Seven Things You Never Knew

Don't be afraid that I have another sugary, junk food snack photo on my blog today. I haven't had one of these in at least a year. I just didn't have any good photos in my file for this post.

I got tagged weeks ago by Rebecca at Becoming for this meme. You know I love a good meme, but this one is really going to make me think. After all, I am a full-disclosure kind of girl in most situations and there's not much about me that you don't already know if you read my blog. So, I'm going to give this my best shot. Sorry if some of you already know a few of these.

• I played the alto saxophone in the marching band my first 3 years of high school. My family had a rule that you had to be in the band for at least one year. We were an award winning band and we traveled throughout California performing and winning competitions. Our band director was very short--no taller than 5 feet--and he had a temper. He'd always throw a fit like a spoiled child if we didn't perform to his standards. I haven't played the sax since my last day of band.

• I bounced back and forth between two elementary schools in our district throughout my grammar school experience. In sixth grade, I had a little friend named Leilani who had buck teeth and chopped-straight-across-her-forehead bangs. She and I did almost everything together. When I got into junior high, all my friends from the other school were the "cool kids". Leilani was not. I dumped her fast. I have always felt terrible about this. Maybe I could track her down now and apologize.

• My parents got me a bike for my 7th or 8th birthday. My dad took me to the neighbor's flat driveway to learn (we lived on a steep hill and our driveway was steep as well.) I fell off several times and skinned my knees. I decided that I'd had enough and went back inside to read my book. My younger sister and brother both hopped on and learned to ride that afternoon. I didn't get back on a bike until I was 12 and I discovered that our youth program at church had planned a progressive dinner on bikes. I decided that I had better learn to ride, since not riding a bike was my deep dark secret. I did, although I'm sure that I was an obvious novice at the activity. I can probably count the number of times I have been on a bike outside of the gym.

• The last two have been kind of downers. I guess I need to think of a happy one now. (The problem is, the only stuff I haven't already blabbed about are my deep, dark secrets!) At my missionary farewell, my family sang, "We'll Bring the World His Truth." As we were singing, it suddenly struck me that my parents had been preparing me for a mission for my entire life without ever telling me that they expected me to go. I was so grateful to them and all those years of early morning scripture study and memorizing verses. Throughout my mission, I would often sing that song to myself in the shower and cry, but it was never a sad cry. It was rejoicing that my parents had taught us well and trained us to be missionaries. All six of the kids in my family served full time missions.

• One of the ways that I know I get the baby blues in the first six weeks post-partum is that I don't want to leave my house or talk to any of my friends. I go from being uber-social to a recluse, and I have to force myself to answer the phone or tell anyone, "Sure, you can come by for a visit." It always catches my husband off-guard because it is such a 180 degree turn from the normal Michal. I also cry. A LOT. (He doesn't forget that part!)

• I don't like Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Ho-hos, and those little donuts that have plastic chocolate on them, but I LOVE Zingers. Especially frozen. Vanilla, Chocolate, or the red ones with the coconut? I'll eat them all.

• When Jared and I were dating seriously, I once made a chocolate cake to bring to his family's Sunday dinner. It was from a mix with a bottled frosting (I've come a long way since then! I might still use the mixes, but never the fake frosting.) His family raved and raved about it and always talked about my amazing chocolate cake. I felt sheepish that it was from a mix, but didn't want to admit it for fear that they would find it less impressive. They asked me to make it again and again. Now that I know them better, I recognize that they were just trying to build me up and help me feel comfortable. They have always been good at that. I was insecure for years anyway.

Now it's time to tag some of you. I tag Scrappy, Ice Cream, Malia or Stu, and Ashley. I'm supposed to tag seven people, but I rarely follow tag rules.

Coming tomorrow: an interview with Evan! If you have any questions you are dying to know about his date with Tamara, you'd better leave me a comment.

I Want Wednesday

I have started half a dozen posts today and scrapped them all. Nothing felt right. Finally, I googled blog memes for some ideas and came across "I Want Wednesday".

