This is all I've got

I spent all day cleaning and did nothing fun except go tanning. I think it is the first time I have been warm since leaving California.

Brrrr

When we got up I found Marius' water frozen and his bed covered in snow. I don't know why he insists on going out in the middle of the night, especially when the weather is bad, but he does. He must not mind the cold as much as I do.

Sunday

We drove to Huntington Beach to check out some of the surf shops. We were looking for things that Paul could wear in Hawaii. It was pretty much a bust but we got to hear the ocean and feel the salty breeze for an hour so it was well worth it.

Saturday

Saturday was the wedding. The weather was perfection. We spent a long time on the bow of the boat just enjoying the sun. I snapped this picture of Paul while he was relaxing and I love it.

Friday

This was the first time we have been to Disneyland in the spring. It was beautiful! I couldn't believe all the flowers. Trees were blooming, pansies were everywhere, they had Iceland Poppies, Foxgloves and Columbines. It was amazing.

85/365

Thursday I arrived in California. I got there pretty late so we only had time to get dinner and then got back to our suite. I didn't take very many pictures because I was busy packing and getting ready to go. Here is our king sized bed (one of the benefits of traveling without kids) and Paul looking out the window to see if he could see Disneyland.

84/365

This picture does nothing to prove that we got way too much snow last night but I love it anyway. What it does show is what lazy gardeners we are. Yes that is some type of weed left over from last year.

Look What I Found

Awww! I saw this precious little baby a week or so ago as we were coming down the hill but Paul was driving and he doesn't turn around for anything. I have been trying to see it better since then but usually they have it stored away in a back pasture. Today it was out in the area closer to the road so I pulled over to get a picture. You should have seen me maneuvering the chain link fence. It never stood up so I don't know if it's a girl or a boy but I do know it's adorable!

What a Difference a Day Makes

We have had temps up to 70 recently. We had windows opens, fan blowing and flowers blooming. Last night our first spring storm of the year blew into town. We woke up to a couple of inches of snow and my cute little daffodils were buried. The clouds are already parting and showing signs of a nice afternoon so I can't complain.

Today our Daffodils Opened

Emma came downstairs to show me the pictures she had taken of our daffodils. I was shocked that so many had opened today! I know there weren't open yesterday. It amazes me how these beautiful flowers manage to come back year after year and it excites me each and every time.

Friday and Saturday

Today the bunnies came out of storage. We are getting ready for Easter with full spring decor. 

This is what the mountain looked like on the first day of Spring.  There is still snow on Timp. the trees are bare and the brush on the side of the mountain is dormant. We live in a typical suburb that has been built onto a mountain side. There are still some farmers around here that have apple orchards and other types farm land. There is no shortage of quail, pheasant, deer and every once in a while someone will ride past our house on a horse. It's a fun place to live.

Rest in Peace

My Mia Seattle shoes broke today. I've had them since winter 2007 and today the elastic pulled away from the strap. I will look into getting them repaired but I am not sure it is worth it. (notice the toe scuffs) I loved these shoes. They met all my requirements. They were way comfortable, they had enough height to them that I could avoid the stumpy leg/wide butt syndrome and I actually thought they were cute. I tried to find something similar in black this year and there was nothing. I have little hope of ever finding a suitable replacement. I feel so sad over my loss. I hate looking for shoes. Hate it. I'm off to pout now.

Skate Night

Tonight we went to a local skating rink and let the kids skate for a couple of hours. They have arcade games were you can win tickets and prizes. Andrew got some of the bubble goop that makes the hard bubbles you are suppose to be able to hold. It didn't work too well but it looked cool, for a second.

76/365

I really like balloons and buy a bouquet for most holidays and birthdays. I love this green swirl one a lot. Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Do you see what I see?

That is GREEN I see. I know it is the very early stages and it is just barely, barely, greenish yellow but it is still color. I know from years past that these and weeping willows are the first trees to get leaves. I say, Bring It!

74/365 (This is Sunday's post)

I'm debating on what to wear to the show in the morning. It is a touch too warm to wear a long sleeve shirt and too chilly to wear short sleeves and all my 3/4 sleeves are too casual. Ug! I guess it will have to be short sleeves and I'll take a coat. These are my three top contenders. I am leaning towards the purple on the right.

Sunday's Photo Will be Late

All the neighborhood kids were playing so well outside together. They had pillows, Andrew's GIANT stuffed snake, blankets and snacks. I think they were playing "picnic". I went out to take a picture and realized my camera was D-E-A-D. It accidentally got switched to on when I was putting it in it's case. I hurried and plugged the battery in but last I checked it still wasn't done charging.

I have two hours left in the day but I will not be posting tonight. I am sad I missed my photo op but Andrew tells me they will be playing the same game tomorrow.

Note to self; ask for backup battery for my birthday.

73/365

I was loving the weather today! I know it got up to at least 60 but by the time we got home late this afternoon it had dropped a little. It is so nice to not have days in the 30's and 40's right now.

72/365

Thanks to my grandma Louise I have a deep love and appreciating for my country and our flag. Around here there are a lot of beautiful, gigantic flags. One of my favorites is at my local grocery store. I love to hear the sounds it makes while it is waving on a windy day.

