Joseph's Shopping List

This morning I was getting the kids ready to go to the grocery store. As I was putting Joseph's shoes on him I told him, "We need to go to the store and get some milk." He then proceeded to make a list for me, it was pretty funny. He said, "milk, eggs, bananas, watermelon, oranges, strawberries, grapes, cereal," and this is where it got interesting, "car, girls," WHAT?!
Ugh, he's only 3. Doesn't help that he's really really cute.

I'm in for it.

This is What Happens When I Leave Joseph Alone with Crackers

Kathrynn's Birthday Party... Belated

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

We celebrated Kathrynn's birthday 2 weeks ago, but I'm just getting around to posting about it...

My Garden

I have a new little pet project.. well it's little now, but when the weather gets warmer and the plants get bigger, it's going to be quite an undertaking. I've started a garden and it really has been so fulfilling! It's currently an indoor seedling project, given the fact that temperatures continue to dip down to the teens and twenties on a daily basis here. I thought spring had come and the plants enjoyed their daily sun time outside for a week or two until winter came back. It's like a cruel joke.. "Ahh.. Spring is here. JUST KIDDING! Here's some more snow for you, Texas girl!"

So, here's what I have right now. I'm growing sunflowers for one side of the house, we'll have a pumpkin path on the other, sweet peas in the front, and the vegetable garden in the back which will have a salad bar (lettuce, spinach, arugula), sugar snap peas, green beans, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and these really cool bell peppers that grow in a rainbow of colors. It's going to be so fun! :) I'm just excited to see something alive!

This is a sunflower up close. I love how they shed their shells. :)


My little baby garden.

Blast From the Past

I was looking through pictures on my computer when I came across this video.. It's Joseph when he was the age Kathrynn is now. I think I've watched it about 10 times now - his little voice just melts my heart. It's amazing how much he's grown up!

Let the Challenge Begin!

Last week I sent out a plea for friends to join a fitness challenge with me. Remember? It's this one, here. Well, the response was just overwhelming. My darling friend, Kara, agreed to join me. Kara, the lone, brave soul who was willing to flex those competitive muscles and see if she could beat me at this thing. I know the rest of you are just intimidated by my incredible self-motivation and will power - which has to be SO evident by the fact that I'm still carrying extra weight from the child I gave birth to over THREE YEARS ago!
Anyway, the door's still open if any of you want to join in on the challenge. I would love to do this in teams. Team Julie and Team Kara. Team Julie needs to kick Team Kara's butt. And, I need team members who will yell at me on days like today when I discover the wonders of microwaving chocolate covered marshmallow eggs. They're really yummy that way. But, it's something I really shouldn't have done. BIG tangent...
OK, so, being the person I am, I made a blog to log our progress. Here it is: Becoming Fabulously Flabless

Again, we'd love to have more people on board! We're doing this as a Spring Challenge that will go out until June 19th (last day of Spring). The winner(s) will get a gift card to Bath & Body Works (ooh la la!).

Funny Friday

I first saw this one when I was at SUU. It STILL cracks me up! :)

What Color Are You?

What's Your True Color?

My Result: Yellow

You're yellow, the color of joy and energy — two things you definitely bring to everyone around you. It's hard for anyone to be sad or lonely in your presence; your sunny disposition and cheery outlook just won't allow it. The warmth of your personality shines through in the kindness you show friends and family (and strangers, too). Always ready with a lighthearted joke or heartfelt compliment, you know how to make people feel good about themselves, so they can't get enough of you. Yellow is a warm and inviting color for a warm and inviting person — you!

