Oink, Oink!!! In honor of swine flu

Swine flu is the big scare right now. It is so important that we wash our hands and use tissue to cough or sneeze into. It is even more important that we enforce our children to do this FREQUENTLY!

I knew my obsession with Clorox would come in handy!!!! We need to CLOROX everything!!!! Kill all of those deadly germs! And the following things need to be wiped at least once a day....if you're like me, you will do it a few more times than that. Protect our families.

~Doorknobs/handles

~Light switches

~Telephones

~Keyboards/mouse

~Faucets

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In honor of the swine flu, I'm making a pork tenderloin :) and baked asparagus. A side of applesauce....and there you go! It's super easy! (I saw these instructions on Good Morning Utah or whatever Fox 13 is.)

**Disclaimer: You can't get swine flu from eating pork.

*Tenderloin

~Place the tenderloin on a large piece of foil

~Drizzle olive oil over the top of meat

~Rub a lot of sage, course sea salt, and pepper into meat

~Close up foil tight and place on cookie sheet (in case of leakage)

~You can bake at 350 for 2 hours -or- slow cook at 250 for 4 hours.

~Let sit for about 15 minutes to cool and soak up juices before cutting and serving

*Asparagus

~Cut off the yucky ends

~Lay out asp. on cookie sheet and drizzle olive oil over top

~Sprinkle course sea salt and pepper (lemon is good too)

~Bake at 350 for 10-20 minutes depending on asp. thickness.

~Yum, yum!!!! The kids will love it! It tastes like veggie candy!

Happy Anniversary to Mr. & Mrs. Runyan

Claar looks like Selma Heyek.....for real! Mike looks like Hugh Jackman.....for real!

Thinking of my cousins Claar and Mike today.......hope you have a beautiful day together.

Happy 6 year anniversary!!!!

P.S. Yes, my family IS that beautiful! Claar was one of the most gorgeous brides I've ever seen!

Have fun with short hair!

I just love this sophisticated short style

Hair pins are great for a cute change to your style...or if you are growing out bangs

Headbands are youthful, yet age appropriate for anyone....as long as you don't mind exposing your forehead.....a 10 head for some :)

This is an example of WHAT NOT TO DO!

I've been talking with my cousin Jaelene. She is in a hair funk right now. It is short and she hates it. I wish I had the guts to cut all of mine off!!!! I think short styles are so spunky, cute and freeing! I wanted to send some fun pics that I think would work for Jae. It is fun to imagine yourself with these kind of styles.

Chelise gets a letter.......You can thank me later

Dear Chelise,

Your beautiful, loving cousin Jolie, has written a letter begging me to give you a "Stiffler Shout Out!" She told me how you are my #1 fan and have awesome dreams about me. Thanks so much! I AM hot and can see why you would think about me. Is it my white smile, my $300 haircut, or my buff body that you love so much......Oh, who am I kidding????? It's all of the above, or so I've been told (with a side smirk). We could also add my award winning acting skills. I am a humble man, but I would like to thank you for being one of my biggest fans. I encourage your support to me and my films :)

XOXOXO,

Sean William Scott

AKA: Stiffler

Looks like the jolley green giants need to eat more veggies!

The Braves towered over the Giants!

We won AGAIN!!!!

Braves~4 Giants~1

We are 6 & 1 now!

Yea Braves!!!!!

The sister bond.....infinite

This one is for my Aunt E......Love you!

~A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double. ~Toni Morrison

~Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there. ~Amy Li

~Bless you, my darling, and remember you are always in the heart - oh tucked so close there is no chance of escape . ~Katherine Mansfield

~Sisters are different flowers from the same garden. ~Author Unknown

~Sister to sister we will always be, A couple of nuts off the family tree.~Author Unknown

OK...I'm going to admit something. It's embarrassing only because I'm admitting it to you, otherwise no one would even know! On our baseball schedule, in the Tuesday April 28 square it says, "BBQ from 5-8". There is ALWAYS some sort of fund raiser going on, so we decided that we would support the league and have dinner with our team tonight. We were looking forward to it since the fundraiser breakfast last Saturday was so good. Yah, well we get to the field and aren't seeing large crowds gathering around a smoky grill. River walked up to a group of strangers and asked where the BBQ was being held. "BBQ?" they ask. "What BBQ?" as if they have been missing out on some good grub. Randy and I look at each other like "I swear it was on the calendar.... are we the only one's that remembered????" Heading to the snack shack, we realize that there is no big fund raising BBQ. Today was OUR team's day to have parent volunteers cook hot dogs on the hibachi!! Randy & Jolie = Big piece of DUMBS!!!

