Give me a head with hair. Long beautiful hair.

I started growing my hair out about a year ago. I have only had long hair 3 times in my life- elementary school, after my mission and now. I thought it would be fun to grow it out and then donate it. My sister Jill and neice Sadie decided to do it too. Yesterday was the big day.

This is before. This is after.
Want to see the front? I'll think about it. I am ready to do it all again! We'll see how long it takes to get it long again! I sure do love having a personal stylist in the family. Thanks Andrea!!

My home and native land...

I am so excited to soon be in the land of ketchup chips, toques, chesterfields and my family! Can't wait.



I also have to share my other favourite Canadian commercial with you. I hope you love it as much as I do!!

And I quote....

"I drink shampoo in the shower and I don't get diarrhea."

Yep. That's what one of my students said today in class while he worked on a poster about dairy foods.

Like I said before, everyone needs to teach Middle school. Even just for a year.

Another PERFECT example...

I just received this email yesterday. I HAD to share... I think it is obvious why! (I don't want to die... nor the person who will soon kiss my face off!!)

I believe whatever is in store for us will be for us.
The poem is very true, unfortunately.
Make sure you read the poem!
CASE 1: Kelly Sedey had one wish, for her boyfriend of three years, David Marsden, to propose to her. Then one day when she was out to lunch David proposed! She accepted, but then had to leave because she had a meeting in 20 min. When she got to her office, ! ! she noticed on her computer she had some e-mail's. She checked it, the usual stuff from her friends, but then she saw one that she had never gotten before. It was this poem. She simply deleted it without even reading all of it. BIG MISTAKE! Later that evening, she received a phone call from the police It was about DAVID! He had been in an accident with an 18 wheeler. He didn't survive!

CASE 2: Take Katie Robinson She received this poem and being the believer that she was she sent it to a few of her friends but didn't have enough e-mail addresses to send out the full 5 that you must. Three days later, Katie went to a masquerade ball. Later that night when she left to get to her car, she was killed in that spot by a hit-and-run drunk driver.

CASE 3: Richard S. Willis sent this poem out within 45 minutes of reading it. Not even 4 hours later walking along the street to his new job interview with a really big company, ! when he ran into Cynthia Bell, his secret love for 5 years. Cynthia came up to him and told him of her passionate crush on him that she had had for 2 years. Three days later, he proposed to her and they got married. Cynthia and Richard are still married with three children, happy as ever!

This is the poem:
Around the corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end,
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone.
And I never see my old friends face,
For life is a swift and terrible race,
He knows I like him just as well,
As in the days when I rang his bell.
And he rang mine but we were younger then,
And now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game,
Tired of trying to make a name.
'Tomorrow' I say! 'I will call on Jim
Just to show that I'm thinking of him.'
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,
And distance between us grows and grows.
Around the corner, yet miles away,
'Here's a telegram sir,' 'Jim died today.'
And that's what we get and deserve in the end.
Around the corner, a vanished friend.

Remember to always say what you mean.
If you love someone, tell them.
Don't be afraid to express yourself.
Reach out and tell someone what they mean to you.
Because when you decide that it is the right time it might be too late.
Seize the day. Never have regrets.
And most importantly, stay close to your friends and family, for they have helped make you the person that you are today.

You must send this on in 3 hours after reading the letter to 10 other people. If you do this, you will receive unbelievably good luck.

*NOTE* the more people that you send this to, the better luck you will have.

SMILE, even through your tears!!!!!

Obviously people believe this, since it continues to be forwarded. Sad. But it ends with me. Although I did just "forward" it to you. But not within 3 hours. So if I die, know that I love you all and please NEVER delete this type of email ever again! :) I think someone should make a movie about this email. That would be powerful.

Monday Manners Moment

"Don't forward chain emails or jokes (okay, maybe a few jokes). The same goes for emails that have this in the subject line:
FW: Fwd: RE: Fwd: RE: Fwd fwd RE RE: Fwd re fwd:
or look like this:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Why did
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>the chicken
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>cross
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>the road?

