These Days We

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

Playing Doll House with Dad

Decorating sugar cookies

Christmas Eve Jammies

Testing out the "twirl" factor in her new Jammies.

Sophie's New Kitchen

Sophie's New House - Made from the kitchen box!

We are enjoying a fun sunny hawaiian christmas day!

Hope you are enjoying your christmas too!

New Tastes

2011-12-16T23:11:00.000-07:00

While living in Hawaii we have tried a lot of new kinds of food. Some good, some bad.

Today we tried some native versions of Sushi and Lau Lau.

Lets just says I am going to stick to Chicken Alfredo and Green Salad! :)

I can only imagine SJ was thinking... "This doesn't look like cheese or smarties to me..."

PS - Photography credit goes to Brian, Mr. 1/8 a pharmacists.

New Laundry Basket Stat

2011-12-13T15:17:00.000-07:00

Remember how I used to post pictures of Sophie in a laundry basket to show you how big she has gotten. {post 1 & post 2} Here is the latest update! The basket is bigger than our one back home but that's a good thing because Sophie is a lot bigger too! ... Almost two! Where does the time go? :)

:: We woke up to snow on our volcano yesterday morning! [We live a sea level, and the top of the volcano is 14,200+ ft] You will have to look close, but I promise there is snow at the very tippy top! [above the clouds]

:: Today is final #2 out of 6 for Brian. So far so good! Looking forward to the end of the first semester and 3 weeks of play!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T01:39:00.000-07:00

enjoying the christmas season!

Got Mac Nuts?

2011-12-02T00:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Sophie and I spent the morning sitting out on the driveway cracking mac nuts. She loves to run around and pick up the green shells remnants that fly all over the place! Such a good helper.

I never knew what a macadamia nut actually looked like until we moved here to hawaii. All I knew is that they came in a round can and were tasty!

Now I know that Mac Nuts are green on the outside, brown on the inside, and white on the inside, inside. And I also know why mac nuts are so expensive. They take a lot of work to get the nut out. A lot. [Hammer and knife required] But, we love the end result, and thankful for the fact that we get to do such an un-ordinary tasks like shell and eat raw mac nuts!

Playtime Friends

2011-12-01T00:30:00.000-07:00

Sophie suddenly gained a large group of playmates.

{She has had them all along, they just recently grabbed her attention}

Lunchtime, storytime, playtime, and naptime often include one of her new found friends.

She tries to feed the baby doll her lunch, pushes the monkey around in the play shopping cart and plays ring around the rosie with her big baby.

So much fun watching her imagination grow!

Weekending

2011-11-29T16:36:00.000-07:00

I know you were probably all a little shocked to see a new post around here. Without going into to much detail -- the shortened version is -- I first started blogging to capture pieces of our life. Recording the memories. Then I got busy busy busy with a second new found love, photoshop{and now business} meanwhile forgetting all about the documenting our life details aspect. I was reminded how much I ~~loved~~ love blogging right here I have plans to make some changes [here] so that this piece of family history can get some attention.

-- Weekending at the Park --

Sophie is a park dare devil. Up the slides, rock walls, and not one bit of hesitation!

Pretty crazy to think we went to the park after Thanksgiving Dinner huh?

Still working on adjusting to having one "season." Kinda wishing for some fireplace and hot chocolate weather about now to make it feel a little more like the holidays!

Black Sand Beach

2011-06-02T01:40:00.001-06:00

We have been enjoying exploring our new city and hawaiian life! We are loving it here so far! Of course we are missing utah and family but we are having quiet an adventure!
One thing we have discovered....
Where we live in hawaii there aren't a lot of sandy beaches. There are a few but not many.
Most of them are either rocky or have very little sand. Here are some pictures of us exploring the beach....

Aloha!

We Made It!

2011-05-28T18:30:00.000-06:00

Aloha!
Just checking in real quick to say we made it to Hawaii!
It was been quiet an adventure but we made it safe and sound!
We are still trying to get settled and find furniture but
yes, we have been to the beach 2x already and plan on going later today!
Miss S LOVES the beach!

It is so b e a u t i f u l here! I can't wait to post some more pictures!

...just a sneak preview of the loads and loads of pictures to come!

Goodbye, Hello

2011-05-11T12:56:00.000-06:00

image from google

Thinking about saying goodbye to a few things in utah, and hello to some changes...

goodbye mountains, hello volcanos
goodbye lakes, hello ocean
see ya snow, hello rain
later four seasons, welcome summer
goodbye shoes and socks, welcome flip flops
goodbye majority, hello minority
goodbye apples, hello pineapple
see ya snowboard, hello surf board
goodbye coat, bring on the swim suit
so long dry desert, hello tropical humidity
goodbye pines, hello palm trees

goodbye utah, hello hawaii

Simple Joy

2011-05-10T10:42:00.000-06:00

Some days you just need a little flour, sugar, and chocolate! I get such a simple joy out of making cookies and especially eating the dough! hmmm and the smell is divine! Yum!

Recently I tried a new recipe. I think it might be a keeper! They made chewy and soft choco cookies!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cooks Illustrated from Ourbestbites.com

2 C plus 2 T flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
12 T margarine
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 C semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Do the normal cookie things... cream butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Bake at 350 until slightly golden and cracked, about 10-13 mins.

Enjoy a little baked love!

:: On another note I am gathering ideas for keeping a 1.5 year old entertained on a 7 hour airplane ride. Any suggestions?

Dear Lizzy,

2011-05-09T12:47:00.001-06:00

{photo source}

As I mentioned a earlier my mom and I went on a girls only shopping excursion on friday.

One of my favorite stops was Dear Lizzy.

Dear Lizzy is a boutique and bistro that is french, vintage, and funky.

My mom and I walked in and both gave an audiable gasp.

So adorable.

Dear Lizzy is the kind of place that requires the "magazine skim". The "magazine skim" is when you flip through the pages of the magazine just to get a quick look over of the whole thing. Then after you have done that you go back and read every detail on every page.

Basically you are so excited to see ALL of it you have to skim the whole store first before you actually start shopping.

I managed to rein myself in and only by one thing.

Vintage Office Stamps. I thought they would be perfect for sending cute snail mail from Hawaii back to family.

We and such a great time {shopping and eating}! It was the perfect activity for a

mother + daughter on mother's day weeked!

And, I can't stop thinking about all the cute things we found!

-xoxo love you mom!

:: if you would like to see more details from our outing read here

Wishing You ...

2011-05-07T22:22:00.000-06:00

A Happy Mothers Day!

Blog Breakfast

2011-05-07T13:40:00.000-06:00

Julie , Valerie, Lesa, Kendra {me}, Cheryl , Valerie

Yesterday morning my mom and I went on a little day outing {more detailed post in draft}. She planned the whole day including all the stops to shop and eat! The first stop was a surprise blogger breakfast! We met at kneaders and had tasty breakfast! It was so much fun to get to actually meet some blog friends!

Thanks, and I had such a fun morning!

Enjoy Some Good Music Today

2011-05-05T08:30:00.000-06:00

Sophie recently figured out whats under the lid of a piano.

Every time she walk past the piano, she opens the lid and ~~plays~~ pounds a few notes.

I am happy to let her do it. I want her to love music.

Just like I do {...a whole different, long winded, post coming on that topic soon...}

For now all I'm going to say is "enjoy some good music today"and let the piano pounding continue.

Sneak Peak

2011-05-04T12:37:00.000-06:00

Got this Sneak Peak from Clint from {Clint Carver Photography}

Loving his work! Amazed at his talent!

The wind was blowing a million miles an hour

when we took this picture and you can't even tell!

Anxiously waiting...

Just A Leftover Idea

2011-05-02T14:39:00.002-06:00

Just a leftover idea...

Don't know about you but taco soup is a staple around here.
It is a tasty go to meal that is cheap to make and makes enough to feed a small army!

In fact it makes enough that we could potentially eat leftovers more than once!
Which, for anyone who knows Brian is not an acceptable idea.

My solution to the problem. Use the leftover taco soup as taquito filling.
May sound a little weird but it is really tasty!

Here is what I did:

get a white shell tortilla and place a small amount of taco soup in a line across the shell.
roll up and place the seam side down on a pan. {i always line my pans with parchment}
next spray the tops of the taquito with butter spray {pam} or melted butter.
sprinkle with kosher salt.
bake in over at 400 for 20-30 minutes or until crispy and brown.
top with sour cream and salsa. enjoy!

they crisp up really well and are tasty enough that they don't count as a leftover!

Bean Boozled // booger + moldy cheese

2011-05-01T22:39:00.000-06:00

Last night my loving husband pulled a prank.

He provided a bowl of jelly beans for a treat while we played hearts.

Well they weren't just any jelly beans they were "bean boozled"

translation....

The bowl was poisoned with random nasty flavored jelly beans!

...you might get a peach or it might actually be "barf"

...you might get a cocount or it might actually be "baby wipes"

...you might get carmel corn or it might be "moldy cheese"

You get the idea...

let's just say that when I popped a moldy cheese into my mouth,

and discovered what was going on,

I pulled a pretty memorable face.

Glad brian got a good laugh out of the prank.

BUT pranks on him... he lost the game of hearts so I made him blindly pick a jelly bean to eat.

He got a "booger" and had to make a run to the kitchen sink.

The whole prank made for quiet a funny night!

