Festive Photos

I've really been a lousy blogger lately. No excuses. I've just been consumed by crafts and other Christmas stuff lately. About that...I'll really try to update you soon. I found our charger just tonight.

Here's some festive photos! First, our ward Christmas party-- I challenge anyone to try and best our party. Our activity committee is a couple who both work in the movie industry. Get this: they met on the set of Napoleon dynamite. He did the lighting, and she did the makeup. Anyway. This year the theme was "Christmas in the Americas." Irina works for the LDS motion picture studio now, and hence, our gym was decked out from the various movie set props. Our program was AWESOME with a professional narrator, sweet sound effects, and the costumes from The Testaments...you know, the movie they used to play on Temple Square. It really was cool, but besides all the awesome set, sound, and costumes etc., it really was a powerful program that really helped me feel the spirit of what Christmas is all about. Allan and I were both in the program. Allan was a enthusiastic "unbeliever," and I was part of the crowd (hence I just wore what I...and Eirene had lying around the house).

Merry Christmas friends! I love you all, and also homemade caramel.

6 Months

I know, she's amazing. I took her yesterday to Kiddie Kandids to get these shots, and although really impressed with the camera crew (they stop at nothing short of back flips to get the kids to smile) I was EXHAUSTED by the time I got out of there. It took THREE HOURS, folks. Actual picture-taking time was about 15 minutes, and the rest was WAITING. They're pretty cute, although not my really style. I don't know why, but I didn't feel like telling him how I really feel about putting Josie into a hat box with feather boas. In fact, my temporary attitude was more like "Yeah! The more the merrier! Sure! Throw in a teddy bear with beads! Why not?!"

So in addition to dazzling everyone with her happy smile, Josie is also saying "Mamamamam," "Dadadada," and my favorite "blah blah blah blah." So, in a nut shell, she knows the basic essentials of communication.

FYI: I have many many crafting treasures to show, but our camera cord has been misplaced temporarily. So, stay tuned.

The Pro Jects

So, I've been in my own winter wonderland the last little bit. Man, I love Christmas. I'm never happier than I am when I have exciting projects in the works. And Christmas is an excuse to drown myself in projects. Especially Christmas on a budget...but, I'm pretty sure that even if I had kazillion dollars, I'd still be frequenting the local JoAnn's. Let's be honest.

Ok, So I fell in love with the Vintage Kantha Stocking from Anthropologie.
I just used scraps of fabric that I had, (I also dipped into Eirene's collection) and then bought the back fabric from dollar fabrics at Wal-mart. The lining is an old sheet. Hope I don't need that anytime soon....
So, here it is. Feast your eyes out. Dreamy, right?
And here are some ornaments I whipped up. I was going to make six, but I got bored and am happy with three.

What's cooler than the A-10 jet? Oh yeah, a picture of your head IN an A-10 jet...

Along with eating a lot of really good food, hanging out with Allan's fam, playing a kazillion games of Shanghai, watching some movies, also watching the Cougars kick some serious Ute booty, going to a Christmas Tree Jubilee, and totally embarrassing myself playing "Guitar Hero," Allan and I went to the Hill Airforce Base Aerospace Museum. It was pretty cool--I mean, I didn't want to spend the rest of eternity there, like Allan, but I thought it was cool...you know, for the first hour. Allan is what I like to call...thorough. If he likes a song, he has no qualms playing two hundred seventy-four MILLION times. In a row. When we went on our honey moon to San Fran, I thought it would be cool to visit my favorite-childhood-museum called the Exploritorium (it's a science hands-on museum). After the third HOUR there, I was beginning to understand who I had married. SO, it really was no surprise that Allan wanted to read every plaque, watch every video, and explain every impossibly difficult concept of aviation that he has become familiar with in his twenty-four years of life. Don't get me wrong, I love this about Allan. I do kinda like trying to understand impossibly difficult concepts, but mostly I love the fact that he thinks that I'm smart enough to semi-get it, and that he is so passionate about such nerdy things. It's very cute.
We definitely spent the most time hovering around the A-10, because Allan has spent the last year designing 3-D models for the A-10, (the government is remanufacturing them) and consequently knows more than your average bear. He had a lot of fun spouting off all his insider-information to me, and anyone else within earshot.

