fille de tulipe

You know you want one

2012-01-10T23:38:00.001-07:00

One roll duck tape.

Six 30 gallon trash bags.

The classiest artificial tree storage bag on the block.

I am taking orders for next year.
*Now accepting Paypal.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

They wore the hat!!!

2011-11-29T21:05:00.001-07:00

After a yummy dinner of taco soup and home made guacamole, the birthday girls blew out the candles and were good sports and adorned themselves with the party hat and let me snap a picture.

I made the cake and frosted it with Tiffany Blue butter cream in honor of Lara (who painted her bathroom the same color).

Do you think they will wear it?

2011-11-28T23:33:00.001-07:00

I am going to a birthday dinner for two dear friends tomorrow night. On a whim I decided to make a party hat. I only had time to make one. Do you think I can get them to let me take a picture of them wearing it?

I think it will be one of my 'things' for 2012-everyone I know will get their picture taken in one of my 'party-hats'. That means I will need to make a more masculine version.... if that is even possible.

What I see from my perch

2011-11-28T16:03:00.001-07:00

While sit in my studio working on 'this' and 'that', this is a frequent occurrence.

Look what I get to do for the next two days!!!

2011-10-20T22:56:00.005-06:00

The Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T22:36:00.002-06:00

Yes, I watched it and yes, I LOVED it. I was supposed to be attending Women's Conference but when Jen invited me to watch the festivities with her and her sister Richelle I had a serious moral dilemma on my hands. There is really only one person in the world (seriously) who would appreciate and enjoy an event like the Royal Wedding as much as I would and not judge or mock me for being so excited. And there is only one person who would print out cupcake toppers of Kate Middleton and turn cupcakes into a fabulous gown and then display them on a tray of delicate doilies surrounded by Sapphire (like) jewels reminiscent of the fabulous engagement ring.
And who else would provide tiaras and blue ring pops for the guests as well as freshly baked croissants, delicious chicken salad, fruit and fruit dip - oh and don't forget the sparkling cider.

I had to ditch the conference and wrap myself in royalty - and it was worth every minute!

Thanks helping me make a fabulous memory Jen!

Loves!

The Nephew

2011-04-23T12:29:00.003-06:00

I have the coolest nephew in the world and coincidentally, he is also my favorite nephew (MFN).

Lucky for him, he is also my only nephew

He has been serving and loving the people of Taiwan for the past year and I don't think I could be prouder of the man he is becoming.

I just had to put a blurb about him up on my blog so the world can know how I feel.

Isn't this a cool picture of him - I think it looks like an album cover (for you youngsters out there, that would translate to a CD cover)

I LOVE YOU KJ!!!!

More Birthday!

2011-04-16T00:50:00.015-06:00

So many people I know just hate having birthdays and I just don't understand it. Why would you hate a day that is all about you? I could do without the getting older part - I haven't come to terms with that yet - the whole, "wrinkles are the beauty marks of life experiences..." is lost on me but having everyone I know tell me how wonderful I am for an entire day (or week, ahem) I TOTALLY get!

It has become a birthday tradition to travel to Portland and stay at Chez Danelli's and hang out with the girls. We always try to book my trip around the Tulip festival. This year I came up earlier that usual which meant that it was a little cooler than in years past and the tulips were not as open as they usually are - but that was ok - there were still Tulips as far as the eyes can see (sorta) and the cow train was running! This is Sophie riding Lilly - she looks much cuter in her cow than I do in mine...

Here I am in Elsie. If I thought anyone was actually still reading my blog I would have never posted this picture - despite the fact that the ride is so bumpy that you suffer from whiplash for a few days and that you are sitting in a cow, it really is a fun little tradition. Dani informed me that I was on my own next year - she will not be sitting in a cow ever again...

Here I am in 2008 riding the wooden shoe - it hadn't been brought out yet this year so I had to settle for Elsie.

And here are the Tulips! That little speck of red in the distance that is not a Tulip is actually Sophie - Yes, she is picking a Tulip. No, you are not supposed to pick the Tulips. Yes, we weren't paying attention and didn't realize said flower was being picked until we got home and I took a look at the pictures. See how it is all about me around my birthday - celebrating me even prevented Dani from keeping an eye on her child. And here is one of at least 100 reasons why I love visiting Chez Danelli on my birthday (or anytime of year). She always makes sure there are soft pink Tulips in the guest room and she always makes sure we visit our favorite boutiques - this bag is from My Mother Knows - I KNOW my mother would have loved this place, as well as loved Danelli.

As always, it was a fabulous trip to Portland - I actually get to go back in June to make the cake for Sophie's Princess Party!

Birthday!

2011-04-13T21:58:00.002-06:00

Look what my cute dad brought me for my birthday Monday. Keep in mind that my office is at the exact opposite end of the valley from his home. There are probably 2 dozen pink tulips here. From this angle you can't see how many. On Monday when he delivered them they were still closed. I took this picture on Tuesday and they are SO BEAUTIFUL!

Thanks Dad! I love you!

p.s. yes, that is a McDonald's cup in the background and yes, it does contain Diet Coke. Don't judge me.

Kittens: Inspired by Kittens

2010-09-05T23:51:00.002-06:00

I saw this for the first time a couple of years ago and laughed so hard I was weeping.

Perhaps it is because it is so late but it was even funnier the second time. And I even hate cats.

Enjoy.

Life is so short

2010-07-20T19:15:00.006-06:00

I attended a funeral today of a girl - a woman actually - who I didn't really know personally. Back in the days when I would baby sit, one of the girls I sat for was good friends with Bunny. These girls I would baby sit had A LOT of friends - while I couldn't name most of them I always remembered Bunny - she was one of the nice ones (girls can be so mean to each other - I don't remember Bunny ever being one of them). My memories of Bunny were of her humor and her funny faces - I didn't spend a great deal of time with her but she did leave an impression. Over the years I would get updates on what Bunny was up to - when she got married - when she had babies. It broke my heart when I figured out that it was Bunny that had been hit while bicycling in Draper last week. She left behind two little girls (3 yrs and 4 months) and a husband that adored her.

Sitting in the funeral hearing more about the life this girl had lead was so bitter sweet. She became just as nice and funny as she was when she was just a girl. She had accomplished so much in the 29 years she was given on this earth. I left that funeral wanting to be a better person - I think many left feeling that way.

My thoughts and prayers surround her little family...

Seriously?

2010-07-17T18:36:00.002-06:00

I know the temperature reading in my car reads a little high - but seriously?

A good day

2010-04-13T21:29:00.004-06:00

(This is me except I would never wear those earrings and my hair isn't that long and I think my teeth are whiter)

It appears that my 2009 year in review is not going to happen - at least not right now anyway... it is already April after all. It was a pretty big year for me and I do want to document some of the bigger events - like the trip I took my super-cool nephew on last June and the fact that I got a dog - the cutest dog in the WORLD! One pretty big thing that happened was loosing my job and getting a new one and that leads to this being a good day.

Today I was innocently sitting at my desk working away when the VP over my department sat down and began to complement me on how well I did on a conference call we were both on earlier (yes, I am finally back in a working space where people can actually come in and sit down to talk to me). She went on to explain that thanks to my work and my excellent communication skills the project that was being proposed was going to move forward - it is a project slated to cost a pretty penny- it is a pretty big deal. I wasn't expecting any praise. I had spent the last month gathering the necessary information, identifying the risks and then presented my findings in conjunction with my recommended action plan. If you know me, you know that I am a talker and getting my point across comes naturally.

My previous work experience would have never generated a conversation like that. ever. Today I finally felt smart again. I finally felt like the capable intelligent person I know that I am. I was praised as a result of my efforts - not because the VP thought I was cool or because I had really cute purses (which I do, by the way).

Just that little bit of positive feedback made all the difference.

It was a really good day.

the year 2009 in review: 1st Installment

2010-01-13T20:52:00.013-07:00

Looking back at 2009 I have lots and lots to report on that I never posted about. In hind site it would have been far less work to post about these reportable events shortly after they took place rather than try and do a cram-reporting-session at the end of the year - never mind the fact that those posts would have been better with more pictures.

but I digress...

I will attempt to work my way through the year month by month starting with January. Luckily for you there were a couple of months that nothing of significance happened so this won't take long.

The first week of January I left for a cruise with 4 of my high school girlfriends. This was the year we all turned 40 and we decided to celebrate. I had no business wearing a swimsuit in January (or any other month for that matter) so I took to the tanning salon and pulled a Ross. (just so you know, the color does get darker as the post spray-tan-experience progresses) Luckily, there were a boat-load of other people from all over the world who also had no business wearing a swimsuit in January so I blended right in.

Here we all are after a day in the sun at dinner. - Sherie and I are standing in the back and Tiffany, Stacey and Jill are sitting.
At one of the ports, Sherie and I took an excursion to a private beach for a yummy lunch and an afternoon hanging out in the sand. I even braved the open ocean and ventured out on a sea kayak.

This was our waiter, Benji. He rocked - always had our drinks of choice ready and waiting for us and on lobster night started us out with two entrees a piece. We LOVED Benji.

This was our morning waiter - His name was Edgar and we loved him too. (yes there is a pattern here, don't judge us.) He always remembered who drank Diet Coke and who drank it straight up and didn't bring us our drinks in the sissy medium glasses like everyone else - he knew his audience well.
Just a little mosaic detailing some of our fun

Seriously, this was a great trip - I would totally go on a cruise with these girls again - the girls who 'sissied'-out were missed but we will make sure they will be there in 4 years when we go again.

Not Paris

2009-10-26T19:32:00.003-06:00

So today was the big day for the favorite Nephew's Mission call. Although I prayed mightily for a call to Paris, France it was not in the cards for KJ. Taichung, Taiwan is a lucky place to have this kid for 2 years.

I am so incredibly proud of this boy - who is actually taller than me and is technically considered a man now. It is going to be so much fun getting him all ready to go!

This time next year this is where he will be:

Just look at all of the shopping potential!!!

Congratulations Kage!

How can you not LOVE this

2009-09-16T10:36:00.001-06:00

My favorites are North Korea and India...

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

The passing of Summer

2009-09-05T21:04:00.007-06:00

I love the seasons - all four of them. Some more than others and some aspects of some seasons I really do not care for - like when it crosses into triple digit temperatures in the summer. But, if it never got hotter than 99 I would have to wonder if those lazy summer evenings hanging out on the patio eating good barbecue and drinking the famous Fresca-Grape-Juice-concentrate drink would be as near as enjoyable and relaxing - nothing feels better than the chill of the evening after a scorching summer afternoon.

I could do without snow as well but I do think it is really pretty while it is snowing and after a good storm has blown through and there isn't a cloud in the sky and the sun is shining bright. And it makes Christmas that much better. If I just didn't have to drive in it I think it would only be a good thing.

I always look forward to each season so eagerly. I get so excited when I see the Talbots Fall catalog in my mailbox and it is only the end of July. Thinking about Christmas stirs up so much anticipation - I know it is only Labor day weekend but I want to call my Sister-in-Law and start planning the Christmas Eve menu (which will include those blasted mushroom pop-overs that I always swear I will never make again)

I do try to enjoy the seasons while they are actually happening around me - this summer, although it started off with a bang when I lost my job, actually turned out to be a really good one. I spent a lot of time with friends and family, made a trip to LA that included an amazing day at the beach and I made the conscious decision last winter that this was the summer I would read Gone with the Wind - and I did and loved all 1,042 pages of it.

Seriously, this book was so captivating. I have heard others say that they just couldn't make it through the first one or two hundred pages - what is wrong with you? I bet that if I read it aloud to you your experience would be very different. And that Rhett Butler fellow... all I have to say is, "Edward who?" This book solidified the fact that I want a real man, not some pasty pretty boy with messy hair.

I felt it only fitting to watch the movie as an appropriate tribute to the end of summer. Good bye Scarlet and your 18.5" waist. So long Mammy and your red taffeta petticoat. And a tearful farewell to Mr. Butler - your memory will help keep those chilly Fall and frigid Winter nights nice and warm.

Oh, and good bye summer - until next year....

Of course I had to buy it

2009-09-02T20:27:00.003-06:00

I saw the movie and La, La, LOVED it and tried to buy the cook book right away, just like everybody else. I had to order it on Amazon and it came today! I am so excited to start learning how to cook like they do in France! Ooh - la - la!

I certainly won't be cooking from this book everyday but I promise to post my attempts --

I'm in Love

2009-07-10T16:05:00.012-06:00

I am sure that many of you are letting out a sigh of relief that I have finally found love - I certainly am letting out a great big sigh

Through my nose!!!!

I have discovered the netti pot!!!

It was mentioned on Oprah and my brother has used one for quite some time - I purchased one awhile ago and decided to dig it out last night. My hay-fever was in rare form and I knew that I needed to try something before I went to bed.

I followed the instructions and was impressed with what my sinuses had been hiding.

If you would like to see a demonstration of how to use said Netti pot, click here. Don't be frightened, I promise it is easy and it really works!

