got kinect?

If you haven't seen this thing in action yet... you need to!

These puppies are hard to come by this time of year. We got lucky to find one in stores last week.

For Christmas this year, we decided to get the XBox Kinect for our family gift. And I just couldn't hold out that long before busting it open and playing. To be honest, I couldn't even wait 10 minutes after getting home to start playing!

This is seriously, the best thing ever invented! I'm addicted!

We got the Dance Central game, that you see on all the commercials. I told Blair the other day I feel like I could one day make it to "So You Think You Can Dance"! LOL (kinda like I play Rock Band and think I should play the guitar in real life, never gonna happen.....) But I can dream :)

Put it on your wish list this year, you won't regret it!

cooking....

Some times I wish I could stay home all day and cook. There are so many receipes I want to try and I want to become a better cook....

So yes, I need ALL day (well quite a few days) to stay home and cook!


But given the opportunity, would I do it?

feels like home

I've been feeling a little domestic lately. I always have these great ambitions to cook these fabulous meals and to be the best house keeper, blah blah blah....

Ask people I work with, I'm always looking for a new recipe to try (on my new favorite website check it out HERE). I mean well, and I try to do better. Except I seem to fall short - when I get home from work all of my motivation to cook a great meal, do the laundry, and clean the kitchen, all goes out the window, especially when I could be doing better things, like watching GLEE! ;)

BUT, I can't help but give myself a tiny tap on the back, because this week (granted its only Wednesday) I have cooked dinner every night this week. AND I used my crock pot twice! This may not be a very big feat for most people, but I've used my crock pot more this week than I have in my whole 2 years of marriage! LOL

a year of not-so-plenty

Earlier this summer I posted some pictures of my attempted garden. I thought it was a brilliant idea that my brother and mom gave me, and my mom and dad even helped me buy everything I needed to get started when they came out this spring. So I felt like at that point my porch garden was fool proof. How could I go wrong? I've learned from the experts here!

Well, apparently there is more to it. I'm not sure where I went wrong. Did I over water? Did I under water? I'm not so sure to be honest with you. But what I can tell you..... is my little garden did not produce. I started it out with a flower basket, 2 zucchini, 2 cucumbers, beans, peas, and a tomato plant. Shortly after planted I lost both cucumbers, all my flowers and my peas. My zucchini and tomato plant seemed to have been doing pretty good and looked they had the potential of bringing us some delicious veggies. Not so much.

However, I did get 1 tomato!!! That's it.... I think they went a couple days with out water and now there is no hope of bringing them back. I've tried.... they're gone. Its a shame... I don't know what I did or didn't do. I haven't quite decided if I want to try again next year, or if it will just lower my confidence. Or maybe by then I will have forgotten how hard it was to make my little garden grow.

the final book

THE HUNGER GAMES:

the final book

I LOVED IT!!

back to school

I love school supplies! I love office supplies in general. Sometime I wish I was going to school, just so I could buy the supplies, I don't actually want to do the school part.

I had to go to office depot the other night to buy some ink for our printer..... I was there for about 45 minutes and left with a large bag full! I just can't help myself when I get around all that stuff. I know I'm a dork, but there is nothing like getting a new cool pen.

Now you know I am a true nerd at heart :)

It's what fun is!

So last weekend Blair and I spent Saturday with sister Megan and her roommate Nicole, AT....

We had a blast and it was a fun Saturday. But I have to admit..... it just wasn't the same as it use to be. Don't get me wrong I love all the rides and stuff and always have. But it wasn't the way I remember it when I was 12. :) Blair and I decided that we think maybe the next time we go we should probably have some kids to take. We would enjoy it more watching them experience it, then getting sick on the Screamer!

every summer....

I got burned..... I got burned real bad.

I swear, every summer this happens. I go out to the pool for the first time of the year, and what do I do? That's right.... I scorch myself to a crisp. And now I am paying for it. I'm bright red in all the worst places. My shoulders, between my legs and behind my knees. It's so uncomfortable. I make Blair lather my burns with aloe... I'm so lucky I have him.

But as I have been whining and complaining and feeling so sorry for myself about my stupid sunburn, I've realized that there are so many people out there that have to deal with so many more, and more serious, physical and emotional pains than I do. It makes me feel bad for even complaining about my little problem, that I brought upon myself.

I am grateful for all the blessings in my life. And from now on I swear I will use sunscreen! (Someone should hold me to that, because I'll probably forget next year.)

Only in Utah

Thursday night I did this....

Friday morning did this...

Friday afternoon road tripped with them...

