Ashlee and Nathanael

Painting Painting, I Love Painting

2010-04-20T08:44:00.000-06:00

We had this bare, sad little empty space next to our door and I want to put something there. I thought a little key shelf would be great. I finally found a pefect little shelf and painted it my current favorite color.
On the look-out for the perfect key shelf I also found this cute little window. It was white and had these ugly little baskets and a tiny little wheelbarrow filled with ugly little wooden apples. After I bashed the heck out of them (they were glued on really well) I painted it and added a really cute nest with a branch. I added some floral moss to the nest and painted some little plastic eggs to match the shelf.

But, now we're moving and I have to find the perfect place in Santaquin to put them back up.

Hand-Made by Mommy and Me

2010-04-19T09:22:00.000-06:00

I know, that sounds silly, "mommy and me" but it's true. she's my mommy and we made these together while they were here a couple of weeks ago.

We went to Hobby Lobby and after we had revived ourselves (because we had died from sheer joy) we went nuts looking at all of the great things they have. We found these super cute wooden letters and decided to make something out of them. We found cute frames at the dollar store (actually, they weren't cute, they were gold and ugly but the design was cute). So we painted the frames and the letter, used scrapbooking paper as a background and ta-dah!

We also went glitter crazy. My mom got Martha Stewart glitter at an insane discount because she works at a craft store, so she brought it down and an hour later we looked up from our projects in a glitter induced haze and giggled a little. I mean...uh...yeah, we glittered the crap out of some mini clothes pins. Then I glittered this feather butterfly.

And then I wanted to glitter everything. I was all, "what about the toilet? Can we glitter the toilet? How about the carpet in the living room, dont you think that would look good glittered? Huh, huh, huh?" And my mom pried the glitter out of my hands and made me take a nap

A Slew of Cards

2010-04-17T16:14:00.000-06:00

I've been making cards like crazy lately. Not for any real reason, except for one card, but I've been having a lot of fun and thought I'd share them with you.

This first cards I made for a baby shower. I know it's not baby-ish but I really love it. Probably because I love this stamp set and use it every chance I get.

All of these next cards I made over at Amber's, she's my Stampin' Up demonstrator and she's great. She's also very pregnant and was due the day we made the cards. I kept expecting her to go into labor. (She didn't.)

Big Changes

2010-04-16T16:09:00.002-06:00

Pretty soon there will be some big changes in our life. First, we are moving to Santaquin to live with Nathanael's brother. He owns his own house and is single. He is a truck driver and isn't home a lot and has an apartment downstairs. The reason we are moving? To save money. the reason we are trying to save money? So we can pay for my schooling. That starts Monday. This Monday.
I'll be going to Provo College for the next nine monts for massage therapy. And, I'm really excited!

So we're packing and going crazy and getting nervous and saying goodbye to our nice little apartment. But this is a big step in the right direction for me and for us. I can't wait! Gulp!

Curse You Jillian Michaels

2010-04-07T16:13:00.003-06:00

First I feel bad because I don't look like you, and probably never will. Then I feel bad, physically, because you're insane but provide a good workout. Then I feel bad because I've abandoned you and you stare at me with those crazy eyes, mocking me while I sit on the couch watching a movie instead of sweating like a pig while you tell me "just five more!" Five more? Crazy lady. Then I feel bad because I know if I keep suffering through it I'll look and feel loads better. So it's back to sweating in the living room while you say things like "don't take a break!" and "come on, really work here!" Argh, curse you Jillian Michaels!

Let's Go on Vacation!

2010-03-03T19:57:00.002-07:00

I got a new suitcase, so why aren't we going away? Oh, yeah, maybe because the "new" suitcase looks about 50+ years old and is sitting in my spare room ... on the floor ... as decoration. Yeah, that might be why.

But isn't it awesome? I love it. It's old and kinda grungy but so perfect. (And such a deal.) And the wooden scroll ... thing ... is it called a cornice? Anyway, also a screaming deal. Now I just have to figure out how to paint it so it looks even older. Any tips? I want to make it look like it's been paint several times/colors, all chippy and old.

Okay, now for something totaly unrelated. My husband shaved his head. Completely. Well, I shaved the back since he can't see back there.

Doesn't he have a nice noggin'?

Okay, I'll post a friggin' picture of myself. Don't scream okay! I got a new top and I wore it to my job interview today.

I had to crop it kinda close because you could totally see our messy bathroom. Haha.

DI Finds

2010-01-31T22:17:00.002-07:00

So sorry I haven't blogged in a while (my mom keeps sending me threatening emails) but I've been either busy or exhausted (I think I'm iron defecient, time to start taking multi vitamins again!) Anyway, I thought I'd post a couple of great finds. I love looking at thrift stores after Christmas because everyone gets rid of their holiday decorations.

I found a couple of cute stars, the block and the red wire one, that I'm going to use for Christmas and 4th of July (love dual purpose decorations!) I love the little red tote box and the white shelf. the shelf has s uch a pretty raised scroll on the front, I can't wait to re-paint and hang it. And the jingle bell garland was only $1, it's in pretty sad shape so I'm going to cut it apart and use the indivudual bells on our tree next year.

Speaking of our tree next year I found this bag of four nests and four birds (for 75 cents!) that will be used. I'm thinking about glittering the birds, we'll see how they turn out.

And this cute little welcome sign will look nice with a different hanger (that rope looks like I could use it to hog tie a pig) and something in that empty space at the top (maybe a rusty metal star?)

Christmas Spirit

2009-12-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

Decorating always gets me in the holiday spirit. We don't have much but I love what we have. Here's a bit of our decor for this year.

Christmas Goodies

2009-12-23T18:11:00.002-07:00

After looking all over the net I found some great recipes for Christmas treats for us to make. We made out selections and our grocery list and got cookin' (well, melting and stiring, there was no baking involved.)

First was what I like to call "Millions of Mints". Very simple to make, just cream cheese, powdered sugar, food coloring and mint extract. We turned this:

Into these: (millions of these)

Then we made peanut butter squares, yum! Graham cracker crumbs, peanut butter, more powdered sugar and melted chocolate on top. I love these!

We made a coconut candy that seemed simple enough but required cooking sugar and milk to a soft ball stage. I'm pretty sure I cooked it right but the candies turned out kind of...grainy? Maybe it was the sweetened coconut.

And here's a big batch of everything we made. Dipped pretzles (the green ones are mint, yum!), candy cane bark, pretzle and butterscotch bark, and mint patties (easy to make!).

We had a lot of fun making these and took some around to our friends. I think we'll be doing this every year!

It's Christmas Time

2009-12-04T14:39:00.002-07:00

I love Christmas, I really do...I'd love it better though if my family was coming down this year. (Guilt trip!)

Anyway, I love getting into the holiday season. Tonight we are going to our church Christmas party. I'm really excited about that, we couldn't make it last year but we'll be there tonight!

Tomorrow we are putting up our tree. This is my all time favorite part of decorating. We've got this adorable slender 6-foot tree that I just love. It fits perfectly in our small/awkward living room and it will be a great second tree when we have more space to get a larger tree, I've always wanted a big fancy tree in the living room and a fun kids tree in the family room. The last two years we decorated the tree with dark plum and pale green ornaments. This year we are doing blue, silver and white with a snowflake theme. I found old glass balls at DI and we got some inexpensive silver ones from the store. I also bought this really cute garland of silvery snowflakes from the dollar store that I am going to take apart to make them into individual ornaments. I'm excited to see how it will turn out.

Last night we went grocery shopping and bought ingredients for all these great Christmas treat recipes I found online. We'll be making treats tomorrow and maybe for a few days after (because we have so many). I'll be posting recipes and photos later.

Speaking of posting recipes...I decided to go ahead with the second blog with recipes and crafts, reviews and other ideas. I'm excited about it, so keep checking in for a link to that blog later.

Now, what do you all do to get into the Christmas spirit? What do you like most about decorating? The least?

For me, the worst part about decorating for Christmas is putting up outdoor lights. I've never done it and I doubt I ever will. My dad was always the one doing that part and now Nathanael does it. It's just not fun, and I hate ladders so it's scary too.

Some Ideas

2009-12-02T15:50:00.002-07:00

I've been thinking about making this blog just about our family and then making a different blog about everything else. The other blog would have reviews, craft ideas, events, giveaways, and anything else I can think of that might be fun.

Does this sound like a good idea? Sometimes I want to post reviews and event info and fun stuff but I don't think it goes with the theme and style of this blog. I kinda want to kep this one family oriented.

Let me know what you think and I'll let you know what's happening.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

We're spending the holiday with the in-laws, including Nathanael's brother and his family visiting from Ohio, and their new baby girl (yay!).

I love Thanksgiving but I admit I'm looking forward to Christmas already. I can't wait to decorate but I promised myself (and my hubby) I would wait until December 1st.

So are you all planning on going shopping tomorrow? I was thinking about it but I'm not sure now. I'm a little scared to, plus there isn't anything we really need. Oh, there's plenty of things we want, but do we need them? No.

I thought I'd make a list of things I am thankful for to honor the holiday.

1. Nathanael

2. Our families

3. Oscar

4. The church and the wonderful, thoughtful women in our ward

5. Sweet potatoes with brown sugar

6. Not having to work again until Monday

7. Christmas decorations

8. Blankets, movies, popcorn and hot chocolate (with marshmallows)

9. A car with a heater that works fast

10. Thrift stores

Meet Oscar, Our New Housemate

2009-11-20T13:04:00.003-07:00

No, we did not invite Oscar the Grouch, or Oscar from the Office, into our home. But look how cute the newest member of our family is.

Isn't this next one the cutest picture ever? Nathanael put him in his shirt pocket and Oscar actually didn't mind.

Oscar is the cutest little guy ever, he's a gerbil and he's about three months old. We both love him. You can really tell that he belongs in our family because he watches Amazing Race with me and he doesn't use the wheel in his cage...he sleeps under it! He's our little baby.

Get Back Up

2009-11-13T13:46:00.003-07:00

Sometimes life knocks you down (and then kicks you while you're there). And even if you don't think you can, and if you don't think you want to, you have to get back up and keep going. It's hard, but it's worth it.

After the Rain

2009-10-14T21:28:00.002-06:00

"And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth."

~Genesis 9:16-17

Making Pumpkins

2009-10-12T19:45:00.002-06:00

I wanted to make some cute decor things for Fall but I didn't want to spend a lot of money so I went down to the Dollar Tree (yay) and found these pumpkins and gourds.

Two bigger one and two bags of little ones...$4 total. But they were a little ugly...ok, they were a lot ugly. Well, a little paint and a little sandpaper fixes everything, literally.

