Morrise Family

The Deck Saga

2011-08-03T10:03:00.000-06:00

Since we've been here, we've had trouble figuring out what to do with the deck on the back of our house. The deck has held the original building permit on our house open for the last 7 years because it has never been completed. After getting a few professional opinions, we decided our best option was to start over. So, I reluctantly kissed all of my bathroom remodeling money good-bye and Matt started to tear down the deck. He spent several days taking all of the Trex off so we could reuse it, but it only took about 45 minutes to tear down the framing. Our posts are still standing because we plan to reuse them and finish the brick.

One of the main reasons we decided to start over is that we were afraid we had water issues because the deck was never properly flashed. This was definitely confirmed by the state of the sheeting under the ledger boards on our bays. The ledger just fell off because the sheeting was so rotted. Hopefully the rot doesn't go beyond the sheeting.

The good news is that in a few weeks we should have a useable deck. One that our kids can actually go out on. One that has stairs from the yard so we can use our kitchen doors to go outside! One that will, hopefully, be so spectacular I'll forget all about missed opportunities to remodel bathrooms.

Tabula Rasa

2011-04-17T22:31:00.004-06:00

Here's the exterior photo of our house from the real estate listing.

And here's the exterior now.

We've gotten a lot of compliments on how nice our house looks and all we've done is rip things out. This neighborhood is easy to please. I guess the take-home lesson is: nice plants + wrong location = ugly.

In other yard news, I bought a crazy hippy lawn mower (the Fiskars Momentum) and we love it!

I used to like painting. . .

2011-03-31T22:23:00.004-06:00

I've been painting. Surprise!

I finished painting the trim in the hall and entry. I had to make a lot of repairs before I could start painting. The trim was really battered and the bottoms of the door jambs looked like this

Now they look like this

I filled the gaps with grout and then caulked. Certainly not great, but at least the kids can't put things in the holes anymore.

I painted the linen closet

And Winnie's closet

I just need to finish painting the doors to offically be done with the paint in Winnie's room. I'm painting the hallway side of all my doors gray--a darker shade of the color on the walls.

I painted one door and then decided that it wasn't quite dark enough so I had the paint retinted today. I might get the doors done this weekend, but since the weather is supposed to be so nice, we're going to work in the yard. Maybe the kids will get to jump on our trampoline.

See it there sticking up above the dirt? Matt started to dig the hole out and this is what we found

Hardened 80 lb bags or mortar. They totally fill the hole and start about 6 inches down. That will be hours of trampoline fun.

The House, Lately

2011-03-09T21:43:00.004-07:00

Hall before

Hall in progress

Entry before

Entry in progress

Family Room before (sorry about the small picture--it's from the listing and I forgot to take any others before I started painting)

Family Room in progress

I should be farther along in my painting, but I keep getting distracted and doing things like this

and like this

and like this

P.S. If the bag happens to be your birthday present, pretend you didn't see it here first. :)

Us Lately

2011-03-09T21:38:00.004-07:00

The pink room has grown on me

2011-02-04T13:15:00.002-07:00

We've been working on the "cutification" of Winnie's room.

We now have a room that feels mostly done--as long as you don't look at the closet wall. I still need to paint the closet and the doors are still off awaiting paint.

Winnie's Room. Before & After (sort-of)

2011-01-23T20:57:00.010-07:00

It took a month, but I have finally painted a room in our new house. I started with Winnie's room because it was small, the walls were in the best shape, and I didn't like how the dark color made the room feel like a cave. I wanted a light, bright room and Winnie just wanted pink. Here are the before shots of the dark plum colored walls.

I don't think the pictures really reflect how dark this room felt, or how banged up the walls were. And they certainly don't reflect how the pink on the closet doors clashed with the purple on the walls.

Here's one wall patched and ready for paint. Keep in mind that I started with this room because the walls were in the best shape, so it would require the least work to paint.

One coat of primer and two coats of paint on the walls. Three coats of paint on the ceiling. Two coats of paint on the trim. The trim and ceilings in our house are beige instead of white. I think painting Winnie's ceiling a brighter white made the biggest impact in brightening up her room. Here's the contrast in the ceiling before and after.

And finally a pink princess room. At first I wasn't crazy about the color, but Winnie loved it so much I decided to leave it alone and now it's grown on me. I think once I get a few things on the walls to break up all that pink it will look better. You'll notice I still haven't painted her closet and bedroom doors - they need to be sanded down so you can't see the ridge where the panels were painted. I also want to try spraying the doors instead of painting them with a brush.

I have some white curtains to hang, a white mirror to go over the dresser, a wall lamp to go over the bed and some art to hang before we're finished with Winnie's room, but for now it's nice to have one room that feels fresh and clean.

Bumps in the road

2010-12-06T18:57:00.006-07:00

It's official. We are no longer home owners. We closed on the sale of our house Friday. The new owners take possession on Saturday. Late last week it was looking like we were going to be able to get into our new house with time to spare before we hand over the keys to this house. The sale of this house was going smoothly, and our financing was all arranged for the new house pending the results of last Thursday appraisal. Sadly our appraisal on the new house brought all of that to a screaching halt. The house appraised for more than we're paying (yay!), but it turns out we can't get financing for the new house without adding a railing to the never completed back deck. No big deal, you might think, until you find out that the deck looks like this--

42' x 10' and falling apart. Matt and I were willing to put a railing on even still, but then we realized that it would require a permit. I called the city and found out that there is already an outstanding permit--not just for the deck, but for the whole house! That opens up a whole new can of worms. Given the current condition of the house (broken windows, over-spanned deck beams, etc) I don't think there's any way an inspector would come out and pass off the railing without requiring that we fix all of the other problems. The permit has been open long enough that the city could make us bring anything and everything in the house up to the current code if they wanted to. I don't know how much code has changed in the last 6 years, but it wouldn't take much for the costs to add up. So we're negotiating with the bank that owns the house and trying to decide who's going to put up a railing and if we want the building permit to be closed before we're willing to buy.

On a brighter note, check out the color scheme of one of the bedrooms!

I think this example probably sums up why we want to repaint every square inch of the house. Sadly, this room looks better in the photo than in real life!

Out with the old and in with the new

2010-11-22T23:42:00.006-07:00

Guess what! We sold our house! We showed our house 36 times. I think that equates to about 100 extra hours of cleaning so I'm very glad it's over. We close on the sale on December 8th. Yay! Homeless in time for the holidays.

Actually, if we're very good, Santa might be able to get us into our new house in just a couple of weeks. New house, you say? Yes, we're under contract on this lovely house in Springville.

(Please excuse the smoke bush trying to devour one side of the house. The yard could use a little TLC).

Dream house? I'm not so sure. It's about 100 years to new to be my dream house, but this is the first house we looked that I didn't think needed a major remodel. The current interior isn't exactly my style, but I probably wouldn't have liked it if I couldn't think of some projects to do. There are some things I love about the house like the kitchen--it's laid out exactly how I would have chosen to have it if I had built the house with fantastic features like big deep drawers and a cabinet for cookie sheets right next to the stove.

And there are some things I don't love about the house. The master bath for example:

Doesn't it look like it would be soothing and restful to lean your head against a wall of uneven stones?

The house has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a formal living room, great room and laundry up and an unfinished basement down. The house is on a hill so most of the basement is daylight. The future family room in the basement even has a set of french doors that walk out into the back yard. Upstairs there is a deck that spans the whole back of the house and can be accessed from the great room or the master bedroom.

The house is a lot bigger and nicer than I was expecting to be able to buy. I feel a little bit spoiled. I'll have a cold storage room! A garage! A pantry! A big, unfinished basement, just waiting to be anything I want it to be! For a while I think we'll just rattle around the house not knowing what to do with so much space (over 3x our current square footage), but everyone tells me that we shouldn't have too much trouble figuring out how to fill it up.

Now wish us luck in trying to get our closing dates to line up with each other!

A house obsession update

2010-08-16T21:44:00.006-06:00

So, my dream house sold, and not to us. We weren't the first offer in the line, but all signs seemed to point to our offer being the one the bank was most likely to take. Don't trust the signs. Currently the house has a contractor's sign out front and really BIG dumpster on the drive, but not much else seems to be happening. I'm scared to drive by, but too curious not to.

We also made an offer on a bank-owned house in the Edgemont neighborhood. Edgemont is a good compromise between Matt and I. The neighborhood is old enough that the houses still have character, but they don't require quite as much work as my dream house. The house in Edgemont was a really good fit for our family, but it was also a really boring ranch. The yard was the redeeming factor in my eyes. The bank liked our offer, but not our closing terms. We'd set our closing date at the end of August and they balked at having it out so far. Unfortunately, that house is now under contract.

Our house has been on the market for just shy of two months now and we've had a lot of lookers, but no buyers so far. This is good and bad. Bad because it's really a pain to try and keep my house clean enough to show at a moment's notice! A lot of our stuff is packed away and I don't feel like I can start anything that will make a mess--like making bread or sewing. The good part of all this is that, right now, there isn't a house on the market that we're really interested in, so we're not feeling rushed to get out of this one. Tonight Matt and I took some video of the best options out there right now, but we've decided we aren't going to make any offers until an offer comes in on our house. We dropped the listing price of our house today, so hopefully we'll get an offer soon.

