What Has Liz Been Up to Lately?

So, John and I have been very industrious as of late, and I've decided to brag.

I hung pictures! My bro-in-law, Apollo, did our family pics and some individual shots. You can view more of his work at:

http://www.smiletodayphotography.com/

He's awesome.

Lotion! I've been working my fingers to the bone! I've had a lot of traffic and orders to fill, and lots of new projects as well. My newest project is a face mask, which I am wearing as we speak. It's amazing, and I love it.
This is the closet that John built in our basement next to the washer and dryer. It was desperately needed, as we were hanging all of our clothes on the water pipe since there wasn't enough room in our minuscule closets, eek! Didn't he do a great job?!

This is the other side of the closet. Now we have a cozy little sleeping area for guests!

This is the biggest project. I didn't take before pics because I didn't think of it, so take a moment and imagine all of those toys covering every square inch of the floor OF MY ENTIRE HOUSE. Now, they are categorized and tidily put into clear bins and tucked onto those shelves. Aaaaah, now doesn't that feel better?!

A better shot of the genius organization.

A bonus shot of my cat. I love when she sleeps on the back of the couch. Sometimes it looks like she's melting off the couch. Hilarious!

The Almighty Liz

Just a Little Gushing

John has a neat trick.
You see, when I look in the mirror, and you girls out there can probably empathize, I don't see pretty. All I see are things that need fixing, the imperfections, the flaws. My hair is not full and lustrous enough, my skin is starting to sag and get wrinkles, my pores are the size of craters and my endless battle with acne rages on, my darn eyes are two different colors! Ect ect ect and on and on and on. I have a list of over a million things I'm pretty sure. But then! My husband takes me in his arms and tells me I'm gorgeous and all that insecurity about myself melts away and I believe him. One look and two words and I feel like I'm the most exquisitely beautiful woman to ever grace the Earth with her presence. I wish I could bottle that up and send it as a gift to every girl on the planet because even if it only lasted a minute, every female needs to feel like that just once. I get to feel like that every day.
I do love that man.
The Almighty Liz

Finally Fall!

Well, I don't know about all of you fans out there, but here in the Midwest Fall hasn't really made an appearance. Until today! It's been mostly 80 degrees or thereabouts, but we woke up to 28 degrees and frost this morning! Does this make me happy? Um, no, sorry. I'm a warm-weather-summer-type girl, and I despise the cold. I've been loving the extension of warm weather, but it's okay because I made Erik's Halloween costume out of really warm material, and I was worried he might have to be naked underneath it this year or die of heat exhaustion. So, I guess there's a silver lining in everything.
The Almighty Liz

Awwwwww...

My son just came up and sang me twinkle twinkle little star to make my headache feel better. Can I get an "Aw" from the crowd?!
That is the child that is going to take care of me when I'm old and feeble.
The Almighty Liz

Liza's Lotions!

So, good friends and loyal fans, I have some exciting news! My good friend Dana, who introduced me and my little business to the world last week, is doing a giveaway on her blog! Here's a link:

http://danacheryl.blogspot.com/

Head over and read all about it!

For the giveaway, this post is all about my lotions. What I sell, how much they are, and how to have me do a custom lotion just for YOU. This is the thing I'm passionate about: making something that works for YOU and only you. Making a lotion that fits your unique needs, so it's as special as you are!

All of my lotions are customizable, so if they look pretty good to you, but there's an ingredient in there that you react to, just let me know, and I can leave it out! Or, conversely, if there's an ingredient I have that you'd like added, I can do that, too! I make every lotion up individually when you order it, so when you order I don't go to a shelf and pick up something I made a month ago and send it to you, I sit down with all my ingredients and mix it up after you put in your order, then send it to you. Thus making customization a breeze! This is in addition to the 100% custom lotions that I make for individual customers. The 100% custom lotions are for those of you who see my regular formulations, and they just aren't going to work for you, or you have no idea if they will work or not! That's when you contact me, and I'll will sit down and ask you a bunch of questions, do a little homework, and come up with the best solution for your needs. Sometimes that is a lotion I already have formulated, but most times I come up with something completely different that's just for you.

Further, all of my ingredients are as natural as I can get them, and organic whenever possible. Even the more chemically sounding names, like cetyl alcohol, are derived from natural organic vegetation. So you can feel good about what you are putting on your skin!

In addition to all of that good stuff, I also wanted to add that my products are cruelty free, not tested on animals in any way, shape or form. All of my products are also vegetarian at least, and vegan where I can manage it, which includes most of the lotions.

All prices include shipping if you are in the US, and if you are international, add $2 to the price. I also offer free samples of everything that comes in the cutest little jar you ever saw, and holds enough face lotion for a week, or enough hand and body cream for 2-3 uses.

So, without further ado, here are all my "off the shelf" formulations!

A quick note: my regular vendor for avocado butter was out, so I bought from another vendor, and it's not the same. Namely, it's got beeswax in it, so right now, all lotions made with beeswax are not vegan, but as soon as I run out and restock from my original vendor, it will be. Thanks!

Liza's Light
Face Lotion For Oily Skin
Distilled water, Rose Hydrosol, Grapeseed oil, Chardonnay oil, Seabuckthorn oil, Olive oil, Kukui Nut oil, Jojoba oil, Jason's 5,000 IU Vitamin E Pure Beauty oil, Cranberry oil, Camelia oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Polawax
1 oz(will last 6-8 weeks)--$6
1/2 oz--$3
1/3 oz--$2

Liza's Quenchaide (your skin's new favorite beverage!)
Face Lotion for Dry Skin
Distilled water, Glycerin, Helichrysum Hydrosol, Cornflower Hydrosol, Argan oil, Calendula infused Olive oil, Rosehip oil, Grapeseed oil, Chardonnay oil, Seabuckthorn oil, Jojoba oil, Cranberry oil, Camelia oil, Jason's 5,000 IU Vitamin E Pure Beauty oil, Colloidal Oatmeal, Niacinamide, Allantoin, Hyaluronic Acid, Avocado Butter, Shea OR Cocoa Butter, Cetyl Alcohol, Polawax
1 oz--$7
1/2 oz--$4
1/3 oz--$3

