more 2008 favorites.

cuddling in june

bff's reunite after after addie's trip to brazil.

reveling.

i didn't forget about this blog thingy.

really--i haven't.

i'm just...

reveling.

WAIT!

strike that.

i just looked up "revel" in the dictionary because i was worried i would spell it wrong and then all of everyone would think i meant "revile" and then THAT would be bad and anyway...

where was i? 

oh yah--what the dictionary said about REVELING:

something about "...drinking and dancing..." something, something.

oh well. 

'cause i am, you know.

drinking and dancing and stuff.

you can never have too much of those singing barbies and apple cider. 

really, can you?

"i feel connected, rejected, it's like you're standin' right with me all the time..."

am i the only one with this song in my head? stuck on repeat? it just keeps playing over

and over

and over

and over

and over

and over

and....

please make it stop! oh the torture!

[did you see hollynd singing away in a manger on the stand in sacrament meeting with the rest of the primary kids today? nevermind. just watch the blonde barbie in the video.]

ahem.

oh--and then there's that elmo live. wow. 

he really gets the crowd going.

especially when we pop the diet sprite out.

good times.

mostly i just want to say that i love christmas and everything surrounding it.

really that's just all i want to say. i love the christmas spirit.

i don't want it to end.

so if i blog about it, that means it's almost over, right?

maybe i'll wait another week like i did thanksgiving

and just REVEL.

***********************

meanwhile, i think i'll post a little something i like to call 'favorite photos of 2008' (i'll try and post some everyday this week--or not. we'll see)

toe munching in may.

christmas card 2008. the [im]perfect christmas card.

i love everyone. but--just because i love you doesn't mean i have your address. in that case, i'm very sorry but here is your christmas card.

sorry. really, i do love you all. really i do.

please don't ever tell hollynd that christmas 2008 was the year we left her name off the christmas card. i feel so bad. really, i do. i just feel awful. if we tell her now, i don't think she would ever forgive us. we plan to tell her christmas 2038. we're hoping by then this will be considered funny to her. i'll be crossing my fingers for the next 30 years. it's worth it.

i'm so sorry sweetheart!

anticipation.

to those of you who are camping out at your mailbox waiting the arrival of the bowler family christmas card:

seriously, did you really think the bowler family would end the year any differently?

we're going out with a bang, folks.

day late, dollar short.

stoke the fire and bring out the tissues. 

shipment has been delayed.

for those of you who just fainted because the sheer intoxication of anticipation just took over:

merry christmas.

[sheeeez]

now just relax!

look at the bright side, a holiday card is more memorable when it comes after christmas, right? plus, i'm pretty sure it's legal--as long as it comes before new year's day. if only everything worked that way. arriving to church on monday would still get me at least a silver medal in heaven. 

right?

who is your role model?

i have one question for you:

who is your ROLE MODEL?

not sure? can't narrow it down to just one person?

let me help you out. 

just follow these fast and easy directions. it will only take you a minute...

1) pick your favorite number between 1-9

2) multiply by 3 then

3) add 3, then

4) multiply by 3 (i'll wait while you get the calculator...)

5) you'll get a 2 or 3 digit number.

6) add the digits together

now, with that number, see who your ROLE MODEL is from the list below:

1. einstein

2. newt gingrich

3. oprah

4. george w

5. steve jobs

6. gandhi

7. brad pitt

8. sarah palin

9. haylie bowler

10. barack obama

WOW!

i'm speechless! don't worry, one day you will be on that list. just believe in yourself.

hey! stop picking different numbers!

ha ha!

afghan children project update.

i got this email from sue today.

*************

Hey, all you mom's with school-aged children! 

I just wanted to send out a quick note before school gets out for the Christmas break. We need 50 backpacks to put together our school kits for the kids in the women's prison. so far, we have 28. If any of you are able & willing to talk to your kids' teachers, and ask them to ask their students to bring in old backpacks this week before the break, that would be awesome! Give me a call if you have any questions. [number withheld for privacy].

Thanks so much!

