love this..

the final countdown

We are just over a week out from closing escrow on both houses.  We continue to pack and pack.  Yesterday Derek and I - with some help from the kids, very minimal help :) got more of the garage packed, most of the kitchen packed plus some closets taken care of.  

People continually asked if I'm excited about the move.  I am but am so tired from all the work that its hard to show too much excitement.  I think most of the excitement will come when we are settled into the new house and I have had a nap (or two)

our new house

I am excited that my mom will be coming in to help with the move as well as some projects in the new house.  You all saw how much she did when we put our house up for sale.  It will be helpful to have her here.

Don't expect much in the way of posts for the next few weeks but I will try to resume some schedule of posting once we are in the new house.

movin' on up

movin' on up, to the top.  To that deluxe apartment in the sky-y-y.  

Are those even the words?  If you are younger than late 30's would you even know the reference?

We are in the midst of packing, packing and more packing.  At times it all seems to be moving along well and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel but some days I can't even imagine how we are going to get everything done. 

We are about 2 weeks out from the big day and most of the house is packed up...the attic is packed up as is most of the garage (minus the rafters and Derek's tool bench)  We packed up a lot of the house when we listed it so basically what is left is stuff we need until the last day we are here.  I have some closets to do and the kitchen plus plenty of cleaning - bathrooms, appliances, inside cabinets and drawers, floors, etc.  We need to get some yard work done and odd jobs here and there.  I'm anxious for it to all be over.

now i know why derek is always laughing at me after the dentist

a must have with the new move

I just found this handy new tool over at Design Mom and now I must have it before we move.

Hanging pictures, etc. on the walls causes a bit of stress at our home.  Derek dislikes hanging things for me because he thinks I'm a bit psychotic when it comes to things being straight, at the right height, etc.  I'm really not that worried about it - I just eyeball things when I hang them.  He is the one with issues - using rulers, levels, etc. he just wants to blame it on me (we see through your thin curtain of deceit Derek - no one thinks I'm psychotic)

Anyway there is no need to point fingers any longer.  Head over to The Hang 'em Awl and check out their short video on how these miracle workers get the job done and then tell me if you don't want them too.

a lesson for us all to learn

I watched this little video with Nathan the other day and was touched by the message. I hope that I can instill in my children the importance of being kind and serving others. Actually, it's a lesson we can all benefit from.

new music i'm loving

I found out about Cubworld yesterday from my niece Mandi's blog. Mandi's husband Nick has been playing some shows with Jake Kongaika who is the voice of Cubworld. Ever since I read Mandi's post yesterday I have spent an extreme amount of time on YouTube, iTunes and Sellaband listening to Cubworld. Yes, I realize I should be packing but listening to good music while relaxing in a chair seems so much more fun - less productive, but fun!

I have emailed some friends that I knew would really love this music and all the reviews back have been great - so far everyone that's heard Cubworld loves the cool, mellow sound. I plan to get the word out to even more folks so that others can hear Jake.

I'd encourage anyone reading this to check out the video and then head over to iTunes or YouTube to hear some more. We bought Cubworld's album off iTunes last night and I can't wait to get it on my iPod and the rest of the families iPods - my teenagers will love this music!

If you like what you hear get the message out to others - it's a great way to support newer artists.

Now if I can just convince Nick to convince Jake that they need to do an Orange County show we'll be set. Here's to hoping Cubworld will come share their music here in the OC.

Enjoy the tunes!

blogger protocol

So tell me this...what do you do when you see a friends blog on the blog roll of someone's blog and when you click on the link you find out it is private?  Do you email the friend/acquaintance to ask if you can visit their blog or do you assume that if they wanted you to read their blog they would have already invited you?  I'm perplexed.  

It feels a bit forward to ask to be included especially since the insecure voices in my head are screaming, "Denise, they probably don't like you and don't want you nosing in on their business." On the other hand maybe they haven't invited me because their insecure voices (assuming they have them) are saying "Denise probably doesn't care to read about what is going on with your family and life."  For the record...I love reading peoples blogs - I think it helps folks feel closer and more in touch (in a impersonal world wide web sort of way - confusing, I know)  

So if you like me at all (even just a little bit) I'd love to be invited to read your blogs.

i can't believe i'm about to say this but...