Matt's and my wants for a house seem like they would meld the best if we could build a custom house (of course). I surfed online floor plans, looking for a house that contained all of my ideal elements--a studio for Matt, a craft/sewing space for me, a good mud room that could be the main family entrance, an eat-in kitchen with good views of the yard and at least 3 bedrooms on the same level. I actually found a plan that is almost exactly what I would have come up with if I'd been working with an architect--the Lakeland Cape Cod from simplyeleganthomedesigns.com. Here's the floor plan.

First floor:

Second floor:

I created a gallery of interior/exterior photos here.

(My only complaint is that the house is a little too big. If we were really to build I might work with the architect to see if we could scale it all down a bit.)

I was really getting behind the idea of building until we started to look at lots. Lots in the Edgemont neighborhood cost as much or more than houses! How can this be? How can anyone afford to build a house--you're instantly upside down. I guess they are depending on people who plan to stay in their house forever and don't care about the market value? The lot we really like is .31 acres and would fit this house plan really well, but it's listed for $134,900. That is $10,000 more than our new listing price for our townhouse and only $50,000 less than a house of comparable size and acreage just sold for only two blocks away. Maybe we could build the garage for $50,000 and live in a studio for a few years while we save up. I'm sure the neighbors would go for that!

All dressed up and ready to sell

2010-06-23T20:40:00.006-06:00

As of tomorrow morning, our house is officially on the market. We took the pictures and signed the contract tonight and the listing should be up in the morning. I was just done vacuuming when the photographer got here. There's no way I would have made it without the help of my sister-in-law who ended up watching the kids all day! Thanks, Jenny!

We packed up, paired down and painted to try and make our house show better. Here's a little tour:

The front--with a for sale sign!

Looking into the living room

The living room facing the window

The dining room

The kitchen

Upstairs bathroom

Master bedroom

The kids room

I think most of our rooms look pretty good in photos, except the kitchen. I would love to have had time to paint it to brighten it up and simplify the color scheme, but it's not going to happen. At the rate I finish projects I would need at least a year.

Of course, there are still a lot of little things that need to be done. Hopefully we can get to most of them tomorrow.

6/25/10 - Our listing is up!

The Times They Are a-Changin'

2010-05-27T22:10:00.003-06:00

Matt started a new job on May 17th. He's working for HotDocs Corporation, managing their technical support operations. While he's not working as an attorney we both felt like this was the right job for right now, since it would allow us to accomplish several of our goals--particularly allowing me to quit my job and stay home with Winnie and Luke. My last day of work is June 30th. I actually gave my notice on May 5th and I think it's taken until today for it to sink in that I'm quitting. I've been there for 10 years now! I'm really excited for the transition, but somehow knowing that it's coming to an end is making everything at my job seem fresher and more interesting than it has in years. At least that should make this last month of work go quickly. Matt's been sworn into the Utah bar, so he's going to be doing some legal work on the side to keep up his skills. In fact, he's already got a case he's working on.

The other big change we're looking forward to is buying a house. In fact, we made an offer on the house that I haven't been able to stop talking about for the past year. The house is headed to foreclosure and we made short sale offer, so we have no idea whether or not the bank will accept. We're crossing our fingers and waiting. The bank has until June 30th to respond. If the bank doesn't accept our offer we'll probably try to buy the house at the scheduled trustee's sale on June 29th. It would be the biggest birthday present ever!

A Post About Nursing

2010-04-30T14:18:00.004-06:00

I came across a blog post about breastfeeding today, via a friend's blog. I wish I had seen more posts like this 3 years ago. I spent the first two months of Winnie's life doing nothing but nursing, pumping, visiting lactation specialists and doctors, taking every galactagogue known to man and feeling depressed and guilty that I was failing at what should be the most natural part of motherhood. The last thing I needed was strange women in the grocery store check-out line chiding me for not breastfeeding. Let's just feed them, shall we?

Disclaimer: At the top of the post there's a picture of the author breastfeeding. Don't follow the link if that makes you uncomfortable.

Menus

2010-04-25T21:55:00.004-06:00

I updated the menus on my side bar for the coming week. We threw a party for Matt's graduation last Friday and this week's menu is heavily influenced by the leftovers. If there are a lot of heavy winter foods on the menu, it's due to the fact that it's supposed to be 80 degrees Tuesday and then snow and rain Wednesday through Saturday.

Luke's First Hair Cut

2010-04-01T20:25:00.002-06:00

In honor of Luke's first birthday (although a little late) he got a haircut tonight.

He was really good while Matt was doing it. I'm a little sad because I think it makes him look older, but he looks cute enough to make up for it!

We Have A Birthday Girl

2010-03-29T22:58:00.008-06:00

We have a three-year-old now! I can't believe Winnie is three, even though she usually talks like she's 15. I don't ever want her to grow up, but I also enjoy her more and more all the time.

We had a fantastic day. It included a trip to our favorite park, pizza, dinosaurs, doll houses, new books and new dresses.

The cake (you're looking at 10 eggs and 1 1/2 pounds of butter right there).

The candles

The presents. (Someone should brush that poor girls' hair--or at least wash her face. What was her mother thinking?)

The dolls on the cake go to this doll house.

A set of sporty red wheels.

Winnie got a bucket of dinosaurs from her cousins. I think they were her favorite toy of the evening. Even still, she told everyone they could chose one to take home. Only Luke took her up on the offer, though.

As Winnie went to bed tonight she was singing "Happy Birthday" to herself.

And my baby is

2010-03-16T21:13:00.005-06:00

On Luke's first birthday he. . .

weighs 23 pounds.

isn't very interested in learning to walk.

says about 10 words.

is almost all smiles--even when he's sick.

loves blankets.

is very patient with his sister, who often isn't very patient with him.

Meal Planning

2010-03-07T13:34:00.004-07:00

One of the goals I made in 2009 was to start making weekly meal plans and shopping lists. Having a meal plan for the whole week has definitely cut down our trips to the grocery store, wasted groceries, fast food lunches at work/school, and dinner-time dilemmas about what to eat. Coming up with a meal plan is still a struggle sometimes, though. I've gotten a lot of ideas from other blogs I read, so I've decided to post my meal plans on my sidebar. I get a lot of recipes online and will post a link when available. We try a lot of new recipes, so I can't vouch for every dish, but most of the new recipes come recommended by someone.

Rambling recent developments

2010-03-02T21:06:00.006-07:00

A few weeks shy of 1 year old and Luke has finally decided he can sit. To clarify, he's been able to sit for months and months--he's just had no desire. If you tried to sit him down on the floor he'd immediately arch his back and refuse to bend. A couple of months ago he started kneeling on the floor when he was playing and now he's started to sit and kneel about equal amounts. I can't believe he's almost 1!

Winnie got a very cute haircut Saturday and I thought I had good pictures of it until I looked at them on the computer. On the computer I could see that Winnie had a goopy nose and some left-over soup on her mouth. We'll try again tomorrow.

Matt took the bar last week and we're now all enjoying a life of luxury with no studying in sight. No job in sight, either, but let's try to stay positive, shall we?

On a slightly related note 261 E 100 N went under contract on January 29th, right after I had settled on a fabulous "black bean" paint scheme. It had been on the market somewhere around 8 months! Couldn't it have waited a couple more months??? Who buys a house with broken windows in the middle of winter, anyway? I've been obsessively checking the county recorder's documents to see if anything has recorded showing that the sale has gone through. Nothing yet, so I still have a slight hope that the sale will fall through and we can snatch it up! I haven't been able to bring myself to drive by for fear I'll see vinyl replacement windows going in. Oh the horror.

Saturdays

2010-02-20T22:36:00.002-07:00

Today I did 9 loads of laundry (3 loads of bedding, 1 load of towels, 2 loads of light clothes, 2 loads of dark clothes and 1 load of underwear), loaded and emptied the dishwasher multiple times, cleaned the kitchen, changed the sheets on all of the beds, made lunch and two dinners, fixed the kid’s blinds, made and played with salt dough, made menus for the next week (hooray for none of our menu items requiring a trip to the grocery store!), administered 3 time-outs, vacuumed the downstairs, changed 6 diapers (3 poopy), read 5 stories, gave 2 baths.

Today I did not get my kids dressed, iron, clean the bathrooms, finish the touch-up painting in the bathroom, vacuum upstairs or the stairs, mop the kitchen floor, wash my white slipcovers (never fall for the lines in magazines where mothers claim that white slipcovers are easy), wash the windows (they get a lot of condensation on them and the kids like to “draw” in it), exercise, or start reading any of my library books due this coming Friday. And yes, I really thought I could accomplish this as well as what I actually got done.

The mischief a two year old can do. . .

2010-02-19T14:08:00.003-07:00

during the time it takes to change one poopy diaper.

She cut all of this hair from the right side of her head (see how it looks a little sparse over her ear? She basically left a thin layer from the top of her head, but cut all the hair underneath). Ironically, her hair took forever to fill in on the sides and it was just recently starting to really grow there. This afternoon, before this happened, I'd scheduled Winnie's first professional haircut. We were going to just trim the back up to match the length of the sides. Now that the right side of Win's hair is only 1" long, I think that plan is out.

Family Projects

2010-02-01T20:17:00.004-07:00

I bought Winnie a pair of slippers. She doesn't love them, but guess who does.

All of my seed catalogues started to arrive last month and I got a real case of Spring Fever. Winnie loves anything that involves scissors and glue, so we planted a garden. Winnie named it the "E" garden--and no, I don't know what that's supposed to mean, either. I'm not sure this garden is doing anything to make me more satisfied with my 120 square foot yard, or the contents of my refrigerator where it currently resides.

