Gimme a Chair, Please!
So I like this chair from Ikea (isn't it cute?) but I'm not sure as to it's durability. I need something that's going to last through at least 5 years of rough usage. Does anyone have any Ikea furniture and if so, how does it hold up under duress?

Birthday Presents
I love Mykalyn Nelson. She called me this morning at 8:08 to wish me Happy Birthday and see if she could come play with Finn and Lucy so I could get stuff done. What an angel! Doesn't she look like Finn's cousin? I really appreciate her and the many others who have wished me well today and have done nice things for me. Like Karen and Amelia and Mary, who made a delicious Indian lunch for me, and Travis, who is over the smoky stove cooking some bacon for a soup for me. I am truly blessed to have such sweet, sincere friends and family! Thanks everybody!

27

Birthday To-Do List:

1. Clean the funky gunk out of Lucy's smelly armpit.
2. Finish packing wall art.
3. Go on a walk.
4. Do laundry.
5. Think about my Uncle Craig whose birthday I share.
6. Think about Alicia, whose birthday is one day previous to mine.
7. Celebrate!

Nappy-D Mania

Aren't these funny?

Goonie Blues

Right now I'm crying and I have never written a post and cried, so this is a new experience for me. I'm crying because I just read an e-mail my mom sent to the family (she does this every Sunday and has done this for the past umpteen years). In it, she talked about how my brother Ben is getting married (which I knew) and for the reception in Pasco, the family would stay here at my house (the Chicken Coop) or at a hotel. Then, I realized I'm not going to be here when the family stays here. Boohoohooo, the tears started streaming! I am such a baby. I am so sad about leaving this house. I will miss my family, Travis' family and all of the memories we've made here. It was the first house we have lived in since we've been married and it holds so many experiences for me. I'll name a few and then be on with my sad feelings, hopefully. The month before we got married, Travis and his Grandpa Schuller (now passed away) worked long days, 6 days a week, gutting the inside of this house and redoing it to make it a home for us. I would bring food to them sometimes and when I came, Travis was usually underneath the house, along with the spiders and who knows what else, replumbing the pipes underneath the bathroom. He laid all the flooring, patched drywall and got rid of a huge mold infestation. That man can do anything! Everytime I draw the shower curtain open or closed on our custom-welded shower rod that Bob Schuller made for us, I am thankful for such a skillful and caring man. The other reason I'm sad about leaving is that we've lived 1.25 miles away from my parents for the past three years. I will miss our evening walks over to "Bam-bah's" house and eating meals together either here or there. I will miss Andrew and McKenzie dropping by at 10 PM, full of energy and teenage-boy enthusiasm when I'm ready to call it a day. I am crying thinking about Finn and Lucy not being able to see thier grandparents on a daily basis. I will miss the get-together's at the George's house on the river and visits from Robby and Sharyn when they want to give Finn the Harley Davidson pajamas they saw and just had to get him. I am sad about leaving Leslie and Ira and the many times we've spent together, eating, laughing, talking and listening to the strumming of guitars. I love watching Finn interact with his Grandma Gigi and how he lights up when he sees her red "vroom vroom" car. I'm sure our new house holds lots of opportunity for fun and laughter, but right now, I think I am going to miss this place. I don't have anything profound to tell myself, but I think it's all gonna turn out allright (to quote my loveable Grandma Bruneel).

"Out with the old, in with the new."

Holding My Horses
It's 7:59 AM, Saturday morning, and I'm sitting here, holding myself back from going out and yardsaling. I know there's tons of them today, even some just down the street, but NOPE, I say to myself: #1, you're moving and #2, yesterday you went yardsaling and came home with a train set that according to Travis, was worthless. (It does turn out that we were able to put the train set together and get it in working order. I'm so embarrassed about the purchase that I don't want to comment further). But, alas, my mind starts churning and I start thinking of all the great stuff I could be buying right now. Maybe the things I would buy would change my life and make me happier. And the thoughts escalate into visions of having a perfectly organized home, with lots of cool stuff on display. Then, reality hits and I see myself dragging bags of stuff home for Travis to say, "You wasted our money." So, no, I am holding myself back. I will not go yardsaling today. Boohoo!

