a shout out

Okay everybody, I'm trying to put together a binder of super-fun (super easy, for my craft-impair-ed-ness...?!?) Christmas projects and now that the Big Day has come and gone I should have some time to document all the cute and wonderful ideas I saw this season. And that's as far as my brain ever gets... any help? - I'd love to see links and pics of fabulous (but I stress again, EASY) holiday crafts. Expecially the ones that my kids can help with. I spent too much of this Christmas season trying to figure out what to do, and not enought actually doing it. Never again!

rock, paper, scissors, lizard, spock

So I went and saw Twilight last night... again. It's still a low-budget bomb, but it's MY low-budget bomb. (And yes, I will still go with you if you haven't seen it yet. Name the time and the place.)

I've been at my parent's house in Sherwood Park since Sunday - visiting, making crafts, shopping and embarrassing myself in front of my sister's friends. I needed this little bit of de-stress time since the big S. You know, Super Saturday. It was fun, it was stressful, and I think some people even enjoyed themselves. Note to self: next time try a little delegation.

I'll travel home tomorrow, just in time to make a dessert for (but not attend) the ward Christmas party (because we double booked ourselves and feel we should attend Trev's work party). Even though I've had the other decorations up for about a month, I'm excited to put up the tree. I'm also super-excited to start in on my Christmas treats and plan our Christmas meal, wrap presents, and do the last little bit of shopping. I think all this Christmas hubbub is the best part of being a mom!

Well, that's all for now (but if you want to know more about the title of this post you should check the YouTube clips from Big Bang Theory).

if you're tuning in to hear about the kids...

... too bad. Here's a little peek at what's been keeping me sane lately. (Also known as my unhealthy obsessions.)



Ray Stevenson as Titus Pullo (also must mention that I had a previous infatuation with his Dagonet character from King Arthur.)

Umm, Wentworth Miller, anyone? Don't even try to tell me you don't love this pic of him as Micheal Scoffield.

I don't think I HAVE to mention this guy... but I will. Just for the pure pleasure of saying his name. Edward..... uh, I mean Robert Pattinson.

Like I said, this post, not so much about the kids. Okay, okay, I just wanted an excuse to google these guys and stare at their pics.

a quarter of a century...

....half-way to fifty..... closer to thirty than to twenty....

Or otherwise known as....

My fantastic sister's 25th birthday.

Happy Birthday Jules!

http://www.whiddens.blogspot.com/


P.S. I was so tempted to air out some good old fashioned memories of us, but didn't in the interest of our dignity. You can thank me later, 'cause you know it could have been embarrassing!

i am not dead

... in case you were wondering where I've been. I apologize, I have no decent excuse. But, I have been using my time wisely. Here's the run-down.

• threw a suprise birthday party for Trevor. A great time was had by all, but I will never, NEVER, lie about anything to anyone ever again. Seriously. By the night before the party I was in tears from the stress of all the deception. Even for such a fun suprise, it was really stressful. On the upside, I'm sure I have a conscience.

• arranged for Trev's parent's to come for the party and stay a week. From first thought to Velona and Gary's arrival was about 8 hours shy of exactly one week and included arranging time off for Trevor from work without his knowledge. Again, the stress of all that misleading and withholding of info has left me permanently scarred.

• got a new calling: Enrichment Leader. Woot! Woot! (is that how it's spelled?) This one is still keeping me really busy. So thankful for a mom and sister who let me call and chat their ears off when I need a sounding board for my ideas.

• Thanksgiving was spent here at home. On our own. Kinda sad and pathetic, but seeing as we had just spent all our money and time off on the recent festivities, the down time was actually a little nice. Still feeling sad about missing the to-do at my parents though.

• voted! Did you?

