Netiquette

First Oprah told me I was rude, and now I find out in the newspaper today that I have broken the rules of etiquette for blogging:

• Be careful about putting too much personal information online. Crazy people have access to blogs too. (I now fear that a crazy person has read my blogs and is hatching a plan to capture me using peanut butter cups as the bait.)
• Anything that will embarrass you is too much information. (Guilty!)
• The more personal you are, the more open attacks you will receive. (This one confused me. Do people get attacked on their blogs? Is that why sometimes I find a comment that has been removed by the author? If that's the case, then my attackers have a last minute attack of conscience so what I don't know won't hurt me, right? It sure makes me curious though!)
• Don't use multiple exclamation points when writing sentences. (Why not?????????)
  

First Birthday

Yesterday was Logan's first birthday

and he invited us to his party.
Well, technically Nanette issued the invitation but Logan

did say hi more than once while we were there

so we felt pretty welcome.

The poor little guy wasn't feeling the best but luckily

Ethan was there to help open presents.

Logan and Chris, beginning the present opening process.

Logan and Nanette enjoying the haul.

Ethan trying to blow up Logan's new toy.

I love being a grandma!

Jensen Games

This is how the Jensen kids entertain themselves. At least it entertained Ethan!

One Year!

Today marks the start of Dane's second year of his mission in Costa Rica. Yay! That was the longest year of my life! That's being overly dramatic, but it was a long year. Some major things happened since he's been gone: Logan was born (two days after he entered the MTC!), Katie got married, and my Dad died. We haven't up and moved while he's been gone though. The email we got from him last week was full of excitement. He's loving his mission, his new companion (who was a roommate in the MTC), his new area on the west coast, and new adventures. To read more about those adventures, go to his mission website. Click here

As you can see from this picture, his countdown calendar is halfway full! The cardboard cutout of Dane looks pretty good in the picture I think.

Enabler?

Is my husband an enabler when he makes a special trip to the grocery store to buy me peanut butter cups at 9:30 at night (after just getting home from 3 1/2 hours of church meetings) or is he the most loving, compassionate, understanding man on the planet? I think the latter.

Last night at 8:30 I mentioned that I hadn't had my chocolate fix for the day and my stash was empty and that amazing man went to his closet and pulled out a Reese's for me. Apparently he'd had it for two weeks for just such an occasion. Too bad his stash ran out too.

Anyway, my helpmate and partner is amazing. And sweeties, this one's for you:

Thank You Edison!

129 years ago today Thomas Edison invented the electric light.

Mr. Edison, you light up my life!

It only takes one camping trip to make me appreciate electric lights. I finally got a flashlight that hangs up in the tent so I don't have to try and hold it in my mouth while I'm dressing or undressing. Think of the days when they did things by candle light and then oil lamps. They didn't put out much light. I remember my Mom telling me that her Dad taught her her ABCs by lamp light and the coal oil was smelly and very smoky. No wonder people went to bed so early. It would probably do me good if the power would go out every night at 10:00 and I had no choice but to go to sleep.

P.S. Thanks for the words of cheer everyone and the blonde jokes Katie!

Melancholy Melany

Today has been kind of a blah day. A good friend of my Mom's died last week and last night Kent and I went to her viewing and today we went to her funeral. The viewing last night was at the same place where my Mom's viewing was and the funeral was at the same church. It has been almost 2 1/2 years since my Mom died, but everything kind of hit me again, especially since it's only been 2 months since my Dad died.

So, I'm begging for comments to cheer me up. Tell me a joke if you have one!

This, That & the Other

Chris requested an update on my October goals. They have mostly fallen away except for two.

I am blogging almost every day. I missed two days, but the other day I posted three times so I could catch up. I'm not sure anyone read my #2 & #3 embarrassing moments though because no one commented. Not that I need comments. I'm doing this for my health and good looks. (Nope, not working yet.) I've found that posting regularly though makes me annoyed with people who only post weekly or monthly (like I used to do). I think I'm becoming a blog snob. I'm calling myself to repentance.

I'm sure you can guess the other goal I'm faithfully keeping. I am really and truly addicted to Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Like any good addict I am now not satisfied with just one a day. Does anyone know of a chocolate detox program I can go into after October?

Taking pictures every day has turned out to be harder than I thought. I'm finding that most of the time I only take pictures when the grandkids are around. Plus, I'm sharing my camera with Caleb because he has a digital photo class right now.

We have the cutest little 2 year old visitor right now. He adds so much joy to our house. Right now he's wearing soft, cuddly red "hammies" and he's watching "hubbies" with "Mimi" and eating a "bar". Translation: Ethan is wearing red pajamas, watching Teletubbies with Naomi, and eating a granola bar.

It's About Time

I've always liked the Church's ad,

"Family: It's About Time".

I attended a Jensen family baby shower today

and it was fun to be with

three generations of Jensen females

(and Ethan, Logan & their cousin Tafton).

I am so thankful for the strength that comes from families.

This is my family in 1967 when I was about a year old.

I am Rude

I made a discovery today.

I'm rude.