Here are my super cute pumpkins after their makeover...

I put them in this wooden bowl I had painted a while ago (50 cents from DI) but they looked a little lonely and sad, so I ripped up stips of packing paper that Stampin Up uses when shipping stuff, crumpled it up a little, and put it under the pumpkins. Then I did a little top-of-the-TV re-decorating and...tadah!

I was worried at first about the teal and the orange together, but as soon as I put the pumpkins in the bowl I loved the color combination. The birds my mom gave me and the skulls were also a Dollar Tree find.

All I need now is something for the smaller glass jar. Any ideas? I love Fall, and I love Halloween, so I love decorating for this time of the year.

Thrift Treasures

2009-09-23T10:06:00.000-06:00

I had some time to kill the other day and I made the mistake of going to DI. I say mistake because I always end up with stuff when I go to DI. It's always great stuff but really, I should finish my other projects before I ever set foot in that place again. The good news is this time none of the stuff needs a makeover.

Sorry for the state of these photos, I hadn't cleaned anything yet and I was in a bit of a hurry when I took them. But look at all my treasures! I was looking for little loaf pans like those on the right. I want to make little loaves of bread and little jars of jam as gifts (I already have the jars). The five pans were 75 cents for the whole lot, what a deal!

These were the fist two things I picked up. I saw them from another aisle and nearly jumped over an old lady to grab them. Why? They're antique pewter. The other really dark piece in the first photo is also antique pewter. Each only 50 cents.

All of these little glass bottles were sitting next to each other so I scooped them all. The tallest one will go with my bottles on the window sill, I think it will turn purple in the sun like the rest of them. The other will go around the house, I think the big square one will go on my kitchen shelf and the little tiny perfume bottle will go in the bathroom. That little perfume bottle almost didn't make it home, I was tryign to hold everything (because I didn't think I would need a basket) and I dropped it and it bounced, I'm serious. The glass is so thick that it didn't even chip. I was so relieved.

More Cute Cards

2009-09-22T14:18:00.000-06:00

Well my sister finally got her gift in the mail so I can show you her birthday card. I had fun making this one. I wanted to use a new stamp set (the birthday cake and stand) and I was on a roll with the polka-dot paper.

This next one was for a friend who just had her baby. Again, a new stamp set and more polka-dot paper. Isn't that deer so cute!

I'm having a class this Saturday. We'll be making 5 different fall cards for only $5. I'm really excited about the cards. They are going to be so cute. Let me know if you are interested in coming.

What the Heck is This?

2009-09-21T13:51:00.002-06:00

Ok, here is where you all find out how silly I am. I saw this at DI and loved the shape, it was only 50 cents so I brought it home. It's going to get a makeover, but what is it? What's it for?

The previous owner handpainted the hearts and flowers on one side and then gave up. What would you use it for? I've been scratching my head for two weeks over this.

Check Out These Great Giveaways

2009-09-13T21:40:00.003-06:00

Ok, so I didn't win the last giveaway I entered (the last two for that matter, actually...any giveaway fo that matter!) So I am trying to up my chances of winning another one by sharing these great giveaways with you.

This incredible antique scale is Rose Petals and Rust Primitives' giveaway gift. I could see this in my kitchen. It's so cool!

And this gorgeous one-of-a-kind rolling pin dough bowl keep is Firecracker Kid's very first giveaway. Isn't it beautiful! I can see this in my kitchen too!

So go quick at check these out if you want. But if you win and I don't...kidding!

9/11

2009-09-11T09:36:00.002-06:00

Should I Change My Background?

2009-09-08T14:55:00.004-06:00

I've been thinking about changing my blog layout. I love Shabby blogs and they have so many choices, I don't think I can choose on my own.

So, what do you think of these options...

What do you think? I'm going for something a little more simpler. I don't even have one I like over the others, I can't even list them in any order. Help!

Institute Classes

2009-09-02T14:15:00.002-06:00

Another post without photos but bear with me. I'm really excited about institute classes. Nathanael and I started going to institute during the spring semester because we've been in primary and nursery callings at church for a long time and we miss Sunday School and Priesthood and Relief Society every Sunday. We really wanted to be in a church class so we decided on Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith last semester and we really enjoyed it.

So we decided to continue with institute this semester and we picked a Doctrine and Covenants class on Tuesday night. We went to our first class yesterday and I loved our instructor, she's really great. Then, after class, I was thinking about signing up for another class. Because let's face it, I don't do much! I go to work for four hours each day Monday - Friday. That's about it. And Nathanael works and goes to school, so I'm at home a lot by myself.

I went to the website to register for another class and looked at all the days and times that Nathanael is either working or in school and found two classes that fit the schedule and look really interesting. I couldn't decide which one to do so I signed up for both. Yeah, both!

So now I am taking the Tuesday night class with Nathanael and I am taking a Wednesday night LDS History class and a Friday morning Teachings of the Living Prophets class. And I'm really excited. I can't wait to go to my class tonight!

A Quick Note

2009-08-27T14:22:00.002-06:00

I made another really cute card but it's for my sister's birthday so I can't post it until she gets her present from us.

I saw Coraline the other day, finally. It's so good. Scary and creepy, but in a good way.

Nathanael started school again yesterday. He has all these classes that I don't even understand the name of, let alone what he is doing in them. But then, I don't even know what the different kinds of math are; like Algebra or Trig, I don't know what that means.

Shantel! What is your e-mail? And when are you going to come see me?

Cute Cards

2009-08-26T14:04:00.002-06:00

I've been making a lot of cards lately for various reasons and I thought I'd show them off. I'm really happy with they way they've been turning out and can't wait to make more.

The first two I made because I needed a card for my swap partner. I ended up sending her the second one (the pink one) and then made a few more of each color. I love the sentiment stamps, it says, "Do not put off till tomorrow what can be enjoyed today."

This next card I made for a sweet lady for her 80th brithday, which happened to be the same day as my birthday. I love this card, love it. I was al ittle worried about it though, all the layers of paper made it really heavy and I was worried that I was going to have to pay extra postage. But it was ok, it was light enough for standard postage. Anyway, the rose stamp set is one of my new favorites. It's so pretty.

This last card is the card we will be making at my stamp class tonight. I'm not sure how many people will be coming but everything is ready to go. Hopefully I'll get a few people tonight, if not I'll just make up the cards for myself.

Go See It!

2009-08-25T20:36:00.000-06:00

We watched the Time Traveler's Wife last night and I loved it. Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams are so good in their roles. It was a sad movie though, so bring tissues.

I'm going to have to read the book now. It was just so good!

Birthdays

2009-08-25T14:34:00.002-06:00

Birthdays are strange. Sometimes I forget how old I am. Sometimes I forget my birthday is coming up. Sometimes I wish my birthday was not coming up. But this birthday has been wonderful so far.

So Happy Birthday to me. And Happy Birthday to everyone else too. Or, maybe a Very Merry Un-Birthday to You.

Memory Lane

2009-08-18T14:25:00.002-06:00

Guess what I found while my hubby and I were out gorcery shopping...

I squeeed with excitedment, and then everyone else in line looked at me funny. Anyway, I totally remember getting this gum when I was little! I hadn't seen it in forever and all of a sudden it's at Wal-Mart for 88 cents!

Isn't it pretty, who knew gum was pretty?

I love the stripes. I was so excited when I found it. I love the package and the colors and the stripes. And then as I was chewing, I also remembered that the flavor lasts about 6.7 seconds. But at least it's cute! And it totally made me think of my childhood, which was awesome (thanks mom and dad!)

The Happiest Place on Earth

2009-08-17T15:15:00.003-06:00

...unless you have monster-sized blisters and the crowds are insane and it's sweltering hot.

We just came back from our little family vacation (hubby's family). We were really excited to go and we did have a lot of fun. We left Sunday night and drove straight through to Anaheim. We got to our hotel (the Carriage Inn...bleh!) early so we had lunch before checking in. We rested for a little while and then headed to the park.

First off, when the hotel says they are"only" three blocks from the park, DO NOT get excited. Three blocks from the park means three HUGE city blocks, as in a 30 minute walk. Second, do not get excited when you read that the temperature is "only" going to be 83 degrees. 83 degrees + walking all day + huge crowds + humidity = a LOT hotter than you expect.

But we did have a ton of fun. We went with seven other people (Nathanael's parents, three of his sisters and two brothers) which was fun and hard. It's hard to figure out what you are going to do when there are nine of you making plans.

Plus Side: Going to Huntington Beach and swimming in the Ocean

Down Side: Swallowing enough salt at said beach to meet your daily sodium intake for a month.

Plus Side: Fantasmic, it's amazing and beautiful and fun!

Down Side: Claiming a seat for Fantasmic an hour early only to have Joe Blow with his fat head come stand in front of you as the show is starting.

Plus Side: Awesome rides, fun and fast roller coasters, cute Fantasy Land rides.

Down Side: Long lines in the heat with annoying kids ramming into you while not paying attention.

Plus Side: The new fireworks show "Magical". It was beautiful!

Down Side: Joe Blow and his fat head.

All in all I had a wonderful time (Down Side: monster blisters from walking all day. Plus Side: renting a wheelchair and using it to get around AND to get to the front of all the lines.) I got a new charm for my bracelet and we went on every ride we wanted to. Some several times (the Matterhorn!)

What I learned: don't go to Disneyland in August.

P.S. Do NOT stay at the Carriage Inn in Anaheim. Gross. It was old and dingy and had ants!

Stinky Hair

2009-08-06T16:47:00.002-06:00

I colored my hair today, well, my awesome sister-in-law (who is a stylist) colored my hair...and trimmed it. Boy did I need it! Finally I have bangs again, not out grown bangs, not almost as long of the rest of my hair bangs, but real bangs (still a little long so they can be swept to the side.) I really like the color too. It's a tiny bit lighter than I normally go but since I normally go pretty dark brown it's still considered brown (not light brown, not dark brown, just brown). So I love my hair but I don't love the stink. It's not a horrendous smell, just a hair-dye smell. And it will smell like this for at least two days (especially when I wash it.)
Oh well, at least it looks good!

Warning: If You Are My Favorite Things Swap Partner...Do NOT Read This Post!

2009-07-31T14:53:00.003-06:00

I'm serious, if you like suprises don't read any further (it's not the whole package, just one part of it.)

I made these little notebooks by covering them with paper and stamped images. I love how they turned out. The first one is more cute and casual and the second one (which I love so much I want one for myself) is fancier.

They were simple projects and I got to use two new stamp set. Don't you LOVE the roses? Two-step stamping from Stampin Up, love them.