Sink Bubbles


This is what Finn and I did this morning after I cleaned out my sink and got that stinky tuna smell out of my house. There's something about scooting the step stool up to the sink that fuels a 21-month-old's sense of freedom and curiosity.

P.S. Can anyone tell me how to make a collage of pictures on here? (Like 9 in box shape?) Does that make sense?

Tricky Trick

I got a housecleaning tip from a friend of mine. She has a teenage son and whenever she wants to really make sure his bathroom gets clean, she takes off the toilet seat (you only need a screwdriver to do it!) and cleans the whole thing, seat and underneath. Well, I tried it the other night and I felt like I had just cleaned out the wax in my ears. All that gunk gone and clean. I hope it doesn't gross you out to know that I put the toilet seat in the dishwasher to get it super clean.
Thanks to those who responded to my paint color dilemma question posted previously. I really appreciated the feedback. I think I'm gonna go with something silvery sage, we'll see. So, now I have another design question. I HATE THE WAY THESE COMPUTERS LOOK! Is it just me, or are 95% of electronics ugly? How do I spruce this wire-jarbled-techy-black mess into something I enjoy seeing? I know the folding table is not the prettiest. I think we need a new desk.

Any suggestions on camoflouging computers?

Choices
So I'm trying to find some affordable, sleek dining room chairs that won't break the bank. I found this one at Anthropologie (not in my budget, but I still liked it). Mr. Tarantula is convinced we don't need new ones, but I don't think the hodge podge of thrift store chairs scattered around the house count as dining chairs. Whenever we have guests over, we have to scoot the computer chairs and piano bench around the dining table. ENOUGH! It's time for a change, I say.
Okay, so now I have a dilemma. What color do I paint the master bedroom of our new house? This (above) is what it looks like right now, and (ahem) it has to go. The landlord said I could choose any color in the neutral range. Yikes. I'm not afraid of color on a wall, but I'm scared since I don't own the place.

What color would you paint the room (keep in mind the floors are wood)?

And The Winner Is...
Yay! I found a place for us to live in C-town! This charming little place will be my home for the next four years (right side). It has a great fenced-in back yard (which was a major selling point for me) and a sun room on the side for the kids to play in. It has three bedrooms (one will be Mr. Tarantula's office), and a small kitchen, but hey, at least the landlord will pay for some improvements that I want (like a new kitchen floor). So, I get the best of both worlds: an affordable place (albeit small) and some room to practice my interior design passion. The house is a stone's throw to the library, too, and is the only duplex on the street (the rest are single-family homes, not rented, but owned= nicer street). Anyways, I am so happy to know where I'll be transporting my little birdies to in two months. Blessings, blessings, blessings...
This is little Miss L. Tarantula (3 months old) and her friend, also Miss L., but Miss L. S (6 months). They were like two peas in a pod. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. S. for hosting me and Lucy. We took over their living room, partook of their fabulous dinners, and best of all, will probably get to live next door to each other at the duplex (see above). I think Heavenly Father has a way of showing us that we need each other and we can't always do it alone, like we sometimes think we can. I just love these two little angel-girls.
And, last, but not least, a classic picture of the Bruneel kids trying to get it together for some of Grandma's pictures. My mom has great brothers and sisters. This is outside the Stake Center next to the Idaho Falls Temple. My cousin, T. Papworth, got married there yesterday. I have to give props to Uncle Frank, who, out of the kindness of his heart, sat by Finn almost the entire way home and entertained him. I couldn't have done a better job. We are glad to be home, safe and sound, back at the chicken coop, for two more months of packing, cleaning, eating and playing, before we head back to the Land of Oz, to the Emerald City.

"Give me my roses while I'm alive."

