So true.

The other day Paige was singing to this song on our blog, by David Cook, "Time of my Life"--can you hear it now? Yes, this is the one.

After she sang the lyrics, "this is the time of my life" over an over again,

she paused.

Then said, Mom

you know what?

They should have this song playing as you walk around Disneyland

because while you are there,

you are really having the time of your life!

Well said, my girl. Well said.

{from the Disneyland Trip Summer 2006 Archives}

Fabu Five.

Our Trevor had just a few requests for his birthday this week, and they are as follows:

Decorations.

Batman cupcakes for his preschool friends.

His best chum, Nathan.

Bean burritos, cheese crisps, and nachos.

A pirate-guy-with-a-patch-and-earring cake.

Candles.

And, well, presents. Always presents.

Trevor we love you so much, and we bless the day that you joined our family. Happy 5th year!! You are a giant among men (not to mention five-year-olds.)

**{Yes, Ms. Jaimi, he wore that birthday crown ALL DAY LONG, except for when he bowed his head for prayers...we love our boy and his penchant for head-wear)

idol, er, idle talk.

My hubs tells me I coulda been on American Idol

and I'm like,

honey, yes, I can sing in church,

but this is a whole 'nother ball game, yo.

Plus, I'm 31.

And a half.

And I'm not competitive enough.

Me: Oh, no, really. You have a better voice. You should win.

You're a welder, single mom, struggling artist?

Yes, you take it. I'm good.

However, I'm not sayin' I don't have that hairbrush in hand in front of the mirror every now and then.

{Trev playing with my camera a few weeks ago.}

Photo of the Day

You can barely see Paige, but I still love it. It's artsy.

Quarantine.

**Update 2/21: Boys are on the mend. They slept all night last night, no coughing attacks. The meds and breathing treatments are doing the trick. T & P are back to their antics, and we are so glad.

(sigh.)

It's been quite the turn of events today.

Trevor has been sick all week with this persistent fever and cough. Of course, we just figured it was a cold which would run it's course.

Preston has seemed fine, with a little runny nose. Last night he said his ear hurt a little, but slept fine. Well, all was not fine.

No sir.

After letting me vegg in front of the computer this morning and rest, rest, rest, Steve took the two big boys to the doctor.

Diagnoses:

Preston--Double ear infections and strep throat (what?)

Trevor--Strep throat and Pneumonia (what, what?!)

So, once I got the news from Daddy per cell phone, I got off my keister and began The Disinfection. Lysol wipes and spray on every door knob, light switch, toilet, and hard surface. Washing towels, toothbrushes, etc, etc, etc. (All done with the intermittent changing of the gauze and swishing, naturally.)

Our cute boys came home and we babied and nursed them. Preston and that constitution of his, are no match for illness. So, even though he would not let up that infection is festering, I still cuddled him. Poor Trev has a rough life right now. He is so weak and lethargic, but he's so diligent about running to the toilet if he thinks his coughs are "too big" and the throw ups are coming.

(sigh.)

Fingers xx, Miss Paige and Baby Goo are still fine.

(sigh.)

We are in quarantine, folks. 36 hours, max. Anti-biotics, do your magic.

We want these guys back.

Not so wise.

A Eulogy

(though somewhat insensitive to the deceased)

Four very large wisdom teeth were removed from the mouth of Lisa A. Owens yesterday. They had been her constant companions these past 12 years. A source of pain as they slowly, ever-so-slowly erupted. Those little food-traps came in, uninvited, and for no reason whatsoever, (along with the appendix, they are completely unnecessary, you know) they pushed around her other perfectly fine teeth like a quartet of bullies...

A very capable and double-accredited oral surgeon (both MD and DDS--impressive) extracted them with care, and unbeknownst to the patient. Before the procedure, he kindly even prescribed her a couple happy little pills called Xanex, that made the transition from pre-surgical-anxiety to la-la-land quite pleasant, indeed. These not-so-wise, pointless molars are now a thing of the past, put to rest in a red, biohazard container. And, good ridance, I say. Good ridance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My "at-home-nurse", hubby, has taken good care of me, what with replacing my gauze, monitoring my many medications and reminding me to take them on schedule, pureeing my food and making delicious fruit smoothies and shakes, entertaining the children and taking care of them, all of whom were up last night too....