Hurry Along, Catch Up Now

2009-07-28T13:38:00.002-06:00

I know...my mom and I talked on the phone last night and she said "we've been living in 3D for a week or two now, you better update!" So here i am updating, playing catch up.

First I have to say a huge gigantic monstrous THANKS to my hubby. He built my craft desk on the weekend and now it's all set up and waiting for me to finish organizing all my craft stuff. NOw that I'm looking at the photos I realize that I didn't take a very good one of the top since that little piece of table top above the four square drawers is painted a different color and you can't really tell.

But anyway, I am so excited about all the organization that's going on with the little drawers and shelves, yay for being organized.

I also bought a pair of shoes so I would have something practical to wear to Disneyland next month. Last time I went I had the worst shoes possible and my feet hated me for weeks. I found some simple but cute shoes at Walmart for only $8 but they were plain white canvas so I bought some Rit dye (on sale for $1.50) and now they are pink! It was my first time dying anthing and I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out.

Now I'm just breaking them in so they are all nice and soft when I have to walk all over the park in August.

One last thing, my sister-in-law's birthday was on Saturday and we had a surprise party fro her at our house. I was excited to make her a card with one of my new stamp sets and it turned out so cute.

Well, that's all for now. I'm updating my photography blog today so check that out as well.

Living in 3D

2009-07-10T15:56:00.002-06:00

Wouldn't that be cool, if every photo or movie or tv shows you looked at was 3D. That would be neat. Until that happens we get to pay $2 extra per ticket to go see movies in 3D. Last week Nathanael and I went to see Up! in 3D. It was really cute, but the past part was the sweet glasses they give you.

It said on the package not to use them as sunglasses, uh duh. But they make you look super sexy.

I've been asked to teach a little photography class at our church for the women in our ward, for whom ever wants to attend. I've done two classes so far and the last one was a little field trip to this duck pond that I didn't even know existed. Anyway, I wanted to share my favorite with you here.

Just lucky that I pointing my camera at this one and he (she? how do you tell?) started flapping his wings. Show off. You can see more photos of our little field trip on my photography blog.

Michael Jackson

2009-07-07T16:00:00.004-06:00

Michael Jackson's public memorial was today and while I was only able to see a little of it, it was touching. It's still strange to me that MJ is gone. But at the memorial Smokey Robinson said:

"He will never really be gone. He is going to live forever and ever and ever and ever."

And I believe it's true, you could never forget him. It won't be allowed. He did wonderful things for the world, all over. He opened doors and showed people the way. And I love what Rev. Al Sharpton said to Michael's children:

"There wasn't nothing strange about your daddy, it was strange what your daddy had to deal with. He dealt with it anyway. He dealt with it for us."

I loved MJ. I was listening to his music the day he died without knowing what had happened. When I was little I watched Free Willy over and over, sometimes just to listen to his song at the end. I know I'm too young to have grown up with him but in my lifetime he has always been around, always there. It's just weird now. Also, I know how much of an icon he was but still remember was was a father, a son, a friend and a human being.

“In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe.”~ Michael Jackson

Rest now. Your words and memory will live on. Thank you MJ.

“If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.” ~ Michael Jackson

If You Wanna Make The
World A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change

In Our Darkest Hour
In My Deepest Despair
Will You Still Care?
Will You Be There?
In My Trials
And My Tribulations
Through Our Doubts
And Frustrations
In My Violence
In My Turbulence
Through My Fear
And My Confessions
In My Anguish And My Pain
Through My Joy And My Sorrow
In The Promise Of Another Tomorrow
I'll Never Let You Part
For You're Always In My Heart.

My Favorite New (to me) Things

2009-07-01T15:51:00.008-06:00

Thinking about the Favorite Things Swap hosted by According to Kelly that I just signed up for got me thinking about my favortie things. I still have no idea what I'm putting in the package but I started looking around at online shops and etsy shops. I've been finding the most wonderful things, people are very creative. Here are a few of my new (to me) favorite things.

Both of these are from Print Patter Paper. They have beautiful art, posters and stationary. These two are my favorites but I also love the number wall cards. The birds cards would look beautiful framed (in my living room!)

Yellow Monday prints are another new favorite. The giclee prints are taken from the artists' original ink drawings, and I love them. Especially this one.

I want it. All of Yellow Monday's prints are gorgeous, you really should check them out. I want this one for my upstairs bathroom.

Another new thing I love is TapeSwell'sdecorative packing tape. They have a bunch of different patterns and combo packs. They also have mailing labels and the coolest envelope wraparounds.

So neat, such a cool idea. The only problem is I would want to use it all the time and I'd always be running out. These birds are my favorite pattern but they have a bunch of others. The site also has a gallery of other cool things to do with the tape, like using it to decorate a frame.

I saw Rob Ryan's work on another blog recently and fell in love with this print.

I'm starting to think that all my favorite things are going to have birds on them. But how could you not love this. The green is beautiful and the quote on the eggs "other planets cannot be as beautiful as this one" is so sweet. The best part...it's cut paper. So intricate, I love it.

Fawn and Forest is another company I have fallen in love with. They have a lot of great stuff for your baby but they also have beautiful prints and mobiles. They have so many wonderful bird prints that I had a hard time picking a favorite, but I think this is it.

And I love this solid hanging bird. These come in different colors and I would love them hanging in our bedroom.

If you like IKEA then you will love Huset Shop. They have really cool Scandinavian inspired stuff for the home but my favorite is this cup and saucer.

Can you imagine! Who doesn't have a flash of brilliance at tea time and nothing to write it on...or is that just me?

So the cup and saucer didn't have a bird on it but the next two do. Dee Beale is a graphic artist based in the UK and her prints are gorgeous. She has a blog and an etsy shop. The first print isn't on her esty but the second one is.

Her blog is awesome, I love all the stuff she finds at yard sales and her art is incredible. You really should check it out.

I saw felted animals someone once before but hadn't seen them in a while (probably because I wasn't looking for them, because once I started looking I found a lot.) This one is by far my most favorite, it's from Little Elf's Toyshop.

The best part? The bird and the next are seperate! How cute. I saw another photo of this one and it fit in an open hand. Their etsy shop has a ton of cute animals and dolls. Their mini animals are so adorable.

And lastly, for now, is the most adorable owl I have ever seen. Ever.

It was handcrafted by Barking Dog Designs. Their etsy shop is full of the most adorable animals, especially the little sock monkies. So cute.

Thank you to all the companies and designers I found recently. Their work is incredible. So enjoy these new (to me) favorites and I hope you found some new favorites too! Don't forget to check out these companies and look at all the product. It's impressive.

Have you found some new (to you) products recently? Let me know what you've found and what you love.

I've Joined A New Swap!

2009-06-30T15:03:00.004-06:00

Yay, I've been wanting to do a swap like this for a long time and I finally found one that was still open.

Hosted by Kelly at According to Kelly. It's still open until Friday and open to international bloggers. So check it out!

What I Spent Last Week Doing

2009-06-29T12:04:00.002-06:00

Well, last week was full of fun. On Thursday we went up into the mountains to help Nathanael's sister at girls camp. We were up there to help with the zipline, unfortunately that didn't last too long. Thanks to the lightning storm that hit. It was a little scary standing at the top of a metal tower unhooking a girl from the zipline while lightning flashed only a few feet away. We had to stay up in the mountains longer than we had planned because within minutes all the dirt roads had become mud trails and we got stuck after sliding backwards down a hill. We did have fun though and the girls were very nice.

When we finally got home I spent all night making invitations to a friend of a friend's bridal shower. I only had about two days notice before they had to be finished but I got paid for doing them. After a lot of stress trying to figure out what to do I decided on a style.

Cute right! They were a lot of work but I love how they turned out. But check it out...this is why they took so long.

Yikes, I still shudder when I look at those piles! But I'm happy, mostly that they are finished, but also that this was my first paid job!

Then on Saturday my sister-in-law hosted a class. Not very many people came and no one bought anything but look how cute the cards are that we made, they're little 3x3 cards with a matching gift tag.

I loved makign the little cupcakes, how cute are they! Such simple cards for birthday gifts.

Another Oregon Post

2009-06-22T15:46:00.002-06:00

Ya, another post about Oregon. I just loved being there and we have so many photos of the trip and nothing excting or interesting going on right now so I want to revisit Oregon.

We had our anniversary dinner at Mo's. I know, not very fancy, but hello...we're not very fancy.

I had read great thing about Mo's on the internet and even checked out their menu and the food looked great. I had a salmon steak, yum. The best part was that we got to sit right next to the windw and when you looked down, out the window, there was the water. It was incredible. And there was a seal swimming around down there. Very cool.

After dinner we walked around and there were some guys crabbing off the docks. They just tied their lines to the railing and threw the pots of the dock. This guy didn't catch anything while we were there except for a little crab and a starfish.

Then we walked down another pier and saw all these seals sleeping on the docks by the water. They're funny actually, they all pile on top of each other and sleep for hours.

This is one of my favorite photos, I thought it was hilarious...the angry octopus. I wonder what he's mad about?

Cutest Card!

2009-06-19T10:05:00.000-06:00

I had a Stampin' Up class last week and five women came over. We had a lot of fun and made the cutest card ever. I was really proud of the way it turned out. I love the colors.

Don't forget, I'm having a 5 for $5 class next Thursday. If you want to come leave a comment. If you want more information it's below two posts.

What I've Been Up To

2009-06-18T14:22:00.002-06:00

So I'm sure you're bored of all my Oregon photos. I'm not, I'm sad that I'm not still there. Oh well, it was a month ago. So what have I been doing since then? Well, DI shopping and crafting mostly.

I found this tin spoon the last time I was at DI. It's about 10 inches long and actually says Short'ning and Ice Cream Spoon. How cute...plus it was only 25 cents.

A while ago I found a cute little whisk, it was only about 5 inches long but the wodden handle was pretty ugly, so I fixed it.

How cute. I painted it brown and then turquoise and sanded away until I liked the way it looked.

I've been collecting cute kitchen stuff for a shelf I had been meaning to paint for ages. I found the shelf at DI for $1.50 and loved it. So I found some cool old kitchen stuff.

The muffin tin is really cool because of the texture. I've enver seen one like that. It was $1. The little cheese grater you can barely see was 50 cents and I love the silver plated serving spoons (and fork) in the glass jar. The very nice guy at DI only charged me 25 cetns for each serving spoon, they were pretty grungy, very blackened. but I "polished" them up a little with toothpaste. i didn't want them super shiny and the toothpaste really did a great job.

This little box I got for 50 cents, it was pretty dirty and plain wood. So I cleaned it up and painted it 3 or 4 different colors and then went at it with sand paper. I think I want to sand it more to show more colors and wear. I also need to find some stuff to put in it.