As one of my goals in 2008 was to want less and be content with my life, this was a challenging question for me at first; but after a bit of contemplation I realized that we all want things. The wanting itself isn't wrong, particularly if the something you want is worthwhile. And I won't think you're terrible if what you really want is a new pair of jeans or great drapes in your living room. I've just tried to step away from wanting the kinds of things that cost money and always leave me wanting more.

Anyhow, after thinking about it, it felt fitting for me to discuss what I want now that I've (mostly) done away with the I-want-itis that has plagued me for most of my life. And here's what I came up with:

• I want my children and husband to know I love them. Deeply and completely. Hopefully they will never have cause to doubt that fact.
• I want to instill in my children a desire to please God and to keep His commandments-- rather than just instilling in them the ability to obey our rules while they live in our house.
• I want my words and actions to reflect the joy I really feel in my life. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in complaining about the little, unimportant stuff.
• I want to get through a Christmas without a little (or big) breakdown.
• I want to find a balance in my life so that I can fit in all the important things, including exercise, scripture study, serving others, family time, one-on-one time with my kids, date night, relationships with my friends and extended family, reading, learning, sleeping . . .
  
• I want to get enough sleep tonight.
• I want to feel close to the Savior all the time instead of having some periods of my life being closer than others.
• I want to be debt-free.
  
• I want to remember for all my life that joy and contentment do not come in having pretty things--that I can spend my time and resources in pursuit of things more valuable than material goods.
• I want to be a better friend. wife. mother. daughter. sister. you get the picture.

What do you want?

Sevens

Aubrey, my one-time mission companion, tagged me for this Sevens meme.

Seven things to do before I die:
1. Learn to keep my temper and hold my tongue.
2. Take my husband and kids to Palmyra, NY and Nauvoo, IL (they've never been.)
3. Take my mom to Israel. She sent Alli and me years ago and we pledged we'd take her there someday.
4. Get out of debt!
5. Spend some quality time in Europe.
6. Serve another mission or four with my husband.
7. Find a fudge recipe that likes me as much as I like it.

Seven things I cannot do:
1. Go to bed with a messy kitchen. (Okay, it happens on rare occasions, but it really pains me.)
2. Cartwheel.
3. Dive head first. (Now you really know what a clutz I am.)
4. Go hours at home without checking my email.
5. Give up sugar.
6. Run a mile. Maybe someday.
7. Travel as much as I'd like to.

Seven things that attracted me to my husband:
1. His singing voice.
2. What a great, hard-working, rule-keeping missionary he was.
3. His sense of humor.
4. His dreams for the future.
5. His love for children.
6. His passion for the gospel.
7. His strong hands.

Seven things I say most often:
1. "Don't wipe your nose on your shirt."
2. "Don't tip your chair."
3. "I love you."
4. "Not until you've cleaned up this mess."
5. "Just a minute."
6. "This is the last blog I'm reading and I'll stop."
7. "I'm sorry I said that."
(Oh well, at least I say "I love you" a lot.)

Seven Books I love:(besides those on this list)
1. A Wrinkle in Time
2. How Green Was My Valley
3. Anne of Green Gables series
4. Emma
5. The Chronicles of Narnia
6. The Goose Girl (just finished it today)
7. The Giver

Seven movies I could watch over and over:
1. Meet Me in St. Louis
2. The Sound of Music
3. Charade
4. White Christmas
5. The King and I
6. Fiddler on the Roof
7. My Fair Lady
(I only own #4 and 6 if you're looking for Christmas ideas!)

Seven people I'm tagging:
1. Janet
2. Christine in Istanbul
3. Sonja
4. My sister who never posts on her blog anymore
5. Ashley
6. Judy/Cammi
7. Sea Star

Photo Tag

This tag has been floating around the blogs I read for some time, but I've finally been tagged. I really should be writing my weekly report for last week on this blog, but I just don't feel like it, so here I am. Thanks, Molly!

Here are the rules. Post the fourth picture in the fourth folder of you picture files. Tell us about the picture. Tag a friend or two.