Liza's Blotch Be-Gone
Face Lotion for Acne Prone, Oily Skin
Distilled water, Neem Hydrosol, Chamomile Hydrosol, Rose Hydrosol, Allantoin, Salicylic Acid (1%), Hyaluronic Acid, Grapeseed oil, Chardonnay oil, Calendula infused Olive oil, Tea Tree oil, Seabuckthorn oil, Kukui oil, Jason's 5,000 IU Vitamin E Pure Beauty oil, Jojoba oil, Camelia oil, Zinc, Cetyl Alcohol, Polawax
1 oz--$7
1/2 oz--$4
1/3 oz--$3

Liza's Simplicity
Face Lotion for Sensitive Skin
Distilled water, Seabuckthorn oil, Jojoba oil, Cranberry oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Polawax
1 oz--$6
1/2 oz--$3
1/3 oz--$2

Liza's Love Your Skin Hand and Body Cream
Distilled water, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Avocado Butter, Kukui Nut Butter, Mango Butter, Almond Butter, Jason's 5,000 IU Vitamin E Pure Beauty oil, Rosehip oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Polawax
1 oz--$7
1/2 oz--$4
1/3--$3

Liza's Lizard Skin Elimination Cream
(Eczema treatment cream, but it's also good for any kind of dry skin. Very healing and soothing)
Distilled water, Glycerin, Colloidal Oatmeal, Honey powder, Allantoin, Cocoa butter (higher concentration), Avocado butter (higher concentration), Kukui butter, Mango butter, Almond butter, Vitamin E oil, Rosehip oil, Olive oil, Argan oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Polawax, Leucidal (all-natural preservative)

Liza's Luscious Lipbalm
Cocoa butter, Almond butter, Avacado butter, Mango butter, Cherry Kernal oil, Blueberry oil, Olive oil, Jojoba oil, Grapeseed oil, Chardonnay oil, Kukui Nut oil, Candellia Wax, Glycerin, Distilled water, Polawax, Truvia sweetener
1 tube (standard chapstick tube size)--$3.50
Flavors for the lipbalm, you choose any flavor or combonations of flavors, it's up to you!:
(you can also get it in natural, with no added flavor or sweetener, and with every 2 lipbalms I sell, I go get another flavor)
Mint
Peppermint
Vanilla
Almond
Coconut
Pineapple
Maple
Lemon
Banana

Liza's Un-Clog Me Facial Mask
(for acne prone, oily skin)(a small note: when I was formulating this mask, I had some clays that were out of stock, as denoted with an * in the list, when I went to order ingredients. As soon as those come back into stock, I will order them, and they will be then added to the final formulation)
Bentonite clay, Blue clay*, French Green clay, Moor Mud*, Red Kaolin clay, Rhassoul clay, Sea clay, Sea Kelp Biofermament, Distilled water, Glycerin, Salicylic Acid, Allantoin, Jojoba oil, Seabuckthorn oil, Tea Tree oil, Tumeric Root powder, Chamomile Hydrosol, Neem Hydrosol, Honey powder, Clary Sage essential oil, Mint Extract, Green Tea extract, Eidlwiess extract, Polawax

In addition to these, I've always got something on the back burner that I'm formulating. I'm always coming out with new things (especially right after an influx of orders, because then I have money to play with, lol!), so keep a sharp eye on this post, as it will be updated as I develop new products.

The Almighty Liz

Success at Last!!!!

So, I think it is finally safe to say....
ERIK IS POTTY TRAINED!!
Monday will be three weeks since he had a poopoo accident. He hasn't gone at anybody else's house yet, and only in his little potty in his room, but I'm still counting it.
The Almighty Liz

I'm so Excited!!!

Well, my political post was a RESOUNDING success (sarcasm)! Lol!! Kidding. I wrote that mainly for me.
So, why am I so excited, you ask? Because Dana, whom some of you know and is a good friend of mine, has interviewed me for a giveaway on her blog!! I do believe all you have to do to be eligible for the giveaway (correct me if I'm wrong, Dana) is post a comment to the interview. She did an awesome job, and what a great opportunity for me to brag on myself! :D
Here's a link to her blog so you can all do what I know your dying to do--run over and read it!!
http://danacheryl.blogspot.com
Your Welcome!
The Almighty Liz

Political Schtuff

Normally, I don't do this on my blog, and I might delete it yet, but I figure, it's MY blog, I can do what I want.
So, many of you Liz Fans out there might know about the huge stink over President Packer's General Conference Talk. For those of you who aren't aware of it, basically one of the leaders in my church gave a speech at our semi-annual world wide conference, and for a few sentences of a twenty+ minute speech addressed our views on homosexuality. If you didn't know, my church is not for this life style. We are also not for bullying, belittling, being mean or hateful or anything similar to this to anyone who chooses this life style. We are very much Christ centered, and He was pretty clear on His stance to love EVERYONE. And so that is our stance.
So, the homosexual community got ahold of this, and are throwing themselves a royal fit over it. They've even petitioned the leaders of my church to change our doctrine/repeal the speech/ect ect. Does anyone else get the hypocrisy here? They claim that everyone should be able to live/think/feel however they please, EXCEPT the Mormons, because we think differently. I mean, we MUST be brainwashed right? Because how could you possibly think their lifestyle is wrong? This makes me a bit....mad. In an Irish-type of way.
Let me say here that I know that not every gay person feels this way. I'm speaking only about the ones who are being so very loud right now.
A representative has issued a statement in rebuttal of the gay community's petition (and it was a specific group, I just can't remember the name right now.) I think he summed it up well, and I might hunt it down and put a link up in a minute. In fact I will right now, so you all can read it if you wish, because if I try to cliff-notes it for you, I'll screw it all up.
http://beta-newsroom.lds.org/article/church-mormon-responds-to-human-rights-campaign-petition-same-sex-attraction
One thing I love about this response is that he pointed out the things that we HAVE supported gay rights on. Even I didn't know about them. (which just shows I need to keep up better)
Anyway, that's my little rant. I know I'll piss someone off, and that was not my intention. My intention was to vent my own frustrations. Feel free to debate people, I love a good debate. But I'll say right now, so fair warning, that if you get nasty, call ANYONE names, or are just being an all-around jerk, I will delete you. Disagree all you want, but keep it clean. My blog, my world.
The Almighty Liz

I'm Back!

