Elf-ing around

We had so much fun at Gardner Village with Darci and Devin. We were on the hunt for little elves, little did we know we had a few mischievous little elvish little people with us already. I only got to have Fisher with me, Maggie and Cole were hunting some sort of bird all day with Nate. Don't tell them but i think hunting for elves may have been a bit more enchanting. Can I just say how awesome my family is; my own little family and my extended family, I love you guys!!

Fun times on the Jordan parkway

Halloween

Spoooooky!!! Pretty crazy times around here. Maggie was Athena, Cole was a clown that no one could recognize, and Fisher was a swashbuckling pirate, commonly mistaken for a cowboy. They were all super cute!

My trip to the Pacific Northwest

How cute are all of these pics. This weekend was all about baby Miles. Or baby Minoes if you are my friend Lark.
Miles got blessed, we went on lots of walks, we went on one fun bike ride which included one unfortunate crash, (Ava is so brave), we shopped, we ate, played games, including go fish and old maid, ate lots of Halloween candy, and I personally was able to muster up another blocked salivary gland, which was grand in every sense of the word. Thanks Chambers clan for the good times.

Museum

This was our final hoo-rah before going back on track with the boys. Good times were had by all and thank goodness for great friends. The weather was perfect, the company fantastic, the kids were super, the Tinker Toys mediocre, and the Cokes were cold.

Rain Gutter Regatta

What a thrill! Who knew racing wooden boats in a rain gutter could be such a spectacle. We were able to witness many realms of 'What The..?' Including, but not limited to:

Hyperventilation coupled with tears
Capsizing of vessels
The TOYOTA jump perfected
Lower lips sticking out far enough to hit China
Heads buried in arms as to not reveal any true emotions such as disappointment
Excellent sportsmanship
Excellent sailorship
Excellent treats (nachos)
Excellent leaders

Cole did pretty great. His success was surely due to the Jolly Roger on his sail made out of electrical tape.

Snow fun

We had a great time in the snow! I just don't understand how people don't love the snow. I'm guessing its just because they don't play in it. Please notice the snowman and snowwoman, much effort was put into those beauties, notice their kissing lips, along with the kissing lips of the human man and woman.
Our kids could spend days in the snow, maybe it's the magic of water in all of its forms; frozen, liquid, or gas, all have proven to be hours of fun around here.

Maggie at practice

Just seeing if I can figure out how to blog on my phone.

You May Want To Sit Down.. This May Come As A Shock

but I am about to blog!

I was noticing that my last post was on March 16th, which I am not too ashamed of considering that it is March 16th of this year. Not last. Not 2010. Not 2009. Yeah for me.

The bad thing is that my memory is so ridiculous and I am really good at misplacing my thoughts that a quick recap of the past month and a half may be just that. QUICK.

I will just start with April since going back to March would definately be asking too much.

April 2012

1st) and most importantly, Fisher turned 7 on April 7th.

He had his golden birthday!! Nate & I were not

present but much guilt was. Thank heaven for 7-11 and

especially for grandma's and grandpa's who fill in for parents and

probably do a better job. We were not there because...

2) Nate and I got to go to Hawaii- Kauai more specificly with some really super

great friends. It rained all day every day, o.k. not all day but almost and

it didn't even matter. It was so paradisical it is almost seeming like a really

great dream the more time passes. Perhaps I will document with

pics and adventures a later date. Perhaps not.

3) Easter. Nate and I also not present for that. We did get to go to a

Kauaian branch and listen to testimonies by all vacationers, save one.

4) Fisher's Field trip. To where you may ask yourself. No, not the zoo

or the children's museum. Yes, to Cal-Ranch. What is Cal-Ranch some of you

non-UT non-ID-ers, it is akin to IFA or a farmer store. Yipee for

baby ducks and chicks and turkeys. I was sure to tell the 1st graders

how yummy one of those turkeys would taste on Thanksgiving. Only one girl cried

and said she had already named them all.