Favorite Nights

2009-07-10T14:24:00.009-06:00

Now that I am not working, I no longer look towards Friday and the light at the end of the tunnel of the week. Now it is Wednesday and Thursday nights that I live for.

A couple of years ago, Jennifer-june turned me onto So You Think You Can Dance and I never really looked back. I did protest at first complaining that I already had too many shows I was watching and I didn't need another one. Silly me.

This season has been GREAT so far - So Much Talent! And my favorites are still in the running.

Evan is my #1 favorite guy. I fell in love with him last year but he didn't make it to the top 20. He is more of a Broadway style dancer - he reminds me of a Gene Kelly or a Fred Astaire.

This year he auditioned with his brother (who choreographs for him) and they both made it to the final cut and, for drama sake I'm sure, it came down to the two of them but Evan prevailed! (if you were worried about what became of his brother, never fear, he auditioned for the fall season and made it pretty much straight through to Vegas week. Hopefully we will see him in the top 20 in the next go around).

I wouldn't say that Evan is the best dancer of all the guys but I just love his style and hope that he sticks around for a few more weeks.

Choosing my #1 girl pick is much more tricky - so far all of my favorites are still in the running. I should give a shout out to Randi who just happens to be from Utah and was Evan's partner up to this point in the season. She is adorable and a great dancer.

Kayla is just amazing - a completely flawless dancer but I must admit that I like some sass to my dancers and she doesn't come across as very sassy. She can still prove me wrong however.

I am loving Janette but I am trying to decide if it is her I love or the numbers she has been given to dance - she completely nails everything they throw at her which has to say something.

Jeanine is also very strong and I have loved watching her and Philip together. (Philip, not surprisingly went home this week - he is an amazing popper but wasn't near as strong in the other styles. He will be going on tour and I can't wait to see him again)

Just a thought

2009-07-06T10:42:00.003-06:00

So I was reading my blog roll this morning and on Michelle's blog she had her Sunday thought - that being,

"I know Heavenly Father loves me by the people He puts into my life."

This really hit home for me today. This last couple of weeks has been hard - losing your job at any time is hard but losing it while the economy is so 'stellar' is just the sugar on top. I can easily say that I am doing as well as I am as a result of the people in my life. I am so incredibly blessed with amazing friends and family. I am very grateful.

Bitter Sweet

2009-06-26T19:38:00.006-06:00

Well, just to keep all of my readers up to date on my life, I must let you know that I am unemployed - not by choice - a fabulous time to loose my job, isn't it? As I had mentioned in a previous post, there was some serious stress I was dealing with so I can't say that it is an entirely bad thing. I did like my job - I really liked what I did and I didn't mind the stress that accompanied the tasks and if you were to ask my clients they would tell you that I did my job well - one of my clients (the one with a reputation for being difficult to work with) asked one of my coworkers... past coworkers that is.... for my home address so they could send me something.

I am trying REALLY, REALLY hard not to beat myself up - I wasn't the only person severenced this week and I get the feeling I won't be the last.

Lucky for all of you, now I will have the time and the desire to update more often - HOORAY! I know you just can't wait for what I have to share with you. Actually, I have lots to share. I never posted the pictures from the cruise I took in January and a couple of weeks ago I took my studly nephew to New York for his Graduation trip - there are some great pictures from that trip.

Stay tuned dear readers and if you happen to know of anyone looking for an amazing Project/Account manager tell them that I'm their girl!

Birthday week: day two

2009-05-11T21:31:00.006-06:00

With the rate I'm going I may be writing about my infamous 'Birthday Week' through the end of the summer!

On Wednesday I stopped to get my mail and when I popped open my little box look what I found?!?!?! (I'm not talking about the American Express bill) The minute I spotted that lovely loopy text I knew I had recieved a treasure from Marta!

She is such a doll and created the most delightful birthday package! Here is the envelope the card came in - delightful, no?

She sent me some of her darling tags, a mix CD she entitled "Quelly Tunes" and it is fabulous and I would take a picture of that but it is downstairs in my car so you will have to take my word on it.

She also included one of her mini-diaries. I had bought one of these at a boutique in Fall of '07 and have LOVED it - it has been fun to fill in. I pull it out on especially good days - to capture the magic you know. She uses the greatest paper for the covers - you can't go wrong purchasing anything from her store.

So that wraps up day 2 - Thanks to Marta is was WONDERFUL!!!

Birthday week

2009-04-19T18:11:00.013-06:00

I am a firm believer in birthdays and that an entire week should be taken to adequately celebrate them. When it is a BIG birthday, the festivities can last up to 2 weeks if necessary.

This year my birthday celebrations began the Tuesday before my Saturday birthday.

As I drove up my drive way I noticed a small brown box on my porch. After retrieving the package and ripping it open, this is what I found:

Can you stand it?!?!?! Danelli lets each of her girlfriends pick out a Tiffany's ring to help celebrate their 40th birthdays. I have to admit, knowing that I was going to be spoiled with a beautiful blue box with a white satin bow has made the impending day a little less dreaded.

Until last week I would say that I wasn't really a 'ring' person. I have chubby fingers and tend to try and avoid drawing attention to them - but now I wear my ring and it reminds me that I one classy chick!

Thanks Danelli!!!

Stay tuned for day 2 of the week of Raquel!

Callie's Blessing

2009-04-19T17:50:00.002-06:00

On March 29 Callie was blessed wearing the same dress that her mom, aunt, sister and cousin wore.

This is a picture of all of the girls who wore this dress.

Thinking out loud

2009-04-09T18:04:00.001-06:00

I love to blog. Really, I do. I get a certain satisfaction out of seeing my posts stack up on top of each other like a pile of hot pancakes – or for a better analogy, I get the same feeling of satisfaction when I frequently post as I do when I flip back through a once empty journal that is now full of my thoughts and random ephemera pasted throughout.

So why don’t I blog more?

I have been thinking about this question over the past couple of weeks and I think part of it has to do with depression and stress – or the stress that has created a depressing situation.

My job is stressful and normally I would feel like I could express my frustration on my blog but I am too paranoid that my manager would read my blog and hold something I would share against me in some way. I have been very careful to not mention the name of the company I work for or to go into any sort of detail about what I do but now I don’t think even that is enough. I do enjoy my job, don’t get me wrong. It is challenging and it allows me to engage with many different people all of over the country. It has taken me some time to get to the point where I can safely say that I enjoy what I do and I feel like I am good at it – my frustration and stress is coming from other entities/people. I never know from day to day whether or not I am going to have a job and that creates the stress that makes me want to come home from work each day and lose myself in all of the shows just waiting to be watched on my DVR.

I am getting ready to turn 40 this week and I have been doing a great deal of soul searching as a result of this milestone birthday. Sometimes I feel like I don’t have anything to show for the 40 years I have lived so far – I feel like if I were married and had children, then, perhaps I would feel like I have left some sort of mark. I know this is dangerous thinking – just as quickly as I let my thoughts take me there I am able to re-focus and I can start naming numerous opportunities/things/people that have blessed the last 40 years of my life - I am a VERY, VERY lucky girl. I just want to make sure the next 40 are even better.

I have things I want to do and I want to make sure that I am chronicling my progress somewhere – whether it be on-line for all the world to see and hold me accountable to or within the pages of my own journal that sits in the middle drawer of my nightstand.

I frequent other blogs of individuals that chronicle their comings and goings, successes and trials and other tidbits of their lives and I walk away from my computer so inspired to start creating and writing it all down. I want to be that blog. I want to have the blog that readers look forward to my posts and reading about my progress. I know that this doesn’t mean I have to do great and wonderful things – I just have to be myself and know that is enough.

Thank you for reading through the little conversation I am having with myself.

My 1st Photo shoot

2009-03-16T19:14:00.007-06:00

Last year I purchased a digital SLR in the form of a Canon digital Rebel and in an effort to justify my purchase I took a photography class from the ubber talented Nicole of A Little Sussy.

I know I have a ways to go with regards to my lack of expertise but I was so excited with how these pictures of my sweet little nieces turned out.

These were taken in my bedroom on my bed with morning light from the north.

The blessing dress Callie is wearing is the same dress I was blessed in as well as my sister, Cathryn (Callie and Courtney's mom), Shelby and Courtney. That dress is 40 years old this year - which would mean that I am 40 years old this year...

Callie wouldn't keep her feet down in this shot - she is such a character but a good little model.

Look at that red hair! Her hair isn't really that red - natural light really shows it off.

How can I NOT share this...

2009-03-08T21:41:00.001-06:00

I think I went to high school with some of these people --

http://www.sexypeople-blog.com/

Wow

2009-02-21T21:58:00.003-07:00

I know I have fallen off the face of the earth, as far as blogging is concerned anyway, and I will provide a recap of what has been going on but first I wanted to share this video that my good friend Wendy forwarded me.

http://vimeo.com/2120177

The girl representing the Church on this panel was just amazing - I could only hope that I would be able to express myself and speak to questions posed to me about the church even half as eloquently as Rachel Esplin did. The video is just over 21 minutes but well worth the time to watch. Her answers actually clarified some things for me that I didn't even realize I was fuzzy on.

The Icing on the Flake II

2008-12-19T20:29:00.001-07:00

A couple of years ago I hosted my very first Cookie Exchange - I called it The Icing on the Flake. It was a fabulous affair and I knew that I wanted to make it an annual event. Time got away from me and life got busy and it wasn't until 3 years later that I dusted off my cookie cutters and hosted the 2nd Icing on the Flake.

Now that I have been in my house for a year I am a pro when it comes to hosting little soirees. I spent the weekend before getting my house all gussied up for Christmas and prepared some yummy appetizers and had the girls each bring 6 dozen of their favorite Christmas cookies.

Here I am in my cooking apron - it looks like I am wearing a Christmas Tree hat...

What is a party without Jennifer-June! I would have to say that she is one of my best friends, EVER!

Here we have Carla, Kim, Michelle and Lynlee - I met Kim my sophomore year at BYU and am so glad we have kept in touch - she is seriously one of my favorite people. Carla is her sister-in-law and it was so fun to get to know her. Michelle is my favorite Sister-in-law as well as a great friend. And I would have to say that Lynlee is my other best friend EVER!

Here we have Michelle, Lara and Denice. I met these three girls in my Singles branch and all are just fabulous people - Michelle and Denice are two of the nicest people I know - I don't think I have ever heard them speak negatively of anyone. Lara is also very nice and I would have to say that she is the Carrie Bradshaw of the group (sans the sex) - she is the only person I know that has purchased a pair of real Manolo Blahniks. (my dream is to, one day, purchase my very own pair of Christain Laboutins)

And here is the spread - there were some AMAZING cookies this year. I am so glad I decided to have the party this year. I was so busy with work and wasn't sure if I would have the time to do everything I wanted to but it turned out perfectly!

And as the guests left they each received sweet little party favor...

Do you want some pie?

2008-12-17T20:06:00.005-07:00

This year for Thanks Giving my Grandma decided that she wanted to 'eat-out'. She had heard that the Cannon Center at BYU hosts a Thanks Giving Feast for a reasonable price and she wanted to treat us all.

Here is my cute Grandma --She is such a character

It was fun to have Peter, Wendy and their family there. How cute is that little red head? This is just one of the many mini-Morkels. They are such great people - We really need to spend more time with them.

This is my cousin Jen - she has been having a hard year and it was nice to see her - she looks like she is doing better --

This is Ian and Jason - Don't let the Mohawk fool you - Jason is good and fun kid.

Christmas came early this year

2008-12-15T21:18:00.002-07:00

Here is Grandpa with his newest Grand-daughter - Callie Zola Mickelson. Zola is Callie's paternal Grandmother's name. Courtney Joy shares her middle name with her maternal Grandmother so it only seemed fitting that Callie had a special name-sake as well.

She weighed in at 6lbs. 13oz. and is 20" long - she weighs a little less than her big sister did and she is 1/2" taller - she is a long skinny girl. We all think that she has red hair like her mother - at least she has hair - her big sister was bald the first 2 years of her life.

Her big sister, Courtney, thinks Callie is OK and has decided that it is alright if they bring her home. She did finally decide that she wanted to hold the new baby - it was for only a minute or so but it was still very sweet.

How I spent my day

2008-12-14T17:56:00.007-07:00

Me and all of my brilliance decided that I had had enough of my leaky faucet. I thought if I could pop off the little filter like thing and then re-insert it the drip may stop. I had no reason to believe that this would be the case - it was 1:00a.m. and I think I am really smart when it is that late.

Conventional methods of popping the filter-like-thing off were not working so I decided to try a knife. I could post a picture of how I thought this might work but I don't want you to think even less of my intellect as you will by the time this entry is done.

Of course, the knife slipped and I cut myself and there was blood everywhere. everywhere. I got the bleeding to stop within about 10 minutes and took a closer look at my wound - I didn't know that if you cut yourself deep enough you could see your fat cells. Because the bleeding had stopped I thought that if I bandaged it up enough I might be OK - I crafted quite a wrap that stayed on all night - when I woke up and unwrapped the wound it pretty much looked the same as it did when I went to bed so I thought I should at the very least have someone take a look at it so off to the insta-care I went.

