Keep On Creating!

Don't Leave Me Alone!

2012-02-01T10:42:00.005-07:00

When left alone to my own devices, you may just come home to see some holes where there once were none; as was the case yesterday.

Since the moment we walked into our house to see if we wanted to buy it, I thought the placement of the fireplace was the worst plan ever-crammed in a tiny former mud room, mostly sealed off from the rest of the house, trapping the heat in one little tiny room.

It drove me crazy from day one. To make it worse, there was a small fan mounted in the wall to blow the air to the rest of the house. This fan was constantly on, I mean on 24 hours a day on and the sound made me want to cram insulation in my ears. Like the guy on the Dyson commercial says, the sound of fan blades is 'so unsettling'!

I'd been working on Mr. The King trying to convince him that putting an opening in the wall to allow the heat to flow through was a great idea. I mean, after all, my Dad did it in their house one day with a chain saw, so why can't we?

The night before this upcoming event took place, the Mr commented on how the fire room was so hot but that he was freezing in the living room and that a hole might be a good idea.

That was all I needed to hear! Say no more! Consider it done!

Lucky for me he had to work all day the following day-so I had free reign on that wall!

Plus, he HAD said it was a good idea.

So after my morning ritual, I got to it!

I cut two holes up high in the wall so that you couldn't easily see into the fire room from the living room, since it really isn't that nice to look at. I left the stud intact because I didn't really want to deal with putting a support beam in. I was hoping to encounter some relics in the walls, but all I found was a wall. No gold or amazing newspaper articles or lost diamond rings, yet...

I realize it looks little tiny, but I thought I'd better start small in case the Mr hated it or it just didn't work as planned. Let me tell you! One day later and the temperature in the two rooms is closer than it ever has been, and no more annoying fan! Hurray for even temperatures!

Oh, and please take note of my amazing finishing skills with the cardboard and staples. I had to do something to cover the insulation and space between the 2x4's. I plan on doing proper trim on the opening and the exposed studs once I make it into the big city to get the supplies.

The bad thing about doing this small project is that now I've got the bug and all the other walls and rooms better look out! Paint may be the next task since our bedroom is insane institution, blind you when the sun shines WHITE and the rest of the house is some form of white or tan. It just isn't us.

Bring on the color!

Turn that Fail Around!

2012-01-19T20:41:00.005-07:00

As many of you know, I am not good at accepting failure or rejection. Sadly, today, I had to face both head on. Here's how it all went down:

I had an interview this morning with a company that shall remain unknown (but if I happen to mention Century Link, don't think anything of it).

I was instructed to allow four hours for the interview process and testing. FOUR HOURS! Without pay or a snack! I sucked it up and went.

The MOMENT I stepped into the building I had that sick feeling in my gut that I should turn and run. Fast.

I reeled it in and swallowed my horror while looking across a sea of cubicles-ones I was later instructed could be decorated "any way I wanted".

It was only 8:30 am and I could already feel the life being sucked out of me.

I took a moment.

Got a drink.

Met the recruiter.

Next, my potential schedule and pay rate were laid out to me (along with the fact that training will be 3 long months), while being asked

"Is that okay?"

to which I replied,

"Do I have a choice?"

No. I didn't.

Mr. Recruiter Man says I'm gonna be perfect here and I'm gonna do a great job. Ugh...

Then, the Tour.

All around me I see drones with headsets on trying to calm down angry customers. Angry customers! At 8:45 in the beautiful morning!

I am introduced to the 'fun break room' where general goofing off and Foosball are encouraged. You can even DVR any show you want so you can watch it later on your break!

We pass by previous hire-ees crammed into a small room, staring at computer screens. My horror deepens. Finally, the tour is over and it is time for testing.

Fast forward 1 1/4 hours. My test is done and I turn in my sheet.

The next thing I hear after the woman checks my results on her computer is:

"Oh...sorry."

Huh? What? Are you talking to me?

"Sorry, why? Did I do something wrong?"

"It says here you failed."

FAILED! How can I fail a test with no wrong answers?? Yah! If I saw my coworker steal some post-it notes, I will not go running to the supervisor! Is that so wrong? Does this really exclude me from those capable to work?!

I stood there a bit stunned, trying to recall past failures and how I am supposed to feel and react.

Truth be told, all I felt was relief-well and some serious irritated-ness for failing an ethics test.

The woman put on her best I'm-so-sorry-but-you-can-apply-again-in-6-months face while I couldn't get my coat on fast enough to get out of there.

I got to my car and started it up, still feeling rejected and a bit confused as to how I could have failed.

I called Mr. The King and gave him the summary. Do you want to know his response?

HE LAUGHED AT ME!

Salt on my wounds.

Then said he was glad I didn't get the job because he knew I would hate it.

There were only two things left to do.

I went dumpster diving then went home and made dessert.

Faux peanut butter cups.

(http://stylishcuisine.com/?p=1270)

Here's to saving 2 hours of my life NOT completing the rest of the 4 hour interview process.

A January Drive

2012-01-09T15:21:00.003-07:00

Mr The King has a real hankering to go snowmobiling. However, the lack of snow is making that a tough task to fill. In its place, we have been driving around on dirt roads that would lead to potential snowmobiling sweet spots.

Along the way, today, we came across an amazingly clear pond that had a good deal of watercress in it. It was bright and green and beautiful.

And yes, I just had to get some.

See? It is beautiful, isn't it?

Now to decide what to do with it....

Perhaps some thai chicken spring rolls?

or maybe this?

Seared Ahi Tuna with Watercress, Chile, and Ginger Salad

Either way, I'm set!

Just Like That!

2012-01-02T17:42:00.002-07:00

5 years and 16 episodes of Warehouse 13 later (addicted!!) , and just like THAT! A newly crafted afghan for our bed! Viola!

This really became a beast that took over my body for a time there. I could not put it down even though my hands were screaming at me to.

I. Just. Had. To. Finish.

It was a monumental moment when the last stitch was stitched.

On another note, remember earlier this year when I was bragging about how LOOOoooong my hair was getting?

Well, that was nothin! Look at it now! I can even put it up in a pencil, JUST like I did in high school! (okay, here it is in a crochet hook since that was what was permanently attached to me for the last chunk of time). I totally felt like a teen again. Let me tell you what though, you couldn't pay me enough to go back to high school.

By the way, the afghan was supposed to be kind of a lap type blanket. I'm telling ya! It took over my body!

Adoption

2011-12-27T17:48:00.004-07:00

My dear friend Kindle and her husband, Ben, are working hard to save money to adopt another child. That is an expensive process! Please read a bit about their story by clicking here .

Please share this with your friends and donate if you feel so inclined.

I love these people beyond words and wish the best for expanding their family.

Something For The Man

2011-12-11T15:07:00.010-07:00

I have been forbidden by Mr The King to enter the art room in our house. This leads me to believe that he is making something in there for me for Christmas.

I had yet to decide what to make him for his gift, but after helping him search for a lost bolt in the shop, with no success, I knew what he needed.

THIS!

A cuff full of magnets to hold all those items that seem to grow legs and walk away in the middle of a project.

Now, I'd like to say that I invented this brilliant item, but it would be a big fat lie. I plagiarized this one all the way.

Here is how it went:

We had a grundle of this 'donut magnets' around so I decided to use those. I found it easier to tape them together so they would slide easier into their soon to be pouches.

I put 4 magnets in a strip, but ended up having to take one off because it made for too wide of a cuff. I used a total of eight rows of three magnets. (24 in total for you non-math wizards)

I cut a piece of heavy fabric (you could use canvas, duck cloth or other similar sturdy fabric) 4 inches wide and 13 inches long. I made it much longer than I knew I needed just to make sure it wasn't too short. Keep in mind what the user might be wearing when using this; heavy coat? t-shirt? hoodie? this will help you to know how much variance you'll need in the placement of the Velcro and the overall length.

With your fabric pinned together wrong sides out, sew it into a long 'tube' leaving one thin end open. Turn the tube right side out.

Iron it flat.

Sew a reinforcement stitch all around the right side of the tube.

Next, attach your Velcro piece on the end, side to side. This piece will be the scratchy part of the Velcro, not the fuzzy one. You will sew this on by hand later on. I used the Velcro with sticky backing but wished I hadn't because it made a mess on my sewing machine needle, breaking the thread.

Sew a stitch side to side to make the start of your first 'pouch' for the magnet strip.

Slide the magnet strip in and get it placed snugly against the stitch you just made.

You can see that I already snugged in and secured one magnet strip and am now ready to sew in the next one. Having the magnets in little pouches like this makes the cuff easy to bend and wrap around your wrist.

Repeat this with all of your magnet strips until you are about 3 inches from the open end of the tube.

Now stick on the two fuzzy pieces of the Velcro (about 3 inches long each) on the opposite side from the where you placed the scratchy Velcro piece. Place them lengthwise so you will have some play in the tightness of the cuff and so it will fit many sizes. Put it about half an inch from the end of the tube. (at this point you will have needed to decide how long you want the final product to be. Cut it to that length, plus half in inch for your seam.)

Continue with the placement of the magnet strips, making sure to secure the Velcro while stitching across.

When you are at the end of the tube, leave a little space so you can fold the ends down and sew it closed with a clean edge.

See? You can do that, no problem.

Sew that baby shut, making sure your Velcro is nice and secure. You may want to use matching thread to your fabric so you can't see the horrible mess made with the stitching. These colors worked good for photos though.

Now you need to tackle the scratchy Velcro you put on at the start. You'll need a hand needle and some thread for this. I also needed some pliers because of the sticky backing on the Velcro made it hard to pull/push through.

Sew the Velcro on until it is secured all the way around.

Ta Da!

Now you should have a completed item, ready to save you hours of searching for lost bolts or just out of reach hand tools.

See, just like magic!

The magnets are strong enough to hold what you need, yet not so strong that you can't get what you need off of the cuff.

(I should have been a hand model. Too bad I am missing a finger on my other hand, blew that career.)

Let me know if you have advice on how to make this better.

I'll see if I can try to stay out of the art room for a few more weeks!