5) Soccer season has officially begun. I love watching the kids play soccer. I could do it all

day long. It is so great to see them improve and to excel and  succeed. Maggie is doing great,

she has great endurance, is playing defence and forward. Cole is doing great too. He plays

 forward as well, and was approached by a recruiter who also coaches an 11-12 year old team.

To that we say good job Cole and thanks but no thanks. Fisher is quite a hoot to observe during his games. He runs really fast in sporatic spurts, looking at his feet whilst he runs. He prefers to play defence where he defends the center line and does not believe in leaving the center circle while he does so.

6) Getting the garden ready, yeah for off track since i have 3 pairs of extra hands to help. 

I will post pics and other topics soon. I just wanted to do a quick catch up. TTFN



Trifle bowl Score

        
Is this not the most tantalizing trifle you have ever seen. I am really blogging about the trifle bowl because I have been looking for one forever and finally found one at Savers. Love. Thrift. Stores.
I made this about a month ago, and am just barely writing about it.

So ready for summer and sweet, juicy, berries and fruit. Delish. 

Groceries

I am blogging right now as a procrastination tactic. My counter tops are covered in groceries that I am too lazy to put away. I have a bit of complaining to do about the whole grocery shopping experience as a whole and just how many times I am required to handle all the groceries before they are actually put away, here are the handling steps in chronological order, please correct me if I am wrong:

1) from shelf to cart
2) from cart to conveyor belt thing
3) from conveyor belt thing to bag
4) from bag to cart
5) from cart to car
6) from car to kitchen counter
7) from kitchen counter to proper place or
8) from kitchen counter to top of stairs
9) from top of stairs to storage room floor
10) from storage room floor to storage room shelf

Does this not seem a bit excessive? Really. I must admit there are 2 times which I really enjoy the handling of groceries. #1 & #7- from shelf to cart and everything put in it's proper place, where I can look at it and know that there is food in the house and have the feeling of stocked-ness. Quite. Satisfying. I guess I have to actually put them away to have that Quite, Satisfying feeling. I am however entirely grateful that I can buy cold milk, fresh veggies and the like just 5 minutes from home, that I have a car to drive there in, and that I have a family to feed. I guess the handling everything 10x's requirement is quite minimal in comparison to the alternative-- I'll take the 10x's.

Wuv, Twoo Wuv

The annual Valentine's Day Dinner & Dance at the Spencer home is highly anticipated by all. I went all out this year and bought a sandwich maker. Nate and I dressed up like servers, took orders for individual sandwich pizzas, poured grape juice into plastic goblets and the kids were in heaven. Please be impressed with my mammie dishrag hair net. Maggie, Cole, & Fisher all thought it appropriate to talk with a british accent all night, apparently an accent equates to fancy pantsy-ness. Maggie got the boys dressed in white shirts and khakis,& herself in a lovely red dress and they were ready for a night on the town, including being able to boss Nate and I around by saying things like, "Um server, more grape juice please, or my salad is out of pepperoni, could I have a side of pepperoni?" They were pretty great, Nate dressed up in the vest he wore the day we got married-he's such a sentimental guy. As per tradition dictates, the lava lamps came out and had us all mesmerized for quite some time. I am trying to relish these moments, Cole asking Maggie to dance, Fisher asking if he may please cut in on Nate and I, the family dance where we all do a big bear hug to Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World and go in slow circles, then right on to Cole shuffling to the Black Eyed Peas and then dancing slow circles with Nate. I wish I could freeze these moments, freeze my kids ages, freeze their innocence, but since that is not a part of reality, I choose to live in the moment and love the goodness surrounding us. Plus a little hint I learned that night, my kids were begging for more salad, apparently the secret is slicing pepperoni on top of it.

