The Big 33!

Today is Bryan's 33rd birthday. We celebrated it yesterday with our parents over for dinner and birthday cake...since he had to go out of town today. So here's a little celebration of his past 33 years.

Bryan was born March 30, 1976 to Lynn and Laraine Peterson in West Valley City, UT.
He was not an angel baby (though he tries to claim otherwise...I on the other had WAS and angel baby and hardly ever cried :). He was sick often and had to have tubes in his ears, was hospitalized for pneumonia and had his tonsils taken out when
he was six. He remembers jumping up on the operating table to get his tonsils taken out. Then, when they were administering the anesthesia, they told him to count to 10and he'd be asleep before he could finish...well he count to 10 and then some before they realized they might need to up the dose! His parents also fondly remember him crying all the way home from Yellowstone as a baby.

I called him in Las Vegas tonight and asked him to recall some fun childhood memories or favorite things...
"I loved grossing people out with my crooked pinkies."
"I loved playing basketball in the front yard with neighbors."
"I loved playing "CHIPS" (the old motorcycle cops show) with your (Valerie's) older brother (yes, I married the boy across the street!)
"I loved camping, playing with the family dog, eating anything but vegetables!

Some accomplishments he's proud of:
Sports - playing on Granger's football team, running track, basketball
Becoming a detective...he was attacked as a child near his home and the detective that handled his case made a lasting impression...he never outgrew the boyhood dream to become a cop.

Favorite things as an adult:
"My wife!"...(how sweet!)
"My kids"
"My job"

"Favorite food...still anything BUT vegetables!"

Happy Birthday honey...Love you lots!

The Contents of a Woman's Purse

I've heard it said that you can tell a lot about a woman by the contents of her purse. Well, my little Natalie LOVES purses and has quite a collection...5 purses plus 2 doll diaper bags and a zipper bag she adopted from me. She plays with these on a daily basis and they a packed full of interesting things. The current contents from all 5 purses and the zipper bag are as follows:

-2 Valentines Day cards
-a snapshot of herself
-2 advertisements from her Tinkerbell DVD
-a little book she colored in Nursery
-2 combs and 2 mirrors
-several costume jewelry necklaces and bracelets
-1 half-eaten chapstick
-Bryan's IPOD chord
-gum wrappers
-3 sets of play keys
-2 play lipsticks
-a wallet with a pretend debit card
-a play makeup combact
-a coin purse
-loose change
-several buttons
-a business card
-2 little Madonna idol dolls Bryan got in France
-and an old cell phone

Now what exactly is this saying about my daugther? Well, I've been thinking she's a disorganized packrat that loves having piles of clutter around her...the opposite of her mother. This until I looked through my own purse the other day to realize the contents of my purse could suggest I was a disorganzied packrat! Here's my list:

-2 sets of keys
- a wallet with checkbook, debit cards, library cards, Costco card, expired coupons, "loyalty" cards to various stores like Great Harvest and Cold Stone, my kids immunization records, insurance cards, coupon books to Jiffy Lube and the UPS store.
-crumbled receipts
-old grocery lists
-empty packages of fruit snacks
-smashed golfish
-a ziploc bag of teddy grahams
-an umbrella
-cellphone...uncharged of course
-gum and several gum wrappers
-used tissues
-lotion
-hand sanitizer
-post it notes
-and a handful of crumbs

Needless to say I will be less critical of my daugthers purses and try to keep mine in better order!

Spring Cleaning Tips

Isn't she ambitious?

So a dear friend recently emailed me and asked me to post some Spring cleaning tips on my blog...specifically how to clean grout and how to clean wood blinds. Now, I disclaim being any kind of expert but I do like to clean and have been working on my own spring cleaning. So, with a grain of salt, I post some simple spring cleaning ideas to celebrate the first day of Spring!

1st- Make a list...decide what you want to accomplish and put it in writing. I like to work room by room. So I make a list for each room and cross it off as I go.

2nd - Be prepared. When you set out to do some cleaning and organizing, gather all cleaning and organizing supplies before hand. Be aware of the time you want to spend on the task and don't take on too much at one time.

