For your viewing pleasure...Misti as a giraffe!

You have to admit, she's the prettiest giraffe you've ever seen!

September 30, 2007

Can you believe today is the last day of September? Although time has flown by, I'm thrilled to be entering the crisp, cool days of Autumn. I like to wear clothes that conceal flaws like sweaters and long pants. While we're on this topic, can someone please explain to me why leggings are becoming popular again? First of all, I've officially hit the age where "old" fashions trends are revisited and secondly, leggings should have never become a trend in the first place...they are just cut off tights. So, I officially beg all of those within earshot of this blog, if you just can't help yourself and have to wear leggings, please don't wear belly shirts with them....ewwww! (you know someone out there is going to try it)

This past week had been wild in the Lott household with the addition of Misti, Bostyn, & Kamree. Between my children and Misti's, we had ourselves a regular zoo. I actually have a photo of Misti mimicking a giraffe. We also had the pleasure of having Misti's friend Ashley (sp?) and her daughter Rilee (sp?) over as well. After all the kids, except Bostyn (after all she didn't want to miss out on the fun) were in bed, it was girl time downstairs. Like the super slumber party patrons we are, we laughed, cried (out of pure fatigue) and hit the hay about 10:15 pm....no frozen bras in this house because we were to tired to out last each other.

Bostyn & Kamree are so much fun and, of course, beautiful. Bostyn really warmed up to me this trip and I got lots of hugs. My favorite was when Misti told her she couldn't have a treat and she came to me and said, "I have this treat? You say okay?" Oh, she knows how to win me over. I believe Kamree's way to show affection is through the act of puking on you. If that is true, she loves me...and my carpet...a ton! She is such a smiley, content baby. Misti is always fun to have around. I wish her family would move closer (as in next door) so I could have more time to play with them.

Last night I went to the General Relief Society broadcast for our church. My cousin Calie came along and it was a very fulfilling night. I came away renewed and excited about the course my life is taking. The music was incredible and the talks lifted my soul.

The only thing left to say is....Bring on October!!!

September 23, 2007

Before I drag you kicking and screaming down this past week's memory lane, I have to say THANKS for signing my guestbook. I love your pictures and it's so fun to see them everytime I sign on. By the way, 50% of the hits on the counter are just me...trying to make myself look good.

So this past week was fun and crazy and tiring and chaotic...sound familiar anyone? My cold has become quite attached to me (must be because I've been treating it so well) but it's time to kick it...literally. Tomorrow it's back to the eliptical. I need to get better so no more excuses. Sidenote: no one made me cookies, but my mom and dad bought me some, Misti made banana bars, and I caved and made myself some.

The picture above is my super cute niece Kamree. She, Misti (my sis) and Bostyn (my other niece who hates me taking her picture) came with my parents on Thursday night for a visit. They came right after I got my hair done. Warning: tangent. My hairdresser is awesome (Hi Sumer!). You are all going to be so jealous, so skip this part if you need to stay pure. She comes to MY house to do my hair...that's right, no fighting traffic, no perm or acrylic nail smell, no looking in a mirror the entire time I look like a wet dog. She eats dinner with us and is very patient with my "starved for attention" family members. O.k. enough about that, my parents & Misti & girls got in and it's just so fun to have them. My dad is such a sport letting Hunter drive him everywhere and pretending he isn't scared a bit. My Mom took us out for a girl's lunch to celebrate Calie's birthday, can anyone say Olive Garden? Yum! Then my parents hosted extended family for pizza and cookies (my cold loves my parents) at my house. Also, my dad was a guest speaker for the 5th grade classroom I'm in and talked to them about his adventure in Afghanistan. One of the kids asked my dad if he (my dad) could lift the kid (not a small one) over his back.

My parents left this morning, but Misti & the girls are here until Friday. Today at church Misti got stuck on the end with Cooper and Bostyn... poor thing. Bostyn saw a girl 2 pews back that had tons of freckles and said, "That girl has dots all over her face". About the same time Cooper said, "Misti, you have a moustache". Keep in mind neither of these 2 know how to whisper. I just happened to look down our row to see Misti laughing so hard she was almost crying. We're a reverent sort of family.

Have an adventurous week!

Starve a Fever...