I learned a valuable lesson at the insta-care today. If you think the cut is bad it probably is and you have about an 8 hour window to get it stitched with very little concern that the cut will not heal properly. I waited too long and now I have an 20% chance of my cut not healing well.

Here is a picture of Dr. Buggar's handi-work (yes, you read it right - Dr. Buggar)

Here is how I will look for another 14 hours --

It's been a great Sabbath...

What am I trying to do this Christmas?

2008-11-26T23:32:00.003-07:00

I am so excited for Christmas. I love, love, love Christmas. I love the sounds, the smells the lights the tastes and I always look forward to Christmas eve with my family. We don't really do much but we always enjoy each others company (well, I am speaking for myself here).

So, I got to thinking about what I wanted this Christmas to be about for me. I want to spend time with people I love. For that reason I have decided to host a Cookie Exchange, host Bonko as well as host the annual gathering of my High School girlfriends (We have had a party every year since we were in High School-that's alot of parties). I am also trying to find a Saturday that I can have my family over for a brunch.

When I stumbled across this video, I felt like I was kinda-sorta on the right track. I still love to shop for gifts and decorating my house is like drug for me, but I think, in the grand scheme of things anyway, I am on the right track.

Stay tuned for entries following all of my planned gatherings with the people I love!

Check it out --

2008-11-21T23:11:00.004-07:00

The nutty part is that I only applied for the thing last week. And to think I almost paid the extra 60 bucks to have them expedite it - 9 days was all it took - only 7 business days.

I need this so that when I go on my cruise with my High School girl friends in January I will be able to get back into the country.

Someday I will be using it to get into Paris - just you wait!

HSM3+Shelby=Free Therapy for Raquel

2008-10-25T22:34:00.006-06:00

Despite my INSANE work schedule (it's my BUSIEST time of year at work) I carved out a night to take Shelby to see High School Musical 3 and have a sleep over. I had to secure my status of "Cool-Aunt", which I thought I had done by taking her to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua. You have to keep your game on in matters such as these.

I learned a great deal about my dear little niece last night.

1- She chooses Chad over Troy. A respectable preference. Personally, if I were 14 again I would be one of the many Zac Efron followers - I was a bit of a sheep back then and if truth be told, my adult self thinks he's hot. It should bother me that he was born the year I graduated from High School but it doesn't

The 2nd thing I learned about Shelby is that Grumpy tired Shelby and Grumpy tired Aunt Raquel are NOT a good combination.

The 3rd and final realization of the sleep-over is simply that Shelby and I are the same person, in that, we have the same personality. In the past, I had teased her mother, (Michelle-my father's favorite child) that she and KJ, Shelby's older brother, had the same personality. When they would fight it was like they were fighting with themselves. From the outside looking in it was very entertaining to watch them circle round and round getting nowhere other than more and more frustrated with the other.

It was 10:00 PM in the WalMart (I hate WalMart after 8:00PM - I don't care what kind of nice neighborhood it is located in - All WalMarts change in to some sort of foreign country after the time of night that small children should be in bed) Anyway, there we were in the WalMart looking for a High School Musical Shirt in a size that would fit Shelby (I failed to mention that we had already been to Target immediately following the movie to buy the CD, make-up, mascara and a new Make-up case - oh, and another cute shirt - all for Shelby) All Shelby wanted was the HSM shirt and all I wanted was for her to be grateful for all that I had done/bought for her - we were going round and round - I am sure making quite a scene - then it hit me - I am having an argument with a mini-me.

People pay big money in therapy to have break throughs like that.

Needless to say, I had Shelby so mad at me and in tears numerous times before we got to my house. I even left her in the car in the garage when we got home - guilt took over when I realized that the garage light would eventually go out and she would be sitting in the dark crying by herself if I didn't ask her if she was going to come in and go to bed.

I think I patched things up, somewhat, when I printed and laminated her a copy of the picture I had taken of her with a life size cut out of Chad at the movie - and I let her sleep in her new HSM apparel - As if I would have had a chance to try and get her to take it off - Grumpy, tired, irrational Aunt Raquel, pre-breakthrough, would have had that argument.

The moral of the story is two fold - I still have no idea how to deal with my niece when she gets all feisty on me. We are both bossy and stubborn and the only thing that might give me any kind of an advantage is the fact that I have my drivers licence. Two, my status of "Cool-Aunt" is no longer secure - Tersta, Sarah, Cathryn and Nice are still in the running.

There is one more thing I learned, or re-learned I should say - I ADORE my niece. She is hysterical and loves all of the same pink-girly-sparkly things that I do. I really do love spending time with her - I just need to make sure that I am well rested.

Hys-ter-i-cal!

2008-09-21T10:50:00.006-06:00

I am trying to work on my Relief Society lesson this morning but I keep getting distracted by random blog surfing. I came across this site

http://www.whateverradio.com/website/home.php

and died laughing. I think I should show this video for my lesson today. I think the sisters might enjoy it more than what I have put together so far...

NieNie

2008-08-29T23:13:00.007-06:00

I have read the NieNie Diaries every now and again. More often I would make my way over read her sister's blog, cjane where I would pop in every once in awhile to see how her battle with infertility was going and was so excited when the Chief finally arrived.

What I love about NieNie's blog are the great ideas she comes up with. One of my favorites was just a couple of weeks ago. Go check it out.

It broke my heart when I checked in on cjane and learned that Nie and her husband had been in a plane accident and had been seriously burned and the pilot had lost his life - From what I understand Nie is burned over 80% of her body and both she and her husband are in chemical induced comas as the long healing process begins.

One of the many beautiful miracles I have been reading about regarding this tragedy over the last couple of days is the incredible out pouring of love and support from this blogging community of which NieNie has become an integral member. There have been auctions, a balloon launch and a website set up to make it easy to make contributions - many of these things were done by people who have never even met Nie.

There really are good people out there. Please take a moment and say a little prayer for Nie and her husband as well as her family and if you feel so inclined, visit this web site and make a donation.

Favorite Things Swap

2008-08-29T22:36:00.008-06:00

The Favorite Things Swap hosted by the adorable smarty-pants according to Kelly has come and gone and I wanted to quickly share with you the treasures I received and what I sent.

My swap partner this time around was Crystal from Texas. She very promptly put my package in the mail and I thoroughly enjoyed all the little treasures she sent:

She loves anything written by Jodi Picoult and sent me one of her books. She included a blank journal and pen covered with a great damask print as well as some colorful post it notes that also matched. The little Texan trinkets were darling! I am still toying with the idea of moving to Houston at some point so these will be fun reminders.
Luckily Crystal took pictures of the package I sent to her - I was so late getting it in the mail I didn't take the time to snap some of my own so I 'borrowed' them from her blog.

I tried to make the presentation a little bit fun so I wrote little notes on all of the treasures. I had seen these cute little clips in an etsy store and I was just aching to get them for someone - I sent some for Crystal to use in her daughter's hair and I saved a couple for Courtney.

Crystal and her family just moved into a new house so I wanted to send her something that I love to decorate with - pictures. I especially love the iron easels you can use to display the pictures on so I printed up a another picture I 'borrowed' from her blog and included that with the frame and stand.

When I grow up

2008-08-25T14:10:00.005-06:00

For the next installment of "When I Grow Up" I would like to introduce you to Heather D. White and list the reasons why I want to be her when I grow up.

I met Heather about a dozen years ago in a singles ward. Her dad was the Branch President at the time and played a big role in the direction I chose to go in my life and I will be forever grateful for his sincere counsel and love for me. But this is not about him - this is about his darling daughter Heather.

I didn't know Heather very well at the time. She was the girl I wish I was - very fun to be around - nice to everyone - from an outsider looking in she seemed like she was friends with everybody. My memories of the time I spent with her were always filled with fun and there was always laughter.

Flash forward to sometime this year - I was aimlessly surfing blogs and started looking at bloggers who liked to scrapbook and I came across {unwrapped} - I started reading and immediately knew I liked this girl so I bookmarked it and would check back in every now and then. At the time She didn't have her picture posted so I had no idea that it was Heather Dahlquist's blog that I was reading - and then she posted some pictures from a family party and there was her Dad and I finally put two and two together.

Heather is seriously one of the most creative people I have come across in this blog world. My favorite posts of hers are when she posts pictures of what she made for her visiting teachees. She is always making something for someone.

Heather is also a great photographer - She has started a business called White House Photography. She is very talented and I love to look at her photos and get ideas for my own amateur photo-shoots

Heather is a great friend - she is constantly expressing her gratitude for all of her friends. She identifies specifically what it is about her friends that she loves. She is genuinely appreciative for the love she receives from all of the people in her life.

Heather has a fabulous mother - I couldn't post this entry without mentioning her mom! I just love her. I haven't spent a great deal of time with her but the time I have spent with her truly left an impression.

I really could go on and on but I will let you click on over to her blog and find out for yourself why I want to be Heather when I grow up!!!

Book Binding

2008-08-22T14:10:00.005-06:00

As you can see, I am doing some serious catch-up posting so please do not be alarmed by my referring to something I did in May - it actually ties to something I did this week.

Last May I attended a Book Binding class taught by Amy of Inside the Fishbowl fame. I urge you to read her blog and if you see that she is offering another class you must jump at the chance. Not only is Amy completely delightful she is an excellent teacher and truly loves this craft.

She taught us two different bindings - Ribbon binding and Case binding. You leave the class with two completed books - mine are below:

I don't think I have ever been so proud of myself! Perhaps the day I learned how to line up my seams while piecing (thanks Joan!). Can you believe I made these? I certainly can't - I just loved every minute of it and cannot thank Amy enough teaching me.

So, now it is August and my friend, Jennifer-June, is throwing a Bridal Shower for her cousin. For one of the games she is going to give each guest a piece of white paper and have them tear out the shape of a wedding dress and then write down a piece of advice on the dress. She wanted to have some sort of a book to put the dresses in that her cousin could take home. I offered (opened my big mouth) to help her make a book with my newly acquired book binding skills.

The pressure was on - I had to figure out how to do this on my own - luckily Amy supplied very clearly written instructions and I was able to fumble my way through the steps.

Of course, I can look at the finished product and see all of the flaws but overall I believe it turned out really nice.

Seriously, you need to take her class - I may even take it again!

2008-08-21T23:20:00.005-06:00

A while back Jill linked to this entry that gave FABULOUS step by step instructions on how to change your banner.

I just installed Photoshop Elements on my machine and thought I would give it a whirl - and look what happened!!!

I am thinking that my banner is going to be changing more frequently from here on out...

(I fully realize that the pictured used to create my new banner has nothing to do with tulips so please keep your comments to yourselves.... you know who you are)

Zion

2008-08-21T15:31:00.008-06:00

So I taught Relief Society Sunday and the lesson was on Establishing the Cause of Zion. What kind of teacher would I be without a cute and clever handout? Thanks to the Dollar Spot at Target, I found clippy magnets that I affixed a scripture:

I sure hope the lesson went as well as the hand outs were adorable!

It really was a great lesson to teach - I spent some time discussing what we as individuals could do to contribute to building Zion. It sparked some great conversation and it served as a reminder that while ultimately Zion is a location, right now Zion is really where ever we are.

I'm Alive!!!!

2008-07-27T09:47:00.002-06:00

I have officially become a statistic. My computer died and I had not backed up a single solitary thing. Not music. Not my pictures. Not my writing. Nothing. My computer is currently with one of my favorite IT guys from a previous job (it pays to keep in touch with old co-workers). He is trying to breath life back into it long enough to get my data off. Please say a prayer for my Hard Drive.

I have since purchased a new computer. The dead computer was a laptop I bought about 4 years ago. It only had a 60 gig HD - I was constantly trying to figure out what I could take off the drive to make more room. Imagine my glee when I went shopping for a tower and discovered that a 500 gig drive was not a big deal. I purchased a Dell with 6 gigs of ram and 640 gig HD. I also looked at the macs but to get even close to that size of a drive I would be paying twice as much. My brother, the prophet of the Mac church, has finally started talking to me again. I am going to buy an iPhone, I believe that is why he found it in his heart to consider claiming me as his sister again.

So, I bought a new computer but I am not typing this post on said new computer. I am currently in Jackson Hole typing on Mike's MacBook Pro. We have spent the week touring Yellow Stone and the last couple of days in Jackson Hole. I love Jackson Hole - I am relaxed to a fault. We rented a 15 passenger van (we being my brother's family and the Guads and their two great kids) At first glance, we may have a "Warren Jeff's-esque" look to us but never fear, once KJ and CJ tumble out of the van wrestling and farting you are quickly reassured that there are no multiple wives here.

Yellowstone was just beautiful - I can't believe our parents never took us up here for a family vacation - it could have something to do with the fact that my mother wasn't 'into' camping (into is a polite way to say she couldn't stand it) My memories of a family camp-out involved a mattress being strapped to the top of our white station wagon.

