Just had to share

I was just so excited I had to share. Way back when, when I was still taking classes at BYU I was taking a "Writing for Children" class. Part of the class was to get things ready for submission to editors and stuff. I got into it for awhile and I loved the challenge of writing but actually getting anything published is pretty hard. Like a lot of people after a few rejection letters I gave it up and decided to spend my time elsewhere. Well today I got this e-mail...

Hi Christine,
Back in February, you sent us FamilyFun.com a suggestion on making
thank-you-note writing more fun. We kept it on file and I'm writing to let
you know that we would like to use this idea in our upcoming Feb 2009 issue.
We'd like to pay you $100 for this great idea.

If that's ok with you, please confirm your mailing address so we can send
out a check.

Debra Immergut
Senior Editor, Family Fun Magazine
Disney Publishing Worldwide

OK, OK so it's just a suggestion for a magazine but the fact that someone is paying me for my idea, my words on paper (or e-mail) is thrilling to me! (Ashley was thinking her mom was crazy as I'm jumping up and down reading my email)

Maybe I should pull out some of those other submissions...

A new addition

So we got a new addition to our family.



Another chinchilla.

You're probably thinking I'm crazy. Well it's a compromise for not getting another dog to replace Buddy.

Jeff met her breeder who works at PetCo. She said that she would be available mid November and then we never heard from her after repeated attempts to e-mail her. (I thought we might be getting out of it) All the sudden the lady calls and says "Your chinchilla is ready".

Well what could we do she's so adorable! She's a 3 month white chinchilla (kinda rare). Eventually when she's old enough we're hoping to put her together with Churro and perhaps we will have little chinchilla babies...so if you ever want a chinchilla...



With lots of discussion of names Taylor agreed on Chimichunga. We call her Chimi for short. (Taylor wanted an Americanized Spanish word he was familar with and he could pronounce)

Thanks goodness for crazy hair day!

OK today is Cheri, Jeff's sister's, wedding and Ashley is going to be the flower girl. We were supposed to put curlers in her hair to make it beautiful last night but I got home late from my meeting and she was hopelessly asleep.

So Plan B. Today was crazy hair day at school. Sooo...we put the curlers in and hopefully they'll be cooked enough by the end of the day to have curly hair. I'm sure the weather will help. With only her bangs left to be super crazy we thought we'd go with the unicorn look.



Jacob decided on the simple "I'm just not going to brush my hair today" look.



Now here's Taylor home sick today. I knew he wasn't feeling good when he called me after school for a ride, when he normally loves to walk. He told me about his horrible day of forgotten homework, lunch that made him sick to his stomache, a migraine, body aches, a nose bleed followed by another nosebleed as he had to sit on the blacktop for an hour during the nationwide earthquake drill. (Ashley had to complain about that too)He woke up today feeling just as bad if not worse so he's staying home watching TV and sipping soda from a Hannah Montana cup.

Halloween Aftermath

Here's our aftermath of Halloween...

First we have the prop 8 sign from the car. It's with gratitude that I'm retiring it. Just to let you know my 3rd prop 8 sign lasted through the rest of the elections, including a few overnight displays! I was thrilled. (I was glad I made sure to take it down Halloween night though, my brother-in-law who left his up got egged) After all the money, time, effort and heartfelt service from all those who worked to make it pass it would've been a huge let down if it hadn't. I think we all did our best to exercise our faith and then the Lord did the rest.

Then we have the candy wrappers from the candy I snuck while the kids were at school. (Shhhhh don't tell) It's horrible. Get me away from all this candy! It's not much better when they're home because they keep wanting it before dinner. Taylor doesn't even ask though he just sneaks it throughout the afternoon and evening. I see his bag getting more and more empty before my eyes...OK Taylor don't tell on me and I won't tell on you.

Next we have the aftermath of Ashley's pumpkin exploration project from her class at school. Let's start from the beginning. Here is Ashley's pumpkin. They were supposed to bring it to school so they could estimate how much it weighed, how big around it was and how many seeds it had. Cute idea...on paper.



So I was one of the parents who helped cut the tops of the pumpkins and scoop out all the goop. The kids were complaining a little about having to fish out the slimy seeds from the goop to put on their counter papers. I probably wasn't too sympathetic since I was up to my elbows in it.



So Ashley brings her pumpkin home and we put it on the stairs for a decoration. She never carved a face in it so I thought I'd just watch to see when it started to go moldy and then we would throw it out. Well this morning I was running out the door to drive a few sisters to the temple when I noticed that it had some mold on the outside. I thought I'd just quickly throw it away. When I picked it up it disintegrated in my hands and the black moldy bottom completely came off onto the carpet.

I ran to the kitchen trash with my fingers embedding farther and farther into the flesh trying not to drip all over my dress. I realized too late that without carving a face in the pumpkin it didn't dry out so as it started rotting it became a juicy mess.

This is what the carpet looks like now. I tryed sopping it up with some paper towels with no luck. I'm hoping the steam cleaner does a better job.



OK here's another souvenir from Halloween. Meet Blueberry Huffle Puff.




So Ashley and Jacob got goldfish from our trunk or treat. When we brought them home Halloween night Ashley was insistent that her fish was too cramped in the little baggie and she could see he was starving because we didn't own fish food. After about 10 times of stating this Jeff volunteered to go to PetCo at 9:30 at night to buy food and a fish tank. He even came home with a goldfish for Taylor. We spend the money, set it all up, got them their food and went to bed.

We woke the next morning to a tank full of dead fish.

So Jeff had to go back to the store the next morning and by Blueberry Huffle Puff the Beta fish, who is much too small for this huge tank.


So who was the nerd for Halloween?

Well there was Jacob...


And Jeff who I convinced to wear the nerd costume he concocted the night before when Taylor was taking pictures of him. He doesn't normally like to dress up but he sealed his fate when he walked out with it:) He really got into it too!


And then there was me who really didn't look so much like a nerd...maybe a color blind grandma with bad makeup.



Who knew you could have so much fun with coke-bottle glasses and crazy teeth.

Taylor was perfect as goofy this year...



And Ashley wore her costume from her dance recital. She thought she was Mary Poppins because that's the song she danced too. Jeff and I both agreed that she eerily looked more like Jean Bonet Ramsey.


The kids had fun at the trunk or treat, got way too much candy, had shed 1/2 of their costumes by the end of the night and were way too tired when they got home. But hey that's what Halloween is all about.

Just a reminder to GO AND VOTE.

Have you ever heard the quote that goes something like "the man who doesn't read has no advantage over those who are illiterate"

I feel that if we don't take the opportunity to vote we have no advantage over those who don't have the right or freedom to vote.

HAPPY VOTING!!