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Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas

What's that saying something about it doesn't matter where you are. It matters who you're with. Or am I making that up??? Anyway, it's really true this year. Christmas 2012 is a little bit of crazy made perfect by being with family. I hope your day is full of celebration with ones you love. Wishing you a very merry Christmas!



Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Monday, December 17, 2012

Wreaths

i love having a wreath on the front door and usually the door into the garage too. if there isn't one, the door looks empty.

i made this wreath with gumdrops a couple years ago. i really really wanted it to last through this holiday season, but it just wasn't going to happen. i hung it for a few days before giving in and throwing it away..so sad.


this was super easy and quick. i bought a grapevine wreath at the dollar store. i was a little hesitant since it was so cheap, but it totally worked. i will be buying from there more often.

i made a similar wreath for fall and knew it was easy and pretty cheap. i spray painted it silver (actual color called satin) and immediately dumped silver glitter. it's a little messy but totally worth it.

what about you? do you put a wreath on the front or any door?

finding peace

i have felt very unsettled not just this weekend but the past couple of weeks. i can't really put my finger on it. i'm sure it's a combination of a lot of things...little sleep, stress, tragedy, change, etc. as a result my mind has been racing. sometimes i wish i could just turn it off.


see this picture circulating around social media definitely brings a feeling of peace.

i had to teach sunday school at church today. the lesson was on faith. i read the material and prepared, but it wasn't until this morning that i thought to look up faith as it relates to tragedy or trials. i searched lds.org and found this conference talk by president eyring. it gave me the peace to some of the things on my mind particularly this weekend. go read it. it doesn't resolve the world's problems, but it might give you some sense of peace.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

annual GNO party

the annual GNO party was thursday night. it was a pajama party this year. we all wore our pajamas. i was most impressed with jess's silkies and all the awesome footies. we ate way too much breakfast food, and had some of the funniest white elephant gifts ever. sadly the traditional monkey cookie jar was missing. we hope to find it soon. thanks so much megan for hosting and megan and kristi for all the work. it was a BLAST!





Saturday, December 15, 2012

silence and support for sandy hook


there really are no words. when neely tweeted yesterday that she and some other bloggers wanted to organize something i was on board with whatever it was. since the only thing i can think to say is that there really are no words, this seems fitting.

To the Blog World and Anyone Else who Wants to Help,
Yesterday, tragedy struck so many of us in ways we did not foresee. An elementary school and small town in Connecticut was shattered by a mass shooting. We knew we wanted to help and we came up with this:


On Tuesday, December 18th, there will be a blogger day of silence. We will post the button and that’s it. Please try to not post anything else that day if possible.
We are also raising money that will go to an organization in the memory of this tragedy. The organization is called The Newtown Family Youth and Family Services.
Here is the official description of the support service we are donating to:
“Newtown Youth and Family Services, Inc. is a licensed, non-profit, mental health clinic
and youth services bureau dedicated to helping children and families achieve their
highest potential. NYFS provides programs, services, activities, counseling, support
groups and education throughout the Greater Newtown area.

ANY DONATIONS MADE TO NEWTOWN YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES WILL BE DONATED DIRECTLY TO THOSE EFFECTED BY THE SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING.”

Please visit THIS PAGE to make your donation.

We can’t imagine how they must be feeling, especially this close to the holidays. We would love for you to spread the word on your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Let’s make a difference and use blogging in a positive way.
Thank you in advance for participating.
Love,
The Blog World

Sunday, December 9, 2012

'tis the season

the holiday season is in full swing

bijou market came the middle of november, and i officially started shopping

came back from thanksgiving travels to find we do actually have a tree this year

made a serious dent in the shopping while obsessing over this tree

found a few good sales

more than ever, i'm dreaming of someday having my own house. i will be making these planter boxes for sure...mostly for the holidays (and the flowers too)

i love love love the holiday season! what about you? have the holidays hit yet?

