Aye Que Linda

Black Friday MAD*ness

2011-11-29T09:48:00.005-07:00

So- Black Friday. The day of deals, right?

Wrong.

Well, maybe.

Anthropologie had a 50% off sale. This happens... never.

Well I went crazy and ordered all the beautiful things that I've coveted all year.

Drool worthy, right?

I ordered 23 items (of course planning to return the majority of them). My order was confirmed, I have an email to prove it.

And then.
Cancellation alert?

Are you kidding me?

They cancelled x20 of my items and refunded my credit card.

This is why people fight the good fight at 6am for the Black Friday deals. Because it's not likely that you'll leave a store and then find your shopping cart is actually empty.

You'll be disgusted to know the same thing happened with Gap - only they cancelled every item that I ordered so I'm not ever getting a pathetic box from them.

So be warned: you must go to the brick and mortar or the items are cyber ripped from your hands.

Today's workout

2011-09-13T14:37:00.003-06:00

So I'm doing the toneitup Fall Challenge. So far the biggest challenge has been drinking enough h2o (half your body weight in oz.)

...however, this fun workout is a top contender for tough.

· 3 Minute Brisk Walk

· 3 Minutes Jog

· 60 Second 'Sprint'- as fast as you can

· 60 Second Jog

· 60 Second 'Sprint'

~ Chill for 20-30 seconds, breathe, take a couple sips of water

20 Pushups

3 Minute Brisk Walk
3 Minutes Jog
60 Second 'Sprint'- as fast as you can
60 Second Jog
60 Second 'Sprint'

~ Chill for 20-30 seconds, breathe, take a couple sips of water

20 Squat Jumps

3 Minute Brisk Walk
3 Minutes Jog
60 Second 'Sprint'- as fast as you can
60 Second Jog
60 Second 'Sprint'

~ Chill for 20-30 seconds, breathe, take a couple sips of water

20 Situps

3 Minute Brisk Walk
3 Minutes Jog
60 Second 'Sprint'- as fast as you can
60 Second Jog
60 Second 'Sprint'

~ Chill for 20-30 seconds, breathe, take a couple sips of water

30 second Plank

5 Minute Cool-down Walk

Hit the weights and burned out my hamstings by doing four sets of 12 squats in the lower 12 inch range

...ouch.

Where have you been?

2011-08-19T10:55:00.006-06:00

WELL.

We bought a house, obviously. Below you'll see the unsuspecting married couple, excited about their purchase. Not knowing what lies ahead.
Soon they found 12 layers of wall paper ready to greet them. This was day one of demo.

Day three of demo, still working on the wall paper. Now Doug is involved so it's going faster.

By day 6 we're rocking and rolling. We've removed the carpet, the light switch covers and closed a doorway (barely noticeable to the right). We found all sorts of surprises, like the wood floors below:
Whoa, kitchen.

yay, vintage tile.
scary asbestos. Doug knocked all the asbestos duct work out of the basement, saving us $2800~ score.
Huge job. The two of us ripped all this tongue and groove planking up from the basement ourselves and lifted them out of the window.
This is a view of the great outdoors, through the front door. When I started taking the paint off I realized that paint was concealing some serious cracks in the door.

So that's what we've been up to, oh and the dormer project is one step to done. So look forward to that!

Dormer Love

2011-06-29T17:26:00.007-06:00

The house we are trying to buy has dormers.

/d-or-mer/: A dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original construction or as later additions, to create usable space in the roof of a building by adding headroom and usually also by enabling addition of windows

You will notice how horrible I am at photo credits. Most of them came from images in google when searching for dormers. That is that case for this one:
This dormer add's a significant amount of light. And while the head space isn't all that useful, it adds a fair amount of that as well.
The above image is from Cote de Texas, this deep dormer is lovely. Doesn't it look so large compared to that chair? I wonder if that chair is full sized. Again, the additional head space seems like it wouldn't be all that functional here, but that architecturally the depth is lovely, and the window is sublime.
This picture came from google photos. I like this photo for a couple reason. Most obviously, because the windows are divine. I like to see dormers with a brick house (because ours is brick) and I like to see the roofing shingles used as siding on the sides of the dormers. I don't think I would do this, because we have asphalt and not slate, but this is motivation to consider slate in the future!

These look a lot like the ones above, but with asphalt shingles they opted to use siding instead of shingles. The columns give it a cape cod feel.

This house has the slate roofing and dormer siding combo as well.

If you look closely, you can see they used the house siding on the dormers, and even painted it green to match.

I think this came from Holly at Things that Inspire. The casing windows are lovely, and I really like the set of three. I only have one on the front of the house. I also like the pitched roof. The roof on our house is flat like the one below.
Holly again. Holly over at Things that inspire has posted this house quite a bit, she loves it! Can you blame her, it's perfect- the green around the windows is lovely.

This picture cam from Holly, and I love it because the limestone windows on the smaller dormers look great with the added details on the pitched roof.
This is one of my favorite Southern Accents homes. I like the siding, probably cement board, contrasting with the brick. They look like they are painted blue, or a different, brighter shade than the green on the fence.

This steep pitch of the dormer allows for most of the dormer to be asphalt and very little siding. I like it-

Look at these wee little dormers on this home. We are contemplating pitching the roof of our dormers. This is a good example of that they would look like if we left them white.

Those might look something like these close up.

The slope of this roof moves all the way down to the original roof line. I don't like it as much, but it does widen the opening inside the home.

Somewhat common, especially out in the west, is the arched dormer. Obviously there are some much prettier than this. Like this one:

There are so many choices in a home. Even something as simple as dormers require research and thought! I don't know how I'll ever get through this. We have to repair the roof around the dormers so we'd like to pitch the roof and reside them at the same time. What do you think would look good on our house?

One day...

2011-06-13T10:49:00.001-06:00

I will be the hottest girl at the gym.

Until then I'll just be the sweat-i-est.

Sick.

It's ours!

2011-05-24T08:31:00.006-06:00

it's ALMOST ours.

The inspector is coming tomorrow to look over things. We already know that there are some pretty stout electrical/plumbing concerns-

Carpet in the Kitchen?
You know it.

Only the best for this beauty.

In the photo below you can catch a glimpse of the wretched wall texture. yikes.
Last but not least...the floral wallpaper and green shag carpet.

Fortunately, I am gainfully unemployed, allowing infinite time to research solutions to these problems.

1920's Kitchen

2011-05-16T18:06:00.010-06:00

house hunting.....worst ever.

We have been on the hunt for a new pad since mid March. It's awful. This market=awful. Seems like 1/2 of the homes on the market are short sales and the other half are priced way over market (whoa, the word market was used x1 too many).

What I mean it, either it will take forever to buy...or the sellers can't afford to part.

We do know this: We are looking for a circa 1920's home.

A charming Tudor will do just fine. The problem? The 1980's! That's the problem.

True story:

What's a girl to do? Rose colors swag is not an option.

Research people. We know most things lovely in architecture came pre-1930; but interior design?

Here's to simpler times, huh?

The challenge: contemporary function vs. time stamped fashion.

Concrete countertops = function

dye them white = fashion

These honed concrete counter tops give a look of stone apothecary. Very true to the time; and still functional.

Floor to ceiling cabinets = function.

Retro hardware and console shapes = fashion.

I love the shaping of all of these cabinets. They come together like an old ice box. The cute farm sink ties it together.

NOTE: the beadboard back splash is def a function no-no.

I found countless beautiful kitchen's with 1920's influences...

ha! If only?! The only not wonderful thing about the 1920's kitchen is the not so comical resemblance to a shoe box.

A time when space was limited.

Schools out....forever.

2011-05-14T11:27:00.005-06:00

Disclaimer: My photo uploader wasn't working. I chose these at random; snap shots, really.

We are here!

The two ladies who got me through it:

And just like that, it's over.

Job hunting is the worst- that and house hunting...both of which are taking up time these days.

VOTE FOR US~~

2011-03-17T20:07:00.001-06:00

Best of Utah County?

Yes, please!

http://www.heraldextra.com/app/bestof/

It's on page 1...then you can skip to the end or vote for some of your other favorites;)

Snowshoeing

2011-03-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

Yoga for Beginners... Me Gusto Mucho!

2011-02-20T19:40:00.005-07:00

I taught a fun beginner class on Saturday after my HOT class.

I loved it!

It's been so long since I've taught a class in the Anusara format! It was such a treat. I focused on shoulder loop including head of the arm bone back and melting the heard while broadening.

I took a little Valentine's day approach and talked about creating space in our heart to love ourselves. Some of the postures were a little difficult to keep both arm bones back (triangle, half-moon (at the wall, duh.)). I talked about how sometimes we can be so intent on something (opening) that we close off to other things.

For example, if we pull our arm bones back REALLY far, our chest is open but our back body is closed. So we have to pull the arm bones back, melt the heart and BROADEN in order to create optimal space for our heart to feel.

They did so wonderful, and I thoroughly enjoyed teaching to such great students. I love them all~ and they were so open and beautiful after our practice.

be well~

Lessons on autism - Part 1

2011-02-20T18:57:00.006-07:00

Lots of buzz about autism these past few years....or decade.

Couple of "Facts" about Autism:

U.S. FACTS:

A new case of autism is diagnosed nearly every 20 minutes
There are 24,000 new cases diagnosed in the U.S. each year
The economic impact of autism is more than $90 billion and is expected to more than double in the next decade.
Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases.
There is no medical detection or cure for autism.
(source: TACA)

Autism is everywhere! I see at least two "spectrumey" kids a day during my current rotation.

Spectrumey [spek-trhm-ey]- informal adjective used to describe individuals who display characteristics of Autism but do not presently have a diagnosis of Autism.

