Today when I picked up Autumn from school she was talking my ear off, as usual, when she paused mid-sentence and said in a very grown-up voice, "Have I told you about this?" She was telling me about something that had happened at school, but in order to finish she had to explain something about some of their school rules and that's when she asked that. I thought it was very cute.

And tonight she was in charge of our Family Home Evening lesson and wanted to have it be about Jesus washing the Apostles' feet. (The topic in Primary is service this month, and she also gave a talk on Sunday about service and it started with a picture of Jesus washing the Apostles' feet.) So Eric helped her get some pictures ready and talked to her about what she wanted to say. To start, he asked her why Jesus washed the Apostle's feet. She said, "Well, a goat went poo in the road and the Apostles stepped in it so he had to clean it off." She wasn't joking either. I guess it is quite possible that they had goat dung on their feet, considering the time period and all...but it wasn't quite what we were expecting!

Our sweet Heidi is so literal-minded. I'm learning that if I don't want to mince words with her, I'd better be right on in my word choice or very general! Sometimes Eric and I both forget and this is what happens:

Eric to Heidi one morning as we were rushing out the door:
"Heidi, you can't lose your sandals like this! We need to go now!"

Heidi's response:
"Well actually I can because they're small."

And she is completely serious. There's nothing goofy or sassy about it. We've just said something that isn't true and she knows it! I've learned that when she does something naughty I can't say, "You can't do that." -- It has to be "Don't do that, You're not allowed to do that," or something along those lines.

Yesterday at dinner, Autumn asked what we were having for dessert and then asked if we could have ice cream. This is how things unfolded:

Me: "No, we didn't buy any ice cream."
Heidi chiming in: "Yes, we did."
Me: first I have to think back and understand why she's contradicting me...and then I say, "Yes, you're right. We bought some ice cream. But we ate it all gone, remember?"
AND SHE SAYS: "Yes, but we buyed it!"

And for her the conversation was over. She'd made her point. She wasn't concerned about the ice cream, just the fact that we HAD bought some but I had said otherwise. Funny kid.

I've read so many "tags" on friend's blogs, but have never been tagged until now. And admittedly, I wasn't even specifically tagged this time - but I'll take it. The clincher was that if I was reading it, I was to consider myself "tagged". And I thought this was a fun list, so thanks to Nicki who was tagged by Crystal, and here goes:

Jobs I've Had:
Babysitter (And WOW I can't believe just how much! Not anymore, thanks. That's my job 24/7 now! :))
Piano Teacher
Math Tutor
Burger King Cashier and Sandwich Maker
Subway Sandwich Maker
BYU's Cougar Express Cashier
Telemarketing for Cell Phones
Waitress
Waitress Trainer

Places I want to go for a Weekend Getaway:
DisneyWorld
Orlando
New Orleans
a BEACH

Movies I can watch OVER and OVER again:
This is a hard one for me. I love movies and have so many favorites. The ones that come to mind first that I can watch over and over are some of my Christmas favorites:
Holiday Inn (with Bing Crosby and Fred Estaire)
White Christmas (with Bing Crosby and Danny K)
Home Alone I & II
Miracle on 34th Street (the new one with Miranda Wilson)
A Muppet Christmas Carol
ELF

I also love romantic comedies but can only think of a couple off of the top of my head:
The Wedding Planner
You've Got Mail
While You Were Sleeping

More General Favorites:
HOOK
Sneakers
The Great Escape
The Indiana Jones Trilogy...soon to be "quatrogy"? :-o)
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The Truman Show