Make Something Today

2011-12-07T20:25:00.004-07:00

You know when the weather gets all crummy and cold and you feel like staying in your jam-jams all day?

Yah, me too.

Here is my solution to this problem:

1: Remove said jam-jams and put on 'real' clothes.

2: Scour your junk drawers, craft cupboards and recycle bins for useful items.

3: Get that noggin working in overdrive to think of a creative way to put those random do-dads to work for you.

4: MAKE SOMETHING COOL (or something super lame, either way, you are out of your jam-jams and are getting the brain juices flowing.)

5:Tell someone about it! Give it away as a gift or keep it for yourself and actually use it!

Who couldn't use more storage containers around the house? All I need for this one are some snaps.

Now, if you happen to decide to make something of a food variety, here is what I would suggest:

...first of all, keep in mind I do not like items that include that bottled marshmallow stuff, so if this next option appeals to you and you plan on giving it to me, keep that in mind :) ....

SPICE NUTS

Dry nuts for 20 min. at 350 on a cookie sheet.

mix together:

1 egg white beaten

3/4c sugar

3 Tbs water

Add:

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. allspice

Add to:

4c walnuts

Spread on buttered pan, cook at 250 for 45min.

Nearly everyone could pull this one off and let me tell you what, they are delicious! My sister in law was good enough to give us some of these delectable morsels, only to get me hooked and craving more!

Or how about making someones day? Easy enough, right? Write them a letter, give them a call, stop by unannounced (at a decent hour!), put a little note in their lunch box or rub their feet. It's the small things, baby, the small things.

If nothing else, write a paragraph or two in a journal somewhere. It will be a kick to look back on it in a bunch of years after you have forgotten all about it.

No matter what you do, just do something. Your jam-jams will thank you for it.

2011-12-04T12:49:00.002-07:00

I have recently realized that leasing out your house is not as wonderful as selling it outright. The reason for this is that you may still be responsible to take care of things around the old leased out house as well as your new house. This was the case with us and our house on Binford this weekend.

Since that crazy windstorm whipped through town and left havoc in its wake, we ended up having a tree in our old back yard try to take a dirt nap.

The neighbor, whose house the tree was hanging over, called to tell us there was a wee little problem. We arrived to find the tree leaned against our fence and their patio surround-and thank goodness for those because I think they were somewhat holding it up from toppling onto his roof.

Aaannnnnyway, Dad came down and gave us advice and words of encouragement, along with the suggestion of hiring the task of cutting it down, out to someone who knew what they were doing.

As you can guess, we didn't take that advice too seriously since we love a good challenge. After putting our gigantic brains together, we came up with a fairly safe solution:

Have Mr. The King climb that up that tilted sucker and cut it down! We'll stand below being comfortably grounded on our own two feet, shouting instructions and lowering down the cut off bits with a rope.

So up he went!

Now, keep in mind that the tree was really not rooted so well anymore, and there was an occasional wind that picked up and caused a sway, which caused the Mr. to cling and pray!

Bit by bit he hacked away until it was short enough to just chop down from the base.

The old neighbor in his dress shirt and slacks came and helped, acting like a little kid helping his dad work on the car. It was classic.

We were thankful to have Dads help as well as his amazing power tools. As it were, we bought 2 chainsaws the night before, prior to hearing about this tree situation, but the one was dull as a butter knife, and the other needs some tlc.

I was also thankful that there were no severed (human) limbs!

We took 2 trips to the green waste facility in Ogden (with the trusty trailer!!) and let me tell you, that place was PACKED! I have been there before and normally see 2 or 3 other cars, but that day there was a line out to the road and the debris pile was gianormous!

We tried talking them into letting us take the pieces that were cut up and suitable for firewood, but they said they sell it.

The nerve.

And finally, who doesn't love a good cameo by a semi-famous actor who gives George Clooney a run for his money?

Sooooooo Fulll...

2011-12-01T17:16:00.004-07:00

Today was blustery here, but apparently not as blustery as at our old house in Ogden.

I had a hankering for some cinnamon rolls or monkey bread while being shut in, but I ended up with a combo, sticky buns!

They were super easy but took about 3 hours all together with letting them rise and be amazing. Let me tell you, it was worth it!

The recipe calls for pecans, but as luck would have it, my best bro came to visit with his fam and they brought me a 5 gallon bucket of home grown walnuts in their shells. So today, as I watched The Game, (check out the trailer!) I cracked walnuts in preparation for the sticky buns.

While Jason fixed the snow blower with his clever genius brain, I whipped up some buns!

Let's just say, I don't think he minded that I didn't help him.

Now please, will you all come over and eat some sticky buns so they don't all stick to my buns?

I think I could easily eat the whole pan.

Here is where I got the recipe: http://www.recipe.com/pecan-honey-buns/

I love when a delicious plan comes together.

Backyard Beauty Soon To Be

2011-11-28T22:50:00.002-07:00

I am itching for Spring so so bad already. That is a bad thing since Winter really isn't even totally here.

I am anxious to work in the yard and make it a thing of beauty. I'm thinking a little something like this:

or perhaps along these lines:

or, maybe this with a house for chickens:

Either way, I am ready to move some dirt! I just gotta work up a plan so it isn't all willy-nilly in the end. Planting trees is for sure on the agenda, starting with a walnut tree from my brother and his family. Any and all tree starts (except the thorny kind) as gifts will be accepted :)

The Old Timer

2011-11-23T16:05:00.002-07:00

I am a huge fan of coal or wood heat, as opposed to a furnace.

Our new place has the Old Timer. It is super heavy and can get super hot to warm us through. My brilliant friend Dawn from New Zealand knows a thing or two about wood stoves and she gave me the idea to put a pot of soup on there and let it simmer. Good thinking! I did just that.

I also put a pot of water on there to add a bit of humidity to our dry winter and my wimpy itchy skin.

We got the turkey carcass from Thanksgiving dinner from Mr. The Kings parents house and I made some delicious turkey stock on the Old Timer. Oh...it tastes good and it smelled great! I'll make good use of that for sure.

Aside from the usefulness of the Old Timer, it does require a bit of maintenance here and there. We found out the previous owners had not cleaned out the stove pipe in 4 or more years so we knew we best get on that if we didn't want our house to burn down.

We cleaned out the pipe and stove today and let me tell you, it REALLY needed it!

Mr. The King braved the metal roof and swept out the pipe, then I was on the task of getting all the debris from the elbow. There was a lot of crud piled up in there.

This is what it looked like when I took off the pipe, no Photoshop involved here!

Living in the country is fun and there is always something to do around the house or yard.

There are reasons you don't see farmers at the gym.

Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow. You probably won't hear from me for a day or two as I will surely be in a turkey hangover haze.

Here It Comes

2011-11-21T09:17:00.004-07:00

I suppose my wishing and hoping couldn't hold of the truth of the oncoming winter any longer. The first real storm of the season brought us about 8-9 inches of the fluffy stuff.

The fluff started falling around 8 a.m. and didn't stop until about 9 that night. We have a metal roof which is good, but also bad since the snow falls off all sides of the house right onto the sidewalk, front steps and in front of our wood pile. A solution had to be found.

Enter THE LAWNBOY.

We found this snowthrower (not called a snowBLOWER like I once thought) on KSL.com and stopped to see it on our way to early Thanksgiving dinner at the in-laws. We encountered the strangest business situation at WOW Auto on 3rd and Washington. They also had a thrift type shop running there with the motley-est looking crew of workers imaginable. As we show up, no less than 5 gruff looking guys, clad in leather jackets or dingy work ware swarm on us to try and unload this unfortunate machine on some unsuspecting schmucks.

They knew what wrong with the machine, I am convinced, but cleverly ran it just so to hide the problems from us. Well, we got the machine for $50 less than asking price only to discover why they let it go cheaper, once we got home. I suppose it is lucky for us that Jason knows a thing or two about carburetors and that the part we need to fix it is less than $10.

Do yourself a good deed and do not shop at WOW Auto. Seriously.

With all the snow at once, our poor backyard tree suffered the onslaught. At least we will have some firewood from it. Now we gotta get a chain saw, but not from WOW.

We were thankful it didn't fall on the house; it did try to take out my precious trailer though.

The boat trailer is now ready for winter and we are thankful to have a workshop to tinker on stuff in. I am sure we will make full use of that space.

Here's to hoping for a mild winter full of beautiful days and fun. I, personally, am looking forward to the Winter Solstice to get some more sunlight each day.

Homage to Harbor Freight and their Trailers

2011-11-17T17:30:00.004-07:00

The above photo is how my trailer started out. It was shiny and red and had no top. 'Some Assembly Required' was no joke. The trailer came in a very tidy box, no two pieces already put together. Wait, I lied, the rubber tire was on the rim.

Many hours later and much head scratching, I had me a new toy!

Over time it has been altered, painted and generally beat up.

I'll tell you, this puppy can haul some goods! The latest is our haul of coal. The hubby put expanded metal down in place of plywood and that was a brilliant move. Having those little holes is perfect to drop some of the dust and tiny pieces of coal that are useless anyway.

As it were, it seems like every time I go for coal, a fancy car follows behind me-but only for a short time. First real bump I hit and they back off fast to try and avoid the bouncing mini pebbles. I know. I know. Not too responsible, but it is effective.

We have been wondering what we were going to put the coal in once we got it. Today I figured it out! After some question asking and basic nosiness, I met a guy named Kim at Preston Plastics who agreed to GIVE ME the perfect coal container. Enter, the Collapsible Blue Box.

How great is that?! Kim handed me off to Chad who was kind enough to load that box on my dear trailer with his forklift, saving us both some heavy lifting. Lucky for me if I ever need any other plastic goods, Chad works for donuts.

Now, after sifting through all that coal dust and useless rocks, letting the crud fall through to later be dealt with (can you believe all that crud! I gotta find someone who can use that because this happens every time) ....

...you are then left with a proper box with a drop down front door for the best coal holding contraption ever known to man, or woman! Free is always good too.