So here's the finished shelf. It was a big job, trust me. I forgot to take a "before" photo but it was red...fire engine red. This isn't the finished arrangement, I'm going to hang some on the spoons on the bottom shelf from the dowel rod on the bottom.

Stampin' Up Classes

2009-06-17T14:06:00.006-06:00

Well, I've been a Stampin' Up demonstrator for about 4 months now and as much as I love it, I have no customers, none. I'm working on inviting people to free classes and 5 cards for $5 classes. Next Thursday, the 25, I'll be having a class at my place and we'll be making 5 different cards using different and cool techniques for only $5. Which is a great price, $1 a piece is dollar store prices and these will be handmade! But even better that $1 each is FREE! If you want to come to the class and you place a $30+ order from the catalog the cards are free! You can contact me if you'd like to come.

Stampin' Up is so much fun, I've been going to classes for a while and have learned some really cool things. I love their motto:

I hope you will want to come, it's a lot of fun. There's so many different stamps and fun things to do and make.

Plus you can earn free product by hosting a class. You don't have to do anything except invite your friends. I'll prep everything and make sure everything is organized. You earn free product when your guests order from the catalog. And, until the end of June you can get extra rewards when you hostess a workshop.

I know I don't have many readers on this blog but if you know of anyone else that would have fun being creative and meeting new people, let them know. I'll be having classes throughout the summer. I'm also trying to start a stamp club which is a class that meets once a month and makes 3 or 4 projects. The club is free, you just have a minimum order to make once a month. The more people in the club the smaller the minimum is! Each month a different person wil be the hostess and earn the hostess rewards. Sounds like fun right! You can contact me if you are interested ashleemalloch (at) hotmail (dot) com. Hope to see you there!

Being Silly, What We Do Best

2009-06-09T12:09:00.000-06:00

As long as we aren't required to be serious (like at church or a funeral) Nathanael and I will be silly. It's just how we were designed. We can find a way to be goofy no matter where we are. On the way back from our wedding we had a burping contest in the car. No joke.

Nathanael has made a strange career choice. Deep sea fishing in antique gear. Not very smart I would like to add.

The better to hear you with, my dear.

Well, I guess this one's not silly, but I am sitting on it's tail. This is also a throw-back to when I was little and I wanted to be an Orca trainer when I grew up.

The What-Not Shop

2009-06-08T14:08:00.000-06:00

This post and photo is mainly for my family. Especially my dad.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium

2009-06-06T09:21:00.000-06:00

We had so much fun at the aquarium while in Newport. The aquarium is one of the most famous places to visit in Oregon. I have been there twice now, the first time was when my family went to Disneyland. Last time their special exhibit was jellyfist, which was really cool. This time it was call Oddwater, with all these strange sea animals. It was really neat, if you have the chance you should stop by.

They have these wonderful tubes you can walk through that pass through tanks of fish and sharks. It was really neat. I'm not sure what Nathanael was pretending to do...but he's standing inside one of the tunnels, you can see he's standing on a window, the tank even goes under where you are walking. It was weird standing on the window.

The exhibits go outside as well, the have otters and seals and sea birds. They had an octopus but it wouldn't come out of it's cave.

This was a little octopus in one of the smaller tanks inside. Their suction things are really weird.

There were a few touch tanks where you could touch some of the sea animals, starfish feel really weird, fyi.

And sea anemone don't feel like anything at all. Really, I touched one and couldn't feel it, strange. That's Nathanael's finger in the picture. He touched one first and told me he couldn't feel it, I didn't really believe him so I had to touch one to see for myself.

Then there was a touch tank with manta rays and baby sharks. Nathanael touched a ray and here I am touching a baby shark! They feel really smooth if you run your fingers one way and if you run them the other way they feel like sandpaper.

They still had some jellyfish that I loved looking at. And no, this photo isn't upside-down. They were jsut swimming (floating?) this way.

This photo doesn't do te crab justice...he was huge. No jokes, the biggest crab I have ever seen in real life or in a photo.

I've never seen a real sea horse. I've seen photos and videos but not real ones. The coral-like stuff he's holding with his tail is actually glass. In one area of the aquarium all the tanks had glass coral, they were really pretty.

Look it's Dory from Finding Nemo!

Drift Creek Trail

2009-06-05T09:01:00.000-06:00

While we were in Oregon we decided to go on a hike, yes, I went on a hike. It was actually a lot of fun, hard, but fun. The total trip was 3 miles and the scenery was so beautiful. We went before noon and the weather was great.

I hate getting my picture taken but Nathanael insisted. When I was looking at the photos the other day I realized my pant legs were still rolled up. I rolled them up so the wouldn't get in the mud, there was a lot of mud.

The biggest reason we went on the hike was because I had read about it on the internet and read that at the end of the trail was a 250 foot suspension bridge and a 100 foot waterfall. I love suspension bridges so I was excited to cross this one.

Pretty cool right! Growing up near Vancouver, British Columbia I've been to the Capilano suspension bridge several times and hadn't been to one in years, so it was fun to cross such a long one again.

The waterfall was so pretty, it made me want to go swimming.

Then, on the way back, Nathanael got hungry and ate some...moss...lichen...whatever that stuff is.

Kidding, he didn't.

Here's a tip if you are planning a trip to the Oregon coast. Find a place that sells the Oregon Pacific Coast Passport ($35 for the whole year or $10 for five days) and get one. If you're planning to visit more than one place that requires a day-use fee it will be worth it to pick up the passport. We were planning on getting one but all the places we went to first have a self pay station where you put the fee in an envelope and drop it in the box, putting the tear off piece on the dash of your car. Luckily the three places we went with a day-use fee only ended up costing us $15 in total so we only spent $5 more than the passport would have cost. But look into picking one up if you go. The Yaquina Head Lighthouse station sells them.

More Oregon Fun

2009-06-04T13:51:00.003-06:00

You will have to just deal with all of the vacation photos I have/will post. Ha ha. I loved being there, it was so much fun.

This was our campsite. Look how green and pretty it was. You can kind of see a hill through the trees at the back of the site, on the other side of that hill was the ocean. Oh it was so nice to fall asleep listening to the waves.

Ok, I wasn't going to post these next two photos but I have to show you what my hair looked like after driving for 15 hours straight. My mom will probably laugh the hardest since she knows how particular I am about my hair. For good measure I will post Nathanael's hair first.

Sexy right!

Yuck!

Speaking of Nathanael's hair...I will have to post a photo of what it looks like now! That's all I will say for now, you'll just have to wait and see.

On the morning of our anniversary I came back from my shower and got attacked with silly string, so I had to retaliate.

He got me again after I took this photo.

Photos from Our Vacation

2009-06-02T14:29:00.003-06:00

First, can I jsut say I LOVE the Oregon coast. We were on the central coast in Newport and I really loved it. I even loved the day that the fog rolled in a stayed all day. I love the weather (Nathanael thought it was too cold), I love the wind, the ocean, the trees...everything. It was wonderful.

We went to three different llighthouses and got to tour all of them. This is the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. All the lighthouses are now run by volunteers and the state. The coast guards don't keep the lighthouses anymore. Some are in better condition than others, this one was in beautiful condition.

We went down to the beach almost every day. It was cold but I went in up to my knees, there was no way I was going any further. We climbed around on the rocks and did some beach combing. It was wonderful.

Wonderful and very windy.

Too bad we had to leave. This is us bored to death by the drive home. Once you get into central Oregon it all looks like Utah, blah. 15 hours of flat, dry, nothing-ness. We played Eye Spy...I spy with my little eye something that is brown. Um, Everything!

The Coolest Dog Ever

2009-05-30T10:30:00.000-06:00

Well, the second coolest dog next to my sister's lab/ridgeback Belle

Sunglasses! He was wearing sunglasses that were made specifically for dogs, who even knew!

Our Hotel View

2009-05-29T15:28:00.001-06:00

Too good to be true, this was the view from our hotel room.

I'm sad we aren't there right now.

Tulip Festival

2009-05-21T15:51:00.003-06:00

Here are two super cute photos from our trip to Thanksgiving Point to check out the Tulip Festival with my parents.

You can see more artistic photos at my Photography Blog.

Thanks Forever 21...Even Though I'm 25

2009-05-10T09:29:00.000-06:00

My mom and I stopped at Forever 21 last week because I wanted to show her the cute jewelry, this is after we decided to make those charm necklaces and we wanted to get some ideas.

While we were there I found some realyl cute things I couldn't pass up. This bag is super cute, and has an owl on it, plus it's green...my favorite color. And then it was only $1.50, so I couldn't leave without one.

I think I'm going to take it to Oregon so we can stash our sandals in it when we brave the ocean.

Then I tried on some cute headbands, thinking they wouldn't look good on me, but I loved them

I think they look like a bride and broom together like that. Especially since the off-white one is soft and frilly and the black one is more ridgid and has a bow (like a bow tie) on it. Too cute.

Crafting with my Mom

2009-05-08T10:20:00.000-06:00

Usually we have craft ideas in surplus when my parents come to visit. My mom and I will email photos and link of craft ideas and pick something well in advance. This time...not so much. We weren't really sure what to do. A few days before they came we decided on wooden blocks to spell out words. We had to color ideas, no word ideas and no ideas on how big or what size or anything. Here's what we came up with.

The WISH blocks were simple for me. The CREATE blocks took a lot more work and ideas for embelishments. But I'm really happy with they way they turned out. My mom's are just as cute.

While we were at the Planted Earth, an antique store in Orem, we looked at vintage (inspired most likely) mercury glass ornaments and came up with a great craft idea that we put together at the spur of the moment.

A super cute chame necklace. My mom's is silver. The cute gold pincone is the mercury glass and the rest was picked up at Michaels and Roberts. Then I had enough chain and charms to make a matching bracelet.

Antique Shopping

2009-05-07T10:03:00.000-06:00

While my parents were here I went antique shopping with my mom and my firend AnnElise. We had to go to DI, of course, and we went to an antique mall on the highway just north of Springville. I could spend all day in that place, and we almost did. I didn't find much...well I did find a lot but I didn't buy much...trying to save those pennies for Oregon! I did find some more, very reasonbly priced, purple glass bottles to add to my small but growing collection.

It's hard to tell in the photos but some of them are a very pretty shade of purple, plus the longer they sit in the sun the darker the color with get. I know they are a little dirty, as soon a we buy new toothbrushes I'm using my old one to get down inside the bottle, nothing else will reach. The best part about these bottles...the most expensive one was $1.99!

I have a bunch of snack sets and I love them. These interesting tress I found at DI but I only found 3 of them. There was 4 but one had a big chunk of the glass missing. So I'm keeping my eyes peeled for one more plate.

