Good People In This World

This time of year is CRAZY!! You know it is. We all feel it. A years worth of gratitude stuffed into two months. At least that's what I feel. A years worth of showing your love for others stuffed into two months. I don't think of feeling grateful in May or even October. The grateful bug hits at the beginning of November and travels through December. Then in January I am so exhausted from feeling grateful that I don't think of it until November again. Stupid huh?

I am so very grateful for everything I have ---family, job, home, husband, children, church, etc, etc. etc.---but this morning I realized that I should be grateful for strangers too. Now this thought came to me as I went into my morning pit stop before work, QT. This isn't any QT. This is MY QT. My Lindsay and Baseline QT. In this chilly weather I have to go to QT before work every morning to indulge in their fabulous hot chocolate. They have the best hot chocolate known to man. You can add extra flavors that make it.....whoa, getting off track. Sorry. Back to being grateful. So anyway, when I enter my QT every morning the door is always held open for me by some stranger. Woman, man, child. Every day is different. Not only is my door held open for me but there is usually a thank you and a you're welcome with a smile. These people don't have to smile at me. They don't even have to hold the door for me. BUT THEY DO! That small gesture of kindness really brightens my day. There is still kindness in the world at my QT. For this I am grateful.

Erik Look-A-Like

This reminds me of somebody I know. He happens to be married to my Amber.

Do you see the resemblance?

Under Construction

I'm making some changes to my blog (nothing too drastic. Just me trying to figure out the background. haha). I'm also going to be uploading pictures that we had taken this weekend by my husband "the photographer". Give the man a camera and a tripod and he can actually do some pretty good things. Check back tomorrow. See you then!!!

New Post

Okay. So Erica was teasing me last night about my previous posts. I said that I should quit blogging because I don't keep up with it regularly, I don't know how to upload pics and I really don't have anything exciting to say. So before I give it up completely, I'm going to ramble for a few lines here and just tell you what's been going on. Just follow the bullet points.

* Sew. Sew. Sew. If you need to come and see me I will most likely be in my sewing room. I have a ton of projects that I am working on. Well, that was before I BROKE my sewing machine last Thursday. Now I am actually having withdrawals. It wakes me up at night. I have been working on baby quilts for my sister in law and Erica and another quilt for a special nephew. Also some amazing Christmas presents. So now I am...

* Stressed. Stressed. Stressed. The quilt for my nephew has to be done by December 6th for our family party. We celebrate all of the monthly birthdays at a family dinner on the first Sunday of the month. Anywho, I need to have this quilt done by then. It is my most challenging quilt so far. So please pray that my sewing machine gets fixed sooner than the two week time frame they gave me. So in the mean time I will be...

* Sewing. Sewing. Sewing. I am going to pull out my old machine (and hope it still works) to try and start/finish some of these projects.

So basically that is my life. I sew. I think it is a stress reliever for me. Patrick thinks I stress about sewing but actually I don't. Creating something calms me. Even though while I am creating it I am stressing about it. He's probably right about my stresses. Dang!! He's always right.

Still here

Still here. Just super busy. A new post should be coming but I won't promise anything. haha

Pity Party??

I am down and I don't know why.
I might be sad but I'm not sure.
I don't want to do anything but stay home.
I want to quilt baby quilts and read Harry Potter #7.
In my pajamas.
I get this way sometimes and it makes me crazy.
Not really feeling much of anything.
But at the same time worried and stressed and
overwhelmed about everything.
My husband is very patient and loving
when I get in these moods.
I love my husband. Even though
he thinks I'm crazy (not in a bad way).
That would make me more sad.

I am trying to feel better.
I am going to read Pres. Uchtdorf's
talk: The Infinite Power of Hope.
Then go to bed where my husband
will hold me and tell me that all will
be okay.

I do have other children. Promise

So after the long hellacious blog, I realized that all I do is blog about Aubrey. Sometimes I throw Erica in there, you know it's because she's the slow cooker for our new granddaughter. So I have decided that I need to introduce you to all the other wonderful girls I have in my life. So stay tuned for that post to come. I promise it won't take forever.....just a couple of days.

One Hellacious Blog

If you are reading this I will start out by telling you that I am sorry for what is ahead. I have the hardest time keeping up with my blog. For one, I can't do it by myself. Either Erica or Amber always has to help me. I am very computer stupid. I try. I really do. But I usually end up getting mad and saying a few choice words that Patrick would rather have me not say. So read ahead for my update. I can't promise when the next time I will update will be. Just know that it will probably be a long one then also. Oh well.

The Big Announcement

Drumroll please..........

The unveiling of the sex of the grandbaby.............

Here we go.............
It's a GIRL!!!!!

We are so excited. We know all about girls.