Back to my homage to Harbor Freight; don't get me wrong, that store sells some super junky tools, but one of the best and useful purchases I ever made was that little trailer. If you happen to own a human sized car and not one of those giant crazy trucks, do yourself a favor and pay Harbor Freight a visit. Plop down about 200 bones. Set aside 3 hours or so of your life and you too can have a toy that will follow you anywhere and will even hold your purse without complaining.

(and just in case anyone was wondering, yes, those are clothes on the line in the middle of November. The new dryer is on the fritz and wash had to be done!)

A Typical Day Like Today

2011-11-16T13:28:00.004-07:00

Being as I haven't found a job yet (Mom and Dad--I'm working on it!) there is time to do many things in a day. Here is a glimpse of my day so far.

Normally I wake up and head to the fire room and check to see if we are left with ashy ashes, chunky ashes or burning wood. The answer to this will determine the difficulty we have in getting the fire roaring again. This morning, lucky for me, it was chunky burning ashes. Easy!

After that, I plug in the tea kettle and make me a cup, then sit and gaze out my front window.....ahhhhh....sip. sip.

Following that, is it time to lay unholy waste to the flies that have creeped their way in somehow during the night. Kill! Kill! Zap! Zap! Vacuum up the carcasses.

We seriously have an insane fly problem. So so gross.

After that, I go and check to see how my farm maggots are doing. Looking good today! These are a good way to supplement my income. You'd be amazed what people in the country like to eat.

Ha ha!! Got you! This is just rice I have out to dry. Bet you believed it was maggots since I just got done telling you about the sick flies!

Oh man, I am so funny.

We had a shortage of storage (say that ten times fast!) here at our new place, so we decided to build some shelves. And VIOLA! Here is what we came up with.

These will be great for when we have triplet children, we will already have the bunk beds!

Sometimes I get lucky and really do have some actual money paying work to do, like these decals I whipped up. The vinyl cutter is my only piece of printing business equipment I have functioning right now. That is a bit depressing.

This next little ditty was actually from last night, but it had to make the presentation. Just before moving out of our Ogden house, I got a bidet, as per hubbys request. Since we were heading out of dodge, I didn't install it there. Now, 3 months later, here it is in all its glory!! We have yet to use it. I'm a bit wary of the coldness.

Don't you just love that darling toilet seat? I think we had to pay extra for the house for that to stay here. It is one of those wonderful ones that are poofy and go 'ppppfffttttttt' when you sit on it. That has got to go!

This next photo is also not from today but is a very accurate representation of how I generally have to add in acting a fool at some point of the day.

I mean, who doesn't want to look like a bear at any given moment?

I do plan on brushing my teeth and getting out of my pjs today. Maybe I'll do that when the hubster calls me on his way home from his new job at a fabrication shop.

Ok, gotta go fill those shelves!

Any ideas for dinner?

A Quick Summer Summary

2011-11-09T20:45:00.006-07:00

Whoa! Summer!? What summer?

This has been One Crazy Summer for me and my main man.

As of August 21st we were homeless, well, not exactly homeless. My sis borrowed us her retro camper trailer to live in-and live in it we did....

....for 2 months-in Jason's grandmas backyard in Layton!

Lucky for us she had a great yard for camping in the city. A pond out your front door never hurt anybody.

We celebrated our 2nd anniversary with all you can eat sushi and a night at the movies. Some relaxing time was much appreciated after moving our house and our friends house within 1 week of each other. It was insanely hot for a bit of the summer in that trailer and I basically lived in my swim suit top and shorts during that time.

We attended the wedding of our friends and this was how I looked the morning after. This is after locking my keys in the car and having to bum rides home. Good thing we weren't the only ones at the Stones wedding! What a hit!

And what summer would be complete without a float down the Ol' Weber River? Jo, Jason and I had the place pretty much to ourselves that day-well, other than the photo shoot people shedding their clothes in the background.

I went with my dear Mom to the Women's Conference and Cooking Show. We got a lot of free samples and I even won a gift basket from the drawing! What a wonderful day to spend with my Mommie.

This summer I also helped my parents build a cabin in a very unique style. It was awesome! I learned a lot and had a great time spending time with the family. My parents are so creative!

Ooops, I don't have a photo of it completed. I'll get right on that.

We got crafty with our activities while living in the trailer. Who doesn't love shooting hornets with the B-B gun? Ping! Pow!

And then.....

We moved to a REAL house! Yahoo!!

(Yah, I wouldn't have wanted to be following me on the freeway either)

Can you believe it!? A house? It is amazing and in a great location, if not a little too far from the family.

We are now officially Idaho residents. I can prove it! I even got my new drivers license today. I only missed 2 questions on the written exam.

(Did you know that if there is an open range cattle road sign posted, and you cream one of said cattle, YOU have to pay for it and the damages to your car? FYI)

The house came complete with an AMAZING garden. I am excited to have it bursting at the seams next year.

Oh, now this was a glorious moment, when the U-Haul was nearly empty and we could sit down and nearly die. Hello, aching back.

Another fantastic thing that happened was my dear parents celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. 40 years!! How about that? Not too common now days and I am glad to say my folks have stayed together. What great examples they are to me.

Yep. I love 'em.

My Dad also celebrated his 60th birthday the same day as their anniversary. What a monumental day.

I also gained another year in my life. This was the sunrise of my birthday looking out our bedroom window. I really cannot complain.

Jason took me on an outing to some hot pots near us called Maple Grove something or another. We had the soak of the year! The moon was huge and bright and it was good to take a breather after all that unpacking.

We got a day after birthday visit from the Parents with a personalized cake and a hearty birthday song. Really I am such a lucky girl.

We accomplished a lot that day and now we have a wood pile to prove it!

Well, that was a super condensed catch up for you since you haven't seen hide nor hair of me for quite some time.

Bottom line..........

I love my parents and my family.

I love living in the country.

I love not hearing the neighbors barking dogs.

I love not having to come to a complete stop at stop signs.

I love donating stuff that I haven't used in over a year.

I love knowing I am loved.

let me rephrase that

2011-08-10T21:24:00.003-06:00

My dear pal pointed out to me that my last post was misleading. I am not getting divorced or anything like that. My brain is mush and not much that comes out makes sense right now.

All is well on the home front, so no worries. Only thing is there soon won't be a home front. We gotta be out of our house in less than 2 weeks. Oh the joys of moving....

2011-07-14T15:39:00.003-06:00

I just watched the documentary called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. It was a great story about healthy eating and changes in lifestyle as far as eating goes.

The show focused mainly on drinking fresh juice and I wondered if any of you have had experience with that? I have been drinking the Green Monster, but that is whole fruits and veggies blended to a liquid-but in the show they toss the solids. I'd love to hear what you all think and know about the differences and pros and cons to both.

Here's to our health!

How in the World??

2011-07-13T20:55:00.005-06:00

Check out this awesome video about 3-D printers. It is really amazing. I would REEEEeeeeeallly like to have one of these. Anyone wanna go halfsies? (thanks to Kert for sharing)

http://youtu.be/ZboxMsSz5Aw

Have an idea filled week!

Oh wait! Check out the hat I made yesterday while watching Project Runway. The show inspired me to sew something and the hat is what I came up with. It is my new favorite and Jason thought it was professional....from a store! Ha! Tricked him good!

Summer Livin'

2011-07-08T17:23:00.004-06:00

The other night our new neighbors asked me if I knew anything about bees. I said 'sorta, what's your question?'

As it turns out, she had spotted a swarm of bees in her tree out front. The swarm was about the size of a good sized cantaloupe and there they were, swaying in the wind on a tiny branch about 25 feet up.

Immediately my brain starts running around because I have ALWAYS wanted a bee hive of my own, ever since my parents worked them when I was a kid, and I was trying to figure out a way that these new residents could be mine!

Round and round my wheels spun until I had to face the fact that I wasn't in a position to take and care for a bee hive. After I dried my unseen tears, I called my Dad to see if he wanted them. He has a friend who is a bee farmer so he sent him down to collect his new pets.

I wish I had taken photos of the whole event, but as it was, I didn't even get a single one. The above photo was poached off an amazing blog called Wayward Spark.

Dad's friend showed up with a little stick with a crooked piece of metal on the end for snagging the branch. The branch was wayyyyy too high and the stick was way to wimpy for this purpose. Solution?? Jason! Up the tree! Now keep in mind that he was wearing only shorts and shoes, no shirt, no pant legs, nada.

Up he climbed as far as he could until the branches worth standing on gave out. Wouldn't you know it, once we were ready to get the show on the road, the wind picked up. Jason hung on for dear life-swishing and a swaying!

After careful placement of the bee box, a good shake of the limb sent a fair number of the bees down and into their new home. A lot of the critters didn't actually make it into the box and were sitting on the sidewalk seeming quite dazed. As soon as Bee Man, Derwin, sprayed the special spray into the box, the bees did an about face and marched right into the box! It was so amazing to watch.

There were still a good number of bees still in the tree, and perhaps the queen as well. Jason gave the branch another shake that wasn't very effective, so we waited for a break in the wind for Jason to lop the branch off, bees and all. It worked out amazingly and I was so glad to be able to see that process.

I'm only jealous I couldn't adopt them to be mine :)

In other news, I have an abundance of flowers that need a home. I was lucky to get so many flowers from work that were otherwise going to be dumped in the trash.

I have used all I can in my yard, and the others are waiting patiently on my driveway for a change of scenery.

So what I am saying is, COME AND GET THEM! Any of you can come and take all you want. Make your yard beautiful-for free!

Seriously, I can't plant anymore flowers in my yard. It is overflowing!

And would you look at this! A for reals pony tail- on my head! It's amazing!

I don't remember the last time I could do this. Never mind that it is only an inch long :) It is a pony tail nonetheless.

Happy summer my dears!

The Fourth Weekend

2011-07-06T22:01:00.002-06:00

We had a great fishing trip over the Fourth Weekend, amazingly, since that is typically the worst time to camp.

We went to Newton and had good luck with the Muskies. This was my first one of the night. Jason also caught one. It was great!

Yah, I CAN make a BB gun look dangerous!

I hope you all had a memorable 4th celebration. Happy Birthday America!

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T16:46:00.004-06:00

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope we can all remember what today is really for. It is for the people who have risked their lives for our freedom and also for those we knew and loved who are no longer with us.