What is going on? How are so many of these children emerging? Why isn't there a cure? What about the CACNA1G gene? It's genetic then, can't we fix it?!

People.

Autism is a PHENOTYPE. Capish?

Phenotype [fen-a-tip]- the observable physical or biochemical traits of an organism.

The phenotype for autism involves a diagnostic triad.

Meaning that children must present with signs or symptoms in the following areas:

Social- any social deviation from the norm can be considered.

Some stereotypic behaviors include:

non response to name
little to no eye contact
low affect, little response to human emotion

Communication- any deviation from the norm in communication.

For example:

Producing speech, kids with autism are stereotypically echolalic (they repeat what they hear) this isn't always the case- even often isn't the case but it is not a typical behavior.
They are often late talkers, could be attributed to the lack of social motivation to use speech or maybe because they aren't attending to their language models they haven't picked it up in a traditional way.
Difficulty with abstract concepts and generally communicate in concrete terms and ideas (including play, avoiding abstract or pretend play)
Difficulty interpreting non-verbal behavior.

Cognitive/Behavior- any behavior deviating from the social norm.

Perhaps:

Pervasive behavior like counting, hand flapping, obsession with items like trains etc.
Lining or organizing objects compulsively.
Obsession with routines and schedules

(source: AWARES)

So people with a diagnosis of Autism should have impairment to some degree in all three of these areas. Impairment can potentially mean anything that deviates from the social norm.

Autism as a phenotype: Autism describes a person (relative to communication, cognitive and social behavior) but does not -ever- describe the underlying reason for these behaviors.

Translation: You can have 20 kids with "autism" and each one of them can have a different reason for the behaviors. They can potentially not have one single thing in common except that they are not within "normal" limits.

Of course, autism is considered a spectrum disorder (the root of the term spectrumey) so the range of severity is infinite in both directions.

Does this mean that my quirky friend/sister/cousin who never manages to say the right thing in social situations, is oblivious to all abstract attempts to teach appropriateness, repels emotional connections and is rigid about priorities and social roles would have autism had he/she been born 20 years later?

hmph.

Part 2, stay tuned.

Graduation Vacation

2011-02-16T19:32:00.013-07:00

My first choice was South East Asia. Malaysia, Cambodia...maybe even a little adventure into Vietnam.

All the history, the recent history! The beautiful landscapes.

Husband?

No. I can only miss a couple days of work, we'd only be there for like a day.

Fine.

Egypt. I'll settle for Egypt. I've never been, it's so rich in culture and history. We can take a bus south and catch a short safari in Tanzania (below)

Husband?

Do you want to die? Egyptians are crazy, and desperate. You'll die for sure.

Fine.

What I really need is a travel bug. I need to choose a place that will plant a travel seed to grow like an OAK. If Italy can't do it... I'm doomed.

I pushed Italy... I REALLY pushed Italy.

Husband?

10 day's are you crazy? I can't miss five days of work, you're insane.

FINE. Costa Rica. I'll settle for Costa Rica. It's closer, shorter flight. We can venture into Panama.

I settled for Seattle.

Yes, Seattle.

What can I say? I'm a push over.

What to do in Seattle?

1. Elliot Bay Book Company

2. Olympic Sculpture Park

3. The Big Picture

4. Pike's Place

5. Whale Watching

6. Fishing in Victoria

7. Northwest Folklife Festival

And, now I'm starting to get excited. Seattle...Memorial Day- wanna come?

Bliss~

2011-02-15T15:11:00.006-07:00

A few days ago I gave a lesson on progression. I talked about it as a cycle that revolves around a cylinder. I wasn't completely articulate, but I attempted to discuss how our progression through life and toward light is multi-dimensional and exists on multiple planes....

Anyway, I found this quote from Sally Kempton- meditation guru. I feel like it really describes that I was trying to say.

"I see it as part of the spiraling process of development, which...usually means moving one step back for every two steps forward. Just as we think we've aced it in one area of life, life in her wisdom will point out that, oops, here's a place where you still have some growing up to do. Its helpful here to look at development as a spiral rather than as a line, because the spiral lets us see how we keep cycling back to where we started, but at a higher level than the last time we were there. And this process happens in every area of our life, as we evolve towards integration..."

This much more eloquently explains what I unsuccessfully tried to share with my students. Part of our practice is to recognize the advances of our spiral and to become more aware when our path takes us through a place where we've been before. Remember the places you've been, because you're likely to return there again.

With any luck, you'll do it better the second time:)

What's Cookin'

2011-02-13T18:53:00.003-07:00

More kitchen pictures- via Things that Inspire ...mostly

Hello Pretty

2011-01-30T21:24:00.006-07:00

as always, I got the pictures from Cote de Texas, Velvet and Linen or Things that Inspite....be well

Repentance

2011-01-30T12:12:00.003-07:00

Today I taught a lesson on repentance. In reading about it, I found a quote that I want to share~

Rationalization is adjusting your ideals to match your conduct; Repentance is elevating your conduct to match your ideals.

When I was growing up I spoke to my Bishop about a certain situation and I was incredibly offended when I realized that he shared information about this situation with other members of our congregation. It took me a while to trust in church leaders after that.

After college I moved home and encountered this same church leader and he apologized for betraying my trust years prior. I hadn't ever confronted him or acknowledged that I knew he had irresponsibly shared my secrets. He knew he had and he apologized....repentance.

Same guy, same summer- I discussed a certain sin with him that I felt remorseful of. He expressed confusion and disgust because he had never heard of someone doing that before (awesome). I rebounded from that much easier as I had already well recognized that mankind is imperfect.

Recently, on a trip home to visit my parents, the man apologized for the more recent inappropriate comments he made to my about my behavior. He expressed sorrow and remorse for his lack of understanding and support....repentance.

I had nearly forgotten of the incident and was certainly not dwelling on it by that point. I will however, always remember his example of humility and kindness each time he said or did something incredibly inappropriate.

Repentance...ushering in hope

Family

2011-01-24T16:30:00.002-07:00

I've been lucky enough to spend a more than typical amount of time with my family in the last month. Husband and I went to Tejas around new years for my sweet sister Elizabeth's wedding. It was cozy and lovely and just perfect.

While we were there we went to one of my dad's clients' ranches and saw a BEAUTIFUL dog kennel....what? Who says beautiful and dog kennel in the same sentence?

me. that's who.

This place had leather arm chairs in the waiting area, air conditioned kennels with benches, all rubber flooring, multiple washing machines for dog bowls- Goodness me! Amazing.

We shot guns, ate faijitas, tamales, taquitos... all the best South Texas has to offer.

We got home, seamless trip.

The following Thursday I got a phone call from my sister Tiffany, at 9:00 pm and she told me that my Aunt passed away just a few hours before.

My dear sweet aunt.

I still can't describe the emptiness inside. This woman who gave everything she had to her family. Together, "my aunts" demonstrated how to be a sister-cousin-friend...and without 1/2 of them my support system was falling apart.

Selfish, I know... our first thoughts are always selfish.

This isn't really about her death...it's about life.

OUR life. and PEOPLE. The closeness I shared with her, with my family while grieving, while celebrating my sister's wedding...

On my way home... by the time I got home, all that I had energy enough to feel was gratitude. Gratitude for my sisters, my cousins...our family. We all came together and created a beautiful memorial service for our sweet angel and I realized that together our hearts are bright enough to keep the family alive.

People: all that matters. Lets get back to the people.

Top 10 lost rules of Etiquette

2011-01-03T17:49:00.003-07:00

10.

Men’s Wedding Clothing

I have made this item 10 because it is more a case of correct dress rather than manners. First off, if your wedding is before 6 in the evening, you should not wear a tuxedo (black tie) or tails (white tie). You should either wear a formal suit or – if you want to be very proper – a morning suit. There is an excellent article here that will explain the rules of wedding dress for men. It is customary for the groom to give a tie to each of the men in the wedding party. If you are wearing a morning suit or a formal suit, give your wedding party ties that are similar but do not match. You want the party to look similar – but not like members of a choir. The photograph above shows you how this can be done to very good effect. It is, of course, Prince Henry and Prince William at their father’s wedding. If you are getting married after 6pm, you can wear a tuxedo or tails as these are evening clothes. Here is a guide for wearing tails.

Opening The Door

In days gone by, a gentleman would always open doors for ladies. Whether it be the lady they were driving, or a stranger entering a building, it was always the done thing. This has now almost entirely vanished – and it is not entirely the fault of the men. I have seen women sneer at men for opening a door for them. They seem to be confusing manners with chauvinism. My advice in this case is to smile at the sneering lady and open the door anyway.

Writing Thank-you Notes

In days gone by, whenever a person received a gift, they would write a thank-you as soon as possible. This rule was true even if the giver was a relative. Parents would sit children down after a birthday or Christmas and coach them in their first thank-you notes. It is a shame that gift giving has now become a virtual obligation and the idea of a thank-you note would be scoffed at. If you ignore every other item on this list, at least try to teach your children to write thank you notes – they will have a greater appreciation of gifts they receive.

Asking for Gifts

When people had a wedding or a special occasion party in the past, they would never have considered having a “gift registry”. To do so would be tantamount to asking people for a gift – which is extremely rude even today. It would also have been considered rude to say something like “no gifts” as it implies that gifts are an expected obligation. I can honestly say that I have never received a wedding invitation that didn’t also invite me to purchase a gift at my friend’s favorite shop. People seem to think it is okay as long as they include a few “cheap” gifts to balance out the extraordinary number of incredibly expensive gifts that I can’t even afford for myself! I have seen wedding registries that contain gifts valued in the thousands of dollars. Wedding invitations did not mention gifts – they did not ask for them and they did not include such silly things as “no gifts!” or worse still “donations to [insert charity no one cares about except you] in lieu of gifts”

Leaving At The Right Time

We seem to have completely lost the concept of correct timing when it comes to parties these days. People leave when they are bored, when they want to go to another party, when they are too drunk, when they are not drunk enough, the excuses are endless. First of all, a party normally has a guest of honor – this is usually the oldest woman present. It was considered extremely rude in the past to leave a party before the guest of honor – and once the guest of honor left, it was a signal to all that they should begin their own preparations to leave. The loss of this etiquette rule is because we have largely thrown away the concept of a guest of honor.

