What an honor and what a thrill....
You can find me here!

I was privileged to do an interview with Gabi, one of my absolute MUST reads. Her blog is called the "Gabblog", I love reading about her adventures in life and in parenting. Her writing makes me laugh, makes me think, and makes me happy that I found the glorious world of blogging. She is an amazing young mom and I admire her so.

One more hour of sleep!

Today was our last day of Seminary. I know I am supposed to be sad because "my kids" will be graduating and moving on and I won't see them anymore...(ummm, not true, 3 of the 4 stalwart ones live in my ward) ANYWAY, I know I should be sad that I won't get to spend every night studying my scriptures mightily, looking for ways to enrich and inspire them. But truthfully, all I can think about is ONE MORE HOUR OF SLEEP! Woooooo-Hoooooooo! I will enjoy my two months off, I will think daily of my new class of Freshmen (of which CeliaFae owns one and so do I for that matter) but I will not miss my 5:15 am alarm. Not one little bit.

*I will not miss fighting with the library lock
*I will not miss the copy machine that really does have a brain of it's own and it's an evil brain
*I will not miss trying to think of new and fascinating ways to teach Scripture Mastery
*I will not miss trying to get the DVD player to work. It doesn't like 6:30 either.
*I will not miss trying to keep sweet KC on track. Love him.
*I will not miss doughnuts
*I will not miss always, everyday, being on my game that early in the morning.
*I will not miss Leviticus, Obidiah, Micah.......
*I will not miss feeling bad if all the kids don't want to come

*I will miss Karlee, Derrick, Tom, KC, Vincent, Jarrett, Angel, Kelsey, Kendal, Kyle and Devin.
*I will miss their daily prayers on my behalf.
*I will miss listening to them laugh.
*I will miss Moses, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Daniel, Rachel, Esther and all my other heroes.
*I will miss reading everyday and finding great quotes
*I will miss talking to Alisa everyday (my team teacher)
*I will miss finding words like "vomit" and "worwold" in the scriptures.
*I will miss celebrating Jewish holidays
*I will miss the sweet spirit Seminary has given my life
*I will have time to read more blogs.

Woot! Woot! Wednesday Wedding!

When it is 9:30 pm and three people have called you because they need to go to bed and you haven't posted a regular feature...things are out of hand. I will have no lurkers or readers after Aug. 6th, on which day I will post wedding pictures. I need to think of a new carrot to draw people in....


SO, What do....




This cute ribbon.....




These gorgeous pink Gerbera Daisies......

These rice paper lanterns....



Too cute for words photo frames.....





And these little girl's cowboy boots.....




And Jones Soda in two flavors.....




All have in common?



By the way, Paige wins the caption contest...we decided on "They are on the right track", so I will arrange to get you your prize.

Ardy and Rachel came in a very close second with "She'll have him trained in no time" and "He has a one track mind." But I am the brides' mother, I don't want to think about his one track mind!

Notes from School

The following is an actual note that was brought into the attendance office. The names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent.

Joe Schmoe is late for school this morning because on his way out the door this morning he was confronted by a fire-breathing dragon. As he reached for his magical sword it dawned on him that he had left it in the dark and dreary forest where yesterday he had slain werewolves who were attempting to molest his Princess. So, with no magic sword, he called upon his flying monkeys to retrieve it for him. (They always make such a mess, I just hate them)
His monkeys were moving a little slow, perhaps it was their late night out with friends. When the monkeys FINALLY returned with Joe's sword, there ensued a ferocious, bloody battle with the dragon. He had to clean up a little and dress his burns from the dragon. However, he could have still made it to school on time, but I could not let him leave the gory mess. So he had to clean up the blood and the dragon parts, (it would have traumatized his younger siblings). So, he had to stay home a little longer this morning and as you can see, it is all my fault.

Thank you for understanding,
Josephina Schmoe, Mother and Slave Driver

Gotta love this Mom.

A prayer

Today is Memorial Day, how thankful I am to live in this free country where I can express my opinions freely, disagree with my leaders, worship as I like, and raise my children with the hopes that they can accomplish anything they truly want.

Thank you Dad R. for lying about your age of 16 and joining the Navy in WWII.
Thank you Grandpa D. for being one of the first Air Force Pilots in WWII.
Thank you Dad D. for your service in the Air Force also, you didn't see combat, but your services on Armed Forces radio are legendary. I don't know you well, but I looked you up.
Thank you brother, Mark for your years in the Navy and your recent tour to Iraq.

