Viva la Vida

This is BJ.

Clair is gone. She's in facebook. She has finally signed up... clicked the "I ACCEPT" button and signed her life away. She already has 30 friends. It' been consistent: 10 friends an hour so far. We're in the Pacific Time Zone, though, so I reckon some people will be hitting the hay soon. I expect 10 more friends an hour from 10:00 tomorrow AM.

She hasn't figured out how to use all the features yet, or that there is no real purpose. She keeps asking "what is this for?"

Anyway, she kept laughing. She wouldn't have a reason; she'd just be on some page and start laughing. I guess she's feeling this buzz that's become unfamiliar since high school when there were people around all the time, so many friends to choose from.

So doing the math (there's what, 16 waking hours in a day?) she'll have 160 new friends a day for maybe two months before it starts to peter out. Having friends is nice. Having friends on facebook is different. Faceboook admits this in the confirmation for accepting a friend. It says something like "facebook needs to make sure you know this person before you can be friends on facebook." Real life's requirement for friendship is a mutual understanding. Facebook's requirement is: you have to know the person.

This is not to diminish the incredible power and advantage of facebook. If Clair ever comes to me in a moment of insecurity and says"nobody likes me," I'll be able to check her profile and say, "no, you have 10,318 friends, Clair! You're the coooooooooolest!"

Socializing is good. I say go for it. I was surprosed who's on facebook at any given time. I don't have a profile. I'm not saying "yet" either... we'll see. Anyway, I hope you all add Clair as a friend. She's good people.

"Goodbye! Goodbye...goodbye..."-Hello Dolly

So the show MONK has ended.
BJ and I just stayed up late to watch the last two episodes EVER tonight.
IT WAS THE BEST SERIES FINALE OF ANY SHOW THAT EVER HAPPENED EVER.

OHMYGATOR.

It had the most perfect ending.
You can watch it on hulu.com.

the end

and merry christmas:D

"a spoon full of sugar"

So last night I had a CRAZY attack of strep throat. I have been working in Santa's workshop overtime times a million, and my body was done. So last night around 7ish my throat started to hurt. Two hours later I couldn't talk at all, and it hurt millions and millions to swallow. Strep throat you know? So I was super bummed since the next day(today) was Christmas Sunday and my own lovely Jane's 3rd birthday, and i had made all these plans to celebrate! I didn't want to be sick! So I made a herbal concoction of 1.5 TBS of raw, unprocessed honey, 1/8 tsp of cayenne and 4 ground up cloves of garlic, and mixed it all together and took about a tsp of it every hour for a few hours(until I went to bed). I didn't wash it down because you want the honey to coat your throat. It was a bit crazy feeling, but not unbearable. I also drank three mugfulls of 1.5 TBS of raw honey, and 1/2 a lemon in boiling hot water(I let it cool a tiny bit so I could drink it:). A crazy thing started happening when I was drinking the lemon and honey drink. (this is a bit gross but awesome!) Great big globs of mucus started gently coming out of my throat. My throat hurt durring the night, but when I woke up this morning my throat felt millions better, and by the afternoon the hurt was ALL GONE! I did not have some wimpy strep throat last night, it HURT MILLIONS. Do you know how amazing it is that the herbal things I did last night made it go away so fast?!!

Garlic-natural antibiotic. Manmade antibiotics kill bad and good bacteria in your body. This is especially not good for you if you struggle with yeast problems. And it kills your body's natural immune system. Garlic just kills the bad stuff.

Honey- Also a natural antibactirial. If you don't have any neosporin, you can put honey on a wound. I have done this before and it helps the wound heal really fast!

Cayenne- THis stuff is really amazing. It stops a bleeding wound really fast(I have tried it on small wounds, and it hasn't burned). It stops a nosebleed, when you put some in a glass of water and drink it down, before you can count to ten. It increases circulation. For the strep throat it increases circulation to the throat to help heal faster.

lemon-lemon is one of my favorite things to use in herbal remedies. It cleanses, it helps with digestion, it breaks down mucous. It is great.