It was very fun to all be in the same vehicle even though we all looked like a bunch of clowns getting out. I took a bunch of pictures and will post some when I get home on my own computer. I will also post some pictures of my bedroom and bathroom that my dad painted while I was away on vaca. I chose a medium to dark brown for my bedroom and a blue for the bathroom. I have a really hard time making decisions about things like paint so I really hope the colors look nice.

I will post more when I get home --

My Mosaic

2008-06-22T14:49:00.001-06:00

So I went over here and made my own mosaic lickity split - it was very fun. I think I will be making more of these.

Ultimate Father's Day Gift

2008-06-16T22:55:00.006-06:00

Guess who is excited to be a Grandpa again?!?!?!?!

It's true - the red headed daughter is pregnant and due on December 23rd. I wish I had gotten a picture of how she made the announcement.

Cathryn got Dave, Courtney and herself white t-shirts and on Dave's she ironed on a #1. On Courtney's she ironed on a #3 and on her shirt she had a 2 on the shoulder and a gigantic #4 on her belly. It was A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!!

We are all so excited! Another baby in the family to nuzzle and love! And for Christmas!

How I know my dad loves me

2008-06-15T12:16:00.005-06:00

My family is not an affectionate family. We don't usually hug and kiss and say I love you every time we see each other. Despite this lack of physical and verbal affection I know that my family loves me.

For example, on 9/11 I was traveling on business and got stuck in Pennsylvania. I partnered up with two fellow employees that lived in Colorado and we jumped in the rental car and drove to Denver. Of course I had talked to my family a couple of times on that fateful day and they could tell that I was anxious about not being home so my brother decided to drive to Denver so that I wouldn't have to drive home to Salt Lake alone. I don't think he would have done that if he didn't love me.

So, as it is Father's day, I am going to share with you how I know that my dad loves me.

exhibit A: The Remote

When I moved into my new house last Fall and purchased my GINORMOUS TV my dad went on line to find the codes I would need to make my Dish Remote work with my T.V. I didn't ask him to do this - heck, I didn't even realize that I would need a code - he just did it. Exhibit B: The Ice machine:

In my new house I had a fridge with an ice maker that the builder did not hook up. My Dad knows how I feel about having ice so he went to Home Depot to get the parts and hooked it up. (I hate drinking water without ice - and I have to have my Diet Coke glass with ice)

Exhibit C: The Shelves
I was insistent on having shelves along one of the walls in my Studio. Despite the fact that he hates these kind of shelves he helped me design the wall and determined what, exactly, I would need and, again, went to Home Depot and got the goods and then measured, leveled and drilled the shelves into place.
Exhibit D: The Treadmill
I just HAD to have my treadmill upstairs in the spare bedroom but it wouldn't fit through the door - I was determined so my dad figured out how to disasemble it just enough to fit through the door and then put it back together.
What a guy -- Exhibit E: The Alarm
I thought it was cute that he was worried enough about to me living by myself to ask if I had thought about getting an alarm (which I set off this morning by opening the back without disarming it).
Exhibit F & G: Hanging
I really shouldn't be allowed to have a hammer. My inability to hang anything straight is impressive. Luckily, my dad loves me enough to come over to my house and hang all of my fru-fru.
Exhibit H: Flowers
He made sure that my little patch of land had flowers. He called me to find out what kind of flowers I wanted, planted them in the little planters and then brought them over. I just love them!!!
Exhibit I: Music
He knows I am freak about anything French so he made copies of the soundtrack to Cats sung in French.
I think that I have presented more than enough evidence to adequately prove that my dad loves me --

And I love him! Happy Father's Day Dad!

When I Grow Up

2008-06-08T22:24:00.010-06:00

I sat down to post about the blog party I attended at the beginning of May and I realized that I had never formally spotlighted Jill – the blogger that is the reason I would voluntarily go to a party to meet people that had not a single clue who I was.

So, I have dusted off my, “When I Grow Up…” weekly/montly/semi-annual spotlight and am now going to explain why I want to be Jill when I grow up.

She changes her blog header semi-frequently and they are always so great!

Jill hails from Utah County and is seriously, one of my favorite people. I stumbled across Jill reading Kristi’s blog – Kristi had linked to an entry that Jill had made that talked about Visiting Teaching that really talked to me. I was curious about who it was who used her powers of blogging to talk about important topics (or who uses her blogging powers for good) so I started reading and then I discovered that she and her book club had traveled to Paris last year and Jill chronicled every day with the details of what they did and had dozens and dozens and dozens – OK, hundreds – of pictures documenting the trip. Anyone who knows me knows I love anything and everything French so after I finished reading all of her Paris entries I decided that we were best friends – and no, we had not met yet.

One thing I love about reading Jill’s entries is that she is real in every entry. If she is having a bad day, she writes about it. If she is having a fantastic day she shares it with us. Every Sunday she takes the time to post a Sunday Thoughts entry. She has some great insight and there are a handful of these Sunday Thoughts that I have book marked to re-read when I need a little spiritual pick-me-up.

Another one of my favorite entries she posts each week is when she documents Creative Friday. Every Friday she heads over to Michelle’s and they work on their crafts together. Michelle is an amazing cook and usually has some fabulous lunch prepared that involves her lovely damask dinner ware and a panini maker. I COVET Creative Fridays.

Jill’s blog has been a catalyst in creating a community of some amazing women from all over the world. For the past couple of years she has organized a blog party that brings together as many who can make it. The invitation is open to anyone who takes part whether by commenting or with their own blog or both.

I really enjoyed meeting Jill. I was a little bit uncomfortable at the party as I didn’t know a soul there and I am not the most frequent poster which makes it hard for people to get to know me. Jill was so nice and really made an effort to make sure I felt welcomed and I really appreciated that.
If you haven’t surfed over to Jill’s neck of the woods, please do – she truly represents the positive side of blogging and which is why

I want to be Jill when I grown up!

Memorial Day

2008-06-05T21:28:00.003-06:00

I have abandoned the idea of trying to catch up on all of the fabulous posts I have in the queue and will jump in on the Memorial Day entry. Here we are at Provo City Cemetery where you can find us the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend every year. We even have the same flowers - no surprises from the Carter's. The only thing that will change is the color of the Roses on Grammie's headstone - Dad usually gets pretty pink roses but this year the closest he could find was peach and they were just as pretty. We always have the same bushel of daisies on Mom's headstone. I am usually in charge of arranging but this year I dilly dallied around the house before leaving for the Cemetery and was very late so Michelle had to jump in and she did just great!

We also hit the cemetery where Grandpa Hill is buried where there is a beautiful view of Utah County - I think it is the East Lawn Cemetery but don't quote me.

After the flower festivities we headed back to Kevin and Michelle's for Dinner - Michelle made yummy French dip sandwiches. Hockey guy joined us with his crew and he made some yummy chocolate chip cookies (that he still has not shared the recipe for...).

It was a nice day (despite the constant reminder that a few members of the group had beans the night before)- we remembered loved ones who left us long ago and enjoyed the company of friends and family we are lucky enough to have in our lives now.

I will be posting about some of the 'funness' I had in May - including the Blog party where I met some of my favorite bloggers!

Macey Blue background

2008-05-17T22:25:00.000-06:00

Macey

2008-05-16T23:25:00.010-06:00

Women's Conference Day II

2008-05-05T22:25:00.003-06:00

The 2nd day of WC was just as wonderful as the first. My eye was still bothering me so I took it easy in the morning and missed the opening session with Sister Beck. I understand it was very good. Luckily there are crazy bloggers out there like me that have gone to the extreme to post their notes from the session. Thank heavens for bloggers.

I decided to head straight over to the Wilkinson Center and stayed in the same room for all 3 sessions. My motive was to catch Marta’s mom’s session which would be the last one. The first session was about the power of personal prayer and while it was very good one of the speakers was a bit too much for me. I shouldn’t be critical – that is not keeping within the spirit of Women’s Conference. She was obviously very prepared and was a good speaker – she was just a bit “too” sweet for my tastes. She talked about how everyday she would ask her kids about their 'happies' and their 'sads' - call me insensitive but I just couldn't "connect" with her. The other speaker was very good and I did end up gleaning something useful from this session.

The next hour was entitled, “Let Your Body Delight in Physical Activity.” I think I was hoping to be inspired and motivated to be more active. What I learned from that class was that we as a country are WAY fatter then we were 20 year ago and that our kids are fatter too and I have some great tips to help get your kids moving.

The last session was being taught by Marta’s mom, Travelin Oma, and I was so excited about it, both because of the subject matter as well as the speaker, and she did not disappoint. The class was entitled “Successful Family Reunions: Creative Organization with Clever Follow-up.” The first speaker was Stana Kjar (daughter of Mary Ellen Smoot) and she was FABULOUS! She focused on the planning of the family reunion. I really do have a renewed appreciation for my Father and his never ending efforts to make sure that we have family reunions each year and all that he puts into them to make sure they are memorable. It is all we can do to get our extended family together for a couple of hours once a year – Sister Kjar plans reunions that cover a period of 2 or 3 days and they sound like so much fun – I think I am going to go to their reunion this year! She has really inspired me to make an effort to keep in touch with all of my cousins. They are such neat people and have such interesting lives – one of my cousins is currently living in Turkey with his young family while he studies for an advanced degree. I would love to know more about what it is like to live over seas. Another cousin has is married to a great guy from South Africa – I always enjoy his company and would love to know more about what it was like growing up there. And then there are the Kipps – there are always adventures when the Kipp cousins are involved. I believe I am committing myself to something but I am not sure what yet. I will keep you posted.

The last speaker was Marta’s mother and she focused on the Clever Follow-up portion of the session. She is a blogger and talked about how she uses that as a tool to keep in touch with her family living out of state. She also had some great ideas to help the cousins remember what each other looks like. Her invitations sent to her children to gather for the reunion read like a Dr. Seuss-like poem. Here family has a cheer and a mascot - Yet another family reunion that I would love to attend!

The closing session back at the Marriott Center was the perfect end to WC this year. It was such a good feeling when the entire arena full of 20,000 women went silent and stood up when President Monson entered. I had goose bumps. My favorite part is always when everyone starts singing, “We Thank Thee oh God for a Prophet.” It just isn’t a question for me whether or not he is a prophet – he is and is every bit as charming as President Hinckley was.

Women's Conference

2008-05-03T01:47:00.010-06:00

What a wonderful couple of days I was lucky enough to enjoy. I was a little nervous to leave work for 2 days as at the last minute a member of my team decided to take this entire week off. I had been planning on these 2 days for months, actually for longer than that – I start planning on attending Women’s Conference after the last session ends on Friday afternoon!

I didn’t realize how wound up I had become and far away from the spirit I was until I was sitting in the Marriott Center Thursday morning listening to Sheri Dew and I felt her looking at me. Seriously, she was looking right at me. I am sure she didn’t realize she was looking at me, but she was. That was enough for me to let my guard down and let the spirit in. Sister Dew was talking about how important it is for us to step up and be the amazing women the Lord knows we are capable of being. She used the phrase, “Walk away from the world”, more than once and those 5 words really hit home. I need to make more of an effort in my life to turn away from the world and face the Lord. I think that this can mean many different things to many different people. For me it means I need to concentrate more on getting in my daily scripture study then I do making sure I am watching all of the shows I have Tivo’d. It means that I need to follow the example of Jill and send more good mail and be a faithful visiting teacher (I will spotlight Jill later – I just LOVE her). I need to serve more, starting within my own family. I need to be more thankful for all of the incredible blessings I have and not be sad that I am not married and don’t have children. I need to focus on getting my own life in order and not waste my time picking out other’s flaws.

And I got all of this from the first hour!

Each year about a month before Women’s Conference the catalog comes in the mail and great care is taken to determine what classes I will attend. My first pass through I don’t make any marks, I take it all in. I read all of the descriptions and do not even worry about what corner of campus the class will be held. The second pass through I put an X through the classes that I know that I am not interested in – classes on being a good grandmother, preparing sons for missions, being a mother of young children – you get the idea. I am sure these are great classes but they are not the nourishment I am seeking to be fed with at this time in my life. Here is a picture of what my catalog looks like after my 2 day adventure.

I ended up staying in the Marriott Center for the next 2 classes and was not disappointed. The 11:00 class was entitled, “Lay Hold upon Every Good Gift” and it was wonderful and of course, it was just for me. The speakers talked about how we need to determine what our gifts are and that it is OK to ask the Lord for help in developing new gifts. They explained that gifts are not just talents – they are far more – some may have the gift of being on time, the gift of complementing, the gift of writing thank you notes. This class has really got me thinking about what my gifts are and what gifts I have waiting in the wings just waiting for me to ask the Lord to help me realize them. I even spent $1.09 for a set of little index cards that I can start writing down my gifts and gifts I would like to develop. The reason I did this was because I was really having a hard time thinking of my gifts. I found myself feeling almost prideful and I am having to make a conscious effort to shift that thinking. It is OK to think highly of yourself – just so long as you think highly of everyone else too. For those of you who know me, help me out – what do you think some of my gifts are? If you tell me mine I’ll tell you yours…

In this class one of the speakers used a dear friend as an example of a person with some exceptional gifts. She mentioned this person’s name was Vicki and that she worked with the mentally ill and my sister-in-law and I immediately turned to look at each other. We both knew Vicki – I had worked with her years ago. Vicki was killed in a car accident 3 years ago traveling up to Logan for a speaking engagement to help others learn more about how to cope with loved ones suffering from mental illness. Vicki had some incredible gifts and is someone on my list of people to emulate. I really miss her.