Today we went on a Sunday drive, even though it is Monday, and we ended up in Plain City where there is all sorts of flooding going on. We tromped out into a field to a canal to try and track down the elusive asparagus that grow there.

We got plenty soaked, but saw hide nor hair of any of those tasty green stalks.

I have been making sewn hats the past couple of days. I haven't gotten a perfect one yet, I need to tweak the pattern, but I'm getting there! If any of you have patterns or suggestions for patterns for sewn hats, I'd love to hear about them!

5K Fun

2011-05-09T11:54:00.006-06:00

A few summers ago I was really enjoying entering 5K races. I did a couple with Mom and a few on my own and one with Jason (he said it was horrible and he would never do one again. I thought he might puke at the end!) I was never the fastest, or the slowest, and I always finished :)

Two winters back I hurt my knee snowboarding so 5K

's took a back seat, like, back of the bus back seat. My knee still gives me grief but I can't stop living!

My gal pal Janaca asked me to do a 5k with her this past Saturday so I thought, why not? We did it and it was a blast! We enjoyed seeing the amazing flowers and other plants looking mighty magnificent and colorful.

We weren't the first, and we weren't the last-and we finished :)

This was her first 5K or race event ever and I am really proud of her for doing this. Yahoo for Janaca!

Fresh Squeezed? YES Please!

2011-05-05T18:16:00.003-06:00

To start things off, I have a serious issue with grocery stores and restaurants tossing out sort of bad/squishy food. It really bums me out that when, at a grocery store, a banana has a little brown spot on it, out it goes when someone (like me) could use that banana in so many ways!

Today I was on the prowl at Misc. Pickins and I saw a sad sight, the workers were tossing about 15 cases of food into the dumpster. Urgh!! When I went inside I found they were giving away, for free, some of the fruit they were throwing out. I got about 15-20 pounds of these beautiful fruits. I think they are tangelos.

I snatched them up and resigned myself to make fresh squeezed O.J. out of them. And I did! I used my Grandma Wright's old glass juicer and a big jar I scored at a yard sale for a quarter and squeezed away! I was drinking my Green Monster while making green monster ice cream in the rolling ball ice cream maker with my feet under the table.

(Please don't be scared about me using a sheet rock bucket for my food container. It is thoroughly washed)

After all was said and done, I had 1.5 gallons of fresh juice! Now all I need are some people to come over to drink it with me. Only come if you like pulp in your juice!

I am sure you are wondering what I will do with all the peels?? Well I will dry them and use them in my green tea! I am on the lookout for dried hawthorn berries, do any of you know where to get them?

YUM!! Gotta love fresh and gotta love free!

Could It Be??

2011-05-01T19:48:00.004-06:00

We went house hunting today and found one that called our name. It has serious potential. We are in the process of finding out the parcel size and shape-but we love it! We shall wait and see....

The potential new front yard.

After driving around I saw something really sad that made me question my eyes. Check out the serious sway back on this poor horse.

I'm telling ya, it didn't look real. How is this even possible??

This horse is like an anti camel back. Amazing and sad.

Our house is still for sale, so tell your friends and help us get it sold!! Much thanks :)

http://www.utahrealestate.com/report/display/report/full/listno/979590/type/1

Sweet Sweet Summer Time

2011-04-26T21:46:00.003-06:00

I'm not going to mess around this summer! It is cute rompers and fun fabrics for me. I think I'll have to get out my sewing machine and make some beauties of my own.

You can buy this here, but I might beat you to it at that price of $27!

Here is a good staring point for a cute little sleeveless dress.

I could go for this one too, but maybe with a little more length to it.

And how about this little number?

It is time for a style change! I'm on the hunt!

Let's have a sewing party!! Come on over! Bring a pattern and a smile.

Sweet Little Angel

2011-03-26T16:37:00.008-06:00

I know a sweet little angel who is now light upon her wings.

I know this little angel who's now dancing with the kings.

She sees and hears and laughs and sings.

Loving-- oh loving, those long awaited things.

This tiny little angel always so softly sat.

Her challenges were obvious but she didn't much complain of that.

Her eyes they failed, the ears left too, her kindness never went.

This tiny little angel for all of us was certainly heaven sent.

She may have been misunderstood, but wanted just one thing.

She wanted love and God and John, and JJP to have her ring.

All alone in her life long test,

She tried and gave and did her best.

This sweet little angel most certainly will be missed.

Our final time we spent alone was shorter than I wished.

So thank you to our tiny friend so full of love and light.

We cherish the moments we got to share before you went to wings of white.

Joyce Peterson

April 1st, 1914-March 25th, 2011

Pedal! Pedal! Pedal!

2011-03-20T10:45:00.002-06:00

If you haven't been on the Ogden Parkway trail system, you really should give it a whirl. On the trail you'll be able to see where 2 rivers converge, lots of big rocks that were 'harvested' from near where I grew up, a lot of very interesting people and pets, a lot of discarded clothes and trash and lots and lots of beautiful trees and plants. Really, you need to go.

Mom, Dad and I took a great bike ride on the trail on Friday and encountered 2 flooded zones where we had to detour. I wanted to ride through them but the wisdom of my parents talked me out of it. The rivers were really swollen and they looked entirely different than when I was there 5 days earlier.

I love that trail and riding my bike there; I mean, who wouldn't want to visit the site of our local city dump? Really though, it is a great place to spend the day.

Go have a look for yourself.

You Don't Say...

2011-03-06T20:20:00.003-07:00

I have a major liking for clocks of all sorts, pocket watches, free standing or wall clocks, you name it.

Perhaps this liking is to remind me of what can actually be done with my ticking by time.

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Louis Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Da Vinci, and Albert Einstein.” ~H. Jackson Brown

Have a great week!

I hope we can all do something that makes the ticking worth it.

Grab it and use it!

There's Something In The Cupboard!

2011-02-25T20:41:00.003-07:00

When I brought it home it was a harmless little thing

With firm papery skin and just a tiny stem of green.

I tucked it away in a cool dark place

Then somewhat forgot about it and got on with the race.

Each day I passed the slumbering plant within

Not thinking twice that it was out to win!

Later, on what was a dark and stormy night

I needed a hot pad I had stored out of sight.

Then LO! and BEHOLD! What have we here?!

A creature in the cupboard-worthy of fear.

It wriggled in the shadows of the cool dark place

And I shuddered and screamed "Don't eat my face!"

I stood there in horror but heard not a sound

I looked 'round the room sheepishly-not a soul to be found.

I mustered my courage to take one more peek

Being grateful that the monster, actually, was only kin to a leek.

I stood tall and brave with the bulb sitting there

Now knowing it less creature-ish I could cap off my fear.

I grabbed the pot holder and got out the hot dish

Feeling embarrassed and silly and needing a wish.

I wish for no one to know of this night

When a sprouting out onion caused me a fright!

Finally....

2011-02-17T19:55:00.001-07:00

Some graffiti isn't all that bad.

What We Can Now Know

2011-02-11T21:41:00.003-07:00

I love this little cartoon:

It makes me think of Jason because whenever there is something we don't know, he says, "Why don't we Google it?"

Dewey Decimal System?? What is that?

Card catalog? Huh?

Encyclopedia? Index?

Gotta love it.

What is THAT?

2011-02-08T12:19:00.002-07:00

As we all know, there are a lot of strange things to be found on the internet, but SERIOUSLY...WHAT IS THAT!

And go ahead and guess the price tag-I'll give you a moment.....

$2,500!!!

For real!

Bust out the piggy bank!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/37563558/vessel?ref=fp_treasury_5

Another Tasty Treat

2011-02-05T20:19:00.004-07:00

These are my patented nut bars. Ok, so they aren't really patented (that process is amazingly difficult!), but I did make them!

These pack a wallop and are great to throw in your pack for a day out on the town or out in the woods. I keep a couple in my glove box for when I am out and about and get hungry, it keeps me from caving in to fast food.

The photo above is after coming out of the freezer.

These couldn't be easier to make and they are so delicious at a cheap per piece price. The entire batch is about $5- $7.

What you gotta do is this:

Go to your local favorite store that has bulk bins. I LOVE BULK BINS!!

The main nut in this bar is raw Spanish peanuts, skins on. I also use pumpkin seeds, chopped almonds, flax seed, old fashioned oats, sesame seeds, dried apricots chopped up and dark chocolate chips. You'll also need some peanut butter and honey. The process is easy and fast.

First-put a big glob of peanut butter in a large sauce pan over low heat. By a big glob, I mean about a cup. You can use more or less, or none at all depending on your taste. You may want to leave it out all together if you are allergic to nuts. Haha. I am so funny.

Next, add about a cup of honey to the peanut butter and mix them together. Once they are nice and melted, start throwing in the nuts and other goodies, but hold off on the chocolate.

Jason loves them! At least he does now that he has tried them and is done making fun of my 'Hippie' food.

For this batch, I used about 5-6 cups of Spanish peanuts. Keep in mind, all of these amounts can be changed based on your tastes. You can add pretty much anything to this recipe that suites your fancy .

I used about 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds,

1/2 cup flax seed,

2 cups rolled oats,

3/4 cup chopped almonds,

1 cup chopped dried apricots and

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips.

After everything is mixed together and are getting along, put a big piece of wax paper on a large cookie sheet. Spray it with non stick spray then dump the mixture onto it. Put your hand in a baggie, spray it with the non stick spray and press down the mix to be nice and flat. (If you notice that the mixture is not really sticking together very well, put it all back into the pot and add more honey.) Once the mix is all sticking together and is on the pan getting a little bit cooler, put on the chocolate chips, using the baggie to press them in so they don't just roll off. If you want them all melted, you can put them on earlier.

After the mix is all pressed down, put the whole cookie sheet in the freezer. You may need more than one pan, depending on the size of your batch. Let it chill out for about half hour then take it out and cut into whatever size bars you want-maybe do some small ones for the kid-o's.

I can get a gallon sized bag out of one batch, about 35-40 bars.

Spanish peanuts are 160 calories for one ounce, so you can kind of get a rough idea of how many calories are in each bar, basing it off of that-if you care.