I found this gorgeous bowl at DI also. I almost passed it by because it had just been brought out on a trolley and I didn't see the inside, it was full or other things waiting to go out on the shelves. When I did notice the inside I scooped it up right away.

It was only $1.50 and it's in pretty great condition. There's a mark on the bottom that I have googled but don't know too much information about.

At first glance, I have to admit, I thought that said hoe-toe-vin, then I thought "hmm maybe that says Hot Oven...duh."

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu

2009-05-06T14:29:00.005-06:00

So sad, my awesome parents left on Monday and I miss them already. We had a lot of fun together. We went to Thanksgiving Point, to the Tulip Festival and it was beautiful! (Photos to come.) We crafted and shopped a little, watched a movie (The Soloist, it was pretty good) and they came to my gallery opening. My wonderful husband brought me these beautiful roses.

I love the dark pink edges. So pretty. He brought me a whole bouquet and it was the sweetest thing ever.

My mom, I have to say, can't stop spoiling me. Some people think/call me a spoiled brat...I'm not, I just have a very nice mother. (Plus that comment hurt my feelings slightly, thank you very much.) Anyway, my mom brought me some cute gifts, that I loved.

Aren't these coasters so cute, my sister actually sent these down with my parents. Isn't she the sweetest!

I love this little sign my mom picked up (she gets a lot of things really inexpensive at Michaels where she works). I know exactly where I'm putting it.

I love this little bird bowl. It had Easter chocolates in it but those are long gone.

How neat are these little chrome birds! My mom was worried I wouldn't like them, I love them!

I was super excited about the recipe box, shopping list and menu planner. My old recipe box is yuck and we always plan out our meals in advance, now we can plan them out on this cute fridge note pad.

And ok, I've saved the best for last. When I pulled these out I nearly died...

...little bird salt and pepper shakers...that sit in a nest! So stinkin' cute.

So, Mom and Dad...we miss you so super much and can't wait to see you again. I'm such a momma's girl...sigh.

Book Review: the Geometry of Sisters

2009-04-23T15:36:00.003-06:00

I just recently finished the Geometry of Sisters by Luanne Rice and thought I would post a little review. I'm hoping to make this blog a blog of all trades.

Synopsis: After a terrible accident claims the life of her husband and causes her oldest daughter to run away, Maura Shaw returns to Newport, Rhode Island with her two younger children. For Maura, returning home to face past ghosts is troubling. With her daughter missing Maura wonders if she too could be in Rhode Island. Set against the beautiful New England coast this is a story of enduring love, family and overcoming trials.

My Favorite Little Thing About the Book: It's set in New England, a place I have always wanted to go. And the children attend school in an old castle-like building, fun!

Favorite Lines: "Sometimes everything in life crystallizes in one moment, one place. Time doesn't matter; years trickle away" -page 40

"Logic had escaped her; she'd been steered by her heart" -page 290

My Review: Luanne Rice is one of those authors that I have read every book they've written. I like the way she writes, the language she uses, but I find that some of her books seem like they have the same story just with different people. This book however was wonderful. The theme of sisters connects the characters through many generations of sisters. Rice's fluid writing and descriptive language kept the pages turning.

Lots to Do

2009-04-22T16:35:00.002-06:00

Well things have been a little crazy lately, here's a list of things happening soon;

1. my parents will be here on Saturday, which is also my mom's birthday
2. my mother-in-laws birthday is Friday
3. my twin sister-in-laws birthday is Sunday
4. we're having a big party for everyone's birthdays on Sunday
5. Nathanael has his final exams next week
6. May 1 is my gallery opening for my photography work. If you want to come you can find more info at the Covey Center web site
7. We are going to Oregon on May 13-19
8. I just signed up for a swap and the packages are due out on May 6

Crazy.

Happy Easter

2009-04-13T13:59:00.004-06:00

I really love Easter. Religiously it has a lot of meaning and I love spending time with family. Also I love that, for me at least, it kind of signals the start of Spring. The weather has been incredible lately. I love Spring.

Since Nathanael and I haven't been married for that long (2 years in May) we don't have a lot of holiday decorations. I wanted to paint some papier mache eggs but I was going to wait until after Easter to get them on sale from the craft store but I saw some 50% off the other day so I bought them. I wasn't sure at first what to do with them exactly and then I remembered some really cute paper napkins my mom gave me. So I painted the eggs and glued the napkins to them. I really love how they turned out.

Then yesterday we went to Nathanael's parents place in Payson for Easter dinner and they were dying hard boiled eggs. I had seen another blog where they dyed their eggs using natural dyes and leaves to make patterns. I didn't have natural dye but I used something to make a natural looking pattern on the eggs. Take a look and see if you can figure out what I used.

Yay for celery leaves. Yup, celery leaves. I picked them off the celery in my in-laws fridge and tied them to the eggs with thread before dying them. I really love them, I think they're neat. I'm going to try it again next year with different types of leaves and flowers.

Two other random bits of news today. First, as I was typing this at work our fire alarm went off. And it's an annoying alarm. So we got to sit outside in the sun for a little while wating for the fire department to let us back in. It was nice, it was warm outside but not hot and the sun felt good.

Second, last night when we were driving home from Payson I saw an animal running across the street. I wasn't sure what it was at first. It kind of looked like a squirrel, you know how they hold their tail up a little...anyway, it was to big for a squirrel, unless it was a mutant squirrel. When we got closer I saw that it was a skunk! A skunk! I had never seen a skunk that wasn't on tv or in a photo or dead. A real live skunk! I had to share.

Another Distressing Day

2009-04-07T10:07:00.000-06:00

Here's the other wodden bowl I told you about yesterday. I painted it about a month ago and it was just sitting on my craft table this whole time. Empty and sad. So since I was so happy with the way the other bowl turned out I figured I could distress this one too. And I really like how it looks now.

Now I jsut have to figure out what to do with it. In the kitchen with antique cookie cutters? In the living room with...something? What do you think?

I Don't Normally Do This...

2009-04-06T13:48:00.002-06:00

...but I had to.

Maw Books is having an incredible give away. Anyone that knows me, even a little bit, knows that my all time favorite author is Jodi Picoult. She's wonderful, if you've never heard of her or never read her books I don't just suggest you do it I command you do it. And I would start with My Sister's Keeper or Salem Falls, my two favorites. Anyway, the give away is for 7 signed Picoult books and I really want to win.

So check out Maw Books if you want to enter.

The Strange and Fabulous "Pea Pod" Bowl

2009-04-06T10:15:00.002-06:00

I really can't think anything else to call it. It really looks like a pea pod to me. I picked it up at DI last week and couldn't put it down. Usually I'll find something at DI and pick it up, carry it a few feet and then put it down again. But I couldn't let this one go. Especially since it was only 50 cents. You can't go wrong for 50 cents.

So the shape is really cool...but it was really scratched up and I wasn't a fan of the slightly orange color of the wood. So I painted it. And distressed it. I've never distressed something before so this was kind of a shot in the dark, but I really like it now.

Ya, it's on the toilet tank, I picked the colors specifically for the bathroom. Our shower curtain is the same colors.

I'm so happy with the sanding, it think it turned out really well. I put some decorative rocks in all three openings but I want to find a little fake bird's nest and some eggs to put in the middle one.

Oh, and tomorrow I will show you the other wooden bowl I painted forever ago and just distressed the other day.

I Just Ran a 14 Minute Mile

2009-04-02T11:45:00.002-06:00

Yeah. I know that doesn't sound that awesome. Especially if you can run a faster mile. But I average an 18-20 minute mile. I'm just proud of myself and had to share my good news.

Painted Birds

2009-03-27T10:33:00.000-06:00

I had these brown birds that I bought at DI a while ago sitting on my tv stand. I really like them but I wasn't too sure about the color. They just didn't see to go with the rest of my stuff.

So I decided to paint them. I was a little nervous because I've painted lots of wood things before but not ceramic. But I got our my paints and went to work. And...tadah!

I love them, they're a little distressed and sanded and they really stand out now in my living room. I can't help but look at them every time I'm in the room.

Stampin Up!

2009-03-25T10:05:00.000-06:00

Well, like I said before, I just became a Stampin Up demonstrator and was waiting anxiously for the stuff to come. It came last week (the same time my craft swap stuff came) and I was so excited to get started. Take a look at all the awesome stuff I get to play with...

Five stamp sets, including an alphabet set. A stamp wheel, which is cool because you can put a special ink pad inside the wheel and stamp forever! And you can get just one handle and multiple wheels and just change them out for the one you want to use. I'm excited to use the pastels and blender pens. And now I have so much more ink to use, I got five new ink pads! There are so many cool techniques to try...did you know you can make your own scratch and sniff? Amazing!

So here's the deal, I'm having and open house at my place on Saturday the 28 from 12-3 pm. We'll be making 2 free cards with my awesome new supplies and I'll have the catalogues out so you can check out the cool stuff Stampin Up has. You'll also find out how to earn free stuff. Plus I'll have refreshments (that's always the best part). So if you would like to come let me know in an email or a comment. You can come any time between noon and three and feel free to bring a friend. It'll be fun and a great way to meet new people, hope to see you there!

My Craft Swap Goodies

2009-03-24T10:09:00.002-06:00

I know, I'm such a procrastinator. I got my swap box in last week (when I locked my keys in the trunk) and I'm just now posting photos of my goodies. I have to say, I was really spoiled. So thank you Helga (my swap partner) check out the awesome stuff she sent me.

Tons of scrapbooking stuff, yay. And some crocheting stuff, including a book about crochet, which is good because I've never knitted or crocheted before. And I love the "Real Women Scrap" book, it's awesome. And I was really excited about the 3 adhesive refills, I always need adhesive!

And then my most favorite part...Helga knew I loved birds and since the swap was set up and hosted by April at April Showers she decided to send me a bird unbrella!

I love it so much. I'm so excited to take it to Oregon on our trip and use it. How cute are those little birds! Thanks again Helga!

