The 22nd Already!!

It's amazing how fast December flies when you're anything other than a child or a college student. I am completely DONE with my shopping... and better yet DONE with my projects! I have felt so unbelievably blessed this season. I really do feel guilty to have so much.. not in the material sense but just ALL the the wonderful family and friends that I have and the way our family has been looked after in all aspects of life.
I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas! I can't wait to read about everyone's day and the memories made!

YAYYYYY!!!

We got an offer on the house last night. Actually, we are in shock about it because the market has been so slow and our house has been sitting for so long and we still got FULL PRICE!! Actually, they offered $10,000 over what we're asking and want us to pay up to $10,000 in closing costs. Our realtor doesn't think the closing costs will be quite that high so we may even end up with MORE than we were asking. How strange is that? I mean we're HAPPY but so perplexed as to why they give us such a good offer... we're SO blessed I guess. The couple said the house was so nice that they thought it would be offensive to ask for any less. Anyways, we are going to sign the offer this morning. We will need to be out by January 18th (better than Christmas!)

So, as if I didnt already whine about being busy we're adding this to the plate. Jeremy jokingly says that whenever we have a move coming up I be sure to get pregnant.. I was pregnant last time we moved too... which makes me much less help obviously. But, I can PACK and move the lighter stuff, so LOTS to do!

Crazy Week

This blogging thing is killing me this time of year, I have been so busy with shopping, work, and cleaning that I barely get time to check my email. I LOVE this time of year and FINALLY have just one more person to buy for and I still have 2 things to sew. I've got all kinds of projects that I'm dying to post about but can't since certain eyes can't see or hear about them. Oh well... after Christmas! I'm getting some vinyl done from Lauralee... she's a lifesaver! Personalized gifts are a sure hit (or at least I'm hoping..?!)
I still don't have my missing box of decorations so my tree is not quite done, although maybe it will just be that way this year. It looks a little bare (Charlie Brown) but low-key isn't always so bad.
We had someone come look at our house tonight (once again, they "loved" it..) and supposedly want to make an offer. We are not holding our breath because we've heard it before but here's the kicker: They wanted to know if we could be out by Christmas?!! Haha, how sad is it that we are desperate enough to say "Yes!" to that. If you'd been trying to sell your house for as long as we have, you'd do it too. I'd probably have to take off work from now until then just to pack, but we'd make it work! Anyways, we'll see! Not counting the chickens ...
Jeremy sold his old Camry tonight.. the one that "died" on us (although it din't REALLY die, it just needed a $150 part.. Jeremy just wanted a newer car and that was fine with me. That car had 212,000 miles and is still going!) We bought an '05 Camry a couple of weeks ago that has been treating us well. It has low miles and still smells like a new car so we're happy. In case you couldn't tell, we're Toyota fans.
Tonight Jack apparently messed his diaper because I heard him say "Poopy..Not It!!" to which Jeremy and I immediately started cracking up. Everytime we can "smell" Jack needs a change, we call "Not It!" in the hopes of beating the other one to the punch and therefore not having to change the diaper. Poor Jack, and this kid is looking up to us?! (Oh, and yes.. I did change him. After I was done laughing.)

Christmas Shopping, Card Making, Baking, Decorating...

18 days until Christmas and it hardly seems like enough time. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this time of year but for some reason this year I am just a little bit more overwhelmed than usual.
I still need to buy presents for 6 people (all of which are hard to buy for hence they are the ones left), stocking stuffers, revise the family cookbook, finish making Megan's wedding present (hellooo, that wedding was 2 weeks ago) and type our family Christmas letter. I got my photo cards from Heather Hales again, they turned out great!
I can't believe today is Friday. We have a birthday party to go to tomorrow (a family friend and Jack's buddy is turning 3) and hopefully I can pick up the rest of my Christmas decorations from the storage unit so I can at least have ONE thing done! I'm also picking up some fabric since I have a couple gifts to sew ( such a glutton for punishment).
Last night we got Jack's gift, a little toy 4 wheeler. Jeremy would like to get him a little REAL 4 wheeler, which I'm sure will happen someday, just not when he's 2! He'll love it though.
I'll post pics this weekend once I have the decorating done. It's been fun to see everyone's trees and decor;)

Post Continued..

I've been sick all week STILL, this cold will not go away. My right ear is still plugged.. ugh.. SOOO bugged.