Thank you Mom and Dad for instilling in us a love of our country and more importantly, respect for America. I do cry at parades Mom, I love the Star Spangled Banner and it's message of hope. I hold my hand over my heart as a pledge of allegiance to this great land. I thank my Heavenly Father for the opportunities and quality of life we have here. I hope today, or any day, in the hustle and bustle of raising families and just living everyday life, that we take a moment and reflect upon those who have fought and are continuing to fight so that we can continue to have freedoms. I stand in awe of their courage, dedication and sacrifice.

"Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth
The peace that was meant to be
With God as our Father,
Sisters all are we
Let me walk with my sister
In perfect Harmony

Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow
To take each moment
And live each moment
In peace eternally
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.

Wednesday....wiped out

I didn't die after all...I ended up being the first responder, the 911 caller. I was so upset seeing those kids all bloodied up in the cars, I couldn't dial the phone. I had a special dispatch # programmed in my phone and I couldn't find it, everyone said I was so convincing. That's because I was near hysteria and my hands were shaking so bad!! The whole experience was humbling, I'll write about another day when I can collect all my thoughts.

But it's Wednesday and that means wedding stuff!
Sorry if I am boring you! Just wait, you'll be excited too! Plus, it's lonely planning by myself with my girl 800 miles away. (sad mom face) and I am unabashedly proud of their choices!

Today's pictures are engagement pictures! Hope I don't bore you, if so...carry on to another blog!
I won't be offended!





I love this picture. Put a caption with it...it's going on a Jones Soda bottle which are going to be the "favors" at the wedding. Seriously...I'll send a prize to the best caption!!! The contest is on.


Awwwww....


He just looks so happy doesn't he?


I am going to have stinkin' cute grandkids,
and yes, I will bore you showing them off!


Too bad those brown eyes are predominant over his baby blues!






This is what happiness looks like.

May I rest in Peace

One of the things I love about working at a high school is the daily contact with teenagers. I was far from a stellar student, a little on the wild side and certainly did not have it all together. It is no different now than it was 30 years ago, alcohol and sex are rampant in the schools. Drugs are more dangerous and more prevalent, but we had our share of 'stoners' at my high school. I can relate to a lot of these kids and there are days that I really feel like I have made a difference in a life, I love those days.

Tomorrow is our Every 15 Minutes program. It is put on every two years by the Highway Patrol in conjunction with high schools, MADD and local police. This year I was asked to be the head of the committee for our high school. For six weeks we have worked to put everything together. E15M is an alcohol awareness program, designed to help high school juniors and seniors think about drinking and driving and the consequences that could happen.

Out on the baseball fields tomorrow morning we will stage a "crash" . There will be two cars, really banged up ones that have really been in a DUI accident and in them, five students from the school. Two will be "DOA". Their parents will be notified by Brentwood police and a chaplain and they will be escorted to the funeral home to "identify" their child. One will be seriously injured and will be helicoptered to a local hospital where she will "die". Her parents will be escorted to the hospital. One will be injured and transported by ambulance to another local hospital. He will survive but will be "paralyzed". The other student is the "drunk driver". He will be "arrested" and spend the night in jail. 20 other students will be "living dead" they will form a line at one end of the field. They represent one student who dies every 15 minutes. With this statistic, we would lose 20 students during our school day. The students are all made up and the crash scene is very realistic.

The living dead will be in their classrooms when the "Grim Reaper" will come in and read their obituary and leave a flower on their desk. The obituary will be posted on the door for students all day to see. The students are sequestered after the crash at another site with 4 adults who have all kinds of team building, awareness activities, including one where they write their parents. The opening line of the letter says: "Dear Mom and Dad, every 15 minutes someone is killed in a drunk driving accident. Today I died and I didn't get to tell you....." Each student made their own tombstone which will be added to the grassy area in the quad, one every 15 minutes.

