A busy time-

Whoa, I can't believe the summer has ended. I mean, for me the summer is about the same as the rest of the year. However, since we had a fun vacation this year, summer was a little more varied than usual.

I'm playing catch up as usual, so I'll try not to make this epic-ly long. 

I did a lot of big projects this summer.

1) Planned and attended a family reunion for my mother's side of the family

2) Did a 100 day project

3) Made 162 art pieces for my brother's game Shadowlands. I posted them all on my 2nd instagram account compostofthehand

4) Published my book Awkward Procures Happiness on Amazon

5) Kept my babies alive

These are my kids in the tub and temporary ball pit. Since we live in Tucson, tiny cockroaches and sometimes big ones, come up from the drain, even though I plug it. So after we played in the balls for a while, mommy put them back in bags. Both my kids also had giant tantrums afterwards, since we stopped playing after a couple of jumps from the top of the tub. Hey kids, there aren't THAT many balls in the tub. Maybe another day we'll put them in a pack-n-play. Also, thanks America, for all the new fun toys and books. And clothes.

This is a giant tarantula I saw outside someone's door a couple nights ago. It was huge. I did not touch it, but the sister missionary next to me did. She coaxed it onto her hand and then placed it in the grass next to the sidewalk. Spooky.

We saw lots of family on our vacation. This is Uncle Dave. He's loads of fun. Bruce and Cordelia aren't quite doing sentences right now. However, Bruce did manage "No Dave cookie" after he'd taken a cookie from Dave and ate it.

 This is a Beast Mode card I painted for my brother Grant's game Shadowlands. I'd never played it before our Reunion this summer. Grant had sent everyone in the family the cards to print so we could play the game and give suggestions, but he didn't have any original art for it and hadn't pulled together the money to pay an artist. So after my 100 day project, I did 162 cards for his game. That was a fun project.

We actually surprised him with all the cards printed out at the reunion. My brother Christian actually superimposed my artwork onto his game cards and his wife Carly helped us by being sneaky. It was the BEST surprise ever. He was like WHAT?! So now I've played the game and am looking for more projects.

 These babies love Costco and samples. You can't beat stickers.

Another card for Gran'ts game. This is the Looter card.

 These books are just adding up. Someday we'll just have to get a house to fit all the books.

 This is a card back idea I had. It's a dragon I did which I'm not totally disgusted with.

 We're all set with clothes now, thanks everyone with all the hand me downs. Jess, America, Jenny, Sarah, Mom. Thanks for all the clothing!

 This is the horse master. It's probably one of my favorites. Actually, the more I did, the more impressed I was.

 This was free Chik-fil-A day. We also won a contest from the Ina at Thornydale and won some free food! Woot!

 Some trees for a background on the game.

 The sticky traps we set out for months. The only sign we had of catching a mouse, was a bunch of bloody mouse footprints along the top rim of our couch. Also, a dried puddle on the windowsill. We never found a mouse, but there's poison in the closet with the 5 traps in there. I'm hoping it somehow died and I'll never have to put these all out again.

 The moose, a mount card.

 This was mud day at the zoo. We participated and had loads of fun.

 An apron I decorated for an auction at a fundraiser.

After all that fun stuff, I'm looking towards Christmas and my projects for then. Also, perhaps a children's book. 

Who me?

I know it has been quite a while since any news has been added on my blog. So I figured I'd update you. January was the last time since I blogged. So I figured I'd start there.

 January was a great month. In fact, it's one of my favorites. Why? Mostly because it's my birthday month and because all the Christmas visiting and excitement has died down. I love the holidays, but I"m also a planner. Since I plan a lot, sometimes I get stressed about more than I should. This is a picture of how Cordi feels when I'm stressed.

February was nice because we celebrated our love with a couple of ice cream cakes. We made fancy, multi-layered ice cream cakes for each of us. This creativity was spurred on mostly by Charles, but I joined it. It was a tasty exercise in the merits and foibles of a nice, homemade ice cream cake. We loved them all, but some were better combinations of cake and ice cream than others. Charles went a little overboard and I ended up having to eat mine layer by layer, so I could enjoy mine to full effect.

 Bruce decided to multi-toy play. That is a baby stroller on top of a lawn mower. He has great ideas. Keep them coming Bruce, you're going to have kids someday. I need swell ideas like this to help make me a great grandma. I might have toddlers, but they're real thinkers.

 Now that my babies are 2, they are cuddly buggers. They cuddle with each other, with me and Charles, and sometimes they just cuddle themselves. My favorite is when I ask if they want to read with me and they say, "Self" and plunk themselves down on the couch with a book. Now that's some independence I can get behind.

March was when I started my 100 day project. My friend Theresa told me about it. It's an internet phenomenon that let's you be creative every day for 100 days, share, and improve your style. I wanted to try it and am so glad I did. Now I have an even better handle on my artistic self than I did before. Since my 100 day project, I have also been working on other artistic projects to keep my mojo. I'm very happy with my extra practice.

 April did not come with many showers, but it did bring some bonks. Cordi and Bruce both took turns falling and getting nasty forehead bruises. Also, they started serving up their own foodstuffs. What am I, some kind of slave? Jokes, this happened when I was cleaning Cordi up after breakfast. Bruce was apparently not done eating yet.

May was a time when I decided after improving myself artistically, I should also finish writing my dumb book.

Actually, it's not a dumb book. It's an amazing, fantastic book. I started it in 2007 and am amazed that I finally finished and published it. Hurrah for 12 years in the making of embarrassing stories.

Now you can all read about how terrible my first kiss was. I know you've wondered all these years. Also, remember how I accidentally credit carded that guy at Caryn's wedding reception and my hand got stuck in his crack because he clenched? Oh, you never heard that story? Well I wrote about it in my book "Awkward Procures Happiness".

