tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82344241315571608402024-03-05T03:53:15.210-08:00Figuring it out as I go...Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-24129718249729827322012-04-17T23:19:00.000-07:002012-04-17T23:19:51.132-07:00SUPPER TIME!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk0RhszyX6dDylA5quQLeiV1orDsmoh9ydhT54kaKYjV32kMwhCC-JsXjCyKj5Zi6Fuh5VIre-x0BckCJheAadWgQaPoAJ-3HMhsTH8UZhH86LjN4x5-cZrd_2NoVwd96QGzTLm1XhcXM/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk0RhszyX6dDylA5quQLeiV1orDsmoh9ydhT54kaKYjV32kMwhCC-JsXjCyKj5Zi6Fuh5VIre-x0BckCJheAadWgQaPoAJ-3HMhsTH8UZhH86LjN4x5-cZrd_2NoVwd96QGzTLm1XhcXM/s400/1.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1G4fi31DXFiZns9nHQHdKj4WzNc6W0qMsoKQEgmTcrNYKdvmlxP9CPuxKeFHXl9hVUzp2X8h5IL7RcyKej0DTaZp7ZLavRbJXFlGnRJr-21A5BXEW2OrI6mdzK779zailV4NAkMeuww/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1G4fi31DXFiZns9nHQHdKj4WzNc6W0qMsoKQEgmTcrNYKdvmlxP9CPuxKeFHXl9hVUzp2X8h5IL7RcyKej0DTaZp7ZLavRbJXFlGnRJr-21A5BXEW2OrI6mdzK779zailV4NAkMeuww/s320/2.jpg" width="272" /></a>Elin turned 2 last week. After seeing her play endlessly with other mini-kitchens, our real kitchen, any kitchen utensils she can get her hands on and serving us “soup” that she makes in the bathtub, I decided it was time that she had a little play kitchen she could call her own. This is where <a href="http://pinterest.com/stacyannengst/play-kitchen/">Pinterest</a> comes in…….Oh, <a href="http://pinterest.com/stacyannengst/play-kitchen/">Pinterest</a>. <a href="http://pinterest.com/stacyannengst/play-kitchen/">Pinterest</a> makes you truly believe you are your very own version of Martha Stewart + Nate Berkus + every host on The Chew. At least that’s the effect it has on me. You can create anything your little heart desires, as long as you have unlimited resources, unlimited time and usually a few dozen wine corks. It’s the resource and time part that snaps me back into reality (I’ve got the wine corks covered). And that brings me back to this post. I would like to introduce you to Elin’s new play kitchen. (AKA – How Mommy has spent the last 63 nap times)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Here is a ‘before’ picture of the old entertainment center I found on Craigslist. Believe it or not, one of the hardest parts was finding it. I had to look for a while before I found just what I wanted. I knew I wanted a space for a refrigerator, stove/oven and sink. This piece was great but ended up having cabinets on top that made it way too tall, so we cut them off and I mounted them on the side to make set of play kitchen cabinets. I love bonus storage.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6wZAG_5ge_sd_FqQrCHgwEY1_caDGE6_KWucHn-X_chS3rbw6jkb5JH7BqvMokelSC6OW1xmoNLyrp7au4N6QAdQTHrlhNyEun8yhVzE1uK4j6XV-mdohBzLDcVzgzlCIN2b2Ir_Zlk/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6wZAG_5ge_sd_FqQrCHgwEY1_caDGE6_KWucHn-X_chS3rbw6jkb5JH7BqvMokelSC6OW1xmoNLyrp7au4N6QAdQTHrlhNyEun8yhVzE1uK4j6XV-mdohBzLDcVzgzlCIN2b2Ir_Zlk/s320/3.jpg" width="320" /></a>I sanded and primed the whole thing. I needed a good excuse to buy a jigsaw anyway. There’s no way I could have done this project without that jigsaw. I traced the metal bowl I had on hand for the sink, and then cut ¼” smaller than the outline, letting the bowl fall into the hole, but not through it. I found a faucet and door hardware at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store (I used a Groupon too, so another bonus!). I bought one sheet of 1/8” fiberboard for the refrigerator and cabinet doors. If I were doing this again, I would have sprung for ¼” instead. I feel like the doors are just a tad flimsy sometimes. I also used the fiber board to create a backing for the refrigerator and cabinets. I also did a little bit of adjusting for the oven by taking off one of the existing cabinet doors and rotating it to create a box. I also secured these cabinet doors with ‘L’ brackets. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_1P45XpNwIh33hi4safUOV80babfTjdpTyV0HczAngztKrLFiyAmlQtZtDRqSVI7W8HWGSbtcLKyGbOZnQ_xbr11s2HKfPT35nulIwck3pN2dT_GTLoISKAuzhOeiA4rR7JfxnYMCso/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_1P45XpNwIh33hi4safUOV80babfTjdpTyV0HczAngztKrLFiyAmlQtZtDRqSVI7W8HWGSbtcLKyGbOZnQ_xbr11s2HKfPT35nulIwck3pN2dT_GTLoISKAuzhOeiA4rR7JfxnYMCso/s320/4.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a>After the hardest part, choosing colors, then comes the painting. After that it’s time to really get creative. I found someone on Pinterest who used spray painted <a href="http://thebuggslife.blogspot.com/2012/01/whatcha-wanna-know-wednesday-play.html">CDs for stove burners</a>. Genius! I also found examples of plexiglass on the oven door, spinning oven knobs and a little framed chalkboard. I used all of those ideas. I really wanted a backsplash (I think maybe because my own kitchen doesn’t have one so I was living vicariously through this kitchen) but I didn’t want to pay for (or deal with) real tile. I decided instead to make my own tiles by cutting them out of matte board. I found a tutorial on Pinterest for <a href="http://littlewondersdays.blogspot.com/2011/08/back-to-school-fall-friday-fun.html">marble painting</a> using craft paint and shaving cream. That was pretty fun actually. I also added a ruffle curtain under the sink and a dowel to hang pots and pans. And that’s about it. It took a while, but it was ultimately a really fun project. By far the best part has been watching the little chef play with it. It’s already gotten a lot of use and so far it’s held up under the pressures of a very rowdy toddler. Let me know if you have any questions!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxpZ2tGF_fajDAorolz6kyz5WgNCwIlODbKfxUrM03DsO0urh7ijROl0_sNqR9RiESXG8Qjm3qfPRh3WU_P-Wt3oJLcnF5_JVkWHkEs7oZQqgr4CsL78tJk9_zXoGsbeYpUmaUMlaVRM/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxpZ2tGF_fajDAorolz6kyz5WgNCwIlODbKfxUrM03DsO0urh7ijROl0_sNqR9RiESXG8Qjm3qfPRh3WU_P-Wt3oJLcnF5_JVkWHkEs7oZQqgr4CsL78tJk9_zXoGsbeYpUmaUMlaVRM/s320/5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">(So, I thought it would be funny if I just started my blog back up without ever acknowledging the fact that I hadn’t posted anything in over a year. I’m not going to vow to post daily or anything, but I definitely want to make this blog a higher priority. I’m not trying to make excuses for myself, but I would like to point out that the date of my last blog post coincides suspiciously with the timeframe that my kid started walking. I’m just sayin’.)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
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</div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-40610108553306806602011-02-14T11:17:00.000-08:002011-02-14T18:40:59.365-08:00Nay, I could not bear to eat another leg of fowl!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnc9pQvEWopEOWB4ARWAqnqX7D5KsYJdHHo_uPhyphenhypheniXSRy6cRcbh9V3jOhnYSqnmsWA-z06qqWQ-A2RGM5z6OvqFidWCL7k2AFzAj3WOwrop6TeSCETjG6eGnYjBNRu2o3b-5RVmIcIfQ/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnc9pQvEWopEOWB4ARWAqnqX7D5KsYJdHHo_uPhyphenhypheniXSRy6cRcbh9V3jOhnYSqnmsWA-z06qqWQ-A2RGM5z6OvqFidWCL7k2AFzAj3WOwrop6TeSCETjG6eGnYjBNRu2o3b-5RVmIcIfQ/s200/1.jpg" width="156" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 13px;">HUZZAH!!! If I had more time, I would write this whole post using Old Englilsh terminology – but I don’t.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 13px;">Instead, I googled some phrases and picked one for my title.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 13px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 13px;">“Nay, I could not bear to eat another leg of fowl” made me think of my husband, see photo, right.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Correct, good sir, this weekend we went to thy Renaissance Fair and it was wonderful. Now, we love going to different festivals and events. That’s actually one of my favorite things about living here, there’s just always something cool going on. The Renaissance Fair however, takes it to a whole new level. It’s not just a weekend event, it’s a lifestyle. Watch out, because if we ever win the lottery, we might just pack up and travel around the country immersing ourselves in the fine culture that is the Renaissance Fair. We would bring Jon, Ali and their girls along too. Maybe we would start a little Renaissance commune…all we would need would be some turkey legs and ye old ATM. The possibilities are endless…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ye Olde Dragon Slide</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrV-8WBvGzFz1OUCS1JpL5yDEqn9V5LvaGxu8ZQG_PbEZaGa69mNh3kM0GOa8W203GRyZlide52pIgD7ilRhn1QnsgfVHaWD06kVPHyJh2G6-tAJO-1-rnrN2JzOYK_EqWMbU1bTr7UQ/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrV-8WBvGzFz1OUCS1JpL5yDEqn9V5LvaGxu8ZQG_PbEZaGa69mNh3kM0GOa8W203GRyZlide52pIgD7ilRhn1QnsgfVHaWD06kVPHyJh2G6-tAJO-1-rnrN2JzOYK_EqWMbU1bTr7UQ/s400/6.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretzel Guy - he reminds me of a character from Beauty and the Beast<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAZqYBo4neVAD9SQpgfek29R5wB5fctgOPIAGwfWUkFwRUdXm-jcEmFcgjLnmmLCB5Vj6mPqF8cyTVFxdi_GPm0aDNxUN0psct0U4BlzST7TJAE-H_Yx9yHt-sk3IVVWw7R9RVnkJzXg/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAZqYBo4neVAD9SQpgfek29R5wB5fctgOPIAGwfWUkFwRUdXm-jcEmFcgjLnmmLCB5Vj6mPqF8cyTVFxdi_GPm0aDNxUN0psct0U4BlzST7TJAE-H_Yx9yHt-sk3IVVWw7R9RVnkJzXg/s400/5.jpg" width="368" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a guy with a bag on his head?? If you know what this is, please tell me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWnq-2OMCob0NVbe3f0s6Z2Zm8qlvSDzF8tA22MtGrRtYEPIPjo9T9VwgmjD9xOPj1AAKQco56aZlyQ6tWfroDd1PO5dhRecBLkGRxCViaW7z8CQ9HNdeNzf31ltuc899UGUawnIAZoU/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWnq-2OMCob0NVbe3f0s6Z2Zm8qlvSDzF8tA22MtGrRtYEPIPjo9T9VwgmjD9xOPj1AAKQco56aZlyQ6tWfroDd1PO5dhRecBLkGRxCViaW7z8CQ9HNdeNzf31ltuc899UGUawnIAZoU/s400/7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They had a nice petting zoo. Elin liked this guy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6rzJCIphjAdlL6nLx_0RwpSvmjfr7GxwisivsTaCIg-VFEdqy2axKQ0VgdWcZK_ltBCRTyEqxeP_GO_VGEREu5C7c2ylSXeB9veC0n2hVhfdDYCrKtM97PZdMe09xfy5MLTNG6__2oQ/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6rzJCIphjAdlL6nLx_0RwpSvmjfr7GxwisivsTaCIg-VFEdqy2axKQ0VgdWcZK_ltBCRTyEqxeP_GO_VGEREu5C7c2ylSXeB9veC0n2hVhfdDYCrKtM97PZdMe09xfy5MLTNG6__2oQ/s400/8.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was a really cool blacksmith demonstration. Notice the signs in the backround, they do perform marriages. Sweet.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMy8xjYS2LloJ1-Xyd3XUXPFJzCNV7WwJFsNWdmyPsmxIYoS1bvL9Q-HvQVvaeh42GedsKVOW54P-1TARlwH8QagzEsIVgyiD2tNAJKjW6LHxYNZ6am2nSTNr4RtASuFmTAsO1C_2KVM/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyMy8xjYS2LloJ1-Xyd3XUXPFJzCNV7WwJFsNWdmyPsmxIYoS1bvL9Q-HvQVvaeh42GedsKVOW54P-1TARlwH8QagzEsIVgyiD2tNAJKjW6LHxYNZ6am2nSTNr4RtASuFmTAsO1C_2KVM/s400/9.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy's "costume" doesn't seem to have much to do with the Renaissance theme, but somehow he still fits in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG5CtTmAO8S-d4zXNCG8ebocKfGgChBZEp3dZDlFIeu4RKJM3QIQIjJb8H_Q9GqeHW3DfV3Kt3a2B0yfvEP8DF7up7gQ7yjyM9Qusz8gJvwOaUNyiQ4LZ-y3CcWUVV1I3ohsLoyTNP0Ks/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG5CtTmAO8S-d4zXNCG8ebocKfGgChBZEp3dZDlFIeu4RKJM3QIQIjJb8H_Q9GqeHW3DfV3Kt3a2B0yfvEP8DF7up7gQ7yjyM9Qusz8gJvwOaUNyiQ4LZ-y3CcWUVV1I3ohsLoyTNP0Ks/s400/10.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a picture of Jon riding a giant pony with four little girls. To any of you that know Jon personally, you're welcome.