3rd - Committ to getting rid of old, unused, impracital items in each room or area as you clean and organize. I like to committ to getting rid of 3 things in each area. It's very refreshing to toss out the old ...and maybe reward yourself with something new for all the hard work...a new set of sheets or towels, a new wall hanging, etc.


Some favorite tools and cleaning products:

1. Lysol all purpose cleaning...it kills 99.9% of germs unlike Pinesol and other similar type cleaners

2. Murphy's Oil Soap...great for cleaning blinds, wood floors, and I love to use it to clean walls and baseboards.

3. Swiffer dusters...great for catching dust instead of swishing it around. Works great on blinds and ceiling fans.

4. Containers..."a place for everything and everything in its place". I love using baskets, rubbermaid totes, and other containers for every closet and drawer. It really helps keep things organized.

5. Labels...a great companion for all those containers.

Now for cleaning grout:

If your looking to just keep it clean I love using Lysol All Purpose Cleaner like I mentioned or Mr. Clean. But you can also try diluted vinegar, dilute ammonia or hydrogen peroxide. If you need more professional cleaners, try an oxygen bleach powder. It cleans and removes stains without bleaching out the color in the grout. I'm going to try one called Stain Solver. A stiff brush is also helpful in cleaning grout. I like to use the Sonic Scrubber... its a little spinning brush with interchangeable heads.

And the wood blinds:

Regular maintainence is the best...weekly dusting with a damp cloth or Swiffer duster. Never get real wood blinds wet. Murphys Oil soap works well on faux wood blinds for cleaning. Tilt the blinds to a 45 degree angle and then wipe each side. I have a neighbor who said she soaked her faux wood blinds in bleach to treat the yellowing from the sun and found it successful with a little scrubbing. I haven't tried yet but am thinking about it.

Well, hope that gives you some ideas or inspires you do de-clutter. Happy Cleaning!

Girl Scout Cookie Tip

Did you all buy your annual supply of Girl Scout Cookies? I got my favorites: TagaLongs, Samoas, and Do-si-Dos. I also got a box of Thin Mints. They're not really one of my favorites except for this fun little trick you can do with them. I learned it from one of my sisters a couple of years ago and now it's become a tradition. Make a yummy cup of hot chocolate, grab a couple of Thin Mints. Take a small bite out of each end and then use the cookie like a straw and take a sip of hot cocoa. Not too much...and then put the whole cookie in your mouth. It melts in your mouth and is delicious! Try it! If you didn't buy Thin Mints, Keebler Grasshopper cookies also work.

Family Resemblance: A Comparison

Do you find yourself comparing family resemblances? I do it all the time with my family and with friends and neighbors...who looks like who and who doesn't. Anyway, not sure why I'm compelled to notice such things. So here's a little comparison for you. Who do you think looks more alike?

Bryan (2 years)



Valerie (9 to 12 months I think)



Ben (1 year)


Natalie (1 year)


Natalie (2 years)


I think Ben has always looked a lot like me. Natalie's 1 year picture looks somewhat like me but the older she gets, the more I think she looks like Bryan. The recent picture of her looks a lot like Bryan's 2 year picture. The shape of their faces is similar. What do you all think?

Little Goldie Goldfish

We had a bittersweet Saturday morning...we lost our pet goldfish Goldie. Bryan was going to feed them when he noticed Goldie floating on his side. He came downstairs to inform me of the news and we debated whether to tell Ben or just replace him. Well we decided we should tell him and I thought he would take okay because I had been preparing him from day one that goldfish don't live as long as people. But when we broke the news to him, he broke down in hysterical sobs and carried on about the injustice of the situation. Even after the hysterics calmed, he kept getting big crocodile tears and his little chin quivered. I tried to get a picture of that sad, sweet face but he would have nothing of it. Any way we sent Goldie to a watery grave and headed to the pet store for a replacement. We ended up coming home with 2 guppies..."Gubby-Gubby" and "Lellow". They are quite hyper fish and have been chasing Red around the bowl a lot. Ben commented that he was still sad that Goldie died but was glad we could have 2 new fish. Oh, the circle of life.