Random stuff bout Me, Chad, Shelby or anything else I feel like talking about

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Merry Christmas from the Pederslies

So some of you I only know or coorespond with virtually. But well my Christmas newsletters are just so funny and witty that I want to share it with all! So here it is!



Wow, the end of 2011 already? It just doesn’t seem possible.

Well time to recap the fun and exciting times we have had in this last year....

…Hmm……Well…Let me think. Hmm….All Done! Happy New Year! Seriously though…

New additions - We had several new additions to our family this year. Seems to be a re-occurring theme with us! One family member was of the metal variety (i.e. a newer truck) and two were of the furry variety (cats). We decided it was time to cut the apron strings and send the Landcruiser on it’s merry way. It was a great vehicle and we hated to see it go but it seemed silly to have that and the ol’ Ford truck when it made more sense to have a vehicle that could accommodate more than 3 people AND haul loads. So we got a new(er) truck. Yes this year the new vehicle addition was not of the vintage variety but I am sure there will be a new project car in our future!

Our furry friends are two precious cats that I acquired from a friend that moved to Alaska. I love cats, I love cats, I love cats. Seriously they are sweet animals but I think we will be replacing carpet a lot sooner then we wanted! It is fun to watch them get a bit braver and take Harley (the dog) on!

Trips – In April I took a trip to Vegas for a girls weekend w/my bestie Nikki who lives in Phoenix. We stayed at the Luxor and went to the Criss Angel Show (fasinating!) and to the Titanic exhibit. I had seen this exhibit years ago when it was in Seattle but this one was 10 times better!

In July we hopped on a plane and headed to Disneyland! As you remember I am a consultant for Close to My Heart scrapbooking. Their yearly convention was at Disneyland this year so we went! We spent a bit of extra time there and went to SeaWorld, LegoLand, met up with a friend of mine that I have known since first grade and took Shelby to Warner Bros. Studio. This time we actually got to walk onto the set of Chuck! I WAS IN HEAVEN! I think Shelby really loved to see how TV shows and movies use backlots for their productions. Maybe she will become a famous movie and/or TV show producer when she grows up and she can support us!

Chad – Chad just continues to play in his shop. This year involved the finishing touches on it such as electricity, insulation, framing in and completing the bathroom. There is still a lot to do but it’s getting there! He & his dad got the hot rod on the road earlier this year. Boy is that fun to drive around on some of those nice summer days we had!

Chad also sacrificed his Nova in trade for a new roof on the house. I am still trying to convince him that this was a good thing and having a roof over our head is important but not sure if he agrees w/me yet!

Steph – I just asked my family what I did this past year and Shelby says “Scrapbooked, scrapbooked, scrapbooked and scrapbooked” Yes I think that about sums it up! I have no life…..

I did get to go to Phoenix for a few days for work. I went to this great symposium and met other fellow Honeywell employees. Plus I got to hang out with a few of my friends that live in that area. And it’s even more fun when work pays for it all!

Shelby – She is 9 now! Where did the time go!?!? I am VERY thankful we just have her because with all of her extra curricular activities we have plenty of running around! She is in Girl Scouts and went to Girl Scout Day camp for a week this summer. She also went to soccer camp for a week in preparation for being in soccer this fall. Not sure where she got this inkling to play soccer. Must get it from daddy as I was not a sporty girl! So the fall has consisted of soccer games every Saturday, regardless of weather. There have been some very wet games and some VERY cold games, but Shelby has done a great job and I am sure we will be doing the same thing again next year!

She also started swim lessons in May and is an AWESOME swimmer. Sad to say she can swim better then me now.

She has also been taking art lessons from the Northwest Art Center here in Duvall. She entered a local art contest in May and won 3rd prize! Again, where is she getting all these awesome traits? She plays soccer, swims and can draw?? All those great genes must have skipped right over me!

With that we hope you are all doing well and are ready for the holidays. Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season!