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=colorogt&c=50652

Our San Antonio House

Did I ever mention our house is finally on the market? We put it up at the beginning of the month. It's been a little bittersweet for me. It was, by far, my favorite house of all of the places I've ever lived. I loved it. I loved the ward. I loved our neighborhood. And, I LOVED having HEB Plus just 2 minutes away. Ugh, Utah groceries are so expensive! Hmm.. back to the point.
So, my beloved house is on the market. Just wanted to share. Here's the link to the listing, if you'd like to see our beautiful home: SA House
It will be nice when it's sold, though, because we'll have the freedom to buy something up here then. Of course, I'm hoping to stay put for a while before we move again. Four moves in one year is enough, thank you. I honestly think we would move less if we were military and that's just wrong. :)

Looking for Virtual (or real if you're close) Fitness Challenge Friends

OK, I sort of stole this idea from someone else whom I don't know at all, but sort of stumbled onto their blog through a friend of a friend's blog (this is what I do when I get bored.. blog stalking). Anyway, I devised this little system - and when I'm on it, I do awesome, but I'm getting bored and need some friends to do this with and am sort of hoping for a little fun competition. OK, that's my complete aim. I'm a totally competitive person and I know that if there's someone I have the opportunity to beat at this, I will totally stick to it. My ideal would be to get enough people on the wagon to create teams. But, then there's the issue of what to do when one team wins. Bragging rights? I don't know..
Anyway, here's what I'm doing. You get 1 point for doing one of each of these per day as well as 2 points for each pound lost (I would say tallied at the end of each week because weight fluctuates so much that you can lose and gain throughout a week and then rack up all of these points for nothing..).

Here it is (this is per day):
30 minutes cardio
20 minutes toning
5 servings of fruits and/or vegetables
Eat breakfast
No soda
7 hours of sleep
Take a multivitamin
Drink 64 oz of water
Stop eating at 7:30 p.m.
No sugar
3 servings of dairy
No fried food
Eat only when hungry - this is a tricky one, but I'm trying to retrain my body after months of stress eating
I'm thinking about throwing in 30 minutes of scriptures a day, too - just to keep me on track there.
Maybe add additional points for more time spent working out? Like 1/2 a point for each additional 5 minutes?

Oh, and Sundays are free.. no point counting, just enjoy the day off. :)

Then, whoever has the most points wins, and we're all healthier!

So, what do you think? Anyone want to play? Any ammendmants to this will be considered.

Happy St. Patrick's Day from the Paulsons

Don't send a lame St. Patrick's Day eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

I hated putting Joe in a dress, but it was either him or Steve and I DEFINITELY couldn't do that to Steve. :)

Happy Birthday, Kathrynn!!!

My baby is 1 today. It's amazing to me that a year ago today I saw her for the first time and she was just 1/3 of the size she is now and so delicate and fragile.
I love my little girl so much. She makes me smile. She's totally full of spunk and energy and it takes very little to make her smile/laugh/squeal. She's so beautiful and I take it as a huge compliment when people tell me how much she looks like me. I never see it - I think she's way too gorgeous. :)
She's a tough little girl and has endured so much in her little life already and has been so adaptable and cheerful. She's fiercely determined in just about everything she does and definitely has an interesting little sense of humor. She is the BEST hugger ever - just wraps her arms around your neck and squeezes as tightly as she can.
We love her so much and are so grateful to be blessed with her as a fun, spunky little member of our family.
Happy Birthday, Kathrynn!!

Here's her year in pictures:

Funny Friday

I've never seen The Shining, but I know the gist of this and I thought this "trailer" was awesome! :)

Workout Woes

Now that things are slightly settled in my life I've decided to start working out again. I had a plan that I made for home which was very effective and really kicking my bum. It took some effort to fit it into my day properly, but it was going really well. Then, a friend of mine offered to take me to the gym with her - she has a membership that allows her to take a guest on each visit (I'm not buying a gym membership until our house and truck are sold). The only catch to this is that she goes at 5 a.m. (something I did regularly before I had kids).
So, I've been going with her the last couple of days. Getting up at 4:45 a.m. Ugh. Getting a pretty decent workout, but never feeling it the next day like I do with my at-home workouts, and being a complete ZOMBIE for the course of the entire day, getting absolutely nothing done and making dumb food choices (because I'm so spacey) until I'm able to squeeze a nap in.
So, here's my dillema: Do I stick it out and be a big girl and hope that my body adjusts to this (by the way, 'going to bed earlier' is not an option.. no matter when I go to bed, no matter how tired, I don't fall asleep and am fitful all night - that's an entirely different issue..), or should I be a party pooper and start working out at home again so I can assure that I'm doing everything that I should be doing and doing it with a sound mind.
I'm sending this one out to the blogosphere for help. Any advice would be appreciated. :)

