#155

I finally saw Bridesmaids. All my friends had seen it, multiple times even. My sister Andee saw it. Everyone has raved about it! Since the husbands/fiancé are away camping this weekend, the girls got together for dinner & a movie.

I might be a little hormonal or something because I have to be honest, I was extremely irritable all night. I don't have a real reason for it - so sorry family if I pissed you off tonight. I don't know what my problem is. But its possible my orneryness effected my opinion of the movie. I mean, there were funny parts for sure. I LOVED Melissa McCarthy and wish her character could have been more developed OR had a bigger part. She was just great. But the rest of the movie wasn't that great. I LOVE Kristen Wiig on SNL, she's definitely my favorite cast member AND I did enjoy the dialog. The way each of the ladies talked (especially Kristen and Maya's characters) was very true to how real life besties talk & make fun of each other. But the story line bugged me, I didn't like the pity party Kristen's character was constantly wallowing in nor did I like the over-the-top 'BFF' Helen. The bridal store fiasco was overly done...so gross, I was nauseous. I was bummed the laughs were like 20 minutes apart. Oh well, I was entertained and I'm no movie critic. Clearly EVERYONE else likes it - so don't take my word for it.

HOWEVER - Jordan Commons Megaplex concessions stands make one fat girl happy!!! Frozen Junior Mints, KETTLE CORN (finally!), Almond Joy mini's (I bought on recommendation and they are WONDERFUL!) Plus they 'refilled' my refillable mug with Icee for only $1 more than soda. Seriously, I was an overly excited chubby girl!

#155 - I laughed, but was slightly disappointed in delivery.

(Cell phone pic - I've had too many of these lately.)

#154's

Today is the first Friday of the month. Does anyone know what that means??

BINGO!

I didn't win anything - again - but its still fun to go and visit with friends. I came real close to winning the very last blackout of the night, which had a $200 bounty...but not close enough! I over did it on the amount of cards tonight. Anything over 6 sheets is WAY too many. I had to be "in the zone" in order to keep up. I couldn't talk to anyone, look up from my cards or get distracted in anyway. Yeah that won't happen again!!  Takes the fun out of it!!!  However I did have a great time, even without Joe. (He's camping this weekend with the boys)

Oh and I had to throw in a picture of my newest tattoo. (This tattoo is what I was drawing last night in my post.) Today was a 'me' day, since I had the day off and ALL to myself. I went early to the tattoo place to make sure I got in - since I hadn't made an appointment. They got me in quickly and I was out in only an hour!! There is meaning behind this tattoo (as well as all my others). These two birds are my 'love birds.' Joe and I have been through A LOT over the last 18 months. Trying to get pregnant and not succeeding or even getting close to succeeding has been very difficult on our relationship. But through all the sadness, stress and frustration, we have actually grown closer and tighten our bond. Its been great, strengthening a part of our relationship I didn't even know needed help. We've learned so much about each other and I'm extremely grateful for my patient and understanding husband. So there you go...the 'love birds' Joe and I still are even through this continuous battle. Love you Joe and thank you for still being my sweetheart even when I can be a hormonal mess!!

Here are my #154's - My overwhelming BINGO sheets...gives me a headache just looking at it. And my new ink addition. My "love birds."

I'll have you know, Joe drew the top hat. He was upset that the 'male' bird didn't look masculine. So he drew the top hat as I was making the finishing touches. (Like a 'top hat' is going to make it look masculine...lol) 

I think it looks great - Thanks Joe!

#153

I doodle pretty much all the time. Whenever there is a piece of paper & a pen/pencil in front of me, guaranteed I'm doodling. When I'm on the phone, in a meeting or listening to a conversation...my pen just moves without me even thinking.

When I got home from work tonight, Joe was playing call of duty and not wanting to pay any attention to me, so I decided to draw a picture I've been thinking of lately. It was so much fun. All the mistakes I had to erase or the new ideas that popped in my head. Art used to be a huge part of my life. Now, instead of drawing or painting, I explore my creativity through hair. Cutting and coloring. But there are days I wished I had kept up with my drawings.... There are many days...