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bmsFYHAc9WnxRPFtfz7fnkFpAJImmQ6T4DgpdS1w8K_8u671m5dKAH3da4LDXeiUHWvVjGI6tKHZ7nTh4TKZ3mH6iJL4LDivuNgPwCPV6UHWG9bk5XL7f29vrURVZBJsnOGzHcK3khY/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bmsFYHAc9WnxRPFtfz7fnkFpAJImmQ6T4DgpdS1w8K_8u671m5dKAH3da4LDXeiUHWvVjGI6tKHZ7nTh4TKZ3mH6iJL4LDivuNgPwCPV6UHWG9bk5XL7f29vrURVZBJsnOGzHcK3khY/s400/11.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here's another one for good measure.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujrzxYFdtSiNOivQVDsN3Xn21Nf9QT5ZwSet92xZfSxZVdy-d3UOhW8Eb1f_dWwYh_-6ZKaX1JB3BCXiFJTX-4x4h2QvjXG5570Wowm5R3sXdam51JF9CowRLM2SdSQZg0vdeBMD3O7E/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujrzxYFdtSiNOivQVDsN3Xn21Nf9QT5ZwSet92xZfSxZVdy-d3UOhW8Eb1f_dWwYh_-6ZKaX1JB3BCXiFJTX-4x4h2QvjXG5570Wowm5R3sXdam51JF9CowRLM2SdSQZg0vdeBMD3O7E/s400/12.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is one of my favorites. Our little Amelia riding the butterfly ride all by herself. Also, be sure to check out the guy without a shirt in the background. Classy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYf7rCqUtzsTnt2Qxyiw2BEbKMuhSz3Szp7pQSkPIVkwccd3PLx0-Ueu9U0dmzF7vBlQCJimRgaZLTL9F1QYn1QA812Mcut6zl4Qr1q1Jm_4IXXW14GqXXmNPCcjmgpduCUWlPhgeVoQ/s1600/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYf7rCqUtzsTnt2Qxyiw2BEbKMuhSz3Szp7pQSkPIVkwccd3PLx0-Ueu9U0dmzF7vBlQCJimRgaZLTL9F1QYn1QA812Mcut6zl4Qr1q1Jm_4IXXW14GqXXmNPCcjmgpduCUWlPhgeVoQ/s400/13.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here's a picture of Elin being Elin. Chewing on Kitty and reaching for the camera. That pretty much sums it up. Olivia was here too, but she took a nice nap so I don't have any Livi pictures!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Fare thee well!!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-66372378347231832002011-02-08T23:45:00.000-08:002011-02-08T23:45:23.951-08:00So I took an extended holiday break…<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_7e2K78d2TOT8LlDBl1TEe_03oH7KqxNU2bv20Ni7FgNGTu4NRmu2LH8UcHYUoZ5oZ5Hpi9uheYENRu8RkxBoPGhY7A9EW0ghfOV7UQfAGBh2zU2-F7EYziTVvvnJQ60i-xSccLMq1I/s1600/b7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_7e2K78d2TOT8LlDBl1TEe_03oH7KqxNU2bv20Ni7FgNGTu4NRmu2LH8UcHYUoZ5oZ5Hpi9uheYENRu8RkxBoPGhY7A9EW0ghfOV7UQfAGBh2zU2-F7EYziTVvvnJQ60i-xSccLMq1I/s200/b7.jpg" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elin sleeping through the hike.</td></tr>
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</span></span></div>…yes, yes, I know the holiday season ended almost 6 weeks ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What can I say, other than I just got out of the habit of blogging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m going to try to do better, but no promises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I want to write today about our new family hobby: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>hiking!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yep, we found a baby-hiker-backpack-contraption on Craigslist and hit the old dusty (and rocky and sometimes steep) trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m really proud of us because for the past two weekends we’ve ventured out to explore the mountains that we admire every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My major turning point was when I realized that hiking is just walking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To me, the term “hiking” always sounded completely intimidating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It meant scaling boulders and shuffling along the edges of steep cliffs, until I realized that it could also just mean walking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t have to start with the cliff shuffling, you can work up to that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After two weekends, we’re not quite to the Grand Canyon North Rim to South Rim hike yet, but here’s where we are and I’m really proud of it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Week 1: Pima Canyon to the Dam</b> – 6.4 miles round trip – 850’ elevation change – approx. 3.25 hours<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Week 2: Seven Falls</b> – 8.2 miles round trip – 650’ elevation change – approx. 4.25 hours<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I put the arrow here to point out the people to give a sense of scale.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I swear we didn't plan on matching. We're not "that couple".</td></tr>
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</span></span></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-41148169577342376792010-12-12T21:05:00.000-08:002010-12-12T21:05:51.155-08:00:-)<div style="background-color: #e9e9e9; width: 567px;">Please, oh please, enjoy this. I enjoy it very much.<br />
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<div style="margin-top: 6px; text-align: center; width: 435px;">Personalize funny videos and birthday <a href="http://sendables.jibjab.com/ecards">eCards</a> at JibJab!</div></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-68450107209488646372010-12-07T12:46:00.000-08:002010-12-07T14:01:58.108-08:00If you give a mouse a cookie...<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Okay, so hopefully you all know that children’s book, “If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk. When you give him the milk, he’s going to ask for a straw"…and it goes on and on and on. Well, that was me this weekend with the wreath. I finished the wreath that I was sick of working on, so I wanted to hang it on the door to admire it. I hung it on the door and all I saw was a pretty wreath hanging on an ugly orangey-peachy-brownish door. So I decided to paint the door, you know, to go with the wreath. Well, since I had to get all the painting supplies out anyway, and since I was already at Lowes looking at paint colors, I decided to go ahead and paint our nightstands that I’d been meaning to do for a while now. And that will bring us to today’s blog post. Yep. Basically this weekend consisted of me handing the baby over to Matt, while I was scurrying around trying to get as much done as I possibly could. <br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m pretty proud of these nightstands because they originally came from craigslist. I love craigslist. I think these were $30, for both. And actually, they weren’t even technically nightstands, they were office storage. The inside shelves are still labeled things like “outgoing mail” and “copies”. (I leave the labels there because I think they’re funny) Anyway, when I bought them they had been spray painted brown. I actually didn’t mind the brown, but I knew I would eventually paint them a different color. They aren’t anything fancy, or finely crafted, but that’s what makes the painting fun. No pressure, if you totally mess up, you’re out $30 and go back to putting the alarm clocks on upside-down laundry baskets, which is what we used until I found these babies. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So I went with a color called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">La Fonda Ortiz Gold</i>. I’ll be honest. I picked it purely because of the name. My door, by the way, was painted <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Purple Basil</i>, and I only needed one quart of each color. So after the color was chosen, I headed over to the hardware section. I was tremendously disappointed with the selection at Lowes, I couldn’t find a single pull handle that I liked. I did, however, find some knobs that were okay. Since the original hardware was a pull handle, I just bought two knobs for each door, and I’m really happy with the way they turned out. The four knobs together remind me of buttons on a pea coat. So I’m very pleased with my mini-renovations this week, and now I’m going to start thinking about next weekend.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The painting begins!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost done!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another after photo</td></tr>
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</div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-32884818348207476012010-12-06T15:39:00.000-08:002010-12-06T16:35:42.703-08:00A Cheap Wreath Idea…<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLN1dVfCw-zT0CnmS8uvVTLc8_ilfHmPaU76ec6u6kPE2kNzbGgcFEla7aBEkYQw08mn78sruZC01uIh-S_g6HF_oP61vXJwqkSGMwXiBb2S03BrMROWXflTMr0GBxURyF_bFDZH7Q7D4/s1600/1-IMG_2145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLN1dVfCw-zT0CnmS8uvVTLc8_ilfHmPaU76ec6u6kPE2kNzbGgcFEla7aBEkYQw08mn78sruZC01uIh-S_g6HF_oP61vXJwqkSGMwXiBb2S03BrMROWXflTMr0GBxURyF_bFDZH7Q7D4/s400/1-IMG_2145.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So I was actually wanting to make this wreath for fall/Thanksgiving, but I didn’t get it finished until last week, so now it’s a Christmas wreath. I saw the idea on <a href="http://www.dana-made-it.com/2010/11/autumn-acorn-tutorials.html">Made</a>, where Dana made a wreath sort of like this but out of acorns. I love the acorns, and they would have been even cheaper than the beans, if I lived near some trees that dropped acorns. But at $1.29 for a bag of great northern beans, a Styrofoam wreath and some stuff I already had, you can’t beat a new wreath for under $5. Now there is a catch. It takes A LOT of time and patience, but if you do a little bit each night, who am I kidding, it still takes forever. But eventually, it’s done, even if it’s not for the holiday you intended. Which brings me to my next point about my bean wreath……I’m going to try to use it for every holiday this year. On <a href="http://www.dana-made-it.com/2010/11/autumn-acorn-tutorials.html">Made</a>, Dana just painted it different colors when she wanted a new look. So in the interest of making the most of this thing, I’m going to paint it a new color each month. I’ll keep you posted.</div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJ-vfYKgeU25TM9s9-14B49b41wP74qpsFCDyylHgsqpLhexv7V9aO_FaYS6QyjoJKEwmesr1NFcver_oQiaFYbbJOByNW9snh3Ha2Pp5NN_Qgb_59SY3enmGo0KTGt1cCa17iaJGgQo/s1600/2-IMG_2147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJ-vfYKgeU25TM9s9-14B49b41wP74qpsFCDyylHgsqpLhexv7V9aO_FaYS6QyjoJKEwmesr1NFcver_oQiaFYbbJOByNW9snh3Ha2Pp5NN_Qgb_59SY3enmGo0KTGt1cCa17iaJGgQo/s400/2-IMG_2147.jpg" width="300" /></a>If you’re interested in making one yourself, it’s really easy. Here’s what you’ll need:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">-styrofoam wreath base (use a 40% off coupon from the Sunday paper at Michaels)</div><div class="MsoNormal">-one 16oz. bag of beans, I bought two, but didn’t even use a whole bag. I chose Great Northern for the color, but pick whatever color you’d like.</div><div class="MsoNormal">-glue, lots of it. I like Aileen’s tacky glue. You need something thicker than regular white glue.</div><div class="MsoNormal">-spray paint is optional</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span> You can really use any type of Styrofoam wreath base, I chose the more squared off edges just because I liked the look of it. I chose to paint my wreath with black spray paint, just so I couldn’t see the white Styrofoam. I already had black spray paint, but if I didn’t I probably would have just left it white, it’s up to you.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Start gluing beans! I started with a diagonal line of beans going from edge to edge. I found it was faster to put a lot of glue in a 2 or 3 inch section and then just do as many rows as I could before the glue dried. Also, because my wreath base is flat, I didn’t glue any beans on the back, just 3 sides. I found it was helpful to kind of push each bean into the styrofoam to help it hold better.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">3.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Keep gluing beans! You’ll find that you need to adjust your pattern as you go around the wreath. I tried to pick out the smaller beans for the rows closer to the center and saved the larger ones for the outside rows. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">4.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Get a glass of wine and then keep…….gluing……..beans……one day it will be over. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">5.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Horray! I used a ribbon to hang mine because I liked the look but also because once it’s done, it can be kind of heavy. You could also use some wire or a traditional wreath hanger. Let me know if you have any questions! Enjoy!</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br />
