Tuesday, October 28, 2008

gut splitting

Very funny SNL episode. Specifically the bit about the map.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Lunch follow up

As a follow up to my previous post:

In the design business we often tell clients there are 3 ways they can
have their design delivered:
1) good
2) cheap
3) fast

Then we tell them to pick to. Is that the way it has to be with my
meal critiria too? I'm not willing to compromise just yet. Help me out
by telling me your favorite meals that meet ALL the critiria: healthy,
fast, cheap, and most important, yummy!

Hmmm...what's for lunch?

As I am contemplating what to eat for lunch today, I am realizing that
I have a lot of criteria for the perfect meal.

1) healthy and nutritious
2) quick and covenient
3) cheap (read: eat out less!)
4) tasty

Should eating be this complicated? I mean, life would be so much
easier if you could buy gourmet food on the McDonald's dollar menu
that is organic, low calorie, and still tastes like French Fries.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

A visit from our cousins

Thanks for coming to see us! It was so great to have you again.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

a weekend in Bear Lake

The world's greatest neighbors and our dear friends, the Riches, invited us to spend this past weekend with them in Bear Lake. We love Bear Lake. It is so beautiful there, so even though the weather has been too cold to actually do lake activities, we jumped at the chance to go up there and spend some time with them.

Scott's family owns a "cabin" there (if this is a cabin, my dad is the president). Actually, they share it with another family. Both families are quite large, so they use this cabin quite frequently, and there is often a crowd there, so it is easy to see how they would need so much space.

This is the view of Bear Lake from their deck.


Dad, if this is anything like your vision to retire in a house by a lake, I get it. Being here, I really felt the "family togetherness" they must have when they come with their extended family. There are activities for everyone: a tennis court, trampoline, swing sets, sand boxes, ping pong tables, etc. We didn't even leave the house when we were there, but really enjoyed ourselves. Here are a few photos of the memories we made:



Thank you Scott, Amy, Jaxon, Zachary, and Tyson, for the fun weekend!

a new toy

Ever since we went camping in the Uinta's with our friends this summer, Tom has had a little dream of owning 4-wheelers. Since we've planned to eventually buy a trailer anyway, this meant we'd need a way to haul the 4-wheelers too. Thus, the idea of buying a toy-hauler emerged.

Tom has a way of working me I think. Because, as adamantly as I insisted we wait until next Spring to put in our RV pad, then buy a trailer, and then maybe buy 4-wheelers, before I knew it we had acquired 2 4-wheelers. Tom had a buddy that wanted to buy new ones, so he was willing to sell his. Okay, I admit, it probably was a pretty good deal. Then, we found out Tom would be traveling more frequently to the job in Page, Arizona that he has been scheduling for. The job is falling behind schedule and they have need of him to be there about 3 days every week. So, he worked out a deal to get extra money for them to cover his living expenses while he is there, and he is spending that money to buy a trailer to live in while he is there. Here is our new toy hauler:



The inside is quite nice. In the back there are 2 drop down queen beds. Then the dinette and couch fold out to beds, and when we pull the 4-wheelers in, they completely fold out of the way. (The back drops down as a ramp.) In the front there is another queen bed and the kitchen and bathroom. So, maybe I'm a pushover, but I do admit I like it a little, and I'll be looking forward to using it once it is back up here when Tom's job is done, around April we hope.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Birthday time!

Since Abby and Sarah's birthdays are only about 2 weeks apart (Sarah on the 1st and Abby on the 15th), we usually celebrate their birthdays together. We can get away with that for now, anyway. This year we had Grandpa Rog & Amma (as they are lovingly referred to around here) come to help us celebrate!

Mom (Over-Achiever #1) and Me (Over-Achiever #2) made these adorable Panda cupcakes for their party. Yes, it was a lot of work. But worth it for the Kodak moments (and coordination opportunities).


Sarah is 3!!!

Abby is 6!!!

Yum! See more pictures here. Also, being the over-achiever that I am, I brilliantly under achieved and failed to blog about Tom's birthday on the 6th of this month. He is the big 3-4. Happy birthday sweetie!

The results

The entry won. I had really made up my mind about it before I even asked. See how I am? But it helped to have some validation. :) Here is the final result (compare to the Photoshop version in the next post). Thanks for your help Mom! I could not have done it without you. Needless to say, I won't be wallpapering anything again soon. It is a big messy job. However, I'm happy with the result! You can't see it well here, but I have a big mirror on the opposite wall that reflects the print for double the impact.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

I am now the proud owner of this wallpaper from ferm LIVING. I read about some crazy discounts they were offering on their closeout designs and couldn't resist buying this pattern. I got it in the mail today and could not be happier with it. The colors are perfect for my house. This photo probably doesn't do it justice.

So, here is my dilemma. What wall do I put it on? I bought it with my entry way in mind, but my dining room wall would work nicely too. I originally planned to paint a mural (simple pattern or leaf motif) on my dining room wall, but now I'm worried about it competing. Anyway, I used my mad Photoshop skills to do a quick and dirty mockup of what it might look like on both walls. Readers, please help me decide! I only have enough for one wall.


Friday, October 3, 2008

Photo shoot

Here are a couple of photos from our shoot with Casey this afternoon. I might share a few more as I get them. Thanks Casey and Dirk. It was fun!


Wednesday, October 1, 2008

A birthday photo

Shop till you drop!

Folks, starting today you can order online at www.stampinup.com! I
know for most if you it is like "Big deal. What else is new. Isn't
online ordering-like-so last century?" Well for us it is a big deal
and it has consumed much of my life at work the past several months.
So come visit and do a little Christmas shopping!

Happy birthday Sarah!

Miss Sarah is three today! She was so cute today in her new birthday
dress. And she was excited to bring her cookies and milk to school.
Wish I had taken a pic!

Sent from my iPhone