This picture was taken almost exactly two years ago, by our friend Maggie Rassmussen. She came up with my brother, Evan, and shot hundreds of pictures of our family. We went to Apple Hill, a Halloween party, the temple grounds, and just spent time at home, all the while she was snapping pictures. She did excellent work and I love every one of them. This one caught Kimball in a familiar pose. It was after breakfast on a Saturday or Sunday morning and he was stretched out in the sunshine near the sliding door, reading a book. He was six and a half at the time. You can still find him in his spare moments (and in moments when he is supposed to be getting dressed, cleaning his room, or some other productive thing) reading a book, lost to the world around him.

Thanks, Maggie, for taking these pictures that my family will always treasure.

I tag Sonja, Mandy, and Morgan.

I am Ian

Since today is Ian's birthday, I thought I'd do an I Am meme on him. I interviewed him for most of these answers, but at one point he got so silly that he kept answering "the trees" for everything so I had to answer a few for him.

Ian's answers first:

I am: a child of God.

I want: another birthday party.

I miss: the circus Grammy and Papa took me to.

I'm afraid of: bears.

I cry: when somebody hurts me.

I search for: my gardening shoes (his crocs, which he wears almost everywhere.)

I love: Mommy.

I am not: a husband.

I remember: Jesus.

I don't always: make bad choices.

I sing: Primary songs.

I like: to go on dates with Daddy. Bike riding to the park dates.

I don't like: when people eat everything. (Not sure if he means the eat all the food or if they just will eat anything you serve them???)

Now a few that I answered for him:

I always: try to make people laugh.

I dance: silly, because it makes people laugh.

I write: with either hand.

I lose: the itty bitty toys that I take to bed with me.

I wish: that we had a dog.

I can usually be found: at the train table or on the swing set.

I need: a book, a hug, and a kiss before bed.

I argue: when I don't get my way.

I wonder: when I'll be as big as my brothers. (Soon. Very soon.)

I am happy when: I'm doing math with Mommy.

I'm so glad that Ian is a part of our family. He keeps us laughing and playful. He is the best sleeper I've ever had. He tries hard to make good choices a lot of the time. I'm proud of him.

"I Am" Meme

I am: too lazy to think of something to post about tonight!

I want: to be out of debt.

I have: everything I need to be happy: faith, family, friendship, food.

I dislike: whining.

I miss: living near my mom. The Wasatch mountains. Russia.

I fear: losing one of my children (even though I know that they are mine for eternity.)

I feel: grateful for the multitude of tender mercies in my life.

I hear: nothing. And it sounds wonderful. (The kids are in bed, Jared is reading.)

I smell: sweaty! Just got back from a walk.

I cry: often. When I hear beautiful music, especially hymns. When I read a great book or watch a great movie. I even cry at the end of most Amazing Race episodes and anytime I see an LDS commercial. I am a crier.

I usually: have some chocolate in the house.

I search for: the phone. It only rings four times before it goes to voice mail and I never know where I put it down last.

I wonder: what the Lord has in store for me and my family.

I regret: the moment after I say something gossipy.

I love: my husband. Duh.

I care: about people commenting on my blog.

I always: check my email when I walk by the computer.

I am not: skinny. Sigh.

I remember: the words to almost every hymn.

I believe: that God's plan for me is better than anything I could come up with, and I need to trust Him to guide my life.

I dance: with my babies.

I sing: alto. Too loud, generally.

I don't always: get my way. But I usually do!:)

I argue: when I'm hungry or tired.

I write: to get in touch with my thoughts and feelings.

I win: sometimes, but not consistently. But I love to play.

I lose: paperwork, business cards, the lids to tupperware.

I wish: there were more hours in the day.

I listen: to conference talks on my walks.

I don't understand: chemistry.

I can usually be found: at home.

I need: a little time to myself every day, for prayer, scripture study, exercise, and to talk to my mom.

I forget: to send thank you cards. (Actually, I just procrastinate until I'm too embarrassed to send them.

I am happy: when I've had time to myself for prayer, scripture study, exercise, and to talk to my mom!