Mostly, anyway. :P
So, the oral surgery itself went fine. The only snag was that my insurance wouldn't pay for general anesthesia, so I was awake for the procedure. I do NOT recommend that, and I am NEVER doing it again. After we got home, for the next few days I couldn't eat or drink enough to stay hydrated, and then I had a bad reaction to the Vicoden they gave me (think lots of puking), which landed me in the hospital last Monday. It took several days for the Vicoden to exit my system, so I was uber nauseated for that time. I think it was Thursday or thereabouts before food wasn't completely revolting. On the bright side of that, I lost three pounds, and that on top of hitting my goal weight the week before! That's 23 pounds I lost since last April-ish people! Yes, I am now so gorgeous I'm hard to look at. You've been warned.
And here's a big shout out to Elise, who watched my son for four whole days while I felt like utter crap and only wanted to die. She's the BEST.
So, I started to feel at least partly human just in time for my super awesome brother-in-law and his equally awesome wife to come home on leave. We went to dinner, and we've had some family fun, and it's been beyond lovely to see them again. We miss you guys bunches!!
My best friend who lives states away from me (which is just Not Fair) is also in town with her husband and children visiting her side of the family, and they carved out some time to come see yours truly. We had some good food, and some good fun, and I promise we will beat the pants off of John at Four Point Pitch next time guys!! He totally deserves to have his head deflated.
Also, my grandpa is still in the hospital, but we are thinking we might finally be getting everything that's been wrong with him fixed once and for all, and they might move him to a rehab center soon, which is a definite step up. Prayers? Pretty please?
So that was last week in a nutshell, and now I need a nap, lol! I'm seriously almost all the way better though, and I actually can't wait to start working out again. It'll have to wait until Friday, but it is so GAME ON come then. I have to keep my girlish figure AND my chocolate somehow!
The Almighty Liz

MIA

Well, I'm getting my wisdom teeth extracted tomorrow. Fun! (sarcasm) So I will be out of commission until I feel better. Some time next year I'm sure.
A couple of prayer requests before I go:
My grandpa. He's back in the hospital, and could use all the help he can get.
My twin nieces. They are three, and going through some adult stuff. No good.
Anyway, try to hold yourselves together until I get back. Just remember, I'm not dead, I'm just in a lot of pain. Wait, that came out wrong....
The Almighty Liz

Monday FHE

It was an interesting Monday. The weather was AWESOME, and Erik and I went to Wal-Mart, mainly to pick up a new microwave. Ours bit the dust on Saturday, and let me tell you, living without one, even for a day, sucks.
I made chicken and dumplings for dinner tonight, and they were super duper uber good. Then we went for a walk to the grocery store and got some pumpkins. 'Tis the season and all! Watching the kids race each other is always way fun. We were checking out our pumpkins, when Erik stuck his hand out to the cashier, and said, "Hi, my name is Erik." He shook her hand, and then ran off. He's been doing that lately. I have no idea where he got it, but it's freaking hilarious!! The looks on people's faces....! While Erik and were at Wal-mart, I spied these cute little pies. They were about the size of one medium sized slice of pie, only round, and only fifty cents each! So I bought a good variety and that was our treat for FHE. Why is watching your children really enjoy their food give one such a warm, fuzzy and fulfilled feeling? I love it.
It was a good day.
The Almighty Liz

Ugh!!!

I do not know what the FREAK is up with my children today, but they are driving me bananas. Bouncing off the walls, sassy, destructive, and pain inducing (that's mostly Erik)...I'm about ready to throw them out the window. And of course, John is gone until tomorrow night. Nice.
The Almighty Liz
ETA: It got better. I took the kids out to the Huddle House for dinner, where they charmed the waitress and all the diners, played tick-tac-toe nicely with each other (Jonni confided to me later that she let Erik win, lol!), and were very good. Until we got home anyway. :P

Much Delayed Review

Okay, so we've had the Sleep Number bed for just shy of a week, I think five full nights. My initial reaction was LOVE, and now that I've had a few nights to try it out, it's turned into ADORATION!! I worship this bed. It wouldn't have been so good without the topper we got for it, but with the memory foam IT'S PERFECT. I've been running on pure adrenaline for several weeks, and now that I'm able to sleep again, I'm beyond exhausted, lol! It's like my body is saying "finally, now we are going to get caught up....for the next month...." John really likes it too. He's one of those people that likes a constantly changing sleeping surface, I think, kinda like a cat, so this is perfect for him. He can adjust to to his heart's content, so we're both uber happy with it. Which is the point of a Sleep Number bed after all: to make both people in the couple happy, and it works. How did I live before we had this?!!
For those of you thinking "why should I get one, it's just a air mattress!" You are so totally wrong. I can see it if we didn't get the topper like I said, but with the topper, it's not air mattress-y in the least, not even a little bit. It's soft and fluffy and wonderful, and I'm totally in love with it.
The Almighty Liz

I'm So Excited!!

Our new sleep number mattress is coming on WEDNESDAY!! Two more nights and then, hopefully, I can get a good night's sleep....
Oh, and I ended up getting a 4 inch, 3 lb density memory foam topper for the new mattress, and it should be here this week as well. My giddiness is immeasurable!
The Almighty Liz

New Mattress!

So, my mattress is shot. It's eight years old, and it's just gone cahpoohey. Neither John nor I have had a good night's sleep in over a month. I keep getting sick, and I just don't have the energy to do anything at all. So, several weeks ago, the search started, and last Monday, Labor Day (when the sales were good), John and I ordered one! I'm really excited about it, because it's a Sleep Number bed. I have high hopes for it. John and I are polar opposites when it comes to how soft we want our sleeping area, and I think this will be our solution. They are MIGHTY expensive, though, so we got the cheapest one. That means it is a little less-than in terms of comfort, so my next project is a super good topper to put on it to make it perfect. Anyone out there in blogger land have any good suggestions? I've done some legwork and a lot of online research, but I just don't know what's good because I haven't slept on one! Our mattress should be here in two weeks, weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
The Almighty Liz

Erikism

Okay, if you go back around a year, you'll remember that Erik used to ask me, at least daily but more often several times a day, if he could be a pumpkin when he grew up. This lasted a really long time, but did fade away after awhile. Now he has a new thing that he tells me everyday, and here it is:
"Mom, you're not stupid, you're smart, and I love you."
Several times a day people. I'm not sure if someone told him I was stupid and he feels the need to counteract this negativity with as much positive reinforcement as possible, or what, but it always gives me the giggles.
The Almighty Liz

Pic-a-pahlooza!