Thursday, December 6, 2012

wedding shower crafts

another catch up post.

amber is getting married and moving to oregon next month. she has basically all the essentials for a house so i got a little crafty with her gift.

this is the paper mache letter from the craft store. i spray painted it gold, glued on a fabric flower, and tied a ribbon. i was getting a little sick of the yarn letter so this was a fun change.


high school friend caroline did a blog post about these questions she and her husband discuss every sunday night. they make so much sense. she created a printable so i printed and laminated it as part of my gift.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

a year ago

one year ago today I was sitting in a hospital bed recovering from hip surgery.
one month ago I ran my first post surgery 1/2 marathon.
what a difference a year makes.


maybe one day soon i will actually post that running story i keep talking about.

fave post of the (last) month

i swear i am constantly playing catch up these days. i keep hoping to get caught up, but it's probably never going to happen. even though i missed the link up day by a week i still want to post one of my favorite posts from november.

have you heard of the shine project? ashley is the cutest, most darling little thing, and the concept is amazing.

her post http://www.myshineproject.com/2012/11/how-do-i-turn-on-shine.html really hit me this month. check it out. you will love it i'm pretty sure.

Friday, November 30, 2012

the rest of the weekend

i went back to vegas for about a day and a half after thanksgiving. we pretty much just hung out and played with the kids. i always love spending time with them. jeff started working in california this week so they are moving by the end of the year. i'm sad about it but just glad it's california and not somewhere far far away.


playing restaurant with the kids

 trying to get kyler to stand. the little thing is growing up so fast.

attempting some pics with the kids (always fun...)


Thursday, November 29, 2012

latest cake

coworker Alyssa and fam ARE GOING TO HAVE TRUCK LOADS OF FUN WITH THEIR BABY...




GIRL. This is only my 2nd girl cake. Yay for pink.

thanksgiving

i'm having storage issues with blogger so this never got posted. so, much after the fact here is the recap of thanksgiving 2012.

we spent the actual holiday at grandma and grandpa mathis's house. the johnsons also came into town so we had a pretty good crowd. i realized this year i haven't been at my parents' house for thanksgiving in 15 years (that makes me feel super old). i am so glad i have family close enough to spend the thanksgiving holiday with.

playing outside with the kids before the meal

 the fam...me, grandpa, andrew, grandma, karlee, avery, marsha, malea, troy, abby, shaylee, chelsea and kyler, jeff and karson, david, leina (apparently john and gale were taking pics)

playing at the park after dinner (tradition)

kickball

kyler getting so big

troy helping karson kick the ball

we stayed in st george until friday night and then headed back to vegas for the rest of the weekend.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

announcements

#1...I've been crafty blogging over on my other blog the past couple of years. Lately, I just can't seem to keep up. So, in an effort to simplify (whatever that means) just a tich, I'm combining for a while. I'll still blog my crafting, cooking, and all other things I NEED RIGHT NOW. I'll also still blog about life while DREAMING OF SOMEDAY. It will all just be right here starting right this second. Hopefully it will be easier to read and easier to write all in one spot.

#2...I've been talking and talking about it, but it really is happening. The blog makeover is in process courtesy of the lovely Kate over at a creative cookie. Who knows when, but sometime very soon the sidebar links will be gone...promise to make room for some sponsor swapping.

#3...I still have some catch up to do and then I'll be back on a more consistent basis...promise.

Looks like I have some promises to keep.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

thankful

i interrupt this blog catch up to bring you a gratitude post. i can't let this thanksgiving day pass without stopping to think write about it all. i could be here all day listing all the things i am thankful for.

family
friends
job
healthy body
physical necessities
and a lot of non necessities
freedom
technology (did i just write that?)
churchy things
i mean seriously. i could go on for days.

i am one blessed girl



Monday, November 19, 2012

winter wonderland

utah got dumped on last weekend big time. it just wouldn't stop snowing. as much as I HATE the snow, there's nothing like getting up before the rest of the world and going fora snowy run. i kind of LOVE it





Wednesday, November 14, 2012

snow canyon half

for some reason, i have gotten a little behind in my blogging the past couple of weeks. i'm attempting to catch up in the next few days.

i ran my first post op 1/2 marathon a couple of weeks ago. it was the snow canyon 1/2 marathon down in st george. the weather was to die for amazing. the course was gorgeous. it was a beautiful day. really i couldn't ask for much more (besides maybe a faster time and the right running shoes)

at the start line with alyson, heidi, allison, and teresa

at the finish. brynn ran the last little bit with her mom.


the race went pretty well. i felt good most of the time. i didn't do as well as i hoped which makes me think i better get my butt in gear before i run another full.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

weekend recap

Is it acceptable to blog about the weekend when it's almost another weekend? This past weekend was just too good not to document.

