Last Week

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #26:

Last Week

Sadly, I had this post written, and all I had left to do was add a few photos, but in moving back and forth between using my phone and using my computer, most of the post got deleted. Having to rewrite it was such a bummer, and the second time around, I missed a lot. Sigh. Oh well. Here's a little run down of what last week looked like:

Monday

I went to work. 

Nicky called! He gets to call home on Mondays, and it’s usually kind of chaotic. He calls through Messenger on the WiFi at the local church. He cuts in and out repeatedly. There’s a tinny echo that makes him hard to hear, and everything is kind of muffled. Scotty is usually at work, and I’m usually driving in the van for school pick up. It’s not ideal, but I’ll take it! I’m just so grateful missionaries are able to call home weekly!

Nicky telling us he got to chase an iguana this week

(last week his trainer wouldn’t let him chase any iguanas)

I drove a group of kids (Daisy included) to their theatre photo shoot then took them to McDonald's after. It was really hot outside, and those poor kids were dressed in their thick theatre sweaters, bless their hearts. 

Daisy and her good friend Sami

Tuesday

I spent a few hours up in Layton (about 45 minutes away) because I took a gift to my friend and decided to stick around and run my errands up there because traffic was really weird. 

Zoe and Eva started piano lessons for the school year (Zoe is a returning student, and Eva is a first-timer).

I pulled out all of the sunflowers in the backyard. I didn't necessarily want to get rid of them yet, but they were 10-15 feet tall, and we had dumpsters in the neighborhood, so I thought it would be smart to pull them out while we had somewhere to dispose of them. Otherwise I'd have to remove 1-2 at a time and put them in our home garbage cans across the span of several weeks (these are the kind of details you're here for, right?)

Wednesday

I worked for a few hours. 

I started putting out my fall decorations. 

It was leftover night, and I knew my kids weren't going to eat my fridge offerings, so I took everything we needed to use up and presented it like a charcuterie board to see if they were more willing to eat. Guess what! It worked like a charm! They even tried a few things they previously claimed to hate. I think this will be a new weekly tradition to get them to eat what we need to get rid of. I just gave everyone an empty plate, and I put the tray in the middle of the table and let them take whatever they wanted from it. 

Thursday

I ran a bunch of errands and finished decorating for fall. 

Scotty had to work in the evening (he does security at a concert venue), and I didn't want to be cooped up at home with the girls all night, so we went to Texas Roadhouse on a whim. Eva didn't want to go, so she stayed home, and I brought her a Happy Meal. 

Friday

I worked a short shift and then picked up my three girls from their three different schools. 

Scotty's mom had a campout in her backyard - an annual tradition. 

Saturday

I worked from 5-8 a.m. and then went to Scotty's mom's house for breakfast (a continuation of her campout). 

We took naps to reset and then went to the temple where my mother-in-law (not the campout one, but the other one - because I have two of them) and sister-in-law performed ordinance work for my sister-in-law, Amber. 

We went to dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory with the extended family. 

We went to my brother-in-law Riley's house for poker night. It came down to Riley and me, but he was the final winner. 

My girls slept over at my mom's house. 

Sunday

We slept in until about 8:00 then went to pick up the girls from my mom's house. 

We went to Scotty's mom's house for a couple of hours.

We went to Scotty's dad's house for dinner, and then Zoe slept over at their house. 

Labor Day

(it wasn't technically "last week," but for the sake of holiday documentation, I'm including it!)

I worked for a few hours in the morning. 

Scotty did a bagel run because Einstein had a back to school deal where you could get a baker's dozen and two smears for $10!

We went to the International Peace Gardens. It was weird only having Daisy and Eva with us (Zoe was still at her grandparents').

Nicky called... a few different times because he kept losing service. 

My friend Lynsie stopped by for a spontaneous visit. 

A Quick Look at My Life Currently

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #17:

Glimpse

Reading: 

I still can't read. I start books and forget I started them, and I never finish. I keep trying. It's part of my life I want back. I want to be a reader again! I don't know what has happened to my brain, but it just can't do it anymore. So I know I'll likely never finish this book, but if you ask me what I'm reading, this is the answer for now. 