We got a second set of Duplos for Christmas and Winnie has started to want to build things other than plain stacks of Legos. Matt is always assigned to build the animals that Winnie sees on the sides of the bucket. I was busy trying to get everyone looking at the camera in this shot, and didn't notice that you can't really tell what they built, but it's a dragon.

Walking

2010-01-28T23:11:00.002-07:00

Painting

2010-01-28T22:54:00.006-07:00

I still want this house and I've been spending way more time than I should thinking about it. Lately I've been thinking about exterior paint colors. I used the Sherwin Williams "Visualizer" to show Matt what the house would look like painted a couple of the colors in my head.

Current (except the columns have been painted white now):

Prairie Red:

Black Bean:

I love the Black Bean palette, but I think it needs a Prairie Red door. What do you think?

I've Turned Over a New Leaf

2010-01-16T21:30:00.005-07:00

I finished a project! Within my projected time frame! I made an Elephant and some burp cloths for my cousin Stephanie's safari themed nursery. The baby shower was today, but I actually had her gift ready on Wednesday. I had no idea what to do with myself on Thursday. If I keep performing miracles like this, I might be nominated for Sainthood.

On another note, this little guy is 10-months-old today. 10!!!

A New Go-to Recipe

2010-01-14T11:32:00.006-07:00

I've found a new recipe that meets all of my requirements for a great meal--fast, easy, inexpensive and requires ingredients that are staples of my pantry. Oh, and tasty. Tasty matters, too, I guess. Additionally, this recipe makes a lot and reheats beautifully. Recipes that meet all of my criteria are so singular that I have to share when I find one.

Pasta Fazul

5 servings (I don't know what size servings they're talking about. I'd say it's much more like 8 servings, even if you eat it as a one-dish meal)

Ingredients
3 cloves garlic, minced (jars of already minced garlic are one of my favorite cooking time-savers)
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped (I got a food chopper for Christmas and it was the perfect thing for chopping the carrots and the onions. Thanks, Mom!)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I had fresh parsley in my garden when I started making this. Lately I've been using 2 tsp. dried parsley flakes. It's not quite as pretty, but I don't notice a flavor difference.)
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons olive oil (I probably only use 2, but I never measure. I keep my olive oil in a squeeze bottle and just squeeze it in until it looks right)
1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (I use diced and just dump the whole thing in. Forget measuring out can juices like the recipe says. Who has time for that?)
2 cups cooked cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (I usually use Great Northern beans--mostly because my normal grocery store never has Cannellini, but I've also found that I like their firmer texture in this dish. I also just use two cans of beans instead of measuring out 2 c. and having a 1/4 can leftover)
8 (1 3/4 c.) ounces dry macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
In a large skillet, saute garlic, onion, carrot, parsley, basil and oregano in olive oil until onions are tender.
Add the tomatoes plus 1/4 cup of the can juices and the salt and pepper. Cover and stir frequently, simmering for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add the cannellini beans and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes. (I throw the tomatoes & beans in together. Who can wait around for things to simmer incessantly?)
Cook macaroni according to package directions, drain and toss with butter and Parmesan cheese. Add to cannellini bean mixture. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Suzy Michelle

2010-01-13T21:16:00.006-07:00

I finished Winnie's Christmas doll on Christmas Eve. Well, I sort of finished Winnie's doll. Playing with her has proved that I did NOT tack her hair down well enough and she still only has one dress instead of the 4 outfits and 2 pairs of shoes she was intended to have. What Winnie doesn't know won't hurt her, right?

Winnie has christened her Suzy-Michelle. Maybe the Easter Bunny will bring more clothes for Suzy in Winnie's Easter basket.

New Bed

2009-12-21T20:43:00.006-07:00

I got one of my Christmas presents early. My mom & dad bought a twin mattress for Winnie. She was sad to see her toddler bed go, but doesn't seem to mind now that her new bed is all set-up. I found the bed through the KSL classifieds a few months back. I had half-heartedly thought about refinishing the bed, but now that it's all set-up I don't mind the wear on the finish at all. Good thing, too, because I really don't need to add anymore projects to my already overwhelming list.

Christmas Projects #3 & #4.

2009-12-21T20:28:00.006-07:00

At this point, I have admitted defeat and severely cut back on projects I had planned to make for Christmas. Luckily, no one knows what my intentions were, so they won't feel cheated, right?

I did complete projects number 3 and 4 this week.

I'm very proud of project number 3. This just happens to be the first round ball that I've ever made. I knew there had to be a trick --you have to cut your pieces out on the bias, rather than with the grain. Hooray! Round on the first try!

This necklace was, surprisingly, my first attempt at jewelry making. It didn't turn out exactly the way I wanted it to (the button I chose to embellish it looks surprisingly like a lemon slice now that it's all put together), but I like it anyway. I think I'd wear it, so I don't feel bad giving it as a gift.

As I type this, project #6 is sitting in a basket next to me--a mess of dismembered body parts. Hopefully that body will come together with hair and clothes by Christmas. Otherwise, it will look like I made my daughter an ET doll.

Snow Day

2009-12-21T20:18:00.002-07:00

Luke

2009-11-27T10:08:00.005-07:00

I just bought Luke a new car seat because he's grown out of his infant carrier. As of today, Luke weighs 21.5 pounds and he's 27.5" tall. He's standing up, losing interest in bottles and wanting to do everything his big sister does. What happened to my little 7 lb baby?

Christmas Dress

2009-11-27T10:03:00.003-07:00

I finished Winnie's Christmas dress. That makes the tally two completed projects, 15 to go.

Who Cut Your Hair, Sonora?

2009-11-18T22:02:00.003-07:00

I think at some point, almost every toddler gets a hold of a pair of scissors and gives themselves a haircut.

Unfortunately, I gave Winnie this haircut. I am officially retiring from cutting the hair of wiggly toddlers. Do you think this will have grown out by Christmas?

Bonus points if you know the movie the title is from.

Christmas Checklist

2009-11-14T23:04:00.004-07:00

This morning I had 17 projects on my Christmas "To-Do" list.

Now I have 16.

Sad, isn't it? I won't even tell you how long this belt took me. I made it way more difficult than it had to be and it brought out the worst in my sewing machine. If all of my projects take me this long, I should be done by Easter!

Trick or Treat!

2009-10-31T19:16:00.004-06:00

A Month of Meals - Day 4

2009-10-02T00:32:00.003-06:00

Menu: Pasta w/ Pumpkin and Sausage, Spinach Salad w/ Apple & Red onion

Recipe: Posted here

I decided to try a Rachael Ray recipe for tonight. I've never seen her show, but I know she has a cookbook about fast meals. Off I went to her site to figure out what I could do with the leftover pumpkin from Matt's b-day cake. Ta-da! Pumpkin Pasta. I'm a pretty awful food photographer, but I think it looks better in my picture than the screen capture they used to accopany the recipe.

Damages: A large pot, a large skillet, two measuring cups, a cutting board. . . quite a few dishes, but I was able to fit all of them in one dishwasher load along with the rest of the dishes we created today.

Time Spent: 40 minutes. I'd never made this before and like so many things I make, I think it would go together a little faster the second time around. I try a new recipe at least once a week and sometimes I wonder if I make my life harder than it needs to be by doing this. I'm always looking for that next great recipe that we can't live without and something to use up the leftovers that another dish generates.

Pros: Only requires ingredients that I usually have on hand--except fresh sage. I substituted a teaspoon of ground. I also used half-and-half instead of heavy cream because that's what I had. As written, the recipe made enough for dinner and 4 additional servings.

Cons: We thought it tasted a little too sausagey. I think you could get away with half the sausage.

Final Review: I forgot to take a picture of the final review! At first Matt said one thumb up, but then it grew on him. It's the kind of dish that I think will taste better the second day. No complaints from Winnie except that she won't eat raw spinach. Instead of salad she just got apple slices. I probably won't be in a rush to make the pasta again. The salad, however, was terrific. Winnie dipped her apples in the dressing and it made just the right amoung of dressing.

Confessions, Part 3 & A Munchkin

2009-10-02T00:19:00.003-06:00

I made another ball. Another lemon-shaped ball. Remember attempt 1 and attempt 2? Isn't this supposed to be a simple sewing project?

After much tweeking and fussing around with it, it actually looked a little bit round. I then arranged it just so to take the picture so that you could almost believe it to be round! This one is for Luke, who doesn't care if it's round or not. I should have just sewn a football and called it a day.

On a happier note, here is Winnie modeling her new coat, awesome pigtails and some Halloween decorations.

A Month of Meals - Day 3

2009-09-30T22:53:00.000-06:00

Menu: Morrocan Chicken, Couscous & Carrots

What I Actually Made: Taco Soup and Crescent Rolls

Today was one of those days when I just couldn't stomach the thought of cooking. Matt wasn't home for dinner and I was tired, so I pulled out my old stand-by, Taco Soup. This is Rachel Terry Quesada's recipe and I love her for it! I always keep the ingredient on hand for this one because it's truly a one pot meal, it takes 10 minutes or less of prep time and it can be on the table in 20 minutes if you need it to be.

Recipe:

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion (I generally use a couple tablespoons of dried onions)

1 package taco seasoning

1 can tomato sauce (small)

1 can corn

1 can kidney beans

Brown the ground beef with the onion and drain the fat. Add all other ingredients, including liquids. Let simmer for 15 minutes.