The next class was on Sacred Relationships and Self-Reliance. It was also very good and reminded me how important it is for me to keep the education ball rolling so that I can be sure to have the skills I need to provide for myself. It also inspired me to do what I can as a single person to build up my food storage.

After that session we went over to the book store to do some shopping. I love wandering around the bookstore – I could spend hours in there. I spent at least 45 minutes up on the 3rd floor looking at all of the art and meeting some of the artists. I had been looking for a pretty painting of the temple for my home but, of course all of the ones I fall in love with are incredibly expensive. I found Cortney Lunt tucked in a corner with her paintings and I found what I was looking for! I bought a couple of her prints. One big and one small and I need to find some pretty frames.

I am very happy with these and I know these will be a great addition to my home.

After I was done wandering I found an outer corner with some empty chairs and sat down to wait for Michelle (sister-in-law) and her mom. I was reading a magazine and kept staring at a woman sitting across from. I knew I had seen her before but couldn’t place her and then it hit me! It was Marta’s cute Mother! I had met her at the Harvest Boutique Marta and some friends held last fall. And her mom has a blog that I love to read. Of course I just had to re-introduce myself and as we got to talking we discovered that we had lived in the same Stake for years and that her oldest daughter was just a year younger than me at Brighton. It was so fun to get to know her – she just has this way about her that is so warm and inviting – it is very clear where Marta gets that from. Luckily for me, she was there waiting for all of her darling daughters so I was able to see Marta again and enjoyed chatting with her, her cute sisters and darling cousin Kelly for quite awhile. They talked about doing another Boutique next fall and invited me to join in on the fun – I will have to come up with something crafty, cleaver and fun this summer – now that I have my studio almost done it will be fun to get back to ‘creating’.

I really enjoyed getting to know Marta better. She is just a genuinely nice person who is smart, creative, talented and original. We took a picture of the two of us – it is a little blurry but you get the idea. Is she not the cutest little pregnant thing? Brangelina has nothing on that baby bump.

It had been a full day for me at this point and my eye was bothering me (I had another stitch pop Tuesday night!) I decided to head back to Heritage Halls and rest until the concert. I missed out on the service projects and sharing stations but was ready to enjoy the concert – which was wonderful and which was the reason I just had to buy two new CD’s the next day. Hilary Week’s was the host of the evening and introduced all of the performers – how adorable is she!?!?!?! She was so stinkin’ funny and what an beautiful voice she has. I had to buy her CD along with Eclipse’s new CD, “Grateful Praise.”

Wow – it is late! I have to get my beauty sleep so that I look presentable tonight when I meet some fellow bloggers for the first time –

I will finish up my recap later --

The Circus is in Town!

2008-04-19T19:20:00.004-06:00

Hello dear readers - I think I am up to 4 or 5 of you now. How exciting.

My eye is feeling much better, to those of you who inquired on how I was doing I thank you. I realize that not everyone that reads my words knows that I have had a handful of eye surgeries and that when I have these said surgeries the stitches are left in until my Dr. feels like he is ready to take them out or until they pop - whichever comes first. I am now down to 3 stitches in my left eye - wahoo! My all time high was 19 between the two eyes.

Enough of that - I have oh so much to catch up - when you post 4 times a month things tend to get backed up.

First and foremost, I have GOT to introduce you to a person new to the blogging world. This person is, seriously, one of the wittiest, funniest and most honest people I know. We grew up together - she is the big sister to Emily of Kikuchi Corner and while I absolutely adore Emily and love reading her blog I have to admit that when I see that Lisa has a new post it is kind of like Christmas. I always save her blog until last.

While you read all about her witty escapades, you have to know one important thing - she does NOT exaggerate. What she posts is pure and simple truth. I have been a first hand witness to many of the follies of her children (my favorite follies often involve the middle Child) and I can swear on a stack of People magazines that she really does live in a circus and that her husband is a Saint.

I hope you get to meet The Queen someday. Trust me, it is well worth a trip to Texas.

You can find her here, http://thefostercircus.blogspot.com/

Just so you know...

2008-04-08T18:47:00.003-06:00

Even if you pay your Qwest bill for your internet service on time each month, it does not guarantee that they will not disconnect your service. It's a treat and prevented me from reporting in on Sunday when I flew home.

I will have to post about Day 4 at Chez Danelli tomorrow (not that it would be any different than days 1 through 3).

I woke up this morning only to find that a stitch popped in my eye. Imagine having a grain of sand in your eye that you cannot get out and you will know how I could tell something was wrong. Of course, my Dr. was out of the office today so I had to go to his back-up who, today, just happened to be working in a clinic for people who couldn't afford insurance. After waiting FOREVER I finally got that darn stitch picked (yes, with tweezers) and I was on my way.

The deadening drops are now wearing off and I am going to bed.

Day 3 at Chez Danelli

2008-04-05T14:40:00.002-06:00

After another delicious morning of sleeping in I got up and me immediately made our way to Biscuits for breakfast. I had eggs Benedict that were amazing and of course the biscuits were fabulous topped with Marion Berry jam. Yum.

After breakfast we stopped by one of my favorite little shops, My Mother knows. I always find the funnest little things in there and Dani is so cute to make sure she takes me there every time I visit. I will have to take some pictures of my treasures and post them when I get home.

While Sophie napped we watched movies and napped and as soon as she was up we jumped in the car to head to Costco. For dinner Dani made burnt-butter and mizithra cheese pasta, ala Spaghetti Factory accompanied by some yummy meatballs. I cannot express in words how yummy this pasta was - this is my favorite dish at the Old Spaghetti Factory and she nailed it!!!

After bedtime we each had a Costco cupcake - these things are ginormous!!!! And SOOO yummy. I should say that it is impossible to eat one but we certainly didn't have a problem finishing them off.

Before bed we watched Oprah - it was the episode about the puppy mills and it ripped my heart out. It was so sad to see how these dogs are treated. Wednesday we had taken Sophie to a pet store to look at the animals and play with the puppies and now that we know where they get those puppies I am just sick. If I ever decided to get a dog I will check with the shelters and dog rescue places.

Somewhere in the middle of our adventures yesterday dani's husband came home from a business trip and has kindly stayed in the living room watching the smaller TV while Dani and I have taken over the master bedroom and the 50" plasma. he is a good man.

Day 2 at Chez Danelli

2008-04-04T14:33:00.009-06:00

The 2nd day of my stay at Chez Danelli was just as wonderful as day one. I slept in and when I got up Dani and Sophie had already made their way to the bakery across town and returned with divine cupcakes. We hung around the house and then after Sophie woke up from her nap we made our way to the Wooden Shoe Tulip festival. Tulips were everywhere!!! It was wonderful - we were lucky enough to have a sunny day.

We even took a ride on the cow-train but I had to be different and sit in the bright yellow wooden shoe. I am sure I looked as ridiculous as I felt but it was fun to be driven around the tulip fields. It was so nice to just hang out being surrounded by fields and fields of tulips and soaking up the sun.

Here I am in my gigantic wooden shoe --
(I can't wait to hear what kevin and Mike have to say about this picture)

Danelli and Sophie in one of the cow cars

After the festival we headed home and Dani made dinner - a yummy vegetable sandwich and her delicious homemade potato cheese soup (a Paula Dean recipe which includes shrimp but Dani makes it without the shrimp and added shredded Pepper jack cheese on top - sooooooo good).

After Sophie went to bed we watched some T.V., did some reading and had another cupcake, of course.

A perfectly relaxing day ---

Day One at Chez Danelli

2008-04-03T14:05:00.002-06:00

I awoke Wednesday morning at the delicious hour 9:30 a.m. (I purposely scheduled my flight at 12:30 so I wouldn't have to get up early on the first day of my vacation). I made my way down Bangerter, found a spot in long term parking and jumped on the bus to the terminal - I was the only passenger which meant that I didn't have to maneuver my big ole suitcase around anyone else (I am not very graceful you see...). I checked my big ole suitcase and made my way through security and after I put my shoes back on and collected my bag I was officially on vacation. I was ready. I was relaxed. I was on vacation. I didn't even care that my flight was 25 minutes delayed.
I flew Southwest this trip which I haven't done in ages - I am all about the miles, you know, and usually only fly Delta - usually the fact that I don't have an assigned seat would annoy me but, alas, I was on vacation so I didn't really care. I found a window seat and settled in with my travel pillow, i-pod and the January issue of O Magazine. I read, I napped, I listened to my favorite tunes and then we touched down in Portland.

It was so fun to see Danelli and Sophie pull up in their Ford 150 because I knew that once I climbed in I would be completely taken care of and pampered all weekend long.
We ran some errands and then went to the Claim Jumper for Dinner. I haven't been to a Claim Jumper in 14 years. I figured out that the last time I went to a claim jumper was with Paul on my birthday when I was living in L.A. - it was every bit as yummy and huge as I remembered.

We made our way home, put Sophie to bed and then watched the Real Housewives of New York City and would pause it when we needed to add some color commentary. Dani went to bed and I stayed up sitting in my bed in the guest room adorned with Fresh Tulips and finished off my O magazine (I haven't read and entire magazine, cover to cover, since probably August.

Stay tuned for Day II at Chez Danelli where we will visit a Tulip farm.

I will post every day in April

2008-04-01T22:29:00.002-06:00

APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!

Wow -- I am funny. You never know what may transpire, however. I just may be making more frequent appearances this month. It is the month of my birth, which, in turn, means the month is ALL ABOUT ME!

I will be making my way up to Portland to visit Dani tomorrow for a wonderfully long weekend of being completely spoiled. It is seriously like going to a relaxing spa with yummy food and without the mud baths when you visit Danelli. There is a computer I can use to post if it doesn't cut into my reading, naps or playing with Sophie.

Stay tuned....

The Convent

2008-03-08T11:23:00.007-07:00

I have SO much to catch up on! I thought I would start with the 2nd official soiree I hosted in my new home, the first being Thanks Giving.

I have made some wonderful friends in the singles ward I attend and together we refer to ourselves as "the-convent" and we have periodic meetings that are called convent gatherings. In these meetings we set goals and discuss our progress in the dating arena and basically just enjoy each other’s company. This group is full of exceptional women and I always come away from our gatherings feeling like I can be a better person.

It was so fun to get my house ready for a Saturday Brunch and show off my new digs.
This is the table freshly set complete with fresh pink tulips and fun favor boxes from Kates Paperie filled with treats.

And here are the Convent Sisters - Isabella (the youngest addition), Mother Karen (who happens to be Isabella's mother and who is also pregnant with twins!!!), Lara, Ali, Michelle and Denise.

I love her

2008-03-02T12:43:00.005-07:00

This is my niece, Courtney Joy, and she is the cutest 3 year old IN THE WORLD!

Help a girl out, would ya'?

2008-02-28T09:16:00.004-07:00

I know I have been MIA and selfishly lurking all of my favorite blogs so I have no right to ask for your assistance but this request isn't for me. Another blog I frequent is crafted by a girl who over the past couple of years has lost 80lbs., became a runner and is now training for an Iron Man. I don't entirely understand the details of what she is doing but apparently there is an Iron Man team that Sarah is campaigning to be a part of. Each entrant creates a video that is posted on the web site and then individuals can vote on which entrant inspires you. This is the 3rd and final round and Sarah has made it this far!

I am asking you to check out her video and navigate over to her blog to learn a bit more about her and if you are as inspired by her as I am then send an e-mail to vote@evotri.com with 'Sarah McKibben - Final Round' in the subject line. You can send one e-mail from each e-mail address you have so get to it! Voting ends Friday, 2/29, at Midnight.

Try a little harder to be a little better...

2008-02-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

I almost feel like today has been a General Conference kind of day. I set my DVR to record KSL’s coverage of President Hinckley’s funeral. There was an hour long biography and then another show, ‘A Faith for all Seasons’. Both were excellent and paid a superb and beautiful tribute to a truly amazing man.

There have been countless tributes to this remarkable man all over the web – I am going to link to some of my favorites at the end of this post but first I want to share a few of my own thoughts about President Hinckley and the impression he left on my life.

First and foremost, he reminds me of my own grandfather. Grandpa Hill was a character and always left you with a smile. President Hinckley was no exception. This picture is one of many that capture his big grin and you know that it is was accompanied with a ‘grandpa-like’ chuckle.

He led by example. While his messages usually contained a few funny anecdotes his messages were clear and straight forward. He did not mince words and he lived his life in such a way that there was nothing hypocritical about what he said.

He was and still is a prophet of God and no matter where I am in my own life with regards to my own testimony I know this. I know that the guidance and counsel he gave us was what our Father in Heaven wanted us to know. I tried to follow his counsel and know that there were great blessings that followed when I did. I took the challenge to read the Book of Mormon within a couple of month period to heart and felt my testimony of this great book strengthen.

