Happy Mother's Day a few days early!

Last week I announced that I had started on a new book. It was part of an old book that I had gotten stuck on and because life happened, I couldn’t get back to it. That was just fine though because I needed that time to figure out exactly where to go with it. Saturday our internet went out and I had all the time I wanted to write. I got out about 2000 words that evening. 

My mom asked me when she’d get to start reading it. I sent her the book on Monday and told her it was no rush to get it back to me. She wrote back and said she didn’t know when she’d be able to get to it but she’d try.

Within an hour the edits were back. She’s awesome like that. 

As Mother’s Day draws near, I tend to cringe. I love to honor the mothers in my life, but it seems that for me, everything that can go wrong, does go wrong on this special day. We’re talking sickness, gas leaks in the church (no joke), torrential rain in Australia, and screaming kids.

But that’s not what Mother’s Day is about. Mother’s Day is a day where we can show our mothers how much we love them. How grateful we are for them. It’s not about my day. It’s about my mother and grandmother and what they’ve done for me. It’s about the sweet cards and huge smiles on the faces of my kids as they tell me Happy Mother’s Day. 

So today I want to share a little about the mothers in my life. They’re the best. No, really, they are. 

My mom raised five kids and each of us played sports, took piano lessons, my brother did scouts, and my sister did tumbling. And my mom didn’t miss a single event. And if she did, it was for something that was beyond her control. I won’t forget that. Ever. I giggled at her “Darth Vader breathing” as she got so into the games she couldn’t handle it. She took up crocheting just to give her hands something to do.

Now that we have grown and left the house, you’d think her life would have calmed down. Not even a little. Now she travels to all of her grandchildren’s activities that she can get to, takes care of her mother, teaches a lifeguard class, and travels to different National Potato Board and National Potato Council meetings. She’s been to Asia, the Philippines, and all over the United States. She got to live her dream and visit Maine last year. She’s not only making a difference for my family, but for the world as she teaches people from other countries how to cook using potatoes. 

Grandma Bartholomew is also a great example to me. Some of my favorite memories come from Grandma’s house. Fishing, hot dog roasts, egg hunts, sleepovers. You name it, we did it. I smile every time my mom takes up one more tradition that she learned from her mom. My grandma raised eight kids in a small home in Idaho. She taught them to work and how to play. I love going to visit her and hear her laugh, and see the twinkle in her eye.

Grandma Hardy was the most hilarious, sweetest lady ever. She went to all the home basketball games while we were growing up. She was honored several times for never missing an event. She sang in Sweet Adelines and took part in city events. We looked forward every year to the Cracker Jacks we would get for Halloween. She loved her family and visited with her daughter as often as she could. Christmas Eve was never complete without a visit from Grandma Bonnie. We shared favorite books and authors (Mary Higgins Clark) and loved to suggest books to each other.

My mother-in-law, Pat Weist, is one of the sweetest ladies you’ll ever meet. She raised four kids and they all have the same hilarious sense of humor as she does. She is always happy, always looking for the good in people, and loves to share stories. She sends cards, letters, and pictures for my kids to color all the time. I just need to get better at sending them back when they’re done! My kids know that when we go to visit, they’ll get to throw bread to the birds, take her garbage down to the dumpster (this is really an adventure they adore), visit the red rocks of St. George, read books with Grandma, and play Memory. She has the patience of a saint with the crazy energy of her grandkids. 

I hope that as Mother’s Day comes, you’ll take the time to thank the mothers in your life. They’re the reason you’re here. 

April 6th, 2014

Look! I did it! I wrote a blog post three weeks apart instead of five months!

March was a little quieter after my book launch because basketball finished the same day for everyone but Jakob.

He had a tournament the next week and they played very well. His team was ahead clear until the last couple minutes when the other team caught up and went ahead by one point. With 20 seconds left,  Jakob's team shot several times but that darn ball just wouldn't go in the basket and they lost by one. It was sad, but the game was intense and very fun to watch.

Ashley started up with soccer again and scored a goal in her first game back—and we were actually there this time! Every time she scored in the fall, we missed it. She wasn't feeling well but she still worked hard. She also scored in her next game as well. She loves her soccer.

Jakob started track and tried a few different events before deciding on running the 800 m. The first track meet he went to, he didn't know what to expect. He was careful all the way through and ended up in the middle of the pack. He was very frustrated with himself because he'd thought the end would be a lot harder than it was. So he learned. The next track meet he ran hard and beat all the 7th graders and some of the 9th graders! It was a rather dramatic end when one ninth grader decided to try and trip him at the end. Thankfully Jakob stayed up - and still beat the kid.

And guess what! We're in our house!!! We closed on our old house on March 27th and then closed on our new house on the 31st. We were handed the keys and I couldn't stop smiling. It took so long to get there, but it finally happened!!