Guilty Pleasures:
CHOCOLATE
People magazine
Kakuro puzzles
Charmed re-runs

Places I've Lived:
(Okay, you ready? You sure?? Don't say I didn't warn you....)
Fort Ord, California
Tacoma, Washington
Arlington, Washington
Family Lodge, North Carolina
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Ft. Gulick, Panama
Tacoma, Washington
Ft. Kobbe, Panama
Fort Monmouth, New Jersey
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Colorado Springs, Colorado (House #1)
Colorado Springs, Colorado (Squire St)
Guest House, Heidelberg, Germany
PHV, Heidelberg, Germany
Erbaut, Belgium
Heritage Halls, BYU, Utah
100 South, Orem, Utah
726 E 1600 S, Orem, Utah
75 E 100 N, Orem, Utah
786 E 1600 S, Orem, Utah
Ketsch, Germany
788 E 1600 S, Orem, Utah
Wymount (aka RABBIT HUTCHES -- and yes, we had one while we were there! Although she was already well on her way when we moved in!), BYU, Utah
1567 S 400 E, Orem, Utah
Japan (okay, so it wasn't our house -- but when you go somewhere for 7 weeks with all your kids and your things are in storage, I think it counts!)
Tallahassee, Florida

Places I've been on Vacation:
Disney World's Epcot Center
Myrtle Beach
Disneyland Paris
Cannon Beach, Oregon (two times and I love it! Can't wait to go again!)
Disneyland

Favorite Foods:
Bundt Cake (this isn't just your standard bundt cake of any flavor either. It has chocolate chips, sour cream, vanilla pudding, and baking chocolate all added to a yellow cake mix. YUMMY.)
Fried Chicken
Stromboli (like a calzone, but you put the sauce on top after it's done cooking if you want the sauce)
BREAD (I could eat a whole loaf myself! But it has to be the yummy REAL artisan's type bread. None of that Wonder bread type stuff, no thank you.)
and of course...chocolate is a guilty pleasure for me but it's food too! (Can I count it as dairy??)

Websites I visit Daily:
my email
blogs
library (practically daily....there's just always something else I think of to look up...)

First Kiss Location:
Adam & Jason's room...yeah, don't ask. Well, I'll just say, I was only FIVE so I'm not sure it counts! I think the reason it sticks in my memory is that my mom and Cindy caught us and we were in trouble. It must've felt like BIG trouble even if it wasn't for me to remember it still.

Here's a better "first kiss": at the bottom of the stairs in our Erbaut (Belgium) house. AND, Eric didn't even ask! If he had, I would have said NO, surprisingly enough. :) I was in an ice-blocking accident (yeah, you read that right...if you don't know the story, you'll have to hear it sometime) and had a brace over a few of my front teeth and felt really awkward about kissing...especially a first kiss! (And no it was not and would not have been open-mouth....I just had a very romantic image of our first kiss that did NOT include a brace on my teeth!)

Places I'd Rather Be Right Now:
Sitting at the table or on the couch reading The Positronic Man or The Time Traveler's Wife
Reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the FIRST time (Oh how I wish that were possible, to have more than one first-read. I'd love to live those firsts over again with books I love! But I'll savor it and enjoy it the second time around too, I know.)

Places I HAVE to be right now:
Picking up Autumn from school! So: Adios, Sayanora, Ciao, Ta-ta, Toodles!

I just finished reading Madame Curie and Eclipse. It's funny to have those in the same sentence even. They're so different! But I loved them both.

I recommend Madame Curie by her daughter Eve Curie to anyone. It was SO good! I was surprised and how easily I was drawn into it and also how easy it was to understand the scientific jargon. Granted, I do lean toward what I might call being "scientifically minded", but I think Eve Curie did a masterful job of telling her mother's story in a way that laymen could understand many of the details of Marie Curie's work.

I admire Marie Curie greatly. She worked in awful conditions alongside her husband, Pierre, for many years to discover Polonium and Radium. I was struck by her drive to continue her work. I think she was a little insane about her rigorous work schedule but at the same time it's admirable. And she loved what she did. She even worked 12-14 hour days right up to her death at age 66!

I wish she could have had better resources for her research earlier on her career. I'm not sure that's changed much for scientists over the years. They slave so hard to make new discoveries, but very few are "sponsored" or supported with the things they need until those discoveries are actually made.