I usually double everything but the ground beef and the taco seasoning. I buy taco seasoning in large jars, so I 1 1/2 that. Sometimes we get fancy and eat the soup with tortilla chips and sour cream. We almost always top it with shredded cheese. Tonight we ate it with refrigerator crescent rolls, since I had an extra can from a recipe I made last week.

Damages: Only the dishes we ate off of. Since I doubled the recipe, I just put the rest in the frige in a pot for Matt to eat when he got home. I cooked the crescent rolls on my beloved pizza stone, which lives in my oven and only requires a quick wipe after use.

Time Spent: 30 minutes--15 prep (including defrosting my ground beef) and 15 of unsupervised cook time, except for stirring every 5 minutes or so.

Pros: Easy, easy, easy and everyone love it.

Cons: None--except it might be a little much for a 100 degree July day.

Final Review: We all love this one. Classic comfort food. In the cold months, I probably make this more than any other dish. Do you think my family would mind if I made this a couple times a week for the next 7 months?

While Winnie did love the soup, I think her smile can mostly be attriubed to the fact that I let her use the step stool as a table to eat in the kitchen tonight.

A Month of Meals - Day 2

2009-09-29T21:53:00.004-06:00

Menu:
Baked Reuben Sandwich, Carrot-Apple Slaw

I know, I know. To most people this menu sounds gross. Matt was pretty skeptical, but he really liked it and Winnie ate all hers, so what more could I ask for. Except, perhaps, for Winnie to start using her utensils to eat.

Recipe:
Reuben Sandwich Squares
1 13 3/4-ounce package hot roll mix (I made my regular bread/roll recipe, rather than a mix--you'll need enough dough for one loaf of bread)

Prepare hot roll mix according to package directions just through mixing step. Divide dough in half. Let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Set aside 1 half of dough, covered, for top crust. On a lightly floured surface roll the remaining half to a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Cover; let rise 20 minutes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven. (Baked layer will be lightly golden.)

1 8-ounce can Sauerkraut (1 cup, rinsed and well drained)
1/3 cup Thousand Island salad dressing
1/4 cup tomato sauce

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the rinsed and drained sauerkraut, Thousand Island salad dressing, and tomato sauce. Stir to mix well. Set the mixture aside.

8 1 and 1/2 - ounce slices Swiss cheese
3 3-ounce packages very thinly sliced corned beef (I used regular old cheap sandwich meat)

Arrange 4 slices of the cheese over the baked bread layer in the baking dish. Arrange all of the corned beef slices atop the cheese layer. Spoon the sauerkraut mixture over the corned beef. Top with the remaining slices of cheese.

2 teaspoons cooking oil
Caraway seed (optional--as in I don't add this)

Roll remaining dough into a 13x9-inch rectangle. Place over corned beef and cheese filling. Crimp edges. Cover; let rest 10 to 15 minutes. Brush the top with cooking oil. Sprinkle lightly with caraway seed, if desired.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or till top is light brown. Cut into 6 squares. Remove each square from the dish and cool up to 1 hour on a wire rack. Pack each cooled square in a freezer bag. Store up to 1 month in the freezer. Makes 6 servings.

Carrot-Apple Slaw

I just threw things together for this. I combined apples (fresh from the tree), shredded carrots and crushed pineapple, then made a basic slaw dressing (mayo, vinegar, sugar and salt) mixed to taste. The slaw was mostly apples.

I meant to make a green salad as well, but forgot all about it until dinner was over with.

Time Spent: An hour and a half, but a good portion of it is time waiting, not working. The rise times kill you on this one, so I made it Monday night. I baked it for 20 minutes and then put it in the oven for another 20 minutes at 300 degrees tonight. I was cooked perfectly.

Damages: A sink full of dirty dishes and a messy counter. Definitely not a one pot meal, but almost all things that can go in the dishwasher, so not awful.

Pros: We only ate a third of the sandwich, so we can eat it for lunches tomorrow and freeze another two servings.

Cons: Definitely not something that fits my normal timeframe very well. I'd usually have to make this on weekends or make it the night before like I did this time.

Final Review: Matt was scared by the sauerkraut, but he really liked it. Winnie normally doesn't eat Swiss Cheese, but she didn't even seem to notice it in this, even though I think it's a pretty strong flavor. This is definitely a time intensive meal, but it makes a lot of servings and it packs really well for lunches so I'll probably make it again.

(p.s. Am I the only one that has a terrible time getting Blogger to space things correctly? I just don't have the energy to go in and edit the HTML code tonight to make this look good. Sorry about the confusion that causes in the recipe.)

A Month of Meals - Day 1

2009-09-28T23:44:00.001-06:00

Menu: Spinach & Potato Frittata, Fresh Tomato Slices

Recipe:

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 small red potatoes, sliced

1 cup torn fresh spinach

2 tablespoons sliced green onions

1 teaspoon crushed garlic salt and pepper to taste

6 eggs

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Place potatoes in the skillet, cover, and cook about 10 minutes, until tender but firm. Mix in spinach, green onions, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs and milk. Pour into the skillet over the vegetables. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until eggs are firm.

Time Spent: 30 minutes start to table

Damages: Basically a one pot meal.

Pros: Winnie cleaned her bowl

Cons: We ate all of it, so there are no leftovers for tomorrow.

Final Review: We love quiche and I think this is just a faster version of the same thing. I'll probably make it again because it's one of those dishes where no recipe is required and you can use just about anything you have one hand.

A Month of Meals (or maybe a week)

2009-09-28T23:35:00.000-06:00

I'm dreading meals. I hate the rush to get home and make dinner before we have to get someone out the door or kids to bed. My family likes most of the things I make and I am meeting my goal of packing leftovers for lunches every day, but I wish I could find ways to enjoy cooking more, or do less of it, or do it faster. I've looked into pre-prepared options, but anything healthy is running in the neighborhood of $5.00 a serving. Since I try to keep our meals around $2.00 a serving, that's definitely out.

So, here's the deal. I'm going to share my menus, methods and techniques and I'm requesting your feedback. Would you cook these things? Do you have shortcuts or suggestions? Kitchen tools or gadgets to make life easier? Tried and true recipes to share? Quick meals that get you through in a pinch?

Here are some of my grounds rules for cooking:

Most nights I only have an hour for preparing and cooking meals.
I need really fast on Tuesdays.
I'm willing to make my most involved meals on Sundays.
I do as little as possible on Saturdays.
I have to make enough food to have leftover for Matt and I to pack as lunches Monday-Friday.
I plan all of my menus for the week and do my grocery shopping on Saturday.
I never buy cuts of meat that cost more than $2.00 a pound.
I never buy fruit that costs more $1.00 a pound.
I try to cook vegetarian once or twice a week as a means of controlling cost.
I don't do canned vegetables (although I do occassionally buy canned corn for Taco Soup).
I try to make a wide variety of foods and expose my family to different things, though I have staple ingredients that many of my meals are planned around.
I cut fat where I can, but I'm much more interested in providing nutritious foods than "low fat" meals.
I don't discriminate against any food groups, although we don't do a lot of seafood because of the cost and the fact that I don't like fish.

I know my blog title is a month of meals, so it would make sense to start on the 1st, but since this is my blog, I'm going to start today.

Happy Birthday, Matty Morrise!

2009-09-28T09:46:00.008-06:00

Everyday Food's Pumpkin Spice Cake with Honey Frosting. I think this will be my new go-to frosting recipe.

I would have taken pictures of Matt opening presents, but I didn't get him any and my camera battery died.

Don't feel so bad for Matt. His birthday present is winging its way to him. He's willing to wait to get something he really wants.

Project #1,973

2009-09-22T10:51:00.008-06:00

I've been wanting a cuckoo clock for the kids' room, but haven't been able to find the right combination of features in a clock I could afford.

When I saw this embroidered clock from the preview of Meg McElwee's new book, "Sew Liberated", I decided an embroidered cuckoo clock might be even better than what I've been looking for. Unfortunately, I've just renewed my vow to not start another project until I've finished all the projects I've already started or purchased supplies for.

At least I have a few years to learn how to embroider.

P.S. I just bought this pattern to make a Christmas dress for Winnie.

2009-09-19T23:52:00.004-06:00

Some day I will have a clean house. Maybe when I don't work anymore. Or when I finally find the perfect spot for everything. Or when I learn how to move faster. Or find two more hours every day. Or get a maid. Or overcome entropy.

Today I did 9 loads of laundry. That seems like more than 4 people should be able to generate. Between sheets, towels, gym clothes and spit-up we manage to make a real mess. Unfortunately, I did not finish vacuuming, mop or plant my bulbs. Don't plan to eat off my floors any time soon.

Matt's birthday is this Friday. I always look forward to his birthday because it means I'm not older than him for the next nine months. We're going to dinner at our favorite restaurant, Thai Ruby, which is always closed on my birthday. I also look forward to making Matt's birthday cake. Last year it was black forest. This year it's going to be pumpkin spice with honey-cream cheese frosting. He's lost almost 40 pounds since we got married, so I need to make sure it's really good and he'll want to eat a lot of it. My weight buffer is getting painfully small.

Hooray for Ebay, Part 2

2009-09-17T12:42:00.003-06:00

I am on a roll--I haven't lost an Ebay auction all year and I've gotten everything I've bid on at a lower price than I was willing to pay. (Ignore the fact that this might mean I'm willing to pay too much.)

