Bye!

I'm leaving Blogger. I have a new website: www.thevintagebunny.com
Come visit me there!!

Computer Illiterate

I finally found my USB cord for the camcorder. Someday I'll learn how to rotate pics on my laptop so you don't have to strain your neck to look at my pictures. Here are a few from Ruby's first day of school! Cute, isn't she? She really wanted to show off her backpack, so that is why that first pic is the way it is...

The Little Hard Chair

Today was Ruby's first day of school. I was excited/sad/anxious/lonely/etc. In other words, I was a mess. Do you know who was not a mess? Miss Ruby. She was excited/happy/ready. She didn't even want me to walk her to her classroom this morning. (I did anyway. I wouldn't miss that moment of goodbye for anything...)
I held it together this morning until I saw some friends from church in the hallway and they asked how I was doing. My eyes welled up. When I got in the car, the tears finally broke free.
Enough about me, though. Would you like to know how her day went? Splendidly. She enjoyed every second. Well, ALMOST every second. I picked her up from school and then took her for ice cream so we could discuss her day in detail. It's funny how things come up. For instance, when I asked how her day was, she said, "It was good." Nothing else. When I asked a few more questions, she gave me short little answers. No detail. So then I asked her more DETAILED questions, and that's when she started talking.
Me: "What did you learn about today?"
Ruby: "I don't think I learned anything."
Me: "Well, did your teacher talk to you guys about rules, or anything?"
Ruby: "Oh, yes. We have rules in our class."
Me: "Like what?"
Ruby: "Like, no screaming in the building. And the very best number one rule is to always try your best."
Me: "Those are really good rules to remember."
Ruby: "Yes, but I was raising my hand and my teacher wouldn't call on me to tell her."
Me: "Tell her what?"
Ruby: "That that's not true. That the very best number one rule is to always choose the right."
Me: "That's true. Always choose the right. But in your classroom, your teacher wants you to always try your best, so that's an important rule, too."
Ruby agreed to that.

Then, later in the conversation:
Me: "Who did you sit by in class?"
Ruby: "I don't know. They didn't tell me their names."
Me: "Well did you ask them?"
Ruby: "No, we're not supposed to talk in class EVER. If you talk, you get sent to the little hard chair."
Me: "Oh. Did you have to sit in the little hard chair?"
Ruby: "Umm...yes."
Me: "How did that feel? Were you a little embarrassed?"
Ruby: "Yes, and a little nervous, too."
Me: "Oh, well I bet you'll try harder tomorrow to follow the rules, then, huh? Did anyone else get sent to the little hard chair?"
Ruby: "Only 2 people. Me and a boy."

Oh dear. In trouble already. At least it didn't effect her overall day. She still wants to go back.

Pictures

FYI: I just added pictures to the previous post. Check 'em out, and yes, I know a few are sideways, but since I thought I had rotated them, I didn't want to take the time to go back and do it again. To manually rotate the picture, turn your head to the left or your computer to the right ;-) !!

I love a good party

Ruby turns 5 on Monday. I can't believe that she will be a kindergartner in the Fall. Seriously. Seriously?!
She is smart, fun, kind, thoughtful, and full of spice. I'd take her no other way.
We had a party today. It was fun. It was black and white and blue. It was crazy. It was 15 children with sunglasses and leis sliding on their bellies in the water to emulate penguins. It was a sugar fest. It was a little girl walking into the kitchen as soon as she woke up declaring, "Wow, this is so magical and fantastic!" as her mother was finishing the party prep (and that really was a direct quote).
The only sad part is that the mother was slightly unprepared with the camera, so we did not get a whole lot of pictures, but a friend graciously snapped a few of the decorations and food. Hurray for good friends, right?!
We love you, miss Ruby. We hope your whole life will continue to be magical and fantastic.
Love,
Mom

And they call it puppy love

Look at that face...How can you NOT be in love? He's fun, super sweet, tenacious, and does the funniest things. We are obsessed. Can you tell?

