10 Things That Have Been Happening

In no particular order:

1) Dexter's cast is off! Hooray!

2) Some sweet friends thoughtfully passed down some clothes to us, so I took the opportunity to try my hand at dying ... wait, I mean dyeing, a dress for Bea. Before & after:

So fun! Everyone is now hiding their clothes from me, because I've become a little dye-happy.

3) (This was where I mentioned we were selling our old black van ("the orca") to get Jay a commuter car and then proceeded to beg one of you to buy it. But the begging is no longer necessary because we sold it! In its place we purchased a '92 Corolla... a 3 year upgrade from the '89 Corolla we recently parted with. What can I say? They are the best cars for people who are bad at remembering regular oil changes.)

4) General Conference and the Relief Society broadcast were awesome. Truly. I can't wait until the Ensign comes in the mail so I can read all the parts I missed while applying bandaids, refilling drinks, and breaking up fights over legos.

5) Jay and Cal managed to break our $6 Ikea stool. (I know, just shocking that an Ikea stool broke!) So we cut out a new seat from scrap wood, covered it in batting and fabric, and attached it back on the stool legs. Done and done.

6) My Etsy store is doing better and better as it gets closer to Christmas. I think my "grandopening" coupon code still works, so check it out! I add stuff every week, like this new Halloween outfit. (Dear Santa, please send a new camera so my pictures actually make people want to buy stuff. Thank you.)

7) The kids are doing great. Natalie started violin lessons, we need a preschool for Dex that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, Bea is just plain awesome, and Calvin is the world's strongest 2 year old. I don't know how to go about officially claiming that title, but I'll look into it.

8) I am starting to have an unhealthy relationship with Pinterest. And that's all I'll say about that.

9) The D-Land countdown chain is getting smaller and smaller! The trip is the main topic of conversation around the dinnertable, despite the fact that Pirates and Small World will both be closed while we're there. *Sigh* Oh well, more time for churros!

10) I miss you. Yes, you! All of you, including you Robin S. (and you too, Robin L., though we do have a Words With Friends relationship going.) And you, Joyce! And all my friends from SJ and various other cities 'round the state. And don't worry my Ascent/Sony peeps, I haven't forgotten about you! Let's get the band back together soon. And I miss you, too, family, even if you don't feel the need to comment on my blog posts anymore. It's ok. I will heal somehow. I suspect chocolate will be involved.

The End.

Modern Art, Fear Style (AKA: Cheap!)

Hello friends! We're alive, we promise. :) It's just been a very lazy summer, and I haven't had much to write about. School starts in a week and I'm ready to get back into some sort of routine, though. I don't know how the girls are going to feel about waking up before 9, but we'll deal with that on Monday.

Jay and I have been playing too much Words with Friends lately, so I've been seeing Scrabble tiles everywhere I turn. During one of my Scrabble-laced visions, I told Jay we should make an art piece out of our non-virtual Scrabble board. And so we did. It is hanging up in our living room, and I love it.

(Sorry, my pictures are not great - blame it on the lighting in that corner and my old digital camera.)

The board is mounted on wood and hung with clear fishing line

The Fear family represented, and we only had to use one blank tile! (And there is only one non-family related word ... can you see it?)

Extreme Close Up!

Next on my crafty to-do list (besides more doll clothes, of course) is a version of this awesome Hardware Store Wreath. Perfect!

You Know Dinner's Bad When...

... no one stops the cat from doing this:

(Don't ask how I managed to mess up fettucini alfredo ... it's a mystery.)

To Every Thing, Turn, Turn, Turn ...

As we discussed the Word of Wisdom in Relief Society on Sunday (I realize that phrase didn't mean a lot to you non-Mormon folks, so let me translate: "During a lesson on health during women's group on Sunday..."), someone mentioned that we should eat foods that are in season. Right on cue, a voice from the back called, "Well, it is Girl Scout cookie season!"

We all had a good laugh... but I had the last laugh when I went home to this:

"Samoas" and a CFDC! (I won't say how many boxes cookies I polished off....)

Happy Girl Scout Cookie Season, everyone!

Chucky Cheese on Steriods

We spent $70 at John's Incredible Pizza and all we got was:

3 crazy straws

2 thumb traps

2 cheap rings

1 shark grabber

heartburn

and a headache.