What if an email says "Forward this to everyone you know"? That email is not the boss of you. Plus it's probably a hoax- something meant to trick you into believing or doing something dumb."
Amen.

And here is a perfect example. (I deleted about 483 lines of ??, >>> and *)

Pregnancy Test

TRY NOT TO LAUGH ( i didn't believe it, but it works!)
??
??
??
start thinking something you really really want
*
*
*
You have just been visited by SERAH I will grant you one wish. Make your wish when the count down is over.
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
MAKE A WISH
>>>
>>>
>>>
repost this with the title "pregnancy test" to throw people off and your wish will come true. If you don't, it will become the opposite

Did you know? before you go to sleep at night there is one person thinking of you. They want you they want to kiss you, They want to be with you they are always thinking about you before they go to sleep at night they are longing to be with you. This is all true not a fake if you repost this to in 5 mins the person that is longing to be with you will approach you in a month and ask you out or grab you and kiss the face off you. But if you break this chain no one will like you or ask you again for 5 years!!!

Post this in the next 200 seconds and you
WILL have
THE best day of your life THIS FRIDAY.
You're number one *love* Will either kiss you, ask you out, or grab you and kiss your face off or kill you !!!! so be ready honey

WHAT? Are you serious! Someone thinks about me before they go to sleep and are longing to be with me?? Well where are they? Hopefully by posting this here it will count and someone will approach me before January 17th and kiss my face off. I can't wait.

It is better to be hurt by someone you know accidently than a stranger on purpose.

*When my roommate turns off the bathroom light my bedroom light also goes off. Or if it is off, it goes on.
Should I be concerned?

*The other day I was told "of my 3 wives, you are the best".
Should I be concerned? :)

*Today in my class I made a "milkshake" with oreos, doritos, ice cream, coke, donuts & m&m's. (it had a purpose in my lesson- I promise) There were students in every class that drank it. And some that still wanted to after seeing others gag it down.
Should I be concerned?

*There is a "elfed" thing going around at work where you give 2 people a gift and a letter (explaining what it means to be elfed) and they are supposed to then do the same to 2 more people. I talked to 3 teachers today that have been "elfed" 2 times already.
I haven't been "elfed" at all.
Should I be concerned?

*I ate a whole burrito at Chipotle today. And I liked it.
Should I be concerned?

Monday Manners Moment

Don't pick your nose in public. Especially in the produce section.

A long time ago in Bethlehem, so the Holy Bible says...

This evening I felt the spirit of Christmas thanks to Shaniqua and Shad. Or shall I say Mary and Joseph. It was so fun watching them "perform" at the DC Temple Visitors Center!

If you haven't yet seen The Nativity Story- you need to.
It will help you remember the "reason for the season". So good.
This is my favorite scene.

How RUDE!

Today I was at a store. I was returning some items and there was an older lady at the register beside me. Suddenly she lets one rip. farts. fluffs. toots. Whatever you want to call it. What does she say in response? Excuse me. No. Oops. No. That make me feel better. Yes. Then a minute later she says "does it stink?" WHAT? Apparently she is desperately in need of a Monday Manners Moment. I should have given her my blog address.

Monday Manners Moment

Today we are going to watch a video.

Please choose the right.

People who do the wrong are NASTY!

What was I thinking?

I turned these delicious cheesy biscuits into these monsters. My friend Jenica had a bacon, cheese & chocolate themed Birthday party. So I did my best to combine all three. I added bacon to my cheesy biscuits and drizzled them with chocolate. No one threw up after eating them. So I guess they were a success.

Why did I not know these existed?

And why are they still available? A week after Thanksgiving... and not even on sale. If it was, I would have bought it.

Wowzers!

This is what I saw on my drive to school this morning. Of course it was MUCH more amazing in person. It made driving to work at 6:45am a little more enjoyable. just a little.