So, I have been hugely remiss in posting this summer, so I thought that I would give all you fans out there a huge glut of pictures to calm all those Liz Cravings I'm sure you are experiencing. Your welcome!

This was Beth's surprise birthday dinner.

Renae was having....issues, lol!

The carnage after the meal.

Yes, I WAS there.

Aw, aren't they cute? (and I'd feel remiss if I didn't point out Lydia on the left. She was having a Bad Night.)

And the cute facade falls to the wayside...

Another awwww pic.

These are all the kids left at home. Such lovely, well mannered adults this woman has raised!

Or not!

And a pic with the transplants of the family. At least we can behave, right?!

Nope, we've been tainted!

This is a walk the kids and I went on around our neighborhood.

I feel the need to tell you the truth about this fire hydrant. Erik informed me that this is a very dangerous robot cleverly disguised as a fire hydrant. So be on the look-out people! These are everywhere!!

Vicious attack dog? Or something to stomp on?

Jonni's school playground, the destination of our walk.

Will somebody PLEASE let these poor kids out of jail!!?

The Almighty Liz

Round and Round it goes! Where it Stops.....

....nobody knows! Erik has strep again. Poor kid. Poor me, too! Lol! This time, I'm out of my penicillin too! I've lost it somewhere, so I've been looking for a couple of days and can't find it anywhere! So, that's bad timing to the nth degree. BUT! My doc is calling me in a new script, so I'll have that before the day is over. John, perfect husband that he is, is coming home from work early to take our poor sick boy to the doctor. He really is pathetic looking too. I know how he feels. Strep is No Fun.
The Almighty Liz

It's My Birthday!

Once again, is that super special time of the year: my Birthday! This year's birthday has begun crappily. My cat peed on my luggage duffle bag thingy that I had yet to unpack from my trip last week to Savannah, GA. (more on that later, I'm waiting for pics from the other girls that went because I forgot my camera, doh!!) It had all my clean clothes, which didn't get dirty because I was on the beach so much I didn't wear hardly any of them, and my new and very expensive tennis shoes, and all of my make up, to name a few things. So I had to do damage control first thing this morning. Happy Birthday, Liz! Not!!
The Almighty Liz

Make Up!

Hey there, my girl peeps! So I have a good friend who is starting her own line of mineral cosmetics. She and I have traded stuff, my lotion for various of her amazing eye shadows and lip glosses, and let me just say that she is super talented!! So, I'm shamelessly promoting her because of how awesome her stuff is. Go take a look, and stay to drool, at her new blog!
http://darlinggirlcosmetics.blogspot.com
I'm adding a sidebar that's just for her, too. Hopefully I can get it to show updates and stuff eventually, but that'll have to wait until John can help me. For now, it will be an easy link for everyone. Enjoy ladies!
The Almighty Liz

Good News and Bad News

I'll do bad news first, I like to get that out of the way. My Grandpa is going into the hospital for major surgery today to remove a bunch of cancer. Total suckage! Prayers would be MUCH appreciated!
Okay, good news, yay!
I'm an entrepreneur!! How crazy is that? Awhile ago I posted about my lotion making hobbies. I know I said I would post all about it soon, but that's going to have to wait awhile because I've started selling it!! I swapped it to a couple of gals on the forum that I frequent, and they gently, and then not so gently, suggested that I open it up to my forum for sale because they loved it so much. So I did! Within a few days I had TEN ORDERS! I know that's not huge, and it seems to be dying down quite a bit, but still exciting for me! So I'm going to wait to see if this flops before I post my super secret methods and recipes on the world wide web. In the meantime, if anyone wants to buy some, leave me a reply! If there are any interested parties, I'll post the ingredients in the reply section. *insert big grin here*
The Almighty Liz

Weird!

So, I made dinner last night. That's not so unusual as it used to be since I'm getting way better. I made breaded baked catfish, rice, and sauteed asparagus. The asparagus was mainly for me and John, as the kids are somewhat anti-vegetable. What was shocking was that Erik asked to try one. And he liked it! And he proceeded to eat like HALF of the asparagus I made! So then I thought about it, and really, it's only Jonni who hates vegetables. Erik doesn't like them all, but he does like most of the ones I like. Asparagus, broccoli, salad-y things....what kind of a kid likes those kinds of vegetables?! Yes, I do believe he is a mama's boy.
The Almighty Liz

Updates!

Well, it's been a busy week in our little corner of the world. I'll give you the cliff notes version, because the detailed version would take you hours to read. ;)
So, starting with Mother's day, which I know wasn't this week, but I didn't blog about it when it happened. I had a rockin' Mother's day. I managed to get up and go to church for the first time since I was in the hospital last year! We were late, but hey, we made it! I got some cool presents, and we got to go see my mom, and hang out with my side of the family. Jonni had a surprise for me, in that there was an essay contest at her school, and she won! First, she won her grade and went on to the regionals or whatever, and then won that too! It was a cool essay, I'll type it out for you:

"I Love My Mom Because....."

She's nice to me. Let me count the ways. 1. She helped me when I fell off the bus and onto the road. 2. She makes the best smoothies in the world. 3. She boght doghnuts twice for being good. 4. She is nice and coumfy. Some mom. I don't know what all she's done to me that's nice!

So that was super cool

Fast forward through that week to last weekend. My sister took the kids for the weekend so John and I could celebrate our anniversary! It was a great weekend, and totally not long enough, lol! Then, that Sunday, we got to call Trent! That was....a mixed thing. Everyone had checked their international phone rates earlier that week to see who had the best. We did, but no one believed me, so I called them again to make sure I had it right. Not just the rates, but that I had everything I needed as far as codes and whatnot. I was assured that everything was green, and we could make the call to Germany on Sunday with no problems. So, with everyone coming over, we decided to have a big dinner for Mother's day for John's mom, and have a fun day. We all gathered in anticipation of The Call, and dialed the numbers. Or we tried to. We were quickly interrupted by a recording telling us that we did not have the proper "carrier codes". Long story short, I called Charter and was told they put a INTERNATIONAL BLOCK on my phone!! While they were assuring me that everything was good to call Germany, someone misinterpreted that I WANTED to call to I DIDN'T want to call, and put a block on my phone. The lady told me she could take the block off, but it would take 5-10 minutes to activate. Fine. We waited 10 minutes. Then 15, and twenty, and I decided to call Charter again. I sent John to the store after pre-paid phone cards in case this call didn't work. I had been polite up to this point but I had HAD IT. So I started out screaming, and went downhill from there. I was shuffled around to several people, and finally got a manager, who informed me that the people who take the blocks off phones weren't in on Sundays, and it would be 24 hours at minimum before we could call Trent. I screamed, I yelled, I called them names, and then informed them that was unacceptable since this was 100% their screw up, and they had lost themselves a customer. We did call Trent with the phone cards, and it all worked out fine, but we lost a good 45-60 minutes because of Charter's incompetence, and I called AT&T first thing Monday morning to make the switch. They should be out here this afternoon to get me all set up.