Sue

***************

if you and your's have gently used backpacks that you would like to give away, you can give them to me and i'll get them to sue.

afghan children project.

every year for christmas, lynn and i try to do a little "sub 4 santa" type project to help the girls learn more about selflessness and the true meaning of christmas. sometimes it's hard to find the right kind of project. this year we didn't have to look too far.

our dear friend, justin, is serving in the military in afghanistan while his wife, sue, and 4 kids are here at home. justin has found an orphanage and womens prison where the womens' kids actually live with them while serving out their sentences. the women are in prison for really dumb stuff like talking back to their husbands or something. they are in great need of several supplies.

although afghans don't celebrate christmas, we thought this would be a good opportunity for our kids to look outside themselves and not only think about the reason for the season, but also realize our world is a lot bigger than just our neighborhood.

there is another plus with this project: i can do all the shopping here in my home. we've really noticed that there are several items in our home that we hardly use and are in really good condition (especially in the clothing department) that we could donate. this project has motivated me to clean out and simplify. i love that we can share our over-abundance of "blessings" (aka toys laying around that aren't played with, tons of clothes that are just sitting in closets that have only been warn a couple times, etc.) with others who would really really appreciate them.

so, if you are interested too, here is the information:

click here for the post on sue's blog telling about the afghan children project. there is more information if you click on the links in the left sidebar under "afghan children project" also on her blog

click here for here husband, justin's, blog.

(both are great reads and worth checking out anyway even if you don't do the project.)

i'm going to go look in my winter clothes boxes and the little girls stuff right now!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!!!

edible children.

let's pretend like today is friday, last week, friday. the day after thanksgiving friday. [sigh] ok. just work with me here, ok?

ok.

 

i really could not let thanksgiving pass by without recording what i'm thankful for. 

did you just moan? i think i just heard moan! grumbling? ok, maybe it was grumbling. oh wait, i think that was my stomach!

please. did you see me eat at the ward party? watch out. so i like bbq beef sandwiches, so what?

i digress.

to make it easier on myself (so i don't have to write a novel)--and to make it easier on you, of course (to spare you from reading it), i have decided to narrow my thankful list down to one thing. 

yep, you heard me.

one thing. 

my thankful list could really go on FOR DAYS--but i shall desist. [i've always wanted to use that word: desist. remember? like on finding nemo? where the little frenchy shrimpy guy says it?! woo hoo go me! ok, i'll stop now.] 

soooooooo

after much thanksgiving food-eating, long contemplation, pondering and extended shower-thinking, i have narrowed my list down to the most favoritest thankful thing:

EDIBLE CHILDREN.

that's it.

[insert applause by mckay]

so, after already eating my weight in thanksgiving feast with my side of the fam on thanksgiving day, i have also been grazing for the last 7 days on 

my turkey.

my sweet potato.

and my two slices of sweety-pie pooky-poos.

one of them didn't want me to go back for thirds.

oh but this sweet little pun-kin pie did!

i hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving!

trouble.

you know there's trouble when you enter a room and your baby is using the crock-pot for a walker.

mischief.

bow-prah introduces groceries.

and the winner is......

shalynn!!! the total on my receipt was $244.74. (forgive the backwards photo--i'm too lazy to fix it.)

she guessed $265 and wrote a very heart-warming comment:

k, shalynn! you have 72 hours to contact me by email starting NOW!!!

thanks for humoring me, that was pretty fun, no? 

i think i shall do this again in the future. you may see some google ads on my blog to fund this new idea. i shall donate money earned from ads to prizes.

so, the more you click, the more fantabulous the prize!

*************************************************************************************

ok, you twisted my arm long enough. here is what some of you asked for....

shopping for thanksgiving.

i think i just heard everyone moan.

you're not the only one. 

don't worry, this is a happy shopping post.

there are still several peeps asking me about the grocery shopping freaks in my ward and how they have perfected the art of grocery shopping. don't worry, "freak" is a term of endearment and oh how i just love those freaks!

 

anyway, i thought i would post some pictures because if you're anything like me--it's soo much more effective to show rather than tell. sooooooo, without further ado, this is what i have learned from the grocery shopping freaks and what it can do for your shopping bill:

i bought this for $58.07:

4 cans of campbell's soup

3 cans of del monte vegtables

8 boxes of lipton onion dry soup mix

4 boxes of swiss miss hot cocoa

4 tubs of land o' lakes butter

2 tubs of pillsbury frosting

2 packages of crisco shortening sticks

2 boxes of ziplock gallon size baggies

2 packages of dixie ultra paper bowls

2 packages of dixie ultra paper plates

4 bottles of crisco cooking oil

32 jars of beech-nut stage 2 baby food

4 bottles of spice island spices

4 bottles of mckormick parsley

16 packets of fleishman's yeast

and i got these for free:

4 bags green giant steamers frozen vegetables

3 boxes of jolly time popcorn

1 15 lb. norbest turkey.

the pictures and totals above are only the sale items i paired up with manufacturers coupons. i actually bought a bunch of other stuff too. 