Monday Manners Moment...

On Tuesday. I know your Monday was missing something and I am sorry.
Here is your lesson on manners for the week.

Since we all have this in common- some "netiquette" for us all to enjoy.
And I quote "Combine the words net and etiquette and you get netiquette: manners for the way people relate to each other on the Internet. The internet is effective only when people using it know the rules and honor them. (you can thank me later for helping to make the internet a little more effective for us all!) Netiquette is meant to keep Internet activity organized and civilized.... Each person should be careful not to overwhelm the system by sending junk e-mail, by sending or requesting information needlessly, or by repeatedly posting the same message.
Chat rooms are meant to be visited by people who think similarly and who want to learn more from each other. If your child doesn't like cats, for example, (this is my favorite part) he shouldn't visit a feline fans chat room and say every negative thing he can about cats. (is this a common problem?)
If your child doesn't keep his interactions on the Internet positive, others will enforce netiquette (darn right we will). He might be "flamed" (flooded with negative, vulgar, and threatening messages), "mailbombed" (hit with so many messages that his system and his provider's system may crash), kicked out of a chat room, dropped by his Internet service provider, or- if things get really bad- sued by someone he's offended." WHAT?!?

and last but not least "never spend most of your free time online."

(be sure to scroll down and check out the video below. It is certainly organized AND civilized.)

Jingity Jing!

This is my favorite Christmas song of all time. Okay, not really. But I think it is hilarious. Enjoy the lights that some crazy with too much time and money put together.

If I had the chance I'd ask the world to dance.

I am in the mood to blog but don't have anything exciting to share. So I decided I will grant Megan's Christmas wish and do her tag-er-ino. (Even though she made me smile during a very SERIOUS part of a hymn while I was leading the music in Church today)

6 things you probably didn't know you wanted to know about me...

1) I can't smile with my teeth showing. Really! It's true. Apparently I have small gums and teeth. My sister (the dental assistant) wants me to have some crazy surgery where they extend your gums. Just thinking about it gives me the heebeegeebees. If Heavenly Father wants me to show my teeth when smiling he will fix it when I am resurrected. Or maybe when all of you will be made perfect, you will smile without showing your teeth! :) Here is proof. Me= no teeth. Martha= teeth.2) I keep a journal of every time I go to the temple. I heard something a few years ago about a lady who had been to the temple like 938 times and I wondered how she knew. I then thought to myself- It might be fun to keep a record. I write down what temple, the date, and who I went with. I have currently been to 20 temples! Only 116 more to go!

3) I like to clean fridges. Weird. I know. There is just something about throwing away nasty food, cleaning it all out and reorganizing everything. I once asked a lady on my mission if I could clean out her fridge for our service. (she said yes). It was in need of SERIOUS help. Need your fridge cleaned? Give me a call!

4) When I drive a car in my dreams it is ALWAYS a standard. I don't really know how to drive a standard. I have learned twice but haven't really been able to put that knowledge to use. Except in my dreams, of course. I am secretly scared the car will explode it I put it in the wrong gear.

5) I learned how to play the ukulele in grades 5 & 6. We played such hits as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and "Silhouette". Those were the days. I remember a girl in my class asked our teacher if we could play the song "Stand" by R.E.M. I laugh every time I hear that song. I wish I still had my ukulele. I would be the hit of every party.

6) I really want my family to be on the Family Feud. We, of course, would win lots of money. And wouldn't give dumb answers. One day. I also want to be on the Amazing Race. I don't know who my partner would be. Someone that can drive a standard, speak 12 different languages and wouldn't yell at me or annoy me. It would also be a dream come true to be on Sesame Street. How cool would that be?

I saw someone on the street eating M&M's with a spoon.

Does this look like me?

Make one of yourself here.

Monday Manners Moment

Here are a few that make me smile:

*Greetings:
"Children shouldn't be prompted against their will to kiss people for whom they don't naturally feel affection." (it doesn't say anything about adults!!)