I went to the dentist and it was a great experience (as great an experience as getting two root canals and two crowns put on can be)

In addition to the long list of phobias I already have (why have I never sought out professional help?) we must add dentist to this list.  I am incredibly fearful of going to the dentist and so I don't go very often - you think I'm kidding but really, I never go.  As an adult I've been three times... right before my mission when I was 21, about three years ago and then yesterday.

I have been living in pain for at least a month and I think Derek was finally fed up with my inability to call and make an appointment so he made my appointment, took yesterday morning off and escorted me to I was sure would be my death.  Have I ever mentioned that I have the most kind and considerate husband (although I wasn't thrilled with the idea of going to the dentist)

We decided to try a new dentist so we were off to Dr. Ballard's office.   Dr. Ballard (Rebecca) is a friend from church and we had heard nothing but glowing reports from everyone that has gone to her.  I now add my glowing report.

Tuesday night when Rebecca saw that I would be coming in the following day called the house and talked to Derek to find out if I needed any medication to calm my nerves (she knows my fears due to the fact that I have cried in church talking to her about my dental needs - just face it I'm a nut)  Some anxiety medication was prescribed for Tuesday night and Wed morning and the next thing I knew I was sitting in Rebecca's dental chair listening to her reassuring words.

To make this long story a bit longer Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was put in - my choice for movie but don't ask why I would choose a movie with Johnny Depp's dad as a psycho dentist.  

A sweet little gas mask was put over my nose and although I was awake the whole time I'm pretty sure I drifted off to la-la land.  I heard conversations, felt Derek rubbing my feet occasionally, didn't feel any pain but after talking to Derek later in the day seem to have done things or said things that I have no recollection of.  

I do remember trying to let Rebecca know I wasn't feeling well but do not recall throwing up all over the place as Rebecca and her assistant worked on me (nice visual huh?  Nothing better then lying on your back in a dental chair while throwing up)  I feel horrible and am embarrassed to face Rebecca - Derek says I spent a great deal of time apologizing after it happened although I don't remember that.

I left the office feeling a bit tired but came home to a quiet house and a few hours of sleep.  I'm a little sore today but I'm hanging in there.  Honestly, I wouldn't choose to go the dentist but since I had to go it was as pleasant as it could be.    I appreciate all Rebecca did to make it a good experience for me and now I am not near as scared to go back for future visits.

If anyone in the area is looking for a dentist I can't say enough about Rebecca. You really should visit her at her office in Mission Viejo.  You can find more info about Mission Dental Group and Rebecca here.  Tell her the crazy throw up girl sent you!

love this message

we've only practiced this at school

Today was quite the adventure at church.  Derek and I spoke in Sacrament - so glad to have my talk over!  I have a serious aversion to giving talks, it freaks me out.

After Sacrament we moved on to Primary where it was business as usual until the last hour. About 10 minutes or so into Senior Primary strobe lights start flashing and the fire alarm (the very high pitched fire alarm) starts going off.  My first thought honestly was fire drills are only practiced at school and I had a small moment of panic - what are we supposed to do?!

We poked our head into the hall to hear a member of our Bishopric directing us to get out of the building so that is what we proceeded to do.  The kids and teachers were amazing.  We got the kids out to the parking lot and we didn't lose one kid - that was my big worry.  My guess is within 5 or 10 minutes we were back in the building - the alarm had stopped (talk about an annoying noise - I still have a headache from it) but the strobes kept going until the fire department showed up.  Its always fun for Primary teachers to be stuck in little classrooms teaching a class full of kids with a strobe light going off.  

The kids all thought it was a great adventure today - I did too, I was only wishing that the alarm had gone off during my talk - now that would have been a tender mercy!

overwhelmed

Thats about all the post I can muster up - lots to do and not much time to do it.

8 days on the market and....

perhaps we should be buying an ark not a house (aka a pity post)

The rain is non stop.  It has been raining for a couple days but tonight it seems to really be coming down.  We have 3 sets of folks (that we know of) coming over tomorrow to view the house - hope the rain doesn't keep them away.