Arriving on Time

This seemed a fitting item to follow the previous: in the olden days it was rude to arrive late. There was no such thing as being “fashionably late”. Lateness was rudeness – always. In most houses, if you were invited to dinner and turned up 15 minutes late, you would end up eating alone in the kitchen surrounded by the household staff, only to be allowed to join the party when the polite guests (who arrived on time) had finished and were retiring for the evening’s entertainment.

Dinner

I could write a whole list on the lost etiquette of dinner – but I shall simply abridge it for this list. First of all, people used to dress for dinner – and they would all eat together at the table. Dressing for dinner emphasized the importance of family and healthy food. It is no wonder that now that we scoff food down in front of TV and all eat at different times, that we are becoming fatter as a race. This is one area where I try particularly hard to follow the rules. I don’t dress for dinner, but I try sit with Doug every night at the dinner table. I strongly recommend it as a good way to build up a good family spirit.

Parental Unity

I had to add this item because there is a brilliant and funny quote relating to it. Let’s start with the quote (it is from “Everyday Manners” by Emily Post):

[P]arents must never disagree before the children. It simply can’t be! Nor can there be an appeal to one parent against the other by a child.
“Father told me to jump down the well!”
“Then you must do it, dear,” is the mother’s only possible comment. When the child has “jumped down the well,” she may pull him out promptly, and she may in private tell her husband what she thinks about his issuing such orders and stand her own ground against them; but so long as parents are living under the same roof, that roof must shelter unity of opinion, so far as any witnesses are concerned.

That is how a strong a rule it was! I bet you won’t find any parents today who agree strongly with this one.

Discretion on the Street

This is probably the rule most ignored these days: in the old days, people walking on the street would dress discreetly, talk discreetly, and never do anything which would draw attention to themselves. It was forbidden to mention names of friends as it is indiscreet. The gentleman always walked on the road side of the sidewalk – to protect the lady or ladies from passing traffic (which the two fakes in the photo above appear not to know). People would not look or talk to strangers passing and would never call out to a friend on the other side of the street.

Money Talks

This is another large topic. Let’s give a quick rundown: A gentleman would havenever:

1. Borrowed money from a lady
2. Borrowed money from a man without security and the intention to pay it back as quickly as possible
3. Discussed money
4. Discussed his possessions or their cost
5. Name dropped: “When I was dining with Mr Rich…”, “I am great friends with Miss Gottabuck”

On the other hand, he would have assumed the debts of a deceased family member as it was a debt of honor. How far we have come! Money and the pursuit of wealth has become so obvious these days that a whole new term has been coined because of it: conspicuous consumption. There was once a day that we did not try to keep up with the Joneses – because we didn’t know what the Joneses had and no one knew what we had.

Trip to TX

2010-12-28T14:51:00.002-07:00

Tomorrow we are headed to Texas for my sister's wedding.

Isn't she beautiful? My other sister Tiffany took this gorgeous photo- and captured the classic face scrunch that is Elizabeth. We weren't planning on going to Texas until next Christmas but I guess we just couldn't stay away.

There are several things I hope to do while in Texas (aside from attend Elizabeth's wedding):

Shoot guns
Spotlight for deer
Night vision at my grandma's house
Fishing at Baffin Bay
Eat meat right off the grill
Indulge in Mexican food
Dinner with Meg
Breakfast with Avery
Lunch with Lloyd
Ride horses
Doctor animals
Kings Inn
Family, family, family

There's no place like home~

Schools out~

2010-12-16T13:53:00.002-07:00

I can't help feeling like I should have quit a long time ago! No sense of accomplishment. Maybe that comes after I walk?

Over the break I plan to get mucho organized and do yoga until my legs fall off.

Devotion to good~

2010-09-25T10:08:00.001-06:00

"Yoga is the promise you make to yourself. You go to the Yoga mat because of all the things you have ever been, and the experiences that shape who you are and who you want to become. You come to the mat every day to keep your promise to yoga and, in keeping that promise, you infuse the future with hope." and then "Always, the universe will give you what you ask for. So seek the highest, in every moment. Sometimes change happens in leaps and bounds, but most of the time, it is a step-by-step process of cultivation and growth. Learning to maintain positive growth, to hold the change, to keep the promise is far, far harder than simply having good intentions." Christina Sell.

Is this called "Cheating"?

2010-09-20T08:49:00.002-06:00

These modern beauties just found their way into my inspiration files.

art from Deb~

2010-09-18T20:32:00.003-06:00

I told my mom I'd take pictures of the artwork she got me for Christmas a looong time ago, I didn't.

Nevermind the Anthropologie bag on the table... (what? I had a bad day last week)... and try not to focus on the computer on my dining table.
soon it will have a new home on a desk right here. It should be coming in the next couple of weeks.

Just got this...

2010-09-18T20:20:00.003-06:00

new furniture is fun.
still working it out.

but I love the crate- it's made from reclaimed pine and reclaimed hardwood.

This is my favorite part. Hubs found this cute bird's nest in our satellite dish on Thursday and had it waiting on my new cart when I got home from school. Perfect end to a horrible day...love him.

I. Love. Lamp.

2010-09-18T20:10:00.005-06:00

I've made a habit of taking anything I don't want,

to Emilie Jane, a local consignment store. I've taken all kinds of things.

I've been looking for a lamp lately- I budgeted $300 to find THE ONE.

But I found this sweet little lamp at Emilie Jane.

and I got it for free, with my some of my store credit.

A new one of these and I think it will be perfect ~

New to the "Wish List"

2010-09-18T20:07:00.003-06:00

Tyan, do you remember that sweet lady who ran the phone booth in Castigleon?

She was from Morocco.

And so are these.

With Love from Morocco~

How far we've come

2010-09-18T19:54:00.004-06:00

You remember this...

No, it's not winter grass. This is May!

Hubs did such a great job with the lawn this summer- after putting in three new sprinkler lines, re-seeding the entire yard, $200 worth of weed killer and fertilizer and re-doing all the sprinklers in the flower beds, we have some really nice grass.

And I'm really grateful for all that spinkler work because it enabled me to have lots of fun planting pretty flowers.

And nothing can beat the view from our door step- loving Utah summers~

Be well.

Why Grow Corn?

2010-08-24T19:46:00.004-06:00

It takes up a TON of space. Yields 50/50 at best...

It's this worth it!
Just about the cutest thing alive~

2010-08-21T14:22:00.003-06:00

You may remember this post about native plants.

Where we identified Joe Pie Weed

as an appropriate native Utah plant for big hard to fill spaces.

Well, I noticed some- growing "natively" this week.
In the yard of this abandoned house I drive by every day.

And it's growing natively, alright. No help at all- I can't believe I didn't notice it sooner.

Because it's right next door to my house.

Blood, Sweat and Tears

2010-08-21T13:48:00.007-06:00

What are you willing to do for this:

Or this?

Are you willing to do this?

Or this?

I'm not.

He is.

only to later find this:

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugggggggggggggggggg!

Translation:
Everything in this picture = a waste of time.

Put the lime in the Coconut

2010-08-21T13:16:00.003-06:00

and...

~Voila~

These cookies were divine. Absolutely heavenly. I made cookies for the ladies I visit teach last week. I always make chocolate chip cookies, and since I'm sick of them- they have to be too right?

I was torn between this Coconut Lime cookie and this Pumpkin Snickerdoodle cookie. I love pumpkin, and I love snickerdoodles- how could that be wrong? I was leaning towards the pumpkin cookie because I don't particularly enjoy the texture of coconut- I try to steer clear from it.

FORTUNATELY, Dan's Market was out of pumpkin so I was blessed to make this delicious treat. You must make these, today. Thank me later.

Coconut and Lime Sugar Cookies:

Adapted recipe by Lindsey Shumway

Original recipe by Two Peas and Their Pod

2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
1 egg
1 t. Mexican Vanilla
Zest of one lime
3 tbsp lime juice
1 cup of coconut
Bowl of white sugar for rolling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat.

Combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy.

Slice the vanilla bean down the center lengthwise without going all the way through the underside. Take your knife and scrape out all of the seeds from inside the bean, place the seeds into the sugar mixture. Add the egg, lime juice, and lime zest to the mixture then beat until well combined. Gradually add the dry mixture and the coconut to the sugar mixture and mix until combined. Don't over mix.

Roll dough into small balls then place the balls into a bowl of white sugar (about 1/2 cup); roll the balls in the sugar then place on the lined baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool on a baking rack. Enjoy.

The changes I made: brown sugar instead of white, split white flour for 1/2 white 1/2 wheat, increased total amount of flour by 1/2 cup.

Will you love this? I think so.

Black Bottom Chocolate Pie

2010-08-08T17:12:00.004-06:00

We had a fun group get together last night for a little dinner party and I had several requests for this pie recipe. Well, Doug did.

That little weasel told everyone, that he made it! It took me about 10 times of hearing people commenting to HIM before I asked, "Did you tell them that you made it?"

Sorry dude, you may have stirred and pressed start on the microwave- but you did not create this beauty.

Oh, I didn't tell you? No whisking in a sauce pan- this is all microwave.

