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Written by Jennifer Larson
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Monday, 04 October 2010 |
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Oregon was awesome! We got to spend some time with my Crazy Canuck relatives. We never get to see them, because they live in Eastern Canada and . . . well, let's just say we like to stick to the good ol' USA. * Auntie K * 
This is my Auntie K, and I love my Auntie K! We've always called her Auntie K, and she's always been the sweetest Auntie anyone could ask for! Her name is actually Kathy, and she's married to a professional comedian. Therefore, they travel quite a bit (he is currently doing comedy on Princess Cruises). But, Auntie K was able to make it to Oregon for my brother's wedding, and spent an entire week playing at Grandma's house. Natalie and Maejae LOVED Auntie K so much. I'm incredibly grateful for her being so willing to help with the girls while I was out doing bridesmaid things with Lisa (my new, fabulous sis-in-law). They built forts, read books, played crafts, played with toys, got lots of tickles, and even enjoyed being thrown into a pillow on the chair!   * Uncle Leo and Aunt Kathleen *   These two are hilarious! I truly believe this is where the ol' saying "crazy canucks" comes from. For one, Uncle Leo says "eh" about 50 millions times in 1 day! Yep - that's right. He says "eh" so often, that I doubt he even realizes he's saying it. For another, these two joke around constantly! It was so fun to be with them again, and to have my girls play with them. Aunt Kathleen helped with the girls so much while we were there as well. She was a busy woman! But, she never complained, and the girls loved her to pieces. I think Natalie's favorite was playing this game because Aunt Kathleen would give her high 5's when they got a match. Natalie still talks about this game (Brown Bear, Brown Bear) with her Canadian relatives and her Canadian Grandma! Crazy Canucks . . . Then there's Uncle Leo's personality. Natalie usually takes a little time to warm up to people she's never met, especially after waking up from her nap. But, somehow, Uncle Leo snuck right in there and became one of Natalie's favorites. She woke up from her nap to 2 new strangers in Grandma's house. But, she looked at Uncle Leo, he said "hi", and she reached her arms out to him. He then cuddled with her until she woke up, and she still stayed with him. AMAZING! But, that's my Uncle Leo! I'll always love my Uncle Leo. When things happened with my brother, he wrote every one of us a letter. I still have my letter, and I'm pretty sure I'll have it till the day I die. He truly cares about our family, and understands what we have gone through, and what we have had to endure. I just wish we lived closer so I could really spend time with him and his family. But, again - they live in Eastern Canada. Darn! All I can say to sum this up is that I have awesome relatives . . . even if they do say "eh" a lot, and are classified as Crazy Canucks! |
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Written by Jennifer Larson
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Thursday, 09 September 2010 |
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Natalie: "I want a garden just like my Grandma's when I grow up . . ."        
Grandma grows a lot of produce in her Garden (all started from seed packs), including pumpkins, tomatillos, tomatoes, onions, corn, squash, strawberries, rhubarb, herbs, etc.   
 
 
Every evening, we would go out to Grandma and Mike's garden to tend to the garden chores. This included watering with my Uncle Scotty. Digging new holes with my very own yellow shovel. Checking for ripe and ready to pick fruits and veggies. And, learning how to pull my own onions from the Garden! 
To keep the garden healthy and growing, my Grandma and Mike have their very own Compost Piles! They don't throw very much stuff away, or send anything down the garbage disposal. Instead, they throw everything in the compost pile. Each evening, Mike turns the compost with a pitch fork to make sure the food is breaking down and decomposing. When one pile has broken down into nothing but mulch, they use some of it to fertilize the garden. And, just to add a side-note of Grandma and Mike's serious compost efforts: * Every weekend, Grandma and Mike take a trip to the local Starbucks Coffee shop to pick up a few bags of USED Coffee Grounds! When they get home, they put this in their compost pile to reduce waste from Starbucks, and help their compost efforts. Now that's some serious COMPOST commitment! 