Obviously, it was not the best family outing we've ever had, but we learned something**, and that's all that really matters, right? Right?!?

**Bea learned not to waste her money on those "claw" games.

Jay learned not to let Calvin play with his sunglasses.

Dexter learned he's still too young for skeeball.

Natalie learned that 300 tickets doesn't amount to anything,

And I learned that Spicy Peanut Butter Pizza is disgusting.

Another Lesson Learned

I learned a valuable lesson at the grocery store a few weeks ago that I need to share with all of you as a public service. I happened to be grocery shopping alone (*angels singing*), so I was meandering through the aisles, just taking my time. The store was relatively empty, which is always a plus. I turned down the aisle that has all the kitchen supplies - the peelers, the graters, cutting boards, etc. - and I saw a grown woman pick up a plastic pasta spoon and use it as a back scratcher... under her shirt.

Now, my first instinct was to yell out, "What in the world are you doing?!?" but I was embarrassed for her, so I just walked casually by, acted like I didn't notice, and pretended to be extremely interested in the canned pears on the other side of the aisle. The woman had, of course, quickly removed the pasta spoon when she saw me come into the aisle, but it was too late. I had seen. As I slowly walked down the aisle, I kept one eye on the woman, waiting - praying - that she would put the pasta spoon in her cart. But alas, she did not. The pasta spoon went back on the hook, just waiting patiently to be used to scoop up spaghetti for some poor, unsuspecting family.

Lesson learned: Always wash anything you buy from the store before you use it. Also, pasta spoons are very versatile, and I am buying one for every person on my Christmas list. :)

Potpourri of a Post

It's been busy around these parts, mostly because we've had to keep fixing things (the 'Rolla, our computer hard drive, the house air conditioning....) The computer broke about a month or two out of warranty, naturally, but luckily the air conditioning is still under warranty. The 'Rolla, well... it's a 1989 so that's all I have to say about that. It's still cheaper than having a monthly car payment, though, so we're sticking with it. Plus, we need to hang on to it for about 8 more years, because we promised Natalie she could have it when she got her license. Lucky girl. :)

So as I've been reorganizing my pictures on my new hard drive, I've come across a few that I decided to share. They are slightly random... just like me!

Calvin being happy in the grocery store... so rare we had to take a picture!

Getting my hair done as I read to the girls ... fancy!

The boys spontaneously holding hands in the car (the girls, not so spontaneous ... they just know a good photo op when they see one)

I'm so glad we built them a treehouse

Ok, that's all for now. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer thus far!

Mix Tape

Jay surprised me with a new iTunes playlist of songs that remind me of my growing-up years. It was awesome. I was rockin' out in the kitchen as I flipped pancakes and sang along with every new song. Some of the songs we already owned, and some were new purchases that I know he only purchased for my sake. (Rick Springfield!) I really lucked out in the husband department. As if I need to tell you all that.

Here's a list of what he included. I'm rocking out to #21 right now.

The question is, what songs would you add?

1) If You Leave (OMD)

2) Walk Like An Eqyptian (The Bangles)

3) Karma Chameleon (Culture Club)

4) Jump (Van Halen)

5) Policy of Truth (Depeche Mode)

6) Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough (Michael Jackson)

7) You're So Vain (Carly Simon)

8) Forever Young (Alphaville)

9) Oh l'Amour (Erasure)

10) Glory Days (Bruce Springsteen)

11) Red Rain (Peter Gabriel)

12) The Reflex (Duran Duran)

13) Jessie's Girl (Rick Springfield)

14) Faith (George Michael)

15) Everybody Wants to Rule The World (Tears for Fears)

16) Mony Mony (Billy Idol)

17) Mandy (Barry Manilow) - I think it's hilarious that it comes after Billy Idol

18) Who Can It Be Now? (Men at Work)

19) Head Over Heels (Tears for Fears)

20) Your Love (The Outfield)

21) The Promise (When in Rome)

22) Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen)

23) Drive (The Cars)

24) Total Eclipse of the Heart (Bonnie Tyler) - if you haven't watched this version on YouTube, then you haven't lived.