Girls who marry nerds have all the fun.

Grateful.

Saturday afternoon Allan informed me that our computer had crashed. It was completely unexpected (I suppose it always is) and utterly devastating! We had lost ALL of pictures. We had backed up our pictures about six months ago, but that meant that we lost all our pictures of Josie. We would be able to recover the ones I've posted here as well as the ones we've sent people through email, but it was only a fraction of what we had. I cannot convey the sadness I felt! I was devastated. We also lost a lot of other things, including all my English documents (aka my entire English major career) but it was nothing to me compared to those lost pictures. For more than a day we thought we had lost it, and on Saturday night I balled for an entire hour before finally falling asleep. Yesterday Allan was still trying different things, really without any real hope, and--long story short--something that Peter (my computer genius for a brother) had left worked!! We recovered almost everything. I don't know enough about computers to explain with any coherence what happened, so I'll just say that it was a Christmas miracle.

The whole time I thought that we'd lost it all, I kept on thinking about this picture. I didn't send it to anyone, nor post it here, because I think I look like death-warmed-over. BUT, I realized how much it really meant to me, because when I look at it, it reminds me of the indescribable way I felt, and that really is invaluable.

I'm grateful today for modern technology, and Peter, and these pictures, and Josie, and for Allan of course, who miraculously recovered it all (with some special help I'm sure).

Cute.

It's hard to say which is cuter--

My husband studying, with my daughter strapped to his back with her wide open and drool leaking out...

or the booties I made Josie for Christmas...

It's a tough call...but I'm gonna go with the husband and child.

Straight from the 70's

So a few months ago my sister Emily, to all our delight, got her crafty hands on some old vintage patterns. She got them from an older woman in her ward, I think, and they range from the 1950's to the 80's, if I'm not mistaken. I could be. But bottom line, they are an absolute treasure. TREASURE. So while perusing the goods I was enchanted by this pattern. I love the high waste and A-line. I love the whole look! I even dig the girl's hair.

So I knew this dress had to be mine. I bought the material, and went for a really textured, thicker weave. The buttons are from a big bag of buttons from an antique store. Isn't a charm? It was so easy! I sewed in just one night. Well, I did stay up a wee bit late, but even so. It was a quicky. Funny though, the pattern is a size 10, which would normally be my size, but the measurements were WAY tiny. Like, I'm talking probably a size 6 now a days. So probably the hardest part of the whole thing was making the pattern bigger, and in the end, I ended up having to take it all in, cause it was huge. So...I'm still kinda confused about how that worked out. But for any of you who want to sew, but don't--START! Sewing is super fun, and really it isn't hard. Just find someone who can show you the ropes at first. Then you too can have a fun 1970's jumper. I know you want one.


P.S. Thank you Cammie Nebeker for being my sewing mentor back in my 4-H days O' Love.

Hello Ween.

Fact: I enjoy dressing-up.
Fact: I also really enjoy good candy.
Mystery fact: I have never really liked Halloween.

A brief explanatory history: See, growing up, my mom never liked Halloween because of the dark, creepy, deathy side of it. (I keep my mom company in the camp that loathes the dark, creepiness of Halloween, because I myself hate being scared. I dread scary movies, etc. because I have a real hard time drawing the line between fictional and real in my head). Did I imagine that it was referred to as Satan's Holiday? Maybe. But regardless—the principle holds true. So, most years we didn't go trick-or-treating. (Of course there were some rather spectacular exceptions, like the year we went with our cousins in Vegas and literally filled a pillow case with candy. THAT was a very lucrative year, indeed). But as a rule, Mom let us trick-or-treat at one place: the local rest home. Now, I'm certainly not complaining, because a little charity in my youth never did me anything but good, BUT it did make dressing-up a little less exciting, and let's be honest—you don't go to a rest home for the candy either; both the quality and quantity were wanting. More often then you'd think the elderly dipped into your bucket; in fact, many residents were more protective with their candy than my little sister Elena. But to be fair, it was never an issue of candy. My mom very generously compensated us in that regard. She always made sure there was PLENTY of candy—good candy—at our house (Definitely enough to satiate our ravenous appetites). So I guess, in the end, it was more about fanfare. No sense making a lot of hoopla about the rest home, right? I think that’s what sort of took the wind out of my sails.