i won't even show you my receipt. 

well, ok--

you twisted my arm again. i'll show it to you only because i think it wins the record for longest receipt in the world! do i get a prize for this?

i know you're probably thinking i spent about $2,489,481.23 but i didn't. 

i will tell you how much i spent after you guess. 

aaaaaaand because i love thanksgiving soooo much and because i'm so thankful for all of you who humor me by reading all this, i'm going to give away a $30 target e-gift card to the person who comes the closest to guessing the actual total on that receipt pictured above. within 24 hours, the winner will find the e-gift card in their email inbox in which they will be able to print and use for all their holiday shopping needs. because i love you, that's why.

i know $30 is not much to spit at but it's all bow-prah can do right now. if this is successful, bigger and better will absolutely follow. [and maybe some google ads to support the new found fun].

wooo hoooo! can i get a woot woot for happy email?

oh--and i almost forgot

k, blog stalkers, here's your chance to identify.

:)

i would just love to hear from you!

*************

ps i'll give you only one hint: i shopped at albertsons.

ps#2 if two people guess right or if 2 people are the closest, i will take the first one that commented, going by the posted time on your comment. 

ps#3 contest ends friday, november 28, 2008 at 12:00 am pacific time.

ps#4 if you are the winner, you will need to contact me within 72 hours of me announcing the winner to claim your prize. in the event that you don't, i will choose the next closest guess.

good luck!!

if you chance to meet a frown.

new strategies in controlling stress:

1) sing some primary songs in apple photo booth. (see title).

that one is our favorite.

2) play pretend with a princess.

tacky makeup, dress ups and fake eye lashes make EVERYTHING feel better!

SAHM?

stay at home mom.

really?

whatever.

whoever coined this term didn't know what they were talking about. 

i find myself at the end of EVERYday wondering why my house resembles a snow globe shaken up, turned upside down and then left for everything to just settle wherever it wants to.

underwear in the fridge. 

socks in the mailbox. 

toys in the dryer. 

books on the window sill. 

laundry in the cupboards. 

shoes on the bathroom vanity. 

celery in my family room. 

then it occurred to me, we are the culprits. 

from the second the alarm clock dings (ok after we hit the snooze button about 7 times), we rage through here like crazies, a

nd then leave.

just like that...

leaving the fate of our house to barbie giving house tours to mr. potato head and our collection of plastic army men.

alll day. 

EVERYday

i think toy story was really onto something, don't you? anyway...

 

then we come home and just go to bed.

[or...ahem, waste a few hours online and then go to bed]. 

i just busted all you sistas out there.

case in point: my schedule yesterday.

wake up

go potty

wake, feed, change, bathe, clothe children

take addie to school

make lunches snacks

pay bills

return phone calls

give barbie the plastic car keys

take hollynd to pre-school

drop off twins at mil's

go to physical therapy

pick up girls from school

go to store to buy birthday present for addie's buddy

find a cure for the common cold

go to craft store to buy supplies for tithing settlement treats

take addie to birthday party

pick up twins from mil's 

meet sweetheart for quick dinner because there's no time to go home and cook

ready....BREAK!

he goes to meetings

i pick up addie from birthday party

drop off stuff at mom's house

save the world

go home.

am i the only one?

how does this happen?

you too?

and now i find myself starting all over with yet another full schedule, rockin' the mini-van that takes me away from home whilst laundry piles sit and dishes have a party in the sink. 

oh--and barbie giving house tours to the other toys inhabiting this place. hopefully she's wearing some clothes [remember this photo? yep, they're still there.]

sahm.

seriously?

too much acid.

everyone, meet my great-grandparents. aren't they handsome?

when i first discovered photoshop--back in the day--i marveled at the amazing things you could do with just a touch of a button. who knew you could get lovely white chompers without a dentist? blemish free skin without a barrel of proactiv? look 50 lbs thinner without lifting a finger?and 10 years younger with nay a scalpel in sight?

magic, people. pure and simple magic. 

you could imagine the rush i felt after learning to restore old photos. it is one of my favorite things to do. 

yesterday, my mom came over with a doozy: a treasured photo of my great-grandparents. i love this photo. it normally sits on my grandparents shelf in their home for all to see.

the original photo has done its time. even though it just sits in a frame on their shelf, to my astonishment, it is full of scratches, dust and has more acid-damage than the hippies who made it through the 1960s (or was that the 70s?). anyway, i had my work cut out for me. 

in my opinion, the end product still looks like a photo that has been touched up but at least you can see the detail.

i don't post this for any photoshop skill horn-tooting [is that a word?], really--it's quite easy and anyone with 2 fingers can do it. really, i post this as a testament to all who think going acid-free is just for those crazy lunatic paper-head scrapbookers. you know you've thought that! moving those photos out of their old-school mattes doesn't make a diff, right?

