life in general

just so you know . . .

. . . I am planning to win the HGTV Dream Home in Park City, Utah.  I think it will make a great vacation home.

. . . the Momento app for iphone rocks my world.  It's like a scrapbook/journal in the palm of my hand.  {contented sigh}.  Lately, it's been so helpful as I put together the weekly layouts in my project life album.  I jot a few notes during the day about things we did, my feelings, observations . . . I write down funny quotes from the kids (from Conner:  "While I wait I think I'll just do some planking") . . . and it automatically slurps in my FB status updates and instagram posts and displays everything in lovely chronological order.

. . . without a doubt "embrace" is the right word for me this year.  Sometimes learning to embrace change also means embracing the change within the change that gets thrown on top of the change.  Lost?  Ya, me too sometimes.

. . . Scott just finished a 24 week nutrition/exercise program with a trainer and has lost 42 pounds!  He looks smokin'.  The other day he shared that Rick (his trainer) says this is usually the point in the program when he gets a thank you from the wife.  Well then, maybe I need to send a thank you.

. . . we are moving in 4 weeks.  Yes, it is real.  28 days people!  Enough is enough with waiting around for this short sale to happen.  Scott signed a lease on a 3-bedroom apartment, we're getting bids from moving companies, and I'm selling stuff on Craigslist and amassing a pile for Goodwill.  I'm sure there are going to be a flurry of emotions over the next few weeks.  After my first blubbering cry over Facetime (as we talked actual moving dates which made it very real) I let Scott know that this is just going to be part of the process for me.  I think he understands. 

. . . I am getting LASIK at the end of this month.  I'm not too nervous.  Should I be?  I'm only having it done on one eye (the other one is 20/20) so even if they botch it I still have one good eye to fall back on.

. . . I love this photo of Payton.  (found while digging through the digital photo archives to write Payton's birthday post)

product endorsement

A few recent finds that get 5 stars from me:

1.  Paper Coterie -- it's a new site where you can create photo-books, calendars, journals, etc.  I know, I know there's a lot of companies just like this one out there.  But this one is offering a smokin' hot deal this month.  And their products are really really cute.  The deal:  use the code BEGINANYWHERE and get $40 off your purchase.  I got my order today and I am in love with the products.

First, a coil-bound book containing all the pictures from our family session last summer.  It looks awesome.  Even Scott was "wow"-ing over it.  The pages have a great weight and texture to them.  Great quality.

And on a whim I also made an "All About Me from A to Z" book for Anna.  All I did was add photos of her from the last year, edit the text, and wa-lah . . . a stinkin' cute alphabet book, all about her, that is going to make a great birthday gift next month.

Here are my titles:  A - Anna; B - beach; C - Conner; D - dad; E - bug eyes (wearing her bug glasses from the Saturday market); F - family; G - golf; H - hula; I - imagination; J - jet ski; K - kiss; L - lights at temple square; M - mom; N - no training wheels; O - one hundred silly bandz; P - Payton; Q - quietly sleeping; R - riding my scooter; S - sherlock bones (remember these pics?); T - trampoline; U - ukelele; V - very cute duckling; W - winter fairy (ballet); X - xtra warmth (huddling by the heater vents); Y - yarn bowls; Z - zero fear (rock climbing)

2.  Nutter Butter blizzard.  The perfect peanut buttery flavor with a little cookie crunch.  Yum!

3.  Don Aslett cleaning supplies.  My mother-in-law introduced me to these products and I've been using them in my bathroom, kitchen, and on my floors for the past few months.  They are great, everything feels so clean - fresh smell, no soapy residues.  My favorites:  Showers 'n Stuff, the heavy duty cleaner, and Shaw's Pads (toilet ring remover).

and

4. Neutrogena Deep Clean Long-Last Shine Control Daily Scrub -- I have been nearly zit free for the last 2 months.  Which is exactly how long I've been using this face wash.