25) Just Like Heaven (The Cure)

26) More Than Words (Extreme)

27) The Heart of Rock & Roll (Huey Lewis and the News)

28) Don't Stop Believin' (Journey)

29) With or Without You (U2)

If you're ever bored, you can look up a lot of the original videos of these songs on YouTube. It's quite entertaining. But for now, get commenting! I know there are some awesome songs I missed. (But don't say "Tainted Love." Oh, how it irritates me!) :)

Picking On Someone My Own Size

Every time - and I mean *every* time - my mom and I are in the same room, the discussion inevitably turns to height. There is a constant need to determine who is tallest, or rather, who is shortest, since that is the least enviable status. We will visit for hours without the subject coming up, but as soon as we begin to depart, the following scene takes place:

We will be saying our goodbyes at the door when Mom will turn to hug me, and will say, "How did you get so short?" I will argue that we're the same height, and then before you can blink an eye, our shoes are off and we are standing back-to-back, surrounded by various witnesses who are crouched down so that our heads are at their eye level. If my sister is with us, then she will be subjected to the same routine. Of course, we never come to a final agreement on who is the shortest, as there are usually many accusations of poofy hair, or some other obstacle to an accurate measurement.

(Yes, we could use a tape measurer and measure our individual heights and then compare them, but where is the fun in that?)

The last time Mom came up to visit, the brouhaha was just beginning when Jay announced he had finally had enough. (He has only had to deal with it for 9 years ... I've been dealing with it all my life, the lightweight!) Jay went to the garage and came back with a gargantuan level. We stood back to back, had the level placed across our heads, and had pictures taken of the result:

Huh. Turns out I *am* the shortest after all.

(Although, if you look closely, you'll see that Mom's hair is much poofier than mine... I'm sure it affected the outcome....)

The Dark Side

From Director Jay Fear comes the thrilling tale of

Darth Dexter

Enjoy!

Angel in Orangevale

Tonight, on our way home from cutting down our Christmas tree, we stopped to pick up a set of Jay's uniforms from the dry cleaner. The kids and I waited in the car as Jay ran inside. The minutes passed slowly. I could see through the large glass window that something was amiss, and Jay looked slightly frustrated. As another customer entered, Jay turned to leave the store - without his uniform.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Their credit card machine isn't working," Jay said with an exasperated sigh. We had been to the dry cleaner earlier, but were asked to come back because they were still working on Jay's jacket. The items were actually supposed to be ready on Tuesday. It wouldn't have been that big of a deal, but Jay needed his jacket for work, plus we were all hungry, including the kids. (And if you know anything about me at all, you know that patience is not my best virtue in normal circumstances, but especially when I am hungry.)

Just as Jay was about to start the car so that we could go to the bank and get cash, the other customer opened the store door and flagged Jay down. Wondering what the man needed, Jay got out and talked to him. The car door was left open, so I heard the man ask Jay if he was short on cash to pay for his dry cleaning. Jay explained the situation, and the man said, "Come back in, I'll get it for you." Jay protested, but the man very kindly persisted. They walked inside, with Jay still protesting. The dry cleaning bill was just under $30, so I knew Jay wouldn't actually let him pay for it.

I watched them through the large glass windows, wondering what was happening. The man said a few things to Jay, smiled a warm smile, and shook Jay's hand. Jay responded, and then the next thing I knew he was coming back into the car, dry cleaning in hand. "Why did you let him pay?" I asked.

"He insisted," Jay said. "He told me 'Merry Christmas, and pass it on.'"

It was one of those random acts of kindness you hear people talking about, but you very rarely experience. I was honestly shocked that a complete stranger would spend $30 of his hard earned money on us, but I was also very touched. What an example of selflessness and Christlike behavior. What an example to Jay and I, and to our children, about serving in the moment. And what a way to begin the Christmas season.

To the stranger at the Orangevale dry cleaners ... thank you. Your small act of kindness has made a lasting impression, and we will definitely "pass it on."

Coming Up Out Of The Fog

I don't want to jinx anything, but I think it's possible we are finally becoming ourselves again here in the Fear household. We've been sucker-punched by the respiratory flu, which started with Natalie and made its way through the rest of us, one by one. It's been a miserable 10 days. All of us, with the exception of Natalie, are still nursing one or more symptoms, but thankfully we are all finally on the mend.

I am very happy, though, that the fog of sickness seems to be lifting just in time for Halloween. We already missed one party, and we're not keen to miss any more. The girls are actually allowed to dress up at their new school, and there will even be a parade! Hooray! I loved Halloween parades when I was in elementary school, and was more than a little bummed when their previous school did not allow the tradition.