4 Years

2011-04-29T10:09:00.000-06:00

Four Years ago today Brian and I met!

You can read our love story HERE.

Today we are:

Off to have family pictures

at this beautiful place.

Hopefully the weather will cooperate!

Then we are celebrating at our favorite

dinner place!

hope you have great weekend plans too!

Our Easter Tradition

2011-04-25T11:29:00.001-06:00

Most years on Easter Sunday we drive up to college hill with the whole family. We take our colored Easter eggs and roll them down the hill! We always have such a great time running up and down, chasing our eggs! I knew Sophie would have a fun time at the hill but she loved it even more than I thought! She caught on immediately. She grabbed an egg, threw it, and chased it down the hill!

Hope everyone had a great easter weekend!

{dear b}

2011-04-21T20:44:00.000-06:00

{dear b}

We are saying adios to days of undergraduate degrees!

Yippee!

I am super proud of you.

Pretty sure you are the smartest scientific/chemistry loving guy I know!

I have to admit at one point during this school career

I was nervous that it would never end!

I thought that Organic Chemistry & Professor Davies just might be the end of us.

But, ~~you~~ we made it through! Yahoo!

The celebration dance you did last night was very entertaining!

Leave it up to you to do a crazy happy dance that involved

diving and rolling off the giant exercise ball.

That was quiet a laugh!

Especially when you rolled off the ball and ran right into the wall.

Good thing you were too happy to notice that it hurt! :)

Way to go B!

{love k}

Ice Cream + Nicknames

2011-04-20T05:21:00.002-06:00

To add to yesterdays sugary post... Soph-a-loaf eating her first ice cream cone. Yes, occasionally Brian { + a few others} call her Soph-a-loaf. Just a funny nickname she will probably hate in 10 years. But, for now its pretty cute. I'm not even sure where the name came from, it just sort of rolled of Brian's tongue one day! Some of Sophie's other nicknames are: S, SJ, Sophie Girl, and Miss S.

Do you have a nickname? Come on... share the embarrassing one :)

Sager Sweets

2011-04-19T08:07:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I posted about the cute craft fair we went to last weekend, Scraps of Simplicity. Well besides the Easter dress, and the music window we also tried some super tasty treats! Sager Sweets! We got to sample some gourmet cheeseball: Key Lime, Strawberry Cheesecake, and Snickerdoodle. We also snagged some cupcake popsicles! It was so yummy and creative! These treats were so delicious and creative!

What is your favorite snack/treat to indulge in?
::For me... Cookies, Cupcakes, and Cookiedough!
::For Brian...Cheese Nips, Cheese and Crackers, BBQ Chips, and Goldfish. Anything crunchy!
::For Sophie... Marshmellows, M&M's, Fruit Snacks, and basically any treat we give her!

An Easter Dress

2011-04-18T12:50:00.000-06:00

On Saturday I went with my mom to the cutest craft fair ever! I seriously wanted to buy everything! Luckily for my bank account I didn't buy to many things due to the fact that we will be moving across the ocean in a few weeks. But, I did buy splurge a little on a new Easter dress for Miss S. I saw it and immediately knew she needed it! The craft fair was promptly followed by a little picture session....

ps. go here to see our other cool find!

Writer's Notebook

2011-04-14T23:15:00.000-06:00

For my mom's birthday I gave her a set of Galison writer's notebooks. Well...I may have also picked up a set for myself at the same time....

one with plain paper, just perfect for personal notes and inspiration
one with graph paper, for cramming numbers in the budget
one with lined paper, for bloggy notes, to do's and post ideas

Do you write things down? Or keep a journal?
I go in spurts. I will write my thoughts, to do lists, and calendar events in a notebook very consistently for a while then I slack off. With these three new notebooks I have gotten refreshed motivation to be organized and jot down my ideas and lists! Now I just need to find a good pen! :)

Happy Weekend!

12 on 12 - ish

2011-04-12T22:41:00.000-06:00

Well I didn't remember that it was the 12th until half way through the day. So I have a new version of 12 on 12 for this month. the text version - 12 things I thought today -

01. sophie's hair is getting long!
02. honey bunches of oats {with almonds} are my favorite!
03. hate my bad eyes, and sick of wearing glasses. i'm such a contact girl.
04. love random outings with my mom
05. sophie sure is a handful when you take her out to eat.
06. glad school is almost over.
07. can't believe my brother is registering for college! he is way to young for that!
08. love that sophie loves outside.
09. can't stop thinking about the book i just finished "matched" by allie condie
10. biggest loser is an awesome show!
11. love blogging
12. getting into bed as soon as i push publish!

what 12 things did you think today?

A Birthday Night

2011-04-09T13:15:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to the best mom ever, yesterday! We had a fun birthday party night! We ate dinner at Zuppas {tortilla chilli + honey bacon club - the bacon}. While we were eating Sophie was busy doing tricks with her plastic spoon. After dinner we went home ate cupcakes and did presents! My mom got just what she wanted, music books and gallison notebooks. Of course Sophie was very helpful unwrapping presents, and even sat in the gift bag! We followed up the presents with a few cards games and peanut butter m&m's. What a wonderful birthday night!

:: In other news.... Key Lime got a little makeover - to wordpress! I still have a lot to learn about wordpress but I'm loving it so far! I will be posting at Key Lime's blog page now, instead of just having a static "shop". Go check it out! And if you find broken links, or things that need fixing let me know! My current post talks about why I switched to wordpress!

Hat Girl

2011-04-07T20:43:00.000-06:00

When I was a little girl I was a hat girl.

I had tons of different hats but this denim hat was always my favorite.

I have kept these hats stored safely in a box for several years.

Today I got them out and tried them on Miss S.

I may have had to force her to wear it but

who knows, maybe one day she will be a hat girl too!

What sorts of things have your kept and passed on to your kids?

an idea to store away

2011-04-05T23:17:00.001-06:00

image from emily loerke

Don't you love when you stumble across the best idea ever! While bouncing around blogland I just happened to see to come across just such an idea.

These graduation announcements.... for when Brian graduates pharmacy school.

Your probably thinking that I am getting a little ahead of myself, since he won't be graduating for 4 years but.... Emily's idea is that good! I am storing that one in the "keep file" for sure.

Speaking of pharmacy school here is a little update:

We are going to move to hawaii sometime between May and July.

No, we don't have a set date, we are still working on that. It all depends on when we find a house to rent.

Meanwhile I have been google-ing everything there is to know about hilo hawaii.

Some facts I have learned...

average temperature 78 {average temperature in utah, slc area is 51}

the coldest time in hilo is febuary... its gets down to a freezing 63 degrees.

there are white, green, and black sand beaches.

we are moving to the rainy side of the island. 130-200 inches per year.

gas in hilo is currently $4.33 a gallon

Getting excited to start the adventure. Getting sad to leave family behind.

A Day Outside

2011-04-01T12:28:00.000-06:00

In case I haven't metioned, Sophie loves to be outside. We have had perfect weather the last two days! We have been outside...

chasing, petting, and patting the cat. playing in the playhouse. throwing woodchips. loving every minute of it.

Looking forward to this weekend.

Relaxing, watching conference, and eating tootsie rolls. (a conference tradition.)

These Days....

2011-03-25T08:48:00.000-06:00

These Days We...
Clearly haven't been blogging a lot. Here is quick update of what we have been doing lately...

-enjoyed no class during spring break!
-feeding brian sudafed like it apple juice. he has a nasty head cold.
-meanwhile sophie decided to cut 3 new teeth at the same time.
-reading books for school
-yummy sunday dinner at my mom and dad's house, on their 25th anniversary!
-working on some new ideas for Key Lime
-browsing craigslist for a house in Hawaii
-watching byu vs florida and circling winners on my bracket
-supervising while sophie begs to "kidy see" translation: "see kitty" {while pointing outside}
- and still enjoying trying new recipes from Our Best Bites cookbook.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Bounce Bounce

2011-03-17T21:31:00.000-06:00

Me and S went on a play date earlier this week to an inflatable play place!

I had a coupon, "pay your child's age." The whole outing cost $1.

And let me tell you, I would have paid a million dollars for all the laughs and smiles!

Sophie had a blast bouncing, jumping, slipping, and sliding!

St. Patricks Day

2011-03-17T06:12:00.002-06:00

Have you ever tried green eggs & ham?

The 9 B's - Printable

2011-03-15T23:01:00.001-06:00

I just added a *new* freebie page to Key Lime! Currently I am offering a free printable!

Go HERE to download and print!

Our Girls Night

2011-03-13T20:59:00.000-06:00

(used the "timer" setting for this picture. Push the button & run to your seat)

Last weekend we had a girls outing. Mom + Mom/Daughter + Daughter. We always have such a good time together! We made several different stops throughout the evening. The itinerary...

01. Mom gave me a NieNie calendar when she picked me and S up. So adorable.

02. Split a Strawberry + Mango Doughnut at Beyond Glaze.

03. Next stop, Clinique Make-Up counter in the mall. It's Free Gift Time! We got a cute flowered make-up bag full of goodies with our purchase! I am not a loyal clinique shopper but I do love free gift time!

04. Pei Wei {Lettuce Wraps, Lo Mein, and Honey Seared Chicken}

05. Quick stop at Sweet Tooth Fairy {Split a VaNieNiella and Nutter Butter Cupcake}

06. Last stop- Deseret Book for the Our Best Bites Cookbook signing. Okay, I seriously LOVE their cookbook. So far I have made Taco Soup, Homemade Guacamole, Honey-Citrus Dressing, Guiltless Alfredo and plan on trying a million more!

