The Royal Wedding.

I can't imagine how awful it must be to "NOT" have an interest in the Royal wedding and have to be subjected to all this frivolous pomp and media frenzy. It has taken over our TV's and whilst I, for obvious reasons, am thrilled and excited to see all the coverage and live pics from home, I really do feel for anyone wondering why as much energy isn't placed on "real" news.
Anyway, I'm excited. Not so much because they are Royal but more because I love a good wedding and honestly, since leaving England, weddings have been quite a let down. Of course I don't have any family here and Boyd's have followed the traditional Utah theme of, do the best you can on a very tight budget because lets face it, your 20, you have school loans and no place to live and no car of your own and well, you know the story. I have seen some beautiful dresses and cakes and I was lucky enough to go to a wedding at La Caille (The cute bride won the grand prize at the huge bridal expo and it was quite fancy)but the thing I miss is more cultural.

The wedding is planned very far in advanced. They are rare, since most folks have only one or 2 kids and many people choose not to get married these days. (I have 4 cousins, all within a few years of my age, Only 1 of them is married )The wedding is a big deal. Top hats and tails a must, Hats for the Ladies or those new fancy feather clip things but ALWAYS a new outfit. It doesn't matter how tight your budget, you have to have a new outfit for a wedding and then another for the reception. Weddings are strictly invite only and it is required that you RSVP!!! Have you ever heard of such a thing. Children are not welcome unless specifically named on the invite! and only very close friends and relatives will get that invite. This will include the wedding and always a meal after wards. The venue is quickly transformed for the evening and music arrives in the form of a DJ or band. There is always a bar whether you pay or they do and also a buffet of food and treats for the evening guests. This is less formal and requires a different outfit. Sometimes the bride will change into a cocktail version of her dress and there are many more folks invited to this part of the affair. Then, when it comes time for the Bride and groom to leave, they do so, tossing the bouquet and zooming off in there decorated car. This is when the party amps up, Dad takes off his tie that's been choking him, Mum kicks off the heels and we have a right old knees up until the very last guest decides to leave. Sometimes the wee hours of the morning.
Now tell me that doesn't sound awesome.
Weddings are rare but usually well thought about and planned and so, like with Kate And William, by the time you get to them, you are so thrilled for the couple and this truly does look like a fairy tale.

Wordless Wednesday

Feeling creative.

Usually my creative moments include glue. Today, I feel this urge for something girlie and since Asha won't humor me with hair bows or flowers for her room, I wondered what feminine flair I could inject into my house without groans from the He's.
I know PINK CUPCAKES!!!
I should probably mention, I have never made cup cakes before and frosting has only been with a knife or a tube of the toothpaste like stuff you buy ready made and squeezable. How hard can it be ? Ha Ha.....

Of course I go to google and watch a You tube tutorial, I really do feel blessed by technology. The first video suggests a zip lock bag with the end cut off.

HHmm , not quite the look I wanted, so I cut a bigger hole.

Oh yum, now that looks like the fat powder snow you just want to jump in but still not quite what I see in th stores.

After a bunch of attempts, (yes I scraped it off and tried again) I pulled out the big guns and went to an actual icing bag with pointy tip thing.

Now that's more like it!
Of course I couldn't leave it there, I had all kinds of fun.

The problem, no one will eat my cupcakes!
I guess they'll be decorating my counter until they go moldy or I get visitors, LOL, moldy it is.

My Elder's Easter

There's no Easter Bunny!!! There, I said it, I can't tell you how much it urk's me to hear of kids getting hundreds of dollars worth of loot and more than a months worth of candy delivered, anonymously by an "Easter Bunny". It's bad enough that our entire Christmas season has been commercialized but how we can buy into this, same kind of spending at Easter, really saddens me.
I thought it might be that I grew up in a place where we don't celebrate every date on the calendar. For me, Easter mean't a chocolate egg, maybe 2 if my grandma got me one as well. I've heard of eggs rolling down the hill, chicks to celebrate spring but a Human sized rabbit that sneaks in your house and steals more of your already tight budget to ruin your kids with more sugar and expectations......well I'm not sure where it comes from but it can stay with the Leprechaun and Cupid.

Our family, well I'm not a total wench, of course we hunt for eggs, but 2 bags of mini eggs thrown around the house, found within minutes, is plenty to share and I usually buy my kids a pair of spring shorts and a colorful t-shirt (let's face it, no one in my house is wanting a spring Sunday dress)For us, Easter is a time to talk about Christ, show gratitude and celebrate Eternal life.