I just bought this set of coasters that I've been trying to find for months. Aren't they cute? Can you believe someone else didn't snatch them up right away? This set is missing one coaster, but the price was right. Of course, I'll need the full set at some point, but for now this will take care of my family's coaster needs. Any bets on how long it will be before little hands break off one of the people?

Another plus is that buying from Ebay really builds self esteem. Every time I buy something I must get three emails telling me that I'm a winner! Much nicer than all the snarky complaint emails I usually get at work.

2009-09-08T22:16:00.004-06:00

Somehow, when I woke up yesterday morning, my babies had suddenly grown older all at once.

Winnie, who is starting to always give fake smiles for the camera, spent over an hour yesterday building with her blocks. Last time we played blocks Winnie was more interested in knocking them over the minute you stacked two. And now, suddenly, she's Dr. Seuss's city planner.

I haven't wanted Luke to be ready for solids, but I think he was more than ready. He's had cereal in a bottle for a month or so now, but tonight was his first chance to be spoon fed. Mmmm. Green beans. He was so excited about eating them that it was hard to feed him because he was flailing his feet and hands. Luke also started pushing himself up onto his hands and knees a couple of days ago. I'm not ready for crawling! He supposed to still be too little for that sort of thing!

261 E 100 N

2009-09-08T11:57:00.008-06:00

After being "for sale by owner" all summer, my current dream house (or more aptly, dream yard) is listed with a realtor and a price drop.

http://utahrealestate.com/910162

This house ends up being a pretty great deal after you factor in the pioneer neighborhood purchase assistance programs offered by the city.

Oh please still be on the market next summer when we might be looking for a new house here in Provo. I really want that .45 acre lot! Unfortunately, the house appears to be vacant in the listing pictures, which probably means they're in a hurry to sell.

Update: I though this house was a good deal based on the sellers telling me it just needed some cosmetic updates. If only that really was the case. I went to see the house and discovered that the plumbing and electric haven't been updated, it needs a new roof, new furnace, window glazing and on and on. . . I never thought major systems were considered "cosmetic". Anyone who buys this house at the current listing price would have to put more money in than they could ever recoup.

Another First

2009-08-31T22:40:00.006-06:00

For the first time in 5 1/2 months, I don't have a little boy right next to my bed tonight. Luke's in the big crib in Winnie's room--now the kids' room--for the first time. Luke was getting too big and too mobile to be comfortable in the little bassinet (he weighs 18 pounds already!). I'm going to miss looking at that little face while I fall asleep. Hopefully when he wakes up and can't see me he'll decide to just go back to sleep instead of fussing until I give in and snuggle him.

Putting the Cart Before the House

2009-08-06T09:19:00.006-06:00

Matt and I are starting to get serious about looking for jobs for him after he graduates in December. Of course, for me that really means looking for a house. He's not crazy about the midwest, but I like it--so much bang for my housing buck!

Dear Kansas City,

I've found the house. If you could supply the job I'd be grateful.

Love, Me

425 East Center Redux

2009-08-04T20:21:00.005-06:00

This house has been on the market for over 4 months now and they've raised the original listing price by $10,000. Raised it. Really? To help sort through all the potential buyers and offers or what?

I know some people say the economy is showing signs that it's primed for a recovery, but I think this is a little optimistic.

On a somewhat related front, I've finished designing the yard for when we move into 261 E 100 N and moved on to the interior, so maybe I can't criticize anyone else for being a crazy real estate optimist.

Family Home Evening

2009-07-24T17:37:00.006-06:00

Luke

Making boats

Launching the boats

Smoothies from Uncle Jake's "Magic Bullet"

Entry Organization

2009-07-24T16:45:00.008-06:00

I like our little house, but one of the things that's a must for our next house is a coat closet. When you walk in our front door you're basically standing in our family room looking up the stairs. There's not much room for bags and coats or any of the things you usually want to drop when you first come in the door. Until now I've had a row of hooks up on the wall behind the front door, but I've been looking for something that could meet our needs a little better.

I only have 6 inches behind my front door, but Target had these really slim storage shelves on clearance with bins on top and hooks beneath. Matt and his parents gave them to me for my birthday and I love them! The upper hooks are at the same height as our old coat rack and the lower shelves are just the right height for the kids to reach by themselves. (Okay, Luke can't reach his yet, but at the rate he's growing it will only be a few weeks).

Much better. Now if I could just find a way to make an eat-in kitchen. . .

Book Wish List

2009-07-09T15:47:00.005-06:00

Books I want to add to our library:

Any other recommendations?

Idaho 4th of July

2009-07-07T16:06:00.004-06:00

Confessions, Part 2

2009-06-26T21:46:00.004-06:00

I have no pride. I gave the last ball anyway, proceeded to make an even worse one and then gave that too.

I thought I'd try a simpler pattern, but somehow I could only end up with a lemon-shaped ball. Can you even call a lemon shape a ball? This is of my second attempt--after I'd unpicked the fist very pointy version and resewn it all.

We added this book to our library today and thought it was everything that a book should be.

Confessions, Part 1

2009-06-24T22:46:00.003-06:00

Rushed, took short-cuts, ignored directions, made-up steps = not giving this at baby shower tomorrow.

2009-06-17T22:14:00.002-06:00

I've been adding to my stash for a big project I'm planning. Now I just need to add a couple of hours to each day to get them done!

The blinds in Winnie's room came unstrung and are stuck open. After a few weeks of her getting up with the sun (about an hour and a half earlier than any of us usually get up) I finally decided to do something about it. Fixing he blinds was going to cost $65.00 so I bought new curtains from JCPenney.com. Happily, expedited shipping is the same price as standard shipping right now. Maybe we'll get to sleep until 7:30 on Saturday!

2009-06-10T20:28:00.002-06:00

Tonight after dinner, Winnie said to me, "That was yummy dinner, Mommy. Thank you very much".

I'm making meatloaf more often.

The Kitchen Window View

2009-06-04T00:01:00.007-06:00

The first two years I lived in our house, our tiny backyard was basically a cracked concrete patio and gravel. In 2005 I tore out the concrete (or rather, Matt tore out the concrete and I married him as payment). In 2006 we had a beautiful patch of dirt while I saved up. In 2007 we put down lovely stone pavers (I love them so much I might take them when we move) and planted a few things. In 2008 I finished planting and this year I'm just enjoying it all.

Here's the view from my kitchen window. I took the pictures through the screen, so they look a little wonky.

I love the mirror on my back fence. It's always dirty, but somehow, outside, it looks like it was meant to be dirty. The vine on the back fence is a concord grape planted right after moving in. We got our first crop last year--just enough to eat a few and make a batch of grape jam.

We've had dinner on our little table quite a few times this year.

Here's the view of my kitchen window from the back fence.

Ignore my pokey little pole bean frames. I was too impatient to make them look good.

The kitchen faces south, so the back yard gets baked by the sun. In fact, my thermometer always reads 5-10 degrees warmer than the National Weather Service weather station just a couple of miles away. In past years, I've planted gorgeous window boxes, only to have them die in the hottest days of July/August. This year, I decided that rather trying the impossible again, I'd just plant Moss Roses. They aren't my first choice for the window box, but I love their bright colors and they'll look a lot better than dead plants in a few months. I planted a living wreath with moss roses as well. It will be ready to hang-up this weekend. Yea!

Here we have my espaliered apple tree. Okay, it's not exactly cooperating, as it keeps insisting on growing new branches in places I don't want them. I didn't do enough homework on espaliers before I started this one, but I think it still looks lovely. Next year we should get some apples, too.

I just realized that I didn't even take a picture of my favorite part of the yard! Behind the shed we have a glider. This glider, actually. And boy am I glad we bought it last year because it's more than twice as much this year. Even so, it was a pretty expensive piece of the yard. Expensive, but what's the point of a yard if there's no reason to be in it? The glider fits into the space like a glove and it's a great little nook to curl up in.

Lukey Matthew

2009-05-28T21:21:00.003-06:00

Luke is 10 weeks old and 13 pounds. How is he getting so big so fast? Most of the people I know who have new babies say they feel like they're neglecting their other children. I feel like Winnie still gets plenty of attention and I don't have time to give enough to Luke. Winnie is really good, but it's much easier for a 2-year-old to be demanding than a 2-month-old. He has the cutest little laugh in the world, but he's kind of stingy with it, so I haven't captured it on video yet.

Birthday Shopping

2009-05-26T20:07:00.008-06:00

I've talked about how much I like to shop, but I will tell you again. I really love to shop. I know a lot of people don't like to give money as a gift, but I love getting money because not only get a lovely gift, I get to shop as well! I've been plotting out what I wanted to buy with my birthday money for quite a while now, and this last week I spent some of it. Oh, I also like to buy presents early (please see exhibit A: my growing stock of Christmas gifts). My birthday isn't for another month.

This little piece of Ebay goodness was in my mail today.

This little tray will hang in the kids' room and be used as a magnet board.

I also purchased an aluminum shelf for books in my bedroom and a vintage mobile for Luke that I'm really excited about! Hooray for Ebay.

2-Year Molars

2009-05-26T16:25:00.004-06:00

We think Winnie is getting her 2-year molars, and they seem to be more difficult for her than any of her other teeth were. Am I a terrible mom to want to laugh every time I look at this sad, sad little face? I also want to hug her, so maybe I'm redeemed.