  Now that is a very good thing.

i heart: dec 2010

i heart . . . Amazon.com and Amazon Prime 2-day shipping.  It made Christmas shopping a very merry and stress-free experience.

i heart . . . Stephen's hot chocolate.  I've tried it all -- Nestle, Swiss Miss, Land O Lakes, Starbucks.  Stephen's is hands down the best.

i heart . . . these two.  For their example of love and friendship in a marriage and the importance of nurturing it on a daily basis.  This post from last month says it all.  They just left our home today after spending the Christmas holiday with us.  As soon as they walked out the door Conner said, "{happy sigh} that was a great visit."

i heart . . . a little girl with headphones, singing her heart out.

i heart . . . my new toy camera.  A Fuji Instax mini 7.  It takes the most perfectly imperfect photos.  Picture taking is an adventure because you just never know what you're going to get.  Here are some from Christmas Day.

 

i heart . . . Payton.  I could squish and love on this boy all day. I've recently dubbed him, "The Commentator", because he shares his thoughts, opinions, and animated commentary on anything and everything whether or not people are listening.

i heart . . . lazy days at home with nothing to do and nowhere to go.

-------------------

I just uploaded over 300 pictures to iphoto and I hope to share stories from Christmas and a trip to Utah for my brother-in-law's wedding.  I'll probably begin with Christmas and work my way back until I run out of steam.

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!

i {heart} . . . . jam

 . . . Dark kiss.  Last fall it was Twilight Woods.  I think this year it is going to be all about Dark Kiss - lotion, shower gel, hand cream, and body spray.  Feminine, enticing, warm, just perfect.

 
 . . . all the creative eye-candy goodness from Spark.  And Elizabeth Kartchner is just so adorable.  Would love to attend this event someday that is all about discovering and sharing your creative spark.  (photo above from Rhonna Farrer's blog)

   . . . my homemade, canned boysenberry jam.  The kids turn their nose up at it (they prefer raspberry).  But, my oh my, I am back on a PB&J kick and loving it.  Looking for any excuse to spread a little jam on something.

. . . Scott being home.

. . . the google reader "Next" bookmark.  It's so nice to see blogs in their entirety & get the feel, rather than just catching the plain old text in a feed.  Each time I click "Next" it refreshes to a new post so it's also a little surprise . . . you just never know what is going to come next.   Here are details on how to set it up.

. . . having a second freezer.  Right now it's empty.  Because we just got it on Tuesday.  And it's the end of the month so I don't have $$ in my budget to fill it.  But no longer will a lack of freezer space be the reason for . . . . passing up frozen food deals, waiting to buy my turkey 3 days before Thanksgiving because it will have to go straight into the fridge, skimping on my freezer jam production, or running out of bread (I can guarantee there will always be 3-5 loaves on hand in the new freezer).

Now, one thing I do not {heart} this month . . . 

 

This time, every year, we get the spider invasion.  I found 4 giant webs just like this in one flower bed.  And a couple weeks ago we woke up to a hobo spider in our bathroom sink.  We now have spider traps in every room of the house.
 

entertain me, make me smile

 
This album. It is fun, mellow, melty, adorable, quirky, make-you-smile goodness all wrapped up into one.  I downloaded one song from itunes.  Then another.  And another.  And before I knew it I had downloaded almost the entire album.  All About Your Heart, All the Pennies, California, This is My Song, I Do Adore, and Anchor are just a few of my favorites.  

Cardigans at Shade.  No picture, but it is cozy, plum, and crazy on sale.

Cardigans at Down East. An ultra feminine flowery one in pink.  And a yellow/white stripe in a fit that is just my style.  Can you tell I have a thing for cardigans?

 
Glee re-runs.  Been watching a few DVR'd episodes at my in-law's house and loving them all over again.  Like "Dream On" with Neil Patrick Harris.  And "Theatricality" with lots of Lady Gaga craziness. The Glee soundtrack, volume 3 has become the soundtrack of our summer:  Hello/Goodbye, Dream On, and Bad Romance have had a lot of play time.  So if you see the Brown's cruising down the road, all singing at the top of our lungs, you don't have to guess what we are listening to.

ipad.  Grammer Valerie Papa Dennis has one.  And I can see the wheels turning in Scott's head.  Our favorite app so far:  Angry Birds.  Scott and the kids also enjoy making pottery, but I haven't tried that one yet.

