Stress in all its fineries

This was me this morning, I swear.

Why is it that we willingly stress ourselves out? I can't figure it out. I was so excited about all the craft projects I was going to do for Christmas gifts this year. I've had the ideas for months, but I'm just now getting the needed items bought and attempting a start. Not only that, I am taking a Marketing Class (which I love) and have a couple of big projects/exams due within the next couple of weeks. Things just keep piling on. Christmas Decorations? I'll get them done sometime, hopefully before Christmas Eve. What was that? You want me to be where? When? You want me to do that? Why not? Sure, BRING IT ON! :)

Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving is coming fast. I love trying to create new things in my kitchen. I'd love for you to share your favorite Thanksgiving recipe with me.

Saturday night Scattergories

SCATTERGORIES. ..it's harder than it looks! Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things.. Nothing made up! You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.


WHAT IS YOUR NAME: Erin

BOY NAME: Ethan

LETTER WORD: ?

GIRL NAME: Ella

OCCUPATION: Ear, Nose, Throat Specialist

COLOR: Ecru

SOMETHING YOU WEAR: Earrings

BEVERAGE: EggNog

FOOD: Eggplant

SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: Earwax

A PLACE: Europe

REASON FOR BEING LATE: Earache

SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: Exit!

Are good Mormons Republicans?

I had an experience this last week I would love other people's input on. Monday (3rd) I had an individual tell me that even though the Church doesn't tell its members how to vote that if Mormons are pro-Constitution than how could they vote for Barack Obama. That ruffled my feathers somewhat as I don't really like being told what to do. Sidenote: Now I know where my kids get it. :) This person was adamant that Obama was against the constitution. I still hadn't decided how to vote at that point. I have tried to be an informed individual. I have tried to be more involved in this years election.

Then, yesterday in Relief Society, we were discussing the signs of the Second Coming. A woman raised her hand and prefacing her comments with "I hope I don't offend anyone..." and then proceeded to say that Obama becoming President was a sign of the times and frightening to her. She even went further and said that Obama thinks he's a dictator and that we will be turning into a Communist country. She had quite a lot to say, and enough that I almost got up to leave. I'm not trying to take a political stand. It's not that I'm "pro-Obama" or "Pro-McCain," I just felt that church wasn't the appropriate time for a discussion of that type.

Are all Mormons supposed to be Republicans? My view of the church's opinion on government is be informed, participate, and obey the law. Am I wrong? Am I missing something?

I welcome your thoughts/comments!

What a difference a day makes!

Monday: 5 am. Son wakes up and comes into get me. We try to sleep on the couch.
7 am. Daughters wake up. Tired. Cranky.
7:10 am. Daughter #2 refuses to eat choc chip muffins for breakfast.
7:20 am. Daughter #1 throws up.
7:30 am. Daughter #1 feels fine. Eats breakfast. goes to school
8:00 am. Daughter #2 isn't eating. Can't go to school. Bawling.
8:05 am. Daughter #2 throws up on kitchen floor.

Blah, Blah, Blah. Trying to do my Homework. keep kids entertained.

2:00 pm. Daughter #1's teacher calls. Daughter #1 has just thrown up.
2:05 pm. pick #1 up from school.

Ok. So not exactly the worst day ever, but certainly one of those Mom days. So yesterday (Tuesday) I got to babysit two of my nephews, my brother's boys. One is almost 4, the other is 2. So cute. We had a blast! It was a good Mom/Aunt day. They came around 9. We watched the movie Cars. We made pumpkin cookies, which my 4 yr old nephew didn't believe would taste good. We made our own pizzas for lunch. We played the Wii. We went outside and rode bikes, played in the leaves. It was just a nice relaxing day where I could just have fun with the kids. Here are a few pics!

Tagged.

I've been tagged by my cousin Becky. Thanks girl! It makes you stop and actually think...