Feed a cold, at least that's what I've heard and guess what? I have a cold, a particularly hungry cold. Always being the kind to follow the rules, I have worked very hard on keeping my hungry cold satisfied. Some interesting things I've discovered: my cold likes chocolate....a lot of chocolate, it likes pizza, it likes cookies. In fact, it seems my cold likes all those foods I usually try (not always successfully) to eat in moderation. That's odd, but what's a girl to do? Another thing I found out about my cold is it doesn't like exercise, but it loves to sleep and I think when the doctors (or my grandma) says "feed a cold", they don't just mean physically. I think that also includes emotionally and it hurts my cold's feelings when I exercise and don't get enough sleep. So, the compassionate person I am, I will continue to gorge myself on forbidden foods, avoid the eliptical machine, and press the snooze button until my new best friend is healed.

ps. My cold particulary likes cookies from other people

September 16, 2007

It's that time of the week again....to bore you with the mundane aspects of the Lott household. Let's see...Tuesday our outdoor freezer broke. If you've been keeping up with the posts, I'm guessing you think I'm just sensationalizing to keep your interest, but no....it really did break. Remember the yummy frozen peach concoctions? We barely saved them. Unfortunately (I'm real broken up about this part) not all of the deer meet survived. One of our fabulous neighbors (Hi Stephanie) allowed us to store some of the salvaged deer meat in their freezer (I hope they eat some...seriously). Since none of the many Boise companies have scooped Kurt up (their going to regret that), we will have to wait on fixing it.

Also, over the past 2 weeks, both Hunter & Cooper have had a little cold/flu bug. My immune system is in dire need of repair, so I knew I would be sick soon enough. The very kind thing about my immune system is it fights of illness during times of stress, but as soon as I relax so does it. After my usual stressed out Wednesday came calm Thursday and the bug won the war. Fast Forward a wee bit to Friday night. I tried to go to bed early so I could get up refreshed for Time Out for Women, but my throat was too sore and I just kept tossing and turning. So, about midnight, I caved and took a Nyquil capsule (just one) to help me sleep. While I was trying to fall asleep, Cooper came in the room (about 12:45am) because he was scared. Kurt quickly jumped up and got him out of there to try and help me, but I thought maybe Coop was sick so I got up anyway. I think I finally fell fast asleep about 1:20am, only to wake up at 6:30am to my obnoxious alarm. Luckily, Time Out was so entertaining, I was able to stay awake the whole time.

So, that's enough for this week. There were lots of other fun things that happened, but one of my fingers just fell off...so adios for now!

Time Out for Women

Yesterday was the day. The day I've been waiting for since I moved here. I finally was able to go to Time Out for Women. A good friend of mine (Marie...pictured on the left) invited me to go with her and her husband's family, which I thought was very kind of her. I bet as you look at her picture you are probably thinking, wow...she looks like that model Hunter Tylo. The resemblance is uncanny, isn't it? That's probably because that actually is a picture of Hunter Tylo. The reason is simple, I was too embarrassed to ask anyone to take our picture, so a celebrity look-a-like will have to do. On the right hand is a picture of Kenneth Cope who spoke and sang to us at the event. Marie really wanted her picture taken with him, I had to save her from herself when she started crawling down the center aisle to thwart security to get a closer look. Fine...there was no security or crawling, but to make all of Marie's dreams come true, I downloaded her celebrity look-a-like with Kenneth Cope, sorry but it's the best I could do.

The event was fantastic. There were almost 3000 women there and, almost miraculously, when someone spoke the room was completely silent. See...we can be quiet when we want to. I was so glad Marie invited me when Mary Ellen Edmunds (a total riot) asked all the loners at the event to stand up...ouch, that had to hurt. That was very close to being me. Jane Clayson Johnson, who used to coanchor The Early Show, was one of the first speakers. Her talk was inspiring and entertaining, but I kept thinking about how many other stories she has from her years as an interviewer. I may have to get her book at some point. The other speakers included Stephen Robinson (Believing Christ), Christ Steward (The Great and the Terrible), and Sherri Dew (need I say more). I would encourage all of you to go to one of these if you have a chance. My only hope is they do one for couples that Kurt & I could go to!