Wearing: a Beatles shirt and cut off shorts. 

Annoyed by: everything. It doesn't take much to annoy me. This is one of my less flattering characteristics. 

Singing: "Que calor, que calor, que calor, que calor, que calo-o-or!"

(Also known as "Piragua" from In the Heights). 

Craving: a Baby Ruth.

Watching:

Buying: fall and Halloween decorations. I found a few things this week that I couldn't resist. Yes, I needed that ceramic ghost... and that "spooky" sign... and those candy corn candles.

Dreading: re-writing a post that I had finished, but for some reason, it didn't save.

Craving: a long nap on a cold, rainy day.

Celebrating: Nicky has been on his mission for over two months now!

Eating: half an Asiago Einstein bagel with onion and chive cream cheese (twas my breakfast).

Cooking: western omelette quiche (twill be my dinner).

Laughing about: the fact that if I call the quiche “quiche,” half my kids won’t eat it because they “don’t like quiche,” but if I call it “breakfast pie,” they eat it just fine. I’m pretty sure the same goes for Scotty. 

Suffering from: PMDD. Hits like clockwork every month. 

Proud of myself for: not stabbing anyone.

Missing: Vanilla Coke from the fountain.

Enjoying: playing Ark Nova on my phone.

Sick of: having so many places in our area where I have no cell phone service. 

Hoping: that the weather cools down soon. 

Wanting: to go on a trip. I need to get out of here.

Feeling: tired and yucky. I had a headache this morning, and then I got a little nauseous. I took ibuprofen and Zofran and gave it half an hour, and I started to feel much better.

Avoiding: AI. I’ve not yet had any good reason to use it, but everyone around me is constantly talking about it. I like my brain, and I still want to use it. 

Needing: to floss. I just finished lunch, and I have beef jerky stuck in my teeth. 

Grateful for: a husband who makes homemade beef jerky and then let’s me eat it all (it’s so good!)

Dare I Confess?

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #13:

Dare I Confess?

When I was in elementary school, a distant cousin of mine (my grandpa's cousin, to be exact), used to babysit me after school. Sometimes her grandkids would be at her house, and they would watch Barney. I had never heard of Barney before that, but those kids were Barney junkies. They had dozens of VHS tapes, and they even went to live performances. They watched so. much. Barney. 

And secretly, I loved it. 

I was in third grade when I was first exposed to Barney, so I was a little old for it. Everyone at school made fun of Barney and would sing, "I hate you, you hate me, let's get together and kill Barney!" and I would sing right along. Then I would go home and watch Barney in secret. 

I knew all of the songs, and I knew all of the kids. I had my favorite Barney kids, and each episode, I would wait on pins and needles to see which kids were featured (I did not like Luci and Tina, and I longed to be Kathy. To me, Kathy was some sort of Barney royalty). 

The following year, Power Rangers was introduced on TV, and we all talked about what a dumb show it was at school. But secretly, I loved the Power Rangers! I wanted to be the pink Ranger (Kim) as bad as I'd wanted to be Kathy from Barney. I even dreamed about fighting Rita in my pink suit, and sometimes I had nightmares about some of the Power Rangers villains (you have to admit they were pretty freaky looking). 

I mean...

One day I went home with my friend Cheyenne after school, and we watched Power Rangers together and acted like we were only doing it because it was all that was on, and we had nothing better to do. But then we ended up confessing to each other that we actually liked the Power Rangers. We ended up practicing our Power Ranger moves in Cheyenne's garage on her brothers' punching bag. We told no one of our Power Rangers fandom.

The other day I was talking to a friend about The Baby-Sitters Club books. I read my first BSC when I was in 7th grade. I'd never read one before, and for some reason, this one showed up in the mail:

I read it and loved it, and I started reading all the BSC books in the privacy of my home. I felt like I was too old to read BSC, so it was my big secret. I didn't want anyone to know! Surely no one my age (TWELVE!!) was reading BSC! 