Hmm.. Pictures Would Be Nice

Just realized that I'm WAY behind on posting pictures, so I'm going to do it all in one shot this time.
My blog(s) are totally neglected, but it was them or the house and I NEED to get everything settled in this place. So, I'm still technically on a hiatus, but am taking a little break to clear out the camera.
Enjoy!

Joseph squeezes into our nightstand. He's a talented little guy. :) (sorry it's so dark, couldn't get the dang flash to work!)


Now that's what I call spunk! :)


She's so cute - even if she does get into EVERYTHING!!!


Pretty pictures from the street we live on. These were taken the day we moved. It was a GORGEOUS day in the morning and then, out of nowhere, it just dumped snow.



Kathrynn chillin' in Joe's booster seat.


Same silliness, different day.. :)


I think this is the best smile I have on film (or disk, whatever)..


You can see how mischievious she is in this one..


My baby turns 1 tomorrow. Where in the world did this year go?!

How Fast Can You Type?

73 words

Speed test

Tagged

OK, daylight savings threw me off, and I'm so not ready to be asleep yet, but everyone else in the house is, so I'm bored...
I got this off of Sarah's blog (again). :) Love ya, Sarah!

One word answers (with two words snuck in where one was impossible)

Your Last Weekend: crazy
Smelling: home
Annoyed By: ticking
Your Face: forward
Your Pants: jammies
Something You Want To Create: order
Favorite Old Movie Star: Audrey
Not Looking Forward To: unpacking
Hearing: heater
You Wish You Could: sleep
Last Thing You Cooked: yummy
Your Breakfast: fasted
Your Driving Record: awesome
Last Illness: December
Want To Be: organized
Mind Keeps Wandering To: mindlessness
You Despise: grumps
Unprepared For: lots
Favorite Part Of Spring: flowers
Your Toenails: help!
Proud Of Your: Steve
Not Proud Of Your: week
How You Decompress: walk
Your Kitchen Table: lovely
Something You Want to Accomplish Today: sleep

Funny Friday

Joseph helped me pick this one out. He was laughing so hard I was afraid he'd wake Kathrynn from her nap... he's BEGGING to watch it again as I type this. :) Enjoy!


Funny Videos

Even funnier - Joseph watching the video (the one where the cat walks right into the camera is our favorite one). :)

Wow, This is So Me.

I just saw this and the thought "I should do that" actually went through my head..