We took over a few loads that day and tried to get things organized. The Ellises and Rachelle's family came and spent our first FHE with us in the new house with pizza, unpacking, and a lesson. It was nice. The next day I spent packing and taking apart beds. We grabbed the moving truck and while Steve and our home teacher loaded the truck, Charlotte and I continued packing everything. It was a long day.

Once 4:00 hit, we took the truck and a van load over to the new house but I had to run home to grab an extension cord. By the time I got back, we had twenty or people there helping unload the truck. I had to stop and wipe tears before I could get out of the car and help. I was overwhelmed by the amount of people that had shown up. Half of them went back to the other house with Steve while I quickly went through boxes with Gaye to get them to the rooms they belonged in.  Once the truck got back, we went through the process again. We thanked everyone and took the moving truck back down to Lehi before grabbing In N Out for dinner. That night we were happy to climb into our beds in our brand new house.

Wednesday, Charlotte came and helped me unpack before we finished the last truckload and quickly cleaned the old house so we could leave the house. We had our friends, Orion and Grady there to help load the truck and then Orion came over to help unload. Things were moving quickly until the poor guy got the piano dropped on his toe!! Ouch! After performing some rather mediocre first aid on my part, Orion hopped up, put on a sandal and finished helping with the truck. Amazing guy!

By Thursday I could barely move. My calves hated me and screamed every time I tried to walk. But we were done in the old house. I started in on unpacking in between editing for my book coming out at the end of the month.

That afternoon I went to Jakob's track meet, where he got first in the 7th grade again!  He also beat his last time by four seconds. Not bad at all! I was very proud of him. Gaye came over again that night and helped out with more unpacking. It was nice! By that time we could see the floor.

Friday we did more unpacking and cleaning before I went to writing group and Steve did stuff around the house. I came home to two extra little girls who decided to come and play.

Our new neighborhood has been amazing. We've had friends come over and my kids go over there. The kids love to go on the bus every day. I can't wait to get outside this next week and get our yard started.

Our view outside our bedroom window. Heaven!

For now I'll enjoy being in Idaho with family for General Conference and the family Easter Egg Hunt.

March 2014

Wow, I was further behind on blogging than I thought!

These last several months have been a whirlwind of awesome busyness - mingled with immense stress. Not bad things. Just stress.

October 2013

Halloween was a lot of fun. We had Merida (Heidi with dyed hair—thanks to kool-aid), a minion (Ethan), a vampire (Gavin), Tinkerbell (Ashley), two ninjas (Andy and Jakob), another vampire, and Mother Nature.

I helped out with Ashley's Halloween party and watched as the kids filled their cookies with frosting and lots of sprinkles. Sitting up for that long was enough to wear me out (surgery having been just two weeks before), so I stayed home from trick-or-treating that night.

We had the Ellises come for dinner and trick-or-treating. Kira-Fire and I stayed home and manned the candy bowl while Steve and Jerry took the kids. This is my favorite holiday and it was awesome seeing all the fun costumes that came by our house. 

November 2013

November was filled with showings, showings, and more showings. I was also anxiously awaiting the cover for my book. 

Jakob was getting sick of not being able to sleep and having a hard time breathing. His anxiety was at an all-time high as well. One night, I took all six kids in to a doctor's appointment while Steve was off in Pennsylvania. The doctor informed us that Jakob's tonsils were rather large and he should have his tonsils and adenoids out. 

The next day I called and set up an appointment with the ENT. They were able to get him in the next week, just before Thanksgiving. She wanted to check him for allergies and asked him to go off dairy. That was harder on me than Jakob. It cut down on what he could eat, but he was willing to try. The diet helped a little but he was still having issues.

Thanksgiving was really nice. We spent a few days in St. George with Steve's family. His brother, Ron, was there and we went to look at a few houses with them. We had Thanksgiving up in the house they rent in Pine Valley. It was wonderful! 

We left for home after that and dropped the kids off so Steve and I could do some Black Friday shopping. We didn't get a lot, but it was fun shopping with him. I also spent a lot less than I usually do, so that was a bonus.

Friday morning we got up and left for Idaho. We dropped our kids off at Grandma and Grandpa Hardy's and headed off with Jakob to the Twin Falls Temple to do baptisms with those that were old enough. It was wonderful!

December 2013

We left the next day after lunch so we could get out before the next snow storm came through. I was also antsy because my book was coming out that night at midnight.

Except that it didn't. And it wasn't out the next day when we went to church. It didn't show up until Monday. It was a little anticlimactic, but I was still thrilled! My book was out! My very first book!!

Except, I despised that cover. I tried to like it. I tried to convince myself it was okay. Until the day I was told by my publisher that the books wouldn't get to our house in time for the launch that Saturday. Then I told him I hated it and I wanted a new one. When asked why I just let it go through to print before I said anything, I told him I really just wanted my book out and now that it wasn't going to be out in time for the launch, I wanted it fixed. 