Life is GREAT!!

beans and blessings

Well I'm happy to say this week has been much better than last
(I don't think things could have gotten any worse).

Miracles DO happen!

After LOTS of phone calls to the Salt Lake County Library, some how the check I lost was FOUND! They called us on Monday afternoon and told us the check had been found. What a huge blessing that was! Prayers work. Needless to say that check went directly from the library to the bank. Thank heavens.

The water is now decontaminated.... so they say. I don't trust them.

We have stocked up on water bottles.... and steer clear of the tap!

And my sickness is gone! Hooray!

Sun is shining and beans are sprouting!!! I know its not much, and my cumbers died, but at least its something. I was extatic to see that little bit of green poking out of the dirt.... its the simple things in life that matter. :)

And this little monster hasn't gotten away from me since! I guess we'll keep her...

a no good, very bad day.... or weekend..

Well, it turns out Saratoga Springs City's water is contaminated. Unfortunately I found out a little too late. Blair was sick earlier this week, and to help prevent me from getting the same sickness, I have been diligently taking my vitamins daily. Little did I know that the water I was drinking to take these vitamins to help prevent me from getting sick, was in fact making me even more ill. Yes, I drank the contaminated water, and had to pay for it. The silly thing is, is that I usually don't drink straight tap water, we usually have bottled water or filtered water that we drink. But for whatever reason, I felt like this was more convenient. Not in the the long run though. So for the past few days I have been miserable and even had to stay home from work dealing with the repercussions of my actions.

Second, I lost check. What an idiot I can be, for some reason, I put it in a library book I had, and then returned the library book, while leaving the check still inside. What a no good, very bad day.

And then today, Blair is off at work while I am at home trying to nurse myself back to health. Of coarse I have Charlee here to keep me company. We took a trip outside as we usually do. She wasn't being very cooperative, and lately she has learned that if she pulls hard enough she can get her leash to unbuckle. Well, my head has been cloudy, because of the sickness you know. And I forgot to take the extra step to put on her collar and secure the leash. So of coarse, as the darling dog she is, broke free from the lease and from me. PLAY TIME!! She takes of running as fast as she can, and its a big game to her. We live next to a pretty busy road, which we have luckily never had to deal with, we can usually catch Charlee before she gets there. Not today. She made it to the very busy road in the middle of the day, ran across the street and started chasing a couple of cyclist. Super fun for Charlee..... about KILLED me when I saw her. Out in the middle of the street stopping traffic, and almost stopped my heart. So here I am, this crazy owner running down this busy road after her dog, in my PJ's no less. I'm sure it was a site to see. I am just happy she's alive, and I can tell you that I wont make the mistake again.

Last but not least, some of you may know I have started a garden this year. I have always wanted my own little garden, and this year, my mom came into town a few weeks ago, and helped me get started on my very own porch garden. I was really excited and inspired by my brothers garden. Go HERE to check out how beautiful their garden is.

Because their garden has turned out perfectly, I took his exact advice, did everything they told me and this is what I got:
My cucumbers and zucchini.....


My flowers, beans, and tomato plants....

As you can see, my garden hasn't really turned out the expectations I had. I guess I'll leave gardening to Justin.

Looks like someone is tired.... that little rascal.

trying a new stroke

It all began last fall.....

When Blair and I went to Europe last fall, we were lucky enough to be able to go The Vatican. The world's largest art museum, which also holds the Sistine Chapel. It was one of the most amazing places I've ever been. I'm not an art history major, (although at the time we were there, I wish I had been) but I the art in there was so unbelievable!

Ever since then I have wanted to try and develop more talents of my own. I am by no stretch of the imagination an artist. I don't have a lot of creativity built up in my DNA, but I really want to try and work on that... I have been wanting to do some sort of craft or something lately that I can decorate my home with to add a personal touch.

Well, Blair and I have really been wanting a painting in our house for some time, but haven't been able to find anything we like at a reasonable cost. And we decided, we could do it ourselves! So we went out to the nearest craft store and loaded up on all the supplies we would need to create our very own masterpiece! Since neither one of us has really ever attempted painting before, we decided to get a couple small canvas's to take a practice run first. It was so fun! But we realized we needed to do a little more research on some painting techniques... neither one of us are naturals....

After doing some more homework and a couple more practice paintings I started my project on Saturday:

The Process..

It wasn't exactly what Charlee had in mind for a Saturday afternoon! ;)

The Finished Product!