My favorite part of working in the garden: Spending time with Grandma and Enjoying all the delicious fresh fruit and veggies! "Someday I'm gonna grow up tall, tall, tall, like my Grandma - and then I'll have a Garden too. Ok, Mommy?" |
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Written by Jennifer Larson
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Thursday, 09 September 2010 |
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Natalie now has her very own Hair Blower, Curling Iron, Mirror, Makeup Kit, etc. Of course, it is all fake (except the mirror) - but still . . . She is obviously going to be a real Girlie Girl. |
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Written by Administrator
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Saturday, 24 April 2010 |
I am so glad we have Saturdays to prepare for the Sabbath. It's not
even that it's a commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy that makes me
love Saturdays. It is the fact that I truly need that day of rest on
Sunday, and Saturday allows me to prepare for a day of peace. You see,
with Nathan gone studying so much, volunteering a lot, and the girls
growing faster than I can keep up with, I truly need that day to just
enjoy my family with the additional Spirit that joins us on Sunday
mornings. I usually do quite well, and keep up with everything pretty
easily.
But, this week has been somewhat of a rough week for
me. I have been off with my schedule, I have been a little worn down,
and I have been letting my housework slip (partly due to those dang
Vacuum guys - ugh). But, tonight as I was cleaning the entire house
with Natalie, getting ready for my Sabbath, I realized that I love
Saturdays almost as much as I love Sundays! Knowing that my house is
finally clean both upstairs, downstairs, and in the bathrooms has
removed a huge weight that has been on my shoulders all week. I feel
better . . . finally!
And, Natalie and I had a lot of fun
cleaning together (although the mirror in her bathroom is only clean as
far as she could reach while standing on the counter! But, she was too
cute cleaning it all by herself that I didn't have the heart to even
finish the top 1/2 of the mirror. She really is a good helper!)
So, here's to the special author of such a wonderful primary song . . .
"Saturday is a special day, it's the day we get ready for Sunday.
We shine our shoes, and we shop at the store so we don't have to do it till Monday."
I
don't have to do anything but spend time with my family, spend time
with my sweet primary kids, read, and relax . . . until Monday :)
In my rough week, it was nice to end my Saturday knowing I am blessed, and tomorrow is my day of rest!
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 21 April 2010 |
Yesterday was a crazy day. I don't usually have really crazy days, or
days that are wasted doing absolutely nothing I had planned to do. But,
yesterday was one of those days.
I had woken up at 6am to go on my morning bike ride while the girls and Nathan slept. When I got home, Maejae
was awake and playing on the floor and Nathan was getting ready to
leave. I thought to myself, today is going to be a productive day. I
set out with a plan to get the floors vacuumed and laundry done so I
could do a craft with Natalie. I had done 3 loads of laundry, and was
just about to pick up a few straggling toys to vacuum when there was a
little knock on my door.
I was in a hurry to run a few things
upstairs so I answered the door without looking through my peep-hole.
BIG MISTAKE. Day of productivity . . . down the drain!
In comes
3 men (why I let them in my house is beyond me). I am dumb. They are
Kirby Vacuum salesmen and they want to show me a few cool tricks their
vacuum can do. Well, we had recently had our carpets shampooed and I
was less than impressed with the outcome. So, I figured that if they
could get my carpets back to looking new, I'd give them a shot at their
sales pitch. Little did I know - their sales pitch is 3 hours long. YES
- 3 HOURS!! I was livid. Finally, I texted
Nathan and told him to get his butt home because apparently when a girl
says "that's not in our budget right now" it means nothing to
salespeople. They wouldn't take "no" for an answer and kept trying to
bargain with me.
Finally, I said, "I need to talk to my husband
before I make any decisions, and he is on his way home now." Enter
"PART OF THE PROBLEM"
The salesmen boss dude (the one who
apparently is in charge of bargaining) has the balls to try one last
sales pitch before Nathan gets home. It went like this: (S-salesmen and
J-Jenn)
S: ok, that'd be great to talk to your husband, but let me ask you . . . who does the cleaning in the house.
J: Well, considering Nathan is in med school, I do most of it
S: So, don't you think your needs are comfort while cleaning should come first
J: I actually don't mind cleaning my house
S: Well, don't you think your children deserve cleaner, healthier carpet to play on
J: Oh man, it's not that bad . . . How much is it?
S: Well, we'll get to that part. Do you think you would benefit from a Kirby Vacuum?
J: Sure, I guess. But, how much is it.
S: Well, I'm not supposed to say until we have you committed, but it is $1999 and an additional $400 for the carpet shampooer attachment.
J: Yeah, that's way too much for us. We don't have that in our budget.
S: Well, that's ok.
Think of this . . . I'm just saying, think of all the extra dirt our
vacuum pulls up compared to yours. And, think of how versatile it is.