But anyways I've been wanting to draw a picture of 2 little birdies...for a reason I will post about later...but after researching some ideas on line and drawing draft after draft, I was finally able to create the picture in my head. Awesome!!!  My table now has eraser shavings everywhere, there is lead smeared on the outside of my right wrist and believe it or not, but my knuckles are cramping a bit. (Old age I guess.) But I couldn't be happier! PLUS I got my picture! All I have to do now is make it an official art piece.

#153 - Catching myself in a state of creativity and imagination.

(cell phone pic)

#152's

We tried a new recipe tonight. In my post #148 about my Bountiful Basket, I said Joe and I were excited to try new things with our fruits and vegetables. Tonight we made Creamy Cauliflower Soup. (Thank you MarthaStewart.com recipe) It was a very simple recipe and tasted pretty good. Very similar to a tomato soup, just with cauliflower instead. I'm not a huge fan of cauliflower, like I said in my post, but I've had a cauliflower soup at a restaurant before and loved it! This recipe was the closest I could find. Both Joe and I agree that the soup was definitely lacking 'oomph.' In Joe's mind it wasn't hearty enough, in my mind it lacked tang. Its weird how different our palettes can be. We're going to continue experimenting, but at least I can say I cooked the cauliflower from my basket instead of letting it go to waste. I'm proud of that. Now to finish eating all the fruit!! :)

#152's - Turning THIS pot of bubbling cauliflower, 

into THIS delightful and filling dinner for two!

Wow, now looking at my pictures, even the presentation was lacking. Oh well, there's room for improvement everywhere in life, why not my cauliflower soup? 

#151

I haven't been to many of Joe's softball games this season. Mainly because the rain has canceled quite a few games AND the Tuesday's I'm not working it seems he plays the LATE game at 9pm. Ugh! But the weather was beautiful today and the game was at 8pm, so attending tonight was an easy choice.

Joe's team won - GO CARSON ELEVATOR!

I took many shots, but this one was my favorite. I clearly need a better lens. Snapping the action or catching far away plays was extremely difficult. But I work with what I got!

#151 - Softball. A great past time for me. The smell of the mitt, the sound of the bat, the joy of the catch. Aw...I miss it.

#150

Happy Memorial Day everyone. I wish I had something more patriotic to post. I wanted to get some photos of waving flags or flowers on a grave site, but I was unable. This morning went very fast; I woke up extremely late for work and then after work I immediately had to head to a "Meet and Greet" party with my sister Jessica's future in-laws.

Jessica's future mother-in-law Cindy put on a great party. It was held at an LDS ward house, where we had plenty of room to visit, eat and play. Cindy and her daughters put on a few games to help us 'get to know' each other better. We played a version of "The Newlywed Game," which was a real hoot. We found out A LOT about the couples. (Joe and I included!!)  The questions ranged from "If your husband was a type of car, what car would he be?" "What kind of a driver would you describe your wife as?" "What did you do on your 2nd date?" And of course, "What kind of kisser is your husband?" Some of the questions had multiple choice answers and some we were forced to get the answer exactly correct. (By the way SNOW Family, I totally think we should play something like this at the reunion in Pine Valley. It was SUPER fun!) It turned out that Joe and I took the grand prize!! WAY TO GO BLACKS!

Then they put on a game of pictionary - Downwards vs. Snow's. All the answers were 'wedding' related, so as soon as you got into the wedding phrase mindset, it was pretty simple. We had some good artists too! I feel bad because we totally gave the Downwards a run for their money!! Apparently all those nights of Cranium have trained us well. The Snow family took home the prize for that as well, yummy Snickers bare! :)

We had a great time and were grateful the Downwards were such fantastic hosts. (The chocolate covered grapes were TO DIE FOR! I might have to become best friends with Cory's grandma...mmm...they were so good!) But a good time is guaranteed when you're with family!! (Robyn & Jarron - we missed you guys!)

#150 - Our prizes!! I can't wait to get the S'mores going over an open fire...in my backyard. Why camp in the dirt when I can light up our outdoor cast iron fire place? YUMMY!

#149's

We celebrated my twin nieces 1st birthday this evening. I'm in serious disbelief that a year has already flown by. My day started early - 7:30am!! I was in charge of the 2 big cupcakes for the twins to indulge in. I only have 1 set of the cupcake pan, so I had to have one cooked AND cooled before I could start the next one. Hence the getting up early. Plus a large amount of people who haven't seen our newly renovated kitchen would be coming over and I knew a tour would be in order. So Joe and I did the FINAL touches on the kitchen as well as tidying up the rest of the place so it was 'show-able.' Basically there was LOADS to do before guests arrived at 2pm.