Steph, Chad, Shelby, Harley the dog, Tiger & Hoku the cats

Check out our slideshow!

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Hello, is it me your looking for?

I am sure all of my faithful readers keep coming to my blog in hopes of a new post and are sorely disappointed when they see there is no new witty and thought provoking story from me. I am ashamed of myself! There are no words to express how terrible I feel!!!

Okay so yeah I really don't care! If you are coming here daily, possibly a couple times a day just to see if I have posted anything new then you need to get a life! Tee, hee!!

So, Christmas is coming up - in case you didn't already know that :) My sweet precious daughter has written a letter to Santa asking for a Nintendo DSi (yeah Santa can swing that) an outdoor trampoline (um yeah, no!) and an iPad (not just no, but heck no!). I ask her who she knows that has an iPad. Her reply "Everyone!" Everyone being her teacher.....So I informed her that Santa is on a budget this year. I mean even Santa is hit by the downturn in the economy right?? She turns to me and says "Santa isn't real is he? You guys are Santa because you say Santa doesn't have money and I know you don't have money" Doh!! But alas...her faith has been restored somehow and Santa will be arriving once again this year.

Speaking of my daughter - we had a parent teacher conference recently. Man, do I have one smart and studious kiddo! She must get that from me! Her teacher says she has a knack for writing and that we should continue to encourage her writing. Finally!!! She got SOMETHING GOOD from me! It's about freakin' time! I mean up until this point she seemed to have only inherited my bad qualities - tummy issues, very stubborn, shyness.....

And on that note, it is off to tuck in my smart, stubborn, santa lovin' daughter.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

I have become one of those people...

I always claimed I would never become one of those people - you know the ones that were like "No calls after 9 pm!" and that I would always be the cool parent and not forbid my kid to watch certain things.

Oh but I have now become one of those people and I realized it last night when some idiot (a wrong number mind you!) called at 10:30 last night! I almost felt like calling them back and going "Hey idiot! I have a kid sleeping! You shouldn't call people after 9 pm!!"

When did I become the uncool person I told myself I would never become? I mean I think I am still a bit more relaxed them some people out there but for the most part I have become that anal, responsible adult! Aacckk!!

Did it happen the day Shelby was born or did it happen before then? Did it develop over time since she was born or just come over me one day?? Is it a result of becoming a parent or is it just a part of becoming an adult?

It is funny how kids always want to be older, but they don't realize being an adult isn't always that much fun. Oh the times that I wish I could just be a kid again and have no cares in the world. And would probably sleep right through that 10:30 pm phone call!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

I had a really good title for this post....

Dang, I really must stop whatever I am doing when I come up with something to write about on this blog. But NOOOOOOOO! I think like a rational person and tell myself "No silly, you don't need to jump out of bed at 3 am in the morning just to go turn on the computer to write that AWESOME, witty and thought provoking post. You will still remember what all you were going to write when you get up at the normal time in the morning" Ha, ha, and ha!!!

So I went to Curriculum Night at Shelby's school last week. Her teacher came up to me and says "Oh I just love having her in class! She is such a great kid!" Um wait...are we talking about my Shelby? Shelby Pederslie? Cuz that sure doesn't sound like my daughter!

Hard to believe that my little baby is a big 3rd grader now. She will be 9 on her next birthday! I looked at her the other and just realized she isn't a little baby anymore. Well no, I guess I figured that out years ago when I tried to lay her on my chest as we used to do and lost the ability to breath due to her weight on me. I mean the stinker is almost as tall as me. I have NO idea where she gets her height from. I don't think I was the height she is now until possibly 5th or 6th grade!

You know, Shelby has more of a social life then I ever have. We are busy, busy, busy! Tuesday is soccer and then swim lessons, Thursday will be Spanish, Friday is art and Saturdays are her soccer games. Thank goodness we only have one child! I could not image trying to cart more than one kid off to all the different events. Oh wait...one more. Her girl scout troop has their first meeting of the year tomorrow.