Mary & Hazel

This is Mary. We call her Grandma Terry. She is my mom's mom and she is the best. She has Alzheimers and doesn't remember me or my kids or Nate. She is in a care center in utah county. We went to visit her and grandpa (who just moved to the same place as grandma just a couple of days before we went to visit) and Hazel who is Grandma's sister. I used to spend weeks at a time with Grandma and Grandpa Terry in the summertime. We would make a quilts, noodle necklaces, salt dough, sleep out, make trips to Ream's with Grandpa to get icecream cones, which was totally awesome because this particular Reams used to be a Skate Rink and the outside looked like a building that Frotto the hobbit would have lived in, like a big mushroom roof with curvy edges. We would have to sneak to get icecream because grandma didn't like grandpa to eat sugar, which was evident when she served us whole wheat sugarless karob chip cookies. That's what I want to remember about my grandparents. Grandpa is still good for some serious swears, many of which my kids learned on this last visit with him. Doesn't it seem a bit backwards, like, shouldn't you live a life by giving it your all, raising great kids, taking care of your health, contributing to society, staying faithful, and fearing God, and then be rewarded. With I don't know what, but I don't think I would choose to be rewarded with diapers and memory loss, and the shirt, you know the one I'm talking about, the one with dried food chunks on it, always. Hmmm, I am sure there is a very good reason for coming full circle- we come into the world a baby and leave with many of the same physical and mental demonstrations as a child. Maybe, just maybe it makes it easier to leave. I'll take the Thelma and Louise version thank you.

This is Hazel. Sweetest. Thing. Ever. She told us that her job is to dust the nick nacks. She also hugged Fisher about 43 times, which he was really loving, he just smiled and hugged her back with his shy little self. She took each of my kids by the hand and told them to take me by the hand and come visit her at her house. Her house was always magical to me, I could pretend for hours in her yard. Please, remind me to take my vitamins, to exercise, to eat good for me food, and to do my sudoku puzzles. Each moment is priceless, make the most of them, that's what this little visit helped me to remember, again.

Finally- the ROOM

Here we go with the pics of our room-not entirely made over, but fresh all the same. The many paint choices.

armoir before, dark and dreary

armoir after, light and fresh

Cute handles-notice glazing- soooo easy-peasy

hamper before

Hamper after-Freezer paper irons on to fabric- and that is how I got my stencil. I just wish it did the laundry for me.

Little shelf- the owl is the first thing Nate and I bought together after we were married-aaahh. The painting of Christ was a gift from dear friends after mom died. The poster is from eighteen21.blogspot.com- free download- then just print at Sam's-16x20 for 6 bucks. Sweet.

Old radio from uncle Mark that Nate refinished- big orange box holds CDs

Reading corner-lamp from DI, awesome rocker from great grandma Bertha- what a treat and treasure when after having it for 15 years we tore off the blue (which Becky says used to be black) upolstery from the arms and back to discover great lines and beautiful wood. Now I just need to re-upolster the seat.

Kitchen carts turned bedstands- including a knife holder on the one side- handy for weapon storage should there be any intruders.

Awesome storage in the bed. Nate, Dad and I made the bed- thanks to ANNA WHITE(check her out). Its a platform bed and does wonders for my back.

hardware for curtains- must give credit where credit is due: vintagerevivals.blogspot.com Mandee is awesome, you should check her out too. Dad forged, machined, and welded these badboys for me. Thanks Dad

Glimpsee into final product

Went with the nautical theme a bit since Nate is quite the Sailor. Are you loving the giant knot? So ropey.

Curtains are attached with clamp rings and strung on heavy rope from Lowe's. The fabric is a paint drop cloth (I know right- who knew) which I highly recommend for its flexibility, durability, affordability, and awesome-ability. I hung them ( I should say Nate hung them, THX babe) about 10 inches higher than the window to make the window look bigger.

AAhhh- right down to the tie off- got that baby at west marine for 7 bucks. I am loving the fray.

And that is all of the pics I am going to post since my camera battery just died right while I was taking pictures,
so my luck. i am really happy with how everything turned out, It is masculine enough for Nate, I love the colors which I think I could accesorize with something other than orange should I feel like a change later on. If you are thinking of a room re-do. Do it. It can be a long process and a bit arduous at times, but it is so great and worth making it a place you love that is really you. Of course there are things that I would still love to do i.e. lamps- but I am waiting for the perfect ones that speak to me- so they may take a while.I would also love something above the headboard, my sis mentioned oars, awesome, but hey, are we ever really done decorating anyway? No. & cheers my friends, may the wind be at your back this lovely Friday.