Today I received this letter from Our Elder so I wanted to share:


Dear Everyone, This week has been a really good one. I spent this week reading "Jesus The Christ."if you haven't read this book before, do it! haha anyway this week i was reading that book and i was following the life of the savior. The last week of His life. It was really an eye-opening experience to follow the life of the savior. I learned many things which i never would have even thought about. I realized a lot of little details that i would have missed simply just reading the accounts out of the new testament. When i read about certain parts, it really made me think a lot. I really felt bad for Judas, for instance.It got me thinking about who Judas was. Because his weakness was money. Well someone else's weakness has been money. Joseph Smith...both of them had a big weakness to money, and the only difference between the two of them was the action that they made. One is now revered as the "son of perdition" and the other "has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it."The thing i thought of was: what is my weakness, and how can i keep from becoming a slave to the devil like Judas.I think i received my answer though during the week and i thought that I'd share that with all of you this week.You see, Judas, I feel, was a seeker for attention. He probably followed Jesus Christ because he had a huge following. I feel like it was because of the popularity of Jesus, he followed. Surely when the popular guy invites you to hang out with them in High School, you go. The thing is that Judas, i felt, didn't gain a testimony until after he had betrayed his master. So the lesson i could gain from him, is i need to gain my testimony right now, and not linger and procrastinate the day of my repentance. This easter was one to remember the divinity of our Savior, who reaches out to all and beckons to "come, follow me." I have a testimony that Jesus Christ is our Savior. He IS RISEN! he did it only because he loves us so so very much. i know that my weaknesses are there, so that my heavenly father can test me and see just how ready i am to become like him. i am, though, going to do all that i can RIGHT NOW to become more like him and i encourage you all to do the same. SincerelyElder Curtis Ross Hickman

Feeling Blue?

Do you ever wake up with the massive urge to just change something? Like a major hair cut, (oh wait, did that, my next option would be to shave it off) or move house, so you don't have to look at what needs cleaning anymore,(not an option, a nice motor home is worth more than my house these days :( ) So my next thing is to decorate something....anything..... But what?
Kids rooms, done, My room, possibly but where do I get the most impact for the least $$$ ? Accessories in the Family room!!
It seems like I just barely did that.(I checked, spring 2009)

I took out orange and added blue to my lime green. Loved it.

Now I'm finding myself drawn to purple, I mean the dark grape kind of color and no I wont be decorating with grapes any time soon.


So what's your favorite color?
It's funny how kids can answer this off the top of their head but we need options. Well what sort of blue? or on what? I like to wear grey but I like to scrapbook with orange, I love teal but wouldn't wear it and Lime green is an awesome addition to chocolate brown but maybe not for house exteriors (daybreak, just saying)
And my favorite color seems to change with the seasons. I'm such a fashion victim.

Oh well, So is it me, or do you like to change things too? and how often is too often?
Suggestions please.

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Pushing a wheelchair around Disney land is like taking a stroller to a market or Fair. It was regularly tempting to ram people right in the ankles, which I refrained from except the one time it happened on accident when I wasn't driving. It's actually surprising how many times people stop dead in their tracks to maybe contemplate the state of the union, without warning to me, who may have gotten a nice momentous run going. Fortunately my 140lb braking system, called "lean back and pull" worked surprising well but had we been equipped with airbags,they may have deployed on occasion.
As a whole, Disney was very wheel chair accessible and accommodated us with short lines and the odd slow down of a ride, mortifying to my "Cryp" friend.(we decided she was the Cryp, as in cripple, so that made me the Cryp Keeper)But to my buddy, who is pro at doing Disney felt very restricted, not being able to zip around getting fast passes and all other clever tricks I've now learned.

FYI- there was no parade!!!Your joking..... Have you ever.....? Just felt wrong and my friend ,can you believe, has never been to a show there!!! Shocking!

They go to ride rides and the state of my sensitive to motion, stomach knew all about it. I do however, do them all, just have a to take a break between sometimes.
All in all a great trip.The sun was shining,I got in some Relief Society without the casserole and am I ever grateful I don't share a bathroom with 6 girls regularly.

Cruella was awesome, totally rude to people, I want her job!

Getting in my practice for the week.



Still the happiest place on earth, unless your a pin trading addict, then it's possible your worst nightmare. I hadn't heard of pin trading, thankfully, I had to convince myself, several times, that I didn't want to start being one.......not yet anyway ;-)

What kind of Rollercoaster?

This weekend, I am heading to Disneyland. This would usually be a woohoo but I am going without my kids and that in itself just feels wrong. I'm the Mum who has taken my kids to Disney World, on a cruise, to England, to Tepanyaki's. So this just feels all kind of wrong but to be honest, and I know there will be rolls of eyes and puleese... comments. I am going to help out a friend. My friend had an accident and had to have a bone removed from her foot. Her family is having some struggles so she planned a trip for her 2 daughters, to bring 2 friends and head to CA for spring break. Now because of the accident she would have to cancel unless someone would go with her. So you see, I'll be pushing a wheelchair around with one of my most highly strung friends (not exactly R & R).
This got me thinking about rollercoaster's and what kind I might be on. I decided splash mountain. You float along and are quickly introduced to the first bumps of life, not too bad. Then before you know it, your climbing, life is all good then
the inevitable crash to the bottom. Ah you breath a sigh of relief, Sit back and enjoy the ride and the music, even though your wet through from your recent crash. You try your best to avoid the thorns and Briar's and I'm sure it's no coincidence there's the odd big butt in the scene (I'm talking about Brair Bear)Then low and behold, another drop and another.... Yep I'm definitely a splash mountain kind of ride.

And that's how I feel today...I just want to get off and dry out in the sun.