John and Kathy's Rantings

We've Moved ...

2009-05-23T08:14:00.003-06:00

... our blog. I wanted to do our own hosting, and unfortunately blogger doesn't work very well for that (limited layout editing and appearance settings). We apologize for the inconvenience, but we have moved the blog to http://jklawrencefam.no-ip.info/blog. I've also made a few changes to the website in general, including the ability to share many photos at once.

Weight check

2009-05-18T17:57:00.002-06:00

Piper went in today to get her weight checked. She has gained 6 ounces in almost a week. That is a big relief since we had some struggling with nursing but all is well now. She also had to get her biliribin checked on Saturday and then again today. She went down and now is off the hook to get checked again. Things are settling down around here a bit. I am thankful to all those who have been there to help me out although I am still getting in trouble for not slowing down. I am doing my best!

Welcome Home!

2009-05-14T14:39:00.002-06:00

We brought home our beautiful Piper today. We are so thrilled that she was born safely and didn't have to go to the NICU. Everyone is adjusting nicely and I can't seem to sleep because I just want to watch my beautiful girls interact with one another. Life is good!

Pictures ...

2009-05-13T07:47:00.005-06:00

Here are some pictures of Piper. There are not very many right now. Her aunt got a lot of pictures, but we will get some of those posted later when we pull copies of them from her camera. Here are some of the ones we got:.

Announcing the arrival of...

2009-05-13T00:36:00.002-06:00

Piper Suzanne... born at 8:41 pm. She weighs 7 pounds 2 ounces and is 19 inches long. She went into active labor at 5:30 pm and delivered at 8:41 pm. Everything went smoothly and she is fantastic. Since I am in the hospital we don't have the camera hooked up we will post pictures soon. Just let me tell you... she is BEAUTIFUL. Kathy is feeling great and enjoyed the short labor.

Another One to Post

2009-05-11T10:03:00.002-06:00

Another fantastic day at the Doctor's. My appointment was at 8:45 am and I was back in the car by 9:06 am. I love it! My blood pressure was 106/61 and I lost 2 lbs. How is that? Aren't you supposed to gain weight the last couple of weeks of pregnancy? I wish I knew the secret so I could keep this up after the baby is born. I am dialated to 3 cm and am doing pretty well. John is still hoping that we will be surprised when the baby is born and it will be a boy. Gotta love him!

Mother's Day

2009-05-09T22:13:00.002-06:00

I have been blessed to be raised by a FANTASTIC mom. She did a lot for us but also let us learn from our own mistakes. This past week I was given the best compliment from her... she told me that I was a good mom. I take that compliment highly and it makes me smile every time I think about it. I also found out that my oldest sister, Amy, told my mom that I seem to be a person who would be a good mom. A little background is that she is 9 years older than me and lives in Pennsylvania, and has been around me exactly 2 weeks since I have become a mother over 3 years ago. I know I am not perfect but it is nice to know that people who have watched me with my kids appreciate the love, sweat, and effort I put into being the best mom I can be. All I can say is it is because of my MOM that I am who I am. And in just a few short days we will be joined by baby #3 and I am so happy.

Happy Mother's Day to all those mother's that I watch and learn from who really don't know that I watch them. To my sweet little friend who is a new mom... Congrats, you are doing a fantastic job!

Feeling Good

2009-05-04T13:43:00.002-06:00

Today was another Dr.'s appointment and it went well. I was in and out in 15 minutes. I love days like that. I am dialated to a 2 and 80% effaced. I was quite surprised by that but now understand the little aches I have had. I've got my mom on call and 3 outfits set out for the girls at any given time. We are prepared for our little Piper to appear and are now waiting til the moment she decides she would like to join us.

We are all feeling better finally! I wish our cold season wouldn't have come right when the swine flu made the news but good news..... we DIDN'T have it. I can't tell you how many people asked me if that is what we had. It has been a wake up call to me on what kind of stuff we should have on hand for when any of us get sick. Running to the store when you aren't feeling well isn't a good idea.

A fun post

2009-04-28T14:53:00.003-06:00

Rules: Anything you have done has to be in colored, bold, and/or underlined. How much have you done? It only takes about 5 minutes…Just do it..it's fun!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a Praying Mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched an amazing lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning...
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Ran a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible almost done
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (Corbin Allred--boy is he HOT)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person (thanks to my hubby who is from S.A.)
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Visited Italy

If my counting is right, 31 out of 100. I am SO boring!

Baby Update!

2009-04-27T14:10:00.000-06:00

Today was another Doc.'s appointment. I lost the 3 lbs I gained last time and my blood pressure is still perfect. I am feeling good and am down to the last 3 weeks. I am feeling things that are letting me know my body is working towards birthing Piper but I feel great. I get laughs from John and my mom because I waddle really bad and groan as I walk up the stairs. I love pregnancy! It is one of my favorite times.

Lots of Energy

2009-04-21T20:40:00.003-06:00

Mallory started her dance class yesterday and we found out that one of her sweet friends from preschool is in it with her. Sorry the picture is so bad, but I think you can see how cute she is
anyway.

I woke up this morning with LOADS of energy ( for the 3rd trimester). Sadie and I walked Mallory to and from preschool, had a picnic at Grandmas's, headed to the mall and played at the Treehouse, then came home and made chicken parmigiana. After dinner was cleaned up I decided to make some things that I could freeze so we would be prepared for when I have Piper.
I made blender wheat waffles and homemade pizza pockets. These recipes came from http://everydayfoodstorage.net . I love that website. I have learned A LOT about food storage from it. Don't they look delicious?

Do dreams talk to you?

2009-04-17T11:16:00.002-06:00

For a few weeks now I have been having dreams that the ultrasound is wrong and that I am carrying a boy. Now for those of you who know me, know that I am a planner, list maker, and pretty much try to control everything. I have had Piper's clothes hung and washed for weeks now and have been talking to my tummy like the baby is a girl. Is this normal in the last trimester? I don't remember this ever happening to me before. And on top of that my family and John said that they have all felt that the ultrasound was wrong anyway. This pregnancy has been 100% different than my other two and I was just counting it as a blessing, but could it mean I am having a boy? Has this happened to anyone before? Please let me know that I am not going crazy. :)

Party!