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</div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-56472951212815379772010-12-01T10:16:00.000-08:002010-12-01T15:55:29.207-08:00Oh, you better watch out...<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">My sister and I can remember when we were little, in the middle of the summer, one of us would start to act up and Grandma Graham would just start to quietly sing, “Oh, you better watch out…you better not cry….”. That reminder that the omnipotent Santa was watching us was all that we needed to make us good for goodness sake. It didn’t matter what time of the year it was. I like the idea of this sort of psychological weaponry for children. That’s why I’m fully planning on using this little trick on Elin. In order to use it though, she also has to know who Santa is, not only that, but she probably needs to meet with him each year. She can report on her behavior for the past year (or ¾ year in this case) and they can discuss toys and just in general get caught up with each other. Lucky for us, Santa is taking some time out of his busiest toy production season to hang out at the Park Place Mall. I hear he really likes the kiosk that sells the crocs. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">So last Sunday we psyched ourselves up enough to brave the mall traffic, mall parking lot, mall people and the mall germs (yes, there were grown adults coughing and sneezing without the slightest concern for covering their mouths. Where do these people come from?) We figured that if Santa could make the trip all the way from the North Pole to Tucson, the least we could do would be drive the mall closest to our house. So we did, and we stood in line, which surprisingly only took about 30 minutes or so. We got to watch kids meet with Santa, which is always fun because most of them freak out. A lot of you already know this, but I LOVE pictures of kids crying on Santa’s lap. It’s just so funny to me because I don’t blame these children one bit. From a child’s perspective the whole process is just absurd. The best part about these pictures is that the parents (myself included) go to so much effort for the kids to look nice. And we’re all standing in line trying to keep the kids clean and picture worthy. By the time it’s actually your turn there’s so much built up to these few seconds with Santa, and then the kid gets freaked out and just starts wailing, but Santa smiles anyway, making the picture that much funnier. I love it. So what does my kid do? She says, “See ya Mom! Why hello sir. My name is Elin and I’d be happy to sit on your lap for a picture if you have a spare moment.” No crying, not even a wimper. We got some good pictures and also a long conversation about talking to strangers. Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</span></span></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-27106523561141774422010-11-30T20:11:00.000-08:002010-11-30T20:11:59.044-08:00Yes, I'm still here.<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hi, my name is Stacy and it’s been 3 weeks since my last post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Incidentally, about three weeks ago Elin became mobile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, REALLY mobile – and not just horizontally, but vertically too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s climbing up anything she can get her hands on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We definitely weren’t thinking about babies when we decided to go with polished concrete floors in our living room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sorry Elin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So yeah, that oh-so-cute video we have of her pulling herself up for the first time is actually footage of my daytime blogging days ending.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Goodbye daily blogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m going to do the best I can after she goes to bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpD6G6uOHxDg0g6tSQouQbXBnRhfMhDpUa0b6CLTqQ05tf0J7cA0PxcU6kuiBnDmsJqmGPgNrFRNMZZOTd67ZanbSauppzx38QjAyd2-EHsirLB_jTGC72yFc-M-n5M3tMUt_6L2a5yo/s1600/IMG_2019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpD6G6uOHxDg0g6tSQouQbXBnRhfMhDpUa0b6CLTqQ05tf0J7cA0PxcU6kuiBnDmsJqmGPgNrFRNMZZOTd67ZanbSauppzx38QjAyd2-EHsirLB_jTGC72yFc-M-n5M3tMUt_6L2a5yo/s400/IMG_2019.JPG" width="400" /></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So I guess a lot has happened in three weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot for us, anyways, which might not be saying much. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last week I made my very first Thanksgiving meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a million calls home to ask about recipes and turkey roasting, I actually did a pretty good job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was just a lot of work for dinner for only 3 people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Matt and I are SICK of turkey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last night I made “chicken” enchiladas with more leftover turkey, but we just could bare to even call them turkey enchiladas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made apple salad (which was a staple at every holiday meal growing up), sweet potatoes (Elin’s favorite), mashed potatoes, TWO kinds of stuffing, corn, green beans, gravy, and turkey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All from scratch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My turkey didn’t look pretty (or even close to pretty), but it tasted good (for the first 20 meals or so….).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About two hours into the roasting process I checked on it and noticed that the red and white pop-up thermometer was gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I couldn’t figure it out until I realized that I was cooking the turkey upside down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Matt and I each had a pair of tongs and forks and we got him flipped the right way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the back side of my turkey was nice and pretty and brown and the front side looked like boiled poultry (because that’s exactly what it was).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless of me not knowing which turkey side goes up, it still tasted good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a few pictures, notice that the corn isn’t<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in the pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t until we were eating that we remembered the corn in the microwave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Graham family will like that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I swear, we really did forget.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Well, I hope all of you had a lovely Thanksgiving like we did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll be sure to keep posting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-12083469220718891102010-11-12T16:23:00.000-08:002010-11-12T16:23:06.043-08:00She has a new trick...<object style="background-image:url(http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/6DGyUIg6nMo/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6DGyUIg6nMo?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6DGyUIg6nMo?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="480" height="295" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object><br />
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<object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-SjldrByz1c?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-SjldrByz1c?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="480" height="295" allowScriptAccess="never" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-41108864626960425182010-11-11T12:52:00.000-08:002010-11-11T12:52:08.842-08:00Happy Veteran's Day!I haven't posted much this week because honestly, I haven't really had anything worth posting about. I've been catching up on house stuff and Elin is crawling EVERYWHERE. I've been baby wrangling like crazy, in addition to the crawling, my kid doesn't sleep. She sleeps at night, which I LOVE, but she doesn't nap during the day. A good nap-day will consist of two half hour naps. I'm jealous of those of you with babies that take two or three hour naps at a time. That means you, Ali. :-) <br />
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Anyway, I do have something to blog about today because it's Veteran's Day! This is a very important day that I think should get more attention. It's especially meaningful to me because my grandpa, George Graham is a WWII veteran. Recently, my home town newspaper wrote an article about my grandpa that I would like to share on my blog today. It's hard for me to picture the kind, gentle man that I know as my grandpa in a situation as gruesome and ugly as war. But he did it, and our country is better for it. <a href="http://www.nevadadailymail.com/story/1676727.html">Here </a>is his story:<br />
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<b>George Graham--Forward Observer Scout</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnd_-k19MBicalb1uNhCU4nc90iI9-GeGTesjt_V0wn4W6dmJgYgm6BDsZzEw7o3AlNgORrsrRupn7crHhDYp7VqAcxs9ms0dLdrAbeP4R6Vf402iaFn4yv30EMkP2DNPwasI_W8IlwQ/s1600/1403381-H.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnd_-k19MBicalb1uNhCU4nc90iI9-GeGTesjt_V0wn4W6dmJgYgm6BDsZzEw7o3AlNgORrsrRupn7crHhDYp7VqAcxs9ms0dLdrAbeP4R6Vf402iaFn4yv30EMkP2DNPwasI_W8IlwQ/s640/1403381-H.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>"Combat war is bad," said World War II veteran</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i> George Graham. </i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Graham quit college at the Missouri University at Columbia in December 1942, and enlisted in the regular Army and chose to be in field artillery. He felt this would be his most valuable service using what he had learned as a member of the ROTC at college.</i></span><br />
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<div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>He was sent to Ft. Sill, Okla. for three months of boot camp from December to February. He said the boot camp wasn't much of a challenge for a farm boy, but the wind sure blew cold in Oklahoma. He thought he was living pretty high on that $25 a month.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br />