8 Favorite T.V. Shows
1. Gilmore Girls (I know they aren't on anymore, but hey,still my fav)
2. Lost
3. Heroes
4. Amazing Race
5. Everyday Italian
6. Iditarod
7. Man vs. Wild (I'm usually grossed out, but can't change the channel)
8. Monk

8 Favorite place to eat
1. Olive Garden
2. My Grandma's kitchen
3. Outback
4. Garcia's
5. Wendy's w/my kids
6. Arby's w/my hubby @ lunch
7. Craigo's
8. my kitchen table with my family

8 Things I did yesterday.....(Tuesday)
1. took a nice hot shower
2. Drove to IF to get Carter's 2 yr pictures taken
3. Saved $23.84 when I shopped at Albertson's
4. Made ham sandwiches for lunch
5. Folded Laundry
6. Babysat my nephew Justin
7. Took a walk and crunched autumn leaves with my son, nephew and daughter
8. worked on a puzzle (first time I've found time for that in a while, yeah)

8 "words or phrases" I say too often
1. Serious?
2. Dude
3. Awesome!
4. I don't wanna hear whining! (hmmm...who could I be saying this to?)
5. Fo Sho!
6. Just a second! (usually in a not so nice tone...sorry kids)
7. Have you done your homework?
8. Sounds good.

8 Things on my Wish List
1. Back Yard
2. Fencing
3. Finished Addition
4. Lose 25 lbs. (I'd settle for any :))
5. Endless loads of cash
6. Good wives for my brothers
7. ability to finish school faster
8. More quality time with my husband

8 more people to tag
1. Alyssa
2. Christie H
3. Aunt Kitty
4. Heather M
5. anyone else who hasn't done it that is reading this!

My boy!

Carter turned 2 this week. I can't believe it! I'm sad yet excited to see what the future holds for our energetic little man. I thought I'd put a few pics on so I could see how much he's grown and changed. So cute!

Remodel/Addition Blues

We are trying to add on to our little house here in the country. We have decided to add on a split level portion which will have a master suite upstairs and downstairs will be a big family room/office. I'm excited about it, it's just taking forever to get things going.

Plans are in the middle stage. Financing is in mid stage. But I feel like nothing's being done. Too bad that the tooth fairy doesn't know how to draw plans, or how about the Easter Bunny hopping on over to dig us a foundation. Better yet, I'd like to get Santa Claus involved because he seems to make the impossible possible, i.e. flying all over the world to deliver toys in one night, dropping his plump self down narrow chimneys, helping reindeer to fly, etc...

Anyone know how to get a hold of these amazing people? 1800bhoppy? 1888mrclaus? 1800urteeth?

Going to church

Carter loves to get dressed up for church. He thinks he's hot stuff when he gets dressed in his shirt and tie. Especially cuz he is wearing what Daddy is wearing. Yesterday morning, he decided that a Lightning McQueen hat would be the perfect accessory to the outfit. It was cute, and I took a picture. Not so cute when he wore it the car and refused to take it off before we got out to go into church. I made him take it off and of course a fit ensued. The 2's are going to be so much fun at our house. He also HATES nursery. He will go if Jason goes and stays with him the whole time. Other than that, nada. If you have any special tricks, please let me know. I know Jason would love to actually go to Elder's Quorum before Carter turns 4. :)

Cleaning out closets...

So now that the kids are in school, I am finding a little time to do things I have meant to do for ages. One of which is go through all my storage/closets and clean them out. I currently have a closet that is half full of Mary Kay Products. I am a Mary Kay Independent Consultant. I have been for a while, but haven't worked it much. I have some inventory I need to clean out. I will be selling them for 40% off the retail price. I have TimeWise Cleansers and Moisturizers for Oily skin. I also have quite a few foundations in various shades. I also have some blushes, and eye colors in various shades. If you are interested, email me or leave a comment, and I'll get back to you.

(Just a shout out for Mary Kay. I loved it so much when I tried it that I became a consultant. So if you haven't tried it and are interested, let me know. I'll send you some samples. It rocks!)

A kid funny!

So, the other morning, Jason was relating this story to me.
Taylor came home and said, "Hey Dad, my teacher told us that we'll be having farters come to our class."

Jason said, "Farters?"

Taylor: "Yeah, Dad, Farters."

Jason was confused and didn't understand (I didn't either when he told me the story.)

Lauren enters from the living room where she had heard the conversation. She says, "Taylor, they are tutors. Tutors come to your class." Apparently she wasn't amused, but disgusted that her sister didn't get it.