Kiwi Loco.  Frozen yogurt.  Yum.  What a cool way to dish out frozen yogurt.  You fill your cup, you add toppings (as much as you want), they weigh it, and you pay by the ounce.  I just think it is such a cool idea, the place is super cute, and the yogurt . . . . yum.

Inception . . . . . . Will it make the cut? We're going to see it tonight. 

fab five: january 2010

1.  500 Days of Summer.  

 

 

Have you seen this movie?  A few weeks ago Scott was away and I rented this, not knowing what it was really about. ("This is a story of boy meets girl.")  And I fell in love.  It was one of those movies that I truly enjoyed, and I wished would keep going . . . . not because it didn't end the way I wanted it to, but because it was just so quirky and delightful.  Definitely different, fun, and engaging.  I downloaded the soundtrack on itunes and have listened to it at least 15 times in my car.

2.  Photoshop Actions.  For a year or longer I've been hearing about and admiring the use of photoshop actions on various photo blogs.  (Actions are basically a packaged set of photo edits that you can apply with one click).  But I was totally clueless.  The installment and usage of these little tricks were something that seemed out of my reach in a big black void of photoshop that I knew nothing about.  Then I came across a website that offered a plethora of free actions and I said, "saddle up missy, it's time to learn something new."

Thanks to Coffee Shop Actions, her free actions, and great tutorials, this is what I can do:

 
clockwise from top left:  straight out of the camera, perfect portrait, color pop with B&W conversion, butterscotch vintage.

I have had fun playing (and learning) the past few days!

3.  Lightscoop.  It's this funky attachment that enables your indoor flash photos to look more natural . . . not so blown out.  I took these photos in the upstairs playroom, blinds closed -- just about the worst lighting situation you can imagine.

 

this is literally my first picture taken with it and I am already impressed.  

4.  FiberOne Bars.  These are so so good!  Especially when you run into a pre-school mom in the grocery store who takes one look at your cart and hands you a coupon so you can get them for $1/box.  (And after inspecting my cereal choices she gave me another coupon and a few tips. I came out with 10 boxes for $3!)

 

 Note to self:  do not eat more than one bar in a single day.

5.  Deals.  Who doesn't love a good deal?  Rochelle & Aundrea taught a RS meeting a few months ago about couponing and I got organized and dabbled for a bit.  Then my visit with the pre-school mom re-inspired me to evaluate my purchases.  Currently, this is my favorite blog for deal-seeking (I know there are a lot out there):  My Frugal Adventures.  Over the last few days I ordered 105 pictures for 45 cents, purchased $75 in restaurant gift certificates for $6, and a fleece jacket for $3.39.  Not too shabby!

fab five

five of the latest things that bring a piece of happy to our days.

1.  A little birdie told me . . . . My sister-in-law has started up an etsy shop where she sells these adorable hair clips for little girls.  I need to get my hands on some more because they work great in Anna's hair.  Heidi, expect an order soon!

 

2.  Are leg warmers back? . . . . whether they're in or out, I am loving these crawler covers for Anna's little legs.  You can find them all over etsy right now and come in lots of cute patterns.  It's so fun to mix and match with her little play dresses.  And, when it's time for the potty, they're much easier to handle than hiking up a pair of tights.

3.  Mondays are for baking . . . at least that is the plan.  Anna and I have been making cupcakes and having quite a bit of fun at it. 

 

4.  Wednesdays are for GLEE . . . . Have you watched this show?  I so look forward to wednesday nights.  Scott and I settle in on the couch and bask in the musical fun.  Not to mention the ultra-quirky, entertaining characters.  Like, say,  . . . . Sue, coach of the Cheerios?  

5.  'Tis the season . . . . for vampire teeth.  Anna got these for apple bobbing at the ward harvest party on saturday and is still wearing them around the house.