Quilting

2009-04-30T11:22:00.005-06:00

Even though I've yet to finish my first quilt (I'm to the point where I need to actually quilt it and I'm scared I'll mess it up), I'm looking for fabric to make Winnie a quilt for her move from the crib to a bed. I think I'm going to do a large cream linen center panel with a brown corduroy tree applique and a pieced border all around. The multi-colored floral will be the back and the red will be the binding. The "leaves" on the tree will be fabric yo-yo's in all of the patchwork fabrics. I don't know what pattern to do the patchwork in, but I think I better keep it simple if I want to actually finish it.

I also want to make a coordinating quilt for the doll crib she's getting for Christmas.

Matt's a good sport to listen to all of my plans without reminding me that my house is already filled with half finished projects (including the half painted wall I blogged about last July). I think I need to start scheduling my time more like Matt does and say "I am going to work on this project from 8:00 to 10:00" and when 8:00 comes around stop whatever else I'm doing and work on my project. Matt seems to get more done than I do with my "work on something until it's finished" approach. I usually put housework first and that's one project that's never finished. The only kink in my new approach to efficiency is getting Luke to agree.

261 E 100 N

2009-04-27T15:28:00.005-06:00

Another great house is on the market.

I was in this house several years ago on the historic homes tour. Everything is perfect about this house--except the timing and the price. It's currently for sale by owner at $249,900, which for once seems just about right. The county says the house has 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, but the owners say 5 bedrooms. If I remember right, they're using a downstairs parlor as the master bedroom--it's OK as a bedroom, but I wouldn't want to use it that way. The best feature of the house is that it sits on .45 acres. .45 acres! And just 3 blocks from the historic courthouse and 4 blocks from the 4th District Court.

I've always said I want a small house and a big yard. While this house isn't exactly small, the ratio of house to yard is perfect. Flowers, fruits, vegetables and play space wouldn't have to compete. This house also seems to be well maintained compared to a lot of my other "dream houses". The current yard is nicely cared for, but my favorite thing about it is that it's almost a blank slate for my grand plans.

Maybe it will still be on the market in a year--or two.

Christmas in April

2009-04-22T16:54:00.006-06:00

Matt sold a textbook back today and I promptly spent the money on my first Christmas purchase of 2009. This Christmas, Winnie is getting one of these dolls and her outfits.

Today I bought this doll crib that I'd been eyeing on Ebay to go along with her.

It was only $25.00, including shipping, so I'm a little worried that it may look better in the pictures than real life, but the size is perfect and it's supposed to be solid wood with a working drop side. That's more than I can say for my real crib!

I'd kind of like to paint it, so an imperfect finish could be a plus because it would get rid of my guilt in painting nice wood.

I love Christmas shopping so much it might not be healthy.

Update: Make that my second Christmas purchase of 2009. I forgot about one other thing I'd bought and put away. Good thing I keep a spreadsheet!

Sunny Day Blues

2009-04-14T12:41:00.004-06:00

This week the kids and I decided to come to my parents' house and let Matt have some peace and quiet to study for finals. Yesterday I was hurriedly doing laundry, changing sheets, doing dishes and packing bags to get ready for the trip. While I was doing all this, Winnie was doing this:

There were kids outside playing and she kept looking out wistfully and asking if she could go play too. By the time I was ready all the kids had gone inside. No one told me that being a mother came with so much guilt.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T11:51:00.006-06:00

The Easter Bunny always hides our Easter baskets, so when Winnie got up this morning, she got to have a little hunt around her room for her basket. Too bad the video of her search is too big for Blogger because she was really excited!

The Bunny had hidden Winnie's basket in the play pen. Because Winnie went to 2 Easter Egg hunts yesterday, he thought it best to keep it light on the candy and add other goodies to the basket. Winnie got a coloring book, crayons, measuring spoons (maybe mine will stay in the drawer now), and her very own pillow. She did get a chocolate rabbit which we then let her eat for breakfast. Aren't we good parents?

For a while now, Winnie has been asking to have one of her blankets folded up like a pillow, so we thought it was time to actually get her her own. She got a travel sized pillow and I couldn't find any pre-made cases for its size, but I had enough fabric in my stash to make her a little pillow case.

Grandma Susan bought Winnie this little dress a while ago and we saved it for today because we thought it would be the perfect Easter dress.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize until I downloaded my pictures that my camera lense got a little finger print on it at the Easter egg hunt yesterday so all of my pictures and video from today are cloudy.

The Cost of Having a Baby

2009-04-08T10:36:00.001-06:00

With no complications, baby's grand total: $11,681.18. Ouch. Thank goodness for decent insurance.

2 Years Old

2009-03-30T21:47:00.002-06:00

Winnie turned 2 yesterday. Where did the last 2 years go? Here's a picture of our sweet birthday girl, Queen Winnie:

Her ladybug cake:

Winnie was very excited about her birthday. All day long everything was her "birthday" something--her birthday breakfast, her birthday dress, her birthday daddy. . .

Matt and I gave Winnie a CD player for her birthday. I never would have thought I'd be giving a 2-year-old a CD player, but we set it up today and she knew how to use it without me even having to show her.

I finally finish a project. . .

2009-03-22T13:18:00.003-06:00

I'm great at starting projects, but not so great at finishing. On Monday, I finished one that I've been working on for a while. . .

Meet Luke Matthew. He was born at 8:30 Monday night, weighed 7 lbs, 20 inches long.

People keep asking me which one is better--unmedicated birth or having an epidural. I really couldn't say which is better because they were very different experiences. I'd recommend a natural birth to anyone who thought they'd still be able to enjoy the experience that way. Winnie's birth was much more intense and I was much more focused on just one thing. With Luke I was, of course, more comfortable, more relaxed and enjoyed being able to watch Matt's reaction to everything.

Winnie is slowly adjusting to having competition for our time and attention. Overall, I think she's doing quite well. My Mom's been here all week so the house is even relatively clean. Poor Matt, though. Baby's in our room so we're really disrupting his sleep. A few more nights of sleep deprivation and the dark circles under his eyes might be black enough that people will think he's been in a fight. Luckily, Luke's been a little better every night and last night even gave us a 4-hour stretch of uninterrupted sleep.

425 East Center

2009-03-05T19:54:00.006-07:00

The Lizzie V. Sutton house was listed for sale this week. The listing is sparse on details and doesn't have any pictures. The picture above is from the county tax records.

http://utahrealestate.com/866991

The Sutton house is one of my favorite houses in all of Provo and a Provo Historic Landmark. Just 4 blocks from the courthouse, it is the perfect location for our future plans since one of my goals is to live within a mile of Matt's work. The house has been for sale 3 times in the last 3 years and I'm pretty sure it's been owned by investors for quite a while. Currently the house is a triplex with two 2-bedroom and one 1-bedroom apartments. One of the 2-bedroom units is almost twice the size of our current house, so even though we wouldn't gain a bedroom, I think we could make the space work for quite a while until we could afford to expand into the other units and ultimately restore the house to a single family residence. If only it was a year later and Matt was done with school. . . and if only it weren't $370,000.

Clothing Wish List

2009-03-04T20:28:00.010-07:00

My post-baby inspiration:

Anthropologie Dear Watson Coat, $99.95

Charlotte Russe Pintuck Blouse, $18.99 (as if I could wear mustard yellow)

Anthropologie Grand Acres Blouse, $39.95

Anthropologie Trousers, $49.95

Payless Wedges, $17.99

Forever21 Woven Top, $22.80

Anthropologie Ruffled Denim Skirt, $158.00 (luckily it's only available in a size 2, or this skirt would be a serious temptation)

American Eagle Ballet Flats, $17.99

Anthropologie Ribbons & Ridges Cardigan, $19.95

Charlotte Russe Belted Pinstriped Top, $21.99 (I love it, but I'd probably have to shorten it 3 or 4 inches)

Closet Love

2009-03-04T18:28:00.006-07:00

I still haven't finished organizing the new closet systems, but chances are they aren't going to look much better than this any time soon, so I'm posting pictures anyway. The Rubbermaid systems are fantastic and I think you'd have to see them in real life (or have a lot better pictures than what I can take) to really appreciate how much space and easy organization they provide.

Master bedroom closet before:

Master bedroom closet after:

The curtains are blocking how much more we were able to fit into our closet with the new system. It's tight, but it's organized. All of Matt's music gear now resides in our closet in addition to our clothes and other random storage. The curtains on our closet are temporary--we couldn't fit a crib in our room and still have room to open the closet doors, so we put up some curtains.

I didn't take a picture of Winnie's closet before, but it was just the standard building model with one shelf and a rod. The after in her room is more exciting to me than our room, even.

This closet is where it feels like we have a lot of room now--I'm not sure what to do with all the extra space so I haven't really done anything. All of Matt's gear is in our room now, but all of my craft supplies still reside here.

The only person who's not entirely happy with our new closets is Winnie--they were one of her favorite places to hide and now she doesn't fit in either one!

Buy What You Love? Or What Works?

2009-02-27T10:07:00.004-07:00

I'm always torn between buying what I really love and buying something cheaper that gets the job done. After Winnie was born I went with the "buy cheap" philosophy with my wardrobe and now I only have about 4 outfits that I really like to wear. Right now I'm looking to buy a baby wrap and the question is, do I buy a plain brown one that's nothing special or one I love that costs twice as much? I've been trying to decide for the last month and I change my mind just about every day!