It really is an investment, and one I think you would enjoy for many
years. 3 Carpet cleanings a year and it's paid for.
** Thinking
to myself: we only get our carpets shampooed once a year - we're not
that dirty. and at $300 a year, we're looking at 8 years of carpet
cleanings for this to pay for itself. Hmmm, not good on the salesmen's part.
J:
Possibly. But, like I said, we don't have $2400 in our budget to
purchase a vacuum right now (yes - you read that right. $2400 for a
vacuum)
S: Understandably. What if I cut you a deal? Would you be willing to purchase it if I gave it to you for $1500
J: Sorry, that's still too much.
S: Ok, the best deal I can do is $1100 for the vacuum and I'll throw in the carpet shampooer.
J: Like I said, I need to discuss this with my husband as it is not in our budget to make such a purchase
S:
Well, think of it this way (talking very fast so I can't break in).
When your husband wants a new car, or a new TV, I'm sure he gets in his
mind what is best for him, and what he wants. I'm sure he wouldn't have
to wait for you to decide on his purchase. And this vacuum will make
cleaning easier for you, and will guarantee your children a cleaner
environment. Don't you feel you have the authority to make this
decision based on your needs without your husband's permission?
** ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
I was so livid that I promptly sent Nathan a text that read, "how long."
To which he replied, "4 minutes"
I
was so mad I could barely even get out what I wanted to. So, instead I
said, "my husband and I are very open about our budget and I will not
be making this decision on my own. I told you I didn't like the price
and it was not in our budget. You will need to wait for my husband to
get home and discuss this with him."
I'm fairly certain the "boss" salesmen did not like my response. He quickly changed his methods and said, "Ok,
I would be happy to talk to your husband. But, I don't want to
overwhelm him so I am going to step out and I'll return when he gets
home."
Finally - 1 salesmen gone, 2 left to kick out. At this
point, the other 2 salesmen were packing up and getting ready to leave
when one of their phones rings. I could hear the "boss" on the other
line.
S: Listen Will (2nd
salesmen), this has been 2 1/2 hours of your time. Don't lose this
sale. You need to show him how much dirt is still in his carpets after
they use their vacuum."
W: Ok, how?
S: Do the demo again.
AHHHHHH!
No - No - No. You are not doing another 2 hour demo with my husband to
try to sell us something I have clearly stated we cannot afford. I was
mad. Plus, I had a chiropractor appointment at 4pm and it was 3:30pm.
Finally, I see the car (I keep the door open when strange men are in my
house, as if that will really help me in an emergency).
I am so glad Nathan is home that as soon as he walks in I say "sorry, hun,
but I gotta get ready for my appointment." I dashed upstairs as fast as
I could. Nathan talks loud, so I could hear him saying, "that's a lot
of money, we have not budgeted for a large purchase this term, etc".
The guy won't give in.
Then, a knock on my door. I am flustered,
annoyed, irritated, etc. It is my dear friend Kristen. She pulls me
outside and says, "oh Jenn. These guys are bad news. They are horrible
and don't let you say no. Don't do this Jenn. Don't buy it." I told her
I wasn't going to. Then she says, "ok,
I can stay here and watch your kids while you go." So, I leave the
house - 2 minutes before I'm supposed to be at the doctor's office - Ahhh.
As I drive away I see Nathan and Kristen, the 3 kids (Kristen's son was there too) and the salesmen. It doesn't look fun.
I
was so MAD. Nathan came to my appointment after he was finally able to
KICK them out of the house. He says, "well, he told me he would sell it
to us for $800."
$800!! Why would he try to sell it to me for
$1500 (which was apparently the best deal he could offer me) but then
tell my husband $800? Ugh. These guys are sketchy. Then Nathan says,
"Kristen was so funny." Turns out, the salesmen offered to come to her
house and do a demo. To which Kristen promptly said, "Don't you dare."
I wish I was as gutsy as Kristen!
Nathan
said he handled them very well. But, the "boss" dude wouldn't give in.
Nathan goes, "Jenn, he was good. He said I wouldn't have a problem
paying for it cause I was in med school and I could finance it, or put
it on a credit card. He was still selling up until I closed the door on
him."
Ugh. SOOOO many problems with this. The REST of the Problem:
1)
Allowing your company to enter a house with only a woman present is not
smart. To bring 3 MEN into my home was kind of an invasion. Granted, I
should not have let them in. But, still. Not good business practices.