This past week I put the picture of him I have in my home right by my T.V. as a reminder of the example of a life lived that I should aspire to. As a result, I found that my T.V. viewing choices changed – it makes you think twice about what you watch when you have the prophet staring back at you.

I have been blessed to be alive while President Gordon B. Hinckley was the prophet here on earth.

Following are links to some of the beautiful tributes my fellow bloggers have posted this week:

Kristi at Everthing is pink

Jill at Creativity, Musings and Such

Michelle at Chez Moi

Marta at Marta Writes
Emily at Kikuchi Korner
Heather at {Unwrapped}

Pink Christmas...finally

2008-02-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a long time coming but my Pink Christmas gift has finally made it's way to my Pink Christmas partner. Yes, I am well aware of the fact that today is February 1st...

I used this idea as a guide and tweaked it a bit to make an adorable advent calendar. Tasha's loves Take 5 bars so I found the mini bars and put one in each pocket.

I strung them together on a wire and put a little bead that resembles a disco ball in between each pocket along with some ribbon.

The result was just darling! I really enjoyed putting this craft together and hope that Tasha is able to enjoy it next Christmas season.

If any of you friends or family think this is as adorable as I do, pass along a little hint and this may help me decide what to do for you for Christmas this year...

Order: Step 1

2008-01-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

So, I FINALLY have all of my Christmas decorations down and put away. There are a few lingering reminders here and there – the Christmas dishtowels and Santa toilet seat cover in the laundry (sorry Mike, I know how you feel about Santa in the bathroom), the Christmas rugs hanging up to dry in the spare bathroom and the little green pretend pine needles from my tree and garland sprinkled here and there where I missed them with the vacuum – I feel like these little needles keep popping up until well into Spring.

I absolutely LOVE decorating for Christmas – I have the funnest decorations and I didn’t even have half of all of my décor up this year. I absolutely DESPISE having to take it all down and put it away. It’s not that I don’t want to part with all of the décor – it is just all of the work that accompanies all of the Christmas fru-fru. I can’t just pile the lights in a box – I have to carefully wrap them up so that when I get them out next year I know that they will be ready to go. Actually, what I need to do is figure out a way to secure all of the fake pieces of my artificial tree together so that I can leave the lights on and just carry it downstairs like my dad does. I tried to do that this year but the tree kept coming apart and falling on top of me - ( I know what you are going to say, Kevin - that was the punishment I got for stooping so low as to purchase an artificial tree)

While I am not a fan of the de-decorating I must say that once it is all boxed up and tucked neatly in the basement and I have vacuumed and dusted I love how neat and orderly my house looks. I still have some decorating to do so things still look a bit barren but it is a nice start to get me ready for my year of order.

My next project: putting away all of the bathroom ‘stuff’ I finally brought over from my dad’s – who knew I had so many different forms of curlers and so many different flavors of shower gel…. I will have to take a before and after shot – but only if you promise to still be my loyal readers after you see the before…

P.S. Did you know that ‘funnest’ is not a word? I prefer it to ‘most fun’ but I am not here to impress, only to report --

The New Banner---

2008-01-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

So, do you like it? I designed it as if it were a bulletin board and I could stick things on it that represented me or things that I just liked. As you will notice, there is a picture of a crown showing that I am a queen - I love Texas and the people that I know there, hence the barn star. The Eiffel Tower is self explanatory.

A new year, a new banner, a new me...

Just a little Christmas

2008-01-06T23:24:00.001-07:00

Before I took my Christmas decor down I took a few pictures to share. It was so fun to dig out decorations I hadn't seen in years and to use some for the first time --

This is a shot that captures part of my living and dining room. Here are a couple of my kitchen
And this is a little montage of the rest --

Hi Em!

2008-01-05T23:19:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that Emily has started a blog - Kikuchi Korner. She is documenting her great life in Hawaii with her cute husband Travis. I grew up with Emily and her brothers and sister and it is safe to say that she is the baby of both of our families. I remember when she was born and became my mom's favorite child... it was OK though because Emily was such a cute and sweet little girl and has remained very cute and very sweet.

The last time I saw Emily was at her father's funeral in Houston and for the first time I looked at her and saw just how beautiful she was. I have always found her completely darling and basically adorable but this was different. I know that it was such a sad time but she just had this look about her that made her lovely - I know that sounds kind of corny but with everything that she had been dealing with emotionally she carried this look of peace.

Emily and Travis are two of my very favorite people and I love the time I get to spend with them. My very first trip to New York was a vacation planned by her mother to celebrate her graduation from BYU and it was such a fun time - we had a few adventures and only once ended up in a place that we really shouldn't have been - (ask me to elaborate on that off line).

I am so excited to add her to my family and friends list.

Aloha Emily!!!

My Word of the Year --

2008-01-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

I am one of those who look forward to the new year as a time to start fresh -- I think I like the idea of this more than I like how well I use this time to start new habits and begin new goals. The Fall is also a time that makes me feel like I am starting something new. I know this is a left over feeling from school days of old.

This year I have been inspired by Kristi at everythingispink to pick a word of the year that I can use as a base to mold some of my goals around. Last year Kristi's word of the year was S-T-R-E-T-C-H and that is exactly what she did. She had moved with her young family to a new city and her family was given a calling that would seriously stretch them in many ways throughout the year. If you have time, you should peruse her blog to read about the experiences they had serving in a ward in downtown Washington D.C. She also kept a great secret all year while she was training to run a marathon.

So this year I have chosen word that I think will help me improve in so many areas of my life. The word I have chosen is

O-R-D-E-R

I am a mess. If you were to enter the basement of my father’s home (my previous residence) you would be very, very afraid. Probably not as afraid as you would have been before I moved the majority of my belongings to my new home but I think that there would still be a level of fear that would haunt you as looked around the dark basement at all of the “crap”.

I admit, I am a keeper of ‘things’ – I’m not quite as bad as the hoarders that you see on those intervention/organization shows but if categorizing myself as a hoarder would get me a newly organized home then sign me up!!!

I can’t beat myself up too much as I have had the majority of my belongings in boxes the past couple of years and whenever I needed anything from said boxes I would have to find the box, dig it out, unpack the item, and sometimes the item would get placed back in the box after I was done with it. More times than not, it got set on the table in the basement or it might have made it as far as the box of origination itself just to be set on top of it to be ‘put away later’.

It has been SO nice to unpack all of my belongings and put them in their very own place in my new home. Yes, I do have 3 different Bundt pans and yes I have a nice space for them in my kitchen where they get put away when I am done with them.

There is still lots to be put away, however, and I definitely have my hands full. My studio is going to be the biggest challenge. I was lucky enough to have a craft room in my dad’s house. I called it my super-secret-craft-room as it was downstairs in a room that was a bit bigger than a nice walk in closet. I had all of my favorite ‘stuff’ in there tucked nicely in the shelves, corners and storage bins. I had the TV wired to the satellite dish and could watch hours and hours of HGTV, Lifetime or TLC while I ‘crafted’ away. Much of the ‘craft-supplies’ oozed out into the rest of the basement especially when I was working on a quilt and needed the real estate in the room to sew on the binding.

In my new home I have designated one of the spare bedrooms to be my studio. It has a huge window, a closet and the best part – no spiders!!!! I am so excited to get myself all set up and put together in there. A place for everything and everything in it’s place – it will be nice to be able to walk into my studio to work on a project without first having to find/dig out what I need to begin and then clear off a spot to work on it. By the time I would do those things I wouldn’t have time to work on my project!

Getting my home organized is not the only area of my life that I would like to bring more order to. I would like to work on strengthening my relationship with my heavenly father – study my scriptures, attend the temple, magnify my callings. I have definitely let this area of my life fall to the way side and I would like to make it a priority – make it the priority. I want to feel good about my efforts in this area. I want to feel like I am doing all that I can to live with the spirit so that the spirit will fill my home.

Another area of my life that needs some serious straightening up is the physical part. My aspirations are not to be a size 4, or a size 6 or 8 for that matter. I want to be healthy and feel good. The other night I had one of those ah-ha moments while carrying a 40lb. bag of salt down to my basement to fill the water softener. I was dragging this stinkin’ heavy bag down the stairs and I could not believe how heavy 40 lbs. felt. I thought to myself how much better I would feel if I were even 40 lbs. thinner. So my goal is to get my nutrition under control and ease myself into an exercise routine in an effort to lose a bag of salt – ultimately I would like to lose more, but one bag at time…. One bag at a time.

There are some other things that I would love to accomplish this year –

I have numerous ‘projects-in-progress’ that I would love to see to completion. As my disposable income has shrunk to next to nothing I think I will be more inclined to submerse myself in the ‘stuff’ I have on hand rather than shop for new ‘stuff’. This will be very, very hard for me.

I love to pretend that I speak French and would love to actually make sense when I ramble about with my French sayings. This is the year that I will make a concerted effort to formally learn the language. I am going to start with the software packages that I have on hand and look for courses where I could go and actually practice with other live individuals. (If anyone knows of any courses anywhere please let me know)

So there you have it – my plans for 2008. Nothing grandiose – just some basic steps I would like to take to put my life in O-R-D-E-R.

It's a new year and a new post.... finally!

2008-01-03T18:16:00.000-07:00

Over all I would have to say that 2007 was a good year -- it was the year that I realized one of my biggest dreams/goals - that being becoming a home owner. I am so grateful and blessed to be able to be in a place in my life that allows me to be able to afford this luxury. Many sacrifices will be made now that I have such a significant financial obligation but it is SO worth being able to create my little home.

Looking back at the year there are a few things that stick out that were lots of fun - I went to Las Vegas last January with my good friends Lara and Andrea for a fun filled weekend of shopping and Justin Timberlake watching (and just so you know, he did bring sexy back).

Over Easter weekend I went to New York with some other good friends for more fun filled shopping (gotta love canal street and Kate's Paperie) and to see some AWESOME shows. Some great memories were made with some great girls - the kind of girls you want to be like when you grow up - the kind of girls who leave you better than when they found you.

I spent some time in Portland with Danel and her sweet baby Sophie. Visiting Danel is like staying in a Bed and Breakfast when you are the only patron - she completely pampers you and cooks the YUMMIEST food. I can't wait to visit her over my birthday this year.

There was some sadness this year as well - One of my parents dearest friends, Evan, was diagnosed with cancer in March and passed away in August. I have many fond memories driving to Provo for BYU games holding on for dear life while Evan sped through traffic. More recently over the past few years it has been nice to get to know Evan better as I traveled to Houston to visit his wife Joan. I am so grateful for that time I was able to spend with him these last few years. My brother and I made the trip to Houston to attend his funeral and I am so glad that we did. We grew up with his kids and I share such a fun friendship with Joan, his wife - I am Thankful I was able to be there in person to share my love with the family and say my goodbyes.

There were some new discoveries this year - while I have had a blog for awhile and an on-line journal prior to the 'blog-movement' it wasn't until this last year that I really discovered how big this blog world really is. There are so many blogs that I have come across that have sparked so much of my creative zeal and inspire me in so many ways. Some of my favorite discoveries are when pictures of the bloggers studios are included. I love to see how they have organized and decorated their spaces. It has been so fun to reach out and invite myself into the worlds of these new friends. I am excited to expand my blogging horizons this year by including more of my own creations.

I want to use my blog this year to track the progress of my life – set goals and document the journey I take to see them through. I always have such great plans, some of which I bring to life but far too many lay dormant until I get my life organized enough start the creative process. This leads me to what I want my new year to be centered around – my next entry I will elaborate on my plans for 2008…

Stay tuned…

Sorta unpacked

2007-12-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

Well, if you step over the huge box in the entry way and make your way back to the living/dining/kitchen area you might think I actually live here. I got my kitchen unpacked in just enough time to host Thanks Giving dinner. It turned out great, thanks to my Sister-in-law who can make a Thanks Giving feast in her sleep - she really is amazing --. I had to turn the meal preparation into a project plan and put each dish on it's own row as if it was a step in the plan and charted out what time I would have to do what. I was really quite pathetic but it worked for the most part.

I cooked my very first turkey in my very first home. It was a great way to christen my new home.

Until the cars got towed....

Unfortunately, you cannot park on the street in my neighborhood - it would have been really nice if someone had told me prior to hauling off my Dad and Brother's cars. We had just finished watching Hairspray and were getting ready to have pie when the missing cars were discovered. Again, my amazing Sister-in-Law used her super powers to talk the guy driving the tow truck to bring our cars back so we wouldn't have to go clear out to who-knows-where to pick them up. It is turning into quite the scandal in my neighborhood. I went into the sales office to talk to the builder and he told me that it is the HOA that enforces the parking and that it is not the city of South Jordan. He also mentioned that other home owners were equally as frustrated. The next Home Owner's Association meeting is in January and it is going to be interesting. Before then I need to find out how these streets are zoned by the city - I would love to walk into that meeting with a document that says that the city is fine with parking on the street and that it is an HOA decision and we should put it to a vote.

If anyone knows how I can find that out - please let me know.