71/365

Today Paul took Emma skiing again. She is now at level five. She didn't want any sunblock so she is sporting the white ski eyes and the rosy cheeks. I wanted a picture to show her face but picked this one instead. She is listening to her daddy tell me how well she did. I love the colors that show up in her hair when the sun shines on it.

70/365

When I was pulling up our driveway from our rock collecting adventure I saw this happy little pine cone with the setting sun shining right on it. I swear the last time it snowed (it was just Monday) I looked for a pine cone and there weren't any open ones to be found. It was like it just came out of nowhere.

Pretty Blue Sky

I recently watched a PS tutorial on changing a colorless sky to a pretty blue sky. Today the sky was beautiful. I knew it would be perfect for this technique. I was eager to try it but as it turns out I don't have photos with a true colorless sky. If you try this process on a blue sky with no clouds it doesn't work. I will keep this as a stock photo and you better believe I will be waiting for a day with a colorless sky.

68/365

Here are our little daffodils. Aren't they precious? I can't wait for them to open. I have seen a few here and there around town so it won't be too long. Please ignore our "mulch". Our sucky cottonwood trees don't drop their leaves until the snow has already started so our yard still has a bunch of leaves everywhere.

Phase Two

As much as I loved the stripes I couldn't waste that much fabric. I've decided to go with the basket weave pattern. I finished sewing all the strips tonight and started cutting them into squares. After I get all the squares cut I will lay it out, get it how I like and then start sewing the squares together. I will just have the two borders and then it will be ready to quilt!

66/365

I used to say that Emma slept like the dead. That is no longer the case. Last night I tried getting her picture first but she made a scrunchy face when the flash went off. I tried again and she started to wake up. That is when I went into Andrew's room. He slept through everything, he didn't even stir. Tonight it was her turn again. I knew she had been out for a while but one flash and her eyes started to open. I hurried out so she could go back to sleep. Here she is, Sleeping Beauty.

65/365 (Friday)

Yesterday I was in a beautiful old building in downtown Salt Lake with a massive spiral staircase made entirely of marble and my camera was in the car. It was chilly, I was wearing heels and the car was a long ways away so I chose not to fetch it. Last night I regretted that choice and Andrew suffered because of it.

Just to clear some things up

I have had a few people comment that they can't tell what some of the pictures are in my header. Oops! I guess if you don't know what you are looking at it could be hard to tell but I don't want to change it. I made it larger and you should be able to click it and get it to become full sized.

We have Lt. to Rt.
Top Row:
Emma at Dead Horse Point, Paul with our ice cream in Sweden (the best ice cream in the world!), An avalanche that my mom and I got to see, and hear (Holy Moly it was LOUD!) slide down the face of Half Dome in Yosemite, and our family at Christmas time.

Next Row: A s'more made with a Reese's Peanut Butter cup (the only way to eat a s'more), A hot air balloon from Provo's Freedom Festival, Disneyland California Adventure Park at dusk, Marius sleeping with his tongue curled, Andrew talking to Santa

Next Row:
Emma talking to Mrs. Claus in Disneyland (one of my most favorite pictures of all time), Andrew trying to kiss Emma while making Christmas cookies, Emma in the air jumping into the pool with flippers, and our sunset view from the house.

Bottom:
A fountain at Thanksgiving Point that starts at the top of a hill and goes for some distance, Andrew in mid-air doing a tuck/flip thing into the pool, our family in the snow and Disneyland Castle all dressed up for Christmas (it took a lot of work to get this shot so it is also an all time favorite!)

We're back to food

Tonight we went to Maria Bonita, a new to us Mexican restaurant in Orem. We are still mourning the loss of Las Tarascas. This was good, but not a replacement unfortunately. This is my dads meal. I don't know what it was but is was huge and way cool looking. We all got to try little bit cactus from his dinner. Yum!

63/365

I think I have enough kits to occupy me until I die. This one came last week. It is totally different (fabric-wise) for me but I do love it. One of these day when I finish my bazillion projects that I already have going I might start in on this one.

62/365

I have a love hate relationship with the cottonwood trees we have in our back yard. I love that they provide shade, look beautiful and that they make it so the neighbors can't see in the back of our house. They have great bark that looks good in photos, pretty leaves and they create homes for many birds. I hate that they are gigantic and situated in a way that they can't be trimmed. Each time we get a wind storm I almost have a panic attack thinking that they will come crashing through the house any minute. Paul hates all the crap they drop; pods, cotton and more leaves than we know what to do with.

It's not food!

Well to some I guess it is. (groan) I went outside to check on the kids and saw this staring at me from across the field. It was standing as still as a statue for a long time, long enough for me to get my camera. I am lucky to have noticed it. I still get a little giddy each time I see one so close to my house.

60/365

Is anybody else as disturbed as I am that so many of my photos are of food?

Yesterday, after our long afternoon, we were debating whether we could get by without going to the grocery store. When asked what we could eat for Sunday dinner I said, "burgers, but there are no sides." Everyone was so tired that burgers sounded great. After church however they no longer sounded so good. It was pretty much our only option though. Paul asked what we could serve with them I reminded him that there were no sides. He asked, "no potatoes or salads or anything you could make up?" I said, "nope" then got to thinking, I had some canned fruit I could offer up. He wasn't interested. I went digging in the freezer and came up with these little beauties. Fried mozzarella sticks. Whoot! Now it's officially a meal ;)