Anyhow, we all got to talk to Trent, and he sounded awesome! Very happy, and very upbeat about things in his mission. He said that they are talking about combining missions again, so he might have an even bigger mission soon! It was cool talking with him.

Other things this week included finishing leveling the ground and laying the pavers to our walkway, so now all we need to do is fill in the gaps at the corners with quick crete, and fill in the cracks between pavers with sand, and we will be done!

Also, I bought a new dishwasher! Ours was finally pronounced dead, and I hit the streets on Tuesday to find a new one. It was looking grim after two or three stores. It was all the same deal: cheap dishwasher+fees, installation, taxes, ect and I would end up paying around $450 all told for a cheapo thing. BUT! Then I went to Lowe's! It was the same deal, except that if you bought a dishwasher at $497 or more, they waved all taxes, fees and installation!! So I could get a $500 dishwasher for only $50 more than I would have paid for the cheap crappy ones! This is what I did, and it should be in sometime next week! It has all kinds of bells and whistles like "hard food disposer", and "sanitary rinse", and the buttons are on top of the door! That means when you close it, the buttons disappear! No more kids punching in random settings! I cannot wait!

So, today I was going to go get the supplies to finish off my walkway, so I could take pics and brag-I mean blog about it, but a wrench was thrown into my plans. Erik has strep!! This is justifiably alarming for our little family as this is my cryptonite, let alone the fact that my little man is totally miserable! But he's on antibiotics now, and definitely feeling better, and my doc is optimistic that I'll be fine since I've been on my antibiotics for a solid six months or so, and, not counting injuries, I've been well for a few months in a row, meaning that my immune system is finally starting to gear back up. Prayers would be much appreciated, though!

So, that's everything going on in my world! Mainly good, some slightly panic inducing, but nothing we can't handle, lol!

The Almighty Liz

Eight Years Today!

I'm just going to take a moment here and ignore everything that needs doing RIGHT NOW to gush over my husband.
I can't believe he's still with me! After two horrid pregnancies, a host of baggage from my life, and being seriously ill and/or injured for around two and half years running now, he's still around. And he continues to like me! And the marriage is not only good, it's Great!! He's my best friend, hands down, and one of the sexiest men alive. And FUNNY.....! And all of that is mine!!!
So here's to eight years, baby, and hoping for an eternity. Love you bunches!
The Almighty Liz

Anxiously Awaiting

My friend Timpani is having her baby as we speak! (at least that was the last I heard) Please toss up a few prayers today that everything goes okay!
The Almighty Liz
ETA:
SHE'S HERE!! Timpani had her newest little girl yesterday! For more details, you can visit their blog;
http//quisandvance.blogspot.com
CONGRATULATIONS ERIK AND TIMPANI!!!!

Some Current Projects of Mine

So, as I said in my last post, I've been really busy. However, it's the good kind of busy, because a lot of it is stuff I WANT to do, as opposed to the stuff I HAVE to do. Anyway, since I know how vastly interested you all are in everything Liz, I thought I'd post about some of it. Enjoy!

This is not a project. This is my cat, Cloud. I just thought she was being extremely adorable here, and wanted to spread the cuteness.

This is face lotion that I made myself. I'm enormously proud of this, as I've been researching and testing out each individual ingredient for about six months now. I have skin with a lot of different needs and problems, and I'm just sick of having to put up with stuff that almost works but has that ONE ingredient that makes my face explode in one way or another. Having had enough, I finally made up my mind to just make my own! And I did, so ha! It works really great so far too. It needs a titch of tweaking, and there's definitely a learning curve to making lotions, but I think I've got a really good handle on it now, and if anyone wants to know more, comment about it, and I'll go on for weeks. It's way fun to do!

This is part of my walkway. I really should have gotten before pictures, but this has been such a humongous thorn in my side for so long, that as soon as I was feeling better, half of it was ripped out before I came to my senses. It's not done yet, but I'm pretty proud of how it looks, so I thought I'd post a teaser. John came up with the design, and he's helped a bit with it too. ;)
I'll definitely post pics of all of it when it's totally done, so you can get the full impact of it's gorgeousness.

This is an early birthday present from John. Yeah, I know, my birthday isn't until the end of June, but we were at the store, and I was looking longingly at the comfy computer chairs that I've coveted for years and years, and he just broke down and told me he was getting me one for my birthday, but if I wanted, I could have it early. Um, YES!! And even cooler, I got to put it together myself. No sarcasm there, I really enjoy stuff like that. Like one big puzzle, love it!

So that's a bit of what I've been up to. I'm feeling really great, life is settling down, and I just hope that this time it lasts more than a couple of weeks, lol!

The Almighty Liz

What Has Liz Been Up To?

A lot. I started feeling MUCH better around Wednesday of last week, and since then have been running around like the energizer bunny hopped up on steroids. I ripped out my walkway, and started redoing it. (that sounds more impressive than it actually is, but to someone of my stamina, it's totally enough) I cleaned my house three times. (well, the public rooms) I put away laundry. (almost all of it) I rearranged my clothing storage. (all the drawer space is done. next, the closets!) I started working big time on getting my Dad a new job. (he has an interview on Monday!) BUT, the biggest thing is I remember it all. Until last Wednesday, life was foggy. Things got lost with alarming regularity in that fog, but it's all clear now. Ah, life, it's nice to have you back.
Here, for your enjoyment, is something my daughter Jonni said yesterday.
We pulled a couch up to the computer monitor to watch General Conference. At one point I snuggled up to John and one side, and Jonni did on the other side. John let us somewhat unwillingly, as he is not into the cuddling thing. In partially disgruntled voice he said to me, "Man, you just LOVE the snuggles, don't you?" To which I replied, "Well, you're just so darn comfortable!" And Jonni piped with, "Yeah, Dad, you are. I think it's 'cause you're so fat."
I just about peed my pants.
The Almighty Liz

Toothless Jonni!