I don't think there is a costume contest at the school, though, which is a shame, because Bea would totally take it this year, as is her birthright. (Jay and I have both won quite a few costume contests in our time - no wonder we are a perfect match.......... what? Too sickening?) Jay made Bea's costume and I'm so excited to have her wear it. Natalie's costume is adorable as well, but I'm afraid people won't know who she is. I'll know, of course, since it was my childhood dream to *be* this person, but we'll see if anyone else can figure it out.

But anyway ... enough talk about costumes. There are so many things to do this week that I don't know why I'm still typing. I should get off the computer and:

1) Decontaminate my house, which looks like a mob came through it just to use every clean dish and throw used tissues all over the place.

2) Determine if it's worth sorting through the mountains of unfolded laundry to figure out what's really clean, or if it's easier to just throw it all back in the wash.

3) Figure out what I'm going to do for Jay's birthday, which is this week...

4) Finally go to a pumpkin patch with the kiddos, assuming there are any pumpkins left.

5) Find the cheapest place to buy Halloween candy, since word on the street is we get *a ton* of trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood. Not to mention our church's trunk-or-treat celebration. Jay thinks we should just buy candy for trunk-or-treat, and then use the candy the girls get that night to give out to the neighborhood kids on Halloween. I of course have ix-nayed that idea, but he seems determined, so I'm going to need to be extra vigilant.

There are many more things to add to the list, I'm sure, but I better stop if I want to have a chance to actually accomplish something today. Have a great Halloween everyone ... and whatever you do, don't get caught swiping your kids candy. Take it from me, it's very embarrassing.

A Food Storage Tale

Members of my church have been counseled for generations to set aside a little reserve for the hard times that inevitably come. A little reserve of money, and a little reserve of food. 3 months of food storage is recommended, and a year's supply of essentials is encouraged. Some people may think that this practice is a bit strange. I guess I can see why it might come across as a little paranoid, but let me tell you, it sure comes in handy...

Imagine if you will, a young mother at home late one night, depressed because things aren't going her way. The young 'uns are all asleep, her husband is toiling away at his place of employment. The young mother wants comfort food. She goes to her cupboard, intent on whipping up a batch of cookie bars, but alas! She is missing several ingredients. She can't go to the store and leave her babies alone. What is she to do?!?

If the young mother is prepared, she has no reason to fear. She simply goes to the garage (or closet, or under the bed), grabs a box of cake mix and a bag of chocolate chips, and gets back to the kitchen! In no time flat, the cookie bars are made and consumed, and the spiral of depression is stopped. Happiness returns. And it is all because of food storage.

Betsy's Cookie Bars

(super simple, super good)

1 box cake mix (yellow, white, or chocolate)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cube of butter, melted

1 egg, beaten

3 tbsp of water

Mix all ingredients together (I mix by spoon, no electric mixer)

Stir in one 12-oz bag of chocolate chips

Spread mixture into a 9 x 13 (or similiar) pan, and bake for 20 minutes** at 375.

Viola.

(**maybe longer, depending on the oven, as Betsy correctly points out in the comments) :)

This & That

It's been a busy week, full of organizing, cleaning. and packing. Although I consider myself somewhat of an expert at packing/moving, I feel a little stressed about this move. We have so much to do, and I feel like I've barely made a dent. But, I know it will all come together in time... at least that's what I keep telling myself. If it all fits in one truck is another story. 

In addition to getting ready for the move, we are also helping our landlord find new renters for the house, which means I feel the need to keep the house spotless at all times. Not that I do keep it spotless, I just feel the need to. It's a tad stressful, but at least it motivates me to mop my floors more often than usual. 

We haven't only filled our time with moving-related activities, though. We've spent a few days at Gilroy Gardens, gone to the park, visited the library, and watched an inexcusable amount of movies. I also went on a much needed trip to the bookstore sans kids, thanks to Jay. 

It's been a good summer so far, but I have to admit, I will be happy when Fall makes its appearance again. 

Dex did *not* want to wear a tie on Father's Day. (no, we didn't make him)

Cute Cal is growing up so fast, and getting into everything.

Bea is so ready for kindergarten (but I'm not sure I'm ready to let her go!) 