-- Grandma Nugen, (7-6-1915 to 4-24-2007)

Saag Aloo

I woke this morning to the delightful smell of saag aloo. Not made in some greasy restaurant kitchen, not from a box, but, yes, from my own kitchen here at the chicken coop. A little pinch of garam masala, a few generous shakes of cardamom, some coriander, and potatoes and spinach make this dish a tasty treat. It wasn't as good as India Palace's or Bombay House's, for that matter, but it was pretty darn good for homemade by an Anglo-American. I won't even try to make naan because conventional ovens just don't do tandoor. But, if there's a way to save $35 on Indian take-out by making saag aloo myself, I sure will try.

Another item of business is my househunting in Cleveland. I've been on the phone and in Hotmail all week long, trying to set up appointments and figure out where we're gonna live come July. I've got some prospects and I hope that by visiting the homes I will be able to make a good decision. Here's some of the ones I'm going to see (some pretty, some not so much):

Which one do you like best?

I'm having computer problems. I just lost my post.

I'll write later.

S.

Family Night

"This is the night we've waited for

Always a treat we have in store

Loving each other more and more

Together on Family Night."

Our fix-the-pipe Family Night ended with Finn scratching Lucy. Pretty typical for our family nights.

TLC has a new program called Family Night that airs, you guessed it, Monday nights at 8 PM. It features "America's favorite family," the Roloffs and some other shows I've never personally watched. But, I like the Roloffs and I thought Monday night Family Night was interesting seeing as how LDS folks have done this for years.

"Pile of Junk"

It's finished. The yard sale of '07 is officially done. All day Thursday donations-in-kind kept pouring in, into the night. Even Friday the donations kept coming in. The sale was AWESOME. It was like the closing scene from "It's a Wonderful Life," where the townspeople kept bringing forth money to support their long-time friend, George Bailey. I can't tell you how many people rounded up their purchase or put money in the donation jar. There were people coming out of the woodwork to buy what Ethan Sharp (my 4-year-old pricing buddy) called a "pile of junk." This is my trampled yard after the sale (and I'm not complaining). I couldn't believe how many people came. Road 92 looked like a parking lot. I was in sale-heaven, living as closely as I ever will of my dream to own a store (any kind of store). And, all in all, we made $2,500.

THANKS to each of you who donated, baked cupcakes, or bought the said "junk" to support the Peck Family. I was inspired by everyone's participation. It truly takes a village to raise a child.

Three cheers for Daniel!

These Could Be Yours!

Amazingly-toned abs with this ab machine!
Impress all your friends with this Napoleon Dynamite cap.
Keep your cakes fresh for all those Summer picnics with this Tupperware cake server!

All of these finds could be yours if you come to the biggest yard sale of the year!

It all happens this Friday and Saturday

8 AM to 2 PM

3600 Road 92

Come and bring a friend!

Donations welcome: bring them this Thursday (tomorrow) to the above address, all day!

I want this post to change the lives of it's readers. I want this post to stand out and help someone have a changed state of mind. So far, all I can come up with to write about it what we ate for dinner last night. BORING! What is it about a post on a weblog that makes one enjoy reading and keep coming back for more? I don't have it figured out. I guess my object in writing shouldn't be to cater to one's audience, but to write for myself and about my life. Or, maybe there's a balance there. If I only wanted to write for myself, I could do that in my journal. I do like seeing things in people's homes. Here's some things in my home that I enjoy lately:

Mr. Tarantula411.
My new, homemade chenille shower curtain.

Hancock's Going Out of Business (boo-hoo) Sale: 40% off.
Last night's dinner. That one was a keeper.
Our Primary plant. I feel like I hold the entire 3rd Ward Primary's faith, represented in this one little plant. I started with eight seedlings and am down to this one. I am feeling the pressure to keep this one alive.

Excellent bedtime reading material.

The dogwood in bloom. The view from my front door.

Little Chubster and Her Accomplice
Betadine, betadine. The anti-bacterial that also makes a great medium for painting bedrooms, including bedspreads, bedskirts, clothes and much, much more!