Okay, she's not toothless, but she has lost like four very recently. Two of those were the all important front teeth! So, of course, I got pics to commemorate this historic occasion. Enjoy. :D

The Almighty Liz

Good Day

Do you know, I had a really good day today. The weight of that stupid house is gone, and I'm really feeling that. I worked out today. I read my scriptures. I got to talk to my best friend for a couple of hours. I played with my son. I had an uber healthy smoothie instead of ice cream, and my portion sizes and the variety of food I ate today was stellar. I took a walk with my family for a half an hour or so in the nature preserve near our home. (friends, you must come see me just to walk in this place. It's flipping awesome) The kids went down at bedtime with nary a quibble. Now, I'm gonna watch a little movie on netflix (like a forty minute episode of a show) before bedtime, and turn in, making my timing for going to bed just about perfect. Aaaaaah, this is much better.
The Almighty Liz

Aaaaaaaaand.......

WE'RE DONE! THEY SIGNED PAPERS, AND WE'RE CLOSED!! IT'S OVER!!!!!!
We totally went out for ice cream to celebrate, and I'll tell you something--ice cream never tasted so good.
The Almighty Liz

Closing

Hopefully, at 3:00 pm today, our buyers will be signing papers!!! We didn't close like we were supposed to last Friday because yet more important papers were not turned in on time, but I just checked with my realtor and she says so far everything's a go!! Pray, and pray hard people!!!
The Almighty Liz
*Update--so far, it's 4:30 pm and I have heard nothing, which is a good sign. Although, I may crack under the pressure before too much longer, and call my realtor to see what's goin' down. *goes back to pacing incessantly*

Um

I had something I wanted to blog about, but now I can't remember it. *sigh*
The Almighty Liz
PS What was the point of this post? Just that I'm still here, and would like to be active, but am at a slight handicap, that's all. ;P

Action Packed Weekend

A little TOO much action, methinks! I got my hair done and hung out with my family on Saturday. I had my in-laws over on Sunday, and did a spectacular face plant, and gave myself a nasty concussion. I've been at my mom's until today for round the clock observation. I'm doing better, but I'm still having headaches, concentration problems, and a ton of memory loss. If I've talked to you the past few days, chances are I don't remember it.
But the BIG news is.....*drumroll*.....
WE GOT THE LOAN!!!! Or, the people who are buying the house did, but it amounts to the same thing. We did a family fast on Sunday, and Monday is when the loan went through!!! A miracle, and thank you everyone for all the fasting and prayers!! They worked! HUZZAH!! We close on the nineteenth.
The Almighty Liz

APB for Prayers

We need everyone who reads this (even if it's just by mistake) to pray REALLY HARD that the people who want to buy our house get their loan. It's looking very very bleak indeed, and if they don't, we will have to either put up with them renting for a long time (nightmare), or put the house back on the market. Please please please toss up at least a dozen a day for awhile. Thanks so much!
The Almighty Liz

Allow Me to Brag for Just a Moment

Okay, this is monumental.
Erik, for a long time, since well before he was two, knew his letters and numbers. For almost as long, he's known the sounds they made. For over two years he's memorized several words, so he can recognize them on sight, out of context of where he memorized them. That was a good beginning to reading, but not really the real deal. He hadn't, until now, made the connection between the letter sounds and the memorized words. Now, he has. He just read a book he's never read before all by himself, by sounding out the words, most of which were entirely new to him. It's about one step up from "See Spot Run". My son, four years old, has taught himself how to read.
*insert deer in the headlights look here*
The Almighty Liz

I Got Love Spammed

So, as per an enthusiastic request, here's a new post.
I haven't been posting as much because I'm mad. I'm mad at everything. I'm mad at my kids, my husband, the stupid superfluous house (the most there I think), my idiotic renters, the fact that my house doesn't stay clean and I don't have the energy to keep up with it yet, that I really want to cook but I can't manage it yet for more than a few times a week at most, that I get sick every time I turn around, that after I worked uber hard last year to get to a good weight and be healthy, I got entirely set back and gained twenty pounds so now in addition to trying to get healthy, I have to fight my "little green monster" every stinking day, I have to avoid family and friends whenever any one's sick so I miss out on a lot, I haven't been to church since the new year because it's in the morning and I can't get up yet that early, Erik is freaking four and a half and isn't/won't get potty trained so I have to clean a poopy mess up every day, but most of all, I think, is that I just want things to quit coming at me from all sides. (see post from last week, and then add some stuff I'm not at liberty to name)
So, now that I have that out of my system, let's count some blessings, yes? Okay.
1. I have a supreme husband that puts up with not just all my health issues, but the mental and behavioral fall-out that accompanies them. He's still here. I can't believe it.
2. My kids are smart, good looking, and hilarious.
3. My cat likes me the best of everyone.
4. My extended family loves me, and helps to take care of me as much as they can.
5. I have the best friends on the planet.
6. I have a Mary.
7. I live in a stellar ward.
8. The town I live in is the friendliest place I've ever lived.
9. My husband has a fantastic job that is rock-solid.
10. We have enough of everything material, and sometimes a little extra.
11. I am still among the living.
12. I have my religion, which I think is the best.
13. I have an eternal family. (as long as I can keep my act together)
14. I have seriously awesome doctors.
Okay, that's all I can think of for now, without going into being thankful for grass and things like that. (which I am also, those are just givens) So, what are YOU thankful for? Post a comment!
The Almighty Liz

Last Week

Well, we are back online at last! We actually have been since Friday night/Saturday morning, but we lost all our our cookies and favorites, so I just didn't put forth the effort to find blogger dashboard until today. Our computer got a virus and crashed last Monday (as in a week ago yesterday), and we had to have the entire hard drive wiped totally clean. Total bummer, as we no longer have the cool programs like PowerPoint and excel and stuff anymore.
We also have the sad news that we didn't close last weekend like we were supposed to. We might not close at all anymore, because of a bunch of stuff I don't want to go into because it'll just make me really mad. Suffice it to say that it's more of our renters acting up. I should know more this week, and best case scenario is closing in two to three weeks.
Our water heater also broke last week. Why does that always happen in the winter?! With the help of some friends from here in town and my dad, we got it fixed after a couple of days. Thanks Dad! It's still working great, and that first shower I finally got after three days was pure heaven!
The kids were also sick all last week with some horrible coughing thing (Erik still is), and Jonni ended up with an Ear Infection. Not the worst she'd ever had, but definitely a whopper. I'm going to make an appointment with her doctor when it's cleared up to talk over why the schmee she gets so many of those.
Okay, you are now up-to-date, mostly. We had a fun Valentine's day, but the details are on a need to know basis only. ;)
The Almighty Liz

Does it Make Me a Bad Mother....

when I CAN'T WAIT for naptime? Especially on snow days?
The Almight Liz

Jonni's Seven Years Old!!