So if you aren't laughing by now. Let me elaborate. When our kids are little and they pass gas, we oftentimes call it a "toot." Thus the person passing gas becomes the "tooter." As the kids get older the phrases farting and tooting are often intermingled. Thus Taylor's misinterpretation that the peer-age tutors were the farters in her mind.

We laughed and laughed about this one. I am still laughing even as I type. Definitely some needed comic relief. So if you are having a tough week, like I am. Live a little, laugh a little, and love your kids a lot.

Vacation!

Summer comes to a close...

We are back. I think Jason about had to pry me away from the Oregon Coast. I absolutely love it there. It was only in the high 70s at its hottest. My favorite activities were feeding the seals at the aquarium and learning to bodyboard in the ocean. SO FUN!

The kids loved to ride the old fashioned carousel, play at the beach, discover Uncle Dallin's latest seashell finds,dig in the sand with Uncles Dustin and Evan, swim in the pool, go on walks with "Nana and Bapa" (as Carter calls them), and feed the seals. The girls went on a Lewis and Clark "expedition" with my Mom one day that they found rather fun I must say.

Lauren loved to play in the sand and waves. Taylor didn't want anything to do with the waves, but played happily in the sand. Carter was happy to be outside with everyone. Jason loved to watch the beach sunsets. He also enjoyed golfing with my dad and bros where he decided he's good 11% of the time.

I tried all sorts of seafood one night at Doogers. Crab, Razor clams, scallops, prawns, calamari. (I was trying what everyone else ordered.) We didn't get to go clamming or crabbing. The guys didn't go fishing either, but we still had a lot of fun.

I enjoyed spending time with my family. I loved being with all my brothers as that doesn't happen too often. So, if you are reading this brothers of mine...You guys are the best and I love you!

It was a fantastic way to end the summer of 2008. My girls started school this morning so I'm enjoying spending some quality time with my little man CJ.

To Oregon or Bust!

We are going on vacation! Yahoo! My parents, my brothers, and my family are all going to Seaside Oregon for a week. So much fun in store. Yes some of that's sarcastic, some not so much. I am looking forward to spending time with my family, but sometimes the logistics of getting 10 people in the same place at the same time can be a nightmare. Oh well!
I'll be sure to take lots of snapshots that make you go hmmm.... and post them when I get home. Stay tuned.

I need to get caught up!

So many things and so little time to blog.

Let's see...
Taylor turned 5 on July 4. We went to the parade (of course.) She calls it hers and her favorite thing is the Americanas that stand on their horses. She also got a real pink cowgirl hat. She scarcely takes it off. We bought her a "cowgirl" outfit she could wear to church complete with belt buckle. So cute!




July 11-12 we had a family reunion in Garland, UT. I haven't been to this side of the family for years and it was great fun to see my cousins and catch up! My kids had a great time playing with new friends.
Sunday, the 13th, we left for Island Park. We were lucky enough to have the sweetest aunt share her timeshare week with us. We had a blast! Monday we went to West Yellowstone. JR and I decided to take the kids to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center. Kind of expensive, but if you want your kids to see bears up close, it's worth the $$$. The pass is good for 2 days so you can come and go as you please. My favorite was their bear named Sam. He was 1000 lbs. HUGE. He was fun to watch. I realized that I'd be petrified if I ever came upon a bear in the wild. I think he liked having his picture taken as you can see below.

If you look behind Sam, you can see his twin sister's head. She was goofin' around in the water.
I won't bore you with any more of the details of our trip, but check out the buffalo pics. We had them crossing in front of our car. Fun for the kids!

So after my exciting, toy-filled bath, we all drove down to Pocatello. Pocatello has this fun water park called The Ross Park Aquatic Complex. Fun to us Idaho folks, I'm sure nothing compared to the water parks you big city slickers enjoy. :) Anyway, here are a couple of pics of the fam having fun in the sun!

This week's events.

Tuesday morning Jason had the day off. I thought I'd take a few minutes for myself and relax in the tub. This is my view from the tub about 10 minutes into my bath. My considerate son felt that I didn't have enough to do in the tub with just my book. He decided to take matters into his own hands and empty out his toy drawer. Wasn't that nice? Apparently I didn't look like I was having enough fun. Kids are great, and I had to laugh... thus the picture.