2009-04-15T10:52:00.001-06:00

I am going to host a Stampin' Up Party on April 29th. If you would like to come leave a comment and I will get back to you with all the details. It is going to be a blast and I hope I can get a bunch of people there so I can have a last bash before little Piper arrives! If you would more info. on Stampin' Up let me know. Thanks!

You gotta love the Dr.'s office....

2009-04-13T14:19:00.002-06:00

My appointment this morning was set for 9:15 am, however, I did not get in to see him until 11 am. He had to go and do a c-section and from what I overheard it was a pretty scary situation for the mom. I am doing well and so is Piper. I did gain 3 lbs. but the Doc. thinks it is because she finally decided to stretch out and eat more. Or it could be because my dear friends little girl, Keni, put her hand on my tummy and told Piper to keep growing. Thanks Lyndi! ;) My blood pressure is good and I am feeling pretty good. I still have the typical aches and pains but they are the good ones that let you know your body is doing what it needs to.

On behalf of the rolls.... they turned out GREAT! Julie B. the recipe is in the comment section of the last post.

I did it!

2009-04-12T16:36:00.004-06:00

In John's family there is a roll recipe that Suzanne used to make when the kids were little. As they have gotten older Jared has been the one deemed to make them for almost every family function. Today I decided I would try and make them for my family's Easter dinner. I used a little bit of freshly ground wheat flour and made double the recipe (John's idea).

Here are some pictures of the girls in their Easter dresses. And yes that is the best of them all for the girls.

I love QUILTING!

2009-04-08T22:01:00.003-06:00

Tonight was another quilt club. I LOVE this club! We already have an idea of what our next project is going to be, but right now I am still working on Piper's. Here is the latest picture. I have 2 more times before it is done but Piper will be here before the last class. I have some sweet friends who have volunteered to have a special class for me so I can finish it after Piper arrives.

March Kool Kid

2009-04-07T19:20:00.003-06:00

Here is Mallory's latest from preschool:

not yet ... I can count by ordinals ... 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th
almost ... I recognize letters S-V ... needs a little help- but great!
perfect ... I can recite one springtime poem ... WOW!
perfect ... I can recite the Pledge of Allegiance ... WOW!
perfect ... I can recognize different kinds of weather ... WOW!
perfect ... I know parts of a whole ... WOW!

We are very proud of how Mallory is progressing! She has 2 more years of preschool and I know she will love every minute of it! Mal has come a long way since that little 2 year old!

Piper is great!

2009-03-30T11:22:00.002-06:00

Another visit to the Dr. today and all is well. My blood pressure was 98/56 and my heart rate 107. I am STILL the same weight I have been the last 4 visits! Who knew grinding your own wheat, making fresh bread with it, and using it in your cooking would be so good for you! I know, I know I sound like a food storage freak, but I am proud of it! I am now learning to use bean flour. YUM! Anyway, all is well and I will be back at the Doc.'s in 2 weeks then I start going every week. Where has the time gone?

Doctor's Appointment

2009-03-16T13:47:00.002-06:00

This will be a very short post. I have not gained or lost any weight again this check up. My blood pressure is good and so is my sugar. Piper is head down (the Doc. says) and is very active still. I am feeling the very normal aches and pains of the 3rd trimester. I will see the Dr. in 2 weeks again. We are hoping for Piper to weigh between 7 lbs to under 8 lbs 10 ounces. I don't know if I could handle any bigger (that is emotionally not physically). When they are bigger they don't look like newborns. My favorite time!

Progress

2009-03-11T22:05:00.003-06:00

Tonight was quilt club and I love it! I got a lot done today and decided that crazy nine patch is my FAVORITE pattern. It is easy and the rules are sort of thrown out the window. I am even more happy with my fabric choices. These aren't the finished product. I still need to make several more blocks and then square them up. I will keep updating!

Piper's blanket

2009-03-04T17:21:00.003-07:00

This will be a short post. For those who wanted to see what colors we have chosen for Piper's blanket here is the picture. I will post updates and I get the blanket going. I missed my last class because John and I went on a date. Those are few and far between!

Baby Update

2009-03-02T12:11:00.003-07:00

Wow two posts in the same week I must be getting organized again! I had my Dr.'s appointment today and things are still going well. My blood pressure was a little low but not so much that the Doc. was worried. I didn't gain or lose any weight in the past month so I am VERY proud of myself. The baby is growing but thankfully I am not! :) I am now down to going every two weeks. Piper will be here before we know it and I am so EXCITED! So is Mallory; she can't wait to be a the big helper and take care of Sadie and Piper. What a great big sister!

Can you guess which is Mallory and which is Sadie?

Never too late..

2009-03-01T13:20:00.004-07:00

It has been a long week but an exciting one. We are officially moved into our new home and we LOVE it! It is a lot to clean and take care of but it feels like home. Thank you to all that helped move us. I was on the sidelines again because of my ever growing tummy and appreciated all the help from you. I would like to get out official thank you cards but I can't seem to find them. All of the rooms are mostly unpacked and put away except for Piper's room and the office.

I have included pictures of the new house, Mallory, and Sadie. I can't believe how big these girls are getting. It seemed like only yesterday Sadie had the toddler look and now she looks like a little girl. Time goes by so fast!

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T12:07:00.001-07:00

In a little over 90 days we will have another bundle of love in the house. John and I are so grateful for our little family and the blessings we have. There are too many things that I love about John, Mallory, and Sadie that I won't bore you with the HUGE list; I will just say I LOVE YOU ALL! Happy Valentine's Day!

Yes this is an old picture but I LOVE it! Sadie was only 5 months old.

January Kid Kard

2009-02-03T11:35:00.001-07:00

Here is Mallory's latest from preschool.

perfect....I know my opposites...WOW!
perfect...I recognize letters H-N....all but N
almost...I can write my name without an example...
almost...I can cut with scissors...
perfect...I know how to take care of my body...mac and cheese, exercise, showers to clean me
not yet...I am brave...she said "NO!"

As you can see Mallory does have some things to work on but is progressing nicely. I can see a big difference in her since she started. Everyday that she gets to go to preschool she can't wait to get there an has a hard time sleeping the night before. I wish I would have had that same excitement towards school.

Doctor's Appointment Update

2009-02-02T12:07:00.002-07:00

I had another appointment today and things are going well. I gained one whole pound. WAHOO! Piper's heartbeat was strong and we even heard her with her hiccups. Poor little girl. I get to take the lovely glucose screening test in a couple of weeks. After my next appointment I will go and see him every 2 weeks. I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone. I get to start on her crib bedding this week in my quilt club. I will do my best to post pictures as the quilt progresses.