Let me know what changes you make to yours.

Enjoy!

Lower Fat Banana Bread

2011-02-04T20:19:00.004-07:00

I made some super easy and DELICIOUS banana bread tonight with a lower fat and sugar content. Here is how it went down:

4 very ripe bananas

3/4 c all purpose flour

3/4 c ground whole wheat flour (you can use all white flour if you prefer)

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 TBS softened butter

dash of salt

1 egg

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp pure almond extract

3 TBS apple sauce

chocolate chips (optional)

nuts (optional)

1 Mash bananas in a bowl.

2 Add all other ingredients and mix well.

3 Pour into 2 greased loaf pans (or you can pour it all into one, but it rises enough that you can split it in half).

4 Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Based on the original recipe, I omitted 1/3 cup sugar, added whole wheat flour, cut down the butter and added apple sauce.

The bread turned out awesome! Very moist and not dense as a rock like whole wheat can tend to do.

You should try and make some too! They have FREE bananas at Carl Super Saver on Harrison right now that are perfect for this recipe. There, now you have no excuses.

Oh! and for dinner I had the most yummy Savory Oatmeal for dinner, compliments of my fantastic cooking friend, Lauren at Goldteef.

I stole the photo from her! but mine tasted as good as that looks.

Click the link to get the recipe from her site.

Wal-Mart-ICK!

2011-02-04T11:47:00.011-07:00

I don't know if any of you hate Wal-Mart as bad as I do.

Let me tell you just one reason (among many) why I am certainly not a fan.

As most of you know, I own and run my own screen printing business. I charge a very fair price for custom printed shirts and I do them in a timely manner and I do a good job.

Well, when I quote people, on average, $6 for a CUSTOM PRINTED shirt, they gripe and say "I can get a t-shirt for $5 at Wal-Mart."

First, my blood begins a slow simmer, then the bubbles turn into a rolling boil while I try to remain professional, calm and friendly.

Yes, tis true my dear customer. However, have you ever asked them to put your name and logo on said $5 tee for just a dollar more when you only want 6 shirts anyway? Oh no?

Didn't think so.

This is a diagram of the Wal-Mart locations in the US alone.

Wal-Mart is taking over and it is easy to see why, their prices ARE very low and it IS one-stop shopping, but have you seen the documentary on this time saving institution called Wal-Mart, The High Cost of Low Price?

WARNING!

You may not want to watch this movie because your shopping time might increase by having to go to more than one store out of disgust for Wal-Mart.

I was super disappointed to learn that Ogden is building a Wal-Mart on 21st and Wall. Ogden's political folks claim they are all about the Mom and Pops shops and, "lets make 25th Street the next big thing!" when a mere 4 blocks away, all the blood of the Moms and Pops will soon be sucked dry. Do they really expect that 25th will thrive with the new monster down the way, and two other demons less than 5 miles north or south?

I know times are tough for a lot of people but I BEG YOU! If you can avoid shopping at Wal-Mart and similarly minded businesses, please do!

Please! Support your local shops who provide higher quality items and who are trying to earn an honest living.

Support those who work with their hands.

Support the fact that your item was made locally and not shipped thousands of miles from horrible working conditions.

Support the craftsman who cares what dove tail joint and color of glue is binding together your amazingly handmade clock.

Support the worker who knows your name and cares about your sick cat.

Support your neighbor who you may not know personally but you know they are your neighbor.

Support the farmer who knows what plant your tomato was picked from and the name of the cow you are enjoying.

While these things may cost more, very few of us are concerned about paying that high price for that gi-normous tele in the living room, or the chrome wheels on the auto in the driveway. Our priorities need to shift to what really matters and that is people. Local people.

Simplify. Shop local. Reuse. Breathe.

A Request Blog

2011-01-24T09:15:00.003-07:00

A friend of mine, (Goldteef) requested that I blog post this, so here it is for your facial pleasure.

The face mask is SO easy. Of course you can add any variation you want. Here it is:

Red Beet, Wild Yam and Pineapple Face Mask

1 12 oz can diced red beets

1 12 oz can wild yams

1 12 oz can pineapple, chunk, crushed or other

water

1 cup sugar

In a small saucepan, bring enough pineapple juice and water to equal 2 cups to a boil. Add 1 cup sugar and boil down to a syrup.

Meanwhile, blend together the beets, yams and pineapple into a puree.

Cool the syrup a bit then mix with the puree.

You can freeze this mixture because it will make quite a bit. When you are ready to use, thaw some out, for enough for one treatment, add 1 tsp clay mask powder, 1 tsp honey and 1 tsp yogurt (optional) or coconut milk (for a soft residue). Put it on yo' face and do something else for 15 minutes or so. Wash off and feel fantastic!

I use this mask AFTER I do this one:

Pumpkin, Papaya, Pineapple Mask

1 large can pumpkin puree

1 fresh papaya with seeds spooned out

1 small can crushed pineapple

1 TBS apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp powdered ginger

OPTIONAL:

1 cup honey

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup yogurt or coconut milk

Blend it all together and slap it on your face. It is nice if it is slightly warmed first. Wear it for about 15 minutes or until it is pretty dry.

I use the masks AFTER I do this:

scrub my face clean with a coconut milk and salt/sugar scrub. Or you can just wash your face well with a rag or other scrub.

As a final touch, I like to moisturize with a mix of coconut milk and olive oil. You'll feel greasy for a bit until it absorbs into your skin.

So, you got it all in reverse! I hope you'll love the recipe. Jason's sister Amy, has oodles of recipes if you ever want more. She is a face mask wizard.

Go on then, do it. Your face will thank you.

Now, THAT Makes Sense!

2011-01-23T13:19:00.001-07:00

Now You Know.

You are Welcome.

What we can learn from this guy...

2011-01-19T21:59:00.002-07:00

It would be great to do even a small percent of what this man is doing. Good on him for taking time.

If the video is cut in half, click HERE to watch it in full size.

You Could Too!

2011-01-17T14:11:00.004-07:00

Don't you love it?! Great look-right?

I have taken to giving myself food facials, after Jason's sister gave me some great face mask recipes. This one is beets, yams and a few other goodies-all edible! If any of you want the recipe, let me know and I'll post it.

I came across this quote and really liked it. It made me think...

Here's to hoping our lives will be different in a good way a year from today. Only time will tell.

You Just Never Know

2011-01-16T13:39:00.001-07:00

Hunter Becomes Hunted: A Fox Shoots a Man

When a fox was shot by a hunter, it didn't die. Instead, when the hunter tried to finish the fox off with the butt of his gun, the animal pulled the trigger of the gun and shot the hunter right back.

The man (who remains anonymous) was hunting for foxes in Belarus (who aren't protected from hunting because they transmit rabies), close to the border of Poland. After being shot from a distance, according to the police, "the animal fiercely resisted and in the struggle accidentally pulled the trigger with its paw". The fox managed to run off as friends jumped in to save the wounded man.

Obviously, a man's life is more valuable than the animal's but I can't help but think that this is some sort of twisted poetic justice.

You can read more amazing stories HERE.

NEW ORLEANS!!

2011-01-12T09:38:00.014-07:00

We finally made it to New Orleans!

I have wanted to check out this city for a long time. After THE hurricane, I was even more fascinated with the place.

A good friend of ours gave us standby tickets as our wedding gift and we finally got around to using them for this trip-perfect! Thanks Teresa!

Our first night there was just getting oriented to the street layouts. We found our hotel then took some time and milled around the city.

Well, you know how I am, I love to dumpster dive and find discarded items laying around that I can somehow use. I was disappointed that these super tall double discarded doors wouldn't fit into my carry on luggage. Aren't they amazing?!

The first hotel we stayed in was called Queen and Crescent. It was swanky and right in New Orleans. I loved the thick frames around the art there.

(CAUTION!! If staying there, keep an eye on those bank statements- they double charged us! EEK!)

We did a lot of driving around in New Orleans and spent a good amount of time in that little horseshoe shaped area there on the map.

Beware! If in New Orleans, pay attention to the copious amounts of narrow ONE WAY streets.

We explored the French Quarter the next morning and came across this fantastic band jazzing it up next to the community dumpster. I think they used it for the acoustics because they were great! I wish now that I would have bought their CD.

Who needs a fancy stage anyway?

I have, for quite some time now, wanted to eat beignets in New Orleans at Cafe Du Monde. This was on my to do list for the summer before last, but it never got checked off, until now!!

Get a load of all that powdered sugar! It was like a mountain of goodness and all the staff had the white stuff all over themselves.

These were delicious and for sure worth going for.

You should go too.

Oh, you can even get the mix to make at your own home. Somehow, I doubt they would taste as good at home.

After the delicious treats, we walked to St. Louis Cemetery, number 1, and it was so different that what I had ever seen in a cemetery. The burials are above ground, some stacked 4 folks high. The 'tombs' we very old and very dilapidated but oh so amazing. Most of them had great little iron fences surrounding them with little gates.

I got sort of sick before coming here, so I didn't spend as much time here as I would have liked. What I did see, I loved!!

After seeing the city and the cemetery, we drove 70 miles south of New Orleans to a town called Empire and stayed at J-Bar Lodge. This area is basically a half mile wide dry ditch between the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. Needless to say, it was wiped out during Katrina. The area is rebuilding and many of the people who are there now are fishermen who are working on cleaning up the current oil spill. Most of the homes here are mobile homes. This one is our hotel for the night. It actually was really great, like your own little cabin. It was so quite and had all we needed.

There was a good old boy who ran this place, complete with the chew wad. He shared his story of their Katrina experience, it is pretty amazing what he and his family went through. He said when they were able to come back to their land, bare but for the foundations of the homes, there were trailer houses up in the trees, giant ships sitting on the main road and lots and lots of mud.

If you ever go to this area, please stay at his place. The price was right!

We drove around and made it to the end, well some say the beginning, of the road. We stopped here and saw some local wildlife. Lost its head and losing its hide! What could be worse?