Take this quiz to find out which princess you are!

You Are Aurora! (A.K.A. Sleeping Beauty.)

Thoughtful and loving. Authority figures probably have been sheltering you all of your life. Thankfully you're a very tranquil person who is content with what life has given you, but secretly you want to know how the outside world works.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Just some silly fun!

I got this off my cousin's blog. Fun to see how they turn out. Hey, ya never know, maybe you could get some great nicknames from these. I think my favorite is my Cartoon name. LOL!

1.YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Sandy Montana

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Moose Tracks peanut butter blossom

3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)
E Can

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Purple Otter

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Mortimer Payson

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
Caner

7. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The" + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Red Dr. Pepper

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Don Darwin

9.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names ) Moss Woodbury

10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Owen Ontario

11. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Spring Daisy

12. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now + "ie" or "y")
Strawberry Pantsie

13. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Toast willow

14. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: ("The" + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + "Tour") The puzzle rainbow Tour

And it begins..

So summer has started for us. Taylor graduated from preschool on May 19th. Lauren's last day of 1st grade was May 23rd. Swimming lessons start at Heise Hot Springs next week. The summer movie matinees have started. The Library's summer reading program starts next week. We are still waiting for the summer weather, but all other indications point to summer. Summer seems more daunting with 3 kids. What am I gonna do with them to keep them entertained, busy, learning, challenged, etc... I will probably run out of ideas in the middle of next week so if anyone has suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment or two. :)

I haven't posted for a while so I thought I'd leave some pictures of the last few weeks.

So, we broke down and bought the kids a trampoline. One of those that includes the safety enclosure. Huge! Everyone in the ward knew we had gotten a trampoline because you can see it from so far away. My younger brother Dustin decided he needed to come and play with my kids on it for old times sake. They had a blast!


A few weeks ago, we took the kids to Salt Lake for a quick getaway. We went to Hogle Zoo. So fun! We saw monkeys, buffalo, elephants, giraffes, zebras, tigers, etc... but my favorite part was this mother duck and her babies. They were walking down the sidewalk area where hundreds of people were walking. I don't know what part of the zoo she was coming from, but she was headed somewhere in a hurry. All the little ducklings were moving their webbed feet just as fast as they could go to keep up with her. Finally, she went underneath a fence and into a small grassy area underneath a monkey aerial enclosure. She had to jump off a concrete step (which was fairly high up). We watched as she jumped (no hesitation) and expected her babies to jump after her. For them it was a long drop (see picture below). It was the cutest thing to watch her turn around and quack at them to get them going. They all stood there pacing until one brave duckling took the leap. After that, one by one, they all leapt, following their mother's example. One hit a tree branch on the way down. One fell to the side a little bit, but they all made it. Then the mother duck gathered them together again, and they were on their way. It was so interesting and made me think about myself as a mother and letting my kids take chances and risks and simply setting a good example. What we can learn from nature.

Alta Cannon

Jason's Grandma died last Thursday. She was 84 years old. Her funeral is today so I have been reflecting on the memories I have of her. She might have been 5 feet tall, but only if she was on her tiptoes. She probably weighed at her heaviest 100 lbs. She was so tiny, yet so full of spunk! Grandma Cannon was ever a lady and inspired those around her to be such. She welcomed me into her home 12 years ago with loving open arms and has treated me like one of her own since then.

She couldn't let you leave her house without having had a Pepsi and a treat of some kind. She had a way with flowers and needles. She made things beautiful!

I learned something new about her last night at her viewing that I didn't know. Grandma's mother died when she was 18 months old. She really never knew her. Grandpa Cannon said that she asked, "How will I know my Mother when I see her?" He replied, "You won't know her, but she'll know you!" What a wonderful thought to think about last night as we celebrated Mother's Day. She was celebrating with her mother whom she didn't get the opportunity to know here on Earth.

What a comfort to have the gospel in my life at a time such as this. I am grateful for the long term perspective that I am able to have because of the restoration of the true church on the Earth today.

We love you and miss you Grandma!

Busy...Busy...