It's now available on ebook and you can buy the paperback in 3 days. How do you like them apples?

June, July...who cares about those months? I just told you I published a book I've been working on and off of for 12 years. Go get your hands on that book!!!! Also, I'm going to maybe see you soon, so I'm totally down to sign it too. Just write a sweet heartfelt message from me in the front cover, and I'll put my name down. Jokes, jokes.

Actually, June was good. I finished my 100 day project and with some relief started doing MORE edits on my book that I finally finished. Now I can finally cross that wonderful goal off and make some more goals. Hopefully these new ones won't take me so long.

July my babies turned 2. Can you believe it? Me neither! They are getting so big and even though they have crib tents now, they still make my life exciting. Last week Cordi took her diaper off during nap 2 days in a row and smeared poop everywhere. Thanks Cordo! Bruce actually calls her Cordo, so we've started doing it too. Anyway, that's with the jammies on backwards. She is a real contortionist when she's bored. And super skinny. I found out she's under the 1 percentile in weight for her age group. So I've been avidly trying to fatten her up. She had ice cream for lunch 2x this week. That's mothering for you.

I know what you're thinking. However, she doesn't like peanut butter, avocado, or cream slipped into her milk. Believe me, I've tried my best. She does like chocolate though. Just like mommy. Oh yeah, and somewhere in there my kids started eating chocolate and not getting crazy diaper rashes. So that's nice. I like sharing with my sweet babies. Not too much now, but just a little.

Anyway, that's my update. LOOOOVE, Merilee

"Dad, there's a possum in the chicken coop!" That's all it took. We threw on our shoes and coats as we ran to the barn. My dad turned on the barn light and went over to the tool wall. Carefully he examined his options to kill the poor thing. A shovel perhaps? Too unwieldy. A pitchfork? Messy. Ah, a sledgehammer. We then watched in awe, as our dad entered the chicken coop with his weapon of choice.

To our surprise and horror, we did not see one beady-eyed creature the size of a bulldog, but three. As we watched through the chicken wire from the goat milking stand, Dad hefted the sledgehammer onto his shoulder. Slam! Missed a possum. Wabam! He got one. The chickens sqaucked from their roosting positions in their front row seats, just five feet above the action.

Deftly, dad would hoist the sledgehammer again and again. Gradually, you could see the fatigue settling in. As he once again lifted the heavy tool, it became apparent this technique was not as effortless as we had originally suspected.

Down it came again, upon a villainous headhunter and lo, the sledgehammer broke into halves. We watched in awe as our hero panted. Two large possums stared at him and one lay unmoving at his feet. The four glittering black eyes reflected only calculation and greed as they glanced from Dad and his broken weapon to the roosting chickens above.

One of us grabbed a shovel from the wall, opened the door a crack, and slipped it through to Dad. Then rejoining the others on the milking stand, waited to see what a shovel could do to those fiends. Opening the tiny chicken door to the outside air, Dad then did his best to coax the possums outside. Eventually they left and he shoveled the fallen enemy into a garbage sack. The next morning we found another of the possums in a trap placed strategically in the nearby garden.

I will never forget the awesome sight of my father, lifting and swinging that sledgehammer.

Birthday Birthday-

It was my birthday this month and I found out some Birthday freebies for you and when you can redeem your items. You're welcome.

Birthday JSYK Freebies-

7-eleven- 1 free slushy, full birthday month
Red Robin - 1 free burger and endless fries, full birthday month
Nothing Bundt Cakes- 1 free buntlet, full birthday month
Starbucks- 1 free item, only day of birth
Baskin Robbins- 1 kiddie cone, full birthday month

I am giving a presentation today about using your time wisely and finding time for your dreams. If you'd like to look over this outline to get ideas on how to save time, please do.

Finding talents and reaching our potential (Look UP)

I. How to make more time in your day

A. Think of and record action items (Wants and Needs)

1. Grocery shopping- 1 PM

2. Laundry- 11 AM

3. Bath time- 6:30 PM

4. Visit zoo- 12 PM

5. Call insurance- 10:30 AM

6. 30 minutes piano- 10:40 AM

7. Research Amazon publishing- 11:20 AM

8. Weekly Email- 11:40 AM

9. Scripture study- 7 AM

10. 30 minute Run- 7:30 PM

11. Write in journal- 10 PM

12. Bruce Haircut- 6 PM

13. Ministering appointment- 10:40

B. Assign Times to those items (Star multitask items)

C. Stick to your schedule (Look at it), but be flexible (Timers/Alarms)

D. Plan for tomorrow's schedule & Check off completed items

E. Acknowledge additional things you accomplished

1. Made bread

2. Made sausage kale soup

3. Made dinner for tomorrow

4. Got Gas

II. Understanding YOUR time perception and how to manipulate it. The 2 ways our brain stores memory:

A. Many different activities- Memory Records as separate activities

1. Christmas vacation (Reading all break vs. Raquetball/ Spa Night/ Nativity

2. Weekend Time (Movies vs. Outings/Hikes)

B. Similar types of activities- Recorded in summary form

1. Same old every day

2. Unplanned schedule

If we get a lot done, we also feel like we had a longer day and more time to do those things

III. Making time for your Dreams

A. Name your Dream

B. Research and Budget

C. Make a Plan

D. Give yourself a deadline/ Find and tell someone who will keep you accountable

E. After accomplishing dreams, record new dreams

IV. After we understand the perception and malleability of time, we can utilize it to satisfy our needs and desires in a timely manner.

V. Testimony of Planning and its importance