I didn't think I was.

I try to be nice.

I let people get in front of me in line at the store

when they only have a few items and I have a huge cart full.

But today I watched an episode of Oprah

that I had recorded from a few days ago.

She gave a test to find out if you're rude, and I failed.
If you want to take the test, click http://www.oprah.com/survey/oprahshow/20080909_tows_rude

and then come back and let me know if you're rude too!

Embarrassing Moment #1

(There are two more embarrassing moment posts below!)

I don't know if I'm the only woman who sometimes has problems deciding what to wear, but especially on Sunday mornings I try on more than one outfit before I finally find the outfit I want to wear to church. That's what happened one Sunday morning in California when Nanette was a baby. We were running late and it was one of those days when I didn't like anything I put on. Finally out of desperation I threw on my turquoise Velcro dress that I had previously tried on. It was one of my favorite dresses. It velcroed down the front. We rushed off to church and being late had to sit on the front row of the chapel. I don't remember how long it was before Kent put his arm around me and realized that something was wrong. There was a shoulder pad hanging there. On further examination, there was one on the other shoulder too. Oh, no! My dress was inside out! Tags, seams, interfacing, but mostly the offensive shoulder pads were exposed for all to see, and we were on the front row. I remember shrinking down in the pew and using Nanette's baby blanket to cover myself as much as possible until the meeting was over and I could run to the bathroom. I can't remember if I ever wore it again, but I learned my lesson not to trust a velcro dress!

This is the only picture I could find of the dress.
Nanette was about 6 months old.
Who is that guy with all the hair?
Speaking of hair, perms were never kind to me.
I think Logan looks like Nanette.

Embarrassing Moment #2

When I was about 8 months pregnant with my first baby, Nanette, we were living in Hawthorne, California, a suburb of L.A. Kent worked for Hughes Aircraft and they had a Christmas party in a ballroom of a big hotel. I couldn't stand wearing panty hose with being pregnant and was excited to find something new called "thigh highs". They had elastic at the top which was supposed to keep the nylons up. Everything was going well at the party until I was at the buffet table and felt the thigh highs slipping. The ball room was huge and I was praying that I could get back across it without them falling down. I started out with a prayer on my lips but apparently without enough faith because half way across they were around my ankles and I tripped my way back to the table trying not to cry. (Remember, I was 8 months pregnant.) Luckily the table cloth was long and I think I managed to get them off, but the party was ruined for me, and thus ruined for Kent. Poor man.

(By the way, I remember doing everything possible to make myself look more pregnant for this picture because I was so small as everyone was continually telling me! The doctor said I must have a built in incubator because a week after this picture I delivered an 8 lb. 3 oz. baby!)
P.S. No comments about the mullet please!

Embarrassing Moment #3

When Caleb was about 9 months old, we were in Sacrament Meeting and he was standing on the floor hanging onto the pew. Faster than either Kent or I could grab him, he was under the bench in front of us. He quickly proceeded to crawl under the benches all the way to the front of the chapel, which was no small feat because we were almost at the back. Surprisingly he went pretty straight. We were able to follow his progress because we'd see that row's occupants suddenly look down. Kent got up and went to the front row and waited for him to come out. We didn't let him down on the floor after that.

FUNNY FACES

I spent a fun day with Nanette and the boys. Inbetween fall cleaning we had some good laughs with Ethan and Logan.

I put this knit hat with ear flaps on Logan's head and Nanette snapped this hilarious picture:

Ethan loved his new Elmo underwear so much that he didn't mind modeling them over his diaper and on his head! Nanette and I decided he'll probably be mad at us for this picture when he's older!

Give Me Cookies!

Kent had an unexpected trip to Salt Lake today and asked me to ride with him. We stopped for lunch at KFC in Clearfield and along with some yummy chicken and potatoes and gravy I asked for chocolate chip cookies. We were told that they hadn't made any yet. (It was 12:30!) Would I like some pie? No I wouldn't like some pie.

Hours later on our way home (after a couple of pleasant hours visiting the Gambles), we stopped in Farr West at Mickey D's to get a snack. All I wanted was 3 chocolate chip cookies! I'm sorry, they were supposed to come in on the truck today but they didn't. Would you like some pie? No, I would not like some pie.

A few hours later, Caleb was driving me home from shopping in Logan (he recently got his practice permit) and we decided to give him the experience of his first time at a drive up window. So, Mickey D's in Smithfield it was. Nick and Caleb wanted dinner, but all I wanted was my cookies! Caleb ordered the food and my cookies and I held my breath. "That will be $7.42 at the last window," the fuzzy voice over the speaker said.

The cookies were worth the wait.

Halloween Fashion Show

Naomi and Erin came for Sunday dinner today and Naomi mentioned that we didn't have any Halloween decorations up. I volunteered her and Erin to decorate and they gladly did. (Oh to be young and enthusiastic again!) This led to them wanting to go through the boxes of costumes that we've accumulated over the years, which led to a fashion show. Sometimes they combined costumes to make interesting outfits!

Bonus Day

I felt like I hit the jackpot at the grocery store today.