Black Bottom Chocolate Pie

1 package fudge filled oreo cookies
½ C. Chopped Pecans
1 C. White sugar
1/4 C. Corn Starch
¼ t. Salt
3 C. Milk, divided
4 Egg yolks, beaten
4 oz bitter sweet chocolate chips
½ C. plus 1 T. Cocoa
2 T. Butter
1 ¼ t. Vanilla

Crush enough cookies in a food processor to create a crust at least a ¼ inch thick. Sprinkle with pecans and bake until pecans become fragrant, ten minutes or less. Combine: sugar, cocoa, corn starch, one cup of milk and salt in microwave safe bowl and microwave for one minute. Add an additional one cup of milk and microwave one minute at a time (stirring between minutes) until mixture is thick with a fudge consistency. Stir in chocolate chips. In a separate bowl beat together yolks and one cup of milk and temper into chocolate mixture. Do this by whisking three table spoons one at a time into the yolks mixture. Then pour the yolk mixture into the chocolate bowl. Microwave one minute at a time stirring well between each for three additional minutes. Add butter and vanilla and mix until homogenous. Pour into cooled pie crust, cover and chill over night. Top with whipped cream and your choice of chocolate syrup, shavings, pecans or caramel.

Our Birthdays

2010-07-29T12:22:00.002-06:00

are coming up. It's that time of year again, when we both turn a year older and celebrate our anniversary within three weeks. You may have noticed my not so subtle wish list to the right- my sweet husband who loves when I open presents got me a three part facial series. Love him.

I scheduled the first appointment today. I love all things skin care, mostly because I have horrible skin~ I also got a subscription to Cuisine at Home magazine, the most fabulous present! It is loaded with recipes- delicious ones. I'm going to one out asap!

I eluded to other exciting things in my last post- and I'm happy to say that I'm teaching yoga. I am teaching a class on Tuesday mornings at 6:30 am and have set up to teach additional classes in the fall. yay!

I still have 100 hours left to complete my certification but teaching has really helped me implement many of the things I've learned over the last few months. So excited.

Husband opened a present last night too, he several pairs of shorts and a belt. Not nearly as exciting.

Feeling Optimistic

2010-07-16T17:18:00.001-06:00

A dear friend and I are discussing a little yoga project. Details to come ~

Summary of the Yoga Sutras

2010-06-22T11:00:00.007-06:00

I wrote the following summary for an assignment related to my yoga immersion.

enjoy.

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras outline the expectations of a yogi in relation to body, mind and spirit. The content then, by its nature, is weighted heavily in the mind of an aspiring yogi. My limited understanding is presented in the following synopsis.

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Book 1

This chapter defines yoga and its purpose; a journey to transform the way we see ourselves and the world. A life engaged in faith, courage, contemplation, wisdom and remembrance is almost universally accepted as positive but the sutras do more than list attributes of a yogi. The Sutras provide methods and suggest awareness as a practice of thought to become more aware of our true nature and establish greater devotion to God. Respectful dispassion and master over desires of the mind are necessary for progression along this path.

The qualities of God are listed as, 1) a distinct form of consciousness untouched by suffering, actions, the results of actions, or subliminal desires, 2) limitless omniscience, 3) being unsubjected to time, and 4) being the teacher of even the earliest teachers (or in other words, the teacher within). The sacred syllable (Om) is used to represent respect and consideration for the divine qualities present and inspire one to look inward and find the true self. Naturally there are obstacles to this progression and the sutras suggest how to overcome those through recognizing them and stilling the mind to overcome distraction.

Tranquility and peace can come through controlling the mind, mediation and peace from our dealings with others. The sutras outline that our dealings with others should include a loving heart, compassion, goodwill and acceptance. Tranquility can also come from unattachment or indifference towards vice. I think this has been one of the most poignant topics for me during my first time through the sutras. Accepting things we cannot change is a common thread through self-help books but the idea of unattachment towards expectations and outcomes expanded upon the idea and has been applicable for me at this point in life.

Through this practice our mind can become pure and fully engaged in allowing our identity to shine through and become a main object of focus.

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Book 2

The second chapter of the Yoga Sutras introduces the methods of yoga that reduce suffering and allow the mind to move from a state of distraction to one of attention.

The basic ritual actions (kriyas) of yoga are self study according to scriptures, disciplined ascetic practice, and surrender to a higher force. These methods increase clarity and reduce suffering.

Afflictions act in a cause and affect relationship to demonstrate the nature of existence. Patanjali defines five afflictions (kleshas) that cause suffering. The first ignorance allow for the other four: ego, clinging to life, desire and aversion. Meditation is suggested to reduce the affects of the kleshas and provide greater enlightment.

The remainder of the chapter discussed the five of the eight limbs (ashtanga) and how they can lead to a more complete life. The five limbs covered are the yamas, niyamas, asana, pranayama and pratyhara. These limbs are very intricate and I don’t fully understand them all.

Asana helps us to create appropriate posture and replaces negative habits related to posture and breathing. Pranayama is the component of breath and through is we can drawn energy in and direct it through our body.

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Book 3

The third chapter of the Yoga Sutras is primarily about practicing samyama, the “perfect discipline” in which the yogi directs the mind into dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (complete union) with a single object of focus. These are the final three limbs of Ashtanga (8-limbed) yoga, and they concentrate the energy of consciousness.

Samyama practice causes mental fluctuations and distractions to diminish, allowing subliminal imprints of tranquility to develop further light and knowledge. The broad applications of samyama can improve life and awareness at all states, stages and planes. The concentrated practice allows the yogi to transcend conventional constraints and acquire deep knowledge in the areas of focus that lead to freedom. As the yogi acquires knowledge inhibitory feelings such as attachment, price egotism and new cravings can impede further progression. The yogi must maintain samyama to reduce distraction and maximize benefits of life.

The yogi must become so well aquainted with his ming that he can distinguish from perceptions, ming and reality. Discrimination becomes key and a perception tool to benefit concentration and samyama.

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Book 4

The path for a yogi seems endless, chapter 4 describes the goal of serene liberation unaffected by worldly turmoil. Our tendency is to feel separateness and even seek to find differences from ourselves and those we share the world with, negative energy arise from these feelings and cause violent thoughts to emerge.

When we understand ourselves, and the nature of negative thoughts we can remove these obstacles and cleanse our mind of them through meditation and the other 8 limbs of yoga so that our mind and attitude remains pure.

The sutras discuss the three gunas: rajas, tamas and sattva. These relate to the 3 A’s in Anusara yoga and stand to show that as perception changes and the mind is influenced by the gunas the spirit remains the same. Our goal should be, then, to develop the unchanging spirit; communicate with it to learn truth and never rely on perception. The mind is a tool to organize the spirit and can lead us to greater enlightenment. Distinguishing between the mind and spirit is a difficult task that requires practice, this is the practice of yoga. The yogi must humble himself and seek for the pulse of his own heart and follow with actions that are pure. This pattern will lead to supreme knowledge. Therefore, it is within our own practice that the ability to attain divinity exists.

seek to be happy, sweet friends.

Schools out

2010-06-17T17:35:00.010-06:00

for the week. I look forward to a weekend of yoga and beauty. I have (very obviously) been thinking of nature and gardening. I found these plants that are native to Utah- maybe you'll see them pop up here more often...maybe?

This is Price Aster- I think it's a great plant. It had great reviews, and I think it would do really well to fill some of my spots.

This is the Sego Lily, Utah's state flower... it's pretty but I'm not quite sure what the foliage looks like. I couldn't find good pictures.

This is the Desert Purple Sage... I like it. It think this could fill corners or odd spots really nicely.

This is the mountain Hollyhock. I don't like the foliage, and it looks horrible when it dies, but it get's so big and pretty it's hard not to fall in love!

This is Pineapple Sage. I've heard it's great to cook with, and the flowers are beautiful. I also so countless comments about the sweet fragrance, even when not in bloom. I think I'll need a couple of these.

Savory...a vine? Not sure. Herb and hearty- I like that.

Rosa Rugosa, beautiful native rose bush... prettier than cousin ->

Rosa Glauca, native flowering bush in the rose family. Grows...large. Flowers all summer.

This one is called Penstemon Utahensis. The red flowers are cute, but it's not very leafy. I could be happy about this- under the right circumstances.

Witch Hazel! It's a shrub that can grow to look a lot like a tree. I think it would be a good backdrop maybe in the back corner?

Gaura Blaze- this is nice. I think it is also a great filler.

Fens Ruby, also a nice shrub- and relatively small, filler perhaps?

This one is the Purple Beautyberry, and I think it would be a lovely shrub to go in my beds. I've actually seen these a lot.

This one is Joe Pie Weed, and I've heard it's just that...a weed. I could use a few weeds that look like this though- it's so big and pretty.

I'm on a gardening obsession these days. Balance: renting vs. creating paradise = struggle!

Enjoy sweet friends~

not ready to play nice

2010-06-17T10:47:00.010-06:00

school has made be cranky; these make me love~

Be happy dear friends, and for goodness sakes be sun-kissed...it's summer.

~ I'll be in the student work room, writing.

It's one of those weeks....

2010-06-16T08:56:00.007-06:00

My stomach hurts, but these make my eyes feel good.

Be happy, L.

Living in Heaven

2010-06-10T13:47:00.003-06:00

it's all white!

I have dreams about someday owning a farm house, or a cottage near the beach... found this today. Just says sleep late and read a good book all over it!

Something more rustic? Here you are. I would love to have a sweet little farmhouse near Round Top of Canton Texas... I found this one currently listed- wouldn't it be perfect?

Pizza Pasta

2010-06-07T16:33:00.002-06:00

My cute friend Courtney is looking for some easy new dinner recipes, and let's face it, who isn't? So I told her I'd post a couple easy delicious ones. This one is something I've made when friends come over because it's SO easy and a picky eater pleaser (um, Courtney). This is great to make when you have absolutely NO IDEA what to make.