Since then I've just been staying super busy with all of those little, tedious, every-day things that keep us all sweating. Oh, and a shout out to some friends who have been busy themselves - Nyles (Happy 6th Birthday!), Kiarra (Happy 8th and so proud of your decision to be baptized!), Julie and Paul (way-to-go on your little bundle of joy!) and Dallin and Joel (Happy half-way mark on your missions! This one freaked me out, as I have certain weight-loss goals I had set when they left and are still unattained. One more year.) I know that there are others that I'm forgetting - Oh ya! Happy Birthday Mom. Lookin' good!http://whiddens.blogspot.com/2008/10/shes-still-got-it.html

Well, here's hoping it's not another month or two before I post again!

easier than getting remarried

Wow, have we been busy (but with nothing to show for it, unfortunately)! Even though I don't have school-aged children, it seems like September has brought all sorts of commitments and busyness. I'm particularly grateful for "playgroup" to be up and running again. Yay! (In our town, SPEC and the Toy Lending Library organize a community playgroup at the rec centre.) So nice to just show up and not have to be involved in the organizing of it. I live for this!

Another big occurrence in our household is the commencement of BIRTHDAY MONTH. Okay, it's only Trevor and Taylor from our family, but about 5 more in our extended family. Taylor will have his first birthday on the 26th. Yay, I'm so excited for my little guy. And Trevor turned the big THREE-OH on Thursday. Wow! He suddenly seems more mature and distinguished - at least to me. And something weird happened to me when Trevor turned 30 - he is now the "older" man and I have become his young wife. It may only last a year or two (until I start closing in on the thirty mark myself), but it was way cheaper than plastic surgery and way easier than getting remarried!

bad blogger

So I don't have much time but I wanted to throw something up here to remind everyone that we're still alive. Josh is sitting on my lap and when I brought up our blog he pointed and said, "My baby". Taylor's almost a year, though, so I think we're gonna need to stop calling him baby!
Another funny thing... today we were looking for our lion, AKA Josh's imaginary friend. We were looking in the bathroom and bedrooms, the closet and when we looked in the front entry and I called out, "Lion, where are you?", Josh turns around and says, "He's not here - at the moment." Haha, I had to turn away I was laughing so hard!
Yes, I know this was brief. I will be more vigilant, I promise.
Bad blogger. Sit. Type. Good girl.

return from planet a.w.o.l.

Greetings earthlings! Okay, so I didn't actually travel that far (barely anywhere, really) to have warranted this long absence, but I'm hoping my friends not abandoned me. (At least I can be sure that my mom is still checking this blog for updates. Right, Mom? Uhhh....Mom? Mom! MOM!)

I don't even have that much to show or tell to bring ya'll up to speed. Just a maxed out credit card, kid's with no inkling of a schedule and a really pathetic excuse for a tan. Mwahahah! I love summer. But most of all I loved (LOVED!) attending the first bi-annual Mendenhall Family Reunion. (...I know, I know, you wanted to come, but really being a member of the fam is a prereq and your just not cutting it in that category. Please, no tears and begging, I still can't invite you to the next one.)

Pics will eventually follow (as well as ones of our home) as soon as I can figure out where I packed that stupid cord!

the great clark-crosby cohabitation experiment of '08

Fun at the SPEC party!

Who couldn't love this face!?! I love my little Tay-bay!

I love these kissy little cheeks!

My hubby, Trevor (The Trev-meister, The Trevinator... Janay, can you remember the rest?)

This is my Josh, sometime before his first birthday (I'm guessing)

some old pics

Here's some pics of Taylor in all his bubble-loving glory. Courtesy of Nancy. (circa mar/08)

And an old one of Joshie. (We are estimating Easter/07 on this pic)

Many thanks to Nancy, who makes sure my children are well-documented.

by popular demand

While enjoying much fun at Cassie and Jon's BBQ this weekend, I was requested to provide the recipe for my ALL TIME FAVOURITE dessert. After briefly considering keeping this to myself (I could always claim it's a secret family recipe, right?), I decided it ought to be shared, in all it's glory, with the world at large. And so I give you...