Eight Tag

I have a few post ideas cooking right now, but I haven't had the time I need to spend on such weighty topics as the economy, teaching our children modesty, and saving traditional marriage. I hope to do these posts next week when we're taking a week off of school, but as I am putting lots of things off until next week, it may be just as busy as all the others!

Anyhow, Rebecca tagged me for a game where we can tell any 8 random facts about ourselves. I've tweaked it a little, and I won't tag anyone, so just read and leave me a comment! And stay tuned--my next post is #200 and I have a giveaway planned.

Eight Things I Wish I Had More Time For:

1. Reading--I have been reading Wives and Daughters for 2 months now--pathetic
   
2. Blogging--this twice a week posting is driving me crazy
3. Calling friends on the phone--this is a rare treat anymore, but used to be my daily staple
4. Studying the scriptures--I do get in 30 minutes most days, but I'd love to spend more
5. Traveling--although money is also to blame here
6. Spending time with extended family
7. Cleaning and Household Projects--sad, but true
   
8. Developing New Talents--I really want to learn to sew, practice the piano, and so much more.

Eight Books I'm So Glad That I've Read:

1. The Book of Mormon--I couldn't navigate my life without this one, hand in hand with number 2. I spend time reading it every day and it never gets old or fails to fill my cup.
2. The Holy Bible--see number 1.
3. Covenant Hearts--click to read my review. The best book on marriage I've ever read.
4. The Well-Trained Mind--although I am still working through this one, I use it as a reference. It helped me develop my philosophy and hopes for homeschool into real plans.
5. Anna Karenina--this powerful novel so beautifully depicts the Russian consciousness of the time and illustrates the tragedy that comes from selfishness and adultery. Possibly my favorite novel of all time.
6. The Out-of-Sync Child--excellent resource on Sensory Integration Dysfunction/Sensory Processing Disorder.
   
7. On Becoming Babywise--this book is considered to be quite controversial. And yet, most of the criticisms on it seem to be based on "hearing about the book"-- I did not find it's method of helping babies sleep through the night to be rigid or cruel at all. What I took away from this book was a philosophy to feed my baby when they first wake rather than right before it's time to sleep again. I tried to keep them on a 3 hour schedule, although I think you can tell if your baby is truly hungry and I certainly would bend in such situations. I always made sure to change their diaper before putting them down so that they would fall asleep in their cribs. My outcome (with babies 3 and 4--the babies I had after reading this book)? I did not have babies crying themselves to sleep. If they cried, I picked them up. What I had was babies who knew how to fall asleep without me suckling them, rocking them, or sleeping next to them. They were both sleeping 12 hours straight at night before they were 8 weeks old. Twelve hours. This method worked much better for us than what he had done previously, which was get the baby to sleep, put him down, and hope he stayed asleep. Those babies eventually had to be trained to put themselves to sleep when they were much older--and that's when the real "crying it out" took place!
8. Pride and Prejudice--How could I not name this one? It's not that it has made me a better person or anything, but it is so well written, so delightfully funny, so very Jane Austen. This book is here for all of those great books that I couldn't fit on this list of eight.

Eight Foods I Can and Will Eat Any Time of Day (all are homemade unless otherwise noted):

1. Macaroni and Cheese
2. Apple Boysenberry German Chocolate Lemon Meringue Pie (German Chocolate from Marie Callendar's)
3. Fresh Bread
4. Granola (Homemade or Trader Joe's Vanilla Almond)
5. Cheesecake
6. Anything Chocolate
7. Fresh Salsa
8. Cookies

(Notice a trend there? It's almost all sweet.)

Eight Things I Love About Being A Mom:

1. Kissing a squishy, chubby cheek
2. Saying "I Love You" after family prayers
3. One-on-one tender moments with my kids
4. Sharing books I love with my kids
5. Hugging, holding, and rocking
6. Singing
   
7. Trying to interpret a one-year-old's language
8. Watching them sleep
   

Five Minute Fun

I don't have long to spend on a post (today was our first day of school and I have a lot I want to get done before I fall into bed in one hour,) but I saw this over at Melissa's blog and thought it was fun.