I have come to the conclusion that Shelby cannot be my child. Let's review:

1) She doesn't look like me (She's a Mini Chad)
2) She likes physical activity (i.e. swimming and soccer)
3) She is a smart cookie
4) She is always the tallest kid in class/on the team
5) Let's face it, she is way prettier than I ever was

So not really sure how I ended up with another person's child since I do seem to recall giving birth to her. Hmmmmm......

You know, I think I am going to keep a pen and paper next to my bed. The next time I wake up in the middle of the night with a GREAT idea for a post I must write it down so as not to bore my readers (Hi mom! Hi Aunt Marian!) any more than I have to!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Are You There God? It's Me, Stephanie


Excuse me while I step up the pulpit. I mean this is a religious themed post so no soap box here!

So my friend and I are doing this bible study, What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by Lysa Terkeurst. If you have not read any of her books you must do so! She is great and very down to earth! I did a previous study of hers, Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl, and loved it so much I had to do another one of her studies. I think nowadays people can get scared off if someone is preaching too much, or comes on too strong. Lysa does not. She tells stories that all of us can relate to. You laugh and just think "Wow, she has the same issues I do!"

It is eerie how I will read a chapter in one of her books, or read one of her blog posts and it's like she is speaking right to me. I mean, can she read my mind?? Is she going "Hmm, Stephanie is having some relationship issues. I think I am going to discuss that in my blog today" I mean that would be cool, but I don't think that is the case!

I have to admit that I am actually somewhat jealous of this lady. She talks of all these AWESOME and AMAZING stories where God has spoken to her. I mean these are LOUD words spoken. Meanwhile I am hearing little whispers and I am going "God, is that you? Speak up!" But then I started to think about it yesterday. God is speaking to me - through these blog posts and books. I mean just when I am feeling down, frustrated, or sad I will receive an email or see a video or read a chapter in a book and there it is, God's answer to what ails me.

A friend once told me that God only gives you as much as you can handle. He knows better than I do that I work better with these small, quiet words. He knows not to stress me out or make me scared. Phew!! He also knows that I am stubborn and if he speaks loudly to me I will probably put my foot down and say "Nope, not gonna do it! You can't make me!"

Sometimes we may feel like we are just leaving a message on God's answering machine going "Are you there? If so, pick up! I need your help. Okay, call me back...soon!" It is sometimes hard to be on God's time. I mean we want things to go a certain way. We want to know why things happen. We want answers! But here is the thing, we may never quite know why things happen the way they do. I like to think that everything happens for a reason (even if I can't fathom what it is). If nothing else we grow stronger and/or learn lessons from life experiences right? It makes us humble and allows us to be there for others who may need our support and understanding.

I know God will take care of me and my family. I mean he hasn't failed me yet. He has put a roof over my head, food on the table and surrounded me with wonderful family and friends. So I may not get that response from him that is accompanied by balloons, bells going off, and confetti streaming down from the sky and him going "Hey, here is your sign!" but it's there. I just have to clean out my ears and listen a little closer!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

I need to chill out...

So Shelby starts 3rd grade in about 8 days. Friday was THE DAY that the kids would receive letters from their teachers for this year. I checked the mail box TWICE by myself before going with Shelby a THIRD time and the mail had finally arrived....around 3:30. Don't get me started on the fact that the mail arrived before noon the next day!

Anyway, so Shelby didn't get the teacher she wanted but she is okay with that. She was even okay with it when she found out two of her friends did get the teacher she wanted. But me, I am not okay with any of it!! I have already started to stress out for Shelby. I am worried that none of her friends will be in her class, that she won't get along with her teacher, that it will just be an AWFUL school year!! Wahhhh!!!! Sob, sob, sob!!!

I guess I just like to be a mom who worries though I shouldn't. Shelby is such a well adjusted kid that she is just like "Oh well, I will just make some new friends." What is funny is that I am always the one that tells her that, so why do I worry so much???