Asked to Homecoming

So this picture is totally stupid. It is the right way on the computer thingy where the pics are stored but when I uploaded it it turned sideways. Sorry but you are going to have to look sideways to see it. Anyway, this is Aubrey getting asked to Homecoming. Can you figure it out?

YoPlus+English Muffins+wood+B+A+Delights.

R+U+Redi+ToGo

(You plus Inglish (Alex Inglish) would be a delight. Are you ready to go?)

I thought it was so cute.

As we were walking out the door to go to church.

Aubs telling Amber all about it. Yeah, I know. My girls sit on the table and counter tops.

Newport Beach Again

We needed another Newport fix. So we loaded up the kids (minus Ash and Nick) and added Pat's parents and nephew and headed to Cali. Here we are having a BBQ on the beach in Huntington. Roasted hot dogs and smores. YUM!!

Albert roasting and Erica feeding him. Life couldn't get any better.

Aubs and Patrick just chilling and enjoying the beach.

Pat's parents Ron and Deanna. Sorry Mom and Dad. I took your picture with your mouths full.

Three of my girls. Amber, Aubrey and Erica.

Our family (minus Ashley)

Patrick, Amber, Aubrey, Erica, and Karson

Breakfast the next morning. Yummy Cap'n Crunch.

Dad Neel and nephew Steven on the balcony.

Patrick being silly

Our day at the beach

Don't ask me what they are doing. I guess boys will be boys?!?

Sandcastle making

Random guy. We all loved the fro.

Some guy on the beach making an awesome sandcastle.

One of our favorite things to do at the beach. Nap.

Dad Neel was constantly eating.

This is our absolute favorite thing to do in Newport. Bike riding. Here's the whole gang with their bikes that we rented from May and Patrick's (not my Patrick) Bike Rental Place. I highly suggest doing this.

Here we all are on Balboa Island eating the famous, wonderful, amazing Balboa Bars. You know how I feel about these bars.

Mom and Dad Neel

Aubs

Amber and Erik

Albert and Erica. Love the floppy hat.

Aubrey and Steven on Newport Pier.

The whole gang on Newport Pier. Minus Patrick who's taking the picture.

Aubrey's First Day of College

Another last first with Aubs. I am driving my other girls crazy. They tell me all the time that I never took pictures of them doing these things like Aubs first day of college at MCC. They just don't understand what mothers go through when their youngest child does things for the last first time. My words to them: GET OVER IT. They will someday understand and when they do they will call me crying and tell me that they don't hold grudges against me anymore for not making a big deal out of their first days of college. I will patiently wait for that day to come. Doesn't she look cute?? (P.S. On a side note. On Erica's first day of college at ASU we got into a little argument and apparently (according to Erica) I was very upset and threw her Razor scooter down the driveway. She cried all the way to school)

Aubs and her peeps car pooling to MCC on their first day of college. Peeps=Jodi, Ashley and Morgan.

18 Week Baby Bump

Erica at 18 weeks. Doesn't she look so much better? The sickness has passed and the only thing she has now is being tired all the time. She has the pregnancy glow! (I love the blue shirt against the green wall)

Todd and Daisy

This is Tod/Todd. He is our Bassett Hound. We all love him although nobody will admit it except for Ashley. Erica bought him when he was a puppy and named him Tod. Ashley took over (stole) him and now claims him as hers. She also changed his name to Todd. BIG debate in our family. Anyway, I think he's cute. I love the way he lounges around.Another photo shot of Tod/Todd with Daisy, our Daschund, hiding in the background. This is his favorite position. Gotta love it!

Update Coming Soon

......I promise!!!

Wedding Preparations

Okay so no one could ever say that Ashley is a procrastinator. Her wedding is over 6 months away and she has been so busy making decorations. She is such a crafty person. Here she is modeling her almost finished card holder. Way to go!!

For some reason all our crafts are done in the kitchen. Here she is making the most use of the stove. Haha.

Nick has figured out the best place to be. Out of her way! Here he is just chilling watching TV.

Another Last First

Aubrey going to her first day of school is another last first. It's her first day of school being a senior at Mesa High but it's the last first day of school we will have. I have mixed feelings. Happy for her starting her senior year. Sad for me because this is it. I have no more children to take pictures of on their first day of school. Thanks Aubs for putting up with me.



This is our high school car. A Dodge Neon. We bought it for our kids when Ashley was a senior and Erica was a junior for them to get themselves to school. Basically, I was tired of driving them to school and heaven knows it was sooo uncool to take the bus. Anyways, it's now Aubrey's car. She will inherit it when she graduates. Another one of the perks of being the baby of the family.

This is the first day of school cake. It's purple with yellow sugar. GO JACKRABBITS!! (Although my blood still runs orange and blue.)

Aubrey frosted the cake so we had to take her picture with the cake. Again, (sniffling, sobs) another last first.