Mexico was a much needed break from everything. Jeremy's car died the day before we left and he and I spent ALL day working hard at an install the day we left. We were exhausted and felt like everything that could go wrong before we left, did. That made the trip even sweeter and Thanksgiving was truly an eye-opening day for me. We went to the market downtown that day. The streets were dirty and filled with very poor citizens and beggars. I just thought all day about what a contrast of a life I lead.. on that very day I would have been helping out with the prime rib in a large kitchen full of food. It left me with a lot to be thankful for:

Family (Lehnhausen side not pictured but I'm thankful for them too;))

Eternal Marriage (This is my bridesmaids dress from my friend Megan's wedding which was the DAY we got back! )

Good health and a growing boy! Happy 2nd birthday Jack! (Cake made his uncle Steve although I wish I could take credit for it)

Celebrating the JOYS of life with Friends! (Megan and Kyle FINALLY tied the knot! Many friends not pictured but loved more than they know!)

Jack

AND, last but not least:

Baby # 2 due in June!

Vacation, a Wedding and a Birthday (part 1)

It has been so long and so much has happened that I really don't know where to begin. We got home early Saturday morning and the fog is just now starting to clear from my head. Jack's cousins had colds the week before we left, so of course he started showing symptoms the day we left and Jeremy and I flew home sick. (Which, if you've never flown with a cold before.. I envy you more than you know. Unless of course you've had nails drilled into your head before in which case we'd be about even) One of my ears is still plugged from the planeride, and from what I've read it will probably stay that way until my cold goes away.

We had such a great trip! Mazatlan was sunny and beautiful, I really cannot fathom living somewhere where the WINTER is in the high 80s everyday. The christmas displays looked ridiculous to me.. I really felt like I was in the middle of summer. We layed by the pool, swam with the kids, went to the beach, went to the markets and explored a little downtown. Most importantly, we relaxed. How could we not.. staying at a place as beautiful as this:

We left for the airport in what I've now determined is the only way to go on a trip. They take care of your luggage and you don't have to worry about parking. This was such a treat.

We arrived on the first day just as the sun was setting:

Grandma and the boys:

Jack's first time in the ocean:

Aaaaand.. right back out again:

Grandpa spoon feeding Jack ice cream:

Family Pic at the Shrimp Factory:

There is much more to write and pics to post... hopefully tomorrow I'll have more up. I can't wait to catch up on everybody's blogs, I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Getting Ready to GO!

It's never too early to put kids to work

Today has been filled with laundry, cleaning, feeding, more laundry, and I even got a shower in so I'm doing pretty good. We've got the suitcases out on the bed... they're empty.. but just being there somehow makes me feel like we've got a "start" on things. Our realtor is doing an Open House while we're gone so of course we have to leave with a spotless house.

Some things I'm REALLY looking forward to:

The Nachos-(We went to the same resort on our honeymoon and lived on their nachos. They serve them poolsiode and they are truly amazing)

Flip-Flops- Mine have been put away for 2 months now

No coats, hats, gloves- See above

Seeing Jack playing with his cousins

The beach- nuff said

Laying out poolside doing NOTHING

No cooking, cleaning or laundry

Taking lots of pictures

Spending time with family



Some things I'm NOT looking forward to:

Taking an (almost) 2 year old on an airplane as a lap infant at 1 a.m. and flying ALL night

Um, that's it.


Tonight I'm going a Holiday party for ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) so I have to actually get dressed nice and ready to leave when Jeremy gets home from work. I'm sure it will be fine, I'm just one of those people who would rather stay home.


The sushi class was actually pretty fun. I ended up making California rolls (veggies only wrapped in rancid seaweed) although I wish I had made one that had fish in it since Jeremy said he wanted to try that too. I didn't try them obviously but Jeremy liked them and took some out to his parents house as well. Dang it, I should have taken a picture.. they were actually pretty and quite professional looking if I do say so myself!;)

I was "tagged" by Teresa to list six things about myself but since I was such an over-acheiver in this area last February, I hope this works as a substitute.