He was transferred to the 691st Field Artillery at Ft. Sill for a year of training. His next stop was across the border at Camp Howze, Texas. Camp was a few tar paper huts in open desert. "This was a staging area to separate the ones who would make it and after they had us weeded out, the ones left got training poured on," Graham said. It was hot in Texas and he had to work long hours.</i></span><div><i></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><i><br />
</i></span></span><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>After the specialized training, Graham and his battalion were loaded on trucks and taken to the railroad station. He found himself speeding along on a train and wound up at Camp Myles Standish near Boston, Mass. Here he was rushed through a mass of inspections, classes and training. Medics were busy sharpening their needles and he was given shots. It was a busy three weeks.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>They prepared for port knowing "THIS IS IT." They left Camp Myles Standish on a Railroad Troop Train and after a few hours boarded ship. In August, after D-Day in June 1941, they crossed the English Channel and landed at Omaha Beach at Cherbourg, France. They were put aboard Landing Ship Tanks and dropped in convoys onto the beach. The roar of the battle and artillery was overwhelming.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Graham had been promoted to a scout in forward observation. His duty was to help direct the fire. He spent a lot of time looking through a BC Scope -- a powerful binocular. He carried binoculars which had to be under his field jacket when not in use. A glint of sunlight off the glass made him an instant target for a German gun. He was in the A Battery of the 691st Field Artillery Battalion. There were three gun batteries in a battalion with 4 guns in each battery making 12 howitzers in all. The battalion also included headquarters battery who sent orders to the guns and service battery which provided supplies.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>They camped in the hedge rows of France for a few days and regrouped before being moved up to the front lines to fight. The forward observing crew consisted of the scout, radio operator and a lieutenant. Graham said he lost three lieutenants during his time of service. It was a dangerous and stressful time. They supported a lot of divisions, but most of the time was spent with the 84th Infantry Division.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>"War is fought day and night. There is no stopping," Grahm said. Tears glinted in Graham's eyes as he remembered. "It was a foxhole war. We crawled on our bellies in combat. Since I was out front of the battery, many days I was hungry because all the food I got was what I could carry and if I couldn't get back to camp, I didn't eat."</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>When they crossed the Rhine River on a pontoon bridge, they relieved a unit of British commandos. They were assisting the 9th Army at this time. One night, a 50-man combat patrol took all night liberating a city having crawled across a blown-out bridge to get there. They had been up all night getting there, and after the liberation, a man came running to greet them. They were so happy to see Americans and be liberated from the German occupation.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>There was a church nearby where Catholic nuns had patients. They made a place for the troops to sleep in the basement and fed them before they left. Next morning it was back to war.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Once they camped in an apple orchard and were terrified when German V-2 rockets came over low. "They buzzed and made a pulsing sound and at night had flames. A horrible sight," Graham said.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>The Battle the Bulge began just before Christmas. "I can still hear the roar of guns, tanks, and artillery in my mind -- some noises and images are burned into it. I could feel the concussion of the ground," he said. Their Christmas packages never did catch up with them.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>S</i><i>omehow, Graham's battalion was cut off. The Germans went through the line on their right and cut off supplies. They were firing behind them. They still had some communication and were given orders to destroy the guns if the Germans came. The Germans didn't come, but they were isolated for two weeks without any supplies, food, or ammunition. There was a foot of snow on the ground. They slept in old fox holes, or bombed-out buildings, anything to get a bit of protection. "I went for three or four days without a bite of food. Finally, a British unit showed up and shared food, drinks, crackers."</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>"I had great admiration for the medics," Graham said. "They showed brave action in the care of the wounded. There was a tent field hospital in the area with a medic. I spent a week in one with frozen feet."</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>The last big battle Graham remembers was called the Dortmund Pocket. "We had several thousand German troops in a pocket of land and had them surrounded on all sides. Some eventually surrendered, but many chose to fight to the end. It was a tough place to be, but I was just doing my job."</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ45hibwum2K9JRxBkL5XB5baAXR5B2cR_W_KltdUArg4Sro_sbrhyphenhyphencVDSvRAlWkH7U2v_04Y0pZcQh-J215YyRarq8Q-Q_OB4NkkBFKRTfKdNdDGcJIP6-wxGcB8ChRmKQHFmdQTjBSU/s1600/1403380-H.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ45hibwum2K9JRxBkL5XB5baAXR5B2cR_W_KltdUArg4Sro_sbrhyphenhyphencVDSvRAlWkH7U2v_04Y0pZcQh-J215YyRarq8Q-Q_OB4NkkBFKRTfKdNdDGcJIP6-wxGcB8ChRmKQHFmdQTjBSU/s320/1403380-H.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>After the war was over, Graham was discharged in 1946. He returned home and married Sibyl Tolman at Rogersville, Mo., June 6, 1948. He graduated from MU in 1949 with a master's degree in dairy production in 1950. He taught veterans at Braymer in 1950-'51 and moved to Nevada in 1964, to become director of the University Extension Center in Vernon County. He retired from the Extension in 1985.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Graham was born and grew up on a farm near Fair Grove, Mo., and learned to milk cows by hand at an early age. Even though that wasn't his favorite job, he preferred it to combat fighting in war. The Grahams have three sons and one daughter and are enjoying retirement in Nevada.</i></div><br />
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Thank you to Naomi Foreman and the <a href="http://www.nevadadailymail.com/">Nevada Daily Mail</a> for celebrating Grandpa's story. And most importantly, thank you to my Grandpa Graham for being a hero, I'm so proud to be your granddaughter and I don't think any of us can thank you enough. I love you!</div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-89746946299161334962010-11-08T13:14:00.000-08:002010-11-08T13:17:43.852-08:00Speaking of cheap crap, I mean crafts…<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRX398uzehXADKDM6KZAWin4Rl1C86eT_xGv8xC3nGWjSIyjnSG7QF9Zj_wplI8EZMndQoTHy8K2IwIY-6bLnW96sA_jvBqD61c64Gd0xHT6j6rkthbNKD_AQ19qx9_LFLlQ4KYJJeolo/s1600/1-IMG_1943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRX398uzehXADKDM6KZAWin4Rl1C86eT_xGv8xC3nGWjSIyjnSG7QF9Zj_wplI8EZMndQoTHy8K2IwIY-6bLnW96sA_jvBqD61c64Gd0xHT6j6rkthbNKD_AQ19qx9_LFLlQ4KYJJeolo/s400/1-IMG_1943.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiW-Y6Bh2whq9Nr09eGofeSbxsqcCBlHnMP6l4W3CeMQNFhfkD6J0VLhSk_5zc2Gffuwiek3flkIr5AT0XKTLU7h4Ql5-h6KYdeTSXjPN-6MbEXcfTxep587sCu8BipiytI5yn4C9ZAk/s1600/2-IMG_1946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiW-Y6Bh2whq9Nr09eGofeSbxsqcCBlHnMP6l4W3CeMQNFhfkD6J0VLhSk_5zc2Gffuwiek3flkIr5AT0XKTLU7h4Ql5-h6KYdeTSXjPN-6MbEXcfTxep587sCu8BipiytI5yn4C9ZAk/s320/2-IMG_1946.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I made these this weekend. It’s been a few days, I know. I was sick last week, which really sucked, and then we had an unproductive, lazy, nothing-to-do weekend. We haven’t had one of those weekends in a long time, so it was nice. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I did however try a new craft project this weekend that I saw on Martha Stewart. In the spirit of my previous post, I decided to make <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/article/magazine-christmas-trees?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/easy-holiday-crafts#slide_16">these</a> Christmas Trees out of recycled magazines. I chose these because they’re cheap to make. Really cheap. Like, all you need is an old magazine cheap. It’s a lot of folding, but that comes in handy when your husband is watching his fourth show about sharks in a row. In fact, I think it was the shark marathon that inspired me to go looking for a craft in the first place. Anyway, these were really easy and pretty quick. And we’ve already established that they’re cheap. The only drawback is that I’m just not sure how I feel about them. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YzM9f0MpHz-rtFnoBBhGBR3YEl5n5iy-PRhG_yVY03GX__VZoC_jjuXI31l8XnZIteC4ewTztj4zMQ955Y2RxsiIXTJQGArIVmO1YAcErb7PDtYZhXDUbBjXQedvGUzLIR97IVMN_yg/s1600/3-IMG_1951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3YzM9f0MpHz-rtFnoBBhGBR3YEl5n5iy-PRhG_yVY03GX__VZoC_jjuXI31l8XnZIteC4ewTztj4zMQ955Y2RxsiIXTJQGArIVmO1YAcErb7PDtYZhXDUbBjXQedvGUzLIR97IVMN_yg/s200/3-IMG_1951.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">As Amy said last week, </span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Crafting is about recycling old materials and reforming them into simple somethings that nobody needs</i>”. Well put, Amy. I’m not really sure what I was expecting, they definitely look like old magazines that have been folded, and they are conical in shape, sort of like Christmas trees I guess. They just don’t look like Martha’s. I know I haven’t painted them or anything, I’m not sure if I want to spend the money on the paint. I made three of them, I think with each new one I was hoping it would look cooler than the first one. I used 3 different sizes of magazines, and you really can’t tell much of a difference. I don’t know. I’ll let you know if I decide to take the next step and paint them. Otherwise, they might be the prettiest magazines in the recycling bin. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Hope you all had a nice weekend!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</span></span></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-62699738822886726382010-11-03T17:01:00.000-07:002010-11-03T18:12:28.130-07:00Amy Sedaris has a new book!<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREZMN35zRl4uZkdSlCsqZHAdWM4Z7OW_oMpRHWVnlsEgoltlTrupxp0bLv50razkYzl9jbtUIJwuIpRT_7wWYTNNqC3DL9r39YhWa5FHuRhp0kzxiObJKRipf1aoSs_whbc6ANPBkn-0/s1600/10849-simpletimes_head.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREZMN35zRl4uZkdSlCsqZHAdWM4Z7OW_oMpRHWVnlsEgoltlTrupxp0bLv50razkYzl9jbtUIJwuIpRT_7wWYTNNqC3DL9r39YhWa5FHuRhp0kzxiObJKRipf1aoSs_whbc6ANPBkn-0/s400/10849-simpletimes_head.