Steve is having lots of fun wrapping me in my Ace bandage and ice. He thought we needed a photo for posterity--and a good laugh for our dear family and friends who might be interested:

And this is me after he showed me the picture:

"Is this really necessary?", I say to him. "I'm not even that swollen."

"Doctor knows best.", says he.

It's a good thing I have a pretty good self-image, or this could be really embarrassing....

Post-script: If you read my next post, you will see that many of my quirks wouldn't lend themselves well to this whole surgery procedure, soft foods, whatnot...but I did it, I'm doing it so maybe, just maybe, I'm a big girl now.

Tagged--Quirks times 6

Only 6?

I'll try.

1. I get nauseous if people start talking in depth about needles, surgical procedures, puss, etc... It's cliche, but I really am a child about needles. Even with all my pregnancies and births, I still have to turn my head and squeeze my eyes tight. I can't look when my kids get their immunizations. I was extra brave with my Gavin pregnancy--hormone shots once a week in my hip for 16 weeks!! (administered by my husband)

2. I won't step on the shower drain.

3. I usually don't remember anything unless I write it down on the calendar or if it's a continuing occurence (preschool, etc). I'm really quite scatterbrained and have to be quite deliberate about keeping my family organized because it does not come naturally to me.

4. I procrastinate most things...I've gotten better through the years, but I still wait until the last minute to prepare lessons, talks, FHE, rehearsing songs I'm singing...though I feel the tendency is fueled because some of my best work occurs on the spot/under pressure....go figure.

5. I am disgusted when people brush their teeth anywhere than over the bathroom sink. To each his own, but this is just me. Before we got electric toothbrushes, sometimes my hubby would try to carry on a conversation, walking around with his toothbrush in his mouth, ....ahhh!!! It had to be stopped!

6. I bite my fingernails. Always have. The only time I don't is when I'm pregnant. Then I have these long, pretty nails. Must be the prenatal vitamins. Though, I am making a conscious effort to stop these days...

Oh, I thought of a #7. I have an aversion to any soft, slimy foods like yogurt and pudding. Seriously, if I eat them plain, my stomach starts turning...They must have nuts, granola, cookie-crumbs, or something crunchy in them or it makes me ill. Even guacamole, which I love with chips and anything else, makes me nauseous if I lick the spoon after I've made it. Oh, and don't get me started on mayonnaise...


I tag whoever is feeling quirky.

What did you do this week, valentine??

I {heart} Valentine's Day. A whole lot. So, we made the most of it this week.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First, I made these:

With these little peeps:

So, they could take them to their teachers ('cept for the one who is in public school cuz of those paranoid rules about "store-bought" treats only...well, I guess I can't help but agree with this rule, except when the treats come from MY house!)I got the idea from Bakerella, queen of cupcakes. These are inspired from her Cake Pops, but I made 'em heart-shaped on account of the holiday. And if you decide to do it, alls I'm sayin' is be prepared to set aside a few hours.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Paige and I took it upon ourselves to surprise her teacher with a jar of "Happy Hearts" from her entire class and parents. I got the idea from Family Fun Mag, and tweaked it a little. This is what we did: I sent home a note a week ago with 3 cut out hearts. The instructions were for the child and parent to write a small note of gratitude to the teacher, things they love and appreciate about her.

This of course was all hush-hush, until we presented the jar for V-day. I went to the class with 3 boys in tow, gave the jar to Paige, sat the class down as I explained to the teacher what we had been up to all week. Paige then stood in front of the class and read the poem attached to the jar {hmm...I wonder where she found a willing poet?} as Mrs. Curtis cried her eyes out.

