MLK Day

Truman was born 19 years ago on Martin Luther King's Day.

 It was on the 21st of that year. 

 We thought Truman was going to be a  girl....ultrasound mess up....so we were not prepared in any way for the surprise baby boy.

 We didn't have a name.

We liked that he was born on this holiday so we thought about naming him after Martin Luther King.

 We  considered naming him Martin......liked it, call him Marty....it was also a family name.   We even considered naming him King....but all of the boy's middle name is Cole, so King Cole Welch just didn't quite cut it.

 We settled on Truman after my grandpa Cole and Truman's Great Grandpa Truman Cole.  And it fit better because.......he wasn't  girl, he was Truly and Man.

Sorry Martin.

Laila's thoughts on Martin Luther King Day.

Laila:  I love him.  He saved my life.  Without him my life would be crappy and you wouldn't be my mom.

ME:  What do you mean by that Laila?

Laila:  Well he made it so skin color doesn't matter....so I love him.

Stripped Down Challenge

Because of the recent remodel and upcoming Shindigs ( Laila's Baptism and Truman's Farewell) I've been cleaning and trashing stuff and rearranging my house.

I saw a thing on Oprah that has really made me think.

Peter Walsh of Clean House ....had a challenge for families called the Stripped Down Challenge. The idea was to strip the unnecessary things out of your life and reconnect with your family.

Peter listed 6 rules for your family to follow for one week: (courtesy of Oprah.com)

Rule 1: No Cell Phones or Texting
Technology allows us to keep in touch in 24 hours a day, but that doesn't guarantee meaningful connections. "That's the confusion," Peter says. "You could lock yourself in a room and send a thousand e-mails a day and 100,000 text messages, but you are not connected."

For one week, ban the use of cell phones, texting devices and PDAs in your home. The short texts you often receive from your kids may just turn into real conversations!

Rule 2: No Electronics
How many times have you found your family watching the same show in different rooms? Can you even count the number of fights your children have over who gets to use the computer next? "[Shift] the focus of the family, and particularly children, away from self-parenting, away from TV, away from passive entertainment," Peter says.

Give your family the gift of peace and quiet by banning all electronic devices for one week. Institute family game nights, nightly story time or a daily walk to the park. By the end of the week, your family will realize the greatest entertainment in life comes from spending time with one another.

Rule 3: Prepare and Eat Healthy Meals Together
For families, no room in the home is more important than the kitchen. "The kitchen nourishes your family in so many ways," Peter says. "If your children are not receiving that nourishment—and not just the stuff into their mouths, but the stuff into their beings—if they are not getting that around the table, where are they being nourished?"

Stripping away the junk food and make healthy meals together is an instant way to reconnect. Try it for a week and you'll find that everyone in your family will feel better about themselves mind, body and soul.

Rule 4: Clean and Organize the House
Your home should be your sanctuary, and clutter does nothing but create tension and unrest in families. "If you're not connected to your home, if you are not connected to where you live, if your home doesn't bring you peace and calm and focus and harmony, where are you getting that from?"

Organize your home by following these decluttering commandments:

1. Decide which rooms need the most help and talk about your visions for it.

2. Sort FAST:
F ix a time and stick to it. Haul out any item that fits in one of the following categories:
A nything you haven't used in a year
S tuff that doesn't belong
T rash

3. Organize the remaining items into zones. For example, in the living room, create separate areas for toys, DVDs or video game systems and don't let anything creep out from those dedicated spaces!

4. Create new rules to keep your space organized. For example, an item from the basement can never make it past the stairs to other levels in the house, or each time you get a new game, donate an old one.

Each room poses its own challenge, so use this room-by-room guide if you're feeling stuck.

Rule 5: You Must Hug and Say "I Love You" to Each Family Member at Least Once a Day
With so many other distractions in your life, you may be neglecting to do the one thing your family needs even more than the latest video game system or designer dress. Everyone needs love and affection, and here's your chance to let your family know how you really feel about them.

Under this rule, moms and dads have a special assignment—have a date night! "One night once a month is worth a hundred weeks of vacation at the end of the year," Peter says. "Once a month, reconnect."

Rule 6: Create 6 New Stripped Down Rules at the End of the Week
This week may have been difficult, but it's also been eye-opening. Look back at what worked and what didn't. Continue to build upon the positive things that came out of the challenge by creating six new rules as a group and follow them for years to come.

You could limit cell phone use between certain hours at night or allow everyone only an hour of television a night. Continue having family dinners together or institute a weekly Sunday brunch blowout. Make Saturday mornings the time every person picks up the clutter they've let build up during the week, then reward everyone with a trip to the playground. Whatever rules you decide on, make sure they're in the best interest of every person in your home. "It's not magic," Peter says. "Spend time together. Be more active. Eat healthy. Avoid unhealthy foods and drinks, and you will start to transform your life in every way."



It seems like an interesting challenge - for one week. I admit that it would be harder on me than it would on the kids. The thought of giving up my BlackBerry is a scary one. I can't imagine life without my computer or TV. Really?

I am thinking about getting Peter's book: It's All Too Much.

TA-DA.......New KITCHEN Before and Afters

I can't believe this is really in my house......

  After talking a new kitchen into existence for 8 LONG years....I finally got a new space.  

Presenting.............KITCHEN/Family Room Remodel 2010

We knocked down 3 walls, 2 of them load bearing.... we put in a beam and a post.  We retextured walls, got stainless appliances, granite and solid surface counter tops, knotty alder painted and stained cabinetry, canned lighting, and added new flooring.  

It only took  a little over 2 months ......and many sleepover nights at my mom's, but it was well worth it..  