We had a yummy spread of food, great visiting, presents everywhere and then CUPCAKES!!!  First off, the girls were spoiled. And I mean SPOILED! They received a sand box (with sand & toys), a teeter-toter that also turns into a picnic table, a plastic PINK pool (with water toys), 2 PINK bucket swings, learning toys, stacking toys, a doll house, Legos, clothes...clothes...clothes. Oh and diapers & wipes from yours truly!! Seriously SPOILED MUCH? They just have so many loved ones out there, I guess its hard not to get spoiled.

After we all ate and watched Andee & Kelly open gifts (the girls cared more for the paper and sucking on the cards than they did for the actual toys.) we then went on to CAKE! I decorated the 2 cakes and let me say it was DIFFICULT! I had the necessary frosting tools, piping bags, tips, food coloring, spinning table...everything! But it was too tedious for me. I grew impatient very quickly and gave up on the hard stuff. Of course I wanted them to look extra special, but frosting is clearly NOT my forte and the girls are just gonna mess them up anyway!! So after globbing the frosting on and smearing it around last minute, I was satisfied with my work. The GIRLS loved them! Ella was a bit more timid, but Avie dove right in. They were a complete mess. It was great fun to watch and snap photos. What a great memory!!

The party turned out to be a great success and was a great way to celebrate their first year of life. They are both growing SO BIG!! Ella has 2 bottom teeth and 4 on top. She is walking (taking 4 or 5 steps all by herself.) She loves to wave, give kisses and bump into everything. NO FEAR in that one! Ella has 2 bottom teeth and 1 coming in on top. Still a little wobbly with walking, but when guided she can go anywhere. However she is the fastest crawler I've ever seen! She's turned into a little ham in front of the camera and is all things girly! Ella is quite the princess! ;)

I'm so happy I've been so close to them this past year. They change so much and seeing it first hand has been a true blessing. I'm grateful for my room mates for letting me share in this joy in their life. I love babysitting, cuddling, helping at dinner time and even watching Yo Gabba Gabba. These girls are so precious - I'm a VERY proud Auntie!

Happy Birthday to my #149's. All mess and tons of fun!

AVIE

ELLA

#148

Joe and I participated in a great new adventure this morning. Bountiful Baskets!! (Thank you Joy for the suggestion.) Have you heard of them? If not, check out www.bountifulbaskets.org to find out more.

I purchased my basket on Monday morning and our scheduled pickup time was at 8am Saturday. Since I didn't have to work until 1pm, 8 o'clock was WAY to early for me today. We picked up just down the street from out house - We were lucky to have 3 pickup options close to our house this week, I'm hoping for the same next week. We met a few of the volunteers (One of the ladies I knew from my days of working at the West Jordan Smart Style. She was a regular customer there.) They were very helpful and guided us through our first pickup. We filled up our cooler and headed home with our goodies.

These baskets have 50% fruit and 50% vegetables. I'm excited to get such great produce for a cheap price, variety and such a large amount. It forces us to eat a little healthier too and I could definitely use that. (We got cauliflower in our basket and we aren't huge fans. But then I remembered a restaurant in SLC - Five Alls - has a great 'cream of cauliflower soup' similar to cream of broccoli. Joe is excited to test out the recipe!) See? I'm already happy about it because we get to try new things!!!

Our new weekly adventure - just me and Joe. #148 - BOUNTIFUL baskets!

#147

YES! Another package in the mail today and this one was bigger!! :) My Aunt Amie sent me a few books to possibly help my infertility problems (plus a bonus book just for fun!) Isn't she awesome?? Who knows, this may be just what I'm looking for or needing. Even if they aren't, the thought means a great deal. Thank you Amie, I appreciate you thinking/worrying about me. You care so much about everyone you meet and I'm lucky I get to be one of the special ones!! I LOVE YOU!

My #147 - Somebody loves me!! AMIE, YOU ROCK!

#146

My package arrived today!!! I've been anxious awaiting new feathers to come in the mail and YAY for TODAY! I'm not sure some of them will work for 'hair extension' purposes, but they'd make some killer jewelry! I'm loving feathers lately, anyone notice??

#146 - I LOVE get packages!!