The best place we ate was just north of the wildlife at a place called Black Velvet Oyster Bar and Grill. Oh boy it was good! The best place we ate while there. Jason had fried oysters and they were so delicious! I wanted to gobble them all up but was busy with my tasty meal-fresh shrimp and crab cakes. DELICIOUS!

Our plans for going to Empire were so that Jason could fish there. Wouldn't you know it, when we were there it was torrential downpours of rain. Fishing trip out.

We spent the day driving around very rural areas checking out the scenery. It was really wonderful to see new sights.

We drove and drove and drove and I was ready to scream. I had to get out of that car!

We ended up at a super motel called the EconoLodge. I really do love this hotel. We also stayed at one when we went to Disneyland. Super cheap and nice enough.

The next, and last morning, we went back into New Orleans to go to the Insectarium, only to find it was closed. We ventured to the Aquarium and it too was closed. After all, it WAS Monday afternoon.

We had a great trip and were really glad to go. It was fun to see such a different type of city and to see a different culture.

We also had fun at the Las Vegas Airport during our layover there. Check out Jason's skills!

A Chilly New Year

2011-01-02T18:51:00.004-07:00

New Years Eve was a good one.

Jason and I went to see True Grit-a good flick for sure. The Dude did not fail to please.

After the movie we high tailed it to our friend Carrie and Greg's house to meet up with them and Stacey. We ate some DELICIOUS Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies (pecan balls, according to Carrie) and some tasty hummus, then we set off some fireworks at midnight. It was mellow and perfect.

I hope yours was great too!

Me and my gal pal Stacey freezing our fannies off.

Carrie among the swirling lights.

CELEBRATION!!

Today we went to the Uintahs to do some snowmobiling. Yah, it was freezing cold there too. However, it was beautiful and as always, an adventure. We encountered a 'warming cabin' and spent our lunch there. Too bad the fire wasn't burning-it was meant for 'emergencies ONLY!'

A good decieving photo though isn't it? Don't we look nice and toasty?

2011 is going well so far. Heres to keeping it that way!

Stay tuned for more adventures....

after all, that is all life is.

Thought For The Upcoming Year.

2010-12-30T22:27:00.003-07:00

“Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘Holy shit…what a ride!’”~Hunter S. Thompson

Best of luck for this upcoming year. Live it like you mean it!

Travel Overexposure

2010-12-29T18:34:00.009-07:00

As you may have heard, there is now a scanner at the airport that REALLY scans. Seems as if some folks are not too thrilled about this invasion of their privacy. The solution? Print on your undies or t-shirt with metallic ink to obscure your private bits and send a little message at the same time.

For the ladies too:

I feel the Amendments are important, but so is our safety, so I don't feel bothered by this new scanner, in fact, I am thankful for it because it's not like the good guys are going to be hiding a box cutter in their boxers. It's kind of like wanting all the guns to be turned in. Um, I don't think the criminals will be doing that so that leaves the law abiding citizens unarmed and unprotected.

What do you think on this matter?

Happy Travels!

What a Lovely Surprise

2010-11-30T11:07:00.003-07:00

Thanks to Kindle for sharing this with me.

Christmas Season officially starts tomorrow for me. I hope it is memorable and special for you and that we can all remember what it is really about and not focus on the fuzzy red suit.

Pre Thanksgiving Thanks

2010-11-24T18:58:00.004-07:00

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. I will be spending it with my family at my Parent's house.

I CAN'T WAIT!!

As kids, we are taught that Thanksgiving is traditionally a time to celebrate when the Indians and Pilgrims were finally civil to each other. Thank goodness for that moment!

I really like Thanksgiving, with the post turkey zombification and the sweet yams my mom makes that are TO DIE FOR!

I am in charge of the desserts. YUM!

I'll be making chocolate pudding pie with dark chocolate chunks, along with a fresh apple tart and finally, a lemon curd crepe cake topped with glazed lemons and fresh whipped cream.

Oh yah!

The food will be great, but I am most looking forward to hanging out with the family. I may even take my pajamas for some serious lounging.

I hope your day of Thanks is great and full of love and Thanks Giving.

Wise Words

2010-11-10T19:00:00.001-07:00

Death to the Squash

2010-10-23T19:31:00.005-06:00

Pumpkin carving time!!!

Jason picked us up some funky pumpkins yesterday so we could get our carve on. I LOVE to carve pumpkins but he always makes his so much better than mine. (I am slightly competive, I'll admit)

Here are some before and after photos. Those faint of heart may want to turn away now.

I chose the one with the great stem for a nose and he got his hands on the lazy laying down one and the itty bitty one.

Two years ago, my pumpkin ended up looking like Meat Wad from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. I didn't mean for that to happen, but it certainly did. Jason still laughs about that one.

This years culinary carving turned out a bit better. I have the stem to thank. I think they all look pretty great in the dark too.

Mine, looking somewhat like a Sesame Street character, and below, Jasons creation looking like an evil one eyed Willie.

And here is his evil little demon.

Don't you just love the smell of lit candles in a pumpkin? I know I sure do.

I swear, one of these days I just might get a photo of this man not pulling a face. He really is handsome, really.

Happy Halloween Season to all of you spooky friends!

Bwwahhhhh! HAaahhhhaaaaaa!!!

DISNEYLAND!!

2010-10-22T17:19:00.008-06:00

YAHOO!!!

Jason and I were lucky enough to be able to take a little trip to Disneyland this week.

The first day we got to California, we flew into Long Beach airport, a very strange and small airport. Jason's sister and her husband picked us up. We all went out for lunch, then they dropped us at our hotel.

We spent the evening there and walking the few block around us to see what there was to see-which happened to be a few seedy motels, a liquor store and a 2 for $1.00 taco shop. The liquor store had some amazing popsicles, and diapers.

The next day we were ready to rock! Diseyland or Bust!

It was so great! I felt like a little kid when we walked through the gates. I think Jason may have thought I was a bit bonkers.

Our first stop was the infamous Tiki Room-of which he had never seen.

Jason hadn't been to this magical location for over 15 years! He was there for the opening of the Indiana Jones ride. He had to 'wait an hour and a half to ride it! I could have watched a whole movie in that time!' was what he had to say about that. Lucky for us, the lines were so tiny, no waiting to speak of.

Perfect.

Oh, that lack of lines??? Well, it may have been due to the rain that was coming down in buckets.

I was forced to buy a Disneyland umbrella, I pratically had to sign away our future first born to pay for it.

The umbrella was much needed and much appreciated so I shouldn't complain. Plus! We were in Disneyland!!

What better way to get out of the rain than go under water? We took the Finding Nemo submarine ride-a first for both of us.

We spent some time in the Tomorrow Land and hit up Space Mountain. That is one jerky ride and we really had to hang on!

After the rain let up for us, we went to Toon Town and I tested out my strength! I've still got it!

After a good first day at Disney, we went and spent the evening with Jason's friend who lives about ten minutes from the park.

The next day we were at it again! This was to be our last day there and we had to be sure to catch our ride at 5:15 that evening at our hotel, so we had to get on it!

We had a voucher for a free park entrance from doing a volunteer event, so we decided to go to California Adventure for the day. I was a little disappointed that the park was being revamped so about half of it was closed. It was much more mellow than the Disneyland side but still really great.

We zoomed to the rollercoaster and it discombobulated me for a good few hours. Weeeeee!!!

There is a new and awesome ride with a Toy Story theme. It was like you were at a carnival and you had to play the carnival games with a shooter on the front of the car. As you can see, it is a 3-D adventure. AWESOME!! That ride ended up being our favorite of the day.

We just HAD to get the delicious sourdough bread bowls with soup. We did and we stuffed ourselves silly.

I ended up puking from getting myself sick off those puppies. We were in line for the Tower of Terror, and I had to run for the emergency exit- I only just made it! I had saved some of my leftover bread in my pocket and I couldn't stand the though of eating it after feeling sick, so I tossed it in the trash.

Jason found himself a nice catch while there. Lucky for him :)

Our trip was fantasic and after taking a shuttle to our hotel, then another to the airport, Jason was done! Hee hee. He became part of the scenery.

Actually, I made him get on that.

The vacation was great and it went so fast. I didn't want it to end.

Let's do it again!!!

Push Up Challenge

2010-10-04T09:57:00.004-06:00

Do you feel like being able to do 100 for reals push ups at one time? Yah, the kind where you are on your toes and hands.

I do.

I have started the 100 push ups challenge and it is going well.

The website with all the info is www.hundredpushups.com and it gives you an initial test to find out what level to start on.

The workout takes about 10 minutes, 3 times a week, maximum of 6 weeks. Easy Peasy.

I am on my way.

I did 40 at once yesterday.

I'm getting closer.

I never knew, until looking at this photo, that my left bicep is so much smaller than the right. Guess I better get to using it more.

I'll let you know when I hit 100. If I follow the workout plan, I should be there in about 2 weeks.

See you then. Maybe we could have an arm wrestle?

Losing the Junk In the Trunk

2010-09-29T17:24:00.008-06:00

I went shopping the other day and I was standing there in my skivvies, looking at that full length mirror looking back at me and it got me to thinking...

-Hmmmm...I don't think cottage cheese belongs on a body, much less bums and legs.

-Weird, this size fit me not too long ago.

-Suck in to do up a button? No way.

-This would fit if I cut the sleeves a bit for some wiggle room.

After my conversation with myself, I decided to get back on the good food, good exercise plan. I slacked off a bit lately due to being bored with the P90X workouts and the craziness of life. I could feel my body changing back to the 'softer' me.

I wouldn't say that I am on a 'Diet', oh how I hate that word. I'll never be on a diet again, but I will be on a lifestyle change. One day at a time and one change at a time.

I will not hate myself if I eat an ice cream cone, and I will not stay away from certain events because I feel like my butt is too big.

Nope! Not me! I will not let the extra junk in the trunk bring me down but I will do my best to make it disappear.

I have found a great site called My Fitness Pal and it is a great way to get real with my relationship with food and what the food I eat actually contains by way of calories, fat, protein and carbs where, before, it was just a guessing game.

On that site you can also get support from other members (the site is FREE!), log your food intake and exercise, join groups, read success stories and you can also make your own personal 'ticker' to keep track of your progress.

