Domestic Goddess

You may (or may not, if you really know me) think that I am a Domestic Goddess. You wouldn't be entirely wrong, just mostly wrong.

Domestic Skills I DO NOT possess (or at the very least, am not very good at):
-sewing, crocheting, knitting, etc.
-cooking without recipes
-cooking with ingredients I am not familiar with
-baking bread
-keeping my floors mopped
-providing art projects for Weston
-interior decorating
-cake decorating
-canning

Domestic Skills I Am Pretty Good At:
-baking sweets
-cooking anything from a box, package, can or from the freezer
-cooking with (most) recipes
-vacuuming
-tidying
-doing dishes
-turning on DVD's for my kids
-putting together Weston's Thomas train track
-making beds
-planning outings for my kids
-paying bills
-grocery shopping
-ORGANIZING!

I have decided to share with you my favorite things for performing my domestic duties. First of all, I think I have mentioned before that my house is not always clean, but it is almost always tidy. I'm kind of Type A like that. That is why I have a hard time letting my 2 year old do art projects. I don't like the mess. Anyway, first of all, my all time favorite thing for organizing and keeping my house looking tidy is BINS. I use bins everywhere, in every room of my house.***

Here is Weston posing with the toy bin storage in his room. I love this thing. I think it cost $3o at Target (by Do Your Room). It looks cute and each bin has specific things that go in it (blocks, Thomas tracks, fire truck, potato head, etc.) so that Weston can clean up by himself, since he knows where everything belongs.
I use one big bin for all the balls. It sits right next to the basketball hoop, so it's easy to clean up. I also like the hanging storage circles from IKEA ($6, I think). I use them to store all of Weston's random stuffed animals.
I am the most proud of this organized area. I just got these shelves all cleaned out and organized a few months ago. I wish I had a "before" picture because it was a mess. This is our "medicine" cupboard. I found these really awesome stacking plastic bins at Walmart for $1 each. Before this got organized all our medicines, band aids, old prescriptions, vitamins . . . anything remotely pharmaceutical, was thrown in one big bin. You could never find what you were looking for and it looked horrible. Anyway, I separated it out in categories and then I added the open stacking bins for the miscellaneous stuff that we use more often.
This is my least favorite part of the house. When we bought this desk I tried to keep in mind that over 5 years I had not been able to infect Ian with the "tidy bug" and it would probably never happen. So, I loved that we could put bins in the hutch that Ian could throw things in and not actually have to organize. It has worked out great. The problem is that the rest of the desk can NEVER stay tidy. It inevitably becomes the collecting ground for loose papers, movies, scriptures, mail, coupons, etc. I have not perfected the art of keeping the desk tidy, and it irks me to no end. (it looks particularly bad in this pic with wires everywhere because we just got cable and Ian was messing with our Eyetv so that we can watch TV on the computer)I am also a big proponent of bookshelves. There are always going to be stacks and piles, but if they can avoid being on the floor or tables, then I'm happier about it. This is our movie shelf in the living room. I know we should probably consolidate to a big disc case, but I like seeing the case covers. It's easier to peruse. Also, check out my new Halloween decoration from my mom! Thanks Mom!
Next on the list, besides bins and shelves, which are pretty obvious, is my Black and Decker Dustbuster. I just got this little beaut a few months ago and I'm not sure how I lived my Type A life without it all those years. I use it for the obvious cleaning up of minor messes, crumbs and such, but it is also great for cleaning the couches, edges of the carpet and tile floors and cleaning out gunk from the highchair, booster seat and carseats. Bonus! It is wall mounted! (see below pic of my laundry room)
Also seen in that picture is the set of hooks that we finally bought to keep the broom and mops up off the floor. SO much nicer.