I went to St. George with Brynn and Allison to run. I had quite the eventful weekend.

We laughed our heads off when this baby hat turned out an itty bit too small.

i ran my first legit post-op race...snow canyon half marathon. things were going great until a mile or two in when i realized i brought old running shoes. they were fine, and the race went pretty well.

after the race i realized i forgot to pack underwear (kind of a problem) and also got locked out of the house when my phone was 100% dead. a few hours, 2 verizon stores, and $20 late, my phone was semi-charged and i found the group.

i left sunday morning to get home for church. i came home to an igloo of a freezer and a giant melty mess. 

we basically spent all day dealing with and cleaning that up. by 10:30 that night all the ice was gone.

needless to say, i was ready for the weekend to end (never thought I would say that). at least it made for some good stories.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Halloween2012

i like to dress up. i really do. BUT i basically only like to dress up with a group and spend very minimal money. i have participated in some good group costumes over the years (oompa loompa, flight attendant, costco sample lady, dance troop, squeeze it drink) so the pressure is always on. we had an itty bitty halloween party at work and somehow i convinced 7 of my co-workers to dress up as tetris with me. we designed the game board for 2 formations which might have been the hardest part of the whole thing (i really needed a computer nerd or something). everyone wore their color, and we played tetris music as we "played the game". it was pretty cute, way fun, and super easy and free. love!



as for the rest of halloween, i pretty much skipped it this year.

how about you? do you like halloween? did you dress up?

i'm linking up with megan and a several others. join the linky party.

Fave Post(s) of the Month



bloggy friend Megan over at http://megancamille.blogspot.com/ wraps up the end of the month with her favorite post. i haven't ever done it before because it's hard enough for me to remember what i read this morning much less the whole month. i've read a few posts that have really stuck with me. i love a good funny, picture filled post, but these are the reflective, make you think, hit you in the stomach or maybe heart kind of posts. you should really check them out. might just change your life.

i couldn't pick just one post so i am highlighting a few


i found thislittlemiggy through a co-worker who discovered her special needs spotlights. i love love love her blog. the special needs spotlights are amazing and personally and professionally so helpful. she is an amazing writer, and it turns out we have a mutual friend. this post, i'm prejudiced. and so are you, is no exception. i love kids with special needs with all of my heart, but she is absolutely right. go read it. it will make you think.

i grew up with caroline. we spent a lot of time in the pool together. she and her husband are amazing in so many ways. this post, why i always cry on sundays, seems like such a good idea. the next person to get married might just get this list as part of their wedding gift. if you are married or getting married, you should definitely read this post and even if you're not, go check it out.

somewhere along the way i started reading a lot of random blogs. i've found quite a few good ones that way.  single dad laughing is a legit professional blogger. he writes about all sorts of things. this series of posts, ways i blew my marriage, goes right along with caroline's post. what's with all the marriage talk around here? it's probably because mostly i know a lot of marrieds. so read this, and do what he says.

so many good things to think about. i like the idea of doing a favorite post of the month. i'm going to try (we'll see if it really happens) to do it on a regular basis.



Sunday, October 28, 2012

house keeping

ok peeps. sorry for the quick pictureless post. i've spent literally all day working on my blog design (what a pain). links are disappearing within the week. if you want them, save them before they are gone. come back in a few days to see my new and improved blog.

on another note, i've been thinking about combining this and my other blog. what do you think? i have been putting a lot of effort into this one lately so i'm wondering if i should combine for now or just put more efforts into the other blog. thoughts???

i'll be back soon with a real post.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

fall break=vegas trip

fall break was a couple of weeks ago. plans were up in the air until a couple of hours before i left. co-workers emily and paul and family drove down to california so they dropped me off in vegas. it was such a fun fall break. we went to the strip bellagio and saw the gardens and talking tree and of course the dancing waters. we also went to the pumpkin patch. this kids loved picking out pumpkins and mostly karson just wanted a donut. i saw karlee practice for the primary program at church, and played with the little tykes. it was so much fun, and i was sad to leave. get read for a picture explosion...







 karson was not into taking pictures basically the whole trip.


kyler smiles and we all melt



 karlee is really getting into posing for pictures. i die a little 









poor kyler needed a diaper/clothes change, but no one had anything for him.
 so happy to finally have a donut

so much fun. can't wait to go again.