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Weight Loss Tools

I love that site and it has helped me in the past. I just have to remember to log in every day and be honest with myself.

Fitness is great!

A key thing to remember that my dear Mommie taught me today, not all thin people are in shape......

.....and not all big people are out of shape. (I can't do that maneuver, can you?)

So here's to getting on track, getting the most out of life and to getting fit!

Feel free to join me. We can make our own group.

Big Surprise

2010-09-28T18:42:00.000-06:00

So, it looks as if the 'ol Pres is weighing everyone down....

Awwwww.....

2010-09-28T18:34:00.002-06:00

I came across this cat and just had to share. I love when it puts its hands on its face.

Precious.

I just want to snuggle that fur ball.

good morning kitty by luciana on WeGIF

My Motor-ing-cycle

2010-09-09T22:38:00.005-06:00

My motoringcycle has been under the weather all summer long.

Jason described it's symptoms to Dr. Steve-o and he knew the cure!

After a bit of computer searching he knew all the right settings and was on his way over.

Steve-o and his dog saved the day!

The motorcycle runs better than ever! Now all I need is to fix the brakes and it is cherry.

Vrrooooom! Vrroooommm!

On a side note: what in the world is Bologna Baby?

CREEPY.

A New Addiction

2010-09-07T11:35:00.003-06:00

Hi All ya'all.

I have recently been sucked in to a new way to spend my money. It is called Groupon.

Each day they send me a new "Deal of the Day" that spans from discounted plays, dinners, activities and more.

It is really easy to sign up and use. Some of the daily deals may not apply to you at all, but others will rock your world!!

So far I have scored half priced dinner and a play. What a cheap date night!

Check it out!

http://www.groupon.com/r/uu5503930

You can't beat a good deal, right?

With a Little Digging

2010-09-03T17:21:00.003-06:00

Today, Pops and I went to see the Church House to assess it's wonderfulness.

We were interested in the history and construction of the building and Dad had this perfect idea to go and visit the city hall to see if we could find photos of the church in its hay day.

AND WE DID!!

As it turns out, the church was originally built in 1907 ish and was remodeled to how it looks now, from the exterior, in 1942. We can only imagine what happened between those years.

It is fair to say many color changes were made to the carpet and wallpaper.

Isn't the little white fence charming?

That may have to be put back in :)

And here it is now, in technacolor with added shrubbery and a mans leg.

When we were at the grocery store in Lewiston, Dad asked the clerk how she liked living there and explained that we were trying to buy the old Church House. A little old lady behind us chimed in saying she was very interested in our conversation because she used to OWN the Church House!!

Wha???!!!

Of all the people to be in that store at that time. She is the one who donated it to the college.

Too bad we didn't run into her BEFORE said donation...

Bottom line, the Church House RULES and MUST BE OURS!

A Little Catch Up

2010-08-30T18:20:00.004-06:00

As you may or may not know, August 22nd is something of a special day to Jason and I- after all, it is our wedding anniversary.

A year has flown by and we'll just keep on keeping on, and having fun and loving each other.

For our anniversary, Jason was in charge.

For our day activity, he chose for us to go motorbike riding at Farmington Canyon. If any of you have ever been there, you'll know that the road is like a death trap with the hillside on one side of you and a vertical plummet to certain death on the other.

This injury shown below is due to another car coming from the opposite direction not allowing enough room for Jason to get by. He went down and took a handlebar to the side.

After more than a week, it still looks painful and is bruised and scabby. What a tuff guy! Not even one tear shed! He was not at all a happy camper about it though.

We continued our ride with the skies darkening and looking more and more ominous as each tenth of a mile ticked by.

We got 13 miles up the road where we met our friend Steve-o, also on his mini trail bike. This is also the place where we met the full force of the storm.

We were at the top of Bountiful Peak with wind gusting and rain dropping and none of us were dressed for a deluge.

This photo was pre-deluge.

And we thought the little bit of wind and sprinkles was bad....

Fast forward half an hour to the outhouse, or should I say, our shelter for the afternoon.

Thankfully for us, the outhouse was new and there wasn't a fly in sight. It got us out of the wind and rain/hail for a spell.

The rain let up a bit and we decided that since we had about 12 miles to go to get back to our cars, that we had better make a run for it.

We were freezing and I was wishing I had a coat, or at least a garbage sack. Jason suggested I use the random towel I decided to bring, as a cape to keep me warm. Brilliant!! It really worked! Looking back, I wish we had taken a photo of me riding at top speed, soaking wet, with my cape flapping in the wind.

Trust me, a photo was the last thing on our minds.

Survival was at the top of the list.

After making it down safely, with a few close calls, we went to Grams and Jeff's house to warm and clean up for the rest of the evening.

We ended up at one of my favorite places to eat, RODIZIOS!! Yahoo! Meat feast!

We ate ourselves to full capacity and rolled out of there as happy campers.

It was an interesting first anniversary and I suspect all the others will be amazing and dramatic as well.

I am still loving my yellow freckled lily plant Jason gave me. I think I'll plant it, or give it a name.

Happy LOVE to all you couples and lovers!

Take That!!!

2010-08-27T15:33:00.002-06:00

I bet this Brotha feels a bit silly.

Be sure to turn your speakers on.

Enjoy your weekend and mind your P's and Q's.

Camera Conundrum

2010-08-19T19:11:00.004-06:00

I have been wanting to get a new camera that will actually take the photo RIGHT WHEN I push the 'take photo' button. The camera I have now is notorious for making me miss the moment by lagging on reaction time.

Here are some of my options, but I have little to no knowledge about their functions.

My knowledge is just based on the fact that they look cool.

I know there are a ton of you techies out there screaming at your computer because of the options I have listed.

By all means, yell to me in a comment and let me know if I am on the right track here.

I mean, after all, I gotta have a good camera to capture proud moments like this one:

Come on, eduamacate me!

Help a sister out!

Thank Goodness for Friends

2010-08-08T11:41:00.005-06:00

I am thankful today for good friends. They come in many shapes, forms, talents and experiences. What we learn and take from each one cannot be duplicated by another.

A person is lucky to find one true and loyal friend throughout their lives.

I'm even more lucky to say that I got blessed with more than one!

Thanks beyond words to my true friends for helping make me, me.

I love and appreciate all of you!

Even if your picture isn't here.

Church House Photo Overload

2010-08-01T19:11:00.013-06:00

Jason and I continue our search for a house. We found one in Lewiston, Utah, just south of Idaho.

The house is an old church house that was converted to a house in the 70's. Bet you would have never guess that, based on the decor.

Take a gander.

So yah, the carpet will most definitely be coming out of the kitchen prep area, same goes for some of the bathrooms.

Please take note of all the amazing carpet in this place. It is all so soft and gooshy.

There is a strange mix of styles with old timey light fixtures and those carpets.

Jason had the most gigantic perma grin from the moment we stepped inside. He was in Disco Heaven.

The front entrance is super cool to me. More my style than the carpets.

The strangest room in the house.

This used to be where the choir would sit. Pre shag carpet, of course.

This is the outside view of the gym.

Inside the gym. Yep, 20 foot ceilings.

Looking toward the choir seats.

I love the front doors. They just yell, 'Come on in!'

Did I mention the valances in the purple carpeted bedroom? Oh yah!

Ooooh! More velvet wall paper! I could pet these walls all day.

Now we can actually perform those plays we have been working on.

The yard is beautiful and comes with 1.24 acres.

I think we'll need a riding mower.

After our milling around the house and Jason falling totally in love with that disco carpet, we carried on to Onieda Lake to do some camping and boating.

Would you be surprised to learn that we didn't even get one bite? It's true.

We had some good swims so that made up for it.

Man, he caught me right after that triple twist! Dang!

This is the requested spread eagle dive. Love it.

We played cards the night before and I whooped him every time. He beat me in MasterMind though.

When nature called in the night, here is what Jason encountered, nearly stepping on it!

The same critter was still out there when I answered the call later that night.

We had a great weekend and this was an extension of his birthday.

It was a great birthday camping/house hunting/gaming weekend.

I'll keep you posted on the Disco Hut.

A Bit of Sadness

2010-07-29T18:56:00.003-06:00

Our house is officially for sale.

Kind of makes me sad....

You can see the details by clicking here: http://www.utahrealestate.com/979590

Birthday Boy!!!

2010-07-28T22:51:00.003-06:00

Jason is just 365 days away from the big 4-0!!

For his birthday today he had a little treasure hunt followed by a pinata smashing. When he saw the hanging homemade egglike thing he said, 'What is it?' He said he had NEVER made a pinata before. I asked him what they did in school as kids and he said 'Learned'. Well then...

He got a very odd array of gifts from me, some getting bashed to pieces in the pinata with the giant single hit.

He had to choose his events for the evening off his birthday 'MENU'.

He choose to eat at Kim Long (delicious!!!) and see the new movie, Inception

The movie was AMAZING and for sure deserves another viewing to sort it all out.

The great movie was followed by dessert at Baskin Robbins, we made it there just before closing! What luck!

Amazing that he dares be seen with me with a 'do like this one.

Maybe that is why he choose the movie option....in the dark.

It was a great night and the weather was delightful and kind of reminded me of Hawaii.

Being married is a very interesting and challenging adventure. At times we drive each other completely out our minds, but when we get over it all, deep down, we really just are best friends that can agree to disagree.

I love Jason and appreciate how much he can make me laugh.

Happy Birthday my crazy man!

One last thing....

Look what the cat dragged in!

Don't worry, I took care of it. And it was tasty!

The Move

2010-07-21T21:20:00.002-06:00

We have been trying to agree on a new place to move to. It isn't as easy as you might think.

I could deal with this as my home.

That is, as long as the wildlife doesn't eat it all away!

Happy Wednesday.

The Travel Bug

2010-07-17T12:46:00.002-06:00

Do you ever feel like you just need to go somewhere? You know-just up and go?

Yah, me too.

I've got the travel bug and it just keeps on biting me.

Here are the countries I have been to so far.

create your own visited country map

How fun would it be to fill it all in red? Imagine the things I'd see!

Where is the best place you have been to?

