Wedding bliss!
Off to Jeff's brother, David, wedding to Lenessa. We will be in California for a week, so you may not see many blogs. Have a great week.

kinG!
So nice one of Jeff's patients sent him a king cake from New Orleans today for mardi gras. We loved it and ate it outside on the porch for dinner, since no one is allowed to mess up my spotless kitchen. Annie Kate got the baby as usual so she has good luck for a year.

what DiD you Do toDay?
this is the question i always hear from my husband Jeff. I know he means so well and wants to be interesed in my day, but sometimes in comparisson to what he does it seems so lame.
"hey Jeff what did you do today?" I ask.
"Well, I removed a mans nose, drilled small magnets in his face, reconstructed a new nose from the fatty tissue of his leg and then placed magnets in that so that he can put that over the hole where i removed his nose. then i ran 8 miles before going to my second job to work another 12 houurs" he humbly replies. and then he asks me what I did.
So I took a picture to show all what I did. I changed 11 of these. Thats it! no magnets, no running, no saving lives.

NoSe!
I hope to never forget this face. All three of my girls have made this funny nose face at this age (1 years old) oh I love this Sally Jane!

ThRow mE someThing miSter!
Happy Mardi Gras. today seems like just any other normal day here in Tennessee, but in New Orleans it the celebration of the year.
I am always a little hesitant of telling people how much we love Mardi Gras becasue they automatically think we help filmed "Girls gone Wild" So yes there are many way to celebrate Mardi Gras and ours had a "G" rating for sure... well most of the time.
I love thinking back to what memories we have of mardi gras season.
* Popyeyes Chicken for breakfast
* moonpies and peanuts for lunch
* the smell. not that I liked it but Mardi Gras had its own smell
* dragging bags of beads back to our car to sell on ebay to earn money for groceries
* ladders with seats on top
* being with good friends. The first year with Chris T and Jeff was priceless
* coming home and laying out our beads by color and size, we were so silly!
* not having a voice for two weeks because you scream so loud at the parades
That city gave so much to our family. We love New Orleans!
I hope ya'll have a great day and do something different to celebrate the day. My house is almost spotless so we are not cooking, decorating or really celbrating. Annie Kate took beads to the class today and the people i visit teach will get red beans and rice tonight but that is about it!

A wHite hoUse!
My day today seems to have a white house theme. Jeff got home from his trip to D.C. last night. He had a great time and said he was the "best in his row". After his conference he spent some time with a realtor and went to the ward we hope to move into.
He brought home the girls some key chains that have a picture of the white house on it. Before he got on the plane he told me to tell annie kate that he was bringing her something home from the white house. She got really excited. Then when i hung up the phone with Jeff she said to me, "I know that what he is bringing me is not really from the white house because everything in there belongs to the government" i was laughing so hard.

Today i am cleaning the house like mad and trying to make my house white. We hopefully put it on the market tomorrow. Jeff will be sleeping at the hosptial tonight, which is a total bummer because inside i am screaming ... I NEED A BREAK! but on the oustide i am happy homemaker wearing a monogrammed apron with a duster in my hand singing, "skip to my lou"

Confessional: I am also trying to stay low on the emotional scale because of the Bachelor tonight. I can't belive that i am admitting that i did watch this season, but i fell into peer pressure and did. ( i promised myself i would not watch again after the whole Matthew disaster) I just get too emotionally involved. But being he is at Vanderbilt, the girl i love is here in Nashville, i caved! So i hope that whatever happens tonight i can pull myself out of bed in the morning!

Best Mom Ever!
do you want to be the best mom ever?
This morning I made playdough for my primary class. (The lesson suggested making playdough so the kids could construct a small item that might have been used when Jesus was a boy)

So I asked annie kate if she wanted to help me make some play dough. She said, "What is this for?" before I could answer it was for my primary class, she gave me the biggest hug and said, "You are the best mom ever!"

I love my calling in the primary!
So if you want to be the best mom ever here is the receipe.. and who said being a good mom was hard?

2 Cups flour
1 cup salt
1 Tablespoon of oil
water
food coloring

pInk!
Had to share this awesome Pink website my friend Tasha A. emailed me. How cute is this bike! If you want to have some fun looking around and feel like you are in a pink mood. Enjoy!