New Family Member

Meet Winston:





We HEART Winston! We picked him up at 4:30 this morning and are elated to welcome him into our family. We picked the name Winston because we hope he is as smart and courageous as Winston Churchill, who was often described as being like a bulldog during WWII. Why? Well, let me just leave you with a quote from him: "The nose of the Bulldog has been slanted backwards so that he can breathe without letting go”----that coupled with "Never, never, never give up" pretty much sums up the "bulldog" personality. Am I right?

Weekend Report

The title suggests I do this often...psh...I'm obviously a terrible blogger.
Anyway, I screwed up on my no sugar. Dang it. I'm not good at stickin' to things, am I? I did really good throughout the week and then decided that peppermint ice cream would make my sore throat feel better, and since i was at it, a cookie or two might be good with it. And then I made cinnamon rolls...
Can I tell you about these cinnamon rolls? Yum. Visit http://www.thepionnerwoman.com for the recipe. The maple frosting is delish. I also tried the homemade chex mix and will never get store bought mix again.
I GOT A SEWING MACHINE! Heather from my ward just GAVE it to me. Now I've got to figure out how to use it...and use it, I will! I already have plans for a scarf making day. I'm going to make the crap out of scarves (haha! If you're an Office fan, you'll recall women's appreciation day, where Michael declared "I know the crap out of women!")
Ok, enough for now.
XO
Claire

Just Kidding...

about going private. i don't want a private blog. silly me!

Giving Thanks

Listen, is it just me, or has Thanksgiving become one of those fly by, last minute, get-it-over-with-so-we-can-celebrate-the-big-holiday holidays? SAD! I love Thanksgiving.
Let me just take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to be living in this country founded by men who had a desire for something better and the fortitude to make it happen. Because of them, we to live in a place where we can worship how, where, and what we may.
Also, I'm am extremely grateful for those people who put their lives on the line to protect those freedoms and inalienable rights that we sometimes take for granted.
God Bless America!
And now I will stuff myself until I have reached food coma status...
Happy Thanksgiving!

Update

Yes, I know I said I would post pictures, but I can't find my camera! Bummer! I guess I have my video camera that takes still shots, but I have never been able to figure out how to take unblurry indoor shots with it. Maybe this is why I don't have a nice digital yet? Yeah, maybe...

The house looks great! My mother, with her magic hands, came for a weekend and we knocked it out of the park, for the most part. I still have a few rooms to paint, one, a bathroom, which I will be doing sometime this week. The other is our bedroom (why did anyone think that baby-poo brown would be a good idea?), but I'm going to take my sweet time getting it done, because, well...i'm very sick of painting.

We like living here. Kearney is a nice little town, and you can't beat the 3 minute commute to work. Adam comes home every day for lunch. I love it!

It snowed last night. I woke up to a beautiful sight, but I know that in about a month I will be cursing the snow and wishing I lived in California, or something. The first snow is always sort of magical, don't you think?

Ruby was a bluebird for Halloween. I made her costume myself. I've been obsessed with looking at craft blogs lately, and wishing I had a sewing machine, but they inspired me to go out on a limb and make the costume. I think I did a decent job. She had 3 yards of blue tulle over black tights, a black leotard, and black boots. I made her mask, too. She felt fabulous! The only downfall was that they did a costume contest at the church trunk or treat, and she did not win. She felt utterly dejected and said, "They don't think I'm beautiful!" That broke my heart. Stupid contests!

Last weekend, Ruby and I went to Omaha to stay with my grandma while my parents went to Cali for my nephew's baptism. I was nervous, mainly because I was going to have a 4 year old with me and Grandma Rose is not in great shape. It was actually fun, though. She is a funny, slightly sarcastic, and sweet lady, and it was nice to get to know her a little better. ANYWAY, the story I was going to tell happened on the way to Omaha. Ruby wanted me to sing her some songs. I sang for an hour and a half. I ran out of material, but she wanted me to keep going, so I said, "Ruby, do you want me to sing you the song I sang to Dad when we got married?" She did, so I sang "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones, and then asked her if she liked it. She said, "Oh (sigh) yes! It makes me want to fall in love with you guys." WHAT?! So cute, right? This kid never runs out of material.

Hope all is well with all of you! I promise I will find a way to post pictures soon.