I am telling you guys, if you want to get rid of strep throat fast, these are some great things to do that are cheap, and won't hurt you. Sleeping is also really important, especially if you got sick because you weren't taking the best care of yourself in the first place.

XOXO!
Clair:)

Honey,garlic,cayenne mixture

1.5 TBS raw honey
1/8 tsp cayenne powder
4-5 cloves garlic (pressed or minced)

Take as often as needed. 1 tsp at a time is best.:) But taking more won't hurt you.


Lemon, honey drink

1/2 lemon
1.5 TBS raw honey

Stir into a mug of boiling water. This can be a little potent, but when you are sick it tastes really good.

"Dashing through the snow!"

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"It's Been a Hard Day's Night!"

So awhile back I decided that if ever I became a famous person I would go by the name Vivian Pickles. Isn't that the awesomest name ever?! I was watching a movie with BJ one time and there was an actress in the credits named that. I have loved that name ever since.:)

I love reading the scriptures lately. I have been trying harder to figure out what the Savior would do in certain situations I have found myself in. Sometimes that is very hard. I think part of the problem is I try to imagine what he would do literally, and I being a woman, that doesn't always work. But I love reading His words, and the words of His apostles and prophets. I find great comfort in them. I think it is amazing what you can learn from our Heavenly Father just by trying to do what is right, even when you don't do it perfectly right. Its the trying that is the important thing.

Also, I love Agatha Christie murder mysteries. It is true. I can not stop reading them. Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence. I love them.

Yay for random thoughts.
xo
Clair;) someday perhaps the famous and gorgeous Vivian Pickles!

"Tell it like it is...."

I have been told by certain authorities that I have been blessed with the gift of communication, and that I will bless the lives of many with this gift.

I BEG TO DIFFER. MUCH AS I TRY WITH ALL MY MIGHT. I BEG TO DIFFER.

It seems like I suck at communication more than anyone else in the whole world!(Well, maybe I am a little better than Ozzy Ozborne, but it is a close thing)(Hahahahahaha! Ozzy Ozborne! That makes me laugh so hard!). I have been attempting to mend some broken fences lately with a ton of people I have not had the best of relationships in the past, and it is hard! I am NOT a brave person. So after three seperate prayerful attempts this week, one has been a huge success! My Mother-in-law and I have not had a horrible relationship, but it had room for improvement, and I think we have a lot more open communication now after some emails we sent back and forth to eachother about how we feel about one another. I got to tell you, my mother-in-law is awesome. She has come through some serious trials in her life, and is a huge source of awe and inspiration to me. When BJ and I were first married I called her our concierge because she either knows information about almost anything, or how to get it.(Did that make sense?) She has been a huge inspiration of how I want to raise my kids. She was always teaching her children about art, music, culture, etc. I love hearing stories from BJ about how one week she went to the library and got a whole bunch of movies with classic comedians, so her kids would be exposed to lots of different funny.:) She is incredibly resourceful, more so than almost anyone else I know.(and this is coming from the gal who needed some bloomers, so she ripped apart an old pink polo to make some:). I always worried about marrying a fella whose Mum I couldn't get a long with, but I am not worried about that anymore.:) We niether of us are perfect, but we are both pretty awesome(Well, I am only a little awesome:).

Good at communication though? Maybe in the next life?

ps.I do believe a soul can change though, so when I get to finish my BA I am getting it in the writing emphasis so I can finally atleast have good grammar when I talk.;D


pps.This is a pic of me and BJ eating a footlong hot dog at Disneyland back in the day.:D Random? I'll let you be the judge of that.

"A Red Letter Day!"

Elder Jonathon William Cox is called to serve the Lord in the Apia Samoa mission, and he is to report to the MTC February 24, 2010! We love you Jon!