My brothers and sister and I about...24 years ago.

Note: This is my Grandad, not a resident.

It got more exciting in college. Then it was ALL about dressing-up and making hoopla. There was always some party or dance to go to. Marth and I had some classic memories—Bed Head Betty and Bess, and The Lunch Ladies come immediately to mind… And I, like many a college girl, could not escape the 80’s the Halloween Allan and I were dating.

Bed Head Betty and Bess

Allan as a Punk Rocker

The 80's chick and the Tango Dancer (Jules)

But last year, once again, Halloween was…well, pretty boring. I actually forgot it was even Halloween, and candyless, had to pretend I wasn’t home when we got hit up by one single trick-or-treater. I wasn’t going to let that happen again. So, we (my sisters and I) decided to revive Halloween with another Fat Party. Dressing-up is back in the game plan, and chili is on the menu. As documented, we had a grand old time. I’m glad to be reconciled with the holiday—it gave me a great excuse to dress me and my family up (especially Josie), and there was plenty of hoopla and fanfare. And this year, I made sure we had a generous bowl of candy ready for our annual trick-or-treater. (singular: trick-or-treater).

Allan the Google head, Cheetarah Thunder Cat and our Pea Pod

Hazel the Chili Pepper, Josie the Pea Pod, and "Maybee"

(The costume turned out great, huh?)

Em and Riley

Cory and Katie

Charley Brown (Rawl)

Doog and Shauna

Granbud!

Granny

Rene and Ben (when you've got it, you've got it.)

Kat and Charley

Raggedy Ann (Hannah) and PollyAnna (Milly)

Cheetarah's makeup was way better the next day for work...

Fat party, and other notables

FAT PARTY, WOO WOO.

Dance parties have never been so hoppin'. The day before my birthday I received (in the mail) a super cool invite to a "Birthday Dance Jam" set for my big day. All the guests (me, Em, Eirene, Babies, and of course Milly and Rawl) jammed to some bumpin' tunes, snacked on some happenin' california roles, and then enjoyed a nice, cool, smooth, homemade Jamba Juice. If you think it could have been any more cool, you're wrong. I learned new moves from Milly and Rawl, introduced Josie to the "shimmy", and got to see my two very hot sisters work-it. Bet you wish YOU got an invite too...sorry, it was for exclusive members only.

I had a great Birth Day. It made me glad I've been around the past 25 years, and excited to be around for the next 25. P.S. I ended the day laughing with my siblings (Em & Family, Cory & Family, Rene & Family) about bathroom humor, and enjoying a chocolate mousse pie from Emily. What's not fabulous about that?

On to the other Notables.

Josie is getting prettier and prettier. Don't you think?

What is not to love about this dazzling smile?!
She has about 4 hairs that are 2.5 inches longer than all the rest.

She's also become a Strongbad fan. I can't say I'm surprised.

And she's found her toes. She sucks on them occasionally, which is SO cute, but we haven't been fortunate enough to capture it on camera.

She also can roll over, make a motor-boat noise, giggle, and stand on her own. I'm not kidding...

Proof!

Other things you should probably know are:

I made pizza on Saturday night, with this recipe, and it was AMAZING. Give it a go.

I copied Martha, and made this apron holder. Now I've just got to make another apron.

Eirene made me these: (Thanks, LeAnne)

I also made this...(It's a wedding gift for a friend)

I am working on this...

I just finished helping plan and pull-off the primary portion of this year's annual Stake Emergency Preparedness Fair.

I've been baking bread lately. I've also been eating a lot of bread lately.

I've been watching, and thoroughly enjoying Pam and Jim's togetherness on The Office.

Ok, I think I'd better stop there.