Every year 4 adults are chosen to 'die' and spend 24, (cell phone-less) hours with the kids. Tomorrow I am dieing. It was weird to see my obituary which was written by my friend, our leadership teacher, a young teacher of 29. The grim reaper will come and get me during first period, post my obit on the door and take me away. It is eerie. Wednesday there is a "funeral" with speakers, a video of all the events, (the whole thing is professionally taped, even the hospital, the funeral home etc....). It is obviously a very emotionally charged event. One of the DOA's is my Karlee, who has babysat for us, spent tons of time with our family, been in my seminary class etc...she is our ASB president and everyone knows she is as good as can be, so it will shock them to see a Mormon girl get "killed" by a drunk driver.

Since part of blogging is posterity, I wanted to include my involvement with the program. Here is my obituary. (I cut and pasted it, normally it has some other graphics, but they didn't transfer.) No blog tomorrow, I'm dead.

JENNIFER LYNN GROSECLOSE

“MRS. G.”

1959-2008

Jennifer Lynn Groseclose, Discipline Secretary at Liberty High School was killed this morning on her way to work. She was hit by a student at the school who was drunk.

Mrs. Groseclose is survived by her husband of 26 years, Byron and her five children, Rachel, Mitchell, Lauren, Jeffrey and Scotty. She also leaves behind many friends and co-workers who will miss her greatly.

Jeni was active in her church, in the community and at Liberty High School.
She had taught an early morning religion class for the past five years, something she loved doing. She also served as Parent’s Club President and School Site Chair at numerous schools as well as serving on district wide committees. Mrs. G, as she was known at Liberty, is the School Advisory chair, was the class advisor for the class of 2006, Employee of the Month six times, and headed up many committees for the school. She loved the students of Liberty High School and they loved her.

Jeni’s interests were varied. She loved being outdoors; gardening, camping, swimming were all activities she enjoyed. She also loved to travel, having gone on her dream trip to Europe last year. Jeni was also an accomplished seamstress and loved to quilt. She enjoyed cooking, reading, laughing and recently found a new hobby, blogging. Mrs. Groseclose' daughter is being married in August, she will be missed at the wedding.

“To thine own self be true…and it follows as the night does the day, thou canst be false to any man.”

Wow! It's Wedding Wednesday!

I was going to do a post on what I am going to wear for the big day. I honestly haven't had time to look for me. BUT.......

These two adorable girls are Madison and Payton.
I can very safely say they are the sweetest, funniest, most beautiful girls I know in Southern California. (Did I save myself by the SoCal qualifier? Offspring is the cutest in Nevada, Sirri & Meg the cutest in Idaho, and then there's the Greenbaum grandchildren, who are not only cute, but dress well in NorCal. Plus there's an Emma and Jane and Faith or two that I have seen pictures of that are pretty adorable too...whew!)

Maddie and Payton LOVE the Bride, Lolo. Lauren has been babysitting Maddie since she was one, and fell in love with Payton when she was only a couple of hours old. There's a BOND there. When Lauren got engaged, she called the 'Bears eat Beets' home and asked her two young friends to be flower girls. They are thrilled!! I haven't had the time to shop,


but Rachel (the co-mother of the bride) HAS!!!

So this weeks' wedding question....

Which dress?

Very cute, fits with the silk dupioni of the brides dress, varying shades of pink...so sweet, like cotton candy on a dress.

Oh, SO CUTE! Polka Dots! Bows! Totally Different!! It looks a little "Paper Moon"ish to me, very 20's little girl, love this.

The skirt is to die for, also has two shades of pink which the bride likes...hmmm, we could put a brown sash and keep the flower or ditch the flower and just have a sash....hmmmm

Bow, Polka Dots and varying shades of pink, but it's a halter, not cool for the temple, but love the fabric!!!!


Beautiful color, sash matches bridesmaids, and polka dots.

I think I really like dots. Does that make me dotty?

I had to post this picture Lauren's friend took, it is going to be used at the reception in a really fun way. I'll tell you about it later...........

Family Game Night

Let's Play Jeopardy!!!

Alex: "Ok Jenibelle, you had the last correct answer, pick a category."

Jenibelle: "Hmmmm....I think I'll take Parenting for $2000 Alex."

Alex: "Oh my! Daily Double! How much are you going to risk of your $10,000 on a parenting question?"

Jenibelle: "I think I will risk it all Alex!"

Alex: "What a gambler you are Jenibelle!"

Jenibelle: " Isn't that what parenting is Alex? A giant gamble?"

Alex: (chuckles. mmmhmmhmmm) The answer is............: "About a Bazillion...maybe more..."