I think it is in the job description "Must worry excessively". Must mean I am doing a GREAT job!

Friday, August 19, 2011

Shelby-isms


It's the little things that come out of Shelby's mouth that sometimes just make me take a step back and go "Huh, what a smart and/or wise child" I like to call these little bursts Shelby-isms. They make you laugh, cry, shake your head....

So in the past few days there have been a few Shelby-isms that have just touched my heart.

The first one was when Shelby went up to her room and gathered a bunch of stuff to sell at a Garage sale. Then she asked me "Do you know why I need to sell this stuff?" and points outside. "Um, no Shelby why do you want to sell your toys?" "To earn money to help daddy so he can finish building the shop!" Oh so sweet! I didn't have the heart to tell her that whatever money she made would make the most minuscule dent in what Chad needs to finish the shop.

So then a few days later we were talking about the neighbor girls b-day party. Shelby finds some books (with coordinating CD's) and some playing cards that have seen better days. She was like "We can give these to Danika since we don't have money to afford a gift for her" Oooh! Nice thought but money isn't THAT tight. I mean we can afford $15 for a birthday gift. We just have to get better at watching our spending! (or in other words: NO MORE MOCHAS)

But it is a good feeling to know our daughter is aware of the value (or lack there of) of the OL' MIGHTY DOLLAR and was trying to help out.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

The Pederslie's Invade Cali


Yes we have arrived in Cali and are taking it by storm! We arrived Saturday and prompty jumped into Toyota Camry rental and headed to San Diego for 2 days of fun and sun (though I think more sun then fun was had by me). Though I am a true Washingtonian, there is something to be said about warm Cali weather. I laugh when the meterologists say a cold front is coming in and it's going to be a breezy 70 degrees! That's a cold front? Dude, that is a heat wave for me!!

After a quick visit with my childhood BFF (too short but not for lack of effort - that is a whole other story that I just don't want to rehash right now) we headed to Seaworld where Shelby forced us to sit in the very first row of the Shamu show. Yes, we got soaked! However, we agreed that due to our soakage that Shelby's rule for daddy of only "One Starbucks a day" was now null and void.



The following day we ventured to Legoland. Talk about creativity! Makes me want to buy some Legos and get to work on my own little Legoland! But I will settle for the cool little Gnome Lego Guy I got and call it good!




After another long day in the sun (more sunscreen for us that day though so no new sunburns!) we got back in the car and were Disneyland bound! We are now in our COOL beach themed room at Paradise Pier Hotel. OMG, this decor is coming home with me! Wonder if they will notice me walking out with the cool surfboard lamp.....

Today is a fly by the seat of our pants kind of day. We will be taking a tour of Warner Bros Studios since Chad & I loved that so much the last time we were here and we think Shelby will enjoy it. She got very excited when we say the big donut at Randy's donuts as she had seen it on Iron Man 2.

Though I should bring my jacket, because you know there is that cool front coming in today. It is going to be a chilly 70 degrees.....

Sunday, May 22, 2011

One Proud Mama!

So a few weeks ago Shelby's art teacher mentioned that there would be a Valley Art Show and that Shelby should enter. Well Shelby didn't really seem enthused but then a few weeks after that one of her projects came home all framed with another form for us to fill out to enter her art into the show. Okay, we got it. Shelby was to enter her art!

Well we thought nothing else of it. In fact I wasn't even totally clear on what all the art show involved. Was there prizes given? Was the artwork being judged? Well if it was, I was not getting my hopes up because poor Shelby comes from a family of losers. Now I don't mean that in the sense that we are just pathetic people, in fact I like to think we are quite wonderful people! But we don't win anything. Never win on lottery tickets - not even $1! Publishers Clearing house has yet to ring our doorbell with that big huge check in hand...So image my surprise when Chad sends me a text Friday night and said that Shelby had won 3rd place in her category and age group!!

Her art is proudly displayed at the Rocking E feed store in town! Go check it out!

