Gingerbread Houses

We spent the first Friday night of December with some of our wonderful cousins. We met Emily, Jordan and their little boy Ben downtown for dinner and then we walked around Temple Square with them, enjoying the lights and the time with each other. It was a cold night for walking around Temple Square, but we planned ahead and bundled up warmly. When we got to the North Visitor's center (we started on the southeast side of the square), we went inside for a little bit to warm up, but didn't stay too long since we didn't want to get too warm and start sweating. We completed our route through the square, walked through the Joseph Smith Building, and split to go to our own cars.
We then went out to their place in Sandy, where we joined up with Tyler, Em's brother, and his wife Sara to make gingerbread houses. Em had made all the gingerbread and the glue (white and green frosting) for us, and Michael and I brought the candy. Tyler and Sara weren't sure if they would be able to make it, but we were glad to know that they would, and we were happy to see them. It doesn't happen often because they are so busy! Here is how we decorated our house. I think it was a unanimous vote that ours was the most festive with the colors. :) We have red & green twists all around the door and the roof line, as well as the "dead" red & green bears on top of the roof. We also appreciated that Em made us a dog (freehand! No stencil) for the front yard of our house.

Festival of Trees

This year for her Christmas present, my mom requested that we do a tree for the Festival of Trees since she is in Russia. Becca, Melanie and I went shopping after Christmas last year to find items that we would want to decorate the tree with. Definitely the time to go since most of it was part of their after-Christmas clearance. :) Melanie came up with the name of our tree (in addition to her help shopping), Heather made the tree skirt, and on the Monday following Thanksgiving this year, Michael and I joined Jeff and Becca and our cousin Em at the South Town Expo Center to decorate the tree. Michael and Jeff did the structural part of the tree, making sure it was sturdy and would stay together during transport (after it was purchased), and the girls did the decorating. I only have one picture of the final product, so I'm going to link to the other posts that have been written about it so that you can see more pictures (although some of them are duplicates). It was a lot of fun to do, and there were a lot of "Well, next year we should do this" or "Next year will be easier because..." or just plain "Next year..." :)

We were glad to see that our tree sold, and to hear that it sold for so much! It was a fun experience and a fun atmosphere to be in with everyone else who was there on "Decorating Day."

Thankful for...

I thought it would be a good thing this year to write down a short list of things that I am thankful for. So here goes.

This year, I am thankful for:
An adorable, loving Husband

Who insisted that I post a picture of me as well

 A playful puppy (who isn't much of a puppy anymore)

A House

Cars (even though they sometimes seem like they're about to die)

Family

 Friends

And others that we don't have pictures of

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Supporting the Family Business

I have now done my part to support the family business. Yesterday, I finally got a pair of glasses.

I say finally because I have been having some problems with double vision for a little while. I used to have glasses when I was younger, so back in January, I got an appointment with Dr. Hoffman, the eye doctor I used to go to. He said that it was due to a weaker eye muscle in my right eye, and suggested eye muscle surgery. I would be ok with that option (after doing some more research about it) because it would most likely be a more permanent fix, whereas glasses would just be a temporary fix, and would only work when I'm wearing them (which should be all the time unless I'm sleeping, and I don't need to see then anyway). He also suggested that I meet with the Neurosurgeon that I used to see, just to make sure there isn't anything new that either of them need to know about (If you don't know why I used to see a neurosurgeon, just ask me).

Well, I kind of dragged my feet a little on that, and I took a few months to call and schedule an appointment with Dr. Walker. I finally got in to see him at the end of May, and he requested an MRI to be sure that nothing was going on in my head that shouldn't be. I went back a week later for that, he got the results right away, and gave me a clean bill of health (again).

I decided that I wanted a second opinion, so after dragging my feet* again, I went in October to see a family friend, Dr. Christiansen. He said surgery is one option, but not the only option. He checked my eyes, and then asked if we could schedule another appointment a week or so later to give him a chance to discuss options with some of his colleagues. I met with him the next Wednesday, and exited his office with a prescription in hand for glasses with prism lenses, which should help to strengthen the weak muscles in my right eye.