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCNigkdCTO90DEbU5aSxX8x_bKZaNX8nBVPShQhyphenhyphen3ZcuSOEaoR8P1rfyO4HlVJOEI6_6jSk6braShyWmmn7HQx8Rs9XRE0ol6eKyfsXbbKx8uOeWo2TX3ONiSXSr12urGqkF1cJ9bo02U/s1600/peanuthead3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCNigkdCTO90DEbU5aSxX8x_bKZaNX8nBVPShQhyphenhyphen3ZcuSOEaoR8P1rfyO4HlVJOEI6_6jSk6braShyWmmn7HQx8Rs9XRE0ol6eKyfsXbbKx8uOeWo2TX3ONiSXSr12urGqkF1cJ9bo02U/s200/peanuthead3.jpg" width="176" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay, I LOVE Amy Sedaris. Her humor is definitely unique, and maybe not for everybody, but I love it. Remember the show ‘Strangers With Candy’? That’s Amy Sedaris as Jerri Blank. Anyway, I found a fun interview on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/">Esty</a> with Amy about her new upcoming book. It’s called ‘<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Times-Crafts-Poor-People/dp/044655703X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288828787&sr=8-1">Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People</a>’. Since I haven’t read the book yet, I’ll just direct you to <a href="http://www.etsy.com/storque/handmade-life/simple-times-crafts-for-poor-people-10849/?ref=fp_blog_title">this </a>link.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPlwLYOv7ZuwFgJKdg6rApQpRtrZtUcCyJd4EDGZr7QOG522bwuJkt-xRN2CbSKhvAj_lS84Cl05eW7hSuj6e7-nNwI47ORdQyWcs5vzu9OKL8RD14dw_1PkxrB8ocqfwt600xBVrEA8/s1600/can.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPlwLYOv7ZuwFgJKdg6rApQpRtrZtUcCyJd4EDGZr7QOG522bwuJkt-xRN2CbSKhvAj_lS84Cl05eW7hSuj6e7-nNwI47ORdQyWcs5vzu9OKL8RD14dw_1PkxrB8ocqfwt600xBVrEA8/s320/can.jpg" width="262" /></a><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will, however, share a couple of my favorite quotes from the interview-<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>“Crafting is about recycling old materials and reforming them into simple somethings that nobody needs” </i><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And (this is an excerpt from the book)…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When asked where ideas come from, Amy answers<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black; line-height: 115%;"> <i>“</i></span></span><span style="color: black; line-height: 115%;"><i>There are hundreds of dozens of ways to stimulate your brain so the creative juices flow. Rummage through a dumpster. Look at old album covers. Spend time at a Renaissance faire. Find new friends who have better ideas than your old friends.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><i><br />
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</i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">In case you're not familiar with Amy, here are some clips of her on The Martha Stewart Show and Letterman. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> I have her first book, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Like-You-Hospitality-Under-Influence/dp/0446696773/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1288828787&sr=8-3">‘I like you: Hospitality Under the Influence</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">’, and I’m sure I’ll probably get this one too, because I just can’t get enough of Amy Sedaris. Enjoy!</span><br />
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</span></span></div><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/m8xEAIF1cgU?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/m8xEAIF1cgU?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-70232975209278205762010-11-02T13:18:00.000-07:002010-11-02T13:18:23.510-07:00“Trick-or-treat!...Thank you!...This is mine!”<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1dUaAb380ymbGpjx7sAgmHTN9xkiOolaG5E_cCDc275K12uNPqr15ly-MWEAl76uDFVRbBvXUuN712Z_5NMOFGWG5G_ctjKfEeQTD-SN9_dz6bn_tUIwZ3CbHxov7HFoFt1rIoGiozI/s1600/IMG_1864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE1dUaAb380ymbGpjx7sAgmHTN9xkiOolaG5E_cCDc275K12uNPqr15ly-MWEAl76uDFVRbBvXUuN712Z_5NMOFGWG5G_ctjKfEeQTD-SN9_dz6bn_tUIwZ3CbHxov7HFoFt1rIoGiozI/s320/IMG_1864.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everybody playing together.</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Well, Elin’s first Halloween was a success -as successful as it can be for a six month old anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She kept her hat on and made it to about 3 houses before she fell asleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I’d say she did a pretty good job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t blame her, I think we were all ready to fall asleep around 7:30 that night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I mentioned in my previous post, Jon, Ali and the girls came down on Saturday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We pretty much took it easy on Saturday which was nice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sunday is another story though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We started Sunday off bright and early by getting up at 5:15am, and if any of you know us, you know that’s not exactly how we like to roll.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was for a good reason though, Humana sponsored a water and first aid tent for a cancer walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ended up helping out in the tent passing out water and sunscreen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was very early, but it was a beautiful day and it was crazy how many people were there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was all over by 9:30, but it felt like noon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went home and I think everybody tried to catch a little nap, some more successfully than others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vWqdkpHfCO3OhVWiqDF3YXJBxjHJB4vqotCK7q8MpYPB43CZenRBy07WUGJfxvBQOsRhS4xiiUmInpa0s2MAjopRqIRlIOCvdu4zXe6EAKnlI9BxAz2TOB751YUXMvqi9z3Rg4jGZG0/s1600/IMG_1869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vWqdkpHfCO3OhVWiqDF3YXJBxjHJB4vqotCK7q8MpYPB43CZenRBy07WUGJfxvBQOsRhS4xiiUmInpa0s2MAjopRqIRlIOCvdu4zXe6EAKnlI9BxAz2TOB751YUXMvqi9z3Rg4jGZG0/s320/IMG_1869.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elin exploring the awesome pumpkin messiness.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By early afternoon, we were ready to carve pumpkins!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We kicked it old school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No templates or “pumpkin carving tool kits” or battery operated “candle” lights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just some steak knives and a bowl for the pumpkin guts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will admit that I started out a little too ambitious by sketching a frilly design on mine first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once I realized the dexterity that the steak knife allowed, I “erased” my sketch with some rubbing alcohol and went at it freehand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The girls loved it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Livi and Elin wondered what in the world we were doing, but they liked feeling the slimy seeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elin immediately tried to eat them. I knew she would.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amelia is an old pro and helped her dad scrape the inside of her pumpkin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the pumpkins were transformed into jack-o-lanterns we lit the candles and took some pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then it was bath time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then it was costume time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then it was picture time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then……..then it was time to trick-or-treat!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkeY7NVaIQskBepRckNFbIhGk-UNDVP-8v9NbAzIHpIM3iFMwAl2fpa-SkHimBkz5SaUi1Ku1SDtdnuHo8KBfhO9Z9izZIOxZdN_4Uq6isRSmfn5rJ73Bgq2L9g5n0c3wKDMVPi1xiEM/s1600/IMG_1881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkeY7NVaIQskBepRckNFbIhGk-UNDVP-8v9NbAzIHpIM3iFMwAl2fpa-SkHimBkz5SaUi1Ku1SDtdnuHo8KBfhO9Z9izZIOxZdN_4Uq6isRSmfn5rJ73Bgq2L9g5n0c3wKDMVPi1xiEM/s320/IMG_1881.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished products.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As I previously mentioned, Elin tapped out pretty quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Livi, in typical ‘Livi style’, quietly observed everything and sweetly watched her sister take charge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amelia was a trick-or-treating star (as long as there were no dogs that ran her over as soon as the door would open).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’d say “tickoteet!!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and then politely follow up with a “tankoo”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and then as we were walking to the next house, she’d tell her dad very clearly, “this is mine”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole day was pretty great, actually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A very successful Halloween.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDV_FnlHxTK0ImkPfUYvpvQm4EdblsLfE_LqUXydxfzAObWEHc3LJ2AG6CRqdIVrJgR3hSe6LlZP0UHFzjzAo00Cq4l2mUVLARXhgUjfZEB6jeVE52_9PU0A09FnMjOq_O9Iep3QEBpxo/s1600/IMG_1897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDV_FnlHxTK0ImkPfUYvpvQm4EdblsLfE_LqUXydxfzAObWEHc3LJ2AG6CRqdIVrJgR3hSe6LlZP0UHFzjzAo00Cq4l2mUVLARXhgUjfZEB6jeVE52_9PU0A09FnMjOq_O9Iep3QEBpxo/s640/IMG_1897.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amelia and Olivia together are a flower garden! And Elin is a little pterodactyl, because she screeches like a pterodactyl.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lil' T-Dac.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Action shot! Trick-or-treating.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just thought this was a cool picture.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tapped out.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like her little tail.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty girls.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying.</td></tr>
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</span></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-68637077142807109182010-10-29T18:14:00.000-07:002010-11-02T12:18:45.092-07:00(*cue music*) It’s beginning to look a lot like…..Halloween!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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</div>Well, there’s nothing like waiting until the last minute, especially for Halloween decorations that I’ll need to take down in three days. I haven’t really done a lot of Halloween décor in the past, but now that Elin is here, I feel like I should. Or maybe she’s just my excuse for it, I don’t know. Also, it’s not just Elin. Our friends, Jon, Ali and their girls are coming down from Phoenix for Halloween. It has sort of become a family tradition to celebrate Halloween with them. It’s a tradition that has grown in population each year, because the first year it was 4 adults and one little baby – Amelia. Last year it was 2 adult men, 2 pregnant women and 1 bigger baby - still Amelia. This year we’re ready to trick-or-treat with 4 adults and 3 little girls - Amelia, Olivia and Elin. I’m just hoping that these statistics aren’t linear. They should start rounding off any time. I’ll be sure to update my blog with lots of pictures. Until then, here is what I’ve done so far to prepare for Halloween.<o:p></o:p><br />