Shopping List!
For those Saturday shoppers please add this to your list today. Tuesday is Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras! I thought i would just give a few ideas of things you can think about doing with your family for that day. We used to live in New Orleans and try to still do something fun that day to remember our time there.
*Make a New Orleans dinner. These boxed Red Beans and Rice are cheap and really quite good. And I think you should be able to find them at any grocery store. Maybe in Utah they are in the ethnic isle.
* Order a King Cake. Call your local bakery and see if they are making them for the holiday or you still have time to order on online. Gabminos is a great choice. They come with a little mini plastic baby. Whomever gets the piece with the baby will get good luck for the whole year, or be the king for next years mardi gras.
* Get some purple, yellow, green balloons for your mailbox. (mardi gras colors)
* do a little mardi gras research and teach your kids a few trivia facts over dinner
* any party store will have mardi gras supplies. you could give your kids a mardi gras necklace to wear to school.
*eat moon pies. they always throw these from the floats during the parades (youwill be shocked to find out that i don't actually like these, i know surprising. i wish they threw pink snowballs)
*make Beignets I think you should be able to find a box mix at your grocery store as well .
* or don't do anything and send a dontation to the red cross in honor of Katrina!
As for us we will probably do very little. we are leaving the next day for a week and putting our house on the market that day. So i won't be able to spread glitter all over the house and paste things on the door. So celebrate for us!

roManCe!
I just had to link you to my friends Michelle's blog today so you could see this book she made for a bridal shower. There are a few great quotes inside that are worth taking the time to go look at.
And even though my friends that read my blog don't comment on mine feel free to leave her a comment and tell her how much you like it.

AnNie KaTe 4 pRes!
Today Annie Kate (age 7) brought home some projects from school they she been working on for president's day. One of them was what they would do if they were president. I had to retype it for you the way she wrote it.

I would like to gro up to be the president because I would make sure evry one would go to Chrch. And evry one is going to be safe. And foly laws. Nevr mis a day of school oly if ther sik. And kep your hans in the widw or it will get hrte! (she must hear this on the bus) And war modist clos.

So sweet! I guess she is learning something at home

moMut!
Every morning my kids eat the same thing for breakfast. What a blessing because i don't have to think about it. Maple and Brown Sugar instant Oatmeal. But of course it has to be Quaker. I try to fool them with no name brand and it never works (they get that from Jeff).

Butwhat is so funny and why I wanted to post is so I would never forget is that Caroline calls oatmeal, "Momut" So when she wakes up and finds me in the morning she is repeating Momut over and over. it is so funny.

What do your kids eat for breakfast?

If you want to see what breakfast i used to eat as a kid, check out these old 70's breakfast commercials. oh the memories.

FaCes!
This is the funniest thing ever! Try it. I got this off of Michelle's Blog. You can go to the website My Heritage and put in a photo of yourself and it shows you what celebrity you look like.

What is so funny is that i have this sad and scary obsession with Patrick Dempsy. It has a history starting int he 80's. Jeff gives me a really hard time about it.
So when I do Jeff's face look who came up. Yes! Patrick Dempsey aka Dr. McDreamy (thanks Jill) it was as if I had won the lottery.

I am calling Jeff at the airport all giddy. Oh what a funny day. Not that I didn't appreciate Jeff before. But ohh la la!

Give it a try and then let me know how it goes for you.

wAll of quOtes!
I am cleaning up my house to put on the market and i have to take down my wall of quotes. So I thought I would take a picture of it to remember it. Any time i found a good quote, i would laminate it and hang it next to my washer and dryer. I even had a wash schedule of what to wash everyday.
So bye bye quote wall.
Jill asked what some of the quotes were so i added them to the comments. Hit comments to read some of the quotes.

EgGs!
I knew that once I started blogging about food it would consume me. I am a candy freak! I have given most of it up and now just love to admire the new latest and greatest without having to try. But Easter candy is a true weekness. Seeing the Cadbury eggs in store screaming at me to buy them today at the store was more than I could handle, Easter is a month away. My brother Bevan and I both have a serious addiction to them. One year after Easter Sam's had them for $2.00 for 48 eggs. I think I sent him 150 eggs in the mail.
On Easter morning after the hunt Heather (my older sister) and I would see how many Cadbury eggs we got. I can still remember the first year they came out. (shows how old i am) You could get them 5 for $1.00, they are now $.59 - $.75. (how embarassing I am sharing that I know this) We usally got two eggs each in our baskets. I used to steal my younger brothers eggs all the time. (sorry guys) But when we would eat them it would take heather and i about 20 minutes. just savoring each last bit.
I am sure my love for these will gross out the same people who don't eat the yummy pink snowballs. But I love them!

scrAps!
Last night we had our first sewing lesson for the patchwork bag i posted a week ago. It was really fun. We have 25 women doing it. It was fun seeing everyone's different fabrics. I was a little freaked out trying to type up the instructions. I know how to do it, i know how to tell someone to do it, but writing it down on paper was actually a little more difficult.
One of the gals typed up this awesome quote that is from a friendship quilt from the 1800's and brought some plastic so we can sew it in the inside of our bag. I love the quote so much thought i would share.