Also on a football note.... Way to go STEELERS!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-01-29T15:01:00.002-07:00

Happy Anniversary to my sweetheart! It has been a busy 4 years but they have been great. I am so blessed to have him in my life. He is a good dad and REALLY patient with all my pregnancy craziness. I hope and pray the rest of the years together are this good. I LOVE YOU!

And the decision is?

2009-01-14T19:50:00.002-07:00

It has been a week of waiting and praying, but we finally know what house we will live in. We are happy to say that we will be staying in the ward but about a block and a quarter from where we live now. We are so happy! The house has 6 bedrooms and 3 baths. I know I know...it is really big for our little family but it just worked out that way. The landlord is the father of some friends of mine from high school. Our ward boundaries were changed 2 weeks ago so we have a little bit of familiarity and new faces. Plus one of the best things is I can still walk Mallory to preschool on good weather days. The move won't take place until early February which is perfect so I don't have to stress pack. Pictures will come once we sign the lease and get a picture.

A New Home

2009-01-09T21:16:00.002-07:00

We are going to be moving fairly soon. We just aren't exactly sure where yet. We have been approved to rent two different houses. We won't know for sure until Thursday at the latest which one we will actually get. With one of the houses we would be renting, we wouldn't have to change wards. With the other one, we would be moving stakes, but to the same ward as a few people we know. I'm excited to have our own place again, without sharing it with others. Not to say that is has been bad living here, just too long with others.

Stay tuned - we will be posting where we end up moving too when we know.

Free Labor

2009-01-06T19:42:00.001-07:00

The above pictures are of Mallory (by the car) and Sadie shoveling the driveway. They WANTED to do this! I think it is adorable. They love to help Daddy.

I had another Dr.'s appointment today. I lost another 4 pounds. I have no idea how I am doing this since I feel like I have food in my mouth and stomach all day everyday. Piper's heartbeat is strong and steady. She loves to move and kick mommy.

The Ultrasound Says....

2008-12-30T14:08:00.002-07:00

As much as John hoped and prayed for a boy we are blessed to be having another beautiful little girl. The tech. is 95% sure too. I am ok with the outcome. I think in the back of my mind I always new it, but hoped for a boy for John. All is well with the baby. She is measuring well and all her organs are good. They couldn't see the 4 chambers of the heart so we will have to get another ultrasound in another month or so. In May we will welcome Piper Suzanne. Sorry for no pictures. John will scan them in later.

What effective branding can do ...

2008-12-28T14:31:00.003-07:00

The other day, since I couldn't work on the bathroom because the girls needed to sleep and I needed to make lots of noise to make progress, I decided to pull out an old apple iBook - a "turquoise clamshell". It is 1997 or 1998 era laptop, that originally came with OS 9. It is not a particularly powerful laptop, but it could be used for minimalistic purposes.

I don't have a use for the laptop, but I wanted something on it for Mallory to use. Well, Mac OS 9 no longer has anything really useful for it. Since I had some time, I started working on getting Linux installed on the computer so I could put some children games on it. It took me a little while to find something that was compatible, so I was working on it the next day as well. Mallory saw the computer and asked me "Is that going to be my computer daddy?" I told her it was, if I could get it to work.

As I was working on it, Mallory saw the lid, which of course has the Apple logo on it, rather large. Mallory saw that and called it her "Apple Computer". Apple has always been good at marketing.

I eventually did get it working. Mallory now loves it, and dislikes when she can't do things her way. She does enjoy working on her computer, just like her daddy.

Kid Kard

2008-12-18T16:48:00.003-07:00

We went to Mallory's preschool today for a little show. They recited nursery rhymes and sang a Christmas song. It was adorable. Because I took Sadie with me I forgot my camera. The teachers with the students had a gift for the parents. It was a tiny loaf of homemade wheat bread with strawberry freezer jam. Delicious!!! Here is Mallory's report card for Nov./Dec.

Perfect...I know my shapes
almost...I recognize letters D-G
perfect...I can trace my name
almost...I can cut with scissors
perfect...I love to sing
perfect...I can say 2 nursery rhymes without help

The only thing in the comment area was WOW! They constantly tell me how how great Mallory is and what a big help she is. I wish I could have gone to this preschool! This is an old picture of Mallory but I love how innocent she looks!

A Guy's Wish

2008-12-16T16:10:00.002-07:00

Above is a picture that John took while he baked and cut out Christmas cookies. Can you tell what he wants for Christmas? (pst..JJ is the nickname of the baby if it is a boy.)

Doctor's Appointment

2008-12-08T14:18:00.002-07:00

Things are going well. I haven't gained or lost any weight this month so I am happy. My appetite came back and I am so happy. I have missed food. The baby's heartbeat was at 155 beats per minute. My blood pressure is finally in the good normal range and I can feel the difference. We schedule the ultrasound for Dec. 30th. It would be nice if it is a boy since John's birthday is the next day. We have decided either JJ (Jackson John) or Piper Suzanne.

Happy Birthday

2008-12-05T22:18:00.001-07:00

For my birthday today John and I went on a date. Thankfully this year we didn't have to go to another boring ROTC ball like last year. We ate at Olive Garden and had to think of things to talk about since there were no children there to distract us. Then we went to see Twilight. I loved the books and know that movies are never as good as the books. However, I did enjoy it and had a smile on my face the whole time. The baby did too. I felt it kick for the first time during the fight scene in the ballet studio. Another hint that he is a boy...maybe.
Mallory enjoyed it being my birthday too. She kept asking me if I was excited and I even let he blow out my candles. 27 isn't a lot but I knew she would enjoy the helping part. Here's to another great year!

Wonderful Husband

2008-11-26T13:40:00.002-07:00

I saw this tag today on my friend Julie's blog and decided to take the time to write some great stuff about my hubby.

1. Where did you meet?
We were set up on a blind date by his brother Jared. We had dinner at Jared's house and then went to a Stingerzz game.

2. How long did you date before you got married?
4 months

3. How long have you been married?
On January 29th it will be 4 years!

4. What is your favorite feature of his?
His dark chocolate eyes and his dimple on his left cheek.

5. What is your favorite quality of his?
He is very honest. He would rather not say anything than lie to someone. He will tell me when I look "interesting" in an outfit. Trust me I would rather have that than buy something that makes me look bad.