*Introductions:
"Don't worry about who get introduced to whom. If you say the name of the more important person first, you'll automatically be handing the introduction properly."

This is dedicated to all those sacrament meeting texters, back rubbers and knitters:
*"It's respectful to focus on the event. Your child might think that the priest won't see him reading a book during the Sunday lesson. One way for your child to evaluate whether or not his behavior is appropriate is to ask himself, 'What if everyone did what I am doing?'"

*Accepting a date:
"A date should be accepted with enthusiasm. You shouldn't be afraid to show happiness at being asked."

So THAT'S how it is in your family!

It's been kind of a poopy weekend- for various reasons. I wish that I was going home for "American Thanksgiving" so I could see my fam.
But since I am not, I will bring them to me... and you!

how can this not make you smile! love the glasses!

(like mother- like daughter)

I realized I need more pictures of my fabulous family!
(most of these were stolen from my sisters blogs!)
Good thing I will be seeing them in 34 days!

Field trips are fun.

Today I got toIt was my first time there. I sure am glad I got to spend it with 9 13 year olds!

They were more interested in their worksheets than actually seeing the sites. I finally forced them out of the visitors center and we headed to the Mansion.Don't worry. They continued working on their worksheets while we waited in line.
And their highlight was standing on the path's brick ledge.
I thoroughly enjoyed the back porch with the fabulous view! One day...And this really cool looking tree...A trip to Mount Vernon wouldn't be complete without playing
Corn on the Cob Toss with the locals...and a trip to the gift shop for a magnet to add to my collection.I will have to go back again someday as that is pretty much all I got to see.
But it was a great day.

Monday Manners Moment

I am tired of dealing with rude people so I am going to change the world one etiquette tip at a time. Etiquette is something I focus on in my classes. and so why not make it a part of my blog. I do not profess to be an etiquette professional but I do try. I have read several books and learn so much with each page I turn. Here are some interesting things I have learned from the current book I am reading... (I didn't have the book with me when I first posted this so I have edited it with direct quotes)

1) "A boy may enter a revolving door first to get it started. A girl enters first if it's already moving." (apparently I made the part up about not sharing a "section" but I am SURE I read it somewhere!)

2) the person who called should say goodbye first. "Ending the call isn't only their option, but their responsibility." If you REALLY need to go, then you should politely end the conversation. Interesting.

3) "When someone makes a remark, even 'I see what you mean' or 'hmmm' is better than complete silence. With kids, not responding is an innocent omission, but it's good not to get into the habit." VERY interesting. (see pet peeves post)

Tune in next Monday for another Manners Moment!

I would like to introduce you to...

Lola Falana! The clear winner with a whopping 45% of the votes!

Congrats Darin.

I am excited to spend some time with Lola and create something delicious for your prize!

It's A Wednesday Miracle...

I went to the temple today. When going to the temple, I try to leave work before 3 so I can "miss" the traffic on the infamous beltway. (by "miss" I mean sit in traffic for an hour rather than 3 hours). Today apparently did the trick because I made it from parking lot to parking lot in 25 minutes. A miracle indeed! According to mapquest, it should take 24 minutes. HELLO! I just had to share this miracle of miracles.
The drive home, though, is another story....

You are all winners to me!

I am pretty much the most indecisive person ever. And thanks to your fabulous suggestions, I am having a hard time picking a winner. So today I will announce the top 5. In no particular order:
*Sugar Lips
*Lottie
*Lola Falana
*Kit
*Sweet Caroline
*Fannie

Okay the top 6. I really like them all though. Sheesh this is going to be hard. I loved Darin's suggestion of Margaret but goes by Peggy. Ha ha. I work with a lady that has that name situation. I don't understand...
I am going to sleep on it. Maybe make some cookies tomorrow. And I will get back to you! Feel free to vote for your favorite... but you can't vote for your own!