Go to this blog to find out which song was #1 on the day you were born.

For me, it was "My Love" by Paul McCartney & Wings

I also looked up Jared's: "Philadelphia Freedom" by The Elton John Band

My mom's: "Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me)" by Peggy Lee

And my firstborn's: "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child

I must say that I couldn't sing any one of those for you.

What's yours? Leave me a comment and share.

Memories

I have so many posts cooking right now, but can't seem to get them written down. But I was just reading Mahina's blog and loved the meme she is passing on. Here's how it works. I need your help, dear readers!

In order to play the game, my readers need to leave me a comment with a memory they have of/with me. It doesn't matter if we are virtual friends or if we've known each other since birth, just think of a memory that we share or of something that reminds you of me and leave a comment. Yes, it's all about me. But I do love a post that begs for comments because I am always dying to see who is actually reading out there. So go ahead and de-lurk and tell me about the time you met me and I had food in my teeth or the time I pooped on your carpet as a baby (Aunt Karen), or anything you want. After all, I did put myself out there and post this picture of myself in 6th grade. Check out those lovely specs!

Then, if you so desire, you can carry this meme over to your own blog and request memories from your readers. I will happily come visit and leave a comment.

Tagged Again

As if the purse post wasn't humiliating enough, Mahina has tagged me for a new, dreadful blog meme.

Let me first set the stage. Saturday morning was rather slow and lazy for me. I slept until 8:00 am, which felt luxurious and wonderful. I then got up and proceeded to putter, working on a little of this and a little of that. The whole day stretched out before me and I had things I wanted to accomplish, so I didn't worry about the messes my kids were making--or the ones that I was making. I figured that when we were finished making our messes we would clean them up. But not now. So I worked simultaneously on making pinto beans for 75 for the ward dinner, cycling laundry through the washer and dryer, and catching up on my blog reading. Occasionally, I would stop to handle one of the needs of my children, but I wasn't stressed about cleaning up breakfast or picking up legos. There was plenty of time for that.

I started reading Mahina's post about a tag where you take photos of specific places in your house without stopping to clean them up at all, and it occurred to me that I might want to finish reading it later, when my house was clean. I actually got up from the computer and walked away, but a few minutes later I was sitting there again (because I can't control myself) reading her post and reassuring myself that she wouldn't have tagged little old me. After all, I just had to do the purse post.

Alas, when I reached the end of her post, there was my name staring back at me.

I've decided that I don't care if you think less of me after seeing my dirty kitchen sink, my stacks of laundry, or my baby who was still playing in her strawberry-stained pajamas at 10:30 am. Everyone has moments when their house is less than perfect. I have them every day. I try to have my house look good at some point each day, but I wasn't lucky enough to have it be the time when I had to take pictures. That would have meant that I waited to read my favorite blogs until after I had done my work, which requires way more self control than I have on most days.

Okay, but that first statement is a lie. I do care what you think. I want everyone to love me, and that is the pathetic truth. So please don't leave me over this!:) I guess I've gone into full disclosure mode lately and have nothing left to hide from my readers once this is over. I will not respond to some sadistic tag to photograph my cellulite or the fillings in my teeth that scream "sweet tooth", so I guess this is the worst it will get.

So, without any more stalling, here is my life--at least what my life looked like at 10:30 am Saturday.

1. The Fridge.
Lucky for me, I generally do my grocery shopping on Friday, so by Saturday I had already disposed of nasty old leftovers (or crammed them farther to the back where you can't see them.) If you've been reading me for very long, you'll know that I heart my fridge. And I have tried harder than ever before in my life to actually clean it. My favorite things in my fridge/freezer right now? The assortment of sorbet pints that were on sale at Safeway-- I got Mango, Lemon, and Chocolate. And I'm not sharing.