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</o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Pumpkins!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8R1g5Y6M0TjvX8hqjnv_jDLV0vQImbRr7I85bI3NgZ-KnlFKycZpzqT-nJXIoMawKsgRx_VnEYrZm45W37r7Qiz4TjAs7dAgQy6UZrxZj8YsJK6BVURDa-REgYJIvaB0q_PTr3MhkUQ/s1600/IMG_1795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_8R1g5Y6M0TjvX8hqjnv_jDLV0vQImbRr7I85bI3NgZ-KnlFKycZpzqT-nJXIoMawKsgRx_VnEYrZm45W37r7Qiz4TjAs7dAgQy6UZrxZj8YsJK6BVURDa-REgYJIvaB0q_PTr3MhkUQ/s320/IMG_1795.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Yes, I know, these aren’t REAL pumpkins. These are the foam ones from Michaels that I love. The first year we were in Arizona, I discovered the hard way that if you spend hours carving an incredibly detailed jack-o-lantern a week before Halloween, by the next night it will start to curl in on itself until it eventually just collapses and starts to smell. Yep. You’d better take lots of pictures of your pumpkin the night you carve it because they just don’t have much of a life span in 94 degree heat. Yes, it was 94 degrees today. Sooo……I turned to my good friends, the foam pumpkins that never die. I do a new one each year, and this year I honored the bats. I really enjoy bringing out my pumpkins from Halloweens past. I just wonder down the road, say 10 years or so, if Matt is willing to build me a pumpkin shed to house them all. If he loves me he will. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">J</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</span></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-24881128908474946982010-10-28T16:35:00.000-07:002010-10-28T16:35:46.444-07:00"Yeah, I'm a big girl drinking from a sippy cup. What?"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYXhKdkWpOn6qIPyAs_cZe-HsoIVEqummDGbDf-B4ypIKIDJUFMWeVD60iADpLO58P1VFOpay9CvDWwwm17OWnWWIRYwCV04KD_FgNHInFt3WdrnDGOv4pyGWoeguzoWaksjrMLYbU2c/s1600/IMG_1788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYXhKdkWpOn6qIPyAs_cZe-HsoIVEqummDGbDf-B4ypIKIDJUFMWeVD60iADpLO58P1VFOpay9CvDWwwm17OWnWWIRYwCV04KD_FgNHInFt3WdrnDGOv4pyGWoeguzoWaksjrMLYbU2c/s640/IMG_1788.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-48988698703452341892010-10-27T21:26:00.000-07:002010-10-27T21:26:17.472-07:00I'm Baa-aaack!!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzy1syvijN6w-Pd89i3hFIR624UwV0Su4_RYhn2lpjpcR-h7c699ufWdxl3NIp0r0f1TUmD8SyFe0u-enQPXqawWdy-FnaWsGtj4Au7VdhWoQ8S3NjbkOwYuKr43MXk8XrJEzrfDjqDI/s1600/IMG_1687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzy1syvijN6w-Pd89i3hFIR624UwV0Su4_RYhn2lpjpcR-h7c699ufWdxl3NIp0r0f1TUmD8SyFe0u-enQPXqawWdy-FnaWsGtj4Au7VdhWoQ8S3NjbkOwYuKr43MXk8XrJEzrfDjqDI/s400/IMG_1687.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our boat.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHZvB3Ie3SYwjpio-sQo_wuv6aLnKlHw2yedK9c3hlZvwm8H2GCLee0ql9WbbL9ic4-zExNJQlsIAaBe1-j3HWqTYAhJ_fkeLv6OIJdlxu_NSOX3qTzCitnAUDjiNi5tNGwGtCkhfr_U/s1600/IMG_1683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguHZvB3Ie3SYwjpio-sQo_wuv6aLnKlHw2yedK9c3hlZvwm8H2GCLee0ql9WbbL9ic4-zExNJQlsIAaBe1-j3HWqTYAhJ_fkeLv6OIJdlxu_NSOX3qTzCitnAUDjiNi5tNGwGtCkhfr_U/s320/IMG_1683.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About to walk onto the boat! Getting excited!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUITO8JZP-MLwvaXbDzhNUDvNwLhuZs169-jJdRuqsnp59Kg87pVW-31KzWA119jBbUG0XyaWsKobKyeqDOhqaFdcre6gdEKWdlav3_OssrqJ37baBkZ0T_3FUA61DsvC6_j1HUpPFEDM/s1600/IMG_1692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUITO8JZP-MLwvaXbDzhNUDvNwLhuZs169-jJdRuqsnp59Kg87pVW-31KzWA119jBbUG0XyaWsKobKyeqDOhqaFdcre6gdEKWdlav3_OssrqJ37baBkZ0T_3FUA61DsvC6_j1HUpPFEDM/s320/IMG_1692.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main lobby. This piano player kind of creeped me out.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">Yes, it’s been a while.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">I should have given an update on my blog before I left but I just didn’t get a chance.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">I, along with my 4 best friends from high school (Alana, Allison, Jessi and Megan) went on a little cruise.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">I’m not going to lie, it was pretty sweet.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">After years of saying, “We all should get together!”</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">and “We should totally go on a trip or something”, we finally did it.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">We’ve been planning this trip for almost a year.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">It started as just something fun to talk about and then it slowly became something that might actually happen.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">After some discussion about what we should do we decided on a 3 day cruise from Miami to the Bahamas.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">This meant that we all met up the day before the cruise in Miami, for a bonus day of fun.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7G39UWOxBtYzbJ0BzVk3GvbK_jKNG_EODfbBKNhG6pNbnwLX22mRKMIIOYyVEDqbJzr8Ws7QgWOpTRRd-PV4av6VfDA6yQZtcdqo62BwgLja7-JYt9RqjCOxWrPCEZwfSEyZMipw8qtE/s1600/IMG_1696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7G39UWOxBtYzbJ0BzVk3GvbK_jKNG_EODfbBKNhG6pNbnwLX22mRKMIIOYyVEDqbJzr8Ws7QgWOpTRRd-PV4av6VfDA6yQZtcdqo62BwgLja7-JYt9RqjCOxWrPCEZwfSEyZMipw8qtE/s320/IMG_1696.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first things each of us enjoyed on the ship.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Even though we bought our tickets in Feburary, I was still in disbelief that this trip would actually happen until all five of us were on that boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But all five of us did make it onto the boat, thankfully.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then the fun began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> As soon as we got there, we each enjoyed the following: Me- a pina colada, Megan-a strawberry daqueri, Allsion-a gin and tonic, Alana-ice cream and coffee, and Jessi- potato salad. Yep. See the picture to the left if you don't believe me. </span>We had some amazing food (like warm chocolate melting cake) and several really expensive drinks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went to a comedy show one night and a dancing/singing show another night (kind of like when Jessi was in Show Choir).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of us went power snorkeling (like James Bond) and we did a lot of laying out in the sun and reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allison rockin' the mic'.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One of my favorite nights though was karaoke night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were a lot of interesting performances, one performer, for example, went by the name, GiGi and wore a brown leather vest with fringe on it that went to the floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was very fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My favorite singer though, by far, was by our very own, Allison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I swear I’m not being biased, she was definitely the best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guy in front of us thought so too, he got really into it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This trip gave me some much needed girl time and while I missed Matt and Elin very much, it was a nice break from all of the poopy diapers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mostly though, this trip was special because all five of us girls live in completely different cities, and we all came together in Miami for this cruise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t get to see these girls very often, but when I do we definitely live it up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wonkavators.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're about to go power snorkeling.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner time.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-62004396680950178072010-10-19T18:25:00.000-07:002010-10-19T18:26:01.238-07:00It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5aLazXERRSxNmY3KkeeLdHjUTKMZ5znf-f7BYj9o9VsLpXRIz6stSnGovYEzrtyXgpwpoHPFvCj0HEn0n0TDbucvSTO_QO1zrlXOH9Q2ClID5QxQUBU2ibffUM57PZ1LhI7NC501lSpM/s1600/6-IMG_1579.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5aLazXERRSxNmY3KkeeLdHjUTKMZ5znf-f7BYj9o9VsLpXRIz6stSnGovYEzrtyXgpwpoHPFvCj0HEn0n0TDbucvSTO_QO1zrlXOH9Q2ClID5QxQUBU2ibffUM57PZ1LhI7NC501lSpM/s400/6-IMG_1579.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0EAl0-PFhrAWHqlb29hY7LIn7dlWkdhhAHyatVtvgbIZ3t4X7CkIP6lL0wTRLi3_QrhRO3j14fv9-j-paGFSOHAnZDalqWRcKVL3A5oFrfT9f3OHnL5KRbSJiqpNr6LM1sZJnqzf48U/s1600/5-IMG_1577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0EAl0-PFhrAWHqlb29hY7LIn7dlWkdhhAHyatVtvgbIZ3t4X7CkIP6lL0wTRLi3_QrhRO3j14fv9-j-paGFSOHAnZDalqWRcKVL3A5oFrfT9f3OHnL5KRbSJiqpNr6LM1sZJnqzf48U/s200/5-IMG_1577.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">So Friday was nightfall. Saturday was recovery from nightfall. And Sunday we loaded up the baby and drove to Wilcox, about two hours away. “What’s in Wilcox?”, you ask? Not much. Not much at all, except for Apple Annie’s Orchard! Believe it or not, there’s not a lot of produce being grown in the middle of the Sonoran Desert, unless you count prickly pears. Wilcox, however, is higher in elevation and therefore much more conducive to agriculture. Driving on the dirt roads with cattle on one side of the car and apple trees on the other, I almost thought we were back in Missouri. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sHRQJm9UqX0WMg7hrJsGumHawE3G4cmCjDWMMuRXKbE_AKd8haKx4P3wMEmY2zQ9wD89O5suXU8mW2MiEohPQQQaJUWxxR6-VQq-LcPDAMdBmFClK_K48x9hsiP-U-KLp4WvBZ4EEcs/s1600/4-IMG_1576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sHRQJm9UqX0WMg7hrJsGumHawE3G4cmCjDWMMuRXKbE_AKd8haKx4P3wMEmY2zQ9wD89O5suXU8mW2MiEohPQQQaJUWxxR6-VQq-LcPDAMdBmFClK_K48x9hsiP-U-KLp4WvBZ4EEcs/s200/4-IMG_1576.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">We went to Apple Annie’s Orchard first, where they had everything from apple butter to apple pie to apple salsa, which is only so much fun when you have a husband that doesn’t like apples. I swear, I will never understand that. There’s still a part of me that wonders if he’s just playing a big joke, and on our 50<sup>th</sup> wedding anniversary, he’s going to say “Gotcha! Of course I like apples!! Who wouldn’t?!?”. Until then, he says he doesn’t like them. So we didn’t spend a lot of time at the orchard. We went on to Apple Annie’s Pumpkin Patch, which is open seasonally. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpl1X8W2U1S4qzzUvPQjUQTFmnfHlslzh-19qHdoBHyjRw64c7QqeRH_Aqg-VJi3siMxGQaEXlT63Wp4mqltgb-j8JBlGFSNYW1FH5AzWgJrbUMJ2PowUSHp4Wswf0xO5rud2mB14qw8/s1600/9-IMG_1596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpl1X8W2U1S4qzzUvPQjUQTFmnfHlslzh-19qHdoBHyjRw64c7QqeRH_Aqg-VJi3siMxGQaEXlT63Wp4mqltgb-j8JBlGFSNYW1FH5AzWgJrbUMJ2PowUSHp4Wswf0xO5rud2mB14qw8/s320/9-IMG_1596.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The pumpkin patch had a gigantic corn maze, which took just long enough for us to get sick of being in the corn maze. Then we took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch. You could pick your own pumpkin, which was cool, but we ended up just picking some gourds at the produce stand. We also bought some zucchini and winter squash for baby food (also for us). I know that next year will be very different with Elin running around, so we’re appreciating the ease of the baby bjorn. It was a very good day, and I hope to make this a family tradition for us. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNLOxZ2oq659gmtjKaAP2l0diIatj4xEqhBSIsLlqzr_f8hRHO36_XliO_427_Di1Q736dgbfxry6nQGE07B6euiq9qqk5JEYA5_JM3uOdysbDoPnyu7px4dgM_SJgtixwdFgFCCZeeY/s1600/10-IMG_1597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNLOxZ2oq659gmtjKaAP2l0diIatj4xEqhBSIsLlqzr_f8hRHO36_XliO_427_Di1Q736dgbfxry6nQGE07B6euiq9qqk5JEYA5_JM3uOdysbDoPnyu7px4dgM_SJgtixwdFgFCCZeeY/s320/10-IMG_1597.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is actually an aerial photo of the corn maze!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corn.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hayride!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunflowers!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jaCoDnA-ivelZleCnlEYO3dSnmIlXkzRR0Wg4zzMNbL8xNgugP-tzqD91n7oKARUVg1bDwDdtNnX9W0HyN-BTlyj16_jCN75j0FKu2iCuWzuZexeZtGzG6Os-H89Elx2l9BuDpRnOtU/s1600/11-IMG_1615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jaCoDnA-ivelZleCnlEYO3dSnmIlXkzRR0Wg4zzMNbL8xNgugP-tzqD91n7oKARUVg1bDwDdtNnX9W0HyN-BTlyj16_jCN75j0FKu2iCuWzuZexeZtGzG6Os-H89Elx2l9BuDpRnOtU/s320/11-IMG_1615.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pumpkins!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big pumpkin!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tasting the big pumpkin.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What time is it, Daddy?</td></tr>