(the serious artist and her work - the one w/the white ribbon!)


(A close up of the prize winning artwork!)

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day!

Oh my goodness. I am one lucky mommy! I have the best daughter in the whole world!

So the little munchkin has been excited for the past week getting ready for Mother's Day. Earlier in the week she was getting some flowers ready for me, then later in the week she was telling me I could not get up before 6 am (um...yeah, no problem there!) Then last night she set her alarm clock for...you guessed it, 6 am. However only I woke up to the music playing when it went off. When she did get up she came to get daddy so they could start making me breakfast.

After I dozed back off for a bit I heard them coming up the stairs and kept my eyes closed until Shelby called out my name. There on my breakfast tray was toast, eggs, bacon and OJ. The best part though, was this beautiful little flower that sat high and proud!




Then the hubby and kiddo were off as I got to veg and watch a movie. Then it was off for a free haircut at Great Clips, followed by a mocha coconut frapp and then back home to relax a bit longer until my fam was back with a rose bush, two cards and an iPhone!! :) My family rocks!

Happy Mother's Day!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The Mayonnaise Jar, Golf Balls and 2 Cups of Coffee

No I have not been drinking! I got this email today and it just really hit home so I wanted to share it. I have heard/seen this scenario before but it is definitely something to remember!

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day is not enough; remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
and start to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full and they agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "Yes".

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed.

"Now" said the professor, as the laughter subsided,"I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life."

"The golf balls are the important things - God, family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions; Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full."

"The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car..."

"The sand is everything else -- The small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued,"there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.The same goes for life."

"If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,you will never have room for the things that are important to you."

"So...Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner."

"There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap."

"Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter."

"Set your priorities. The rest is just sand"

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked.It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."


Hmm, aint that the truth? And just what I have been thinking lately. People are always so busy, busy, busy but you need to make time for those cups of coffee with friends. I know I will. Will you?

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Why God Why?

You ever just have one of those days where you ask "Why God, Why!?!?" I was having one of those days. It started with Shelby being extra slow this morning, arguing with me over everything and then followed up this afternoon with her screeching at me, kicking the TV over and then storming upstairs. I have to say though that during her afternoon outburst I had to refrain from laughing as it just struck me as silly! But of course that would have just made her more mad and given her just cause to scream and cry some more!

So after her screeching and telling me I am a bad mom and don't know how to raise kids (hey in my defense...they didn't come with owner manuals or instruction books!)I sent her upstairs and was just going to let her stay up there until I was good and ready to let her out. I was thinking maybe age 18?? At this point I asked my friend Nikki the age old question.."Why did we want kids again?" to which she said "I don't know but if you ever find out let me know!"

Anyway, a bit later I heard her come downstairs and in her hand was a piece of paper. At this point with a slight eyeroll I thought, "Oh great another I hate mom letter." So imagine my surprise when I look at it and saw this!



Were the Parent Gods smiling down on me today? Oh I think so!! I am not sure what I did to deserve this. Maybe Shelby is just growing up or maybe something I said, somewhere, someday decided to sink in and she knew she needed to apologize.

Oh I don't know but I immediately sent Nikki a message saying "I figured out why we wanted kids" and sent her this picture! It is moments like this where you just have to go "Yep, this is the reason I have a child!"

Boy did God sure answer my question today.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Happy St Patty's Day!

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted anything. It is really quite boring here in the Pederslie household.

I really should have gotten a picture of Shelby's St Patty's Day outfit this AM. Picture it...Apple Green t-shirt, pear green ribbin in hair, gray skirt, black leggings with my chartreuse knee socks on! Oh lordy! However my lovely husband informed me that my outfit reminded him of a leprechaun. Sigh...

So here is a song Shelby learned today and sang for us this evening.