8 ounces rotini pasta
1 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 small onion, chopped
8 oz mushrooms
2 T butter
1 packet of spaghetti sause (powder)
4 ounces sliced pepperoni sausage
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
12 pepperoni saucers (optional)

Brown hamburger meat using Italian seasoning and garlic. Add spaghetti sauce and power packet. In separate pan saute onions and mushroom using butter and set on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain before adding to sauce. Season spaghetti sauce as you'd like but make sure it's delicious before adding combining in casserole. Begin boiling pasta, add a teaspoon of olive oil and a dash of salt. Cube pepperoni sausage and microwave for 15 seconds on a paper towel to get rid of excess grease. Combine sauce, noodles and pepperoni into a 9x13 inch casserole pan, top with pepperoni saucers and cheese then cook at 350 for 30 minutes.

Delish!

German Chocolate Oreo

2010-06-06T15:04:00.003-06:00

I was looking for some fun recipes for Memorial Day the other day and found this fantastic recipe for German Chocolate Oreos...In a word, fab.

For this recipe you use half a bar of cream cheese and only part of the container of coconut pecan frosting, if you want to use the whole block of cream cheese you have to use two boxes of cake mix...freakin' enjoy these suckers.

(small batch-- makes about a dozen full Oreos)
For the cookies:
1 German Chocolate Cake mix
1/2 c. butter (or margarine) softened, NOT melted
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

For the frosting:
1/2 cube (or stick) butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese
1-2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp milk
1 container coconut topping (the kind in the plastic container by all the frostings)

Mix "cookie" ingredients together into cookie batter texture, roll into balls as big as desired (walnut size). Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-9 minutes. Do not over-cook (they may seem underdone but they aren't, you want them to be soft and chewy). Leave cookies on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes after removing from oven. Allow to cool completely before adding frosting.

For the frosting: Mix butter and cream cheese with an electric beater until smooth. Add powdered sugar a little at a time, then add vanilla and milk. Keep adding powdered sugar to reach desired consistency. Mix equal part cream cheese frosting and coconut topping (you can do this any way you want- it doesn't have to be EXACTLY equal.. add more of the topping you like best). Assemble cookies by spreading with coconut/frosting mixture in the middle of 2 of the German Chocolate cookies. Serve with milk.

aaaand a Desk!

2010-06-02T09:50:00.007-06:00

I'm telling you, this great room thing is tough! It's just so big- it takes a lot of work to make it all come together. Part of that process means a kitchen desk. You can see in this picture below, that over to the left there is a half a barstool sitting in a nook, that nook is fit for a kitchen desk or a dining hutch.

I decided I would rather put a desk there, because we would use it and I don't really see the utility in putting a hutch in a casual dining area. The desk would reduce my school clutter that ends up all over the couch- so we decided on a desk...but what desk?

Again, I turn to the "Greats," Brooke and Holly both have raved about Tritter Feefer. Actually Brooke bought the desk below for her own living/work space. It's the Natalie Desk

Doug things it's too plain, but that's what I love about it. I love that it's so simple and elegant. It is much more simple than my table, and I think it juxtaposes well with the industrial elements I'm adding in.

I also found this other table that is a little more involved from Nior. This is really great, too. I think I'm just going to use a dining chair for whatever I decide. Perhaps one of the end chairs that is slipped?

All of the above are a little pricey, so I started looking for some more affordable options. This one is from the Martha Stewart Home Collection, the Ingrid.

hmph...this one might be a little more difficult:)

Sofa Table....

2010-06-02T09:07:00.008-06:00

Since we moved to the new house we have slowly been putting things together. I am currently putting the final finish on the dining table I re-did. I recovered the chairs in linen and am putting linen slip covers on the two end chairs for the table. I also got these barstools:These stools were a steal! I found them on overstock for $50/ea.

Much more wallet friendly than the dream stools I found at restoration hardware for $300/ea.

I have found some great silver pitchers and trophies here and there that I have incorporated around the house- inspired by Giannette et al., I wanted to add a little industrial-ness to the table I finished. Remember this?

Right, so the barstools are just behind this picture, and the sofa table will be just behind the brown couch.

I love the bar stools. they work perfectly. Recently, I was looking for a table to go behind our sofa. I found this:
I absolutely love this console- it everything. Soft wood, industrial chic...it's wonderful. Sadly, it's only 20 inches tall- really just for a TV...it's really long (72inches), but just not the right size for a sofa table.

It did give me the inspiration to find all of these:

I didn't realize it until after I posted this post, but these are all pretty similar to the Dutch Industrial Console table from Restoration Hardware...except smaller. This table is really big, almost 70 inches wide!

I am so excited about how everything is coming together. The great room concept in a home is pretty intimidating because it's such a large space that has to ebb and flow. It's so much stuff! It also makes things so much more exciting when they start coming together! I still have a ways to go, but I'm really happy with the direction we're headed! Which table to you like?

UPDATE:

I put my good husband to work, trying to find the perfect piece. He found a fabulous website called Wisteria...and I don't know why I haven't found it before! This is what he came up with:

This table is actually on clearance, still pricey-
But look at it in this room, doesn't it look great?

This one is a little more towards the industrial side, which is where I was originally headed.
Once again, I love this table in the room. It looks great with the softness created by all the white. This piece is really large- it makes a statement.

This next table was interesting, and seemed even a bit odd at first- it's pretty large (90" wide).I actually really like it in the room! Since our couch is so dark, it might be better to go with something light as oppose to a darker industrial table. It might be better to brighten things up, what do you think?

This next table is great, and it's also on clearance. I was considering this one even for the desk, it's the perfect size, but maybe the detail comes down too low to fit your legs under?
I'm going to make a follow-up post about all the other wonderful things I've found at Wisteria... There is a wonderful Swedish Repro headboard that I now covet; get excited.

Lemon Bars

2010-06-01T08:08:00.003-06:00

I've had more free time this semester. More time to try delicious recipes. Behold the lemon bar:

These lemon bars are great, I like lemon but I don't so much like tart. These have just the right about of lemon!

1 pkg. lemon cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg

Mix together until crumbly. Reserve one cup. Set aside. Spread remainder of crumbs in a 9x13 pan and bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

8 oz. pkg cream cheese
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1-2 tsp lemon rind
1 egg
1 cup sugar

Place remaining ingredients in a bowl; whip until fluffy and light. Spread over baked crumb mixture and crumble the reserved cup of crumbs over the top. Return to oven and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-05-31T10:06:00.004-06:00

Trust Me.

These are the absolute best chocolate chip cookies you've every had in your life. Really.

1 1/4 cups real butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 1/4 c. brown sugar packed
4 eggs
2 Tbsp. vanilla
6 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 bag semi sweet small chocolate chips
1/2 bag bitter sweet small chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Mix dry ingredients and add to sugar mixture. Add chocolate chips. Scoop with small ice cream scoop. Bake at 325 for 8-9 minutes; for convection bake at 300 for 10 minutes. Do not over bake! You might think they look gooey, good, they're supposed to. Let them sit on the pan for five minute before placing on the cooling rack. Play around with chips if you'd like.

My talented sister...

2010-05-29T20:49:00.006-06:00

My sister Tiffany is so talented. Last year for Christmas she was looking to make these thrifty personal gifts for family and she came up with great ideas. People liked them so much, that she began teaching classes about how to make them.

When she first moved to California she was interested in baking and she developed some of the most delicious recipes for cakes (namely, the best carrot cake you've ever imagined in your life).
She wanted some furniture from Pottery Barn, but didn't feel inclined to pay for it....so she made it. Yes, she build furniture from wood using a saw and nails.

And when we went home for Christmas break last December she took these fabulous pictures of my sweet little family, and then edited them with photoshop. Personally, I think being able to use that program is an accomplishment a lady can rest her hat on.

Thanks Tiff... you're the best, at lots of things!

Bahamas

2010-05-14T09:40:00.002-06:00

love this.

2010-05-02T10:08:00.003-06:00

Even though the guy looks kinda creepy in this video- and maybe even in real life...who knows?

What does perfection look like?

2010-04-29T10:04:00.002-06:00

Today it's this:
A lean-to in the woods with books, water and berries. One across the meadow for my sister and a cage in the back for my husband....shri.

Deal of the Century!

2010-04-19T21:53:00.002-06:00

So I got some two great deals today:

For $.40 a box....and angels sang.

Going Green...maybe.

2010-04-12T11:44:00.005-06:00

So yesterday I watched the documentary No Impact Man, about a family in New York that decided to make no net impact on the earth for one year. This was part of an experiment to decide what we are able to give up and still have a good quality of life.

I loved it.

Every 8-9 months I go through periods of extreme green dedication. I try to be as green as possible, my biggest complaint? Why does being green have to cost $o much? Since it's been on my mind today, I've been doing a little research about ways to save money, and save the environment.

Compact Florescent light bulbs.

Compact Florescent light bulbs last up to 10 times longer and consume way less electricity. some estimates say that these can save up to $80 over the life of the bulb. Of course you have to balance that with the additional cost of the bulb. Overall, an average savings of $50-70. Not bad.

Give away Junk (electronics). Recycling old cell phones, key boards etc. can help reduce a lot of waste, and it will help reduce clutter in your home as well. This website will suggest places close by where you can take your unwanted electronics. I generally give mine to Goodwill, but people who purchase them there are likely to just throw them away if they don't work. I'd much rather have them reused.
Compost. I know it sounds gross, but even if you don't garden you can compost your biodegradables and work them into flower beds... or just the dirt, anyway. This can be tricky if you live in an apartment... and honestly, not worth it (to me, anyway). It's great for the soil and reduces waste. Plus, you'll save money on fertilizer!
Let your grass grow.

