tagged again.....

O.K. here we go---this time for Kylie and Angie, they used to be a beloved niece and friend, now we'll see...

8 favorite t.v. shows...

1. The Office
2. Regis and Kelly
3. Friends
4. Scrubs
5. Jon & Kate Plus 8
6. Grey's Anatomy
7. Extreme Home Makeover
8. Paula Deen cooking love her accent

8 things I look forward too...

1. My house staying clean
2. My first million dollars in the savings account
3. My kids sleeping through the night (obviously these are not in order of importance because this is #1 in importance)
4. Seeing my scuzin this summer, she rocks
5. Summer break and a more relaxed schedule
6. San Antonio in 2009
7. Taking the Kids to Orlando
8. Getting all the life used up on the Saturn mini-van so we can move on to our next vehicular mistake

8 things I did Yesterday...

1. Got four kids off to school
2. Got Carter and i ready and out the door by 8 am
3. Doctor appointment in Wenatchee
4. Shopping at Target
5. Buying yummy bread at Great Harvest
6. Shopping and lunch with Courtney at Costco
7. Laundry
8. Read some more of "Emma" (I'm a little consumed with the complete novels of Jane Austen right now)

8 years ago I....

1. I was only 30 and thought I was so old
2. I had three kiddos a 5 year old, 4 year old and 5 month old and all were at home (well duh I meant they weren't in school yet)
3. I taught preschool at my house on Daisy Street
4. I was Young Womans' President
5. I was enjoying Jackson's first 5 months of remission!
6. I was shopping for or had just bought a mini-van to replace the one Michael rolled with Sierra and I in it!
7. My Grandpa Bishop had just died a few weeks earlier
8. Probably did loads of laundry

8 things on my wish list...

1. Michael's income does not decrease with the economy
2. Jackson stays in remission perm.
3. My children continue in health
4. My house magically sprouts curtains and baseboards
5. My desire to exercise increases (or starts)
6. A chef picks my family to work and slave for to the end of time
7. My sister gets to quit her job sooner rather than later
8. Michael will want to go to London with me --oh and New York too (I'll go without him, but it would be nicer with him)

8 favorite restaurants...

1. Chang Changs---oh where did you go you best of all Chinese food?
2. La Cabana
3. Cafe Rio
4. Red Robin
5. Costco Hot Dogs!
6. The Salt Lick ---thank you scuzin and scuzin husband
7. Red Lobster
8. Bennets

Done done done done done done done done

Valentines Day

It is a little past valentines day but this year was so good I just had to relive it through the blog. I can't remember if I blogged about it but summer 2008 I lost the large diamond in my wedding ring when I took the kids swimming at Allred's pond. Since then I have worn nothing or a $6.00 ring I bought at claires (but then the fake stone fell out of that too--I'm death to diamonds). Anyway I woke up early on v-day to shower and get ready for Zoe's Princess party. I found this note on my bathroom mirror.

Then I got to go on a treasure hunt, just imagine my excitement, I LOVE TREASURE HUNTS! I am always putting one together for our kids and Michael always makes fun of me for it. After finding four more not so easy clues I found my new diamond in my wedding ring. I couldn't believe that Michael did this all on his own, in fact I was pretty sure Mom or Courtney had been involved in some small way at least but they hadn't a clue about either. When all was said and done Michael discovered he didn't even have to buy me a diamond--I had so much fun on the treasure hunt he said I could have found a pixie stik and still been happy! It's true the fact he went to the jewler, did the clues and hid them and kept the secret to surprise me was worth far more than any diamonds, I felt so loved. Great valentines day honey--can't wait for Mothers day!!(j/k Michael!)

Presenting Princess Zoe Ciel....

Hear ye, hear ye the Kingdom of Noftle announces to all you villagers that her Royal Highness, Princess Zoe Ciel is officially celebrating her 6th birthday. The Royal page is too lazy to include pictures of her from babyhood up so deal villagers, deal! Zoe's party was fun, what isn't fun about 11 princess's getting together for games and food. They hunted treasure, picked up candy hearts with chopsticks, played pin the crown on the princess, and had a Royal tea party with pinkies up if you please.