Soup

It's a soup day. It looks freezing outside, although I couldn't verify the truth in that since I haven't been outside all day. I'm making homemade chicken noodle soup (I had to throw the homemade in there because even if something is frozen, canned or ordered in, I say that's what I'm "making";)) Soup's such a great way to get veggies in, something we have a huge problem getting into our diets since Jeremy doesn't really eat them and , unless very cleverly disguised, neither does Jack. Don't get me wrong... he loves to use a carrot stick to lick ranch dressing off of or a broccoli spear to eat the cheese off of. Yeah, I've tried all that.
Last night on the drive home from work traffic was all backed AGAIN.. it seems to be happening all the time lately. I was getting a little annoyed..wondering why people can't drive etc.. when I come up to the accident only to recognize the champagne colored Focus that was involved (luckily, not much damage to it so I knew there was no major injury). I looked for Holly in the manner of the worst rubber-necker ever, but couldn't see her. I immediately called her cell phone and told her voicemail that I had seen a car just like hers involved in an accident and I was just wondering if it was her. She called right back.. "It's me."
Thankfully, no one was hurt.. except maybe her little Ford Focus, but she was just waiting for the car to die anyway. How scary though.. that's always my worst nightmare is that I'll recognize the vehicles when I pass an accident.
I need to take some pics.. I know Becky's going to get on my case, I haven't even lifted my camara up for a week.
This Saturday I'm going to Bachelorette party. They are starting the night off with sushi (greeeeat) and then going to a $60 cooking class learning how to make none other than... sushi. So, yeah, I'm going. Sooooo do not love sushi or fish or anything that has ever lived in any form of water.. but I love my friend so I'm going for her. Mica, maybe I can use this class to make you a special dinner someday;)
I also need to bring a dessert (was thinking german chocolate cheesecake, but don't know if I'm ambitous enough yet) and sparkling apple cider.
Saturday morning, we have to go to the Primary program practice in the chapel, so that's going to be a blast.. especially since we'll have Jack on our laps as well. I can't wait.

November Already??

Last Thursday night Jack started throwing up AGAIN. I swear he is sick all the time!? We put him down to bed early and before we went to bed, checked on him again.. sure enough had to get him up and change him and his bedding again. So sad! Luckily, Jeremy's mom said she would take him on Friday because Jeremy had a closet to install and I had clients to meet with so neither of us really could stay home with him. Friday he was much better. That night, I drug Jeremy to a clients Open House with me, they were throwing it in celebration of their new kitchen.. and since they spent about $100,000 with us, I figured I should go since I was the designer;) The food was great, and Holly was even greater for watching Jack for us. We went to Red Robin afterwards to get some dessert and realized it was the first "date" we've been on since maybe our anniversary? Or maybe my birthday? I can't remember, but do know they don't happen too often.
Saturday was an Open House, so cleaning in the morning and then out to the Valley. Jeremy helped the guy who's clearing trees off of our property and my sisters and I went to a Holiday bazaar and fiber arts guild. I really want to learn how to do felted bags, I love them! They were like $75- $125 or so at the guild... so yeah, want to make one myself.
Sunday was church (practicing for the Primary program.. controlling 8 wild kids for 2 hours while they are bored out of their minds = TORTURE. I would rather teach a lesson any day..)
We had dinner at Jeremy's parents and watched Spiderman 3 which was so random... even Jeremy didn't like it.
Yesterday we FINALLY bought some tans since we're leaving for Mexico in less than 2 weeks! We will fry otherwise so we are trying to build up our resiliency. I haven't been tanning in 4 years as Im sure is evident from my halibut-belly skin you've seen in recent photos.
Jack and I are home today.. I'm trying to catch up on laundry and he is trying to see how many times he can say "cookie" over and over again.

Finally.. an update

It's been a week! My sister jokes that you can count on a post every Tuesday/ Thursday since I'm home those days but Tuesday was one of those days when I was just in a funk and did what I could just to skim the surface of all the cleaning/work I had to do. I also had my visiting teachers come over and that is always a long visit, went to the store and cleaned from the weekend. Usually the weekend is my time to clean but lately we have been gone so much that our house hits peak filth. This last Saturday we were out in the Valley at a craft show visiting our friend Aaron who carves whale bone and his wife, Debbie. Then we got a phone call from a realtor saying she was showing our house in an hour. I could have died.. our house was soooo messy! And I'm not one of those people who says my house is messy even when it's clean. I'm talking complete humiliation here. So, we sped home (literally;)) and had 20 minutes to clean. Jeremy took the main floor, I took the upstairs and luckily the basement stays clean since we are hardly ever down there. We left it sparkling (sort of) and headed BACK out to the valley since we left Jack there. Then we stopped by my mom's house because we were supposed to carve pumpkins but we just ended up visiting instead. My parents had rented Transformers so of course per Jeremy we had to stay for that even though we saw it in the theater!?

