no tv

well, i have been reading quite a lot since april because when we moved into our new place, we decided not to get cable. at night when the kids are in bed there is nothing i want more than to sit on the couch and relax. normally i do this while watching a variety of shows but now i read. i thought i tell you all what i have been reading and if there are any recommended reads.

here they are in no particular order:

*jane eyre (charlotte bronte)- recommended by ruth and it was soooo good! i can't believe that i hadn't read it before. everyone should read it. i did think it was kind of slow in the beginning but once i got through that, the story really, really picked up and i couldn't put it down.

*peony in love (lisa see) - she write using her chinese background and they are so amazing! it is so intense reading about what it was like for women in china when women were in arranged marriages and could not leave the house. this book is loosely based on someone who actually lived and died because of the strain this put on them at the young age of 16. i loved this book!

*sunflower and the secret fan (lisa see) - also somewhat based in history, this really goes into detail about the act of footbinding and what it meant in their culture. she is an awesome writer and i recommend all of her books.

*flower net (lisa see) - this book and the and the sequel are part of her mystery collection. although i liked her novels better both of these two books were pretty good.

*the interior (lisa see) - see above

*city of bones (cassandra clare) - where do i begin? i think these are the best books i have read all year. if you love twilight i this series is a must read. i have actually read them twice now and i could hardly put them down. it was all i could do to feed and clothe my children! well i am exaggerating but they are so, so, so , so good. let me know if anyone else reads or has read them, i want to know what you think.

*city of ashes (cassandra clare) - awesome

*city of glass (cassandra clare) - an amazing ending to one of the best series!

*the percy jackson series: the lightning thief, the sea of monsters, the titans curse, the battle of the labrynth and the last olympian (rick riordan) - along the lines of harry potter (they are actually shooting the movie for the first one right now) but very different. this book is all about greek mythology and i found the history so intriguing. i would recommend this to everyone and if you have children who can read i would suggest them as well.

*the fablehaven books: fablehaven, the rise of the evening star, grip of the shadow plague and secrets of the dragon sanctuary (brandon mull) - another lds author to really hit the mark. these are awesome books that the whole family can read. i have really enjoyed them and would recommend them to all. i do believe there will be at least one more book in the series but not for a while.

*twenties girl (sophia kinsella) - the author of the shopaholic books has written a very cute novel. much different than the shopaholic books and in some ways better. i don't know about you but when i read those books i was practically yelling i was so mad most of the time because of the stupid things she was doing. i had a really hard time finishing some of them but was always rewarded in the end with a great ending. if you like her other books i would recommend this one.

*the time travelers wife (audrey niffenegger) - what a name that is. anyways i loved the story but can not recommend this to anyone because of a lot of choice words and some scenes that i wish i wouldn't have read. awesome story though see the movie, it is missing the bad parts.

*the memory keepers daughter (kim edwards) - loved the book and the story. it is definitely a tear jerker but a great read.

*the girl who could fly (victoria forester) - this was such a touching story about why being different is good and how we should stay true to who we are. great for adults and children. loved it.

*the giver (lois lowry) - this is a classic that i had never read. people kept asking if i loved the book because two of the characters are lily and asher. i figured i should give it a shot and loved it. if you haven't read this you should. it is pretty short and a very quick read.

*the defector (daniel silva) - this was an intense thriller about the russian kgb and the Israeli intelligence. it was kind of a random read for me (a recommend from the library staff) but i actually really liked it.

*a thousand splendid suns (khaled hosseini) - another amazing story. i don't know if you have read the kite runner but this is the same author and everyone says this story is better. i only saw the movie so i don't have much of an opinion on the kite runner but this was truly amazing. i find it so fascinating to learn about what it is like for the women of Afghanistan. if you are at all interested in historical fiction you should give this a whirl. it is a beautiful love story.