Another one bites the dust

So, when my last crockpot passed on, Kurt & I went to Costco to see if they had any new models in. They had one model in stock, the Rival Stainless Steel 4 setting crockpot with mini crockpot, carrying strap, and free beautiful black spoon (ooh, aah). After a brief discussion (Kurt: I like it, do you? Leslie: Oh yeah!) Kurt grabbed the box, gently cradling it like the precious cargo it was (notice past tense) and bolted to the nearest, shortest check out counter.

When we got home, we pulled it out with all of its lovely, free (I'm sure not incorporated into the total cost) accessories and cooked our first meal in it. About the fourth time we used it (Tuesday), Kurt heard a loud POP. He didn't tell me though, I'm sure for the fear my heart would break. Yesterday he washed it and when I got home from school, he sat me down for a little chat. I couldn't believe it. It had cracked across the entire bottom. I think I have a disease: crockpotcrackitis...sounds scary. So, with heavy hearts, we loaded it back into the van today (not very gently) and returned it to it's maker (distributor, whatever). Since this model was still the only one at Costco, I am now crockpotless...a terrible state of being.

So, if you have a crockpot that you think can withstand the rigors of life in the Lott household, please respond to this post with a model name and number. I believe the cure for crockpotcrackitis is a good dose of sugar, so I'll be eating chocolate until I hear from you!

September 9, 2007

I know that last post was long, but I wanted to do my weekly update as well. This week flew by, as usual. Of course, two days were taken up when I attempted to become a homemaker (revisit peach post). This week two money sucking things occcured. First, the freezer portion of my side by side broke. So, we had to get that fixed and it was a pretty penny. Then, my car started vibrating when I drove it. The last time that happened I ended up meeting my highway hero, so we took it in and, of course, it needed 2 new tires & an alignment. Kurt followed me & we dropped of the car. We were told it would take a couple hours. About five hours later, we called them (it was almost closing time) and they said they would be done in about 20 minutes. It takes about that long to get there, so all four of us headed over so we could hit the library on the way back. Hunter stayed with me & when we went in I noticed my car was still up on some magical pole. So I asked if it was about done and the guy said, "If I can get that mechanic to work as much as he talks, you'll be out of here in no time". What's that supposed to mean? Go tell him to quit talking. Well, I pried my nose off the observation window & Hunter & I went to the waiting area. The really nice thing about this company is they keep a homemade popcorn popper full of popcorn in the waiting area. The really nasty thing about this company is they don't give you any way to get the popcorn out (except your hands) or anything to put it in. Anyone with any sense of hand germs isn't going to take one single piece of popcorn. Luckily, it was only about 15 minutes until my name was called before I forked over my last kidney and headed out the door.

I also went shopping with my friend Sherri this week. I am the worst shopper, you can ask her or anyone else. I love to help other people spend their money, but heaven forbid I spend a dime of mine, unless it's on the necessities of life like food (a.k.a. cheesecake factory). Sherri found some very cute maternity clothes though...I kept my eyes open for Kelli. In imaginary money land, I would have bought her a ton of cute things.

Kurt & Cooper went on the ward campout Friday night (above photo). Unfortunately, as incredibly devastated as I was to miss it, I had an early morning luncheon with a group of ladies who awarded me a scholarship this year. When I was asked to come to the luncheon, it was made very clear to me that the ladies really wanted to see who their money was going to. I wouldn't have to do anything but just show up. It was at a country club I had never been to and so I left early enough to find it. These ladies were so nice, they were part of Alpha Delta Kappa, a sorority of retired and current teachers. The food was good and the company was wondeful, but there was one downside to the affair. Remember how I wasn't supposed to do anything but show up? Well, that wasn't quite true. After the guest speaker was through (V.P. of the college of education at BSU) she said, "Well, you've heard enough from me. I'm sure the real person you want to hear from is Leslie, so I'll turn the time over to her". What???? That's right, impromptu speech. Worst nightmare right?

Other than that, still working on my domestication badge (picking up on some scout lingo). I cleaned, cooked, did homework, and decorated for Fall. My cousin Ryan was over and he said, "Leslie, what month is this"? I told him September. He said, "What month is Halloween in"? I was thinking, this kid needs some major help in the area of months of the year, but I just told him October. Then he said, "Why in the world do you have Halloween decorations up when it's only September?" I get it, he was making a point. Too bad it was lost on me!

