Swine Flu

I got this photo in an email the other day and thought it was so funny. I don't want to make fun of a serious situation... but since this was so funny, I was forced to.

Hope you all enjoy!

In and Out is Coming!!!

This post is in response to another I read that said they didn't understand the hype around In-and-Out, giving it an "overrated" feel, here is my response - you may not like it, so read on if you have thick skin, if not - X out, grow some thick skin and log back on. PS: This is not just the testimony of a post baby fat girl, I have loved In-and-Out through thick and thin... literally!

First of all, I think some people who grow up in certain states, have prejudice of other states. Like people from Texas - don't mess with Texas. East Coast v. West Coast. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas - because people in other states don't deserve to know. Well, people from California (which I am) have strong feelings about how rocking California is. But I think when you live in Utah (an amazing state, which I love) and have so many transplants - you get sick of hearing how cool other places are (a little jealous maybe, maybe not) and tend to cold shoulder anything that is associated. I can understand, but please don't give this treatment to In-and-Out, this is a universal thing, we can all love. It is like world peace, except someday we all might get some of In-and-Out... even Utah, because we are now getting 3!!! I am so excited I could scream.

(SIDE NOTE: I personally think it is in response to Chadders (Chadders - you messed with the wrong Burger joint, did you think you were just doing a knock off Burger King - WRONG), so instead of In-and-Out suing, they did the better thing - revenge... strategically placing In-and-Outs in AF, Provo and past the point... bye-bye Chadders.)

But before you wrongfully judge In-and-Out, I have a few things for you to consider on why they are the best all around place to get an AMAZING burger...

They are fresh, not processed, you can watch them make the patties or the fries right from potatoes from the counter, as you wait for you delicious food.

They are family owned, you have to love that, they don't just franchise to any dork who want s to make a quick buck, the owners really care for the business, it isn't just money, it is a family project.

They are religious, which you have to respect, they have John 3:16 on the bottom of the drink cups - I like that.

They respect their employees and aren't cheap with them, they pay well starting and give raises often, with benefits, education incentives, spiffs and promotional incentives, they treat their employees as well as some big companies, if not better.

They are simple - they don't pretend to care about Chicken sandwiches or salads. They do what they love and are great at - MEAT!!!

They make it fun with little inside things for In-and-Out lovers, like off the menu ordering... animal style, triple triples and other little goodies.

Plus, where can you get a better burger, fries and a shake, really? I would love to know - and then tell me how much it was, because In-and-Out is less then most fast food places and is totally not in the "fast food" category.

So next time you hear someone talking about In-and-Out, don't immediately think "overrated", consider all the above points and just think "awesome"!

If anyone needs more convincing let me know, I'll meet you there when they open for a more in depth look! :)

Catch up...

I have put a handful of posts of our recent activities. I am way behind and want to catch up, but with 3 "crazies" and 2 that want to sit on my lap anytime I touch the computer I don't have much opportunity, I will do the best I can and hope you enjoy it.

Couponing

One of the things I have been doing lately is couponing. I know this is a little silly, but since I am a stay at home Mom now I feel like not only am I am Mom but I have a job as to take care of the house and budget, so if I have the time, why not save some money on our grocery bill right? Plus if I gave you a dollar bill, you wouldn't throw it away would you? Well coupons are like cash to the grocery store, so why would I throw it away? I know I made fun of me too before I started doing it... but if anyone is interested and has any questions feel free to ask and maybe I can help you out. It really isn't very hard, just a little intimidating at first.

It is kind of a thing around here, I am sure it might be big other places, but I just caught on to it in the last couple months. I get 5 Sunday papers every week and 1 Thursday paper, I use a heavy duty binder to keep them uber-organized, that way I get multiple of every coupon and can stock up when super deals come up. It is not as hard as I thought it was going to be and I have really started to like it. It is kind of a fun challenge to see what kind of deals I can get. I use www.savvyshopperdeals.com, she is amazing! Her food storage pantry is seriously crazy!


I posted some of my recent deals.

This week I stocked up on pasta - I got Whole Wheat and Smart Taste pasta for .20 a box (regularly 2.39 a box) - all of the pasta in the photo cost me $4 and tax! The other photo came to $34 or 36 (I can't remember), but I had a savings card from picking up a prescription at that grocery store so I only paid $10 out of pocket! I have also stocked up on things like cereal (not just the kids stuff, but stuff we eat, like Cinnamon Life for .40 a box or Special K with strawberries for .50 a box), Pop Tarts 12 count .40 a box, Quaker Granola Bars .40 a box, Tony's Freezer Pizzas for .28 a pizza, big tubs of Quaker instant oatmeal, syrup and the list really could go on. The most important thing is that I am making sure we are eating it, not just storing it. The kids like the variety and I like buying when stuff is on sale and not when I need it.