Sunday I made a pork roast for dinner and had to look up a recipe on the Internet since my mom was already at church. It turned out great though.. once again it was nice to just stay home sometimes!

We have someone coming to look at our house today at 3, so of course I will be cleaning today and getting my home "show ready". Its such a different cleaning than when a friend comes over, since your friends usually don't look in your closets, pull back your shower curtains and check out the inside of your bathroom cabinets. Ugh.

Last night we had to pick Jack up from Tina's and then stopped by Jeremy's moms to get his pirate costume. Halloween is a little different here, most kids have to try to figure out how to incorporate a snowsuit into their costume. We just bundled Jack up under his, so he is a little fluffy for a pirate but cute nonetheless.

Snow Angel

Top of the hill
Looovin It!

The foot you can't see is just a sock, I lost my shoe on the way down.

If I look cute enough, maybe they'll take me outside again.

Tonight we went winter gear shopping for Jack since we have good 3" of snow outside and it seems like maybe it'll be around for a while. We got boots, a snowsuit and a sled... which of course we had to try out as soon as we got home.

Our sloping front yard seemed like as good of a spot as any, so we made a little sled path that went directly into the street. Yeah, Safety First.

Jack had so much fun that once we came into the garage, he still did not want to get off the sled. Prying his cold fingers from that sled was not pretty.

Today I went into Anchorage to meet my friend Megan who's getting married in November and wanted to go to Pier 1 and a couple other places with me to bounce ideas off of. Also, since I'm a designer, I get an extra 20% off at Pier 1-- so that always makes me a good shopping buddy if you're going there.

Then Jack and I met up with my sister Holly at Quiznos, where I ate- and Jack spit out- lunch.

Then this afternoon, I totally jacked up my foot and have been limping around all night. I was coming down the steps in the garage, with the lights off, and stepped directly on one of my heels that was upside down like some sort of twisted booby-trap. It tore skin and gave me a good sized gash right at the arch (which, if you've never had a gash on that part of your foot,HURTS) I tried to shower tonight but even the water running over it stung so I ended up taking a bath with my left foot elevated out of the tub. (Also, did I ever mention I have a low pain tolerance;))

I'm soo glad tomorrow's Friday. On Saturday we're meeting up with a guy who's going to remove some trees off of our property, and I think I'll bring the sled since we've got some killer hills!

Our weekend.. and Pay It Forward winners...

Winter fishing in Alaska.. yes, that is snow behind him.

The closet Jeremy installed last night.

They wanted 13 drawers!

Your stuff is FINALLY going out today, sorry for the delay! Hope everyone likes it.

This weekend was same ol', same ol'- but of course WAY too short. Friday we went to Arbys for dinner (classy) and then watched the most retarded movie on the face of the planet. It's a Jamie Kennedy movie called "Kickin It Old School" and I'd rather Kick Myself in the Face than watch it again.
Saturday Jeremy went fishing with a couple of my cousins who came up with my aunt to visit my grandma who lives with my parents. She is 90 years old and has dementia and declining health (my grandma, not my aunt;)). We've never heard of fishing in October, at least not in Alaska. At this point, it's basically winter fishing. In fact, Saturday we got our first SNOW of the season.. though its mostly gone now.
I hung out at my mom's house and visited all day with the girls. Then we came home, did some cleaning, watched yet another movie (Fantastic Four 2--gotta love Netflix) which was fine in an X-Men sort of way.
Sunday was another Open House so it was a mad dash to finish cleaning, church, and then out to my moms for dinner. Another couple came that LOVES our house, but still noone to put their money where their mouth is.
Yesterday, I measured at 3 seperate houses for closets (although one was a bust, they wanted us to BUILD them a closet that currently doesn't exist in their home. Yeah.... not contractors people. And if we were, why would we limit ourselves to only building closets? Dumb.) Jeremy did an install after work last night and I worked on bids.
Jack and I may go to the Valley to visit my sister Heidi today and work on some projects together. She is mostly recovered from surgery (Lauralee, I think you're the one who asked.. she had gastric bypass... she actually is blogging about it and her link is under "family") She has already lost about 20 lbs. in under 2 weeks, so that is so great for her.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

For Becky

Good comment, but where's your blog?:)

We got this little number at Costco for $30. It has a couple more tents that attach to the ends. It was supposed to be for Jack's birthday but Jeremy couldn't wait and opened it as soon as we got home. (Soo Jeremy)

I don't really fit.