How was your weekend? I have a confession .... I didn't take a single picture on the 12th! Opps! And the worst part... I remembered it was the 12th, I was just feeling a little to lazy to get my camera out. I just felt like enjoying a relaxed saturday. Maybe next month! (+ the 12th is tues next month, that will be lots easier!)

Did you do 12 on 12?

Moo & Pigg Design

2011-03-10T21:10:00.002-07:00

Have you ever heard of Moo.com? It is the coolest place to order business cards, post card, stickers, and all your business-y things. The first time I ordered a product from Moo I was amazed by the quality. Sleek and shiny, and the perfect paper texture! It's all about texture, right? And, I just got my second Moo product in the mailbox today! Postcards! I designed "thank you" postcards to send out to custom design clients. I am so excited!

Speaking of custom designs here is the latest...

Dawn's design was so much fun! And I tried out something brand new on her design! *hover links* Seriously so fun! Go check them out! Hover over the menu bar and sidebar titles! See how they change? I will be posting a tutorial about how to do this soon! Meanwhile, Happy Weekend!

:: These Days I am reading.... Hound of the Baskervilles, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Banner in the Sky, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, and Gunga Din. *take note- these are not "for fun" books. They are required for school books. Yuck.*

Pasta Lover & Guiltless Alfredo

2011-03-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

picture from Our Best Bites

I don't know about you but I'm a pasta girl! Noodles and creamy sauce.... yum, yum! Unfortunately pasta can be one of those mega calorie dishes. That's why I was so excited when I tried this Guiltless Alfredo Sauce and it was SO delicious! Lots of time low-fat sauces are well... low-fat tasting. Not this one! This guiltless alfredo is so good, it doesn't even taste guiltless at all! It is thick, creamy, and has a lot of flavor! Brian even ate leftovers. That's saying something too because he is an anti-leftover man. This recipe is a keeper!

The sauce is about 100 calories for 1/4 cup.

Guiltless Alfredo
Recipe Source: Our Best Bites

2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender. Process until smooth and set aside.

In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don’t want to burn it. Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now. When it’s nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using.

Some mix-in's that we love...

-Frozen Peas -Add them to your pasta when it's ready to serve, straight from the freezer. The warm pasta defrosts them perfectly, and still leaves them with a little pop!
-Grilled Chicken or Shrimp
-Steamed Broccoli
-Roasted Tomatoes

What's your favorite pasta sauce?

Spring Fever

2011-03-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

These Days We are still getting loads of this.....

picture from this previous post

But I really wish we were having days like this ....

spring pictures from our trip to kansas

Please Spring, can't you just come! I know a little girl who would love to play outside in the playhouse, eat dirt, chase the cat, and throw rocks. Please, oh please!

The Girl's Bangs

2011-03-03T22:44:00.000-07:00

These Days... The girl's bangs need attention. Daily. Otherwise they cover her beautiful brown eyes.

Now that Sophie gets her hair done every day {and we have somehow managed to lose all 40 hair bows I made for her while I was pregnant} I have been browsing blog land for some new cute hair clip ideas. I have a basket full of clips, ribbon, flowers, beads, and a hot glue gun that need to be put to use!

Some inspiration I found....

(click on image for source)

Hoping to get a little crafting done this weekend and make some new hair clips for the Miss!

P.S. Have you heard of The Barrel: Blogging Reviews. It is an online magazine that is gorgeous! Full of so many pretty pictures! You need to look at it!

And, another little tid bit... if I may....I just found out that the blog design I did for Emily got featured in the March issue! eeekk!
Page 18, right hand side, top.

Laundry Basket Stats

2011-03-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

Since I have been using my laundry basket as a measuring tool I figured I would post the newest stats....

:: These Days We I am looking forward to going to the OBB signing, trying one of these tasties (are donuts the new cupcakes?) and hoping to win a portrait of my mom and I!

Netflix

2011-02-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

Last night Brian and I made a late night decision... We started a netflix 30 day free trail. We have been talking about getting netflix for several months but decided that it would be smartest to wait until the school semester was over before we signed up. Somehow we convinced ourselves last night was the best time to have unlimited access to Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, and every other movie listed in the Classic Comedy genre section. Not to mention the new releases featuring Matt Damon, that Brian loves, and every episode of Lost.

Unfortunately Matt Damon and Audrey never co stared in a movie together. This leaves us watching a wide range of movies. His and Hers movies. Sometimes we watch a classic, sometimes a new release. The first movie on our queue, Brian's pick, True Grit. A remake of a classic. Seen it? Should be arriving in my mailbox shortly!

The fine print for netflix is keeping in mind that all the unlimited-ness will still be available after playing with Sophie, homework, and folding the socks. Unlimited. Always available. No need to watch every movie avaliable today or tomorrow. They will still be there next week, next month and the next.
Excited for a new free time activity, netflix-ing.

Do you have netflix? What movies are in your queue?

PS - Coincidentally my mom wrote about my other favorite free time activities on her blog today. Like mother like daughter.

4x4

2011-02-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

My mom tagged my in a 4x4 questionnaire. I'm playing along!

01. Four Places I Go

-gym (just got a new pass)

-smith's

-yogotogo

-church

02. Four Favorite Smells

-baby lotion

-after it rains

-gingerbread

-coconut

03. Four Favorite Movies/Shows

-North By Northwest (Cary Grant)

-Charade (Audrey Hepburn)

-How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

-Pride and Prejudice

04. Four Recommendations

-Make sure you do at least one thing for yourself everyday.

-Don't be afraid to try something new.

-You can make time for anything if you want to.

-Be grateful.

This is a game of tag so now I'm tagging...

Sydney

Hailey

Dawn
Anna

Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!

14 Things

2011-02-22T23:05:00.001-07:00

Miss Sophie will be 14 months old in a few days! Its blow my mind, where has all the time gone? She is the cutest, most precious, happy, curious little girl. I am blessed. 14 things I love about Sophie Laree.

01. her laugh
02. when she says "cheese" and "see"
03. watching her drink a capris sun
04. when she carries around her baby doll and says "ohhh"
05. hearing her jabber in her crib
06. that she is 99% happy
07. watching her wave to people in the hall at church

08. that she loves to wear necklaces, bracelets, and sun glasses
09. watching mickey mouse and cuddling with her in the morning
10. that her favorite food is cheese
11. her crazy hair
12. having her run up to me to pick her up
13. that she lets the dog lick her on the face
14. that she is too smart for her own good.

Love you SJ.

Whether the Weather

2011-02-20T15:17:00.000-07:00

Who knows whether mother nature is going to provide spring or summer. Last week was warm and pretty sunny. Perfect weather for a light jacket and the park. You know, the kind of weather that gives you spring fever. Then, this morning we woke up to a dump load of snow. 8" once the storm was over. Hello, winter. again.

What's your weather? Got spring fever yet?

Tweet Tweet

2011-02-19T14:56:00.003-07:00

I recently joined Twitter! I know, I'm a little behind the game.
The reason I haven't signed up before was that I didn't get twitter.
The whole thing didn't make sense!

Then I read a little article that explained twitter in my kind of language. Basic.
So for all you your tweeting pro's please ignore my sillly explanation.
This is by no means the full twitter low down.
Just a little synopsis for anyone who may be in that same boat I was.

my twitter interpretation 101:

Twitter is like one big giant party.
Everyone is in the same room.
When you tweet you are talking loud enough for everyone to hear.
When you want to talk to the person standing right next to you, or whisper in someones ear you add their name. You mention them. You do that by adding their twitter name.

Example: @keylimedigital this is a silly little explanation!

Keep in mind, whenever you are having a conversation at a party, anyone could be listening.

Now lets say you want to talk to someone privately.
You need to talk to them in the hall. You add a "d" before their twitter name to talk to them directly.

Example: d @keylimedigital you are crazy!

And there you go, enjoy the party! Be Social! Tweet Tweet!

Are you on twitter?

Just for a little fun.... if you follow me on twitter you will entered to win a FREE custom digital invitation. It can be a birthday invite, baby announcement, party invite, ect...

Giveaway good through monday! And of course, the winner will be announced on twitter!

PS. This is not the *awesome tutorial* I mentioned in the last post. It's still in the draft stage.

Busy + New Designs

2011-02-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

These Days We are a little busy.... school, moving {not the BIG move yet, a smaller one but a move no matter} school, playing with sophie {recently learned to "dip" her french fries in ketchup and drink HiC from a straw} and lots of custom design work! Check out a few of the recent custom designs....

Our Cooking Cafe is fully of YUMMY recipes!

Emily just opened a Etsy!

Her Mom also has a Etsy with Beautiful Art!

And finally took a min and made myself a new button. Feel free to grab it! :)

A super COOL blog tutorials is coming up next!

12 on 12: feb

2011-02-13T15:18:00.001-07:00

12 on 12

01. we eat yogurt daily. red velvet.

02. delivered cupcakes to my father in law. happy birthday!

03. ate a cupcake myself.

04. tried a bam-bam. S hated it.

05. red beads. red clothes. happy valentines.

06. adorable straw hat just soph's size.

07. wiped the place down.

08. got mounds of nice email's all weekend. thank you. glad you liked the download.