The rain is probably not helping me with my mood.  I've been in a constant state of tiredness the last couple weeks.  I'm currently feeling way nauseous and praying that I'm not coming down with the flu.  It is after 10:30 pm and Derek is still at work.  Life seems blah right now - here's hoping that tomorrow brings less rain, a stomach that doesn't feel like releasing it's contents and a husband to spend the day with.

if my friends are reading this please stop now

Since we will soon be house poor (assuming we sell our house and buy another) I am loving this "recession proof" gift set.  I can get my friends a great gift without spending a bunch of cash.

Do you not love these coupons from Anvil Modern Paperie?  The graphics and colors bring a smile to my paper loving, type loving, graphic loving heart.

for mom (and any looky loos)

Here are some pictures of the house mom - thanks for coming out and helping us so much.

it's official

Our house is on the market.  

hey all you mommies of toothless kids

You have to check this out.  How adorable is this kit?!?!?!

zombie

4:44 am and here I am blogging - yikes!  Derek and I have been up cleaning, spot painting, doing Goodwill runs, putting boxes in our storage unit, etc.  My life seems to be all house all the time - I need to find some balance.

The house seems nearly ready to list.  Flooring guys will be here Tues. - Thurs. and then we will be ready to take some pictures and list the house.  The only glitch in the plan (and the reason we haven't gone to bed yet) is that a realtor asked our realtor if she could bring some clients in tomorrow to see the house (actually that would be today since it's so early in the morning) even though we don't have it listed yet.  I guess they have been looking for awhile and haven't found the perfect house but their realtor seems to think our house might be the one.

We'll see what happens.  We are not holding our breath for a quick, pre listing sale - I mean, really, what are the chances that someone would give us the amount we want before we even list?  It would be awesome but it seems highly unlikely.

I think I really need to get to bed now.  4:51 am and I have to get up far too soon.  Poor Derek has to be up for a 7 am meeting.  Any bets on if we are going to be taking naps today? 

:(

My mom left, I have workers in my house, I have a killer stomach ache, I'm beyond the point of exhaustion and it's raining.

Why did we decide to sell our home?

some more kid pics

Ashlee, the photographer I mentioned in a previous post just posted pics of the kids from the photo shoot.  You can see the Baker kids here.

Thanks Ashlee for the great photos.  

the mom report

Paint Emily's room - check

Clean Emily's ceiling fan - check

Paint kid's bathroom - check

Install light fixture - check

Paint master bath (until 1 am) - check

Continually pick up after four kids because they can't seem to grasp the concept of "we have to keep the house picked up so some one will want to buy our home" - check

Install toilet paper holder - check

Hang shelves - check

Keep me from having another total breakdown (Sunday was not pretty in regards to my mental health - why must selling a house be so stressful?) - check

The above was my mom's list for Monday - I'm sure I didn't even cover everything she did.

Today promises to be as work filled as the last few days (will it ever end?) but I do think we are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.

don't tell derek but i think i'm in love with jay reily

Can't wait to see all the pictures from the photo shoot but you can check out a few here.

I also have a bit of a girl crush on Ashlee, but that's a secret too. Ashlee is an adorable mom of 5 from Provo that was shooting with Jay for the day.  She couldn't be nicer and her photography is amazing.  Be sure to check out her blog to see her work.

when your mom is a work horse

First off...my mom is one of the hardest working people I know.  Derek and I along with the kids were gone for a good part of the day yesterday at the photo shoot with Jay Reilly (more on that in a minute)  My mom pounded through a ton more house projects and got so much done.  My pantry sparkles right now, my newly painted bathroom cabinets are amazing - why did I not paint them such a glorious "brown velvet" (paint name) before so that I could enjoy them?  She cleaned up our backyard - I think she wanted to help but more than anything I think she worked in the backyard so she could bask in the warm California sun.  She has been a tremendous help and we are just so thankful she is here.

Hanging out with Jay (like the hanging out phrase?  I'm sure he and I are best buds right now) was a lot of fun.  He is just a low key super cool kinda dude.  The kids liked him and they had a great time having him take their pictures.  We can't wait to see how they turn out!

I have a bit of camera envy - his camera was sweet.  I also have some house envy - not because of size, layout or anything like that but because his walls are covered with amazing family photographs that truly capture the feel of his cute little family.  I now have an idea for some creative family goodness to grace the walls of my new home but I'll share that idea later. 

there may be a serious lack of posts

I've been a little busy...