Accept my friend this little pledge
Your love and friendship to engage
If e're we should be called to part
Let this be settled in your heart
That when this little piece you see
You ever will remember me.

*M.E.A., Woodstock, 1847

We will have a dinner in a few weeks when everyone is done with their bag to talk about the different squares and share the Minerva Teichert print and story that my mother in law gave me. I am excited.
The above bag is the new patchwork bag from Coach. Is it not awesome! too pricey for my blood but true eye candy for me!

SaLe! TN locals don't miss!
The other day i posted about how i was getting some items of clothing ready to take to a conisgment sale. Well I took in 60 pieces of clothing. Washed, ironed and tagged. It was an all day affair for sure. Tonight i went with a girlfriend to shop the presale. (The sale does not start until Friday) i got the deal of all deals.
They had a slew of brand new dresses from Mary James, all for $15.00. Smocked, handmade, children's corner patterns, some made with Liberty of London fabric. (Michelle O. & Sharon you would have gone crazy)
I got some great dresses for the girls. On days like this I love having all girls. (although i do wish i had a little boy to dress in those prince valiant, as Jeff would say, sissy clothes)
I also got a baptism dress for annie kate to actually be baptized in. It was brand new with the tags and the tag said $68.00 got it for $15. Woo hoo!!!
so for you locals here is the dates, times and address.

Kidstuff Consignment
This Thursday, friday and saturday 10:00 - 7:00
First Unity Church on Franklin Road. it is 1.8 miles north
of the old hickory and franklin road intersection. Going North it is on your left
any qustions about this year or the sale in the fall email tnwhite@bellsouth.net

Check it out!

The above dress is from Mulberry Street. I don't have one but love to look at them in the stores. I always think i am going to make one, but am holding out to find one at a garage sale.

PiNk SnoWbalLs
Here is my biggest temptation in life the Hostess Pink Snowball. I know 99% of the people that read this are going to think i am crazy. No one understands why I love these so much. And I can't understand why no one loves them like me.
After Jeff and I were married I had at least 10 people tell me how disgusting our wedding cake was. It even became a joke that I would run into people after a year and they would mention how foul my wedding cake was. Nice huh! I used a fondant to make it look beautiful but I guess it didn't taste so well.
When I found this photo of someone's wedding cake i thought "Why didn't I think of that!" I am sure that everyone would have disliked my wedding cake just as much, but hey I would have loved it. But back then I was not in love with the color Pink like i am now.
I have not had a pink snowball since January 8th. My goal is to go 6 months without. We will see how long I can go.

Life is funny, life's a mess
Sometimes a curse, sometimes a blessing
Don't worry 'bout a thing, don't worry 'bout it
Life gets sticky, life can bruise
Sometimes you win sometimes your losing
No matter what it brings
Don't worry 'bout a thing

This morning at the gym i listened to this song like 5 times on my ipod. I love this song. It is one of my favroites. The lyrics are awesome but with the music it speaks volumes to me.
It is called "Don't worry about a thing" by SheDaisy. It is worth a download from itunes. The video is wonderful too. And I must do a little bragging for those that know him, it was co- written by Jason Deere.

PreSidenTs DaY
Happy Presidents Day! I love this print of John F. Kennedy.

Today Annie Kate is home from school and I am sure she will be bored in about the next hour. I am getting about 30 items of clothing washed, ironed and tagged to get to a consignment sale by 6:00 pm. I am ready for a nap at 8:00 am, i was at the gym at 5:45 this morning. Talked to a realtor this morning about homes in D.C., trying to get our home on the market in the next week, Jeff is getting ready for his trip to D.C., he is speaking at a ENT conference this weekend along with a little house hunting and Jeff is on the last month of preparing for his boards in Chicago in April. His final test!
So i put this photo on today's post because Jeff and I will be assuming the above position regularly these next few weeks.
Have a great day celebrating the hardwork of our forefathers!
Don't worry this is actually one holiday in this house we don't go overboard on! Yet, talk to me next year i am sure i will have to come up with something living in D.C. Red white and blue dinner?