Crazy Days

2009-03-20T14:43:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was a craaaazy day. Let me tell you...
First I went to yoga with my gym buddy and at the end while I was laying on my mat relaxing I suddenly thought "I didn't put the laundry in the dryer, I have no pants!" So I had to wear a skirt to work. Which I am not a fan of. Plus I had to be at work at 9:30 am.
So I got ready for work pretty fast because I had 2 packages waiting for me at the UPS place in Orem, I was excited for that. So I drove over there and waited because the lady behind the counter was really slooooow and there was a guy in front of me. So I got these two boxes, one was Stampin Up (woot) and one was my craft swap and they were heavy! So I carried them out to the car by myself and I had to hurry because it was already 9:25 and I was going to be late for work. I put the boxes and my purse on the ground and opened the trunk and put the boxes in and shut the trunk as I realized that my keys were on the bumper of the car and I had locked them in the car. I burst into tears. They were even sticking out a little and I tried to pull them out but couldn't. So I called Nathanael, even though he can't help because we only have one car key, and cried to him. He told me to go back into the UPS place and ask for a phone book to call a locksmith.
So I went back to ask and the lady told me I could call Orem police because they will open the car for you. So I called the police and they sent out a guy and he only took like a minute or two to get there. While I waited for him I called work and told them I was going to be late. When the police officer got there he used these cool tricks to get my door unlocked. I won't tell you exactly what he did because I don't what you all breaking into my car. Haha.
Anyway, I was so relieved until I tried to pop the truck and it wouldn't open. It wouldn't pop! So the officer used a wedge thing to open the trunk a tiny bit because it was already open a litle bit since my keys were jammed in there, and he wiggled my keys out. And I have a lot of keys. He said sometimes if a door gets jammed it wrecks the automatic relay and that if I started the car it should reset, it did and all was good. But oh man I was freaked out. That was the first time I had ever locked my keys in the car.
So I thought the drama was over but today I'm at home and Nathanael is at work and he calls. As soon as I answer the phone he's crying and saying he's sorry and gets me all freaked out. He was throwing trash into the compactor and his WEDDING RING flew off. He said he was IN THE COMPACTOR (ew) for 20 minutes looking for it and he couldn't find it at all. He was very upset, I was a little sad because I had gotten it engraved for our first anniversary. Sad. But I told him that rings and houses and vacations and stuff doesn't matter to me, I love him and he loves me and that's all that matters. So I'm looking at jewelry stores for a new one.
Anyway, I'm very excited about my Stampin Up coming and I'm going to have an open house in a week or two, we'll see. If you would like to come let me know in a comment and I will contact you with more information.
Let's hope we're done with crazy stuff for a while.

P.S. Photos of all my fun stuff will be coming very soon. Promise.

Aren't I Crafty?

2009-03-16T14:04:00.002-06:00

A little bit creative and a little bit evil...

I am safe posting this now because it was for a swap and I know she got the package already. I wanted to make something for her and I was excited to try some color combinations I don't normaly like...

Brown and black together. Normaly I hate it but I think this turned out really well. I painted the chipboard swirls. Cutting out the W was the hardest part. I printed the letter on our computer and cut it out, then used it as a template. I think it's cut. I also painted the frame, which took a very long time!

In other (fantastic) news, I signed up to be a Stampin' Up demonstrator recently and got all the confirmation info in an email today. So I am very excited to get started with that.

Swap Goodies

2009-03-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to share this post today. I was in a Spring Swap and had two partners. It was a lot of work to get two swap packages ready but I did. And I got both of my swap packages on the same day! Lucky me. Check out the fun and awesome goodies I received. The first package was from Candice and she seemed to really know me well, maybe it's all those photos I post here.

Such a cute basket and an amazing throw blanket, it's so soft. And look, Nerds, Spree and Swedish Fish, all my faves!

How cute! Look at the sweet little birds! Note cards with gold accents (I'm thinking about framing one) and a cute notebook in my favorite colors, green and purple!

Isn't that glass candle holder adorable, I love the flower accent. And more cute notecards and more birds! I just realized I forgot to take a photo of the little yellow bird in the nest. It went right into a display spot in my house and I forgot to take it's picture. It's a cute little bird with eggs in a nest in a terracotta pot. I love it! Thanks Candice!

The next package was from Bethany, who turned out to live only a few blocks from me. She's really nice and she made up such a great package for me.

I love these blocks, they already have a home on the window sill in our living room. It was so plain and I didn't know what to put there. Bethany solved my problem for me!

Plus she gave me some fun candy. I love the kids canides the best. Fun Dip is my favorite! And the sute box she covered with fabric is so fun. Thanks Bethany!

Our New Car, Finally

2009-03-04T15:14:00.002-07:00

As I promised...here are two photos of our new (to us) car. I really love it and when Nathanael and I go out together we never take the old car. In fact I'll bet the old car is jealous. But I can't help it! The Ford is so nice! It has four doors, that's the best part. Plus it's a cute little hatchback. Nathanael says it's a "chick car" but I disagree. It's awesome. He asked me what we should name it and I said...(here's where I show how lame I am)..."let's name it Skittery after the cutest guy in the movies Newsies, because the car is so cute." Nathanael just rolled his eyes.

Cute right! I love it, love love love love love. What I didn't love was teh weather today, yeesh. It's horrible, the temperature is pretty nice but it's like a hurricane out there. The wind really kicked up a lot of dust and dirt and instead of blue skies we have brown skies...brown! Gross. I have to say it does remind me of Lethbridge (where my parents live) because it's always windy there. Seriously, a few trees grow leaning over because the wind is so strong. No kidding, one time it blew over a small two-seater airplane. Yikes! Anyway, it's really howling out there right now. I just want to go home and curl up with some hot chocolate and a good book.

A Little Birdie Told Me...

2009-02-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

>...that Ashlee loves birds. Yes, it's true. I don't know why for sure, I just think they are beautiful. I would decorate my whole house with them if I could. Here are some of the little birdies I have around the house now.

I Keep Meaning To...

2009-02-18T11:47:00.000-07:00

I really do mean to put photos of our brand new car, well, new to us, on our blog so you can check out it's awesome-ness, but it keeps snowing. Yeah. Snowing. So I will save the new car photos for a sunnier day. Who really wants to see our car covered in snow anyway, not me. Really, not me, stop snowing.

So I decided that I will blog today about our up-coming vacation. That will get my mind off the snow. In mid-May we ar going to the Oregon coast. And I am so excited. I grew up in British Columbia (that's in Canada, on the west coast, for you non-Canadians) and I miss the weather and the ocean and the...everything. We will be staying at the Beverly Beach State Park.

I'm so excited. I really can't wait. May is going to be a wonderful month. My parents will be visiting before our trip and I will be having an art show at the Covey Center here in Provo along with four other very talented photographers.

Baby Gift

2009-02-17T15:02:00.002-07:00

A Friend of mine had her first baby, a boy, on Valentine's Day. How wonderful! I'm taking them dinner tonight and I thought it would be nice to take them a little gift too. But what? She told me already, in past conversations, that they have a lots of clothes and other baby stuff and she couldn't think of anything specific that they still needed. So I thought for a while about diapers or bottles or...ugh, I had no idea. Until I remembered, duh, that I'm crafty (creative and evil). Anyway, I decided not to buy something but to make something...

...tadah! The frame was plain untreaded wood (it's not really shaped like that) and about 2-3 inches thick, I painted it brown and cute out the L from borwn cardstock. It was a simple project, it only took an hour or so, including painting and drying time. Simple, inexpensive baby gift! My brother-in-law and his wife and their little boy just moved into their first place since they were married 5 years ago and I want to make something similar for them, just bigger.

You can see another photo of this project, with a better view of the frame, and other projects at my other blog The Paper Heart.

Bird Giveaway Winner

2009-01-23T14:12:00.004-07:00

A quick little post today to announce the winner of my very first giveaway...

Jenny!

...who said...

"I love your birds... so sweet! And you're giving away all three? So generous! I heard about the swap too late, but I'm enjoying the tour of birds that all of you made. (I'm only commenting on my very favorites... I really love yours!)"

Thanks to everyone who entered and checked out my blog, I hope to see you all around again. And Jenny, could you send me your mailing address so I can get these little birdies out to you soon? Email me at ashleemalloch@hotmail.com

Our New Nativity

2009-01-21T13:56:00.002-07:00

The other day we were at Roberts Crafts because I needed to buy paper. (I can never go into a craft store and buy just what I needed, I always buy something else, usually sever something elses.) Anyway, all of their Christmas stuff was 70% off so we got this little beauty for less than $10. I was very excited.

Very excited because it wasn't just the Holy Family...look at this, it's the whole nativity...with a cow and a donkey even!

Except I'm not sure where we are going to put it next year...we don't have a lot of room. But it was so pretty I had to get it. It's porcelain and the tallest pieces are about 12 inches.

Bird Giveaway

2009-01-20T14:10:00.002-07:00

Alright, here is my very first giveaway...

Aren't they cute! They would look adorable in the window, on your tree, on a gift...anywhere you can think of. One lucky person will win all three birds.

So here are the rules: leave a comment on this post, it can be any comment (as long as it's nice!) with your email in this format name(at)hotmail(dot)com. I will pick a winner on this Friday. You may only enter once unless you check both of my other blogs, then you can enter twice. Good luck!

Playing Catch-Up

2009-01-14T13:52:00.003-07:00

So I know it has been a while now since I last updated, I keep getting emails and calls from people asking why I haven't updated. The holidays were pretty busy but we had fun, but that's not the reason I've been blog slacking. The real reason is because I've been sick with terrible headaches for over a week. They've gotten a lot better now, almost all gone! So I'm playing a little catch-up with a few photos of some things that have been going on lately.

Last week I went to the doctor to see if there was any specific reason why I was getting these terrible headaches. (No worries, it's not a tumor!) After the doctor we went to Savers, which is basically Value Village, it's even set up the same way. I wasn't too trilled with the place and found it's pretty pricey. But I did find something wonderful...

...isn't it adorable! It's a little syrup container, it's only about 6 inches tall and it's in incredible condition. Plus, the best part, it's turquoise so it matches the rest of the stuff in my kitchen. (And it was only $1.99)

I joined a swap, my very first one. And I'm really excited about it. It's a bird swap, yay! Anyone who really knows me knows that I love birds. You just have to make 5 birds meant to be hung up all year round and then mail them to the host who will in turn mail you back 5 different birds. So not only do I get to be crafty I get 5 different little birds in return. I was fretting over what to make and then my mom gave me a great idea...

...I think they're adorable and want to make some for myself. If you think they are adorable too then make sure you're back here on the 20th of January when I will post a give-away for a set of three little birds like these. One lucky person will win all three. So make sure you check back here on the 20th.

During the holidays I realized we didn't have a nativity. My mom has a wonderful nativity that I just loved growing up and I've always wanted one of my own. When I saw this one at Derest Book I had to get it. It was only $9.99, which always helps...

...pretty right? It's about 12 inches tall and all one piece, which I love beacause we didn't have much room for a huge 57 piece nativity.

And lastly, we tried another new recipe last night and boy was it delish! It's similar to sheperd's pie but instead of mashed potatoes on the top it's cornbread...

...Nathanael loved it, I loved it. It was very yummy and very easy. I don't really follow recipes or measure ingredients but here is the basic idea.

