HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

We had a great time this year. We always carve pumpkins the Monday night before Halloween. That was good fun this year.

Noah loved Halloween. "Happy Haoween!" He got a ton of candy trick or treating and is excited to trade it in for a trip to Toys R Us from Mom and Dad.

Isaac made a great Harry Potter. We're so proud of his finishing the first book in the Harry Potter series. He loved dressing up and loves candy. He wouldn't slow down all night. Just kept running ahead of us the whole time.

Griff is enjoying reading The Fellowship of The Ring. He dressed up as The Hobbit for Halloween. It was just cool enough and still fun. He liked trying to scare Noah buy jumping out of the bushes while we were trick or treating. However, Noah wasn't scared at all.

Apparently I'm married to Brittany Spears. The greatest part of the costume was that he pushed a double stroller around without any kids in it and carried an empty Starbucks cup. Notice the smokey eyes, Lee Press on Nails, singing microphone, high heeled boots, bronzer, belly button jewelry (looked like a piercing) and fish nets. He wore this all day. Yep - on the Bart, into San Francisco, in the office, handing out candy at our home and visiting friends. At least 70 people took photos of Bryan and some of those even wanted pictures standing next to him. He was heckled from 5th floor building windows. It's kind of sad that everyone knows Britney Spears as a drunk, trashy singer that lost her kids. Two older woman were talking about him on the Bart. One woman says, "Look it's Brittany Spears." The other woman says, "Yeah, but he's got a better body!" Bryan had a great time making people smile and laugh about his Halloween costume. That is always his main goal...... helping people smile. On a day that is all about scary, it's great to have a good laugh and smile! He is always creative, fun and crazy on Halloween!

My costume was way basic. But for some weird reason I've always wanted to dress up as a football player. Totally fun and easy going.

Happy Halloween.

Monday Moments

Is it just me or is every Stay-At-Home Mom's busiest day......Monday??? As a kid, I dreaded Mondays because it meant going back to school. I wasn't a total fan of school. But, as a Mom, I can't stand Mondays because it means cleaning up from the weekend. Yikes!!

I'm LDS, a Mormon for anyone that reads this and gets confused by the acronym. Actually the only people reading this probably already know I'm Mormon. But just a clarification for my many fans around the world. Hee Hee!! Anyway........ because Sunday, the Sabbath, is our holy day. It is also our day of rest. I take that to heart. Cooking tends to be a little more simple. Believe me, I've got a thousand things I could be doing rather than resting. Forcing myself to rest is a type of work by itself. None-the-less, my spirit and body need the Sabbath and I'm grateful for the commandment.

The funny part is that because my family also rests, no one picks up anything. Of course the dishes are done (usually) and we don't leave garbage around. That's a no brainer. But, my boys seem to leave books, papers, crayon bins, clothes and toys everywhere! I really don't want to clean it up on Sunday because once I get started ....... inertia takes over and I can't stop. The Sabbath is ruined. In my mind, while cleaning, I get all grumbly. "Why isn't anyone cleaning up after themselves... Aarrgh!! Messy boys! Are girls this messy?? No way did my kid just walk right over his own stuff without putting it away!! Am I the only one that notices how messy things are today?"

Once I'm grumbly, I take it out on everyone. Yuck! That ruins the Sabbath too. I'm sure the commandment does not say "Keep the Sabbath Day Holy BUT get all grumbly." I definitely don't want to trade the family time that we have on Sunday for clean up time. We play, laugh, read, relax together, play board games, visit with family, sometimes have close friends for dinner. Nothing large. No parties or sporting events. It's a great day to spend connecting with my husband and children. Enjoying the day and not worry about any type of work. But some days it takes a ton of energy not to spend the day cleaning my house.

So......in my house on Monday, I spend tons of time just picking up after my entire family. Straightening, vacuuming , putting stuff away. Is this how it is for you?

Aargghh!! Mondays!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRIFFIN!!

Griff is turning 10 yrs old!! Wow! I can't believe it. I remember that sweet scrunched up face the day he was born. I was so happy to see this beautiful boy that I had been thinking about for 9 months. He has been an absolutely amazing child. He surprises me with his willingness to obey, serve others, love everyone and choose the right. He tries his absolute best at everything he does.

He is an example to me everyday. I hope when I grow up, I can be more like my 10 yr. old.

Happy Birthday to my sweet Griff! I love you buddy.

Fun birthday party with QZar Lazer Tag, Evan Almighty, Fun TShirts w/Iron Ons, Pizza and Cake w/Ice Cream.

My Skills Are Lacking........

Here are a few things that I completely missed the boat on when I was growing up.........

1. Proper skin/facial care.
2. Proper make up application.
3. Hair care.
4. Clothing style
5. Interior Decorating


I had a great childhood. Much of my time was spent playing sports, dancing and hanging out with friends. Somehow, I managed to have pretty good skin, okay make up and okay hair. It's a good thing that my Mom and Dad passed on good skin and hair because I really have no knowledge about this stuff.

So, I've been enjoying getting in touch with my feminine side lately. I've always felt like learning this stuff was way to "surfacey" for me. Now, I'm realizing the importance of quality skin care, physical fitness, eating right, and good hair care. I'm finally really beginning to get excited about how our long-term remodel is going to turn out. I'm determined to learn all about this stuff.