I cannot believe I didn't take a pic of the actual jar or Paige with her teacher....arghh, but it was this:

With lotsa red and pink hearts and 2nd grade handwriting

with this attached:

Happy Hearts

Inside this jar are “happy hearts”--
from your students, comes this gift.
If you read one everyday
you’ll give your heart a lift!

So, enjoy all of the “happiness”
about to come your way.
From our hearts to yours
on this Valentine’s Day!

Mrs. Curtis’ Class & Parents --2009

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We had a delicious V-day breakfast of, what else? Heart-shaped, whole grain, flax-seed-infused pancakes, sans-butter-with-maple-syrup, homemade berry syrup and strrrawberrrries. Of course.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The culmination was a V-day couples dinner with some wonderful friends of ours. The theme was Asian slash Romance inspired.

Here is my pretty table setting , that I want to leave here forever.

And ever.

{see the chopsticks?}

The menu was a group effort:

Sweet & sour chicken & sticky rice
Fried rice

Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Potstickers

Egg rolls

Cran-Raspberry Fizz Drink

And below are the result of my recent chocolate-dipping addiction that turned out beautifully, if I do say so...

These are those same Cake Pops, but without the stick.

Aren't they deliciously adorable? It's a pseudo-truffle-surprise! Cake inside!!

You must check out this phenomenal creation cupcake woman made for V-day. The truffle idea was hers.

The best part was flopping down on the couch at the end of the night with my own valentine and thanking my lucky stars for all the love.

Orange.

Uh-kay.

I appreciate all the improvements and what-not that is being done on the local roads, but wow, the insanity is everywhere.

On the way to the gym.

On the way to preschool.

On the way to church.

On the corner where our church is located.

On the corner of Paige's school.

On the corner of my grocery store,

video store,

library,

Target!!!

Ahhhh!!

I've never been a fan of orange, and now,

the color is becoming

less

and less

appealing.

It's pronounced "fawn-dunt".

I had some fun at Michael's today.

Michael's is a craft store chain--you may have heard of it. I've recently been introduced to Hobby Lobby, another of it's kind and notably more extravagant, but my loyalty still lies with Michael's for my crafty endeavors--mostly because of it's proximity to my home.

I went with 40% coupon in tow and took in all the red and pink {for it is Valentine's Day this weekend, dontcha know?}

I left with lotsa baking stuff this time---please stay posted, for I will be wowing you (fingers xx) with some edible Valentine's creations that I will be attempting for my youngsters to take to preschool this week and also for a little V-day dinner. Sometimes, my eyes are bigger than my abilities...but I still try.


So, I picked up some fondant. Why? Because:

1) Paige and I {and the boys, sometimes} are HUGE fans of the Food Network Challenge--Cake show. Oh man, the edible art that these people create is...well, wow.

2) Paige has been dreaming of playing with fondant and making a fancy cake.

3,4,&5)Paige dreams of having her own cooking show.
And of our family having a cooking show.
And of creating a masterpiece on the Cake Challenge.

So, I picked up some fondant.

Little did I know that her response to "Guess what I picked up today?", followed by the unveiling, would be squealing, dancing, and bouncing...etc.

Actually, I kinda did know.

This is why I love her.

She is crafty.

She gets excited about food.

She is so my daughter.

Tag-ish.

Here's a super fun tag that my friend Kelly did and now I'm "Paying It Forward".

The deal-e-o:

"Here's how it works-the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well-before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then come back, let me know you're going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Remember that only the first 3 comments will receive a gift from me, so be quick!"

I'll be waiting for your comments with baited breath to see who the lucky winners are....

Hat Rack.

my head's for thinkin' i suppose,
my 'magination's wild as a huckleberry rose.

lotsa new stuff is stored each day
inventions and songs and games to play.

my doctor says it's pretty big for my size,
but mom says its for all those brains inside.

but mostly my head's for housing my hats:
red, blue, yellow, green, white and black.

i sport one most days if the inclination arises
{inclination's a big word on account of my brain size.}

in fact, my morning dress is not a "wrap"
unless i've adorned my head with a cap.

my mom's a great gal, she even allows me
to wear a hat on the way to church, Sunday.

so if you're in need of a cranial accessory
just knock twice on my door
and say, "open sesame".

i'll know it's you since you know the code.
just take care of my hat, it's my smart head's abode.