Natalie bridged from Daisy Girl Scouts to Brownies earlier this summer. She was so excited!

Did I mention...

...that we found another house?

It's not nearly as grand as the previous house, but it it cozy and clean, and has personality. (Lots of funky late-70's wallpaper!) The first time I set foot in it, it felt like home. It doesn't hurt that it's in a great location - backed up to a greenbelt and running trail - and is walking distance from the school. 

We are in contract and it has a clean pest report, so we're hopeful this one will go through! Wish us luck!

Things That Crack Me Up

1) Pop-Tarts, thanks to Brian Regan. 

2) My husband offering me $300 to delete my Facebook account

And 3) this picture I found of baby Bea:


It cracks her up, too.

Chip off the 'ol Block

Jay really loved his room as a teenager. He is forever bragging about how cool it was (sorry babe, but it's true!). I guess for a teenage boy, it did have all the cool elements: a large empty Pepsi container from 7-11 (repurposed as a laundry basket), stuff all over the walls, and part of a mannequin that was plunged headfirst into the piece-de-resistance: a broken toilet. 

Boys are weird.

Wait... where was I going with this? Oh, yeah...  

So a few weeks ago Natalie spent a whole day asking me for tape and more tape. For some reason I never asked her why she needed it (four kids will do that to you). It didn't take too long to figure it out, though:

Hmmm... I guess it *is* kind of cool. 

(Don't tell Jay.) 

P.S. - anyone else notice our eldest son's name on Jay's wall? It must have seeped into Jay's sub-conscience after staring at it as a teenager. That, or it's a sign that my son has a pretty cool career ahead of him! 

High Praise

Earlier today Natalie came to me with some cut-up pieces of blue construction paper and a distraught look on her face. She was trying to make a Girl Scout apron for her beloved yellow bear (to match hers, you see), but after the third try, she was getting too frustrated.

We took the bear and the paper into the craft room to see what I could do. As I began to make repairs, Natalie and I chatted. I made the paper apron slightly too big and was adjusting the shoulders when she happily said, "You can just fix it with tape." I responded, "Oh, I think I'll sew it."

There was a pause. "You can sew PAPER?"

"Yep," I smiled.

Another pause, and Natalie looked at me in awe, "You're tricky, just like Grandma."

It was the best compliment I got all day. 

The Haps

April has been a busy month thus far, and it doesn't look like things will be slowing down anytime soon. Here's what's been happening so far:

I had a blast playing food-related tricks on the girls on April Fool's Day. First, I removed the cheez-it's out of a snack-size bag, replaced them with carrots and a note, and resealed the bag with double stick tape. Luckily, Natalie thought it was pretty funny when she opened the bag during school lunch. 

Later that day I gave them a snack of fishsticks and peas... mmmm!

They were really wafer cookies covered in peanut butter and crushed cheerios, and green Laffy Taffy rolled into pea shapes. The girls thought they were pretty fun. (Both ideas were from the Family Fun magazine, by the way... I'm not that creative on my own.) 

Saturday afternoon found us at Gilroy Gardens for opening day of the park season. We had a nice time, but poor Dexter just wasn't feeling up to it. He wanted to go on the rides, but then as soon as we tried to put him in the seat, he would start screaming. By the end of the afternoon he chilled out a little, but all that I keep thinking was "Thank goodness we didn't bring him to Disneyland!"

This coming weekend is a very busy one. I have play rehearsal all week and then performances on Thursday, Friday, and two on Saturday. Saturday is also the D-Man's second birthday! (wow!) I asked him what kind of cake he wanted and only got a blank stare, so I guess I'll make what I want. (chocolate, baby!) Then Sunday is Easter. Man...... I am not prepared at all. I better get crack-a-lackin'.

And now, if you've stuck with me through this rambling post, you are rewarded with this:

Just like their Dad, the little rascals.

I want that...

So there's this blog I've been stalking for a while, called Grosgrain. The author creates the most beautiful dresses and outfits and then gives them away. I have been tempted to enter into her giveaways many times, but I never have ... until now. I could not pass up this dress:

Summer of 69 Thrift Store Refashion Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

She made this dress from a thrift store find. I would never have thought to refashion the dress the way she has. I am in awe! And I realize I desperately need to work on my sewing skills...

P.S. - 100 points to the first person to name the movie I quoted in the title of this post.