We have made the decision to put our house on the market and if you have ever done that before you know what it involves.  My mom flew down this morning to be my handy man for a week so that we can get our house listed.  Since about 1 pm today she has completely taken care of my boys room - took down bunk beds, cleaned out bookshelves, took down old blinds, puttied holes plus she cleaned my kitchen, painted my pantry plus a ton more.  I am so glad that she is here - we wouldn't be able to do this without her.

If you're in the market for a house let me know and I'll send you an email when it is finally listed (hopefully within a week)  If you are not looking just say some prayers for us - I'm not looking forward to following around my kids picking up after them so that the house can stay "ready to show clean"

lucky, lucky

This guy has invited our kids to be a part of his photo shoot tomorrow in Carlsbad - can you see me grinning from ear to ear?!?!

diy

I am so making this perpetual calendar.  How great would this look on a wall?  It is so full of graphic goodness I can hardly stand it.  Keep track of your appointments and other calendar jive by using post-its.  

I'm off to take pictures and find a suitable wall to display this beauty.  Who am I kidding?  I'm actually off to clean my fridge and organize my pantry but after that maybe I'll shoot some pictures.  Sometimes the realities of life really get in the way of my creativity.

NOTE:  I realize the picture is cut off - sometimes I hate Blogger.  I can get the full picture if I download from Iphoto but Blogger is not letting me go that route at the moment.  For a full picture just head over to the link.

"prepare" for a great giveaway

For those of you that have goals to get yourself & your family more prepared for whatever may come - bad economy, earthquakes, etc. you need to check out this great giveaway at the Totally Ready blog.

primary birthday gifts

I have shared this birthday idea with a few folks that I thought would be interested - others who might need an idea for primary, young womens, etc.  There has been a lot of great response so I thought I'd share a quick how to on what our primary presidency did.

The theme this year in primary is "My Eternal Family" we wanted a birthday gift for the kids that would be a reminder of the theme as well as inexpensive so we don't break the budget.  We decided on scripture tag pulls that were personalized saying...the Baker (each child's family name) is forever done in the primary colors...red, yellow and blue.

We made the tags using Shrinky Dinks.  We found them at Michael's - 6 sheets for $10.  We could fit 6 graphics on a sheet.  The graphic was a simple square (3x3 - I believe) done up on Adobe Illustrator.  You want to keep the design simple because when it shrinks you may lose some detail.

After the computer work was done we ran the shrinky dink sheets through the printer - there are different kinds of shrinky dinks so if you are doing this make sure to get the sheets that go through the printer.  Once printed we used a 2 1/2 in circle punch to cut out the circles and a regular hole punch for the top.  Then it's time to bake - follow the directions on the shrinky dink package.
3 - 5 minutes later you have small, round tags that have thickened into a pretty thick plastic that wont bend.  You may notice the difference in color...when the tags shrink the colors get more vibrant so you need to print your graphics a bit lighter then the color you are actually going for (this info is in the directions)

After they cooled we sprayed them with a gloss sealer (also found at Michael's) and then attached them to cell phone cords.  You can buy the cords at Michael's for $3 for 6 or buy online at a much better price.  We got ours at D&I Beads for $1.25 for 12.  Here is the link. Shipping was quick (even in December)
We are happy with how they turned out and we hope the kids will like them.  I have mine on my scriptures and love the visual reminder of the theme.

This was a mock up of the packaging - the final packaging looks better.  We just did another graphic on Adobe Illustrator but you could use any program.  It says Happy Birthday love your Primary leaders.  In the top left hand corner it says scripture pull.  We printed it on card stock and used a xyron machine to cover the back of the tag in adhesive.  They we simply folded over the top of little jewelry bags that a member of the presidency already had.
I think we ended up spending a little less then 40 cents a gift - which we think is pretty good for a personalized gift.

If you have any questions let me know - I'm happy to help!

uvu, byu and fry sauce whoo!

On the 2nd day of our trip, Saturday, we of coursed played in the snow most of the day but then headed over to Utah Valley University to watch Derek's nephew Davis play basketball. Davis (#25) plays for Southern Utah and they were playing UVU.  My whole family went (us, Grandma, Grandpa, my little bro. Garin, my sister Lauren and her hubby Brett.  Once we got there we met up with Derek's older sister Dena and her son Liam.