Jenibelle: (looks smug, has this one in the bag) "What is? ......how many times do I have to say....?"



*Brush your teeth, you have dragon breath
*Put on a seatbelt
*Stop tormenting your brother
*Turn down the TV!
*What is that garbage you are watching?
*Throw your socks in the washer
*Shut the door!
*Time to go to bed
*Have you fed the cat?
*Get out of the fridge
*No, rootbeer and cheez-its are not considered a nutritious breakfast
*Have you done your homework?
*Turn out the lights when you leave the room
*Take a shower
*Yes, you do have to go to church
*Get off the floor, you're too old to do that in church
*Say Thank you
*Say Please
*Did you flush the toilet?
*Get off the roof right now!
*No I am not buying that
*Yes, you have to go to school
*Get off the phone, it's 10:30!
*When's the last time you cleaned your room?
*Stop sliding down the stairs in that box!
*Pick up the towels in the bathroom
*Take your dishes to the sink
*Change those pants, you look like a street urchin
*Don't you have anything decent to wear?
*Clean up your mess, I'm not the maid
*Stop bouncing that ball in the house!!
*We don't have a money tree in the backyard
*Responsibility = Privilege
*If you're going to do it, do it well!
*Have you read today?
*Do I have to come in there?
*Mellow out!
*Do not play tennis against the garage
*Put your bike in the back yard
*Did you finish that project yet?
*No computer til it's done!
*Work is good for you, it makes you strong
*No I'm not evil, just determined
*Make your bed
*Eat some vegetables
*No soda for dinner
*brush your teeth, they are going to rot out of your head!
*Open your windows and air out this place
*Don't leave your backpacks laying around
*Put your shoes in the basket
*Carry your laundry upstairs
*Is that all you want to do? Play video games?
*Yes, you were my very cutest baby
*I love you.

Alex: "Well, we WERE thinking of the National Debt....Judges?"


Do you have anything you want to add to the list?

The BEST gift ever!

On May 11th, Mother's Day 22 years ago, almost in a hallway, a little boy was born.
He was one of 19 little boys born that day at Kaiser LA; the only Caucasian baby and definitely the only one with very red hair. He was promptly named Mitchell Clark and the adventure began!

Mitch has always been a free spirit. When he was three he started wiping kisses off; he loved to climb almost from the second he could walk and he has had
a life long love affair with tomatoes, cucumbers and pickles. Of all my children he is the most sensitive, but don't tell him that, he thinks he's pretty tough.

I love this boy more than I can express. Although I guess he is a man now, but to me he is still a little boy who loves baseball, video games, tennis, his friends, scouting and being outdoors. Mitch is always up for an adventure, always the first to volunteer when his friends thought of something dumb to do. He could never hide anything, we always found out. He hated that about living in a small town! One time I got a phone call from my across the street neighbor, it seems Mitch was sitting on the roof singing. Good grief. I learned to put the monkey in him to work and he has done my Christmas lights ever since!

Another time I woke out of a dead sleep at 1:30 am and realized I hadn't seen my cat. I went downstairs and opened the front door and when I did, Mitch's friend DO fell at my feet from the roof. I hear the pitter patter of little feet going across the roof. I yelled for Byron to go check on Mitch, he found Mitch in his bed, fully clothed with shoes and a coat, pretending to snore. "W-W-What?" he asked. Seems they were on their way to dry ice bomb at the retirement community's golf course. Did I mention he is creative?

He has a lovely singing voice, a fact we didn't know til he was 16 when he tried out for A Capella choir and made that choir and the higher one, Select Singers. He has an incredible memory, even now he can quote Scripture Mastery scriptures. He hated school, hated going to class, hated doing homework. Mitch still holds a dubious record, we have a teacher who has taught for over 20 years, about 3,000 students. Mitch is the ONLY one she has ever written a behavior referral for. We are so proud.

Mitch was always the smallest one in his group of friends, he was definitely a late bloomer. In high school he discovered that quick, short guys can do well in tennis. He and his doubles partner were ranked #3 in our league. This was quite an accomplishment for him, I loved to watch him play. He also was an awesome 2nd baseman and made the All-Star team a few times. This is Danielle, his Jr. Prom date, she was 3 inches taller than him with her heels on. He was a happy boy though, she was pretty cute!!

