Holiday Design

One of my favorite finds in the blogosphere have been the house tours and sneak peeks that many design blogs have provided into people's homes. Often they are designers, artists, or other bloggers - but a lot of the time they're just regular people who have a unique sense of style. I could pass up looking through a celebrity home anyday - but I'll jump at the chance to have a peek into an everyday home. Since I've been involved in design since my college days at the Y, I love each and every aspect of what goes into dressing a home. (Aside of course from picking the tile, granite, and hardware of my own remodeled home - that was nothing short of torture!)

What I haven't found enough of online this holiday season is a look at how others are decorating for the holidays. I want more! So I'm posting a few pictures of my own and hoping others will follow. If you have a blog, take some pictures and let me come for a virtual visit. If you don't have a blog (like 99% of my ultra-lame friends:) take some pics and email them to me. I'll post them for you! So go get snapping some shots and Happy Holidecorating. (Okay, that was a bit lame.)

The New Do

After reading this funny post from my friend Krisitn, I mustered up the courage to go into my stylist and have her chop me off some bangs. She felt it was best to ease into them and so she gave me the "safe sideswept" bangs. In my honest opinion, I think they're pretty vanilla. They don't really give me the change I was craving. Perhaps at my next appointment in February, I'll totally go wild and crazy with the straight over the eyebrow fringe, plus a few more inches off the bottom. Oh, the sheer bravery and acute strategy involved in a simple trip to the salon!

Disneyland Fun Part 2

Just a few more as promised...

1. The birthday girl with Minnie
2. The cousins with Sully
3. Not one, but TWO Mr. Incredibles
4. Twirling on the tea cups.

Now I'm off to start a new week with only 11 days left until Christmas. I've got presents to wrap, parties to throw, bathrooms to clean, nativity programs to polish, and homework to help catch up on. It's back to the daily grind; but as always, we're happy to be home sweet home.

A Magical Disney Week

We just arrived home from a glorious Christmas and birthday celebration with the entire Roberts family at none other than the Happiest Place on Earth. Bryce's parents (Grammy and Paca) and all of his siblings and their families were on hand for a week full of Disney fun and adventure. In all, we had 9 adults and 12 children. The cousins (and aunts and uncles :) were giddy to be together and have a buddy - or two or three - to ride on all the rides with. We enjoyed beautiful Southern California weather without a drop of rain. It did, however, snow on Main Street Disney everynight as they lit up the castle with an array of icicles and Christmas lights. It was nothing short of pure Disney magic. Other highlights included celebrating Kalli's 11th (can you believe it?) birthday at Goofy's Kitchen with her cousins and all the Disney characters, dancing at the High School Musical 3 concert, riding California Screamin' (over and over and over again), and having some serious "dude time" fun for Max with his 5 boy cousins. I'll post a few more pictures for the family later tonight; but for now, I've got some serious unpacking and laundry to keep me busy.

Urban Photography

I have been a fan of this photographer's talent for awhile now...so I saved up my pennies and a few weeks ago dressed the kids up in their most vibrant and animated clothing and had their photos taken in some of the grungiest alleys of downtown Salt Lake City. I think the results are pretty fabulous. Now the hard part - choosing just one of each little cutie. If you want a closer look link here and here.

Haymarket Hangover

At night when I'm nestled all snug in my bed, it's NOT visions of sugar plums dancing in my head...

INSTEAD...I'm dreaming of this lovely trip with my hubby and gorgeous hotel where we rested our weary heads each night. I can't believe its already been 3 months. Still, I don't think I'll ever get over this gorgeous place. It's no wonder I've had a recent obsession with pink, yellow, and wallpaper. (Not pink and yellow wallpaper - just the colors pink and yellow and wallpaper of any color really.) I'm happy to take design inspiration anyway it comes. In this case, with a side of tea and crumpets. Cheers.

Simple Essentials

I'm so excited about this bargain I found yesterday. One of my favorite local bloggers introduced me to Donna Hay and not only are her recipes adored by many, but her styling team is genius. This food photography is simple and gorgeous. Get yourself over to Home Goods and you too can own a copy or two of Donna Hay - Simple Essentials for only $12! (They are $24 on her website.) Happy shopping!

December 1st

It's here! I absolutely love December. I love it all - the shopping, the wrapping, the baking, the parties, the crazy, busy, running around. It's exhausting but no doubt my favorite time of year. (Just ask my in-laws; I don't think they'd ever seen a girl tackle the Christmas spirit with such intensity until I joined the fam!) I'm starting December '08 out on a good note as I have all my Christmas shopping done and most of my cards out. My house is nearly decorated and I have a fun post planned for later this week. Just in case you need a little inspiration to finish up (or start for that matter!) your christmas cards, projects, or gifting - I've found this adorable Etsy video for a little creative (and thrifty) holiday fun. Leave to it the uber-talented artists that fly around the Etsy flock to put their work to a catchy jingle and capture the magic of holiday creation.

The Rebound

We're grateful to have won at least ONE game this week...thank you neighborhood turkey bowl! Happy Thanksgiving!

