly try to understand and relate to the other people she lived with, while simultaneously trying to please her mom and dad back in Provo. The episode when her dad came to see her and she tried to explain some of her conflicts--and his sincere attempt to try and listen to her and understand--was really excellent TV. I don't know much about what has happened to her since, other than she was kicked out of BYU for living in a coed situation and ended up on some other MTV reality shows which I didn't watch. But that season was sooo interesting.
Rob and Amber of Survivor/Amazing Race
Now I know many reality aficionados who would vehemently disagree with me, seeing Rob (especially) and Amber as manipulative and dishonest and untrustworthy . . . but man, I loved watching them! That Survivor All-Stars when they fell in love was one of my favorite Survivors ever, then seeing them compete together in The Amazing Race was one of my favorite Amazing Races ever. Rob is smarmy, yes, but you've gotta admit there's something compelling in his smarminess. Am I right??
Jay McCarrol of Project Runway
Jay ended up winning the very first season of Project Runway--and it was such great TV, that first season. And I loved Jay's sense of humor and how talented he was, and then when they went to his tiny little hometown and we met his family I was hooked. When he won I was so happy for him I actually cried a little. Jay! I think he's also gotten a little messed up by the subsequent fame, though, which is too bad. But that was a fun, fun season to watch.
Matt and Suzy of The Biggest Loser
Maybe I just like reality stars who end up marrying each other? But both Matt and Suzy were so cute and vulnerable and funny during their seasons of The Biggest Loser--and they both lost so much weight and looked so fabulous at the finale. And then they ended up marrying each other. And having a baby!
So those are some of my favorite reality stars. And you can go ahead and question me for 1. thinking deeply about such things and 2. writing about them on my blog. But we all need our distractions, no? So for those of you who dare to answer, who are YOUR favorite reality stars??
Colby from Survivor:
Setting aside the obvious hunky factor, Colby not only loved his Mama, but he was so chivalrous that after winning the final challenge, he chose to take friendly Tina with him to the finale instead of a really annoying guy (I forget his name) whom he most certainly would have beaten. Instead, Tina ended up taking the million--and Colby ended up the nicest Survivor ever . . . and did I mention the hunky factor?
Clay Aiken of American Idol
Alright, so my enthusiasm for Clay has waned over the years, especially after his weird appearance with Kelly Ripa where he put his hand over her mouth
. (I was watching that day and the whole scene was awkward from the beginning.) He seems to have gotten a little surly as the fame has taken hold. But during that season of AI, I was rooting for the goofy kid with the big ears and the FM 100 voice from the very beginning--and HE ended up being a runner up too, just like Colby, graciously losing to Rueben Studdard even though he ended up more famous in the long run.
Julie from The Real World
Julie was one of the very first famous Mormon reality stars, and back in the day (I think it was 2000?) I would still watch The Real World every once in a while. It was fascinating to see a sheltered Mormon girl on the show and to watch her honestly try to understand and relate to the other people she lived with, while simultaneously trying to please her mom and dad back in Provo. The episode when her dad came to see her and she tried to explain some of her conflicts--and his sincere attempt to try and listen to her and understand--was really excellent TV. I don't know much about what has happened to her since, other than she was kicked out of BYU for living in a coed situation and ended up on some other MTV reality shows which I didn't watch. But that season was sooo interesting.
Rob and Amber of Survivor/Amazing Race
Now I know many reality aficionados who would vehemently disagree with me, seeing Rob (especially) and Amber as manipulative and dishonest and untrustworthy . . . but man, I loved watching them! That Survivor All-Stars when they fell in love was one of my favorite Survivors ever, then seeing them compete together in The Amazing Race was one of my favorite Amazing Races ever. Rob is smarmy, yes, but you've gotta admit there's something compelling in his smarminess. Am I right??
Jay McCarrol of Project Runway
Jay ended up winning the very first season of Project Runway--and it was such great TV, that first season. And I loved Jay's sense of humor and how talented he was, and then when they went to his tiny little hometown and we met his family I was hooked. When he won I was so happy for him I actually cried a little. Jay! I think he's also gotten a little messed up by the subsequent fame, though, which is too bad. But that was a fun, fun season to watch.
Matt and Suzy of The Biggest Loser
Maybe I just like reality stars who end up marrying each other? But both Matt and Suzy were so cute and vulnerable and funny during their seasons of The Biggest Loser--and they both lost so much weight and looked so fabulous at the finale. And then they ended up marrying each other. And having a baby!
So those are some of my favorite reality stars. And you can go ahead and question me for 1. thinking deeply about such things and 2. writing about them on my blog. But we all need our distractions, no? So for those of you who dare to answer, who are YOUR favorite reality stars??
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