60 Things You Possibly Didn't Know About Me

My friend Sarah posted this on her blog and I thought it was great, so I'm posting it on mine (with my answers, not hers..).
1. What is in the back seat of your car right now?
Joseph's booster seat, Kathrynn's car seat, a broom (to sweep snow off the truck, since I can't reach the windows..), a bunch of bungee cords from when we were moving, and, for some reason, a big branch. Steve put it in there and Joseph talks about it EVERYTIME we get in the truck
2. When was the last time you threw up?
Last December the night after my work Christmas party. We went to this really nice, expensive seafood restaurant and I came home with food poisoning. Spent the entire night in the bathroom. ugh.
3. What's your favorite curse word?
Poop is pretty much as bad as it gets with me. It's the one that comes out when things get real bad. :)
4. Name 3 people who made you smile today?
Joseph, Kathrynn, Kara (via blog).
5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
Giving Joseph a haircut, fearing that his screams were going to compel a neighbor to call CPS. He's a little too melodramatic when it comes to his haircuts.
6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
Various things on the internet (I just got my connection back), eating breakfast, feeding Kathrynn.
7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now?
Maybe taking Joseph to storytime - the lady there was a drill sergeant last week, so I'm not sure how appealing it is. He didn't really enjoy it that much anyway.
8. Have you ever been to a strip club?
Um, let me think.. NO!
9. What is the last thing you said aloud?
It's too hot? OK, go blow on it. No, blow on your actual popcorn. (Joseph wanted popcorn, told me it was too hot and when I told him to blow on it, he just blew in the air)
10. What is the best ice cream flavor?
German Chocolate Cake Ice Cream. Hard to find, but super yummy.
11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Milk.
12. What are you wearing right now?
Brown long sleeve shirt that's super comfy, jeans, black socks with flowers on them (I was wearing a black shirt this morning, but the haircut thing forced a shirt change.)
13. What was the last thing you ate?
A piece of Joseph's popcorn.
14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
If only.. :)
15. When was the last time you ran?
On Saturday. Steve and I went to WalMart and it was PACKED and just started snowing really hard so we ran to the store from the back of the parking lot. I turned it into a race and won (which is pretty good considering he's a foot taller than me and is all leg). :)
16. What's the last sporting event you watched?
Steve and I went to the Jazz game for our anniversary a couple of weeks ago - SO MUCH FUN! We couldn't hear for like 30 minutes after we left.
18. Who is the last person you emailed?
Steve.
19. Ever go camping?
When I was younger I used to go a lot. Hope to go this summer at Bear Lake.
20. Do you have a tan?
No. In fact, I'm pastier than I've ever been in my life - if you can believe that. :)
24. Do you drink your soda from a straw?
Not usually. I like to crunch ice with soda in my mouth. It's yummy that way.
25. What did your last IM say?
It's been so long I can't remember.
26. Are you someone's best friend?
I think so.
27. What are you doing tomorrow?
Cleaning, organizing, entertaining my kids, feeding my family, etc.
28. Where is your mom right now?
In Odem, Texas.
29. Look to your left, what do you see?
The cabinet where we put our trash can, fans we borrowed from a friend to help dry out our carpets from the carpet cleaning, stairs, door going outside.
30. What color is your watch?
Silver.
31. What do you think of when you think of Australia ?
Heath Ledger. I'm still sad about him. :(
32. Would you consider plastic surgery?
Hate to admit it, but ABSOLUTELY.
33. What is your birthstone?
Opal.
34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
I usually hit the drive thru.
35.How many kids do you want?
I think I still really want 4.
36. Do you have a dog?
Nope, but would love to get one someday.
37. Last person you talked to on the phone?
Steve.
38. Have you met anyone famous?
Dennis Rodman went into Jason's Deli when I worked there in high school. I was tending the salad bar and he stood next to me to get a salad. He's HUGE! I felt like I was 3 feet tall. He's also really scary looking. I also had lunch with Peter Brienholt and Ryan Shupe once.
39. Any plans today?
Clean, organize, unpack, clean, organize, unpack....
40. How many states have you lived in?
Three - Texas, Idaho and Utah.
41. Ever go to college?
Ricks College and Southern Utah University.
42. Where are you right now?
In my kitchen (it was the best place for my computer).
43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
People who don't understand cleanliness.
44. Last song listened to?
Love Song by Sarah Barellis or however you spell her name. It's been stuck in my head for like 14 hours now.
46. Are you allergic to anything?
Certain cats, just about everything in the air in Texas.
47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
My running shoes and these loafers that I've had forever.
48. Are you jealous of anyone?
No.
50. Is anyone jealous of you?
I wouldn't see why.
51. What time is it?
10:30 a.m.
52. Do any of your friends have children?
Almost all of my friends have children.
53. Do you eat healthy?
Normally, yes. Lately not so much because I've had massive amounts of stress.
54. What do you usually do during the day?
Hang out with my kids at home while trying to maintain peace, order and cleanliness.
55. Do you hate anyone right now?
No. I certainly dislike a few people but I don't hate 'em.
56. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
Yep.
58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
31. For some reason, 31 seems easier to swallow than 30.
59. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
Yep, the one in San Antonio. Practically lived there in high school, we went ALL the time.
60. How did you get one of your scars?
I was holding a cat when a dog ran up to me. The cat kind of freaked out and left it's mark up and down both arms and hands.