I can't even wrap my head around this! Next year she'll be getting baptized!! Totally crazy.
I didn't take a single pic. I've actually been not taking pictures on purpose for events like this. Notice the lack of pics for Christmas as well. While I like having the pictures to remember things, I also hate missing out on the things to get the pictures.
Anyway, she had a good time. We opened presents when John got home, the went to her favorite place to eat, Stake 'n' Shake, then came home and had cupcakes. (I was going to make a cake, I got the stuff and everything, but was totally gun shy and didn't do it, after all) She mainly got her way on almost everything the whole day, and I think this was one of her favorite parts, lol!! Good times. My little girl's getting so big!
The Almighty Liz

Two Great Kid Quotes

Jonni's isn't really a quote so much as a conversation. John made apple pie tonight (sort of), and we were talking about that, when out of nowhere Jonni said, " If I had an easy bake oven, and a recipe, I could make cookies." We digested that for a moment, and then she said, "And now I'm imagining my birthday...." lol!
And Erik said to me tonight, "Mommy, when you have a little boy, you get to play with Lego's." He's totally right, and that is totally the reason I had boy. Don't tell me you haven't thought about it...or done it. We all know the truth.
The Almighty Liz

Email

Why is it that when it takes me less than half an hour to get through all my various forms of communication in the morning, ie email, blogs, facebook, ect ect, I feel all let down? And those days when it takes forever to get through I feel loved and fulfilled? Addiction?
Nah.
The Almighty Liz

My Turn....

...for puking. That is what I did most of the night Wednesday, and most of the day yesterday. Seriously, is there anything worse than vomiting? Really? I didn't think so.
Feeling better today, still a little nauseated I think, but that could just be that my tummy is so empty it's making me sick and I need to eat something. I can't tell, and I'm scared to test it out. Yes, when it comes to up-chucking, I'm a total sissy. Still have my cough, but that seems to be getting better, at least.
And I won my battles of the day before yesterday. That's right; I am--
The Almighty Liz.
ETA: I forgot the good news! I'm an Aunt once again. My brother, Logan, and his wife welcomed a little boy into the world yesterday at 6:20pm their time (7:20pm mine), who weighed 8lbs and was 20 inches long. His name is Gavin James Bryan. Welcome to the world, little man!

Breaking Point

Okay, really, how bad is murder? On a scale of 1-10? What if I make it quick and painless? They wouldn't even know something was coming. They'd just be sitting on their lazy butts, like usual, and then nothing. That's not too horrible, right? Like maybe a 5, or a 6? C'mon, gimme a 6, I think I can live with that....
The Almighty (and FURIOUS) Liz
ETA: I am so mad at this point I could literally spit nails. I'm surprised smoke isn't coming out of my ears, and my hair isn't on fire. *Liz lets loose with bestial scream*

Yet Another Closing Date

I know I promised you guys updates on my awesome weekend, but I'm still sick, and don't feel like it yet. Soon, though!
I just wanted to hop on and let you know that our closing date for this weekend has fallen through yet again. The new date is February 12th. I got my way! *Liz laughs with maniacal glee whilst rubbing her hands together sinisterly*
The Almighty Liz

Wellness Spree Even MORE Over

Okay, I had a GREAT weekend for the most part, but I will post about that later as I am on my deathbed. Just kidding, I've definitely been way worse, but just as definitely, I'm miserable. Although not as bad as John. I woke up this morning to the dulcet tones of John puking up even the memory of food. He also has a wicked cough and a fever. Poor guy. He's basically slept all day, as have the kids and I. I have a horrid cough too, and sound like a thirteen year old boy--deep but my voice cracks on every other word. Erik has a less delicate, we-do-not-discuss-it-at-the-table kind of thing, and Jonni seems to be holding her own, actually. She'll be going to school tomorrow unless something changes. I got a call from our contractor for our superfluous house, and he got all the work done this last weekend. If we pass inspection tomorrow, then we will close on Friday. With all of us sick, this is going to be a very interesting week. Oi.
The Almighty (but somewhat less-than today) Liz

Wellness Spree Over

After four weeks and a day, I woke up sick this morning. Nothing unmanageable, I've most decidedly been worse, but I do feel like crap. Just in time for an activities-there's-no-way-I-can-miss-let-alone-get-out-of packed weekend! Huzzah! (much sarcasm on that 'huzzah')
The Almighty Liz

John's Turn

John is sick now. Poor guy. He hardly ever, and I mean the rarities of all rarities, gets sick, and just doesn't know how to handle it when he does. It's kind of funny. Thank goodness I'm well (four weeks and a day!!) or we'd be a really pathetic pair.
The Almighty Liz

Mailpersons

Why do I think it's rude when the mail truck sails on by my mailbox? I mean, I know they only do that when there's no mail to deliver, and it's nothing personal. Yet, I always feel violently excluded, like I did something wrong in the mailpeople's eyes, and are being punished for it. No mail for you today!! Mwahahahahahaaaa!!
The Almighty Liz

Good Days....Finally!