2. The closet.

I have my own closet--our master bedroom does not have a coveted walk-in, but it does have two separate closets. The left side is nothing to brag about it, but there is some semblance of order. I try to keep it closed because Bronwen likes to get into the cube in my shoe rack that holds phonics boosk. The right side has, besides my dresses, my gift wrap box, my ironing pile, and a bunch of home school manuals and resource guides. Oh, and old purses and diaper bags stacked ever so neatly on the top shelf!And some books that I plan to give away on my blog at some point when I finally get around to hosting a contest.







3. The kitchen sink.

The huge bowl is out because I started making bread at 9:30 pm on Friday (It's too hot right now to bake during daylight hours) and by the time my bread was finished rising I was not interested in washing it. Thank goodness I didn't have to show you this


since I was working on the beans for the ward dinner and hadn't cleaned up breakfast yet. That was a close call!

4. The Toilet.

Jared actually forbade me to post this. You see, he is the neat freak in our relationship and balked at the idea of everyone in the free world looking at our toilet. I did choose the cleaner of our two toilets (the one not used by children) and I don't think that it looks bad, but I'm just banking on the fact that he rarely reads my blog. Besides, he knows better than to forbid me to do anything--I don't respond well to such tactics!

5. My favorite shoes.


I must say that I have a very difficult time choosing a favorite of anything good. I could never narrow down a favorite food, or ice cream flavor, child, or book. And shoes definitely fall in the category of "how could I just choose one?" So I pulled out the four pairs that I currently wear multiple times a week. If it had been winter, there would have been a pair of brown cowboy boots and a pair of red high-heeled boots. But they didn't fit in this picture and I haven't worn them for months. I really want to get a pair of the wedge espadrilles that everyone except for me is wearing this season. Except that two of my kids are in desperate need of new shoes and they have a better excuse since their feet actually grow.

6. Favorite Room.


I misunderstood and took a picture of our family's favorite room, which is where we spend the bulk of our time. That train table was my best furniture purchase to date, because it entertains for hours and has lots of storage room for toys. But my favorite room in our house to look at is the nursery, which we redecorated before Ian was born and added beadboarding and floor boards that are taller than 1 inch. Maybe I'll go take a picture of that one right now. On second thought, it has stuffed animals and board books spread all over the floor, so I'm not going to do that. Maybe some other day.

7. What my kids are doing right now:

Bronwen is following me around, begging me to read another book to her. I'm saying, "Just a minute, baby. Let me finish taking these pictures before it gets worse!"

The boys are out on the trampoline, which you can barely find for the weeds. Our backyard has been planned for a landscaping for three years. Thankfully, they haven't refused to play in it. I loved the pictures of Mahina's yard. Wow.

8. The laundry pile.


Thankfully, I spent some quality time folding laundry on Friday night while the bread was raising (Jared was bowling with some other guys, who had been set up by their wives to get out of the house.) I did not, however, deliver the piles of folded laundry to the drawers of my sleeping angels. So here they sit on my dresser (confession: it's Monday morning now and those piles are still there.)

9. Self Portrait.


That's as good as it's gonna get on a Saturday morning. I was not content with any of the pictures I took by myself of myself with my glasses on and no makeup. So now you can just see that I am in bad need of a pedicure. I think that was enough.

10. My dream vacation.


I'm not sure how this fits in with the others, except that after showing your dirty secrets to all of your friends and stalkers, you would surely want to escape to some far off place. There are so many places that I'd like to travel, but if I could plan one trip right now and money and time were not issues, I'd plan a trip to Istanbul, Athens, and all over Italy. (photos courtesy of Istanbul.com, Wikipedia, and Destination 360.)

So, instead of tagging anyone else and furthering the agony, I'll list who I almost tagged. That way, you can feel so relieved to have escaped the madness. Or, if you are just looking for something to blog about, you can take the challenge. And the winners are: Alli, Ordinary Mom, Macy, Morgan, and Mindyluwho.