*the hunter games (suzanne collins) - i just finished this today and i can't wait to get my hands on the sequel. i am dying to know what comes next in this amazing story about survival and love. i think i would categorize this as sci-fi and it was amazing. READ THIS!

let me know if you have any recommends for me. besides the time travelers wife, i recommend you read all of these books but if you aren't a crazy speed reader like me, please just read the cassandra clare books YOU WILL LOVE THEM!

jana

new moon trailer #3

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2nd official new moon trailer

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The Twilight Saga: New Moon 'Meet Jacob Black' Preview in HD

gardening

basil.
my favorite fresh herb to cook with (probably the only fresh herb i have cooked with)

zucchini.
my zucchini plant hasn't been doing too great. this is my only zucchini that has grown. when i transplanted this from a pot to the ground, i don't think i got it in the ground good enough. oh-well at least i will have one.

roma tomato.
obviously not ripe yet but there are for nice sized ones to choose from.

bell pepper.
i love bell peppers. fortunately this plant was happy and there are like 8 or 9 growing pretty quickly.

this is jackson's sunflower.
he planted a little sunflower seed in an egg carton at preschool and this is what it has become. i think he planted it way back in april or may but this little sucker has hung on quite well. today is the first day that it opened but it is a good two feet tall.

i thought i would try gardening this year. i really don't know what i am doing but most of my plants are producing for me anyway. i just thought i would document them just in case i ever feel like i am not a very good homemaker. i mean come on, i grew my very own vegetables and herbs. i am sure most of you are thinking, "what's the big deal?" well, this kind of thing just wasn't done in my home growing up. we just weren't the gardening kind of people. actually, i did try to keep a cactus once but killed it by over watering it! i obviously didn't know what i was doing. well when we lived in spokane, steven's family had/has this huge garden every summer and it was the most awesome thing. all i had to do was walk into my backyard and i had my pick of zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, corn, basil, pumpkins, green beans and i am sure there is much more that i am forgetting. i was able to watch them a bit and thought i would give it a try. i love walking outside every day and seeing how much my plants are growing, it is very satisfying.

fancy

so the other day i was on the computer when asher comes in the room and he covered in necklaces and bracelets. by the time i got to the camera he had already taken off most of the bracelets but i still captured him with all of the necklaces. he is honestly the funniest little kid, i could tell from the look on his face when he walked in the room that he knew he was looking pretty darn cute.

i can hardly ever get them sitting by each other so i thought i would throw this in.

lily's new haircut

i have been wanting to cut lily's hair for a while now and today she finally, begrudgingly, let me. she hates it when i blowdry her hair and it was getting really hard the longer it got. she also didn't like me to put it up so cutting it was the only option. i think she has a really good face for a bob and i thought i would share it with you all.

i asked lily if she likes it and she says, "i don't know." no one ever likes their hair on the first day after cutting it, so i guess that answer was to be expected. i think she looks pretty cute!

asher sparks

(one of his favorite birthday gifts, he actually wore the helmet to chuck-e-cheese)

june 3rd my little baby turned 2! can i still call him a baby? i can't believe how old he is seeming lately. he didn't talk for the longest time and now all of a sudden, he is saying everything (or at least trying to.) it is so fun to see him blossom and grow. asher is the most loving cuddly little kid i know. if he is upset or crying about anything, all i have to do is sing him this lullaby that i use to sing him as a baby and he immediately stops crying and cuddles up close. he loves bears, blankies, binkies, his bed (i have never seen a kid love their bed more than him, he literally laugh and giggles when ever we put him in it), he still sleeps in a pack-n-play (we tried cribs but he never slept good in them), loves almost all food, ice cream (gets crazy milkshake headaches just like me if he eats it too fast) mr. potato head, the park, water parks, getting dirty, reading, music and listening to steven play the guitar (when he was a baby he use to watch steven so intensely that steven thinks (hopes) that he will be his guitar player prodigy). this kid has the best smile and fortunately he blesses us with it all the time. he is truly a happy kid and he makes our family better for it. thanks for blessing our home every day buddy! i love you!

he got into the dirt/bark in the backyard. he had a good time until he started getting slivers on his neck and in the bottom of his feet from the bark. i had to sit with him for a long while pulling them out. that is the most still i have ever seen him.