This next picture doesn't have much to do with cleaning, but simply an example of my need for organization. Snacks on the top shelf, pasta and cornbread and seasoning packets on the next shelf, baby food (fruit on the right, veggies on the left) on the 3rd shelf, and pancake mix and jarred foods on the bottom. These pantries were the best investment (Target, $40 each).
Other cleaning things I can't live without:
-Clorox disinfecting wipes. I buy the big 4 pack at Sam's Club and use them for EVERYTHING. Cleaning the bathroom, wiping my kitchen counters, spot cleaning my kitchen tile, cleaning kitchen appliances, wiping doorways and walls, etc.
-Munchkin bottle brush. I hand wash Davin's bottles and this is by far my favorite bottle brush.
-Dirt Devil vacuum. I have an abnormal relationship with vacuuming. I love it. It is my favorite thing to do when I want to feel productive. Vacuuming is so easy and only takes about 15 minutes (if you live in a little one story 1400 sqft house), but also makes the house look so much cleaner! Most bang for your cleaning buck.
-Toilet brush and Lysol Toilet Cleaner. Growing up we did not ever own a toilet brush. I had literally never seen one. We always cleaned toilets by hand with a rag and some Comet. When I grew up and realized they had these handy scrubbing brushes and liquid cleaner that basically did the job for you, I knew I would never go back. I don't resent you for making me do it by hand, Mom. I think it gave me character. :)
-Endust. I love how it makes my furniture shine and actually gets TONS of dust off my dressers, piano, shelves, etc. Do NOT use this stuff on mirrors or glass. It gets very streaky and will not easily be cleaned. Trust me.

If you made it this far in this post, here is a pic of Weston sitting in front of the TV stand. It's a little blurry, but Weston was looking so cute today in his new polo, jeans and tennis shoes. Also note the several bins in the TV stand that keep all the crap contained.
This morning we went to Gardner Village with some friends to see the witches and all the Halloween decorations. It looked so cute this year! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera. Lame. I borrowed my friend's, but it was almost out of batteries and I don't have the pics yet, so hopefully I got one good one in there. I will have to post those when I get them. In the meantime, get to organizing!

***I counted 31 bins in my house (not including Weston's toy bin storage thing). I got them everywhere from Bed, Bath and Beyond to Dollar Tree.

Remnants of Summer

This Fall has been the most amazing weather so far, however according to the forecast, it will be only a high of 43 degrees by Saturday. We decided to take advantage of the gorgeous, sunny day today and spent it at Wheeler Farm with some friends. We did a couple new things this trip. We rode the tractor wagon ride, which was really fun and totally worth it. Also, one of the pigs had babies a few days ago, so we went in and got to see really adorable pink piglets.

Our group today consisted of 3 mommies and 6 little boys! Here are the big boys standing in a wagon.
We ate our lunch at a bench in front of one of the old buildings, so here's me and the boys on the wagon wheel bench.
I think I took 7 pictures of this shot and I thought this was the best. You try getting 3 big boys holding their 3 little brothers to hold still and smile for the camera!
Weston really likes holding Dav and, even though Davin hadn't had a nap yet, he was really mellow and didn't cry once the entire outing.
Back in the saddle.
I'm hoping that we can manage to eek out a couple more outdoor adventures before the cold really sets in. I still want to do the Aviary to see the peacocks and flamingos. Once it is officially winter we will still be ok since my boys love to stay inside and watch movies too. I turned on Baby DaVinci Sunday night and Davin was seriously cracking up. I tried to sneak pics of their very engrossed and amused faces, but they noticed and tried to pose. Not nearly as cute. Anyway, thanks for answering what some of your fun summer things were.

Now that the ban on using the oven has been lifted (due to cooler temps outside and therefore in my house) I am trying to find some new recipes to try. Specifically recipes that use ground beef or the crock pot. Please please please leave me your favorite crock pot recipe and/or your favorite way to use ground beef to make a meal. The standard lasagna, tacos and meatloaf get old after about 2 months. To reward you for generously sharing your recipes with me, I will post a new recipe that I recently was treated with on my friend, Sheena's, blog. I haven't made it yet, but it is going to be amazing!

Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cake (by the famous Paula Dean)

Cake: 1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix

1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted (yes really , i told you it was naughty!)

Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted (again? YES!!)
1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar (yep, a whole box!)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Me in Mosaic

I found this on my friend, Monique's, blog and I thought it was kind of fun and cool looking. Check it out!

Here's the deal... you answer the following 12 questions about yourself (my answers are in parentheses after each question):

1. What is your first name? (Shannon)

2. What is your favorite food? (chocolate)

3. What high school did you attend? (Sonora)

4. What is your favorite color? (red)

5. Who is your celebrity crush? (John Krasinski)

6. Favorite drink? (Shirley Temple)

7. Dream vacation? (Caribbean)

8. Favorite dessert? (crème brûlée )

9. What do you want to be when you grow up? (Mommy)

10. What do you love most in life? (family fun)

11. One word to describe you? (flip flops)

12. Your Flickr name? (shantastik)**My Flickr name didn't give any results, so I used my first name again.

Wanna play?: Type your answer to each of the above questions into Flickr's search. Using only the images that appear on the first page, choose your favorite and copy and paste each of the URL’s into the Mosaic Maker (3 columns, 4 rows)... Enjoy!