The big reveal!!!!

2007-11-23T16:17:00.001-07:00

I think I have kept you all in the dark about my big surprise long enough. I have purchased something I have been wanting to for quite some time. It was a HUGE decision and I am just LOVING it!!!

I bought myself one of these.....

That unlocks this....

to open this....

And let me into this!!!!

My new Town House!!!
I am officially a home owner!!!!

I moved in about a week and a half ago and had no idea how much stuff I had until I watched numerous individuals carrying it all out to the bug u-haul truck. I got my kitchen put away in just enough time to host Thanks Giving dinner at my new house with all of the fun entertaining ware I have been winning at Bonko over the past few years.

I purchased a new couch and just this morning my new t.v. stand/entertainment center was delivered. Luckily my new place is cozy so I don't need to purchase very much to furnish it.

Over the coming days and weeks I will post more pictures of the interior (as soon as I get each room 'presentable' enough to share on line that is...)

I'm still here!

2007-11-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

I know I have been MIA in blog land - so much has been going on. In addition to being insanely busy at work I had another 'project' going on that took up, and continues to, take up oodles and oodles of time. Those of you who know what this 'project' is please don't ruin the surprise for the other 2 readers who may not know what has been going on. I haven't even had a chance to blog about meeting one of my blogging heroes, Marta, who is absolutely de-light-ful! (and Marta I will be taking you up on your offer to get together sometime - I would love to visit with you)

The surprise will be revealed very soon!

Gosh I miss blogging!

Who wants to go?!?!?!

2007-10-08T12:00:00.000-06:00

Marta and some other crafty gals are hosting a fall Boutique. Click on the graphic below for more details - and let me know if you want to go with me!

ShutUp!!!

2007-10-04T10:41:00.000-06:00

Click here and on the left hand menu scroll all the way to the bottom and click on 'coming soon'

Check out #6.

Can you stand it?!?!?!?!?!

It’s Somebody’s Birthday!!!

2007-09-24T14:20:00.000-06:00

My favorite brother in the entire world is having a birthday today!!!!

There are many reasons why I love my brother and want to send him many birthday wishes
He is seriously one of the funniest people I know - we share the same sense of humor so I am an accurate judge.
His culinary skills are actually quite amazing. Everything he cooks and/or Bar-b-ques is soooo yummy.
He is always willing to go on adventures with me. We have been to New York, Houston and San Francisco together - I would travel anywhere with him.
He has impeccable taste to a fault - bad design makes him cringe.
He has started his own company that I just now realized that I don't have his logo on my blog -- what kind of sister am I?!?!?!
When picking a spouse he chose very wisely (she is my father's favorite child you know...)
He is a great dad - he is a great mentor to his teen-age son and completely wrapped around his daughter's pinkie finger.
And he is a great big brother - I know that he loves me and wants the very best for me.

Happy Birthday Kevin!!!

Snap shot of work

2007-09-17T14:33:00.000-06:00

So I am up to my armpits in my busy time at work. It will get busier yet - I am anticipating the peak to come between 10/19 and 11/20. During this window I will be so swamped that I will dream about wanting my computer to work faster - (you know how in nightmares when you are running away from the bad people you just can't move very fast - this is what my nightmares will be like but instead of me not running fast it will be my laptop.) After 11/20 the business slows back down to where it is now and it stays there until about the end of January.

Here is a little snapshot of my desk - Please note that when you place a candy bar on your laptop keyboard it will melt the chocolate - just so you know. I keep a tube of my favorite Cargo lipstick in a shade inspired by Mariska Hargitay on hand to help me feel somewhat civilized during the day. And yes, there are two monitors so I can be twice as productive....

Back2School swap goodies

2007-09-13T15:36:00.000-06:00

Look at all of my lovely swap goodies! Tabetha at http://www.reminisceheirlooms.blogspot.com/ was definitely good to me. She sent such fun things that she likes to have in her 'space'. There are darling tags - the Halloween ones will be put to good use next month. The cards are so sweet - I can't wait to use them. She even sent me some pedicure flip-flops and the perfect red polish just because she read on my blog that I love my pedicures!
I got my package in the mail to Tabetha a bit late - I hope she likes the goodies I sent to her.

Click here to see all of the other goodies sent to swappers all over the globe.

I've known it all along...

2007-08-15T17:00:00.000-06:00

You Belong in Paris

Stylish and expressive, you were meant for Paris.The art, the fashion, the wine!Whether you're enjoying the cafe life or a beautiful park...You'll love living in the most chic place on earth.

What City Do You Belong In?

Jerome & Erin

2007-08-11T21:42:00.000-06:00

Last week Erin (BFF at work) and I met Jerome at Cracker Barrel (or as we refer to it, 'the Crack') for lunch.

Good friends, good food, good times --

Birthday Girl

2007-08-10T19:41:00.000-06:00

Today is Shelby's 13th birthday! Hooray for the birthday girl!!!

In her honor we went to lunch at the California Pizza kitchen and then made our way over to the Build-a-Bear workshop where Shelby selected a cuddly wolf to stuff and dress up in a leopard skin dress complete with matching shoes and handbag and topped off with some darling black bows for her ears. Shelby decided to name her new wolf Rose.

Here are some pictures of the process:

After Rose was officially adopted the boys went on to the Apple Store and the girls wandered through Forever 21 where cool aunt Raquel bought Shelby some bling as well as picked up a couple of back up pairs of gigantic sunglasses for herself.

This year Shelby will be going to a Charter School so we stopped in at Gap Kids and bought a couple of things for her uniform.

It was a very fun afternoon -- Happy Birthday Shelby!!!

Blog of the week

2007-08-09T17:11:00.000-06:00

This week's blog is brought to you by a Children's Book Illustrator. Jenny B Harris is multi-talented and an all around colorful gal and has a fantastic blog she calls allsorts.

Of course I am always intrigued by other's work spaces/studios and Jenny's is no exception.
This is one of the sewing projects that I found on her blog that I put away in my file of things I want to do too.
And how cute is this crazy 9 patch quilt?!?! She has great instructions on how to create this quilt - it is much easier that it may appear.
Who doesn't love a fabric-aholic?
And finally, you have got to check out her website that show cases her fabulous illustrations.

I want to be Jenny B Harris when I grow up!!!

It's Swap Time Again!!!

2007-08-08T11:15:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's true, Marta is hosting another swap and you can play too if you would like. Just click on the picture below to read about the details and remember that the deadline to join is August 13!

Memories of Mom

2007-08-07T23:15:00.000-06:00

Today is my mom's birthday and to stir up some memories of her today I wanted to post some pictures of some mail that my Grandmother passed along to my brother a couple of weeks ago.

This first picture is the back of an envelope that contained a letter my mom sent home while she was at girl's camp. It was postmarked July 24, 1952 which would make her about 11 years old. She puts a little message on the back of the envelope to remind her family to write and send pakeges -- my horrible spelling is genetic as evidenced by the way she has spelled packages... and how cute are the lipstick kisses?!?!?!

What I love about this next letter is the address she was sending it to. All she had to do was put my Great-Grandmother's name and the city and state for it to reach her. When did zip codes become mandatory?

This picture shows my earliest memories of my mother's hair.
Impressive, yes?
And how cute is the expression on my brother's face?

And this last picture is of my mom holding me. Please note the huge sunglasses - My brother informed me a few weeks ago that my huge sunglasses remind him of a gigantic fly.

It is fun to have things that show how she was when she was a little girl and to have the pictures of her when she was my age, actually younger. I wish she had been here longer for me to get to know as I grew into an adult but I am glad that I had as much time with her as I did.

Happy Birthday, Mom.

vacation day

2007-08-06T18:19:00.000-06:00

My busy time of work has basically begun so before it became impossible to take some time off I decided to have a long weekend. I took Friday and Monday off and it has been so nice...

This morning I slept in and then decided to go and see the Bourne Ultimatum (I love seeing movies by myself). I think this is the best of the 3 Bourne movies - I must warn you, however, that if you are prone to motion sickness you might want to consider taking a Dramamine before the movie starts. After the movie I went tanning and then had a manicure and pedicure. I then took some time to wander through Roberts Crafts and picked up some of that double-sided type that changed Marta's life.

I has been just delightful. I wish I could get away with one more day off....

Just a nice family dinner

2007-08-05T22:14:00.000-06:00

Tonight I went to my brother and sister-in-law's for dinner to celebrate my niece Shelby and her mom's birthdays. We had a YUMMY dinner and I brought my favorite chocolate cake in the form of the new bunt pan I got for Christmas - remind me to post the recipe -- it is SOOOOO good!

After dinner we chatted about our heritage (the Carter line was in America before the first Colony was formed - pretty cool). We have an incredibly rich ancestry - we had family in both the Martin and Willey Mormon Hand cart companies as well as family in the original wagon trains that found their way into the Salt Lake valley. I really need to do a better job in my own life living up to the sacrifices they made.

After dinner I stayed for a bit and talked politics with my brother. He is not fun to argue with when he holds an opposing view - he is pretty smart and can be kind of annoying when he thinks he is right and this only bothers me because I am exactly the same way. But tonight we were both on the same side and he had been doing some interesting reading and shared some insightful political tidbits that I really enjoyed learning about.

It was just a nice night -

My new favorite thing

2007-08-04T23:15:00.000-06:00

So, I made these last June when it was my turn to host bonko and everybody LOVED them. I made one for lunch today and was reminded why everyone raved.

you take two flour tortillas as big or as small as you desire. Spread a thin layer of apricot preserves on one of the tortillas (I use smuckers). On top of the preserves place thin slices of brie cheese - make sure you leave about an inch margin around the outer edge of the tortilla so when you cut the quesadilla everything doesn't get smushed out. On top of the cheese place a couple of thin slices of smoked turkey - I just used 'lunch-meat' type slices and it was great.

In a frying pan, add some oil or butter or Pam or whatever you want really and then place the loaded tortilla in the pan and put the other tortilla on top. Cook for a couple minutes on each side until the cheese is nicely melted and the tortillas are browned to your liking.

You will love this - I promise!!!!

All the Pretty Paper...

2007-08-03T15:47:00.000-06:00

When I was in New York a couple of months ago, I was formally introduced to Kate's Paperie. It was truly as magical and enticing as my friend Michelle had described. This is where I picked up my favorite robin egg blue train cases that I LOVE!

There were countless things to oogle over all over the store but what kept me the most captivated was all of the pretty paper. Big, over sized, delicious pieces of paper folded over wooden dowels stacked to the ceiling. I had no reason to buy said paper but I knew that some of it had to be mine so I purchased some and made arrangements to have it shipped to my home so that I didn't munch it up on the flight home.

Today, doing some innocent surfing around the web, I stumbled across Hollanders. The same feeling that took over while in Kate's flooded all over me once again. Just look at it all!!! Don't you just want to conjure up a craft so that you can find an excuse to order some?

The big day

2007-08-02T21:05:00.001-06:00

Hooray for Harry!!

I hijacked these picture from Jen's blog - here we are with all of the other witches and wizards in a hot and stuffy Barnes and noble. I had actually gone earlier that day to stand in line in the blazing sun to acquire the wrist bands that would assure our place in line. Jen was kind enough to stay on the phone with me while I waited and kept me entertained.

Jen was sporting my niece's Gryffindor robe and Hermione's collectible wand. She blended in while we were in Barnes and Nobel but got a few stares while we were in Target.

As Jen was the only one dressed up, it was only fitting that she was in the pictures with the other characters. You can click on the image for a bigger view.

P.S. I did have a lightning bolt scar tattoo on my forehead, just so you know.

Blog of the week

2007-08-01T16:29:00.000-06:00

This week's blog of the week comes to you all the way from Washington D.C.

I am sure that it surprises you that I would be enamoured by a blog entitled Everything Pink. I am not even sure how I stumbled across her site but I am glad that I did. Kristi is the creator of this blog and has the life that I want. She is a SAHM with 3 beautiful girls and is uber creative.

Last year she came up the idea of Pink Christmas.

It was July and she was starting to brainstorm for Christmas projects and decided it would be fun to host a swap. Every one who signed up was given another's name and they either hand crafted or purchased a Christmas Gift for this person to be shipped before Christmas. Starting the process in July allowed for plenty of time for those who decided to go the hand crafted route. Look here and scroll down to see pictures of all of the gifts that were exchanged. I am so excited for the big event this year - I have signed up and already know what I am going to make.

One of the things that I love about her is her enthusiasm to learn about and experience all that surrounds her. Since she moved to Washington D.C. just about a year ago she has been making sure to visit all of the monuments and historical sites in the area. She knows where the best thrift stores are and has discovered a ribbon outlet where she buys ribbon by the bolt. She was asked to do a presentation for Enrichment night about what there is to do in the D.C. area. Click here for a great check list that I think would be a great resource when planning your trip to the capital.

Another thing that makes her a kindred spirit is her love for quilting. She recently worked with the senior girls in her ward to make quilts and brought her oldest daughter along with her own sewing machine to enjoy the night. Checkout the blocks they made and her cute daughter Annie Kate teaching the other girls in the ward to sew.