Mornings are so unpredictable. Sometimes he'll drag the whole blanket off his bed. Sometimes he'll wake up on the wrong side of the bed. All I know is last night, this little "dude" woke up 3 times. Once because he had thrown up (which has become a Sunday night ritual), the second who knows why and the third, because he had to play quietly and eventually poop. I spent last night volleying between nursing Lucy and laying with Finn. "In the trenches," as Whitney calls it.
This little butterball is definitely getting her share of mother's milk. She has fatrolls that Finn never had. I like having a chubby baby. She coos too.

The Craziness of It All
(Above) Finn before giving birth to Duplos. He likes to discreetly tuck the Duplos into his shirt and then later on, you go to pick him up, and (look, Ma!) there's blocks in there!
Finn was peddling around yesterday on his truck. After he went by, I noticed he was carrying a passenger. He's an animal lover, to be sure.

On that subject, we were on a walk Tuesday morning and Finn wanted to pet the horses. So, I let him. One of the horses bit his finger with a sound like the crunch of a carrot snapping. I thought he had bit his finger off. Finn inhaled for a long time (you know the first part, before the initial cry) and then let out a wail. I knew it hurt bad. Poor little guy. We were both crying on the side of the road. His finger is still intact (look at the first picture), but a little bruised and swollen. The Dr. prescribed antibiotics and Neosporin. The funny part: Finn wanted to pet the horses on our walk yesterday! Trusting, that one.

"I was so embarrassed, I liketa died."
The View From Everest. Isn't this an amazing picture, like you're almost touching outer space?

Okay, so the title of this post has nothing to do with anything I'm about to type about, but I have always thought this phrase was funny (taken from a Southern cookbook my dad got me last year).

So, it's Sunday night and I've got the Sunday Night Anxious Jitters. It's that feeling of needing to change something, paint a room in my house, start a sewing project, or cut my hair. (More on my hair later). I love/hate this feeling because I know it means I feel good enough about my life to tackle something else, and it also means I could fail trying something new.

Okay, so my nails are BUGGING me. I hate long nails and mine are long right now and I can't stand it. That's all I want to say about it.
Finn had a lesson in Easter Egg hunting from his first-cousins-once-removed in Moses Lake today. We had a lovely dinner with the Bruneels: ham, funeral potatoes, broccoli with cheese sauce, homemade rolls (I wish I had one right now to supplement the Easter candy feeding frenzy I just experienced), fruit, stuffing and Gloria Barber's strawberry cream cheese white cake supreme (my mom made that). It was all delicious. Thanks, Bruneels, for hosting. I had fun riding on the zip line and seeing their new addition to their home. Great time with you all!Steak kabobs with Alan Ozaki's sweet marinade. Among other bbqed dishes Travis made last week, this topped all. I snarfed those down like only a nursing mother could.
Did I mention I hate my hair too? When I found out I was pregnant with Lucy I had my fabulous hair stylist chop my locks off. I had about 1 inch of hair all over my head. Now that my somewhat rational mind is thinking straighter, I want to grow it out. It's not fun getting ready for the day when I'm not excited about what my hair is going to look like once I'm primped and ready to go. I always want long when I have short and vice versa. I can't decide if I look like the fifth Beatle or a couth Nacho Libre with my current 'do. Do I need hair extensions? Maybe I should consult the video of myself in High School sporting lots of conceptual hairdos. My mom and I had them made outside of Penney's at some promo they were having.

I guess that's all I have for now. Since my parent's have decided to sell their house, I've become interested in becoming a realtor. Maybe when Lucy starts kindergarden. I'm sure I'll move on to another interest before then. In the meantime, remember this oldie but goodie?

Yard Sale!

Start saving your stuff and donate it to a good cause!

Yard Sale to Benefit the Peck Family

Friday and Saturday, April 20th and 21st, 8 AM to 12 PM

at 3600 Road 92

Bring donations Thursday, the 19th, all day

Anyone interested in coming to help at the yard sale, please comment or e-mail: sarahfox5@hotmail.com.

Pass this on to friends! We want a big turnout and alot of stuff to sell for this worthy cause!

Diet: Abandoned

"Consistently delivering high quality, NESTLÉ has ensured warm and enjoyable moments for families across America." --Nestle's website

I am a dark chocolate fan. What are you? Milk, dark or mix?