We also met up with Santa who seems to be a basketball fan - who knew?  Thanks Santa for coming over and talking to the kids - you saved us a trip to the mall.
While the b-ball game was going on so was the BYU bowl game (I also believe a Laker game was on - sports overload for Derek - all his favorite teams)  After the basketball game we headed over to Iceberg for food and Derek got to watch the end of the game.  The black and white of the picture is being used to help you feel Derek's mood about the game - dark and dismal.
While he suffered through the last bit of the game the rest of us happily devoured fries and onion rings dipped in that glorious Utah creation - fry sauce!  If we ever make a pros/cons list about Utah because of a move fry sauce will be on the pros side.
We also ordered Iceberg shakes which are gigantic.  These pictures don't even show you how big they are.  This one pictured below is a small.
Megan and I shared it and we still only made it to the top of the small sized cup (they have to double cup them because the shake comes so far out the top)  I think we were both ready to throw up - we were so full.  These shakes are a nice treat but I'll take my mini Golden Spoon any day.

The little late night snack was enjoyed by all - including Luke.

He enjoyed it so much he had to get every last bit of the goodness in him.  Yes, I realize this picture is super blurry but I had to post it.  Oh, the joy of being a kid - you can lick food of yourself and no one thinks twice about it.  I dare one of you adults to go and try that.

the things one can learn

We love our apple peeler but we were always under the assumption that it was for peeling and cutting apples - hence the name apple peeler.  

On our trip Grandma showed us that this magical tool is not just for apples but you can use it to peel potatoes too.  Do you hear the angels singing?  We love potatoes but none of us is fond of the peeling, especially when you have to peel a ton of potatoes (I think Megan could sustain life by just eating mash potatoes - she is addicted).  Now with our new found knowledge we can eat away because the nasty job of peeling has just gotten a whole lot easier.  Thanks Grandma!

let the christmas vacation posts begin

Here it goes - what used to be boring vacation slides in the good ol' days has turned into boring vacation posts on blogs - feel free to skim through the post stopping only when you feel a great desire to actually know what we're doing.

We were supposed to begin the long drive to Utah on Wed., December 17th but because of weather the Cajon Pass was closed as was I15 between Baker and the Nevada line.  We kept our eye on the weather and waited for the roads to open up and finally got on the road around 1pm on Thursday.  The plan was to stop halfway but we the weather was good and we had the energy to push through (amazing for us old people, huh?)  We finally pulled into Orem around 1am.

The kids wasted no time the next morning - they were up and out the door ready to experience snow.  The girls and Nate have been to the snow before but Nate remembers nothing and the girls don't remember much either.  

We pulled together some stylish snow outfits using snow clothes that my mom had picked up at various stores and from my little brothers closet (Derek and I took turns wearing my 14 yr old brothers camo pants - and if you are wondering....yes, we looked good in them!)  Megan wins for most stylish get-up.  She was looking pretty dang sweet in some way too short snow overalls and at beanie Derek brought back from Chile when he came home from his mission.

Snow balls fights started soon after we got outside.  I was spared because of the camera (at least for this first round of snow fun)

My brother Garin built this fun ramp in their backyard using an old swing set that was at the house when they bought it.  The kids were all game to try it until they got up to the top and then some nerves kicked in - not to worry though, after the first trip down they were sold and continued to sled own the ramp. 

Nate's first trip down (I know you're checking Derek out in those camo pants)...
Do you not love the shot below of him?!?!  Click on the picture to make it bigger so you can see his cute little face.
Emily's turn...
A spectacular finish to her ride.
Megan's first trip and I'm thinking she's having second thoughts...
Look at that Chilean beanie fly.
Like I said...she wins for most stylish outfit.  Look at it!  You know you are all jealous of it.
The first day out Luke was too nervous to do the ramp (He eventually got brave and then went on it a ton)  He was happy to spend his first day ever in the snow making snowballs and eating them.
How cute is he?  Seriously, his eyelashes, little tongue and cute cheeks that are starting to get cold.
Derek had to show off his sledding skills too.  Not sure what the face is about.  Maybe it's not the sled ride but the fact that he is a 6'4" grown man wearing a 14 yr old boys pants - that could be painful.

Of course there was some snow angel action going on too.

At the end of every snow adventure this was the scene...lots and lots of cold wet clothes dripping all over my moms dining room but also lots of happy chapped faces.