6. Does he have a nickname for you?
Sweetie

7. What is his favorite color?
Blue

8. What is his favorite food?
Pasta, pasta, and more pasta

9. What is his favorite sport?
football unless the Spurs are playing!

10. When and where was your first kiss?
Oct. 18, 2004 outside my parents house

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?
Watch a movie together when the kids are asleep.

12. Do you have any kids?
2.5 Mallory, Sadie, and little baby

13. Does he have a hidden talent?
He can play the viola..I have never heard it but he told me he did when he was younger

14. How old is he?
At the end of the year he will be 26....yes that is right I married a man a year younger than me!

15. Who said "I love you" first?
He did. He blurted it out on the phone and acted like he didn't say anything. I let him sweat on the other side during the conversation before I said it back.

16. What is his favorite type of music?
I don't think there is a specific type. If he hears a song he likes he will investigate the band. One of his favorites is Nickelback.

17. What do you admire most about him?
I love how he is an AMAZING dad. He loves our kids and takes any minute he can to play with them. He helps me with getting them ready for bed and if the day is good he is sometimes around in the morning to help out. Plus he never leaves the house without a kiss and a hug from each of his girls!

I tag anyone would would like to take a minute to write nice things about their other half.

Surprise!

2008-11-20T16:56:00.002-07:00

Sadie has been interested in the potty lately. I haven't been getting my hopes up since she just turned 17 months. Well today I let her sit on the potty because she was acting interested in it. She loved sitting on the little seat and while we were clapping and laughing because she looked so cute, she went POTTY! It was a total coincidence but nonetheless awesome. From now on anytime she wants to go we will let her sit on it! What a big girl!

Thankfulness

2008-11-19T15:47:00.002-07:00

I have been reading my friends blogs lately and even had some discussion about Thanksgiving being passed over. It makes me sad too because I love a holiday that pushes you to eat as much as possible! Just kidding! I love Thanksgiving. It is a time to get together with loved ones and celebrate what a lot of our ancestors did...coming to a new place. How many of us would be that brave? To leave everything we love and hold dear to go to a new world that we knew nothing about. Except criminals were sent there. :) I am glad that Mallory is starting to understand what Thanksgiving is about. We talk about things we are thankful for. A few of mine are: freedom of religion, freedom period, and my family.

I hope we all take a few minutes to think about things we are thankful for this season.

Baby News!

2008-11-10T14:11:00.002-07:00

I had another Doctor's appointment today. I lost another 2 pounds and my blood pressure has gone up only slightly. It is still low which explains why I am still knocked out tired. The baby was moving all over the place and had to be followed to hear the heartbeat. It has slowed down a bit. It is now 145 as opposed to 170 last time. We could also hear the baby kicking. It makes a static sound and every time he moved he would kick and then move away. It was like we were invading his privacy. I will keep you updated after my next appointment next month.

Report Card Time Again

2008-10-30T11:42:00.001-06:00

It is the end of October and Mallory has another progress report.

perfect...I can count to 10
almost...I recognize letters A-C...knows A & B called C an O
perfect...I can write the first letter of my name
perfect...I obey all school rules
perfect...I can retell a story I've heard
almost...I can name the parts of a book...work on: cover, spine, pages
perfect...I know how to hold a pencil

Mallory is doing very well and LOVES her preschool days!

Tagged

2008-10-29T09:53:00.002-06:00

Thanks Christine for the tag....here it is....

6 shows I watch
Charmed, One Tree Hill (totally high school but I enjoy it still), ER, Rachael Ray Show, 30 minute meals, Mythbusters (my husbands doing)

6 Restaurants I like to eat at (these are ones I enjoyed before pregnancy)
Olive Garden (only restaurant I can eat at now), Chili's, Goodwood BBQ, Los Hermanos, Ottavios, China Lily

6 things that happened Yesterday...still early in the day
took Mallory to preschool, Mallory actually took a nap (wahoo!), went to UVU kids Halloween party, thought about doing my quilt blocks and decided after getting up that it better wait another day, John did well in one of his class presentations, I was able to take 2 naps (my mom is great!)

6 things I am looking forward to
my ultrasound at 20 weeks (9 weeks left), getting over my first trimester, Thanksgiving, Christmas (I finally got good gifts that my parents are bound to love), Sadie talking so I can FINALLY understand what she wants, my little baby Lawrence being born in May

6 things on my wish list
a new house, losing my baby weight faster this time (anything under 3 years will be good), getting our savings bigger, Mallory and Sadie are healthy and safe this winter, having a healthy pregnancy, trying to keep my faith while times are hard

6 people I tag
I am tagging anyone that would like to do this one. It is fine and makes you think.

Patriotic

2008-10-23T15:54:00.002-06:00

When I think back on my elementary days, I remember doing the Pledge of Allegiance every morning. On the way up to Cornbelly's on Saturday John and I heard Mallory reciting it. She had her hand over her heart and got almost every word right. I am grateful for her preschool that is teaching her to be Patriotic and show respect for her country.

Sadie is getting bigger every day. She gives hugs and kisses and loves her big sister. Sadie has two months left until Nursery! I think she will like it since her and Mallory overlap a week or two. I love my two little girls but the consensus is that this baby will be a boy! I don't mind that!

Baby Update

2008-10-20T09:41:00.002-06:00

Today was my first Dr.'s appointment. I lost 13 pounds! The Dr. isn't worried so I am celebrating that fact. The baby's heartbeat was fast and strong. My blood pressure is a little low but nothing to worry about. The nurse thinks it is because I didn't get a lot of sleep and am exhausted all the time. The pregnancy is a go!

The picture is of Mallory's little hands. The red puffy one is the one that got stung by a bee for the first time on Saturday. She was in a lot of pain because the stinger got in deep and her hands don't have a lot of fat on them. It is all better now but very traumatic when it happened. Now when she sees any flying insect she goes into hiding!

Thanks Lyndi!

2008-10-16T16:16:00.002-06:00

Since I tagged Lyndi it was only fair for her to tag me back. Here is my list of " 8 things."

8 things I am passionate about:
Mallory, Sadie, John, LDS faith, cooking, quilting, friends, babies

8 words or phrases I say often:
shut up! (in the sarcastic sense), no way, Mallory be quiet, Sadie no, John!, if I eat that it will make me sick (thanks pregnancy!), Hey Mom!, thank you for being nice to Sadie

8 things I've learned from my past:
people aren't always what they say they are, broken hearts can heal, kids grow up WAY too fast, telling the truth isn't always best :), true friends are hard to find, high school isn't that big of a deal, laugh as often as possible, always work hard even if it is working hard to take a nap.