BANANA-SPLIT DESSERT
makes 9x13 pan

2.5 cups graham crumbs
0.5 cup margerine
- mix and bake @350 until brown, cool thoroughly (or buy a graham crumb crust from safeway - whatever floats yer boat)

2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
.75 cup margerine
2 eggs
-mix and ice onto cooled crust.

4-6 bananas (depending on size)
2, 14 oz. cans pineapple (crushed or tidbits)
-slice bananas lengthwise and lay over icing, drain pineapple and sprinkle over bananas (I'm fairly certain you can use any fruit you like at this point - maybe some kiwi and strawberries? hmmm?)

1 large container Cool Whip
chocolate chips (amount at your discretion)
-ice Cool Whip on top of fruit, sprinkle (layer?) with chocolate chips

Now, the original recipe calls for this to be served chilled, but Cassie hit apon a way better presentation! Pop these babies in the freezer and serve them like squares (keeps for quite a while if you don't let them thaw.) And... if you can manage to justify all the butter, sugar, chocolate and Cool Whip, maybe you could call this a serving of fruit and eat some every day? Okay, I know, I'm pushing it.

death by crappy computor

Ugh, this blog is woefully out of date. My apologies to any stalkers (Mom, Joanne) and those I have ever hassled about long absences (Julie, Cassie, Julie, etc.). I am ashamed.

On a lighter note - I love my house! I keep forgetting I have a basement, and a second bathroom, and a furnace/storage room, and laundry room, and a TV room. A couple hours into my day I always catch my self and think, "Why are we not hanging out in our super-cool basement!" I'm telling you, that basement is where it is at. Not to mention the GLORY of the cross-breeze. (You apartment dwellers know what I'm talking about) After 3+ years of living in a suite with only one wall with windows on it - I am in heaven. Not even my allergies are going to quell my excitement.

AND.... the joy of purposeful unemployment. I have read 3 books (the "Twilight" series, 1600 odd pages in 4.5 days), 2 newspapers, unpacked my entire house, had dinner guests, and gone to playgroups in the last week - virtually unheard of activities in my former work-from-home life. NOT TO MENTION, the excrutiatingly pure JOY of leaving the house for groceries and other sundry errands whenever I dang-well feel like it!

Heaven, I'm in heaven.

The only thing that is coming close to dulling this buzz right now is the fact that we have no computor. I'm at Nancy's and frankly, this 2-hands-to-work-a-mouse bit is killing me.
slowly.
painfully.

i can almost taste the homeownership - a little like mint, maybe?

So we found a home. It's a nice, modest little 1/2 duplex - fairly new, in excellent condition and with all the nice extras. And we feel like we got a deal to boot. Possession is in 9 days and all that's left to do is sit down with the lawyer and sign our lives away (but with big grins on our faces).

just for fun

Answer in only one word:
1. Where is your cell phone? Absent
2. Your significant other? Shower
3. Your hair? Gorgeous (these days are so rare!)
4. Your mother? Young
5. Your father? Constant
6. Your favorite thing? Unemployment (recent and by choice)
7. Your dream last night? Varied (and bizarre, I might add)
8. Your favorite drink? Water
9. Your dream/goal? Fit
10. The room you're in? Haven (a couch for reading, a computer for keeping in touch, a piano for playing and a toy box for keeping my kids out of my hair)
11. Your children? Perfect (to me)
12. Your fear? Abated (?)
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Homeowner
14. Where were you last night? Houseshopping
15. What you're not? Employed (again, Yay!)
16. Muffins? Banana
17. One of your wish list items? House
18. Where you grew up? Idyllic
19. What you read last? Email
20. What are you wearing? Frumpy
21. Your TV? Uninteresting
22. Your pets? Aquatic
23. Your computer? Broken
24. Your life? Amazing
25. Your mood? Mellow
26. Missing someone? Nope
27. Your car? Fixed (finally)
28. Something you're not wearing? Ring (we never wear ours)
29. Favorite Store? Walmart (call me lazy, but I like having everything in one place)
30. Your summer? Vacation
31. Like someone? Love
32. Your favorite color? Red
33. Last time you laughed? Today
34. Last time you cried? Unremembered
35. Someone you wish to know more? Everyone
36. Horrible habit? Procrastination
37. Future plans? Homeownership (obsessed much?)
38. If money were no object? Visit (relative - often)
39. Life-long dream? Femininity (keeps eluding me)
40. Greatest accomplishment? Children

a.w.o.l.