Friday night's get together- Jack, Tyler and Xander.

Jack's buddies! By the way, I highly recommend those suction cup bowls.

Carey, Jeremy doesn't really use a recipe for the chicken spaghetti but I'll try to get something more than ballpark measurements out of him and post that soon. And I don't believe in keeping recipes secret.

Soo busy!

For some reason work has picked up SO much. I feel a little overwhelmed to say the least. On top of my "day" job, the closet business has picked up as well and this whole switch to the new manufacturer has been ridiculously time-consuming. We're FINALLY up and runnning with the new software and are officially a dealer as of today so that is SUCH a relief. I've spent this evening going over tutorials and trying to familiarize myself with everything.
I still feel like the weekend just happened so I will give you the weekend update. On Friday we had some friends over for dinner. There was a total of 5 kids running around, all under the age of 3. We had to yell over the kids to talk, but it was a lot of fun. Jeremy made chicken spaghetti.. using a recipe he got from a lady in the South where he served his mission. I love it when Jeremy cooks, or anyone for that matter!
Saturday we went to the property in the morning and staked out which trees were going to need to be taken down (sad) and staked out the corners of our house which looks TINY. Why is it that the foundation of a home always makes it look like your building an outhouse? It was fun to walk the property and dream.
Sunday was a nice relaxing day. Taught our monsters, came home and had leftovers, and vegged all day. Loove those Sundays!

Pay It Forward Winners!

OK, so I didnt end up drawing until this morning. The winners are:

Sarah
Lupe
Debbie (Guess you weren't too late!)

Sarah and Lupe, email me your addresses!
Debbie, a Pay It Forward is just something that when you receive, you agree to "Pay It Forward" to someone else. A chain of good deeds or surprises. Since you dont have a blog, you can choose any way you want to Pay It Forward. (And you dont have to choose 3 people, just 1 is fine;))

So we took some family pics on Thursday, but we waited until it got too dark so we ended up needing to use the flash which completely changed the color in the photo and washed us out (I think) We are going to do a re-do. But here's a pic..

Pay It Forward!

I got this great Halloween "Pay It Forward" from Brandi. Thanks so much! The purple guys are stamps and the eyes are gooey little toys, not candy (I checked!) It's so fun to receive "Good Mail!" I love it, Brandi!

Tuesday afternoon I entered a new chapter in Motherhood. I was wiping down the vanity while Jack was taking a bath. I hear him say "Pooo-eeey".... Um, yeah. This is the LAST thing you want to hear while your child is bathing. It was SOOOO gross!! I realize that most babies do this but sure enough, not MY baby, right?!

Yesterday, my older sister Heidi went in for her surgery. It went really well although she was pretty weak and drugged up when we went to visit her after work. They did the procedure lapriscopically (so amazing what they can do these days) and she just released an hour or so ago which is quick!

Tonight I'm having my little sister, Holly, come over and take family pictures. I still have no idea what we're going to wear.. I just know I want "fall" pictures. They may also end up on our Christmas card, who knows. We started doing the picture card after we had Jack. Does anyone else thinks it's kind of funny when a couple sends out a pic of just the 2 of them? I'll post them this weekend if they turn out okay...

Today I got the funniest email from Jeremy. The subject was "starter list" and it was 11 items with links to their respective websites and pricing for CHRISTMAS presents. I was cracking up, so true that men never grow up!

OK, so this is the official post for my Pay It Forward. Leave a comment on this post and you are automatically entered into the Pay It Forward challenge and in doing so.. agree to Pay It Forward yourself! I will put names in a hat and announce the winner(s) on Sunday!

Still want some of this cool air blown your way?

Yesterday, when I left for work, it was 23 degrees outside. I was wearing my winter coat and gloves. Luckily, no snow yet..but I'm not holding my breath on that one. Our fall has been beautiful, but fall in Alaska never lasts too long.