My friend that I was talking to about the books said the same thing. She was embarrassed about reading them because she thought she was too old for them. So it seems we were all just reading them in secret and trying to enjoy the last moments of our childhoods while hoping no one would find out!

Guess what else I was doing in secret at age 12! Playing Barbies. I went a while without playing with Barbies because, once again, I felt like I was too old. Then somehow I ended up playing Barbies and getting a friend to confess that she, too, still liked to play Barbies, so we secretly played Barbies at my house.

Over the next few years of junior high, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, and NSYNC hit the scene (with a slew of other pop stars). Everyone at school mocked them, and I went right along with it, and then I would go home and watch their music videos on The Box, memorize all of their choreography, and listen to their CDs in secret. 

As a child and teen, there were so many things I loved that I felt I had to hide from everyone else because I would get made fun of, and now I find out more and more how many other people were doing the exact same thing. It makes me wonder what things my kids feel pressure to hide from their peers out of embarrassment when their friends are all secretly enjoying the same things. 

Things the Kids Say: Episode 36

September Writing Challenge 2025 - Prompt #35: 

Vocabulary Words

Scotty: I’ve got the vacation bug!

Eva: Is it a beetle?

—————

“I’m literally a poetrist… or whatever you call those poem people.”

- Daisy

—————

"Puerto Rico is like a mix of Jurassic Park and In the Heights."

-Nicky

—————

“You smell like pee, and you’re warm.”

- Eva to Zoe

—————

“My school smells awful - like boys starting puberty.”

- Zoe (7th grade)

—————

Daisy: I want a baby.

Me: No. Don’t be a pregnant teenager.

Daisy: Don’t worry, Mom, I still don’t know how it works, but I know not to get in a bed with a naked man.

—————

“Am I half Pennsylvanian?”

-Eva

September Writing Challenge 2025

Since 2018 I've done a September Writing Challenge. I make a list of 35 prompts, and then I write (almost) everyday using one of those prompts (there are more prompts than I need because some end up not striking any inspiration, so I find it helps to have some cushion. I also don't do them in any particular order). I have always really enjoyed doing this, so here I go for the eighth time! 

Here is the list of prompts I'll be using for this year:

1. Life Lessons

2. IYKYK

3. Just Right

4. Birthday

5. Change of Pace

6. Apps

7. Love It

8. Belong

9. Did I Do That?

10. Effort

11. 3:00

12. Sunday

13. Dare I Confess?

14. On Second Thought

15. Messy

16. Do-Over

17. Glimpse

18. Back in My Day

19. Take it or Leave It

20. Sweet Thing

21. Purchase

22. Once Upon a Pinterest

23. Tricky

24. Opposites Attract

25. Spilled Milk

26. Last Week

27. Victory

28. Making Due

29. My Way

30. Ten Things

31. Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

32. On a Whim

33. Family Time

34. Cliche

35. Vocabulary Words

As always, you are welcome to use this list. In the past I've had others join me in this challenge (with some personalization to suit their own style). 

Temple Prep Resources

***Note: the links in the first half of this post are not working, and I will have to come back later to fix them. The link to my temple prep document should work.

I don’t mean to bombard you with “churchy” posts. I’ve written two very close together recently, and now here’s a third. I was going to hold off on publishing this one for a while so you could have a breather, but I’ve been working on it for over two months, so now that it’s ready, I don’t want to let it sit any longer!

Nicky went through the temple back in June to receive his endowment. This is an occasion in which Nicky made some covenants or promises to God prior to serving his mission and began wearing the sacred temple garment.      

It was really important to me that Nicky felt prepared, so during the weeks leading up to him going to the temple, I brushed up on my knowledge of the temple - its purposes, the ordinances we participate in there, the teachings and symbolism, and the covenants we make. I studied conference talks and Church magazines, instructions from the General Handbook, and details from the Church website about temples. I gave Nicky a copy of The Holy Covenants by Anthony Sweat.

I read the book first and marked some passages that stood out to me. That way, if he didn't read it from cover to cover, he could at least be aware of some of the highlights. I did my best to have conversations with Nicky about the temple and provide him with resources to answer his questions. 