My husband is a great help to me. I'm convinced that the ability to see how different textures, colors, patterns can come together in design (clothing, home design, and decorating) is a gift. One that I don't have and really haven't ever taken the time to worry about. Bryan is fantastic at all of it. I guess that is why he is so successful at this job as a commercial producer. He can see the end result at the beginning of the process. Anyway, historically, he has brought me several different ideas for home design, decorating, landscaping, and yes - my clothing. I choose what I like and we come to an agreement and go forward. I've loved this method because I just don't have the "designers eye." In fact I feel incredibly overwhelmed, confused and frustrated if I have to start from scratch to figure this stuff out. So, I rely heavily on Bryan.

Many of my friends just seem to be able to do the most amazing stuff. Great hair, fantastic make up, beautifully designed homes, etc. It sounds shallow but these are women with simple beauty and simple homes but each is lovely and peaceful to be around and their homes exude that same feeling.

I've made an appt. with a dermatologist because I've had skin problems since I started exercising and eating right? What? Yep. True. I have an appointment with a guy at Sephora in San Francisco to learn about different ways to apply simple make up. I also bought a book that teaches about make up stuff. Hair? Yep, covered that too. I have this great hair stylist in Lafayette that I've been seeing since June. Jillian Galli!! Great Great Great - my hair is getting healthier all of the time.

Clothing and interior design are still "overwhelming" to me. But, I've got Bry and I've got some close friends that are willing to help me out. Baby steps.

:)

Donate Blood - It's An Adventure

I donated blood yesterday. Let me begin by saying that I love donating blood because it is usually quite painless, usually pretty quick, and definitely saves lives. Yesterday didn't go so well on the blood donation front though.

Griff's school had a blood drive. I didn't get a chance to sign up so I just dropped in to see if they could "squeeze" me in. Two people didn't show, so it worked out just fine. I arrived at 9:30 am. Read the literature.......whew! No problems with that. Then.....I waited and waited and waited.

Next, I was taken behind a blue divider and a trainee, along with her trainer took my blood pressure, checked my iron levels, and verified my address, birthday, etc. I was able to use a computer program w/touch screen to answer all of the "weeding out" questions. The trainee and trainer returned and asked a few more questions. You'll never guess the newest question added to their list........

"Were you born this gender?"

Seriously!!!! Holy cow! I started laughing! So did they, but then they explained that I would be surprised by the answers they receive. Yikes!!! All the more reason for those of us with our original genders in tact to donate blood!!

Next was the draw. Three vampires, or phlebotomists (sp??), were drawing blood yesterday. Two seemed quite organized, kind and happy. One woman seemed more scattered, whining and plain old strange. Of course, I was set up with this woman because I need to learn not to judge people.

The result - 4 Sticks (all in the same entry point in my arm), serious pain, me a little upset and saying "OOWWW,", and the vampire saying "You're freaking me out - are you okay?"
Aaargghhh!! She totally blamed her inability to get a "good stick" on the angle of my arm and that my saying "OW" was freaking her out. Not to mention the Iodyne on the needle burning my veins as she repeatedly stuck the needle in my arm.

The funny part of this entire event was the two Dads sitting across from me donating blood. They were really into the competition of the entire thing. Yes, competitive fathers finding sport in blood donation.

One guy said to me......."Wow. Your bag is already full. How long did that take?"
I replied, "7 1/2 minutes."
He was totally surprised and a little too ecstatic. "No way. I bet that is the fastest for a woman all day! I just filled my bag in 5 minutes."

An Adventure. Definitely. Guess what time I was finished? 11:10 AM - Yep. 1 1/2 hours later.

My arm ached all day. I had a headache last night and felt exhausted and a little ill. I'm doing better today but ........

I'm still glad I could help by donating blood.

Big Birthday Berryessa Boat Bash

A Twitchell Family Big Birthday Berryessa Boat Bash!!









My StepMom, Linnie, turned 60 in August just after my older sister, Stacie, turned 40 years old in July. Wow!! It's really crazy because neither fits the "over the hill" title. This is my StepMom on the back of the houseboat. She water skied more than anyone! I just hope I can ski at 60 yrs. Seriously, you would never guess her age. She's in great shape.

My sister, Stacie, well she's beautiful and brilliant. In a very simplistic explanation of her job.....she designs the guidance systems that are attached to missiles. Another great thing about her is that she cares about everyone. She is incredibly accepting of differences and really tries to be kind to everyone. I love her! She's been an excellent sister and friend. Happy Happy 40th!!

Happy Birthday to my two younger sisters, Candy & Heidi (both on the same day in Sept. but four years apart). AND....... Happy Birthday to the cutest sister-in-law in the world...... Emily!!! I love her love her love her!!! She's a light and tons of fun to be with. She and my brother, Dave have been married for just over 1 year. Happy Anniversary!

My younger sister, Candy, planned and implemented a fun family weekend at Lake Berryessa. My Dad brought his water ski boat and even though it was pretty cloudy, we had a blast.

My little brother Scott, a crazy awesome wake-boarder, drove while we had fun tubing with the boys and water skiing. It's been so long since I've actually water skiied, that I was pretty freaked out to go over the wake and come back in. But, I did it!! Yay for me. I tried to slalom but it was too hard. Bryan rocks at slalom skiing. I could watch him all day. He and Scotty had a great time together.
The weekend was really nice. Thanks for all of the effort by all of my family, especially Candy the weekend planner, it was a nice family outing.