Conference & Westonisms

We had a wonderful Conference weekend. My problem with Conference weekend is it always goes way too fast! We had friends over all weekend, so that was fun. We had a little get-together to watch the BYU-Utah State game. The game was kind of disappointing, but the company and pizza were good. Saturday and Sunday we had the Severinsen's watch Conference with us. We did a big, fun breakfast on Saturday and then just cinnamon rolls on Sunday. Weston was really good during the sessions. He slept through both afternoon sessions and played mostly quietly during the morning sessions. He also came in and listened when the prophet spoke. We ended up having to make paper bag prophets again and do the "Follow the Prophet" march. It was pretty cute.

Davin is in the super cute stage of babyness. He smiles so huge when he sees us. He is rolling over all the time, from his back to his tummy. The problem is that he is not a fan of being on his tummy, so as soon as he gets there he fusses until someone rolls him back over. I am going to have to just let him fuss and learn to roll himself back. Dav is such a great eater too. Hallelujah!

Weston is still a complete and total nut! He does a lot more pretend play now and I love it when he uses his imitation voice. He uses it when he's talking for a bad guy, a robot, a snake, or whatever. He also does a really hilarious imitation of Donald Duck. He is a really sweet, good kid. He got a new haircut this week and the lady there couldn't get over how good he behaved. He held still and didn't fuss or cry. Now he's workin' the spiky hair (when it has mousse in it). Poor Weston hasn't been getting as much blog time lately, so here are a few Westonisms.
As I have mentioned before, Weston is quite a chatterbox. He speaks really well and clearly, for a 2 year old. I love hearing the funny things he says. For example . . .

While I was rewinding Stewart Little 2 so that he could watch it:
"Mom, what's that noise? Is it charging?"

After I walked into the den and he appeared to be doing nothing (aka something mischievous) so I asked him what he was doing:
"I was just looking at that white guy." (our Napoleon Dynamite poster)

This morning when we all settled in to watch Conference:
"I got a bouncy ball to sit on so I can watch Conference."

When he gets off the phone with anybody:
"Bye bye, talk to you later, have a good day."

As for me, I am still loving my swimming. I swear, it keeps me sane. I am excited that I am going to be doing a Master's meet. I am trying to decide what events to enter. I'm not a huge fan of competition, but now that I'm old enough to not let it define me, I think it will be fun. I am trying to make the most of the last few days of warmth here in Utah. I think we will maybe go up to the Aviary at Liberty Park tomorrow. Once the highs are only in the 50's it's time to move to our indoor activities. Sad day. I loved this summer. What were your favorite summer activities this year?

High School High

Weston and I decorated for Halloween yesterday and it made me feel very festive. I'm excited that when we take down Halloween it will be time to put up Thanksgiving decorations . . . and when we take down Thanksgiving it will be time to put up CHRISTMAS decorations. Can I just mention that I don't care how ghetto it is: I love the dollar store. I love finding random fun stuff for a dollar! It's such a thrill. Anyway, there's not a whole lot exciting going on, so we're on a little tag kick. Don't feel obligated to read it, but it is about the "glory days" of high school.
1. Did you date someone from your high school? Um, not seriously. I went on dates with a few people, but my main high school boyfriend had already graduated high school and he went to a different high school in the district anyway.

2. What kind of car did you drive? Red '93 Ford Mustang. It was much less cool than it sounds. It had a problem with the battery where if you left the radio on when you turned off the car, it wouldn't start the next morning. Jumper cables, never left home without 'em. Nevertheless, good times in the mustang.

3. What is your most embarrassing moment in high school? There were plenty of moments that I was embarrassed in high school, but the most stand-out typical one was the first day of summer school I tripped walking down the 6 stairs from the upper quad to the lower quad while staring at my friends. It was hard to miss. I think it was summer before my sophomore year.

4. Were you a party animal? I would more describe it as social butterfly. I didn't make much of an appearance on the party scene, until the end of my senior year and that was kind of a weird time. Anyway, I liked to do stuff and play, but not so much party.

5. Were you considered a flirt? Probably. I think I am flirty by nature. I don't always mean to flirt, but high school I probably meant to. I liked boys and usually they liked me. Not sure if that was always a good thing, but I think flirting is fun.

6. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Choir. I did Vocal Ensemble. We rehearsed in the morning right after seminary. We wore hideous outfits with sparkly VESTS and performed at elementary schools and the like. The best part was always the spring musical.

7. Were you a nerd? Still am! I was smart and in AP classes and stuff. I think I only got a few B's in high school and most of those were in math. I also had braces and big glasses (pre-contacts days) my freshman year. The nerdy appearance improved significantly after that first year of high school. Oh well. I am still a silly, somewhat naive, smart, loves to read nerd.

8. Were you on any varsity teams? I was on varsity swim team for 3 years. It was so much fun. I also did non-varsity volleyball my freshman year and Drill Team my sophomore year.

9. Did you get suspended/expelled? No. Even the narcs liked me. We would just hang out and chat when I was out of class. That is a big benefit of being a nerd. You can totally get away with stuff because everyone assumes you are a good person . . . I mean I totally am an angel. :)

10. Can you still sing the fight song? Nope. We had one we sang at the end of football games, but I can't remember any of it.

11. Who were your favorite teachers? Hmm . . . Mr. Loescher, my Trig teacher. He was cool and told good stories. He also gave me a much undeserved A- in Trig. Also, I liked all my English teachers, Ms. Blevins and Ms. Middleton, especially. I also really liked my Spanish teacher, Mrs. Rutledge. No one else really liked her. She was kind of tough, but I thought she was a really good teacher and structured. She liked me too, that helps.

12. Where did you sit during lunch? On this little outcropping in the corner of the hall outside the library. It was our spot. Some people came and went, but the core group was always there. Woohoo Old School Reunion 10/19/08!

13. School Mascot? Zapata. It is a Mexican Raider. So we were usually called the Raiders, but the people who dressed up were called Zapatas and they wore flirty, flouncy little Mexican looking dresses and big sombreros. It was pretty lame. Also, they made the school repaint the mascot on the building so you couldn't "tell" it was carrying guns and wearing bullets. LAME. You could totally still tell.

14. Did you go to homecoming and with who? I'm having a hard time remembering. I went to another school's homecoming my Senior year with Collier. I went to my junior year Homecoming with my HS boyfriend, Ryan. That was fun because I wore the most amazing dress and went with someone I knew and liked. We had a great time.

15. If you could go back and do it again, would you? Nah. Too many mood swings. Too much insecurity. It was fun and it's fun to reminisce about, but I don't think I would want to do it again. I don't have any regrets.

16. What do you remember most about graduation? Getting my makeup done with Sarah beforehand and looking like a hooker. I had to wipe it off before the ceremony. Oh well. I also remember all my flowers from my Hawaiian YW leaders. It was exciting. Ugh, also the song "I Hope You Dance" was performed. Can you say cliche?

17. Where did you go senior skip day? We didn't have an official one, but I took plenty of my own. I mostly just would skip and go to lunch with Sarah. Nothing too exciting or dangerous.

18. Have you gained weight since then? 8 years and 2 kids later, yes. Pretty sure I'll never be in as good of shape as I was in high school.

19. Who was your prom date? Jeremy wow I can't remember his last name all of a sudden. We went to his prom and it was probably the worst date of my life. I also went to my senior prom with Eric Davis. Also, not a highlight. Homecomings were much better.

20. Are you planning on going to your 10 year reunion? I'm planning on it, but it depends on when it is and if I will be able to make it to CA then. I would like to see more people from high school though. I think it's fun to see how people's lives turn out.

21. Looking back, what advice would you give yourself? Stop stressing about grades . . . none of it matters as soon as you get into college. Also, don't be so insecure about clothes, weight, looks, boys etc. You look gorgeous, you are fun and interesting, enjoy life!

Your Happy Smiling Face

Davin was being so cute and making me laugh when he woke up from his nap just now. I think I definitely captured his little happy, laughing grin. I love this baby so mcuh and I can't wait to see how his personality comes out in the next several years. Also, I had to post him wearing his BYU-Idaho shirt for Mel and Brad. Rexburg, whatup?!? Dav wasn't so sure about me sneaking in on his camera time, but he still looks pretty adorable, I think. Stay tuned for a little tag at the end of this post.

THE FIVE

10 years ago I:
1. had just started my sophomore year at Sonora High School.
2. was on the Raiderette Drill Team.
3. had just chopped off my hair and gotten layers (you know, like Jennifer Aniston).
4. woke up at 4:45am every day for early morning seminary.
5. had just returned from my first trip to NYC and decided that I wanted to live there someday.