You can't make a dog smell like clorox....can you?

This is Miss Kitty (her indognito name). She is a dog. She stinks. I love her.

~~Mom thought of the day~~

When you're a Mother, you can't afford to close your eyes -- if you do, your children grow up before you can open them again

I'm really not ready for this!!!!!!

Zip has been getting bad acne on his face. Let me remind you.....he is only 9!!! Not even close to teen years! He's still my baby! I try....oh how I try....NOT to pick his face! We bought some good cleansing pads for his face. Not working. We bought some over the counter topical Clearasil. Not working. I've given him facials with my expensive beauty store products. Not working. I started getting worried when I googled "children with acne". Everything said that there must be a stomach issue if a child that young has the kind of acne he has. I scheduled a doctor appointment with his pediatrician right away. I am freaky about stuff like that. So this morning at 8:40 sharp, we were at the office for weigh ins. Zip measures up at 4'7" (that is only 1 foot shorter than me!) and 87 pounds (most of which is pure muscle!) The doctor said this is nothing more than a case of early puberty. AAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! She then handed me a prescription for intense zit cream and told me I shouldn't worry. What the hell????? Are you kidding me?!????#$? We are talking about MY Zippy boy!

I know that I shouldn't be surprised...Zip has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to his body.....remember, the boy was 10-1 when he was born! My point in sharing this story with you is for two reasons.......1)feel so very sorry for me, and 2)you may see a lot more empty wine bottles in my house now.

Winner, winner taco dinner!

Uno, dos, tres.....the Padre's fell on their face!

The braves won AGAIN!!!!

Braves~6 Padres~3

We are 5 and 1

Yea Braves!!!!!!!!

Posting is like a cigarette break for me

You know, there might be people out there that wonder "how in the hell does she have that much time to blog every day?". I was thinking about how this must look. As a stay at home mom, I have cleaning, laundry, shopping and dinner to worry about....and that is all before 3:00! Then I leave to pick up the boys.....which brings the crazier 2nd half of my day. But for the first half, blogging is a fun way to take a short break in and out of my chores. It makes me sit, take a drink, and still feel productive. I am thinking of things the whole time I'm running about the house, so it's fun to stop for a minute and put my thoughts into words before I actually forget what I wanted to say! You know me and my memory!

Like right now, I just wanted to say I LOVE the smell of clorox! I know, I'm sick in the head, but after I clean my bathrooms and do laundry with bleach, my house feels and smells clean. I know there are other sickos like me out there.....Chelise, Paula, Lisa!!!??!?@?#?!? Hmmmmmm....will any of you admit that you too are obsessed with cleaning products?

Jolie's take on Shepherds Pie

I'm making shepherds pie, buttermilk biscuits, and cherry chip cake for dinner tonight. The only thing NOT coming out of a box is the shepherds pie!

It is such a simple dish and has so many nutritious ingredients. There is the basic pie that I like to kick up a notch. This dish is fun to experiment with. I really never have it come out the same because I like to add something different every time. Here is the way that everyone likes it....haven't got a complaint yet.

~Cook about 1 1/2 lbs ground hamburger with 1/2 onion and clove of garlic. Season heavily with pepper, garlic salt, and season salt (sometimes I like steak seasoning too) Make sure to drain the fat off very well...we don't need a grease floating around!
~In a bowl combine 1 can of cream of mushroom soup.....1/2 block softened cream cheese.....about 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese....1-2 cans french cut green beans....1 can green chilies. (experimenting could be to add a teaspoon of horseradish, 1 can of tomato sauce, asparagus...etc.)
~Boil potatoes....we will mash them when done. Here is a BIG Jolie insider for the potatoes. Put 2 cubes of beef bullion, 2 tbl butter, chopped garlic and salt in the water to boil WITH the potatoes. They take on all of these flavors with out being overbearing. When drained and ready to mash, add real cream, real butter, a little bit of cheddar cheese, salt and pepper.
~Layer in a pan starting with hamburger...then the creamy cheese/vegetable mix...and top with potatoes.
~Bake at 350 for about 45 min -1 hour. Just make sure the cheesy middle mixture is all melted. I like the potatoes to have some crunchy brown on top too.