The BIG apple

Blair had his 28th birthday on February 26th! To celebrate his birthday this year we decided to take a getaway trip to New York City. This was his first time going there, and we had such an amazing time! New York is one of those places you have to go to. When we got there it was snowing and raining. Apparently alot more than New York is use to! The first two days we were there it was snowing and they had storm weather reports on TV all day long. It wasn't anything we hadn't seen before, and the city only got a few inches. The pictures, I think, look awesome with all of the snow. Blair took most the pictures, so I really can't take any credit. I thought he got a few good shots!

Snowy first night in Time Square

Brooklyn Bridge

Blair's Birthday! Out in Time Square

Serendipity - Frozen Hot Chocolate!


Centeral Park

Knicks Game at Madison Square Garden

I love this shot of the Statue of Liberty - so much bigger than imagined

Manhatten - This looks a painting to me!

The End.

Table Tales

I have the best husband ever!

Just to preference the story a little. Blair and I have been in the market for a new dining table for the past 4 weeks or so.... probably longer. The table we have now is too small and we're ready to upgrade. So I have made all my efforts to go out looking for a new table for and have been to probably a dozen furniture stores.

After doing all my homework and many hours and weeks of shopping/looking, last Saturday I had finally found THE one. It was perfect. I loved everything about it! I hadn't felt this way about any other table I had seen until now. I was in love. We spoke to the Dave, the salesman, and we told him we weren't quite ready to commit (Blair, not me:) and we would call him later that afternoon and let him know if we wanted it. He said, "You need to call me by 6:00pm, I'm leaving then." We told him, "Not a problem, we'll keep in touch."

We hit up one more store where we had found a few we had liked before, just to make sure we were positive on that table. Time had passed and 6:00 o'clock had come and gone, even after much deliberation and me trying to convince Blair that I knew this was the one for us, we didn't make that call.

Blair called Dave on Tuesday afternoon, to let him know we decided we were ready to order the table. Dave say, "Unfortunately, the last table had been sold, and the company is discontinuing that line and no more are available to order." NOOO!!! My heart was broken. I felt like I had just been betrayed. My only true table love was gone forever, and I was not sure how long it would take for me to heal. I told Blair it would probably take me a couple months before I could start looking again for another table. I knew I wouldn't be able to find another one like it.

So the past few days I have been mourning. I didn't realize how attached I had become to this piece of furniture in such a short amount of time. I didn't even know that was possible. Blair was comforting, thank goodness I at least a shoulder to cry on, and he showed remorse over the loss as well.

This weekend kicks off the celebration of love. Happy Valentines Day! Blair had the day off today and I unfortunately was stuck at work. I came home this afternoon from work around 4:30pm, and as I walk in the door I am greeted, loyally, by Charlee eager to say hello and Blair sitting on the couch.

Then I see it. Out of the corner of my eye. It couldn't be. I take another look. IT IS!!! THE table is sitting in our kitchen with a bouquet of roses on top. It was the most beautiful sight ever! And the most amazing surprise of my life! Blair really got me! What a sweetie. He said he knew I loved surprises, and knew I would love this one. He couldn't have been more right! The best gift ever! Words can't express my happiness. I love you, Blair!

The picture doesn't do this table justice - but here it is in all its glory. I'm just so excited, I had to share!! :)

Go JAZZ Go!

Monday night had the privilege of going, as the dedicated fans we are, to see the Jazz battle against the Dallas Mavericks. It was fight until the last quarter, and then the Jazz put 'em away (as those of you know, who watched)! We were able to get our tickets from none other than the dependable KSL Classifieds! They have everything you need there! :)

We has such a blast there and we able to snap a couple pics of the players! Blair even got to jump on the floor after the game and throw a few balls around. A dream come true! He can now check that one off the list.

Classified

Even though I don't post blogs often, I love to read everyone elses and find good blogs to read. A few weeks ago I was introduced to a blog called "All Things Thrify". Which has turned out to be my new favorite blog to follow.

They teach you step-by-step instructions on DIY decorating ideas. I LOVE this website. I myself, cannot decorate. I was not given that gift, unfortunetly. However, I am willing to learn.

So I have since be inspired to decorate my home, and get things done for cheap if I can do it myself. I have become a KSL Classifieds junkie!! I have been looking online everyday for my next good buy. We bought our couch on KSL last year, and every once and while you will get a steal on there. But you've gotta be quick! Good deals don't last long around here!

confession

I have a confession to make.

Today a delivery man came into our office, and had a bouquet of flowers in his hands. Unfortunately, it was not for me, but for another girl in our office.

She was so excited to see that old man and thrilled to receive unxpected flowers! Who isn't?

My DREAM job is to be a flower deliverer.

You will be bringing joy and smiles to people all day.

One day, my dream will come true.