"Oh Happy Day!...Called to Serve Him!" Hooray!

OHMYGATOR!!! OHMYGATOR!!!! OHMYGATOR!!!!!!
My Brother Jon is reading his mission call TONIGHT!!!! I am soooooo excited! I have never had a sib go on a mission before. We are soooooo eightymillionbjillionclairillionmillionsandmillions proud of him and all the hard work he has done to get to this moment in his life.
Yay Jon!
We love you!
XOXOXOOXOXOXOX!

"Pardon me boys...."

ROck teh typpo.
Suuuckers!@

"It's Raining! It's Pouring! [two of my children are snoring!]

I got to give a shout out to my sister Catherine and my chum Kaarina who I KNOW are rejoicing with me this rainy Monday afternoon.:)

ps.Denny AND JANE! are sleeping right now! Oh boy!Until five minutes ago I had all three asleep for one whole glorious, quiet, rainy hour!

"Hello Hello!"

Hey everyone. I know a lot of you are not on our friends list on the sidebar with links to your super cute blogs. I haven't kept this updated very well, but if you are out there and want to be on our list, please email me your link so I can get it on there.;)
Clair

"Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!"

BJ sent this to me today.:D

"Gettin' Ready To Run..."

Here are some quick pix, sorry they are out of order with no explanation.:)

"America"

When I was in junior high I stopped saying the pledge of allegiance. I was really mad at the people in government who were only in it for the money. Isn't that strange in one so young? I felt like the government was SEVERLY corrupted, and undeserving of my loyalty. I felt like the American dream was bunk. That people didn't really care about what was right. In high school I worked at JoAnn Fabrics and saw all sorts of un-neighborly behavior. People being cranky and grumpy at long lines. Fighting and being stingy about fabric, and selection, and prices. I felt like I could relate to other countries who didn't like America. I could see how vain and egotistical we were. I could see why people would be put off by how Americans think they are the best of all the countries in the world. I felt America was VERY hypocritical.

Then when 9-11 happened something happened that made me change my mind. It is going to sound silly, but at JoAnn's allasudden things were different (at least for a tiny while) after 9-11 happened. People were all of a sudden so patient! They were waiting in line for ribbon for hours sometimes, and there were never any complaints. Do you remember those red, white, and blue ribbons everyone wore after 9-11? People were making sure not to buy too much so there would be enough for everyone else (we had a lot of ribbon shortages because EVERYONE was making ribbon pins). It was awesome to see so much "happy community" around me. I can't tell you what an all of a sudden joy it was to work at JoAnns when there was such a beautiful thing going on!And then I went downtown to the Seattle Center where they had filled this HUGE walk-in fountain with flowers for the people who had died. It was so neat, and really spiritual feeling. It was a fountain with a long spiralling walkway, and it was just completely filled along the whole path with flowers and candles and signs. I went by myself and didn't "know" anyone there, but I felt this HUGE connection with the people who were there remembering and mourning and feeling. This was America to me. Community. Unity. Helping each other. Doing the right thing regardless of personal comfort. Unselfishness. Self-sacrifice. Hard work. A willingness to mourn with those that mourned. A feeling that material and artificial things didn't matter as much as people. Lately I have said "I think we should move to Canada" A LOT. Sometimes mostly in jest. :) I think sometimes it feels like America equals our government. And I am REALLY not happy with our government. They are making some seriously frightening decisions regarding my families rights. It has led me to wonder what other peoples' definitions of "America" are. Is America its government or something much bigger and more important? Is America the land, the physical land?

SO I wanna know, what is YOUR definition of America? What does it mean to you? I would really REALLY love to know what you think. Please try to keep your thoughts on this subject in keeping with the spirit.:) I know it is hard sometimes.;)(wink wink).

"The Monster Mash!"

I totally copied you Corine! Whahahahaha! (Yours was so cute, how could I help it?!)