 We have a new laundry/bathroom too which makes it a joy to do laundry...yeah, right. Who am I kidding. 

This is actually what started it all last January.  

The only bathroom that we didn't re-do in our bath remodel of 2007-2008 was the laundry one on the main floor.  The toilet began to leak into the ceiling of the new downstairs bathroom.  We turned off the water and didn't use the toilet for almost a year. 

" IF we are having to get a new bath, we might as well do a kitchen at the same time.....?"

It worked.

I'm ecstatic about our new space!!! Maybe even ecstatic enough to want to cook and feed my family glorious meals every night.....what?  I got a bit carried away.

 Enough of the blah--blah....let's have a look see.

This is a picture of the Family room before...............

And the family room with new paint.....and furniture arrangement. (and a dog wandering through)

Bathroom/Laundry room before.....



And After......

Before...



AFter.....

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After.........

Kitchen before..........  

After...............

Before.......

After.............

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Painted the back door with chalk board paint...the kids are loving it.

I painted out my old dining set white and blue.....

AND THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER... Wouldn't it be great if a remodel really did solve all of life's problems?

Thankful Thursday

It's the 14th of January and I'm just getting around to being Thankful.....my, oh my...

1. I'm thankful for tweezers and a good mirror. Nuf said

2. I'm thankful Marcie scored me some Hale Center Orem tickets for 101 in the Shade this summer. Two Broadway theatre stars are performing. I'm so excited. Happy Birthday to me!

3. I'm thankful sis- Marcie and friend- Laura became first time Grandma's this week. I'm thankful all went well with the momma's and the babies.

4. I'm thankful for my new kitchen/family room space. This will probably be on every thankful post for the entire year. It's FABULOUS....yes, pics are coming.

5. I'm thankful for my puppy who begs to sit on my lap when I'm on the computer.

6. I'm thankful for hats. I need my hair colored desperately.

7. I'm thankful "All Shook Up" at BHS is going well. So much hub-bub for nothing. It's great to see the kids performing and having so much fun singing and dancing.

8. I'm thankful for my Wayne. He's been gone this week ( Vietnam) , and I'm really missing him. Can't wait for snuggling this weekend.

9. I'm thankful my dad was able to go to Monson's Basketball games with me. He is a great sports enthusiast. It was fun to cheer with him and just be with him. I'm thankful BHS beat WX.

9. I'm thankful

Random PIcs

This is what I always look like at my Monday School Online Staff Meeting:

This is what I always feel like when it's over.....

OH....and it is a sneak peak of my remodel.....

HAVE A HAPPY MONDAY!!

Happy Birthday Secret Agent Man

For Wayne's birthday, all he wanted was a place to sit down in his house.
Wow.
After two months in the remodel...Wayne has had it!!
He is sick and tired of being banished to the bedroom with all of the family on top of all of the mess.
Well........................He got his wish.
Truman and I hauled the family room furniture out of the living room today, and set it up right before Wayne walked in the door.
Surprise!
He was thrilled.!!!!
No presents just a chair to sit in......the new kitchen is his present.....(It's good to start getting things back around, and I'm loving the new space. I'll post pics soon)

He did get some gifts .................
For Christmas we gave Wayne new license plates for his Jag.


AND.....a framed Baby Blues cartoon strip that typifies Wayne's life.


It reads:
Hammie: Hey dad, my teacher wants you to speak at our school's career day
Dad: Me???
Hammie: Yeah. She says your job sounds interesting.
Dad: Really? Wow! I'm flattered! Not many people think what I do is all that exciting.
Hammie: You are a CIA agent, right?

Dad: Why did you tell your teacher that I'm a CIA agent??
Hammie: I thought you were!
Dad: Hammie, I'm an Assistant Deputy Director of Nonessential Goods in the Purchasing Division! Does that sound like a CIA agent to you?
Hammie: No. It sounds like a cover for a CIA agent
Dad: I'M A DESK JOCKEY!

My Undercover Agent leaves for VietNam soon.....he'll be in and out of that country in a very short amount of time. I'm just saying.....

Happy Birthday Boyfriend!!!

2000-2010

2010 is here.

We are a decade into the 2,000's and it feels good.

It's fun to remember the New Years Eve of ten years ago.

We all got food storage for Christmas because "the end" could be here.

We dressed up in sparkly outfits and tuxedos to share the one "last" dance.

We made "2000" glasses and put together a time capsule.

Our 4 boys and extended family all celebrated at sis Marcie's home. ( Laila was in heaven watching)

We feasted on Prime rib and bread pudding....

We didn't know if our bank's computers would be working the next day to keep track of our money.

We did fireworks in the fog. We couldn't even see across Davis Blvd. the fog was so thick.

We wondered what tomorrow would bring, or if it would come at all.

I was only 37.....so young!

It was a fun New Year's Eve celebration and a little nerve wracking, all at the same time.

I know I'm not the only one who felt this way...

So..... it's good to be 10 years into this millenium.

In this decade......

I've gained and lost the same 35 pounds.

Added Laila to our family

Traveled to Scotland, England, Germany, China, Mexico, Belize, Dominican Republic, Carribean.....and New York many times.

Been in 4 shows.

Driven 4 different family cars

Went back to teaching school...first in the classroom at BHS, and now online.

Gotten better on the computer.

Started Emailing.

Became a Facebooker

I text

joined the blogging community

chaperoned on 5 choir trips

lost my Father in law and my Grandma.

visited my parents on their mission.

sent a son on a mission.

went to the winter Olympics.

remodeled our home.

Whew....I'm tired just thinking about it.

Now we are on to the next decade......Yippey!