Mitch is now in a period of his life where he is trying to find who he is and what he wants for himself. I have cried more tears over him and said more anguished prayers for him than any other in my life. I mourn for all he has lost as he goes through this time. I pray he will find his way back to us and to his Heavenly Father. As tough as this time is, I am thankful for this special son and all the joy he has given us. But when he does figure out what he wants and makes his millions, he is going to be responsible for paying for my hairdresser and hair dye. He gave me 90% of my unwanted gray. I am giving him fair warning.


Happy Birthday Son!!

It's baby time!

Somehow in my extremely busy and productive life I managed to find the time to be unselfish and host a baby shower tonight. (That was sarcasm friends!) I found myself wishing to channel some of the bloggers whose expertise in throwing parties far surpasses my efforts. In other words, I found myself saying...."WWGD?" What would Gabi do? Oh, that I could have her decorating talents!!

This is Kelli, she is my BF Vicki's daughter. Kelli is due on June 16th with baby boy # 2. Parker, boy #1 is 7 and Kelli has been trying to get him a sibling for 5 years. We are all very, very , very happy for Parker, cause he's going to get a little brother soon to love and spoil and teach all the things that little brothers need to know/

The door bell first rang at 7:00, it kept ringing and ringing and the noise level in my house kept getting higher and higher. I snuck out to take two 800 mgs of Motrin. You read that correctly, I took 1600 mg of Motrin. The "partyers" just kept on coming and coming and just when I thought we were full to the brim, more would come. The noise level reached deafening proportions and they kept on coming. The presents were piled higher , then higher and then spread out and then higher. My husband was convinced they were multiplying downstairs. At the top of the party, 54 people were crammed into my living room, a room that rarely sees even one person a day sitting in it.

See the bags in the back? All filled with presents. See the bags in the front? Equally stuffed with presents. You don't see the table that is STILL piled with presents. We had yummy food, a cake that was frosted with the wrong color, 2 crying babies, 3 strawberries smashed in to my carpet, one boy making a nuisance of himself, 2 cups of spilled punch, enough elbow room for a flea and a great time had by all!!

Kelli is a lovely, irreverently funny young mom who is delighted beyond words about this new little boy. She has been a sweet friend to my children, a wonderful example to the YW of our ward, a compassionate friend to me. I was thrilled to be able to hostess a shower in her honor!

Wednesday Wedding Update....

It's Wednesday and it seems like forever since I have had a creative thought. And guess what? It's going to be another day or two until I feel evenly remotely creative!! STAR testing is over and boxed up and going away, but it may take my pea brain a few days to recoup!

Engagement pictures were taken yesterday, can't wait to see them!

These are the bridesmaid dresses we ordered. Who knew Target.com has a whole wedding section? The dresses came and they are way too coral/orange. SO the first batch is going back and we are getting the same dress in a chocolate brown. I ordered pink silk sashes for the waists. It should be really pretty. Madison & Payton H. are getting pink dresses to wear, that should really stand out against the brown. I'm liking the color scheme.



This is what the invite looks like. Yes, there is a time on it. I went to delete the address and instead deleted the time. It's laid out a little different, but you get the gist of it. Somehow, seeing the names makes the whole thing really REAL. I admit I cried, what a goober.



We found this cake in Latter Day Brides Magazine, so this is going to be the cake with some modifications. Namely, pink ribbon around the bottom three layers that is just regular ribbon. Then on the top a bow made of sugar paste to look like the ribbon on the bottom layers and then fresh flowers, but not these flowers, different ones, but I'm not sure what yet.




This is not her wedding dress, although, I admit, I loved this one. I am forbidden to post the real one, just in case the groom might see it. Seeing your daughter in a beautiful, temple ready wedding dresses is one of the ultimate thrills of life. She was breathtakingly gorgeous (at least to her mom). But the most wonderful moment yet? At the distribution center when we were buying her temple clothes, the sweet sister there who bore a simple, sweet spontaneous testimony of the glory of the temple and glorious experience going there to start her life with her sweetheart.

Next week will be the most important wedding blog of all. What in the heck does a short, wide, big gut, big butt MOB wear to the most important day of their child's life when they are going to be in a bazillion pictures and the "get rid of all the fat fast fairy" seems to be on vacation?!

Let's talk.