Vintage Modeling

2010-07-15T19:38:00.005-06:00

I am on track-finally!

I had some friends come over last night to model some of the vintage clothes that I have for sale. We got through about 1/5th of them in 3 hours. It was a blast and there is more to come.

Feel free to visit my Etsy site where I am selling these goods. Local folks get a discount!

www.wearwright.etsy.com

Please tell your friends. I would love to spread the vintage love.

Another Amazing Day

2010-07-11T20:40:00.003-06:00

I continually am amazed by the beauty on this Earth. We saw more of that today at Monte Cristo. It was simply beautiful.

We zoomed around on our trail bikes, hanging on for our lives at some points. It is fun that we each have our own bikes now. We used to just double up and fight to be the driver.

Thank the stars my allergies held off for me today because the weeds were out in full force.

See? there is beauty in most everything-even a super fast road running bird!

Don't you love how it looks so elegant?

Apologies for you having to turn your head to see this one.

We tried to run across the dam but didn't have much luck-only getting past 3 buoys. What a laugh we had though! I have wanted to do that for years!

Happy Beautiful Day to you all.

VALLEY GIRLS UNITE!!

2010-07-07T22:11:00.002-06:00

Are you lucky enough to have a bunch of friends that you rarely see, but when you do see them, it seems like you just were hanging out yesterday?

I scored with a group of gals just like that. It was a treat to get together with some of them today and talk like a bunch of school girls.

Growing up in the Valley with friends like these sure does have its benefits.

(back row) Carly Wilson, Meg Robbins Freebarin, Lynette Doxey

(sitting) Staci McKay Mitzman and her little guy, Beck, Julie Egan Wood, Sherry Meacham and her daughter, Leah Wood Aston and her little man, Jaren, ME

Drooling....

2010-07-05T20:26:00.004-06:00

I had a major hankering for some homemade scones today.

I hunted down a recipe that would do for my hankering, tweaked it a bit and ended up with some pina colada scones.

When I was getting them going, I realized that I was out of eggs. I just needed one, and I just needed the yolk. I poked around in my fridge hoping for an egg miracle and I found one! It was in the veggie chiller drawer....and it was frozen!

I used it anyway!

Do you have any tasty recipes that are your standbys?

Ahhhh...Freedom

2010-07-04T13:06:00.004-06:00

What a fantastic 4th of July (well, ok, the 3rd since we're in Utah)!

Here was how my day went:

7 a.m. Boogie to Liberty park for their annual breakfast-hit the yard sale across the street for some sweet finds.

9 a.m. Scadoodle to North Ogden for Dad and Robert to enter their old timey cars into the car show.

9:30 a.m. Scram to Willard to watch the oh so interesting and strange small town parade that ends without you knowing it.

10 a.m. Scoot to the Willard park to be in place for the candy drop from the one winged bi-plane.

11 a.m. Book it from Willard back to North Ogden BEFORE the classy wrestlers get set up for the third year in a row. (truthfully- they should have been banned for their horribleness after year one).

Hang around the before mentioned car show, stocking the ballot box to try and help my Dad and Bro win!

1 p.m. Book it home to get Jason and the trail bikes to go for a ride over Avon.

We took a wonderful ride from Ogden Valley to Cache Valley via the dusty Avon road. It was beautiful, chilly and made us want to move over the mountain to Avon or Paradise.

6:30 p.m. Zip home. Breathe. Get ready to go to the next celebration at Janaca's house.

This photo was taken at the very moment the sparks were burning her shoulder. Great timing, right?

We played board games, lit off fireworks, pigged out and had a fantastic time watching the city fireworks from her front lawn.

My 4th celebration was busy and fun filled. A year not to be forgotten. Despite a terrible injury to Jason's niece, this holiday scored and 10 on my Fun-O-Meter .

Clarifications

2010-06-26T15:05:00.004-06:00

To start off, I have been alerted that my last post caused some questions and controversy. To clear some things up, No, I am not pregnant. "The Baby" being refered to on the chalk board is me. That is what Jason calls me.

I hope this clears up your questions.

When I do get pregnant, I will not be alerting you all via blog.

Moving on...

I have been reading a book called Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.

This book is about the Chinese culture and the percieved worthlessness of women in their society. It focuses on the horribly painful and crippling process of foot binding.

I am having a hard time getting past the seemingly cruel task of a mother forcing her daughter, of about 5-6 years of age, to sit calmly while she binds her feet so tightly, then makes her walk around and around the room, weakening the bones of the foot to the breaking point. She then would rub and bind the feet even tighter and repeat the process.

All of this was done to higher the daughters status to find a suitable man for an arranged marriage. Young girls got major infections from the binding and breaking process, often leading to death.

An acceptable foot size was 7 centimeters! Yes-centimeters! Friends, that is about the length of an adult thumb.

This book, so far is quite sad and I keep hoping that it will have a cheerful aspect to it.

Arranged marriages. Broken and bound feet. Perceived worthlessness of women. Those are the main points in this book. All of which I don't agree with but I am interested in what that book is teaching me.

I am greatful for my size nine clod hoppers. I think I'll keep them and my ability to run if I so choose.

Momma, thanks for not binding my feet. I love you more for that.

Notes From The Board

2010-06-25T22:00:00.003-06:00

What could be better than having someone to love?

I love getting notes on my chalkboard-especially ones like this.

What I Wish Were Mine

2010-06-13T20:22:00.002-06:00

Who DOESN'T want a darling house in the country? and one you never have to paint to boot!

I am drooling over this abode and I am wishing it were mine.

Anyone feeling generous with their lotto winnings and want to spot me a couple hundred G's?

I'm good for it, really.

(If you'd rather, we could trade for printed mugs and shirts.)

Music To Love

2010-06-08T22:34:00.002-06:00

I recently (yah, I know he's old news) discovered Michael Buble-pronounced boo-blaaayyy, not bubble.

He is groovy with a side of sass.

Check him out.

My Love for Frost

2010-06-07T22:38:00.002-06:00

Natures first green is Gold

Her hardest hue to hold

Her early leafs a flower

But only so an hour

Then leaf subsides to leaf

So Eden sank to grief

So dawn goes down today

Nothing Gold can stay

Thank you Mr Robert Frost for your wise words.

And thank you to Johnny and Pony Boy too.

If you haven't seen Outsiders, I highly recommend you do.

Vandura or BUST!

2010-05-31T19:18:00.002-06:00

We got the van!

We flew to Denver airport, took a shuttle to the guys house in Boulder and then were on our merry way.

We got out of Boulder pretty fast because we didn't know our way around and it was super crowded.

We drove into a major rain/hail storm outside of Boulder where we learned that the roof of the van has a leak. Well, we actually found that out when we were setting up the bed and discovered it was soaked!

We made our way to Dinosaur Land to see some fossils. Sadly, the place where all the fossils are was closed (since 2006!). We got a camping spot then went on a really nice hike on a trail called The Sounds of Silence. There were so many amazing flowers on that hike. I didn't expect that, being in the desert.

We stopped by the Grand Canyon and saw a GIANT spider! Haha-just kidding. This is a mud pit I stepped and sunk into, trying to get a good photo.

Today we went to Cottonwood Lake outside of Vernal and didn't catch any fish. This was the only fish I saw.

We did a lot of driving and only got lost once :)

The van is awesome and promises many days of fun to come. You gotta come and see it.

Hello DRIVE-IN MOVIES!

Solid as a Rock

2010-05-28T21:38:00.004-06:00

Today was a good day at the rock house.

Cousin Ricky made an awesome chimney, Dad put up some stunning trim, I tiled the tunnel of a shower and Cody did a little of everything.

I made a little oops with the drain on the shower floor; thankfully Dad was there to save the day!

The house is coming along and the more it does, the more I wish it was mine.

My Family Rules.

A Girls Best Friend

2010-05-27T23:15:00.002-06:00

Recently, while setting up for a wedding, 'someone' 'accidently' swiped my most favorite scissors. Despite asking everyone present, said scissors could not be located.

I searched and whined and whined some more.

I told Jason of the mishap and I felt no great deal of sympathy from his corner.

So I whined some more.

Today, upon arriving home from a dirty day at work, Jason showed up later than normal.

I asked where he had been, when he produced, from his dirty work clothes cargo pocket,

THE MOST AMAZING PAIR OF SCISSORS I HAVE EVER SEEN!!

No, they weren't my previously swiped pair-they were even better!

These babies had their own metal case AND sheath!

Now, me, being the scissor connoisseur that I am-instantly felt guilty for griping about the lost scissors due to the fact that I knew the general dollar amount of the new ones.

I am in love with my new beauties.

Forget the diamonds. Forget the pearls.

All I need is a good pair of scissors!

They cut through fabric like a hot knife in butter. Oh So Smooth!!

I truly love and appreciate Jason for listening to me ramble on about things he could care less about, like a lost pair of scissors.

(it could possibly be that he was more terrified of the death grip of my man hands, than the fate of the scissors!)

The Dawning of P90X

2010-05-26T21:46:00.006-06:00

I have been really wanting to get into killer shape, drop some poundage and feel great in my own skin. I have been watching my diet, (but no, I am not 'ON' a diet), and now it is time to up the exercise ante.

We got the P90X workout dvd's from our friend and now it is game on!

I will not show you my before photos, not yet anyway; perhaps you'll get to see them at the end of the 90 day experience.

I met the P90X guy, Tony Horton, on my way back from China. He caught me trying to sneak a photo of him, so he offered to take a proper photo with me. He was a cool guy-and you'd never guess he is over 50 years old!

Jason and I are going to do the workouts together, so we'll se how it changes both of our bods.

He is nervous to do the program, but I can't wait! I'd like to ditch the gym membership and just do this for a bit.

All we need now are some resistance bands and a chin up bar and we are good to go!

You just wait, in about 90 days you might see a new me!

(and if you ask really nice, I might even let you touch my muscles while I flex)

Wish us luck!

~I have been tracking my food intake and exercise done at www.myfitnesspal.com

It is a great site that is really easy to use and puts what I put into my body into perspective. It is perfect for anyone wanting to lose or gain weight in a sensible way.