We installed new closet systems in our bedrooms. Once I actually get everything put back in them and organized I'll post some pictures. We went with Rubbermaid Titanium systems and I love them! I think I get more excited about home organization tools than I do about any other purchases. It's all part of the dream that one day my house will always be clean and organized.

Where Did January Go?

2009-01-29T22:40:00.003-07:00

I'm not sure what happened--one minute it was Christmas and the next it's the end of January. So far, so good with my 2009 goals. Matt and I haven't missed a day of taking of lunches with us all month, I have a new shelf in my bathroom and I've actually started and completed a project in the same calendar year! Of course, I haven't come close to finishing all the goals I set for myself this month, but I expected that. If I get half the things done on my to-do list on any given day I consider it a victory. I'm not sure how so many people are able to do so much. Do I move slower than most?

One of the best things about 2009 is that it is now the year Matt will graduate! Matt just got his grades for last semester and did really well! In about a week he's headed to DC for a trial advocacy competition. It's the kind of thing I think we'll both be happy he did once it's over. I hope this semester will slow down just a bit for him after.

We had a week or so of cold, nasty, inverted weather that started me pining for spring. I found out that Community Action Services is renting out garden plots again this year and I spent an evening planning out our vegetable garden and looking through seed catalogues (maybe this is why I don't get anything done?). Unfortunately, I always feel the most enthusiastic about gardening during the off season. Luckily we have a lot to look forward to in the next couple of months, so I think they'll go fast.

Winnie continues to crack us up with the things she says. Today her arm was hurting. When I asked her what had happened to it she said, "I don't know. It's ruined." Not even two and she's already partially ruined.

George Taylor House

2008-12-19T12:48:00.006-07:00

The George Taylor House is for sale! The real estate listing doesn't have much detail, but I suspect it's because the house is in pretty bad shape. According to county records, the Catholic Church has owned the house since 1991 and from the looks of it, it's been a poorly maintained rental for that long or longer.

The Taylor house is on the National Register of Historic Places for its Gothic Revival style and cross-wing plan. The location is really transitional right now (it's just east of the lot where the St. Francis of Assisi used to stand), but it's a total gem of a house. The lot is large--almost a 1/3 of an acre. The MLS listing says it's 3 bedrooms and lists it as a single family home, but the county records say it has 6 bedrooms and is a 2-family residence. The house is eligible for Provo's pioneer neighborhood home buyer assistance programs. Anyone want to make it a good home?

Finals

2008-12-15T11:24:00.004-07:00

Matt is about half-way through his finals--two more exams and a substantial writing assignment to go. He's on a trial advocacy team that will be going to a competition in DC in February, so he'll need to spend some of the break preparing for that. Matt isn't sure how much down time he'll get with all that he has going on, but at least he won't be going back to school in the evenings after this Thursday.

I'm still only about half-way done with my Christmas preparations. All of the easy gifts have been purchased and wrapped and I've been steadily replacing plans for handmade gifts and treats with things I can buy. Evidently I'm much better at shopping than sewing and baking.

We bought and decorated our tree on Friday and then I ran out of Christmas Spirit and all of the other decorations are just sitting in boxes blocking the walkway. In the meantime, Winnie's been playing in the boxes and our house looks great! Nothing like Halloween and Thanksgiving decor strewn about the kitchen floor just in time for Christmas. Maybe we'll finish tonight for Family Home Evening. . .

Hooray!

2008-12-02T09:23:00.003-07:00

Look what Santa is bringing me!

Look what Santa is bringing Winnie!

Now Santa just needs to find something as fun for Matt.

I Thought I Took More Pictures. . .

2008-12-01T15:15:00.003-07:00

This is the only picture that ended up on my camera from our Thanksgiving weekend at my parents' house. Jack is just 5 weeks younger than Winnie and they are really cute to watch together. Don't let Winnie holding a fork fool you. . . While Winnie begs for utensils before she's willing to eat, her hands are still her tool of choice. Jack looks a lot more fierce with that fork than he really is, too.

Breakfast

2008-11-17T16:06:00.003-07:00

This is the way we do breakfast at our house. Let's just pretend my floors are clean enough to eat off, okay?

Funny Bunny

2008-11-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

Closet Envy

2008-10-27T17:26:00.005-06:00

I never feel like I have the right organizational tools to make my house function well. If I had them my house would always be clean, I would know where everything is, I'd be able to see everything in my closets at a glance and putting stuff back would be easier than getting it out, right? I frequently look at the Container Store website and dream about what my closets could become if only I could afford to put about $3,000 worth of shelving into them!

I'm not sure how I'm going to add another baby's wardrobe to the closet in Winnie's room that already acts as clothing/office supply/guitars and music gear storage, but I think a system like this would make it much easier. I love the shelf for shoes!

I think this is the best kids' work/play station I've ever seen. No growing out of it--just move the components as needs change. (I do think it's funny that they appear to be storing paints at ground level in an area that seems to be designed for very little kids, though.)

If I could put a shelving like this in my 4' x 6' storage shed, would I be able to fit all the bikes, camping supplies, patio furniture, pots and tools we own into it for the winter?

Snow Day

2008-10-13T18:54:00.003-06:00

This past weekend we went to my parents' house. The forecast had predicted snow, but we didn't think it would be like this!

I took these pictures on Saturday evening. We got another 3 inches or so during the night and ended up with 15 inches by the next morning.

18 Months and Counting

2008-10-01T13:01:00.003-06:00

Monday was Winnie's 18-month birthday. At her check-up she was in the 27th percentile for weight (Carlquist genes), 80th for height (Morrise genes) and 97th for head circumference (both sides). She can say just about anything at this point and she's starting to use three and four word sentences. She's also starting to sing, although she's very selective about where and when. She prefers fill-in the blank type singing where she only has to provide a word of two, but I do catch her singing Rock-A-By to her babies from time-to-time. Winnie's current obsession is giving a hugs and kisses to everything--a loaf of bread in the grocery store, the oven, her shoes and Mom and Dad when we're lucky!

Here's her picture face. It's been weeks since we've been able to get anything but a squinty-eyed shot of her.

Birthday Pictures

2008-10-01T12:11:00.004-06:00

We celebrated Matt's birthday on Sunday. In Matt's family there's a tradition that you get to be the "king" and everyone brings you gifts. Here Matt is ready to be presented with the peasants' offerings.

Here's Matt ready to blow out his candles. I only had 5 candles, but luckily 30 is a multiple of 5 so it was all the same. :)

Happy, Happy Birthday, Matthew Dear

2008-09-25T10:58:00.008-06:00

Happy birthday, Matt! He's 30 years old today and I'm glad I've gotten to spend the last 5 years with him. I don't think I've ever heard anyone who knows Matt say anything but good about him, and that includes his siblings. Amazing, no? It's because there isn't any bad to say--he pretty much embodies all the characteristics I admire most. Do you know Matt started his own blog?

theringofscribes.blogspot.com

We're not doing much to celebrate today because Matt's schedule is pretty packed, but I have promised him the best black forest cake known to man when we celebrate on Sunday.

My Realistic Dream House

2008-09-18T16:41:00.006-06:00

There is a house for sale in the Joaquin neighborhood that has been rehabed by Neighborhood Housing Services. This house is my current dream house because it's actually priced in the range we'll be looking at when Matt's done with school. As an NHS project, I know the house is sound, 3 bedrooms/2 baths and fantastically, it sits on .38 acres. For that size lot I'm ready to take it without even setting foot in the house! Most of the houses in the neighborhood sit on lots half that size. Too bad we aren't going to be ready to move for another couple of years. Think the housing market is bad enough that it will still be for sale? Here's the "before" picture from the NHS website (no "after" available).

Grapes, grapes and more grapes

2008-09-15T15:40:00.009-06:00

When I first moved into our house, 5 years ago, I planted grapes along our privacy fence. Last year was the first year I got any fruit off the vines and what I thought was a seedless, red, table grape called Canadice, turned out to be Concord grapes with seeds. Concord are not the grapes you usually buy in the store to eat fresh, but they are the flavor of most grape juice and jelly. Unfortunately, I dislike the flavor of grape juice and jelly! (Blame it on my mom who didn't like it either and never fed those foods to us because she couldn't even stand the smell.) So, this year I'm faced with a bumper crop of quickly ripening Concords, and very few ideas about what to do with them. I just discovered a recipe for grape pie that I think I'm going to try. Anybody else have any suggestions?

Update: As I started looking at recipes, I realized I was going to need a food mill to do just about anything with these grapes that didn't include the seeds. I bought this one from Drugstore.com. I love Internet shopping! I paid for it by cashing in a $40.00 Discover cash back reward, finding a $5.00 off coupon code, getting free shipping from Drugstore.com, linking to it through my Ebates account for 6% cash back and using my Discover card for their usual cash back. Once I made $11.00 buying Matt's b-day present online this way!

More Recipes

2008-09-04T14:03:00.004-06:00

Our family loves lentils; they're all things I think a food should be--tasty, cheap, and good for you. I just didn't have many recipes that used lentils until I recently discovered that lentils are a good substitute for ground beef in most recipes where the beef doesn't have to be formed into patties or meatballs. In recipes like meatloaf you can substitute lentils for a portion of the ground beef, but I've never tried more than about 1/3. Recipes like Shepherd's Pie are prime candidates for a complete substitution. Once cooked, one cup of dried lentils is about equivalent to a pound of ground beef and costs roughly $0.40.