Emma's Busy Life

Emma has been a busy girl lately. Along with becoming a big sister of 2, play dates and random craziness she has took 2 sessions of swimming lessons over the summer and an All Ball class last month. Also over the summer our ward's Primary took a trip to the Temple where they visited the Temple grounds, had a wonderful lesson about Temples, a great picnic and even their picture taken (which I expect to see in some up coming Primary craft). I also added a picture in of a recent haircut - I hate having her hair cut, because we always lose a little more curl, but it has to be done, she is so cute and really adds some spunk to all of our lives.

Hogle Zoo

Recently I took the kids to the zoo. It was with a group of girls in my ward, we had a lot of kids with us and were totally out numbered, but we had a ton of fun! We watched the bird show, which was amazing, the bird fly so close over the audience, it was a little scary (hence Carson having his binky and keeping a good eye on the eagle), luckily Harrison stayed tucked close to me, he was small enough to be a meal for some of those huge birds. We also saw all of the fun new additions to the Zoo, they have a baby elephant, a baby giraffe, a baby snow leopard and 3 baby tigers, the kids were so excited!

Emma's New Dress

I have been sewing a little lately. My sister-in-law Liz is my crafty mentor and was telling me about these cute "pillow case" dresses and so I thought it would be fun to give it a try. It isn't perfect and Emma wasn't a big fan at first, but it was my first actual "wearable" project I have tried to sew and Emma gave it a chance and now asks to wear it every Sunday.
One thing I will say about sewing is that it isn't the cheap way to make clothes any more. When we were kids making our clothes was the inexpensive way to have clothes (although not the coolest). Now-a-days with Walmart and Target, you can't even make things that inexpensive. As for quality - the shirt and shorts I get at Target for 2.50 a piece have lasted past all the wear, tear and stains my kids put on them and that is saying something! BUT, I do think sewing is a dying art, I don't know if I will ever need to know how to make all of my kids clothes, but I do think sewing might be making a come back.

Beethoven Beat Me!

A few weeks ago I ran a 5k. It was called The Beat Beethoven 5k and the goal was 32 minutes, which is the aprox time of Beethoven's 5th. I made it 36 minutes, I was a little disappointed, but maybe next year. I will say that it was my own fault - I hadn't really been training as hard as I should have, in fact I was only running 2 miles at a time and that 3 miles was probably the first 3 miles I have run in about 2 years! Haha, I suck, but at least I did it and for a mom of 3, including a 6 weeks old (at the time) I can't complain.

I know I look like a super geek in the photo, but there wasn't a beauty contest before hand, so I figured I was safe with what I was wearing. :) Anyway, I went by myself to the race because it started kind of early, the kids met me at the finish line and it was so cute to see Emma and Carson cheering me on (along with Jared of course). One funny "Mom moment" was that I had to head somewhere right after and was on a tight schedule, so about 5 minutes after finishing I was in the car nursing before heading off to the next thing. It was funny simply because life can be going a mile a minute, but when your baby says he's hungry there isn't anything that can stand in his way, not even Beethoven's 5th.

Piano Lessons

I started taking piano lessons recently, just for about 2 months. My super nice girlfriend and neighbor Cindy is teaching me and I have had so much fun so far. I am just starting out, but already I am learning so much and can play simple songs. I really love to play already.

I have always wanted to learn to play and even took lessons for a short while from Jared's mom, who is a phenomenal pianist to day the least. But as more babies came and schedules got busier it was easy to put it off or just go over and visit instead of actually doing a lesson. Not to mention at the time the only piano I had was a small keyboard that she had lent me. But when they left for Russia on their mission our "early inheritance" came - an amazing electric piano. So no reason not to take a advantage of this great gift!

One of my most favorite things about Jared's parents house is there beautiful grand piano in the front room, not only how it looks, but also I love entering their house and hearing Teri playing. I love the way the music makes the house feel. I want my house to feel that way, I want the kids to be at the table doing their homework and me playing in the background - I know it sounds sappy, but I really loved the calming presence of her playing (I miss her music) and I want to do that for my kids.

New Moon

*** I rented a theater at Thanksgiving Point for New Moon - Nov 20th @ 10:00 pm - the tickets are $15 and that includes ticket, drink and popcorn - I have about 50 tickets left, anyone interested?***