I have so many examples of why I idolize her but I will leave you with just one more. I don't even have children but when I do I want to be this creative. Look here to see the darling teacher's gifts she created this year as well as the cute t-shirt she made for her daughter to wear that her friends from school could sign.

Can you understand why I want to be Kristi Brooke when I grow up?

Harry: The Rebutle

2007-07-15T17:39:00.000-06:00

Who knew that two such innocent looking men could harbor such a venomous hatred for the creator of a young wizard who has been partly responsible for kindling an obsession for reading in youngsters everywhere.

If you were to see them on the street they look like your average, everyday, middle aged men disguised as fathers and husbands. You might even find yourself drawn to their witty turn of a phrase and knowledge of all things apple. They will lull you into a false sense of security while you discuss the recent movies they've seen or books that they've read -(yes, they do read - they are actually very intelligent which makes them that much more dangerous). Right when you are feeling like these two guys are cool enough to be your friend you make the mistake of asking them if they are excited about the 7th Harry Potter book release.

And then it happens - they turn on you like a jungle sniper. They slip into some sort of a trans like tirade going on and on about the evils of J.K. Rowling and randomly spouting of their own ideas of how book 7 should end.

I'm not saying you should walk the other way if you see them coming - I am only posting this as a warning. Unless you are not offended by those who might try to poke holes in the plot of almost 7 years at Hogwarts then just don't mention Harry and you will be just fine.

Here is a picture of part of the group that went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I am not sure what Dad is doing with his 'lucky-hand' and why Michelle thinks it is so funny but it certainly can't be good. Austin's eyes are looking kind of freaky and the two J's, CJ and KJ are there at the end grinning just like two very cool boys should be.

Here are our two witches in training, Shelby and Katie. I think they are casting a spell on me - I hope it is the "you-will-soon-find-a-very-handsome-husband" charm.

A Perfect Summer Night

2007-07-15T16:04:00.000-06:00

An out door concert. The sun has finally gone down. The cool of the evening has started to creep across the field. Propped up in a comfy camp chair. The kids running around and spraying each other with the remnants of the water. Sun kissed cheeks and noses everywhere I turn. My tummy filled with a cool Strawberries Wild Jamba Juice with Peter Breinholt strumming and singing his heart out and then the night is wrapped up with FABULOUS fireworks display.

Everyone should be required to have at least one summer evening like this, at least one and as many as you can possibly squeeze into a single summer season.

Who knew American Fork Steel Days could be so much fun!!!

Reading

2007-07-09T11:22:00.000-06:00

I have been MIA. (For those of you old enough I will give 10 points to the person who can tell me what what MIA stands for in church speak.)

I have had very good reasons to have abandoned my blogging, however - but it is all Jen's fault. You see, she had checked out Twilight from the library and had until 6/28 to return it and she read it very quickly and offered it to me to read before she had to get it back to the library.

Everyone I talk to RAVES about this book and as I am a copy cat I, of course, had to read it too.

Before 6/28.

The problem it created was that I already had a huge reading assignment. As Jen is a Harry Potter FREAK she has organized a book club get together on 7/12 to discuss book 6 before we wait in line at Barnes and Nobel at midnight on the 21st to get Book 7. I have admitted in an earlier post that I am episode purist so you will understand why I had to ready Book 5 before I read Book 6.

In case you were wondering that is 2,086 pages in all that I will need to have read before 7/12. (7/12 is the day I am seeing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as well as the day of Jen's party to discuss Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince).

I would like to wax dramatic and whine that Jen is 'making-me' read Harry Potter so quickly but secretly I am as big of a freak as Jen is when it comes to Harry Potter so I am kind of glad I have an excuse to completely submerge myself into all things Harry Potter again. It has been so fun to explore this amazing world that J.K. Rowling has created and I for one have really enjoyed the movies. I felt like they were as true to the books as you could get trying to tell the story of one year at Hogwarts in a couple of hours. I know that I am going to be sad when I read the last page of book 7. In theory I would like to take my time reading this last book but I know that I will devour it like I did the previous 6.

I have also enjoyed watching how much my Nephew has also enjoyed these books. He was about the same age as Harry at his first year at Hogwarts when he began reading the series. He even looks like what I pictured Harry to be before Daniel Radcliffe was cast - although I think that KJ still makes a better Harry. KJ is now 16 and very cool and says that there are books that he enjoys more than Harry Potter but I know that deep down he will always have that bond to Harry as the rest of us have.

And for all of you who think the Harry Potter books are silly and stupid, well, you are a bunch of Muggles!!!

What's your favorite color?

2007-06-27T13:54:00.000-06:00

What Your Favorite Color Pink Says About You:

Blissful --- Content --- RomanticIdealistic --- Expressive --- ArtisticFunny --- Quirky --- Individualistic

What'>http://www.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourfavoritecolorsayaboutyouquiz/">What Does Your Favorite Color Say About You?

Blog of the week

2007-06-25T13:01:00.000-06:00

The blog I have selected this week to add to my "when I grow up" list of links is 'HELLO my name is Heather'. She can be found here:

http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/heather_bailey/

There are many reasons I make sure to check her blog daily. She is uber creative as illustrated here, here and here.

The studio she has created within her home is on my list of things I will have someday.

This post about the Grandmother's Flower garden quilt she is working on makes me excited to finish up the one my Mom started.

And then there is the fabric line she designed.... a new world of quilting/crafting possibilities was opened up to me when I stumbled across her.

I want to be Heather Bailey when I grow up!!!

Jerome Update:

2007-06-19T15:36:00.000-06:00

So, the company I work for has an annual internal survey for all employees. It is pretty lengthy and for the most part the questions are applicable and I fill it out willingly without much hope of seeing anything improve significantly. One of the questions on the survey is, “Do you have a best friend at work.” I think it is kind of cute that the company wants to know if we have friends at work. I think having a good relationship with your coworkers is very important and it is all the better when there are a couple of people that you can really connect with. The guy I wrote about a couple of weeks ago that was terminated was one of my Best Friends at Work, (or BFW if you are texting.)

Anyway, my other two BFWs met Jerome for lunch. (I have renamed our buddy Jerome so that when I talk to him on my cell at work big brother won’t know who I am talking to.) It was so good to see him. He has only been gone for 2 weeks and he looked great! He had lost some weight and had a great tan. He had a few leads he was pursuing for potential employment and was basically just enjoying his summer with his kids.

I am glad Jerome is in good spirits and jealous that he gets to enjoy the salad days of summer all day everyday –

Here’s to Jerome!!!

Blog of the Week

2007-06-18T13:57:00.001-06:00

I have found so many fun new blogs over the past few months that I have been meaning to add to my list of links. Instead of adding them all at once I thought it would be kind of fun to introduce a new blog each week.

These blogs are created by individuals who motivate and inspire me in so many ways. They are so creative and accomplished and from what I can tell from their blogs, seem so nice too.

When I come across someone who is just amazing I usually tell them that I want to be them when I grow up (I promise this is meant as a compliment) so I will entitle my new link list

'WHEN I GROW UP...'

I will work on the logo at a later date

Yes, this really is me - I have been VERY 'into' sunglasses and bags from a very young age. Clearly my childcare skills were lacking.

The first blog that I am going to start my list with has been mentioned a couple of times before in various posts.

martawrites.blogspot.com

Marta is as witty as she is creative. Her writing is fun and insightful and her digital design is always very classy. Some of my favorite posts of hers are when she gives a recap of the various soirees that she has hosted like this one and this one. I also enjoy the posts exhibiting all of her creations. She has some very sassy hand writing and her collages are the reason I am constantly tearing pictures out of magazines.

To have some of Marta's creations of your very own, you can visit her Mini Mart and shop for whatever treasure inspires you.

I came across Marta's blog via a blog of a friend of Jen's and have found even more fun blogs from Marta's that will be spotlighted in coming weeks. So, for all 3 of my readers out there, click on over and take a peek, I promise you will not be disappointed.

I want to be Marta when I grow up....

25 things about Dad

2007-06-17T21:53:00.000-06:00

01 First thing in the morning he looks like just like Albert Einstein.
02 He LOVES Jazz music
03 He went to BY High from Kindergarten through High school and then went college at BYU.
04 He was surfing the web before his children, two of which worked at WordPerfect when Al Gore 'invented' the internet
05 He is an avid fly fisherman and his fishing hole of choice is a river in Dillon, Montana
06 He calls his best friend, Daryl, Lopez
07 My sister gave him a gold fish for father's day about 10 years ago and he named the fish Lopez (and, DANG, that fish lived for a long time!)
08 He drives a huge red truck
09 He has predictable routines - every night after about 9:30 he can be found dozing on the couch in front of the T.V. with the dog lying on top of him
10 He runs a business called sTunes
11 At some points during the day his hair gets all poofy and with his round glasses on he looks a lot like Geppetto (sorry for spelling it wrong the first time Nise!)
12 He has 9.5 fingers
13 He has the same meal every Saturday night - Barbecued steak, sauteed mushrooms, toasted garlic bread and salad with Blue cheese dressing
14 He has the 3 cutest grandkids in the world
15 He served a mission in Ireland
16 His mission president was Steven R. Covey
17 He is the baby of his family
18 He can fix and/or build anything
19 He catches and releases
20 He has the 3 smartest kids in the world (hehe)
21 Much to his children's chagrin, he sports a pony tail
22 He is very artistic in many different mediums - photography, graphic design, painting, music, etc.
23 His legs have been the same color as mayonnaise for as long as I can remember
24 He is a great gardener and has a beautiful yard
25 He is a great Dad and I love him very much

Happy Father's Day Dad!!!!

Why I love to read

2007-06-16T13:12:00.000-06:00

I love to read. I grew up watching my mother reading constantly. She would check books out of the library and had books in little stacks all over the house. Returning the books on time wasn't a strong point of hers so she would rotate using her children's library cards. You never knew what was going to happen when you went to the library to check out books - I remember holding my breath when they would scan the bar code on my card.

"Would there be a fine today?" I would think to myself and then let out a sigh of relief when the librarian would then start scanning my little stack of books.

I would be furious with my mother when I would be told there was a fine - just furious - but over the years I have been able to let go of that anger as I nurse my own insatiable love for reading. I thank my mother for this wonderful addiction.

I remember the first 'chapter' book I read - I think it was a little above my reading level but I loved how beautiful the cover was so I begged my mom to let me check it out. The book was Black Beauty. My mom told me that when I came across words that I didn't know to look them up in the dictionary and then ask her if I still didn't understand. I don't remember how old I was but I must have been very young because my mother was hesitant to let me choose that book. I am glad that she did though.

When I turned 12 or 13 my mom gave me Pride and Prejudice and Emma. She sat down with me and told me the stories and then told me that I reminded her of the heroines. I remember it being a bit difficult of a read for me at that age but I also remember LOVING every single word. I still love re-reading these books over and over again today.

Before being introduced to Jane Austin I was submersed into the world of Nancy Drew and this is where I stayed for some time. I have memories of smuggling a Nancy Drew mystery to church with my scriptures. I also have memories of being caught. I loved Miss Drew. I wanted to be her.

As mentioned in my previous post I have had a rough couple of weeks. Work has been more busy and stressful than usual - I have actually had to get up early and get to work before the early birds arrive - those of you that know me know that I am NOT a morning person and that this is a struggle for me. By Friday afternoon I had had enough. I still had TONS to do but I needed a breather so I decided to go and see Nancy Drew.

I LOVED IT!!! It was so fun to go back to that simple time when solving a mystery felt so grown up and so fun all at the same time. Little Emma Roberts was just delightful in the role. I think every single little girl (no age limit in force) should go and see this movie.

Later that night I was flipping through the channels and guess what I found on the Turner Classic Movie channel? A Nancy Drew film shot in 1939 - Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase - it was hysterical! What a great way to spend my Friday night!!!

Brief update

2007-06-11T17:22:00.000-06:00

It's been a bit of a bad week for the Tulip Girl. I don't usually talk about work on my blog - not because I don't want to but, as much of what I would say about where I work could be more on the negative side I am a bit paranoid that someone I work for or with would read it and use it against me in some way. With that said, I will tell you that I work for a world wide company and I am basically a Project Manager -which suits me perfectly as I am very bossy and love telling other people what to do - that part of my job I love! Anyway, a week ago today I came into the office to find that one of my favorite co-workers had been terminated. Everyone was completely shocked, including him.
On my T-chart of job pros and cons my co-workers are definitely on the pro side (not all of them as there are some real tools that I have work with) I have met some great people here and have really grown to love their friendship so seeing my buddy all of the sudden out of work with a wife, 4 kids and a mortgage made for really bad week.
And the cherry on top..... I was assigned one of his accounts --
Anyway, I have been trying to stay on top of my current accounts while I get up to speed on this new account and needless to say I am a bit buried. I have to travel to Minneapolis Wednesday to meet with another client and getting ready for that has been crazy. And for some reason I am exhausted - I wonder if I am coming down with something - I went to bed last night at 9:30 woke up feeling just as tired as when I went to bed - that can't be good.