When you mulch your grass, or put the clippings back into your lawn it adds nitrogen back into the grass, keeps weeds from growing so you'll need less fertilizer and weed killer. Also- you won't have to throw grass away, reducing overall waste.

Full loads of laundry. I'm guilty of this occasionally. If I spill something on my clothes I immediately run to the laundry room and strip. This is not efficient. Wait, until you have a full load- or round up clothes from around the house to fill the laundry machine. If you wash your clothes with cold water...saving even more!
Change your linens out with the seasons. During the winter use flannel sheets and lots of blankets (heating uses more energy than cooling), and during the summer change to lighter bed linens and a light coverlet and then maybe keep the windows open (on the shade side of the house, of course).
Pack a lunch. When you go out to eat you contribute to huge amounts a waste- especially lunch items that are typically to-go (Subway, McDonalds). Instead pack a lunch and reuse your plastic bag. This saves the enviornment and the money it costs to eat out ($30-50/wk, yikes!)
Buy Used! I love antiques so this one is kind of a perk! Anytime you buy something used your net impact on the enviornment is almost zero, the damage has already been done.
Toilet Paper, can't help myself. Are you a four sheet person or a ten sheet person? Girls are the worst about this! If you're a ten sheet person just think, you spend less than half of what you're spending on TP, save the environment by reducing waste and conserving trees....just sayin'

Of course buying local, biking and going organic are all good ideas, but not very practical. Sure if you're going somewhere close by, try to bike or take public transportation... but local and organic foods are just too pricey. Until they can find away to make these more affordable, Wal-mart will have to do. I would, however, be happy to buy cereal from bulk bends- if only they tasted good~

Vote: Shumway Van & Hansen!!!

2010-04-04T15:48:00.004-06:00

The Herald is currently taking votes for their annual "Best Of"

Naturally our law firm is the best, but we need people to vote so that everyone will know it. You don't have to be from here to vote, you can vote as many times as you want and we're on the first page about three or four down (can you tell how many times I've voted?)

http://www.heraldextra.com/bestof/

Come on peeps, make it part of your morning routine!!

Do it for this sweet guy right here:

Our home in Provo

2010-04-03T13:38:00.004-06:00

My grandparents keep asking me to mail them pictures of our new house...

.....M@iL??????????????

Needless to say they haven't seen it yet. So I'm going to post this for them and maybe someone at the library can help them look it up (love you guys!!!)

Alright, this is what you see when you first walk in the front door. To the right there is a flat wall and to the left there is an office. And straight ahead is the great room.

I found those awesome door handles on ebay for $10.00! This door and frame wasn't finished when we moved in, Doug sanded and painted it to match the rest of the trim.

This picture is from the great room looking back to the main entry way. From this view the office is on the right by the front door, there are several bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs and our bedroom is to the left.

This is from the great room looking towards the kitchen. You can see my dining table project there in the breakfast area. This house doesn't have a formal dining room. This kitchen-dining-living combo is very popular here in Utah.

Just another view of the kitchen a little closer up. I still need to get barstools- they're on my list of bargains to find.

This is the same picture as in the post below, but it just shows a view from the kitchen looking towards the living area.

Sorry G's I'm not going to take pictures of my bedroom it's a mess- but maybe later.

Not quite Spring project 2:

2010-04-03T13:14:00.009-06:00

By now I'm sure you are all sick of hearing about my dining room dilemma. I really struggled with this whole thing. Especially given the size of my budget (as close to zero as possible).

Initially I looked for tables that were my dream table but the pricing scared me! This whole style that I'm into right now is relatively new to me and what if I change my mind? It's risky business, so I decided to go the cheap (er) route and buy something with potential and make it my own.

I found this clawfoot table on KSL.com listed for $700. I thought that was a great price given the detail and the fact that it came with six chairs that also had a lot of detail. I went and looked at the furniture and could tell that it had been painted.

Obviously not the top, but the legs and chairs had all been recently painted, meaning that the wood underneath had some potential.

Black really isn't my thing, and the seat covers were horrible (sad because the girl I bought the set from told me she recently recovered them and painted the table legs black, the chairs were already black). I know I could have found the same set at a fraction of the price and not had to strip her black paint off, but I've been looking for a while and hadn't found anything.

I offered her $550, sold.

Five days and 90 hours (x2) later:

The paint was gone but what to do about the seat covers? I tried this:

But decided on linen instead:

I haven't put the final finish on yet. There are multiple coats of glaze and I'm deciding between wax and polyurethane. I brought it in from the garage to live with it for a little while before making a final decision.

The finish in these pictures is just raw wood that has been glazed (Ralph Lauren,Tea Stain) and rubbed, glazed, burnished, rubbed, glazed and so on...ask for more details.

So far,

I like it quite well.

My mom actually came into town to help me do this over spring break, and I couldn't have done it with out her. She is amazing at stuff like this. She made a template for slip covers for the chairs and took the linen home to make them.

She told me that my grandma taught her how to refinish furniture when she and my dad just got married- it's neat. I am liking the way the table it turning out.

To check out other thrifty finds check out: Southern Hospitality

Spring....almost.

2010-04-03T12:45:00.008-06:00

So, it's technically spring in these parts. However, you can tell my the jackets in these pictures it's not Spring at all...practically speaking.

So here is the first issue we tried to tackle:

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Very dead grass. The previous family that lived in this house didn't exactly have an eye for detail (to put it VERY nicely). After lots of research and talking to the lady that knows lots about grass (and smokes some too, I think), we learned that we do indeed need to fertilize, but not before cutting the grass very very short. Short? It's already short- we must go shorter.

In Draper, our HOA took care of all the lawn care so we didn't have any lawn tools. Being the thifty type, I scoured 13 count 'em THIRTEEN garage sells looking for yard tools and a lawn mower, I only found two items. Neither a lawn mower so the husband and I went to Sears and bought one.

After our recent trip to Bed Bath and Beyond to buy mirrors (the lovely family before us took all the mirrors with them when they up and left this joint), we learned that Doug's back seat doesn't lay down. That makes my car (the MINI Cooper) our vehicle with the highest hauling capacity, score.

So after we picked out our lawn mower (this wasn't too hard because they only had one option for us to choose from) loaded it up, just like this:

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And made our way back to the palace, we commenced to do our yard work. Three hours later:

and no grass shorter. Doug moved on to a new project, the garden. Our lawn mower never worked. Never. It would start but it wouldn't stay started. You will notice the gas can in this picture. That is a fruit of my garage sale going. Aaand, it leaks. Awesome.

The other garage sell find was this little beauty. ( I still can't believe I went to THIRTEEN garage sales and two DI's and only found two items)

a rake.

This came in handy when the lawn mower wouldn't work and Doug had to start tilling the garden. (Gma and Gpa, this is our garden, or it will be soon.)

Don't feel sorry that he's tilling this with only a garden rake, he refuses to spend money on other yard tools- he's waiting to find them at sales.

Wicket enjoyed himself very much- he was a big helper while Doug was tilling, Wicket just dug right along beside him.

My idol "Things that Inspired" commented on my blog.

2010-03-30T11:14:00.005-06:00

I'm so embarrassed! My blog has definitely fallen to the way side since grad school took over my life, but don't think for a second I've stopped planning my dream home. Holly, recently, commented on my table post and I feel like an old wardrobe that opens and butterflies come out!

Holly, formally known as "Things that Inspire" is responsible for my growing love of design. She posts simple posts and speaks through pictures to really help the common person understand complex design elements. I love her.

I took the picture below from Brook Giannetti's blog. It is a picture of the design elite: Things that Inspire, Suzanne Kasler, Brook and her husband and amazing architect Steve.

I haven't told you this, but Things that Inspire and Steve Giannetti are my top picks to design our home when we move to Texas. I know, you're thinking Holly's in Georgia and Steve is in California- how in the world does that make sense?

In short, it doesn't really. Except that Steve is a genius and Holly is amazing and I haven't seen the two of them work on a project together before and I'd love it to be mine!

Anyway, thats about five-ten years down the road. And in case I forget, we have a nice cold front blowing in as I type to remind me.

In table updates, I've purchased a table from a garage sell and my mother and I spent the last six days refinishing it and the chairs. We stripped off the black paint and found some nice (not perfect, but nice) wood underneath and I'm currently trying various aging techniques with it.

I did look into having one built but the carpenter I consulted with bid out 5K for the table, and chairs would definitely more than double that estimate. I chose this route because I'm just starting to find my style and I'd like to become a little more committed to it before I "invest" in it too seriously.

I have to admit-

2010-03-23T11:16:00.003-06:00

I haven't investigated my new representatives since I've moved to Provo. I've still be calling up Matheson to voice my concerns (complaints really)when in reality he isn't my boy anymore. As the caucus meetings are approaching, I've been motivated to look up exactly who is responsible for me. Here we are; as a member of PR30 and legislative district 62:

Utah State Representative Chis Herrod
Utah State Senator Chris Bramble

Congressman Jason Chaffitz represents the 3rd congressional district of Utah

Senators Hatch and Bennett are still representing us (for now).

The PR30 republican caucus meeting is tonight at 7:00 at Timp View High School; you must be registered with the party to vote.

I'm not really a republican, but it's silly not to be registered as one in Utah County- they're really the only ones who have a say so about politics at this point. So come to mine, go to yours- just go.

Girls Night!

2010-03-19T11:35:00.004-06:00

Last night I hosted a baby shower for my friend Beth and the theme was girls night. We has such a blast, and sadly I don't have any pictures! What kind of blogger doesn't take pictures?!?

This kind:

So here's how it went, camera: check. battery: check. memory card: silence

We had such a wonderful time, and although I'm paying for it this morning- I'm thinking we should do it a lot more often!

Yay, Couple!