Brown 1 lb. of ground hamburger and season to taste (I use garlic powder and chili powder). Add 1 small can of tomato sauce and about 1 cup of thawed corn and heat through, transfer to a lightly greased casserole dish, sprinkle with 1/2 cup grated cheese. Make a regular cornbread recipe (I use the Jiffy mix) and pour over hamburger mixture, spread to make sure the cornbread is even. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the cornbread is done.

You can add pretty much anything to the hamburger you want, if Nathanael didn't loathe tomatoes I would have added those, some other ideas are: olives, peas, beans, onions...you get the idea.

First Time Home-Made Chilli

2008-12-24T16:22:00.003-07:00

Monday night I got out the two bags of beans that had been in our cupboard for a long time to soak them so I could make a salad I found a recipe for in a magazine (it was a three bean and tuna salad). I soaked them all night long and then Nathanael cooked them on Tuesday while I was at work so they would be ready for the salad. The salad, well, it wasn't very yummy and it left us with a bowl full of beans. What's a girl to do with a bowl full of beans? She makes home-made chilli for the first time ever!

Yum, look how delish it is. I used the three kinds of beans, pinto, black and great white northern (which is the stupidest name), two 8-ounce cans of tomato sauce, a big can of stewed tomatoes, about a cup of corn, 1 lb. of groung beef, garlic, chilli powder and onion powder. Then when it was ready to eat we put shredded mozzarella cheese on top. It was so yummy and it made enough for three meals! We had some for lunch today and I put some in the freezer for later.

I was so proud of myself, the first time I make chilli and it turns out wonderful! We only had al ittle bit of chilli powder left so it's not as chilli-ish as I would have like but I let it simmer for about a half an hour and it was so tasty. I will have to make some more for sure. Besides, I still have half a bag of each of the beans!

10 Things You May (or May Not) Know About Us

2008-12-22T14:22:00.002-07:00

I want to do a post about Nathanael and I and how we met and everything but that will have to wait because I really want to do a "10 random things post" first. I have been thinking of random, silly things about us all weekend.

1. When we brush our teeth Nathanael wets his toothbrush first and then puts the toothpaste on, while I put the toothpaste on and then wet the brush.

2. I am the oldest of three children while Nathanael is number 13 of 16!

3. Nathanael almost always does the dishes himself. I'd say 90% of the time he does them.

4. I played basketball in high school, well, for one year. But I was pretty good.

5. Nathanael is a black belt in Taekwondo, (and so are three of his sisters and his mom!)

6. My favorite specific book is Elli by Livia Bitton-Jackson and my favorite author is Jodi Picoult.

7. I was born in Washington state and Nathanael was born in Arizona.

8. Nathanael generally hates musicals but he does like one a lot...Les Miserables!

9. We went to Disneyland on our honeymoon where our most favorite rides are Indiana Jones, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain.

10. I graduated from Lethbridge College in Communication Arts - Print Jounalism and Nathanael did one year of Theater at Utah Valley State but is going into Computer Science in January.

More Snow!

2008-12-16T15:21:00.002-07:00

That's right, it snowed again last night! We woke up to several inches of snow, and it was still snowing. It was chilly but pretty and since I promised photos...here they are.

Our poor little car was just covered with snow. Ours is the one on the right, the one on the left is a Jaguar, ya, and they live in an apartment? See how deep it is! Crazy. You can see more snow photos at my photography blog.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2008-12-15T14:50:00.002-07:00

Well on Saturday it snowed! December's first snow here in Provo. Nathanael got home from work at about noon and by one when I looked out the window our car was covered with snow. I wanted to take some photos but it was so cold and I'm a wuss. I will take some photos of the snow before it's gone, I promise.

Saturday night we went to Nathanael's traditional family Christmas dinner at Chuck-A-Rama, that's right, Chuck-A-Rama. Now I know that sounds funny or silly or whatever but it's the best! There was 18 people there and imagine 18 people in your house for a family dinner! Last year there was 25 people there! Nathanael and I were really excited about going too. We love Chuck-A-Rama and always end up stuffing ourselves silly. I am a good girl though, I always get a salad first to fill up most of the room in my empty stomach. That actualy only sounds like I'm being a good girl, I have to admit that the salad is the best part and I load up my plate with greens, beans, peas, tomatoes, a little cheese, ranch dressing and tortilla strips...YUM!

Nathanael and I are the Nursery Leaders in our ward and we sang Once there was a Snowman during singing time. The kids love singing time and their favorite song is one about monkeys in a tree and an aligator comes and SNAPS one out of the tree. (At SNAPS you clap your hand together really loud and that's the part the kids love best.)

I just can't believe Christmas is almost here! It seems like jsut yesterday that it was my birthday (August) or our 1st anniversary (May) or just the beginning of the year. Antoher year almost gone. It makes me think about how little time we actually have in the grand scheme of things. It makes me appreciate things more. I hope I can remember this feeling every day next year.

Our Little Gingerbread House...and a Great New Blog/Give-Away

2008-12-11T15:13:00.005-07:00

Last night Nathanael and I sat down to make our gingerbread house. We had been meaning to do it for a while and last night was finally un-crazy enough for us to be able to make it. Well, that's a lie, we didn't make it so much as decorate it, since it was already made and assembled.

So, once upon a time there was a little brown house in the middle of ... a table ... and a wonderful, magical princess started to decorate it with pretty, yummy candies. (Except we found out today that those little round ones aren't so much yummy as they are rock hard!)

Then a handsome prince decided to help decorate with sweet gum drops. (He's making the cobble stone path, fancy!)

Oh no! Something happened to the beautiful princess! She was put under an evil spell and she tried to attack the little house!

Eek! The handsome prince fell under the same evil spell, what is the little house to do? Just when it looked like the little house would be destroyed the prince and princess recovered! Yay!

The little house was saved, and looks mighty beautiful too! And tasty, except for those really hard little ball candies!

On another note...

I found another wonderful blog today, Design Mom and she has adorable ideas. Her posts are easy to read and are accompanied by beautiful photos. I love all of her ideas, especially the advent calendars that she found. Plus she is starting a neat give-away tomorrow called the 12 Days of Christmas. The prizes are a secret so far but I'm looking forward to tomorrow when all will be revealed. If you want to be part of the give-away you should check out her site tomorrow for all the details. It's very exciting!

A Great Blog

2008-12-10T14:40:00.003-07:00

I found a wonderful blog today that I just had to share with everyone. It's called Modern Molly Mormon and it's all about being Mormon in this modern time. I love it because there are several contributors and that gives you a wide range of ideas and thoughts. I'll be sure to check out this blog often.

You should too! Especially since they are having some great give-aways right now. There are four anniversary prizes to be won but the one I am really excited about is the Scentsy give-away! I love Scentsy and it's perfect for my place since we aren't allowed to burn candles. Head over to Modern Molly Mormon to check out the give-aways and enter yourself!

A Little Vintage Christmas

2008-12-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

So I have always loved vintage/old things. I like to collect retro, vintage, antique and old things that are really cool. My mom has always had these four carolers and put them up every Christmas when I was growing up.

I would always grab them our of the Christmas box so I could set them up. I always set them up the same way and usually in the same place, but I loved them so much I wanted to be the one to set them up.

When I moved away my mom gave them to me. I think they were her mom's and I was so excited to set them up for Christmas in our place. They stand on the window sill in our living room.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2008-12-09T14:29:00.006-07:00

I went around our apartment (which doesn't really feel like and partment, more like a townhouse) and took some photos of a few of my most favorite things. I love our little place, it's cozy but bright. I like that it is two floors so it feels more like a home. These are just a few close-ups of my favorite things, after the holidays I will take some photos of our decor as a whole.

This was my mom's and her mom's before that. I have always loved it and my mom gave it to me when I moved down to Utah. You might be able to tell that it has been broken, I was really upset when it broke but we did our best to fix it.

Another one of my favorite things is reading. We were so happy when we found these bookselves for our spare room (because i have so many books) we put them up as soon as we got them home. The black and white photo is of the Space Needle in Seattle and was taken a long time ago when I went to Seattle with some friends (I think I was 19, so at least six years ago.)

One of my favorite displays in our house is this one in our living room. I made the sign with my mom on one of our visits to Alberta. The three photos I took when I was in Italy (the first two are Venice and the third is Rome). And that cute bird my mom bought me when they were here visiting.

My mom also bought me these dishes when I was in the 12th grade, we found them at a thrift store and I love the color and the little gold design.

My wedding bouquet is one of my most favorite things, it sits on the china cabinet in our living room and I love it, not only because it's beautiful, but because I made it myself.

This gorgeous print I got at DI here in Utah, I loved it as soon as I saw it. It's up on the wall in our kitchen. The only thing I don't love is the frame, I want to do ...something... to it but I'm not sure what. (If you have any ideas let me know.)

These two photos (above and below) are of the display on the window sill in the kitchen. I love the color and the vintage feel. Our kitchen is mostly turquoise and pink (very retro).

These two photos (above and below) show the pink-ness of our kitchen. The canisters are on the other window and the pink tin jello moulds are ubove the fist windnow.

The Chair Chronicles

2008-12-02T17:21:00.003-07:00

So a few weeks ago now I bought this chair at DI because I loved the shape and the lines but I hated the fabric and the wood needed refinishing. The chair was only $10 and I figured I could recover it with some different fabric.

This is the chair. It actually looks nice in the photo but trust me, the fabric is horrible.

Here's the fabric I bought for only $1.50 per yard and am going to use to cover the chair. I'm going to paint the wood instead of re-staining and I'm really excited about it.

Christmas Decorating

2008-12-02T16:08:00.004-07:00

Nathanael and I had decided to wait until the 1st of December to put up all our Christmas decorations and let me tell you it was so hard to wait. We wanted to put them up months ago but with American Thanksgiving at the end of November we thought we should wait until after that.

We bought some meat and cheese and a cheese ball (our favorite) and had a snacky dinner. I even made apple crisp because Nathanael really wanted some. I was lucky because Nathanael peel, cored and sliced a whole bunch of apples my parents bought us a few months ago and put them in the freezer so making the crisp was easy.

Nathanael got to put up the star this year, and not because he's so tall (our tree's only 6 feet).

I put the garland down the stairs and added beads and extra tree decorations. The wreath behind me I made last year and I love it. It was so easy to make and inexpensive.

These are the stockings I made last year (with my mother-in-law's help). I love how they turned out and I'm pretty proud of them!

Here's our new tree topper, we didn't have one last year (we just wired a star ornament to the top) but I relly like this new one.

And the finished product! I love our tree. We just bought the tree and are very happy that we have one of our own now. We used white lights and gold, green and purple ornaments. You can't really tell from the photo but we used gold tinsel and purple beads and it turned out really pretty.

