punkins

Ever since I was a child, one of the most important Halloween traditions was carving pumpkins.  I remember going to the pumpkin patch, picking out the perfect size to carve the perfect pumpkin.  After taking it home, laying out newspaper in the garage, and picking out the best design for the year, then came the best part...gutting the pumpkin!  Don't you love that slimy feel in between your fingers?!  Then, it would be time to carve.  After abandoning those cheap, plastic, store-bought knife sets, I'd end up grabbing a huge kitchen knife to really do the job.  I'm surprised I still have all my fingers!  Oh, those were some fun times.

This year, Katie decided to try my commitment to that tradition by continually suggesting that we take a much different approach for decorations (and much thanks to pinterest for that).  No, it wasn't to make them bigger and brighter, nor was it to make them more frightening and terrifying.  She wanted to paint them.

What?!  No gutting?  No slime?  No carving?  I admit, I was hesitant for quite some time.  Anytime we were out running errands, she would always ask if we could go get pumpkins.  I wasn't sure if I could come to grips with painting pumpkins!  I finally came up with a clever response to combat her pleadings.  I told her, "Only one pumpkin is allowed in our house, and that's you!"  (Cheesy, I know.  But we are still newlyweds!)

I eventually caved.  But I must confess, it was a blast!  We had a lot of fun together.  And if you ask me, I think they turned out pretty darn cute!

I largely worked in the argyle one.  I'm pretty proud of it!  Last minute, we thought the pumpkins would look better if they were raised a bit.  Katie got the idea to use a box we just got and paint it.  I had recently thrown it away but I went dumpster diving for it and recovered it!  I think it definitely adds, especially with Katie's already cute wreath she made a couple months ago.

Happy Halloween everyone :)   BOO!

Have yourself a bluebell country day!

Provo just got a little bit better.  There is a little shop in Provo now serving blue bell ice cream, exclusively.  Blue bell is one of the things I missed the most about Texas when I left.  There are a few restaurants in the area (outback and cracker barrel) that serve blue bell with their desserts.  But they only have vanilla and if you want to buy it you have to get it in the 3 gallon size.  Eve, a fellow Texan and great friend, was kind enough to buy us one of those very large containers of blue bell for a housewarming gift.

It lasted us several months, but I've been deprived since, and definitely needing some other flavors.  Then, last week, Eve made me aware of the new place in Provo.  It's called "I Like Ike's Cream," and since they opened on conference weekend, the girls got 1/2 off during priesthood session (the boys also got 1/2 off if they came in a shirt and tie afterward).  Since Grant was in Salt Lake for most of the day translating, a few of my old roommates and I went during priesthood session and had a little girl's night.  

Yes, my ice cream was way bigger than theirs.  Don't judge me :) Needless to say, I was very excited!  I can't wait to take Grant there!  Who cares if it's freezing outside and already snowing?  I'm sure we'll be making another visit soon :)

P.S.  I got a new present!!!!

It's been great to be able to come home and sit at the piano.  I've missed that a lot.  I'm also going to be playing the piano for our school choir, so now I can practice!

3 down, 3 to go

My roommates and I kind of defied the odds at BYU when none of us got married until our senior year.  That just doesn't happen here.  My roommate Christina always said that once one of us "gave in" the rest of us would follow shortly after.  She was right!  I married my wonderful husband in December and since then two more have been married. Jill married Mike in July and Christina married Jackson two weeks ago.  And the best part about that is they're now our next door neighbors!  It's nice having someone I'm comfortable borrowing "a cup of sugar" from.  Congratulations Christina and Jackson!!  We're glad you finally "gave in" and joined us in the married world :)

Announcement...

I have an announcement to make....  I am a pinterest addict.  I have recently been spending the majority of my free time pinning recipes, teaching ideas, and things to do with my future children (no... we're not pregnant.  The post title was Grant's idea!)  The rest of my free time has been spent creating those recipes, teaching ideas, etc...
I have also taken up an interest in crafts, which surprised me because I have never considered myself to be a crafty person.  With my mom here this past weekend, I had enough confidence to take on some of the projects that I was too scared to do on my own.  And they turned out so cute!!