2010-03-15T09:58:00.001-06:00

I had a fantastic time in St. George, and even though I'd never met Jason- it was very evident, these two were meant to be.
Congratulations to Melissa and the entire Murray family!

How about Chairs?

2010-02-12T12:00:00.005-07:00

Thinking of chairs is what got me all worked up about my last purchase. What is my ideal?

This Gustavian beauty, duh.
But unfortunately my plasma isn't worth $1200 a pint so I can't actually afford this luxury.

This is a nice little mid-ranged option that comes with slip-covers, which I think is fabulous. BUUT, when mid-range is still around $450 each... I find myself hunting for options around the bottom (waay bottom) end.

What about this one? It's cheap, $65 each and even though I have a disdain for microfiber... it could be nice when we someday decide to grow little sassy munchkins.

And I can always slip them, right?

The hunt continues.

Dining Table Dilemma

2010-02-08T18:55:00.011-07:00

I just bought a table- and buyers remorse started before I swiped my card. So I'm posting this so my super sassy super stylish super lovely friend Stacey can give me her UNBIASED opinion.

I just don't know if what I got it what I like. I mean, I like the table- I think it's great, but I don't know if it's a step towards my end goal.

You decide.

This looks like a glass table- I don't love the table- but I love the feel- I absolutely love it.

This one feels so comfortable- I think it's the wicker, and I don't particularly love any one piece of this room- but it works well together.

I like the industrial mix in this one. It works very well together.
I love this plank table and the mixed chairs. This is wonderful, and actually is the same room as above before a redesign.

So delicate- so fancy.
Love the see through, slip covers- love them.
Love the tables- love the slip covers, all so pretty.

Although this looks very formal, the slip covers lighten things up a bit.
Don't love all the plants- but, the chairs and table are fantastic.

The above picture is my favorite- I absolutely love the table. ABSOLUTELY love it- it's organic.

Again, a favorite- Floors, table- chairs, lighting- so fabulous.

The last of my favorites. Do you love these lights? Wonderful.

Ok- and this is what I actually got:

Here's the whole thing. I'm not getting the chairs though.

These are the pictures that I took at the actual store:

Is it too warm? Is it too traditional? Do we less than love the legs? I think that I can put slip covered chairs with it and it could be perfect... ideas?

I love it- but I'm on the fence.

What say ye?

Update: After a sleepless night, and tears actual TEARS of confusion, husband felt pity on me and called and asked for a refund on my table. I was so stressed about finding the right chairs and lighting that would work for my end goal. Ah. I didn't sleep a wink- and if you know anything about husband, you know that he would have absolutely have no pity on me if I got it all set up and hated it. Basically, I need to love it or live with it.

The hunt continues. Thanks for all your wonderful opinions, we are all headed in the right direction slips, lights, straight legs.

Thanks to all, you'll know more soon.

Autism and Vaccines

2010-02-07T20:27:00.001-07:00

For those of you who haven't heard:

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/healthcare/view.bg?articleid=1231165&srvc=business&position=recent

You can all vaccinate your kids again.

Hey Ezra-

2009-12-14T21:23:00.002-07:00

Stuff a sock in it, will ya?

Today Ezra Klein from the Washington Post said that Lieberman, "seems willing to cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in order to settle an old electoral score."

I think this kid Ezra is full of crap. He was quoting something from a two year old estimate the media made that 137K people died between 2000-2006 because they lacked health insurance.

Then, I saw him on Greta's show tonight and he had jumped the number to 150K people each year because they lack health insurance. It seems highly more likely that that many people may have died, and coincidently they didn't have health insurance... most likely because they didn't want it.

Come on people, think.

It's that time again...

2009-12-08T12:50:00.002-07:00

Let's go people, get on the horn and tell your senators how you feel about the proposed healthcare bill. Get informed, form an opinion and share it.

Yes, I know Glenn Beck isn't the most unbiased of opinions- but figure out what you think and tell your representatives. Now, GO!

State Rep: Greg Hughes - 801-538-1029; greghughes@utah.gov
US Rep: Matheson - (801) 486-1236 ; jim.matheson@mail.house.gov
US Senator: Orrin Hatch- (202) 224-5251
US Senator: Bob Bennett- 801-524-5933
State Senator: Howard Stephenson- 801-538-1035; hstephenson@utahsenante.org

Joni Rocks my Socks off..

2009-12-07T12:45:00.007-07:00

I can't tell you the number of times I've changed my mind about what I want my dream home to be like. If Joni from Cote de Texas would stop finding more and more beautiful homes- my decisions would be much much easier.

Here's a new fave.

And this isn't from her blog, but I love this and this and this!

Dun dudu Dun

2009-11-28T09:58:00.003-07:00

Check us out.

We're selling Xango now. Bring it on world.

Sure love that husband.

2009-11-23T10:08:00.003-07:00

You know how when something is lost, because you don't know where it is- but you know it's too important for you to have thrown away or left somewhere?

That's what happens to just about every important thing in my life. Tiffany wanted me to take my wedding pictures to Texas and I took the bridals and wedding day pictures but I couldn't find the engagements. Liz wants me to send her one of each, but I can only find the engagements!

Malnar Kitchen Remodel

2009-11-14T17:52:00.010-07:00

Ryan and Amanda are remodeling their kitchen- and because I love them both and don't want them to have a hideous kitchen- and because hideous kitchen's don't cost much less than beautiful ones... I feel so inclined to share some ideas!! (whether they like it or not!)

Husband and I want to move to Texas (specifically the metroplex) after we are done with this Utah period of life, so naturally I've been looking at real estate all around the place...and can I say "GROSS!" I can't tell you how many dark stained cabinets and stair railings and wild and crazy granite I've seen... come on people! A little cherry wall paper for your walls? or maybe some magnolias?!?!?

I kid you not- I found a listing that had (no joke) floor to ceiling tile on the walls... IN THE KITCHEN! (no excuses, this house was build in 2004)

Moving on, here are the pictures I've saved up for my dream kitchen:

Let's start with option for counters- because counters are a pretty dang big deal.

Soap stone is my personal favorite- it is a softer than granite so it gets marks on it- but I love that. It ages, pretty awesome stuff. This kitchen is in the "octagon house" the breakfast room of this house has brick flooring and in my breakfast room post- I love this house. I have pictures of the whole thing via Cote de Texas.

This is an example of oiled soap stone- love it. This kitchen also has a wooden island, and island sink. My favorite parts of this kitchen: sub zero fridge, decorative hood, range facet and industrial lighting.

Same kitchen- This kitchen really doesn't have much natural lighting- but they do use enough fixtures and leave the floor plan open enough to compensate. (how about that farm sink?)

Concrete countertops are typically pretty modern but, I like them here in this cottage style kitchen.

Can't really tell what these counters look like- but I do like the butcher block island, and I really like a sink in the island too. so much light- this is nice.

This is another example of a butcher block island (with absolutely beautiful bar stools) but look at the marble! It's lovely. This kitchen also has an awesome office nook off to the left, and I really appreciate that. It would help reduce clutter around the kitchen.

This pictures shows the marble really well, I love the subway tiles behind the range, and love this hood. Decorative hoods are really in right now- this is another example of a kitchen that does not have bleach white cabinets but I love anyway.

OK, so husband isn't particularly interested in a bleach white kitchen, which- is kinda my thing, so I found this one- that is not bleach white, it's white with accents. The cabinets have some darker accents (probably glaze) but for some reason this kitchen he likes. So do I. Also very cool about this kitchen- the lighting, more on that ...

Now... Lighting. A central theme in all of the pictures that I've posted is lighting. They all have fabulous natural light- and wonderful lighting fixtures. Some have cans, but all of them have a beautiful fixture that attracts attention.

This kitchen has wonderful windows- they don't look like metal windows- but they are thin like metal windows... I love them. The countertop for this island is really awesome- it looks like a great place to start a morning.

Doors in a breakfast nook are one of my new favorite features- what could be better than eating breakfast in the semi-outdoors? I love the chandelier over the breakfast table, even in this casual kitchen that has children's art on the fridge, and black and white tiled floors (one of the few I chose that doesn't have wood) the chandelier still works-

This kitchen...ahhhh. The subzero fridge, the range top, lights, double ovens, windows on three walls, the fantastic hood... what about these floors! I love this place- I could die in this kitchen. What do you think about the lack of cabinetry? This kitchen happens to have a sweet pantry to the right- it's huge and can make up for anything lost by leaving out the upper cabinetry. I love this feature- I love how open it makes these kitchens feel.

This last two kitchens are in my top three, I love these! I absolutely love them- the first picture I posted (from the octagon house) rounds off my top three. The kitchen below has won multiple awards this year (I learned from Things that Inspire). Ok, Malnars...food for thought!

How about the microwave down there on the left? Accident waiting to happen, or genius in hiding an ugly appliance?

as an aside- these pictures probably all came from Things that Inspire, Velvet and Linen or Cote de Texas... because those are my current obsessions. Buuut, I don't actually remember for sure.

Today, The Breakfast Room

2009-10-28T14:51:00.004-06:00

I love breakfast, I love everything about it. If one is enjoying their breakfast it generally means they are not rushed. Meaning they woke up as they chose, and...basically, it's Saturday.

As a disclaimer, I cannot remember where all of these pictures came from- I may remember where I found some of them, but I cannot remember where they found them...don't judge.

Here is a nice starting place, I love the these slip covers, and the light blue and yellow are bright and cheery. I just can't get enough of these windows.

Interestingly, this next one is also blue. The chandelier is wonderful- and I even like the bottles. I'm surprised by this because I have moved away from that sort of thing...but they work here for some reason. I don't really like that plant in the background, I don't know what it's called by I have one at the office and don't love it.

Seeing this picture with all these doors open just helps me imagine a beautiful morning to a fabulous day with people sitting outside drinking the start to their day. Maybe even children, playing outside while my sisters and I sit around the table and talk about what we're going to wear for family pictures this year. It says family.