When I started the book, I knew very little about Marie Curie and her life. I think I knew what most people know - that she was a great scientist and discovered radium with her husband. I really enjoyed learning about the work she did during World War I! She created mobile x-ray "cars" that could be used in surgery and also found a way to make x-ray hospitals throughout France. She was only able to put together something like 10-15 of the cars, but she personally started 200 X-ray hospital rooms during the war to help the war effort. Amazing!

I was also struck by how intense her relationship with Pierre was. I was really sad reading about his death and how much her life changed after that. She never was able to speak with her daughters about him. It hurt too much.

I thought several times as I was reading about how wonderful it is to have a testimony of Christ's restored Church. Her inner struggles would have been so different and she could have been comforted in knowing that Pierre was waiting for her and in knowing that there is a greater plan than our mortal lives. I think she is waiting peacefully and happily in the spirit world and knows more of our Heavenly Father's plan for us. I like to think so anyway.

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer is a completely different kind of book. I have to step away from my thoughts of Marie Curie to even begin to think about Stephenie's Meyer's world of vampires and werewolves. :)

I loved it and would love to recommend it, but it all depends on your tastes! If you love fantasy and fiction and don't mind reading plots where the main character is a teenager, then read it!

I can't really say much about it without creating spoilers. I will say that the story's been rolling around in my head since I finished and I've been creating continuations as I anxiously await the next installment of the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, which is due next fall. I better hurry up and lose myself in other books though because right now it feels like a really long time to wait. I'll be curious to read her next novel that comes in May of next year, The Host.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about this wonderful age of technology. Blogs and email are of course my favorites. I love how both help me feel connected to all my friends and family that are so far away.

However...I've also been thinking about how vast the internet is...how accessible things are...how you never know who's out there. With blogs that could be scary...everyone knowing all these things about me without my consent! Granted, I don't typically post things that would bother me if strangers read them, but at the same time....I've decided to make my blog "by invitation only".

If you read my blog, post a comment so that I know to add you to my list of family and friends. I'll give it a week or so before I switch, to make sure all my family and friends have had a chance to post a comment. Just say you're reading and want to be on the list or something to that effect. Don't worry about giving emails, I've got them. If you think I don't, email me yours.

Love you all!

I went grocery shopping this morning and am so excited about the produce here. It's beautiful, it tastes delish, and the prices are great!

1.76 lbs Royal Gala apples
.75 lbs Pluots (a plum & apricot hybrid)
1.96 lbs Bartlett pears
1.18 lbs Nectarines
1.98 lbs Red Seedless Grapes
2.02 lbs Bananas

That's a little over ELEVEN pounds of FRUIT and I paid $12.64!! Yay for warm climates and yummy fruit!

Heidi snagged this book at the library yesterday. I never know what to expect when she gets to pick, but this one is a winner! We read another book by this pair some time ago called "How are you Peeling? Food with Moods" and loved it.

Here's an excerpt from Scholastic about this book that gives a glimpse into why I think it's so cool!

"When you see piles of veggies lying sedately around the corner store, you'd never guess all that produce really wants to go, go, GO! But Saxton Freymann did, and he's transformed those basking berries and lazy legumes into vehicles of every size and speed. Kids everywhere will thrill over the array of transportation methods on display, from enormous rockets and grand ocean liners to the simplest mechanism of all: your feet. And as always, Freymann's clever vegetable sculptures delight the eye and tickle the funny bone. Hurry up and grab some FAST FOOD!"

And here's a really cool Google feature that shows all the books by this pair, mostly based on this food theme.

Tonight I was reading a retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and was entertained by the physics or "non-physics" of the story. The Papa Bear's porridge was too hot. Okay, that works. His bowl contains the largest amount of porridge so it'll take the longest to cool. But then the Mama Bear's porridge is "too cold". If the story were scientifically correct, Goldilocks would be enjoying Mama Bear's bowl of porridge since Baby Bear's porridge in the small bowl would get cool the fastest.

Anyone else know of any Fun Physics?

Go here for a fun Cartoon Physics link.