After christmas I was to look ornaments on sale so we have a variety and can use different colors each year. I would like to have a blue and silver set, a dark red and gold set, and a handmade set.

You can see more photos of our decorations and more of my photography here

Thanksgiving with the Whole Family (on one side at least)

2008-12-02T15:51:00.004-07:00

Well, Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays and this year was just as good. Peter and Becky (Nathanael's brother and his wife) came out from Ohio for Thanksgiving and brought their three boys (Chase, Parker and Isaac). I haven't seen them since they lived here last summer.

The food is always one of the best parts of Thanksgiving, admit it. Besides spending time with family Thanksgiving is a food holiday. I made yams last year and everyone loved them so they asked me to bring them again. I have to admit I use a lot of brown sugar in them so they aren't very healthy but they are so good! People who don't even like yams loved them. Nathanael's sister asked me for the recipe and I laughed because I don't use a recipe I just guess. She asked how much brown sugar I use and I said "I just dump it in."

This is Isaac (Peter and Becky's youngest) and Makayla (Annette and Craig's adopted girl). They were so cute playing together.

The boys were playing on the trampoline all night long and would have stayed out there even longer if their mom's hadn't made them come in.

Nathanael's sister Sarah hates getting her picture taken, I don't know why though. And that's Haydn, Ruth and Nathan's little boy, he's so cute and only three months old!

This is Ruth and Nathan and I just thought it was hilarious that Ruth looks so happy and Nathan looks like he's going to kill us.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T15:21:00.002-07:00

Well, with it being Thanksgiving tomorrow (for those of us that live in the United States) I thought I'd take the time to be aware of my blessings and make a little list of things I am thankful for.
So, I'll go with 10 things I am thankful for;
1. My incredible husband
2. Family, both the Malloch side and the Heron side
3. Our place, it's cute and just our size (and we can afford it)
4. Our health
5. The church
6. Our jobs
7. That this Thanksgiving won't be like last Thanksgiving
8. Homemade Christmas cards
9. Time
10. Christmas trees and decorations

Friday Twilight

2008-11-24T14:00:00.004-07:00

Well, Angie, Michelle and I went to Twilight on Friday and...well...um...what to say? First I will say that I had a lot of fun going out with the girls and I really think it should happen more often, much more often. Angie and I have a lot in common, reading, antiques...so we have a great time together.

We went to the Training Table first to eat and I had never been there before. I really liked the food. Cheese fries! They were the best, but I could feel myself gaining weight as I ate them. Michelle has a photo of us stuffing our faces that I will post later, when I get it from her.

So we took our photo with these random Twilight models at the movie theater. The guy on the far right looks like James from the movie, (but not so much in this photo, he looks super bored) and the other models are so skinny. We look like monsters next to them! I think it was the cheese fries.

So, if you haven't seen the movie and you don't want to hear my opinion of it, stop reading. That means you Shantel!

Well, I have to say something positive about the movie first. It was funny (although I'm not sure if the parts I laughed hardest at were supposed to be funny), Bella was great, her dad Charlie was awesome, I loved Jacob he was perfect (Team Jacob!), Emmett was beautiful and Jasper was hilarious (again, probably not on purpose) and Alice was perfect.

But...the make up was horrible. It looked like they put it on themselves in the bathroom and it looked like Halloween make up, i know they are supposed to be pale, but they were white! They looked like Albinos the first time you saw them, not Vampires. Edward was alright, he was kind of annoying, but I wasn't a huge fan of him to begin with. (Team Jacob!) And the camera work was sloppy and choppy, instead of cutting gently from one person to the next it was more like; edwardbellaedwardbelladeeredwardbellawaterfalledwardbella, I was starting to get motion sick. Oh, and the worst part was the whole theater screaming every time Edward was on screen, it got really annoying. (Team Jacob!)

But it was a lot of fun to go out and just hang out with some other girls. We should do it more often!

The Provo Temple

2008-11-17T11:15:00.004-07:00

Last week Nathanael and I went to the Provo Temple. We've been slacking lately and I felt like we really needed to go. We really needed some answers to some questions that had been bothering us for a long time. We went on a Tuesday and that must be missionary day at the temple because there were at least a dozen in our session.

I love going to the temple, I think it's important to go. I know for us a lot of times stuff comes up when we plan to go but I know it's just Satan trying to keep us away. I love the feeling I get when I go to the temple.

This is a photo I took a month or so ago. I used to think the Provo Temple was one of my least favorite temples but just look at that photo, it's beautiful! I'm so happy we have a temple so close. We could go every single day if we wanted!

Dino Land Photos

2008-11-14T11:10:00.003-07:00

So we got to Dino Land and the first thing Nathanael did was take down a dino! I told him I didn't think he was supposed to kill them.

I guess I should have let him kill this one before it tried to bite my head off!

This cute little dino wasn't trying to eat Nathanael's hand, she thought he was handsome and was giving him dino kisses.

Now, you all know my secret.

At least we have one thing in common, Nathanael and I.

FHE

2008-11-11T12:15:00.002-07:00

Last night we went over to the McCoard's house for Family Home Evening. They invited us on Sunday and told us they were also inviting a few other young couples. Nathanael and I were the first ones there and we just talked for a few minutes. the McCoards are an older couple in our ward at church. They have three daughters but they have all moved out of the house so the McCoards (Melanie and Stoney) wanted to "steal" some other kids for FHE.

It turned out that they also invited four other couples and we played a getting to know you game. Melanie had this little book full of questions and we went around the dircle answering different ones. We played that for about an hour and then had dessert. She made this really yummy cranberry orange crumble-thing, it was very good. We all talked for another hour or so and then we went home.

It was so much fun and it was nice to get to know some other young couples. It was funny because other than the McCoards (who have been married for 33 years) Nathanael and I had been married the longest at 1 1/2 years! One of the couples (who turned out to be our neighbors) have only been married for a month. They got home the same time we did and we told them we would like to invite them over for dinner one night, they said they would love to and we just have to plan a date. So I'm excited about that.

The biggest reason I love the McCoards is because they remind me of my parents. Melanie is talkative and animated and very friendly. She's huggy and even the way she tells stories reminds me of my mom. Stoney is more quiet and you can tell he's a thinker. He let's Melanie tell the stories and he just smiles and laughs and his humor reminds me of my dad. I was so happy when they invited us over. Melanie always tells me she adores me and she tells Nathanael and she loves me. And last night when we were leaving stoney told us to come over again and that I'm one of his favorite ladies. I love that there is a couple close by that reminds me of my parents because I miss them a lot!

A Busy Weekend

2008-11-10T13:27:00.002-07:00

On Saturday Nathanael and I spent the whole day together. We had a lot of fun, it was really nice to have a whole day together.

The first thing we did was get in the car and drive to Ogden. We had heard about a dinosaur park that has huge statues of dinosaurs and it's all outdoors, except for a museum with bones and fossils. Plus the museum had all these gems and one of them was a huge smoky quartz, I mean it was probably 200 carats! I wanted it, except it would have been way too heavy to wear! So after looking around the museum we went outside and walked along the paths, looking at all the dinos. The signs said "Please stay on the path, Do no touch the creatures" but it's the off season so no one was around...hee hee...so we have plenty of pictures of Nathanael riding a dino, me getting eaten by a dino...I will post pictures later.

The scariest thing that happened on Saturday happened on the freeway. We were just north of Draper when I saw a big cloud of dust all of a sudden right on the road about 30 feet in front of us and then I saw a car spinning around on the road. I said, very calmly, "stop, stop." Nathanael had to slam on the breaks but we avoided being part of the three car accident. It was really scary, I have to put my head between my knees to breathe normally again and to stop shaking. Luckily the rest of the day went off without a hitch.

We had such a great day together.

I have to say I love fall, and I can't wait for Thanksgiving!

Political Opinions

2008-11-06T11:14:00.002-07:00

I understand that people have every right to vote how they want and I support that. That means I have ever right to vote for whomever I want for whatever reason.

I do not support same-sex marriages or abortions (especially abortions after trying for so long to get pregnant) but I support the freedom to choose. I have all the freedoms I could ever hope for and I think that everyone should be as lucky.

To make it clear, I am a conservative, a republican. But like I said before, I had thought long and hard about this election and weighed my options. As much as I wanted to vote republican, and did on every other option, I strongly felt that McCain was not the right choice.

That being said, I respect those who voted for McCain, for those who voted for Obama, for those who voted for anyone else. It is a descision that everyone has to make for themselves. I would never condemn, hate or strike out against anyone for their political views.

Winter's First Snowfall

2008-11-05T12:23:00.005-07:00

This morning I awoke to the first snow of the winter. I couldn't believe it! It definately has been cooling off (translation: my finger and nose are always freezing) but I didn't expect snow so early. I even had to clean off the car before I went to work. I love the snow, don't get me wrong, but I would rather be at home, under a blanket, with a cup of hot chocolate, a good movie, and my sweet hubby.

On Friday Nathanael and I are going to a play with his brother Sam and his wife Lisa. I guess the play is "Hello Dolly" and the main reason we are going is because Nathanael's nephew Craig is in the play. I am excited to go, mainly because we are having dinner with Sam and Lisa first and it will be nice to go out with another couple. I do hope it's warmer though!

Both Nathanael and I have Saturday off so we are trying to figure out what to do together. He wants to have a date day and do something fun. I thought about going for a drive in the canyons and having a picnic, but if the weather is going to be anything like it is today there is no way I'm having a picnic. So we might go the the aquarium in Salt Lake. I am excited to go to the aquarium but it's not like the aquarium I used to go to as a little kid in British Columbia. The aquarium in B.C. had whales and dolphins and I really loved it. This one doesn't have whales or dolphins but it still should be great.

I am very excited that I have finally started a family blog. I have been meaning to do it for a long time now and just never got around to it. I will be updating as much as I can and adding photos too!

As a final note I just wanted to say that I am proud to have been a part of this very historic election. Yesterday Nathanael and I went to the historic courthouse (our designated polling station) and cast our votes for Obama. We had talked a lot about this election and our options. We both decided that even though Obama is pro-choice and for same-sex marriages we still wanted to vote for him. I believe in him and his ideas. We talked about our religion and morals but we decided that as a group that has faced descrimination and hated why should we turn those same sentiments towards another group of people no matter who they are or what they believe. I have the freedom to choose who I love and who I marry, why shouldn't everyone have that same freedom. We were so excited this morning when we found out that Obama really had won the election. It really is a time for change and this shows that America has come a very long way in history. We are so proud of our country.

More exciting news: gas is $2.45 / gallon!