The Wools.

Preston, you need to put your clothes on when you're done going potty, k? You can't just run around naked, I say.

Alright mama, says he.

Yeah, those are the wools. No hitting with swords and no running around naked, says his big brother.


It's good to have reminders now and then.

indulgence sans chocolate...and guilt.

I just had this:

...a bubblin' on top of this:

And have you ever heard the phrase, "awakening your senses"?

It applies here.

Wow, it was delishiosis.**

**delishiosis (adj.): the act of being excessively yummorific or possessing deliciousness

: not a disease

: first termed by Trevor S. Owens in 2008

A piece.

Before: all clutter-ish and wimpy-ish

{and blurry}


After: all chunky-ish and substantial-ish. Lots of room for books, music and whatever else I decide upon. Now, Mr. Wimpy Bookshelf can boost his self-esteem as he has a prominent place in our Master, next to our green velvet reading chairs.

One-on-one.

We came up with this idea:

Daddy/Mommy/kid date.

Trevor is starting it off.

And he is stoked.

And he and his dad make a handsome pair.

And we had a good-ol-fashioned-johnny-rockets-kinda-good-time.

I even got a good-night-kiss!

birthday after-thought.

{"sooo...what do I do now?"}

{the siblings helped decorate this one.}

{"you guys have been holding out on me! this stuff is good!}

{our delicious chunk-o-rama is one.}

magical disappearing act.

where o where has my little babe gone?
i've looked in the cradle,
i've searched all day long.

he's disappeared i tell you,
nowhere in sight.
my infant has vanished,
can you sense my plight?

that baby who cuddled,
and kicked, and cooed.
is replaced by a toddler,
another small person in my brood.

you see, i'm poetic--
he's not gone, per se.
he just had a birthday
and he's "one" today.

as if this sweet little cherub
could sense a coming change--
as if he knew he was older
his abilities he did rearrange.

no more sitting idly by,
why, first steps were taken.
he learned "thumbs up" and
said "ball" and, well, i was mistaken

that my baby would stay
and always remain.
that just once one wouldn't change--
just continue the same.

change is constant.
we learn that at birth.
God wants us to change,
to refine while on earth.

so, i'll let him keep changing.
i guess it's okay.
for the other ones did--
and they're better each day.

disappeared, that small baby,
the one not yet "one",
but how pleased i can feel
that the magic lives on.

magic, like change,
is constant you see.
it's the marvelous presence
of possibility.

so change and grow
my magician, my doll.
i've got photos and memories
to keep you small.

happy birthday, gavin.
love, mommy
**written for his birthday on January 25, 2009

The last night of 2008.

I forgot to mention our awesome New Year's celebration with our little ones...

We had a fancy, schmancy dinner.

MENU:

Marinated, Grilled Salmon

Garlic Potatoes

Asparagus

Spinach Salad

{I realize that the next question is: "Did your kids actually eat that?" And, I non-chalantly reply, "Oh yeah. It's one of their favorite meals."}

Then, for dessert, we headed out to the backyard and toasted up some S'mores. Yes, S'mores in the winter. And let me tell you, they taste just as good as those Summer S'mores.

I love that "the-fire-has-mesmerized-us" thing they've got goin' in this photo.

In the end, we rang in the New Year with a classic countdown, the banging of various loud things, the tooting of horns, and a little sparkling Martinelli's in fancy goblets (without breaking even one in the process).

We finished off our evening with a little "Kung Fu Panda".

Then the kids headed to bed when the clock struck "2:00am."**

It was awesome.

**I had a pretty super idea to include our kids in the New Year's celebration which included making a deal with Father Time. Since my daughter likes to read this blog now and then, and I'd like to continue this tradition, I'm speaking in code. If you're real creative, you just might be able to figure it out.