8 places I would love to go:
New York, Australia, England, Hawaii, San Diego, CA, Italy, Indiana, Georgia

8 things I would love to see:
how my kids lives will be in the future, my grandpa on my mom's side that I never met, what the baby in my tummy is, Australian coast, dolphin up close, all the LDS temples in the world, John's grades, a million dollars (it would be cool to see what it looks like)

8 people I tag:
I tag anyone who would like to participate. Have fun!

I've been tagged!

2008-10-15T19:34:00.002-06:00

This is for you Laura. Here is my 8th picture from my 10th folder. It is of Mallory on our sealing day. She is so beautiful!

I am tagging my best friend Lyndi. Here is a great way for you to get more posts on your blog!

Kids..They do hear

2008-10-06T12:12:00.002-06:00

Sadie was throwing one of her famous tantrums today because I brought her upstairs when she didn't want to. I walked away from her to go look for Mallory's lost shoe when I heard Mallory say:

"When I get in trouble I do that too. You need to listen to mommy. Ok Sadie? Don't be scared Sadie."

Just because Mallory doesn't listen to what I tell her at least I know she hears me.

Report Card Time

2008-10-02T11:34:00.002-06:00

I love the fact that Mallory's preschool does a report card...well a progress card really. I am so glad that I know how she does and they come at the end of each month. For those of you who would like to know how Mallory is doing I have decided to write a blog at the end of each month so I can keep you updated as well.

perfect...I can count to 5... comment: easy
perfect...I recognize my colors... comment: easy
perfect...I can recognize my name... comment: everytime
almost...I obey school rules... comment: I am learning to sit on the rug--I'm getting better everyday
perfect...I love my teachers... comment: :)
perfect...I am kind to my school friends... comment: always
perfect...I can share... comment: always

The things they do will change each month to go along with the new tasks they learn. Today Mallory got to go to an apple orchard and pick apples. Then they went back to school and made fruit leather. They have started the alphabet and learned about big A and little a. Mallory loves it and I love the fact the teachers really help the kids learn by having fun.

Funny times

2008-09-28T19:26:00.002-06:00

We were talking to Mallory about the baby in mommy's tummy and asked if she wanted a baby brother or a baby sister. She responded by saying a baby Sadie. We told her that we would have a Mallory, Sadie, and a little baby. She looked at me and asked Why? I don't think she is sure about having another baby. Hopefully her mind will change in time for the little one to arrive.

Kids

2008-09-22T18:54:00.002-06:00

John mentioned to me that I forgot to include in my last blog how the girls appointments went. Sadie and Mallory are great and growing rapidly. Sadie weighs 24 lbs and is 31 inches long (70th percentile) and Mallory weighs 31 lbs and is 37 inches long (75th percentile). I can't believe how fast they grow. I was looking at baby pictures the other day and it seemed like they were just that little. Mallory is loving preschool and doing very well. They start the alphabet next Tuesday with a field trip to an apple orchard. Sadie is sneaky. I was in our bathroom and heard my medicine bottle rattle. When I got to Sadie she handed me the bottle and the lid was partially off. I know that it was tightly closed before because I just used it. It was supposed to be child proofed but either the company didn't do a good job of that or my 15 month old is incredibly smart.

People say what they want

2008-09-22T11:35:00.002-06:00

I was at the pediatrician's office with Mallory and Sadie for check ups. I was telling the Dr. that I was expecting and when my due date was so I can make sure he is around for the baby after the birth. I was just about to tell him my due date when he looks at my belly and says " you must be far enough along to know what you are having. So is it a boy or a girl?" It took all my energy to not slap him! I know I am bigger but come on...that was just plain stupid. I have learned to never assume, always ask how far along are you or when are you due. Later that day an innocent person (well for a moment anyway) walked up to me and ask what I was having too. That was the last straw. I have decided to stay in my house and not leave until I am having the baby or I am far enough along that I can tell them what I am having instead of saying " I don't know I am only 6 weeks pregnant." Do people think before they open their mouth?

Feeling Sick

2008-09-17T15:30:00.002-06:00

Times are good although I am feeling the symptoms of pregnancy. I guess I believe that is a good thing since we are a little stressed after the last one. I met with my Dr. today and my due date is May 16. I am hoping for the baby to come sooner since John has drill that day and the day following. Mallory is proudly telling everyone of the baby in my tummy. Not that the ward doesn't already know. I accidentally told one of the ladies in our ward and the next thing you know EVERYONE knows! I was hoping to keep it quiet til I was 12 weeks along but that hope is out the window. I guess secrets no longer exist with a 3 year old around. We like the names Jackson John or Lyndi Suzanne.

For the technically inclined

2008-09-14T15:57:00.003-06:00

Kathy wanted a laptop to help her with her school work. So we got me a new one, and she got the one I used to have. The first thing I do with a new computer on it is put Linux on it. Well, I first to install PCLinuxOS on it, which is my favorite distribution of Linux. It wouldn't install. So I went to the distribution PCLinuxOS split off of, Mandriva. It installed, and I really like the administration controls it has. PCLinuxOS uses the same tools. The problem is that Mandriva isn't stable. Of the two installs I did with Mandriva 2008.1 one distro, both failed me. The first installed failed because I tried to make it go straight to cooker. Didn't work to well. The second failed because it would no longer work with OpenOffice.org, the office suite I use. It kept crashing repetitively, not to mention that the system seemed to be unraveling. When I first started using Linux, back during my high school years, I started with Mandrake for a little bit, but quickly went to Suse Linux. This was back when you actually had to purchase a boxed version from off the shelf of a computer store. I don't remember what version I started with, somewhere around 6.4 or 7. something. I'm not sure which one. I stayed with Suse or openSuse as it became until they released the 10.1 version. I found it unusable. Like many fans of Linux I had been sampling distributions for quite a while. I found PCLinuxOS .93. I liked it the best, and since openSuse had taken such a wrong turn, I decided that I should use that one. I was extremely happy when PCLinuxOS 2007. Lately I've been trying Kubuntu, but found that Firefox has some glitches with it on Kubuntu. The checkboxes don't always work like they should. After a brief discourse of my Linux usage, back to the original story. So when Mandriva had failed me, and kubuntu was no longer a viable option, I went to look for a distribution with KDE 4.1.1 on it, since KDE 4.0 is bascially unusable for everyday use. As I looked around I found one with KDE 4.1.1 on it, thought that one was not an official release. There is KDE-Live cd based on openSuse 11.0 that isn't too bad for this. Though I suggest waiting until KDE 4.2 to those who aren't willing to put up with some annoyances. OpenSuse seems to have gotten over there prior package management woes for the most part. So far, I've only had one real problem with openSuse 11, and it lies with a program installed by default: Beagle. I greatly dislike beagle, but it seems to do especially horrible stuff to a laptop. With beagle running, I couldn't really run it longer then 40 min, because by then the laptop was cooking my legs or the table it is sitting on. I also discovered that leaving it on all night was a bad idea, as it would nearly burn up the laptop, it ran so hot. I also noticed that battery life was greatly reduced. When I looked at all the processes, it turned out the beagle was taking 50% of my CPU on idle. I know it was indexing my files, but that is quite a bit. So i uninstalled Beagle, and now my computer runs faster, cooler, and it is actually usable. Anyways. Here is a small screenshot of my desktop. Except for one or two small things, I quite like it.