No disasters for two days in a row. Today better follow suit!
The Almighty Liz

Let Us All Take a Deeeeep Breath

The basement is no longer toe deep in water, and it has a guarantee, so if it happens tomorrow, I can call Roto Rooter, and they will come fix it again.
I'm still not sure if the couch, the entire couch that my cat peed on can be saved, but I've worked on it all day, and we'll see after it dries.
I talked to my realtor today, and was majorly proud of myself for not crying and/or screaming at her, but instead maintained an extremely professional facade, which if you weren't my stupid realtor, would know that was a very covert and large scale insult. I'm friendly, never so polite you can break icicles off my body. The contractor will start work in a few days, weather permitting, so they can have their stupid closing date by the end of January. If God loves me at all, he will dump loads of snow on Peoria, so that the roof and gutters can't get done, which means we won't be able to close until at least February, and my buyers will loose their interest rate, which is only good until the end of this month. I used the same cool professional attitude with the phone call to my renter/buyers. I'm no longer their friend. I am their landlady, and if they don't realize what a humongous loss that is, then rest assured that I have already realized that I don't need people that stupid in my life.
I found a cleaners that can do leather, because the couch was not the only casualty in the cat peeing fiasco, and it's not going to cost an arm and a leg like I thought.
I probably finally found babysitters for this Saturday, so I can be there when my brother-in-law receives his endowments, (Mormon thing, for you friends out there that are bewildered as to what that means), but my kids can still do the fun things (like a birthday party) that they wanted to do. I think that at this point I really really really really need to go to the Temple.
I am done for the day. DONE. Where's my hot tub....?
The Almighty Liz

And Now for Something Completely Different

So, you guys can take my shiny happy posts of the last few days and just flush them down the toilet. Speaking of, it looks like Erik has discovered the joy of flushing, and though he didn't cause the first clog that flooded our basement on Monday, he did cause the second one that flooded it again last night. In other news, the house situation has turned into (more of) a nightmare. I got a phone call from my realtor last night that informed me that since I was a lazy good for nothing, and had bungled this whole thing from the beginning, and since everything that has gone wrong was ALL MY FAULT, she has had to step in and fix everything for me, so she hired a construction guy to fix the problems that need fixing before we can pass inspection, WITHOUT EVEN MENTIONING IT TO ME, he would start on Thursday, and his fee would be to the tune of $1800. Also, we ARE closing by the end of the month, whether we like it or not, or we can kiss her goodbye, and when the deal is done, we are not to contact her ever again, for anything. She, her words, has lost trust in us, all faith, and all charity. (I would just like to inform all that I didn't lie down for that, I told her I was working on a solution from my end that was possibly cheaper, and I would call her in the morning with my decision. I'm not the doormat I used to be, and nobody pushes this broad around anymore) After I got over the breakdown that phone call caused, I called our renters to negotiate splitting the cost of the repairs with them. (whether we went with my guy or my realtor's) She told me that this was all my fault, it was my house, and that she wasn't going to pitch in a penny for anything. She hated to be that person, but she didn't have any money, so that was the person she was going to be. And then she said, but don't worry, we'll get through it together. What the #$%&?! At any rate, this on TOP of the fact that my dad just had surgery on Monday, (which went very well, I'm told, thank goodness), and that my mother in law fell and broke her wrist and pretty severely hurt her hip by slipping on the ice late last week, and our basement, I am now a hot mess, and ready to shake the dust of Peoria and it's people from my feet.
Okay, now that I've vented, I need to go figure out how to fix my basement.
The Almighty and Unconquerable Liz

Mish Mash

Have you ever worked one of those claw machines? You know, the ones where you put in a couple of quarters, and try to maneuver the dangling claw over a toy, then let it drop and see if the claw will catch the toy? I have never met anyone who actually succeeded in getting one of those toys. They are always packed too hard for that wimpy claw to pick anything up. Well, Jonni and I were out running errands on Saturday, and we stopped at Steak 'n' Shake for lunch. (her very favorite) They had one of those machines, and Jonni was really good, and I happen to have a couple of quarters (rare), so we had a go. She put in the quarters, but wanted me to work the claw. AND I GOT ONE! I got a medium sized stuffed dog with little red hearts all over!! Can you believe it? Jonni was ecstatic with her dog, and now you know somebody who's gotten a prize from a claw machine!
Also on Saturday, Jonni started her first extra-curricular activity. We got a certificate for a business called the Education Station for 10 free weeks. It's kind of a supplementary type thing for gifted kids. Jonni qualified (about time she qualified for something!!), so we decided to give it a shot. Jonni had a freakin' blast, and can't wait to go back this Saturday.
We gave the kids capes for Christmas, and Erik is wearing one of his almost non-stop. He has dubbed himself Super Erik, and refuses to answer to anything else whilst the cape is on. It's hilarious.
I can't find my snow boots. I've been looking since around Thanksgiving time, I've turned my house upside down at least eight times, and they are nowhere. I mean, the house isn't that big. There are a limited number of places big snow boots can hide, but just in case, I even looked in the places they couldn't hide. No luck, and, as it is snowy outside, and I loathe cold wet feet (which is why I have snow boots in the first place), I decided to admit defeat and go buy new ones. I went everywhere there is to look in the closest town near mine, since mine town is eensy weensy and doesn't have a shoe store, (and yes, I'm not naming anything around me on purpose. take THAT you trollers!), and most didn't have any, and the ones that did, didn't have anything even remotely close to my size. The last place I looked in the big town was a hardware/feed store type place. No luck. They had some, but not my size. So I headed home (my feet, by the way, at this point were wet and totally frozen), dropped of my patient (ha!) and tired daughter, and went to the last place anywhere close to me that might have what I was looking for--the feed store right around the corner from us. And, *drumroll*, they had some! In my size! Oh, the irony! Only one pair though. The last pair in my size anywhere within a half an hour of my home. I snatched those up, and threatened to kiss the sales ladies that helped me out. They giggled and said they'd rather be kissed then hit, which is the usual reaction, apparently. The boots are perfect. Waterproof, fully lined, and they have an additional removable insert. Ah, bliss! Warm feet at last!
The Almighty Liz

The New Year So Far

So, this year has started out well indeed. Now, I am NOT jinxing myself in saying that since it started well, it will stay that way. I am simply savoring this fact. I've been well for two weeks today, people! That's a new record. Jonni started some new math and reading programs at school (because her teacher is the freaking coolest, so since Jonni couldn't be in the gifted programs, then she stepped up and tailored a new schedule to fit Jonni), Erik is making some breakthroughs with potty training, (we're not there yet, but we're closer), John's work loves him, and we are getting closer to getting rid of our Peoria house. (we have had some setbacks there, like we were supposed to close this week, but now it's in the air, and we don't know exactly when we close, but at least our renters are still paying rent and still want to buy the house even after they've lived in it for eight months or so) All in all, I'll take it!
The Almighty Liz