This is such a great dish to add anything your children have as a favorite vegetable....or add sausage to the hamburger...or make it very plain and simple. Anything goes! The kids love it, and it is a hearty full filling meal.

Are you up for the challenge?

I challenge you to change it up......be brave to try new looks....you never know, your true beauty could be hiding behind bad make up!

These are helpful tips that I got off of the Carmindy website. I like her makeup style http://www.carmindy.com/index.php check her out for more fun makeup lessons.

~Breaking old makeup routines~~

Have you fallen into a makeup rut? You know you want a new look, yet return to the same old routines? Change can be challenging. But switching gears and emphasizing your best features in new ways can be positively thrilling. Not to mention gorgeous. Let’s start by tossing these tired tactics overboard…
~Covering up freckles—Freckles are fantastic! Let them show. A lot of models and actresses I work on have freckles and love them. They keep you looking young and fresh.
~The matte look—Using powder to matte down your face is as dated as the beehive. To control shine, use oil-control lotion, blotting papers, or sheer blotting powders. Or just powder the T-zone area. Look clean, not cakey.
~Over-lining the lips—Lip liner abuse is the biggest sin I see. Never use liner to draw on big lips unless you’re in a stage show. And don't use liners darker than your lipstick or gloss shade.
~Concealer gone wrong—Don't apply concealer before the foundation; you’ll just wipe it off when you apply foundation. And don't use a shade much lighter than your foundation; that highlights rather than conceals.
~Finding your foundation shade—Never use the back of the wrist to test foundation shades. Always use the chest area.
Heavy eyeliner—Using heavy liner is only okay if you're trying to create a look for the evening (like the cat eye), otherwise it is better to gently smudge liner only into the lash line for a more natural effect.
~Matching eye shadow to eye color—Get greater impact by choosing colors opposite your eye color. The contrast brings out your eyes. Using the same shade as your eye color will only make you look like you're wearing too much eye shadow.
~Bland blush—Using dull blush colors makes you look muddy. Instead choose bright shades and apply them on the cheekbones with a big blush brush for a flushed effect.
~Contouring—Again, unless you are in the theatre, use highlights instead. Contouring is almost always noticeable and it is time we embrace the different shapes and lines of our faces and focus on using makeup to enhance, not recreate.
~Plucking gone wrong—We used to think that a thin arch was best, and the butchering began. Put the tweezers down. Modern brows are groomed, natural and soft.

~This is one of my favorite tips: Always apply a highlight shade under the eyebrow and in the tear duct area. This creates at an open, bright-eyed look.

Spring fruity pebbles!!!

Just one of the reasons Spring is my FAVORITE season!!!!!! This is Paula and Jay D's front yard. He does a great job keeping their yard groomed and beautiful.

Just a funny photo!!!!!!

I won't go into detail about this......Find the humor in it for yourself :)

Saturday concert at the depot....CORNHOLLIO

Me and Paula before the concert

Paula, Jay D and me at the Depot bar waiting for the concert to start

Jay D throwing horns!!!

Chris Cornell

Can you see the empty gaze I am talking about?

The bar tender that gave me the evil-UNneeded jagerbomb shot!

Chris Cornell....lead singer from Soundgarden, Audioslave, and Temple of the Dog, is the concert I went to last night. I've never seen him live, but have enjoyed his music for years. Black hole sun....Like a stone....Show me how to live...are some of the most frequently radio played songs. He was promoting a new solo album with songs that I hadn't heard before. He never even played Black hole sun!!!! Chris Cornhole looked as if he had OVER botoxed! There was no expression on his face other than a weird empty eye gaze. The man is a brilliant song writer but seems to not even feel his own music. He was worse than "my friend plank!" He just stood there, and when he did move, it was strange Elaine jerks. I don't know.... the concert itself was probably one of the most UNrockin' I've ever been to. We had a great spot on the floor....I was able to get awesome close ups....but I was bored. Half way through, I told Paula that I was going to sit and relax while listening. She was feeling the same way. Jay D stayed and rocked it out. He seemed to really be enjoying the show, and had made some friends behind him. Paula and I went into a lounge area where we sat on comfy chairs and watched the concert on a big screen. It was great!!!! I don't know what to chalk this up to.......Chris Cornhole=bad concert or Paula and Jolie=old!

Gotta change it up!!!

Paula brought to my attention the dangers of using the boys' real names and names of their school. It's got me freaked out. How could I be so naive??? Bad mom, bad mom!