I think I may have saved the best for last, because I absolutely love this room. I love the high ceilings, the metal windows, the antique brick floors, the blue chairs, the window treatments- I love this room. I even love the mud room right off the breakfast room/kitchen. It makes eating breakfast as a family convenient. During the race out the door everyone stops for breakfast.... I love that.

Central theme? Blue, windows, love and a happy home.

It's a Wonderful Day (even if it IS snowing)

2009-10-27T11:04:00.001-06:00

My little client (we will call AM) did so good today! Fabulous, in fact. We haven't had progress with him in weeks- and today he was 60-80% correct on all his goals. It just makes my day go better...HOWEVER, it will be short lived. I have a mega-test on Thursday and I'm sure that reality will hit soon.

Husband thinks I'm addicted to the internet. Translation: the building will be slowed on my dream house. I'll do a post soon with what I've picked out so far.

OMG, Kelly from Design ties commented on my blog.

2009-10-25T09:32:00.003-06:00

Not once, but three times! And I haven't even been posting good blogs- or any for that matter? I feel humbled! Design Ties is one of the fabulous blogs I roll through (when I should be studying and instead and building my virtual dream house), Kelly is one of the blog masters there and an interior designer from Ontario. Kelly did this fabulous post on Vetrazzo countertops, a very green (albeit pricey) alternative to other luxury counter options. She also did this post about brick walls in bedrooms
The above picture that she included in that post has been added to my look book, I absolutely love it. I love everything about this room- the wall to wall sea grass, the lace, iron and lighting... it speaks to me (saying, get out of school and get a job, pauper).

In this post she showcased come client appreciation gifts that inspired me to have some similar ones, but with golf balls, made up for the law firm.

All in all, I love this blog- check it out (maybe kelly will come over to your blog too!)

Th-, th-, th-...

2009-10-04T20:22:00.002-06:00

On Tuesday I'm taking over my client for the portion of our session that works on the silent /th/. It's pretty exciting, but it also makes me nervous because even thought articulation disorders are pretty straight forward sometimes I think the production was correct and it was actually wrong-

and sometimes I'm just plain confused and then I feel sorry for the kid because he doesn't know if he did a good or bad placement. We'll see how it goes~

How about a good read

2009-09-28T12:40:00.003-06:00

Is thiiss beautiful liiibrary...

This fabulous design blog I read wrote up blog a few weeks ago about a house she and her husband designed and decorated. This is the picture they posted and I absolutely fell in love with this two story library.

Apparently library sitting rooms are an up and coming thing- and I LOVE them. Recently Brooke made another post of the entire house. It's a must see. I absolutely love the fridge and farmers sink in the kitchen and cannot get away from this awesome library...

What do you think?

Wicket, update

2009-09-14T17:20:00.005-06:00

So it's been a while since I've posted Wicket pictures- his color has changed quite a bit. He lost a lot of his black and is mostly gray now. He is still rambunctious... but now he's HUGE. The pup that was never supposed to grow up is now 12 lbs... that's a big difference from the 5-8 I was expecting! Here they are!

This is our friend Dave and his baby- Wicket's the size of a 9m old!

Very Hard Choices

2009-09-12T20:18:00.005-06:00

I'm trying to car change. I want a lower payment (I'd like half of what I'm paying now) and better mpgz [What I would really like is for Doug to sell his car] but can't seem to do that so I'm going to get rid of mine and get something new here are the choices:

I would be super happy to have a Jetta TDI (the diesel one) but those VW people suck. They don't return phone calls, they won't budge off of msrp- those guys are real snobs.

This car gets about 40mpgs.

The Mini Clubman is about the same price as the Jetta but it doesn't have blue tooth; gets about 41 mpgs. Financing rates are awesome for these right now- 1.9%
This is a Hyundai Sonata- these have a 3000 rebate putting it right about the price of the other two- the best financing available through the dealership is 4.9% and it has way more technology for the money....nav, sun roof garage opener, way cushiony seats.. but I sure don't like the look of it as well as the other two.

Update: The Sonata is out. They have horrible resale value. That was easy.

2009-09-11T08:11:00.002-06:00

As I was reading my morning blogs- I saw a link to martha's website for these monogram labels. I wish I would have had these last summer when I was planning my wedding. Oh well. They are still fabulous and I think you can use them for all sorts of things- even as a gift?

A Slice of Heaven

2009-09-04T17:46:00.002-06:00

This new red velvet cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory is absolutely lovely. I think it might be the best I've had there.
Although, I have not tried the pumpkin. That has rave reviews.

Dream Home

2009-09-03T08:36:00.003-06:00

As you can probably deduce, I have been home dreaming lately. I do this often- mostly since I've had a home. I think of what color to paint my red wall, what my dream home will look like etc.

I ran across this post this morning from one of my favorite blogs. It's a beautiful home in Atlanta- and while I would never want to live in Atlanta- if this home was in the discussion, I could most definitely be convinced.

UPDATE:
I found this one and fell in love- COMPLETELY different, but love at first site all the same...and, it's in TEXAS.

Obesssion

2009-09-02T17:11:00.004-06:00

Estate Sales.

This lovely little shop in Salt Lake called Second Hand Chic buys all sorts of wonderful things for different sources. I didn't know the owner Kelly had a blog, but recently I read a post she made about attending estate sales to buy merchandise for her store. This is one of her new pieces... a fabulous John Widdecomb original living room set. I love it- this would be fabulous in some chic fabric- and I'm confident I could learn how to reupholster-

Problem- it's $650 from her shop... which makes me wonder how much she paid for it...pennies? I have subscribed to every list serve available that will announce with these estate sales are going on... because I'm definitely down for finding treasures.

Hats off...

2009-08-31T12:34:00.003-06:00

To my dad.

We went on a trip with my parents to New Mexico this past weekend. It was a blast. My dad doesn't like to take trips- he's a worker not a player (the exact opposite of me). But he has a CE in NM so my mom and I decided to make a trip out of it.

It was a weekend of firsts for my dad (and all of us really, but no one is as old fashion as he is) we rode in a hot air balloon. He was so scared:

But he did it. He also had sushi for the first time, went to Brazilian BBQ and had fondue for the first time- and here's the kicker: he went to the spa!

I don't think the latter was his favorite among them all; he did do them because we wanted to and I think we went 3 for 5... I still don't think he'd jump on a hot air balloon again if he had his rathers!

All in all, it was a great trip- good food and good people.

FREE FOOD!

2009-08-11T13:03:00.002-06:00

Note: The original promotion has ended, but there is a new promotion valid until 8/13/2009 at Restaurant.com.

Save 80% Off w/every $25 Gift Cert. order. Use code PORTION. Pay $2 thru 8/13/09 at Restaurant.com. Enjoy!

Restaurant.com regularly sells $25 restaurant gift certificates for $10, and $10 gift certificates for $3. From today to 11/20/2008, a coupon code gives you an additional 80% off so a $25 gift certificate is only $2, and a $10 gift certificate is only $0.60! Additionally, FatWallet.com is having a 25% cashback sale on Restaurant.com so if you use FatWallet you would essentially get the $25 gift certificates for $1.50 each, and $10 gift certificates for $0.45 each after you receive the 25% cashback.

The coupon code is SURPRISE. You can search for restaurants within your area and add gift certificates to the restaurants you are interested in, and then add them to your cart and order. One thing that you must do with these gift certificates is to read the fine print. Some restaurants require minimum purchase amounts and some gift certificates can only be used on certain days so make sure that you read the details associated with each gift certifcate. After your purchase, you can print out the certificates or choose to print them later.

Currently the website is very slow because of this promotion, but there are a lot of restaurants to choose from. There are more than 100 restaurants within 15 miles of where I live and I finally purchased a few of these gift certificates to restaurants I know of. The gift certificates generally expire one year from issue and never expire in California and other states where the expiration of gift certificates is illegal. Even if you do not eat out often, these gift certificates could make great stocking stuffers!

Steps to receiving the max amount of discounts:

1. Sign up for FatWallet.com

2. Go to the Restaurant.com landing page and click through to Restaurant.com.

3. Add gift certificates you are interested in purchasing

4. Type in SURPRISE in the discount code box

5. Check out

The coupon code should give you 80% off and the FatWallet cashback should be redeemable in a few weeks. Make sure you don't sign up for additional offers at Restaurant.com.

Our boy's a star

2009-07-17T17:34:00.002-06:00

Our breeder uses us as a reference, which I love because it gives me an opportunity to talk about our little Wicket. They've been saying they were going to put a picture of him up on their site, and it's finally up!!

http://www.mydarlingdogs.com/About_Bolonka.php

He's on the bottom left.

Lovely Leia

2009-07-11T10:32:00.005-06:00

Bahahahah

2009-07-09T18:25:00.002-06:00

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-06T17:07:00.004-06:00

It seems as though I developed a head tilt in North Carolina... here is head tilt number 1.

Head tilt number 2:
Me and mom at Duke- I can't believe it's been almost 10 years since we've been there!
This is at Uncle Robert's house- it is beautiful.
This is DG3, we went to dinner with Dave and Carmen last night- technically it was the 5th, but still part of our trip.
Robert's,again.

Uncle Teddy- such a loveable guy.
This is Kerrie and Barry, North Carolina's best.
G-pa Watkins. Healthy, yay.

We had a fantastic trip. We went to a music festival, but I didn't take pictures there, mom and I got pedicures and went shopping while Doug set up tables for the picnic. All and all, it was a fantastic trip- even Doug enjoyed it.

We left Wicket at home, it was hard! He'll come with us next time we struggled without him. He was in good hands though- I haven't seen him yet, but I hear he got a hair cut!