And so, being the awesome publisher that he was, he agreed to get it changed. We got a new cover artist and I pushed off the launch to January. I thought I would be more disappointed on the day of my launch, but the weather made sure I wasn't.

We waited for Santa to come by our house on the fire truck and then went to our ward Christmas party. As usual, it was dumping snow. Perfect for Christmas, right?

After we finished at the party, we shopped, shoveled walks, checked out our new house, and then dropped off our kids so that Steve and I could go to a concert with some friends. The snow had stopped and we figured we'd be good. That was until we showed up at the wrong school (AF High School instead of the AF Jr High, oops). By the time we'd given up looking for the "new auditorium" in the high school, the snow was coming down again. We couldn't see the street signs as we drove, and by the time we got to the junior high, there was another good two inches on the ground. 

The concert was really nice. We're glad we went despite the weather being bad. The music was great and got us into a festive mood. The snow on the way home, however, made me not want to leave the house again. That was until we hit Vista Heights and the snow stopped. There was nothing on the roads from then until we got home. It was crazy! 

We made lots of goodies to give away, had a few showings, lots of stress, and school concerts to fill up the next two weeks of December. 

Jakob's appointment was just before we left for Christmas break. We found out a few surprising things. He's allergic to all dairy, gluten, sorghum, lemons, chicken, and several other things. No wonder the poor boy didn't feel well! By cutting those things out, however, he was able to rid himself of a lot of his health problems pretty fast.

It was a relief when we were able to go to Idaho for Christmas. We were going to wait for our house walkthrough but since our old house hadn't sold yet, we decided to leave on Saturday. Everything was sent to Idaho for Christmas so I wrapped everything when I got there. 

The kids had a great time at church on Sunday. Heidi went to primary for the first time (a week early) and did really well. It was sad for Mommy to think of having no more nursery children!

Late that night I received my new cover. I was so excited! It fit my story so much better.

Isn't it beautiful?? I okayed the image and anxiously awaited the time I could hold it in my hands. 

After wrapping the presents, I accidentally locked the wrapping room door. And the key was inside. Awesome. They had to take channel locks and a sawzall to the knob and break it off before replacing it. I was rather embarrassed. Especially because I'd done this a few years before. 

Christmas Eve  was awesome. I love doing the Nativity, Bean dip, and Egg Nog milkshakes every year. This year was a little different because Jakob has his allergies, but he still enjoyed what he could have. My dad bought him several substitutes for cereal, bread, cinnamon bread for Christmas morning, and some pills to see if they'd help.  I was very thankful!

We woke up early Christmas morning and went up to see what Santa brought the kids. Jakob got a snap on set, Andy got a hex bug, Ashley got a Tinker Bell/Periwinkle toy, Gavin and Ethan got Furbies, and Heidi got a changing table for her dolls. We unwrapped gifts from the family while my mom went up to feed Grandma Bartholomew her breakfast. We then had our tea ring (like a cinnamon roll shaped into a wreath) and hot chocolate before opening the big family gifts.

I was excited for my mom and dad's gift from us this year. We got them a family tree with pictures of all the grand babies. It took a bit to get them all done and wrapped but it was totally worth it. The tree is packed with 27 grandkids!

The kids had an awesome time and were very thankful for their gifts. We also got fun gifts from our extended family.

Steve was somehow able to fit everything into the van and we left for home. Jakob was going to stay with his friends at the Space Center for a few days, but after a mess with cheese pizza (Just being in the room with it caused his tonsils to swell.), we brought him home. He was bummed, but he also didn't want to be sick.

For New Year's Eve, we had our friends over to party. We did it in shifts. Meaning some friends came and then left for another party. Then more friends came, and then another friend came. We had all kinds of yummy foods and played cards. And laughed. A LOT. This is why I love my friends. 

January 2014

Showings for the house started picking up big time. We'd had one on New Year's Eve and it just kept going to where we had a few every week. We'd leave at random times, hoping we'd get an offer, but never did. We finally decided to drop the price after talking to a friend. It went down lower than we'd wanted to go, but it would still work for us. The showings picked up even more. 

Basketball also started. We had 4 kids in basketball at once. It's been INSANE but I love it. Four practices a week along with the four games. Some games coincided with showings. One game I had to leave and grab my kids. I had 20 minutes to clean up an entire house and get back out for a last minute showing. They were here for all of five minutes.

Showings with six kids is not an easy thing. Especially when you have a Heidi. The mess just kind of follows behind her. But we did it. 

My books FINALLY got here - and just in time! We had my book launch with Andrea Pearson, Holly Kelly, Michelle Jefferies, Wendy Knight and C David Belt. Jaleta Clegg was going to be there, but she got sick. Poor lady! My parents came and brought my Aunt Jennie. It was absolutely amazing to have such a great turnout for my very first book launch. I have awesome friends and family!