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</span></div></span>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-31146521572498439452010-10-18T15:45:00.000-07:002010-10-18T15:45:49.408-07:00I heart Nightfall.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ouSfWdjlCbPd8r2hu5CoNx-5y0DnByz1icDATH9jSGMpbdfSJQVEq318Yg0z9dBRdkLkvq8Zk7bray6jD_SDDy-tVl8tPx2cXzUkBjkEWWzX20OmJXPWB-6qsC5UteRtbHyHSA8smpI/s1600/4-IMG_1525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ouSfWdjlCbPd8r2hu5CoNx-5y0DnByz1icDATH9jSGMpbdfSJQVEq318Yg0z9dBRdkLkvq8Zk7bray6jD_SDDy-tVl8tPx2cXzUkBjkEWWzX20OmJXPWB-6qsC5UteRtbHyHSA8smpI/s400/4-IMG_1525.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Things have been crazy lately and we had a very busy weekend. That’s why I’m still the…..Worst. Blogger. Ever. Anyway, on Friday we had a big night. Matt and I got a babysitter and went with Jennifer to Nightfall. This is our 3<sup>rd</sup> year in a row that the three of us have gone, and it’s always, always a good time. I’ll back up. If you’ve ever heard of “Old Tucson Studios”, that’s where Nightfall is. Basically, ‘Old Tucson Studios’ are the remaining movie sets where they used to shoot a lot of the old western movies. They’ve taken the sets, preserved them, and turned them into sort of a theme park, for lack of a better term. If you go any month besides October, it sort of looks like Silver Dollar City, but without any rides. That’s the best way I can describe it. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">So, during the entire month of October, Old Tucson Studios transforms into NIGHTFALL. All of the old buildings turn into haunted houses, there are different “scary” shows going on, the train becomes a scary haunted train and there are creepy goblin monsters that walk around the park trying to scare you. Oh yeah, and they serve beer, that you can take with you all around the park. Yep. We love this place. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is inside one of the haunted houses.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipl98z1zUTGa0YYAtZGkW2aQf2v32qt-ACbgvWMhMl9ZnsuktMRvfI_Ix3n8P4M-zzKBpfOmlWXjbVxv0qCDl_RRAdSvIx0J2n1HKZ5yrfM5N-kN0FaPS03eEGQU0L7WTjUPGaQwjnUio/s1600/5-IMG_1521+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipl98z1zUTGa0YYAtZGkW2aQf2v32qt-ACbgvWMhMl9ZnsuktMRvfI_Ix3n8P4M-zzKBpfOmlWXjbVxv0qCDl_RRAdSvIx0J2n1HKZ5yrfM5N-kN0FaPS03eEGQU0L7WTjUPGaQwjnUio/s320/5-IMG_1521+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jennifer with a clown.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scary monster on stilts.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me kissing a scary monster because I had had too much beer.</td></tr>
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</span></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-35117075583339278152010-10-14T20:16:00.001-07:002010-10-14T20:16:43.500-07:00Worst. Blogger. Ever.<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I know, I know, don’t even say it. It’s been *gasp* three days without a word, or even a picture. I really have no excuse other than the six month old that orders me around all the time. (Yes, my teeny tiny little baby girl turned 6 months old on Tuesday) It’s all Elin’s fault. Also, this whole blog world has been motivating me to do all kinds of things, which is good. The problem is that it hasn’t been super helpful as far as motivating me to do laundry or pick up the house. So I took some time to make our house livable again. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">While I was taking my blogging break though, I did get a few fun things accomplished:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2XmiagJNMAuyfGRQFbJTCW-SZ_AUHuO4RM2XR3tYC8vP4v1LEVug7ovjpbwo9savfrHe3SgSAcE77HzzahmyVBtITJKGTgi2lCQtH2tjXqT4eo-pd_XuURMsYXF1k4UIm2kJ_-Tuctg/s1600/3-IMG_1513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw2XmiagJNMAuyfGRQFbJTCW-SZ_AUHuO4RM2XR3tYC8vP4v1LEVug7ovjpbwo9savfrHe3SgSAcE77HzzahmyVBtITJKGTgi2lCQtH2tjXqT4eo-pd_XuURMsYXF1k4UIm2kJ_-Tuctg/s320/3-IMG_1513.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">-I made my sister’s Halloween costume (another apron) which I will post later. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">-I turned my guest room into a crafting/sewing room (and it’s still a guest room, don’t worry to all of you that use it). It’s going to be pretty sweet, so I’ll make it into its own post later when it’s ready. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">-I got the materials for Elin’s Halloween costume; she’s going to be a pterodactyl.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">-I also made a couple of cards that my sister needed to give to her bosses for Boss’ Day. (see right)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The most important thing though, was on Wednesday. My husband and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary! Yay! Actually we went out on Tuesday because that’s when Aunt Jennifer could watch the baby. We saw an awesome movie, <a href="http://www.iamrogue.com/catfish">Catfish</a>, you all should check it out. We also went to one of our favorite restaurants, Amber. Good stuff. And then last night, since it was our “real” anniversary night, I made a dessert that Jon had told me about. Oh yeah, Jon’s totally trying to out-Suzie-Homemaker-me. Over the weekend he made his own yogurt, cheese, butter, bread, and then this dessert. Whatever, Jon. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">J</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> Anyway, he gave me permission to share the recipe with you. It’s not healthy in any way whatsoever. Deal with it. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaXKePTBFsMGd7ejI02uN4p6nYasvyejTnBbwZx1QMg2BQdaXTq2H3DFOu_M3_f7CvVmn_E-Ioko2E6l8-48dQ5OtB3GyKlr0nQqyXdK3WGddZiRC0UwAMBKIERl1T217J1FALMn_21Q/s1600/1-IMG_1503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaXKePTBFsMGd7ejI02uN4p6nYasvyejTnBbwZx1QMg2BQdaXTq2H3DFOu_M3_f7CvVmn_E-Ioko2E6l8-48dQ5OtB3GyKlr0nQqyXdK3WGddZiRC0UwAMBKIERl1T217J1FALMn_21Q/s320/1-IMG_1503.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;">Chocolate Bread Pudding</span></i></b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;"><br />
</span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;">4 c. bread, cubed, crusts removed, 6-7 slices<br />
1/2 c. pecans, coarsely chopped<br />
1 1/2 c. milk<br />
2 (2 oz.) sq. unsweetened chocolate<br />
3 eggs<br />
1 c. brown sugar, firmly packed<br />
1 tsp. vanilla extract<br />
Whipped cream; optional<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;">Grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole. Place bread cubes and nuts in prepared casserole. Heat milk and chocolate in a small saucepan until chocolate melts. Beat eggs and sugar, at high speed. Stir in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Pour over bread and nuts. Cover and let stand at room temperature (about 30 minutes). Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake pudding uncovered 30-35 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean, cool 1 hour. Serve with whipped cream.</span></i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I followed the recipe almost exactly, I used 3 oz of chocolate instead of 2, so it was more like dark chocolate. Mmmmmm…………..pure heaven. Soooooo good. Even my non-dessert-loving-husband loved it. We enjoyed this cuddled up on the couch with a glass (or two) of pinot noir. And that makes a very good anniversary. Enjoy! <o:p></o:p></span></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-10957369649235934972010-10-10T15:28:00.000-07:002010-10-10T15:28:01.118-07:00Aebleskiver or Oxtail? I’ll have both.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhoxWbZXXn4cRQqfGwkCr50KDGN-XgTR5hbOolW3BYBHzrWWFG5V_pnWldbNFZVZMpPRbSgyKoviY3NJfvVn7kJLGFhczDdt-1PaPx-JBGF8tCcyOsoaH9uaKQLvxwfpfPSlIy6WwdGE/s1600/6-IMG_1456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhoxWbZXXn4cRQqfGwkCr50KDGN-XgTR5hbOolW3BYBHzrWWFG5V_pnWldbNFZVZMpPRbSgyKoviY3NJfvVn7kJLGFhczDdt-1PaPx-JBGF8tCcyOsoaH9uaKQLvxwfpfPSlIy6WwdGE/s640/6-IMG_1456.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhWNtVsMY6mKymg72AdxTUURYqzekUHo9wZsa6gkhB94qQy4mRwiQ4McG1GpgihTaCFodvNNaD_lOlJaezWoe2iOnNqRAoiAHfU7uC5TJptYSurS4xZf55pkYnfSDPss8u6YdYsINkvY/s1600/4-IMG_1490+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhWNtVsMY6mKymg72AdxTUURYqzekUHo9wZsa6gkhB94qQy4mRwiQ4McG1GpgihTaCFodvNNaD_lOlJaezWoe2iOnNqRAoiAHfU7uC5TJptYSurS4xZf55pkYnfSDPss8u6YdYsINkvY/s320/4-IMG_1490+copy.jpg" width="264" /></a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">Last night we went to ‘Tucson Meet Yourself’, a festival of ethnic foods, cultures and lots of interesting people.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">I definitely had some high expectations because going all the way downtown on a Saturday night takes about an hour and a half with traffic, parking and dodging of drunk college kids.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">Luckily those expectations were met, if not exceeded.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">The main attraction here, for us anyway, is the food.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">Everywhere you look there are stands selling the most popular cuisines of various countries.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">Each stand gives you several options, and most are small portions and small prices ($2-$6).</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">I loved this because Matt and I just shared one item at each place, letting us taste a lot of different cuisines.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgF-_2SWWOo-yYi0Coh2KUToJwlzk0GgTNEJHOqrJULfZjavrP1xEi_dOesK5K-M23pMV4i1VbGIBbF5PkKkOWrSfrDwZ-2llyn9dOvjiB06IQawg22_d9JlnlS2htTyTnsVuAczgwK8/s1600/2-IMG_1477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgF-_2SWWOo-yYi0Coh2KUToJwlzk0GgTNEJHOqrJULfZjavrP1xEi_dOesK5K-M23pMV4i1VbGIBbF5PkKkOWrSfrDwZ-2llyn9dOvjiB06IQawg22_d9JlnlS2htTyTnsVuAczgwK8/s320/2-IMG_1477.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">We had food from Costa Rica, Sweden, the Philippines, Korea, Jamaica and Denmark.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">All of it was good, some was better than others.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">My favorites were the Filipino noodle/chicken/eggroll dish and the Danish Aebleskiver (sorry Sweden, but there’s only so much you can do with a meatball).</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">Aebleskivers, from what I understand, are made from a batter that is similar to a buttermilk pancake, but they are round and cooked in special aebleskiver pans.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">They are served with powdered sugar and raspberry jam.