09. sweet husband brought these home.

10. bistro 258. new favorite!

11. my valentine.

12. mauna loa. can't wait to taste these fresh off the tree.

did you participate? link your 12 on 12 in the comment box!

3 Small Things

2011-02-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

01. Tomorrow is the 12th! That means get your camera out & start snapping!
02. Thanks a million! Just got my 80th follower! You guys rock!
03. I am doing a guest post at Tatertots & Jello today! Come visit!

Have a great weekend! Hope you all have something fun planned! While the Hubs is working I am going to my favorite bake shop that just open up right by my house! Yum! Happy Valentines Day!

mini e-book club session

2011-02-09T14:13:00.004-07:00

photo via google

Want to have a mini e-book club discussion with me?

It might help with my homework (wink, wink)

It's to bad I can't magically send everyone some mini chicken salad sandwiches, brownie bites, and fresh squeezed lemonade to snack on during our book chat but I don't think that's possible. You'll need to provide your own treats.

Topic: Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

Where: Comment Box

I absolutely love the book and movie Pride & Prejudice. I love the charm and romance and the Victorian style. I have to write an essay on Pride & Prejudice and Love. I was hoping you could give me your opinion, along with any other tid bits you might have about Pride & Prejudice or love for that matter.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Have you seen or read Pride & Prejudice? What do you think about it?

Help! A Beaver!

2011-02-08T17:18:00.002-07:00

B: "We better go get Sophie before she beavers the crib some more."

Me: "Why, she already ruined it."

B: "... So she doesn't eat her way out."

Dear Beaver,

Please stop ~~chewing~~ eating your beautiful wood crib. It was pricey and I had to do quite a bit of begging to get dad to buy it for you. Now you are using it as a chew toy. Stop! Please! Thank You.

Love,

Beaver Control

Apple Orchard + Maracas

2011-02-03T14:07:00.001-07:00

Brian joined the apple orchard, iWork and all. Happy graduation/congrats on getting in pharmacy school/hope you enjoy your next 4 years with mr. mac.

While Brian was learning his new Mac commands Me and S had a little

maraca and beads party. Man does she like shaking those things!

Little does she know that those are authentic, real and true,

straight from mexico maracas.

After the maraca party was over, Brian went to work,

leaving the perfect opportunity to test out the apple myself.

It sure is shiny!

Are you a Mac or PC fan?

Also, please do not take note of my cluttered kitchen or the schmear on the wall.

Those are authentic too.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

2011-02-01T20:39:00.002-07:00

Remember when I admitted to being a cookie dough addict...

I am. So it was kind of a given that I would try this recipe.
Cookie dough and Cupcakes? I'm in! They are do yummy and gooey!

These cupcakes are a basic cake, with a cookie dough filling,

and cookie dough buttercream. Can you say toothache?

My twist on the recipe was that I used

premade Tollhouse cookie dough for the filling.

I know, I know... You are all thinking, what about the eggs?

Well, I have come to the conclusion that I haven't gotten sick eating it raw yet so I am

going to continue to do so. Plus, the cookie dough gets mostly cooked in the cupcake.

But, if you are worried about raw eggs just make your favorite

chocolate chip cookie dough and replace each eggs with 2 Tbs. of milk.

After you make your batter and filling, fill each wrapper up 2/3 of the way

and then drop a piece of cookie dough on top.

It's magic, somehow when you bake the cupcakes the batter surrounds the cookie dough!

Bake. Cool. Frost. Garnish. Gobble.

Recipes from Amanda

For the cookie dough:
2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips

For the cupcakes:
3 sticks softened butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the frosting:
3 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Fancing a Font

2011-01-28T21:14:00.003-07:00

I don't know about you but I tend to seriously fall-in-crush with fonts. I'm sure you have noticed. I find a font I love, then use it on about every design I do for a whole month. Then find another font. Repeat. My newest crush....

or what about these pretties...

Did you know there are several different ways to change the font on your blog?

Here are some options...

Option #1. Blogger just added a TON of new fonts to the template designer.

Awesome! And super easy!

Options #2. Let say you want to use a standard computer font, like Century Gothic,

for your post text. All you have to do it go to the template editor > advanced > add css

and add this line...

body {font-family:"century gothic", verdana, arial;}

Just change the "century gothic" to whatever font you want.

{make sure it is a standard computer font}

The verdana and arial are also listed just case the font you choose is not loaded on someones computer. Those are the "second choice" fonts.

Option #3. If you want to use ANY font for your blog post titles, and have it show up on everyone's computer you can follow Amanda's tutorial. It does take a little bit of time so make sure your kids are in bed and you have your comfy clothes on before you start this project.

What is you favorite font? Or places to find fonts?

:: These Days We ... are wishing it would snow, eating a giant cheese ball, and tired of getting junk mail credit card offers.

The Napping House

2011-01-27T11:14:00.001-07:00

Sophie and I frequent the library. The last couple times I have taken her over to the 'baby book section' and let her pick a couple books. By pick I mean.... I check out the first two she grabs. Yesterday she picked a jumbo board book version of The Napping House by Audrey Wood.

I read The Napping House all the time when I was little!

Don't you love reading all the books you loved as a kid to you own kids?

Doesn't it just bring back so many memories?

Unsure of the Vacuum

2011-01-25T17:23:00.002-07:00

Sophie is unsure of the vacuum. Not scared, just unsure. I take advantage of this. Whenever I need a moment, or when the floor actually needs to be vacuumed, which is always, I set Miss S up on the couch and get the vacuum out of the closet. From that moment on she doesn't move a muscle. She watches every move the vacuum makes, just stares at it.

However, the minute the vacuum goes back in the closet, she is back to her normal routine. And if you can't tell by the post it notes stuck to her jacket, the toothbrush on the couch, the wii remote in her left hand, and my cell phone in her right.... she is a busy girl.

...sometimes I go over the floor multiples times.

:: these days we are... working on beating donkey kong, eating cinnamon burst cheerios, and shoveling a dump load of snow.

Guest Post: A Little Mother Heart

2011-01-24T08:48:00.001-07:00

*my mom wrote this post on her blog last week. I just loved it and asked if I could guest post it here. It is about Sophie and her first baby doll. Thanks mom for always writing such sweet posts about sophie!*

A Little Mother Heart
By: Lesa

Yesterday I heard that Target was having their 75% off sale on toys. Not living too far from the store, I jumped on the chance to hurry over and see what was left. I ran across a couple baby dolls. Having a one-year-old granddaughter made me really look over the few dolls that were left. I found one that was oh so cute. I pondered wondering if it was okay for a grandma to give her the first baby doll or if that was something a mom and dad saved for a special gift. I bought it knowing I'd think about it for a little bit during the day. Later in the day I sent this text to Sophie's Mom :)

"Dear Sophie - Target had a big 75% toy sale. Grandma bought you 2 new toys and a pair of pants. Can you visit me tonight and come pick them up? Love, Grandma"

I kept thinking about the doll. Should I give it to her? Should I wait for her birthday? What if her Mom wants to give her a doll for the first time?

While I was finishing up with my last piano lesson for the day, my daughter and Sophie (who came over during lessons) were talking with Dad/Grandpa and cooking dinner. It was a fun conversation to listen to from the piano room. I was trying to focus on giving the piano lesson but one ear was in the other room. They were just talking about things and life. It made me happy!

When I came out of the piano room my youngest son said, "I was going to show Sophie the toys but I thought you'd want to do that." What a thoughtful boy, yes! I did want to do that.

While I quickly ate, I was still trying to decide about the doll. Then I just decided to go for it. I took Sophie back into the computer room, handed her the doll, and brought her out. She took to the doll like she knew exactly what it was and what you do with little baby dolls.

She was gentle and sweet with the doll. She even cuddled it and made cute little 'ah' sounds. She acted like she knew exactly what little girls do with dolls. Mother them, hold them, play with them, be gentle with them, and take them with you as you walk around the kitchen and dining area. I was so amazed. This little girl is one year old. How does she know that already. My daughter and I talked about that, "How does she know that already?"

It is a testimony to me once again of how important women are. Whether a woman has a child or not on this earth she is born with qualities of being a mother.

"Female roles did not begin on earth, and they do not end here. A woman who treasures motherhood on earth will treasure motherhood in the world to come, and “where [her] treasure is, there will [her] heart be also” (Matt. 6:21)" (Julie B. Beck) A "Mother Heart"

"As daughters of our Heavenly Father, and as daughters of Eve, we are all mothers and we have always been mothers." (Sheri L. Dew) "Are We Not All Mothers?"

I'm so happy for the chance to be a daughter of Heavenly Father. I am lucky to be a Mom and Grandma. I am thankful for last night that I could get a glimpse of heaven and be reminded that all women may or may not bear children but we all are daughters of God and we all have Mother Hearts. To my sweet little granddaughter - I love your new baby doll. You are going to take really good care of her and I'm so glad I decided to give you the doll last night.

On the car ride home from grandma's - with her new baby doll.

Blog in A Box

2011-01-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

{Here come the shop updates..... aka, a little shameless self promotion.)

Newest item in the shop....

and many more styles to come soon!

While I'm at it I may as well add...

I have one more spot open for a custom design at the end of Jan.

For pricing and terms of design email me.

Some recent custom designs:

Willow Bean Studio

Princess E & Me.

have a great weekend!