steven

(steven enjoying a piece of leftover mangled pizza from asher)

we have had a few birthdays in our home over the last few weeks and steven came next in the line up on june 2nd. the kids and i made him a little cake and surprised him at work one day and took him out to dinner. he picked claim jumper and we had a blast. we aren't big celebrators so this was pretty much all that happened.

i am grateful to have steven in my life. he works so hard so that i can stay home with our children. he has also started going back to school in the last year so he is even busier. he leaves for work at around 7, doesn't get home until 7'ish and then has to start homework. fortunately for him, he is one of those people that does good in school without too much effort and this time around i think he is actually enjoying it a little. he is a great dad and a wonderful husband and i am so thankful to have him in my life.

happy 33rd birthday babe!

lily belle

happy birthday lily! i have been sorely neglecting my blogging duties so i have to catch up starting with lily's birthday that was on May 10th. i can't believe that my little baby has grown from this tiny little baby (well not that tiny at 9.3 i think she was closer to a 1 month old) with tubes up her nose and hooked to all sorts of monitors

to this grown up beautiful five year old.

five years have gone by so fast and that is a little scary to think about. how fast will the next 5 years go? for now she loves to play with her brothers, loves puzzles, games, any kind of craft, making messes (not cleaning them up), high school musical 1, 2 & 3, princesses, pink, purple, coloring, writing words, trying to read, she only eats chicken nuggets, quesadilla's, pizza, grilled cheese, any kind of fruit, yogurt, candy, cakes, cookies & milk. she literally wont eat eat something if she is not sure that she will love it. this is where her stubborn side shows the most because she is more than happy to got to bed without eating to save herself from eating anything that she might not like. even though this is so frustrating sometimes, i love that she accepts the consequences of not eating what i have made with such grace. lily is constantly singing or talking. unless she is in her room for quiet time (she hates that i make her do this), i can be guaranteed to hear some sort of chattering. lily is very studious and i just know that she will be the best student in our home. ever since preschool ended, she keeps asking, "how many more days until summer is over?" the girl can't wait to start kindergarten this year. i thank heavenly father everyday for bringing her love and light into our home. i love you lily belle

lily shoving her face with cake at her little party.

opening one of her presents wearing a hat that she made at school.

new moon

ice cream

we decided to go to mcdonald's one night to get an ice cream cone and this is how much asher enjoyed it. i don't think we had ever given him a cone before and now i know why. he would literally just shove his face into it thus the craziest mess. it was soaked into his jacket, messed in his hair, eyebrows and needless to say, his hands were covered with it. thankfully lily and jackson were much better at eating their ice cream and created no further messes.

this was obviously a while ago because asher still had his lovely hair. by the way, we did end up buzzing his hair and it looks much better than when we got it cut at the hair place. i have to say that i am looking forward to the curls growing back and if they don't, i will be very disappointed.

handprint

we have lived in this house for a little over a year now and asher's hand print has been on the downstairs window since the first week. i thought it was so cute that i didn't have the heart to wash it off. well we are getting ready to move to a new house and i am going to have to wash it away so i thought i would preserve his little hand print on the window with our camera. isn't it amazing how quickly they grow up? my little baby lily will be starting kindergarten this year and i can't even believe it. where does the time go? it is funny because sometimes the days seem to be so long but then all of the sudden it is saturday and i feel like, where did the week go? i don't know if that makes any sense but it is how i feel. i love my babies so much and even though it is sad to see them grow up, i am excited to see the people they grow in to. i am eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with three of the best kids ever.

WANTS & NEEDS

I saw this on a friend's blog and decided to have a little mindless fun. If you want to do it too: Go to Google, type your first name followed by needs (for example, I typed "Jana needs") and then list the first 10 hits you get. Do the same for wants ("Jana wants"). Here's what I got followed by commentary by yours truly.

