SILLY

I love having a husband who will be silly with me!  Our ward's annual talent show was tonight.  Check out Scott and I:

(We really do have fun together.  Our life isn't boring!  I love this crazy man!)

FAVORITE - MUST READ

They Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson is the first book in a projected 10 book epic fantasy series.  It is AWESOME!  And even better the second time.  I just finished re-reading this book today, and I re-remembered why I loved it the first time and why my husband and daughter love it so much!
The Way of Kings takes place in the world of Roshar.  It follows the stories of three primary protagonists:  Kaladin, Dallinar and Shallan.  It's hard to describe what this book is about because there is so much going on that it is impossible to summarize.  In short, there is magic, swords, battles, assassins, monsters, threats of destruction, betrayals, leaders, wisdom and much more.
Even though this is my second reading of this book, I am still trying to process the amount of information I've learned during my re-read.  And most likely I'll be reading it again and again (like Scott and Kotten Kandy).  Re-reading it has made me realize just how little I know about this world.
Sooooo if you are wondering if you should read The Way of Kings, my answer is YES!  It's daunting as there are over 1,000 pages, but honestly, I believe there are great lessons about honor, leadership and the human condition throughout this great novel.  (I'm going to start re-reading book 2, Words of Radiance, now!)

TO HAVE FRIENDS - BE ONE!

Friendship is a good thing... especially when those friends help you be a better person!  Kotten Kandy and Fig Newton have made some wonderful friends and were blessed to get to make memories with them this past week.

Fig Newton got to participate in Basketball Homecoming... she was part of the royalty!  She had a great time hanging out with her friends and looking like the princess that she is!

Besties!

I love my Thai daughter!

Kotten Kandy got to help Sweet Tarts celebrate her 17 birthday!  Sweet Tarts is beautiful, inside and out!  And we are so grateful she is part of our lives!

Mmmmmm Ice-cream Cake!

Sweet Tarts

Yes... We "play" a lot in our family... but we work hard too.  Here's Kotten Kandy working hard on her essay for her English class (I love that Sloth is nearby for company... I guess you could say that Sloth is Kotten Kandy's class mate?!):

PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ

A live band.  Beautiful, homemade corsage.  Dressing up.  Mexican food.  Good friends.  Swing dancing.  And the most wonderful husband in the world!  I had a marvelous date last night.  (I only wish a few other good friends had not been sick and were able to attend.)

Sooooo last night was our stakes 2nd annual Valentine Dance.  It is so much fun to dress up and attend with my sweet, fun husband!  But the night started the night before for Scott.  He decided he wanted me to have a corsage... but what's the fun of buying one?  He decided to make it!  (No, he has never worked with flowers before - but he's such a DIYer....  He figured it out!)  I LOVE my flowers!  And with left over blooms, he made a second one for Mark to give to Amy!  I think it is an amazing trait to teach yourself things and continue learning!  He is talented and amazing!

It took about 6 hours total to figure it out....

He gave up on wrist corsages, but they were gorgeous non-the-less.

The finished products!

Before the dance, we went out to dinner with our dear friends: the Bettenhausens and the Schmids!  We love these guys!  The food, company and conversation were great!

Amy, Sheila, Mike, Me, Scott and Mark

Then we danced!  We danced to live music - an amazing jazz band!  And we danced EVERY dance!  It was only after 2 hours of dancing that my feet began to hurt and Scott's knee stiffened up and we were forced to take a break.

Friends

Mike and Sheila

Amy and Mark

Silly Boys!

Amy and Mark danced as much as we did!

We were laughing so hard when this picture was taken....

Selfie with the Band!

I love us!

COUSINS ARE READY MADE FRIENDS FOREVER!

When Uncle Ben comes to visit and brings his 3 gorgeous daughters we all win!  It was WONDERFUL to get to spend time with our Idaho cousins/nieces!  We had a FANTASTIC time, staying up too late, visiting, laughing, watching chick-flicks, crafting, eating junk food, walking all the way to Indiana, playing games, and going to the temple.
Sooooo... Wednesday I had to work.  Kotten Kandy invited Marmalade over to hang out with Starburst, Air Head and Jam.  I'm told they had a good time.  When I got home, we all went to meet my little brother and Scott for dinner at Red Robin.  It was yummy!  (Thanks, Ben!)

Jam, Kotten Kandy, Marmalade, Fig Newton, Air Head and Starburst

Then we went to the walking bridge so that the McCallister kids could tell everyone back home that they walked all the way from Kentucky to Indiana.  It was really cold.  But it was fun to see the colors in the bridge and to see Louisville from the other side of the Ohio river.  Jam had soooo much energy.  She makes me laugh!

