Working Girl

So, I've been at my job for six weeks now. I've averaged a five hour work week including the hours I put in at home (one week I didn't go into the office at all). Mondays are my "big" work day. I usually go into the office for a couple hours and then visit contacts for a bit. I have also started a work-related blog. It is for people in the production industry; producers, directors, animators, actors, camera crewmen, editors, etc., etc. in Utah Valley. I'm working on getting it its own URL and once my readership is up then I will be able to generate advertising revenue from it and possibly make that my only job. I would appreciate you checking out my production blog, which is named Wasatch Wrap (Utah Valley is along the Wasatch Mountain Range). Leave me your comments there so I know you stopped by. Pass along the website address to any of your friend in and around Provo and link to the blog on your sidebar if you think any of your readers would be interested. Thanks!!
Also, on a related note, I have hired a woman to come help me with some housekeeping. She is going to come every other week and work a total of 5 hours a month for me doing my floors and bathrooms. I refuse to do more than my daily housekeeping (dishes, laundry, sweeping) on the weekends if Brandon isn't doing some as well. And in a surprise twist on it all, after the lady came by to see our house yesterday, I went shopping for clothing for my poor raggamuffin kids, and when I came home four hours later with darling outfits and pjs for the kids plus some groceries, my house was clean!! Well, the floors were swept, the kitchen was clean, the basement was vacuumed, tidied, and organized. It was wonderful. Thank you B!!!
While I was out shopping for the kids I stopped at TJ Maxx in hopes of finding a few Easter decorations. I found something even better:

and I got the matching creamer and sugar bowl. Nothing says Emily in Wonderland like an Alice in Wonderland tea set:)

Me in a Nutshell

For our Relief Society activity last week, we talked a little bit about talents and had some women in our group share theirs. I was asked to set up a display table of my hobbies and interests. Here the ones I managed to show off: cooking, scrapbooking, hiking, giving makeovers, taking pictures, reading, boating, watching movies...

Today is the Day

I have been looking forward to this day since the day we found out Elora was a girl. Basically, I've been looking forward to this day my whole life, even when I was okay with having all boys some part of me always wanted a girl, if only to do her hair in pig tails.








(Click photos to enlarge)

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Yesterday Jonah enjoyed green milk on his cereal, green applesauce, and green rice krispie treats. Also, his hands, leg, and a few spots on his face are dyed green because he got ahold of the food coloring on the counter when I stepped away for a minute! That stuff does not come off easily.
I had a Relief Society dinner party last night, so tonight I'm making corned beef and colcannon to honor my Irish heritage.

Welcome to the Library...

Today I attempted to do Elora's hair. She was way too wiggly for rubberbands but managed to wear this darling clip for hours.



Storytime.



Totally spontaneous and one of the cutest pictures of them to date.



(Posed): I told Jonah to try and kiss Elora through the glass.




Notice the dyed green fingers. One whole leg is basically green too, along with his hands and a few spots on his face. He got ahold of the green food coloring yesterday while I was in the bathroom. Apparently it doesn't come off nearly as easily as marker!

Weekend

My cousin Grady got married on March 7th. I went to his reception that evening in Salt Lake. It was nice seeing so many of my B. family uncles, aunts, and cousins. Aunt Susan and Grandma Donna were in town from AZ for the occassion. I talked Grandma into coming home with me that evening.
It was so fun having Grandma stay with us for two nights and a day! She made us rolls and molasses cookies. The kids loved her. We all loved having her around.


Grandma and Elora before church.

Little Miss Cuteness

Fancy

Jonah found these two hair clips and insisted that I put them in his and Elora's hair.

PS- Where do I buy tiny rubberbands and bigger headbands for Elora? All I really have are infant headbands.

Did I Not Mention?

Elora can take up to three steps at a time now.

Foods

Elora loves drinking from sippy cups and especially straws.


I gave Jonah a little bowl of some of my Fire Roasted Lazy Salsa and a small plate of chips on Sunday night since it has no peppers. When I looked over at him a minute later, he was happily scooping up the salsa with his hand and depositing it directly into his mouth. Apparently he's not big into chips.

He is really into Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal. Both times we've had it this week he's asked for seconds. Jonah has his with honey and milk on it. Elora has hers topped with coconut milk and I have mine with honey, brown sugar, and milk. Elora gave it a mixed review. With Jonah's seconds (which also received a dolop of coconut milk) he seemed more interested in a 'who can be more messy?' contest with Elora than really eating it after a couple bites. Elora is really into scraping food off her tongue with her fingers when it has a lot of texture, so there was a lot of that going on.

After the kids were in bed last night, Brandon and I made a late dinner for ourselves. Jonah had leftovers and we feasted on pasta, salad, and broiled asparagus. Have you ever had broiled asparagus? It is delicious. We had tons but somehow managed to eat it all.

Best Asparagus

Wash an entire bunch of asparagus (I like the thinnest ones). Snap off the bottoms wherever they break most easily. Lay them all out across a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with coarse (kosher) salt and fresh pepper. Broil on high for a few minutes (til they change color and look a tiny bit shriveled - check for doneness/texture). Munch away!



This is Jonah "hepping" me make breakfast a few days ago. Anytime I cook he has to "up" and "make it." He picked up an egg while I was washing the skillet. I told him that mommy needed to crack the eggs and for him to please set it down. He put it back in the carton and I turned around and rinsed the skillet. When I turned back around this is what I saw. The best part is that there was no shell in the egg, the shell was put back in the carton, and there was no mess on the counter, only a little white on his hand. Naughty but tidy I tell you.

Huge Frustration

In other news, I left my purse in a movie theater on Saturday night and although it was the last showing of the night and we called 30 mins. later, it was gone. We've terrorized the managers and had them do an inquisition of the three night workers (who have all worked there quite a while and who turned in two wallets stuffed with cash just last week) and I searched the theater myself on Sunday morning before they opened, but it is really gone. There was no activity on my iphone or my credit card when I called to cancel them. I am relieved but more annoyed than ever. Why steal everything and not use it?! Just to make my life difficult I suppose.
After reporting my phone and credit card stolen I still have so much to do:
File a police report.
Get a new sim card for my old phone and reactivate it.
Buy a new purse and wallet.
Get a new driver's licence.
Cry over lost $25 Cheesecake Factory gift card (and other smaller gift cards).
Thank God again that my new debit card, cash, big gift certificate, and checks were not in there.
Replace my zoo passes, fishing licence & health insurance card.
Change our locks and garage door openers. Uuuuuuuugh!!!!
Try to remember what else was in there!
I hope it was just chapstick and hand lotion.

Elora's 9 mos. checkup

Elora turned nine months old last Sunday. I can't believe it. We think she gets cuter everyday. She can crawl fast enough to catch any cat these days. She practices letting go of things now on occasion to smile at herself standing on her own for a couple seconds.
Today was her check up with our pediatrician. She has developed some eczema on her skin that we hope we can clear up with hydrocortizone and heavy moisturizers. She is a tiny little peanut and is only in the fifth percentile for height and even lower for weight. The doctor isn't worried about it because she's always been small but he did give me some ideas for increasing her caloric intake since I want to fatten her up. He said she is pleasant and perfect and that I'm doing a good job. We love Dr. L!