JANA NEEDS

1. jana needs creative pursuits in stamping (isn't stamping amazing?)
2. (the last thing) jana needs is more trouble - especially man trouble (i have no trouble with my man)
3. jana needs a home (who doesn't!)
4. jana needs a 30-minute block of time to set up her equipment and do a sound check with the sound engineer at least 90 minutes before the program ( this would have been nice back in the day. the funny thing is, this jana also has the last name of heller)
5. jana needs a bang trim (if i actually had bangs, i would definitely need a trim)
6. Jana needs to find that peace and soften her anger towards her Father (not really, i love you dad)
7. jana needs to get her a!# back to new york (i added the exclamations, i didn't want a cuss word on my blog)
8. Jana needs a 1600 loan to buy some new office furniture and a computer
9. JANA needs at least version 1.4 of Java®. (now if only i knew how to use it)
10. Jana needs to read some books on assertiveness to increase her skills (i think steven would say i have this one covered)


JANA WANTS

Jana wants to replace those two directors, and add five new seats, giving they 7 of 14 directors and voting control of the board.
2. Jana wants more shares?
3. Jana want less drama and more fun. (who doesn't?)
4. Jana wants to discuss budget concerns. (not really)
5. Jana wants to share her Potts family photo with this list
6. jana wants to attend training course about NABL in Kolkata, West Bangal, India. (i actually would like to visit india)
7. Jana wants to marry the tallest man in California. (well since i am already married, i don't think this would work and besides steven is the perfect height for me.)
8. Jana wants to marry fattest man in Utah, whoever he might be.(i thought this was really funny)
9. Jana wants to try Old Town Alehouse
10. JANA wants to recruit highly qualified board members to increase the long-term value of the company for stockholders. (who knew their was an actual company named JANA?)

hair cut time

so asher's hair was getting a little bit out of control so i decided to get it cut. i thought he would be a little scared so i took him to one of those kid places and he got to sit in a plane. this didn't help at all and to top it off, the girl couldn't speak english and had no idea what i was telling her to do to his hair. in the end i had to take him home and cut some more myself and it's still not right. i should have just shaved it off like we did jackson's hair(see last picture) but steven seems to like it.

here with his little afro.

he honestly had the thickest and softest curls ever. the only problem was that they were starting to get knotty when he would sleep but here it was in it's full glory.

mid haircut.

post haircut and full of gel and hairspray.

jackson got a buzz on sunday before church. isn't it weird how cutting a child's hair can make them look soooo much older? by the way he is wearing a bandaide because while he was spinning in the kitchen he fell and hit his head on the sharp corner of the bench for their little table. he came to me crying and holding his head and i was sure that it was going to start gushing but fortunately when he moved his hand it was just a minor flesh wound that this yellow bandaide covered well.

happy birthday to me

so i would like to start off by saying thank you to my mom for buying me a plane ticket to huntington beach for my birthday. i haven't seen my friends in almost 4 years. we used to hang out all of the time and i miss each one of them dearly. i was really sad that i didn't get to see julie due to illness but, i know i will see her this summer. i arrived into LAX at 10pm on my actual birthday and kim and tracy picked me up. i was still a little doped up from my anxiety flying medication but i was really excited to see them. the first stop was "in and out" for a little grilled cheese and some fries with extra salt(can't eat them any other way.) then we dropped off tracy and went to kim's and surprise...

kim's wonderful husband seth, made a little birthday creation for me. it was awesome! thanks again seth and kim for everything you did this weekend from buying me food to taking me to the movies and the swap meet it couldn't have been a better weekend.

kim and her beautiful kiddos ben and london.

the next morning we met my life long friend kelly and her four kids at the bagel shop for breakfast. it was soo good to see her, catch up on her life and meet her youngest children for the first time.

next we made it to kim harvey's and this is cute picture of her and her bunny. we were able to sit in the sun in her backyard and talk and laugh, it was soo nice outside(the perfect temperature.) it was so good to see you kim and we missed having you at dinner!

next we went to visit ruth. she cut and colored my hair and caught me up on everything going on around her house. ruth is awesome, i met her like 14 years ago and every time we see each other (no matter how long it has been) it seems like it has been no time at all. i think that is what i love about my friends, we have known each other for so long that we don't let living 2 states away change that.