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"Twenty Something.."

BJ Hamaker is the best part of our family for a million reasons. We love him more than pie or chocolate or anything on this planet.

On October 7th BJ turned twenty something.
He doesn't have a age complex, we just love that song by the fabulous Jamie Cullum.

For his birthday Clair made him a sushi scarf.
On the card it said:

Watashi wa sushi o tabemasu ka?
Sushi o tabemasen.
Tsukaimasu yo!

If you speak Japanese you will know what this means.

If you don't speak Japanese here is the translation:

You eat sushi?
Do not eat this sushi.
Use it!






If you crochet and want to make this amazing yarn creation go to ravelry.com for the pattern. You have to sign in but it is free and awesome. Then search for sushi scarf on their search engine. They have sooo many awesome free patterns.

'I got too much on my plate...don't have no time to be a decent lover...;)"-Thank you Paul McCartney:)

October is FLYING! Here are a few pix for your enjoyment...

My handsome man in his new shoes! He is a flying walker!


My beautiful angels.




Heck yes I made these!
Preview of not quite finished Halloween costumes(Alice is just trying on the family pumpkin costume that all the kids have worn, her costume has not been made yet;)

IMPORTANT

There is a lot of really concerning info. coming out about the new H1N1 vaccine. Friends, PLEASE do your research from several sources. There are concerns about high levels of mercury, natural mercury, which is more dangerous then inorganic. There are concerns about how the makers of the vaccine refuse to take it. There are concerns about testing it on children. Vaccines are serious stuff. Especially new vaccines that we know very little about as far as effects on our bodies and especially our children's bodies. These are adult doses. Please be careful and know there are other options to build your immunity than vaccines.

I HATE MICROSOFT WORD 2007 WITH ALL MY HEART, BODY AND SOUL.
I FEEL BETTER NOW.

"Make a New Friend Everyday..."

OHMYGATOR!!!! I have entered the new world of CROCHET and it is ADDICTING!!! SO many new things to make! So far I have done a ton of granny squares and I am halfway through a potholder. Everytime BJ goes to JoAnn's with me he talks about wanting to learn how to crochet, so about a month ago we got some yarn, some hooks, and a learn how to crochet book. We had a bit of a sketchy beginning, but Kaarina came over and showed us A BRAND NEW WORLD! She also told us about this SUPER ADDICTING website called ravelry.com. OMG!(Short for OHMYGATOR!)
Anyways, go learn a new skill today! It will blow your mind and make you a happier person. Don't fancy crochet? NO worries, I mean learn ANYTHING new today. It really does make you a happier person.:)
XO
Clair

"Nobody likes me, guess I'll go eat worms..."

OK, so I just had a happy experience and a frustrating experience with blogs. HAPPY NEWS! I was the FIRST person to post a comment on one of my favoritest blogs! This might not sound like a big deal, but it was on the GROSGRAIN blog which has like a million followers. Anyways, it made me feel special. Then I went to go check a different blog I had left a comment on. Again I was first, but everyone else who posted was having the TOTAL opposite opinion as me, and I felt super lame. It was on an issue that is super convtroversial, and I knew I was taking a chance saying what I felt, and I still feel good about what I wrote, but having so many people disagree with you is hard. Anyways, I had to vent a little right now. Isn't it silly we sometimes feel a need to feel recognized? I feel a need to have my voice heard in the world. I think about things all the time, and I feel my thoughts are important. Don't we all?

PS. Today I missed my friend Meridy MILLIONS. I hope Hurricane is treating her well!

"Isn't She Lovely..."

Our amazing photographer friend Stanford took some pix for us of Baby Alice, and I wanted to share them with you all! He took way more, but I only had time to upload some of my very favorites. Please don't rip these off our blog. If you want a copy of any of these pictures I can give you the link for where you can get them. Enjoy! She's GORGEOUS!














This one is my personal favorite.;)