Bonjour!

Bonjour!
I’m a 51 year old mother of five amazing daughters and wife to a caring, sensitive AND sexy husband. I adore my family. I’m dedicated to my faith. I enjoy a good laugh. I'm nostalgic and love to reminisce. "Remember" is my favorite word in the English language. I love life! I’m passionate about music, food and {dreams of} traveling the world. I wanna be a castle and waterfall chaser. I’m fascinated with anything European. {PARIS! Hello!} I love celebrating anything and everything! I love to read, especially a good biography, mystery, Regency Era Romance or Historical fiction novel. I love thoughtful gift giving. To me the gift wrap is almost as important as the gift itself. I have a bit of an obsession with gift boxes and gift bags. As well as old world maps & globes, apothecary bottles and jars! I love being creative…bolts of ribbon, coordinating scrapbook papers, producing a table scape, or planning décor for a themed party puts a smile on my face. I love the details! I’m a freak for anything theme oriented. I enjoy event planning, but oddly enough do not like to host or entertain. I enjoy fashion, but have to really be in the mood to clothes shop. I love purses and funky costume jewelry. Especially big rings! I’d rather wear wedges or heels any day than flats. I enjoy decorating and searching for the perfect decorative pillow or picture. However, you’ll never see me frequent high-end stores. I'm more of a Ross, TJ Maxx, Tuesday Morning kind of gal. My favorite decor style is an old world rustic Italian chateau/Spanish Villa look with a hint of bohemian! OR a vintage shabby chic French country cottage/English cobblestone farmhouse. My #1 cookie-Molasses! Autumn is my favorite season. I’d go through childbirth a million times. I enjoy biking with my man, Pilates, and power walking. You’ll never find me in a gym working out. I love movies, whether watching them in the theatre or cuddled up on the couch with my family. I enjoy a good chick flick or real life drama! I'm a sucker for movies on the Hallmark & Great American Family Channel. I have a tender heart for the elderly. I adore Disneyland. I enjoy being in the canyon on a summer or fall evening at dusk. I love my friends. While I have some extroverted characteristics. I’m a self proclaimed introvert. I’m generally quiet, calm, reserved and pretty darn private. Why in the heck do I blog? It’s a creative way to record family history. I enjoy photography. I really don’t like to write, although I write in my journal often. My journals, patriarchal blessing, scriptures, quote book, and beloved Christmas tree filled with ornaments of family memories are among my prized possessions. I love the beach. I enjoy WWII history. I love a clean, orderly house, but ours usually looks lived in. ;) PBS Masterpiece is my friend. I adore Jane Austen films. They transport me to another time and place. If I had to choose another time period in which to live, early 19th Century England would be my pick. "Sense and Sensibility" is my all time favorite movie. My 3 favorite TV series are...BBC's Larkrise to Candleford, the 1950's Spanish Drama "Velvet," and the travel/food show "Somebody Feed Phil." My biggest pet peeve is people who blow their noses in public. So gross! {Take it to the bathroom people.} I’d go on a wine tasting vacation if it wasn’t against my religion. I’ve always wanted to adopt a baby from a foreign country. I’m an avid BYU football fan. I'm a Educational Support Professional. I tutor elementary kids in phonemic awareness, phonics, reading, fluency and comprehension. I love our campfires at Scofield Lake. I have a 'thing' for fairy gardens, Gallic French roosters, fresh flowers in a vase, pretty bowls & plates, and yummy smelling candles & soap. I love summer rainstorms and warm baths. I'm a scripture podcast fanatic. I'm also a fan of several Fox News shows; Hannity and Dave Ramsey Talk Radio. I very much miss Rush Limbaugh! I hate when my kids have homework. I'd rather clean 20 toilets than give a talk or prayer in church. I have quite a collection of Madame Alexander Dolls, children's books, Disney pins, and quotes. My favorite quote is "Don't underestimate me. I know more than I say, think more than I speak & notice more than you realize." True True LOL! I always prefer sitting in a back row versus the front. {I'm sort of a seat snob..yikes} I also have high expectations for my lemonade, salsa, and french fries too. HA! I work well behind the scenes. I love a good Dateline, 20/20 or 48 Hour Mystery. I’m a night owl. I'd rather be cold than hot. I love to budget our finances! I enjoy being a chauffeur to my children. I'm not a huge fan of social media. I don't snap, pin or tweet. All I want for Christmas every year is a ticket to the Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. It's my FAVORITE. I’m an Anglophile…a royal watcher who loves anything English! Especially tea parties! I would like to serve a church mission to England with Jaren someday. I'm queen of paper towel, used kitchen dishrags and sponges kinda make me squirm. You’ll rarely find me out of the house not ready for the day, except when driving the kids to school on the days I don't work. I feel naked without lipstick or lip gloss. Mismatched socks, chipped fingernail polish, chapped lips and brownie crumbs on the floor drive me nuts! I like to organize and BE organized..but not saying I always am. ;) I enjoy hiking to waterfalls, ATV’ing with my family and snowshoeing with the hubs. Although I enjoy collecting recipes and occasionally watch cooking shows... (Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade, Paula Deen, Jamie Oliver, and the Pioneer Woman are my favorites) I’d rather not cook. Eating out is so much more fun. I'm a foodie. I live to EAT! LOL Trying new foods and restaurants is a favorite past-time, and believe it or not so is intermittent fasting. I'm not good at a lot of things... but gosh, if you need help with a themed celebration or someone to enjoy good food with, I'm your girl. I love the joy of anticipation and the celebration of holidays. Family traditions are important to me. I'm a memory preserver. I'm a pathological picture taker ;) a visual storyteller, and a lover of happy lists!