The move is complete - sort of.
So, we've arrived and are settled in to our temporary home (aka Kendon and Nancy's basement - thank you, thank you, thank you!), but we will, of course, be moving again as soon as we can sort out a house. There is a favourite on the market and the financial end seems to be coming together seemlessly. Yay!

a moment of silence please

So I'd like to take an opportunity to talk about something very close to my heart. Something that is in grave danger of being lost if immediate action isn't taken. I know that many of you are probably unaware of the importance of this endangered institution. But if you were, are or ever plan to be a mother of young children - Please keep reading!
It may still be alive and thriving in your home, but all too soon it will start to vanish - just like it is in my home right now! Please help us do something. What am I so concerned about, you ask?
Need A Pm Sleep, or "afternoon NAPS" (as it's more commonly known) has virtually become extinct in my household. The devistation and calamity its absense has wreaked on our domestic environment is indescribable! Take action now, before your family is next! ;)

wired

So my mother and I just spent the entire day packing and tag-team parenting my hooligans. I. AM. EXHAUSTED. Exhausted, but on a huge adrenaline rush. I'm a purging and packing machine! Have any junk you need ruthlessly disposed of? I'm your girl. Seriously though, you should have seen the mounds of crap we were wading through. I'd pick something up and say, "I'm conflicted, this (insert name of random piece of junk here) is totally useless, takes up space and should have been thrown out years ago. I don't know why I keep it." And then proceed to PACK IT! Thankfully the look of disgust on my mom's face would snap me back to reality. I love having her around when I'm sorting my junk - she knows just how to lovingly shame me into dealing with my "pack-rat"itis. Thanks mom, I love you!
So just a kitchen left to pack and then all that odds and ends and cleaning. Wahoo! I'm so ready to be done.
I'm gonna head off to bed now - probably to dream of entire landfills full of "I'm sure I'll find a use for it" stuff trying to shove itself into my hall closet. You know how some kids have safety blankets? I'm totally sleeping with a safety garbage bag tonight!

6 days and counting

So we're moving.... I'm not sure whether to end that sentence with an exclamation point or a frown-y face. Of course I'm excited - new ward, new home, no job for the summer. However, I cannot deny the stresses - I've been "single parent"ing it for almost 3 months (not as difficult as I thought, but infinitely less productive), packing with a toddler (I turn my back to add an item to a box an return to find it's contents strewn throughout multiple rooms). But the worst have been the good-byes. Not to friends yet, but the weekly good-byes to Trevor. We just had him home for the weekend again (thanks to our good friend Dustin A.) and just as we start to enjoy our time, he's off. Then comes the waterworks, the tantrums, the pouting and whining - me, not Josh! Kidding. But seriously, I think sometimes my independent spirit and jokey attitude hold me back from really expressing some of the important feelings. So here goes...
Trevor is my best friend, my most beloved critic, an unconditional source of support and the love of my life. I don't say it enough, but I love him with more emotion than I am even able to really understand, I can only feel it. And it overwhelms me.

wish i'd learned this yesterday

Okay, I got this in an email from my father-in-law today. It made me laugh and I thought it would be a great place holder.


All, Please heed this warning. It could happen to you.

TICK WARNING!
I hate it when people forward bogus warnings, and I have even done it myself a couple times unintentionally...
But this one is real, and it's important. So please send this warning to everyone on your e-mail list. If someone comes to your front door saying they are checking for ticks due to the warm weather and asks you to take your clothes off and dance around with your arms up, DO NOT DO IT!! THIS IS A SCAM!! They only want to see you naked.


I wish I'd gotten this yesterday. I feel so stupid.