One more thing. Hunter bought a new cell phone this week which become a new appendage. We were sitting on the couch & I got up to do something. As I stood up, he literally jumped into a protective crouch over his cell phone. When I looked at him with arched eyebrows, he said, "I'm very protective of this phone. I spent my own money on it and don't want anything to happen to it. It's different when you have to spend your own money on something; it's even more valuable". I thought that was very perceptive and may come in useful in the future (for myself and for him).

Apprentice Homemaker...attack of the peaches!

WARNING: To all of you peach activists, do NOT continue. The following post may contain matter offensive to your sensibilities. In the name of our friendship, move on to the next post!

For everyone else, I like to take you into one of my many attempts toward becoming a homemaker extraordinairre. I have a friend (Hi Lynette) who has already reached queen homemaker status. Last year she invited me to her house to show me how to can peaches. Well, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to learn at the feet of a master canner, so I graciously accepted. When I walked into her kitchen, it was as if I had entered a chem lab: vapors rising, bubbling foreign equipment, protective gloves, and unexplainable liquids. This place would have given CSI a run for its money. Lynette flitted about like a butterfly while I tried to memorize her every step. First of all, did you know you boil peaches, put them in a sink of ice, and then the skin comes right off? It's like magic. To tell you the truth (not any fault of Lynettes), I didn't quite pick it all up. There was a bunch of equipment I was introduced to whose names I quickly forgot. I do believe she had a camp stove outside...that's right, a camp stove. Leslie + campstove = imaginary scenario. Plus, the steps involved in correctly canning peaches could put any forensic investigation to shame. So, the main thing I learned was how to get the skin off peaches. This came in very handy this year when I decided to try to freeze peach cobbler/pie filling and fruit salad (Lynette's recipe of course).

A couple weeks ago Lynette called me and said she was getting some peaches and asked if I wanted any. I was thrilled to tell her I would take 2 boxes. When I went to pick up the peaches, she had a spare box of pears and asked if I wanted it. Need she even ask? Of course the apprentice would take pears, especially after attaining the special power of getting the peel of peaches. So, with a smile on my face and dreams of peach yumminess in my head, I took my three boxes (fine, I'm not THAT strong, Lynette & Doug had to help me), put them in my trunk, and headed home. Finally the day came to make all my peach dreams come true. Poor little peaches didn't know what hit them. I did the peach cobbler filling the first day. It was like I had photographic memory or something, all the training on how to get the peels of just came flooding back to me (hey, we all have our talents, don't be jealous). So, I boiled, froze, peeled, stabbed, and pitted those plump little spheres until my back hurt and I thought I would throw up from all the poorly cut pieces I had to ingest. Overall, the day went well and I felt one step closer to homemaker glory.

Two days later it was time to try the frozen fruit salad. I've been told to never hide your talents under a bushel, so I put into practice my peach peeling procedure. Between peaches, I cut grapes, added the rest of the ingredients to the big bowl, and saved the bananas and pears for last. It was time to do the pears and I was ready. I put my first group of pears in the boiling water and I might have heard a tiny, almost inaudible scream. Then I scooped them out and put them in ice water. It was magic time, I took one pear out and tried to take the skin off, but to my dismay the skin was a little stubborn. Have you ever tried to remove one of those dark, long shoe marks from linoleum or hardwood floors? That is exactly what it's like to get the skin off a pear. I think it's one of a pears adaptations to keep itself safe. It worked, after the second batch of pears, I gave up. I'm so ashamed. I rationalized that my big bowl would overflow if I skinned all those pears and that pears aren't as good as the other fruit in the salad, but the truth is that the pears won. Well, kind of. I handed those pears out to all sorts of neighbors and they'll get their just deserves in the end! So, the quest for homemaker greatness is still a long way in the future!

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The Taco Bell dream has been postponed!

Remember when Hunter worked at Taco Bell? Let me remind you: He applied for the job on a Thursday, they called him in for an interview & hired him on Friday, he started work on Saturday. The part you don't know: his last day of work was the very next Saturday. I know you are on the edge of your seat wondering what happened. How could the dream be dashed?