This recipe varies from my normal rules for a good dish in that it takes more than 30 minutes to prepare (the lentils have to simmer for 25-30 minutes), but it's not time you have to spend actively cooking so I make an exception. We actually like these tacos more than tacos made with ground beef.

TASTY LENTIL TACOS

INGREDIENTS
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup salsa
12 taco shells
1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
6 tablespoons fat free sour cream

DIRECTIONS
In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly. Stir in salsa. Spoon about 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream.

Nothing to Say, Just Pictures of Winnie

2008-08-31T22:15:00.004-06:00

Matt made Winnie blueberry crepes for dinner and then we interviewed her about her day.

My favorite cheesy smile.

She has to wait a little longer before she can successfully borrow my clothes.

Jake & Cassanda's Wedding

2008-08-31T22:00:00.006-06:00

Matt's brother Jake got married this weekend in the Logan temple. We really like his wife, Cassanda, so we were excited about the wedding. It was a beautiful day, the setting was gorgeous, Cassanda looked beautiful and Jake looked handsome. Everything went well--once I got the mess with forgetting my temple recommend straightened out. We were good enough to take our camera, but true to our roots (Matt only took 3 rolls of film his entire mission and I didn't think to take a camera on my trip to Japan) we didn't take any pictures. So until I get some from someone else, here a few pictures of the wedding flowers that I did for them.

Cassanda's bouquet.

One of the corsages.

After the wedding their was a reception in Cassanda's home town of Soda Springs. Matt and I stayed in Montpelier that night and the next day took our time driving home. We stopped in Paris for a tour of the historic Paris Tabernacle and lunch. I'd highly recommend living in Paris if you could find a way to make a living there. Of course, we didn't take pictures there either, but here's a picture of the building from visitIdaho.org

We ate lunch at a great place called "Antiques and Eats". The whole store smelled like fresh bread so we couldn't help but try some. Yum. I think it was one of the most interesting road trips we've take so far. I loved driving on the highways through all the small towns. They were small but they all seemed rich with history and had a lot to offer for their size.

Two Weeks of Fun

2008-08-23T22:07:00.005-06:00

I can't believe how quickly this summer has gone. Matt goes back to school on Monday! We're planning for Matt to graduate a semester early and we like to think of it as "he'll be done in a year", even though it's technically a year and 4 months. Thinking of it as a year makes going back to school this Fall seem better. It means we're nearly half-way done. Okay, that's easier for me to say than Matt. I'm not sure half-the time and half the work will coincide.

Matt's summer internship ended on August 8th, and in the last two weeks, between me working and not feeling well and Matt going to Youth Conference, we've tried to cram in all the fun we possibly could. Aside from watching movies, and staying up way later than I should have (these days that's anything after 10:00 pm), two of our favorite outings were Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point and Hogle Zoo.

We went to Farm Country on Saturday, August 16th. We invited Matt's brother Jake and his fiance Cassanda. It's a good thing they like each other because having one car seat and two adults in the back seat of the Tercel is one cozy ride. Matt, Winnie and I really enjoyed Farm Country. Jake and Cassanda enjoyed being together and could see that Farm Country would be a fun place to take your kids. :)

Winnie and Matt, learning to speak goat.

Me, Winnie, Jake and Cassanda on the wagon ride. Why are you yawning, Jake? Isn't Farm Country the most fun you've ever had?

It took a minute for Winnie to decide that riding a pony would be okay. Her new stall tactic is to ask for a hug anytime she doesn't want you to put her somewhere, i.e. in her car seat or to bed. As soon as she could see Matt was going to put her on the pony she suddenly was very cuddly. She didn't take long to adjust, though, and as you can see, ended up really liking it.

Last Wednesday we went to Hogle Zoo with Annalise and her youngest 3, Colin, Aidan and Logan. Inexplicably, Winnie's favorite animals at the whole zoo where the crocodiles. Wouldn't look at anything else in their building if she could help it. If we let her go for a second she was bee-lining for the crocodile enclosure.

All the kids were really good at the Zoo. At the end of the day, we'd worn Winnie out.

Matt's Show

2008-08-07T10:34:00.003-06:00

Matt's playing an acousitic show tonight at Muse Music. He's playing some old favorites and a few from the Sky Series he's been working on. Check out the details here.

Water Fun

2008-08-06T10:50:00.001-06:00

Swimming at Grandma & Grandpa Morrise's

Jumping on the trampoline with a sprinkler under it at Grandma & Grandpa Carlquist's

Grandma

2008-07-16T16:50:00.006-06:00

My Grandma passed away while we were home over the 4th of July. She was 94 and she'd been by herself since my grandpa died 3 years ago. It was getting harder and harder for her to be independent and she'd been lonely since Grandpa died so her death was bitter-sweet.

Grandma loved to garden and always had a very large, amazing, flower garden. Growing up, I spent hours with Grandma every day while she worked in her garden. I was supposed to be helping, but I think all I really did was talk and pick the flowers. I got to make the casket spray and the easel sprays for Grandma's funeral with flowers from her garden and flowers that Grandma always grew--pink roses, purple and blue delphium, purple iris, white stocks. . .

(Ignore the background--I was in Grandma's basement canning kitchen).

The flowers looked like Grandma to me, so I was happy with the way they turned out.

Time Flies

2008-07-16T16:21:00.006-06:00

I can't believe it's the middle of July already! Our yard sale went pretty well. We sold a guitar for a good price, which allowed me to buy this cute bag I'd been eyeing on Etsy.

And this cute fabric to make a baby quilt. I bought the fabric online and only realized the band only runs down the selvage edge after I bought it. I thought I'd be able to use it as a border on all sides of the quilt. Now I'm not sure I have enough.

We went to my parents house for the 4th of July and I raided Mom's fabric and patterns. I'm going to try to make a jumper, a romper, pajamas and a coat for Winnie. Last time I tried sewing clothes, they didn't turn out very well. Considering that 15 years have passed since my last attempt I thought it was time to try again. Plus, I shouldn't have to do much tailoring to make Winnie's clothes fit right.

As part of our yard sale, we sold our TV/home theater system. Now, instead of watching other people do projects (I'll miss you most of all, HGTV) I hope that I'll get more of my own done. One thing it has forced me to address--the wall I never painted behind the entertainment center.

Lovely, isn't it?

Right now, what I miss most is that we can't listen to CD's, since our DVD player was our CD player as well. We don't plan to be totally media free--we want to buy a laptop for me that we can use for movies and music.

Yard Sale

2008-06-27T15:01:00.005-06:00

We're having our first ever yard sale tomorrow. Actually, it's a complex-wide yard sale because I figured a lot of people in the townhouses wouldn't have enough stuff to be a big yard sale draw. I'm a little nervous about it because the complex-wide sale was my idea and I've been in charge of advertising it. I posted the info on every free online venue I could find and then put up some street signs today (they ended up not nearly as readable from a distance as I'd hoped). I have a few more street signs to put up in the morning, as well. The problem is, I have a curse. If I'm responsible for something nobody shows up! I've thrown a party where not a single person showed. When I was the Enrichment leader, there was a time only the Relief Society president and I showed up--not even the teacher came. Only 3 out of 23 people came to my baby shower (family not included) and the baby was already born! Poor Winnie. Not even her newborn cuteness could prevail. Here's hoping we have better luck with yard sales and make enough money to replace some of the stuff I'm selling!

If life went according to my plans. . .

2008-06-25T11:57:00.006-06:00

If life went according to my plans, Matt would work for the Public Defender's office where he's currently interning, and we would live in this Center Street house (the Knight-Allen House), a mere 2 blocks away.

Built in 1894, the house is 2,400 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3 full bathrooms. It has a detached garage and sits on a quarter acre lot. The house is considered a historic landmark by the Landmarks Commission as "the best and most unique example of Victorian Eclecticism in Provo", but it's not feeling the love it deserves. Currently it's 2 units and county tax records indicate the owners live in Spanish Fork. The tax records grade its desirability an A and its condition an F. Doesn't this house look like it needs me?

Winnie's Room

2008-06-17T11:31:00.004-06:00

Here are a couple of recent additions to Winnie's room.

This is the Ikea crib that I painted black. I still want to put some vinyl decals on the foot of it, but haven't gotten around to making them. In the meantime, the Alice in Wonderland quilt that my grandma made her hangs on the crib. I love this quilt--I've used it to decorate the whole room around.

I bought these Red Riding Hood prints off of Etsy. They're paper cuts by a local artist named Cindy Ferguson. I'm amazed by how expressive she can make a silhouette. You can see more of her work on her blog.

And finally, here are a couple of recent pictures of Princess Winnie.

New Office

2008-06-17T11:16:00.003-06:00

I got entirely new office furniture last week! After 8 years of looking at the same wall for 8 hours a day, it's nice to have a new view and to not have my back to the entrance. I used to face toward the back corner of my office (where the locker is in the picture below). I'm now oriented so I face the secretaries and the hallway. I didn't take a before picture because I was sick the day they removed everything, but here's the after.

I don't quite have everything put away yet--moving has forced me to face my horizontal filing system and clean up my act! There are a few piles still to sort and file. Luckily, I have a lot more filing space. A few other highlights are my locker (finally, a place to hang a coat and put my purse!)and the slat wall system that enables me to keep everything up off my desktop and that can be reconfigured any way I like.