The last weekend in January we always have an Australia Day party. This year was no different. It was awesome! We had few people show but we still had a blast. The food was delicious and the company was tons of fun.

Anzac Biscuits, Pavlova, and Lamingtons

Sausage Rolls!

Lamb!

Pavlova with passion fruit and strawberries. Mmmm

February 2014

By February, we'd had a gazillion showings (notice that our world was ruled by showings...), we had dentist appointments and basketball.

 

 I also had a few exciting things happening. I was given the opportunity to be a representative for my publisher at LTUE. That meant I needed new clothes. Professional clothes. 

Professional is not up my alley. BUT it is up my sister's. And lucky for me, she was in town. It wasn't necessarily lucky for her since she was here for doctor appointments, but we still had fun. Saturday after basketball games, she came and picked me up so we could go shopping. We started at the Dressing Your Truth store and found me one outfit before we moved on to Downeast Basics. And then Payless. And then Roxberrys for a smoothie. And then JoAnns so she could get fabric for her business. I found some awesome St Patrick's Day items for my next launch as well. It was seriously one of my favorite days ever. And my outfits are awesome!

Sunday was another wonderful day with sisters. All three came to my house and we had dinner together while the kids played. I love family!

The next few days flew while I tried to get things put together before I was gone for LTUE. I grabbed the Valentine's cards for the kids so Steve wouldn't have to worry about it. 

Bright and early Thursday morning, I was up and ready to go to LTUE. I went with my friend, Jenna, and her niece. The weekend was packed full of podcast recordings, pitches, and classes. I was exhausted, but it was worth every second.

I got to help find authors for the Author Think Tank podcasts. We had agreements with twenty-four authors, agents, editors to come and speak. It was amazing! The pitches were fun as well. It helped me learn quickly what was good and what needed to be worked on for pitches so hopefully I can use it for my own pitches someday.

One crazy thing that came from it was that I got to hang out in the green room with all the presenters. It was mind-blowing to me. Last year at this time I was still scared to death to submit my book anywhere and I hid in the shadows. This year was totally different. 

Steve took care of everything at home. Including painting Heidi's hair blue and making Valentine's boxes. We also got to sign papers to sell our house. Hurray! Unfortunately, it was still going to be weeks before the sale would to through. 

Valentine's Day was spent at a church dance and then at LTUE. There's no one I would rather spend that time with!

The big signing for LTUE was on Valentine's Day evening. Steve and I went to dinner at Damae and then over to the signing. It was awesome. I sold nothing, but gave out several bookmarks and hung out with friends.

The things husbands do for their writerly wives!

March 2014

We're almost there!! And March has been a great month so far.  My little Heidi girl turned four. I can hardly believe it. She spent her morning at basketball games for her brothers and sister. And then it was time to open presents!

She got a phone call from Sleeping Beauty after that. She loved it! She asked if she could go to Disneyland the next week. Nope, still hasn't happened.

After all the games were done, we dropped Andy off at a friend's house and left for Cottonwood Heights. There was a big launch party happening for Tyler Whitesides and Chad Morris. It was awesome! The kids had tons of fun and got to bring home balloons and some other awesome...garbage. Yes, garbage. That's happens when you get to a launch for a book about janitors. It was cool!

The next weekend my friend, Tristi, had a birthday and the one thing she wanted for her birthday was just to write. So she had me and a friend, Karen, come over to her house. For several hours all we did was write and eat snacks. It was AWESOME. I capped the evening off by having Steve come and get me so we could go to the temple. It was a wonderful evening.

I decided at the first part of March to do a fun gimmick on my Facebook page, where I told everyone that if I could get 350 likes on my page by March 17th, I'd dye my hair green. I was at 238 likes at the time. My friends took hold of the idea and shared it with everyone. I had 350 likes by the next weekend. It was amazing!  I wanted it to look good and green for my launch so I held off for a while.

Last Thursday, I pulled out the hair dye and got to work. First, I went to dark blonde: 

And then I went green. I'm thinking of keeping it. 

It doesn't show up great in photos but it was still awesome. Friday we went to a home show to pick out thing for our new house and then a Pie Day party to show off my hair.

Saturday was another launch! We went to the kids' final basketball games where they did awesome, and then it was off to my launch. This time we had Andrea Pearson, Tristi Pinkston, Laura Bastian, and I.  We also had James Curwen and Rachelle Hearn signing the cards they made for me. Kristy Stoner helped decorate. It was awesome!

I was signing a contract for my newest book, Princess and the Prom Queen!

 My most awesome critique group...and kids

 And these awesome ladies!

It has been an awesome, stressful, amazing few months. Maybe I'll keep up this time. But let's not hold our breaths.