Well, when he was hired, management didn't look at his age very closely & only discovered he only 15 at the end of his first shift. They told him they would keep him on because he was close to 16. So, he worked almost everyday the next week. Friday they told him corporate received his paperwork and said he couldn't work there until he turns 16. So, Saturday was his last day. The good news is they said he had a job as soon as he turns 16 and this gives him time to get back into the groove of school. The other bonus: he gets to keep the uniform! (He was very attached to it)

Sunday, September 2, 2007

It's time for my weekly recap. This past week was crazy and fast paced, but I really enjoyed it. I ended up putting in 25 hours at the elementary school, dropping a horrible class & adding a different class, and enjoying my 3 hour Wednesday evening writing class a lot more than I thought I would. Both the boys had a good week as well, of course they had Friday off and I had to go to training. O.K., I admit it, I loved the training.

Cooper gave our family home evening lesson this past week and I thought he did a very good job. He thought it was great to be in charge of everyone...that's for sure. I went to Cooper's cub scout meeting, for a recap read "scouts shmouts". Wednesdays I'm gone. I leave for Spalding at 7:45am and get home a little after 4pm. Then I leave for BSU at 5:15pm and get home around 9pm. This means Kurt is in charge of the boys. When I got home at 9pm (the boys bed time), Kurt & Cooper were just eating dinner. I'm not sure how all of this is going to work out, but what doesn't kill them will just make them stronger.

We also had a surprise announcement this weekend. After years of infertility, Mike & Kelli are pregnant. This is such a blessing and we are all thrilled for them. I don't know what all of you are doing for labor day, but I'll be laboring. I may take a break to try and replace the blouse I just bought that got ruined in the wash. Kurt forgot to remove a pen from his jeans pocket and somehow, miraculously, only 2 item in the wash were ruined when his pen exploded and both items were shirts of mine. Don't I deserve a little shopping trip?

Scouts Schmouts!

Everyone in my house is a scout, except me. Maybe that is why I've always had a bad attitude about this particular program. It could also be the fact it's one more thing I have to try & juggle. I don't know, but since I don't get any badges and Kurt already has tons of badges...shouldn't he be the one to help?

So this has been my attitude for the last 7 years, but 4 months ago everything reluctantly changed. Kurt was traveling for work and Hunter had a court of honor (really had no idea what that even meant), so I told him I would go. Coop & I sit down on a chair as young men/old men, and a woman in a yellow button down shirt buzz around the room. Then, everything is quiet and someone has everyone stand up for the flag ceremony. If you follow the instructions, everything is fine. After the flag & announcements, different leaders start coming up to hand out awards. This is where it got dicey. Some guy calls Hunter's name and then says, "If Hunter's mom is here we'd like her to come up as well". What??? Who are you people and where is the hidden camera? Blushing, I walk up to the front of the room. Then the man says, "Hunter earned his ?? award. We like to honor the mothers for their support and encouragement in helping their son's attain this award". Oh my. I completely blush and I'm pretty sure all the other moms in the room are thinking "She's never even been to one of these meetings...what a hypocrite." Even if they weren't thinking it, I was! Then they ask Hunter to pin a little trinket on my shirt. O.K. What's the deal? You voluntarily give a teenager a sharp pointy needle and ask him to stick it in my shirt...next to my skin? Ridiculous. Luckily Hunter didn't draw blood, but then all the other boys started chanting, "Kiss,Kiss,Kiss". This is just getting sick. Hunter, the good son he is, reaches down & hugs me...in your face rowdy boys!

So, somehow I made it through that evening, but I set a precedent. All of the sudden, both boys want me to come to all these court of honors. Hunter had one 2 weeks ago and Coop had one last week. I told Hunter I would come if I didn't have to go to the front again. He duped me. I ended up in the same position, just receiving a different pointy emblem and only one boy had the nerve to yell "Kiss". I gave him a knuckle sandwich from a distance. You aren't going to believe it, but went to Coops last week..oh yes...I had to go to the front again. Puhleeeeze! Even more nutty....they gave him a sharp point object to pin in me as well. He is 8...he doesn't even use pointy scissors yet and that is just cutting paper. I made him pin it on the bottom of my shirt near my meaty abdomen.

So ladies, beware, scouts is dangerous and once they have their claws (or pins) in you...they don't let go!