We went to lunch this afternoon at a REAL crappy restaurant that had Mayan God names on the table. I told the boys to choose one and that would be their blog name. My oldest boy will be referred to as "Pop" and my youngest boy will be "Zip". They also gave Randy and I each a name (although I don't think we need to be incognito) Randy=Aho (this is damn funny because it sounds so much like an a-hole) Jolie=Mol (duh...have you seen my body? Moley Jolie). I hope you all will be able to follow along with the new names. Just the names Pop and Zip add humor to the stories anyway.

Thanks Paula for opening my blind eyes!

Stupid Rain!

I'm am so mad at my favorite season right now!!! Spring has done me wrong. How is a girl supposed to pull off the rock star look while standing in the rain? Aqua net hairspray and rain are bitter enemies. I wanted to have some big amazing hair, a kick ass outfit, and open toed shoes for this evening. I see that I'm not going to get MY way. Mother Nature always has the last word. It's a big deal because in just 4 hours I will be stepping out on Randy to be with another man tonight. I'm going to see Chris Cornell in concert! I will give you all the concert feedback tomorrow, but for now, I am just worried about me me me! Rain sucks on a concert night! Crap!

Oh how I love my cup o' joe!

I am addicted to the bold tastes, and the energy affects that I get from coffee. It is one of my best friends. It brings me comfort and pleasure every day.....and sometimes even 2-3 times a day! My dream someday, is to have an extra $2000 and buy myself a professional coffee machine. I suppose I would need a huge kitchen to accomadate my in-house coffee shop. Now my extra $2000 has gone up to an extra $500,000. I guess for now, I will spoil myself with the $2 cup of Pike Place that I get from Starbucks. OHHHHH how I could go for one of those right now..mmmmm!

Sorry, got off my subject......anyway, if you need to have an addiction, coffee is a great one to have! Just look at all of these health benefits!

~Heart Disease (up to 25% reduction in mortality risk (for women))
~Diabetes (up to 60% reduced risk)
~Dementia (up to 65% reduced risk)
~Colon Cancer (up to 25% reduced risk)
~Cirrhosis (up to 80% reduced risk)
~Gallstones (almost 50% reduced risk)
~Parkinson’s Disease (up to 80% reduced risk – probably because of caffeine)
~Headache Relief (because of the caffeine)
~Asthma Relief (caffeine again)
~Cavity Protection (because of anti-bacterial and anti-adhesive properties of compounds within coffee)

Share your day with my friend Joe.....he does a body good!

Chelise's "deep thinker" of the week.....

In this life, there are people who are eagles....and there are people who are seagulls. We need both to make the world balanced.
~Chelise Largent

P.S. She proudly considers herself a seagull.

Oh, and the seagull is Utah's state bird.

Arbor day & Earth week thoughts.....

I'm not an environmentalist. I'm not a tree hugger. I'm not an activist to save a spotted owl......but, I do believe that we can do our part in helping the planet our children and grandchildren will enjoy life on. I like this little ditty....

Take nothing but pictures.

Leave nothing but footprints.

Kill nothing but time.~

Lisa meets super famous old person!

~ Lisa~

~Little Richard~

My extremely cute and funny friend, Lisa, just got back from Nashville, TN. Her purpose was for a wedding/girls trip. For 2 hours, she had me laughing about all of the mishaps.....had me jealous about all of the bars she stumbled upon....and had me rolling about meeting this man.....Yes! Little Richard! Just thinking about the way she told the story, makes me laugh to myself! I had to post his picture because...well, just look at him! He's just so flamboyantly happy! The other hilarious part about this is that when she saw him, the only thing she could say is, "Oh, it's you". No pictures.....no autographs....just that poignant statement. That, in itself, is great...and one of the things I love about Lisa! She found out that he actually lives in the hotel she was staying at. The next morning she saw him again, and he was in the same suit as the night before!!! Sounds to me like he just gets up in the morning, straightens the wig, ads a little eye liner, sprays some kind of cheap cologne on the night before suit....and heads out the hotel door! Congrats Lisa on seeing the famous "Little Dick" :)

The Braves won AGAIN!!!!!!!

I am happy to announce that the Braves won another game!!! They kicked some Tiger Tail!

Braves~13 Tigers~7

4 and 1 now!

Yea! Go Braves!!!!

Spending the morning with a REAL author!!