ruth also made me an awesome feather headband just like the one she is wearing here. i love it, thanks ruth!

kayley, alison, tracy & tarah

ok so saturday night all of my friends, minus julie, met at buca de beppo's for dinner. it was a blast. we talked about almost everything you can think of from children, to hair to well i don't think i have to mention the rest.

kayley, alison, tracy, tarah, kim, me and kelly

i just thought this was a good picture of kim and tarah.

after dinner we headed for pinkberry's and then starbucks so we could sit around and talk. we probably stayed there for 2 hours talking laughing. i had the greatest time ladies. i miss each and every one of you all of the time and i feel so blessed to have been able to spend time with you this weekend. thank you for being there, i had such an amazing birthday.

lastly but definitely not least, this is benny boy. he is only 1 day older than asher and he (well him and london) saved me from missing my kids too much. in the mornings i would go sit on the couch and watch cartoons with him and london and he would scoot immediately over and cuddly up next to me. london was always there to give me a kiss and a hug and tell me she loves me which made me feel like i wasn't too far away from my own family. thank you braithwaite family for sharing your home and family with me. i will love you always!

until next summer my friends, i promise we will visit you then. i can't wait for you to meet my family.

death of an iphone

this kid might look cute and innocent but tonight he pulled a chair over to the kitchen counter and put my iphone in my cup of water. i didn't even see him do it i just walked over to get a drink and surprise! there was my phone. the only reason i know it was him was i saw him pulling the chair over, i just didn't even think this was a possibility. watch your phones people, children are dangerous.

i love my child but i don't like him very much right now! i don't have very many nice things that are all mine and it is really frustrating to think that my phone (which i love) might be ruined.

steven had me dry it off and then put it in a bowl of rubbing alcohol. it is now currently drying in an airtight baggie and is surrounded in rice to hopefully absorb the water. he says i need to leave it there for at least two days before i check to see if it is working. i will let you know.

valentines day

so today for valentines day we decided to go on a walk as a family. steven found this place called waterworks gardens and we went to check it out. it was this long path that winds between all of these ponds with water reeds and other plants sticking up from them. it was kind of a weird place but we had fun exploring. steven took a bunch of pictures and i thought i would post a bunch because i think they came out pretty good. unfortunately our stake decided to have a stake valentines dance on valentines day and steven (he is the ward activities chair) had to go work at it so i decided to stay home. i didn't want to spend money to have a babysitter so i could either sit by myself while he worked or to sit in the kitchen. we will have to pick some other night that we can do something fun. i know we don't sound like the most romantic people but we will make up for it another day.
i love you steven. thank you for knowing how to make me laugh even when things are rough. you are the best husband and i couldn't ask for anything more. thank you for always loving me and never pointing out my faults. you have a way of making me feel like i am a perfect wife even though i make plenty of mistakes. thank you for working so hard for our family. you are the best husband, i love you!

we gave blood

steven and i gave blood today. i have never done it before and really didn't intend to when we got to the church. the last time steven gave blood was in high school and he passed out twice so he hasn't done it since. he wouldn't have done it this time if it wasn't for sister ridley at church. she is this older lady in our ward who is a complete crack up. steven is constantly teasing her and they have a really good time together. well she was in charge and she called him up and joked him into giving blood. i figured when we got there that if steven could do it, so could i. well, here is the documentation!

steven getting the needle put in.

sister ridley promised she would sing for him if he did it. this is her singing to him.

i just think she is so cute. she was like a little school girl giggling and having a really good time singing to him. she reminds steven a lot of his grandma.

here is me getting the needle put in.

me with the needle. i like this picture because those are my favorite shoes and i love how they are the only thing in focus.

well i guess the moral of the story is that giving blood wasn't all that bad. we ate a good breakfast and drank water and didn't pass out at all. if you haven't done it and you aren't too crazy scared, you should give it a try. i guess it saves 3 lives. steven thinks they should have each person that gets your blood have to write you a thank you letter. he thinks more people would donate if they knew who they were saving.