The New Design

2011-01-20T23:45:00.002-07:00

...It is late, really late.
But I wanted to write a quick post....
While I was re-designing the blog I accidentally deleted my blog roll widget! Dang it!
So everyone double check the blog roll. If you aren't on it, please please leave your blog address in the comment box. I tried to add a few but just couldn't get to all of them!

There are a few more new design elements coming soon, when i'm not so tired.
A tired mom tends to make for a unhappy house. why is that?

thank goodness it is friday! any weekend plans?

Funnest Jello Ever.

2011-01-19T08:54:00.002-07:00

I was doing a little recipe hunting and came across this glass block jello recipe.

It looked so cute and festive! I told Brian I was going to make it and his response was,

"what are we going to do with it?"

Me: uhhh.... eat it.

What else do you do with a pan of jello?

I think he was referring to the fact that the recipe makes a whole 9x13 and there are only ~~two~~ three of us, if S is in the mood, to devour the whole pan.

I guess jello is on the menu every night this week!

Anything good on your dinner menu?

You Can Always Count On Grandma

2011-01-18T17:02:00.002-07:00

You can always count on a grandma to take lots of pictures of her granddaughter.

It is just part of the grandma job code.

Which is exactly the reason I have never paid money to have sj's pictures done.

My mom always does a great job!

Last night my mom watched Sophie while Brian and I were at work.

She came home with these adorable pictures!

You can also count on a grandma to give her granddaughter the cutest jeggings ever.

Aren't grandma's the best?

Oh, and I also need to give thanks to my dad and 2 brothers who pull faces at Sophie every time the camera is out. They can make the girl laugh!

:: side note, this is my 400th post. wow.

:: second side note, tomorrow's post will be called "the funnest jello ever"

:: thirst side note, I am currently redesigning the blog. Can't wait to unveil.

Letters and a Freebie

2011-01-13T23:34:00.002-07:00

Dear Jolly Time Snack Pop, You are my newest favorite munchie. Your entire contents is only 100 calories.

Dear Self, ~~Double check~~ Triple check to make sure you have all the snowboarding gear & clothing before leaving the house tomorrow. All of it. Last weeks experience of riding in pj pants just wont cut it.

Dear Sophie, You got your first baby doll. You had the natural instincts to cuddle it, snuggle it, and be so sweet.

Dear Husband, Your Donkey Kong skills rock!

Dear Dirty Laundry Pile, Could you please stop growing so quickly?

Dear Husband, You are using your chemistry skills to devise some sort of, get big muscles plan. It involves calories, 8 hours of sleep, no stress, and some other scientific calculations.

Dear Readers, ~~How about a little weekend freebie? Go to~~ ~~my shop~~ ~~and use the discount code "HAPPYFRIDAY" to get the~~ ~~Family Bingo Printable~~ ~~FREE! The printable will be automatically emailed to you after you finish checkout! Free Free Free!~~

Happy Weekend!

12 on 12.

2011-01-13T13:30:00.001-07:00

Some of you may have read a post earlier that got published by accident... It was a draft I wrote a couple days ago, scheduled, and then forgot to remove. Opps! :)

So here is my real 12 on 12 collage for Jan.

01. Woke up at 8:10
02. One of my favorite parts of the day is getting S out of her crib in the morning.
03. Read a inspirational verse.
04. I did the dishes, Sophie played with pots and pans.
05. Made edible snow mints during Sophie's nap.
06. Took 10 mins to find my keys... sophie....
07. Went grocery shopping.
08. Had a second nap
09. Made Sausage Tortellini Soup for dinner
10. Sophie experimented with a pencil while I held the paper. Her first picture, with some help.
11. Sophie loves emptying my purse. So, I got her out an old one and filled it with gadgets.
12. After S went to be B and I randomly looked through our wedding album.

12 on 12. Join Me.

2011-01-11T21:14:00.004-07:00

I'm joining Amy. 12 on 12. Here is the jist.

Take 12 photos throughout the day on 12th on every month.

Capture the small things. Document the daily.

Then make a little collage with you photos. Amy has even provided the template.

Then share a small tidbit about each photo. Once line. Simple as that!

Go look at Amy's blog 12 on 12 so you can get the full idea.

Will you join me? I think we will have fun!

EDITED: A tutorial on how to make the collage is posted below!

12 on 12. How to Make the Collage.

2011-01-11T19:11:00.005-07:00

::What is 12 on 12?
::Where do I download the template for the collage? HERE

::And ... How do I make the collage using the template? Tutorial below.

01. Download Gimp for free.
02. Download the template file.

Open gimp.
File > Open > Select the template.

Screen should look like this.

Next go File > Open > And find the first picture you want to use in you collage.

Now hover over the gimp icon at the bottom of the screen. You should see two boxes.

One with the template and one with the picture you just opened. Click on the picture.

Now we need to scale your picture down so it will fit it the first box.

Image > Scale Image.

For most of my pictures I changed the width to 800px and the height to 600 px.

Depending on your picture you might have to play with it a little. {you can do that in a min.}

Now click anywhere in the gray area and press ctrl c {copy}

Hover at the bottom of your screen so that you can see the template. Click on the template.

Your screen should look like this now.

In the toolbox on the right hand side click on the layer that says "sq1" {square 1}

Now press ctrl v {paste} You picture should pop in the box! :)

Now move your cursor to the side. You should see a little anchor above your cursor. Click once when the anchor is visible to anchor you image. Now repeat the steps for the rest of the 12 pictures, pasting on a different square each time.

I promise you will get pretty fast at this after a few tries!

Some notes:

You can move the image {adjust to left, left, up or down} after you pasted by clicking and dragging the picture {you cursor should have an x by it}. When you have the picture in the position you want move your cursor to the side until you see a little anchor. Click once {when the anchor} is visible to "anchor" you photo in place.
If after pasting you picture into the template you realize it is too big or too small you can still resize or "scale" the picture. Just repeat the steps above. Image> Scale. This must be done before anchoring the image.
Make sure when you save you collage you add .jpg to the end of the title. So it would be something like.... jancollage.jpg

Happy Gimp Template-ing! :) I am happy to answer any questions you have!

Blogoversary

2011-01-07T09:08:00.002-07:00

image of audry hepburn from google

This little old blog is celebrating 3 years! That's 1095 days of blog tips, family stories, crafty ideas, and other tidbits of randomness.

Blogging is like the modern version of writing a journal, don't you think? We blog about our family activities, things we like, thoughts, and the goods and bads.

My goal for this next year of blogging is to get my blog printed. Not from here or here. I want it to be a little old fashioned. A massive stack of computer paper, spiraled together, like a notebook, with a clear cover over the title page.

But before I take my ginormous stack of papers to the copy store, to be bound, I am going to slide in extra photos, cards, love notes, special papers, the official acceptance letter from UH

at Hilo, ticket stubs, and maybe even a few bills, all scattered inbetween the pages of blog.

It is going to be titled Our Life Book. All encompassing. Because lets face it, not everything relevant gets put on the blog and not everything on the blog is relevant.

So here is a cheers to another year of blogging.
May it be filled with journaling, capturing the moments and documenting the tidbits.

Whats your favorite part about blogging?

Resolution

2011-01-04T17:57:00.000-07:00

The New Year brings a new beginning. A chance for a fresh start and a clean slate. It brings a chance to take a personal inventory and decided what we like, don't like, what to improve, and what's working and what's not.

I have a list of new years resolutions, 11 to be exact {2011}.

I am not going to share them all with you, but I do want to share one.

Today was the first day of my English Literature class. I went in dreading it. I expected that the class was going to be filled with reading an old boring book and writing a 5 page report. repeat.

I hate writing papers about books. And I especially hate to write papers about books that are long and boring. Love reading. Hate formal writing. I knew my class was going to be awful.

My professor turned out to be an older man, bald, with the most picturesque reading glasses. He has the perfect narrators voice. For an hour and a half he lectured at us. Told us short stories aloud, read poems, interesting facts about writers, and revealed that one of his favorite books is Pride & Prejudice. Every girls favorite book right?

By the time class was over he had projected enough enthusiasm about literature that I had decided to be a english major. I told myself that even though I don't know what an adverb is that I can still be an engligh major. I hate writing but that's okay right? English majors don't just write papers. Do they? Somehow it would work out and be wonderful.

By the time my 10 minute drive home was over reality had struck me. Whacked me on the head. I reminded myself that I hate engligh, more specifically writing papers and that I can't ever be an english major, for the dread of having to write a billion 20 page papers.

I have decided to tone down my recent found literary enthusiasm from english major to making a new years resolution.

I am going to take more time to enjoy the books I read.

I am going to expand the genre of books I read.

I love reading. Especially late at night, in bed.
But I also have a little confesstion... I plow through books. Practically skim them. I am talking, reading one book in a whole day. The authors would probably be livid to know that I don't hang on every detail. I mostly read the dialogue. I know, that's horrible isn't it?

But not for long! Now, I am a going to be a literary-ist. aka. explore the literary world, a little more, take my time and enjoy it.

Anyone have a good book suggestion?

::And I want to end with a special note to you. yes, you.

dear reader,

Thank you for being a special part of my 2010. Blogging has been a wonderful experience for me this past year. Loads of creativity shared from you to me. Loads of support with my new endeavors while being a mom. And loads of friendship I could have never dreamed of. Thank you for the opportunities you have given me. Thank you for reading, commenting, and emailing. Hope you will stick around in 2011.

play. play. play.