Here are some facts about my baby girl, she loves to tell you she loves you. Every morning when she heads off to school she tells us "Mom and Dad I love you more than you love me" we say that we love her more, and go back and forth before we give in and let her "win"! Zoe loves to dance, and her moves make me wonder if she isn't sneaking off to Vegas during her sleepwalking. I know I didn't teach her to dance like that! She will eat broccoli over candy any day--she prefers both, but I have tested this theory-- a bowl of broccoli, corn, peas, carrots always beats a piece of candy! She is easily embarrassed, and can play the shy part if she is in the mood. She loves to swim and play house. She can be your best friend one minute and your tormentor the next, just ask Carter! She is lovable, and huggable and our family is better with her in it. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZOE!

Samantha is 12 read all about it....

Yes my big girl is another year older. I don't know if I have mentioned before that I don't throw friend parties every year or not. Well I don't I took the advice of my good friend Chriss and I have set ages 3, 6(Kindg. year), 8, 12, 16, and 18 for their "friend" party years. I'm happy to say that Sammi's 12th birthday was by FAR the easiest birthday party with friends I have ever thrown. We borrowed the white bus (or Allred's big white van if you want to get technical)loaded up 6 of Sammi's friends and drove to Tri-Cities. I honked at every car that they told me too---still not sure if we were honking at cars that held preteen boys or cars that looked cool, hey I'm just the lady that pushes the horn. We went to the mall and screamed like girls (duh) when it came into view. I fed them all lunch at the food court and set them free. I ran my errands and five hours later they called to say they had spent all their money and were ready to be picked up. So you see we did our charity work too-you know stimulating the economy and all! We ate dinner at McDonalds and home for the sleepover. My Mom took the other four kids and they stayed overnight in Leavenworth with her and Dad and made the whole "Mooommmm the little kids are bugging us", thing obsolete, bless you mother. Aunt Courtney brought over all her pedicure stuff and as Zoe would say all her paint nolish (nail polish) to make us even cooler, so thanks Aunt Courtney. All in all, I can highly recommend retail therapy for a birthday---as Martha Stewart would say "it's a good thing"!! Sammi has had her first mutual already and is loving being 12. I'm amazed--how did my first baby girl get so big? She is mellowing a little with age, I only get the hands on hip- eye roll thing weekly now instead of daily!! Usually it follows after I have explained for the millionth time that it is not child abuse to deny a 12 year old makeup! Any girl moms out there, please tell me when your little darling started wearing makeup--Mom and I can't remember when she allowed me to start. I digressed a bit---Happy Birthday Samantha Reine Noftle you are soooooo loved.

Tagged by a Cousin

Tagged:
Five Years Ago I:
1. Let's see that would have been February of 2004 so we lived in Boise
2. I was getting ready for Sammi's 7th birthday and spending lots of time in her first grade class since she had the worst teacher ever. Can I just say I love you Red Rock Elementary, I have been to the other side and the grass much greener here.
3. Getting ready for Zoe's 1st birthday!
4. Starting to wonder if we would ever get the restaurant open(fast forward we will not!)
5. Was not pregnant with Carter (give me a month or so)

Five Thing To Do Today:
1. Apparently blog....
2. Change the sheets on my bed, and thank you to whoever invented kids and or pringles GRRRR....
3. Help Sierra and her friends get ready for the talent show tryouts and still maintain their friendship status!
4. Get Jackson his Lupron shot--sorry buddy I know you hate this one and that it hurts mucho bado.
5. Clean, get ready for preschool tomorrow, cry about the bond not passing, cook dinner, bathe the three youngest, fold and put away laundry, go buy milk and stay awake all night because I agreed to sub tomorrow and I haven't bought anything for my 2 daughters birthday's and their birthday parties, planned for valentines, ooops is that more than five?