Do Your Ears Point Up?
(Tune: Do Your Ears Hang Low)

Do your ears point up? (pull on top of ears)
Do you have a lot of luck? (cross fingers on both hands)
Can you dance an Irish jig? (dance)
For a pot of gold you'd dig. (pretend to dig)
Can you toss gold over your shoulder (pretend to toss over shoulder)
Like a giant throws a boulder? (pretend to throw heavy object)
Do your ears point up? (pull on top of ears)

It's a lot cuter when you get to see the gestures!

Hope you had jolly ol' day!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Shoo, Fly, Don't Bother Me

In the case of this post you can replace "fly" with the name of that person in your life that annoys, irritates, angers, frustrates you. The person that is just like a little fly buzzing around your head that you just keep flapping your hand at hoping they will go away and your life will be nice and peaceful again.

This person can be a coworker that just causes you to slam your head onto your desk because they just don't get the concept of "team players" or what the definition of work really is (amazingly enough it is not socialize and drink coffee as I originally assumed it was...oops....), it could be that sister-in-law that is overbearing, bossy and rude, that person that just doesn't understand there are "rules" in life and breaks them all of the time, that acquaintance that always bails on you at the last minute. We all have one of those people in our lives..a fly!

As with many insects, I sit there and sometimes ponder what their purpose is. You know I get bees - they pollinate flowers and make honey but flies or how about mosquito's? They are just those pesky things in our life we try to swat away!

So anyway my point, not that there really is one, is that sometimes I wish I had an oversized fly swatter and I could just go "Shoo! Go away!" and swat at these people. Wouldn't that be nice? I know there is some reason these people are in our lifes - makes us stronger people, makes us value others more, maybe they make us realize how we don't want to act or behave.

I don't know - It is late and I think I am to the point where I am just babbling away! I think God is just testing my strength and self control. He is saying "Stephanie, put down the fly swatter! PUT DOWN THE FLY SWATTER!" Okay God I hear you loud and clear!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

I'm Posting Mom - ya happy now??

Well someone complained that I had not posted in a long time so figured I would post something, though I really have nothing interesting to talk about.

What is annoying is that I will be at work, or driving home and will think of something that I want to write about but then I get home and forget what it is or get distracted and so the post is never created.

So today I stopped by and visited with my grandparents. You may be thinking, "Well what is so odd about that?" My grandparents have been gone since 1987 and 1992. It is funny because in both cases they have been gone longer then the age I was when they passed away and though I don't think of them that often, today I just felt sad and missed them. I guess it is like that though when our loved ones pass on. The sadness becomes less and less painful as the time passes but then certain things will spark memories and you will just have that sudden ache of missing them.

I remember a few years ago my mom and I went to visit my grandparents and my mom made the comment "Well here is your granddaughter all grown up" I think we both got a little teary eyed after that. It is sad that my grandparents never got to aee me get married and never got to meet my beautiful daughter.

So after I visited with grandma and grandpa I started to think on the way home what I may have inherited from them. Then it just got me to thinking about families and how we may not take after or resemble our immediate family (mom, dad, sibling). It is just funny how genetics work. For example, Shelby doesn't necessarily look like me though people say she resembles Chad & I (I don't see it though) yet I was looking at a picture of me when I was Shelby's age and I could totally see my niece in that picture. Or how when we were visiting Chad's grandparents and I saw a picture of his mom as a little girl. The light suddenly went on because Shelby seems to have the same build that her grandma did as a little girl.

It is nice that I have finally been able to determine who Shelby takes after. I mean had it not been for that whole birthing experience I was beginning to doubt she was my kid! Well that isn't true - her stubborn streak reminds me DAILY that she is my offspring! ;-)

I had a scary experience one day. I was at my moms house and was cleaning her bathroom. She had a spare wig underneath her bathroom cabinet and I was being silly and thought I would put it on. I looked in the mirror and had to stifle a scream because I - gulp - looked like my mom!!! At least I am happy to say I am not crazy like her!! Hee, hee!!!!

I think next time I visit with my grandparents I will take Chad & Shelby along. It's about time Grandma and Grandpa met them.