5 things on today's "to do" list:
1. mop bathroom floors
2. empty the dishwasher
3. get Weston's hair cut
4. call Lex to plan a bridal shower
5. watch at least one more episode of "How I Met Your Mother"

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. cottage cheese with wheat thins
2. anything and everything chocolate (especially peanut M&M's)
3. apple with peanut butter
4. peanut butter and chocolate chip granola bars
5. Harvest Cheddar Sunchips

5 things I'd do if I were a millionaire:
1. buy a bigger house
2. buy a bigger car (I can't fit a Sam's Club trip in my trunk these days)
3. go to Hawaii with my whole family and to Europe (specifically Germany) with just Ian
4. probably buy homes for my family too (especially Joy, at least 3500 square feet)
5. buy myself a whole new wardrobe, advised by the chick on "What Not to Wear"

5 places I've lived:
1. La Habra, CA-with my parents
2. Provo, UT-in the dorms and several different apartments
3. New York City, NY-tiny 1 bedroom apartment in a slightly ghetto area, it was awesome.
4. Murray, UT-where we lived when Weston was born
5. Kearns, UT-our first house!

5 jobs I've had:
1. delivery job for a pharmacy in Fullerton
2. piano teacher
3. computer support dispatcher
4. receptionist at a talent agency (interesting. . .)
5. Recreation Therapist!!!

The Best of Feelings . . .

This weekend we were incredibly busy. I didn't see Davin on Saturday at all after 9am.

Friday morning I drove around Salt Lake City and went mattress shopping with my friend. It was actually pretty fun, especially the being chased by bees at McDonald's part. Also, laying on mattresses is always fun. Anyway, that afternoon we went and picked up Ian from work and went to Eagle Mountain for his chiropractor appointment. His back is still kind of sore, but better. Since we were all the way in Eagle Mountain already we decided to stay and hang out with the Burton's, so we had pizza and let the boys play until bedtime. Once the kidlets were in bed we watched "Run, Fatboy, Run." It sounds stupid, but we really enjoyed it. Very funny and sweet.

Saturday morning we got up early and headed to the temple. We ended up not making it in until the 10 o'clock session. We had such a nice time though. I actually was feeling pretty awake and alert for having such a late Friday night. Big shout-out THANKS to Ireland for babysitting for free for us. We so appreciate it.

We didn't end up getting home until 12:30pm, so we ate lunch and put Weston down for a nap and then I headed out to run a couple errands and then went to Sanctuary Day Spa where I finally used my gift certificate for a massage (from my birthday in March). I LOVE Sanctuary. It is such a nice place. I love being pampered and massages are the best. It was great. Thanks again for the gift honey (and for staying with the boys)!
I missed Ian heading out to the mall, so when I got home they were gone and I threw on a skirt and went to the Relief Society broadcast. I was glad I could be there. It is always nice to hear some inspiring words. I also got to mingle a little bit with the stake. I know literally no one, so it was good to meet a couple people.

Sunday I went to choir only to find out that I will be in CA when they are going to sing. I swear I am always gone when they sing. Over the entire time we have lived in this ward I think I have only actually sung with the choir 1 time. How sad. Oh well, at least I will be around for Christmas this year. I also taught Young Women's, which was only ok. I hate the dating lesson. It feels so lame. Anyway, it was a very busy weekend.

Then there was this morning. I had my dentist appointment this morning at 8am. I actually made it out of the house before Weston woke up, which made things easier.

I was sure that I was going to have like 10 cavities since I hadn't been to the dentist for almost 2 years. I am so excited to report that I had ZERO cavities. I did have a little spot that would have probably turned into a cavity, so I got a sealant put on it, but other than that, it was pretty uneventful. Once again, I was told that I needed my wisdom teeth out, however, this new dentist has an oral surgeon on staff that comes in once a month and can do anesthesia and everything, so I can get all 4 of my wisdom teeth out while put under for $120! I can't believe how much cheaper it is going to be! Thank you Verite for shelling out for the good dental coverage: 90%. I am finally home and on the computer for the first time in days. I was almost going through withdrawals (apparently that is the correct spelling). It is nice to have a little down time to catch up on laundry, dishes and blogging.

BTW, Mom, did I win the dentist bet? I do believe you owe me some See's in October. :)