Grown Up Tantrum

2008-09-13T21:41:00.004-06:00

Do you ever have days where you just want to lay on the floor and throw a tantrum? Today was one of those days. I am feeling horrible and house hunting is not going well. We looked at a house that has a huge yard but the inside is disgusting. There were beer bottles on the floor and broken glass from the windows all over the carpet. I wanted to feel better when we got home, so I decided to look at houses again online. I found the one that we really really want and they lowered their price $10,000 but it is still $50,000 more than we were approved for. Sometimes I would like to nod my head and wrinkle my nose and wish for the money to show up. We still have time before we need to move but I am hoping to do so before my belly gets too big.

Thanks for reading my grown up tantrum!

And Baby makes 5!

2008-09-10T20:31:00.002-06:00

Surprise! Suprise! John and I are expecting our third child. We are pretty certain everything is going fine so we felt it was time to share. I am due the beginning of May and am having positive thoughts that it is a boy. We don't even walk near the newborn girl outfits! I guess I am trying to get the pink thoughts out and put in the blue thoughts. :) I have cut down my class load from 3 classes to 1.

So far things are going well. I get sick after I eat something and really onry if I don't eat on time. Also I am already in maternity pants. My body loves pregnancy (isn't that fun) and has decided since this is my 5 pregnancy (3rd child) it will not let me in my regular pants anymore. Thank goodness maternity clothes are comfy!

Mallory is 3!

2008-09-06T21:27:00.002-06:00

Mallory had her Cinderella party today. She loves to be 3 and had a great birthday. There was one glitch. Unfortunately she got heat exhaustion and got sick in the car. The poor thing felt horrible. Thankfully she was all better for her party. It was great to see family and friends to celebrate a great occasion. We had a princess cake, Cinderella party supplies, princess wrapping paper and princess balloons. The best part was watching the expressions she gave when she opened every present. You spend weeks planning the party and food and spend the day running around doing things and when your kid opens the first present and gets so happy, it makes it all worth it.

First Day of School

2008-09-02T20:15:00.001-06:00

Today was Mallory's first day of preschool. As you can see in the picture she was extremely excited to go. We were able to walk there and she wouldn't talk the whole time. I asked her if she was nervous and she said "No, I am scared." When we got closer to the school and saw the two teachers she decided she wasn't scared anymore. Mallory ran right up to the teacher and thanks to the teacher came back to hug and kiss me goodbye. Sadie wanted to go too but I don't think I am ready for that just yet.

Amazement

2008-08-31T09:19:00.002-06:00

Last night Mallory told us that she wanted to sleep in her little bed (toddler bed). Since we already had it in storage the idea didn't really appeal to us. Then she mentioned that she would sleep the whole night in her bed and not get out to climb in bed with us. That did it, we were sold. John had the bed put together in about 10 minutes and Mallory was so excited to go to bed. She fell asleep quickly and we were really happy about that. Mallory woke up once but didn't climb into bed with us so we count that as a plus. This morning when we walked past her room she had made her bed by herself. She even wanted to help make our bed look "all nice." I only wish this keeps up. Sometimes I wonder where this kid gets this stuff.

Forgot...

2008-08-28T22:00:00.003-06:00

To those who read our blog..family and friends...you are welcome to come to the Big party Mallory can't stop talking about. It is an open house type of party. It is on September 6 from 5pm-7:30pm at our house (if you need to know where it is email us). Please don't feel obligated to come I just wanted to get the word out in case someone did want to come. We will have food and if I get my way LOADS of it. John hates that I do pampered chef now because I can't seem to get enough of their recipes and cook them. Let me know if you would like to come and I will wrestle the crowd for a piece of cake to save. Have a great Labor Day weekend.

School Days

2008-08-28T10:34:00.003-06:00

School is back in session for John and I as of yesterday. I was really excited thinking it would give me something to do with my time when the girls are in bed. Then I realized, what about the cleaning, laundry, getting ready for the next day...so on and so on. I am still very much dedicated to my schooling but have now decided I am only going to go half time, that is until I am done with kids or the older ones are in school all day.

Mallory starts preschool on Tuesday and can't seem to talk about anything else. Well I guess that and her Cinderella birthday party. At least 4 hours a week I will have only one child that claims all my attention and I am REALLY looking forward to it. Besides Mallory thinking she is smarter than I am, she has also decided that she is going to tell me what she wants to do as her activity. Everyday she pulls out her leotard and says "Mom I want to take dance." I give her "the look" and she adds "please oh please!" I don't understand where she gets her dramatics. :) John please don't comment on that because, yes, I realize it is from me.

Sadie is in her independent stage. Everything Mallory does she has to do also. The other day at the park Mallory was climbing up a slide so Sadie defiantly walks up to the same slide climbs up and proceeds to climb it. It wasn't until she was sliding back down on her tummy did she realize that it wasn't going to happen. I came over and picked up and told her she can do it when she is older. Sadie squirmed out of my arms and threw herself on the ground to throw a gigantic tantrum. I walked away, once I checked to make sure she couldn't hurt herself, and acted as though she was someone else's child. I love being a Mom!