We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful weather yesterday. We took a picnic to the Falls, fed the ducks and geese, and people watched. Carter had his first encounter with a hissing Canadian goose. It was hilarious. Carter was getting closer and closer to the goose. Carter was holding out his hand like he does with our dogs and cats. I expected the goose to bite him (thinking that he had bread in his hand.)When he got within 6 inches of the goose's head, the goose hissed. I expected Carter to get scared and turn back towards me. When he turned towards me, he had the biggest grin on his face and he hissed like the goose with his tongue sticking out. So funny! He went back for more, but the goose decided now was the time to make his escape. I wish I would have had the video camera. It is so fun to see the world through children's eyes. I think that's one of the reasons we get to have children, to remind us of the pure joy of things around us.

Let's see...what else exciting has been going on in the Cannon household. Jas and I bought our first real bed (headboard, footboard) on Saturday. That was exciting. We also bought the matching chest of drawers. You know you are moving up in the world when you have an actual bed. Ha Ha! Yea for matching furniture.

The Celtic Woman concert was AWESOME! Some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard. The fiddler was like a little sprite dancing and playing on stage. She never looked at her violin. She was amazing! So much fun, and it was a blast gabbing with my Mom on the way there and back.

Boise, here I come!

I'm going to Boise this afternoon to see Celtic Woman in concert with my Mom. I'm SO excited! My mother in law showed me the DVD and I have been hooked ever since. Check out the video I posted. It's one of my favorite!

Celtic Woman - the Voice

New Calling

Sunday I was put into the Young Women's Presidency as the 1st Counselor. I was also released as YW Camp Director, and the Ward Choir Director. I'm excited about the new calling and relieved to be...ummm..."rid" of the old ones. Not so much the Camp Director cuz that was a blast, but the choir director...for sure. I did that for 4 years. I learned a lot but am excited to move on. I still have the organist calling, but hope to get released from that soon as well. So, anyway....if any of you have advice, ideas, etc... for me, I'd be happy to take it.

The latest

I took this picture this morning because I couldn't pass it up. Carter loves to shuffle along in anyone's shoes (but his own.) My thought was that he has big shoes to fill if he's gonna grow up to be like his Dad. Jason is a wonderful father and husband and I am grateful to have him in my life.


This was our Conference Saturday project...painting. It took some time and a lot of paint. I am so happy with how it turned out. Now I have to make some curtains with the basketball fabric I found.

Redecorating is fun to do!

I bought this Basketball chair from The Paisley Barn in Rigby. Carter absolutely loves it. He thinks it's fun to sit in it and swivel around. Occasionally he ends up reading a book in it, but usually he just sits in it and acts tough.

I bought the basketball chair to go in Carter's redecorated room. After Saturday, it'll be painted in Laker colors. I'm also trying to find Laker fabric to make valances for his windows. For those of you reading this who don't know my husband, he is a huge Laker fan, and has been since....well, since forever. Now he has someone to share it with.

Old Mac-Cannon had a farm?....

Ok. So this isn't ours, but isn't she cute, in a weird, donkey kind of way. Her name is Gelato, but we call her Jill. She is my Dad's Sicialian miniature donkey. Currently she is staying with a friend while my Dad is in Boise so we haven't seen her for awhile. Taylor adores her, of course.

So, we Cannons are looking for 2 baby pygmy goats to join our "farm." Anyone know where I can get some? Aren't they cute? I almost got a couple a few years ago, but decided it would be too much, but hey, we have 5 humans, 2 dogs, 2 cats, and the occasional chukar (it's a bird) out here, so why not add more to the chaos right? We saw some at McKee's in Pocatello and fell in love with them. They are so darn cute and fun to watch.

Easter eggs and Easter Dresses

My Mom made these dresses for the girls and ordered their beanies too. SO CUTE! Taylor hates having her picture taken, so this is the best we got.

Isn't my Mom lovely?


Here is my boy, all dressed up with a tie and all. He thought he was hot stuff!


Here he is, and he's all mine! I am a lucky woman!

This was at Rigby City Park where they have a egg hunt every year. The kids were freezing. Carter decided that he liked the smarties, and the shiny Reese's. He'd pass over everything else. Too funny!




These pictures were from Sunday. We had an egg hunt in our front yard. Quick and fun! We'll have candy from now until Halloween.