TBP (to be posted)

WE. ARE. IN. OUR. NEW. HOUSE!  Yes, folks, after MONTHS of waiting (I still have yet to determine why it was called a short sale), we are moved in...well, kind of. We still have to unpack everything, but at least the wait is over. Adam gets more time at home, I can go to the store anytime I want/need, and Ruby will have little friends to play with. Life is good.

I will post pictures as soon as everything is looking good.

Privacy

We're going private with the blog soon. Send me your emails if you want to be added!

now you may exhale...

I know you've all (all 2 of you) been holding your breath for a post. I've been a slacker...well, a slacker with limited access to the internet, so I have a little bit of an excuse. So there's been a lot that's happened over the summer.

Big Event #1: Ruby turned 4. We had another Hello Kitty themed party---I guess last year was a big enough hit, it demanded a repeat. My parents along with 3 of my nieces drove up for the big weekend, so along with Xio, Aaron, their kids, the Painters and the Stotts, we had a rockin' good time. Ruby wanted dinner at Red Robin...so we managed it, but I don't think we'll do it again. Ever. Too chaotic. I wanted to just have a regular old birthday at our house, but, oh, that's right, we don't have one yet.

Big Event #2: Adam and I celebrated our 5th anniversary. Definitely a momentous ocassion! I love Adam---he has always been so thoughtful and kind and loving and fun. He makes me feel beautiful and desirable and safe. Thanks for the awesome IPod Touch, Babe! p.s. I love you

Big Event #3: We made an offer on a house! After much deliberation as to whether or not to rent or buy, we took the plunge. It's a scary ride. We should hear back pretty soon, so say some prayers and keep your fingers crossed we get it. I need some civilization, people!!!

I'll post pictures of the summer soon...hopefully...but as you may know, it's better you don't hold your breath...

Gregarious to the Maximus

This is Ruby modeling her new dress from Aunt Sarah (we're at a restaurant):

This is Ruby's Ribbon Dance:

Ruby is quite the little social butterfly. She LOVES to talk. We went to my  mother's ward this past Sunday, and when I picked Ruby up from her Sumbeams class, all of the teachers and adults that were in Primary could not stop telling me how adorable she was. I was thinking, "Wow, these people are so nice in this ward!" Come to find out that Ruby was very much putting herself in the center of attention. (which is a little weird, because she's usually just a little reserved in a new place) They sang to her because she was a visitor, and she LOVED going to the front of the room for it---she marched right up there and announced to everyone that she was Ruby Catherine Freestone. She loved it so much, that when they asked if anyone knew of any birthdays coming up, she did not even raise her hand---she just marched up the the front of the room to tell everyone that Pop-pop's birthday is coming soon, and according to one adult, could not stop talking about it. (just to give you an idea, I think there were about 50 kids and 6-10 adults in the room. something like that) Where does she get this from? (ok, ok, I have HEARD that maybe I was a little bit like that when I was little...)

Ruby also loves to have people watch her "show". She will sing and dance for anyone that wants to watch, and REQUIRES applause when she's finished.

Diva Glam

Ruby loves her some makeup...and anything fabulous, for that matter. So thank you, Aunt Sarah, for glamming her up with your wonderful presents...no really...thank you...(just want you to know that payback will be coming your way at any given moment in the form of a gift for Betty!)

Now, the funny thing about Miss Thing and makeup is that once it's on her face, she's VERY aware of it. She doesn't quite get the concept of reapplication, so that means she keeps her lips very still, so as not to mess it up. AND she will ask me (no joke) every 3-5 minutes if her makeup is still on. 

Watch this:

Did you notice her lips? My daughter normally has very good speech---wonderful annunciation, etc.---I promise.