2)
It should NOT take 3 hours to try to sell something to people. You
ruined my day, my productivity, and both of my daughter's days (they
did NOT get mommy time).
3) Don't you DARE assume that I don't
have a close relationship with my husband and that you can manipulate
me into buying something because "I don't need my husband's permission."
4)
No, I actually don't need my husband's permission to do anything. BUT -
we are a TEAM. I love him more than anything on this Earth, and we WORK
TOGETHER. You bet your BUTT I will talk to him before making any
decisions on ANYTHING that costs over $50.
5) We choose to live
with a budget. We LOVE our budget. It keeps us responsible as
consumers. It teaches us the difference between wants and needs. It
teaches us that there are reasons to reward yourself and that sometimes
an extra want is ok, if purchased within your budget. DO NOT tell me how to run my finances.
6)
CREDIT! Are you kidding me? We do not have credit card debt, and
hopefully NEVER will. When you have a budget, and stick to it, you do
not need to use credit. DO NOT try to tell me that it is ok
to buy a vacuum on credit when I have a vacuum sitting in my closet
that works just fine. This is not a need, it is not even my want. It is
a cool vacuum, but I don't need it, and I don't want to spend that much
money on it. Therefore, DO NOT tell me, or my husband, that we can
finance it. C'mon.
7) When someone says, "NO" you need to LISTEN to them. END OF STORY.
So
- after doing 3 loads of laundry and thinking I was going to have an
awesome day with my girls . . . I ended up sitting on my couch for 3
hours listening to a sales pitch and getting very frustrated with the
entire situation I had gotten myself into. What a waste of a day.
Then
- I got a phone call while at the chiropractor. My brother, Jason, got
in an auto accident. He was stopped at a stop light when a truck plowed
into him going about 60 miles an hour. The back of my brother's truck
is now in the cab of the truck. Jason is ok - minus the back and neck pains, and sore muscles, but it still wasn't the best way to end a crazy day.
So,
to end on a happy note, I went with my friends, Kristen and Ashely, to
our ward's enrichment night and ate lots of chocolate covered fruit and
sponge cake! See, the Lord even looks out for me without my knowing. It
just happened that enrichment was on a night when I truly needed a
break!
So - lessons learned here:
** DO NOT, under any
circumstances, open your door without looking out that peep-hole. DO
NOT, at any time, invite 3 men into your house because you don't have
the heart to tell them "no". DO NOT put your children's safety in harms
way because you are concerned about hurting someone's
feelings. Plus, I have AWESOME friends who always seem to rescue me.
And, lastly . . . I honestly, positively, absolutely, have the BEST
HUSBAND in the world. He seriously saved my butt on this one. And, I'm
glad we really do have such an honest, open, trusting relationship.
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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 21 January 2010 |
Tomorrow
my birthday present should be arriving via UPS. I am getting this
totally awesome bike trailer. It has a million pros: fits both girls,
aluminum wheels, sturdy, new, and green (which matches my bike). The
cons: It is apparently too cool to be in stores, so Nathan had to order
it, forcing me to sit patiently for that UPS guy to ring my doorbell
tomorrow! I can't wait!!!
And
the reason I can't wait: I LOVE the rain. It makes me think of home in
Oregon, and brings with it cold-weather activities. One of those
activities is riding bikes in the rain, and coming home with the big
skunk tail from all the dirty water spraying on your back. It is going
to be so much fun! It has been raining all day today, and I noticed
that the washes on 59th are quite flooded. So, I am hoping it rains a
little bit longer. That way, I can take my girls on a bike ride and
show them some muddy water rushing down the wash tomorrow! Seriously,
I'm excited!
But, today we're doing some inside rainy day
activities. So far, we have watched a movie, drank hot chocolate and
watched the rain (while Natalie explained to me what the bird in our
back yard was doing), read a few books, and made a few crafts. Then we
had lunch with Daddy at school and took a quick trip to JoAnn's with
Ashley so I can get started on my next project. All in all, a perfect
colder, rainy day at the Larson house here in Arizona! Except for maybe
Nathan - he had an exam this morning, and is going to be studying until
dinner time. But, he did well on his exam and will be home in time for
dinner, and some games. We love our daddy!!! And, we love the rain :)
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