Five Places I have Lived:
1. Moses Lake
2. Provo (with my parents, and then 4 different places as a student and one tiny little home as a newlywed)
3. Melba (Nampa Idaho)
4. Kittitas
5. Harrington
6. Royal City
7. Tri-Cities
8. Moses Lake
9. Othello (Othello address, Royal City phone)
10. Royal City (Daisy Street, G Road, and currently Hargraves Ave.)
11. Boise
Oooops I think I did more than five again--by the way if you are moving please call me to help--I am a professional who doesn't charge!

Five Jobs I Have Had:
1. Babysitter
2. Cleaning Houses
3. Cleaning Callahans' manufactoring (Oh, the stories I could tell)
4. Waitressing
5. Weeding wheat fields (I don't reccommend that they be weeded--lets just make our peace with weeds people)
6. Teacher

Five Things I Would Do With A Million Dollars:
1. Pay off the house
2. Sell my van and get a car that doesn't hate me
3. Get someone else to paint and put up baseboards
4. Start/Finish five college funds
5. Have an awesome Disneyworld vacation

I Want In Five Years:
1. To be celebrating my success as a children's book author ( is that pretentious?)
2. To be saying things like, remember that great cruise we took with so and so (insert your name in so and so's spot please)
3. To be many, many pounds lighter and when people ask me how I got so fit and trim to be able to say(modestly say...)--I just woke up February 5th, 2009 and I looked like a super model.
4. To be preparing for Jackson's graduation from high school (of course his is top in his class, star of all the sports teams, and accepted to the college of his choice) and we will be getting things ready to turn in his Mission papers (YIKES five years from now?---ok pause for panic)
5. To have a happy healthy family

There done and done, and now I tag you, but only if you love me or are at all disposed to call me a friend whom you greatly admire. ( Yes I am reading Jane Austen as a matter of fact)

Grandpa Bishop

Eight years ago today my Grandpa Bishop died. For Family home evening tonight I had my Mom come over and tell the kids a few stories about Grandpa Bishop, and she brought some pictures of him too. Mom did such a good job. She talked about the first time she ever saw her Father cry. She was about 11 years old and her Mother had just picked her up from Piano lessons. They ran to the store and when they got back in the car and turned the radio on they heard that there had been an explosion at the U & I sugar factory and that many had died. Well Grandma and Mom started to cry because Grandpa was at work and they were so afraid for him. When they got home all their neighbors were assembled in their front yard. Mom remembers Grandma pulled in the driveway stopped the car and just sat in the car crying. She was so sure they had all gathered to console her because Grandpa had died. When they did get out of the car they discovered that nobody had heard any news from Grandpa and they were just getting together to find out what they could. Grandma Bishop kept calling the sugar factory but nobody knew where Grandpa was. At nine o'clock that night Grandpa pulled in the driveway in his truck. They all ran outside to hug him and found him in his truck crying. He had seen many of his friends burned and killed that day and it had been horrible. One friend was thrown so far by the explosion that Grandpa found him outside the factory on the railroad tracks, his back had the rail tracks burned into it. In fact their neighbor across the street, they had a little girl Mom's age and they were good friends and still get together now, was one of the men that died that day. Mom had us all choked up with that story.
It was so interesting to the kids to see pictures of Grandpa in his highschool football uniform (not much padding in those days!) and hear stories of his life. I sure love my Grandpa, I had the opportunity (we,I should say since Michael and Jackson were there too!) of living with Grandpa for a few months while we waited for a rental house to become available. This was the year after Grandma had died and I am so grateful I had the chance to live with him. Then we got to have him move to Royal and live on Daisy street just a few houses down from us! We have lots of fun memories of those years with Grandpa and his funny quirks the older he got. He gave us some scares and some laughs during those years. I'm missing you today Grandpa, I wonder if we can watch re-runs in heaven of some of the reunions. I would love to see the one between Grandpa and Grandma.