I have a goal of making enough homemade wreaths that I will eventually be able to have one up throughout the whole year.  Because Halloween is coming up I started with my halloween wreath.  I go the idea from pinterest (of course) and you can find the inspiration here.
Here's a picture of our finished product!

Of course, we won't put it up to stay for a few weeks :)

The next task, to be honest, was completed solely by my mom.  I helped her pick out everything for it, but she was nice enough to put it all together while I was at a bachelorette party.  We've had a lamp in our living room that my wonderful younger brother put together for us, but it was a little bit boring.  I wish I had a before picture to show the full effect, but it was just a plain off-white lampshade.  

Here's how it looks now.

I love it SO MUCH!!!  It really adds a lot to our place.  I find myself staring at it pretty often.

Thanks mom for your help with these fun crafts!

While my mom was here she was able to come visit my classes and sing with them.  They were completely captivated by her, just as I knew they would be.

I'm so glad she got a chance to know my precious students and that they were able to meet her and enjoy her so much.  I'm looking forward to a great year, with many more crafts to come!

Home again, home again...

Well, when I was originally making my summer plans, I didn't anticipate having the opportunity to visit Houston twice.  While the circumstances weren't the best, it was wonderful getting the whole family back together again for several days.  We had a blast!!

We ate...

and ate...

and ate!

We played!

We celebrated!

We reminisced about sweet times with our dear grandmother.

And we enjoyed all of the time bonding together!

What a great trip!!  I'm sad to see it end, but very excited to be starting the next trip today!  Family time is wonderful!

0 for 3

Since I've known Grant, I've never been able to spend a birthday with him.  Two years ago, he went home for his birthday.  Last year, I left the morning of his birthday to visit family and he ended up making his own birthday cake :(.  And this year, I left the day before his birthday to attend my grandmother's funeral.  I am LOVING being with all of my family, but I am sorry that I'm not there to celebrate with my husband today.  BUT unlike last year, Grant and I were able to celebrate earlier and he did NOT have to make his own cake this year.

Grant was actually pretty lucky because we celebrated his birthday over several days.  We enjoyed his cake on Wednesday, went out to eat and opened presents on Thursday, and enjoyed breakfast in bed on Friday.

Even though you're not able to be here, we're definitely thinking about you and missing you on your special day (note:  we're looking at another camera in this video, but the sound didn't work)

I'm so grateful to have Grant in my life!  He does a great job of treating me with appreciation and love.  He is dedicated, insightful, and helps me learn and grow.  Grant never fails to make me laugh every day.  I'm sorry again that I can't be with you for your actual birthday.  I love you!  Happy 24th!!!

From Breakups to Babies

In case the title made anyone wonder... no, I'm not pregnant.  It's our roommate motto :)

I was blessed my freshman year of college to be thrown in a room with 5 other girls who very quickly became my best friends.  We continued to live together for 3 years (3 1/2 for some of us) and I loved every minute of it.  These girls mean so much to me and we've been together through a lot.  I was lucky to have most of the girls there for my wedding to be my bridesmaids and this past weekend we were able to do it again for Jill's wedding.

It was so fun getting to reunite for the festivities!  The night before the wedding, those of us already in town, got together for a girl's night.  We painted our nails, watched a chick flick, and stayed up late reminiscing.  It was great having some girl time!

The next day, Grant and I were able to attend the sealing ceremony and then join up with the girls outside the temple.  We went to a delicious dinner catered by Cafe Rio afterward.

Jill's reception wasn't until the day after the wedding, so we made the trek up to Wyoming to visit her there.  It was a long drive, and we got home pretty late, but it was worth it getting to be with friends and see Jill on her special day.

We're all so happy for Jill and know that Mike is a very lucky guy to get someone like her.  We could tell how happy Jill is and we're excited for the chance she has to be with Mike forever :)

Well... 2 down, 4 to go (with one coming up in September)!  I love you girls and know that we will be there for each other "from breakups to babies"!