YES! 

if you want to save grandpa and grandma from looking like they drank too much lemonade, put them into something acid-free. 

and thank heavens for photoshop.

ps. i charge $10/pound.

rita is awol.

many are wondering why the [relatively] long pause in blogging.

i can't find rita anywhere. 

(rita is my writing voice.)

you know that one voice that speaks to you inside your head when you type? 

yes. that one. 

hey--you know you have one too. 

anyway

i know she's here some place but i just can't find her.

probably the same place as my brain.

rita said she was going to skip the country but i didn't think she was serious.

she didn't leave a number either.

i hope we're not in a fight.

anyway, please stay tuned.

i'm sure i can sweet-talk her into coming back.

rita,

if you're out there, i promise i'll kick roxy out (the swearing voice).

you know her, remember? 

she's the one that sits around drinking diet cherry pepsi while watching america's next top model. i know, i know--the lamest show ever but roxy MAKES me watch it.

i know there's no room for you aand the swearing-inside-my-head voice too.

she's just going to have to go.

please come back home soon!

love ya,

haylie

my man.

lynn likes to hunt.

no--i mean he reallly really likes it.

i'm glad he likes it. he's cute. the deer and the elk aren't.

but he is.

ok, lynn,

you can come home now.

now.

now.

NOW!

it's always summer in hollynd's world.

ah...

there's a chill in the air...

it's raining outside. 

maybe even snowing by tonight.

christmas music is on...

visions of sugarplums dancing in my head...

and then i saw this out my back window:

someone forgot to tell her summer is over.

grocery shopping class.

this is for everyone i don't have email addresses for!

COME LEARN HOW

TO FEED A FAMILY OF 4 FOR $180 A MONTH!

when: wednesday november 5 at 7p

where: my house

rsvp: hayliebowler@gmail.com

shop at only 1 store--no running around town!

buy all your family's groceries, household, and personal care items (including diapers) all for about $180/month for a family of four--while building a massive food storage at the same time!

quick and easy to use! a huge way to save money!

eat a healthy, well-balanced diet and have ease in meal planning!

FREE website and FREE class--there is no cost to attend and no cost to use the website!

what could your family do with extra money every month? bring friends! 

ps

this isn't a "home party" where i get some kind of perk for hosting the party. 

i am doing this purely because this system has saved me A LOT of money and i want to spread the love. i hope you can come.

celery in my family room.

haven't posted in a while. 

pretty busy.

everything is kinda messy around here. 

to give you an idea of the condition my house is in, i found this on my family room floor just a second ago:

the end.

10/30/08 edited to note:

that is until my SUPER visiting teacher showed up.

she watched my twins while i went to pick up addie & hollynd at school.

when i came back,

i peed.

cried.

and danced.

all at the same time.

in the hour i was gone she had cleaned up my kitchen, family room, toy room (hell room), girls room aaaaaaand folded laundry.

i love her.

i want to marry her. just for like a second.

she is super cool.

:)

thanks brittany! you made my day!

the birth announcement i never did.

12 months.

jack

• mr. busy-hands.
• picky eater. only likes carbs such as bread, crackers, potatos and cake. his favorites are yogurt and fruit.
• loves taking medicine (ironic, no?)
• rarely falls asleep when not at home.
• looooves the bath and all things watery. shows everyone our fish tank and goes nutty in the fish cave at cabela's.
• walks around the furniture. only caught him standing on his own a couple times. he's still a little nervous and has to hold on to stuff for balance.
• can climb the stairs in about 8 seconds.
• points to the deer on the wall and says "de, de, de, de, de,"
• points to the dogs and says "ga, ga, ga, ag, ag, ag, ga"
• laughs at mckay when mckay bounces and hides from him.
• mimics/copies mckays gestures.
• will NOT sit still to have his diaper changed.
• still wakes up at night.
• can entertain himself all by himself. independent. will come find me if he's hungry or tired.
• laughs alll the time and thinks it's always play time.
• thinks it's really funny to throw food on the floor.
• likes to cuddle at night.
• sticks his finger up his nose when you ask him where his nose is.