Naomi was with me and she discovered Reese's Peanut Butter Cups that were 3/$1. The bonus part was that there were 3 cups in each candy bar!

I stocked up!

Also, I happened to walk by the butcher shop and they had rainbow trout fillets!

I couldn't believe my luck.

I haven't found trout in the store for a couple of years.

So, I bought 4 big fillets and some bacon

so I would have the grease to fry them up in.

Yum!

I know that's not the healthy way to get my Omega 3,

but it's a rarity.

Color My World

Ethan has been staying with us for the last few days because his room is being repainted and decorated. He's happy to tell you, "Mama paint my room blue" if you ask him. It amazes me how fast he's learned his colors. Special thanks to Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Oscar for their help! Here's a short video I took a few weeks ago. I just wish I'd gotten him to say "yellow". It's so cute.

Dumb Questions

I have nothing interesting to blog about today so here are some dumb questions.
Do you have any to add?

• What color of hair do they put on a driver's license of a bald man?
• What happens when none of your bees wax?
• What happens when you swallow your pride?
• When day breaks, who fixes it?
• Does that screwdriver belong to Philip?
• How do you throw away a garbage can?
• How do you write a zero in Roman numerals?
• Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
• Why buy shampoo when real poo is still free?
• Why do we have hot water heaters when hot water doesn't need to be heated?

Short Post

I intend to live forever.

So far, so good.

Shots

I had two shots today.
One in my "hip" and one in my upper arm.
The hip one hurt because it was
an anti-inflammatory for my back.
The other one was just a flu shot
that I hardly felt.
I'm not sure either shot will help,
but hopefully they won't hurt.



So, I finally broke down
and went to the doctor after 9 days
of a painful back.
I came away with a diagnosis
of a bad back strain,
prescriptions for
ibuprofen and a muscle relaxant
and an order for
an xray and physical therapy.
If the physical therapy
ends up being a massage
that the insurance pays for,
I say go for it.




It would be nice
if the doctor
could write me a prescription
for a hot tub!

Goals Revisited

TODAY is the 6th day of my October goals and I decided to examine how I'm doing.

THE ONLY GOAL I've been perfect on has been my favorite. You guessed it, eating a peanut butter cup a day. Just so you know, when I say a cup, I mean a candy bar which contains two cups. I almost didn't meet this goal on Sunday. We were in Nampa, Idaho and I had packed a fun size bag of the treats and generously shared them. Too much. Saturday night I found out that I had no peanut butter cups for Sunday and I didn't want to shop on Sunday. Luckily Nick went to the vending machine in the hotel for me. I put the candy on the nightstand and it somehow ended up on the floor underneath a sleeping Ethan. It was as flat as a pancake in the morning. You'd be proud to know though that I licked the wrapper clean, thereby saving my goal.

MY OTHER GOALS haven't been the best. I've only missed one day of blogging; mostly because I was too tired by the time we drove home from vacation. I never did stand naked before the mirror to accept my body, straight face or no. I've done pretty good about taking pictures but not as good about sending a note of appreciation to people.

I THINK I'll revise a couple of goals a little bit. I will look in the mirror when I'm putting on my makeup and say things like, "I love you and I'm glad you were born." I might have to add, "You know all those peanut butter cups aren't helping your jowls!" I'll also do better about sending thank you cards.

HERE are some pictures from our vacation:P.S. Kudos to Grandma Donna Jensen. Man can she cook!

Boise Continued

We think Ethan is a fish. All he wants to do is

swim, swim , swim. He's not too happy about the shopping that the women do

while the men golf or

go to the Priesthood Session of General Conference.

Especially when he hasn't had a nap.

He eventually gives up:

What the women want to know is,

can't the men take the babies golfing

and to the Priesthood Session with them

so it's easier to shop?

On the Road Again

We've all gone on a little road trip to Boise, Idaho. Thursday night the Utah Jazz had a training camp in Boise and the public was invited. The boys were in heaven. (The big boys and Nanette too!) Nick and Caleb brought their basketball cards and got them signed. It was really cool. Here's a cute picture of the youngest Jazz fan in our family:

My Duty

We've lived in Utah for 21 years and I have never been summoned for jury duty.

Until now.

At least I have to fill out the paper work for it. Kent has been summoned many times but every time he calls to find out if he really has to show up they say it's been canceled.

Until the last time.

He was selected to be on the jury for a rape case but they let him go because my Dad was dying. Then we saw in the paper that the judge dismissed the case. A couple of weeks later he got a check in the mail for $18.50 for the couple of hours he was at the court house.

Proving, that duty pays.

Back Again?!!

I've hurt my back again. It's a pretty important part of your body. I've discovered over the years though that you don't realize how much you use something until you hurt it. Even your little toe. There are body parts that you don't miss though. I haven't missed my tonsils, ovaries, appendix or uterus. Sometimes I miss my gallbladder though, especially after I've eaten greasy food. I guess the only thing I have left that I could get by without is my spleen and a kidney and I'm kind of partial to them.

Happy half birthday to me and happy birthday to Steven Prince!