We then set off in search of a pair of frames that I liked. We found a pair that I liked, and then dropped them off at the lab with my prescription on Friday. Then yesterday, I picked up my glasses (and got them fitted correctly). Michael swung by the lab and picked up the pair of sunglasses that I had gotten as well, and now I have officially joined the club of "four-eyes."

So, I obviously opted for the glasses. They were cheaper, and it may end up like it did last time I had glasses. In 10 years, I may not need them again (although I'm not holding my breath).

*I didn't necessarily drag my feet. I just didn't remember to call and schedule an appointment until after the office was closed. My memory is SO not what it used to be.

7 years later

in dog years of course.
Our cute, adorable dog has now been a part of our family for a little over a year. We picked her up on November 6, 2010, after meeting her the day before. She got her first shots the morning of the 6th, and we picked her up that evening. She was so scared that first night. New environment, new people, no mom or brothers/sisters to keep her company, kept in a confined space behind our couch, etc. Michael and I actually slept out on the couches the first 2 nights so that we could keep her company, somewhat. She slept in her kennel with the door latched closed (since she was paper trained, but not house trained), and both nights, when she whined, one of us (usually Niki) would lay in front of her kennel where she could see us, until we thought she was asleep, and then would move back to the couch. Those 2 nights were rough. Luckily things got easier, partly because we had to work Monday morning, so we moved her kennel into the laundry room where we couldn't hear her whine all night, and we slept in our room on the other side of the house. As she grew, the whining decreased, and now she only whines when she needs something or wants our attention for some reason. Although we sometimes wish that we had the money that we have spent/will spend on her, we wouldn't trade her for anything! We have loved having her this past year, and watching her grow into the beautiful dog that she is. We totally lucked out and got the best dog of the litter!

 

We find her like this somewhat often

Changing things up!

I haven't really cut my hair since almost a year before Michael and I met. I've trimmed it multiple times, but never cut it. I wanted it long for the wedding so that I could pull it up, and since Michael liked it long, I've kept it fairly lengthy. I finally got sick of it and how difficult it was to brush my hair out some mornings (since my arms don't bend backwards very well). This is what my hair looked like this morning before I left for work:

It's still a little wet

 And this is what it looked like when I arrived home after work:

I was SO ready to get it cut! Like I said at the beginning of this post, I haven't really cut it short for almost 3 years. I think I trimmed it and kept it short until Michael and I met, but it's just been growing out ever since then. It may have been a drastic one, but I was definitely ready for a change!

Happy Halloween!

Last year we had just moved into our house and didn't have many decorations for Halloween. This year, we have a few more. This is what our house looks like right now!

Our cute porch. Yes, that is a black light. :)

Are you ready to meet...?

We have a new addition to our family.

Meet Kermit

We were in the garden yesterday, weeding and "winterizing" the flowers, and all of a sudden, Michael says, "Is that a frog?" I looked where he was pointing, and sure enough, there was a little frog hopping through the garden. I rescued it and brought it inside. We quickly abandoned the gardening and ran to Petco for some information on taking care of a frog. We think he is a tree frog (we think he's a he too), just because we live in a desert and there aren't many lakes around for him to be an aquatic frog. :)
We bought a 10 gallon aquarium, a water bowl, some coconut soil (that is supposed to hold moisture really well), a little plastic tree and some dechlorinator for the water we put in the water bowl and mist occasionally around the habitat to keep it moist. We bought some pellets too to feed him, but when we got home and looked closer at the label, we realized that they were sinking pellets, for aquatic frogs. So today while Michael was at work and Finn was getting her nails trimmed, I asked a clerk at Petco what would be the best thing to feed a frog. They said crickets (ewwwww!), and showed me where I could grab a bag of small ones. I brought them home and dumped all 8 of them into the cage, and I'm pretty sure there are only 2 left now. Apparently Kermit was a hungry little guy! We now will have to keep little crickets on hand so Kermit has something to eat!