2010-12-30T23:55:00.001-07:00

Our holiday break has been filled with play, play, play. B's whole family is in town and we have been trying to cram in every minute with them as possible. We have been playing cards, snacking on treats, nachos, hoggies, and chocolate, going out to dinner, chatting, watching movies, and loving the chaos of 14 grandkids under the age of 7.

Today we spent some time in the mountains sledding, riding horses, and shooting guns. Sophie loved walking around in the snow. We happen to get some fabulous hand-me downs, snow bibs, coat, and gloves that are just her size. She was so cute all bundled up I couldn't help but take a million pictures. It also didn't hurt that Brian gave me a new SD card for Christmas. 2 GB. I know, amazing right? I'm tickled pink! I am a little slow bording the huge SD card train. My old one card was 500 mb. It held a whopping 30 pictures. So, needless to say I am snapping away, getting all the "cheeses" to my hearts content.

have I mentioned I married a hunter?

the cool dads.

Happy New Years Eve!

What New Years Resolutions do you have?

:: B & I had our wedding anniversary this past week. I meant to write a gushy post about how much I love & adore him but, we have been to busy enjoying life to spend to much time on the laptop. Maybe in jan when life gets a little more dull. :)

:: I am in the middle of making something *new* for the shop and I super excited about it!

A debute will be coming shortly!

A Year In Review {2010}

2010-12-27T17:44:00.000-07:00

A year has almost come and gone. Man, time flies!

A year in review, 2010.....

Some Highlights from the Blog {in no particular order}

01. a note about Bringing Baby Home

02. I announced my design blog Key Lime

03. Sophie Laree, her name

04. Silly & Serious, mom things

05. Comparing Sophie's size to a laundry basket

06. Burgers for Dessert, a treat for father's day

07. Posted our Love Story

08. The Door Project

09. Sophie and Eating Sand

10. Dear Sophie,

11. My first post about Pharmacy School

12. Brian Got Accepted

13. We started a Game Journal

14. A photo shoot at a cupcake shop

15. Taking a Road Trip to Kansas

16. Remembering my Grandma

17. Learning to Coupon

18. Refreshing, moving the coffee table

19. A real life blog event, the orthodontist

20. Sophie's first snow day

21. Admitting I'm a Cookie Dough Addict

22. A one year old.

Favorite Movies of 2010

01. Toy Story 3

02. Prince of Persia

03. Iron Man 2

04. Percy Jackson

Favorite Eats of 2010

01. Yogotogo

02. Sweet Tooth Fairy

03. Cafe Zupas

04. Biaggi's

Favorite Books of 2010

01. Trespass, Sandra Grey

02. Murder by Design, by Betsy Brannon Green

03. Hunger Game Series

Favorite Card Games

01. Canasta

02. Hearts

Typical Prices of 2010

01. Milk $1.98

02. Cheese $2.79

03. Gas $2.98

04. Movie Theater Ticket $8.00 or $11.00 3D

What were your highlights of 2010?

a birthday girl {added party pictures}

2010-12-23T22:49:00.003-07:00

dear birthday girl,

your birthday is soon and we are celebrating!

I can't believe my eyes. To think that you used to be a 6lb 4oz bundle of wiggle free love. Now your a 20lb jabbering, walking, smarty pants, bundle of joy. Where did the time go?

People warned me this would happen. That one day you would be one. They said that the long nights, rocking you to sleep, snuggling wiggle free, and non mobile days would end quickly. They did.

This year has been full of new experiences for both of us. Good and Bad. But none that I would ever change. I have loved every minute of your first year. Watching you peacefully sleep. Having you wave "hi" to me when I walk in the door. Watching you laugh so hard you fall over. Holding you on my lap for the first five minutes your awake and watching mickey mouse. Then setting you down and watching your personality come to life as you play, find puffs in the toy box, hide things in the bookcase, and play dare devil on the stairs.

Little Miss, I am the luckiest mom alive. You are my one, my little love. Or my little peanut, as I am sure great-grandma would call you.

You are getting so big and growing up fast. I have plans to cherish each day with you.

I hope to see you scrunch up your nose and smile everyday. I love you Sophie Laree.

Happy 1st Birthday!

:: These Days We.... are eating gingersnap cookies and couting the hours til santa comes!

***** added 12/27 *****

After having Sophie's party I had to add some pictures :)

the 3 december birthday girls :)

Icing Bags, Cookies, & Hard Candies,

2010-12-21T21:44:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was filled with Christmasing. So much tasty christmasing in fact that I have a few letters to write....

Dear Icing,
You taste so yummy! And oh so sweet!

Dear Snowman Cookie,
Brian won the contest for giving you the best makeover. Again. He gave you arms made of toothpicks. Why didn't I think of that?

Dear Hard Candies,
I wish you lined the roof of my house in real life.

Love,
Sugary Stomach Ache

::These Days We... are waiting excitedly to watch miss s open her presents from santa!

3 days 2 hours 22 mins

He Got Accepted!

2010-12-18T08:44:00.001-07:00

Aloha Brian,

Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the University of Hawai'i at Hilo, College of Pharmacy, Class of 2015.....

He got accepted!

Remember all my posts about pharamacy school and waiting, waiting, waiting. Well, the waiting is over! Last night we received an email from the University of Hawaii! He got accepted! We both did the happy happy dance last night! Miss S thought we were crazy. We are crazy, crazy excited about the prospect of moving to Hawaii!

Don't worry many, many, many more Hawaiian details to come soon! Aloha!

Have a happy weekend! We are off to do some celebrating!!!

:: These Days We.... are thinking about surfing, the ocean, pineapples, and of course blogging from Hawaii!

:: ps. The picture of B is not in Hawaii. It is in Cabo. But it was my only ocean picture.

I'm a Cookie Dough Addict.

2010-12-15T20:14:00.002-07:00

Do you remember sitting on the counter and making cookies with your mom when you were a little kid? Or maybe you made them with your friend, aunt, grandma, or neighbor. Either way, I am hopeful that all of us have some sort of cookie making memory.

Do you remember sneaking a piece of cookie dough out of the bowl when your mom wasn't looking? Or was that just me? Then when mom turns her back to you at the kitchen sink you try to sneak another piece and somehow she knows. "Kendra....."

Maybe my cookie dough addiction should be at least partly blamed on my mom. She probably just being a good mom and gave me a little taste when I was younger, just like I gave Sophie a lick tonight, and it was downhill from there. Sorry Sophie, you are destined to a life with a cookie dough addiction. It runs in the family.

Sophie and I made some experimental cookies tonight. No real recipe just a collision between chocolate chip cookie batter and cherry cordial kisses. It didn't provide the best results but it did provide cookie dough for tasting. Who wants a baked cookie anyways?

{please excuse the nasty shmear on my oven door}

Do you remember digging out all the cookie dough chunks from the cookie dough ice cream. Then when your husband goes to dish himself a bowl all thats left is a excavation site and some vanilla ice cream. Or is that just me?

Do you remember making a batch of cookies and not baking a single one. And maybe even storing some of the batter in the freeze for a later snack. Or is that just me?

Is there cookie dough addict support group?

Blogger Tutorials

2010-12-14T22:05:00.002-07:00

I have been blogging for almost 3 years now. Throughout those 3 years I have spent a lot of time trying to learn about blogger, html, and how it all works.

I have written a few tutorials & tips about what I have learned but most of them were posted on my other blog, which is now my shop. I have invited the tutorials to import themselves into this blog so that they can actually be viewed and not just stored away :)

On the sidebar you will see a little note that says "bloggy tips" just click that and you will be able to view them all.

Meanwhile, I will re-post this tutorial...

What are RSS FEEDS?

It took me a really long time to understand what RSS is and why I would want to use it!

Hopefully this will be helpful if you are as lost as I was.

Here it is in plain old mom blogger english....

OR if you are a visual learner watch this.

If you are like me you have a little morning routine... Get up, get breakfast, turn on the news, watch the weatch, and get the laptop started up to check my email and do some blog reading! {anyone else do this?}

Once you get on the computer do you have a bunch of blogs you like to look at on a daily basis to see if anything new has been posted?

Well instead of taking the time to GO to each blog, have the blog come to you.

Every time you subscribe to RSS you are collecting the posts from the blog and putting them into what is called a "reader" or a collection area.

You can go into that "reader" and read all the newly updated posts,

from several different blogs, all on one page!

Great huh!

Now, your probably wondering how you get a "reader" and use it?

Easy!

Everyone has a "reader" already!

When you are logged into your blogger account in the top right hand corner it says

"My Account"

Click on that.

Then in the middle of the page you will see "reader"

Click on that.

TA DA!

Read everyone's new posts all at once!

What if you want to subscribe to someone's RSS feed but they

don't have anywhere on their blog to do so?

Easy!

Go to the blog that you want to subscribe to.

On you internet brower you should see a little icon that looks like this:

Click it, and it will re-direct you to their feed!

The just click "Subscribe to this feed"

Happy blog reading!

I hope this was helpful! Ask me any questions you have!

Feel free to subscribe to my feed! :)

Holiday Traditions

2010-12-14T17:00:00.001-07:00

One reason I love the holiday is because of all the traditions. We have several traditions. Some are the typical holiday traditions like decorating christmas cookies, sending our christmas cards and leaving out cookies for santa. Some are traditions that we have conjured up on our own.