Welcome to my blog.

Today I was told by 3 people in my ward that they have found my blog. Yikes. Now I feel even more pressure to be entertaining and funny. I don't make any promises but I will try my best. To welcome my new readers (and anyone else who hasn't admitted it yet) to my blog I think it is time for a contest.

Name my Kitchen-Aid.

My Kitchen-Aid and I have been together for 46 days now. And what a 46 days it's been. We've laughed together. We've cried. We've made sugar cookies, chocolate cookies, rolls, mashed potatoes, and so much more. And we've only just begun. It is time though for him/her to have a name. That is where you come in. Make a comment & suggest a name. A favorite will be chosen and that person will win something. If you are local- perhaps something made in "the soon to be named mixer". If you live far away, I will think of something fun to mail you. If you are a member of my family, your prize will be a visit from me at Christmas. :)

Let the naming begin!

It's been a long day.

I was at work today for 11 1/2 hours. That was about 10 hours too long. I am going to bed. And I hope I don't wake up for at least 11 1/2 hours. I think everyone should sleep longer than they work.
Who is with me?

I sure do miss these guys...

These cute kids belong to my sister Kristi.

She is the rebel of the family! ha ha! Love the tattoos.

(She made the shark & Mario costumes...)

Jack the Shark
Jed as Mario

Maggie the bunny
Sadie as Pippi.

They sure are cute. I am still waiting to see the costumes of my other 9 nieces & nephews.

Hint hint.

I LOVE this show....

Pushing Daisies. It is funny, quirky, romantic, adventurous, creative, FABULOUS.








Not to mention Ned is one good looking man.





It is the highlight of my Wednesday.

Halloween....

It has been a week long celebration.

Last Monday for FHE we carved pumpkins. Rochelle and I made a jekyll & hyde pumpkin but the hyde part broke on the car ride home.







My friends Sundee, Sarah and Karen and I dressed up as m&m's for the 2 Halloween parties we went to this weekend. I think I might have to use that costume again.





And my spider cheeseball. Our ward had a Halloween themed munch n' mingle on Sunday so I created this beast. It was a hit. (the eye's are m&m's because I couldn't think of anything else. nasty? yes. Cool looking? yes.)

my drive to work this morning....

number of dead deer : 3 (on the SIDE of the road- Anitra & Jud!)

temperature outside: 1 degree celsius
(33 degrees fahrenheit for my American readers)

odometer reading at destination: 84448 km

singing Christmas songs all the way to work: PRICELESS

I am so ready for a snow day!

(I am trying Anitra's challenge of blogging everyday, so if you haven't been here in awhile, scroll down to see all the little jewels from my exciting life that you have missed!!)

Another Birthday tribute....

To my Mom and Dad! My Dad's birthday was on the 14th and my Mom's special day is today!! So they will get to share their birthday tribute.

Why I love my Mom and Dad:
*they are the BEST parents EVER!
*they help me whenever I am in need.
*they haven't changed the locks... yet.
*they let me come home every Christmas and summer.
*they let me take funny pictures of them -like this one at Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia (it makes me laugh so hard. I LOVE it.)
*my Mom has driven from Edmonton to Virginia with me TWICE. (I personally think she does it for all the shopping...)
*they have put up with me for 28 years and are willing to put up with me for eternity.
*my Mom AND Dad have driven & flown out to Virginia to see TWICE!
*and gone with me on road trips to NYC, Boston, Maine, my mission (Eastern Canada), Nauvoo.
*they admit that I am their favorite daughter!!!
*they support me in everything I do.
*they make me laugh.
*they have taught me soo much.
*they are great examples.
*they are hard workers.
*they are faithful.
*they have the cutest grandkids EVER!
*they are going to serve a mission somewhere exotic so I can come visit!!
*they have the hippest hairstyles in all of North America (click on the picture below to see a better view)

I LOVE YOU Mom and Dad!!!
Hope your Birthday's were Happy!