Zoo Fun

Here's how we spent our day before Thanksgiving - headed out to the Hogle Zoo. We love that place...though we sensed some tension among the turkey flock.

A Rock by Any Other Name...

I love this idea for place cards at the Thanksgiving table. I am now on the hunt for beautiful, smooth rocks. Care to share any other interesting feast ideas you've found?

A little photo fun

I love that my friends actually think I'm a decent enough photographer to shoot them and their families. I love the practice... and this one was just scrumptious.

Best Motto Ever

This is one of my favorite necklaces I've made. My friend bought one to send to her girlfriend for her 40th birthday. Isn't that the perfect decade-turning birthday gift? My next venture includes one that says this and another that says this.

Rise and Shout

Take a peek at Bryce's blog for all the fun we've been having with Rivalry Week. Many of our great friends are Utes (we live mere blocks from the University after all) and are such good sports to participate in our crazy antics. Sneaking into the neighbors and leaving a "BYU" themed message on their answering machine was one of my best yet. Go Cougars!

Butternut Squash Soup

This is absolutely one of my favorite soups. I tweaked a few recipes I found online a came up with a winner.

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash, peeled (I used Costco's cubed and peeled version as a major time saver)
  
• Nutmeg (1/2 teaspoon)
  
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cans chicken stock
• 1/2 cube of cream cheese
  

Directions:

Cut squash into 1-inch chunks. In large pot melt butter. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add squash and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook until squash is tender. Remove squash chunks with slotted spoon and place in a blender and puree. Return blended squash to pot. Stir and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Slowly melt cream cheese into soup. Simmer and serve.

Zoo treats

Although there is still a good week of pumpkin-displaying season left, ours were looking a little on the shriveled side so we donated our un-carved pumpkins to the zoo. Max was hoping to see a monkey making a pumpkin pie for his Thanksgiving feast.

A Proper English Morning

Enjoyed a very civilized morning of scones and lemon curd with Max and Josie at Elizabeth's Bakery and Tea Shop on 7th East. And by civilized I mean wiping snotty noses, taming Josie's stroller joy ride, and fending off questions of why we can't have one of everything. All in all - a lovely start to our day :)

Wisdom

My mom was cleaning out her files and sent me this article. It is a gem.

From her column, "At Wit's End" by Erma Bombeck:

On a rainy day last week I met my past.

It was a chance meeting. As I rolled over in bed and listened to the thunder outside, I declared for myself a day off from the typewriter. To do what? What was it I used to do before the deadlines, the travels and the mail? How did I spend my time before I became a "fulfilled woman," before my worth measured by a credit line, before I got my black belt in goal setting?

I sat at the kitchen table over a cup of coffee. It was 8 a.m. By this time in my first life I would have had three kids who smelled of spray starch and vitamin breath off to school with a lunch box and thermos of soup which they wouldn't bother to open.

I would promise myself that I would knit until 9 and then I would absolutely get dressed and bring the house up to minimal health standards.

During the years, I would remember birthdays with approriate celebrations, clothes that were in the cleaners, pets to be fed, doctor and dental appointments for everyone, homework that was due, science projects to be started, bills to be paid, overdue books returned, deposits made at the bank, and five bags of fertilizer for the lawn.

I would remove spots, add water, scrub toilets, write letters, polish shoes, clean ears, plant trees, knot shoestrings, mend wading pools, and blow up balloons.

I would hustle food, keep laundry moving, volunteer in the community, decorate the house, keep staples in supply, dispense chores, counsel, discipline, mediate arguments, hand down decisions and listen. I would listen a lot.

As I showered I wondered if I could go "home" again. Home to that domestic treadmill that I had fought to escape. I called my mother "just to talk." I called my best girlfriend and we dumped on one another. I called our kids and invited them to dinner and proceeded to fry chicken, bake biscuits and snap fresh green beans. We ate laughed, argued, talked and disagreed.

By present-day standards, it had been a non-productive day. I hadn't earned a dime. Hadn't made an impact on anyone or put down anything on paper for posterity.

Then why did I feel at peace with myself? Like I had done something special that day that no one else could do? It was the way I used to feel when I bedded down three kids between clean sheets and they all had clean feet and no one's nose was running. It was my turf and I knew it.

Lying in bed I thought about that person of the past and her day. What had she done that made her feel so important, so vital, when she herself had categorized it all as crud detail.

Then it hit me. My turf. Wouldn't it be ironic if my turf yielded the most important commodity being grown today...a family. A crop of children, seeded by two people, nourished with values, protected form disease and emotional storms and in 18-20 years harvested into worthwhile human being to go through the entire process again.

Nothing else I would do would equal it in importance.

Wouldn't you have thought someone would have told us?

(At the bottom of the article, my mom wrote "I'm telling you. xoxo." So dear friends and readers and family and strangers who are in the thick of it like I am...carry on. We have the hardest, but best job in the world.)

November Weekend with the Fam

taking pictures...am I always taking pictures? practicing a song with the girls for a church performance. loving this charming movie we watched on Friday night. dinner in Park City with the kids. using the gap/old navy friends and family discount a'plenty!! and finally, some water storing, gutter cleaning, and other winter preparations. be well and happy week.