On Saturday, we listened to the first session of conference and then had to leave to my little brother's football game. We get BYU radio on our Dish network so we can DVR it, but I hate that we never know who's talking! (Apparently, general authorities don't feel the need to state the ubiquitous "For those of you who don't know me, my name is.." ) Still better than going to the Stake center! It was Cody's championship game (they lost- darn't!) but it was fun.

It was FREEZING outside! We packed hot chocolate, blankets and winter gear. It helped some but not enough from keeping me from wanting to pour boiling water in a bath and never come out. I'm really going to have to toughen up, I always have an adjustment period every year at this time.

Jack didn't seem to mind the cold and ran and played the whole time-- even stealing the teams football at half-time.

On Sunday we watched both sessions from home and then went out to Jeremy's parents for Sunday dinner (1st Sunday). We celebrated Aunt Tina's birthday and Jack's cousin Bryce's birthday who is just 7 weeks older than Jack and is his best buddy.

It was SUCH a nice weekend and so nice to stay HOME from church now and then, haha!! Can't beat church in PJs!

Projects of the Week

OK I never did tell you all how my "postcard" class went. It was so easy and fun. It was on Friday night for a couple hours. For some reason I thought it was Saturday too...which after making one is hilarious because they really only take like 20-30 minutes to make or less. The pic on the right is my "practice" one that I completed in class. Its a little rough so don't look close. The one on the left is the one I didn't quite finish yet. I spent most of the class talking or shopping (if you shop on the night of the class you get 15% discount. And since this particular store has all the nicest, most expensive name brand fabrics, I couldn't resist. Plus, I like sewing but not more than shopping.)

You can get directions on how to make one here.

Today I have spent some time piecing together the "boy" quilt (I still need to add one more row of the sports ball squares) for the Child Care center that I'm donating it to. I used flannels so that it will be softer and warmer than the average quilt. I made up this pattern..I wanted something pretty easy and simple so that I wouldn't burn myself out and could easily make more in the future. Plus, I am not a big fan of "traditional" quilts, I am definitely more contemporary.

This is the flannel I picked for the "girl" quilt, which I've already started cutting out even though I'm not done with the boy one. Typical me!

Jack is feeling better, thanks for everyone's concern. He's decided the "keyboard" (we have an extra cordless one) is his new favorite toy and even wants to take it in his crib with while he sleeps. Nothing more comforting than a nice, soft..keyboard.

Pedialite, laundry and projectile vomiting

Jack on Sunday in his bulldog PJs with his bulldog, Buddy.

Yeah. So..this has been my life for a couple of days. Actually, the wierd part about it is that yesterday Jack was completely fine. He went to my mom's house while I went to work, and was completely fine..came home and wrestled with dad, ran around and giggled all night.
Sunday morning however, after deciding to let him "play" in his crib for a little bit since he was just making happy sounds and not crying, I went into his room to find that he had thrown up all over his crib and rolled around in it. Yeah. (enter Feelings Of Guilt) So gross, and SO SAD!!! After an hour or so, he ran over to his chair and wanted up to eat. So I made him oatmeal (Heeellllooo. Completely forgot about the whole B.R.A.T. thing!) and gave him milk, which was all over the couch an hour later.
Skip forward 2 days. This morning, I gave him milk again, thinking all was well. Except all was not well. He ended up projecting curdled milk ALL over my kitchen, floor, cabinets, dining room rug etc. Poor guy and thank heavens for my little Bissel, and my washing machine that has now washed his innocent stuffed doggy 3 times in 3 days.

Inspiration for a great Thursday!

Don't forget tonight!;) I am going to a family birthday party (Happy Birthday Uncle Steve!), so I will have to DVR it...this is fine though because I've become so used to fast-forwarding through commercials. Does anyone else go crazy when they have to watch commercials?
Jack and I are heading into Anchorage in a few minutes to drop him off at Jeremy's work while I go and measure a closet for a new client. I am slammed this week with work, ugh!
You all are cracking me up about that pic, the camara must have been at a wierd angle. Oh and Lauralee..I'm 5'-2". Yes, it is getting colder up here (this morning was high 30s) and YES I would love to send some of it your way Stephanie! If Only! Still no snow yet..so that's good. I've seen snow in September before.
Tomorrow night and Saturday I am going to a quilt class that my boss signed us up for. It's called Pen Pal Postcard or something like that. So..I looked it up on their website because of course I had NO idea what that meant and here's the description:

This is the latest rage for quilters! These post cards can actually be sent through the mail! Embellish your quilted cards with colorful yarn, variegated threads, and sparkly beads. Use those fancy stitches you never knew your machine would make! Use these post cards as invitations, Christmas or birthday cards, or “just because” cards for that special someone! Watch out, you may become addicted to the “Post Card Craze”.