:: The annual Mom & Daughter[s] holiday date. Typically includes lunch, a little shopping and a trip to Bath & Body Works. We continued this tradition yesterday. We started with lunch at Chili's, where Sophie got her first kids meal. She ate so much mac n' cheese she could barely move. It was hysterical! Then we went to the mall and browsed a little and of course my newest B&BW items....

please note the "hawaii coconut" hoping to post about hawaii again very soon....

:: Decorating Chirstmas Cookies. Looking forward to doing this on Sunday! We always have some kind of "best" contest. And lick our fingers several times. :)

:: Tabernacle Christmas Concert. I love the going to the christmas concert every year. It is always amazing and definitely brings the christmas spirit. This year David Archuleta is the guest singer. We do have tickets, but sadly I'm not sure we are going to be able to go.

:: Decorating the Christmas Tree. This year we had to make the tree situation a little kid proof. It is only 2ft tall and is on top of the entertainment center. It's not quiet the same as having a full sized tree but oh well. I would much rather have a mini one versus fight Sophie on it all day long. Do your kids mess with your tree? When we are at our parents house Sophie will not stop pulling the ornaments off!

I would love to hear about your family traditions!

Which ones are you looking forward to most?

These days we... are playing wii and with the fisher price "a visit from santa" playset.

Little Miss on The Go

2010-12-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

A typical one minute time period in our house includes the following:

Finding a necklace.

Bringing me the necklace.

Pulling faces for a couple of seconds.

Remembering that the stairs are so much fun and running to them.

up the stairs.

play on the stairs.

Continue playing on the stairs.

Repeat. Several times a day.

Have a happy weekend!

::These days we... are excited about *snowboarding class* next semester, listening to christmas music, and putting our 2ft christmas tree on top of the entertainment center.

Holiday Eats: Cinnamon Swirl Pankcakes

2010-12-11T08:50:00.000-07:00

Holiday Eats: Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes

by: Amy at The Idea Room

Tis the season for baking...and CINNAMON! I LOVE Cinnamon. I also love eating breakfast foods for dinner. So the other night we whipped up some yummy Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes for dinner. Ummmm....Hello! This should not be legal. It was practically like eating a big cinnamon roll for dinner. Probably not a great habit to get into, but they were a hit with all! I also ended up using wheat flour...does that cancel out the bad?

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons butter

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon honey

Cinnamon swirl:

2 tablespoons melted butter (Instead of butter we used a little milk to thin it out)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon flour

1. Mix all the ingredients together to make the pancakes and set aside. Preheat your pan or skillet and lightly grease it.

2. Make the Cinnamon Swirl mixture and place it into a a small bottle with a squirt nozzle (the name is escaping me...I used one)or a small baggie with a snip in the corner.

3. Spread your batter into small pancakes on the griddle. Immediately add the cinnamon swirls.

4. Cook the pancakes until small bubbles form on the topside of the pancake and do not fill back in with batter.

5. Flip over the pancakes with a turner and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute

Re-Post: Grandma

2010-12-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

**originally posted 12.10.08**

Today would have been my grandma Cottle's 75th Birthday. She battled cancer for a long time and died when I was 11. She was an amazing person. I miss her. I have so many memories with her. She always loved playing card games. By the rules, end of story. No cheating allowed. She always had cookies for us. We went boating in the summer and sledding in the winter. She always made sure everything was fair and that Chelsea and I got the exact same amount of candy in a ziplock baggie. She loved the gospel. She took us swimming at the neighbors house. She loved watching the Price is Right. She read me bed time stories when I was younger. She made candy every year around Christmas Time . She always had time for us. She was the best Grandma and a amazing person.

more posts about my grandma...
a girls day + a treasure

her name

Letters

2010-12-07T22:13:00.001-07:00

Just a few little letters....

Dear B,
Today you told me your work schedule for the next two weeks. I'll miss you.

Dear Art Professor,
Thank goodness I never have to deal with another one of your assignments again.

Dear Sophie,
Today while I was getting ready to leave the house {putting my coat and shoes on} you walked over to the closet, got out your boots and carried them over to me. You are too smart!

Dear Craft Closet,
You are about to burst. I have big plans for you next week.

Dear Mom,
It made my day when you gave me 6 mini rolls of bakers twine.

Dear Christmas,
Only 17 more days....

Dear USN,
Please call B tomorrow.

Dear Photobucket,
I forgot that you were storing our cruise pictures. I thought I had lost them forever when the computer died. yippe!

Dear Mailman,
Please Please Please don't pound on the door while B and I are enjoying a nice nap on the couch together. You scared us both to death and about got yourself shot.

Dear Christmas Shopping,
You are being slightly difficult this year. You are not providing any gifts for B. Not a single one.

Dear Library Book,
You are waiting. I am coming... as soon as I push post.

Love,
Kendra

My Gift Guide

2010-12-02T21:06:00.000-07:00

Normally I don't do a ton of online shopping. Maybe occasionally, every now and again.

Normally I love to go to the store, browse and touch the items. I am a huge texture person. I can fall in love with a purse just by the way it feels. Soft leather always gets me.

That's why it is a little un-normal that this christmas season I have done all my christmas shopping online. I repeat all. And, I have loved it. I am not really sure what got me into this online shopping craze. Maybe because it's the first shopping season since I have had a baby. Going shopping isn't as simple with a baby in tote. But, I think the more likely reason is that I have fallen in love with the handmade movement. I love mompreneur shops, etsy, and all the handmade goodness.

I've decided to share a few of my good online finds. Presenting, my version of the holiday gift guide. It is lacking in the "gifts for men department" but you can always get men socks, right? At my house that is true. Brian loves sock. Almost as much as he loves whole milk.

My gift guide.

admiring, wishing for, giving, and just adoring.

1. Ruffle Pillow Cover by iviemade

2 . Chubby Plush Owl by I Sew Lucky

3. Wilton Cookie Scoop in Red

4. Hello Bird Cardpack by Sara Jane Studios

5. Salt & Pepper Set by Speckleddog

6. Snickerdoodle Cupcake Whipped Sugar Srub Soap by Bungalow

7. Typography Coaster Set by Burlap & Blue

8. Zippered Pouch by Gussy

9. Strawberry Shortcake Cupcake from Sweet Tooth Fairy {not online, just a good gift}

10. Small Personalized Planner by Much Ado About You

11. Flower & Circle Necklace by The Vintage Pearl

12. Mini Holiday Bakers Twine

13. UGG Boots

happy gift giving!

:: The rest of this weekend will be filled with finals and homework.

Oh, and dying my hair. Suede Light Brown or Light Golden Brown? I haven't decided.

...And maybe another batch of White Chocolate Muddy Buddies, who knows.

Have a wonderful weekend.

A Few Bloggy Tips

2010-11-30T21:23:00.002-07:00

I am excited to share a few bloggy tips with you today!

Tip #1. Replying to Comments in Your Email
{learned this tip from my mom}

Did you know that if your blogger profile is set up correctly people can reply to your comments straight from their email inbox! Awesome huh?

So lets say my friend Sydney left me a comment on a blog post {which she frequently does, thanks! You're awesome!} After reading her comment, I want to reply and tell her thanks for commenting, that she has adorable boots, and that we need to go to yogotogo and try the apple pie yogurt soon! So I push reply and this is what happens....

See how it says "no reply"? Dang! That means that she doesn't have her email address attached to her blogger profile. If she did, her email address would show up instead of "no reply".

Let me show you how to fix that! Go to your blogger dashboard and click on edit profile.

All you have to do is check mark the box that says "show my email" and make sure you have your email address typed in correctly below. Ta-Da! Now whenever you leave a comment the blog author is able to reply if they want! Cool huh?

:: Want to check and see if your profile is set up correctly for "replying"?

Little Things

2010-11-29T11:15:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you just gotta savor the little things like the relish tray, cherry m&m's, and homemade peanut butter fudge at Thanksgiving. All plated nicely, on sweet plates, on top of the blue tablecloth. My mom thinks I hate the blue tablecloth. Here is a little secret, don't tell. The table cloth is growning on me. I used to think the blue table cloth was old fashioned and just covering up the beautiful wood table underneath, but now, there are sweet memories attached to it.

My mom uses the blue tablecloth for birthdays, sunday dinners, holidays, and sometimes just because. When you walk into her kitchen and see the blue tablecloth you can expect great things. Little candies, pretzels & dip, homemade rolls, raspberry salad, or maybe even some sort of fruit cocktail.

In the back of my mind I also remember my grandma cottle using a blue table cloth. Blue was her favorite color, light blue that is. Funny how we remember little things isn't it?

Today I am going to log away these two sweet little things:

How adorable Miss S looks in her new pj's. Santa had to come a little early, Soph was just to tall for her 9month jammers. Luckily santa's elf just happened to have some new ones stashed. They are so cute I think I will let her wear them all day. Maybe even to the store...is that bad?

The lucky charms I had for breakfast were delicious. I forgot I liked them so much! Especially with my milk. Skim milk. I bought it just for me. This is a big deal because we are just switching Sophie to whole milk and Brian is in heaven. He hates "white water". Whole milk is his favorite. So I buy whole milk for them and skim just for me. While Brian and I were first dating my mom would buy a half gallon of whole milk just for him. Sweet huh?

How was your thanksgiving weekend? Hope you have some sweet little things to remember.