Back Home Again

2008-08-16T20:37:00.002-06:00

Well, I'm glad to be done with that training. It has normal Army training - lack of sleep, some cool things made not as fun (except the Helicopter ride). I did some really good things there, but also some not so good things. Well, one not good thing anyways. I had to take the pt test twice before passing, which is not good. But I did do perfectly on the land nav, and shot better then I ever have - 35 out of 40. It doesn't quite classify as an expert, but it was only one away. So it is the highest sharpshooter score you can get. I've never shot above a 27 before that. There were some other things that we did, like repelling, a few obstacle courses, and other such things. We did have a ten day period in which we got around 3-5 hours of sleep a night while camping. The 5 was if you were extremely lucky, none of it was continuous sleep. That was interesting sleep. Now I just have to get back into the swing of things for work as well as get ready for school. There is a lot to do there. So I'm back to get ready for a more hectic life. One step closer to getting on with my life after school. ( I would really rather that be now, but I guess I must have patience.)

Mallory starts preschool in two weeks as well as Kathy starting a new semester at UVU. She has finally picked her major and is working hard towards it. Her degree of choice is a BA in History emphasis in Public History which is more U.S. History than World History. Sadie is walking or should I say running everywhere and is a very happy toddler.

We are still trying to buy a house but with me being gone for 5 weeks and missing pay our savings has gone down so we are working on building it up again. We are hoping to be able to buy a house in January if not sooner.

(Written by both John and Kathy)

Life without John

2008-07-18T11:32:00.006-06:00

As some of you know John is gone at an ROTC camp called Warrior Forge. He is gone for 5 weeks and sadly for him the kids won't stop growing. Mallory has decided that she wanted to be potty trained. Thankfully for me it only took 1 week and it has stuck. Sadie has learned to run now and is losing much of her baby weight. I spend my time quilting, crocheting, and chasing after the 2 girls. I though that staying so busy would make the time go by faster, until I looked at the calendar today and realized John has only been gone for 6 days. This is going to be a LONG 5 weeks.

My parents are living with us now. Well I guess it would be we are living with my parents since this is their house. We took care of it for them while they were on their mission. When they got back they decided they wanted to live in St. George, but that only lasted about a month. Now we have a full house and lots of helpers when it comes to the girls. I don't mind the few extra minutes of sleep I get until Mallory comes in and says, "Sorry for waking you up but I NEED pancakes." I guess Grandma doesn't make them as good as I do.

My goal is to get some pictures up on the blog so you can see how big Mallory and Sadie have gotten. I hope I can get that done before John gets home.

Follow Up News and a normal occuring life.

2008-06-22T00:49:00.006-06:00

Well, I guess this time just wasn't meant to be. Kathy Miscarried, so we won't be having a baby in February. But we are young and more babies will come (we hope).

On another note, the flapper in the toilet in our bathroom had a rubber "chain" on it. Well that "chain" broke, so I got a new flapper and put it in. Well, that flapper didn't flush right. So we got a whole new flush set, the tube, the flapper, and the part that goes between the tank and the bowl. Well I was installing the new stuff, I saw a year stamped into the tank - 1977. The guts looked to be of about the same age. I also noticed some cracks in the porcelain. I didn't think much of it put the new stuff in and reinstalled the tank, and flushed a few times. It was leaking water all along the bottom. I tried tightening the bolts. but that only made things worse. It was leaking out of the cracks. So, we had to get at least a new tank. Since I don't own the house, my wife called the owner, my father-in-law. He wanted to replace the whole toilet. So I went out and mowed the lawn, and Kathy and I ran some errands, and we get a new toilet, in addition to a 1/4 turn shut off valve. We get home, got the girls to bed, and I go to town on getting the rest of the old toilet removed and the new one installed. As I go to replace the shut-off valve, I find out that they have copper pipe stubbed up through the floor, not a nipple. This stinks quite a bit because the current shutoff valve has some problems and really needs to be replaced. Unfortunately I can't go get one to fit because by this time, of course Home Depot/Lowe's is closed. The rest of the Toilet installed flawlessly, and it is definitely better than what was there before (no forceful jet on the old to help things move along = lots of clogs). That was the bulk of my day. The typical one to one and a half hour job turns into a 3 hour affair.

News for those who don't know

2008-06-08T22:34:00.003-06:00

Pregnancy Wonders
Well, number three is on the way. Hurray! Kathy is currently 7 weeks along. We are excited for this one. We had a little scare because Kathy had some light bleeding during the time she was supposed to, but everything seems fine now after confirmation with her doctor. She is showing most normal signs of pregnancy, except sickness. So far for names we have Jackson John and Meagan or Jenna Suzanne. That is the news of the family.

Progress

2008-01-04T08:27:00.000-07:00

Well I seem to have been able to redo the Entity classes and get things to work better for Downloading and storing the database. Now I just need to see about getting notes taken care of on a per chapter bases. I think most things will have to be taken care of by chapter. Everything else is appearing to work for now. I would also like to figure out how to get the scroll pane to stay at the top. I will have to play around with that for a little bit. Once I get that and the notes done, I think I will be ready to go for a .1 release. The only "Compilation" I haven't yet gotten with the new entity classes is the Old Testament. Everything else has been gotten without a hitch. I little bit more coding and some outside testing and I should be able to release a 0.1 of it. I think I will tackle footnotes and Profiles/Users for the .2 release, then go back in and add highlighted text, etc for .3. Maybe for the .5 release I will deal with links and linking. i need to come up with a better release plan, so people will know where it is headed and when.

Implementation changes Design

2007-12-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

Well, These past few week have been quite productive. I now have the project entirely on code.google.com, and I also was able to get the data from the web to the database successfully. This required changes to the design, but because of the lack of understanding with the persistence API many more things will be changing that fit better with the persistence API. I just have to make it display. There is quite a bit more work to do on that aspect, though it shouldn't be as hard as learning the persistence API. There are still some changes to be made to the entity classes, which will result in changes in the database. It shouldn't be too hard though. It will be nice to have those changes done. At some point I would like to get many things worked out, but programing is an incremental endeavor, and one that won't always be fast increments.
So A review of things left to be done for a .1 release:

Finish the chapter selection process
Write the necessary methods to display the chapter in the space provided
Create/edit notes
(a maybe) Have the basics of the users down.

Well, that would pretty much what is done right now. I will of course be working on it more tonight, and more this week.