Ummm.. we'll see! I don't think I would EVER send out something that I spent a whole weekend making. But, that's just me. I'd like to make something like this:

So, apparently I need to go buy some "colorful yarn, variegated threads and sparkly beads".

My sister Holly works for the Office of Children Services. She is basically the one who works with the families after a child has been removed from their home to be taken into fostercare. Her stories are heart-wrenching- and she's only been doing it for a month. She told me last night that when the children get pulled from a home, that they are taken to a general care center (owned by The Salvation Army) because there are not enough foster care families in Anchorage. So..it's basically like a large orphanage. Before they go, however, they get to pick out a quilt to take with them. Something to be with them constantly and to be a comforter. Apparently women make them and donate them.. I had NO idea. So, I've been setting some goals for myself. I would like to make several before the end of the year. My christmas quilt may be on hold this year. Speaking of which, the baby quilt that I was going to quilt..my MIL ended up doing most of it (which was SO nice of her, thanks again Vicky!) I went out there several times to work on it, but things just went slower than planned.
Hope everyone has a great Thursday!

Weekend Update..finally

I love being a Mom

This weekend I went to a Woman's Conference put on by Meridian Magazine (which apparently is a privately owned LDS magazine that is online..who knew?) in Anchorage. They flew up speakers like Brad Wilcox, Vicky Pahnke Taylor, Kenneth Cope (who spoke and sang) and Jane Clayson Johnson. Jane was like the Katie Couric of CBS for many years, hosting The Early Show and had interviewed many A-List celebrities, Pres. Bush etc. She quit anchoring when she decided to become a mother.

Her talk was on the inportance of Motherhood, and spoke of how many people gave her grief for quitting her important job to become "just a mom". She told us never to say that...So many times, people ask us what we do and we say "I'm just a mom"...

(Lauralee..her talk was taken from that book you have posted on your blog! The part about the shoes we wear and the whole bit. I SO want that book!!)

Anyways, something to think about! It was a good weekend and I left feeling refreshed and uplifted.

Today, there was a realtor Open House and our realtor had many of the local realtors here in Eagle River come and do a walk-thru. She left a note saying that everyone loved it (yeah.. we've heard that before!) and that she will forward us their evaluations tomorrow when she gets them. So, that should be interesting. During the Open House, I went to Jo-Anns to get some fabric for a Christmas quilt that I'd like to start. I couldn't believe how cheap the fabric was..I've mostly been shopping in the specialty fabric stores (Love my Amy Butler)- so I was totally expecting to pay WAY more. Soo nice!!

So funny how I mentioned Free Money and people came out of the woodwork;) Yes- such a perk!

ETA: I got my Modbe jeans finally and LOVE them. They fit like a low-rise jeans but come up a little higher in the back.. minimizing peep-shows. They are really long on me..but until someone invents midgetjeans.com, I think this is basically the story of my life. So, stamp of approval on those.

Free Money Is Awesome

OK, I know this has gone around before, but I got this recently and had to post it because it makes me laugh.

Dear Tech Support:
Recently I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a slowdown in the overall performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications that had operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0. In addition, Husband 1.0 un-installed many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and automatically installed undesirable programs such as Football 5.0 and TV 3.0. Now Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and House Cleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. I've tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail. What can I do?
Signed, Desperate

Dear Desperate:First keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an entertainment package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system. At the command line, try entering C:>>ITHOUGHTYOULOVEDME and download Tears 6.2 to install Guilt 3.0.If all works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5. But remember, overuse can cause Husband 1.0 to default to GrumpySilence 2.5, HappyHour 7.0 or Beer 6.1. Beer 6.1 is a very bad program that will flood you with SnoringLoudly.wav files.Whatever you do, DO NOT install Mother-in-Law 1.0 or re-install another Boyfriend program. These are not supported applications and will crash Husband 1.0. In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have a limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider additional software to improve memory and performance. I personally recommend Hot Food 3.0 and Lingerie 6.9.
Good luck,Tech Support

So, yesterday they announced the PFD(Permanent Fund Dividend) amount- $1,654. Yes! For those who don't know what a PFD is, I'll give you the short of it: PFD=Free Money= I Love Alaska. Every man, woman and child is eligible who has been a resident of Alaska for at least one year. Needless to say, come October 3rd, Wal-Mart will be overflowing.
We, however, will be putting ours towards:
- New tires for the Pathfinder
-Spending money for Mexico
- Reserve account to help pay our land mortgage
-Paying off our credit card
- And, oh yeah, fixing our garage door that just BROKE today! Darn't!