Keeping It Real

This is possibly the most humiliating thing I will ever do on line. Certainly after this post, no one can accuse me of sugar-coating reality to make myself look better! My former friend, Jana), tagged me for a meme: What's in Your Purse? My purse is always a wreck, and lately it has been especially bad, which means that I have been saying to myself for at least a week that I need to clean it out. But did I clean it out before Jana tagged me? No, I did not. And I couldn't feel good about cleaning it out before posting. So now all of you will know how absolutely filthy and unorganized I am in my secret places (please don't look inside my beautiful stainless steel fridge). It's not too late for you to turn back and not read any further. I'm warning you that this may too graphic for some neat freak eyes.

So, here is what my purse contained until one hour ago:
My wallet, which is bulging to the point that I have to strain to snap it closed. $1.86 in change, which I can never find when I need it because it is loose in the bottom of the purse. A small map of parks and bike trails in my community (which I have never opened, but I grabbed at the library one day because it seemed like a good thing to have.) Approximately 25 various business cards, some of them duplicates. A coupon for a kid's dental visit (we are cash patients, so I'm all about the coupons). A coupon for Cold Stone, which I will probably never use because I've only been there 3 times in my life and you have to buy the huge one to get another one for free. A $50 gift certificate to Learning Express, which I can't wait to use, but am waiting until I don't have to take four children in with me--the $50 goes way too fast if everyone is asking for something.This book, which I am only one chapter into, but keep thinking that I might have time to read while I'm waiting somewhere, so it's in my purse. On the day I got tagged, I actually had 2 books in my bag, but I finished reading the other one last night, so it was not there this morning.
So far, I'm doing okay, right? Well, read on. Or better yet, stop now, before my image is tarnished forever.
My cell phone. My old cell phone (because I still haven't transferred all the numbers over). My keys. My valet key. A list of phone numbers that I want to add to my new cell phone. Three pencils (only one of them sharpened). Two pens. (I can never find anything to write with in that purse.) A baby spoon. A pencil sharpener that I probably took away from one of the kids months ago when he had it in his mouth. Two notepads, one of which is covered in Ian's scrawls.

Three tubes of lipstick. (I can't remember the last time I wore lipstick instead of gloss.) Two tubes of lip gloss. One lip pencil. One Burt's Bees tinted lip balm. One SPF 30 face stick.

Assorted Weight Watchers literature and my weigh in card. I haven't been in 3 weeks. Sigh.

Four batteries that need to be recycled (I took them at my Mom's when she planned on throwing them in the garbage can.) Earbuds for my mp3 player. A handsfree earbud for my cell phone. They are too tangled together to tell them apart. A roll of film which needs to be developed. (I have no idea what is on it, as I have been using a digital camera now exclusively for a year and a half.)

Some family names that I am working on in the temple.

Some church literature that I found in my junk drawer two weeks ago and thought, "I should give this to so-and-so. She might enjoy it." I have seen her 47 times since then and forgotten Every. Single. Time.
My "just in case" stuff: 2 diapers. 1 disposable bib, which has been in there for six months and not used. 1 chew toy. 1 spongy lego-like toy. A ziploc bag with Cheerios in it (off brand.) Some baby sunscreen. A tampon whose wrapping looks somewhat worse for wear. Two half-gone packages of Kleenex. A thingy to clip your binki to the baby--who has not used a binki for a year now. 1 409 wipe. 1 Shout wipe. 1 Desitin sample. 3 half-gone packages of gum, 2 for me, one for the kids in sacrament meeting.Fabric and paint samples and a sketch from Christine of possible drapes solutions for my master bedroom. (The two swatches at the top and the paint sample are probably the final choices.)

And lastly:

This pile of trash, consisting of old tithing slips, random receipts, 2 recipes, 1 ward newsletter, 2 Relief Society bulletins, many gum wrappers, 2 menus/grocery shopping lists, a spreadsheet of compassionate service assignments, and old tissues. This is the most embarrassing of all; that is a ridiculous amount of literal garbage that I was carrying everywhere.

Now that I've got that off my chest, it's time to tag someone. I've debated on this, as it might require someone else to bare their naked soul to the world. Then again, how bad can it be after mine? So, if you are game, I tag: Allison, Ice Cream Diary (Happy Birthday!), and Scrap Chair Potato. Have fun, girls!