Kermit's sweet setup. Please excuse the messy table behind it. :) 

After a long day

Finn quite often looks like this on days that we go to the park or when she's out of her kennel all or most of the day. Today was definitely one of those days, and the excitement of her birthday (visit to Petco and 2 car rides, as well as going to the park) sure didn't help her energy level. :)

Finnalyn's Birthday

Today is Finn's Birthday. We talked for a little while about things that we should do today, and we took her to Petco this morning to let her pick out something for her present. She picked out 2 rawhide bones and a tiger squeaky toy (we really picked that out, but she picked the tiger over the lion). We can't believe that our "kid" is already 1 year old! She is such a big girl!

Starting in 

Her new Tiger and after breaking off one end of the bone 

After chewing on it all day

Her second bone. We'll hang on to it for a few days before giving it to her.

It might last a little longer that way. :)

We also went to the park and threw around her frisbee a little. She is getting very good at catching it and bringing it back.

She is also now sleeping outside of her kennel. About a week ago, we decided to start trusting her and let her out at night to be our "guard dog". So far, the only mishap has been the first night, when she threw up out in the family room. It helps us get to bed earlier, because she's used to going to bed at 9:30 or 10, and she gets us to go to bed with her. She is also our backup alarm clock. If we don't wake up to our alarm for whatever reason, she will come in and lick our faces until one of us gets up and lets her out so she can go out to the bathroom after holding it all night.

I don't think we could have asked for a better dog. Happy Birthday girl!

I broke a nail!

If you know me well, you know I'm not a girly girl. I don't wear make-up unless it is absolutely necessary, my "dream car" is a 4Runner, I only spend 10 minutes (max) on my hair in the mornings, which is usually just enough time to pull my hair into a ponytail, I sort of pay attention to sports and try to learn the rules, and I enjoy playing video games. Not just "family games"on the Wii, but games on the Xbox like Assassin's Creed, NCAA Football or Castle Crashers (You can blame my husband for the first two, and one of our good friends for the last one).
A couple weeks ago, we got a coupon, and I decided I would give acryllic nails another try (the last time I got them was for our wedding. They barely lasted a week). Tonight, while watching the BYU/Utah game (Go Utes!), I opened a can of Dr. Pepper, and the nail on my middle finger broke off. I'm a little upset, just because now my nails look weird, but not terribly upset because as my nails have grown out, the acryllic nails have gotten longer and have been in the way more and more (which is why they only lasted a week last time. They weren't cut short enough to begin with). I've been thinking for a couple days that I should go and have them taken off, and now this next week, the rest of them probably will. I'll go and get a red manicure with a white U on every finger. :-)

Finally!

I finally got a picture of Michael in his full uniform. He doesn't look too much different from the other picture we have of him because partway through the season, he bought an earwig/microphone to use with the radio, instead of the big & bulky black speaker/microphone that Lagoon provided for him to use with it. But he does have the badge that says Lagoon Security on it, so he's official!

My attempt at Craftiness

Yesterday, I got bit by the crafty bug.
I was thinking about the wreath on our door that had been hanging there for almost a year, and definitely looks worn. The berries are all faded and cracking, and some have even cracked/broken enough to show the Styrofoam ball underneath. I decided that I wanted something "fall-ish", so Michael and I went to "his" store and bought some items to help me create the wreath I had pictured in my head. Luckily it was Labor Day weekend, so they had a lot of stuff on sale. The wreath we ended up buying was actually on clearance, so we lucked out there, and the leaves we bought (they were on a garland) were on sale as well. I had forgotten our coupons, but I don't know that they would've accepted them anyway since almost everything was on sale (except the glue gun, but that was only $2.50. Who knew glue guns were so cheap?)

What the wreath originally looked like. Cute, but not what I wanted.

The leaf garlands that we bought

After removing the flowers that were on the wreath. They may get used later on in another craft, but probably not. :)

Starting out. I thought about leaving it like this, but decided to keep going (and I'm glad I did).

Halfway done!

Our "Harvest Wreath" looks very nice on our door, and brings some extra color to the front of our house! All in all, it only took me 2 hours to complete. If you would like some fake leaves for anything, just let me know. We have plenty of extras!