My Fam!

My Fam!

The Hubs and I

The Hubs and I

My Girls!

My Girls!

Kyleigh Dawn (28)

Kyleigh Dawn (28)

Emma Abigail (26)

Emma Abigail (26)

Hannah Isabelle (23)

Hannah Isabelle (23)

Brielle Olivia (19)

Brielle Olivia (19)

Kate Evangelene Lyllie (13)

Kate Evangelene Lyllie (13)

Mr. Charles "Bingley" Wentworth III (4 yrs.)

Colonel Edward Fitzwilliam "Darcy", Duke of Westridge (3 yrs.)

My Man!

My Man!

Good Times!

Good Times!

Wedding Day 5*17*22

Lillian "Lilly" Belle

Disney Food Fun! 2019

Disneyland Tips

What I Believe!

Our Missionary

We Bleed Blue! {Except for the Poppi}

My list of favorite movies!

Learn more about Dyslexia!

Music To My Ears!

Friday, September 09, 2011

What's On My Happy List?

MY KIDS
On a side note: My blog is my main source of family record keeping so bare with me as I give a   rundown of what the girls have been up to of late....
         
                                                Kyleigh   
She is LOV'in highschool!  This pic was taken before attending her first official  football game as a sophomore.  Between her classes..{there are some hard ones}...Honors English, Chemistry, AP World History, Algebra II, French 3 etc.,  9 hours of dance a week, throw in either a tennis practice or a match after school, range or road driving for drivers ed, AND a social life. It's nuts!  I don't know how in the world she's still vertical at times but she just keeps plugg'in along...often times up late, {way too late}, studying or finishing up homework.   Her head is often times just above water, but she's sure enjoying herself as she is slowly drowning in highschool-ness. We keep saying when the tennis season is over in three weeks, things will calm down. Hopefully for mom and dad too, as there is continuous drop off here, pick up there sorta thing going on...


Haven't been able to get an action shot of her yet this year but she's had a good tennis season so far. She's won all her matches except the ones against Skyline. They are a hard team to beat!

K so...I can't forget to mention a few things that have gotten myself and Kyleigh a little riled up these past couple of weeks. First, the BOY DRAMA. There is this boy who hit on Kyleigh the second day of school and he is still pestering her despite Kyleigh taking him aside at the Seminary social nearly two weeks ago  and as kindly {as possible} telling him she was not interested in starting up a relationship with him.  AWKWARD! He's such a persistent fellow, {ya have to give him credit for that}, but just way way too forward. There is so much more to the story but I'll leave it at that.  I'm trying to be nice here but he really is {in the words of one of Kyleigh's guy friends} "a clueless creeper". 