mckay

• loves to make jack laugh.
• has a belly laugh.
• still prefers the army crawl but pulls himself up to furniture.
• can fall asleep at church or other places other than home.
• very passionate about food. i haven't found anything he does not like. 
• hates taking medicine.
• loves pulling people hair and attacking their heads.
• can climb the stairs.
• loves to bounce.
• thinks he's a dog and would rather play with todd than toys.
• sleeps through the night.
• would rather hang out with mom or dad than play with toys.
• goes to dad more than mom.
• says "ma ma", "da da", "na na", "hi", "dog"
• dances to music.

ethan love.

speaking of sista-love....

i call kaydee "fattie" sometimes. don't feel sorry for her. kaydee makes sound effects with her mouth like "bllbllbllbllblllbllbllb" when i run down the stairs (supposed to be the sound of fat jiggling a la chunk from goonies).

oh--i just love it.

anyway--

she makes me laugh.

tonight, she made me cry.

i just read her blog entry about ethan, that's why. i think you should too. it answers several questions regarding the skin condition he has and it's very moving. again, i am SO PROUD of casey and kaydee. really.

that's why i cried. 

not because it's sad but because kaydee is my hero and my respect for her has exploded in the last 8 months (kinda' like my waste-line). yah--so what? so maybe i can do the truffle shuffle too.

i was going to write this in the last post but i thought it deserved its own spotlight.

now, go hug your sister and say a prayer for ethan.

sister pride.

many of you know my sisters,

kaydee, jena and kristi. i like them a lot.  

first, let me tell you about the blood sisters.

<------see that right there? that's them.

that's why i like them. 

jena, on the right, is very creative and knows how to make me laugh. (especially at ladies pffffting in bathroom stalls.) in other words, she brings the inner-child in me out (unfortunately for you) a lot. [i.e. we heart you tube together]. check out the cards she makes here.

kaydee is in the middle. 

i make fun of her a lot. whatever--she likes it. anyway,

she has this cute little baby named ethan who i adore because he has these tiny little lips and he looks at me with disdain everytime i act like a clown.

 ethan, you love me and you know it.

anyway, she kills me with her drawing skills. she just does this in her spare time:

she just killed you too, huh?

next--

this is kristi (and matt) circa 1998 (which i think is very funny):

kristi is my sis-tuh from another muth-uh. ok, i tried to sound like a rapper right there but it didn't work. kristi is my brother's wife. she's married to matt, my brother. kristi is my hero because she has more talent in her pinky finger than i do in my whole body (and she puts up with matt). she also makes yummy cakes professionally and delivers them to your door (for pete's sake!), teaches piano and is a wonderful mom to my cute niece and 3 of my nephews.

and then there's YOU. 

YES! YOU!!!!!!

don't look around as if i'm not talking to you! look at me!

THIS IS FOR YOU!

i love you all. 

i really do. i can't express that enough. 

from the bottom of my heart i want to say thank you to every sister heavenly father has gifted me. 

every single one of you has been an answer to my prayers, particularly this past year. 

we are so humbled by all you who have helped us keep our heads above water. you are all so very talented and i appreciate your willingness to listen to the spirit telling you when we needed a listening ear, a dinner, an email, a hug, a joke, a babysitter, your arms, your time. 

mckay and jack turn one tomorrow and so i dedicate this post to you. we couldn't have gotten to this point without you.

i am so proud to call you all 

"sisters".

i felt like i won the superbowl tonight.

"haylie bowler!!

 you just put aaaaallllll the kids to bed by yourself, 

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NEXT?"

*****************************

do you ever feel like you just won a free to trip to disneyland after putting the kids to bed?

compulsive.

dear lynn,

i love you.

a lot.

you do so much for me.

you gave me a seemingly compulsive hug this morning as i stood in the laundry room witch-haired, bleary-eyed from no sleep, dried drool on the side of my chin just to tell me you hope i had a really good day. and that you love me.

that right there made my day. i made a decision right then and there, after you let me go from your embrace, that i would make today very good.

so what did i do today?

funny. actually, it's really funny. um, did i mention i love you?

iwenttonordstromtojust"kill time"andendedupdropping$$$$inmakeupjustbecausethelip-glossedmanbehindthe*mac*countermademefeelpretty. butlook!hemademyeyessparkly!

i love you? you love me? we are a happy fam--------i---leee??

still wanna' give me another hug? 

[insert sound of cricket chirping]

soooo,

it's a good thing i'll be taking that purchase back tomorrow. huh?

except for the lip stuff though. don't you think? i think it makes me kiss better.

and you look like you need a kiss right about now.

ok. i'll take it back.