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">Var sa god.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">We also had oxtail stew, from Jamaica.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">Not my favorite, but now I can say I’ve had oxtail.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">There’s also quite a bit of entertainment.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">There was the African group on one stage and then an ‘Iron Chef’ competition at another one.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">A group of bagpipes marched by us at one point too, which was fun since I just found out that I’m part Scottish.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">All of the sudden they sound much less like noise to me.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">All in all it was a good night and worth the headache that is Tucson traffic.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14px;">Hejda!</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbjxOGTD9P6dCDFb0kNe-12tZ97NuE2sEVVT9KKSgG-g-HPyR164z-kkxs3m3CtJaa-5cpSmrVqtNoFUbwYkadZHGmSN1OwHl5S6lM6J-8uuad1H5y4O_L8VGzBfigkkjNMeHedoKD74/s1600/7-IMG_1470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbjxOGTD9P6dCDFb0kNe-12tZ97NuE2sEVVT9KKSgG-g-HPyR164z-kkxs3m3CtJaa-5cpSmrVqtNoFUbwYkadZHGmSN1OwHl5S6lM6J-8uuad1H5y4O_L8VGzBfigkkjNMeHedoKD74/s400/7-IMG_1470.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-56585305678309436652010-10-09T09:20:00.000-07:002010-10-09T09:20:12.211-07:00Man I love my kid......because she let us sleep in until 9:00 today. Elin, that officially makes you my favorite baby EVER. That hasn't happened in about 6 months, probably longer. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSYs7Jux00q8eKZDGOnu56bfos8lJFxLZiBqTdUwE6wU5ohGt22ajSQVrSHyRnOPMmTA54NFk7DK-XQMJgGlKsZz-3m0PTdT7f5_RNKcOAFoFNm3N_vQ1DxunRTD8ftdrLk2tqGlScd1Y/s1600/1-IMG_1443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSYs7Jux00q8eKZDGOnu56bfos8lJFxLZiBqTdUwE6wU5ohGt22ajSQVrSHyRnOPMmTA54NFk7DK-XQMJgGlKsZz-3m0PTdT7f5_RNKcOAFoFNm3N_vQ1DxunRTD8ftdrLk2tqGlScd1Y/s400/1-IMG_1443.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-35886408662494560142010-10-08T15:18:00.000-07:002010-10-08T15:18:28.515-07:00“Ward, I’m very worried about the Beaver.”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyu6HvKWP6U9NeGcUxEJz58JG1GukaS__1NiDb7GANv7a2VTENZ9khdEw-C1LoW3fcEiWTWMubKJieq7E7_JZ7_nae651MaD-88uxg_BLeKyTpXYKrNzPWN56EkvII92F7sJZ70ZJBUjo/s1600/junecleaver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyu6HvKWP6U9NeGcUxEJz58JG1GukaS__1NiDb7GANv7a2VTENZ9khdEw-C1LoW3fcEiWTWMubKJieq7E7_JZ7_nae651MaD-88uxg_BLeKyTpXYKrNzPWN56EkvII92F7sJZ70ZJBUjo/s200/junecleaver.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I apologize for the wordless, pictureless, titleless, Thursday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day just got away from me, and to be honest, it didn’t even cross my mind until I got a harassing e-mail from my sister about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hi Jenn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did technically did have two posts on Wednesday, though, so that should count for something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1V6E27LpSz-wJN2nTD0ZbLriKjFAKyZ1l_8eAeNf_-NHUVsZ1VY9xgTPSMURKfO9Am6Xe_fR1IaQAGQIsJQS9EDzvigIguo3FTtOBPRVsMJa4D2jC0RyTymsCRlrm-LIfLIDFdu_AiT4/s1600/1-IMG_1422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1V6E27LpSz-wJN2nTD0ZbLriKjFAKyZ1l_8eAeNf_-NHUVsZ1VY9xgTPSMURKfO9Am6Xe_fR1IaQAGQIsJQS9EDzvigIguo3FTtOBPRVsMJa4D2jC0RyTymsCRlrm-LIfLIDFdu_AiT4/s400/1-IMG_1422.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Anyway, after finishing my first apron, I stumbled upon <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/index.jsp">Anthropologie’s website</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I often forget about Anthropologie because it’s almost too painful to look at.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love EVERYTHING about this store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I designed my own line of clothes or home furnishings, I’d have some major problems because everything would end up looking exactly like their stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I take it back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love everything but the prices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At $78 for a t-shirt, I don’t love the prices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can hear myself now, “Sorry, Elin, you don’t get any diapers this month because Mommy REALLY needed <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?subCategoryId=CLOTHES-SWEATERS&id=19228915&catId=CLOTHES-SWEATERS&pushId=CLOTHES-SWEATERS&popId=CLOTHES&sortProperties=&navCount=15&navAction=top&fromCategoryPage=true&selectedProductSize=&selectedProductSize1=&color=015&isSubcategory=true&isProduct=true&isBigImage=&templateType=subCategory">this</a> $148 sweater.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I actually haven’t really even purchased much from the store for that reason alone, but I love to look and fantasize about winning the lottery so I can buy the store out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ahhhh…one day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So back to aprons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anthropologie has aprons – really cute ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once I saw <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/category.jsp?popId=HOME&navAction=middle&navCount=115&isSortBy=true&pushId=HOME-KITCHEN&id=HOME-KITCHEN-APRONS">these</a> I couldn’t help but make another one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one will be my hostess apron.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or I can vacuum ‘June Cleaver style’ in my heels and pearls with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know, just like I do every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1FMi7_I1qeLguqZrXUrmA47D1vp904vYrxnCCXoWFk2Mt9Ci1JlC4NXymov56r5N3MlIdhiYmtWtXaSJlYPcVcW9w8exnn83uNpwVE-gHlHdKlVMQiyBFIGLyhy83xnhxyqbQTyX8SM/s1600/Satan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1FMi7_I1qeLguqZrXUrmA47D1vp904vYrxnCCXoWFk2Mt9Ci1JlC4NXymov56r5N3MlIdhiYmtWtXaSJlYPcVcW9w8exnn83uNpwVE-gHlHdKlVMQiyBFIGLyhy83xnhxyqbQTyX8SM/s320/Satan.jpg" width="297" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br />
</span></span></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-15538608403882057622010-10-06T19:30:00.000-07:002010-10-06T19:34:15.009-07:00Retraction!! I do have words this Wednesday!<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I almost forgot! Last night's meal from <a href="http://www.e-mealz.com/">e-mealz</a> was 'Tuscan Chicken'. I wanted to share it with you, because it was SO GOOD. I really wasn't expecting it to become a blog post, so I didn't take a picture, and by the time I thought of it both of our plates were empty. Matt suggested taking a picture of the empty plates to show how good it was though. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">J</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> Here’s the scoop:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">TUSCAN CHICKEN</span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">For 2 servings you will need:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> -2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded out thin<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> -sprinkling of Italian seasoning<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> - olive oil to coat pan<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> -2 t balsamic vinegar (I probably used a little bit more though)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> -a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Instructions:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> Season chicken with salt+pepper and Italian seasonings.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Heat oil in skillet, add chicken and brown on each side, about 3 minutes per side.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">3.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Add tomatoes and cook about 4 more minutes, you know, until they look cooked.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">4.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Add the vinegar and cook about 5 more minutes, when you notice the vinegar is starting to reduce.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">5.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Serve chicken with the reduced vinegar and tomatoes on top. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I made this with couscous and roasted asparagus and it was awesome. Let me know if you make this! Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-74321268572420390012010-10-06T19:10:00.000-07:002010-10-06T19:10:43.829-07:00Wordless Wednesday.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97iO_TX-yYGNPwBag7BdKAaceESfqsBjVhpD4cB9lDH6v7G3penTI9qxoHCOkZQsPmSqMkzaYa-7CTsUflgLjfeoVwUAJkW_J4QjL6vjEYf0S3C3k3BrINLQDJ31X3tFqDuVprOXrq-Y/s1600/1-IMG_1394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="411" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97iO_TX-yYGNPwBag7BdKAaceESfqsBjVhpD4cB9lDH6v7G3penTI9qxoHCOkZQsPmSqMkzaYa-7CTsUflgLjfeoVwUAJkW_J4QjL6vjEYf0S3C3k3BrINLQDJ31X3tFqDuVprOXrq-Y/s640/1-IMG_1394.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234424131557160840.post-11713172942865896312010-10-05T18:00:00.000-07:002010-10-05T18:01:42.575-07:00Sew Fabulous!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysE8Jejny5w09skYESkpHbVOldMDePBdQoyfYrLOGRyA-1vCLJ0gzfHwoqNtboUberrZcCaazcRaEZRNjEVyjcae-pvKiv2H6J_GJOZ-OhTl7sXad6JDIWV5pvzE6edd1-rC-fnTj3v4/s1600/1-IMG_1399.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysE8Jejny5w09skYESkpHbVOldMDePBdQoyfYrLOGRyA-1vCLJ0gzfHwoqNtboUberrZcCaazcRaEZRNjEVyjcae-pvKiv2H6J_GJOZ-OhTl7sXad6JDIWV5pvzE6edd1-rC-fnTj3v4/s400/1-IMG_1399.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLA3THLFJai5FKLIYPiaLeidSoNIj6yMQmB_onYSm3L7v_3F309QeqjFria1czWMuW2qo5Q7scoeWn65kgnrRUwtmBj-R2FsSnoLks24UI80sNAQ2KLf1iSftO2nFvfcEusuI0CjQ2aI/s1600/2-IMG_1411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzLA3THLFJai5FKLIYPiaLeidSoNIj6yMQmB_onYSm3L7v_3F309QeqjFria1czWMuW2qo5Q7scoeWn65kgnrRUwtmBj-R2FsSnoLks24UI80sNAQ2KLf1iSftO2nFvfcEusuI0CjQ2aI/s400/2-IMG_1411.jpg" width="225" /></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">(Sorry for all of the puns, but I just can’t resist.) Ever since I saw <a href="http://www.dana-made-it.com/2010/09/apron-inspiration-roundup.html">this</a> post on <a href="http://www.dana-made-it.com/">MADE</a> about aprons, I’ve been thinking about making one. Finally yesterday I went out and bought some fabric. That’s what this blog is for, is to make me do all of those things that make me think, “I should do that someday”. So once the baby was asleep for the night I was in business. I didn’t use a pattern or anything, just kind of went with it, and it really wasn’t that bad. It’s been a while since I’ve really sewn anything besides curtains, so I’m kind of proud of myself because I think it turned out pretty cute and it really didn’t take that long. I did most of it last night and then finished it today. If I had had no interruptions it REALLY wouldn’t have taken long at all, but Elin just doesn’t seem to care that mommy is busy sewing an apron. Now that I know how easy they are, I want to make a bunch more, so we’ll see if that happens. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div>Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09803010901705459750noreply@blogger.com2