Second thing...all this HOMECOMING DANCE business...Trying not to get on my soap box here but I'm just a little surprised {which I know I shouldn't be} upon hearing how many Mormon friends or acquaintances of Kyleigh's are going to the dance even though they aren't 16 yet. It's very interesting to me to see who's parents are firm with that church guideline of not dating until you are 16 and which ones are more lenient. From what I hear, most kids justify it that it's really not a date since they are going in a group. Umm..wait a sec here...you do have to be asked by someone of the opposite sex to attend this thing..and you will be paired off.... it is a dance, duh!  And unless things have changed since I was a teenager I thought being asked out by a guy was considered a date. No?  I wonder at times if parents think they are depriving their kids of an once in a lifetime opportunity, or their child will appear less popular if they don't let them go to such things as this. Anyhow, I know every situation is different, some kids are days or just weeks away from turning sixteen once the dance is held. Would I let my girl go if that was the case? I think that is something that I would have to consider {I can be flexible} but when you are months and months away from the big 16,  as is the case with Kyleigh. It's a no go!   I myself couldn't date or drive until I was a Junior, as I have a very very late birthday. However, my dad made one exception and let me go to the VERY last dance of my Sophomore year as I was asked by a good friend. One of those nice, sweet, seminary president type boys. And yes, we were in a group. So it was pretty harmless, as I'm sure the majority of Kyleigh's friend's experiences on Homecoming night will be. But my overall feeling, now that I'm a mother of five daughters, is that you have to set a firm standard right off the bat with these type of situations. and not waver. If you ask me, you are just better off obeying your church leaders and waiting til you are 16 to start this dating business.  Plus, whether Kyleigh likes it or not, she is the role model for 4 younger sisters. We've got to do it right the first time.  

And lastly, this Chemistry class of Kyleigh's I KNOW is going to drive me bonkers. We have a parent/child science activity due once a week so that we can know what our child is learning in class. Are you flipping kidding me? First of all, I dislike anything science related and secondly, I seriously don't need homework. I was making freak'in play-doh with my 15 yr old the other night so that I could learn the properties of matter.  {Not happy about that} Don't get me wrong, I try to be very supportive of her school endeavors and I'm more than willing to listen to her tell me what she is learning in Chemistry, but please don't have me waste my time doing homework busy work with her. Especially when it takes away much needed homework time with my two who need my help more. Some say the witching hours of motherhood are from 3-6. For me, the homework, the whole bedtime routine...and trying to remember everything I need to do, be, and not forget,  I often wonder if my head is going to blow...I declare my witching hours are more from like 8 pm til my head hits the pillow somewhere before midnight. 

EMMA
This is Emma's latest project from her summer semester of art...They had to pick a carousel animal to draw. It think it's beautiful!

She continues to be my little homemaker. One recent Saturday she made an apron for Kate and whipped up wheat waffles {from scratch} with a variety of toppings. Another fine result of her efforts in the kitchen lately was a pumpkin pie shake. Delicious! That recipe I'll be sharing soon.
She's also been reading up a storm in the last two weeks..she recently finished FOUR books of Shannon Hale's....Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets, and Forest Born. She is hating band right now! She made 2nd chair flute but its been tough. She skipped a whole grade in band and now the music is way too challenging. On the other hand, her chanter teacher says she is almost ready for the bagpipes!...{well within the usual year it takes to prepare for them.} She is way excited about that! So is Grandpa Bell, and mom too!

Hannah
Nana Bella started art lessons this past summer. This was one of her projects from her first semester. I was so so impressed! Of course it would be giraffes..her favorite!  She is loving 6th grade. They are currently learning about Egypt and mummies and she is finding it all quite fascinating. She's been teaching me a new way to do a certain kind of math and we've been enjoying reading several books together which I'm going to do a whole other post about. Having gone swimming with her this past weekend I can't believe what improvement she's made this summer in her swimming. It helps when your best friend has a pool. I wish you could try Hannah's peanut butter chews that she can make by herself. They are tasty!
K...I'm running out of time and this post is getting a little long, so I'll post about B. Olivia and Kate in a part II!

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