Before walking the bridge...  I really love the colors!

Although it is dark... you can see Louisville in the background.

I love this sweet daughter of mine!

I'm glad I'm a mother of girls! 

- And although I'm aunt to most of these sweet young ladies,

I still love mothering them all!

Look at those colors!

I'm so grateful these two love each other!

When we got home, Scott and I played games with my baby brother while the girls watched Beauty and the Beast.
The next morning, after a LATE slumber party (I think the girls only got 3 or 4 hours of sleep) we relaxed a bit, ate donuts and went to Hometown Pizza for their lunch buffet.  Everyone thought I was the mother of those 5 beautiful girls!  I claimed them as my own!
Then we decided it was time to paint sun-catchers.

M&Ms, Icees, Paint and SMILES!

Cute, Crazy and Energetic!

Smart, Fun and Adventurous!

Sweet, Kind and Cheerful!

Witty, Good Natured and Thoughtful!

Kotten Kandy and Starburst got to go to the temple Thursday night.  I love that they love the temple!  (Starburst also got to meet Kotten Kandy's best friends - Taffy and Maple.  She was excited to introduce them to her cousin!)

Starburst and Kotten Kandy

When the girls got home from the temple... We discovered that everyone else was completely exhausted!

Fig Newton and Ben

We were sad to say goodbye the next morning.  The time went too fast!  I sure love my sweet nieces!  And my little brother ROCKS!  I wish we all lived closer!
Here's a quick update on Key Lime Pie too....  She is doing really well at school!  Her grades are awesome and she's not procrastinating at all!  She finished her midterm for the English semester of Pathway:

And isn't she gorgeous in this picture?

Upbeat, Joyous and Caring!

Kiara also made me laugh with this meme:

She loves reading my blog.  (I admit I love knowing people read my blog.)

A FEBRUARY HODGEPODGE POST

It has been a difficult week.  Poor Kotten Kandy has been in a lot of pain and I have been stressed out - hoping I'm doing the right thing by her.  I worry that she's hurting too much, and that she has forgotten her medication, and that I am not able to diagnose medical problems well, and that she's not getting enough sleep, etc.  I am so glad I'm not a nurse or anything related to the medical field.  I prefer "nurturing" in less clinical and gruesome ways.
In happier news, Kotten Kandy has felt the love of all of her friends and family here in Kentucky.  Amy brought tons of great, soft treats the day after her surgery.  She received a sweet care package from the Schmids, letting her know how much they love her.  And Taffy made homemade chicken soup while Apple Muffin gave her applesauce.  She has felt so loved... and as a mom, I am grateful for these good friends who have not "forgotten" her.
Despite being sick (for over a week), Kotten Kandy and I managed to attend The Mikado opera last week with a few of her friends from the homeschool group.  It was WONDERFUL!!!  I laughed and laughed!  Kotten Kandy did too.

Here are the teens that went....

The Kentucky Opera company decided to set their performance in the 1980s during the punk era.  The stage was filled with blue hair, mowhawks, and big hair.  I also adored the Japanese kimonos with the punk look.  I love that Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta is filled with memorable music, theses and characters.  The show is still enchanting 125 years after being penned.  My favorite was the song "The List Song."  They changed the lyrics to fit the 80s.  And Ko-Ko, the executioner, was hilarious and perfect.  I think the role was tailor made for him.  I fell in love with The Mikado!  It's a great musical!

Ko-Ko is on the right!

Kiara got to go to the temple with her cousins, Aunt and Uncle on Saturday!  She was so glad!

Shanae, Shaved Ice and Kiara on their way to the temple!

She also decided this meme described the singles ward pretty well:

And then Amy sent me these adorable pics of my piano students teaching their sister to play!  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE "my" kids!

Marmalade, Raisin and Juice

They were having such fun!  (Even Juice - he always looks serious!)

And this picture of Kotten Kandy and Taffy made me smile!  They are both working together on a project.  I love that they are hard workers and very resourceful.

LOOSING WISDOM

Kotten Kandy had her wisdom teeth removed this morning.  She was AWESOME!  She didn't complain.  She was brave.  She was quiet.  And since the surgery, she has only asked for medicine a few times.  I couldn't ask for a better patient.  Although I can tell it really hurts... maybe from the silent tears?!  I've never been good with medical stuff... and this has been a difficult trial for me (although I'm not the one who had the ordeal.)  I hate seeing my child in pain.

First Selfie in the car ride home....

She was like a zombie.  She hardly spoke and stared straight ahead.

Kiara face-timed her sister to cheer her up...

Although Kotten Kandy doesn't look happy,

she said she was glad her sister called and did all the talking....

Sisters ROCK!