After a Long Absence

2007-12-17T06:50:00.000-07:00

OK, it has been a while since I posted before, and since a lot has changed, I decided to post again. Perhaps the biggest change is that I've re based the program on to the swing application framework, and then also I changed the hosting site to Google's site instead of source forge. I think Google has a few more ready made tools that make it easier. Anyways. I'm pretty much gonna have to redo the GUI section, though that shouldn't be too hard, especially with the GUI designer in Netbeans.
Some of the things I have accomplished within the past week or two:

Got the scripture HTML converter fine tuned and working with the Database objects.
Started (and still working on) getting a class written that facilitates downloading the scriptures.
Wrote the functions to dynamically get the copyright from a scripture site.
Got the project based on Swing Application Framework
Switched Hosting to Goolge Code from sourceforge. This took care of some repository cleanup i was going to have to do.

This got me thinking I should probably put some of these things into packages more. And I should make a template/abstract class for the converters, so that they can all be interacted with in the same way. That way hopefully we can get another way of interacting with the class in a more consistent fashion.

Hopefully I can get .1 finished by the beginning of the school year. i had a scare with my laptop going down last night. The power cord got cut, and had started to short. After a little bit i opened it up and started to examine how it was made, etc. I found I could fix it after I had thought about it enough to realize I didn't need to try to save it anymore. It looks uglier, but it is more stable then before.

I think that is all the news and advancements made in the project for this post.

Status of Scripture Study Plus

2007-07-15T21:40:00.000-06:00

I decided to keep a status update on Scripture Study Plus, what the advances are week by week.

To Start off with, right now the program is in a currently unusable state. So far we have a base graphical design, and some underlayment for some of the functionality. I think I have decided to go with the JavaDB(Apache Derby). It is embeddable across all platforms, and the drivers come with java.(as of 6 or later) Some of the most pressing things to do are:

Connect to an embedded database. (This is my top priority)
Reliably download the scriptures from online.
Connect the UI to the database.
Make notes workable.
Make highlighting workable
Make rudimentary search work.
Make an installer for the program.

I would to have the installer done when notes are done. That is pretty much my status report for now. I will hopefully have something to report next week.

Why PCLinuxOS is the Best

2007-04-04T23:33:00.000-06:00

For many years I have been using desktop Linux. I like to try different distributions rather frequently. I fist started with Mandrake. Back when it was still Mandrake, and at version 7. something to bat. I then discovered the wonderful world of Suse. I have been mostly stuck on Suse since. I have gone out and tried different ones and burned through hundreds of cd-rs. I always had some sort of problem with the way other distrobutions handled things, and ran into "dependency hell" many times. I like Suse for it's ease of install, and ease of configuration. yast2 is fantastic. I do not, however, like the shift to gnome. Like the published internet articles about Linus not liking gnome, I too dislike gnome for the same reasons he does. Configuration is difficult at best. Downloading configuration tools after installing the desktop just does not seem like the way a desktop should be shipped. KDE can definitely be bloated. But all in all I know if I want to tweak the look and feel, i can. Gnome, not so much without a great deal of hassle. Even then I still have not figured out how to figure out how to get the clock in gnome to look like I want too. In KDE it is simple. Anyways, I have diverged from my original subject. I may post later on the reasons why I dislike gnome. Suse Linux has been the mainstay of my desktop for quite a while. I found that Suse Linux 10 to be absolutely fantastic. It was rock hard reliable, and did everything I ever wanted it to at the time. 10.1 then came out, and the package management absolutely stunk. The stability I was used to turned into a great deal of insecurity. I started to look at other distributions. Fedora jsut didn't work with my hardware. Gentoo was to hard to install (before their new way of installing). Mandrake turned to Mandriva and was not free. I was left with few distributions to try. Debian stable was too old, Debian testing to unstable, though I did love the Synaptic package manager and Debian packages. That wouldn't be a bad standard combination across any type distro of Linux. I then stumbled upon an awkwardly named distribution that seemed to be absolutely fantastic. It was PCLinuxOS. At version .93, it almost everything I wanted. The package manager was synaptic, and it functioned just like it did in debian, though it used RPM's instead of Deb's. I was still short a few applications that I really like(namely DDD) for programing, but nothing that is a huge show stopper. As I was using PCLOS I kept an eye on other distributions that were being released. Suse was up and coming with the newest features, and it seemed like PCLOS was lagging behind in the latest and greatest outside of KDE. Once Suse figured out the package management woes, I went back with 10.2. Until I saw the PCLOS was coming out with a new version, I was very happy. Suse always has been slow. I downloaded the latest beta, ( as stable as most releases for other distributions) and was very pleased with with what I saw and started using it ever since. that wasn't that long ago. I recommended it to everyone I knew, as long as they specifically didn't want a KDE desktop. If the wanted a gnome desktop, I recommended Ubuntu. I had tried Kubuntu, but the team over at Canonical obviously does not spend much time in the KDE desktop or Kubuntu distribution. It is the slowest implementation of KDE I have seen. Suse ran faster. I just got a laptop about three weeks ago. I put PCLOS on it right away, the OS (Vista) that came on it wasn't worth much. (Barely the electricity to store the bits that make it up.) I only had one problem. DVD playback with Beryl enabled caused blue dots to appear all over the screen. I thought I would simply install another "easy to use" Distribution to fix the problem. I tried Debian. It worked extremely well for that purpose, however my wifi card, a must have for school, didn't work. An absolute no go. the NDIS wrapper setup got it to connect to my network at home, but not the network at school. So I decided to try the newest release of Mandriva, still in Beta. That was an absolute flop. So I decided to go back to PCLOS. I found DVD playback worked just fine without beryl installed. So without a 3-d desktop, but DVD playback, I have my easy to use Wireless network capabilities (they really are the best that I have seen yet). That is why I am confident in being able to say that PCLOS is the best distribution out there. The Kernel maybe a bit old (I like the latest and greatest), but the stability is rock hard, and because of the closeness to the original configurations of packages, it is very easy to compile and install what is not packaged form the PCLOS team. So, after what as turned out to be a lengthy post, PCLOS is hard to be beat. Without a doubt I will be able to have 3d desktop features full time rather shortly. The packages for the 3d desktop projects aren't even at their feature complete state yet. So if you need a distribution that makes it extremely easy for the common computer user use, PCLOS is it.

(Can you tell I don't like paragraphs ;)?"