Tuesday

Today has just been a wierd day. For starters, I've been trying to blog all day- but everytime I typed anything my____ writing___ looked____ like____ this or itlookedlikethis. My space bar was all jacked. Anyways, so I turned my computer off for an hour or so, and waa-la- it's fixed. (That is, by the way, the way I fix everything)
I am STILL trying to get an insurance agent to call me back. I talked to several today who kept referring me to others who either don't call back or refer me to someone else. Guess everyone hates small businesses!? Anyways, I hope to get that wrapped up tomorrow. We have one order in progress with our current manufacturer and after that- I hope to make the switch.
Jack and I are both a little sick today. I have a sore throat and he has a cough, and we both enjoyed sleeping all we could. (Which for me- just means I slept in till 9)
I got my vinyl order from Lauralee, it looks great..thanks again!! She included the above in my order as a gift, SOO nice!
Tomorrow I have to go into work early so we are taking Jack out to Jeremy's moms house to spend the night. Tomorrow when I go out there to pick him up after work, she is going to help me use her long-arm quilting machine. My boss pieced together a minky baby quilt for one of our clients who adopted an adorable baby girl from China, and I am doing the actual "quilting". Scary. I'll post pics when I'm done with it-- once again, I hope that noone expects it to be that great, haha!

Free collagen injection!

So I woke up this morning with a fat lip ...SOO wierd! The right half of my lower lip was all swollen and numb (it's gone down some now with the help of Advil) but I was seriously freaking out. Of course, we have people coming over for dinner tonight so I was considering telling them it was all part of my collagen injections or something. Lopsided and puffy, it's very attractive. Angelina, eat your heart out.

Jack's favorite word is still "thank you!" He says it all the time- after you're done changing his diaper, when you give him food, or even when HE gives YOU something (Doesnt fully understand it's context yet) I'm so enjoying every single stage he goes through and wonder every day where he gets his silly personality! I wish my personality was that good;)

Sept. 11th

I was in my Senior year of college at USU in Logan on September 11, 2001. I will never forget how eerie the campus was that day, so quiet and somber. I went to the design studio for class and my friend Brooke was sobbing- she has a lot of family in New York. (Luckily, none of them were hurt) We, like many others, painted a large American flag in our window. We watched TV for weeks afterward, always the same thing- secretly hoping for something to make it better or to see justice... Guess we're all still waiting for that something.

I remember going to a candlelight vigil held in memory with my roommates and best friends- Becky and Mica. I still remember coming home from that and Mica leaving the candle burning underneath the kitchen cabinets- made a big burn mark in the cabinet but luckily no fire or fine at the end of the year. ;)

Since that day, I have viewed the world in a much different way. I am also very proud of my country in many ways. Let us always remember...

And, Happy Birthday Mica! Love you!

Fun Monday!

I can't pull off the belt
More of a summer shirt- I guess I'm a little behind!

This one is my favorite I think

Stars? Yes, stars.

Again, the belt...

I got the center dress

Why fun, you ask? I got my DownEast Basics package today. I LOVE this store. I was not such a fan before, but they have got some of the cutest shirts out. These are some of the shirts I was talking about in my back-to-school shopping. I also got one as a gift for a friend's birthday. My friends- they look SO cute on! Highly recommend!

Today was a lot of running around- Drove 1.5 hours taking Jack out to the Valley for his babysitter (and aunt!) Tina, met with a potential closet client, stopped by my work to get stuff to take home to work on, met Span for a closet shipment at my house, had to go get Jack (he's been a little sick all weekend but doing better now), met Heidi for lunch (usual Subway!), and am now home working! Phew.

Jeremy has several closet installs this week, we have friends coming over for dinner (the ones that invited us to their cabin) and another open house on Sunday (Ugh)- SO busy week!!