Holiday Eats: Red Velvet Cupakes

2010-11-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

Holiday Eats: Paula Dean's Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

by: Lesa

You will need:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, softened

2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Garnish with chopped pecans and a fresh raspberry or strawberry.

Cook's Note: Frost the cupcakes with a butter knife or pipe it on with a big star tip.

:: thanks mom! All I really have to say is... um, yum!

Black Friday @ Key Lime

2010-11-24T06:02:00.010-07:00

I don't know about you but I have only braved early morning black friday sales once in my lifetime, and that was probably enough. I prefer to not to shop at 3am or stand out it the cold. :)
However, black friday online doesn't sound bad right? right!

That is why there will be a black friday sale going on in the shop!

Check out the Shop for even more products and savings!

Key Lime Digital Designs will also be a vendor in the Somewhat Simple Studio Boutique. There are going to be over 50 vendors all with black friday sales! Shop online in your pj's. Doesn't that sound great? I can't wait to do a little browsing myself!

Wishing everyone a happy & stuffed thanksgiving!

A Day Outing

2010-11-23T10:15:00.002-07:00

Me and S went on a day outing last weekend. Normally my mom would be the third accomplice in our day outing trip but this time it was just me and S. We drove to a city about an hour away and started to check things out. We found a Zupas and stopped for a little lunch. A large bowl of Chicken Tortilla Soup topped with chip strips and sour cream, oh and an extra slice of bread for Soph. We shared the chocolate dipped strawberry.

After lunch we made a few more stops. Target. We bought B a advent calendar filled with the small waxy chocolates. He loves those. We also came across some holiday items that got my mind turning, thinking about holiday crafts, treats, and some small gifts for neighbors & friends. Can't wait to share the details.

After Target we went to A Dessert Cafe for a bridal shower. The real reason for the day outing. One of my best friends from high school is getting married in december. During the shower we chatted, she opened presents, and we had mini cupcakes. Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes. Me and S shared the cupcake.

After the bridal shower we had plans to brave Cabelas, and do a little shopping for brian & my dad, but it was starting to snow. Really snow. So I opted to drive home, and do my Cabelas shopping online. Don't you love the internet?

:: a special brithday wish to my dad today! You're the greatest!

:: hopin and prayin that the big storm we are suppose to get, won't actually be that big. We are really looking forward to spending thanksgiving in WY at Grandpa's farm. But, really don't like driving in the snow.

Snow, Snow, go away, come again another day.

what are your thanksgiving plans?

the first snow

2010-11-22T10:09:00.001-07:00

We woke up to snow on sunday morning! The first snow of the year! Now the holidays can officially begin! Of course the first thing we did was bundle Miss S up and let her experience her first snow day. And by that I mean her first experience walking in the snow, touching the snow, and tasting the snow. In case you can't tell, she loved it. She was in heaven. One of my favorite parts about being a mom is watching Sophie experience new things. First snowday is on the top of my list. Is it snowing in your town yet?

Dear Friends,

2010-11-19T21:54:00.001-07:00

Could you pretty please do something for me?

I got nominated, along with 25 other fabulous blogs, to be Top Blog of 2010.

The first round of voting is open and I need your votes!

There is a poll listed on the right hand side of The Blog Guidebook.

Vote for me! And remember I am listed as "The Three of Us"

The voting ends on the 26th so feel free to vote as many times as you would like! :)

Thanks TONs!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Holiday Eats: Sour Cream Apple Pie

2010-11-18T23:33:00.002-07:00

Holiday Eats: Sour Cream Apple Pie

By: Miranda

This pie first entered our lives two years ago. I can't remember how many times we've made it since then...10?...12? It doesn't matter. What matters is that it is sitting on my kitchen counter right now. Then only thing that takes time with this recipe is making the dough and peeling the apples. If you use pre-made dough then you only have those pesky apples to deal with before you can eat. And the whole thing about letting the pie cool....which I consider optional.

Sour Cream Apple Pie
Adapted From: Posie Gets Cozy

Topping:
4 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 C. Sugar
1 1/2 t. Cinnamon
3 Tbsp. flour

Blend until combined well. Cover and chill while making the filling.

Filling:
1 1/3 C. sour cream
2/3 C. sugar
1/4 t. salt
2 t. vanilla
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

4-5 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
Mix together everything but the apples. Add apples and stir to combine
Pie crust of your choice. This pie works best with a deep-dish pie plate.

Pour filling into pie shell and crumble the topping over it. Bake on a baking sheet at 35o degrees for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Transfer to rack and let cool completely—or not.

:: Thanks Miranda! Miranda has a wonderful handmade holiday series going on, check it out!

:: Yes, I changed the title of my blog. Why? I could go into a big long spill about it but lets just say.... 1.} I never really liked the old one. 2.} I happen to google "the 3 of us" and some lovely stuff came up. great. 3.} This title just seemed to fit better. So, here it is. Same blog. New title. That's all.

have a great weekend! thanks for reading!

pharmacy school - update

2010-11-17T06:40:00.001-07:00

Remember a little while ago I told you that brian is applying to pharmacy school?

{original post HERE}

time for a little update....
black text= original checklist. red text= updates + added tasks & details

~~Take the pcat.~~
~~Pray and wait for your score.~~
Re-take PCAT just for good measure
Receive your score.
Still waiting on the second score. Please mailman, will you bring it tomorrow?
~~Pick several schools to apply too.~~
USN, U of H at Hilo, TJU, UOD, UK, Mercer ... just to name a few of the 10.
~~Send them your transcripts, pcat score, letters of recommendation, fill out the application, pay for the application, fill out a supplemental application, & pay for the supplemental application.~~
Pray and wait you get called for an interview.
so far...Got an interview at USN and U of H at Hilo!
If you get an interview, buy a new suit and airplane ticket.
... or take your suit to the dry cleaner. much cheaper.
Smile and do your best in the interview.
USN interview, done. Hawaii's in a couple weeks.
Pray and wait.
this whole process is a matter of waiting.
waiting .....
Receive a letter in the mail 2-4 weeks later. or phone call
Pray, as you are tearing it open, that you got accepted.
If you are accepted pay the chair holding fee and pray to say thank you.
If you are not accepted pray that another school will accept you.
Repeat this process with as many schools as you can afford.
Pray a lot + a lot more.
Make your final decision between offers & pack up everything you own and move for 3-4 years.

this process has been one of waiting.waiting.waiting. but I have to say that it is getting more exciting every step of the way. We are actually doing this, not just talking about it. Each time I wish the waiting was over, and that the real adventure was starting I try and remind myself that this is part of the adventure. Plus, I always wanted to be a secretary right? :)

easy holiday ribbon wreath

2010-11-15T14:04:00.001-07:00

The other night I decided to make a holiday craft instead of doing my homework. Good choice, no. Fun choice, yes. I have noticed a lot of holiday wreath tutorials popping up around blogland but I particularly liked the idea of a ribbon wreath.

Here is my version.

Gather some ribbon. Doesn't matter the length, designs, or texture. Just make some sort of color pallet. You will also need a wreath frame. I found this metal one at a craft store for $3.

Then you will need to start by wrapping your wreath with ribbon. I used a clothes pin to hold the end down. I wasn't quiet sure what my plan was yet so I didn't want to glue anything. But go ahead and use a dab of hot glue to hold the beginning and end down.

Warning: dont glue anywhere else! You are going to have to slide the ribbon around a bit.

It's ok if you have a few gaps. Actually, its perfect if you have a few gaps.

Next cute a short piece of ribbon, 4"-5". Tie the ribbon in a knot, on the wire, in between the pieces of stripped ribbon {in the gaps.}

hint: You may have to slide your ribbon to the side a bit.

Repeat. Tie pieces of ribbon on the wreath until it looks like you want! Then you can fluff, curl, and arrange! I think this sort of wreath would also look good in a blue & silver color combo!

Is it too early to hang up?

:: Now I'm off to do homework until Sophie wakes up. for real. I have basically a whole semesters worth of work to do in 2 weeks. Awesome right?

::this post is participating in the today's creative blog link up party!

Motherhood: A New Level

2010-11-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

Sophie and I spent loads of time this last week cuddled in her favorite blanket watching mickey mouse and playing with her favorite toy, cards. Sophie was sick, with croup. Believe it or not this was her first time being really sick. Her stuffy little nose, raspy breathing, and unstoppable coughing, just made my heartbreak.

When I told my mom that S was sick the first things she said was, "Brings motherhood to a whole new level doesn't it?" Yep, sure does.There was nothing I could do for Sophie except watch her cry in frustration. I checked on her what felt like a million times while she was sleeping. Just to listen to her raspy snoring.

What a helpless feeling.

The doctor gave her a shot and said that she would just have to fight it off. Fighting it off included, lots of apple juice, a few walks outside to open up her airways, and a lot of cuddling. Which happened to be the only upside of the whole sickness thing. Sophie is not a cuddler. She is a independent, no snuggles allowed, kind of girl.

At least I got some cuddles.

Now motherhood is on a whole new level. I love her that much more. I want her to be smiling and giggling, not frustrated and coughing. Watching Sophie being sick I realized that the hardest part about being a mom isn't always going to be changing diapers, soothing after a bonked head, or getting up in the middle of the night. I expect it is going to get much harder than that. Which just makes me more grateful for my mom. thanks mom for being the best. xoxo.

:: you can still enter the giveaway for the oral-b toothbrush.