I put together a document with some of the information I thought would be helpful in preparing Nicky for the temple. I did my best to teach Nicky what I could, but a lot of the work needed to be his own choosing, so I provided him with some good resources and then stepped back and let him do with it what he wanted.

Since I worked kind of hard to compile the information, I wanted to share it on my blog for anyone who might want it. You can access the document here. If you are helping a child prepare for the temple, or if you just want to review some of the information pertaining to the temple for your own purposes, feel free to check it out. Hopefully you will find it helpful.

----------

It had been a while since I studied the temple in such depth. During this recent course of study, I was particularly drawn to the purposes and blessings of the temple garment.

Purposes of the holy garment:

• To symbolize righteousness and purity
• To help us understand and remember the covenants we have made
• To symbolize the Atonement as we "put on Christ"
• To invite Christ's power and influence into our lives

Blessings of wearing the garment:

• Increases our desire to be like Christ
• Power to love and serve more completely
• Power to resist temptation
• Ability to withstand the world's confounding voices

(source)

With the current trends and the way garments are discussed in social media, I had forgotten how much I truly love being able to wear my garments. When I went through the temple at age 19, I tried to learn everything I could about the temple and be as prepared as possible to take that step. I was really excited to start wearing garments. I remember walking around LDS Business College (now Ensign College) the day after I went through the temple thinking, "I'm wearing garments now, and no one here even knows!" I felt like a new person, and I wanted to announce it to everyone. I've lost a little bit of that enthusiasm over the past 22 years, but I've been reminded lately that it's an honor and blessing to wear temple garments, and I worked hard to be able to wear them, so I'm going to work it! I always love the way it feels to put them back on after exercising or going swimming. I always enjoy getting new garments - so fresh and so white! But I also like it when they're a little worn and dingy because it shows they've been lived in and well-used. I'm grateful for this feeling of renewal because I realized that I was beginning to be persuaded by outer voices to feel critical or causal about the garments, and that's not my truth. My truth is I feel blessed through wearing my garments, and I don't want to forget that.

“I like to think of the garment as the Lord’s way of letting us take part of the temple with us when we leave. It is true that we carry from the Lord’s house inspired teachings and sacred covenants written in our minds and hearts. However, the one tangible remembrance we carry with us back into the world is the garment. And though we cannot always be in the temple, a part of it can always be with us to bless our lives."

-Elder Carlos A. Asay

Things I Didn’t Buy From the Thrift Store: A Photo Essay

This lovely set of witches that look like they’ve had their faces smashed in:

A brown denim inspired set of kitchenware that was much more elaborate than what you see here: 

Seriously, it had everything from plates to mugs to a gravy boat. And some of the pieces had names on them! 

This splendid piece of pottery: 

Is it Rafiki? No really, tell me. Is it? 

Tampons: 

They had so many tampons. So many. 

My kitchen table:

It’s always trippy to see your own stuff for sale at the thrift store. They wanted sixty bucks for that thing! I wanted to talk to a manager and say, “Um, I owned that, and it should not be $60!”

This floral couch:

I actually love old couches like these so much and might someday drag one home . Scotty will be thrilled. 

This ceramic kangaroo? Bunny? Rat? Mystery animal:

I love that it matches the couch. They should sell them in a set. Yellow couch + yellow creature. 

This ceramic bison: 

I almost bought it to put in someone’s yard, but I got distracted and forgot about it. 

A camel candle: 

I regret not buying this one. Someone out there would have loved this with a “Happy Hump Day” card. Lost opportunity. Frankly, I’m embarrassed. 

A toilet brush holder: 

I didn’t realize it was a toilet brush holder until

I’d already held it. Ew. But also, I’m not a germaphobe, so whatever. My hands are washable. 

A toilet timer: 

 

I almost got it for Scotty. He could benefit from a limit. 

This baby doll: 

It had some excellent teeth marks in it. 

This photo: 

A Best Mom Ever mug: 

You can’t tell from the photo, but the wording is totally off center. Like my soul. 

This book based on the Weirdest Movie of All Time: 

 

Please tell me you watched this as a child. 

And last of all, a book about how to make your husband not lazy (written by a man):