My dad socializes...I mean volunteers at the IHC hospital in Murray. Last November 2008, He and a nurse named Paul Genesse, began talking about Paul's upcoming book release called "The Golden Cord". Dad bought one of the first copies and had Paul sign it. It was a gift for Pop. The book was read in less than a week and left Pop mesmerized and wanting more. Paul's 2nd book, "The Dragon Hunters" will be released this coming May 2009. The news had Pop googling any detail that he could pull up. In a recent conversation between my dad and Paul, my dad expressed that Pop is anxiously awaiting the new book, and wanted as much information as possible. Then it happened!!! Paul told dad about the presentation that he has for 5th and 6th graders. He had been to many elementary schools promoting the books and also giving a short writing seminar to the children. I was able to get Pop's teacher (Ms. Bullard) and Paul hooked up via email to arrange the visit to the Elementary. Paul arrived on time at 9:30 this morning. He started by thanking River for facilitating the meeting and acknowledged him as his special guest. The talk then led into how and why Paul became a writer of Dragon books. The kids were in awe with Paul's story, and had many questions. Most of which were very good questions. After about 45 minutes, we went into Pop's class room, and as a group, started creating a short story. Paul taught us where to begin, apply content, and how to end with a bang! The story was fun and interactive for everyone. He ended his two hours by signing bookmarks and invites to the book release. I have never seen children so engaged and excited with this type of learning. He did an amazing job! Before he left, he presented Pop with an author's edition of the new book "The Dragon Hunters", and thanked him again for inviting him to the school. Pop was the happiest kid in West Jordan today! I guarantee it! His face was blushed and the "happy hands" came out :) By the way.....Pop is already on chapter 5!

I would like to thank Paul Genesse for being such a welcoming person, and for all of his efforts and teachings that he gave us today. His books are amazing and are a perfect gift for anyone above 10 who has a love of fiction and/or dragons. Below is the information on his upcoming book signing. Also, check out his website for more information.

Book release party May 22 At the Radisson Downtown in Salt Lake City www.paulgenesse.com

Quote of the day.....by Lexi

This is my spit-fire niece Lexi. She is 5, and has all the smarts and lingo of a 16 year old! I will be sending an updated toothless pic when I receive one. My Aunt Elise sent me this email today..........I am using it as the "Quote of the day"

Lexi lost her first tooth, a bottom front. She looks so cute. So we were going out to dinner and told her that we were going to a Mexican restaurant. Lexi said "she didn't eat Mexicans and neither should we!!" Gotta love her.

So, what we can learn from Lexi's wisdom is.... well, I don't really know. BUT! She sure is cute!!!

It's a ZOO out there people!

Doesn't this look like Pop is feeding the giraffe!!!! Cool!

I love her eye lashes! Maybe it's Maybeline!

Zip and G-pa on the 2 1/2 minute train ride.....suckered us out of a $1

The true Water World!!! A granite water globe.

Oh!! And the little newly hatched goose sunbathing.

Pop and his maw

We threw Zip to the lions!!!

Turtle, turtle! Pop is starting to come out of his shell......I know, that one was bad!

They have finally posted a wanted sign for the boys!!! The wild bunch o' turkeys!

Zip and the boys from his class....The Tye-dyed trouble makers of VCS!

Pop is the envied child that doesn't have to wear one of those shirts!!

Today was the annual-take the kids to zoo-wear out parents-kids bouncing off animal cages day for Zip's school. I am in my 6th year of being a chaperon. This is the 1st year that I only had to chaperon Pop and Zip! Oh, and my dad. It was nice to go along as we pleased, and to be able to leave when we wanted to. It is interesting to watch my boys' reaction to the zoo as they age. They still have fun seeing certain animals (monkeys and reptiles) but the amazement and thrill diminishes each year. Pop stated that by his age (a whopping 10), the zoo really isn't such an exciting field trip any more.....unless you are going there to hang and laugh with your friends! Yep people, (with tears) my boys are bored with the zoo! (Tears of JOY that is!!!!) Wahoo!! They're bored with the zoo!!! I know, I know......we all want our kids to stay child-like and see the world with sparkle and wonder...... but FOR REAL!! I am zoo'd out! And be thankful this isn't smell-a-blog, because I think that all of the animal stank attached to my skin, clothes and nose hairs. That zoo smell is really just a one of a kind!

P.S. You all know that Zip is far too stylish for that silly tye-dyed shirt....he was made to wear it as a school requirement. Poor kid!