Girls Scrapbooking Weekend

My weekend away was just what the doctor ordered! It was completely awesome and I can't wait to do it again. I went with my friend, Heather, and three other girls (that I hadn't met before) for a weekend of scrapbooking up in the mountains. We scrapped, we talked, we snacked, we drank, we cried, we shared. And it was completely wonderful. The other girls were very warm and welcoming and I feel like I've been friends with them forever. We left late Friday afternoon and I think we were all settled in and scrapbooking by 7:00. We kept at it until the wee hour of 1:00 am. Crazily enough we were up with the chickens on Saturday morning and right back at it, again until about 1:00 am. Then we were up early on Sunday to clean up and head back to civilization.

A couple of my completed pages

The rest of the girls

Suzanne made hairbows for her daughter, then modeled all of them for us!

So, as you can see, a great time was had by all, especially by those who consumed tiny quantities of wine.

Crazy Product Reviews

Since I've been laying around the house just oh-so-queasy today I thought I would take advantage of my downtime to share some of my favorite products that I have discovered in the past month.

This first product is actually something that my mom discovered and passed along to me. I'll admit, when she first gave me a can I thought she was completely crazy, but much to my chagrin, this was once again a time when my mom really did know what she was talking about! Do you love pancakes or waffles but hate to make a mess in the kitchen? And are you basically lazy? Then this is the product for you. Basically the batter is in a can like whipped cream. How crazy is that?!?!? You just squirt it onto a hot griddle in whatever size or shape you want, and presto, instant pancake. Simply delicious! Brian even declared them the best pancakes he has ever had . . . next to Cracker Barrel that is. We plan to keep some around the house, especially with all of the house guests we always have. We also intend to bring some on our next camping trip. Check out http://www.batterblaster.com/ for more info. Oh, this marvelous product can be found at Costco.

OK, this next product is not yummy and not for those who are easily grossed out. In fact, a little known character flaw that Brian has is that he is completely, irrationally grossed out by feet. Even baby feet. But that is another story . . . back to the review. A friend at school talked up the Ped Egg so much that I had to try it. After just one use years of grossness vanished from my feet, and has been kept at bay, for weeks. I swear, it made my feet as soft and smooth as baby's feet! I've since decided that there is absolutely no reason for anyone in Arizona to have gross feet. People pretty much wear sandals, flip-flops and open backed shoes all year long here. I may even consider carrying around an extra one just to hand out to nasty feet offenders as I come across them. Brian even tried it and had to admit it is simply wonderful. There is one, teeny, tiny, sort of disgusting part of using the Ped Egg. After use one must open it up to empty the shavings. I wasn't properly prepared for the first time I did this. It was pretty horrifying. It looked like I was dumping out about 1/4 of a cup of coarse sea salt. So, since you are now prepared this won't be as gross for you. You can find these dandy little items at drugstores everywhere.

I hope you have found these product reviews helpful, and maybe even a little entertaining. What is your favorite new product you have discovered?

Seems Like Old Times

For the first time in a very, very, very long time life seemed normal this past weekend. Brian and I spent lots of quality time together and the failures of the past year weren't hanging over our heads. On Saturday we slept in and then I made Belgian waffles for breakfast. Yum, I mean really, what's better than waffles on a Saturday morning? Later after a great workout at the gym (to work off those waffles) we spent the afternoon in the pool. That evening we went to the movies to see Bourne Ultimatum and then to Johnny Rockets for a hamburger. It's been way, way, way too long since we have gone to the movies on a Saturday night!

On Sunday morning we got up early to go on a little Arizona adventure day trip. We had read about a scenic drive through the Sonoran desert just east of Phoenix called the Apache Trail. The drive started about 50 miles from our house, and would take us about 50 miles through the Superstition Mountains past 3 lakes. So, after a quick breakfast (no fancy waffles, just cereal) and a quick stop at Starbucks, we were on our way. Oh, our purpose of the trip was two-fold. 1) we wanted a change of scenery and 2) we wanted to scope out future recreational/camping activities. We were off to a great start and made it to the first lake, Canyon Lake. Even with holiday weekend crowds it wasn't crowded at all. We decided it would be a fun place to go back and visit and we liked how it was really easy to get there. We continued on our way, and found that the road abruptly became a curvy, twisty, bumpy, single lane unpaved road. With a speed limit of about 10 mph.




However, the views were stunning, there wasn't much traffic, and we had a great time. We made it to the second lake, Apache Lake, and decided that was a place where we wouldn't mind spending a couple of days. We would really like to rent a boat for a day and explore the 17 miles of lake through the canyons. Then we continued on our way along the dirt road to the bridge, dam and lake at Roosevelt Lake. Then the time came to turn around and do it all over again in reverse. We stopped again at Apache Lake to have lunch at the resort before continuing home. All in all, it took us about 8 hours to travel 200 miles.

Thanks for all of the suggestions for a theme name for our upcoming IVF. I'm working on a post with all of the names in the running so that you can vote on them. Look for that in the next day or two. And of course, it's not too late to submit a suggestion! Please keep them coming!

A Theme For Me

I need a theme, or a motto, if you will, to sum up this IVF adventure. As such, I need help. From you folks. How? I need your cleverness, as mine seems to be as dried up as my shriveled up ovaries are reputed to be. I say reputed because I am holding out hope, and lots of it, that they are going to come through for me in the next six weeks. OK, I'm getting a little off target here. Back on track.

I don't want to call this IVF#1 because even though it is, by specifing "#1" that implies that #2, #3 or #4 may be down the road. And that isn't going to happen. And that isn't me just talking trash right now. That is just how it is.

Here are a few thoughts that have crossed my mind:
IVF - Baby or Bust
IVF - Deal or No Deal
IVF - Maybe Mayer

OK, so apparently there are only two ideas that have crossed my mind. This is why I need your help. I'm begging you, please submit your ideas to me, in the comments section. I swear, it's really easy. Just go to the end of this post and click on comments and then do what it says. You don't have to have a blog to do this, and you don't have to sign up for anything. After I get some more ideas I'll list them in another post and open it up for a vote. And, the clever person submitting the winning theme will receive a highly coveted prize. So coveted, in fact, that I can't even mention it here. Coveted, I say!

Hmmm, Just As I Feared . . .

Your Mind is 45% Cluttered

Your mind is starting to get cluttered, and as a result, it's a little harder for you to keep focused. Try to let go of your pettiest worries and concerns. The worrying is worse than the actual problems!

How Cluttered is Your Mind?

Your Life is Rated PG

Your life is pretty family friendly. The worse someone is going to get from you is brief nudity or toilet humor.

What is Your Life Rated?

You Are 72% A Child of the 80s

Not only did you experience the 80s... you are practically an expert. You should be totally stoked!

Are You a Child of an 80s?

Your Chances of Being a Multimillionaire: 68%

You have a good chance of being a multimillionaire. Better than most people. You simply have a natural knack for money and the personality for success.

Will You Be a Multimillionaire?

OK, enough of this foolishness (for today)! I'm going to go get some exercise, run an errand (read: buy some OPK sticks), have lunch with my mom and cousins, and later this evening (get ready for just how big of a dork I am) we are going to the American Idol concert!

I Hope My Ovaries Know This!

Updated: I had to manually type in my results because for some reason it appears on the "edit" screen and on the "compose" screen, but not the actual published blog. Weird. Anyhow, apparently I don't act my actual age of 40. But then, everyone who knows me already knew this! Let's just hope my ovaries aren't acting their actual age either.

You Are 31 Years Old

You Are 31 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?