*exhale*

I know I haven't posted in awhile, but I had nothing to really post and I've been anxiously awaiting good news about a job, which we finally have!!!!!! Here's the truth: We had 2 job possibilities. One started out as a sure thing, but we had another interview with National Beef, so we held of on accepting the first because the National Beef job would have enabled Adam to use his major...which, for those of you who don't know, is Chinese. Well, National Beef didn't quite have it together, and, long story short, finally got their act together a month after they said they were going to interview us---only to interview us (why do I keep using the plural? Adam is the one getting job here...), and decide they didn't actually want to hire for that position yet. In the interum, the job that was a sure thing got kind of sick of waiting, so opened the position up to the public, which made it an unsure thing. Cool As A Cucumber Adam was not worried, but being the one to pay the bills and realizing some things were going to be late, I worried a little. Oh Me of little faith! Of course Adam was going to get the job! We are set---Adam starts Monday, and we will finally have an income. I can breathe again!!!
Just wanted to say thanks to all of you who had us in your thoughts and prayers!

Shoot!

Ok, so remember how I was on the sweet strike? Well...I had a minor set back...Holidays are hard, people! I did well to not eat anything ON Christmas, but then relapsed. I've had a few things, but that's ok. I'm starting again New Year's Day. A little frustrating, though, because I did go an entire month without...and lost 9.5 pounds...and now I've gained 2 pounds back. GRRRRRRRRR!
I have a pretty sweet setup here out in the middle of nowhere. A nice 2 bedroom home---it's quiet here, not many distractions, my in-laws are just up the drive, and they have an ENTIRE home gym (I'm talking 24Hour Fitness equipment, here!)---so I think this will be good for awhile. I am determined to not be a chubby bunny the rest of my life.

Didn't you know that 2=4?

Here's a little advice: NEVER move in the winter time. If you absolutely have to, let some moving company drive it to your new location. We left Friday, later than we wanted (10am) because we were supposed to have a phone interview (more on that later. didn't have it---have to reschedule), it was snowing like crazy, and Adam's windshield wiper wasn't working, so by the time we got to a place in Salt Lake City to stop, he was peering out the passenger side so as not to kill us. We had to wait for an hour for someone from Penske to come replace the windshield wipers. We got back on the road at about 12:30, could only drive about 30 mph, so we stopped in Rock Springs, WY for the night. We felt good in the morning---ready to start the rest of the trip. Adam went to warm up the truck and it wouldn't start! So, we had to wait an hour for Penske to come fix the problem and then another hour for them to recharge the battery. We didn't get on the road until 11, or so (waaaaay behind schedule). I hate Wyoming. Why would anyone want to live there? Anyway, Wyoming is famous for their white-outs. Have you ever experienced one? Not fun. At all. We had very low visibility, and then all of the sudden, it was completely white and we couldn't see even a foot in front of us. As we passed it, we saw a semi pulled to the side of the road, and then right in front of it, another semi straddling the lane and the shoulder, so we had to swerve to miss hitting it, and then swerve the other way to avoid hitting a car in the left lane. Somehow, we ended up sandwiched between the two lanes---all 36 feet of us---and somehow our truck stopped gently on a dime. So, we didn't get very far...Sydney, NE...stayed the night, and FINALLY arrived in Omaha on Sunday evening. We were so exhausted, we stayed 2 nights with my parents instead of one. What should have been a 2 day trip turned into 4. 2=4.
On a side note, we lived (obviously), and no harm came upon us. We know it is because so many people were praying for our safety, so THANK YOU!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday!

This post is to my beautiful mother!!! Today is her 40th birthday (hahaha, yeah, and I'd be killed if I told you her real age. Besides, she looks so young, it's believable, right?), and I am so grateful for her. She is brilliant---so brilliant in intelligence and personality, that even strangers flock to her like magpies to something shiny.( Speaking of magpies, she calls herself one, and I want her to know I am grateful that she is so stylish and passed down the love of shiny and big jewelry to me! ) I'm grateful for her love of learning and reading, because I think that it's taught me to really accept others for their differences and embrace truth and good wherever I find it. She is a fun-loving and young person. We're as young as we feel, right? She's not an immature young, but she can hang with the young crowd (she has a group of friends in Omaha that are just slightly older than me!). My mother is also a wonderful Yaya! Ruby loves her so much and we're grateful that she feels she can do anything when she's with her Yaya!

Thank you, mother, for all the wonderful things you have done for me and taught me. You are my best friend! I love you! I am sooooooo excited to live close to you again!